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A  history  of  Sullivan 
County,  Indiana 

Lewis  Publishing  Company 


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A  HISTORY 


OF 


Sullivan  County 
Indiana 


CLOSING  OF  THE  FIRST  CENTURY'S  HISTORY 
OF  THE  COUNTY,  AND  SHOWING  THE 
GROWTH  OF  ITS  PEOPLE,  INSTI- 
TUTIONS,     INDUSTRIES 
AND    WEALTH 


THOMAS  J.    WOLFE 

EDITOR 


VOLUME    II 


ILLUSTRATED 


THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

1909 


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*  •   «• •  • 


•  •   •••   •    •    * * -  - •  •  t. 


*HE  NEW  YORK 

IFUBUC  LIBRARY 

536365 

AtTOft,  LtMOX  AND 
TfLOftN  FOUNDATION*. 

*  1<V2  L 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILO&N  FOUNOATION* 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 


John  T.  and  Will.  H.  Hays.— The  law  firm  of  John  T.  &  Will.  H. 
Hays,  of  Sullivan,  is  composed  of  John  T.  Hays,  who  has  been  a  leading 
attorney  and  citizen  of  this  locality  for  some  thirty  years,  and  Will.  H. 
Hays  his  son,  who  has  been  associated  with  his  father  since  1900.  The 
firm  are  attorneys  for  the  various  railroads,  coal  companies,  and  other 
important  corporations  which  are  so  much  concerned  in  the  development 
of  Sullivan  county,  among  them  being  the  Evansville  &  Terre  Haute  Rail- 
road Company ;  the  Indianapolis  Southern  Railroad  Company ;  the  Terre 
Haute,  Indianapolis  &  Eastern  Traction  Company;  the  Dering  Coal 
Company;  Consolidated  Indiana  Coal  Company;  Jackson  Hill  Coal  & 
Coke  Company ;  Carlisle  Coal  &  Clay  Company ;  Bellevue  Coal  Company ; 
Sullivan  County  Coal  Company;  the  West  Jackson  Hill  Coal  Mining  & 
Transport  Company ;  the  London  Liability  and  Guaranty  Company ;  the 
Illinois  Coal  Operators*  Mutual  Employers'  Liability  Insurance  Company ; 
the  Central  Union  Telephone  Company ;  the  Sullivan  Lighting  Company, 
and  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Sullivan. 

John  Tennyson  Hays,  senior  member  of  the  firm,  is  a  native  of 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  the  nth  day  of  November,  1845. 
His  parents  and  grandparents  were  all  native-born  Americans.  He  lived 
on  a  farm  with  his  father  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  attending  the 
short  winter  terms  of  the  common  schools  in  his  native  county  during  that 
time.  In  1864  he  was  graduated  from  the  Iron  City  Commercial  College 
at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  then  attended  the  high  school  at  Lisbon,  Ohio, 
and  in  1866  entered  Mount  Union  College.  He,  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  June,  1869,  receiving  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  in 
natural  science  and  mathematics.  For  a  year  after  his  graduation  he 
was  principal  of  schools  at  Calcutta,  Ohio,  and  in  August,  1870,  moved 
to  Farmersburg,  Sullivan  county.  He  taught  in  the  Ascension  Seminary 
there,  and  later  in  Sullivan,  until  1874,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
during  which  he  was  principal  of  the  schools  at  Oaktown,  Knox  county. 

In  1874  Mr.  Hays  became  a  law  student  in  the  office  of  Sewell  Coun- 
sel, but  at  his  admission  to  the  bar  on  March  1,  1875,  purchased  the  inter- 

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2  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

est  of  Nathaniel  G.  Buff,  in  the  firm  of  Buff  &  Buff,  of  Sullivan,  continu- 
ing in  partnership  with  Judge  Buff  until  1878.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  as  he  had  been  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  the  Fourteenth  Judicial  Circuit  for  a  term  of  two  years.  In  1879  he 
associated  himself  in  practice  with  his  brother,  H.  J.  Hays,  and  that  part- 
nership was  unbroken  until  1892.  From  that  year  until  1900,  when  he 
received  his  son,  Will.  H.  Hays  into  partnership,  he  conducted  an  inde- 
pendent practice.  Although  his  law  business  is  of  immense  proportions, 
his  early  life  on  the  farm  still  draws  him  to  the  soil,  and  he  now  takes 
great  delight  in  managing  his  farm,  as  well  as  a  tract  of  several  thousand 
acres  owned  by  the  West  Jackson  Hill  Coal  Mining  &  Transport  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  president.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  People's  State 
Bank. 

Mr.  Hays  has  always  been  a  Republican,  but  never  was  a  candidate 
for  any  office  except  that  of  prosecuting  attorney.  He  has  always  been 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  is  an  elder  and  in 
which  he  has  taught  for  years  in  connection  with  the  Sunday  school. 
Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Columbia  Club,  Indianapolis,  and  has  a 
close  connection  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  is  a  member  of  Sullivan  Commandery,  No.  54,  Knights  Templar; 
Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  81,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Sullivan  Lodge,  No. 
263,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Sullivan  Council,  No.  73,  R.  &  S.  M. ; 
and  Sullivan  Chapter,  No.  188,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  served 
eight  years  as  high  priest  of  this  chapter  and  three  years  as  master  of  his 
lodge.  He  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  as  a  member  of 
Sullivan  Lodge,  No.  85. 

He  has  been  twice  married ;  first  in  1869,  from  which  union  his  two 
daughters,  Martha  A.  Hays  and  Bertha  Hays  Drake,  were  born..  In 
December,  1876,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Cain,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and 
of  their  marriage  two  children  have  been  born,  William  Harrison  Hays 
and  Hinkle  Cain  Hays.  The  career  of  John  T.  Hays,  most  noteworthy 
and  honorable,  needs  no  commendation. 

Will.  H.  Hays,  junior  member  of  the  firm  was  born  in  Sullivan 
November  5,  1879.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Sullivan  high  school  in 
the  class  of  1896,  entering  Wabash  College  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  After 
pursuing  a  four  years'  course  in  that  institution  he  obtained  his  degree 
of  B.  A.  in  1900.  He  had  been  interested  in  the  law  ever  since  he  was  a 
young  boy,  spending  much  of  his  spare  time  in  his  father's  office.  At  his 
graduation  he  naturally  formed  a  partnership  with  him,  which  has  since 
continued.  In  1904  Mr.  Hays  received  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  his 
alma  mater,  the  subject  of  the  special  thesis  upon  which  it  was  conferred 
being  "The  Negro  Problem."  In  college  he  won  the  highest  oratorical 
honors  and  ever  since  his  graduation  has  given  much  time  to  public 
speaking. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  in  1902  he  was  nominated  for  prosecuting 
attorney,  and  was  defeated  by  fifty-three  votes.  From  1904  to  1908  (two 
terms)  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  county  committee;  was 
a  member  of  the  State  Advisory  committee  from  the  Second  district  from 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  3 

1906  to  1908,  and  during  the  campaigns  of  1906  and  1908  was  chairman 
of  the  Speakers'  Bureau  of  the  Republican  state  committee.  In  his  relig- 
ious faith  Mr.  Hays  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  teaches  a  class  of  boys  in  its 
Sunday  school.  In  Masonry  he  is  a  member  of  Sullivan  Lodge,  No.  263, 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  81,  R.  A.  M. ;  Sullivan  Council, 
No.  j$,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Sullivan  Commandery,  No.  54,  Knights  Templar, 
and  Sullivan  Chapter,  No.  188,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Indianapolis  Consistory,  Scottish  Rite  Masons,  and  of 
Murat  Temple,  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  member  of  both 
the  Columbia  and  Marion  Clubs,  of  Indianapolis,  and  is  a  life  member 
of  Sullivan  Lodge,  No.  911,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  is  a  member  of  Phi  Delta 
Theta  Fraternity  and  for  six  years  has  been  state  president  of  the  order. 
Mr.  Hays  was  married  on  November  18,  1902,  to  Miss  Helen  Louise 
Thomas,  of  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Judge  Albert  Duy 
Thomas,  who  resides  in  that  place. 


Orion  Boyd  Harris,  who  was, the -circuit-judge  of  Sullivan  and 
Greene  counties,  Indiana,  from  1900  to*i0o6,  Is'a^nai^ye'of  Knox  county, 
Ohio,  born  April  15,  1859,  son  °f  Amos  M.  and  Jane.  (Hill)  Harris.  The 
father  was  also  born  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  the  date  being  March  2,  1833 ; 
he  died  in  1900.  The  mother,  also  a  native  of  Knox  county,  Ohio,  was 
born  in  1834  and  died  in  1905.  They  were  united  in 'marriage  in  their 
native  county  in  November,  1857,  and  moved  to  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
in  1866,  and  lived  there  until  1873,  when  they  removed  to  Knox  county, 
Ohio.  In  Ohio,  the  father  was  a  farmer,  and  also  a  general  merchant  doing 
business  at  one  time  at  Newark,  Greene  county,  Indiana.  Retiring  from 
mercantile  life,  he  lived  his  latter  years  on  his  farm.  The  grandfathers  on 
both  paternal  and  maternal  sides  came  from  southeastern  Virginia  and 
effected  a  settlement  in  Ohio  in  1808,  remaining  there  until  death.  Grand- 
father Harris  raised  a  family  of  ten  children  and  they  all  lived  to  rear 
families  of  their  own.  Amos  M.  Harris,  father  of  Judge  Harris,  was  a 
stanch  adherent  to  Democratic  party  principles.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  They  were  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  To  them  were  born  six  children,  as  follows:  Judge  Orion  B., 
of  this  memoir ;  Clarence  W.,  residing  in  Syracuse,  Kansas ;  Victor  L., 
residing  in  same  place;  India  A.,  wife  of  Harry  A.  Simmons,  residing 
in  Lakin,  Kansas ;  Samuel  C,  died  in  infancy ;  Myrtle,  wife  of  Charles 
P.  Worden,  residing  in  Syracuse,  Kansas. 

Judge  Harris  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  district  schools.  He  then  attended  the  Normal 
School  at  Utica,  Ohio,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1878.  Later  he  was 
graduated  from  Kenyon  College,  Columbia,  Ohio,  with  the  class  of  1885. 
He  taught  school  two  years  in  Ohio,  and  one  year  in  Greene  county, 
Indiana.  Having  settled  upon  the  profession  of  law  as  the  one  he  wished 
to  pursue,  he  read  law  while  yet  a  teacher  in  both  Ohio  and  Indiana.  In 
1887  he  read  with  William  C.  Hultz,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  remaining 


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4  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

until  1890.  He  acted  as  deputy  prosecuting  attorney,  under  Mr.  Hultz, 
until  1892.  From  1890  to  1893  he  practiced  law  alone  at  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  and  at  that  date  formed  a  partnership  with  William  T.  Douthitt, 
remaining  with  him  until  1896.  He  then  practiced  law  and  managed  the 
Sullivan  Times,  a  Democratic  local  paper,  until  1900.  During  the  last 
named  year  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  Sullivan  and  Greene  county  cir- 
cuit courts,  taking  his  office  in  November,  1900,  and  serving  until  1906, 
since  which  time  he  has  practiced  alone.  His  office  is  now  located  in  the 
Citizens'  Trust  Building.  In  1902  a  Negro  was  lynched  in  his  county, 
and  the  governor  of  the  state  undertook  to  dispossess  the  sheriff  of  his 
office.  The  judge  gave  his  opinion  and  the  sheriff  was  not  molested. 
Judge  Harris  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  fraternal  connections  is  a  member 
of  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Sullivan.  Besides  his  legal 
business,  Judge  Harris  is  the  president  of  the  La  Gloria  Copper  Mining 
Company,  of  Terre  Haute. 

He  was  married  May  8,  1890,  to  Rachel,  daughter  of  Seburn  and 
Mary  Elizabeth  (McCrae)  Kirkham.  Mrs.  Harris  was  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  and  attended  the  common  and  high  schools  and  also  the 
state  Normal.  She  subsequently  taught  for  about  three  years  in  her 
native  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  are  the  parents  of  the  following  four 
children:  Norval  K.,  Naomi,  Amos  Myron,  and  Phillip  Hill.  Both  the 
judge  and  his  estimable  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


Robert  P.  White,  of  Sullivan,  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
Sullivan  Union,  was  born  September  23,  1876,  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
son  of  Samuel  A.  and  Rebecca  M.  (Pearce)  White.  (For  history  of  the 
White  family  see  sketch  of  Samuel  A.  White).  Robert  P.  White  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Sullivan  high  school  of  the  class  of  1896.  He  was  then 
employed  by  his  father  in  his  drug  store  at  Sullivan  and  in  1898,  began 
working  on  the  Sullivan  Democrat,  continuing  on  that  journal  until 
1902,  during  which  period  he  was  city  editor.  In  August,  1902,  he  was 
made  assistant  editor  of  the  Sullivan  Union,  acting  in  such  capacity  until 
February,  1904,  at  which  time,  he  with  his  present  partner,  Dirrelle 
Chaney,  purchased  the  Sullivan  Times,  which  they  sold  in  March,  1904. 
Their  paper,  the  Sullivan  Weekly  Union,  has  the  largest  circulation  of 
any  paper  published  within  the  county. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr.  White  is  a  Republican;  has  served  as 
secretary  of  the  Republican  county  committee  and  was  re-elected  in  1908. 
Since  the  campaign  days  of  1896  he  has  been  an  active  party  worker. 
He  served  as  precinct  committeeman  up  to  1906.  While  engaged  on 
the  Sullivan  Democrat,  he  also  corresponded  for  the  Terre  Haute.  In- 
dianapolis and  Cincinnati  dailies.  Being  a  thorough,  up-to-date  man. 
Mr.  White  is  interested  in  fraternal  society  matters  and  is  numbered 
among  the  members  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  being  advanced  to  the 
Encampment  degree.    He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  5 

Order  of  Elks.  The  Masonic  fraternity  has  also  attracted  him  to  its 
fold,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  Blue  lodge,  Royal  Arch  Chapter, 
and  the  Royal  and  Select  Masters;  also  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star  of 
the  same  fraternity,  all  being  lodges  at  Sullivan. 

Mr.  White  was  married  June  16,  1906,  to  Bertha  B.  Briggs,  who 
was  born  in  1874,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1893.  She  was  appointed  money  order 
clerk  at  the  Sullivan  postoffice  and  held  the  position  for  about  five  years. 
Mrs.  White  is  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  and  Josephine  (Hinkle) 
Briggs.  Her  father  died  in  1903;  he  was  a  practicing  physician  in 
Sullivan,  and  counted  among  the  leaders  of  his  profession. 


Dirrelle  Chaney,  who  is  one  of  the  owners  and  proprie- 
tors of  the  Sullivan  Union,  a  weekly  newspaper  published  at  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan,  born  October  2,  1877,  son  of  Hon.  John 
Crawford  and  Ella  (Saucerman)  Chaney. 

Dirrelle  Chaney  attended  the  high  school  at  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia,  and  the  Wabash  College,  of  Indiana,  in  which  institution  he 
took  a  literary  course.  In  1893  he  was  commissioner  of  the  United 
States  court  of  claims,  serving  two  years.  After  his  term  had  expired, 
he  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business,  first  on  the  Terre  Haute  Express. 
In  1900  he  was  engaged  on  papers  in  London  and  Paris.  In  1901-02 
was  with  the  Chicago  American,  in  Chicago.  In  February,  1904,  he  in 
company  with  Robert  P.  White,  purchased  the  Sullivan  Times,  and  in 
March  of  that  year  purchased  the  Sullivan  Union,  having  at  the  same 
date  sold  the  Times.  Mr.  Chaney  takes  much  interest  in  civic  society 
affairs  and  is  a  member  of  the  Eagles,  Elks  and  Masons,  and  the  Kappa 
Sigma  fraternity.  He  took  the  thirty-second  degree  in  Masonry  at 
Indianapolis  and  is  also  a  Shriner,  and  a  Knight  Templar. 


Arthur  A.  Holmes. — The  present  efficient  postmaster  at  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  Arthur  A.  Holmes,  was  born  September  11,  1856,  at  Annapolis, 
Crawford  county,  Illinois,  son  of  John  H.  and  Nancy  E.  (Rains)  Holmes. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Licking  county,  Ohio,  born  March  28,  1828, 
and  died  October  31,  1863,  in  Effingham  county,  Illinois.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  August  31,  1831,  and  passed  from 
earthly  scenes  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  February  10,  1890.  John  H. 
Holmes  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  went  to  Illinois  from  Ohio  in 
1848,  remaining  there  until  his  death.  Politically,  he  affiliated  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  was  a  War  Democrat.  After  the  death  of  John  H. 
Holmes,  his  widow  married  John  L.  Kaufman,  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana. 

Arthur  A.  Holmes  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and  received  his  educa- 
tion at  the  district  schools,  and  at  the  College  at  Merom,  Indiana,  which 


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6  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

educational  institution  he  entered  in  1874,  and  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1877.  He  had  also  taken  private  instructions  before  entering 
college.  He  then  taught  three  years,  one  term  in  Illinois  and  the  balance 
of  the  time  in  Marshall  and  Sullivan  counties,  Indiana.  Having  decided 
to  engage  in  the  legal  profession,  he  studied  law  with  Buff  &  Patten 
of  Sullivan.  After  remaining  with  them  for  two  years  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1880  and  entered  into  partnership  with  W.  S.  Maple  of 
Sullivan,  continuing  until  the  spring  of  1883,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  I.  H.  Kalley,  which  relation  existed  until  August  1,  1887.  At 
the  last  named  date  he  entered  into  the  service  of  the  government  as 
special  pension  examiner,  remaining  until  April,  1893,  at  which  time  he 
resigned.  In  1891  he  had  purchased  the  Sullivan  Union  and  after  his 
resignation  from  office  he  was  actively  engaged  on  the  newspaper,  of 
which  he  was  owner  and  editor  from  March,  1891,  to  July  24,  1902,  when 
he  again  entered  the  employ  of  the  government  and  continued  until 
January  21,  1907,  in  the  pension  department.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  February  1,  1898,  by  President  McKinley 
and  re-appointed  by  President  Roosevelt,  serving  from  February  8,  1898, 
to  July  31,  1902,  inclusive.  He  was  again  made  postmaster  in  January, 
1907,  and  his  term  will  expire  January  18,  191 1.  Mr.  Holmes  has  always 
voted  the  Republican  ticket  and  has  been  an  aggressive  party  worker. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  in  Sullivan. 


Major  William  T.  Crawford,  who  having  now  reached  the  age  of 
three  score  and  ten  years,  has  been  identified  with  the  educa- 
tional and  patriotic  history  for  forty-eight  years,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  honored  and  popular  citizens  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Jay  county,  Indiana,  January  25,  1838,  but  when  three 
months  old  his  parents  sold  the  homestead  and  removed  to  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  where  his  early  years  were  spent.  The  major  is  the  son 
of  Samuel  and  Gracy  (George)  Crawford — the  former  being  a  native 
of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  aged  seventy-nine  years. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  John  Crawford,  was  a  native  of  Ireland  (his 
wife  of  Scotland)  and  lived  to  the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and 
two  years.  William  George,  the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  while  his  wife  (Linea  Hull)  was  born  in  England.  The 
ancestors  on  both  sides  of  the  family  came  to  the  United  States  about 
1800  and  located  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  where  they  became  sub- 
stantial members  of  the  agricultural  community  and  continued  their  firm 
adherence  to  Presbyterianism.  Grandfather  George  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  in  that  county  for  twenty-four  successive  years,  and  although  a 
practical  and  successful  farmer  was  a  deep  lover  of  music,  and  expert 
violinist  and  a  man  of  cultivated  tastes. 

Samuel  Crawford,  the  father,  was  also  an  agriculturist  and  stock 
raiser.  In  stature,  he  was  a  very  large  man,  being  fully  six  feet  in 
height;  in  his  manners,  he  was  mild  and  kind  to  those  with  whom  he 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX   AND 
TILDE  N   FOUND*  TrN5. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  7 

mingled  and  labored,  and  as  an  illustration  of  these  traits  it  is  related 
that  he  never  had  a  quarrel  or  a  law  suit.  His  ambition  to  be  well 
educated  was  thwarted  when  young,  but  after  his  marriage,  by  persistent 
reading  and  self-training  he  became  a  man  of  wide  general  information. 
Another  commendable  trait  in  his  character  was  his  unfailing  kindness 
to  old  people,  and  morally,  he  was  ever  found  on  the  side  of  justice  and 
right.  The  children  born  to  Samuel  and  Gracy  (George)  Crawford  were 
ten  in  number  and  in  the  order  of  their  birth  are  as  follows:  Nancy, 
widow  of  James  Chaney  and  mother  of  Congressman  John  C.  Chaney, 
who  now  resides  at  her  farm  home  ten  miles  south  of  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana;  Ruth,  deceased;  John,  residing  at  Roanoke,  Indiana;  George, 
deceased;  Elizabeth,  a  resident  of  Idaho  and  wife  of  Thomas  Crawford; 
Jane,  deceased;  William  T.,  of  this  review;  Noah,  deceased;  Linea  E., 
wife  of  Alexander  McCammont,  who  resides  at  Rogers,  Ohio ;  and  Mary 
M.,  wife  of  Sant  Hewett,  of  Florida.  All  but  Jane  lived  to  years  of 
maturity. 

Major  William  T.  Crawford  was  diligently  employed  on  his  father's 
farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  home  neighborhood  and  the 
high  school  of  New  Lisbon,  Ohio.  He  began  teaching  in  the  same  county 
and  after  being  thus  engaged  four  years,  in  i860,  came  to  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  and  built  the  Ascension  Seminary  at'Farmersburg.  Be- 
fore its  completion,  however,  in  August,  '1862,  he  raised  a  company  and 
was  made  captain  of  what  was  known  as  Company  H,  Eighty-fifth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  as  a  gallant  officer  and  brave  soldier, 
from  August,  1862,  to  June  12,  1865.  He  saw  much  actual  campaign 
service,  participating  in  fifteen  battles  of  the  Civil  war  and  being  hon- 
orably discharged  as  brevet  major.  His  regiment  was  first  encamped  at 
Locust  Grove,  opposite  Cincinnati,  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then  moved  to 
Falmouth,  Kentucky.  There  Captain  Crawford  was  detailed  by  Gen- 
eral A.  J.  Smith,  to  act  as  provost  marshall  of  the  place,  which  he  did 
for  two  and  a  half  months.  The  regiment  then  moved  to  Lexington 
and  on  to  Danville,  Kentucky,  later  being  sent  to  Louisville,  where  it  was 
transported  down  the  Ohio  river  and  thence  up  the  Cumberland  to  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee;  and  thence  was  transferred  to  Brentwood  and  Frank- 
lin, Tennessee.  Before  reaching  Franklin,  Captain  Crawford  was  attacked 
by  typhoid  fever  and  pneumonia,  and  five  physicians  gave  his  case  up  as 
a  fatal  one,  telling  him  if  he  had  any  word  to  send  to  his  family  they 
would  be  glad  to  communicate  it.  The  captain  said,  "Dr.  Hobbs,  please 
tell  my  wife  that  I  have  been  sick,  but  am  going  to  get  well  and  live  to 
see  this  rebellion  put  down."  Dr.  Hobbs  then  turned  to  Drs.  Wiles  and 
McPheters  and  said:  "His  will  power  may  yet  pull  him  through."  He 
began  to  recover,  but  while  still  in  bed  the  rebels  made  an  attack  on  the 
town  of  Franklin.  He  started  for  his  command  at  Fort  Granger,  but  was 
so  weak  that  he  was  compelled  to  rest  on  the  door  steps  along  the  streets. 
As  he  neared  the  river,  five  Confederates  rode  up  and  demanded  his 
sword.  The  captain  had  not  realized  that  they  were  rebels  until  after  they 
had  surrounded  him.  The  leader  at  once  demanded  the  captain's  sword 
and  when  he  asked  him,  "By  what  authority?"  the  rebel  replied,  "By  the 


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8  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Confederate  authority.  What  authority  did  you  think  ?"  He  then  ordered 
him  to  get  up  on  the  horse  behind  him,  whereupon  the  captain  refused. 
The  officer  then  drew  his  revolver  on  him  and  said,  "Then  I  will  leave 
you  here."  The  captain  replied,  "You  have  the  drop  on  me."  Again 
the  Confederate  officer  said,  "Hand  up  your  sword  at  once,"  and  when 
the  captain  refused,  the  rebel  demanded  that  he  mount  his  horse  behind 
him.  For  answer  Captain  Crawford  knocked  the  revolver  out  of  the 
enemy's  hand  with  a  hickory  cane,  which  he  fortunately  carried.  At 
that  instant  about  one  thousand  shots  were  fired  from  the  Union  lines, 
one  ball  striking  the  leader  in  the  mouth  and  cutting  his  tongue  partly 
off.  The  blood  shot  out  over  Captain  Crawford  and  fell  upon  his  sword, 
which  remained  unwashed  for  many  years  after  the  close  of  the  war. 
Another  of  the  Confederates  brought  his  carbine  down  upon  the  cap- 
tain's head,  but  a  ball  pierced  the  rebel's  hand.  Still  another  of  the  Con- 
federate squad  was  shot  through  the  side,  as  he  was  taking  aim  at  the 
captain's  head.  Another's  horse  was  shot  from  under  him  as  he  ex- 
claimed, "Throw  up  your  hands  or  we  will  shoot out  of  you."    At 

this  critical  moment  Captain  Bails  crossed  the  river  and  assisted  Captain 
Crawford  into  the  Union  lines. 

A  few  weeks  later  two  spies  from  General  Bragg's  army  (Colonel 
Williams  and  Lieutenant  Peter  entered  the  Union  lines,  reporting  that 
they  were  sent  by  General  Garfield  to  inspect  the  camp,  presenting  as 
their  authority  a  forged  letter  from  the  commander.  Representing,  also, 
that  they  had  been  surprised  and  robbed  by  rebels,  they  borrowed  fifty 
dollars  from  Colonel  Baird  and  obtained  from  him  a  pass  to  go  to  Nash- 
ville. Colonel  Watkins,  of  the  Sixth  Kentucky  Regiment  (a  graduate  of 
West  Point)  recognized  one  of  the  spies  as  being  a  classmate  of  his  and 
they  had  no  sooner  left  camp  than  that  officer  remarked  to  Colonel  Baird: 
"Those  men  are  spies."  As  quick  as  thought,  Baird  said,  "Overtake  them 
and  bring  them  back,"  which  command  was  accomplished  as  the  Con- 
federates were  nearing  the  outer  picket  lines.  Blandly  telling  them  that 
the  rebels  were  between  them  and  Nashville  and  that  Colonel  Baird 
wished  to  send  them  a  guard,  Colonel  Watkins  led  them  to  the  regimental 
headquarters.  One  of  the  spies — a  distant  relative  of  Washington,  an- 
swered "We  have  no  fears."  But  Colonel  Watkins  persisted  and  they 
were  brought  back.  Each  wore  a  white  visor  on  his  cap;  when  they 
returned  a  strong  guard  was  placed  around  the  tent.  Colonel  Baird 
stepped  up  to  Colonel  Williams  and  raised  the  white  visor  from  his  cap 
and  saw  on  the  band  "C.  S.  A."  (meaning  Confederate  States  of  Amer- 
ica.) The  same  conclusive  evidence  was  found  on  their  swords,  when 
they  were  drawn  from  their  sheaths.  Captain  Crawford  was  made  judge 
advocate  at  the  trial,  which  was  short  and  conclusive  as  to  their  guilt. 
Colonel  Baird  tried  to  escape  the  painful  duty  of  hanging  them,  but,  in 
reply  to  his  telegram,  General  Garfield  telegraphed,  "If  guilty,  hang  them 
at  once,"  and  they  were  accordingly  executed — hanged  to  a  wild  cherry 
tree  near  Fort  Granger— June  9,  1863.  It  is  said  that  the  Confederate, 
Colonel  Williams,  was  a  relative  of  General  Lee. 

After  the  war  Major  Crawford  refitted  the  Ascension  Seminary,  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  9 

in  September,  1865,  opened  a  normal  school  which  he  conducted  until 
1872.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Sullivan  and  consolidated  it  with  the 
local  high  school,  conducting  the  higher  department  as  a  Normal  Insti- 
tute until  1876,  and  out  of  the  number  who  have  been  educated  under  him, 
two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  have  followed  teaching  as  a 
profession.  After  1876  the  major  engaged  in  the  pension  business  in 
which  he  is  still  engaged  and  during  this  period  of  thirty-two  years  he 
has  obtained  between  six  and  seven  thousand  pensions  and  increases,  the 
beneficiaries  being  residents  of  twenty-three  states. 


John  S.  Bays. — The  late  John  S.  Bays,  of  Sullivan,  was  widely 
known  and  deeply  honored  by  the  court  and  bar  of  both  Sullivan  and 
Vigo  counties,  his  prominence  as  a  corporation  lawyer  bringing  him  very 
frequently  to  the  courts  of  Terre  Haute  and  other  points  in  southern 
Indiana.  Commencing  in  Sullivan  county  as  a  general  practitioner, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  his  strong  mind  became  more  and 
more  interested  in  the  development  of  the  great  business  and  industrial 
development  of  the  section  of  the  state  which  he  had  made  his  home,  and 
those  forces  themselves  began  to  call  upon  him  with  ever  increasing 
insistence  for  his  careful,  wise  and  practical  legal  guidance.  The  most 
important  development  of  southern  Indiana  centered  in  its  coal  interests, 
and  prior  to  their  consolidation  Mr.  Bays  had  become  the  legal  counsel 
for  most  of  the  large  companies.  By  thus  specializing  he  achieved  a 
standing  which  placed  him  among  the  best  informed  and  most  successful 
lawyers  in  the  country  devoted  to  the  management  and  exploitation  of 
these  vast  properties.  About  two  years  before  his  death  he  effected  a 
consolidation  of  the  coal  mines  of  southern  Indiana,  and  this  master 
stroke  extended  his  reputation  as  a  corporation  lawyer  throughout  the 
central  states.  The  vast  business  that  resulted  from  this  combination 
passed  through  his  hands,  and  he  did  the  work  quickly  because  many 
years  of  application  had  made  him  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  details. 
He  had  always  been  a  tremendous  worker,  all  his  habits  were  temperate, 
his  constitution  was  vital  with  magnetism  and  based  upon  an  abundance 
of  physical  strength,  and  yet  it  is  doubtless  true  that  the  incessant  and 
concentrated  labors  which  finally  gave  birth  to  this  last  and  greatest 
success  of  his  professional  life  had  much  to  do  with  the  undermining  of 
his  health  and  his  inability  to  resist  the  inroads  of  the  disease  which, 
with  such  comparative  suddenness,  snatched  him  from  his  business 
associates,  his  professional  co-workers,  and  his  loving  kindred  and  friends. 
He  spent  the  winter  preceding  his  death  in  California,  but,  upon  his 
return  to  Sullivan  in  the  spring  it  was  found  that  the  change  had  been 
unavailing,  and  after  several  months  of  heroic  struggling  and  the  final 
resignation  of  a  calm  and  resigned  Christian,  he  died  in  the  midst  of  his 
family  on  the  13th  of  August,  1906.  On  the  day  of  his  funeral  the  whole 
city  practically  suspended  business,  and  the  memorial  resolutions  of  the 
bar  associations  of  Sullivan,  Greene,  Vigo  and  Knox  counties  indicated 


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io  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

how  general  was  the  feeling  of  deep  loss  which  pervaded  the  ranks  of  his 
professional  associates.  In  the  procession  which  accompanied  his  re- 
mains from  the  church  to  the  grave  were  representatives  of  these  organi- 
zations, as  well  as  from  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  in  which  he  had  long  been  active. 
"Coupled  with  his  commanding  ability  as  a  lawyer,"  says  one  of  the 
tributes,  "was  a  high  character  as  a  citizen  and  a  lovable  disposition  as 
a  man  and  a  friend.  Ever  kind  and  courteous  in  his  bearing  toward  his 
associates  at  the  bar  and  litigants,  fair  and  honorable  in  his  professional 
conduct,  respectful  and  considerate  of  the  judge  on  the  bench,  and  faith- 
ful above  all  to  those  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  become  his  clients, 
he  has  left  among  us  a  name  to  be  cherished  and  an  example  to  be  emu- 
lated with  profit." 

John  S.  Bays  was  a  native  of  Point  Commerce,  Greene  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  was  born  on  the  27th  of  January,  1850.  His  father, 
William  S.  Bays,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  after  his  marriage  to  a 
Kentucky  lady  came  to  Indiana,  where  he  prosecuted  his  dual  calling 
of  hardware  merchant  and  farmer.  The  parents  both  died  on  the  old 
Bays  homestead  near  Worthington,  Greene  county.  John  S.  obtained 
his  preliminary  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  place,  and 
in  1867,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  entered  the  Indiana  University  at 
Bloomington.  Because  of  the  illness  of  his  father  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
the  university,  after  completing  a  three  years'  course  there.  In  1871 
he  entered  the  law  department  of  the  university,  from  which  he  was 
graduated.  Shortly  afterward,  in  1875,  he  began  practice  at  Worthing- 
ton, where  he  remained  for  five  years,  being  also  the  publisher  of  the 
Times  during  a  portion  of  that  period.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Bloom- 
field  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  Hon.  Lucien  Shaw,  the  firm 
practicing  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  in  1883-4.  (Judge  Shaw  is  now  a 
member  of  the  supreme  court  of  California.)  In  the  latter  year  Mr. 
Bays  returned  to  Indiana,  and  located  at  Sullivan,  his  home  thereafter 
until  his  death.  His  talents  and  strength  were  all  devoted  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession  and  he  ever  preferred  the  career  of  an  attorney,  as  he 
repeatedly  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  judge  of  the  fourteenth  judicial 
district.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  never  a  candidate  for  any 
political  office ;  but  during  the  administration  of  Governor  Durbin  he  was 
appointed  as  the  Democratic  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Southern  Hospital  for  the  Insane,  which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  The  deceased  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  the 
Sullivan  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  a  charter  member  of  Sullivan  Lodge 
No.  911,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  was  instrumental  in  securing  many  public 
improvements  for  Sullivan,  among  others  the  founding  of  the  Carnegie 
library,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  trustees. 

In  1876  Mr.  Bays  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Hettie  Fenton, 
of  Indianapolis,  but  a  native  of  Canada.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
Fenton,  who  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  married  in  Clifton,  Eng- 
land. He  came  to  Canada  in  the  fifties  with  his  wife  and  when  they 
migrated  to  the  United  States  located  in  Ohio.     Mr.  Fenton  served  in 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  n 

the  ranks  of  the  Union  army  throughout  the  Civil  war,  and*  afterward 
located  in  Indianapolis,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  years 
and  where  Mrs.  John  S.  Bays  was  educated.  The  widow  still  resides 
at  Sullivan,  the  mother  of  the  following:  Lee,  born  January  30,  1878; 
Harold,  born  January  26,  1880;  and  Fred  F.,  whose  biography  is  else- 
where given. 

Lee  received  a  thorough  literary  training  at  DePauw  University  and 
graduated  in  law  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  He  married  Miss 
Zoe  E.  Chaney,  daughter  of  Congressman  John  C.  Chaney.  Harold,  the 
second  son,  graduated  from  the  Sullivan  High  School,  and  served  four 
years  in  the  army,  his  experience  covering  campaigns  both  in  Cuba  and 
the  Philippines.  He  then  graduated  from  Culver  Academy,  and  while  a 
student  there  held  the  western  academic  record  in  the  hammer  throw 
for  1902-3.  He  married  Miss  Glenn  Lucas,  daughter  of  Captain  W.  H. 
Lucas,  a  sketch  of  whose  life  is  given  in  other  pages  of  this  work. 
Harold  C.  Bays  is  now  head  of  the  artillery  department  of  the  Culver 
Military  Academy  and  instructor  in  English  and  mathematics.  He  has 
two  sons.  Lee  and  Fred  Fenton  Bays  are  now  associated  in  the  practice 
of  the  law,  the  former  having  previously  been  connected  with  his  father. 


Fred  Fenton  Bays,  of  the  law  firm  of  Bays  &  Bays,  of  Sullivan, 
is  one  of  the  able,  eloquent  and  broad-minded  young  men  of  this  section 
of  Indiana,  who  in  his  professional,  political  and  public  capacities  has 
already  achieved  much  and  given  promise  of  a  brilliant  and  substantial 
future  career.  He  was  born  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  on  the  12th  day  of 
July,  1882,  a  son  of  the  late  John  S.  and  Hattie  (Fenton)  Bays.  His 
father  was  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of 
southern  Indiana,  and,  had  he  so  desired,  might  have  ascended  the  bench 
of  the  higher  courts.  But  all  his  abilities  were  wrapped  in  the  practice 
of  the  law,  and  at  his  death  he  was  considered  one  of  the  leading,  cor- 
poration lawyers  of  the  Ohio  valley  and  had  no  superior  as  an  authority 
on  the  law  relating  to  coal  interests.  As  a  man  he  was  pure,  high-minded 
and  lovable,  and  the  record  of  his  life  is  given  elsewhere  in  detail. 

Fred  F.  Bays  received  the  foundation  of  his  mental  training  at  Culver 
Academy,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1904,  after  which  he  pursued  his 
professional  courses  in  the  University  of  Indianapolis  Law  School  and  the 
University  of  Indiana  Law  School  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  Soon  after 
graduating  from  the  latter  he  entered  into  practice  with  his  brother  Lee, 
who  had  been  associated  with  his  father.  The  two  brothers,  under  the 
style  of  Bays  &  Bays,  have  continued  the  large  business  established  by 
their.father,  and  are  handling  it  with  energy  and  fine  judgment.  Although 
general  practitioners,  they  make  a  specialty  of  corporate  law  as  relates  to 
the  coal  interests,  representing  both  the  Southern  Indiana  railroad  and 
the  Southern  Indiana  Coal  Company.  They  are  also  attorneys  for  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  for  that  section  of  the  state.    Their  well-appointed 


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12  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  busy  offices  are  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  public  square  on 
Washington  street. 

Fred  F.  Bays  is  a  strong  Democrat,  and  early  commenced  to  partici- 
pate in  the  deliberations  of  the  party.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  was 
elected  chairman  of  the  county  committee,  and  ably  performed  its  duties 
for  two  years.  Governor  Hanly  selected  him  as  a  trustee  of  the  Indiana 
Southern  Hospital  for  the  Insane  to  fill  out  his  father's  unexpired  term 
of  one  and  a  half  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  was 
appointed  for  a  new  term  of  four  years,  which  will  not  expire  until  1912. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at 
Indianapolis,  and  is  also  active  in  the  fraternal  work  of  the  Elks,  being 
exalted  ruler  of  Lodge  No.  911.  He  maintains  his  fraternal  associations 
with  his  alma  mater  through  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  of  the  Indiana  University, 
and  has  cause  to  remember  his  college  career  with  pride  as  well  as  fond- 
ness. While  at  Culver  he  won  the  first  medal  for  oratory  and  a  medal 
for  debate;  was  editor-in-chief  of  the  Vidette,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  football  and  track  teams,  as  well  as  being  interested  in  boxing  and 
athletics  in  general.  He  was  a  true  university  man,  and  has  carried  the 
broad,  active  and  versatile  life  of  his  college  days  into  the  realities  of  pro- 
fessional and  social  life.  From  college  halls  he  has  continued  his  interest 
in  oratory,  and  takes  time  from  his  busy  professional  life  to  promote  the 
art,  and  in  giving  a  gold  medal  to  the  winner  of  the  annual  oratorical 
contest  in  the  Sullivan  high  school  he  pays  a  beautiful  tribute  to  his  late 
father's  memory  and  at  the  same  time  furnishes  an  inspiration  to  young 
men  and  women  to  cultivate  this  ancient  and  time-honored  art.  The 
annual  event  is  known  as  the  "John  S.  Bays  Gold  Medal  Oratorical 
Contest." 


Silver  Chaney. — A  lawyer,  real  estate  dealer  and  loan  agent,  who  is 
doing  an  extensive  business  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  is  Silver  Chaney,  who 
was  born  September  14,  1858,  in  Allen  county,  Indiana,  near  Fort  Wayne. 
He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Crawford)  Chaney,  the  former  being 
a  native  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  born  August  9,  1823.  He  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor, 
working  at  the  same  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Wayne.  In  his  politics,  he 
was  a  supporter  of  Republican  party  principles.  He  died  in  1901,  on  a 
farm  in  Allen  county.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Columbiana  county, 
also;  the  date  of  her  birth  was  1828,  and  she  still  survives  and  is  residing 
in  Allen  county.  Both  she  and  her  husband  were  Presbyterians  in  their 
church  faith  and  membership.  Twelve  children  were  born  to  them, 
seven  being  now  deceased  and  the  living  are:  John  C,  present  member 
of  Congress  from  the  Second  District  of  Indiana;  Silver,  of  this 
biographical  notice;  Mary  E. ;  Belle,  wife  of  George  Lopshire,  a  resi- 
dent of  Allen  county ;  Matilda,  wife  of  Joseph  Weaver,  residing  in  Wells 
county. 

Silver  Chaney  spent  the  early  part  of  his  life  on  the  farm  and 
attended  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  took  an  eight  months  course 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  13 

in  the  schools  of  Farmersburg,  and  received  a  license  to  teach  and  taught 
two  years  at  Cloverland,  Clay  county,  Indiana.  He  next  attended  the 
Wabash  College  one  year  and  entered  Washington  and  Jefferson  College, 
in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  took  a  literary  course,  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1879.  He  returned  to  his  native  state  and  taught  school  in  Wells 
and  Allen  counties  two  years,  as  principal  of  the  Zanesville  schools.  In 
1883,  he  went  to  Sullivan  and  engaged  in  the  abstract  business,  handling 
real  estate  at  the  same  time,  and  continuing  in  such  work  until  1887, 
when  he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  graduating  from  the  law 
department  of  that  most  thorough  and  modern  school,  with  the  class  of 
1889.  He  then  returned  to  Sullivan  county,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  law  with  C.  D.  Hunt,  of  Sullivan.  After  two  years  thus  associated,  he 
practiced  independently  for  a  time,  and  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
A.  G.  McNabb,  with  whom  he  remained  a  partner  for  four  years.  Since 
that  date  he  has  been  alone  or  with  his  brother,  Hon.  John  C.  Besides 
carrying  on  in  a  successful  manner  his  legal  business,  he  is  extensively 
engaged  in  loans  and  real  estate  transactions.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Citizens  Trust  Company  of  Sullivan  and  also  director  in  the  American- 
German  Trust  Company  of  Terre  Haute;  director  and  auditor  of  the 
Great  Western  Life  Insurance  Co.  of  Terre  Haute. 

Mr.  Chaney  and  his  brother,  Hon.  John  C.  Chaney,  organized  the 
Alum  Cave  Coal  and  Coke  company,  which  was  the  first  movement  in 
the  direction  of  developing  the  coal  fields  of  the  neighborhood  of  Sullivan 
county. 

Mr.  Chaney  is  interested  in  fraternities,  being  a  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  order  and  has  been  district  deputy  grand  master  and  grand 
patriarch  for  about  fourteen  years  in  Lodge  No.  146.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  council.  He  was  married 
August  12,  1889,  to  Minnie  M.  McEneney,  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
August  12,  1864;  she  was  educated  in  Sullivan  county  and  at  St.  Mary 
of  the  Woods  class.  Her  parents  were,  Patrick  and  Julia  A.  McEneney, 
both  now  residents  of  Sullivan,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chaney  have 
four  children:  Julia  Verne,  Silver  Dean,  John  Francis,  and  Harold  R. 
Mrs.  Chaney  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  he  of  the  Presby- 
terian. 


William  H.  Crowder,  Jr.,  prominent  as  the  cashier  of  the 
Sullivan  State  Bank,  comes  of  a  well-known  and  highly  respected  family 
of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  born  November  23,  1868,  in  Sulli- 
van, son  of  William  H.  Crowder,  Sr.  and  wife,  whose  family  history 
will  be  found  in  another  sketch  within  this  work.  William  H.  Crowder 
of  this  notice,  obtained  his  education  in  the  most  excellent  public  schools 
of  Sullivan  and  began  his  business  career  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
in  his  father's  banking  house.  He  became  the  bookeeper,  which  position 
he  held  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  At  that  time  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  J.  M.  Long  in  the  clothing  business,  remaining  four 
years,  when  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  after  which  Mr.  Crowder  went 


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14  '       HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

to  Linton,  Indiana,  and  there  conducted  a  clothing  and  shoestore  for 
about  four  years.  He  then  entered  the  State  Bank  at  Sullivan,  in  October, 
1900,  as  the  teller  of  that  institution ;  and  also  served  as  assistant  cashier. 
In  September,  1906,  he  was  elected  cashier  of  the  bank,  which  responsible 
position  he  still  holds.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Sullivan 
State  Bank  and  accounted  a  first  class  business  man. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  held  the  office  of  city  counsel 
four  years,  and  his  term  of  office  as  such  will  expire  January  1,  1910. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order  at  Sullivan.  He  was  married 
in  June,  1891,  to  Earlene  Moore,  born  in  Sullivan,  October,  1872,  and 
educated  in  her  native  town.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Robert  A.  and 
Susan  (Robertson)  Moore.  The  mother  is  deceased  and  her  father  re- 
sides at  Sullivarf.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  both  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Sullivan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowder  are  the  parents  of  seven 
children:  William  H.  Jr.,  born  August  17,  1892,  now  attending  high 
school;  Daniel  M.,  born  April  25,  1894;  Doris,  born  May  1,  1898;  De- 
borah, born  April  5,  1900;  June,  born  May  12,  1902;  Elizabeth,  born 
April  30,  1904 ;  Ben  Allen,  born  February  26,  1906. 


Benjamin  Cox  Crowded,  .who  isv  Jjcfw  the  county  auditor 
of  Sullivan  county,  was  born  December  26,  1875,  in  Sullivan,  Indiana, 
son  of  William  H.,  Sr.,  and  Sarah  (Stewart)  Crowder.  (For  an  account 
of  his  ancestors  see  sketch  of  William  H.  Crowder,  Sr.,  in  this  work.) 
Mr.  Crowder  received  his  primary  education  at.  Sullivan  in  the  public 
schools,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1894  entered  DePauw  University.  When 
twenty  years  old  he  returned  to  Sullivan  and  commenced  working  in  the 
Sullivan  County  Bank,  of  which  his  father  was  president.  He  worked 
as  a  bookkeeper  until  this  institution  and  the  Farmers'  State  Bank  con- 
solidated into  what  is  now  known  as  the  Sullivan  State  Bank.  He  re- 
mained there  until  the  organization  of  the  National  Bank  of  Sullivan, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  new  bank,  he  being  assistant  cashier 
for  the  first  six  months  of  this  institution's  history.  He  then  went  to 
Indianapolis  and  was  engaged  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Crowder-Mason  Shoe 
Company,  his  cousin,  C.  H.  Crowder  being  president  of  that  company. 
He  remained  thereabout  five  months  and  in  the  autumn  of  1901,  he  was 
chosen  deputy  auditor,  under  J.  M.  Lang  and  wTorked  until  his  term 
expired  and  then  worked  at  bookkeeping  in  the  Sullivan  State  Bank 
about  one  year,  when  he  was  chosen  by  E.  E.  Russell,  then  county  auditor, 
as  his  deputy,  which  position  he  held  until  elected  to  the  office  of  auditor 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  November,  1906.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks;  also  belongs  to  the  Phi  Gamma 
Delta  fraternity,  at  DePauw  University.  Mr.  Crowder  is  president  of  the 
Citizens  Driving  Club. 

September  16,  1905,  Mr.  Crowder  was  married  to  Emily  H.  McCrory, 
born  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  December  3,  1876.  She  graduated  from  the 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1896.  In  March,  1900,  she  acted  as  assistant 
in  the  county  auditor's  office,  remaining  there  until  her  marriage.     She 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  15 

is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Rachel  Ann  (Leach)  McCrory,  both  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowder  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Rachel 
Louise,  born  August  11,  1906.  Mrs.  Crowder  is  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Christian  church. 


Dr.  Joseph  R.  Whalen,  one  of  the  most  successful  practitioners  of 
Carlisle,  is  also  a  large  land  owner  in  Sullivan  and  Knox  counties,  has 
important  banking  and  real  estate  interests  in  his  home  city,  and,  aside 
from  his  high  professional  standing,  is  a  citizen  of  most  substantial  ability 
and  character.  Born  near  Bruceville,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  on  the  30th 
of  March,  1861,  he  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Richard  M.  and  Frances  J.  (Jenks) 
Whalen.  He  comes  of  distinguished  ancestry  on  both  sides  of  the  family, 
the  paternal  branch  originating  in  Ireland,  where  his  great-great-grand- 
father was  born.  The  heads  of  the  three  succeeding  generations,  with 
which  the  doctor  is  directly  connected,  are  buried  in  Bethlehem  cemetery, 
four  miles  southeast  of  Carlisle.  On  the  other  hand,  his  maternal  grand- 
mother, Jane  Arnold,  was  the  daughter  of  Major  Arnold,  of  Culpeper 
county,  Virginia,  who  fought  with  Washington  at  Yorktown,  and  now 
lies  buried  at  Napoleon,  Ripley  county,  Indiana. 

John  Whalen,  the  great-grandfather,  was  among  the  first  school 
teachers  in  Sullivan  county,  and  the  grandfather,  Richard  J.,  was  a  farmer 
who  took  up  government  land  in  the  county.  The  title  to  the  property  has 
never  been  changed,  and  Dr.  Joseph  R.  is  now  the  owner  of  forty  acres 
of  the  original  tract.  Richard  J.  Whalen  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  died 
in  Haddon  township,  this  county.  His  son,  Dr.  Richard  M.  (father  of 
Dr.  Joseph  R.)  Whalen,  was  born  in  the  township  named,  November  4, 
1832,  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  was  graduated  in  medicine  from  a  Chi- 
cago college,  being  long  engaged  in  honorable  practice,  chiefly  in  his 
native  locality.  He  resided  in  Kansas  in  1866  and  1867,  and  then  moved 
to  Haddon  township,  this  county,  practicing  near  Carlisle  until  his  death, 
July  8,  1899.  The  deceased  was  an  influential  Democrat  and  a  fine  citi- 
zen, serving  for  two  terms  as  trustee  of  Haddon  township.  He  was  also 
a  Mason  in  high  standing,  having  been  master  of  the  local  lodge  for  a 
number  of  times  and  holding  membership  in  Blue  Lodge  No.  3,  at  Car- 
lisle. Both  he  and  his  wife  (who  died  February  26,  1902)  were  faithful 
adherents  to  Methodism.  Mrs.  Richard  M.  Whalen  was  born  at  Napo- 
leon, Ripley  county,  Indiana,  on  the  12th  of  February,  1839,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Joseph  Jenks.  Her  father  was  born  in  England ;  when  eleven  years 
of  age  came  to  America  as  one  of  five  brothers;  was  educated  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio;  practiced  his  profession  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Kansas, 
and  died  in  California  about  1890.  In  Kansas  occurred  the  marriage  of 
his  daughter  to  Dr.  Richard  M.  Whalen,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1859,  and 
to  that  union  were  born  the  following  children:  Lewis  T.,  who  died  in 
infancy ;  Joseph  R. ;  Mary  Annette,  wife  of  D.  J.  Mathers,  who  is  con- 
nected with  the  National  Bank  at  Carlisle ;  Hattie  F.,  deceased ;  Fannie 
S.,  now  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Latshaw,  of  Carlisle ;  Marion  R.  and  Charles, 
deceased ;  and  Nellie,  who  married  W.  J.  Cole,  of  Sullivan. 
Vol.  11— 2 


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16  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Dr.  Joseph  R.  Whalen,  of  this  biography,  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  after  pursuing  the  higher  literary  branches 
at  Union  College,  Merom,  taught  for  a  year  in  Haddon  township.  He 
then  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  drug  business  for  four  years, 
when  he  sold  his  interest  and  engaged  in  the  buying  and  feeding  of  stock 
until  1891.  In  that  year  he  was  matriculated  at  the  Louisville  Medical 
College,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1894  with  unusual  honors,  receiving 
a  gold  medal  as  the  leader  in  general  scholarship  of  a  class  of  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-one  students.  After  his  graduation  he  served  as  demon- 
strator of  anatomy  in  his  alma  mater  for  a  year,  spending  the  following 
three  years  in  practice  at  Oakton,  Indiana,  and  the  four  succeeding  years 
at  Bicknell,  that  state.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  an  active  and  suc- 
cessful member  of  the  profession  and  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  Carlisle, 
following  the  example  of  other  progressive  physicians  and  surgeons  of  the 
country  by  taking  post-graduate  studies.  In  1893  the  doctor  pursued  such 
a  course  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Chicago,  specializing 
in  anatomy. 

Aside  from  his  extensive  medical  practice,  Dr.  Whalen  has  large 
property  interests,  which  include  810  acres  of  land  in  Sullivan  and  Knox 
counties  and  residence  property  in  Carlisle.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  People's  Bank  of  that  city,  in  which  he  is  still  a  direc- 
tor. In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  his  fraternal  relations  are  with 
Masonry — more  especially  with  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  and  A.  M. ; 
Vincennes  Chapter,  No.  7,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Vincennes  Commandery,  No.  20. 
He  has  served  as  master  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Carlisle,  Oaktown  and 
Bicknell,  Indiana. 

On  January  1,  1883,  Dr.  Whalen  married  Miss  Isabelle  Gobin,  who 
was  born  in  Haddon  township,  November  3,  1864,  and  received  her  edu- 
cation at  Evansville,  Indiana,  where  the  ceremony  occurred.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Hall)  Gobin,  natives  of  Carlisle,  her 
great-grandmother,  Dianna  Melburne  (Forrester)  Hall,  being  an  adopted 
daughter  of  Lord  Melburne,  prime  minister  of  England,  and  was  pre- 
sented to  the  court  of  St.  James.  The  Gobins  were  early  settlers  of  Sul- 
livan county.  Mrs.  Isabelle  Whalen  died  June  14,  1907,  leaving  three 
daughters:  Melburne,  born  October  7,  1883,  now  the  wife  of  Manson 
G.  Couch,  the  mother  of  two  children,  and  a  resident  of  Lawrenceville, 
Illinois;  Marguerite,  born  March  5,  1885,  and  Gladys,  born  June  27  y 
1 891,  both  unmarried  and  living  at  home.  The  first  Mrs.  Whalen  was  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  are  her  daugh- 
ters. On  November  4,  1908,  the  doctor  wedded,  as  his  second  wife,  Mrs. 
Ida  Irene  (Smith)  Starner. 


Thomas  E.  Ward,  the  present  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  was  born  January  4,  1863,  in  Sullivan,  son  of  Anderson  and 
Elizabeth  Jane  (Roll)  Ward.  The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
of  Irish  ancestry,  was  born  March  2  J,  1818,  and  died  September  22,  1884, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY     ■  17 

in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  mother  was  born  in  Vigo  county,  In- 
diana, in  1836,  and  died  March  2,  1882,  in  Sullivan  county.  They  were 
united  in  marriage  in  Vigo  county  in  1854,  and  resided  for  a  time — 
probably  about  four  years — in  Fayette  township,  Vigo  county,  and  then 
moved  to  a  farm  six  miles  from  Sullivan,  in  an  eastern  direction.  After 
living  there  one  or  two  seasons,  they  moved  into  the  town  of  Sullivan. 
They  then  moved  back  and  forth  to  the  farm  from  Sullivan  at  different 
times,  but  were  living  on  the  farm  at  the  date  of  their  death.  Anderson 
Ward  came  to  Indiana  when  ten  years  of  age  with  his  parents.  When 
he  was  old  enough,  he  taught  school  and  became  a  physician,  and  was  also 
a  minister  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  being  in  the  ministry  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  was  at  one  time  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  Sarah,  deceased ;  Polly,  deceased ;  Nancy  M.,  residing  at  Terre 
Haute ;  Bettie,  of  Vigo  county ;  Thomas  E. ;  Katie,  now  of  Vigo  county ; 
Jennie,  of  Vigo  county;  John  B.,  residing  in  Sullivan  county;  Mattie, 
living  in  Chicago;  Lou  H.,  residing  in  Sullivan;  Maggie,  residing  in 
Sullivan  county.  The  living  children  are  all  married  and  settled  in  homes 
of  their  own. 

Thomas  E.  Ward,  the  fifth  child  in  his  parents'  family,  received  his 
early  education  in  his  native  place  and  labored  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  He  then  started  out  in  life  on  his  own  account 
following  farming  until  the  autumn  of  1907,  when  he  purchased  a  resi- 
dence in  Sullivan.  During  the  winter  months  for  fifteen  years  he  worked 
in  the  coal  mines.  In  November,  1906,  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  of 
Sullivan  county,  taking  his  office  January  1,  1908.  He  was  elected  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  which  party  he  has  always  supported.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  advanced  in  that  order 
to  the  Encampment.  He  also  holds  a  membership  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  at  Sullivan. 

October  16,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Katie  Waggoner,  who  was  born 
in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  January  14,  1867,  daughter  of  William  H. 
and  Mary  (Snow)  Waggoner.  Her  mother  is  residing  in  Oklahoma. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Thomas  E.  Ward  and  wife:  Lillie  E.,  born 
July  15,  1889,  a  graduate  of  Lyons  Business  College,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana, 
with  the  class  of  1907,  and  now  assisting  her  father  in  his  official  duties 
as  treasurer;  Ivy  Fern,  July  27,  1891,  attending  school  at  the  State  Normal 
at  Terre  Haute;  Tressie  May,  May  3,  1893,  attending  high  school;  Ver- 
nice  Keitha,  March  5,  1900;  and  Roy  Anderson,  October  17,  1905.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ward  and  family  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ ;  he  is 
an  elder  and  trustee  of  this  church,  at  Palmer  Prairie,  Sullivan  county. 


Arthur  Elmer  DeBaun,  the  efficient  clerk  of  the  Sullivan 
circuit  court,  Indiana,  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county, 
March  2,  1870,  son  of  James  P.  and  Rebecca  J.  (Dilley)  DeBaun.  His 
father,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  township,  was  born  March  14, 


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18  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

1839,  and  died  February  10,  1899.  Abraham  DeBaun,  the  grandfather, 
was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  November  27,  1813,  and  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1831  with  his  father  and  mother,  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Devine)  DeBaun.  Samuel  DeBaun  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  in  1776,  and  his  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  cause.  His 
powderhorn  is  now  highly  prized  by  Arthur  E.,  of  this  sketch.  Samuel, 
the  great-grandfather,  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1833,  a"d  the 
grandfather,  Abraham  DeBaun,  died  April  3,  1900.  The  wife  of  Abra- 
ham, Elizabeth  Pogue,  was  born  in  Fort  Knox,  near  Vincennes,  Indiana, 
July  28,  1816,  and  died  July  17,  1884.  She  was  five  months  old  when  her 
parents,  James  Pogue  and  wife,  in  the  fall  of  1816,  with  two  other 
families,  settled  in  Fairbanks  township.  These  three  original  settlers  and 
their  families  consisted  of  James  Pogue,  Joseph  Thomas,  and  Leduwick 
Ernest.  The  mother  of  Arthur  E.  DeBaun,  also  a  native  of  Fairbanks 
township,  was  born  in  1845,  an(*  died  February  1,  1871.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Johnson)  Dilley.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1806  and  died  in  1872;  he  came  from  Lawrence  county  to 
Sullivan  county,  and  was  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  region. 
Nancy  Johnson  was  born  in  1813  in  Ohio  and  died  in  1887  J  sne  came  with 
her  parents  to  Sullivan  county  about  1820.  The  above  named  were 
farmers  by  occupation  and  helped  to  start  the  first  enterprises  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  James  P.  DeBaun  was  married  twice,  his  second  wife  being 
Sarah  Ann  Lee,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  May  23,  1853,  and  died  August 
23,  1901.  The  three  children  born  of  the  first  union  were:  Iverson  W., 
born  1866,  died  in  infancy;  Walter  Scott,  born  January  22,  1868,  resides 
in  Fairbanks  township;  Arthur  Elmer,  of  this  memoir.  There  was  no 
issue  by  the  second  marriage.  James  P.  DeBaun  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
stanch  and  uncompromising  type  and  always  followed  farming.  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

Arthur  Elmer  DeBaun,  who  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  was 
permitted  to  attend  the  public  schools,  and  later  entered  DePauw  Uni- 
versity, at  Greencastle,  where  he  spent  six  years,  graduating  in  the  Liberal 
Arts  course  in  the  class  of  1897.  He  then  followed  teaching  school  for 
two  terms  in  Fairbanks  township.  Desiring  to  follow  the  legal  profession, 
he  took  a  law  course  in  the  Indiana  Law  School  at  Indianapolis  and  was 
graduated  in  1901.  In  the  spring  of  1902,  he  went  to  Sullivan,  becoming 
deputy  county  clerk,  which  position  he  held  until  he  was  seated  as  clerk, 
March  28,  1908,  being  elected  to  the  office  in  1906.  He  is  a  Democrat, 
and  was  elected  on  that  ticket.  Mr.  DeBaun  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church. 


Richard  Levy  Bailey,  county  surveyor  of  Sullivan  county, 
is  a  native  of  Hamilton  township,  this  county,  born  December  14,  1866, 
son  of  Marshal  and  Caroline  (Bivins)  Bailey.  Bedford,  Lawrence 
county,  Indiana,  was  the  birthplace  of  the  father,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 3,  1836.  Mr.  Bailey's  mother  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  place 
and  has  been  dead  a  number  of  vears.    The  father  married  a  second  time, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  19 

a  Mrs*  Scott,  who  is  also  deceased.  For  his  third  wife,  he  married  Mrs. 
Sarah  Sutton,  and  they  are  now  residents  of  Hamilton  township,  where 
the  father  has  resided  for  forty-four  years.  Marshal  Bailey  and  Caro- 
line Bivins  were  united  in  marriage  in  Lawrence  county  and  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  locating  in  Hamilton  township,  in  the  early  autumn  of 
1863,  settling  on  the  place  on  which  he  still  resides.  His  ancestors  were 
of  German  and  Scotch-Irish  lineage.  At  one  time  the  father  owned 
about  three  hundred  acres  of  land,  but  his.  present  tract  contains  only 
one  hundred  acres.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  Both  he  and  his  first 
wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Their  children  were  eleven 
in  number.  Six  are  deceased,  and  the  surviving  are:  Richard  L. ;  Dr. 
W.  A.,  residing  at  Sullivan;  Lola,  wife  of  William  Bolinger,  of  Sulli- 
van; Tressie  Eaton,  residing  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county;  Inez, 
wife  of  Ward  Hawkins,  residing  in  Sullivan.  There  was  no  issue  by 
Marshal  Bailey's  second  and  third  marriages. 

Richard  L.  Bailey  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  home  town- 
ship and  later  the  Southern  Indiana  Normal  school  at  Mitchell,  graduat- 
ing from  the  scientific  course  in  the  class  of  1884.  He  then  attended  the 
State  University  at  Bloomington  for  one  year.  The  next  three  years  of 
his  life  he  spent  in  farming  and  teaching  school,  after  which  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  George  G.  Reily,  at  Vincennes,  Indiana,  remained  there 
eighteen  months  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1889.  He  then  asso- 
ciated himself  with  Charles  G.  McCord,  of  Vincennes,  in  the  abstract 
business  for  three  years.  He  next  went  to  Texas,  and  assisted  in  organ- 
izing Armstrong  county  of  that  state.  There  he  was  chosen  deputy  county 
clerk  and  served  about  two  years.  In  the  meantime,  he  had  entered  a 
section  of  land,  which  he  finally  sold,  and  after  traveling  through  the 
West  a  short  time,  he  returned  to  Vincennes,  where  he  was  made  county 
surveyor  of  Knox  county,  which  office  he  held  for  one  term.  He  next 
became  a  contractor  in  building  levees  along  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  in  which  work  he  continued  until  1900,  when  he  returned  to  Sul- 
livan county,  Indiana,  and  established  himself  in  the  profession  of  a  civil 
engineer.  He  was  appointed  county  surveyor  in  August,  1900,  and  was 
elected  to  that  office  in  the  month  of  November,  1900,  taking  his  office 
December,  1901.  He  served,  however,  under  the  ex-county  surveyor 
from  August,  1900,  until  his  regular  term  commenced,  and  which  will 
expire  January  1,  1909.  He  was  elected  to  this  office  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  of  which  party  he  is  a  firm  supporter.  Mr.  Bailey  has  taken  nine 
degrees  in  Masonry;  he  now  holds  membership  at  Sullivan.  He  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Elks  order  at  Sullivan ;  he  belongs  to  the  Tribe  of 
Ben  Hur,  having  joined  that  order  in  Knox  county,  but  now  belongs  to 
the  lodge  at  Sullivan. 

He  was  married  December  28,  1893,  to  Gertrude  Benefield,  born  in 
Hamilton  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (McGrew)  Benefield. 
Her  father  is  deceased  and  the  mother  is  residing  in  Sullivan.  She  was 
born  in  Hamilton  township,  while  her  husband  was  a  native  of  Lawrence 
county,  Indiana.  They  were  farmers  and  he  came  to  this  county  when 
a  boy.    Mrs.  Bailey  attended  the  Sullivan  high  schools  and  Indiana  State 


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20  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Normal,  at  Terre  Haute.  She  then  taught  school  in  the  district  schools  of 
Sullivan  county  for  nine  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  are  the  parents  of 
one  daughter:   Juanita,  born  September  14,  1894. 


John  William  Lindley,  a  representative  of  the  legal  fraternity  at 
Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  born  December  19, 
1867,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Harriet  (Hollenbeck)  Lindley.  The  father 
was  also  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  born  in  April,  1833,  and 
is  still  living  in  that  county,  on  a  farm.  The  mother  was  born  in  Clarke 
county,  Illinois,  September,  1842,  and  still  survives.  The  grandfather, 
William  A.  Lindley,  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  came  to  Illi- 
nois a  single  man,  settling  in  Crawford  county,  about  1800,  where  he 
resided  until  about  fifty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  a  farmer,  of  English 
descent,  and  reared  a  family  of  seven  children.  Grandfather  Hollenbeck 
came  from  Dutch  ancestry  of  New  York. 

Samuel  Lindley,  the  father,  always  kept  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born  and  reared  and  the  title  has  never  been  changed.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Democrat  of  uncompromising  terms.  Among  the  local  positions  he 
has  held  may  be  mentioned  that  of  supervisor.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
exemplary  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Originally,  the  Lindley  fam- 
ily were  of  the  Quaker  religious  faith.  The  children  born  to  Samuel  and 
Harriet  (Hollenbeck)  Lindley  are:  Emma,  wife  of  E.  H.  Boyd;  Charles 
E.,  a  resident  of  Crawford  county;  Mollie,  deceased;  John  William,  of 
this  sketch;  Ollie  J.  (twin  sister  of  John  W.),  now  wife  of  Charles  H. 
Voorheis,  of  Crawford  county ;  Ola,  wife  of  J.  H.  Neff ,  residing  in  Sul- 
livan county;    Samuel  E.,  of  Sullivan,  a  dentist. 

John  William  Lindley  was  reared  midst  the  scenes  and  labors  inci- 
dent to  farm  life  and  attended  the  common  schools,  after  which  he 
attended  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal  University,  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1892.  He  then  taught  school  one  year  in  the  city  schools  of 
Robinson,  Illinois,  and  read  law  in  the  same  city,  at  the  same  time,  with 
Bradbury  &  McHatton.  He  remained  with  this  firm  for  two  years  and 
passed  the  examination  before  the  appellate  court,  August  3,  1894,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Robinson.  December  19,  1894,  he  began 
practice  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  partnership  with  John  C.  Briggs,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  August  1,  1899,  since  which  he  has  practiced 
independently.  He  has  been  connected  with  nearly  every  criminal  case 
tried  within  Sullivan  county  in  the  last  four  or  five  years,  thus  proving 
his  ability  as  a  rising  attorney.  He  was  prosecuting  attorney  for  the 
Fourteenth  judicial  district  for  190304. 

Mr.  Lindley  is  a  member  of  the  Sullivan  County  Bar  Association. 
Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party  and  in  his  fraternal 
relations  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Elks  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

He  was  happily  married,  in  September,  1901,  to  Zona  Lacey,  who  was 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  21 

born  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  September,  1877.  She  received  her  education 
in  the  county  of  her  birth.  Her  parents  are  Edward  P.  and  Margaret 
Lacey,  both  of  whom  still  reside  in  Sullivan,  her  father  being  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools.  Two  children  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lindley:  Price,  born  in  1903,  and  Lois  M.,  born  in  1904.  The  par- 
ents are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Frank  M.  Douthitt,  who  is  engaged  in  the  clothing  business  at 
Sullivan,  was  born  April  14,  1 871,  in  Jeffe/son  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Lydia  M.  (Wells)  Douthitt.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  the  same  township  and  county,  born  on  the  old 
original  Douthitt  homestead,  eight  miles  east  of  Carlisle,  which  place  was 
settled  by  the  grandfather.  Thomas  M.,  the  father,  was  born  April  23, 
1845,  and  still  lives  on  the  old  farm,  with  his  wife,  who  was  also  born 
within  the  same  township,  in  1848.  He  has  always  followed  farming,  and 
was  also  quite  a  noted  stock  raiser.  He  is  still  able  to  attend  to  his  finely 
improved  hundred-acre  farm.  In  his  politics  he  is  decidedly  a  Democrat. 
He  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  county,  having  served 
one  term  as  county  commissioner,  and  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  one 
term,  etc.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church, 
known  as  Indian  Prairie  church.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children, 
born  in  the  following  order:  William  T.,  an  attorney;  George  E.,  resid- 
ing in  Carlisle;  Frank  M.,  of  this  notice;  Louretta,  died  February  22, 
1905 ;  John  E.,  residing  on  a  farm  adjoining  the  old  homestead. 

Being  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  Frank  M.  Douthitt  had  the  advan- 
tages of  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county.  He  taught  school  one  term 
in  Jefferson  township.  He  then  went  to  Sullivan  and  began  clerking  for 
McCammon  &  Wolfe,  beginning  April  27,  1892.  This  was  in  a  clothing 
store,  in  which  he  remained  until  December  1,  1900,  at  which  time  he 
opened  a  store  on  Jackson  street,  and  put  in  a  good  stock  of  clothing 
and  gentlemen's  furnishings,  which  line  of  business  he  still  carries  on  in 
a  successful  manner.  His  store  is  the  largest  of  its  line  within  the  town 
of  Sullivan. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Douthitt  supports  the  Democratic  party, 
believing,  as  he  does,  that  this  best  represents  the  general  interests  of 
the  country.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  in  the  Sullivan  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  and  has  other  business  interests  within  the  county. 

Mr.  Douthitt  was  married,  November  24,  1896,  to  Miss  Anna  Boat- 
right,  a  native  of  Sullivan,  born  October  1,  1871,  and  educated  in  Sulli- 
van, having  graduated  from  the  high  school.  She  was  engaged  in  the 
millinery  business  with  a  sister  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Ellen  (Pearson)  Boatright,  both  of  whom  are 
now  residing  in  Sullivan.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  Douthitt  and  wife 
are  as  follows:  Paul  Schuyler,  born  August  23,  1897;  Thomas  Edward, 
born  May  3,  1900;  Joseph  Boatright,  born  August  30,  1903. 


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22  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Ira  Glidden,  one  of  the  business  factors  of  Sullivan,  doing  a  mer- 
cantile business,  was  born  August  30,  1866,  at  Lewisville,  Indiana,  a  son 
of  Frederick  Eugene  and  Julia  (Martin)  Glidden.  Both  of  the  parents 
were  natives  of  Rush  county,  Indiana ;  the  father  was  born  in  1834  and 
died  in  1900,  at  Lewisville,  Indiana,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  1841 
and  is  now  residing  at  Lewisville.  The  father  was  a  jeweler,  and  was 
engaged  in  a  jewelry  business  at  Greenfield,  Indiana,  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1884  he  went  to  Sullivan,  where  he  conducted  a  jewelry  and 
shoe  business  until  1888,  then  returned  to  Greenfield  and  retired  from 
active  business  life. 

Being  eight  years  old  at  the  time  his  parents  moved  to  Greenfield, 
Ira  Glidden  was  there  educated  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained  with 
his  father  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  then  engaged  in  the  clothing 
trade,  with  W.  E.  Woods,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  serving  as  a  clerk  for 
twelve  years,  and  gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business.  His  next 
experience  was  as  a  commercial  traveler  out  of  Indianapolis  for  three 
and  a  half  years.  He  was  with  Henderickson  &  Lefler,  natters.  After 
quitting  the  road,  he  returned  to  Sullivan,  where  he  was  again  employed 
by  W.  E.  Woods  for  a  short  time,  and  in  1904  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  conducting  a  tailor  shop.  The  following  year  he,  with  John  F. 
Douthitt,  bought  the  clothing  business  belonging  to  J.  W.  Wolfe  &  Son,, 
and  they  have  conducted  the  store  to  the  present  time  in  a  most  satisfac- 
tory and  profitable  manner.  Their  store  is  the  most  thoroughly  up-to- 
date  one  in  Sullivan.  He  is  identified  with  the  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  U.  C.  T.  of  Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Glidden  was  united  in  marriage,  August  29,  1888,  to  Lola  Moore, 
born  in  Sullivan  in  1862,  where  she  was  educated.  Her  parents  were 
Robert  A.  and  Susan  (Robison)  Moore,  the  father  living  with  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Glidden,  and  the  mother  being  deceased.  Mr.  Moore  is  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  dry  goods  trade  in  Sullivan.  He  retired  from  a  long 
and  prosperous  mercantile  career,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighties.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Glidden  have  two  daughters :   Nellie  and  Susan. 


James  R.  Brown,  lawyer  and  abstracter,  practicing  at  Sullivan,  is 
a  native  of  Wabash  county,  Illinois,  born  September  14,  1872,  son  of  John 
and  Eliza  (Cisel)  Brown.  The  father  was  born  in  1832  and  died  in 
November,  1872.  The  grandfather,  James  Brown,  a  native  of  England, 
born  about  1795,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1820,  locating  in  Virginia. 
He  removed  to  Illinois  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  Grand- 
father Thomas  Cisel  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1807,  and  went  to  Illinois  on 
a  raft,  run  down  the  Wabash  river,  in  18 14.  The  family  settled  at  a 
point  within  Wabash  county.  He  was  of  English  descent,  and  always 
followed  farming  for  his  livelihood.  The  Cisels  were  all  radical  Demo- 
crats, while  the  Browns  were  Republican  in  their  political  views. 

John  Brown,  the  father  of  James  R.,  was  also  a  sturdy  farmer  who, 
at  the  date  of  his  death,  owned  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  23 

choice  land.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  church  work,  belonging  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  and  was  a  trustee  in  that  church 
nearly  all  of  his  life.  The  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Brown  were  named  as  follows,  in  the  order  of  their  birth :  Mary,  Aura, 
and  Leander,  deceased;  Laura  M.,  wife  of  H.  A.  Price,  of  Allendale, 
Illinois,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business;  James  R.,  of 
this  memoir.  After  the  death  of  the  father,  the  mother  married,  in  1882, 
J.  V.  B.  Wright.  She  died  in  April,  1899.  There  were  no  children  by 
this  marriage,  and  Mr.  Wright  now  resides  on  a  farm  in  Knox  county, 
Indiana. 

James  R.  Brown  was  reared  in  Allendale,  Illinois,  to  which  place  his 
mother  moved  four  months  after  the  death  of  the  husband  and  father. 
The  son,  having  finished  his  course  at  the  public  schools  of  Allendale, 
entered  and  graduated  from  the  scientific  course  with  the  class  of  1895, 
at  the  Central  Normal  College  at  Danville,  Indiana.  He  then  entered 
the  State  University,  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  1896.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  supreme 
court  of  Indiana  in  the  same  year.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  law 
at  Martinsville,  Indiana,  forming  a  partnership  with  W.  H.  Pigg.  This 
law  firm  removed  to  Sullivan  in  1897,  and  continued  in  the  practice  until 
1900,  since  which  date  Mr.  Brown  has  been  in  independent  practice.  He 
also  conducts  an  abstract  business,  with  Joseph  S.  Schroeder,  who  in  this 
branch  of  the  business  is  a  partner.  This  is  the  only  abstract  office  within 
Sullivan  county,  and  they  do  a  large  business  and  carry  it  on  along 
approved  and  correct  lines.  Mr.  Brown  is  secretary  of  the  Sullivan 
County  Loan  Association;  also  president  of  the  Sunday  School  Asso- 
ciation, as  well  as  being  treasurer  of  the  Tri-State  Oil  Company,  all  of 
which  causes  him  to  be  a  very  busy  man.  In  fraternal  society  matters  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic,  Ben  Hur,  Modern  Woodmen  and  Royal 
Neighbors  societies.  In  Masonry,  he  belongs  to  the  blue  lodge  and  Eastern 
Star  degrees. 

August  28,  1896,  Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Sadie  Holsen,  a  native 
of  Wabash  county,  Illinois,  born  January  25,  1875.  She  was  educated  in 
her  native  county.  Her  parents  were  Frederic  and  Nancy  (Kneippe) 
Holsen,  the  former  born  in  Germany  and  now  living  in  Wabash  county, 
and  the  latter  a  native  of  Wabash  county,  where  she  died  in  1892.  The 
father  is  a  grain  dealer  and  miller,  living  at  Allendale,  Illinois.  Five 
sons  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown:  John  Stanley,  Rolland,  Thomas 
Cisel,  Darrel  and  Marcell.  The  parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mr.  Brown  is  financial  secretary,  and  he  has 
been  a  class  leader  for  the  last  six  years. 


Adam  Vincent  Minich,  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Sullivan  county, 
residing  in  Sullivan,  was  born  May  9,  1857,  in  Haddon  township.  He  is 
a  son  of  Pleasant  Alexander  and  Sarah  (Corbin)  Minich,  both  parents 
being  natives  of  this  county.    The  father  was  born  June  6,  1822,  and  still 


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24  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

lives  on  the  old  Minich  homestead  in  Haddon  township,  south  of  Car- 
lisle. The  mother,  born  January  25,  1832,  also  survives.  The  grand- 
father, Adam  Minich,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  his  father  and  mother 
came  from  Germany.  The  grandfather  settled  in  Tennessee  and  moved 
from  that  state  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  he  died  November  16, 
1826.  He,  with  a  brother,  came  to  Sullivan  county,  and  entered  tracts 
of  government  land.  Adam  Minich  was  a  saddlemaker  by  trade  and 
employed  a  small  wooden  mallet  with  which  to  pound  the  impressions  in 
the  leather  he  used  for  making  the  saddle  skirts  with.  This  implement 
is  now  possessed  by  Adam  V.,  of  this  notice,  and  highly  prized  as  a 
family  relic. 

Pleasant  Alexander,  the  father,  has  always  followed  farming  for 
his  livelihood  and  has  made  a  success  of  tilling  the  soil.  He  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  valuable  land.  The  first  house,  which  he 
erected  in  1856,  is  still  standing  on  his  farm,  in  the  rear  of  the  substantial 
brick  structure  erected  in  1878.  In  his  political  views,  Pleasant  A.  Minich 
is  a  Democrat,  and  in  church  faith  a  Methodist.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  as  follows :  Adam  V.,  of  this  sketch ;  Will- 
iam Franklin,  born  August  22,  1859,  married  and  resides  at  home  with 
his  father ;  Charles  Theodore,  died  in  infancy. 

Adam  V.  Minich  obtained  his  early  education  at  the  public  schools 
and  was  reared  to  farm  labor,  and  taught  habits  of  frugality  and  industry. 
He  lingered  beneath  the  parental  roof  until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  at 
which  time  he  began  to  farm  independently  in  Haddon  township,  remain- 
ing there  until  the  autumn  of  1903,  when  he  moved  to  Sullivan.  He  still 
owns  his  farm,  which  is  a  part  of  the  old  homestead.  In  Sullivan,  he 
has  erected  a  commodious  and  modern  styled  residence,  at  the  corner  of 
Section  and  Johnson  streets.  While  residing  in  the  town,  he  still  oper- 
ates his  farm,  in  which  he  takes  much  interest.  Politically,  he  is  a  firm 
believer  in  Democratic  policies  and  platforms.  He  was  elected  on  this 
ticket  in  the  fall  of  1902  as  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county,  taking  his  seat 
January  1,  1904,  and  serving  four  years.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  any  other  public  office.  He  is  numbered  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  connected  with  Carlisle  Blue  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  and  A.  M. ;  Jeru- 
salem Chapter,  No.  81,  of  Sullivan,  and  the  Council  of  the  same  place. 
He  is  also  counted  among  the  brotherhood  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  at  Carlisle,  Lodge  No.  3332. 

November  17,  1881,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ollie  M.  Collins, 
a  native  of  Haddon  township,  born  July  8,  1857,  daughter  of  J.  O.  and 
Sarah  Watson  Collins,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky  and  coming  to 
Indiana  in  his  youth,  with  his  father.  He  died  in  Haddon  township  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  nineties  and  Mrs.  Collins  still  lives  in  that  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minich  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  adopted  a  girl 
named  Mabel  and  raised  her  to  womanhood.  She  is  still  with  her  foster 
parents  and  unmarried.  She  taught  school  several  terms  in  Haddon 
township  as  well  as  in  the  graded  schools  at  Farmersburg  and  Carlisle. 
Mrs.  Minich  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  still  live. 
They  are  as  follows:    Finley  O.,  residing  in  Haddon  township;    Mrs. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  25 

Minich;  Robert,  residing  on  a  farm  in  Tennessee;  Dudley  Odell,  of 
Haddon  township;  Eugene  L.,  of  Winchester,  Tennessee,  a  hardware 
merchant ;  Ora  L.,  unmarried  and  at  home  with  her  mother. 


Esom  Ruben  Leach,  head  of  the  firm  of  E.  R.  Leach  &  Co.,  of 
Sullivan,  was  born  March  16,  1855,  in  Grant  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of 
Edward  and  Emily  (Brewer)  Leach,  both  of  whom  died  in  Sullivan 
county.  The  father  came  to  this  state  from  the  East  with  his  father  and 
mother,  and  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Grant  and  Sullivan 
counties,  moving  to  the  last  named  county  in  1864.  In  1887  he  went  to 
Nebraska  and  returned  about  1890.  When  he  first  came  to  Sullivan 
county,  he  settled  in  Cass  township  and  raised  one  crop,  and  then  moved 
to  Sullivan,  where  he  engaged  in  business.  He  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  old  style  Baptist  church  and  exemplary  Christians.  Their 
children  were  as  follows:  William  Jasper,  residing  in  Sheridan,  Ne- 
braska; Rachael  Ann,  deceased;  Charles  Milton,  residing  in  Grant 
county;  George  W.,  resides  at  Sullivan;  James  S. ;  Esom  R.,  of  this 
review ;  Lucinda  L.,  wife  of  William  Lucas ;  Richard  E.,  of  Sullivan ; 
Mary,  deceased ;  John  W.,  deceased.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  1865.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Leach  married  Mrs.  Sallie  Martin.  The 
children  born  of  the  second  marriage  were  as  follows:  Levy,  Emily, 
Jesse,  John,  Bessie,  Oliver,  Daisy,  and  Marten. 

E.  R.  Leach,  of  this  biography,  was  only  nine  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Sullivan  county.  Here  he  obtained  his  common-school  education 
and  clerked  for  his  father  while  yet  in  his  teens.  When  he  had  reached 
his  twenty-first  year,  with  two  brothers,  J.  S.  and  G.  W.,  he  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  in  Sullivan,  continuing  about  two  years.  He  then 
returned  to  the  farm,  which  he  conducted  about  three  years.  His  next 
business  was  that  of  the  grain,  stock  and  implement  business,  which  he 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  &  E.  R.  Leach,  operating  this  until 
1886,  when  he  went  west,  remaining  in  Nebraska  until  1896  and  being 
engaged  in  farming  in  that  state.  Upon  his  return  to  the  east,  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  for  G.  W.  Borders,  being  appointed,  in  the  fall  of 
1897,  superintendent  of  the  county  asylum,  which  position  he  resigned 
after  four  years'  faithful  service.  He  was  then  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  Orphans'  Home,  at  Greencastle.  He  remained  there  four  years, 
when  he  resigned  and  moved  back  to  Sullivan.  In  April,  1907,  he  pur- 
chased the  business  of  the  firm  of  Whitman  &  Asdel,  who  operated  in 
grain  and  feed.  This  business  was  run  by  Mr.  Leach  and  his  nephew, 
Clell  Leach,  until  geptember,  1907,  when  G.  F.  Botts  bought  an  interest 
in  the  business. 

Mr.  Leach  was  married  March  12,  1889,  to  Mary  J.  Turman,  who 
was  born  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Nancy  E.  (Johnson)  Turman,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Sulli- 
van county.  Charles  Turman  is  dead,  but  his  wife  resides  at  Graysville, 
Indiana.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leach  are  the  parents  of  two  children:    Glenn 


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26  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Emma,  born  January  21,  1890,  single,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Sullivan 
High  School  with  the  class  of  1908;  Ruth  Hazel,  born  November  28, 
1893.  Mrs.  Leach  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church.  PoliN 
ically,  Mr.  Leach  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 


Walter  F.  Wood,  the  present  prosecuting  attorney  for  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  June  27,  1878,  at  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  son  of  Jesse  A. 
and  Elizabeth  (Jones)  Wood.  The  father  was  born  in  Greene  county, 
Indiana,  January  8,  1845,  and  now  resides  in  Sullivan.  The  mother  was 
born  in  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  October  20,  185 1,  and  is  still  living. 
Mr.  Wood's  paternal  grandfather,  Lacy  Wood,  was  a  native  of  Tennes- 
see, and  was  born  in  1808,  dying  in  1875,  at  Pleasantville,  Indiana.  About 
1835,  he  came  to  Indiana,  settling  in  Greene  county,  but  moved  to  near 
Pleasantville  in  1846.  He  was  of  English  and  Irish  extraction.  Grand- 
father Jones  was  of  Dutch  lineage,  but  born  in  Pennsylvania,  going  to 
Louisiana  in  the  forties.  He  was  killed  while  serving  in  the  Confederate 
army. 

Jesse  A.  Wood  (father)  has  always  followed  agricultural  pursuits, 
in  which  he  has  been  materially  prospered.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch 
defender  of  Republican  ideas.  He  served  in  the  Civil  war,  from  1864  to 
1865 — from  April  to  April  inclusive — as  a  private  soldier.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Walter  F.  Wood  was  reared  in  the  free  and  independent  atmosphere 
of  the  farm,  and  attended  the  district  schools,  remaining  at  home  until 
about  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  had  the  desire  to  become  a  lawyer, 
and  read  law  at  home  a  year,  and  then  entered  the  office  of  Chaney  & 
McNabb,  with  whom  he  read  more  completely.  Subsequently  he  was  a 
student  in  the  offices  of  Buff  &  Stratton,  and  also  with  C.  D.  Hunt. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  when 
twenty-three  opened  at  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he 
is  still  occupying,  having  practiced  alone,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
when  he  was  associated  with  W'Uiam  B.  Edmonds.  Politically,  he  is  a 
progressive  Republican,  and  was  elected  by  this  party,  in  November, 
1906,  as  prosecuting  attorney,  receiving  a  majority  of  362  votes,  and 
taking  the  office  January  1,  190P,  for  the  term  of  two  years. 

Mr.  Wood  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Order  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  January  26,  1905,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes 
McGuire,  daughter  of  Rev.  U.  M.  McGuire,  who  is  now  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Washington,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Wood  was  born  January  8, 
1882,  and  graduated  from  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1902.  By 
this  union  two  daughters  were  born  to  bless  the  home:  Elizabeth  and 
Margaret. 


Paul  Lyon  Reid,  the  enterprising  grocer  and  breeder  of  fine  blooded 
Shetland  ponies,  residing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  was  born  January  28,  1873, 
in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  is  the  son  of  James  Thomas  and  Susan 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  2/ 

(Lyon)  Reid.  The  father  was  born  in  this  county,  and  died  about  1900, 
while  the  mother  was  a  native  of  Owen  county,  Indiana,  and  now  resides 
at  Sullivan.  The  father  was  a  miller  and  merchant,  operating  the  Sulli- 
van Roller  Mills  for  a  number  of  years,  and  he  was  also  a  grocer.  He 
served  in  the  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  regiment  during  the  Civil  war  period 
for  the  term  of  three  years.  Politically,  he  was  a  firm  defender  of  Repub- 
lican principles  in  party  politics.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic  order,  being 
a  member  of  the  blue  lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Five  children  were  born  to  them,  as 
follows:  William,  deceased;  Maude,  wife  of  H.  K.  Ross,  of  Sullivan; 
Paul  Lyon,  of  this  memoir;  Lola,  widow  of  C.  D.  Taylor,  residing  in 
Sullivan ;  Ruth,  deceased. 

Paul  L.  Reid  attended  DePauw  University,  at  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  returned  home  and  was  employed  by  the 
Electric  Light  Company  (of  which  his  father  was  at  that  time  super- 
intendent) for  five  years.  He  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  mill- 
ing and  grocery  business  up  to  1900,  when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade 
on  his  own  account,  continuing  until  the  present  time.  He  carries  a  full 
line  of  staple  and  fancy  groceries  and  has  an  excellent  trade,  both  within 
and  without  the  city.  Politically,  like  his  father,  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  both  the  blue  lodge  and  chapter  at  Sulli- 
van ;  he  is  also  connected  with  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

June  29,  1894,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine  Ensminger, 
born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  October  12,  1874,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Jennie  (Benefield)  Ensminger.  Mrs.  Reid  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  her  native  county.  The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Reid:  Mildred,  born  February  21,  1896;  James  T.,  born  May 
8,  1897;  Ruth,  born  September  5,  1899. 

Besides  the  busy  cares  of  his  grocery  business,  Mr.  Reid  conducts 
another  industry — a  Shetland  pony  farm.  He  carries  in  stock  all  the 
time  from  thirty  to  forty  head  of  fine  Shetland  ponies.  His  pony  farm 
contains  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres  and  is  known  as  the  "Walnut 
Grove  Shetland  Farm."  He  owns  one  exceptionally  beautiful  as  well  as 
valuable  sire  of  a  spotted  color.  The  animals  from  this  farm  are  shipped 
to  every  part  of  the  country.  This  unique  and  profitable  business  has  been 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Reid  for  six  years  and  more. 


Winfield  Scott  Wolfe,  who  is  numbered  among  the  enterprising 
retail  merchants  of  Sullivan,  and  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  hardware 
stores  of  the  city,  was  born  February  6,  1880,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
on  a  farm,  and  is  the  son  of  John  W.  and  Mary  O.  (Sproatt)  Wolfe. 
The  father  is  also  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  born  there  January  16, 
1848.  The  mother,  a  native  of  Knox  county,  together  with  her  husband, 
is  now  leading  a  quiet  and  somewhat  retired  life  at  Sullivan.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  in  Sullivan  county  up  to  1881,  when  he  went  to  the  town 
of  Sullivan  and  there  engaged  in  the  clothing  trade,  continuing  until 


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28  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

May,  1906,  when  he  sold  to  Glidden  &  Douthitt,  the  style  of  the  firm 
at  that  time  being  J.  W.  Wolfe  &  Son.  Since  then,  he  has  led  a  retired 
life.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  his  religious  faith,  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  of  the  Christian  church.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
order  and  is  ever  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  his  community. 

The  son,  Winfield  S.,  of  this  notice,  was  reared  in  Sullivan.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Sullivan  high  school  with  the  class  of  1900,  and  then 
entered  into  business  with  his  father,  having  put  in  his  spare  hours  at 
the  store  before  this  time.  He  continued  with  the  business  until  his 
father  sold  in  1906,  when  Winfield  S.,  with  Charles  Riggs,  purchased  a 
hardware  stock,  which  they  dealt  in  until  1907,  when  he  bought  out  his 
partner,  and  now  conducts  the  store  alone.  He  carries  a  full  and  com- 
plete line  of  shelf  and  heavy  hardware,  with  stoves  and  buggies,  together 
with  a  few  farm  implements. 

In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat  and  holds  that  the  doctrine  of 
that  party  best  suits  the  masses  of  American  citizens.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Elks  orders.  Mr.  Wolfe  was  married,  in  1901, 
to  Roxa  WTillard,  who  was  born  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
and  died  March  17,  1907.  She  was  educated  in  this  county  and  was  the 
daughter  of  Rufus  O.  and  Mary  (Owens)  Willard.  Her  parents  are  now 
residing  in  Gill  township.  She  left  one  son  and  one  daughter:  Willard 
W.  and  Mildred  Louise.  Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church, 
as  was  his  wife  in  her  lifetime. 

Mr.  Wolfe's  sisters  are  Teresa,  born  August  9,  1883,  is  unmarried, 
and  at  home ;  she  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1902,  and  attended  the 
Conservatory  of  Music,  taking  both  the  vocal  and  instrumental  courses; 
Edna,  born  August  3,  1886,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  of  Sullivan, 
with  the  class  of  1905 ;  is  unmarried  and  at  home. 


Walter  Gibson  Scott,  hardware  dealer  of  Sullivan,  a  son  of  Thomas 
Leeman  and  Nancy  M.  (Cotterell)  Scott,  was  born  May  30,  1868,  at 
New  Hope,  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Cincinnati  and  of  Scotch 
descent.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Ohio,  and  they  came  to  Indiana 
in  the  efarly  seventies,  locating  at  a  point  in  Morgan  county,  where  the 
father  died.  Thomas  Leeman  Scott,  was  a  practicing  physician  and  sur- 
geon. He  graduated  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  at  one  of  the  medical  colleges. 
Politically,  Dr.  Scott  was  an  uncompromising  Republican,  and  served  in 
the  Civil  war  as  a  lieutenant.  He  belonged  to  the  order  of  Knights  of 
Honor.  He  had  three  children :  Walter  G.,  of  this  memoir;  John  Thomas, 
residing  in  Indianapolis,  where  he  is  practicing  medicine ;  Albert  David, 
residing  in  Sullivan  county. 

Mr.  Scott  received  his  education  in  Indiana  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  set  out  in  the  conflict  of  life  for  himself  by  working  on  a  farm. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  to  farm  for  himself,  continu- 
ing two  seasons  in  Ohio,  and  then  came  to  Elnora,  Indiana,  where  he 
learned  the  art,  or  profession,  of  telegraphy,  operating  for  the  Evansville 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  29 

&  Terre  Haute  Railroad  Company  for  the  next  nine  years.  He  then 
returned  to  farm  life  for  two  years,  coming  to  Sullivan  in  1904.  Here 
he  embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  coupling-with  it  house  furnishing 
goods,  wagons,  buggies  and  pipe-fittings.  He  is  in  company  with  his 
brother,  A.  D.  Scott.  They  also  conduct  a  sale  stable,  catering  to  the 
local  trade  and  the  coal  mines.  Mr.  Scott  is  president  of  the  Business 
Men's  Association  of  Sullivan;  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
order,  and  has  advanced  in  Masonry  to  the  thirty-second  degree.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1905,  to  Nettie 
Bond,  born  in  Worden,  Illinois.  One  child  has  come  to  bless  and  brighten 
their  home — Myrle  Wyatt  Scott,  born  April  12,  1906.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


James  M.  Sinclair,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  popular  ''Index 
Store"  of  Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  born  Decem- 
ber 31,  1871,  in  Hamilton  township.  He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Sarah 
(Willis)  Sinclair,  the  former  born  in  Indiana,  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky, 
February  29,  1832.  The  mother  is  still  living  with  her  son,  James  M. 
The  father  died  about  1881.  Politically,  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Eight  children  blessed  their  marriage  union,  as  follows:  William  M., 
residing  at  Coffeeville,  Kansas ;  Mary  A.,  wife  of  Andy  Mason,  of  Sulli- 
van ;  Thomas  H.,  of  Sullivan ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Malon  Gustin,  of  Sulli- 
van; Edward,  residing  in  Hamilton  township;  Eliza,  wife  of  Reason 
Lovelace,  residing  at  Duggar ;  Flora ;  James  M.,  of  this  notice. 

Reared  midst  the  scenes  and  labors  coincident  to  the  farmer's  life, 
James  M.  Sinclair  remained  at  home  until  about  twenty  years,  when  he 
went  to  Sullivan  and  commenced  clerking  for  a  Mr.  Boyd,  who  conducted 
the  first  Racket  store  established  in  the  place.  After  working  there  two 
years,  he  was  employed  at  other  places  up  to  1898,  at  which  date  he  estab- 
lished a  business  for  himself.  At.first,  he  began  with  a  stock  of  goods  in 
what  was  known  as  the  Racket  store,  having  an  endless  variety  of  small, 
cheap  articles.  In  the  course  of  time,  as  his  trade  demanded  it,  he  added 
more  goods,  until  he  now  heads  the  firm  of  Sinclair  &  Co.,  which  firm 
deals  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  way  in  furniture,  stoves,  tinware,  queens- 
ware,  glassware  and  five  and  ten  cent  counter  articles — the  latter  being 
their  specialty.  This  store  is  situated  in  the  Odd  Fellows  building  at 
Sullivan.  By  strict  attention  to  duty,  a  large  and  prosperous  business 
has  grown  up  and  the  trade  which  at  first  was  on  a  small  scale  has  become 
one  of  goodly  proportions.  In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Sinclair  is  a  Demo- 
crat. In  1898  he  served  as  clerk  and  treasurer  of  the  town  of  Sullivan. 
He  is  identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  including  the  Encampment 
degree.  Himself  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  body  he  is  one  of  the  trustees. 

January  8,  1896,  Mr.  Sinclair  was  married  to  Fannie  E.  Orndorff, 
born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  April  10,  1879,  daughter  of  Wallace  and 


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30  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Laura  (Knotts)  Orndorff.  The  father  died  in  Knox  county  when  Mrs. 
Sinclair  was  in  her  infancy.  Her  mother  later  married  her  first  husband's 
brother,  Andrew  J.  Sinclair,  and  they  now  reside  south  of  Sullivan,  in 
Hamilton  township.  Mrs.  Sinclair  received  her  education  in  Sullivan 
county.  The  children  born  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Sinclair  are :  Frances 
L.,  born  August  10,  1897,  and  Zola  I.,  born  April  14,  1900. 


James  Frank  Alumbaugh. — The  vice  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  a  man  prominent  in  the  business 
circles  of  his  town  and  county,  is  James  F.  Alumbaugh,  who  was  born 
September  10,  1857,  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a 
son  of  Tilford  and  Paulina  J.  (Gobin)  Alumbaugh.  The  father,  who 
was  of  German  descent,  always  followed  farming  in  Haddon  township, 
until  about  1890,  when  he  retired  to  Carlisle.  He  was  a  highly  success- 
ful farmer  and  stock-raiser,  at  one  time  owning  three  hundred  acres  of 
most  excellent  Indiana  land.  Tilford  Alumbaugh  was  born  April  1, 
1834,  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  died  March  22,  1900,  aged 
sixty-five  years,  eleven  months  and  twenty-one  days.  He  was  one  of 
seven  brothers,  two  perhaps  being  younger  than  he,  but  he  was  the  last 
to  pass  away.  The  death  of  both  parents  within  a  short  time  of  each 
other  left  him  an  orphan  about  the  age  of  five  years.  He  lived  with  his 
uncle,  Morris  Roberts,  until  eleven  years  old  and  was  then  bound  out  to 
Milner  E.  Nash,  who  died  in  February,  shortly  before  young  Alumbaugh 
was  twenty-one.  He  remained  with  the  widow  during  the  following  sum- 
mer. In  the  autumn  of  1855  Mr.  Alumbaugh  went  to  James  M.  Gobin's 
place.  This  was  a  turning  point  in  his  life,  for  about  one  year  afterward, 
on  September  11,  1856,  he  was  married  to  Paulina  J.  Gobin,  daughter  of 
James  M.  To  this  union  were  born  three  children :  Libbie  G.,  James  F. 
and  William  H.,  the  last  named  dying  in  infancy.  This  left  only  a  brother 
and  a  sister.  The  daughter  was  the  late  sister  Cauble,  of  precious  mem- 
ory. The  son,  James  F.,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Carlisle,  is 
the  only  one  now  surviving.  Uncle  "Tip,"  as  Tilford  Alumbaugh  was 
called,  commenced  life  with  nothing,  but  by  industry  and  integrity,  by 
economy  and  good  management,  he  long  since  secured  a  competency  for 
himself  and  his  family.  He  loved  his  family  and  served  them  by  self- 
sacrifice.  He  obeyed  the  gospel  and  became  a  member  of  the  Providence 
Christian  church  in  the  early  sixties.  He  and  his  wife  were  baptized  at 
the  same  time  by  Uncle  Joe  Wolfe,  who  had  also  issued  their  marriage 
license  and  solemnized  their  marriage.  Tilford  Alumbaugh  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Carlisle  Christian  church,  which  met  first  in  the  old 
Seminary,  then  in  a  rented  hall,  and  finally  in  the  house  now  occupied  by 
the  church.  In  the  building  of  this  house,  in  1866,  he  took  a  leading  part, 
being  a  member  of  the  building  committee,  and  contributing  largely  both 
of  time  and  money.  For  many  years  he  served  the  congregation  as  elder. 
In  church  work,  as  in  everything,  he  was  candid,  energetic  and  decisive. 
In  his  death  the  family  lost  an  exemplary  father  and  husband,  the  church 


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THE  Ni  ..'    .  ORK 

PUSLICL^KARY 


ASTGR.  LL^'OX  AND 
TILDE N    FOUNDATIONS. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  31 

one  of  its  most  valued  members,  and  the  community  a  benefactor. 
"Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord,  from  henceforth;  yea,  saith 
the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them."  A  large  audience  attended  the  funeral,  which  took  place  in  the 
Christian  church,  Sunday,  March  25,  at  10:00  A.  M.,  interment  being  at 
Engle  cemetery.  The  services  were  conducted  by  the  pastor,  Rev. 
T.  A.  Cox. 

The  mother  of  James  F.  Alumbaugh  was  also  a  native  of  Haddon 
township,  born  near  Carlisle,  Indiana,  January  5,  1826,  the  daughter  of 
James  M.  and  Levicy  (Booker)  Gobin.  James  M.  Gobin  was  born  in 
Kentucky  and  his  wife  in  Indiana,  and  both  died  in  Haddon  township, 
Sullivan  county.  He  was  a  farmer  and  also  a  stock-raiser.  In  the  early 
sixties  Mrs.  Alumbaugh  became  a  Christian,  uniting  with  the  Providence 
Christian  church,  near  Paxton,  and  with  her  husband  she  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Christian  church  at  Carlisle.  Through  all  the  early  strug- 
gles and  successes  of  this  church,  she  helped  to  carry  the  burdens  and 
rejoice  in  the  victories,  and  in  her  last  moments  the  church  was  her  chief 
source  of  care.  No  excuse  for  absence  from  the  services  of  the  church 
was  satisfactory  to  her  except  sickness.  She  was  ready  to  give  of  her 
means  as  well  as  her  time  and  personal  services  toward  the  support  of  1 
the  teaching  of  the  gospel.  Her  home  was  the  home  of  the  preacher 
as  long  as  she  was  physically  able  to  take  care  of  the  house.  For  months 
she  had  not  been  in  vigorous  health  and  for  some  weeks  was  quite  feeble, 
but  would  not  give  her  consent  to  leave  her  own  home  until  stricken 
with  paralysis,  January  13,  when  she  was  removed  to  the  home  of  her 
son,  James  Frank,  where  she  died  January  30,  1903.  Retiring  and  mod- 
est almost  to  timidity,  she  was  not  a  talking  Christian  but  a  working 
Christian.  The  early  years  of  her  married  life,  when  she  began  with 
little,  as  well  as  in  the  later  years  of  financial  success,  she  was  a  true 
helpmate  to  her  husband,  by  whose  side  she  stood  for  more  than  forty- 
three  years,  was  a  true  mother,  a  good  neighbor,  a  faithful  friend  and  an 
earnest  though  quiet  Christian. 

James  F.  Alumbaugh  was  reared  to  farm  labor,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools.  He  engaged  in  the  livery  business  when 
twenty-three  years  old,  locating  at  Carlisle  for  one  year,  where  he  oper- 
ated the  business  until  he  sold  it,  to  engage  in  the  hardware  trade,  in 
company  with  J.  N.  Roberts,  under  the  firm  name  of  Roberts  &  Alum- 
baugh. They  also  conducted  a  lumber  and  grain  business  at  the  depot 
and  carried  a  large  stock  of  farm  implements  and  vehicles.  This  co-part- 
nership existed  until  January  1,  1905,  when  it  was  dissolved  by  mutual 
consent.  The  hardware  business  is  now  conducted  by  Mr.  Alumbaugh's 
son,  under  the  name  of  J.  F.  Alumbaugh  &  Co.  Since  January  1,  1905, 
when  Mr.  Alumbaugh  retired  from  the  hardware  business,  he  has  super- 
intended his  farm  in  Haddon  township,  a  two  hundred  acre  tract  known 
as  the  old  Alumbaugh  homestead.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Carlisle 
Construction  Company,  formed  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  gravel 
and  stone  walks  and  roads,  and  is  vice  president  and  one  of  the  original 
organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Carlisle,  a  solid  financial  insti- 
Vol.  11— 3 


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32  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

tution.  Like  his  father,  James  F.  Alumbaugh  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  county  council  and  served  two  terms 
on  the  town  council.  He  takes  much  interest  in  educational  matters,  hav- 
ing served  nine  years  on  the  Carlisle  school  board  with  much  credit  to 
himself  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  district.  He  belongs  to 
Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  standing  high  in  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity. 

Mr.  Alumbaugh  was  married  June  11,  1884,  to  Nora  May  Markee, 
who  was  born  in  Carlisle  June  11,  1866,  daughter  of  Isaac  Newton  and 
Mary  Ann  (Ferree)  Markee.  (See  sketch  of  the  Ferree  family,  else- 
where in  this  work,  with  sketch  of  Edley  W.  Rogers.)  Isaac  Newton 
Markee  was  born  in  Tippecanoe,  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  February  7, 
1832.  He  was  married  May  29,  1856,  to  Mary  Ann  Ferree  Pirtle,  of 
Carlisle,  Indiana,  by  Capt.  Wilbur  Van  Fossen.  To  this  union  were  born 
five  children :  William  Allen,  Sarah  *Eflen,  Nora  D.,  Maud  Winifred  and 
*  daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Markee  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade 
and  a  man  of  good  business  tact  and  had  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
him.  His  father,  James  Markee,  was  born  in  1795  and  is  buried  in  the 
town  cemetery  of  Robinson,  Illinois.  The  mother,  Rhoda  Johnson  Nevitt, 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  January,  1801.  Isaac  Newton  Markee  died  in  Car- 
lisle, Indiana,  September  6,  1883,  °f  paralysis  of  the  bowels,  having  been 
an  invalid  for  many  years.  Mrs.  Alumbaugh  was  educated  at  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  and  taught  school  for  a  season.  One  son  was  born  to  Mr. 
Alumbaugh  and  wife,  Harry  Tilford,  born  March  21,  1885.  He  was 
educated  at  Carlisle  and  at  the  naval  academy  at  Culver,  Indiana,  and  the 
Illinois  University,  after  which  he  returned  home.  He  married  Abbie 
Ross  Harris,  a  native  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  where  she  was  reared  and 
educated,  and  they  have  two  sons:  James  Winston  and  Harris  Tilford. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  F.  Alumbaugh  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
Mrs.  Alumbaugh  is  especially  interested  in  church  work,  having  served 
eight  years  as  president  of  the  C.  W.  B.  M.,  three  years  as  junior  super- 
intendent of  the  C.  E.,  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  all  public  charities.  At 
present  she  is  vice  president  of  the  National  Benevolent  Association  for 
Homeless  Children,  and  has  done  much  good  for  that  cause.  She  is 
much  beloved  by  children  and  appreciates  greatly  the  friendship  of  a 
child. 

The  following  obituary  is  taken  from  the  Carlisle  (Indiana)  News 
of  February  28,  1907: 

IN    MEMORIAM. 

Mary  Ann  (Ferree)  Markee  was  the  daughter  of  Philip  Copeland 
Ferree  and  Margaret  (Trimble)  Ferree.  She  was  born  near  Paxton, 
Indiana,  at  the  home  of  her  grandparents,  Joel  Ferree  and  Mary  (Leeth) 
Ferree,  who  were  pioneer  settlers  of  this  township.  The  Ferrees  are  of 
French  Huguenot  ancestry,  and  she  bore  the  name  of  her  great-great- 
great-grandmother,  Madame  Mary  Ferree,  who,  with  her  children,  fled 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  33 

from  France  after  the  edict  of  Nantes,  came  to  America  with  William 
Penn  and  founded  the  first  Huguenot  colony  in  Pennsylvania  in  1708. 

The  greater  part  of  Mrs.  Markee's  life  was  spent  in  this  community. 
She  received  such  education  as  the  times  afforded,  which  was  meager. 
At  the  age  of  seven  she  was  motherless,  and  e'er  she  was  sixteen  she 
was  bereft  of  stepmother,  father  and  grandparents.  As  the  eldest  of 
the  little  flock  she  bravely  took  the  mother's  place  until  she  was  incapaci- 
tated by  illness,  when  the  care  of  the  little  brothers  was  assumed  by  an 
uncle  and  she  and  her  only  sister,  Sarah  Ellen,  found  homes  with  maternal 
relatives. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  she  was  married  to  William  Linder  Pirtle,  son 
of  Jacob  and  Lydia  Pirtle,  a  young  man  of  sterling  qualities.  He  was  a 
tanner,  in  partnership  with  Isaac  Shannon,  the  home  and  tanyard  occupy- 
ing a  block  on  Harrison  street.  In  1852,  she  united  with  the  Methodist 
church.  She  and  her  husband  were  immersed  in  Busseron  creek,  near 
Ledgerwood's  Mill,  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Julian.  Her  marriage  was  a  happy 
one,  but  the  young  husband  contracted  quick  consumption  from  over- 
work and  exposure,  and  in  August,  1853,  she  was  left  a  widow  with  a 
young  child,  Margaret  Oily  (Mrs.  Walstine  Rogers),  who  survives  her, 
the  other  daughter,  Laura  Jane,  having  died  in  infancy. 

The  widow  was  married,  May  29,  1856,  to  Isaac  Newton  Markee, 
son  of  James  M.  and  Rhoda  Markee,  of  Palestine,  Illinois.  The  cere- 
mony was  performed  at  her  home  by  Squire  Van  Fossen,  and  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  event  was  quietly  celebrated  in  Chicagp  last  May. 
Of  this  union  five  children  were  born,  four  of  whom  survive  her:  Will- 
iam Allen  Markee,  of  Chicago;  Sarah  Ellen  (Mrs.  Frank  Buckley),  of 
Monett,  Missouri;  Nora  May  (Mrs.  Frank  Alumbaugh),  of  Carlisle, 
Indiana;  Maud  Winifred  (Mrs.  George  R.  Miles),  of  Chicago.  The 
second  child,  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Markee's  health  failed,  and  while  the  children  were  yet  young 
she  bravely  became  the  bread-winner  of  the  family  and  performed  both 
father  and  mother's  part  in  caring  for  and  educating  her  children.  She 
faithfully  ministered  to  her  invalid  husband  until  his  death,  September  6, 
1883.  At  this  time  all  her  children  were  married  and  well  launched  in 
the  world,  except  the  youngest,  and  to  better  her  condition  she  decided  to 
leave  her  native  state.  The  inherited  pioneer  spirit  of  her  ancestors 
asserted  itself  and  she  turned  her  face  westward  to  what  seemed  to  her 
the  Land  of  Promise — Antelope  Valley,  in  northwest  Nebraska.  A  colony 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Scamahorn,  of  Sullivan,  was  organ- 
ized in  1884.  About  sixty  or  seventy-five  families  from  Sullivan  and 
Carlisle  made  up  the  party.  Those  from  Carlisle  were  Mrs.  Markee  and- 
daughter,  Maud,  Dr.  W.  A.  Lisman,  Samuel  and  Albert  Helms,  Jacob 
Milam,  Alonzo,  John,  Joseph  and  Oscar  Estabrook  and  Charles  Speake. 
They  went  a  hundred  miles  beyond  Valentine,  the  terminus  of  the  rail- 
road, and  settled  on  government  land  in  the  valley  of  the  Antelope,  in 
what  is  now  Sheridan  county,  Nebraska.  Mrs.  Markee  was  then  past 
fifty-four  years  of  age  and  was  companioned  only  by  her  young  daughter. 
For  thirteen  years  she  lived  there,  enduring  all  the  hardships  incident  to 


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34  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

pioneer  life.  Everything  was  in  the  experimental  stage,  failure  after 
failure  rewarding  their  efforts.  The  severe  winter,  lack  of  rainfall  and 
failure  of  crops  all  tended  to  discourage  the  little  band  of  settlers.  Strong 
men  faltered,  weak  ones  turned  back,  but  Mrs.  Markee  bravely  plodded 
on,  firm  in  her  confidence  in  the  final  success  of  the  venture. 

The  years  sped  apace;  success  seemed  within  her  grasp — the  years 
of  toil  were  bearing  fruit — when  suddenly  the  realization  came  that  old 
age  was  upon  her.  She  turned  over  the  management  of  her  affairs  to 
her  youngest  daughter  and  finally  yielded  to  the  desires  of  her  elder 
children  to  leave  the  scene  of  her  struggles  and  returned  to  the  land  of 
her  birth  to  spend  the  evening  of  her  life  with  her  children  and  grand- 
children. Her  industry,  her  public  spirit,  her  high  ideals,  have  made  a 
lasting  impression  on  the  community  which  she  helped  to  found.  Her 
name  is  a  synonym  of  courage,  and  there  are  many  friends  there  who 
will  mourn  the  passing  of  her  brave  spirit.  Her  life  here  since  her  return 
has  been  very  happy.  She  has  divided  her  time  between  her  four  daugh- 
ters and  has  watched  the  development  of  her  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren with  satisfaction. 

To  look  back  over  seventy-six  years  of  useful  life,  to  realize  that  no 
duty  has  been  left  undone,  to  sleep  every  night  with  a  clear  conscience, 
to  feel  that  in  all  the  walks  of  life  she  has  acquitted  herself  nobly  and 
well,  to  see  her  children  grow  up  and  fill  honorable  places  in  the  world, 
to  bear  with  patience  the  affliction  which  came  upon  her  when  paralysis 
robbed  her  of  her  activity,  to  be  tenderly  ministered  unto  during  the  year 
of  her  helplessness  by  her  devoted  children  and  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren, to  enjoy  at  intervals  the  relatives  and  friends  who  came 
with  words  of  cheer,  to  have  a  heart  full  of  gratitude  and  thankfulness 
and  to  preserve  an  abiding  faith  in  an  All  Wise  Creator — this  has  been 
her  portion;  this  has  constituted  the  glow  which  pervaded  her  sick- 
room. Her  life  went  out  like  the  passing  of  a  perfect  day,  in  a  glorious 
sunset. 

"Her  children  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed,"  and  in  all  this  world  of 
shadows  they  see  no  shadow  of  a  final  parting  from  her.  Three  of  her 
daughters  were  at  her  bedside  when  the  end  came.  The  simple  funeral 
service  was  conducted  at  her  home  Wednesday  afternoon  by  Brother  and 
Sister  Edwards,  the  details  having  been  arranged  in  accordance  with  her 
wishes.  The  body  was  borne  to  its  last  resting  place  in  the  Carlisle 
cemetery  by  members  of  her  own  family. 


Charles  Francis  Batey,  of  the  firm  of  Reed  &  Batey,  druggists, 
and  one  of  the  well-known  and  enterprising  merchants  doing  business  at 
Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Kansas,  born  September  24,  1874,  in  Marshall 
county  of  that  state.  He  is  the  son  of  William  Henry  and  Alice  (Francis) 
Batey.  The  senior  Batey  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  February,  1850, 
and  died  in  1900,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  mother  of  Charles  F. 
was  born  in  Kansas,  and  died  in  1876,  after  which  sad  event  the  father 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  35 

married  Mary  E.  Stuckey,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  who  now  resides  at 
Terre  Haute.  One  child  was  born  to  each  union — Charles  F.,  by  the  first, 
and  Thomas  Lloyd,  by  the  second.  Thomas  Lloyd  was  born  in  1888,  in 
Crawford  county,  Illinois,  and  now  resides  with  his  mother  at  Terre 
Haute. 

Charles  Francis  Batey  was  reared  by  his  father  and  continued  to 
remain  at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  after  which  time  he 
was  variously  engaged  in  the  western  part  of  Sullivan  county  for  about 
two  years.  When  about  twenty  years  old,  he  went  to  Sullivan.  This 
was  in  1894  and  then  he  commenced  clerking  for  Joseph  S.  Reed  in  the 
drug  business.  He  remained  with  him  until  1898,  then  went  to  Terre 
Haute  with  the  Burton  Drug  Company,  for  whom  he  traveled  about  one 
year  in  southern  Indiana.  But  not  thinking  the  position  on  the  road  to 
his  liking,  he  opened  a  drug  store  for  Mr.  Coffman,  in  Sullivan,  but  after 
a  short  time  left  that  enterprise  and  went  back  with  J.  S.  Reed  and 
remained  with  him  until  September,  1902,  when  he  bought  a  half  interest 
of  the  Reed  stock,  since  which  time  the  firm  has  been  known  as  Reed  & 
Batey.  They  handle  large  quantities  of  drugs,  wall  paper,  paints,  all 
kinds  of  musical  instruments,  sewing  machines  and  general  supplies. 

Mr.  Batey  is  a  half  owner  of  the  Globe  Theatre  at  Sullivan,  which 
he  opened  himself  in  May,  1907,  but  in  the  following  August  took  Francis 
H.  Abell  in  as  his  partner,  the  latter  being  the  manager  of  it.  In  his 
political  choice,  Mr.  Batey  is  a  Republican.  Fraternally,  he  is  associated 
with  the  Odd  Fellows,  Elks  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  orders, 
having  reached  the  Encampment  degree  of  the  first  named  lodge,  while 
he  is  a  trustee  of  the  last  two. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1898,  he  was  married  to  Louise  Burton, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Emily  (Brewer)  Burton.  Mrs.  Batey's  mother 
is  still  living,  and  both  were  natives  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Mrs. 
Batey  was  born  April,  1874,  and  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Sulli- 
van. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Batey  one  daughter  has  been  born:  Emily  Pau- 
line, born  in  May,  1899.  The  parents  are  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


Lafayette  A.  Stewart,  D.  D.  S.,  dental  surgeon,  practicing  in  Sulli- 
van, Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  born  June  12,  1864,  son  of 
Lafayette  and  Emily  (Peters)  Stewart.  The  father  was  born  in  Indiana 
and  died  in  Sullivan  county  in  1884.  He  was  descended  from  that  most 
sturdy  and  excellent  people,  the  Scotch-Irish.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Sullivan  county  and  died  in  1888.  Lafayette  Stewart  was  a  general  mer- 
chant doing  business  at  Grayville  and  Sullivan,  Indiana,  up  to  within 
twenty  years  of  his  death,  when  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real 
estate  business  in  Sullivan.  In  politics,  he  was  a  supporter  of  the  chief 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party;  was  trustee  of  Hamilton  township, 
and  took  much  interest  in  public  matters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  pio- 
neer Masonic  lodge  at  Sullivan,  being  a  charter  member,  and  its  first 
master.     He  was  also  advanced  to  membership  in  the  chapter  of  that 


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36  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

fraternity.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  served  as  an  elder  for  a  number  of  years.  Eight 
children  blessed  this  union:  Isaac  P.,  deceased;  Joseph  L.,  residing  in 
New  York  City ;  two  who  died  in  infancy ;  Charles  M.,  deceased ;  Flor- 
ence B.,  wife  of  R.  C.  Barnes,  residing  at  Long  Beach,  California;  Lafay- 
ette A. ;  Ralph  W.,  residing  at  Danville,  Illinois,  a  practicing  dentist. 

Lafayette  A.  Stewart  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  Sulli- 
van with  the  class  of  1883,  after  which  he  entered  the  Indiana  Dental 
College,  at  Indianapolis,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1888. 
In  the  meantime,  he  worked  with  his  brother  Charles  in  the  insurance 
business.  After  his  graduation,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  dentistry 
in  Sullivan,  where  he  is  still  located,  and  enjoying  a  lucrative  practice. 

In  his  political  views,  Dr.  Stewart  is  a  defender  of  pure  Democracy 
and  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  In  his  fraternal  relations,  he  is  num- 
bered among  the  brothers  of  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  council  of  the 
Masonic  order ;  he  also  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
— subordinate  and  encampment  degrees. 

The  doctor  was  united  in  marriage,  August  14,  1890,  to  Mattie  Crow- 
der,  born  in  Sullivan,  November  6,  1866,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  H.  Crow- 
der.  Mrs.  Stewart  was  educated  in  the  Sullivan  schools.  Both  the  doctor 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  has 
served  as  a  trustee  of  the  church  for  several  years.  Two  children  were 
born  to  Dr.  Stewart  and  wife:  Lois,  born  November  3,  1892;  she  is  now 
attending  high  school ;  Lafayette,  born  March  27,  1903. 


Frank  J.  Nicholas,  an  enterprising  and  skillful  contractor  and 
builder  of  Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  born  March  3, 
1878,  a  son  of  James  F.  and  Rhoda  (Long)  Nicholas,  who  were  born  in 
Morgan  county,  Indiana.  The  father  is  a  brick  mason  and  contractor, 
who  went  to  Sullivan  in  1890,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  his  political  views,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  being 
a  member  of  the  fife  and  drum  corps.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

When  Frank  J.  was  about  three  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to 
Brazil,  Indiana,  where  he  attended  school.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  commenced  to  work  for  himself,  learning  the  bricklayer's  trade  and 
working  at  it  in  Brazil  for  five  years,  during  which  time  he  studied  at 
home.  He  had  taken  up  the  study  of  architecture  and  when  he  had 
reached  twenty  years  of  age,  began  contracting  on  his  own  account.  His 
first  building  contract  was  the  Davis,  Carpenter  &  Hoskins  building,  a 
business  block  and  business  college  structure,  of  which  Mr.  Nicholas  was 
the  contractor  on  the  mason  work.  He  remained  there  until  1900,  then 
went  to  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  where  he  superintended  the  erection 
of  three  large  veneered  brick  residences,  he  doing  the  architectural  work 
on  the  same.  In  the  autumn  of  1900,  he  came  to  Sullivan,  where  he  has 
resided  ever  since  and  been  engaged  in  the  architecture  and  building 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  37 

business,  doing  contract  work.  Among  the  structures  planned  by  him 
may  be  named  in  this  connection  the  Citizen's  Trust  &  Loan  Company's 
building,  the  largest  building  in  Sullivan  county.  It  is  located  on  the 
corner  of  Jackson  and  Main  streets  and  is  seventy-five  by  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  on  the  ground  and  fifty-five  feet  high — three  stories.  He 
also  built  the  Carnegie  Library,  which  was  erected  in  1904,  at  a  cost  of 
$10,000.  Mr.  Nicholas'  father  had  the  contract  for  doing  the  mason 
work  on  the  Davis  Hotel  and  superintended  the  building  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Sullivan.  Besides  the  buildings  named,  Frank  J. 
Nicholas  had  the  contract  for  building  the  Jackson  Street  High  School 
building,  in  Sullivan,  and  also  the  Leach  block,  on  West  Washington 
street.  Among  the  late  and  beautiful  residences  within  the  town,  he  has 
had  the  majority  of  the  building  contracts,  including  the  preparation  of 
the  plans  and  specifications.  In  the  Giles  Addition  to  Sullivan,  he  planned 
and  contracted  for  all  of  the  buildings  except  one,  and  built  the  Bay's 
block  on  North  Court  street.  At  this  writing,  he  drew  the  plans  for  the 
new  Presbyterian  church,  erected  in  1908.  He  is  one  of  the  stockholders 
of  the  new  opera  house  being  erected,  and  made  the  plans  for  the  build- 
ing, which  is  known  as  the  "Colonnade."  Politically,  Mr.  Nicholas  is  a 
firm  supporter  of  the  principles  laid  down  by  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  identified  with  the  Masons  and  Elks. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  first  in  1897,  to  Mary  Underhill,  who  was 
born  at  Pleasantville,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  December  10,  1877,  and 
who  died  April  22,  1906,  leaving  two  children  to  mourn  her  death.  The 
issue  by  this  union  was:  Lois,  deceased,  William;  Agnes;  Mary  Ger- 
trude, deceased.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Nicholas  married,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1907,  Gertrude  Underhill,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and  who  was 
born  in  the  same  locality  in  1879.  The  first  wife  spent  the  last  two  years 
of  her  life  in  Colorado  Springs.  Both  wives  were  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  and  members  of  the  Rebekah  lodge  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order. 

Beginning  at  the  lower  round  of  the  ladder  of  life,  Mr.  Nicholas  has 
steadily  made  his  way  upward,  though  at  times  against  many  difficulties. 
He  has  accumulated  a  handsome  property,  including  two  fine  residences  in 
Sullivan. 


George  Randall  Stivers,  proprietor  of  the  Interurban  Restaurant 
of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio,  July  19,  1856,  a 
son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Rice)  Stivers.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Alabama,  in  1821,  and  died  in  1883.  The  father  was  born  in  Oswego 
county,  New  York,  in  1819,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River, 
January  2,  1862,  during  the  Civil  war.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Eigh- 
teenth Ohio  Volunteers.  He  owned  a  steamboat,  was  captain  of  the  same, 
and  plied  the  rivers  from  Pittsburg  to  Kentucky.  He  had  this  boat  built 
at  Madison,  Indiana,  and  it  was  called  "Leslie  Combs."  It  was  built  for 
George  R.  Stivers  by  the  Robinson  Brothers.  His  maternal  grandparents 
were  residents  of  New  Orleans,  and  at  one  time  were  quite  wealthy.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  George  Randall  Stivers,  was  born  in  Germany  and 


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38  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

his  wife,  Mary  Uriana,  was  born  in  the  same  country,  and  there  they 
were  united  in  marriage,  coming  to  this  country  at  a  very  early  day.  They 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  William,  deceased ;  George, 
deceased;  Uriana,  a  resident  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Catherine,  of  the 
same  city,  and  both  are  unmarried;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Frankfort, 
Kentucky.  George  Stivers,  the  father  of  George  Randall,  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics  and  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity.  In  church  rela- 
tions he  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  as  was  also  his  wife,  until 
after  his  death,  when  she  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
There  were  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Stivers :  Harriet, 
deceased;  Oliver  Rice,  resides  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  is  a  commercial 
salesman;  Serena,  deceased;  Mary  Uriana,  deceased;  George  Randall, 
of  this  memoir. 

Reared  in  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  George  Randall  Stivers  received 
the  most  of  his  schooling  in  Vevay,  Indiana,  and  learned  the  printer's 
trade  at  that  place.  He  was  employed  for  three  years  on  the  Vevay 
Reveille,  after  which  he  worked  for  a  time  in  Cincinnati,  on  the  Enquirer. 
Leaving  this  trade,  he  commenced  the  butchering  business  at  Edinburg, 
Indiana,  where  he  continued  for  ten  years.  He  then  moved  to  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  where  he  followed  the  same  business  for  seventeen  years.  He 
sold  this  business  and  engaged  in  the  restaurant  business,  moving  to  his 
present  place  in  December,  1906.  His  place  of  business  is  at  the  corner 
of  North  Court  and  Beech  streets,  Sullivan.  In  addition  to  the  regular 
restaurant  trade,  he  carries  a  full  line  of  tobacco,  cigars,  candies,  etc. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Stivers  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party.  For  two  years  he  was  marshal  of  the  town  of 
Edinburg  and  served  on  the  town  board  of  Sullivan  two  years.  He  is 
interested  in  fraternal  societies,  belonging  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  Elks, 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  united 
in  marriage,  December  28,  1886,  to  Nanie  Bowers,  who  was  born  in 
Parksville,  Kentucky,  August  30,  1856,  and  died  February  16,  1905.  She 
was  educated  at  the  high  school  of  Edinburg,  Johnson  county,  Indiana. 
There  was  no  issue  by  this  marriage.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Stivers 
married,  August  5,  1907,  Nora  Shepherd,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  May  12,  1880.  The  present  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  while  the  first  wife  was  connected  with  the  Christian 
denomination. 


John  Ersinger,  a  civil  engineer  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 3,  i860,  in  Canton  Schaffhausen,  Switzerland,  a  son  of  Michael 
and  Anna  (Myers)  Ersinger,  both  natives  also  of  that  place,  and  both 
now  deceased.  They  were  farmers  in  Switzerland,  and  of  an  excellent 
family.  The  children  born  to  Michael  and  Anna  (Myers)  Ersinger  were 
as  follows :  Barbara ;  Michael ;  Christian ;  Leonard ;  George ;  Alexan- 
der; John;  Anna,  deceased.  This  family  all  live  in  Switzerland  except 
John  and  his  brother  Leonard,  who  resides  in  northern  Indiana. 

Educated  in  Switzerland  in  a  literary  and  civil  engineering  course, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  39 

,  John  Ersinger,  in  1880,  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  engaged  at  his  profession  for  about 
four  months,  then  went  to  Indiana  and  settled  at  Goodland,  where  his 
brother  now  resides,  and  here  engaged  in  the  railway  service,  being  in 
the  civil  engineering  department  of  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad 
Company.  His  first  work  was  surveying  the  road  from  Brazil  to  Evans- 
ville.  His  next  employment  was  in  Minnesota,  on  an  extension  of  the 
Duluth  &  Iron  Range,  from  Tower  to  Ely.  After  one  year's  service 
there,  he  returned  to  Brazil,  Indiana,  from  which  place  he  surveyed  a  line 
to  Evansville,  for  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  System.  He  then  quit 
railroading  and  returned  to  Brazil  and  operated  a  coal  mine  for  about 
three  years,  after  which  he  engaged  as  an  engineer  in  the  construction 
of  the  gravel  roads  in  Clay  county,  Indiana,  at  which  he  worked  for  about 
four  years,  and  during  which  time  he  constructed  most  of  the  gravel  roads 
in  that  county.  May  1,  1898,  he  went  to  Sullivan,  when  the  gravel  roads 
were  first  started  in  that  section  of  the  state,  and  was  there  employed  at 
such  work  for  about  two  years.  At  the  termination  of  this  undertaking, 
he,  with  R.  L.  Bailey,  surveyed  for  several  interurban  roads  which  have 
not  as  yet  been  constructed.  In  1904,  he  entered  into  a  contract  to  con- 
struct macadamized  roads  in  Sullivan  county,  of  which  he  has  up  to  this 
time  made  nine  miles  of  most  excellent  roads.  He  is  still  thus  engaged 
and  his  skill  is  acknowledged  to  be  superior  to  others  employed  in  such 
contract  work. 

Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  fully  alive  to  all  of  that  party's 
interests.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member 
of  blue  lodge,  chapter,  council,  commandery  and  Eastern  Star.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Hamilton  Gas  and  Oil  Company,  of  which  he  is  also  a 
director. 


William  H.  Lucas,  of  the  Sullivan  Transfer  Company,  is  a  native 
of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  born  December  11,  1858, 
son  of  Barton  R.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Weir)  Lucas.  His  father  was 
born  in  Floyd  county,  Indiana,  October,  1833,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Turman  township,  in  1836,  and  died  in  1872 ;  she 
was  of  Irish  extraction.  The  grandfather  of  William  H.  Lucas,  James 
Weir,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  wife,  Margaret  McKee,  was  born 
in  the  United  States.  James  Weir  always  followed  farming  for  his  live- 
lihood, and  was  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Turman  township.  Barton 
R.  Lucas,  the  paternal  grandfather,  was  born  in  Scotland  and  came  to 
this  country,  where  he  served  in  the  war  of  1812  against  Great  Britain. 
He  also  followed  agricultural  pursuits  all  of  his  life. 

Barton  R.  Lucas,  the  father  of  William  H.,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  and  after  his  return  from  that  conflict  engaged  in  farming,  continu- 
ing until  about  1870,  when  he  retired  to  Sullivan,  where  he  lived  until 
1902,  and  then  removed  to  Bedford,  Indiana,  his  present  home.  He  was 
twice  married,  first  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Weir,  by  whom  the  following  chil- 


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40  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

dren  were  born :  James  B.,  deceased ;  William  H.,  of  this  notice ;  John 
A.,  of  Sullivan;  Charles  E.,  deceased;  Sarah  E.,  deceased;  Estella, 
deceased.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Lucas  married  Catherine  Deckard, 
by  whom  he  had  one  daughter — Cora,  who  is  living  at  Bedford,  Indiana. 

William  H.  Lucas  was  practically  reared  in  Sullivan  county,  as  his 
father  moved  to  this  county  when  he  was  a  mere  boy.  Here  he  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  in  Sullivan.  When  but  seventeen  years  of 
age,  he  enlisted,  September  12,  1876,  in  the  Seventh  United  States  Cav- 
alry, serving  until  September  12,  1881.  He  was  stationed  with  the  regi- 
ment in  Dakota,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Utah  and  the  northwest.  He  was 
both  a  private  and  an  orderly  sergeant.  After  the  termination  of  his 
army  service,  he  turned  his  attention  toward  railroading,  entering  the 
employ  of  the  Evansville  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad,  commencing  as  a 
brakeman  in  the  passenger  service.  He  was  in  this  position  about  one 
year,  when  he  was  promoted  to  conductor  on  the  same  road.  He  ran 
from  Evansville  to  Terre  Haute,  following  the  same  until  1887,  when 
he  abandoned  the  road  and  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  coupled  with 
a  transfer  line,  which  is  now  styled  the  Sullivan  Transfer  Company.  At 
present,  h^s  partner  is  James  E.  Russell.  They  have  the  largest  barn  in 
the  town  of  Sullivan.  They  cater  to  the  hotel  service  and  also  to  passenger 
and  mail  interests. 

In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Lucas  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party ;  he  has  served  two  years  on  the  town  council  and  in 
January,  1908,  was  elected  as  chairman  of  the  Republican  county  central 
committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternities  and  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  is  now  serving  as  the  president  of  the  Sullivan  County  Trotting 
Association. 

An  important  event  in  the  career  of  Mr.  Lucas  was  his  marriage, 
October  1,  1882,  to  Lucinda  C.  Leach,  who  was  born  in  Grant  county, 
Indiana,  April  23,  1857,  a  daughter  of  Edmond  and  Emily  (Brewer) 
Leach,  both  natives  of  Indiana,  and  both  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lucas  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter — Glen,  who  was  born  July  26, 
1883.  She  was  educated  at  the  high  schools  of  Sullivan  and  then  attended 
the  Indianapolis  Conservatory  of  Music  for  two  years,  taking  both  vocal 
and  instrumental  instructions.  She  was  married,  July  24,  1903,  to  Harold 
C.  Bays,  and  they  reside  at  Culver,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Lucas  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church  and  much  interested  in  the  work  of  that 
denomination. 


Manning  E.  Drake,  of  the  Sullivan  Monument  Company,  workers 
in  marble  and  stone  for  monumental  purposes,  was  born  October  19, 
1854,  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Manning 
and  Margaret  (Armstrong)  Drake.  The  father  was  born  in  Butler 
county,  Ohio.  June  17,  1813,  and  the  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky; 
she  died  October  24,  i860.    Manning  Drake.  Sr.,  was  of  English  descent, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  41 

while  his  wife  descended  from  the  Scotch  lines  of  Great  Britain.  The 
grandfather,  James  Drake,  came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1817,  locating  in 
Fairbanks  township,  where  he  followed  farm  life  until  his  death.  He 
claimed  a  large  tract  of  land  and  was  highly  respected  and  prosperous. 
Politically,  he  was  an  avowed  Democrat. 

Manning  Drake,  the  father  of  Manning  E.,  lived  in  Fairbanks  town- 
ship from  the  age  of  four  years.  He  possessed  a  remarkable  memory  and 
his  mind  was  clear  and  active  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
June  6,  1908.  At  one  time  he  owned  about  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Fairbanks  township.  He  became  forehanded  and  loaned  much  money 
out  to  those  about  him.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Democrat.  Both 
he  and  his  good  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church.-  To  them  were 
born  twelve  children :  Elizabeth,  deceased ;  Mary  J. ;  Amanda ;  Malinda ; 
James;  Benjamin,  deceased ;  Sarah,  deceased;  Ira;  Manning  E. ;  Mar- 
garet ;  William ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Manning  E.  Drake  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  obtained  a  good 
common-school  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood. 
When  he  became  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  commenced  to  farm  inde- 
pendently, in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county.  He  continued  there  until 
April  12,  1898,  when  he  removed  to  Sullivan  and  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  and  in  the  shipment  of  horses  of  all  kinds.  In  1900,  he  sold  out 
this  business  and  embarked  in  the  marble  and  monument  business,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Cummins  &  Drake.  This  co-partnership  continued  until 
1906,  when  W.  F.  Wagner  bought  Mr.  Cummins  out,  and  the  firm  was 
changed  to  Drake  &  Wagner.  This  enterprising  and  thoroughly  reliable 
firm  sell  the  product  of  their  works  in  Sullivan,  Vigo,  Parke,  Greene, 
Clay,  and  other  territory  within  Indiana  and  also  in  Illinois.  It  is  among 
the  most  extensive  works  for  fitting  up  monuments  within  this  portion  of 
the  state  of  Indiana.  Either  one  member  or  the  other  of  this  firm  remains 
on  the  road  selling,  while  the  other  superintends  the  work  at  home. 

While  Mr.  Drake  was  yet  onr  the  farm,  he  made  a  reputation  as  a 
specialist  in  raising  Poland-China  swine,  all  registered.  He  shipped  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head  annually  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States.  He 
also  handled  registered  Holstein  cattle,  though  not  on  so  extensive  a  scale 
as  he  did  the  hogs  mentioned.  He  still  owns  land  of  much  value — eighty 
acres  within  Curry  township  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  one  mile 
west  of  Sullivan.  Politically,  Mr.  Drake  affiliates  with  the  Democrats. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order  at  Sullivan. 

One  of  the  important  events  of  Mr.  Drake's  life  was  his  marriage, 
May  4,  1878.  to  Elma  Gaskins,  who  was  born  in  Curry  township,  and  died 
April  4,  1882.  Two  children  were  the  result  of  this  union:  Perry,  born 
March  14,  1879,  married  and  resides  on  a  farm ;  Olive,  born  August  3, 
1 88 1,  is  unmarried  and  at  home.  Both  attended  the  schools  in  Sullivan. 
For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Drake  married,  March  1,  1883,  Julia  Denney, 
born  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  a  daughter  of  William  Denney, 
now  of  Sullivan.  The  date  of  her  birth  was  July  29,  1863.  Her  mother 
died  when  the  daughter  was  but  a  mere  child.  By  Mr.  Drake's  second 
marriage,  four  children  were  born:    LeRoy,  born  May  14,  1885,  a  grad- 


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42  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

uate  of  the  Bennett  Medical  College  in  Chicago,  with  the  class  of  1906; 
he  also  attended  one  of  the  medical  colleges  at  Indianapolis,  and  then 
began  practicing  medicine  at  Middletown,  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  but 
removed  to  Palatine,  Illinois,  in  January,  1908;.  Goldie,  born  November 
30,  1887,  unmarried,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  in  1905 ;  she  is  now 
attending  Franklin  College,  from  which  she  expects  to  graduate  in  1909; 
Claudie,  born  in  September,  1891,  attending  high  school;  Lola,  born 
August  22,  1894,  also  in  the  high  school.  Mr.  Drake  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


James  Douglas  Smith. — One  of  the  owners  of  the  Arc  Amusement 
Company  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and  the  tonsorial  artist  whose  finely 
equipped  parlor  is  at  the  Davis  House,  is  James  D.  Smith,  who  was  born 
June  24,  1864,  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  in  Fayette  township,  son  of 
James  and  Nancy  (Posey)  Smith.  The  father,  a  native  of  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  in  Jefferson  township  in  1832,  in  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber, and  died  in  Oklahoma  in  May,  1906.  The  mother  was  born  in  the 
same  township  as  her  husband,  and  they  were  united  in  marriage  in  Sul- 
livan county.  The  grandfather  of  James  D.  Smith  was  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Sullivan  county,  who  took  government  land  and  resided  there 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

James  Smith,  the  father,  made  agriculture  his  occupation.  He  farmed 
in  Vigo  county  one  or  two  seasons,  then  moved  back  to  Farmer's  Prairie 
in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  purchased  sixty  acres 
of  land.  After  residing  there  for  nineteen  years  he  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Shelburn,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  a  retired  life  for  two  years.  He 
then  moved  to  his  farm  in  Curry  township,  where  his  wife  died.  He 
married  Mrs.  Thomas  Chambers,  of  Cnss  township,  Sullivan  county,  but 
subsequently  they  separated  and  he  moved  to  Dugger,  where  he  was 
engaged  at  various  business  enterprises  for  a  time,  but  about  1902  he  went 
to  Oklahoma,  bought  a  farm  there  and  remained  there  until  his  death. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  Both  he  and  his  first  wife  were  members 
of  the  Christian  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Homer,  deceased;  Marshal  B.,  a  barber  of  Hymera;  Emma  A., 
of  Oklahoma ;  Charles,  of  Sullivan ;  James  D.,  of  this  notice ;  William, 
of  Washington,  North  Dakota ;  and  two  who  died  in  their  infancy. 

James  D.  Smith  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  obtained  a  common- 
school  education.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  in  the  barber  business,  learning  his  trade 
at  Dugger,  Indiana,  after  which  he  conducted  a  shop  there  himself  for 
about  ten  years,  and  then  went  to  Sullivan,  and  later  to  Linton,  where  he 
remained  a  year  and  a  half,  then  returned  to  Sullivan,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  the  barber  business.  In  September,  1898,  he  opened  his 
shop  in  the  New  Davis  hotel,  where  he  makes  use  of  four  barber  chairs 
and  conducts  a  first-class  shop.  He  is  also  a  half  owner  in  the  Arc  Amuse- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  43 

ment  Company,  which  is  located  on  North  Court  street,  opposite  the 
Davis  Hotel. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Smith  is  in  accord  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias 
orders  at  Sullivan.  He  was  married  May  18,  1889,  to  Lavina  Campbell, 
born  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  October  22,  1872, 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  M.  and  Jane  (Spence)  Campbell.  She  received 
her  education  in  her  native  township  at  the  public  schools.  One  daughter 
has  been  born  of  this  union :  Dorothy,  born  May  10,  1900.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  while  his  wife  is  connected  with  the 
Presbyterian.  Mr.  Smith's  paternal  grandfather  was  twice  married  and 
was  the  father  of  twenty-one  children. 


William  F.  Wagner,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Sullivan  Monu- 
ment Company,  was  born  August  4,  1864,  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  a 
son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Emerick)  Wagner.  William  Wagner  was 
a  native  of  Wittenburg,  Germany,  born  August  13,  1826,  and  died  May 
29,  1900,  at  Clinton,  Indiana,  his  home,  however,  being  in  Terre  Haute. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  in  1837,  on  the  twentieth 
day  of  November,  and  she  died  March  20,  1906,  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia. Her  husband  located  in  Terre  Haute  in  October,  1852,  when  yet 
a  single  man,  and  they  were  married  there  in  January,  1863.  He  had 
learned  the  stone-cutter's  trade  in  Germany,  and  also  worked  some  at 
the  stone  monument  industry.  After  going  to  Terre  Haute,  he  built  the 
State  Normal  College  buildings  at  that  place,  as  well  as  the  Marble  Block 
on  Wabash  avenue,  the  Old  Opera  house,  the  Episcopal  church  and  the 
Presbyterian  church.  The  stone  used  in  the  construction  of  the  two  last 
named  buildings  was  quarried  at  Pottsville,  Indiana,  and  floated  down 
on  rafts.  He  also  built  a  great  many  store  buildings  at  Paris,  Illinois, 
and  Brazil  and  Vincennes,  Indiana.  He  engaged  in  the  monument  busi- 
ness at  Terre  Haute  in  1854,  on  Third  street,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Wagner,  Crossley  &  Webber,  which  firm  continued  for  about  ten  years. 
Mr.  Wagner  then  engaged  in  the  building  stone  business,  in  which  he 
remained  until  1875,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  F.  B.  Palmer, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Palmer  &  Wagner,  which  business  relation 
existed  for  seven  years,  when  the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  to 
Wagner  &  Ripley.  They  continued  as  a  firm  for  five  years,  when  the 
business  was  conducted  as  Wagner  &  Son,  and  so  operated  until  the 
father's  death. 

Politically,  Mr.  Wagner  was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 
He  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
lodges.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  and  was 
of  German  descent.  Eleven  children  were  born  of  this  union,  four  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  and  the  others  were :  William  F.  and  George  W. 
(twins),  George  W.  being  now  deceased;  Lewis  F.,  residing  at  Newman, 


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44  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Illinois ;  Edward,  deceased ;  Catherine,  deceased ;  Josephine,  residing 
at  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Mamie  B.,  of  Los  Angeles,  wife  of  Arthur 
W.  Harris,  has  three  daughters. 

William  F.  Wagner  was  reared  in  the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  receiving 
his  education  at  the  public  schools  and  being  graduated  from  the  Old 
Garvin  Commercial  College  in  1882.  Believing  that  every  man  was  more 
independent  by  having  perfect  knowledge  of  some  one  of  the  trades,  he 
mastered  that  of  stone-cutter,  under  his  father's  directions,  working  with 
him  until  his  death,  in  1900,  since  which  time  Mr.  Wagner  was  engaged 
at  Clay  City,  Clay  county,  Indiana,  up  to  1905  and  in  Sullivan  since 
then.  During  1905  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  M.  E.  Drake,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Drake  &  Wagner,  but  now  styled  the  Sullivan  Monument 
Company,  which  concern  is  doing  an  extensive  and  profitable  business  in 
the  artistic  production  of  substantial  monuments  and  kindred  marble  and 
stone  work. 

In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Wagner  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  general 
principles  laid  down  in  the  platforms  of  the  Democratic  party.  In  his 
fraternal  affiliations,  he  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  of  Sullivan.  He  was  united 
in  marriage,  March  6,  1884,  to  Nora  E.  Bressler,  a  native  of  Clay  county, 
Indiana.  She  was  reared  on  a  farmland  received  her  education  at  the 
common  schools,  remaining  at  home  with  her  people  until  the  date  of 
her  marriage.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Daniel  H.  and  Matilda  (Zenor) 
Bressler.  The  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  his  father  conducted 
one  of  the  old-time  stage  route  hotels  or  taverns  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Wag- 
ner's mother  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Indiana,  and  both  parents  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wagner  are'the  parents  of  one  daughter — Jessie 
May,  born  December  19,  1886.  In  their  religious  convictions,  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wagner  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Leander  R.  Botts,  a  retired  farmer  of  Sullivan  county,  was  born 
June  30,  1837,  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Mor- 
ris) Botts.  The  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1796  and  died  in 
1847,  m  Hocking  county,  Ohio.  The  mother  was  born  in  Maryland  in 
1798  and  died  July  1,  1859,  *n  Sullivan  county.  She  was  of  French 
extraction  and  the  father  of  German.  He  was  a  farmer  and  they  were 
married  in  Ohio.  Leander  R.  Botts  received  a  limited  education  in  Hock- 
ing county,  Ohio,  and  started  out  in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  working  as  a  farm  hand,  and  when  twenty-two  years  old  he  began 
farming  for  himself.  He  also  taught  school,  continuing  in  this  calling 
until  thirty  years  of  age,  farming  summers  and  teaching  in  the  winter 
months.  In  1859  ^e  came  to  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 
He  followed  teaching  in  Hamilton,  Jackson,  Fairbanks  and  Curry  town- 
ships. He  next  took  up  the  business  of  stock  dealer,  in  conjunction  with 
his  farming  operations,  following  the  same  ten  years.     He  once  owned 


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THE  NEW  YOKk 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8TOR,  LENOX  AMD 
TILDEN  FDUNDATION8. 


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*SrC*  /&4<Z0^*<r?ir 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  45 

a  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Hamilton  township.  He  remained  on  the 
farm  until  1904,  when  he  retired  to  Sullivan,  where  he  purchased  a  city 
residence  property.  He  still  owns  eighteen  acres  in  his  home  township. 
Politically,  Mr.  Botts  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of 
blue  lodge  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  at  Sullivan. 

March  1,  i860,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Rusher,  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  February  10,  1836,  daughter  of  Minor  and  Mary  (Mar- 
low)  Rusher,  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father  was  born  in  1806 
and  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  April  30,  1867,  and  the  mother 
born  August  31,  181 1,  died  February  22,  1888.  They  were  of  Ger- 
man descent  and  emigrated  to  Sullivan  county  in  1828,  being  num- 
bered among  the  very  early  settlers  of  the  county.  The  five  children  born 
of  this  union  are  as  follows:  Hettie,  born  June  1,  1861,  wife  of  Joseph 
Wyman,  and  residing  in  Hamilton  township;  George  F.,  September  10, 
1864,  now  resides  on  Jackson  street,  Sullivan,  Indiana;  William  H., 
October  10,  1866;  Maggie,  born  May  29,  1870,  died  in  February,  1876; 
Flora  C.,  born  February  8,  1876,  died  May  5,  1896.  Mrs.  Botts  has  been 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church  for  many  years. 

For  his  years,  Mr.  Botts  has  a  remarkable  memory,  as  is  illustrated 
by  the  list  of  his  old  school  teachers,  beginning  with  the  first,  and  which 
list  he  desires  to  keep  as  a  record  for  the  future :  Miss  Stratton,  in  Lick- 
ing county,  Ohio;  Mr.  Kelsey,  James  G.  McBroom,  Nathan  England, 
Henry  Lincoln,  Rosie  O'Neil,  Ephraim  Woodard,  Phebe  Sudlow,  Jesse 
Griggsby,  all  of  Hocking  county,  Ohio;  Samuel  Edginton  and  Robert 
Wolfenbarger,  of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio.  When  Mr.  Botts  first  came 
to  this  township  the  land  was  all  timbered  heavily,  and  this  was  removed 
by  log  rollings,  which  lasted  about  two  weeks,  each  spring.  He  relates 
how  the  school  teachers  of  the  "fifties"  were  paid  a  dollar  a  day.  Also 
how  in  his  boyhood  days  they  all  lived  on  their. own  resources,  making 
their  own  clothing,  sugar,  molasses,  etc.  He  notes  the  great  transforma- 
tion since  those  pioneer  days  in  the  Buckeye  and  Hoosier  states,  and  is 
glad  to  have  been  a  participant  in  changing  the  wilderness  to  a  fertile, 
prosperous  and  highly  enlightened  section. 


John  McNabb  Branson. — No  philosopher  ever  made  a  truer  state- 
ment than  the  one  who  proclaimed  that  the  greatest  man  in  the  world  can 
do  no  more  than  to  do  well  the  thing  which  lies  nearest  to  him;  and  it 
may  be  added  that  greatness  has  usually  been  achieved  through  the 
faculty  and  determination  to  accomplish  with  faithfulness  and  forethought 
the  affairs  of  family  and  home  community  before  going  afield  for  other 
honors.  Measured  by  this  approved  standard,  John  McNabb  Branson, 
well  known  primarily  as  a  substantial  farmer  and  a  stock  raiser,  has 
made  his  useful  and  honorable  life  one  unvarying  success,  and  his  manly 
and  intelligent  efforts  have  never  ceased  to  assist  in  the  agricultural, 
educational  and  religious  development  of  Curry  township  and  Sullivan 


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46  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county.  He  comes  of  an  old  Virginia  family,  his  father  migrating  from 
the  Old  Dominion  (through  Tennessee  and  Georgia)  to  this  Indiana 
region,  where  he  became  one  of  its  foremost  pioneers.  The  son  was  born 
in  Cocke  county,  Tennessee,  on  the  25th  of  April,  1836,  being  a  son  of 
Michael,  Jr.,  and  Sarah  (McNabb)  Branson.  The  father  was  a  native 
of  Pittsylvania  county,  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  in  September,  1805, 
and  died  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  March  22,  1888.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Cocke  county,  Tennessee,  and  died  on  the  farm  ad- 
joining the  homestead  now  occupied  by  John  M.,  in  1890.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  a  native  of  Virginia,  spent  his  life  within  its  limits  as  a 
farmer,  stock  raiser  and  a  distiller.  By  his  wife  he  became  the  father 
of  ten  children,  and  the  sons  are  as  follows:  James,  was  a  resident  of 
Missouri,  and  was  a  farmer;  George,  was  a  renowned  Baptist  minister, 
itinerant,  district,  and  preached  in  four  or  five  counties  in  Indiana;  he 
died  in  the  state  of  Iowa;  Asa,  was  a  farmer  and  stock  dealer;  he  pur- 
chased lands  in  Jackson  township,  and  there  died ;  Michael  was  the  father 
of  John  McNabb  Branson;  Luke  L.,  was  a  Baptist  minister  in  North 
Carolina,  also  an  agriculturist;  Joseph  was  an  agricurturist,  resided  in 
Missouri,  and  there  died.  There  is  no  records  given  of  the  daughters. 
Michael  Branson,  Jr.,  received  an  unusually  broad  education  for  one  of 
those  days,  and  during  his  lifetime  practiced  three  professions,  as  well 
as  became  remarkably  successful  in  agricultural  enterprises.  He  was 
first  a  school  teacher,  practiced  medicine,  preached  from  the  pulpit  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life  not  only 
returned  to  his  labors  as  a  physician  but  profitably  engaged  in  farming. 
From  Virginia  he  first  removed  to  Cocke  county,  Tennessee,  and  in  1844 
transferred  his  homestead  to  Hamilton  county,  that  state,  later  going  to 
Cass  county,  Georgia,  and  finally  in  1849  locating  with  his  family  in 
Curry  township.  Here  he  entered  the  last  quarter  section  of  canal  land 
and  resided  until  his  death,  occupied  as  a  farmer,  a  physician  and  a  man 
of  public  affairs.  For  many  years  he  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  as  early  as  1857  represented  the  county  in  the  state  legislature  for  one 
term.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  never  turning  from  the 
straight  path  as  laid  down  by  the  fathers  of  the  party.  The  four  children 
born  to  this  strong  and  good  man  were  as  follows :  Samuel,  for  a  time 
a  school  teacher  prior  to  his  death,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years;  Nancy 
Branson  Curry,  who  died  after  rearing  three  children ;  John  M.  Branson, 
of  this  review ;  and  Felix,  who  married  M.  J.  Curry  and  died  some  dozen 
years  ago,  leaving  four  children.  The  children  of  this  family  were  all 
well  educated,  and  honored  their  parents,  themselves  and  the  communities 
of  their  residence. 

John  M.  Branson  spent  the  first  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  on  the 
home  farm,  securing  an  education  and  faithfully  assisting  his  parents. 
He  then  mastered  the  coopers  trade,  and  after  being  employed  in  that 
line  for  some  time  opened  a  shop  at  Shelburn,  which  he  operated  for 
several  years  before  his  marriage.  Subsequently,  he  purchased  land  in 
Curry  township  and  commenced  to  farm  on  a  tract  of  forty  acres.  His 
holdings  have  since  been  increased  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  47 

he  now  owns  not  only  one  of  the  most  valuable  farms  in  this  locality,  but 
one  of  the  finest  residences  in  Farmersburg.  Mr.  Branson  was  a  resident 
of  the  town  for  seven  years  while  his  children  were  attending  school 
there,  but  now  lives  on  his  fine  farm,  engaged  in  the  raising  of  standard 
crops  and  live  stock  and  making  a  specialty  of  the  breeding  of  horses.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Populist  Democrat,  has  been  somewhat  active  in  the  local 
field,  and  has  served  for  one  term  as  assessor.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Missionary  Baptist  church,  and  for  many  years  has  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The  Farmersburg 
lodge  was  established  in  1885,  and  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  it,  is  a 
member  of  the  Encampment,  and  has  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  grand 
lodge. 

On  May  10,  1866,  John  M.  Branson  married,  as  his  first  wife, 
Martha  A.  Zink,  who  was  born  in  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  In- 
diana, in  November,  1848,  and  died  June  20,  1885,  being  buried  in 
Littleflock  cemetery,  Shelburn.  The  children  of  this  union  were  as  fol- 
lows: (1)  Stella,  born  February  14,  1876,  who  is  teaching  music  in  the 
girls'  department  of  the  State  School  at  Redwing,  Minnesota,  having  been 
educated  at  DePauw  University,  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  also  taught 
music  in  Chicago;  (2)  George  Austin  Branson,  was  born  May  14,  1878, 
in  Curry  township,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  implement  business  in 
Hindsburg,  Illinois.  He  married  Golden  Knight,  having  been  educated 
at  Danville,  Indiana;  (3)  Flossie,  who  was  born  November  4,  1882, 
married  Robert  C.  Brownlee,  and  resides  in  St.  Louis.  She  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Farmersburg  high  school,  attended  the  State  Normal,  taught  two 
years,  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Protestant  Association  Hospital  of  St. 
Louis,  and  is  a  lady  of  thorough  culture  and  earnestness  of  purpose ;  (4) 
Clarence  Michael  Branson  was  born  on  the  13th  of  June,  1885,  and  is 
pursuing  a  law  course  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  He  attended  the  normal 
school  at  Danville  two  years  and  taught  for  a  like  period,  having  now 
three  displomas  to  his  credit.    He  is  married  to  Martha  Inez  Sparks. 

As  his  second  wife,  John  M.  Branson  married,  on  July  11,  1887,  Miss 
Margaret  McMillan,  born  in  Philadelphia,  March  18,  1852,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Margaret  (Geddes)  McMillan.  Mrs.  Branson's  father  was 
born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1820,  and  died  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  in 
March,  1859.  The  mother,  born  in  the  Scotch  city  named  in  1822,  died  at 
Galveston,  Texas,  in  1858,  being  at  the  time  a  temporary  resident  seeking 
health  in  the  south.  Mrs.  Branson's  father  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1838  and  first  located  in  Woodville,  Mississippi,  where  as  a  tailor  he 
associated  himself  with  his  uncle.  He  followed  that  trade  throughout 
life,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned  a  flourishing  establishment  in 
Little  Rock.  Margaret  McMillan  was  graduated  from  a  scientific  course 
at  the  female  college  in  Oxford,  Ohio;  afterward  removed  to  Natchez, 
Mississippi,  where  she  remained  two  years;  and  in  1870  located  in  Park 
county,  Indiana,  where  for  the  seventeen  years  prior  to  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Branson  she  taught  the  literary  and  musical  branches.  She  is  a 
Presbyterian,  while  the  children  of  the  family  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist church. 

Vol.  II— 4 


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48  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Arthur  Denny  Cutler,  representing  the  legal  profession  in  an 
able  manner  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  and 
was  born  at  Dallas,  Hancock  county,  of  that  state,  November  15,  1875. 
He  is  a  son  of  Rev.  William  Alonzo  and  Mary  Ann  (Denny)  Cutler. 
William  Alonzo  Cutler  was  born  at  Alton,  Illinois,  November  28,  1843, 
and  he  was  the  son  of  Alonzo  Cutler,  born  in  Massachusetts,  October  16, 
1804,  a*  Warren,  and  who  died  August  26,  1896,  at  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
He  was  a  manufacturer  and  real  estate  dealer  and  resided  in  Chicago 
and  St.  Louis  for  some  years.  He  married  Elizabeth  Upham,  who  was 
born  November  2,  1804,  in  Enfield,  Massachusetts,  and  who  died  in 
Chicago,  December  25,  1863.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
named  children:  Marshal,  deceased;  Julia,  deceased;  Harriet;  Mary; 
William  Alonzo. 

Rev.  William  Alonzo  Cutler  was  reared  and  received  a  common 
school  education  at  Alton  and  was  graduated  from  Jacksonville  College, 
in  Illinois,  where  he  took  the  literary  course.  In  the  days  of  the  Civil 
war  he  was  a  soldier  from  Illinois,  enlisting  in  April,  1864,  for  one  hun- 
dred days,  and  mustered  into  Company  "C,"  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
fifth  Illinois  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  Camp  Butler,  Springfield. 
Illinois.  He  served  about  six  months  in  southwestern  Missouri,  near 
Rolla,  under  General  Rosecrans,  and  was  mustered  out  in  the  fall  of 
1864,  at  Camp  Butler.  He  then  chose  the  ministry  and  followed  that 
profession  in  the  Presbyterian  church  all  his  life.  Among  the  places  in 
which  he  was  pastor  may  be  named:  Fairmount,  Minnesota;  Broadhead, 
Wisconsin;  Clear  Lake,  Iowa;  Kansas,  Illinois;  Charlestown,  Knights- 
town,  Sullivan  and  Carlisle,  Indiana;  Rankin,  Illinois,  and  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  the  last  named  place  being  where  he  is  now  preaching.  His 
wife,  the  mother  of  Arthur  Denny,  was  born  in  England,  in  Stafford- 
shire, July  31,  1852,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Ellen  (Samuels)  Denny. 
Her  parents  came  to  America  in  the  sixties  and  settled  in  Morrison 
county,  Minnesota,  where  they  remained  until  overtaken  by  death.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

The  children  of  Rev.  William  Alonzo  Cutler  and  wife  were  as  fol- 
lows: Everett  Alonzo,  born  June  3,  1873,  now  pastor  of  the  Westminster 
church  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  he  is  a  graduate  of  Hanover  College 
and  McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  of  Chicago;  Arthur  Denny,  of 
this  notice,  of  whom  further  mention  is  made;  William  Murray,  born 
December  20,  1877,  now  a  cashier  in  the  bank  at  Rankin,  Illinois;  he 
graduated  from  the  Sullivan  high  school ;  Grace  Hattie,  born  December 
18,  1881,  resides  with  her  parents  at  Milwaukee. 

Arthur  Denny  Cutler  was  educated  in  various  towns  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana,  after  which  he  entered  Earlham  College,  at  Richmond,  Indiana, 
for  one  year  and  one  term,  then  entered  Hanover  College,  remaining  four 
years  and  two  terms,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1894.  Having  chosen 
the  law  for  his  life's  profession,  he  began  the  study  of  that  science  with 
John  T.  Hays,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  1894,  remained  under  his  precep- 
torship  one  year  and  then  located  in  Carlisle  in  1896,  since  which  time 
he  has  carried  on  an  independent  law  practice.     He  is  the  only  attorney 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  49 

of  the  place.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  November  14,  1896,  and  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  and  appellate  courts  in  1900.  He 
was  owner  of  the  Carlisle  Neivs  from  September,  1899,  to  April,  1907. 
He  is  a  director  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Carlisle.  In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Cutler  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
is  fully  up  with  the  advanced  age  in  which  he  lives.  He  was  united  in 
marriage,  November  7,  1900,  to  Tillie  H.  Sallee,  born  in  Carlisle,  Novem- 
ber 23,  1875,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Rebecca  (Ford)  Sallee,  both 
now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cutler  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 
George,  Charles  Nelson,  and  Mary  Rebecca.  Mrs.  Cutler  is  an  exem- 
plary member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Cutler  has  a 
library  of  over  five  hundred  volumes,  professional  and  otherwise,  and  his 
neat  and  well  arranged  office  is  commendable. 


Edley  W.  Rogers,  editor  of  the  Carlisle  (Indiana)  Nezus,  is  a  man 
of  good  southern  stock,  with  a  substantial  strain  of  French  Huguenot 
blood,  and  ancestral  influences,  with  a  strong  individuality  and  a  thorough 
practical  training,  have  combined  to  make  him  a  forcible  and  pithy  jour- 
nalist and  a  substantial  all-around  newspaper  man.  A  native  of  Loo- 
gootee,  Indiana,  he  was  born  on  the  28th  of  August,  1885,  and  is  a  son 
of  W.  Q.  and  Margaret  Oily  (Pirtle)  Rogers.  The  father  was  born  in 
Adamsville,  Tennessee,  September  11,  1847,  an<^  *ne  mother  in  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  February  21,  1853,  tne  latter  being  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  Ann  (Ferree)  Pirtle.  The  founder  of  the  Ferree  family  in  the 
United  States  was  Madam  Mary  Ferree,  who  was  a  French  Huguenot 
and  fled  from  France  with  her  children,  one  of  her  fellow  voyagers  being 
William  Penn.  It  was  in  the  colony  of  the  great  Quaker  leader  that 
Madame  Ferree  settled  with  her  family,  in  1708,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  first  Huguenot  community  in  this  section  of  the  country.  Later 
generations  of  the  family  located  in  Indiana  and  made  their  home  near 
Paxton.  Among  the  pioneers  to  this  locality  were  Joel  and  Mary 
(Leeth)  Ferree.  Their  son,  Philip  Copeland,  married  Margaret  Trim- 
ble, and  Mary  Ann  Ferree,  a  daughter  by  this  union,  became  the  mater- 
nal grandmother  of  Edley  W.  Rogers.  The  latter  was  born  near  Paxton, 
Indiana,  September  8,  1830,  and  died  February  25,  1907,  as  the  wife  of 
Isaac  Newton  Markee  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  W.  Q.  Rogers. 

Mary  Ann  Ferree  was  married  twice,  the  first  husband  being  Will- 
iam Linder  Pirtle,  to  whom  she  was  married  when  she  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  Her  husband,  who  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  Pirtle,  was  a 
tanner,  associated  for  a  time  with  Isaac  Shannon,  and  was  a  man  of 
industrious  and  sterling  character.  He  died  in  August,  1853,  leaving 
Mary  Ann  and  Margaret  Oily,  the  latter  being  the  mother  of  Edley  W. 
Rogers,  and  still  living.  Another  daughter  of  this  family,  Clara  Jane, 
died  in  infancy.  The  second  marriage  occurred  May  26,  1856,  when 
Mary  Ann  Ferree  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Newton  Markee. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Q.  Rogers  were  married  at  Vincennes,  Indiana, 


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SO  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

but  never  resided  there,  going  at  once  to  Loogootee,  where  they  still 
reside,  and  where  the  husband  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
The  elder  Mr.  Rogers  is  a  Republican,  belonging  to  the  Masons  and  Odd 
Fellows  fraternities,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  active  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  The  second  of  their  six  children,  Alba,  died  at  the  age 
of  three  years,  the  other  members  of  their  family  being  still  alive  are: 
William  L.,  a  grocer  of  Carlisle;  Aimee  Nora,  living  at  home;  Charles 
Q.,  a  resident  of  Seymour,  Indiana,  where  he  is  employed  as  a  freight 
conductor  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad ;  Edley  W.,  of  this  sketch ; 
and  Halstead  P.  Rogers,  a  student  of  the  Loogootee  high  school. 

Edley  W.  Rogers  received  his  education  at  Loogootee,  his  birthplace, 
graduating  from  its  high  school  in  1902.  He  then  completed  the  mastery 
of  the  printer's  trade,  which  he  had  commenced  two  years  before,  and 
continued  this  as  his  steady  employment  until  he  removed  to  Carlisle. 
He  was  first  employed  on  the  Martin  County  Tribune  and  the  SJwals 
Republican,  and  during  1905-6  was  in  partnership  with  his  brother,  Will- 
iam L.  Rogers,  at  Beaumont,  Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in  general 
merchandising.  In  November,  1906,  Mr.  Rogers  went  to  Sullivan  to 
assume  a  position  on  the  Democrat  and  Times,  and  remained  in  that  capac- 
ity until  his  purchase  of  a  half  interest  in  the  Carlisle  News,  during 
April,  1907.  His  associate  in  the  enterprise  was  H.  T.  Alumbaugh,  who 
remained  with  him  until  April  6,  1908,  when  Mr.  Rogers  became  the 
sole  proprietor.  His  publication  is  a  non-partisan,  independent  weekly 
newspaper,  having  a  circulation  of  eight  hundred  copies.  It  is  a  clean, 
newsy,  well  edited  journal,  and  reflects  decided  professional  credit  upon 
its  able  and  popular  proprietor.  Its  editor  is  a  firm  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and,  fraternally,  is  a  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M., 
at  Carlisle,  Indiana;  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  81,  R.  A.  M.,  at  Sullivan; 
Sullivan  Council,  No.  73,  R.  S.  M.,  at  Sullivan ;  also  of  Carlisle  Chapter, 
No.  185,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  at  Carlisle. 


William  J.  Curtner,  proprietor  of  the  well  equipped  drug  store  at 
Carlisle,  was  born  January  14,  1854,  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  son  of  James  A. 
and  Symira  (Ledgerwood)  Curtner.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky 
and  came  to  Carlisle,  Indiana,  when  a  young  man,  remaining  there  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  January  31,  1864.  He  served  in  the  army 
during  the  Mexican  war.  He  was  of  Scotch  and  German  descent.  By 
trade  he  was  a  harness  and  saddle  maker,  and  conducted  his  business  on 
the  spot  where  his  son's  drug  store  now  stands.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
an  exceptional  workman  at  his  trade,  and  his  workmanship  was  known 
far  and  near  for  both  its  beauty  and  quality.  He  voted  the  Republican 
ticket  and  was  a  charter  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  50,  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  order,  at  Carlisle.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

The  mother  of  William  J.  was  born  one  mile  southwest  of  Carlisle, 
on  the  old  Ledgerwood  homestead,  which  was  the  first  place  settled  upon 
anywhere  north  of  Vincennes.     The  great-grandfather,  James  Ledger- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  51 

wood,  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  located  in  Kentucky  when  a 
young  man  and  came  to  Indiana  in  the  spring  of  1793,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year  returned  to  Kentucky,  intending  to  move  his  family  the  follow- 
ing year,  but  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river  he  was  captured  by  the 
Indians,  who  took  him  to  a  point  near  Detroit,  Michigan,  and  there  held 
him  a  prisoner  for  seven  years.  He  then  returned  to  Kentucky  and  got 
his  family,  coming  to  Carlisle  in  1803.  Here  he  built  him  a  cabin  of  logs, 
a  mile  southwest  of  the  town.  He  was  granted  some  land  west  of  Car- 
lisle by  the  government  on  which  to  build  a  mill,  which  he  operated  until 
his  death.  This  grist-mill  was  willed  to  his  son  William,  who  operated 
the  same  until  his  death,  giving  it  to  three  of  his  sons,  Thomas,  Joseph 
and  William,  Jr.  William  and  Joseph  died  soon  after  their  father's 
death,  when  the  property  fell  to  Thomas,  who  operated  it  until  his  death, 
when  the  old  pioneer  landmark  was  sold  to  Benjamin  Watson,  and  he  in 
turn  sold  to  a  Mr.  Abbey,  who  moved  it  to  near  Dugger,  where  it  now 
stands,  although  abandoned  for  milling  purposes.  A  wonderful  story 
of  early  days  could  be  told  had  this  old  mill  but  the  power  of  speech. 
James  Ledgerwood  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  five  children  and  one  of 
their  sons,  Samuel,  united  with  the  Christian  church  of  Sullivan  county 
at  about  the  date  of  its  organization. 

Mr.  Curtner's  grandfather,  William  Ledgerwood,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, coming  with  the  family  to  Sullivan  county  when  a  mere  lad.  Here 
he  grew  to  man's  estate  and  married  and  reared  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. He  married  Catherine  Jenkins,  born  at  Chester  District,  South 
Carolina,  November,  1792.  She  moved  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
when  yet  a  girl.  She  started  with  her  father  and  mother  about  1804, 
and  after  being  on  the  journey  about  two  weeks,  her  father,  Thomas 
Jenkins,  died.  The  children  of  this  family  were :  Sarah,  Eliza,  Catherine, 
William,  Thaddius,  Martha,  John  and  Richard.  The  last  named  was 
killed  by  the  Mexicans  while  in  the  army.  The  great-grandmother  of 
William  J.  Curtner  had  a  brother  named  William  Gill,  who  came  to  Sulli- 
van county  before  she  arrived.  Gill  township  was  named  in  honor  of 
him,  as  was  "Gill  Prairie."  Mr.  Curtner's  grandmother,  Catherine  Jen- 
kins, and  her  sisters  and  brothers  located  four  miles  southwest  of  Car- 
lisle. The  mother  joined  the  Shakers  and  took  her  daughters  with  her. 
Subsequently,  William  Ledgerwood  married  Catherine  and  took  her  from 
the  Shaker  society,  which  community  bore  an  interesting  part  in  the  early 
day  history  of  this  section  of  Indiana.  Grandmother  Jenkins  and  her 
daughters,  Sarah  and  Eliza,  were  among  the  division  of  the  Shakers  who 
went  to  Kentucky,  locating  at  Shakerstown,  which  place  is  still  in  exist- 
ence. There  Grandmother  Jenkins  died  before  the  Civil  war  and  Sarah 
became  head  eldress  of  the  Shakers  at  Shakerstown,  holding  the  position 
until  incapacitated  by  old  age,  dying  when  about  ninety-four  years. 

William  Ledgerwood  and  wife  reared  twelve  children — eight  sons 
and  four  daughters ;  only  one  of  the  sons,  Wesley  Ledgerwood,  bore  chil- 
dren. He  died  in  Iowa,  leaving  a  large  family.  The  daughters  all  mar- 
ried and  bore  children:  Martha  married  John  Curry;  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried Col.  W.  D.  Blackburn,  who  was  killed  in  Louisiana  during  the  Civil 


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52  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

war ;  Nancy  married  W.  G.  Culberson ;  Symira  married  James  A.  Curt- 
ner  and  they  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  as  follows:  two  died  in 
infancy;  John  M.,  residing  at  Wabash,  Indiana,  was  born  June  20, 
1851;  he  is  a  banker;  William  J.,  of  this  notice;  Flora,  born  August 
11,  1.857,  died  about  1880;  she  married  Dr.  R.  L.  Jenkins,  now  deceased, 
and  their  child  was  Amy,  who  now  resides  in  California. 

William  J.  Curtner  was  reared  and  educated  at  Carlisle  and  attended 
business  college  at  the  old  Garvin  &  Heinley  College  in  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  drug  business,  at 
first  clerking  in  Carlisle,  and  later  purchased  an  interest  in  the  business, 
and  has  been  thus  engaged  ever  since.  The  business  is  now  operated 
under  the  firm  name  of  W.  J.  Curtner  &  Sons.  They  carry  a  full  line  of 
pure  drugs,  paints  and  wall  paper.  Mr.  Curtner  owns  a  part  of  the  old 
Ledgerwood  homestead — eighty-three  acres — of  which  the  deed  has  never 
been  changed  from  the  family.  He  also  is  interested  in  the  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  of  which  he  is  president.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  in  fraternal  societies  he  is  a  worthy  member  of  both  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellows  orders  at  Carlisle. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  September  14,  1876,  to  Emma  A.  Griffin, 
born  in  Sullivan  county,  January  6,  1859,  a  daughter  of  James  L.  Griffin, 
ex-county  recorder,  and  a  minister  in  the  Christian  church.  The  chil- 
dren born  of  this  union  are:  James  F.,  born  July  6,  1878,  married  Ada 
M.  Shepherd,  born  in  Sullivan  county;  they  have  one  son — William 
Ledgerwood;  Ada  M.,  born  December  22,  1880,  married  William  B. 
Akin,  former  editor  of  the  Times,  at  Sullivan,  but  now  of  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  one  son,  Edgar  W.,  born  April  2,  1886, 
unmarried  and  in  business  with  his  father;  Flo,  born  January  4,  1892, 
unmarried  and  at  home,  and  will  be  graduated  from  the  high  school  in 
1909.  The  eldest  child  of  the  family  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Curtner  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  his  wife  of  the  Christian  church. 


Edgar  W.  Akin,  Jr.,  cashier  and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Peo- 
ple's Bank  of  Carlisle,  Indiana,  was  born  June  28,  1883,  in  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  son  of  Edgar  W.  Akin,  Sr.,  and  Susan  M.  (Wiggs)  Akin.  The 
father  was  born  in  Bloomington,  July  17,  1853,  and  the  mother  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  born  May  20,  1852.  Both  parents  of  Mr.  Akin  are 
residing  in  Carlisle.     (See  sketch  of  C.  T.  Akin,  in  this  work.) 

Edgar  W.  Akin,  Sr.,  was  engaged  in  business  with  Charles  T.  Akin 
at  Carlisle  until  about  1892.  During  that  year  he,  with  Josiah  T.  and 
Charles  T.  Akin,  organized  the  People's  Bank  of  Carlisle,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000,  and  Edgar  W.  Akin,  Sr.,  has  been  its  president  ever 
since.  In  1902  the  institution  was  reorganized  and  the  stock  increased 
to  $35,000,  and  again  in  1907  increased  to  $50,000.  Politically,  Edgar 
W.  Akin,  Sr.,  is  a  Democrat,  and  in  fraternal  connection  is  a  worthy 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Carlisle.  His  wife 
is  the  daughter  of  Lorenzo  D.  Wiggs  and  wife,  who  were  natives  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  53 

Kentucky,  emigrating  to  Carlisle  in  the  fifties  and  conducted  a  hotel  and 
a  store  there.  They  both  died  at  Carlisle.  They  reared  three  children : 
H.  R.  Wiggs,  residing  at  Carlisle;  Susan  M.  (Mrs.  Akin);  Lillian, 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  three  children  of  this  couple  are:  Elouise,  born  May  20,  1876, 
now  wife  of  James  McConnell,  residing  at  Carlisle;  she  was  educated 
in  Oxford  College,  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  also  attended  a  private  college 
(Cotes)  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  she  took  a  literary  course  in  both 
schools  named;  the  second  child  died  in  infancy,  and  Edgar  W.,  Jr.,  is 
the  youngest.  He  was  reared  in  Carlisle  and  attended  the  common 
schools,  after  which  he  entered  the  Culver  Military  Academy,  in  1898. 
In  1900  he  entered  Lake  Forest  Academy,  at  Lake  Forest,  Illinois,  and 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1902.  He  passed  from  the  last  named  educa- 
tional institution  into  Brown  University,  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
where  he  spent  one  year,  and  then  returned  to  Carlisle  and  began  clerk- 
ing in  the  People's  Bank.  This  was  in  1903,  and  he  continued  as  a  clerk 
until  1905,  when  he  became  cashier,  which  position  of  trust  he  still  holds. 

