Clay County, Indiana - The whole text, 1909 (part 20 of 21)

Brought up on the homestead and educated in the district school, Fredrick Hoffmann remained with his parents until twenty-two years of age. Beginning life on his own account, he rented land from his father for two years, and then lived with his father on the homestead until 1904. In the meantime his father had given him the farm lying in section two, and he lived on it from 1904 until 1906, when he sold out and returned to the old home. Here he is carrying on general farming and stock-raising with signal success.

Mr. Hoffmann married, January 15, 1891, Mary Ellen Rodenbacker, who was born in Jackson township, Indiana, a daughter of John and Eva (Shulers) Rodenbacker, who still live in that township. Her grand¬ parents. Wolfgang and Eva Catherine (Swonner) Rodenbacker, emi¬ grated from Bavaria with their family and settled first in Ohio, from there coming to Clay county and locating in Jackson township. Seven children have been born to Air. and Mrs. Hoffmann, namely: Alice; Mathias; John; Eva R.. who died at the age of sevjm years; Helen

Irene ; Ida Bertha ; and George Fredrick. Inheriting the religious belief to which he was reared, Mr. Hoffmann is a member of the Lutheran church, to which his parents belonged, and Mrs. Hoffmann is a member of the German Reformed church. Politically Mr. Hoffmann is a Democrat.

Charles S. Andrews, a well known resident of Brazil, Clay county, is an example of the usual success which attends the labors of those who enjoy a legal training when they venture into the financial field. He was born at North Bridgeton, Maine, in 1843, an(l 1S a son °f George W. and Lucy H. Andrews, his father also being a lawyer of thorough educa¬ tion and good reputation. The son was well educated in the common schools and under private tutors, although he was never graduated from any higher institution of learning. Early in life he showed quite a mathematical bent and his practical mind naturally drew him to thje study of law. In 1845, when he was two years of age, his family moved to Pennsylvania, and in his youth he himself located in Illinois, where he spent ten years as a student.

Mr. Andrews in 1861 returned to Pennsylvania and was admitted to the practice of law in that state. Upon coming to Indiana in 1868 he decided to engage in the business of banking and for the past forty years has been establishing and developing his interests in that line. He is now president of the First National Bank of Brazil, Indiana. On December 3, 1869, Mr. Andrews wedded Miss Hannah K. Greenough, and their three children are Lucy G., John K. and Clara A. Lybyer. In politics Mr. Andrews has always been a Republican and is a member of the Presbyterian church.

John M. Keller. - During many years John M. Keller has been prominent in the business and public life of Clay county, and he is one of Posey township's native sons, born on the 8th of April, 1849. His father, Philip Keller, was born and reared in Germany, and when a young man he came to America and located first in Butler county, Ohio, where he worked as a laborer for some time, and in 1842 made his way to Clay county, Indiana, where he entered eighty acres of land from the government in Posey township and also bought an adjoining eighty acres, which he cleared and improved with the assistance of his son John. In after years he added forty acres more to the farm, making him the owner of an estate of two hundred acres, on which he lived and labored during the remainder of his life, dying in 1881. He affiliated with the Democratic party until the Civil war, after which he gave his allegiance to the Republicans. While in Ohio Mr. Keller was married to Eva Barbara Streng, who was also born and reared in Germany, and they became the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters, of whom John M. was the fourth son and sixth child, and all were reared in Posey township. The family were members of the Evangelical church, and they were well known and honored in Clay county.

At his father's death John M. Keller inherited forty acres of the homestead farm, while later he bought eighty-six acres from the other heirs, and his estate now embraces three hundred acres of rich and well improved land, on which he has erected many substantial buildings and has made of it one of the valuable homesteads of Posey township. At the same time he has been active in the public life of the community, voting with the Republican party, and in 1896 he made the race as a joint representative to the state legislature, making a creditable and commendable race, although he was defeated at the polls.

Mr. Keller married on the 8th of November, 1872, Louisa Brown, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of Christian F. Brown, a prominent farmer of Clay county, coming here with his family when his daughter Louisa was twelve years of age and locating in Posey township. The five children of this union are George Edward, Philip, Jesse, Clara, who is the wife of William Seatman, a coal miner, and David Oscar, deceased. Mr. Keller is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

John F. Pell. - A native of Clay county and the descendant of an honored pioneer family, the late John F. Pell was born July 3, 1842, on the old Pell homestead in Van Buren township, of English ancestry. His father, John Pell, spent his earlier years in Virginia, where his birth occurred in 1797. He married first Rebecca Ales, who died on the home farm in i860, and married second Nellie Stallcop. His children, eleven in number, were all by his first wife, namely : Washington ; William Frizzle; Nancy; Susan; Richard Dudley; Rebecca; Melcina; Louisa; Lucinda; John F., of this sketch; and Benjamin F. A more extended parental and ancestral history may be found on another page of this work in connection with the sketch of William F. Pell.

