MONROE TOWNSHIP BIOGRAPHIES
TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BOOK COUNTIES OF MORGAN,
MONROE & BROWN,
INDIANA. HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL
EDWARD
WILLIAM BRAY, pioneer of
Orange County, Ind., was born June 5, 1820, and is a son of John H. and
Hannah (Shelton) Bray, natives respectively of North Carolina and
Virginia, who moved to Kentucky and were there reared; they had four
sons and eight daughters, and came to this State in 1815, into this
county in 1823, and finished their lives in this township--he in 1875,
aged ninety-six, and she in 1873, aged eighty-four years. Edward
W. Bray is well educated, and was a teacher, from his twenty-third to
his twenty-eighth year, in the public schools. November 5, 1840,
he married at Belleville,
Ind., Lucy Jane Gilmer, to which
union were born ten children, Mary E.,
Hannah A., Eunice A., Sarah E., Mildred (deceased), John W., Thomas W.,
Henry, Alexander Gilmer and Shelton. In 1876, Mr. Bray was
elected Justice of the Peace of this township, and was re-elected four
years afterward. He is an active Republican and an original
thinker, having taken out a patent for an improved shuttle; he is
also active in Sabbath-school labor.
DAVID W.
BREWER, dealer in
groceries, hardware, glass and queensware at Monrovia, was born in this
county June 16, 1835, and is the second child of Henry and Sarah
(Hadley) Brewer; the former a native of West Virginia, the latter
of North Carolina, and both of English descent. David was reared
to farming, and soon after his majority married Maria L. Rennard, who
died August 22, 1876, leaving two children, Cynthia and William
A. March 31, 1879, Mr. Brewer married Mattie M. Vihman, who died
October 6, 1882. In August, 1861, Mr. Brewer enlisted in Company
A, Thirty-third Regiment
Indiana Volunteers, served three
years, and was taken prisoner at
Thompson's Station, and confined sixty days in Libby Prison;
afterward paroled, and fought in many battles, as Buzzard Roost,
Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, Kenesaw Mountain and others. After his
discharge, he engaged in farming near Monrovia; was afterward
engaged in the produce business, and in 1879 entered the livery
business until 1882, with a branch at Mooresville, and in 1883 returned
to Monrovia and engaged in his present business. Mr. brewer cast
his first vote for Gen. Fremont in 1856. He is a member of the I.
O. O. F.
JAMES A.
BRICK, of Monrovia, was
born in this county August 6, 1845, and is the fifth of eleven children
born to William and Sarah (Graves) Brick, natives of Ohio. When
he was sixteen years of age, he left the home farm, and enlisted in
Company H, Thirty-third Indiana Regiment, in which he served three
years, and then became a veteran. He was taken prisoner at
Thompson's Station, was confined thirty-two days in Libby Prison;
was then exchanged, returned to active duty, and was with Gen. Sherman
in his historic march to the sea; then sailed for Fortress
Monroe, and was discharged at Indianapolis July 18, 1865. Mr.
Brick was sunstruck at Peach Tree Creek. After coming home, he engaged
in farming, but was compelled to abandon labor on account of
impoverished health. August 6, 1865, he married Jane Brewer,
which union was cemented by five children--Anna Eliza, Mary F., Minnie
J., Elsie D. and Ella M. Mr. Brick controls a good and
well-improved farm, is a successful agriculturist, and a worthy
citizen. He is a member of the G. A. R., and of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and Mrs. Brick of the Friends' Society.
REV. JOHN
BRUNER, A. M., is a son
of Elias and Jiney (Tarrant) Bruner, natives respectively of Virginia
and North Carolina, and of German and English descent. He was
born in Monroe County October 31, 1828, whither his parents removed in
1820, and settled on a tract of Government land, where they remained
until 1835, when the mother died; the father died in 1871 in
Arkansas. Rev. Mr. Bruner was reared to farming, and, after some
study and preparation, became a teacher, as which he served about two
years. In 1853, he entered Asbury University, and graduated
therefrom after six years, with
the degrees of A. B. and A. M., an
attainment which he secured
unaided. He desired at first to become a lawyer, which, however,
he gave up for the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
receiving for his fist years's service the sum of $142, and was
ordained Deacon in 1862. His first charge was Bloomington, in
which he was very successful. He has now a record of admissions
amounting to 1,000 persons. April 5, 1860, he married Rebecca S.
Mason, which union gave being to nine children, Mary (deceased), Belle,
Mason, Frank, Maggie, Anna L., Burke, Hugh and Maud. Rev. Mr.
Bruner is a
member of the Masonic
fraternity. He was assigned to the charge
of Monrovia City in 1883.
