FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA
BIOGRAPHIES
MISS
MARGARET SHIELDS
LAZARUS
MUNGER
The ancestors of
Lazarus Hunger, a representative citizen of Posey township, Fayette
county, as far back as their history can be traced in the annals of
America, are noted for the sterling traits of character that mark the
valuable citizen of this great republic. At all times they have been
ready to uphold righteous and just laws, to promote the welfare of the
land of their nativity, and, if needful, to lay down their lives on the
altar of her liberty and maintenance. The majority of the Mungers have
led the quiet, independent lives of agriculturists, though a few marked
exceptions to this rule have occurred.
One of the very
early pioneers of Ohio was General Edward Munger, the grandfather of
our subject. He was born in Connecticut, September 30, 1763, and after
his marriage, on the 5th of December, 1785, to Eunice Kellogg, a native
of the same state, born August 13, 1767, he resided in the town of
Washington, Connecticut, for a few years. Then, removing to Rutland
county, Vermont, they dwelt there until the spring of 1798, when they
located in Belpre, Washington county, Ohio. A short time subsequently
they permanently settled on land purchased by the General in Montgomery
county, Ohio, and there he cleared and made a good farm prior to his
death, which took place April 14, 1850. He was a man of great
enterprise and strong individuality, looked up to and consulted as one
having authority. During the war of 1812 he raised and trained a
regiment in the defense of the young republic, and for this invaluable
service was commissioned brigadier general, being superseded in this
position by the celebrated General Hull. Nor did his public services
end here, as he was elected and won new honors in the Ohio state
legislature, and in local offices. General Munger and his wife, Eunice,
were of Puritan ancestry, their forefathers being numbered among the
early colonists of New England. The eldest child of this worthy couple,
Warren, born in Washington, Connecticut, February 28, 1787, returned to
his native state about 1811 for the purpose of studying law, and
subsequently was state's attorney of Miami county, Ohio, besides
holding other important local offices. He continued to practice law
until 1840, when he retired to his farm, where he resided until his
death, in 1877. Truman, born January 19, 1789, came to Indiana in 1821,
bought and improved land, which he afterward sold, then removing to the
vicinity of Petersburg, Illinois. He bought a farm there, and in 1876
retired from the active duties of life to pass his remaining days in
Prairie City, where he died. Edmund K. was the next in order of birth.
Minerva, born in Vermont, November 5, 17.92, married Judge Amos Ervin,
of Ohio, and died April 26, 1874. Reuben born in Vermont, October 30,
1794, died in Ohio. Elisur and Festus, died in infancy. Eunice, born in
Montgomery county, Ohio, February 10, 1801, married William McCann, of
Ohio, who purchased land in Posey township, this county, and sold the
property after making some improvements. He then turned his attention
to brick making, and later carried on a farm which he bought in Rush
county, this state. There his wife died, in 1841, and after marrying
again he went to Iowa, where his last days were passed. Sarah, born in
Ohio, March 15, 1803, died September 12, 1883. She became the wife of
Elam Ervin, an Ohio farmer, born November 17, 1801. At an early period
they went to Rush county, this state, where he died when but forty
years of age. Festus E., born April 11, 1805, was a farmer, and died in
Dayton, Ohio. He reared six children, and three of his sons, Timothy,
Lyman and Alvin, were soldiers in the Union army, the first two being
members of the Forty fourth Ohio Regiment band. They enlisted in 1861,
and were so unfortunate as to be taken prisoners and Timothy was
confined in the famous Libby warehouse, while Lyman languished and
suffered for seventeen months in the dreadful pens of Andersonville. In
spite of all their hardships the three brothers lived to return home
and to resume their accustomed occupations at the close of the war.
Milton, born -October 5, 1807, was a farmer, and died near Piqua, Miami
county, Ohio, in 1874. One of his sons, William, entered the service of
the Union during the civil war, and what his fate was his parents never
learned. Isaac N., born August 12, 1812, and now living retired in
Piqua, Ohio, not only conducted a farm but was a successful teacher of
music for a long time.
Edmund K. Munger,
who was born in Rutland county, Vermont, September 13, 1790, remained
with his parents in Ohio until his marriage, in 1812, to Mary Cole, a
native of Botetourt county, Virginia, born October 15, 1794. The same
year the young man volunteered his services to his country, but the
quota was complete and he was not needed. Settling in
Montgomery county, Ohio, he was industriously occupied in the
cultivation of a farm until the spring of 1821, when he bought the
two-hundred-acre farm on which the subject of this sketch now resides.
In the fall of the same year the family removed to their new home here,
and for many years the humble log cabin which the father erected served
them as a home. In time the land was reduced to cultivation and in 1S35
the brick house in which our subject lives was built. The double room
cabin in which they first dwelt was looked upon as almost palatial by
their neighbors, and many happy hours were spent in the hospitable
abode. The brick house, likewise, was one of the first erected of that
material in the county, and travelers and those in search of a home and
location were directed to this place, where, as it was known far and
near, liberal and hearty hospitality was ever to be found. Politically,
Edmund K. Munger was a Whig and Republican. Reared in the tenets of the
Presbyterian church by parents who were extremely strict, he never
became identified with any church, though his life was above reproach
and his actions were consistent with the teachings of Christianity. He
lived to a good old age, dying June 10, 1872. His faithful wife, who
was a member of the Baptist church, died September 9., 1853. She went
with her parents, Samuel and Catherine (Bryan) Cole, from Virginia to
Montgomery county early in this century. The father, who was a wagon
maker by trade, came to this locality in 1826 and settled upon a small
tract of land north of Bentonville, where he plied his calling and
cultivated his farm. Late in life he and his wife lived with their
children, he dying January 1, 1849, and she September 7, 1844. Both
were active members of the Christian church. Their children were: John,
Philip, Jacob, Andrew, M. B., William, Elizabeth (now Mrs. T. Munger)
and Mary.