Edgar  W.  Akin,  Jr.,  was  married  September  14,  1904,  to  Elizabeth 
Irma  Gait,  born  in  Sterling,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Eliza- 
beth (McPherran)  Gait,  both  natives  of  Illinois.  The  father  is  deceased 
and  the  mother  lives  in  Sterling,  Illinois.  The  father  was  engaged  in 
the  banking  business.  Mrs.  Akin  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Sterling  and  later  graduated  from  Ferry  Hall  Seminary,  at  Lake  Forest, 
Illinois,  with  the  class  of  1902.  She  then  went  to  Smith  College,  at 
Northampton,  Massachusetts,  where  she  spent  two  years ;  she  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


Dr.  Irvin  J.  Keys,  representing  the  dental  profession  in  a  thor- 
oughly up-to-date  manner  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  was  born  July  7,  1872, 
at  Verona,  Kentucky,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (McCauley)  Keys. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1826,  and  died  Sep- 
tember, 1907,  at  Lancaster,  Indiana.  The  father  was  born  at  Piqua, 
Ohio,  February  29,  1824,  and  died  March  23,  1899,  at  Lancaster,  Indiana. 
They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Ohio.  Dr.  Keys'  paternal  grandmother 
was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  maternal  grandparents  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Keys'  father  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  when  aged 
about  thirteen  years,  and  grew  to  manhood  in  that  city.  He  then  went 
to  Kentucky  about  i860,  remaining  in  that  state  until  1874,  when  the 
family  moved  to  Lancaster,  Indiana,  where  he  and  his  wife  both  died. 
He  was  a  machinist  and  followed  this  trade  all  of  his  active  years.  At 
Marysville,  Kentucky,  he  owned  and  operated  a  foundry  and  employed 
about  two  hundred  workmen.  Upon  moving  to  Lancaster,  Indiana,  he 
lived  a  retired  life.  Politically,  he  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.     Seven  children  blessed  their  union,  as  follows:    Charles,  now 


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54  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

a  resident  of  Bedford,  Indiana;  William  T.,  residing  at  Commiskey,  a 
machinist;  Mary,  deceased;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Charles  A.  Fewell,  resid- 
ing near  Lancaster,  Indiana ;  Robert  R.,  residing  at  Linton,  Indiana,  and 
practicing  dentistry ;  Carrie  Gertrude,  wife  of  Nicholas  Clashman,  resid- 
ing near  Lancaster ;  Irvin  J.,  of  this  review. 

Dr.  Keys  received  his  education  at  the  public  schools  and  high  schools 
at  Lancaster,  graduating  with  the' class  of  1889.  He  then  attended  the 
Normal  at  Danville,  Indiana,  and  also  one  at  Mitchell,  after  which  prep- 
aration he  attended  the  dental  department  of  the  Hospital  College  of 
Medicine,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  one  year  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Kansas  City  Dental  College  with  the  class  of  1897.  After  graduating,  he 
practiced  his  profession  in  Kansas  City  a  short  time,  and  in  1899  located 
at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  where  he  is  the  only  dentist  of  the  place  and  enjoys 
a  large  practice.  Dr.  Keys  was  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Dupont, 
Indiana,  for  two  years,  first  in  1891,  and  was  recalled  in  1893  to  the  same 
position. 

He  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  member  of  Carlisle 
Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  In  addition  to  being  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Supreme  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  and  of  the  Order  of  the  Easter  Star 
Chapter  of  Carlisle,  No.  185,  of  which  order  he  is  now  worthy  patron, 
being  elected  to  this  office  the  second  time.  He  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Carlisle,  January  30,  1908,  and  a  short  time  after  was 
elected  to  serve  on  the  Board  of  Elders,  of  which  body  he  is  now  clerk. 
Politically,  the  doctor  is  a  Republican.  He  was  married  in  1902  to  Car- 
rie Alberta  Land,  who  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  educated  there. 
She  also  received  musical  instruction  at  the  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Indianapolis,  Indiana.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Land  and  wife.  Her 
father,  now  deceased,  was  a  member  of  the  Sullivan  county  bar  and 
served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Carlisle  for  a  number  of  years. 


William  E.  Cowle,  the  present  justice  of  the  peace  at  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Vanderburg  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born 
on  his  parents'  farm,  November  30,  1837,  a  son  of  William  and  Julia  A. 
(Ewing)  Cowle.  The  father  was  born  in  England  and  came  to  America 
with  his  mother  and  a  brother  and  sister  when  two  years  old.  The  grand- 
mother was  a  sister  of  Squire  John  Ingle,  whose  son,  John  Ingle,  Jr., 
built  the  Evansville  &  Terre  Haute  Railroad  through  Carlisle.  William 
E.  Cowle's  father  and  mother  located  in  Vanderburg  county,  Scott  town- 
ship, where  the  father  died  in  1838  and  was  buried  in  that  township,  in 
what  is  now  an  unknown  cemetery.  Mr.  Cowle's  paternal  grandmother 
married  Marcus  Wheeler,  who  was  also  a  native  of  England,  and  died 
in  Vanderburg  county,  Indiana.  William  Cowle,  the  father  of  William 
E.,  of  this  notice,  was  a  thoroughgoing  farmer  throughout  his  entire  life. 
Politically,  he  was  an  old  line  Whig.  After  his  death,  his  widow  mar- 
ried Joseph  Harrison,  who  was  of  English  birth,  and  who  came  to  this 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  55 

country  about  the  same  time  that  her  first  husband  came,  and  Mr.  Har- 
rison was  also  buried  in  the  township  as  was  Mr.  Cowle.  By  the  first  mar- 
riage two  children  were  born:  Sarah,  now  deceased,  and  William  E. 
By  the  second  marriage,  Mr.  Cowle's  mother  was  the  mother  of  the 
following  children  by  Joseph  Harrison :  John ;  Thomas,  deceased ;  Rich- 
ard, deceased ;   Henry ;   James,  deceased ;   and  Martha. 

William  E.  Cowle  was  reared  on  a  farm  until  fifteen  years  of  age, 
when  his  mother  died,  and  he  went  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  life.  For 
two  years  he  worked  at  Memphis  and  Batesville,  Arkansas,  where  he 
also  attended  school  for  a  short  time.  In  July,  1855,  he  went  to  Evans- 
ville,  Indiana,  and  learned  both  land  and  marine  engineering.  He  was 
finally  licensed  by  the  government  as  a  river  engineer  and  ran  boats 
between  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  Cairo,  Illinois,  and  also  to  Paducah, 
Kentucky.  At  one  time  he  was  interested  in  towing  boats  with  Captain 
Henry  L.  Mitchell,  continuing  in  this  line  of  work  until  the  autumn  of 
1870,  when  he  went  to  Freelandsville,  Indiana.  In  March,  1873,  he 
located  in  Carlisle,  where  he  erected  a  mill  for  sawing  lumber,  on  the 
Thomas  Davis  place,  one  mile  east  of  the  town.  He  continued  to  operate 
this  sawmill  until  about  1893,  when  he  engaged  in  the  windmill,  pump 
and  engineers'  supply  business,  which  he  still  carries  on.  July  19,  1902, 
he  wras  appointed  justice  of  the  peace.  He  also  is  largely  interested  in 
the  collection  of  accounts,  having  been  elected  collector  by  the  Mer- 
chants' Association  of  Carlisle.  He  is  very  successful  in  the  collection  of 
such  accounts  as  are  turned  over  to  him  by  the  business  men  who  com- 
pose this  association.  In  his  politics,  Mr.  Cowle  is  a  Republican.  He 
has  served  as  town  clerk  and  treasurer  two  terms.  He  is  one  of  the 
active  and  honored  members  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
being  a  member  of  the  Carlisle  Encampment. 

For  a  time  he  was  engineer  in  the  United  States  Navy  and  held  the 
rank  of  master,  by  reason  of  which  he  now  draws  a  pension  from  the 
government.  During  the  three  and  one-half  years'  service  with  the 
Federal  army,  his  duties  lay  with  the  United  States  Navy.  He  was 
aboard  the  steamer  General  Thomas,  belonging  to  the  Eighth  District, 
Mississippi  Squadron,  on  the  Tennessee  river.  While  General  Sherman 
was  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea,  Generals  Beauregard  and  Hood 
returned  to  Alabama  along  the  Tennessee  river,  and  at  Gunterville,  Ala- 
bama, there  was  a  severe  action,  and  the  steamer  General  Thomas,  whose 
captain  was  Gilbert  Morton,  under  Commodore  Forrest,  was  in  this 
affray.  Mr.  Cowle  received « his  honorable  discharge  at  Evansville, 
Indiana,  August  24,  1865,  and  returned  to  his  home,  once  more  as  a 
civilian. 

Mr.  Cowle  has  been  thrice  married,  first  to  America  L.  Guilkey, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  died  leaving  three  children :  Charles,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months ;  the  second  and  the  third  children 
both  died  in  infancy.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Cowle  married  Angeline 
Hopkins,  born  in  England.  By  this  union  six  children  were  born :  Sarah, 
who  now  resides  with  her  father ;  Julia,  wife  of  Frank  Sproatt,  residing 
in  Carlisle ;  Luella,  at  home,  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Risinger,  and  they  have 
five  children ;   Anna,  deceased ;    married  Professor  Gifford ;   William  E. 


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56  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

(twin  brother  of  Anna),,  also  deceased;  an  infant,  deceased.  For  his 
third  wife,  Mr.  Cowle  married  Susan  Childs,  born  in  Vanderburg  county, 
Indiana,  of  English  descent.  There  is  no  issue  by  this  union.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cowle  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Among 
other  business  interests,  Mr.  Cowle  is  a  stockholder  in  the  telephone 
company  and  also  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Carlisle. 


James  Nelson  Roberts,  who  is  well  known  in  the  community  in 
which  Carlisle  is  situated,  having  for  many  years  been  a  dealer  in  hard- 
ware, lumber  and  grain  at  that  point,  and  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness pursuits,  is  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion  state,  born  in  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  October  28,  1849,  son  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  (Nelson) 
Roberts.  The  father  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1816  and  the  mother  in 
Frederick  county,  Virginia,  in  1826.  She  died  in  Hancock  county,  Ohio, 
in  1859.  Andrew  Roberts  came  to  this  country  alone,  when  about  eight- 
een years  of  age,  and  lived  in  New  York  two  years,  then  went  to  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia,  in  which  city  he  resided  two  years,  going 
from  there  to  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  where  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage. In  185 1  he  removed  to  Hancock  county,  Ohio,  and  in  1868  to  Car- 
lisle, Indiana,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1898.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  had  been  educated  for  a  priest  in  Dublin,  Ireland, 
and  New  York  City,  but  finally  abandoned  the  idea  of  priesthood.  While 
living  in  Virginia,  he  had  the  sub-contract  of  constructing  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad  grade.  He  possessed  great  energy  and  considerable 
skill.  His  mother's  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ireland,  and  died  in 
Ohio,  where  they  were  farmers.  Andrew  and  Sarah  (Nelson)  Roberts 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows :  Margaret,  wife  of  Clark 
Hill,  residing  in  Clinton,  Illinois ;  the  next  child  died  in  infancy ;  James 
Nelson;  Mary  Virginia,  a  widow,  now  residing  at  Columbus,  Ohio; 
Jennie,  wife  of  C.  E.  Henshaw,  residing  in  Wisconsin;  Ella,  deceased; 
and  Marion,  a  resident  of  Sullivan,  Indiana.  For  his  second  wife,  Andrew 
Roberts  married  the  widow  of  Joseph  Wolfe,  who  was  reared  in  Car- 
lisle, Indiana.  Politically,  Mr.  Roberts  was  a  stanch  defender  of  Demo- 
cratic principles.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  he  having  united  with  this  church  at  Carlisle. 

James  N.  Roberts,  of  this  sketch,  obtained  a  common  school  educa- 
tion in  Ohio  and  began  to  work  for  himself  when  he  reached  his  majority. 
He  continued  to  do  farm  labor  until  1879,  when  he  went  to  Cherokee, 
Iowa,  and  there  engaged  in  the  grain  and  milling  business  with  his 
brother-in-law,  C.  E.  Henshaw.  After  two  years  he  sold  his  interest  and 
went  back  to  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  embarked  in  the  hardware  business, 
with  J.  Frank  Alumbaugh,  operating  under  the  firm  name  of  Roberts  & 
Alumbaugh.  Their  business  comprised  hardware,  tinware,  harnessmak- 
ing,  lumber  and  grain.  This  continued  until  the  fall  of  1905,  when  the 
firm  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Roberts  taking  over  the  lumber  and  elevator 
business,  which  in  the  spring  of  1906  he  sold  to  James  McConnell.    Since 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  57 

that  date  Mr.  Roberts  has  been  looking  after  the  interests  of  his  farm. 
He  is  one  of  the  owners  of  the  old  Roberts  homestead,  and  is  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Carlisle  Building  and  Loan  Association.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Carlisle,  Indiana.  Politically,  Mr. 
Roberts  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  married,  February  7,  1888,  to  Carrie  Long,  who  was  born 
in  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  there  educated.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Lewis 
and  Mary  Ann  (Gantner)  Long.  Both  of  Mrs.  Roberts'  parents  were 
natives,  of  Germany,  and  were  united  in  marriage  in  Vanderburg  county, 
Indiana.  Both  are  now  deceased.  They  were  well-to-do  farmers.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Roberts  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Raymond  Andrew, 
born  April  1,  1889,  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1908  from  the  Car- 
lisle high  school,  and  is  now  a  student  of  Notre  Dame  (commercial 
course),  at  South  Bend,  Indiana;  Louis  Long,  born  April  26,  1891,  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1908,  and  is  now  a  student  in  Wabash  College, 
at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana;  and  Charles  Elliott,  born  March  4,  1894,  is 
now  in  the  sophomore  class.  Mrs.  Roberts  is  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church,  and  attends  St.  Mary's  church  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  of 
which  Rev.  Father  James  Bolin  is  the  pastor. 


Claude  A.  Ellis,  of  the  firm  of  Risinger  &  Ellis,  patentee  of 
Hygiene  Cabinets,  and  secretary  of  the  Carlisle  Business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation, was  born  November  17,  1868,  in  Haddon  township,  near  Car- 
lisle, Indiana,  son  of  Thomas  Orlando  and  Eliza  (Sproatt)  Ellis.  The 
father  was  born  in  Carlisle,  December  19,  1835,  and  is  of  English  descent. 
The,  paternal  grandfather,  John  W.  Ellis,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Veech,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia.  They  were 
married  there  and  soon  afterward  came  to  Carlisle,  Indiana.  He  farmed 
several  years,  after  which  he  took  up  the  carpenter's  trade  and  painting. 
In  his  latter  days  he  was  an  undertaker.  He  was  the  first  to  carry  on 
such  business  at  Carlisle,  and  many  times  preached  the  funeral  sermons 
for  the  deceased  whose  funeral  he  was  hired  to  conduct.  He  was  an 
old-fashioned  Democrat  and  served  as  trustee  of  his  township  many 
years.  Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  in  which  he  was  very  active.  He  was  married  three  times,  and 
was  the  father  of  eighteen  children  by  the  three  marriage  unions.  Eleven 
of  his  children  still  survive.  His  father  (Claude  A.'s  great-grandfather 
Ellis),  named  Louis,  was  a  native  of  England,  who  on  coming  to  America 
settled  in  Virginia. 

Thomas  Orlando  Ellis  was  reared  and  educated  at  Carlisle,  Indiana.. 
He  learned  the  brickmason's  trade,  with  his  uncle,  in  Mobile,  Alabama. 
After  remaining  there  about  seven  years,  Mr.  Ellis  came  back  to  Carlisle 
and  purchased  a  farm  which  he  worked,  being  also  employed  at  his  trade. 
He  still  lives  on  his  farm,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  Carlisle. 
He  owns  two  farms  of  about  four  hundred  acres.  He  is  a  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  pure  Democracy,  and  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  3, 


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58  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Carlisle.  He  married  Eliza  Sproatt,  who  was  born 
within 'a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  where  she  now  lives,  on  September  4,  1838. 
She  was  educated  in  the  place  of  her  nativity.  Her  parents  were  John 
and  Eliza  (Minich)  Sproatt;  her  father  was  born  on  Shaker  Prairie, 
Knox  county,  Indiana,  March  1,  1810,  and  died  November  17,  1884.  He 
was  always  engaged  in  farming  in  Sullivan  county.  Eliza  (Minich) 
Sproatt  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  July  26,  1819,  and  near  this  place 
she  spent  her  entire  life,  dying  February  8,  1906.  Her  father  was  of 
English  descent,  and  her  mother  of  Dutch  ancestry.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  Orlando  Ellis  were  the  parents  of  two  children :  Claude  A.,  born 
November  17,  1868,  and  Mirtie,  born  May  23,  1876.  Mirtie  was  educated 
in  Carlisle  and  married  William  A.  Deiss.  They  now  reside  on  a  farm 
near  Carlisle,  Indiana. 

Claude  A.  Ellis,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the 
district  schools  about  Carlisle.  When  sixteen  years  old,  he  went  to 
Florida  and  there  began  firing  on  the  J.,  T.  &  K.  W.  Railroad.  He  con- 
tinued there  several  months  and  then  returned  to  Carlisle  and  began 
running  a  stationary  engine,  which  work  he  followed  for  about  five  years. 
His  next  business  was  conducting  a  livery  barn,  with  Rush  M.  Cammeron, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Cammeron  &  Ellis,  which  partnership  existed  one 
year.  Mr.  Ellis  then  formed  a  partnership  with  T.  S.  Risinger,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Risinger  &  Ellis,  which  firm  conducted  a  hardware,  furni- 
ture and  undertaking  business.  This  is  the  only  firm  doing  such  business 
in  Carlisle.  Politically,  Mr.  Ellis  is  a  Democrat  and  for  some  time  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Carlisle  school  board.  He  is  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  order,  being  a  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M., 
Chapter  No.  81,  Council  and  Commandery  No.  54,  at  Sullivan.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  No.  50,  belongs  to  the  Encampment 
No.  139  of  Carlisle,  and  has  been  through  the  chairs  and  to  the  grand 
lodge.  He  is  also  an  honored  member  of  Ben  Hur  Court,  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Camp  No.  3332,  both  of  Carlisle.  The  firm  to 
which  Mr.  Ellis  belongs,  has  placed  on  the  market  their  celebrated  cabinet 
case,  above  mentioned  and  during  the  last  year  has  gained  a  wide  reputa- 
tion for  this  excellent  invention,  the  patents  of  which  they  own. 

Mr.  Ellis  was  united  in  marriage  August  6,  1890,  to  Lillian  A.  Wiggs, 
born  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  on  the  lot  where  now  stands  the  People's  Bank 
of  Carlisle.  She  died  September  22,  1904,  leaving  three  children,  as 
follows:  Eloise,  now  attending  the  high  school  and  will  graduate  with 
the  class  of  1909 ;  Orlando,  attending  high  school,  will  probably  graduate 
in  1910;  Stanley,  in  school.  The  mother  of  these  children,  was  a  devout 
Christian  and  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


David  Frederick  Shake,  D.  V.  S. — Doctor  Shake,  the  skillful 
veterinary  surgeon  of  Carlisle,  Indiana,,  is  a  native  of  Warren  county, 
Iowa,  born  August  18,  1863,  and  he  came  to  Indiana  in  April,  1868.  He 
is  the  son  of  Christopher  Columbus  and  Lucy  J.  (Bowen)  Shake.     The 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  59 

father  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  May  16, 
1836,  and  died  February  16,  1889,  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
where  he  had  resided  only  a  few  months.  All  but  eight  years  of  his  life 
when  he  resided  in  Iowa  were  spent  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was 
of  Irish  and  German  descent.  His  father,  Christopher  Columbus  Shake, 
Sr.,  was  born  about  1800  in  Kentucky,  where  his  wife  was  also  born 
about  1801.  In  1820  he  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  raised  one 
crop  in  Haddon  township,  during  which  season  he  bached  it  in  a  log 
cabin,  built  by  himself.  After  this  crop  was  harvested  he  returned  to 
Kentucky  and  was  married  and  soon  returned  to  the  place  where  he  had 
farmed  one  season,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He 
entered  about  five  hundred  acres  of  land  and  there  reared  a  family  of  five 
sons  and  four  daughters.  He  and  his  wife  were  among  the  charter 
members  of  the  Prairie  Baptist  church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat. 
Grandfather  William  Bowen  and  wife  Mary  (Spencer)  Bowen,  were  born 
near  Lexington,  Kentucky,  where  they  were  united  in  marriage.  In 
1820  they  effected  settlement  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  near  the  Knox 
county  line.  He  was  a  farmer  throughout  his  life  and  politically  he  was 
a  Democrat.  He  had  seven  children,  and  in  their  church  connection, 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church  above  re- 
ferred to. 

Dr.  Shake's  father  always  followed  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
was  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  Grange  lodge.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children :  William  C,  residing  in  Clearmont,  Illi- 
nois, whose  general  occupation  is  that  of  a  farmer,  but  has  been  deputy 
sheriff  for  four  years  in  Richland  county,  Illinois ;  Charles  A.,  a  resident 
and  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana;  Spencer  J., 
residing  in  Fort  Branch,  Indiana,  now  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  of  that  place ;  John  L.,  residing  at  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  a 
farmer  and  thresher ;  Dr.  David  F.,  of  this  biographical  notice ;  Ulysses 
Grant,  a  resident  of  Clearmont,  Illinois,  a  farmer ;  Mary,  deceased  wife  of 
W.  M.  Howard;  Elijah,  who  died  in  childhood;  Cora,  died  aged  nineteen 
years;  Claude  T.,  residing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  the  mother  lives  with  him. 

Dr.  Shake  was  reared  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
his  father  removing  there  when  the  son  was  about  four  years.  In 
1900  the  doctor  sold  out  his  farm  interests  and  entered  the  Indiana 
Veterinary  College,  at  Indianapolis,  graduating  from  that  institution  in 
April,  1902,  when  he  immediately  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  Carlisle,  Indiana.  He  is  still  practicing  and  with  highly 
satisfactory  results.  He  holds  consultations  along  the  line  of  the  E.  & 
T.  H.  Railroad,  in  his  locality.  Politically,  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  town  council  four  years,  and 
has  still  two  years  more  to  serve.  He  is  president  of  the  town  board, 
having  been  such  since  January  1,  1906.  He  is  a  member  of  Carlisle 
Lodge  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  He  was  united  in  marriage  November  30,  1887,  to  Eliza 
Hooper,  who  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 


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60  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

November  23,  1868.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Pinckney  and  Nancy 
(Corbin)  Hooper  and  received  her  education  in  the  district  schools  of  her 
native  township.  Her  father  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  her 
mother  in  Sullivan  county,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  Her  father  was 
a  life-long  farmer.  Dr.  Shake  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
as  follows:  Lillie  Belle,  born  April  10,  1890,  unmarried  and  at  home; 
Pinckney  C,  born  November  7,  1897;  Pleasant  Harold,  born  May  28, 
1902;  Charles  Maxwell,  born  July  7,  1905.  The  doctor  and  his  wife,  are 
members  of  the  Indian  Prairie  Baptist  church. 


Thomas  S.  Risinger,  who  is  a  member  of  the  enterprising  firm 
of  Risinger  &  Ellis,  merchants  and  manufacturers  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  is 
a  native  of  Wynder  township,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  born  November 
19,  1858,  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Martha  B.  (Snapp)  Risinger.  The 
father  was  born  in  Jefferson ville,  Kentucky,  January  13,  1822,  and  died 
January  8,  1873,  m  Knox  county,  Indiana.  The  Risingers  are  of  German 
extraction.  Daniel  Risinger,  the  grandfather,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  at  the  same  place  as  was  his  son,  married  Sarah  Miers.  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  that  state  and  very  early  in 
life  took  up  a  quarter  section  of  land.  He  was  a  farmer  and  operated  a 
water-power  sawmill  and  tread-wheel.  Daniel  and  wife  reared  seven 
daughters  and  one  son.  In  their  religious  profession  they  were  Metho- 
dists. 

Charles  W.  Risinger  remained  a  resident  of  Wynder  township  after 
his  father  moved  to  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  was  a  farmer  and  en- 
gaged in  the  sawmill  business  with  his  father.  When  they  first  moved 
to  Knox  county,  they  operated  a  pottery  and  made  crocks  and  jugs,  as 
well  as  other  vessels  made  from  clay.  Charles  W.  Risinger  was  a  soldier 
in  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  politically  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party.  His  wife,  Martha  (Snapp)  Risinger,  was  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  March  14,  1836,  in  Haddon  township.  She  grew  to  womanhood 
in  her  native  township,  and  was  there  educated,  teaching  school  a  year. 
Her  parents  were  Abraham  and  Martha  (Baird)  Snapp.  Her  father, 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1793,  was  of  English  descent,  while  her  mother  was 
of  Irish  extraction.  They  were  married  in  Knox  county,  Indiana. 
Abraham  Snapp  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  ran  a  gristmill  and  sawmill 
combined,  at  Scottville,  Haddon  township.  He  served  as  colonel  in  the 
war  of  181 2.  He  was  thrice  married,  and  reared  a  family  of  eleven 
children.  He  died  in  Haddon  township  in  1847,  his  wife  dying  many 
years  previous. 

The  children  born  to  Charles  W.  Risinger  and  wife  were:  Aurelia, 
wife  of  Herman  Vaughn,  $  bookkeeper  for  Risinger  &  Ellis;  Thomas  S. ; 
John,  deceased ;  Catherine,  wife  of  Frank  Minich,  residing  in  the  township 
in  which  Carlisle  is  situated;  Leonard,  deceased;  Frank,  residing  in 
Evansville,  Indiana. 

Thomas  S.  Risinger  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  educated  in  the 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  61 

public  schools.  After  his  marriage,  he  purchased  a  sixty-one  acre  farm 
in  Haddon  township,  just  over  the  Knox  county  line,  and  there  resided 
until  he  moved  to  Carlisle  to  engage  in  business.  In  March,  1892,  he 
sold  out  and  went  to  Carlisle,  uniting  with  his  brother  Frank,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Risinger  Brothers,  undertakers  and  dealers  in  hardware  and 
furniture.  Thomas  S.  learned  the  art  of  embalming  and  the  undertaker's 
business  of  Tutwiler  &  Sons,  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  is  now  a  licensed 
embalmer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Funeral  Directors'  Association  of  In- 
diana, and  is  now  the  only  undertaker  in  Carlisle.  After  a  partnership  of 
one  year,  the  Risinger  Brothers  dissolved,  Thomas  S.  buying  his  brother 
out,  and  continuing  for  one  year  alone.  In  the  month  of  February, 
1894,  C.  A.  Ellis  (see  his  sketch  in  this  work),  was  taken  in  as  a  partner, 
since  which  time  the  firm  has  gone  under  the  title  of  Risinger  &  Ellis. 
This  firm  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the  patented 
Hygienic  Cabinet,  which  article  is  having  such  a  large  sale  at  this  date. 
Politically,  Mr.  Risinger  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  town  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  No.  50,  belonging  to  the  Encampment 
degree  of  that  fraternity,  No.  139.  He  has  filled  all  chairs  in  this  lodge, 
and  been  to  the  grand  lodge  of  the  state.  He  is  also  connected  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  at  Carlisle.  Besides  his  many  other 
business  cares,  Mr.  Risinger  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Carlisle  Building 
and  Loan  Association. 

Mr.  Risinger  was  united  in  marriage  October  14,  1884,  to  Miss  Judah 
Belle  Hooper,  born  in  Haddon  township  and  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  the  same.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Pinckney  C.  and  Nancy 
(Corbin)  Hooper.  (See  sketch  of  Dr.  D.  F.  Shake).'  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Risinger  are  the  parents  of  two  children:  Edna,  born  July  8,  1886,  un- 
married and  at  home  and  Aurelia,  born  January  1,  1890,  unmarried  and 
will  graduate  with  the  class  of  1909,  from  the  Carlisle  high  school.  .  Mr. 
Risinger  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  Mr.  Risinger  is  a  trustee  of  the  parsonage.  He  has  served  as  trustee 
of  the  church  at  Bethlehem  for  several  years,  but  has  recently  given  it 
up  to  others. 


Abraham  G.  Cox,  D.  V.  S. — A  skillful  representative  of  the  vet- 
erinary profession,  who  enjoys  a  large  practice  at  Carlisle  and  surrounding 
territory,  is  Dr.  Abraham  G.  Cox,  who  was  born  August  10,  1858,  in 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  east  from  the  town  of 
Carlisle.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Hamilton)  Cox.  His  father 
was  born  in  Madison  county,  Indiana,  and  died  in  Jasper  county,  Illinois, 
aged  about  thirty-five.  The  mother  was  born  and  died  in  Jasper  county, 
Illinois.  Grandfather  John  Cox  was  a  native  of  England  and  by  occupa- 
tion was  a  farmer.  The  maternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
and  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  Schmidt,  born  in  Germany.  They  were  also 
farmers. 


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62  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

The  parents  of  Dr.  Cox  moved  to  Jasper  county,  Illinois,  in  i860, 
and  there  he  lived  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  back  to 
Haddon  township  and  worked  on  a  farm.  In  1881,  he  was  employed 
in  a  drug  store  at  Houston,  Missouri,  after  which  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine,  entering  the  College  at  Charleston,  Illinois,  in  1886.  He 
remained  in  that  school  two  years,  going  then  to  Toronto,  Canada,  where 
he  took  a  one  year's  course.  He  began  practice,  April  13,  1890,  at  Car- 
lisle, Indiana,  continuing  until  the  autumn  of  1897,  when  he  entered  the 
Indiana  Veterinary  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1898  and  at  once  returned  to  Carlisle,  and  has  been  practicing  here  ever 
since.  In  1906  Dr.  Cox  erected  a  modern  veterinary  hospital  and  formu- 
lated what  is  so  widely  known  as  "Dr.  Cox's  Barb-wire  Liniment,"  and 
"Painless  Blister/'  the  same  being  made  by  P.  L.  Hoover  &  Bros.  The 
doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Veterinary  Association  and  is  an  up-to- 
date  and  highly  skillful  veterinary.  He  belongs  to  Carlisle  Lodge  No. 
3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Carlisle. 

Dr.  Cox  was  married  July  6,  1891,  to  Mary  Trimble,  born  in  Haddon 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  February  19,  1869,  and  educated  in 
the  same  locality.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Jane  Trimble. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  her  mother  in 
Ohio,  and  both  are  still  living  in  Haddon  township.  He  is  among  the  most 
extensive  farmers  within  the  towitehfp.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  have  had  two 
children:  Earl,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Corda,  born  November  11,  1895. 
Mrs.  Cox  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 


James  McConnell,  who  is  a  well  known  grain  and  lumber  dealer 
of  Carlisle,  Indiana,  was  born  July  17,  1871,  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  son  of  Baily  and  Jennie  (McDowell)  McConnell.  Baily 
McConnell  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  and  his  wife  in  Ohio,  in 
Columbiana  county,  at  Mooretown,  April  29,  1852.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  James  McDowell,  who  came  to  Carlisle  when  she  was  a  young 
girl.  He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Pleasantville,  Jefferson  town- 
ship. Andrew  McConnell,  the  father  of  Baily  McConnell,  also  came  to 
the  county  at  a  very  early  day. 

James  McConnell,  of  this  notice,  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  after  which  he  attended  DePauw  College  at 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  for  four  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
agriculture  and  still  owns  his  well-tilled  farm,  although  he  has  never  lived 
on  the  place,  having  resided  in  town  ever  since  his  marriage.  He  owns 
a  creamery  and  a  herd  of  seventy-five  registered  Jersey  cattle,  and  oper- 
ates a  strictly  sanitary  milk  business.  In  the  spring  of  1905  he  purchased 
the  lumber  and  grain  business  of  J.  N.  Roberts,  and  now  has  the  only 
lumber  yard  of  the  place.  He  also  carries  a  full  line  of  clay  products. 
In  connection  with  his  extensive  lumber  trade,  he  runs  a  planing  mill. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  63 

Both  his  lumber  and  creamery  interests  are  models  of  uniformity  and 
correctness.  He  keeps  an  exact  account  of  every  pound  of  butter  pro- 
duced from  each  cow  he  owns.  It  is  said  that  his  system  is  not  equaled 
within  Indiana. 

Politically,  Mr.  McConnell  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3, 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Council,  Chapter,  and  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  Sullivan;  also 
belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Carlisle.  He  was  married 
in  1896,  to  Eloise  Akin,  by  whom  three  children  were  born:  Bernice, 
Bailey,  and  Wall.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of  Edgar  W. 
Akin  for  the  ancestry  of  Eloise  (Akin)  McConnell. 


Clarence  F.  Burton. — The  business  career  of  Clarence  F.  Burton, 
which  has  been  attended  by  a  large  and  well  merited  degree  of  success, 
was  begun  when  he  was  but  sixteen  years  of  age  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  at 
Silverwood,  Indiana.  After  ten  months  spent  in  that  capacity  he  became 
a  student  in  the  normal  at  Covington,  Indiana,  and  after  a  six  months' 
course  there  returned  to  the  store  in  Silverwood  and  clerked  there  for  two 
and  a  half  years.  During  the  year  and  a  half  following  this  period  he 
was  the  proprietor  of  a  restaurant  at  Covington,  and  then  returning  again 
to  his  home  town  of  Silverwood  was  for  three  years  associated  with  D.  P. 
Williams  in  the  grocery  business  and  was  the  postmaster  of  that  town. 
Selling  his  interests  there,  he  went  to  Clinton  and  spent  a  short  time  in 
the  dry  goods  store  of  Randolph  Brothers,  and  in  July  of  1904  he  came 
to  Shelburn  and  became  a  partner  of  I.  C.  Dalrymple  in  a  mercantile  store. 
In  1908  he  purchased  Mr.  Dalrymple's  interest  and  has  since  been  alone 
in  the  business.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  city  and  enjoys 
a  large  and  lucrative  trade. 

Mr.  Burton  was  born  at  Silverwood,  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana, 
December  n,  1871,  a  son  of  William  E.  and  Sarah  J.  (Lunger)  Burton. 
The  father  died  when  his  son  Clarence  was  but  three  years  of  age,  and 
the  mother,  who  was  born  near  Linden,  Indiana,  about  1840,  afterward 
married  Peter  Reynolds  and  is  living  on  the  home  farm  in  Fountain 
county.  There  were  three  children  by  the  first  marriage:  Thomas,  who 
is  a  miner  at  Clinton,  Indiana,  and  Flora  Williams,  of  Silverwood. 

Clarence  F.  Burton,  one  of  the  three,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Silverwood  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  then,  as  above  stated, 
entered  upon  his  successful  mercantile  career.  On  the  6th  of  March, 
1901,  he  was  married  to  Margaret  Randolph,  who  was  born  in  Silver- 
wood  in  1880,  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Clara  Randolph,  who  are 
farming  people  residing  near  Silverwood.  The  two  children  of  this  union 
are  Carroll  F.  and  Lucile,  born  respectively  on  the  27th  of  July,  1902, 
and  on  the  24th  of  September,  1904.  Mr.  Burton  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  order,  Lodge  No.  98,  at  Silverwood,  and  he  gives  a 
stanch  support  to  Republican  principles. 
Vol.  11— 5 


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64  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Solomon  Deeble. — Superintendent  and  general  manager  of  the  Car- 
lisle (Ind.)  Coal  and  Clay  Company,  Solomon  Deeble  is  a  native  of 
Monmouthshire,  Wales,  where  he  was  born  June  14,  1854,  son  of  James 
and  Margaret  (Ashton)  Deeble.  The  father  was  born  in  Cornwall, 
England,  and  the  mother  in  the  north  of  Wales.  They  came  to  America 
in  1864,  locating  in  Dover,  New  Jersey,  where  they  remained  one  year, 
then  went  to  Pittston,  Pennsylvania.  In  1869  their  son  Solomon,  of  this 
sketch,  came  to  this  country  and  joined  his  parents  in  Pittston.  Here  the 
father  died.  He  was  a  miner  and  usually  followed  that  business  for  a 
livelihood. 

Solomon  Deeble  lived  in  Pittston,  Pennsylvania,  for  thirty-six  years, 
being  a  mine  superintendent  for  several  years  at  that  place.  He  began 
the  occupation  of  a  coal  miner  in  Wales,  when  but  seven  years  of  age, 
acting  as  a  trapper,  which  part  of  the  mining  work  he  performed  for 
three  years  and  then  started  in  as  a  driver  boy,  continuing  in  such  role  in 
the  mines  of  his  native  land,  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  He  then  camt 
to  Pittston,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  commenced  as  a  driver-boy.  Two 
years  were  spent  at  that  branch  of  the  work,  after  which  he  started  in  a* 
a  real  laborer  and  mined  one  year,  when  he  had  mastered  the  situation 
in  the  coal  mining  business  sufficiently  to  enable  him  to  work  as  a  regulai 
miner,  which  he  did  for  twelve  years.  His  next  position  was  that  ol 
driver  boss,  at  which  he  worked  two  years,  then  as  fire  boss  one  year, 
when  he  commenced  as  pit  boss.  This  was  in  189 1  and  he  continued  it 
that  service  for  ten  years,  being  employed  by  the  Avoca  Coal  Company 
at  Avoca,  Pennsylvania.  Resigning  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the 
Traders  Coal  Company  (although  still  holding  his  residence  at  Avoca; 
and  held  this  position  for  five  years.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  post 
master  of  Avoca,  Pennsylvania,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  1904^ 
being  superintendent  of  the  mines  at  the  same  time.  In  1904  he  resigned 
the  postmastership,  as  well  as  his  positions  in  the  mines,  and  in  March, 
1905,  went  to  Carlisle,  Indiana.  There  he  established  the  Carlisle  Coal 
and  Clay  Company.  He  began  the  sinking  of  a  shaft  in  the  month  of 
April  and  has  been  superintendent  and  manager  of  the  company  ever 
since.  The  shaft  was  sunk  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and  forty  feet, 
and  work  begun  on  vein  number  six,  March  19,  1906.  After  having 
worked  the  mines  to  a  daily  output  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  they 
observed  the  roof  was  weak  and  the  mine  was  abandoned.  They  then 
went  down  to  a  distance  of  three  hundred  and  fourteen  feet,  and  began 
working  number  five  in  October,  1907.  This  vein  of  coal  is  five  feet  in 
thickness,  and  of  an  extra  good  grade;  the  roofing  is  said  to  be  of  an 
excellent  quality,  too.  The  daily  output  of  this  mine  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty  tons  and  the  coal  produced  is  sold  throughout  Indiana  and  also  in 
Chicago.  This  mine  is  provided  with  an  escape  shaft  down  to  number 
four  vein,  at  a  depth  of  four  hundred  and  ninety-five  feet,  it  being  the 
deepest  shaft  within  the  entire  state  of  Indiana,  while  the  vein  of  pure 
coal  is  five  feet  in  thickness.  The  president  of  this  mine  is  John  William- 
son, of  Wilkes-Barre,  Pennsylvania ;  J.  C.  Wiegand,  of  the  same  place,  is 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  65 

secretary   And   treasurer;    Solomon   Deeble,   manager,   and   Thomas   J. 
Deeble,  is  salesman. 

Solomon  Deeble  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ruth  Davis  May  22,  1874. 
She  was  born  in  Wales,  in  the  same  locality  as  her  husband.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  by  seven  children :  Thomas,  died  in  infancy ;  Anna,  wife 
of  Joseph  McPherson  of  Carlisle,  Indiana;  Thomas  J.,  married  Fannie 
Mae  Pearce,  of  Carlisle,  in  1904  and  now  has  two  children — Emma  Ruth 
and  Jessie  Lois ;  Birdella,  wife  of  William  L.  Evans,  residing  in  Carlisle ; 
Viola,  wife  of  William  T.  Pratt,  and  has  two  children — Ruth  Deeble  and 
William  Thomas,  Jr.,  residing  in  St.  Albans,  Vermont;  William  F., 
married  Grace  Wilson  and  has  one  daughter — Viola  Dean;  Roy  Edgar, 
married  Miss  Geneva  Hammond  and  is  still  at  home. 

Politically,  Solomon  Deeble  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and 
in  fraternal  societies,  he  is  connected  with  the  following:  Masons,  Blue 
lodge,  chapter,  commandery  and  Shriners;  Odd  Fellows;  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen ;  Foresters ;  and  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was 
a*  member  of  the  school  board  at  Avoca,  Pennsylvania,  for  nine  years. 
Mr.  Deeble  received  no  schooling  in  his  youth  but  is  a  self-educated  man 
and  he  and  his  wife  both  being  self-educated  appreciate  a  good  practical 
education  and  gave  their  children  a  high  school  and  college  course.  Four 
residences  on  the  Sullivan  road  between  Carlisle  and  the  mines  were 
erected  by  Mr.  Deeble. 


George  W,  Pirtle,  M.  D. — Dr.  George  W.  Pirtle,  a  practicing 
physician  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  and  was  born  two  miles  north  of  Carlisle,  November  17, 
1868,  son  of  James  W.  and  Mary  A.  (Cron)  Pirtle.  The  father  was  also 
born  in  Haddon  township  in  August,  1837,  and  died  December  31,  1904. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  died  in  Carlisle  in  the 
spring  of  1906.  The  Pirtles  are  of  an  English  family  who  came  from 
England  in  1635,  two  brothers  settling  in  Virginia  and  from  them  this 
branch  of  the  family  have  all  descended.  The  grandfather,  Alfred  Pirtle, 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  and  his  father,  George  Pirtle,  the  doctor's 
great-grandfather,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  coming  to  Sullivan  county 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  part  of  Indiana.  James  W.  Pirtle, 
father  of  George  W.,  was  a  farmer  and  also  operated  a  saw-mill. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  children  were  as  follows:  Dr. 
George  W. ;  Charles,  a  resident  of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county ; 
Jacob,  who  resides  on  the  old  Pirtle  homestead  and  Edward,  a  resident 
of  Paxton,  Indiana.  The  doctor's  mother  was  twice  married,  first  to 
James  Stipe,  who  died  in  the  Civil  war,  at  Chattanooga,  Tennessee. 

Dr.  Pirtle  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  country 
and  then  entered  the  Lake  Forest  University,  Lake  Forest,  Illinois. 
Subsequently,  he  graduated  from  that  most  excellent  educational  institu- 
tion, Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago,  with  the  class  of  1890.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year  he  began  active  practice  of  medicine  at  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  where  he  has  not  missed  a  day's  practice  since  he  first  opened 


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66  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

an  office,  eighteen  years  ago,  aside  from  the  time  spent  at  the  medical 
societies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  Sullivan  County; 
the  Indiana  State  Medical  Society  and  American  Medical  Association, 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  Washington,  D. 
C,  becoming  a  member  of  the  last  named  in  1895.  He  takes  much  interest 
in  fraternal  matters,  and  belongs  to  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M., 
the  chapter  and  council  at  Sullivan,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  October  18,  1891,  to  Belle  Julian,  born 
in  Indiana,  December  23,'  1867,  daughter  of  Rev.  B.  F.  Julian,  now 
retired  at  Hymera,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Pirtle  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  J.  Julian  Pirtle,  born 
July  12,  1896. 


Herbert  A.  Brown,  who  is  the  general  manager  of  the 
Carlisle  Mill  and  Elevator  Company,  was  born  in  Rockport,  Spencer 
county,  Indiana,  December  9,  i860,  son  of  Thomas  H.  and  Martha 
(Jones)  Brown.  Thomas  Brown  was  born  in  Russellville,  Ohio,  February 
4,  1809,  and  died  in  Princeton,  Indiana,  April  2,  1900.  He  was  of  Penn- 
sylvania German  descent.  He  was  a  drover  and  stock  dealer,  and  also 
handled  real  estate.  He  came  to  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  in  1818,  with 
his  parents,  Conrad  Brown  and  wife.  They  located  on  the  bluffs  and  built 
a  log  cabin  at  a  point  where  is  now  located  the  county  seat  of  Spencer 
county.  Conrad  was  a  farmer.  Thomas  H.  Brown  lived  in  Spencer 
county  until  1888,  at  which  time  he  went  to  Princeton,  Indiana,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death.  He  was  supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and 
served  three  terms  (six  years)  as  sheriff.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  and  took  much  interest  in  Masonry.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Spencer  county,  Indiana,  September  7,  1830,  and  died  April  21,  1900. 
She  was  of  English  descent  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana, 
in  1852,  and  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follows:  John  Y., 
residing  in  Princeton,  Indiana,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business ; 
Adalie  A.,  wife  of  Prelot  Rounds,  an  electrical  engineer,  residing,  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island ;  Herbert  A.  of  this  sketch ;  Harry  T.,  residing 
in  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  engaged  as  a  contractor  and  builder ; 
Nora,  wife  of  Charles  Morris,  residing  in  Troy,  Ohio;  he  is  a  tobacco 
dealer;  Mary,  wife  of  R.  L.  Tichenor,  residing  in  Princeton,  Indiana, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business. 

Reared  in  Rockport,  Indiana,  and  educated  in  the  same  place,  Herbert 
A.  Brown  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  began  to  learn  the  miller's 
trade  in  his  native  town.  He  continued  there  three  years,  then  went  to 
Eureka,  Spencer  county,  where  he  remained  about  six  months.  He  next 
went  to  Hazelton,  Gibson  county,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
working  as  a  miller.  He  then  went  to  Carmi,  Illinois,  but  remained  there 
only  a  short  time,  when  he  moved  to  Sumner,  that  state,  and  lived  there 
two  years.     The  next  six  years  he  spent  in  Vincennes,  Indiana,  with 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  67 

J.  &  S.  Emison.  He  then  went  back  to  Hazelton  and  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  on  his  own  account,  remaining  between  four  and  five 
years.  Thinking  to  better  his  condition,  he  moved  to  Webster,  Missouri, 
remaining  a  few  months  and  then  went  to  Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  two  years,  going  from  there  to  Birds,  Illinois,  and  engaging 
in  milling  for  himself.  Two  years  later,  he  went  to  Princeton,  Indiana, 
and  engaged  with  the  Zenith  Milling  Company  for  three  months.  In  the 
month  of  June,  1903,  he  went  to  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  operated  the  mill 
for  Wiley  Brenton  for  about  two  and  a  quarter  years,  since  which  date 
he  has  been  operating  the  mill  for  the  Carlisle  Mill  and  Elevator  Com- 
pany; he  is  the  head  miller  and  general  manager  of  the  mill.  This  is  a 
high  grade  flour-producing  plant  and  the  product  is  shipped  to  all  parts 
of  the  country.  They  also  buy  and  ship  all  kinds  of  grain.  The  "Golden 
Eagle"  brand  of  their  flour  is  a  trade-winner  and  has  given  Mr.  Brown  a 
wide  reputation  as  a  flour  maker. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum  lodge  at  Vincennes,  Indiana;  the  Court  of  Honor 
in  Carlisle;  No.  66  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  at  Carlisle,  and  the  Mutual  Pro- 
tective League  Council  No.  226,  at  Litchfield,  Illinois,  as  well  as  holding 
membership  with  the  T.  P.  A.  at  Vincennes.  He  was  married  August 
27,  1881,  to  Laura  Briscoe,  born  in  Warrick,  county,  Indiana,  May  17, 
i860.  She  is  the  daughter  of  With  and  Adeline  (Brown)  Briscoe,  both 
natives  of  Warrick  county,  and  both  now  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  only  one  of 
whom  is  living:  Agnes,  born  in  Sumner,  Illinois,  November  13,  1882. 
She  is  still  at  home  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  J.  Smith  Business  College, 
at  Vincennes,  Indiana.  For  two  years  she  was  employed  with  Bay  & 
Company's  wholesale  house  in  Vincennes,  resigning  on  account  of  her 
mother's  failing  health.  The  other  two  children  died  in  their  infancy. 
Mr.  Brown's  wife  and  daughter  are  acceptable  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


Philip  L.  Hoover. — Enterprising,  energetic,  and  possessing  rare 
business  ability  and  tact,  Philip  L.  Hoover,  of  Carlisle,  Sullivan  county, 
is  widely  known  as  head  of  the  firm  of  P.  L.  Hoover  &  Bros.,  which  has 
exclusive  control  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  Dr.  Cox's  Barbed  Wire 
Liniment,  one  of  the  best  and  most  wonderful  articles  of  the  kind  in 
existence.  A  native  of  Sullivan  county,  he  was  born,  July  22,  1869,  in 
Haddon  township,  which  was,  likewise,  the  birthplace  of  his  parents, 
John  M.  and  Ann  T.  (Cartwright)  Hoover.  He  comes  of  pioneer  stock, 
his  grandfather,  Philip  L.  Hoover,  first,  for  whom  he  was  named,  having 
been  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  township. 

Coming  from  Pennsylvania,  his  native  state,  to  Sullivan  county,  the 
grandfather,  Philip  L.  Hoover,  took  up  land,  entering  about  six  hundred 
acres.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  worked  at  it  some  in  connection 
with  farming.  He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  after  his 
return  from  the  army  devoted  his  attention  almost  entirely  to  agriculture, 


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68  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

becoming  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  this  part  of  the  county,  his  home- 
stead property  being  near  Carlisle. 

Born  on  the  home  farm  in  1845,  John  M.  Hoover  succeeded  to  the 
occupation  in  which  he  was  reared,  and  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  was  successful.  As  a  man  and  a  citizen,  he  was  held  in  high  re- 
spect, and  his  death,  which  occurred  May  5,  1889,  was  a  loss  to  the 
community  in  which  he  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He 
married  Ann  T.  Cartwright,  who  was  born  June  27,  1835,  and  is  now 
living,  making  her  home  in  Carlisle,  Indiana.  Her  father,  William  C. 
Cartwright,  was  born  in  Virginia,  from  there  coming  to  Sullivan  county 
soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  first  family  of  Hoovers.  He  subsequently 
married  Sarah  Ledgewood,  who  was  born  in  this  county  in  1804,  being 
the  first  white  child  born  within  its  precincts.  In  politics,  John  M. 
Hoover  was  a  steadfast  Republican,  and  in  religion  his  wife  was,  and  is, 
a  consistent  Methodist.  Five  children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely: 
Nolan  C,  of  Carlisle,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hoover  Brothers,  and  its 
traveling  agent,  married  Sadie  Vance,  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  and 
they  have  two  children;  May,  born  April  5,  1866,  died  in  childhood; 
Philip  L.,  of  this  sketch;  Elmer  G.,  born  June  19,  1872,  is  also  traveling 
for  the  firm,  his  home,  however,  being  in  Carlisle;  and  Hester  A.,  born 
May  9,  1874,  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  P.  L.  Hoover  &  Brothers.  All 
of  these  children  were  reared  on  the  farm.  Elmer  and  Hester  both  at- 
tended the  Indiana  University,  at  Bloomington.  Hester  also  took  a 
course  of  study  at  the  State  Normal  school,  and  for  two  years  was  a 
teacher  in  the  graded  schools  of  Carlisle. 

Remaining  on  the  home  farm  until  twenty  years  old,  Philip  L. 
Hoover  then  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  drug  store  of  W.  J. 
Curtner.  Subsequently  going  to  Terre  Haute,  he  was  for  a  time  similarly 
employed  in  Jasper  D.  Denison's  drug  store,  where  he  formed  a  familiar 
acquaintance  with  the  details  of  the  business.  Forming  a  partnership, 
then,  with  A.  M.  Morris,  he  embarked  in  business  in  Carlisle,  becoming 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Morris  &  Hoover.  While  thus  engaged 
this  firm  formed  a  separate  business  in  company  with  Dr.  Cox,  of  Car- 
lisle, placing  before  the  public  the  Barbed  Wire  Liniment  formulated  and 
manufactured  by  the  doctor.  Two  years  later,  Mr.  Hoover  bought  out 
Mr.  Morris,  and  for  four  years  managed  the  drug  business  alone.  In 
1895,  he  admitted  his  brother  Elmer  to  partnership,  and  later  the  re- 
maining members  of  the  family  were  admitted  to  the  firm,  his  mother, 
his  sister  Hester,  and  his  brother  Nolan  all  becoming  equal  partners  in 
the  business,  the  name  of  the  firm  being  P.  L.  Hoover  &  Brothers.  In 
1900,  this  enterprising  firm  sold  out  its  drug  business,  and  also  the  tele- 
phone exchange,  which  Mr.  Hoover  had  for  some  years  managed  in 
partnership  with  Charles  Griffin.  In  1897,  Mr.  Hoover  bought  out  Dr. 
Cox,  and  since  1900  the  firm  has  manufactured  Dr.  Cox's  famous  Barbed 
Wire  Liniment,  and  in  placing  it  on  the  market  has  been  very  successful. 
By  extensive  advertising  its  merits  are  widely  known,  and  it  is  now  sold 
in  large  quantities  throughout  the  WTest  and  South,  being  found  in  all 
of  the  leading  drug  and  general  stores  of  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Florida, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  69 

Washington,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Michigan,  Minnesota,  Georgia,  Alabama, 
California,  Arkansas,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Ohio, 
Tennessee  and  Texas.  The  use  of  this  liniment  in  this  vast  territory  of 
states  is  a  sure  proof  of  its  medicinal  virtue,  and  bespeaks  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  the  firm  that  handles  it,  and  the  great  advertising  ability 
and  knowledge  of  its  members. 

In  1892,  Mr.  Hoover  married  Xenia  Anderson,  who  was  born  in 
Cass  township,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Anderson,  now  a  resident  of  Sulli- 
van. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover  have  two  children,  Glenn  and  Helen.  Politi- 
cally Mr.  Hoover  supports  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  belongs  to  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  to  which  his 
brothers  also  belong ;  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a 
member  of  both  lodge  and  encampment ;  and  to  the  T.  P.  A. 


Mark  Lester. — A  man  of  undoubted  enterprise,  industry  and  ability, 
Mark  Lester,  of  Carlisle,  is  actively  associated  with  the  industrial  progress 
of  this  part  of  Sullivan  county,  and  as  the  owner  of  a  sawmill  is  carrying 
on  a  substantial  business.  He  was  born,  October  20,  1854,  in  London, 
England,  which  was  also  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  Henry  Lester.  His 
grandfather,  Mark  Lester,  who  was  for  many  years  a  captain  in  the 
Royal  Navy,  married  a  Scotch  lassie,  Isabelle  Keeling. 

In  his  earlier  years,  Henry  Lester  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
in  London.  He  was  a  man  of  talent,  a  genius  in  his  way,  and  invented 
and  patented  the  waterproof  match.  He  then  began  the  manufacture  of 
matches  in  London,  being  a  pioneer  in  that  industry.  Being  burned  out 
in  1855,  he  transferred  his  residence  and  business  from  London  to  Not- 
tingham, where  he  erected  a  match  factory,  which  he  managed  until  his 
death.  He  married  Hepzibah  Gimbert,  who  was  born  in  Cambridgeshire, 
England,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Gimbert,  a  velvet  weaver,  and  she,  too, 
spent  her  last  years  in  Nottingham.  They  were  both  active  in  religious 
work,  and  were  prominent  members  of  the  Church  of  England.  Eight 
children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  Thomas,  deceased ;  Harry  died 
in  Sullivan,  Indiana;  George  is  engaged  in  mining  in  Nottingham,  Eng- 
land ;  Ruth,  deceased ;  Mark,  with  whom  this  sketch  is  chiefly  concerned ; 
Alice,  wife  of  Joseph  Hopkins,  of  Nottingham,  England ;  William,  a  lace 
maker,  resides  in  Nottingham ;  Jane  died  in  infancy. 

Receiving  a  limited  education  in  the  Nottingham  schools,  Mark 
Lester  remained  at  home  until  eighteen  years  of  agfe,  when  he  enlisted  in 
the  British  army,  in  which  he  served  three  years,  and  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  days,  as  a  private.  Returning  home,  he  worked  in  the  mines 
until  1879,  when  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  locating  October  1,  of 
that  year,  in  Shelburn,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  for  three  years 
he  was  profitably  employed  in  mining  pursuits.  Going  back  then  to  Eng- 
land for  a  vacation,  he  staid  there  awhile,  and  then  returned  to  Indiana, 
and  during  the  summer  of  1884  mined  for  coal  in  Sullivan.  On  April  17, 
1885,  Mr.  Lester,  in  the  employ  of  the  Carlisle  Coal  Company,  began 


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70  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

sinking  a  shaft  about  a  mile  north  of  Carlisle,  and  superintended  its  man- 
agement for  nine  years,  after  which  he  operated  it  on  his  own  account 
for  three  years,  from  1892  until  1895.  In  1893,  Mr.  Lester,  in  company 
with  Walter  Bugher,  embarked  in  the  threshing  business,  and  continued 
in  it  seven  years,  when  his  partner  sold  out  to  Mr.  Lester.  In  1896  these 
gentlemen  established  themselves  in  the  milling  business,  carrying  it  on 
in  connection  with  their  threshing  operations  until  1900,  when  Mr.  Lester 
bought  the  sawmill,  and  thresher,  and  has  since  conducted  it  most  suc- 
cessfully. He  does  considerable  custom  work,  and  is  an  extensive  shipper 
of  lumber,  having  a  prosperous  trade,  and  in  addition  to  his  mill  in 
Carlisle  also  has  one  in  Knox  county,  which  he  has  operated  since  1906. 
He  formerly  owned  a  farm  of  twenty-four  acres,  but  was  burned  out  in 
August,  1894,  and  has  since  lived  in  Carlisle. 

On  September  9,  1878,  Mr.  Lester  married  Sarah  Jane  Rigley, 
who  was  born  December  6,  1862,  in  Derbyshire,  England,  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Charlotte  Elizabeth  (Hardy)  Rigley,  life-long  residents 
of  England.  Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lester,  eleven  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Ernest  M.,  deceased;  Horace  H.,  born  in  England, 
December  30,  1883,  received  his  early  academical  education  at  Vincennes 
College,  afterwards  being  graduated  from  the  University  of  Minnesota 
with  the  class  of  1905,  was  principal  of  the  Anacortes  high  school  in 
Washington,  and  is  now  Professor  of  Botany  in  Bellingham  high  school, 
Washington;  Ivan  Jefferson,  born  February  22,  1885,  was  graduated  from 
the  Carlisle  high  school  in  1905,  and  is  now  in  partnership  with  his 
father — he  is  a  Mason,  from  Blue  Lodge  to  Council,  the  same  as  his 
father ;  Grover  died  in  infancy ;  Bertram  died  in  early  childhood ;  Paulina 
C,  born  January  17,  1890,  was  graduated  from  the  Carlisle  high  school 
with  the  class  of  1908,  is  now  a  successful  teacher  in  Haddon  township; 
Albert  Carroll,  born  March  14,  1893;  Thomas  William,  born  December 
5,  1895;  Raymond  Kelling,  born  September  24,  1898;  Elizabeth  Eloise, 
born  September  23,  1901 ;  and  Jennie  Gretcham,  born  March  21,  1904. 
Politically  Mr.  Lester  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Sullivan  Council ; 
and  of  Sullivan  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  Religiously,  his  wife,  daughter  and 
two  sons  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mrs.  Lester  is 
a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  at  Carlisle. 


William  B.  Shepherd. — Among  the  well-known  residents  of  Had- 
don township  is  William  B.  Shepherd,  who,  as  a  liveryman,  is  carrying 
on  a  substantial  business  in  Carlisle,  having  an  extensive  patronage.  A 
son  of  the  late  William  B.  Shepherd,  Sr.,  he  was  born  in  this  township, 
May  24,  1863,  and  was  here  brought  up  and  educated. 

William  B.  Shepherd,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  1836, 
and  died  on  his  home  farm,  in  Haddon  township,  in  1886.  In  the  early 
'50s,  following  the  trail  of  the  gold  seekers,  he  went  to  California,  and 
for  awhile  was  employed  in  mining,  but  without  meeting  with  the  antici- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  71 

pated  success.  Somewhat  disappointed  in  the  result  of  his  venture,  he 
returned  to  Sullivan  county,  and  for  awhile  lived  at  Shaker  Prairie. 
Subsequently,  in  company  with  Josiah  Wolfe,  he  embarked  in  business  as 
a  general  merchant  and  a  grain  dealer,  being  first  located  at  Griswold, 
Knox  county,  and  afterwards  in  Carlisle.  Subsequently  buying  land  in 
Haddon  township,  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  labors  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  local  Grange,  and  be- 
longed to  the  Christian  church,  of  which  his  widow  is  still  a  member.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Summers,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan,  in  1842,  and  is 
now  living  on  the  old  Shepherd  homestead.  Their  union  was  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  seven  children,  namely:  Thomas  G.,  residing  with  his 
widowed  mother  on  the  home  farm,  in  Haddon  township ;  Solomon  G., 
of  Gill  township;  William  B.,  of  this  brief  sketch;  Estella  May,  wife  of 
Alonzo  Pifer,  of  Gill  township;  John,  deceased;  Effie,  wife  of  F.  M. 
Bland,  of  Gill  township ;  and  Carrie  J.,  wife  of  William  Willis,  of  Hamil- 
ton township. 

Educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
William  B.  Shepherd  assumed  the  management  of  the  home  estate  upon 
the  death  of  his  father,  carrying  it  on  for  four  years.  Locating  then  in 
Carlisle,  he  embarked  in  the  livery  business,  and  a  year  later  admitted 
to  partnership  Rush  McCammon,  with  whom  he  was  associated  for  two 
years  as  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  McCammon  &  Shepherd.  Selling 
out  his  interest  then  to  Frank  Risinger,  he  was  for  twelve  years  engaged 
in  the  retail  liquor  business  in  Carlisle,  closing  out  April  3,  1908.  Two 
weeks  later,  on  April  15,  1908,  Mr.  Shepherd  and  Mr.  McCammon  again 
entered  into  partnership,  and  are  now  carrying  on  a  good  business  as 
proprietors  of  a  livery  and  feed  stable.  Politically,  Mr.  Shepherd  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  fraternally  he  belongs  to  Eagle 
Lodge  No.  996,  at  Sullivan,  Indiana. 

On  February  18,  1883,  Mr.  Shepherd  married  Elizabeth  Wagner, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1864,  a  daughter  of  John  Wagner,  who  came 
to  Indiana  about  1870,  and  located  first  in  Gill  township,  later  settling 
in  Sullivan,  where  he  spent  his  last  years.  Of  the  six  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepherd,  two  are  dead,  the  second  child  having  died  in 
infancy,  and  John,  the  third  child,  having  also  passed  to  the  life  beyond. 
Four  are  living,  namely :  Howard  Floyd,  born  October  6,  1884,  is  engaged 
in  the  livery  business  with  his  father;  Paul,  born  September  24,  1888,  was 
graduated  from  the  Carlisle  high  school  in  1907,  and  is  now  in  the  employ 
of  P.  L.  Hoover  &  Brothers,  in  Carlisle;  Hazel,  born  February  28,  1892, 
attends  the  Carlisle  high  school,  belonging  to  the  class  of  1909;  and  Helen, 
born  February  3,  1900.  Mrs.  Shepherd  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church. 


James  D.  Howard. — An  honored  representative  of  the  brave,  daring 
and  energetic  pioneers  who  came  to  this  section  of  the  country  when  it 
was  in  its  primitive  wilderness,  and  by  heroic  work  actively  assisted  in 
developing  it  into  a  fertile  and  productive  region,  James  D.  Howard,  of 


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72  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Carlisle,  is  eminently  worthy  of  especial  mention  in  this  biographical 
work.  A  son  of  Cornelius  Howard,  he  was  born  September  4,  1844,  in 
Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  on  the  home  farm.  His  grand- 
parents, Joseph  and  Sarah  Howard,  were  born,  reared,  and  married  in 
North  Carolina.  They  afterwards  lived  for  awhile  in  Kentucky,  and  their 
first  child  was  born  in  Daniel  Boone's  fort.  Coming  from  there  to 
Sullivan  county  in  1820,  he  took  up  land,  and  was  there  employed  in 
tilling  the  soil  until  his  death,  in  the  fall  of  1838.  He  was  buried  in  the 
Indian  Prairie  Cemetery,  in  that  township,  his  body  being  the  first  there 
interred. 

Cornelius  Howard  was  born,  June  13,  1805,  in  Oldham  county, 
Kentucky,  and  died  October  28,  1896,  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana.  He  was  a  farmer  from  choice,  being  engaged  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  in  stock  raising  and  dealing,  and  at  one  time  was  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  married  first,  Nancy  Jarrel,  who 
lived  but  a  short  time  after  their  marriage.  He  married  second,  Naomi 
Mayfield,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  June 
20,  1819,  and  died  in  the  same  township,  May  9,  1894.  Her  father,  James 
Mayfield,  who  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  married  Amelia  Hinkle,  in 
Kentucky,  their  native  state,  and  was  subsequently  one  of  the  original 
settlers  of  Jefferson  township.  Of  the  marriage  of  Cornelius  and  Naomi 
(Mayfield)  Howard,  eleven  children  were  born,  as  follows:  Joseph  T., 
of  Jefferson  township ;  Naomi  Elizabeth ;  James  D.,  of  this  sketch ;  W.  W., 
residing  on  the  old  Howard  homestead;  R.  M.,  deceased;  Franklin  P., 
deceased ;  John  S.,  engaged  in  the  fruit  business  in  Florida ;  Sarah  E., 
wife  of  Edward  C.  Shake,  of  Haddon  township ;  Wilton  M.,  also  of  Had- 
don  township;  Jasper,  deceased;  and  Daniel  V.,  engaged  in  farming  in 
Fairland,  Indiana. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  James  D.  Howard  was  given  excel- 
lent educational  advantages,  attending  first  the  district  schools,  afterwards 
continuing  his  studies  at  what  is  now  the  DePauw  University,  in  Green- 
castle.  He  subsequently  taught  school  three  terms  in  Jefferson  township, 
and  was  then  in  the  drug  business  in  Carlisle  until  1870,  when,  in  com- 
pany with  James  L.  Berry,  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business  in  Carlisle, 
being  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Berry  &  Howard.  In  January,  1874, 
he  returned  to  Jefferson  township,  and  resumed  work  on  his  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres,  residing  there  until  September,  1888.  Locating  in  that 
year  in  Franklin,  Mr.  Howard  was  there  employed  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness for  three  years,  when  he  traded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Jefferson  township  for  a  farm  in  Haddon  township,  an  estate  of  two 
hundred  acres,  subsequently  selling  his  store  and  property  in  Franklin, 
Indiana.  Immediately  assuming  possession  of  his  property,  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Haddon  township  from  1891  until  1905,  as  a 
general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  meeting  with  genuine  success.  Since 
that  time,  Mr.  Howard  has  been  a  resident  of  Carlisle,  where  he  is  living 
retired  from  active  pursuits,  although  he  still  supervises  the  manage- 
ment of  his  farm.  He  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  and  is 
an  influential  member  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  belongs  to  the  Inde- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  73 

pendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  into  which  he  was  initiated  January  8, 
1872.  He  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  of  his  lodge  and  encampment,  and 
has  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge. 

On  February  28,  1867,  Mr.  Howard  married  Nancy  Jane  Robbins, 
who  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  January  10,  1846.  Her  parents, 
John  and  Lucy  (Bo wen)  Robbins,  came  from  Kentucky,  their  native 
state,  to  Indiana,  and  were  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  the  northern 
end  of  Knox  county.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
had  a  family  of  seven  children,  as  follows :  James,  deceased ;  Julia,  wife  of 
William  A.  Perry,  of  Freelandsville,  Indiana;  Mary,  deceased;  Thomas, 
residing  on  a  part  of  the  Robbins  homestead,  in  Knox  county;  Nancy 
Jane,  wife  of  Mr.  Howard ;  Isabella,  deceased ;  and  Alexander  M.,  living 
on  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Howard,  namely:  a  child  that  died  in  infancy;  Edward  C, 
deceased ;  Carrie  B.,  deceased ;  Flora  E.,  born  October  3,  1874,  is  the  wife 
of  Thomas  A.  Grizzle,  of  Carlisle;  and  Icie  Nora,  born  April  11,  1877, 
married  Frank  Corbin,  of  Carlisle,  and  has  one  child,  James  V.  Corbin. 
Forty-one  years  ago  Mr.  Howard  united  with  the  Missionary  Baptist 
church,  to  which  his  parents  belonged,  and  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member, 
and  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  connected  with  the  church. 


Mrs.  Hannah  F.  (Alsop)  Jerauld. — A  woman  of  culture  and 
refinement,  possessing  excellent  judgment  and  much  executive  ability, 
Mrs.  Jerauld  bravely  assumed  the  duties  devolving  upon  her  when,  many 
years  ago,  she  was  left  a  widow,  and  has  ever  been  mindful  of  the  interest 
of  her  household.  She  resides  in  Carlisle,  Sullivan  county,  where  her 
birth  occurred,  March  27,  1846,  and  is  descended  from  an  old  English 
family,  being  the  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Margaret  (Calvert)  Alsop. 

Hon.  Joshua  Alsop,  her  father,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wall 
Hexem,  in  Northumberlandshire,  England,  on  the  fifth  of  September, 
1807.  In  tne  vear  1818,  on  the  18th  of  May,  in  company  with  his 
father,  mother,  two  brothers  and  sister,  he  emigrated  from  the  old  world 
to  the  new,  landing  in  Canada.  Thence  they  moved  to  the  state  of  New 
York,  residing  at  Halls  Corner  for  one  year,  and  then  starting  for  the 
west,  via  Pittsburg,  sailing  down  the  Ohio  river  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Wabash  and  up  that  river  to  York,  Illinois.  After  a  short  stay  at  that 
place  the  family  located  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  in  the  fall  of  1820,  where 
Mr.  Alsop  remained  until  his  death. 

In  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  Mr.  Alsop  was  married  to  Miss 
Margaret  Calvert  and  shortly  afterward  commenced  his  career  of  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  on  the  old-fashioned  theory  that  the  word  of  a 
mercantile  man  must  be  as  good  as  his  bond.  So  strong  did  he  adhere 
to  this  principle  that  his  name  became  a  synonym  of  business  integrity 
throughout  the  Wabash  valley.  Mr.  Alsop  early  became  satisfied  that 
the  facilities  the  river  afforded  for  the  transportation  of  produce  and 
merchandise  were   inadequate  to   the  development  of   Sullivan   county. 


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74  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Upon  the  suggestion  of  railroad  connection  between  Terre  Haute  and 
Evansville  he  became  enlisted  in  the  enterprise,  and  was  elected  one  of 
the  directors,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death.  He  made  all  his 
sacrifice  for  the  road  with  a  desire  that  it  should  run  through  Carlisle. 
His  plans  were  for  a  time  frustrated  by  the  machinations  of  certain  men, 
who  were  anxious  that  the  road  should  be  located  out  of  the  town.  Then 
Mr.  Alsop  displayed  that  trait  of  character  which  he  possessed  in  a  re- 
markable degree  (tenacity  of  purpose),  made  a  herculean  effort  and 
enlisted  fifteen  associates  in  the  cause.  The  road  was  finally  located  in 
Carlisle,  at  a  loss  to  Mr.  Alsop  and  his  friends  of  $32,000.  Those  who 
are  enjoying  the  benefits  conferred  cannot  appreciate  the  sacrifice  thus 
made  in  their  behalf. 

From  the  inauguration  of  the  free  school  system  Mr.  Alsop  gave  it 
his  financial  aid  and  his  unwavering  support,  looking  forward  to  the  time 
when  education  should  become  compulsory.  One  of  his  peculiar  traits  of 
character  was  his  habit  of  coming  to  the  rescue  of  a  failing  or  an  em- 
barrassed public  enterprise,  and  by  the  timely  advancement  of  money 
placing  it  on  the  highway  to  success.  In  1870,  much  against  his  will,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Senate  and  served  during  the  regular 
session  of  1870-72,  but  no  consideration  whatever  would  induce  him  to 
accept  a  re-election.  Though  taking  an  interest  in  political  affairs,  he  was 
averse  to  holding  office.  He  was  a  sincere  friend  to  the  honest  poor  man, 
never  refusing  him  either  aid  or  sympathy.  Enterprising  and  progres- 
sive he  took  an  especial  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted  town,  but 
whether  his  project  was  private  or  public  always  remembered  his  honor 
as  a  man.  His  death  in  1876  was  a  sad  loss  to  his  family  and  a  heavy 
loss  to  the  community. 

Mr.  Alsop's  marriage  to  Margaret  Calvert  occurred  at  Carlisle, 
Indiana.  February  14,  1837,  and  seven  children  were  born  to  them,  as 
follows:  William  and  Mary,  who  died  young;  Nancy  and  David,  also  de- 
ceased ;  Hannah,  of  this  sketch ;  Isadora,  wife  of  Charles  P.  Gwin,  who 
resides  in  Georgia ;  and  Anna  C,  widow  of  the  late  Frank  Parvin.  Mr. 
Parvin  was  born  in  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  was  there  educated,  begin- 
ning his  business  career  as  a  dry  goods  merchant  in  association  with  his 
father.  He  afterward  embarked  in  the  drug  business  in  that  city,  and 
carried  it  on  successfully  until  failing  health  forced  him  to  retire  from 
active  pursuits.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mrs.  Parvin  was  educated  at 
DePauw  College,  where  she  received  an  excellent  intellectual  training. 

Hannah  F.  Alsop  received  her  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Carlisle,  afterward  attending  a  female  college  in  Terre  Haute. 
On  December  8,  1870,  she  married  Thomas  H.  Jerauld,  who  was  born  in 
Patoka,  Indiana,  February  22,  1837,  and  died  in  that  city,  February  9, 
1883.  He  received  his  collegiate  education  in  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and 
was  actively  and  successfully  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at  Patoka 
until  his  death,  being  an  honored  and  respected  member  of  the  community 
and  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  worth.  In  politics,  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican.     In  April,  1884,  Mrs.  Jerauld  returned  to  Carlisle,  her  girl- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  75 

hood  home,  and  has  since  resided  there.  She  is  an  able  business  woman, 
and  has,  among  other  property,  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres 
in  Haddon  township,  from  the  rental  of  which  she  realizes  a  good  income. 
The  Bellevue  Coal  Company  of  Pennsylvania  has  recently  sunk  a  coal 
shaft  on  Mrs.  Jerauld's  farm,  and  is  now  working  vein  No.  5.  Mrs. 
Jerauld  and  her  husband  became  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely: 
Heber,  who  lives  at  home;  Anna,  who  died  in  infancy;  Margaret,  who 
lived  but  sixteen  months;  and  Charles  G.,  who  also  resides  with  his 
mother.  Religiously,  Mrs.  Jerauld  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  She  has  seen  many  changes  in  Carlisle  since  her  girlhood  days, 
and  remembers  driving  with  her  father  to  Vincennes  to  take  the  train 
to  Evansville  before  the  railroad  was  completed  as  far  north  as  Carlisle. 
It  is  hard  for  the  younger  people  of  this  generation  to  realize  the  wonder- 
ful changes  made  in  the  every-day  life  of  this  day  by  the  establishment 
of  railways,  telephones,  telegraphs,  and  the  rural  free  delivery  service 
throughout  the  country. 


George  W.  Funk,  a  retired  farmer  and  one  of  the  early  promoters 
of  the  Wabash  levee,  as  well  as  the  present  gravel  road  system,  whose 
excellent  farm  lies  in  the  famous  Wabash  valley,  but  who  now  resides 
in  Carlisle,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Russellville,  Lawrence 
county,  Illinois,  born  March  24,  185 1,  a  son  of  Henry  H.  and 
Martha  (Petitt)  Funk.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia  and  the  mother 
in  North  Carolina.  They  both  had  accompanied  their  parents  to  Lawrence 
county,  Illinois,  at  an  early  day,  being  among  the  pioneer  settlers  in  that 
region.  The  grandparents,  Peter  and  Nancy  Funk,  both  live  in  Lawr- 
ence county  until  their  death,  and  both  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety  years.  Peter  Funk  was  a  miller  and  mill-wright,  and  operated 
the  first  mill  ever  run  at  Russellville,  Illinois.  He  sold  out,  and  later 
followed  farming  pursuits.  While  in  the  milling  business  he  and  his  son, 
Henry  M.,  attached  a  carding  mill  and  a  distillery  to  the  mill  proper. 
The  son  Henry  W.  also  farmed  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life  and  died  when 
aged  about  sixty  years,  his  wife  dying  when  George  W.  was  but  three 
weeks  old. 

George  W.  Funk  grew  to  man's  estate  surrounded  by  the  scenes  of 
country  life,  receiving  his  education  at  the  common  district  school,  begin- 
ning to  work  for  himself  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  by  farming  on  a 
modest  scale,  with  one  horse  in  Gill  township.  He  came  to  Sullivan 
county  when  he  was  about  sixteen  years  old.  He  continued  to  farm  in 
Gill  township  until  the  autumn  of  1904,  and  had  come  to  be  an  extensive 
farmer  at  this  time  (1908),  owning  eight  hundred  acres,  all  in  Gill  town- 
ship. This  man's  career  only  shows  what  may  be  accomplished  by  per- 
sistent labor  and  good  management,  in  a  free  country  where  every  man 
may  become  the  architect  of  his  own  fortune.  Besides  his  extensive  farm, 
he  owns  considerable  property  in  Carlisle  and  in  Riverside,  California; 
also  has  about  $25,000  in  money  loaned  out  in  California.    He  is  also  a 


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76  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

stockholder  in  the  People's  State  Bank,  at  Carlisle.  He  began  the  founda- 
tion of  this  handsome  financial  success,  by  working  on  a  farm  by  the 
month.  He  has  ever  been  progressive  and  alive  to  all  public  enterprises, 
and  was  the  first  petitioner  to  secure  gravel  roads,  as  highways,  in  Sulli- 
van county,  starting  on  Gill  Prairie.  About  1871,  he  in  company  with 
Samuel  Hammell,  made  an  effort  to  put  in  a  levee  in  Gill  township,  along 
the  Wabash  river,  but  were  defeated  by  three  votes.  He  also  took  active 
part  in  the  promotion  of  the  levee  which  was  constructed  some  years 
since.  Politically,  Mr.  Funk  is  a  firm  believer  in,  and  supporter  of  the 
cardinal  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  an  honored  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Carlisle,  belonging  to  the 
subordinate  lodge. 

February  11,  1869,  marked  an  important  epoch  in  his  life.  On  that 
day  he  married  Mary  C.  Blackburn,  a  native  of  Lawrence  county,  Illinois, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
born  in  the  following  order:  Estella,  deceased;  Lavada,  died  in  infancy; 
the  third  and  fourth  children  also  died  in  infancy;  Arabelle,  married  G. 
W.  Allen,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  leaving  daughters — 
Hattie  and  Erma,  who  are  being  cared  for  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk ;  Nellie, 
deceased ;  and  George,  deceased. 

For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Funk  married  March  23,  1883,  Harriet 
Cochran,  born  in  Lawrence  county,  October  18,  1854.  She  was  educated 
in  the  county  in  which  she  was  born.  The  children  of  this  union  all  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Funk  are  members  of  the  Christian  church  of 
which  he  served  as  an  elder  at  Carlisle  about  twelve  years.  The  last  few 
winters,  Mr.  Funk  has  spent  six  months  with  his  family,  at  Riverside,  that 
most  beautiful  winter  resort  in  California.  In  August,  1890,  he  removed 
to  Carlisle,  where  he  now  has  a  fine  home  residence. 


James  W.  Calvert,  one  of  the  thoroughgoing  agriculturists  of 
Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  born  on  Shaker  Prairie, 
Knox  county,  Indiana,  December  21,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Sarah  (Snapp)  Calvert.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  the  mother  of  Indiana.  The  latter's  parents  were  natives 
of  Virginia.  Robert  Calvert,  the  father,  was  an  early  settler  of  Knox 
county,  coming  with  his  parents,  both  of  whom  died  there.  He  con- 
tinued to  live  in  Knox  county  and  served  from  there  in  the  Mexican 
war  from  1846  to  1848,  receiving  a  gunshot  wound  which  caused  his 
death  in  1856,  when  his  son  of  this  notice  was  but  one  year  old.  The 
widow,  later  married  and  died  in  the  autumn  of  i860.  The  children  of 
Robert  and  Sarah  (Snapp)  Calvert  were  as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of  Peter 
Price,  of  Carlisle;  John,  deceased;  Ellen,  widow  Blann,  of  Oaktown, 
Knox  county ;  James  W.  of  this  notice. 

Left  fatherless  when  but  a  babe  of  about  a  year  old,  James  W. 
Calvert  has  never  known  the  aid,  and  watch-care  of  a  father's  love  and 
manly  strength,  to  guide  him  through  the  uncertain  shoals  of  boyhood 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  77 

and  youth.    His  educational  opportunities  were  limited.    He  attended  the 
schools  of  his  district  and  Carlisle  a  few  terms. 

He  made  his  home  with  an  uncle  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  until  thirteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  hired  out  to  work  for  a  farmer  at  twenty  dollars 
the  first  year,  and  was  defrauded  out  of  this  amount,  including  five  dol- 
lars given  him  by  his  uncle  as  a  present.  However,  the  same  unscrupulous 
man's  father,  out  of  shame  and  sympathy,  bought  young  Calvert  a  suit  of 
clothes.  After  this  sad  beginning,  he  found  employment  with  another 
farmer  at  fifteen  dollars  a  month  and  continued  working  there  until 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  when  he  purchased  a  team  and  the  necessary 
implements  and  commenced  farming  in  Knox  county,  remaining  there 
about  ten  years.  He  kept  "bachelor's  hall"  about  three  years,  really  a  hard 
way  in  which  to  farm,  but  at  all  times  he  was  cool  and  self-possessed.  His 
next  experience  was  in  the  purchase  of  a  small  farm  in  Gill  township, 
which  he  soon  sold  and  bought  twenty-two  acres.  Two  years  later,  he 
bought  forty  acres  in  Haddon  township,  to  which  he  added,  in  1907,  forty 
acres  more,  making  altogether  a  farm  of  102  acres  at  the  present  time.  On 
this  fine  place,  he  carries  on  general  and  stock  farming,  paying  especial 
attention  to  swine  and  horses.  In  his  political  views,  he  is  in  accord  with 
those  of  the  Democratic  party,  while  in  church  faith,  he  adheres  to  that  of 
the  Christian  denomination.  At  one  time,  he  was  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  order,  but  at  this  date  has  no  lodge  affiliations. 

Mr.  Calvert  was  happily  united  in  marriage,  February  12,  1885,  to 
Miss  Amanda  O'Haver,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  S.  (Jewell) 
O'Haver,  early  settlers  in  Knox  county,  but  who  later  removed  to  Sullivan 
county  and  the  father  still  lives  in  Gill  township,  the  mother  having 
died  several  years  ago.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cal- 
vert: Arthur,  deceased,  and  Urban  B.,  unmarried,  and  employed  in  a 
wholesale  meat  house  of  Chicago. 


William  Z.  Payne  has  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  valuable  home- 
stead on  which  he  now  resides,  and  which  has  been  in  the  Payne 
family  for  three  generations.  He  was  born  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
November  5,  1858,  a  son  of  Isaac  T.  and  Emeline  (Anderson) 
Payne  and  a  grandson  of  Shadrach  and  Mary  Payne,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Virginia.  They  were  farming  people  there  until  their  removal 
to  Kentucky,  from  whence  they  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1835, 
and  entered  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm  which  is  now  the  home 
of  their  grandson  William.  They  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives 
in  this  county,  and  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  fol- 
lowing two  are  now  living:  Bennett,  at  Oblong,  Illinois,  and  Melvina 
Blackburn,  a  resident  of  Bedford,  Indiana. 

Isaac  T.  Payne,  one  of  the  sons  of  that  family,  was  born  during  the 
residence  of  his  parents  in  Kentucky,  September  5,  1830.  He  too,  was 
an  agriculturist  throughout  his  entire  business  life,  and  lived  on  his  farm 
of  eighty  acres  here  all  his  life,  with  the  exception  of  ten  years  spent 


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78  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

in  Vigo  county,  his  death  occurring  here  in  1904.  His  wife  died  in 
1900.  She  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  May  18, 
1830,  the  same  year  as  her  husband,  and  their  family  numbered  but  two 
children,  William  Z.  and  his  sister,  Mary  Williams,  whose  home  is  in 
Vigo  county. 

William  Z.  Payne,  the  younger,  remained  with  his  parents  until  their 
death,  and  on  the  4th  of  September,  1879,  he  was  married  to  Mary  E. 
Martin,  who  was  born  in  Middletown,  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  February 
4,  1858,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Violet  Martin,  the  mother  surviving 
her  husband  and  residing  in  Sullivan.  The  four  children  of  this  union 
are:  Walter  F.,  who  married  Ida  Harlan,  and  is  one  of  the  well  known 
physicians  of  Middletown;  Bertha  Marts,  whose  home  is  in  Hamilton 
township;  James  W.,  who  married  Lilly  Thomson,  and  is  a  mail  carrier 
of  Shelburn ;  and  Claucie,  at  home. 

Mr.  Payne  began  life  for  himself  on  his  father's  farm,  which  he 
purchased  before  the  latter's  death,  and  his  estate  now  numbers  eighty 
acres,  and  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  poli- 
tics are  Democratic,  and  he  is  a  member  of  both  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge, 
No.  420,  at  Shelburn,  and  of  the  Christian  church,  Mrs.  Payne  being  also 
a  member  of  that  denomination.  They  are  people  of  the  highest  worth 
of  character,  and  Curry  township  4«- proud  to  claim  them  among  her 
residents.  -'  •  - " '  : 


William  L.  Laurent,  who  ha$  attained  prominence  in  the  real 
estate  circles  of  Sullivan  countyj  was  born  in  Leopold,  Perry 
county,  Indiana,  September  22,  1875,  a  son  of  August  and  Catherine 
(Allard)  Laurent,  both  of  whom  were  of  French  descent,  and 
the  father  was  born  in  that  country  in  1846,  while  the  mother  was  born 
in  Perry  county,  Indiana,  in  1852.  August  Laurent  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  United  States  when  but  seven  years  of  age,  the  family 
locating  in  Leopold,  Indiana,  where  they  were  farming  people,  but  they 
died  shortly  after  their  emigration  to  this  country.  After  the  death  of 
his  parents  August  learned  the  mason  and  marble  cutters'  trade,  and 
followed  those  occupations  until  within  a  short  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1901.  He  was  a  Republican  politically,  a  Mason  fraternally, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  She  is 
now  living  with  her  son  William  in  Shelburn.  Her  parents,  Francis  and 
Mary  (Belva)  Allard,  came  from  their  native  land  of  France  to  the 
United  States  about  183 1,  locating  first  in  Kentucky,  from  whence  they 
removed  to  Leopold,  Indiana,  and  remained  there  during  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  Mr.  Allard  was  a  merchant  of  that  city  until  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war,  also  a  notary,  and  after  the  close  of  the  conflict  he  gar- 
dened and  took  care  of  his  notary  work,  dying  about  1888,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  His  wife  was  seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
her  death  in  1905.  She  was  a  member  of  a  prominent  and  well  known 
family  in  France.  Nine  children  were  born  to  August  and  Catherine 
Allard  Laurent,  namely:  Joseph,  who  died  when  young;  John,  whose 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUfiLIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


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tfirf'-^i/j^spfaje*-*^ 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  79 

home  is  in  Stoy,  Illinois;  Edward,  of  Greenville,  Indiana ;  William  L.,  who 
is  mentioned  later ;  Frank,  whose  home  is  in  Willisville,  Illinois ;  August 
R.,  of  Evansville,  Indiana;  Mamie,  who  is  residing  with  her  brother 
William ;  and  Joseph  and  Henry,  who  died  in  infancy. 

After  completing  his  education  in  the  common  schools  William  L. 
Laurent  worked  in  a  general  mercantile  store  for  two  and  a  half  years, 
having  charge  of  the  postoffice  at  the  same  time,  and  during  the  ten 
years  following  this  period  he  worked  in  the  mines.  Coming  to  Shelburn, 
Indiana,  in  March  of  1903,  he  opened  a  real  estate  and  insurance  office 
here,  and  is  now  the  proprietor  of  a  real  estate,  loan,  insurance,  collection 
and  rental  office,  enjoying  a  large  and  lucrative  patronage.  In  politics  he 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  local  councils  of 
his  party,  while  at  the  present  time  he  is  serving  as  the  committeeman  of 
his  precinct.  He  believes  in  the  social  organizations  for  the  protection  of 
the  laboring  men,  and  while  at  the  mines  he  was  an  active  member  of 
the  mine  organizations.  His  fraternal  relations  connect  him  with  the 
Red  Men,  Utah  Tribe  No.  213,  at  Shelburn,  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  lodge  No.  603  at  Hymera,  and  with  the  auxiliaries  of 
both  orders ;  with  the  K.  of  C.  council  No.  541,  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  camp  13563,  Shelburn,  Indiana. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  LaurfettV  w^s  ^eJejjfipqd  September  26,  1906, 
at  St.  Mary's  church  at  Sulliyani4^p*»:*w^ti^Spdie  M.  Stadley  became 
his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Greensburg,  Trfdfana,;  a  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Julia  Stadley,  the  latter  deceased,  but  the  father  is  now  living  in 
Shelburn.    He  farmed  until  he  G^j^*fieje'1ifir«905.i 

John  Ridgeway,  deceased,  who  in  his  lifetime  lived  in  Fairbanks 
township  and  was  numbered  among  the  most  thrifty  and  successful 
farmers  of  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Gill  township,  four  miles  west 
of  Sullivan,  January  13,  185 1.  He  was  the  son  of  Otho  and  Nancy  E. 
(Pinkston)  Ridgeway,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  parents  came  to  Sulli- 
van county,  Indiana,  as  children,  and  when  old  enough  were  married. 
They  owned  a  farm  in  Turman  township  until  the  death  of  the  father 
in  1863.    His  wife,  now  eighty-one  years  old,  lives  with  her  children. 

There  were  four  sons  and  four  daughters  in  this  family  and  the 
third  born  of  the  four  sons  was  John  Ridgeway  of  this  memoir.  He 
attended  the  district  schools  until  twelve  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
his  father  died,  and  afterward  he,  with  his  older  brother  Albert,  con- 
ducted the  home  farm  until  Albert  married  and  then  John  carried  on 
the  place  until  after  his  own  marriage,  July  30,  1871,  to  Violet  Kelley. 
She  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  a  daughter  of  Perry  and  Martha 
(Whitlock)  Kelley,  both  natives  of  Kentucky.  A  few  years  later  Mr. 
Ridgeway  purchased  a  farm  of  his  own  in  Fairbanks  township,  upon 
which  he  erected  a  large  two-story  house  in  1882,  having  previously 
built  the  barns.  The  old  one-story  house  on  the  place  is  still  in  use  as  a 
cellar  and  smokehouse.    This  farm  contains  one  hundred  and  seventy-one 

Vol.  II— 6 


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80  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

acres,  fifty  acres  being  in  timber  land,  which  Mr.  Ridgeway  cleared  off 
and  placed  under  good  cultivation.  The  farmhouse  is  in  fine  view  of 
the  famous  and  picturesque  Wabash  valley,  and  the  house  is  surrounded 
by  beautiful  shade  and  ornamental  trees.  Besides  this  homestead  Mr. 
Ridgeway  secured  for  himself  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  the 
river  bottoms,  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Kiowa  county,  Kansas, 
and  one  hundred  and  six  acres  in  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  several 
other  places  within  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  always  followed  farming 
for  his  occupation,  and  in  it  achieved  merited  success.  He  made  a 
specialty  of  stock  raising  in  conjunction  with  his  agricultural  operations. 

Mr.  Ridgeway  was  twice  married,  first  to  Violet  Kelley  on  July 
30,  1871.  By  her  he  had  the  following  children :  Otho  C,  born  December 
30,  1874,  died  September  5,  1875;  Carsa  E.,  April  5,  1877,  now  ^rs- 
George  Adams,  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana;  Harold  G.,  born  May  6,  1883, 
died  May  25,  1883.  Mrs.  Ridgeway  died  June  8,  1883.  For  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Ridgeway  married,  December  24,  1884,  Jerusha  A.  Rose,  born 
in  Turman  township  January  24,  1866,  a  daughter  of  John  T.  and 
Rebecca  (Drake)  Rose.  The  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and  the 
mother  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  grand- 
parents were  Thomas  and  Jerusha  Rose.  By  his  last  marriage  the 
children  born  to  Mr.  Ridgeway  were :  Lora  A.,  born  April  26,  1887,  a 
student  in  Georgetown  College,  entering  in  1904,  is  now  Mrs.  Thomas 
M.  Durham,  of  Turman  township,  and  Hervey  J.,  born  August  7,  1896, 
entered  Notre  Dame  College  January  2,   1909,   for  collegiate  training. 

Mr.  Ridgeway  died  February  3,  1905.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  was  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  order  at  Graysville.  In 
church .  connections  he  was  a  Methodist,  a  member  of  the  Kingsley 
chapel  in  Fairbanks  township,  as  is  also  his  wife. 


John  H.  Allen,  the  well  known  furniture  dealer  and  under- 
taker of  Farmersburg,  has  been  engaged  in  business  in  this  city 
since  1904,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  bought  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business  where  he  is  now  established.  He  studied  under- 
taking under  efficient  directions,  and  also  has  a  diploma  from  the  Barnes 
School  of  Anatomy  and  Sanitary  Science  of  Embalming. 

Mr.  Allen  was  born  in  Linton  township  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
April  24,  1863,  a  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Allen,  and  a 
grandson  of  Josiah  and  Rebecca  Allen,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ire- 
land. They  came  to  America  before  their  marriage,  living  for  a  time  in 
Virginia,  removing  some  time  after  their  marriage  to  Kentucky,  where 
Mr.  Allen  followed  his  professions  of  surveying,  and  school  teaching, 
having  been  an  efficient  teacher  for  sixty  years.  He  also  owned  a  farm 
there.  There  were  eleven  children  in  their  family,  but  none  are  now 
living,  and  among  the  number  was  Robert,  who  was  born  in  Spencer 
county,  Kentucky,  March  28,  18 14,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  he 


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graduated  from  Bacon  College  in  Kentucky.  During  the  remainder  of 
his  life  he  taught  school  and  farmed,  coming  to  Vigo  county  soon  after 
his  marriage,  and  he  resided  there  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying 
on  the  23d  of  December,  1891.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  Williams,  was  born 
in  Bullitt  county,  Kentucky,  October  9,  1820,  and  died  on  the  27th  of 
June,  1892.  She  was  his  third  wife,  and  they  had  six  children:  Robert  C, 
who  was  born  on  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Linton  township,  July  14, 
1866,  married  Gertrude  Risinger,  and  yet  resides  on  the  homestead; 
Sarah  A.  Allen,  born  August  29,  1861,  married  Charles  P.  Miller  and 
lives  in  Terre  Haute ;  John  H.,  the  subject  of  this  review ;  and  Hannah 
E.,  born  December  29,  1867,  became  the  wife  of  Thomas  L.  Djivis  and 
lives  in  Linton  township,  Vigo  county. 

John  H.  Allen  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  in  the  meantime 
studying  surveying  and  civil  engineering  under  his  father,  and  after  his 
marriage  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Linton  township,  Vigo  county,  owning 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  during  his  residence  on  the  farm  he 
served  for  five  years  and  three  months  as  a  trustee.  In  February  of  1904 
he  sold  his  farm,  and  after  traveling  for  a  year  came  to  Farmersburg  and 
purchased  the  furniture  and  undertaking  business  where  he  is  now  located. 
His  politics  are  Democratic,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  town  board  and 
the  president  of  the  financial  board.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grange, 
in  Linton  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1896,  Mr.  Allen  was  married  to  Manna 
Russell,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  March  23,  1872,  a 
daughter  of  Spencer  and  Elizabeth  (Gaskins)  Russell.  The  mother  was 
also  born  in  Sullivan  county,  April  15,  1838,  and  she  died  in  March  of 
1891,  while  the  father  was  born  January  11,  1826,  in  Spencer  county, 
Kentucky,  and  died  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  May  9,  1905.  He  was  a 
farmer  all  his  life.  Mrs.  Allen  has  been  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  since  she  was  thirteen  years  of  age. 


Amanda  (De  Baun)  Sherman. — Mrs.  Sherman  has  spent  many 
years  of  her  life  in  Sullivan  county,  and  is  loved  and  honored  for  her 
many  sterling  characteristics,  for  her  Christian  character  and  for  her  life 
of  usefulness  and  helpfulness.  She  was  born  near  Middletown,  in  Vigo 
county,  Indiana,  August  13,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Phylinda 
(Shattuck)  De  Baun.  The  father  was  born  on  the  14th  of  January, 
1820,  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  and  is  now  living  with  his  daughter 
in  Farmersburg,  but  the  mother,  born  April  2,  1817,  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  died  on  the  14th  of  February,  1866. 

Samuel  De  Baun  is  a  son  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
he  in  turn  was  a  son  of  Joseph  De  Baun,  who  was  of  French  descent  and 
was  a  stone  mason  throughout  his  life.  His  son  Samuel  embraced  the 
occupation  of  agriculture.  He  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1831 
and  died  here  in  1833,  of  cholera.    His  wife,  two  of  his  own  children  and 


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82  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

a  son-in-law  were  also  stricken  with  the  dread  disease  and  died.  There 
were  nine  children  in  the  family  of  Samuel  De  Baun,  but  all  are  now 
deceased  with  the  exception  of  the  son  Samuel. 

Samuel  De  Baun,  Jr.,  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died,  and  he  was  yet  in  his  teens  when  he  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness, but  after  his  marriage  he  turned  his  attention  to  farming  in  Vigo 
county  and  became  the  owner  of  seventy-two  acres  of  land.  He  left  the 
farm  after  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1866,  and  three  years  afterward,  in 
1869,  he  married  Susan  Earnest,  and  in  the  same  year  went  to  Shelby- 
ville,  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  coal  business  until  the  death 
of  his  second  wife  in  1886.  Coming  then  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  he 
was  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  live  stock  until  his  retirement  in 
1904.  Of  the  eight  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Baun,  five  are 
now  living,  namely:  Amanda,  who  is  mentioned  later;  William  S.,  who 
was  born  December  13,  1841,  and  resides  in  El  Reno,  Oklahoma;  Mar- 
garet A.,  born  February  26,  1843,  resides  in  Farmersburg;  Alonzo,  born 
April  11,  1845,  died  in  infancy;  Phylinda  and  Hilinda,  twins,  born 
December  23,  1846,  died  in  infancy;  Emily  R.,  born  November  9,  1848, 
resides  in  Farmersburg;  and  Isabelle  A.,  born  July  18,  1851,  is  also  a 
resident  of  Farmersburg. 

Mrs.  Sherman  was  left  motherless  when  she  was  quite  young,  and  for 
over  twenty  years  in  her  early  life  she  taught  school  in  Sullivan  county. 
On  the  22d  of  September,  1895,  she  gave  her  hand  m  marriage  to  Thomas 
K.  Sherman,  who  was  born  seven  miles  west  of  Sullivan,  on  the  26th 
day  of  September,  1829,  and  died  on  the  30th  of  September,  1903.  During 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and 
was  very  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  an  earnest 
Christian  worker,  and  was  an  elder  in  his  church,  at  one  time  the  only 
one  holding  the  office  in  the  church.  One  of  the  most  cherished  posses- 
sions in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Sherman  is  an  old  family  Bible  which  has  been 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  in  the  De  Baun  family  and 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Samuel  De  Baun.  At  his  death  it  descends  to 
the  next  oldest  living  relative.  The  Bible  is  a  Holland  edition,  for  its 
first  possessor  lived  in  that  country,  and  it  is  supposed  to  be  several  hun- 
dred years  old,  by  some  said  to  be  six  hundred  years  old,  and  it  has  been 
in  America  for  over  three  hundred  years.  Mrs.  Sherman  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  is  an  earnest  and  efficient  worker  in  the  cause 
of  Christianitv. 


Samuel  C.  Smock,  who  is  farming  in  Curry  township,  traces  his 
descent  to  his  great-grandfather  on  the  paternal  side,  Barnett  Smock, 
whose  son,  Henry  Smock,  Sr.,  and  his  wife,  Anna  De  Baun,  were  born 
in  Kentucky  and  there  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  Henry  Smock,  Jr.,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  5,  1806, 
and  before  his  marriage  he  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  with  his 
parents,  and  located  in  Curry  township,  where  they  entered  land  from  the 
government.     He  continued  as  a  farmer  throughout  his  entire  life  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  83 

owned  at  the  time  of  his  death  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land.  From 
the  Whigs  he  transferred  his  political  allegiance  to  the  Republican  party 
at  the  time  of  the  organization  of  that  division,  and  was  a  faithful  and 
earnest  member  of  the  Christian  church.  In  his  early  life  he  married 
Elizabeth  Carruthers,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  August  18,  1807,  and 
died  on  the  4th  of  February,  1888,  in  Sullivan  county,  surviving  her  hus- 
band but  three  years,  for  his  death  occurred  oh  the  30th  of  April,  1885. 
He  was  of  Holland  descent.  In  their  family  were  nine  children,  namely : 
Nancy  J.  Nelson,  who  was  born  June  11,  1832,  and  died  January  31,  1887; 
Francis  M.,  born  February  1,  1835,  died  May  22,  1872;  William  H., 
born  July  27,  1837,  went  out  during  the  Civil  war  as  a  recruit,  but  did 
not  reach  his  regiment,  and  his  death  occurred  on  the  10th  of  April,  1865 ; 
Sarah  A.  Pittman,  born  November  1,  184 1,  died  June  15,  1891 ;  James  B. 
and  John  A.,  twins,  born  October  29,  1840,  died  in  infancy;  Mary  A., 
born  December  1,  1839,  died  in  infancy;  Samuel  C,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review;  and  Abraham,  born  August  26,  1846,  died  February 
26,  1905. 

On  the  nth  of  August,  1862,  Samuel  C.  Smock  enlisted  with  Com- 
pany H,  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  private 
until  the  12th  of  June,  1865,  in  the  meantime  participating  in  many  of 
the  hard  fought  battles  of  the  war,  including  those  of  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Thomson  Station,  Culp's  Farm  and  Peach  Tree  Creek.  After 
the  war  had  ended  he  returned  to  his  home,  and  after  his  marriage  he 
rented  his  father's  farm,  thus  continuing  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
when  he  rented  fifty-three  acres  and  now  owns  an  estate  of  ninety-one 
acres  three-quarters  of  a  mile  southwest  of  Farmersburg. 

Mr.  Smock  married,  February  1,  1871,  Elizabeth  Collins,  who  was 
born  in  Hancock  county,  Indiana,  May  28,  1852,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Snyder)  Collins,  both  now  deceased.  The  six  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smock  are:  Ida  E.  Heck,  born  November  20,  1871, 
resides  in  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county;  Maggy  and  Mary,  twins, 
born  October  5,  1874,  but  the  former  died  in  infancy  and  the  latter  is  the 
wife  of  Ben  Gaskins,  of  Farmersburg;  Clella,  born  July  19,  1878,  is  the 
wife  of  William  V.  Allen,  and  is  living  in  Terre  Haute;  Dora  Criss, 
born  June  13,  1881,  resides  in  Farmersburg;  and  Roy,  born  December  19, 
1885,  is  teaching  school.  Mr.  Smock  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows; 
Lodge  No.  622,  at  Farmersburg,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  offices  and 
has  represented  the  order  as  a  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


Francis  R.  Wallace  has  for  many  years  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  agricultural  life  of  Sullivan  county,  owning  a  valuable  and  well 
improved  farm  in  Curry  township,  but  he  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  28,  1826,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Reeder) 
Wallace.    The  mother  was  born  in  England,  and  coming  to  the  United 


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84  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

States  with  her  parents,  William  and  Mary  Reeder,  they  located  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  but  the  father  only  lived  about  a  year  after  coming 
to  this  country.  His  life  occupation  was  farming.  William  Wallace  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  Jackson  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  a  millwright  as  well  as  farmer,  and 
coming  to  Hamilton  township  of  this  county  in  1840,  he  entered  land  here 
at  that  time  and  assisted  in  building  the  first  jail  in  Sullivan  and  also  the 
first  horse  mill  in  Sullivan  county.  This  mill  was  located  just  east  of  the 
town  of  Sullivan,  and  he  also  built  several  other  mills  here,  thus  assisting 
materially  in  the  early  development  of  this  community.  Nine  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace,  namely :  Harriette  and  Maria,  who 
are  deceased ;  Louisa,  who  has  never  married  and  resides  in  Curryville ; 
Sarah  M.  and  Henry,  who  have  also  passed  away;  Francis  R.,  who  is 
mentioned  later ;  and  Edwin,  Charles  and  Mary  Jane,  deceased. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Francis  R.  Wallace  entered  eighty  acres 
of  land  and  also  rented  an  additional  twenty-five  acres  and  continued 
actively  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Curry  township  until 
his  retirement  a  few  years  ago,  his  children  now  conducting  his  farm  of 
two  hundred  acres. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Wallace  was  celebrated  on  the  28th  of  April, 
1864,  when  Anna  Grant  became  his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Grant,  formerly  from  Scotland.  Peter  Grant  was  an  educated  man  and 
taught  in  Logan,  Ohio,  and  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  both  high  and  com- 
mon schools.  He  was  educated  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  he  came  to 
the  United  States  when  a  young  man,  having  spent  a  number  of  weeks 
in  crossing  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace  have  five  living 
children  and  all  are  at  home,  namely:  William  H.,  Anna  M.,  Francis 
Marion,  Caroline  and  Ada.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  the  children  are  especially  active  in  the  work  of  that  denomi- 
nation. 


Luther  Patten,  who  is  numbered  among  the  prominent  farmers  of 
Curry  township,  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township  of  Sullivan  county, 
October  28,  1866,  a  son  of  Milton  and  a  grandson  of  Miles  and  Elizabeth 
(Bundy)  Patten,  who  were  prominent  early  residents  of  Fairbanks  town- 
ship. Miles  Patten  was  a  life-long  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  he  came  from 
Ohio  to  this  section  of  Indiana  in  an  early  day  in  its  history. 

Milton  Patten,  their  son,  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  January 
15,  1843,  and  after  attaining  to  years  of  maturity  on  his  father's  farm 
and  receiving  a  common  school  education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood he,  in  the  spring  of  1866,  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  and  farmed 
it  for  three  years.  Selling  the  land  then  he  bought  forty  acres  near  by, 
but  after  ten  years  on  that  place  sold  the  land  and  bought  the  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Curry  township  which  he  yet  owns  and  lives  upon. 
He  married  Anna  Dilley,  but  she  died  in  March  of  1880,  leaving  four 
children:  Luther,  who  is  mentioned  later;  Delia  Taylor,  a  resident  of 
Curry  township;   Ora  E.,  who  married  Hud  Hill  and  lives  in  Shelburn; 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  85 

and  Annie  Drake,  of  Fairbanks  township.  The  father  was  a  second  time 
married,  wedding  Mrs.  Lucy  (Clark)  Hopewell,  a  daughter  of  Hamilton 
and  Nancy  (All)  Clark,  who  were  born  in  Kentucky.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage to  Sedley  M.  Hopewell,  Mrs.  Patten  had  two  children,  Sedley  M. 
and  Arthur,  the  latter  residing  in  Farmersburg.  Mr.  Hopewell  was  a 
native  son  of  Sullivan  county  and  one  of  its  life-long  farmers,  his  death 
occurring  here  in  May  of  1880.  Mrs.  Patten  was  born  September  16, 
1848,  and  both  she  and  her  husband  are  members  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  he  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Luther  Patten  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  February  19, 
1888,  to  his  step-sister,  Nancy  Hopewell,  who  was  born  November  5, 
1869,  to  Sedley  and  Lucy  Hopewell,  and  during  the  first  year  following 
their  marriage  the  young  couple  lived  at  home.  During  the  two  subse- 
quent years  they  farmed  on  rented  land  in  Curry  township,  and  Mr. 
Patten  then  built  on  forty  acres  which  belonged  to  his  wife,  and  that  was 
their  home  for  twelve  years.  In  1904  they  sold  their  forty-acre  tract  and 
bought  their  present  homestead  of  one  hundred  acres,  located  three  miles 
southwest  of  Farmersburg,  and  the  estate  now  contains  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  acres.  Mr.  Patten  carries  on  both  general  farming  and  stock 
raising. 

The  three  children  born  of  this  union  are:  Ira  M.,  born  May  27, 
1890,  is  attending  the  high  school  at  Farmersburg;  Ruth,  born  February 
9,  1897,  is  a  pupil  in  the  public  schools;  and  Esther,  born  March  14,  1903. 
Mr.  Patten  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  and  the  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  a  trustee. 


James  S.  Bolinger,  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  estates  in  Curry 
township,  has  been  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Sullivan 
county  throughout  his  entire  business  career,  and  is  one  of  its  most  promi- 
nent farmers  and  stock  raisers.  He  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Ken- 
tucky, July  9,  1854,  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Victoria  (Close)  Bolinger, 
and  a  grandson  of  William  H.,  Sr.,  and  Susan  Bolinger.  The  senior  Mr. 
Bolinger  was  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  first  glass  factories  of  Mays- 
ville,  Kentucky.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  born  in  Germany,  coming 
to  this  country  after  their  marriage,  and  after  disposing  of  his  glass  fac- 
tory he  became  the  owner  of  a  cigar  factory,  but  disposing  of  this  also,  he 
moved  to  a  farm  in  Mason  county  and  lived  there  until  his  death*  both 
he  and  his  wife  spending  the  later  years  of  their  lives  in  the  home  of 
their  son  William. 

William  H.  Bolinger,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  July 
24,  1821,  and  died  April  13,  1906.  He  remained  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage  and  then  began  farming  in  Mason  county,  operating  the  old 
family  homestead,  and  after  the  death  of  his  parents  he  bought  the  farm* 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  In  March  of  1865  he  moved  to  Hamil- 
ton township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  purchasing  what  was  then  known 


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86  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

as  the  William  McGrew  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  acres.  In 
1903  he  left  this  place,  and  thereafter  lived  a  retired  life  among  his  chil- 
dren until  his  death,  dying  on  the  13th  of  April,  1906,  on  the  farm  on 
which  his  son  James  now  resides.  He  was  a  member  of  both  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  Masonic  orders,  and  was  a  Republican  in  his  political  affilia- 
tions. He  helped  to  organize  the  Shelburn  Baptist  church  and  became  one 
of  its  most  active  and  helpful  members,  serving  the  congregation  in  the 
capacities  of  deacon  and  trustee  until  his  good  and  useful  life  was  ended 
in  death.  His  wife  was  also  a  member  of  that  church.  She  was  born 
in  France,  in  1825,  and  when  eight  years  of  age  came  with  her  father, 
Charles  Close,  and  his  family  to  the  United  States,  locating  in  Maysville, 
Kentucky,  where  he  became  the  keeper  of  the  toll  gate.  The  daughter, 
Mrs.  Bolinger,  died  on  the  24th  of  October,  1889,  after  becoming  the 
mother  of  eight  children:  Carrie,  who  was  born  March  20,  1845,  mar- 
ried William  O.  White,  and,  after  his  death,  Samuel  Carruthers,  and  she 
died  October  6,  1900;  John  H.,  born  May  31,  1847,  married  Elizabeth 
Siner,  and  lives  in  Curry  township ;  Charles  B.,  born  September  8,  1849, 
married,  first,  Barbara  Sparks,  and,  after  her  death,  Mary  A.  Dix,  and 
his  home  is  in  Shelburn ;  William  T.,  born  March  14,  1852,  married  Arpy 
Curry  and  lives  in  Hamilton  township;  James  S.,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Annety,  born  September  30,  1856,  married  Grace  All  and  lives 
in  Terre  Haute;  Frederick  J.,  born  January  14,  1859,  married  Anna 
Osbom  and  lives  in  Curry  township;  and  Edward  S.,  born  February  8, 
1866,  died  August  3,  1883. 

The  early  youth  of  James  S.  Bolinger  was  spent  on  the  farm  and  in 
school,  and  after  his  marriage  he  lived  on  a  rented  farm  in  Curry  town- 
ship for  one  year,  and  then,  in  1882,  moved  to  his  present  homestead, 
which  he  rented  during  the  first  four  years  and  then  purchased.  The 
homestead  contains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land, 
well  improvtd  and  cultivated,  and  he  devotes  much  of  his  attention  to 
the  raising  of  stock,  breeding  principally  the  registered  O.  I.  C.  hogs. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bolinger  occurred  on  the  3d  of  February,  1881, 
to  Mary  A.  Chesnut,  born  in  Curry  township,  October  16,  1858,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  E.  and  Lidia  A.  (Douglas)  Chesnut,  the  father  born  in 
Kentucky,  April  7,  1833,  and  the  mother  in  Curry  township,  April  28, 
1833,  and  both  are  now  living  on  a  farm  in  Wilson  county,  Kansas. 
James  E.  Chesnut  is  a  son  of  James  E.,  Sr.,  and  Nancy  (Burton)  Chesnut, 
North  Carolinians  by  birth,  and  they  were  farming  people.  The  four 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bolinger  are :  William  D.,  born  November 
30,  1 88 1,  married  Clennie  Jennings  and  lives  in  Farmersburg;  James  E., 
born  December  12,  1886,  married  Emma  Able  and  resides  on  his  father's 
farm :  Herman,  born  October  27,  1889,  is  attending  school ;  and  Hazel, 
born  May  8,  1897,  is  also  in  school.  The  Republican  party  receives  Mr. 
Bolinger's  stanch  support  and  co-operation,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  420,  at  Shelburn,  in  which 
he  has  filled  all  the  offices  and  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Encampment.  Both  Air.  and  Mrs.  Bolinger  and 
one  son  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Shelburn. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  87 

Andrew  Thomson. — The  Thomson  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Sullivan  county,  and  was  founded  here  by  the  grandparents  of  Andrew. 
Enoch  and  Lucy  (Clark)  Thomson,  in  1816,  the  former  a  native  of  the 
state  of  New  York.  On  arriving  in  Sullivan  county  they  located  in  Fair- 
banks township  and  entered  land  there.  This  was  about  the  time  of  the 
admission  of  the  state  to  the  Union,  and  Enoch  Thomson  became  promi- 
nent in  the  public  life  of  his  community,  following  farming  throughout 
his  entire  life  for  a  livelihood,  and  for  those  early  days  he  was  also  quite 
extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of  stock. 

Reuben  Thomson,  his  son,  also  became  prominently  identified  with 
the  stock  interests  of  Sullivan  county,  and  owned  about  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Fairbanks  township.  That  township  was  his  birthplace, 
on  the  5th  of  September,  1827,  and  the  scene  of  his  death,  on  the  24th  of 
December,  1907.  His  politics  were  Democratic,  and  he  was  very  promi- 
nent in  the  public  life  of  his  community,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church.  She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emily  McKin- 
ney,  and  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township  in  1827,  and  is  now  living  there 
with  a  daughter,  aged  eighty-three  years.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomson  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are  now 
living:  John,  who  married  Jane  Frakes  and  resides  in  Curry  township; 
Rachael  Trueblood,  whose  home  is  in  Fairbanks  township;  Ezra,  who 
married  Nancy  Lloyd,  and  their  home  is  in  Jackson  township;  Amanda 
Able,  residing  in  Turman  township;  Price,  of  Fairbanks  township;  and 
Andrew. 

The  last  named,  Andrew  Thomson,  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  October  14,  1865,  and  he  remained  at  home  and 
worked  on  the  farm  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  on  the  24th  of 
July,  1886,  to  Myra  Pittman,  who  was  born  on  the  9th  of  March,  1866, 
also  in  Fairbanks  township,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  Pittman, 
both  now  deceased.  The  young  couple  spent  the  first  four  years  of  their 
married  life  on  her  father's  farm,  but  in  1890  Mr.  Thomson  bought  the 
farm  where  he  now  lives,  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Farmersburg,  in 
Curry  township.  The  homestead  contains  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
of  rich  and  fertile  land,  and  in  addition  he  also  owns  property  in  Farmers- 
burg. During  the  past  two  years  he  has  lived  retired  from  an  active  busi- 
ness life,  and  in  1905  he  and  his  wife  went  to  Arizona  in  search  of  renewed 
health,  returning  in  1907,  and  he  has  been  here  ever  since,  but  on  the 
17th  of  January,  1908,  the  wife  died,  leaving  her  husband  and  three  small 
children,  namely:  Audie,  born  April  9,  1893;  Clare,  born  December  29, 
1896;  and  Velsie,  born  December  10,  1902.  She  was  buried  at  the  Drake 
cemetery  at  Fairbanks.  She  was  a  prominent  and  worthy  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  as  is  also  Mr.  Thomson,  who  is  prominent  in  the  public, 
social  and  business  life  of  his  township  and  is  a  Democrat  politically. 


Albert  M.  Lane. — Curry  township  numbers  among  its  prominent 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  Albert  M.  Lane,  who  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Indiana,  November  5,  1854,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Christena  (Lee) 


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88  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Lane,  born  respectively  in  Kentucky,  in  February,  1817,  and  in  Barringer 
county,  North  Carolina,  in  181 2.  Charles  Lane  was  a  son  of  Joel  Lane, 
who  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  moved  with  his  parents  to  Washington 
county,  Indiana,  when  twelve  years  of  age,  and  in  1865  he  came  to  Curry 
township,  and,  purchasing  eighty  acres  of  land,  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  here.  Christena  Lane  was  a  daughter  of  James  Lee,  who  was  of 
English .  birth,  and  came  from  North  Carolina  to  Washington  county, 
Indiana,  in  1815,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  there.  He  was  a 
slave  owner  in  North  Carolina,  but  sold  his  negroes  before  coming  to 
Indiana,  where  he  was  the  owner  of  estate  of  four  hundred  acres  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  Charles  Lane  was  a  farmer  throughout  his  lifetime, 
owning  an  estate  of  forty  acres  in  Curry  township  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  July  of  1892,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  March 
of  1902. 

Albert  M.  Lane  was  their  only  child,  and  he  remained  at  home  with 
his  parents  until  his  marriage,  when  he  bought  eighty  acres  in  Gill  town- 
ship. After  six  years  there  he  sold  that  land  and  bought  his  present  home- 
stead farm  of  sixty  acres,  and  he  also  owns  twenty  acres  two  miles  east 
of  Shelburn,  where  he  has  conducted  a  saw  mill  since  1902. 

Mr.  Lane  married,  November  13,  1881,  Jennie  Curtis,  who  was 
born  in  Hamilton  towrnship  of  Sullivan  county,  February  15,  1864,  a 
daughter  of  James  R.  and  Olive  J.  Curtis,  who  are  living  in  Gill  township, 
and  she  is  a  granddaughter  of  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  Curtis,  natives 
respectively  of  Maryland  and  North  Carolina,  and  of  William  and  Lucy 
Mooney,  who  are  living  in  Lafayette,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lane  have 
two  children,  Leola,  born  October  8,  1886,  and  Elma,  born  November  5, 
1892.  The  wife  and  mother  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Lane  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party. 


James  H.  Conner,  one  of  Curry  township's  farmers  and  stock  raisers, 
was  born  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  April  21,  1873, 
a  son  of  Isaac  and  Mahala  (Severns)  Conner.  Immediately  after  their 
marriage  they  came  from  Ohio  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  locating  one 
mile  northwest  of  the  town  of  Sullivan,  where  the  husband  and  father 
entered  eighty  acres  of  land  in  the  dense  woods.  After  a  time  he  traded 
that  farm  for  the  place  where  his  widow  now  resides,  owning  two  hundred 
and  seventy-eight  acres  in  that,  farm  and  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
in  another  tract,  all  in  Hamilton  township.  He  was  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous agriculturists  of  the  community,  and  his  was  one  of  the  best  stock 
farms  in  the  county.  He  was  well  known  and  honored  in  the  community 
in  which  he  so  long  made  his  home,  a  stanch  Democrat  and  an  active 
poKtical  worker,  and  he  died  at  his  home  in  Hamilton  township  June  25, 
1902,  being  laid  to  rest  in  Wall's  cemetery.  He  was  born  in  Holmes 
county,  Ohio,  in  1833,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio, 
and,  as  above  stated,  is  now  living  at  her  home  northwest  of  Sullivan. 
She  is  an  earnest  and  faithful  member  of  the  Christian  church,  as  was 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  89 

also  her  husband,  and  he  assisted  in  the  erection  of  many  of  the  houses  of 
worship  in  this  community.  They  raised  a  large  family  of  ten  children, 
as  follows :  Frank,  who  married  Martha  Barnes  and  resides  in  Sullivan ; 
Eva  and  Emma,  twins,  but  the  latter  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  while 
the  former  married  John  Wilson  and  is  living  in  Turman  township  ^ 
Samuel,  who  married  Stella  Marts  and  is  living  in  Hamilton  township; 
Flora,  the  wife  of  John  Woodward,  of  Hamilton  township ;  Stewart,  who 
is  with  his  mother;  Lou,  wife  of  Frank  Wible,  of  Sullivan;  James  H., 
who  is  mentioned  later;  Gertrude,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Parks,  of  Sulli- 
van; and  Myrtle,  who  became  the  wife  of  Ben  Mattix  and  is  living  in 
Hamilton  township. 

James  H.  Conner  remained  at  home  and  worked  with  his  father  until 
his  marriage,  and  after  that  event  he  continued  to  farm  the  old  homestead 
for  four  years,  when  he  went  to  Terre  Haute  and  for  two  years  was 
employed  on  public  works  there.  Returning  at  the  close  of  that  period  to 
his  mother's  farm,  he  lived  there  for  one  year  and  then  located  on  a  farm 
four  miles  northwest  of  Sullivan,  and  from  there  in  1907  he  came  to  his 
present  homestead  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Shelburn,  which  he 
purchased  at  that  time.  The  farm  contains  eighty-two  acres  of  excellent 
and  well  improved  land,  and  Mr.  Conner  is  engaged  in  both  grain  and 
stock  farming. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Maud  Dailey,  a 
native  of  Paxton,  Indiana,  born  January  9,  1880,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  (Arnett)  Dailey,  and  a  granddaughter  of  John  Dailey  and  E.  W. 
and  Martha  (Purcell)  Arnett.  Mrs.  Conner's  great-grandmother,  Nellie 
Purcell,  was  born  and  reared  in  Sullivan  county,  and  is  now  the  oldest 
living  representative  of  five  generations  of  her  family,  and  her  home  is 
in  Paxton.  E.  W.  Arnett  survives  his  wife  and  is  living  on  a  farm  north 
of  that  city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conner  have  two  children,  Isaac  Leland  and 
Leo  D.,  born  respectively  March  25,  1898,  and  June  26,  1901,  and  both 
are  attending  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conner  hold  to  the  religion  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Democratic  principles. 


Eli  C.  Boles,  an  agriculturist  of  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county, 
was  born  in  Hamilton  township  of  this  county  December  16,  1845,  and  is 
a  member  of  one  of  the  county's  oldest  families.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Edmond  Boles,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  soon  after  his  marriage 
he  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  became  enrolled  among  its  earliest  pio- 
neers. He  was  a  farmer  throughout  his  entire  business  career,  and  died 
on  the  land  which  he  entered  here. 

Edmond  Boles,  Jr.,  his  son  and  namesake,  was  born  in  Gill  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  about  1832,  and  was  reared  to  the  life  of 
an  agriculturist  here.  After  his  marriage  he  rented  land  for  about  a  year 
and  then  bought  a  farm  of  forty  acres  in  Turman  township,  but  selling 
that  tract  he  became  the  owner  of  another  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  same  township.     In  August  of  1862  he  enlisted  with  the 


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90  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Seventy-first  Indiana  Regiment,  Company  I,  as  a  private,  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war,  and  he  continued  as  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier  until  his 
honorable  discharge  in  June  of  1865,  in  the  meantime  having  been  cap- 
tured at  Muldraugh  Hill,  Kentucky.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated were  those  of  Atlanta  and  Nashville,  and  following  the  close  of 
his  war  period  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Sullivan  county  and  continued 
to  reside  there  until  his  death  in  1899.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican 
politically  and  an  earnest  member  of  the  Christian  church.  His  wife,  nee 
Jemima  Bundy,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  but  came  to  Indiana  with 
her  parents  when  she  was  a  child.  In  their  family  were  seven  children: 
Eli  C.,  who  is  mentioned  later ;  William  R.,  a  resident  of  Cass  township, 
Sullivan  county;  Myra  F.,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Swift,  and  they  reside 
on  the  home  farm  in  Turman  township;  Caleb,  whose  home  is  in  Texas; 
Commodore,  also  of  Turman  township ;  Lew.  W.,  who  resides  in  Sullivan; 
and  Jennie  Whitman,  also  of  Sullivan. 

Eli  C.  Boles,  remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents  until  his 
marriage,  and  then  establishing  a  home  of  his  own  he  rented  for  two 
years,  or  until  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Turman  township,  which 
was  his  home  for  twelve  years.  He  then  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  on  the  county  line,  but  after  two  years  he  traded  the  land 
for  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  where  he  now  lives,  two  and  a  half 
miles  northeast  of  Shelburn,  in  Curry  township.  He  is  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  active  in  both  the  business  and  public  life 
of  his  community. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1879,  Mr.  Boles  was  married  to  Josephine 
Brown,  a  daughter  of  Perry  and  Caroline  Brown,  who  are  now  living  in 
Turman  township.  Five  children  have  been  born  of  this  union,  namely: 
Arthur,  who  married  Minnie  Rook,  by  whom  he  has  one  child,  Aurilla 
Josephine,  and  the  family  reside  in  Harrisburg;  Edgar  and  Ernest,  at 
home;  Oscar,  who  is  attending  school;  and  Maud,  a  stenographer  in 
Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boles  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church. 


Elias  G.  Denney,  who  is  farming  one  of  the  valuable  homestead 
farms  of  Curry  township,  is  a  son  of  John  W.  S.  and  Sarah  (Gaskins) 
Denney,  and  was  born  in  Curry  township  June  14,  1853.  John  W.  S. 
Denney  was  born  December  9,  1809,  in  Kentucky,  and  in  his  early  man- 
hood he  went  from  that  state  to  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  with  his  father, 
William  Denney,  who  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that  county.  The 
son  was  there  married,  and  about  1850,  with  his  young  wife,  he  came  to 
Curry  township  and  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  two  miles  west  of 
Farmersburg,  but,  selling  that  tract,  went  to  Vigo  county,  this  state,  in 
1867,  and  bought  eighty  acres,  which  he  sold  in  1881,  and  returning  to 
Curry  township,  bought  the  old  Spencer  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  acres,  two  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Shelburn.  After  disposing 
of  that  farm  he  retired  from  an  active  business  life  and  lived  among  his 
children  until  his  death  in  January  of  1889.    He  was  a  Republican,  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  91 

both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  She  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Indiana,  April  6,  181 6,  and  died  on  the  3d 
of  March,  1896,  in  Fairbanks  township.  There  were  eleven  children  in 
their  family,  namely :  William,  who  is  residing  in  Sullivan ;  Mary  Cowen, 
deceased;  Margaret  Mitchell,  of  Middletown;  Elizabeth  Pogue,  also  of 
Middletown ;  John,  whose  home  is  in  Farmersburg;  America  B.  Mitchell, 
deceased ;  Rose  Dilley,  of  Fairbanks ;  Elias  G.,  who  is  mentioned  later ; 
Emeline  Watson,  deceased;  Samuel,  of  Chicago,  Illinois;  and  E.  Clay, 
a  resident  of  Springfield,  Illinois. 

Passing  from  the  common  schools  to  the  seminary  at  Farmersburg, 
Elias  G.  Denney  received  a  good  educational  training  and  for  five  years 
was  a  school  teacher.  After  his  marriage  he  bought  eighty-five  acres  of 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Shelburn, 
and  later  added  thirty-five  acres  to  his  original  purchase,  thus  increasing 
the  boundaries  of  his  farm  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  one  of  the 
best  improved  estates  in  the  township,  and  he  is  engaged  in  both  grain 
and  stock  farming. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1878,  Mr.  Denney  was  married  to  Mary 
Dilley,  who  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township  of  Sullivan  county  October 
31,  1856,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  R.  and  Adeline  (Henry)  Dilley,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Kentucky,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  The  father 
was  a  life-long  farmer,  and  during  the  Civil  war  he  served  for  three  years 
in  Company  Iy  Seventy-first  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
serving  under  Grant.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Denney,  namely :  Grace,  who  was  born  in  Curry  township,  May  26,  1879, 
married  William  Bennett;  James  G.,  born  March  21,  1881,  is  the  cashier 
at  the  interurban  station  in  Terre  Haute ;  Baxter,  born  August  29,  1883, 
is  teaching  school;  Wade,  born  March  4,  1889,  is  at  home;  Gertrude, 
born  January  15,  1894,  is  attending  school;  and  one,  the  fourth  born, 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Denney  votes  with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  an 
earnest  and  faithful  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  is  also  his  wife, 
and  he  has  preached  the  gospel  during  the  past  twenty  years.  His  path 
has  been  ever  upward  through  life,  and  he  is  numbered  among  the  truest 
and  best  citizens  of  Curry  township. 


Cora  A.  Case  is  a  native  daughter  of  Sullivan  county,  born  on  the 
14th  of  October,  1868,  and  she  is  a  member  of  one  of  its  best  known  and 
most  honored  families.  She  is  a  daughter  of  William  F.  and  Jane  C. 
(Boone)  Case  and  a  granddaughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Case,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Kentucky.  Coming  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  they 
located  in  Curry  township  about  the  year  1820,  and  entered  land  from 
the  government,  becoming  in  time  prominent  farming  people  of  the  county. 
There  were  ten  children  in  their  family  who  grew  to  years  of  maturity, 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  Hiram,  Daniel,  John,  George, 
Fannie  A.,  James,  Sarah,  Alfred,  Cynthia  J.  and  William,  all  now 
deceased.     The  father  and  all  of  his  sons  with  the  exception  of  John 


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92  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

served  in  the  Civil  war,  and  James,  Sr.,  George  and  Hiram  were  members 
of  the  Eighty-fifth  Regiment. 

William  Case  served  with  the  Thirty-first  Regiment  of  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  wounded  once  during  his  army  career.  After  the  war 
he  came  to  Sullivan  and  worked  at  the  saddlery  trade  until  about  1870, 
when  he  bought  a  farm  of  seventy-seven  acres  in  Jackson  township,  and 
lived  there  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Terre  Haute  in  1900,  which 
was  his  home  until  his  death  in  1902,  on  the  20th  of  June.  He  was  born 
on  the  19th  of  December,  1834,  in  Hamilton  township,  and  his  life  of  use- 
fulness and  honor  covered  many  years  in  Sullivan  county.  Mrs.  Case 
was  born  in  Gill  township  on  the  26th  of  July,  1835,  and  their  union  was 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  the  following  children :  '  Henry,  who  was  born 
May  17,  1858,  and  is  living  in  Wellington,  Kansas;  Lana  B.,  born 
December  3,  1859,  resides  in  Jackson  township;  Mary,  born  November 
8,  1861,  died  December  4,  1864;  William  M.,  born  October  28,  1864, 
resides  in  Jackson  township;  Sarah  J.,  born  October  26,  1866,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Terre  Haute ;  Cora  A.,  who  is  mentioned  below ;  Mary  M.,  born 
July  30,  1871,  died  September  17,  1872;  Daniel,  born  February  3,  1873, 
resides  in  Terre  Haute;  and  Fred,  born  November  1,  1875,  is  a  resident 
of  Vigo  county,  Indiana. 

Cora  A.  Case  passed  from  the  district  schools  and  those  of  Sullivan 
to  the  state  normal  at  Terre  Haute,  and  after  completing  her  studies  there 
she  taught  for  fifteen  years.  In  1892  she  bought  forty  acres  'of  land  in 
this  county,  to  which  she  later  added  a  tract  of  thirty-seven  acres,  but  in 
1903  she  sold  that  farm  and  bought  the  place  where  she  now  resides,  three 
miles  west  of  Shelburn  in  Curry  township.  Her  farm  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  and  she  oversees  the  work 
of  the  entire  tract  and  raises  a  great  deal  of  stock.  She  is  a  lady  whom 
to  know  is  to  honor  and  respect. 


James  H.  Stuck,  a  prominent  farmer  in  Curry  township,  was  born 
in  this  township  May  23,  1858,  and  on  the  paternal  side  is  a  descendant 
of  an  old  southern  family  from  Kentucky  and  a  grandson  of  William  and 
Polly  (Smock)  Stuck.  The  grandfather  came  from  his  native  state  of 
Kentucky  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  during  an  early  epoch  in  its 
history,  and  he  was  a  millwright  and  farmer. 

Henry  Stuck,  a  son  of  William  and  Polly  Stuck,  was  born  after  the 
removal  of  his  parents  to  Sullivan  county,  and  when  the  Civil  war  was 
inaugurated  he  became  a  member  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  but  his  death  occurred  shortly  after  his  enlistment.  In  his 
early  manhood  he  had  married  Sarah  E.  Vest,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Polly  (Johns)  Vest.  John  Vest,  who  followed  both  carpentering  and 
house  moving,  lived  for  a  time  in  Boone  county,  Indiana,  from  wrhence 
he  later  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  finally  became  a  resident  of  Terre 
Haute.    From  there  he  went  to  Kansas,  to  the  home  of  one  of  his  daugh- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  93 

ters,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years.  Mrs.  Stuck  still 
survives  her  husband  and  is  living  in  Terre  Haute. 

James  H.  Stuck,  the  only  one  living  of  the  four  children  born  to 
Henry  and  Sarah  Stuck,  supplemented  his  common  school  training  by  a 
course  in  the  seminary  at  Farmersburg,  and  when  the  time  came  to  select 
a  life's  occupation  he  chose  that  of  farming.  After  his  marriage  he  pur- 
chased and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Jackson  township  of  sixty  acres,  but  in 
1894  he  sold  that  tract  and  bought  forty-eight  acres  jn  Curry  township. 
There  he  lived  and  farmed  until  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  StucVs  mother, 
and  from  that  time  until  1905  he  lived  on  the  Hill  farm.  In  that  year  he 
purchased  fifteen  acres  of  his  present  homestead,  but  he  has  since  added 
to  this  little  farm  from  time  to  time  until  he  now  owns  eighty-three  acres, 
located  one  mile  west  of  Shelbum. 

He  married,  July  22,  1880,  Mallie  Hill,  who  was  born  in  Curry  town- 
ship November  27,  i860,  a  daughter  of  Paschal  and  Lettie  Hill.  They 
have  two  children,  Effie  E.  and  Zula  M.,  born  respectively  June  10,  1887, 
and  April  10,  1897.  The  younger  daughter  is  now  attending  the  public 
schools.  Mr.  Stuck  is  a  stanch  Republican  politically,  and  fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Shelburn  Lodge, 
No.  420,  and  the  Encampment,  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
Camp  No.  3744,  at  Farmersburg.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Perley  M.  Hayworth,  a  farmer  and  stockraiser  in  Curry  township, 
Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  born  October  22% 
1863,  a  son  of  Albert  and  Julia  (Rowe)  Hayworth,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Vigo  county.  Albert  was  the  son  of  Sanford  and  Elizabeth 
(Smith)  Hayworth,  and  they  were  natives  of  South  Carolina.  Sanford 
Hayworth  was  a  Methodist  minister  and  also  followed  farm  life.  He 
came  to  Vigo  county  immediately  after  his  marriage,  in  about  1838,  enter- 
ing a  tract  of  government  land,  and  started  to  till  the  soil.  Later  he 
entered  the  ministry.  Albert  was  the  only  son  who  remained  at  home 
with  his  father  until  his  marriage,  after  which  event  he  went  onto  one 
of  his  father's  farms  in  Vigo  county  and  lived  there  until  his  death,  in 
August,  1887.  He  was  a  very  extensive  stock  raiser  and  highly  successful 
as  a  farmer,  owning  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  choice  land,  all  within 
Vigo  county.  Perley  M.  is  one  of  the  two  children  born  to  his  parents, 
who  are  now  living.  His  sister,  Mary  L.,  was  born  August  28,  1873, 
and  now  resides  in  Terre  Haute,  the  wife  of  W.  J.  Smith. 

Perley  M.  Hayworth  obtained  a  common  school  education  by  attend- 
ing school  winters  and  farming  summers.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
December  4,  1884,  to  Media  Hess,  born  October  16,  1861,  in  Vigo  county, 
the  daughter  of  Washington  and  Malinda  (Killian)  Hess,  now  deceased. 
Mr.  Hayworth  stayed  at  his  father's  home  after  his  marriage  until  the 
death  of  his  father.  He  then  purchased  thirty-five  acres  near  his  father's, 
and  there  began  housekeeping  in  a  log  house,  in  which  he  lived  until  1899, 
then  moved  to  Terre  Haute  and  resided  there  until  1900.     At  the  last 


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94  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

named  time  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Curry 
township,  Sullivan  county.  Here  he  erected  in  1905  a  fine  modern  farm- 
house, with  all  needful  outbuildings,  making  the  entire  premises  one  of 
the  most  up-to-date  within  the  township.  Besides  his  general  farming 
he  raises  and  sells  much  stock,  especially  hogs.  In  addition  to  the  revenue 
derived  from  his  farm,  Mr.  Hayworth  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens' 
State  Bank  at  Farmersburg. 

In  stature  Mr.  Hayworth  is  the  largest  man  within  Sullivan  county, 
his  weight  being  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds,  while  his  height  is 
six  feet  and  two  inches,  yet  he  is  an  active,  energetic  man,  possessed  of 
a  robust  constitution.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
elected  trustee  of  Curry  township  in  1904,  being  the  first  man  in  this 
political  party  to  be  elected  to  office  within  the  township  on  a  strict  party 
vote.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  belonging 
at  Farmersburg,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Elks  and  Eagles  at  Sullivan. 
Of  the  strict  secret  societies  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Knights 
of  Pythias  orders.  In  church  relations  he  is  in  sympathy  with,  though 
not  a  member  of,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  his  wife  is 
a  member  in  full  connection. 

Mr.  Hayworth  was  married,  as  above  referred  to,  in  1884,  and  their 
children  are:  Dudley  B.,  born  February  8,  1891 ;  Albert  W.,  born  July  8, 
1892;  Audrey  G.,  born  February  26,  1899,  all  born  in  Vigo  county, 
Indiana,  and  all  at  home  at  this  time. 


Sampson  Walters. — Prominent  among  the  thriving  and  progressive 
agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  Sampson  Walters,  who  displays  much 
judgment  and  skill  in  his  calling,  his  farm  being  one  of  the  most  valuable 
and  attractive  of  any  in  Haddon  township,  everything  about  the  premises 
indicating  the  care  and  supervision  of  an  excellent  manager,  and  a 
thorough-going  farmer.  A  son  of  Sampson  Walter,  Sr.,  he  was  born 
February  21,  1862,  in  Cass  township.  His  grandfather,  Frank  Walters, 
came  from  his  Kentucky  home  to  Indiana  in  1837,  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  in  Sullivan  county. 

A  native  of  Kentucky,  Sampson  Walters,  Sr.,  was  born  January  22, 
1827,  near  Lexington,  where  he  lived  until  ten  years  old.  Coming  with 
his  parents  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  he  assisted  his  father  in  clearing 
and  improving  a  homestead  from  the  forest.  Becoming  then  a  farmer 
from  choice,  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death,  in 
Cass  township,  March  28,  1890.  He  married  Elizabeth  Simpson,  who 
was  born  January  20,  1825,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  of  English 
ancestry.  She  survived  him,  and  is  now  residing  in  Greene  county.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  to  which  her  husband  also  belonged. 
Six  children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely:  Courtney,  deceased; 
John,  a  resident  of  Sullivan  county ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  Decard,  of 
Greene  county;  Francis  E.,  deceased;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Louis  Saucer- 
man,  of  Sullivan  county ;  and  Sampson,  of  this  sketch.    * 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  95 

Growing  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  Sampson  Walters  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  until  twenty-two  years  of  age 
assisted  his  father,  under  whose  instruction  he  became  well  drilled  in 
the  various  branches  of  agriculture.  Beginning  the  battle  of  life,  then, 
on  his  own  account,  Mr.  Walters  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
lives,  in  Haddon  township,  and  in  its  management  has  had  excellent 
success,  having  now  in  his  possession  five  hundred  acres  of  choice  land, 
admirably  adapted  to  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  deals  quite 
extensively  in  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  hogs,  cattle  and  sheep,  an 
industry  which  he  finds  profitable.  He  has  in  his  possession  one  of  the 
oldest  deeds  in  Sullivan  county.  It  is  dated  June  6,  1827,  and  was 
executed  by  President  John  Quincy  Adams.  Mr.  Walters  is  a  man  of 
good  business  capacity,  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  rural  community, 
and  is  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the  Carlisle  Telephone  Company,  which 
he  helped  to  organize.    Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Walters  married  April  14,  1886,  Permelia  A.  Land,  who  was 
born  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  February  22,  1864,  a  daughter 
of  James  R.  and  Sarah  A.  (McKinley)  Land,  neither  of  whom  are  now 
living.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walters,  namely : 
Edward  E.,  born  February  3,  1887,  was  graduated  from  the  Carlisle 
high  school  in  1906,  and  is  now  attending  the  Indiana  University  at 
Bloomington;  Jesse  N.,  born  May  17,  1888,  is  a  student  in  the  Carlisle 
high  school,  being  a  member  of  the  class  of  1909;  and  Maude,  born  June 
6,  1892,  attends  the  Carlisle  high  school,  belonging  to  the  class  of  191 1 ; 
she  has  received  both  a  vocal  and  instrumental  musical  education.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walters  are  highly  respected  throughout  the  community  in 
which  they  reside,  and  are  worthy  and  valued  members  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  of  Paxton,  Indiana. 


U.  Ellery  Hayden. — Sullivan  county  was  the  birthplace  of  U.  Ellery 
Hayden,  on  the  1st  of  May,  1863,  in  Turman  township,  and  it  has  been 
the  scene  of  his  subsequent  business  career.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  J. 
and  Sarah  (Gray)  Hayden,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  where  the  east  portion  of  Sullivan  has 
since  been  built.  Daniel  J.  Hayden  came  to  Indiana  before  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  Civil  war,  and  he  worked  at  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Sullivan 
and  finally,  about  185 1,  he  began  farming  in  connection  with  his  trade, 
continuing  both  occupations  there  until  about  1862,  when  he  moved  to 
Turman  township  and  continued  his  residence  there  until  his  death  in 
about  1892.  The  wife  and  mother  is  still  living  and  resides  with  her  son 
William,  north  of  Sullivan,  having  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
In  the  Hayden  family  were  seven  children,  namely :  Mary  E.,  deceased ; 
John  J.,  who  resides  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Turman  township;  William 
T.,  who  has  never  married,  and  lives  with  his  mother  at  the  old  home- 
stead; U.  Ellery,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Julia  E.  Patton,  whose 
home  is  in  Turman  township ;  Ural,  near  the  old  home  farm  in  Turman 
township ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
Vol.  11— 7 


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96  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

U.  Ellery  Hayden  continued  to  reside  with  his  parents  until  he  had 
attained  his  twenty-ninth  yean,  and  he  then  married  and  started  in  life 
for  himself  by  renting  a  farm,  but  after  one  year  as  a  renter  in  Turman 
township  he  bought  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  in  Curry  township. 
Although  he  carries  on  general  farming  pursuits,  he  makes  a  specialty 
of  the  raising  of  Chester  White  hogs  and  has  been  very  successful  in  this 
line  of  business.  His  land  is  divided,  his  homestead  consisting  of  seventy- 
five  acres  in  Curry  township,  and  he  also  owns  seventy-seven  acres  in 
Turman  township,  forty  acres  in  Hamilton  township,  and  forty  acres  in 
Jackson  township,  but  he  farms  all  his  land  himself,  and  is  a  prominent 
and  progressive  agriculturist. 

On  the  ist  of  March,  1891,  Mr.  Hayden  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lillian  B.  Dodd,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  July  28,  1868,  and  her  father 
became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Sullivan  county.  The  children  born 
of  this  union  are  Forest  A.  and  Fannie  O.,  the  elder  born  December  22, 
1892,  and  is  at  home,  but  the  younger,  born  April  17,  1895,  died  April  7, 
1896.  The  wife  and  mother  is  also  deceased,  dying  September  7,  1896, 
and  on  the  29th  of  December,  1897,  Mr.  Hayden  wedded  Josie  Shepherd, 
who  was  born  in  Jackson  township,  and  her  people  were  of  Irish  descent 
and  among  the  oldest  residents  of  that  township.  Her  mother  still  lives 
on  the  old  homestead  near  Hymera,  but  the  father  is  deceased.  The 
second  union  has  been  without  issue.  Mr.  Hayden  is  a  member  of  the 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  584,  at  Graysville,  and  he  has  served 
in  all  the  offices  of  that  lodge  and  has  twice  served  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Grand  Lodge.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  famous  convention  at  Chicago 
which  secured  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  of  prize  money.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  is  a  stanch  and  active  Prohibitionist. 


William  A.  Nelson. — The  name  of  William  A.  Nelson  has  been 
long  and  prominently  associated  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Sullivan 
county.  He  was  born  in  Honey  Creek  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
April  7,  1833,  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Emilia  (Cruse)  Nelson,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Kentucky.  Coming  to  Vigo  county  in  1823,  they  lived  there 
until  their  removal  to  Curry  township  in  Sullivan  county  in  1838,  enroll- 
ing their  names  among  the  county's  earliest  pioneers.  Mr.  Nelson  became 
prominently  known  as  a  farmer  and  hunter,  farming  the  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  which  he  entered  from  the  government  and 
the  subsequent  additions  of  eighty  and  forty  acres  each,  thus  making  him 
the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Six  children  were  born  to 
John  J.  and  Emilia  Nelson,  as  follows:  Mary  A.,  James  and  Susan, 
deceased ;  William  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review ;  Eliza  J.,  deceased ;  and 
Margaret  E.  Williams,  whose  home  is  in  Kansas. 

After  his  marriage  William  A.  Nelson  was  given  forty  acres  of  land 
by  his  father,  and  he  farmed  that  little  tract  for  two  years,  in  that  time 
also  conducting  a  huckster  wagon.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  laid  aside  his 
business  duties  to  become  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  on  the  10th 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  97 

of  October,  in  Company  C,  First  Indiana  Heavy  Artillery,  and  he  was 
discharged  on  the  10th  of  October,  1865,  after  participating  in  the  one 
battle  of  Fort  Spanish.  Returning  after  the  close  of  the  conflict  to  his 
little  farm  in  Sullivan  county,  he  again  began  running  his  huckster  wagon 
and  finally  purchased  a  threshing  machine  and  continued  its  operation 
until  his  retirement  in  1891.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  forty-seven 
acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  1856,  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  to  Armilda 
A.  Shoemaker,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  now  resides, 
November  27,  1842,  and  to  their  union  has  been  born  five  children: 
John  T.,  deceased;  Hattie  Frakes,  of  Shelburn;  William  A.,  Jr.,  who 
married  Alice  Harris  and  resides  in  Curry  township;  Lucetta  Frakes,  of 
Fairbanks  township;  and  Ozro,  at  home  with  his  parents.  Mr.  Nelson 
is  a  member  of  Gaskin  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Farmersburg,  and  in  compensa- 
tion for  his  army  services  he  now  receives  a  pension  from  the  government 
of  twenty  dollars  a  month.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his  political 
affiliations,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Earl  Patten,  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  prominent  of  the 
younger  residents  of  Shelburn,  was  born  in  the  city  where  he  now  resides, 
April  11,  1870,  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Jane  (Pugh)  Patten.  The  father  was 
born  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  1829,  and  is  now  living 
near  Graysville,  in  this  state,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  Fairbanks 
township  in  1833  and  died  in  Shelburn  on  the  31st  of  August,  1884.  She 
now  lies  buried  in  the  Littleflock  cemetery.  Her  parents,  John  and 
Mahala  (Harris)  Pugh,  came  to  this  county  from  Kentucky  and  located 
on  the  farm  which  they  entered  from  the  government  in  Fairbanks  town- 
ship. The  father  was  a  flatboatman  as  well  as  farmer,  sailing  down  the 
Wabash,  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  New  Orleans,  his  death  occurring 
at  Evansville,  Indiana,  on  one  of  his  return  trips,  and  he  was  buried  there. 
Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  Isaac  and  Jane  (Pugh)  Patten,  five  are 
now  living:  Isaac,  Jr.,  whose  home  is  in  Shelburn;  John  W.  and  Ira, 
who  are  also  residing  in  Shelburn ;  William  G.,  of  Missouri ;  and  Earl. 

Earl  Patten  started  out  to  battle  for  himself  when  but  eleven  years  of 
age,  working  for  a  brother  in  the  grocery  business,  and  for  two  years 
following  this  was  in  the  employ  of  Robert  Linn,  a  general  merchant. 
Returning  then  to  the  store  of  his  brother  John,  he  worked  for  him  until 
his  enlistment  in  the  United  States  army  as  a  musician  of  the  Fifteenth 
Infantry,  in  1892.  He  served  two  years  and  was  honorably  discharged  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1894,  and  during  his  service  in  the  army  he  was  qualified 
as  a  sharpshooter,  in  1893.  After  the  close  of  his  military  career  he  again 
entered  the  employ  of  his  brother  John  and  continued  with  him  until  he 
embarked  in  the  clothing  business  with  Harry  Banister  in  1904,  the  firm 
of  Patten  &  Banister  continuing  for  a  year,  when  Mr.  Patten  sold  his 
interest  to  his  partner,  and  during  the  following  years  was  in  the  grocery 
and  meat  market  business.     On  the  25th  of  July,  1905,  he  entered  the 


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98  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

employ  of  the  Kettle  Creek  Mining  Company  in  the  capacity  of  a  book- 
keeper, and  served  in  that  capacity  until  October,  1908,  when  he  was 
promoted  to  superintendent  of  the  mines.  Mr.  Patten  was  obliged  to 
leave  school  when  a  little  lad  of  eleven  years,  but  despite  this  disadvan- 
tage he  continued  his  studies  and  never  missed  a  day  of  school  while  in 
the  army.  He  has  thus  been  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  from  early 
youth,  and  is  rapidly  winning  for  himself  a  name  and  place  in  the  front 
ranks  of  the  business  men  of  Sullivan  county.  His  politics  are  Demo- 
cratic, a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles,  and  as  the  representative  of 
this  party  he  was  made  the  clerk  and  treasurer  of  Shelburn,  taking  charge 
of  those  offices  on  the  1st  of  January,  1900,  and  his  term  of  office  will 
continue  until  the  1st  of  January,  1910. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1900,  Mr.  Patten  was  married  to  Mayme 
Banister,  born  January  22,  1877,  to  George  and  Mary  (Dix)  Banister, 
and  the  one  child  of  this  union  is  Georgia  Carmen,  born  on  the  13th  of 
October,  1901.  Mr.  Patten  has  fraternal  relations  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Prairie  Lodge,  No.  420,  at  Shelburn,  and  he  is 
identified  with  all  its  branches  and  twice  served  as  a  delegate  to  the 
Grand  Lodge.  Mrs.  Patten  also  served  as  a  delegate  to  its  auxiliary, 
the  Rebekahs,  in  1901.  Mr.  Patten  is  a  member  of  the  Utah  Tribe  of 
Red  Men  at  Sherman.  Religiously,  they  are  attendants  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  Mrs.  Patten  is  a  member  of  that  denomination. 


Charles  E.  Brewer  has  been  for  many  years  prominent  in  the  pub- 
lic and  business  life  of  Sullivan  county,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading 
undertakers  of  Shelburn,  as  well  as  the  coroner  of  the  county,  having 
been  elected  to  that  office  over  a  year  ago.  He  entered  upon  his  success- 
ful business  career  when  a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  as  an  apprentice  in  a 
carriage  and  wagon  shop,  working  in  the  shop  nights  and  mornings  and 
during  vacations,  while  during  the  remainder  of  the  time  he  was  in 
school.  He  continued  thus  engaged  until  he  was  twenty-two,  when  he 
went  to  Monument,  Colorado,  and  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  under- 
taking business  with  his  brother-in-law.  During  his  residence  there  he 
learned  the  undertaking  business  in  all  its  departments,  and  returning 
home  after  an  absence  of  six  years  he  went  to  Indianapolis  and  opened 
and  conducted  a  carriage  shop  of  his  own  for  four  years.  Returning 
thence  to  Hymera  in  this  county,  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  carriage  and 
repair  shop  here  for  eight  years,  and  at  the  close  of  that  period,  in  1902, 
he  came  to  Shelburn  and  opened  a  furniture  and  undertaking  business, 
but  at  the  present  time  gives  attention  exclusively  to  the  latter  department. 

Mr.  Brewer  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Indiana,  May  18,  1861,  a 
son  of  John  C.  and  Anna  (Cummingoer)  Brewer,  and  a  grandson  of 
Abram  Brewer,  who  was  born  in  1790  and  died  on  the  12th  of  March, 
1873.  On  coming  to  Indiana  he  entered  land  in  Johnson  county,  and 
became  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  on  the  Madison  and  Indianapolis  road, 
spending  the  remainder  of  his  life  there.     His  son,  John  C,  born. in 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  99 

Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  January  8,  1820,  opened  a  hotel  in  Greenwood 
in  1869,  and  continued  the  hotel  in  connection  with  his  farm  until  his 
death,  January  23,  1874,  passing  away  in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mrs.  Brewer  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  March  29, 
1825,  and  she  died  in  1896.  In  their  family  were  eight  children,  namely: 
Arena,  deceased,  born  March  26,  1846;  Lizzie,  born  August  29,  1849, 
resides  in  Colorado;  Laura  J.,  deceased,  was  born  February  3,  185 1 ; 
Marcella,  born  January  17,  1854,  resides  in  Greenwood,  Indiana;  Eldora, 
born  January  11,  1856,  is  deceased;  Laura  M.,  born  December  29,  1857, 
resides  in  Indianapolis;  Charles  E.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  and 
Edward,  born  July  3,  1864,  resides  near  Greenwood. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1882,  Mr.  Brewer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lillian  Miller,  who  was  born  December  18,  1864,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
Abram  Miller,  of  Whiteland,  Indiana.  She  died  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1891,  at  Hymera,  leaving  four  children,  as  follows:  Ruby  P.,  the  wife 
of  W.  B.  Bonham,  of  Hymera;  Freeda,  born  in  October,  1885,  is  now 
traveling  for  the  J.  C.  Curtis  &  Company  undertaking  supply  house; 
John  C,  born  June  9,  1887,  is  at  home  and  is  working  for  his  father; 
and  Anna  May,  born  December  22,  1895,  is  a  student  in  the  St.  Joseph 
Academy  at  Terre  Haute.  On  the  17th  of  April,  1904,  Mr.  Brewer 
wedded  Luna  L.  Conover,  who  was  born  in  February  of  1858.  Mr. 
Brewer  is  an  active  political  worker,  voting  with  the  Democracy,  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  603,  at  Hymera ; 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Lodge  No.  911,  at  Sulli- 
van ;  and  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  in  Terre  Haute.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  he  is  serving 
as  one  of  the  directors  of  his  church. 


William  A.  Fordyce,  the  present  postmaster  of  Shelburn,  has  been 
identified  with  the  interests  of  Sullivan  county  throughout  his  entire  life, 
for  he  was  born  within  its  borders,  in  Fairbanks  township,  and  here  he 
has  since  lived  and  labored.  After  completing  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  in  those  of  Shelburn,  he  began  the  study  of  telegraphy 
in  this  city  and  continued  in  that  occupation  until  1892.  During  the  fol- 
lowing four  years  he  was  at  home  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  at  the 
close  of  that  period  he  was  appointed  the  postmaster  of  Shelburn,  and 
has  ever  since  continued  in  that  official  capacity.  He  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican politically. 

Mr.  Fordyce  is  a  representative  of  a  family  who  have  long  resided 
in  Sullivan  county,  and  it  was  founded  here  by  his  paternal  grandparents, 
Lewis  and  Elizabeth  (Case)  Fordyce.  Lewis  Fordyce  was  a  farmer, 
and  after  coming  to  Sullivan  county  he  was  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  became  prominent  in  the  public  life  of  his  community.  His  political 
affiliations  were  with  the  Democracy.  Lewis  Fordyce  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Indiana,  May  17,  1816,  was  married  in  that  county,  to 
Elizabeth  Case,  May  20,  1838,  and  after  living  for  some  years  in  Orange 


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ioo  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county,  where  he  held  minor  offices,  he  moved  to  Fairbanks,  this  county, 
and  in  1869  took  up  his  residence  at  the  county  seat.  He  died  February 
28,  1874,  after  a  long  illness. 

Among  the  children  of  Lewis  and  Elizabeth  Fordyce  was  William 
A.,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  but  came  to  Fair- 
banks township  in  Sullivan  county  about  i860  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  here,  dying  'in  1865,  when  his  son  and  namesake  was  but  a  year 
old.  He  was  a  farmer  and  cabinetmaker,  and  was  working  at  his  trade 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  early  manhood  he  had  married  Francis 
J.  Griffin,  who  was  born  about  1844,  in  Honey  Creek  township,  Vigo 
county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Amelia  (Hanna)  Griffin. 
William  H.  Griffin  owned  and  operated  a  tanyard  near  the  old  B\idd 
place  in  Honey  Creek  township  for  many  years,  but  later  on  moved  to 
Fairbanks  township  in  Sullivan  county,  and  opened  and  conducted  a 
harness  shop.  In  1866  he  was  elected  the  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county 
and  moved  to  the  city  of  Sullivan,  continuing  in  that  office  for  two 
terms,  but  he  maintained  his  residence  in  Sullivan  until  his  life's  labors 
were  ended  in  death.  During  a  number  of  years  previous  to  his  death  he 
was  engaged  in  the  poultry  and  produce  business  in  Princeton,  Indiana. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Fordyce  his  widow  married  Dr.  James  A. 
Harper,  and  her  death  occurred  on  the  1st  of  September,  1900.  Dr. 
Harper  is  now  living  in  Shelburn,  and  his  home  is  also  the  home  of 
William  A.  Fordyce,  who  is  the  younger  of  his  mother's  two  children  by 
her  first  marriage,  but  his  brother  Elmer  died  when  seven  years  of  age. 
Three  children  were  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harper,  namely:  Gertrude 
Froment  and  Georgia  Bardsley,  both  living  in  Shelburn,  and  Grace,  who 
is  at  home  with  her  father. 

Mr.  Fordyce  has  membership  relations  with  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics,  Council  No.  69,  in  the  lodge  at  Shelburn, 
the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Lodge  No.  911,  of  Sulli- 
van, Indiana;  with  Eutaw  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  No.  213,  at  Shelburn,  and 
also  the  Junior  Order  at  Sullivan.  He  holds  to  the  belief  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  He  holds  high  rank  in  the  political  and  business  circles  of 
Sullivan  county,  and  is  one  of  the  property  owners  of  Shelburn,  where 
he  owns  about  six  and  a  half  acres  in  lots. 


Richard  B.  Douglas,  M.  D.,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families 
to  establish  their  home  in  Sullivan  county,  and  from  the  early  days  until 
the  present  the  name  of  Douglas  has  been  inseparably  associated  with  its 
history.  His  father,  Samuel  Douglas,  was  born  in  Curry  township,  and 
the  scene  of  his  birth  has  been  the  field  of  his  subsequent  operations  and 
his  present  residence,  three  miles  west  of  Shelburn.  Samuel  is  a  son  of 
Benson  and  Eliza  (Dawson)  Douglas,  natives  respectively  of  Curry 
township  and  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana.  Benson  was  a  son  of  Samuel, 
who  was  also  a  native  son  of  Curry  township,  and  he  served  through  the 
Civil  war  as  a  private.  The  earlier  generations  of  the  family  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  for  a  livelihood. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  101 

Samuel  Douglas,  Jr.,  is  now  living  retired  from  an  active  business 
life,  owning  a  fine  estate  of  one  hundred  acres.  His  wife,  Nancy  M. 
(Smith)  Douglas,  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  and  died  in  May  of  1905, 
after  becoming  the  mother  of  two  children,  both  of  whom  have  embraced 
a  professional  life,  and  the  younger,  Perry,  is  practicing  law  in  Terre 
Haute.  He  married  Sarah  Wolf.  Samuel  Douglas,  the  father,  is  a  stanch 
Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
lodge  at  Shelburn,  No.  369,  and  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Richard  B.  Douglas  was  born  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  February  17,  1876,  and  after  receiving  a  common  school  educa- 
tion taught  school  for  five  years.  In  1898  he  became  a  student  in  the 
Eclectic  Medical  College,  where  he  studied  for  three  years,  and  during 
one  year  was  a  student  in  the  Central  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
at  Indianapolis.  Returning  to  Shelburn  after  the  completion  of  his 
medical  training,  he  opened  an  office  here  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged 
in  practice,  enjoying  a  large  and  representative  clientele.  His  politics 
are  Democratic,  and  he  was  nominated  and  elected  by  the  party  for  the 
office  of  trustee,  while  from  1900  for  four  years  he  served  as  the  assessor 
of  Curry  township.  He  is  the  medical  examiner  for  the  Modern  Amer- 
ican Lodge,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Indiana  Eclectic  Medical  Association, 
the  Sullivan  and  Vigo  Counties  Medical  Association,  and  is  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Illinois  Eclectic  Medical  Association.  His  fraternal  rela- 
tions are  with  the  Masonic  order,  Lodge  No.  369,  at  Shelburn;  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  420,  also  of  this  city,  and 
with  the  Eagles,  at  Sullivan.  His  religious  views  are  in  harmony  with 
the  teachings  of  the  Christian  church. 

Dr.  Douglas  is  married  and  has  two  children:  Harry,  born  April 
25,  1899,  now  attending  school,  and  Blanche,  born  June  22,  1903. 


Philip  T.  Lloyd,  the  proprietor  of  the  Shelburn  Lumber  Company, 
was  born  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  December  12, 
1854,  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Elizabeth  (Chowning)  Lloyd.  John  G. 
Lloyd  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1832,  and  was  a  farmer  throughout  his 
entire  business  career,  but  is  now  living  retired.  He  was  but  three  years 
of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  Philip  and  Anna  Lloyd,  from 
Kentucky  to  Indiana,  and  since  *then  he  has  been  living  principally  on  a 
farm  in  Curry  township.  He  served  twelve  months  in  the  Civil  war 
with  the  Twenty-first  Indiana  Heavy  Artillery,  and  participated  in  the 
memorable  siege  of  Mobile  for  ten  days  and  nights,  and  in  compensation 
for  his  services  in  the  war  he  now  draws  a  pension  of  eighteen  dollars  a 
month.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth  Chowning,  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  and  she  died  in  February,  1893,  in  Curry  township. 

Philip  T.  Lloyd,  their  son,  started  out  on  his  business  career  as  a 
farm  hand,  thus  continuing  until  his  marriage  on  the  3d  of  February, 
188 1,  to  Alice  Shields,  who  was  born  in  Hamilton  township  of  Sullivan 
county,  May  6,  1859,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  A.  Shields.     She 


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102  HISTORY  OF  SULLIYAX  COUNTY 

died  on  the  3d  of  May,  1892,  leaving  her  husband  and  three  children: 
Clevy  H.,  born  July  28,  1882,  who  resides  in  Shelburn  with  his  father; 
Anna  O.,  born  October  12,  1883^  married  Harry  E.  Allen,  who  is  in  the 
employ  of  his  father-in-law  and  lives  in  Shelburn,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Mary  Lucile,  born  December  5,  1907;  and  Albert  G.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1885,  is  attending  school  at  a  Bible  Reading  in  Peace  Creek, 
Kansas,  near  Sylvia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  On  the 
19th  of  March,  1893,  Mr.  Lloyd  wedded  Mary  E.  McKenzie,  born  in 
Curry  township  in  1859,  a  daughter  of  Edward  McKenzie.  There  are  no 
living  children  by  this  union. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Lloyd  rented  and  moved  to  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  and  here  he  has  lived  for  twenty-four  years,  the  property 
being  now  in  West  Shelburn.  In  1903  he  opened  a  lumber  yard  in  Shel- 
burn, and  two  years  later,  in  1905,  bought  the  property  of  one  of  his 
competitors,  A.  T.  Hill,  while  in  1907  he  became  the  owner  of  the  Shel- 
burn Lumber  Company,  one  of  the  well-known  business  institutions  of 
Sullivan  county.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the  Central  Mutual  Tele- 
phone Company,  and  his  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republican 
party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lloyd  and  his  children  are  members  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  and  he  is  one  of  the  elders  of  old  Liberty  Congregation. 


John  C.  Annis  is  a  representative  of  two  of  the  most  prominent  of 
the  early  families  of  Sullivan  county,  and  he  has  won  for  himself  a 
place  among  the  leading  business  men  of  Shelburn.  He  entered  upon 
his  business  career  as  an  engineer,  but  later  became  a  bookkeeper  for 
his  father,  this  being  in  1876,  when  the  elder  Mr.  Annis  first  came  to 
Shelburn,  and  at  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Terre  Haute  the  son 
accompanied  him  and  they  were  in  business  together  for  one  year. 
Returning  thence  to  Shelburn  he  was.  in  the  employ  of  Stephen  Brace- 
well,  a  general  merchant,  until  1886,  from  that  time  until  1890  was 
connected  with  the  coal  industry,  and  in  the  latter  year  took  charge  of 
the  Curryville  store  and  conducted  it  until  the  latter  part  of  1892.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  began  work  as  top  foreman  for  the 
Curryville  mine,  in  1900  became  connected  with  the  Star  City  mine  in 
the  capacity  of  a  carpenter,  and  during  the  years  of  1902,  1903  and  1904 
he  was  the  bookkeeper  for  the  Keystone  Coal  Company  at  Shelburn. 
Since  1904  Mr.  Annis  has  been  the  proprietor  of  a  feed  store  in  this 
city,  buying  in  that  year  the  business  of  N.  O.  Robbins,  and  in  connection 
with  this  he  also  does  a  large  transfer  business.  A  stanch  Democrat 
politically,  he  has  served  for  five  or  six  terms  as  a  member  of  the  town 
board  and  during  eight  years  was  the  clerk  and  treasurer  of  Shelburn. 

Mr.  Annis  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  April 
27,  1854,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Armilda  (Hopewell)  Annis,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Kentucky,  the  father  in  1832,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1884,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  1830  and  died  in  1896,  both 
passing  away  in  Terre  Haute.     They  were  but  two  years  of  age  when 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  103 

they  came  north  with  their  parents,  and  the  parents  of  Abraham,  John 
and  Mary  (Potts)  Annis,  located  in  Fairbanks  township  in  1834.  Armilda 
Hopewell  Annis  was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (All)  Hopewell, 
who  came  to  Fairbanks  township  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  Annis 
family,  and  they  located  near  together  on  land  which  they  entered  from 
the  government,  the  land  being  at  that  time  wild  and  unimproved.  Henry 
Hopewell  died  in  1871.  Both  he  and  John  Annis  became  successful 
farmers,  the  former  being  also  a  cooper. 

Abraham  Annis,  a  son  of  John  Annis,  followed  farming  until  1875, 
when  he  came  to  Shelburn  and  purchased  a  warehouse,  in  which  he 
installed  a  custom  mill,  and  continued  as  a  miller  until  1882,  while 
from  that  time  until  his  death  in  1884  he  was  a  resident  of  Terre  Haute, 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  During  his  residence  in  Shelburn  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  town  board.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
Abraham  and  Armilda  Annis,  namely:  Earl  and  Samuel  M.,  deceased, 
while  the  third  born  died  in  infancy;  John  C,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Mary  L.  Stalker,  of  Terre  Haute;  Isabelle  Snider,  also  of  that  city,  and 
Julia,  who  has  never  married  and  resides  in  Terre  Haute. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  John  C.  Annis,  namely :  Louren, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Ethel  R.,  born  March  4,  1886,  is  the  wife  of  Roy 
Hair,  of  Shelburn ;  Orval,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  and  Hosie 
Sutcliffe,  who  was  born  February  14,  1897,  and  is  attending  school.  Mr. 
Annis  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge 
No.  420,  at  Shelburn,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices,  and  is 
also  a  charter  member  of  the  United  Workmen,  which  lodge  was 
abandoned  in  1880,  and  a  member  of  the  International  Order  of  the  Team 
Owners'  Union. 


James  P.  Siner. — The  name  of  James  P.  Siner  was  for  many  years 
associated  with  the  business  life  of  Shelburn,  where  he  conducted  a 
general  mercantile  establishment  until  his  retirement  in  1905.  In  the 
early  years  of  his  life  he  was  a  cooper,  having  learned  that  trade  when 
only  seventeen  years  of  age  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  he  worked  at  that 
occupation  for  six  years.  In  1859  he  joined  the  westward  emigration 
across  the  plains,  making  the  journey  with  ox  teams,  and  leaving  here 
on  the  13th  of  April,  1859,  ne  reached  Placerville,  California,  on  the 
1 2th  of  September,  following.  During  the  following  six  and  a.  half 
years  he  sojourned  over  California,  Oregon  and  Idaho,  and  then  returning 
to  Shelburn  was  one  of  the  leading  general  merchants  of  the  city  until  his 
retirement  in  1905. 

Mr.  Siner  was  born  in  Hamilton  township  of  Sullivan  county, 
February  1,  1837,  a  son  °f  Nelson  and  Dessie  (Shelburn)  Siner.  Nelson 
Siner  was  a  son  of  Benjamin,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  he  was  a  grandson 
of  Benjamin,  Sr.,  who  served  as  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
Nelson  Siner  was  born  in  Breckenridge  county,  Kentucky,  in  1810,  but 
came  from  that  state  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  with  his  mother,  in 
1821,  where  in  his  younger  days  he  worked  at  the  wagon  maker's  trade, 


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104  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

but  finally  abandoned  that  occupation  for  farming,  and  later,  in  1859, 
opened  a  general  mercantile  store  in  Shelburn  and  was  also  the  postmaster 
of  the  town  from  i860  to  1866.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  in 
the  earlier  days  a  Whig,  and  his  death  occurred  in  1869,  in  Shelburn. 
His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  years,  dying  in  1872.  She  was  born 
about  1809  in  Kentucky.  Of  their  eight  children  five  are  now  living: 
John  L.,  of  Shelburn ;  Mary  Nesbit,  a  widow  residing  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship, and  Parthena  McClanahan  and  Lorena  Singer,  twins,  both  widows 
residing  in  Farmersburg. 

James  P.  Siner,  the  youngest  of  the  living  children,  married,  on 
the  13th  of  April,  1866,  Martha  A.  Hodges,  who  was  born  in  Vigo  county, 
Indiana,  in  1845,  a  daughter  of  Harden  and  Phoebe  (Lovelace)  Hodges. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  seven  children,  but  only  the 
following  four  are  living  at  the  present  time :  Julia  Harden,  of  Shelburn ; 
Fred,  who  married  Emma  Buckley,  and  is  the  proprietor  of  a  shoe  store 
in  Shelburn;  Walter  and  Clarence,  who  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Siner  follows  in  the  political  footsteps  of  his  father  and  gives  a  stanch 
support  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge, 
No.  369,  in  Shelburn,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  offices,  occupying  the 
master's  chair  for  twelve  years,  and  at  the  present  time  he  is  serving  in 
the  capacity  of  treasurer.  He  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest 
Mason  in  Shelburn.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  earnest  and  efficient 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Leander  Wence. — During  a  number  of  years  Leander  Wence  was 
numbered  among  the  best  agriculturists  and  business  men  of  Sullivan 
county,  but  he  is  now  living  quietly  retired  at  his  pleasant  home  in 
Farmersburg.  He  was  born  on  the  3d  of  November,  1861,  in  Jackson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Mary  E.  (Zink)  Wence. 
The  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  but  when  but  four  years  of  age  he  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Jackson  township.  He  is  a  son  of  Abraham, 
Sr.,  and  Sarah  Jane  Wence,  who  were  farming  people  and  entered  land 
from  the  government  in  Jackson  township  north  of  Hymera,  which  con- 
tinued as  their  home  during  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Wence 
was  a  squire  and  constable  here  for  many  years. 

Abraham  Wence,  Jr.,  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  on  his  parents' 
farm,  and  during  five  years  of  his  business  career  he  was  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Terre  Haute  and  Lyons.  From  1861  until 
1865  he  was  a  Civil  war  soldier,  but  twelve  months  of  that  time  was 
spent  in  Andersonville  prison,  where  he  endured  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  that  noted  prison  pen.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  a  fine 
estate  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  five  miles  southeast  of  Hymera, 
where  he  and  his  wife  are  spending  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  He  is 
a  stanch  Democrat  politically,  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  order  at 
Lyons,  and  of  the  Methodist  church.  In  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wence  were  four  children,  of  whom  Leander  is  the  eldest;  Elizabeth 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  105 

Jenny  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  James  E.  resides  in  Curry 
township ;  and  Charles  E.  is  a  resident  of  Evansville. 

Just  after  his  marriage  Leander  Wence  began  farming  for  himself, 
renting  a  farm  in  Curry  township,  and  he  continued  as  a  renter  until 
purchasing  twenty  acres  in  1886.  From  time  to  time  he  added  to  his 
original  purchase  until  he  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  acres  in  his  homestead  farm,  and  also  eighty  acres  in  another  tract, 
but  he  has  since  sold  his  land  and  invested  his  money  in  notes  and  town 
property.  He  continued  his  agricultural  labors  until  in  March  of  1907, 
when  he  sold  his  farm  and  is  now  living  retired  in  Farmersburg. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1882,  Mr.  Wence  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Susana  Everly,  who  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  September  9, 
i860,  and  died  June  4,  1896,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  five  children: 
Nora  A.,  born  November  16,  1885,  died  November  25,  1904;  Hershal  E., 
born  October  30,  1887,  married  Sadie  Crow  August  24,  1907,  and  resides 
in  Shelburn;  Otto  W.,  born  November  18,  1889,  has  been  in  the  regular 
army  for  two  years ;  the  fourth  child  died  in  infancy ;  and  Ona  M.,  born 
January  7,  1896,  is  attending  school  and  lives  with  her  grandparents. 
On  the  8th  of  November,  1899,  Mr.  Wence  married  Sophia  F.  Wells, 
who  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Indiana,  April  1,  1869,  and  died  January 
11,  1905,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  two  children,  Noma  C.,  born 
March  13,  1903,  and  a  son,  the  younger,  who  died  in  infancy.  On  the 
24th  of  April,  1907,  Mr.  Wence  wedded  Daisy  Beck,  who  was  born 
January  3,  1882,  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  a  daughter  of 
Josiah  F.  and  Rosanna  (Hume)  Beck,  both  of  whom  were  also  born 
in  this  county,  and  they  are  now  living  in  Carlisle.  Mr.  Wence  has  one 
child  by  his  last  wife,  a  daughter,  Dortha  Lee.  He  has  membership 
relations  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Shelburn,  Lodge 
No.  420.  He  is  the  only  one  of  the  Wence  name  to  affiliate  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  but  Mrs. 
Wence  is  of  the  Baptist  faith. 


Elza  W.  Jennings,  who  is  among  the  successful  and  enterprising 
business  factors  of  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  besides  other 
business  interests,  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement  trade,  is 
a  native  of  this  township,  born  January  15,  1868,  a  son  of  Abel  J.  and 
Fannie  M.  (Willsey)  Jennings,  the  former  born  March  28,  1812,  in 
Massachusetts,  at  some  point  within  Hamden  county,  and  died  January 
10,  1877,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  latter  was  born  October  19, 
1824,  in  Albany  county,  New  York,  and  died  June  28,  1890,  in  Curry 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Abel  was  the  son  of  Aceph  and 
Mary  (Abby)  Jennings,  the  former  born  in  Massachusetts  and  the  latter 
in  Scotland.  Aceph  was  born  in  1782,  and  died  in  1844.  He  was  a 
gunsmith,  and  worked  eight  years  in  the  Springfield  Armory  Works, 
but  abandoned  his  trade  there  upon  his  marriage  and  went  to  farming, 
which  occupation  he  continued  to  follow  the  remainder  of  his  life.     Abel, 


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io6  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  started  as  a  sailor  on  Lake  Erie,  and  within 
fourteen  months  was  made  second  mate,  soon  afterward  first  mate  and 
then  captain  of  the  boat.  This  position  he  filled  for  five  years  and  up 
to  the  date  of  his  marriage.  He  purchased  a  farm  in  Ashtabula  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  farmed  two  years,  and  in  1842  went  to  Missouri,  in 
which  new  state  he  purchased  a  farm.  In  1844  he  removed  to  Marion 
county,  Indiana.  Upon  a  trip  back  to  Ohio  he  was  taken  ill  upon  reaching 
Marion  county,  and  there  remained  until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Curry 
township,  this  county,  about  three  miles  west  of  Farmersburg,  where 
the  subject  of  this  narrative  was  born.  He  owned  a  hundred-acre  farm, 
upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death. 

The  father  was  twice  married,  first  to  a  Miss  Benjamin,  by  whom 
seven  children  were  born,  but  only  two  lived  to  reach  mature  years.  For 
his  second  wife  he  married  Fannie  M.  Willsey,  by  whom  were  born 
sixteen  children,  as  follows:  Emaline,  born  in  1841,  died  young;  Marshall, 
born  March  22,  1843,  resides  at  Farmersburg;  Harriet,  born  in  Sep- 
tember, 1844,  resides  in  Weldon,  Illinois;  Julia,  deceased;  Mary  J., 
resides  in  Oklahoma;  Millie,  also  living  in  Oklahoma;  Lydia,  deceased; 
Sylvester,  residing  in  Curry  township,  this  county;  Oswell,  deceased; 
Emory  and  Emma  (twins),  both  living  in  Curry  township;  Rufus,  living 
in  Kingfisher  county,  Oklahoma;  Mattie,  living  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana; 
Katie,  living  in  Curry  township;  Walker,  living  in  Curry  township,  and 
Elza  W.,  of  this  notice. 

Mr.  Jennings  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  their  death, 
and  on  November  18,  1890,  soon  after  their  death,  he  married  Mary  A. 
Harris,  born  March  2,  1870,  in  Shelby  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
John  Harris.  Mr.  Jennings  began  operating  a  saw  mill  and  thresher  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  continuing  until  1902.  In  1899,  however, 
he  purchased  a  one-fourth  interest  in  Jennings  Brothers  and  Lloyd's 
hardware  store,  and  in  1902  bought  a  two-thirds  interest  in  Jennings  & 
Taylor's  hardware  and  implement  house.  Since  then  he  has  paid  special 
attention  to  this  business.  The  firm  with  which  he  is  associated  owns 
some  real  estate  in  town. 

Politically  Mr.  Jennings  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  elected  president 
of  the  Farmersburg  Town  Board  in  1906,  his  term  expiring  in  1910. 
He  is  president  of  the  Merchants'  Association,  president  of  the  Torry 
Electric  Light  plant  and  is  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  Citizens 
State  Bank.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  No.  494,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  at  Farmersburg. 


