Indiana Trails

Wayne County Indiana
Biographies
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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.
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.
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 farmer. He early became interested in questions of public moment, was an active and progressive Republican and gained great influence in his party. His voice was heard in conventions and during the active work of many campaigns. He represented his county in the legislature and made a fine record which would have assured him still higher political honors had not his career been cut short by untimely death. Two children were born to him: Florance R. Beeson and his sister Lulu, wife of Dr. J. E. King, a prominent physician of Centerville, Indiana.
Florance R. Beeson, born on the old Beeson homestead, in Wayne county, Indiana, remained there until his marriage to Miss Kate Richmond, October 9, 1878, when he accepted the position of station agent at Beeson Station. Mrs. Beeson, a lady of much intelligence and many accomplishments, is a daughter of George A. and Jeanette C. (Warren) Richmond. Captain G. A. Richmond, youngest son of Jonathan and Mary B. Richmond, was born in Butler county, Ohio, September 29, 1825, and was educated in the common schools. In 1846 he enlisted as a private in Company H, Fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteers, and in 1847 was commissioned captain of that company and he held the commission until the close of the Mexican war. In 1849 he was appointed by Commissioner John B. Weller assistant commissioner to establish the boundary line between the United States and Mexico. In 1852 he located in Franklin county, Indiana, where he became .a dry-goods merchant. September 10, 1853, he married Jeanette C, daughter of Alexander R. and Charlotte Warren, of Franklin county, Indiana, who bore him three children: Kate (Mrs. F. R. Beeson); Mary E., who died in infancy; and Lottie, wife of Mark Beeson, of Wayne county, son of Bezaleel Beeson. Mark Beeson died January 25, 1888, his wife in 1879, leaving one son, George R. Beeson, who is being reared by Mrs. Richmond and is employed as salesman in the shoe store of F. R. Beeson, at Connersville, Indiana.
In 1855 Captain Richmond and his family removed to Burlington, Iowa, In 1857 they returned to Franklin county, Indiana, and in 1864 moved upon a farm in Wayne county, which the Captain had purchased. In 1881 he sold this farm and the family removed to another in Fayette county, which he had acquired. They remained there ten years, and in.1891 Captain Richmond retired from active business and located with his family at Connersville. There he died, May 7, 1895. Mrs. Richmond is now (1899) sixty-two years old and in a physical condition favorable to longevity. She receives a pension on account of service rendered by Captain Richmond in the Mexican war. Captain Richmond was a business man of more than ordinary ability, was successful as a farmer as well, and left a good estate. For seventeen years he was station agent at Beeson Station. Politically he was a lifelong Democrat.
F. R. Beeson, who is a capable telegrapher and proved himself an active and trustworthy agent at Beeson Station, had charge of the railway interests there 1878-90, and resigned the position to remove to Connersville, where during the ensuing year he filled a similar position in connection with the Big Four system. In 1891 he engaged in the shoe trade, in which he has been successful, and his store has grown to goodly proportions. He has profitable farming interests also, and is popularly regarded as a pushing, progressive, honorable business man who has done and is doing well and has a good future. Mr. and Mrs. Beeson have had three children: Lottie, who died in infancy; Hugh R., born December 1, 1885; and A. Wayne, born August 7, 1887. Mrs. Beeson and her two sons are members of the Presbyterian church.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
E.  R.   HASTINGS

The Hastings family, which is represented in Cambridge City, Wayne County, by the subject of this sketch, is one of the oldest in this section of Indiana. Aaron Hastings, the father of E. R. Hastings, was born near Richmond, Wayne county, in 1808, and the greater part of his life was spent within the county boundaries. He died at his home in Dublin, in 1889, mourned by a large circle of friends. His faithful, loving wife, whose maiden name had been Christina Reese, survived him a few years, dying in 1897, at the advanced age of eighty-four. She was a native of North Carolina, and her father, John Reese, was one of the early pioneers of Henry county, Indiana. He possessed considerable land there, and the original deed, signed by Andrew Jackson, now belongs to our subject, who recently transferred a portion of the old estate to other parties.