Eunice, the eldest
child of Edmund and Mary Munger, was born in Ohio, February 24, 1814,
and she never married. She was a member of the Baptist church untill
she died, happy in her faith, February 5, 1884. Norman, the eldest son,
born August 28, 1815, was a representative farmer of Wayne county,
where his death took place April 30, 1885. Margaret, born June 12,
1817, married William Manlove, who was the first white child born in
Posey township, his birth having taken place in 1815. Truman, born
December 14, 1818, lived on farms in Henry and Rush counties, dying at
his home in the last mentioned county, January 17, 1857. Elizabeth,
born May 4, 1821, married Samuel S. Ewing, of Ohio. He was a carpenter
by trade and engaged in surveying and farming in Wabash county,
Indiana. Samuel, born March 6, 1824, learned the carpenter's trade, and
after his marriage settled on an Illinois farm, where he remained until
his death, August 18, 1896. He was a leader in the Christian church and
Sunday school, and was highly esteemed by all who knew
him. Martha, born April 6, 1827, became
the wife of M. B. Vandegrift, a blacksmith, and died March 6, 1880,
leaving three children. Mary, born April 30, 1829, and now a resident
of Anderson, Indiana, married William T. Hensley, of Fayette county.
Lazarus and Edmund are the next of the family. Louisa, the youngest,
born May 31, 1836, died June 1, 1843.
Lazarus Munger was born September 11,
1831, in Posey township, on the old homestead which he now owns. In the
district schools he obtained a fair education, and under his father's
instruction he acquired practical knowledge of farming when a mere boy.
After the death of the parents, Lazarus and Edmund and three sisters
lived together and carried on the work of the farm. Then, when two of
the sisters married and the third died, our subject chose a wife. His
brother remains unmarried, and has always been associated with him in
business. Having accumulated a little capital they invested it, in
1863, in one hundred and twenty one acres of the homestead, and in
August, 1882, our subject bought the other's share. Edmund Munger, who
is an energetic business man, has been interested in various things
besides farming, and has acted as agent for different concerns, among
them being the Union National Building & Loan Association, of
Indianapolis, and the Wayne International Building & Loan
Association, of Cambridge City. For both of these companies he has
transacted a large amount of business, and still represents them. His
capital he invests in good securities of various kinds, and his
integrity and square dealing are undoubted. He has always made his home
and headquarters at his birth-place, being a valued member of our
subject's household. For several years he has devoted much attention to
the buying of shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, frequently going
into neighboring states in search of especially fine specimens. Lazarus
Munger, likewise, is interested in high-grade live stock, and always
keeps large herds of shorthorns and Poland China hogs. He has added to
his original purchase of land until he now owns five hundred and
eighteen acres, all of which is under fine cultivation. His prosperity
is well deserved, and is the direct result of application, sound
judgment and perseverance in a line of action when once determined
upon. He has upheld the Republican principles, and, though he has
attended conventions in the county and state and has endeavored to
advance the interests of the party, he never has been prevailed upon to
accept a public office of importance, and though often urged to become
a candidate for the legislature has persistently refused. He has served
his own township as assessor, with credit to himself and friends, but
has no desire for public office.
On the 10th of September, 1866, the
marriage of Lazarus Munger and Miss Savanna Ferguson was solemnized.
She is a daughter of Linville and Elizabeth (Loder) Ferguson, whose
history appears elsewhere in this work.
She was born
February 8, 1843, and is one of five brothers and sisters, the others
being, Oliver, now a resident of Milton; Elmer, who died at the age of
twelve years; Mrs. Emma Thornburg; and Charley, who owns and carries on
the old homestead which belonged to his father. The latter, who was one
of the most successful stock dealers of this section of Indiana,
himself cleared about five hundred acres of land, and divided fifteen
hundred acres among his children. He was very prominent in every way,
acting in public offices, and for twenty three years was connected with
the Cambridge City National Bank, being its president for fifteen years.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Munger was
blessed with two daughters and one son, namely: Lorena M., born March
5, 1869, and now the wife of: Philip F. Weaver, a farmer; Warren H.,
born February 20, 1878; and Helen E., born October 1, 1879. The younger
daughter and the son are students in Earlham College, and are receiving
excellent training for the serious duties of life.
MILTON
TRUSLER
Not all men order
their lives to their liking; nor yet are all men true to themselves in
living as nearly to their ideals as possible and attaining to such
heights as their opportunities and talents render accessible. We now
turn to one who has done much and done it well, wherein all honor lies.
Not a pretentious or exalted life has been his, but one that has been
true to itself and its possibilities, and one to which the biographer
may revert with a feeling of respect and satisfaction.
Hon. Milton
Trusler's identification with the history of that section of Indiana
with which this compilation has to do has been one of ancestral as well
as individual nature, and would on that score alone demand
consideration in this connection; but such has been his personal
prominence in positions of public trust and responsibility; such his
influence in furthering the progress and material prosperity of the
state at large, that his individual distinction clearly entitles him to
representation in this work. Back to that cradle of much of our
national history, the Old Dominion, must we turn in tracing the lineage
of the subject of this review. He was born in Franklin county, Indiana,
on the 31st of October, 1825, the son of Samuel W. and Martha (Curry)
Trusler. The original representative of the family in Indiana was James
Trusler, grandfather of the subject of this review, who was a native of
Virginia, where he was reared to manhood and there married.