William  Benefield,  formerly  extensively  engaged  in  Turman 
township,  this  county,  as  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  now  a 
resident  agriculturist  of  the  Panhandle  country  of  Texas.  He  is  a 
native  of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  a  son  of  George  Wash- 
ington and  Elizabeth  (McGrew)  Benefield.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  and,  in  1904,  died  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
the  mother  being  still  a   resident  of  that  city.     George  W.   Benefield 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  107 

always  followed  the  life  of  a  farmer,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  years 
which  he  spent  in  California,  during  the  early  days  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment. Starting  from  Sullivan  with  an  ox  team,  March  4,  1852,  he 
crossed  the  Wabash  river  at  Merom,  on  the  old  ferry  boat,  and  reached 
San  Francisco  in  August.  He  remained  on  the  coast  until  1856,  returning 
hy  steamer,  via  Cape  Horn,  and  stopping  in  Cuba  for  a  few  days.  Thence 
he  resumed  his  voyage  to  New  York  City,  and  from  that  city  reached 
his  home  by  rail.  His  trip  was  successful,  financially,  and  like  most  of 
the  California  pioneers,  the  experiences  of  both  his  overland  and  sea 
trips  were  always  considered  the  most  interesting  chapter  of  his  life. 
After  his  return  from  California  Mr.  Benefield  farmed  in  Hamilton 
township  until  1893,  when  he  and  his  faithful  wife  moved  to  Terre  Haute. 
Politically  the  elder  Mr.  Benefield  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  church  rela- 
tions his  wife  was  a  Baptist.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Chauncy,  now  residing  at  Dallas,  Texas;  Leona,  wife  of  Ezra 
Coble,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana ;  Felix  G.,  also  of  that  city ;  George,  who 
is  an  insurance  man  of  Dallas;  William,  of  this  sketch;  Robert,  also  in 
the  insurance  business  at  Dallas;  and  Anna,  wife  of  Herbert  Osborn, 
of  that  city. 

William  Benefield  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Hamilton  township, 
received  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  and  worked  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  Mound,  Louisiana, 
where  he  worked  a  year,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides.  Remaining  there  a  year  and  a  half,  he  next  located  at 
Hymera  and  lived  there  three  years,  during  this  period  being  engaged 
in  the  meat  business  as  well  as  in  mining.  In  1893  he  returned  to  Turman 
township  and  resumed  farm  life,  his  place  finally  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  three  acres  of  fine  land  bordering  on  the  plat  of  Graysville. 
At  that  location  he  conducted  grain  and  stock  farming.  Among  other 
enterprises  with  which  he  was  also  connected  was  that  of  the  Pig  Springs 
Threshing  Machine  Company  in  which  he  was  a  stockholder.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1908,  Mr.  Benefield  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to  Texas,  having 
visited  various  sections  of  that  state  and  purchased  a  fine  tract  of  land 
in  the  Panhandle  country.  There  he  has  erected  a  substantial  set  of 
buildings  and  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising. 

Politically  Mr.  Benefield  is  a  Democrat.  In  his  fraternal  connec- 
tions, while  residing  in  Sullivan  county,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Masonic  order,  and  with  his  wife,_he 
belonged  to  the  Eastern  Star  lodge  at  Graysville.  Mr.  Benefield  was 
married  January  26,  1889,  to  Mary  Brewer,  who  was  born  November 
2,  1866,  on  the  farm  which  became  the  family  homestead.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Hawkins)  Brewer.  Her.  father,  a 
native  of  Ohio  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  was  born  March  20,  1824,  and 
died  in  Turman  township,  October  24,  1899.  When  a  child  he  was 
brought  to  this  country  by  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  Ann  (Cook) 
Brewer,  who  located  at  Graysville.  John  Brewer,  the  maternal  grand- 
father, operated  a  general  store  at  Graysville  for  a  number  of  years. 
William  Brewer,  the  father,  reached  manhood  in  Turman  township  and 


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108  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

there  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  finally  purchasing  three  hundred  and 
eight  acres  of  land,  which  he  handled  in  a  most  successful  manner.  Upon 
this  homestead  his  wife  died  in  1868,  the  deceased  being  born  in  1832, 
a  daughter  of  Major  and  Sallie  (Earnest)  Hawkins.  In  1871  William 
Brewer  married  Amelia  Miles,  a  native  of  Gill  township,  and  the  family 
moved  to  Sullivan,  where  William  Brewer  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  Burton,  under  the  name  of  Brewer  and  Burton,  which  firm 
continued  in  trade  several  years.  Then  disposing  of  his  business,  he  lived 
a  retired  life.  Mr.  Brewer's  second  wife  died  August  16,  1893,  and  in 
1895  he  married  Mrs.  Rebecca  Thornberry.  In  the  following  year  he 
moved  to  her  farm  in  Turman  township,  where  he  died.  The  widow 
now  resides  with  her  daughter  in  Turman  township.  Mr.  Brewer  was 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  at  Merom;  also  connected  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  a  Republican.  By  his  first 
marriage  Mr.  Brewer  had  six  children;  by  the  second  and  third  unions 
there  was  no  issue.  By  the  first  wife  these  children  were  born:  John 
and  Solon,  deceased;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Robert  Watson,  of  Rockford, 
California;  Emily  A.,  deceased,  who  married  John  Kirkham ;  Leanna, 
who  married  Rolland  Hanchett,  and  now  resides  at  Harlan,  Nebraska; 
and  Mary,  Mrs.  William  Benefield.  Mrs.  Benefield  was  educated  in 
Sullivan,  Indiana,  attending  its  high  schools  and  remaining  at  home  until 
a  year  before  her  marriage  in  Nebraska. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Benefield  have  children  as  follows:  Herbert 
Milton,  born  October  2,  1890,  living  at  home;  June  Elizabeth,  born 
November  17,  1894;  and  William  Brewer,  born  May  4,  1899.  ^rs- 
Benefield  and  daughter  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  connected  with  the  Eastern  Star  lodge. 


George  Townsley  Wilson,  who  lives  on  and  owns  the  original 
Wilson  homestead  in  Haddon  township,  was  born  April  17,  1849,  upon 
the  three  hundred  acre  farm  where  he  now  resides.  This  valuable  farm 
home  is  situated  two  miles  northeast  of  Paxton.  He  is  a  son  of  Martin 
and  Mary  P.  (Lamb)  Wilson.  The  father  was  born  July  15,  1810,  in 
Greene  county,  Ohio,  and  the  mother  was  born  September  21,  1822,  in 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  This  worthy  couple  were  married  January 
4,  1844.  Martin  Wilson  came  to  Haddon  township  in  1822  and  began 
working  on  a  farm  and  later  entered  government  land  to  the  amount  of 
two  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  to  which  he  added  until  his  landed 
estate  amounted  to  four  hundred  acres.  This  land  was  all  one  vast 
forest  when  he  came  to  the  country  and  he,  through  a  long  series  of 
years  and  great  toil,  succeeded  in  subduing  it  and  making  a  beautiful 
and  productive  farm  of  what  he  found  a  wilderness.  Politically  he  was 
a  Democrat.  His  wife  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Christian  church. 
He  died  June  15,  1890,  on  his  farm,  and  his  wife  laid  down  the  burden 
of  life  January  9,  1857,  many  years  prior  to  his  death.  The  following 
children  were  born  of  their  union:    Mary  Jane,  born  October  17,  1844, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  109 

married  William  Carl  Usrey,  of  Sullivan,  whose  history  appears  else- 
where in  this  work;  William  Lowery,  born  October  12,  1846,  died  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1888,  in  Greene  county,  Indiana;  George  Townsley,  of  this 
notice;  Joseph,  born  January  7,  1852,  died  August  7,  1888,  at  Golden, 
Colorado,  where  he  was  farming;  Sarah  Ann,  born  September  25,  1855, 
married  John  T.  Whitmire. 

George  T.  Wilson  of  this  biographical  notice  remained  on  the  home 
farm  until  both  parents  were  dead.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
worked  dutifully,  and  early  learned  the  necessity  of  saving  and  wisely 
investing  his  earnings.  The  old  homestead  is  now  his  property,  the  same 
comprising  three  hundred  acres,  upon  which  he  methodically  farms  and 
raises  stock  for  the  market.  Politically  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  believer  in  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  unmarried  and  for  the  last 
few  winter  seasons  has  visited  various  states  of  the  Unjon,  chiefly  in 
the  south. 


John  E.  M.  Purcell,  who  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  superior  grain 
and  stock  farms  found  within  the  limits  of  Haddon  township,  was  born 
on  the  land  he  now  owns  and  cultivates,  the  same  being  situated  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  an  easterly  direction  from  the  enterprising  village  of  Paxton, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  date  of  his  birth  was  November  14,  1867. 
He  is  the  son  of  William  W.  and  Rachel  L.  (Creager)  Purcell.  The 
mother  was  born  March  17,  1848,  in  Hamilton  township,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  J.  and  Barbara  (Canary)  Creager,  both  born  in  Kentucky,  and 
who  came  with  their  respective  parents  to  this  country  about  the  time 
Indiana  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 

William  W.  Purcell,  the  father,  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  Sul- 
livan county,  April  23,  1842,  and  died  June  7,  1894.  His  widow  now 
resides  at  Paxton.  The  grandfather,  John  Williamson  Purcell,  was  born 
in  Kentucky  and  became  one  of  the  early  pioneers  in  Sullivan  county. 
At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  William  W.  Purcell  served  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Indiana  Heavy  Artillery,  enlisting  in  1861,  and  serving 
until  the  close  of  the  rebellion.  He  entered  as  a  private,  and  was  promoted 
to  orderly  sergeant.  He  was  in  the  famous  seige  of  Vicksburg  and  at 
the  battle  of  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana.  On  January  23,  1867,  he  began 
farming,  which  occupation  he  followed  the  remainder  of  his'  life.  He 
began  on  the  same  farm  where  now  lives  his  son,  John  E.  M.  Purcell. 
A  successful  farmer,  at  one  time  William  W.  Purcell  owned  about  three 
hundred  acres  of  land,  all  in  one  tract.  He  raised  grain  and  fed  con- 
siderable stock,  and  also  was  a  breeder  of  fine  grades  of  stock,  including 
horses.  He  owned  draft  and  English  coach  horses  and  a  valuable  Spanish 
jack,  which  animals  he  exhibited  at  the  several  county  fairs  in  this  section 
of  the  country,  capturing  many  of  the  premiums  offered  on  such  stock. 
He  also  raised  Shorthorn  Durham  cattle,  which  were  also  registered  in 
the  American  Stock  Book,  and  exhibited.  Politically  Mr.  Purcell  was 
a  stanch  Republican  and  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow-party  workers  received 
numerous  nominations.     He  was  president  of  the  Paxton  Canning  Corn- 


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no  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAX  COUNTY 

pany,  from  the  date  of  its  organization  in  1888,  until  his  death,  but  this 
factory  is  not  in  operation  at  the  present.  In  lodge  connections  he  was 
an  honored  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Of  his  church  faith,  it  may  be  said 
that  he  was  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  of  which  his 
widow  is  also  a  faithful  adherent.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served 
as  one  of  the  stewards  in  the  church  of  his  choice.  The  children  born 
to  William  W.  and  Rachel  L.  (Creager)  Purcell  were:  John  E.  M., 
of  this  notice,  and  Stella  J.,  now  the  wife  of  Edgar  E.  Nash,  whose 
family  history  will  be  found  within  this  work. 

John  E.  M.  Purcell  remained  with  his  father,  worked  the  farm  and 
attended  to  the  stock  business  with  him,  until  the  latter's  death,  since 
which  date  the  son  has  conducted  the  place  himself.  He  now  owns  two 
hundred  and  ihirty-five  acres,  this  being  a  portion  of  the  old  homestead. 
Having  been  trained  in  the  science  of  agriculture  and  stockraising  from 
his  boyhood  up  by  his  association  with  his  father,  he  naturally  continued 
to  pursue  the  same  line  of  industry  after  his  father's  demise.  Mr.  Purcell 
now  raises  the  Black  Poll-Angus  cattle  and  about  two  carloads  annually 
of  hogs  of  the  Poland  China  breed.  Besides  his  extensive  farming 
operations,  Mr.  Purcell  is  a  stockholder  in  the  People's  First  National 
Bank,  of  Carlisle,  and  the  People's  State  Bank,  of  Sullivan.  He  is  the 
secretary  of  the  old  Paxton  Canning  Company.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Purcell  is  a  firm  defender  of  the  general  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  In  the  matter  of  fraternal  societies,  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  Lodge,  No.  50,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camp 
No.  3332,  these  lodges  being  at  Carlisle. 

He  was  married  December  23,  1897,  to  Miss  Bessie  B.  Barclay,  who 
was  born  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  September  21,  1879,  daughter  of 
James  W.  and  Lydia  (Ewing)  Barclay.  The  father  was  born  in  Mason 
county,  Kentucky,  April  15,  1834,  and  now  resides  in  Bloomington, 
Indiana.  The  mother  was  born  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  May  1,  1841, 
and  died  September  19,  1907,  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  her  home,  however, 
being  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  John  W.  Barclay  has  always  followed 
the  independent  life  of  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Purcell  received  her  education 
at  the  public  schools  of  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  and  graduated  from 
the  Carlisle  high  school  with  the  class  of  1896.  Her  parents  came  to 
Sullivan  county  from  Jennings  county  in  1893,  and  the  parents  and  one 
brother  moved  to  Bloomington,  Indiana,  in  1903.  Mrs.  Purcell  is  one 
of  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  of  which  are  now  living:  Luella  B., 
now  a  widow:  Alice  C,  widow  of  A.  D.  Giboney,  residing  at  Carlisle; 
Mrs.  Purcell ;  Joseph  Knox,  of  Bloomington,  Indiana,  now  practicing  law ; 
he  is  an  athlete  and  at  one  time  held  the  long  distance  run  of  the  state 
of  Indiana,  being  one  of  the  Hoosier  state's  best  athletes.  From  1902 
to  1905  he  was  captain  of  the  track  team  at  Bloomington  and  football 
manager  in  1905.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Purcell  have  two  children:  William 
W.,  born  November  16,  1898,  and  Paul  Barclay,  born  October  31,  1902. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Purcell  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Paxton,  of  which  he  was  a  steward. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  in 

William  F.  Hoke.— Prominent  among  the  more  prosperous  and 
extensive  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  William  F.  Hoke,  a  well- 
knc?wn  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Haddon  township.  A  man  of  good 
business  qualifications,  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  work  in  which  he 
is  so  busily  engaged,  he  is  meeting  with  unquestioned  success,  and  is  an 
important  factor  in  advancing  the  farming  interests  of  this  section  of 
Indiana.  He  was  born,  August  8,  1844,  on  the  old  Hoke  homestead,  about 
three  miles  south  of  Carlisle,  a  son  of  Jacob  Hoke. 

•Born,  in  1807,  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  he  was  there  reared 
and  educated.  Coming  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  soon  after  his  mar- 
riage, he  sought  a  favorable  location,  and  after  looking  about  for  a  time 
took  up  government  land  in  Haddon  township,  and  by  dint  of  industry 
and  perseverance  cleared  and  improved  the  valuable  homestead,  on  which 
he  resided  until  his  death,  in  1873.  He  carried  on  general  farming  on 
an  extensive  scale,  and  was  quite  a  heavy  stock  feeder.  He  made  much 
money  in  his  operations,  and  having  invested  it  wisely,  owned  at  the  time 
of  his  death  about  one  thousand  acres  of  choice  land.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics,  and  served  one  term  as  county  commissioner.  He  mar- 
ried Rosanna  Brentlinger,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky, 
about  1807,  and  died  in  Haddon  township,  Indiana,  in  1874.  Ten  children 
were  born  to  them,  as  follows:  The  two  oldest,. twins,  died  in  infancy; 
Susan,  deceased;  George,  engaged  in  farming  in  Knox  county;  Sarah, 
deceased;  Jacob,  presidentiof  the  Sullivan  State  Bank,  at  Sullivan;  John, 
residing  on  the  old  homestead;  William  F.,  of  this  sketch;  Charles, 
deceased ;  and  Richard,  deceased. 

Acquiring  an  excellent  knowledge  of  the  various  branches  of  agri- 
culture while  young,  WilHam  F.  Hoke  selected  farming  as  his  life  occu- 
pation, and  until  twenty-seven  years  of  age  assisted  in  the  management  of 
the  home  farm.  In  1872,  his  father  having  at  that  time  purchased  the 
old  Hinkle  farm,  he  assumed  its  possession,  and  has  since  resided  here. 
Succeeding  in  his  efforts  from  the  first,  he  now  owns  three  hundred  and 
thirty  acres  of  the  best  land  in  southern  Indiana,  and  on  it  has  made 
improvements  of  an  excellent  character.  In  the  fall  of  1906,  he  erected 
his  present  fine  home,  which  stands  upon  a  natural  rise  of  ground,  and  is 
of  modern  construction,  its  building  having  been  necessitated  by  the 
burning  of  his  former  home  about  three  years  ago.  Mr.  Hoke  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  and  feeding  stock,  having  now,  in  1908,  over  a  carload 
of  choice  hogs  that  he  is  raising  for  market.  He  is  now  turning  his  atten- 
tion to  the  breeding  of  black  Poll-Angus  cattle,  having  recently  purchased 
a  thoroughbred  sire  of  that  grade. 

On  December  18,  1873,  Mr.  Hoke  married  Virginia  Belle  Turner, 
who  was  born  November  16,  185 1,  in  Virginia,  where  her  parents,  Thomas 
K.  and  Lucy  (Gilson)  Turner,  settled  when  coming  to  Sullivan  county 
from  Pennsylvania,  where  they  had  gone  from  their  native  state,  Virginia, 
and  where  they  spent  their  remaining  years.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoke  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  eleven  children,  namely:  Myrtle, 
deceased;  Bessie,  unmarried;  Ella,  wife  of  Marvel  Nash,  a  telegraph 
operator  in  Greene  county,  has  two  children,  James  and  Dorothy ;   Allie, 

Vol.  II— 8 


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112  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

a  twin  sister  of  Ella,  has  passed  to  the  higher  life ;  Jacob,  living  on  the 
home  farm ;  Thomas  and  Lue,  twins ;  Thomas  is  deceased,  and  Lue, 
single,  lives  at  home;  Anna,  living  at  home;  William,  single;  Lillie, 
single ;  and  a  child  that  died  in  infancy.  Politically,  Mr.  Hoke  supports 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  by  voice  and  vote. 


John  Thomas  Whitmire,  numbered  among  the  progressive  farmers 
of  Haddon  township,  whose  pretty  farm  home  is  situated  two  and  a  half 
miles  east  from  the  thriving  village  of  Paxton,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  Randolph  county,  that  state,  September 
3,  1851.  He  is  the  son  of  David  Marion  and  Caroline  (Snider)  Whitmire, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  historic  county  of  Jessamine,  Kentucky. 
The  father  was  born  June  8,  1826,  and  died  in  Randolph  county,  Mis- 
souri, in  1865,  and  the  mother,  born  August  27,  1825,  died  early  in  the 
nineties  in  the  same  county.  David  M.  Whitmire  was  of  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  descent,  and  his  wife  of  Dutch  descent  with  some  Irish  blood  in 
her  veins.  John  Whitmire,  the  grandfather,  and  his  family,  went  to 
Missouri  when  David  M.  was  a  small  boy.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
John  Snider,  and  his  family,  settled  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  locating  one  mile  to  the  north  of  Carlisle,  where  he  and  his  wife 
resided  until  their  death. 

As  has  often  been  the  case  in  human  experience,  the  meeting  and 
final  companionship  of  Mr.  Whitmire's  father  and  mother  was  destined 
by  unforeseen  acts,  which  have  not  infrequently  determined  the  future  of 
men  and  women.  The  mother,  Caroline  Snider,  went  to  Missouri  from 
Carlisle,  Indiana,  to  visit  a  married  sister  in  Randolph  county,  and  wThile 
there  chanced  to  meet  Mr.  Whitmire,  to  whom  she  was  subsequently 
united  in  marriage.  They  at  once  commenced  farming  in  that  county 
and  ever  after  remained  in  that  locality.  David  M.  Whitmire,  the  father, 
served  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  army.  Politically  he  was  a  supporter  of 
the  Democratic  party,  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Their  children  were  as  follows :  One  who 
died  in  fancy ;  John  T.,  of  this  memoir ;  Charles  W.,  born  December  30, 
1853,  deceased ;  George  W.,  born  April  13,  1856,  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Missouri;  Mary  B.,  born  February  21,  1858,  wife  of  William 
Wainwright,  residing  in. Missouri;  William  T.,  born  April  5,  i860,  also 
living  in  Missouri ;  Eliza,  born  September  6,  1862,  now  wife  of  Frederick 
Robb,  of  Randolph  county,  Missouri;  Montgomery,  born  May  27,  1865, 
deceased. 

John  Thomas  Whitmire  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  had  the  advan- 
tages of  the  Missouri  district  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1874,  on  which  day  he  went  to  Paxton,  Indiana,  and  began 
farming  as  a  hired  hand.  Three  years  later,  however,  believing  that 
he  was  capable  of  conducting  a  farm  for  himself,  he  began  to  do  so. 
About  1886  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  acres  of  valuable  farming  land,  located  two  and  a  half  miles  from 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  113 

Paxton,  in  an  easterly  direction.  Here  he  has  been  highly  successful 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  land  which  has  brought  him  good  returns,  and 
placed  himself  and  family  in  independent  circumstances.  Politically  Mr. 
Whitmire  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  November  2,  1876,  to  Sarah  Ann  Wilson, 
born  in  Haddon  township,  September  25,  1855,  a  daughter  of  Martin 
and  Mary  P.  (Lamb)  Wilson.  Her  father  came  to  Sullivan  county  from 
Ohio  in  1820,  and  her  mother  was  native  to  Kentucky;  both  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitmire  have  one  daughter:  Gertrude,  born 
November  8,  1878,  unmarried,  and  living  at  home.  She  attended  the 
district  schools  of  her  native  township  and  the  high  schools  of  Sullivan, 
graduating  in  music  at  the  Conservatory  of  the  DePauw  University, 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  both  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  She  is  now 
giving  instructions  in  music  in  her  home  neighborhood.  Mr.  Whitmire 
and  family  have  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  the  past  two  winters  in 
California's  delightful  climate,  amid  the  flowers  and  sunshine  of  the 
coast  state.  In  their  church  connections  the  parents  and  daughter  are 
acceptable  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Franklin  M.  Anderson,  one  of  the  representative  farmers  who 
have  aided  in  building  up  the  present  prosperity  found  within  the  borders 
of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  born  February  7, 
1864,  in  Marion  county,  Indiana,  on  the  farm  of  his  father,  Abner  B. 
Anderson.  The  father  was  born  in  Highland  county,  December,  1818, 
and  died  in  1884.  He  was  of  Scotch  descent  and  went  to  Marion  county, 
Indiana,  alone,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  subsequently  married 
in  that  county  and  there  began  farming  for  himself.  In  the  autumn 
of  1869  the  family  moved  to  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  and 
in  1870  was  erected  the  farm  house  which  Franklin  M.  now  owns  and 
in  which  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1908,  when  he  completed  a  new 
house  on  his  farm.  The  father  and  mother  both  resided  on  this  farm 
until  their  death.  Abner  B.  Anderson  was  a  successful  farmer  and  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  while 
his  good  wife  was  of  the  Methodist  religious  faith.  Before  her  marriage 
she  was  Ruth  Elmore,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  born  near  Crab 
Orchard,  March  5,  1819,  dying  in  1896.  She  was  of  Irish  lineage.  The 
children  born  to  Abner  B.  Anderson  and  wife  were  as  follows :  William, 
Candice  A.,  John,  Loretta,  Mariah  Jane,  Franklin  M.  and  three  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Franklin  M.  Anderson  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  attended  the 
country  schools.  When  he  reached  his  twentieth  year  he  commenced 
to  farm  on  his  own  account,  and  now  owns  the  original  homestead,  con- 
sisting of  forty-five  acres,  to  which  he  has  added,  now  possessing  one 
hundred  and  forty-three  acres,  upon  which  he  carries  on  general  farming 
operations.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Anderson  favors  the  Republican 
party,  and  casts  his  vote  with  that  organization.     He  has  wisely  taken 


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114  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

a  membership  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camp  No.  3332, 
at  Carlisle. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  January  5,  1888,  to  Permelia  A.  Walters, 
born  in  Haddon  township,  in  1865,  and  who  died  in  1896  in  the  month 
of  September.  She  was  educated  in  her  native  county.  Her  parents 
were  Joel  O.  and  Nancy  (Land)  Walters,  both  of  whom  are  now  dead. 
Five  children  were  bprn  to  Mr.  Anderson  and  wife:  Lola  M.,  deceased; 
William  L.,  deceased;  Elva,  born  November,  1892;  Ruth  Marie,  born 
June,  1894;  John  W.,  deceased.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Anderson  mar- 
ried Sarah  E.  (Woodward)  Pool,  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  March  27,  1871.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  1896 
and  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  Albert  L.  and  Daisy  Gladys.  Before 
her  second  marriage  Mrs.  Anderson  was  the  widow  of  Harry  Pool, 
who  lived  in  Jefferson  township,  and  who  died  in  the  nineties,  leaving 
a  daughter,  Ethel,  born  in  February,  1896,  and  who  now  resides  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson.  In  church  connections  Mrs.  Anderson  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church.. 

The  Andersons  are  all  large  men  in  stature,  Franklin  M.  being  six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  weighing  one  hundred  and  ninety-five 
pounds,  while  his  father  was  -the  tallest  man  in  Sullivan  county,  he 
measuring  six  feet  and  seven  inches,  and  weighing  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  pounds. 


John  Marion  Whitlock,  who  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  many  fertile 
farms  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  April  29,  1858,  son  of  Nathan  and  Mary  E.  (Williams)  Whitlock, 
both  natives  of  Kentucky.  In  1863  the  family  came  to  Marion  county, 
Indiana,  remained  one  year,  then  settled  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan 
county,  near  Paxton,  where  both  the  father  and  mother  died,  he  on 
August  10,  1878,  and  she  later.  They  were  both  of  English  descent. 
The  father  always  followed  agriculture  for  his  livelihood.  Politically 
he  supported  the  Democratic  party.  Their  children  were  as  follows: 
John  Marion,  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  John  O.  McCammon,  residing  in 
Haddon  township;  Robert,  of  Haddon  township;  Josephine,  deceased; 
George,  of  Haddon  township;  Nancy,  wife  of  David  S.  Wilson,  of  Jef- 
ferson township. 

John  Marion  Whitlock  commenced  the  real  activities  of  his  career 
when  but  twelve  years  old,  by  doing  farm  work  by  the  month.  When 
nineteen  years  of  age  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  has 
continued  in  the  same  calling  ever  since.  He  removed  to  his  present 
farm  in  1888.  The  property,  which  belongs  to  him  and  his  wife,  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Whit- 
lock is  a  believer  in  the  platform  of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  has  been  twice  married,  first,  November  2,  1878,  to  Pamelia 
Shake,  born  in  Haddon  township,  daughter  of  John  Shake,  who  was- 
a  farmer  of  Haddon  township.     Mr.  Whitlock  died  about  1884,  leaving 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  115 

two  children :  Lou  Effie,  born  January  27,  1882,  now  the  wife  of  Edward 
Padgett,  of  Haddon  township;  and  William  Walters,  born  January  24, 
1884,  unmarried  and  at  home,  attended  the  Carlisle  high  school  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Normal  College  at  Danville,  Indiana.  Since  leaving 
school  he  has  taught  three  years  in  Haddon  township.  For  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Whitlock  married,  March  18,  1888,  Mary  E.  Deveors,  who 
was  born  January  28,  1858,  in  Haddon  township,  on  the  farm  which 
she  now  owns.  She  is  the  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza  (Carrico) 
Deveors,  both  now  deceased.  By  this  marriage  the  issue  is :  Ethel,  born 
October  18,  1891. 


Edgar-  E.  Nash  is  a  son  of  Armpsted  M.  and  Nancy  E.  (Purcell) 
Nash.  In  the  sketch  of  Armpsted  M.  Nash,  on  another  page  of  this 
work,  with  biography  of  William  L.  Nash,  will  be  found  ancestry,  so 
far  as  it  is  now  known.  Edgar  E.  Nash  was  born  February  7,  1868,  in 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm,  receiving  his  education  at  the  district  schools  and  he 
remained  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  when 
he  embarked  in  farming  on  his  own  account,  on  the  old  Nash  homestead. 
Subsequently,  he  removed  into  the  same  old  farm  house  which  his  father 
had  remodeled.  Edgar  E.  Nash  has  come  to  be  an  enterprising  agricul- 
turist, who  is  alive  to  all  new  and  modern  farming  methods,  both  as  a 
grain  and  stock  grower,  in  which  calling  he  is  highly  successful.  He 
usually  feeds  two  carloads  of  hogs  and  cattle  each  year  and  handles 
the  Poll-Angus  and  Shorthorn  cattle.  He  owns  two  farms,  one  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-six  acres,  and  one  of  seventy-six  acres. 

Like  all  true  American  citizens,  Mr.  Nash  is  somewhat  interested 
in  politics,  but  not  as  an  office  seeker,  for  his  time  and  attention  is 
thoroughly  wrapped  up  in  his  agriculture  and  stockraising.  He  votes 
with  the  Democratic  party.  As  a  protection  to  his  family,  in  case  of  his 
death,  he  holds  membership  with  that  most  thoroughly  reliable  beneficiary 
society,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  belonging  to  Camp  No.  3332 
at  Carlisle. 

He  was  married  October  30,  1889,  to  Stella  J.  Purcell,  born  in 
Haddon  township,  October  2,  1871,  daughter  of  W.  W.  and  Rachel  L. 
(Creager)  Purcell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana.  The  father  died  June  7,  1894,  and  the  mother  still  lives  at 
Paxton.  Their  two  children  were:  J.  E.  M.  Purcell,  who  lives  in 
Haddon  township,  and  Mrs.  Nash.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nash  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  born  in  the  following  order:  Dona  Maude,  born  Sep- 
tember 27,  1890,  expects  to  graduate  from  the  high  school  at  Carlisle 
with  the  class  of  1909;  William  Carlton,  born  October  4,  1892;  Lillie 
Mabel,  June  26,  1894;  Rachel  Naomi,  December  15,  1896;  Harold  Eugene, 
July  24,  1901 ;  Helen  Louise,  September  16,  1905.  Mrs.  Nash  and  her 
daughters,  Dona  Maude  and  Lillie  Mabel  and  the  son  William  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Paxton,  Indiana. 


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n6  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

John  W.  Walters,  one  of  Sullivan  county's  progressive  farmers, 
whose  farm  home  is  situated'  in  Haddon  township,  is  a  native  of  this 
part  of  Sullivan  county,  born  April  12,  1856,  a  son  of  Joel  O.  and  Nancy 
(Land)  Walters.  The  father  was  born  in  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky, 
January  18,  1824,  one  of  seven  children  born  to  Luke  and  Evarilla 
(Lamb)  Walters,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia,  but  who  settled  in  Ken- 
tucky and  removed  from  that  state  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1830. 
They  resided  in  Haddon  township  the  remainder  of  their  days.  The 
mother  of  John  W.  Walters  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  September 
8,  1823,  and  died  in  1895,  her  husband  dying  two  years  previous  to  her 
death.  Nancy  J^and  was  a  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Jane  (Willis) 
Land,  who  was  twice  married,  Nancy  being  a  daughter  by  the  first 
marriage.  Joel  O.  and  Nancy  (Land)  Walters  were  united  in  marriage 
March  28,  1848,  and  to  their  union  ten  children  were  born,  of  whom  the 
following  are  living:  Mahala,  widow  of  James  H.  Willis;  John  W.t 
of  this  biography;  and  Permellia.  The  remainder  of  the  family  are  all 
deceased. 

Joel  O.  Walters  was  a  very  successful  farmer,  and  at  one  time  owned 
three  hundred  acres  of  land.  Politically  he  was  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  while  both  he  and  his  faithful  wife  were  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  The  great-grandfathers  on  both  sides  were  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  two  great  uncles  w*re  in  the  war  of  1812;  two 
second  cousins  also  served  in  trie  Mexican  .'war,  and  three  uncles  were 
in  the  Civil  war.  None;  of  this  number  who  went  forth  to  defend  their 
country  ever  received  a  tyound.  ' 

John  W.  Walters,  km* of  Joel  O.;  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm 
and  remained  at  home  until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  then  began  farming 
for  himself  in  Haddon  tcftrnship,  continuing  until  the  present  time.  In 
the  spring  of  1882  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  the  northeast 
part  of  the  township.  This  he  sold  in  the  autumn  of  1882  and  bought 
sixty-six  acres  where  he  now  lives.  To  this  he  has  added  until  he  now 
has  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres,  situated  a  half  mile  west  of  Paxton. 
Here  he  carries  on  in  a  most  successful  manner  both  grain  and  stock 
farming.  He  handles  considerable  stock,  and  ships  from  one  to  two 
carloads  each  year.  Besides  his  extensive  farm  operations,  he  is  one  of 
the  stockholders  in  the  Carlisle  Telephone  Company.  In  his  political 
belief  he  is  a  Prohibitionist,  believing  as  he  does,  that  the  liquor  business 
in  all  of  its  evil  forms,  will  never  be  controlled  or  totally  suppressed  by 
either  of  the  old  political  parties. 

April  1,  1881,  Mr.  Walters  was  married  to  Anna  Nash,  born  near 
Paxton,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  October  31,  i860,  and  educated  in  her 
native  county.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  L.  and  Sarah  (Ross)  Nash, 
both  being  natives  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  James  L. 
Nash  was  born  March  16,  1829,  and  was  one  of  the  nine  children  born 
to  Marvel  W.  and  Leah  (Love)  Nash,  who  were  counted  among  the 
pioneers  of  Sullivan  county,  and  came  in  from  the  state  of  Kentucky. 
September  16,  1854,  James  L.  Nash  married  Sarah  J.  Ross,  born  in 
Sullivan  county,  July  9,  1835.    To  this  union  four  children  were  born: 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  117 

Robert  D.,  of  Shelburn ;  John  M.,  of  Paris,  California,  where  he  is  a 
professor  in  the  high  schools ;  Leah  Ann,  Mrs.  Walters ;  Marvel,  residing 
in  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  now  telegraph  operator  and  also  owns  a  farm 
in  Haddon  township.  Sarah  J.  (Ross)  Nash  died  December  25,  1873. 
James  L.  Nash  then  married  Eliza  J.  (Summers)  Curry.  Mr.  Nash 
owned  at  one  time  about  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  and 
represented  his  county  in  the  state  legislature  in  the  session  of  1875.  He 
was  instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of  the  "Fees  and  Salaries" 
bill,  as  well  as  one  for  reducing  taxes  in  the  state.  He  was  a  county 
commissioner  for  four  years,  and  in  church  connection  was  an  elder  in 
the  Christian  church.  He  died  November  10,  1896,  and  his  widow  now 
resides  on  the  old  homestead. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walters  were  born  nine  children,  as  follows: 
Lorena,  born  December  29,  1881,  attended  the  University  at  Vincennes 
and  also  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom,  Indiana,  is  now  the  wife 
of  Carl  Gobin,  residing  in  Haddon  township;  James  Nash,  born  March 
7,  1884,  unmarried,  took  a  course  in  the  Correspondence  School  of  Scran- 
ton,  Pennsylvania,  after  which  he  went  to  Buffalo  and  engaged  with  the 
Bell  Telephone  Company,  and  is  now  superintendent  of  maintainance  of 
the  cable  at  Rochester,  New  York;  Bessie,"  born  September  20,  1885, 
unmarried,  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  now  at  home;  Joel  E., 
born  September  27,  1887,  died  May  11,  1888;  William  L.,  born  June  17, 
1889,  unmarried  and  at  home;  Melvin  E.,  bora  March  7,  1891,  unmarried 
and  attending  the  Carlisle  high  school;  Jenni?7  born  March  10,  1895; 
Marvil  W.,  born  November  12,  ,4897  ;--R;  Ros£,  born  July  25,  1899.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Walters,  together  with,  their  family,  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  elder  eleven  years,  as  well  as 
chairman  of  the  official  board. 


Salathiel  Boone. — Holding  a  position  of  prominence  among  the 
foremost  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  Salathiel  Boone,  of  Haddon 
township,  an  extensive  landholder,  a  leading  stock  raiser  and  feeder,  and 
a  keen,  wideawake  business  man.  A  native  of  Sullivan  county,  his  birth 
occurred  August  9,  1853,  in  Fairbanks  township.  When  he  was  a  year 
old  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Haddon  township,  where  he  lived 
until  six  years  of  age.  The  following  eight  years  he  lived  near  Sullivan, 
and  in  the  public  schools  of  Hamilton  township  received  his  early 
education. 

Coming,  when  a  lad  of  fourteen  years  to  Haddon  township,  Salathiel 
Boone  lived  with  James  J.  Snyder,  one  mile  north  of  Carlisle,  for  eleven 
years,  during  the  last  four  years  of  the  time  working  the  Snyder  farm 
on  shares.  In  the  fall  of  1878,  about  six  months  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Boone  bought  ninety-four  acres  of  land  lying  east  of  Carlisle,  and 
remained  here  until  the  fall  of  1880.  Selling  then  at  an  advantage,  he 
purchased  the  Crantz  farm,  lying  two  miles  east  of  Carlisle,  and  has  here 
resided  since.     Succeeding  well  in  his  undertakings,  Mr.  Boone  subse- 


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u8  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

quently  bought  fifty-five  acres  of  the  Ellis  farm,  which  adjoins  his,  and 
eighty-five  acres  of  the  McConnell  farm,  having  now  in  his  home  farm 
two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land.  In  addition 
to  his  home  estate  he  also  owns  three  other  farms,  having  title  in  all  to 
five  hundred  and  fifteen  acres.  For  many  years  Air.  Boone  has  made  a 
specialty  of  raising  fine  blooded  horses,  and  has  now  two  registered 
French  draft  mares,  and  is  part  owner  of  the  French  draft  stallion 
"Model."  He  is  an  extensive  feeder  of  stock,  feeding  from  two  to  six 
carloads  of  cattle  every  year,  and  he  also  raises  and  sells  from  one  hundred 
to  three  hundred  head  of  hogs  per  annum.  His  estate,  which  is  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  vicinity,  is,  with  its  valuable  improvements  and  equip- 
ments, a  visible  evidence  of  his  industry,  energy  and  good  judgment. 

On  April  24,  1878,  Mr.  Boone  married  Sue  Blything,  who  was  born 
in  Sullivan  county  June  25,  1853,  and  was  here  brought  up  and  educated. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boone,  namely:  James, 
born  December  26,  1880;  Jesse,  born  August  5,  1883;  Jennie,  born 
December  18,  1886 ;  and  Robert,  born  August  2,  1890.  James,  now  living 
with  his  parents  on  the  farm,  completed  his  education  at  Purdue  Univer- 
sity, and  was  associated  with  Dr.  J.  R.  Whalen  and  J.  F.  Alumbaugh  in 
the  construction  of  the  gravel  and  rock  roads  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
Mason,  belonging  to  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Jennie  is  the 
wife  of  Bert  Lisman,  of  Haddon  township. 

Mr.  Boone  is  actively  identified  with  many  of  the  more  important 
interests  of  this  locality.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Carlisle,  of  which  he  is  a  stockholder  and  a  director ; 
he  was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Carlisle  Telephone  Company,  in 
which  he  is  still  a  large  stockholder,  and  of  which  he  was  for  a  number 
of  years  the  president;  he  also  assisted  in  organizing  both  the  Carlisle 
Canning  Company,  which  was  operated  three  years,  and  the  Carlisle 
Creamery,  which  existed  about  ten  years,  and  of  which  he  was  president 
for  sometime,  and  one  of  the  directorate  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 

Politically  Mr.  Boone  is  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  since  January  1, 
1905,  has  served  as  county  commissioner.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member, 
and  worshipful  master,  of  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the 
Eastern  Star,  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  When  seventeen  years  old  he  united 
with  the  Christian  church  and  is  a  trustee  and  a  deacon  of  the  church  in 
Carlisle,  to  which  his  wife  and  children  also  belong. 


Richard  T.  Willis. — The  substantial  and  well-to-do  citizens  of 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  have  no  better  representative  than 
Richard  T.  Willis,  who  holds  high  rank  among  the  systematic,  progressive 
and  business-like  farmers  that  are  so  ably  conducting  the  extensive 
agricultural  interests  of  this  part  of  Sullivan  county.  He  is  surely  a 
native  and  to  the  manor  birth,  his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  farm 
where  he  now  resides,  July  17,  1854.     He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Edward 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  119 

Willis,  and  grandson  of  Richard  Willis,  who  emigrated  from  Kentucky 
to  Indiana  in  1832,  took  up  land  in  Haddon  township,  and  here  spent 
his  remaining  years.  He  was  a  life-long  farmer,  and  was,  also,  very, 
fond  of  hunting,  being  an  expert  marksman. 

Born  at  Crab  Orchard,  Kentucky,  January  10,  1826,  Edward  Willis 
was  but  a  child  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Haddon  township. 
Finding  farming  congenial  to  his  tastes,  he  was  successfully  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  during  his  entire  life,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1903,  being  owner  of  about  nine  hundred  acres  of 
good  land  in  Haddon  township.  He  was  a  man  of  influence  in  public 
affairs,  in  his  earlier  life  belonging  to  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  later 
years  supporting  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  at  one  time 
belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Religiously  he  was 
identified  by  membership  with  the  Christian  church.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Pamelia  Shake.  She  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  10, 
1826,  a  daughter  of  David  Shake,  who  came  to  Haddon  township  about 
the  same  time  that  Richard  Willis  did.  She  is  now  living  in  Carlisle, 
Indiana.  To  her  and  her  husband  twelve  children  were  born,  as  follows : 
John  W.,  of  Carlisle;  James,  deceased;  David,  of  Carlisle;  Richard  T., 
of  this  sketch;  L.  H.,  of  Hamilton  township;  W.  D.,  deceased;  Louisa, 
deceased ;  Fannie,  wife  of  Rush  McCammon,  of  Carlisle ;  Anna,  deceased ; 
Minnie,  deceased;  Ardimeca,  of  Carlisle;  and  George  B.,  of  Haddon 
township. 

Growing  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  Richard  T.  Willis  obtained 
his  elementary  education  in  the  district  schools  and  remained  a  member 
of  the  parental  household  until  twenty-six  years  old.  He  then  began 
farming  for  himself  in  Haddon  township,  in  the  fall  of  1888  returning  to 
the  old  homestead,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  has  dealt  quite 
extensively  in  real  estate,  especially  in  farming  property,  and  is  now 
owner  of  four  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land  in  the  township.  He  carries 
on  general  farming,  raising  both  grain  and  stock,  and  has  been  a  heavy 
cattle  feeder  and  hog  raiser,  owning  now  one  hundred  and  seventy  hogs, 
and  two  carloads  of  cattle.  He  takes  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his 
native  town  and  county,  and  is  always  ready  to  lend  his  assistance*  in 
the  establishment  of  beneficial  enterprises.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers, 
and  is  a  director,  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Carlisle,  and  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Carlisle  Telephone  Company.  In  his  political  affiliations 
he  has  been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

On  March  14,  1882,  Mr.  Willis  married  Emma  F.  Plummer,  who 
was  born  in  Marion  county,  Indiana,  March  17,  1857,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Melinda  (Boatman)  Plummer,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Ohio,  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  In  1868  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plummer 
located  in  Sullivan  county,  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willis,  namely :  Josephine, 
living  at  home;  Grover,  deceased;  Scott,  now  living  at  home,  married 
Zelma  Near,  who  died  in  April,  1908,  leaving  one  child,  Harold  Edward ; 
Clara,  Veacher,  Denver,  Okie,  Clem  and  Celia.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  T. 


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I20  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Willis  have  in  their  possession  two  of  the  old  parchment  deeds  executed 
under  the  hand  and  seal  of  President  Van  Buren,  and  dated  respectively 
August  5,  1837,  and  September  5,  1838.  These  deeds  are  valuable 
souvenirs  in  Sullivan  county. 


Bailey  McConnell. — Occupying  a  position  of  prominence  among 
the  native-born  citizens  of  Haddon  township,  noteworthy  for  their  ability, 
integrity  and  enterprise  is  Bailey  McConnell,  a  practical  and  progressive 
agriculturist,  actively  and  successfully  employed  in  general  farming.  A 
son  of  Andrew  McConnell,  he  was  born  April  9,  1840,  in  Haddon  town- 
ship, of  thrifty  Scotch  ancestry.  His  grandfather,  McConnell,  emigrated 
from  Scotland,  the  land  of  his  birth,  to  America  in  1805,  bringing  with 
him  his  family.  In  1806  he  located  in  Haddon  township,  becoming  one 
of  the  original  householders  of  this  part  of  Sullivan  county,  and  on  the 
farm  which  he  improved,  lying  about  two  miles  east  of  Carlisle,  Bailey 
McConnell,  of  this  sketch,  was  born. 

Born  in  Scotland  in  1798,  Andrew  McConnell  was  but  eight  years 
old  when  he  came  to  Indiana.  As  soon  as  old  enough  to  wield  an  axe  or 
a  hoe,  he  began  to  assist  in  the  pioneer  labor  of  clearing  and  improving 
a  homestead,  and  during  his  entire  life  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil, 
meeting  with  good  success  in  his  efforts.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  con- 
victions, earnest  in  the  support  of  principles  which  he  believed  to  be 
right,  and  while  identified  with  the  Democratic  party  before  the  Civil 
war,  was  a  Republican  after  its  close.  Andrew  McConnell  married  Nancy 
Johnson,  whose  father  was  an  early  settler  of  Haddon  township,  and  the 
land,  situated  about  three  miles  south  of  Carlisle,  that  Mr.  Johnson  took 
up  from  the  government  and  improved,  is  the  farm  upon  which  Bailey 
McConnell  has. lived  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century.  Of  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  McConnell,  nine  children  were  born,  as 
follows:  Elizabeth,  widow  of  William  Harper,  resides  in  Haddon  town- 
ship ;  John,  of  Sullivan ;  Virginia,  deceased ;  Turner,  deceased ;  Bailey,  of 
this  sketch ;  Margaret,  deceased ;  Sarah  Barthenia,  deceased ;  Laura,  wife 
of  Ellis  Greenfield,  of  Carlisle ;  and  Mary,  deceased. 

Reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  Bailey  McConnell  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools.  On  July  13,  1862,  inspired  by  true  patriotic  spirit, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Eightieth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  as  a 
private,  but  was  afterwards  promoted  to  second  lieutenant,  then  to  first 
lieutenant,  finally  being  commissioned  captain  of  his  company,  a  rank 
that  he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  saw  hard  service  while  in 
the  army,  his  company,  which  numbered  one  hundred  sound  men  at  the 
time  of  enlistment,  being  reduced  to  twenty-four  when  mustered  out  of 
service  in  1865,  on  June  28.  Mr.  McConnell  took  part  in  many  of  the 
important  engagements  of  the  conflict,  among  them  being  those  at  Perry- 
ville,  Resaca,  Knoxville,  Atlanta,  Franklin,  Nashville,  and  at  Fort  Ander- 
son, North  Carolina.  Returning  home  after  receiving  his  discharge,  June 
24,  1865,  Mr.  McConnell  resumed  farming,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  his 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  121 

independent  calling  has  been  exceedingly  prosperous,  now  owning 
between  four  hundred  and  six  hundred  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land. 
Since  1873  he  has  resided  on  his  present  homestead,  which  was  bought 
from  the  government  by  his  Grandfather  Johnson.  Many  valuable 
improvements  have  been  made  on  the  place  by  Mr.  McConnell,  including 
the  erection  of  his  handsome  residence,  a  brick  structure,  which  stands 
back  a  few  rods  from  the  street,  on  one  of  the  finest  building  spots 
imaginable.  He  carries  on  general  farming,  and  buys  and  feeds  con- 
siderable stock  each  year,  finding  stockraising  a  profitable  industry.  He 
owns  stock  in  the  Peoples  State  Bank  of  Carlisle,  a  prosperous  institution. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  social  circles  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Geo.  Rotranund  Post,  No.  445,  at  Carlisle. 

On  September  29,  1870,  Mr.  McConnell  married  Jennie  O.  McDowell, 
who  was  born  April  29,  1852,  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.  James  McDowell.  Dr.  McDowell  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  19,  1820,  a  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (McCarthy) 
McDowell,  and  there  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  James  Martin. 
Fitted  for  a  professional  career,  he  located  as  a  physician  at  Moore's 
Salt  Works,  on  Big  Yellow  creek,  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  from  1842  until  1854.  The  following  seven  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Moore's  Salt  Works,  and  was  there  a  few  years. 
Coming  from  there  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1865,  Dr.  McDowell 
located  in  Jefferson  township,  and  was  successfully  engaged  in  his  pro- 
fessional calling  at  Pleasantville  until  his  death,  October  6,  1892.  He 
married  Carolina  Erwin,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  children, 
namely:  Hon.  M.  M.  McDowell,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician  at  Vin- 
cennes,  Indiana,  now  serving  as  state  senator ;  James  McDowell,  M.  D., 
of  Bruceville ;  L.  C.  McDowell,  M.  D.,  of  Freelandsville ;  Jennie  O.,  wife 
of  Mr.  McConnell;  and  Catherine,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McConnell 
have  one  child,  James  McConnell,  a  lumber  and  grain  dealer  in  Carlisle, 
of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mrs. 
McConnell  is  a  woman  of  culture  and  talent,  having  received  her  educa-  ' 
tion  at  Farmersburg  College  under  the  instruction  of  Professor  Craw- 
ford. Both  Mr.  and  M*rs.  McConnell  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  are  among  its  most  faithful  and  active  workers. 


George  Washington  Watson. — Trained  to  habits  of  industry  and 
honesty,  and  familiar  with  farming  pursuits  from  boyhood,  George  W. 
Watson,  of  Haddon  township,  is  numbered  among  the  substantial  and 
prosperous  agriculturists  of  this  part  of  Sullivan  county,  being  the  owner 
of  one  of  the  best  improved  and  best  managed  farms  in  this  vicinity.  A 
native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born,  September  4,  1842,  in  Martin  county,  a 
son  of  Singleton  Wilson  Watson. 

A  lifelong  resident  of  Indiana,  Singleton  W.  Watson  was  born  August 
11,  1809,  and  died  August  22,  1876,  in  Knox  county.    Choosing  agricul- 


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122  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

ture  as  his  means  of  making  a  livelihood,  he  began  his  career  as  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  in  Martin  county,  from  whence  he  came  to  Sullivan 
county  during  the  fifties,  settling  in  Haddon  township;  where  he  was 
employed  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his  retirement  from  active  labor,  his 
last  years  being  spent  with  his  children.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Hannah  Albright,  was  born  in  Indiana,  June  29,  1813,  and  died  in 
Sullivan  county,  March  4,  1864.  Her  father,  John  Henry  Albright,  a  life- 
long farmer,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  Martin  county,  Indi- 
ana. Thirteen  children  were  born  of  the  union  of  S.  W.  and  Hannah 
(Albright)  Watson,  as  follows:  John  H.,  deceased,  was  born  July  13, 
1833;  Sarah  Ann,  deceased,  was  born  July  12,  1834;  Elizabeth,  born 
October  13,  1837,  died  March  13,  1883;  Joseph  R.,  born  February  7, 
1840,  resides  in  Knox  county;  George  W.,  of  this  sketch;  James- R., 
residing  in  Knox  county,  was  born  November  19,  1844 ;  Thomas  R.,  born 
November  19,  1846,  is  a  resident  of  Oaktown,  Indiana;  Weston  R.,  born 
November  22,  1848,  died  June  26,  1873 ;  Benjamin  F.,  born  February  27, 
1851,  died  April  6,  1879;  Singleton  W.,  of  Huntington  county,  Indiana, 
was  born  February  28,  1853  \  Mary  H.,  born  April  19,  1855,  died  January 
4,  1879;  Willis  W.,  born  October  11,  1857,  resides  in  Huntington  county, 
Indiana;  and  a  child  that  died  in  infancy. 

Leaving  home  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  George  W.  Watson  worked 
by  the  month  on  the  farm  of  Samuel  Johnson,  afterwards  being  similarly 
employed  for  a  year  in  Knox  county.  On  July  6,  186 1,  responding  to  the 
call  for  troops,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twenty-first  Indiana  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  served  as  a  private  until  honorably  discharged,  at  New 
Orleans,  July  31,  1864.  He  took  part  in  many  engagements,  including 
those  at  Baton  Rouge,  Donaldsonville,  St.  Charles,  Bisland,  and  at  Port 
Hudson,  where  the  siege  lasted  forty-five  days,  and  during  the  entire 
period  of  his  enlistment,  although  often  under  fire,  was  fortunate  enough 
to  escape  without  a  wound.  He  now  receives  a  pension  for  his  services  to 
his  country  in  her  time  of  need.  On  returning  to  his  home,  Mr.  Watson 
began  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Haddon  township,  and  in  his  free 
a>nd  independent  vocation  has  met  with  well  merited  success.  He  has 
accumulated  a  good  property,  and  in  addition  to  the  home  estate  owns  a 
farm  of  forty  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  and  supervises  its  management. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics,  influential  in  local  affairs,  and  for 
several  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  precinct  committee. 
Socially,  he  belongs  to  Carlisle  Post,  No.  445,  G.  A.  R. 

On  June  26,  1870,  Mr.  Watson  married  Helen  C.  Berry,  who  was 
born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana.  July  19,  1850.  Her  father,  William  A. 
Berry,  was  born,  October  5,  1800,  in  Shenandoah  county,  Virginia,  and 
died  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  October  18,  1861.  When  about  fourteen 
years  of  age,  he  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  followed  his  trades  of  a 
blacksmith  and  carpenter  for  a  number  of  years.  Coming  to  Knox  county, 
Indiana,  in  1840,  he  improved  a  farm,  and  also  worked  at  his  trades,  con- 
tinuing residence  there  until  his  death.  He  married  Lucinda  Million,  who 
was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  April  11,  1805,  and  died  January 
28,  1867,  in  Indiana.    Both  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church.    Twelve 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  123 

children  were  born  of  their  union,  namely:  Lydia  K.,  born  March  17, 
1828,  died  July  23,  1885 ;  Daniel  T.,  born  July  27,  1829,  died  April  8, 
1908;  John  M.,  born  November  8,  1830,  resides  in  Greene  county,  Indiana; 
William  A.,  of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  was  born  August  19,  1832 ;  Amanda 
E.,  born  July  14,  1834,  resides  in  Knox  county;  Susan  A.,  residing  in 
Jefferson  township,  born  April  16,  1836,  is  the  wife  of  Alexander  Rob- 
bins;  James  L.,  born  October  30,  1837,  is  a  resident  of  Indianapolis; 
Angeline,  widow  of  the  late  John  Miller,  of  Carlisle,  was  born  November 
1,  1839;  Sarah  E.,  born  January  21,  1848,  died  September  12,  1901 ; 
Helen  C,  wife  of  Mr.  Watson;  and  two  children  that  died  in  infancy. 

Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson,  namely :  Nora 
Ollie,  born  September  24,  1871,  died  April  4,  1879;  Jennie  M.,  born  Jan- 
uary 29,  1875,  was  educated  in  the  Carlisle  schools  and  at  the  State  Normal 
College  in  Terre  Haute,  and  taught  school  three  terms  in  Haddon  town- 
ship and  one  term  in  Pearson  township ;  Otto  Dare,  born  October  4,  1877, 
died  March  17,  1879;  and  Carl  A.,  born  January  12,  1880,  now  a  photog- 
rapher in  Terre  Haute,  married  Nora  Shake,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Dwight  C,  and  one  daughter,  Mildred  Florence,  who  died  when  two 
months  old.  Religiously,  Mr.  Watson  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  while  his  wife  and  daughters  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


James  H.  Padgett. — Prosperously  engaged  in  the  calling  upon  which 
our  nation's  wealth  and  strength  so  largely  depends,  James  H.  Padgett, 
of  Haddon  township,  holds  an  assured  position  among  the  systematic 
and  skilful  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county.  The  descendant  of  a  pio- 
neer family  of  prominence,  he  was  born,  January  3,  1848,  in  this  town- 
ship, a  son  of  the  late  Theophilus  Padgett.  His  grandfather  Padgett 
was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Haddon  township,  coming  here'  in  the 
very  early  period  of  its  settlement,  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  there  being 
but  two  nouses  between  Carlisle  and  Pleasantville. 

Born  in  Kentucky,  Theophilus  Padgett  was  but  six  years  old  when 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Sullivan  county.  Brought  up  on  a  farm,  he 
continued  in  the  occupation  to  which  he  was  reared,  and  on  reaching 
man's  estate  entered  government  land  in  Haddon  township,  and  at  once 
began  the  pioneer  work  of  clearing  and  improving  a  homestead.  During 
the  fall  and  winter  seasons,  he  kept  four  horses  busily  employed  by  doing 
nearly  all  of  the  teaming  for  the  Carlisle  merchants,  taking  produce  for 
them  to  Evansville,  and  bringing  back  large  loads  of  general  merchandise. 
As  a  farmer,  he  was  very  successful,  at  one  time  being  owner  of  about 
three  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member,  with  his  wife,  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Susie  Hinkle,  died  in  early  womanhood,  leaving  two  children,  namely : 
William,  of  Pleasantville,  and  Sareldia,  deceased.  He  married  for  his 
second  wife  Permelia  Bodwell,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township, 
Indiana,  and  died  in  Haddon  township.     She  bore  him  four  children,  as 


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124  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

follows:  Martha  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Lisman,  of  Haddon  town- 
ship; Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  James  Spender,  of  Jefferson  township;  James 
H. ;  and  Cassius  G.,  of  Haddon  township.  • 

A  farmer  by  birth,  breeding  and  inheritance,  James  H.  Padgett  is 
now  living  on  a  part  of  the  land  which  his  father  took  up  from  the  gov- 
ernment, and  in  the  raising  of  grain  and  stock  has  been  exceptionally 
fortunate,  his  labors  as  an  agriculturist  meeting  with  substantial  rewards. 

Mr.  Padgett  married,  in  1861,  Martha  Yates,  who  was  born  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  Kentucky,  December  25,  1848,  a  daughter  of  William  and 

(Shake)  Yates,  who  were  lifelong  residents  of  Kentucky.     After 

the  death  of  her  parents,  she  came  with  her  uncle,  James  Shake,  to  Had- 
don township,  being  then  sixteen  years  of  age.  Five  children  have  been 
born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Padgett,  namely:  Mary  and  William 
died  in  infancy;  Theodosia;  Everett  E. ;  and  Delia  Grace.  Theodosia, 
born  in  December,  1878,  has  been  twice  married.  She  married,  first,  Don 
Pane,  who  died  a  short  time  later,  leaving  one  child,  Floy,  who  lives  with 
her  mother  and  grandparents ;  and,  second,  Rev.  A.  L.  Tidric,  a  Baptist 
minister,  now  located  at  Oolitic,  Indiana,  and  they  have  one  son,  Lawrence. 
Everett  E.,  born  in  November,  .1880,  was  graduated  from  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Terre  Haute,  after  which  he  took  a  course  of  study  at  the  North- 
western University,  in  Chicago,  later  being  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  from  the  Rush  Medical  College,  in  Chicago.  Since  1905,  Dr.  E.  E. 
Padgett  has  been  located  in  Indianapolis,  where  he  has  built  up  a  fine 
practice  as  a  physician  and  surgeon.  He  married  Theresa  Bow,  of 
Pleasantville.  Delia  Grace,  born  in  1882,  married  Lee  Douthitt,  of  Wag- 
ner township,  Knox  county,  and  has  one  child,  Catherine,  living,  and  has 
lost  one  child.  Mrs.  Tidric,  Mr.  Padgett's  oldest  daughter,  began  teaching 
school  when  but  sixteen  years  old,  and  for  seven  years  was  a  most  success- 
ful and  popular  teacher  in  the  common  schools  of  Sullivan  county.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Padgett  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist;  fraternally,  he  belongs  to 
Ben  Hur  Lodge,  of  Carlisle,  and  religiously,  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


James  Wiiipps. — A  practical  and  skilful  farmer,  James  Whipps,  of 
Haddon  township,  is  an  able  representative  of  the  horticultural  and  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Sullivan  county.  His  highly  improved  farm,  lying 
south  of  Carlisle,  contains  the  site  of  old  Fort  Haddon,  the  fort  itself 
having  been  located  very  near  the  house  in  which  Mr.  Whipps  lives.  A 
son  of  Reuben  Whipps,  he  was  born,  October  9,  1853,  m  Perry  county, 
Ohio,  of  Irish  ancestry.  His  grandfather  Whipps  emigrated  from  Ireland 
to  this  country,  bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  children,  locating  in  Perry 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his  death. 

Born  in  Ireland,  in  September,  1812,  Reuben  Whipps  came  with  the 
family  to  the  United  States,  assisted  his  father  in  establishing  a  home  in 
Perry  county,  Ohio,  and  there  resided  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  life. 
Coming  from  there  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  he  located  in  Haddon 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  125 

township  on  April  7,  1857.  Buying  land  just  east  of  Carlisle,  he  improved 
a  good  homestead,  and  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  met  with  signal  success,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  February  6,  1886,  being  owner  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  valuable  land.  He  was  a  Jack- 
sonian  Democrat  in  politics,  and  an  earnest  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
his  party.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  Welch.  She  was 
born  in  Ireland,  January  10,  1822,  a  daughter  of  George  Welch,  who  came 
to  this  country  with  his  family,  and  settled  in  Ohio,  living  first  in  Harrison 
county,  but  spending  the  later  years  of  his  life  in  Perry  county.  Six  chil- 
dren were  born  of  their  union,  namely :  William  and  George  residing  in 
California;  John,  a  farmer;  Thomas,  deceased;  James,  of  this  sketch; 
and  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Dudley  Willis,  of  California. 

Brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  James  Whipps  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  which  he  attended  in  the  long  winter  terms, 
laboring  on  the  farm  during  seed  time  and  harvest.  He  remained  beneath 
the  parental  roof  until  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  but  which  was  then  owned  by  his  father. 
Continuing  the  improvements  already  begun  on  the  place,  Mr.  Whipps  has 
now  a  valuable  farm  of  ninety-two  acres,  its  land  being  highly  cultivated, 
and  one  of  the  most  productive  in  the  vicinity.  Here  he  is  raising  both 
grain  and  stock,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  made  a  specialty  of  rais- 
ing potatoes  and  strawberries  for  the  home  market,  doing  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  business  in  this  branch  of  industry.  He  raises  fine  varieties 
of  strawberries,  having  the  Warfield,  Haviland,  Sample,  Excelsior,  and 
Senator  Dunlap,  all  of  which  are  especially  fine,  being  pleasing  to  the  eye 
and  of  particularly  rich  flavor. 

On  October  9,  1883,  Mr.  Whipps  married  Margaret  McClure,  who 
was  born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  August  6,  1858,  and  was  there  edu- 
cated. After  completing  a  course  at  the  Bruceville  Normal  School,  she 
taught  four  years  in  Knox  county,  being  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  Oaktown  for  a  year.  Her  parents,  Hiram  and  Rosella  (Wilson) 
McClure,  spent  their  lives  in  Knox  county,  being  farmers.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whipps,  namely :  Chellis  O.,  born  Jan- 
uary 19,  1885,  was  graduated  from  the  Carlisle  high  school  with  the  class 
of  1905,  and  is  now  assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm ;  and  Clara  E., 
born  March  17,  1888,  was  graduated  from  the  Carlisle  high  school  with 
the  class  of  1906.  True  to  the  political  faith  in  which  he  was  reared,  Mr. 
Whipps  is  an  uncompromising  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
belonging  to  the  Carlisle  lodges  of  both  organizations.  He  and  his  wife 
and  their  son  and  daughter  are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 


John  A.  Hoke. — Numbered  among  the  practical  and  progressive 
agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  John  A.  Hoke,  who  is  successfully 
employed  in  his  chosen  occupation  on  the  old  Hoke  homestead,  which 
lies  three  miles  south  of  Carlisle.    He  was  born  on  the  homestead  where 


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126  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

he  has  spent  his  entire  life,  May  6,  1842,  being  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rosanna 
(Brentlinger)  Hoke,  and  a  brother  of  William  F.  Hoke,  in  whose  sketch, 
on  another  page  of  this  work,  further  parental  history  may  be  found. 

Assisting  in  the  clearing  and  improving  of  the  home  farm,  Mr.  Hoke 
remained  with  his  parents  as  long  as  they  lived,  and  subsequently  suc- 
ceeded to  the  ownership  of  the  original  tract  of  land  that  his  father  took 
up  from  the  government,  and  the  title  to  which  has  never  been  changed 
He  has  now  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  acres  of  rich  and  arable  land, 
and  also  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the  same  township,  which  is 
well  improved  and  judiciously  cultivated,  constituting  one  of  the  model 
farms  of  the  vicinity.  He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  the  black  Poll-Angus  cattle.  He  feeds  each  year 
about  a  half  carload  of  cattle,  from  one  to  two  carloads  of  Poland  China 
hogs,  and  raises  Shropshire  sheep.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Carlisle,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations. 

Mr.  Hoke  married,  January  3,  1875,  Elizabeth  Brentlinger,  who  was 
born,  March  12,  1849,  m  Clark  county,  Indiana.  Her  parents,  Joseph  and 
Camellia  (Wells)  Brentlinger,  were  born  and  reared  in  Kentucky,  but 
shortly  after  their  marriage  settled  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  where  they 
improved  a  farm,  on  which  they  spent  their  remaining  years.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoke,  namely :  Estella, 
born  in  July,  1878,  married  Austin  Wortman,  who  lives  on  a  part  of  Mr. 
Hoke's  farm,  and  they  have  one  child,  Helen;  Evelyn,  born  December 
24,  1880,  married  Ivan  Lisman,  and  they  live  just  across  the  street  from 
Mr.  Hoke;  Albert  and  Allie,  twins,  born  in  December,  1882,  are  unmar- 
ried, and  live  with  their  parents ;  and  Camellia,  born  in  July,  1887,  lives 
at  home.    Mr.  Hoke's  daughters  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Mrs.  Mary  Louise  (Collins)  Brentlinger. — A  highly  esteemed 
woman  of  Haddon  township,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Brentlinger  has  spent  her 
entire  life  in  Sullivan  county.  She  was  born  two  and  one-half  miles  south 
of  Carlisle,  October  6,  1839,  a  daughter  of  William  S.  Collins.  Coming 
from  Scotch  descent  on  the  paternal  side,  and  from  English  stock  on  his 
mother's  side,  William  S.  Collins,  was  born,  May  30,  1798,  in  Sumner 
county,  Maryland.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  being  of  an  active  and 
enterprising  disposition,  and  possessing  a  resolute  will  and  an  honorable 
ambition  to  better  his  material  condition,  he  left  home,  determining  in  a 
newer  country  to  seek  a  living.  Going,  therefore,  to  Gallatin  county, 
Kentucky,  he  lived  there  a  short  time,  and  then  located,  in  1818,  in  Louis- 
ville, where  he  resided  until  after  his  marriage.  Coming  with  his  bride 
to  Sullivan  county  in  1837,  ne  located  in  Haddon  township,  and  was  here 
a  resident  until  his  death,  July  6,  1886.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Mary  Hoke,  was  born,  in  1797,  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  and 
died,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows :  Sarah,  deceased ;  James  O.,  of 
Haddon  township;   the  next  two  children  died  in  infancy;  Julia  Cather- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  127 

ine,  living  with  her  brother  Edward;  Mercer  D.,  deceased;  Edward, 
residing  in  Jefferson  .township ;  Alfred  B.,  deceased ;  and  Mary  Louise, 
of  this  brief  sketch. 

On  January  28,  1863,  Mary  L.  Collins  became  the  wife  of  Andrew 
J.  Brentlinger,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  October  27, 
1827,  and  died  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  February  6, 
1905.  His  father,  Jacob  Brentlinger,  was  born,  July  4,  1793,  in  Jefferson 
county,  Kentucky,  and  there  spent  the  earlier  portion  of  his  life.  In  1836 
he  followed  the  trail  of  the  emigrant  to  Indiana,  locating  in  Clark  county, 
where  he  passed  his  remaining  years,  dying  February  19,  1874.  On  Jan- 
uary 5,  1826,  he  married  Sarah  Hoke,  who  was  born,  March  12,  1804,  in 
Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  and  died,  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  July  12, 
1884.  Of  tneir  union,  thirteen  children  were  born,  namely:  Robert  H., 
deceased ;  Andrew  J.,  deceased ;  Susan  C,  deceased ;  Charles  M. ;  Mary 
F.,  widow  of  the  late  William  McMillan,  residing  in  Clark  county,  Indi- 
ana ;  Rosanna,  widow  of  the  late  Mr.  Barrickman,  lives  in  Charlestown, 
Indiana;  Matilda,  deceased;  Sarah  A.,  deceased;  Amanda,  widow  of 
the  late  James  Beggs,  resides  in  Areola,  Illinois;  George  W.,  deceased; 
Jacob  A.,  living  in  Kentucky;  Eva  Elizabeth,  deceased;  and  John  W., 
living  in  Kansas. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  where  his  birth 
occurred,  Andrew  J.  Brentlinger  received  a  common  school  education,  and 
early  in  life  became  well  acquainted  with  the  various  branches  of  agricul- 
ture. With  his  parents  he  came  to  Clark  county,  Indiana,  in  1836,  and  was 
there  a  resident  for  a  number  of  years.  In  Mlardij  i860,  he  bought  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Hadcloti  township,  arid  with  characteristic  indus- 
try and  ability,  began  its  improvement.  He  succeeded  in  his  efforts,  and 
for  many  years  was  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  this  part  of  the 
county.  He  raised  grain  to  quite  an  extent,  but  was  especially  interested 
in  stock  farming,  each  year  feeding  and  raising  on  an  average  a  carload 
of  hogs,  chiefly  Poland-Chinas,  which  were  his  favorite  breed.  Just  a 
short  time  previous  to  his  death,  Mr.  Brentlinger  sold  one-half  of  his 
farm,  his  widow  and  heirs  now  owning  the  remainder  of  the  estate.  He 
'  was  a  straightforward  Democrat  in  politics ;  fraternally,  he  belonged  to 
Carlisle  Lodge  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  early  life  Mr.  Brentlinger  united  with 
1  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  Charlestown,  Indiana,  but  after  coming 
to  Haddon  township  became  a  member  of  the  Carlisle  Presbyterian  church, 
to  which  Mrs.  Brentlinger  belongs. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brentlinger  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
Agnes  A.,  born  November  11,  1863,  died  October  15,  1869;  Emmett  P., 
born  January  20,  1865,  lives  in  Carlisle;  Kate  C,  born  November  20, 
1866,  died  April  30,  1902;  William  J.,  born  June  30,  1869,  resides  in 
Carlisle;  Charles  T.,  born  September  19,  1873,  died  APril  25»  l874  5  and 
Rush  E.,  born  January  7,  1878,  lives  with  his  mother  on  the  old  home- 
stead, which  he  is  managing  most  successfully.  On  March  8,  1899,  Rush 
E.  Brentlinger  married  Sallie  D.  Vigus,  who  was  born  in  Knox  county, 
Indiana,  March  22,  1877,  a  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Barbara  (Norton) 
Vigus.    Mr.  Vigus  was  born  in  Martin  county,  Indiana,  and  Mrs.  Vigus 

Vol.  II— 9 


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128  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

in  Sullivan  county.  They  are  now  living  in  Merom,  Sullivan  county.  On 
September  4,  1907,  Mrs.  Rush  E.  Brentlinger  died,  leaving  one  child, 
Hubert  V.,  born  September  15,  1900. 


Pleasant  Alexander  Minich. — Of  honored  pioneer  descent,  and 
for  many  years  a  leading  agriculturist  of  Sullivan  county,  Pleasant  A. 
Minich  has  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very  oldest  native-born  citi- 
zens of  Haddon  township,  his  birth  having  occurred  here,  about  three  miles 
south  of  Carlisle,  June  6,  1822,  on  the  farm  which  his  father,  Adam 
Minich,  entered  from  the  government.  Of  German  descent,  Adam  Minich 
was  born,  in  1791,  in  Virginia.  During  a  part  of  his  early  life  he  resided 
in  Tennessee,  living  there  until  after  his  marriage.  Coming  to  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  in  1819,  he  located  in  Haddon  township,  buying  a  tract 
of  wild  land  from  the  government.  He  began  the  clearing  of  a  farm,  and 
also  worked  at  his  trade  of  a  saddlemaker,  living  here  until  his  death,  in 
1826,  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  was  a  Jacksonian  Democrat,  and 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  O'Haver,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  May  16,  1799.  She  bore  him 
five  children,  as  follows :  Two  who  died  in  infancy ;  Pleasant  Alexander, 
of  this  sketch ;  Mary,  deceased ;  and  Sarah,  deceased.  His  widow  subse- 
quently married  for  her  second  husband  Richard  Whalen,  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Joseph  Whalen,  of  Carlisle,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  is  given  elsewhere 
in  this  work,  and  they  reared  several  children. 

Succeeding  to  the  free  and  independent  occupation  to  which  he  was 
reared,  P.  A.  Minich  has  resided  on  his  present  homestead  since  June, 
1856,  and  during  the  fifty  and  more  years  that  have  since  passed  has  con- 
tributed his  full  share  towards  advancing  the  agricultural  and  industrial 
interests  of  the  community.  As  a  farmer,  he  has  had  excellent  success, 
his  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  being  in  a  fine  condition.  Since 
1 88 1  he  has  not  performed  any  of  the  actual  labor  devolving  upon  an  agri- 
culturist, having  relegated  the  management  of  his  farm  to  his  son  Will- 
iam, but  has  lived  in  ease  and  comfort,  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  earlier 
years  of  persistent  toil.  True  to  the  political  faith  in  which  he  was  brought 
up,  he  is  a  straightforward  Democrat. 

On  April  24,  1856,  Mr.  Minich  married  Sarah  Corbin,  who  was 
born,  January  25,  1832,  in  Haddon  township,  on  the  same  farm  that  he 
was.  Her  father,  Vincent  Corbin,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1799,  and 
died  in  Haddon  township,  on  the  farm  which  he  bought  from  the  govern- 
ment in  1829,  his  death  occurring  February  20,  1871.  He  married,  in 
Kentucky,  Julia  Spencer,  who  was  born  in  that  state,  in  1805,  and  died 
in  Haddon  township,  Indiana,  in  January,  189 1.  Three  children  were 
born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minich,  namely:  A.  V.,  of  Sullivan, 
of  whom  a  sketch  may  be  found  in  this  biographical  work;  William 
Franklin,  born  August  22,  1859;  and  Charles  Theodore,  born  October 
21,  i860,  who  died  July  14,  1861. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  129 

William  Franklin  Minich  has  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  parental 
homestead,  at  first  carrying  it  on  with  his  father.  The  past  twenty-five 
or  thirty  years,  however,  he  has  had  entire  control  of  the  estate,  and  has 
carried  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising  with  great  success.  He  finds 
hog  raising  and  feeding  especially  profitable,  raising  from  one  to  five  car- 
loads each  year.  He  is  now  paying  considerable  attention  to  the  breeding 
of  cattle,  formerly  the  black  Poll-Angus.  Politically,  Mr.  Minich  is  a 
Democrat,  and  fraternally,  he  belongs  to  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America ;  and  to  the  Ben  Hur  Lodge 
of  Carlisle. 

On  May  6,  1891,  Mr.  Minich  married  Sarah  C.  Risinger,  who  was 
born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  September  21,  1862,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Martha  (Snapp)  Risinger,  of  whom  further  history  is  given  in  con- 
nection with  the  sketch  of  Thomas  S.  Risinger.  Mrs.  William  F.  Minich 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Bethlehem.  They  have 
no  children. 


Ivin  Sylvester  Lis  man. — Conspicuous  among  the  wide-awake,  prc*- 
gressive  business  men  of  Haddon  township  is  Ivin  S.  Lisman,  who  is 
actively  identified  with  many  of  the  more  substantial  enterprises  of  this 
part  of  Sullivan  county,  and  holds  an  assured  position  among  the  thriving 
agriculturists  of  his  community.  A  son  of  William  F.  and  Martha  Eliza- 
beth (Padgett)  Lisman,  he  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  November  22, 
1874,  and  was  here  bred  and  educated. 

Acquiring  under  his  father's  tuition  a  practical  knowledge  of  the 
many  branches  of  agriculture,  Mr.  Lisman  remained  on  the  parental  home- 
stead until  twenty-eight  years  old,  in  the  meantime  earning  and  saving 
money.  Beginning  farming  on  his  own  account  in  1902,  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one  and  one-half  acres  of  land,  three  miles  south  of 
Carlisle,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  took  possession  of  it.  Here  he  has 
since  devoted  his  energies  and  time  to  grain  and  stock  farming,  each  year 
raising  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  carloads  of  hogs,  mostly  Poland 
Chinas,  for  which  he  finds  a  ready  market  at  top  prices.  In  his  agricul- 
tural labors,  Mr.  Lisman  has  been  almost  invariably  fortunate,  meeting 
with  far  more  success  than  discouragement.  He  possesses  recognized 
financial  ability,  and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Carlisle  Coach  Horse 
Company;  a  stockholder  in  the  coach  horse  "Ozar,"  which  is  kept  in 
Carlisle ;  and  owns  stock  in  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Carlisle.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Camp  No.  3332,  and  also  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

On  November  26,  1902,  Mr.  Lisman  married  Mary  Evelyn  Hoke, 
who  was  born  December  24,  1879,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Brentlinger)  Hoke,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lisman  have  no  children.  They  are 
both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Bethlehem,  in  Haddon 
township.    Mrs.  Lisman  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekah  Lodge  at  Carlisle. 


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130  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Michael  Unger. — A  man  of  enterprise  and  ability,  Michael  Unger 
is  intimately  identified  with  the  agricultural  interests  of  Sullivan  county, 
his  farm  being  pleasantly  located  in  Haddon  township,  near  Bethlehem.  A 
son  of  Michael  Unger,  Sr.,  he  was  born,  October  5,  1834,  in  Canada,  not 
far  from  Buffalo,  New  York.  Michael  Unger,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Alsace, 
France,  spent  a  number  of  years  in  Canada,  but  in  1837  returned  with 
his  family  to  his  native  country,  and  subsequently  lived  in  Alsace  until 
his  death.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Raches,  was 
born  in  France,  lived  in  Canada,  and  went  back  to  France  with  her  hus- 
band, living  there  a  number  of  years  after  his  death,  then  returning  to 
America  and  spending  her  last  days  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

But  three  years  old  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  France, 
Michael  Unger  was  there  bred  and  educated,  attending  school  in  France 
for  fourteen  years,  being  a  pupil  in  both  French  and  German  schools, 
and  being  now  able  to  converse  fluently  in  the  French,  German  and  Eng- 
lish languages,  an  accomplishment  of  decided  value  to  a  business  man. 
Returning  to  America  in  185 1,  Mr.  Unger  was  for  five  years  employed  in 
a  whalebone  factory  in  New  Jersey.  The  following  five  years  he  resided 
in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  near  Racine,  and  there  had  his  first 
experience  as  an  agriculturist.  Going  then  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  he  worked 
for  a  year  at  the  stone  mason's  trade,  after  which  he  spent  another  year 
in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin.  Going  then  to  Indianapolis  to  meet  his 
mother,  who  had  just  returned  from  France,  he  was  there  employed  as 
a  firing  engineer  in  the  railroad  shops  for  ten  years.  Desiring  a  change 
of  occupation,  Mr.  Unger  farmed  for  a  year  in  Knox  county,  Indiana, 
and  then  worked  for  another  eighteen  months  in  the  Indianapolis  car 
shops.  Taking  up  his  residence  in  Sullivan  county  in  1878,  Mr.  Unger 
bought  his  present  farm  of  eighty-two  and  one-half  acres,  in  Haddon 
township,  and  has  since  been  here  industriously  and  prosperously  em- 
ployed in  agricultural  pursuits,  his  farm  lying  about  four  miles  south  of 
Carlisle.  He  carries  on  general  farming,  including  both  stock  and  grain 
raising,  and  is  meeting  with  deserved  success,  his  well  tilled  fields  yielding 
abundant  harvests  each  year. 

On  December  17,  1861,  Mr.  Unger  married  Carrie  Deiss,  who  was 
born,  November  12,  1843,  *n  Germany,  a  daughter  of  John  Frederick 
and  Wilhelmina  (Heifner)  Deiss.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deiss  came  to  the 
United  States  with  their  family  in  1851,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
lived  in  Ohio,  being  in  Georgetown  until  1853,  and  in  Salem  from  that 
time  until  1859.  Coming  then  to  Indiana,  they  resided  in  Noble  county, 
near  Kendallville,  for  fifteen  years,  after  which  they  spent  a  year  in 
Indianapolis.  They  then  came  to  Haddon  township,  where  they  bought 
a  farm,  on  which  both  spent  their  remaining  years.  Eleven  children 
have  been  born  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Unger,  namely :  William, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Elizabeth,  born  August  1,  1864,  married  William 
Pruesner,  of  Haddon  township,  and  died  November  27,  1904,  leaving  one 
child,  Wilhelmina;  Minnie,  born  October  17,  1866,  married  Rollie  Col- 
lins, and  died  November  12,   1900;    George  Henry,  born  January  28, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  131 

1869,  resides  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's;  Edgar,  born  December  1, 
1871,  married  Flora  Roach,  and  lives  in  Knox  county;  Emma,  born 
January  9,  1875,  married,  August  23,  1908,  Mordecai  Cox,  a  teacher  in 
Vincennes;  Delia,  deceased;  Carrie,  born  July  14,  1878,  lives  with  her 
parents;  Nellie,  deceased;  Lillian,  born  September  7,  1882;  and  Harry, 
who  was  born  October  31,  1886,  died  in  1891.  Politically,  Mr.  Unger  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  religiously,  he  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Bethlehem,  which  is 
near  their  home. 


George  Henry  Unger. — Holding  an  excellent  position  among  the 
practical  and  thriving  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  George  Henry 
Unger,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Caroline  (Deiss)  Unger,  of  whom  a  brief 
personal  history  is  given  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Born,  January 
2,  1869,  on  a  farm  lying  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Haddon  township, 
George  H.  Unger  was  about  a  year  old  when" his  parents  removed  to 
Indianapolis,  where  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his  education.  Return- 
ing with  the  family  to  this  part  of  Sullivan  county  in  1878,  he  here  com- 
pleted his  early  education  in  the  district  schools,  and  until  attaining  his 
majority  remained  with  his  parents.  Going  then  to  Knox  county,  he 
worked  by  the  month  for  two  years,  after  which  he  assisted  his  father  on 
the  home  farm  for  four  years.  Beginning  then  his  career  as  an  agri- 
culturist on  his  own  account,  Mr.  Unger  bought  the  old  Walston  farm 
of  ninety-six  acres  in  Knox  county,  where  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
his  chosen  occupation  for  seven  years.  Deciding  to  make  a  change,  he 
then  sold  out,  and  for  a  year  resided  in  Indianapolis.  Returning  to  the 
scenes  of  his  childhood,  he  subsequently  purchased  the  George  McCor- 
mick  homestead,  which  adjoins  his  father's  farm,  buying  it  in  March, 
1903,  and  assuming  its  possession  in  September  of  that  year.  It  contains 
sixty-six  and  two-thirds  acres,  a  large  part  of  which  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation,  and  here  he  is  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  with  most  satisfactory  results. 

On  September  10,  1896,  Mr.  Unger  married  Cora  Keith,  who  was 
born,  November  14,  1873,  on  tne  south  line  of  Sullivan  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Marion  and  Elizabeth  (Curry)  Keith,  the  father  born  in  Knox 
county,  and  the  mother  in  Dubois  county,  Indiana,  and  they  died  in  Sulli- 
van county.  Mrs.  Unger  was  educated  in  the  Bicknell  high  school,  and 
subsequently  remained  at  home  until  her  marriage,  receiving  from  her 
mother  a  good  training  in  the  domestic  arts.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Unger  have 
no  children  of  their  own,  but  in  1907  they  adopted  a  daughter,  Doris 
Unger,  who  is  now  four  years  of  age,  and  is  a  bright  and  interesting 
child.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Unger  are  valued  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  Bethlehem.  Mr.  Unger  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  Camp  No.  3332,  at  Carlisle,  Indiana. 


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132  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Richard  William  Hoke. — A  worthy  representative  of  the  agricul- 
turists of  Sullivan  county,  and  a  respected  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of 
Haddon  township,  is  Richard  William  Hoke,  of  this  brief  personal  his- 
tory, in  which  are  recorded  a  few  of  the  more  important  events  of  his 
life.  A  son  of  George  H.  Hoke,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
work,  he  was  born  in  Widner  township,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  April  4, 
1862,  of  pioneer  ancestry.  His  father  was  three  times  married.  By  his 
first  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  H.  Pearce,  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Richard  W.,  is  the  only  survivor.  George  H.  Hoke  mar- 
ried, second,  Alary  Polk,  who  bore  him  three  children.  By  his  marriage 
with  his  present  wife,  Alice  Scanling,  he  has  one  child. 

Brought  up  in  Widner  township,  Richard  W.  Hoke  obtained  his 
early  education  in  the  district  schools,  and  until  twenty-six  years  of  age 
assisted  in  the  care  of  the  home  farm,  in  the  meantime  acquiring  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  the  science  and  art  of  agriculture.  Buying  then  the 
old  Pearce  homestead,  on  which  his  grandfather,  Richard  William  Pearce. 
settled  in  the  very  early  part  of  the  past  century,  while  the  Indians  were 
still  numerous,  and  while 

"The  forests  in  their  grandeur  all  proud  and  noble  stood, 
Ere  the  woodman's  blows  rang  echoing  in  the  deep  and  darksome 
wood." 
Continuing  the  improvements  previously  begun,  Mr.  Hoke  has  added 
greatly  to  the  value  of  his  property,  his  buildings  being  now  in  excellent 
repair,  and  his  house  occupying  a  beautiful  site  on  a  natural  elevation. 
As  a  general  farmer,  he  has  met  with  richly  deserved  success,  both  as  a 
grain  raiser  and  as  a  stock  breeder  and  feeder,  raising  each  year  from 
two  to  four  carloads  of  hogs,  an  industry  which  brings  him  much  money, 
as  do  his  two,  carloads  of  cattle  which  he  ships  each  year.  Mr.  Hoke  has 
also  other  interests  of  value,  being  a  stockholder  in  the  People's  State 
Bank  of  Carlisle.  He  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  a  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge,  No.  3,  F.  &  A.  M. 

On  March  5,  1889,  Mr.  Hoke  married  Mary  Osborn,  who  was  born 
in  Widner  township,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  September  17,  1865,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Wines  and  America  (Colton)  Osborn.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  December  20,  1839,  and  her  mother  was  born 
November  3,  1842,  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  They  were 
married  in  1864,  in  Haddon  township,  and  after  living  for  a  year  in  Greene 
county,  settled  in  Widner  township,  Knox  county,  where  they  resided 
until  1900,  when  they  retired  from  farming,  and  have  since  made  their 
home  in  Oaktown.  Four  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Osborn, 
as  follows:  Mary,  wife  of  Mr.  Hoke;  Emma,  deceased;  Anna,  wife 
of  Lee  Bond,  of  Oaktown;  and  Theodore  W.,  of  Oaktown.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoke  have  one  child,  George  Osborn  Hoke,  born  June  5,  1897,  now 
attending  school  in  Carlisle.  Religiously,  Mrs.  Hoke  is  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

In  December,  1906,  Mr.  Hoke,  his  wife  and  little  son  Osborn  made 
a  pleasure  trip  to  Monterey,  Mexico,  and  spent  some  two  months  in  the 
land  of  the  Montezumas.     Mr.  Hoke  is  known  amongst  the  citizens  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  133 

Carlisle  as  an  intrepid  hunter  and  dead  shot,  and  passionately  fond  of  the 
chase.  Whilst  in  the  mountain  wilds  of  Mexico,  he  killed  fourteen  deer, 
one  Mexican  tiger,  one  haviline  or  wild  hog  and  a  mountain  wolf  and 
hundreds  of  ducks.  He  had  the  skins  of  the  animals  tanned  by  a  Mex- 
ican and  they  adorn  his  country  residence.  He  killed  the  Mexican  tiger 
with  a  No.  303  "Savage"  rifle,  sixty  yards  distance,  whilst  the  animal  was 
feeding  upon  the  carcass  of  a  deer  which  Mr.  Hoke  had  slain.  He 
expects  to  again  spend  some  of  the  hunting  seasons  in  that  country.  His 
father,  George  Hoke,  and  wife  also  spent  a  vacation  at  Monterey  and 
Tampico,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Richard  Hoke  and  his  brother  Charles, 
who  is  a  resident  of  Monterey,  witnessed  four  bull  fights,  which  is  the 
national  sport  in  Mexico. 


John  L.  Hinkle. — An  industrious  and  thriving  farmer  of  Had- 
don  township,  John  L.  Hinkle  comes  of  substantial  pioneer  stock,  and 
is  an  excellent  representative  of  the  native-born  citizens  of  this  part  of 
Sullivan  county,  his  birth  having  occurred,  March  23,  1863,  on  what 
was  then  known  as  the  old  Walker  farm,  near  the  Knox  county  line. 

James  S.  Hinkle,  father  of  John  L.,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  but  when 
eight  years  of  age  came  to  Sullivan  county  with  his  parents,  who  entered 
government  land  in  Haddon  township,  and  on  the  farm  which  they 
improved  spent  the  remaining  years  of  their  lives.  During  the  days  of 
his  youth  and  early  manhood  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  strenuous  labor 
of  reclaiming  a  farm  from  the  forest.  When  ready  to  settle  in  life  he 
chose  farming  as  the  occupation  most  congenial  to  his  tastes,  and  has 
always  been  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits,  his  home  being  now  one 
and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Carlisle.  Until  recently  he  was  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  for  four  years 
rendered  excellent  service  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  man  of  emi- 
nent piety,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  to  which  his 
wife  also  belonged.  He  married  Eliza  Walker,  who  was  born  in  Haddon 
township,  on  the  farm  adjoining  the  one  owned  by  her  son  John,  and 
died,  in  this  township,  about  1880.  She  bore  her  husband  six  children, 
as  follows:  Elzora  Jane,  deceased;  John  L.,  of  this  sketch;  Carrie  I., 
deceased;  Cora  May,  deceased;  Hammet  D.,  who  was  graduated  from 
the  State  Normal  school,  at  Terre  Haute,  and  afterwards  taught  school 
for  four  years  in  Knox  and  Sullivan  counties,  has  been  practicing  law 
the  past  five  years  in  Vincennes;  and  Charles  H.,  who  is  married,  and 
resides  with  his  father. 

Brought  up  on  a  farm,  and  receiving  a  common  school  education, 
John  L.  Hinkle  remained  at  home  until  attaining  his  majority.  Following 
in  the  footsteps  of  his  ancestors,  he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  at  that  time,  and  for  four  years  farmed  for  himself  in  Widner 
township,  Knox  county.  The  ensuing  three  years  he  was  similarly 
employed  in  Gill  township,  after  which  he  spent  two  more  years  in  Knox 
county.  Coming  then  to  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Mr.  Hinkle 
purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  carried  on  gen- 


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134  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

eral  farming,  including  grain  and  stock  raising,  with  signal  success, 
cultivating,  in  addition  to  his  own  farm,  other  land.  He  takes  especial 
interest  in  breeding  and  raising  fine  horses,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Carlisle  Coach  Horse  Company.  In  his  political  affiliations,  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

Mr.  Hinkle  married,  November  12,  1905,  Anna  Jones,  who  was  born 
in  Busseron  township,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  March  28,  1876,  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Ellen  (Ridgeway)  Jones.  Her  parents,  natives 
of  Knox  county,  are  now  living,  retired  from  farming  pursuits,  in  Oak- 
town.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinkle  have  one  child,  Elzora  Jane.  Religiously, 
Mr.  Hinkle  was  reared  in  the  Baptist  faith,  and  Mrs.  Hinkle  is  a  valued 
member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  of  Oaktown,  Indiana. 


James  Kautzman  Wilson. — A  prominent  member  of  the  farming 
community  of  Sullivan  county,  and  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  worth, 
James  K.  Wilson,  of  Haddon  township,  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  development  of  this  part  of  the  state,  and  in  the  advancement  of  its 
welfare.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  John  L.  Wilson,  and  grandson  of  Peter 
Wilson,  who,  with  three  of  his  brothers,  John,  Adam  and  George,  came 
to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  were  among  the  original  settlers  of 
Haddon  township.  Mr.  Wilson's  great-grandfather,  John  Wilson,  was 
born,  June  16,  1761,  in  what  is  now  Hardin  county,  West  Virginia,  and 
as  a  young  man  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  married  Susan 
A.  Kautzman,  who  was  of  German  descent,  and  who  lived  to  the  age  of 
ninety- four  years,  dying  July  17,  1857.  Great-grandfather  Wilson  died 
in  Greene  county,  Tennessee,  April  13,  1809. 

Born  in  Greene  county,  Tennessee,  May  15,  1792,  Peter  Wilson  died, 
January  29,  1849,  m  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Inher- 
iting the  patriotism  that  inspired  his  ancestors,  he  served  in  the  war  of 
1812.  Coming  with  his  family  to  Haddon  township  in  1828,  he  entered 
forty  acres  of  land  in  section  18,  having  a  deed  written  on  sheepskin  and 
signed  by  President  Andrew  Jackson.  It  is  one  of  the  first  deeds  exe- 
cuted in  Sullivan  county,  being  dated  October  23,  1835.  This  is  a  valu- 
able souvenir.  Being  very  successful,  Peter  Wilson  from  time  to  time 
bought  other  land,  having  at  his  death  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
married  Judith  Welty,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  died  in  Haddon 
township,  November  15,  1854.  They  reared  but  one  child,  John  L. 
Wilson. 

John  L.  Wilson  was  born  in  Greenville,  Greene  county,  Tennessee, 
May  5,  1817,  and  died,  June  17,  1897,  in  Haddon  township,  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  his  son  James.  Engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  during 
his  entire  life,  he  was  eminently  successful,  and  acquired  a  good  prop- 
erty, at  one  time  holding  title  to  three  hundred  and  eighty-nine  acres  of 
valuable  land.  He  was  active  in  local  affairs,  and  until  Lincoln's  time 
was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  married  Elizabeth  Ste- 
phens, who  was  born  in  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  January  12,  1821, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  135 

and  died,  September  4,  1865,  in  Haddon  township.  Into  their  household 
ten  sons  were  born,  namely:  Peter,  who  died  in  Bolivar,  Missouri,  in 
1888,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  sons,  who  still  reside  there;  Will- 
iam Stephens,  of  Ripley  county,  Missouri,  and  his  twin  brother,  Harvey, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  month  and  twenty  days;  James  Kautzman, 
of  this  sketch ;  John  Martin,  living  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois ;  Courtney 
M.,  of  Seattle,  Washington;  Uriah,  of  Jefferson  township;  Jasper, 
deceased;  Ashpel  P.,  deceased;  and  Morton,  deceased.  Both  parents 
were  lifelong  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  James  K.  Wilson,  who  had  received  a 
good  common  school  education,  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twenty-first 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  his  brother  William  served  from 
July,  1861,  until  January,  1866.  James  K.  was  mustered  out  of  service, 
at  Indianapolis,  in  January,  1866,  having  been  doing  garrison  duty  during 
the  entire  period  of  his  enlistment.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia 
also  in  1863  and  his  captain  was  Samuel  McCormick.  After  returning 
home,  Mr.  Wilson  began  farming  on  a  piece  of  land  given  him  by  his 
father.  He  afterwards  sold  that  land,  and  purchased  another  farm.  In 
1874,  he  bought  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  carried 
on  general  farming  with  great  success.  He  has  a  good  residence  and 
comfortable  farm  buildings,  everything  about  the  premises  indicating  the 
care  and  supervision  of  an  able  manager.  Mr.  Wilson's  entire  farm  is 
underlaid  with  a  four  to  five  foot  vein  of  coal,  and  a  gas  well  is  about 
one-half  mile  from  his  residence. 

On  April  8,  1869,  Mr.  Wilson  married  Laura  Jane  Johnson,  who 
was  born,  November  16,  1845,  in  Haddon  township,  which  was  likewise 
the  birthplace  of  her  father,  Samuel  Johnson,  while  her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Amanda  Elizabeth  Reid,  was  a  native  of  Jefferson 
township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  one  who  died  in  infancy;  Amanda  E.,  born  December  12,  1870, 
is  the  wife  of  Charles  L.  Pirtle,  of  Hamilton  township,  of  whom  a  brief 
sketch  may  be  found  in  this  volume;  Jasper  Nevil,  born  July  15,  1873, 
married  Iona  Bensinger,  and  lives  in  Jefferson  township ;  and  James  A., 
born  November  4,  1875.  James  A.  served  in  the  Spanish-American  war, 
being  under  command  of  General  Lawton  in  the  Philippines.  He  is  now 
a  member  of  the  Coast  Artillery  Company,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Miley,  at  the  Golden  Gate,  and  is  now  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Virginia, 
Sixty-fourth  Company  of  United  States  Coast  Artillery.  He  is  unmar- 
ried. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  seven  grandchildren,  six  grandsons,  and 
one  granddaughter.  They  and  their  children  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  of  Bethlehem. 


Captain  Nevel  Blackmer  Boone,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and 
a  large  land  owner  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  comes  of  the  Boone  stock 
of  which  "Old  Daniel  Boone,  the  Hunter  of  Kentucky,"  was  a  member. 
Captain  Boone,  of  this  narrative,  was  born  in  Boone  township,  Harrison 


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136  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county,  Indiana,  June  12,  1835,  a  son  of  Craven  Boone,  and  grandson  of 
George  Boone,  who  was  a  cousin  of  Squire  Boone,  the  latter  being  a 
brother  of  the  old  pioneer  Daniel  Boone,  and  an  early  settler  in  Harrison 
county.  Captain  Boone's  mother  was  Sarah  Newman,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Newman,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  moved  to  Tennessee  and  from 
there  to  Indiana.  The  captain  is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children  born 
to  his  parents,  Craven  and  Sarah  (Newman)  Boone.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Harrison  county,  Indiana,  as  well 
as  the  higher  schools  of  Corydon,  Indiana.  Elected  recorder  of  Harrison 
county  in  1858,  he  resigned  after  three  years  and  organized  Company  E, 
of  the  Eighty-first  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  Regiment.  He  was  mus- 
tered in  August  29,  1862,  and  served  faithfully  and  well  until  his  dis- 
charge in  October,  1863.  He  took  active  part  in  the  battles  of  Stone 
River  and  Chickamauga,  after  which  he  resigned  and  returned  home. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  at  Laconia  in  1864  and  then 
moved  to  New  Albany,  and  from  there  to  several  other  places,  returning 
then  to  Harrison  county  and  locating  at  Corydon.  Here  he  remained 
for  a  time,  then  removed  to  Mauckport,  where  he  sold  goods  a  year  and 
a  half,  and  purchased  a  store-boat  on  which  he  made  two  trips — one  to 
Cottonwood  Point,  Missouri,  and  one  to  Memphis.  Captain  Boone  was 
in  the  mercantile  business  from  1864  to  1874,  since  which  year  he  has 
been  devoting  his  time  to  agriculture.  He  remained  on  his  farm  until 
May,  1906,  when  he  moved  his  family  to  Carlisle,  where  he  has  lived 
since.  He  still  owns  his  farm  in  Harrison  county,  the  same  consisting 
of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  and  it  is  now  carried  on  by  his  son, 
Rush  H.  Boone. 

Politically,  Captain  Boone  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  pure 
Democracy.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  R.  Helms,  October  8, 
1867.  She  was  born  August  1,  1846,  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  N.  Helms 
by  his  wife,  Mary,  the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Davis, 
a  Methodist  preacher,  and  a  sister  of  Hon.  John  W.  Davis,  of  Sullivan 
county,  who  was  a  member  of  Congress.  Captain  and  Mrs.  Boone  have 
had  nine  children,  as  follows:  Rush  H.,  residing  in  Harrison  county, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the  father's  place;  Mary  M. ;  Ida, 
wife  of  Theodore  Elbert,  residing  in  Louisville,  Kentucky ;  Lola  V.,  wife 
of  Oliver  Neely,  of  Anderson,  Indiana,  a  retired  merchant ;  Fay  N.,  now 
attending  the  state  normal,  at  Terre  Haute,  and  will  graduate  with  the 
class  of  1909;  Bonnie,  unmarried  and  at  home;  Hamet  N.  and  Anna  C, 
twins,  died  in  infancy;  Daniel  E.,  deceased.  Mrs.  Boone  and  the  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

It  should  be  subjoined,  in  this  connection,  that  Mrs.  Boone  is  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Helms,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  citizens  of 
Carlisle,  who  died  at  his  home,  September  16,  1902.  He  was  born  near 
Geneva,  New  York,  October  3,  1814,  and  came  with  his  father  to  Car- 
lisle, Indiana,  in  1817.  His  education  was  begun  in  the  old  log  school 
house,  and  he  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  John  W,  Davis,  afterward  study- 
ing at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Dr.  Helms  commenced  medical  practice  at 
Edwardsport,  where  he  remained  one  year.    He  also  practiced  at  Carlisle 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  137 

with  Dr.  Davis  and  Dr.  Murphy,  and  later  with  Dr.  John  M.  Hinkle 
and  Dr.  W.  R.  Miller.  About  1873,  he  abandoned  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  Politically,  he  was  a  stanch 
defender  of  Democratic  principles,  and  in  church  connection  was  of  the 
Methodist  denomination.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Mary  Ann 
Davis,  by  whom  three  children  were  born :  Dr.  Rush  Helms,  who  died  in 
1887;  Margaret,  of  Haddon  township;  and  Anna  R.,  wife  of  Mr.  Boone, 
of  this  biography.  For  his  second  wife,  Dr.  Helms  married  Amanda 
Sallee,  who  survived  the  doctor,  dying  in  1905.  Three  sons  were  the 
issue  by  this  union :  Samuel  Dixon,  deceased ;  Albert  Gray,  also  deceased ; 
Daniel  V.,  who  resides  on  a  farm  in  Haddon  township. 


John  Unger,  who  is  known  as  one  of  the  heavy  farmers  of  Sullivan 
county,  carrying  on  as  he  does  both  grain  and  stock  farming  in  an  upto- 
date  manner,  as  well  as  being  ah  extensive  grower  of  watermelons,  natu- 
rally finds  a  place  in  the  family  history  of  the  representative  men  of 
Sullivan  county.  Mr.  Unger  comes  from  a  family  well  and  favorably 
known  in  the  south  of  Europe.  He  was  born,  October  6,  1843,  m  France, 
a  son  of  Michael  and  Malissa  (Gregor)  Unger.  (For  a  sketch  of  Michael 
Unger,  the  reader  is  referred  to  his  personal  sketch  in  this  work.)  In 
1875,  John  Unger  came  to  America  and  located  in  Ohio,  within  Ashland 
county,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month.  In  1876,  he  went 
to  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  he  rented  a  farm 
to  the  south  of  Bethlehem  church,  where  his  brother  Michael  now  lives. 
After  a  two-year  stay  there  he  moved  up  to  within  about  one  mile  of 
Carlisle,  where  he  also  remained  two  years.  Thinking  to  better  his  con- 
dition, he  removed  to  a  place  east  of  Bethlehem  church,  remaining  one 
year,  and  then  located  in  Widner  township,  Knox  county,  where  he  lived 
two  years,  going  back  then  to  Haddon  township,  near  Ermin  Station. 
Upon  leaving  that  farm,  Mr.  Unger  went  to  the  John  A.  Hoke  place 
and  continued  there  five  years,  purchasing  then  the  one  hundred  and  two 
acres  of  land  upon  which  he  now  resides,  the  same  being  situated  four 
miles  west  of  Carlisle,  bordering  on  the  Gill  and  Haddon  township  lines. 
Here,  in  addition  to  his  general  grain  and  stock  farming  operations,  he 
raises  about  thirty-five  acres  of  watermelons  annually  of  late  years.  His 
present  farm  consists  of  about  three  hundred  acres.  He  moved  to  this 
place  in  March  1889. 

Mr.  Unger  was  united  in  marriage,  January  20,  1876,  to  Catherine 
Lake,  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  April  5,  1844,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham  and  Ursula  (Roberts)  Lake.  The  father  was  born  Sep- 
tember 3,  1802,  in  Tennessee,  and  the  mother  in  old  Virginia.  This 
worthy  couple  were  married  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1830.  Abra- 
ham Lake  came  to  Indiana  before  it  had  been  admitted  into  the  union. 
He  came  along  with  the  Minichs  and  followed  farming  and  stock  raising. 
His  children  were  as  follows:  Elizabeth,  Morris,  Mary  Ann,  John, 
Martha,  Jane,  Thomas,  Catherine,  Eliza,  all  of  whom  are  now  dead, 
excepting  Mrs.  Unger.    She  was  educated  in  Jefferson  township. 


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138  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN-  COUNTY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Unger  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
George  W.,  born  November  23,  1876;  Morris,  born  July  31,  1878,  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  a  civil  engineering  school,  and  is  now  a 
car  framer  at  the  American  Car  Shops,  Terre  Haute;  Thomas,  born 
March  8,  1880,  died  in  1893 ;  William,  born  August  16,  1882,  educated 
in  the  district  schools,  is  unmarried  and  on  the  farm  with  his  father; 
Frank,  born  December  6,  1884,  also  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
unmarried,  and  assists  on  the  home  farm;  Charles,  born  December  16, 
1887,  educated  in  the  common  schools,  being  graduated  from  the  Carlisle 
high  school  with  the  class  of  1906,  and  now  attending  law  college  at  Ann 
Arbor,  Michigan,  and  will  graduate  with  the  class  of  1909.  Politically, 
John  Unger  believes  in  the  general  principles  laid  down  by  the  Republican 
party.  Both  he  and  l]is  wife  are  exemplary  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


James  William  Adams,  one  of  the  thoroughgoing  agriculturists  of 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  the  township 
in  which  he  now  resides,  and  was  born  November  17,  1864,  a  son  of  Isaac 
and  Barbara  (Summers)  Adams.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
the  mother  in  Haddon  township.  Grandfather  Adams  and  family  were 
among  the  early  settlers.  Isaac  Adams  was  one  of  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  deceased;  Benjamin,  deceased;  James,  deceased;  Isaac; 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Isaac  was  always  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  were  faithful  members 
of  the  Christian  church.  The  mother  died  in  1876,  aged  forty-three 
years,  and  the  father  in  the  spring  of  1898,  aged  seventy-two  years.  The 
children  of  Isaac  Adams  and  wife  were:  Thomas,  deceased;  the  next 
two  both  died  in  infancy;  Hannah,  wife  of  Richard  Hackett,  residing 
in  Haddon  township;  Rebecca,  wife  of  William  Clark,  also  residing  in 
Haddon  township ;  Belle,  deceased ;  James  W.,  of  this  notice ;  Jesse,  a 
resident  of  Knox  county,  Indiana ;  Stonewall  Jackson,  residing  in  Oak- 
town,  Indiana;  Isaac,  residing  on  the  Adams  homestead,  on  Shaker 
Prairie. 

James  William  Adams  remained  at  home  on  the  father's  farm  until 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  working  by  the  month  for 
various  farmers  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  commencing  then 
to  farm  on  his  own  account,  on  a  farm  which  he  purchased  and  where 
he  lived  one  year.  He  then  lived  on  and  farmed  the  Samuel  A.  White 
farm  for  eight  years,  after  which  he  bought  the  fifty-seven  acres  where 
he  now  resides,  in  the  spring  of  1898.  Besides  cultivating  his  own  land 
he  rents  a  large  acreage  from  other  farmers.  He  carries  on  general 
grain  and  stock  farming,  besides  being  an  extensive  grower  of  water- 
melons, planting  out  from  thirty  to  forty  acres  annually.  In  his  political 
choice,  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  Believing  in  the  theory  that  every  man 
should  make  some  provision  in  the  way  of  life  insurance  for  the  benefit 
of  his  family,  he  carries  a  membership  policy  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  belonging  to  Camp  No.  3332,  at  Carlisle. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  139 

Mr.  Adams  was  married,  September  27,  1891,  to  Isabelle  Wolfe, 
born  November  4,  1870,  on  the  old  Wolfe  homestead  on  Shaker  Prairie, 
in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  She  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools.  Her  parents  were  William  B.  and  Flora  (Fry)  Wolfe. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Eight  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  union:  Orville  E.,  born  July  8,  1892,  died 
November  28,  1897;  Flora  B.,  May  3,  1894,  died  August  14,  1906;  Roy 
J.,  November  22,  1895;  Mervin  W.,  May  8,  1898;  Joseph  C,  April  6, 
1900;  Edith  G.,  May  23,  1903;  Gracie  G.,  born  March  11,  1905;  William 
B.,  born  January  16,  1907. 


William  E.  Tucker,  who  owned  one  of  the  productive  farms  sit- 
uated within  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  a  native  of 
Franklin  county,  North  Carolina,  born  April  26,  1838,  son  of  James 
Madison  and  Betsey  Ann  (Stone)  Tucker.  The  father  was  born  in  Nash 
county  and  the  mother  in  Franklin  county,  North  Carolina,  where  they 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  both  died  in  that  county.  The  son  William 
E.,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  had  the  advantages  of  a  common  school 
education.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  and  in  1862,  when  it  was 
known  that  a  fierce  conflict  was  to  be  waged  between  the  North  and 
South,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  Forty-seventh  Regiment  of  North 
Carolina,  as  a  private  soldier,  and  served  until  1866.  He  took  part  in  the 
engagements  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Cold  Harbor,  the  Wilderness,  being 
captured  at  the  last  named  place.  He  also  fought  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg. He  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Petersburg,  Virginia,  in  April, 
1866,  and  released  a  few  days  later  in  April. 

In  the  same  month  he  located  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools  and  later  the  Ascension  Seminary, 
at  Farmersburg,  Indiana,  where  he  also  worked  for  Capt.  William  T. 
Crawford,  who  founded  the  school  last  mentioned  and  was  a  professor 
in  the  same.  After  attending  this  most  excellent  educational  institution 
for  twelve  months,  Mr.  Tucker  began  teaching  in  Haddon  township,  and 
taught  twelve  consecutive  winters,  while  he  farmed  during  the  summer 
months.  He  taught  three  terms  in  Knox  county  and  one  in  Greene 
county,  but  the  balance  of  his  teaching  was  all  in  Haddon  township. 
After  he  quit  teaching,  he  followed  farming  pursuits  exclusively.  Some- 
time during  the  eighties  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land, 
to  which  he  added  at  a  later  date  twenty  more.  This  place  is  situated 
four  miles  west  of  Carlisle,  and  borders  on  the  Gill  and  Haddon  township 
lines.  Here  he  carried  on  a  general  farming  and  stock  business  and  also 
raised  several  acres  of  watermelons  each  season.  The  peach  orchard 
contains  seven  acres,  while  the  apple  orchard  has  the  same  acreage. 
Politically,  Mr.  Tucker  was  a  Democrat,  formerly,  but  of  late  leaned 
strongly  towards  the  Socialist  party.  He  died  October  25,  1908,  and  was 
interred  in  Shaker  Prairie  Cemetery. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  1872,  to  Mary  Jane  McKinley,  who 


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140  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

was  born  in  Knox  county,  a  daughter  of  Steward  and  Mary  (Wolfe) 
McKinley.  Mary  Wolfe  was  the  sister  of  Thomas  J.  Wolfe,  so  well 
known  in  Sullivan  county.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tucker:  Aquilla  P.,  born  in  1873,  residing  at  Carlisle,  a  mail  carrier; 
Ira  P.,  residing  on  his  father's  farm;  Mary  J.  and  Nancy  J.  (twins); 
the  latter  died  in  infancy  and  Mary  Jane  married  John  Hallett  and  resides 
in  Gill  township ;  Leacie  E.  is  the  wife  of  Isaac  Cox,  and  they  reside  on 
the  farm  with  the  parents.  Aquilla  P.  has  four  children:  Gilbert,  Ber- 
nice,  Bertha  and  Phena.  Ira  P.  has  two  children:  Orvil  and  Opal. 
Mary  Jane  has  one  daughter — Geneva.  Leacie  E.  has  two  children :  Dora 
Marie  and  Gladys  May. 


Charles  E.  Knotts,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  extensive,  as  well  as 
successful,  melon  raisers  within  the  limits  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
whose  farm  is  situated  in  Haddon  township,  is  a  native  of  the  township 
in  which  he  now  resides,  born  May  10,  1868,  a  son  of  George  and  Sarah 
J.  (Parrette)  Knotts.  The  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  December 
25,  1816,  and  died  December  12,  1898,  in  Haddon  township.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  November  13,  1830,  and  died  February 
3,  1898.  This  worthy  couple  were  united  in  marriage  in  Fayette  county, 
Ohio,  and  came  to  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  sixties,  locating  a  half  mile  west  of  Carlisle,  on  a  farm  containing 
two  hundred  and  ten  acres  which  they  bought  of  William  Akin.  George 
and  Sarah  Knotts  remained  in  Haddon  township  until  their  death.  The 
father  was  a  firm  defender  of  Democratic  party  principles  and  in  his 
fraternal  affiliations  was  a  Mason.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  Their  children  were:  George  C,  died  December  30,  1893, 
aged  thirty-one  years;  Lucy  B.,  born  March  25,  1864*  died  April  22, 
1888;   Charles  E.,  of  this  notice. 

Charles  E.  Knotts  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  remaining  at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority,  when  he  began 
farming  for  himself  in  Haddon  township.  In  1891  he  moved  onto  the 
farm  he  now  occupies  and  owns,  inheriting  a  part  and  purchasing  the 
interests  of  the  remaining  heirs,  thus  making  his  present  farm  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  acres,  all  within  Haddon  township.  Here  he  carries 
on  an  exclusive  melon  culture  farm.  For  seven  years  he  produced  water- 
melons alone,  but  for  the  last  seven  years  has  grown  muskmelons,  which 
product  finds  ready  sale  within  the  state,  including  the  large  cities  and 
smaller  towns,  within  shipping  distance.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Knotts  is  in  perfect  accord  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  prefers  that 
others  hold  the  local  offices,  while  he  attends  strictly  to  his  own  business, 
trusting  in  his  fellow  citizens  to  administer  the  laws  within  his  county 
and  stkte. 

He  was  married  March  25,  1887,  to  Rachel  T.  Carmichael,  born 
in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  April  26,  1869,  and  she  received  a  good 
education  within  the  county  of  her  birth.  Her  parents  were  George  W. 
and  Nancy  Carmichael.    Her  father  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Indiana, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  141 

and  is  now  residing  in  Terre  Haute.  The  mother  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  died  when  Mrs.  Knotts  was  but  eleven  years  of  age.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Knotts  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Bessie  M., 
born  November  15,  1888,  unmarried,  a  graduate  from  Brown's  Business 
College  at  Terre  Haute;  Jesse  M.,  born  March  14,  1890;  Carl  R.,  born 
January  9,  1892;  George  R.,  born  March  13,  1894;  Charles  V.,  born 
February  26,  1896;  John  A.,  born  April  22,  1898;  Henry  Herbert,  born 
March  24,  1900. 


James  H.  Wilson,  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists  whose 
attractive  farm  home  is  situated  within  the  bounds  of  Haddon  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  born  November  28,  1851,  in  Han- 
cock county,  Indiana,  on  his  father's  farm.  He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and 
Hannah  (Emmons)  Wilson.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
the  mother  of  Pennsylvania.  They  came  to  Indiana  with  their  respective 
parents  and  located  in  Hancock  county.  In  that  county  the  parents  of 
James  H.  were  united  in  marriage  and  there  the  father  followed  farming 
until  1863,  when  the  family  went  to  Knox  county,  locating  in  Widner 
township,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  and 
his  wife  lived  the  balance  of  their  lives.  He  died  in  November,  1880, 
and  the  mother  in  January,  1875.  Eight  children  blessed  their  marriage 
union:  Samuel,  deceased;  Robert,  residing  in  Carlisle;  Lewis,  also  of 
Carlisle ;  James  H.,  of  this  biographical  narrative ;  Silas,  of  Pleasantville, 
Indiana;  William,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Paul,  a  twin  to  Silas, 
died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

James  H.  Wilson,  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  early 
taught  the  need  of  frugality  and  industry.  He  obtained  his  education 
after  moving  to  Knox  county.  When  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  commenced  to  farm  for  others  by  the  month,  continuing  until  about 
twenty-three  years  of  age  and  then  began  farming  for  himself.  He 
continued  to  till  the  soil  of  Knox  county  for  three  seasons,  coming 
then  to  Haddon  township,  in  which  sub-division  of  Sullivan  county  he 
has  farmed  ever  since.  He  now  owns  a  seventy-seven  acre  farm,  which 
is  in  two  tracts.  He  lives,  however,  on  leased  lands  and  farms  about 
three  hundred  acres,  including  his  own  place  and  the  rented  grounds. 
Politically,  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and  is  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  of  pure  Jacksonian  Democracy.  In  his  fraternal 
connections  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ben  Hur  lodge  at  Carlisle. 

He  was  married  September  28,  1873,  to  Alice  Phillippe,  born  in 
Knox  county,  near  Bruceville,  Indiana,  June  4,  1855,  a  daughter  of 
William  Johnson  and  Sarah  (Minich)  Phillippe.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Virginia,  and  her  mother  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  She 
is  a  sister  of  Pleasant  A.  Minich,  whose  family  history  will  be  found 
in  the  sketch  of  W.  F.  Minich,  within  this  work.  William  Johnson 
Phillippe  came  with  his  parents  when  a  small  boy  to  Knox  county  and 
the  family  located  north  of  Vincennes.  William  Johnson  Phillippe  and 
wife  moved  to  Haddon  township  when  Mrs.  Wilson  was  a  small  girl 


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142  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  here  they  resided  until  their  death.  They  had  a  family  of  six 
children,  as  follows:  Alice,  Mrs.  Wilson;  Flora,  widow  of  James  M. 
Harber,  residing  in  Knox  county;  William  A.,  of  Haddon  township; 
Franklin  M.,  of  Bruceville,  Knox  county;  Martin  J.,  of  Oklahoma,  now 
the  editor  of  the  Register,  a  local  paper  of  Oklahoma;  John  M.,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  were  born  the  following  children:  Elvin, 
born  August  12,  1875,  married  Eva  McClure,  and  they  reside  in  Haddon 
township  and  are  the  parents  of  four  children;  Denver,  born  December 
28,  1876,  married  Lydia  Kennedy,  and  they  reside  in  Haddon  township, 
and  have  one  daughter ;  Earle,  born  January  19,  1879,  ls  unmarried  and 
at  home;  Vernie,  born  April  29,  1881,  wife  of  John  D.  Prose,  residing 
in  Carlisle,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children;  Flora,  born  May 
28,  1884,  married  Miles  Curry,  residing  in  Terre  Haute,  and  they  have 
one  son,  Mr.  Wilson's  children  were  all  educated  at  Carlisle.  Elvin 
graduated  from  the  high  school  and  the  Vincennes  College,  after  which 
he  returned  to  the  farm,  which  has  been  his  vocation  ever  since.  James 
H.  Wilson  is  quite  an  extensive  hog  raiser,  and  markets  about  one  carload 
annually.  The  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
the  parents  are  exemplary  members. 


David  E.  Everhart. — Prominent  among  the  most  prosperous, 
energetic  and  sagacious  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  David  E. 
Everhart,  who  owns  and  occupies  a  large  and  well  improved  farm  in 
Cass  township.  He  ranks  high  among  the  progressive  farmers  and  sub- 
stantial business  men  of  his  community,  and  is  everywhere  respected 
as  a  man  of  honor  and  worth.  A  son  of  John  Everhart,  he  was  born 
March  5,  1855,  *n  Lancaster,  Owen  county,  Indiana,  coming  from  Ger- 
man ancestry,  his  great-grandfather  on  the  paternal  side  having  emi- 
grated from  Germany  to  Pennsylvania  when  young,  and  there  married  a 
Scotch-Irish  lassie.  (The  original  spelling  of  the  name  was  Eberhardt.) 
David  Everhart,  grandfather  of  David  E.,  was  born  and  bred  in  Penn- 
sylvania. Emigrating  to  Ohio  in  early  manhood,  he  became  a  pioneer 
settler  of  Tuscarawas  county.  Purchasing  a  tract  of  wild  land,  he  began 
its  improvement,  and  was  there  employed  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his 
death,  when  but  thirty-five  years  of  age.  He  married  a  Miss  Hicks,  who 
survived  him  many  years. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  John  Everhart  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  county 
in  1820.  Learning  the  carpenter's  trade  when  young,  he  followed  it  as 
a  journeyman  for  a  few  years.  In  1850,  in  company  with  a  few  neigh- 
boring families,  he  came  across  the  country  with  teams  to  Indiana,  and 
for  a  year  lived  in  Wabash  county.  Returning  then  to  Tuscarawas 
county,  he  located  with  his  family  on  land  given  them  by  his  father  and 
was  there  a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  three  years.  Selling  out  in  1854,  he 
again  came  wjth  his  family  to  Indiana,  settling  in  Owen  county.  He 
purchased  a  tract  of  timber  land,  and  in  the  log  cabin  which  then  stood 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  143 

upon  the  place,  his  son  David  E.  was  born.  This  section  of  Indiana 
was  then  almost  a  wilderness.  Settlers  were  few  and  far  between,  and 
the  forests  were  filled  with  an  abundance  of  game  of  all  kinds.  He  began 
the  improvement  of  a  homestead,  clearing  a  large  tract  of  the  land,  and 
erected  a  frame  house  and  a  double  log  stable.  In  1867  he  sold  that 
property,  came  to  Sullivan  county,  purchased  a  quarter  of  a  section  of 
land  in  Jackson  township,  and  was  there  successfully  employed  in  farm- 
ing and  stockraising  until  his  death,  in  1885.  He  married  Martha  Hoffer, 
who  was  born  in  Canton  Berne,  Switzerland,  in  1825,  and  died  in  Jackson 
township  in  1887.-  Her  father,  Alexander  Hoffer,  emigrated  from  Switz- 
erland to  America  in  1835,  being  accompanied  by  his  wife  and  their  two 
daughters.  Locating  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  he  bought  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  there  carried  on  general  farming  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
Eleven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Everhart,  namely: 
Lavina,  Adaline,  Louisa,  Sarah,  Alexander,  David  E.,  Lucy  A.,  Dan, 
John  W.,  Ella  and  Ezra  A. 

Trudging  three  long,  weary  miles  over  the  hills,  David  E.  Everhart 
obtained  his  rudimentary  knowledge  in  the  district  schools  of  Owen 
county.  He  subsequently  attended  the  rural  schools  of  Jackson  town- 
ship, afterwards  completing  his  early  studies  in  the  graded  schools  of 
Sullivan.  Beginning  then  a  professional  career,  Mr.  Everhart  taught 
school  for  twenty-six  years,  all  but  three  years  of  the  time  being  so 
located  that  he  was  enabled  to  board  at  home.  As  a  teacher  he  was 
successful  and  popular,  gaining  an  excellent  reputation  as  an  educator 
and  as  a  disciplinarian.  Always  interested  in  agriculture,  he  has  of  late 
years  turned  his  attention  almost  erritirely?  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Resid- 
ing in  Cass  township,  he  has  in  hi sj home-farm,  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  under 
fine  cultivation,  and  is  well  equipped  with  substantial  buildings,  and  all 
of  the  appliances  for  doing  the*,  necessary  farm  labor  after  the  most 
approved  modern  methods.  

On  June  7,  1883,  Mr.  Everhart  married  Laura  E.  Patton,  who  was 
born  in  Jackson  township  April  16,  i860,  a  daughter  of  William  Nelson 
Patton,  Esq.  Mr.  Patton  was  born  in  Carlisle,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
but  was  reared  in  Jackson  township.  As  a  young  man  he  was  extensively 
engaged  in  farming,  owning  upwards  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land. 
Subsequently  removing  to  Sullivan  he,  in  company  with  his  son,  embarked 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  is  now  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  that 
place.  Mr.  Patton  married  Harriet  Rebecca  Magill,  who  was  born  in 
Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  1837,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Hall)  Magill,  and  they  reared  five  children,  namely:  Laura  E., 
wife  of  Mr.  Everhart;  Clara,  Cora  E.,  Oscar  M.,  in  business  with  his 
father,  and  Bertha  L.  Mr."  Patton  is  quite  active  in  public  affairs,  and 
for  twelve  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  A  history  of  the  Magill 
family,  to  which  Mrs.  Everhart  belongs,  has  been  written  by  Robert 
Magill,  of  Maryville,  Tennessee.  Religiously  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Everhart  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  pretty  country  seat  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  David  Everhart  in  Cass  township  is  known  as  "Forest  Home.,, 
Vol.  11—10 


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144  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Moses  H.  Gregg,  well  known  in  farming  circles  of  Haddon  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  this  township,  where  he  was  born 
September  20,  1839,  three  miles  south  of  Carlisle,  Indiana,  a  son  of 
Elijah  and  Nancy  (Pell)  Gregg.  The  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1800,  and  died  in  1876.  The  mother  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
married  in  that  state.  They  drove  overland  to  Wayne  county,  Indiana, 
where  they  located  for  a  while,  but  later  removed  to  Sullivan  county, 
locating  south  of  Carlisle,  where  they  remained  until  their  death.  Elijah 
Gregg  was  a  Republican  and  a  public-spirited  citizen,  who  always  tilled 
the  soil  for  his  livelihood.  He  owned  one  hundred  and  eight  acres  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  The  children  born  to  him  were  as  follows: 
Eveline,  deceased;  William,  residing  in  Montana;  Henry,  of  Haddon 
township;  Lott  B.,  deceased;  Galvin,  of  Montana;  Oliver  P.,  of  Mon- 
tana; Moses  H.,  of  this  notice;  Elijah,  of  Montana;  Milton,  residing 
in  the  west. 

Moses  H.,  the  seventh  child  in  the  family  of  Elijah  and  Nancy 
(Pell)  Gregg,  farmed  with  his  father  until  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and 
then  began  to  farm  independently,  continuing  until  the  present  time. 
He  has  chosen  to  live  the  life  of  a  bachelor  and  farms  his  forty-acre 
farm.  Politically,  he  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  thoroughgoing  and  methodical  in  all  he  undertakes,  as 
can  be  observed  by  an  inspection  of  his  well  cultivated  fields. 


Frank  B.  Ridgway,  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  whose  excellent  farm 
property  is  situated  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native 
of  Widnerr  township,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Rachel  (Watson)  Ridg- 
way. The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  mother  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  where  they  were  united  in  marriage.  They  resided  in 
Knox  for  a  long  term  of  years,  then  removed  to  a  section  south  of 
Carlisle,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  father 
was  a  successful  farmer.  Politically,  he  favored  the  Democratic  party, 
and  he  held  the  office  of  county  assessor  for  one  year.  The  children 
born  to  John  H.  Ridgway  and  wife  were  as  follows :  Frank  B.,  Hester, 
Benjamin  (deceased),  William  and  Minnie  (twins)  ;  William  is  deceased 
and  Minnie  is  the  wife  of  Harry  Shaver,  of  Kansas,  Illinois;  Bert 
(deceased),  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 

Frank  B.  Ridgway  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  began 
working  for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  at  farm  labor  and 
has  been  engaged  in  such  work  ever  since.  His  farming  operations 
have  always  been  carried  on  within  Haddon  township,  where  he  now 
owns  a  well  improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  upon 
which  he  lives.  This  place  is  situated  four  miles  to  the  south  of  Carlisle. 
Both  grain  and  stock  raising  are  methodically  carried  on  here  by  Mr. 
Ridgway,  and  he  raises  and  feeds  from  four  to  six  carloads  of  stock 
per  annum.     His  farm  gives  evidence  in  every  part  of  being  one  con- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  145 

ducted  by  a  man  who  thoroughly  understands  his  business.  Politically 
he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 

February  22,  1883,  Mr.  Ridgway  was  married  to  Anna  (Wortman) 
Pearce,  who  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  a  daughter  of  Philip  G. 
Wortman,  a  farmer  of  this  section.  Mrs.  Ridgway's  father  was  born 
in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  his  wife,  Nancy  Gregg,  was  born  in 
Patrick  county,  Virginia,  September  16,  1822.  She  came  with  her 
parents  to  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  when  young.  Philip  Wortman 
came  to  Haddon  township  with  his  mother,  his  father  being  dead  at 
that  time.  Philip  always  followed  farming  pursuits,  in  which  he  was 
very  successful.  He  served  as  a  private  soldier  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war,  in  Company  D,  Twenty-first  Indiana  Regiment. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  B.  Ridgway, 
as  follows:  Mabel,  born  December,  1883,  wife  of  Henry  Hale,  of 
Haddon  township;  Rush  W.,  unmarried  and  at  home;  one  who  died 
in  infancy;  Rachel,  deceased;  and  Ivin.  Rush  was  graduated  from 
Carlisle  high  .school  with  the  class  of  1906,  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  farm,  being  thoroughly  equipped  for  a  better  understanding  of 
agriculture  or  any  other  vocation  he  may  later  select. 


David  C.  Wortman,  one  of  Haddon  township's  worthy  and  enter- 
prising citizens,  follows  farming,  and  is  also  connected  with  the  saw- 
milling  business,  as  well  as  threshing.  He  was  born  February  20,  1845, 
in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  John  C.  and  Alvira 
(Gregg)  Wortman.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  July  1, 
1813,  and  died  January  16,  1899,  in  Haddon  township.  The  mother 
was  a  native  of  Virginia.  This  worthy  couple  were  numbered  among 
the  pioneers  of  Sullivan  county.  Their  children  were  as  follows:  John 
P.,  deceased ;  Mary  C,  deceased ;  Nancy,  wife  of  James  O'Haver,  resid- 
ing in  Haddon  township;  David  C,  of  this  sketch;  Julia  A.,  wife  of 
Alonzo  Colton,  of  Haddon  township ;  William  C,  deceased ;  James  Mar- 
tin, residing  with  his  brother,  David  C. ;  Emeline,  deceased;  Elizabeth, 
of  Oaktown,  Knox  county,  Indiana. 

Reared  on  the  farm  and  receiving  his  primary  education  at  the 
district  schools,  David  C.  Wortman  continued  to  reside  at  home  until 
he  reached  manhood.  He  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself  as  a 
farm  hand,  which  occupation  he  pursued  until  1881,  when  he  saw  a 
more  independent  way  of  gaining  his  livelihood,  by  tilling  the  soil  on 
his  own  account.  He  purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  in  1876,  where 
his  farm  buildings  now  stand,  but  did  not  remove  to  the  place  until  188 1. 
He  now  owns  a  splendid  farm,  consisting  of  an  even  one  hundred  acres 
of  choice  land.  Late  in  the  nineties  he  retired  from  the  activities  of  his 
farm  life,  but  still  resides  there.  In  1888  Mr.  Wortman  was  engaged 
in  the  livery  business  at  Oaktown,  but  at  the  same  time  he  conducted 
his   farm.     In    1892  he  engaged   in   the  saw-mill   and   grain-threshing 


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146  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

business,  he  superintending  the  operation  of  this  combined  business. 
The  saw-mill  was  sold  in  1905,  at  the  same  time  that  his  threshing 
machine  was  sold.  Mr.  Wortman  has  always  led  the  life  of  a  bachelor, 
his  brother  James  and  family  having  lived  with  him  for  the  last  twenty- 
seven  years.    Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party. 


John  A.  Lisman,  who  is  well  known  as  the  farmer  of  Haddon 
township  who  pays  especial  attention  to  raising  horses,  is  a  native  of 
Scottsville,  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  born 
January  28,  1864,  a  son  of  John  Wesley  and  Margaret  (Lovelace) 
Lisman.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  came  to  Sullivan 
county  when  young.  The  father  was  born  near  Carlisle,  Indiana,  in 
September,  1814,  and  died  in  1871,  in  Scottsville,  near  Carlisle.  The 
grandfather,  Andrew  Lisman,  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this 
country  when  but  a  child.  He  Jocated  near  Carlisle  and  was  a  well-to-do 
farmer  and  reared  a  large  family.  John  Wesley  Lisman,  the  father 
of  John  A.,  of  this  notice,  was  a  carpenter,  but  worked  at  farming  in 
his  later  years.  He  performed  much  work  at  his  trade  in  New  Orleans 
and  Natchez  and  other  southern  cities.  He  was  noted  for  his  integrity 
and  strict  honesty  of  purpose.  Politically  he  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  had  the  honor  of  voting  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his 
first  presidential  campaign,  in  i860.  John  W.  Lisman's  father  and 
three  of  his  brothers,  were  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  The  children 
of  John  Wesley  and  Margaret  (Lovelace)  Lisman  were  eight  in  num- 
ber.   The  mother  was  of  the  Campbellite  religious  faith. 

John  A.  Lisman  was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  and  had  the  advan- 
tages of  a  common  school  education.  His  parents  died  when  he  was 
quite  young,  and  he  was  reared  by  Simeon  Yocum,  near  Carlisle,  with 
whom  he  remained  from  the  time  he  was  ten  years  of  age  until  he  was 
thirty-one.  After  reaching  his  majority  Mr.  Lisman  farmed  for  Mr. 
Yocum  and  subsequently  farmed  on  his  brother's  place — Dr.  Lisman's. 
He  engaged  in  the  horse  business,  and  was  the  owner  of  "Old  Frank," 
"Hambletonian,"  which  valuable  animal  died.  He  now  owns  "George," 
a  .grandson  of  "Sun  Rise  Prince." 

Mr.  Lisman's  sister,  Maggie,  kept  house  for  him  on  his  brother's 
farm  for  about  five  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  old  Lisman 
homestead,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  1905  he  replaced  the  old  house 
with  a  new  and  more  comfortable  cottage  and  he  now  owns  seventy- 
seven  acres  and  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  horses.  Politically  Mr. 
Lisman  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
November  6,  1899,  to  Lillie  E.  Edwards,  born  in  Illinois,  and  reared  in 
Lawrence  county,  Indiana.  The  date  of  her  birth  was  March  13,  1875, 
and  her  parents  were  William  H.  and  Rachel  (Johnson)  Edwards,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased,  dying  when  she  was  a  small  girl.  Mrs. 
Lisman  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  in  Georgetown,  Indiana. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  147 

Tilman  B.  Wolfe,  of  Haddon  township,  who  was  born  and  reared 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  is  a  native  of  this  township,  born  February  10, 
1881,  a  son  of  George  F.  and  Margaret  (Pifer)  Wolfe.  Both  of  Mr. 
Wolfe's  parents  were  natives  of  the  same  township  in  which  the  son 
was  born.  The  father  was  born  May  17,  1856,  and  is  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business  at  Oaktown,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  the  mother 
was  born  in  1859,  in  the  same  township  as  her  husband.  The  grand- 
father, Uriah  Wolfe,  was  among  the  early  pioneer  band  who  first 
effected  a  settlement  in  Sullivan  county.  George  F.,  the  father,  always 
followed  farming  for  a  living,  until  February,  1899,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  hardware  trade  at  Oaktown,  the  firm  being  known  as  Snapp, 
Latshaw  &  Co.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  Democrat.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  Maccabees  order. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
The  three  children  born  to  them  are:  Charles  M.,  residing  in  Haddon 
township;  Tilman  B.,  of  this  biographical  review;  Delia  B.,  wife  of 
Melvin  Sproatt,  residing  in  Knox  county,  Indiana.  George  F.  Wolfe 
was  married  a  second  time  to  Ollie  Heddon,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who 
died  a  few  years  after  their  marriage.  Four  children  were  born  of  this 
union,  and  all  are  deceased  except  Paul,  who  is  now  with  his  father  at 
Oaktown.  For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Wolfe  married  Amanda  Owens,  a 
native  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  who  is  now  his  companion 
at  Oaktown. 

Tilman  B.  Wolfe,  son  of  George  F.  Wolfe  by  his  first  marriage, 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  of 
Haddon  township.  He  continued  to  reside  at  home  until  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  began  farming  for  himself  and  has  continued 
to  the  present  time.  He  inherited  one  hundred  acres  of  land  where 
he  lives  now,  about  five  years  ago,  in  1903.  Here  he  carries  on  an 
extensive  farm  and  stockraising  business.  Like  every  true  American, 
Mr.  Wolfe  has  his  decided  opinions  concerning  political  parties  and 
their  platforms.    He  supports  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  married  February  17,  1901,  to  Maude  Kite,  born  in  Honey 
Creek  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  August  27,  1880,  a  daughter 
of  Edwin  and  Rettie  (Pickens)  Kite;  the  latter  is  deceased.  They  moved 
to  Sullivan  county  about  1895,  locating  in  Haddon  township.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolfe  are :    Hershel,  Robertine  and  Russell. 


George  Washington  Hale. — One  of  the  industrious  agriculturists 
of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  George  W.  Hale,  who 
was  born  July  29,  1843,  in  Jefferson  township,  a  son  of  Stephen  C.  and 
Ann  (Howard)  Hale.  The  father  was  born  in  Virginia  in  18 10,  dying 
in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  in  1885,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Kentucky  and  died  in  Jefferson  township  May  2,  1862.  Both  paternal 
and  maternal  grandparents  were  numbered  among  the  first  settlers  of 
Jefferson  township.  The  father  and  mother  of  George  W.  were  united 
in  marriage  in  Jefferson  township.     The  father  always  followed  farm 


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148  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

pursuits  and  owned  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  land  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  politically  a  Democrat.  Both  he  and  his  good 
wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Fourteen  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living,  as  follows: 
Mary  Ann,  widow  of  Robert  Crawford,  a  resident  of  Sullivan ;  George 
W.,  of  this  biography;  Rebecca,  widow  of  Michael  Goodwin,  of  Greene 
county;  Martin,  of  Pleasantville,  a  merchant;  William,  residing  in 
Nebraska;  Mildred,  widow  of  Simeon  Yocum,  residing  in  Carlisle; 
Amanda,  wife  of  Louis  Wilson,  of  Carlisle;  Eliza,  wife  of  Frank  Wells, 
of  Jefferson  township;  S.  M.,  of  the  same  township. 

George  W.  Hale,  of  this  notice,  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and 
attended  the  district  schools  in  common  with  other  boys  of  his  day.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  the  month  of  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  of  the  Ninety-seventh  Indiana  Infantry,  as  a  private  soldier, 
serving  until  June,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Indianap- 
olis. He  was  engaged  at  the  retaking  of  Jackson,  Mississippi,  and  other, 
battles  in  the  never-to-be-forgotten  Civil  war.  He  was  in  General  Sher- 
man's command  and  followed  him  through  the  Georgia  campaign,  and 
back  to  Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  thence  home.  Mr.  Hale  saw 
much  hardship  and  exposure,  but  was  fortunate  in  never  receiving  a 
wound.  For  his  term  in  the  Union  army,  in  common  with  his  com- 
rades-at-arms,  he  is  receiving  a  small  pension  from  the  government. 
He  is  honored  with  a  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
After  the  war  had  ended  he  returned  to  pursue  the  peaceful  vocation 
of  a  farmer  in  Jefferson  township,  where  he  continued  one  year,  remov- 
ing then  to  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1890,  at  which  time  he  sold  his  farm,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-six  acres,  and  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  land,  upon  which 
he  now  resides,  in  Haddon  township.  Here  he  carries  on  farming  and 
stockraising.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hale  is  a  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  has  been  married  three  times,  first  on  March  27,  1867,  to  Jane 
Parks,  born  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  1846,  and  died  in 
1869.  One  daughter  was  born  of  this  union,  Flora,  now  the  wife  of 
W.  W.  Young,  residing  in  Michigan.  For  his  second  marriage,  he  chose, 
about  1870,  Sarah  Clayton,  born  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  who 
also  died  there.  Four  children  were  born  of  this  union:  John  T.,  of 
Gill  township ;  Charles,  of  Haddon  township ;  Anna,  wife  of  Frank  Shep- 
herd, residing  in  Jefferson  township;  Hattie,  wife  of  George  Unger. 
After  the  death  of  his  second  wife  Mr.  Hale  married,  in  February,  1883, 
Cassie  Ann  (Evans)  Parks,  who  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Indiana. 
One  son  is  the  issue  by  the  last  union,  Henry,  born  March  6,  1886, 
married  Mabel  -Ridgway,  and  lives  with  his  parents.  He  was  educated 
at  the  district  schools,  after  which  he  was  a  fireman  one  year  on  the 
Vandalia  Railroad  and  then  went  to  California  for  a  six  months'  stay. 
He  and  his  father  operate  the  home  place  together.  Henry  Hale  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  No.  3,  which  is  the  third  oldest  Masonic 
lodge  in  Indiana. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  149 

Owen  Jackson  Ridgway,  whose  fine  farm  home  is  situated  near 
the  thriving  town  of  Carlisle,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  born 
February  20,  1868,  in  Haddon  township,  on  Shaker  Prairie,  a  son  of 
Benjamin  Wiginton  and  Mary  H.  (Hoghland)  Ridgway.  The  father 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  mother  in  the  vicinity  of  Indianapolis. 
The  grandfather,  Jacob  Hoghland,  and  wife,  were  both  born  in  Ohio. 
The  grandfather  of  Mr.  Ridgway,  Wiginton  Ridgway,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Shaker  Prairie.  Benja- 
min Wiginton,  the  father,  was  always  a  farmer.  In  politics  he  voted 
the  Democratic  ticket.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  Their  two  children  were:  Owen  Jackson,  of  this 
notice,  and  James  T.,  residing  in  Haddon  township,  on  Shaker  Prairie. 
Mr.  Ridgway 's  mother  married  twice,  her  second  husband  being  Samuel 
Lillie,  a  native  of  Gill  township,  and  they  are  both  now  deceased.  To 
this  union  three  children  were  born:  John  W.,  living  in  Texas,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  farming,  and  is  by  trade  a  blacksmith ;  Charles,  residing 
in  Gill  township;  Jacob  W.,  now  attending  college  at  Purdue. 

His  father  dying  when  he  was  but  four  years  of  age,  Owen  J.  Ridg- 
way lived  with  his  mother  and  stepfather  until  about  twenty  years  old, 
when  he  began  farming  in  Haddon  township.  He  rotated  back  and 
forth  between  Gill  and  Haddon  townships  until  September,  1891,  when 
he  moved  onto  the  place  he  now  occupies,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  north 
of  Carlisle.  Here  he  carries  on  general  farming  and  stockraising.  Mr. 
Ridgway  is  the  owner  of  "Duke  of  Scotland,  No.  1140,"  a  registered 
Clydesdale  stallion,  and  a  fine  Spanish  jack,  called  "Teddy."  He  feeds 
from  one  to  two  carloads  of  hogs  annually,  mostly  of  the  Poland  Chin^ 
breed,  and  also  owns  some  Black  Poll-Angus  cattle.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  votes  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  carries  a  member- 
ship in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  belonging  to  the  Carlisle 
Camp,  No.  3332,  of  this  order. 

Mr.  Ridgway  was  married  September  4,  1887,  to  Alfretta  King,  born 
in  Illinois,  and  reared  in  Haddon  township.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  and  an  exemplary  Christian.  Six  children  have  come 
to  bless  this  home  circle :  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Charles  Seever,  has 
two  little  daughters,  Geneva  Lucille  and  Lois;  Fred  W.,  in  the  seventh 
grade  of  Carlisle  public  school;  Lillie  May,  also  in  the  seventh  grade; 
Mildred  Marie,  in  the  fourth  grade;  and  Alpha,  the  youngest,  in  the 
second  grade. 


William  Warren  Bailey,  the  owner  of  more  than  a  half  section 
of  fertile  farming  land  within  Haddon  township,  all  in  one  body,  is  an 
extensive  stock  raiser  and  farmer.  He  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  born  near  Carlisle,  February  2,  1850,  a  son  of  Salathiel  Jackson 
and  Mary  (Gobin)  Bailey.  The  father  was  born  in  Georgetown,  Ken- 
tucky, about  1 818,  and  died  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indi- 
ana, in  1863.  The  mother  was  born  near  Carlisle.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, William  Gobin,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  among  the  early 


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150  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

settlers  of  Haddon  township,  this  county.  He  always  followed  farming 
and  also  operated  a  tan-yard  at  Carlisle.  He  was  a  very  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  highly  respected  in  his  community,  and  had  a  family, 
including  two  sons.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the  old  type. 
Salathiel  Bailey,  the  father  of  William  W.,  of  this  notice,  came  to 
Haddon  township  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  later  married  and  began 
farming.  He  owned  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  at  the  date  of  his  death.  He, 
too,  was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  church  connection, 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Their 
children  were  as  follows :  Frances,  deceased ;  Finley,  deceased ;  Ardillia, 
deceased ;  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Nesbit,  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan 
county ;  William  Warren,  of  this  biography ;  Hammett,  deceased. 

William  W.  Bailey  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  began  to  work  for 
himself  independently  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  began  by  work- 
ing for  others  by  the  month,  but  when  twenty  years  of  age  he  farmed 
for  himself  in  Haddon  township  upon  a  ten-acre  tract,  to  which  he  had 
fallen  heir.  He  has  continued  in  agricultural  pursuits  to  the  present 
time.  In  1894  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  consisting  of  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  choice  land,  upon  which  he  carries  on  both  grain 
and  stock  farming.  He  raises  about  two  carloads  of  hogs  annually, 
besides  some  cattle.  He  has  been  a  stock  drover  for  over  thirty  years, 
and  has  shipped  from  all  along  the  line,  including  Oaktown,  in  Knox 
county,  and  Carlisle,  Sullivan,  Dugger,  Riverton,  etc.,  buying  and  ship- 
ping, both  hogs  and  cattle.  He  is  a  large  stockholder  in  the  Peoples 
State  Bank  of  Sullivan  and  is  a  thoroughly  up-to-date  agriculturist  and 
competent  business  man. 

Mr.  Bailey  has  been  married  thrice,  first  in  1871,  to  Elizabeth 
Snyder,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Cass  township,  and  who  died  in  1877. 
The  issue  by  this  union  was :  Frenchie  Eugene,  deceased ;  one  who  died 
in  infancy ;  and  Grace,  wife  of  Harry  Mason,  residing  in  Gill  township. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Bailey  married  Jennie  Creager,  also  a  native 
of  Sullivan  county,  who  died  a  few  years  subsequent  to  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Bailey,  leaving  two  children:  Oma,  who  was  born  June,  1889,  a 
graduate  of  Carlisle  high  school  with  the  class  of  1908;  Dessie  E.,  born 
July  3,  1891,  now  in  the  high  school.  For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Bailey 
married  Emma  Walker,  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county. 
The  issue  by  this  marriage  is  one  daughter,  Helen  Pauline.  Mr.  Bailey's 
daughters  are  members  of  the  Christian  church  and  his  present  wife 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  church. 


Ernest  M.  Deputy,  M.  D. — A  man  of  high  mental  attainments, 
cultured  and  talented,  Ernest  M.  Deputy,  M.  D.,  of  Dugger,  Cass  town- 
ship, is  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  physi- 
cian and  surgeon  of  skill,  being  widely  known  and  having  a  fine  patron- 
age. A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born  August  5,  1877,  in  Paris,  Jen- 
nings county.    His  father,  Sylvester  Deputy,  was  born  January  3,  1834, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  151 

in  Woods  county,  Virginia,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace  of  his 
father,  Andrew  Deputy.  A  well-established  tradition  says  that  the  first 
known  ancestor  of  the  Deputy  family  was  a  babe  left  at  the  door  of  a 
deputy  sheriff  in  France.  The  deputy  sheriff  and  his  wife  being  child- 
less, gladly  welcomed  the  foundling,  took  it  in,  and  as  it  was  found  on 
the  door  sill  christened  it  Sylvester,  and  gave  it  the  surname  of  Deputy. 

The  Doctor's  great-grandfather  and  two  of  his  brothers  came  from 
Virginia  to  Indiana  via  the  Ohio  river,  landing  at  the  present  site  of 
Madison.  One  of  the  brothers  subsequently  settled  in  Illinois,  but  the 
Doctor's  progenitor  bought  a  tract  of  government  land  in  Jefferson 
county,  and  was  there  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Andrew  Deputy,  the  Doctor's  grandfather,  came  with  his  parents 
to  Sullivan  county,  and  subsequently  entered  government  land  on  the 
bank  of  the  Muscatucket  river,  where  he  cleared  and  improved  a  farm. 
He  afterwards  sold  that  property  and  removed  to  Jennings  county,  set- 
tling in  Montgomery  township,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 

But  a  child  when  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Jefferson  county, 
Sylvester  Deputy  was  here  reared  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  very 
energetic,  enterprising  and  ambitious,  and  soon  after  attaining  his  major- 
ity bought  a  tract  of  timbered  land  in  Montgomery  township,  Jennings 
county,  where  he  built  up  an  extensive  business.  In  addition  to  clearing 
the  land  and  carrying  on  farming,  he  operated  a  shingle  mill  and  manu- 
factured molasses  from  sorghum  which  he  raised,  making  a  large  quan- 
tity each  fall.  Improving  a  valuable  farm,  he  erected  a  substantial  set 
of  buildings  and  was  there  prosperously  engaged  in  his  chosen  labors 
until  his  death  in  1895.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Hud- 
son, was  born  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  in  August,  1836,  and  is  now 
living  near  the  old  homestead.  Her  father,  Boyd  Hudson,  was  born, 
it  is  thought,  in  New  York  state,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Jennings  county. 
He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  established  a  tannery  in  Jennings  county, 
it  being  one  of  the  first  in  the  state,  and  in  it  carried  on  an  extensive 
business.  He  bought  large  tracts  of  timber  land,  taking  especial  pains 
to  get  that  containing  mostly  oak  trees,  as  he  needed  oak  bark  for  use 
in  his  tannery.  He  employed  a  large  force  of  men  in  his  work,  and  the 
locality  in  which  he  lived  was  known  as  Boydtown.  He  cleared  large 
tracts  of  land,  and  in  addition  to  operating  his  tannery  was  prosperously 
engaged  in  general  farming  until  his  death.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Frances  Shepherd,  survived  him  and  married  for  her  second 
husband  William  Johnson. 

Sylvester  and  Sarah  (Hudson)  Deputy  reared  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Velmore,  Alban  S.,  Emerson  J.,  Frank  (deceased),  Ernest  M. 
Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Montgomery  township,  and  at  Lan- 
caster, Velmore  Deputy  began  his  career  as  a  teacher  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  being  first  employed  in  the  public  schools  of  Kansas. 
Returning  to  Indiana  he  was  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Vernon 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  Alban  S.  Deputy  took 
a  normal  course  at  the  Blinn  Academy,  and  in  addition  to  teaching  and 
farming,  was  superintendent  of  a  canning  factory.     He  died  August  20, 


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152  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

1909,  and  was  interred  in  the  Jennings  county  family  cemetery.  Emerson 
J.  Deputy  is  a  contractor  for  the  building  of  public  highways. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  Ernest  M.  Deputy  studied 
for  a  year  at  Purdue  University  in  Lafayette,  Indiana,  after  which  he 
taught  school  for  four  years,  in  the  meantime  reading  medicine.  Entering 
then  the  medical  department  of  Kentucky  University  he  took  a  course 
of  four  years,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  July,  1903, 
receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Locating  in  Dugger,  Sullivan  county,  in 
the  following  month,  Dr.  Deputy  has  since  built  up  an  extensive  and 
lucrative  practice,  obtaining  an  assured  position  among  the  leading  physi- 
cians of  this  part  of  the  county.  Deeply  interested  in  his  professional 
work,  he  makes  a  close  study  of  all  newer  methods  employed  in  detecting 
and  treating  diseases,  keeping  abreast  of  the  times  in  regard  to  medicine 
and  surgery.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sullivan  County  Medical  Society 
and  is  president  for  1909,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Indiana  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Elks  Lodge,  No.  866,  at  Linton,  Indiana,  and  exam- 
ining physician  for  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

On  December  11,  1904,  Dr.  Deputy  married  Fletie  Staples.  She  was 
born  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana,  in  Marion  township,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Jefferson  and  Belle  (Rogers)  Staples.  The  Doctor  and  Mrs. 
Deputy  have  two  children,  Sherrill  S.  and  Mary  C. 


Samuel  O.  Carty. — Among  the.  many  intelligent  and  enterprising 
men  who  are  devoting  their  time  and  attention  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  is 
Samuel  O.  Carty,  of  Cass  township,  who  is  meeting  with  as  much  success 
in  using  agricultural  implements  as  he  formerly  did  with  his  mining 
tools.  A  native  of  Virginia,  he  was  born  January  14,  1857,  m  Russell 
county,  which  was  likewise  the  birthplace  of  his  father,  James  L.  Carty. 
His  paternal  grandparents  were,  as  far  as  known,  life-long  residents  of 
the  Old  Dominion  state. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  James  L.  Carty  continued  a  resident  of  Virginia 
until  1848.  In  search  then  of  a  more  favorable  location  for  securing  a 
living  for  himself  and  family,  he  moved  to  Kentucky,  purchased  a  farm 
in  Carter  county,  and  was  there  a  resident  for  ten  years.  In  1868,  push- 
ing still  nearer  to  the  frontier  line,  he  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
settling  in  Hamilton  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  death,  in  1906.  He  married  Rachel  Dickerson,  who 
was  born  in  the  same  county  of  Virginia  that  he  was,  a  daughter  of 
Organ  and  Nancy  Dickerson.  She  died  in  1872,  leaving  five  children, 
namely :    Robert,  Samuel  O.,  Thomas,  Mary  and  Lucy. 

But  eleven  years  old  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana, 
Samuel  O.  Carty  completed  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Ham- 
ilton township,  Sullivan  county,  and  obtained  a  license  to  teach  school. 
Deciding,  however,  not  to  adopt  teaching  as  a  profession,  he  began  life 
for  himself  as  a  miner,  and  for  a  number  of  years  followed  that  vocation. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  153 

In  the  meantime,  having  accumulated  some  money,  Mr.  Carty  wisely 
invested  in  land,  purchasing  the  farm  where  he  now  resides,  and  on 
which  he  has  been  successfully  employed  in  general  farming  since  1894. 
Showing  excellent  judgment  and  much  skill  in  his  operations,  he  is  meet- 
ing with  good  success  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  reaping  satisfactory  harvests 
each  season. 

In  1876  Mr.  Carty  married  Mrs.  Lucy  (Blevins)  Timmons,  who 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  James  Blevins.  She  married 
first  Harvey  Timmons,  who  died  in  early  life,  leaving  her  with  one  child, 
William  Timmons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carty  have  reared  four  children, 
namely:  Bertha,  George,  James  and  Harry.  Bertha,  wife  of  Marion 
F.  Walters,  has  children:  Marie,  Marion,  Mabel,  Margaret  and  Evelyn 
Verle  Walters.  George  married  Nellie  Smith,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Cecil,  Earl  and  Bertha  L.  James  married  Emma  Goodman,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Ruby,  William  and  Rupert.  Harry 
married  Chloe  Shipman,  and  they  have  two  children,  Geneva  and  Pauline. 
Politically  Mr.  Carty  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  relig- 
iously both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Joseph  A.  Crawford. — Among  the  enterprising  and  successful 
agriculturists  of  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  may  be  named  Joseph 
A.  Crawford,  whose  skill  and  energy  in  the  direction  and  prosecution 
of  his  chosen  industry  have  given  to  his  work  a  value  and  significance 
of  which  few  have  deemed  it  capable.  A  son  of  the  late  Hugh  Crawford, 
he  was  born  in  this  township,  and  has  here  spent  his  entire  life,  his  birth 
having  occurred  March  24,  1862. 

Born  in  1808,  in  Ohio,  Hugh  Crawford  was  there  reared  and  mar- 
ried. With  his  young  wife  he  came  to  Indiana  in  search  of  a  home,  and 
for  a  while  lived  in  Grant  county.  Coming  from  there  to  Sullivan  county, 
he  resided  first  in  Cass  township  and  then  moved  to  Hamilton  township, 
where  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  A  commodious  hewed  log 
house  and  a  few  acres  cleared  constituted  the  improvements  on  the  place 
at  the  time  of  his  purchase.  By  dint  of  .energy  and  persistent  toil  he 
cleared  the  greater  part  of  the  land,  placing  it  under  cultivation,  and  was 
there  actively  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  August  n,  1873.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Marion  McCormick,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  William  McCormick,  and  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,- 
August  19,  1892.  She  reared  eight  children,  namely:  John  W.,  Robert, 
David  O.,  Lewis  L.,  George  W.,  Thomas  W.,  Susanna  and  Joseph  A. 

Beginning  when  young  to  assist  on  the  farm  Joseph  A.  Crawford 
received  his  education  in  the  usual  manner,  gleaning  his  early  knowledge 
of  books  in  the  district  schools.  Leaving  his  mother's  home  after  his 
marriage,  he  began  life  for  himself  on  rented  land,  and  continued  thus 
to  make  his  living  until  1892,  when  he  bought  the  farm  which  he  now 
owns. and  occupies.  This  is  pleasantly  located  in  Cass  township,  about 
four  miles  from  the  village  of  Sullivan,  and  contains  one  hundred  and 


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154  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

thirty  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land.  Here  Mr.  Crawford  is  profitably 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stockraising,  in  both  branches  of  his 
work  meeting  with  satisfactory  results. 

On  April  17,  1884,  Mr.  Crawford  married  Lydia  E.  Brodie.  She 
was  born  March  20,  1862,  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  William  A.  and  Mary  J.  (Maxwell)  Brodie.  Of  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  six  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Maude, 
Mary  Ann,  Clio,  Hugh  (deceased),  Lester  and  Russell  Homer.  Politic- 
ally Mr.  Crawford  is  a  stanch  Republican. 


Captain  Josiah  Standley. — In  the  annals  of  Sullivan  county  we 
find  no  name  more  worthy  of  recording  in  a  work  of  this  character  than 
that  of  Captain  Josiah  Standley,  who  has  the  distinction  not  only  of 
being  a  pioneer  settler  and  a  hero  of  two  wars,  but  of  being  descended 
from  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  of  being  the  son  of  a  soldier  of  the  war 
of  1812,  and  of  representing  two  honored  pioneer  families  of  Indiana. 
He  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having  occurred  November  18,  1827, 
in  Washington  county,  near  Pekin,  making  him  one  of  the  oldest  native- 
born  citizens  of  this  state.  His  father,  Joseph  Standley,  was  born  in 
Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  a  son  of  Thomas  Standley.  Thomas 
Standley  was  born,  it  is  thought,  in  England,  and  on  coming  to  this 
country  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  North  Carolina,  from  there  com- 
ing to  Washington  county,  Indiana,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life. 

Reared  and  married  in  his  native  state,  Joseph  Standley  kept  pace 
with  the  moving  tide  of  emigration,  and  in  his  early  life  journeyed  by 
teams  to  Ohio,  where  he  lived  a  few  years.  Then,  still  pushing  his  way 
westward,  he  came  across  the  country  to  Indiana,  locating  at  first  in 
Martin  county.  He  subsequently  lived  for  a  time  in  Washington  county, 
from  there  going  to  Putnam  county,  and  afterward  settling  near  Bowling 
Green,  Clay  county,  being  one  of  the  earlier  pioneers  of  that  locality. 
Subsequently  taking  up  his  residence  in  Sullivan  county,  he  pre-empted 
a  tract  of  government  land  in»  section  nine,  Cass  township,  and  lived  on 
it  without  securing  a  title  to  it  until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  patriotic 
spirit,  and  served  for  a  year  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  married  Mary  Bar- 
ham,  who  was  born  in  Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  a  daughter  of 
Hartwell  Barham.  Mr.  Barham  was  born  and  bred  in  England,  from 
there  coming  to  America  in  colonial  days,  and  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  great  struggle  for  independence,  serving  in  the  Revolutionary  army 
for  seven  years.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1777-78  at  Valley  Forge  with 
Washington,  and  he  handed  down  to  his  descendants  the  pass  word  there 
used,  it  being  "Suffer  Liberty  or  Death."  Returning  to  Guilford  county, 
North  Carolina,  after  the  war,  he  subsequently  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  that  place.  Mrs.  Joseph  Standley  survived  her  husband  a 
number  of  years.  Of  the  children  born  to  her  twelve  grew  to  years  of 
maturity. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  155 

About  eight  years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Clay  county,  Josiah 
Standley  spent  all  of  his  early  life  on  the  frontier,  his  parents  moving 
from  time  to  time  to  a  newer  country,  taking  advantage  of  every  opening 
made.  Inheriting  in  a  marked  degree  the  patriotism  that  characterized 
his  ancestors,  he  enlisted  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war  in 
Company  H,  Fourth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  went  with  his  command 
to  Mexico,  and  there  fought  until  peace  was  declared.  He  then  marched 
with  his  comrades  from  the  interior  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  from  there  sailing 
by  way  of  the  gulf  and  rivers  to  Madison,  Indiana,  where  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  service.  Returning  home,  Mr.  Standley  received 
a  land  warrant  for  his  services,  and  with  that  secured  the  land  that  his 
father  had  previously  pre-empted.  There  he  was  afterwards  engaged  in 
farming  until  the  tocsin  of  war  again  rung  through  the  land.  Then,  in 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Forty-third  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
was  appointed  second  lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  went  with  his  com- 
mand to  Missouri,  where  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  New  Madrid. 
Early  in  1862  he  was  taken  ill,  and  on  March  29  of  that  year  resigned 
and  returned  home  to  recuperate.  Recovering  his  health,  he  enlisted 
during  the  same  year  in  Company  I,  Ninety-seventh  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  made  second  lieutenant  of  that  company.  He  was 
afterwards  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  later  received  his  commis- 
sion as  captain  of  his  company.  While  in  service  Captain  Standley  par- 
ticipated in  more  than  forty  different  engagements,  including  those  at 
Jackson,  Mississippi,  where  he  was  wounded;  at  Vicksburg,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Dalton,  Resaca  and  the  siege  and  capture  of  Atlanta,  where 
for  a  time  he  commanded  a  regiment.  The  Captain  was  with  his  com- 
mand on  the  memorable  march  to  the  sea,  thence  through  South  Carolina 
to  North  Carolina.  There,  at  Lynch  Creek,  while  in  command  of  a 
mounted  squad  in  detached  duty,  he  was  captured  and  taken  to  Anderson- 
ville.  His  experience  there,  however,  was  brief,  as  he  was  transferred  to 
Libby  prison,  and  there  confined  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he 
joined  his  regiment  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  where  he  was  honorably 
discharged.  Returning  home,  Captain  Standley  was  for  several  years 
actively  engaged  in  farming,  and  at  one  time  had  title  to  over  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  Much  of  this  he  has  since  deeded  to  his  children, 
although  he  has  now  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  in  his  possession. 

Captain  Standley  has  been  three  times  married.  He  married  first, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  Margaret  Hinkle,  who  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, a  daughter  of  Samuel  Hinkle.  Her  grandfather,  Nathan  Hinkle, 
came  from  Germany,  his  native  land,  to  America  in  colonial  times,  and 
fought  with  the  colonists  in  their  struggle  for  liberty,  serving  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Continental  army  for  seven  years.  Subsequently  coming  to  Indiana, 
he  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Sullivan  county,  and  at  his  death  his  body  was 
laid  to  rest  in  Hymera,  where  his  friends  have  erected  a  monument  to 
his  memory.  Mrs.  Margaret  Standley  died  about  two  years  after  her 
marriage,  and  a  year  later  Captain  Standley  married  her  sister,  Mahala 
Hinkle,  also  deceased.  In  1905  Captain  Standley  married  Mrs.  Nancy 
J.  Ooley.    By  his  first  marriage  he  had  one  son,  Hartwell  Barham  Stand- 


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156  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

ley,  M.  D.,  a  successful  physician  and  surgeon  of  California.  By  his 
second  marriage  he  had  the  following  children :  Elihu  E.,  James  H., 
William  H.,  Josiah  S.,  Emma,  Nettie,  Asenath  R.,  and  Fannie.  Fraternally 
the  Captain  was  made  a  Mason  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  when  young,  and 
he  was  formerly  a  member  of  Fletcher  Freeman  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  located 
at  Cass,  Indiana. 


George  A.  Exline. — Especially  worthy  of  more  than  mere  mention 
in  this  biographical  volume  is  George  A.  Exline,  a  venerable  and 
respected  resident  of  Cass  township,  a  veteran  agriculturist,  and  one 
who  fought  for  his  country  during  the  Civil  war.  For  more  than  half 
a  century  he  has  lived  upon  his  home  farm,  and  in  the  meantime  has 
greatly  enhanced  the  value  of  his  property  by  his  many  excellent  improve- 
ments, rendering  it  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  desirable  estates  in 
this  part  of  the  county.  A  son  of  Adam  Exline,  he  was  born  June  25, 
1829,  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  near  Dresden.  His  grandfather,  Ber- 
nard Exline,  migrated  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio,  becoming  a  pioneer 
of  Muskingum  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Born  in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania,  Adam  Exline  became  one  of 
the  very  early  settlers  of  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  locating  there  in  1818. 
Purchasing  a  tract  of  wild  land  in  Washington  township,  he  erected  a 
log  house,  which  was  the  dwelling  place  for  his  family  until  1844,  his 
older  children  being  born  in  the  cabin.  With  his  wife  and  six  children 
he  came  in  that  year  to  Indiana,  making  the  removal  with  teams,  and 
bringing  all  of  his  worldly  goods.  Settling  in  Wright  township,  Greene 
county,  he  bought  a  tract  of  timbered  land,  and  at  once  built  a  log  house, 
splitting  the  boards  to  cover  the  roof,  and  making  a  split  puncheon  floor. 
There  were  then  no  railways  in  the  state,  and  Terre  Haute,  thirty-five 
miles  away,  was  the  nearest  market  and  milling  point.  While  he  was 
busy  clearing  the  land  his  wife,  with  true  domestic  thrift,  was  equally  as 
busy  carding,  spinning  and  weaving  the  material  with  which  she  clothed 
her  family.  On  the  homestead  which  they  improved  both  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  remaining  years,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years,  and  hers  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Jane  Saucerman.  She  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Catherine  Saucerman,  the  former  of  whom  spent  his  last 
years  in  that  county,  while  his  widow,  Mrs.  Saucerman,  came  to  Indiana 
after  his  death  and  died  in  Greene  county. 

One  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  George  A.  Exline  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene  county,  Indiana. 
Beginning  the  battle  of  life  for  himself  in  1851,  he  came  to  Sullivan 
county,  and  here  found  employment  on  a  farm,  working  for  two  years 
for  eight  dollars  a  month,  afterwards  farming  on  shares  until  his  mar- 
riage. Money  came  slowly,  but  surely,  and  as  he  was  prudent  in  his 
savings  and  wise  in  his  expenditures,  he  accumulated  a  sufficient  sum 
within  a  few  years  to  buy  a  strip  of  canal  land,  paying  two  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  an  acre,  and  later  buying  another  tract  at  five  dollars  per  acre. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  157 

Both  tracts  are  now  included  in  his  home  farm  in  Cass  township.  At 
the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Exline  built  a  three-room  house,  and  then 
began  the  improvement  of  a  farm.  In  August,  1862,  responding  to  his 
country's  call,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  with  his  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  at 
the  front  until  February,  1865,  when  he  was  disabled,  and  did  not  join 
his  regiment  until  after  the  war  was  closed.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
many  important  engagements,  including  the  battle  of  Thompsons  Sta- 
tion, Dalton,  Resaca,  the  siege  and  capture  of  Atlanta,  where  he  witnessed 
the  surrender  of  that  city  by  the  mayor,  and  the  battle  of  Nashville,  one 
of  the  most  strenuous  of  the  entire  conflict.  Being  honorably  discharged 
with  his  regiment  in  June,  1865,  Mr.  Exline  returned  home.  During  his 
absence  his  house  had  been  burned.  He  immediately  built  another,  and 
in  1883  erected  the  spacious  brick  dwelling  now  occupied  by  the  family. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  agricultural  labors,  accumulating  a 
competency,  and  now,  although  he  has  assisted  his  children  to  establish 
homes  of  their  own,  he  has  nearly  two  hundred  acres  of  finely  improved 
land  in  his  valuable  and  attractive  farm. 

On  February  25,  1858,  Mr.  Exline  married  Nancy  J.  Crager.  She 
was  born  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  her 
parents,  Thomas  J.  and  Barbara  Crager,  were  pioneer  settlers.  Five 
children  have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Exline,  namely :  Mar- 
shall, Samuel  Winfield,  Thomas  C,  Isabelle,  John  L.,  and  Stella  T. 
Marshall  married  Katie  Bryant,  and  they  have  two  children,  Orval  and 
Harold.  Samuel  W.  married  Dora  McClellan,  and  they  have  six  chil- 
dren, Russell,  Lillie,  Eunice,  Edith,  Mabel  Clare  and  Lloyd  L.  Thomas 
C.  married  May  Buck,  and  they  have  five  children,  Fay  E.,  Fern,  Cora, 
Hazel  and  Mary.  Isabelle,  wife  of  George  French,  has  one  child,  George 
A.  Religiously  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Exline  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Politically  Mr.  Exline  has  always  sup- 
ported the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  Socially  he  was  a  member 
of  Fletcher  Freeman  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  which  was  located  in  Cass,  Indiana. 


William  Zaayer. — Numbered  among  the  industrious  and  prosper- 
ous agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  William  Zaayer,  who  is  actively 
engaged  in  his  pleasant  and  independent  calling  in  Cass  township,  having 
the  management  of  the  parental  homestead,  which  is  one  of  the  best  and 
most  desirable  pieces  of  property  in  the  neighborhood.  A  native  of  Sul- 
livan county,  he  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  where  his  father,  Rufus 
Zaayer,  was  a  pioneer  settler.  He  is  the  descendant  of  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  comes  of  German  ancestry,  his  great-grandfather, 
Thomas  Zaayer,  having  emigrated  from  Germany,  his  native  land,  to 
America  in  colonial  days,  afterwards  serving  under  General  Washington 
in  the  great  struggle  for  American  independence.  He  subsequently  lived 
for  a  while  in  Pennsylvania,  but  from  there  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  eighty-one  years  of  earthly  life,  residing  in 


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158  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

either  Fairfield  or  Pickaway  counties.  He  reared  two  sons  and  one 
daughter.  The  daughter  married  a  Mr.  Dumm;  his  son  Jacob  never  left 
Pennsylvania ;  his  son  Joseph  was  the  grandfather  of  William. 

A  native  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  Joseph  Zaayer  migrated 
to  Ohio  when  young,  settling  in  Pickaway  county.  He  had  previously 
learned  the  tailor's  trade,  but  after  his  marriage  he  located  on  a  tract  of 
timbered  land  given  him  by  his  father  in  Adams  township,  that  county, 
and  thereafter  devoted  his  energies  to  clearing  and  improving  a  home- 
stead. In  common  with  the  other  pioneers  of  the  place,  he  raised  flax, 
kept  sheep,  and  labored  with  earnest  toil  to  clear  the  land  and  cultivate 
the  soil,  while  his  good  wife,  skilled  in  the  domestic  arts,  carded,  spun 
and  wove  the  homespun  in  which  she  clothed  the  family.  He  erected 
a  comfortable  set  of  log  buildings,  and  was  there  a  resident  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He  married  Maria  Dunkle,  a 
native  of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  whose  father  was  born  on  the 
ocean  wrhile  his  parents  were  on  their  way  from  Germany  to  this  country. 
She  survived  her  husband,  dying  on  the  home  farm  in  Adams  township, 
Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  She  reared  thirteen  children,  as 
follows:  Levi,  Colton,  William,  Leah,  John,  Seth,  Samuel,  Rufns,  Ben- 
jamin, Joseph,  Enos,  Mary  and  Daniel. 

Rufus  Zaayer  was  born  April  15,  1830,  in  Adams  township,  Picka- 
way county,  Ohio,  and  was  there  bred  and  educated,  attending  the  prim- 
itive schools  of  his  day,  and  assisting*  in  the  pioneer  labor  of  clearing  a 
homestead.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went  to  live  with  Solomon 
Teagarden  in  Adams  township,  and  for  five  years  assisted  him  in  the 
care  of  the  farm,  receiving  for  his. labor  a  share  of  the  crops.  Ambitious 
then  to  become  a  land  owner  he  came  in  the  fall  of  1854  to  Indiana, 
making  the  removal  with  teams,  and  "entered  a  tract  of  canal  land  in 
Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  also  bought  a  five-acre  tract,  upon 
which  was  a  log  house  and  an  orchard.  The  land  was  partly  timber  and 
partly  prairie,  and  he  at  once  began  its  improvement,  residing  there  four 
years.  Exchanging  it  then  for  a  farm  in  the  same  township,  he  remained 
there  two  years,  and  then  traded  that  property  for  a  farm  in  Hamilton 
township.  Ten  years  later  he  sold  out  there  and  bought  the  farm  which 
he  now  owns  and  occupies.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  rich  land,  and  is  advantageously  located  about  three  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  the  village  of  Sullivan.  The  land  is  well  cultivated  and 
improved,  and  has  a  substantial  set  of  buildings,  well  adapted  for  the 
use  of  an  up-to-date  farmer. 

On  August  23,  1854,  Rufus  Zaayer  married  Mary  Alspach,  who 
was  born  January  5,  1837,  m  Bloom  township,  Fairfield  county,  Ohio, 
which  was  likewise  the  birthplace  of  her  father,  Daniel  Alspach.  Her 
grandfather,  John  Alspach,  was  born  in  Pennsvlvania,  of  German  par- 
entage, and  was  a  pioneer  of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his 
declining  years.  A  life-long  resident  of  Ohio,  Daniel  Alspach  there 
married  Leah  Hummel,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German 
ancestors,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely :  Mary, 
Caroline,  John,  Julia,  Ann,  Eliza,  Sophia,  Nancy,  Carol  and  Margaret. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  159 

Of  the  union  of  Ruftis  and  Mary  (Alspach)  Zaayer,  seven  children 
have  been  born,  five  of  whom  have  passed  to  the  higher  life,  Benjamin 
having  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years;  Leah  Maria  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years;  John  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years;  Daniel  at  the  age  of 
thirty-four  years ;  and  Emma  when  but  fourteen  years  old.  Allen  Zaayer, 
the  youngest  child,  married  Hallie  Richie,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Claude  Mathers  and  Herbert  William  Zaayer,  the  second  son  and  third 
child  in  succession  of  birth,  has  been  a  life-long  resident  of  Sullivan 
county  and  remains  at  home,  the  solace,  comfort  and  mainstay  of  his 
parents.  Having  charge  of  the  home  farm,  he  is  carrying  on  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  after  the  most  approved  modern  methods,  and 
in  his  work  is  meeting  with  genuine  success. 


Stephen  R.  Brown,  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of  Jackson 
township,  is  numbered  among  its  native  sons,  born  May  9,  1862,  a  son 
of  Stephen  and  Ann  (Johnson)  Brown  and  a  grandson  of  Samuel  and 
Nancy  Brown.  The  grandparents  were  born  in  Ireland,  where  they  were 
farming  people,  and  coming  to  America  they  located  first  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  whence  they  later  moved  to  Davis  county,  Indiana,  and  later 
to  Sullivan  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Stephen  Brown,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  Brown,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  about  1819,  and  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Davis  county,  and  some  time  in  the  thirties  he  came  with  them 
to  Sullivan  county.  He  was  married  in  Jackson  township  in  1856  to 
Ann  Johnson,  who  was  born  near  Jamestown,  Ohio,  March  11,  1832,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Epharatia  Johnson,  both  now  deceased,  and  they 
too  were  farming  people.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown,  and  the  first  two,  George  W.  and  Samuel  B.,  were  twins,  the 
former  now  living  in  Mandan,  North  Dakota,  and  the  latter  in  Youngs- 
town,  Ohio;  William  E.  resides  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Stephen  is 
mentioned  later ;  Charles  died  in  infancy ;  Nancy  A.  died  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years;  and  Mary  E.  Wilcox  resides  in  Bricelyn,  Minnesota. 
Stephen  Brown,  the  father,  was  a  lifelong  agriculturist,  and  at  one  time 
owned  an  estate  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  being  both  a 
grain  and  stock  farmer.  In  politics  he  voted  with  both  the  Whigs  and 
Republicans,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  earnest  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church. 

Stephen  R.  Brown  assisted  his  father  with  the  farm  work  until  the 
summer  before  his  marriage,  when  he  began  farming  for  himself.  He 
wedded,  November  29,  1885,  Anna  A.  Wambaugh,  who  was  born  on 
the  20th  of  December,  1864,  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Rosena  Wam- 
baugh, the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1830  and  died  April  20,  1896, 
while  the  latter  was  born  in  1828  and  died  April  10,  1896.  Both  were 
natives  of  Germany,  the  father  coming  from  Prussia  and  the  mother 
from  Baden  before  their  marriage,  and  from  Ohio  they  moved  to  Greens- 
burg,  Indiana,  and  later,  about  1873,  came  to  Jackson  township,  Sullivan 
Vol.  11—11 


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160  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brown  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five  children.  The  eldest, 
Herbert  A.,  born  July  5,  1887,  received  a  common  school  education  with 
one  term  in  Brown's  Business  College,  and  he  is  now  in  the  regular  army 
and  stationed  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri.  He  enlisted  on  the  18th 
of  March,  1908.  William  E.,  born  February  13,  1888,  completed  the 
common  school  course  and  a  one  year's  high  school  training,  and  is  now 
working  at  the  mine.  Ernest  R.,  born  October  7,  1889,  passed  from  the 
common  schools  to  the  high  school, 'where  he  studied  for  two  years,  and 
was  for  one  year  a  student  at  the  normal  college  at  Danville,  Indiana. 
He  is  now  teaching  his  first  school.  Leslie  R.,  born  August  1,  1892,  has 
completed  the  common  school  course  and  is  now  assisting  his  father  on 
the  farm.  Mildred  A.,  born  May  6,  1897,  is  attending  the  common  school. 
Just  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Brown  bought  the  forty  acres  of  land 
on  which  his  home  is  now  located,  and  his  farm  contains  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  acres  of  land,  while  in  addition  to  this  he  also  farms 
the  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  belonging  to  his  mother.  He 
raises  both  grain  and  stock,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  his  chosen 
field  of  endeavor.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of 
Farmersburg,  and  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church. 