JOHN BUNDY
was born in Perquimans
County, N.C., August, 1805, and is a son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth
(Lowe) Bundy, natives of North Carolina, and of English
extraction. John Bundy was reared on a farm to industry and
usefulness. March 10, 1831, he married Mary, daughter of Jesse
and Mary (Morris) Moore, and this union was productive of the following
children: William P., Samuel C., Jesse M., Daniel W., Martha E., Sarah
J., Semirah E., Mary D. and John E. In 1858, Mr. Bundy moved to
this township, and purchased 120 acres near Monrovia, where he yet
resides. He is a practical farmer, a Republican, and he and
family are birthright members of the Friends' Society. J. E.
Bundy, son of John Bundy, is a native o Guilford County, N.C.;
was born May 1, 1853, and was reared like his father to the farm and
industry. In boyhood, he devoted much time to the art of drawing,
in which he has made much proficiency; he has also painted many
model and valuable works in oil, as well as being engaged in giving
instruction in this divine endowment.
JOHN M.
DAVISJ is a native of
Henry County, Ind., and the fourth son of John and Lydia (Davis) Davis,
natives respectively of North Carolina and Virginia, and both of Scotch
extraction. Our subject first saw the light April 4, 1836;
spent the first twelve years of his life in Henry County, at which
period his parents moved to Wabash County, where he lived until he was
thirty years of age, when his mother died, and where his father yet
lives, aged ninety-four years. September 16, 1857, our subject
married Eliza J., daughter of Abraham Nordyke, and with an issue of
eight children, Alice, Sabinus A., Marietta, Evington E., Albert L.,
Leoto, Ulyssus and Elmer (deceased). In 1865, Mr. Davis moved to
Hendricks County, was engaged in mercantile business at Plainfield, and
in 1870 he came Monrovia, where he
has been engaged in manufacturing
drain tile. Mr. Davis has
acquired his property and business position by his unaided industry and
energy. He is a much respected citizen, and he and wife and
children belong to the Society of Friends.
ALLEN
HADLEY (deceased) was born
August 14, 1828, and was the seventh of thirteen children born to John
B. and Elizabeth Hadley, the former having died October 12, 1845, in
his forty-seventh year; the latter December 22, 1858, in her
fifty-ninth year. They were natives of North Carolina, located in
Morgan County, founded a home and lived until their deaths, both
members of the Friends' Society. Allen Hadley was a native of
this township, where he grew to manhood. March 20, 1851, he
married Nancy T., daughter of Eli and Cecilia Townsend, to which
union were born three children, Cecilia A., John F. and Allen.
After his marriage, he followed farming, and continued the same until
his decease, September 10, 1881. He was owner of 166 acres of
improved land; a birthright member of the Friends' Society, a
Republican and a Prohibitionist. Mrs. Hadley resides on the farm
owned by her husband, near Mooresville.
DANIEL C.
HADLEY, farmer, is a
native of this township, was born March 1, 1834, and is the eldest of
the five children of Hiram and Louisa J. (Carter) Hadley, both being
natives of the "Old North State." Daniel was reared on a farm,
working and going to school, and later he attended college at Richmond,
where he obtained a good education. January 23, 1857, he married
Sarah J. Ballard, which union gave being to three children, Byron, born
November 9, 1857; Arthur J., June 18, 1860; and Lizzie D., May
14, 1863. Mrs. Hadley died October 6, 1869, in her thirty-second
year. Mr. Hadley, afterward married his second wife, Sallie W..,
widow of Clark Hadley. Mr. Hadley is an enterprising farmer, and
the owner of a home and farm comprising 185 acres, well cultivated, and
under good improvement. He is a Republican by political
preference, and he and wife are members of the Society of Friends.
EVAN
HADLEY was born in Chatham
County, N.C., September 26, 1816, the year in which Indiana was
admitted to the Union. His father, James Hadley, died in
1843; his mother, Mary Hadley, died in 1874. In 1819, the
parents came to Orange County, this State, where a number of relatives
and acquaintances had settled within a few years, and after the harvest
of 1820 James Hadley and others made a careful examination of a large
portion of the "New Purchase," selected land in the White Lick country,
and bought at the public sale at Terre Haute. The settlement of
this land is thus described by Evan Hadley: "As father had with his
brother Eli Hadley been
first to leave his native State, he was first, with a brother-in-law,
John Jones, to move to the newer part of the country, where many of
their friends and relatives expected to follow as soon as circumstances
permitted. So they loaded the two families and provisions for the
winter in wagons, and set out for the promised land, accompanied, as I
have heard my parents say, by seven men, including a hand that father
hired, to stay and assist in clearing land for a crop the next
season. This hand assisted my father seventy days, and they
cleared and fenced ten acres of ground and raised a corn crop on it the
next season. The wagons and emigrants arrived on the twentieth
day of eleventh month, 1820, at the cabin of Thomas Ballard, near where
the William Macy brick house now stands, and by the kindness of the
newly formed neighbors, the women and children obtained shelter with
them, and the men of the party proceeded to camp on my father's land,
being the quarter section adjoining south of the Macy farm. They
entered at once on the work of building a cabin for a residence, and in
seven days they had a house completed with stick and clay chimney,
cracks well stopped, door, shutter, floor, and all complete without a
nail, pane of glass or scrap of sawed lumber; what light there
was when the door was closed came down the chimney; the family
and assistants took possession and proceeded to housekeeping in a
comfortable manner, and the men all joined in the erection of a smaller
cabin on an adjoining tract of land, for the use of Uncle and Aunt
Jones, before mentioned, which
was soon completed, when those who came to assist
returned to Orange County, taking the wagons and teams with them.