About the year
1812 he emigrated with his family to the wilds of the Hoosier state,
coming to Franklin county and settling on a tract of excellent land in
the vicinity of the present little village of Fairfield. Here he
developed a good farm, upon which he passed the residue of his days,
passing away about the year 1840, at the age of eighty two. He was a
man of strong individuality and upright life, being known as one of the
successful and influential farmers of this section, where he was
uniformly honored and respected, by reason of his sterling character.
In his religious adherence he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, in which he was a most devout and earnest worker.
In the family of
James Trusler were five sons and two daughters. Of these Samuel Wilson
Trusler, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia on the 9th of
July, 1795, and accompanied his parents on their removal to Indiana in
the early pioneer days. In 1830 he removed to Jackson township, Fayette
county, this state, where he thereafter continuously devoted his
attention to agricultural pursuits until called from the scene of
life's labors. He owned a farm of one hundred and forty acres, which he
brought under most effective cultivation, bringing to bear those
methods and that judgment which insure success. The old homestead farm
is now owned by his son, the subject of this review. Samuel W. Trusler
was in politics a stanch supporter of the Whig party, and though he had
no predilection for official preferment, he was called upon to serve in
certain township offices and was for many years a school director,
maintaining a lively concern in all that conserved the public welfare.
While other members of the family had clung tenaciously to the tenets
of the Methodist church, his intellectual powers led him to adopt
somewhat more liberal views, and he became a zealous and devoted member
of the Universalist church; ordering his life consistently with the
faith which he espoused. The death of Mr. Trusler occurred on his farm
August 4, 1846, and the community realized that a true and noble
character had been withdrawn from their midst. His devoted wife had
been summoned into eternal rest in 1838, at the age of thirty four
years, her birth having occurred on the 4th of July, 1804.
Of the children of
Samuel W. and Martha (Curry) Trusler five grew to maturity, and of
these we offer the following epitomized record: Nelson, who was born in
Franklin county, Indiana, May 13, 1822, died at Indianapolis, in 1878,
aged fifty six years. He was one of the representative members of the
bar of the state and wielded a wide influence in political affairs. He
served for three years in the war of the Rebellion, having held
commission as colonel of the Eighty fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
He had held distinguished public preferment, having served as secretary
of state and. being the incumbent as attorney general of Indiana at the
time of his death..
He was engaged in
the practice of his profession at Connersville for a number of years,
after which he removed to the capital city of the state, where his
death occurred. The next of the family is Mrs. Mary J. Barnard, widow
of William D. Barnard, of Indianapolis. She was born November 9, 1827.
Gilbert, who was born in Franklin county, on the 21st of July. 1830,
died in Indianapolis. He was a lawyer by profession, and was engaged in
practice at Connersville. At the time of the war of Rebellion he
effected the organization of the Thirty sixth Regiment of Indiana
Volunteers, with which he went to the front as captain, being promoted
major before the expiration of his term of service. He served as mayor
of Connersville, was county clerk for two terms and was Fayette
county's representative in the state legislature. Thomas J. Trusler was
born February 11, 1835. Like his brothers, he was a member of the bar
of the state, having been engaged in the practice of his profession in
Connersville and Liberty for a number of years, after which he located
in Indianapolis. He served as deputy secretary of state under his
brother Nelson and also under Hon. W. W. Curry.
Of the children
who grew to maturity the subject of this review, Milton Trusler, was
the second eldest, and his career, like that of his brothers, has
conferred dignity and honor upon the state. He was five years of age at
the time his parents took up their abode on the farm in Jackson
township, and at the old homestead he was reared under the sturdy and
invigorating discipline of farm life. It is interesting to revert to
the fact that he never wavered in his allegiance to the great basic art
of agriculture during the long years of his active business life. It is
still more worthy of note that for sixty five years he lived on the old
family homestead, which is still owned by him and from which he removed
only when prompted to seek retirement from the active labors protracted
over many years and crowned with merited success. Mr. Trusler received
his educational training in the common schools, completing a course of
study in the high school at Liberty. He assumed the personal
responsibilities of practical business life by engaging in the line of
enterprise to which he has been reared from his boyhood days. His
original farm comprised sixty five acres, but he has added to it from
time to time, as-prosperity attended his industrious and well directed
efforts, until he now owns a finely cultivated place of three hundred
and twenty acres, well improved with substantial buildings and figuring
as one of the most valuable farms in this section of a great
agricultural state.
On the 17th of
April, 1894, Mr. Trusler removed from his farm to East Connersville,
where, in a pleasant home, he is enjoying the rewards of a life of
honest and successful endeavor, well deserving that otium cum dignitate
which is his portion as the shadows of his life begin to lengthen into
the grateful twilight. On the 9th of March,
1848, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Trusler to Miss Isabelle
Thompson, a native of Fayette county, and to them were born four sons
and four daughters, concerning whom we incorporate the following data:
M. Anna became the wife of Daniel Brumfield, a farmer of this county;
Laura J., the widow of James M. Backhouse, resides in Connersville;
Samuel F. is a farmer of this county; M. Henry, also a farmer of this
county; Sidney E. is engaged in mercantile pursuits in Anderson,
Indiana; Nina C. is the wife of J. B. Rose, of Miami county, this
state; Ira T. is a resident of Connersville; and Juanita is the widow
of William A. Stewart, of Connersville.
