Wayne County
Indiana
Biographies
THE
GAAR FAMILY
If a complete
account of the events which form the history of Wayne
county were written no name would appear more frequently or figure more
prominently in connection with leading events than that of Gaar.
Through many decades representatives of the family have been important
factors in \A/ the public life, especially that department bearing on
the industrial and commercial development whereby the growth and
prosperity of the county has been assured. From the Fatherland came the
first American ancestors, who left their Bavarian home and crossed the
Atlantic to the shores of the New World. Their first location was made
in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, whence they removed at a later date
to Virginia. In 1807 the first settlement of the family was made
in Wayne county, then a wild western region on the very borders of
civilization. The Indians had not departed for western hunting
grounds, fleeing before the oncoming tide of civilization; the
forests stood in their primeval strength, and the broad prairies
had been unturned by the plow.
Such was the condition of the country
into which Abraham Gaar made his
way more than four score years ago. He was born in Madison county,
Virginia, February 28, 1769, and was there reared to manhood. He
married Miss Dinah Weaver, who was likewise born in the Old
Dominion and was also of German lineage. In 1805 they became pioneers
of Kentucky, and in 1807 they made their way to Wayne county, Indiana,
locating in what is now Boston township, where Abraham Gaar secured one
hundred and sixty acres of land from the government. A little clearing
was soon made and a log cabin erected. Then other trees were cut down
and such vegetables and grains planted as would supply the family
with the necessaries of life. As the years passed, however, and the
work of development was continued, the entire tract was placed
under a high state of cultivation, and waving fields of grain were
seen where once stood the uncut timber. The father of the family thus
took an active part in reclaiming the wild tract for the uses of
civilization, and was active in promoting the agricultural interests of
the county. His untiring industry, energy and well directed efforts at
length were crowned with success, and ere the end of his earthly
pilgrimage he found himself in possession of a good home and a
comfortable competence. His religious obligations were never neglected,
and even in the days when churches had not been established, and when
ministers had not found their way into the new region, he gathered his
family around him for worship on the first day of the week, and was
ever observant of his Christian duties as a member of the Baptist
church. His wife was alike faithful and earnest, and they gave a
generous support to the erection of a house of worship in their
locality and to the establishment of a Baptist congregation. Having for
more than half a century borne an important part in the development and
upbuilding of Wayne county, Abraham Gaar passed to his final rest
August 20, 1861, and his wife died September 26, 1834, at the age of
sixty six years, ten months and one day.
This worthy couple
were the parents of eight children: Jonas; Fielding,
who died in Utah; Larkin, who resided on the old family homestead in
Boston township, Wayne county; Abel, who made his home in
Michigan; Fansnie, deceased wife of William Lamb, of Iowa; Rosa,
deceased wife of John Ingels; Martha, who was the wife of Jeptha
Turner; and Eliza J., wife of Thomas Henderson, of Iowa. All of this
family are now deceased except Eliza J.
Jonas Gaar, who
was the eldest, was born in Madison county, Virginia,
February 1, 1792, and came with the family to Wayne county in 1807. He
was therefore reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life, enduring
many of the hardships and privations which fall to the lot of the
pioneer. He pursued his studies in a log school-house, but
acquired his education largely through self culture. He was a great
reader and a close observer of men and events, and in the busy affairs
of life added greatly to his knowledge. He and his younger brother,
Fielding, were soldiers in the war of 1812, doing duty on the frontier
in defense of the homes and lives of the border settlers. He assisted
in the work of the home farm until attaining his majority, when he
resolved to learn a trade, and took up that of cabinet making. In 1820
they established a little cabinet shop of his own in Richmond, where he
carried on business for a number of years.
In 1836 he
extended his operations into other fields of labor by
establishing a foundry and machine shop, in connection with Abel
Thornbury and Job W. Swain. The plant was operated by a rotary steam
engine, the first steam engine in the county, but the enterprise was
conducted for only a few years, and for a decade thereafter Jonas Gaar
was connected with other business lines. In 1849, in connection with
his sons, Abram and John M., and his son-in-law, William G. Scott, he
purchased of Jesse M. and John H. Hutton their machine works, which
later became the extensive Spring foundry, then A. Gaar & Company
and lastly the Gaar, Scott & Company's machine works. This was the
foundation for the present mammoth establishment now conducted under
the last mentioned title. Mr. Gaar, his two sons and his son-in-law,
were all natural mechanics and soon the old foundry business was placed
upon a paying business basis and its patronage steadily increased.
Prior to this time it had never been a profitable enterprise. On the
1st of April, 1870, the name was changed to Gaar, Scott & Company,
and Jonas Gaar continued to be identified therewith until his death,
which occurred June 21, 1875. In 1870 the business was incorporated
with a paid-up capital of four hundred thousand dollars. Abram
Gaar then became president of the company, and so continued until his
death.
In 1818 Jonas Gaar
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Watson, a
native of Kentucky, and they became the parents of eight children:
Abram, born November 14, 1819.; Malinda, born November 11, 1821; John
Milton, born May 26, 1823; Samuel W., born October 22, 1824; Fielding,
born January 1, 1827; Emeline, born June 16, 1829; Elizabeth, born
June 27, 1831; and Fannie A., born October 5, 1853. All have now passed
away with the exception of John M., Fielding, Emeline Land and
Elizabeth Campbell. The father died June 21, 1875, and the mother's
death occurred November 8, 1863. Though his business demanded much of
his attention, he yet found time to labor for the advancement of many
movements and measures calculated to benefit the community and
promote the welfare of his fellow men. He was a public spirited,
progressive citizen, honored for his integrity in industrial life, for
his fidelity to every trust, and his faithfulness to family and
friends.
ABRAM GAAR
In the death of Abram Garr, Wayne County lost one of
its most valued citizens. His entire life was spent within its borders,
and for a number of years he was in control of what is probably the
chief industrial interest of the county. In America "labor is king,"
and the sovereignty that the liberty loving people of this nation
acknowledge is that of business. The men of influence in this
enlightened age are the enterprising, progressive representatives of
commerce, and to such ones advancement and progress are due. Abram Gaar
was one who had the mental poise and calm judgment to successfully
guide and control gigantic business affairs, and at the same time he
had a keen appreciation of the ethics of commercial life, so that he
not only commanded the respect of his fellow men for his uprightness,
but also excited their admiration by his splendid abilities.
Mr. Gaar was born in Wayne County, November 14,
1819, and during his infancy was taken by his parents to Richmond,
where he spent his remaining days. His educational privileges were
those afforded by the subscription schools of the period and he
received his manual training in his father's cabinet shop. He served a
regular apprenticeship, and in 1845, when his father embarked in the
foundry business, Abram, being a natural mechanic, worked at pattern
making, building wooden machinery and other labors in connection with
the foundry business. After a short time, however, misfortune overtook
the enterprise and he was thus thrown out of employment. He was then
about eighteen years of age, and during the two succeeding years he was
in the employ of Ellis Nordyke, a millwright. All this time he was
gaining a good practical knowledge of mechanical work that well fitted
him for his greater responsibilities in connection with the Gaar
Machine Works. About 1840, however, a period of financial depression
and consequent business inactivity came upon the country, and as there
was not much demand for mechanical work, he turned his attention to
literary pursuits.
He attended school for some time, his last teacher
being James M. Poe, under whose direction he pursued his studies in
1842. The following year he entered the employ of J. M. and J. H.
Hutton in the old Spring foundry machine shops, and there devoted
himself untiringly to his duties, thus mastering the business in
principle and detail. He also saved the major part of his wages until,
in 1849, having acquired considerable capital, he purchased the plant,
with his father, his brother, John M., and his brother-in-law, William
G. Scott, as partners. The business was reorganized and conducted under
the name of A. Gaar & Company, and from that time until his death,
forty five years later, Abram Gaar was actively connected therewith and
contributed in no small measure to its success. On the 1st of April,
1S70, the business was incorporated under the name of Gaar, Scott &
Company with a paid-up capital of four hundred thousand dollars, and he
was elected president, a position which he continued to fill, with
marked ability, until his demise. The business steadily grew in volume
and importance until it had assumed extensive proportions and was
accounted the leading industrial concern of the county. In its
management Abram Gaar displayed splendid executive power and keen
discrimination, and he was widely recognized as a most capable business
man.
On the 26th of March, 185 1, Mr. Gaar was united in
marriage to Miss Agnes Adams, born May 2, 183 1, a daughter of Henry
and Agnes (Chapman) Adams. She was born on a farm south of Richmond,
but spent the greater part of her girlhood, until her ninth year, in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Illinois. Her mother died in the latter state,
after which the family returned to Wayne county. Mr. Adams was
connected with the firm of Gaar, Scott & Company for a long period,
and died in his seventy fourth year. Mrs. Gaar was reared in Richmond
from the age of nine, and from her thirteenth year until her marriage,
at the age of nineteen, she acted as her father's housekeeper. To Mr.
and Mrs. Gaar were born four children: Oliver P., Clem. A., Samuel W.
and Nettie R. The daughter is the wife of S. S. Stratton, Jr., and all
are residents of Richmond.
In 1867 Mr. Gaar became a member of the Methodist
church, to which his widow belongs, and at all times was a liberal
contributor to church and charitable interests. His support and
co-operation were withheld from no enterprise calculated to prove of
public benefit. He voted with the Democracy in early life, but when the
Missouri Compromise was repealed, his opposition to slavery led him to
join the Republican party, with which he affiliated until his death.
Education, temperance, political reform and morality always found in
him a friend, and in 1883 he donated five thousand dollars toward the
erection of the First Methodist church in Richmond.
In 1868 he was elected one of the trustees of
the Home for Friendless Women, and for nine years gave his services to
that institution without pecuniary reward. He was a man of large heart
and broad humanitarian principles, and his public career and private
life were alike above reproach. In 1876 he erected a beautiful
residence on his farm two miles from the city, and made it one of the
most attractive homes in Wayne county. There, in the midst of family
and friends, he spent many delightful hours, for he was a man of
domestic tastes and was never happier than when ministering to the
happiness of his wife and children. He died February 10, 1894, and the
community mourned the loss of one of its most valued citizens.
CLEM A. GAAR
Clem A. Gaar, the second son of Abram and Agnes
Gaar, was born in Richmond, Indiana, on the 13th of April, 1859. His
youth was spent in the usual manner of lads of the period, study in the
school-room and the pleasures of the play-ground engrossing his
attention. Entering upon his business career at the age of nineteen
years, he began serving an apprenticeship in the pattern making
department of the works of Gaar, Scott & Company, his term covering
a period of four years and eight months, during which time he became an
expert workman. On the expiration of that period he began farming on
the old homestead and carried on agricultural pursuits for eight
months, but not rinding that occupation to his taste, he embarked in
the wholesale grocery business in connection with John Shroyer, under
the firm name of Shroyer & Gaar. They conducted that enterprise
until 1890, and in 1894 Mr. Gaar aided in organizing the National
Church Furniture Company, of which he has since served as vice
president. They have built up an extensive business and are now
enjoying a large and lucrative patronage. In addition, Mr. Gaar is
engaged in general farming, making a specialty of the raising of wheat,
and a glance at his broad and well tilled fields indicates his careful
supervision. He is also a stockholder in the corporation conducting
business under the name of Gaar, Scott & Company. He possesses the
true western spirit of enterprise, and is quick to note a favorable
business opportunity. Therein lies the secret of many a man's success,
and the prosperity which our subject enjoys is largely attributable to
that quality.
On the 15th of November, 1882, Mr. Gaar was married
to Miss Fannie McMeans, a daughter of the late Alfred L. and Anna L.
McMeans, of Richmond. They now have two children, Lucille and Russell
A, Mr. Gaar is a leading member of the First Methodist Episcopal
church, is serving as trustee, and is a valued representative of the
Royal Arcanum. He and his wife have spent their entire lives in
Richmond, and in their large circle of friends are many who have known
them from childhood to the present.
SAMUEL W. GAAR
The well known cashier of the Second National Bank
is Samuel W. Gaar, a son of Abram and Agnes (Adams) Gaar. He was
born in Richmond, March 3, 1863, and having acquired a good literary
education in the public schools pursued a course in the Richmond
Business College, in which he was graduated in the class of 1884.