A few families had 'squatted' on some tracts of land the previous
spring, and had partially cleared some patches of ground, and had
raised a small supply of soft corn, pumpkins and squashes.
I remember two families of Ballards,
McCrackens, Virtrees, Lockharts,
Barlows, Reynolds and perhaps others, all of whom have long since
disappeared, except Thomas Lockhart, who, something over ninety years
old, resides in Hendricks County. In the spring following, father
and his hired hand walked back to Orange County for the team and wagon
and stock, of which there were cattle, sheep and hogs, some assistance
coming back with father to help get the stock along. An additional
supply of provisions was also brought out; a cow and a young calf
had been procured from a neighbor, which had supplied a much needed
article of diet for some of the children, and I have heard my mother
say that cow did as well without feeding any as others have done since
with plenty of food given them. Some of the hogs 'went
wild;' the old ones being ear-marked, gave a right by law of
custom to a 'wild hog claim,' and the proprietor of the 'mark'
was justified in taking what he could capture that herded with those of
his mark, as the addition was supposed to be the natural descendants of
the original marked ones, and sometimes by strategy all would be
decoyed into a kind of trap pen by finding where they bedded in
winter, and erecting the strong pen near the place, then continuing to
place corn around and leave it for them to find it until they would
follow it into the pen, and by interfering with a bait, properly
arranged, spring the trap, and find themselves confined, when the young
would be marked, and thus perpetuate the claim. Wolves were some
trouble to the sheep, but as the wool was indispensable for winter
clothing, much care was taken to protect sheep by housing them of
nights, and at times wolves howl around the sheep house very
tumultuously when disappointed by being unable to reach their
prey. Wolves were sometimes caught in strongly constructed pen
traps, by baiting with the fresh carcass of sheep which they had
recently killed. Summer clothing, bed cords and plow lines were
sometimes made from the lint of the native nettle, after the woody portion had became
sufficiently tender to be separated
from the lint in the same manner that flax is prepared for
spinning. I recollect a visit from a large black bear to our
house, or near there, where he stopped when passing, sat down on
haunches like a dog does, and elaborately viewed the surroundings for
some time, turning his attention towards the house, where he could see
the persons, though my mother and the children were all there were at
home at the time. Late in the evening, too, some of the children
were a good deal alarmed, but mother did what she could to convince us
that there was not likely to be any danger, at any rate when we were in
the house. After satisfying his curiosity, he deliberately walked
away in the same direction he was going when he stopped, as though he
knew where he was going; After he was gone, mother went to my
uncle, William Hadley's, about a quarter of a mile, and informed him of
our visitor; he procured some company hastily and attempted to
pursue with a view of capturing or at least attacking "Bruin," but it
soon became so dark that the chase was abandoned. Bears
frequently in the fall of the year, and especially when there was a
good crop of mast, came in quite plentiful, but were seldom killed, as
there were few, if any, expert bear hunters amongst the settlers.
I remember seeing a few young bears after they were killed, but never
saw a grown one caught or killed. Deer were plentiful, and in
winter would come around the clearings and pick buds form the green
brush, but were very shy of exposing themselves to danger, so that it
required considerable strategy to secure them, though many were killed
and furnished a very agreeable change of diet. Wild turkeys were
abundant, and I suppose all the families had considerable supplies of
that luxury in the fall and winter. After corn crops had become
plenty, and some remained in the fields till winter closed in, so
as to shut off access to the mast in the woods, both turkey and deer
would congregate in the cornfields, when turkeys could be caught in rail pens, by building
a few rails high, and
covering the top with rails, then making a narrow ditch from the
outside through under one side to the inside, coming up toward the
middle; a few rails were placed over it next the wall of the pen
then bated by sprinkling shelled corn in the ditch clear through to the
inside, and some was scattered around on the ground outside to first
arrest their attention; when they had used up what was scattered
around, they would follow the trail through the ditch to the inside,
and as soon as they would discover they were enclosed, they would
devote themselves to active efforts to escape through the openings
between the rails of the walls and overhead, and when the proprietor of
the pen discovered them, he would readily capture them by placing a man
or boy inside (I have been used for that purpose), who would catch and
hand them out. A few panthers and wild cats or catamounts
infested the country and did some damage by destroying young stock, but
nearer, that I know of, attacked any person. During the first
year, there was no use for
mills, as there was nothing to grind; all provision was brought
from older settlements. The first mill was built where McDaniels'
Brooklyn Mill now is; that served to grind corn; the buhrs
were cut out of native bowlders. A mill was early built by Joseph Moon
at the present Moon Ford, which had a bolt to separate bran from
flour; the customer had to do his own bolting by turning a crank
similar to the operation of turning a grind stone. He also had to
elevate the ground flour from the flour chest on the lower to the the
third floor, by hand, to the hopper of the belt. My father sowed
an acre or two of wheat about the second year, which made a crop of
very poor grain, on account of the wild, green nature of the
soil; he had some of it ground as corn, and sifted by a fine hair
sieve, and from this flour our first native wheat bread was made.