In conclusion we
will glance at the more salient points in the public or official life
of Mr. Trusler. In his political proclivities he was originally a
supporter of the Whig party, from which he withdrew to place his
allegiance with the new and stronger candidate for public favor, the
Republican party, of whose principles and policies he has ever since
been a zealous advocate. He has wielded a marked influence in the
political affairs of this section, and has served in various township
offices. In 1872 he was the incumbent as trustee of Jackson township, a
position which he resigned upon being elected to represent his county
in the legislature, in which he served as a member of the lower house
during the sessions of 1872, 1873, 1874 and 1875. His personal
popularity and the appreciation of his value as a representative in the
legislative councils of the state were manifested soon after his
retirement from the lower house, since he became the successful
candidate of his party for the state senate, in which he served during
the sessions of 1876 and 1877. In the councils of his party and as a
legislator he showed himself to be a man of strong intellectuality,
broad and exact knowledge and mature and practical judgment. His
influence was at all times cast on the side which looked to the
conservation of public interests; his views were marked by distinctive
wisdom, and the confidence in his personal integrity and ability was
unwavering. In 1892 Mr. Trusler was the Republican candidate for the
office of secretary of state, in which connection he made a very
thorough canvass during the incidental campaign, but he naturally met
defeat at the polls, since that year marked one of the most memorable
general land-slides in the history of the Republican party. His
strength in the state was shown, however, in the fact that he ran two
thousand votes ahead of his ticket. He has a large acquaintance ship
throughout the state and has a strong hold upon the respect and
confidence of the farming class, with whose interests he has naturally
had a most pronounced sympathy. He was for seven years master of the
state Grange, in which connection he did active and effective work in
every section of the state, striving at all times to spur farmers
onward to the point of making agriculture and its allied industries
occupy the dignified position which is intrinsically
due. He has done much to elevate the standard
of husbandry in Indiana, and no man is more honored among the
agricultural classes.
Mr. Trusler was
enrolling officer for Fayette county during the war of the Rebellion
and was unflagging in his zeal for the Union cause. Fraternally he is
prominently identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being
one of the charter members of Everton Lodge, with which he has been
connected for more than half a century, and in which he has filled all
the chairs, besides representing the lodge a number of times in the
grand lodge of the state.
As one of the venerable citizens of
Fayette county, and as one whose life has been one of signal usefulness
and honor, the publishers of this work realize that even more distinct
representation in this connection would not do justice to this well
known scion of one of the pioneer families of Indiana, a state which
has been honored and enriched by his example
EPHRAIM
DERBYSHIRE, M. D.
Doctor Derbyshire
is not only a leading physician of Indiana, but stands as a
representative of one of the old and honored families of the state, the
name having been identified with the annals of American history from
pre Revolutionary times and having ever stood for the staunchest
integrity and honor in all the relations of life. The Doctor is a
native of Franklin county, having been born near Laurel, on the 17th of
February, 1846, a son of James A. and Hannah (Palmer) Derbyshire.
The Derbyshire
family is of stanch old English stock, and records extant show that
representatives of the name settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania,
prior to the war of the Revolution, the old family homestead having
been located near the town of Yardley, that County. In this old
Pennsylvania homestead both the grandfather and the father of the
Doctor were born. The former, Alexander D. Derbyshire, passed his
entire life in his native county, and he died in the old ancestral home
mentioned. He was a weaver by trade, but he devoted the greater part of
his life to agricultural pursuits.
James Alexander Derbyshire, the
father of the Doctor, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the
24th of April, 1817, the son of Alexander Derbyshire, who was likewise
a native of the same county, as has already been noted, his death
occurring at the age of sixty five years, while his wife passed away
when James A. was a child of but three years. On the old homestead
James A. Derbyshire grew to maturity, receiving such educational
advantages as were afforded by the public schools, and preparing
himself for the active duties of life by learning the trade of
carpenter. In 1836 his brother-in-law, Joel Palmer, came from
Pennsylvania to Indiana to engage in the construction of the Whitewater
canal, and in connection with this work Mr. Derbyshire was induced to
come to the state in the succeeding year, 1837. His brother-in-law was
a contractor, and Mr., Derbyshire found employment with him, being
engaged in the construction of locks and bridges on the canal,
continuing to be thus employed until work on the canal was suspended.
He then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, having for
several years carried on farming operations on rented land in Posey
township, Franklin county, where he has ever since continued to reside.
In 1846 he purchased his present farm, which is located on section 20,
and his enterprise and sound judgment conserved the success of his
efforts, and he has been long recognized as one of the representative
men of the county, being held in the highest confidence and esteem in
the community where he has so long resided.
In the year 1842
was solemnized the marriage of James A. Derbyshire and Hannah Palmer,
daughter of Ephraim Palmer, and they became the parents of seven
children, two of whom are now deceased. We here give a brief record
concerning the children: Oscar is a resident of Laurel, this county;
Ephraim is the immediate subject of this review; Albert and Alexander
are residents of the state of Oregon; Caroline is the wife of Prof.
Felix Shelling, of the University of Pennsylvania; Elizabeth became the
wife of John Withers, and her death occurred several years ago; and
William P. died in infancy. Mrs. Derbyshire had been in declining
health for some time, and in the hope of relief she went to California
in 1886, being shortly afterward joined by her husband. They continued
to reside in California for a year, but with no appreciable or
permanent benefit to the health of Mrs. Derbyshire. They accordingly
returned to their home in Indiana, and the devoted wife and mother
survived but a short time after her arrival, her death occurring in
Connersville.
