Jackson County Indiana Biographies

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ELIAS P. EASTIN is a native of Jackson County, and was born in Owen Township, in November, 1837. His father was Jackson W. Eastin, who came to Indiana from Kentucky, and his mother, Nancy (Curry) Eastin, daughter of Elijah Curry, of Jackson County, was born in Jackson County, Ind., and died in1852, her husband dying in 1873. Elias was born and raised on a farm, and followed that occupation continuously until he enlisted in the United States service, in Company B of the Fiftieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, where he served three years and six months. He was with his organization in the battles of Mumfordsville, Ky.; Parker's Crossroads, Tenn.; Little Rock, Arkansas; Prairie Leon and several others; contending with Price, Bragg, Marmaduke and others. He was honorably discharged January 5, 1865. He is a member of the G. A. R. and is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and a Democrat in politics. In 1858 he was married to Roxena Harrell, daughter of Edmond Harrell, of Jackson County. They have had born to them twelve children: Ziporah, Nancy E., Jackson W., Edmond (deceased), Erastus A., Bertha, Minnie E., William H., Leona, Mary E., Elias P. (deceased) and Frederick S. Mr. Eastin, like all soldiers, may well be proud of the humble part he took in the defense of his country in the hour of her peril. History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Pages 634 – 635

JOHN EISEL, of Hamilton Township, was born in Bavaria, Germany, February 28, 1833, educated in his native country, and when twenty-seven years of age immigrated to the New World, landing at New Orleans, December 31, 1860, remaining there four years and learning the butcher's trade. In 1864 he left that place and went to St. Louis, where, however, he remained but a short time. He came next to Medora, this county, and worked in the tan yard of Myron Brown for a period of eight months; then, in 1865, he moved to Seymour, remained there until 1870, and then located upon his farm in Hamilton Town-ship, where he now resides. In January, 1861, he married Barbara Crib, a native of Germany, and they had two children: Philip and John. She died August 23, 1867, and in June, 1869, Mr. Eisel was united in matrimony with Barbara Frederick, who was born in the "fatherland," Germany. There have been two children also by this marriage. In his political views, Mr. Eiselis a Democrat. - History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Page 664

JUDGE FRANK EMERSON, of Brownstown, Ind., was born in Haverhill, Grafton Co., N. H., and is the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Stark) Emerson, the former being a farmer by occupation. His wife was a niece of Gen. Stark, of Revolutionary fame. In early life Mr. Emerson attended the common schools, afterward entering Peacham Academy, in Vermont. He entered the sophomore class at Dartmouth College in 1836, and graduated in 1838. He then studied law in the office of W. C. Clark. In the month of June, 1841, he was admitted to practice in the circuit court of Decatur. Ill. In December of the same year he was admitted to practice in the supreme court of the State. He settled at Decatur and began his profession; here he remained until 1843, when here moved to Charleston, Clark Co., Ind. In September, 1845, he settled in Brownstown, Jackson Co., Ind., where he carried on a successful law practice until the breaking out of the war with Mexico. He enlisted in 1846 as a private in the Third Regiment was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and took a prominent part in the siege of the City of Mexico. He returned home in August, 1848, and resumed his professional work. In the same year he was elected assistant secretary of the State Senate, was reelected in 1849 and in 1850 became secretary of the Senate. In 1857 he represented Jackson and Scott Counties in the Senate, serving only one year. In 185254, he was elected treasurer of Jackson County, and for the four follow years served as judge of the court of common pleas. In1862 he was appointed commander of the military camp at Madison, Ind., and in August, 1862, colonel of Sixty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteers, which rank he held until, on account of wounds, he resigned. Upon returning to Brownstown he again resumed the practice of his profession, and in 1868 was elected judge of the court of common pleas, was reelected in 1872 and served until March, 1873, when he was appointed judge of the circuit court; this position he held until the October election, since which time he has continued to practice law. He was married, in 1849, to Adaline Redman; ten children born by this union. Judge Emerson is a Democrat in politics and renders great assistance to the party. - History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Pages 609, 610

WILLIAM EMPSON, one of the leading men in all that pertains to the welfare of the public, lives in Vallonia but was born in Grassy Fork Township, December 28, 1837. His parents were Azariah and Martha (Holmes) Empson. The Empsons are of Scotch descent and came to Indiana in an early day from Kentucky. The Holmeses are of Irish nationality and came here from North Carolina. William is the fifth of a family of ten children. Until he was twenty-one years of age he worked on a farm and in the meantime qualified himself for teaching, which he began then and followed until he went into the army in 1864.He was in the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment - the100 day service - then in October, 1864, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment (Company K), Indiana Volunteer Infantry, where he served until the close of the war, in 1865.After his discharge he moved to Missouri where he lived six years, then, in 1871, returned to Vallonia, where he has lived ever since. He has for many years been in the business of stock dealer buying and shipping exclusively. In October, 1867, he was married to Elizabeth Stutsman, daughter of John B. Stutsman, of Chariton County, Mo. To them was born one child: Viola. Mrs. Empson died in October, 1871. In October, 1875, he again married Mary J. Copeland, daughter of David Copeland, of Vallonia. To them have been born six children: Eva M., Azariah (deceased), Willie, Blanche, Ethel and an infant. Mr. Empson is a member of the Christian Church, having been a member since he was seventeen years old. He is a Republican in politics and is indeed a man of high moral worth and character. .-- History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Page 648