The people became quite anxious for religious association, and the
Friends first met in voluntary meetings for worship in 1822, if I mistake not, at the cabin of
Asa Balas, on what is now the
Moon farm; in 1823, they obtained authority, according to their
rules, from the organized superior meetings in Washington and Orange
Counties to organize religious meetings in these parts, which was done,
and they have from that beginning originated all the meetings of that
order in Central, Northern and Western Indiana and Eastern
Illinois. My father and his brother-in-law, Jones, before spoken
of, with their families, were the first members of the Friends' Church
who settled in Central Indiana. The Methodists (Episcopal) had
some religious services in the neighborhood of the present White Lick
Church of that denomination, perhaps a little earlier that the Friends
had.
The education of the children of the
new settlement early claimed
attention, and a cabin for the purpose of a schoolhouse was built near
where R. R. Scotts brick dwelling now stands in Mooresville, and Asa
Bales was the first teacher. This schoolhouse at first was
designed to accommodate both sides of White Lick, but as the crossing
was often difficult then as well as now, and as the settlement on the
south and west of the creek soon increased sufficiently to sustain a
school on that side of the creek, in 1824 the original Sulfur Spring
Schoolhouse was built, and school was opened in it by my father, who
taught several terms of three or six months, counting thirteen weeks of
five days' school to each week for three months; the schools were
paid for by the patrons by subscription of about $1.50 per scholar for
three months. I omitted to mention in connection with the
introduction of milling another device for preparing grain for bread
now out of use, called a hominy mortar, made usually by burning out of
the top of some solid green
stump, a bowl shaded cavity, which was dressed out
smooth after burning to a sufficient size; a post was then placed
at a suitable distance for the mortar, and a spring pole placed on the
top of the post or fork; a pestle was then fastened to the end of
the pole over the mortar, then the corn was placed in the cavity, and
the pestle brought down on it with a sudden jerk, when the elasticity
of the pole would immediately jerk the pestle up. So, by oft
repeating this operation, the corn would be mashed into good hominy,
and sometimes could be made into bread. A water-power hominy mill
was sometimes erected by balancing a
considerable beam, leaving one end heavier that the other. A
cavity was made
in a substantial block and placed solidly under the heavy end of the
beam,
water was then conveyed by a
small race across some creek of a branch, and
conveyed by some kind of spout into a trough prepared in the light end
of the beam, till the weight became sufficient to lower that end and
lift
the other up till sufficient water ran out to reverse the balance of
the
beam, when the pestle would down on the corn with forcible effect, and
thus
the operation would continue as long as was necessary. In
conclusion, I might state I have continuously resided within six miles
and less of the place where my father first located, and I think I have
had the longest residence in that White Lick part of the county than
any now
living. My father's family are all gone to the next world, except
a sister, who has long resided in the West. I might further say
that my wife, who was Mary Ann Ballard, daughter of Jesse and Sarah
Ballard, both deceased, was born in Monroe Township in 1826, and has
continuously resided in the township
ever since, and is believed to be the oldest native born person in the
township."
JAMES D.
HADLEY, farmer and
stock raiser, is a native of Chatham County, N.C., was born August 30,
1807, and is the eighth of the nine children of Jeremiah and Ruth
(Maris) Hadley, also natives of North Carolina, who
moved to this State about 1823, located in this township, and entered
720
acres of Government land, on which they lived and died. James
began the
struggle of life on the home farm, and obtained what education he could
command
from the public schools. October 1, 1831, he married Matilda
Morris, of
North Carolina, and to this union were granted the following
children: Esther (deceased), Ruth, Eli (deceased), Martha J.
(deceased), Enos (killed in
the late war), Eli A., Martha J. and Nathan R. Mr.