David  M.  Bedwell. — Distinguished  not  only  for  the  honored  pioneer 
ancestry  from  which  he  is  sprung,  but  for  his  services  as  a  volunteer 
soldier  during  the  late  Civil  war,  and  as  an  excellent  representative  of 
the  successful  agriculturists  of  Cass  township,  David  M.  Bedwell  is 
eminently  deserving  of  special  mention  in  this  work.  A  native  of  Sulli- 
van county,  Indiana,  he  was  born  February  24,  1845,  a  son  of  Robert 
Bedwell,  and  a  grandson  of  Thomas  Bedwell,  both  Indiana  pioneers. 
Born,  bred  and  married  in  Kentucky,  Thomas  Bedwell  came  from  there 
to  Indiana  in  early  days,  settling  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
where  both  he  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Polly  Holston, 
spent  their  remaining  years. 

One  of  a  family  of  seven  children,  Robert  Bedwell  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  and  was  a  small  child  when  he  came  with  his  parents  across 
the  country  to  Sullivan  county,  oftentimes  finding  the  way  by  means  of 
blazed  trees.  Growing  to  manhood,  he  entered  government  land  in  Jef- 
ferson township,  and  having  cleared  an  opening  in  the  dense  timber  built 
the  log  cabin  in  which  his  son  David  was  born,  riving  by  hand  the 
boards  that  covered  the  roof.  There  were  then  neither  railways  nor 
canals,  and  Vincennes  was  the  nearest  market  and  milling  point.  For 
a  number  of  years  thereafter  deer,  wolves,  panthers  and  other  wild 
beasts  roamed  at  will  in  this  vicinity  and  the  energetic  women  of  the 
household  were  accustomed  to  card,  spin  and  weave  and  make  all  the 
clothing  worn  by  the  members  thereof.  After  clearing  a  portion  of  the 
land  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Cass  township,  purchasing  the  land  now 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  161 

owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  David  M.  A  few  acres  of  the  land  had 
been  cleared  and  a  log  cabin,  with  a  frame  addition,  containing  one  room, 
had  been  erected.  Continuing  his  agricultural  labors,  he  resided  here 
until  his  death,  September  3,  1878,  in  his  seventy-third  year.  He  married 
Rebecca  Pitts,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  came  to  Indiana  with  her 
parents,  Macey  and  Barbara  Pitts,  pioneer  settlers  of  Sullivan  county. 
She  survived  her  husband,  passing  away  September  25,  1892,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  Of  the  fourteen  children  born  of  their 
union,  thirteen  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  namely:  Elizabeth,  Sarah, 
James,  Polly  Ann,  George,  Thomas,  Rebecca,  Robert,  David  M.,  Stephen, 
Alexander,  John  W.  and  Eliza. 

Obtaining  a  practical  education  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse,  with  its 
home-made  furniture,  David  M.  Bedwell  began  as  a  boy  to  assist  his 
father  on  the  farm,  continuing  thus  employed  until  ready  to  establish  a 
home  of  his  own.  Beginning  then  to  farm  for  himself,  he  rented  land 
and  was  busily  employed  in  its  cultivation  until  the  early  part  of  1864. 
In  February  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Fifty-ninth  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  went  south  with  his  regiment,  being  with  his 
comrades  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Georgia  and  Alabama.  Being  taken 
ill  at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  he  was  taken  first  to  the  hospital  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  after  his  discharge  from  that  institution  was  granted  a 
furlough  of  thirty  days.  Going  then  to  Indianapolis  to  join  his  regiment, 
he  was  sent  to  New  York  city,  thence  by  boat  to  Morehead  City,  North 
Carolina,  and  from  there  to  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where  he  joined 
his  command.  Marching  then  with  the  "boys"  to  Washington,  he  took 
part  in  the  Grand  Review,  and  was  subsequently  honorably  discharged 
with  his  regiment.  Returning  home  Mr.  Bedwell  resumed  his  agricul- 
tural labors,  and  on  the  death  of  his  father  succeeded  to  the  ownership 
of  the  parental  homestead,  a  part  of  which  he  had  previously  purchased. 
Here  he  has  since  carried  on  general  farming  with  ability  and  success, 
and  his  added  improvements  have  been  of  the  best. 

Mr.  Bedwell  married  in  October,  1863,  Emma  Shepherd,  who  was 
born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Eli  and  Lucy  Shepherd, 
pioneers  of  Hamilton  township.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bedwell,  namely :  Carl,  Burt,  Ollie  and  Freddie.  Carl  married 
Alice  Birch,  and  they  have  three  children,  Willie,  Gladys  and  Jesse.  Burt 
married  Sarah  Borders,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Evert, 
Nora,  Hazel  and  Theresa.  Ollie,  wife  of  Joseph  Vaughn,  has  three 
children,  Clarence,  Alta  and  Harold.  Politically  Mr.  Bedwell  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  religiously  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Martin  M.  Pope. — Recognized  as  one  of  the  most  intelligent  men 
and  thoroughgoing  farmers  of  Sullivan  county,  Martin  M.  Pope,  of 
Cass  township,  is  successfully  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  on  as  com- 
fortable and  well-kept  a  homestead  as  can  be  found  in  this  part  of  the 


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162  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

state.  During  his  long  and  busy  life  he  has  pursued  the  even  tenor 
of  his  way  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  citizen,  being  engaged  in  either 
mercantile  or  agricultural  pursuits,  and  is  now  reaping  the  reward  of  his 
many  years  of  persistent  toil.  A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born  October 
9,  1838,  in  Morrill  township,  Shelby  county,  a  son  of  Henry  L.  Pope.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Pope,  a  native  of  Virginia,  followed  the  march  of 
civilization  westward,  settling  first  as  a  pioneer  in  Ohio,  and  a  few  years 
later  coming  from  there  to  Indiana  and  locating  near  Indianapolis,  where 
he  passed  his  remaining  years. 

Born  in  Ohio,  Henry  L.  Pope  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana. 
He  lived  for  a  number  of  years  with,  or  near,  his  parents,  but  after  his 
second  marriage  he  located  in  Shelby  county,  where  he  lived  until  1867. 
He  subsequently  spent  a  few  years  in  Sullivan  county,  and  then  moved 
to  Greene  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  second  wife,  mother  of  Martin 
M.,  was  Charity  Martin.  She  was  born,  it  is  thought,  in  Shelby  county, 
Indiana,  where  her  father,  George  Martin,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
was  a  pioneer  settler.  He  was  a  basket  maker  and  a  farmer,  and  spent 
his  last  years  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois.  He  married  a  Miss  Hoop.  Of 
the  union  of  Henry  L.  and  Charity  (Martin)  Pope,  eight  children  were 
born,  namely:  William,  Martin  M.,  Isabelle,  Sarah,  Mary,  Aaron,  Phebe 
and  John.    The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years. 

Brought  up  in  pioneer  days  Martin  M.  Pope  learned  to  read  and 
write  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse,  sitting  on  a  slab  seat  which  had  wooden 
pegs  for  legs,  while  a  slab  placed  against  one  side  of  the  cabin  served 
the  children  for  a  writing  desk.  The  room  was  lighted  with  just  the 
amount  of  light  that  could  push  its  way  through  a  strip  of  greased  paper 
in  an  opening  where  one  log  was  left  out,  and  was  heated  by  a  fire  built 
of  logs  in  the  huge  fireplace.  He  was  about  nine  years  old  when  he  made 
his  first  visit  to  Indianapolis,  going  there  with  his  father  to  take  a  load 
of  poultry.  It  was  then  quite  a  flourishing  town,  with  less  than  ten 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  but  two  railroads.  Beginning  life  for  himself 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  Mr.  Pope  rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county, 
taking  at  first  a  lease  for  four  years.  Coming  to  Sullivan  county  in  1866. 
he  rented  land  for  a  few  years,  after  which  he  bought  a  farm  in  Cass 
township.  Subsequently  selling  that  property,  Mr.  Pope  was  for  fourteen 
years  engaged  in  mercantile  business  in  the  village  of  Cass,  having  a 
substantial  trade  in  general  merchandise.  In  1887  ne  bought  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns  and  occupies,  it  having  formerly  belonged  to  his 
father-in-law,  Greene  L.  Vernon,  and  has  since  been  here  profitably 
employed  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Pope  married  in  i860,  Mary  Matilda  Vernon,  who  was  born  in 
Morrill  township,  Shelby  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Greene  L.  and 
Delitia  (Vernon)  Vernon.  A  native  of  North  Carolina,  Greene  L.  Ver- 
non came  from  there  to  Indiana  with  teams,  bringing  with  him  his  wife 
and  two  children.  Entering  government  land  in  Morrill  township,  he 
first  erected  a  log  cabin,  and  then  began  the  improvement  of  a  farm, 
subsequently  residing  there  until  1867,  when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Cass 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  163 

township,  and  here  lived  until  his  death  the  following  year,  passing  away 
in  1868. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pope  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely :  Sarah 
E.,  Janie,  Cordelia,  Aaron,  John,  Minnie  and  Etta.  Sarah  E.,  wife  of 
Frank  Usery,  has  three  children,  Ferd,  Eva  P.  and  Ruth.  Janie  married 
William  Miller,  and  died  in  1892,  leaving  two  children,  Bert  and  Gertie. 
Cordelia,  wife  of  W.  Sanders  Pigg,  has  six  children,  Herbert,  Bessie, 
Raymond,  Arval,  Iva  and  Noal.  Aaron  married  Florence  Keene,  and 
they  have  seven  children,  Bert,  Zella,  Sylvia,  Clarence,  Roy,  Tony  and 
Cleo.  Minnie,  wife  of  Hosea  Steele,  has  two  children,  Vernie  and 
Frances.  Politically  Mr.  Pope  is  an  active  member  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  has  filled  various  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility  with  ability 
and  fidelity.  While  living  in  Shelby  county  he  was  poor  superintendent 
and  has  served  as  assessor  in  Cass  township.  He  has  been  deputy 
assessor  three  terms,  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  eleven  years,  and  for 
three  years  was  a  county  commissioner.  Religiously  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pope  are  worthy  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church. 


John  Lammey. — Many  of  the  more  prosperous  and  respected  citi- 
zens of  Sullivan  county  are  of  foreign  birth,  and  in  their  native  land 
acquired  those  habits  of  industry,  thrift  and  frugality  that  have  been 
such  important  factors  in  winning  them  wealth  and  good  fortune  in  this 
country.  Prominent  among  this  number  is  John  Lammey,  who  has 
retired  from  agricultural  pursuits,  and  is  now  residing  at  his  pleasant 
home  in  the  village  of  Dugger,  devoting  his  time  to  horticulture  and 
agriculture,  finding  fully  as  much  pleasure  as  profit  in  his  congenial  work. 
A  son  of  John  Lammey,  Sr.,  he  was  born  September  25,  1834,  in  county 
Tyrone,  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland,  coming  on  the  paternal  side  of 
French  Huguenot  ancestry.  His  grandparents,  William  and  Ellen  (Gal- 
lagher) Lammey,  were  life-long  residents  of  the  Emerald  Isle. 

John  Lammey,  Sr.,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  came  to  America  about 
the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  and  for  awhile  lived  in  Philadelphia.  Subse- 
quently purchasing  a  farm  near  Richmond,  Virginia,  he  was  there  a 
resident  until  his  death,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eight-nine  years.  He 
married  Martha  McNeil,  who  was  born  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  of 
Scotch  ancestors,  being  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza  McNeil,  who  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Ireland.  She  died  in  Philadelphia.  Of  her  children, 
five  grew  to  maturity.  Eliza  went  to  Australia  to  live,  and  the  others 
came  to  America.  Ann  is  living  in  Philadelphia;  Martha  and  William 
have  passed  to  the  life  beyond;  and  John  is  the  special  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Bred  and  educated  in  his  native  county,  John  Lammey  began  as  a 
boy  to  learn  something  of  the  various  branches  of  agriculture,  remain- 
ing with  his  parents  until  his  marriage.  He  afterwards  lived  on  rented 
land  until  i860.  In  March  of  that  year,  hoping  in  this  land  of  fair 
promise  to  better  his  financial  condition,  he  came  to  the  United  States, 


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164  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  for  two  years  lived  in  Philadelphia,  and  then  located  in  Coshocton 
county,  Ohio.  In  August,  1863,  Mr.  Lammey,  loyal  to  the  land  of  his 
adoption,  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  went 
south  with  his  regiment,  and  remained  with  it  in  all  of  its  hard  marches, 
campaigns  and  battles,  and  with  his  comrades  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service  in  August,  1865.  Returning  to  Ohio,  Mr.  Lammey 
bought  land  near  Mohawk  village,  and  was  there  employed  in  tilling  the 
soil  until  1874.  Coming  then  to  Indiana,  he  settled  in  Sullivan  county, 
for  three  years  renting  land.  In  the  meantime,  Mr.  Lammey  purchased 
a  tract  of  wild,  uncultivated  land  lying  in  sections  twenty-three  and 
twenty-four,  Cass  township,  and  in  the  log  house  which  he  erected  he  and 
his  family  lived  for  many  years,  and  it  is  still  standing.  Clearing  and 
improving  the  land,  he  subsequently  built  a  good  frame  barn,  and  was 
there  successfully  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1904.  Rent- 
ing the  farm  at  that  time,  he  has  since  made  his  home  in  Dugger,  pleas- 
antly passing  his  time  in  caring  for  his  fruit  trees,  flowers  and  bees,  mak- 
ing a  special  study  of  these,  and  finding  enjoyment  in  their  cultivation. 
Mr.  Lammey  married,  October  3,  1854,  Mary  Graham,  who  was 
born  in  county  Tyrone,  Ireland,  where  her  parents,  Andrew  and  Jane 
(McMains)  Graham,  both  of  Scotch  ancestry,  spent  their  lives.  The 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lammey  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  eight 
children,  namely:  Jane,  William,  John,  Martha,  Robert  A.,  Charles, 
Lewis  C.  and  Margaret  E.  Jane,  wife  of  Frank  Shivers,  has  six  chil- 
dren, Wilmer,  Minnie,  James,  Frank,  Lizzie  and  John.  William  married 
Rachel  McBride,  and  they  have  three  children,  John,  Frank  and  Ruth. 
John  married  Susan  Magill,  and  has  four  children,  Myrtle,  Mary,  Earl 
and  Ray.  Martha,  wife  of  William  Exline,  has  six  children,  Jane,  Jose- 
phine, Nora,  John,  Willie  and  Vinetta.  Robert  A.  married  Mary  E. 
Lambright.  Charles  married  Susan  Doherty,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Culmer,  Opher  and  Cecil.  Lewis  C.  married  Clara  Walters,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Ethel  and  Hazel.  Margaret  E.,  wife  of  William 
Fry,  has  two  children,  Leroy  and  Willie.  Religiously  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lammey  are  faithful  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Lammey  is  a  strong  Republican.  While  in  the  army  he  cast 
his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  soon  afterwards 
was  granted  his  naturalization  papers. 


Eli  Clayton. — An  enterprising  and  well-to-do  agriculturist,  Eli 
Clayton  is  prosperously  engaged  in  his  free  and  independent  vocation  on 
one  of  the  pleasantest  and  most  desirable  homesteads  in  Cass  township. 
It  has  a  fine  location  in  section  sixteen,  and  with  its  fertile  land  and 
comfortable  and  convenient  set  of  buildings  invariably  attracts  the  atten- 
tion of  the  passer-by,  and  indicates  to  what  good  purpose  the  proprietor 
has  employed  his  time  and  means.  Coming  from  pioneer  stock,  he  was 
born  August  31,  1866,  in  Cass  township,  a  son  of  William  Clayton. 

Francis  Clayton,  grandfather  of  Eli,  was  born  in  Bradford,  York- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  165 

shire,  England.  Acquiring  a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools, 
he  in  company  with  his  brother  George  subsequently  embarked  in  the 
coal  business,  and  for  several  years  operated  a  number  of  mines.  Visit- 
ing America  in  1842,  he  looked  about  for  a  favorable  business  location, 
and  spent  a  short  time  in  Sullivan  county.  Going  back  to  his  native  land 
in  1843,  ne  remained  there  a  year,  and  in  1844  returned  to  this  country 
with  his  wife  and  five  children,  being  eight  weeks  and  three  days  in  sail- 
ing across  the  ocean  to  New  Orleans.  From  that  city  he  came  by  steamer 
up  the  river  to  Evansville,  Indiana,  from  there  journeying  with  two  four- 
horse  teams  to  Greene  county,  bringing  with  him  his  household  goods 
and  provisions  enough  to  last  his  family  a  year.  At  first  he  found  shelter 
with  friends,  but  ere  long  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Jefferson  township. 
Several  acres  of  the  tract  had  been  cleared,  an  orchard  had  been  set  out, 
and  a  two-roomed  frame  house  and  a  log  house  had  been  erected.  He 
soon  built  a  mill,  which  he  operated  by  horse  power,  and  there  ground 
both  wheat  and  corn,  the  bolt  being  operated  by  hand.  Selling  that  place 
in  1 85 1,  he  purchased  land  on  Burrow  creek,  in  the  north  part  of  Cass 
township,  and  having  improved  the  water  power,  built  a  grist  mill  in 
the  place  now  known  as  Caledonia.  There  he  lived  as  a  farmer  and  miller 
until  his  death  in  December,  1853.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  the  grandmother  of  Eli  Clayton,  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  England, 
and  at  her  death  she  left  three  children:  William  (father  of  Eli),  Eli 
and  Jeremiah.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  two  children:  Frances, 
now  Mrs.  Snow,  and  John.    All  of  his  children  were  born  in  England. 

Born  in  Bradford,  Yorkshire,  England,  William  Clayton  attended 
school  when  young,  and  afterwards  assisted  his  father  in  the  mines. 
Soon  after  coming  with  the  family  to  Indiana,  he  married  Ann  Lunn, 
who  was  born  in  England,  and  came  to  Greene  county,  Indiana,  with  her 
parents,  Thomas  and  Christiana  (Dolby)  Lunn,  who  there  improved  a 
farm  on  which  they  spent  their  remaining  years.  He  then  settled  on  land 
that  is  now  included  in  the  home  property  of  his  son  Eli,  who  was  born 
in  the  cabin  made  of  round  logs  that  he  then  built.  Laboring  with  unceas- 
ing toil,  he  cleared  a  large  part  of  the  wild  land,  placed  it  under  cultiva- 
tion, and  later  erected  a  set  of  frame  buildings,  and  here  resided  until 
his  death.  To  him  and  his  wife  eleven  children  were  born,  namely: 
Mary,  Sarah,  Christiana,  Thomas,  Francis,  Rachel,  Martha,  Fanny, 
Emma,  Eli  and  William. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Eli  Clayton  gleaned  his  early  education 
during  the  short  terms  of  the  district  school,  and  as  soon  as  practicable 
was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  farming.  At  the  time  of  his  marriage 
he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  Jefferson  township,  but  a  few  years  later 
sold  out  and  purchased  the  parental  homestead,  where  he  has  since  been 
busily  employed  in  general  farming,  his  labors  being  substantially 
rewarded  by  the  abundant  crops  that  he  raises  each  season. 

Mr.  Clayton  married,  April  23,  1890,  Mabel  Shepherd.  She  was 
born  July  30,  1870,  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  which  was 
also  the  birthplace  of  her  father,  Francis  M.  Shepherd,  and  the  place 
in  which  her  grandfather,  William  Shepherd,  settled  as  a  pioneer.  Receiv- 


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166  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

ing  excellent  educational  advantages,  Francis  M.  Shepherd  taught  school 
when  a  young  man,  and  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  for  a  number  of  years  being  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Jef- 
ferson township,  where  his  death  occurred  November  14,  1889.  The 
maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah  Willis.  She  was  born  in  Haddon 
township,  a  daughter  of  John  A.  Willis,  who  was  born  in  1800  in  Vir- 
ginia, but  was  reared  and  married  in  Kentucky.  Coming  from  there  to 
Indiana  about  1830,  he  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land  in  Haddon  township,  and  from  the  wilderness  hewed  out  a 
farm.  He  built  first  a  cabin  of  hickory  logs,  riving  the  boards  to  cover 
the  roof,  and  putting  in  a  stick  and  clay  chimney.  He  had  no  stove  for 
many  years,  his  wife  cooking  by  the  open  fireplace.  He  raised  sheep  and 
flax,  and  his  wife,  carded,  spun  and  wove  the  cloth  used  in  making  gar- 
ments for  the  family.  In  1859,  having  succeeded  well  in  improving  his 
land,  Mr.  Willis  built  a  substantial  house  from  oak  logs,  with  a  good 
brick  chimney  and  a  porch.  He  subsequently  bought  the  brick  school 
house  which  had  been  erected  on  his  land,  and  converted  it  into  a  good 
dwelling  house,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  He  was  twice  married.  His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Clayton's 
maternal  grandmother,  was  Sarah  Boatman.  She  was  born  in  181 2,  in 
Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  and  died  aged  eighty-three  years.  By  this 
marriage  Mr.  Willis  reared  ten  children :  Ann  E.,  Mary,  William,  Sarah, 
Marion  F.,  Tilghman  H.,  Margaret,  James  A.,  Ruah  L.  and  Laura.  By 
his  first  marriage  he  had  two  children:  John  and  Richard.  He  joined 
the  Methodist  church  after  coming  to  Indiana,  and  became  a  licensed 
exhorter,  and  his  wife  and  all  of  his  children  belonged  to  the  same  church. 
Mrs.  Sarah  (Willis)  Shepherd  is  still  a  resident  of  Jefferson  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayton  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely :  Iva, 
Hazel  and  William  Russell.  Politically,  Mr.  Clayton  is  a  loyal  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  religiously  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  adherents  of  the  Christian  church,  and  the  wife  is  a  devout 
member  of  that  denomination. 


Levi  Gam  bill. — Holding  a  good  position  among  the  successful 
farmers  of  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  Levi  Gambill,  who  is 
emphatically  a  self-made  man,  as  he  started  in  life  with  no  other  capital 
than  brains,  a  willingness  to  labor  and  the  necessary  muscle,  and  by  his 
industry  and  excellent  judgment  and  management  has  acquired  a  fair 
share  of  this  world's  goods.  A  son  of  Morgan  Gambill,  he  was  born  in 
this  township  January  2,  1839,  and  is  an  excellent  representative  of  the 
native-born  citizens  of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  grandfather,  Martin 
Gambill,  came  from  Tennessee  to  Indiana  at  an  early  day,  making  the 
journey  on  horseback,  and  bringing  with  him  his  family  and  all  of  his 
household  effects.  On  the  farm  which  he  improved  in  Wright  township, 
Greene  county,  he  spent  his  remaining  days. 

Born  in  Tennessee,  Morgan  Gambill  was  but  a  child  when  he  came 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  167 

with  the  family  to  Greene  county,  Indiana.  An  apt  scholar  in  his  youth- 
ful days,  he  was  well  educated  for  his  times,  and  in  early  manhood  began 
his  career  as  a  teacher,  having  charge  of  the  first  school  established  in 
Cass  township.  The  round-log  cabin  in  which  he  taught  was  rudely  con- 
structed and  equipped,  having  a  stick  and  clay  chimney,  a  roof  made  of 
boards  rived  and  held  in  place  by  poles,  while  the  seats  were  made  of  slabs 
and  the  floor  of  puncheon.  A  strip  of  greased  paper  covering  the  narrow 
opening  made  by  leaving  out  a  round  log  admitted  light  to  the  room, 
which  was  heated  by  a  fire  in  the  fireplace.  This  part  of  Indiana  was  then 
a  wilderness,  and  the  comparatively  few  inhabitants  lived  in  a  very  primi- 
tive manner,  the  farmers  raising  flax  and  sheep,  and  their  hard-working 
wives  carding,  spinning  and  weaving  the  cloth  in  which  she  dressed  her 
entire  family.  During  his  boyhood  all  grain  was  cut  with  a  sickle,  and 
the  plows  were  made  with  wooden  moldboards,  on  which  were  narrow 
points  of  iron.  The  wagons  were  home-made,  the  wheels  being  sawed 
from  a  log,  and  no  iron  at  all  used  in  their  construction.  Wild  game, 
deer,  wolves  and  bears  were  plentiful,  and  oftentimes  damaged  the 
growing  crops  unless  they  were  carefully  watched  and  guarded. 

When  a  young  man,  Morgan  Gambill  entered  government  land  in 
section  one,  Cass  township,  and  having  cleared  a  space  erected  from 
round  logs  the  cabin  in  which  his  son  Levi  was  born.  With  character- 
istic energy  and  enterprise  he  began  the  improvement  of  a  homestead, 
and  a  few  years  later  erected  a  commodious  hewed  log  house,  which  was 
then  considered  a  fine  residence,  and  subsequently  built  on  his  place  the 
first  frame  barn  erected  in  the  township,  a  barn  that  is  still  in  use.  Clear- 
ing the  greater  part  of  his  land,  he  resided  there  until  his  death  in  1852, 
when  but  forty-one  years  old.  He  married  Ellen  McGrew,  who  was  born 
near  Salem,  Daviess  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  John  McGrew,  a 
pioneer  of  Daviess  and  Greene  counties,  who  improved  a  farm  near 
Linton.  She  survived  him,  marrying  subsequently  for  her  second  husband 
William  Cone,  and  now,  a  bright  and  hearty  woman  of  ninety-five  years, 
is  living  with  one  of  her  sons.  By  her  first  marriage  she  reared  seven 
children :  John,  Hannah,  Lucinda,  Levi,  Wiley,  Morgan  and  Mary  Ann. 
By  her  second  marriage  she  had  two  children :  Eleanor  and  William. 

Having  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools,  Levi 
Gambill  obtained  on  the  home  farm  a  practical  experience  in  the  art  and 
science  of  agriculture,  remaining  with  his  mother  until  eighteen  years 
old.  Beginning  life  for  himself  then  even  with  the  world,  he  secured 
work  on  a  neighboring  farm,  receiving  nine  dollars  a  month  wages,  which 
was  then  considered  a  good  compensation.  Prudent  and  economical,  he 
accumulated  enough  money  before  many  years  to  buy  forty  acres  of  the 
land  that  is  now  included  in  his  present  homestead.  He  built  a  hewed 
log  house  for  his  first  home,  and  there  began  housekeeping  with  his  bride. 
Enlisting  in  his  country's  defense  in  March,  1865,  Mr.  Gambill  became 
a  member  of  Company  A,  Fifty-third  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  joined 
his  regiment  at  Indianapolis,  and  with  it  went  by  way  of  Ohio,  Pennsyl- 
vania and  New  Jersey  to  New  York  City,  from  there  going  by  steamer 
to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  and  after  a  short  stop  at  that  port  return- 


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168  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

ing  by  boat  as  far  north  as  Alexandria,  Virginia.  A  few  weeks  later  he 
marched  with  his  comrades  to  Washington,  where  he  took  part  in  the 
Grand  Review.  Going  from  there  to  Pennsylvania,  and  thence  to  Ken- 
tucky, he  was  there  honorably  discharged  from  the  service  in  the  fall  of 
1865.  Returning  home,  Mr.  Gambill  resumed  the  care  of  his  land,  and 
has  since  enlarged  his  farm  by  purchase  of  adjoining  land,  having  now 
eighty-five  acres  in  his  homestead.  He  has  placed  his  land  in  a  fine  state 
of  cultivation,  erected  a  substantial  set  of  frame  buildings,  and  set  out 
fruit  and  shade  trees,  each  year  adding  to  the  beauty  and  value  of  the 
property. 

On  February  7,  i860,  Mr.  Gambill  married  Elizabeth  Moore.  She 
was  born  in  Cass  township,  a  daughter  of  James  Moore,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Robert  Moore.  Her  grandfather,  an  early  settler  of  Sullivan 
county,  improved  a  farm  in  the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion fourteen,  Cass  township,  and  in  addition  to  being  a  successful  farmer 
was  one  of  the  noted  hunters  of  his  day.  James  Moore  cleared  and 
improved  a  homestead  in  section  fourteen,  Cass  township,  and  was  there 
employed  in  tilling  the  soil  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 
His  widow,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Graves,  married  for  her 
second  husband  Joseph  Linn,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years. 
She  reared  four  children  by  her  first  marriage :  William,  Elias,  Elizabeth 
(now  Mrs.  Gambill)  and  John.  Her  father,  Elias  Graves,  was  also  a  pio- 
neer of  Cass  township,  and  from  the  wilderness  redeemed  in  the  south 
half  of  section  one  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gambill  have  three  children,  namely:  John  S.,  Sarah 
E.  and  William  M.  John  married  Amanda  Gabard,  and  they  have  five 
children:  Homer,  Cornie,  Osal,  Bessie  and  Kittie.  Sarah  E."  wife  of 
John  Marshall  Buck,  has  six  children :  Chloe,  Dessie,  Alma,  Dora,  Pearl 
and  Estie.  William  M.  married  Elizabeth  Kelley,  and  they  have  two 
children :  Nona  and  Everett.  Chloe  Buck  married  Otis  Pitcher,  and  they 
have  two  children :  Louis  and  Pansy.  Dessie  Buck  married  Albert  Boyd, 
and  has  one  child,  Theresa.  Bessie  Gambill,  wife  of  Ira  Sisk,  has  two 
children :  Esther  and  Iva.  Politically,  Mr.  Gambill  votes  for  the  best  men 
and  measures,  regardless  of  party  restrictions,  and  religiously,  both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gambill  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Fraternally,  he 
is  a  Mason  of  Sullivan. 


Daniel  H.  Halberstadt  was  borri  on  the  7th  of  January,  1850, 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north  of  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  a 
son  of  one  of  the  most  honored  pioneer  families  of  Sullivan  county, 
Harrison  and  Elizabeth  (Man warring)  Halberstadt.  They  were  born 
in  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  and  came  to  Jackson  township  in  Sullivan 
county  as  early  as  1837,  anc*  nere  tne>r  b°tn  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  and  died.  Mr.  Halberstadt,  the  father,  was  quite  a  prominent  stock 
raiser,  and  owned  over  two  hundred  acres  of  good  land.  The  Republican 
party  received  his  stanch  support  and  co-operation,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  church.     They  reared  five 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  169 

children  to  years  of  maturity,  namely:  George  M.,  whose  home  is  in 
Jackson  township ;  Charlotte,  deceased ;  Thomas  J.  and  Elijah  T.,  who 
also  reside  in  Jackson  township;  and  Daniel  H.,  who  is  mentioned  more 
at  length  below. 

Daniel  H.  Halberstadt  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his  father  in 
clearing  and  improving  his  land  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  on 
the  27th  of  November,  1873,  to  Samantha  Ridge  way,  who  was  born  in 
Jackson  township,  September  26,  1852,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  W.  and 
Julia  A.  Ridgeway,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Kentucky,  but  they  were 
married  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Mr.  Ridgeway  was  a  lifelong  tiller 
of  the  soil,  and  he  owned  an  estate  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
Of  the  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Halberstadt,  three  are  deceased, 
two  dying  in  infancy,  and  Bettie  Lillian  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  The 
two  living  are  Nellie  G.  and  Goldie  May.  The  elder  is  the  wife  of  John 
A.  Harding,  of  Jackson  township,  and  the  younger  is  at  home  with  her 
parents. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Halberstadt  erected  a  pleasant  home  on  his 
farm,  and  here  the  family  have  ever  since  lived,  the  homestead  farm  con- 
sisting of  eighty  acres.  He  is  a  carpenter  as  well  as  a  farmer,  and  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  business  operations.  His  politics  are  Repub- 
lican, and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Katherine  (Grant)  Wallace,  a  member  of  one  of  the  most 
prominent  families  of  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Muskingum  county, 
Ohio,  September  14,  1836,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Anna  (Neff)  Grant. 
The  father  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  but  was  only  a  boy  of  nine- 
teen when  he  came  to  this  country,  and  he  spent  three  months  in  crossing 
the  ocean.  He  taught  school  both  before  and  after  coming  to  the  United 
States,  and  was  one  of  the  highly  educated  men  of  his  day,  being  able 
to  speak  five  different  languages,  and  his  professional  career  covered  the 
long  period  of  fifty  or  sixty  years.  During  that  time  he  taught  in  Balti- 
more and  in  many  of  the  higher  educational  institutions  of  learning,  but 
finally  he  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1855,  and  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  here,  his  later  years  having  been  passed  on  his  farm  in 
Jackson  township.  From  the  Whigs  he  transferred  his  political  allegiance 
to  the  Democracy,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  in  which  he  served  as  an  elder  for  many  years.  Eight 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant,  namely :  Katherine  Wallace ; 
Mary  Forester,  deceased;  Elizabeth  Squire,  also  deceased;  Anna  Wal- 
lace, whose  home  is  in  Curry  township ;  William  and  Charles,  who  have 
both  passed  away ;  Caroline  Baker,  whose  husband  is  a  minister  at  Lyons ; 
and  Morgan,  who  died  in  infancy. 

The  daughter  Katherine  received  her  educational  training  in  the 
public  schools  and  under  the  able  instructions  of  her  father,  and  she  also 
taught  school  during  about  four  years  before  her  marriage.  This  occurred 
on  the  7th  of  August,  1859,  when  she  wedded  Henry  R.  Wallace,  Sr., 


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170  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

who  was  born  February  7,  1824,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  lad  of  sixteen 
when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana.  Immediately  following  their 
marriage  the  young  couple  moved  to  the  farm  where  the  widow  yet  resides 
and  which  had  been  entered  from  the  government  by  his  father.  Mr. 
Wallace  cleared  and  improved  this  place,  and  made  it  his  home  until  his 
death  on  the  7th  of  August,  1887,  and  he  was  buried  in  Littleflock  ceme- 
tery, near  Shelburn.  At  his  death  he  left  a  valuable  estate  of  four  hun- 
dred acres,  and  during  his  lifetime  he  had  been  prominently  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  grain  and  stock.  His  politics  were  Democratic,  and  he  was 
prominently  before  the  people  for  many  years  as  a  squire,  as  a  trustee 
and  as  a  county  commissioner.  He  was  at  the  same  time  an  earnest 
Christian  gentleman,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination,  and  for 
many  years  he  served  his  church  as  a  deacon. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wallace  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  five 
children,  namely :  Elizabeth  Giles,  of  Jackson  township ;  Frank,  who  mar- 
ried Joanna  Giles,  by  whom  he  has  two  children,  Katharine  and  Henry, 
and  the  family  home  is  in  Curry  township;  Edward  P.,  at  home  with  his 
mother;  Harry  S.,  who  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Leona  Wagner, 
deceased,  and  secondly  to  Sarah  Ross,  and  he  is  now  practicing  law  in 
Terre  Haute;  and  Peter  J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  Mrs. 
Wallace  and  her  son  reside  on  her  estate  of  eighty  acres  in  Jackson 
township,  and  she  is  a  prominent  member  and  an  earnest  worker  in  the 
Presbyterian  church. 


Jacob  Cum  son,  whose  home  for  many  years  has  been  on  a  farm  in 
Jackson  township,  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  June  20,  1848, 
a  son  of  James  and  Nancy  (Early)  Cumson,  natives  respectively  of  Greene 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotland.  When  twenty  years  of  age,  in 
1807,  James  Cumson  went  to  Ohio  and  became  a  farmer  and  cabinet- 
maker there,  and  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  in  about  1878, 
surviving  his  wife  for  about  ten  years,  and  they  both  lie  buried  in  Ohio. 

Jacob  Cumson  attended  school  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  during  his 
boyhood  days,  and  he  has  practically  cared  for  himself  since  the  early 
age  of  sixteen  years.  At  this  time,  about  1864,  he  obtained  a  government 
position  in  the  quartermaster's  department,  where  he  remained  for  about 
eighteen  months,  and  he  then  worked  for  others  until  1867,  after  which 
he  farmed  on  rented  land  in  Guernsey  county  for  one  year.  At  the  close 
of  that  period  he  bought  a  little  twenty  acre  farm  in  Ohio,  and  lived 
and  labored  there  until  he  sold  the  land. and  came  to  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  in  1883,  here  buying  forty  acres,  where  he  now  lives.  He  has 
sold  the  coal  which  underlies  this  tract,  and  he  also  owns  eighty  acres  of 
land  about  half  a  mile  northeast  and  thirty-six  acres  in  Cass  township, 
renting  about  twenty-five  acres  of  these  tracts,  while  on  the  remainder 
he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  now  serving  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  to  his  honor 
it  may  be  said  that  he  was  elected  to  this  office  without  his  knowledge. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1868,  Mr.  Cumson  married  Sarah  E.  Lam- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  171 

bright,  who  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary  Jane  (Shivers)  Lambright,  natives  respectively  of  Germany 
and  of  Ohio.  They  came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1882  and  bought  a  farm 
in  Cass  township,  where  the  father  died  in  1904  and  the  mother  about 
fourteen  years  previously.  Mrs.  Cumson  has  also  passed  away,  dying  on 
the  30th  of  April,  1907,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  three  children, 
but  only  Mary  Elizabeth,  the  youngest,  is  now  living,  the  two  others 
having  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Cumson  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 


Robert  J.  Denton,  one  of  the  thrifty  agriculturists  of  Jackson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  born 
April  23,  1839,  son  of  Joseph  W.  and  Anna  (Miller)  Denton,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  The  father  came  to  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana,  when  it  was  yet  a  small  place.  He  located  on  lands  near 
Terre  Haute,  where  he  resided  with  his  parents,  and  they  both  died  near 
Lewis,  Indiana.  Mr.  Denton  remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  when  he  married  and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Honey  Creek  township, 
where  he  followed  farm  life  until  1862.  He  then  removed  to  Lancaster, 
Owen  county,  where  he  stayed  one  year,  then  went  to  the  old  home  place. 
During  this  term  of  years  by  frugal  and  industrious  habits  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  accumulating  over  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Vigo,  Clay 
and  Owen  counties.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  resided  near  Lewis, 
having  sold  the  old  place  and  purchased  another  farm  about  three  miles 
from  the  old  one.  He  died  about  1878,  his  father  having  survived  until 
1880.    Mr.  Denton's  mother  died  in  i860,  and  his  grandmother  in  1877. 

Robert  J.  Denton  remained  under  the  paternal  roof  until  twenty  years 
of  age,  when  his  father  gave  him  eighty  acres  of  land.  He  then  located  on 
his  own  farm  in  Pierson  township.  On  October  10,  1864,  ne  enlisted  in 
the  Twenty-first  Heavy  Artillery,  in  which  service  he  was  faithful  to 
every  known  duty  for  twelve  months.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  C. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  place  where  he  now 
lives,  which  land  he  had  purchased  prior  to  going  into  the  army.  At  one 
time  this  place  contained  four  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  has  been  sold 
off  until  he  now  has  but  seventy  acres.  He  bought  and  sold  stock  for 
about  twenty  years  and  carried  on  general  farming  in  connection  with 
his  extensive  stock  business.  Of  late  years  he  has  lived  more  of  a  retired 
life  and  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his  long  and  strenuous  life. 

Mr.  Denton  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  at  Hymera.  The 
family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Denton  is 
a  member.  Politically  he  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  cast  his  first  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president. 

He  was  married,  October  4,  i860,  to  Martha  Lovett,  born  in  Ohio 
June  10,  1857,  daughter  of  Jonas  Lovett.  Martha  Lovett  came  to  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  in  1859,  her  sister  having  resided  here  some  years  before. 
She  taught  school  in  Indiana  from  the  time  she  was  sixteen  years  of  age 


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172  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

until  her  marriage.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denton  have  been  born  six  children, 
as  follows:  Charles  A.,  married  and  resides  on  a  farm  near  his  father; 
Joseph  Ellsworth,  married  and  lives  near  the  father ;  Mary  Etta,  deceased ; 
Arthur,  deceased;  William,  married  and  lives  in  Oklahoma  City;  and 
Rhoda,  wife  of  Charles  Liston. 


Caroline  (Mahan)  Branson. — Mrs.  Caroline  Mahan  Branson  was 
born  in  Kentucky  January  13,  1832,  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  and  Jemima 
(Browning)  Mahan,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  Kentucky.  Coming 
to  Jackson  township  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1834,  they  entered 
land  here  at  that  early  day,  and  the  father  was  both  a  cooper  and  farmer, 
having  operated  a  shop  both  before  and  after  coming  to  this  county. 
During  the  years  of  his  residence  in  Sullivan  county  he  also  cleared  his 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  and  operated  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  becoming 
one  of  the  best  known  men  throughout  the  entire  county,  loved  and 
honored  for  his  many  sterling  characteristics,  and  he  was  known  as 
"Uncle  Jerry"  by  his  many  friends  and  acquaintances.  His  politics  were 
Democratic,  and  he  held  to  the  Methodist  belief.  His  parents,  John  and 
Sarah  Mahan,  were  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  but  they  also  came  to 
Indiana  and  entered  land  near  Hymera,  where  they  became  prominent 
agriculturists. 

Mrs.  Branson  is  one  of  the  four  children  born  to  Jeremiah  and  Je- 
•  mima  Mahan,  namely :  William,  deceased ;  James,  whose  home  is  in  Jack- 
son township;  Mrs.  Branson;  and  John  J.,  deceased.  The  father  was  a 
second  time  married,  wedding  Nancy  Cochran,  and  their  ten  children  are 
Jane,  George,  Emma,  Charles,  Thomas  J.,  Ann,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Jere- 
miah and  an  infant. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1852,  Caroline  Mahan  gave  her  hand  in  marriage 
to  Isaiah  Branson,  the  only  child  of  Asa  and  Nancy  (Allen)  Branson, 
who  were  born  respectively  September  17,  1798,  and  October  18,  1801, 
in  Pittsylvania  county,  Virginia.  Asa  was  a  son  of  Michael  and  Mary 
Branson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Branson  have  resided  on  their  present  home- 
stead since  their  marriage,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth 
of  eleven  children,  as  follows:  Nancy,  deceased;  Noten  M.,  who  mar- 
ried Sarah  J.  Miller  and  resides  in  Jackson  township;  Josephine  Will- 
iams, of  Jackson  township ;  Lucy  Flowers,  whose  home  is  in  Oklahoma ; 
Isaiah  J.,  who  resides  in  Hymera;  John,  of  Jackson  township;  Charles, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Emma,  also  deceased;  Stella  Swift, 
of  Clay  county,  Indiana,  and  two,  the  fourth  and  fifth  born,  who  died  in 
infancy. 


John  Wambaugh,  who  is  a  well  known  grain  and  stock  farmer  re- 
siding on  his  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm  in  Jackson  township, 
Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  born  August  9, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  173 

1862,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Rosena  E.  (Freedman)  Wambaugh.  His 
father  was  born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  in  October,  1829,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1858.  He  was  married  after  arriving  in  America,  and  first 
located  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  where  he  purchased  the  sixty  acres 
of  land  upon  which  he  lived  until  1873,  and  in  the  following  November 
bought  the  farm  upon  which  John,  his  son,  now  resides.  He  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  first,  but  later  added  to  it,  making  in  all 
three  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres.  Here  he  became  an  extensive  cattle 
and  hog  raiser.  He  was  an  enterprising  man,  and  had  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Politically  he  voted  the  Democratic 
ticket,  and  in  church  faith  was  a  Roman  Catholic.  His  wife  was  born 
about  1824,  in  Berlin,  Germany,  along  the  river  Rhine.  She  accompanied 
some  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  to  America.  The  date  of  her  death  was 
April  10,  1896,  and  that  of  her  husband  was  April  20,  1896.  Their  chil- 
dren were  as  follows :  Lynia,  Mrs.  Rossfield,  residing  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky; Tressa,  Mrs.  Lansing,  of  Aurora,  Indiana;  Mary,  Mrs.  Miller,  of 
Indianapolis ;  John,  of  this  notice ;  Anna,  Mrs.  Brown,  residing  in  Jackson 
township,  Sullivan  county ;  Rose,  Mrs.  Burton,  of  Jackson  township,  and 
Joseph,  of  Coalmont,  Indiana. 

John  Wambaugh  received  his  education  at  the  common  schools  and 
was  reared  to  farm  pursuits.  After  farming  on  his  father's  land  a  few 
seasons  he  bought  thirty-five  acres  east  of  his  present  place,  which  he  sub- 
sequently sold,  as  well  as  the  other  land  that  he  owned.  He  next  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  in  Jackson  township,  consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  has  come  to  be  a  well  improved 
place  and  which  he  devotes  to  both  grain  and  stock  raising. 

Politically  Mr.  Wambaugh  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  prefers  others  to  fill  the  local  offices  of  his  township  and  county.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  faithful  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  November  23,  1886,  to  Ellen  Forbes,  born  June 
12,  1866,  in  Linton  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Calvin 
and  Harriet  (Fitzwater)  Forbes.  Her  father  is  now  living  with  his 
daughter  in  Sullivan,  the  mother  being  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wam- 
baugh are  the  parents  of  four  children :  Noble  William,  born  November 
1,  1887;  he  has  completed  his  common  school  studies  and  is  now  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm;  Almeda,  born  June  15,  1890,  graduated  from  the 
common  school  and  then  entered  the  Normal  school,  but  owing  to  her 
failing  health  she  is  now  at  home;  Iva  G.,  born  November  1,  1893,  is 
attending  school,  and  Irma  May,  born  March  3,  1903,  is  also  in  school. 
Mr.  Wambaugh  is  a  member  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  America, 
District  No.  11. 


Mrs.  Nancy  Ann  (Taylor)  Railsback,  widow  of  John  S.  Rails- 
back,  who  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Jackson  township  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  this  township  August  22,  1906,  was  born 
March  16,  1854,  in  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  the  daughter  of  John  C.  and 


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174  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mary  E.  (Bennett)  Taylor.  The  father  was  born  in  1832  in  Davis  county, 
Indiana,  and  died  in  187 1.  He  was  buried  in  the  Liberty  cemetery  north 
of  Shelburn.  Mrs.  Railsback  is  the  oldest  of  twelve  children  in  her 
parents'  family,  born  in  the  following  order :  Nancy  Ann ;  Samuel,  resid- 
ing in  Curry  township;  Robert,  residing  in  Sullivan;  Richard,  living  in 
Curry  township;  Sarah  J.  (Mrs.  Wood),  residing  in  Curry  township; 
Molly  (Mrs.  Martin),  resides  in  Sugar  Creek  township,  Vigo  county, 
Indiana,  and  Dora,  residing  with  her  mother  in  Curry  township.  The 
remaining  five  children  of  this  family  are  now  deceased. 

Nancy  Ann  Taylor  was  united  in  marriage  to  John  S.  Railsback  Jan- 
uary 17,  1875.  He  was  horn  November  8,  1849,  in  Kentucky,  and  within 
Nelson  county.  He  was  the  son  of  Lewis  D.  and  Delithia  J.  (Reynolds) 
Railsback,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  both  now  de- 
ceased. They  were  energetic  farmers  throughout  their  active  lives.  John 
S.  Railsback  came  to  Sullivan  county  with  his  parents  in  1853,  and  they 
located  in  Curry  township.  After  the  marriage  of  John  S.  to  Miss  Taylor 
they  leased  a  farm  in  Curry  township  and  continued  as  renters  until  1880, 
when  they  purchased  a  farm  containing  forty  acres,  where  Mrs.  Railsback 
now  resides,  the  same  being  three  miles  north  of  Hymera.  Her  sons  now 
carry  on  the  farming  operations  there  for  her.  Her  husband  was  a 
staunch  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations,  and  served  his  township  as 
assessor  one  term  and  was  deputy  assessor  several  terms,  and  was  super- 
visor of  roads.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Railsback  were 
twelve  in  number,  of  whom  nine  are  still  living:  Ira  B.,  born  in  the 
autumn  of  1875,  died  in  January,  1903,  leaving  a  wife  but  no  issue;  Ola 
Etta,  born  1877,  married  Elvis  EajJ  Maratta,  residing  in  Jackson  town- 
ship, and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children — Logan  E.,  Chester  A. 
and  Wayne  B. ;  Dora,  born  December  23,  1880,  wedded  Otto  Miller,  a 
resident  of  Vigo  county;  Lottie  V.,  born  August  8,  1881,  is  unmarried 
and  teaching  school ;  Charles  R.,  born  December  14,  1882,  married  Miss 
Stella  Ridgeway  and  has  the  farm  and  mines  coal.  He  is  the  owner  of 
seventy-one  acres  of  land ;  John  C,  born  May  14,  1884,  is  still  at  home 
and  works  the  home  farm;  Claudia  T.,  born  August  24,  1885,  is  at  home; 
Dolpha,  born  June  12,  1887,  is  at  Terre  Haute;  Lessie  A.,  born  November 
20,  1888,  is  attending  high  school  at  Hymera;  Molly  B.,  born  November 
28,  1890,  died  in  April,  1897;  Lona  F.,  born  December  5,  1894,  now 
attends  the  public  school.  One  also  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Railsback  is 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


Samuel  F.  Badders. — Although  long  and  prominently  identified 
with  the  agricultural  and  business  interests  of  Sullivan  county,  Samuel 
F.  Badders,  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  January  5,  1827,  a 
son  of  James  and  Christena  (Frey)  Badders,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  York  county,  Pennsylvania.  They  went  to  Ohio  just  after  the  war  of 
1812,  but  in  1829  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  on  a  farm  in  Beaver  county,  the  husband  pre- 


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PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A5TOR,  LEN'OX  AND 
TILDE*  FOUNDATIONS. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  175 

ceding  his  wife  in  death  several  years.     Their  estate  in  Beaver  county 
consisted  of  three  hundred  and  eighty-two  acres  of  land. 

Samuel  F.  Badders  secured  his  educational  training  in  the  district 
schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1845  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself  in 
connection  with  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  house  in  Wellsville,  Ohio. 
After  he  had  been  there  two  years  the  house  purchased  a  steamboat  and 
Mr.  Badders  was  given  the  choice  of  staying  in  the  store  or  going  on 
the  boat.  He  had  studied  steamboat  bookkeeping  at  Duff's  Commercial 
College  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  choosing  the  latter,  he  was  to 
receive  thirty-five  dollars  for  the  first  year  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  second 
year,  and  he  was  just  one  dollar  in  debt  at  the  close  of  his  two  years' 
service.  For  several  years  he  was  employed  on  different  boats,  and 
during  the  latter  part  of  his  service  on  the  water  he  received  as  high  as 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  a  month.  He  continued  boating 
until  1853,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife  he  resumed  the  occupation, 
and  was  in  Florida  and  other  points  in  the  South  for  one  year.  In  1857 
he  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  canal  land, 
which  was  almost  entirely  covered  with  timber.  He  at  once  began  the 
arduous  task  of  clearing  and  preparing  his  land  for  cultivation,  and  he 
has  resided  on  this  farm  ever  since,  it  now  containing  four  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  rich  and  highly  improved  land,  richly  underlaid  with  coal, 
but  he  has  sold  the  coal  from  three  hundred  and  five  acres  of  the  tract. 
He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  jraising,  and  aside  from 
being  one  of  the  representative  farrn^rs  of  Jaekstjir  township  he  is  perhaps 
the  oldest  living  member  of  the.  tar  oi  Sqlliyan^c^unty.  The  exact  time 
of  his  admittance  is  not  known,  aVhb records  were  kept  by  the  clerk  at 
that  time,  and  in  all  the  walks  of  life  he  is  honored  among  the  people 
with  whom  he  has  so  long  made  his  home.,/' 

On  the  5th  of  January,  $854*  Mr.  Badders  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Harriett  Todd,  a  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Rachael  (Wiley)  Todd, 
both  of  whom  died  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Badders  has 
joined  them  in  the  home  beyond,  dying  in  1856,  and  her  two  children, 
Emma  Luella  and  Tascala  Adella,  are  also  deceased.  On  the  8th  of 
June,  1858,  Mr.  Badders  wedded  Miss  Mary  Snowden,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  to  Orr  and  Nancy  (Martin)  Snowden,  her  natal  day  being  the 
16th  of  March,  1832,  and  in  1852  she  came  with  her  parents  to  the 
United  States  and  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  locating  near  the  home  of 
her  future  husband.  The  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  here. 
Ten  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Badders,  namely :  Indiana, 
the  wife  of  E.  H.  Irwin,  of  Cleburne  county,  Arkansas ;  Harry  M.,  who  is 
married  and  also  resides  in  that  county ;  Martin  E.,  at  home ;  John  Charles, 
who  married,  but  his  wife  is  deceased,  and  he  lives  near  his  father's  farm ; 
Marietta,  the  wife  of  William  M.  Case :  Samuel  Burton,  deceased ;  Clinton 
S.,  at  home;  Lewti,  the  deceased  wife  of  Charles  Shivers;  Nina,  now 
Mrs.  Gordon ;  and  William  Webster,  who  married  Leona  Allen,  deceased, 
and  he  resides  in  Hebron,  Arkansas.  Mr.  Badders  is  a  Socialist  in  pol- 
itics. He  has  been  a  Mason  since  1872,  at  Lewis,  Indiana. 
Vol.  11—12 


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176  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

George  M.  Halberstadt,  for  many  years  identified  with  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  In- 
diana, January  26,  1837,  a  son  of  William  Harrison  and  Elizabeth  (Man- 
warring)  Halberstadt.  It  was  in  1837  that  the  father,  William  H.  Halber- 
stadt, established  his  home  in  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  where 
he  entered  land  from  the  government  and  at  one  time  was  the  owner  of 
a  fine  estate  of  three  hundred  acres.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
on  this  homestead,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  throughout  his  entire 
business  career.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  he  was  a  prominent  and  active  worker  in  its  cause.  His 
life  in  Sullivan  county  covered  the  span  of  fifty-five  years,  and  he  became 
one  of  its  best  known  and  most  honored  residents. 

Mr.  Halberstadt  was  first  married  in  1833  to  Elizabeth  Manwarring, 
who  died  in  1883,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  five  children :  Charlotte, 
deceased ;  John  T.,  whose  home  is  in  Jackson  township ;  George  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  review ;  and  Elijah  T.  and  Daniel  H.,  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Jackson  township.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Halberstadt  wedded 
Elizabeth  Register,  who  died  in  1905,  but  there  was  no  issue  by  the 
second  union. 

During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war,  in  October,  1864,  George  M. 
Halberstadt  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Infantry,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  conflict,  and  he  now  receives  a  pension  of 
fifteen  dollars  a  month  in  compensation  for  his  services.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  and  after  that  event  he  came 
to  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  a  valuable  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  acres.  He  has  been  a  successful  farmer  throughout  the 
years  of  his  business  life,  and  his  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  1877,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
E.  Mahan,  who  died  in  April  of  1908.  They  had  three  children :  Ethel 
Romine,  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana ;  George,  who  is  married  and  living  with 
his  father;  and  Stella  Forbes,  also  of  Jackson  township.  Mr.  Halber- 
stadt has  been  three  times  married,  first  wedding  Margaret  J.  Mahan,  a 
sister  of  his  present  wife,  and  she  died  without  issue.  His  second  wife 
was  Mary  E.  Phillips,  who  left  three  children  at  her  death,  namely: 
William  H.,  a  minister  at  Robinson,  Illinois ;  Louetta  Bennett,  of  Farmers- 
burg;  and  Maria  Romine,  of  Jackson  township.  Mr.  Halberstadt  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


William  W.  Barcus  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  he  now  resides 
on  the  14th  of  December,  1869,  and  this  place  has  ever  since  been  his 
home  and  the  scene  of  his  operations.  Thus  far  in  life  he  has  followed 
the  tilling  of  the  soil  for  a  livelihood,  and  after  his  marriage  he  con- 
tinued to  live  with  his  parents  and  operate  the  farm,  his  present  estate 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  177 

where  he  follows  both  grain  and  stock  farming.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Farmersburg  Mutual  Telephone  Company,  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Citi- 
zens' State  Bank  at  Hymera  and  is  quite  prominent  and  active  in  the 
local  councils  of  the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Barcus  is  a  son  of  Thomas  G.  and  Amanda  S.  (Goodwin) 
Barcus.  The  father  was  born  on  the  12th  of  June,  1830,  and  died  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1902,  and  lies  buried  in  Nye's  Chapel  cemetery.  His 
life  work  was  farming,  becoming  very  successful  in  the  vocation,  and  at 
one  time  he  owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  He  was  also  a 
broom  maker,  working  at  that  occupation  in  the  winter  months  when 
not  employed  on  the  farm,  and  he  also  raised  his  own  broom  corn.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  as  is  also  his  wife.  She  was  born  on  the  21st  of  April, 
1838,  and  is  now  living  with  her  son  William.  Ten  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barcus,  namely :  Sarah  E.,  who  was  born  on  the  28th 
of  May,  1857,  anc*  died  on  the  8th  of  July,  1876;  Delphia,  born  August 
28,  1858,  died  October  2,  1859;  George  R.,  born  August  9,  i860,  died 
February  13,  1864;  Samuel  J.,  born  November  10,  1861,  resides  in  Al- 
berta, Canada;  Rosa  B.,  born  July  15,  1864,  died  Jun^  7,  1894;  Tilla  J., 
born  July  23,  1866,  married  Samuel  Patton' and  resides  in  Hymera; 
William  W.,  whose  name  introduces  this  review ;  Anna  M.,  born  May  2, 
1871,  is  the  wife  of  Harvey  Patton,  of  Hymera;  Luella,  born  November 

19,  1873,  is  deceased,  and  Thomas  E.,  born  May  11,  1876,  died  February 

*>  l877- 

On  the  16th  of  January,  1891,  William  W.  Barcus  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Louisa  B.  Harvey,  who  was  born  in  Jackson  township 
November  16,  1872,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Matilda  (McCammon) 
Harvey,  born  respectively  on  the  4th  of  November,  1839,  in  Franklin 
county,  Indiana,  and  on  the  22d  of  March,  1851,  in  Jackson  township, 
Sullivan  county.  Their  home  is  now  one  mile  north  of  Hymera  on  a 
farm  of  sixty  acres.  Mr.  Harvey  served  four  years  in  the  Civil  war  as 
a  member  of  Company  B,  Thirty-seventh  Regiment  of  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  as  a  private,  and  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever  since  his 
return  from  the  war.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barcus,  namely :  Helen  H.,  born  August  7,  1901 ;  George  W.,  October 

20,  1902;  Hazel  E.,  July  12,  1904;  and  Alice  M.,  May  27,  1906.  Mrs. 
Barcus  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


William  M.  Case  is  numbered  among  the  prominent  farmers  and 
stock  raisers  of  Jackson  township,  where  he  owns  a  pleasant  and  attractive 
homestead  farm.  He  was  born  one  mile  north  of  Sullivan  October  28, 
1864,  a  son  of  William  F.  and  Jane  C.  (Boone)  Case.  When  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  work- 
ing as  a  farm  hand  for  one  year,  and  then  going  to  Sumner  county, 
Kansas,  he  spent  one  year  there,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  home  and 


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178  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

attended  school  during  one  winter  and  superintended  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-two.  He  was  married  at  that  time  and  rented  a 
farm  in  Greene  county  for  one  season,  after  which  he  returned  to  Sullivan 
county  and  farmed  rented  land  until  he  purchased  eighty  acres  where  he 
now  lives  in  1895.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  farming,  and 
has  also  added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  now  owns  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  while  in  addition  to 
this  he  has  also  become  the  owner  of  a  dwelling  house  and  a  business 
building  in  Hymera  and  valuable  residence  property  in  Martinsville,  Illi- 
nois. His  stock  is  of  a  high  grade,  consisting  of  Shropshire  sheep,  of 
which  he  has  about  eighty-two  head,  and  horses  and  cattle,  usually  raising 
from  four  to  ten  head  of  horses  and  about  twenty  head  of  cattle.  Jackson 
township  numbers  him  among  her  leading  agriculturists. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1886,  Mr.  Case  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Marietta,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  F.  and  Mary  (Snowden)  Badders,  and 
they  have  become  the  parents  of  four  children,  but  the  first  born  died 
in  infancy,  and  Clarence,  the  second,  is  also  deceased.  Cecile  and  Floyd 
are  both  at  home  and  attending  school.  Mr.  Case  is  independent  in  his 
political  affiliations. 


Dorcy  C.  Gard. — During  many  years  Dorcy  C.  Gard  has  been  resid- 
ing in  Sullivan  county,  and  he  has  become  prominent  in  its  business  life. 
He  was  born  in  Greenfield,  Hancock  county,  Indiana,  June  9,  i860,  a  son 
of  George  and  Nancy  (Smith)  Gard.  The  mother  was  also  born  in 
Greenfield,  and  she  died  in  May  of  1903.  There  her  son  Dorcy  attended 
school  in  his  youth,  but  his  educational  advantages  were  limited,  and  he 
was  with  his  maternal  grandparents  from  the  time  he  was  six  weeks  old 
until  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  then  began  work  in  a  brickyard  in  Indian- 
apolis, but  after  some  years  there  he  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  until  his  marriage.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  more 
or  less  identified  with  mining,  but  still  continues  the  work  of  his  farm 
when  the  mines  are  not  in  operation,  being  both  a  grain  and  stock  raiser. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1886,  Mr.  Gard  was  married  to  Harriette  Bell 
French,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Ruth  (Mattingly)  French,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Mason  county,  Kentucky,  and  they  were  there  mar- 
ried in  March,  1862.  In  September  of  the  same  year  they  came  to  Sul- 
livan county,  Indiana.  Mr.  French's  father  had  previously  visited  this 
community  and  entered  a  homestead,  and  William  French  built  a  home  on 
his  father's  land,  and  there  he  died  when  his  daughter  Harriette  was  but 
fifteen  months  old.  The  widow  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  with  his 
father  for  about  seventeen  years,  and  he  then  deeded  her  sixty  acres  of  the 
land.  In  1893  she  sold  her  farm  to  the  Coal  Company  and  bought  eighty 
acres  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gard  now  reside.  In  1903  they  built  one  of  the 
neat  and  modest  country  residences  in  the  township,  located  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  west  of  Hymera,  and  there  they  expect  to  spend  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.     In  the  French  family  there  were  three  children:    Maggie, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  179 

born  March  6,  1863,  married  George  Browning,  and  died  on  the  4th  of 
December,  1892,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  a  child  which  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Browning  now  resides  in  Starr  City,  Sullivan  county.  Har- 
riette  B.  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Gard.  Mary  Maria,  born  September 
11,  1867,  became  the  wife  of  Frank  Hess  and  died  October  6,  1893. 
Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gard.  The  eldest,  Myrtle, 
born  March  15,  1887,  is  the  wife  of  Austin  Shipley,  a  carpenter  and  miner 
in  Hymera,  and  their  two  children  are  Lucile,  who  was  born  May  24, 
1906,  and  Dorcy,  a  little  son ;  Hattie  Ethel,  born  April  18,  1889,  died  Oc- 
tober 2,  1901 ;  Ruth  Ann,  born  May  24,  1894,  is  at  home,  as  is  also  Stella 
Marie,  born  March  5,  1896;  Fannie  I.,  born  May  31,  1901,  died  Decem- 
ber 11,  1903. 

Mr.  Gard  has  membership  relations  with  the  Masonic  order,  the 
Home  Defenders  and  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  a  self-made  man  in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  word,  and  deserves  much  praise  for  the  success  he 
has  achieved  in  life.  His  politics  are  Democratic,  and  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church. 


Lorenzo  D.  Sink,  who  is  farming  in  Jackson  township,  was  born 
in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  November  11,  1842,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Klenk)  Sink,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Moving  to  Ohio 
in  an  early  day  Mr.  Sink  became  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker,  and  fol- 
lowed those  trades  for  many  years  or  until  he  engaged  in  farming.  He 
Was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  wife  he  had  eight  children,  while  by 
his  second  union,  of  whom  Lorenzo  was  the  eighth  born,  he  had  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  four  are  now  living,  namely :  Lorenzo  D. ;  Zachary  T., 
whose  home  is  near  his  brother  Lorenzo ;  Eva  Ann  Williams,  of  Patricks- 
burg;  and  Eliza,  the  oldest  of  the  living  children,  is  now  Mrs.  Shoup  and 
a  resident  of  northern  Indiana. 

Lorenzo  D.  Sink  attended  school  first  in  Ohio,  and  then  moving  with 
his  parents  to  Indiana  he  was  a  student  in  a  school  near  Steubenville  in 
Owen  county,  but  his  educational  advantages  in  his  early  youth  were 
limited,  as  his  father  was  old  and  the  care  of  the  farm  fell  upon  him. 
He  was  obliged  to  leave  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and  up  to 
that  time  he  had  never  seen  a  school  book  with  the  exception  of  an  arith- 
metic, in  which  he  had  reached  the  division  of  fractions.  But  seven 
years  after  leaving  school  at  the  earnest  request  of  the  citizens  he  was 
engaged  as  teacher  in  the  school  of  his  neighborhood.  He  at  once  pur- 
chased some  books  and  spent  some  time  studying  at  home  and  also  studied 
under  the  instructions  of  a  friend  for  twenty-three  days.  At  the  county 
examination  he  was  obliged  to  make  an  average  of  sixty  per  cent  and 
not  fall  below  forty  per  cent  in  any  one  study,  and  in^spite  of  adverse 
circumstances  he  obtained  his  license  and  taught  a  term  of  seven  months 
on  a  six  months'  license,  but  before  the  expiration  of  this  license  he 
obtained  the  position  of  a  teacher  for  the  following  term.     He  then 


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180  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

obtained  a  two  years'"  license  and  taught  for  four  years  without  further 
examination.  He  taught  in  all  about  ten  years,  and  seven  years  of  that 
time  were  spent  in  the  school  which  he  had  formerly  attended  as  a  scholar. 

Mr.  Sink  continued  at  home  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  and  he  then  farmed  the  home  place  on  shares  for  his  mother 
for  several  years.  Finally  he  and  his  brother  bought  the  mother's  interest 
in  the  homestead,  and  he  continued  to  reside  there  until  the  spring  of 
1880,  when  he  sold  his  land,  and  coming  to  Jackson  township  purchased 
the  eighty  acres  where  he  now  lives.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  raising 
of  corn,  and  at  the  present  time  is  the  only  man  in  the  township  who  is 
able  to  sell  that  commodity.  During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Sink  served  as  a 
private  in  the  Thirty-third  Indiana  Infantry  for  four  months  or  until  the 
war  closed.    He  enlisted  in  the  service  in  March  of  1865. 

In  February  of  1865  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hannah  A.,  a 
daughter  of  Harrison  and  Louisa  (Bloss)  Kelly,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Jackson  county,  Indiana,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  The  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sink  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  the  following  children : 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  William  Miller,  a  railroad  man  at  Mattoon,  Illinois; 
Charles  A.,  employed  in  the  broom  corn  warehouse  at  Mattoon ;  William 
Grant,  a  plumber  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana;  Lillie,  the  wife  of  Henry 
Conrad,  a  heater  in  a  rolling  mill  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Marietta,  the 
wife  of  George  Hankey,  who  resides  near  her  father;  Bessie  G.,  wife  of 
Cecil  Scott,  a  miner  in  this  township;  Cora,  at  home;  and  Clarence, 
deceased.  Mr.  Sink  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  he  attends  the  services 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Josiah  Worth. — Never  can  greater  honor  be  paid  than  to  those  who 
aided  in  holding  high  the  principles  of  liberty  during  the  period  of  the 
Civil  war,  and  among  those  who  were  called  upon  to  lay  down  their  lives 
on  the  altar  of  their  country  during  that  conflict  is  numbered  Josiah 
Worth,  one  of  the  early  agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county.  He  was  born 
in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  March  19,  1830,  a  son  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth (Romig)  Worth,  who  were  also  born  in  that  county.  Coming  to 
Indiana  about  1858,  they  located  in  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
and  after  several  years  they  moved  to  a  farm  near  by  the  one  on  which 
they  had  first  located.  But  after  five  years  they  returned  to  the  first 
homestead,  and  there  they  subsequently  died,  the  mother  in  1874  and 
the  father  in  1888. 

Shortly  after  coming  with  his  parents  to  Sullivan  county  Josiah 
Worth  married,  but  continued  to  live  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  enlisted 
for  the  war,  entering  the  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Regiment  in  1862,  and 
his  death  occurred  at  Lexington  from  sickness  contracted  in  the  army. 
His  widow  continued  on  the  senior  Mr.  Worth's  farm  for  about  two 
years  longer,  and  then  bought  twenty  acres  where  she  now  lives,  but  has 
added  to  this  little  tract  from  time  to  time  until  she  now  owns  sixtv-two 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  181 

acres,  and  here  she  expects  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her  life.  She  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Tennis,  and  was  born  in  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  October  9,  1835,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Rose)  Tennis, 
both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  that  county.  In  1853  tnev  came  to  Sulli- 
van county  and  located  on  the  farm  on  which  Mrs.  Worth  now  resides, 
and  at  that  time  the  farm  was  densely  covered  with  timber.  The  father 
at  once  began  clearing  and  preparing  his  land  for  cultivation,  and  he 
died  on  the  old  homestead  there  in  June  of  1873,  his  widow  surviving 
until  the  6th  of  November,  1888.  Four  children  were  born  to  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Worth,  namely :  James,  who  married  Martha  Nicholson, 
a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  home  farm  with 
his  mother.  Their  ten  children  are:  Mollie,  deceased;  Effie  May,  wife 
of  Herton  Griffith,  of  Jackson  township;  Anna  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Earl 
Griffith,  of  Clay  county;  Emma  Viola,  with  her  parents;  Melissa  Elvie, 
at  home;  James  Harrison,  Charles  Joseph  and  Herbert  Alfred,  also  at 
•  home ;  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  John,  the  second  child  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Worth,  is  deceased;  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Gordon,  of  Clay 
county,  and  their  four  children  are  James  Sylvester,  Herbert  Alfred,  Ethel 
and  Stella.  Anna,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  John  B.  Nicholson,  of  Jack- 
son township,  and  their  two  children  are  Mary  Josephine  and  Charles 
Edward. 

James  Worth,  the  eldest  of  the  children,  has  always  remained  with 
his  mother,  looking  after  her  estate  as  well  as  his  own.  In  1874  he 
bought  eighteen  acres  of  land  in  Jackson  township,  but  he  has  since, 
added  forty  acres  more  to  this  tract,  and  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising.  He  is  a  Republican  politically,  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  in  Hymera  and  of  the  Christian  church.  The  politics  of 
Mr.  Worth,  the  father,  were  also  Republican,  and  he  too  was  a  valued 
and  earnest  church  member.  . 


James  W.  Brown. — In  an  account  of  the  events  which  form  the 
history  of  Sullivan  county  the  name  of  this  family  appears  frequently  on 
its  pages.  Samuel  Brown,  the  paternal  great-grandfather  of  James  W., 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  during  his  early  life  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  in  time  became  a  resident  of  Ohio,  where  with  the  assistance 
of  his  son  Samuel  he  opened  a  farm. 

Samuel,  the  son,  was  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  coming  with  his 
father  to  America  eventually  became  a  resident  of  Washington  county, 
Indiana,  but  after  a  residence  there  of  about  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  he 
came  to  Sullivan  county  and  died  here  in  1859.  He  became  very  prom- 
inent in  the  public  life  of  this  community,  and  at  one  time  represented 
Sullivan  county  in  the  legislature.  His  politics  were  Democratic  until 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  when  he  joined  the  Republicans. 
Samuel  Brown  married  Nancy  Duff,  of  Irish  descent,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  five  children :  Stephen,  John  K.,  Mary,  James  and  William, 
all  now  deceased. 


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182  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

John  K.  Brown  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Indiana,  in  1819, 
and  he  was  but  a  lad  of  eleven  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Sullivan 
county  and  was  reared  and  educated  here.  He  entered  land  here  in  1854, 
and  became  the  owner  of  an  estate  of  three  hundred  acres,  being  a  life- 
long and  successful  farmer.  After  the  Civil  war  he  joined  the  Republican 
party,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  old-school  Presby- 
terian church.  He  married  Mary  McClary,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
and  came  with  her  parents  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  Her  father,  John 
McClary,  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  Seven  children  were  born  to  John  K. 
and  Mary  Brown,  as  follows:  Margaret  E.,  deceased;  Samuel  U.,  of 
Farmersburg ;  John  C,  of  Jackson  township ;  Alary  J.  Burton,  whose  home 
is  in  Farmersburg ;  Nancy  E.  Ford,  also  of  that  place ;  James  W.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review ;  and  William  H.,  of  Jackson  township.  Mr.  Brown,  the 
father,  died  in  1895,  but  his  widow  yet  survives  and  is  living  with  her 
son  James.    She  was  born  on  the  16th  of  April,  1829. 

James  W.  Brown  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  his  mar- 
riage, and  his  father  then  gave  him  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres, 
the  nucleus  of  his  present  homestead,  which  lies  four  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Farmersburg  and  contains  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres.  Mr. 
Brown  is  both  a  grain  and  stock  farmer,  and  in  1905  he  erected  a  feed 
mill  and  threshing  machine.  He  is  also  a  director  and  the  treasurer  of 
the  Delora  Oil  and  Gas  Company,  and  is  a  prominent  factor  in  the  business 
life  of  Sullivan  county. 

On  the  30th  of  October,  1894,  he  was  married  to  Mary  M.  Caton, 
who  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  February  29,  1876,  a  daughter 
of  Hugh  B.  and  Toliver  (Candace)  Caton,  both  of  whom  were  also  born 
in  Owen  county.  They  subsequently  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  located 
at  Hymera,  where  Mr.  Caton  followed  the  blacksmith's  trade.  His  wife 
died  in  1904,  and  in  1907  he  went  to  Texas,  where  he  now  follows  farming 
and  blacksmithing.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown : 
John  B.,  born  January  25,  1896;  Roy  S.,  March  2,  1897;  Nellie  M.,  April 
16,  1899;  and  Daisy  M.,  October  28,  1903.  The  three  eldest  children  are 
attending  school.  Mr.  Brown  gives  his  political  allegience  to  the  Repub- 
lican party.  As  a  member  of  the  well  known  Bartlett  Quartet  he  toured 
Indiana  and  Illinois  for  four  years  and  won  fame  and  prominence  in 
musical  circles.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


Harrison  Barnhart. — The  business  life  of  Sullivan  county  finds  a 
worthy  representative  in  Harrison  Barnhart,  who  has  been  an  agriculturist 
throughout  his  industrial  career,  and  during  the  past  four  years  he  has  also 
conducted  a  wholesale  butcher  business  and  enjoys  a  large  and  remuner- 
ative trade.  During  the  past  seven  years  he  has  also  bought  and  shipped 
stock  quite  extensively.  When  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself  after 
his  marriage  he  owned  a  little  tract  of  five  acres  where  he  now  lives,  and 
his  present  estate  consists  of  eighty-seven  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  183 

Mr.  Barnhart  is  a  representative  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Sul- 
livan county.  His  father,  Chauncey  C.  Barnhart,  who  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania January  29,  1824,  came  with  his  mother,  his  father  having  pre- 
viously died,  to  this  county  during  his  early  manhood,  and  they  bought 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Jackson  township,  but  in  1874  they  sold  that  land 
and  went  to  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  where  they  farmed  on  rented 
land  until  Mr.  Barnhart  was  too  old  to  carry  on  active  work  for  himself. 
He  then  bought  property  in  Tolono,  where  he  yet  resides.  His  mother, 
Lydia  Barnhart,  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  Harrison  Barn- 
hart is  the  only  child  by  his  father's  second  marriage,  he  having  been  four 
times  married,  and  his  second  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Charlotte 
Halberstadt.  She  was  born  in  Jackson  township  about  1834,  and  died 
when  her  only  son  and  child  was  a  babe  of  fourteen  months.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Harrison  and  Elizabeth  (Manwarring)  Halberstadt,  who 
were  farming  people. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother  Harrison  Barnhart  lived  with  his 
maternal  grandparents  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he 
was  married  to  Hannah  Peterson,  who  was  born  in  Curry  township,  Sul- 
livan county,  March  27,  1863,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Deliah  Peterson, 
the  former  of  whom  is  now  deceased  and  the  latter  is  living  in  Jackson 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  have  become  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Lillian,  who  was  born  July  10,  1882,  is  the  wife  of  Lou  McCrock- 
lin  and  lives  in  Curry  township;  Flora,  born  October  29,  1883,  has  com- 
pleted the  course  in  the  public  schools;  Arthur,  born  May  20,  1884,  is 
working  with  his  father;  Edna,  born  April  10,  1899,  is  in  school;  and 
Odetta,  born  October  29,  1904.  Mr.  Barnhart  is  a  Republican  in  his. 
political  affiliations.    Mrs.  Barnhart  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


George  Gordon,  many  years  of  whose  life  were  spent  in  Sullivan 
county  and  who  has  but  lately  passed  to  his  final  reward,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  July  26,  1821,  a  son  of  James  Gordon.  George  Gordon 
learned  blacksmithing  in  his  early  life,  and  coming  to  Indiana  about 
1857  he  located  in  Clay  county  and  followed  his  trade  until  feeble 
health  caused  him  to  abandon  it  and  then  he  farmed  in  a  small  way  until 
his  busy  and  useful  life  was  ended,  dying  on  the  4th  of  August,  1906. 
His  politics  were  Democratic,  and  he  served  his  community  many  years 
as  a  constable.    His  religious  affiliations  were  with  the  Methodist  church. 

In  October  of  1875  Mr.  Gordon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Rebecca  McCray,  and  this  was  his  third  marriage.  The  only  child  of 
his  first  union  is  deceased,  and  by  the  second  marriage  he  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  Joseph,  whose  home  is  in  Clay  county;  Jane  Agnes,  now 
Mrs.  Joseph  Copeland;  James  A.,  of  Clay  county;  Wilfred,  Frank  and 
Charles,  all  deceased;  John  A.,  whose  home  is  in  Clay  county;  George 
Thomas,  of  Linton,  Indiana;  and  William  L.,  a  farmer  near  Hymera. 
Mrs.  Gordon,  his  third  wife,  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (McKay) 


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184  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

McCray,  who  were  born  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  1834, 
two  years  before  the  birth  of  their  daughter  Rebecca.  The  father  farmed 
in  Beaver  county,  that  state,  until  his  death  in  May,  1864,  and  some 
years  afterward  his  family  came  to  Greene  county,  Indiana,  and  bought 
the  farm  on  which  the  widow  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life,  dying  about 
1873.    Mrs.  Gordon  is  now  living  in  Sullivan  county. 

William  Gordon  married,  on  the  13th  of  September,  1900,  Nina 
Badders,  who  was  born  in  Jackson  township  on  the  12th  of  October,  1872, 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  F.  and  Mary  (Snowden)  Badders,  natives  respect- 
ively of  Pennsylvania  and  of  Ireland.  They  are  now  living  in  Jackson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  where  the  father  during  his  active  business 
life  conducted  his  farm  of  nearly  four  hundred  acres.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gordon  have  four  children, — Ralph,  Gladys,  Walter  and  Claud.  Mr. 
Gordon  has  fraternal  relations  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  was  formerly  a  miner,  but  during  the  past  few  years  has  car- 
ried on  the  work  of  the  eighty  acre  farm  on  which  the  family  now  reside, 
although  he  expects  soon  to  return  to  his  former  occupation  of  mining. 


Solomon  Wyman,  who  is  farming  in  Jackson  township,  was  born 
in  Owen  county,  this  state,  March  20,  1857,  the  fifth  °f  the  seven  children 
born  to  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Saddler)  Wyman,  natives  respectively  of  Ger- 
many and  of  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio.  The  mother  is  still  living,  her 
home  being  near  Sullivan,  and  she  has  now  reached  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-four  years,  her  birth  occurring  in  1824.  Jacob  Wyman,  who 
was  born  in  1821,  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States,,  and  after  working  in  a  carriage  factory  in  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania,  for  two  or  three  years,  he  went  to  Ohio  and  followed  the 
same  trade  there.  He  was  married  and  lived  there  until  about  1854, 
when  he  came  to  Owen  county,  and  three  years  later  to  Sullivan  county, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  where  Jackson  Hill  is  now  located.  He  built  a 
shop  on  his  farm  and  continued  the  manufacture  of  wagons  and  general 
repair  work  until  1873,  when  he  sold  his  shop  and  went  to  Hamilton 
township,  still  following  his  trade  until  about  five  years  before  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  17th  of  September,  1905.  He  was  a  Lutheran  in 
his  religious  views,  and  his  wife  was  a  Dunkard. 

In  his  boyhood  days  Solomon  Wyman  attended  school  in  the  old 
log  houses  then  in  use  in  Jackson  and  Hamilton  townships,  and  he  began 
farming  for  himself  when  twenty  years  of  age,  remaining  on  his  father's 
farm  for  five  years,  after  which  he  married  and  moved  to  another  part  of 
the  home  estate,  until  finally  in  1884  he  came  to  his  present  homestead, 
which  has  been  the  birthplace  of  all  of  his  children.  He  owns  eighty 
acres  of  land,  where  he  expects  to  return  in  th$  near  future,  for  he  has 
been  living  for  a  short  time  at  Jackson  Hill.  He  is  a  miner  as  well  as  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  mining  during  the  winter  months  when  not  busy 
on  his  farm.    He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  America, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  185 

and  is  a  Democrat  politically.  During  four  years  he  served  as  the  assessor 
of  Hamilton  township,  having  been  elected  to  the  office  in  1882.  His 
religious  views  are  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the  Missionary  Bap- 
tist church,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of  that  denomination. 

On  the  21st  of  July,  1883,  Mr.  Wyman  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
L.  Wright,  who  was  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  April  16,  1862,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Gordon)  Wright,  who  came  from  their 
native  state  of  Ohio  to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  thence  four  years  later 
in  1869  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  located  on  Farmers  prairie  in 
Hamilton  township.  After  a  residence  there  of  twenty  years  they  moved 
to  Posey  county  in  this  state,  where  the  father  died  two  years  later,  and 
the  mother  now  resides  with  a  daughter  in  East  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  aged 
seventy- four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wyman  have  had  seven  children,  but 
the  first  born  died  in  infancy ;  Pearl  is  the  wife  of  Oscar  Keen,  of  Jackson 
township,  and  their  three  children  are  Paul,  Harold  and  Lester;  and 
William  R.,  Bertha,  Clarence,  Leota,  Mary  and  Ruby,  who  are  at  home 
with  their  parents. 


John  Tennis. — The  life  work  of  John  Tennis  was  crowned  with  a 
well  merited  degree  of  success,  and  in  Sullivan  county,  where  he  so  long 
lived  and  labored,  he  endeared  himself  to  many  friends,  and  his  memory 
is  cherished  by  those  who  knew  him.  Born  in  northern  Pennsylvania  on 
the  28th  of  April,  1842,  he  was  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Nancy  Ann  (Rose) 
Tennis,  who  were  also  from  that  state  and  were  married  there.  Coming 
to  Sullivan  county  in  their  early  life  they  located  on  a  densely  wooded 
farm  in  Jackson  township,  buying  canal  land,  and  here  the  father  toiled 
early  and  late  until  his  death  about  1876  to  bring  his  farm  under  cultiva- 
tion. After  a  few  years  the  mother  sold  the  farm,  and  thereafter  made 
her  home  with  her  children  until  her  death  in  1893. 

John  Tennis,  their  son,  attended  the  Badder  school  in  Jackson  town- 
ship in  his  boyhood,  and  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
began  working  as  a  farm  hand  in  Jackson  township,  but  after  his  mar- 
riage, at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  lived  on  his  father-in-law's  farm  until 
his  death,  December  17,  1899.  Some  years  before  his  demise  her  father 
had  deeded  this  farm  to  Mrs.  Tennis,  and  since  her  husband's  death  she 
has  carried  forward  the  work  of  the  old  homestead  with  the  aid  of  her 
sons,  and  is  one  of  the  brave  and  honored  pioneer  women  of  the  county. 

Mrs.  Tennis  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Diana  Worth,  and  was  mar- 
ried on  the  nth  of  October,  1863.  Her  parents,  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Romig)  Worth,  were  born  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  but  in  1858  they 
came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Cass  township, 
where  their  deaths  subsequently  occurred.  Nine  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tennis,  namely :  James  William,  deceased ;  Charles  Martin, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  South  Dakota;  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Jacob 
Henry,  who  resides  with  his  mother  and  has  charge  of  the  home  farm ; 
John  Harrison,  a  farmer  in  Greene  county;  Martha  Ann,  wife  of  W.  O. 


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186  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mattox,  a  miner  in  Jackson  township ;  Ida  Jane,  wife  of  John  J.  Brewer, 
who  is  farming  in  northwestern  Canada ;  Alfred  Alonzo,  who  is  also  with 
his  mother;  and  Roscoe  Scott,  who  is  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mattox.  The 
oldest  son  of  the  family  is  a  member  of  the  fraternal  order  of  Woodmen, 
while  the  youngest  is  a  member  of  the  Miners'  Union.  Mr.  Tennis,  the 
father,  voted  with  the  Democracy,  and  he  was  a  true  and  earnest  adherent 
of  the  Methodist  church. 


Andrew  Jackson  Steele  is  a  man  who  can  lay  many  claims 
to  prominence  in  Sullivan  county.  He  is  a  member  of  one  of  its 
oldest  and  most  prominent  pioneer  families,  and  to  him  and  his  brother- 
in-law,  William  A.  Lambright,  is  given  the  credit  of  the  discovery  of  coal 
in  this  vicinity,  which  has  added  much  to  the  wealth  of  the  county.  In 
lieu  of  this  discovery  they  were  given  the  option  on  several  hundred  acres 
of  land,  but  much  time  elapsed  before  a  road  could  be  built  to  the  land. 

During  many  years  Mr.  Steele  has  been  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  in  Jackson  township.  When  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two  he  left  his  parents'  home  and  rented  land  in  Ohio  until  he 
came  to  Indiana,  where  during  a  couple  of  winters  he  was  engaged  in 
coal  mining  and  also  did  contract  work  for  a  company  engaged  in  bridge 
and  road  building.  After  coming  to  Sullivan  county  he  bought  twenty- 
five  acres,  the  nucleus  of  his  present  estate,  which  contains  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  and  in  addition  his  wife  also  owns  a  small  farm  near 
by.  He  is  a  shareholder  in  the  Hymera  State  Bank  at  Hymera.  In  1896 
he  was  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  representative  to  the  state  legislature, 
and  throughout  the  years  of  his  maturity  he  has  been  prominent  in  public 
affairs,  voting  independently.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Mine 
Workers,  and  was  a  Knight  of  Labor. 

The  Steele  family  came  originally  from  Scotland,  which  was  the 
birthplace  of  James  Steele,  the  great-grandfather  of  Andrew  J.,  and  he 
was  a  younger  brother  of  Lord  Steele  of  that  country.  During  the  colonial 
period  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Virginia.  His  son  Basil,  the 
grandfather  of  Andrew,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  June  26,  1775,  but 
from  there  moved  to  Virginia  and  later  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  on  July  3, 
1857.  His  wife,  nee  Rachael  Sparling,  was  born  June  30,  1777,  in  Vir- 
ginia, and  her  death  occurred  in  Ohio  December  30,  1874,  aged  ninety- 
seven  years  and  six  months.  Among  their  children  was  David  Steele, 
who  was  a  fanner  and  stock  raiser  throughout  his  entire  business  career, 
and  his  death  occurred  in  1900,  surviving  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Vermilion, 
for  some  years. 

Andrew  J.  Steele,  a  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Vermilion)  Steele, 
was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  September  1,  1847,  and  received  his 
education  in  district  school  No.  4  of  Washington  township,  that  county. 
On  the  13th  of  November,  1869,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza  Jane 
Lambright,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Jane  (Shivers)  Lambright, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  187 

both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ohio,  near  Urichville.  The  paternal  family 
were  early  resident  there,  and  the  old  home  farm  which  belonged  to  her 
grandfather  is  still  in  the  Lambright  name  and  the  heirs  are  endeavoring 
to  hand  the  estate  from  one  generation  to  another.  Her  parents  came 
to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1883,  locating  in  Cass  township,  where 
both  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Ten  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steele,  namely:  Ernest  O.,  who  is  married  and  resides  on 
a  farm  near  Hymera ;  Claudius  Wilbert,  at  home ;  Nina  Florence,  the  wife 
of  Harry  Badder,  of  Arkansas ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased ;  Joseph  Victor, 
of  Illinois;  Henry  David,  deceased;  Oliver,  at  home;  Ella  Frances,  the 
wife  of  Porter  Campbell,  of  Jasonville;  and  Lutie  May  and  Ona  Eva, 
both  at  home.  Mr.  Steele  is  independent  in  his  political  affiliations.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Steele  have  in  their  possession  two  of  the  old  parchment  deeds 
— one  executed  under  the  hand  and  seal  of  President  John  Tyler  and 
bears  the  date  of  Aug.  1,  1844,  and  the  other  by  President  Martin  Van 
Buren  and  dated  Aug.  1,  1839.  These  deeds  are  valuable  souvenirs  in 
old  Sullivan  county. 


Nathan  J.  Sills. — Among  the  business  men  of  prominence  in  Jack- 
son township  is  numbered  Nathan  J.  Sills,  who  follows  both  farming  and 
raining.  He  is  also  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Jackson  town- 
ship, born  on  the  26th  of  February,  1864,  to  David  and  Elizabeth  (Bo- 
gard)  Sills,  both  of  whom  claimed  Kentucky  as  the  commonwealth  of 
their  nativity.  They  came  with  their  parents  in  an  early  day  to  Indiana, 
the  Bogards  locating  in  Vigo  county  and  the  Sills  in  Jackson  township, 
Sullivan  county.  After  attaining  to  mature  years  David  Sills  began 
farming  for  himself,  and  continued  in  the  occupation  until  stricken  with 
paralysis  in  about  1874,  his  death  occurring  four  years  later  in  1878.  The 
last  four  years  of  his  life  were  spent  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  Nathan 
now  lives.  His  widow  is  now  residing  near  Lewis  in  this  township, 
having  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years. 

The  educational  training  of  Nathan  J.  Sills  was  received  in  school 
No.  1  of  Jackson  township,  and  when  but  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was 
obliged  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  for  himself,  for  his  father  was  an 
invalid  and  much  of  the  support  of  the  family  fell  upon  his  young  shoul- 
ders. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one,  after  which  he 
rented  a  farm  in  Clay  county  for  one  season,  and  then  returning  to  the 
home  farm  worked  in  the  mine  as  well  as  superintending  the  work  of 
the  farm.  In  1892  he  bought  thirty-seven  and  a  half  acres  of  the  old 
home  place,  to  which  he  later  added  twenty  acres  adjoining,  and  hr  still 
continues  to  work  in  the  mine  and  look  after  his  farming  interests. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  1885,  Mr.  Sills  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Ella  Willie,  who  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  June  20,  1864, 
a  daughter  of  John  E.  and  Magdalena  Everhart  Willie,  the  father  a 
native  of  Germany  and  the  mother  of  Switzerland,  and  both  are  now 
deceased.    They  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  about  1868,  where  the 


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188  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

father's  death  occurred  in  1900  and  the  mother's  many  years  previously, 
in  1887.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sills,  namely: 
Winnie  Myrtle,  the  wife  of  Frank  Fulfard,  a  miner  at  Bicknell,  Knox 
county,  and  they  have  two  children,  Alsie  Lucile  and  Carl  Francis ;  George 
Francis,  who  is  with  his  parents ;  Flora  Ethel,  the  wife  of  Harry  Keenan, 
a  miner  and  electrician  at  Jackson  Hill;  and  Ernest  Burton,  deceased. 
Oscar  Willie,  a  son  of  Mrs.  Sills  by  a  former  marriage,  also  resides  in 
this  home.  Mr.  Sills  is  a  member  of  the  United  Mine  Workers  of  America, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


James  B.  Gaskill,  who  is  farming  in  Jackson  township,  was  born 
in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  June  1,  1841,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Susanna 
(Lacey)  Gaskill,  natives  respectively  of  England  and  of  Carroll  county, 
Ohio.  The  father  came  to  America  about  1836,  first  locating  in  New 
Comerstown,  Ohio,  where  he  taught  school  for  several  years,  and  was 
there  married  in  1839.  After  a  residence  there  of  fourteen  years  he  sold 
his  possessions  intending  to  come  to  Indiana,  having  a  public  sale  for  his 
stock,  etc.,  but  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  which  was  a  rainy  one,  he 
became  suddenly  ill  and  died  nine  days  later.  His  widow  remained  on 
the  place  for  one  year  longer,  and  then  joining  a  party  of  emigrants  bound 
for  Indiana  made  the  overland  journey  to  this  state,  first  stopping  in 
Greene  county.  She  was  accompanied  on  the  trip  by  her  six  children,  of 
whom  James  B.  was  the  eldest,  and  in  Greene  county  she  bought  a  farm 
for  twelve  hundred  dollars  and  a  team  and  wagon,  which  left  her  a 
surplus  in  money  of  only  one  hundred  dollars.  But  thirty  days  after  the 
purchase  she  was  informed  that  the  place  was  mortgaged  for  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  to  add  to  the  misfortune  one  of  her  horses  and  a  cow 
died.  She  was  compelled  to  leave  the  place  in  1856,  and  coming  to  Sulli- 
van rented  a  house  and  worked  for  others  in  order  to  support  her  family. 
After  one  year  she  moved  to  the  O.  M.  Patton  place  in  Jackson  township, 
which  continued  as  her  home  until  1861. 

About  this  time  James  B.  Gaskill  went  to  work  for  Samuel  Badders 
and  took  his  mother  with  him,  receiving  twenty  cents  a  day  in  wages, 
and  he  remained  there  for  seven  years.  During  the  following  year  he 
farmed  rented  land  in  Cass  township,  and  as  he  then  married,  his  mother 
moved  to  the  Miller  place  in  the  same  township,  but  six  years  after  Mr. 
Gaskill's  marriage  his  wife  died  and  his  mother  then  returned  and  was 
with  him  for  three  years.  For  several  years  thereafter  his  home  was  at 
Jackson  Hill,  and  there  his  mother  died  about  1888. 

Mr.  Gaskill  has  been  four  times  married,  wedding  first  Polly  Ann 
Hart,  by  whom  he  had  three  children :  Alice,  the  deceased  wife  of  Tom 
Murratta;  Etta,  deceased,  became  the  wife  of  James  Johnson,  of  Jackson 
township;  and  John,  also  deceased,  was  an  engineer  at  the  mines.  He 
married  secondly  Margaret  Stanley,  who  died  eleven  months  later,  leaving 
one  son,  Edward  M.,  who  is  married  and  resides  on  a  farm  adjoining 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  189 

his  father's  home.  Mary  Jane  Neal,  a  widow,  became  his  third  wife,  and 
they  had  nine  children,  namely :  William,  of  Jackson  township ;  Sylvia, 
the  wife  of  Galen  Burritt,  a  carpenter  at  Gilmore ;  Elmer,  deceased ;  Flora 
and  Stella,  both  at  home ;  Delphia,  Charley  and  Oscar,  all  deceased ;  and 
Eva,  at  home.  In  1899  Mr.  Gaskill  wedded  Martha  Setty,  a  widow,  and 
their  two  children  are  Gladys  and  Madge,  but  the  younger  is  deceased. 
Gladys  resides  with  her  mother  at  Gilmore. 

Mr.  Gaskill  owns  a  valuable  estate  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Jackson  township,  where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  Southdown  and  Shropshire 
sheep  and  of  mules.  His  farm  is  richly  underlaid  with  coal.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  lodge  No.  603,  at  Hymera. 


Samuel  R.  Cole,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of 
Jackson  township,  was  born  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  August  23,  1845,  a 
son  of  John  and  Rachael  (Bradford)  Cole,  natives  respectively  of  Ken- 
tucky and  Virginia.  John  Cole  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana  in  the 
early  twenties  and  located  near  Bloomington,  and  his  mother  died  there, 
her  husband  surviving  her  until  about  1858  and  dying  at  the  home  of  his 
son.  In  an  early  day  John  Cole  located  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana,  and  for 
many  years  he  served  as  a  deputy  in  the  court  house  there.  In  1858  he 
joined  a  party  from  Indiana  bound  for  the  gold  fields  of  California,  and 
spent  about  two  years  in  that  state  and  in  the  overland  journeys  there 
and  back,  and  on  his  return  to  Bloomfield  he  engaged  in  farming. 

In  November  of  1861  John  Cole  and  his  son  Samuel  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany D,  Fifty-ninth  Regiment  of  Indiana  Infantry,  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war,  and  the  father  served  about  eight  months,  while  the  son  con- 
tinued as  a  soldier  for  three  years  and  seven  months,  both  participating 
in  the  battles  of  Island  No.  10,  Benton  and  Corinth,  while  the  son  con- 
tinued on  through  the  battles  of  Vicksburg,  Chattanooga,  and  Atlanta, 
serving  on  the  Mississippi  most  of  the  time  until  they  moved  on  to 
Atlanta.  The  father  was  for  a  time  confined  in  the  general  hospital  at 
Corinth,  and  was  discharged  early  in  1862.  The  son  was  mustered  out  at 
Indianapolis  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  John  Cole  continued  farming  until 
1868,  and  going  then  to  Nebraska  spent  the  following  year  in  that  state, 
while  after  his  return  to  Indiana  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Lyons,  remaining  there  until  his  death  on  the  1st  of  May,  1870.  His 
wife  died  in  about  1879  in  Jackson  township. 

Samuel  R.  Cole  was  a  young  man  of  twenty  when  he  returned  from 
the  war,  and  from  that  time  until  1873  he  farmed  on  rented  land  in 
Greene  county.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  rented  a 
farm  in  Jackson  township,  and  about  1879  he  added  thirty-four  acres  to 
the  forty  acres  which  belonged  to  his  wife  and  where  they  now  reside, 
but  he  has  since  sold  a  part  of  this  tract  until  the  farm  now  contains  but 


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190  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

sixty-nine  acres.    He  follows  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  operations. 

In  November  of  i860  Mr.  Cole  married  Mary  Harrah,  who  was 
also  born  in  Bloomfield,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Kissie  Harrah,  both 
now  deceased,  as  is  also  the  daughter,  who  was  born  in  1845  and  died 
in  February,  1873.  On  the  17th  of  June,  1875,  Mr.  Cole  wedded  Teresa 
Snowden,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  January  27,  1841,  a  daughter  of  Orr 
and  Nancy  (Martin)  Snowden,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1841 
and  located  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  preceded  the  family 
to  this  country  a  short  time  and  engaged  in  general  work,  and  later  he 
became  a  miner.  In  1853  he  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  bought 
canal  land  in  Jackson  township,  where  he  died  in  1879,  a  week  after  the 
death  of  Mr.  Cole's  mother.  His  wife  died  on  the  26th  of  January,  1889. 
Mr.  Cole  gives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Jackson  Hill,  and  he  is  one  of  its  elders. 


Charles  C.  Schlichter,  a  general  farmer,  residing  in  Gill  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  numbered  among  the  citizens  who  are 
making  good  progress  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  within  this  section  of 
the  state.  He  is  a  native  of  Dresden,  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  born 
December  25,  1839,  a  son  °i  Jacob  F.  and  Susan  (Miller)  Schlichter, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  was  born  in  1807 
and  came  to  America  in  1826.  He  lived  in  New  York  a  short  time,  being 
employed  in  a  paint  and  soap  factory,  where  he  was  seriously  injured  by 
falling  into  a  paint  vat.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  New  York  and 
moved  to  Dresden,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  on  the  Muskingum 
river  and  there  resided  until  184 1.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Pike  county, 
where  he  lived  about  twelve  years,  and  then  removed  to  Perry  county, 
remaining  but  a  short  time,  when  he  retraced  his  steps  to  Pike  county, 
where  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  died  about  1855,  his  wife  having 
passed  away  in  1841.  The  grandfather  of  Charles  G.  was  mayor  of  the 
city  in  which  he  lived  in  Germany  for  many  years.  At  one  time  he  sent 
his  son,  Jacob  F.,  five  thousand  dollars  in  gold  as  a  gift.  From  the  fore- 
going and  other  information  it  appears  that  the  Schlichter  family  were 
from  among  the  better  classes  of  the  great  German  empire. 

Though  he  had  only  about  three  months'  actual  schooling,  Charles 
C.  Schlichter,  who  is  now  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  by  persistent  study, 
has  become  a  well  informed  man.  The  greater  part  of  his  study  was 
while  serving  in  the  army.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  bound 
to  a  farmer  in  Ohio  and  remained  with  him  until  about  twenty  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  at  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  working  in  a  nursery  most  of  the  time. 
A  part  of  his  time  he  assisted  his  employer  in  a  shoe  store.  Mr.  Schlichter 
remained  here  until  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  member 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  191 

of  Company  C,  Fifty-sixth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  four  years, 
five  months  and  twenty-five  days.  He  enlisted  November  16,  1861,  and 
was  discharged  February  1,  1864.  He  then  re-enlisted  in  the  same  regi- 
ment, January  1,  1865,  and  was  honorably  discharged  April  25,  1866. 
During  his  exceedingly  long  service  in  the  army  of  his  country,  he  partici- 
pated in  ten  battles  and  was  wounded  in  his  right  hand  and  also  in  the 
right  shin.  He  acted  as  commissary  sergeant  a  year  and  a  half,  but  was 
not  promoted.  He  was  engaged  in  the  following  battles :  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, Tennessee,  April  6  and  7,  1862 ;  Siege  of  Corinth,  Mississippi,  May, 
1862;  in  1863  at  Port  Gibson,  May  1,  Champion  Hills,  May  16,  Siege  of 
Vicksburg,  June  and  July,  Jackson,  July  12  to  15,  all  in  Mississippi,  and 
Carrion  Crow  Bayou,  Louisiana,  November  23;  during  1864,  at  Sabine 
Cross  Roads,  April  8,  Monett's  Ferry,  April  23,  and  Snaggs'  Point,  May  5, 
these  three  battles  being  in  Louisiana. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  he  went  back  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio, 
and  was  employed  in  a  rolling-mill  about  one  year,  after  which  he  went 
to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  on  to  Dallas  county  of  the  same  state,  and 
there  had  charge  of  a  farm  belonging  to  a  doctor,  a  resident  of  Des 
Moines.  This  place  contained  an  even  thousand  acres  of  land,  and  here 
he  remained  for  two  years ;  then  returned  to  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  employed  with  a  large  coal  company  for  the  next  two  years.  The 
succeeding  year  he  was  in  a  rolling-mill,  which  business  failed  on  account 
of  a  panic  in  money  matters.  Mr.  Schlichter  then  purchased  a  dairy, 
which  he  operated  five  years, 'having'  two  hundred  and  seventy-two  cus- 
tomers. His  health  failing,  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  situated  seven  miles  distant,  and  there  he  remained  for  eleven 
years.  He  traded  this  place  for  four  houses  in  Portsmouth,  but  later  dis- 
posed of  all  his  property  in  Ohics  and  came  to  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  his  present  home.  His  daughter  had  already  come  here 
two  years  before.  He  settled  here  at  the  time  of  the  McKinley  flood.  Mr. 
Schlichter  purchased  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he 
resided  until  recently,  when  he  sold  his  place  for  $8,175  an^  now  lives 
retired.  When  he  came  to  this  section  he  bought  good  corn  at  fifteen 
cents  a  bushel.  He  did  general  farming  and  raised  some  swine,  his  large 
experience  peculiarly  fitting  him  for  intelligent  work  as  an  agriculturist 
of  the  up-to-date  type. 

It  is  not  the  lot  of  all  men,  indeed  of  few,  to  escape  through  so  long 
a  term  of  years  without  being  duped  or  caused  to  part  with  a  part  of 
their  hard  earned  money,  and  Mr.  Schlichter  did  not  escape.  He  engaged 
in  the  coal  business  in  Ohio,  in  partnership  with  a  man  named  Draper. 
They  had  $2,500  in  the  bank  and  about  two  months  later  his  partner  drew 
the  same  out  and  gambled  it  all  away.  Politically  Mr.  Schlichter  is  an 
avowed  Republican.  While  a  resident  of  Ohio,  he  served  as  trustee  for 
eight  years  and  was  also  on  the  school  board  in  that  state.  At  one  time 
he  held  membership  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  held  various  official 
positions  in  his  lodge,  but  has  not  been  connected  with  the  fraternity  for 
several  years. 

Vol.  11—13 


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192  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

While  on  a  furlough  he  was  happily  united  in  marriage,  June  15, 
1864,  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Hauck,  who  was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio, 
March  25,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Charles  J.  and  Mary  A.  (Holstetter) 
Hauck.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  as  was  the  mother,  who 
was  born  March  15,  1810;  Charles  Hauck  was  born  about  the  same  time 
as  his  wife  and  he  came  to  America  in  183 1,  going  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
where  he  mastered  the  trade  of  shoemaking,  serving  three  years.  He 
married  and  remained  there  five  years,  and  then  moved  to  Chester,  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  and  purchased  a  small  farm.  There  he 
made  his  home  for  many  years,  but  later  removed  to  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres,  which  he  bought  within  a  few  miles  of  Pomeroy. 
Here  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  days,  dying  in  1877,  while  his  wife  sur- 
vived twelve  years  longer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schlichter  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Mary  Anna,  wife  of  William  D.  Prose,  residing 
near  her  parents  and  the  mother  of  six  children ;  Valentine  George,  mar- 
ried Almira  Andrea  and  they  live  on  his  father's  farm  and  have  six 
children;  Caroline  Susan,  wife  of  Alexander  Prose,  who  lives  near  the 
parents'  farm,  and  they  have  three  children. 


Leonard  Marshall,  an  agriculturist  of  Jackson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Indiana,  December  22,  1832,  a 
son  of  Ambrose  and  Cynthia  (Roby)  Marshall,  natives  respectively  of 
Kentucky  and  Washington  county,  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  1812,  and  in  an  early  day  in  its  history  he  came  to  Indiana  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Washington  county,  where  he  followed  farming  and 
to  some  extent  coopering  until  his  death,  both  he  and  his  wife  dying  in 
that  county.  Their  religious  views  were  in  harmony  with  the  principles 
of  the  United  Brethren  church. 

When  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Leonard  Marshall  left 
his  boyhood's  home  and  moved  to  a  farm  which  he  purchased  in  Wash- 
ington county,  residing  there  until  about  1868.  He  had  previously  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  lives,  buying  it  about  i860,  and  in  1872 
he  located  thereon,  but  at  that  time  the  tract  was  covered  with  timber. 
He  cleared  the  land  and  added  to  its  boundaries  until  he  now  has  about 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  in  one  body  but  lying  in  three  townships, 
Cass,  Hamilton  and  Jackson,  and  he  also  owns  the  coal  which  underlies 
this  tract. 

Mr.  Marshall  married,  April  1,  1853,  Lucy  Jane  Montgomery,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  on  the  25th  of  July,  1835,  but  when  she  was  but 
eight  years  of  age  her  parents  moved  from  that  state  to  Missouri,  crossing 
the  Mississippi  river  on  foot  on  the  ice.  After  a  residence  of  eight  months 
in  Missouri  the  father  died,  and  the  mother  with  her  family  then  moved 
to  Washington  county,  Indiana.  Her  family  consisted  of  nine  children, 
two  sons  then  living  in  Washington  county,  and  she  resided  with  one  of 
these  sons  a  short  time,  but  her  residence  in  that  county  covered  a  period 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  193 

of  ten  years.  She  died  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Marshall  in  1866.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall,  namely:  William 
Franklin,  a  farmer  near  Chappel  Church  in  Cass  township;  Henry  A., 
deceased;  John  W.,  who  has  charge  of  the  home  farm  and  resides  with 
his  parents ;  and  George  D.,  who  resides  in  Cass  township  and  is  farming 
a  part  of  his  father's  farm.  Mr.  Marshall  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
fraternally  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order. 


Albert  J.  Zink,  one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  farmers  of 
Hymera,  was  born  and  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Sullivan,  his  birth 
occurring  in  Jackson  township  on  the  27th  of  October,  1855,  a  son  °* 
Michael  and  Clarissa  (Hubanks)  Zink,  natives  respectively  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Indiana,  and  of  Maysville,  Kentucky.  The  father,  who  was 
a  life-long  farmer,  came  to  Jackson  township  with  his  father  when  only 
thirteen  years  old,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1888  he  owned  a  beau- 
tiful estate  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  the  accumulation  of  his  own 
personal  efforts  and  industry.    The  mother  died  in  the  year  of  1892. 

Albert  J.  Zink  received  his  educational  training  in  the  district  schools 
of  Jackson  township,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  his  life  work  as 
a  renter,  renting  of  his  father  and  also  conducting  his  estate  until  the 
latter's  death.  His  first  purchase  of  land  was  a  tract  of  forty  acres  in 
1882,  and  by  adding  to  this  from  time  to  time  he  became  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  but  in  1908  he  sold  this  farm  to  the  coal 
company  and  a  short  time  afterward  bought  eighty  acres  which  he  now 
conducts.  He  also  owns  a  fine  business  block  in  the  town  of  Hymera, 
and  is  connected  with  the  leading  general  store  and  meat  market  there, 
in  which  they  carry  a  seven  thousand  dollar  stock.  Some  years  ago  Mr. 
Zink  made  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  wheat,  and  is  now  also  quite 
extensively  engaged  in  small  farming  and  hay  growing,  which  he  uses 
as  feed  for  his  horses.  His  interests  are  extensive  and  varied,  and  his 
efforts  are  being  substantially  rewarded. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zink  occurred  in  March  of  1876,  and 
she  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  B.  Hughes  and  was  born  in  Virginia, 
as  also  her  parents,  Henry  M.  and  Harriett  (Thayer)  Hughes.  They 
came  to  Sullivan  county  during  the  war  and  located  near  Shelburn,  where 
he  followed  blacksmithing  for  many  years,  but  later  bought  and  operated 
a  farm  for  a  few  years,  and  then  selling  his  land  here  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia. But  in  a  few  years  he  came  again  to  Sullivan  county,  where  he 
died  at  Hymera  in  1898  and  the  mother  one  year  later.  The  daughter 
received  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Shelburn.  Seven  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zink,  namely:  Clara,  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Branson, 
of  Hymera;  Blanch,  deceased;  Maud,  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Pipher,  also  of 
Hymera;  and  Herbert,  Herschel,  Cora  Castella  and  Gladys,  at  home. 
Mr.  Zink  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 


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194  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Singleton  Marshall  has  spent  many  years  of  his  long  and  useful 
career  in  Sullivan  county,  prominently  identified  with  its  business  interests. 
He  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Indiana,  June  i,  1828,  a  son  of 
Ambrose  and  Cynthia  (Robie)  Marshall.  The  mother  was  reared  from 
a  mere  child  near  Albany,  Indiana,  and  she  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Ambrose  Marshall,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was  of  English  descent,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana  when  about  ten  years  of  age,  the  family 
locating  in  Washington  county,  where  his  father  was  a  blacksmith  and 
an  exceptionally  fine  workman  in  his  line.  Ambrose  Marshall  followed 
farming  all  his  life,  and  both  he  and  his  father  died  in  Washington  county. 

Singleton  Marshall  continued  to  reside  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-one,  and  during  the  following  three  years  worked  for  his  father. 
After  his  marriage  he  bought  a  farm  in  Washington  county,  but  after 
six  years  sold  the  land  and  then  rented  land  for  three  years.  Purchasing 
then  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  where  he  now  lives,  he  lived  there 
until  about  1890,  when  he  went  west  in  search  of  a  better  location,  but 
finding  nothing  which  surpassed  the  land  of  this  section  of  Indiana  he 
returned  and  lived  on  a  rented  farm  for  a  short  time.  He  then  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  near  Hymera,  but  afterward  on  account  of  ill  health  he 
went  to  Arkansas  and  bought  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  in  that 
state,  two  hundred  acres  of  which  he  yet  owns.  He  spent  the  winters 
there  for  several  years,  and  he  now  makes  his  home  with  a  daughter-in- 
law  in  Jackson  township. 

In  August,  1850,  Mr.  Marshall  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Ann 
Allen,  whose  parents  were  farming  people  in  Washington  county,  Indiana, 
and  both  are  now  deceased,  the  mother,  Christena  (Lee)  Allen,  dying 
in  1883.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall,  namely: 
Robert  Cornelius,  deceased;  Martha  Carolina,  also  deceased;  Alfred 
Franklin,  a  physician  of  Jasonville,  Indiana;  Mary  Jane,  the  wife  of 
WTilliam  Lucas,  of  Denver,  Colorado ;  Emma,  wife  of  Douglas  Marshall,  of 
Jackson  township;  Julian,  a  farmer  of  Hamilton  township;  Laura,  the 
wife  of  John  Nead,  of  Hymera ;  Onie,  wife  of  Charles  Rusher,  of  Jackson 
township ;  Oliver,  who  was  killed  by  a  train  at  Hymera  in  1901 ;  Eva,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years ;  and  Edward,  also  deceased.  Mr.  Mar- 
shall is  independent  in  his  political  affiliations,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Francis  Marion  Dorothy. — Among  the  early  day  business  men  of 
Indiana  was  numbered  Francis  M.  Dorothy,  who  during  many  years  of 
his  active  life  was  identified  with  the  mercantile  business.  He  was  born 
in  Vigo  county,  this  state,  August  24,  1834,  a  son  of  Harrison  and  Lucinda 
(Sweeney)  Dorothy,  who  were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  of  Irish  descent. 
In  his  youth  the  son  Francis  located  in  the  village  of  Old  York  in  Clark 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  as  a  mechanic  until  1852,  and  for  some 
time  afterward  was  a  mercantile  salesman  there.    In  the  fall  of  1881  he 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  195 

enlisted  as  a  Civil  war  soldier,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fifth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  entering  the  ranks  as  a  lieutenant.  He  took  part  in  sev- 
eral hard-fought  skirmishes,  and  on  one  occasion  was  wounded  in  the 
left  knee,  the  ball  remaining  imbedded  in  the  wound  until  his  death. 
Returning  home  after  his  discharge  from  the  army  he  was  engaged  in 
business  in  Robison  for  four  years,  from  that  time  until  the  summer  of 
1879  was  identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Bellair,  Illinois,  and 
moving  thence  to  Clay  City,  Indiana,  he  was  a  prominent  and  successful 
merchant  there  until  his  death  on  the  12th  of  December,  1888.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  time  honored  order  of  Masons,  and  an  earnest  and  active 
Republican. 

On  the  18th  of  December,  1871,  Mr.  Dorothy  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Notolean  Peters,  who  was  born  in  Queen  Ann  county,  Maryland, 
December  30,  1841,  a  daughter  of  John  Wesley  and  Martha  (Wallace) 
Peters,  of  English  descent  and  natives  respectively  of  Maryland  and  Dela- 
ware. They  were  farming  people,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  When 
their  daughter  Notolean  was  fourteen  years  of  age  she  came  to  Park 
county,  Illinois,  to  live  with  an  uncle,  who  was  a  miller,  and  she  was  a 
member  of  his  home  from  1856  until  her  marriage.  After  the  death  of 
her  husband  she  continued  the  business  and  remained  in  Clay  City  until 
1896,  when  she  sold  the  store  and  came  to  Hymera  to  engage  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  here.  She  was  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  town's  leading 
mercantile  establishments,  carrying  a  stock  valued  at  three  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  met  with  the  success  she  so  well  merited.  Mrs.  Dorothy  is  the 
mother  of  four  children:  Francis  Otto,  the  first  born,  married  Ethel 
Beckett,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Hester,  and  he  died  on  the  30th  of 
September,  1901.  Charles  is  a  miner  and  resides  at  home,  as  does  also 
the  younger  son,  Dick,  who  had  charge  of  the  store.  May  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Zenor  and  resides  in  Hymera.  They  have  two  children,  Donald 
and  Dorothv. 


Charles  Barnhart. — From  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  to  the 
present  time  Charles  Barnhart  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
business  interests  of  Sullivan  county.  At  that  age  he  started  to  work  for 
himself,  but  for  some  years  following  this  he  conducted  his  father's  farm, 
and  then  buying  out  the  heirs  to  the  home  estate  resided  thereon  until 
the  year  of  1887.  Selling  the  land  then  he  bought  another  farm  of  ninety- 
two  acres  where  the  village  of  Hymera  now  stands,  but  he  has  since  sold 
this  entire  tract  in  town  lots  with  the  exception  of  one  and  a  half  acres. 
During  about  six  years  of  this  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  furniture  busi- 
ness, was  also  in  the  livery  business  for  about  four  years,  and  during  the 
past  twenty-one  years  he  has  been  the  proprietor  of  a  well  known  and 
popular  hotel.  He  has  thus  contributed  much  to  the  public  life  and  interests 
of  Hymera  and  vicinity,  and  the  community  numbers  him  among  her 
foremost  business  men  and  citizens. 

Mr.  Barnhart  was  born  in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  February  28,  1851, 


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196  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  is  of  German  parentage.  His  father,  Henry  Barnhart,  came  to 
America  when  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  and  located  in  Tuscarawas 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  employed  on  public  works  for  some  years 
and  then  bought  a  farm  in  that  county.  After  a  residence  there  of  several 
years,  however,  he  sold  the  land  and  moved  to  Owen  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  and  resided  there  until  selling  the  land  in  1885 
he  came  to  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  buying  a  farm  a  half  a  mile 
south  of  Hymera.  He  resided  on  this  homestead  until  his  death  in  the 
year  of  1877,  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  His  wife, 
Margaret,  was  born  near  his  old  home  in  Germany,  and  coming  to 
America  about  the  same  time  they  were  married  in  Ohio.  The  wife  died 
about  ten  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 
The  two  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  are  Bert,  a  pharmacist,  and 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Indianapolis,  and  Ralph,  who  is  with  his 
parents  and  attending  school.  Mr.  Barnhart  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  poli- 
tics he  upholds  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  original 
spelling  of  this  name  was  Barnhardt,  but  it  has  since  been  changed  to  its 
present  form. 


John  A.  Spear. — The  life's  labors  of  John  A.  Spear  were  ended  on 
the  17th  of  August,  1899,  when  death  took  from  Sullivan  county  one  of 
its  truest  and  best  citizens.  He  was  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio, 
April  9,  1835,  and  starting  in  life  for  himself  at  about  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  continued  to  work  for  his  father  for  one  year,  and  after  his  marriage 
his  father  deeded  him  forty  acres  of  land  in  Owen  county,  in  the  Spear 
settlement.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  private 
in  Company  A,  Fifty-ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  for  three  and  a 
half  years,  and  he  was  in  service  for  six  months  before  being  mustered 
in.  During  the  most  of  the  time  of  his  army  service  he  was  a  teamster 
on  an  ammunition  wagon.  Previous  to  entering  the  army  Mr.  Spear 
had  sold  the  land  which  his  father  had  given  him  and  on  which  he  had 
farmed  for  six  years;  and  after  returning  from  the  war  he  bought  a 
tract  of  eighty  acres  near  Hymera,  and  there  he  lived  and  labored  until 
his  busy  and  useful  life  was  ended. 

Mr.  Spear  was  a  son  of  David  Spear,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
as  was  also  his  wife,  Jane  Vance,  and  very  early  in  its  history  he  moved 
to  Ohio  and  enrolled  his  name  among  its  pioneers.  He  continued  to 
farm  in  that  state  until  his  removal  to  Owen  county,  Indiana,  in  about 
1850,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and  resided  until  his  death  in  about  1890. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  eight  years,  dying  in  1898.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican politically,  but  never  desired  the  honors  of  office. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1856,  Mr.  Spear  married  Lydia  A.  Criss, 
who  was  born  in  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  near  New  Lisbon,  November 
6,  1835,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  D.  and  Susana  (France)  Criss,  both  of 
whom  were  also  born  in  Ohio,  the  mother  in  Old  Philadelphia  and  the 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  197 

father  in  Carl  county.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  coming  to  Owen  county, 
Indiana,  near  Spencer,  about  1843,  ne  entered  a  homestead  there  and 
continued  his  residence  thereon  until  his  death  in  1878.  The  mother 
survived  until  1890.  They  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
were  highly  respected  in  the  community  in  which  they  so  long  resided. 
Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spear,  namely:  James  Isaac, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years  and  four  months;  Sulesta,  the  wife 
of  O.  H.  Gagan  of  Hymera ;  Louisa,  who  married  Perry  Bear  and  resides 
in  Knox  county,  Indiana;  David  V.,  a  miner  and  farmer  in  Hymera; 
Oliver  M.,  a  prospector  and  miner  in  Colorao ;  Anna,  the  widow  of  Perry 
Botts  and  who  resides  with  her  mother;  Jennie  F.,  the  wife  of  I.  N. 
Botts,  of  Hymera ;  William  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years, 
in  1906;  and  Levi  Hale,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mrs.  Spear  continued  to  reside  on  the  homestead  farm  until  about 
two  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  when  at  the  request  of  her 
son  she  moved  to  the  village  of  Hymera  and  now  resides  in  one  of  its 
most  spacious  homes.  She  yet  owns  the  old  farm  property.  Since  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  she  has  been  an  earnest  and  consistent  member  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  her  husband  was  also  affiliated  with  that 
denomination. 


Francis  M.  Nead,  a  member  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  Sulli- 
van county's  early  families,  was  born  in  Jackson  township  on  the  16th 
of  October,  1858,  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  A.  (Tipton)  Nead  and  a 
grandson  of  George  Nead,  who  died  on  the  6th  of  February,  1856,  aged 
about  sixty-seven  years.  His  grandparents  were  natives  of  Switzerland, 
but  emigrated  when  young  to  Pennsylvania  and  thence  to  Carroll  county, 
Ohio,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  and  were  there  buried. 
George  Nead  was  both  a  farmer  and  cooper,  and  in  early  life  he  married 
Sarah.  Mizer,  who  was  born  in  Carroll  county,  Ohio,  and  died  June  13, 
1888,  aged  more  than  eighty-eight  years. 

John  Nead  also  claimed  Carroll  county  as  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
born  November  4,  1830,  but  three  years  later  his  parents  mov£d  to 
Coshocton  county,  that  state,  where  the  senior  Mr.  Nead  became  a 
prominent  farmer.  In  1854  the  son  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Jackson  township,  where  he  followed 
general  farming  until  his  enlistment,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1862,  as  a 
private  in  the  Ninety-seventh  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  Company  I, 
in  which  he  served  a  little  over  a  year  and  died  on  the  31st  of  August, 
1863,  from  sickness  contracted  in  the  army.  He  was  buried  with  military 
honors  at  Camp  Sherman,  Mississippi,  on  the  Big  Black  river,  but  with 
those  of  other  soldiers  his  remains  were  afterward  taken  to  the  burial 
ground  of  the  National  Cemetery  at  Vicksburg,  and  his  grave  was  marked 
by  a  stone  bearing  the  initials  of  J.  N.  Mrs.  Nead,  his  wife,  was  born 
March  5,  1831,  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Patience  S.  (Pugh)  Tipton,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia 


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198  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

August  20,  1798,  and  the  latter  in  Berkeley  county,  West  Virginia,  No- 
vember 18,  1794.  Moving  to  Ohio  when  a  boy  William  Tipton  spent  his 
early  youth  on  the  Maumee  river,  where  he  was  married  in  18 18,  and 
many  years  afterward,  in  1847,  tnev  came  to  Owen  county,  Indiana,  and 
farmed  there  until  the  death  of  the  husband  and  father,  May  29,  1854. 
The  mother  had  moved  with  her  parents  to  Ohio  when  a  young  girl, 
and  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  in  1854,  she  came  to  Jackson  town- 
ship in  Sullivan  county,  and  resided  here  until  her  death,  March  1,  1868. 

Francis  M.  was  the  eldest  of  the  three  children  born  to  John  and 
Nancy  A.  Nead,  and  he  was  but  a  little  lad  of  five  years  at  the  time  of 
the  death  of  his  father.  His  mother  kept  him  in  school  until  he  was 
about  eighteen,  attending  the  graded  schools  of  Hymera,  Sullivan  and 
Farmersburg,  and  for  fifteen  years  after  the  completion  of  his  education, 
beginning  in  1879,  he  was  engaged  in  teaching.  During  that  time  he 
had  become  the  owner  of  the  parental  homestead,  and  at  about  the  close 
of  his  professional  career  he  was  elected  the  assessor  of  Jackson  town- 
ship and  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  until  October  of  1907.  Previous 
to  this  time  he  had  bought  the  site  for  the  splendidly  equipped  home 
which  he  built  at  that  time,  and  he  still  owns  the  old  farm  and  about 
fifteen  acres  adjoining. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1883,  Mr.  Nead  was  married  to  Adaline 
Payne,  who  was  born  in  Jackson  township  August  22,  1858,  a  daughter 
of  Hosea  and  Sarah  A.  (Asbury)  Payne,  the  father  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  born  on  the  25th  of  December,  181 5,  and  his  wife  was  some 
years  his  junior.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  Lawrence  county,  this 
state,  about  1830,  and  from  there  to  Sullivan  county,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  in  Jackson  township,  married,  and  continued  to  reside  here  until 
his  death  in  1900.  His  wife  died  four  years  later,  in  1904.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nead  have  four  children :  Conza  C,  born  October  6,  1884,  married 
in  1904  Evan  G.  Moreland  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Jackson 
township;  Garland  H.,  born  October  30,  1887,  taught  school  some  years 
and  is  now  with  her  parents ;  Wendell  Holmes,  born  December  27,  1894, 
is  in  school,  as  is  also  Mary  Esther,  born  September  13,  1901.  Mr. 
Nead's  politics  are  Democratic,  and  for  five  years,  from  1895  to  1900*  he 
served  as  an  assessor,  and  he  is  now  serving  his  fourth  year  as  a  trustee, 
having  been  re-elected  as  the  trustee  of  the  township  of  Jackson  Novem- 
ber 3,  1908.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Hymera  Lodge  No.  603,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  offices  and  is 
one  of  the  present  trustees,  and  has  also  represented  the  order  in  the 
Grand  Lodge.  Tflis  lodge  was  instituted  here  on  the  6th  of  October, 
1883.    He  is  a  prominent  and  worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Robert  G.  Jackson,  who  is  numbered  among  the  business  men  of 
Jackson  township  and  Hymera,  was  born  in  Pleasantville,  Jefferson  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  March  4,  1869,  a  son  of  J.  H.  and  Nancy  C. 
(McClung)  Jackson,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  199 

Indiana.  J.  H.  Jackson  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana  when  ten  years 
of  age,  in  1842,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  where  the  parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  The 
son  has  continued  his  residence  on  a  farm  near  by  the  one  selected  by 
his  parents.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  soldier  in  an  Indiana 
regiment,  but  in  a  short  time  after  enlisting  he  was  wounded  and  crippled 
in  a  railroad  wreck  and  was  discharged  from  the  service.  Mrs.  Jackson, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  1848. 

Robert  G.  Jackson  remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  father  until 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  he  puchased  land  in  Jefferson  township, 
but  after  one  year  there  he  sold  that  land  and  bought  another  farm. 
There  he  resided- for  ten  years,  and  then  selling  that  farm  he  bought 
another  in  Jackson  township,  which  he  yet  owns  in  connection  with  a 
tract  of  forty  acres  four  miles  north  of  Hymera.  He  also  has  valuable 
property  interests  in  Hymera,  and  during  the  past  seven  years  he  has 
been  engaged  in  plastering  there. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  1891,  Mr.  Jackson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Minnie  V.  Steele,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Anna  J.  (Murdock) 
Steele,  the  mother  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  father  of  Dearborn  county, 
Indiana.  During  many  years  he  was  a  blacksmith  in  Sullivan,  and  he 
died  in  the  year  of  1874.  His  widow  was  a  resident  of  Youngstown, 
this  state,  and  died  on  March  11,  1909.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  have 
four  children, — Lomie  L.,  Vannessa  L.,  Vida  B.  and  Lowell  G.  Mr. 
Jackson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order  at  Hymera,  is  a  Republican 
politically,  and  both  his  and  his  wife's  religious  affiliations  are  with  the 
Methodist  church. 


Thomas  W.  Hamilton. — During  a  period  of  twenty  years  Thomas 
W.  Hamilton  has  resided  on  his  present  estate  in  Jackson  township, 
prominently  identified  with  its  agricultural  and  stock  raising  interests. 
His  farm  contains  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land,  and  he  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Hereford  cattle,  and  some  years  ago 
he  sold  an  animal  which  was  the  pride  of  the  stockmen  of  the  vicinity, 
it  weighing  twenty-four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  pounds.  During  two 
years  Mr.  Hamilton  served  as  the  assessor  of  the  township,  elected  by 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  proved  an  efficient  officer. 

Mr.  Hamilton  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children  born  to  William 
Hamilton,  his  natal  day  being  the  nth  of  June,  1845,  and  his  father  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  but  came  to  Indiana  during  an  early  epoch  in  its 
history,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  have  long  since  passed  away.  Their 
children  were :  Mary  Jane,  the  deceased  wife  of  Benjamin  Maratta,  of 
Sullivan ;  Elizabeth,  the  deceased  wife  of  M.  H.  Plew,  also  of  Sullivan ; 
Nancy  Jane,  who  has  been  blind  from  infancy,  and  she  resides  with  a 
brother  James  in  Jackson  township;  James,  also  of  this  township;  and 
William,  who  has  not  been  heard  from  for  ten  years,  and  he  was  then 
in  New  Mexico. 


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200  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

In  1875  Mr.  Hamilton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  E.  Gillmore, 
and  they  have  four  children, — Orin,  Bert,  Leland  and  Caroline,  aged 
respectively  twenty-nine,  twenty-seven,  twenty-one  and  seventeen  years. 
Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Kenneth  W.  Self,  who  has  been  an  industrious  tiller  of  the  soil 
of  Sullivan  county  since  1869,  is  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Ken- 
tucky, born  December  21,  1823,  a  son  of  Presley  and  Helen  (Wilson) 
Self.  The  father  was  born  July  7,  1787,  and  died  in  August,  1864,  in 
Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  was  buried  at  Greensburg,  Indiana.  He  was 
a  native  of  Culpeper  county,  Virginia.  Kenneth  W.  Self's  mother  was 
born  in  Greensborough  county,  West  Virginia,  August  11,  1787,  and 
died  in  Greensburg. 

Presley  Self  was  the  son  of  John  and  Milly  (Harden)  Self,  both 
natives  of  Virginia.  They  emigrated  from  there  to  Kentucky  and  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  region.  Helen  (Wilson)  S£lf  was 
the  daughter  of  Newton  Wilson,  a  native  of  Scotland  who  came  to  this 
country  after  his  marriage  and  served  in  the  Revolution  in  the  cause 
of  American  independence.  By  trade  he  was  a  weaver,  and  first  located 
in  Virginia,  but  later  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days.  The  subject's  grandfather  Self  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  was  captured  at  Dudley's  defeat,  and  was  never  afterward 
heard  of.  Presley,  the  father  Kenneth  W.  Self,  was  married  about  1809 
in  Kentucky,  and  resided  there  until  1824,  and  then  moved  to  Decatur 
county,  Indiana.  He  retained  his  land,  however,  in  Kentucky  until  about 
1855,  when  he  sold  and  retired  from  farming,  which  had  been  his  calling 
and  in  which  he  was  very  successful.  Up  to  1840  he  was  a  Jacksonian 
Democrat,  but  after  that  date  voted  with  the  Whig  party,  later  espousing 
the  cause  advocated  by  the  Republicans,  and  his  last  vote  was  cast  for 
President  Lincoln.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  a  devoted 
Christian  in  word  and  deed.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children :  John, 
born  in  1810,  was  killed  by  a  horse  in  1836,  in  Indianapolis;  Joseph,  born 
about  181 1,  died  in  1844;  Ruth,  born  about  1813,  died  in  1844;  Harden, 
born  in  1817,  died  in  1892;  Randolph,  born  in  1819,  died  in  1862;  and 
Kenneth  W. 

Kenneth  W.  was  educated  at  the  old  fashioned  subscription  schools 
and  at  a  select  school  for  a  short  time.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
taught  school  fifteen  months,  after  which  he  attended  college  at  what  is 
now  the  State  University.  He  then  resumed  teaching  school  and  followed 
that  profession  until  1850.  During  that  year  he  was  married  in  Decatur 
county,  Indiana,  and  taught  school  and  farmed  there  until  1863,  then 
moved  to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  where  he  continued  teaching  and  farming 
until  1869,  when  he  went  to  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  now  resides.  After  coming  to  this  county  he  also  taught  school 
up  to   1885.     When  he  first  settled   in   Sullivan   county  he  purchased 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  201 

eighty  acres  of  land,  and  added  thereto  until  he  owned  a  finely  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  but  sold  a  portion  of  the  tract  he  had  at  one 
time  to  his  son,  this  leaving  him  sixty  acres.  Mr.  Self  was  married 
July  19,  1850,  to  a  Miss  Wood,  who  was  born  in  1825,  in  Mason  City, 
Kentucky,  and  she  died  in  1900,  on  December  28th.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Genoa  and  Comfort  Wood,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky. 
By  this  union  were  born  seven  children  as  follows:  Viola  (Stock),  born 
1852  and  now  residing  in  Lewis,  Indiana;  Samuel  O.,  born  June  11,  1855, 
resides  in  Sullivan;  Laura  (Brown),  born  June  22,  1858,  resides  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio;  Joseph  L.,  born  December  19,  i860,  resides  in  Farm- 
ersburg;  Presley  M.,  born  February  27,  1863,  resides  in  Farmersburg; 
William  L.,  born  September  17,  1865,  is  now  at  home  on  the  old  home- 
stead, and  Claborn  O.,  born  September  15,  1871,  resides  in  Terre  Haute. 
In  his  political  choice  Mr.  Self  is  a  pronounced  Republican,  formerly 
being  a  member  of  the  old-line  Whig  party,  which  was  merged  into  the 
new  party  in  1856.  He  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Decatur 
county  for  a  period  of  four  years.  He  is  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
faith  and  a  member  of  that  denomination. 


Simpson  Edwards,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock  raiser, 
whose  methods  have  brought  success  to  his  efforts,  is  a  tiller  of  the 
fertile  soil  of  Gill  township.  He  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana, 
June  30,  1852,  son  of  Henderson  and  Cynthia  (Cox)  Edwards.  The 
father  was  born  in  the  same  county,  as  was  the  mother,  the  former  in 
1820,  and  the  latter  in  1831.  Henderson  Edwards  was  a  farmer  through- 
out his  entire  lifetime.  When  about  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  entered 
land  in  the  Vincennes  district,  which  he  cleared  up  and  used  for  agricul- 
tural purposes.  Here  he  resided  and  labored  until  1885,  then  sold  out 
and  purchased  the  farm  where  his  son  now  lives,  at  first  purchasing 
eighty  acres.  His  wife  died  in  1901  and  he  now  resides  with  his  son 
Simpson.  The  children  born  to  Henderson  and  Cynthia  (Cox)  Edwards 
were  five  in  number,  as  follows:  Simpson,  of  whom  further  mention  is 
made;  Geneal  Edwards,  deceased;  Clementine,  deceased;  Jane,  wife  of 
William  Cox,  of  Haddon  township;  Margaret,  wife  of  A. .W.  Engle  of 
Gill  township. 

Like  many  a  youth  of  his  times,  Simpson  Edwards  had  but  a  limited 
opportunity  for  gaining  an  education.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Lawrence  county,  and  one  term  at  the  high  school  of  Mitchell.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  commenced  working  for  others,  continuing 
four  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Lawrence  county,  which  he 
owned  two  years,  but  to  which  he  never  moved.  After  he  sold  this  he 
continued  to  reside  with  his  father,  and  managed  his  place  for  him.  He 
next  bought  land  in  Sullivan  county.  This  was  an  eighty  acre  tract, 
which  was  purchased  in  1885.  Subsequently,  he  added  another  "eighty," 
which  with  an  acre  piece  more  recently  bought  makes  him  the  present 


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202  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-one  acres  of  land,  where  he  carries  on 
general  farming  and  makes  a  specialty  of  stock-raising.  Besides  raising 
many  hogs  and  cattle,  he  also  deals  in  this  variety  of  stock  to  quite  an 
extent.  His  farm  has  been  well  improved  by  his  systematic  methods  and 
today  is  one  of  much  beauty  and  great  value,  as  compared  to  the  date 
which  he  purchased  the  several  tracts  composing  the  whole. 

Mr.  Edwards,  being  of  a  progressive  turn  of  mind,  has  identified 
himself  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  both  blue  lodge  and 
Eastern  Star  degrees.  In  his  church  relations,  he  is  a  communicant  of 
the  Baptist  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Edwards  believes  in  the  general 
principles  advocated  by  the  Republican  party.  He  has  never  sought 
public  favor  in  way  of  local  office,  but  has  served  as  supervisor  and  held 
minor  township  offices. 

He  was  married  in  October,  1894,  to  Mary  E.  Price,  born  near 
Terre  Haute,  the  daughter  of  John  W.  Price,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Vigo  county.     Mrs.  Edwards'  parents  are  now  both  deceased. 


Walter  P.  Sparks,  the  efficient  and  truly  obliging  postmaster  at 
Merom,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana, 
March  29,  1842,  son  of  Thomas  and  Jennie  (Harwood)  Sparks.  Thomas 
Sparks  was  born  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  his  wife  in 
Ohio.  Thomas  came  to  Sullivan  county  at  a  very  early  day  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  upon  which  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  his 
wife  dying  before  he  passed  away. 

Walter  P.  Sparks  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  tender  age  of  seven 
years.  He  attended  the  Montgomery  county  public  schools,  thus  gaining 
a  fair  common  school  education.  He  worked  here  and  there  for  various 
persons,  up  to  the  time  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced 
to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  in  his  native  county,  and  followed  this  for 
his  livelihood  until  about  the  date  of  the  Harrison  Presidential  election, 
when  he  was  appointed  mail  messenger  from  Merom  to  Merom  Station, 
which  position  he  filled  until  the  end  of  a  five  year  period.  He  was  then 
appointed  postmaster  at  Merom  and  is  the  present  incumbent,  having 
held  the  office  continuously  ever  since,  except  four  years  during  Cleve- 
land's administration.  Mr.  Sparks  by  prudence  has  been  able  to  accu- 
mulate considerable  property,  including  two  dwellings  in  Merom,  as 
well  as  six  choice  town  lots. 

He  was  among  the  men  who  braved  the  exposure  and  dangers  of 
camp  and  field,  during  the  Civil  war  period  in  this  country.  He  enlisted 
in  the  month  of  September,  1861 — first  year  of  the  war — as  a  member 
of  Company  B,  Tenth  Indiana  Regiment,  under  Colonel  Manson,  and 
served  three  years,  being  mustered  out  of  service  September  18,  1864, 
at  Indianapolis.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Mills  Springs  (Kentucky), 
Shiloh,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca,  Kenesaw  Mountain 
and  Atlanta.    His  only  wound  was  a  bruise  caused  by  a  spent  ball  which 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  203 

shattered  the  stock  of  his  gun.  He  was  also  at  Perryville,  in  which 
engagement  his  company  lost  eight  men. 

Politically,  Mr.  Sparks  is  a  firm  defender  of  Republican  principles. 
Aside  from  being  postmaster,  he  has  held  the  office  of  member  of  the 
school  board  and  other  minor  positions.  In  church  relations,  he  is  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  creed.  He  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  stands  for  all  that  is  good  and  true  in  the  county  and 
state  in  which  he  resides. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  first  in  1864,  to  Martha  J.  Lisman,  born 
at  Merom,  Indiana,  in  1847,  daughter  of  David  Lisman,  an  early  settler 
who  located  near  Carlisle,  now  deceased.  To  this  union,  two  children 
were  born:  David  L.,  born  December  12,  1866,  residing  at  Robinson, 
Illinois,  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  Thomas,  born  January  8,  1868,  now  living 
near  Merom  on  a  farm.  Mrs.  Sparks  died  in  1870.  For  his  second  wife, 
Mr.  Sparks  married  Rebecca  I.  Curl,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  March  13, 
1858,  daughter  of  David  Curl  and  wife.  The  father,  a  farmer,  moved 
from  Ohio  to  Illinois  in  1865  and  settled  on  a  farm  east  from  Palestine, 
where  they  resided  many  years,  but  subsequently  removed  to  Texas,  where 
a  son  was  living.  There  the  father  died  about  1898,  the  mother  having 
died  several  years  before.  By  Mr.  Sparks'  second  marriage  the  issue  is: 
Helen  May,  married  Dr.  Boone,  and  died  in  September,  1904,  leaving  an 
only  child,  Helen,  aged  three  years;  Clara,  wife  of  Elmer  Pinkston,  a 
hotel  keeper  and  farmer  of  Merom ;  Guy,  married  Ora  Ellis,  and  resides 
in  Merom,  where  he  is  engaged  in  painting  and  paper-hanging;  Lula, 
wife  of  Walter  Mahan,  a  painter  and  paper-hanger,  residing  at  Merom. 


John  Emery  Brewer,  well  known  in  Sullivan  county  both  as  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  farmer,  was.  born  at  Graysville,  Indiana,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1854,  a  son  of  Samuel  S.  and  Cynthia  Ann  (Dodd)  Brewer. 
The  father  was  also  born  near  Graysville  on  a  farm  April  20,  1830.  He 
was  the  son  of  John  Brewer,  Sr.,  a  native  of  Mercer  county,  Kentucky, 
born  in  1796,  and  who  moved  with  his  parents  to  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
when  eleven  years  of  age.  When  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  he  walked 
from  that  county  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  carrying  with  him  an  ax, 
which  was  his  only  article  of  defense.  He  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  the  same  now  being  owned  by  the  Davis  heirs,  in  Turman 
township.  When  cutting  down  his  first  tree,  which  was  a  very  large  one, 
he  discovered  a  she  bear  and  cubs.  As  the  tree  fell,  the  dogs  entertained 
the  bear,  which  animal  would  have  killed  the  dogs,  had  he  not  rushed  to 
their  rescue  and  killed  her.  After  having  cleared  up  four  acres,  he  erected 
a  small  cabin  and  remained  there  in  the  wild  forest  land  about  one  year, 
then  returned  to  Ohio  and  brought  his  wife  and  one  child  back  to  Sul- 
livan county.  The  child  mentioned  was  James  Brewer,  who  later  settled 
in  Fairbanks  township,  one  mile  north  of  Fairbanks,  where  he  lived  and 
died,  having  amassed  a  goodly  fortune. 


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204  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

John  Brewer,  Sr.,  reared  a  family  of  nineteen  children,  twelve  of 
whom  reached  maturity,  and  all  of  them  took  up  their  abode  within  Sul- 
livan county  and  cleared  up  farms.  He  possessed  about  seventeen  hun- 
dred acres  himself,  in  Turman  township,  which  he  gave  to  his  sons  and 
daughters.  After  disposing  of  his  large  land  holdings,  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  with  his  son,  Samuel  S.  They  purchased  a  stock  of 
goods  belonging  to  Lafayette  Stewart,  at  Graysville,  he  being  the  pioneer 
merchant  of  that  place.  This  transaction  was  in  1853,  on  trie  first  day 
of  June,  and  the  business  was  conducted  until  the  junior  member,  Samuel 
S.  Brewer,  died,  in  the  month  of  August,  i860,  and  the  following  year 
the  business  of  the  firm  was  closed  up.  John,  Sr.,  remained  at  Graysville 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  was  associated  with  his  son-in-law,  Thomas 
Burton,  in  the  mercantile  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Brewer  & 
Burton,  which  relationship  existed  until  1876,  when  by  mutual  consent 
it  was  dissolved  and  William  Brewer,  a  son  of  John  Brewer,  Sr.,  took 
the  business  and  located  at  Sullivan  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade. 
John  Brewer,  Sr.,  died  at  Graysville  in  1880  and  was  buried  at  the  Mann 
cemetery.  He  was  the  first  man  to  drive  a  team  of  horses  with  check 
lines  within  Sullivan  county.  His  son,  of  this  memoir,  has  in  his  pos- 
session the  journal  and  ledger  used  by  the  old  firm  of  Brewer  &  Son, 
which  has  the  names  of  nearly  all  of  the  old  pioneers  of  that  township. 
Its  pages  show  it  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  perfect  and  neatly  kept 
set  of  books  in  the  county,  not  excepting  those  of  the  present  day  busi- 
ness houses. 

Cynthia  Ann  (Dodd)  Brewer,  the  mother  of  John  Emery,  was  born 
in  August,  1836,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Osborne)  Dodd.  The 
Dodd  family  originally  lived  in  Kentucky,  the  father  of  John  being  com- 
monly called  Dickey  Dodd,  and  he  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana.  Elizabeth  Osborne  was  the  daughter  of  Isaiah  Osborne,  also 
a  pioneer  of  Kentucky,  who  settled  in  Sullivan  county,  when  all  was  yet 
a  wilderness. 

John  Emery  Brewer  attended  the  schools  at  Ascension  Seminary, 
under  the  tutorship  of  Major  Crawford,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
within  this  work.  Mr.  Brewer  entered  that  excellent  educational  insti- 
tution without  much  preparation  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  was 
a  well  posted  farmer,  but  knew  little  else  of  the  great,  teeming  world, 
with  its  various  activities,  but  had  an  ambition  to  learn.  He  attended  this 
seminary  also  at  Sullivan  and  the  Commercial  College  at  Terre  Haute, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1875.  It  should  be  recalled  that  Mr. 
Brewers  father  died  when  the  son  was  but  six  years  of  age,  at  a  time 
when  a  boy  most  needs  the  tender  watch-care  of  a  father.  He  was 
"hired  out"  by  his  mother  to  one  Thomas  Pogue,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  five  years,  then  was  employed  by  various  farmers,  near  Graysville, 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  young  Brewer  decided 
to  obtain  a  good  education,  which  he  did  in  the  manner  stated  above, 
beginning  with  a  three  years'  course  under  Professor  Crawford,  whose 
school  was  then  at  Farmersburg.    After  graduating  from  the  Terre  Haute 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  205 

Business  College,  he  engaged  with  the  firm  of  Sherman  &  Davis,  as  a 
clerk,  at  Graysville,  Indiana,  where  he  was  soon  made  manager  of  the 
business  there  and  continued  two  years,  when  the  stock  was  removed  to 
Sullivan.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Brewer  engaged  in  business  at  Graysville 
on  his  own  account,  continuing  until  1881,  when  he  sold  to  Robert  Car- 
ruthers.  Mr.  Brewer  then  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  near  the  village  of  New  Lebanon,  where  he  has  since  resided.  Here 
he  carries  on  a  general  farming  business  and  raises  stock.  He  has  made 
decided  improvements  upon  the  farm  since  buying  it.  This  place  is 
known,  far  and  near,  as  the  William  Gill  place,  and  the  township  was 
named  in  honor  of  its  former  owner.  Mr.  Brewer  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents.  One  brother  was  Theodore 
Frelingheisen,  born  in  1856,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years ;  he 
was  also  educated  at  Farmersburg  under  Major  Crawford.  This  brother 
was  a  most  thorough  scholar  and  a  faithful,  hardworking  student,  whose 
career  was  suddenly  cut  short  at  the  threshold  of  young  manhood,  when 
all  looked  fair  for  a  successful  life's  voyage.  As  a  musician,  he  ranked 
among  the  best  of  his  years,  and  was  among  the  attractive,  bright  stars 
which  seemed  destined  to  sink  prematurely.  Mr.  Brewer's  sister  was 
Flora,  born  i860,  at  Graysville.  She  married  William  T.  Ingersoll  in 
1880  and  died  the  year  after  her  marriage,  at  Graysville.  Mr.  Brewer's 
mother  remained  a  widow  for  eight  years,  then  married  J.  W.  Warner, 
and  now  resides  with  him,  one  mile  north  of  Graysville.  She  is  seventy- 
three  years  old. 

In  religious  faith,  Mr.  Brewer  and  also  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  having  united  with  this  denomination  in 
1864,  at  Graysville.  He  has  held  the  office  of  steward.  Politically,  he 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  was  postmaster  at  Graysville 
for  six  years,  but  aside  from  that  has  never  aspired  or  held  local  positions 
of  honor  or  trust. 

Concerning  his  domestic  relations,  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  married 
September  11,  1877,  to  Jennie  Cornelius,  a  native  of  Sullivan,  born 
August  10,  1859,  daughter  of  Rev.  W.  H.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Robbins) 
Cornelius.  The  father  was  born  at  Maysville,  Kentucky,  April  4,  1810, 
and  the  mother  was  born  October  22,  1819,  at  Elizabethtown,  Pennsyl- 
vania. W.  H.  Cornelius  was  a  ship-carpenter  by  trade,  apprenticed  when 
fourteen  years  of  age,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  moved  to  Cincinnati, 
where  he  was  united  in  marriage,  and  where  he  engaged  in  ship-carpen- 
tering for  a  short  time.  He  then  went  to  Louisville,  and  there  engaged 
at  the  same  work  until  he  entered  the  Indiana  Methodist  Conference  in 
1841.  He  was  a  regular  traveling  minister  until  his  death,  July  31,  1882, 
at  Linton,  Indiana,  where  he  was  buried.  His  wife,  who  died  May  4, 
1863,  was  buried  at  Corydon,  Harrison  county,  Indiana. 

In  the  Cornelius  family  there  were  ten  children,  seven  of  whom 
reached  mature  years.  They  are  as  follows :  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Marion 
Hise,  both  deceased ;  Celestine,  wife  of  G.  W.  Lane,  of  Danville,  Illinois, 
and  she  is  now  deceased ;  William  F.,  of  Linton,  Indiana,  engaged  in  the 


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206  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

insurance  and  real  estate  business;  Daniel  B.,  of  Linton,  an  architect; 
Margaret  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Capt.  Edward  Estes  Laymon,  an  attorney 
^of  Santiago,  California,  and  a  man  of  much  wealth,  whose  other  home 
is  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Sarah  Emily,  wife  of  Ransom  Bed  well,  of 
Springfield,  Missouri,  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  Jennie,  wife  of  Mr. 
Brewer,  of  this  memoir. 

John  E.  Brewer  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Walter  Cornelius,  born  at  Graysville,  Indiana,  September  6,  1878,  unmar- 
ried and  at  home;  Samuel  Scott,  born  at  Graysville,  December  5,  1880, 
unmarried,  and  is  an  attorney,  practicing  law  at  Indianapolis,  a  graduate 
of  the  Indianapolis  Law  School,  being  admitted  to  practice  in  all  of  the 
courts  within  the  United  States,  the  date  of  final  admission  being  June  7, 
1907 ;  Nellie,  born  at  New  Lebanon,  Indiana,  March  14,  1883,  unmarried, 
a  teacher  at  present  and  will  graduate  in  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School 
in  class  of  1910;  Mabel,  born  at  New  Lebanon,  July  4,  1886,  now  at 
home;  John  Thaddeus,  born  at  New  Lebanon,  August  26,  1888,  also 
at  home. 

It  is  said  that  of  all  the  members  of  the  Brewer  family  none  have 
ever  been  brought  before  the  law;  all  are  Republicans  and  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  Cor- 
nelius family  in  detail.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brewer  have  in  their  possession 
two  of  the  old  deeds,  one  executed  August  9,  1823,  the  oldest  found  in 
Sullivan  county  so  far  and  given*,  voider  the  hand  of  President  James 
Monroe,  and  the  other  deed  executed  November  24,  1828,  is  by  President 
John  Q.  Adams. 


William  H.  Jones,  Jr.,  who  is  numbered  among  the  largest  land- 
owners and  large  farmers  within  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Fayette 
county,  Ohio,  born  October  21,  1855,  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Olavi 
(Hidy)  Jones.  The  mother  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  and  the 
father  in  Denbigh,  Wales.  He  came  to  this  country  when  about  twenty- 
five  years  old,  landing  in  New  York  City.  He  spent  one  year  at  Phila- 
delphia, going  from  there  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  remained  one  year, 
and  from  that  city  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  for  about  five 
years  he  studied  medicine  and  graduated  in  the  same.  He  commenced 
the  practice  of  medicine  at  Oak  Hill,  Ohio,  in  1851,  but  after  a  short 
period  there  went  to  Jeffersonville,  Ohio,  and  bought  out  the  practice  of 
another  physician.  He  was  married  there  and  resided  there  almost  four 
years,  then  moved  onto  the  farm  adjoining  the  town,  which  land  his  wife 
had  inherited.  He  remained  there  the  balance  of  his  life,  dying  in  1894 
at  about  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  His  wife  died  two  years  later, 
being  about  seventy  years  old.  Seven  children  were  born  to  Dr.  Jones 
and  wife:  Mary  Jane,  wife  of  Luther  M.  Irwin,  residing  on  the  old 
homestead,  near  Jeffersonville,  Ohio;  William  H.f  of  this  memoir; 
Humphrey,  an  attorney  residing  in  Washington  Court  House,  Ohio; 
Emma  O.,  unmarried  and  practicing  medicine  at  Columbus,  Ohio;  Cary, 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

A$TO*,  LENOX  AND 

TILDE*  FOUNOvnoro. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  207 

practicing  law  at  London,  Ohio;  Minnie,  wife  of  Dallas  Reading,  of 
Detroit,  Michigan.  Another  child,  the  next  to  the  youngest  in  the  family, 
died  in  infancy. 

William  H.  Jones,  Jr.,  grew  up  as  a  farmer's  son,  performing  what- 
ever work  seemed  best  at  the  time,  regardless  of  the  kind.  He  attended 
the  district  schools  while  living  in  Ohio,  and  also  the  high  school  of  Jeffer- 
sonyille.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  entered  Buchtel  College,  at 
Akron,  Ohio,  and  took  a  four  year  course,  graduating  in  1879.  Later, 
he  taught  mathematics  in  the  same  college  for  a  year,  then  attended 
Harvard  Law  School  one  year. 

After  he  had  finished  his  schooling,  he  married  and  settled  down  on 
a  farm,  near  Jeffersonville,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  five  years.  While 
there,  he  also  followed  civil  engineering  and  surveying  in  that  and  the 
adjoining  counties.  Subsequently,  he  moved  to  Washington  Court  House 
and  engaged  in  the  mortgage  loan  business,  making  loans  on  farm  prop- 
erty mostly,  and  also  conducted  an  abstract  business,  continuing  there 
until  1899.  He  then  sold  his  farm  in  Ohio,  adjoining  the  town,  and 
came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  locating  in  Gill  township,  in  March, 
1899.  He  had  bought  his  land  here  of  the  Rogers  heirs,  of  Fayette 
county,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would  help  circulate  a  petition 
for  the  construction  of  a  levee,  so  the  deal  for  the  land  was  not  closed 
until  this  petition  had  been  granted.  The  tract  comprised  615  acres  and 
the  day  on  which  the  petitio^va&^raoied^he  purchased  120  acres  addi- 
tional from  John  D.  and  H.  ;S^rirfgw.*i7?fo!3S«"/he  has  added,  from  time 
to  time,  until  he  now  pos&fese?.,^'^  acreV»,  Resides  being  interested  in 
380  acres  held  jointly  by  Himself  and  his  bnSthei-  Humphrey,  an  attorney 
of  Washington  Court  House,  Qljip,  who  is  the  owner  of  more  than  three 
thousand  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Jones-Tssd^effntending  this  large  possession 
in  Sullivan  county,  besides  af  two  hundred  acre  tract  belonging  to  his 
sister,  and  on  which  land  he  holds  a  ten  year  lease.  He  is  an  extensive 
and  thoroughgoing  agriculturist,  raises  grain  and  stock,  and  gets  the 
greatest  possible  return  by  feeding  up  the  product  of  the  land  he  works, 
thus  insuring  the  perpetual  fertility  of  his  soil.  He  raises  from  five  hun- 
dred to  one  thousand  head  of  hogs  annually,  and  horses  and  cattle  in 
proportion. 

Mr.  Jones,  by  reason  of  his  educational  training  and  experience,  is 
fully  capable  of  doing  almost  any  kind  of  business  which  he  might  embark 
in,  but  prefers  the  independence  of  a  farmer's  life,  which  to  him  is  also 
one  of  much  profit.  Politically,  he  supports  the  Democratic  party,  seeing 
in  its  platforms  and  principles,  that  which  he  believes  the  best  for  the 
average  American  citizen. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  18,  1882,  to  Miss  Mary  M. 
Loughead,  born  in  Montezuma,  Iowa,  February  29,  1856,  a  daughter  of 
C.  B.  and  Elizabeth  (Roup)  Loughead.  C.  B.  Loughead  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  November  11,  1822,  while  the  mother  was  born  in 
Ohio,  January  15,  1831.  The  father  went  to  Ohio  in  1845  anc*  there 
engaged  in  carpentering  and  the  work  of  a  millwright.     He  married 

Vol.  11—14 


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208  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

there  and  moved,  after  nine  years,  to  Iowa  and  followed  his  trades  there 
for  about  three  years,  then  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  December, 
1889.  The  mother  died  March  4,  1892.  Mrs.  Jones  received  her  educa- 
tional training  in  the  public  schools  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio.  She  entered 
Buchtel  College  in  1877,  and  she  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1882  in 
the  classical  department.  While  pursuing  her  scholastic  course  she  was 
a  teacher  as  assistant  in  Latin  in  Buchtel  College,  being  such  for  three 
years.    She  is  a  member  of  the  Universalist  church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  the  parents  of  five  children  as  follows: 
Cyrinthia,  born  July  11,  1884,  single  and  attending  Buchtel  College  at 
Akron,  Ohio;  Helen  Olavi,  born  January  30,  1887,  died  March  3,  1890; 
William  Hermon,  born  November  12,  1888,  now  in  Buchtel  College  at 
Akron;  Lucy,  born  October  8,  1890,  died  February  22,  1892;  Ruth 
Elizabeth,  born  January  14,  1893,  at  home  with  her  parents,  student  at 
New  Lebanon,  Ind. 


Lewis  C.  Baughman,  one  of  the  substantial  agriculturists  residing 
in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  son  of  Christopher  and  Emeline 
(Davis)  Baughman.  Lewis  C.  was  born  August  24,  1854.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father 
came  to  Indiana  and  located  in  Jackson  county  about  1840.  He  was  a 
blacksmith,  and  at  first  settled  at  Reddington,  but  soon  after  removed  to 
Pea  Ridge,  bought  a  farm  and  erected  a  blacksmith's  shop.  He  carried 
on  his  shop,  and  also  operated  his  farm,  for  about  three  years,  when  he 
went  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Monitor  county,  but  subsequently  he  moved 
to  Benton  county,  where  he  operated  a  farm  in  connection  with  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  He  remained  there  until  his  death  in  1862.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Jackson  county,  his  wife's  people  being  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  there.  The  wife  died  in  Jennings  county,  on  a  farm 
about  1883.  Christopher  and  Emeline  (Davis)  Baughman  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  as  follows:  Christopher,  deceased;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; John,  deceased;  Enoch,  residing  in  California;  Martha,  a  resident 
of  Jennings  county;  Ormal  G.,  in  Jennings  county;  Lewis;  William,  de- 
ceased ;  Silas  E.,  a  resident  of  Jackson  county. 

Lewis  C.  Baughman  attended  the  district  schools  of  both  Barthol- 
omew and  Jackson  counties.  Since  eleven  years  of  age,  he  has  supported 
himself.  He  began  work  at  eight  dollars  a  month,  one-half  of  which  he 
gave  to  his  mother.  He  continued  so  to  work  and  divide  his  earnings 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  From  that  date  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old,  he  worked  for  others  and  kept  all  of  his  earnings  himself. 
He  then  married  and  rented  a  farm  in  Jackson  county,  remaining  there 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  lived  on  and  cultivated  a  farm  belonging  to 
his  father-in-law  for  twenty  years,  which  farm  became  the  property  of 
Mrs.  Baughman.  They  sold  this  farm  and  purchased  the  one  hundred 
and  forty-three  acres  where  they  now  reside.  This  change  was  brought 
about  in  1905.    Here  the  family  expect  to  make  their  permanent  home, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  209 

and  general  farming  and  stock-raising  is  carried  on  after  an  orderly  and 
modern  plan,  hog-raising  being  a  special  feature  of  the  stock-farming. 

Mr.  Baughman  was  married  October  19,  1881,  to  Mary  E.  Gant, 
born  in  Bartholomew  county,  Indiana,  in  February,  1858,  a  daughter  of 
Riley  and  Martha  (Wiggs)  Gant.  The  Wiggs  family  came  from  North 
Carolina,  her  parents  being  early  settlers  in  that  section  of  the  state.  The 
father,  who  followed  farming  pursuits,  died  about  1887;  the  mother  still 
survives,  and  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Bartholomew  county.  In 
the  Gant  family  there  were  five  children,  Mrs.  Baughman  being  the  oldest. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baughman  are  as  follows :  Clarence, 
deceased;  one  who  died  in  infancy;  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years;  another  who  died  in  infancy;  Joseph  L.,  Charles,  Dewey  and 
Estella  Lenore,  the  last  four  being  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Baughman  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
order,  and  has  passed  all  the  official  chairs  of  his  lodge,  as  well  as  repre- 
senting his  lodge  at  the  grand  lodge  of  Indiana.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  his  political  party  affiliations  is  a 
Democrat,  but  has  not  sought  for,  nor  held  political  office. 


George  D.  Schaffer,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  living  in  Sul- 
livan county,  was  born  near  Edwardsport,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  March 
22,  i860.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Angeline  (Neal)  Schaffer.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  born  July  27,  1829,  and  the  mother  of 
Knox  county,  born  about  1837.  William  Schaffer  came  to  America  in 
1844,  with  an  older  brother,  and  first  located  at  Washington,  Davis 
county,  Indiana,  near  which  place  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand  a  few 
years.  His  next  employment  was  in  the  packing  house  of  A.  Simonson, 
Edwardsport,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  a  few  years  more  and  then 
went  into  a  dry  goods  store  as  a  clerk  and  later  became  a  partner  in  the 
business,  thus  proving  his  ability  to  accomplish  something  in  the  busy 
world.  He  continued  in  trade  for  twenty  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business.  He  also  owned  a  large  flat-boat, 
which  he  employed  in  transporting  pork  and  corn  to  the  far-away  city  of 
New  Orleans.  He  only  resided  in  Washington  a  short  time,  but  lived 
at  Edwardsport  up  to  1869,  when  he  purchased  a  good  farm  in  Jefferson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  he  resided  for  twenty  years 
and  then  removed  to  Carlisle.  The  later  portion  of  his  life  he  spent 
with  his  children,  his  death  occurring  December  29,  I906.  His  first  wife 
passed  away  about  1870,  and  he  married  again,  and.  the  last  companion 
died  May  1,  1882.  She  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  and  this  was  also 
her  second  marriage,  her  former  husband  being  a  Mr.  Hadden,  who  died 
several  years  prior  to  her  second  marriage.  The  children  by  the  first 
union  of  William  Schaffer  were  as  follows :  Five  are  long  since  deceased 
and  the  surviving  ones  are:  J.  W.,  residing  in  Bicknell;  George  D.,  of 
this  memoir ;  W.  E.,  of  Dayton,  Texas ;  Nora,  wife  of  Anson  Hildebrand, 
of  Sandborn,  Knox  county,  Indiana. 


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210  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

'  George  D.  Schaffer  attended  the  common  schools  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship, where  he  was  compelled,  in  the  absence  of  anything  better,  to  sit 
upon  split  log  benches,  as  the  school  building  was  of  the  most  rude  and 
primitive  style.  He  was  a  dutiful  son  and  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  he  reached  his  majority,  when  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Jefferson  township  and  began  to  farm  for  himself.  He  did  not  move 
to  this  place,  but  continued  to  reside  at  the  old  homestead  and  helped  care 
for  the  father  until  the  other  children  were  old  enough  to  take  care  of  the 
place.  At  this  time  the  father  moved  to  Carlisle,  and  George  D.  purchased 
the  old  home,  disposing  of  his  first  farm.  He  remained  on  the  old  place 
until  1 89 1,  then  sold  it  and  moved  to  Bloomfield,  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  butcher  business,  but  only  for  a  short  time.  He 
then  moved  to  Carlisle  and  remained  until  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1892, 
when  he  broke  up  housekeeping  and  followed  no  special  vocation  until  he 
came  to  his  present  place  in  the  autumn  of  1893.  He  has  made  many  fine 
and  attractive  improvements  upon  his  place,  which  contains  ninety-eight 
acres.  At  the  present  time  (1908)  Mr.  Schaffer  has  his  land  rented,  but 
resides  on  the  same. 

In  his  church  connection  Mr.  Schaffer  affiliates  with  the  Baptist 
church,  while  in  political  choice  he  favors  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  never  sought,  or  held  public  office.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  first, 
May  24,  1882,  to  Mary  E.  Corbin,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  August  20, 
i860,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Angeline  (Douthit)  Corbin.  Her  people 
were  substantial  farmers  and  the  parents  were  both  natives  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  Mary  E.  (Corbin)  Schaffer 
died  September  13,  1892.  The  issue  by  this  union  was  three  children: 
[ra  D.,  now  of  Knox  county,  is  the  assistant  cashier  of  a  bank  at  Sanborn ; 
Charles  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years ;  and  another  child 
who  died  in  infancy.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Schaffer  married,  February 
28,  1894,  Miss  Kate  C.  Brentlinger,  born  at  Carlisle,  November  20,  1866, 
daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Mary  L.  (Collins)  Brentlinger,  who  were  residents 
of  Carlisle  and  farmers  by  occupation.  The  father  died  and  the  mother 
still  lives  at  Carlisle,  on  the  old  farm.  To  this  union  there  were  born 
the  following  children :  Clyde  E.  Schaffer,  Ward  E.,  Rush  L.,  Wayne  A., 
Fern  M.,  all  at  home.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  April  30,  1902, 
and  June  15,  1904,  Mr.  Schaffer  married  for  his  third  wife,  Margaret  E. 
Wampler,  born  near  Bicknell,  September  8,  i860,  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Susan  (Slinkard)  Wampler,  residents  of  Knox  county.  Her  father 
was  a  farmer,  but  both  he  and  his  wife  are  now  dead.  There  is  no  issue 
by  the  last  marriage  of  Mr.  Schaffer. 


Daniel  J.  Vaughn  is  a  true  type  of  a  self-made  and  thorough- 
going farmer,  whose  industry  and  frugality  have  put  him  in  possession 
of  a  most  excellent  farm  home,  which  estate  contains  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres  of  choice  land  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 
He  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  born  October  4,  1872,  son  of  James  W. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  211 

and  Sarah  E.  (Hayden)  Vaughn.  The  father  and  mother  were  also 
natives  of  Indiana,  the  mother  being  born  in  Orange  county,  and  both 
still  live  on  a  farm  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county.  There  were  nine 
children  in  the  family  of  James  W.  and  Sarah  E.  Vaughn,  as  follows : 
Julia,  wife  of  J.  C.  Alsop,  of  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county ;  Daniel  J., 
of  this  sketch;  Benjamin  F.,  of  Cass  township;  Joseph  M.,  of  the  same 
township;  Mary  and  Sarah  (twins),  who  died  in  infancy;  Ruth  M.,  wife 
of  Morris  Unger,  residing  in  Terre  Haute;  Hayden,  at  home;  Paul,  with 
his  father.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  cause  at  the  time  of 
the  Civil  war,  serving  in  a  Missouri  regiment  throughout  the  entire 
conflict. 

Daniel  J.  Vaughn  remained  at  his  parents'  home  until  he  attained 
his  majority,  when  his  father  gave  him  a  horse,  after  which  he  worked 
the  land  in  partnership  with  his  father  until  1903.  Daniel  J.  then  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  now  resides, 
and  where  he  carries  on  a  successful  farming  business  on  his  own  account. 
After  he  bought  this  farm,  he  "bached"  one  year,  then  rented  the  place  a 
year,  after  which  he  married  and  moved  to  the  farm.  Subsequently  he 
added  fifty  acres  more  to  his  place.  Mr.  Vaughan  has  accumulated  this 
handsome  property  alone,  and  fully  appreciates  its  cost  as  well  as  its  value. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Vaughn  is  a  firm  and  uncompromising 
supporter  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  been  too  busy  a  man  to  seek  office  at  the  hands  of  the  public,  but  was 
a  deputy  assessor  until  he  was  forced  to  abandon  its  duties  on  account 
of  sickness.  He  was  a  deputy  under  Charles  Farrell,  assessor.  Mr. 
Vaughn  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
are  exemplary  Christians.  In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  at  one  time  belonged  to  the  Odd 
Fellows'  order,  but  is  not  connected  at  this  time. 

Mr.  Vaughn  was  united  in  marriage  March  19,  1905,  to  Miss  Edith 
Jackson,  born  at  Franklin,  Johnson  county,  Indiana,  October  30,  1882,  a 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Yula  (Satterwhite)  Jackson.  The  mother 
was  born  October  24,  1857,  and  the  father  April  4,  1845.  The  parents 
were  both  natives  of  Owen  county,  Kentucky,  where  they  were  married, 
coming  to  Indiana  in  1878,  first  locating  at  Franklin.  The  father  worked 
on  the  railroad  for  some  years,  then  began  farming,  which  vocation  he 
still  follows.  In  the  Jackson  family  there  were  nine  children,  as  follows : 
William  C,  of  Gill  township ;  Emma  A.,  wife  of  Frank  Fisher,  residing 
near  Danville,  Indiana;  Homer  H.,  with  his  father  in  Gill  township; 
Isaac,  who  died  in  infancy;  Edith  (Mrs.  Vaughn);  George  F.,  with 
parents ;  Verna  D.,  wife  of  Benjamin  Hale,  of  Gill  township ;  Walter  and 
Robert  Lee,  at  home. 


Charles  L.  Engle,  who  ranks  among  the  best  of  the  many  excellent 
farmers  tilling  the  fertile  lands  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
is  a  native  of  Jackson  township,  this  county,  born  November  16,  1859,  a 
son  of  Joseph  B.  and  Letitia  (Rusher)  Engje,  both  natives  of  Hamilton 


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212  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Joseph  B.  Engle  was  born  May  15, 
1822,  and  was  a  farmer,  as  was  his  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812-14.  He  made  his  home  in 
Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  with  his  son,  and  there  died.  His 
wife  had  died  previously.  Joseph  B.  Engle  served  in  the  Mexican  war 
one  year,  having  enlisted  in  May,  1846.  After  his  return  from  that  war 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  also  became  interested  in  lumbering  and  saw- 
milling.  Subsequently  he  moved  to  Jackson  township,  remained  there  a 
few  years,  and  then  came  back  to  his  farm,  where  his  son  now  resides. 
The  father  died  there  May  24,  1904,  and  his  wife,  who  was  born  April  8, 
1832,  still  survives  and  lives  with  her  son,  Charles  L. 

Charles  L.  Engle  received  the  most  of  his  schooling  at  the  district 
schools  of  Hamilton  township.  In  his  father's  family  there  were  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  he  is  the  youngest.  He  was  a  dutiful  son  assisting  about  the 
farm  work,  or  whatever  seemed  best  for  the  general  interest  of  the  family, 
until  twenty-four  years  of  age.  Then  he  bought  his  brother's  interest  in 
the  homestead,  consisting  of  eighty  acres.  Here  he  continued  to  farm, 
later  adding  forty  acres  more  to  his  place  and  making  substantial  improve- 
ments on  the  premises,  until  now  he  possesses  one  of  the  finest  farm  homes 
within  the  county,  including  an  almost  palatial  residence.  He  does  a 
general  farming  business  as  well  as  raises  much  stock.  In  church  con- 
nection he  is  of  the  Christian  faith,  as  were  his  parents.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  faithful  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never 
aspired  to  public  office.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows' 
order,  having  passed  through  all  of  the  chairs  of  the  society  at  Carlisle. 

Mr.  Engle  was  united  in  marriage  May  7,  1883,  to  Louise  B.  Willard, 
a  sketch  of  whose  family  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  Rufus  O. 
Willard,  her  father.  Eight  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard : 
Nellie,  wife  of  Frank  Mickle,  of  Grape  Creek,  Illinois,  where  he  is  a  tele- 
graph operator;  Abbie,  in  the  high  school  of  Carlisle,  and  residing  with 
her  parents ;  Marie,  at  home,  in  high  school  also ;  Joseph,  at  home ;  Ger- 
trude, at  home ;  Rufus,  at  home ;  Alice,  at  home ;  William,  the  second  in 
the  family,  is  deceased. 


George  W.  Unger,  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  highly  progressive 
farmers  of  Sullivan  county,  residing  on  the  fifth  rural  free  delivery  route 
out  from  Carlisle,  is  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  born 
November  23,  1876,  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Lake)  Unger.  The 
Unger  family  are  French,  the  father  having  come  from  that  country  about 
1866.  He  worked  for  various  persons  at  various  employments  for  a 
number  of  years,  then  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Haddon 
township,  upon  which  he  still  resides.  Possessed  of  all  the  manly  and 
intelligent  qualities  of  the  French  people,  he  has  woven  about  him  a  large 
circle  of  admirers  and  friends. 

Having  only  the  advantages  of  the  district  schools  of  Gill  and  Had- 
don townships,  George  W.  Unger  improved  this  schooling,  and   with 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  213 

careful  reading  as  the  years  have  gone  by  he  has  become  a  well-informed 
man.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  rented  his  father's  farm  for  about 
five  years,  then  purchased  forty  acres  in  Haddon  township,  but  did  not 
occupy  it,  selling  it  a  year  later.  He  next  bought  the  two  hundred  acre 
farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  and  where  he  carries  on  an  up-to-date  place, 
dealing  quite  largely  in  stock,  including  a  registered  Clydesdale  stallion 
and  a  fine  jack.  Politically  he  favors  the  principles  laid  down  by  the  plat- 
form of  the  Republican  party. 

November  3,  1902,  Air.  Unger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hattie 
Hale,  born  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1880,  a  daughter 
of  George  W.  and  Sarah  (Clayton)  Hale.  Her  mother  is  deceased  and 
the  father  resides  in  Haddon  township,  where  he  has  lived  many  years. 
Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Unger ;  the  first  died  in  infancy, 
and  Richard  Paul  and  Frank  Hale  are  at  home. 


Alonzo  P.  Pifer,  one  of  the  busy  and  enterprising  farmers,  who 
reaps  bountifully  where  he  sows,  within  the  borders  of  that  most  excellent 
and  fertile  township  known  as  Gill,  in  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of 
Crawford  county,  Illinois,  born  December  11,  1861,  a  son  of  Oliver  P.  and 
Mary  C.  (Davis)  Pifer.  The  mother  was  born  in  Licking  county,  Ohio, 
January  30,  1842,  and  the -father,  December  24,  1840,  at  Merom,  Gill 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  father  was  a  lifelong  farmer 
who  in  i860  owned  a  farm  in  Illinois.  He  was  drafted  into  the  U.  S. 
service  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  but  hired  a  substitute  to  go  in  his 
place.  He  continued  to  farm  in  that  state  ten  years,  then  removed  to 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  he  still  resides.  He  has  now  tilled  the  fields  of  this  place  for  more 
than  two  score  years.    He  was  bereft  of  his  good  wife  January  31,  1866. 

Alonzo  P.  Pifer  attended  the  district  schools  at  what  is  known  as 
the  Texas  school,  in  Haddon  township,  and  also  at  Carlisle.  He  was 
industrious  and  of  great  service  to  his  father  on  the  farm  and  continued 
to  work  with  a  right  good  will  until  one  year  past  his  majority,  when  he 
worked  out  for  others  for  two  years.  He  then  married  and  became  a 
farm  renter  in  Haddon  township,  continuing  about  four  years,  when  he 
removed  to  his  present  place,  where  he  has  made  many  substantial  im- 
provements. He  located  here  in  1892.  His  farm  consists  of  fifty-five 
acres,  which  he  works  himself,  besides  attending  to  lands  in  the  vicinity 
which  he  has  leased.  He  pays  much  attention  to  stock,  together  with 
grain-growing.  Like  every  intelligent  American  citizen,  Mr.  Pifer  has  his 
own  preferences  in  relation  to  parties  and  governmental  affairs.  He 
favors  the  principles  of  the  great  Democratic  party,  but  has  never  sought 
or  held  public  office,  leaving  that  duty  to  those  who  see  in  it  a  pleasure 
and  sometimes  profit.  He  is  of  the  Christian  church  faith  and  attends  the 
church  of  that  denomination. 

He  was  married  December  24,  1885,  to  Miss  Stella  M.  Shepherd, 
daughter  of  William  B.  and  Lizzie  (Summers)  Shepherd,  both  natives  of 


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214  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Sullivan  county.  The  father  followed  farming  until  his  death  in  April, 
1885.  After  his  demise,  the  widow  continued  to  conduct  the  farm,  and 
later  was  married  to  William  Alumbaugh,  who  died  two  years  after  their 
union.  His  widow  still  remains  on  the  old  farm,  a  part  of  which  is 
situated  in  Haddon  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pifer  are  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Charles  M.,  born  October  21,  1886,  married  April  13,  1906, 
to  Miss  Floy  Furnace,  of  Terre  Haute,  a  native  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana ; 
Frank  E.,  born  May  12,  1888,  single,  with  his  parents;  Maudie  May, 
born  July  17,  1892,  unmarried,  at  home;  William  O.,  born  in  1896  and 
died  October  2,  1900. 


Henry  R.  Milam. — The  oldest  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  lodge 
at  Carlisle,  and  a  farmer  who  has  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  within 
the  radius  of  his  wide  acquaintance,  is  Henry  R.  Milam,  of  Gill  township,  a 
native  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born  February  27,  1826; 
hence  has  passed  his  four-score-year  mark.  Many  are  the  changes  wrought 
within  the  section  of  Indiana  in  which  he  resides  since  the  long  ago  day 
of  his  birth.  He  is  the  son  of  Ambrose  and  Sarah  (Mason)  Milam.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  came  to  Indiana  at  a  very  early  day, 
and  always  followed  farming  pursuits  for  his  livelihood,  as  did  his  parents. 
Sarah  Mason,  Mr.  Milam's  mother,  was  native  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 

Henry  R.  Milam  attended  the  district  schools  of  Sullivan  county, 
which  at  that  early  date  were  not  models  for  educational  institutions,  but 
which  gave  the  youth  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  elements  of  an  education, 
to  which  he  has  added  with  the  passing  of  the  years.  When  he  was  six- 
teen years  old  he  commenced  to  work  for  himself,  being  variously  em- 
ployed for  others  until  the  time  of  his  marriage.  His  first  wife  was  the 
owner  of  the  farm  upon  which  he  still  resides.  To  this  tract  of  land  he 
added  from  time  to  time  until  at  one  time  he  owned  several  hundred  acres 
in  the  famous  Wabash  valley.  He  has  sold  off  from  this  landed  estate  until 
his  present  holdings  consist  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres.  He  carried 
on  general  farming,  and  earlier  in  his  life  dealt  in  cattle,  hogs  and  other 
live  stock  quite  extensively.  Unfortunately,  in  the  month  of  August, 
1906,  Mr.  Milam  suffered  a  severe  sunstroke,  while  attending  to  his  official 
duties  as  road  supervisor.  From  this  he  has  never  fully  recovered.  He 
united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
but  subsequently  withdrew,  and  is  not  now  a  member  of  any  church  body. 
Politically  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  of  the  independ- 
ent type,  not  feeling  himself  in  duty  bound  to  vote  for  party,  but  for  men. 