In his political
adherency Mr. Derbyshire has long rendered a stanch allegiance to the
Republican party and the principles and policies for which it stands
sponsor. He was originally a Democrat, but left the ranks of that party
at the time of the organization of the Republican party and gave his
support to its presidential candidate, John C. Fremont. In earlier
years he took quite an active part in local political affairs, and
served for some time as a justice of the peace. In his religious views
he holds to the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is
a member. Fraternally he has been long and conspicuously identified
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being one of the oldest
members of that organization in the state. He was initiated into its
mysteries in 1839, and has thus been a member for the long term of
sixty years. He has on many occasions represented his lodge in the
grand lodge of the state, having been a delegate as lately as 1898. On
this occasion he received much attention and fraternal deference as a
veteran member of the order and as the oldest representative present.
Mr. Derbyshire has ever been held in the highest esteem in the
community, has ordered his life on a high plane, and is honored as one
of the venerable pioneers of the county.
Dr. Ephraim
Derbyshire, son of the venerable gentleman whose life history has just
been briefly outlined, was reared on the old homestead in Posey
township, securing his preliminary educational discipline in the public
schools, after which he completed a course of academic studies in the
old Brookville College. After leaving school he learned the tinner's
trade, to which he devoted his attention for a time. His ambition and
natural predilections, however, prompted him to seek a wider and higher
field of endeavor. His ambition was distinctly one of action, and he
determined to prepare himself for the medical profession. He began his
technical studies in the line, and in 1873-4 he took the course of
lectures in the Ohio Medical College. Thus thoroughly fortified by
careful and discriminating study, he began the practice of his chosen
profession in New Salem, Rush county. Indiana, where he remained until
1880, having built up an excellent practice and established a
reputation as an able and skillful practitioner. Desiring to still
farther perfect himself for the work of his profession, he then
matriculated in the Medical College of Indiana, at Indianapolis, where
he completed the full course of study, graduating with the degree of
Doctor of Medicine.
Immediately
after his graduation the
Doctor located in Bentonville, Fayette county, this
state, where he continued in the active and successful .practice of his
profession until 1897, when he located in Connersville, where his
prestige and success have been equally marked. He has a deep
appreciation of the responsibilities of his laborious and exacting
profession, and not only does he keep fully abreast of the advances
made in the sciences -of medicine and surgery, but he is animated by
that lively sympathy and ..geniality of nature which are so essential
in the true physician. The Doctor is a member of the State Medical
Society and also the district association, and at the present time he
is the incumbent as secretary of the county board -of health. For the
past thirty five years Dr. Derbyshire has been a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church, in whose work he has a deep and abiding
interest.
The marriage of
the Doctor was celebrated in the year 1868, when he was united to Miss
Amy C. French, of Decatur county, Indiana. They became the parents of
two children, one of whom is deceased. The surviving child, Catherine,
gives additional brightness in the home, which is the center of a
cultured and refined hospitality. The Doctor and his family enjoy a
..distinctive popularity in the little city of their home.
Reverting, in
conclusion, to the Doctor's father, Jarres A.
Derbyshire, we may say that he is conceded to be the oldest Odd Fellow
in the state, and on the occasion of the meeting of the grand
lodge, at Indianapolis, in 1898, that
distinguished body voted him a medal in honor of his long
and prominent service in the fraternity.
Mr. Derbyshire's fine farm comprises two hundred acres,
under most effective cultivation and equipped with
substantial improvements. On his farm are the
local} famed Derbyshire falls, which are known for
their picturesque beauty, attracting many visitors to the place.
CAPTAIN
THOMAS DOWNS
For many years an
active factor in the industrial interests of Connersville, Captain
Thomas Downs, through his diligence, perseverance and business ability
acquired a handsome competence, and also contributed to the general
prosperity through the conduct of enterprises which furnished
employment to many. Reliability in all trade transactions, loyalty to
all duties of citizenship, fidelity in the discharge of every trust
reposed in him, these are .his chief characteristics, and through the
passing years they have gained to .him the unqualified confidence and
respect of his fellow townsmen.
Captain Downs was
born in Anderson, Indiana, and is of Irish descent; .but at an early
day the family was founded in America, and the grandfather, Thomas
Downs, removed from his native state of Maryland to Fleming county,
Kentucky, in 1800. Thirty years later he became a resident of Franklin
county, Indiana, where he continued farming, which he had made his life
work until called to his final rest. His wife, who bore the maiden name
of Ruth House, was a native of Kentucky, and in their family were three
sons and two daughters. Hezekiah Downs, the father of the Captain, was
born in Kentucky in 1818, and went with his parents to Rush county at
the age of twelve. Through much of his life he followed farming in
Madison county, this state, but in 1862 brought his family to
Connersville and here his last days were
passed. He died in 18S2, at the age of sixty
four years.
Captain Downs
received his scholastic training in Madison county, and in May, 1862,
when only sixteen years of age enlisted, at Anderson, for service in
the civil war, becoming a member of Company K, Fifty fourth Indiana
Infantry. On the expiration of his three months term he re-enlisted,
October 2, 1862, becoming a member of Company K, Sixteenth Indiana
Infantry, continuing at the front until November 10, 1S65, when, the
war having ended, he was honorably discharged at Vicksburg. He was with
the Army of the Cumberland and participated in the Vicksburg campaign
and the Red river expedition. After the former he was ill for three
months with typhoid fever, but with this exception he was always found
at his post of duty, faithfully performing every service allotted to
him, whether upon the field of battle or on the picket line during the
silent watches of the night.
When the country
no longer needed his services Captain Downs came to Connersville, where
he has since made his home. For many years he engaged in contracting
and building. He was alone in business until January 1, 1874, when he
became a member of the firm of Andre, Stewart & Company,
contractors and builders and owners and operators of a planing mill. A
year later lie purchased the interests of his partners, with the
exception of Mr. Stewart, and the firm of Stewart & Downs was
organized. This relation was maintained for a year, when Mr. Stewart
sold his interest to Mr. Martin, and in 1877, by the admission of Mr.