A son of a farmer, John F. Pell early became familiar with the various branches of agriculture, and as a boy and youth assisted his father in much of the pioneer work required in clearing and improving a farm. On the breaking out of the Civil war, inspired by patriotism, he offered his services to his country, enlisting from Clay county April 13, 1861, as a private in Company F, Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in April 25 under Captain Ezra Olds and Colonel M. D. Manson. Going with his regiment to the front, he was an active participant in the battle of Laurel Mountain on July 8, 1861, and at Cheat Rich Mountain three days later. In the latter engagement Mr. Pell was injured by a cannon ball which passed so close to the left side of his head as to knock him senseless, and he lay on the battlefield nearly all night in a drenching rain storm. Being found he was carried to an old house which had been transformed into a hospital, where he was cared for by his comrades until able to re-enter the army. On August 5, 1861, in Indianapolis, at the expiration of his term of enlistment, he was honorably discharged from service. He subsequently attempted to re-enlist, but was rejected on account of disabilities contracted while in service. Returning home, Mr. Pell spent some time on the farm, but subsequently lived for a number of years in the west, where he was active in public affairs, serving in offices of trust and responsibility, as he had previously done in his home town. He spent his last years in Clay county, moving a short time previous to his death to Harmony, where he passed away March 29, 1906. He joined the United Brethren church on March 4, 1885, and led a very devoted life to his church and family.

Mr. Pell married, April 29, 1859, Mary C. Stallcop, who was born in Van Buren township, Clay county, March 27, 1845, being the only child of Wilson and Marguerite (Easter) Stallcop. Her paternal grand¬ parents, William and Nellie Stallcop, came from Kentucky to Indiana in a boat in 1820, and were among the original settlers of Van Buren town- ship. They reared the following children: Wilson, the father of Mrs. Pell; Tomps; Robert; Elias; and Ellen. The maternal grandfather, George, Easter, came from Highland county, Ohio, to Indiana about 1830, settling as a pioneer of Clay county. Mary Stallcop was left an orphan when a child, and subsequently lived with her grandmother, Mrs. Nellie Stallcop, until her marriage to Mr. Pell. She preceded him to the better world, dying on June 28, 1894. She bore her husband twelve children, namely: Elmer; Albert M.; Ellis; Charley; C. Herman; Annie R. ; Russell W. ; Carry ; Laura O. ; John F. ; Watsie C., of. whom a brief sketch appears elsewhere in this volume ; and Lottie E. Only six of these children are living at the present time : Albert Murray, C. Herman, Russell \\\, John F., Watsie C. and Lottie E. When the mother of this family passed away one more name was added to the list of honored dead whose earthly records closed with the words, "Well done," but as long as memory remains to those who knew her the influence of her rich and noble life will remain as a source of encouragement and inspira¬ tion. Her life was beautiful in its devotion to her family, in its purity, goodness and Christian character. She has but gone to

Albert Murry Pell, born in 1864, is a farmer in Van Buren town¬ ship, Clay county. He married Mary A. Bolin March 14, 1886, at Ebenezer church. They became members of the United Brethren church March 4, 1885. Mr. Murrv Pell is a temperance man who does not believe in strong drink. He being the oldest living son of John H. Pell, he was compelled to assist his father in a great deal of hard work. Seven children have been born of this union, namely: Judge E.. Gussie A. (deceased), Jesse M., Zella L., Clifford M., Hila D. and Mary E. Their paternal grandparents were John I7, and Marv C. Pell, and their maternal grandparents were Wilson and Mary C. Bolin.

C. Herman Pell, born in Van Buren township November 30, 1868, remained on the parental homestead until attaining his majority, in the meantime securing a substantial education, attending first the district schools, afterward studying for two terms at the normal school at Ladoga, Indiana, and subsequently entering the Central Normal College at Dan¬ ville, Indiana, where he completed both the business and teacher's courses of study. Being called home by the illness and death of his mother in the summer of 1894. he gave up study for awhile, and the following winter taught school. In 1896 he entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute, where he remained two terms. Since that time Mr. Pell has been successfully employed as a teacher in both graded and ungraded schools, being eminently fitted for the profession in which he is engaged. On December 29, 1807, lle married Melissa A. Wells and they have had two children: James P., deceased, and Earl L. The parents of Melissa A. were William and Mary Wells, highly respected pioneer farmers of Clav county. Mr. Pell is affiliated with the United Brethren church, of which he is an active member.