Thus prepared for the practical and responsible
duties of life, Samuel W. Gaar entered upon his business career as
bookkeeper in the Second National Bank, in which capacity he acceptably
served for ten years. He was then promoted to the place of assistant
cashier, in 1895, and in 1897 was made cashier, in which capacity he is
now serving. He is also a stockholder and a member of the directorate,
and has contributed to the success of the institution, which has the
reputation of being one of the most reliable banking houses in this
section of the state. He is also a stockholder in the extensive
manufacturing business conducted by Gaar, Scott & Company.
On the 24th of December, 1885, was celebrated the
marriage of Samuel W. Gaar and Miss Mary E. Matthews, a daughter of
Edward R. and Rachel Matthews, of Richmond. They have one child,
Mildred E. They enjoy the hospitality of the best homes of the city,
and their friends in the community are many. Mr. Gaar is quite
prominent and widely known in Masonic circles, holding membership with
Webb Lodge, No. 24, A. F. & A. M.; King Solomon Chapter, R. A. M.,
and Richmond Commandery, K. T. He also belongs to J. N. S. Council,
Royal Arcanum. He exercises his right of franchisee in support of the
men and measures of the Republican party, but for himself has never
sought nor desired the honors or emoluments of public office,
preferring to devote his energies to his business interests. He is a
worthy representative of one of the prominent families that has figured
conspicuously in the history of the county from the time of its
earliest pioneer development down to the present, with its wonderful
commercial and industrial advancement.
JOHN M. GAAR
It has often been stated and commented upon that the
United States has always presented great opportunities to men of
industry, ability, honesty and integrity, and as long as men have the
aspirations and the determination to improve their conditions of life
and earn the success which it is possible to obtain, the theme will
never be exhausted. One of the most prominent of Indiana's business men
whose enterprise and sound judgment have not only promoted their
individual prosperity but have advanced the public welfare, is John
Milton Gaar. As the president of the extensive corporation doing
business under the name of Gaar, Scott & Company, he is too well
known to need introduction to the readers of this volume, and his fame
in this connection is not even confined by the bounds of his native
land, but as a business man in other lines of endeavor, as a citizen
and as a friend, we would preserve the record of his career among a
people who have learned to admire, respect, honor and esteem him.
John M. Gaar, the son of Jonas Gaar, was born in
Richmond on the 26th of May, 1823, and is indebted to the subscription
schools of the city for the educational privileges which he enjoyed.
His early life passed uneventfully, and as his parents were not then
wealthy his youth was by no means free from labor. In 1835, by the
firm, whose members were Job W. Swain, Abel Thornbury and Jonas Gaar,
he was employed to operate a stationary engine, and continued to serve
in their employ until 1838, when his employers failed. He afterward
worked at anything he could get to do that would yield him an honest
living. In 1839 he secured a situation in a brickyard and followed that
pursuit until he became an expert brick maker. He was employed in that
line until the 6th of November, 1841, when he began working in the
blacksmith shop of the Spring foundry, owned by J. M. and J. H. Hutton.
In January, 1845, when he was
receiving one dollar per day, he and his brother, Abram, each asked for
an advance to a dollar and a quarter per day, but the firm compromised
by giving each of them a one fifth interest in the business, their
father also having a fifth interest. On the 20th of September, 1849, in
connection with their father, Jonas Gaar, and William G. Scott, they
purchased the interest of J. M. and J. H. Hutton, and organized the
firm of A. Gaar & Company, the partners being Jonas Gaar and his
two sons, Abram and John M., and William G. Scott. From the beginning
their patronage steadily increased. It was a healthy growth, for their
products commanded the commendation of the public, and good goods upon
the market, sold at reasonable rates, always secure purchasers. From
the beginning John M. Gaar of this review was one of the partners, and
he so continued until 1870, when the business was incorporated under
the name of Gaar, Scott & Company, at which time he was elected a
director and treasurer. Upon the death of his brother Abram, in 1894,
he succeeded to the presidency, and for five years has remained at the
head of the most extensive business in this line in the entire country.
Their plant has been constantly enlarged to meet the growing demands of
the trade until it now covers ten acres of land, and is fitted out with
the most modern buildings and improved machinery known to the trade.
They are among the most extensive boiler and engine builders in the
world, and the products of this great foundry include threshing
machines, clover-hullers, boilers, portable and traction engines and
sawmills. The trade which the house enjoys is very extensive, their
manufactures being shipped to every state in the Union, in addition to
which they have a large export trade. The name of Gaar, Scott &
Company upon any piece of machinery is a guaranty of its excellence and
a recommendation that is everywhere received, for the reliability of
the company is a matter widely recognized throughout the business
world. The present officers of the company are: John M. Gaar,
president; Joseph B. Craighead, vice-president; S. S. Stratton,
Jr., secretary; and Howard Campbell, treasurer and general manager.
They employ an army of skilled workmen, each department being under the
direction of expert machinists, and every machine sent out from the
foundry is made with a degree of perfection unsurpassed up to the
present time. The men are paid good wages, and the relation between
employers and employees is most harmonious, owing to the justice and
consideration on the part of the former, which awakens the good will
and respect of the latter.
While John M. Gaar is at the head of one of the leading foundry
enterprises of the world, his efforts have been by no means confined to
one line of endeavor. It would be difficult to imagine what the
business life of Richmond would be without his guiding hand, his wise
counsel and his financial assistance. He is now president of the Second
National Bank, of the city, president of the F. & N. Lawn Mower
Company, and president of the Richmond Natural Gas Company, and has
been a most potent factor in the success which has attended these
various enterprises. In addition, he has engaged in stock raising on a
large scale and has managed an extensive farm. Thus has he been
prominently connected with the agricultural, industrial and commercial
interests of the city, and is none the less prominent in social
circles. He is a valued member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and the Masonic fraternity, and his genial, unassuming manner has
gained him the sincere friendship of many of the representatives of
these lodges. His early political support was given the Democratic
party, but on the organization of the Republican party he joined its
ranks, and has since been one of the stalwart advocates of its
principles.
On the 20th of January, 1845, Mr. Gaar was united in
marriage to Miss Hannah A. Rattray, who died June 6, 1849, leaving a
daughter, H. A., who is now the wife of Joseph B. Craighead, vice
president of the Gaar, Scott & Company's Works. On the 16th of
September, 1S65, Mr. Gaar was again married, his second union being
with Helen M. Rattray, who was born March 2, 1840. Three children were
born of this union: William W., a resident of Richmond; Jennie, wife of
W. B. Leeds, of Chicago, the president of the American Tin Plate
Company, of Elwood, Indiana; and John M., Jr., deceased.
For seventy six years Mr. Gaar has been a resident of Wayne county, and
has long been accounted one of the most prominent
and progressive citizens of Richmond. He may well be termed
one of the founders of the city, for he has been the promoter of many
of the leading business interests, and the history of Richmond, as of
that of all other modern cities, is largely the history of commercial
activity. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful
man of business, always known for his prompt and honorable methods of
dealing, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of
his fellow men.
FIELDING GAAR
After a successful business career, in which he has
acquired a handsome competence, Fielding Gaar is now living a retired
life in Richmond. He was born in the city which is still his home, on
the 1st of January, 1827, his parents being Jonas and Sarah ("Watson)
Gaar. His boyhood days were spent under the parental roof, and in the
subscription school he obtained his education. Early trained to habits
of industry, he served a regular apprenticeship to the machinist's
trade, under the direction of his father, completing his term on
attaining his majority. Throughout the remainder of his active business
career, he was employed along that line. He is still a stockholder in
the factory of Gaar, Scott & Company, and held a similar connection
with the predecessor of this company, A. Gaar & Company. A mammoth
business is conducted by this factory, and its extensive sales have
brought to the stockholders a most desirable income. Their trade, in
the sale of the boilers, sawmills, threshing machines and portable and
traction engines which they construct, extends not only throughout this
country but to foreign lands as well, and brings to the owners marked
prosperity. Fielding Gaar is also the owner of a valuable farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, south of Richmond.
In his political views he is a Democrat and formerly
took quite an active part in advancing the interests of the Democracy,
but is not aggressively partisan. At one time he represented the second
ward in the city council and gave his support to all progressive
measures for the public good. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in
which he has attained the Knights Templar degree, holding membership in
the commandery of Richmond. For thirty five year he has been connected
with Whittier Lodge, No. 41, I. O. O. F., and is held in high esteem by
the brethren of the fraternity.
Mr. Gaar was married in Richmond, in 1865, to Miss
Mary J. Gallagher, and four children have been born of this union,
namely: Jonas, of Richmond, who is a member of the firm of Pogue,
Miller & Company; Charles, a machinist with Gaar, Scott &
Company; Indiana, wife of Harry Gilbert, of Richmond; and Earl, who is
eighteen years of age, and is with his parents. Mr. Gaar is now resting
in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former
toil. He has reached the age of three-score
years and ten, and now, on the western slope of life, he is resting
from arduous cares, in the midst of family and friends, who esteem him
for his honorable record and his many commendable characteristics
.
JONAS GAAR
Numbered among the younger business men of Richmond
is Jonas Gaar, whose whole life, save the time spent in the east, at
college, has been passed in this flourishing little city. The eldest
son of Fielding and Mary J. (Gallagher) Gaar, he was born in
Richmond, on the 22d of January, 1867. After completing his education
in the public schools of this place, he matriculated in Cornell
University, where he passed two years in earnest study, qualifying
himself for the more serious duties of life.
In 1886 our subject returned home, where he was
offered the position of assistant postmaster, and, accepting the place,
served under J. F. Eldor, until 1890, making an efficient and popular
official. He then became interested in the firm of Pogue, Miller &
Company, buying a share in the business. This well known hardware house
was established in 1880 by Charles H. Pogue and George W. Miller, both
of Richmond, the firm name being Pogue & Miller until Mr. Gaar was
admitted to the partnership. In 1893 Mr. Pogue retired from the
business, and Mr. Gaar acquired a half interest, though the old style
of the firm remains as formerly. The location of their store is on Fort
Wayne avenue, and by judicious management their trade, which is
exclusively wholesale, is growing steadily, year by year. Mr. Gaar
possesses marked business ability, and it is safe to predict for him a
successful and useful future.
On the 23d of October, 1889, Mr. Gaar married Fanny
C. Pogue, daughter of A. L. Pogue, a prominent and influential citizen
of Richmond. Two interesting children bless the home of our subject and
his estimable wife: Mary Frances, born July 2, 1890, and Americus
Fielding, born July 17, 1894. The family reside in a beautiful home in
the most desirable portion of east Main street, and are surrounded by
all of the comforts and many of the luxuries that denote refined and
cultured tastes.
JUDGE HENRY C. FOX
Henry Clay
Fox, judge of the circuit court of Wayne county, and a
distinguished jurist of eastern Indiana, was born near West Elkton,
Preble county, Ohio, on the 20th day of January, 1836, a son of Levi
and Rebecca (Inman) Fox, the former of English and the latter of Irish
lineage. On the paternal side he is descended from the celebrated Fox
family of England that furnished to that nation some of its most
eminent and prominent representatives. His grandfather, Thomas Fox, was
a native of New Jersey and there spent his entire life, devoting his
energies to farming. He was quiet and unassuming in manner, but merited
and gained the high regard of his neighbors and friends. His wife bore
the maiden name of Nancy Pitman, and was a native of New
York. Levi Fox also was a native of New Jersey, where
he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. In 1810 he removed to
Preble county, Ohio, where he was extensively engaged in agricultural
pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1867. He was a
practical, progressive and enterprising farmer and met with very
gratifying success in his undertaking. His wife passed away in 1846. In
politics he was an ardent Whig, and a great admirer and a supporter of
Henry Clay, whose name he bestowed upon his young son, the future judge
of the Wayne county circuit court Both he and his wife were active and
influential members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and their labors
largely promoted its usefulness. Mr. Fox took a commendable interest in
everything pertaining to the general welfare, and was one of the prime
movers of the Eaton & Hamilton Railroad, doing much good to secure
its location and completion. He was public spirited, loyal to American
institutions, and by his activity in public affairs, as well as by his
upright character, won the respect of all with whom he came in contact.
Judge Fox spent
the days of his childhood and youth in the place of his
nativity, and having acquired his preliminary education in the public
schools continued his studies in Whitewater College, in Centerville,
Indiana. In i860 he removed from Preble county to Centerville, which
was then the county seat of Wayne county, and began the study of law
under the direction of George W. Julian, a very able attorney, who
recently died in Irvington, Indiana. After pursuing a thorough course
and largely familiarizing himself with the underlying principles of
jurisprudence, Mr. Fox was admitted to the bar in 1861, but, instead of
devoting his energies to building up a practice, he put aside all
personal considerations and offered his services to the
government, becoming a member of Company C, Fifty seventh Indiana
Infantry. He was made first lieutenant and served for thirteen months,
at the end of which time he was forced to resign on account of failing
health. During that time, however, he participated in the hard fought
battle of Pittsburgh Landing.