MICHAEL F. EVERBACH, editor of the Seymour and Columbus Journal, is a native of Wurttemberg, Germany, where he was born April 11, 1834, one of a family of twelve born to John and Mary (Rich) Everbach, both natives of the someplace and agriculturists by vocation. Michael was reared in the same calling, and educated in his native land with one year of Latin in a normal school. In 1852 he left Germany and landed at New York May 1, actuated by a love of liberty and the hatred of a government which continually labored for its suppression. After following gardening in New York City one year here moved to Louisville, Ky., continuing in the same vocation until1ate in 1866. He then came to New Albany, this State, where he engaged in gardening and merchandising until 1873, when he embarked in the agricultural implement trade at Jeffersonville, Indiana. After continuing in this business until 1879 or 1880, and becoming meanwhile a master of the English tongue, by news-paper correspondence, in which his articles were read by the public with avidity, he decided to engage in journalism, and accordingly established the Seymour Journal in December, 1882, an independent German paper. He is a Republican, but conservative in his sympathies, and devotes his best energies and talent for the up building of his own people, being an ardent and able advocate of social reform, anything that will tend to harmonize capital and labor. The German people in Columbus and vicinity, demanding a newspaper in their own language, but being unable to support one at that point, they induced Mr. Everbach to devote some space to the interests and news of Bartholomew County. The paper was accordingly named the Seymour and Columbus Journal. Being a Republican Mr. Everbach, during the campaign of 1884, canvassed the county in favor of Blaine and Logan, making fluent and effective speeches in both German and English, as the result of the election in sundry localities demonstrated. He has done much to Americanize his race and to eradicate all monarchical ideas from their minds. In his religious views Mr. Everbach is very liberal, inclining to the principles of Swedenborg. He is logical in his style, progressive in his views, philosophical in his temperament, and sympathetic in his disposition; hence he is ever found on the side of the oppressed. Temperate in all his habits and dignified in his bearing, he en-joys the respect of all classes. As a writer, he has also composed several poems of merit. In 1856, in the house of Bishop Smith, of Kentucky, Mr. Everbach was married to Elizabeth Meyer, a native of Wurttemberg, Germany. Four of their six children died in infancy; the two living are Elizabeth, now Mrs. Cleland, and Annie, both residing in New Albany, this State. Mrs. Ever-Bach died in March, 1865, and Mr. Everbach subsequently married Mrs. Dora (Frey) Fagle. The three children by this matrimonial union are all dead. The second wife dying in May, 1871, Mr. Everbach, for his third wife, married Sarah S. Hahn, daughter of Vincent S. Hahn, of New Albany, and the three children by this marriage are Frederick, born July, 1872; George, 1873; and Emma, 1875. The family live at Austin, Scott County. .-- History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Pages 686 - 687

REUBEN F. EVERHART, mayor of the city of Seymour, is a native of Scott County, Ind., the date of his birth being January 3, 1841. He was the first-born son of George W. and Anna (Frey) Everhart. His education was limited to that of the district schools of his neighborhood, and, although he was crippled by a scythe at the age of thirteen, he continued to do what he could on the farm until he reached the age of twenty-three years, when he commenced to learn the shoe trade at Aus-tin, in his native county, with R. W. Montgomery. In 1865 he moved to Hardenburgh, Jennings Co., this State, where he worked at his trade until 1877, when he came to Seymour, this county, continuing in the same business until September, 1884.In May of this year he was elected mayor of Seymour, in which official relation he is now serving. Previously he had served nine years as justice of the peace, four years in Jennings County. In his political views he is a Democrat, and in religious connections both himself and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and he is also a Freemason and a Knight of the Golden Rule. In 1866 occurred the marriage of Mr. Everhart to Miss Catharine Keene, of Hamilton, Ohio. The children born in their family are Mary (deceased), Bertha, George H. (deceased), Hanford R., Clarence and Clare. .-- History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Pages 687 – 688

FRANCIS M. EWING was born August 30, 1846, in Clermont County, Ohio, and is the tenth child of a family of eleven children, born to James and Nancy (Talifero) Ewing, the former being a native of Ohio, born in 1801, the latter is a native of Virginia, and was born in 1803, both of whom are still living in Jennings County, Ind. They moved to Jennings County about1850, where F. M. was raised. He was raised on a farm, but in the meantime, by his own efforts he prepared himself for admission to Franklin College, in Johnson County, Ind., and attended there during the years of 1868-69. He began teaching in the public schools which he followed one year and in the meantime he singled out the profession of medicine as his choice of occupations and began reading medicine in 1869. He studied with Dr. J. L. Jost, of Hardensburg, Jennings County, and in 1871-72 he attended a course of lectures at the Cincinnati Medical College, and in the winter following he attended a partial course of lectures at the Louisville Medical College. After some reading again with his preceptor he located in 1873, at Vallonia, where he has lived and practiced his profession ever since, except from September, 1884, to January, 1885, he took an additional course of lectures at the Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, Ohio. In July, 1876, he was married to Miss Laura V. Croft, of Vallonia, daughter of Thomas Croft. She was born in 1856. To them have been born three children: Thomas J., Ralph and an infant. The Doctor is a Democrat in politics and is indeed the architect of his own fortunes. He is a man of rare abilities and by the force of his own genius is working his way to the head of his profession. .-- History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and Fuller, Chicago, 1886, Pages 648 – 649

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