Wait to an interest in the business, the firm of Martin, Downs &
Company was established. In 1878 they sold the planing mill to L. T.
Bower, but Mr. Downs and Mr. Wait continued together in the contracting
and building business. Subsequently they purchased the planing mill of
Martin & Ready, and Mr. Ready bought a third interest in the
business, operations being carried on under the style of Downs, Ready
& Company until January of, 1899, when the Captain withdrew. This
firm ran a very extensive planing mill and did the largest contracting
and building business in the city for many.Tears. Many of the finest
residences and other buildings of Connersville stand as monuments to
the enterprise, thrift and ability of Captain Downs, whose commendable
efforts made his success well merited.
Into other fields of endeavor also
has he directed his energies and his wise counsel and sound
judgment have contributed to the success of a number of the
leading business concerns of the city. He is a director of the Fayette
Banking Company and is a director of the Central Manufacturing Company,
which he aided in organizing in 1898, serving as its president the
first year. He is a member and director of the Fayette Building &
Loan Association, of which he served as president for a number of
years. On the 16th of July, 1898, he was appointed assistant
quartermaster in the United States Army, with the rank of captain. He
was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, one of the largest and
oldest military posts and distributing stations in the country, having
been established in 1827, and entered upon the duties of the office
August 8, 1898. He is now stationed at Fort Stevens, Oregon.
On the 10th of
November, 1866, Mr. Downs was united in marriage to Miss Mary J.
Eisemann, of Connersville, and their children are: Florence; Susan J.,
wife of Charles A. Rieman, a florist of Connersville and superintendent
of the city cemetery ; Augusta, wife of J. P. Rhoads, who is employed
at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; William, who died in 1888, at the age
of seventeen years ; and George, a graduate of Purdue University. The
Captain maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades through
his membership in Connersville Post, No. 126, G. A. R., and is now
serving as its commander. He also belongs to Otonka Tribe, No. 94, I.
O. R. M.; Warren Lodge, No. 17, F. & A. M.; and Maxwell Chapter, R.
A. M. An ardent advocate of the principles of the Republican party, he
does all in his power to promote its growth and insure its success. He
has served as a member of the city council and was on the school board
for nine years, acting at different times as its secretary, treasurer
and president. The cause of education finds in him a warm friend, who
has effectively advanced its interests, and other measures for the
public good receive his hearty support and co-operation. He possesses a
social nature and jovial disposition, and the circle of his friends is
almost co-extensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
Thomas Fitzgerald, one of the best-know and most
substantial farmers of Fairview township, this county, is a native of
the Buckeye state, but has lived in Indiana since he was fourteen years
of age. He was born on a farm in Stark County, Ohio, November 19,
1858, son of John and Honoria (Shea) Fitzgerald, natives of Ireland,
whose last days were spent in Jennings County, this state.
John Fitzgerald was born in County Cork and when a
young man left Ireland and come to the United States, locating in Stark
County, Ohio, where about two years later he married Hanora Shea, also
a native of County Cork, who had come to this country form Ireland
about two years before her marriage. After his marriage, John
Fitzgerald remained in Stark County until 1872, in which year he moved
to Indiana with his family and settled on a farm in Jennings County,
where he followed farming the rest of his life, his death occurring in
1893. His widow survived him until 1911. They were the
parents of eight children of whom five are still living. Two of
the children died in infancy and another, Mrs. Marie Cox, died about
1899. Besides the subject of this sketch those living are
Timothy, of Indianapolis; William, of North Vernon, and John and
Cornelius, who are farming near Butlerville in Jennings County, this
state.
Thomas Fitzgerald was the third son of his parents
and was about fourteen years of age when the family moved from Ohio to
Indiana and settled in Jennings County. There he completed
his schooling and as a young man worked at farm labor in that country,
in Bartholomew County and in Fayette County. While working in
this county he became acquainted with a young woman who lived just over
the line Rush County and in 1887 he married her. After his
marriage he rented a farm in Union township, Rush County, and there
made his home for ten years. When he was moving onto that farm
neighbors tried to tell him that he would find his landlord a hard man
to get along with and that he would not stay on the place a year.
On the contrary, he found his landlord most agreeable and conditions so
much to his liking that he remained on the place until 1897 and might
have remained longer had not met with the misfortune of being burned
out of house and home on October 15 of that year, with an almost total
destruction of his household effects. When the fire broke out a
strenuous effort was made to remove the household goods from the
burning building, but the piano became jammed in the doorway and thus
barred the way of further salvage, very few of the household effects
being saved. After the fire Mr. Fitzgerald moved over into this
county and occupied the farm which he now owns in Fairview township, a
well-improved and profitably cultivated place of one hundred and
fifty-one and one-third acres, and there he has made his home ever
since. In 1907, about ten years after moving there Mr. Fitzgerald
and his family again were burned out, their farm house being destroyed
by fire. Following this second misfortune Mr. Fitzgerald built
his present substantial house and there his and his family are now very
comfortable situated. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Democrat and takes due
interest in local political affairs, but has not been a seeker after
public office. He is a member of the local lodge of the Improved
Order of Red Men and takes a warm interest in the affairs of that
organization.
On January 19, 1887, Thomas Fitzgerald was united in
marriage to Kittie Belle Wright, who was born on a farm near the
eastern line of Rush County across the line from Fairview, and to this
union three children have been born, namely: Hanoria, who married
Edward Keller, of Connersville, and two children, sons, Francis and
Marion; Mary Helen, who married Joseph Theobald, a farmer of the
Strawns Station neighborhood and has two sons, Joseph and Maynard, and
John Thomas, who married Bertha Johnson and has remains on the home
farm, farming with is father.