After his return home Lieutenant Fox
began the practice of law, and for
that purpose formed a partnership with Judge Nimrod H. Johnson, under
the firm name of Johnson & Fox. Judge Johnson was the father of the
Hon. Henry U. Johnson, late representative in congress from this
district. In 1875 Judge Fox removed from Centerville to Richmond, and
has since made his home in this city. He opened an office and
successfully engaged in practicing law. In 1862 Judge Fox was
elected district attorney for the common pleas district, composed of
the counties of Wayne, Union, Fayette and Franklin. In 1864 he was
re-elected, serving in all four years in this office. In the year 1878
Mr. Fox was elected judge of the Wayne superior court, which office he
held until the office was abolished. On the 25th day of August, 1892,
he was, by Governor Chase, appointed a judge on the appellate bench of
Indiana. He was nominated for this position in that year by the
Republican party. At the regular fall election he was defeated with the
balance of the Republican ticket. In the year 1896 Judge Fox was
elected judge of the seventeenth judicial circuit of Indiana, which
position he now holds. Judge Fox commands the respect and attention of
the bar who practice before him, as well as of the voters who
elected him.
In politics the
Judge has been an ardent Republican all his life,
uncompromising in his political views. For thirty five years he has
been a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is now a member of Richmond
Lodge, Richmond, Indiana.
In May, 1861, Judge Fox was married
to Helen S. Linsley, of Trumbull
county, Ohio. She was of Scotch and Welsh descent. She was at the time
he married her a teacher of music, and they first met in the town of
Seven-mile, Butler county, Ohio, where Miss Linsley was teaching music
for the celebrated Professor Hanby, who was the author of the well
known song, il Nellie Gray," and other popular ballads.
Judge Fox and his
wife now have three living children: Francis L. Fox
is an attorney in the city of Richmond. Frederick H. Fox was, in
December, 1898, by the federal government, appointed in the postal
service for Cuba, and was assigned to the city of Bayamo, military
station No. 22, in the province of-Santiago de Cuba, as postmaster.
This position he held until May, 1899, when he was transferred to
Baracoa, in the same province, at which place he now is acting as
postmaster. Florence J. Fox is the third child. She is an artist of
rare ability, her specialty being in oil painting of animals. She also
excels as a painter of portraits. She was for some time a pupil under
Professor Bell, of New York.
The Judge has also had some
experience in literary matters, having a
very fine library of miscellaneous books. He, as a matter of
recreation, has indulged in some literary work, principally of a
humorous character. He won considerable reputation by the publication
of a book entitled "The Adventures of a Philosopher, a Dun Mule
and a Brindle Dog," of which two editions were quickly sold. The book
is now out of print and probably will never be reprinted. The Judge has
never been a society man, but has all his life been a hard worker,
confining himself to his profession and to his family.
DAVID W. DENNIS, A. B.,
A. M., Ph. D.
For twenty five years the name of Professor David
Worth Dennis has been inseparably interwoven with the history of the
educational interests of Richmond. His broad intelligence, scholarly
attainments and his full appreciation of the value of knowledge as a
preparation for life's responsibilities make him one of the ablest
educators who have promoted the interests of Earlham College and
advanced the intellectual status of his adopted city. The ever
broadening influence of his work is, of course, incalculable, for when
was ever a measurement for the psychic forces of nature invented? His
labors are permeated by broad humanitarian principles which render them
not merely a means for gaining pecuniary returns, but a source of
assistance to his fellow men, whereby he advances the scheme of our
human existence, the constant uplifting and betterment of the race.
Professor Dennis is a native of Dalton township,
Wayne county, and is a son of Nathan and Evelina (Worth) Dennis. Both
on the paternal and maternal sides his ancestors were from Nantucket,
but his grandparents removed to North Carolina, locating in Guilford
county, where the father of our subject was born in 1S15, the mother in
1813. The latter was a sister of Governor Jonathan Worth, of North
Carolina, whose grandson, Ensign Worth Bagley, was the first man who
lost his life in the Spanish American war. Nathan and Evelina (Worth)
Dennis were married in Wayne county, Indiana, and spent the remainder
of their days in Dalton township, where the father successfully carried
on agricultural pursuits. He was one of the leading men of the
locality, was the promoter of many local enterprises, and was an active
and consistent member of the Society of Friends; he was for more than
twenty five years clerk of West River preparative meeting of ministers
and elders. He was twice married, his first union being with Mary
Lamar, by whom he had four children, namely: William, who died in early
manhood, in 1871; Osborn, a minister of the Friends' church in Randolph
county, Indiana; Edwin, of Wabash, Indiana; and Mrs. Mary Ebrite, a
Resident of Muncie, Indiana. After the death of his first wife Mr.
Dennis married Evelina Worth, and their only child is Professor D. W.
Dennis. The father died in 1872 and the mother in 1887.
Until sixteen years of age Professor Dennis remained
on his father's farm in Dalton township, Wayne county, attending the
common schools and those -conducted under the auspices of the church to
which his people belonged, his father being one of five men who
contributed to extend the term of the public schools longer than the
public funds would permit, and thus gave his and other children the
advantage of better educational facilities. When only seventeen years
of age David W. Dennis began teaching school, which profession he
followed for three years, when he further continued his own education
by study in Earlham College. He was graduated in that institution when
twenty four years of age, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and
since that time he has taught almost continuously in the Richmond high
school .and Earlham College, with the exception of one year, 1889-90,
which he spent with his family in Europe. He remained for fourteen
months, during -which time he visited Germany, France, Switzerland,
Italy, England and Scotland. During six months of that time he was a
student in the universities of Bonn and Edinburgh, pursuing a course of
embryology in the latter, of biology in the former. The degree of
Master of Arts was conferred upon him by Earlham College in 1878 and
that of Doctor of Philosophy by Syracuse University in 1886. For
fifteen years he has occupied the chair of biology in Earlham College,
and is regarded as one of the most successful and capable professors
ever connected with the faculty of that institution. After his
graduation he spent two years in Earlham College, then four years as a
teacher in the high school at Richmond, and two years as president of
Wilmington College. He then spent a year in rest and study, after which
he resumed his pedagogic labors as a teacher in the Bloomingdale
Academy, where he remained two years. He then returned to Earlham
College, where 'his labors have been continuous, with the exception of
the period passed in Europe. Some one has said "Travel is the source of
all true wisdom," and certainly in the year spent abroad Professor
Dennis gained a broad fund of knowledge which will enrich his life and
its labors for all time. To a mind of great discernment and a nature of
broad and acute sympathies, the world is continually offering valuable
lessons, and he availed himself of the opportunity to improve, bringing
with him from the Old World strong impressions and vivid and
pleasant memories which are constantly coloring and enriching his views
of life.
In addition to the work of the class-room. Professor
Dennis lectures frequently on various general educational topics. His
services in this regard are in frequent demand for teachers'
institutes, and he often illustrates his lectures with stereopticon
views. He is also well known in educational circles by reason of his
able articles on pedagogic and scientific subjects, articles that
frequently appear in the leading journals of the country. Not the least
important branch of his work is in connection with the different clubs
of Richmond organized for intellectual improvement. He has long been
vice president of the Tuesday Club, is a member of the Tourists' Club
and of the University Extension Center. He delivers many addresses in
connection with the work of these organizations, and has been chairman
of the program committee of the Tourists' Club. He takes a broad-minded
interest in the political situation of the country, and gives his
support to the men and measures of the Republican party, but has never
sought nor desired political preferment. He took a deep interest in the
money question during the last campaign, is a stanch advocate of the
"gold standard," and believes most thoroughly in the territorial
expansion of our government. Of the Friends' meeting he is an active
lay member and delivers many addresses before the society, on moral
questions, but is not connected with the ministry.
In 1876 Professor Dennis was united in marriage, in
Parke county, Indiana, to Miss Martha Curl, a daughter of Jeremiah and
Sarah (Gifford) Curl, both of Parke county. One son was born to them,
William Cullen, who was graduated at Earlham College with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts when seventeen years of age. The following year he was
graduated at Harvard College with the same degree. Although the
youngest man in the class, his standing was very high. He then spent
another year within the classic walls of that time honored institution,
won the degree of Master of Arts, and the honor of delivering the
oration for the graduate school. He is, now, at the age of nineteen, a
student in the law department of Harvard. The home life of Professor
Dennis and his family was ideal. The most perfect companionship
existed, and so strong was the influence of the beautiful Christian
character of Mrs. Dennis upon the life of this community that this work
would be incomplete without the record of her life, which we herewith
append. Professor Dennis is still actively carrying on his life work,
continuing his labors among the young, whose thought he directs to
nobler, higher things, with a realization of the truth that even
intellectual attainments count for naught save as they aid in the
development of an upright character.
HON. CHARLES C. BINKLEY
The final causes which shape the fortunes of
individual men and the destinies of states are often the same. They are
usually remote and obscure, their influence wholly unexpected until
declared by results. When they inspire men to the exercise of courage,
self denial, enterprise, industry, and call into play the higher moral
elements, such causes lead to the planting of great states, great
nations, great peoples. That nation is greatest which produces the
greatest and most manly men, as these must constitute the essentially
greatest nation. Such a result may not consciously be contemplated by
the individuals instrumental in their production. Pursuing each his
personal good by exalted means, they worked out this as a logical
conclusion. They wrought on the lines of the greatest good. Thus it is
that the safety of our republic depends not so much upon methods and
measures as upon that manhood from whose deep sources all that is
precious and permanent in life must at last proceed.
We are led to the foregoing reflections in
reviewing, even in a cursory way, the salient points which mark the
career of him whose name appears above. He has not alone attained
prestige and success in the practice of a laborious and exacting
profession, but has been conspicuously identified with many interests
which have subserved the material prosperity of Indiana; has proved a
valuable factor in the legislative and political councils of his state
and nation; has attained marked distinction in one of the great and
noble fraternal organizations; has been in that constant sympathy and
touch with the work of Christianity that stand as an earnest of
effective and zealous personal labor; and, while not without that
honorable ambition which is so powerful and useful an incentive to
activity in public affairs, he has ever regarded the pursuits of
private life as being in themselves abundantly worthy of his best
efforts. As one of the representative men of Wayne county and of the
state, consideration is due Senator Binkley
in this compilation.
Sixty years ago in the attractive little village of
Tarlton, Pickaway county, Ohio, there was born to George S. and
Margaret (Lybrand) Binkley a son to whom was given the name of Charles
C. He whose nativity is thus recorded figures as the immediate subject
of this sketch. His father, George Simon Binkley, was born in
Hagerstown, Maryland, and his mother, Margaret (Lybrand) Binkley, was a
native of Ross county, Ohio, both being of stanch German lineage, their
respective grandparents having emigrated from the Fatherland and
established homes in America. Senator Binkley was one of five children,
there having been two sons and three daughters in the family. It should
be noted that all grew to maturity, that all are married and that all
are active, successful and honorable in the earnest discharge of life's
duties.
Charles C. Binkley was reared in his native village,
attending the public schools in his boyhood and preparing himself for
entrance into the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio, where he
prosecuted his studies for some time, later matriculating in the Ohio
University, at Athens, where he completed his essentially literary
course. Having decided upon and formulated his plans for his life work,
he began reading law at Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, where he
became a student in the office of Hon. John D. Howland, who was
subsequently clerk of the United States courts for Indiana. For a short
period he was a deputy for Hon. John U. Johnston, clerk of the Franklin
circuit court. Prior to entering upon the
practice of his profession Mr. Binkley was elected clerk of Brookville
township, and this preferment gave distinctive evidence of his
eligibility and personal popularity, for he was a stanch Republican in
his political proclivities, while the political complexion of the
township was very strongly Democratic. He was admitted to the bar in
Brookville, and is still in the active practice of his profession.
Mr. Binkley was united in marriage to Miss
Georgianna Holland, daughter of Hon. George and Elizabeth (John)
Holland, of Brookville, and he somewhat later entered into a
professional partnership with Judge Holland with whom he was associated
in Brookville until 1861, and thereafter at both Brookville and
Richmond, Indiana, until the death of his honored colleague, November
30, 1875, offices being maintained in both places noted. Senator and
Mrs. Binkley have two sons and two daughters, all of whom are married.
