Fountain
County, Indiana
Biographies
Joseph Shannon
Nave
Joseph
Shannon Nave. There has probably not been a session of Circuit Court in
Fountain County during the last forty years at which Joseph Shannon
Nave has not appeared as counselor for some of the cases tried. He is
at once one of the oldest as well as the ablest lawyers of the Fountain
county bar, and he is one of the dignified representatives of the
profession in the state.
His
people have been identified with this county since pioneer days. Mr.
Nave was born on a farm in Shawnee Township of Fountain County
September 17, 1851, a son of John and Hannah J. (Shannon) Nave. His
mother was of Irish stock, and a daughter of Thomas Shannon, who bore
arms in the War of 1812 and granddaughter of Samuel Shannon, who helped
the colonies establish independence in the Revolution. Both served as
officers in those wars.
John
Nave was born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1826, son of John and Margaret
(Umbarger) Nave, both of whom were natives of Virginia. The Nave family
is of Swiss ancestry. John Nave, Sr., brought his family to Fountain
County in 1828, and acquired a tract of the uncleared Government land
then so plentiful in this state. On that farm John Nave, Jr., was
reared, and he lived the life of a farmer until 1867, when he removed
to Attica and handled his property from that point. He died April 17,
1872. He and his wife were married in 1850, in Virginia, where she was
born in 1834. She died at Attica January 17, 1910. There were two sons,
Joseph Shannon and Raymond M. The latter, who was born August 17, 1853,
graduated from Indiana University with the class of 1875, and is now
manager of a large amount of property in Fountain County, his home
being at Attica. He married in 1881 Minnie Ray, a native of Attica, and
they have two children, Robert and John Kirk.
Joseph
Shannon Nave lived on the old farm until 1867, and while there attended
rural schools. He finished his literary education in Indiana
University, graduating in the scientific course in 1872. Later he
attended the law school of the University of Michigan, and was admitted
to practice in 1874. From that year he has been identified with the bar
of Fountain County and besides carrying heavy burdens as a lawyer has
been active in public affairs and has directed some large business
interests. In politics he has always been a democrat. From 1879 to 1883
he represented Fountain County in the State Legislature and made a most
creditable record in that body, being member of several important
committees.
Mr.
Nave has large property interests in Fountain County and also at
Wichita, Kansas. He is a director of the Farmers and Merchants State
Bank of Attica. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic Order and
is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
September
30, 1879, Mr. Nave married Miss Jennie Isabel Rice, who was born at
Rockville, Indiana, daughter of Thomas N. and Margaret (Digby) Rice.
Thomas N. Rice, her father, was a prominent lawyer of Parke County,
Indiana, and died at Rockville in 1904. He represented his county both
in the Lower House and in the State Senate. Mr. and Mrs. Nave have two
daughters, Margaret Isabel and Beatrice Shannon. The older is the wife
of Louis L. Johnson, who was born in Morgan County, Indiana. They have
two children, Isabel Nave and Shannon Meredith. Beatrice S. is the wife
of Clement B. Isly, of Attica, Indiana.
Source:
Indiana and Indianans By Jacob Piatt Dunn, General William Harrison
Kemper
Columbus L.
Meyers
Columbus L. Myers, physician, New Ross, is a son of William and Susanah
(Livengood) Myers. The former was born in Decatur county, Indiana, and
the latter in North Carolina. William Myers' parents were from North
Carolina, and lived for a time in Kentucky, then came to Decatur
county, Indiana, and in 1838 settled in Fountain county, where his
father died in 1855. William still lives in Fountain county. He is a
farmer and a democrat. His wife died September 27, 1876. Both belonged
to the Lutheran church. The Livengoods came to Fountain county,
Indiana, in 1836, where Mr. Livengood still lives, at the age of
eighty-two years. Columbus L. Myers was born August 5, 1849, in
Fountain county, three miles west of Alamo. He was raised on a farm
till sixteen years of age, when he entered school at Russellville. He
then spent two years at Bloomington Indiana State University. From 1866
to 1871 lie taught school. Choosing medicine for his profession, he
attended Ohio Medical College in the term of 1871 and 1872, and Rush
Medical College, at Chicago, in the term of 1872 and 1S73, where he
graduated. He first located for the practice of his profession at
Jacksonville, Fountain county, where he remained three years. For a
short time he was in Alamo, and in 1876 he settled in New Ross, where
he is establishing a lucrative and successful business. In politics he
is democratic, and is a member of the order of Odd-Fellows. December
30, 1877, Mr. Myers was united in marriage to Lizzie Copner, daughter
of J. W. and Sarah E.. (Wineland) Copner, of Covington, Indiana. She
was born August 11, 1856, and is a member of the Presbyterian church.
Her father is a lawyer in Coving- ton, and in 1880 was a candidate for
congress on the national ticket. The Copners are from Ohio, and the
Winelands from Kentucky.
Source:
History of Montgomery County, Together with Historic Notes on the
Wabash Valley By Hiram Williams Beckwith
Harvey L.
Songer
Harvey
L. Songer is a native of Butler County, Kansas, has had a long and
varied experience in business affairs, though he is still a young man,
and is now filling with complete satisfaction to .his constituency the
office of clerk of the District Court, with home at El Dorado.
Mr.