The birth, of E. R. Hastings occurred in 1835, m Henry county, Indiana, on the parental homestead, where his boyhood days were spent. His education was acquired in the common schools of the period, and was ¦supplemented by private reading and study. His early manhood was devoted to agriculture, and during the four years following 1868 he carried on a farm in Washington township, Wayne county. He then engaged in the mercantile business in Cambridge City, and still devotes himself to this enterprise.
 He 'is systematic and uses excellent judgment in the management of his affairs, endeavoring to meet the wishes of his patrons, and meriting the high reputation which he bears as a man of his word, just and reliable.
On the 3d of September, 1857, Mr. Hastings married Sarah E. Edgerton, a daughter of William Edgerton, of Richmond, Indiana. They have had five children, a son and four daughters, namely: William E., who is in the grocery business on Main street, Richmond, Indiana; Emma, wife of Walter Smith, of Memphis, Tennessee; Anna, wife of C. T. Wright, of this place; Eva, wife of Edward Paul; and Bertha, who is at home.
Benajah Hiatt

Benajah Hiatt, second son of Wm. Hiatt, was born in North Carolina, and was married to Elizabeth White.  In 1824 he removed to this county, and settled near Milton.  He was the first saddler in the township, and had a shop in a part of his dwelling.  After a few years, he devoted his attention wholly to farming.  He had 6 children, who settled in this county: 1. Naomi, wife of Elijah Coffin.  2. Mordecai, who married Rhoda Dicks, in N.C.; removed to Milton in 1827, commenced business as a saddler, and continued it about 25 years, when he removed to his farm near town, which he conducted about 16 years; and in 1868 removed to Richmond, where he now resides.  He had 9 children, besides 3 who died in infancy and childhood: Elizabeth D., wife of Samuel F. Fletcher, in Richmond. Benajah W., who married Martha Ann Wilson, and lives in Kansas.  Semina, wife of Dr. Wm. P. Waring, Richmond.  Martha W., wife of Joshua Moffitt, Thorntown, Ind.  Jesse D., who married Louisa Woodward, and moved to Springdale, Kansas.  Wm. J., who married Eliza Smith, of Indianapolis, and is a merchant in Richmond.  Francis Henry, unmarried; resides at Springville, Kansas.  3.  Anna, second daughter of Benajah Hiatt, married Eli Unthank; they live at Spiceland.  5.  Esther G., wife of Joseph Dickinson, both living and residing in Richmond.  6.  Hannah F., wife of Charles Dickinson, brother of Joseph and lives at Spiceland pg 328-329
Transcribed by Marji Turner 4/11/09
Eleazar Hiatt
 Eleazar Hiatt was born in Guilford Co., N. C. February 10, 1783.  He removed from Carolina about the year 1815, and after a residence of a few years in Ohio came to Richmond in the winter of 1818-19, and established a pottery, the first, probably, in the county.  He was an early justice of the peace, and in 1825 a member of the legislature.  After a residence of several years east of Richmond, he removed to Newport, and engaged in the mercantile business, about the year 1828. (?)  About 1838, he removed to a farm he had bought near Washington, in Clay townshi; thence to Chester.  He married, for his first wife, Anna Williams, from N. C.   Their children were: 1. Eliza, who married Jesse Reynolds, who died of a cancer on the tongue.  She married, second, Samuel Hadley, and lives in Morganville, Ind.  2. Jesse, formerly merchant in Milton, now in Dublin.  [See sketch, Washington township.]  3. Daniel W., son of Eleazar Hiatt, married, first, Melinda Mendenhall, and lives in Perry; second, Gulielma Sanders, of Ohio.  4.  Anna Maria, who married Isaac Votaw, of New Garden pg 420
 Transcribed by Marji Turner 4/11/09
Jesse Hiatt
 Jesse Hiatt, son of Eleazar Hiatt, came, when young, with his father, from North Carolina to Ohio in 1815, and thence to Richmond in the winter of 1818-19.  He was for about five years a clerk in the store of HIatt & Moore, in Milton, and in 1840, commenced trade for himself, and continued until 1860.  In 1861 he removed to Dublin, where he is still in business with his son, Wm. F., who married Frances M. Lawrence, daughter of Edmund Lawrence, formerly a county commissioner and a member of the legislature.  Charles E., who married Ella Pike, and is on a farm in Henry county, adjoining Jackson.  Frank F., at Earlham College, and Sarah Anna, aged 11 years. pg 329