A man of broad mental grasp and marked business ability, Senator
Binkley naturally became prominently concerned in many undertakings and
movements which have distinct bearing on the material prosperity of
this section of Indiana. In 1865 he was an active participant in
securing legislation that enabled the Whitewater Valley Canal Company
to sell to the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company the right to build a
railroad on the bank of the canal. About the same time he was elected
president of the canal company mentioned, and as such executive made
the transfer to the railroad company of the right to construct its line
as noted. He continued in the office of president of the canal company
until its waterway was no longer in use as a means of traffic, having
been superseded by more modern and effective methods of transit, he
having been the last incumbent of the position of president.
From its organization until the time of his
abandoning business associations in Franklin county, in the fall of
1875, he was the attorney for the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company,
and was very prominently concerned in its construction and subsequent
management. As attorney he prepared the organization for the several
hydraulic companies occupying the canal, from Cambridge City, Indiana,
to Harrison, Ohio, the list including the . Connersville, Ashland,
Laurel, Brookville & Metamora and Harrison Hydraulic Companies. In
1867, about the time he removed with' his family from Brookville to
Richmond, Mr. Binkley found the Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne
Railroad Company making a desperate effort to build its road. It had
been struggling to accomplish its object from as early a date as 1854,
but its efforts .had not been attended with any appreciable measure of
success. In 1867 Mr. Binkley was elected secretary of the company, and
shortly afterward William Parry was chosen president. In these offices
the gentlemen continued Mr. Binkley subsequently becoming
treasurer also until long after the road was constructed and, in fact,
for years after the time when its line was leased, in 1871, to the
Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Company, and the subject of this
sketch is still a member of the board of directors of the company. It
is needless to say that he brought to bear his rare executive ability,
his mature judgment and indomitable energy and enterprise in shaping
the affairs of the company and gaining to it the object which it had so
long struggled to attain. His efforts in the connection unmistakably
had potent influence in placing the company and its properties upon a
substantial basis.
In his political adherency Senator Binkley has ever
been staunchly arrayed in support of the Republican party and its
principles, and it was but in natural sequence that he should become an
active worker in the cause and one of the leaders in political work. He
has been in no degree a seeker (or political preferment, but the
conspicuous place he has held in. the councils of his party is evident
when we take into consideration the fact that from the year 1 S60 up to
the present time .he has been a delegate to every Republican state
convention in Indiana, with the one exception of that of 1898, when he
was absent from the state. In 1872 he was a delegate from his district
to the national Republican convention, held in Philadelphia, when
General Grant was nominated for his second term as chief executive of
the nation, and Henry Wilson for vice president.
In 1898 Mr. Binkley was elected to the state senate
from Wayne county, and in the session of 1899 was a member of ten, and
chairman of two, of the important committees of the upper house of the
state legislative assembly. He prepared, and took a leading part in
securing the passage of, the bill providing for the return of the
battle flag captured during the war of the Rebellion from Terry's Texas
Rangers. The success of Mr. Binkley in a professional way affords the
best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong advocate
with the jury and concise in his appeals before the court. Much of the
success which has attended him in his professional career is
undoubtedly due to the fact that in no instance will he permit himself
to go into court with a case unless he has absolute confidence in the
justice of his client's cause. Basing his efforts on this principle,
from which there are far too many lapses in professional ranks, it
naturally follows that he seldom loses a case in whose support he is
enlisted. He is not learned in the law alone, for he has studied long
and carefully the subjects that are to the statesman and man of affairs
of the greatest importance, the questions of finance, political
economy, sociology, and has kept abreast with the thinking men of the
age. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined
individuality and a sterling character have so entered into his
make-up as to render him a natural
leader and a director of opinion.
He is distinctively a man of high
intellectuality, broad human sympathy and clearly defined principles.
These attributes imply predilections which have naturally led him into
associations aside from his professional, business and public life, and
in conclusion we consistently may revert to the more important of these.
In early life the Senator was initiated into the
mysteries of that noble fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and in the same he has risen to high distinction and has ever
maintained a live interest in its affairs. In 1889 he was elected and
installed as grand master of the grand lodge of the state of Indiana,
and there from was, in 1891 and 1892, grand representative to the
sovereign grand lodge of the order. As such representative he attended
the session of the sovereign grand lodge at St. Louis, Missouri, in
1891, and that at Portland, Oregon, in the succeeding year. At the
present time he is a trustee of the grand lodge of the state and is
also a member of the I. O. O. F. home committee, comprising- five
members, that recently located and is now engaged in building a home
for aged and indigent Odd Fellows, and Odd Fellows' wives, widows and
orphans, the home being located at Greensbursr, Indiana, and standing
as one of the noble benevolent institutions of the state and as an
honor to the great fraternity which brought it into being.
From his youth up Senator Binkley has been a zealous
and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has been
particularly active in Sunday school work. He was superintendent of the
Sunday school at Brookville, and as soon as his family came to Richmond
he was elected superintendent of the school of the Union Chapel, which
subsequently became and is still known as Grace Methodist Episcopal
church. With the exception of an interim of a few months he was thus
continued as superintendent for twenty successive years. He served as
delegate to the general conference of the church at its session in
1880, having been elected to represent the North Indiana conference. In
1884 he was elected as one 01 the delegates to the conference composed
of representatives from all the Methodist bodies in America to
celebrate the close of the first century of organized Methodism,
attending the conference, which was held in Baltimore, Maryland,
December 9-17, in the year mentioned.
In 1883 Senator Binkley was elected a member of the
board of trustees of De Pauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, and
was thereafter re-elected and served for twelve consecutive years,
during the greater portion of which time he was chairman of the
committee on finance. He has always had an abiding interest in
educational and all other matters that subserve the progress and well
being of his fellow men, and he has been recognized as a power for good
in any community where his influence has been directed.
TIMOTHY HARRISON
Timothy Harrison, deceased, for many years a leading
promoter of commercial and industrial interests in Wayne county, was
born May 10, 1832, in Yorkshire, England, a son of Timothy and Mary
(Smith) Harrison. The family is one of the old and eminently
respectable families of Yorkshire, and historians have no difficulty in
tracing the genealogy back to the time when Charles I. was on the
throne of England. Strong intellectuality has ever been one of the
marked characteristics of the Harrisons, and many prominent
representatives of the name have left the impress of their
individuality upon the public life of both America and England. Among
these are William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison and Carter H.
Harrison. In England the family largely followed mechanical
pursuits and were extensively engaged in the construction of
locomotives.
The life record of Timothy Harrison is one which
added new luster to a name already bright, for he manifested not only
excellent business ability but also the higher traits of character
which everywhere command respect and admiration. His mother died when
he was only ten years of age, his father when he was eighteen. He was
largely reared by his sister Rebecca, and when seventeen years of age
completed his literary education at Rugby, one of the most famous
preparatory schools of the world. He was fortunate in pursuing
his studies under the superintendence of the celebrated Dr.
Thomas Arnold, and his marked intellectuality and literary culture well
fitted him for responsible duties in life. He could speak seven
different languages, and his scholarly tastes and habits remained with
him throughout life, enriching his thought and broadening his mental
vision. In accordance with the laws of his native land requiring that
all boys should learn a trade, he served a seven years apprenticeship
at mechanical engineering, completing his term in the Leeds Locomotive
Works. A natural predilection for mechanics led him into the field of
endeavor and he became an expert workman.
In 1856, in company with his aunt, Rachel Smith, he
emigrated to the United States, and making his way westward finally
located in Newcastle, Henry county, Indiana, where he was engaged in
the dry goods trade for a short time. Subsequently he purchased a
woolen mill at Raysville, Henry county, operating the same on an
extensive scale and meeting with excellent success. He continued in
that line of business until 1S60, and at the same time was associated
with Charles Hubbard in the ownership of a large general store at
Knightstown, Mr. Hubbard acting as its manager. Mr. Harrison, however,
continued a partner in that enterprise until his death, when his son,
Thomas H., closed out the business. In 1859 Timothy Harrison removed to
Richmond and became one of the principal stockholders in the Quaker
Machine Works, in which he served as bookkeeper for four years. In 1872
he became one of the organizers and directors of the Ezra Smith
Manufacturing Association, now doing business under the name of the
Richmond Casket Works. It was capitalized for one hundred thousand
dollars, with a paid-up capital of ninety six thousand dollars. Mr.
Harrison continued to serve as bookkeeper in that industry until his
death, which occurred March. 22, 1881, and his wise management and
business ability contributed not a little to the success of the
undertaking.
Mr. Harrison was likewise prominent in church work
and was a recognized leader in the Friends' meeting, serving for many
years as clerk of the Whitewater meeting and as elder of the Indiana
yearly meeting. He was an earnest, zealous and untiring worker in the
cause of the Master, and in connection with William Tate organized a
Sunday school for the colored children of Richmond. They began
with only a few scholars, but developed the school until it became the
largest ever held in Richmond. He gave his support to all measures
which he believed to be of public benefit, and exercised his right of
franchise in support of the Republican party, in whose principles he
firmly believed, although he took no active part in politics. He was a
man of good judgment and sound financial ability; and that he had the
unlimited confidence of his fellow men was shown by the fact that he
was frequently chosen to settle up estates.
Mr. Harrison was united in marriage, in 1858, to
Miss Naomi W. Morgan, and to them were born the following children:
Mrs. Mary E. Tits-worth, who was educated in the high school of
Richmond and Westtown, and is now a resident of Chicago; Thomas H.,
whose sketch appears following this; Mrs. Susan R. Johnson, a graduate
of Earlham College, now of Whittier, California; Elizabeth, who died in
infancy; Anna R., who received a high school education and became a
trained nurse in the Ann Arbor Medical hospital, where she became head
nurse, and when she handed in her resignation in the spring of 1896
received the unanimous vote of the medical faculty to the place again;
Timothy, who was educated in Earlham, married Pearl, daughter of
Senator Landers, a prominent Democratic politician of Indianapolis, and
is now buyer for the Stubbs Construction Company, Chicago, having
previously, in 1893, served as manager for the Chicago Wrecking
Company, which was engaged in wrecking buildings after great
conflagrations; Miriam Alice, a graduate of Earlham, who pursued a
post-graduate course of education in Bryn Mawr.
Mr. Harrison was most devoted to his family and
counted no effort or sacrifice too great that would enhance the welfare
and happiness of his wife and children. He crossed the Atlantic ocean
thirteen times, the first time after his arrival in America in 1858,
when with his bride he went on a wedding tour to the land of his birth.
In 1867 also he went abroad, accompanied by his wife and three of their
children, visiting his brother, Thomas H. Harrison, who still resided
in the mother country.
Mr. Harrison of this review long ranked among the foremost
representatives of business and religious interests in Richmond, and
his death was a sad loss to the community. His widow still resides in
West Richmond, in a residence erected by Mr. Harrison soon after his
arrival in this city, but which was remodeled, enlarged and improved in
1870. Like her husband she shares in the warm regard of his many
friends, and is an earnest Christian lady.
THOMAS H. HARRISON
In connection with industrial interests, the
reputation of Thomas Henry Harrison is not limited by the
confines of Richmond, his name being well known in this connection in
Chicago and many of the leading cities throughout the central section
of our country. In studying the lives and characters of prominent men
we are naturally led to inquire into the secret of their success and
the motives that prompted their action. Success is oftener a matter of
experience and sound judgment and thorough preparation for a life-work
than it is of genius, however bright. When we trace the career of those
whom the world acknowledges as successful, and of those who stand
highest in public esteem, we find that in almost every case they are
those who have risen gradually by their own efforts, their diligence
and perseverance. These qualities are undoubtedly
possessed in a large measure by the gentleman whose name introduces
this sketch, and who, by reason of his marked business ability, has
recently been appointed manager for the Hazel Pure Food Company.