Russell W. Pell, born in Van Buren township February 6, 1875, selected farming as his life work, and is meeting with well merited suc¬ cess in his free and independent occupation. He married, in 1902, Emma

Lottie E., the only living daughter of John F. and Marv C. Pell, was married to Lee Hillis, of Van Buren township, in July, 1908, and they reside in that township.

James B. Steuerwald. - Jackson township has been the home ot James B. Steuerwald throughout his entire life. Born within its bor¬ ders in section 26 on the 10th of May, 1857, for two terms (elected in 1900) he served .the township as its assessor. He is a son of Jacob Steuerwald, for many years a well known farmer of Jackson township, who was born in Germany and was reared and educated in his native land. His wife, nee Katherine Michael, was also a native of the fatherland, and they became the parents of eight children, all of whom grew to years of maturity with the exception of one, and James B. was the youngest of this family of seven sons and one daughter. The four eldest of the children were born in Jackson township, three in Ohio and one in Florida. Jacob Steuerwald, the father, was a young man when he came from Germany to the United States, and landing at Canal Dover he made his way to Jackson township in Clay county, Indiana, and bought two hundred and fifteen acres of land, which he cleared and improved and remained on the rest of his life. He at one time owned two hundred and ninety-five acres in Jackson and Sugar Ridge town¬ ships and was one of the most prominent farmers of Clay county, but his life's labors were ended in death at the age of sixty-seven years, a worthy and acceptable member of the Reformed church and a Democrat in politics.

James B. Steuerwald remained at his boyhood's home until in 1880, when he left the old homestead and moved to his present farm of eighty acres in section 26, Jackson township, of which he has cleared about ten acres and has placed many valuable improvements on his farm. He was married on the 24th of November, 1878, to Anna Frances Katherine Byers, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, a daughter of John H. Byers, who was in early life a tailor and later a farmer. A native son of Germany, he and Jacob Steuerwald had been boys together in the fatherland. He owned a farm in Jackson township, and died there. Five children have been born of this union, - John J., Margaret F., Florence, Eunice and Roy James, all of whom were born in Jackson township. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Steuerwald has given his political support to the Democracy, and he has been an active worker in the local councils of his party and has held several minor offices.

Solomon Myers is one of the venerable citizens of Brazil, having passed the eighty-first milestone on life's journey. His earthly pilgrim¬ age began in Orange county, Indiana, October 26, 1826. Only a few years before had the state been admitted to the Union and much of the district comprised within its borders was still an unclaimed and unculti¬ vated wilderness, the red men still traversing the forests at times, while wild game and various kinds of wild animals were found here in abun¬ dance. In places grew the dense forests and in other districts the land was low and wet. but man has reclaimed each locality for the uses of civilization and modern invention has enabled him to drain the low ground and to rid the once timbered districts of the stumps and roots which impede the work of the farmer. Mr. Myers, as one of the native sons of the county, has witnessed almost the entire growth and progress made in this great state of Indiana and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present.

His parents were Solomon and Mary (Stewart) Myers. The father was born in Pennsylvania in 1786 and died in i860, at the age of seventy years. His wife, a native of Kentucky, was also born in 1786, and died in 1865 at the age of seventy-five years. They were married in the Blue Grass state and in 1818 arrived in Indiana, which had been admitted to the Union only the previous year. They established their home in Orange county, where Mr. Myers built a log cabin, being numbered among the pioneers of this part of the state. It was in that frontier home that the birth of Solomon Myers occurred. In 1834 the family removed to Clay county, Indiana, making the journey with horse and wagon. They settled on the present site of Brazil but the district on which the city now stands was then an unbroken wilderness. The father entered eighty acres of timber land, built a log house and with character¬ istic energy began the subjugation of the wilderness that he might estab¬ lish there a farm that would yield a good profit for his labor. His wife traded for two and a half acres, constituting a strip of land leading to the national road. The father aided in constructing this national road, which for many years was the only traveled highway between the east and the west. In Clay county he spent the remainder of his days and took an active and helpful part in the early development of this portion of the state, aiding in laying broad and deep the foundation for its present progress. Both he and his wife were members of the Christian church and were earnest in their religious zeal and faithful to the cause which they espoused. He was associated with William Yocom in organizing the first church in Clav county and thus became a factor in the moral as well as the material development of this part of Indiana. His influence was ever on the side of right, truth and progress, and his name was honored by all who knew him. His political views were in accord with the principles of Democracy as enunciated by Jackson and Jefferson. In the farnily of Solomon and Mary Myers were ten children, but only three are now living, Nancy, James and Solomon. The sister, the wife of Jonathan Girking, is now living in Oregon at the age of more than ninety years. They removed to that state in 1861, have since made their home there and have reared a family of thirteen children, all of whom reached adult age. One son of the family, Nathan Myers, served in the Mexican war and again in the Civil war. Solomon Myers also enlisted and drilled with a company of volunteers which was ready to go to the front, but on account of the close of hostilities he was never called into action.