Transcribed by Marji Turner 4/11/09
William Hiatt
William Hiatt, who remained in North Carolina, had 9 children who reached mature age, all of whom, except one, came to this county:  1. Prudence, wife of James Stanley, who settled in Ohio, both still living, aged about 92.  2.  Joel, who settled at Milton, about 1827.  His son, Allen, came in 1824 or 1825; was first a potter, afterward a merchant at Knightstown and at Anderson a few years, and for many years at Milton, of the firms of Moore & Hiatt, and Hopkins and HIatt.  Isom, another of his sons, removed west.  3.  Benajah, subject of the foregoing sketch.  4. Rachel, wife of Wm. Kersey, who settled south of Dublin, now in Washington township.  A son, Vierling Kersey, is a physician in Richmond.  Another son, also a physician, resides 3 miles east of Richmond, and is also a farmer.  5.  Silas, who married Anna Clary, and settled one mile southwest of Milton, and died at Milton.  6.  Isom, married, and lives in Ohio.  7. Esther, wife of Jesse Evans, both living 2 miles west of Richmond.  8.  Amor, who married Achsah Willis and lives in Hamilton county.  9.  Rebecca, wife of Wm. Unthank, Spiceland. pg 329 
 Transcribed by Marji Turner 4/11/09
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.
SILAS HUDDLESTON

The Huddleston family is one of the oldest and most honored in the United States and England. Ancient documents and records, well authenticated and acknowledged, such as the " Peerage and Gentry of England," state that the Huddlestons come from the same stock as Rollo, the Danish pirate chief, who turned reformer and was the Duke of Normandy in 922, and that
 the Danish blood of Rollo and the Huddlestons has flowed through the veins of all the kings and queens who have reigned in England since the Norman conquest. The name, with its numerous forms, such as Hudeiston, Huddelson, Huddlestone, is derived from Hod or Hud (meaning head), this root being softened by the inflection "el or le" and ston (stone), and thus the entire word might be translated, " head-of-stone" or " headstone," or " head (farthest point) of the quarry." The family was located at Milum Castle, in Cumberlandshire, in the time of Rollo, and the genealogy there begins with Adam; John, son of Adam; Richard, son of John; Richard. son of Richard; and so on, down to the twelfth century, when more noted names appear, as: Nigel de Hudeiston; Sir Gilbert; Richard; Sir John, who was one of the great council that indited the celebrated letter to Pope Boniface VIII, in 1301; Richard; Sir John, and Richard. AH of those just mentioned held offices of honor, and were more or less prominent in public affairs of the kingdom. Christopher, a brother of the Richard last named, was associated with him in the wars in France in the beginning of the fourteenth century. - He spelled his surname Huddlestonne, and after his military career he married and settled in Paris, in 1421. Of his descendants in the direct line were Charles; Jean de lies, who was renowned and lived to the age of one hundred and seven years; Philo, a minister of the reformed church and cousin to Henry IV, of France; Martin, a very wealthy man; Cephas, who was disowned by the family for marrying a poor woman, and was, perhaps, the first of the line to earn his bread " by the sweat of his brow;" Stephen was put to death by the Roman Catholics; and Nathan, who met a similar fate at the hands of the same persecutors. Small wonder, then, that the two brothers of Nathan, mourning his loss and that of their father, and feeling their own lives insecure, determined to seek a home in the new land of religious toleration, America. These brothers, William and Eli, came to these hospitable shores in 1758, bringing with them the fatherless children of Nathan, and from them are descended the many branches of the family in this country.
David Huddleston, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a native of North Carolina, and was one of the pioneers of Union county, Indiana. He  married  Elizabeth  Powell, a  native of Tennessee,  and  most  of their wedded life was happily spent on a farm in Union county, whence they removed to Wayne county in 1868. He died at the age of eighty-nine years,  on the   1st of October, 1890, and was followed  to  the silent land about a year later by his devoted wife, whose death took place December 16, 1891,-when she was in her eighty-fifth year.