Mr. Harrison, a son of Timothy Harrison, was born on
Cedar Hill, at the corner of Main and West Seventh streets, Richmond,
November 16, i860. He pursued his education in the old Whitewater
Friends' school, in a district school taught by Mary Harris, an eminent
educator and graduate of Vassar College, and later entered Earlham
College, where he was graduated in the class of 1S80. He entered upon
his business career as an architect and builder, and has since
continued in that line of business. He erected the Richmond city hall
in 1886, and also built a number of the dwellings in Richmond and
Earlham Place. In 1885 he took the contract for the erection of the
laboratory for Morrison, Plummer & Company, of Chicago; in 1887
superintended the construction of the water-works at Fort Smith,
Arkansas, for A. L. Pogue; in 1888 he built Lindley Hall, of Earlham
College; and in 1889 sent in an estimate for the building of the
court-house at Richmond, but was not awarded the contract. He then went
to Chicago, where he erected the Lakeside hospital; was the architect
and superintendent of construction of the plant of the Chicago Wire
& Spring Company, near Blue Island, and of Farquhar's furnace
plant. He also superintended the construction of the Epworth and
Columbia hotels, World's Fair enterprises, and remodeled a hotel in
Buffalo and one on the Bowery in New York city. In connection with Mr.
Campfield he erected the State Soldiers' Home at Lafayette, Indiana, in
1896, and has figured on contracts from Pittsburgh to Little Rock,
Arkansas, and from the north to the south. In September, 1898, he
accepted the position of manager for the Hazel Pure Food Company,
having charge of their extensive plant, which is being erected and is
owned by the well known firm of Siegel, Cooper & Company, of
Chicago. He will have charge of the manufacturing department, a most
responsible position, the duties of which, however, he is ably
qualified to discharge.
In 1885 Mr. Harrison wedded Miss Claribel Barrett, of Spring
Valley, Ohio, a daughter of Isaac M. Barrett, an extensive miller
and pork packer, who has also served as state senator of
Ohio. Unto our subject and his wife have been
born seven children, six of whom are living,
namely: Isaac Merritt, Raymond T., Russell
Earl, Carlos E., William Henry and Thomas. The third
son, Julian Paul, has passed away.
In his political views Mr. Harrison is a stalwart
Republican and takes a deep interest in the issues and questions of the
day, at the same time laboring earnestly to promote the growth and
insure the success of the party. His family have long been connected
with the Society of Friends, and he is like qualities are undoubtedly
possessed in a large measure by the gentleman whose name introduces
this sketch, and who, by reason of his marked business ability, has
recently been appointed manager for the Hazel Pure Food Company.
Mr. Harrison, a son of Timothy Harrison, was born on Cedar Hill, at the
corner of Main and West Seventh streets, Richmond, November 16, i860.
He pursued his education in the old Whitewater Friends' school, in a
district school taught by Mary Harris, an eminent educator and graduate
of Vassar College, and later entered Earlham College, where he was
graduated in the class of 1S80. He entered upon his business career as
an architect and builder, and has since continued in that line of
business. He erected the Richmond city hall in 1886, and also built a
number of the dwellings in Richmond and Earlham Place. In 1885 he took
the contract for the erection of the laboratory for Morrison, Plummer
& Company, of Chicago; in 1887 superintended the construction of
the water-works at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for A. L. Pogue; in 1888 he
built Lindley Hall, of Earlham College; and in 1889 sent in an estimate
for the building of the court-house at Richmond, but was not awarded
the contract. He then went to Chicago, where he erected the Lakeside
hospital; was the architect and superintendent of construction of the
plant of the Chicago Wire & Spring Company, near Blue Island, and
of Farquhar's furnace plant. He also superintended the construction of
the Epworth and Columbia hotels, World's Fair enterprises, and
remodeled a hotel in Buffalo and one on the Bowery in New York city. In
connection with Mr. Campfield he erected the State Soldiers' Home at
Lafayette, Indiana, in 1896, and has figured on contracts from
Pittsburgh to Little Rock, Arkansas, and from the north to the south.
In September, 1898, he accepted the position of manager for the Hazel
Pure Food Company, having charge of their extensive plant, which is
being erected and is owned by the well known firm of Siegel, Cooper
& Company, of Chicago. He will have charge of the manufacturing
department, a most responsible position, the duties of which, however,
he is ably qualified to discharge.
In 1885 Mr. Harrison wedded Miss Claribel Barrett, of Spring
Valley, Ohio, a daughter of Isaac M. Barrett, an extensive miller
and pork packer, who has also served as state senator of
Ohio. Unto our subject and his wife have been
born seven children, six of whom are living,
namely: Isaac Mer-ritt, Raymond T., Russell
Earl, Carlos E., William Henry and Thomas. The third
son, Julian Paul, has passed away.
In his political views Mr. Harrison is a stalwart
Republican and takes a deep interest in the issues and questions of the
day, at the same time laboring earnestly to promote the growth and
insure the success of the party. His family have long been connected
with the Society of Friends, and he is likewise connected therewith.
For a time after his father's death he served as clerk of the
Whitewater meeting. He is a man of commanding influence in the
community and the county, and widely known and honored throughout the
state as one who is always on the right side of all questions affecting
moral and educational interests. He has attained prominence in business
circles, while in private life no man in Richmond has more friends than
he, and they have been won and are being retained by his attractive
personality, his outspoken devotion to the best interests of the
community and his mental ability, which is of a high order.
LYCURGUS W.
BEESON
This popular and
influential citizen of Milton, Indiana, who is now serving as the
trustee of Washington township, Wayne county, was born in that township
on the 7th of February, 1856, and belongs to one of the oldest and most
distinguished families cf the county. The Beeson family was founded in
the United States by Edward Beeson, of Lancastershire, England, who
crossed the Atlantic in 1682 with one of William Penn's colonies and
first settled in Pennsylvania. Later he spent several years in a
Quaker settlement in Virginia, and then bought land on the Brandywine
in Delaware, a portion of which is now within the corporate limits of
the city of Wilmington. There he died. He had four sons, Edward.,
Richard, Isaac and William. Isaac Beeson, one' of the' descendants of
Richard, in the fourth generation, removed to North Carolina. His son
Benjamin was the great grandfather of our subject. The grandfather also
bore the name of Benjamin. He, with two brothers, founded the family in
Indiana. In 1S12 Isaac took up his residence near Richmond, and Thomas
settled in Washington township, Wayne county, in 1818.
Coming here on a tour of inspection in 1813,
Benjamin Beeson selected one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he
entered at Cincinnati, and then returned to his home in North Carolina.
The following year, with a wagon and four-horse team, he moved to his
new home in Indiana territory, and in the midst of the wilderness
commenced the struggle of pioneer life. He was a blacksmith and
wagon-maker by trade, and in a shop upon his farm he followed those
occupations in connection with clearing and improving his land. His
nearest neighbors were five and six miles away. His wife, who bore the
maiden name of Dorcas Starbuck, was a true helpmeet to him, and they
raised the wool and flax which she spun, wove and made into garments
for the family. The latchstring of their little cabin always hung on
the outside of the door, and the early settlers in search of homes
found there a resting place. Mr. Beeson was extensively engaged in
farming and stock-raising, and by the assistance of his estimable wife
accumulated a large property, which they left to their children. He
supported the principles of the Democratic party as advocated by
Jefferson and Jackson, and most capably filled the office of justice of
the peace for many years, his decisions never being reversed. For many
generations the family was identified with the Society of Friends, but
the Indiana branch, which seemed more progressive than the rest,
withdrew from that sect, though they still retain many of the admirable
characteristics of the society and have always commanded the respect
and confidence of every community in which their lot has been cast.
Benjamin Beeson died March 1, 1852, aged sixty-four years, his wife in
October, 1872, aged eighty-six. Two of their eleven children were born
in North Carolina, the others in Indiana. They were as follows:
Bezaleel, Othniel, Templeton, Delilah, wife of John Patterson; Rachel,
wife of James Harvey; Julia, wife of William Dick; Cinderella, wife of
William Harvey; Benjamin F., who is represented elsewhere in this
volume; Amanda M., wife of Thomas Emerson; Marquis D., father of our
subject; and Charles, who died unmarried in 1852.
Marquis D. Beeson was born in Wayne county, October 18, 1829, and after
his marriage in 1851 he settled upon the farm given him by his father.
two and a half miles south of Milton, where he still resides. It
is a beautiful place, upon which he has made many improvements in the
way of buildings. The owner of this delightful country home is one of
the most prominent and highly respected citizens of Washington township
as well as one of its most successful business
men. He is charitable and benevolent,
willing to lend a helping hand to the poor and needy, and has given his
children an excellent start in life.
In 1851 he was united in marriage with
Miss Ellen Harvey, who was born
March 20, 1834. Her father, Benjamin Harvey,
was born in Wayne county, May 15, 1808, a son
of John and Jane (Cox)
Harvey, natives of North Carolina, who at an early day came to
Indiana and settled near Centerville. John Harvey was a
farmer and stock trader by occupation, was prominent and wealthy, and
was upright and honorable in all transactions. By birthright he
was a member of the Society of Friends, to which he always
adhered. He was born May 17, 1779,
and died September 12, 1850, while
his wife was born March 3, 1782, and
died in 1854. Their children were Rebecca, Isom, Benjamin,
Aaron, Nathan, William C, John P., Mary E. and Jane.
After his marriage, Benjamin Harvey, the maternal grandfather of our
subject, located on land entered by his father three miles south of
Milton, where he improved a large and valuable farm. He was a
hard-working man, strictly honest and honorable, and
at his death owned six hundred acres
of land. He
died March 27, 1856,
aged forty-seven years. He married Nancy Sellers, who
was born in Kentucky, November 1, .1809, and in 1816 came to Wayne
county, Indiana, with her parents, who settled near Jacksonburg,
where they improved a fine farm. They were of Irish descent
and members of the Baptist church.
The children born to Benjamin and Nancy (Sellers) Harvey, were Isaac
S., who died at the age of nineteen years; John, who died in
Oklahoma; Ellen, mother of our subject; Louisa,
wife of M. G. Beeson;
Ira, deceased; Viola, wife of
A. Banks; Amanda, wife of J. Howard; Nancy, wife of E.
Wilson; William O., deceased; Granville, a resident of
California; George W., deceased; and Melinda and
Melissa, twins, the former the wife of T. Beeson, the latter
deceased. The subject of this sketch is the oldest in
a family of four children, the others being Lafayette, born March
10, 1858; Wellington, September 6, i860; and Eva,
June 28, 1863.
Lycurgus W. Beeson, of this review, was educated in
the country schools and remained under the parental roof until his
marriage, when he settled on a farm in Posey township, Fayette county,
remaining there until 1S86. He then located upon a farm in Washington
township, Wayne county, to the improvement and cultivation of which he
devoted his energies until elected township trustee, in 1895, when he
removed to Milton, his present home. He has met with marked success as
a farmer and stock-raiser and now owns two well improved farms in
Washington township. Being a man of sound judgment and good business
ability, he has been called upon to serve his fellow citizens in
various ways, such as settling up estates and acting as guardian. He
has also served as township assessor, and is now filling the office of
trustee in a most capable and acceptable manner. In political sentiment
he is a Democrat, and he is one of the leaders of his party in his
community.
On the 29th of September, 1880, Mr. Beeson was united in marriage with
Miss Ida Ferguson, and they now have one son, Robert L., born August 4,
1881. Mrs. Beeson was born in Washington township, Wayne county,
October 29, 1861, a daughter of Thomas L. and Mary (Lewis) Ferguson,
who spent their entire lives in this county. Her paternal grandparents,
Nimrod and Elizabeth (Isbell) Ferguson, were natives of North Carolina.
The grandfather was born in Wilkes county, August 2, 1786, and was a
brother of Micajah and Joel Ferguson, early settlers of Indiana. He and
Nimrod came to the territory of Indiana in 1809 and explored twelve
miles of unsurveyed land, after which they returned to their native
state. On again coming to Indiana, in 1812, Nimrod Ferguson entered
three hundred and twenty acres of land five miles south of Milton,
which he at once commenced to improve, building thereon, in 1817, the
second brick house in Wayne county. Then returning to North Carolina,
he was married, October 11, 18 18, to Elizabeth Isbell, whom he brought
as a bride to his home in the wilderness. Having some money, he was
enabled to get his farm well improved in advance of the other early
settlers, and as he was very successful in his life work he was able to
give his children a good start in life. He died August 13, 1865, aged
seventy-nine years: his wife, July 19, 1884, aged eighty-eight. She was
born November 18, 1796, a daughter of Thomas and Discretion (Howard)
Isbell, both natives of Albermarle county, Virginia, the former born
June 27, 1753, the latter July 29, 1764. They were married in Wilkes
county, North Carolina, in 1782. Mr. Isbell was one of the men who
fought so bravely for the independence of the colonies during the
Revolutionary war, enlisting at the age of eighteen and serving five
years. After being honorably discharged at the end of that time, he
re-entered the service and remained until the war ended. His children
were: Prudence, Benjamin, John, Frances, Livingston, Elizabeth, Thomas,
Mary and James. The children born to Nimrod and Elizabeth Ferguson
were: Thomas L., father of Mrs. Beeson; Milton, deceased; Polly E.,
wife of R. Wilcox; Viana, wife of William Wallace; John W., who lives
on the old homestead; Pinkney M.; Casburn; Caroline, wife of W. Carver;
James N.; Sarah C, wife of J. M. Swafford; Discretion R., now Mrs.