A detailed history of the early life of Solomon Myers would present a correct picture of pioneer life and experiences in the middle west. Born in a log cabin, he shared with the family in all of the hardships and privations incident to the settlement of a new district. He learned, too, the lessons of economy and industry, of caution and of self-reliance. In those days when homes were widely scattered it was necessary that every individual should use his opportunities to the best advantage, to waste nothing and to learn how to do all kinds of repair work, for machine shops, foundries and even blacksmith shops were often many miles away. The early settler therefore had to depend upon his own labor and ability in everything that contributed to his life's success. In his early manhood Mr. Myers became a contractor and builder. His father took a contract for grading a half mile of the Vandalia Railroad, and Solomon Myers of this review superintended the work. Eventually, however, he turned his attention to other pursuits. In 1856 he purchased forty acres of land in Posey township, Clay county, which he cleared from the forest, cutting the timber for railroad ties and thus paying for the land within a year. His success at that time enabled him in 1857 to add a tract of forty acres to his original purchase, and in 1858 he bought forty acres more. The following year he added still another forty acres, and upon the farm he built a four-room frame house, which stands to-day - a mute witness of the events which have framed the history of this part of the state. Within a few years he had become the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land and in two years' time had cleared eighty acres of this. He stocked his farm with good grades of cattlfc and hogs, and as the years passed carefully tilled his fields and carried on his stock-raising interests, meeting with gratifying success in all that he undertook. In 1872 he contracted for the building of the old North & South Railroad, doing four thousand dollars' worth of work on the road, at the end of which time the company failed and Mr. Myers thus lost all of his time and money. He next took a contract for grading Main street in the city of Brazil, and later did contract work in Parke county, Indiana, on the North & South Railroad, removing to that county in 1886. Later he returned to Brazil and took a railroad contract to grade and clear five acres of land. On the expiration of the period devoted to that work he removed to Minnesota, where he did contract work for the Chicago, St. Paul & Omaha Railroad. Later he again came to Brazil and took contracts for the building of sidewalks in this city in 1896. Subsequently he was superintendent of the building of gravel roads. His early life for many years was a most busy, active and useful one and his success represented the result of earnest labor. It came not through speculation or through any favorable circumstance, but was the reward of his persistent, earnest toil. In 1898 he retired and is now enjoying a rest which he richly merits.

On the 4th of April, 1854, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Mvers and Miss Sarah J. McCullough, who was born in Clay county, Indiana, January 18, 1832, a daughter of George W. and Rachel (Yocum) McCullough, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, in which state they were reared and married. Their family numbered nine children but only two are living, Mrs. Myers and George McCullough. In the year 1832 the father came to Indiana with his wife and children and located in Dick Johnson township, Clay county. He first located on government land in the midst of the forest and built a log cabin, which was the birthplace of Mrs. Myers. His son William was at one time sheriff of Clay county and the family was prominent and influential in pioneer days and contributed in substantial measure to the upbuilding of the community. Mr. McCullough gave stalwart support to the Democ¬ racy and was a devoted and zealous member of the Christian church.

now the wife of Benton Van Hise. They are the parents of two sons and three daughters, and the grandparents are very proud of these grandchildren.