Silas Huddleston was born May I, 1828, in Union county, and is the eldest of eight children. The others are as follows:   Eliza, widow of Henry Pickett; Aaron, a resident of California; Martha, wife of Aquilla Binford, of Boone county, Indiana; Enos, who died in California; Benjamin F., of Seattle, Washington; Lucinda, wife of James Coffin, of Hancock, Indiana; and Elwood, deceased.
The early years of Silas Huddleston were filled with hard work, as his father needed assistance in the clearing and development of his frontier farm, and it was only in the winter season that the lad attended school. Reared to the life of a farmer, he continued to follow pastoral pursuits, and in 1866 he came to his present home, on the outskirts of Dublin, Wayne county. Here he purchased a tract of land, of which he has sold sixteen building lots to citizens of the town, and still retains three acres. He is engaged in the cultivation of small fruits and vegetables, has a model garden and pleasant home, and the neat and thrifty appearance of everything about his grounds bespeaks the constant, careful attention of the owner.
Silas Huddleston and his estimable wife celebrated their golden wedding on the 10th of May, 1899, on which occasion the children, grandchildren and many other friends and relatives were in attendance. It was a happy gathering and one that will long be remembered. Mrs. Huddleston is the youngest daughter of Alexander and Hannah DuBois, natives of New Jersey and Ohio, respectively, the father born May 24, 1783, and the mother, October 23, 1786. They lived in the Buckeye state at a time when it was, in the main, a vast wilderness, and in 1840 they removed to the neighborhood of Salem, Union county, Indiana, where the father died at the age of eighty-six years. Ten of their children lived to maturity, namely: John, born.July 23, 1807; Charlotte, February 10, 1810; Isaac, March 20, 1812; Jane, April 28, 1814; Isaiah, October 23, 18 [6; Katherine, November 12, 1818; Hannah, March 29, 18.21;. Lydia, March 1, 1823; Alexander, September 17, 1826; and Emily Ann (Mrs. Huddleston), January 16, 1829.
The children who bless the union of our worthy subject and wife are Hiram, a dentist, of Maryville, Tennessee; Albert, a physician, of Winchester, Randolph county, Indiana; and Rosetta, wife of Charles R. Hill, of Maineville, Ohio. Dr. Albert Huddleston is connected with several public enterprises in Winchester, and is a member of the board of health and the board of the Orphans' Home. Our subject is a,member and a strong sup¬porter of the Friends church. He is genial and social in temperament and possesses the high regard of all who know him.
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.
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.
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.
GEORGE WASHINGTON CONRAD

CONRAD, George Washington Bryant, lawyer with Penn. R. R. System; born at Xenia, Ohio, June 22, 1867; son of Thomas A. and Elizabeth (Jackson) Conrad; attended public schools, Xenia; took course in business college at Richmond, Ind.; preparatory edn. Oberlin College, O.; LL.B., Univ. of Mich., 1902; married Beatrice A. Cox, of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, O., June 8, 1910; 1 child: Elizabeth. Began with Pennsylvania Railroad System at Richmond, Ind., when 15 years of age; was stenographer and telegraph operator, 1882-95; private secretary to Col. J. F. Miller, vice-pres. Penn. R. R. and U. S. Commissioner at Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., 1903-4; now with Claim Department and assistant in Law Dept. of the System at Richmond. Republican. Catholic. Member Crispus Attucks Loyal League. Home: 22 N. 22d St. Office: Union Station, Richmond, Ind.
Source: Who's Who Of The Colored Race, by Frank Lincoln Mather, Detroit, 1915 - Transcribed by C. Anthony
John O. Austin


John O. Austin is a native of Montgomery Co., Md., born March 29, 1807, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Offord) Austin. His parents moved to the District of Columbia when he was quite young, and kept s hotel in Georgetown. When he was ten years of age they moved to the Shenandoah Valley, where he grew to manhood. They afterward moved to Hamilton County,Ohio, where the father died in 1829. Of ten children, John 0. and a sister living in Union Co., Ind., are the only ones living. John O. Austin learned the shoemaker's trade when a young man, at which he worked over forty years. I n 1830 he moved to Richmond, remaining there till 1834. In 1832 he subscribed for the Palladium. While in Richmond he clerked in the dry-goods store of Theo. Sittle. In 1835 he went to Liberty, Union County, and soon after married Amy Rose, a native of Indiana, born in 1814, and a daughter of Abraham Rose. He located in Liberty, working at his trade in connection with farming. In the fall of 1871 he came to Wayne County, and bought the farm known as the Jacob Brooks farm, consisting of 105 acres of fine land with good farm bnildings. At present he lives rather a retired life, renting his farm to his sons. Mr. and Mrs. Austin are members of the Congregational church.