Lair, deceased. The parents were members of the primitive Baptist
church.
Thomas L. Ferguson, Mrs. Beeson's father, was born August 13, 1819, and
was married August 8, 1848, to Mary Lewis. He was a scientific and
successful farmer, who began operations upon a farm given him by his
father, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place plainly
indicated the supervision of a careful and painstaking owner, as well
as one who thoroughly understood their chosen vocation. His last years
were spent in retirement at Milton, where he died May 22, 1891, and his
wife passed away September 15, 1896. They were consistent members of
the Christian church and highly respected by ail who knew them. Of
their three children only Mrs. Beeson is now living, their sons, Levi
and Charles, having died of diphtheria at the ages of seven and nine
years, respectively. Mrs. Ferguson's father was Caleb Lewis, an honored
pioneer and prominent farmer of Wayne county.
WILLIAM A. ROTH
One of the oldest merchants of
Cambridge City, in years of active business enterprise, is William A.
Roth, a prominent and much esteemed citizen. He recently passed the
half-century mark, as his birth took place on the 23d of September,
1848. His honored parents, Eli and Mary A. (Hoover) Roth, are both
living, their home being in Cambridge City.
William A. Roth, who is the only child of Eli and Mary A. Roth, was
born in Wayne county, and received good educational advantages in the
public schools. In 1871 he embarked in independent business, becoming a
member of the firm of Hoover, Roth & Company. For. some time he was
extensively engaged in the lumber business, after which he became
interested in the grain business, in the firm of Shultz, Roth &
Company, which later became W. A. Roth & Company. He was one
of the first to embark in the grain business in this city, and has
built up a large and remunerative trade. He was one of the original
projectors of the direct acting steam or compressed air shears, for
cutting sheet metal, which device is justly considered the best of the
kind in use in the United States. In 1893 he went to Chattanooga,
Tennessee, where he engaged in the real-estate business for some time,
but, returning to the north, where commercial matters are carried on in
a much more business-like manner, he has continued his transactions in
grain, and has prospered. Mr. Roth takes commendable interest in all
public affairs and uses his franchise in favor of the nominees of the
Democratic party. Fraternally he is associated with Cambridge City
Lodge, No. 5, Free & Accepted Masons, and belongs to the Knights of
Pythias, being trustee of the lodge building at the present time. In
1878 Mr. Roth was united in marriage with Miss Viola M. Kimmel, a
daughter of Joseph and Amanda (Worman) Kimmel, who were of German
extraction.
Upright and just in all his business relations, Mr. Roth has won the
confidence and high regard of all who know him. He holds the word as
sacred as his bond, and never takes an undue advantage of another.
Kindliness and genuine courtesy are among his marked characteristics
and have contributed to his success.
ELIAS M. HOOVER
Elias M. Hoover is recognized as one
of the most public-spirited and patriotic citizens of Jefferson
township, Wayne county. He is a strong believer in the better and more
systematic education of the masses, in order that they may understand
their duties and privileges as American citizens; and all other worthy
public enterprises and reforms are championed by him.
Frederick Hoover, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a native
of Pennsylvania, whence he emigrated with his family to Liberty
township, Henry county, Indiana. There he and his loved wife spent the
rest of their days, living to an advanced age. They were the parents of
twelve children, four sons and eight daughters, and of the entire
household but three survive, namely: Christina, wife of John Easton, of
Iowa; Mrs. Margaret Ulrich, of this township; and Jacob, the
father of Elias M. Hoover. The latter was
born in the Keystone state, in 1826, and has lived principally in
Indiana, for years having dwelt in this township, where he is sincerely
honored. He is a minister in the German Baptist denomination, with
which sect his family has long been associated. To himself and wife,
whose maiden name was Sarah Rinehart, ten children were born, of whom
the following named are living: Elias M., Abram, Jefferson, Samantha,
Jennie, Horace, David and Frank. Mrs. Hoover is a daughter of Jacob
Rinehart, who was a native of Maryland, but her birthplace was in Ohio.
Elias M. Hoover was born in Liberty township, Henry county, only a
short distance from his present home, across the county line, May 25,
1852. In his boyhood he attended what was known as the Chicago school,
in his native township, and later he was a student in Jefferson
township. He has made agriculture his main business in life, and has
been prospered in his various undertakings. He is affiliated with the
Republican party and is not an office-seeker, but his fellow citizens,
knowing well his earnest, systematic methods and his genuine desire to
aid in every possible manner the public weal, elected him to the
position of township trustee. They judged him rightly, for his
influence has been materially felt in many directions, especially in
the educational department of township affairs. Without an additional
expenditure of money, he has so thoroughly systematized the local
school management that marked improvement is noticeable in the
equipment of schools, in the securing of better qualified teachers, in
the increased duration of terms, and in other items equally important.
The same careful attention which he directs upon his own private
business concerns is exercised by him in his responsible office of
trustee. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he is a worthy
member of the German Baptist church.
In 1872 Mr. Hoover married Miss Louisa Kauffrnan, a daughter of Arnos
Kauffman. The latter was a native of Pennsylvania, in which state his
father died, and later the mother be- came the wife of Moses Myers, who
removed to Indiana with his family. Mrs. Hoover was summoned to the
silent land November 22, 1889, leaving two children, Flora and Hollace,
to mourn her loss, a third child having died in infancy. Mrs. Hoover
was a ¦devoted wife and mother, a kind neighbor and friend, and
was actively interested in church work and in all kinds of helpful,
Christian philanthropies.
WILLIAM H.
H. MIDDLETON
Soon afire the close of the civil war. in 1866. Mr. Middleton settled
in Richmond, Indiana, where he has since continued to dwell. During the
great and dreadful struggle between the north and the south he had done
all within his power in support of the Union, devoting several of the
best years ¦of his manhood to his country. He has always been a
loyal patriot, in time of peace as well as of war, faithful to the
principle of the " greatest good to tithe greatest number."
A son of Joseph and Mariana (Moon) Middleton, the subject of this
narrative was born on the old homestead near Hurveysburg, Warren
county, Ohio. August 24, 1840. His father, a millwright by trade,
traced his ancestry to Arthur Middleton, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. William received an ordinary public-school
education and when the war of the Rebellion came on he was anxious to
go to the front with the first troops. Enlisting in Company B, Fortieth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, September 17, 1861, he took the place assigned
him in the ranks of the private soldiers. Soon afterward he suffered a
severe siege of illness, and when convalescent resumed his service for
the government in the dispensary at Nashville, Tennessee, and remained
there until the war closed.
The following year he embarked in the building and contracting business
in Richmond and later became connected with the planing-mill company
here. In time he was promoted to be foreman of the plant of Cain &
Son. and subsequently he engaged in business on his own account.
Politically he is a Republican and has served most efficiently as a
member of the city council, but has preferred to leave public honors to
others. In the Masonic order he has received the chapter degrees and
stands deservedly well in the estimation of all.
On the 24th of December, 1873, Mr. Middleton married Miss Susanna
Mulloy, who had been successfully occupied in teaching in the public
schools of Richmond for several years, a lady of refinement and
excellent education. They have a very pleasant and attractive home at
Earlham Place and enjoy a large and representative acquaintanceship.
They have four children: Walter Guy, a graduate of Earlham College;
Joseph Burke, Elizabeth Alice and Donald Rich, students in the high
school.
Dr. David Mulloy, the father of Mrs. Middleton, was a successful
physician, with a most promising future, when, in 1854, he was stricken
by the hand of death. He was a son of Thomas and Susanna (Morton)
Mulloy and was born at Mount Hygiene, Clermont county, Ohio, in 1824,
the oldest of five children. He was reared in his native county, and
after leaving the common schools he graduated in Parker's Academy, and
soon afterward entered the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, and in
due time received his diploma. Subsequently he located in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and was there during the fearful cholera epidemic. His last
years were spent in the neighborhood of St. Louis, where he had built
up a large practice ere his early demise. He had married Elizabeth
Burke and had three children, of whom Mrs. Middleton is now the only
survivor.
Hugh Mulloy was born in Albany, New York, in 1751, a descendant of
ancestors who came from the north of Ireland and were of Scotch-Irish
parentage. When a boy he emigrated to what was then the province of
Maine, and lived in Brunswick and Georgetown. In the latter place, in
May, 1776, while home on a furlough from the Continental army, he
married Priscilla Thompson, daughter of Benjamin Thompson. When the
news of the battle of Bunker Hill was received, he, with other patriots
from his locality, in 1775, started for Boston and at once enlisted as
a private in the army at Cambridge. In April following he was promoted
corporal, in June following to the position of sergeant, and November
6, 1776, was commissioned ensign, in the company of which George White
was captain. His commission was issued at Boston, by order of congress,
and signed by John Hancock, president. In May, 1778, he was promoted
again, this time to the rank of first lieutenant. He had engaged in the
battle of Ticonderoga, in May, 1777, in the battle of Hubbardstone,
both battles of Saratoga (Stillwater), and witnessed the surrender of
Burgoyne, October 17, 1777. He also had been in several skirmishes, in
one of which he was wounded twice severely, one of the wounds proving
so troublesome as to incapacitate him from active duty, and he was
honorably discharged from the service, his dis¬charge being written
on the back of his commission, in the handwriting of General
Washington. This paper, which was on rile in the pension department at
Washington, was destroyed in 18 14 by the British when they sacked the
town. Lieutenant Mulloy enjoyed a personal acquaintance with both
Washington and Lafayette. He was initiated into the mysteries of
Freemasonry in Washington's tent, and was secretary of the lodge that
existed in the army.
Immediately after his discharge from the army he moved with his family
to Monmouth, Maine, where he was among the first settlers. He held
several positions of trust in the plantation, among them that of
plantation clerk. It was subsequently found that the land upon which he
had settled belonged to General Dearborn, who then bought out his
improvements, giving him a note in payment.
Upon selling out his interest in Monmouth, Mr. Mulloy settled in
Litchfield upon land now owned by Warren R. Buker, by the side of
Pleasant Pond, where he made his home for more than thirty years. He
was frequently moderator of the town meetings and also a member of the
school board and took a lively interest in education. In 18 17 he moved
to a point near Williamsburg, Clermont county, Ohio, where he ever
after made his home until his decease, July 11, 1845. At the time of
his death he was the last commissioned officer of the regular
Continental army, and as such his portrait was painted by Frankenstein,
the celebrated artist.
One of Lieutenant Mulloy's sons, David, born in 1779, married Mary
Stevens and lived in Litchfield until 1817, when he moved to Ohio and
shortly afterward to the distant Oregon, where he was lost trace of.
One of David's daughters, Mary, widow
of Elisha Burgess, has recently
died, in Caribou, Maine, at an advanced age. Another daughter, Lucinda,
married Elijah Closson, and has a daughter living in Augusta, Maine,
now Mrs. Charles Bennett. John, the second son of Hugh, was born August
27, 1783, and died in 1807. James, the third son, was born in 17SS and
died in his youth. Thomas, the fourth son, moved to Ohio with his
father and was a prosperous farmer, who died leaving a large number of
respectable descendants.
Of the daughters of Hugh Mulloy, Abigail, the eldest, was born in 1781,
married first David Colson and lived in Bath, and secondly Jeremiah
Norton, who was a resident of Webster, Maine. One of her children was
James M. Colson, who for so many years, until his death, was an honored
and respected citizen of Gardiner, was lieutenant of Company C, Third
Maine, and for many years city marshal of Gardiner. Catherine, the
second daughter, born in 1786, married Samuel Herrick and moved to
Ohio. After his decease she married William Bowler and lived in
Indiana. Hannah, the third daughter, born July 3, 1790, married Hon.