Hadley is the
owner of a good farm of 120 acres, and has been owner of 600, much of
which he has given to his children, and all of which he acquired by
well-directed
industry and frugality. He is a Republican in politics, a liberal
gentleman, an upright citizen, and, with his wife, one of the adherents
of the Society of Friends.
LOT M.
HADLEY, pioneer farmer and
stock raiser, is a native of Chatham County, N.C., was born February
15, 1811, and is the youngest of the
nine children of Jeremiah and Ruth (Maris) Hadley. Lot M. came to
this
State in 1823, when the family located on Government land near
Mooresville. Mr. Hadley lived to be about eighty years of age,
and Mrs. Hadley to be
within four years of one hundred. Lot M. received a fair
education,
which he has continually improved by study and reading. January
1, 1832, he
married, in this township, Eunice Haydock, of North Carolina, which
union produced
six children, Nathan, Asenath, Ann (deceased), Amy, Julia and
Jared C. (deceased). After the death of Mrs. Hadley, July 5,
1867, Mr.
Hadley wedded, March 4, 1868, Sophia Crawford, by which marriage he
became the father of two children, Arthur M. and Estrella B. Mr.
Hadley is a Republican, and was once a Whig. He was one of the
founders of
the Farmers' Bank at Mooresville, and is now a Director and one of the
finance
committee.
He has also a good farm of 130 acres,
where he resides. He is a
member of the Friends' Society, as was his first and is his second
wife. Samuel Hadley, a pioneer farmer of this township, was born in
Randolph County, N.C., January 1, 1811, and is the third of the six
children
born to John and Hannah (Allen) Hadley, both natives of North Carolina,
and respectively of Irish and English extraction. Samuel
was
reared on the farm, and attended the subscription schools, and studied
so as to be prepared for teaching, which he followed until 1835, when
he came by horseback and located at Monrovia, Ind., and the following
winter taught school here. He afterward engaged in mercantile
business for some
twelve years. March 18, 1839, he married JANE CLARK, who died
eleven
years thereafter, and after he wedded, in 1852, Eliza W., widow of
Jesse
Reynolds, to which union was born one child, Jesse H. Mr. Hadley
is a
practical farmer, owning 177 acres of well cultivated and improved
land,
containing
good residence, barns, fencing,
orchards, etc. He is now a
Republican, but gave his maiden vote for Henry Clay in 1832. He
has been School
Examiner, and has held the office of Postmaster of Monrovia. Mr.
and Mrs.
Hadley are members of the Society of Friends.
SAMUEL
HADLEY, a pioneer farmer of this township, was born in Randolph
County, N. C, January 1, 1811, and is the third of the six children
born to John and Hannah (Allen) Hadley, both natives of North Carolina,
and respectively of Irish and English extraction. Samuel was reared on
the farm, and attended the subscription schools, and studied so as to
be prepared, for teaching, which he followed until 1835, when he came
by horseback and located at Monrovia, Ind., and the following winter
taught school here. He afterward engaged in mercantile business for
some twelve years. March 18, 1839, he married Jane Clark, who died
eleven years thereafter, and after he wedded, in 1852, Eliza "W., widow
of Jesse Reynolds, to which union was born one child, Jesse H. Mr.
Hadley is a practical farmer, owning 177 acres of well cultivated and
improved land, containing good residence, barns, fencing, orchards,
etc. He is now a Republican, but gave his maiden vote for Henry Clay in
1832. He has been School Examiner, and has held the office of
Postmaster of Monrovia. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley are members of the Society
of Friends.
WALTER
HADLEY is a native of this
county, was born June 10, 1857, and
is the third child comprising the family of Hiram and Juliana (Painter)
Hadley. Our subject was reared to farming, and obtained a good common
school education, having been for a time at the high school at
Jennings, and a student of Earlham College, at Richmond. November
15, 1878, he
married Louisa A., daughter of Silas and Rebecca (Holaway) Portis, and
a native
of North Carolina, to which union were born three children, Julie E.,
JACOB E and an infant. Mr. Hadley is a practical farmer, has a
good place
adjoining Monrovia, which is well cultivated and handsomely improved,
having good fencing, orchards, etc., and generally stocked with horses,
cattle,
sheep and hogs. He is Republican as a voter, and a member of the
Methodist Nixon Henley, Trustee of Monroe Township, was born in
Randolph County,
N.C., October 30, 1846, and is the second of the eight children of John
and Asenath (Hadley) Henley, natives of North Carolina, and of English
extraction. Nixon was reared to the farming business, but
received a fair education, which he improved until he was competent to
teach, and that
duty he followed with satisfaction for thirteen years, farming during
the
summer seasons, but abandoned the same after being elected Township
Trustee. April 16, 1869, he married Alida C., daughter of Evan
and Mary Ann Hadley,
which union gave issue to five children, Lena, Everette Evan, Phebe A.,
Sibbie
and Ruth Angie. Mr. and Mrs. Henley are birthright members of the
Society of Friends, under the rules of which they were married.