Their children are five in number, Warren B., John R., Catherine (wife of P. S. Sutton), Brushrod W., and Garrie D., the latter deceased.
History Of  Wayne County, Indiana Vol 1, 1884     Contributed by  Brenda Wiesner
John N. Black


John N. Black, farmer, Centre Township, was born March 9, 1834, a son of Robert and Julia Ann (Jackson) Black. Robert Black was a native of Kentucky, and came with his father, James Black, to Wayne County, Ind., in 1813, settling three miles southwest of Richmond. He was married in 1824, and settled on a farm two and one-half miles southwest of Centreville, which he entered, and where his family of six boys and two girls were born, and where he died in 1838, while his children were yet small, leaving his young wife dependent upon her good judgment aud energy to raise them. She died in 1883 at the age of eighty years. John N. Black remained with his mother till his marriage. He then engaged in farming for himself on the farm where he was born, and of which he now owns 140 acres, most of it under cultivation.
He was married in 1857 to Julia Ann Kitterman, daughter of Philip and Salome Kitterman. They have three children, Mary C., wife of W. H. Petty; Joseph S. and Ida Belle. Mr. Black wao initiated in Hoosier Lodge, No. 23, I. O. O.F., April 3, 1880, and of which he is still a member of good standing.
History of Wayne County Indiana Vol. 1, 1884     Contributed by  Brenda Wiesner
Joseph W. Black

Joseph W. Black is a native of Center Township, born Nov.16,1836, a son of Robert and Julia Ann (Jackson) Black, and a cousin of Captain Caleb and Joseph W. Jackson. He was reared on a farm receiving his education in the common schools. Being early instructed in the different phases of farm life, he chose that as his occupation, and has been very successful, owning 110 acres of land, mostly improved, with good farm buildings. He was married in 1866 to Hannah Lamott, daughter of Joshua Lamott, one of the oldest residents of Washington Township. They have a family of eight children, Monroe M., Joseph W., Joshua R., Charles F., Walter, Freeman, Flora A. and Sadie E.
History of Wayne County Ind, Vol 1, 1884    Contributed by  Brenda Wiesner
Henry C. Leeson
 

Henry C. Leeson, grocer, Centreville, was born Aug. 5, 1841, near Jacksonburg, Wayne Co., Ind. ; lived there until the year 1857, when he went to Dublin, being influenced by the high grade to which the public schools had been raised, and was a pupil during four terms. During vacation he was always found in some employment or other endeavoring to make the expenses of his parents in his education as light as possible. During the winter of 1860 and '61 he tried his hand in learning the young ideas how to shoot. Was successful to a remarkable extent, it being his first effort. When Fort Sumtner was fired upon then everything personal was forgotten. All aspirations for the future were dropped and nothing could be done; but, being a minor, was prevented from enlisting immediately. He responded to the second call of Lincoln and enlisted Aug. 20, 1861, as private, in Company C, Eighth Indiana Infantry, serving three years, not having received a furlough during the time, and, with the exception of two short spells of sickness, was always ready for duty. He was discharged as Second Sergeant having been in all the battles that the regiment was engaged in, Pea Ridge, Mo., Raymond, Champion Hills, Jackson, Miss., siege or Vicksburg and many others. It may not be out of place to say that there are not many regiments that saw the services of the Eighth. After returning home he took a thorough course in the Miami Commercial College of Dayton, Ohio. In 1866 he assisted his father in the office of the Clerk of Wayne Circuit Court. In 1867 he purchased the grocery stock of the estate of Levi Fox. His father, Moses D. Leeson, was born in Harrison Township, Wayne Co., Ind., Nov. 16, 1818. Having; received a fair education at the common schools of the day, he taught school with great success until 1849, when he purchased a stock of goods in Jacksonburg, where he conducted a large business, continuing in Jacksonburg until 1857, when he moved to Dublin, superintending the business of J. & C. A. Leeson until 1862.