Ebenezer Herrick, then residing at Bowdoinham. Mr. Herrick was a
school-teacher and the first principal of Monmouth Academy. He was a
representative to the general court of Massachusetts and a member of
the constitutional convention in Portland in 1819, from Bowdoinham.
Soon afterward he moved to Lewiston, where he was for so many years a
resident. From 1821 to 1827 he was a member of congress from Lewiston
district and subsequently a member of the Maine senate. One of his
sons, Anson, was a prominent editor and a member of congress from New
York city. Another son is Hugh Mulloy Herrick, now editor of the
Hackensack Republican, at Hackensack, New Jersey. Priscilla. the fourth
daughter, married a neighbor's son, Benjamin Ring, of Litchfield. He
was a merchant in Hallowell, Maine, and while returning with a vessel
of goods from Boston in the fall of 1814. the vessel and all on board
were lost. In 1815 Mrs. Ring moved to Clermont county, Ohio, married
Rev. Daniel Parker, and with her husband and son was instrumental in
founding Clermont Academy, one of the leading educational institutions
in Ohio. Martha. the fifth and last daughter, was born in 1796, went to
Ohio with her father, became the wife of William Sherwin, and while
living in Ohio was a near neighbor to and an intimate acquaintance of
the family of Jesse R. Grant at the time of the birth of Ulysses S.,
who became the most noted hero of the world.
BENJAMIN
BRANSON BEESON
For generations the Beeson family has been identified with the Society
of Friends and noted for sterling qualities. Patriotic and loyal to the
government, strongly in favor of peace, right and justice,
and faithful in the discharge of every duty devolving upon
them, whether in their public or domestic relations, they have embodied
the ideal citizen of this great republic.
Benjamin Branson Beeson, one of the most prominent men in Wayne county,
is a worthy representative of his family, which, as old records show,
was founded -in the United States by two brothers of the name who
accompanied William Penn to the colony in Pennsylvania. One brother
settled in Philadelphia, and the other, from whom our subject is
descended, went to Guilford county, North Carolina. Benjamin Beeson,
the grandfather of the latter, was born in Randolph county, North
Carolina, about 1765, a son of Isaac Beeson. In 1786 the marriage of
Benjamin Beeson and Margaret Hockett was celebrated, and in 1826 they
removed to Wayne county, Indiana, locating about a mile south of
Franklin. Of their ten children who lived to maturity, five sons and
three daughters eventually emigrated to this county, and, though most
of them left children, only two, our subject and his cousin, Lewis
Beeson, are left to represent the name in this county. The five sons
were: Isaac W., Benjamin F., Ithamar, Dr. Silas Beeson, the first
physician of Dalton township; and Charles, who came here with his
parents. The daughters were Hannah, who married Seth Hinsshaw. and
located in Greensboro, Henry county, Indiana; Margaret, who became the
wife of Jesse Baldwin; Ruth, who married James Maulsby;and Rachel, who
died unmarried. The father attained an advanced age and lies buried at
the side of his wife in West River cemetery, two and a half miles east
of Dalton.
Isaac W. Beeson, the eldest son of Benjamin and Margaret Beeson, was
born in Randolph county, North Carolina, December 19, 1789. Physically
he was of medium size, with fair complexion, dark hair and light-brown
eyes. Of a frame none too robust, he nevertheless endured the numerous
privations and hardships incident to frontier life, and lived to the
advanced age of eighty-two years. He was a student by nature, quiet and
thoughtful, and in bis early manhood taught several terms of school,
successfully. Later he learned the wheelwright's trade, which he
pursued to some extent throughout life. He possessed great
determination and industry, and one rule which he followed, that of
saving at least one hundred dollars a year from his earnings (and that
at a time when money was especially scarce), is worthy of the emulation
of all young men. His favorite brother, William, a man of fine business
talent, and large and varied financial interests throughout North and
South Carolina and Virginia, and subsequently to his death Isaac W.,
was occupied for about four years in settling his estate.
"All the world loves a lover," and one of the most pleasant things in
the life of Isaac Beeson was his lifelong devotion to the woman who
finally became his wife. As young people they were fondly attached to
each other, but, owing to some opposition on
the part of relatives, their marriage was
postponed from time to time. In the spring of 1822 Isaac Beeson started
for Wayne count}-, Indiana, with a small outfit, which served him for
many such journeys between his old and new homes. It consisted of a
horse and rustic cart, a skillet, a small iron pot for boiling
vegetables, a tin pan or two and a few pewter dishes. He usually
traveled alone, sleeping nights in his cart, the trip taking seven or
eight weeks. Upon his arrival here he made several entries of land,
including two hundred and forty acres of the homestead in Dalton
township, now owned by the subject of this article. Here he made his
headquarters, and here his death took place nearly half a century
later. The autumn of 1822 found him on the return journey to the south,
where he worked at his trade until 1S28. when, there being a great wave
of immigration into Indiana, he came with the tide and entered
"congress " land in various parts of the state. Again he went back to
the home of his childhood, to which he finally bade a last farewell in
the spring of 1833, casting in his lot with the people of the Hoosier
state. He located near Franklin, Wayne county, where his father and
several brothers were living, the firm of Beeson Brothers having
already become widely known. The three brothers who were in this
partnership were S. H.. Benjamin Franklin and Ithamar, and among their
numerous enterprises were the running of a gristmill, a tannery and a
general mercantile business. The town which sprang into being as the
result of their industry and enterprise was widely known as Beeson town
in honor of the family, and everything was in a most flourishing
condition when the great financial crashes of 1837 came and swept away
the fortune and prospects of the little community. Isaac W. Beeson lost
heavily on securities, but he was not disheartened, and ere many years
had passed he had retrieved his fortunes.
Through all these years the attachment between Isaac W. Beeson and Mary
Branson had continued, and at last, in the fall of 1837, she left her
girlhood's home and many sincere friends in the sunny south and set out
on the long journey to become the wife of the man she loved. They were
married near Green's Fork, in this county, on the 27th of February,
1838. In less than thirteen years thereafter, Mrs. Beeson was summoned
to the better land, and though he survived her a score of years, the
devoted husband remained true to her memory and never married again.
Her death took place October 10, 1851, and on the 26th of November,
1871. he was laid to rest by her side in the Friends' burying ground at
Nettle Creek.
In religious faith Mr. Beeson was liberal, as might be expected of a
man of his deep and broad views of life, his cherished hope being that
some day the human brotherhood would be united on the central
principles of Christianity, each reserving for himself the right of
private judgment on minor forms and points. Needless to say, that
he was strongly opposed to slavery and all forms of tyranny and
injustice, and in common with those of his sect did not favor resorting
to law, whether as individuals or as nations, but rather the submitting
of all points of disagreement to arbitration. That he was a man of
broad thought and an able writer, is amply demonstrated by manuscripts
which he penned at various times on divers subjects. He was, so far as
known to the compilers of this sketch.the original " Greenbacker " (not
fiatist), for along in the '50s he earnestly advocated the issue of all
paper money by the government, to be made equivalent to the coin money
then in circulation, and the interest and profits to be applied to
public improvements and the reduction of taxes.
Benjamin Branson Beeson, the only child of Isaac W. and Mary (Branson)
Beeson, was born on the old homestead which he now owns and carries on.
March 17, 1843. He has always given his chief energies to farming and
stock-raising, and owns some eleven hundred acres of fine land, four
hundred of which are comprised within the home place. He is
public-spirited, and to him, perhaps, more than to any other person in
his township, is the community indebted for the excellence of its
highways. He has given considerable time, money and influence to their
improvement, being specially interested in the Dalton turnpike. When
the company was organized in 1S76, he became its secretary and
treasurer, and he has served in similar capacities for many years for
the Hagerstown & Bluntsville Turnpike Company. He was a charter
member of the Nettle Creek Grange, which he represented oft-times in
the county council and in the State Grange, and though the influence of
that bod}- has declined it has exercised a lasting influence for good
upon this generation of farmers. It has been largely superseded by the
modern agricultural societies, and in 1880 Mr. Beeson assisted in
forming what is known as the Wayne, Henry & Randolph Counties
Agricultural Association, of which he was president for twelve years.
He upholds churches and schools and all worthy institutions and methods
of elevating the people, taking an active part in the political and
moral questions of the day. He greatly admired President Lincoln and
gave his support to General Grant at his first presidential election to
office. For six years, from 1891 to 1897, he ably conducted the
Richmond Enterprise, which attained wide circulation and won the most
favorable notice of the public and contemporary journals. The columns
of the paper strongly reflected his views on the prohibition of the
liquor traffic, and it is conducted in the same lines by its present
owner, the Rev. DeVore, to whom Mr. Beeson sold the journal in 1897,
owing to other pressing business cares.
On the 14th of October, 1865, the marriage of Mr. Beeson and Miss
Olinda Lamb, a daughter of Thomas and Elvira (Finch) Lamb, was
solemnized. Mrs. Beeson was born in Clay township, Wayne county,
in1841, and by her marriage she is the mother of four children, namely:
Isaac Francis, born August 13. 1866; Mary Lenora, born January 23,
1S68, and now the wife of J. C. Taylor, of Dalton; and Edward Orton and
Frederick Loten, twins, whose birth occurred July 3, 1877. The family
are identified with the Society of Friends, following the example of
generations of their forefathers, keeping ever in view the
responsibilities and duties of life that rest upon them as individuals.
JOSIAH
REYNOLDS
Josiah Reynolds, of Dublin, Wayne county, is a citizen of worth and
integrity, and for a quarter of a century he has been identified with
the interests of this place. His parents, Daniel and Margaret (Morris)
Reynolds, were born in the same year, 1805; the former died in 1889 and
the latter in 1879. Mr. Reynolds was a man of prominence in his
community, and for years was prominently and intimately connected with
the development and prosperity of Dudley township, Henry county,
Indiana. For several terms he served as township trustee and in other
local offices, and for years elections were held at his house, while he
was living on a farm.
Josiah Reynolds, born September 29, 1838, near Hopewell, Henry county,
is one of eleven children, six of whom are living. In the order of
birth they were named as follows: Mary, Milton, Morris, Thomas, Phoebe,
Josiah, Anna, Benjamin, Henry, Isaac and Martha. Four of the sons,
Milton, Thomas, Henry and Isaac, ware volunteers in the civil war.
Thomas and Henry died while in the service; Milton is now a resident of
Rocky Ford, Colorado; and Isaac went to the Indian Territory after the
war and subsequently lived in Kansas, where he died.
The early years of our subject passed uneventfully upon the old
homestead, until he reached his majority, when he was married. At one
time he was engaged in carrying on a mercantile business in Dublin, but
not finding it a profitable undertaking he later operated a sawmill,
with better financial success. Then he turned his energies to the
real-estate and insurance business, and now represents the following
companies: the Northwestern Mutual Life; the Home, of New York; the
Phoenix, of Brooklyn; and various accident companies. In 1875 he was
elected to the office of justice of the peace, but declined to serve;
was appointed notary public in 1890, and is still acting in that
capacity, and has filled the position of township assessor several
terms. Politically he is an ally of the Republican party.
On the 20th of June, 1859, there was performed a marriage ceremony by
which the destinies of Josiah Reynolds and Lucretia Macy, a daughter of
James and Anna Macy, were united. Their son and only child, Will H.
Reynolds, went to the Pacific slope a few years ago, and has since been
actively engaged in various enterprises there. In 1890 he located in
Seattle, Washington; two years ago proved some important mining claims;
built the first hotel in Cascade City, British Columbia, where twelve
others are being carried on at present, and has extended his business
investments to Spokane, San Juan de Fuca and other points. He is now in
British Columbia, and is prospering in his numerous enterprises. He
possesses the qualities which rarely fail to bring success, and a
promising future is opening before him.
JAMES
B. ALLEN, M. D.
Numbered among the leading professional men of Cambridge City, Wayne
county, is Dr. J. B. Allen, whose residence here dates back to October,
1897. The eldest of the four children of Jacob and Martha (Brown)
Allen, he was born on the old family homestead, in Jefferson township,
Wayne county, in 1844. His father is living, making his home in
Hagerstown, with his daughter Carrie. He is now well advanced in years;
the mother of the Doctor died in 1891, when in her seventy-third year.
The only sister of the Doctor is Carrie, wife of George Fulkerson, and
the two brothers are Lewis C. and Thomas B., and all are residents of
this county.
Dr. Allen supplemented his common-school education by a course of study
in the Hagerstown Academy, and later he attended Delaware University.