Mr. Henley
is a practical farmer, and owns 160 acres, with good improvements, and
furnished with residence, barns, and containing fencing, orchards, and
the
like; he has also a stock of Poland China hogs, short-horn
cattle, and long wool sheep, some of which are imported from
Canada. Mr. Henley is a
straight out Republican, and has been township Trustee for two
terms. He is
likewise a member of the I. O. O. F.
JOHN S.
HUBBARD, farmer and stock
raiser, was born September 22, 1811,
in Stokes County, N.C., and is the third of the nine children of George
and Nancy (Shields) Hubbard, natives of North Carolina. He
was reared
on a farm, and in 1826 emigrated to Indiana with his parents, who
located in Wayne County; moved to Morgan County in 1830,
and purchased
the site of Monrovia, where they remained until their deaths, in 1865
and 1866 respectively. After his majority, John S. Hubbard worked
as a
laborer until able to pay for eighty acres; he also entered
forty, which he
prepared for cultivation. February 29, 1836, he married Abigail
Henshaw, a
union cemented by four children, Jesse, William, John I. and George
E.,
all soldiers in the late war. Mrs. Hubbard died in 1865, and
November
15, 1866,
Mr. Hubbard married Catharine Day,
which marriage was crowned by one
child, Mary B. Mr. Hubbard is the owner of 230 acres, well
cultivate, stocked, improved and appointed. He is a Republican,
and voted
first for Henry Clay, in 1832. He has served three terms as
Justice of the
Peace, two as Commissioner, five as Notary, and has also been Township
Trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard are members of the Friends'
Society, advocates of temperance, workers in all charities, and highly
respected in their
community. Nathan E. Hubbard was born in this township February 24,
1840, and is
the fourth of the nine children of William B. and Ludah (Vestal)
Hubbard, natives of North Carolina, and of English extraction.
William B.
Hubbard settled in this county in 1827, where his parents had entered
land. Here he lived and made a home for his family, and at the
age of fifty three laid down his useful, quiet life; his wife
survived him about six
months. Nathan was reared to the life of a farmer, but received a fair
education;
attended the Bloomingdale Academy,
became a teacher, and followed the
same about seven years. October 15, 1863, he married Elizabeth
A.,
daughter of Uriah Ballard, of North Carolina, a union which gave being
to five children, William B., Ludah E. (deceased), Byron C., Homer S.
and Edith
E. Mr. Hubbard is a Republican, and has served as Township
Trustee.
He gives his time and attention to stock raising and farming, and has a
magnificent place of 324 acres, in good and profitable condition.
He is a
respected and worthy citizen, and he and wife are connected with the
Friends' Society.
DAVID B.
JOHNSON, dealer in
hardware, groceries, stoves, glass and queensware, is a native of this
county, born July 9, 1851, and is a son
of Thomas A. and Elizabeth (Jessup) Johnson, natives of North Carolina,
and of English extraction, who emigrated to this State in 1830,
locating in
Wayne County until 1831, when they moved to this county and entered
eighty
acres. David B. Johnson was reared a farmer, and became a teacher in
the public schools, and followed the same successfully for three years,
when he
took up the mercantile business with his brother; then he went to
Illinois for a time, after which he returned and united with Mr. S.
Phillips, in
Monrovia, which association was continued for three years;
he then
became a partner with Hobbs & Johnson, and in 1883 succeeded to the
business, having
successfully continued the same
onward. November 15, 1867, Mr.
Johnson married Hattie Carter, with an issue of one child Howard (born
April
20, 1883). He has been a successful merchant, a member of
the
I. O. G. T., is a Republican, and first voted for Gen. Grant. He
and wife are
members of the Friends' Society.
EDWIN
JOHNSON was born in this
township April 14, 1833, and is the
fourth of five children of Ashley and Lydia R. (Rhodes) Johnson;
the former
a native of North Carolina and the latter of Ohio. Ashley Johnson
emigrated to Indiana when sixteen years old, and located in Wayne
County, where he
lived, married and entered land for a home. He died in 1870, a
member of
the Friends' Society; his wife survives him and resides in
Iowa. Edwin Johnson remained on the home farm until April 20,
1854, at which time he married Miss Asenath Hadley, of this county, of
which union four children were
the issue, Elizabeth A., Eudora, Lydia Alice and Joseph. Mr.
Johnson
owns and manages an excellent farm, comprising 127 acres of improved
and well appointed land, having a good residence, barns, orchards,
etc., and thoroughly stocked with horses, cattle sheep and hogs.
Mr.
Johnson is a Republican, a Prohibitionist, and he and wife are
birthright members of
the Society of Friends.