When the call for more troops by Lincoln was made he enlisted in the Fifth Indiana Cavalry and served to the close of the war, a faithful soldier and a beloved officer. He received four promotions, entering as a Lieutenant and rising to the position of Major. He was a bold and fearless officer, leaving a good record. In 1866 he was appointed Clerk of Wayne Circuit Court to fill vacancy caused by the death of Samuel B. Slagle, serving until the election of his successor. Retiring from oftice he remained with his son, our subject, in the store until August, 1877, when he was stricken with paralysis, lingering helpless for six years and five months, dying on the 19th day of January, 1884. His wife mas Elizabeth Mundell, a native of Peru, mother of five children: three of whom still survive. Richard Leeson, the grandfather of Henry C. Leeson, was a native of Kentucky, emigrating to Wayne County in about the year 1814, settling near Jacksonburg.
He was a tanner by trade and carried on in connection with the tannery a farm of 300 acres. He was a soldier in what was known as the Ohio Militia, under General Wingate. He raised a family of eleven children, of whom Moses D. Leeson is the first to break the band.
History of Wayne County Indiana Vol. 1, 1884     Contributed by  Brenda Wiesner
   John Wesley Cook

 JOHN WESLEY COOK, the progressive owner of Clover Hill Farm, in Wayne township, Wayne county, is respected and highly esteemed by all who know him. His history, in brief, is the history of a man who has conquered unusual difficulties and has faithfully discharged all duties assigned him and held inviolate every trust reposed in him. Such men deserve fortune and are entirely worthy of honor and position, yet they are usually found pursuing the even tenor of their way, undisturbed by thought of prominence; and thus it is with our subject. As a voter he is a Republican, but he has never been an aspirant for public office, as indeed, his time is fully occupied by his business cares.
    The old house in which our subject was born, September 30, 1860, and in which he is still living, was built by his grandfather, Seth Cook, who settled on this tract of land ove r eighty years ago, and here spent the remainder of his life. The parents of John W. were Elijah and Rachel M. (CRAMPTON) COOK, the former now deceased and the latter still living at the old homestead, with our subject. Elijah Cook stayed on the home farm after he attained his majority, and for a period was in partnership with John C. Boyd in the manufacture of lime at Middleboro. Shortly before his father’s death he returned to the farm and took charge of affairs and tenderly cared for his widowed mother, who was an invalid for many years and survived her son, her death occurring when she was eighty-eight years of age.  Elijah Cook bought more land as the years passed, and thus enlarged the boundaries of the homestead, making it a place of two hundred and twenty acres. He was energetic and enterprising in his business methods, and had he lived a few years longer, to carry out his plans, would have been a rich man, comparatively speaking. He was one of the first in this section of the Union to become interested in the breeding of fine Poland-China hogs, and exhibited excellent specimens of the stock, in competition with others, at county fairs. Death closed his busy career July 17, 1877, when he was in his fifty-fourth year.
    When John W. Cook, a youth of about seventeen, succeeded his father on the farm he found before him a task which seemed almost an impossible one to perform.  Upward of four thousand dollars must be paid to his grandmother’s heirs and to the heirs of his father ere the property could be really his, and in accordance with the will of Elijah Cook, the young man must not shirk the responsibility. At first he deemed it best to work but a part of the farm himself and to allow his brother-in-law to operate the main homestead. One season, however, convinced the youth that this plan was not a good one, and that he had better undertake the task of managing the whole place, single-handed. Desiring above all things to be perfectly just and upright, he was now deeply troubled about the verbal agreement into which he had entered with his sister’s husband. An opportunity, however, presented itself for declaring the whole arrangement at an end, when the other party in the affair refused to stand by his agreement in the matter of a division of a crop, and decided that the lion’s share must fall to him. John W. then asserted his rights and entered upon the great task of his life in earnest – the payment of the indebtedness on the farm. Though friends discouraged him at the outset, he persevered in this noble intention, and, aided by the faith and cooperation of his devoted mother, met the payments one by one as they fell due. He denied h imself everything but the barest necessaries of life in order to do this, and worked early and late. The farm was sadly in need of improvements, and an outlay of several hundred dollars was imperative, and this, too, he accomplished. Several years ago he reached the goal of his ambition, and the farm, unencumbered, became his. For the past twelve years he has been engaged in the raising of Poland-China hogs, of which he makes a specialty, and at present he has about one hundred thoroughbreds. At various county fairs he has taken the prizes on hogs, and at the Ohio state fair he was awarded the first premium and sweepstakes, even with strong competitors. About ten years ago he commenced the raising of shorthorn cattle, and in this, too, he has met with success.  He sells stock extensively and ships to distant states. Well built barns are on his premises, these being especially constructed to accommodate his livestock in the winter season. For three years he has been a stockholder and director in the Ohio Poland-China Records Association.