Mr. and Mrs. Myers are members of the Christian church, loyal to its teachings and faithful in following its precepts. Mr. Myers gives his political allegiance to the Democracy and is a most ardent advocate of the Nebraska statesman, William Jennings Bryan. He has always stood for progress and improvement, and as a public spirited citizen has co-operated in many movements which have been of direct and large value to the community. He stands for advancement in material, intel¬ lectual, social, political and moral lines. In 1856 he was one of the subscribers for the building in Sullivan county, Indiana, of the Union Christian College and has his stock subscription certificate to-day. He has paid taxes in Clay county for the past sixty-three years, and while he has never sought to figure prominently in public life, as an office holder, as a business man and citizen his good qualities have won him the respect and esteem of all who know him. His friends are almost as numerous as his acquaintances and now in the eighty-second year of his age he receives the respect and good will of all who know him, for his life has been honorable, his actions manly and sincere and his purposes straightforward.

Solomon Nolte. - Among those who have contributed to the agri¬ cultural development of Clay county during a number of years past is numbered Solomon Nolte, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Posey township. He was born in Carroll county, Ohio, February 28, 1850, and is of German parentage. His father, Adam Nolte, was born in Hanover, Germany, and was there married to Katherine Wesler, who was also born and reared in Hanover. About 1842, with their two chil¬ dren, they came to the United States, locating first in Pennsylvania, from whence they removed to Ohio, and in 1851 the family came to Indiana. Locating in Owen county Mr. Nolte bought two hundred and one acres of land there and farmed until 1873, when he retired and moved to Clay county, making his home with his children until his death at the age of seventy-two years. His politics were Democratic and he was a member of the German Lutheran church. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nolte after coming to the United States, and of their family of eight children, four sons and four daughters, the following are living : Henry, Mary, John, Sarah and Solomon.

Solomon Nolte spent the early years of his life in Owen county, and his first purchase of land was eighty-six acres in Perry township. Clay county, of which he cleared about forty acres and made many improvements. From there he moved to his present farm in 1893, pur¬ chasing one hundred and thirty-five acres, on which he has also made many and substantial improvements and has placed his land under an excellent state of cultivation.

Mr. Nolte was married in Clay county, April 26, 1874, to Lena Nussel, .who received her education in the schools of Posey township, and the history of her parents, George and Barbara (Fleschman) Nussel, is given on other pages of this history. The following children have been born to this union : George, Christena, Joseph, Edward, Emanuel. Phillip, William and Martha, but the last three named are deceased. All were born in Perry township, Clay county. Mr. Nolte has given a life¬ long support to Democratic principles, and is a member of the Lutheran church.

William W. Decker, one of Clay county's brave and honored sol¬ dier citizens, was born in Butler county, Ohio, March 16, 1844, a son of Obediah D. and Sarah Ann (Austin) Decker, both of whom were natives of the county named. The father, who was of German and Irish ancestry, died at the age of seventy-one years, and the mother, of English lineage, passed away at the age of sixty-two. They were married in Butler county, Ohio, June 11, 1837, and became the parents of nine sons, two of whom died in infancy and two (Robert and John) in manhood ; the living are Jesse A., William W., Elmond A., Andrew S. and Obediah Decker. Seven lived to be voters and with their father cast their ballots for Republicanism.

Obediah Decker's father was John Decker, who came from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to Butler county, Ohio, where he established him¬ self as a farmer and died at about thirty years of age. Obediah was the only son. The widow married David Hulse and she herself died when the boy was fifteen years of age. The orphaned youth then learned the shoemaker's trade and became an expert hunter of small game. After¬ ward he was employed on a packet boat, engaged in transferring coal along the Ohio river, but finally returned to Butler county, Ohio, where he married Sarah Ann Austin on the nth of June, 1837. After residing there for some ten years they removed to Clav county, Indiana, where the husband engaged in various industries and lines of business and became a large dealer in furs and bought and improved a large farm and, after the building of the Vandalia Railroad, invested in coal mines. He also entered the real estate field, engaged in building and brick manufac¬ turing, and himself erected a fine brick house on his farm, which was quite a mansion for those days and is still standing/ Further, he was associated with Messrs. Modisett, Hawkins and Serdam in a flour mill, which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1862. The plant was located at what was then Highland, now Staunton. During these early days before the courts and police machinery were fairly organized there was much lawlessness in this section of the state, murders and robberies being of not infrequent occurrence. What *was called the John A. Clark gang, comprising about a hundred desperate characters, terrorized the whole country for a number of years, and for the purpose of breaking up the organization the citizens formed a company that was called the Regu¬ lators and elected Mr. Decker captain. The citizens' body comprised several hundred men from Terre Haute, Brazil, Bridgeton, Ashboro and Center Point, and in a short time drove the obnoxious characters out of the country. Mr. Decker was a large raiser of corn and wheat and also of stock, his stock always being prominent prize winners at the county fairs. He finally removed to Brazil, bought the Sherman House, in which occupation he spent the last years of his life, dying on the 9th of May, 1885.