PHILIP
JOHNSON was a native of
Stokes County, N.C., was born June 21,
1804, and died in this township January 19, 1879. His parents,
William
and Elizabeth Johnson were natives of North Carolina, came to this
State in 1818, settled at Richmond, remained some years and then moved
to this county, where they finished their useful lives. Philip
was
brought up to the importance of a farmer's life, with some attendance
at the
subscription schools, and in 1828 settled upon land near Monrovia
entered by his
father. July 25, 1827, he married Martha S. Hubbard, which union gave
issue to
nine children, of which number are living Emeline, Eliza, Mahlon and
Mahala (twins), and George H. Mr. Johnson was for many years of
his life
an Elder in the Friends' meeting, and for twelve years an
Overseer. He
left his
family a full competency for the
needs of the present life. He
was a consistent Christian, a benevolent and liberal gentleman, and an
honored citizen.
AARON D.
LINDLEY was a native of
Chatham County, N.C., was born March 1, 1827, and died October 18,
1878. His parents were David and Mary
(Hadley) Lindley, natives of North Carolina, who moved to this State
and located
on a tract about fourteen miles from where is now Monrovia, whence, in
1865
they moved to Iowa, where the father died in 1877, but his widow is
still
living. Aaron was reared to farming, received some education from the
common schools, and afterward attended Earlham College for a
time. He
devoted his life to agriculture, and died where he had passed his
days.
September 20, 1849, he married Martha Painter, of Ohio, which union
gave birth to six children Jacob P., Samuel (deceased), Mary
(deceased), Irwin D., and Howard. Mrs. Lindley died April 11,
1864, and on the 12th of
September, 1865, Mr. Lindley wedded Sarah Maxwell, of Wayne County, and
to this
union was born one child John M. Mr. Lindley was a birthright
member
of the Friends' Society. He left his family well provided for,
and his
farm has been well managed by his widow. He was a worthy and
progressive
citizen, and made great effort to have the Indianapolis & Sullivan
Railroad
completed, but did not live to see
that enterprise consummated.
GEORGE A.
LONG was born in
Hendricks County, Ind., July 21, 1850, and
is the second of the four children born to Avington F. and Esther
(Elliott)
Long, natives of Indiana. Mr. Long died in this township July
1,1859, a member of
the Christian Church, and father of four children. Mrs. Long is
now living at
Gasburg, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. George A.
Long worked on a
farm, and went to school during boyhood. He also labored in a saw
mill; in
1878 he purchased a half interest in said mill, which was destroyed in
1881. Soon
after the mill was rebuilt, Mr. Long became proprietor in self, and is
now doing a
thriving business. He is also manager of a threshing machine. Mr.
Long has been
solely dependent on his own exertions for his success and
attainments. He is a
Republican, and a
member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.
JOEL C.
MCCLELLAN is a native of
Kentucky, was born June 16, 1822, and
is the second of the ten children of William and Elizabeth (Cline)
McClellan, respectively of Irish and German extraction, who emigrated
to this
county in 1836, and located in Mooresville, where Mr. McClellan
followed his trade that of tanner for considerable time. He then
moved to
Monrovia, and soon after purchased land and cleared a farm, on which he
resided until
his death in 1844, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is
Mrs. McClellan, who is yet living at Lake Valley. Joel C. was
reared
in that town, and from the common schools obtained a good
education. When
he was fourteen years old, he went as an apprentice to carpentering, at
which
he served three years, and became a journeyman. November 7, 1844,
he
married Eliza N. Johnson. No children have followed this
union. Mr.
McClellan is an upright man and a worthy citizen. He is a member
of the
Masonic order, a Republican in politics, and, with his wife, a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been many years a
class leader, and assisted in organizing the first Sabbath School at
Monrovia in 1881.
JOSEPH M.
MCCOLLUM, farmer and
stock raiser, was born in Randolph
County, N.C., April 4, 1828, and is the fifth of the seven children of
Joseph
and Mary (Hobson) McCollum, natives of North Carolina, and respectively
of Scotch Irish and English extraction. Joseph was reared to
farming
in his native State, and attended the subscription schools. He
remained
with his parents until his majority, and with the family emigrated to
Indiana in 1849, and located in this county, where he worked on a farm
and in a saw mill. February 26, 1852, he married Miss Matilda,
daughter of
William and Rachael Weesner, to which union succeeded six children,
Delphna, Elmira, Mary Jane, Lousia, John L. and Joseph. Mrs.
McCollum is a
birthright member of the Friends' Church. Mr. McCollum is a
practical farmer, and
controls 285 acres of improved land, having a good residence, fences,
orchards,
etc., and well stocked with horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. He is
a
Republican voter, and is a charitable gentleman and a respected citizen.
P.