    Mr. Cook is a member of the Friends’ church at Smyrna, Indiana, and patterns his life upon the upright, peace-loving principles of that denomination. On the 10th of September, 1886, Mr. Cook married Miss Anna M. RICHEY, formerly a teacher. Her father, L. W. Richey, was a merchant and a justice of the peace in New Paris, Ohio, for many years. Three children grace the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cook, namely: Frank Elijah, born December 21, 1888; Bessie R., born February 24, 1891; and John Carl, born February 9, 1898.
Page 682      COOK, CRAMPTON, RICHEY
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union, & Franklin counties of Indiana.
WILLIAM H. COOK
 
Numbered among the most enterprising businessmen of Richmond, Wayne county, is WILLIAM H. COOK, whose whole life, since he was a child, has been spent in this immediate vicinity. A native of Preble county, Ohio, born May 9, 1843, he received his education in the public schools of Wayne township, this county, and finished his studies in the high school. Remaining at home until he reached his majority, he then engaged in farming and other pursuits on his own account. For some eight years he made a good income from the burning of lime near Cox’s Mills, north of Richmond. Subsequently, he was one of the leading dairymen in the neighborhood of Richmond, and during a period of about twelve years was prominent among those occupied in this line of business in the county. A few years ago he became financially interested in the milling business, and in partnersh ip with J. C. Boyd, under the firm name of Cook & Boyd, he has operated the old Cox Mill, previously mentioned. Having met with gratifying success in his business ventures thus far, Mr. Cook embarked in a totally different enterprise in 1893 when, with Messrs. Wood & Swegman, he established a cold-storage business on South Fifth street, Richmond, the style of the firm bring cook & Company. .This, too, has been a success, in every point of view, and no little credit is due Mr. Cook for the sound business sense and foresight that marks all of his investments and transactions. Since he attained his majority he has been more or less engaged in buying and selling livestock, shipping to the city markets. Thus is may be seen that his life has been a very active and busy one, that he has not deemed it prudent to risk everything upon one venture and that his branching out into new lines of business has been very beneficial in a generally way, to the local public. In politics he uses his ballot in favor of Republican nominees and principles.
In tracing the ancestry of William H. Cook we find that he is a grandson of Seth and Ruth (COOK) COOK (distant relatives), and that they were natives of South Carolina. At an early day they removed to Warren county, Ohio, and in July, 1825, they became residents of Wayne county, Indiana. Settling upon an 80 acre tract of land which he bought, it being situation four miles northeast of Richmond, Mr. Cook gradually increased the size of his farm and purchased others, until he owned several hundred acres.  A fine businessman and financier, he was of great benefit to the railroad then being constructed from Dayton to Indianapolis, and by personal work and effort he secured large subscriptions to the enterprise, thus securing its success. In his zeal for this factor of civilization he made numerous speeches at towns along the proposed route, and it was while he was thus employed that he contracted the severe cold which resulted in his death, at the age of sixty-one years.  However, he lived to see the road completed as far as new Paris and to ride a short distance on the line.  In religion he was an orthodox Friend, and was always present at meetings in the Richmond church.
His wife, who lived to be eighty-eight years old, lacking twelve days, continued to reside on the old homestead, now owned by her grandson, John Cook. She was a niece of John TOWNSEND, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who reached the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, and died in Wayne township, while his wife, Elva lived to be past a century old. Three of the eight children of Seth and Ruth Cook died while young, and the others were Amos; Isaac, who lived on a farm adjoining the old homestead and is succeeded by his son John, as previously stated; Elizabeth, widow of Robert COMMONS, a farmer, is making her home with her children; and Mary, who died at the age of about fifty-nine years and who had married Samuel CRAMPTON, of the vicinity of Portland.