Mr.  Milam  has  been  married  three  times.  By  the  first  marriage,  to 
Armina  Webb,  there  were  two  sons,  but  both  are  deceased.  By  his  second 
union  two  sons  were  born — Josephus  C,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Gill 
township;  and  another,  who  is  deceased.  February  5,  1874,  Mr.  Milam 
married  his  third  wife,  Miss  Josephine  Webb,  born  in  Gill  township,  this 
county,  August  2,  185 1,  a  daughter  of  Mathias  A.  and  Caroline  (Fair- 
child)  Webb.  The  mother  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1825,  her  parents  being  natives  of  New  York  state.    Mathias  A. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  215 

Webb,  was  born  in  1814  and  came  to  Sullivan  county  with  his  parents 
when  a  mere  boy.  The  family  settled  in  Gill  township  on  a  farm  where 
they  lived  until  his  death,  September  1,  1892.  The  mother  died  Sep- 
tember 5,  1904. 

The  children  born  to  Henry  R.  and  Josephine  (Webb)  Milam  are  as 
follows:  Charles  H.,  who  is  residing  near  his  parents,  on  a  part  of  the 
Milam  homestead,  was  born  November  7,  1874 ;  Robert  Massie,  born 
October  20,  1876,  died  May  9,  1893;  Carrie  Elizabeth,  born  January  17, 
1874,  now  residing  in  Gill  township,  the  widow  of  Samuel  Brown ;  Webb, 
born  January  11,  1881,  residing  with  his  parents;  an  infant,  born  July  8, 
1885 ;  Bonnie,  born  August  27,  1888,  unmarried,  now  a  student  in  Carlisle 
high  school ;  Hattie  J.,  born  April  4,  1891,  died  March  24,  1897. 


William  C.  Hart,  whose  comfortable  farm  home  is  within  Gill 
township,  is  a  native  of  Clark  county,  Illinois,  born  March  20,  1855,  son 
of  John  and  Susan  (Smith)  Hart.  Of  his  parentage  it  may  be  said  that 
the  father  was  born  in  Germany  and  the  mother  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
father  came  to  America  when  a  young  man  and  made  his  home  in  Free- 
port,  Kentucky.  From  there  he  moved  to  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and 
bought  a  piece  of  land,  having  previously  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
He  remained  there  until  his  death  in  1852,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years, 
and  which  \vas  before  William  C.  was  born.  The  widowed  mother  for 
about  twelve  years  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm  left  her  by  the  hus- 
band, and  then  moved  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  residing  with  a  daughter, 
and  later  coming  to  live  with  her  son,  William  C,  of  this  biographical 
notice.  At  his  home  she  died  April  21,  1905,  aged  ninety-five  years  and 
some  few  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Hart  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, only  two  of  whom  are  now  living — Joseph,  of  Gill  township,  and 
William  C.,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the  children. 

On  account  of  the  death  of  his  father  and  the  size  of  the  family  which 
had  to  be  provided  for,  William  C.  Hart's  education,  which  he  obtained  at 
the  district  schools  of  Clark  county,  Illinois,  was  quite  limited.  He  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
lived  elsewhere  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  He  then  worked 
for  various  persons  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  married. 
He  then  became  a  land-renter  in  Illinois,  and  later  in  Indiana,  having 
come  to  the  last  named  state  in  1884.  For  nine  years  he  rented  land,  then 
purchased  thirty-nine  acres,  upon  which  he  still  resides,  carrying  on 
general  farming  operations  and  paying  some  attention  to  the  raising  of 
stock.  Upon  this  place  he  has  made  all  of  the  many  substantial  improve- 
ments, and  now  enjoys  the  comforts  of  a  well-equipped  farm  home. 

Mr.  Hart  was  married  January  1,  1880,  to  Margaret  Koppler,  born  in 
Clark  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Johannah  (Listenberger) 
Koppler.  John  A.  Koppler  was  a  native  of  Baden  Baden,  Germany, 
born  in  1833,  and  his  wife  of  Ohio,  where  she  was  born  in  1834.  In 
1848,  Mr.  Koppler  came  to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ohio.    He 


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216  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

there  married  and  resided  until  1859,  when  he  moved  to  Clark  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  bought  a  farm  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1903.  The  mother  still  survives  and  occupies  the  old  homestead,  around 
which  cling  so  many  fond  memories.  In  the  Koppler  family  there  were 
eight  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  the  living  are:  Christo- 
pher, of  Clark  county,  Illinois ;  Hannah,  wife  of  Oliver  Morgan,  also  of 
Clark  county ;  Margaret,  Mrs.  Hart ;  Julia,  wife  of  Frank  Minekee,  resid- 
ing in  Missouri ;  Katherine,  wife  of  Curt  Guard,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana; 
Christina,  wife  of  Lyman  Thompson,  a  teacher  and  farmer  of  Clark 
county,  Illinois. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hart  are  as  follows :  Alice  May, 
born  September  27,  1881,  died  January  17,  1882;  John  E.,  born  Octo- 
ber 21,  1882,  married  Martha  Prose,  and  they  reside  with  her  father; 
William  Henry,  born  March  13,  1884,  a  farmer  of  Gill  township,  married 
Ada  Dudley;  Katherine,  born  March  24,  1886,  unmarried,  at  home; 
Edward  Franklin,  born  August  12,  1888,  unmarried  and  at  home. 

As  a  means  of  protection  to  his  family,  William  C.  Hart  carries  a 
membership  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camp  No.  5488,  at 
New  Lebanon.  While  he  is  not  connected  with  any  church  organization, 
he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  teachings  of  the  Friends'  Society.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Democrat. 


Alexander  D.  Prose,  who  is  well  and  favorably  known  as  a  farmer 
and  thresher  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  the  son  of 
Jacob  A.  and  Martha  F.  (Tanner)  Prose,  whose  family  history  will  be 
found  in  the  sketch  of  Jacob  A.  Prose,  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Alexan- 
der D.  was  born  October  9,  1869,  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  the  same  county 
in  which  his  parents  were  born,  the  father  May  27,  1839,  and  the  mother 
November  14,  1846.  Alexander  D.  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  being  naturally  gifted  with  mechanical 
ingenuity,  he  commenced  to  operate  a  threshing  machine  at  that  age, 
and  also  a  sawmill.  When  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age  he  bought 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Gill  township,  which  he  farmed,  still  running  his 
thresher.  Later  he  purchased  forty  acres  more,  but  when  there  was  any- 
thing in  the  threshing  line  he  still  held  himself  in  readiness  to  do  such 
work.  At  length  he  sold  the  land  just  mentioned,  and  purchased  the 
fourteen  acre  tract  on  which  he  now  resides.  He  is  now  the  owner  and 
operator  of  a  first-class  modern  threshing  outfit,  as  well  as  a  good  saw- 
mill and  feed-mill. 

Mr.  Prose  was  educated  at  the  district  schools  of  Scioto  county, 
Ohio.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  church  faith  is 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  He  was  married  April  14, 
1897,  to  Miss  Callie  S.  Schlichter,  who  was  educated  at  the  schools  of 
Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  history  of  her 
parents'  families  will  be  found  under  the  head  of  C.  C.  Schlichter,  else- 
where in  this  work.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prose  are  as 
follows:    Mabel  L.,  born  February  22,  1898;  Lillian  I.,  born  September 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  217 

11,  1899;  Opal  A.,  born  August  1,  1901.  All  are  at  home  and  attending 
the  New  Lebanon  schools.  As  a  means  of  protection  in  way  of  life  bene- 
ficiary, Mr.  Prose  holds  membership  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  01  America, 
of  which  society  he  is  the  present  manager. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr.  Prose  are  as  follows:  Laura  A.,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Charles  Dettwiller,  now  residing  in  Ohio;  Mary  E., 
the  wife  of  Thomas  J.  Holt,  residing  in  Gill  township,  now  a  widow; 
William  T.,  of  Gill  township;  Charles  N.,  of  Ohio;  Daniel  E.,  of  New 
Lebanon ;  O.  A.,  deceased ;  John  A.,  of  Sullivan ;  Mattie  J.,  wife  of  J.  E. 
Hart,  living  on  the  old  homestead. 


Cyrus  Banther. — One  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  a  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  Cyrus  Banther 
is  a  native  of  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  December  5,  1841,  a 
son  of  George  and  Ann  (Huffit)  Banther.  Both  parents  are  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  father  lived  there  until  1846,  when  he  moved  to  a 
farm  near  Mt.  Carmel,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and  then 
located  at  Hudsonville,  Illinois.  After  three  years  at  that  place  he  moved 
to  Palestine,  remaining  here  two  years,  and  in  1856  bought  a  farm  near 
Hudsonville,  upon  which  he  lived  one  year.  His  wife  died  at  that  place, 
and  in  1857,  having  again  married,  he  moved  to  Darwin,  where  he 
died  in  1863.  The  children  born  to  George  and  Ann  (Huffit)  Banther 
were  twelve  in  number,  of  whom  Cyrus  was  the  fourth  child. 

Cyrus  Banther,  on  account  of  having  to  begin  work  when  very  young, 
never  had  educational  advantages,  three  days  covering  all  the  schooling 
he  received.  When  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  left  home,  single-handed 
and  alone,  to  try  the  world  and  all  it  had  in  store  for  him.  The  first 
three  years  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand.  The  great  Civil  war 
came  on  in  April,  1861,  and  August  16  of  that  year  he  enlisted  under 
Captain  Markley,  of  Company  D,  Thirtieth  Illinois  Regiment.  Mr.  Ban- 
ther served  as  a  faithful  soldier  in  his  country's  cause  for  three  years, 
being  mustered  out  August  16,  1864.  He  was  in  seven  prominent  battles, 
as  follows :  Fort  Donelson,  Briton's  Lane,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River, 
siege  of  Vicksburg  (where  he  was  forty-two  days),  siege  of  Corinth,  and 
Peach  Tree  Creek.  He  was  never  wounded  or  taken  prisoner.  After  the 
war  he  came  to  Sullivan,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business 
about  six  months.  He  then  turned  his  attention  toward  agriculture  and 
rented  land  up  to  1889,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  making  all  the  improvements  himself,  which  task  was  no  easy 
undertaking.  His  building  site  is  one  of  the  most  charming  within  the 
county.  Here  he  carries  on  a  successful  farm,  having,  been  assisted  by 
none  other  than  the  good  counsel  of  his  faithful  wife. 

Mr.  Banther  was  married  July  6,  1865,  to  Miss  Nancy  Daniel,  born 
near  New  Albany,  Indiana,  April  4,  1842,  daughter  of  James  and  Syrena 
(Lucas)  Daniel.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother 
of  Ohio.     He  was  born  February  7,  1807,  and  the  mother  January  24, 


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218  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

1 813.  When  about  seven  years  old  Mr.  Daniel  came  with  his  parents 
to  a  point  near  New  Albany,  where  the  family  settled.  Later  they  re- 
moved to  Greenville,  where  Mr.  Daniel's  parents  died.  In  1847  ne  s0^ 
his  land  and  entered  land  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  resided  there 
fifteen  years.  After  residing  in  the  town  of  Sullivan  for  a  time,  he 
moved  to  Merom,  Indiana,  but  spent  part  of  his  time  in  Kansas.  He  died 
in  1883  and  his  wife  in  Merom  in  1862.  In  the  Daniel  family  there  were 
eleven  children,  the  seventh  being  Mrs.  Banther. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banther  are  as  follows :  James  H., 
born  April  13,  1866,  married  Minnie  McClure,  and  they  reside  on  a  farm 
in  Gill  township ;  William  C.,  born  March  29,  1868,  married  Eva  Simms, 
and  they  live  in  Haddon  township ;  Minnie  A.,  born  August  19,  1869,  wife 
of  Benjamin  Munroe,  of  Fairbanks  township,  where  he  farms. 

In  fraternities,  Mr.  Banther  is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  his  church  faith 
he  is  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  Politically,  he  votes  the 
Republican  ticket,  but  has  never  cared  to  be  an  office-holder. 


Jacob  A.  Prose,  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  of  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  the  eldest  of  nine  children  born  to  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Waddell)  Prose.  This  son  was  born  May  27,  1839,  in  Gallia 
county,  Ohio.  The  father  and  mother  were  natives  of  the  same  county. 
The  former  was  born  in  18*18,  followed  farming  in  Ohio,  and  in  1849 
started  with  a  gold  prospecting  party  headed  for  the  far-away  California 
gold  fields,  which  had  just  awakened  the  interest  of  the  whole  of  the 
American  people.  The  precious  metal  had  been  discovered  that  year  in 
paying,  quantities,  and  many  possessing  hardy  constitutions  and  a  love  for 
the  excitement,  with  the  romance  of  such  an  expedition,  set  forth  for 
the  setting  sun  and  land  of  gold.  The  father  of  Jacob  Alexander  Prose 
was  not  fortunate  enough  to  finish  the  trip,  but,  like  many  another,  died 
en  route  and  was  buried  at  Independence,  Missouri.  The  mother  had 
remained  in  Ohio  and  later  married  David  Wickline ;  she  died  when  about 
eighty-three  years  old,  in  1900.  By  her  marriage  with  Daniel  Prose  she 
had  three  children :  Jacob  Alexander ;  Emeline,  wife  of  Isaac  Wickline,  of 
Pike  county,  Ohio ;  and  Charles,  deceased. 

Remaining  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
his  educational  opportunities  being  limited  to  a  few  terms  in  the  district 
schools,  Jacob  Alexander  Prose  then  rented  a  farm  of  his  father,  con- 
tinuing on  this  for  eight  years,  after  which  he  went  into  the  sawmill 
business,  in  which  industry  he  was  engaged  for  thirty-five  years.  He 
then  bought  land  in  Ohio  and  again  resumed  farming  pursuits  in  connec- 
tion with  the  sawmill  business.  He  followed  this  for  eighteen  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  traded  his  property  for  a  hundred  and  forty 
acre  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Here  he  carries  on  a  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  business. 

May  2,  1864,  in  the  thickest  of  the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  in  the  One 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  219 

Hundred  and  Forty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Regiment  of  National  Guards, 
being  in  the  infantry  service  as  a  private  soldier.  He  was  discharged 
September  1,  1864.  Mr.  Prose  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  which  guar- 
antees his  family  a  protection  in  case  of  his  death. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  July  25,  1861,  to  Martha  Tanner,  who 
was  born  November  14,  1845,  m  tne  same  county  in  Ohio  in  which  he 
was.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Jane  (Tibbs)  Tanner, 
who  were  natives  of  eastern  Virginia,  and  farmers,  and  went  to  Ohio  at 
at  early  day,  spending  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  that  state.  In  the 
Tanner  family  there  were  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eight  reached  the 
age  of  maturity  and  five  are  still  living:  Nathan,  who  resides  in  Gallia 
county,  Ohio ;  Alexander,  in  the  same  county ;  James,  living  in  Oregon ; 
Benjamin,  of  Gallia  county,  Ohio;  and  Martha,  wife  of  Mr.  Prose.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prose  the  following  children  were  born:  Laura  Annis, 
wife  of  Charles  Dettwiller,  now  residing  in  Scioto  county,  Ohio;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Thomas  Holt,  now  a  widow  residing  on  her  father's 
farm ;  William  T.,  a  Gill  township  farmer ;  Charles,  operating  a  sawmill 
in  Ohio;  Alexander,  whose  sketch  is  on  another  page  of  this  work; 
Daniel  E.,  a  New  Lebanon  farmer ;  Ochre,  deceased ;  John  A.,  of  Sulli- 
van light  plant ;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  John  Hart,  residing  with  her  parents. 


George  Love,  who  is  the  possessor  of  a  most  excellent  one  hundred 
acre  farm  within  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of 
this  county,  born  in  Haddon  township,  April  5,  1847,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Hannah  (Davis)  Love.  Joseph  Love  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 
and  his  wife  of  West  Virginia.  When  a  single  man,  in  1820,  Joseph 
Love  came  to  Indiana  and  located  in  Haddon  township,  on  a  farm  upon 
which  he  remained  until  his  death  in  1866,  when  aged  about  sixty-two 
years.  The  mother  of  George  Love,  of  this  sketch,  accompanied  her 
parents  to  Knox  county  at  about  the  same  time.  Her  mother  died  some 
years  later,  and  the  father  made  his  home  with  Joseph  Love  until  death. 
Mrs.  Love  died  in  the  month  of  January,  1883.  There  were  seven  chil- 
dren born  to  Joseph  Love  and  wife,  and  of  this  number  but  two  are  now 
living:  Mary,  unmarried,  residing  in  California,  and  the  youngest  of  the 
family ;  George,  the  other  surviving  one,  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

George  Love  had  the  advantages  of  the  district  schools  in  Haddon 
township,  and  attended  two  terms  at  Carlisle.  His  father  died  when 
George  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  the  son  then  took  charge  of  the 
farm,  in  connection  with  which  he  practiced  the  profession  of  a  veteri- 
nary surgeon  for  about  twenty  years.  After  abandoning  the  practice  of 
this  profession,  he  continued  to  farm  the  place  he  then  owned,  consisting 
of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  which  he  sold  in  January,  1907.  Pur- 
chasing then  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  which  contains  one  hun- 
dred acres,  he  carries  on  a  general  farming  business  in  which  he  is  highly 
successful,  getting  ample  returns  from  the  soil  he  cultivates  so  thor- 


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220     v  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

oughly.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Love  is  a  believer  in  and  supporter  of 
the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  though  never  seeks  prefer- 
ment in  the  matter  of  local  offices.  In  religious  faith  he  is  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  creed  and  profession. 

November  18,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  F. 
Ballow,  who  was  born  August  11,  1868,  a  daughter  of  William  D.  and 
Susan  F.  (Myers)  Ballow.  Her  father  was  born  in  Davis  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  by  trade  was  a  saddler,  coming  to  Sullivan  county  before  the 
Civil  war  and  engaging  in  business  at  Carlisle,  where  he  continued  until 
his  death.  The  mother  died  in  1897.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Love,  as  follows:  Edna  H.,  wife  of  Claud  C.  Collins,  residing 
on  the  farm  with  the  father  (they  have  two  children,  Mary  Pauline  and 
George  Winston) ;  Hazel  May,  unmarried,  resides  with  her  parents. 


Solomon  G.  Shepherd,  whose  farm  home  is  situated  on  the  rural 
mail  route  running  from  Carlisle,  known  as  "No.  1,"  in  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  is  a  good  representative  of  the  thrifty  agriculturists  of 
this  section  of  Indiana,  where  prosperity  abounds  by  reason  of  fertile  soil 
and  a  good  class  of  farmers  who  cultivate  the  fields  from  year  to  year. 
Mr.  Shepherd  was  born  near  Carlisle,  December  8,  i860,  a  son  of  William 
B.  and  Elizabeth  (Summers)  Shepherd.  His  parents  are  both  natives 
of  Sullivan  county,  and  the  father  always  followed  farming  for  his  liveli- 
hood. Solomon  G.  remained  at  home  with  his  father  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  then  leased  a  farm  on  Shaker  Prairie  for  one  year.  He 
rented  land  about  four  years  in  all,  and  inherited  forty-seven  acres  of 
land  from  his  father's  estate,  upon  which  he  now  lives.  To  this  he  has 
added  by  purchase  eighteen  acres  more.  When  first  he  took  possession 
of  the  place  it  had  no  improvements  to  mention,  save  an  old  log-house, 
but  he  soon  set  about  making  it  a  first-class  farm.  Here  he  carries  on  a 
general  farming  business  together  with  stock-growing.  Mr.  Shepherd 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Haddon  township,  thereby  gaining  a  good 
common  school  education.  In  politics  he  is  a  supporter  of  Democratic 
principles. 

Concerning  his  brothers  and  sisters,  it  should  be  said  in  this  narra- 
tive that  there  were  seven  in  the  family:  Thomas,  residing  on  the  old 
home  farm ;  Solomon  G.,  of  this  memoir ;  William,  of  Carlisle,  engaged 
in  the  livery  business;  Estella  May,  wife  of  Alonzo  Pifer  (see  his  biog- 
raphy in  this  work)  ;  Effie,  wife  of  Marion  F.  Bland,  a  farmer  of  Gill 
township;  John,  who  died  young;  Carrie,  wife  of  William  Willis,  on  a 
farm  near  Sullivan. 

Mr.  Shepherd  was  married  October  12,  1882,  to  Margaret  J.  Alum- 
baugh,  daughter  of  William  and  Rebecca  (Pool)  Alumbaugh.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  this  county,  and  his  parents  were  also  natives  of 
the  state  of  Indiana.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Shepherd  came  from  Kentucky 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  but  seven  years  of  age.  They  lived  in 
Owen  county  for  several  years,  after  which  they  came  to  Sullivan  county. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  221 

The  parents  are  now  both  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepherd  were 
born  the  following  children:  Bertha  May,  born  January  7,  1884,  wife  of 
George  Weathers,  of  Haddon  township ;  they  have  two  children — Harry, 
born  May  7,  1908,  and  Fred,  born  July  4,  1907 ;  William  B.,  born  May  21, 
1885,  unmarried  and  at  home ;  Walter  C,  born  October  17,  1887,  at  home, 
attending  high  school  at  Carlisle;  Albert  Roy,  born  August  21,  1890, 
attending  high  school.  Mr.  Shepherd  has  wisely  thrown  a  safeguard 
around  his  family  by  becoming  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  thus  providing  a  first-class  life  beneficiary  protection. 

In  the  Alumbaugh  family,  to  which  Mrs.  Shepherd  belongs,  there 
were  nine  children:  Martha,  wife  of  H.  A.  Benefield,  of  Carlisle; 
George  W.,  of  Elwood,  Indiana,  working  in  a  tin  factory ;  John,  of  Car- 
lisle ;  Epinitus,  of  the  farming  section,  near  Carlisle ;  Samuel,  retired,  at 
Carlisle;  Margaret  J.  (Mrs.  Shepherd)  ;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph  Milam,  of 
Sullivan  county ;  William,  deceased ;  Minnie,  wife  of  John  Meng,  farmer, 
of  Gill  township. 


Dr.  Orren  Stoddard,  an  honored  physician  of  Merom,  Sullivan 
county,  has  a  record  of  two  decades  of  active  and  successful  practice, 
having  retired  at  a  comparatively  recent  date  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  place,  whether  judged  by  his  material  advancements  or  his  high 
character.  He  owns  one  of  the  handsomest  residences  in  Merom;  has 
valuable  and  productive  farming  property,  as  well  as  property  interests 
at  Indianapolis ;  and,  as  a  splendid  climax,  has  used  his  abundant  means 
and  strong  personality  in  the  prorhulgation  of  prohibition  principles  and 
the  support  of  other  moral  movements  which  have  appealed  to  his  good 
judgment  and  fine  conscience. 

Dr.  Stoddard  is  a  native  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  born  near 
Linden,  on  the  12th  of  August,  1843,  son  °*  Mosley  and  Eva  A.  (Kelli- 
son)  Stoddard.  His  father  was  born  near  Connersville,  Indiana,  on  the 
east  fork  of  White  river,  November  27,  1821,  and  his  mother  near  Craw- 
fordsville,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1823.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut  who  married  Mary  Catherine  Shonts,  a  Pennsyl- 
vania woman  and  a  playmate  of  Fannie  Slocum,  the  girl  who  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Miami  Indians  and  held  many  years  in  captivity.  The 
grandfather  came  to  Indiana  about  1818  and  for  some  years  resided  on 
Wea  prairie,  Tippecanoe  county,  later  removing  to  Montgomery  county, 
where  he  resided  on  a  farm  until  the  time  of  his  death.  At  his  decease 
he  was  the  proprietor  of  more  than  a  section  of  land,  and  one  of  the 
most  substantial  men,  both  in  worldly  goods  and  solid  character,  in  that 
county.  His  wife  survived  him,  dying  at  the  same  place  in  her  eighty- 
first  year.  The  father,  who  was  also  a  farmer,  died  July  26,  1852,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-one  years,  leaving  his  young  widow  as  the  support  of  four 
children.  The  farm,  which*  consisted  of  two  hundred  acres,  was  only 
partially  cultivated,  but  the  family  continued  to  reside  on  it,  and,  as  the 
children  increased  in  years  and  capability,  improvements  were  made  and 
the  property  eventually  became  valuable.    The  faithful  wife  and  mother 


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222  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

died  on  the  homestead  in  which  had  centered  so  large  a  part  of  her  life 
work  and  affections,  on  the  8th  of  February,  1884. 

Orren  Stoddard  attended  the  first  school  erected  in  his  home  town 
of  Linden,  and  lived  to  see  four  educational  institutions  erected  near  the 
same  site — first,  a  log  school  house ;  secondly,  a  one-story  frame  building ; 
thirdly,  a  two-story  frame  structure ;  and  fourthly,  a  substantial  modern 
brick  edifice.  After  exhausting  the  educational  facilities  provided  by  the 
Linden  schools,  he  attended  college  for  a  time  at  Merom,  and  in  August, 
1862,  enlisted  in  the  Seventy-second  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  After  serving  for  some  time  in 
the  ranks  of  Company  K  of  that  regiment,  which  was  attached  to  the 
Wilder  brigade,  he  was  discharged  because  of  disability  and  returned  to 
his  old  home.  Having  recuperated,  in  May,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  Indiana  Regiment,  Company  D,  in  what 
was  known  as  the  hundred-day  service.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
he  was  honorably  discharged,  having  been  promoted  from  the  ranks  to  the 
position  of  first  corporal,  and  among  his  most  valued  relics  is  the  certifi- 
cate of  his  hundred  days'  service  signed  by  Abraham  Lincoln. 

In  September,  1864,  Dr.  Stoddard  returned  from  the  front  to  teach 
school  at  his  home  in  Linden,  his  first  charge  being  the  Horner  school, 
three  miles  east  of  town.  He  later  taught  in  Linden  itself,  and  still  later 
attended  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom.  In  the  following  year  he 
went  to  Iowa  and  for  a  number  o{  months  engaged  in  the  cattle  business, 
but  returned  to  Linden .  to.-  commence  his  medical  studies  under  Dr. 
McMurry. 

After  pursuing  his  studies  for  a  year. under  Dr.  McMurry,  Dr.  Stod- 
dard was  matriculated  at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  spending  the 
years  1868  and  1869  in  that  institution.  In  the  latter  year  he  associated 
himself  in  the  grocery  and  drug  business  with  his  brother,  John  D.,  and 
also  became  interested  in  various  other  mercantile  ventures.  The  period 
from  1882  to  1884  was  devoted  to  farming,  but  in  1886,  having  graduated 
from  the  Indiana  Medical  College,  he  removed  to  Merom,  after  which  for 
twenty  years  he  gave  his  entire  attention  and  abilities  to  the  practice  of 
medicine.  The  doctor  has  been  an  earnest  member  of  the  Christian 
church  since  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  A  stanch  Republican  until 
1884,  since  that  time,  inspired  by  the  teachings  of  his  honored  mother,  he 
has  been  an  uncompromising  and  influential  prohibitionist.  He  has  never 
sought  office,  having  been  quite  content  to  do  his  utmost  in  forwarding 
the  movement  in  which  he  so  thoroughly  believes,  irrespective  of  personal 
considerations  or  prominence. 

Dr.  Stoddard  was  married  May  18,  1868,  to  Miss  Arminta  Mont- 
gomery, born  at  Linden,  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  on  the  6th  of 
March,  1850,  daughter  of  Harvey  H.  and  Malinda  (Fullen)  Montgomery. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  the  same  county,  born  on  the  7th  of  April, 
1822,  and  her  mother's  birthplace  was  near  Connersville,  Indiana,  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  White  river,  February  20,  1820.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  maternal  grandfather  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  first  set- 
tler of  Indianapolis,  Pogue's  run,  of  that  city,  being  named  in  his  honor. 


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THE  Nk'W  YUfck 

PIWLIC  LIBRARY 


7/LDEN   FOUNDATIONS. 


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WILLIAM   H.  BROWN 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A3TOR.  LENOX  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNQATION*. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  223 

He  came  to  Indiana  at  a  very  early  day,  served  under  Harrison  at  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and  shortly  afterward  went  to  Montgomery  county, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  grandmother  had  died 
many  years  prior  to  his  decease.  Harvey  H.  Montgomery,  the  father, 
was  a  farmer  when  he  joined  the  American  army  bound  for  Mexico ;  he 
fought  at  Monterey,  Buena  Vista  and  other  critical  battles,  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  war  returned  to  the  fields  and  his  familiar  life.  The 
widow  continued  on  the  farm  for  a  short  time ;  then  removed  to  Linden, 
and,  while  on  a  visit  to  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  died  suddenly  on  the 
15th  of  August,  1905. 

Four  children  were  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Stoddard:  Bard  Wells, 
Clay  Halden,  James  McCann  and  Orren  Deans  Stoddard.  Bard  W. 
Stoddard  was  born  December  10,  1869,  and  after  teaching  in  various  col- 
leges of  the  country  he  entered  the  manufacturing  field  and  is  now  assist- 
ant superintendent  of  Van  Camp's  canning  establishment  at  Indianapolis. 
He  married  Miss  Beatrice  Musetta  Osier,  an  artist  of  especial  talent  in 
the  decoration  of  china  and  a  native  of  Carson,  Iowa.  Clay  Halden  Stod- 
dard, unmarried,  was  born  October  22,  1873,  and  is  a  composer  and 
teacher  of  instrumental  music  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Dr.  James  M. 
Stoddard,  born  May  6,  1878.  is  a  practicing  physician  and  surgeon  of 
Anderson,  Indiana,  and  married  Miss  Ruby  Eunice  Palmer,  a  native,  of 
that  place.  Orren  D.,  born  November  1,  1888,  is  at  present  a  student  in 
the  normal  course  of  the  Union  Christian  College,  at  Merom,  all  of  the 
sons,  with  the  exceptions  erf  6."^M.;-;be*ing  graduates  of  the  institution 
named,  the  one  mentioned- paving  •finished  the  regular  course  at  the 
Palmer  Christian  College,  of  Iowa.  James  M.,  the  physician,  also  took  a 
three  years'  course  at  the  Wajsash  College,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Indiana  Medical  College,  of  Indianapolis,  and  for  a  year  thereafter  served 
as  an  interne  at  the  Deaconess*  Hospital, -of  that  city. 


William  H.  Brown,  who  was  one  of  the  substantial  agriculturists 
of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  a  native  of  this  state,  born 
in  Clark  county,  April  7,  1843.  He  was  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Sarah  S. 
(Brenton)  Brown.  Sarah  S.  Brenton,  born  in  Clark  county,  July  24, 
1809,  was  the  granddaughter  of  the  sister  of  Richard  Stockton,  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence^  and  her  father  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  as  well  as  eight  of  his  brothers.  Two  of  these  broth- 
ers were  killed  at  the  battle  of  Boonesborough,  Kentucky — J&mes  and 
Robert.  Their  names  were  praised  in  a  poem  in  the  life  of  Washington, 
by  Weems.  The  great-grandfather  on  the  maternal  side  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  his  name  being  William  Wiley.  Grandfather 
Brenton  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  when  but  twelve  years  old,  and  was 
stationed  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  which  was  then  on  the  frontier.  He 
was  a  native  of  Jamestown,  Virginia. 

The  father  of  William  H.,  of  this  memoir,  Nathan  Brown,  was  born 
in  Lebanon,  Ohio,  July  27,  1812,  and  died  in  December,  1875,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  on  May  19  of  the  same  year.     In  his  early  career, 

Vol.  11—15 


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224  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Nathan  Brown  was  a  blacksmith,  working  at  his  trade  in  Clark  county, 
Indiana,  and  later  he  became  a  farmer.  He  followed  this  from  1852  to 
1857,  when  he  moved  to  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  farmed 
until  his  death.  The  children  of  Nathan  and  Sarah  S.  (Brenton)  Brown 
were  as  follows :  Francis  M.,  residing  at  Graysville ;  Harriet  A.,  of  Gill 
township;  William  H.,  of  this  sketch;  James  M.,  of  Carlisle,  a  retired 
farmer ;  John  R.,  who  died  in  1877 ;  Sarah  E.,  died  in  December,  1858. 

William  H.  Brown  was  a  student  in  the  schools  of  Jefferson  and 
Shelby  and  also  later  attended  the  schools  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county.  He  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  parents  until  their  death,  then 
continued  there  with  his  sister,  Harriet  A.,  and  brother,  John  R.,  until 
the  latter's  death  in  1877.  Then  William  H.  and  his  sister  remained  alone 
on  the  old  homestead,  and  when  he  married  she  remained  with  him  on 
the  old  place  where  their  parents  had  resided  the  greater  portion  of  their 
lives.  His  farm  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  here  he 
carried  on  general  farming,  but  during  the  last  years  of  his  life  rented 
his  land  and  lived  retired.  His  sister  Harriet  had  ninety  acres  adjoining, 
which  was  also  leased  out.  Mr.  Brown  was  an  energetic  church  worker, 
a  kind  and  loving  husband,  and  an  indulgent  father.  He  united  with  the 
Christian  church  in  1878.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  never  cared 
for  local  offices.    In  his  veins  coursed  the  blood  of  patriots. 

In  September,  1896,  William  H.  Brown  was  married  to  Julia  Criss, 
who  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  July  1,  1877,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Adeline  (Simons)  Criss.  Joseph  Criss  was  a  native  of 
Indiana  and  went  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  when  a  small  boy,  remaining 
there  until  his  death  in  April,  1881.  The  mother  died  September  21,  1884, 
both  laying  down  life's  burdens  in  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  the 
following  children  were  born:  Robert  R.,  born  May  23,  1897;  Zone  Irene, 
November  18,  1898;  Hattie  A.,  May  4,  1902,  died  August  12,  1904;  John 
Edward,  born  January  25,  1906.  Alma  Ruth  Higgins  is  a  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Brown  by  a  former  marriage.  Mr.  Brown  died  February  10,  1908. 
Mrs.  Brown  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  at  Oakland,  Haddon 
township. 


James  A.  Miller  is  a  thoroughgoing  farmer  and  takes  great  interest 
in  the  raising  and  breeding  of  fine  horses,  and  has  a  jack  and  jennet 
farm  also.  He  is  a  resident  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  and  a  native  of  Knox  county,  where  he  was  born  July  23,  1868. 
near  Oaktown.  He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  H.  and  Elizabeth  M.  (Harbin) 
Miller.  The  grandfather,  Samuel  Miller,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
who  came  to  Indiana  at  an  early  day.  He  always  followed  farming,  and 
died  at  Oaktown,  Indiana. 

Samuel  H.  Miller,  the  father  of  James  A.,  of  this  narrative,  was  born 
near  Oaktown,  Indiana,  in  1831,  and  died  in  1895  *n  Greene  county.  The 
mother,  Elizabeth  M.  (Harbin)  Miller,  was  born  in  1833  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  accompanied  her  parents,  James  Harbin  and  wife,  when  a  child 
to  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  they  at  first  set- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  225 

tied,  but  subsequently  went  to  Greene  county,  where  the  father  remained 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  farmer  and  had  borne  well  his  part  in  the  set- 
tling of  the  county,  under  many  difficulties.  Mrs.  Samuel  Miller  now 
resides  with  her  youngest  son,  Samuel  O.,  over  the  line  in  Greene  county. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  Samuel  H.  Miller  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1859,  after  which  he  rented  land  in  Knox  county,  Indiana.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  Company  I  of  the  Forty-first  Regiment,  Second  Cavalry, 
serving  in  the  Union  cause  for  three  years  and  five  months.  He  saw 
hard  service,  but  was  never  wounded.  He  was,  however,  captured  two 
months  before  his  term  of  service  had  expired^  and  was  held  prisoner 
by  the  Confederates  for  seven  months,  such  imprisonment  being  at  three 
different  rebel  prisons — Andersonville  prison,  Florence,  S.  C,  and  one 
other.  After  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Miller  returned  to  his  farm 
of  forty  acres,  near  Oaktown,  where  he  remained  until  1873.  He  then 
sold  out  and  purchased  an  eighty  acre  farm  in  Greene  county,  upon 
which  he  remained  until  his  death.  He  was  an  ardent  Republican  in  his 
party  affiliations.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
as  was  his  wife,  and  he  had  held  every  office  in  the  church  of  his  choice, 
except  that  of  pastor.  The  children  of  Samuel  H.  Miller  and  wife  were 
as  follows :  Rosetta,  who  married  Commodore  Perry  Miller,  and  resides 
in  Greencastle,  Indiana;  Elva  A.  (Lyons),  residing  in  Oregon;  Emmett 
L.,  who  resides  in  Linton,  Indiana,  and  married  Clara  Wilson ;  James  A., 
of  this  sketch;  Samuel  O.,  residing  on  the  old  homestead,  married 
Martha  J.  Page. 

James  A.  Miller  was  educated  at  the  public  schools.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  life  for  himself  when  twenty-one  years  old,  by  renting 
a  farm  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  for  one  season,  and  after  the  crop 
had  been  harvested  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  that  county  and  resided 
there  another  year,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  became  a  renter  for  an- 
other year.  His  next  land  purchase  was  thirty  acres  in  Greene  county, 
and  there  he  farmed  until  1903,  when  he  sold  that  farm  and  bought  fifty- 
two  acres  in  the  ridge  of  Pleasantville,  at  which  place  he  still  resides. 
During  one  season  Mr.  Miller  was  employed  in  a  hardware  store  in 
Lyons,  Indiana,  but  not  finding  indoor  life  agreeable,  he  soon  gravitated 
back  to  rural  work  and  freedom.  He  now  conducts  a  horse  farm  and 
owns  two  registered  horses — King  of  Iowa,  No.  10699,  a  French  draft 
animal  weighing  seventeen  hundred  pounds;  Ridgeville,  No.  25468,  a 
Percheron  horse  weighing  two  thousand  pounds ;  and  also  a  jack  named 
Black  Fred.  Mr.  Miller  takes  much  pride  in  the  management  and 
general  care  of  his  horse  farm. 

He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  party  affiliations,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  his  fra- 
ternal society  connections  he  is  numbered  among  the  worthy  members  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No.  408,  at  Pleasantville. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mutual  Protective  League. 

September  3,  1889,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Mary  M.  Lester,  born 
June  22,  1873,  at  Newberry,  Indiana,  daughter  of  Willis  D.  and  Mar- 
garet (Loudon)  Lester.     Mrs.  Miller's  father  is  now  living  in  Arkansas; 


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226  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

the  mother  died  in  1873.  They  were  farmers  by  occupation.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Lottie  Fay,  born  August  24, 
1891,  died  April  3,  1892;  Elva  M.,  born  July  17,  1894,  now  attending 
school;  Eva  Pearl,  November  5,  1896;  Rose  Marie,  November  14,  1901. 
Mrs.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Rebckahs,  Lodge  No.  605,  of  Pleasant- 
ville,  Indiana,  of  which  she  is  vice  grand. 


Frank  E.  Poston,  farmer  and  stock-raiser,  residing  in  one  of  the 
choice  sections  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  the  town- 
ship, born  on  the  old  Poston  homestead,  March  20,  1872,  a  son  of  J.  H. 
and  Amy  R.  (Rose)  Poston.  The  father  and  mother  were  both  born  in 
1845,  the  mother  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  father  of  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  His  parents  came  from  Virginia,  and  the 
mother's  people  were  from  Ohio.  J.  H.  Poston  resided  with  his  parents 
until  twenty- four  years  of  age,  when  he  and  a  brother  bought  land  to- 
gether and  farmed  in  partnership  for  several  years,  and  then  divided  the 
property.  J.  H.  sold  his  share,  which  consisted  of  one  hundred  acres,  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  where  his  son  Frank  E.  now 
resides.  On  this  land  the  father  resided  until  his  death,  June  1,  1900. 
and  the  mother  died  in  September  of  the  same  year.  Triey  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  Corena,  deceased;  Frank  E.,  of  this  memoir; 
Carlton,  deceased ;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Alexander  Rogers,  a  farmer  of  Gill 
township. 

Frank  E.  Poston  attended  school  at  Rose  Chapel  school,  in  Merom, 
and  a  short  time  at  Sullivan.  He  continued  with  his  parents  until  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  when  he  married,  and  then  farmed  with  his  father  until 
the  death  of  the  latter.  Continuing  on  the  old  place  after  the  death  of 
the  father,  he  carries  on  general  farming  operations  and  stock-raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  raising  corn.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  though  he  never  has 
aspired  to  office-holding.  At  one  time  he  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows' 
order  and  Woodmen  of  America,  but  does  not  hold  membership  with  any 
society  now. 

Mr.  Poston  was  married  in  April,  1897,  to  Miss  Alda  Banther,  a 
daughter  of  Cyrus  Banther  and  wife,  whose  sketch,  see  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  By  this  marriage  two  children  were  born :  Hallie  B.  and  Rubie  C, 
both  at  home.  For  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Poston  married,  in  November. 
1901,  Mattie  O.  Cummins,  born  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  S.  B. 
and  Margaret  (Trimble)  Cummins,  both  natives  of  Carlisle.  The  mother 
was  born  in  September,  1863,  and  the  father  in  March,  1854.  They  now 
reside  in  Terre  Haute.  He  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Carlisle  until  about  1899,  then  sold  and  moved  to  Terre  Haute.  He  is  an 
experienced  bookkeeper  and  has  been  a  traveling  salesman.  There  is  no 
issue  by  Mr.  Poston's  second  marriage. 

Concerning  the  Cummins  family,  let  it  be  stated  that  there  were  eight 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  227 

children  in  the  family  of  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Poston :  Edna,  deceased ; 
Josiah,  residing  in  Terre  Haute,  unmarried ;  Mattie,  wife  of  Mr.  Poston ; 
Winifred;  James;  Augusta;  Rilla;  Frank,  all  living  at  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana. 


Lewis  Oscar  Turnbull,  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  Sullivan  county,  was  born  at  Retreat  Corners,  Franklin  county, 
Virginia,  on  the  23d  of  October,  1854.  His  father,  Lewis  Hubbard  Turn- 
bull,  was  a  native  and  a  life-long,  resident  of  the  same  county.  He  con- 
ducted a  general  store  at  Retreat  Corners,  where  he  carried  in  stock 
nearly  everything  in  daily  use  in  that  section.  He  owned  one  hundred 
acres  of  land  at  Retreat  Corners  and  a  plantation  of  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  near  by.  His  death  occurred  about  1885.  He  owned  a  large  number 
of  slaves,  which  were  freed  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  entailing  a  loss  of 
many  thousands  of  dollars.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  Elizabeth  Booth,  also  a  native  and  lifelong  resident  of 
Franklin  county.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  a  county 
assessor  two  terms;  also  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  postmaster  about 
twenty-five  years.  He  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  in 
his  church  connection  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  while  his  wife 
was  of  the  Baptist  profession  of  religious  faith.  Twelve  children  were 
born  to  this  worthy  Virginian  couple,  as  follows:  Bia  Ellen,  deceased; 
William,  residing  in  Franklin  county,  Virginia ;  Sallie  Ann,  of  Virginia ; 
Jabis  E.,  of  Virginia;  Laura  L.,  of  Virginia;  Lewis  O.,  our  subject; 
Geno  Stephen,  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana;  Mildred  Hubbard,  of  Vir- 
ginia ;  Lula,  deceased ;  Cornelia  Lee,  of  Kansas ;  Odessa,  of  North  Dakota ; 
and  Mary  E.,  deceased. 

Lewis  Oscar  Turnbull  was  born  an  his  father's  farm  in  Virginia  and 
had  the  advantages  of  the  old  fashioned  "pay-school"  system.  The  first 
school  he  attended  was  in  a  log  house,  with  seats  made  of  split  poles 
and  resting  on  legs  of  natural  wood.  He  remained  on  the  old  farm 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  superintended  a  gang  of  men  in  a 
lumber  camp  at  Salem,  Virginia,  six  months.  Then  in  company  with  four 
neighbor  boys  went  to  West  Virginia  and  engaged  in  mining  for  seven 
years,  and  then  came  to  Indiana  and  was  employed  at  farming  in  Parke 
county  one  season.  He  then  opened  a  coal  mine  east  of  Rockville  in 
Parke  county,  and  operated  it  six  and  one-half  years,  when  his  lease 
expired  and  he  then  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  bought  eighty  acres  of 
wild  land  in  Gill  township  and  at  once  set  about  to  clear  a  farm.  In 
due  course  of  time  he  had  the  land  all  cleared  and  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.  He  erected  a  good  set  of  frame  buildings  and  dug.  four  good 
wells.  After  several  years  he  added  forty  acres,  making  a  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acre  farm.  He  conducted  general  farming  and  raised  regis- 
tered Poland  China  swine  and  registered  Durham  cattle.  In  1907  he 
rented  his  farm  and  moved  to  Sullivan  and  now  devotes  his  time  to  his 
official  duties. 


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228  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

He  was  married  in  Parke  county,  Indiana,  May  23,  1870,  to  Giristena 
Kinsey.  She  was  born  at  Retreat  Corners  in  Franklin  county,  Virginia, 
June  15,  1855,  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Fanny  (Akers)  Kinsey. 
Her  father  died  in  1861,  leaving  the  mother  with  twelve  children.  In 
1863  sne  came  to  Indiana  and  lived  in  Montgomery  county  two  years, 
then  moved  to  Parke  county,  where  she  lived  many  years.  She  spent 
her  last  days  in  Sullivan,  passing  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turnbull  were  playmates  in  their  early  youth,  and  attended 
the  same  school.  Mrs.  Turnbull  was  eight  years  old  when  the  family 
moved  to  Indiana,  and  she  had  reached  mature  years  ere  she  saw  her 
future  husband. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  Mr.  Turnbull  had  a  full  beard,  which  in 
time  grew  to  the  remarkable  length  of  forty-eight  inches.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  He  was  elected  county  commissioner  in  1901,  and  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  was  re-elected  without  opposition.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Turnbull  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Richard  Taylor,  a  farmer  and  hardware  merchant  of  Farmersburg, 
Sullivan  county,  was  born  August  26,  1861,  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan 
county,  where  he  still  resides.  He  is  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Mary  E. 
(Bennett)  Taylor.  The  father,  now  deceased,  was  the  son  of  Robert 
Taylor,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  came  to  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  when 
a  young  man  and  entered  land  and  was  a  farmer  and  flat-boat  builder. 
He  usually  made  his  annual  trips  to  New  Orleans,  going  each  spring. 
He  married  Mary  E.  Bennett,  now  living  two  miles  south  of  her  son 
Richard,  in  this  township.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  union,  four 
of  whom  reached  maturity,  John  C.  being  the  eldest.  There  is  one  now 
living  besides  him — D.  N.  Taylor,  who  was  judge  of  Vigo  county  one 
term,  but  is  now  at  the  Oklahoma  capital. 

John  C.  Taylor  remained  at  home  and  worked  the  farm  with  his 
father  until  the  date  of  his  marriage.  He  always  accompanied  his  father 
down  the  rivers  to  New  Orleans.  They  also  ran  a  shipping  wagon 
between  Louisville  and  Cincinnati.  He  continued  with  his  father  one 
year  after  his  marriage,  then  went  to  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county, 
and  there  purchased  land  consisting  of  an  eighty  acre  tract.  This  was 
about  1857,  an^  ne  farmed  there  until  the  Civil  war  broke  out.  In 
1864  he  enlisted  with  Company  C,  Twenty-first  Indiana  volunteer  infan- 
try, as  a  private  soldier.  He  served  one  year,  escaped  unwounded,  and 
came  home  to  his  farm,  to  which  he  attended  as  well  as  operated  his 
threshing  machine,  which  combined  occupations  he  continued  to  follow 
until  his  death,  at  which  time  he  owned  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
acres. 

Richard  Taylor,  of  this  notice,  son  of  John  C.  and  wife,  is  one  of 
seven  children  in  his  parents'  family,  whose  names  and  order  of  birth 
are  here  given :  Nancy  A.,  who  resides  in  Jackson  township,  this  county, 
married  John  Railsback;  Samuel,  of  Curry  township,  married  Louisa 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  229 

Wyman ;  Robert,  of  Sullivan,  married  Arena  Russell ;  Richard,  of  this 
sketch;  Sarah  J.,  of  Curry  township,  married  J.  H.  Wood;  Mary  E.,  of 
Illinois,  married  William  Martin ;  and  Dora  E.,  at  home  and  unmarried. 

Mr.  Taylor  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  until  his  marriage 
October  16,  1887,  to  Delia  J.  Patton,  born  December  5,  1868,  daughter 
of  Milton  and  Anna  (Dilley)  Patton.  He  was  educated  at  Sullivan  and 
after  his  marriage  taught  school  every  winter  season  for  fifteen  years, 
doing  farm  work  summers.  In  1902,  in  company  with  Elza  W.  Jennings, 
he  engaged  in  the  vehicle,  hardware  and  implement  business.  Their 
place  of  business  is  at  Farmersburg,  Indiana.  He  also  conducts  his  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres.  Mr.  Taylor  also  has  other 
'financial  interests,  including  his  shares  in  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  of 
Farmersburg,  Indiana.  He  raises  a  large  amount  of  stock  upon  his  farm, 
which  is  also  another  source  of  revenue. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  In  secret  societies  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  order,  lodge  No.  622,  at  Farmersburg,  having  filled  all  the  chairs 
in  this  lodge.  He  also  holds  membership  in  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  camp  No.  3473.  The  three  children  born  to  bless  the  home 
circle  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are  as  follows :  Alva  N.,  born  September 
15,  1888,  is  doing  first  year  college  wrork  at  the  Indiana  University  at 
Bloomington,  Indiana;  Herman  R.,  born  July  15,  1892,  is  in  his  second 
year  in  high  school;  and  Mamie  Iona,  born  March  1,  1898,  is  now  in  the 
common  school. 


Aaron  Holder,  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  and 
one  of  the  present  prosperous  farmers  of  his  native  county,  was  born 
November  16,  1839,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Dailey)  Holder. 
The  father  was  born  in  the  same  township  and  died  in  1895,  and  tne 
mother,  born  in  Kentucky,  died  in  1893.  They  were  married  in  Haddon 
township,  and  there  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children,  only  four  of  whom 
reached  maturity:  Aaron,  of  whom  later;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph 
Roxbury,  residing  in  Carlisle ;  Sarah,  residing  in  Carlisle ;  and  Elizabeth, 
deceased.  The  grandparents,  Thomas  Holder  and  wife,  were  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Indiana,  and  some  of  their  children  were  born  in  old 
Fort  Knox. 

Aaron  Holder  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  began  working 
out  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  in  his  native  township,  continuing 
there  until  1877,  when  he  went  to  Jefferson  township,  and  there  remained 
until  1903.  At  the  last  named  date  he  went  to  Furman  township  and 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  now  resides  and  where  he 
carries  on  a  successful  grain  and  stock  raising  business.  Politically  he 
is  in  hearty  accord  with  the  Democratic  party.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  was  married  October  27,  1864, 
to  Sarah  Lowdermilk,  born  in  Daviess  county,  Indiana,  April  9,  1840, 
a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  (Starns)  Lowdermilk,  natives  of 
North  Carolina  and  who  came  to  Indiana  about  1838  and  to  Sullivan 


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230  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county  about  1843.  One  daughter  blessed  this  union  who  is  now  living 
and  three  who  are  deceased.  The  children  were:  Cordia  May,  wife 
of  Levi  Willis,  residing  in  Sullivan,  and  those  deceased  were  Flora  M„ 
Lizzie  Pearl  and  Anna  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willis  have  four  children, 
Thomas  Roy,  Floyd,  Chloie  and  Helen  May. 


William  J.  Thornberry,  who  has  farmed  Indiana  soil  ever  since 
he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age  on  his  own  account,  and  at  this  date 
(1909)  is  one  of  the  successful  agriculturists  of  Turman  township,  is  a 
native  of  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  born  on  a  farm  April  15,  1844,  a  son 
of  Daniel  A.  and  Fannie  (Lee)  Thornberry.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  Winchester, 
that  state.  They  were  married  in  their  native  state  and  moved  to 
Morgan  county,  Indiana,  in  1837,  where  he  purchased  a  farm.  At  first 
he  bought  a  quarter  section  and  then  added  thereto  until  at  his  death  he 
possessed  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  While  he  yet  resided  in  the  Old  Dominion  State  he 
was  an  overseer  of  a  plantation.  He  had  the  advantages  of  attending 
school  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  five  brothers 
in  his  father's  family,  and  they  were  as  follows :  Elijah,  John,  William, 
James  and  Daniel,  all  long  since  deceased.  Politically  the  subject's 
father  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
served  as  a  message  bearer  in  the  war  of  1812-14,  and  held  a  land  war- 
rant for  such  service  for  his  country.  Daniel  A.  Thornberry  and  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Nine  children  blessed 
their  home  circle,  as  follows:  Mary,  deceased;  John,  deceased;  Milton 
A.,  deceased;  Benjamin  Franklin,  deceased;  Patrick  Henry,  residing  in 
Morgan  county,  Indiana,  retired;  Susan,  widow  of  Cyrus  Watson  and 
residing  in  Morgan  county;  Thomas  Benton,  deceased;  William  J.,  of 
this  notice ;  and  Daniel  A.,  residing  in  Brooklyn,  Indiana. 

William  J.  Thornberry  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and  received  his 
education  at  the  district  schools  common  in  his  county.  He  remained 
under  the  home  roof-tree  until  nearly  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself,  having  been  well  drilled  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  at  his  father's  place,  in  boyhood  and  young  manhood.  He 
cultivated  and  harvested  one  crop  for  himself  in  Morgan  county,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1869  moved  to  Sullivan  county,  locating  on  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides  in  Turman  township,  three  miles  northeast 
of  Graysville.  Besides  his  grain  and  hay  he  aims  to  turn  into  market 
about  eighty  hogs  each  year.  He  also  keeps  Polled  Angus  and  Polled 
Durham  cattle  to  quite  an  extent.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Turman 
Township  Mutual  Telephone  Company. 

Politically  Mr.  Thornberry  is  in  sympathy  with  the  principles  found 
in  true  Democracy;  He  has  held  the  office  of  township  trustee  in  all 
about  ten  years.  He  is  connected  with  Masonry,  belonging  to  the  Blue 
lodge  at  Graysville  and  to  the  chapter  at  Sullivan.     He  is  also  a  worthy 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  231 

member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Graysville,  having 
rilled  all  the  official  chairs  in  this  lodge. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  5,  1867,  to  Catherine  Elizabeth 
Passmoore,  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  January  9,  1850,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lou  Ann  (Edmondson)  Passmoore,  natives  of 
Kentucky,  who  came  to  Indiana  in  the  autumn  of  1850  and  located  in 
Morgan  county,  where  both  died.  Mrs.  Thornberry  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thorn- 
berry  were  as  follows:  Orlando  W.,  who  is  now  a  widower;  Louetta, 
wife  of  C.  C.  Phillips,  of  Turman  township,  and  they  have  one  daughter, 
Hazel ;  Alice,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Booles,  of  Turman  township,  and  they 
have  a  son,  William ;  Charles  O.,  who  married  Addie  Murduck  and  resides 
in  Sullivan,  has  a  son,  Webster ;  Phoebe  *A.,  wife  of  Albert  Atkinson, 
of  Merom,  has  four  children,  Herman,  Guy,  Audrey  and  Margaret ;  Dora, 
the  first  born,  died  in  infancy. 


William  A.  Shields,  whose  fine  farm  home  is  situated  hard  by  the 
sprightly  town  of  Graysville,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  whose  broad 
acres  yield  their  annual  harvest  in  obedience  to  his  frugal  and  painstaking 
management,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  born  October  22,  1847,  one 
mile  to  the  north  of  Graysville  in  Turman  township.  He  is  the  son  of 
Alexander  and  Mary  M.  (Johnson)  Shields.  The  parents  were  both 
born  in  this  township;  and  the  father,  born  in  1818,  died  in  1869.  The 
grandfather,  William  Shields,  came  from  Kentucky  and  became  o?e  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  in  Turman  township.  The  maternal  grandfather, 
William  Johnson,  came  to  Sullivan  county  from  Tennessee,  locating  on 
the  Wabash  BlufTs  in  the  western  end  of  Turman  township,  and  was 
equally  as  early  a  settler  as  the  Shields  family,  with  whom  he  intermarried. 
The  grandfather  Shields  served  in  the  war  of  1812-14.  Both  grand- 
parents were  of  the  Democratic  party  and  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 

Alexander  Shields,  the  father,  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and  there  spent 
the  best  years  of  his  life.  In  every  particular  he  was  a  useful  man  and 
good  citizen.  At  one  time  he  owned  one  thousand  acres  of  land.  In 
his  political  convictions  he  like  his  forefathers  was  a  Democrat,  and  held 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  several  terms.  He  was  also  assessor  of 
his  township.  His  wife  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Their  children  were  a%  follows:  Mary  J.,  deceased;  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  deceased;  William  A.  and  Nancy  (twins),  the  latter  dying 
aged  two  years ;  John  L.,  deceased ;  James  C,  residing  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship; and  Martha,  deceased. 

William  A.  Shields,  of  whom  this  memoir  is  especially  written,  was 
reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  continued 
at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  x>i  twenty-five  years,  taking  charge  of  his 
fathers  farm  after  his  death.  At  the  age  last  indicated  he  began  farming 
on  another  farm  within  the  same  township,  which  place  he  now  occupies. 
Here  he  does  a  careful  and  profitable  agricultural  business,  raising  grain 
and  stock.     He  ships  about  two  car  loads  of  Poland  China  hogs  annually. 


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232  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

His  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-three*  acres  of  choice  farm 
land,  upon  which  he  has  a  commodious,  well  planned  farm  house,  the 
same  being  about  one  mile  to  the  east  of  Graysviile  village. 

Like  most  true  American  citizens  he  takes  an  interest  in  the  great 
political  issues  of  the  day  and  votes  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of  the  Blue  lodge 
at  Graysviile.  He  has  held  all  the  chairs  within  his  lodge,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  auxiliary — the  Eastern  Star  lodge.  Besides  his  farming 
interests  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Turman  Township  Mutual  Telephone 
Company. 

In  domestic  relations  it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Shields  was  united 
in  marriage  September  9,  1874,  to  Martha  E.  Cowen,  born  in  Vigo 
county,  Indiana,  February  24,  1849,  a  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Sarah 
M.  (Wisener)  Cowen,  natives  of  Illinois  and  Indiana  respectively,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  father  died  when  Mrs.  Shields  was 
but  three  years  of  age,  after  which  sad  event  the  mother  married  Ben- 
jamin Harrison,  who  resided  in  Fairbanks  township,  Martha  E.  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  attended  the  Ascension  Seminary 
at  Farmersburg,  after  which  she  graduated  at  the  Sullivan  High  School 
with  the  first  class  which  graduated  after  the  consolidation  of  that  school 
with  the  first  named  educational  institution.  She  had  taught  some  before 
graduation,  and  continued  teaching  until  she  married.  The  children 
bom  to  Mr.  Shields  and  wife  are  as  follows:  Clyde  H.,  who  married 
Maria  Cushman,  a  daughter  of  T.  K.  Cushman,.and  they  reside  with 
the  parents  and  have  three  children — Mildred,  Enid  and  Lois.  Clyde 
H.  Shields  helps  his  father  operate  the  farm.  Elsie  is  unmarried  and  at 
home.  The  third  born  child  died  in  infancy.  Clyde  H.  and  Elsie  both 
obtained  their  education  at  Graysviile  and  attended  the  Union  Christian 
College  at  Marom.  The  entire  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  ruling  elders,  having  been  such  for  a 
number  of  years. 


Guy  A.  Cushman,  who  in  recent  years  has  been  farming,  in  Turman 
township,  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Arbacus  Cushman.  He  was  born  June  14, 
1882,  in  Graysviile,  Indiana.  Dr.  Cushman  (deceased)  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Turman  township,  a  son  of  David  Cushman,  and  he  was  reared 
to  farm  labor  and  attended  the  district  schools.  Later  he  attended  the 
academy  at  Merom,  and  having  chosen  the  science  of  medicine  for  a 
profession,  he  entered  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia  and 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1869.  He  then  returned  to  Graysviile  and 
began  the  practice  of  medicine.  He  came  to  be  a  well  learned  and  skillful 
physician  and  continued  to  practice  there  until  his  death  excepting  the 
two  years  which  he  spent  in  Cloverland,  Clay  county,  Indiana.  He  died 
in  his  home  in  Turman  township  April  8,  1908.  He  had  made  a  financial 
as  well  as  professional  success  in  life's  career.  He  was  widely  known 
throughout  Sullivan  county,  and  was  a  member  of  the  County  Medical 
Society  and  the  Wabash  Valley  Medical  Association.  He  was  a  Mason, 
belonging  to  the  Blue  lodge  at  Graysviile,  and  he  served  as  worshipful 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  233 

master  of  two  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  chapter 
at  Sullivan,  and  also  belonged  to  the  Odd  Fellows  order  at  Graysville, 
which  he  had  served  as  noble  grand.  Politically  the  doctor  was  an  un- 
compromising Republican,  ever  ready  to  further  the  cause  of  the  party 
of  his  choice  by  time  and  means.  He,  together  with  his  good  wife, 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  1862  he  enlisted  as  a 
member  of  Company  I,  Second  Indiana  Cavalry.  He  was  discharged 
as  a  lieutenant,  and  saw  much  actual  service,  being  engaged  in  numerous 
battles.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  east  of  Graysville.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  Cushman  and 
wife,  Mary  (Gray)  Cushman,  were  five  in  number,  as  follows:  Catherine, 
torn  in  1872,  graduated  from  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at  the  Union 
Christian  College  of  Merom.  She  taught  about  five  years  in  different 
parts  of  the  county,  and  was  also  an  instructor  in  instrumental  music. 
She  is  now  the  wife  of  Jacob  Frederick  Hoke,  who  is  one  of  the  firm 
of  the  American  Box  Ball  Company  of  Indianapolis.  Joseph,  born  in 
1874,  died  in  infancy.  Ethel  and  Grace  (twins)  were  born  in  1877. 
The  latter  died  in  infancy  and  Ethel  was  educated  at  the  Union  Christian 
College,  graduating  from  the  Conservatory  of  Music,  and  then  taught 
school  in  the  county  for  four  years,  as  well  as  giving  instruction  in 
instrumental  music.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  W.  R.  Turman  and 
they  reside  at  Marshall,  Illinois,  where  he  is  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession. 

Guy  A.  Cushman,  the  fifth  born,  was  reared  in  the  town  of  Graysville, 
Indiana,  and  <  attended  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom.  He 
remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  having  been  employed 
in  a  store  up  to  that  date  a  part  of  the  time.  When  he  was  twenty-two 
years  old  he  went  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  was  engaged  with  the 
American  Box  Ball  Company  for  about  six  months,  when  he  returned  to 
Graysville  and  commenced  to  manage  his  father's  farm  and  has  been  an 
agriculturist  ever  since.  He  handles  considerable  stock,  including  the 
breeding  and  feeding  of  many  hogs.  Politically  Mr.  Cushman  is  a  loyal 
supporter  of  Republican  party  principles.  He  is  associated  with  the 
Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraternities  at  Graysville. 

He  was  happily  married,  June  21,  1903,  to  Harriett  Turman,  born 
October  21,  1883,  in  Turman  township,  a  daughter  of  Return  J.  Turman 
and  wife,  whose  complete  family  history  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mrs.  Cushman  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  attended  the 
State  Normal  one  year.  Two  children  have  been  the  result  of  this  union : 
Paula  M.,  born  September  1,  1904,  and  Arbacus  Edward,  born  March 
6,  1908. 

Mr.  Cushman  has  descended  from  Puritan  stock,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and  traces  his  ancestors  back  to  the  band 
who  came  to  our  shores  in  the  Mayflower.  Concerning  his  mother's 
people  let  it  be  said  in  this  connection  that  she  was  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  in  1846,  a  sister  of  Joseph  Gray,  whose  family  history 
will  be  found  in  a  sketch  of  him  elsewhere  in  this  compilation.  The 
mother  is  now  residing  among  her  children. 


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234  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

John  Kelly,  who  owns  about  four  hundred  acres  of  excellent  land 
within  the  borders  of  Turman  township,  and  now  resides  in  the  thriving 
town  of  Merom,  is  an  example  of  what  a  boy  left  fatherless  at  a  very 
tender  age  may  accomplish  in  this  free  republic,  where  every  man  is  the 
builder  of  his  own  financial  success.  Mr.  Kelly  was  born  September  10, 
1858,  in  Turman  township,  a  son  of  James  and  Malinda  (Johnson) 
Kelly.  The  mother  was  born  near  Carlisle.  For  a  history  of  the 
father  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of  James  Kelly,  found  at 
another  place  in  this  work.  John  Kelly  was  reared  upon  the  farm  and 
had  a  very  limited  common  school  education.  He  was  left  fatherless 
when  a  mere  boy,  and  remained  at  home  until  twenty-five  years  of  age. 
He  then  went  out  into  the  untried  world  for  himself,  unaided  by  none 
other  than  his  own  inert  energy  and  pluck.  Previous  to  his  marriage 
he  had  bought  a  piece  of  land,  and  to  this  he  has  added  until  his  present 
place  consists  of  three  hundred  and  ninety-four  acres  in  Turman  town- 
ship and  about  six  acres  within  Merom.  In  August,  1906,  he  moved  to 
Merom  to  give  his  children  a  better  opportunity  to  gain  an  education  at 
the  Union  Christian  Colleg.e.  He  still  superintends  his  farming  opera- 
tions. Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens 
Trust  Company  at  Sullivan.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  February  10, 
1887,  to  Nancy  J.  Dickerson,  born  in  Fairbanks  township  October  8, 
1864,  a  daughter  of  A.  W.  C.  and  Lucy  (Park)  Dickerson.  The  father 
was  born  in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  in  1835,  and  late  in  the  forties  he 
came  to  Sullivan  county.  His  parents  both  died  when  he  was  young. 
A.  W.  C.  Dickerson  located  first  at  Sullivan  and  worked  in  a  saw-mill  for 
several  years,  up  to  i860,  when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Fairbanks  township 
where  he  has  resided  since.  Lucy  Park  was  born  near  Sullivan,  and 
died  when  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Kelly,  was  but  a  child.  After  her  death 
the  father  married  Mary  Lawson,  about  1878.  She  is  still  living.  The 
following  children  were  born  to  A.  W.  C.  Dickerson  and  his  first  wife: 
Oscar  L.,  of  Springfield,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Kelly;  Emma,  now  the  wife  of 
William  Gaston,  of  Fairbanks ;  June,  deceased ;  and  three  who  died 
in  infancy.  By  the  second  marriage  five  children  were  born:  Warren, 
residing  in  Fairbanks  township;  Mondella,  wife  of  C.  Moore,  of  Sullivan; 
Kate,  wife  of  Claud  Byers;  Guy,  at  home;  and  Ada,  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelly  are  the  parents  of  three  children:  Roy,  born 
April  5,  1888,  unmarried  and  attending  the  Union  Christian  College  at 
Merom;  Linnie,  born  July  4,  1891,  also  attending  the  college  just  men- 
tioned and  she  graduated  from  the  Conservatory  of  Music  with  the  class  of 
1908;  and  Lois,  born  March  10,  1896,  now  at  the  Union  Christian  Col- 
leg.e. Mr.  Kelly  and  family  are*  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  steward. 


Joel  C.  Barnes  has  always  resided  in  the  township  of  Turman, 
and  his  residence  has  ever  been  at  the  place  where  he  now  resides  and 
where  he  is  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm.     He  was  born  June  23,  1857, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  235 

a  son  of  Nelson  and  Mercy  (Taft)  Barnes.  The  father  was  born  in 
New  York  state  March  24,  1816,  and  died  February  21,  1884,  in  Turman 
township,  Sullivan  county.  The  mother  was  also  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  about  March  27,  1822,  and  she  died  October  4,  1884.  They  were 
united  in  marriage  in  their  native  state  October  21,  1839,  and  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  early  in  the  forties.  He  first  located  in 
Fairbanks  township,  where  he  purchased  a  forty  acre  tract  of  land. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Turman  township,  where  both  he  and  his 
wife  laid  down  life's  burdens.  At  the  date  of  his  death  he  owned  five 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  township  in  which  he  lived  and 
labored  so  many  years.  He  was  always  a  farmer,  and  at  an  early  day 
helped  to  build  flat-boats,  which  he  also  ran  upon  the  Wabash  river. 
In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  church  matters  both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The 
following  children  were  born  of  this  happy  union:  Tryphena  Ann, 
now  the  widow  of  Jasper  Mayfield,  and  she  lives  in  Turman  township ; 
Ploulina,  widow  of .  James  Ransford,  residing  in  Turman  township ; 
Theodore  E.,  a  resident  of  Sullivan  county ;  Susie,  deceased ;  Abraham, 
residing  in  Sullivan  county;  Cyrus  John,  deceased;  Joel  C,  of  this 
biography;  Lucy  M.,  deceased;  and  Martha  Ellen. 

Joel  C.  Barnes  was  educated  in  the  district  schools,  and  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  for  himself  and  farmed  in  the  bottoms  for  two  years.  He 
then  came  to  the  place  which  he  now  occupies.  He  farms  in  a  successful 
manner  his  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acre  place,  carrying  on  stock 
raising  in  connection  with  his  grain  and  corn  growing. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  In  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masonic  lodge  No.  373  at  Fairbanks,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Barnes  and  their  daughter  are  members  of  the  Eastern  Star 
degree  of  Masonry  at  Fairbanks.  He  wras  united  in  marriage  on  Christ- 
mas day  of  1876  to  Josephine  Connor,  born  in  Sullivan  county  February 
10,  1854,  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Harriet  (Crapo)  Connor.  Mrs. 
Barnes  died  in  1892.  Five  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Flora, 
born  September  18,  1878,  wife  of  Harlan  Riggs,  now  residing  in  Fair- 
banks township,  and  they  have  two  daughters  and  one  son  living;  Flava, 
born  May  13,  1881,  died  July  22,  1882;  Alma,  born  October  20,  1882, 
is  unmarried  and  at  home;  William,  born  February  12,  1886,  died 
November  4,  1886:  and  Orphie,  born  October  26,  1888,  died  July  21,  1889. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Barnes  married,  June  18,  1893,  Marada  Lister, 
born  in  Sullivan  county  February  28,  1867.  a  daughter  of  Nimrod  and 
Malinda  Lister,  who  are  now  deceased.  The  following  children  were 
born  to  the  second  union :  Ray,  born  May  2,  1895 ;  Ada,  born  March 
2i,  1898,  died  December  19,  1899;  Nelson,  born  April  14,  1901,  died 
November  22,  1902;  Essie,  born  March  15,  1903;  and  Mabel,  born  April 
5,  1906. 

Marada  Lister  was  the  daughter  of  Nimrod  and  Malinda  (Evans) 
Lister,  both  natives  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Sullivan  county.  They  were 
married  in  Ohio,  and  came  to  this  county  in  the  autumn  of  1859.     The 


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236  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

father  worked  in  a  woolen  mill  in  his  early  life,  but  after  moving  to  this 
county  followed  farming.     They  are  both  now  deceased. 


Russell  E.  Minter,  who  is  counted  among  the  large  land-owners 
of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  March  25,  1848,  in  Turman 
township,  a  son  of  William  and  Melinda  (Pinkston)  Minter.  Of  his 
parentage  it  may  be  said  that  his  father  was  born  in  Shelbyville,  Ken- 
tucky, August  10,  1818,  and  died  March.  17,  1882,  in  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  of  Irish  descent.  William  Minter 
came  from  Missouri  in  1843.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Indian  war  of 
1836,  and  was  united  in  marriage  in  Gill  township  in  1845.  He  drove 
stage  on  the  line  from  Vincennes  to  Terre  Haute  and  from  Terre  Haute 
to  Marshall,  Illinois.  He  farmed  one  year  in  Missouri  after  his  marriage, 
then  returned  to  Indiana,  .where  he  followed  farming  pursuits  the  re- 
mainder of  his  years.  He  was  very  successful  and  owned  seven  hundred 
acres  of  land,  all  in  Gill  township.  Politically  he  favored  the  Democratic 
party.  The  mother  of  Russell  E.  Minter  was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  at  Lexington  June  26,  1825,  and  died  in  Gill  township,  at  Merom. 
She  came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1842.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  The  four  children  born  of  this  union  were  as 
follows:  The  first  died  in  infancy;  Russell  E.,  of  whom  later;  another 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Hattie,  widow  of  Dr.  Harper,  residing  at 
Merom. 

Russell  E.  Minter  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and  continued  at  home 
all  of  his  life  except  the  two  years  in  which  he  was  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business  at  Martinville,  Illinois,  having  for  his  partner  Robert 
Carruthers,  the  firm  name  being  Carruthers  &  Minter.  Mr.  Minter  was 
educated  at  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom.  He  is  well  equipped 
for  carrying  on  the  agricultural  business,  and  is  successful  in  the  growth 
of  grain,  corn  and  stock.  He  raises  many  fine  Poland-China  hogs  with 
the  other  kinds  of  stock  he  handles.  His  excellent  farm  contains  almost 
four  hundred  acres,  and  is  situated  about  one  mile  north  of  the  thriving 
town  of  Merom,  on  the  old  state  road.  In  his  political  views  Mr:  Minter 
is  a  supporter  of  the  principles  laid  down  in  the  several  platforms  formu- 
lated by  the  different  parties,  and  votes  an  independent  ticket,  selecting 
from  all  parties  such  men  as  he  believes  best  represent  his  views. 

He  was  married,  October  4,  1887,  to  Mary  E.  Halladay,  born  in  Ohio 
in  1856,  a  daughter  of  William  Halladay,  who  lived  at  both  Terre  Haute 
and  in  Greene  county,  from  which  locality  he  moved  to  Sullivan  county. 
One  daughter  has  blessed  this  union — Courtney  Gretchin,  born  March  19, 
1891 ;  she  is  unmarried  and  at  home  attending  the  Union  Christian  College 
at  Merom. 


Jotham  J.  Bragdon,  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  be  one  of  the  land- 
owners of  the  goodly  portion  of  Sullivan  county  known  as  Turman 
township,  is  a  native  of  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  born  October  3,  i860. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  237 

He  is  the  son  of  Jotham  and  Asenath  (Fairfield)  Bragdon.  The  father 
was  born  December  11,  1827,  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  and  the  mother 
September  28,  1830,  in  the  same  county.  The  date  of  their  marriage 
was  October  20,  1853,  and  they  lived  in  Ohio  until  the  autumn  of  1864, 
and  then  moved  to  Sullivan  county,  locating  in  Gill  township,  where  he 
purchased  a  most  excellent  farm  of  three  hundred  and  five  acres,  upon 
which  he  carried  on  a  general  farm  business,  including,  stock  raising, 
and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His  death  occurred  September 
2,  1908.  He  was  an  avowed  Democrat.  Fraternally  he  was  numbered 
among  the  members  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  with 
which  society  he  united  in  July,  1850.  By  trade  he  was  a  carriage  maker, 
which  he  followed  in  Ohio  for  six  years.  He  was  in  the  mercantile 
business  two  years  in  the  same  state,  but  after  coming  to  Indiana  devoted 
his  time  to  agricultural  pursuits.  The  Bragdons  are  of  English,  Irish 
and  French  extraction.  The  subject's  mother  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Christian  church.  The  issue  of  these  worthy  parents  is  as  follows: 
Benjamin,  deceased;  Emma,  now  wife  of  G.  W.  Finley,  a  physician  and 
surgeon,  at  Brazil,  Indiana ;  Sophia  R.,  unmarried  and  at  home ;  Jotham 
J.,  of  this  memoir;  Voorhees  V.,  a  farmer  of  Gill  township;  and  Clara 
A.,  wife  of  Lee  G.  Gorder,  and  lives  at  Merom  Station.  The  children 
were  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  attended  the  Union  Christian 
College  at  Merom. 

Jotham  J.  Bragdon  taught  school  thirteen  years  in  Turman  town- 
ship, farming  during  the  summer  months.  He  commenced  to  work  for 
himself  when  aged  twenty-one  years.  He  first  farmed  in  Gill  township, 
but  since  his  marriage  has  tilled  the  soil  of  Turman  township.  His  farm, 
comprising  two  hundred  acres  of  fine  land,  is  situated  three  miles  north 
of  Graysville,  Indiana,  where  he  carries  on  an  up-to-date  farming  enter- 
prise, including  the  raising  of  quite  a  quantity  of  sheep  and  cattle.  He 
also  owns  sixty-four  and  one-third  acres  of  the  old  homestead  in  Gill 
township.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  the  vice  president  of  the  Turman 
Township  Telephone  Company  and  also  stockholder  in  the  Graysville 
Percheron  Horse  Company.  In  his  political  choice  Mr.  Bragdon  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  held  local  offices,  including  that  of  township  trustee 
for  five  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  the 
Blue  lodge,  at  Graysville,  and  is  master  of  the  lodge. 

He  was  married,  March  2^t  1890,  to  Olive  Wible,  born  in  Turman 
township  June  6,  1868,  a  daughter  of  William  W.  and  Adeline  (Davis) 
Wible.  Her  father  now  resides  in  Turman  township,  the  mother  having 
died  November  14,  1873.  William  W.  Wible  was  born  in  Turman  town- 
ship April  24,  1844,  and  his  wife,  November  23,  1841,  in  the  same  town- 
ship. William  W.  was  the  son  of  John  V.  Wible,  born  in  Washington 
county,  Indiana,  and  came  to  Sullivan  county,  locating  in  Turman  town- 
ship, in  1842.  Adeline  (Davis)  Wible  was  the  daughter  of  Parmenas 
Davis,  who  was  born  in  South  Carolina  January  17,  1814.  He  was 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Turman  township.  Mrs.  Bragdon  was  edu- 
cated in  Turman  township,  and  remained  at  home  until  her  marriage. 
The  children  born   of  this   union   are   as   follows:     One   who   died   in 


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238  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

infancy;  Charles  R.,  born  November  17,  1891 ;  William  F.,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1893 ;  Bernice,  born  January  23,  1895 ;  Ross  Jotham,  born  May 
17,  1903;  and  one,  the  fifth  born,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Bragdon  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 

Many  are  the  changes  wrought  out  in  this  section  of  Indiana  since 
Mr.  Bragdon's  father  first  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  dropped  into 
the  center  of  a  one  thousand  acre  tract  which  had  been  fenced  oflf  and 
secluded  by  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  on  account  of  a  disease  known 
then  as  "Milk  Sickness."  Hence  his  farm  of  over  three  hundred  acres 
was  literally  hewed  out  from  the  great  forests  and  much  credit  should 
be  given  this  hardy  pioneer  who  had  seen  much  of  the  early-day  hard- 
ship never  again  to  be  experienced  by  men  in  this  section. 

Jotham  J.  Bragdon,  of  this  sketch,  spent  the  summer  of  1885  in  Kansas 
on  a  cattle  ranch,  and  in  1888  made  a  trip  through  the  south.  At  this 
date  he  is  actively  engaged  in  looking  after  the  interests  of  his  farm, 
which  labor  is  not  only  profitable  but  pleasing  to  its  owner. 


George  Harrison  Hoke. — One  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of 
Widner  township,  Knox  county,  is  George  H.  Hoke,  who  is  an  extensive 
landholder,  a  skillful  agriculturist,  and  a  business  man  of  ability.  A 
native  of  Sullivan  county,  he  was  born  December  14,  1833,  on  the  old 
Hoke  homestead,  about  three  miles  south  of  Carlisle.  He  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Jacob  and  Rosanna  (Brentlinger)  Hoke,  and  a  brother  of  John  A. 
Hoke  and  of  William  F.  Hoke,  whose  sketches  appear  in  this  work,  in 
which  a  more  extended  notice  of  their  parents  may  be  found. 

Receiving  his  limited  education  in  the  pioneer  log  school  house  of  his 
day,  George  H.  Hoke  grew  to  manhood  on  the  parental  homestead.  When 
ready  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  for  himself,  he  bought  seventy  acres  of 
land  adjoining  a  farm  owned  by  his  father  in  Widner  township,  Knox 
county,  and  has  since  made  this  his  home.  Laboring  with  unremitting 
industry,  he  placed  his  land  under  excellent  tillage,  each  year  adding  to 
its  improvements  and  value,  and  from  time  to  time  bought  additional 
land,  having  now  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  rich  and  productive 
land  in  his  home  estate,  and  owning,  in  addition,  two  farms,  aggregating 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  in  Haddon  township.  As  a  general  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  he  carried  on  a  substantial  business  until  1904,  when  he 
retired  from  the  active  management  of  his  "farm,  although  he  still 
occupies  it. 

Mr.  Hoke  has  been  three  times  married.  He  married  first,  March 
17,  1859,  Mary  H.  Pearce,  who  was  born  December  23,  1835,  on  the  old 
Pearce  homestead,  situated  on  the  Sullivan  and  Knox  county  line.  She 
died  in  1867,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  Sarah  Isabelle,  deceased; 
Charles,  deceased;  and  Richard  William,  of  whom  a  brief  sketch  may 
be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume.  Mr.  Hoke  married,  second. 
Mary  M.  Polk,  who  spent  her  entire  life  in  Widner  township,  her  birth 
occurring  March  19,  1841,  and  her  death,  August  17,  1882.     Of  their 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PLK3LIC  LIBRARY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 

TILDtN   FOUNOATlONa. 


J 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  239 

union  three  children  were  born,  namely:  Rosie,  wife  of  French  Willis, 
of  Carlisle;  Charles  Edward,  born  May  30,  1880,  was  graduated  at 
Purdue  University,  after  which  he  did  post-graduate  work  in  Pittsburgh 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  now  an  electrician  in  old  Mexico;  and  Anna,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Hoke  married,  third,  December  23,  1883,  Miss  Alice  Scan- 
ling.  She  was  born  July  18,  1853,  m  Preble  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Emma  (Roe)  Scanling.  Her  father,  Mr.  Scanling,  was  born 
in  1 81 8  in  Ireland,  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man,  and  lived 
for  a  few  years  in  Ohio,  where  he  married  Miss  Roe,  who  was  born  in 
that  state  in  1830.  In  the  winter  of  1853-54  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Indiana,  locating  in  Knox  county,  where  he  bought  land,  and  was  subse- 
quently engaged  in  farming  and  carpentering  until  his  death  in  18^9. 
His  wife  died  on  the  home  farm  in  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoke  have  one 
child,  Glenn  Dora,  who  was  born  April  13,  1887.  She  was  graduated 
from  the  Vincennes  high  school  with  the  class  of  1906,  after  which  she 
attended  Rockford  College,  in  Rockford,  Illinois,  taking  both  vocal  and 
instrumental  music  at  the  conservatory  of  music  connected  with  that 
college.  Politically  Mr.  Hoke  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoke  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


John  Wesley  Woner  is  known,  to. the  citizens  of  Turman  township, 
Sullivan  county,  as  a  thrifty  fatrmer-  fee  the  acreage  which  he  attempts 
to  till,  and  also  as  being/, c0$heq ted', withs  the  grain  threshing  and  saw 
mill  industry,  which  he  follows  during  the  season  for  such  activities. 
Mr.  Woner  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Indiana,  August  2*j,  1840,  a 
son  of  David  and  Malinda  \^:.  (.Haytien)  Woner.  The  father  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  as  was  his  wife,  who  was  a-  native  of  Mercer  county,  that 
state.  They  were  married  in  Kentucky  about  1830,  and  between  then 
and  1840  they  moved  to  Madison  county,  Indiana,  but  later  went  to 
Wabash  county,  and  while  there  he  had  a  contract  for  the  construction 
of  the  Wabash  and  Indianapolis  railroad.  During  his  sojourn  there  and 
while  thus  actively  engaged,  he  disappeared  and  was  never  again  seen 
by  his  friends  and  family.  The  mother,  with  her  family,  then  removed 
to  Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  and  lived  there  until  her  son,  he  of  whom 
this  biography  is  written,  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  then  moved  to 
Orange  county,  Indiana,  where  the  family  resided. 

Mr.  Woner  has  one  brother,  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Orange  county, 
Indiana.  For  her  second  husband  the  subject's  mother  married  Jesse 
Burton  of  Sullivan  county. 

On  July  4,  1861 — the  first  year  of  the  Civil  war — John  W.  Woner 
enlisted  in  the  Twenty-fourth  Indiana  infantry,  being  a  member  of  Com- 
pany G,  under  Captain  Spicely,  of  Orleans,  Indiana.  He  served  until 
November  30,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States 
service  at  Galveston,  Texas,  and  finally  discharged  at  Indianapolis.  He 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Vicksburg,  Jackson  (Mississippi), 
Mobile  (Alabama)  and  lesser  engagements.     After  the  close  of  his  mili- 

Vol.  11—16 


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240  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

tary  life,  he  returned  to  Sullivan,  where  he  joined  his  mother  and  brother, 
who  had  moved  to  this  county  during  his  absence  in  the  army,  and  had 
located  east  of  Merom.  He  soon  began  farming  and  also  did  black- 
smithing  for  about  fifteen  years,  attending  to  his  farming  in  the  mean- 
time. His  shop  was  at  Graysville,  and  there  his  strength  was  expended 
at  the  forge  and  anvil,  which  was  quite  a  source  of  revenue  to  him.  His 
faithful  wife  owns  ninety  acres  of  choice  farming  land,  which  he  has 
worked  in  connection  with  considerable  stock  raising.  Beginning  as 
early  as  1874  Mr.  Woner  has  operated  a  threshing  machine  and  saw  mill 
in  their  respective  seasons. 

Politically  he  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  general  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  naturally  found  a  place  among  the  comrades  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  being  a  member  of  Richard  Burton 
Post.  He  was  happily  married  April  1,  1868,  to  Mrs.  Cynthia  A.  (Dodd) 
Brewer,  born  in  Curry  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Asbourn)  Dodd.  The  father  formerly  conducted  a  hotel  at  Sullivan. 
She  first  married  Samuel  Brewer,  who  died  within  a  few  years.  To 
that  union  three  children  were  born,  one  of  whom  now  survives — John 
E.  Brewer,  living  near  New  Lebanon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woner  have  two 
living  children  and  one  deceased.  They  are:  William  E.,  deceased; 
Hattie  G.,  now  the  wife  of  William  Strain,  and  they  reside  in  Turman 
township;  James  I.  married  Esther  U.  Moore  and  they  reside  with  the 
subject. 


Thomas  K.  Cushman,  a  retired  farmer,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war 
and  the  present  postmaster  of  Graysville,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is 
a  native  of  Turman  township,  born  November  19,  1837,  a  son  of  David 
and  Catherine  (Kennerley)  Cushman.  Of  the  father  it  may  be  said  that 
he  was  born  in  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  in  181 2,  and  died  in 
Turman  township  in  1868.  The  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1808 
and  died  in  the  same  township  as  her  husband  in  1880.  The  father  in 
18 18  went  to  Sullivan  county  with  his  parents,  Seth  and  Nancy  (Rundel) 
Cushman,  both  natives  of  New  York  state,  but  of  English  descent.  The 
Cushman  family  located  two  miles  southwest  of  what  is  now  Graysville, 
on  a  farm.  He  entered  eighty  acres  of  land  and  added  thereto  until  at 
his  death  in  1824  he  owned  two  hundred  acres.  His  wife  survived  him 
four  years.  The  children  born  to  Seth  Cushman  and  wife  were  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  David  Cushman 
was  practically  reared  in  Turman  township  and  followed  farming  all  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  successful  tiller  of  the  soil  and  at  one  time  owned 
four  hundred  acres  of  land.  Originally  he  was  a  Whig  in  politics  and 
later  went  into  the  Republican  ranks  as  soon  as  that  political  party  was 
formed.  Among  the  local  offices  he  held  may  be  named  that  of  township 
trustee,  which  position  he  filled  two  terms.  In  their  religious  faith  David 
and  Catherine  Cushman  were  Universalists  and  Christians  respectively. 
Their  children  were  as  follows:     Thomas  K.,  of  this  memoir;  Arbaces, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  241 

deceased;  John,  deceased;  Caroline,  wife  of  N.  M.  Cochran,  residing  in 
Waldron,  Illinois ;  Maria,  wife  of  G.  W.  Buff,  of  Sullivan ;  and  Mary, 
deceased. 

Thomas  K.  Cushman  obtained  his  early  training  in  the  district  schools 
and  later  Merom  Academy,  which  was  subsequently  merged  into  the 
Union  Christian  College.  He  then  taught  school  for  four  years  in  his 
native  township,  teaching  winters  and  farming  during  the  summer  months. 
He  continued  to  reside  at  home  until  July  26,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  I,  Sixth  Regiment  of  Indiana  cavalry,  as  a  private  soldier, 
serving  in  the  Union  cause  until  June  17,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  He  was  discharged  at 
Pulaski,  Tennessee,  and  mustered  out  at  Indianapolis.  Among  the  more 
important  battles  in  which  he  participated  was  Richmond,  Kentucky. 
He  was  with  General  Sherman  on  the  march  to  Atlanta  and  participated 
in  all  the  many  engagements  of  that  campaign,  including  the  siege  and 
capture  of  that  city.  After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  he  went  west  with  General 
Thomas'  command  in  pursuit  of  Hood's  army  and  fought  in  the  battles 
of  Franklin  and  Nashville.  By  reason  of  his  military  service  he  receives 
a  pension.  He  is  numbered  among  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army 
Post  known  as  "Joe  Kerns,"  at  Merom.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Grays- 
ville  lodge  No.  627,  F.  and  A.  M.,  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter  No.  81  at 
Sullivan  and  the  Commandery  at  the  same  place,  as  well  as  the  Eastern 
Star  No.  308,  at  Graysville.  After  the  war  Mr.  Cushman  returned  to 
Turman  township  and  engaged  in  farming,  in  which  he  continued  until 
1904,  when  he  moved  to  Graysville.  On  August  4,  1897,  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  under  President  McKinley's  administration,  and  is 
still  serving.  He  owns  a  handsome  residence  at  Graysville,  and  stands 
high  in  his  community. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  first,  September  27,  1866,  to  Louisa  Ann 
Cochran,  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  in  1842,  and  she  died  August 
10,  1877.  She  came"  to  Sullivan  county  in  1856  with  her  parents,  who 
located  southwest  of  Graysville.  The  following  children  were  born  of 
this  union:  Cora,  wife  of  Charles  Eno;  Mary,  wife  of  C.  E.  Medsker; 
Ambrose  G.,  who  married  Anna  Eno;  Roy  and  Charles  G.,  deceased. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Elizabeth  D.  Baker,  born  in  New  York 
state  May  30,  1858.  The  date  of  their  marriage  was  April  1,  1881. 
She  came  to  Indiana  in  i860  with  her  parents,  who  first  located  in  Sul- 
livan county,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  C.  E.  Medsker.  She  was 
educated  at  the  common  schools.  The  children  born  of  this  union  were 
as  follows:  Grace,  wife  of  C.  T.  Whitlock,  resides  in  Fairbanks  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county.  David  T.  married  Bertha  Lisman,  and  resides  at 
Farmersburg,  where  he  is  engaged  as  a  teacher.  He  received  instruction 
at  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom  and  in  the  State  Normal. 
Maria  is  the  wife  of  Clyde  Shields,  of  Turman  township.  Paul  J.  mar- 
ried Jessie  Yeager  and  resides  with  the  parents.  He  has  served  three 
Vears  in  the  regular  army — doing  duty  in  the  coast  artillery.  Agnes  is 
unmarried  and  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cushman  are  members  of  the 
Presbvterian  church. 


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242  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

• 

William  Adams,  numbered  among  the  foremost  farmers  of  his 
community,  is  a  native  of  Devonshire,  England,  born  on  the  9th  of 
April,  1830,  a  son  of  William  G.  and  Mary  Ann  (Tucker)  Adams,  both 
also  born  in  Devonshire  and  there  married.  He  was  a  farmer  in  his 
native  country,  and  in  1847  tne  family  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Clark  county,  Illinois,  where  they  lived  about  six  years  and  then  moved 
to  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county.  Later  William  Adams  purchased 
two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  Wabash  bottoms,  and  subsequently 
bought  in  all  eighteen  hundred  acres  in  this  county  and  in  Clark  county, 
Illinois.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat,  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  England.  The  children  born  to 
William  G.  and  Mary  Ann  (Tucker)  Adams  were  twelve  sons,  as  fol- 
lows: John,  William,  William  (2),  Thomas,  Sham,  George,  Richard  (a 
farmer  of  Turman  township),  Harry,  and  four  who  died  in  infancy. 
These  sons  are  all  deceased  with  the  exception  of  Richard  and  William, 
and  all  were  born  in  England  excepting  the  last  four  named — Harry 
being  the  first  born  in  America. 

William  Adams  remained  at  home  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  then  began  to  farm  for  himself,  selecting  for  his  field  of  operation 
Turman  township,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  ever  since.  He  was 
about  sixteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  emigrated  from  England. 
He  now  owns  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  the  famous  and  highly  fertile 
Wabash  valley,  and  is  an  extensive  raiser  of  Poland-China  swine  and 
red  Short-horn  cattle.  He  also  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres 
of  land  in  Crawford  county,  Illinois.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
has  been  married  twice,  first  in  1867  to  Harriet  Davis,  born  in  Lcgans- 
port,  Indiana.  One  daughter  was  born  of  this  union — Mary  Ann.  now 
deceased.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Adams  was  married  to  Anna  Logan 
in  1875.  She  was  born  near  Franklin,  Indiana,  and  died  in  1883.  By 
this  marriage  two  children  were  born:  Charles,  residing  in  East  St. 
Louis,  and  Harry,  born  March  29,  1881.  The  latter  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools,  and  married  Nora  Harris,  of  Crawford  county,  Illinois, 
February  22,  1882.  They  have  had  four  children,  Ora  (deceased), 
William  Earnest,  Clinton  Clay  and  Mildred.  Harry  Adams  and  family 
reside  on  the  farm,  and  he  operates  it  for  his  father.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Graysville. 


James  Kelly,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  more  than  five  hundred 
acres  of  excellent  land  and  a  resident  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan 
county,  is  a  native  of  Geauga  county,  Ohio,  born  March  9,  1838,  a  son 
of  James  and  Mary  Ann  (McFetridge)  Kelly.  The  father  was  born 
in  county  Derry,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  landing  in  New  York  city  with  but  two  dollars  in  his  pos- 
session. His  wife,  Mary  Ann  McFetridge,  came  about  the  same  time, 
and  they  were  united  in  marriage  two  years  later  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, later  coming  to   Ohio,  where  they   remained   until    1840,   and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  243 

thence  on  to  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  They  located 
on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  Wabash  river,  the  wife,  who  was  the  sub- 
ject's mother,  dying  about  one  year  after  their  arrival,  and  the  father 
died  in  September,  1859.  In  his  political  views  James  Kelly,  Sr.,  was  a 
Democrat.  His  occupation  was  that  of  a  farmer,  but  prior  to  his  coming 
here  and  while  in  Philadelphia  he  was  a  dyer  of  broadcloth  goods,  while 
in  Ireland  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  weaver  of  "Irish  linen."  At  his 
death  he  owned  a  thousand  acres  of  land.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife 
were  grounded  in  the  church  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination. 
Their  children  were:  Sarah,  deceased;  Margaret,  widow  of  William 
Crow;  and  James  Kelly,  Jr. 

James  Kelly,  our  subject,  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  labor,  and 
attended  the  district  schools  of  his  home  township.  Remaining  at  home 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  then  began  farming  on  his  father's 
farm  on  the  river  bottoms.  Here  he  has  remained  ever  since,  and  has 
come  to  be  known  as  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  prosperous  agricul- 
turists and  stock  raisers  within  the  limits  of  Sullivan  county.  On  his 
more  than  five  hundred  acres  of  land  he  carries  on  both  grain  and  stock 
raising.  He  raises  thoroughbred  Herefords  and  Short-horn  Durham 
cattle  and  Poland-China  swine,  of  which  he  usually  sells  about  three  car 
loads  annually.  Politically  Mr.  Kelly  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  one  of  the  original  promoters 
of  the  building  of  the  lev6e  in  his  section  of  the  state.  This  particular 
section  is  thirteen  miles  in  length,  and  cost  approximately  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Kelly,  it  should  be  said,  was  married 
in  1865  to  Adelia  Ann  Drake,  born  in  Turman  township,  on  the  Island, 
in  1844,  a  daughter  of  Preston  G.  and  Susan  (Bryan)  Drake.  The 
father  died  prior  to  his  daughter's  marriage  to  Mr.  Kelly.  Preston  G. 
Drake  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  a  son  of  Tarlton  and  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Sir  Francis  Drake.  Susan  Bryan,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a 
daughter  of  William  Bryan.  Two  children  have  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelly:  Augustus,  born  in  1867,  married  Annie  Mitchell, 
born  in  Derry,  Ireland,  and  has  one  son — James  A.  C.  Augustus  Kelly 
is  practicing  law  in  Chicago,  having  graduated  from  De  Pauw  University 
and  attended  the  State  University  at  Bloomington,  Indiana.  The  second 
son.  Otis,  born  in  1869,  married  Lucy  Martin,  of  Terre  Haute,  and  resides 
in  Turman  township.  He  attended  De  Pauw  University  two  years  and 
was  one  year  at  the  Terre  Haute  State  Normal. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Kelly  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 


Hon.  Thomas  Josiah  Mann,  deceased,  who  will  form  the  subject 
of  this  memoir,  was  a  native  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  born  March  12,  1848,  on  the  old  Mann  homestead.  He  was  a 
son  of  James  B.  and  Fidelia  (Turman)  Mann.  The  father  was  born  in 
Mercer  county,  Kentucky,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Josiah  T.  Mann,  corn- 


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244  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

monly  called  Judge  Mann.  Judge  Mann  was  born  in  Virginia  and  early 
in  his  life  went  to  Mercer  county,  Kentucky.  About  1819  he  removed 
to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  settling  near  Merom,  on  a  farm  to  the  east 
of  the  town.  Subsequently  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Merom. 
While  there  James  B.  Mann  and  wife  were  married.  Fidelia,  the  wife, 
was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Turman,  one  of  the  well  known  pioneers 
of  the  county  and  for  whom  Turman  township  was  named.  Later  they 
resided  in  Merom,  where  Judge  Mann  died,  after  which  they  moved  into 
the  house  with  the  widow  Mann  and  assisted  in  conducting,  the  hotel 
for  a  time,  but  in  1847  moved  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  Dr.  Durham, 
and  this  is  where  Hon.  Thomas  J.  Mann  was  born. 

Hon.  Thomas  J.  Mann,  of  this  notice  proper,  spent  his  boyhood 
days  midst  the  scenes  of  his  rural  home  and  attended  school  like  most 
of  the  boys  of  his  time.  He  assisted  with  the  farm  work  in  the  summer 
and  went  to  district  school  in  the  winter  months,  attending  the  Big 
Spring  School.  Among  his  teachers  were  Seth  Cushman  and  Messrs. 
Hall  and  John  T.  Phillips.  In  1865  he  went  to  Vincennes  and  entered 
the  university,  where  he  did  one  year's  work,  and  then  returned  home 
and  taught  school  two  terms.  This  was  the  first  demonstration  he  had 
of  the  people's  confidence  in  his  native  ability  to  accomplish  whatever 
he  undertook.  After  teaching  he  returned  to  farm  work,  and  there  put 
in  his  wonderful  energy.  In  1868  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father,  and  together  they  did  an  extensive  work  as  agriculturists  and 
stockmen.  This  relation  continued  until  1878,  when  Thomas  J.  was 
called  by  the  people  to  serve  as  clerk  of  the  circuit  courts,  which  position 
he  ably  filled  two  terms.  During  his  entire  clerkship  P.  R.  Jenkins 
served  as  his  deputy.  In  1882,  at  the  close  of  his  first  term  of  office, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  J.  L.  Durham,  his  brother-in-law  (see 
his  sketch),  in  the  farming  and  stock  raising  business,  which  continued 
without  change  or  friction  until  Mr.  Mann's  marriage,  in  1897,  when 
the  real  estate  owned  by  the  firm  was  divided.  After  Mr.  Mann  retired 
from  the  clerk's  office  he  made  his  home  with  Dr.  Durham,  devoting  his 
entire  attention  to  his  farming  interests.  The  firm  early  saw  the  great 
wealth  and  richness  of  soil  in  the  river  bottom  lands,  and  purchased  all 
the  acreage  offered  for  sale.  When  the  division  was  effected  they  owned 
seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land.  Later  they  increasd  their  holdings, 
and  at  his  death  he  owned  one  thousand  acres. 

Mr.  Mann  was  president  of  the  Sullivan  County  Agricultural  Society 
from  1889  to  1896.  In  political  choice  he  was  a  Democrat.  In  1885 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  I.  P.  Gray  as  a  delegate  to  the  Agricul- 
tural Congress  held  at  New  Orleans.  In  1896  he  was  elected  represen- 
tative from  Sullivan  county  to  the  state  legislature,  serving  during  the 
session  of  1897.  He  acted  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  Central  com- 
mittee in  1888.  In  1899,  after  the  county  reform  was  passed,  Mr.  Mann 
was  appointed  as  a  member  of  the  County  Council  by  Judge  MofTett, 
and  when  the  council  was  organized  he  was  chosen  its  chairman.  He 
was  an  honored  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Blue 
lodge,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  when  it  was  instituted  at 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  245 

Graysville.  lie  was  made  a  Master  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Chapter 
at  Sullivan. 

Concerning  his  domestic  relations  it  should  be  stated  that  he  was 
happily  married  March  9,  1897,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Ingersoll,  born  January 
4,  1861,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Ingersoll,  who  came  from  Indian- 
apolis in  186 1,  settling  near  Merom,  but  later  moved  to  Turman  town- 
ship, near  Graysville.  Mrs.  Mann's  father,  Henry  Ingersoll,  was  born 
in  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  a  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Laura  (Rose) 
Ingersoll.  He  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker  and  in  1836  he  located 
at  Greenfield,  Indiana,  but  afterward  moved  to  Indianapolis,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture  under  the  firm  name  of 
Sloan  &  Ingersoll  till  1862.  He  then  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  bought 
a  farm  in  Turman  township,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  1891. 
The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary  Dickinson.  She  was  born  in 
Bullitt  county,  Kentucky,  a  daughter  of  Isaiah  and  Polly  (Fraim)  Dick- 
inson. Archibald  Fraim,  the  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mann,  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Indians  when  seven  years  old  and  kept  until  twenty  years 
old.  After  this  he  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  owned  a  farm  in 
Bullitt  county,  Kentucky,  upon  which  were  located  some  of  the  famous 
salt  springs. 

Mrs.  Mann  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Indianapolis 
for  fourteen  years  and  was  very  popular  and  efficient  in  her  work  as  an 
instructor,  having  a  reputation  throughout  the  state.  Three  children 
blessed  this  marriage  union,  including  twins,  one  of  whom  still  survives — 
Thomas  Henry,  born  January  27,  1898.  Mary  Fidelia,  the  other  living 
child,  was  born  August  10,  1899.  Mrs.  Mann  is  a  member  of  the 
Plymouth  Congregational  church  of  Indianapolis.  The  family  reside  on 
the  farm  two  miles  to  the  west  of  Graysville,  the  same  being  known  as 
the  "Maple  Corner  Farm."  Since  the  death  of  Hon.  Thomas  J.  Mann, 
July  30,  1901,  Mrs.  Mann  has  added  one  hundred  and  forty-two  acres 
to  the  original  place.  She  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Graysville  Telephone 
Company  and  the  National  Bank  at  Sullivan.  In  1900  Mr.  Mann  went 
to  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  for  his  health,  and  spent  the  last  of  his 
life  there. 


Return  Jonathan  Turman,  who  comes  from  the  old  pioneer  fam- 
ily whose  name  is  attached  to  Turman  township,  is  an  enterprising  farmer 
of  that  section  of  Sullivan  county,  born  near  his  present  residence  July 
6,  1837,  a  son  °f  Thomas  and  Lavina  (White)  Turman.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Virginia  and  of  English  descent,  while  the  grandfather, 
Benjamin  Turman,  was  among  the  first  to  effect  a  settlement  in  Turman 
township,  which,  as  well  as  the  creek,  was  honored  with  his  name.  At 
one  time  he  possessed  twenty-five  hundred  acres  of  choice  land  within 
the  township.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  married  and  reared 
several  children,  including  Thomas.     Thomas  Turman,  the  father,  built 


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246  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

the  first  flour  mill  in  the  neighborhood,  located  near  Big  Springs,  the 
machinery  of  which  was  propelled  by  the  swift  falling  waters  of  Turman 
creek.  He  followed  both  milling  and  farming,  and  was  prominent  both 
in  business  and  public  matters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  state  legis- 
lature and  in  that  capacity  was  instrumental  in  the  passage  of  the  free 
school  bill.  In  his  political  views  he  was  thoroughly  Democratic.  That 
he  was  a  man  of  patriotism  it  is  only  necessary  to  add  that  he  was  a 
soldier  in  both  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mexican  wars,  the  land  warrant 
granted  him  in  recognition  of  his  services  having  the  name  of  Jefferson 
Davis  affixed  thereto.  Thomas  Turman  was  also  a  Mason  of  some 
prominence  and  stood  for  all  that  was  good,  progressive  and  true.  He 
married  Lavina  White,  who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  of  Scotch  extraction, 
and  the  daughter  of  William  White.  The  grandparents  on  both  sides 
of  the  family  migrated  to  Ohio  and  later  to  Sullivan  and  Fountain  coun- 
ties, Indiana,  the  Whites  settling  in  the  last  named  county,  where  they 
died.  The  children  born  to  Thomas  and  Lavina  (White)  Turman  were 
as  follows:  Angeline  and  William,  deceased;  Fidelia,  who  married 
James  B.  Mann,  and  now  resides  with  her  son-in-law ;  Lycurgus,  Charles 
R.  and  Thomas,  all  deceased;  Return  Jonathan,  of  this  sketch;  Martha, 
widow  of  Thomas  Collier  and  a  resident  of  Turman  township;  Mary, 
deceased;  John  Higbee;  and  two  or  three  other  children  who  died 
in  their  infancy. 

Return  Jonathan  Turman  lived  the  life  of  a  farmer  boy  and  attended 
the  district  schools  at  Big  Springs.  He  assisted  his  father  until  the  lat- 
ter's  death,  then  continued  with  his  mother  until  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  of  age,  after  which  he  commenced  farming  independently  on  the 
place  he  still  occupies,  which  contains  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  the  original  Turman  homestead,  the  title  having  always  been  in  the 
Turman  family  name.  Politically  Mr.  Turman  is  a  Democrat  and  in  his 
religious  relations  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 

On  April  3,  1864,  Mr.  Turman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Paulena 
Wible,  born  in  Turman  township,  in  1846,  and  she  was  a  sister  of 
William  W.  Wible,  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  work.  She  died  in  1889. 
The  children  born  of  this  union  were :  John  Edward,  of  Sullivan ; 
William  F.,  a  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  at  Terre  Haute;  Ira  L.,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Cynthiana,  Indiana ;  Walter  R.,  practicing  den- 
tistry in  Marshall,  Illinois ;  Flora,  wife  of  Rev.  William  Harney,  a  Ken- 
tucky clergyman ;  Dove  M.,  wife  of  William  Riggs,  of  Sullivan ;  Avarilla, 
wife  of  Leonard  Bostwick;  Hattie  A.,  Mrs.  Guy  Cushman;  Ross  J.,  a 
farmer ;  and  Hallie,  who  is  keeping  house  for  her  father. 


Dr.  Clarence  T.  Howard,  D.  V.  S.,  a  veterinary  surgeon  of  Sulli- 
van, Indiana,  was  born  May  26,  1878,  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township, 
a  son  of  William  W.  and  Rose  (Shake)  Howard,  both  born  in  Jefferson 
township,  where  they  still  reside  on  the  old  homestead.     (See  sketch  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  247 

James  D.  Howard.)  The  father  has  always  followed  farming  for  his 
livelihood.  He  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  served  as 
county  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county  from  1900  to  1902.  He  has  also 
been  a  trustee  of  Jefferson  township.  In  his  religious  belief  he  is  of 
the  Baptist  faith.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Howard 
are  as  follows:  Elmer,  who  resides  in  Florida;  Ora,  deceased;  Dr. 
Clarence  T.,  of  this  notice;  Hudson,  at  home;  Grover,  at  home;  and 
Claude,  at  home. 

Dr.  Clarence  T.  Howard  received  his  education  at  the  district  schools 
and  in  the  high  schools  at  Sullivan.  In  the  fall  of  1904  he  entered  the 
Indiana  Veterinary  College,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1907,  and 
immediately  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Sullivan,  where 
he  has  been  ever  since,  and  now  enjoys  a  lucrative  business.  His  office 
at  this  date  is  at  Knott  &  Park's  livery  barn. 

Like  most  true  American  citizens  the  Doctor  takes  an  interest  in 
the  political  welfare  of  his  country,  and  his  party  choice  is  that  of  the 
Democratic  party.  In  his  fraternal  affiliations  he  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  including  the  Encampment  degree. 
In  his  religious  faith  he  is  a  believer  in  that  taught  by  the  creed  of  the 
Baptist  church. 


.  Otho  Thomas  Collier. — A  widely  known  teacher  as  well  as  a 
farmer  and  man  of  affairs',  is  Otho  T.  Collier,  of  Turman  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  who  was  born  April  20,  1869,  in  this  township, 
his  father  being  Thomas  H.  Collier,  a  native  of  Rochester,  New  York. 
He  wTas  born  April  4,  1836,  and  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Sophia  (Cauble) 
Collier,  were,  so  far  as  is  now  known,  life-long  residents  of  the  Empire 
state.  About  1855  Thomas  H.  Collier  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  lived 
until  i860,  when  he  came  to  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  to  set 
up  a  sawmill  for  an  Ohio  firm.  On  April  8,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  I,  Seventy-first  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
went  south  with  his  regiment.  The  following  September  he  was  captured 
by  Morgan's  raiders,  but  was  soon  paroled  and  then  exchanged.  In 
February,  1863,  ne  was  transferred  to  the  Eighteenth  Regiment,  U.  S. 
Infantry,  and  one  year  later  was  assigned  to  Company  B,  Second  Bat- 
talion, U.  S.  Infantry.  He  was  quartermaster  sergeant  of  this  regiment 
and  was  promoted  to  sergeant  of  Company  B,  being  also  acting  quarter- 
master sergeant  of  the  brigade.  He  was  with  General  Sherman  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign  until  the  battle  of  Jonesboro.  In  October,  1865,  Mr. 
Collier  was  detailed  as  clerk  at  General  Palmer's  headquarters,  Jefferson 
barracks,  St.  Louis,  and  served  with  such  until  honorably  discharged  in 
February,  1866. 

Mr.  Collier  then  returned  to  Turman  township  and  for  some  time 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber  and  shingles.  Turning  his 
attention  then  to  farming  and  stockraising,  he  continued  in  this  until  his 
death  in  1903.     He  married  Martha  M.  Turman,  who  was  born  in  Turman 


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248  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

township,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Susanna  Lavina  (White)  Turman, 
and  a  granddaughter  of  Benjamin  Turman,  the  first  settler  of  the  town- 
ship. Mrs.  Collier  still  occupies  the  old  homestead  which  is  pleasantly 
situated  on  an  elevation  overlooking  the  Wabash  valley.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church,  as  was  her  husband.  He  was  a  Democrat  and 
served  as  township  trustee  for  four  years.  Three  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  H.  Collier :  Otho  Thomas,  of  this  sketch ;  Theron 
L.,  residing  in  Indianapolis ;  and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy. 

Otho  T.  Collier  obtained  his  education  at  the  Big  Springs  district 
schools  and  also  attended  the  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom.  Having 
thus  properly  fitted  himself  for  the  duties  of  a  teacher  he  began  teaching, 
and  continued  thus  for  fourteen  years.  He  generally  taught  during  the 
winter  months  and  put  in  the  summers  at  farm  work.  He  now  owns 
an  excellent  farm  consisting  of  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  one  of  the 
choice  portions  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county.  This  place  he 
superintends  and  has  it  devoted  to  grain  and  stockraising. 

Mr.  Collier  has  been  very  prominent  in  public  affairs.  He  was  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Island  Levee  Association  and  was  elected  .clerk  of 
this  organization,  serving  continuously  since.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors.  He  was  associated  with  Dr.  J.  L.  Durham  and 
William  A.  Pound  in  organizing  the  Turman  Township  Telephone  Com- 
pany, and  was  secretary  of  the  same.  Mr.  Collier  has  served  several 
years  as  trustee  of  Turman  township.  At  the  time  he  was  elected  the 
district  system  prevailed.  During  the  time  he  was  trustee  the  present 
admirable  system  of  graded  schools  was  inaugurated.  There  was  a  com- 
modious building  erected  at  Graysville,  where  eight  schools  are  united 
under  one  roof,  the  scholars  being  carried  to  and  from  their  homes,  and 
Mr.  Collier  caused  to  be  placed  in  the  Graysville  school  the  department 
of  domestic  science  and  manual  training.  The  transportation  is  paid  for 
by  the  township,  and  the  schools  of  Turman  township  now  vie  with  the 
best  in  the  state. 

Politically  Mr.  Collier  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and 
was  elected  township  trustee  of  Turman  township  in  1904,  taking  his 
seat  January  1,  1905.  He  is  connected  with  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows 
and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  fraternities,  all  of  Graysville,  Indiana. 
He  belongs  to  the  Blue  lodge  of  the  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  at  Graysville,  of 
which  he  was  a  charter  member;  the  subordinate  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  Encampment  at  Sullivan,  having  filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  subordi- 
nate lodge  and  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  In  the  Woodmen 
he  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Graysville  camp. 

Mr.  Collier  was  married  September  30,  1896,  to  Estella  Phillips, 
born  in  Turman  township  November  28,  1873,  and  educated  in  her  native 
township.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Leander  and  Louisa  (Herndon)  Phillips. 
The  father  was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  mother  in  Indiana,  and  both  now 
reside  at  Big  Springs,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collier  are  the  parents 
of  one  son,  Ralph  T.,  born  April  1,  1898.  Mrs.  Collier  is  an  exemplary 
member  of  the  Christian  church. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  249 

Joseph  Gray,  who  with  his  wife  is  joint  owner  of  a  fine  three 
hundred  and  forty  acre  farm  in  Turman  township,  this  county,  is  one 
of  the  successful  agriculturists  who  has  helped  to  develop  this  section  of 
the  state,  and  by  marriage  is  connected  with  a  family  which  not  only 
was  among  the  pioneers  of  the  territory  of  Indiana,  but  gave  its  name  to 
the  township  in  which  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Gray  is  a  native  of  Sullivan, 
born  October  19,  1852,  and  is  a  son  of  Joseph  Gray  (born  in  Frankfort, 
Kentucky,  in  1803)  and  a  grandson  of  Thomas  Gray,  who  was  an  early 
settler  of  Kentucky  and  a  pioneer  of  Turman  township,  where  he  settled 
in  18 18.  For  several  years  the  grandfather  operated  a  saw  and  grist  mill 
on  Turman  creek,  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  the  present  town 
of  Graysville,  and  in  that  locality  he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life.  In 
his  earlier  years  the  father  of  our  subject  assisted  in  the  conduct  of  this 
enterprise,  but  later  engaged  in  various  other  industrial  and  agricul- 
tural occupations  at  various  points  in  Sullivan  county.  At  one  time  he 
was  a  manufacturer  of  woolen  goods  at  Sullivan  and  later  engaged  in 
farming  in  Curry  township,  where  at  one  time  he  owned  a  full  section 
of  land.  He  was  also  a  contractor  in  the  building  of  the  Evansville  and 
Terre  Haute  railroad  and  achieved  such  a  decided  success  in  this  capacity 
that  the  company  awarded  him  the  prize  offered  for  the  contractor  who 
completed  his  section  first,  Mr.  Gray  thereby  securing  a  quarter  section 
of  land  in  Sullivan,  which  he  platted  into  lots.  Joseph  Gray,  Sr.,  platted 
the  town  of  Graysville,  which  was  named  in  his  honor,  and  then  estab- 
lished the  woolen  mill  which  he  operated  for  a  time,  and  then  returned 
to  Turman  creek,  where  he  conducted  a  similar  establishment  for  a 
number  of  years,  after  which  he  lived  in  retirement  until  his  death, 
August  4,  1875.  He  was  a  strong  Democrat  and  an  influential  man  of 
public  affairs,  serving  one  term  as  county  treasurer.  The  wife  of  the 
deceased  was  formerly  Miss  Nancy  Sherman,  a  native  of  Virginia.  She 
died  in  January,  1877,  the  mother  of  the  following  children:  Simon, 
William,  Benjamin,  Martha,  Leanah,  James,  Mary  (widow  of  Dr.  A. 
Cushman),  Thomas  and  Joseph.  Leanah,  Mary  and  Joseph  are  the 
only  ones  now  living. 

Joseph  Gray,  of  this  sketch,  received  his  earlier  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  home  locality  and  pursued  advanced  courses  at  the 
Union  Christian  College  at  Merom.  He  lived  with  his  parents  until  he 
was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  after  which  for  several  years  he  was  em- 
ployed by  neighboring  farmers  and  then  associated  himself  in  a  mer- 
cantile venture  with  his  brother-in-law,  Frank  Turman.  This  association 
continued  for  some  time,  after  which  Mr.  Gray  conducted  the  business 
independently  for  about  two  years,  when  he  resumed  farming  and  stock 
raising.  Mr.  Gray  has  always  been  an  active  Democrat  and  deeply  con- 
cerned in  the  public  affairs  of  the  county.  For  five  years  he  served  as 
assessor  of  Turman  township,  and  has  since  been  a  member  of  the 
advisory  board. 

In  September,  1874,  Mr.  Gray  wedded  Miss  Cornelia  M.  Turman, 
a  native  of  the  township  which  is  honored  with  her  family  name,  born 
January   1,   1857.     ^er  father,  William  Harvey  Turman,  was  born  in 


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250  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

that  township  May  4,  1819.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Hon.  Thomas 
Turman,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Bedford  county,  August  18, 
1796.  Benjamin  Turman,  the  great-grandfather,  was  also  a  son  of  the 
Old  Dominion,  where  the  American  branch  of  the  family  was  first  estab- 
lished. Great-grandfather  Turman  migrated  from  his  Virginia  home  to 
Champaign  county,  Ohio,  and  after  living  in  that  locality  a  short  time 
went  to  Kentucky.  In  1810  he  made  another  move  westward,  this  time 
locating  in  the  territory  of  Indiana  and  becoming  the  first  settler  of  what 
is  now  Turman  township.  He  there  secured  a  tract  of  government  land 
in  section  25,  and  the  log  cabin  which  he  there  built  often  became  the 
refuge  of  the  early  settlers  from  Indian  attacks.  It  was  here  that  both 
he  and  his  wife,  Sarah  Flowers,  resided  and  passed  the  last  years  of 
their  lives.  The  son  of  this  sturdy  pioneer  couple  was  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Turman,  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Gray,  who  not  only  assisted  his  father 
in  farming  but  became  an  enterprising  transportation  agent  of  these  early 
times,  owning  and  operating  flat  boats  by  which  he  conveyed  hogs,  lumber 
and  other  products  of  the  country  down  the  Wabash,  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers  to  New  Orleans.  He  also  built  and  operated  the  first  flour 
mill  in  the  neighborhood,  and  in  addition  to  these  many  enterprises  he 
was  an  extensive  raiser  of  live  stock,  at  his  death  being  quite  wealthy 
and  the  owner  of  a  large  estate.  Like  other  men  of  mark  he  served  in 
both  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mexican  wars,  and  his  standing  was  such 
in  every  way  that  he  was  sent  to  the  state  legislature  as  a  representative 
of  his  district,  where  among  other  important  aflfairs  that  he  championed 
was  that  providing  for  the  establishment  of  free  schools  in  the  state  of 
Indiana.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  fraternally  a  Mason.  He 
died  in  his  sixty-sixth  year  universally  respected  for  his  stalwart  character 
and  broad  and  useful  works. 

The  wife  of  Thomas  Turman,  Susannah  Lavinia  White,  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  November  1,  1801,  daughter  of  William  White,  a 
native  of  Washington  county,  Virginia,  born  March  27,  1776,  while  the 
great-great-great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Gray,  William  White,  was  an  Eng- 
lishman born  in  London,  who  came  to  America  during  the  colonial  times 
and  settled  in  Virginia,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days.  His 
son,  William  White,  great-great-grand  father  of  Mrs.  Gray,  married  Miss 
Mary  Johnson,  resided  for  a  time  near  Abingdon,  southwest  Virginia,  and 
during  the  Revolutionary  war  period  migrated  to  Tennessee  and  settled 
in  Greene  county.  William  White,  the  great-grandfather  of  Mrs.  Gray, 
was  but  an  infant  when  his  parents  moved  to  Tennessee.  After  his 
marriage  he  settled  in  Rowan  county,  North  Carolina,  where  he  remained 
until  18 1 5,  which  marks  the  year  of  his  coming  to  Turman  township, 
Sullivan  county.  In  1823  he  made  another  change  in  location,  settling 
in  Fountain  county,  and  several  years  thereafter  permanently  located  in 
Vermilion  county,  where  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-six  years 
and  eleven  months.  The  deceased  was  married  three  times,  the  maiden 
name  of  his  first  wife,  great-grandmother  of  Mrs.  Gray,  being  Ann  Wilkes 
Balch.  She  was  a  native  of  Greenville,  Tennessee,  born  February  17; 
1776,  so  that  both  Mr.  White  and  his  wife  were  born  in  the  year  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  251 

American  independence.  Mrs.  White  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Hezekiah 
Balch,  son  of  James  and  Ann  (Bloomer)  Balch,  natives  respectively  of 
England  and  Wales,  who  came  to  America  in  the  colonial  period,  residing 
for  a  time  in  Virginia,  whence  they  removed  to  Tennessee  and  became 
pioneer  settlers  of  that  state.  The  above  genealogy  is  from  a  work  com- 
piled by  Rev.  A.  F.  White,  LL.  D. 

Continuing  the  sketch  of  William  Harvey  Turman,  the  father  of 
Mrs.  Gray,  it  may  be  added  that  throughout  life  he  was  an  industrious 
and  successful  farmer,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  May  3,  1900,  owned 
one  thousand  acres  of  land,  the  greater  portion  of  which  was  highly 
improved.  The  deceased  was  a  firm  and  active  Democrat,  and  served 
as  trustee  of  his  township.  He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Sally  Ann 
Taylor,  and  secondly  to  Nancy  Ann  Bridwell,  mother  of  Mrs.  Gray. 
She  died  in  May,  1880. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Josepn  Gray  are  as  follows: 
Nancy,  now  deceased;  William  H.,  born  in  1878,  who  married  Bertha 
Moore  of  Turman  township  and  is  the  father  of  two  children — Joseph 
and  Marjorie;  Frank,  who  is  now  a  traveling  salesman  for  Havens  and 
Geltin,  an  Indianapolis  house;  Arbaces,  a  merchant  of  New  Lebanon; 
and  Nellie,  who  is  living  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mrs.  Gray  and  her 
daughter  are  active  members  of  the  Christian  church  at  Big  Springs. 


John  L.  Durham,  M.  D.,  was  well  known  as  a  practitioner  in  this 
section  of  the  state  until  1887,  when  he  also  engaged  in  the  business  of 
farming  and  stock  raising,  since  which  time  he  has  not  only  continued 
his  medical  practice  but  become  well  known  throughout  a  wide  extent 
of  country  by  reason  of  his  well-bred  stock,  which  is  raised  and  fed  upon 
the  farm  of  which  he  has  the  superintendence.  Doctor  Durham  is  a 
native  of  Boyle  county,  Kentucky,  born  October  26,  1844,  and  is  a  son 
of  Jesse  Y.  and  Martha  (Tarkington)  Durham.  Concerning  his  ancestry, 
it  should  be  stated  that  his  grandfather,  John  Durham,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  coming  to  Kentucky  with  his  parents  when  a  boy.  In  that 
state  he  married  Celia  Bugg,  a  Kentucky  woman,  and  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  farming.  The  grandfather  mentioned  participated 
in  the  famous  Clark  expedition  up  the  Wabash  river  at  a  very  early  date 
in  the  country's  history.     There  were  seven  children  in  his  family. 

Jesse  Y.  Durham,  the  father,  was  born  in  November,  1820,  in 
Mercer  (now  Boyle)  county,  Kentucky,  was  a  farmer  and  in  the  spring 
of  1850  moved  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  remaining  on  his  farm 
therein  until  his  death,  August  26,  1907.  Politically  he  was  an  old-time 
Democrat  and  was  elected  to  the  Indiana  legislature  in  1873,  serving 
one  session.  In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  belonged  to  the  Blue  lodge. 
In  August,  1843.  ne  was  niarried,  in  Kentucky,  to  Martha  Tarkington, 
born  in  Giles  county,  Tennessee,  April  29,  1820.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
faithful  Methodist,  died  January  2,  1892.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jesse  Y.  Durham  were  as  follows :  John  L.,  of  this  sketch ;  George, 


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252  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

who  resides  on  a  farm  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana ;  Crittenden,  living 
in  the  state  of  Washington ;  Julia,  deceased ;  Laura,  widow  of  William 
Rue,  who  passed  his  life  in  Danville,  Kentucky,  Mrs.  Rue  now  residing 
in  Indianapolis ;  Joseph  P.,  a  resident  of  Indianapolis,  identified  as  book- 
keeper with  the  Stewart  Drug  Company ;  Joshua  B.,  who  forms  the  sub- 
ject of  another  sketch  on  other  pages  of  this  work ;  William  Y.,  living  in 
Waveland,  Montgomery  county,  arid  with  his  brother,  Dr.  Durham, 
owning  the  old  homestead ;  and  Cornelius,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Dr.  John  L.  Durham  was  reared  on  the  Indiana  farm  and  obtained 
his  earlier  education  at  the  district  schools  of  Montgomery  county  and 
then  attended  for  a  short  time  the  Waveland  Academy,  of  that  county. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  A.  T.  Steele,  at  Waveland,  and 
continued  it  four  years  under  his  instruction.  In  the  autumn  of  1877 
he  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Louisville  (Kentucky)  Univer- 
sity, graduating  from  the  same  in  1880,  and  then  practicing  at  Waveland 
for  a  short  time.  In  1879  he  went  to  Merom,  practiced  there  for  a  short 
time,  attended  lectures  at  Louisville,  and  in  January,  1881,  located  at 
Graysville.  There  he  continued  in  active  professional  work  until  the  fall 
of  1887,  when  he  moved  to  the  James  B.  Mann  homestead,  about  two 
miles  west  of  Graysville,  which  he  successfully  operates  as  a  stock  farm 
and  also  maintains  a  large  professional  practice  in  his  neighborhood. 
Originally  the  Doctor  owned  about  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land,  but 
after  giving  some  to  his  children  and  selling  other  tracts,  he  now  owns 
about  one  thousand  acres.  He  superintends  this  extensive  place,  which 
is  devoted  to  grain  and  stock-raising  purposes,  his  specialty  in  live  stock 
being  the  breeding  of  high-grade  Polled  Durham  cattle  and  thoroughbred 
Berkshire  swine,  selling  of  the  latter  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  head 
a  year.  He  also  raises  mules  on  an  extensive  scale.  Early  in  the  eighties 
Dr.  Durham  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Thomas  J. 
Mann  (who  lived  with  the  Doctor  before  his  marriage),  and  they  carried 
on  farming  and  stock  and  poultry  raising,  the  latter  including  wild  geese 
and  Pekin  ducks.  At  one  time  he  owned  over  twenty-three  hundred  acres 
of  land. 

Dr.  Durham  was  the  president  of  the  Merom  Bluff  Chautauqua  Asso- 
ciation for  three  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Associa- 
tion, Indiana  Medical  Society,  County  Medical  Society,  and  the  ^Escula- 
pian  Association.  In  his  religious  relations  the  Doctor  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and 
during  the  administration  of  the  late  President  Cleveland  served  on  the 
United  States  pension  board.  On  February  18,  1908,  he  was  nominated 
for  representative  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  was  elected  representative 
of  Sullivan  county,  November  3,  1908.  In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is 
associated  with  the  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 

Dr.  Durham  was  united  in  marriage  October  5,  188 1,  to  Mrs.  Mary 
(Mann)  Davis,  who  was  born  in  Turman  township,  this  county,  October 
20,  1850,  on  the  farm  upon  which  she  now  resides.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  James  B.  and  Fidelia  (Turman)  Mann,  sketches  of  whom  appear  in 
other  pages.    Three  children  have  been  born  to  Dr.  Durham  and  his  wife: 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  253 

Thomas  Mann,  the  eldest,  was  born  September  29,  1884,  and  attended 
the  Union  Christian  College,  at  Merom,  and  Purdue  University,  at  which 
institution  he  took  the  agricultural  course.  He  married  Lora  Ridgeway, 
born  in  Fairbanks  township,  and  they  reside  with  the  Doctor.  James 
Jesse,  the  second  child,  was  born  April  10,  1886,  pursued  a  course  at  the 
Union  Christian  College,  and  is  now  in  his  third  year  at  the  Wabash 
College,  where  he  is  taking'  a  scientific  course,  a  member  of  the  class  of 
1910.  Martha  Fidelia,  the  only  daughter,  who  was  born  March  25,  1888, 
attended  college  at  Merom,  and  is  now  a  student  at  the  Western  College, 
of  Oxford,  Ohio. 

Concerning  Mrs.  Durham's  great-grandfather,  Benjamin  Turman,  it 
may  be  stated  that  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  he  built  a  fort  on  his 
land  which  was  known  as  Fort  Turman.  The  first  white  man  to  be  buried 
in  the  cemetery  on  the  knoll  opposite  Dr.  Durham's  residence  was  shot  in 
that  locality  while  going  for  a  pail  of  water  to  the  creek  which  still  runs 
past  the  family  home. 


James  Milligan  Moore,  of  Turman  township,  who  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising farmers  of  Sullivan  county  and  one  of  the  veterans  of  the  Civil 
war,  is  a  native  of  Jay  county,  Indiana,  born  April  9,  1845,  a  son  of 
William  and  Caroline  (Vail)  Moore.  His  father  was  born  in  Perry 
county,  Ohio,  June  27,  1819,  and  died  in  Jay  county,  January  16,  1892, 
being  of  Irish  descent  and  a  lifelong  and  successful  farmer.  The  mother, 
of  Welsh  extraction,  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  in  1823,  and  died 
in  Jay  county  in  1855.  This  worthy  couple  were  united  in  marriage  in 
Jay  county,  where  they  both  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  In  his 
political  belief  William  Moore  was  a  firm  Republican,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he 
was  a  class  leader.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  six  children : 
Isaac  Marshall,  deceased ;  Lydia  Ann,  now  the  wife  of  Zadock  Lanham 
and  a  resident  of  Christian  county,  Illinois;  James  M.,  of  this  memoir; 
Rebecca  and  Emma,  deceased ;  and  Alwilda,  wife  of  Ira  Oborn,  who  lives 
in  California. 

James  M.  Moore  was  reared  on  the  farm,  attended  the  district  schools 
and  two  terms  at  Liber  (Indiana)  College.  On  September  19,  1863,  he 
enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavalry  Regiment, 
and  served  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion  until  September  19,  1865,  when  he 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  being 
honorably  discharged  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  Among,  others  he  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Springhill,  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and 
was  fortunate  in  that  he  never  received  a  wound  in  the  two  years  of  his 
service.  In  common  with  other  comrades-at-arms,  he  is  now  receiving  a 
pension  for  his  military  services. 

For  two  years  following  the  war  Mr.  Moore  farmed  in  Jay  county, 
Indiana ;  then  went  to  Sullivan  county,  first  locating  at  Merom,  and  soon 
afterward  in  Turman  township,  there  engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
These  have  occupied  his  busy  and  useful  life  ever  since,  with  the  excep- 


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254  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

tion  of  three  years  (1878-1881)  which  he  spent  in  Jay  county.  Mr. 
Moore's  farm  comprises  ninety  acres  of  excellent  land,  all  within  Turman 
township,  and  besides  his  agricultural  interests  he  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Terre  Haute  &  Merom  Traction  Railway  Company  and  the  Turman 
Township  Telephone  Company.  Politically  he  believes  in  the  cardinal 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  naturally  and  fittingly  enjoys 
membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  belonging  to  the  Sulli- 
van Post. 

Referring  to  Mr.  Moore's  domestic  life,  it  may  be  said  that  he  was 
married  on  March  15,  1871,  to  Sarah  Jane  Burton,  who  is  a  native  of 
the  township  in  which  she  now  resides,  born  March  1,  1850,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Sherrod  and  Eletha  (Burks)  Burton.  Her  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Kentucky,  and  in  the  thirties,  when  young,  were  brought  by 
their  parents  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  were 
born  three  children:  Amy  Theressa,  born  January  10,  1872,  who  attended 
the  Union  Christian  College  (Merom),  and  is  still  living  at  home; 
William  Sherrod,  born  October  18,  1875,  who  married  Dora  Phillips 
(also  born  in  Turman  township)  and  is  the  father  of  Mina,  Earl  and 
James;  and  Grace  Gertrude,  born  March  23,  1881,  who  was  also  educated 
at  Union  Christian  College,  is  unmarried  and  engaged  in  the  millinery 
business  at  Farmersburg,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  and  their  family 
are  all  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


George  Washington  Nowlin,  who  is  a  large  land-owner  and 
agriculturist  of  the  famous  Wabash  Valley  bottoms  in  Sullivan  county, 
was  born  February  7,  1853,  on  a  farm  in  Fayette  county,  Illinois.  He  is 
the  son  of  Bryant  and  Mary  M.  (Stokes)  Nowlin;  and  the  father,  also 
being  a  native  of  Fayette  county,  was  born  September  13,  1828,  and  died 
on  his  farm  near  Decatur,  Macon  county,  Illinois,  August  26,  1903.  Mary 
M.  Stokes,  the  mother,  was  also  a  native  of  that  county,  born  February  5, 
1830,  and  died  in  July,  1907.  They  were  united  in  marriage  about  1852 
in  Fayette  county.  After  he  reached  manhood  Bryant  Nowlin  always 
followed  farming  for  his  livelihood.  Prior  to  that  time  he  had  been 
employed  as  a  clerk  on  one  of  the  merchant  boats  plying  the  Mississippi 
river  between  St.  Louis  and  Alton,  and  also  drove  a  stage  coach  between 
these  points.  Until  the  late  fifties  he  farmed  in  Fayette  county,  Illinois, 
and  then  moved  to  Macon  county,  that  state,  where  he  followed  the  same 
calling  until  his  death,  he  and  his  faithful  wife  both  dying  on  the  same 
farm.  At  his  death  he  owned  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  valuable 
farming  land.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
George  W.,  of  this  memoir;  Francis  M.,  who  is  single  and  lives  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Macon  county,  Illinois ;  Charlotte,  unmarried,  lives  with 
Francis ;  Douglass,  married,  and  is  a  resident  of  Macon  county,  and  five 
others  who  died  in  infancy.  The  Nowlins  are  English,  while  the  Stokes 
are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 

George  W.  Nowlin,  of  this  review,  received  his  early  education  in 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  255 

the  district  schools  of  Macon  county  and  later  attended  the  high  school 
at  Decatur,  Illinois,  after  which  for  one  year  he  attended  the  Indiana 
State  Normal  at  Terre  Haute,  having  previously  taught  school  for  one 
term.  After  leaving  that  institution  he  taught  in  Sullivan  county  for 
nine  years,  and  during,  this  period  read  law  in  Sullivan  with  Sewel  Coul- 
son.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  about  1882,  and 
served  as  deputy  prosecuting  attorney  under  Perry  H.  Blue.  After  aban- 
doning teaching,  Mr.  Nowlin  was  drawn  toward  the  farm  again,  and 
began  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  on  the  Wabash  bottoms  in  the  western 
part  of  Turman  township,  where  he  has  continued  ever  since.  In  1902  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  the  town  of 
Graysville,  upon  which  he  moved  the  year  of  his  purchase.  He  also  owns 
a  quarter  section  on  the  river  bottoms  proper,  conducting  both  a  general 
farming  and  stock  business,  the  latter  comprising  the  raising  of  hogs, 
cattle  and  horses.  Besides  the  farming  operations  of  Mr.  Nowlin  he  is  a 
director  and  president  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Island  Levee  Asso- 
ciation, which  was  duly  organized  under  the  state  laws  and  incorporated 
in  September,  1902.  This  dike,  or  levee,  is  between  thirteen  and  fourteen 
miles  in  length.  He  is  also  interested  in  Chautauqua  work,  being  a 
director  and  assistant  secretary  of  the  Merom  Bluff  Association.  A 
Democrat  in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
active  in  all  commendable  works  of  reform  and  charity,  he  is  a  citizen 
of  practical  ability  and  decided  usefulness. 

Mr.  Nowlin  was  married  in  August,  1881,  to  Delia  Turman,  born  in 
Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  February  9,  i860,  in  the  house  on 
Turman  Creek  in  which  she  was  reared  and  in  which  she  died  in  October, 
1894.  Mrs.  Delia  Nowlin  was  a  daughter  of  William  H.  Turman,  grand- 
daughter of  Thomas  Turman  and  great-granddaughter  of  Benjamin  Tur- 
man, the  first  settler  of  Turman  township.  The  children  born  of  this 
union  were  as  follows :  William  B.,  born  August  26,  1882,  who  married 
Ruth  Burton,  and  is  now  a  widower  residing  on  the  home  place;  Roy 
Douglas,  born  April  7,  1886,  unmarried,  and  living  at  home;  Pearl,  born 
February  5,  1888,  residing  with  Mr.  Nowlin's  sister  in  Macon  county, 
Illinois;  and  Emmet,  born  April  17,  1891,  unmarried,  and  also  at  home. 

For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Nowlin  married,  April  26,  1896,  Lillie 
Cooper,  born  in  Clark  county,  Illinois,  September  22,  1874,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  Cass  and  Jane  (Dix)  Cooper,  both  natives  of  the  county  named. 
The  latter  died  September  16,  1894,  and  the  father  is  now  residing  in 
Missouri,  near  Willow  Springs.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Nowlin,  David 
Cooper,  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  pioneer  of  Clark  county,  Illinois. 
He  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  which  business  he  conducted  at  his  home  near 
West  York.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Kelly  Dix,  was  also  a  pioneer 
of  Clark  county  and  a  wheelwright  and  wagonmaker.  He  operated  a 
shop  at  his  home  in  Clark  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nowlin  have  been 
blessed  by  the  following  children:  Edward,  born  May  12,  1897;  Mabel, 
born  September  26,  1899;  and  Archie,  born  July  2,  1902.  The  mother  was 
educated  in  Clark  county  and  there  prior  to  her  marriage  taught  four 
terms  of  school. 
Vol.  11—17 


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256  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Joshua  Bell  Durham,  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Turman  town- 
ship, who  is  also  interested  in  various  other  business  affairs,  is  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  born  May  19,  i860,  a  son  of  Jesse  Youce 
and  Martha  (Tarkington)  Durham  (see  sketch  of  Dr.  Durham).  Joshua 
B.  was  born  and  reared  on  a  farm.  His  education  was  such  as  is  afforded 
at  the  public  schools.  He  remained  under  the  parental  roof-tree  until 
he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Graysville  and  com- 
menced farming,  which  he  followed  there  three  years,  and  then  went  to 
Danville,  Kentucky,  where  he  engaged  in  the  horse  business  in  company 
with  his  brother-in-law,  W.  M.  Rue.  They  conducted  a  feed  and  training 
stable  and  also  sold  horses  for  about  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then  went  to 
Rossville,  Illinois,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  and  buying  and  selling 
horses  for  two  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Terre  Haute,  where  he 
was  made  the  manager  of  the  Edgewood  Stock  Farm,  owned  by  W.  E. 
McKeen,  Sr.,  of  Terre  Haute.  He  managed  this  place  for  seven  years, 
and  then  went  to  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  has  since 
been  located  and  operating  a  farm  as  well  as  raising  stock.  He  also  has 
come  to  be  an  extensive  dealer  in  mules  and  jennets,  besides  buying  and 
selling  large  quantities  of  horses.  His  cattle  are  of  the  Poll  Angus  and 
Durham  breeds.  The  farm  where  he  carries  on  these  successful  opera- 
tions consists  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  Gill  township,  but  he 
•lives  on  the  Thomas  Mann  ranch  of  eleven  hundred  acres,  which  affords 
him  an  abundant  range  for  his  stock. 

Politically  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  his  lodge 
affiliations  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  of  Montgomery 
county.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  the  president  of  the  Graysville  Horse 
Company;  also  a  stockholder  and  a  director  of  the  Turman  Township 
Threshing  Machine  Company,  and  is  a  shareholder  in  the  Terre  Haute  & 
Merom  Traction  Company. 

Mr.  Durham  was  first  married,  late  in  the  eighties  and  while  yet 
residing,  in  Illinois,  to  Sittie  Ellis,  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana. 
She  died  after  about  seven  years  of  married  life.  One  child  was  born  of 
this  union,  but  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Durham  was  married  the  second 
time,  October  5,  1898,  to  Miss  Nellie  Manning,  born  in  Terre  Haute  in 
1872.  She  was  reared  in  Terre  Haute  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
accompanied  her  parents,  W.  B.  and  Lizzie  (Mann)  Manning,  to  their 
farm.  The  father  is  now  deceased  and  the  mother  resides  in  Turman 
township.  By  Mr.  Durham's  second  marriage  three  children  were  born: 
Laura  Elizabeth,  Marion  Youse  and  Lelia  Belle. 

While  not  belonging  to  any  church  organization,  Mr.  Durham  was 
reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


William  Benjamin  Manning,  who  was  a  painter  and  deco- 
rator early  in  life,  and  later  a  farmer  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  April  13,  1834,  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  a  son  of 
Horatio  Nelson  Manning,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  of  English 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  257 

descent.  He  married  Pauline  Hodge,  born  in  Germany.  They  were 
married  in  Terre  Haute  in  1830.  Horatio  Manning  "run  the  river,"  a 
term  applied  to  the  persons  who  followed  a  boatman's  life  along  the 
great  water  courses  of  the  country.  He  operated  boats  from  Terre  Haute 
to  New  Orleans.  The  last  even  heard  of  him  was  when  he  was  en  route 
to  New  Orleans  with  a  flatboat  loaded  with  corn.  His  widow  died  in 
Terre  Haute,  on  South  Fourth  street,  in  March,  1885.  Two  children 
blessed  this  union,  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  William  Benjamin,  of 
this  memoir. 

William  B.  Manning  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Terre  Haute  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  began  to  master  the  paint- 
er's trade  in  all  of  its  manifold  branches.  He  soon  became  an  adept  in  his 
trade  as  a  painter,  grainer,  decorator  and  paperhanger,  and  was  also  a 
beautiful  sign-writer.  As  a  side-line  to  his  regular  profession  he  did 
some  excellent  handiwork  in  landscape  oil  painting.  Among  such  pieces 
his  widow  now  possesses  a  fine  sample  of  his  work  as  an  artist  in  way  of 
a  picture  of  the  house  and  grounds  where  she  was  born  on  her  grand- 
father's estate,  the  Thomas  Turman  farm.  Mr.  Manning  was  employed 
at  his  trade  in  Terre  Haute  until  1887,  during  which  year  he  with  his 
family  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  died,  January  9,  1907.  After  moving 
there  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade.  He  purchased  the  eighty  acres 
of  land  upon  which  the  widow  now  resides.  Politically  Mr.  Manning 
was  a  Republican,  and  in  fraternal  connections  he  affiliated  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  lodge  and  also  belonged  to  the  Knights 
Templars  and  the  lower  degrees  of  Masonry,  both  connections  being  at 
Terre  Haute. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  September  1,  1867,  to  Elizabeth  Mann, 
born  January  19,  1845,  *n  Turman  township,  a  daughter  of  James  B. 
and  Fidelia  (Turman)  Mann.  The  father  was  born  October  5,  1816,  in 
Kentucky,  and  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  about  i8i9,.with  his 
parents,  Josiah  and  Elizabeth  (Schooling)  Mann;  they  located  on  a  farm 
east  of  Merom.  He  died  in  Merom  and  the  widow  died  in  Sullivan. 
James  B.  Mann  and  wife  were  married  on  March  4,  1844,  and  began 
housekeeping  and  farming  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Durham,  he 
being  a  brother-in-law  of  Mrs.  Manning,  and  her  mother  still  resides  on 
the  old  homestead  with  Dr.  Durham.  Among  the  successful  farmers, 
James  B.  Mann  was  among  the  best.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  died  in  the  month  of  April,  1887.  His  wife,  Fidelia 
Turman,  was  born  in  January,  1825,  in  Turman  township,  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Lavinia  (White)  Turman.  They  were  married  and  located 
in  the  township  named  for  Thomas  Turman.  Six  children  were  born  of 
this  union :  Elizabeth,  widow  of  William  B.  Manning ;  Lavinia,  wife  of 
John  Royse,  of  Honey  Creek  township,  Vigo  county;  Thomas  Josiah, 
deceased ;  Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Durham ;  James,  who  died  in  childhood ; 
and  Arthur,  who  also  died  in  childhood. 

The  issue  of  the  union  of  William  B.  Manning  and  wife  is  as  follows : 
William,  born  June  8,  1868,  married  Minnie  Coole,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
they  reside  in  Meridianville,  Alabama,  on  a  farm.    James  Mann,  born 


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258  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

December  18,  1869,  is  now  a  widower.  He  married  Delmer  Hamilton, 
who  died  a  short  time  after  their  marriage,  and  he  now  lives  in  Wyne,  Ar- 
kansas, where  he  works  at  his  trade,  that  of  painting.  Nellie,  born  Au- 
gust 3,  1871,  is  the  wife  of  J.  B.  Durham,  whose  sketch  will  appear  else- 
where in  this  work.  Mary,  born  May  27,  1880,  is  unmarried  and  with  her 
mother,  Mrs.  Manning  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


Dr.  Frank  L.  Robbins,  a  practicing  physician  of  Carlisle,  Indiana, 
was  born  May  29,  1 881,  at  Freelandville,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of 
Thomas,  Sr./and  Maranda  (Howard)  Robbins.  Dr.  Robbins'  paternal 
grandparents  were  born  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  about  1775.  His  Chris- 
tian name  was  John.  They  were  married  at  Lexington  and  emigrated  to 
Freelandville,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  in  1813.  He  entered  about  one 
thousand  acres  of  land  and  remained  there  until  his  death.  He  reared  a 
very  large  family,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war.  Thomas,  Sr., 
and  brother,  Alexander  M.  Robbins,  now  own  about  four  hundred  acres 
of  this  old  homestead. 

Dr.  Robbins'  father  was  born  near  Freelandville,  October  18,  1843, 
and  his  wife  was  born  in  August,  1848,  and  she  died  May  3,  1902.  She 
was  a  native  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  Rob- 
bins are  of  Scotch  and  English  descent,  and  the  Howards  were  originally 
from  Ireland.  Thomas  Robbins  followed  farm  pursuits  until  within  a  few 
years,  since  which  time  he  has  been  living  a  retired  life,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  many  years  of  toil  as  an  agriculturist.  His  home  is  near 
Freelandville.  He  has  paid  much  attention  to  stock-raising,  and  still 
handles  horses,  and  he  has  ever  taken  a  delight  in  those  animals.  Thomas 
Robbins  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  John,  now 
residing  in  San  Francisco,  having  been  in  the  west  about  twenty  years ; 
Ruel,  living  on  a  farm  near  Freelandville ;  Lillie,  now  the  wife  of  O.  C. 
Buck,  of  Bicknell;  Iona,  unmarried  and  at  home;  Mary,  wife  of  Elvin 
Bowen,  of  Freelandville ;  Dr.  Frank  L. ;  and  Earle,  residing  at  home,  a 
student  in  the  Indiana  University  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  where  he  is 
taking  a  course  in  civil  engineering. 

Dr.  Robbins,  who  is  unmarried,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and 
obtained  his  education  at  Freelandville,  graduating  from  the  high  school 
with  the  class  of  1900.  He  then  attended  the  Vincennes  University, 
1900- 1 901,  and  taught  school  during  the  winter  months  of  those  years  in 
Knox  county.  In  1902  he  entered  the  Louisville,  Kentucky,  Medical  College 
and  was  graduated  from  that  most  excellent  institution  with  the  class  of 
1906.  He  then  located  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  where  he  has  built  up  a  good 
medical  practice.  He  is  numbered  among  the  members  of  the  Sullivan 
County  Medical  Association,  the  Indiana  State  Medical  Association,  and 
the  American  Medical  Association.  The  doctor  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
choice,  but  is  not  an  office-seeker  in  the  present-day  meaning  of  this  term. 
He  is  an  acceptable  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  holds  membership 
in  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  frater- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  259 

nities.  In  the  Masonic  order  he  belongs  to  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  3,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M.,  Jerusalem  Chapter  No.  81,  and  Council  No.  73,  all  of  Sulli- 
van. In  the  Odd  Fellows  order  he  is  a  member  of  Encampment  No.  50, 
at  Carlisle ;  also  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  the  Woodmen,  of  the  same  place. 


William  L.  Nash,  who  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  extensive  farm- 
ers and  stock-raisers  within  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Haddon  town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides,  September  3,  1865,  a  son  of  Armstead  M. 
and  Nancy  (Purcell)  Nash,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Sullivan 
county.  The  father,  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  is  now  deceased,  and 
the  mother  is  still  a  resident  of  the  township.  The  grandfather  of  William 
L.  Nash,  Marvel  W.  Nash,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  among 
the  first  persons  to  blaze  the  way  to  and  effect  a  settlement  in  Haddon 
township.  He  entered  government  land  and  lived  there  until  he  was 
eighty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  always  a  farmer,  in  which  occupation 
he  was  unusually  successful.  He  reared  quite  a  large  family;  and  was  a 
Democrat  in  his  political  views,  always  casting,  a  vote  for  that  political 
organization. 

Armstead  M.  Nash,  the  father,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  followed 
that  occupation  throughout  his  life,  at  one  time  owning  about  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  choice  land  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  He  was 
both  a  grain  and  stock  grower.  He  raised  registered  Shorthorn  Durham 
cattle,  some  of  which  he  exhibited  at  stock  fairs.  In  his  political  con- 
victions he  was  in  accord  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  as  is  also  his  widow.  They  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Indiana  Ann,  deceased;  William  L., 
of  this  memoir;  Edgar  E.,  of  Haddon  township;  Clara  B.,  now  wife  of 
Charles  Siner,  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana ;  Mary,  wife  of  Edgar  Chambers, 
residing  in  Sullivan ;  and  Lilly  Jane,  deceased. 

William  L.  Nash  was  reared  to  farm  labor  and  attended  the  common 
schools  and  the  high  school  at  Carlisle,  beginning  life  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years,  by  farming  in  Haddon  township,  where  he  has 
continued  ever  since.  His  present  farm  contains  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres,  where  he  pays  special  attention  to  the  raising  of  cereals 
and  stock.  He  usually  feeds  two  carloads  of  hogs  for  the  markets  each 
year.  He  also  follows  the  occupation  of  a  stock  drover,  shipping  stock 
up  and  down  the  line,  including  the  towns  of  Carlisle,  Paxton,  Sullivan, 
New  Lebanon,  etc.  His  partner  in  the  stock  business  is  Washington  Sin- 
clair. Mr.  Nash  is  a  stockholder  in  the  new  national  bank  at  Carlisle  and 
also  a  stockholder  in  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Sullivan.  Politically  he 
affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  thus  giving  his  family  life  insurance  protection. 
In  secret  societies  he  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  the  lodge  at  Carlisle. 

Mr.  Nash  was  united  in  marriage  in  1888  to  Deborah  Shake,  born  in 
Haddon  township,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  S.  and  Elizabeth   (Arnett) 


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260  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Shake,  both  being  natives  of  Haddon  township.  He  is  deceased  and  she 
resides  in  the  township.  Mrs.  Nash's  grandfather,  David  Shake,  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  was  among  the  pioneer  settlers  here.  The  fol- 
lowing children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  Nash  and  wife:  Nellie  S.; 
Martha  J. ;  Walter  L. ;  Kate ;  Claud  Ed ;  Harold  A.,  deceased ;  Roland  R. ; 
Lois  W.,  and  Arthur  J.  The  parents  and  eldest  three  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church  at  Providence,  near  Paxton. 


Melvin  Ellis. — Havingi materially  assisted  in  establishing  the  repu- 
tation of  Sullivan  county  as  a  superior  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
region,  Melvin  Ellis  is  now  living  retired  from  active  pursuits  in  Carlisle, 
having,  through  his  judicious  efforts  as  a  farmer  in  Haddon  township, 
accumulated  a  competency.  A  son  of  John  W.  Ellis,  he  was  born  April 
16,  1848,  on  the  Ellis  homestead,  one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Carlisle. 

Coming  from  English  and  German  stock,  John  W.  Ellis  was  born 
in  October,  1800,  in  Prince  William  county,  Virginia.  Learning  the  trade 
of  a  carpenter  when  young,  he  followed  it  for  some  time  in  his  native 
state.  Some  time  before  1830  he  came  to  Indiana  and  for  a  number  of 
years  worked  as  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  building  many  of  the  earlier 
houses  of  Carlisle.  Investing  his  money  in  land,  he  became  the  owner  of  a 
good  farm,  on  which  he  carried  on  farming  successfully  until  ready  to 
retire  from  active  labor,  and  moved  to  Carlisle,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life.  He  was  three  times  married,  marrying  first  Margaret 
Wardell,  a  native  of  Georgia,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Howard  Wesly, 
who  is  now  dead.  He  married,  second,  Sarah  E.  Ching,  who  was  born 
in  Lancastershire,  England,  in  1800,  being  married  near  Washington, 
D.  C.  Thirteen  children  were  born  of  this  union,  as  follows:  Amanda, 
deceased;  Oscar  A.,  a  farmer  living  near  Greencastle,  Indiana;  Salina, 
deceased ;  Mary,  wife  of  F.  A.  Jean,  of  Los  Angeles,  California ;  T.  O., 
of  Haddon  township;  William  L.,  deceased,  was  killed  during  the  Civil 
war  at  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  Virginia,  June  2,  1862,  having  been  a 
member  of  the  Second  Alabama  Volunteer  Infantry;  Ann  M.,  wife  of 
George  Riggs;  Virginia,  widow  of  the  late  Matthew  McCormick,  lives  in 
Chicago ;  E.  R.,  a  farmer  in  Coatsville,  Ind. ;  Josiah  W.,  deceased ;  Robert, 
of  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Melvin,  with  whom  this  sketch  is  chiefly  con- 
cerned ;  and  Olivia,  wife  of  John  W.  Warner,  of  Carlisle.  By  his  union 
with  Mary  Bishop,  his  third  wife,  John  W.  Ellis  had  four  children, 
namely :  Ella  G.,  wife  of  John  Wilbanks,  of  Springfield,  Illinois ;  George 
W.,  deceased ;  George,  a  farmer  in  Petersburg,  Illinois ;  and  John  Bishop, 
deceased. 

Between  the  age  of  ten  years  and  thirteen  years  Melvin  Ellis 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Carlisle,  where  his  parents  then  lived. 
Going  back,  then,  to  the  farm  with  the  family,  he  assisted  his  father  in 
his  agricultural  work  until  September,  1867,  when  he  again  entered  the 
Carlisle  schools,  which  he  attended  the  following  three  years.  During  the 
next  six  years  Mr.  Ellis  was  engaged  in  farming  during  the  summer 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  261 

seasons,  but  taught  school  during  the  winter  terms.  In  March,  1876,  he 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Haddon  township  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  busily  and  profitably  employed  in  tilling  the  soil,  carrying  on  a 
good  business  as  a  raiser  of  both  grain  and  stock.  This  farm  Mr.  Ellis 
still  owns  and  supervises,  although  since  April,  1892,  he  has  resided  in 
Carlisle.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  much  interested  in  local  affairs, 
and  is  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  People's  State  Bank  of  Carlisle. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a 
member  of  the  lodge  and  the  encampment,  and  is  a  member  of  Ben  Hur 
lodge  of  Carlisle. 

On  September  28,  1872,  Mr.  Ellis  married  Susan  V.  Tapp,  who  was 
born  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  November  10,  1850,  but  was  bred  and 
educated  in  Carlisle.  Her  father,  William  Tapp,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  died  when  Mrs.  Ellis  was  but  a  child.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
war.  Zerelda  Stansberry,  was  born  August  18,  1813,  in  Kentucky,  and  died 
October  8,  1895,  in  Carlisle,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  are  the  parents 
of  three  children,  namely:  Daisy,  born  July  24,  1873,  was  educated  in 
Carlisle,  taught  school  in  Haddon  township  five  years,  after  which  she 
married  Roscoe  C.  O'Haver  and  now  has  two  children,  Elene  and  Hubert 
Maurice ;  Bessie  O.,  born  October  4,  1876,  is  the  wife  of  Richard  Chra- 
nicki,  a  rural  free  delivery  mail  carrier  in  Terre  Haute,  and  has  one  child 
living,  Mildred;  and  Floyd  Elmo,  born  October  17,  1883.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Roscoe  C.  O'Haver  reside  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business.  Floyd  Elmo  Ellis,  the  youngest  child, 
was  graduated  from  the  Carlisle  high  school  in  his  thirteenth  year,  after 
which  he  studied  for  eighteen  months  in  the  Terre  Haute  high  school 
and  for  two  and  one-half  years  in  the' State  University  at  Bloomington. 
Then  after  teaching  school  for  a  year  he  was  for  two  years  engaged  with 
the  Title  Trust  Company  at  Los  Angeles.  Going  from  there  to  Washing- 
ton, he  spent  a  year  in  Seattle,  and  in  the  fall  of  1906  entered  the  law 
department  of  Columbia  University,  from  which  he  will  graduate  with 
the  class  of  1909.  Religiously,  Mr.  Ellis  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church,  of  which  he  has  been  an  elder  and  the  treasurer  for 
thirty  years,  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  also  been  superintendent  of  its 
Sunday-school. 


Rev.  Daniel  Ryan,  the  merited  and  highly  popular  Methodist 
clergyman  so  well  known  in  the  various  conferences  of  this  country,  espe- 
cially within  the  state  of  Indiana,  very  naturally  finds  a  place  in  a  work 
of  this  character.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Troy,  New  York,  July  4, 
1846,  a  son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Ryan)  Ryan.  The  father  was 
born  in  Ireland,  as  was  the  mother,  though  in  no  way  related  by  ties  of 
kinship.  This  worthy  couple  were  united  in  marriage  in  their  native 
country  and  emigrated  to  America  about  1840,  locating  at  Troy,  New 
York,  where  he  was  engaged  as  a' mechanic.  It  was  he  who  designed 
and  made  the  first  cook  stove  in  Troy,  which  city  is  now  so  world-wide 
famous  for  the  annual  output  of  its  stoves  of  all  descriptions.    He  and  his 


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262  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

wife  resided  in  Troy  until  death  overtook  them.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  views,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  the  subject  being  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  is  the  only  one  now  living.  He  went  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio,  in  1852,  with  an  aunt  Mary,  who  was  a  sister  of  his  mother. 
In  1856,  Mr.  Ryan  removed  to  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  and  lived  on  a 
farm,  receiving  his  education  at  the  district  schools  of  that  county.  In 
April,  1862,  he  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  enlisted  as  a  teamster  and 
drove  army  wagons  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  until  July,  when  he  returned 
to  Cincinnati  and  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Thirteenth  United  States  In- 
fantry, the  date  being  July  10,  1862.  He  was  discharged  July  10,  1865, 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  Sherman  was  the  colonel  of  his  regiment,  which 
was  the  first  command  to  plant  the  flag  at  Vicksburg.  Mr.  Ryan  partici- 
pated in  the  following  engagements :  Chickasaw  Bayou  on  December  29, 
Arkansas  Post,  Hains  Bluff,  Jackson  (Mississippi),  Raymond,  Champion 
Hills,  Vicksburg,  the  retaking  of  Jackson  and  Collinsville  (Mississippi), 
October  11,  1863.  They  were  en  route  to  Corinth  when  the  last  named 
battle  took  place.  They  followed  on  to  Missionary  Ridge,  and  followed 
General  Bragg  to  Georgia  and  back  to  Chattanooga,  Nashville,  etc.  Mr. 
Ryan  was  in  fortunate  circumstances  when  the  war  closed,  for  in  all  of 
his  exposure  to  the  enemy  in  so  many  hard  fought  battles  he  was  never 
once  injured  by. wounds. 

He  returned  to  Wayne^  cpur^tj^id  followed  blacksmithing  at  Boston, 
Indiana,  until  18^2.  He  tHeib  ukite'd  .with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Boston  and  the  following  yekr  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  took  work 
as  a  supply  in  1876  and  joined  the  conference  of  southeastern  Indiana  in 
1 88 1.  His  first  work  Was  a^BYown,ville,  where  he  remained  four  years, 
and  afterward  was-  at.  Mount'; Carnjel,  Indiana,  where  he  labored  three 
years,  and  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Cyrus  D.  Foss  at  Columbus,  Indiana, 
in  September,  1883.  He  was  ordained  an  elder  by  Bishop  G.  Andrews 
in  September,  1886.  His  third  appointment  was  at  Columbus,  Indiana, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  and  was  then  at  Irvington  for  two  years, 
Milroy  one  year,  Hartsville  three  years,  Utica  four  years,  Flatrock  two 
years,  Rockport  two  years,  New  Lebanon  two  years,  and  three  years  at 
Carlisle.  During  the  above  period  he  remodeled  and  paid  off  the  debt  of 
thirty-three  churches  and  three  parsonages.  He  has  presided  at  almost 
seven  hundred  funerals  and  has  united  in  marriage  five  hundred  couples. 
He  has  added  to  the  various  branches  of  the  church  about  three  thousand 
persons.  He  was  elected  department  commander  in  1898  and  1899  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  After  the  war  he  was  grand  chaplain 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of  Indiana,  and  was  appointed  on  the 
commission  for  the  return  of  the  "Texas  Rangers' "  flag  at  Dallas  in 
October,  1899.  He  has  attended  conventions  all  over  the  country,  and 
made  the  address  of  his  life  when  the  above  flag  was  returned  to  Dallas, 
where  he  received  a  great  ovation.  He  loves  historic  trophies  and  has  a 
fine  collection  of  badges  which  he  has  had  exquisitely  framed  and  care- 
fully preserved.  Mr.  Ryan  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  order, 
having  joined  that  society  in  1868,  and  served  two  terms  as  grand  chap- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  263 

lain  of  the  order,  and  has  filled  all  of  its  chairs  and  been  a  representative 
to  the  Grand  Lodge  two  terms.  He  is  also  advanced  in  Masonry,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Dumont  Post  No.  18,  at 
Shelbyville,  Indiana.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  defender  of  Republican 
principles,  and  has  delivered  addresses  in  the  principal  larger  cities  of 
this  country. 

Of  his  domestic  relations  it  should  here  be  said  that  he  was  married 
March  5,  1867,  to  Nancy  Jane  Rife,  born  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Cynthia  (Stanley)  Rife.  They  were  also  natives 
of  Indiana.  Her  father  died  before  her  birth,  and  she  obtained  her  educa- 
tion in  her  native  county.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ryan,  as  follows,  in  the  order  of  their  birth:  Anna,  wife  of  Nollis 
Beard,  residing  in  Liberty,  Indiana,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Teressa ; 
William,  residing  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  was  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
reformatory  school  of  Jeffersonville  about  four  years;  Teressa,  wife  of 
John  T.  Conover,  a  graduate  of  the  Columbia  University,  and  they  now 
reside  in  New  York  city,  where  he  is  an  important  factor  in  the  Fiske 
firm  of  bankers  and  brokers.  His  wife  was  the  leading  woman  in  the 
"Earl  of  Pawtucket"  of  New  York  city  for  six  months.  She  played 
Miranda  in  "The  Tempest/'  and  traveled  with  Ward  and  James,  going 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  oceans  on  her  tours  and  made  five  conti- 
nental trips  and  played  in  all  the  leading  cities  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada.    Walter  died  in  infancy ;  Adolph  F.  is  unmarried. 


Mrs.  Flora  A.  (McClure)  Haddon. — An  accomplished  and  enter- 
prising business  woman,  Mrs.  Flora  A.  Haddon,  widow  of  the  late  Cap- 
tain Jesse  Haddon,  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  is  devoting 
her  energies  to  the  care  of  her  estate,  which  is  among  the  best  in  the 
neighborhood.  A  daughter  of  Hiram  McClure,  she  was  born  March  16, 
1861,  on  Shaker  prairie,  Knox  county,  Indiana.  Her  grandparents, 
Samuel  and  Sarah  (Curry)  McClure,  natives  of  Union  county,  Ken- 
tucky, were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Knox  county  and  for  many 
years  were  leading  farmers  of  Shaker  prairie. 

A  lifelong  resident  of  Shaker  prairie,  Hiram  McClure  was  born 
there  September  6,  1824,  and  died  November  20,  1876.  He  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  both  he  and  his  father  used  to  market  their  hogs  and 
grain  in  Vincennes  and  Evansville,  sending  it  down  the  river  on  flatboats. 
He  married  Rosella  Seaney,  and  into  their  home  nine  children  were  born, 
as  follows:  Sarah,  wife  of  Cook  Chapman,  of  Deming,  New  Mexico; 
Mary,  deceased;  S.  B.,  deceased;  Albert  B.,  of  Bruceville,  Indiana;  Hen- 
rietta, wife  of  Henry  Frederick,  a  retired  farmer  residing  in  Bruceville ; 
Maggie,  wife  of  James  Whipps,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
book;  Flora  A.,  of  this  sketch;  Edgar  M.,  living  near  Oaktown,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  old  McClure  homestead ;  and  Jasper  F.,  living,  in  the  same 
neighborhood  near  Oaktown. 

After  her  graduation  from  the  Oaktown  high  school,  Flora  A. 
McClure  taught  for  ten  terms  in  Knox  county,  during  her  last  term  being 


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264  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

a  teacher  in  the  graded  schools  of  Oaktown.  On  February  I,  1901,  she 
married  Captain  Jesse  Haddon,  an  esteemed  resident  of  Haddon  township. 
A  son  of  David  Haddon,  Captain  Haddon  was  born  July  24,  1837,  on 
the  farm  where  he  spent  his  entire  life,  his  death  occurring  November  26, 
1906.  He  came  of  honored  pioneer  stock,  his  grandfather,  John  Haddon, 
a  native  of  Virginia,  having  settled  in  that  part  of  Sullivan  county  now 
known  as  Haddon  township,  in  1804,  where  he  entered  a  tract  of  twenty- 
three  hundred  acres.  His  home,  known  as  Fort  Haddon,  was  a  place  of 
refuge  for  the  early  families  that  settled  in  this  vicinity,  all  seeking  pro- 
tection within  the  fort  whenever  the  Indians  became  hostile. 

Captain  Haddon  boasted  of  his  life  as  a  soldier  and  none  could 
dispute  him.  Very  soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  offered 
his  services  to  his  country,  enlisting  in  1861  as  a  private  in  the  Twenty- 
first  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  a  private  until  July  4,  1861 ; 
then  corporal  until  February  16,  1862;  sergeant  until  June  1,  1862;  second 
lieutenant  until  July  30,  1863;  first  lieutenant  until  October  8,  1864;  then 
for  gallantry  and  meritorious  conduct  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain 
in  Company  D,  Twenty-first  Indiana  Heavy  Artillery.  He  took  part  in 
many  important  engagements  of  the  war,  among  them  the  battle  of  Baton 
Rouge,  Louisiana,  in  1862,  and  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson,  where,  while 
in  the  top  of  a  tree,  watching  with  a  fieldglass  the  movements  of  the 
enemy,  he  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  right  arm  that  came  near 
proving  fatal,  and  did  maim  him  for  life.  His  regiment  was  converted 
into  heavy  artillery.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  January  10,  1866, 
receiving  his  honorable  and  final  discharge  after  four  and  a  half  years 
of  service  for  his  country.  Captain  Haddon  was  a  man  who  did  not 
know  fear  and  was  ever  ready  to  perform  his  part  as  a  faithful  soldier, 
and  his  record  as  a  soldier  was  most  worthy  of  commendation. 

Returning  to  Haddon  township  at  the  close  of  the  conflict,  Captain 
Haddon  resumed  his  former  occupation  and  on  the  old  Haddon  home- 
stead was  for  many  years  profitably  employed  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising,  meeting  with  noteworthy  success  in  his  undertakings.  The 
captain  was  noted  as  a  breeder  and  raiser  of  exceptionally  fine  horses,  and 
among  some  of  those  sold  at  public  sale  after  his  death  having  been  five 
Norman  Percheron  mares  which  brought  $1,598,  others  being  sold  at 
$400,  $305,  and  $230  each.  Four  fat  hogs  were  sold  for  $121,  and  four 
deer  brought  a  good  price.  The  captain  was  a  lover  of  animals  of  all 
kinds,  being  especially  fond  of  horses,  dogs  and  birds.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  individuality,  peculiar  perhaps  in  some  ways,  always  wearing,  his 
hair  in  long  locks  over  his  shoulders,  and  wearing  a  hat  made  expressly 
for  him,  of  the  finest  beaver  and  after  his  own  design,  being  of  the  som- 
brero order,  with  a  brim  fifteen  inches  in  width,  and  he  always  carried  a 
Colt's  revolver  in  a  holster  attached  to  his  belt.  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  an  active  worker  in  the  party,  and  belonged  to  the 
Republican  county  organization,  and  at  one  time  was  Republican  nominee 
for  state  senator.  Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  Carlisle  Lodge  No.  50. 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  owner  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Carlisle  opera  house  and  donated  the  use  of  this  institution 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  265 

for  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  chapter.  By  his  request  this  corps  accepted 
his  offer.  They  still  meet  at  the  opera  house,  for  after  hisdeath  his  widow- 
extended  to  the  corps  the  same  privilege,  knowing  the  earnest  desire  of 
the  captain  to  perpetuate  the  loyalty  of  the  rising  generation  in  this  com- 
munity. She  is  using  every  effort  to  carry  forth  his  plans  of  promoting 
the  loyalty  which  was  so  firmly  instilled  in  his  own  bosom.  He  had  a 
flagstaff  erected  upon  the  opera  house,  and  as  long,  as  he  lived  he  kept 
"Old  Glory"  afloat,  to  remind  the  youths  that  he  was  earnest  in  the  affairs 
of  his  country. 

Captain  Haddon  wedded  Miss  Flora  A.  McClure,  February  1,  1901. 
Mrs.  Haddon  has  one  child,  Jessie  Helen,  whose  birth  occurred  January  2, 
1902,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  homestead.  She  is  a  bright  little  child 
and  in  the  first  grade  of  the  Carlisle  public  school  Mrs.  Haddon,  like 
the  captain,  is  a  lover  of  animals,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  full-blooded 
Norman  Percheron  mare,  which  is  registered,  and  she  is  a  shareholder  in 
the  National  French  Draft  Horse  Association,  of  Fairfield,  Iowa,  of  which 
the  Captain  was  a  member  and  stockholder.  Mrs.  Haddon  takes  a  leading 
part  in  the  Carlisle  Chapter  No.  255,  Woman's  Relief  Corps.  She  is  press 
correspondent  of  this  society,  which  is  in  a  very  flourishing  condition. 
On  Tuesday,  January  8,  1909,  the  following  officers  were  duly  elected: 
Miss  Dercie  Kivett,  president ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Hoover,  senior  vice  president ; 
Mrs.  Mildred  Yocum,  junior  vice  president ;  Mrs.  Martha  Risinger, 
chaplain;  Mrs.  Arvilla  Johnsop,  treasurer.:*  Mrs.  Frances  Hutchinson, 
secretary ;  Mrs.  Ida  Whalen,  conductor ;  Mrs.  Flora  Haddon,  guard. 
This  society  has  for  its  mission  charity  arid  a  friendly  hand  to  all.  Car- 
lisle Chapter  No.  255  donated  and  assisted  with  proper  ceremony  in  the 
erection  of  the  beautiful  flag  on  the  public  school  building  of  Carlisle. 
Its  very  color  speaks  to  one — Red  for  valor ;  White,  purity ;  and  Blue, 
justice  and  friendship.  Under  its  folds  is  the  motto:  Fraternity,  Charity 
and  Loyalty. 


Charles  L.  Pirtle,  one  of  the  up-to-date  farmers  of  Sullivan  county 
soil,  is  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  born  November  11, 
187 1,  a  son  of  James  W.  and  Mary  A.  (Cron)  Pirtle.  Of  Mr.  Pirtle's 
parentage,  let  it  be  said  in  this  connection  that  his  father  was  born  August 
8,  1837,  in  Haddon  township,  and  died  December  31,  1904,  in  the  same 
subdivision  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  mother  was  born  July  n, 
1842,  in  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and  died  March  16.  1907.  Both  the  father 
and  mother  were  buried  within  the  Odd  Fellows'  cemetery  at  Carlisle, 
Indiana.  James  W.,  the  father,  was  a  son  of  Alfred  and  Elizabeth  Pirtle, 
the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  who  came  to  Sullivan  county  when  but 
six  years  of  age  with  his  parents,  Jacob  Pirtle  and  wife,  farmers.  They 
came  here  in  1816,  and  were  counted  among  the  early  pioneer  band  in 
this  section  of  the  state  of  Indiana.  They  located  near  the  old  blockhouse 
at  Carlisle.  The  Pirtles  were  all  farmers  by  occupation.  They  were  very 
active  and  influential  in  subduing  and  perfecting  the  county,  aiding  in 
transforming  a  wilderness  into  a  fertile  and  productive  garden  spot. 


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266  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

James  W.  Pirtle,  the  father,  remained  at  home  until  the  date  of  his 
marriage;  when  he  commenced  work  in  a  sawmill,  continuing  one  year, 
and  then  purchased  a  farm  of  sixty-six  acres.  He  was  industrious  and 
frugal,  so  that  from  time  to  time  he  added  more  land  to  his  place,  until  he 
owned  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  excellent  farm  land, 
all  in  Haddon  township,  and  where  he  spent  the  remnant  of  his  days.  His 
wife,  subject's  mother,  Mary  (Cron)  Pirtle,  was  the  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Louise  Cron.  The  father  was  a  shoemaker  and  leather  tanner.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  beside  Andrew  Johnson.  Mr.  Cron  and  a  part- 
ner laid  out  San  Antonio,  Texas,  prior  to  the  Mexican  war.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  W.  Pirtle  were  as  follows:  Dr.  George, 
born  November  17,  1868,  and  residing  in  Carlisle,  Indiana,  married  Belle 
Julian;  Charles  L.,  of  this  narrative;  Jacob  A.,  born  March  7,  1824,  and 
now  residing  on  the  old  homestead,  is  unmarried;  and  Edward,  born 
August  11,  1881,  married  Clara  Fiddler  and  resides  in  Paxton,  Indiana. 

Charles  L.  Pirtle  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage,  March  27, 
1895,  to  Lizzie  Wilson,  born  December  12,  1870,  in  Haddon  township, 
this  county,  a  daughter  of  James  K.  and  Laura  Wilson,  both  of  whom  are 
living  east  of  Carlisle.  Mr.  Pirtle  purchased  fifty-five  acres  the  year 
before  his  marriage  and  moved  to  the  same,  which  forms  a  part  of  his 
present  farm  in  Hamilton  township.  He  now  owns  eighty  acres,  and  all 
is  well  improved  and  cared  for  through  his  untiring  industry  and  good 
management.  He  has  but  recently  completed  one  of  the  most  thoroughly 
modern  farmhouses  within  Sullivan  county.  He  operates  a  combined 
grain-producing  and  stock-raising  farm,  and  is  thoroughly  interested  in 
his  work,  which  he  performs  with  much  intelligence,  thus  meeting  with 
the  success  which  always  follows  such  labor  as  an  agriculturist,  as  well 
as  in  any  other  calling. 

In  his  political  understanding  Mr.  Pirtle  advocates  and  votes  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  Believing  in  protection  for  his  family 
through  the  medium  of  mutual  life  insurance,  he  has  wisely  become  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  belonging  to  Camp  No. 
3967,  at  Sullivan.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Four  children  have  blessed  this  happy  home 
circle:  Paul,  born  December  19,  1895;  Lee,  born  September  14,  1899; 
Harold,  born  August  4,  1903;  and  James  Hinkle,  born  August  11,  1908. 
The  two  older  children  are  now  (1908)  attending  the  public  schools. 


James  E.  Bittle. — James  E.  Bittle,  an  extensive  land  owner  and  one 
of  the  practical  farmers  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born 
December  21,  1865,  in  Champaign  county,  Illinois.  He  is  the  son  of  Silas 
and  Fannie  (DeVere)  Bittle,  the  former  born  in  October,  1842,  in  Put- 
nam county,  Indiana,  and  now  residing  in  Tippecanoe  county.  The  sub- 
ject's mother  was  born  in  February,  1847,  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana, 
and  died  October  11,  1908.  Silas  Bittle  was  the  son  of  William  and 
Landis  Bittle,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  who  went  to  Indiana  about 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  267 

1830.  locating  in  Putnam  county,  where  he  entered  government  land  and 
remained  a  few  years,  and  then  disposed  of  his  land  and  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  where  he  purchased  other  lands.  Later,  thinking  to  better 
his  circumstances,  he  sold  this  tract  of  land  and  went  to  Fountain  county. 
In  1868  he  sold  out  there  and  went  to  Anderson  county,  Texas,  and  there 
retired.  He  took  about  sixty  thousand  dollars  with  him  when  he  went 
south.  He  was  a  wonderful  worker  and  a  shrewd  trader  and  made  many 
large  deals  in  stock.  He  died  about  1878  in  Palestine,  Texas,  and  was 
buried  in  that  city. 