THOMPSON, dealer in dry goods,
groceries and general merchandise, was born in North Carolina, December
1, 1850, and is the eldest of the eight children of Thomas and Margaret
J. (Tate) Thompson, natives of North Carolina, and of English
extraction. Our subject grew to manhood
on the farm, and received some rudimentary instruction from the common
schools. His parents having moved to this county, they purchased a
farm, which
they afterward sold and removed to Hendricks County, there, too,
purchasing
land. After farming, our subject, in 1881, engaged in mercantile
business, in which he has continued with much success. March 17,
1881, he
married Julia Kellum, a member of the Society of Friends. Mr.
Thompson is an
efficient and diligent business man, a good citizen, and a truly self
made man.
WILLIAM
O. THOMPSON, stock raiser and farmer, was born in Orange County,
N.C., November 17, 1825, and is the twelfth of the fifteen children of
Abel and Martha (Hadley) Thompson, natives of North Carolina.
William
O. was reared on a farm, and attended the subscription schools of the
time, where from he received a fair education. Shortly after his
majority, he emigrated to Indiana, and located in this township, where
he has
continued to reside. He devoted his time to farming, and manages
a good
farm of 400 acres, well improved, stocked and appointed, a valuable
property and
home;
he has also considerable stock in the
Bank of Mooresville, all made by
his own application and direction. April 29, 1852, he married
Mary
Ann, daughter of Isaac and Rosanna Marshall, to which marriage were
allotted
six children Abel, Anson H., Atlas M., Martha R., Lydia J., and Sarah
E. Mr. Thompson is Republican in politics, and an esteemed and
worthy
citizen. He and wife are members of the Methodist Protestant
Church of Antioch.
JOHN
WEESNER was born in Orange County, N.C., May 14, 1835, and was
brought by his father, Josiah Weesner, to this State in 1838; he
is of
German extraction, paternally, and a descendant of Michael Weesner, who
settled in North Carolina about the middle of the eighteenth
century. He was
reared a farmer and also learned to be a carpenter. He acquired a
fair
education at the school in Hopewell, at the Allen Schoolhouse, West
Union, and at
No. 6, now called the Gasburg School, supplemented with one term at the
Friends' Manual Labor School, and subsequently taught a public
school.
November 15, 1866, he married Jane Allen, daughter of Charles Allen,
and shortly afterward purchased a few acres off the northeast corner of
his father's farm, erected a carpenter shop, and engaged at his trade
lumber dealing being now a part of his business. In 1864, he was
commissioned
Postmaster at the new office of Gasburg, a position he has held ever
since.
JEREMIAH
L. WELMAN is a native of Oldham County, Ky.; was born
June 10, 1831, and is a son of Andrew N. and Elizabeth (Williams)
Welman, natives respectively of Virginia and Kentucky. His father
having died,
his mother and family moved to this county in 1845, where he has since
lived, and
where his mother died August 1, 1883, in her eighty fifty year.
Our
subject was reared as a farmer, and followed the same until he was
thirty five
years of age. March 20, 1856, he married Elzina Lewallen, a
native of
Kentucky. Mr. Welman began the carpentering business in 1863, and
devoted himself
thereto for about ten years; and then, coming to Monrovia,
engaged in the
furniture and undertaking line, which he has continued without
competition.
He owns a comfortable residence and good business property.
August, 1861,
he enlisted in Company A, Thirty third Indiana Volunteers; served
about
eleven months, and was discharged from physical disability, having
contracted typhoid
fever in the service. Mr. Welman is Tiler of Monrovia Loge, 261,
A., F.
& A. M.
DAVID
WILSON is a native of North Carolina, and was born December 10,
1835. His father resides in Monrovia, Morgan County, where our subject
grew to manhood. April 19, 1861, David enlisted for three months,
and
afterward joined the Eleventh Indiana Regiment, and served three
years. He participated at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh,
Vicksburg, and with
Gen. Banks in the Gulf campaign. The regiment re-enlisted as
veterans
in 1864, served under Gen. Sheridan, and was afterward assigned to duty
at Fort Henry. The regiment was also on duty in Georgia when Jeff
Davis
was captured. He was slightly wounded at Cedar Creek, and left
the
service with the rank of Captain in August, 1865. August 8, 1867,
he married
Miss Samantha, daughter of Gideon Johnson, one of the founders of
Monrovia. Two children were born to them, one of whom is living
Otis G. Mr.
Wilson has given attention to the study of law, and was admitted to
practice in
1870; he now, however, gives all his attention to his farm. He
has
served three terms as School Trustee, and, in 1880, he was nominated on
the
Republican ticket for Representative in the legislature, being elected
by 310
votes. He was appointed Chairman of the Committee of Fees and Salaries.
Mr. Wilson is a highly respected citizen.