        Amos COOK, the father of William H., of this sketch, was born in Warren county, Ohio, near Waynesville, July 29, 1819. When he was grown he carried on a farm in Preble county, Ohio, belonging to his father, for two years, and over half a century ago he became the possessor of his fine homestead in Wayne township, this county. He had received from his father nearly six hundred acres of land, and his three farms comprised, respectively, sixty, eighty and one hundred and sixty acres. On his home farm there were large quarries, and for years he burned lime extensively, receiving good prices for the product. At New Paris, Ohio, he was similarly occupied, and the output of lime thus treated amounted to about thirty thousand bushels a year. Politically he is a strong Republican, and religiously a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. For thirty years he has been connected with this denomination and he belongs to the First church of Richmond. For years he was a local preacher, and still occupies the pulpit occasionally.  Though he was reared as a Friend, he was turned out of that church because he was married by a ‘squire instead of in the customary manner of the sect.
                March 30, 1842, Amos COOK and Miss Lydia WRIGHT were united in marriage and after forty-six years of happy companionship Mrs. Cook passed to the better land, October 19, 1888. She as born in < st1:City w:st="on">Wayne township, in 1823, and was a daughter of Jonathan and Lydia Wright, who were cousins. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook, William H. is the eldest. Sylvester lives with his father on the old homestead, and attends to its management. He first married Lydia, daughter of David P. GROVES, of Richmond, and later Mary PYLE became his wife. He has two children: Lawrence, a student in the Richmond high school, and Anna, who is at home.
                William H. Cook chose for his wife Miss Angeline COX of Wayne township, their marriage being celebrated, in 1864, at the home of her father, Robert Cox. Lillian, who is at home, and Leslie R., a farmer, are the only children of our subject and wife.
Page  713         COOK, TOWNSEND, COMMONS, CRAMPTON, WRIGHT, GROVES, PYLE
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union, & Franklin counties of Indiana.
  Contributed by Friends For Free Genealogy
ALEXANDER P. COOK
 
                 Owning and occupying a nice farm of one hundred acres, located three miles east of Liberty, Union county, Indiana, we find the subject of this sketch, Alexander P. COOK, a native “Hoosier.” Mr. Cook was born in Union county, March 14, 1847, son of Jesse and Lydia B. (SANFORD) Cook. Mrs. Lydia B. Cook was born on Nantucket Island, daughter of Edward and Hepzibath Sanford, and died when her son, Alexander P., was only six years old. She had two other children: Eveline, wife of William BARNARD, now a resident of Gage county, Nebraska; and Eugene, who died in infancy. Jesse Cook, the father of our subject, died January 30, 1899, aged eighty-one years. In early life he learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked for many years, chiefly in Union county.
                Alexander P. Cook as reared in his native county and was yet in his teens at the time the civil war broke out. At the age of sixteen he enlisted as a member of Company d, Ninth Indiana Cavalr y, under Colonel Jackson. His service was chiefly in Tennessee, in the Army of the Cumberland. After the battle at Nashville he was ordered to New Orleans, but was soon returned to Vicksburg, where he remained until mustered out. He was honorably discharged, under general order, in June, 1865, after two years of service. Throughout his service he was constantly with his command on duty with the exception of a few weeks when he was in the hospital at Nashville.
                After his return from the army Mr. Cook engaged in farm work and he had been farming sever since. He settled on his present farm in 1884, a nice tract of land, one hundred acres in extent, three miles east of Liberty, upon which he has made some substantial improvements, and where he is carrying on diversified farming. Among his stock are found some fine thoroughbred cattle.
                Mr. Cook was married December 22, 1870 to Miss Clara STANTON, daughter of Franklin and Semira (SWAIN) Stanton. Her father lives on a farm adjoining theirs. Mr. and Mrs. Cook have no children.
                Politically Mr. Cook is what may be termed an independent. He makes a practice of casting his vote for the man rather than for the party.
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union, & Franklin counties of Indiana.
  Page 748   COOK,  SANFORD, BARNARD, STANTON, SWAIN.
Contributed by Friends For Free Genealogy
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