Silas  Bittle,  our  subject's  father,  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his 
father  until  he  reached  his  majority,  when  he  married  and  removed  to 
Champaign  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  two  years  and  then  returned 
to  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  where  he  bought  an  eighty  acre  farm,  to 
which  later  he  added  sixty-six  acres.  He  remained  on  that  place  for 
thirteen  years,  then  sold  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  acres. 
He  then  moved  to  Montgomery  county  and  purchased  two  hundred  acres, 
and  lived  there  seven  years,  after  which  he  sold,  and  bought  the  two 
hundred  and  forty  acre  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  the  same  being 
situated  in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana.  This  farm  is  said  by  good  and 
unbiased  judges  to  be  one  of  the  finest  within  the  entire  state.  Mr.  Bittle 
is  an  extensive  swine  raiser,  running  mostly  to  Poland-China  stock.  The 
children  born  to  Silas  Bittle  and  wife  are  as  follows :  James  E. ;  Frances, 
born  March  12,  1867,  married  Charles  McCorkle  and  lives  in  Tippe- 
canoe county,  Indiana;  Alonzo,  born  December  14,  1869,  resides  in  Chi- 
cago and  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  drug  firm,  married  Hattie  Phillips ; 
Luther,  born  September  1,  1877,  resides  in  Tippecanoe  county,  married 
Vera  Buxton. 

Leaving  the  common  schools,  James  E.  Bittle  entered  DePauw  Col- 
lege at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  where  he  took  a  one  year's  course,  after 
which  he  went  to  Purdue  college,  and  there  took  a  course  in  mechanics, 
being  at  the  last  named  school  for  two  years.  He  then  taught  for  three 
winters,  working  on  the  farm  during  the  summer  months.  He  worked 
at  farming  until  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  when  he  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  which  in  1902  he  sold  and 
came  to  Sullivan  county,  purchasing  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  but 
he  traded  this  in  May,  1908,  for  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Gill 
township,  where  he  now  resides,  and  in  addition  to  general  farming  he  is 
extensively  engaged  in  raising  many  hogs.  Politically  Mr.  Bittle  is  a 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Socialist  party,  but  so  far  has  voted  the 
Democratic  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
while  his  wife  is  connected  with  the  Christian  denomination.  He  has  been 
an  extensive  traveler,  having  been  in  more  than  half  of  the  states  within 
the  Union.  At  one  time  he  and  his  brother  owned  a  line  of  elevators  on 
the  Clover  Leaf  railroad  system,  but  he  sold  out  in  1906. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  29,  1904,  to  Cora  E.  Curtis,  born 
June  29,  1883,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  J.  R.  and  Olive 
(Mooney)  Curtis,  the  former  born  March  4,  1840,  in  Sullivan  county, 
and  the  latter  October  20,  1842,  in  Floyd  county,  Indiana,  both  of  whom 


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268  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

are  still  living  within  Sullivan  county.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bittle :  Burton  Keith,  born  April  16,  1905,  and  Frances  Jaunetta, 
born  October  9,  1907. 


Clarence  Edward  Coffman,  widely  known  as  a  breeder  and  trainer 
of  fast  horses,  whose  farm  and  stables  are  located  in  Hamilton  township, 
Sullivan  county,  was  born  on  the  8th  of  March,  1876,  and  is  a  son  of  the 
late  Dr.  Stuart  S.  Coffman,  one  of  the  leading  pioneers,  practicing  physi- 
cians and  public  men  of  the  county.  The  father  was  a  citizen  of  such 
unusual  activity  and  broad  usefulness,  a  factor  so  closely  identified  with 
the  higher  progress  of  Sullivan  county,  that  a  full  account  of  his  services 
and  a  delineation  of  his  noble  character  will  be  found  in  other  pages  of 
this  work.  Clarence  E.  Coffman,  of  this  biography,  is  the  fifth  and  young- 
est child  born  to  Dr.  and  Philena  (Rodman)  Coffman.  The  mother,  who 
is  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Indiana,  was  born  September  12,  1832, 
and  still  resides  in  Sullivan,  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
an  honored  pioneer  mother  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Coffman  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Sullivan,  graduat- 
ing from  its  high  school  with  the  class  of  1895.  He  then  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  the  breeding  and  sale  of  standard  and  fast  horses, 
and  from  1899  to  l9°2  a^so  conducted  a  drug  business.  Following  his 
inclinations  and  obvious  talents,  however,  he  abandoned  his  drug  store 
and  resumed  the  sole  raising  and  handling  of  horses,  in  which  specialty 
he  has  attained  such  high  standing.  In  1903  Mr.  Coffman  centered  his 
business  on  a  fine  stock  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy- seven  acres, 
where  he  owns  twenty-five  head  of  registered  trotting  stock  and  operates 
a  first-class  boarding  and  training  stable.  Among  this  fine  array  of 
animals  may  be  named:  "Wyoming,"  a  trotting  sire  with  a  record  of 
2:2934;  "Joe  W.,"  2:i6y2  -/"Gertrude,"  2:26;  "Alleene  W.,"  2:25; 
"Molly  Wilkes,"  2:2234;  "Philena  Coffman,"  2:21^;  and  "Bill  Ijams," 
2:2334 — all  these  figures  being  trotting  records.  Since  1904  Mr.  Coff- 
man has  also  been  operating  a  public  stable  on  his  farm,  which  has  met 
with  marked  success  and  which  has  enabled  him  to  give  records  to  other 
animals  than  his  own,  including  the  following:  "Maxie  C,"  2:1634, 
trotting;  "Fortune,"  2:1734,  trotting;  "Nightingale,"  2:36,  pacing;  and 
"Red  Hooker,"  2  45,  trotting.  "Philena  Coffman,"  before  mentioned,  is 
the  first  two-year-old  to  reach  a  record  of  2:30  in  Sullivan  county,  and 
"Gertrude"  is  the  only  horse  in  the  county,  that  ever  won  a  purse  over  a 
Grand  Circuit  track.  He  has  raised  colts  from  such  noted  sires  as 
"Axtell,"  "Margrave,"  "Baron  Review,"  "Boreal,"  "The  Captain," 
"Redette"  and  "Axcyone."  He  is  also  a  welt-known  breeder  of  Jersey 
and  Hereford  cattle  and  fancy  Berkshire  swine.  Mr.  Coffman  is  a  thor- 
ough believer  in  Democracy,  both  in  the  conduct  of  party  and  the  general 
affairs  of  the  world.  He  has  made  an  eminent  success  of  his  business, 
but  has  never  advanced  at  the  expense  of  his  good  name  or  the  deep 
respect  of  his  home  community. 

Married  April  19,   1899,  to  Miss  Alice  McDonald,  Mr.  Coffman's 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  269 

wife  is  a  native  of  Roscoe,  Ohio,  born  January  27,  1878,  and  a  daughter 
of  James  W.  and  Margaret  (Graves)  McDonald.  Mrs.  Coffman  removed 
to  Sullivan  with  her  parents  in  her  early  childhood,  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  the  county,  attended  the  State  Normal,  and  was  engaged  in 
teaching  for  four  years  preceding  her  marriage.  The  children  of  this 
union  are  Dorothy  and  Mary  Catherine  Coffman,  and  the  mother  is  an 
earnest  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


Stuart  S.  Coffman,  M.  D.  (deceased) — One  of  the  broadest 
minded  and  most  useful  citizens  of  Sullivan,  and  an  able  and  deeply 
beloved  physician  of  many  years'  standing,  the  late  Dr.  Stuart  S.  Coffman 
was  born  near  Zanesville,  Ohio,  on  the  12th  of  March,  1828,  and  died  at 
his  beautiful  hotel  and  home  in  the  city  named,  on  the  15th  of  November, 
1903.  At  an  early  age  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greenville,  Floyd 
county,  Indiana,  and  resided  on  a  farm  near  that  place  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended  Greenville  Seminary,  and 
in  185 1  was  matriculated  at  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  in  March 
of  the  latter  year  entering  the  medical  department  of  the  Transylvania 
University,  Lexington,  Kentucky,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1852,  with 
his  degree  of  M.  D.  He  then  located  for  practice  at  Orleans,  Indiana, 
where  he  continued  until  1859,  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Sullivan, 
residing  there  for' the  remainder  of  his  life  as  an  active  practitioner,  an 
honored  citizen  and  a  public  man  of  strong  and  high  influence. 

Dr.  Coffman  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  profession 
from  1859  to  1881,  and  during  that  period  he  was  perhaps  as  widely 
known  and  as  deeply  revered  as  any  citizen  of  the  county.  This  was  also 
the  time  of  his  most  prominent  public  service.  Always  a  firm  and  earnest 
Democrat,  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  county  central  committee  for 
ten  years ;  was  a  member  of  the  town  board  and  the  school  board,  and  in 
1872-6  represented  Sullivan  county  in  the  legislature.  In  connection  with 
his  practice,  Dr.  Coffman  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  but  when  he 
retired  from  both,  in  1881,  removed  to  his  farm  near  Sullivan,  where  for 
seven  years  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  raising  of  fine  cattle  and  fast  horses. 
In  1888  he  returned  to  town,  where  he  was  an  extensive  real  estate  owner 
and  the  proprietor  of  a  fine  hotel  until  his  death  in  1903. 

From  the  days  of  his  early  manhood  Dr.  Coffman  was  an  active 
Mason,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  filled  all  the  local  offices,  having 
been  past  master  of  his  lodge  for  many  years.  Sullivan  Lodge  No.  263, 
of  which  he  was  so  long  a  member,  noted  his  death  with  the  profoundest 
evidences  of  regret  and  high  appreciation  of  his  services  and  character. 
Its  touching  resolutions  of  respect  and  condolence  referred  to  him  as 
"eminently  successful  in  his  profession" ;  as  one  who  "took  an  active  part 
in  all  public  affairs  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  county  in  the 
earlier  part  of  his  life" ;  and  "was  respected  and  honored  by  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lived  and  died,  and  venerated  by  his  neighbors  and 
friends."    After  noting  that  "Brother  Coffman  was  made  a  Mason  prior 


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270  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

to  his  coming  to  Sullivan  in  1859"  J  tnat  he  had  lived  to  see  the  roster  of 
the  local  lodge  completely  changed,  the  resolutions  concluded  as  follows: 
''Brother  Coffman  lived  a  consistent  Mason  and  kept  his  mind  and  con- 
science divested  of  all  the  vices  and  superfluities  of  life,  thereby  filling  his 
body  as  a  living  statue  for  that  spiritual  building — that  house  not  made 
with  hands — eternal  in  the  heavens. 

"Therefore,  be  it  resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Brother  Coffman 
his  widow  has  lost  a  devoted  companion,  his  children  a  loving  and  kind 
father,  Sullivan  Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  No.  263,  a  true  and  faithful 
member,  and  the  community  an  honored  and  respected  citizen. 

"Next,  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  furnished  the  family  of  the 
deceased,  and  published  in  each  of  the  county  papers  and  spread  on  the 
records  of  the  lodge." 

The  funeral  of  the  deceased,  which  was  largely  attended,  was  con- 
ducted by  Sullivan  Lodge,  and  the  remains  were  interred  at  Center  Ridge 
Cemetery.    The  Doctor  was  also  an  Odd  Fellow  in  good  standing. 

In  1852  Dr.  Coffman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Philena  S.  Rod- 
man, and  the  following  children  were  born  of  this  union:  William,  who 
died  in  infancy ;  Ida ;  Mamie,  wife  of  George  T.  Johnson ;  Ella,  now  Mrs. 
T.  P.  Townes  and  superintendent  of  the  business  interests  of  the  Coffman 
estate  in  Sullivan ;  and  Clarence  Edward,  of  this  sketch.  The  surviving 
widow  resides  in  Sullivan  as  a  revered  pioneer  of  the  county  and  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  her  birth  having  occurred  in 
Washington  county,  Indiana,  on  the  12th  of  September,  1832.^ 


Richard  Adams,  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Turman 
township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  March  31,  1845,  m  Devonshire, 
England,  a  son  of  William  G.  and  Mary  Ann  (Tucker)  Adams,  both 
born  in  England.  Six  children  were  born  to  these  parents  in  England 
and  one  in  Illinois,  namely:  John,  now  deceased;  William,  residing  in 
Turman  township;  Thomas,  deceased;  Richard,  subject;  Samuel,  de- 
ceased ;  George,  deceased ;  Henry,  born  in  this  country  and  now  deceased. 
The  parents  came  to  America  when  Richard  was  yet  a  small  boy.  The 
family  located  in  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  remained  there  about  five 
years,  when  they  moved  to  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
where  the  father  and  mother  both  died.  The  father  was  always  a  farmer, 
and  in  his  political  views  a  Democrat.  Both  he  and  the  good  wife  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

Richard  Adams,  of  this  memoir,  had  but  little  opportunity  to  obtain 
an  education.  He  attended  school  taught  in  a  log.  building,  the  floor  and 
seats  of  which  were  made  of  puncheon,  the  latter  resting  on  natural  sticks 
for  legs.  There  were  no  desks  in  front  of  the  seats,  but  a  board  against 
the  wall  served  for  the  scholars  to  write  on.  There  being  no  windows, 
the  light  was  admitted  through  greased  paper  covering  an  aperture  in 
the  wall.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  of  age.  He  enlisted  in  the 
Seventy-first  Indiana  Volunteer  Regiment,  being  a  member  of  Company 


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I/ld&La^  (Art/toW 


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THE  NEW  YOKK   . 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY  * 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILOEN  FOUNDATIONS. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  271 

I,  the  date  of  his  enlistment  being  August,  1863.  He  was  wounded  in 
the  left  arm  at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  and  was  honorably  discharged  on 
account  of  disability.  After  the  close  of  the  rebellion  he  resumed  farming 
with  his  father  and  continued  until  the  latter's  death,  when  he  inherited  a 
part  of  the  old  homestead.  He  now  owns  a  farm  of  five  hundred  and  one 
acres,  upon  which  he  resides  and  carries  on  a  general  farming  business  in 
which  he  is  highly  successful,  and  he  has  a  nice  set  of  buildings,  recently 
erected.  Politically  he  is  a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Blue  lodge  of  the  Masonic  order  at  Graysville. 

Mr.  Adams  has  been  married  five  times.  His  first  wife  was  Mary 
Wells,  born  in  Ohio.  One  daughter  was  the  fruit  of  this  union,  Martha, 
now  deceased.  His  second  wife  was  Rebecca  J.  Chandler,  born  in  Casey, 
Illinois ;  now  deceased.  One  daughter  was  born  of  this  marriage,  Lula, 
who  died  aged  six  years.  For  the  third  wife  Mr.  Adams  married  Louisa 
Ash,  born  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  and  she  is  also  deceased.  Two 
children  were  born  of  this  union — Rebecca,  deceased;  and  Minnie,  wife 
of  John  Osborn,  residing  in  Turman  township,  and  have  two  children, 
Mabel  C.  and  Hazel.  For  the  fourth  companion  Mr.  Adams  married 
Martha  Burnett  Adams,  a  widow  of  the  subject's  brother  Thomas.  She 
is  also  deceased,  and  three  of  her  children  were  reared — Madge,  unmar- 
ried and  at  home;  Gertrude,  wife  of  William  Lottery  and  mother  of  two 
children,  Harold  and  Martha  E. ;  and  Bertha,  who  married  George  Burton 
and  has  two  sons,  Forest  A.  and  Hubbard.  His  present  wife's  maiden 
name  was  Lulu  Rogers,  who  with  her  husband  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  .  .  j 


Vachel  D.  Cummins,  a  retired  farmer  and  one  of  the  veterans  of 
the  civil  war,  residing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,' was  born  May  30,  1842,  at 
Terre  Haute,  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Mary  (Crist)  Cummins,  the  former  a 
.native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  181 3,  and  the  latter  of  Clark  county,  Indiana. 
The  father  came  to  Indiana  in  1819  with  his  parents.  The  grandfather, 
named  Robert  Cummins,  located  in  Curry  township  and  remained  until 
his  death.  The  great-grandfather  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  with  his  four 
brothers  emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Our 
subject's  father  and  mother  were  married  in  Clay  county,  living  for  a 
time  on  a  farm  there  on  land  now  included  within  the  city  of  Terre  Haute. 
Subsequently  they  removed  to  Lewis,  Vigo  county,  and  still  later  to  Curry 
township,  Sullivan  county,  where  Vachel  D.  was  reared  and  where  the 
parents  spent  the  remainder  of  their  days.  The  mother  died  in  the  six- 
ties and  the  father  in  the  eighties.  He  followed  farming  for  a  livelihood, 
and  by  trade  was  a  carpenter.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple  were  as  fol- 
lows: David,  deceased;  Sareptia,  deceased;  Vachel  D. ;  Joseph;  Eliza 
Jane ;  Nancy,  deceased ;  and  John  A.,  Jr. 

Vachel  D.  Cummins  was  educated  in  Curry  township  and  remained 
at  home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  and  then  engaging  in  farm  pursuits  on 
his  own  account,  continued  until  the  autumn  of  1891,  when  he  removed  to 

Vol.  11—18 


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2J2  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Sullivan.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  recorder  in  the  fall  of 
1890,  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  taking  the  office  in  the  fall  of  that  year, 
and  served  until  1898,  holding  two  terms.  In  1900  he  engaged  in  the 
marble  business  with  M.  E.  Drake,  continuing  until  1906.  He  served  eight 
years  as  township  trustee  of  Jackson  township.  That  Mr.  Cummins 
was  patriotic  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
served  from  October  13,  1864,  to  October  13,  1865,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany B,  Thirtieth  Indiana  Infantry.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  at  Spring  Hill  and  other  engage- 
ments. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  March  10,  1863,  to  Minerva  Watts,  born 
in  Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  December  31,  1842,  a  daughter  of  Wood- 
ford and  Lacy  (Steele)  Watts.  They  came  to  Indiana  in  the  fifties,  locat- 
ing near  Fairbanks,  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  but  later 
removed  to  Jackson  township,  where  they  lived  until  their  death.  They 
were  farmers  and  reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cummins  are  as  follows: 
Francis  Verdie,  residing  in  Jackson  township,  married  Lucinda  Price 
and  has  four  children,  named  Gladys,  William  D.,  Francis  R.  and  Esther. 
Vachel  Dean  resides  at  Hymera,  Indiana,  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness. He  married  Maude  Asbury  and  has  three  children,  named  Floyd, 
Ralph  and  Ruth.  Lura  Etna,  now  deceased,  married  Daniel  Berline  and 
left  three  children,  named  Lola,  Arval  and  Etna.  Wint  resides  at 
Hymera,  Indiana,  engaged  in  the  drug  trade.  He  married  Margaret 
Boston  and  has  two  children,  Max  and  Bernice.  John  died  in  infancy. 
Charles  lives  at  Terre  Haute,  where  he  works  at  the  harness  trade.  He 
married  Zona  Luzador,  who  died  leaving,  two  children,  Hazel  and  Ruel. 
Mary  resides  in  South  Dakota,  the  wife  of  Dr.  James  Gregg.  Kerthbert 
died  in  infancy.  William  M.  resides  in  Chicago,  unmarried,  and  is  a 
druggist.  Delbert  M.  resides  at  Hymera,  Indiana,  and  is  a  clothier. 
He  married  Lottie  Cummins,  and  has  one  child,  Mildred.  James,  un- 
married, is  in  California,  a  stone  mason  by  trade.  Jesse,  unmarried, 
resides  with  his  brother  in  California. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cummins  are  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church, 
and  he  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  post  at  Sullivan,  Indiana.  The  father,  John  A.  Cummins, 
was  a  prominent  character  in  Sullivan  county  during  his  lifetime.  In 
politics  he  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  fundamental  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  served  nine  years  as  a  county  commissioner. 
Our  subject's  maternal  grandfather,  Nicholas  Crist,  was  a  pioneer  in 
Clark  county  and  later  in  Lewis  township  of  Clay  county,  where  he  spent 
his  last  vears. 


Peter  B.  May,  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  legal  profession 
in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and  for  many  years  a  preacher  in  the  Church  of 
Christ,  is  a  native  of  Orange  county,  Indiana,  born  May  1,  1864,  a  son 
of  John  Wesley  and  Susan  Carr  May.     The  father  was  born  in  Monroe 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  273 

county,  Indiana,  December  25,  1824,  and  died  at  Bedford,  Indiana,  in 
November,  1904.  He  was  of  German  descent  and  had  always  followed 
agricultural  pursuits,  both  in  Monroe  and  Orange  counties.  Politically 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  his  lodge  connections  was  a  Mason.  He 
retired  at  Bedford,  Indiana.  Peter  B.  May's  mother  was  born  in  Orange 
county  June  7,  1840,  and  now  resides  with  her  son  Peter  B.  Both  she 
and  her  husband  were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Their  children 
were  as  follows:  Mary  C,  now  the  wife  of  Winepark  Fields,  residing 
at  Cale,  Indiana;  Peter  B.,  of  this  sketch;  and  Belle  M.,  now  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Roach,  of  Cale,  Indiana. 

Peter  B.  May  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  obtained  his  early  educa- 
tion at  the  district  school  and  later  attended  the  Normal  College  at 
Mitchell,  Indiana.  After  completing  his  course  at  that  institution,  he 
attended  the  Elliottsville  Training  School,  where  he  took  a  literary  course, 
He  then  entered  the  Bible  College  at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Having  a 
taste  for  the  study  of  law,  he  pursued  the  study  of  this  science  at  the 
Indianapolis  Law  College,  but  was  admitted  to  the  bar  before  he  left 
the  Law  College,  which  was  in  1901.  Upon  leaving  Law  College  he 
was  admitted  to  both  the  Federal  and  Supreme  court  bars  of  Indiana. 
He  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Bedford  in  1902  and  practiced  there 
until  1906,  and  then  moved  to  Sullivan,  where  he  has  practiced  since. 
He  was  state's  attorney  for  Indiana  in  the  case  of  Indiana  against  Ulysses 
G.  Sutherlan  for  the  murder  of  his  wife  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  in  the 
spring  of  1906.     This  trial  lasted  for  one  month  lacking  three  days. 

Politically  Mr.  May  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  in  1908  he  was  a  candidate  for  prosecuting  attorney.  He  is  a 
thoroughly  self-made  man,  having  to  push  his  own  way  through  the  earlier 
years  of  his  manhood  unaided  by  influential  friends.  He  followed  the 
ministry  for  seventeen  years,  preaching  at  points  in  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Indian  Territory  and  Texas,  but  he  claimed  Bedford  as  his  home. 
He  also  preached  much  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  does  yet  when 
occasion  seems  to  demand  it.  The  church  of  his  choice  is  that  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur  at  Sullivan, 
being  a  "beneficial"  member  of  this  organization. 

Mr.  May  was  married,  December  30,  1896,  to  Estella  Gertrude  Neal, 
born  at  Bicknell,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  December  6,  1875.  She  was 
educated  in  her  native  county  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  taught  to 
perform  well  the  duties  of  such  an  independent  life,  which  has  ever  been 
of  excellent  practical  service  to  her.  By  this  union  two  children  have 
been  born:     Joy  Dexter  and  Mary  Belle. 


Ira  Augustus  Nesbit,  proprietor  of  the  flouring  mills  at  Sullivan, 
is  a  native  of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1855,  a  son  °f  William  O.  and  Nancy  Jane  (Eaton)  Nesbit. 
The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  December  26,  1825,  and  died  June  22, 
1896,  in  Nebraska.     The  Nesbits  are  of  Welsh  descent.     Mr.  Nesbit's 


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274  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

mother  was  a  life-long  resident  of  Hamilton  township,  and  she  died  in 
1876.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  William  O.  Xesbit  married 
Louise  A.  McKinley,  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  who  now  resides  in 
Fairbury,  Nebraska.  He  followed  farming  for  his  occupation,  coming 
to  Sullivan  county  when  but  six  years  of  age  with  his  parents,  Thomas 
and  Betsey  (Morgan)  Ncsbit,  who  entered  some  of  the  first  land  from 
the  government  taken  up  in  this  section  of  the  state.  They  both  died  in 
Sullivan  county.  William  O.  Nesbit  served  in  the  Eighty-fifth  Indiana 
infantry  regiment,  being  a  member  of  Company  H,  under  Captain  W.  T. 
Crawford,  for  three  years  during  the  Civil  war  period.  Politically  he 
was  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventies  he  moved  to  Fairbury,  Nebraska,  and  there  in  a 
new  but  fertile  section  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  upon  which 
he  died.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church, 
in  which  body  he  served  as  an  elder  for  a  number  of  years.  The  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  O.  Nesbit  are  as  follows:  John,  of 
Sullivan  county ;  Euphratus  H.,  of  Hamilton  township ;  Ira  A.,  of  this 
memoir ;  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  Albert  K.  Boyle,  of  Sullivan  county ;  William 
R.,  of  Sullivan,  whose  sketch  will  appear  in  this  work :  and  Anna 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Hardy  Reins,  residing  in  Hamilton  township. 

Ira  A.  Nesbit  was  reared  on  the  farm,  surrounded  by  the  scenes  of 
genuine  rural  life,  and  he  remained  at  home  until  about  twenty  years 
of  age,  when  he  commenced  to  farm  on  his  own  account,  continuing  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  then  sold  his  place  and  moved  to  Sullivan  in 
1898.  Here  he  purchased  a  grist  mill  which  belonged  to  J.  T.  Reid, 
which  he  has  since  been  successfully  operating  as  a  custom  mill,  also 
buying  and  selling  grain.  In  his  political  choice  he  favors  the  platforms 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  has  prudently  become  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  which  provides  him  with  a  safe  life  insur- 
ance, as  well  as  giving  him  other  fraternal  benefits  throughout  his  life. 
Mr.  Nesbit  and  family  are  exemplary  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

One  of  the  important  events  in  this  man's  career  was  his  marriage, 
in  1883,  to  Myrtle  J.  Johnson,  born  in  Turman  township  March  v, 
1865.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  her  native  township.  Her 
parents,  who  were  natives  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  both  now 
deceased,  were  Cyrus  and  Catherine  (McClanahan)  Johnson.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesbit  to  cheer  and  brighten  their 
home  circle:  Glennalda,  born  December  7,  1884,  is  now  attending  De 
Pauw  University  at  Greencastle,  Indiana.  She  has  already  taught  three 
terms  of  school  in  the  country  districts  in  Sullivan  county.  Grace  Lois, 
born  August  16,  1886,  now  teaching  in  Sullivan  county. 


Abraham  Thomas  Hazelrigg,  known  by  the  people  of  Sullivan 
county  by  reason  of  his  fifteen  years'  service  as  a  school  teacher,  as 
well  as  having  been  the  deputy  county  treasurer  a  number  of  years,  will 
form  the  subject  of  this  memoir.     He  was  born  September   17,  1867, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  275 

in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary 
(Douglas)  Hazelrigg.  William  Hazelrigg  was  the  son  of  John  W. 
Hazelrigg,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  1817,  and  died  at  Farm- 
ersburg, Indiana,  in  1884.  The  grandmother  of  Abraham  T.  Hazelrigg 
was  Elizabeth  Lloyd,  born  in  Kentucky  in  1817,  and  died  in  1887,  at 
Farmersburg,  Indiana.  This  worthy  couple  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
Samuel  Douglas,  the  maternal  grandfather,  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  in  1802,  and  died  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in 
1875.  Sarah,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1807,  and  died  in  1891, 
in  Curry  township,  this  county,  and  they  were  of  Irish  lineage.  The 
great-grandfather,  William  Hazelrigg,  was  born  in  1794,  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  in  1795.  The  grandfather,  John  W.  Hazelrigg,  came  to 
Sullivan  county  and  entered  what  was  known  as  canal  land  in  Fairbanks 
township.  He  finally  retired  from  the  toils  and  cares  of  his  farm  and 
died  at  Farmersburg,  Indiana.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Doug- 
as,  of  Virginia,  came  to  Indiana  at  about  the  same  time  as  did  the 
Hazelriggs.  He  married  Sarah  Jewell,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  Mr. 
Douglas  took  up  land  in  Curry  township  and  died  there  in  1875. 

Our  subject's  father  and  mother  were  married  in  Curry  township  in 
the  early  sixties.  Both  the  father  and  grandfather  always  followed  farm 
life.  In  his  political  choice  the  father  was  a  Democrat  and  he  belonged 
to  the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  the  Christian  church,  as  did  also  his  wife 
in  her  lifetime.  Mrs.  Mary  (Douglas)  Hazelrigg,  the  mother  of  Abra- 
ham T.,  was  born  in  1840  and  died  in  1875.  After  her  death  Mr. 
Hazelrigg  married  for  a  second  wife  Rebecca  Peak,  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  and  she  still  survives.  To  the  first  union  there  were 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Lethia,  wife  of  George  A.  McCord; 
Oliver,  deceased ;  John  S.,  of  Curry  township ;  Abraham  T. ;  Albert  E., 
of  Sullivan;  Rebecca  A.,  wife  of  D.  C.  McKinney;  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy.  By  the  second  marriage  there  is  no  issue.  William  Hazelrigg 
was  for  many  years  a  successful  agriculturist  and  paid  much  attention 
to  stock  raising.  He  was  public  spirited  and  ever  took  an  active  part 
in  the  work  of  the  church  of  his  choice — the  Christian.  He  died  March 
17,  1908. 

Abraham  T.  Hazelrigg,  a  son  of  William  and.  Mary  (Douglas) 
Hazelrigg,  lived  on  the  old  homestead  with  his  father  and  attended  the 
district  schools  of  his  neighborhood  and  later  the  Sullivan  Normal  for 
several  terms.  Having  acquired  a  good  education,  he  taught  school  for 
fifteen  years  in  Sullivan  county.  Before  teaching,  however,  he  had 
attended  the  State  Normal  at  Terre  Haute,  and  subsequently  the  National 
Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  graduating  in  the  teachers'  course 
with  the  class  of  1894.  From  January  1,  1902,  to  January  1,  1908, 
he  served  as  deputy  county  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county  having  been 
elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First 
National  Bank  at  Shelburn,  and  helped  to  organize  the  bank  in  1905. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  including  the  Encampment 
and  Rebekah  degrees.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  at 
Sullivan,  Indiana. 


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276  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mr.  Hazelrigg  was  married  on  June  29,  1898,  to  Genevra  Dix,  born 
in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  February  13,  1879.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  her  marriage. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Parintha  B.  (Pierson)  Dix,  both 
residing  in  Hamilton  township  and  both  born  and  reared  in  Indiana,  he 
in  Sullivan'  and  she  in  Vigo  county.     He  is  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser. 


William  M.  Draper,  who  is  numbered  among  the  important  busi- 
ness factors  of  the  enterprising  inland  city  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and 
who  is  engaged  in  the  bottling  industry,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county. 
Indiana,  born  February  8,  1861,  in  Curry  township,  a  son  of  Solomon 
and  Amy  Ann  (Oakes)  Draper.  Of  his  parentage  it  may  be  said  that 
the  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  near  Baden  on  the  8th  of  April. 
183 1,  and  he  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1904.  The  mother, 
Amy  Ann  (Oakes)  Draper,  was  born  in  Indiana  and  is  still  living.  They 
were  united  in  marriage  in  Sullivan  county,  and  the  father  of  William 
M.  was  an  industrious  agriculturist  in  Curry  township  and  followed  that 
for  his  livelihood  until  the  son  was  about  seven  years  of  age,  when  the 
family  moved  to  Sullivan,  where  the  father  worked  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade  until  he  retired  from  actual  hard  service.  Politically  he  was  a 
staunch  Democrat,  and  in  church  relations  was  connected  with  the 
Christian  denomination,  the  wife  being  of  the  same  faith.  The  four 
children  born  to  Solomon  Draper  and  wife  were  as  follows :  Isaac  S.,  a 
resident  of  Bloomington,  Indiana;  Theodosia,  deceased;  Laura,  wife  of 
William  Timmons,  residing  in  Sullivan ;  and  William  M.,  of  this  sketch, 
who  has  two  half-sisters — Caroline  and  Elizabeth,  unmarried. 

William  M.  Draper  was  reared  and  educated  within  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  began  as  a  messenger  boy  for  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  under  F.  E.  Basler  at  Sullivan,  with 
whom  he  worked  five  years — the  first  year  as  messenger  boy  and  the 
remaining  four  years  at  handling  freight  and  baggage.  He  was  then 
on  the  Evansville  &  Terre  Haute  Railway,  at  various  points  along  their 
system  as  agent,  for  six  months,  after  which  he  took  the  agency  of  the 
road  at  Summerville,  Indiana,  which  position  he  filled  two  years,  and 
then  served  at  Hazelton,  Indiana,  two  years.  He  next  moved  back  to 
Sullivan,  and  was  agent  for  the  Adams  Express  Company  nine  years. 
He  relinquished  this  position  in  February,  1896,  and  engaged  in  the  bot- 
tling, business  at  Sullivan.  He  now  possesses  a  fine,  modern  planned 
plant.  The  building  is  made  of  cement  blocks  and  is  located  near  the 
Evansville  &  Terre  Haute  railway  depot.  Besides  bottling  all  sorts  of 
soft  drinks  he  acts  as  the  local  agent  for  the  Terre  Haute  Brewing 
Company. 

In  his  political  understanding  he  agrees  with  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Among  the  local  offices  he  has  held  may  be  men- 
tioned that  of  member  of  the  town  board.  He  is  associated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Eagles  order. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  277 

Concerning  his  domestic  relations  let  it  be  said  that  in  1880  he  was 
married  to  Isabelle  Plunkett,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  March 
2,  1861,  and  died  August  30,  1901.  One  son  was  born  of  this  union, 
Alexander  E.,  born  August  8,  1881,  and  is  now  a  married  man  and 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  bottling  business,  the  firm  name  being 
styled  The  Sullivan  Steam  Bottling  Works  and  City  Artificial  Ice  De- 
livery. This  concern  is  the  only  one  in  Sullivan  handling  ice.  For  his 
second  wife  Mr.  Draper  married  Viola  R.  Sligar,  born  in  Sullivan  county 
in  1880.     Both  wives  were  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


William  Willis,  of  Sullivan  and  well  known  throughout  the  county, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Lamott  township,  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  on 
the  14th  of  August,  185 1.  His  father,  Richard  Willis,  was  formerly  from 
Kentucky,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  died  in  1857.  The 
maiden  name  of  the  mother  of  our  subject  was  Tempy  Ann  Webb.  She 
died  1855,  leaving  three  small  children :  Emeline,  the  oldest,  married 
Amos  Miseinhelder.  of  Palestine,  Illinois,  and  is  now  deceased.  Isabelle, 
the  youngest,  married  Joseph  B.  Pearson,  of  Sullivan,  and  is  also  de- 
ceased. Upon  the  death  of  their  parents  the  children  found  homes  among 
strangers. 

Our  subject  lived  with  a  farmer  in  Crawford  county  until  eleven 
years  of  age,  and  then  ran  away  and  spent  a  winter  with  an  uncle  in  the 
same  county.  He  then  went  to  live  with  Seymour  Siler,  and  remained 
with  him  until  fifteen  years  old,  and  then  with  an  uncle  who  had  returned 
from  California  visited  his  sisters,  from  whom  he  had  been  separated 
since  their  father's  death.  He  then  found  a  home  with  George  W. 
French  ,a  farmer  living  south  of  Merom.  During  this  time  he  had 
attended  school  but  little,  but  after  becoming  a  member  of  Mr.  French's 
family  he  attended  school  more  regularly,  and  a  part  of  each  year  during 
five  years  attended  Merom  College.  In  the  fall  of  1873  he  commenced 
teaching  at  Merom  Station.  He  taught  a  part  of  each  year  for  three 
years  and  was  employed  at  farming  during  the  summer  seasons.  In 
1880  he  was  elected  township  trustee  of  Gill  township,  and  served  for  four 
years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1886  was  elected  county  auditor  and  served  two 
terms  of  four  years  each.  He  then  engaged  in  the  real  estate,  loan  and 
insurance  business  in  Sullivan,  and  has  continued  in  that  business  until 
the  present  time. 

He  first  married  Sarah  L.  Ward  on  the  23d  of  July,  1875.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Ward,  and  was  a  graduate  of 
Merom  College  and  became  a  teacher.  She  died  in  1877.  His  second 
marriage,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1879,  was  to  Mary  E.  Sibley.  She  was 
born  in  Hamilton  township,  a  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Cecelia  Sibley. 
The  following  children  have  blessed  this  union:  Carl  M.,  Flossie, 
Cecelia,  William  E.,  Ralph  R.,  and  Burchard.  Carl  M.  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Sullivan  and  assisted  his  father  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  December  12,  1902,  aged  twenty-two  years.  Flossie  C. 
married  Herbert  C.  Steele,  of  Robinson,  Illinois.     William  E.  married 


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278  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Rhoda  Boyle  and  had  one  child,  Mary  Louise.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willis  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  have  reared  their  family 
in  that  faith.  Mr.  Willis  cast  his  first  vote  for  Horace  Greeley  and  has 
been  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  since.  He  is 
a  member  of  Sullivan  lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Sullivan  chapter,  the  Indepen- 
dent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Sullivan,  and  the  orders  of  the  Eastern 
Star  and  the  Rebekahs,  and  Sullivan  lodge,  K.  of  P. 


John  B.  Mullane,  a  dealer  in  hardware,  implements  and  buggies 
at  Sullivan,  will  form  the  subject  of  this  biography.  Mr.  Mullane  is  a 
native  of  New  York  City,  born  November  29,  1854,  a  son  of  James  and 
Julia  (Sullivan)  Mullane.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  died 
in  Libby  Prison,  Virginia,  where  he  was  held  a  prisoner  of  war  during 
the  rebellion.  The  mother  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  died  in 
New  York  City  in  1861.  By  trade  the  father  was  a  cooper,  having 
learned  the  same  in  Cincinnati,  to  which  city  he  went  when  a  boy,  and 
where  he  was  married.  Politically  he  was  a  staunch  Democrat,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  devoted  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  They  were  parents  to  the  following  five  children:  Catherine, 
deceased;  Daniel,  residing  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he  is  a  trav- 
eling salesman ;  John  B.,  of  this  notice ;  Dr.  Joseph,  deceased ;  and  Ella, 
deceased. 

John  B.  Mullane  attended  the  public  schools  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  after  which  he  went  to  college  at  Bedford,  Indiana.  He  was 
reared  in  Lawrence  county,  and  came  to  Indiana  when  aged  eight  years. 
He  made  his  home  with  Charles  Trueblood,  with  whom  he  remained  ten 
years.  He  farmed  and  worked  for  his  board  winters,  going  to  school, 
thus  showing  that  he  appreciated  a  good  education.  Later  he  taught 
school  two  terms  in  Lawrence  county,  and  then  began  clerking  in  a 
general  merchandise  store.  Coming  to  Sullivan  in  1879  he  was  employed 
by  the  firm  of  Hostetler  &  Williams,  general  dealers,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued for  two  years.  After  leaving  this  store  he,  having  become  ac- 
quainted with  such  work,  found  employment  with  other  business  houses 
there  until  about  1895,  when  he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business  and 
also  farmed.  In  1900  he  opened  his  present  store,  consisting  of  hardware, 
implements  and  vehicles.  He  operated  independently  for  three  years, 
when  he  induced  his  father-in-law,  George  Price,  to  become  his  partner, 
and  then  added  furniture  to  his  stock  of  goods.  The  firm  name  is  now 
J.  B.  Mullane  &  Company.  Besides  his  mercantile  interests  he  is  a  stock- 
holder and  director  of  the  Citizens'  Trust  Company  of  Sullivan.  On 
the  3d  of  February  of  the  present  year  his  store  with  its  contents  burned 
and  entailed  a  loss  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  with  but  forty-five 
per  cent  insurance. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Mullane  is  a  pronounced  Republican.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Odd  Fellows 
order. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1884,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Teresa 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  279 

Price,  born  in  Sullivan  July  4,  1862,  and  educated  in  the  public  schools 
and  at  Eminence  College,  Kentucky.  She  is  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Mollie  (Wolf)  Price.  They  have  three  children  living  and  one  deceased: 
Beulah  (deceased),  Joseph  W.,  Daniel  F.  and  Price.  Joseph  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1908  at  the  high  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mullane  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  he  having  been  identified  with  this  body 
since  1872  and  has  been  an  officer  since  about  1885.  He  has  been  Sunday 
School  superintendent  and  is  now  one  of  the  trustees. 


John  F.  Douthitt,  one  of  the  enterprising  dealers  in  clothing  and 
gentlemen's  furnishings  at  Sullivan,  was  born  in  Jefferson  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  March  28,  1865,  a  son  of  John  M.  and  Mary  A. 
(Howard)  Douthitt.  The  father  was  born  and  reared  on  the  same  farm 
on  which  the  son  was  born.  The  date  of  his  birth  was  March  17,  1836, 
and  that  of  his  death  May  2,  1904.  The  mother  was  also  a  native  of  the 
same  township,  born  September  19,  1841,  and  she  still  survives  and  is 
residing  on  the  old  farmstead.  The  grandfather,  Ira  Douthitt,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana.  They  were  of  Swedish  descent.  The  grandmother 
Howard  was  born  in  Ireland. 

John  M.  Douthitt,  the  father,  followed  agricultural  pursuits,  owning 
at  the  time  of  his  death  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  of  land,  all 
finely  improved.  He  was  in  politics  a  Democrat.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  his  country  six  months  in  the  Union  army.  He  was,  and  his 
widow  is,  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist  church  at  Indian  Prairie.  This 
worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Victoria,  wife 
of  George  Lucas,  residing  in  Knox  county,  Indiana ;  James  E.,  of  Sulli- 
van ;  John  F.,  of  this  sketch ;  Grace,  wife  of  William  P.  Medley,  of  Sulli- 
van; William  R.,  unmarried  and  living  on  the  old  homestead  with  his 
mother ;  Mary,  wife  of  George  Robins,  of  Knox  county,  Indiana ;  Estella, 
wife  of  Frank  Robins,  fruit  grower  near  Paxton,  Indiana ;  Lee,  residing 
on  a  farm  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  is  married ;  Lucy  Edith,  wife  of 
Alonzo  C.  Owens,  of  Sullivan;  Glenn,  now  teaching  at  Pleasantville, 
Indiana ;  and  Nellie,  who  died  in  infancy. 

John  F.  Douthitt,  of  this  narrative,  spent  his  youthful  days  on  his 
father's  farm  and  attended  the  public  schools,  remaining  under  the  pater- 
nal roof  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  to 
farm  on  his  own  account  in  Haddon  township.  After  three  years  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Pleasantville,  engaging  in  the  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, which  he  prosecuted  about  five  years,  with  much  energy.  He  next 
embarked  in  the  milling  business  at  Pleasantville,  and  made  flour  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  store  and  there  remained  until  the 
autumn  of  1899,  when  he  was  chosen  deputy  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county. 
He  served  for  fourteen  months  and  then  was  employed  by  J.  W.  Wolfe 
&  Son  in  the  clothing  business,  remaining  until  May,  1906.  At  the  date 
last  named  he  with  Ira  Glidden  formed  a  partnership  under  the  firm  name 
of  Glidden  &  Douthitt,  and  they  engaged  in  the  clothing  and  gentle- 


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280  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

men's  furnishing  goods  business  at  Sullivan.    This  business  is  carried  on 
by  them  at  this  time  in  a  most  successful  manner. 

In  his  political  choice  Mr.  Douthitt  is  a  Democrat.  In  fraternal 
society  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  Ben  Hur  societies.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  March 
15,  1888,  to  Dora  E.  Shake,  born  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  August  9,  1870,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Eliza  (Corbin)  Shake, 
natives  of  Sullivan  county.  The  father  is  still  living,  but  the  mother  died 
January  20,  1905.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douthitt  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren :  Effie,  who  graduated  with  the  class  of  1908  from  the  Sullivan  high 
school ;  Zadie ;  Ella ;  and  Raymond.  The  family  are  all  members  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  Mr.  Douthitt  is  its  treasurer  and  deacon. 


Edgar  Stewart  Crowder,  now  operating  an  automobile  garage  in 
Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  born  May  12,  1864,  a  son  of 
William  H.  and  Rebecca  C.  (Stewart)  Crowder.  (See  sketch  of  William 
H.  Crowder,  Sr.)  Edgar  Stewart  was  educated  in  Sullivan  and  at  Purdue 
University,  graduating  with  the  class  of  1887  in  the  mechanical  engineer- 
ing course  of  that  institution.  After  leaving  the  university  he  engaged 
in  the  milling  business  at  Shelburn,  Indiana,  operating  a  flour  mill  some 
three  years,  after  which  time  he  went  to  Payne,  Alabama,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  grain  and  feed  business  for  two  years.  He  then  returned 
to  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  1891,  since  which  date  he  has  resided  there.  He 
was  engaged  in  the  milling  industry  there  and  in  the  mills  of  the  county, 
the  main  offices  of  the  company  being  at  Sullivan,  while  branches  were 
maintained  at  Marion  and  New  Lebanon.  In  July,  1907,  Mr.  Crowder 
sold  out  the  milling  interests  he  held  and  operated  a  general  store  at  New 
Lebanon,  beginning  December,  1906.  In  the  month  of  August,  1907,  he 
opened  an  automobile  garage  in  Sullivan,  and  still  carries  on  the  same 
with  much  success.  He  handles  the  Mitchell,  Rambler  and  Maxwell  cars, 
and  also  does  all  kinds  of  repair  work,  having  a  fully  equipped  and 
thoroughly  up-to-date  garage. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Crowder  is  affiliated  with  the  Blue 
lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  with  the  Odd  Fellows  to  the 
Encampment  degree,  having  filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  last  named  order 
and  been  its  representative  at  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Indiana.  He  also 
holds  a  membership  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Elks,  all  of 
Sullivan.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  has  served  on  the 
town  council,  and  takes  much  interest  in  public  affairs  in  the  community 
in  which  he  resides.  In  the  years  1893  and  1894  he  was  the  county  sur- 
veyor of  Sullivan  county. 

On  October  22,  1888,  he  married  Amelia  Frank,  born  in  Quincy, 
Illinois,  December  10,  1868.  She  was  educated  primarily  at  Fort  Worth. 
Texas,  and  also  attended  the  Sullivan  schools  in  Indiana.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Amelia  Frank.  The  former  is  deceased,  and  the 
latter  resides  at  Fort  Pavne,  Alabama.     The  children  born  to  Mr.  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  281 

Mrs.  Crowder  are  as  follows:  Max  Frank,  born  November  22,  1889,  now 
reading  law  in  Chicago  with  Castle,  Williams  &  Castle.  He  graduated 
from  the  Sullivan  high  schools  with  the  class  of  1906  and  attended  the 
university  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  one  year.  Mary,  born  August  17, 
1891,  now  in  the  Sullivan  high  school;  Helen,  born  June  11,  1896;  and 
Edgar  S.,  Jr.,  born  June  22,  1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crowder  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


William  H.  Bridwell. — The  efficient  county  attorney  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  William  H.  Bridwell,  was  born  October  14,  1872,  in 
Owensburg,  Indiana,  son  of  Lafayette  and  Katherine  (Keenan)  Brid- 
well. The  father  was  a  native  of  Springville,  Indiana,  and  was  born  in 
1850,  dying  in  1901.  He  was  of  French  and  English  ancestry.  Grand- 
father Noah  Bridwell  was  a  pioneer  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  and 
died  near  Springville  before  the  birth  of  William  H.  The  mother  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  April  30,  1852,  and  now  resides  with  her  son 
William  H.  Her  mother  was  a  Kern  and  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  she 
died  in  the  early  nineties.  Mr.  Bridwell's  grandfather  Keenan  died  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  Lafayette  Bridwell  was  a  physician  and  surgeon  who 
practiced  at  Owensburg,  Indiana,  being  graduated  from  some  one  of  the 
medical  colleges  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Demo- 
crat and  was  postmaster  at  Owensburg  under  President  Cleveland's 
administration.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Blue  lodge  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  also  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men.  Having 
served  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Forty- 
fifth  Indiana  Regiment,  he  naturally  found  a  place  in  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  The  children  born  to  Lafayette  Bridwell  and  wife  were  as 
follows :  Minnie,  deceased ;  Frank,  of  Bedford,  Indiana ;  John,  deceased ; 
William  H.,  of  this  notice;  Samuel,  residing  in  Sullivan,  Indiana;  Nina, 
unmarried  and  lives  with  William  H. ;  and  Curtis,  attending  the  law 
department  of  the  Indiana  University.  The  mother  of  these  children  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

William  H.  Bridwell  received  his  early  education  at  the  public  schools 
of  Owensburg,  and  taught  school  from  the  time  he  was  sixteen  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  in  Greene  county.  He  then  matriculated 
in  the  Indiana  State  University,  being  in  the  law  department  of  that  insti- 
tution. He  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1898,  having  been  admitted 
to  the  bar  three  years  prior  to  his  graduation.  He  was  in  partnership  with 
C.  D.  Hunt,  of  Sullivan,  from  October,  1895,  unt^  l%97>  during  this  time 
acting  as  deputy  prosecuting  attorney.  He  re-entered  the  university  in 
February,  1898,  being  graduated  the  same  year.  Upon  his  return  to 
Sullivan  in  February,  1899,  ne  opened  his  present  law  office  on  the  corner 
of  Court  and  Jackson  streets.  He  was  reappointed  deputy  prosecuting 
attorney  in  October,  1899,  and  served  two  years  under  E.  W.  Mcintosh. 
In  June,  1900,  he  was  elected  county  attorney  by  the  county  commis- 
sioners and  has  served  continuously  ever  since. 


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282  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mr.  Bridwell  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order;  he  is  in  the 
Encampment  and  has  held  the  office  of  noble  grand  and  is  past  chief  patri- 
arch of  the  Encampment;  he  belongs  to  the  Rebekahs  and  the  Canton. 
In  Masonry  he  is  advanced,  being  a  member  of  the  Blue  lodge,  Chapter, 
Council  and  Eastern  Star.  He  is  also  counted  among  the  worthy  members 
of  the  orders  of  Elks  and  Eagles  at  Sullivan.  Politically  he  is  an  active 
Democrat  and  has  served  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  central  com- 
mittee, and  is  now  its  chairman.  He  was  honored  by  being  the  president 
of  the  Sullivan  County  Bar  Association  from  Thanksgiving,  1906,  to 
Thanksgiving,  1907. 


Samuel  A.  White. — Formerly  a  merchant,  but  now  a  capitalist  and 
operator  in  various  financial  institutions,  Samuel  A.  White  is  widely 
known  in  Sullivan  county.  He  was  born  in  Prairieton,  Vigo  county, 
Indiana,  February  12,  1850,  a  son  of  George  E.  and  Naomi  (Gunn) 
White.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  died 
when  Samuel  A.  was  but  two  years  of  age.  Samuel  White,  the  grand- 
father, was  born  in  Germany.  The  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1829, 
and  died  in  1904.    She  was  twice  married. 

Samuel  A.  White  left  home  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  worked  on  a 
farm  in  Otter  Creek  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  for  Warren  Genung, 
with  whom  he  remained  one  year.  The  following  summer  he  was  employed 
in  the  same  neighborhood.  When  he  became  thirteen  years  of  age  he 
went  to  Terre  Haute,  living  with  his  uncle,  William  Pattock,  and  entered 
the  public  schools,  first  attending  the  White  Rose  school.  When  four- 
teen years  old  he  commenced  as  a  newsboy  on  the  Indiana  &  St.  Louis 
Railroad,  but  soon  abandoned  that  project.  He  next  entered  a  confec- 
tionery store  at  Terre  Haute,  with  a  Mr.  Sage,  with  whom  he  remained 
between  five  and  six  years.  He  then  went  to  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  where 
he  established  a  confectionery  store,  which  after  three  months  he  sold. 
He  returned  to  Terre  Haute  and  found  employment  in  a  grocery  store 
on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Walnut  streets,  where  he  made  candy  at 
night  for  another  dealer.  After  a  short  time  there,  in  February,  1872,  he 
went  to  Sullivan  and  purchased  a  candy  store,  which  he  operated  for  four 
years,  selling  it  in  1876  and  going  back  to  Terre  Haute  and  entering 
into  partnership  with  his  cousin,  Moses  C.  Carr,  in  the  grocery  trade. 
After  one  year  there  he  sold  his  interest  and  went  to  Carlisle,  Indiana, 
opening  a  new  grocery  store  in  November,  1878,  which  was  burned  in 
the  following  February;  but  within  one  week  he  was  in  business  again 
across  the  street. 

The  Masonic  order  of  Carlisle,  jointly  with  him,  erected  a  two-story 
brick  building  in  which  he  opened  a  store,  handling  general  merchandise. 
Besides  this  store  building  he  also  erected  a  residence.  Although  having 
built  up  a  good  trade,  in  four  and  a  half  years  he  sold  out  and  went  into 
the  drug  business  at  Petersburg,  Pike  county,  Indiana,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  He  then  sold  his  stock  and  went  to  Clay  City,  Clay  county, 
and  bought  the  only  drug  store  of  that  place.    After  six  months  he  sold 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  283 

this  and  went  to  Sullivan  and  there  engaged  in  the  drug  trade,  con- 
ducting it  for  five  or  six  years,  when  he  again  sold  out,  after  which  he 
directed  his  attention  to  his  farm  for  nearly  five  years.  In  1895  ne  bought 
the  drug  business  of  Paul  S.  Ried,  which  stock  he  sold  in  1898.  Since  the 
late  date  he  has  been  busily  engaged  in  looking  after  his  sundry  financial 
interests.  When  the  National  Bank  of  Sullivan  was  organized  in  June, 
1900,  he  was  one  of  the  charter  members,  and  is  now  a  director  and 
stockholder.  He  is  also  a  charter  member  and  director  of  the  Sullivan 
County  Loan  &  Trust  Company.  Mr.  White  is  also  interested  as  stock- 
holder and  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Hamilton  Gas  &  Oil  Com- 
pany, and  is  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  within  Sullivan  county. 

Politically  Mr.  White  supports  the  Republican  party,  locally  and 
nationally.  He  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  having  ad- 
vanced to  the  Encampment  degree.  He  is  alive  to  every  interest  of  his 
home  town  and  county.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Rebecca  M.  Pearce, 
a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  Two  children  bless  this 
union :  Robert  P.,  editor  of  the  Sullivan  Union,  and  who  married  Bertha 
B.  Briggs ;  Gertrude  A.,  wife  of  W.  E.  Parrott,  a  solicitor  for  the  Van- 
dalia  Railroad  Company,  residing  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Both  of  Mr. 
White's  children  received  good  educations  at  the  public  schools  of  Sulli- 
van county.  Mrs.  White  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Her 
mother,  Virginia  Pearce,  now  ninety-three  years  of  age  and  living  at 
Carlisle,  was  there  during  the  Indian  raids,  and  Haddon  township  was 
named  in  honor  of  her  father. 


Elijah  E.  Russell,  deputy  county  auditor  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  born  April  8,  1867,  is  a  native  of  Curry  township,  Sullivan 
county.  He  is  the  son  of  Spencer  and  Elizabeth  (Gaskins)  Russell.  The 
Russells  are  of  Irish  ancestry.  In  the  various  generations  there  are  many 
farmers,  including  the  father  of  Elijah  E.  Spencer  Russell  was  born  in 
Kentucky  and  came  to  Indiana  with  his  parents  when  a  mere  lad.  Politi- 
cally he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  church  relations  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  She  died  late  in  the  nineties,  and 
he  in  1906.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as  follows :  Mar- 
garet, deceased ;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  James  H.  Reed,  a  resident  of  Curry 
township;  Serena,  wife  of  Robert  Taylor,  residing  in  Sullivan;  James 
Milburne,  deceased;  Elijah  Edward,  of  this  sketch;  Manna,  wife  of 
John  H.  Allen,  residing  at  Farmersburg,  Indiana ;  and  Joseph  W.,  resid- 
ing, in  Sullivan. 

Being  reared  on  a  farm,  Elijah  E.  Russell  attended  the  county  dis- 
trict schools.  He  remained  on  the  home  place  and  was  its  manager  for 
eight  years,  from  the  time  he  was  twenty-one  up  to  his  twenty-ninth  year. 
He  also  during  this  period  learned  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 
About  1897  he  purchased  an  eighty  acre  farm  in  Curry  township,  upon 
which  he  lived  until  1904,  when  he  took  his  seat  as  county  auditor  of 
Sullivan  county,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket 


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284  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

in  1902.  Besides  his  farm  in  Curry  township  he  owns  his  residence  in 
Sullivan.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Verdegris  River  Land  &  Oil  Company 
of  Oklahoma;  also  director  of  the  Tri-State  Oil  Company  of  Illinois. 
While  Mr.  Russell  was  on  the  farm  he  did  much  carpentering  and  con- 
tracting in  partnership  with  J.  H.  Collins,  working  for  nineteen  consecu- 
tive years  and  taking  contracts  for  school  buildings,  etc.  When  he  came 
to  Sullivan  to  take  the  auditorship  they  had  contracts  amounting  to 
twenty  thousand  dollars  on  hand.  He  was  defeated  for  the  office  of 
township  trustee,  and  at  one  time  was  secretary  of  the  township  advisory 
board.  Mr.  Russell  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  has  held  the  office  of  noble  grand  in  his  lodge. 

He  was  married  in  December,  1894,  to  Mary  E.  Jones,  born  in  Indi- 
ana, and  who  came  to  Vigo  county  when  an  infant  with  her  parents, 
Daniel  H.  and  Mary  (Adair)  Jones,  who  are  still  residing  in  Linton 
township,  Vigo  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  are  the  parents  of  two 
children :  Hazel,  born  November  23,  1896,  and  Max,  born  April  18,  1898. 


Tilghman  Ogle,  present  county  clerk  of  Sullivan  county*  Indiana, 
is  a  native  of  this  county,  born  March  26,  1861,  the  son  of  William  B. 
and  Anna  Eliza  (Anderson)  Ogle.  The  father  died  in  1868.  Grand- 
father Ogle  came  to  Indiana  from  Ohio  at  a  very  early  day  and  settled 
at  Prairieton,  Vigo  county,  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time,  and  then  went 
back  to  Ohio  to  afford  his  daughters  a  better  opportunity  to  finish  their 
education.  Later  he  again  came  to  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  where  he  owned 
fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land.  William  B.  Ogle,  father  of  Tilghman 
Ogle,  was  a  merchant  in  Vigo  county  for  a  time,  and  also  carried  on. 
merchandising  in  Sullivan  county.  He  was  elected  as  treasurer  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  serving  two  terms.  The  mother  was  born  in  January, 
1823,  and  still  resides  in  Sullivan.  Her  mother  died  in  Sullivan  at  the 
extreme  old  age  of  ninety-four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  B.  Ogle 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children :  Belle ;  Jacob,  now  residing  in  Mem- 
phis ;  Charles,  Katie  and  Frank,  deceased ;  William  Baty,  Jr.,  a  resident 
of  Ohio ;  Tilghman,  of  this  memoir ;  and  Elizabeth. 

Tilghman  Ogle  attended  the  public  schools  of  Sullivan  and  began 
clerking  in  a  grocery  store  in  1874,  when  but  thirteen  years  old.  Two 
years  later  he  went  to  Terre  Haute  and  there  engaged  with  Car  &  White, 
grocers,  remaining  there  until  February,  1878.  Subsequently  he  accom- 
panied Mr.  White  to  Carlisle,  Indiana,  where  he  was  connected  with  the 
same  line  of  business.  For  the  next  twenty  years  he  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  in  the  general  store  of  R.  W.  Akin,  at  the"  end  of  which  long  period 
of  service  he  was  elected  county  clerk  of  Sullivan  county.  He  was  elected 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  being  nominated  in  the  convention  against  two 
opponents,  and  he  took  his  seat  in  office  in  1904.  Mr.  Ogle  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows  order  at  Carlisle,  Lodge  No.  50,  and  has  been  the 
noble  grand ;  and  also  of  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at 
Sullivan. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  285 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  June  2,  1886,  to  Mary  Ella  Speak,  who 
was  born  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  June  26,  1869,  daughter  of  James  E.  and 
Eliza  Speak.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  are  still  living  at  Carlisle.  Mrs.  Ogle  was  educated  at 
the  public  schools  of  her  native  place.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogle  were  born 
two  children,  Cornelia,  attending  high  school,  and  Fred.  Mr.  Ogle  belongs 
to  the  Christian  church,  while  his  wife  is  connected  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal. 


William  R.  Nesbit,  an  attorney  practicing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  is 
a  native  of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1861,  a  son  of  William  O.  and  Nancy  J.  (Eaton)  Nesbit.  The 
father  was  born  in  Sullivan  county  and  died  in  1895.  The  grandfather 
on  the  paternal  side  was  born  in  Kentucky.  William  O.  Nesbit  always 
followed  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  served 
three  years  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war  under  Captain  Craw- 
ford, who  now  lives  at  Sullivan,  Indiana.  The  mother  of  William  R. 
was  also  a  native  of  Sullivan  county.  She  was  born  in  183 1  and  died 
in  1876.  Her  parents  were  among  the  early  pioneer  band  who  settled  in 
Sullivan  county.  William  O.  Nesbit  and  wife  were  united  in  marriage  in 
Sullivan  county  and  were  the  parents  of  six  children:  John,  residing 
near  Paxton,  Indiana;  Euphrates  H.,  living  near  the  old  homestead; 
Ira  A.,  residing  in  Sullivan;  Sara  E.,  wife  of  Albert  K.  Boyl,  of  Sulli- 
van ;  William  R.,  of  this  sketch ;  Armina  E.,  wife  of  Hardy  Raines,  resid- 
ing in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county.  William  O.  Nesbit  was 
married  the  second  time,  the  last  wife  being  Lucy  A.  McKinley,  now 
residing  at  Fairbury,  Nebraska.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  union : 
Oran,  of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and.Ora,  with  her  mother  in  Nebraska. 

William  R.  Nesbit  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  received  the 
common  school  education  which  most  Indiana  boys  of  his  time  did.  He 
attended  the  State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute,  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1885.  He  returned  to  his  native  county  and  began  teaching 
school  in  the  sixth  grade  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  of  his  graduation. 
In  March,  1886,  he  was  promoted  to  super intendency  of  the  Sullivan 
public  schools,  serving  until  1891,  when  he  tendered  his  resignation.  He 
had  also  taught  during  his  term  at  the  Normal,  one  year  at  Burnetts 
Creek,  White  county,  and  one  year  in  the  city  schools  of  Logansport. 
After  his  resignation  from  the  superintendence  of  the  Sullivan  schools 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  W.  C.  Hultz,  of  Sullivan,  with  whom  he  read 
law  about  one  year.  In  October,  1891,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
soon  after  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  C.  Hultz,  his  tutor.  He  re- 
mained in  this  partnership  until  1893,  a°d  tnen  formed  a  partnership  with 
Judge  George  W.  Buff,  of  Sullivan,  which  partnership  existed  until  1899, 
after  which  he  practiced  independently  until  July,  1902,  when  he  became 
the  partner  of  A.  G.  McNabb.  In  August,  1902,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  postmaster  and  served  as  such  until  February  1,  1907,  since  which 
date  he  has  practiced  law  in  Sullivan.    Mr.  Nesbit  owned  and  edited  the 


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286  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Sullivan  Union  in  1902-3.  He  is  a  supporter  of  Republican  party  prin- 
ciples and  in  his  society  connections  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  having  passed  all  the  chairs  in  that  lodge.  He 
was  married  July  12,  1888,  to  Effie  I.  Coulson,  daughter  of  Uriah  and 
Jane  A.  Coulson.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  her 
mother  of  Brown  county,  Indiana.  Her  father  served  as  postmaster  at 
Sullivan  on  two  occasions,  and  is  now  leading  a  retired  life  in  Sullivan. 
Mrs.  Nesbit  graduated  at  the  Sullivan  high  school,  and  was  a  teacher  in 
the  Sullivan  public  schools  for  about  three  years.  She  was  born  July  12, 
1868,  and  died  April  6,  1907.  She  was  a  prominent  woman  in  the  society 
of  Sullivan,  being  president  of  the  Woman's  Club.  She  made  the  address 
at  the  dedication  of  the  Carnegie  Public  Library.  She  was  not  unfre- 
quently  called  upon  to  deliver  public  addresses,  in  which  she  never  dis- 
appointed the  people.  She  was  enthusiastic  and  public-spirited,  ever  seek- 
ing to  bring  about  progress  and  higher  thought  and  action  in  her  county 
and  state.  She  left  two  children  to  mourn  her  death:  Maurice,  born 
August  10.  1889,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  with  the  class  of  1907, 
unmarried  and  at  home;  Mildred,  born  November  30,  1893,  also  in  the 
high  school.  Mr.  Nesbit  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  while  his 
wife  was  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


William  T.  Douthitt,  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Douthitt 
&  Haddon,  of  Sullivan,  has  long  been  a  leader  of  the  county  bar,  both  in 
official  and  private  practice.  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  on  the  18th  of  December,  1868,  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and 
Lydia  (Wells)  Douthitt.  His  parents  are  also  natives  of  the  township 
named,  were  married  therein  during  the  fall  of  1867,  and  are  still  resi- 
dents of  that  section  of  Sullivan  county.  Both  the  Douthitt  and  Wells 
families  have  been  identified  with  the  progress  of  agriculture  and  the 
general  advancement  of  this  region  since  the  early  pioneer  period.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  James  Madison  Douthitt,  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
married  a  Miss  Good,  and  entered  government  land  as  among  the  first 
settlers  of  Jefferson  township.  His  old-world  descent  was  English.  John 
Wells,  the  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side,  also  of  English  ancestry,  is 
believed  to  have  been  born  in  Pennsylvania.  It  is  known  that  he  was  one 
of  the  Jefferson  township  pioneers,  and  that  he  died  therein  during  the 
eighties.  The  members  of  these  families  were  all  farmers,  and  most  of 
them  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  as  were  the  parents  of  William  T. 
Douthitt.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  M.  Douthitt  were 
as  follows :  William  T.,  of  this  sketch ;  George  E.,  who  resides  in  Car- 
lisle; Frank  M.,  a  resident  of  Sullivan  county,  whose  biography  is  else- 
where published ;  Luretta,  who  died  February  22,  1906 ;  and  Elliott,  who 
is  married  and  lives  on  the  paternal  homestead. 

After  receiving  a  district  school  education  Mr.  Douthitt  taught  for 
four  years  in  Sullivan  county,  in  1887  entered  the  Valparaiso  normal 
school  for  a  year,  taught  for  several  years,  and  was  then  chosen  deputy 
countv  clerk  under  William  M.  Dennev.     He  held  the  office  named  for 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  287 

about  a  year,  in  1892-3,  and  as  he  had  been  studying  law  for  a  number  of 
years  during  the  time  he  could  snatch  from  his  educational  and  official 
duties,  he  had  been  admitted  to  the  Indiana  bar  in  June,  1890.  In  1893, 
after  resigning  his  position  of  deputy  county  clerk,  Mr.  Douthitt  began 
the  continuous  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  Judge  O.  B. 
Harris  (mentioned  biographically  in  this  work),  and  the  firm  of  Harris  & 
Douthitt  continued  until  1896.  The  junior  member  then  practiced  alone 
until  1905,  when  he  associated  himself  with  Milton  A.  Haddon,  under  the 
present  firm  name  of  Douthitt  &  Haddon.  His  practice  of  fifteen  years  in 
Sullivan  county  had  brought  Mr.  Douthitt  in  connection  with  nearly  all 
the  important  cases  of  that  period,  either  in  his  private  capacity  as  a  lead- 
ing attorney  or  as  county  attorney,  city  attorney  and  deputy  prosecuting 
attorney.  He  ably  discharged  the  duties  of  the  last  named  office  for  two 
years.  Besides  carrying  a  large  general  practice,  Mr.  Douthitt  is  the 
attorney  for  the  National  Bank  and  the  Sullivan  County  Loan  &  Trust 
Company,  and  has  long  been  classed  as  among  the  strong  corporation 
lawyers  of  his  section  of  Indiana.  He  owns  a  fine  residence  on  the  corner 
of  North  Court  and  Beach  streets,  and  has  been  recognized  for  so  many 
years  as  one  of  the  steadfast  forces  operating  for  the  advancement  of  the 
city  and  county  that  his  contemplated  removal  to  Terre  Haute  is  con- 
sidered a  most  serious  loss  to  the  entire  community.  He  has  already 
purchased  property  and  made  office  arrangements  in  that  city,  and  plans  to 
remove  his  residence  thither  in  September,  1908.  There  the  field  of  his 
activities  will  be  larger,  and  his  many  friends  and  admirers  therefore 
anticipate  for  him  even  a  broader  and  brighter  career  than  he  has  enjoyed 
in  the  past. 

Mr.  Douthitt  has  always  been  a  firm  Democrat,  but  has  had  no  politi- 
cal ambitions.  He  is  a  Mason  of  long  and  high  standing,  having  filled 
all  the  offices  of  the  Blue  lodge  of  Sullivan,  No.  263,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and 
served  as  high  priest  of  the  Jerusalem  Chapter,  No.  81,  R.  A.  M.,  of 
Sullivan.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and  is  also  an  active 
member  of  the  order  of  Elks.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douthitt  are  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  auxiliary,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In  November, 
1890,  Mr.  Douthitt  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  Mayfield,  who 
was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  April,  1871,  a  daugh- 
ter of  William  C.  and  a  Miss  (Bowen)  Mayfield.  The  mother  died  when 
Mrs.  Douthitt  was  a  young  girl,  and  her  father,  who  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  passed  away  in  1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douthitt  have  two  sons — Arista 
B.,  born  November  11,  1891,  and  Earl,  born  April  9,  1897 — both  of  whom 
are  pupils  in  the  Sullivan  high  school.  The  parents  are  earnest  members 
of  the  Baptist  church,  Mr.  Douthitt  having  been  on  its  board  of  trustees 
since  the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship  in  Sullivan. 


S.  Paul  Poynter,  a  well-known  figure  in  the  newspaper  field  of 
Sullivan  for  more  than  a  decade,  was  born  at  Eminence,  Morgan  county, 
Indiana,  on  the  29th  of  March,  1875,  a  son  of  Jesse  A.  and  Martha  Lutitia 

Vol.  11—19 


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288  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Poynter.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith  and  wagonmaker  by  trade,  and 
for  several  years  prior  to  the  age  of  fifteen  the  son  was  employed  in  these 
lines.  At  that  period  of  his  life  he  added  carriage-painting  to  his  other 
handicrafts,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  earn  enough  money  to  complete  his 
education.  He  was  first  educated  in  the  graded  schools  at  Cloverdale,  and 
afterward  took  a  course  at  DePauw  University,  Greencastle,  Indiana, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1897  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B. 

In  July  of  the  above  year,  soon  after  his  graduation,  Mr.  Poynter 
entered  newspaper  work  in  Sullivan,  and  has  been  in  the  business  con- 
tinuously since  that  time.  He  bought  the  Democrat  when  the  business 
was  at  a  low  ebb.  and  developed  it  to  a  profitable  establishment.  In  1904 
he  absorbed  the  Times,  his  Democratic  competitor,  and  in  the  following 
year  started  the  Daily  Times,  through  these  agencies  being  one  of  the 
most  influential  Democrats  in  the  county.  Outside  of  his  newspaper 
business  he  is  most  interested  in  real  estate.  He  is  vice  president  of  the 
State  Democratic  Editorial  Association,  and  is  also  a  Methodist,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the  church -since  1900.  He  is 
identified  with  three  branches  of  the  Masonic  order — Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star — and  also 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Elks. 

Mr.  Poynter  was  married,  April  11,  1900,  to  Miss  Alice  lima  Wilkey, 
daughter  of  the  late  Nelson  Wilkey  and  Ann  B.  Wilkey,  and  the  two  chil- 
dren born  to  them  are  Eleanor  Allen,  February  24,  1901,  and  Nelson  Paul 
Poynter.  December  15,  1903.  Both  of  Mr.  Poynter's  parents  are  living. 
His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  his  service  covering  more  than 
three  years.  He  was  a  musician,  serving  with  Company  C,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifteenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  with  Company  B,  Thirty- 
first  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated,  among  other  great 
engagements,  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 


Charles  William.  Welman. — Prominent  among  the  citizens  of 
Sullivan,  Indiana,  is  Charles  William  Welman.  an  attorney-at-law  and 
real  estate  dealer.  He  is  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  was  born  September  18,  1858,  his  parents  being  John  and  Martha  J. 
(Chamberlain)  Welman.  John  Welman  was  born  in  Orange  county, 
Indiana,  January  19,  1826,  and  now  resides  in  the  town  of  Fort  Branch, 
Gibson  county.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1801, 
and  the  paternal  great-grandfather,  Samuel  Welman.  was  born  about 
1760  in  Maryland,  and  went  to  Kentucky  about  1790.  In  1819  he  and  his 
family  moved  to  Harrison  county,  Indiana.  He  resided  in  Harrison, 
Crawford  and  Orange  counties  until  his  death,  which  occurred  about 
1850.  The  grandfather.  Samuel  Cignor  Welman.  moved  to  Gibson  county, 
Indiana,  in  1863,  and  died  there  in  1870.  The  Welmans  were  all  farmers. 
John  Welman,  the  father  of  Charles  W..  now  lives  retired  at  Fort  Branch, 
Indiana.    He  is  a  Democrat  and  a  regular  Baptist.    Martha  J.  (Chamber^ 


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CHARLES  W.  WELMAN 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8TOR,  LEW©X  AND 
TILDEN  FOUNDATION* 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  289 

lain)  Welman,  the  mother,  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  November 
24,  1830,  and  died  December  7,  1905.  Her  mother  died  of  the  cholera  in 
1837,  at  about  the  same  time  that  her  father  was  drowned  in  the  waters 
of  the  Mississippi  river  as  he  was  on  his  way  with  a  shipload  of  pork. 
Mrs.  Welman  then  crossed  the  Ohio  river  and  was  reared  by  her  grand- 
parents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elias  Hedden,  of  southern  Indiana,  with  whom 
she  lived  until  her  marriage,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  Although  she 
had  few  educational  opportunities,  yet  she  became  a  well-posted  and 
cultured  woman.  By  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Welman  ten  children  were 
born,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and  the  others  were  as  follows: 
Samuel  B.,  residing  in  Evansville,  was  born  in  1850  and  has  been  a  rail- 
way contractor  many  years ;  Mary  E.,  widow  of  Charles  Ripley,  formerly 
of  Chicago;  Susan,  who  died  in  1895,  married  Thomas  W.  Redman; 
Charles  W.,  of  this  memoir;  and  Joel  H.,  who  died  in  1875. 

Charles  W.  Welman  was  born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Crawford 
county.  The  father  moved  to  Fort  Branch,  Gibson  county,  when  the 
son  was  about  five  years  of  age.  The  son's  early  education  was  received 
at  the  public  schools,  and  later,  in  1879-80,  he  attended  the  college  at  Val- 
paraiso. He  was  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Gibson  and  Vander- 
burg  counties  a  number  of  years.  In  1888,  Mr.  Welman  went  to  Sulli- 
van and  was  editor  and  manager  of  the  Sullivan  Times  until  1896.  In 
1891  he  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of  Sullivan  county, 
serving  four  years  and  three  months.  He  was  adrnitted  to  the  bar  in  1897 
and  has  been  an  expert  accountant  in.  Kansas,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and 
Indiana  at  various  times  and  in;  various  counties.  In  the  meantime  he 
practices  law  and  deals  in  realty.  In  1905,  Mr.  Welman  platted  forty- 
eight  acres  of  land,  the  same  being  "recorded  and  now  known  as  "Wel- 
man's  First  Addition  to  Sullivan."  '  It  lies  adjoining  the  corporation  of 
Sullivan  on  the  north.  On  this  addition  Mr.  Welman  has  erected  a  beauti- 
ful and  modern  residence.  He  also  platted  fifty  acres  to  the  north  of  the 
first  addition,  and  this  is  known  as  "Highland  Park." 

Politically  Mr.  Welman  is  a  Democrat  of  no  uncertain  type.  He 
was  nominated  on  this  ticket  in  1894  for  clerk  of  the  supreme  court  of 
Indiana,  but  was  defeated.  Again,  he  was  defeated  for  county  treasurer 
in  a  field  of  five  candidates  by  only  thirty-nine  votes.  In  1902,  1906 
and  1908  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  but  was  not  nominated  in 
either  campaign.  .  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having 
been  identified  with  that  order  since  1889,  and  belongs  to  the  Blue 
lodge  and  chapter.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Elks,  Eagles  and  Knights 
of  Pythias,  all  of  Sullivan. 

Mr.  Welman  was  united  in  marriage  in  1884  to  Frances  R.  McCleary, 
a  native  of  Gibson  county,  Indiana,  who  was  born  in  1868.  This  union 
resulted  in  the  birth  of  one  son,  Victor  A.,  born  in  December,  1884.  He 
was  graduated  in  the  scientific,  classic  and  law  courses  at  Valparaiso,  and 
is  located  in  Seattle,  Washington.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Welman 
married  in  1903  Miss  Nelle  Farley,  a  native  of  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and  by 
this  union  two  children  were  born,  Agnes,  born  March  20,  1905, 
and  Charles  Warren,  born  January  27,  1907. 


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290  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

William  H.  Crowder,  Sr.,  a  retired  banker  residing  at  Sullivan, 
Indiana,  was  born  November  18,  1838,  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  a  son 
of  William  Milton  and  Hannah  C.  (Cox)  Crowder.  His  father  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1816  and  died  in  July,  1851,  at  Sullivan,  Indiana. 
He  was  an  only  son  and  was  a  practicing  physician  who  graduated  at 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  in  1850.  The  mother  was  born  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  in  18 19,  and  died  in  Sullivan,  August  23,  1903.  They  were 
married  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  in  1837,  and  eight  children  were 
born  to  them,  as  follows :  William  H.,  of  this  notice ;  Robert  H. ;  James 
H.,  deceased ;  Oscar  H.,  residing  in  Sullivan ;  John  H.,  residing  at  Gor- 
don, Nebraska;  Milton  H.,  a  resident  of  Sullivan;  and  two  who  died  in 
infancy. 

William  H.,  of  this  sketch,  was  born  and  was  reared  on  a  farm  until 
1847,  since  which  date  he  has  lived  at  Sullivan.  When  but  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  opened  a  general  store  in  Sullivan  and  was  connected  with  this 
business  until  1885.  On  July  4,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-first 
Indiana  Regiment,  serving  in  the  Union  cause  until  the  spring  of  1863. 
All  of  his  brothers  except  Milton  served  in  the  army,  and  none  were  ever 
wounded  and  none  ever  claimed  a  pension  until  the  act  allowing  pension 
for  age  was  granted.  In  1875,  Mr.  Crowder  became  president  of  the  bank 
at  Sullivan,  and  retained  such  office  until  July,  1900,  when  he  of  choice 
retired  from  active  business  pursuits.  He  is  still  a  director  of  the  Sulli- 
van State  Bank  and  vice  president  of  the  Citizens'  Trust  Company  and 
one  of  its  directors.  Politically  he  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Prohi- 
bition party.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  is  also  numbered 
among  the  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  The  family  are 
connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Crowder  was  married  in  August,  1863,  to  Sarah  R.  Stewart,  a 
native  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  born  May  23,  1842,  and  who  died 
May  31,  1902.  Ten  children  blessed  this  union,  and  they  are  as  follows: 
Edgar  S.,  resides  in  Sullivan ;  Mary,  deceased ;  William  H.,  Jr.,  also  resid- 
ing at  Sullivan ;  Hirell,  a  resident  of  Indianapolis ;  Katherine ;  Benjamin 
C. ;  James  Hanry;  Jessie;  Dorothy;  and  Isaac  Milton.  The  last  six  are 
all  residents  of  Sullivan.  All  this  family  received  good  educations  writhin 
Sullivan.  Mary  attended  school  at  New  Alb,any  and  at  DePauw  Univer- 
sity; Katherine,  at  DePauw;  Milton  and  Benjamin  also  attended  De- 
Pauw ;  Dorothy  was  graduated  at  St.  Mary  of  the  Woods ;  Edgar  and 
Harvey  attended  school  at  Purdue ;  and  Jessie  at  Oxford. 


John  Sisson,  a  farmer  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  March  10,  1846,  in  Jefferson  township,  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin W.  and  Miranda  (Davidson)  Sisson.  The  father  was  born  March 
15,  1815,  in  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  and  died  February  10,  1897; 
he  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  Pleasantville.  The  mother  was  born 
February  3,  1814,  and  died  August  18,  1882.  Benjamin  W.  came  from 
Kentucky  to  Sullivan  county  before  his  marriage,  and  was  united  in 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  291 

marriage  in  this  county.  He  entered  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  Jefferson  township  and  followed  farm  pursuits  all  of  his  life. 
Politically  he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  as  was  his  wife.  Eight  children  were  born  to  this 
worthy  couple,  two  of  whom  died  in  their  infancy.  The  others  are  as 
follows :  Judea,  unmarried  and  residing,  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Sulli- 
van county;  Mary,  on  the  home  place,  the  widow  of  Austin  Graham; 
Paulina,  who  married  James  Anderson  and  resides  in  Pleasantville ; 
Miranda,  who  resides  in  Jefferson  township,  the  wife  of  James  Wells; 
Daniel  W.,  who  married  Lizzie  Maddox  and  resides  in  Oklahoma;  and 
John,  of  this  sketch. 

John  Sisson,  subject,  received  his  education  at  the  common  school, 
but  spent  most  of  his  youthful  days  on  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  to 
clear  and  improve  his  land.  He  continued  to  reside  at  home  until  in  1874, 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  containing  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres, 
where  he  now  resides,  the  same  being  situated  one  mile  west  of  Pleasant- 
ville. After  buying  this  place,  which  was  mostly  in  a  wild  and  unim- 
proved state,  he  set  about  to  clear  it  and  fit  it  for  cultivation,  which  task 
he  accomplished  almost  without  help.  He  farmed  at  home  until  his 
marriage,  and  was  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  stock  for  about  fifteen 
years.  His  present  farm  contains  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine  acres  of 
choice,  well  improved  land.  Mr.  Sisson  is  now  quite  extensively  engaged 
in  sheep-raising.  He  rents  out  a  portion  of  his  farm  and  looks  after  the 
remainder  himself.  He  is  very  fond  of  hunting,  and  was  at  one  time  con- 
sidered a  good  marksman,  and  still  enjoys  the  chase. 

Politically  Mr.  Sisson  is  a  Democrat,  believing  this  party  best  serves 
the  interest  of  the  masses  of  American  citizens.  He  belongs  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  as  does  his  wife,  and  is  a  trustee  in  this  church. 
He  is  also  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  Lodge  No.  408  at  Pleas- 
antville, and  also  with  Black  Creek  Encampment  No.  177  at  Sanborn, 
Knox  county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Sisson  was  initiated  in  Pleasantville  Lodge 
No.  408,  located  at  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1873,  an(l 
received  the  pink  degree  April  29,  1873 ;  the  second,  or  blue  degree,  April 
i,  1874,  and  the  third,  or  scarlet  degree,  April  1,  1874.  He  was  made 
vice  grand  July  1,  1875;  noble  grand,  January  1,  1876;  and  was  made  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in  October,  1876. 

He  was  married,  November  17,  1887,  to  Ella  J.  Shake,  born  Sep- 
tember 1,  1865,  in  Haddon  township,  this  county.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  David  and  Eliza  (Corbin)  Shake,  the  former  still  living  in  Haddon 
township,  but  the  latter  is  deceased.  The  following  paragraphs  appeared 
in  a  local  newspaper  commemorating  the  death  of  Mrs.  Shake : 

"Mrs.  David  Shake  died  Sunday  morning  about  four  o'clock  at  her 
home  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Carlisle,  after  a  long  illness.  Funeral 
services  were  held  at  eleven  o'clock  Monday  morning  at  the  Indian  Prairie 
Baptist  church,  the  pastor,  Rev.  C.  L.  Merriman,  officiating.  Interment 
in  the  Indian  Prairie  cemetery. 

"Eliza  Corbin  Shake  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  January  8,  1836. 
She  was  united  in  marriage  to  David  Shake,  September  25,  1859,  and  to 


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292  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

this  union  have  been  born  four  children — Charles  E. :  Vincent,  who  died 
in  1877;  Ella  J.,  Mrs.  John  Sisson;  and  Dora  E.,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Douthitt. 
Mrs.  Shake  became  a  member  of  Indian  Prairie  Baptist  church,  Septem- 
ber 16,  1871,  and  since  that  time  has  tried  to  live  a  faithful  Christian  life. 
She  has  been  an  invalid  for  thirty  years,  thirteen  and  one-half  of  which 
she  was  confined  to  her  bed.  The  8th  of  last  September  she  fell  and  broke 
her  arm,  since  which  time  she  has  been  a  constant  sufferer.  She  was 
promoted  to  the  heavenly  life  January  22,  1905,  aged  sixty-nine  years  and 
fourteen  days.  She  leaves  a  husband,  three  children,  a  sister  and  many 
friends  to  mourn  her  departure.  She  was  a  true  and  affectionate  com- 
panion, a  loving  and  devoted  mother,  a  good  neighbor,  and  worthy  citi- 
zen, bearing  all  of  her  afflictions  patiently." 

Mr.  Shake  always  followed  farm  life  for  his  livelihood.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sisson  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Mary  D.,  born  January  3,  1889, 
and  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Yates,  a  resident  of  Linton,  Indiana,  and  a 
teacher.  Mrs.  Sisson  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs  at  Pleasantville, 
Indiana,  Lodge  No.  605,  and  she  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  her  order. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sisson  have  one  of  the  old  parchment  deeds  executed 
August  1,  1843,  and  signed  by  President  John  Tyler,  a  valuable  heirloom 
in  the  county. 


James  H.  Near,  who  has  been  a  farmer  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
since  1870,  is  a  native  of  Clark  county,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  February 
18,  1849,  a  son  °f  H.  J.  Near  and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Applegate.  The  parents  were  both  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio.  The 
mother  died  in  1853,  in  her  native  county,  and  the  father  died  about  1879. 
in  Clark  county,  Illinois.  The  father  was  married  three  times.  For  his 
second  wife  he  married  Mrs.  Ann  (Lockhart)  Chance,  a  native  of  Clark 
county,  Ohio,  who  died  in  Knox  county,  Indiana.  For  his  third  wife  he 
married  Mrs.  Mariah  (Coffee)  Munk,  who  now  resides  in  Jasper  county, 
Illinois. 

By  H.  J.  Near's  first  marriage  the  children  born  were:  a  daughter, 
who  died  in  infancy;  William  A.,  deceased;  James  H.,  of  this  review; 
and  Joseph  M.,  a  resident  of  Union  county,  Ohio.  To  the  second  mar- 
riage there  were  born  five  children :  Azilla  Jane,  wife  of  Jacob  Laferty,  of 
Champaign  county,  Ohio ;  Charles,  deceased ;  Frank,  residing  near  Casey, 
Illinois;  Clara,  deceased;  and  Lizzie,  deceased.  The  issue  by  the  last 
marriage  was :  James,  George  and  Eliza,  all  residing  in  Illinois.  William 
A.  Near,  the  eldest  son  of  H.  J.  Near  by  his  first  marriage,  was  a  member 
of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  served 
three  years  during  the  Civil  war  and  received  a  wound  in  the  shoulder- 
blade.  He  died  in  the  seventies.  Politically  the  father  was  a  Democrat, 
and  he  and  his  first  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

James  H.  Near  was  reared  midst  the  scenes  of  rural  life,  and  early 
began  working  out  on  a  farm,  for  which  services  he  received  but  twenty- 
five  cents  a  day.  In  187 1  he  commenced  to  farm  for  himself,  and  has  fol- 
lowed this  occupation  ever  since.     In  1867  he  went  to  Greene  county. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  293 

Indiana,  and  in  March  of  the  same  year  came  to  Haddon  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  first  locating  a  half  mile  from  where  he  now  resides.  He 
carries  on  a  seventy  acre  farm,  which  he  owns,  raising  cereals  and  paying 
much  attention  to  stock-raising.  In  the  late  seventies  and  early  eighties 
Mr.  Near  operated  a  wheat  separator  and  did  threshing,  with  a  horse- 
power engine.  He  has  always  been  a  very  busy  man,  and  has  prospered 
through  his  industrious  habits.  Politically  he  votes  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

He  was  married  February  28,  1870,  to  Elizabeth  Deveors,  born  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  highway  from  where  she  now  resides,  April  15, 
1855,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza  (Carrico)  Deveors,  both  of  whom 
are  now  deceased.  The  mother  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  a  daughter 
of  Reason  and  Elizabeth  (Trimble)  Carrico.  They  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  Haddon  township.  Father  Deveors  was  born  in  Marion 
county,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Near  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  at 
Bethany,  Jefferson  township.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Near 
are  as  follows:  Florence,  born  October  26,  1871,  is  now  the  wife  of 
O.  Padgett,  of  Terre  Haute ;  Eliza,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  John  Roox- 
bery,  and  they  had  an  infant  child,  deceased ;  William  A.,  residing  in 
Jefferson  township ;  Charles  L.,  also  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  mar- 
ried Nellie  McCammon,  and  they  have  one  son  and  one  daughter,  Ralph 
and  Lela ;  Zelma,  deceased,  married  Scott  Willis  and  left  one  son,  Harold 
E.  Willis,  who  is  also  now  deceased ;  Iva,  unmarried,  at  home ;  and  Nora, 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Padgett,  of 
Terre  Haute,  are:  Flossie,  Lourice  R.,  Elwon  A.,  Doris,  Tressa  L.  and 
two  infants,  deceased.  Paul  Y.  Near,  a  son  of  William  A.,  is  living  with 
his  grandparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Near.  They  have  had  twelve  grand- 
children, and  eight  are  living,  two  boys  and  two  girls  being  deceased. 


James  Mahan,  who  is  farming,  in  Jackson  township,  was  born  in 
Mason  county,  Kentucky,  December  20,  1830,  a  son  of  Jerry  and  Jemima 
(Browning)  Mahan,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  the  Blue  Grass 
state  and  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  They  came  to  Sullivan  county 
during  the  early  boyhood  of  their  son  James  and  purchased  a  farm  in 
Jackson  township,  but  the  mother  only  lived  a  short  time  after  coming 
north,  and  the  father  died  in  the  early  seventies. 

When  James  Mahan  attained  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  left  the 
parental  home  and  bought  seventy-eight  acres  of  land  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship. He  at  once  began  the  arduous  and  difficult  work  of  clearing  his 
land  and  preparing  it  for  purposes  of  cultivation,  and  that  farm  was  his 
home  from  1853  until  1896,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired  at 
Hymera.  He  sold  his  farm  in  1904,  but  he  owns  four  lots  in  this  city,  on 
which  his  pleasant  and  comfortable  home  is  located.  His  political  views 
are  in  harmony  with  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  1865,  Mr.  Mahan  married  Caroline  M.  Zink,  a 
sister  of  Albert  Zink,  who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  history.     She 


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294  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

is  his  second  wife,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  by  the  birth  of  two 
children.  Mr.  Marian  has  six  children,  namely:  James  Monroe,  a  grain 
and  coal  dealer  in  Mansfield,  Illinois;  Evelyn,  now  Mrs.  Brecount,  a 
widow  residing  in  Indianapolis;  John  P.,  who  is  farming  in  Michigan; 
Walter,  a  telegraph  operator  at  Bethany,  Illinois;  Manson  M.,  a  miner 
in  Hymera ;  and  Clara,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Railsback,  a  traveling 
salesman  whose  home  is  in  Hymera,  and  she  is  deceased.  Mr.  Mahan  has 
made  many  friends  throughout  the  years  of  his  residence  here,  and  is 
honored  and  revered  for  his  many  sterling  characteristics.  Mrs.  Mahan 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Hymera. 


Dr.  J.ames  H.  Neff,  of  Sullivan,  is  of  true  German  descent.  Three 
brothers  left  Virginia,  where  they  had  settled,  and  one  of  the  number 
went  to  Pennsylvania,  one  to  Ohio,  and  the  other  to  Kentucky.  The 
paternal  grandparents  came  from  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Hendricks 
county,  Indiana,  where  they  located  on  a  farm.  Years  later  they  sold  and 
went  to  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  the  grandfather  purchased 
more  land  and  there  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  maternal 
grandfather  (McGrew)  was  an  early  settler  in  Sullivan  county,  and  he 
died  when  the  subject's  mother  was  a  small  girl.  The  Doctor's  parents 
were  Willis  G.  and  Mary  A.  (McGrew)  Neff.  The  father  was  born  in 
Boyle  county,  Kentucky,  and  the  mother  in  Sullivan,  Indiana.  The 
paternal  grandparents  were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Kenton)  Neff,  he  of 
Virginia  and  she  of  Kentucky,  and  the  maternal  grandparents  were  Burr 
and  Elizabeth  (Maxwell)  McGrew,  natives  of  Indiana.  Simon  Kenton, 
an  uncle  of  the  subject's  mother,  was  associated  with  Daniel  Boone.  It 
may  be  related  in  this  connection  that  the  grandfather  McGrew  was  an 
early  settler  in  Sullivan,  and  was  very  highly  esteemed  among  the  pioneer 
band.  The  Doctor's  father  was  county  recorder  of  Sullivan  county,  and 
also  its  prosecuting  attorney  at  one  time.  He  moved  to  Greencastle  in 
1866,  and  was  postmaster  there  under  President  Grover  Cleveland.  He 
also  represented  Putnam  county  in  the  state  legislature  four  terms,  and 
continued  to  live  at  Greencastle  until  overtaken  by  death.  His  wife  now 
resides  at  Terre  Haute.  There  were  six  children  in  the  family  of  Willis 
G.  Neff  and  wife:  Elizabeth,  who  died  aged  six  years;  Catherine,  who 
died  aged  four  years ;  Frank,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Dr.  James  H.,  of  this 
memoir ;  Jessie,  Mrs.  George  G.  Morris,  of  Terre  Haute ;  and  W.  Duff, 
of  Terre  Haute. 

Dr.  Neff  was  born  in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  October  18,  1863,  and  was 
educated  at  the  University  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  at  the  Belleview 
Hospital,  New  York  City,  and  attended  DePauw  University  four  years. 
Having  chosen  medicine  for  his  life's  profession,  he  commenced  his  prac- 
tice at  Hudsonville,  Illinois,  where  he  continued  in  practice  four  and  a 
half  years.  He  then  moved  to  Fairbanks,  Indiana,  September  14,  1894, 
and  there  resumed  his  medical  practice,  in  which  he  was  highly  successful. 
He  continued  there  until  January  1,  1909,  when  he  removed  to  Sullivan 
to  give  his  children  the  benefit  of  the  schools. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  295 

Dr.  Neff  is  identified  with  the  following  orders :  The  Masonic  Lodge, 
No.  373;  Odd  Fellows  order,  Lodge  No.  763;  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men, Camp  No.  11256,  all  three  lodges  being  located  at  Fairbanks.  He 
is  secretary  of  the  county  board  of  health,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Sulli- 
van County  Medical  Society,  the  Indiana  State  Medical  Society,  and  the 
ifcsculapian  Society  of  Illinois. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  November  25,  1894,  to  Viola  L.  Lindley, 
born  in  Crawford  county,  Indiana,  March  28,  1870,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Harriet  (Hollenback)  Lindley.  The  father  was  born  in  Crawford 
county,  Illinois,  and  the  mother  in  Clarke  county,  Illinois.  The  children 
of  this  union  were :  Frances  L.,  born  August  27,  1895 ;  James  S.,  born 
November  1,  1900;  and  John  D.,  born  August  22,  1905. 


Eli  William  Lemon  Dix,  of  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county, 
was  born  in  the  township  in  which  he  now  resides,  September  1,  1848, 
a  son  of  Eli  and  Mariam  (Bundy)  Dix.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  born  in  1813,  and  the  mother  was  born 
in  Randolph  county,  North  Carolina,  in  1813.  The  grandparents  were 
Joshua  and  Ann  (Jessup)  Dix,  of  North  Carolina,  and  Moses  Bundy 
and  Elizabeth  Pittman,  widow  of  Mr.  Bundy.  The  grandfather  Dix  went 
to  Fairbanks  township  and  entered  land,  consisting  of  a  timber  tract,  in 
1819.  The  grandfather  Bundy  went  to  Washington  township,  locating 
in  Salem  in  1824.  He  was  a  large  land  owner  in  that  section  of  the 
county,  but  not  long  after  his  settlement  he  died. 

Eli  and  Mariam  Dix  married  and  settled  in  Fairbanks  township  in 
1832,  in  section  36.  He  lived  in  a  log-house  until  i860,  and  in  this 
rude  habitation  was  born  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  This  house 
gave  way  for  the  first  brick  residence  in  the  township,  and  was  of  such 
a  character  that  it  is  still  among  the  best  within  the  township.  The  father 
died  August  19,  1877,  and  the  mother,  March  10,  1884.  This  worthy 
couple  were  the  parents  of  eight  children  who  reached  maturity,  Eli  W.  L. 
being  the  fifth  in  order  of  their  birth.  He  remained  at  home  until  a  few 
months  before  he  was  married,  which  date  was  October  5,  1873,  to  Jose- 
phine Osborn,  born  in  Hamilton  township,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Martha  (Hill)  Osborn,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  paternal  grandparents 
were  John  Osborn  and  wife,  of  Kentucky.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Dix 
remained  with  his  father  until  the  following  January  and  then  removed  to 
a  forty  acre  farm  given  him  by  his  father.  There  they  resided  in  a  log- 
house  until  1878,  when  they  erected  a  two-room  frame  building,  to  which 
they  built  an  addition  in  1890,  making  a  nine-room  residence  of  the  whole. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Dix  added  forty  acres  of  land  to  his  original  farm. 
He  now  owns  seventy-eight  and  a  fraction  acres,  all  in  Turman  township, 
and  eighty  acres  in  Fairbanks  township.  He  has  always  resided  in  sec- 
tions 35  and  36,  and  his  present  home  is  in  section  36.  Mr.  Dix  has  a 
finely  improved  place,  is  surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  of  life,  and  is 
indeed  an  independent  agriculturist.     He  has  never  followed  other  than 


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296  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

agricultural  pursuits,  and  in  this  with  his  stock-raising  he  has  materially 
succeeded.  He  had  but  limited  common  school  privileges,  only  attending 
R.  Garvin's  Commercial  College  for  eight  weeks,  yet  with  his  primary 
education  and  what  he  has  added  to  his  store  of  knowledge  by  careful 
reading  and  observation  he  has  come  to  be  a  well-posted  farmer.  In 
church  relations  it  may  be  said  that  he  and  Mrs.  Dix  are  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  of  which  organization  he  was  a  trustee  three 
years.  Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  served  four 
years  as  notary  public  under  Governor  Durbin. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dix  are  as  follows:  Lowell  A., 
born  May  27,  1875,  now  °f  Shelburn,  Indiana;  Bethuel  A.,  born  August 
23,  1876,  of  Hymera,  Indiana;  James  E.,  born  November  17,  1877,  of 
Shelburn,  Indiana;  Melissa  J.,  born  April  17,  1879,  now  Mrs.  George 
Liston,  of  Hamilton  township;  Martha  A.,  born  October  18,  1880,  now 
Mrs.  Noah  Parr,  of  Turman  township;  Eli  Harper,  born  November  5, 
1881,  of  Curry  township;  Porter  J.,  born  November  25,  1884,  at  home; 
and  Lura  Bell,  born  March  28,  1887,  at  home.  Lowell  A.  married  Vernie 
Harbaugh  and  has  two  children,  Esther  and  Kennett  W.  Bethuel  married 
Emily  Graves;  James  E.  married  Fanny  Fisher  and  has  twro  children, 
Eli  J.  and  Arthur.  He  also  has  a  son  by  a  former  marriage,  named  Ray 
Eugene,  who  now  lives  with  his  grandparents.  Melissa  married  George 
Liston,  and  Martha  A.  married  Noah  Parr.  EH  married  Martha  Bushell 
and  has  two  children,  Eli  M.  and  Bryan.  Besides  their  own  children,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dix  reared  M.  G.  Boles  from  the  age  of  twelve  years  to  twenty- 
one,  and  also  Homer  Bush,  an  orphan,  from  the  age  of  eleven  years. 


James  J.  Pirtle,  who  has  been  industriously  engaged  in  operating 
an  extensive  truck  garden  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
since  1903,  was  born  on  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides,  July  19, 
1833.  He  is  the  son  of  Abel  and  friary  (Ferree)  Pirtle,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father,  born  April  4,  1800,  came  to 
Indiana  at  an  early  age  and  entered  land  in  Sullivan  county,  the  tract 
being  the  same  where  the  son  now  lives.  The  mother  was  born  January 
17,  1807.  This  worthy  couple  were  united  in  marriage  in  Sullivan  county 
and  lived  on  the  farm  mentioned  until  the  father's  death,  January  25, 
1862,  the  mother  surviving  until  March  20,  1874.  Of  the  eight  children 
born  to  Abel  and  Mary  (Ferree)  Pirtle,  only  four  are  now  living:  James 
J. ;  Ferree,  living  at  Lyons,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
an  Indiana  regiment  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war;  Ann,  wife  of  Hugh 
Duffy,  of  Sullivan  county,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; and  Nancy  J.,  wife  of  James  W.  Monroe,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
they  are  now  living  on  a  portion  of  the  tract  entered  by  Abel  Pirtle. 

James  J.  Pirtle  had  but  a  very  limited  opportunity  for  gaining  an 
education.  He  attended  a  little  log  school  house,  in  which  the  only 
windows  were  openings  made  by  sawing  out  sections  of  the  logs,  and  the 
seats  upon  which  the  pupils  sat  were  made  of  puncheon,  as  was  the  floor. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  297 

A  huge  fireplace  furnished  the  heat,  and  many  times  the  smoke  also.  It 
was  perhaps  not  unlike  the  one  pictured  by  Eggleston  in  his  "Hoosier 
Schoolmaster."  James  J.  Pirtle  continued  to  reside  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  did  his  share  toward  cultivating  and 
improving  the  old  homestead.  About  the  commencement  of  the  war  of 
the  rebellion  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land,  which  was  a  part  of  the  old 
homestead.  To  this  he  added  another  "forty,"  but  subsequently  disposed 
of  it.  Since  1903  he  has  been  engaged  in  conducting  a  modern  truck  farm, 
for  the  various  products  of  which  he  finds  a  ready  sale  in  the  markets  of 
Sullivan  and  Carlisle.  Mr.  Pirtle  has  been  an  industrious  worker  and 
is  known  for  his  integrity  and  kindness.  He  may  justly  be  said  to  be  a 
self-made  man,  having  gained  what  he  possesses  by  the  dint  of  his  own 
industry  and  frugal  management.  He  has  been  somewhat  unfortunate,  in 
that  his  family  has  been  afflicted  by  much  illness,  which  has  caused  a  large 
expense  and  the  loss  of  his  wife,  she  being  an  invalid  twenty  years,  and 
almost  totally  helpless  for  fourteen  years.  This  trouble  somewhat  thwarted 
his  plans.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Pirtle  united  with  the  Chris- 
tian church,  but  at  this  time  is  not  identified  with  any  religious  body.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

On  August  2J,  1857,  Mr.  Pirtle  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth 
Boatman,  who  was  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  born  in  1840,  and  who 
died  April  24,  1906.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Jefferson  and  Margaret, 
known  as  "Peggy,"  Boatman,  who  came  from  Kentucky  the  same  time 
as  the  Pirtles.  The  Pirtles  made  their  way  up  the  Ohio  river  on  an  old- 
fashioned  push-boat  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  then  up  that  stream  to 
Busseron  creek,  and  up  the  creek  to  a  point  known  as  Shakertown.  Mr. 
Pirtle  now  has  in  his  possession  an  old  kettle  used  on  this  boat  by  the 
family  as  they  slowly  wended  their  way  upstream  from  Kentucky.  They 
located  in  the  eastern  part  of  Sullivan  county,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Pirtle  have  been  dead 
many  years,  her  mother  dying  four  years  to  the  day  (March  20)  later 
than  her  husband's  mother.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  J. 
Pirtle  are  as  follows:  a  son,  who  died  in  infancy;  William  Jefferson, 
deceased;  A.  Marley,  residing  at  Terre  Haute,  a  carpenter  by  trade; 
Margaret,  wife  of  J.  A.  McCammon,  residing  in  Hamilton  township, 
Sullivan  county ;  R.  F.,  a  prominent  farmer ;  Friend  L.,  a  carpenter  and 
farmer  living  in  Cass  township;  Mollie,  wife  of  John  A.  McCammon,  a 
farmer  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  living  near  her  father's  place ; 
Lora  M.,  unmarried,  residing  with  her  father;  and  James  N.,  with  his 
father  on  the  home  farm. 


Edward  W.  Bryan,  who  owned  an  excellent  farm,  well  improved 
by  his  own  hands,  even  to  the  making  of  fences,  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  November  17,  1873,  near  Burlingame,  Osage  county, 
Kansas,  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Mary  E.  Bryan,  whose  family  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.    The  father  went  to  Kansas  from  Ohio  in  1869 


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298  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  followed  farming  for  five  years,  he  having  purchased  school  land 
there  to  the  amount  of  eighty  acres.  Subsequently  he  disposed  of  the 
Kansas  land  and  returned  to  Ohio,  remained  in  Fayette  county  until 
he  moved  to  Indiana  and  located  in  Sullivan  county,  where  he  died  in 
the  autumn  of  1901. 

Edward  W.  Bryan  attended  the  public  schools  of  Stanton,  Ohio,  and 
took  a  commercial  course  at  Valparaiso.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  then  commenced  the  activities  of  life  for 
himself.  He  prepared  for  teaching  by  attending  school  at  Lebanon,  Ohio. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  commenced  teaching  school  near  Stanton, 
Ohio.  He  taught  two  winters  near  that  city,  and  the  next  two,  near 
Sabina,  Ohio.  He  then  attended  the  schools  of  Valparaiso  for  about  four 
months,  graduating  there,  and  then  went  to  Chicago  and  secured  a  posi- 
tion with  William  Wrigley,  Jr.'s,  chewing  gum  house  as  their  bookkeeper. 
There  he  continued  for  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  his  parents'  home 
in  the  autumn.  The  next  spring  he  went  to  Indiana  with  his  parents  and 
remained  with  them  until  his  marriage.  He  then  moved  to  his  farm  in 
Gill  township,  where  he  was  a  general  farmer  and  stockman.  He  owned 
seventy  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  he  improved  himself.  His  farm  home 
was  one  which  made  him  one  of  the  independent  agriculturists  of  Sulli- 
van county.  But  on  account  of  ill  health  he  sold  his  farm  and  property 
in  Sullivan  county  and  with  his  family  moved  to  Denver,  Colorado,  in 
August,  1908.  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  denomi- 
nation he  served  as  trustee  for  three  years.  He  was  also  president  of  the 
Epworth  League  two  years  while  residing  in  Ohio.  In  his  political  views, 
Mr.  Bryan,  like  his  forefather,  is  a  Republican. 

He  was  happily  married  January  22,  1902,  to  Eva  L.  Hyer,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  April  7,  1880,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Phoebe  (Isgrig) 
Hyer.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  the  mother  of  Missouri. 
They  are  still  living  near  Washington  Court  House,  that  state.  The 
father  is  a  carpenter  and  contractor.  The  date  of  the  mother's  birth  was 
March,  1850,  and  of  the  father's,  January,  1845.  The  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryan  are:  Viola,  born  January  15,  1903,  and  Arthur  L., 
born  March  13,  1904. 

Of  Mrs.  Bryan's  parents'  children  it  may  be  said  that  there  were 
two  in  the  family :  Jesse,  a  resident  of  Washington  Court  House,  Ohio,  a 
school  teacher  and  also  a  contractor  and  carpenter.  He  has  taught  school 
since  twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  other  child  is  Eva  L.,  the  wife  of 
Mr.  Brvan. 


Edward  J.  Collins  represents  a  family  who  have  been  honored  resi- 
dents of  Sullivan  county  since  1837.  The  present  representative  of  the 
name  is  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Jefferson  township,  and, 
both  on  account  of  his  own  worthy  career  and  because  of  the  excellent 
record  of  his  family,  commands  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 
Although  he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  this  county,  he  was 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  299 

born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  November  6,  1835.  He  is  a  son  of  William 
Collins,  who  was  born  May  30,  1799,  in  Somerset  county,  Maryland,  and 
died  July  6,  1886,  in  Haddon  township,  this  county. 

The  early  life  of  William  Collins  was  marked  by  some  unusual  and 
interesting  experiences.  From  his  home  in  Maryland  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen he  set  out  for  the  west,  down  the  Ohio  valley  to  Gallatin  county, 
Kentucky.  He  began  working  for  a  tobacco-raiser,  but  because  he 
insisted  on  crushing  the  tobacco  worms  with  his  foot  instead  of  killing 
them  with  his  hands,  his  employer  discharged  him,  and  he  found  himself 
penniless  and  without  opportunity.  Procuring  an  old  skiff,  he  set  off 
down  the  Ohio.  The  kindness  of  an  old  black  slave  in  giving  him  a  hand- 
kerchief and  a  dime  to  help  him  on  his  journey  was  afterwards  remem- 
bered when  Mr.  Collins,  in  more  prosperous  circumstances,  met  his  bene- 
factor and  repaid  him  with  five  dollars  to  help  the  old  darkey  purchase  his 
freedom.  The  skiff  became  unseaworthy  after  a  short  distance  had  been 
covered,  and  two  men  rescued  young  Collins  from  the  current  of  the  river 
and  landed  him  in  Louisville.  From  the  only  acquaintance  he  had  in  this 
city  he  obtained  employment  as  a  hod  carrier,  and  then  became  an  appren- 
tice at  the  brick-layer's  trade.  As  a  brick-layer  he  became  so  skillful 
that  it  was  declared  he  could  lay  brick  as  fast  as  a  hen  could  pick  up 
corn.  When  he  settled  in  Sullivan  county  in  1837  he  entered  fifty  acres 
of  government  land  near  Carlisle  and  continued  to  follow  his  vocation 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  addition  to  the  entered  land  he  had  bought  two 
hundred  acres,  and  lived  on  this  farm  until  his  death. 

The  ascertained  history  of  the  Collins  family  on  the  father's  side 
goes  back  to  the  parents  of  William  Collins,  who  were  James  O.  and 
Sarah  E.  (McGraw)  Collins,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and  the 
latter  of  Scotland.  James  O.  Collins  was  a  sailor  and  lost  his  life  by  being 
drowned  in  Chesapeake  bay  while  William  was  only  a  boy.  The  wife 
of  William  Collins  was  Mary  Ann  (Hoke)  Collins.  Her  grandfather, 
Andrew  Hoke,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1740,  and  died  in  Kentucky  in 
1800,  while  his  wife,  Barbara  Hoke,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1734  and 
died  in  Kentucky,  March  19,  1814.  Adam  Hoke,  their  son,  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1760,  and  died  August  7,  1832,  and  his  wife  Catherine  (Hof- 
feils)  Hoke,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1764,  and  died  November  30,  18 18. 
Both  these  maternal  grandparents  of  Edward  J.  Collins  died  in  Kentucky. 

William  Collins  and  his  wife  were  loyal  Presbyterians,  he  being  an 
elder  in  the  church,  and  he  was  also  known  for  his  pronounced  advocacy 
of  the  Democratic  party.  They  were  both  well  remembered  by  the  older 
residents  of  Haddon  township.  They  had  a  large  family,  nine  children, 
as  follows:  Sarah  E.,  born  February  26,  1825,  died  January,  1888;  James 
O.,  born  February  21,  1826,  died  June,  1898;  William  H.,  born  November 
15,  1827,  died  December  28,  1833;  Columbus  W.,  born  November  3,  1833, 
died  July  10,  1835;  Julia  C,  born  October  7,  1829,  now  living  with  her 
brother  Edward  J. ;  Mercer  D.,  born  March  5,  1832,  died  March  17,  1880; 
Edward  J. ;  Alfred  B.,  born  September  11,  1837,  died  December  18,  1855 ; 
Mary  L.,  born  October  6,  1839,  a  resident  of  Haddon  township  and  the 
wife  of  A.  J.  Brentlinger.    The  mother  of  this  family  died  May  25,  1865. 


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300  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN-  COUNTY 

Edward  J.  Collins,  during  his  young  manhood  and  after  he  had 
attended  the  public  schools,  learned  his  father's  trade  as  brick-layer  and 
was  regularly  engaged  in  that  occupation  four  years.  From  1866  to 
1870  he  and  his  father  farmed  together,  and  from  the  latter  year  until 
1 89 1  he  engaged  in  farming  on  the  homestead,  part  of  the  time  as  lessee. 
In  1891  he  traded  his  old  place  of  two  hundred  acres  for  the  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  four  miles  southwest  of  Pleasantville  which  are  his  present 
homestead.  Being  a  man  whom  years  have  not  aged,  Mr.  Collins  still 
gives  active  superintendence  to  his  farm,  and  with  stock-raising  and 
grain-growing  is  known  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  township. 
He  has  filled  all  the  official  chairs  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge  No.  50  at 
Carlisle,  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  He  is  a  Democrat, 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
he  has  served  as  an  elder. 

By  his  marriage  on  January  5,  1864,  to  Mary  Jenkins.  Mr.  Collins 
united  with  one  of  the  old  and  well  known  families  of  Sullivan  county. 
Mrs.  Collins,  who  died  April  4,  1905,  was  born  at  Carlisle  April  9,  1840, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Jenkins.  The  Jenkins  family  are 
elsewhere  mentioned  in  this  history.  The  six  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Collins  are  named  as  follows:  Roland  A.,  who  married  November  15, 
1893,  Miss  Minnie  Ungerer,  and  she  died  November  12,  1899;  William 
J.,  mentioned  below ;  John  G.,  born  February  26,  1868,  who  is  one  of  the 
successful  teachers  of  Sullivan  county;  Cora  B.,  born  March  17,  1870, 
who  lives  at  home ;  Mercer  D.,  born  May  8,  1882,  who  helps  conduct  the 
home  farm ;  and  Charles  T.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  months. 

The  late  Dr.  William  J.  Collins,  who  was  second  *in  age  of  the  above 
children,  was  a  rising  young  physician  and  a  popular  citizen  of  Geneva, 
Indiana,  at  the  time  he  was  accidentally  killed  by  a  train,  December  3, 
1905.  He  was  born  July  15,  1866.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  Terre 
Haute  Normal  School  with  the  class  of  1900  and  was  engaged  in  teaching 
until  he  took  up  the  study  of  medicine.  After  his  graduation  from  the 
Illinois  Medical  College  in  1904  he  began  practice  at  Geneva.  He  was 
an  honored  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Carlisle  and  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  at  that  place. 


William  T.  Spencer.  Jr.,  who  is  counted  among  the  worthy  and 
enterprising  citizens  of  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Greene 
county,  born  in  Stafford"  township,  September  29,  1864,  a  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Padgett)  Spencer.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  October  22,  1841.  The  mother  was  born  in  Haddon  township, 
Sullivan  county,  November  15,  1844.  James  Spencer  came  to  Indiana 
with  his  parents  when  yet  a  small  boy.  The  family  located  near  the  vil- 
lage, on  a  farm  which  at  that  time  was  government  land  and  all  thickly 
covered  with  timber.  The  log  house  which  he  built  stood  until  about 
1906.  The  grandfather  continued  to  live  on  that  place  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  he  was  greatly  crippled  in  his  lower  limbs  by  reason 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  301 

of  rheumatism.  His  wife  died  many  years  before  her  husband  and  he 
lived  with  Mrs.  Howard,  who  occupied  a  part  of  the  old  place. 

James  Spencer,  the  father,  left  home  when  about  eighteen  years  of 
age,  working  as  a  farm  hand  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  bought 
the  farm  in  Sullivan  county  on  which  he  now  lives,  having  been  a  constant 
resident  for  over  forty  years.  He  also  owns  ten  acres  in  the  village  of 
Pleasantville,  but  prefers  to  remain  on  the  old  homestead,  which  has  been 
so  dear  to  him  for  two  score  and  more  years.  His  farm  is  among  the 
choicest  in  this  part  of  the  state.  It  consists  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres,  seventy-five  of  which  are  situated  within  Greene  county  and 
the  remainder  in  Sullivan.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife  still  enjoy  excellent 
health  for  persons  of  their  age. 

William  T.  Spencer  received  his  education  at  the  Jackson  school 
house  in  Greene  county.  He  remained  faithful  to  every  known  trust 
about  the  old  homestead  of  his  father's  until  he  was  twenty-three  years 
of  age,  when  his  father  deeded  him  twenty-eight  acres  of  land  and  to 
this  he  soon  added  as  much  more,  which  last  tract  he  purchased  himself. 
Here  he  began  general  farm  operations  and  worked  energetically  for 
eighteen  years,  then  bought  a  five-acre  tract  in  the  village  and  also  five 
town  lots,  building  him  the  fine  five-room  house  in  which  he  now  resides. 
He  owned  and  made  improvements  on  other  town  lots  which  he  sold  in 
the  spring  of  1907.  His  farm  is  handled  by  a  trusty  tenant,  while  he 
himself  is  engaged  as  a  hardware  salesman  for  Mr.  Bough.  He  con- 
ducted the  operations  of  a  coal  mine  on  his  own  farm  for  seven  years, 
supplying  the  local  trade.  Later  he  sold  the  coal  rights  on  his  land  to 
the  Little  Giant  Coal  Company.  He  also  took  up  the  option  on  sixteen 
hundred  acres  of  coal  land  for  the  same  company,  and  for  this  he  was 
liberally  paid. 

Mr.  Spencer  was  married  September  28,  1887,  to  Miss  Anna  McCart, 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Amanda  (Warner)  McCart.  She  was  born  in 
this  township  October  9,  1862.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Greene 
county,  and  her  father  died  when  she  was  nine  years  of  age,  and  her 
mother  two  years  earlier.  She  was  cared  for  by  her  grandmother  a 
few  years,  and  then  lived  with  an  uncle  in  Haddon  township  until  her 
marriage.  By  this  union  one  child  was  born:  Everett,  on  July  12, 
1889,  and  he  is  yet  at  home.  Mr.  Spencer  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  order,  Castle  Hall  Lodge  No.  358,  and  his  wife  with  the 
Rathbone  Sisters.  In  his  political  choice  he  favors  the  platforms  of 
the  Republican  party,  but  has  never  had  a  liking  for  local  positions, 
hence  is  not  an  office  holder.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Spencer  have  one 
of  the  old  parchment  deeds  executed  by  President  Andrew  Jackson, 
which  is  one  of  the  valuable  relics  in  their  home. 


William  Miller,  a  successful  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  March  30,  1842,  in 
Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Martin  and  Edith  (Packwood)  Miller. 
The  paternal  grandparents  were  Jacob  Miller  and  wife  Mary,  whose  name 


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302  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

before  marriage  was  Borders.  Jacob  Miller  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  in  1828  went  to  Kentucky  and  resided  there  until  1822.  He  then 
moved  to  Clark  county,  Indiana.  In  1834,  thinking  to  better  his  circum- 
stances, he  removed  to  Lawrence  county,  and  in  1841  to  Sullivan  county. 
He  located  in  Hamilton  township,  where  he  was  among  the  hardy 
pioneers.  His  land  comprised  the  tract  where  the  old  fair  ground  was 
later  situated,  and  there  he  lived  and  labored  until  his  death.  Among 
his  children  was  a  son  named  Martin,  who  became  the  father  of  William, 
and  who  was  born  in  181 6  in  eastern  Tennessee,  and  died  in  Lawrence 
county,  Indiana,  in  1906.  He  continued  at  home  with  his  parents  until 
they  moved  to  Lawrence  county  and  he  lived  in  that  county  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  At  one  time  he  owned  nine  hundred  acres  of  land 
and  was  an  extensive  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  Formerly  he  was  an 
old-line  Whig,  but  when  the  Republican  party  was  organized  he  supported 
the  principles  for  which  that  party  was  formed.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  devoted  and  consistent  members  of  the  Christian  church.  His  wife 
was  born  in  1813,  in  Virginia,  and  died  about  1888.  Their  children  were 
as  follows:  William,  of  this  narrative;  Michael,  residing  in  Lawrence 
county,  Indiana,  who  married  Sarah  J.  Smith;  Adam,  who  died  in  his 
youth ;  Mary  Ellen,  deceased ;  Aaron,  a  resident  of  Lawrence  county, 
who  married  Mary  Ann  Lee,  now  deceased;  Sarah  A.,  deceased; 
Elizabeth,  residing  in  Lawrence  county,  married  William  G.  Todd;  and 
a  child  that  died  in  infancy. 

William  Miller,  who  was  the  eldest  of  his  parents'  children,  obtained 
a  good  common  school  education  inXfcwrence  county.  He  continued  to 
reside  under  the  paternal  roof  .until  he.cau^grll.^rhe^pirit  of  true  patriotism 
and  in  the  month  of  July,  i86i/-"ehfisted  i t\  ,'Corripany  A,  Twenty-fourth 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  Regiment,  in  WKicti  command  he  served  one 
year.  He  returned  and  after  rpne^vear  re-enlisted,  in  July,  1863,  as  a 
member  of  Company  H  of  the  -One'' Hundred  and  Seventeenth  Indiana 
Infantry,  with  which  regiment* he r^aineHsix  months.  He  participated 
in  the  famous  battle  of  Shiloh  during  his  "first  enlistment,  and  during  his 
last  enlistment  was  in  the  battle  of  Bean  Station.  After  his  honorable 
discharge  from  the  United  States  service  he  returned  to  Lawrence  county, 
Indiana,  and  commenced  operations  for  himself,  by  clearing  and  improv- 
ing an  eighty-acre  tract  within  the  forest  country.  This  place  in  1876 
he  sold  and  purchased  fifty-two  acres  where  he  still  resides,  the  same 
being  a  well  improved  farm  within  the  limits  of  Jefferson  township,  where 
he  carries  on  farming  with  much  thrift  and  a  corresponding  success. 
Mr.  Miller  is  an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  and  has 
served  efficiently  as  township  trustee  and  was  elected  assessor  of  his 
township  in  1904,  his  term  of  office  expiring  January  1,  1909.  He  is  an 
honored  member  of  McClung  Grand  Army  Post  at  Pleasantville,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Miller  has  been  thrice  married,  first,  January  10,  1863,  to  Sarah 
Edwards,  born  in  1845,  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Young  Edwards.  She  died  in  1887,  the  mother  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Oliver,  who  died  aged  eight  months;  Dora,  residing  in 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  wife  of  Marion  Story,  and  they  are  the  parents 


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r-m.^'SSi 


,p\J«UC 


L£NO* 


AND 


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MR.  AND  MRS.  WILLIAM  RIGGS 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  303 

of  four  children — Jennie,  Olive,  Eunice  and  Odell;  Henry,  residing  in 
Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  married  Emma  Swady ;  Easter,  who 
died  aged  one  year;  Frank,  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  married 
Fannie  Moore,  whose  five  children  are  Edith,  Dorothy,  Garrett,  William 
and  Guy;  Margaret,  residing  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  is  the  wife  of 
Timothy  Pool  and  their  children  are  Arthur  and  Paul;  Maude,  residing 
in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  married  Frank  Chambers,  whose  four 
children  are  Nora,  Paul,  Bert  and  Marion;  and  a  child  who  died  in 
infancy.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Miller  married,  in  February,  1888, 
Elizabeth  Craig,  who  was  born  about  1840  and  died  July  1,  1899.  There 
was  no  issue  by  this  marriage.  For  the  third  wife  he  married,  September 
30,  1904,  Sarah  Shepherd,  a  widow,  born  in  1841  in  Haddon  township, 
Sullivan  county,  and  daughter  of  Jack  Willis.  There  was  no  issue  by  the 
last  marriage. 


William  Riggs. — One  of  the  most  extensive  farmers,  land  owners 
and  coal  mine  promoters  living  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county, 
is  William  Riggs,  who  resides  along  the  Shelburn  rural  free  delivery 
route  No.  1.  He  is  a  native  of  this  township  and  was  born  September  30, 
i860,  a  son. of. Byron  and  Elizabeth  (Osborn)  Riggs.  The  father  was 
also  born  in  Fairbanks  township  and  the  mother  in  Hamilton  township. 
The  paternal  grandparents  were  Hezekiah  and  Lydia  (Engle)  Riggs,  the 
grandfather  being  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  grandmother  of  Kentucky. 
Grandfather  Riggs  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  Fairbanks  township. 
He  entered  land  in  the  heavy  timber  and  kept  passengers  and  changed 
horses  on  the  stage  routes  from  Terre  Haute  to  Vincennes.  He  owned  a 
large  amount  of  land,  the  most  of  which  had  to  be  cleared  and  put  in 
shape  for  farming  purposes.  He  attained  theage  of  eighty-two  years,  his 
wife  dying  when  about  eighty  years  of  .age.  The  maternal  grandparents 
were  William  and  Martha  (Hill)  Osborn,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 

Byron  Riggs,  the  father,  was  born  March  18,  1838,  and  after  his 
marriage  settled  near  his  father's  place  and  bought  several  hundred  acres, 
which  constituted  one  of  the  finest  farms,  and  he  was  one  of  the  best  agri- 
culturists in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  kept  registered  cattle  and  pure- 
blooded  hogs.  He  died  February  4,  1901,  and  his  wife  survived  till  Octo- 
ber 13,  1907.  William  Riggs  was  the  eldest  of  the  four  sons  and  four 
daughters  born  to  Byron  Riggs  and  wife.  Of  this  family  five  are  now 
living,  namely :  Sanbury,  of  Fairbanks  township ;  Delia,  widow  of  Edward 
Stone,  now  residing  on  her  father's  place;  Florence,  residing  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Stone ;  Charles,  of  Fairbanks  township ;  and  William,  of  this 
memoir. 

William  Riggs  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  old  home  farm  and 
attended  the  district  schools.  He  was  married  September  30,  1884,  to 
Rosa  L.  Johnson,  born  in  Fairbanks,  January  11,  1867,  a  daughter  of 
Oliver  B.  and  Mary  (Van  Gilder)  Johnson,  natives  of  West  Virginia. 
The  grandparents  were  Barnabas  and  Elizabeth  Johnson,  of  West  Vir- 
Vol.  11—20 


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304  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

ginia,  and  William  and  Mary  Van  Gilder,  of  the  same  state.  Mrs.  Riggs* 
father  died  July  26,  1900,  and  the  mother,  October  4,  1873.  After  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Riggs  he  moved  to  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm 
which  he  farmed  until  1893.  His  father  gave  him  eighty  acres  and  he 
bought  the  remainder  of  the  farm  from  him,  in  section  27,  which  was 
partly  improved,  but  which  he  has  now  finely  cultivated.  His  land  within 
Fairbanks  township  amounts  to  four  hundred  acres,  and  he  also  has  forty- 
one  acres  in  Turman  township  and  one  hundred  and  eleven  in  Curry 
township.  His  wife  owns  in  her  own  right  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres. 

Besides  his  large  realty  holdings,  Mr.  Riggs  owns  ten  shares  of  stock 
in  the  Scott  City  Coal  Mine  Company,  of  which  he  is  secretary,  and  he 
also  has  a  four  thousand  dollar  interest  in  the  mine  besides  his  stock.  He 
owns  twenty  acres  of  good  coal  land.  Not  alone  does  his  property  inter- 
ests rest  in  Sullivan  county,  but  he  also  owns  five  thousand  dollars'  worth 
of  stock  in  coal  lands  in  Illinois  and  has  about  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  nearly  all  of  which  is  bottom  land.  His 
present  commodious  buildings  were  erected  in  1901.  Although  his  finan- 
cial interests  are  large,  he  superintends  his  own  business  affairs.  He  is 
one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  cattle  and  hogs  and  one  of  the  most  extensive 
feeders  in  his  township. 

Politically  Mr.  Riggs  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  connected  with  Masonry, 
belonging  to  Fairbanks  Lodge  No.  373 ;  also  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order, 
Fairbanks  Lodge  No.  763.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggs  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Elva  C,  born  April  21.  1886;  Myrtle  Olive,  October 
22,  1888;  Goldie  Glenn,  June  9,  1891 ;  Oral  Byron,  July  21,  1896;  and 
Mayra  Elizabeth,  October  17,  1902. 


James  Spencer. — The  late  James  Spencer,  during  many  years  one 
of  the  progressive  and  substantial  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Jefferson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  was  a  native  of  Greene  county,  Indiana,  born 
in  the  month  of  December,  1840,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Spencer. 
Charles  Spencer  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  entered  government  land  when  he  first 
located  here,  and  continued  to  reside  in  the  county  until  his  death.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  helped  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  present  prosperity 
of  this  goodly  section  of  Indiana.  Eight  children  were  born  to  this 
worthy  couple :  Moses,  who  died  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  after  having 
been  out  about  two  years;  John,  who  died  in  the  service  of  his  country 
in  the  same  conflict,  after  being  out  one  year;  James,  of  this  memoir; 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  Jefferson  township,  who  also  participated  in  the 
war ;  Armon,  residing  in  Jefferson  township ;  Mary,  deceased ;  and  Manda, 
residing  at  Sullivan,  the  widow  of  Joshua  Anderson.  Charles  Spencer, 
the  father,  was  formerly  a  Whig  in  politics  and  afterward  a  firm  defender 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  That  the  family  was  ever 
loyal  to  the  country  of  their  nativity  it  only  needs  to  be  recalled  that 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  305 

several  of  its  members  wore  the  loyal  blue  from  1861  to  1865.  Both 
Charles  Spencer  and  wife  were  strict  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

James  Spencer,  son  of  Charles  and  Mary  Spencer,  obtained  a  com- 
mon school  education,  but  like  a  dutiful  son  spent  much  of  the  time  in 
his  youth  in  assisting  his  father  in  clearing  up  and  improving  their  farm. 
When  James  first  started  out  in  life  he  worked  his  brother's  land,  but 
in  1861  purchased  seventy-two  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan 
county,  to  which  he  removed  the  same  year,  and  lived  there  until  his 
death.  He  possessed  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  after  having  given 
all  of  his  children  a  comfortable  start  in  life.  In  politics  he  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  chief  principles  laid  down  by  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  also  his  wife. 

As  to  Mr.  Spencer's  domestic  relations  it  may  be  said  that  he  was 
happily  married  December  1,  1866,  to  Sarah  J.  Padgett,  born  in  Haddon 
township,  Sullivan  county,  December  20,  1845.  The  issue  by  this  mar- 
riage was  as  follows:  William  T.,  a  resident  of  Pleasantville ;  Minnie, 
Mrs.  Bedwell,  residing  in  Greene  county,  Indiana;  Rosa,  Mrs.  Pool, 
living  near  Linton,  Indiana;  Eflfie,  Mrs.  Pool,  residing  at  Pleasantville; 
Mattie,  deceased ;  Frank,  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county ; 
and  Charles,  at  home  with  his  father.  Mr.  Spencer  departed  this  life 
November  10,  1908,  and  his  remains  are  interred  in  the  Pleasantville, 
Indiana,  cemetery. 


James  Frank  Spencer,  who  owns  and  operates  one  of  the  most 
productive  farms  for  its  size  within  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
is  a  native  of  this  township,  born  June  27,  1879,  one  mile  north  of 
Pleasantville.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Sarah  J.  (Padgett)  Spencer, 
both  of  whom  are  now  residing  half  a  mile  north  of  Pleasantville,  where 
they  conduct  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  James  Spencer 
was  born  in  Jefferson  township  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  Spencer,  who 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Sullivan  county.  He  lived  to  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety-three  years,  and  was  a  farmer  all  of  his  life.  James 
Spencer  was  first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  In  his  church  con- 
nections he  is  a  Methodist,  as  is  his  wife,  and  in  his  church  work  he 
is  very  active  and  holds  the  office  of  church  steward.  The  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Spencer  are  as  follows:  William  T.,  a 
resident  of  Pleasantville,  who  married  Anna  McCart,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Everet;  Minnie,  Mrs.  Bedwell,  a  resident  of  Greene  county, 
Indiana;  Frank  J.,  of  this  notice;  Mattie,  deceased;  Rose,  Mrs.  Pool,  of 
Greene  county,  Indiana;  Effie,  Mrs.  Pool,  residing  in  Pleasantville; 
Charles,  who  married  Garnett  Herndon  and  resides  with  his  father. 

Frank  J.  Spencer  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  of  Greene 
county,  Indiana.  For  five  years  after  his  marriage  he  farmed  on  rented 
land  in  Jefferson  township,  the  same  belonging  to  his  father.  He  was 
then  deeded  fifty  acres  by  his  father,  and  this  he  cleared  and  finely  im- 
proved, and  has  added  thereto  seventy  acres  more,  which  makes  one  of 
the  numerous  valuable  farm  tracts  within  the  township.     This  work  of 


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3o6  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

clearing  and  improving  has  all  been  accomplished  by  Mr.  Spencer,  un- 
aided by  others.  He  has  owned  and  operated  a  saw  mill  and  threshing 
machine  for  about  seven  years.  He  and  his  brother,  William  T.,  owned 
and  operated  a  coal  mine  on  his  brother's  farm  from  1897  to  about  1901, 
when  they  sold  the  property  of  the  mines.  Mr.  Spencer  is  a  staunch 
Republican  and  was  the  first  man  of  this  political  party  to  be  elected  to 
any  office  within  Jefferson  township,  he  being  made  a  township  trustee 
in  1904,  his  term  of  office  expiring  in  1909.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  order,  lodge  No.  408,  at  Pleasantville,  and  also  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  order,  lodge  No.  358,  at  the  same  place.  Being  a 
believer  in  fraternal  life  insurance,  he  wisely  holds  a  membership  in  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  camp  No.  4929,  at  Pleasantville,  and  is 
one  of  the  trustees  of  this  lodge.  He  is  an  honored  member  of  the 
Rebekahs  and  Pythian  Sisters  lodges  at  Pleasantville,  the  auxiliaries  of 
the  orders  just  named.  Mrs.  Spencer  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs,  the 
Pythian  Sisters  and  the  Royal  Neighbors,  and  is  oracle  in  the  last  named 
order. 

Mr.  Spencer  was  united  in  marriage  April  7,  1888,  to  Rebecca 
Purcell,  born  near  Paxton,  February  9,  1866,  a  daughter  of.  Daniel  and 
Malissa  (Pirtle)  Purcell.  The  latter  is  deceased,  but  the  former  resides 
in  Sullivan  and  is  retired.  Three  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spencer:  Archie,  born  October  24,  1889,  and  now  assisting  his  father 
on  the  farm ;  Delmar,  born  October  2,  1892,  at  home ;  and  Ralph  Calvert, 
Mho  was  born  September  14,  1894,  and  died  March  6,  1896. 


Mrs.  Sarah  E.  (Burton)  Holdson,  who  is  the  daughter  of  one 
of  the  highly  respected  families  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  was 
born  August  28,  1849,  in  the  township  just  named.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Hardon  and  Nancy  (Pinkston)  Burton,  both  natives  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana.  The  father  was  born  February  5,  1816,  and  died  in 
Gill  township  in  1854.  The  mother  was  born  in  Jefferson  township  and 
died  in  1857;  she  was  the  daughter  of  Bazzel  and  Anna  (Dwiggins) 
Burton.  Hardon  Burton  is  by  occupation  a  farmer,  who  owned  eighty 
acres  of  land.  The  children  born  to  Hardon  and  Nancy  Burton  were  as 
follows:  Bazzel.  Jr.,  deceased;  Harrison,  deceased;  Floyd,  a  resident 
of  Graysville,  Indiana,  who  is  a  horseman,  and  who  served  two  years  in 
the  Civil  war  and  was  wounded  in  the  foot ;  Nancy  E.,  deceased ;  Fidelia, 
deceased ;  Lucy  A.,  deceased ;  Sarah  E.,  of  this  notice ;  Josephine,  residing 
in  Graysville,  Indiana,  with  her  brother. 

Sarah  E.  (Burton)  Holdson  received  her  education  in  the  public 
school  in  Jefferson  township.  After  her  father's  death  her  mother  mar- 
ried Andrew  Wallace,  by  whom  there  was  no  issue.  Mrs.  Holdson  lived 
with  her  step-father  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  after  which  she  sup- 
ported herself  until  the  date  of  her  marriage,  which  occurred  February 
14,  1867,  when  she  was  united  to  Anderson  Pinkston,  by  whom  two  chil- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  307 

dren  were  born:  Allie,  residing  at  home  with  her  mother,  and  Fannie, 
who  married  John  Beclwell,  and  they  reside  at  Linton,  Indiana.  For 
her  second  husband  Mrs.  Holdson  married  Captain  James  Holdson,  born 
December  20,  1820,  in  Kentucky,  and  died  December  24,  1894.  He 
came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1824  with  his  parents,  and  remained  here  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  in  1861  he  raised 
a  company  of  which  he  was  made  captain  and  served  until  the  war  closed. 
He  was  wounded  five  times  and  carried  two  of  the  enemy's  bullets  with 
him  to  his  grave.  He  had  also  been  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war  in 
1846-47.  After  the  Civil  war  ended  he  returned  to  his  farm,  which 
consisted  of  five  hundred  acres,  and  which  he  operated  until  his  death. 
He  possessed  a  character  so  replete  with  good  traits  that  all  were  his 
friends  and  admirers.  Politically  he  was  a  staunch  and  uncompromising 
Republican  who  ever  worked  for  the  good  of  that  political  organization 
and  for  the  general  good  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  When- 
ever any  public  improvement  was  sought  to  be  made,  he  was  foremost  in 
giving  it  his  influence,  assisting  both  by  money  and  time.  By  the  mar- 
riage of  Mrs.  Pinkston  to  Mr.  Holdson  there  were  two  children  born, 
but  Cynthia  Ann,  born  February  6,  1876,  died  October  5,  1900.  The  other 
was  James  Arthur,  born  September  28,  1870,  in  Jefferson  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  and  he  follows  mining  for  his  occupation.  He  married  Eliza 
Bedwell. 

Mrs.  Holdson  receives  a  pension  from  the  government,  amounting  to 
twenty  dollars  a  month,  on  account  of  her  second  husband's  army  service. 
She  looks  after  her  thirty-five  acre  farm,  upon  which  she  raises  both  grain 
and  stock.  She  is  a  devout  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
as  was  her  husband  in  his  lifetime. 


George  C.  Youngman,  a  man  of  large  experience  in  various  avoca- 
tions, and  who  has  now  passed  his  three  score  and  ten  years,  will  form 
the  subject  of  this  memoir,  which  very  fittingly  finds  place  in  this  con- 
nection, it  being  the  story  of  one  of  the  pioneer  characters  who  has  forged 
his  way  to  the  front  in  the  developing  of  Sullivan  county  as  well  as  other 
sections  of  the  middle  west.  Mr.  Youngman  was  born  at  the  thriving  city 
of  Greencastle,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  August  13,  1837,  a  son  from  out 
the  family  of  fourteen  children  born  to  Stacy  R.  and  Laurena  B.  (Mark) 
Youngman.  The  parents  were  both  born  in  Kentucky,  which  state  has 
furnished  so  many  acceptable  "first  settlers"  in  many  of  the  counties  of 
Indiana.  The  father  was  born  August  24,  1813,  and  the  mother  in  1816. 
They  came  to  Indiana  in  183 1,  locating  near  Greencastle,  on  a  farm 
owned  by  his  father.  Stacy  R.  Youngman  was  a  practicing  physician  of 
considerable  note.  He  lived  at  Greencastle  until  about  1846,  when  he 
moved  to  Cloverdale,  in  the  same  county,  and  there  practiced  medicine 
until  185 1,  when  he  moved  to  Owen  county,  settling  in  Williamson,  where 
he  resided  until  1853.  He  then  moved  to  Greencastle  again,  and  con- 
tinued his  medical  practice  until  1855  at  that  place.    In  1861  he  moved 


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308  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

to  West  Liberty,  Illinois,  and  followed  his  profession  until  his  death, 
September  i,  1904.  His  good  wife  died  about  1898.  They  were  the 
parents  of  fourteen  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living,  as  follows: 
Eliza  J.,  wife  of  Dr.  Stevens,  who  is  now  deceased,  and  his  widow  resides 
with  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Josephine  C,  wife  of  James  Barrack, 
deceased;  James  T.,  of  Kansas;  Mary,  wife  of  Milton  Adams,  of  West 
Liberty,  Illinois;  Nancy  E.,  wife  of  William  Tippet,  of  Dundas,  Illinois; 
Elmer  H.,  residing  in  New  York  City,  connected  with  the  National 
Bankers'  Magazine;  and  George  C,  of  this  notice. 

George  C.  Youngman  obtained  his  education  under  many  a  difficulty 
unknown  to  the  youth  of  the  twentieth  century.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  north  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  where  there  was  not  a  single  window 
light  in  the  entire  building,  and  had  other  trials  which  only  the  stout- 
hearted can  endure  and  develop  under.  He  was  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources  at  an  early  age,  his  father  having  a  large  family  to  support 
from  a  limited  means.  He  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  when  aged  about 
eight  years,  and  continued  to  live  with  him  as  long  as  he  worked  for 
others.  These  good  people,  Richard  J.  and  Rebecca  Tolin,  were  people 
who  commanded  the  esteem  of  all  for  their  sterling  traits  of  character. 
During  the  years  of  1850  and  1852  he  was  on  a  mail  route,  the  first  year 
between  Bloomington  and  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  He  traveled  on 
horseback  a  distance  of  seventy  miles,  and  on  the  entire  route  there  were 
but  three  bridges;  but  he  practically  never  missed  a  trip  on  account  of 
bad  roads  or  high  water.  His  salary  was  the  princely  sum  of  seven  dol- 
lars a  month.  On  his  first  trip  to  Bloomington  in  1850  he  was  served 
with  a  cup  of  coffee,  which  was  the  first  and  last  cup  he  ever  tasted.  In 
i860  he  rented  a  farm  in  this  county,  and  also  began  threshing  wheat  with 
his  uncle  as  early  as  1855,  and  has  continued  practically  ever  since  that 
time  to  be  near  the  busy  hum  of  a  threshing  machine  in  its  annual  season. 
In  1866  he  purchased  a  house  in  New  Lebanon,  which  after  a  few  months 
he  sold  at  a  handsome  profit.  He  also  engaged  in  operating  a  sawmill 
for  a  time,  but  sold  and  bought  his  farm,  consisting  of  seventy-four  acres, 
and  moved  to  the  premises  in  the  month  of  March,  1869.  Here  he  has 
added  many  valuable  and  attractive  improvements  and  carried  on  general 
farming  operations.  He  purchased  forty  acres  more  land  not  far  distant 
from  his  home  farm,  and  this  he  sold  in  1908. 

It  will  be  observed,  as  stated  in  the  commencement,  that  Mr.  Young- 
man  has  seen  many  of  life's  changing  scenes,  but  not  near  all  of  his  his- 
tory has  been  told.  For  five  years  he  traveled  for  the  Robinson  Machine 
Company,  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  as  their  salesman.  Again,  he  had  a 
touch  of  Civil  war  military  life,  which  should  not  be  omitted  from  this 
narrative.  In  January,  1865,  the  last  year  of  the  rebellion,  he  enlisted  as 
a  member  of  Company  G,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Indiana 
Regiment.  He  entered  as  a  private  soldier  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  sergeant  and  mustered  out  of  the  U.  S.  service  September  27,  1865. 

In  his  politics  Mr.  Youngman  is  a  staunch  Republican,  and  takes 
high  ground  on  the  subject  of  temperance;  and  in  his  religious  connec- 
tion he  was  reared  a  Methodist,  but  he  is  not  a  member  of  any  church 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  309 

organization.  He  was  married  March  2,  1862,  to  Margaret  E.  Gill,  a 
daughter  of  George  N.  and — (Graham)  Gill.  The  grandfather  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  and  the  grandmother  in  Tennessee.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  her  parents  were  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Her  father 
was  a  farmer  and  also  followed  the  trade  of  millwright.  He  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  settled  near  Boscobel,  remained  a  few  years,  and  then  went  to 
Arkansas,  and  finally  returned  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  remained 
on  his  farm  until  his  death  in  1867.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Youngman 
died  several  years  before  the  death  of  the  father. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Youngman  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  but  the 
eldest,  born  March  3,  1863,  died  in  infancy.  Albion  D.,  born  June  3, 
1864,  died  in  1904.  He  was  first  married  to  Miss  Emma  Sherman,  born  in 
this  county,  and  they  had  two  children — Ernest,  born  March  7, 
1888,  now  with  the  subject,  and  Ivan,  born  May  21,  1889.  He  married, 
secondly,  Miss  Jennie  Newsom,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  near  Olney,  and 
they  had  two  children — Margaret,  born  September  4,  1898,  and  Albion 
Duane,  born  February  2,  1900,  and  died  August  11,  1908.  These  chil- 
dren, with  the  mother,  are  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Youngman. 

Mr.  Youngman  was  a  candidate  for  trustee  of  the  township  and 
was  defeated  by  only  ten  votes.  He  was  also  a  candidate  for  sheriff, 
auditor,  county  commissioner,  and  county  treasurer,  and  in  a  county  of 
eighteen  hundred  Democratic  majority  he  was  defeated  by  only  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  majority  votes.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Silver's 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  Post  No.  435,  and  filled  all  the  offices,  at 
New  Lebanon,  Indiana,  and  has  attended  grand  encampments  at  different 
times. 


George  W.  Hopewell,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  cause  at  the 
time  of  the  Civil  war  in  this  country,  and  who  now  resides  in  Gill  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  on  land  entered  by  his  father  at  an  early  day,  was 
born  on  the  farm  where  he  now  resides  March  9,  1843.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Katherine  (Lisman)  Hopewell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Kentucky.  The  father  came  to  Sullivan  county  and  took  advantage  of 
cheap  government  land,  the  warrant  for  which  was  signed  by  President 
James  Monroe.  He  continued  to  reside  on  this  land  until  his  death,  in 
about  1849.  His  wife  died  there  about  1872.  He  served  his  country  as 
a  soldier  during  the  entire  period  of  the  war  with  Mexico.  Their  children 
were  eleven  in  number,  and  are  all  deceased  but  George  W.  of  this  notice 
and  one  sister,  Katherine,  the  wife  of  Amos  Fiske,  residing  in  Carlisle, 
where  he  is  now  retired,  having  spent  the  active  years  of  his  life  as  a 
mechanical  engineer. 

George  W.  Hopewell  attended  the  public  schools  of  New  Lebanon, 
and  remained  on  the  old  place  with  his  mother  until  her  death,  when  the 
farm  came  into  his  hands.  He  soon  afterward  married  and  continued  to 
operate  the  homestead,  to  which  he  has  from  time  to  time  made  valuable 
additions  and  substantial  improvements.  Here  he  still  carries  on  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.    He  owns  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  forty 


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310  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

acres  of  which  are  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  homestead.  Mr. 
Hopewell  served  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Indiana  Regiment  of  Infantry,  under  Cap- 
tain Parvin.  He  enlisted  at  New  Lebanon,  served  about  eleven  months 
and  was  honorably  discharged  at  Indianapolis,  having  been  mustered  out 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  His  service  was  mostly  doing  picket  duty.  He 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  in  politics 
votes  an  independent  ticket,  choosing  such  candidates  as  seem  in  his  own 
judgment  best  calculated  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  people. 

He  was  married,  April  21,  1880,  to  Miss  Melissa  Owens,  a  native  of 
Missouri,  and  a  daughter  of  Elias  and  Sally  Ann  (Johnson)  Owens.  Her 
parents  came  to  Indiana  during  the  Civil  war  period,  locating,  in  Sullivan 
county  on  a  farm,  where  they  died.  The  death  of  the  father  occurred  in 
1888,  and  the  mother  ten  years  later.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith,  which 
trade  he  followed  together  with  farming  until  his  death.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hopewell  was  born  one  son:  Thomas  E.  Hopewell,  born  April  17,  1882, 
and  now  residing  in  New  Lebanon  and  assisting  his  father  on  his  farm. 
He  married  Mabel  Oldham,  born  near  Palestine,  Crawford  county, 
Illinois,  and  whose  parents  now  live  in  New  Lebanon,  Indiana.  The 
father  conducts  a  general  merchandise  store. 

Mr.  Hopewell  has  one  of  the  old  deeds  signed  by  President  James 
Monroe,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest  deeds  found  in  the  county,  and  this 
land  was  never  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Hopewell  family. 


Dr.  Henry  Francis  Harper,  deceased,  who  up  to  February,  1898, 
was  one  of  the  leading  practicing  physicians  and  surgeons  within  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  was  born  March  5,  1845,  near  Carlisle,  Haddon  town- 
ship, a  son  of  Dr.  John  Baxter  and  Isabella  (Benefield)  Harper.  The 
Doctor's  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Ohio.  Their 
respective  parents  were  early  settlers  of  Haddon  township.  Dr.  John 
Baxter  Harper  practiced  in  and  around  Carlisle.  His  wife  died  when 
the  son  Dr.  Henry  F.  was  but  fourteen  months  of  age,  he  being  the  only 
child  born  to  them.  Dr.  John  B.  Harper  moved  to  Merom  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine,  and  continued  until  1886,  when  he  moved  to 
San  Diego,  California,  where  he  died  in  1894.  For  his  second  wife  he 
married  a  widow  named  Shepherd,  of  Carlisle.  Politically  Dr.  Harper, 
the  senior,  was  a  Republican. 

Dr.  Henry  F.  Harper,  of  this  biography,  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion at  the  common  schools  at  Merom,  at  which  place  he  also  attended 
the  Union  Christian  College.  After  being  properly  fitted  he  matriculated 
at  Bellview  College,  in  Philadelphia,  from  which  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1868.  He  then  went  to  Indianapolis,  in  which  city  he  took  up 
the  insurance  business,  later  taking  a  post-graduate  course  at  Rush 
Medical  College,  Chicago.  After  being  thus  highly  qualified  for  the 
medical  fraternity  he  began  its  practice  with  his  father  at  Merom,  and 
continued  with  him  until  the  father  moved  to  California.     After  that 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  311 

Dr.  Henry  F.  practiced  alone  at  the  same  place  until  his  death,  February 
10,  1898.  He  was  admitted  to  be  the  best  physician  in  the  county.  He 
accumulated  much  property,  including  several  tracts  of  valuable  land, 
besides  much  real  estate  in  California.  He  owned  and  occupied  the  fine 
residence  on  Merom  Bluff  where  his  widow  now  lives.  Politically  Dr. 
Harper  was  a  Republican.  He  served  as  a  corporal  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-seventh  Indiana  volunteer  regiment  of  infantry.  The  date 
of  his  discharge  was  December  15,  1864.  He  was  president  of  the 
Sullivan  County  Medical  Association,  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  took  much  interest  in  the  science  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  ever  sought  to  excel.  He  was  high  in  Masonry,  belonging  to 
the  lodge  at  Merom  and  to  the  Chapter  at  Sullivan.  In  his  religious 
faith  he  was  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  in  which  body 
he  was  a  trustee  for  some  years. 

He  wjts  united  in  marriage,  November  8,  1877,  to  Harriett  Minter, 
who  was  a  native  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  born  about  one  mile 
north  of  Merom  April  28,  1857,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Malinda 
(Pinkston)  Minter.  Her  father  was  born  in  Missouri,  near  Liberty, 
August  10,  1820,  and  died  on  the  old  Minter  homestead  north  of  Merom. 
Mrs.  Minter  was  born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  June  10,  1829,  and  died 
August  17,  1905,  in  Merom,  Indiana,  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Harper. 

Mrs.  Harper  was  educated  in  Sullivan  county  and  attended  the  Union 
Christian  College  at  Merom.  One  daughter  was  born  to  Dr.  Harper 
and  wife — Bernice  Isabella,  born  October  24,  1886.  She  graduated  at 
the  Merom  schools  in  1904  and  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  in  1907.  The 
mother  and  daughter  are  both  consistent  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


Chris  Kahre,  who  is  associated  with  his  brother  Fred,  is  a  thorough- 
going farmer  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  has  made  a 
success  as  an  agriculturist.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  near  Bremen,  in 
1850,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Kahre,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The 
father  died  in  his  native  land  when  his  boys  were  both  small,  and  soon 
after  his  death  the  mother  and  family  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Knox  county,  Indiana,  where  they  all  worked  out  for  others.  The  mother 
died  within  a  few  years  after  her  arrival  in  this  country.  The  sons  had 
but  little  opportunity  to  attend  schools,  as  they  were  compelled  to  work 
for  their  maintenance.  From  the  time  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  during 
the  next  fifteen  years  Chris  Kahre  worked  out  for  others,  and  then  pur- 
chased fifty  two  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  to  which  later  he  added  twenty- 
two  acres  more.  This  constitutes  his  present  farm  of  eighty  and  a  half 
acres,  upon  which  he  has  made  all  the  improvements.  Here  he  does 
a  general  farming  and  stock  raising  business.  The  twenty  dollars  which 
had  been  loaned  him  in  Germany  by  an  uncle  who  came  with  the  family 
had  to  be  paid  from  out  the  first  money  he  earned  after  coming  to 
America.  This  was  the  cost  of  his  transportation  from  his  native  land. 


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312  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mr.  Kahre  was  united  in  marriage,  April  24,  1892,  to  Sarah  Jane  Engle, 
born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Patsy 
Engle.  natives  of  Virginia  and  early  settlers  here,  but  both  are  now 
deceased.  By  this  union  one  child  was  born — Frank,  on  May  26,  1893, 
and  now  living  with  his  father.  Mrs.  Kahre  died  in  1895.  In  his  church 
faith  Mr.  Kahre  is  of  the  Christian  denomination,  and  politically  is  a 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Fred  Kahre,  who  is  the  brother  associated  with  Chris  Kahre,  men- 
tioned above,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1847,  a  son  °f  Henry  and  Mary 
Kahre.  The  father  died  in  Germany  and  the  family  on  emigrating  to 
this  country  located  in  Knox  county,  Indiana.  The  sons  had  to  shift 
as  best  they  could  for  themselves,  but  have  always  aided  one  another 
in  their  life's  conflict.  When  eighteen  years  old  Fred  Kahre,  having 
worked  for  others  for  two  years,  then  bought  sixty-one  and  a  half  acres 
of  land,  upon  which  he  lived  until  February  5,  1906,  but  now%makes  his 
home  with  his  brother  Chris.  While  on  his  own  farm  he  carried  on 
general  farming  and  stock  farming,  but  has  now  disposed  of  all  of  his 
property,  for  he  was  bereft  of  his  wife  by  death  March  5,  1901. 

Mr.  Kahre  was  married  in  September,  1881,  to  Hannah  Skidmore. 
a  native  of  Sullivan  county  and  a  daughter  of  Abe  Skidmore  and  wife, 
who  came  from  Kentucky,  and  both  are  now  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kahre  were  born  twins,  but  both  died  in  infancy.  The  sad  affliction  has 
cast  a  gloom  over  the  otherwise  bright  pathway  of  Mr.  Kahre,  and  at 
this  time  his  plans  for  the  future  are  unsettled. 


James  A.  Shaw,  deceased,  was  in  his  lifetime  one  of  the  energetic, 
moving  factors  in  Sullivan  county,  as  well  as  a  well  known  merchant  in 
different  sections  of  the  country.  He  was  born  April  4,  1850,  near 
Bowling  Green,  Clay  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Thomas  Shaw  and  wife. 
The  mother  died  when  he  was  but  five  years  of  age.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Clay 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  known  for  years  as  an  extensive  farmer. 
He  was  twice  married  and  died  in  Clay  county.  He  was  the  father  of 
three  children,  all  now  deceased. 

James  A.  Shaw  had  but  a  limited  common-school  education,  having 
been  bereft  of  his  parents  when  quite  young.  After  the  death  of  his 
parents  he  worked  for  others  as  a  farm  hand  in  Illinois  until  when  about 
seventeen  years  old.  He  then  began  canvassing  for  a  picture  firm  in 
Chicago,  and  later  went  to  that  city  and  remained  there  until  five  years 
before  his  marriage.  He  then  moved  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  for  some  time.  He  engaged  in  the  carpet  and  stove  business, 
and  was  among  the  first  men  to  start  an  installment  house  in  that  city. 
He  furnished  houses  from  kitchen  to  the  parlor  and  drawing-room,  and 
continued  there  until  December  10,  1887,  and  established  another  store 
on  the  same  plan  in  the  following  spring.  In  the  following  year  he 
shipped  his  goods  to  Terre  Haute  and  continued  there  one  year,  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  313 

then  sold  and  went  to  Merom,  Indiana,  near  which  place  he  conducted 
a  farm  which  he  had  previously  purchased  and  which  was  situated  imme- 
diately across  the  river  in  Illinois.  The  family  resided  at  the  leading 
hotel  almost  one  year,  then  moved  to  the  farm,  remained  two  years,  and 
they  then  rented  the  land  and  located  in  Indianapolis.  There  Mr.  Shaw 
again  engaged  in  the  installment  business,  continuing  four  years,  after 
which  he  moved  to  another  farm  which  he  had  owned  for  some  time  in 
Owen  county.  He  resided  there  four  years,  and  then  sold  and  moved 
to  Merom,  where  the  family  was  settled  in  a  rented  house  for  four  years 
while  Mr.  Shaw  conducted  the  farm.  He  also  manufactured  brooms 
for  about  three  years.    The  date  of  his  death  was  November  5,  1905. 

Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Shaw,  his  widow  still  conducts  the  farm, 
which  consists  of  almost  two  hundred  acres.  She,  together  with  her 
family,  resides  in  one  of  the  most  modern  and  spacious  residences  in 
Merom,  which  house  she  purchased  in  February,  1907.  Her  husband 
was  a  man  of  great  native  ability  and  wonderful  energy  and  determina- 
tion. He  possessed  the  natural  gift  of  a  salesman  and  was  offered  many 
tempting  positions  as  such,  but  always  believed  he  was  entitled  to  all  the 
profits  that  might  accrue  from  such  ability.  He  had  no  other  assistant 
in  his  business  affairs  save  his  good  wife,  who  always  did  her  share,  and 
to  whom  he  frequently  looked  for  council  along  important  business  lines. 
Mr.  Shaw  was  an  active  member  of  both  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows 
fraternities.  While  not  a  member,  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the  teachings 
of  the  Christian  church.  Politically  he  was  formerly  a  Republican,  but 
later  became  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  May  12,  1884,  to  Miss  Martha  Baldwin, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio,  near  Lebanon,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Susan 
(Wood)  Baldwin,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  born 
May  30,  1817,  and  the  mother  September  9,  1821.  They  went  to  Ohio 
at  a  very  early  day  with  their  parents.  At  that  time  many  Indians 
roamed  throughout  that  section  of  the  country.  They  were  married  in 
that  state,  and  the  father  became  a  shoemaker,  which  at  that  time  was 
a  paying  trade,  it  being  before  the  shoemaking  machinery  had  been 
invented.  The  mother  died  March  30,  1873,  and  the  father  April  5,  1877. 
After  the  death  of  her  parents  Mrs.  Shaw  resided  with  an  aunt  until  her 
marriage.  By  this  union  four  children  were  born :  James  A.,  born  May 
17,  1885,  was  principal  of  the  public  schools  at  Merom  four  years.  He 
married  Lara  Hoskins,  of  Trimble,  Illinois,  December  29,  1907.  Mabel 
is  unmarried  and  attending  school  at  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom, 
Indiana.  She  was  born  July  27,  1888.  Harrison,  born  April  19,  1891, 
is  at  home  and  in  the  college  above  mentioned.  Mary  Elizabeth  was 
born  November  19,  1897,  and  is  at  home. 

Concerning  the  Baldwin  family  it  may  here  be  stated  that  in  Mrs. 
Shaw's  parents'  family  there  were  nine  children,  all  now  living  excepting 
three.  They  are  as  follows:  Jacob  Marion,  who  died  in  the  service  of 
his  country  in  Tennessee,  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  he  being  a  member 
of  Company  A  in  the  Seventy-ninth  Ohio  Regiment;  Samuel  died 
November  14,  1908,  resided  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  and  was  also  a  veteran 


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314  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

who  served  in  the  regiment  named  above;  Emily,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years ;  Thomas,  living  in  Hamilton,  Ohio,  a  shoe  merchant ; 
David,  of  Dayton,  Ohio ;  Lewis,  residing  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  a  retired 
farmer ;  Freemont,  of  the  last  named  place ;  Susan,  wife  of  Elmer  Smith, 
residing  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  a  merchant  and  also  chief  of  police  for  six 
years ;   and  Martha,  who  married  Mr.  Shaw,  of  this  memoir. 


Franklin  Kimberlin,  who  is  numbered  among  the  heavy  land 
owners  and  tax-payers  of  Sullivan  county,  and  now  living  retired  in  the 
suburbs  of  New  Lebanon,  is  a  native  of  Greene  county,  Indiana,  born 
October  15,  1844,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Susan  (Bechtal)  Kimberlin.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  old  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Greene  county, 
Indiana.  They  were  married  in  Bloomfield,  Indiana.  He  came  with 
his  father  from  Virginia,  and  the  former  entered  government  land 
near  Bloomington,  and  there  the  family  resided  many  years,  but 
finally  removed  to  Greene  county.  The  grandparents  both  died  there ; 
their  deaths  occurring  but  twenty-four  hours  apart,  both  dying  at 
night  time.  Joseph  Kimberlin,  the  father  of  him  for  whom  this 
sketch  is  written,  remained  in  Monroe  county  until  too  aged  to  continue 
to  farm,  and  then  went  to  Sullivan  county  and  made  his  home  with  his 
son  Franklin  until  his  death,  about  1882.  The  mother  had  died  about 
1875.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children  and  four  are  living: 
John,  a  farmer  in  Richwood,  Illinois;  Franklin,  of  this  review;  Polly, 
wife  of  James  Haggard,  and  resident  of  Morgantown,  Indiana;  and 
Jacob,  resident  of  Mitchell,  this  state. 

Franklin  Kimberlin  had  the  advantages  of  the  public  schools  of 
Monroe  county,  and  also  attended  the  same  while  living  in  Greene  county. 
On  the  theory  that  "Antagonism  is  the  law  of  development"  Mr.  Kimber- 
lin has  forged  his  own  way  to  the  front  rank,  beginning  to  strive  for 
himself  and  his  own  support  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  His  parents  being 
unable  to  assist  him  he  was  forced  to  stem  the  tide  by  the  force  of  his 
own  will  power,  which,  however,  proved  successful  in  the  conflict,  but 
the  race  for  several  years  was  indeed  fierce.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  (then  probably  called  eighteen)  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany K,  Fourteenth  Indiana  Regiment,  under  Captain  Kelly,  of  Bloom- 
ington. The  date  of  his  enlistment  was  in  1862,  and  he  served  as  a  brave 
and  loyal  soldier  for  two  years  and  ten  months,  participating  in  the  battles 
of  Fredericksburg  (Virginia),  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Cold  Harbor, 
Spottsylvania,  Bull  Run,  The  Wilderness,  Smoky  Charge  and  Peters- 
burg, Was  on  a  raid  in  pursuit  of  General  Lee  until  his  final  surrender. 
He  was  wounded  three  times — first  in  his  first  battle;  secondly  at  Cold 
Harbor,  and  the  third  day  before  the  surrender  he  was  wounded  the 
third  time.  He  was  mustered  out  of  U.  S.  service  at  Alexandria, 
Virginia,  in  the  month  of  June,  1865,  and  after  a  short  stay  in 
Bloomington  upon  his  return  from  the  army  he  went  to  Greene  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  one  year.     He  then  lived  a  short 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  315 

time  in  Marshall,  and  then  went  to  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  containing  forty-four  acres.  After  two  years' 
sojourn  there  and  in  1870  he  sold  and  bought  a  farm  in  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  containing  eighty  acres,  to  which  subsequently 
he  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  possessed  seven  hundred  acres.  This 
land  he  finally  sold  and  purchased  four  hundred  and  eight  acres,  all 
within  Gill  township,  and  this  most  excellent  farm  is  at  this  date  ( 1908) 
being  operated  by  his  son  and  son-in-law.  In  1902  Mr.  Kimberlin 
purchased  a  tract  of  sixteen  acres  in  New  Lebanon,  which  he  now  has 
finely  improved,  and  here  he  expects  to  make  his  home  and  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  While  he  has  met  with  misfortunes  and  given 
away  as  much  or  more  than  he  now  possesses  he  may  well  count  life 
a  success,  having  served  his  country  in  time  of  peril,  reared  a  family 
which  is  an  honor  to  his  name,  and  still  possesses  a  goodly  heritage  of 
this  world's  goods.  At  one  time  and  another  in  his  life,  he  belonged 
to  various  lodges  and  societies,  but  at  the  present  is  not  connected  with 
any  of  the  orders.  He  is  an  acceptable  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  lives  an  upright,  true  citizenship  before  his  fellow  men. 
Mr.  Kimberlin  was  married  first,  in  the  month  of  February,  1870, 
to  Louisa  Hite,  born  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Dianah  (Woodall)  Hite,  natives  of  Virginia  and  both  now  deceased. 
To  this  union  were  born  three  children:  Joseph  Edward,  married  and 
residing  on  his  father's  farm ;  Elvira  Jane,  wife  of  Jeff  House,  a  resident 
of  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  a  farmer;  and  Amanda,  widow 
of  Lisle  M.  Pirtle  and  now  residing  in  Gill  township  on  her  farm.  For 
his  second  wife  Mr.  Kimberlin  married,  in  April,  1896,  Mrs.  Jennie 
Stedman,  born  in  Pike  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Rebecca 
(Potts)  Dunham,  she  having  been  previously  married.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  and  the  father  farmed  until  his 
wife  died  about  1875,  while  he  passed  away  in  1893.  There  was  no 
issue  by  the  second  marriage.  Mrs.  Kimberlin  had  one  son  by  her 
former  husband — William  Allan  Stedman,  a  telegraph  operator  at  New 
Lebanon,  and  who  married  Lelia  Morris,  of  the  village. 


David  H.  Hancock,  of  Gill  township,  comes  of  a  family  some  of 
whose  members  have  been  residents  of  Sullivan  county  for  many  years. 
His  grandfather  was  sheriff  of  the  county  in  the  forties.  He  whose 
name  heads  this  sketch  was  born  in  Gill  township  July  10,  1857,  a  son 
of  Marion  and  Johannah  (Nash)  Hancock.  The  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Sullivan  county,  the  mother  born  in  1825,  and  the  father  two 
years  earlier.  The  father  enlisted  in  an  Indiana  regiment,  served  but 
a  short  time  and  died  in  the  service  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  The 
mother  died  in  1889.  David  H.  received  his  education  at  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  township,  and  remained  with  his  mother  until  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  farming  on  twenty 
acres  of  land,  left  him  by  his  mother.     To  this  he  added  forty  acres 


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316  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

more,  giving  him  his  present  excellent  place  of  sixty  acres  of  choice 
land,  a  portion  of  which  he  has  lived  upon  ever  since  he  was  four  years 
of  age.  Here  he  conducts  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  votes  the  Democratic 
ticket. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  September  21,  1887,  to  Nannie  Elliott, 
born  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  November  7,  1856,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Maggie  (Ford)  Elliott,  who  were  !natives  of  Indiana  and  of 
English  descent.  Mrs.  Hancock's  father  was  an  engineer  by  occupation, 
and  later,  about  1867,  went  to  Sullivan,  where  he  ran  the  engine  in  a 
flouring  mill,  continuing  there  until  1869,  when  he  died.  The  widow 
married  again  and  moved  to  Gill  township,  where  she  died  May  10, 
1906.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hancock  were  born  four  children :  Rellie  Otis, 
residing,  at  home ;  Josephine,  deceased ;  Lucian,  at  home ;  and  the  fourth 
child  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Hancock  is  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  New  Lebanon,  Indiana.  He  is  a  progressive 
farmer  and  an  excellent  citizen  in  whom  all  have  implicit  confidence. 


Francis  M.  Blann,  a  prosperous  agriculturist  of  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  born  on  Shaker 
Prairie  September  17,  1867,  a  son  of  S.  G.  and  Sarah  S.  (Sprott)  Blann. 
The  father,  S.  G.  Blann,  was  born  on  Indian  Prairie,  Sullivan  county, 
and  the  mother  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  the  date  of  the  former's  birth  being 
March  31,  1833,  and  of  the  latter's  January  26,  1835.  S.  G.  Blann's 
parents  came  from  Virginia,  and  the  grandfather  spent  part  of  his  life 
in  Kentucky,  residing  in  Breckinridge  county,  but  later  in  life  moved  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  After  a  few  years  there  he  removed  to 
Shaker  Prairie,  Knox  county,  and  still  later  made  his  home  in  Sullivan 
county,  but  finally  returned  to  Shaker  Prairie,  where  he  died. 

S.  G.  Blann  worked  as  a  hired  hand  early  in  his  life,  receiving  six 
dollars  a  month,  but  later  purchased  land  with  his  scanty  earnings  and 
commenced  farming  for  his  livelihood.  He  was  a  progressive  and 
industrious  man  who  accumulated  rapidly,  and  at  one  time  possessed 
eleven  hundred  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  which  was  situated  in  Sullivan, 
and  the  remainder  in  Knox  county.  He  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life 
in  retirement  at  Oaktown,  Knox  county,  to  which  place  he  removed  in 
about  1899.  He  died  July  4,  1907,  and  his  widow  still  resides  at  Oaktown. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living: 
Edward  P.,  a  merchant  of  Monroe  City,  Knox  county :  John  A.,  deceased ; 
Francis  M.,  of  this  review ;  Mary  O.,  wife  of  John  G.  Ford,  residing  in 
Knox  county,  a  farmer  by  occupation ;  William  W.,  a  farmer  of  South 
Dakota;  Dr.  Herbert  E.,  a  physician  of  Fairbanks,  Indiana;  and  Charles 
Everett,  of  Oaktown,  a  farmer. 

Francis  M.  Blann  obtained  his  limited  education  at  the  schools  of 
Shaker  Prairie  and  at  Oaktown.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  containing  one  hundred  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  317 

twenty  acres  situated  in  Knox  county,  north  of  Vincennes.  He  was 
unmarried  at  that  time,  and  only  kept  this  land  about  one  year,  when 
he  disposed  of  it  and  bought  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  in  Sullivan 
county,  near  Carlisle.  Here  he  resided  for  five  years,  during  which  time 
he  was  married  and  purchased  two  hundred  acres  more  land  from  his 
father,  the  same  being  near  Oaktown,  to  which  place  he  removed  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  partnership  with  an  uncle.  This  he 
only  followed  for  about  a  year,  after  which  he  purchased  a  hundred-acre 
farm  two  miles  to  the  north  of  Carlisle,  having  already  sold  both  of  his 
other  farms.  The  last  place  he  kept  a  year  and  then  sold  and  bought 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  where  he  now  lives,  and  upon  which  he  has 
made  extensive  and  valuable  improvements.  As  it  now  presents  itself  it  is 
among  the  best  equipped  places  in  the  vicinity,  and  here  he  expects  to 
remain  and  carry  on  his  farming  and  stock  raising  operations,  making 
thoroughbred  short-horn  cattle  a  specialty.  Possessed  of  great  determina- 
tion and  natural  ability,  only  success  seems  probable  to  follow  and  crown 
his  untiring  efforts. 

Mr.  Blann  is  in  his  political  views  a  pronounced  advocate  of  pure 
Democracy.  In  his  religious  faith  he  adheres  to  that  of  the  Christian 
denomination.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  21,  1894,  to  Miss 
Effie  J.  Shepherd,  a  family  sketch  of  whose  family  will  appear  in  this 
work.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blann  the  following  children  were  born: 
Edward  Roy,  born  September  12,  1895;  Lester  Ray,  born  August  21, 
1897;  Robert  Lowell,  born  in  November,  1899;  an^  Harry  Shepherd, 
born  November  1,  1906.     The  fourth  born  child  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Blann  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camp 
No.  5488,  as  a  protection  to  his  family.  The  camp  of  Woodmen  is  located 
at  New  Lebanon,  Indiana. 


Augustus  L.  Thrasher,  who  is  numbered  among  the  agriculturists 
that  are  developing  and  bringing  forth  the  products  of  the  soil  in  the 
territory  embraced  within  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  this 
township  February  2jt  1871,  a  son  of  Martin  M.  and  Angeline  (Pinkston) 
Thrasher.  The  parents  were  both  born  within  Gill  township,  the  father 
February  16,  1847,  ar|d  the  mother  December  23,  1849.  Martin  M.  was 
a  son  of  Elanthon  A.  and  Rachel  (Mary)  Thrasher.  His  mother  was  a 
native  of  Vermont  and  the  father  of  New  York  state.  She  was  born  in 
1812  and  he  in  1817.  Elanthon  came  to  Sullivan  county  at  a  very  early 
day,  locating  in  what  is  now  Gill  township.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  was 
married  here.  For  a  few  years  they  resided  in  Terre  Haute,  but  retraced 
their  steps  to  this  township,  and  still  later  moved  to  Illinois,  but  came  back 
to  their  old  farm  again  and  died  in  this  township,  the  mother  September 
2,  1870,  and  the  father  in  1891.  Martin  M.  Thrasher  resided  with  his 
parents  until  about  1867,  when  he  leased  a  farm  and  cultivated  it  three 
seasons.  He  has  continued  to  rent  within  the  township  ever  since.  The 
subject's  mother  died  November  16,  1875.  ' 

Augustus  L.  Thrasher,  of  this  biographical  review,  was  educated 


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318  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

within  his  native  township,  at  the  "Blue  School  House"  and  at  the  Rose 
district  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  had  reached  his  majority, 
when  he  rented  land  in  partnership  with  his  brother  for  one  year  and  the 
following  year  with  another  man  of  the  neighborhood.  In  the  autumn 
of  1897  he  was  married,  after  which  he  rented  another  farm  in  the  same 
part  of  the  county,  on  which  he  lived  three  years.  His  next  experience 
was  in  renting  land  of  John  Mason  for  almost  five  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  resides. 
There  were  no  improvements  on  this  place  at  the  time  he  bought  it,  and 
he  has  cleared  it  and  built  a  comfortable  house  and  barns,  with  the  neces- 
sary out-buildings.  It  is  now  under  fair  cultivation  and  all  well  fenced. 
He  expects  to  make  this  his  permanent  home,  although  on  account  of  ill 
health  since  about  1904  he  has  been  unfitted  for  heavy  manual  labor,  but 
superintends  the  work  of  the  place.  In  politics  Mr.  Thrasher  is  an  avowed 
Republican.  He  has  held  the  office  of  supervisor  and  been  deputy  assessor 
two  years. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  N.  Clark,  who  was  born  in 
Gill  township  April  12,  1873,  a  daughter  of  John  S.  and  Anna  (Butler) 
Clark.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  came  to  this 
country  with  their  parents  at  a  very  early  date.  They  were  married  prior 
to  the  Civil  war.  He  served  in  Company  C,  Fifty-ninth  Indiana  Regiment, 
being  a  private  soldier.  Upon  his  return  from  the  service  of  his  country 
he  engaged  in  farming,  which  was  of  the  truck-garden  type  on  a  three- 
acre  plot  where  he  still  lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thrasher  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Roy  Otto,  born  August  18,  1894;  Charles 
Edward,  born  January  30,  1896,  died  January  12,  1897;  Lucy  Viola,  born 
February  3,  1898;  Leila  Rachel,  born  February  16,  1900;  Eva  Pink,  born 
December  24,  1901 ;  Bernice  Pearl,  born  December  31,  1903,  and  John 
Martin,  born  August  8,  1907. 


James  H.  Banther,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Gill  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  is  a  native  of  this  township,  born  April  13,  1866,  a  son  of 
Cyrus  and  Nancy  Banther,  whose  sketch  will  appear  elsewrhere  in  this 
work.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  county  and  in 
Turman  and  Gill  townships  especially.  He  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  the  following  season  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  for  others.  Being  seized  with  the  western  fever  he  went 
to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  where  he  found  employment  on  the  railroad  for 
three  years,  and  in  1872  returned  to  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  where  he 
worked  in  the  car  shops  for  about  three  years,  and  also  followed  carpenter- 
ing. In  1895  he  returned  home  and  was  employed  by  his  father  for 
seven  years,  which  was  up  to  the  spring  of  1902,  at  which  date  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  resides,  and  upon  which  he  has 
placed  all  of  the  improvements,  including  house,  barns,  fences,  etc.  Here 
he  carries  on  general  farming,  and  pays  special  attention  to  hoe:  raising. 
Mr.  Banther  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  319 

and  carries  a  two  thousand  dollar  beneficiary  policy  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Politically  he  is  a  believer  in  Republican  prin- 
ciples and  platforms,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office. 

In  relation  to  his  domestic  life  let  it  be  stated  that  Mr.  Banther  mar- 
ried, February  21,  1889,  Miss  Minnie  McClure,  born  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  May  11,  1872,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Griswold 
Barton  and  Mary  (Mason)  McClure,  both  natives  of  Sullivan  county. 
The  mother  was  born  May  6,  1837,  and  the  father  January  15,  1836. 
They  resided  on  a  truck  farm  after  1891,  and  before  that  date  had  farmed 
in  Gill  township.  After  the  father's  death  the  mother  sold  the  place  and 
made  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Dora  Hart,  in  Sullivan  until  her 
death  in  1904.  In  the  McClure  family  there  were  seven  children,  all  now 
deceased  except  Mrs.  Banther  and  her  sister  Dora,  wife  of  Philip  Hart. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banther  are  as  follows:  William 
Harry,  born  September  2,  1889;  one  who  died  in  infancy,  born  May  13, 
1891 ;  an  infant  born  February  14,  1896,  and  died  early;  George  Dewey, 
born  May  8,  1898;  James  Garry,  born  April  24,  1902;  one  who  was  born 
September  7,  1904,  and  died  early,  and  Cyrus  Henry,  born  November  18, 
1906. 