Mrs. Fitzgerald is a member of one of the old
families in this part of the state, her parents, Thomas M. and Matilda
C. (Groves) Wright, having been prominent residents of the Fairview
neighborhood, where their last days were spent. Thomas M. Wright
was a Kentuckian, born near Millersburg, in Bourbon County, June 3,
1833, and there grew to manhood. When a young man he came up into
Indiana on a visit to the Bakers, kinsfolk of his, who lived then, as
now, in the northeastern part of Fairview township, this county, and
there he met Matilda C. Groves, a member of one of the pioneer families
of that neighborhood, and from that time on she was “the only girl in
the world for him.” They were married on November 30, 1859, and
established their home on a farm at the west edge of Fairview, where
Mrs. Fitzgerald was born, the old Donovan Groves homestead, where
Matilda C. Groves also was born, a daughter of Donovan and Eleanor
(Baker) Groves, pioneers of that section and further mention of whom is
made elsewhere in this volume. In addition to his general farming
Thomas M. Wright also was widely known as a buyer and shipper of
livestock and became one of the well-to-do citizens of that part of the
county. He was for years a justice of the peace in and for his
home township and he and his wife were members of the Christian church,
in the various beneficences of which they were interested. Mrs.
Wright died on February 4, 1898, and Thomas M. Wright survived her for
nearly three years, his death occurring on December 15, 1900.
SOURCE:
Fayette County Library
Barrows History of Fayette County, 1917
Pages 786, 787, 788
(contributed by Kathy Keller)
JOHN BAKER
John Baker, farmer, Fairview Township, was born in Bourbon County, Ky.
, February 14, 1803. His parents, Abraham and Elizabeth (Fife)
Baker, were natives of Maryland and Kentucky, respectively.
Abraham Baker, born July 7, 1764, was a son of John and Mary Baker,
who, in an early day, moved from Maryland to Kentucky, and there
resided the balance of their days. His wife was a daughter of
Abijah and Ellen Fife. They were married in Mason County, Ky.,
March 18, 1800, they settle in Bourbon County, Ky., remaining until
1824, when they moved to this county, where Mrs. Baker, died October 5,
1826. They had a family of eight children: David,John,
Harrison, Mahala, Nancy, Ellen, Eliza, and Daniel. Mr. Baker
subsequently married Margaret Stephens. They were exemplary
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. Baker
was a Jacksonian Democrat in early and middle life, but subsequently
became a Whig. He died January 17, 1842. John, our subject,
the second in the family, came with his parents to this county in
1824. In 1826 he returned to his native county and there married,
December 12, same year. Mary Hannah, born in Bourbon County, Ky.,
October 30, 1801, daughter of Joseph Hannah, a notive of Ireland.
To this union were born the following named children: Elizabeth,
John H., Eliza M., Sarah M., Harriet, James S>, Mary J., and
David. In February following their marriage our subject and wife
moved to this county,, settling on the farm where he has since
resided. Mars. Baker died December 2, 1858. Our subject
began life at the foot of the hill, but by judicious use of his time,
and hard labor, he gradually worked his way up until he had amassed a
landed estate of 260 acres. Aughts 7, 1882, h met with a painful
accident, dislocating or breaking his hip bone, and has since been
deprived of the use of his body. Politically hs is a Republican.
SOURCE:
Fayette County Library
Barrows History of Fayette County, 1885
Pages 256
(contributed
by Kathy Keller)
DAVID BAKER
David Baker, one of Fayette County's best-known retired farmers and
substantial old citizen of Fairview Township is a native son of that
township, born on the farm on which he is now living, two miles east of
Falmouth, and has lived there all his life. He was born on
February 14, 1845, son of John and Mary (Hanna) Baker, both of whom
were born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, who became pioneers of Fayette
County and here spent their last days, substantial and influential
pioneers of the Falmouth neighborhood.
John Baker was born on a farm in the near vicinity of Paris, in Bourbon
County, Kentucky, February 14, 1803, son of Abraham and Elizabeth
Baker, the former of whom was born on July 7, 1764, and who were
married on March 18, 1800, making their home in Bourbon County,
Kentucky, where eight children we re born to them, of whom John was the
second in order of birth, the others being as follow: David, born
on August 11, 1801; Harrison, April 3, 1805; Mahala, March 13, 1807;
Nancy, February 1, 1809; Ellen and Eliza (twins), July 2, 1811; and
Daniel, June 22, 1814. In the fall of 1824 Abraham Baker, seeking
land for his sons, came up into Indiana and settle in Fayette County,
giving each of his sons a farm in the northeastern part of Fairview
Township. He bought three eight-acre tracts, the place where
David Baker now lives, and across the road from that place, where now
the Fitzgerald farm is, he bought a quarter section. On this
latter tract he established his home, and there his younger son, Daniel
remained with him until his death, the other sons, John and
David, occupying the nearby “eighties”, Harrison selling out ant and
moved Wabash County, where he died. The above three sons spent
the rest of their lives on the farms which they opened and cleared back
in the twenties. Elizabeth Baker, wife of Abraham, died October
5, 1826, about two years after settling here in the then wilderness and
Abraham Baker survived until January 17, 1842.