William W. Decker was a small boy when he came with his parents to Indiana, reaching manhood in Clay county. His boyhood was spent in an unsettled country, and, like his father, he loved the woods and became a famous hunter of such game as mink, coons, wild turkeys, deer and. upon several very rare occasions, of bear and panthers. As he would rather work than study and schools were scarce at best, his education was of the most limited nature. At the age of sixteen he worked in the Highland flour mill, and afterward assisted his father in clearing his farm about a mile southwest, as well as in sawing logs for the house patterns which the father sent to Terre Haute, and chopping wood to be used in the brick manufactory. Later, he learned to make brick and to lay them.

At the declaration of the Civil war Mr. Decker enlisted in Company G, Seventy-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Rose and Captain J. W. Sanders, and was afterward attached to the Fifty-fourth Regiment and Colonel Knox's regiment and then to the Fifteenth Indiana Volunteers under Colonel Donham. While with this command he participated in the siege and surrender of MunfordsVille, Kentucky, September 12-14, 1862. The defending force of Union troops consisted of between 3,000 and 4,000 men, mostly raw troops, the 800 under Colonel Wilder having neither guns nor ammunition. But the order of the superior officer was to hold the place to the last ; and it was held against overwhelming odds until a surrender was effected with all the honors of war. The first night of the surrender 700 or 800 succeeded in making their escape (including Mr. Decker), but were recaptured about eight miles awav and returned to the headquarters of Bragg and Butler, where the prisoners were paroled and sent to General Buell's army. They then marched through Bowling C ,reen and thence to Brandenburg, on the Ohio river in Kentucky, where they boarded the transports, crossed the river and, marching to New Albany and Jeffersonville, obtained trans¬ portation to Indianapolis.

Following his return Mr. Decker attended school during a part of the winter of 1862, and after legal exchange enlisted in Company D, 115th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. While engaged in recruiting duty and in attendance at school he wore his uniform of blue, and during this period received a notice from the Knights of the Golden Circle (rabid sympathizers with the Confederacy) that they would hang any man wear¬ ing the garb of a Union soldier at their meetings. Mr. Decker and Cap¬ tain Sanders took the notice to Governor Morton, who provided them with a force and gave them orders to shoot to kill, in case they were molested. This action broke up the camp of the Knights of the Golden Circle, near the old hill, Clay county, Indiana. On the 5th of August, 1863, Mr. Decker re-enlisted for service, being assigned to Company D, 115th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably dis¬ charged in 1864. He served as a member of the Twenty-third Army Corps from the 1st of August, 1863, until his discharge, and was under the general command of Major Generals George L. Hartsuff and Burn¬ side. This corps took part in the following engagements, in many of which Mr. Decker personally participated: Scott's raid, from July 25 to August 6, 1863; Green River Bridge, July 4, 1863; Morgan's raid into Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, July 2-26, 1863; Limestone Station, Ten¬ nessee, September 8, 1863; Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, September 7-10; Bristol, Tennessee, September 19, 1863: Carter's Station, Tennessee, Sep¬ tember 20-21, 1863 ; Blountsville, Tennessee, September 22, 1863 ; Calhoun, Tennessee, September 26, 1863; Blue Springs, October 5, October io, 1863; Philadelphia, October 20, October 26, 1863; Sweet Water, October 26-27, 1863; Rogersville, November 6, 1863; Huff's Ferry, November 14; Marysville Loudoun Creek, Lenair, Holston River, Campbell's Station,

November 10, 1863 ; siege of Knoxville, November 17-December 6; Bean's Station, December 14; Blain's Cross Roads, December 16-19; Mossy Creek, December 24-29, 1863, all in Tennessee; and Munfordsville, Ken¬ tucky, September 12-14, 1862. At Bean's Station Mr. Decker assisted in the capture of a train.

After his return from the front, Mr. Decker operated a sawmill in Posey township for a time, then engaged in farming, but soon returned to his sawmill work on the line of Vigo and Clay counties. He then successively engaged at the carpenter's trade, farmed and sunk a coal shaft in Perry township, removed two years later to Brazil and engaged in the grocery business, after a year embarked in the teaming and under¬ taking business, was in the grocery line with his brother Andrew, again worked as a carpenter and in 1886 established a business in second-hand merchandising. As a fraternalist Mr. Decker has been identified with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and with the General Canby Post No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic, at Brazil, Indiana.