Edward  Anderson,  one  of  the  extensive  land  owners  and  successful 
farmers  who  is  a  tiller  of  Gill  township  soil,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native 
of  that  far  away  and  picturesque  country  of  northern  Europe — Sweden. 
He  was  born  May  3,  1861,  near  Starby.  He  is  a  son  of  Swan  and  Mary 
(Benson)  Anderson.  The  father  was  born  about  1816  and  died  about 
1868,  in  the  country  of  his  birth.  The  mother  was  born  April  14,  1821, 
in  Sweden  and  died  December  20,  1908,  in  her  native  land.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen,  having  attended  the  schools  of  Starby,  Sweden,  Edward 
Anderson  commenced  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade.  After  working 
at  the  forge  for  twelve  years  he  emigrated  to  America,  where  he 
worked  in  New  York  City  one  year  and  then  went  to  Rantoul,  Illinois, 
and  after  two  years'  service  for  wages  there  he  went  to  Paxton,  Illinois, 
and  purchased  a  machine  and  blacksmith  shop.  There  Mr.  Anderson 
worked  vigorously  during  all  the  years  up  to  1905,  when  he  had  accumu- 
lated a  sufficient  amount  to  enable  him  to  buy  land,  which  he  did,  leasing 
his  shops.  He  selected  the  lands  on  which  he  now  resides  in  Gill  town- 
ship. This  land  he  purchased  in  1903,  and  his  first  tract  consisted  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres,  to  which  he  has  added  until  he  now 
owns  five  hundred  less  two  acres.  Of  this  he  operates  through  careful 
tillage  about  three  hundred  acres,  and  the  remainder  he  has  leased  to 
others.  He  raised  corn,  wheat  and  stock.  Being  a  thorough  man  in 
whatever  he  undertakes  he  has  succeeded  well  in  the  role  of  an  American 
farmer,  as  well  as  one  who  wielded  the  sledge  so  many  years.  Having 
in  mind  the  protection  of  his  home  circle  he  wisely  became  a  member  of 
both  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  camp  at  Merom,  Indiana,  and 
the  Royal  Neighbors  fraternal  societies,  both  affording  a  beneficiary  in 
case  of  sickness  or  death. 

Vol.  11—21 


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320  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  and  children  are  members  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church  at  Paxton,  Illinois,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  never  aspired  to  public  office  in  his  adopted  country,  but  seeks  the 
best  men  to  fill  the  local  and  state  positions.  He  was  united  in  marriage, 
April  20,  1895,  to  Anna  Marie  Peterson,  born  in  Sweden,  May  24,  1872, 
a  daughter  of  P.  M.  Aberhanson,  whose  wife's  maiden  name  was 
Charlotte  Helen  Johnson.  The  father  is  deceased,  and  the  mother  resides 
in  Sweden.  Mrs.  Anderson  accompanied  her  brother  to  this  country  in 
1888,  and  they  located  in  Rantoul,  Illinois,  going  from  there  to  Chicago, 
where  she  was  employed  as  a  domestic  until  the  date  of  her  marriage  in 
1895.  Six  children  were  born  of  this  union :  Swan  Walford,  born  June 
2,  1897,  died  aged  two  years  and  seven  months ;  Oscar  Edward,  bom 
May  6,  1898;  Helen  Marie,  born  September  6,  1900;  Ebba  Marie,  born 
January  18,  1902;  Albert,  who  was  born  July  21,  1906,  and  died  in 
infancy;  Carl  Raymond,  born  December  25,  1907. 

Mrs.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  Royal  Neighbors  and  also  of  the 
Circle  of  Honor  and  she  carries  protection  in  both.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Anderson  have  policies  in  the  Prudential  Insurance  Company  also,  and 
both  are  well  insured  for  their  families. 


Wiley  Gam  bill,  one  of  the  representative  agriculturists  of  Hamilton 
township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  April.  3,  1843,  m  Cass  township, 
this  county.  He  is  the  son  of  Morgan  and  Eleanor  (McGrew)  Gambill. 
The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  went  to  Indiana  when  a  single 
man  and  settled  in  Wright  township,  Greene  county,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  married.  He  then  came  to  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county, 
and  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  resided 
until  his  death,  at  which  time  he  owned  a  half  section  of  land,  and  was 
an  extensive  stock  raiser.  He  had  become  well  versed  in  the  science 
of  medicine,  as  understood  and  practiced  at  that  time  by  the  herbal  doctors 
of  this  country.  He  practiced  throughout  the  section  in  which  he  lived 
with  much  success,  using  exclusively  roots,  barks  and  herbs  in  the  treat- 
ment of  disease.  The  grandfather,  Morgan  Gambill.  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Mexican  war.  He  was  a  farmer  and  was  of  Irish  descent.  The 
mother  of  Wiley  Gambill  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  October,  1808,  and 
is  still  living  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son  Wiley.  She  came  to 
Salem,  Indiana,  with  her  parents,  and  later  moved  to  Greene  county, 
south  from  Linton,  where  she  remained  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Gambill. 
By  this  union  eight  children  were  born,  as  follows:  John,  deceased; 
Hannah,  deceased ;  Lucinda,  wife  of  William  Walters,  a  resident  of  Cass 
township ;  Levi,  of  Cass  township ;  Eliza,  deceased ;  Wiley,  of  this  sketch ; 
Morgan,  who  occupies  the  old  Gambill  homestead,  which  has  never  gone 
out  of  the  family's  hands;  and  Mary  Ann,  deceased.  After  the  death 
of  Morgan  Gambill,  the  father,  the  mother  married  William  Combs,  who 
is  now  deceased  and  by  whom  she  had  three  children:  Eleanor,  wife 
of  John  Mason,  residing  in  Cass  township ;  William,  deceased ;  and 
William  H.,  deceased. 


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ASTOR,  LENOX  At* 
TU.OEH  FOUNDATION^ 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  321 

Wiley  Ganibill's  father  died  when  the  son  was  about  six  years  of 
age,  and  he  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  then 
began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  a  forty-acre  farm,  to  which  he 
added  until  he  had  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  in  Cass  township. 
In  1904  he  divided  this  tract  of  valuable  land  between  his  children,  and 
in  March  of  that  year  moved  to  Sullivan,  adjoining  which  town  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres,  and  bought  a  small  house,  to  which  he  built  an  addi- 
tion. He  was  engaged  in  raising  registered  Durham  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  hogs,  also  fine  wool  sheep,  the  Cheviots,  which  were  imported  and 
the  only  ones  of  the  kind  in  the  county.  When  a  boy  Mr.  Gambill  saw 
many  hardships  and  lived  in  the  old  style  and  in  most  primitive  manner. 
It  was  his  father's  custom  to  go  each  autumn  time  to  New  Albany  to 
procure  leather  for  the  children's  shoes  and  boots.  Their  clothes  were 
all  hand-made,  and  many  of  the  garments  from  flax  which  they  grew. 
Deer  skins  being  very  plentiful  at  that  time  they  were  used  for  making 
many  articles  of  wearing  apparel.  Fresh  and  cured  venison  formed  the 
chief  article  of  meat  diet  the  year  around,  and  their  flouring  mill  was 
many  miles  distant.  His  father  cleared  up  all  of  his  land  from  out  the 
heavy  forest-lands,  which  was  no  small  task.  His  house  was  of  the 
hewed  log  type,  not  beautiful  but  very  comfortable,  and  from  such  have 
come  forth  some  of  America's  greatest  public  men  and  women.  Mr. 
Gambill,  of  this  notice,  did  not  have  the  early  educational  advantages 
afforded  most  boys  of  to-day,  but  had  to  gain  what  knowledge  he  received 
by  studying  evenings,  after  his  marriage,  and  attending  night  schools, 
in  which  he  captured  all  the  prizes  offered  for  good  scholarship.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  served  as  county  commissioner  for  six 
consecutive  years  in  the  third  district. 

He  was  married  first,  April  20,  1863,  to  Nancy  Moss,  born  in  Greene 
county,  Indiana,  August  24,  1842,  and  died  August  23,  1882.  They  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  as  follows :  Stephen  Morgan,  residing  in 
Sullivan,  the  principal  of  the  high  school  of  that  town ;  Albert,  a  resident 
of  Cass  township ;  Laura,  wife  of  Jesse  Burge,  and  they  reside  in  Greene 
county ;  Sidney,  residing  in  Gibson  City,  Illinois,  where  he  owns  a  clothing 
store ;  Walsey,  deceased ;  William,  deceased ;  John,  residing,  in  Sullivan ; 
Eleanor,  wife  of  Ed.  Llewellyn,  of  Cass  township;  Elza,  of  Cass  town- 
ship ;  Osa,  of  Cass  township ;  Hezza  H.,  of  Cass  township,  on  his  father's 
old  farm ;  and  Floyd,  deceased. 

For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Gambill  married  Elizabeth  J.  (Smith) 
Baldwin,  born  in  Ohio.  She  is  still  living.  There  was  no  issue  by  this 
marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gambill  are  members  of  the  Christian  church, 
as  was  his  former  wife  and  all  of  her  father's  family.  He  has  been  a 
trustee  of  this  church  for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  thus  showing  his 
zeal  in  church  work  and  the  business  affairs  of  the  same. 


George  B.  Thompson,  one  of  the  progressive  representatives  of  the 
most  excellent  farming  section  embraced  in  Gill  township,  will  form  the 
subject  of  this  narrative,  showing  something  of  his  parentage  and  his 


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322  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

own  success  in  life's  activities.  He  was  born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio, 
April  12,  1842,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Burton)  Thompson.  His 
mother  was  born  in  Ohio,  while  the  father  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  wrho 
went  to  Ohio  when  a  small  boy,  and  resided  there  with  his  parents  until 
their  death.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor,  which  occupation  he 
followed  throughout  life,  leaving  the  management  of  his  farm  to  his  sons. 
He  died  about  1900,  and  the  mother  soon  thereafter. 

George  B.  Thompson  obtained  his  education  at  the  public  schools 
of  Highland  county,  Ohio.  He  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until 
about  1859,  when  he  began  working  out  for  others  by  the  day  and  montn. 
During  the  first  year  of  the  Civil  war — 1861 — he  enlisted  as  a  member 
of  Company  A,  Sixtieth  Ohio  Regiment,  under  Colonel  Trimbel.  He 
served  nine  months  and  was  sent  home  on  a  "sick  furlough,"  and  was 
never  able  to  return  to  his  regiment,  and  never  received  any  kind  of  a 
discharge.  When  so  far  recovered  that  he  could  get  out  he  went  to 
Madison  county,  Indiana,  in  which  section  he  worked  by  the  month  for 
two  years,  and  then  married  and  worked  in  company  with  his  father-in- 
law  for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  to  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana.  The  father-in-law  first  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  to  which  he  subsequently  added  until  at  his  death  he  owned  two 
hundred  and  ftve  acres  of  choice  land.  Mr.  Thompson  has  within  his 
farm  ninety-three  acres,  all  well  improved  and  devoted  to  general  farming 
purposes. 

He  was  married  in  the  month  of  March,  1863,  to  Miss  Rebecca 
Obriant,  born  in  Madison  county,  Indiana,  March  2,  1850,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Caroline  (Richardson)  Obriant,  both  born  in  Ohio  and 
came  to  Indiana  very  early.  They  accompanied  their  parents  and  grew 
maturity  in  this  state.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Madison 
county,  and  a  few  years  later  settled  in  Sullivan  county,  on  the  land  upon 
which  Mr.  Thompson  now  resides,  where  they  died  several  years  ago. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  are  as  follows:  John,  a 
blacksmith  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  married  Bertha  Poston,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Hadie  and  Essie.  David,  residing  near  the  father,  married 
Ellen  McKinney,  and  they  have  three  children — George,  Beatrice  and 
Myrtle,  and  three  who  died  in  infancy.  William,  residing  with  the 
parents,  married  Jessie  Langford,  and  they  have  two  children — Gladys 
Eulalia  and  Rebecca.  In  his  church  faith  Mr.  Thompson  is  in  harmony 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  though  not  a  member  of 
that  church,  and  politically  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party. 


Aloysius  Mathias,  who  is  the  owner  of  one  of  the  fine  grain  and 
stock  farms  within  Gill  township,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  November 
22,  i860,  at  Chillicothe,  Ross  county.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Mar- 
garet (Schanase)  Mathias.  The  father  was  born  in  the  same  place  as 
was  the  son  Aloysius,  while  the  wife  and  mother  was  a  native  of  Germanv. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  323 

The  date  of  the  father's  birth  was  February  24,  1840,  and  while  the 
exact  date  of  the  mother's  birth  is  not  now  known,  it  is  certain  that  she 
was  several  years  his  senior.  The  father  was  a  plasterer  by  trade,  but 
worked  in  a  large  packing  house  much  of  his  time,  especially  during  the 
winter  months.  He  accumulated  considerable  property  in  Chillicothe, 
where  he  died  about  1905.  The  mother  died  about  1873.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  were  living  in  1908,  and  they 
are  as  follows:  John,  of  North  Dakota;  Joseph,  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio: 
Lizzie,  wife  of  Mr.  Michaels,  residing  in  Athens,  Ohio;  Minnie,  wife  of 
Charles  Baley,  of  Ohio ;  and  Aloysius,  who  was  the  eldest  of  the  children. 

Up  to  the  time  Mr.  Mathias  was  thirteen  years  of  age  he  had  the 
comforts  of  a  home,  but  at  that  early  time  in  his  life  he  went  to  work 
as  a  farm  hand  m  Ross  and  Fayette  counties,  Ohio,  and  remained  in  that 
locality  until  1888,  when  he  purchased  a  team  and  rented  land  in  Gill 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  to  which  section  he  came  in  1885. 
The  first  two  years  he  rented,  then  worked  for  others  for  five  years,  and 
then  bought  a  second  team  and  again  rented  land  two  years  longer.  He 
then  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  now  resides.  This 
purchase  was  made  in  1901,  and  later  he  added  sixty-three  acres  more 
and  also  made  many  needed  improvements  and  now  carries  on  general 
farming  and  pays  especial  attention  to  the  raising  of  hogs  for  the  market, 
in  which  he  has  been  very  successful. 

Mr.  Mathias  attended  the  parochial  schools  in  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  and 
was  reared  in  the  religious  faith  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Politic- 
ally he  is  an  independent  voter,  choosing  the  best  man  for  public  posi- 
tions regardless  of  party  lines.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order 
at  Merom,  Indiana,  and  is  progressive  in  all  that  affects  public  policy. 
As  to  his  domestic  relations  let  it  be  stated  in  this  connection  that  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Schwint,  born  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  August  24,  1875,  a  daughter  of  Frank  and  Louisa  Jane 
(Collier)  Schwint.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  who  came  from  Kentucky 
about  1863.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  there  they  were 
married.  They  removed  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  located  south 
of  Carlisle,  where  they  remained  about  five  years  and  then  moved  to 
Gill  township,  where  they  continued  to  reside  until  his  death  in  1882. 
The  mother  died  in  March,  1895.  Before  coming  to  this  country  from 
Germany  Mrs.  Mathias*  father  was  a  sailor.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathias 
the  following  children  were  born:  Claud  L.,  born  January  5,  1899; 
Chloe  May,  born  September  5,  1901 ;  Lela  Opal,  born  September  1,  1904; 
David  Orval,  born  June  25,  1906;  and  Kenneth  Eugene,  born  September 
5,  1907. 


James  W.  Jackson,  one  of  the  industrious  farmers  living  two  miles 
west  of  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Marion  county,  Kentucky, 
born  October  13,  1836.  His  parents  were  John  T.  and  Mary  L.  (Pirtle) 
Jackson.     The  father  was  born  July  7,  1810,  in  Kentucky,  and  died  July 


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324  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

5,  1887.  The  mother,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  1813,  died  in 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1905.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  John 
Jackson,  and  his  father,  also  named  John,  came  to  this  country  as  a 
British  soldier,  but  deserted  and  joined  the  Continental  army,  as  did  two 
of  his  brothers.  John  T.  Jackson  went  to  Indiana  in  1837,  remained 
one  year,  and  then  returned  to  his  native  state  for  a  year  and  then  came 
back  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  Here  he  entered  forty  acres  of  land, 
which  he  later  sold  and  entered  a  quarter  of  a  section  in  sections  two 
and  eleven,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  at  farming.  He 
was  a  Democrat,  and  in  church  relation  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  children  born  to  John  T.  Jackson  and  wife  were 
as  follows:  John  H.,  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county;  William 
A.,  deceased ;  James  W.,  of  this  notice ;  Jefferson  G.,  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship, whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  Harriette  R.,  deceased ; 
Mary  E.,  deceased;  and  Susanna,  deceased. 

James  W.  Jackson  received  a  limited  common-school  education, 
having  to  spend  much  of  his  time  in  youthhood  in  assisting  his  father 
to  clear  their  forest  farm  and  make  for  themselves  a  comfortable  home. 
He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  he  married 
and  settled  on  his  father's  farm,  which  he  worked  until  1869,  when  he 
purchased  forty  acres  where  he  still  resides,  now  owning  sixty-seven 
acres,  which  land  his  son  now  farms  for  him.  He  has  been  a  successful 
farmer,  tilling  what  land  he  possessed  in  a  most  thorough  and  painstaking 
manner.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  staunch  defender  of 
Democratic  principles,  believing  as  he  does  that  this  party  best  serves 
the  interests  of  the  masses  of  American  citizens.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  acceptable  members  of  the  Methodist  church. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  February  28,  1861,  to  Zilpha  A.  Wallace, 
born  November  12,  1837,  in  the  township  in  which  she  now  resides.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Andrew  K.  and  Betsey  (Halston)  Wallace.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Virginia  and  followed  coopering  and  farming  for  his 
livelihood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Hattie  A.,  born  February  17,  1862,  and  residing  near  Fairland  in  Shelby 
county,  Indiana,  married  D.  V.  Howard ;  William  M.,  born  February  3. 
1864,  married  Evaline  Bedwell  and  they  reside  in  Jefferson  township: 
and  Charles  I.,  born  April  28,  1872,  is  at  home  with  his  parents  and 
unmarried.  Mr.  Jackson  hat  one  of  the  old  deeds  executed  October  1, 
1850,  and  signed  by  President  Millard  Fillmore,  and  this  deed  is  one  of 
the  valuable  souvenirs  of  Sullivan  county.  This  land  never  changed 
hands  until  the  death  of  the  mother. 


William  Thomas  Spencer,  a  generally  known  and  highly  respected 
farmer  of  the  thoroughgoing  type  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  was  born  January  19,  1842.  in  Stafford  township,  Greene 
county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Sally  (Snyder)  Spencer.  The 
former  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  about  1807,  and  died  in  1898,  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  325 

the  mother  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  passed  from  earthly  scenes  in  1846. 
Charles  Spencer  emigrated  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  with  his  parents, 
Moses  Spencer  and  wife,  who  were  farmers.  Charles  was  married  in 
Kentucky,  after  which  he  moved  to  Greene  county,  Indiana,  some  time 
about  the  middle  of  the  "thirties.''  He  lived  in  Greene  county  until  about 
1875,  and  then  went  to  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  settled 
on  the  farm  owned  by  James  Howard,  and  there  spent 'the  remainder  of 
his  days.  At  one  time  he  owned  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was 
twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Sally  Snyder,  the  following  children 
were  born:  Moses,  who  died  in  the  army;  Manda,  who  married  first 
Thomas  Stafford,  who  died  in  the  army,  and  secondly,  Joshua  Anderson, 
also  now  deceased,  and  she  resides  at  Sanborn ;  John,  who  also  lost  his 
life  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion ;  Mary,  deceased ;  James,  residing  in 
Jefferson  township,  this  county;  William  Thomas,  our  subject;  and 
Armon,  of  Jefferson  township. 

William  Thomas  Spencer  obtained  his  education  at  the  schools  held 
within  an  old  log  school  building,  but  his  educational  advantages  were 
indeed  very  limited,  as  most  of  his  time  was  spent  in  helping  his  father 
to  subdue  and  improve  his  farm.  On  March  28,  1864,  Mr.  Spencer 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  First  Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery  from  Indiana, 
and  received  his  honorable  discharge  January  10,  1866.  He  saw  much 
actual  fighting,  including  the  engagements  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  but  was 
fortunate  in  not  receiving  any  wounds.  After  the  war  ended  he  returned 
to  his  father's  home  in  Greene  county,  where  he  remained  until  his  mar- 
riage, February  27,  1877,  to  Manda  Blevins,  born  February  4,  1861,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Corbin)  Blevins.  The  father  was 
in  the  Union  army  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  and  died  after  having 
been  captured  and  taken  to  a  rebel  prison.  The  mother  still  lives  and 
resides  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  she  having  married  again, 
her  second  husband  being  Jacob  Purcell.  At  the  date  of  Mr.  Spencer's 
marriage  he  owned  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  constitutes  a  part  of  his 
present  farm  home,  the  same  having  been  settled  by  James  Smith,  one  of 
the  very  earliest  settlers.  Here  Mr.  Spencer  lived  and  labored  until  1883, 
when  he  purchased  forty  acres  adjoining  and  to  the  north,  where  he  now 
lives.  He  has  conducted  a  general  grain  and  stock  farm,  in  which  he 
has  been  crowned  with  success.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
as  is  also  his  wife.  He  naturally  finds  a '"home  with  the  veterans  of  the 
Civil  war,  and  belongs  to  Henry  T.  McClung  Grand  Army  Post  at 
Pleasantville,  of  which  he  had  the  honor  of  being  commander  in  1907. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spencer  have  seven  children,  all  living:  John  Moses, 
born  March  29,  1878,  married  Mary  Good  and  resides  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship. They  have  two  children — Hershel  and  Donne.  William  Thomas. 
Jr.,  born  February  10,  1881,  and  residing  in  Sanborn,  married  Bertha 
Lucas.  Sallie  Elizabeth,  born  July  22,  1883,  married  Charles  Hinkle  and 
lives  near  Carlisle.  Corda  Doll,  born  November  10,  1885,  is  now  in 
Sullivan  and  is  a  music  teacher.  Lottie  May,  born  May  6,  1890,  resides 
at  home  and  is  in  school.  Charles  Benjamin,  born  February  28,  1892, 
and   Eliza  Olive,  born   November  22.   1896,  are  both  in  school.     Mr. 


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326  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Spencer  has  one 
of  one  of  the  oh 
county,  Indiana. 


Spencer  has  one  of  the  old  parchment  deeds,  which  bears  the  signature 
of  one  of  the  old  presidents.     This  is  the  tenth  deed  found  in  Sullivan 


Isaac  A.  Bryan,  one  of  the  younger  farmers  of  Sullivan  county, 
whose  pleasant  farm  home  is  situated  on  the  rural  mail  route  running 
out  from  New  Lebanon,  is  a  native  of  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  born  January 
26,  1876,  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Mary  (Wilson)  Bryan,  both  born  in  Ross 
county,  Ohio,  the  father  September  4,  1842,  and  the  mother  March  2, 
1846.  The  father,  who  followed  farming  for  a  livelihood,  came  to 
Indiana  in  1901,  having  the  year  before  purchased  one  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  acres  of  land  in  Gill  township.  Here  he  conducted  a  success- 
ful farming  business  until  his  death  in  November  of  the  same  year  in 
which  he  came  to  this  place  to  reside.  After  his  death  the  widow  resided 
on  the  same  farm  until  1906,  when  she  purchased  a  home  on  North  Main 
street  in  Sullivan,  where  she  expects  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her  days. 
Josiah  Bryan  enlisted  in  1862,  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  in  Company  I,  Sev- 
enty-third Ohio  Regiment,  and  served  three  years  and  nine  months.  He 
was  slightly  wounded  in  the  ankle,  and  at  another  time  in  the  stomach. 
The  children  of  Josiah  and  Mary  (Wilson)  Bryan  were:  Flora,  de- 
ceased; Louise,  deceased;  Edward,  residing,  in  Colorado;  Isaac  A.,  of 
this  notice ;  and  Eva,  deceased. 

Isaac  A.  Bryan  received  his  education  at  the  village  schools  of  Stan- 
ton, Fayette  county,  Ohio.  He  remained  with  his  father  until  the  latter  s 
death  and  with  his  mother  until  his  marriage,  and  the  estate  was  then 
divided  between  the  mother,  his  brother  and  himself,  Isaac  A.  remaining 
on  the  old  homestead  place.  It  contains  sixty-four  and  a  fraction  acres, 
upon  which  he  carried  on  a  general  farming  and  stock  business.  He 
made  great  changes  and  excellent  improvements  after  taking  the  farm, 
including  the  clearing  of  some  of  the  land,  fencing  and  other  conveniences 
needed  about  a  first-class  place,  making  it  one  of  the  best  equipped  places 
in  his  township.  He  sold  his  estate  in  Gill  township  and  purchased 
ninety-three  acres  in  Hamilton  township.  This  place  is  known  as  "The 
Marlow"  farm  and  is  located  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Sullivan. 

In  his  church  faith  Mr.  Bryan  is  identified  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal denomination,  and  has  been  president  of  the  board  of  stewards  in 
this  church.  Politically  he  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 
On  January  7,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Belle  Holt,  who  was  bom 
in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  January  9,  1886,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  E.  (Prose)  Holt,  who  came  to  Indiana  in  September,  1898,  locating 
in  Gill  township  on  a  farm,  and  he  also  operated  a  threshing  machine. 
The  father  died  February  7,  1908.  The  mother  still  resides  in  the  town- 
ship. The  date  of  the  father's  birth  was  August,  1866,  and  the  mother's 
the  same  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryan  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 
Mary  Louise,  born  January  10,  1904;  Doris  Waneta,  born  December  28, 
1906 ;  and  Floyd  Theodore,  born  June  2,  1908. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  327 

Mr.  Bryan  is  a  member  of  the  New  Lebanon  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  Camp  No.  5488,  and  carries  for  the  protection  of  his  family  a 
thousand  dollar  policy. 


Charles  W.  Hardy,  deceased,  who  was  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  of  Gill  township  up  to  the  date  of  his  death,  April  26,  1901,  was 
a  native  of  Ross  county,  Ohio,  born  March  9,  1840,  a  son  of  David  and 
Rosanna  Hardy.  His  father  died  in  Ohio,  and  it  is  supposed  that  his 
wife  died  there.  This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Mary  A.,  deceased;  John,  a  widower  residing  in  Ohio;  David,  residing 
in  Benton  county,  Indiana,  also  a  widower ;  one  who  died  in  childhood ; 
and  Charles  W.,  of  this  notice. 

Charles  W.  Hardy  attended  the  common  schools  of  Ohio  and  received 
a  fair  education.  After  the  death  of  his  mother  he  made  his  home  with 
a  friend  of  the  family  in  Ohio  for  a  number  of  years,  and  then  worked 
for  various  persons  for  about  three  years.  He  then  became  a  land-renter 
in  Ohio,  in  which  state  he  thus  continued  until  1885,  when  he  removed 
to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land.  After 
residing  on  this  land  three  years  he  sold  and  bought  eighty  acres  where 
his  widow  now  lives,  and  also  sixty-six  acres  near  this,  which  now  belongs 
to  his  son.  He  remained  on  this  farm  until  death  called  him  from 
earthly  scenes  in  April,  1901.  He  was  a  man  whose  success  was  achieved 
by  none  other  than  his  own  efforts,  together  with  the  womanly  assistance 
given  him  by  his  good  wife,  who  now  carries  on  the  old  homestead,  aided 
by  her  youngest  son. 

During  the  Civil  war  period  he  served  as  a  member  of  Company  K, 
Eighth  Ohio  Cavalry,  for  three  years,  and  very  naturally  found  a  place 
in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  after  the  war  closed.  This  organiza- 
tion was  formed  by  the  old  veterans.  In  religious  faith  he  was  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination,  and  had  been  a  class  leader,  steward 
and  Sunday-school  superintendent  at  one  time  and  another.  Politically 
he  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  but  never  aspired  to  or  held  local  offices  to 
any  considerable  extent. 

On  January  30,  1871,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  A. 
Grim,  a  native  of  Ross  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Barbara 
(Grub)  Grim,  both  natives  of  Ross  county.  Her  father  was  a  farmer 
in  Ross  county  and  resided  in  other  sections  of  the  Buckeye  state,  where 
he  died  in  1888,  and  his  wife  died  several  years  prior.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hardy  six  children  were  born,  as  follows:  William  Edward,  born  in 
Ohio  January  12,  1872,  married  Mollie  Rusk,  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
and  now  resides  in  Gill  township.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren— Bulah  H.,  Charles,  and  Floyd  Allison,  all  at  home.  Frederick 
Marcus,  born  October  12,  1875,  in  Ohio,  married  Miss  Carrie  Troth, 
of  Terre  Haute,  and  they  have  one  child — Forest  Leroy.  John  Hays, 
born  September  30,  1876,  died  January  30,  1878.  Delia  May,  born 
September  8,  1877,  is  the  wife  of  Edgar  T.  Allen,  residing  in  the  country 
near  Sullivan,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child — Opal  Belle.     Minnie 


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328  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Belle,  born  July  3.   1880,  is   unmarried  and  resides  with  her  mother. 
Leroy  Allison,  born  July  14,  1888,  resides  with  his.  mother. 

Of  the  Grim  family  (Mrs.  Hardy's  people)  it  should  be  added  that 
in  her  father's  family  there  were  nine  children,  of  whom  five  are  now 
living:  Mary  Ann,  widow  of  William  Long,  and  residing  in  Greene 
county,  Ohio ;  Martha  J.,  widow  of  Samuel  Grimes  and  living  in  Spring- 
field, Ohio;  Allison,  of  Madison  county,  Ohio;  Lewis  F.,  residing  near 
Springfield,  Ohio;  and  Margaret  A.,  the  widow  of  Charles  W.  Hardy. 


Edward  Pearson,  deceased,  who  is  remembered  by  the  citizens  of 
Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  with  feelings  of  great  esteem  and 
regret  at  his  demise,  was  a  native  of  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  born 
August  14,  185 1,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Henrietta  (Booth)  Pearson. 
Joseph  Pearson  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  his  wife  of  Kentucky. 
The  father  went  to  Illinois  before  his  marriage,  settling  on  a  farm  in 
Crawford  county,  where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  there. 
The  mother  was  a  distant  relative  of  J.  Wilkes  Booth,  who  assassinated 
President  Lincoln.  The  date  of  her  death  was  in  April,  1892.  Joseph 
Pearson,  the  father  of  him  for  whom  this  notice  is  written,  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Mexican  war,  as  is  shown  by  the  records.  Joseph  and  Henrietta 
(Booth)  Pearson,  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Edward  being  the 
seventh  in  order  of  their  birth. 

Edward  Pearson  attended  the  district  schools  of  Crawford  county, 
Illinois,  and  later  the  high  schools  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  as  well 
as  the  Cecilian  College  near  Elisabethtown,  Kentucky,  and  the  normal 
at  Terre  Haute.  He  remained  under  the  care  of  his  parents  at  home 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  when  he  worked  his 
father's  farm  one  year.  His  father  then  purchased  another  farm,  which 
he  sold  to  Edward  and  his  brother.  This  joint  farm  partnership 
existed  two  years,  when  Edward  sold  his  interest  in  the  property,  which 
was  known  as  the  Scott  farm,  near  Sullivan.  He  then  purchased  a  two 
hundred  and  forty-acre  tract  upon  which  his  widow  now  resides.  Here 
he  made  many  most  excellent  improvements,  including  the  erecting  of 
good  buildings,  fences,  a  spacious  and  comfortable  farm  house,  and 
planted  out  a  quantity  of  fruit  trees.  On  this  well  improved  farm  he  car- 
ried on  general  farming  until  his  health  failed,  when  he  was  obliged  to 
rent  the  farm.  He  went  to  Colorado  hoping  to  regain  his  health,  and 
remained  there  one  year.  He  then  came  back  and  soon  went  on  to  New 
York  city  and  entered  a  sanitarium,  in  which  he  remained  three  months, 
and  went  from  there  to  Vincennes  in  April  of  that  year.  In  July  he 
returned  to  the  farm,  and  again  went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  where  he  died 
January  15,  1901.  The  widow  still  lives  on  the  place  and  expects  to  the 
remainder  of  her  days.  Her  son-in-law,  who  is  manager  of  the  farm, 
and  his  wife  reside  with  her.  Mr.  Pearson  was  a  man  of  kindly,  but 
firm  disposition,  purely  a  self-made  man  in  the  true  meaning  of  this 
term,  and  one  who  was  esteemed  by  all  within  the  radius  of  his  acquaint- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  329 

ance.  In  his  church  relations  he  was  connected  with  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  Early  in  his  life  he  was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  latterly  of  the  Populist  party. 

Of  his  marriage  and  children  it  may  be  said  that  he  was  united  in 
marriage,  February  22,  1881,  to  Melvina  O'Flynn,  born  near  Dublin, 
Ireland,  May  17,  1849,  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Winifred  (Flinn) 
O'Flynn,  both  parents  being  natives  of  Dublin.  The  mother  was  born 
in  1820  and  the  father  about  1817.  In  1849  they  emigrated  to  America, 
first  stopping  in  Canada,  but  later  moved  to  New  York  city.  After  a 
time  they  moved  on  west  to  Pittsburgh,  Indiana,  where  the  father  was 
engaged  in  railway  construction.  After  a  few  years  there  they  removed 
to  Evansville,  where  he  died  April  10,  1854,  and  the  mother  died  Septem- 
ber 30,  1896,  at  Vincennes,  which  was  then  her  home. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearson  are  as  follows:  One 
who  died  in  infancy ;  Agnes,  who  was  born  December  6,  1885,  and  died 
aged  seven  months ;  Edna  Clare,  who  was  born  July  29,  1886,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Arthur  Coffman ;  and  Winifred  Celestine,  born  January  10,  1890, 
and  a  student  in  the  Christian  College  at  Merom,  Indiana.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Coffman  reside  on  Mrs.  Pearson's  farm,  of  which  he  is  the  man- 
ager, and  they  have  one  little  daughter,  Anna  Katherine.  Mrs.  Pearson 
is  a  member  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  and  her 
daughters,  Edna  and  Winifred,  are  members  of  the  same  church.  Mr. 
Pearson's  remains  are  interred  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Vincennes, 
Indiana,  and  a  beautiful  monument  stands  sacred  to  his  memory,  erected 
by  his  loving  wife. 


Jefferson  Ganaway  Jackson,  one  of  the  thoroughgoing  farmers 
of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  is  a 
native  of  the  township  in  which  he  now  lives,  born  there  July  10,  1840. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  T.  and  Mary  L.  (Pirtle)  Jackson.  The  paternal 
great-grandfather  came  from  Ireland,  being  attached  to  the  British  army 
at  the  time  of  his  coming  to  our  shores.  But  soon  after  arriving  in  this 
country  he  deserted  the  English  and  joined  the  Continental  army.  He 
also  had  two  brothers  who  deserted  the  British  army  and  fought  for 
American  independence;  they  were  named  James  and  William.  John 
Jackson,  Sr.,  the  first  to  come  to  this  country,  had  a  son  named  for  him, 
known  as  John,  Jr.,  who  became  the  grandfather  of  Jefferson  G.  of  this 
biography.  John,  Jr.,  had  a  son,  John  T.,  the  subject's  father,  among 
his  children.  John  and  Susan  (Thomas)  Jackson  were  both  natives  of 
Virginia,  but  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  where  they  died.  John  T.  Jackson 
was  born  July  7,  1810,  in  Lebanon,  Kentucky,  and  died  in  Jefferson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1887.  He  is  buried  at  Pleasant- 
ville.  He  was  married  in  Kentucky  and  was  an  overseer  on  a  plantation. 
Leaving  the  south  on  account  of  slavery  he  came  to  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  about  1836,  settling  in  the  north  part  of  Jefferson  township, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  and  then  returned  to  Kentucky  and  sojourned 
there  one  year.     He  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  opportunities  in  the  north 


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330  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

and  returned  to  Sullivan  county,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
and  later  entered  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Here  he  lived,  labored 
and  died,  a  trustworthy  man.  He  was  an  extensive  grain  and  stock 
grower.  Politically  he  always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  Both  he 
and  his  estimable  wife  were  prominent  in  their  church  work,  connected 
with  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  they  were  members.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  L.  Pirtle,  was  born  in  March,  1813,  in 
Springfield,  Kentucky,  and  died  in  1904,  being  buried  beside  her  husband 
at  Pleasantville.  The  children  of  this  union  were  as  follows :  John  H., 
of  Jefferson  township,  married  Nancy  McClung;  William  A.,  deceased, 
served  three  years  in  the  Civil  war ;  James  W.,  of  Jefferson  township, 
married  Zilpha  Wallace;  Jefferson  G. :  Harriette  R.,  wife  of  Mr.  Buck, 
both  deceased;  Mary  E.,  who  married  George  W.  Martin  and  is  now 
deceased,  her  husband  residing  at  Sullivan ;  and  Susan,  who  died  young, 

Jefferson  G.  Jackson  obtained  his  education  at  the  common  schools 
and  remained  at  home  until  he  enlisted  in  the  Federal  army  to  suppress 
the  Rebellion.  In  August,  1862,  he  became  a  member  of  Company  C, 
Fifty-ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry  Regiment,  and  was  discharged 
May  30,  1864,  after  participating  in  the  following,  engagements:  Corinth, 
Mississippi,  October  3  and  4,  1862;  Haines  Bluff,  Mississippi,  spring  of 
1863;  Port  Gibson,  Mississippi,  spring  of  1863;  Raymond  Mills  in  the 
same  spring ;  Jackson,  Mississippi,  Champion  Hills  and  Vicksburg.  He 
was  also  at  Missionary  Ridge,  Tennessee,  and  at  Dalton,  Georgia.  The 
regiment  then  joined  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  The 
last  engagement  in  which  Mr.  Jackson  took  part  was  that  of  Greens- 
boro, North  Carolina.  After  his  discharge  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  Sullivan  county,  where  he  remained  until  his  marriage.  In  1867  ne 
purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  a  mile  and  a  half  from  where  he  now 
lives.  There  he  built  a  log  house  and  went  to  housekeeping  and  was 
supremely  happy  in  the  new  made  home.  He  remained  there  until  1872, 
then  bought  eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm  two  miles  south  of  Pleasant- 
ville. Mr.  Jackson  retired  from  active  work  about  1900,  having  been 
highly  successful  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  has  long  since  been 
identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  belonging  to  lodge  No.  408  at 
Pleasantville,  he  being  the  oldest  member  in  that  lodge.  He  is  past 
grand  of  his  lodge,  and  prizes  highly  the  associations  of  this  fraternity. 
He  is  also  now  a  Master  Mason,  belonging  to  lodge  No.  647  at  Sanborn. 
Having  worn  the  loyal  blue  in  Civil  war  days,  he  naturally  finds  a  place 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  belonging  to  McClung 
Post,  of  which  he  is  a  past  commander  and  quartermaster.  Politically 
Mr.  Jackson  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  Republican  party. 

On  March  20,  1867,  he  was  married  to  Rebecca  Corbin,  born  April 
28,  1845,  *n  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  and  died  November  29,  1900. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Martin  and  Amanda  Corbin,  natives  of  Virginia, 
born  in  Culpeper  county,  but  who  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  the  mother 
died,  after  which  the  father  married  Amanda  Jett.  They  went  to  Sulli- 
van county,  Indiana,  about  1850,  and  in  1880,  to  Kansas,  where  he  died. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  are  the  parents  of  five  children:     Elza  A.,  born 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  331 

April  28,  1868,  died  October  12,  1871 ;  Mary  M .,  born  December  25,  1869, 
died  April  1,  1908;  Wiley  A.,  born  December  8,  1871,  and  a  resident  of 
Greene  county,  married  Lula  Loudermilk;  Amanda  E.,  born  September 
5,  1876,  died  August  14,  1878;  and  John  M.,  born  February  9,  1881, 
and  residing  in  Lyons,  Indiana,  married  Daisy  O'Haver.  Mr.  Jackson  is 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  as  was  his  wife  during  her  lifetime. 


Charles  M.  Welsh,  one  of  the  general  dealers  of  Fairbanks,  was 
born  July  16,  1856,  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Eliza  A.  (Thixton)  Welsh. 
The  father  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  the  mother  in  Fair- 
banks, Indiana.  The  grandparents  were  John  Welsh,  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  Bluford  and  Betsie  (Welton)  Thixton,  of  Knox  county,  Indiana. 
The  parents  were  married  in  Fairbanks  township  and  settled  on  a  farm 
there,  and  there  the  mother  died  July  2,  1895,  and  the  father  September 
10,  1902.  Charles  M.  is  the  third  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters  born 
to  his  parents.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm,  as  most  farmer 
boys  do,  and  remained  at  home  until  thirty-six  years  of  age.  In  1890 
he  went  to  the  town  of  Fairbanks  and  commenced  to  deal  in  flour  and 
corn  meal.  This  he  carried  on  successfully  until  1895,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  business.  He  was  compelled  to  rebuild  and 
greatly  enlarge  his  business  house  to  accommodate  his  increasing  trade. 
His  store  is  thirty-five  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  order, 
lodge  No.  763,  of  Fairbanks,  and  is  also  identified  with  Masonry,  a 
member  of  lodge  No.  373  at  Fairbanks,  of  the  Chapter  of  Sullivan,  of 
the  Sullivan  Commandery  and  of  the  Scottish  Rite  of  Indianapolis. 

Mr.  Welsh  was  united  in  marriage,  April  15,  1884,  to  Mary  Rebecca 
Holmes,  born  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  Ann  (Rickets)  Holmes,  of  the  same  county  in  Ohio.  Mrs.  Welsh 
died  December  23,  1893,  without  issue.  He  married  November  19,  1908, 
Mrs.  Josie  (Devol)  Dilley.  She  was  born  on  the  22d  of  August,  1869, 
at  Middletown,  Indiana. 


John  Thomas  Rose,  deceased,  resided  on  rural  free  delivery  route 
No.  1  out  of  Fairbanks,  Indiana.  He  was  reared  in  Randolph  county, 
North  Carolina,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  February  20,  1839,  and  he 
left  home  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Jerusha  (Dillon)  Rose,  of  North  Carolina.  Young  Rose  worked  at 
teaming  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  then  went  to  Henry  county, 
Indiana,  remained  about  one  year  and  came  to  Sullivan  county  of  this 
state,  where  he  followed  farming  until  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  cause, 
as  a  Civil  war  soldier  in  the  autumn  of  1861,  being  a  member  of  the 
Fifty-first  Indiana  Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry.  About  one  year 
later  he  was  transferred  to  the  marine  corps  and  served  in  that  depart- 
ment until  his  discharge  at  the  end  of  three  years  of  service.     He  then 


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332  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

returned  to  Fairbanks  township  and  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca 
Drake,  after  which  he  settled  in  Turman  township,  where  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  where  five  years  later  his  wife  died. 
By  this  marriage  two  children  wrere  born,  as  follows:  Jerusha.  Mrs. 
John  Ridgway,  and  Emma,  Mrs.  William  Thomas,  both  of  Fairbanks 
township.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  Mr.  Rose  went  to  Hudsonville, 
where  he  was  in  business  a  few  years,  and  in  1878  came  back  to 
Fairbanks  township  and  purchased  a  farm,  seventy-two  acres  being  sit- 
uated within  Fairbanks  township,  and  later  he  bought  three  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres  below  Graysville,  now  known  as  the  Hawkins  farm.  He 
operated  that  farm  and  raised  blooded  horses  and  other  stock.  He  was 
highly  successful  in  his  operations  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He 
died  March  23,  1901,  and  was  buried  at  Drake  church  cemetery. 

Mr.  Rose  was  three  times  married.  His  second  wife,  nee  Anna 
Riggs,  died  leaving  an  infant  son  named  Chaunc'ey,  who  died  aged  two 
years.  He  was  married  the  third  time,  June  30,  1878.  to  Mrs.  Melinda 
(McKee)  Drake.  Her  father,  William  McKee,  was  the  son  of  John 
and  Jane  (Watson)  McKee.  pioneers  of  Turman  township.  Her  great- 
grandfather, John  McKee,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  on  coming  to 
America  settled  in  Tennessee  and  came  from  there  to  Sullivan  county,  and 
here  spent  his  last  days.  Mrs.  Rose's  mother,  Susan  Harris,  was  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Paddock)  Harris,  pioneers  of  Fair- 
banks township.  Mrs.  Rose's  first  husband,  Albert  Drake,  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  was  a  life-long  resident  of  Fairbanks  township,  where  he  died 
March  23,  1876. 


William  Carl  Usery,  Esq. — Conspicuous  among  the  representative 
men  of  Cass  township  is  William  C.  Usery,  Esq.,  of  Sullivan,  a  man  of 
ability,  integrity  and  worth.  Well  educated  and  talented,  he  has  been 
for  many  years  Associated  with  the  advancement  of  the  educational 
interests  of  our  country,  and  has  likewise  been  an  important  factor  in 
promoting  the  agricultural  and  industrial  interests  of  town  and  county, 
at  the  present  time  devoting  his  attention  largely  to  fruit  culture.  A 
native  of  this  township,  he  was  born  January  1,  1846,  in  the  log  cabin 
built  by  his  father,  the  Hon.  David  Usery,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
village  of  Cass,  coming  from  pioneer  stock.  His  father  was  born  in 
1818,  in  WThite  county,  Tennessee. 

Rev.  Philip  Usery,  the  grandfather  of  William  C,  came  from  Ten- 
nessee to  Indiana  at  an  early  day,  he,  with  his  family,  making  the  entire 
journey  on  horseback.  He  became  one  of  the  original  settlers  of  Greene 
county,  and  the  pioneer  in  the  spreading  of  the  gospel  news,  being  a 
preacher  in  the  Christian  church.  An  earnest  and  tireless  worker  in  the 
Master's  vineyard,  he  preached  in  many  places,  making  his  circuit  on 
horseback,  following  bridle-paths  and  frequently  going  over  heavy  and 
almost  impassable  trails,  his  mode  of  traveling  being  in  strange  contrast 
with  those  pursued  by  the  clergymen  of  to-day.  Removing  from  Greene 
county  to  Sullivan  county,  he  bought  land  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  333 

section  one,  Cass  township,  and  there  resided  until  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  good  wife  was  Alary 
Warren.  She  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  belonging  to  the  same  family 
as  General  Joseph  Warren,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  She 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  was  buried  beside  her  husband  in  the 
Antioch  churchyard  in  Cass  township. 

A  boy  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana,  David  Usery 
grew  to  manhood  in  Greene  county.  Subsequently  entering  government 
land  in  Sullivan  county,  he  obtained  title  to  a  tract  which  included  the 
site  of  the  village  of  Buel,  now  called  Cass,  and  the  cabin  of  round  logs 
which  he  at  once  erected  was  the  first  building  on  the  village  site  and 
the  birthplace  of  his  son  William.  He  afterwards  built*  a  hewed  log 
house,  and  after  a  time  erected  a  good  frame  house.  He  cleared  a  large 
tract  of  land,  and  after  a  time  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits,  opening 
the  first  store  in  the  township  and  keeping  a  stock  of  general  merchandise. 
He  bought  his  supplies  in  Evansville,  and  they  were  brought  here  b> 
teams,  that  being  before  the  time  of  railroads.  He  also  dealt  extensively 
in  live  stock  and  superintended  the  care  of  his  farm.  Disposing  of  all 
his  interests  in  this  locality  in  1873,  ne  moved  to  Baxter  Springs,  Kansas, 
where  he  bought  land  and  was  actively  employed  in  agricultural  pursuits 
until  his  death,  March  4,  1884.  He  married  Susan  Pigg,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Neeley)  Pigg,  natives  of 
Tennessee  and  pioneers  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  She  died  about  two 
years  before  he  did,  her  death  occurring  in  February,  1882.  She  reared 
eight  children,  namely:  Joseph  Warren,  James,  Philip,  William  Carl, 
Nancy,  Frances,  Mary  and  Anna.  David  Usery  was  a  man  of  com- 
manding presence,  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height  and  weighing,  when 
at  his  best,  three  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  He  was  an  influential 
member  of  the  Democratic  party,  prominent  in  public  affairs,  and  was 
twice  elected  to  the  state  legislature. 

Brought  up  amid  pioneer  scenes,  William  Carl  Usery  remembers 
well  the  homespun  garments  which  his  mother  made  for  the  family  from 
the  material  which  she  herself  carded,  spun  and  wove,  and  also  remem- 
bers the  excitement  caused  among  the  neighbors  when  his  father,  while 
in  the  legislature,  sent  home  a  cook  stove,  the  first  one  ever  brought 
into  the  place,  the  people  from  miles  around  coming  to  see  it.  He  at- 
tended the  pioneer  schools  of  his  day,  going  first  to  a  subscription  school 
kept  in  a  small  log  cabin,  which  was  heated  by  a  fire  in  the  fireplace, 
while  light  was  admitted  through  a  strip  of  greased  paper  inserted  in 
place  of  a  log.  The  seats  were  made  of  split  logs,  the  floor  was  of 
puncheon,  and  the  scholars  learned  to  write  upon  a  slab  placed  against 
the  wall,  using  a  quill  pen.  The  schoolmaster  was  always  early  at  his 
desk,  and  the  pupil  that  got  there  first  was  the  first  to  recite  his  lesson. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  Mr.  Usery  began  teaching,  receiving  at  first 
one  foliar  and  fifty  cents  a  day  wages.  He  was  successful  in  his  work, 
ancjj  taught  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri  and  Kansas,  continuing  thus 
employed  for  twenty-six  terms,  in  the  meantime  being  engaged  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  in  both  mercantile  and  agricultural  pursuits.     His  father 


V 


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334  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

had  given  him  eighty  acres  of  land  lying  north  of  and  adjoining  the  village 
of  Buel.     Subsequently  selling  that  land  Mr.  Usery  spent  two  years  in 
Kansas,  after  which  he  returned  to  Indiana,  and  taught  in  Greene  and 
Sullivan  counties.     Going  again  to  Kansas  in  1879,  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching  and   farming  in  Cherokee  county,  afterwards  being  similarly 
employed  in  Vernon  county,  Missouri.     Returning  to  Sullivan  county  in 
1889,  Mr.  Usery  traded  for  the  farm  upon  which  his  mother  was  reared, 
and  this  property  he  still  owns.     Removing 
possession  of  the  property  which  he  had 
business  part  of  Sullivan.     He  has  also  a  fai 
village  center  and  a  fifteen-acre  tract  of  valu 
is  within  the  corporated  limits  of  the  villag 
1903,  and  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  hi 
He  has,  however,  traveled  some,  and  with 
1907-08  in  California. 

Mr.  Usery  married,  November  12,  i86< 
born  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county 
Her  father,  Martin  Wilson,  was  born  in  C 
came  to  Indiana  with  his  father.  Judge  J 
Haddon  township  and  one  of  the  early 
Martin  Wilson  improved  a  farm  in  Haddon 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  George 
until  his  death  in  his  eightieth  year.  His  w 
Mary  P.  Lamb,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and 
age  of  thirty-three  years.  Five  of  the  chile 
Wilson  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  as  follows 
William ;  George  T. ;  Joseph ;  and  Anna, 
parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Martin 
Will  F.  Martin  married  Mary  Carter,  a 
Musetta  and  Warren  C.  Winona,  wife  of 
dren,  Eula,  George  Dewey,  Inez  and  Flo 
Ida  May,  wife  of  Harper  L.  Davis,  has  four 
Basil.  Elva  and  Cleo.  Prominent  in  pub 
appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in  1904,  and 
Religiously  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Usery  ar< 
church,  and  have  reared  their  children  to  t 


William  R.  Frakes,  an  ex-county  trea 
one  of  the  thoroughgoing  farmers  of  this  sea 
Fairbanks  township,  this  county,  born  Nove 
and  Charity  (DeBaun)  Frakes.  His  fathe 
Indiana,  February  19,  1824,  and  died  August 
ship.  The  mother  was  born  in  the  "Blue  Gi 
1827,  and  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana 
French  descent,  and  was  united  in  marria 
death  occurred  June  7,  1905.  John  Frakes,  i 
life.     He  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  E 


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THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A8TOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILOCN  FOUNDATIONS. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  335 

and  his  wife  were  exemplary  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive  and  are  as 
follows :     William  R.,  Abraham,  Martha  Ellen,  John  and  Eliza  Jane. 

William  R.  Frakes  was  reared  in  Fairbanks  township,  and  there 
obtained  a  good  education.  He  taught  school  for  ten  years,  during  which 
time  he  attended  the  Ascension  Seminary  at  Farmersburg,  which  was 
founded  by  Captain  William  T.  Crawford,  of  Sullivan,  Indiana.  In  1876 
he  moved  to  Jackson  township  and  began  farming.  In  1880  he  was 
elected  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  twelve  years, 
being  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  After  this  he  was  employed  in  a 
store  for  the  Jackson  Hill  Coal  Company,  and  in  1892  moved  to  Hamil- 
ton township,  resigning  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  After  residing 
in  Hamilton  township  four  months  he  moved  back  to  Jackson  township, 
and  in  1894  was  elected  county  treasurer  of  Sullivan  county.  In  the 
spring  of  1895  he  moved  his  family  to  Sullivan,  taking  his  office  in 
August,  1895,  ar|d  serving  until  January  1,  1900.  In  July,  1899,  ne  moved 
his  family  to  his  present  farm,  which  contains  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  well  improved  land.  He  still  retains  his  eighty  acre  farm  in 
Jackson  township,  as  well  as  a  sixty  acre  tract  in  Hamilton  township.  He 
carries  on  both  grain  and  stock  farming  in  an  up-to-date  manner,  and  is 
one  of  the  joint-owners  of  a  celebrated  imported  Percheron  stallion. 

Mr.  Frakes  was  married,  August  18,  1872,  to  Mary  J.  McDonald, 
born  November  15,  1848,  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  Preston  and  Elizabeth  (Douglas)  McDonald.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Nelson  county,  Kentucky,  February  21,  1827,  and  died  De- 
cember 20,  1898.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage  and  served  in  the 
Seventy-first  Indiana  regiment  three  years  during  the  Civil  war,  holding 
the  rank  of  sergeant.  Politically  he  was  a  Republican,  and  his  occupa- 
tion was  that  of  a>  farmer.  '  lie  died  in  Kansas.  His  wife  was  descended 
from  both  Scotch  and  Dutch  ancestry ;  she  was  born  in  Lawrence  county, 
Indiana,  but  came  to  Sullivan  county  early  in  life,  and  now  resides  in 
Kansas.  The  five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  R.  Frakes  were 
as  follows:  Lillie,  born  August  19,  1873,  died  October  22,  1878;  Ivy, 
born  April  8,  1875,  *s  tne  w^e  °f  Sampson  E.  Walters,  residing  in  Had- 
don  township ;  May,  born  February  14,  1877,  is  unmarried  and  at  home ; 
Roy,  born  December  12,  1879,  married  Clara  Deckard  and  lives  in  Hamil- 
ton township ;  and  Josephine,  born  January  8,  1888,  is  unmarried  and  at 
home.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  The  children 
are  well  educated  and  have  finished  the  full  public  course.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frakes  have  in  their  possession  one  of  the  old  parchment  deeds  executed 
under  the  hand  and  seal  of  President  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  which  bears 
the  date  of  October  1,  1840,  this  the  tenth  deed  found. 


Alexander  W.  C.  Dickerson,  one  of  the  older  men  who  are  engaged 

in  farming  in  .that  goodly  portion  of  Sullivan  county  known  as  Fairbanks 

township,  was  born  near  Louisville,  Kentucky,  June  30,  1835,  a  son  °f 

John  S.  and  Mary  (Bostwick)  Dickerson,  of  Kentucky,  in  which  state 

Vol.  11—22 


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336  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

the  grandparents  also  resided.  About  1840  the  parents,  John  S.  Dicker- 
son  and  wife,  went  to  Orange  county,  Indiana,  where  they  died  in  the 
autumn  of  1854.  Alexander  W.  C,  of  this  sketch,  was  the  eldest  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters  in  his  parents'  family.  When  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  was  bound  out  by  his  father  to  serve  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  On  March  31,  1854,  he  went  to  Hamilton  township, 
Sullivan  county,  where  he  lived  until  1865,  and  then  sold  his  property 
there.  He  had  previously  purchased  land  at  Fairbanks,  to  wKich  place 
he  removed.  He  was  a  machinist  and  engineer,  and  also  a  sawyer  and 
worked  in  the  mill  at  Sullivan  from  1854  to  1861,  when  with  his  partner, 
Mr.  Badger,  he  moved  a  saw  mill  to  Vigo  county  and  operated  it  two 
years.  His  next  location  was  in  Fairbanks  township,  where  he  now 
owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  situated  in  sections  25,  26, 
34  and  35.  There  he  built  all  the  buildings  and  improved  his  place. 
From  1854  to  1868  his  business  was  exclusively  milling,  but  since  1868 
he  has  conducted  his  farm  and  occasionally  operated  a  saw  mill.  Mr. 
Dickerson  received  a  common  school  education  in  Kentucky  and  in 
Orange  county,  Indiana.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  while  in  religious 
faith  he  is  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  an  honored  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  belonging,  to  Fairbanks  lodge  No.  373. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  in  the  month  of  May,  1858,  to  Lucy  J. 
Park,  born  a  half  mile  east  of  Sullivan,  a  daughter  of  Joshua  L.  and 
Rachel  E.  (Walls)  Park,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The 
children  by  this  union  were:  Oscar  L.,  of  Springfield,  Ohio;  Oce  D., 
who  died  aged  seven  years;  Nancy  J.,  Mrs.  John  Kelley,  of  Turman 
township ;  Edna  May,  Mrs.  William  Gaston,  of  Fairbanks  township ;  and 
Hattie  Jane,  who  became  Mrs.  Thomas  Redifer  and  died  in  November, 
1907.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Dickerson  married  Mary  F.  Lawson, 
born  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  November  19,  1853,  a 
daughter  of  John  J.  and  Harriet  (Wisner)  Lawson,  natives  of  Ohio. 
By  this  marriage  the  issue  was:  Warren  K.,  of  Fairbanks  township; 
Clara  Mondella,  now  Mrs.  Chalmer  Moore,  of  Hamilton  township ;  Ada 
Aurelia,  who  died  aged  eleven  years  on  February  13,  1894;  Celia  C, 
now  Mrs.  Claud  Byers,  of  Bloomington,  Indiana;  and  Walter  Guy,  at 
home. 


John  William  Bowen,  an  agriculturist  of  Fairbanks  township,  was 
born  in  Ballard  county,  Kentucky,  September  27,  1872,  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Prairie  Creek  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana.  He  is 
the  son  of  James  A.  and  Charity  (Davidson)  Bowen,  the  father  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  the  mother  of  Tennessee.  The  grandfather  was  John  Bowen, 
of  Ohio,  and  a  pioneer  of  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana.  James  A.  and 
Charity  (Davidson)  Bowen  were  united  in  marriage  in  1864  in  Tennessee, 
and  three  years  later  moved  to  Kentucky,  where  they  resided  until  the 
spring  of  1878,  when  they  moved  to  Vigo  county,  Indiana.  They  con- 
tinued to  live  there  until  1901,  when  they  moved  to  Brazil,  remained 
there  two  years  and  then  located  in  Fairbanks  township.     The  children 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  337 

in  this  family  consisted  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  which  family 
the  subject,  John  William  Bowen,  was  the  third  child.  He  spent  his 
youthful  days  with  his  parents,  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age  com- 
menced farming  on  his  own  account  in  Vigo  county,  within  Prairie 
township.  After  one  year  at  that  point  he  moved  to  Fairbanks  township, 
Sullivan  county,  where  he  rented  land  and  resided  on  property  owned  by 
his  wife.  ^  In  1895  he  moved  to  the  village  of  Fairbanks,  where  he  was 
employed  \vith  C.  M.  Welsh  until  August,  1903,  and  then  traded  town 
lots  he  owned  for  more  land  in  Fairbanks  township  suitable  for  farming, 
purposes — twenty  acres  in  section  8  and  fifty  acres  in  section  7.  In 
the  spring  of  1904  he  erected  a  house  and  barn  and  is  now  fully  prepared 
to  conduct  successful  farming.  He  raises  hogs  and  deals  some  in  cattle. 
Politically  Mr.  Bowen  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  was  elected  in  the  fall 
of  1904  to  the  office  of  township  trustee  of  Fairbanks  township.  He  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  a  member 
of  Fairbanks  lodge  No.  763  and  also  of  the  Rebekah  lodge  No.  650. 
Concerning  his  domestic  relations  let  it  be  said  that  he  was  united  in 
marriage,  February  21,  1892,  to  Sindora  De  Camp,  born  in  Fairbanks 
township  July  5,  1874,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and  Margaret  (Hutchison) 
De  Camp.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio  and  the  mother  was  born  in 
Kentucky.  The  grandparents  were  William  and  Mary  A.  (Reynolds) 
Hutchison,  of  Kentucky.  The  issue  of  the  union  of  Mr.  Bowen  and 
wife  is  as  follows:  Florence  Myrtle,  born  March  3,  1893;  Opal,  born 
March  23,  1806,  and  died  October  14,  1900;  Geneva  Ellen,  born  November 
14,  1900;  and  Jerome  Otho,  born  September  8,  1903. 


James  G.  Pound,  of  Fairbanks.  Indiana,  was  born  in  Vigo  county, 
this  state,  March  28,  1837,  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Lydia  (Drake)  Pound, 
natives  of  Butler  county,  Ohio.  The  paternal  grandparents,  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Kester)  Pound,  were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  the  maternal  grand- 
parents, James  and  Sarah  (Paddock)  Drake,  were  also  from  that  state. 
The  grandfather  Pound  went  to  Vigo  county  in  the  month  of  October, 

1816,  settling  in  the  wilderness,  and  he  entered  land  there  which  had  to 
be  cleared,  as  it  was  a  dense  forest  country  at  that  date.  He  remained 
there  until  his  death  in  1848,  and  his  wife  died  the  same  day  on  which  his 
death  occurred.     The  grandfather  Drake  came  to  Fairbanks  township  in 

181 7,  settling  about  two  miles  southwest  of  the  village  of  Fairbanks.  He 
also  entered  timber  land,  and  besides  this  land  entered  more  in  Parke 
county,  Indiana.  He  improved  his  possessions  of  many  acres.  He  was 
twice  married  and  the  father  of  sixteen  children,  ten  by  the  first  wife. 
He  was  an  associate  judge  of  Sullivan  county  several  years,  and  also 
held  other  public  positions.  He  died  aged  eighty-seven  years,  on  June 
14,  1864. 

Elijah  Pound,  the  father  of  James  G.,  was  born  October  18,  1801, 
and  went  with  his  parents  to  Vigo  county,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  marriage.     His  wife,  born  in  1802,  came  to  Fairbanks  township 


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338  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

with  her  parents,  and  after  marriage  they  settled  in  Linton  township, 
Vigo  county,  and  resided  there  until  1862.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Linton 
township  for  many  years.  In  1862  he  moved  to  Fairbanks  township, 
where  he  owned  land  and  where  he  died  about  1878.  His  wife  resided 
with  her  daughter  Sarah  Johnson  until  death  in  about  1888.  Ten  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Elijah  and  Lydia  (Drake)  Pound,  as  follows:  Cynthia 
A.,  born  January  25,  1823,  married  Ephraim  LaForge  and  resides  in 
Vigo  county ;  Melissa,  who  died  in  1896,  in  Nebraska,  married  Thompson 
Watson ;  Sarah,  born  January  25,  1826,  is  the  widow  of  B.  Johnson  and 
a  resident  of  Fairbanks;  Louisa,  born  August  31,  1827,  married  Levi 
Johnson,  of  Fairbanks;  William  II.,  of  Terre  Haute;  Thomas,  who  died 
in  187 1 ;  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  James  Boyles.  died  about  1878;  James  G.,  of 
this  sketch;  Elijah,  who  died  about  1885;  and  Ellen,  Mrs.  Preston 
Beauchamp,  of  Linton  township,  Vigo  county. 

James  G.  Pound  remained  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage, 
August  30,  1859,  to  Sarah  Miller,  born  in  Linton  township,  Vigo  county, 
April  15,  1838,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Rebecca  (McGrew)  Miller, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Pound  he  moved  to 
a  farm  in  Vigo  county,  where  he  farmed  in  Linton  township  until  March 
11,  1872,  when  he  sold  his  place  and  purchased  land  in  Fairbanks  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  adjoining  the  town  plat  of  Fairbanks.  There  were 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  the  tract,  and  to  this  he  added  and 
sold  in  town  lots.  Up  to  about  1896  he  conducted  his  farm,  but  since 
that  date  he  has  lived  retired,  and  his  youngest  son  now  conducts  the 
farm.  In  his  political  belief  Mr.  Pound  is  a  firm  and  ever  loyal  Democrat, 
and  he  held  the  office  of  county  commissioner  from  1892  to  1898.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  has  been 
moderator  since  1894.  He  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
belonging  to  lodge  No.  373  of  Fairbanks. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pound  are  as  follows:  Ida 
B.,  Mrs.  William  Pogue,  a  widow  since  1896,  and  residing  at  Fairbanks ; 
William  H.,  of  Turman  township;  Charles  D.,  a  general  merchant  at 
Fairbanks  and  a  farmer ;  Hattie,  widow  of  Willis  Pittman,  and  a  resident 
of  Fairbanks  township;  and  Lyman,  on  the  homestead  farm.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Pound  have  thirteen  grandchildren  and  one  great-grandchild. 


Nicholas  Yeager,  numbered  among  the  successful  agriculturists 
of  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  who  has  since  1903  been  leading 
a  retired  life,  has  performed  his  full  share  in  the  development  of  the 
excellent  farming  section  in  which  he  has  lived  so  many  years.  Mr. 
Yeager  is  a  native  of  Prairie  Creek  township,  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
born  December  17,  1830,  a  son  of  Vincent  and  Sarah  (Piety)  Yeager, 
the  father  being  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  mother  of  Kentucky. 
The  paternal  grandparents  were  Nicholas  and  Henrietta  (Bailey)  Yeager. 
The  former  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  descent.  The  maternal 
grandparents  were  Austin  and  Mary  (Miller)  Piety,  of  North  Carolina 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  339 

and  Kentucky,  respectively.  Vincent  Yeager,  the  father  of  Nicholas, 
went  to  Terre  Haute  with  his  parents  just  after  the  war  of  1812,  before 
Terre  Haute  was  laid  out.  They  purchased  many  acres  of  land  on  the 
county  line,  in  the  southern  part  of  Vigo  county,  the  same  being  within 
the  heavy  timber.  The  grandfather  lived  there  until  1837,  and  then 
sold  out  and  moved  to  Louisiana,  where  he  died.  Vincent  Yeager  resided 
in  Middletown  until  1837,  when  he  sold,  intending  to  move  to  Texas, 
but  after  getting  as  far  south  as  New  Orleans  he  was  induced  on  account 
of  the  border  troubles  connected  with  the  Mexican  war  to  locate  in 
another  section  of  the  country.  He  remembering  his  old  home  in  the 
north  retraced  his  steps  to  Fairbanks  township,  Indiana,  where  he  entered 
a  quarter  section  of  timber  land  in  section  12.  This  tract  he  improved, 
and  there  resided  about  fifteen  years,  when  he  removed  to  Middletown, 
where  he  died  in  November,  1874.  His  good  wife  died  in  1876.  There 
were  four  sons  and  four  daughters  born  to  Vincent  Yeager  and  wife, 
Nicholas  being  the  eldest  of  his  parents'  children,  and  he  has  one  brother 
living,  Frank,  of  Middletown,  and  a  sister,  Mary  J.  (Mrs.  Lewis  B. 
Hale),  of  Fairbanks  township. 

Nicholas  Yeager  spent  his  youth  at  home,  and  was  married  May 
12,  1853,  to  Isabell  Dilley,  a  native  of  Fairbanks  township,  and  a  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Johnson)  Dilley,  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  After 
his  marriage  Nicholas  Yeager  moved  to  a  sixty-acre  tract  of  land  in 
section  2  of  Fairbanks  township,  which  had  been  given  him  by  his  father, 
and  of  which  fifteen  acres  were  already  in  cultivation.  Here  he  erected 
a  log  house  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet.  As  he  was  prospered  he  added  to 
his  land  from  time  to  time  until  he  owned  three  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
but  he  has  generously  given  his  children  land  until  he  now  has  but  one 
hundred  and  seventy  acres,  which  is  situated  in  sections  2  and  1 — one 
hundred  and  six  in  the  former  section  and  the  remainder  in  section  1. 
Forty  acres  of  this  land  is  in  pasture  and  the  remainder  under  a  good  state 
of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Yeager  obtained  his  education  in  the  old  fashioned  log  school 
house,  in  which  was  held  the  "subscription"  school  which  obtained  prior 
to  the  present  free  school  system.  He  is  an  exemplary  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  in  his  political  views  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  four  years,  and  was  the 
census  enumerator  in  1S80  for  his  home  township.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  Earnest  lodge  No.  598  and  Jerusalem 
Chapter  of  Sullivan,  No.  81.  He  was  made  a  Mason  at  Fairbanks,  and 
served  seventeen  years  as  the  lodge  secretary  and  one  term  as  senior 
warden.     He  also  belongs  to  the  Farmers'  Grange  of  Vigo  county. 

Mr.  Yeager  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Isabell  Dilley,  on  May 
12,  1853,  and  she  died  March  28,  1879,  the  mother  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  James  F.,  of  Middletown,  Indiana ;  John  F.,  of  Fairbanks  town- 
ship; Sarah  A.,  who  died  November  1,  1886;  Nancy  Jane,  who  dietf 
December  13,  1882;  Francis  V.,  of  Spokane,  Washington;  William  C, 
of  the  last  named  city ;  Theodosia,  at  home ;  Vienna,  who  died  February 
22,  1894;  Joseph,  of  San  Francisco;  Nora,  who  died  November  8,  1900; 


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340  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Ida,  Mrs.  Charles  Shattuck,  of  Prairie  Creek  township,  Vigo  county, 
Indiana;  and  Alberta,  Mrs.  Archie  Vangilder,  of  Linton  township,  Vigo 
county,  Indiana.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Yeager  married,  December 
6,  1888,  Chloe  Willis,  born  in  Haddon  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (South)  Willis.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the 
mother  in  Sullivan  county.  The  grandparents  were  Richard  and  Sarah 
(Alsman)  Willis,  of  Sullivan  county,  and  Henry  and  Chloe  South, 
natives  of  Kentucky.  By  Mr.  Yeager's  second  marriage  one  child  was 
born — Willis  N.,  who  was  born  March  24,   1891,  and  died  in  infancy. 


John  Fremont  Yeager  is  a  thoroughgoing  farmer  whose  excel- 
lent place  is  situated  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county.  He  is  a 
native  of  the  township  where  he  now  resides,  born  October  4,  1855,  a 
son  of  Nicholas  and  Isabell  (Dilley)  Yeager,  natives  of  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  Vincent  and  Sarah  Yeager, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Kentucky,  respectively,  and  the  maternal 
grandparents  were  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Johnson)  Dilley,  the  former  born 
in  Scotland  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  The  father,  Nicholas  Yeager,  is 
still  living  in  Fairbanks  township,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 

John  Fremont  Yeager's  parents  had  five  sons  and  seven  daughters,  he 
being  the  next  to  the  eldest  child  in  the  family.  He  remained  at  home 
until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  his  father  gave  him  thirty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  cultivated  and  added  to  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  acres,  all  in  section  1.  This  includes  about  fifteen  acres 
of  good  timber  ljind.  Upon  this  farm,  Mr.  Yeager  carries  on  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  in  a  successful  manner,  thus  making  him  one 
of  the  independent  men  of  the  county.  In  his  youth  he  had  the  advan- 
tages of  the  common  schools,  which  fitted  him  for  the  occupation  which 
he  has  always  followed,  that  of  agriculture.  Since  1875  ne  nas  been  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  an  overseer 
since  1888.  Politically  he  is  a  staunch  defender  of  Republican  party 
principles. 

Concerning  his  domestic  life  it  may  be  said  that  he  married,  Octo- 
ber 13,  1878,  Ida  Piety,  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam H.  and  Jane  (Perry)  Piety.  The  father  was  born  in  Vigo  county 
and  the  mother  in  Fairbanks  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yeager  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  Everett,  of  California;  Isabell,  who 
died  in  infancy ;  May,  a  school  teacher,  at  home ;  Addie,  of  the  Normal 
School  at  Terre  Haute ;  Lewis,  now  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton; Morris,  at  home;  Belle,  of  Fairbanks  township;  Glenn,  at  home; 
Carrie,  at  home;  Ralph,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  and  Floyd, 
at  home. 


Joseph  Van  Kirk  Merrill,  one  of  the  industrious  agriculturists 
whose  excellent  farm  home  is  situated  within  the  limits  of  Fairbanks 
township,  Sullivan  county,  is  a  native  of  Marion  county,  West  Virginia, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  341 

born  February  20,  1853,  a  son  °f  Harrison  and  Elizabeth  (Prickett) 
Merrill,  natives  of  the  same  county.  The  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  died 
in  his  native  state  on  May  3,  1875,  while  his  wife  died  in  1862.  Joseph 
Van  Kirk  was  the  next  to  the  oldest  of  five  sons  in  the  family.  There 
were  two  half-brothers  by  the  father's  second  marriage. 

Mr.  Merrill  lived  with  his  father  until  his  death,  when  he  came  to 
Fairbanks  township  and  worked  at  farming  up  to  the  date  of  his  mar- 
riage, in  April,  1886,  to  Sarah  A.  Dix,  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  a 
daughter  of  Eli  and  Mariam  (Bundy)  Dix.  The  father  was  born  in 
Gilford  county,  North  Carolina,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  Randolph 
county,  of  the  same  state,  in  181 3.  The  grandparents,  William  and 
Elizabeth  Pittman  (widow  of  Mr.  Bundy),  were  natives  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  Moses  and  Ann  (Jessup)  Dix,  of  the  same  state.  Mrs.  Mer- 
rill's father  came  to  Fairbanks  township  in  1819  and  entered  a  large 
tract  of  land — timber  and  prairie  land — and  saw  many  Indians  and  wild 
animals,  including  deer.  He  raised  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  now  sur- 
vive. The  eldest,  Joshua  E.,  is  now  a  resident  of  Sedalia,  Pettis  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  owns  property.  He  resided  in  Fairbanks  township 
until  1886,  moving  for  his  wife's  health. 

After  his  marriage,  Joseph  Van  Kirk  Merrill  took  up 'his  residence 
on  the  farm  owned  by  his  wife's  father  in  section  35.  His  wife  owned 
two  hundred  and  four  acres  of  the  old  homestead,  and  Mr.  Merrill  pur- 
chased one  hundred  acres  adjoining  it,  and  has  carried  on  general  farming 
there.  The  place  contains  one  of  the  best  brick  residences  within  the 
township,  the  same  having  been  erected  in  1858,  and  it  stands  on  a  beau- 
tiful building  site  and  is  surrounded  by  fine  shade  and  ornamental  trees. 
Politically,  Mr.  Merrill  is  a  Democrat.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
order,  and  is  progressive  and  public-spirited. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  are  as  follows :  Clair  E., 
born  May  25,  1887,  and  Claude  D.,  born  July  12,  1901.  Clair  E.  Merrill 
now  cultivates  a  portion  of  the  home  farm.    He  married  Mabel  Drake. 


Alva  De  Baun,  a  farmer  of  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county, 
who  resides  on  the  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1  out  from  Shelburn,  is 
a  native  of  the  township  in  which  he  now  resides,  born  August  6,  1862,  a 
son  of  Samuel  and  Angeline  (Harris)  De  Baun,  natives  of  Fairbanks 
township.  The  paternal  grandparents  were  Abram  and  Nellie  (Lyster) 
De  Baun,  who  came  from  Kentucky.  The  maternal  grandparents  were 
Benjamin  and  Mary  (Siner)  Harris,  of  Butler  county,  Ohio. 

Samuel  De  Baun,  the  father,  married  and  settled  in  Fairbanks  town- 
ship and  remained  until  1868.  He  then  went  to  Vigo  county,  Indiana, 
and  in  1871  to  Parke  county,  same  state,  where  he  purchased  land,  to 
which  he  has  since  added  until  he  now  owns  over  six  hundred  acres. 
His  occupation  has  always  been  that  of  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  His 
wife  died  May  19,  1880.  Their  children  were  seven  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters. Of  these  thirteen  children,  eleven  still  survive,  and  Alva  is  the 
fourth  born  of  the  seven  sons. 


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342  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mr.  De  Baun  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage, 
April  28,  1887,  to  Emma  Frakes,  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  May  4,  1867,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Ella  (Biggs) 
Frakes.  Her  father  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township  and  the  mother  in 
Fountain  county,  Indiana.  The  grandparents  were  Daniel  and  Agnes 
(Harris)  Frakes,  of  Butler  county,  Ohio,  and  Uriah  and  Jane  (Boggs) 
Biggs,  of  Fountain  county,  Indiana. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  De  Baun  took  up  his  residence  in  Penn  town- 
ship, Parke  county,  upon  unimproved  land,  which  he  brought  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation.  To  his  original  land  he  added  forty-eight  acres 
of  improved  land.  Here  he  carried  on  farming  and  stock-raising  in  a 
most  successful  manner  until  October,  1906,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  back  to  his  old  home  township  and  bought  two  hundred  and  two 
and  a  half  acres  of  land,  about  sixty  acres  of  which  is  timber,  the  remain- 
der being  tillable  land  and  pasture.  He  still  raises  large  numbers  of  sheep, 
cattle  and  hogs,  also  some  fine  horses. 

He  was  educated  at  the  public  schools  of  Sullivan,  Vigo  and  Parke 
counties.  Politically  he  is  of  the  Democratic  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De 
Baun  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Murray,  born  October 
26,  1888;  Maurice,  born  June  2,  1890;  and  Maud,  born  February  24,  1896. 


Henry  Johnson,  one  of  the  retired  agriculturists  of  Fairbanks  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  was  up  to  1895  one  of  the  energetic  farmers,  whose 
activities  extended  over  many  long  years  of  toil  and  anxiety  in  the  accom- 
plishment of  what  he  in  his  young,  manhood  set  out  to  attain  in  the  way 
of  becoming  a  successful  agriculturist.  He  is  a  native  of  Fairbanks  town- 
ship, born  July  30,  1824,  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Vandine)  Johnson, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Virginia.  The  grandparents  were  Daniel 
and  Abigail  Johnson.  Upon  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Johnson's  parents  they 
took  their  wedding  tour  to  Fairbanks  in  1818,  then  entering  timber  land 
belonging  to  the  government.  So  wild  was  the  country  at  that  date  that 
panthers,  wolves  and  other  wild  animals  infested  the  wilds  of  the  then 
dense  forest  land,  which  had  not  up  to  their  coming  been  molested  by 
the  pioneer  ax  and  breaking-plow.  They  reared  a  family  of  five  sons,  the 
subject  of  this  memoir  being  the  third  child.  He  was  reared  to  the  hard- 
est kind  of  labor — that  of  clearing  out  trees  and  brush.  He  had  no  edu- 
cational advantages,  his  father  dying,  when  he  was  but  four  years  of  age, 
and  the  mother  married  Henry  Wyman,  after  which  they  removed  to 
Marion  county,  Indiana.  After  six  years  at  the  last  named  locality  they 
returned  to  Fairbanks  township,  where  they  lived  until  their  death.  Henry 
made  his  home  at  his  mother's  place  until  twenty  years  of  age,  always 
working  faithfully  for  his  step-father.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  the 
month  of  September,  1845,  t0  Elizabeth  Armstrong,  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  a  daughter  of  Abel  and  Ann  Armstrong.  The  following  children 
were  born  of  this  union :  Preston  A.,  deceased ;  Malinda  J.,  Mrs.  James 
W.  Milligan,  of  Fairbanks,  Indiana ;  Nancy  A.,  Mrs.  Addison  Drake,  of 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  343 

North  Dakota;  Sarah  E.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Margaret  I.,  Mrs.  Jeff 
Johnson,  of  Fairbanks  township ;  Mary  E.,  Mrs.  Hiram  Drake,  of  Fair- 
banks township. 

Mrs.  Johnson  died  July  9,  1884,  and  he  married  secondly,  September 
23,  1886,  Sarah  A.  (Anderson)  Pittman,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Cynthia  (Drake)  Anderson,  of  Kentucky.  She 
was  the  widow  of  John  Milligan,  by  whom  she  had  two  children :  James 
W.  and  William  R.  After  the  death  of  her  first  husband  she  married 
Allen  Pittman,  and  they  had  two  children — Martha  Louisa  and  Sarah 
Emeline.  The  former  died  in  infancy  and  the  latter  married  Albert 
Hauger,  of  Curry  township. 

After  the  subject's  first  marriage  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Fairbanks  township,  where  they  lived  in  a  log.  house  for  twenty  years, 
and  then  made  an  addition  to  the  same.  They  commenced  housekeeping 
with  about  two  and  a  half  dollars  in  money.  He  kept  adding  to  his  acres 
until  he  now  owns  eleven  hundred  and  nineteen  acres,  all  within  Fair- 
banks township  except  eighty-five  acres  in  Curry  township,  and  he  gave 
each  of  his  children  a  large  farm  besides  the  large  land-holding  men- 
tioned. He  resided  on  his  first  farm  for  over  fifty  years.  Since  March 
26,  1895,  he  has  lived  in  Fairbanks.  For  one  of  his  years,  Mr.  Johnson 
is  very  active,  and  is  thoroughly  competent  to  look  after  his  own  large 
business  interests.  His  wife  was  born  June  11,  1828,  and  is  still  vigor- 
ous and  possessed  of  a  wonderful  memory.  Mr.  Johnson  attended  the 
subscription  schools  in  a  log  house.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  church,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Democrat. 


Orlando  C.  Brewer,  an  extensive  land-owner  of  Sullivan  county,  is 
a  native  of  the  township  in  which  he  now  resides,  born  May  22,  1858,  a 
son  of  James  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Brewer,  natives  of  Turman  township, 
and  both  reared  at  Graysville.  The  paternal  grandparents,  John  and  a 
Miss  (Cook)  Brewer,  were  natives  of  Ohio,  and  the  maternal  grand- 
parents, James  L.  and  Hannah  (Watson)  Johnson,  were  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee. The  grandfather  Brewer  was  among  the  pioneer  band  in  this 
section  of  the  state,  having,  settled  where  now  stands  the  thriving  city  of 
Terre  Haute,  when  it  was  a  wilderness.  He  cultivated  land  where  now 
stands  the  business  portion  of  the  city.  After  a  short  stay  there  he  went 
to  Turman  township  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Graysville, 
and  still  later  moved  to  Sullivan  and  there  followed  the  same  vocation. 
After  a  number  of  years'  successful  operation  at  that  point  he  returned  to 
Graysville,  where  he  died. 

James  Brewer,  the  father,  spent  his  life  on  a  farm  in  Sullivan  county, 
owning  at  one  time  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  choice  land  in  Fair- 
banks township.  He  died  October  21,  1889,  while  his  good  wife  survived 
until. May  4,  1891.  Six  children  were  born  of  this  union:  Mary  A.,  who 
died  in  1888,  aged  forty-one  years;  Sarah  H.,  died  in  1863,  aged  fourteen 
years;  Frank  R.,  who  died  in  1855,  aged  three  years;  Theressa  J.,  who 


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344  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

died  in  1889,  aged  thirty-four  years,  and  who  was  the  wife  of  Charles 
Ranisen;  Orlando  C,  of  this  memoir;  and  Nancy  E.,  Mrs.  C.  E.  Harri- 
son, of  Fairbanks  township. 

Orlando  C.  Brewer  spent  his  youthful  days  on  his  father's  farm.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-four  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  kept 
adding  until  his  estate  now  consists  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in 
sections  nine  and  ten  of  Fairbanks  township,  all  in  one  body.  Here  one 
sees  the  well-tilled  and  productive  fields  of  a  farmer  who  gets  the  best 
paying  results  by  a  careful  study  of  his  various  pieces  of  land,  together 
with  plenty  of  industry  and  hard  labor,  the  necessary  qualities  in  any  kind 
of  a  business  undertaking.  He  is  a  believer  in  the  saying  that  "Fortune 
is  a  lazy  goddess,  she  will  never  come  to  you."  In  addition  to  his 
farming  interests  he  has  come  to  be  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmersburg 
bank. 

He  was  happily  married  April  20,  1882,  to  Louisa  Johnson,  of 
Fairbanks  township,  born  May  12,  1861,  a  daughter  of  Bethuel  and  Sarah 
(Pounds)  Johnson.  The  father  was  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  a  son 
of  James  and  Jane  (Vandine)  Johnson,  pioneers  of  Fairbanks  township. 
Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brewer:  Vernon  and  Ray,  both 
at  home  with  the  parents.  Mr.  Brewer  attended  the  common  schools  of 
Sullivan  county,  and  in  his  political  views  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  county  council  for  four  years.  He  is  an  advanced  Mason, 
belonging  to  Fairbanks  Lodge  No.  373,  at  Fairbanks,  and  the  Chapter  at 
Sullivan,  No.  81,  and  to  the  Eastern  Star  degree.  Mrs.  Brewer  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Eastern  Star. 


Elijah  H.  Dilley  (deceased). — Elijah  H.  Dilley,  a  farmer  of  sec- 
tion 16,  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  who  lived  on  the*  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  3  out  from  Farmersburg,  was  born  in  Effingham 
county,  Illinois,  May  15,  1846,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Adeline  (Henry) 
Dilley,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  maternal  grandparents,  Elijah  Henry 
and  wife,  were  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  parents  of  the  subject  were 
married  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  where  they  resided  several  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Effingham  county,  Illinois,  and  resided  for  a  time. 
Then,  returning  to  Indiana,  he  bought  land  in  Fairbanks  county.  In  1849 
he  joined  a  company  and  made  an  overland  journey  to  California,  spend- 
ing several  months  on  the  way,  and  he  was  quite  successful  there.  About 
two  years  later  he  returned  to  Fairbanks  township  and  resumed  farming. 
He  enlisted  early  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  Forty-third  Regiment  Indiana 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  and  returned  home  and  farmed  a  few  years.  Then 
on  account  of  ill  health  he  went  to  Glenn  county,  California,  and  stopped  a 
short  time,  but  as  his  health  continued  to  fail  he  returned  to  Fairbanks 
township  and  died  here  shortly  afterward.     His  widow  survived  him. 

Elijah  H.  Dilley  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Sixty-second  Illinois  In- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  345 

fantry  Regiment,  February  27,  1864.  While  he  was  fortunate  in  never 
receiving  wounds  while  in  service  of  his  country,  he  did  contract  diseases 
from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  was  discharged  from  the  Army  of 
the  Mississippi  in  1866,  after  which  he  came  to  Fairbanks  township  and 
bought  a  farm  in  the  northern  part  of  the  township,  and  three  years  later 
bought  the  place  where  his  widow  now  resides,  the  place  being  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  northwest  of  Fairbanks  village.  There  are  two  hun- 
dred acres  in  this  farm,  all  of  which  are  well  improved  and  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  He  was  always  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  raised 
much  fine  stock.  His  education  was  obtained  at  the  public  schools  in 
Indiana  and  Illinois.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  of  Mid- 
dletown.  He  was  first  married  in  1868  to  Mary  Ann  Neal,  born  in  Fair- 
banks township,  a  daughter  of  Walker  and  Matilda  (Pogue)  Neal,  natives 
of  Indiana.  The  issue  of  this  marriage  union  was :  Nora,  deceased ; 
Teressa,  at  home;  and  Mattie,  who  died  aged  twenty-six  years.  For  his 
second  wife  he  married,  May  25,  1878,  Rose  Denney,  born  in  Monroe 
county,  Indiana,  September  1,  1850,  a  daughter  of  John  W.  S.  and  Sarah 
(Gaskins)  Denney.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  mother  in 
Washington  county,  Indiana.  The  grandparents  were  William  and  Mar- 
garet (Scott)  Denney.  of  Kentucky,  and  John  and  Mary  Ann  (Kite) 
Gaskins,  natives  of  Indiana.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  Dilley  by  his 
second  wife  were:  Elba,  who  was  born  May  25,  1882,  and  died  aged 
eleven  years ;  Harry  D.,  born  March  17,  1887 ;  and  Elijah  Homer,  born 
September  21,  1889,  and  now  superintends  the  farm.  The  death  of  Mr. 
Dilley  occurred  November  3,  1907.  Thus  one  by  one  and  all  too  fre- 
quently are  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  dropping  out  of  the  vast  army 
that  was  dispersed  in  1865-66.  He  was  a  brave  man,  a  good  citizen,  a 
true  husband  and  devoted  father. 


James  Marvin  DeBaun  is  well  known  in  the  agricultural  circles  of 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  as  residing  in  Fairbanks  township,  where  he 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is  the  son  of  Simon 
and  Angeline  (Harris)  De  Baun,  and  was  born  January  6,  1865.  The 
place  of  his  birth  was  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  educated  in  the  common  schools.  The  father,  Simon  De 
Baun,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  while  the  mother  was  born  in  Fairbanks 
township,  Sullivan  county.  When  a  mere  lad  the  father  went  to  Fair- 
banks township  with  his  parents,  and  after  his  marriage  he  settled  on  a 
farm  east  of  Fairbanks  village,  where  he  lived  until  1867,  and  then  lived 
in  Vigo  county  four  years.  His  next  location  was  within  Parke  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  purchased  land,  and  resides  there  at  the  present  time — 
1908.  His  wife  died  in  1880.  He  was  the  father  of  seven  sons  and  five 
daughters,  ten  of  whom  still  survive,  and  of  whom  the  subject,  James  M., 
is  the  eldest. 

James  M.  De  Baun  spent  his  youth  at  home  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
continued  to  reside  there  until  his  marriage,  June  9,  1889,  to  Ida  Ory, 


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346  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

born  in  Parke  county,  Indiana,  February  12,  1872,  a  daughter  of  Marion 
and  Mary  (Hadley)  Ory.  After  his  marriage  he  lived  on  and  farmed 
rented  land  until  1897,  when  he  moved  to  his  father's  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  also  has  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Vigo 
county,  which  he  also  farms.  He  raises  hogs  and  cattle  quite  extensively. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Baun  have  the  following  children:  Ester  Mae, 
born  April  17,  1891 ;  Orville  Raymond,  born  March  29,  1893;  Cloyd  Fay, 
born  March  29,  1895 ;  and  Orsa  Vernan,  born  February  22,  1897. 


John  F.  Harrison,  well  known  as  an  industrious  farmer  and  raiser 
of  Duroc  swine  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in 
section  35,  Fairbanks  township,  March  18,  1858,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Sarah  M.  (Wisner)  Harrison.  The  father  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, while  the  mother  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Indiana.  The  grand- 
parents, Henry  and  Ann  (Beason)  Harrison,  were  from  North  Carolina. 
The  father,  Benjamjn  Harrison,  accompanied  his  parents  in  1818  to  Clark 
county,  Illinois,  when  but  eighteen  months  old.  He  lived  there  with  his 
parents  until  1842,  when  he  went  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  there 
purchased  forty  acres  on  the  bottoms  of  the  Wabash  river,  and  later  added 
thereto  and  cleared  from  timber  and  improved  a  large  tract,  at  one  time 
owning  a  tract  of  eight  hundred  acres.  Two  hundred  acres  of  this  land 
was  situated  in  Clark  county,  Illinois.  He  died  July  22,  1887,  and  his 
good  wife  laid  down  the  burden  of  life  March  12,  1896.  He  had.  how- 
ever, been  married  twice,  and  had  four  daughters  and  one  son  by  the 
former  union.  The  children  were :  Narcisus  and  Emma  Jane,  living  at 
Rocky  Ford,  Colorado;  Rachel  A.,  Mrs.  William  Lawson,  of  Sullivan, 
Indiana ;  Sarah  E.,  Mrs.  Levi  Strain,  of  Fairbanks  township ;  and  one 
son,  who  died  aged  three  years.  For  his  second  wife,  mother  of  our 
subject,  Benjamin  Harrison  married  the  widow  of  James  Cowan,  who  by 
the  first  marriage  had  two  children — Martha,  Mrs.  William  A.  Shields, 
of  Turman  township,  and  Mary  Bell,  Mrs.  O.  P.  Badger,  also  of  Turman 
township.  The  children  born  to  the  subject's  parents,  Benjamin  and 
Sarah  M.  (Wisner)  Harrison,  were  as  follows:  Milton  A.,  born  April  22, 
1856,  died  February  22,  1875;  Jonn  Fremont,  of  this  notice;  Cassius  E.. 
of  Fairbanks  township ;  and  Edward,  who  died  aged  three  years  and  three 
months. 

Up  to  the  date  of  his  marriage  John  Fremont  Harrison  spent  his 
years  with  his  parents,  and  in  his  early  youth  he  was  permitted  to  attend 
the  common  schools  a  few  years.  He  was  married  September  30,  1884,  to 
Jessie  Medsker,  born  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
March  3,  1867,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sylvia  (Baker)  Medsker.  The 
mother  was  born  in  New  York.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harrison  took  up  their  residence  on  a  sixty-five  acre  farm  in  Fairbanks 
township,  where  they  lived  about  three  years,  and  then  removed  to  a  place 
in  Turman  township  containing  ninety-two  acres,  where  they  resided  for 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  347 

eight  years.  Their  next  location  was  on  the  farm  purchased  of  his 
brother,  the  same  being  a  part  of  the  estate  of  the  father.  Here  Mr. 
Harrison- has  resided  ever  since.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  his  home  place,  and  ninety-two  acres  near  Graysville.  He  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Duroc-Jersey 
hogs,  horses  and  mules,  and  to  some  extent  fattens  cattle  for  market. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Harrison  is  a  loyal  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harrison  are  as  follows:  William  B.,  born  October  18,  1885,  at  home; 
Arthur  E.,  born  July  4,  1887,  at  home;  Ralph  H.,  born  December  25, 
1898;  and  Hazel  E..  born  October  13,  1890,  died  June  3,  1899. 


Charles  E.  Ccrtis,  of  the  younger  generation  of  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  residing  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  Hamilton 
township,  of  this  county,  January  12,  1866,  a  son  of  James  R.  arid  Olive  J. 
(Mooney)  Curtis.  The  father  of  Charles  E.  was  born  in  Hamilton  town- 
ship, March  2,  1842,  a  son  of  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  (Dudley)  Curtis, 
natives  of  North  Carolina.  They  settled  in  Washington  county  at  an 
early  day,  remaining  thirty  years,  and  then  moved  to  Sullivan  county, 
settling  in  Hamilton  township.  Their  place  was  about  one  mile  from 
Sullivan  in  a  southwestern  direction,  and  there  they  continued  to  live 
almost  twenty-four  years,  when  they  sold  and  moved  to  Turman  town- 
ship, bought  land,  and  resided  there  eight  years,  then  sold  and  made  their 
home  with  their  children.  The  grandfather  died  in  the  autumn  of  1884 
and  the  grandmother,  March,  1901. 

James  R.  Curtis,  the  father  of  Charles  E.,  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  he  had  reached  his  majority,  and  then  commenced  renting 
land  and  farming.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  March,  1863,  to  Miss 
Olive  J.  Mooney,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lucy  (Irwin)  Mooney, 
natives  of  Floyd  county,  Indiana,  and  farmers  by  occupation.  The  father 
died  there  about  1850,  and  the  widow  married  Abraham  Cantwell,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  They  then  moved  to  Illinois,  remained  a  short  time,  and 
went  to  Sullivan  county ;  later  back  to  Illinois,  and  thence  to  Tennessee. 
They  lived  in  the  last  named  state  eight  years,  and  then  moved  to  Sullivan 
again.  Mr.  Cantwell  served  as  a  Civil  war  soldier  in  the  Seventeenth 
Indiana  Regiment  as  a  private  and  lieutenant  of  his  company.  After  they 
had  resided  there  in  that  place  about  two  years  he  was  taken  to  the  Sol- 
diers' Home  at  Lafayette,  where  he  died  from  an  operation.  Lucy  J. 
Cantwell  resided  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Lafayette,  thus  fulfilling  her 
husband's  dying  request,  until  her  death,  December  3,  1908.  Her  body 
was  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  at  the  home  beside  that  of  her  husband. 

James  R.  Curtis  had  rented  land  twelve  years  and  operated  a  sawmill 
seven  years,  and  then  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Gill  township,  where 
he  still  lives.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  The  children  born  to 
James  R.  and  Olive  (Mooney)  Curtis  are  as  follows :  Jennie,  wife  of  Albert 
Lane,  and  their  children  are  Ola  and  Elma ;  Charles  E.,  of  this  notice;  A.G., 


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348  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

engaged  in  the  railway  mail  service  and  residing  in  Sullivan,  married  Eva 
Morgan,  and  they  have  eight  children — Fred,  deceased,  Ray,  Frank,  Nellie, 
Lucy,  James,  Abe  J.  and  Harold,  all  at  home ;  William  A.,  married  Lizzie 
Catlin,  and  they  reside  in  Oklahoma,  where  he  is  a  minister  in  the  Chris- 
tian church,  and  they  have  four  children — Roy,  Gertrude,  Olive  and 
Hester  Lucile ;  Estella,  wife  of  Dr.  Bailey,  and  their  one  child  is  Law- 
rence ;  Cora,  wife  of  Elmer  J.  Bittle,  of  Hamilton  township,  and  their  two 
children  are  Keith  and  Francis  W. 

Charles  E.  Curtis,  a  son  of  the  above  James  R.,  started  out  in  life 
for  himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  He  commenced  school- 
teaching  in  1885  in  the  districts  of  Gill  township,  and  has  taught  every 
winter  since  except  that  of  1903.  He  farms  his  place,  consisting  of  eighty 
acres,  which  he  bought  in  1890.  Here  he  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  in  a  most  systematic  and  successful  manner.  Mr.  Curtis  is 
identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

He  was  married  May  12,  1889,  to  Miss  Lydia  M.  Payton,  born  in 
Parke  county,  Indiana,  May  31,  1871,  a  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Sarah 
(Stout)  Payton,  natives  of  the  same  county,  and  farmers.  They  came  to 
this  county  in  1877,  locating  on  a  farm  at  Paxton,  where  the  mother  died 
in  1888.    The  father  still  survives  and  resides  in  this  county. 

The  issue  of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  is  as  follows :  Rugby, 
born  May  3,  1891 ;  Paul,  born  August  26,  1896;  Mildred,  born  November 
13,  1898;  and  Charles  William,  born  August  9,  1908. 


Walker  V.  Jennings,  one  of  the  heaviest  taxpayers  within  Curry 
township  at  this  date,  and  the  only  exclusive  lumber  dealer,  is  a  man 
possessed  of  much  business  ability,  and  is  well  known,  as  he  who  was  for 
many  years  connected  with  the  hardware  trade  here.  Mr.  Jennings  was 
born  June  26,  1865,  in  Marion  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Abel  J.  and 
Fannie  M.  (Willsey)  Jennings,  the  former  born  in  March,  1812,  in  Hamp- 
den county,  Massachusetts,  and  died  January  10,  1877,  while  the  latter 
was  born  in  1824  in  Auburn,  New  York.  Abel  J.  was  a  captain  on  a 
Lake  Erie  sailboat  for  five  years  before  his  marriage,  when  he  quit  the  sea 
and  engaged  in  farming  and  operating  a  saw  and  feed  mill  at  a  point 
within  Marion  county,  Indiana,  where  he  continued  to  live  and  operate 
until  1867,  when  he  went  to  Curry  township,  in  Sullivan  county.  There 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  built  a  steam  sawmill.  His  land  there  consisted 
of  a  one  hundred  acre  tract,  and  there  he  spent  the  remnant  of  his  life, 
with  the  exception  of  one  year  in  Missouri.  He  was  quite  a  hunter,  and 
delighted  in  the  huntsman's  chase.  By  trade  he  was  a  carpenter.  When 
he  first  located  in  Sullivan  county  he  lived  in  a  log  cabin,  but  soon  built 
the  first  frame  residence  in  his  section  of  the  county.  The  old  log  house  is 
still  standing  as  a  relic  of  the  early  times  within  this  township.  While 
much  of  a  politician  and  a  Democrat  of  uncompromising  principles,  he 
would  not  hold  public  office.  His  reason  for  coming,  to  Sullivan  county 
was  to  raise  his  young  family  in  a  Democratic  county.     Of  his  twelve 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  349 

living  children  the  following  is  an  account:  Marshall  A.,  residing  in 
Farmersburg,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war;  Harriet  (Grey)  resides  in 
DeWitt  county,  Illinois;  Mary  (Shackow),  residing  in  Oklahoma; 
Millie  (Hiatt),  of  Oklahoma;  Sylvester,  of  Curry  township;  Emery  and 
Emma,  twins,  and  both  living  in  Sullivan  county;  Rufus  A.,  of  Okla- 
homa; Mattie  (Moore),  of  Vigo  county,  Indiana;  Katherine  (Tharp), 
of  Curry  township;  Walker  V.,  of  this  sketch,  and  Elza  W.,  of  Far- 
mersburg. 

After  the  death  of  the  father,  Walker  V.  Jennings  lived  with  his 
mother  until  his  marriage,  April  14,  1885, to  Lucretia  Lloyd,  born  in  1868, 
a  daughter  of  John  G.  and  Elizabeth  Lloyd.  The  latter  is  now  deceased, 
but  the  former  is  residing  here.  In  1884,  one  year  prior  to  Mr.  Jennings' 
marriage,  he  bought  a  sawmill  and  threshing  machine,  which  he  operated 
until  1900;  but  in  1894  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Farmers- 
burg with  his  brother,  Emery  J.,  and  they  continued  as  partners  two  years, 
when  Mr.  Lloyd  bought  E.  J.'s  interest.  Soon  a  partnership  was  formed 
between  E.  J.  and  E.  W.  Jennings  and  John  Lloyd  for  the  purpose  of 
engaging  in  the  hardware  trade,  coupling  with  it  lumber  and  farm  imple- 
ments. In  1902  this  partnership  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  and 
Walker  V.  Jennings  went  into  the  lumber  business  alone.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Citizens'  State  Bank  and  one  of  its  directors.  In  1907  he 
bought  out  his  competitor  in  the  lumber  business,  and  now  has  the  only 
yard  in  the  place. 

He  for  whom  this  notice  is  written  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  and  is  now  a  school  trustee  and  secretary  of  the  board.  He  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  the  Blue  lodge,  No.  594, 
at  Farmersburg,  and  the  Chapter  and  Council  and  Commandery  at  Sulli- 
van. He  has  taken  twelve  degrees,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
No.  168,  as  is  also  his  wife.  They  have  twice  represented  the  lodge  at  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Indiana.  Mr.  Jennings  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Central  Christian  church.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jennings 
are :  Clennie  M.,  wife  of  D.  W.  Bolinger,  and  they  reside  in  Indianapolis ; 
and  Cecil  J.,  residing  at  Farmersburg,  married  Edythe  Huntwork.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jennings  gave  their  children  good  practical  educations,  and  the 
daughter  at  one  time  attended  the  Christian  College,  at  Merom. 


James  M.  Howard,  one  of  the  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  who  by  the  frugality  and  success  which  have  attended 
his  operations  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  a  long  term  of  years  has  finally 
wisely  chosen  a  retired  life  in  which  to  more  befittingly  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  his  toil  in  his  earlier  years,  was  born  November  5,  1840,  in  Jefferson 
township.  Of  his  parentage  it  may  be  said  that  his  father  was  Rual  and 
his  mother  Mary  (McConnell)  Howard.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  but  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  prior  to  his  marriage. 
After  becoming  a  citizen  of  this  county  he  entered  land  and  remained 
until  death.    His  father  was  Joseph  Howard,  a  native  of  North  Carolina, 


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350  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

who  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  about  1831  to  Sullivan  county.  Indiana. 
Rual  Howard's  wife  bore  him  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom  reached  their 
majority,  and  of  this  number  seven  still  survive.  They  are  as  follows: 
Strather  M.,  deceased;  Sarah  J.,  who  married  John  Newkirk,  and  both 
are  now  deceased ;  James  M. ;  Mary  A.,  residing  in  Jefferson  township, 
the  widow  of  John  Douthit;  Francis  M.,  deceased,  formerly  of  Jefferson 
township;  Miranda,  deceased;  Jasper,  deceased;  Eliza,  deceased,  was  the 
wife  of  Isaac  Yates:  William  T.,  who  resides  in  Florida;  one  who  died 
in  infancy ;  and  Newton,  a  resident  of  Carlisle,  Indiana. 

James  M.  Howard  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  when  old  enough  to  exercise  the  right  of  franchise  voted  with 
the  party  which  he  still  supports,  the  Democratic.  When  twenty-five  years 
of  age  he  left  the  old  home  and  its  surroundings,  hallowed  because  of  its 
early  memories,  and  began  to  carve  out  his  own  fortune  and  make  a  name 
among  his  fellow  men  worthy  of  a  true  American  citizen.  He  first  rented 
land  in  Jefferson  township,  and  in  1869  purchased  sixty  acres  in  Greene 
county  and  lived  there  until  1872,  when  he  leased  a  farm  for  one  year 
near  Pleasantville.  The  next  three  years  he  resided  in  the  same  house 
with  his  father-in-law  in  Greene  county.  Having  plenty  and  to  spare, 
Mrs.  Howard's  father  gave  her  a  beautiful  tract  of  land  containing  one 
hundred  and  nineteen  acres,  which  is  located  three  miles  south  from 
Pleasantville,  and  upon  which  they  now  live  and  carry  on  successful  farm 
operations,  yet  lead  a  retired  and  satisfactory  life. 

October  11,  1870,  marked  an  important  event  in  Mr.  Howard's  career, 
for  upon  that  day  he  was  married  to  Eva  Spencer,  born  September  9, 
1853,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Frances  (Owens)  Spencer,  both  of  whom 
are  now  deceased.  The  children  born  to  brighten  and  cheer  this  home 
are:  Mary  F.,  who  was  born  September  22,  1871,  and  died  in  1873; 
Sarah  E.,  born  March  9,  1873,  and  now  residing  in  Jefferson  township, 
the  wife  of  James  G.  Loveall ;  Lyman  M.,  born  January  17,  1875,  at  home, 
unmarried,  operating  a  sawmill,  and  also  a  carpenter;  Charles  R.,  born 
January  6,  1877,  married  Elva  Tr inkle  and  resides  in  Bloomington,  Indi- 
ana; William  L.,  born  December  11,  1881,  wedded  Miss  Edna  Booker 
and  resides  with  his  parents  at  Pleasantville;  Cordia  D.,  born  April  28, 
1886,  resides  at  Sanborn,  Indiana,  married  to  Clifford  Wells :  Nellie,  bom 
March  22,  1891,  wedded  Goldie  Herndon  and  resides  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship ;  and  Opal  D.,  born  August  20,  1893,  died  July  23,  1903. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  are  members  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  church 
located  three  miles  southeast  of  their  residence  in  Greene  county.  Mrs. 
Howard  has  one  of  the  old  parchment  deeds  executed  under  the  hand  of 
President  Martin  Van  Buren  and  dated  March  20,  1837,  a  valuable  sou- 
venir in  her  home. 


Ora  Pool,  one  of  the  reliable  general  mercantile  dealers  of  Pleasant- 
ville, Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
born  February  18,  1881,  a  son  of  Jeremiah  M.  and  Nancy  (Long)  Pool. 
His  father  was  born  in  1833,  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  and  now  resides 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  351 

in  Stockton  township  of  that  county.  The  mother  was  born  in  1837,  in 
Frankfort,  Kentucky,  and  came  to  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  in  1852,  with  her  parents,  who  were  farmers.  Jeremiah  Pool, 
who  has  been  a  successful  agriculturist  many  years,  has  retired,  but  still 
remains  on  his  sixty-five  acre  farm.  He  resided  in  Sullivan  county  from 
i860  to  1882,  when  he  moved  back  to  Greene  county. 

The  grandfather  was  William  M.  Pool,  whose  wife  was  named 
Martha,  and  both  were  Virginians  by  birth  and  of  English  descent.  They 
came  from  Virginia  to  Greene  county,  Indiana,  in  1830,  and  lived  there 
the  remainder  of  their  days.  He  was  both  a  farmer  and  a  cooper. 
William  M.  Pool  was  the  son  of  William  M.,  Sr.,  who  was  born  in  Eng- 
land and  came  to  this  country  in  1770,  settling  in  Virginia,  near  Charlotts- 
ville.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war  against  England  and 
became  a  tobacco  planter  and  held  slaves. 

The  children  born  to  the  subject's  parents  were  as  follows :  Amanda, 
born  1868,  married  George  Tincher,  and  resides  in  Greene  county,  Indi- 
ana; William  M.,  born  in  1873,  married  Nora  O.  Firebaugh,  and  resides 
in  Greene  county ;  Walter  L.,  born  in  1875,  married  Rosa  Spencer,  and  is 
living  in  Greene  county ;  Charles,  born  1877,  died  in  1885,  and  Ora,  of  this 
sketch.  Jeremiah  Pool  married  for  his  first  wife  Amanda  Bedwell,  by 
whom  four  children  were  born,  as  follows:  Samantha  married  Francis 
M.  Howard,  and  is  residing  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county; 
Wiley,  deceased ;  Mary  married  Sherman  Hull  and  resides  in  Linton,  Indi- 
ana ;  Alonzo,  residing  in  Stockton  township,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Beck. 

Mr.  Pool,  of  this  narrative,  received  a  common  school  education  and 
graduated  from  the  Linton  high  school.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order,  lodge  No.  358,  at 
Pleasantville,  and  is  the  vice-chancellor  of  his  lodge.  He  set  out  for 
himself  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  as  a  coal  miner  in  the  mines  of 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  continuing  there  until  1906,  when  he  went  to 
Pleasantville  and  there  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business,  and 
is  still  thus  engaged.  Besides  his  stock  of  goods  he  owns  about  fourteen 
hundred  dollars  worth  of  real  estate  in  Pleasantville. 

Mr.  Pool  was  married  May  9,  1901,  to  Effie  Spencer,  born  August  22, 
1883,  in  the  township  in  which  she  now  resides,  the  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  Spencer,  both  natives  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana.     One  child  has  blessed  this  union — Ira,  born  November  20,  1906. 


Mrs.  Mary  Ann  (Howard)  Douthit,  widow  of  John  M.  Douthit, 
of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  September  19,  1842,  in 
Jefferson  township,  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Rual  and  Mary  (McCon- 
nell)  Howard.  Her  father  was  born  in  Jefferson,  Kentucky,  and  died  in 
Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1876.  Her  mother  was 
a  native  of  Haddon  township,  this  county,  and  died  here  in  1875,  at  about 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  Rual  Howard  was  the  son  of  Joseph  Howard, 
Vol.  11—23 


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352  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

who  was  born  in  England  and  with  six  brothers  came  to  America,  at  first 
locating  in  New  York,  where  they  finally  separated,  Rual  going  to  North 
Carolina  and  later  emigrating  to  Kentucky  at  the  time  Daniel  Boone  went 
to  that  section.  He  was  a  first  cousin  of  Mr.  Boone.  In  183 1  Mr. 
Howard  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  settling  in  Jefferson  township, 
where  he  ever  afterwards  resided.  He  followed  farming  pursuits  through- 
out his  entire  life.  Politically  he  was  a  supporter  of  Democracy,  and  in 
the  church  of  his  choice  was  a  Baptist,  as  was  his  wife.  The  ten  children 
of  this  family  were  as  follows:  Strawther  M.,  deceased;  Sarah  J.  Mrs. 
Newkirk,  a  widow  now  residing  in  Linton,  Indiana ;  James  M.,  residing 
in  Jefferson  township;  Mrs.  M.  A.  Douthit,  subject;  Francis  M.,  residing 
in  Jefferson  township ;  Jasper,  deceased ;  Miranda  E.,  deceased ;  Newton, 
residing  at  Carlisle,  Indiana;  Eliza,  Mrs.  Isaac  Yates,  who  resides  in 
Pleasantville,  and  William  C,  residing  in  Florida. 

Mrs.  Douthit  was  united  in  marriage,  January  16,  1859,  to  John  M. 
Douthit,  born  March  17,  1836,  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  and 
died  June  2,  1904.  He  was  laid  to  rest  within  the  Indian  Prairie  Ceme- 
tery. He  was  a  son  of  Ira  and  Sarah  (Ellis)  Douthit,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  North  Carolina,  where  they  were  also  married  and  carried  on 
farming  operations,  coming  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  at  a  very  early 
day — about  1830.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douthit 
had  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  They  moved  to  this  land 
in  1861.  The  place  now  contains  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres, 
having  once  been  a  tract  of  three  hundred  and  fifteen  acres,  but  a  portion 
was  disposed  of.  Politically  Mr.  Douthit  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party.  He  belonged  to  the  Baptist  church,  as 
does  his  widow.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  five  months  in  the 
Union  cause.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Douthit,  as 
follows:  Victoria,  born  January  3,  1861,  married  George  Lucas  and 
resides  in  Knox  county,  Indiana ;  James  E.,  residing  in  Sullivan,  and  who 
married  Mary  Hooper;  J.  Frank,  born  1865,  resides  in  Sullivan;  Grace, 
residing  in  Sullivan,  married  William  Medley ;  William  R.,  residing  with 
his  mother  and  is  unmarried  and  carries  on  the  farm ;  Mary  Edna,  who 
married  George  Robbins  and  resides  in  Knox  county ;  Sarah  Estella,  Mrs. 
Frank  Robbins,  residing  in  Haddon  township ;  Emmet  L.,  living  in  Knox 
county,  Indiana,  and  who  married  Grace  Padgett ;  Lucy  E.,  who  married 
Alonzo  C.  Owen  and  resides  in  Sullivan;  Glenn  Opal,  a  graduate  of  the 
Danville  Normal  School  of  Indiana,  has  taught  five  years  in  Sullivan 
county,  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  schools  near  Sullivan,  and  Nellie,  who 
died  in  infancy. 


James  Timmerman,  engaged  in  the  harness  business  at  Pleasantville, 
Indiana,  and  noted  for  the  excellent  quality  of  work  turned  out,  especially 
in  the  line  of  his  hand-made  harness,  for  which  he  has  a  wide  reputation  in 
this  section  of  Indiana,  will  form  the  subject  of  this  biographical  notice. 
He  was  born  June  4,  1859,  in  Knoxville,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Nimrod  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  353 

Hannah  (Thompson)  Timmerman.  His  father  was  born  in  1818  in 
Virginia,  and  died  about  1904  in  Pleasantville,  Indiana.  The  mother  was 
born  in  1820  in  Ohio,  and  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1901.  The 
Timmerman  family  are  of  German  ancestry,  but  quite  far  removed.  Nim- 
rod  Timmerman  was  first  engaged  in  mining  in  Ohio,  to  which  state  he 
went  when  a  young  man.  Later  he  abandoned  the  mining  business  and 
began  shoemaking.  He  remained  at  that  in  Knoxville,  Ohio,  until  1865, 
when  he  went  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  locating  near  Pleasantville. 
He  purchased  eight  lots  in  Pleasantville,  and  was  engaged  a  part  of  his 
time  at  farming  and  the  remainder  at  coal  mining,  occasionally  working 
at  the  shoemaking  trade.  Politically  he  voted  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  church  connection  was  a  Methodist  Episcopal,  as  was  also  his  wife. 
He  was  active  in  all  church  movements  and  served  as  one  of  the  trustees 
in  the  church  of  his  choice.  Ten  children  were  born  to  Nimrod  Timmer- 
man and  wife,  born  and  named  as  follows:  John  W.,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Perryville,  Kentucky,  he  having  served  eighteen  months  in  the 
Union  army  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war ;  Katherine,  residing  in  Toronto, 
Ohio,  married  George  McNeal;  Samuel,  a  resident  of  Greene  county, 
married  Katherine  Hinkle ;  Samuel,  who  served  three  years  in  the  Union 
cause  during  the  Civil  war ;  William,  residing  in  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
married  Jane  Purcell ;  Emma,  who  married  James  Hale,  and  she  is  now 
deceased  and  he  lives  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county;  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Patrick,  a  widow  residing  in  McLeansboro,  Illinois;  Mariah;  Mrs. 
Brewer,  residing  in  Pleasantville,  and  James,  of  this  notice. 

James  Timmerman  was  educated  at  the  common  schools  of  Pleasant- 
ville, Indiana,  and  chose  the  useful  trade  of  a  harnessmaker.  He  began 
to  work  at  this  with  Strawther  Howard  at  Pleasantville  when  but  fifteen 
years  of  age,  continuing  there  for  four  years,  and  during  that  time  he  well 
mastered  the  trade.  In  1878  he  commenced  traveling  and  working  at  his 
trade,  and  in  1880  went  to  work  for  Peter  Miller,  of  Terre  Haute,  and 
remained  with  him  five  years,  after  which  he  came  back  to  Pleasantville 
and  engaged  in  the  harness  business  with  W.  P.  O'Haver,  with  whom  he 
was  associated  as  a  partner  for  seven  years.  In  1893  he  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  in  the  business  and  has  since  operated  the  harness  shop 
alone.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  his  hand-made  harnesses,  and  has  all  he 
can  do  in  this  line  of  work.  He  has  succeeded  well  at  his  business  and 
has  accumulated  a  handsome  property,  owning  his  stock,  eleven  town  lots 
and  his  residence  property  in  Pleasantville. 

In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  church  choice  is 
a  Methodist,  as  is  also  his  wife.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  church  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  He  also  holds  a  membership  in  lodge  No.  408  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  at  Pleasantville  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs  of  his  lodge  and 
represented  it  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  state  of  Indiana.  As  a  means  of 
protection  to  his  family  he  is  associated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  Camp  No.  4929,  at  Pleasantville.  He  was  united  in  marriage, 
April  17,  1890,  to  Cally  Loudon,  born  February  8,  1864,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Phoebe  Loudon,  both  deceased.  The  father  was  a  tanner  by 
trade.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Timmerman  are  the  parents  of  three  children: 


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354  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Teressa,  born  January  9,  1891,  now  teaching  music  and  attending  school; 
Ray,  born  August  30,  1894,  in  school,  and  Mary  E.,  born  August  10,  1896, 
in  school. 


Arman  Spencer,  an  agriculturist  of  Sullivan  county,  residing  in 
Jefferson  township,  was  born  January  25,  1845,  in  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
a  son  of  Charles  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Snyder)  Spencer.  The  paternal 
grandfather,  Moses  Spencer,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  followed 
farming  pursuits  throughout  his  entire  life.  He  came  to  Greene  county, 
Indiana,  and  bought  his  son,  Charles  J.,  a  farm.  He  attained  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years,  while  Charles  J.  reached  the  extreme  age  of 
ninety-one  years.  Charles  J.  Spencer  was  twice  married,  first  to  Eliza- 
beth Snyder,  by  whom  he  had  the  following  children :  Moses,  who  died 
in  the  Civil  war;  Mary  (Brewer),  now  deceased;  John,  who  is  deceased, 
having  also  served  in  the  war;  Mandy,  whose  first  husband  died  in  the 
army,  and  she  afterward  married  Joshua  Anderson,  also  a  soldier  in  the 
same  war  and  now  deceased,  and  she  resides  in  Sanborn ;  Joseph,  residing 
in  Jefferson  township;  William  T.,  of  this  township,  and  Arman,  of  this 
sketch.  For  his  second  wife  Charles  J.  Spencer  married  Frances  Owen, 
by  whom  five  children  were  born,  as  follows :  Sarah,  who  married  Her- 
rod  Risley ;  Charles  J.,  Jr.,  now  of  Sanborn,  Indiana ;  Eva,  of  Jefferson 
township,  and  who  married  James  Howard ;  Frank,  of  Jefferson  township, 
and  Logan,  deceased.  The  father,  Charles  J.  Spencer,  was  formerly  a 
Whig,  and  joined  the  Republican  party  when  it  superseded  the  Whigs. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  its  deacon,  and  his  wife  also 
belonged  to  that  denomination. 

Arman  Spencer  obtained  his  schooling  in  the  country  schools  of  his 
home  district.  His  youth,  however,  was  spent  largely  in  assisting  his 
father  in  clearing  up  his  forest  farm  and  making  the  necessary  improve- 
ments to  gain  for  the  family  a  comfortable  and  valuable  home.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  reached  his  majority,  then  married  and 
lived  with  his  father  one  year,  at  which  time  he  bought  forty  acres  of 
land  where  he  now  resides,  the  place  being  four  and  a  half  miles  south- 
west of  Pleasantville.  This  place  he  cleared  from  out  the  heavily  tim- 
bered land,  unaided  by  others,  which  task  was  no  small  undertaking.  He 
now  owns  sixty  acres  of  excellent  land,  all  well  improved.  He  pays 
special  attention  to  the  growth  of  grain. 

Mr.  Spencer  has  been  twice  married,  first  in  1868  to  Ellen  Risley,  by 
whom  one  child  was  born,  Nancy  J.,  born  in  1869  and  married  Daniel 
Owen,  now  deceased,  and  she  resides  at  Vincennes.  Mrs.  Spencer  died 
in  1876,  and  three  years  later  he  married  Helen  Owen,  born  August  3, 
1852.  By  this  union  four  children  were  born :  Daniel,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Anna  B.  and  Fannie  D.,  twins,  the  former  married  to  James  Wil- 
son and  residing  in  Pleasantville,  and  Fannie  is  unmarried  and  lives  with 
her  sister;  and  Flossy  E.,  who  married  Hasseh  Brewer  and  is  at  home. 
Politically  Mr.  Spencer  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  the  office  of  super- 
visor one  year. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  355 

J.  Wesley  Enochs,  who  is  numbered  among  the  prosperous  agricul- 
turists of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  in  this  township 
April  14,  1861,  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Margaret  A.  (Hinkle)  Enochs. 
The  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina  February  1,  1809,  and  died  in 
Jefferson  township,  this  county,  April  14,  1894.  The  mother  was  born 
in  1820  in  Kentucky,  and  died  in  this  township  about  1888.  James  M. 
Enochs  went  from  his  native  state  with  his  parents  in  1812,  and  about 
1835  settled  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  entering  land  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship. He  was  the  son  of  Jones  and  Mary  (Mock)  Enochs,  natives  of 
North  Carolina.  Jones  Enochs  was  a  farmer,  and  died  here  at  the 
extreme  age  of  ninety-six  years.  Margaret  A.  (Hinkle)  Enochs  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Hinkle,  who  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  about  1830  and  there  remained  until  their  death. 
At  one  time  James  M.  Enochs  owned  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land.  In  politics  he  supported  the  Democratic  party,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  was  mVfaithful  wife.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  this  union :  Eli,  deceased ;  Mary,  Mrs.  Brewer,  of 
Greene  county,  Indiana ;  Manda,  Mrs.  Howard,  residing  in  Gill  township, 
Sullivan  county;  the  next  two  children  died  in  infancy;  Ruel,  deceased; 
Angeline,  deceased ;  Ellen,  deceased ;  Eliza,  Mrs.  Phillips,  residing  in  Knox 
county,  Indiana,  and  J.  Wesley,  of  this  notice. 

J.  Wesley  Enochs  received  his  education  at  the  common  schools.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  as  is  also  his  wife.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Prohibition  party,  believing  that 
neither  of  the  other  great  political  parties  will  ever  solve  the 
temperance  question  in  this  country.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  order,  belonging  to  lodge  No.  408  at  Pleasant- 
ville,  and  has  filled  all  its  chairs  and  represented  the  lodge  at  the 
Grand  Lodge.  He  taught  school  one  term,  but  aside  from  that  he  was 
employed  by  his  father  until  his  marriage,  when  he  was  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  and  six  acres  of  land  where  he  now  resides,  but  to  which  he  has 
added  until  his  present  place  contains  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres. 
He  is  an  excellent  farmer,  and  pays  most  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock. 

About  1890  he  was  married  to  Stella  L.  Edmonds,  born  May  20,  1866, 
in  Jefferson  township,  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Serelda  Edmonds,  who 
reside  in  Sullivan.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Enochs  are :  Rex 
P.,  born  September  10,  1892,  now  attending  school ;  James  H.,  born  Octo- 
ber 10,  1896,  also  in  school,  and  Laurel  A.,  born  November  12,  1902. 


Thomas  B.  O'Haver  is  one  of  the  men  of  Jefferson  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  who  have  made  their  community  the  better  for  having  been 
citizens  of  it,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  an  untiring  church  worker 
and  always  standing  for  the  right — such  an  influence  can  be  but  for  good. 
Mr.  O'Haver  was  born  September  30,  1844,  m  Greene  county,  Indiana,  a 
son  of  Pleasant  M.  and  Cynthia  A  (Hinkle)  O'Haver.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  died  in  Pleasantville  in  1881.     The  mother  was 


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356  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

born  and  died  in  Greene  county,  the  date  of  her  death  being  February  13, 
1868,  when  she  was  about  forty  years  of  age.  Pleasant  M.  O'Haver  came 
from  Tennessee  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1820,  settling  near  Carlisle 
with  his  father,  Joseph  O'Haver,  and  he  married  Bettie  (Swagerty) 
O'Haver.  The  name  O'Haver  was  originally  O'Heifer.  Joseph  settled 
near  Carlisle  and  there  died.  The  son,  Pleasant  M.,  entered  land  where 
Pleasantville  now  stands,  and  for  him  the  town  was  named.  At  one  time 
he  owned  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Sullivan  and  Greene  counties. 
His  occupation  was  raising  and  herding  cattle,  besides  doing  some  farm- 
ing. In  his  politics  he  was  always  a  firm  Democrat  until  his  later  years, 
when  he  became  a  Prohibitionist ;  seeing  the  great  and  growing  evil  of  in- 
temperance sweeping  over  the  land  as  he  did  he  allied  himself  with  this 
party.  He  served  as  township  trustee  two  terms,  and  was  justice  of  the 
peace  several  terms.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife  were  exemplary  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  was  a  church  trustee  and  had 
held  every  office  in  the  church,  save  that  of  pastor.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  Pleasant  M.  O'Haver  by  the  subject's  mother,  Cynthia  A.  (Hinkle) 
O'Haver,  and  four  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  a  widow  Martin*  Of  the 
first  marriage  one  child  died  in  infancy  and  the  other  three  lived  to  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  but  only  one  still  survives — Mrs.  Edmonds,  of 
Sullivan.  By  his  second  marriage  the  children  born  were  as  follows: 
Thomas  B. ;  Martha,  born  June  25,  1847,  resides  in  Marco,  Greene  county, 
Indiana,  the  wife  of  Jesse  Fleming;  John  W.,  born  February  11,  1849, 
residing  in  Danville,  Illinois,  a  physician  who  married  Nina  Jones ;  Louisa 
J.,  born  February  24,  185 1,  and  who  resides  in  Jefferson  township,  married 
James  H.  Clark;  James  F.,  born  March  1,  1853,  and  residing  in  Greene 
county,  Indiana,  married  Sarah  Flater ;  Charles  J.,  born  July  18,  1854,  and 
residing  in  Florida,  married  Lulu  Shepherd;  Robert  S.,  bom  April  20, 
1856,  resides  in  Sanborn,  Indiana,  and  married  Flora  Coffee,  and  Grace, 
born  January  16,  i860,  married  Shannon  Ogg,  who  is  now  deceased,  but 
she  lives  in  Florida. 

Thomas  B.  O'Haver,  son  of  Pleasant  and  Cynthia  A.  (Hinkle) 
O'Haver,  obtained  his  education  at  the  country  schools  and  attended  school 
one  year  at  Greencastle,  Indiana.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  The  father  built  a  feed  and 
flour  mill  in  Pleasantville  in  1864,  and  Thomas  B.  and  his  brother  John 
worked  in  this  mill  until  1870,  when  they  bought  the  property  and  operated 
it  in  partnership  until  1876,  when  Thomas  B.  sold  his  share 
to  his  brother.  From  1864  to  1865  Mr.  O'Haver  served  in 
Company  E,  Ninth  Volunteer  Indiana  Infantry  Regiment'.  He 
escaped  without  wounds,  having  participated  in  the  engagements 
at  Nashville  and  Franklin,  Tennessee.  After  selling  his  interest  in 
the  milling  business  he  went  back  to  his  farm  in  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
and  continued  living  on  his  place  until  1895,  when  he  moved  to  his  land  in 
Sullivan  county,  on  the  edge  of  the  town  of  Pleasantville.  He  now  owns 
ninety  acres,  but  at  one  time  owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  was  his  wrife  during  her 
lifetime.     Mr.  O'Haver  has  held  all  the  various  offices  and  has  been  active 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  357 

in  every  interest  of  the  church  of  his  fathers.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd 
Fellows'  order,  lodge  No.  408,  at  Pleasantville,  having  filled  all  of  the 
chairs  and  represented  the  subordinate  lodge  at  the  Grand  Lodge  which  met 
at  Indianapolis  in  1878,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  Encampment  and 
Rebekah  degrees.  He  is  numbered  among  the  Civil  war  veterans  who 
compose  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  belonging  to  McClung  Post  No. 
476.  He  is  now  quartermaster  of  this  post,  and  has  held  all  other  local 
offices.     Politically  Mr.  O'Haver  is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party. 

An  incident  of  his  boyhood  (Jays  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connection : 
When  but  six  years  of  age  he  was  lost  in  what  was  known  as  the  Old 
Goose  Pond  in  Greene  county.  It  was  in  the  afternoon  and  he  was  not 
recovered  until  late  that  night.  The  whole  settlement  were  out  in  search  of 
him,  and  several  times  he  was  near  his  seekers,  but  he  thinking  they  were 
wolves  would  skulk  away  from  them,  until  finally  he  saw  a  light  at  one  of 
the  neighbor's  and  went  to  it.  It  proved  to  be  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Breese, 
who  took  him  to  his  parents'  home. 

Mr.  O'Haver  was  married  May  11,  1871,  to  Sarah  J.  Huffman,  who 
was  born  January  20,  1852,  and  died  August  30,  1904.  Three  children 
were  born  of  this  union:  Roscoe  C,  born  November  4,  1872,  married 
Daisy  Ellis  and  resides  at  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Ora  Myrtle,  born  Janu- 
ary 26,  1876,  married  George  L.  Baker  and  resides  in  Worthingtoir, 
Indiana,  and  Daisy  C,  born  September  16,  1883,  married  John  Jackson,  a 
physician  in  Lyons,  Greene  county,  Indiana. 


Martin  Ungerer,  one  of  the  successful  and  thoroughgoing  farmers 
now  tilling  the  fertile  soil  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  whose  farm-home  is 
situated  within  Jefferson  township,  is  a  native  of  France,  born  near  the 
city  of  Paris  September  20,  1852.  His  parents  were  Michael  and  Eliza- 
beth (Rucher)  Ungerer,  both  born  in  France,  but  came  to  the  United 
States  when  young  people.  They  returned  to  their  native  land  after  their 
marriage,  which  occurred  in  Buffalo,  New  York.  While  in  this  country 
the  father  was  employed  in  a  factor}-,  but  upon  his  return  to  France  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  lived  but  a  short  time  after  going  back,  and  was 
but  forty-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  His  wife  returned 
to  America  a  few  years  after  her  husband's  death  and  located  at  Indian- 
apolis, Indiana,  where  she  died  in  1895,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michael  Ungerer  were  as  follows:  Michael, 
Jr.,  a  resident  of  Haddon  township;  George,  of  Ohio,  who  married  Carrie 
Pilotbracker,  who  is  now  deceased ;  John,  of  Haddon  township,  who  mar- 
ried Catherine  Lake ;  Martin,  who  will  form  the  subject  of  this  biograph- 
ical review;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Barbara,  residing  in  Indianapolis,  and 
who  married  Michael  Lindbuyer,  and  Katherine,  of  Indianapolis,  •  who 
married  Henry  Hockerty. 

Martin  Ungerer  came  to  this  country  alone  when  aged  fourteen  years. 
He  obtained  the  greater  part  of  his  education  in  his  native  country.  He 
went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  one  year  and  then  to  Sullivan 


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358  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

county,  Indiana,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since.  It  was  in  1867  when  Mr. 
Ungerer  first  arrived  in  this  country,  and  the  next  seven  years  he  spent  as 
a  farm  laborer,  doing  his  work  faithfully  and  well,  and  he  was  never 
without  profitable  employment.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  commenced 
farming  on  his  own  account,  when  he  at  once  became  more  forehanded 
and  independent.  He  farmed  in  Haddon  township  five  years  and  then 
purchased  a  twenty-acre  tract  of  land  in  Jefferson  township,  to  which  he 
soon  added  twenty  more.  Subsequently  he  added  to  his  farm  sufficient  to 
make  it  eighty-one  acres,  its  present  size.  This  valuable  property  is  situ- 
ated five  miles  southeast  of  Carlisle,  and  here  he  carries  on  his  farm 
operations,  which  consist  chiefly  in  the  production  of  grain  and  hogs. 
Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party,  and  in  his  religious  faith 
adheres  to  that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  does  his  wife.  Be- 
lieving in  the  policy  of  protecting  his  family  he  is  numbered  in  the  great 
membership  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  his  lodge  being  No. 
3332  at  Carlisle,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Ungerer  was  united  in  marriage,  October  22,  1874,  to  Viola  J. 
Deiss,  born  in  Ohio  May  8,  1857.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  F.  and 
Wilhelmina  (Heifner)  Deiss,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  union  are :  Rosa  W.,  who  married  Burt  Hart  and  they  reside 
in  Terre  Haute ;  Luella  May,  who  married  Fred  McCammon  and  resides  in 
Knox  county,  Indiana ;  Albert  N.,  at  home,  unmarried ;  Barney  E.,  unmar- 
ried and  at  home ;  Eva  C,  wedded  Curtis  Critchlow  and  resides  in  Terre 
Haute ;  Garrette  Martin,  at  home,  and  Ivan  Oakley,  at  home.  Albert  and 
Barney  are  both  members  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Camp 
3332,  at  Carlisle,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Ungerer  has  purchased  a  residence  in  Haddon  township  and  will 
move  there  for  retirement,  leaving  the  farm  in  charge  of  his  sons. 


Columbus  Bough,  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  undertaking  busi- 
ness at  the  village  of  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  was  born  in  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  January  29,  1849,  a  son  °f  Henry  and  Mary  (Irwin)  Bough. 
Both  parents  were  natives  of  the  same  county  in  which  the  son  was  born. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  during  the  later  part  of  his  life.  The  grand- 
father was  a  miller  and  Henry  lived  with  him  until  his  marriage  and  was 
then  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  until  the  gold  fever  struck  the 
country  in  1849.  I*1  ^52  Henry  Bough  went  to  far-away  California  in 
quest  of  gold,  and  there  remained  until  1857.  He  was  very  successful  and 
coming  back  to  Ohio  he  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  resided  until  his 
children  were  of  age,  and  then  sold  and  removed  to  New  Lisbon,  there 
remaining  until  his  death  in  1899;  the  wife,  and  the  mother  of  him  for 
whom  this  notice  is  written,  died  in  1897.  The  father  was  a  Methodist  in 
church  connection,  and  politically  a  Democrat. 

Columbus  Bough  obtained  his  schooling  in  the  country  schools  and  at 
the  New  Lisbon  schools  in  Ohio,  attending  the  high  school  for  a  time. 
He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his  majority  and  then  was  em- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  359 

ployed  as  a  farm  hand  in  Ohio.  He  learned  the  painter's  trade  and 
followed  it  for  twenty  years,  then  embarked  in  the  hardware  and  under- 
taking business  at  Pleasantville,  where  he  is  still  located  and  doing  the 
exclusive  trade  in  that  line,  as  well  as  the  handling  of  farm  implements. 
His  wife  also  conducts  a  millinery  store  in  the  same  building.  Mr.  Bough 
owns  a  complete  stock  valued  at  about  seven  thousand  dollars,  besides  his 
beautiful  residence  property  and  five  acres  of  land  within  the  village. 

Politically  Mr.  Bough  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
church  relations  is  a  Methodist  Episcopal.  While  never  seeking  local 
office,  he  has  served  for  seven  years  as  township  trustee.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  worthy  members  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  order,  lodge  No.  408, 
and  is  alive  to  the  best  interests  of  his  community. 

Regarding  his  brothers  and  sisters  it  may  here  be  said  that  there  were 
six  children  in  his  parents'  family,  four  of  whom  still  survive.  The 
names  of  this  family  are :  Joseph,  who  was  a  printer  in  Cleveland,  died 
in  the  service  of  his  country,  being  a  member  of  an  Ohio  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  he  was  the  second  man  in  his  city  to  enlist;  Phebe, 
deceased;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Marcus,  residing  in  Liverpool,  Ohio; 
Columbus,  of  this  notice,  and  John  A.,  of  New  South  Wales. 

Mr.  Bough  was  united  in  marriage,  December  3,  1875,  to  Sarah  E. 
Harbin,  born  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  March  9,  1855,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Frances  (Martin)  Harbin.  The  father  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  as  was  also  the  mother.  They  came  to  Greene  county,  Indiana, 
in  1845,  bought  a  farm  and  there  resided  until  1875,  when  the  father  died. 
The  mother  continued  on  the  old  homestead  about  five  years  longer,  and 
then  went  to  Missouri  and  died  in  1887.  Concerning  the  Harbin  family 
it  may  be  here  related  that  in  this  immediate  family  there  were  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  are  living :  Jesse,  deceased ;  George  and  John,  who 
reside  in  Missouri ;  Thomas,  deceased ;  David,  living  in  Kentucky ;  Sarah 
E.,  wife  of  Mr.  Bough ;  Alvin,  of  Missouri,  and  Elmer,  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bough  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  A 
child  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary  Clarissa,  unmarried  and  at  home,  and 
Teressa,  wife  of  Dr.  E.  E.  Padgett,  of  Indianapolis. 


Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Shepherd,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Pleasantville,  Sullivan 
county,  who  is  the  well  known  and  highly  competent  dental  surgeon  of 
the  village,  .was  born  at  Jacobsburg,  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  January  5, 
1845.  He  is  the  son  of  W.  M.  and  Anna  C.  (Calvert)  Shepherd.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  born  March  10,  181  o.  The 
mother  was  born  October  10,  1806,  in  the  same  county  in  which  her  hus- 
band was  born,  and  both  families  were  native  to  eastern  Maryland. 
W.  M.  Shepherd  and  family  in  1865  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits.  Some  years  later  he,  with  his  son,  he  of  whom  this 
notice  is  written,  purchased  a  farm  jointly.  Again  the  father  engaged  in 
business  at  Des  Moines,  in  which  city  he  died  in  1880,  while  the  mother 
survived  until  1894  and  died  in  Oklahoma. 

B.  F.  Shepherd  attended  the  public  schools  and  an  academy  in  Ohio 


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360  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

three  terms  and  remained  at  home  until  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then 
enlisted  in  the  Eighty-seventh  Ohio  Regiment  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war,  serving  three  months.  He  was  engaged  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  was 
taken  prisoner  at  that- point  and  paroled.  He  enlisted  again  in  May,  1863, 
in  the  Fourth  Independent  Battalion  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry,  and  par- 
ticipated in  several  engagements.  In  May,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  for  three 
years  in  the  Thirteenth  Ohio  Cavalry  Regiment,  he  being  tendered  a  major's 
command,  which  he  declined.  At  Petersburg,  Virginia,  he  was  wounded, 
and  throughout  his  army  life  he  saw  much  exposure  and  hardship,  though 
possibly  not  as  severe  as  many  others.  After  returning  from  the  war 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  but  only  resided  there  a  short 
time.  He  attended  school  at  Knoxville,  Iowa,  one  term  and  then  began 
teaching  school,  which  vocation  he  followed  twenty  years — in  Iowa  from 
1867  to  1873 '»  m  Ohio  he  taught  one  term  in  Ross  county,  and  then  going 
to  Indiana,  he  taught  the  remainder  of  the  twenty-year  period.  In  1887  he 
began  the  practice  of  dentistry  and  has  continued  to  the  present  time.  He 
never  attended  a  regular  dental  school,  but  by  careful  study  easily  passed 
the  state  board  examination.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Shepherd  is  an 
independent  voter,  favoring  the  Prohibition  party.  Like  his  parents,  he 
is  a  Methodist  in  church  faith,  and  is  an  ordained  minister,  having  been 
ordained  as  an  elder  in  1896.  He  preaches  upon  an  average  of  fifty  ser- 
mons a  year.  At  this  time  (1908)  he  is  a  class-leader,  and  was  elected 
as  delegate  to  the  conference  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  in  1904.  In  fra- 
ternal connection  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge,  No.  560,  of 
Castle  Hall  Lodge  No.  358,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  of  Odd  Fellows 
order,  Lodge  No.  408,  as  well  as  of  their  auxiliaries — the  Rathburns  and 
Rebekahs. 

Of  his  domestic  relations  it  should  be  written  that  he  was  married 
November  26,  1864,  to  Miss  Rebecca  C.  Powell,  born  in  Lee  county, 
Virginia,  October  25,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  F.  and  Ann  (Rankin) 
Powell.  Her  parents  came  to  Indiana  in  March,  1869,  locating  on  a  small 
farm  in  Greene  county,  and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1874,  when 
Dr.  Shepherd's  father  bought  their  farm.  The  father  died  at  Mr.  Shep- 
herd's place  in  the  village  of  Pleasantville ;  he  was  born  in  1818  and  died 
in  1882.  The  mother  continued  to  reside  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Shep- 
herd, some  ten  years,  when  her  death  occurred. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shepherd  are  the  parents  of  the  following  named  chil- 
dren: Ella,  wife  of  John  C.  Smith,  a  farmer  living  near  Frelandville ; 
William  F.,  a  graduate  of  the  Indianapolis  Dental  College,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  practices  his  profession  at  Bicknell,  Knox  county:  Estella  V., 
wife  of  Frank  Howard,  a  farmer  near  Pleasantville ;  Ralph  C,  a  graduate 
of  the  same  dental  school  as  before  named,  and  who  married  Miss  Elsie 
Dunkerly;  Bertha  F.,  wife  of  J.  Elliott  Douthit,  a  farmer  of  Sullivan 
county,  living  near  Pleasantville;  George  E.,  of  Pleasantville,  married 
Miss  Maude  Booker  and  is  a  barber  by  trade ;  David  D.,  unmarried  and 
now  attending  the  business  college  at  Indianapolis;  and  Jesse  E.  S., 
unmarried  and  a  mail  carrier.  Two  other  children  are  deceased,  the  first- 
born and  another,  who  died  young. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  361 

William  R.  Hash,  the  owner  and  cultivator  of  a  large  grain  and 
stock  farm  within  the  bounds  of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  very 
naturally  finds  a  place  on  the  pages  of  this  work,  which  aims  to  give  some- 
thing of  the  family  history  and  general  movements  of  the  representative 
men  and  women  of  the  county.  Mr.  Hash  was  born  in  Center  township, 
Greene  county,  Indiana,  July  20,  1851,  and  is  the  son  of  John  C.  and 
Catherine  (Edwards)  Hash.  The  father  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1813 
and  died  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  in  1878.  The  mother  was  born  in 
181 8,  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  and  died  in  the  month  of  November, 
1906,  in  Knox  county.  This  worthy  couple  were  united  in  marriage  in 
Lawrence  county,  and  moved  to  Greene  county  in  about  1840,  purchasing 
land  in  that  section  of  the  state.  At  one  time  he  owned  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  was  an  industrious,  enterprising  and  withal  an  excellent 
Christian  gentleman,  of  whom  the  world  has  none  too  many.  Politically 
he  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
which  organization  he  ever  cheerfully  supported.  He  served  his  township 
as  constable  for  a  number  of  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  consistent 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Their  family  consisted  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, born  in  the  following  order :  Andrew,  deceased ;  David,  deceased ; 
Mary,  deceased ;  Stephen,  deceased ;  Hugh,  now  residing  in  Knox  county, 
Indiana,  married  Elizabeth  McDaniel ;  Ahart,  deceased ;  Allen,  deceased ; 
Serena,  deceased ;  William  Riley,  of  this  sketch ;  Adeline,  now  residing  in 
Knox  county,  Indiana,  married  Harvey  McDaniel ;  Mahala,  deceased ;  and 
Elizabeth,  deceased.  Catherine  (Edwards)  Hash,  the  mother  of  the  above 
family,  was  the  daughter  of  Edward  Edwards,  a  native  of  North  Carolina 
who  followed  farming  for  his  occupation. 

William  R.  Hash  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools,  and 
was  early  taught  the  need  of  industrious  and  frugal  habits,  which  have 
served  him  a  good  purpose  as  he  advanced  into  the  actual  battle  of  life. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went  forth  for  the  accomplishment  of  his 
own  purposes.  He  leased  a  farm  in  Greene  county,  remaining  there  until 
1903,  when  he  purchased  a  one  hundred  acre  farm  situated  two  miles 
from  Pleasantville  in  a  southern  direction.  Here  he  continues  to  do  a 
general  farming  business,  raising  both  grain  and  stock.  Besides  his 
own  land  he  rents  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres,  which,  in  all,  pro- 
vides a  large  acreage  from  which  to  reap  the  products  of  the  soil  he  so 
carefully  cultivates  and  handles  for  stock  purposes.  Politically,  Mr.  Hash 
contributes  his  share  towards  the  support  of  the  Republican  party  locally 
and  within  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  the  popular  benevolent  organization,  and  holds  membership  in 
Camp  No.  4929  at  Pleasantville. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  October  18,  187 1,  to  Mary  A.  McDaniel, 
born  August  29,  1854,  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Susanna  (Folk)  McDaniel.  Her  parents  are  both  deceased.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hash,  eight  in  number,  are  as  follows: 
Emma,  born  October  9,  1874,  resides  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  married 
to  Jeff  Jerrell,  and  they  have  two  children,  Roy  and  W.  Riley ;  Arminda, 
born  August  13,  1877,  resides  in  Davis  county,  Indiana,  wife  of  Edward 


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362  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Smith,  and  they  have  one  little  son,  Edwin  Rush ;  Leeary,  born  July  19, 
1881,  and  a  resident  in  Daviess  county,  Indiana,  married  Daisy  Risley  and 
they  have  two  children,  Mary  Frances  and  an  infant ;  Nora,  born  Septem- 
ber 21,  1883,  resides  at  home;  Oscar,  born  September  5,  1886,  is  at  home; 
Albert,  born  May  5,  1889,  is  still  at  home;  Ecless,  born  October  22,  1891, 
died  April  17,  1908;  and  Goldie  May,  born  September  18,  1899.  These 
sons  and  daughters  have  all  had  the  advantages  of  the  most  excellent 
public  schools  of  their  native  county.  Oscar,  the  fifth  child  in  the  family, 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  as  well  as  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  lodge  No.  208,  at  Sanborn,  Indiana,  of  which  he  is 
an  officer. 


James  T.  Osburn,  who  is  a  large  land-owner  in  Fairbanks  township, 
Sullivan  county,  will  form  the  subject  of  this  biographical  notice.  He  was 
born  March  19,  1854,  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a 
son  of  William  and  Martha  Jane  (Hill)  Osburn,  natives  of  Kentucky,  the 
mother  being  born  at  Hardy  Hill,  that  state.  He  is  a  grandson  on  the 
maternal  side  of  Hardy  Hill,  who  was  captured  by  the  Indians  when  a 
boy  and  was  made  to  run  the  gauntlet,  but  finally  made  his  escape.  His 
father  served  in  the  War  of  18 12,  and  was  granted  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  now  included  in  the  city  of  Vincennes.  William 
Osburn  accompanied  his  parents  to  this  county  when  aged  fourteen  years, 
in  1826,  when  this  country  was  a  real  wilderness.  The  grandfather  Hill 
came  at  the  same  time.  While  entering  the  country  he  had  a  narrow 
escape  from  death  by  an  encounter  with  a  female  bear  who  had  two  cubs. 
The  man  and  bear  rolled  down  the  hill,  and  upon  reaching  the  bottom 
the  bear  was  on  top,  but  the  pioneer  secured  his  hunting-knife  and  killed 
the  animal  and  captured  the  cubs,  which  he  kept  six  years.  The  subject's 
father  lived  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage,  March  19,  1835,  and  as 
he  had  entered  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  in  Hamilton  township,  he  went 
there.  The  wild  animals  were  on  every  hand,  including  the  deadly  panther 
and  wolves  almost  innumerable.  From  time  to  time  the  father  purchased 
and  entered  many  tracts  of  land,  owning  seven  hundred  and  thirty-two 
acres  in  what  he  called  his  home  place,  and  at  the  date  of  his  death  he 
owned  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  died  April  13,  1889,  and  his 
good  wife  died  about  1896.  They  were  the  parents  of  sixteen  children, 
eight  of  whom  reached  the  age  of  maturity. 

James  T.  Osburn,  of  this  notice,  was  the  sixth  of  the  children  who 
survived  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  He  made  his  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  his  marriage,  November  9,  1876,  to  Sarah  Wilson,  born  in 
Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (McKiriley)  Wilson.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Osburn  settled  down 
on  an  eighty-seven  and  one-half  acre  tract  of  land  in  Turman  township. 
To  this  he  kept  adding,  until  he  possessed  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
acres.  He  improved  and  worked  this  land  until  the  winter  of  1889-90, 
when  he  sold  it,  intending  to  move  west,  his  wife  having  died  on  Novem- 
ber 28,  1884.    He,  however,  changed  his  mind  and  relocated  in  Sullivan 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  363 

county,  by  the  purchase  of  two  hundred  and  ninety-six  acres  of  land  in 
sections  25  and  26.  There  are  about  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  under 
cultivation.  In  the  winter  of  1907-8  he  cleared  up  thirty-five  acres  of 
timber,  which  is  now  in  splendid  farming  condition.  Here  Mr.  Osburn 
raises  grain,  horses,  mules,  cattle  and  hogs. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order,  belonging  to  Lodge  No. 
762,  of  Fairbanks.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  Osburn  and  wife  are  as 
follows :  Martha,  Mrs.  Joseph  Malone,  of  Fort  Morgan,  Colorado ;  Will- 
iam M.,  of  Colorado;  Allen  G.,  of  Rocky  Ford,  Colorado;  and  Manford, 
at  home.  By  the  second  marriage,  June  18,  1885,  to  Nancy  Jane  Malone, 
born  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Sarah  (Armstrong)  Malone,  the  issue  is:  Bertha,  born  March  13, 
1887,  died  October  27,  1893;  Lillian,  born  April  7,  1889,  died  March  8, 
1896;  James,  born  June  29,  1894,  died  on  the  14th  of  November,  1908; 
Claud  A.,  born  April  18,  1896,  died  in  infancy ;  Gerret,  born  August  30, 
1898;  and  Mary  E.,  born  February  4,  1902. 


George  F.  Botts,  of  the  firm  of  E.  R.  Leach  &  Company,  dealers  in 
flour  and  feed  at  Sullivan,  was  born  September  10,  1864,  in  Hamilton 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  a  son  of  Leander  R.  Botts  and  wife, 
whose  family  history  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  township,  attending  the  high  school  at  Sullivan, 
after  which  he  taught  one  year  and  then  entered  the  college  at  Valparaiso, 
Indiana,  in  1885.  He  again  took  up  teaching,  following  that  vocation  for 
twenty  years,  his  last  term  of  school  ending  in  1904.  The  greater  part  of 
his  time  was  spent  in  the  Hamilton  township  schools,  and  during  the 
summer  season  he  farmed  land  within  the  same  township.  He  moved  to 
Sullivan  in  the  autumn  of  1904,  and  then  embarked  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness with  A.  E.  Hazelrigg,  which  continued  until  September,  1907,  when 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  E.  R.  Leach  under  the  firm  name  of  E.  R. 
Leach  &  Company,  in  the  flour  and  feed  business,  handling  in  both  a  retail 
and  wholesale  way  flour,  feed,  hay,  salt,  etc.  Mr.  Botts  still  holds  his 
farm  in  Hamilton  township.  Politically  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  having  passed  all  the  chairs  in  Odd  Fellowship, 
and  has  been  to  the  Grand  Lodge. 

Mr.  Botts  was  married,  March  30,  1887,  to  Retta  Rich,  a  native  of 
Hamilton  township,  born  June  20,  1868,  daughter  of  Jackson  and  Sarah 
(Henderson)  Rich,  both  parents  being,  natives  of  Lawrence  county, 
Indiana,  and  now  both  deceased,  the  mother  dying  in  1888,  aged  sixty- 
four  years,  while  the  father  was  born  in  1825  and  died  in  1898.  They 
were  married  in  Lawrence  county,  and  came  to  Sullivan  county  in  the 
early  fifties,  locating  in  Hamilton  township.  They  raised  a  family  of  ten 
children,  all  obtaining  a  good  education  within  Sullivan  county.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Botts  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  viz. :   Goldie,  born  March  25, 


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364  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

1889,  unmarried  and  at  home,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Sullivan  high  school ; 
Bertha,  born  January  18,  1892,  also  at  home;  and  Hubert,  born  August  8, 
1894.  Mr.  Botts  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Andrew  Sin  Clair,  one  of  the  sturdy,  enterprising  farmers  who  have 
helped  to  make  Sullivan  county  what  it  is  in  an  agricultural  way,  was 
born  June  2,  1837,  in  Gill  township,  this  county,  a  son  of  Parker  and 
Nancy  (McCammon)  Sin  Clair,  he  being  one  of  the  thirteen  children  of 
this  worthy  couple.  The  subject's  father  was  born  July  16,  1789,  in 
Virginia,  and  died  February  16,  1875.  The  mother  was  born  in  1799,  in 
Virginia,  and  died  July  25,  1874.  They  both  became  residents  of  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  prior  to  their  marriage,  and  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  county.  Parker  Sin  Clair  was  a  school  teacher,  as  well  as  a 
progressive  farmer.  At  one  time  he  taught  in  Carlisle.  He  entered  a 
quarter  section  of  land  in  Gill  township,  and  was  an  extensive  stock  raiser 
for  the  times  in  which  he  lived.  He  also  kept  many  stands  of  bees.  At 
one  time  in  his  life  he  owned  slaves,  and  was  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic 
party,  but  upon  the  election  of  President  Lincoln,  he  supported  the  Repub- 
lican party.  In  his  religious  faith  he  was  a  Methodist,  as  was  also  his 
wife. 

Andrew  Sin  Clair,  the  subject  proper  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of  the 
thirteen  children  of  his  parents'  family,  only  four  of  whom  still  survive, 
and  they  are  as  follows :  Maria  and  Bethena,  both  deceased ;  George  de- 
ceased; John,  deceased;  Samuel,  deceased;  Mathew,  deceased;  Patsey, 
deceased;  Elizabeth,  who  resides  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota;  Jane  (Wil- 
lis), who  resides  in  Sullivan;  Austin,  who  resides  in  Sullivan;  Andrew, 
the  subject ;  Joseph,  deceased,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy — the  youngest 
of  the  family. 

Andrew  remained  at  home  and  assisted  his  father  until  he  was  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  when  he  married.  He  owned  forty  acres  when  he  set 
out  in  lffe  for  himself,  but  now  has  seventy-five  acres  of  well  improved 
land  on  which  he  resides.  It  is  situated  two  miles  from  Sullivan  in  a 
southerly  direction.  He  has  been  a  successful  tiller  of  the  soil  and  raised 
considerable  stock  and  bought  and  sold  live  stock  also.  He  helped  to  con- 
struct the  E.  &  T.  H.  railroad,  when  that  line  was  put  through.  In  his 
political  choice  Mr.  Sin  Clair  is  a  Democrat,  and  he  served  as  a  supervisor 
three  terms.  He  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, lodge  No.  147,  at  Sullivan.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  acceptable 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  November  16,  1862,  he  was  married  to  Marticia  Rogers,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  died  in  Indiana  about  1875,  leaving  one  child — 
Nancy  Elizabeth,  now  residing  in  Sullivan.  For  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Sin  Clair  married,  December  16,  1883,  Laura  Orndow,  a  widow.  By  this 
union  Mr.  Sin  Clair  has  two  children.  Ruby  and  Ruth  (twins),  born 
November  9,  1893,  and  now  attending  the  public  schools. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  365 

Mesha  Hamilton,  a  farmer  residing  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan 
county,  and  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  is  justly  entitled  to  a  place  in  the 
annals  of  his  county  and  state.  He  was  born  December  16,  1847,  m  tne 
township  in  which  he  now  resides,  a  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Harriette 
(Catlin)  Hamilton.  His  father  was  born  in  1801,  in  Kentucky,  and  died 
November  20,  1881.  He  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1814,  with 
his  father,  James  Hamilton,  who  settled  in  this  township,  and  for  whom  it 
was  named.  Upon  coming  here  he  entered  land  at  the  government  price. 
Nathaniel  Hamilton  followed  flat-boating,  making  forty  trips  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  on  three  occasions  walked  back  from  that  far-off  city.  One  trip 
was  usually  made  each  year.  After  quitting  the  river  he  farmed  and 
worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  was  the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of 
good  land  in  Sullivan  county.  Politically  he  stood  for  old-fashioned 
Democracy,  but  never  held  public  office  except  that  of  marshal  of  Sullivan, 
he  being  the  first  one  chosen.  He  was  a  professor  of  religion  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathaniel 
Hamilton  were  as  follows :  Nancy,  deceased ;  John,  residing  in  Missouri, 
and  who  served  in  Company  E,  Forty-third  Indiana  Infantry,  at  first  as  a 
private  and  then  as  second  lieutenant,  continuing  in  the  service  for  more 
than  four  years  and  escaping  without  injury ;  Sarah  A.,  deceased ;  William, 
who  served  in  the  Eighth  Indiana  Battery  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Stone  river  in  1862 ;  James,  now  residing  in  Missouri ;  Mesha,  our  subject ; 
Samuel,  living  in  Missouri;  Katherine,  deceased,  and  Marion,  deceased. 

Mesha  Hamilton  remained  at  home  until  he  enlisted,  January  30,  1865, 
in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  Indiana  Infantry,  as  a 
private.  He  served  until  October  5,  1865.  He  is  a  member  of  Neff  Post 
No.  307,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  draws  a  pension  of  seventeen 
dollars  a  month.  After  his  discharge  from  the  Union  army  he  returned  to 
his  father's  place  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  there  remained  until  his 
marriage  in  1873.  He  soon  rented  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives, 
situated  three  miles  south  of  Sullivan,  and  continued  as  a  renter  until  1890, 
when  he  bought  the  place  he  had  been  renting.  This  place,  an  excellent 
one,  Mr.  Hamilton  has  finely  improved,  and  having  lived  on  it  for  so  long 
a  time  he  is  thoroughly  posted  as  to  its  every  need. 

He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  general  principles  of  the  national  Republi- 
can party  and  casts  his  vote  with  it.  Of  his  domestic  relations  it  may  be 
said  that  he  was  married  August  13,  1873,  to  Fannie  Rogers,  born  in 
Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  the  daughter  of  Shacklet  Rogers  and  wife.  By 
this  union  three  children  were  born:  Effie,  who  married  Henry  A.  Grif- 
fith ;  Elsie,  single  and  at  home,  and  a  teacher,  and  James  A.,  deceased. 


William  Henry  Harrison  Boles,  a  representative  fanner  of  Hamil- 
ton township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  was  born  June  25,  1837,  in  Haddon 
township,  a  son  of  Pleasant  and  Julia  Ann  (Franklin)  Boles.  His  father 
was  born  at  old  Fort  Harrison,  near  Vincennes,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  in 


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366  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

1811,  on  the  13th  day  of  February,  and  died  August  28,  1888.  He  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry  and  possessed  many  of  the  sterling  qualities  of 
that  people.  The  subject's  mother  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Ken- 
tucky, December  7,  1810,  and  died  April  28,  1890.  They  were  married  in 
Kentucky  about  1830,  and  immediately  went  to  Knox  county,  and  from 
there  to  Sullivan  county.  The  subject's  paternal  grandfather,  Edward 
Boles,  was  a  veterinary  surgeon  and  a  farmer,  born  in  Ireland,  and  served 
in  the  war  of  181 2.  Pleasant  Boles,  the  father,  ran  flatboats  on  the 
Wabash  river  to  Natchez  and  New  Orleans,  making  two  trips  each  spring, 
while  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  he  followed  farming.  In  the 
winter  months  some  years  he  did  whip-sawing.  He  was  the  father  of 
twelve  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living  and  are  as  follows :  Edward 
F.,  who  resides  in  Sullivan ;  Vardimon,  residing  in  Sullivan ;  Hamilton  G., 
residing  in  Kansas ;  W.  H.  H.,  the  subject;  Tobatha,  residing  in  Farmers- 
burg  :  and  Vandalia,  residing  in  Missouri. 

W.  H.  H.  Boles  was  only  about  four  years  of  age  when  the  family 
moved  back  to  Hamilton  township,  and  he  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  old,  and  then  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed at  intervals  for  about  twenty-five  years.  He  carried  on  farming 
usually  during  the  summers.  About  1870  he  purchased  his  present  farm, 
which  contains  sixty-four  acres  and  upon  which  he  has  resided  ever  since. 
Mr.  Boles  has  the  honor  of  being  numbered  among  the  brave  defenders 
of  the  Union,  having  enlisted  September  31,  1861;  in  Company  D  of  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana  Volunteer  Regiment  of  Infantry,  and  served  as  a 
private  soldier  and  corporal  for  two  years,  when  he  was  discharged  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1862,  and  was  also  at  the  siege  of  Corinth,  Mississippi.  He 
was  in  the  retreat  from  the  Cumberland  mountains  to  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky. Politically  Mr.  Boles  is  a  Republican,  and  ever  ready  to  do  his 
full  share  in  the  role  of  a  good  citizen. 

Mr.  Boles  has  been  thrice  married,  first  on  December  28,  1865,  to 
Elizabeth  M.  Conner,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  March  2,  1844,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  (Riggs)  Conner.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  New 
York  state  and  was  married  in  Ohio,  becoming  an  early  settler  there. 
Elizabeth  (Conner)  Boles  died  June  29,  1878,  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Earl  A.,  born  February  2,  1867,  now  resides  on  his  father's  farm ; 
Estella  Kansas,  born  November  13,  1868,  died  August  29,  1869,  and 
Florence  J.,  born  October  30,  1874,  is  now  the  wife  of  John  Metcalf. 
residing  in  Hamilton  township.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Boles  married 
Sarah  E.  Dodd,  born  in  Curry  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1841,  and  died  March  14,  1886.  There  was  no  issue  by  this  union. 
Mr.  Boles  married  his  present  wife,  Celia  Katherine  Dickerson,  Octo- 
ber 13,  1886.  She  had  been  twice  married.  She  was  born  in  Orange 
county,  Indiana,  in  1847,  ar*d  ner  parents  both  died  when  she  was  an 
infant. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boles  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Turman 
township  and  do  faithfully  and  well  their  part  in  church  work. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  367 

James  N.  Nicholson. — To  James  N.  Nicholson  belongs  the  distinc- 
tion of  conducting  the  only  jewelry  and  furniture  store  in  Hymera.  The 
jewelry  department  of  the  business  was  established  in  the  fall  of  1893, 
and  several  years  afterward,  in  the  spring  of  1898,  he  bought  the  furniture 
stock  of  Charles  Barnhart.  About  this  time  he  also  erected  the  splendid 
brick  block  in  Hymera  which  has  ever  since  remained  an  ornament  and  a 
credit  to  the  city,  and  removed  his  stock  of  jewelry  thereto  as  well  as  his 
furniture,  combining  the  two  departments  in  the  same  building,  and  he 
now  has  the  distinction  of  owning  and  conducting  the  only  exclusive  lines 
of  furniture  and  jewelry  in  the  city.  He  carries  an  exceptionally  fine  line 
of  furniture  and  carpets,  and  during  a  year  and  a  half  also  conducted  an 
undertaking  establishment,  but  sold  that  department  of  the  business  in 
1907.  He  is  a  conservative  and  at  the  same  time  a  progressive  business 
man,  and  is  meeting  with  a  large  and  well  merited  degree  of  success. 

Hymera  is  the  birthplace  of  Mr.  Nicholson  as  well  as  his  future  field 
of  success.  He  was  born  on  the  24th  of  September,  1870,  to  Samuel  H. 
and  Tillie  (Hinkle)  Nicholson,  the  father  a  native  of  Jackson  township, 
Sullivan  county.  When  he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years  James 
N.,  their  son,  began  learning  the  jewelry  business  with  Scott  Pauley  in 
Sullivan,  and  later  the  two  gentlemen  went  to  Alexander,  Indiana,  and 
conducted  a  store  there  for  two  years,  while  during  the  following  year 
Mr.  Nicholson  was  associated  with  L.  L.  Norton  at  Indianapolis,  from 
whence  he  returned  to  the  Pauley  Brothers  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and 
remained  with  them  for  one  year  longer.  Returning  then  to  his  home 
town  of  Hymera,  he  opened  a  jewelry  store  in  the  fall  of  1893  and  has 
since  been  numbered  among  the  town's  leading  business  men.  He  is  a 
Republican  politically,  and  is  identified  with  the  fraternal  life  of  the  city 
through  his  membership  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  its  encampment,  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  at  Hymera. 

In  1896  Mr.  Nicholson  was  married  to  Myrtle  Beckett,  who  was  born 
in  Hymera  in  1875,  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  Beckett,  who  died  several  years 
ago,  as  did  his  wife.  The  only  child  of  this  union  is  a  daughter,  Rebah, 
who  is  attending  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nicholson  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church. 

Caleb  J.  Thompson,  an  honored  resident  of  Hamilton  township, 
Sullivan  county,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  April  4,  1839, 
in  Curry  township,  in  the  little  village  of  Williamsburg,  which  place 
ceased  to  exist  after  Sullivan  sprang  up  and  overshadowed  it.  He  is  the 
son  of  James  W.  and  Beulah  (Hunt)  Thompson,  whose  family  sketch 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Caleb  J.  remained  at  home  in  his  native 
township  until  ten  years  of  age,  then  moved  to  Turman  township,  and  in  a 
short  time  moved  with  the  family  to  Hamilton  township.  In  less  than 
one  week  after  Fort  Sumter  had  been  fired  upon  he  offered  his  services  to 
his  country,  enlisting  April  18,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Seven- 
teenth Indiana  Infantry  Regiment,  as  a  private.  He  was  soon  promoted 
to  corporal  and  then  sergeant,  serving  faithfully  in  the  Union  cause  until 
August  19,  1865,  when  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  at  Indian- 
apolis.    His  captains  were  Martin,  Cubberley,  Anderson  and  Louthan, 

Vol.    II— 24 


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368  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

respectively.  He  participated  in  thirty-six  different  engagements,  among 
which  were  Chickamauga,  Shiloh,  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  etc.  His  regi- 
ment served  as  infantrymen  for  nineteen  months,  after  which  they  were 
mounted.  On  May  28,  1864,  Mr.  Thompson  lost  his  right  eye  at  Dallas, 
Georgia,  and  received  a  wound  in  the  back  at  Plantersville,  Alabama, 
April  1,  1865.  This  rebel  ball  is  still  carried  in  his  back,  and  the  one 
which  destroyed  his  eye  is  now  located  just  back  of  his  ear.  For  his  army 
hardships  and  wounds  he  receives  a  pension  of  twenty-four  dollars  a 
month.  After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Thompson  returned  to  Hamilton 
township  and  has  farmed  ever  since,  now  owning  a  farm  of  ninety  acres. 
Politically  he  is  a  firm  supporter  of  Republican  principles.  He  very 
naturally  finds  a  hearty  welcome  in  Gaskin  Grand  Army  Post  No.  564,  at 
Farmersburg.  He  was  united  in  marriage  September  1,  1868,  to  Sarah 
E.  Higdon,  born  February  19,  1849,  and  died  April  12,  1888.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  William  W.  Higdon  and  wife,  and  a  sister  of  Edmond 
Thompson's  wife.  By  this  union  four  children  were  born:  Effie,  de- 
ceased ;  Viola,  deceased ;  James  H.,  now  residing  in  Sullivan ;  and  William 
P.,  who  resides  in  Texas.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Thompson 
married,  February  26,  1889,  Mary  F.  Osborn,  born  February  23,  1855,  in 
Curry  township,  but  has  lived  in  Hamilton  township  since  she  was  about 
six  years  of  age.  She  received  her  education  at  the  common  country 
schools  and  at  the  high  school  at  Sullivan.  She  taught  one  season  after 
leaving  school.  Her  parents  were  Thomas  and  Martha  (Pinkston)  Os- 
burn ;  her  mother  still  lives,  but  her  father  died  in  May,  1904.  He  was 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  came  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  when  about 
four  months  of  age,  and  when  old  enough  followed  the  life  of  a  farmer. 
By  Mr.  Thompson's  second  marriage  one  daughter  was  born,  Cozy  B., 
born  February  7,  1894,  and  is  still  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson 
are  identified  with  church  work,  he  being  a  member  of  the  Baptist  and  his 
wife  of  the  Methodist  church. 


Edmond  W.  Thompson,  one  of  the  industrious  and  successful  agri- 
culturists of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  a  true  type 
of  an  American  citizen,  and  no  more  exalted  title  can  be  conferred  upon 
any  person,  for  in  all  that  is  good  America  affords  the  best.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son was  born  August  20,  1845,  in  Hamilton  township,  a  son  of  James  W. 
and  Beulah  (Hunt)  Thompson.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  mother  of  North  Carolina,  born  October  30,  1816,  and  died  in 
Hamilton  township.  May  20,  1906.  The  date  of  the  father's  birth  was 
18 13,  and  he  died  in  February,  1864.  James  W.  Thompson  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  when  a  mere  boy,  and  was  always  a  farmer  and 
stock-raiser.  Politically  he  voted  the  Whig  ticket  early  in  life,  and  when 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  was  effected  he  united  with  that 
and  was  ever  true  to  its  teachings  and  principles.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  worthy  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  served  his  country  a 
short  time  during  the  dark  days  of  the  rebellion  as  a  member  of  Corn- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  369 

pany  I,  Seventeenth  Indiana  Regiment.  James  W.  and  Beulah  (Hunt) 
Thompson  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  only  three  of  whom  are 
now  living;  Caleb  J.;  Edmond  W. ;  and  Rachel  L.,  the  latter  the  wife  of 
Henry  Christopher,  now  residing  in  Wyoming.. 

Edmond  W.  Thompson  obtained  his  education  at  the  schools  of 
Hamilton  township,  and  remained  at  home  until  he  enlisted,  August  21, 
1863,  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Regiment,  known  as  the 
"Persimmon  Brigade."  He  served  six  months  and  then  re-enlisted 
(rather,  went  as  a  substitute)  in  the  fall  of  1864  with  the  Fifty-ninth 
Indiana  Regiment,  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  with  which  command 
he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  That  the  family  was  one  pos- 
sessed of  true  patriotism,  it  only  needs  to  be  stated  that  his  father  and 
four  brother  were  all  in  the  Union  army.  All  were  indeed  fortunate 
and  returned  home  to  follow  the  more  peaceful  pursuits,  and  that  within 
a  free  nation.  After  the  war  the  subject  returned  to  the  old  homestead 
and  lived  with  his  mother  until  he  married,  after  which  she  lived  with 
him  until  her  death  in  1906.  Mr.  Thompson  owns  a  valuable  farm  prop- 
erty of  almost  a  hundred  acres  on  the  north  side  of  Hamilton  township, 
near  the  village  of  Shelburn.  He  also  deals  some  in  real  estate.  Politi- 
cally he  is  of  the  Republican  party  faith.  He  was  married,  January  21, 
1883,  to  Annora  B.  Higdon,  born  in  Hamilton  township,  August  12,  1859, 
a  daughter  of  William  W.  and  Nancy  (Coghill)  Higdon.  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son's mother  died  in  1902,  and  her  father  resides  in  Curry  township,  near 
Shelburn.  Mrs.  Thompson  received  her  education  in  her  native  township 
schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  born 
in  the  following  order:  Charles  Wesley,  born  November  21,  1883,  married 
Sadie  McCammeron  and  they  reside  in  Shelburn;  Oliver  Caleb,  born 
December  29,  1885,  unmarried  and  at  home;  Ethel  May,  born  January 
23,  1888;  unmarried  and  at  home;  William  H.  H.,  born  February  12, 
1890;  Eveline,  born  June  11,  1892;  Leona,  born  March  13,  1894;  Hobart, 
born  May  13,  1897;  and  the  two  youngest  children  were  twins,  born 
October  25,  1899.  This  family  were  all  well  educated,  and  Charles  Wesley 
attended  the  Danville  Normal.  The  parents  and  daughter  Ethel  M.  are 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


Mrs.  Mahala  Conner,  numbered  among  the  pioneers  of  this  section 
of  Indiana,  justly  finds  space  in  this  connection  with  which  to  make  a 
family  record  of  her  people,  who  have  had  no  small  part  in  the  developing 
of  the  country  to  its  present  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mrs.  Conner  was 
born  March  24,  1839,  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
S.  and  Jestena  (Darling)  Severns.  Her  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  father  born  October  17,  1794,  and  the  mother  May  22, 
1800.  She  died  in  1850,  while  her  husband  survived  until  1873.  They 
were  married  in  Ohio  and  were  sturdy  farmers.  He  was  in  the  war  of 
1812-14.  His  wife  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  They 
were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  Mrs.  Conner  being  next  to  the 


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370  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

youngest  in  the  family,  and  there  were  nine  daughters  and  four  sons,  all 
now  deceased  but  four :  Cordelia  and  Ellen,  both  of  whom  reside  in  Ohio, 
and  Sovenia  in  Greene  county,  Indiana. 

Mrs.  Conner  was  married  September  10,  1857,  just  prior  to  coming 
to  Indiana,  to  Isaac  Conner,  born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  February  27, 
1835.  He  went  to  Coshocton  county  with  his  mother  when  he  was  a 
mere  lad  and  received  his  education  in  that  section  of  the  state.  He  was 
of  Irish  descent,  and  always  followed  farming  pursuits  for  his  livelihood. 
He  was  both  a  grain  and  stock  farmer,  and  highly  successful.  He  owned 
five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  event  occurred 
June  25,  1902.  When  he  first  came  to  Sullivan  county  the  now  enter- 
prising town  of  Sullivan  was  not  in  existence.  His  father,  James  Conner, 
and  wife  came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1838,  remained  about  two  years, 
when  the  father  was  killed,  after  which  Isaac  and  his  mother  went  to 
Ohio,  and  he  there  remained  until  his  marriage.  Mrs.  Conner  arrived  in 
Sullivan  county  in  October,  1857,  and  at  once  began  keeping  house  on 
the  farm.  The  ten  children  born  to  Isaac  Conner  and  wife  were  as  fol- 
lows: Frank,  born  July  6,  18585  and  is  now  a  retired  farmer  living  in 
Sullivan;  Effie  and  Emma,  born  September  29,  i860 — Emma  died  August 
3,  1893,  and  Effie  is  now  the  wife  of  John  Wilson,  residing  in  Turman 
township,  Sullivan  county ;  Samuel,  born  December  18,  1863,  is  a  resident 
of  Hamilton  township;  Flora,  born  January  4,  1865,  is  now  wife  of  John 
M.  Woodard,  residing  in  Hamilton  township;  Stewart,  born  August  6, 
1867,  resides  with  his  mother;  Luella,  born  December  12,  1869,  is  now 
the  wife  of  Frank  Wible;  James  Harvey,  born  April  21,  1871,  wedded 
Maude  Daily  and  resides  in  Curry  township;  Gertrude,  born  April  17, 
1874,  is  the  wife  of  John  H.  Park  and  resides  in  Sullivan ;  and  Myrtle, 
born  March  10,  1878,  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Mattix  and  resides  in 
Hamilton  township. 

Mrs.  Conner  has  eighteen  grandchildren.  In  1889  Mr.  Conner  built 
a  fine  eight-room  brick  farm  house— one  of  the  best  in  Sullivan  county. 
Mrs.  Conner  still  occupies  the  old  homestead  and  rents  her  land  to  others, 
who  care  for  it.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conner  were  acceptable  members 
of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Conner  is  interred  in  Walls  cemetery,  where 
his  parents  also  are  buried. 


Walter  R.  Ward,  D.D.S. — The  name  of  Walter  R.  Ward  is  familiar 
to  the  residents  of  Sullivan  county  through  his  membership  with  one  of 
its  most  honored  families  and  through  his  identification  with  its  pro- 
fessional life.  He  now  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  practicing 
dentist  in  Hymera.  He  received  his  dental  training  in  the  Louisville 
College  of  Dentistry,  in  which  he  matriculated  in  1900,  and  in  1903  he 
completed  the  course  and  graduated.  On  the  15th  of  May  of  the  same 
year  he  opened  an  office  in  Hymera,  and  in  addition  to  being  its  only 
practicing  dentist  he  also  has  an  office  at  Coalmont  in  Clay  county,  where 
he  practices  on  Mondays  of  each  week.  He  is  rapidly  winning  for  himself 
a  name  and  place  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession,  and  his  well  known 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  371 

ability  has  brought  to  him  the  success  which  he  now  enjoys.  He  is 
identified  with  the  fraternal  life  of  the  city  through  his  membership  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  order,  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  at  Linton, 
this  state.  He  is  also  a  worthy  and  acceptable  member  of  the  Methodist 
church. 

Rev.  John  A.  Ward,  who  has  also  been  long  and  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  professional  life  of  Sullivan  county,  as  a  Methodist  minister, 
is  the  father  of  the  doctor  and  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois, 
December  25,  1839,  of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  He  received  his  early 
educational  training  in  the  common  schools  of  this  state,  and  in  1847 
moved  with  his  parents,  Steven  and  Adeline  (Baxter)  Ward,  to  Putnam 
county,  this  state.  The  mother  was  born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  in 
1816,  near  Cincinnati,  and  was  of  English  descent,  while  the  father  was 
born  in  Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  in  1812,  and  died  in  1881. 
He  came  north  when  but  twelve  years  of  age  and  located  in  Wayne 
county,  Indiana,  from  whence  he  moved  to  Illinois,  and  was  a  farmer 
and  miller  there,  having  worked  on  a  number  of  patent  rights.  He  was 
living  in  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Rev.  Ward  began  his  professional  career  as  a  school  teacher  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  after  teaching  in  the  district  schools  of 
Morgan  county  for  two  terms  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war, 
entering  on  the  12th  of  August,  1862,  the  Seventieth  Volunteer  Infantry 
as  a  private,  and  his  services  continued  until  the  12th  of  June,  1865, 
meanwhile  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Russelville,  Kentucky,  Dallas 
Woods,  New  Hope  Church,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and 
was  under  fire  in  all  about  one  hundred  days.  Rev.  Ward  was  in  the 
same  division  with  Captain  William  T.  Crawford,  and  General  Harrison 
was  their  colonel.  After  returning  from  the  army  he  entered  the  Method- 
ist ministry,  having  been  ordained  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  in  the  fall 
of  1870,  and  during  his  ministry  he  has  served  as  pastor  at  Francisco, 
Shoals,  Fredericksburg,  Corydon,  Greenville,  Salem,  Sullivan,  Washing- 
ton, Mooresville,  Indianapolis,  and  Rockport,  having  also  been  presiding 
elder  of  the  Rockport  district,  Bedford,  Vincennes,  thence  back  to  Sulli- 
van, New  Albany,  and  College  Corners.  In  October,  1906,  he  retired 
from  active  ministerial  work,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  living  in  Hymera. 
She  was  born  in  Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  April  5,  1838,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  seven  children, — Laura,  Charlie,  Ella,  Frank, 
Harry,  John  and  Walter,  but  Frank  is  now  deceased. 