Then for Some time he engaged in teaching, being employed in the
schools of Williamsburg, Milton, Centerville and Decatur, Indiana, as
superintendent. He has been agent of the Adams Express Company at
Hagerstown since 1886, and since 1878 he has been connected with the
firm of Allen & Company, druggists, of the same town. Having
pursued the study of medicine, and graduating in the Ohio Medical
College, at Cincinnati, in 1881, he established himself in practice in
Hagerstown, where he continued actively engaged in professional work
until his removal to Cambridge City, a year and a half ago. He served
as a township trustee for five years in succession, and was a member of
the pension board during Cleve¬land's last administration. Though
exercising the right of franchise, as every citizen should, he has
never devoted much time to politics.
On Christmas day, 1872, Dr. Allen and Miss Ellen Starr were united in
marriage, and one child, Harry S., blesses their union. Mrs. Allen is a
lady of excellent education and culture, and is a daughter of John and
Mary (Jamison) Starr, of Centerville.
OLIVER FERGUSON
A prominent citizen of Milton, Wayne county, the subject of this
article is a worthy scion of one of the foremost pioneer families of
eastern Indiana. From the early days of this century the Fergusons have
materially aided in the development of the county, helping to
place it on a stable basis and to maintain the order and
good government which it has enjoyed from the first.
The father of our subject, Linville Ferguson, whose history is given at
some length elsewhere in this volume, has spent almost his entire life
in this region, as he was brought here when but six months old. He was
born in North Carolina, August 17, 1815, a son of Micajah and Frances
(Isbell) Ferguson, the former born in 1793, and the latter in 1791, in
the same state. Micajah was a son of Thomas Ferguson, whose ancestors
emigrated from Scotland to Virginia, and thence removed to Wilkes
county, North Carolina, in the early part of the eighteenth century.
Frances Ferguson was a daughter of Thomas Isbell, of English descent,
and a hero of the Revolutionary war, in which he enlisted at eighteen
years of age and served for five years. In the spring of 1816 Micajah
Ferguson, with his wife and three children, emigrated to Indiana. They
located upon wild land situated about three miles south of Milton, and
there the next few years were filled with the most arduous kind of
toil, as it was no easy task to hew the forests of heavy timber and to
prepare the ground for cultivation. In the course of time, however,
much was accomplished by the sturdy frontiersman and his boys, and they
turned their attention to the raising and feeding of live stock, which
found ready market in Cincinnati. As stated, the three eldest children,
Matilda, Horton and Linville, were born in the south, but the others
were natives of this county. Matilda became the wife of Joel Hiatt;
Salena wedded C. Saxton, and after his death Joseph Caldwell; Savanna
was the wife of I. B. Loder; and Jane, born in 1833, died in 1841. The
younger sons were Levingston; Finley, now of Kansas; Sanford, born in
1828, and died in 1833; Kilby, who is a minister of the Christian
church; and Olive, born in 1835 and died in 1854. The father departed
this life in 1866 and the mother died October 23, 1871.
For forty years Linville Ferguson was actively engaged in the raising,
buying and selling of cattle and hogs, being recognized as an expert in
that line, and for some years he was connected with a flourishing
pork-packing establishment in Connersville. In his early -manhood he
was a veritable athlete, it being his pride that he could split more
rails in a day than any other man of the locality, and indeed one day
he turned out one thousand rails! In 1870 he assisted in the
organization of the National Bank of Cambride City, with which
institution he was associated for twenty-three years, fifteen years of
that time being president of the concern. For twenty years he was
trustee of his township, ten years by election and ten years by
appointment; and here, as in everything which he undertook, he was
found thoroughly reliable and trustworthy. In addition to this, he
served most creditably for three years as one of the county
commissioners, and, though nominated several times on the Democratic
ticket for the legislature, was defeated on account of the large
Republican majorities in his district. Financially he was very
successful, and besides enjoying a large bank account and owning
valuable property, he has divided fifteen hundred acres of land among
his children. In 1883 he retired and has lived in a commodious
residence which he had built upon a fine eight-acre tract of land which
he purchased, the place adjoining Milton.
The wife of Linville Ferguson was Elizabeth Loder in her girlhood, her
parents being John and Isabel (Ringland) Loder. He was born in
Essex county, New Jersey, August 10, 1780, and she on the 31st of
May, 1785. They were married in 1806, and in 1815 came to what now. is
Fayette County, Indiana. He voted for delegates to the first Ohio
constitutional convention, and to the first similar convention in this
state. He died in 1863, and his wife's death occurred five years later.
Oliver Ferguson, born in Posey township, Fayette county, February 5,
1840, is the eldest son of Linville Ferguson and wife. His youngest
brother, Charley, is carrying on the old homestead, and the other
brother, Elmer, died at the age of twelve years. The sisters are Mrs.
Savanna Munger and Mrs. Emma Thornburg. The boyhood of our subject was
spent in the usual vocations of farmer lads, a portion of his time
being given to the acquisition of an education in the schools of the
district. When he reached his majority he was so thoroughly reliable
and successful as an agriculturist that his father allowed him to
undertake the management of one of his farms. He continued to devote
much of his attention to' farming until 1879, when he removed to Milton
and engaged in the implement business, in which he had been financially
interested for some years. He bought stock in the factory where these
implements were manufactured and also owned a large amount of stock in
the Hoosier Drill Company. After all of the Milton factories had been
closed, he engaged in the sale of implements and fertilizers more
extensively than ever, employing two traveling salesmen for a number of
years. At present he is merely interested in the sale of fertilizers
and in attending to his three finely improved farms. Formerly he was
very successful in the raising and feeding of live stock, though he was
never so extensively engaged in that line of business as was his
father. Fraternally, he is an Odd Fellow and politically is a Democrat.
Having made a success of life from a financial point of view, Mr.
Ferguson is practically retired and enjoys his attractive home which he
built in Milton. The residence is of brick, is furnished with modern
improvements and luxuries, and is ever hospitably open to the reception
of friends. The first marriage of Mr. Ferguson was. solemnized in 1863,
when Miss Martha F., daughter of Cyrus and Catherine
(Hunt) Wallace, became his bride.
The father, born May 19, 1817, was a son of John and Mary (Banks)
Wallace, and was a direct descendant of William Wallace, who emigrated
from Scotland to Virginia about 1730. Cyrus Wallace was a typical
western pioneer, and after he came to the wilds of Indiana he developed
an excellent farm and owned nearly four hundred acres at the time that
he retired. He is passing his last years in Milton, where he is greatly
esteemed and loved. His wife, to whom he was married in 1843, was a
daughter of John Hunt, of North Carolina. He was a gunsmith by trade,
and after he came to this-state in 1811 his services were in great
demand, especially by the Indians, and later by the settlers during the
troubles with the red men. His children were named William, Wilson,
John, Labona, Salina and Catherine. To the union of Cyrus Wallace and
wife but two daughters were born: Mary, who married J. S. Baker; and
Martha F. The latter, who was the wife of our subject, became the
mother of two children: Luella, who is the wife of O. L. Beeson, a
prosperous young farmer; and Rossie B., wife of Homer Newman, a
traveling salesman. Mrs. Martha Ferguson was called to the silent land
March 12, 1886.
The present wife of Mr. Ferguson was formerly Miss Lucinda Dungan, who
comes of one of the honored pioneer families of Fayette county. Their
marriage was celebrated July 25, 1888. Mrs. Ferguson, who was born
April 1, 1849, is a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Chambers) Dungan,
and granddaughter of Isaac Dungan, who was one of the early settlers of
Fayette county. His children, who were reared in the strict
Presbyterian faith, were: Mrs. Elizabeth Petro; Mrs. Ada Reese; Wilson,
of Huntington county; Joseph and Magdalene, who never married; and all
of that generation have passed to their reward. Mrs. Ferguson's father
was engaged in farming until he retired, some time prior to his death
in 1897, and the wife and mother survived him only two weeks. She came
from one of the families that first arrived in this territory, and her
father often sought protection from the Indians in the block-house, one
of his children, indeed, being born within the crude fortress. Three of
his daughters married men by the name of Dungan, and the fourth became
the wife of a Mr. Rhodes. B. F., the only son, was-a farmer by
occupation. The only brother of Mrs. Ferguson is William, a resident of
Connersville. Her sisters are Mrs. Minerva Cline, Mrs. Margaret Smith,
Mrs. Ada Thomas, Matilda, who is unmarried, Mrs. Alice Kidd, and.
Martha and Josephine, deceased. The parents were members of the
Primitive Baptist church, to which Mrs. Ferguson also belongs. She is a
lady of superior education, and for twenty-five years she was actively
engaged in teaching, having as pupils many of the now promising young
men of the counties of Fayette, Wayne and Huntington, where she had
charge of schools.
FLORANCE
R. BEESON.
Florance R. Beeson, a well known boot
and shoe merchant at Connersville, Indiana, is descended from families
which have been prominent in Indiana, in the south and in the east for
many generations. He is a son of Munford G. and Louisa J. (Harvey)
Beeson and was born in Wayne county, Indiana, October 5, 1857. Munford
G. Beeson was a son of Hon. Othniel and Elizabeth (Wissler) Beeson.
Othniel Beeson was a son of Benjamin Beeson, Jr., and his wife Dorcas,
nee Starbuck. Louisa J., nee Harvey, mother of F. R. Beeson, was a
daughter of Benjamin and Nancy Harvey, and was born January 12, 1836.
Benjamin Beeson was born in North Carolina and died in Indiana, March
1, 1852. His wife Dorcas, nee Star-buck, also a native of North
Carolina, died in October, 1872. Othniel Bee¬son was born in North
Carolina, May 7, 1813, and died at his home in Wayne county, Indiana,
October 10, 1897. His wife, Elizabeth Wissler, was born in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1815, and is yet living on the
Beeson homestead. The. early history and much of the genealogy of the
families of Beeson and Harvey appear in the biographical sketch of
Marquis D.^ Beeson, which is included in this work. The article
mentioned contains much of interest covering Benjamin Beeson, Jr., and
his wife and this family. Benjamin Beeson, Jr., was a son of Richard;
Richard was a son of Isaac; Isaac was a son of Richard, and this
Richard was a son .of Edward Beeson, who was born and reared in
Lancashire, England, and was a member of the original Society of
Friends founded by George Fox, and in 1682 joined the colony of William
Penn in Pennsylvania.
Benjamin, Jr., first came to Indiana in 1813 and entered government
land three and a half miles south of Milton. The next year he settled
on it and began its improvement. Jacob and Barbara Wissler, whose
daughter Elizabeth became the wife of Hon. Othniel Beeson, son of
Benjamin Beeson, Jr., came with their family from Pennsylvania, in
1825. They were of Holland, Dutch and German extraction and in
religious affiliation were Mennonites. Mr. Wissler, who was a
prosperous farmer, died a few years after the settlement of the family
in Indiana. They had five children, named John, Jacob, Elizabeth,
Benjamin and Barbara. John died at Milton, Jacob at Arcadia and
Benjamin in Iowa. .Barbara is living in Kansas. Elizabeth married
Othniel Beeson in 1835 and is now eighty-four years old. They had four
children: Munford G.; Helena (not married); Barbara, who became the
wife of F. Y. Thomas, a prominent farmer and one of the commissioners
of Fayette count}', and died August 24, 1899; and Amanda, not married.
Hon. Othniel Beeson was inured to pioneer life from childhood. His
education was limited because local educational facilities were limited
when
he was of the school age as the law now defines it. But he grew up and
ripened into a man of broad-minded intelligence, a grand, honest man
who did credit to the name of Beeson, which has not been sullied in the
three centuries of its known history. After his marriage he opened up a
large farm which he improved and upon which he lived during the
remainder of his lifetime. He was especially successful as a stockman
and much of his land was devoted to grazing. Reared a Democrat, he was
bitterly opposed to slavery in the United States, and when he found
that he could not oppose that evil .successfully in his old party he
joined hands with the Republicans and was one of the early and
aggressive leaders of that party in Indiana, helping it with his means
and his pen, and going forth as a public speaker to do battle for the
right as it was revealed to him. He was delegate to the state
constitutional convention and later represented his district in the
state senate. When he died the country lost one of the best and
greatest citizens in all its history.
Hon. M. G. Beeson, oldest son of Hon. Othniel Beeson, was born in
Fayette county, Indiana, January 9, 1835, and died May 16, 1883. Eight
weeks later his widow died. He was reared and educated here and
achieved material success as a farme