Songer was born in Butler County, October 19, 1881. His paternal
ancestors came out of England, the immigrant ancestor in this country
having been his great-grandfather, who located in Ohio. Mr. Songer's
grandfather, George Songer, was born in Ohio April 25, 1824. During his
infancy in 1826 his parents removed to Indiana, and he lived in that
state in Fountain County until 1871, when he came out to Kansas and was
a pioneer homesteader in Butler County. He spent his life as a farmer
and died in the county at Rosalia in March, 1910. George Souger married
Susanna Bonebrake, who died in Fountain County, Indiana. Of their
children the only one now living is Louisa, whose home is at El Dorado.
Her husband was E. Ho.we, a successful business man of this community.
M.
L. Songer, father of Harvey L. was born in Fountain County, Indiana,
May 15, 1852. He came to Kansas at the age of twenty, having been
reared on a farm in Fountain County, Indiana. As one of the early
settlers he homesteaded some land, but never proved it up. He sold his
farm but continued to be a farmer until his death at Rosalia on January
7, 1913. In politics he was closely affiliated with the greenback and
populist movement in the '80s and '90s. He was a member of the United
Brethren Church. He was married in Greenwood County, Kansas, to Miss
Sophronia Goodnight. She was born in Shawnee County, Kansas, in March,
1862, was reared in Greenwood County, and is now living at Rosalia in
Butler County. Of her children Harvey L. is the oldest; Laura died in
infancy; H. A. Songer is a farmer at Benton in Butler County; Orpha
married J. M. Withrow, a railroad man living at Englewood, Kansas; Eva
is the wife of Harry Dilts, a carpenter and contractor at Leon in
Butler County; Frank is a member of the Class of 1917 in the El Dorado
High School.
Harvey
L. Songer grew up in Butler County, attended the public schools at
Rosalia, and finished his education at the age of eighteen. After that
he was a successful and popular teacher in the county for three years,
and then put in a year as a practical farmer. Leaving the farm, he
entered the mercantile business at Pontiac and was one of the well
known merchants there for eight years. In 1912 Mr. Songer embarked in
the wholesale hay business, having his warehouses and headquarters both
at Pontiac and El Dorado. In August, 1913, he moved his home to El
Dorado in order to afford his children better school advantages. He
continued as a wholesale dealer until March, 1916, when he accepted the
responsibilities of the office of assessor of El Dorado. In November,
1916, Mr. Songer was elected clerk of the District Court.
He
is looked upon as one of the rising young men of Butler County, and has
always shown an efficiency and reliability in any trust that has been
imposed upon him. He has a host of friends and his popularity is justly
merited. While living at Pontiac Mr. Songer served as postmaster for
two years under Roosevelt and two years under Taft. He was also a
member of the school board there for six years. He has some farm
interests in the county and owns his residence at 314 North Emporia
Street. His offices are in the courthouse.
Mr.
Songer is a republican, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and a teacher in its Sunday school, and has fraternal affiliations with
Patmos Lodge No. 97, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at El Dorado; El
Dorado Lodge No. 74, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is
past noble grand; El Dorado Camp No. 647, Modern Woodmen of America; El
Dorado Lodge No. 128, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Imo Lodge
No. 48, Knights of Pythias.
Mr.
Songer is married and has a happy family and an ideal home. On April
19, 1903, he was married at Pontiac to Miss Jennie Bishop, a native of
Kansas and a daughter of Elias and Charlotte (Childers) Bishop. Her
mother is now deceased. Elias Bishop was one of the very early pioneers
of Butler County, coming in 1868, at the age of sixteen. He still owns
his homestead in Fairview Township, but is now retired from active
farming and a resident of El Dorado. Mr. and Mrs. Songer have three
children: Carl Lyman, born January 25, 1904; Mabel Merle, born February
11, 1906; and Marvin Fletcher, born January 5, 1908.
Source:
A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans By William Elsey Connelley
Levi Babb
Levi
Babb was born in Green County,
Tenn., Dec. 26, 1788. He came to Vermilion County, in October, 1826,
and stopped near Yankee Point for a short time. In December of the same
year he located on section 14, range ?, Elwood township. He remained
there about three years and a half, entering the west half of the
southeast quarter of the section named, where he built the house which
not only served him but his son after him for a home. During the time
of his early residence in Vermilion County, Mr. Babb entered in all
about six hundred acres of land. The Indians had their camping ground
about the house he built. There has been much evidence of this
particular place being the scene of an Indian battle in the long ago by
the many flint arrow heads found on the grounds. There was even a stone
axe discovered there at one time. In the early days of his first coming
Levi Babb was obliged to go to Raccoon and Sugar creeks to mill. He
endured many hardships and privations as did all the pioneers. He came
from Tennessee in a five horse wagon, riding a distance of six hundred
and fifty miles. He became a fluent speaker of the language of the
native Indian and taught the son of the chief to plow, and in many ways
endeared himself to them, and made them his friend forever. He was a
tireless worker and in every thing that pertained to his farm he spared
no pains to procure the best. He would haul his produce to Chicago and
return with salt and groceries. He was offered forty acres of land
where Chicago now stands for a yoke of oxen, but he thought the land
would never be of any account and so refused the wonderful bargain. Mr.
Babb was married twice and was the father of thirteen children. He died
March 23, 1872. His first wife was Susannah Dillon, and his second wife
who survived him less than a year, was the daughter of Alexander Prevo,
a pioneer of Fountain County, Indiana.
(History
of Vermilion
County, Illinois By
Lottie E. Jones Published In 1911)