In the fall of 1826, John Baker, second son of Abraham, went back to
this old home in Kentucky and there on December 12, 1826, was united in
marriage to Mary Hanna, who was born in that same community in Bourbon
County on October 30, 1801. The following spring he returned to
Indiana with his bride and settled on the farm two miles east of
Falmouth, which he had begun to clear in 1824 and where he had put up a
log cabin for the reception of his bride, and there he and his wife
spent the remainder of their lives, earnest and industrious pioneers of
that community. As he prospered he increase his original holdings
there to one hundred and twenty acres and later bought an adjoining
tract of one hundred and forty acres on the north. On that
pioneer farm Mary (better known as “Polly) Baker died on December
2, 1858 and John Baker, her husband, survived her many years, his death
occurring in April, 1892, he then being in the eighty-ninth year of his
age. He and his ;wife were the parent of eight children, of whom
the subject of this sketch was the last-born, the others being as
follow: Elizabeth, now deceased, who was twice married, her first
husband having been William Dickey and the second, Dave Weimer:
Harrison and Eliza Jane (twins), the latter of whom died when eight
years of age and the form of whom died in April, 1892; James, who lives
in Milton: Sallie Ann, who married Guy Jackson and is now deceased:
Harriet, who married John Stuckey and lives in Grant County, and Mary
Jane, of Falmouth, widow of Tillman Van Buskirk. David Baker
still has the spinning wheel used by his mother, “Polly” Baker, and the
saddle bags which his grandfather and his father brought with them from
Kentucky. He also has the old family Bible, a venerable volume
bound in sheepskin and printed in New York in 1814, in which is
carefully set out the record of births and deaths and marriages in the
family of Abraham Baker and of John and “Polly” Baker.
John Baker and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist Church,
as were the formers parents, and took an active interest in church
affairs in the early days of the community in which they settled,
religious services frequently being held in their home in the days
before the settlements had an established house of worship, and their
children were reared in that faith.
David Baker has always lived on the farm where he was born and has
always followed farming, becoming the owner of a fine farm of one
hundred and fifty-eight acres with a nice country home on it.
That farm he sold two years ago, but he continues to make his home
there, living with his brother-in-law, who bought the place, and is
quite content to spend the rest of his life on the place on which he
was born and which he has helped to develop from pioneer times.
On May 8, 1901, David Baker was united in marriage to Dora Iva Pierce,
who was born in the neighboring county of Franklin, a daughter of
Cornelius and Isabel (Chance) Pierce, who years ago moved from Franklin
County to New York Cit, where the father became a member of the
metropolitan police force and where he died. After his death his
widow and children returned to Franklin County and presently moved
thence to the neighborhood of Morristown, in Shelby County. There
the widow Pierce married again and presently moved back to New
York. Her daughter, Dora Iva, remained in Shelby County until her
marriage to Mr. Baker. She died at her home in Fairview Township
in the fall of 1908. She was a member of the Christian Church.
SOURCE:
Fayette County Library Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana
Barrows History of Fayette County, 1917 Pages 995, 996, 997
(Contributed by Kathy Keller)
WILLIAM MERRELL
For many years William Merrell, now
deceased, was connected with the business interests of Connersville and
Fayette county, and belonged to that class of representative American
citizens who promote the public good while advancing individual
prosperity. The salient points in his career were sound judgment,
unflagging energy, versatility of business talent and capable
management, and these brought to him success and gained him distinction
as one of the leaders in commercial circles in Connersville. His well
spent life commended him to the confidence and esteem of all, and in
his death the community lost one of its most valued citizens.
A native of Kentucky, William Merrell was born in Mason county, near
Maysville, February 27, 1813, a son of Reuben and Sarah (Helm) Merrell.
He was reared and educated in. Maysville, and assisted his father in
the work of the home farm until 1S37, when he came to Connersville,
Indiana, where he entered upon a mercantile experience, as a clerk in
his uncle's dry-goods store. He subsequently
engaged in the same line of
business on his own account, being associated in
partnership with his father-in-law for some years. They conducted the
leading general store in the town, carrying a large stock of goods and
receiving a liberal share of the public patronage. Mr. Merrell was also
the owner of a large farm just west of Connersville, and resided
thereon for a number of years, largely devoting his energies to it-
cultivation and improvement. In the field of finance he was equally
successful. In connection with James Mount, now deceased, he
established the Farmers' Bank in Connersville, and acted as its cashier
for a considerable period, making this one of the most reliable and
prosperous financial institutions in the locality. He was safe and
conservative in his business methods, yet not unprogressive, and his
native sagacity, enterprise and reliable methods brought to him a most
gratifying success.
On the 1st of November, 1840, Mr. Merrell was united in marriage to
Miss Anna K., daughter of Abram B. Conwell. She now resides in
Connersville, and is a most estimable lady, having the warm regards of
many friends. Nine children were born of their union, namely: Sarah E.,
of Connersville, the widow of Dr. George Garver, who was a prominent
physician here; Charles; William, who has served for a number of years
as city councilman, being the only Democrat elected to that office
through a long period; Conwell, a farmer; Frank P., who is proprietor
of a restaurant in Grass Valley, California; John, who is engaged in
farming and makes his home with his mother on the old homestead; Emma,
wife of William Havens, of Rushville; Minnie, wife of Andrew A. Norman,
of Cincinnati; and Mrs. Anna M. McIlhenry, of New York city.
Mr. Merrell spent his last years upon his farm near Connersville, and
there his death occurred. In the business world he ranked with the
ablest; as a citizen be was honorable, prompt and true to every
engagement; as a man he held the honor and esteem of all classes of
citizens, of all creeds and political proclivities. For many years he
was identified with the substantial and material development of his
adopted county, and was classed among the worthy pioneer settlers who
laid the foundation for the present prosperity of this section of the
state.