On the 27th of August, 1864, Mr. Decker married Miss Loretta Jane West, who was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, and died July 30, 1887, when but thirty-four years of age. She was the daughter of William and Amanda (Lee) West. Her father was born in Clay county, Indiana, a son of James West, and he was a Terre Haute cabinet maker. He was a Republican, a Mason, a member of the Regulators (already mentioned), and of the Baptist church, and died in a soldier's hospital at Indianapolis from disease contracted in the Union army, in which he served as a member of the Seventy-first Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, Sixth Cavalry. Mrs. West was born in Vigo county, Indiana, was also married in that county, and Mrs. Decker was her only child. Four of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Decker are living: Morton E., Charles S., Hattie B. and William W.

Levi A. Lauderback, who has spent much of his life in Brazil, is now filling the position of detective for the Vandalia Railroad Company. In all of his business relations, which have been of a varied character, he has been found true to the trust reposed in him and he has in this county many warm friends, who esteem him highly for his genuine worth. A native of Brown county, Ohio, Mr. Lauderback was born November 9, 1862, and was the seventh in order of birth in a family of eight children whose parents were Uriah and Nancy (Dunn) Lauderback. They, too, were natives of Brown county, Ohio, the father's birth having occurred December 22, 1822, while the mother first opened her eyes to the light of day on the 9th of October, 1825. They were married in the county of their nativity and the father is now living in Brazil at the venerable age of eighty-five years, but the mother died January 25, 1902. Uriah Lauder¬ back spent his boyhood and youth in Brown county, Ohio, and worked with General U. S. Grant in the tannery owned by the latter's father, Jesse Grant. Some time after his marriage, with his wife and three children he made a trip overland to Iowa, where he engaged in farming for a period. One son was added to the family during their stay in Iowa, where they were living fifty years ago. On the return trip they pro¬ ceeded by steamboat down the Mississippi river and up the Ohio river to the state of Ohio. In his younger days Mr. Lauderback had been engaged in service on the steamboats that went down the river to New Orleans. At the time of the Civil war he espoused his country's cause, enlisting in

September, 1864, as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Seventyfifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. He remained with that command until honorably discharged at Nashville, Tennessee, in August, 1865, and participated in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee. It was on the 22d of September, 1867, that he came to Brazil, making the journey by wagon with his family. He became a timber contractor and furnished timbers for buildings and also for railroad ties. He likewise took contracts for the building and grading of streets in Brazil and graded West Main and West Knight streets. Extending his efforts to other lines of activity, he erected the old Sherman Hotel and was engaged in the hotel business for some time. The old Decker Hotel today stands on the site where he built the Sherman House, which was destroyed by fire in 1882.

At that time Mr. Lauderback removed to, his farm in Dick Johnson township, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits for a number of years. He then retired to a place near the city of Brazil and after his wife's death he turned over his property to his children and is now making his home with them. He has always been a stanch Republican, in thorough sympathy with the purposes and principles of the party. His wife was for seventy years a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a most earnest Christian woman. They traveled life's journey together for more than a half century and reared a family who are a credit to their name. Five of their children are now living - Almina, the wife of Albert Michaelsee, who is living in Brazil ; Henry, who married Naomi Webster ; Sadie, the wife of George Cook ; Silas, who married Miss Sallie Hewett ; and Levi A., of this review.

The last named pursued his education in the public schools of Brazil to the age of fourteen years, when he put aside his text-books and made his initial step in the business world as a farm hand. He was thus em¬ ployed for nine months and in the winter of 1876 he engaged in clerking for Charles Fisher, of Brazil. In the spring he returned to farming and in the winter of 1878 he cut cord wood, but in March of that year engaged with the firm of Crawford & McCrimmon to learn the trade of a moulder. He was with that company for three years, after which he engaged with the Big Four Railroad Company on bridge work, continuing in that service for about six months. He next removed to Mattoon, Illinois, where he worked at his trade for about three months, when he again came to Clay county, Indiana, and assisted his father in his farming operations. In 1884 he was married, after which he worked on the farm with his father for one year. Leaving the old homestead, he then engaged with the Vandalia Railroad Company as switchman, having in the mean¬ time lost a part of his foot by accident. Subsequently he was employed as a coal miner and in 1885 he again entered the employ of Crawford & McCrimmon, with whom he continued until 1891. In that year he was elected city marshal of Brazil and served for three years and four months. He was then re-elected for a four years' term, having won the nomina¬ tion over five contestants in the field. During his third candidacy, how¬ ever, he was defeated and on retiring from office he resumed his old position with the firm of Crawford & McCrimmon. After working with them for thirteen months he was engaged by the Vandalia Railroad Com¬ pany as a detective and has served in that capacity continuously since the 1 st of October, 1899.