Rev.  Ward  is  loved  and  honored  for  his  nobility  of  character,  his 
integrity  and  his  promptness  in  all  things,  and  his  life  and  achievements 
worthily  illustrate  what  may  be  attained  by  painstaking  effort.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  Republican. 


Marshal  B.  Smith,  who  is  identified  with  the  industrial  interests 
of  Hymera  in  connection  with  the  barber  business,  was  born  in  Cass 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  November  9,  1858,  a  son  of  Joseph 
and  Nancy  (Posey)  Smith,  whose  history  will  be  found  in  the  sketch  of 


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372  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Douglas  Smith  in  this  work.  The  son  Marshal  grew  to  years  of  maturity 
on  his  parents'  farm,  receiving  his  education  in  the  district  school  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age  he  began  work- 
ing by  the  month  for  George  Patton.  During  the  five  years  following 
his  first  business  venture  he  worked  for  others  at  farm  labor  and  then 
began  farming  for  himself  in  Hamilton  township.  After  six  years  there 
he  sold  his  farm  and  began  clerking  in  a  store  in  Terre  Haute,  and  after 
several  years  became  connected  with  the  Walter  A.  Wood  Harvester 
Machine  Company  in  the  capacity  of  a  traveling  salesman. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  his  connection  with  that  company  in  1888  that 
Mr.  Smith  entered  mercantile  life  in  Terre  Haute,  but  after  four  or  five 
years  there  he  located  at  Dugger,  and  he  remained  there  until  January 
of  1895.  O"  tne  x5tn  °*  February,  1896,  he  came  to  Hymera  and  has 
ever  since  been  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  barber  shops  here. 
He  owns  his  own  place  of  business  and  conducts  three  chairs  in  his  shop. 
He  has  also  been  the  vice-president  of  the  Union  Building  Association  of 
Hymera  since  its  organization,  as  well  as  one  of  its  principal  stockholders. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  1878  to  Elizabeth  Gardner,  a  daughter 
of  Green  Gardner,  and  she  was  born  on  the  26th  of  April,  1851,  and  died 
in  1886,  leaving  one  daughter,  Roxie,  who  was  born  June  9,  1879,  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  Floyd  McGregor,  of  Winfield,  Kansas.  On  the  1st  of 
November,  1898,  Mr.  Smith  wedded  Bettie  Buress,  a  native  daughter 
of  Owen  county,  Indiana,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Mr.  Smith  has  membership  relations  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Paul  Revere  Lodge  No.  374,  at  Terre  Haute;  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Terre  Haute  Lodge  No.  51,  and  with  the  Elks, 
Lodge  No.  911.    He  is  a  Republican  in  his  political  views. 


Clyde  Lee  Beasley. — Among  the  younger  representatives  of  the 
business  interests  of  Hymera  is  Clyde  L.  Beasley,  who  has  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  here  and  is  well  known  in  the  business  and  social 
circles  of  this  community.  He  was  but  twenty  years  of  age  when  he 
started  in  the  drug  business  in  company  with  his  brothers,  Bert  and 
William,  the  three  forming  the  firm  of  Beasley  Brothers,  and  the  store 
has  ever  since  been  conducted  under  that  name,  although  Clyde  L.  has 
since  purchased  his  brothers'  interests  and  since  the  fall  of  1904  has  been 
the  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  He  carries  a  full  and  complete  line 
of  drugs,  drug  sundries,  wall  paper,  paints,  oils,  school  books,  cigars, 
tobacco,  clocks,  jewelry,  and  many  other  articles  found  in  a  store  of  this 
character,  and  transacts  a  large  business  in  an  up-to-date  and  satis- 
factory manner. 

Hymera's  popular  druggist  was  born  in  Shelburn,  Indiana,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1883,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Lucy  (Rodgers)  Beasley  and  a  grand- 
son of  Ephraim  Beasley,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  in  his  lifetime  a  very 
large  farmer  and  stock  buyer,  and  William  Rodgers,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky.     He  was  a  prominent  contractor  and  also  owned  a  farm  in 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  373 

Hamilton  township.  Samuel  and  Lucy  (Rodgers)  Beasley  were  born 
respectively  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and  in  Kentucky,  and  their  home 
is  now  in  Hymera,  where  Mr.  Beasley  has  lived  as  a  retired  farmer  since 
1905.  Their  six  children  are  Bert,  whose  home  is  in  Terre  Haute; 
William,  also  of  that  city;  Clyde  Lee;  Clifton,  of  Hymera;  and  Pearl 
and  Anna,  both  at  home. 

The  Democracy  receives  Mr.  Beasley 's  active  support  and  co-opera- 
tion, and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Red  Men,  Chicopee  Tribe  No.  319,  at 
Hymera,  and  of  the  Elks  at  Linton,  Indiana,  Lodge  No.  866. 


William  Phillips  Bailey,  a  Civil  war  veteran  and  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born  near  New  Bed- 
ford, Massachusetts,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1847.  His  birthplace  was  on 
the  home* farm  of  his  parents,  Oliver  and  Lillis  (Phillips)  Bailey.  His 
father,  who  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1808,  died  near  Big  Springs, 
Turman  township,  in  the  year  1863.  The  widow,  born  in  New  York 
state  in  1808,  survived  her  husband  until  1887,  when  she  died  on  the 
farm  now  the  homestead  of  William  P.  Bailey.  In  1855  the  paternal 
family  removed  from  Massachusetts  to  Warren  county,  Ohio,  where  the 
father  continued  his  farming  until  1861,  when  he  migrated  again,  locating 
in  Turman  township  during  the  month  of  August  of  the  year  named. 
The  homestead  was  first  near  Big  Springs,  where  the  father  died  within 
two  years  of  thus  locating  his  family  in  what  was  then  the  far  west.  The 
deceased  was  a  Republican,  and  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  both 
parents  were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oliver  Bailey:  John,  who  is  now 
a  resident  of  Merom;  William,  of  this  sketch;  Oliver  Irvin,  who  lives 
in  Oklahoma,  and  Elizabeth,  now  deceased.  The  above  named  were  all 
born  in  Massachusetts. 

William  Bailey  had  received  but  a  district  school  education  when,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  he  did  his  part  in  the  support  of  the  Union  by 
enlisting  in  the  Thirtieth  Indiana  Infantry,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  F  on  the  9th  of  November,  1864.  After  serving  one  year, 
during  which  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  other  engagements  in  the  campaigns  of  the  southwest,  he 
was  honorably  discharged  at  Victoria,  Texas.  Mr.  Bailey  is  now  drawing 
a  pension  for  injuries  received  whije  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his 
soldierly  duties.  While  away  at  the  front  the  farm  in  Turman  township 
was  purchased  by  his  mother,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  located 
thereon  to  assist  in  its  cultivation  and  management.  His  settlement  on 
the  property  which  he  now  owns  dates  from  January,  1866,  and  a  few 
years  thereafter  he  purchased  it  from  his  mother  and  the  heirs.  It  was 
here  that  the  mother  passed  away  in  1887,  at  the  venerable  age  of  nearly 
eighty  years. 

The  fine  homestead  owned  so  many  years  by  Mr.  Bailey  consists  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  valuable  land,  devoted  both  to  grain 


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374  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

farming  and  the  raising  of  stock,  the  latter  feature  of  his  business  being 
confined  to  hogs.  Like  many  other  old  soldiers,  Mr.  Bailey  has  always 
voted  for  the  Republican  party. 

In  September,  1889,  he  wedded  Miss  Elizabeth  Colvin,  a  native  of 
Wheatland,  Knox  county,  born  February  28,  i860,  a  daughter  of  William 
and  Elsie  (Adams)  Colvin,  natives  of  Merom.  Both  of  her  parents 
died  when  she  was  quite  young.  Mrs.  Bailey  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  a  most  worthy  representative  of  an  honored  pioneer 
family  of  Turman  township. 


Jacob  Franklin  Houpt,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  one  of  the 
substantial  agriculturists  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  was  born 
April  18,  1847,  m  Gill  township,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  H.  (James) 
Houpt.  The  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  181 2,  and  died  in 
August,  1892,  and  the  good  mother,  also  a  native  of  that  state,  was  born 
in  Iredell  county  in  1813,  and  died  in  1848.  After  their  marriage  in  their 
native  state  this  worthy  couple  migrated  to  Sullivan  county,  spending 
the  winter  of  1836  in  Gill  township,  and  then  going  to  Missouri,  where 
they  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  near  the  present  site  of  the  town  of 
Mexico.  After  owning  this  property  two  years,  they  sold  it  and  returned 
to  Gill  township,  where  the  elder  Mr.  Houpt  commenced  to  purchase 
land,  and  at  his  death  owned  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  known  as  the 
"Half-way  Woods,"  between  Sullivan  and  Merom.  In  his  political  views 
Jacob  Houpt  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  himself  was  a  zealous 
worker  in  the  Sunday  school.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houpt  were  born  the 
following  children :  Martha,  deceased ;  Thomas  J.,  residing  in  Gill  town- 
ship ;  Sarah  E.  and  Susan,  deceased ;  Mary  F.,  unmarried ;  William  A., 
proprietor  of  a  hotel  in  Chicago ;  John  W.,  a  retired  Methodist  minister 
residing  in  Marion  county,  Indiana;  Henry  L.,  who  died  at  Calhoun, 
Kentucky,  in  1862,  while  in  the  Union  army,  serving  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Thirty-first  Indiana  Infantry;  Robert  K.,  of  Gill  township; 
Julia,  deceased ;  and  Jacob  F.,  of  this  memoir.  (  For  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Houpt  married  Mrs.  Cynthia  A.  Linsley,  who' died  in  March,  1900,  the 
mother  of  one  son,  Morris  M.,  also  deceased. 

Jacob  F.  Houpt,  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and 
continued  to  reside  at  home  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  G,  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavalry,  November  21,  1863, 
and  served  until  September,  1865,  never  receiving  a  wound  during  his 
term  of  service.  He  took  active  part  in  the  battle  at  Spring  Hill,  Ten- 
nessee, which  lasted  three  hours;  was  also  in  the  engagement  at  Nash- 
ville December  15  and  16,  1864,  after  which  he  participated  in  the  entire 
Hood  campaign,  which  ended  at  Pulaski,  Tennessee.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  and  draws  a  small  pension  from  the  general  government. 
After  the  war  Mr.  Houpt  returned  to  the  old  homestead  in  Gill  township, 
remaining  there  until  1870,  going  then  to  Turman  township,  where  he 
commenced  farming  on  his  own  property.     Later  he  purchased  eighty 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  375 

acres  of  land  where  he  is  now  located,  subsequently  adding  thirty  acres 
and  making  his  present  farm  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres.  It 
is  situated  two  miles  east  of  Graysville  and  is  highly  improved,  making 
him  a  man  of  independence. 

Politically  Mr.  Houpt  is  a  Republican.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows order,  lodge  No.  584,  at  Graysville.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in 
August,  1870,  to  Sarah  A.  Burton,  who  was  born  in  Turman  township 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Mahala  (Dodd)  Burton.  The  latter,  a 
Kentuckian,  is  still  living  in  her  eighty-eighth  year.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houpt :  Clara,  now  the  wife  of  A.  D.  Morris; 
Charles  W.,  who  married  Edna  Ridgeway  and  resides  on  the  home  farm, 
being  his  father's  assistant;  and  Lexie,  deceased.  All  the  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  the  elder  Mr.  Houpt 
has  served  as  trustee  and  steward. 

All  in  all  Mr.  Houpt  may  well  count  life  a  success.  Commencing  his 
career  as  a  soldier  when  but  a  youth  of  fifteen,  he  passed  unscathed 
through  that  terrible  strife,  and  with  a  healthy  body  began  the  real 
activities  of  life.  He  has  since  been  able  to  make  a  handsome  competency, 
is  an  honored  citizen,  and  is  blessed  with  a  family  wherein  both  love  and 
intelligence  prevail. 


William  Wesley  Wible  has  been  a  farmer  of  Turman  township, 
Sullivan  county,  ever  since  he  was  old  enough  to  perform  the  labors  of 
such  an  occupation.  He  was  born  April  24,  1844,  in  the  township  in 
which  he  still  resides,  a  son  of  John  V.  and  Mary  (Grigsby)  Wible.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Washington  county,  Indiana,  born  March  2J,  1816, 
and  he  died  April  22,  1879,  in  Turman  township.  His  wife  (subject's 
mother)  was  born  in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  January  15,  182 1,  and  died 
March  24,  1894.  They  were  married  in  Orange  county  in  March  of  1842, 
and  went  to  Sullivan  county  in  the  same  year.  He  settled  first  on  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Turman  township  which  he 
had  previously  entered,  in  about  1840.  To  this  he  later  added  another 
eighty  acre  tract,  making  him  an  even  two  hundred  acre  farm.  This  truly 
worthy  couple  died  on  this  place.  He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter,  but  never 
followed  it  after  his  marriage.  Politically  he  was  a  Democrat,  while  both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  To  them  were 
born  the  following  children :  One  who  died  in  infancy ;  William  W.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Perlina,  deceased ;  Adam  Walter,  running  3  livery 
business  at  Sullivan;  Susan  J.,  wife  of  Solomon  J.  Dix,  of  Nebraska; 
Margaret  A.,  deceased,  who  married  W.  W.  Moore,  also  deceased;  and 
Perlina,  who  married  Return  J.  Turman,  whose  family  sketch  appears 
elsewhere  within  this  work. 

William  Wesley  Wible  obtained  his  education  in  the  Sullivan  county 
district  schools  and  was  early  taught  the  management  of  a  farm.  He 
continued  to  work  for  his  father  until  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  then 
started  out  for  himself  on  his  father's  land.  By  persistency  and  good 
management  he  has  secured  for  himself  a  fine  farm  home.  His  land 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  four  acres  from  out  the  old  homestead,  which 


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376  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

has  never  been  out  of  the  family  since  first  entered  as  government  land 
by  his  father.  At  this  date  (1908)  this  farm  is  leased  out,  and  Mr.  Wible 
resides  with  his  son  Charles.  Politically  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  general 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 

He  was  married  January  15,  1867,  to  Adeline  Davis,  born  in  Turman 
township  November  23,  1841,  and  she  died  November  14,  1873.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Parmenas  and  Louisa  (Harris)  Davis.  Four  children 
were  born  of  this  union:  Olive,  wife  of  J.  J.  Bragdon  (see  his  sketch) ; 
Charles  L.,  residing  in  Turman  township,  married  Viola  R.  Thornberry, 
born  in  Turman  township,  and  they  have  a  son  and  daughter,  Paul  E. 
and  Mary  M. ;  Frank,  residing  in  Sullivan,  married  Lulu  Connor  and 
has  two  children,  Guy  and  Grace ;  and  Julia  A.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Concerning  the  grandfather,  Adam  Wible,  it  should  be  added  that 
he  was  born  in  Germany.  He  came  to  America  aged  fourteen  years,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Washington  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
improved  a  farm  and  there  lived  and  died.  He  died  in  1832.  He  was 
twice  married  and  the  father  of  nineteen  children.  His  second  wife,  the 
grandmother  of  the  subject,  was  before  marriage  Van  Cleave.  She  died 
in  1836.  The  grandfather  William  Grigsby  was  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  was  an  early  settler  of  Orange  county,  Indiana.  His  wife  was  before 
marriage  Anna  Cornwell,  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  both  died  in 
Orange  county.  Parmenas  Davis  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  a 
son  of  Jesse  Davis,  also  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Turman  township,  where  he  improved  a  farm  and  upon  which 
he  lived  and  died.    Parmenas  Davis  was  a  miller  by  trade. 


James  Riley  Joseph,  who  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  num- 
bered among  those  who  went  forth  during  the  Civil  war  period  from 
Indiana  in  support  of  the  Union  cause.  He  was  born  September  n,  1836, 
in  Turman  township,  about  three  miles  east  of  Graysville.  He  is  a  son 
of  Isaac  Adkins  and  Margaret  (Hooten)  Joseph.  The  father  was  born 
at  Laurel  Hill,  Virginia,  in  1798,  a  son  of  Uriah  and  Rosanna  (Adkins) 
Joseph,  who  emigrated  to  Breckenridge  county,  Kentucky,  in  1800,  and  in 
the  autumn  of  181 5  went  to  Sullivan  county,  territory  of  Indiana,  enter- 
ing a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Gill  township,  where  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days.  His  first  wife  died  in  Kentucky,  in  which  state  he 
again  married.  Isaac  A.  Joseph  remained  in  Gill  township  until  about 
1830,  during  this  year  entering  eighty  acres  of  land,  where  his  son  James 
R.  now  resides.  The  father  cleared  his  land  and  always  followed  farming 
for  his  livelihood.  He  continued  here  until  his  death,  October  8,  1857. 
Politically  he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  both  he  and  his  faithful 
wife  were  exemplary  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  were  married  about  1828.  She  was  born  in  Overton  county, 
Tennessee,  September  22,  1812,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Tabitha 
(Graham)  Hooten.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  A.  Joseph  were: 
Louisa  Jane,  widow  of  John  Hammond,  who  resides  in  Sullivan ;  Harriet 


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JAMES  R.  JOSEPH 


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THE  NEW  YOhK 

PL-3LIC  LIBRARY 


A3T0R,  LENOX  AN* 
TILOEN  FOONOATK 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  377 

N.,  widow  of  Hiram  Scott,  of  Gill  township;  James  R.,  of  this  sketch; 
Sarah,  wife  of  Barzil  Tague,  of  Turman  township;  Eliza  L.,  widow  of 
Uriah  Akers,  of  Gill  township ;  Dennis  F.,  deceased ;  and  William  Taylor, 
deceased.    The  mother  died  in  Sullivan  county  July  5,  1889. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  James  R.  Joseph  obtained  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools.  He  was  never  of  a  roaming  disposition,  but  remained 
on  the  old  home  farm.  He  was  married  May  20,  1858,  to  Sarah  Wood, 
born  in  Turman  township  April  7,  1837,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Wood  and 
wife,  Nancy  (Bryant)  Wood,  both  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Sarah  Joseph 
died  in  1871.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  following  children:  Ambrose, 
deceased,  who  married  Elizabeth  Sin  Clair  and  had  two  children,  Guy 
Joseph,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Rex,  who  married  Josephine  Drake  and 
has  one  child — Donald ;  Eliza  Ann,  deceased ;  Oscar,  who  went  west  at 
the  age  of  twenty ;  Lucetta,  wife  of  George  B.  Muncie,  residing  in  Sulli- 
van, and  they  have  two  sons  and  one  daughter — Florence  E.,  Clarence  H. 
and  Floyd  H.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Joseph  married,  September  15, 
1875,  Nancy  Moran,  born  in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  April  23,  1844,  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Eastridg)  Moran.  This  wife  died  April 
10,  1907.  Four  children  were  born  of  this  union :  Edgar  N.>  who  married 
Grace  Wear  and  has  one  daughter,  Ethel  G.,  who  lives  with  her  grand- 
father ;  Clara  Ethel,  deceased ;  Laura,  wife  of  Bert  Ferree,  residing  at 
Shelburn,  and  they  have  three  children— James,  Eva  and  Oscar;  and 
Roscoe  H.,  unmarried,  at  home.  Mr.  Joseph  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church. 

On  September  30,  1864,  Mr.  Joseph  proved  his  patriotism  by  enlisting 
as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fifty-seventh  Indiana  Infantry  Regiment, 
serving  until  October  9,  1865.  He  entered  as  a  private  and  was  dis- 
charged a  corporal.  He  participated  in  an  engagement,  November  29, 
1864,  at  Spring  Hill,  Tennessee,  which  lasted  about  three  hours.  The 
following  day  they  fought  at  Franklin,  Tennessee,  going  from  there  to 
Nashville,  where  on  the  15th  and  16th  of  December,  1864,  the  last  big 
battle  of  the  Civil  war  was  fought.  Fortunately  he  never  received  a 
wound  or  became  seriously  ill  during  his  army  life.  He  receives,  in 
common  with  his  comrades,  a  small  pension  from  the  government.  For 
his  livelihood  Mr.  Joseph  has  always  followed  farming,  and  he  now  owns 
sixty  acres  of  land  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Politically  he  is  a 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  served  as  a  trustee  of  Turman 
township,  and  also  as  assessor  three  terms,  as  well  as  county  commissioner 
one  term.  He  has  held  the  important  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for 
seven  years,  thus  proving  his  efficiency  as  a  public  official  and  his  popu- 
larity among  his  fellow  countrymen. 


Jesse  S.  Daugherty,  an  agriculturist  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  was  born  on  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides  July  18,  1870, 
a  son  of  Alexander  and  Rachel  (Creager)  Daugherty.  The  father  was 
a  native  of  Boone  county,  Indiana,  born  October  12,  1833.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  though  he  followed  farming  during  the  latter  part  of 


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378  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

his  life.  He  began  life  unaided  by  others,  and  taught  school  when  young 
in  Sullivan  county,  and  also  worked  at  his  trade  a  part  of  each  year. 
He  continued  this  mode  of  work  until  some  time  after  his  marriage,  and 
then  moved  to  a  farm  and  became  a  successful  agriculturist.  He  con- 
tinued to  till  the  soil  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he  removed  to  Merom, 
but  still  operated  his  farm  until  his  death,  May  18,  1879.  The  good  wife 
still  resides  in  Merom  and  expects  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her  days 
there.  In  1907  she  made  a  trip  to  California,  but  en  route  no  country 
to  her  seemed  as  good  in  which  to  live  as  her  old  home  in  Indiana.  She 
was  born  at  Merom  August  3,  1837.  During  the  Civil  war  the  husband, 
Alexander  Daugherty,  served  in  the  Union  army  under  General  Thomas, 
in  an  Indiana  regiment,  the  date  of  his  enlistment  being  in  1863.  Their 
children  were  as  follows :  Belle,  deceased ;  John  W.,  residing  in  Merom, 
engaged  in  the  hardware  trade;  Ellen,  deceased;  Maggie  C,  wife  of 
W.  R.  Colvin,  living  in  California,  at  Riverside;  and  Jesse  S.,  of  this 
memoir. 

Jesse  S.  Daugherty  received  his  education  at  the  public  schools  of 
Merom  and  remained  at  home  on  the  farm  with  his  widowed  mother 
until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  rented  his  mother's  land  and 
farmed  and  taught  school  for  about  six  years.  After  quitting  school 
teaching  he  continued  to  rent  until  1904,  when  he  purchased  forty-one 
acres  of  land  adjoining  the  old  homestead.  This  farm  he  continues  to 
operate  as  a  general  grain  and  stock  place.  He  depends  largely  upon  the 
cereals  for  the  revenue  from  his  farm,  raising  only  such  stock  as  is 
needful  for  his  own  immediate  use. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daugherty  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Merom  Station,  and  politically  he  is  a  stanch  defender  of  Re- 
publican party  principles,  though  he  has  never  aspired  to  hold  public  office. 
In  his  fraternal  choice  he  has  become  an  active  member  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  Masons,  Eastern  Star,  Rebekah  and  Ben  Hur  lodges,  all  of 
which  are  worthy  societies. 

Concerning  the  domestic  relations  of  Mr.  Daugherty  it  should  be 
said  in  this  connection  that  he  married,  April  14,  1896,  Miss  Cora  Thomp- 
son, born  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  March  25,  1872,  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Esther  (Morgan)  Thompson.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Gill  township  January  29,  1838.  The  father  was  born  in 
Ireland,  and  came  to  this  country  when  a  small  boy.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood and  became  a  prominent  farmer  in  this  township,  having  worked 
his  own  way  through  many  difficulties  out  into  success.  He  died  in 
March,  1882.  The  children  born  to  bless  the  home  circle  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Daugherty  are  as  follows:  Harold  Alexander,  born  September  17,  1898; 
George  Stanley,  born  March  14,  1901 ;  Jesse  Claud,  born  August  26,  1903 ; 
and  Neva  Lenoahr,  born  December  14,  1906. 


William  M.  Smith,  superintendent  of  the  Sullivan  County  Infirm- 
ary, is  a  native  of  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  born  August  21,  1851, 
a  son  of  George  H.  and  Mary  Ann  (Isabell)   Smith.     His  father  was 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  379 

born  in  Virginia  in  1816,  and  died  March  8,  1897,  m  Jefferson  township, 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  The  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1822. 
George  H.  Smith,  the  father,  came  to  Indiana  when  a  young  man  and 
was  married  here.  He  always  followed  farm  life  for  his  livelihood. 
Politically  he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  consistent  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Ten  children  blessed 
their  union:  Thomas  W.,  now  of  Hamilton  township;  Abigail,  now  of 
Missouri ;  America,  of  Hamilton  township ;  Nancy,  deceased ;  Catherine, 
deceased;  William  M.,  of  this  memoir;  Benjamin  O.,  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship ;  John  Wesley,  of  Jefferson  township ;  a  son  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Francis  E.,  residing  in  Sullivan. 

William  M.  Smith  was  reared  on  his  parents'  farm  and  remained 
there  until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  farming  for 
himself  in  Jefferson  township.  He  continued  for  ten  years  and  then 
moved  to  Cass  township,  where  he  lived  two  years,  while  the  next  seven- 
teen years  were  spent  in  Gill  township  on  a  farm.  It  was  in  1903  that 
he  came  to  the  Sullivan  County  Infirmary,  of  which  he  has  been  super- 
intendent ever  since.  He  has  proven  the  proper  man  in  the  place  he  was 
selected  to  fill.  The  buildings  have  under  his  management  all  been 
painted,  barns  erected  and  fences  made  in  a  substantial  manner.  The 
farm  owned  by  the  county  had  not  been  on  a  paying  basis  until  it  was 
taken  in  charge  by  Mr.  Smith.  The  unfortunate  inmates  of  the  place 
are  all  well  satisfied  at  the  treatment  they  receive  at  his  hands. 

Like  every  good  and  loyal  citizen  of  this  republic,  Mr.  Smith  has 
his  own  views  regarding  political  parties  and  the  principles  they  stand 
for,  and  he  casts  his  vote  with  the  Democratic  party.  As  to  his  domestic 
relations  it  may  be  stated  that  he  has  been  twice  married,  first,  September 
30,  1873,  to  Sarah  Randolph,  born  in  Missouri  April  5,  1851,  and  she 
died  April  17,  1878.  There  were  two  children  born  of  this  union:  Isaac 
Marion,  born  July  25,  1875,  an^  residing  in  Greene  county,  Indiana,  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  married  on  the  24th 
of  August,  1903,  Amanda  Boyles,  who  died  leaving  one  child,  Alberta, 
who  died  aged  fifteen  months.  O.  O.,  born  April  7,  1878,  died  June  29, 
1878. 

For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Smith  married,  on  August  21,  1879,  Lucy 
E.  Cooper,  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  December  1,  1857.  Her  parents 
came  to  Indiana  in  1859  and  settled  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county. 
Her  father  was  Samuel  Cooper  and  his  wife  was  Sarah  Patton  before  her 
marriage.  She  is  still  living  and  in  Clay  county,  Illinois.  He  died  in 
1887.  Mrs.  Smith's  maternal  grandparents  owned  large  tracts  of  lumber- 
land,  mountain  table  lands,  where  they  lived  many  years  and  where  the 
grandfather  died.  The  family  were  Unionists  during  the  war,  and  her 
grandmother,  leaving  the  estate  in  care  of  an  agent,  brought  her  family 
to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  where  she  spent  the  rest  of  her  days.  She 
died  in  her  one  hundred  and  second  year.  Her  son  William  served  in  the 
Union  army,  and  Joseph  was  a  minister  in  the  Christian  church.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cass  and  Jefferson  town- 
ships.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  had  four  children:    Maude  Alice  is 


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380  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

deceased.  Ezra,  born  December  30,  1883,  resides  at  Elsinore,  California, 
where  he  is  a  professor  in  the  schools.  He  was  educated  at  the  college  in 
Merom,  Indiana.  He  married,  March  1,  1903,  Rhuil  Arbaugh,  and  has 
two  children,  Edith  and  Garland  W.  He  belongs  td  the  Christian 
church.  George  B.,  born  January  6,  1886,  lives  in  Blair,  Greer  county, 
Oklahoma,  where  he  is  clerking  in  a  store.  He  wedded,  February  19, 
1904,  Elsie  Isabell,  and  has  two  children,  Cecil  and  Laota  M.,  and,  like 
his  brother,  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  Ethel  is  deceased.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 

Of  Mrs.  Smith's  parentage  it  may  be  stated  in  this  connection  that 
she  is  one  of  ten  children  in  her  parents'  family.  Her  father  died  when 
she  was  aged  but  ten  years,  just  at  a  time  when  a  girl  most  needs  the 
care  and  good  advice  of  a  loving  father.  Her  mother  then  married 
Jacob  B.  Miller,  who  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  late  in  the  nineties. 
Mrs.  Smith's  grandmother,  Polly  (Robertson)  Patton,  was  born  in 
March,  1794,  and  died  June  21,  1895,  in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county. 
She  was  born  in  Tennessee,  where  her  husband,  William  Patton,  owned 
a  very  large  plantation  on  the  Cumberland  mountains.  At  the  time  of 
the  Rebellion  they  were  driven  off  and  came  to  Indiana.  The  children 
born  to  Mrs.  Smith's  parents  were  as  follows :  Mary,  deceased ;  William 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  Illinois ;  James  F.,  of  Clay  county,  Illinois ;  Lucy 
E.,  Mrs.  Smith;  Martha  J.,  deceased  and  a  twin  sister  of  Mrs.  Smith; 
David  C,  residing  in  Clay  county,  Illinois;  Elvira,  deceased;  Andrew  J., 
deceased;  Huldah  J.,  a  half  sister,  living  in  Clay  county,  Illinois:  and 
two  who  died  in  infancy.  Pearl  Alice  Cooper,  a  daughter  of  David 
Cooper,  was  born  September  4,  1896.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was 
a  few  days  old  and  she  was  taken  home  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  and  has 
known  no  other  home. 


John  B.  Hawkins. — An  intelligent  and  thriving  agriculturist  of 
Sullivan  county,  John  B.  Hawkins  owns  and  occupies  a  valuable  farming 
property  in  Cass  township  and  is  there  numbered  among  the  valued  and 
trustworthy  citizens  of  the  place,  fulfilling  his  duties  and  obligations  as 
such  with  fidelity.  A  son  of  Tarlton  Hawkins,  he  was  born  February  22, 
1852,  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county.  Abraham  Hawkins,  the 
grandfather  of  John  B.,  was  of  Scottish  birth.  Emigrating  to  this  coun- 
try, he  located  first  in  Alabama,  and  subsequently,  not  so  very  long  after 
his  marriage  with  Sarah  Dowall,  he  came  across  the  country  to  Indiana, 
settling  in  Lawrence  county  in  pioneer  times.  He  bought  extensive 
tracts  of  land,  and  for  many  years  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  a  large  scale,  living  there  until  his  death. 

Born  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  Tarlton  Hawkins  was  reared  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  later  became  a  farmer  from  choice.  Locating 
in  Sullivan  county  in  1845,  ne  bought  a  tract  of  land  lying  about  five  miles 
northeast  of  Sullivan,  and  at  once  took  possession  of  the  log  house  that 
stood  in  a  clearing  that  had  previously  been  made.  He  made  good 
improvements  on  the  land  and  resided  there  a  number  of  years.    Moving 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  381 

then  to  Sullivan,  he  built  up  a  substantial  business  as  a  dealer  in  grain 
and  agricultural  implements,  remaining  there  for  some  time.  When 
ready  to  give  up  active  business,  he  returned  to  the  farm,  and  there 
lived  retired  until  his  death,  November  15,  1895.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Mary  M.  Bailey,  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  and 
died  in  Sullivan  county  in  1897.  Her  father,  Elder  John  Bailey,  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  but  came  to  Indiana  when  young  and  was  a  pioneer  preacher 
of  the  Christian  church  in  Lawrence  county.  About  1845  he  settled  in 
Sullivan  county,  taking  up  land  about  four  miles  north  of  Sullivan,  and 
in  addition  to  farming  continued  his  ministerial  labors,  preaching  at 
Sullivan,  Middletown,  Palmer's  Prairie  Church,  and  in  other  places. 
Both  he  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Henry,  spent 
their  last  days  on  the  home  farm.  Tarlton  Hawkins  and  his  wife  reared 
ten  children,  namely:  GeorgeR.,  Sarah  E.,  Clementine,  John  B..,  Isabelle, 
Achsah,  Florence,  Mary,  Ward  and  Mae. 

John  B.  Hawkins  was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm,  and  under  the 
wise  instruction  of  his  father  early  became  familiar  with  the  various 
branches  of  agriculture,  remaining  beneath  the  parental  roof  until  attain- 
ing his  majority.  Going  to  Texas  in  1873,  he  spent  a  year  in  Grayson 
county,  but  not  liking  the  place,  returned  to  Indiana  and  resumed  work 
on  his  father's  farm.  Coming  to  Cass  township  in  1888,  Mr.  Hawkins 
bought  the  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  has  since  been  busily 
employed  in  its  improvement.  These  are  of  an  excellent  character,  the 
frame  buildings  which  he  has  erected  being  substantial  and  conveniently 
arranged,  the  orchard  containing  a  variety  of  fruit  trees,  and  the  land 
being  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation.  Here  he  is  carrying  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  with  unquestioned  success. 

On  December  31,  1871,  Mr.  Hawkins  married  Sarah  A.  Brodie,  who 
was  born  February  25,  1856,  in  Cass  township,  a  daughter  of  William 
Allen  Brodie.  Her  grandfather,  Samuel  Brodie,  born  November  20, 
1790,  was  a  pioneer  of  Sullivan  county.  He  located  first  on  Shaker 
Prairie,  but  afterwards  entered  government  land  in  sections  six  and 
thirty-one  of  Cass  township,  and  a  portion  of  his  original  purchase  is 
now  owned  by  his  grandchildren.  Improving  a  good  homestead,  he 
resided  on  it  until  his  death,  January  12,  1852.  He  married  Ann  Curry, 
who  was  born  December  24,  1781,  and  died  July  12,  1864.  A  native  of 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  William  Allen  Brodie  was  born  September  30, 
181 1,  in  Haddon  township,  and  was  there  reared  to  a  farmer's  life.  Start- 
ing out  for  himself,  he  settled  on  a  tract  of  timbered  land  in  section  six, 
Cass  township,  and  lived  first  in  a  log  cabin.  Successful  in  his  opera- 
tions, he  cleared  much  land,  erected  a  good  set  of  frame  buildings,  and 
from  time  to  time  added  by  purchase  to  his  real  estate,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  September  29,  1892,  being  the  owner  of  more  than  three  hundred 
acres.  He  married  Mary  J.  Maxwell,  who  was  born  on  Curry's  Prairie 
October  4,  1827.  Her  father,  Levi  Maxwell,  was  born  near  Richmond, 
Indiana,  September  23,  1809,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Sullivan 
county.  Buying  land,  he  improved  a  homestead  on  which  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away  June  11,  1897.     He  married  Nancy 


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382  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Carruthers,  who  was  born  March  24,  1805,  and  died  February  12,  1834. 
The  wife  of  William  Allen  Brodie  survived  him,  dying  December  14, 
1895.  Of  the  children  born  of  their  union,  seven  grew  to  years  of 
maturity,  namely:  Sarah  A.,  Abram  McClellan,  Kate  Emma,  Lydia 
Elizabeth,  Mary  Ellen,  Viola  Frances  and  William  Allen.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hawkins  reared  four  children,  namely :  William  T.,  Roy  A.,  Frank  B.  and 
Harry.  William  T.  married  Sophia  Williams,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Mildred.  Roy  A.,  who  was  accidentally  killed  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years,  married  Mattie  Semmers,  and  at  his  death  left  two  children,  Elmer 
and  Edna.  Frank  B.  married  Eva  Keene,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  Zella,  Ray,  Noah  and  Clara.  Harry  married  Mamie 
Bledsoe,  and  they  have  two  children,  Elzie  and  Desire.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hawkins  are  held  in  high  esteem  throughout  the  community  in  which 
thev  reside,  and  are  consistent  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


Francis  Marion  Brown,  well  known  as  the  thoroughgoing  farmer 
who  owns  a  half  section  of  excellent  farming  land  in  Turman  township, 
Sullivan  county,  was  born  June  2,  1839,  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  a  son 
of  Nathan  and  Sarah  Stockton  (Brenton)  Brown.  Of  Swedish  descent, 
the  father  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  the  mother,  a  native  of  Clark 
county,  was  of  English  and  Scotch  lineage  mixed  with  some  Irish  blood. 
They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  and  there 
resided  about  thirty-five  years.  The  father  was  a  wagon-maker,  carrying 
on  a  manufactory  near  New  Washington.  He  continued  at  this  industry 
about  ten  years,  and  frequently  one  sees  some  of  his  superior  make  of 
wagons  still  in  use  in  Clark  and  surrounding  counties.  From  Clark 
county  the  family  moved  to  Shelby  county,  Indiana,  where  the  father 
was  engaged  in  general  merchandising  for  a  term  of  years  ending  in 
1857,  when  he  moved  to  Sullivan  county,  locating  in  Gill  township,  where 
he  purchased  four  hundred  acres  ot  land  from  James  H.  O'Boyle.  This 
land  he  continued  to  cultivate  the  remainder  of  his  life,  adding  to  the 
same  until  he  had  six  hundred  and  seventy  acres  at  his  death.  He  had 
farms  both  in  Clark  and  Shelby  counties.  Politically  he  was  an  old-type 
Jacksonian  Democrat.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife  were  members  of  the 
Christian  church.  Seven  children  blessed  their  marriage  union :  Francis 
Marion,  of  this  memoir;  Harriett  A.,  single  and  living  in.Gill  township 
on  the  homestead ;  William  H.,  deceased ;  James  M.,  of  Carlisle,  Indiana ; 
John  R„  deceased ;  Sarah  E.,  deceased ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

Francis  M.  Brown  remained  at  home  until  he  was  about  thirty  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Montana  and  engaged  in  placer  mining  for  four 
years,  and  then  returning  to  Sullivan  county,  located  in  Turman  town- 
ship, in  which  section  he  has  resided  ever  since  excepting  a  few  years 
of  residence  in  Sullivan.  He  now  possesses  an  excellent  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  carries  on  farming  in 
an  up-to-date  and  profitable  manner.  Political  parties  have  ever  had 
their  devotees,  and  in  this  case  the  Populist  party  best  suits  Mr.  Brown. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  383 

He  married,  February  17,  1870,  Sarah  E.  Shields,  who  was  born  in 
Turman  township  in  1840,  and  died  in  1884,  without  issue.  For  his 
second  wife  he  married,  April  2,  1885,  Mary  E.  (McKinney)  Cuppy, 
born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  June  14,  1854,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  H. 
McKinney,  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Sullivan  for  about 
forty  years.  By  this  mafriage  union  was  born  Isaac  E.,  on  February  28, 
1887,  who  is  unmarried  and  at  home.  He  was  educated  in  the  high  school 
at  Graysville  and  Ripon  College,  at  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  in  which  edu- 
cational institution  he  took  a  literary  course.  Mrs.  Brown  by  her  first 
marriage  had  two  children,  both  daughters:  Chloe  Alice  is  the  wife  of 
Orren  H.  Burke,  a  resident  of  Turman  township,  who  was  educated  in 
music  at  Merom,  Indiana ;  and  Maggie  Mae,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Brown  and  his  present  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
are  exemplary  Christians. 

Concerning  the  ancestry  of  Mr.  Brown  let  it  be  stated  that  the  grand- 
father, William  Brown,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  while  yet  in  his  teens,  going  to  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  where  he 
was  a  merchant  and  pursued  it  profitably.  Later  he  moved  to  Indiana, 
and  his  last  residence  was  at  Brown's  Landing,  on  the  Ohio  river  in 
Clark  county.  On  the  maternal  side  the  grandfather  was  William 
Brenton,  who  was  of  English  descent,  and  beyond  doubt  was  born  in  that 
kingdom.  He  came  to  Indiana  before  the  territory  was  admitted  to  the 
union  of  states  and  located  in  Clark  county,  four  miles  north  of  Charles- 
town.  He  always  farmed  for  a  living  after  old  enough  to  follow  a  plow. 
He  produced  what  was  long  known  as  the  Brenton  corn,  which  is  still 
raised  by  his  grandson,  Mr.  Brown.  It  is  a  white  variety  of  corn  and 
its  history  can  be  traced  back  at  least  one  hundred  years.  It  was  brought 
from  Kentucky  prior  to  the  admission  of  Indiana  to  the  Union. 


John  Lockard. — For  more  than  forty  years  John  Lockard  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  agricultural  growth  and  prosperity  of  Cass 
township,  and  as  a  general  -farmer  has  met  with  excellent  success,  the 
skill,  ability  and  good  judgment  which  he  has  exercised  in  his  work  being 
evident  in  his  well-tilled  and  richly-producing  lands.  A  son  of  William 
Lockard,  he  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  September  25,  1831. 
His  grandfather  Lockard  was  a  life-long  resident  of  Ireland,  dying  there 
while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life.  His  widow,  accompanied  by  her  two 
daughters,  Rebecca  and  Annie,  and  by  her  son  William,  subsequently  emi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  with  her  little  family  in  Athens  county, 
Ohio,  where  she  spent  her  remaining  days. 

Born  in  county  Donegal,  Ireland,  William  Lockard  was  but  twelve 
years  old  when  he  came  with  his  widowed  mother  to  this  country,  being 
six  weeks  in  making  the  voyage.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  settled 
as  a  pioneer  in  Tuscarawas  county,  buying  a  tract  of  wild  land,  from 
which  he  improved  a  homestead  and  there  lived  until  his  death  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  He  married  Nancy  Doherty,  who 
was  born  of  Irish  parents  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio.     She  died  on  the 

Vol.  11—25 


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384  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

home  farm  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  in  middle  life,  leaving  eight 
children,  namely:  John,  Andrew,  Elizabeth,  Jarnes  Thompson,  Lettie, 
Isabelle,  Catherine  and  William. 

Obtaining  a  practical  education  in  the  typical  pioneer  schoolhouse 
made  of  logs,  with  slab  benches  and  no  desks,  John  Lockard  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  his  home  for  many  years  being  a  log 
cabin.  After  his  marriage  he  began  life  as  a  farmer,  renting  land,  and 
he  remained  in  Ohio  until  1859.  In  April  of  that  year  he  came  to 
Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  thinking  in  a  newer  country  to  improve  his 
financial  condition,  and  here  rented  land  for  several  years.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Forty-third  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  joined  his  regiment  at  Indianapolis,  and  remained  in  service 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  honorably  discharged  in  June,  1865. 
After  his  return  to  Sullivan  county  Mr.  Lockard  bought  his  present 
home  farm  in  Cass  township,  and  at  once  assumed  possession  of  the  log 
cabin  with  its  puncheon  floor.  There  were  also  two  log  stables  on  the 
place  when  he  bought  it,  and  twenty-five  acres  of  the  land  had  been 
cultivated  and  a  few  more  were  cleared.  He  has  labored  earnestly  and 
judiciously  since  coming  here  and  has  now  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
two  acres,  all  under  cultivation  and  yielding  abundant  harvests  of  the 
crops  common  to  this  region.  In  addition  to  general  farming  Mr.  Lockard 
pays  considerable  attention  to  stock-raising,  keeping  a  good  grade  of 
cattle. 

On  January  12,  1854,  Mr.  Lockard  married  Emaline  Foote.  She 
was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  July  23,  1838.  Her  father,  John 
Foote,  a  native  of  Maine,  settled  in  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  after  his  first 
marriage,  being  a  pioneer  farmer  of  that  place.  After  residing  in  Ohio 
for  a  number  of  years  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Maine  and  there 
died.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  marriage  had  two  children, 
Ebenezer  and  Louisa.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Frances  Pierce, 
who  was  born  in  Baltimore  county,  Maryland,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Wilson)  Pierce,  natives  of  Maryland  and  of  English  and  Irish 
parentage  respectively.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Foote  came 
to  Indiana  and  made  her  home  with  Mrs.  Lockard,  dying  here  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  She  reared  eight  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Thomas,  Joseph,  John  W.,  Mary  Ann,  Elizabeth,  James  F.,  William 
S.  and  Emaline.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lockard  reared  two  children,  namely: 
William  Swasey  and  Flora  Virginia.  William  S.  married  Cynthia  Evaline 
Gabard.  He  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  leaving  one  daughter, 
Dottie.  Flora  Virginia  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Small  wood  and  has  four 
children,  John  Lockard,  Emma,  Coquella  and  Buena  Vista.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lockard  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  have 
reared  their  family  in  that  religious  faith. 


Grandville  M.  Lyons,  proprietor  of  the  Sullivan  Business  College, 
located  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of  Jackson  township,  this  county, 
born  November  10,  1867,  a  son  of  Thomas  A.  and  Sarah  C.  (Lassell) 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  385 

Lyons.  The  parents  were  both  natives  of  Ohio,  the  father  born  in  May, 
1835,  and  the  mother  in  April,  1847,  anc*  b°th  now  reside  in  Sullivan. 
The  Lyons  are  of  Irish  descent.  The  grandfather,  Arburthnett  H. 
Lyons,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1800,  and  he  died  in  August,  1876,  in 
Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  following  this  useful  calling  throughout  his  days,  and  was  skilled 
in  the  making  of  fine-edged  tools.  Grandfather  John  F.  Lassell  was  born 
in  Vermont  and  died  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  on  his  farm  in  Cass 
township.  The  parents  of  Grandville  M.  Lyons  came  to  Sullivan  county 
with  their  respective  parents,  the  Lyons  coming  in  1854  and  the  Lassells 
about  the  same  time.  Thomas  A.  Lyons  and  wife  were  united  in  mar- 
riage in  the  month  of  September,  1865,  and  were  always  farmers  up  to 
1892,  when  they  retired  to  the  town  of  Sullivan.  The  father  is  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  having  served  three  full  years  from  1862  to  the  close 
of  the  war,  as  a  brave  soldier  and  member  of  the  Eighty-fifth  Indiana 
Regiment,  belonging  to  Company  H,  under  W.  T.  Crawford,  of  Sullivan. 
During  his  army  career  Mr.  Lyons  was  unfortunate  enough  to  have  been 
a  prisoner  of  war,  being  incarcerated  in  Libby  prison,  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Both  he 
and  his  good  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Four  children 
were  born  to  them :  Flora,  deceased ;  Grandville  M. ;  Minnie,  unmarried 
and  at  home;  George  W.,  married  and  engaged  in  the  drug  trade  at 
Chrisman,  Illinois.  The  first  born,  Flora,  was  married  to  Charles  E. 
Denton,  and  at  her  death  she  left  seven  children  to  survive  her,  all  living 
in  Jackson  township,  Sullivan  county,  except  one  who  died  since  the 
mother's  death. 

Grandville  M.  Lyons  was  reared  upon  his  father's  farm  and  remained 
at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then  took  a  teacher's  course 
at  the  Danville  Central  Normal  College  and  the  same  autumn  he  took  a 
business  course  at  the  same  college.  After  leaving  college  he  taught 
school  in  Fairbanks  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana.  His  next  move 
was  to  attend  and  also  teach  in  the  State  Normal  College  at  Terre  Haute, 
continuing  there  for  nine  years.  The  next  two  seasons  he  taught  in 
Sullivan  county,  then  three  years  in  Vigo  county  and  two  more  in  Sullivan 
county.  In  the  meantime,  in  1893,  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the 
Terre  Haute  Normal  College.  At  the  expiration  of  the  nine-year  period 
above  mentioned  he  was  graduated  from  the  Voorhees  Business  College  at 
Indianapolis,  taking  a  business  and  shorthand  course.  After  this  he 
accepted  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  business  department  of  the  above 
school  and  remained  there  a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  was  made  principal 
of  the  business  department  of  Hill's  Business  College  at  Sedalia,  Missouri, 
and  was  there  employed  for  two  years.  During  the  first  year  at  Sedalia 
he  met  the  woman  who  became  his  wife  and  who  was  then  a  student  at 
that  institution.  March  3,  1901,  the  following  year,  they  were  married. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Eula  G.  Mays,  born  in  Johnson  county,  Missouri, 
August  27,  1873.  She  was  educated  in  her  native  county  and  at  the 
State  Normal  at  Warrensburg,  Missouri,  and  also  in  shorthand  at  Hill's 
Business  College.     She  followed  teaching  in  Missouri   for  some  time. 


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386  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Mrs.  Lyons  is  the  daughter  of  W.  J.  and  Josephine  Mays,  both  parents 
now  residing  at  Warrensburg  Missouri.  The  father  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  largest  stock-raisers  within  his  home  county.  In  1902  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lyons  organized  a  business  college  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  he  having 
charge  of  the  business  department,  while  his  wife  superintended  the 
shorthand  department.  They  succeeded  in  building  up  the  institution 
so  that  they  employed  a  faculty  of  five  teachers.  In  1904  they  sold 
the  business  and  Mr.  Lyons  took  a  penmanship  course  in  the 
Zanerian  Art  College  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  then  accepted  a  position 
with  the  Jones  Business  College  of  Chicago.  Jones  then  established  a 
business  college  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Lyons  was  made  super- 
intendent of  the  same.  But,  desiring  to  locate  again  in  business  for 
himself,  he  went  to  Sullivan,  Indiana,  in  July,  1905,  and  organized  the 
Lyons  Business  College,  which  was  opened  for  students  September  3, 
1905.  Here  is  taught  a  thorough  shorthand  commercial  course.  The  first 
year  sixty-five  students  were  enrolled,  and  during  the  second  year  more 
than  ninety  students  entered.  Having  had  a  varied  and  most  excellent 
training  and  much  actual  experience  at  giving  instruction  in  commercial 
studies,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons  are  fully  capable  of  building  up  a  school 
that  shall  long  stand  as  a  monument  to  their  names. 

Politically  Mr.  Lyons  is  an  independent  voter.  He  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  attend  the  Presbyterian  church.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
them :  William  Thomas,  born  May  6,  1902,  died  in  infancy ;  James  M., 
born  December  6,  1904;  and  Mildred  L.,  born  May  23,  1907. 


Marion  F.  Walters,  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  is  a  native  of 
Jefferson  township,  this  county,  born  August  29,  1876,  son  of  Francis  M. 
and  Eveline  (Mason)  Walters.  The  paternal  grandfather,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  died  when  Marion  F.  Walters'  father  was  but  two  years  of 
age.  The  widow  then  married  T.  Isebell,  of  Sullivan  county.  Francis 
M.  Walters  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  in  1843,  on  the  18th  day 
of  November,  and  died  July  21,  1887.  His  wife  was  born  in  Sullivan 
county  in  1852  and  is  living  in  Jefferson  township.  She  was  married  to 
John  K.  Pirtle,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Walters,  and  had  no  issue  by  her 
last  marriage.  By  her  first  marriage  she  is  the  mother  of  three  children : 
Elzoa,  deceased ;  Loretta,  wife  of  William  Lun,  residing  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship; and  Marion  F.,  of  this  narrative.  Francis  M.  Walters  always 
followed  farming  and  kindred  pursuits.  He  was  a  self-made  man  and 
in  his  time  performed  much  hard  labor  in  clearing  up  and  improving  his 
farm  lands,  which  he  brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  owning  at  his 
death  two  hundred  and  four  acres.  Politically  he  was  a  Republican. 
Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  were  exemplary  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Marion  F.  Walters,  son  of  Francis  M.,  received  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  county,  remaining  at  home  until  twenty 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  387 

years  of  age,  when  he  started  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Jefferson 
township,  where  he  continued  to  till  the  soil  nine  years.  He  inherited 
eighty  acres  and  to  this  he  added  twenty-five  acres  more.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  the  nine-year  period  on  this  place  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Sullivan.  This  was  in  1895,  and  he  began  clerking  in  a  hardware  store, 
which  after  six  months  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  on  account  of  his 
health,  and  then  took  up  carpentering,  which  he  followed  a  short  time. 
Upon  coming  to  Sullivan  Mr.  Walters  built  a  house  here,  but  early  in 
1909  he  traded  his  town  house  for  a  large  farm.  In  the  political  race 
for  sheriff  of  Sullivan  county,  Mr.  Walters  was  elected  November  6, 
1906,  and  took  the  office  January  1,  1907.  Being  a  Republican,  he  was 
elected  upon  this  ticket  and  was  the  second  Republican  sheriff  ever  elected 
in  the  county.  He  won  his  office  by  a  majority  of  three  hundred,  thus 
showing  his  popularity  as  a  good  citizen  and  competent  man.  The  other 
time  a  sheriff  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  was  in  1872.  In  1908 
Mr.  Walters  was  defeated  for  re-election  by  a  small  majority. 

Mr.  Walters  was  united  in  marriage,  July  14,  1895,  to  Bertha  Carty, 
born  in  Kentucky  July  1,  1877,  daughter  of  Augustus  Carty  and  wife. 
They  came  to  Indiana  in  the  winter  of  1878  and  located  in  Hamilton 
township,  Sullivan  county,  but  now  reside  in  Cass  township.  Mrs.  Walters 
was  educated  in  the  Sullivan  high  school.  The  children  born  of  this  union 
are  as  follows:  Marie,  born  April  6,  1896;  Marion,  Jr.,  born  July  4,  1899; 
Mabel,  born  November  6,  1903;  Marguerite,  born  February  9,  1905. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walters  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Walters 
is  a  member  of  the  subordinate  and  encampment  degrees  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 


William  M.  Trimble. — Conspicuous  among  the  extensive  and  pro- 
gressive agriculturists  of  Sullivan  county  is  William  M.  Trimble,  of 
Haddon  township,  a  large  landholder,  and  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  successful  stock-raisers  of  this  part  of  Indiana.  He  is  in  truth  a 
native,  and  to  the  manner  born,  his  birth  having  occurred  September  4, 
1844,  m  Haddon  township,  in  the  house  which  he  now  occupies,  and  in 
which  his  entire  life  has  been  spent.  He  is  a  son  of  the  late  Joseph 
Trimble  and  grandson  of  Charles  Trimble,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
householders,  coming  here  in  1814  or  1815.  Joseph  Trimble  was  born 
February  3,  1796,  near  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Before  he  was  of  age  he 
and  his  brother  William  came  to  Sullivan  county,  raised  a  crop  in  Haddon 
township,  and  then,  about  18 14,  his  parents  came  here  to  make  their 
permanent  home.  He  subsequently  took  up  large  tracts  of  land  in  this 
vicinity,  at  the  time  of  his  death  having  title  to  a  thousand  acres.  He 
married,  in  Haddon  township,  Catherine  Carrico,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  near  Lexington,  in  1800,  and  died  in  1868  in  Haddon  township, 
three  years  before  he  did,  his  death  occurring  in  1871.  Of  the  nine 
children  born  of  their  union,  seven,  Sarah,  Martha,  James,  Eliza,  Josiah, 
Margaret  and  Catherine,  are  dead.  Two,  Charles,  the  first  born,  living  in 
Haddon  township,  and  William  M.,  the  youngest  child,  are  the  only  ones 
living. 


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388  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  attending  the  schools  taught  princi- 
pally by  his  father,  who  was  a  noted  teacher,  and  an  artistic  penman, 
always  using  a  goose  quill  of  his  own  manufacture  with  which  to  write, 
William  M.  Trimble  acquired  a  good  education  for  his  days.  Being 
the  youngest  member  of  the  parental  household,  he  never  left  home,  but 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  took  control  of  the  home  farm,  and  has 
since  had  its  supervision.  A  man  of  superior  business  ability,  he  has 
achieved  remarkable  success  in  his*  agricultural  labors,  and  now  owns 
not  only  three  hundred  acres  of  the  original  homestead,  but  has  land  in 
both  Haddon  and  Jefferson  townships,  having  in  his  possession  in  all 
about  eleven  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land.  Mr.  Trimble  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  stock,  breeding  the  Poll-Angus  cattle, 
which  he  was  the  first  to  introduce  into  this  locality.  He  now  owns  about 
forty  head,  twenty  of  which  are  registered,  and  since  embarking  in  this 
industry,  in  1904,  he  has  sold  twenty  registered  bulls,  but  has  not  disposed 
of  any  of  his  cows.  He  also  raises  hogs  in  large  quantities,  feeding  and 
shipping  from  three  to  six  carloads  each  year,  and  as  a  buyer  and  seller 
of  stock  is  busy  every  month  of  the  year.  Mr.  Trimble  takes  interest  in 
everything  connected  with  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  is  a  director  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Carlisle. 

Mr.  Trimble  married,  October  9,  1865,  Jane  Dunbar,  who  was  born 
February  5,  1845,  in  Ohio,  and  came  in  1864,  with  her  parents,  Alexander 
and  Susan  (Wellington)  Dunbar,  to  Haddon  township.  Eleven  children 
have  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trimble,  namely :  Homer,  living 
with  his  father;  Ella,  wife  of  Dr.  A.-  G.  Cox,  of  Carlisle,  whose  sketch 
may  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume;  Eliza,  wife  of  George 
Jones,  of  Jefferson  township ;  Elesta,  wife  of  Boyd  Andrew,  of  Jefferson 
township ;  Scott,  residing  on  his  father's  farm,  married  Addie  Padgett ; 
Angelia,  wife  of  Fleming  Milburn,  of  Jefferson  township;  Etta,  Frank, 
Fred,  Gay,  and  Roy.  All  of  these  children  were  educated  in  the  Carlisle 
schools,  and  Roy  is  now  attending  the  Lyons  Business  College  in  Sulli- 
van.   Mr.  Trimble  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 


Alonzo  B.  Thurber. — Numbered  among  the  trusty  rural  free  deliv- 
ery U.  S.  mail  carriers  of  Sullivan  county,  running  from  Sullivan,  is 
Alonzo  B.  Thurber,  a  native  of  LaPorte  county,  Indiana,  born  February 
29,  1848,  son  of  Alonzo  B.  and  Nancy  J.  (Atkins)  Thurber.  The  father 
was  born  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  as  was  his  wife,  and  there  they 
were  united  in  marriage,  coming  to  Indiana  in  1847  and  locating  on  a 
farm  in  LaPorte  county.  They  remained  in  that  county  until  their  death 
and  were  sturdy  farmers.  He  was  of  Irish  lineage.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Thurber,  Sr.,  was  a  Republican  and  a  captain  in  the  Ohio  militia.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church.  The  following 
ten  children  were  born  of  their  union  :  The  eldest  died  in  infancv ;  Bienna 
and  Joseph  B.,  deceased;  Alonzo  B. ;  Amos  M.,  deceased;  Nettie,  de- 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  389 

ceased;  Ida  M.,  wife  of  Leonard  West,  resides  in  LaPorte;  Effie,  wife  of 
George  Presser;  Jessie,  wife  of  George  Young;  Barney,  residing  in 
LaPorte. 

Alonzo  B.  Thurber,  Jr.,  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  seventeen 
years  of  age,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-first  Indiana  Regiment,  on  February  7,  1865,  serving  until 
December  28,  1865,  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  remained  at  home  on  the  farm  until  1871,  when  he  came 
to  Sullivan  county.  The  first  year  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  then  at  the 
Standard  coal  mines,  north  from  Shelburn,  his  employment  being  on  the 
surface.  There  he  remained  until  1879,  when  the  mine  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  The  next  year  he  clerked  in  a  store  at  Shelburn,  then  went  to  Parke 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  and  hardware  business 
a  year,  with  B.  F.  Bolinger.  In  the  spring  of  1882  they  sold  out,  after 
which  Mr.  Thurber  went  to  Terre  Haute,  where  he  clerked  for  Mr. 
Bolinger  two  years  and  for  another  firm  one  year.  The  ensuing  year  he 
traveled  for  the  McCoy  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Indianapolis.  Wish- 
ing to  better  his  circumstances,  he  went  to  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  and 
was  there  employed  by  a  timber  man  for  a  year.  Mr.  Thurber  then  moved 
to  Sullivan,  engaging  in  the  lumber  business  on  his  own  account,  also 
handling  timber.  This  he  followed  until  1886,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
well-drilling  business,  continuing  five  years  up  to  1891.  At  the  date  last 
named  he  went  into  the  dairy  business  and  ran  a  retail  wagon  in  Sullivan, 
continuing  in  this  until  1898,  when  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business 
with  the  Prudential  Insurance  Company.  This  Mr.  Thurber  pursued 
with  energy  for  three  years,  then  changed  to  the  American  Central 
Insurance  Company,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years.  His  present 
position  as  rural  mail  carrier  he  began  in  April,  1903,  when  he  left  the 
insurance  business.  From  that  date  until  December  1,  1907,  he  had 
missed  but  two  days  in  personally  serving  his  patrons. 

Politically  Mr.  Thurber  is  a  Republican.  In  lodge  connection  he  is 
numbered  among  the  worthy  brothers  of  the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Maccabees.  He  was  married  to  Sadie  B.  White,  a  native 
of  Kentucky  who  died  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  the  mother  of  the  following 
children :  Claude,  deceased ;  W.  D. ;  Raymond,  deceased ;  William  B. ; 
Archie,  Benjamin  P.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Thurber  married  Ophelia 
Humphrey,  February  23,  1900.  She  was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana. 
By  this  union  one  son  was  born:  Frank  B.  Thurber.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thurber  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


William  H.  Thomas,  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers,  whose  new 
farm  residence  is  probably  the  finest  within  Fairbanks  township,  is  a 
native  of  Parke  county,  Indiana,  born  February  3,  1859.  He  received  a 
common  school  education  and  assisted  on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty 
years  of  age.  The  father  was  John  L.  and  the  mother  Amanda  (Doty) 
Thomas,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  Parke  county, 


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390  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Indiana.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Isaac  Thomas,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  John  L.  Thomas  went  to  Vigo  county,  Indiana,  with  his 
parents  and  lived  where  Terre  Haute  now  stands.  Subsequently  he 
moved  to  Parke  county,  where  he  died  in  March,  1887.  His  wife  died 
when  William  H.  was  but  two  months  old.  He  is  the  youngest  of  six 
sons  and  four  daughters  by  the  father's  first  marriage.  By  the  second 
marriage  one  son  was  born. 

When  twenty  years  of  age  William  H.  Thomas  entered  the  employ 
of  M.  M.  Henry,  of  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  five  years,  later  going  with  John  Brookshire,  for  whom  he  worked 
from  the  month  of  March  to  June,  and  then  worked  for  Dave  Hostelers  a 
few  months,  returning  then  to  John  Brookshire  and  remaining  with  him 
for  two  years.  In  February,  1887,  Mr.  Thomas  came  to  Turman  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,,  and  there  settled  on  rented  land  in  the  Wabash 
bottom-lands.  He  remained  there  three  years.  He  was  married,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1891,  to  Emma  F.  Rose,  born  in  Fairbanks  township,  a  daughter 
of  John  T.  Rose,  who  was  a  large  land-owner  in  Sullivan  county.  The 
land  in  Fairbanks  township  on  which  Mr.  Thomas  settled  belonged  to  his 
wife.  It  is  a  tract  containing  seventy-two  acres.  He  resided  in  the  old 
house  from  the  date  of  his  marriage  until  September  23,  1903,  when  he 
moved  into  his  new  and  thoroughly  modern  farm-house,  said  to  be  the 
finest  within  the  entire  township.  His  landed  estate  consists  of  twenty- 
three  acres  (more  or  less)  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  (more 
or  less)  in  two  different  sections  along  the  Wabash  bottoms.  Here  he 
carries  on  extensive  farming  operations  and  is  an  extensive  dealer  in 
cattle,  horses  and  hogs. 

In  his  political  choice  Mr.  Thomas  is  in  accord  with  the  Democratic 
party.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows 
orders,  belonging  to  Lodge  No.  373  of  the  former  and  Lodge  763  of 
the  latter  at  Fairbanks.  The  children  born  to  bless  the  home  circle  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  are  as  follows:  Clara  F.,  died  aged  three  months; 
Omer  C,  died  when  six  months  old;  Loren,  born  February  14,  1895; 
John  L.,  born  September  26,  1897;  Leila  May,  born  January  11,  1900. 


John  Charles  Badders  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
prominent  families  of  Sullivan  county,  and  to  his  father,  Samuel  F. 
Badders,  whose  history  also  appears  in  this  work,  is  accorded  the  honor 
of  being  perhaps  the  oldest  living  member  of  the  bar  of  Sullivan  county. 
The  son  John  Charles  was  born  in  Jackson  township  November  19,  1863, 
and  he  remained  with  his  father  until  his  marriage,  although  he  had 
previously  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  joining  the  home 
estate  when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  he  farmed  this  tract 
in  addition  to  assisting  his  father.  After  his  marriage  he  went  to  Arkan- 
sas and  bought  five  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land  and  farmed  in  that 
state  for  one  year,  and  returning  to  Indiana  bought  land  and  lived  in 
Owen  county  for  about  eighteen  months,  returning  at  the  close  of  that 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  391 

period  to  Sullivan  county,  although  he  still  owns  his  farm  in  Owen  county. 
On  his  homestead  in  Jackson  township  he  has  built  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  homes  in  the  county,  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

Mr.  Badders  married,  November  18,  1902,  Alzena  Frances  Gambill, 
who  was  born  August  16,  1883,  and  died  on  the  27th  of  September,  1907, 
while  on  a  visit  at  the  home  of  her  mother.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Wright  township,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  March  30,  1853,  while  his  wife 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county  January  15,  1854,  and  they  were  married 
on  the  26th  of  February,  1874,  in  this  county.  After  farming  on  leased 
land  for  about  fifteen  years  after  their  marriage  they  bought  a  farm  in 
Greene  county,  but  in  1903  sold  their  possessions  there  and  moved  to 
Owen  county  and  bought  the  farm  which  they  yet  own,  although  they 
reside  on  the  farm  owned  by  Mr.  Badders.  The  only  child  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Badders  was  a  daughter,  Mary,  born  October  11,  1903. 


William  Franklin  Hiatt,  county  assessor  for  Sullivan  county, 
is  a  man  of  both  practical  and  versatile  talents,  as,  besides  making  a  fine 
official  record,  he  has  earned  a  substantial  reputation  both  as  an  architect 
and  a  decorator.  His  earlier  years  were  spent  as  a  farmer's  son  and  an 
independent  agriculturist,  so  that  he  has  the  mastery  of  another  vocation 
to  be  placed  to  his  credit.  Mr.  Hiatt  is  a  native  of  Hamilton  township, 
Sullivan  county,  born  on  the  21st  of  October,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  and  Susan  C.  (South)  Hiatt.  The  father,  who  was  of  Irish 
descent,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  while  the  mother  was  a  native  of  this 
county.  The  elder  Mr.  Hiatt  accompanied  his  parents  to  Indiana  when 
a  boy  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Sullivan  county,  engaged  in 
farming.  There  he  died  in  1903,  both  himself  and  wife  being  members  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  and  true  Christians.  The  five  children  born  to 
them  were  as  follows:  Martha  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife  of  John  R. 
Snyder  and  a  resident  of  Haddon  township,  this  county ;  Durham,  living  in 
Sullivan ;  Douglas,  a  resident  of  Gill  township ;  John  C,  a  carpenter  of 
Sullivan;  and  William  Franklin,  of  this  biography.  The  grandfathers 
were  Christopher  C.  Hiatt  and  Durham  Sault,  the  latter  being  a  pioneer 
farmer  of  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county. 

William  F.  Hiatt  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  obtained  a 
common  school  education  in  the  home  neighborhood.  He  early  evinced 
unusual  artistic  taste,  and  completed  his  schooling  by  taking  a  course 
in  drawing,  painting,  and  wall-paper  and  general  ornamental  designing 
through  the  International  School  of  Correspondence,  whose  headquarters 
are  at  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  At  the  same  time  he  accomplished  con- 
siderable in  the  way  of  carpentry  and  improved  his  natural  talents  as  an 
architect.  At  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  abandoned  farm  work  altogether 
and  established  quite  a  business  in  building,  painting  and  decorating, 
and  it  was  while  thus  engaged  that  his  popularity  as  a  Democrat  and 
his  honorable  standing  as  a  citizen  and  a  business  man  were  demonstrated 


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392  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

by  his  election  as  assessor  of  Sullivan  county,  his  induction  into  office 
being  in  January,  1907.  Mr.  Hiatt  is  also  a  leading  Odd  Fellow,  identified 
with  Sullivan  Lodge  No.  147,  through  all  of  whose  chairs  he  has  passed. 
He  is  quite  widely  associated  with  the  local  labor  organizations.  On 
March  1,  1892,  Mr.  Hiatt  wedded  Miss  Vandilla  Purcell,  a  native  of  this 
county,  born  September  24,  1873,  daughter  of  Simpson  Purcell,  deceased. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  Gladys,  Dora  and  Geneva  Hiatt,  the  mother 
of  the  family  being  an  ardent  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 


Gilbert  W.  Gambill. — Among  the  enterprising  attorneys-at-law 
practicing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  is  Gilbert  W.  Gambill,  a  native  of  Cass 
township,  this  county,  born  September  28,  1881.  He  is  the  son  of  Marion 
F.  and  Rosa  (Powell)  Gambill.  The  father  was  also  born  in  Cass  town- 
ship in  October,  1861,  and  the  mother  was  born  in  1862  in  the  same  town- 
ship. Gilbert  W.'s  grandparents,  Josiah  B.  and  wife,  Julia  (Bledso) 
Gambill,  were  also  both  natives  of  Cass  township.  The  Gambills  are  an 
old  family  of  Irish  descent  and  were  among  the  earliest  to  settle  in  Sulli- 
van county,  Indiana.  Marion  F.  Gambill  and  wife  still  live  in  Jackson 
township,  this  county.  Their  farm  is  near  Hymera,  and  there  they  carry 
on  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  In  his  political  belief  the  father 
is  a  Democrat,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  worthy  couple:  Gilbert  W.,  of 
this  notice,  and  Florence  Etta.  She  was  born  January  2,  1883,  is  unmar- 
ried and  a  graduate  of  Brown's  Business  College  at  Terre  Haute.  She 
also  attended  the  State  Normal  College  of  the  same  city  and  taught  school 
two  years  in  the  district  schools  and  one  year  in  the  schools  of  Hymera. 
At  this  time  she  is  employed  in  Sullivan. 

Gilbert  W.  Gambill  attended  the  district  schools,  after  which  he 
entered  the  Normal  College  at  Danville,  Indiana,  graduating  with  the 
class  of  1906.  He  then  taught  in  the  high  school  at  Hymera,  teaching 
Latin  and  mathematics.  While  at  the  Normal  he  took  a  course  in  teach- 
ing, the  scientific  course  and  the  law.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  to 
the  supreme  court  in  1906.  In  April,  1907,  he  began  the  practice  of  law 
with  C.  D.  Hunt,  with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership  in  January,  1908. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 


Payton  Ritchie. — Worthy  of  especial  mention  in  this  volume  is 
Payton  Ritchie,  a  well  known  and  highly  respected  resident  of  the  village 
of  Cass,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  A  son  of  Enoch  Ritchie,  he  was 
born  December  20,  1843,  m  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  in 
that  part  of  the  state  was  brought  up  and  educated.  Enoch  Ritchie  was 
one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Greene  county,  living  there  but  a  short  time, 
however.  He  afterwards  lived  for  awhile  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan 
county,  from  there  removing  to  Gill  township,  where  he  improved  a  farm. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  .         393 

About  i860  he  settled  in  Illinois,  and  the  following  year  enlisted  in  the 
Thirty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  as  a  soldier  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war.  Returning  then  to  Indiana,  he  spent  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life  in  the  town  of  Sullivan.  He  married  Martha  Nichols, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children. 

Offering  his  services  to  his  country  during  the  period  of  the  Civil 
war,  Payton  Ritchie  enlisted,  in  1863,  in  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifteenth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  a  period  of  six  months.  He 
went  with  his  command  to  East"  Tennessee,  and  was  there  on  duty  until 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  when  he  received  his  honorable 
discharge.  In  the  spring  of  1865,  Mr.  Ritchie  again  took  up  arms  in 
defense  of  his  country,  enlisting  in  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
sixth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  With  his  regiment  he  went  first  to 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  thence  to  the  Shenandoah  valley,  remaining  with 
his  command  until  discharged  from  the  service,  in  August,  1865.  Return- 
ing then  to  Sullivan  county,  Mr.  Ritchie  resumed  his  work  as  a  brick 
maker,  and  subsequently  learned  the  trade  of  a  brick  mason,  and  for 
many  years  was  busily  employed  as  a  brick  and  plaster  mason.  Coming 
to  the  village  of  Cass  in  1886,  he  has  since  been  a  resident  of  this  place, 
and  as  a  trustworthy  citizen  has  won  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his 
fellow-men. 

On  September  io,  1865,  Mr.  Ritchie  married  Irena  Hedley,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Dial)  Hedley.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ritchie,  namely:  Maggie  and 
Nannie.  Maggie,  who  married  Edward  Moss,  is  deceased.  Nannie,  the 
wife  of  Henry  N.  L'srev,  has  three  children — Clyde,  Dewey  and  Orville. 


James  M.  Baldwin,. one  of  the  truly  representative  men  of  Jefferson 
township,  Sullivan  county,  began  life  in  Kentucky,  where  he  was  born 
July  5,  1867,  a  son  of  William  and  Malissa  (Green)  Baldwin.  His 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Alabama,  but  went  to  Kentucky,  purchased 
a  farm  and  there  spent  the  balance  of  their  years,  the  father  dying  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three  years,  and  the  mother  when  about  fifty-seven  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  named  children:  Robert  A.f 
deceased;  William  P.,  a  resident  of  Kentucky,  married  Mathena  Fields; 
George  W.,  residing  in  Kentucky,  married  Marilda  Hunter;  T.  P.,  a 
resident  of  Linton,  Indiana,  married  Bettie  Calloway ;  James  M.,  of  this 
notice ;  D.  P.,  a  resident  of  Linton,  married  Mary  Calloway. 
•  The  fifth  in  his  father's  family,  James  M.  Baldwin  possesses  only  the 
education  which  he  gleaned  himself  by  a  close  application  and  keen 
observation  of  transpiring  events.  He  went  forth  into  an  untried  world 
at  the  tender  age  of  fifteen  years,  when  he  went  into  the  mines  to  dig  coal. 
He  proved  a  successful  miner  and  has  followed  that  occupation  ever  since. 
In  1900  he  came  from  Kentucky  to  Linton,  Indiana,  remained  two  years, 
then  went  to  White  Rabbit  and  in  December,  1903,  purchased  the  eighty 
acre  farm  on  which  he  now  resides,  the  same  being  situated  one  mile 


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394  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

from  Pleasantville.     While  he  attends  to  the  general  work  of  his  farm, 
his  time  is  largely  spent  within  the  coal  mines  near  by. 

In  his  political  affiliations  it  may  be  said  that  up  to  within  about  five 
years  he  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket,  but  now  is  an  independent  voter. 
Both  he  and  his  estimable  wife  are  devoted  members  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  Lodge  No.  408  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  at  Pleasantville.  December  26,  1888,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  E.  Doss,  born  January  17,  1867,  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Adeline  (Miller)  Doss,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  There  is  no  issue  by 
this  union. 


Hon.  Charles  T.  Akin,  vice  president  of  a  bank  and  general  mer- 
chandise dealer  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  was  born  October  27,  1848,  in  Carlisle, 
Indiana,  son  of  Ransom  W.  and  Sarah  R.  (Sedgwick)  Akin.  Mr.  Akin's 
father  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  October  18,  1806,  in  Clark  county, 
and  he  died  June  18,  1880,  at  Carlisle.  His  wife  was  born  in  Maryland, 
September  19,  1817,  and  died  January  3,  1903,  at  Carlisle.  The  father 
came  to  Sullivan  county  in  1838,  locating  at  Carlisle,  where  he  ever  after- 
ward resided  with  the  exception  of  ten  years  which  he  spent  in  Bloom- 
ington,  Indiana,  always  retaining  his  business  interests  at  Carlisle,  how- 
ever. He  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  began  merchandising  when  eighteen 
years  of  age,  at  New  Albany,  Indiana.  From  there  he  went  to  Bowling 
Green,  Clay  county,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  time  and  then  moved 
back  to  New  Albany  and  from  there  moved  to  Carlisle  in  1838.  He  was 
a  very  successful  dealer  in  general  merchandising  goods.  Being  a  recog- 
nized financier,  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  banking  board,  under  the 
old  law,  also  a  director  of  the  state  prison.  He  served  capably  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  house  and  senate  of  Indiana,  and  was  treasurer  of  the  State 
University  at  Bloomington.  Politically,  he  was  a  stanch  defender  of 
Democratic  principles.  He  was  of  Scotch  and  English  extraction,  his 
father,  Josiah  Akin,  coming  from  the  east  to  Kentucky  and  from  there  to 
Clark  county,  Indiana,  and  dying  in  New  Albany  in  1858.  His  occupation 
was  farming. 

Ransom  W.  and  Sarah  R.  (Sedgwick)  Akin  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  born  in  the  following  order:  William  M.,  a  resident  of 
Evansville;  Evelyn,  living  in  Evansville;  Frank  M.,  deceased;  Mary  S., 
deceased ;  J.  S.,  residing  at  Carlisle ;  Maggie  E.,  deceased ;  Sarah  W., 
widow  of  Mr.  Cloud  and  residing  in  Boston ;  Louise,  wife  of  George  Price, 
living  in  Sullivan ;  Ransom  W.,  Jr.,  deceased ;  Charles  T. ;  Edgar  W.,  Sr., 
residing  at  Carlisle,  engaged  in  banking;  Josiah  T.,  living  in  Sullivan. 
The  parents  were  both  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Charles  T.  Akin,  the  tenth  child  in  the  family  of  Ransom  and  Sarah 
Akin,  received  his  education  at  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county 
and  clerked  in  the  store  owned  by  his  father,  from  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old,  when  he  was  taken  in  as  a  partner 
with  his  father  and  brother,  Edgar  W.  Akin,  under  the  firm  name  of 
R.  W.  Akin  &  Sons,  which  relation  existed  until  the  death  of  the  father 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  395 

in  1880,  when  the  brother  Josiah  took  over  his  father's  interest,  the  style 
of  the  firm  being  changed  to  R.  W.  Akin's  Sons.  In  1902  the  brother 
Josiah  retired  and  Charles  T.  absorbed  the  business,  which  has  grown  to 
be  one  of  the  most  extensive  in  Sullivan  county.  Mr.  Akin  is  rated  as 
being  the  largest  shipper  of  poultry  in  Indiana,  handling  immense  quan- 
tities of  both  eggs  and  poultry.  During  the  summer  time  he  runs  four 
large  wagons  through  the  rural  districts  loaded  with  supplies  for  the 
farmers,  selling  on  the  same  terms  and  giving  as  good  a  quality  of  mer- 
chandise as  though  sold  direct  from  his  large  store.  This  feature  of  his 
business  has  been  carried  on  for  more  than  ten  years.  Besides  his  mer- 
cantile interests  Mr.  Akin  operates  two  large  farms  within  the  township 
in  which  he  resides. 

Mr.  Akin  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  been  chosen 
to  fill  several  important  public  positions,  beginning  with  that  of  member 
of  the  school  board,  leading  up  to  member  of  the  state  house  of  repre- 
sentatives for  the  sessions  of  1881-83.  In  1891-93  he  was  state  senator. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  special  committee  which  created  the  first  salary 
bill  for  the  payment  of  county  officers.  He  was  also  on  the  finance  com- 
mittee for  the  state  tax-bill,  making  corporations  pay  their  full  share  of 
taxes,  and  in  many  other  ways  aided  in  furthering  needful  legislation. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  both  the  Masonic  and  Ben  Hur  lodges, 
at  Carlisle. 

Mr.  Akin  was  united  in  marriage,  December  19,  1890,  to  Sophia 
Benedict,  a  native  of  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  born  May  5,  i860,  daughter 
of  Jacob  Benedict  and  wife.  Mr.  Benedict  is  now  deceased  and  his  widow 
resides  at  Gentryville,  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  have  four  children: 
Beulah,  born  September  19,  1891,  single  and  now  attending  college  at 
Ferry  Hall,  Lake  Forest,  Illinois ;  Helen ;  Charles  T.,  Jr. ;  and  Sedgwick  R. 


Oliver  J.  Cartwright. — Numbered  among  the  active  and  capable 
business  men  of  Carlisle  is  Oliver  J.  Cartwright,  who  is  associated  with 
the  International  Harvester  Machine  Company  as  salesman,  his  territory 
covering  Sullivan,  Greene,  Knox  and  Vigo  counties.  A  son  of  Samuel  A. 
Cartwright,  he  was  born,  April  5,  1865,  in  Haddon  township,  about  one 
and  one- fourth  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Carlisle.  His  Grandfather 
Cartwright  migrated  from  North  Carolina,  his  native  state,  to  Indiana,  in 
pioneer  days,  and  took  up  land  in  Haddon  township,  being  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  county. 

Born  in  Haddon  township  in  1838,  Samuel  A.  Cartwright  followed 
the  free  and  independent  occupation  to  which  he  was  reared,  living  near 
the  parental  homestead  until  within  a  few  years.  Selling  out  then,  he 
bought  a  farm  in  Hamilton  township,  where  he  has  since  been  profitably 
employed  in  agricultural  pursuits.  A  man  of  sterling  integrity,  he  is  a 
valued  citizen  of  the  township  in  which  he  resides,  and  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  married  Nancy 
Lemen,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Gill  township,  in  September,  1840.    Both 


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396  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

she  and  her  husband  are  valued  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Three 
children  blessed  their  union,  namely :  Isabelle,  born  in  February,  1863,  is 
the  wife  of  Frank  Starner,  of  Carlisle;  Oliver  J.,  of  this  sketch;  and 
William  L.,  of  Sullivan,  who  married  Catherine  Bell,  a  native  of  Hamilton 
township. 

Receiving  a  practical  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Carlisle, 
Oliver  J.  Cartwright  was  well  drilled  in  the  science  of  agriculture  while 
young,  and  remained  with  his  parents  until  about  twenty-five  years  old. 
Embarking  then  in  farming  on  his  own  account,  he  continued  for  about 
twenty  years,  from  1895  untu*  I9°6  being  located  about  one  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Carlisle.  Selling  his  farm  in  the  latter-named  year,  Mr. 
Cartwright  moved  to  Carlisle,  where  he  has  since  resided.  While  on  the 
farm  he  operated  a  threshing  machine  for  nearly  twenty-four  years,  being 
kept  busily  employed  in  the  vicinity  of  Carlisle  during  the  harvest  season. 
Since  coming  to  Carlisle,  Mr.  Cartwright  has  been  variously  engaged,  at 
the  present  time  travelling  in  the  interests  of  the  International  Harvester 
Machine  Company,  as  previously  stated. 

On  January  28,  1892,  Mr.  Cartwright  married  Isabelle  Starner,  who 
was  born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  in  October,  1864,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Nancy  (Jerel)  Starner,  who  spent  their  entire  lives  in  that  county. 
Her  father  was  a  farmer,  and  also  a  brick  mason  by  trade.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cartwright,  namely:  Opal,  born  No- 
vember 8,  1894;  and  Okie,  born  February  13,  1896.  Politically  Mr. 
Cartwright  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  both  the  lodge  and  encamp- 
ment, and  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  especially  active 
in  the  former,  having  filled  all  of  the  offices  in  both  the  lodge  and  encamp- 
ment, and  having  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge,  of  which  he  is 
one  of  the  trustees.  Religiously  Mrs.  Cartwright  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


Anderson  Ward  Driver,  a  grain  and  stock  farmer  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county,  whose  farm  home  is  four  and  a  half  miles  south 
from  Pleasantville,  was  reared  and  educated  in  Sullivan  county.  He  was 
born  August  8,  1867,  in  Jefferson  township,  son  of  James  E.  and  Lovina 
(Osborn)  Driver.  The  father,  a  son  of  Edwin  Driver,  was  born  May  21, 
1832,  in  Decatur  county,  Indiana,  and  the  mother  in  Jefferson  township, 
Sullivan  county,  January  19,  1834;  both  now  reside  at  the  town  of  Sulli- 
van. James  E.  came  to  Jefferson  township  about  1850,  settling  at  the 
north  end  of  the  township,  where  he  entered  land,  at  one  time  owning  two 
hundred  and  seventy  acres,  and  he  carried  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  for  many  years  an  elder  in  the  Christian 
church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member.  They  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children:  Elizabeth,  residing  in  Sullivan,  wife  of  Anthony 
Robbins,  now  deceased ;  John  C,  of  Jefferson  township,  married  Hattie 
Herndon;  Mary  Frances,  living  in  Canton,   Mississippi,  married  John 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  397 

Maxwell ;  James  S.,  who  occupies  the  old  homestead  in  Jefferson  township, 
married  Inez  Buck ;  Daniel,  of  Jefferson  township,  married  Laura  Smith ; 
Anderson  Ward,  of  this  notice ;  Mazie  May,  married  Lafayette  Pigg  and  is 
now  deceased.  Two  other  children  died  in  their  infancy.  Lovina 
(Osborn)  Driver,  the  mother,  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Moser)  Osborn.  They  came  to  Indiana  from  Tennessee  and  were 
among  the  early  settlers. 

Anderson  W.  Driver,  the  sixth  child  in  the  family,  attended  the  public 
schools  in  his  own  neighborhood  at  such  times  as  he  could  and  at  other 
times  at  Sullivan.  He  remained  dutiful  at  home  and  materially  assisted 
his  father  until  his  marriage,  after  which  event  he  rented  land  in 
Jefferson  township  two  or  three  years  and  in  1892  went  to  the  vicinity 
of  Sedalia,  Missouri,  and  there  farmed  on  rented  land  two  seasons.  He 
had  not  seen  a  better  location  than  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  his  native 
place,  hence  returned  and  purchased  forty-six  acres  in  the  north  end 
of  Jefferson  township.  This  tract  he  soon  sold  and  rented  land  of  his 
brother-in-law,  near  Paxton.  In  1904  Mr.  Driver  had  so  well  prospered 
that  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  four 
and  a  half  miles  south  of  Pleasantville,  where  he  now  carries  on  a  well 
ordered  grain  and  stock  farm. 

As  every  good  citizen  in  this  free  form  of  government  has,  or 
should  have,  his  preference  in  political  party  platforms,  Mr.  Driver  has 
chosen  that  of  the  Democratic  as  his  standard.  Being  an  exemplary 
Christian,  he,  together  with  his  wife,  have  their  church  home  with  the 
Christian  church.  Believing  in  the  correctness  of  life  insurance,  as  a 
means  of  protection  for  his  family,  he  is  a  member  of  that  most  excel- 
lent order — the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His  lodge,  No.  4929,  is 
at  Pleasantville,  Indiana.  Mr.  Driver  was  married  November  24,  1888, 
to  Anna  L.  Robbins,  born  August  17,  1869,  in  Haddon  township,  Sulli- 
van county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Washington  and  Anna  (Arnett) 
Robbins,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Driver  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children:  Orland  E.,  born  November  18,  1891,  now 
in  his  second  high  school  year  at  Sanborn;  Lee  O.,  born  October  24, 
1893,  also  attending  school;  James  H.,  born  June  16,  1895,  in  school; 
Pansy  Marie,  born  September  18,  1898. 


A.  E.  A.  Sloop. — A  practical  and  successful  farmer  of  Haddon 
township,  Sullivan  county,  Abraham  E.  A.  Sloop  has  resided  in  this 
section  of  Indiana  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  has  lived  in  the 
state  for  some  forty  years.  Although  then  but  a  young  man,  he  had 
served  in  the  Confederate  army  from  North  Carolina,  under  the  renowned 
General  Johnston,  but  after  coming  to  Indiana  remained  within  the 
borders  of  the  state,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  engaged  in  various 
agricultural  and  artisan  pursuits.  So  that  both  from  the  standpoint  of 
patriotism  and  practical  usefulness  Mr.  Sloop  is  an  ideal  American  citi- 
zen.   Born  in  Rowan  county,  North  Carolina,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1847, 


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398  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

he  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Rosanna  (Seckler)  Sloop,  both  parents  being 
natives  of  that  county.  In  1884  they  joined  their  sons  in  Greene  county, 
Indiana  (in  which  he  located  ten  years  before),  and  there  the  father  died 
in  1895  and  the  mother  in  1902. 

A.  E.  A.  Sloop  was  reared  on  the  home  plantation  in  Rowan  county, 
his  youth  covering  the  Civil  war  period.  He  was  not  able  to  enlist  until 
April,  1864,  when  he  joined  the  Second  North  Carolina  Junior  Reserves. 
Although  he  saw  active  service  in  the  desperate  engagements  of  the  final 
struggle  under  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  participating  in  the  battle  of 
Bentonsville,  he  escaped  without  a  wound  or  other  injury.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  North  Carolina,  but  in 
March,  1869,  adopted  the  Hoosier  state  by  becoming  a  resident  of  Law- 
rence county.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  he  located  it  Paxton,  where 
he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  under  his  brother  (Henry  O.  Sloop), 
following  that  vocation  for  about  four  years.  He  next  resumed  farm- 
ing, locating  on  a  tract  of  land  near  Linton,  Greene  county,  in  the  spring 
of  1874,  and  in  that  locality  conducting  agricultural  operations  (in  con- 
nection with  blacksmithing)  for  over  three  years.  Mr.  Sloop  tried  Texas 
as  an  experiment,  for  two  years  from  the  autumn  of  1877;  returning  to 
Greene  county  he  resided  there  for  the  succeeding  two  years,  and  lived 
in  Knox  county  for  a  like  period,  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  re-located  in 
Greene  county,  settling  in  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  in  the 
spring  of  1885.  There  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  sixty  acres 
of  which  he  retains  and  profitably  cultivates.  In  his  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  a  citizen  of  sterling  and  useful  character. 

On  January  5,  1871,  Mr.  Sloop  married  Miss  Laura  E.  Linn,  a  native 
of  North  C&rolina,  who  died  in  1883,  the  mother  of  three  children — one 
of  whom  died  an  infant,  prior  to  Mrs.  Sloop's  decease.  Charles,  who 
was  born  in  1876,  married  Estelle  Dailey,  a  native  of  Haddon  township, 
and  both  reside  in  Greene  county.  Cora  P.,  the  second  child  of  this 
marriage  to  reach  maturity,  was  born  June  16,  1879;  is  a  native  of 
Texas,  and  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Robertson,  residing  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, Sullivan  county.  On  March  8,  1891,  Mr  Sloop  wedded  for  his 
second  wife,  Miss  Rebecca  A.  (Creager)  Bedwell,  born  in  Hamilton 
township,  November  20,  1842,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Sarah  J.  (Brodie) 
Creager.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Maryland  and,  with  his  wife,  was 
among  the  pioneers  of  Haddon  township.  The  grandparents  of  Mrs. 
Rebecca  A.  Sloop  at  one  time  lived  in  the  famous  fort  at  Vincennes, 
Indiana,  where  so  many  of  the  pioneers  took  refuge  from  the  Indians. 
While  living  in  the  fort  two  children  belonging  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wethers- 
camp  were  stolen  by  the  savages — the  boy  being  given  to  one  tribe  and 
the  girl  to  another.  The  former  played  with  the  Indian  boys  as  if  he 
were  really  one  of  them,  and  one  of  their  customs  was  to  drive  the 
ponies  of  the  tribe  across  a  small  river  (to  keep  the  animals  out  of  the 
corn),  the  lads  afterwards  swimming  back.  Upon  one  of  these  occasions 
it  occurred  to  the  white  boy  that  he  had  better  say  farewell  to  his  dusky 
comrades  and  start  for  the  Vincennes  fort — which  he  did,  galloping  off 
on  a  good  pony.    The  boy  rode  all  that  night  and  the  next  day  until  evening, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  399 

and  safely  reached  home,  after  an  absence  of  two  years.  After  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  home  circle  for  about  a  year  his  mother  begged 
him  to  endeavor  to  recover  his  sister.  Fortunately,  the  youth  had  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  her  whereabouts  and  her  habits,  and  finally  reached 
the  locality  near  which  her  captors  had  their  camp.  In  the  vicinity  was  a 
swamp  containing  a  number  of  springs,  from  which  the  Indians  drew 
their  water  supply,  and  tethering  his  pony  he  took  his  station  on  a 
mound,  knowing  it  was  his  sister's  custom  to  come  to  one  of  the  springs. 
Keeping  close  watch  until  the  following  evening,  he  was  finally  rewarded 
by  the  appearance  of  his  sister  and,  as  she  was  dipping  water  from  the 
spring,  he  seized  her,  placed  a  handkerchief  in  her  mouth  to  prevent  her 
screaming,  got  her  on  his  pony  in  front  of  him  and  dashed  off.  Soon 
quieting  her  with  his  explanations  (made  largely  in  sign  language),  the 
brave  boy  rode  all  that  night  and  until  noon  the  next  day,  when  he 
stopped  to  feed  the  exhausted  animal,  as  well  as  his  sister  and  himself. 
They  did  not  stop  again  until  they  reached  Vincennes  and  the  overjoyed 
parents. 

Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Sloop  was  the  widow  of  William  Bed- 
well,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township  and  died  September  19,  188S. 
By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Sloop  became  the  mother  of  three  children, 
as  follows:  Mary  L.,  now  the  wife  of  David  Bedwell,  of  Hamilton 
township;  Cornie  B.,  deceased,  who  married  Cora  Creager,  the  widow 
now  residing  near  Sullivan ;  and  Alma  V.,  who  became  the  wife  of  Fred 
Orr.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sloop  are  devoted  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Paxton,  of  which  body  the  husband  is  a  trustee  and 
a  steward. 


John  T.  Riggle,  one  of  the  thrifty  and  painstaking  farmers  whose 
fine  rural  home  is  situated  within  the  limits  of  Gill  township,  Sullivan 
county,  is  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  born  July  10,  1836,  hence 
has  passed  his  four  score  year  mark,  but  notwithstanding  his  multiplied 
years  and  the  amount  of  hard  labor  performed,  he  is  still  a  well  preserved 
and  rugged  man,  for  one  of  his  years.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Katharine  (Swartz)  Riggle.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  father  was  born  in  1803  and  the  mother  in  1814.  The 
father  moved  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  who  were  pioneers  and  farmers. 
It  is  related  of  them  that  they  were  compelled  to  keep  their  dogs  within 
the  house  at  night  time  in  order  to  protect  themselves  from  the  wolves. 
Mr.  Riggle's  mother  also  went  to  the  Buckeye  state  with  her  parents,  who 
were  farmers  there  until  1848,  when  they  came  to  Indiana,  locating  in 
Warren  county,  on  a  farm,  where  the  mother  died  about  185 1.  The 
father  resided  in  that  county  about  twenty-five  years,  then  sold  and 
removed  to  Vermilion  county,  where  he  purchased  a  forty  acre  farm 
and  died  there,  May  29,  1872.  He  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  followed 
that  during  the  winter  months,  but  always  attended  to  his  farm  in  the 
farming  season. 

John  T.  Riggle  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  he  being  the  third 

Vol.   11—26 


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400  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

in  order  of  birth.  He  obtained  his  schooling  in  Ohio,  excepting  one 
winter  term  in  Indiana.  Up  to  the  time  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age 
he  remained  at  home,  then  rented  a  farm  in  Illinois  one  season,  and  con- 
tinued renting  land  for  farming  purposes  until  1886,  when  he  bought 
seventy-eight  acres,  upon  which  he  now  resides,  a  portion  of  which  he 
rents  out  and  the  balance  he  farms  himself.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  as  a  private 
soldier,  serving  five  months  and  twelve  days  as  one  who  offered  his 
services  in  defense  of  his  country's  flag.  After  his  return  from  the  war 
he  followed  carpentering  for  about  four  years.  Politically  Mr.  Riggle 
is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  general  principles  of  the  platform  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office.  In  church  faith  he  is  a 
Christian. 

He  was  happily  married,  April  1,  1858,  to  Mary  S.  Thomas,  born  in 
West  Virginia,  near  Green  Brier,  April  16,  1840,  daughter  of  James  and 
Nancy  Thomas,  she  being  the  youngest  of  her  parents'  four  children. 
The  father  and  mother  were  both  natives  of  and  died  in  West  Virginia 
when  Mary  was  but  a  small  girl.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  T.  Riggle  are  as  follows:  Flora  L., 
deceased ;  .Harris  G.,  of  Curryville,  Indiana;  William  W.,  of  Danville, 
Illinois,  a  miner;  Charles  W.,  Emma  G.  and  Sylvester  A.,  all  deceased; 
Rozella,  of  Curryville,  Indiana,  a  miner;  and  Benjamin,  of  Sullivan 
county,  also  a  miner. 


Andrew  J.  Con  ley. — Distinguished  for  his  patriotic  services  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  as  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  Andrew  J.  Conley  is 
numbered  among  the  citizens  of  good  repute  and  high  standing  in  Sulli- 
van county,  his  residence  being  in  Cass.  A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born 
May  8,  1838,  a  son  of  Thomas  Conley,  and  grandson  of  John  Conley. 
His  great-grandfather  on  the  paternal  side  was  for  many  years  a  resident 
of  Kentucky,  and  there  reared  his  seven  sons.  Born  and  reared  in  old 
Kentucky,  John  Conley  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  lived  a  number  of  years  before  going  to  Illinois  to  take  up  land. 
From  the  Prairie  state  he  came  back  to  Indiana,  and  after  living  a  while 
in  Sullivan  county  bought  land  in  Knox  county,  and  there  began  the 
improvement  of  a  farm.  Subsequently  selling  his  land,  he  moved  to 
Missouri,  and  settled  in  Texas  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life. 

A  Kentuckian  by  birth,  Thomas  Conley  came  with  his  parents  to 
Indiana,  and  with  them  settled  in  Sullivan  county.  While  yet  a  young 
man,  he  married  Lucinda  House,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daughter 
of  Michael  House.  She  died  in  early  life,  leaving  five  children,  Joseph, 
Jane,  Andrew  J.,  Dicey,  and  Nellie.  After  the  death  of  his  wife,  he 
removed  with  the  family  to  Clay  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  within  a 
short  time,  his  death  occurring  in  1846.  His  orphaned  children  then 
returned  to  Indiana,  and  until  able  <o  care  for  themselves  lived  with  their 
paternal  grandparents. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  401 

Spending  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  with  his  Grandfather 
Conley,  Andrew  J.  Conley  was  brought  up  in  Sullivan  and  Knox  counties, 
and  remembers  well  when  all  of  this  section  of  the  country  was  a  wilder- 
ness, and  deer,  bears,  wolves  and  wild  turkeys  were  plentiful,  and  Vin- 
cennes,  twenty  miles  away,  was  the  principal  market  place.  The  family 
dressed  in  homespun,  which  was  made  by  his  mother,  and  until  nine  years 
old,  when  he  had  his  first  pair  of  shoes,  he  went  barefoot  the  year  round. 
Beginning  the  battle  of  life  on  his  account  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
Mr.  Conley  went  to  Illinois,  and  was  there  employed  in  farming  until 
after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war.  Then,  on  July  2,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Twenty-fourth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
with  his  regiment  spent  the  following  winter  at  Allenville,  Missouri. 
Going  in  the  spring  of  1862  to  Tennessee,  he  took  part  in  the  engagement 
at  Fort  Donelson,  and  was  afterwards  at  the  front  in  the  battles  at  Shiloh 
and  Corinth.  Going  thence  to  Memphis,  he  remained  there  a  brief  time, 
then  went  to  Helena,  Arkansas,  from  there  going  to  Grand  Prairie, 
Arkansas,  then  back  to  Helena.  With  his  command  he  then  joined  Grant's 
forces  at  Vicksburg,  and  with  his  regiment  was  in  active  service  at  the 
battles  of  Olive  Church,  Fourteen-Mile  Creek,  Raymond,  Jackson,  Cham- 
pion Hill,  Bakers  Creek,  Black  River,  and  at  the  siege  and  capture  of 
Vicksburg.  Going  then  to  Jackson,  Mississippi,  he  was  in  the  seven- 
days  siege,  and  later  participated  in  the  battle  of  Canon  Crow  Bayou, 
from  there  going  by  way  of  New  Orleans  to  Baton  Rouge,  and  subse- 
quently fought  in  the  battles  at  La  Mine  river,  Morganza  Bend,  and  at 
Atchafalaya  Bayou.  The  following  winter  he  spent  with  his  regiment  at 
Fort  Pickens,  Florida,  going  from  there  in  the  spring  to  Pensacola,  thence 
to  Mississippi,  where  he  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Blakeley,  and  of 
Mobile.  Going  then  by  boat  to  Montgomery,  news  was  received  while 
his  regiment  was  on  its  way  to  that  place  of  the  surrender  of  Lee  and 
his  forces.  Mr.  Conley  spent  two  months  in  Mobile,  being  there  at  the 
time  of  the  explosion,  but  escaped  injury.  Going  from  there  to  Galveston, 
Texas,  he  was  there  mustered  out  of  service  November  15,  1865,  and 
was  sent  by  way  of  New  Orleans  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  received  his 
honorable  discharge.  Returning  to  Sullivan  county,  Mr.  Conley  rented  a 
farm  for  one  year,  and  then  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  has 
since  followed  successfully. 

Mr.  Conley  married  first,  in  1867,  Nancy  Jane  Rislev,  who  was  born 
in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  and  died,  August  23,  1878,  in  Sullivan  county. 
On  September  5,  1880,  Mr.  Conley  married  for  his  second  wife  Martha 
Gambill.  She  was  born,  February  23,  1849,  in  Wright  township,  Greene 
county,  where  her  father,  Robert  Gambill,  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life.  Her  grandfather,  Martin  Gambill,  moved  from  Tennessee  to  Indiana 
at  an  early  day,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Greene  county,  where 
he  improved  a  farm,  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  years.  But 
a  boy  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Indiana,  Robert  Gambill  there 
grew  to  manhood.  Choosing  farming  as  his  life  work,  he  was  there 
employed  in  tilling  the  soil  until  1902,  when  he  came  to  Cass  township, 
and  thereafter  made  his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conley  until  his  death, 


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402  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

January  24,  1907.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Nancy  Humphreys. 
She  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Henson  and 
Mary  (Nosier)  Humphreys,  and  died,  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Conley,  April  14,  1904.  By  his  first  union  Mr.  Conley  had  one  child, 
Franklin  M.,  and  by  his  present  marriage  has  two  children,  Nellie  and 
Lizzie  May.  Franklin  M.  married  Lillie  Parker,  and  they  have  two  sons, 
Robert  and  Emil.  Nellie,  wife  of  Luther  Keene,  has  two  children,  Bernice 
and  Edith  May. 


Rufus  O.  Willard,  one  of  the  old  and  honored  farmers  of  Sullivan 
county,  residing  in  Gill  township,  was  born  January  8,  1838,  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives.  He  is  a  son  of  Orson  and  Elizabeth 
(McCutcheon)  Willard,  the  father  born  in  Utica,  New  York,  March  14, 
1787,  while  the  mother  was  a  native  of  Virginia.  Orson  Willard  came 
to  Indiana  in  1807,  before  it  had  been  admitted  as  a  state,  and  he  entered 
government  land  and  remained  until  1852,  when  he  left  his  farm  in  the 
hands  of  a  tenant  and  went  to  California  and  there  took  up  more  govern- 
ment land  within  the  Waukeen  Valley.  This  western  trip  he  made  over- 
land, arriving  August  7,  1853.  He  took  a  large  lot  of  cattle  there  with 
him  and  engaged  in  farming,  remaining  there  until  his  death  in  1854. 
His  wife  had  died  in  1840.  Politically  he  was  a  Whig  before  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  and  he  was  a  candidate  for  senator  in  1844. 
Orson  and  Elizabeth  Willard  were  the  parents  of  three  children :  Lenora, 
deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Captain  James  H.  Garrett,  also  deceased; 
Isabelle,  wife  of  Colonel  John  A.  Garrett ;  he  is  dead,  and  she  is  residing 
in  Newton,  Iowa;  Rufus  O.,  of  this  sketch. 

Rufus  O.  Willard  received  his  education  at  the  schools  of  New 
Lebanon,  Carlisle  and  Waveland,  Indiana.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
fifteen  years  of  age,  in  California,  where  the  son  remained  on  the  farm, 
caring  for  the  stock  and  estate  in  general  until  it  was  disposed  of  and 
then  started  with  his  mother  for  Indiana,  coming  by  the  Panama  water 
route  to  New  York  City,  arriving  June  16,  1854.  He  then  resided  in 
Carlisle  and  attended  school  about  five  years.  He  then  went  onto  the 
farm  which  he  now  occupies,  going  to  this  farm  in  April,  1862.  He 
possesses  the  original  patent  to  this  tract  of  land,  the  instrument  bearing 
the  signature  of  President  Jackson.  Mr.  Willard  has  lived  here  con- 
tinuously ever  since  his  settlement,  with  the  exception  of  the  winter  of 
1907-08,  which  he  spent  in  Florida,  being  absent  four  and  a  half  months. 
This  farm  contains  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  for  many  years 
was  farmed  by  his  sons  until  1907,  when  it  was  rented.  Though  he  was 
himself  actively  engaged  on  the  farm,  Mr.  Willard  made  a  specialty  of 
stock-raising,  in  which  he  was  very  successful. 

Mr.  Willard  has  been  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  since  1866  and  stands  for  all  that  is  good  and  truly  progressive  in 
the  community  in  which  he  has  resided  so  many  years.  Politically  he  is  a 
radical  Republican.  He  was  married  May  7,  i860,  to  Miss  Mary  Owens, 
born  in  Carlisle,  August  5,  1842,  daughter  of  B.  F.  and  Sarah  (Barker) 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  403 

Owens.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Macon,  Georgia,  as  was  also  the 
mother.  Mrs.  WillarcTs  parents  resided  in  Indiana  but  a  short  time,  then 
returned  to  Macon,  where  they  died  several  years  since.  The  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willard  are  as  follows:  Louisa,  wife  of  C.  L. 
Engle,  residing  in  Gill  township,  on  a  farm,  and  they  have  eight  chil- 
dren; Anna,  wife  of  Rush  L.  Davis,  a  farmer,  they  have  six  children; 
Katherine,  wife  of  E.  W.  Sanders,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  a  traveling  sales- 
man and  manufacturer  of  porcelain,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren; Laura,  wife  of  F.  H.  Huntworth,  of  Chehalis,  a  professor  in  the 
high  schools;  they  have  two  children;  Mary,  unmarried,  residing  in 
Seattle,  Washington,  at  the  head  of  the  science  department  of  the  high 
schools;  Roxie,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Greenfield  Wolf,  of  Sullivan 
and  they  had  two  children;  Orson,  married  Marjorie  Benefield,  of  Car- 
lisle, and  resides  at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  temporarily;  Belden,  unmarried 
and  at  home. 


Dr.  John  W.  Lisman,  a  practicing  physician  of  New  Lebanon,  Sulli- 
van county,  is  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  this  county,  born  December 
20,  1853,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Johnson)  Lisman,  both  of  whom 
were  born  near  Carlisle,  Indiana,  the  father  November  19,  1814,  and  the 
mother  September  20,  1814.  They  were  farmers  all  of  their  lives.  Grand- 
father Lisman  came  from  Kentucky  and  the  grandparents  Johnson  came 
from  Vincennes,  Indiana.  The  great-grandparents,  on  the  paternal  side, 
came  from  Germany  and  on  the  maternal  side  from  Virginia,  but  were  of 
English  descent.  The  doctor's  father  remained  on  his  farm  until  the  death 
of  his  wife  about  1890*  after  which  he  resided  with  his  children  until  his 
own  death,  which  occurred  July  8,  1906.  In  his  family  were  five  children, 
born  in  the  following  order :  Samuel,  a  practicing  physician  at  Oaktown ; 
Malinda,  wife  of  George  McCarnie,  a  farmer ;  Frederick,  residing  on  the 
old  homestead,  near  Carlisle ;  Dr.  John  W.,  of  this  sketch ;  Sarah  F.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  in  1873. 

Dr.  Lisman  attended  school  at  Carlisle,  Indiana,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  his  majority.  Having  decided  to  enter  the  medical 
profession,  he  matriculated  at  a  medical  college  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  1878.  Prior  to  his  entering  college  he 
studied  under  a  brother  for  two  years.  He  began  practice  at  New 
Lebanon,  Sullivan  county,  where  he  is  still  located  and  enjoying  a  lucrative 
practice.  During  the  passing  of  the  years  the  doctor  has  accumulated 
a  handsome  competency  and  owns  a  two  hundred  and  twenty  acre  tract 
of  land,  besides  having  one  of  the  best  residences  in  Sullivan  county, 
which  was  built  in  1895.  On  account  of  failing  health  he  has  had  to 
diminish  his  once  very  extended  practice,  not  being  able  to  longer  stand 
the  severe  winter  weather.  The  doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Rebekahs  and  Ben  Hur  fraternities.  He  has  been 
Noble  Grand  in  the  first  named  order.  In  his  political  views  Dr.  Lisman 
adheres  to  the  Democratic  party,  while  in  his  church  relations  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  is  a  member  of 
the  advisory  board  since  such  an  office  was  created. 


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404  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

September  13,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Springer,  born 
May  4,  1864,  daughter  of  John  D.  and  Hester  F.  (Creager)  Springer. 
The  mother  is  a  granddaughter  of  General  French  and  both  her  parents 
were  born  in  Gill  township,  Sullivan  county.  The  father  died  in  1894 
and  the  mother,  born  May  22,  1831,  died  in  1905.  In  the  Springer  family 
were  the  following  children:  Perry,  deceased;  Lucy,  deceased;  Urzilla, 
wife  of  John  Arbaugh,  residing  in  California;  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Lisman) ; 
Clara,  wife  of  J.  G.  Brokaw;  Teressa,  deceased,  was  wife  of  J.  K. 
Kalson ;  Jesse,  deceased.  Dr.  Lisman  and  wife  had  two  children :  John, 
born  August,  1886,  died  October  of  the  same  year;  and  Claud,  born  Jan- 
uary 5,  1888,  unmarried  and  attending  school  at  Greencastle,  Indiana. 


L.  E.  Cote,  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  leading  bakery  establishments 
of  Hymera,  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  success  and  has  builded 
wisely  and  well.  He  was  left  an  orphan  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen  years, 
and  he  was  only  a  lad  of  seven  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  He  made 
his  home  with  a  sister  until  he  was  fifteen,  and  then  started  out  in  life  to 
battle  for  himself,  working  for  others  during  the  first  year.  He  then 
started  on  his  career  as  a  baker,  learning  the  trade  under  the  able  instruc- 
tion of  Wells  &  Boettler,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  he  continued  with 
that  firm  for  five  years,  working  as  a  journeyman  baker  until  1902,  when 
he  came  to  Hymera  and  established  the  bakery  of  which  he  is  yet  the  pro- 
prietor. In  connection  therewith  he  now  also  has  a  restaurant  and  confec- 
tionery department,  cigars  and  tobacco,  a  fancy  grocery  department  and 
does  a  general  bakery  business.  His  store  is  up-to-date  in  all  its  depart- 
ments, and  he  enjoys  a  large  and  profitable  trade. 

Mr.  Cote  is  a  native  son  of  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  born  May  14, 
1879,  a  son  of  John  B.  and  Sophia  (Osgood)  Cote,  both  of  whom  were 
also  born  in  that  state,  and  the  father  was  of  Canadian  French  descent. 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a  Missouri  regiment  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
served  as  a  soldier  for  three  years,  in  the  meantime  being  advanced  to  the 
position  of  a  corporal.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  moved  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  worked  for  others  and  remained  there  until  his 
death  in  1886.    His  wife  died  seven  years  later,  on  the  14th  of  August. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1901,  L.  E.  Cote  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Dorothy  Doernhoefer,  who  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany, 
December  20,  1878,  a  daughter  of  John  Conrad  and  Katherine  (Lykam) 
Doernhoefer,  who  were  also  from  the  fatherland.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  died  in  that  country  on  the  26th  of  May,  1904,  and  the  mother 
is  still  living  there.  Mr.  Cote  is  independent  in  politics  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  at  Sullivan. 


Marion  F.  Willis. — A  native-born  citizen  of  Sullivan  county,  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  and  the  representative  of  a  pioneer  family, 
Marion  F.  Willis,  of  Sullivan,  is  eminently  deserving  of  mention  in  a 
work  of  this  character.     He  was  born  in  Haddon  township,  this  county, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  405 

February  20,  1844,  a  son  of  John  A.  Willis,  of  Virginia  ancestry.  Born 
in  Virginia  in  1808,  John  A.  Willis  was  taken  by  his  parents,  when  a 
small  child,  to  Kentucky,  where  he  was  reared  and  where  he  married. 
About  1830  he  followed  the  trail  of  the  emigrants  to  Indiana,  and  in 
Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county,  took  up  a  tract  of  wild  land,  from 
which  he  improved  a  good  homestead,  and  there  resided  until  his  death, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He  was  twice  married,  and 
reared  twelve  children.  His  second  wife,  mother  of  Marion  F.,  was 
Sarah  Boatman.  She  was  born  in  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky,  and  died 
in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  William 
Willis,  son  of  John  A.,  served  three  years  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  as 
a  private  in  Company  E,  Forty-third  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
being  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  Returning  home  after 
receiving  his  honorable  discharge,  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  his  death.  Tilghman  Willis,  another  son  of  John  A.,  enlisted, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  in  Company  D,  First  Indiana  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  served  for  fifteen  months,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. He  afterwards  attended  Christian  College,  at  Merom,  Sulli- 
van county,  and  became  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
for  six  years  being  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Bloomington  district. 

Having  completed  his  early  studies  in  the  district  schools,  Marion 
F.  Willis  attended  the  Sullivan  High  School,  obtaining  a  practical  edu- 
cation. In  1-864  ne  enlisted  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
ninth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  with  his  regiment  until 
receiving  his  honorable  discharge,  in  July,  1865.  Beginning  a  profes- 
sional career  in  1867,  Mr.  Willis  taught  school  successfully  for  twelve 
years,  being  employed  in  Haddon,  Cass,  Hamilton  and  Turman  town- 
ships. Locating  then  in  Sullivan,  he  has  since  worked  at  the  shoe- 
maker's trade  and  has  here  built  up  an  excellent  patronage.  Mr.  Willis 
has  been  twice  married.  He  married  first,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years,  Minerva  Fogg,  who  spent  her  entire  life  in  Indiana,  passing  away 
in  1885.  He  married  for  his  second  wife  Maria  Robbins,  also  a  native 
of  Indiana.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Willis  had  four  children :  Arthur 
R.,  Luella,  Sarah  M.,  and  Catherine  G.  By  his  second  union  he  has 
two  children,  William  D.  and  Walter  Ray. 


Jacob  F.  Hoke,  well  known  in  mercantile  and  banking  circles  at  Sulli- 
van, Indiana,  through  his  long  experience  in  such  lines  of  business,  is  a 
native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county.  He  was  born  on  the  old 
Hoke  homestead,  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Carlisle,  August  15, 
1839,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Rosanna  (Brentlinger)  Hoke,  whose  family 
history  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work  in  the  sketches  of  William  F. 
Hoke  and  John  A.  Hoke.  Jacob  F.  Hoke  was  reared  on  a  farm  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  embarked  in 
the  mercantile  business,  at  Sullivan,  with  James  S.  Walls,  in  December, 
1859,  an(*  continued  doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Walls  & 


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4o6  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Hoke  for  about  two  years.  Early  in  1861  Walls  entered  the  army,  leaving 
Mr.  Hoke  alone  in  the  business  until  early  in  1862,  when  he  himself 
enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  Eighty-fifth  Indiana  Volunteer  Regiment, 
belonging  to  Company  H.  He  entered  the  army  August  15,  1862,  and 
served  until  November,  1864,  enlisting  as  a  private,  and  was  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant,  serving  under  Captain  William  T.  Crawford,  whose  sketch 
appears  in  this  work.  Jacob  F.  Hoke  participated  in  several  skirmishes 
and  battles.  He  was  with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  November,  1864. 

Soon  after  coming  home  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade  with 
W.  H.  Crowder,  Sr.,  under  the  firm  name  of  Crowder  and  Hoke,  which 
firm  continued  until  1872,  when  Mr.  Hoke  bought  his  partner's  interest 
and  conducted  the  business  alone  until  1889.  He  then  sold  out  to  his  sons- 
in-law,  Long  and  Warren.  Mr.  Hoke  and  William  H.  Crowder  organized 
the  Sullivan  County  Bank  and  in  1892  Mr.  Hoke  bought  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  Farmers'  State  Bank  of  Sullivan  and  conducted  the  same 
until  1897,  when  the  two  banks  were  consolidated — the  Sullivan  County 
Bank  and  the  Farmers'  State  Bank — taking  the  name  of  Sullivan  State 
Bank,  September  1,  1897,  since  which  date  Mr.  Hoke  has  been  the  presi- 
dent of  the  institution.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Citi- 
zens' Trust  Company  of  Sullivan ;  stockholder  in  the  Crawford  County 
State  Bank,  at  Robinson,  Illinois;  stockholder  in  the  American  National 
Bank  of  Indianapolis,  and  is  president  of  the  American  Box  Ball  Com- 
pany of  Indianapolis.  He  resides  at  Sullivan,  in  one  of  the  finest  resi- 
dences of  the  town — first  known  as  the  Captain  Briggs  residence. 

Politically  Mr.  Hoke  is  a  supporter  of  the  general  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  to  the  Knights 
Templar  degree  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  and 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  was  happily  married  in  March, 
1864,  to  Elizabeth  Ann  Maxwell,  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  Sep- 
tember, 1840,  and  who  died  in  1882.  Three  children  were  born  of  this 
union :  Cora,  wife  of  John  T.  Beasley,  of  Terre  Haute ;  Nellie,  wife  of 
C.  E.  Warren,  of  Sullivan;  Helen,  deceased.  For  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Hoke  married,  in  March,  1884,  Ellen  (Wright)  Long,  widow  of  Robert 
Long.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  July,  1839.  Believing  in  enjoying  the 
competency  they  have  acquired  with  the  passing  of  the  years,  they  have 
spent  the  past  nine  winters  in  various  parts  of  the  south,  including  Florida, 
Cuba,  Mississippi  and  California.  In  their  church  connections  Mr.  Hoke 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


W.  H.  McKee,  the  leading  merchant  in  Hymera,  was  born  in  Turman 
township  of  Sullivan  county  January  20,  1859,  a  son  of  William  M.  and 
Jane  (Bennett)  McKee,  the  father  a  native  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and 
the  mother  of  New  Lebanon,  Sullivan  county,  born  in  1829.  During  the 
early  history  of  this  community  William  M.  McKee  established  his  home 
here  and  for  some  years  was  engaged  in  farming,  but  gradually  drifted 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  407 

into  politics  and  became  very  prominent  in  the  public  life  of  this  part  of 
the  state.  During  several  years  he  served  the  county  of  Sullivan  as 
a  judge,  and  he  also  represented  his  district  in  the  legislature.  His  death 
occurred  on  the  26th  of  January,  1869,  and  he  was  loved  and  honored  for 
his  many  noble  characteristics.  The  mother  survived  until  the  9th  of 
January,  1907. 

W.  H.  McKee  was  left  fatherless  when  a  lad  of  ten  years  and  about 
four  years  later  he  began  working  in  a  store  at  Merom  as  a  salesman. 
After  about  four  years  in  the  store  he  entered  the  Union  Christian  College 
of  that  city,  working  his  own  way  through  the  college,  and  after  the 
completion  of  his  course  he  went  to  Illinois  and  rented  a  farm  in  that 
state  for  two  y£ars.  From  there  he  returned  to  Merom,  but  going  to 
Kansas  later  he  was  employed  in  a  mercantile  store  there  for  one  year, 
from  whence  he  went  to  Trumbull  county,  Illinois,  where  he  farmed  on  a 
place  of  his  own  for  ten  years,  and  then  selling  his  land  there  went  to 
Robinson  and  served  as  the  deputy  postmaster  for  four  years.  After  a 
similar  period  spent  as  a  merchant  at  that  place  he  sold  his  possessions 
there  and  came  to  Hymera  and  opened  the  largest  mercantile  store  in  the 
city,  carrying  an  extensive  and  complete  line  of  groceries,  fancy  notions, 
queensware,  etc.,  and  is  annually  transacting  a  large  and  remunerative 
business.  He  owns  his  own  home  in  the  city,  a  commodious  and  com- 
fortable dwelling. 

Mr.  McKee  was  married,  September  29,  1886,  to  Lenora  Trimble,  a 
daughter  of  James  B.  and  Mary  (Dunlap)  Trimble,  the  father  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  the  mother  of  Illinois.  The  town  of  Trimble  in  Illinois 
was  named  in  honor  of  the  father,  and  the  parents  were  married  in  that 
state  and  resided  there  until  their  death,  the  father  in  February  of  1881 
and  the  mother  in  1892.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McKee :  Blanche,  Loren  T.  and  Chauncey  S.  Loren  T.  is  attending  Rose 
College  and  preparing  for  the  profession  of  a  civil  engineer.  Mr.  McKee 
is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Tribe  of 
Ben  Hur  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


Dr.  James  E.  McConnell,  a  graduate  of  both  Louisville  and  Rush 
Medical  colleges  and  formerly  engaged  in  substantial  practice  at  Carlisle, 
was  born  near  that  city,  December  23,  1869,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Corbin)  McConnell.  Both  father  and  son  were  born  on  the 
same  farm,  the  former  on  April  1,  1816.  William  McConnell  was  a 
farmer  and  a  carpenter,  but  agriculture  was  his  mainstay  until  his  death, 
August  3,  1887.  The  mother  was  born  in  Jessamine  county,  Kentucky, 
April  8,  1827,  and  when  nine  years  of  age  was  brought  by  her  parents 
to  Haddon  township,  this  county.  The  latter  died  near  Carlisle  and  Mrs. 
McConnell  passed  away  in  that  city,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1899. 
William  McConnell  married  Maranda  Shake  for  his  first  wife,  and  she 
died  only  a   few   months   afterward.     By   his   second   wife    (Elizabeth 


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408  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Corbin)  he  had  eleven  children — Mary  and  Juda,  deceased;  Hannah,  now 
the  wife  of  John  S.  Howard;  Eliza,  Mrs.  Charles  J.  Spencer;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Dolphin  Sheperd  and  resides  in  Dugger;  William  F.,  who 
lives  in  Martinsville,  Indiana;  Jennie,  wife  of  William  H.  Moody,  resid- 
ing at  Jacksonville,  that  state ;  James  E.,  of  this  sketch ;  and  three  died 
in  infancy. 

James  E.  received  his  early  training  on  his  father's  farm  and  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  home  township.  He  studied  medicine  for 
several  years,  as  opportunity  offered  in  the  midst  of  his  agricultural 
labors  and  his  duties  as  a  school  teacher,  and  in  January,  1902,  entered 
Louisville  Medical  College  for  a  regular  course.  He  remained  there  for 
two  years  and  was  then  matriculated  at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  the  class  of  June,  1895.  In  the  month 
following  his  graduation  from  Rush  Medical  College  Dr.  McConnell 
opened  an  office  for  general  practice  at  Carlisle.  In  1902  he  had  taken 
a  course  in  advanced  therapeutics  in  the  New  York  School  and  in  1905 
also  pursued  post-graduate  work  in  the  New  York  Polytechnic;  so  that 
his  professional  training  was  especially  thorough  when  he  settled  in 
Carlisle  for  general  practice.  Besides  making  substantial  advances  in 
his  profession,  the  doctor  soon  developed  a  decided  business  talent,  being 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Carlisle  Co-operative  Telephone  Company 
and  its  president-treasurer.  He  was  president  of  the  Sullivan  County 
Medical  Society  and  identified  with  the  Indiana  State  Medical  Associa- 
tion and  the  American  Medical  Association.  Fraternally,  he  belonged 
to  the  Encampment  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and,  in 
Masonry,  had  membership  in  the  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter  and  Council.  His 
recent  removal  to  Colorado,  on  account  of  his  health,  is  a  pronounced 
loss  to  Carlisle.     He  is  now  practicing  medicine  in  Delta,  Colorado. 

On  December  1,  1895,  Dr.  McConnell  married  Miss  Dorothea  Albert, 
a  native  of  Freelandsville,  Indiana,  born  on  the  2ind  of  December,  1872. 
She  is  of  German  ancestry  and  her  father,  William  Albert,  was  a  brick 
mason  who  died  in  1874.  Mrs.  McConnell  received  a  thorough  education 
both  in  her  native  place  and  at  the  Normal  school,  Danville,  Indiana, 
and,  before  her  marriage,  taught  one  year  in  the  graded  school  at 
Pleasantville  and  one  year  in  the  district  schools.  The  doctor  and  his 
wife  are  the  parents  of  two  children,  as  follows:  William  Senn,  born 
June  6,  1897,  and  Glenll,  born  July  2,  1900. 


Dr.  Stonewall  J.  Alsman,  who  has  been  a  medical  practitioner  in 
Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  since  1904,  is  a  native  of  the  town- 
ship where  he  now  resides,  having  been  born  three  miles  west  of  Pleasant- 
ville, Indiana,  December  3.  1866,  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Mary  E.  (Long) 
Alsman.  The  father  was  born  June  26,  1835,  in  Haddon  township,  near 
Carlisle,  and  now  resides  three  miles  west  of  Pleasantville,  on  a  farm 
consisting  of  seventy  acres,  where  the  doctor  was  born.  The  mother 
was  born  in  November,   1839,  m  Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  and  is 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  409 

still  living.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  (Jett)  Long, 
both  being  natives  of  Virginia  who  emigrated  to  Kentucky  before  their 
marriage  and  who  in  1854  came  to  Haddon  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  but  subsequently  settled  in  Jefferson  township  where  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  days.  Margaret  (Jett)  Long,  was  the  daughter 
of  Mathew  and  Susan  (Tapp)  Jett,  who  were  both  natives  of  Virginia, 
dying  in  Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  where  they  were  sturdy  farmers. 
William  Long  was  the  son  of  William  Long,  Sr.,  who  was  also  from 
the  old  Dominion  State  and  died  in  Anderson  county,  Kentucky,  about 
1830;  he  was  also  a  farmer. 

John  A.  Alsman,  the  doctor's  father,  was  the  son  of  Harrison  and 
Elizabeth  (Davidson)  Alsman.  The  former  was  born  in  Bourbon  county, 
Kentucky,  and  died  in  1889,  in  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county, 
Indiana,  while  the  latter  was  a  native  of  Haddon  township,  Sullivan 
county,  and  died  about  1840.  Harrison  Alsman  emigrated  fromjCen- 
tucky  about  1830  and  followed  farming  pursuits  throughout  his  days. 
John  A.  Alsman  was  also  a  farmer,  and  still  superintends  his  farm. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  both  he  and  his  faithful  wife  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
born  in  the  order  here  named:  Chester  O.,  born  in  1858,  married  Dorcas 
Cox  and  now  resides  in  Jefferson  township;  William  H.,  born  1861, 
died  in  1873;  Margaret  E.,  born  1864,  died  in  1904;  she  was  the  wife 
of  Lucian  Shake  who  now  lives  in  Haddon  township,  this  county ;  Stone- 
wall J.;  Eva,  born  1877,  married  Thomas  M.  Hudson  and  they  reside  in 
Greene  county,  Indiana;  William  D.,  born  1881,  died  in  1893. 

Dr.  Stonewall  J.  Alsman  received  his  education  at  the  common 
school  in  Jefferson  township,  after  which  he  taught  school  sixteen  years 
in  country  districts.  Believing  that  he  was  suited  for  a  better  and  more 
lucrative  profession  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  there  entered  Barnes 
Medical  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1904  and  then 
came  to  Pleasantville,  Indiana,  in  Sullivan  county,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  ever  since.  At  one  time  the  doctor 
owned  a  farm  containing  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, but  he  has  disposed  of  the  same.  Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the 
Democratic  party  and  was  elected  assessor  in  1896,  serving  until  1900. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  belongs  to 
Lodge  No.  408  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Pleasantville,  and 
also  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Lodge  No.  4929,  at  Pleasant- 
ville, being  medical  examiner  of  the  last  named  fraternity  as  well  as  for 
several  old  line  companies.  He  holds  a  membership  with  the  County 
and  State  Medical  associations. 

June  4,  1891,  Dr.  Alsman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clarissa  Hume, 
born  February  3,  1869,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Frances  (Byland)  Hume, 
of  Jefferson  township,  Sullivan  county,  who  are  both  deceased.  The 
doctor  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  Bynum  B.,  born 
November  18,  1892,  now  attending  high  school  at  Pleasantville;  Ruth, 
born  March  29,  1896,  attending  common  school;  John  D.,  born  in  1898, 
died  in  1899;  Francis,  born  in  1900  and  died  the  same  year. 


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410  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

Elisha  C.  Sims,  who  is  a  truck  farmer  in  Gill  township,  whose 
products  find  ready  sale  in  the  local  markets  of  Sullivan  county,  is  a 
native  of  Orange  county,  Indiana,  born  November  21,  1847,  a  son  °* 
Harvey  and  Hannah  (Ashcraft)  Sims.  The  parents  were  both  natives 
of  Ohio,  the  father  born  in  181 8,  and  the  mother,  in  1820.  At  an  early 
day  the  former  located  near  Craw  fords  ville,  but  later  went  to  Orange 
county,  where  he  married  and  engaged  in  farming  in  that  section  of 
Indiana.  He  continued  a  tiller  of  the  soil  there  until  1848,  when  he  settled 
in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  and  died  on  his  homestead  there  in 
1894,  his  wife  having  laid  down  life's  burden  in  1886,  on  the  same  farm. 
Their  children  were  as  follows:  Eliza  Jane,  the  wife  of  Philip  Houck, 
a  resident  of  Sullivan  and  retired  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  from  Indiana ; 
Rebecca  Emily,  the  widow  of  Peter  Walls  and  residing  at  Sullivan,  her 
husband  having  been  a  maimed  veteran  of  the  Civil  war;  Elisha  C,  of 
this  sketch ;  Nancy  Ann,  wife  of  Thomas  Goodman,  residing  on  a  farm 
in  Cass  townsliip;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Munroe.  a  mechanic  who 
lives  in  Terre  Haute;  Louisiana,  wife  of  Martin  Goodman,  a  farmer 
and  coal  miner  of  Cass  township ;  Mary,  wife  of  Douglas  Story,  a  farmer 
and  miner  of  Cass  township;  Minerva,  wife  of  William  Stanley,  a  mer- 
chant of  Cass  township;  and  William,  a  merchant  and  farmer  residing 
in  Cass  township. 

Elisha  C.  Sims  obtained  his  primary  education  at  the  district  schools 
of  Cass  and  Haddon  townships,  Sullivan  county,  and  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  worked  at  home,  but  at  that  time  engaged  in  lumbering 
and  sawmill  work,  wrhich  he  followed  until  he  was  married.  He  then 
rented  a  place  in  Haddon  township  and  commenced  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  lived  on  various  places  until  1877,  when  he  moved  to  White 
county,  Arkansas ;  remained  one  year  there  on  a  farm  and  then  located 
in  Jackson  county,  that  state.  While  there  he  engaged  in  growing  cotton, 
but  not  liking  either  the  soil  or  the  people  of  the  south,  he  returned  to 
Sullivan  county,  where  he  rented  land  for  about  ten  years;  then  pur- 
chased the  forty  acres  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  paid  ten  dollars 
for  this  land  which  is  today  worth  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  There 
Mr.  Sims  cultivates  melons,  sweet  potatoes  and  a  variety  of  vegetables, 
which  he  sells  at  Sullivan  and  Indianapolis,  and  also  pays  some  attention 
to  stock  raising.  What  he  possesses  he  has  accumulated  by  industry  and 
intelligence,  materially  aided  by  the  labors  and  good  counsel  of  his  ever 
faithful  wife.  Mr.  Sims  has  been  a  life-long  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  for  twenty  years  having  served  as  a  trustee  and  steward- of  the 
Ross  church,  Gill  township.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Rebekahs. 

As  to  Mr.  Sims'  domestic  life,  it  may  be  stated  he  was  married 
September  8,  1869,  to  Sarah  A.  Mason,  born  in  Haddon  township,  Sulli- 
van county,  April  12,  1842,  a  daughter  of  James  A.  and  Cynthia  A. 
(St.  Clair)  Mason.  The  parents  were  both  natives  of  Hamilton  town- 
ship, this  county.  The  father  there  engaged  in  agricultural  labor  until 
shortly  after  marriage,  when  he  removed  to  Haddon  township  and  bought 
a  farm  of  his  own,  dying  thereon  March  13,  1881,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  411 

years.  The  mother  died  August  8,  1902,  aged  eighty-two  years.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sims  are  as  follows :  Wilfred  Hershel,  born 
September  18,  1870,  who  married  Daisy  Collins,  the  couple  residing  in 
Gill  township,  parents  of  Gerald  Eugene;  Eva  J.,  born  May  20,  1872, 
who  is  the  wife  of  William  Banther  (a  farmer  of  Haddon  township), 
and  the  mother  of  Dollie,  Carl,  Agnes,  Estella,  Rhuie,  Helen  (deceased), 
and  Edgar ;  Rosa  E.,  born  February  4,  1875,  wife  of  Augustus  Arnette, 
of  Haddon  township,  and  mother  of  Verner,  Harold,  Raymond,  Floyd, 
Bernice  and  Roger;  Ora  K.  and  Cora  A.  (twins)  born  June  28,  1877 — 
Ora  K.  married  Anna  Nash,  resides  in  Gill  township  and  is  the  father  of 
Paul  Whitney,  while  Cora  A.  (unmarried)  resides  with  her  parents; 
Martin  C-  and  Mary  E.  (twins)  born  March  15,  1881 — Mary  E.  dying 
June  14,  1881,  and  Martin  C.  marrying  Sarah  Myers,  of  Gill  township, 
at  New  Lebanon  and  becoming  the  father  of  three  children,  the  first  of 
whom  died  in  infancy  and  the  others  are:  Sederick  and  Dorothy,  who 
are  school  teachers  in  Gill  township. 

Of  the  Mason  family  of  which  Mrs.  Sims  is  a  member,  it  should 
be  said  that  it  included  ten  children,  as  follows:  One  who  died  in 
infancy;  Mary,  who  died  aged  about  twenty-one  years,  as  the  wife  of 
William  Willis,  who  is  also  deceased;  Sarah  A.  (Mrs.  Sims) ;  Eva  Jane, 
who  is  the  wife  of  John  K.  Pirtle  (of  Haddon  township)  and  whose 
first  husband  was  Frank  Walters,  whose  son  is  the  present  sheriff  of 
Sullivan  county;  Rose  Ann,  wife  of  Samuel  Creager,  a  farmer  of  Cass 
township;  John  H.f  a  farmer  and  miner  of  Cass  township;  Elizabeth, 
who  died  as  the  wife  of  John  Goodman,  a  farmer  of  Cass  township; 
Berthena,  who  first  married  Thomas  Shares  and  after  his  death  Henry 
Jones,  a  Grant  county  farmer;  Isabelle,  widow  of  George  Boone,  and  a 
resident  of  Cass  township ;  and  James  H.,  a  farmer  of  Haddon  township. 


George  Manwarring  Hinkle,  the  electrician,  who,  with  his  wife, 
is  now  operating  the  new  McCammon  Hotel  of  Sullivan,  is  a  native  of 
this  county  and  has  passed  his  entire  life  therein.  He  was  born  in 
Hymera  and  is  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Martha  (Pitts)  Hinkle,  his  parents 
being  still  alive.  Mr.  Hinkle  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Sullivan,  and 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  commenced  real  work  by  entering  a  general  store 
conducted  by  his  uncle,  Robert  Lynn,  at  Hymera.  After  clerking  for  ten 
years  the  yoitng  man  took  a  short  course  at  the  Sullivan  Normal  School, 
and  a  season  of  travel  and  prospecting  was  followed  by  his  location  at 
Fairbanks,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  in  general  merchandise  with 
Joseph  Asbury,  under  the  firm  name  of  Asbury  &  Hinkle.  Later,  he  was 
manager  of  several  lines  of  business  at  Hymera,  after  which  he  made 
practical  use  of  his  knowledge  of  electricity,  being  employed  in  that 
field  in  Sullivan  county  and  elsewhere.  For  several  years  past  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hinkle  have  been  operating  the  McCammon  Hotel,  which  under 
their  joint  management  is  becoming  a  most  popular  hostlery.  Mr.  Hinkle 
is  a  Republican. 


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412  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1893,  Mr.  Hinkle  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Belle  Simms,  who  was  born  in  Merom,  Sullivan  county,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Burr  and  Arilla  (Wallace)  Simms.  Her  father  died 
when  she  was  only  seven  months  old,  but  her  mother  is  still  living.  Mrs. 
Hinkle  was  educated  in  the  Sullivan  High  School  and  the  State  Normal, 
and  taught  school  for  sixteen  years  in  Sullivan,  Vigo,  Lawrence  and 
Montgomery  counties,  Indiana.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church 
and  a  lady  of  culture  and  strength  of  character. 


James  S.  Steele. — Noteworthy  among  the  well-known  farmers  of 
Cass  township  is  James  S.  Steele,  who  displays  much  ability  and  skill 
in  his  agricultural  work,  his  farm,  which  is  pleasantly  located  in  section 
33,  being  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  with  a  substantial  set  of  farm 
buildings.  As  a  successful  agriculturist,  a  trustworthy  citizen  and  a 
man  of  integrity  and  good  principles,  he  has  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  neighbors  and  friends,  and  is  in  every  way  a  desirable  member  of 
the  community  in  which  he  lives.  A  son  of  Samuel  Steele,  he  was  born 
December  19,  1853,  *n  Dearborn  county,  Indiana.  Born  and  reared  in 
Dearborn  county,  Samuel  Steele  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  when 
young,  and  followed  it  for  several  years.  Coming  to  Sullivan  county 
in  1862,  he  located  in  what  is  now  the  village  of  Sullivan.  It  was  then 
a  small  hamlet,  giving  but  little  evidence  of  its  present  populous  and 
prosperous  condition.  Establishing  a  smithy,  he  continued  at  his  trade 
for  a  number  of  seasons,  building  up  a  fine  patronage  in  Sullivan  and 
the  surrounding  country,  and  acquiring  considerable  property.  On  re- 
tiring from  work  at  the  forge  and  anvil  he  moved  to  his  farm  a  short 
distance  from  the  city,  and  there  resided  until  his  death  two  years  later. 
He  married  Ann  Jane  Murdock,  who  was  born  in  county  Antrim,  Ireland, 
January  20,  1832,  and  died  March  n,  1909.  They  had  twelve  children, 
namely:  Adaline,  Ella,  James  and  Hattie  (twins),  Alice,  Frank  and 
Cora  (twins),  Will  and  Everett  (twins),  Minerva  and  Viola  (twins), 
and  Ida. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Samuel  Steele,  George  Murdock,  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Ann  (McGookin)  Murdock,  and  was  born  in  Ireland  of 
Scotch  ancestors.  William  Murdock,  accompanied  by  his  family  among 
whom  was  the  son,  George,  came  to  America  in  1844,  being  several 
weeks  on  the  ocean.  Coming  to  Indiana,  he  located  in  Dearborn  county, 
going  later  to  Missouri,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  years. 

William  H.  Murdock,  a  brother  of  George  Murdock.  was  born  in 
Belfast,  Ireland,  April  3,  1834,  and  came  to  America  in  1847,  going  to 
Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  in  1861.  He  died  at  his  home  twelve  miles 
northeast  of  Milan,  Missouri,  May  14,  1908,  from  what  is  termed  heart 
failure,  and  was  buried  in  the  Thomas  cemetery,  a  few  miles  east  of 
Harris,  that  state,  by  the  Masonic  fraternity  on  May  15,  1908.  His 
neighbors  and  his  friends  from  all  parts  of  the  country  gathered  around 
his  bier  as  it  passed  to  the  grave.     Surviving  him  is  his  widow?,  Mrs. 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  413 

Sarah  E.  Murdock,  and  his  four  children :  Mrs.  J.  W.  Thomas,  Harris, 
Missouri ;  W.  V.  and  J.  M.  Murdock,  both  of  Milan,  Missouri ;  and  Mrs. 
J.  M.  W.  Moberly,  of  Higgins,  Texas.  He  also  left  numerous  relatives 
in  Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  among  whom  may  be  named :  W.  L.  Mur- 
dock, S.  L.  Murdock,  Mrs.  Jennie  McNealy,  wife  of  Recorder  of  Deeds 
E.  S.  McNealy,  who  are  the  children  of  George  Murdock,  a  deceased 
brother.  There  also  survive  one  brother,  James  Murdock,  of  Aurora, 
Indiana,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  James  Boyland,  of  near  Harris,  Missouri. 
The  parents  of  William  H.  Murdock  were  William  and  Anna  Murdock 
(nee  McGookin),  who  with  their  seven  children  came  from  Ireland  in 
1847.  While  crossing  the  ocean  a  little  daughter  died  and  was  buried 
at  sea,  and  near  the  end  of  the  long  voyage  a  son  just  grown  to  man- 
hood died  and  was  buried  on  the  American  seashore.  The  family 
journeyed  westward  and  settled  in  Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  where  Will- 
iam H.  grew  to  manhood  and  where  he  lived  until  he  came  to  Missouri  in 
1 861.  On  June  30,  1871,  William  H.  Murdock  was  married  to  Sarah  E. 
Watson,  of  near  Harris,  Missouri.  Mr.  Murdock  began  teaching  school 
in  Indiana  when  seventeen  years  of  age  and  continued  in  this  profession 
for  twenty-five  years  and  in  all  parts  of  the  country  may  be  found  persons 
who  were  pupils  of  his. 

Beginning  as  a  boy  to  help  his  father  in  the  blacksmith  shop,  James 
S.  Steele  remained  beneath  the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage.  With 
a  natural  desire  then  for  a  home  of  his  own  he  rented  land  in  Cass  town- 
ship, and  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time  spent  in  Jefferson  township, 
has  since  lived  there.  In  189 1  he  bought  his  present  property  in  section 
33,  and  in  its  care  and  management  has  met  with  richly  deserved  success. 
His  estate  is  advantageously  located,  and  with  the  substantial  improve- 
ments that  he  has  placed  upon  it  invariably  elicits  words  of  praise  and 
commendation  from  the  passers-by. 

On  October  9,  1879,  ^r-  Steele  married  Margaret  Walters,  who  was 
born  in  Wright  township,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  August  1,  1847,  a 
daughter  of  John  Walters.  Her  grandfather,  Braxton  Walters,  emigrated 
from  Tennessee  to  Indiana  at  an  early  period  of  its  settlement,  and  for 
a  while  lived  in  Owen  county.  Coming  from  there  to  Sullivan  county, 
he  entered  government  land,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five  years,  was  successfully  employed  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, becoming  owner  of  much  land  in  this  county.  His  wife  whose 
maiden  name  was  Melinda  Keene,  died  a  short  time  before  he  did.  John 
Walters,  born  in  Tennessee,  February  23,  1820,  was  young  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Indiana.  For  a  few  years  he  resided  in  Greene 
county,  but  after  his  marriage  he  took  up  government  land  in  section  33, 
Cass  township,  and  set  up  house-keeping  in  a  hastily  constructed  cabin 
made  of  poles.  He  subsequently  built  a  fine  hewed  log  house,  which  the 
family  occupied  for  a  number  of  years.  This  was  afterwards  replaced 
by  a  commodious  frame  structure,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
November  17,  1890.  Jane  Bledsoe,  whom  John  Walters  married,  was 
born  October  11,  1825,  in  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Bledsoe,  who 
removed  from  that  state  to  Wright  township,  Greene  county,  Indiana, 


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4i4  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

where  he  improved  a  good  farm  from  the  forest.  He  lived  there  until 
after  the  death  of  his  wife,  after  which  he  made  his  home  with  his 
children  during  his  remaining  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Margaret  McBroom,  and  she  was  born  in  Tennessee  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestors. .Mrs.  Jane  (Bledsoe)  Walters  died  July  17,  1892.  She  reared 
thirteen  children  as  follows :  Margaret,  wife  of  James  S.  Steele ;  Sarah, 
William,  Pleasant,  John  T.,  Mary  L.,  Enoch,  Braxton,  Rachel,  Daniel 
W.,  Isabelle,  Andrew  J.,  and  Ida  M. 

Of  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steele  three  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  James  Edward,  A.  Everett,  and  Roy  F.  James  Edward,  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Turman  township,  married  Maggie  Saucerman  and 
they  have  three  children :  Iva,  Jesse  and  Ursel.  A.  Everett,  who  taught 
school  successfully  for  six  years,  is  now  taking  a  course  of  study  at  the 
State  Normal  School.  Roy  F.  has  been  a  teacher  for  the  past  three 
years,  and  is  quite  well  known  for  a  young  man  in  educational  circles. 
Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steele  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


John  E.  Driver,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  this 
county,  is  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  devoted  to  grain 
and  stock  raising.  The  family  was  established  in  the  township  in  1839 
by  his  paternal  grandparents  and  has  always  been  representative  of  the 
most  substantial  and  honorable  agricultural  element  in  Sullivan  county. 
Its  members  have  also  invariably  gained  and  retained  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  their  neighbors  and  more  distant  associates,  been  interested 
in  the  establishment  of  local  order,  justice  and  morality,  and  have 
often  participated  in  township  and  county  government.  John  E.,  of  this 
sketch,  is  an  earnest  and  prominent  Democrat,  and  in  190S  received  the 
nomination  of  his  party  for  the  commissionership. 

Mr.  Driver  was  born  in  the  township  in  which  he  has  ever  resided, 
July  18,  1853,  and  is  a  son  of  James  E.  and  Lavinia  (Ozborn)  Driver. 
His  father  is  a  native  of  Rush  county,  Indiana,  born  May  21,  1832,  and 
the  mother  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  January  19,  1834.  They 
have  been  honored  residents  of  Sullivan  for  a  number  of  years  past, 
having  been  cordially  welcomed  into  the  pioneer  circle  of  the  county. 
James  E.  Driver  accompanied  his  parents  from  his  birthplace  in  Indiana 
to  their  new  farm  in  Jefferson  township  in  1839,  the  boy  then  being  in  his 
eighth  year.  Edmund  Driver,  his  father,  died  about  six  years  after  the 
family  moved  into  the  county,  being  at  his  decease  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  a  citizen  of  solid  standing.  The  son  after- 
ward lived  with  his  uncle  John  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age, 
then  returned  to  his  native  place  in  Rush  county,  Indiana,  and  wedded 
one  of  his  old-time  playmates  and  companions.  After  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  his  farm  in  Jefferson  township  upon  which  he  resided  and 
prospered  until  he  retired  to  Sullivan  in  1903.  His  good  and  loyal  wife, 
who  has  borne  him  ten  children,  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
(Mozier)   Ozborn,  natives  of  North  Carolina,  who  first  migrated  from 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  415 

that  state  to  Tennessee,  and  in  1828  fixed  their  residence  in  Sullivan 
county,  where  they  died.  The  father  was  both  a  farmer  and  a  wheel- 
wright, and  in  the  prosecution  of  these  avocations  lived  at  Carlisle  and 
in  Jefferson  township.  The  ten  children  mentioned  as  having  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  E.  Driver  were  as  follows:  Elizabeth,  a  resi- 
dent of  Sullivan  who  married  Anthony  Robbins ;  John  E.,  of  this  sketch ; 
a  child  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary  F.,  who  is  the  wife  of  John  A. 
Maxwell  and  resides  near  Canton,  Mississippi;  James  A.,  a  resident  of 
Jefferson  township  who  married  Miss  Ina  Buck;  William  C,  deceased; 
Ida,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen ;  Daniel  and  Anderson  Ward  Driver, 
both  living  in  Jefferson  township — the  former  married  Laura  Smith, 
and  the  latter  married  Anna  L.  Robbins;  and  Macey  May,  who  is 
deceased.  , 

John  E.  Driver  obtained  only  an  irregular  schooling  during  the 
winter  months,  but  became  a  thorough  agriculturist,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1875  began  independent  farming  in  Haddon  township.  After 
an  experience  of  one  year  in  that  part  of  the  county  he  returned  to 
Jefferson  township  and  was  a  renter  until  the  spring  of  1880,  when  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  sixty-one  acres  in  Haddon  township.  He  continued 
there  until  August,  1882,  when  he  sold  his  place  and  bought  eighty  and 
a  half  acres  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Driver's  present  place  contains 
two  hundred  acres,  which  he  devotes  to  grain  and  stock  raising  and  which 
is  a  skillfully  managed,  thoroughly  improved,  completely  equipped  and 
modern  estate.  While  this  fact  gives  him  standing,  he  is  besides,  an 
intelligent,  wide-awake  citizen,  who  takes  a  constant  interest  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  township  and  does  his  full  part  in  maintaining  them 
on  a  high  plane  of  efficiency  and  morality. 

On  February  11,  1875,  Mr.  Driver  married  Miss  Hattie  Herndon, 
who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  December  17,  1853,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Susan  A.  (Heips)  Herndon,  both  of  whom 
are  deceased.  Her  parents  became  residents  of  Sullivan  county  in  1865, 
and  of  Jefferson  township  in  1873.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  E.  Driver  have 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  both  their  children — James  Anderson  Driver, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  and  an  infant.  Living  offspring 
having  been  denied  them,  they  have  adopted  two  children  to  take  the 
place  of  those  who  have  left  them — William  C.  and  Carrie  E.,  whose 
family  name  was  Vauns. 


John  E.  Turman,  of  the  firm  of  Turman  &  Riggs.  implement  and 
vehicle  dealers  at  Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Turman  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  born  March  4,  1865,  son  of  Return  J.  and  Pauline 
(Wible)  Turman.  Mr.  Turman's  father,  Return  J.,  was  the  ninth  child 
in  his  parents'  family;  was  born  July  6,  1837,  and  married  Pauline 
A.  Wible,  April  3,  1864.  Their  first  child  was  John  Edward,  whose 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  William  Thomas,  born  June  19,  1867,  now 
teaching;  Ira  L.,  born  February  13,  1869;  Walter  R.,  born  December  23, 
1870:  Flora  L.,  born  December  25,  1872;  Frank  W.,  born  May  13,  1876, 

Vol.  II— 27 


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416  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

died  December  15,  1876;  Dovie  M.,  born  February  18,  1878;  Avarilla  W., 
born  June  1,  1880;  Elmer  C,  born  May  30,  1882,  died  June  10,  1882; 
Hattie  A.,  born  October  31,  1883;  Ross  Jason,  born  February  22,  1886; 
Hallie  Caroline,  born  July  21,  1889.  This  family  are  noted  for  their 
musical  ability,  and  its  members  have  given  amateur  entertainments  of 
remarkable  excellence,  in  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music.  The  older 
members  of  the  family  finished  their  course  of  study  at  Merom  College. 
The  parents  and  several  of  the  children  were  members  of  the  New  Light 
church.  Mrs.  Pauline  A.  Turman  died  February  2,  1890.  The  father 
has  always  followed  farming  for  his  occupation.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat.     The  son,  Ross  J.,  occupies  the  old  homestead. 

The  first  born  of  Return  J.  and  Pauline  (Wible)  Turman,  John 
E.  Turman,  was  reared  midst  rural  scenes,  attended  the  district  schools 
and  remained  at  home  until  June,  1902,  when  he  went  to  Sullivan  and 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Turman  & 
Riggs,  which  relation  existed  for  six  months,  when  Mr.  Mattix  was 
admitted  to  the  firm.  This  business  was  sold  out,  and  Messrs.  Turman 
and  Riggs  established  their  present  implement  and  vehicle  business,  in 
which  they  have  built  up  a  first-class  trade,  and  are  known  for  the 
superior  grade  of  goods  handled. 

Mr.  Turman  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations;  has  served 
as  assessor  in  Turman  township.  He  is  connected  with,  and  takes  much 
interest  in  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  unmarried,  and  makes  his 
home  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Riggs,  who  is  his  business  partner. 
Mr.  Turman  still  retains  his  farming  interest  in  Turman  township. 


William  G.  Riggs,  of  the  firm  of  Turman  &  Riggs,  dealers  in  im- 
plements and  vehicles,  at  Sullivan,  is  a  native  of  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
born  September  24,  1873,  son  of  Charles  and  Minerva  A.  (Griffin) 
Riggs.  The  father  was  born  October  26,  1824,  and  died  December  30, 
1883.  He  was  a  native  of  Turman  township  as  was  his  son.  He  resided 
in  this  township  all  of  his  life.  The  grandfather,  Thomas  Riggs.  was 
a  native  of  Virginia  and  first  located  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  entered  a  tract  of  government  land  and  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  throughout  his  active  years.  Politically,  he 
was  a  stanch  Democrat  of  no  uncertain  political  views. 

Charles  Riggs  followed  agriculture  and  was  counted  a  very  suc- 
cessful farmer.  He  owned  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  and  was 
a  man  of  high  intelligence  and  possessed  great  integrity.  In  his  political 
views,  he  was  a  Democrat.  His  first  wife,  Mary  Davis,  was  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church.  To  this  worthy  couple  were  born  the  following 
children :  John  T.,  residing  in  Dexter,  Kansas ;  Jane,  deceased ;  Lavina, 
deceased;  and  two  children  who  died  in  infancy.  For  his  second  wife, 
Mr.  Riggs  married  Minerva  A.  Griffin.  She  was  born  in  Terre  Haute, 
July  13,  1833,  and  died  October  14,  1901.  She  received  her  education 
in  the  Catholic  school  of  her  native  city.     Her  father,  William  Griffin, 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  417 

was  born  in  Ohio,  as  was  also  his  good  wife.  By  trade  he  was  a  harness 
maker,  which  trade  he  followed  at  Fairbanks,  Indiana,  having  moved  to 
that  place  from  Terre  Haute.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Sullivan  and 
was  elected  county  treasurer  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  serving  two  terms, 
after  which  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business.  He  was 
also  a  heavy  dealer  in  poultry,  at  Princeton,  Indiana,  but  later  retired 
to  Sullivan  where  he  died.  The  following  children  were  born  to  the 
second  union  of  Mr.  Riggs:  Mary  F.,  wife  of  J.  A.  Mattix;  Minnie, 
deceased ;  William  G.,  of  this  sketch ;  a  child  who  died  in  infancy ;  Henry 
A.,  deceased;  and  Henry  E.,  a  resident  of  Indianapolis. 

William  G.  Riggs  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  commenced 
farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  old  homestead,  continuing  there  until 
1899,  when  he  went  to  Sullivan  and  was  there  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a 
hardware  store,  belonging  to  J.  A.  Mattix,  for  about  two  years.  At  the 
end  of  this  period,  J.  E.  Turman  and  Mr.  Riggs  purchased  the  stock  of 
hardware  from  Mr.  Mattix,  after  which  the  business  was  operated  under 
the  firm  name  of  Turman  &  Riggs  for  about  six  months,  when  Mr.  Mat- 
tix was  admitted  to  the  firm  and  it  was  changed  to  Mattix,  Turman  & 
Riggs,  which  firm  continued  until  the  autumn  of  1906,  when  the  stock 
was  sold.  Turman  &  Riggs  then  established  their  present  implement  and 
vehicle  business  at  Sullivan.  Mr.  Riggs  still  owns  the  old  homestead  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  situated  in  Turman  township. 

Politically,  Mr.  Riggs  is  a  Democrat  and  does  his  share  toward  fur- 
thering the  interests  of  his  political  party.  Believing  in  the  theory  of 
fraternal  and  mutual  life  insurance,  he  holds  a  membership  in  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  January  10,  1900,  to 
Dovie  M.  Turman,  born  in  Turman  township,  Sullivan  county,  Indiana, 
February  18,  1878.  Her  education  was  obtained  in  her  native  county. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Return  J.  and  Pauline  (Wible)  Turman,  and  a 
sister  of  her  husband's  partner,  John  E.  Turman.  In  her  church  connec- 
tion she  is  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  By  this  union  three 
children  were  born :   Harold  L.,  Gladys ;  and  William  Robert. 


David  Hilla  Lovelace,  the  well  known  county  commissioner 
of  Sullivan  county,  residing  at  Sullivan,  Indiana,  was  born  April  19,  1853, 
in  Cass  township,  Sullivan  county,  son  of  Charles  W.  and  Sarah  A.  (Mc- 
Kinley)  Lovelace.  The  father  was  born  in  Hamilton  township,  Sullivan 
county,  in  1825,  and  died  May,  1858.  The  mother,  a  native  of  the 
same  township,  was  born  December  14,  1824,  and  died  in  April,  1905. 
Charles  W.  Lovelace  followed  agriculture  for  his  livelihood.  In  politics, 
he  was  a  Democrat;  both  he  and  his  wife  were  exemplary  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  Their  children  were  as  follows:  Sarah  E.,  wife 
of  Hiram  Wiggs,  residing  in  Carlisle,  Indiana;  David  H.,  of  this  notice; 
Charles  W..  of  Shelburn,  Indiana. 

David  H.  Lovelace  was  reared  on  his  fathers  farm  and  attended  the 


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418  HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY 

district  schools,  which  at  that  time  were  not  up  to  the  present  day 
standard.  His  father  died  when  he  was  but  five  years  of  age,  and  he  was 
under  the  care  of  his  step-father,  James  R.  Land,  with  whom  he  lived 
until  twenty-one  years  old.  A  few  months  after  he  had  reached  his 
majority,  he  commenced  farming  on  a  twenty-seven  acre  tract  which  he 
owned,  the  same  being  the  place  where  his  father  died.  He  continued  to 
farm  that  land  until  January  25,  1906,  at  which  time  he  moved  to  Sullivan 
and  built  a  fine,  modern  frame  residence  on  North  Section  street,  where 
he  has  resided  since.  He  owns  the  old  homestead,  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  seven  acres,  which  place  ranks  among  the  best  in  Sullivan 
county.  Politically,  Mr.  Lovelace  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  on  that  ticket  was  elected  as  county  commissioner  in  1906. 

October  15,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Malinda  Alice  Wilson,  born 
in  Haddon  township,  October  3,  1853,  daughter  of  Townsley  and  Eme- 
line  (Martin)  Wilson,  natives  of  the  same  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Love- 
lace are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Bertha  May,  wife  of 
William  G.  Ferree;  Etta,  unmarried,  at  home;  Archie,  married  to 
Bessie  Steward  and  they  reside  in  Sullivan;  Sadie,  unmarried  and  at 
home;  Ora;  Archie  attended  college  at  Vincennes,  and  then  taught 
school  three  years  in  the  district  schools  of  his  home  county.  Etta 
graduated  at  Union  Christian  College  at  Merom  and  is  now  teaching 
music.  Sadie  has  attended  the  State  Normal  and  at  Terre  Haute  and 
Merom.  She  is  now  teaching  the  graded  school  at  Farmersburg, 
having  been  engaged  in  teaching  for  six  years.  Ora  attended  both 
State  Normal  schools  and  is  now  teaching  in  the  Sullivan  graded 
school;  she  has  also  taught  six  years.  Their  mother  taught  school 
one  year  before  her  marriage.  The  Lovelace  family  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church. 


Nancy  Drake  Harris,  the  venerable  pioneer  mother  so  widely 
known  and  esteemed  in  Turman  township  and  Sullivan  county,  has  spent 
fifty-nine  years  of  her  useful  life  on  the  fine  farm  and  homestead  which 
is  now  conducted  by  her  son,  Martin  Harris.  She  was  born  in  Fair- 
banks township,  this  county,  on  the  15th  of  December,  1830,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Stone)  (Pearson)  Drake.  Her  father, 
who  was  born  in  1778,  first  migrated  alone  from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  in  1800. 
Later,  he  returned  for  his  family,  which  was  among  the  first  to  settle 
in  Fairbanks  township.  There  James  Drake  died  in  1863,  the  father  of 
ten  children  by  a  first  marriage,  and  six,  by  a  second.  The  only  survivor 
of  the  first  union  is  Manning  Drake,  of  Curry  township,  who  is  now  one 
of  the  oldest  residents  of  the  county;  he  is  the  father  of  Manning  E. 
Drake,  whose  sketch  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  living 
offspring  of  the  second  marriage  are  as  follows:  Nancy,  of  this 
biography;  Martin,  a  resident  of  Fairbanks  township,  and  Coleman 
Drake,  of  Vigo  county. 

Nancy  Drake  received  her  education   in   Fairbanks  township  and 


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HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  COUNTY  419 

lived  at  home  until  her  marriage  to  William  Harvey  Harris,  April  26, 
1850.  Her  husband  was  also  a  native  of  that  township,  born  in  1823, 
a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  Harris.  It  is  a  somewhat  singular  fact 
of  family  history  that  the  first  wives  of  Benjamin  Harris  and  James 
Drake  were  sisters  and  all  located  in  Sullivan  county  about  the  same 
time.  Promptly  after  his  marriage  to  Miss  Drake  Wiliam  H.  Harris 
commenced  farming  on  his  place  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Turman  town- 
ship, about  one  mile  southeast  of  Staffordshire,  and  there  he  died  in 
1870,  an  industrious,  unassuming,  moral  man,  and  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Baptist  church  to  the  last.  The  six  children  of  this  marriage 
were  as  follows :  Rebecca,  Catherine  and  Columbus,  all  deceased ;  Mary, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Badger  and  resides  in  Fairbanks  township; 
Simeon,  deceased ;  and  Martin,  who  now  conducts  the  old  homestead,  both 
for  his  mother  and  himself. 

Martin  Harris,  mentioned  above,  was  born  on  the  Turman  township 
farm,  of  which  he  is  now  superintendent  and  part  owner,  on  the  3rd  of 
March,  1864.  He  obtained  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  the 
township,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  began  working  for  himself. 
With  the  exception  of  four  years  spent  on  a  farm  in  Fairbanks  township, 
he  has  spent  his  entire  mature  life  in  looking  after  the  interests  of  the 
old  homestead.  He  has  devoted  himself  to  the  raising  of  stock  and 
grain  and  has  maintained  the  family  reputation  as  a  progressive  agri- 
culturist and  a  useful  citizen.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  widower,  his  wife,  who 
was  formerly  known  as  Miss  Rosella  Fusson,  living  but  a  few  years 
after  her  marriage  in  1886.  Mrs.  Rosella  Harris  was  born  in  August, 
1868,  near  Newton,  Illinois,  died  in  1892,  and  was  the  mother  of  three 
children,  two  of  whom  did  not  survive  infancy,  and  Alma  Florence  died 
at  the  age  of  nine.  Mr.  Harris  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  as  was  his  wife.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat. 


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INDEX 


Adams,  Harry,  242. 
Adams,  James  W.,  138. 
Adams,  Richard,  270. 
Adams,  William,  242. 
Akin,  Charles  T.,  394. 
Akin,  Edgar  W.,  Jr.,  32. 
Allen,  John  H.,  80/ 
Alsman,  Stonewall  J.,  408. 
Alumbaugh,  James  F.,  30. 
Anderson,  Edward,  319. 
Anderson,  Franklin  M.,  113. 
Annis,  John  C,  102. 

Badders,  John  C,  390. 
Badders,  Samuel  F.,  174. 
Bailey,  Richard  L.,  18. 
Bailey,  William  P.,  373. 
Bailey,  William  W.,  149. 
Baldwin,  James  M.,  393. 
Banther,  Cyrus,  217. 
Banther,  James  H.,  318. 
Barnes,  Joel  C,  234. 
Barnhart,  Charles,  195. 
Barnhart,  Harrison,  182. 
Barcus,  William  W.,  176. 
Batey,  Charles  F.,  34. 
Baughman,  Lewis  C.,  208. 
Bays,  Fred  F.,  11. 
Bays,  John  S.,  9. 
Beasley,  Clyde  L.,  372. 
Bedwell,  David  M.,  160. 
Benefield,  William,  106. 
Bittle,  James  E.,  266. 
Blann,  Francis  M.,  316. 
Boles,  Eli  C,  89. 
Boles,  William  H.  H.,  365. 
Bolinger,  James  S.,  85. 
Boone,  Anna  R.,  136. 


Boone,  Nevel  B.,  135. 
Boone,  Salathiel,  117. 
Botts,  George  F.,  363. 
Botts,  Leander  R.,  44. 
Bough,  Columbus,  358. 
Bowen,  John  W.,  336. 
Bragdon,  Jotham  J.,  236. 
Branson,  Caroline  M.,  172. 
Branson,  John  M.,  45. 
Brentlinger,  Mary  L.,  126. 
Brentlinger,  Rush  E.,  127. 
Brewer,  Charles  E.,  98. 
Brewer,  John  E.,  203. 
Brewer,  Orlando  C,  343. 
Bridwell,  William  H.,  281. 
Brown,  Francis  M.,  382. 
Brown,  Herbert  A.,  66. 
Brown,  James  R.,  22. 
Brown,  James  W.,  181. 
Brown,  Julia  C,  224. 
Brown,  Stephen  R.,  159. 
Brown,  William  H.,  223. 
Bryan,  Edward  W.,  297. 
Bryan,  Isaac  A.,  326. 
Burton,  Clarence  F.,  63. 

Calvert,  James  W.,  76. 
Cartwright,  Oliver  J.,  395. 
Carty,  Samuel  O.,  152. 
Case,  Cora  A.,  91. 
Case,  William  M.,  177. 
Chaney,  Dirrelle,  5. 
Chaney,  Silver,  12. 
Clayton,  Eli,  164. 
Coffman,  Clarence  E.,  268. 
Coffman,  Stuart  S.,  269. 
Cole,  Samuel  R.,  189. 
Collier,  Otho  T.,  247. 


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422 


INDEX 


Collins,  Edward  J.,  298. 
Conley,  Andrew  J.,  400. 
Conner,  James  H.,  88. 
Conner,  Mahala,  369. 
Cote,  L.  E.,  404. 
Cowle,  William  E.,  54. 
Cox,  Abraham  G.,  61. 
Crawford,  Joseph  A.,  153. 
Crawford,  William  T.,  6. 
Crowder,  Benjamin  C,  14. 
Crowder,  Edgar  S.,  280. 
Crowder,  William  H.,  Jr.,  13. 
Crowder,  William  H.,  Sr.,  290. 
Cummins,  Vachel  D.,  271. 
Cumson,  Jacob,  170. 
Curtis,  Charles  E.,  347. 
Cushman,  Guy  A.,  232. 
Cushman,  Thomas  K.,  240. 
Cutler,  Arthur  D.,  48. 
Curtner,  William  J.,  50. 

Daugherty,  Jesse  S.,  377. 
DeBaun,  Alva,  341. 
DeBaun,  Arthur  E.,  17. 
De  Baun,  James  M.,  345. 
Deeble,  Solomon,  64. 
Denney,  Elias  G.,  90. 
Denton,  Robert  J.,  171. 
Deputy,  Ernest  M.,  150. 
Dickerson,  Alexander  W.  C,  335. 
Dickerson,  Mary  F.,  336. 
Dilley,  Elijah  H.,  344. 
Dilley,  Rose  D.,  345. 
Dix,  Eli  W.  L.,  295. 
Dorothy,  Francis  M.,  194. 
Dorothy,  Notolean  P.,  195. 
Douglas,  Richard  B.,  100. 
Douthit,  Mary  A.,  351. 
Douthitt,  Frank  M.,  21. 
Douthitt,  John  F.,  279. 
Douthitt,  William  T.,  286. 
Drake,  Manning  E.,  40. 
Draper,  William  M.,  276. 
Driver,  Anderson  W.,  396. 
Driver,  John  E.,  414. 
Durham,  John  L.,  251. 
Durham,  Joshua  B.,  256. 


Edwards,  Simpson,  201. 
Ellis,  Claude  A.,  57. 
Ellis,  Melvin,  260. 
Engle,  Charles  L.,  211. 
Enochs,  J.  Wesley,  355. 
Ersinger,  John,  38. 
Everhart;  David  E.,  142. 
Exline,  George  A.,  156. 

Fordyce,  William  A.,  99. 
Frakes,  W.  R.,  334. 
Funk,  George  W.,  75. 

Gambill,  Gilbert  W.,  392. 
Gambill,  Levi,  166. 
Gambill,  Wiley,  320. 
Gard,  Dorcy  C,  178. 
Gaskill,  James  B.,  188. 
Glidden,  Ira,  22. 
Gordon,  George,  183. 
Gordon,  Nina  B.,  184. 
Gray,  Joseph,  249. 
Gregg,  Moses  H.,  144. 

Haddon,  Flora  A.,  263. 
Haddon,  Jesse,  263. 
Halberstadt,  Daniel  H.,  168. 
Halberstadt,  George  M.,   176. 
Hale,  George  W.,  147. 
Hamilton,  Mesha,  365. 
Hamilton,  Thomas  W.,  199. 
Hancock,  David  H.,  315. 
Hardy,  Charles  W.,  327. 
Hardy,  Margaret  A.,  327. 
Harris,  Martin,  419. 
Harris,  Nancy  Drake,  418. 
Harris,  Orion  B.,  3. 
Harrison,  John  F.,  346. 
Harper,  Harriett  M.,  311. 
Harper,  Henry  F.,  310. 
Hart,  William  C,  215. 
Hash,  William  R.,  361. 
Hawkins,  John  B.,  380. 
Hayden,  U.  Ellery,  95. 
Hays,  John  T.,  1. 
Hays,  Will  H.,  1. 
Hayworth,  Perley  M.,  93. 


Digitized  by 


Google 


INDEX 


4^3 


Hazelrigg,  Abraham  T.,  274. 
Hiatt,  William  F.,  391. 
Hinkle,  George  M.,  411. 
Hinkle,  John  L.,  133. 
Hoke,  George  H.,  238. 
Hoke,  Jacob  R,  405. 
Hoke,  John  A.,  125. 
Hoke,  Richard  W.,  132. 
Hoke,  William  F.,  in* 
Holder,  Aaron,  229. 
Holdson,  Sarah  E.,  306. 
Holmes,  Arthur  A.,  5. 
Hoover,  Philip  L.,  67. 
Hopewell,  George  W.,  309. 
Houpt,  Jacob  F.,  374. 
Howard,  Clarence  T.,  246. 
Howard,  James  D.,  71. 
Howard,  James  M.,  349. 

Jackson,  James  W.,  323. 
Jackson,  Jefferson  G.,  329. 
Jackson,  Robert  G.,  198. 
Jennings,  Elza  W.,  105. 
Jennings,  Walker  V.,  348. 
Jerauld,  Hannah  F.,  73. 
Johnson,  Henry,  342. 
Jones,  Mary  M.,  207. 
Jones,  William  H.,  Jr.,  206. 
Joseph,  James  R.,  376. 

Kahre,  Chris,  311. 
Kelly,  James,  242. 
Kelly,  John,  234. 
Keys,  Irvin  J.,  53. 
Kimberlin,  Franklin,  314. 
Knotts,  Charles  E.,  140. 

Lammey,  John,  163. 
Lane,  Albert  M.,  87. 
Laurent,  William  L.,  78. 
Leach,  Esom  R.,  25. 
Lester,  Mark,  69. 
Lindley,  John  W.,  20. 
Lisman,  Ivin  S.,  129. 
Lisman,  John  A.,  146. 
Lisman,  John  W.,  403. 
Lloyd,  Philip  T.,  101. 


Lockard,  John,  383. 
Love,  George,  219. 
Lovelace,  David  H.,  417. 
Lucas,  William  H.,  39. 
Lyons,  Grandville  M.,  384. 

Mahan,  James,  293. 
Mann,  Henrietta  I.,  245. 
Mann,  Thomas  J.,  243. 
Manning,  Elizabeth,  257. 
Manning,  William  B.,  256. 
Markee,  Mary  A.,  32. 
Marshall,  Leonard,  192. 
Marshall,  Singleton,  194. 
Mathias,  Aloysius,  322. 
May,  Peter  B.,  272. 
McConnell,  Bailey,  120. 
McConnell,  James,  62. 
McConnell,  James  E.,  407. 
McKee,  W.  H.,  406. 
Merrill,  Joseph  V.,  340. 
Milam,  Henry  R.,  214. 
Milam,  Josephine  W.,  214. 
Miller,  James  A.,  224. 
Miller,  William,  301. 
Minter,  Russell  E.,  236. 
Moore,  James  M.,  253. 
Minich,  Adam  V.,  23. 
Minich,  Pleasant  A.,  128. 
Minich,  William  F.,  129. 
Mullane,  John  B.,  278. 

Nash,  Edgar  E.,  115. 
Nash,  William  L.,  259. 
Nead,  Francis  M.,  197. 
Near,  James  H.,  292. 
Neff,  James  H.,  294. 
Nelson,  William  A.,  96. 
Nesbit,  Ira  A.,  273. 
Nesbit,  William  R.,  285. 
Nicholas,  Frank  J.,  36. 
Nicholson,  James  N.,  367. 
Nowlin,  George  W.,  254. 

Ogle,  Tilghman,  284. 
O'Haver,  Thomas  B.,  355. 
Osburn,  James  T.,  362. 


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424 


INDEX 


Padgett,  James  H.,  123. 
Patten,  Earl,  97. 
Patten,  Luther,  84. 
Payne,  William  Z.,  yj. 
Pearson,  Edward,  328. 
Pearson,  Melvina  O.,  329. 
Pifer,  Alonzo  P.,  213. 
Pirtle,  Charles  L.,  265. 
Pirtle,  George  W.,  65. 
Pirtle,  James  J.,  296. 
Pool,  Ora,  350. 
Pope,  Martin  M.,  161. 
Poston,  Frank  E.,  226. 
Poynter,  S.  Paul,  287. 
Prose,  Alexander  D.,  216. 
Prose,  Jacob  A.,  218. 
Pound,  James  G.,  337. 
Purcell,  John  E.  M.,  109. 

Railsback,  Nancy  A.,  173. 
Reid,  Paul  L.,  26. 
Ridgway,  Frank  B.,  144. 
Ridgway,  Owen  J.,  149. 
Ridgeway,  John,  79. 
Riggle,  John  T.,  399. 
Riggs,  William  G.,  416. 
Riggs,  William,  303. 
Risinger,  Thomas  S.,  60. 
Ritchie,  Payton,  392. 
Robbins,  Frank  L.,  258. 
Roberts,  James  N.,  56. 
Rogers,  Edley  W.,  49. 
Rose,  John  T.,  331. 
Russell,  Elijah  E.,  283. 
Ryan,  Daniel,  261. 

Self,  Kenneth  W.,  200. 
Schaffer,  George  D.,  209. 
Schlichter,  Charles  C,  190. 
Scott,  Walter  G.,  28. 
Shake,  David  F.,  58. 
Shaw,  James  A.,  312. 
Shepherd,  Benjamin  F.,  359. 
Shepherd,  Solomon  G.,  220. 
Shepherd,  William  B.,  70. 
Sherman,  Amanda,  81. 
Shields,  William  A.,  231. 
Sills,  Nathan  J.,  187. 


Sims,  Elisha  C,  410. 
Sinclair,  James  M.,  29. 
Sin  Clair,  Andrew,  364. 
Siner,  James  P.,  103. 
Sink,  Lorenzo  D.,  179. 
Sisson,  John,  290. 
Sloop,  A.  E.  A.,  397. 
Smith,  James  D.,  42. 
Smith,  Marshal  B.,  371. 
Smith,  William  M.,  378. 
Smock,  Samuel  C,  82. 
Sparks,  Walter  P.,  202. 
Spear,  Lydia  A.,  196. 
Spear,  John  A.,  196. 
Spencer,  James  F.,  305. 
Spencer,  James,  304. 
Spencer,  Arman,  354. 
Spencer,  William  T.,  Jr.,  300. 
Spencer,  William  T.,  324. 
Standley,  Josiah,  154. 
Steele,  Andrew  J.,  186. 
Steele,  James  S.,  412. 
Stewart,  Lafayette  A.,  35. 
Stivers,  George  R.,  37. 
Stoddard,  Orren,  221. 
Stuck,  James  H.,  92. 

Taylor,  Richard,  228. 
Tennis,  Diana  W.,  185. 
Tennis,  John,  185. 
Thomas,  William  H.,  389. 
Thomson,  Andrew,  87. 
Thompson,  Caleb  J.,  367. 
Thompson,  Edmond  W.,  368. 
Thompson,  George  B.,  321. 
Thornberry,  William  J.,  230. 
Thrasher,  Augustus  L.,  317. 
Thurber,  Alonzo  B.,  388. 
Timmerman,  James,  352. 
Trimble,  William  M.,  387. 
Tucker,  William  E.,  139. 
Turman,  John  E.,  415. 
Turman,  Return  J.,  245. 
Turnbull,  Lewis  O.,  227. 

Unger,  George  H.,  131. 
Unger,  George  W.,  212. 
Unger,  John,  137. 


Digitized  by 


Google 


INDEX 


425 


Unger,  Michael,  130. 
Ungerer,  Martin,  357. 
Usery,  William  C,  332. 

Vaughn,  Daniel  J.,  210. 

Wagner,  William  F.,  43. 
Wallace,  Anna,  84. 
■  Wallace,  Francis  R.,  83. 
Wallace,  Katherine  G.,  169. 
Walters,  John  W.,  116. 
Walters,  Marion  F.,  386. 
Walters,  Sampson,  94. 
Wambaugh,  John,  172. 
Ward,  Thomas  E.,  16. 
Ward,  Walter  R.,  370. 
Watson,  George  W.,  121. 
Welman,  Charles  W.,  288. 
Wence,  Leander,  104. 
Welsh,  Charles  M.,  331. 
Whalen,  Joseph  R.,  15. 
Whipps,  James,  124. 
White,  Robert  P.,  4. 
White,  Samuel  A.,  282. 


Whitlock,  John  M.,  114. 
Whitmire,  John  T.,  112. 
Wible,  William  W.,  375. 
Willard,  Rufus  O.,  402. 
Willis,  Marion  F.,  404. 
Willis,  Richard  T.,  118. 
Willis,  William,  277. 
Wilson,  George  T.,  108. 
Wilson,  James  H.,  141. 
Wilson,  James  K.,  134. 
Wolfe,  Tilman  B.,  147. 
Wolfe,  Winfield  S.,  27. 
Woner,  John  W.,  239. 
Wood,  Walter  F.,  26. 
Worth,  Josiah,  180. 
Wortman,  David  C,  145. 
Wyman,  Solomon,  184. 

Yeager,  John  F.,  340. 
Yeager,  Nicholas,  338. 
Youngman,  George  C,  307. 

Zaayer,  Wrilliam,  157. 
Zink,  Albert  J.,  193. 


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