of John and Lucrena (Hall) Stewart. Her father, who was horn in Hamilton, Ohio, October 15, 1826, is now living in Brazil, while the mother was born in New Jersey, July 29, 1826, and died in 1898. They were married in Brazil, Indiana, and unto them were born three daugh¬ ters and four sons, while six of the family are yet living: Sarah, now the wife of Joseph Young; William; Charles; Minerva; Robert; and Mrs. Lauderback. The father was a plasterer and wagonmaker in his younger days. He came to Brazil with his widowed mother and her children at a very early period in the history of the city and at one time they owned much of the land upon which the city has since been built. He and his brother, Robert Stewart, now living in Brazil, gave to Clay county the ground whereon the courthouse and other county buildings now stand. Mr. Stewart was the first city treasurer of Brazil and he and his brother Robert were engaged in business together here for about forty years as dealers in real estate and as proprietors of a grocery and meat market. They were among the honored and worthy pioneer settlers of this* locality and in their undertakings prospered, so that some time ago they retired from active business life. Mr. Stewart is a member of Brazil Lodge, No. 264, A. F. & A. M., and of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, and his political allegiance is given to the Republican party.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Lauderback have been born six children, namely: Sadie, who died at the age of fifteen years ; Nettie, the wife of Earl Wolf; Frank H.; Levi A.; Joseph; and Althea. The family is well known in Brazil and the members of the household occupy an enviable position in the social circles in which they move. Mr. Lauderback be¬ longs to Centennial Lodge, No. 541, A. F. & A. M., and to the Modern Woodmen Camp, No. 3418. In politics he has always been a stalwart Republican and his allegiance to the party is based upon a firm belief in its principles and purposes.

Henry H. Brown. - The Brown family, of which Henry H. Brown is a representative, is an old and prominent one in Clay county, Indiana, for its members have been identified with the business and public life of this district throughout a long period. Henry H. Brown is a native son of the county, his birth having occurred on a farm in Dick Johnson township, March 17, 1873. His parents, Frutney and Nancy E. (Oard) Brown, are still living, now making their home in Brazil. The father was born in Kentucky but in early life made his way to Clay county, Indiana, and was married in Dick Johnson township to Miss Nancy E. Oard, whose birth occurred in that township. He is engaged in farming and also drills for coal. He is a public-spirited citizen, being deeply inter¬ ested in every movement that tends toward the advancement and upbuild¬ ing of his community. His political allegiance is given to the Democracy, on which ticket he was elected to the office of county treasurer, in which position he served for one term, or two years. He is a Mason, belonging to Brazil Lodge, No. 264. His family numbered two children, but the subject of this sketch is now the only surviving member.

Henry H. Brown was reared on the home farm, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the farmer boy, while his education was pursued in the district schools to the age of seventeen years. At that time he engaged in teaching school, following the pro¬ fession for two years, subsequent to which time, ambitious to acquire a thorough business knowledge, he pursued a course in the business college at Terre Haute. After leaving college he was engaged for two or three years in drilling for coal and also in drilling wells. It was about this time that the father had been called to the office of county treasurer and the son then served as his deputy, discharging his duties in prompt and able manner. After retiring from that public office he once more resumed his business interests in drilling for coal and drilling wells, a business which he has continued to the present time. He is meeting with grati¬ fying success in his undertakings - a success which is well merited, for it has come as a result of his honorable, straightforward methods and excel¬ lent business ability.

Mr. Brown was married December 14, 1898, the lady of his choice being Miss Sophia Melbille, who, like her husband, is a native of Clay county, her birth having occurred in Knightsville, August 9, 1875. Her parents, James and Euphemia (Lawson) Melbille, were both natives of Scotland, where they were reared and married, subsequent to which time they crossed the Atlantic and took up their abode near Knightsville, Clay county, where the father engaged in mining operations, acting as super¬ intendent of a mine there. In his native country, however, he followed the sea, and after his arrival in this country was engaged for a number of years as a hoisting engineer. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party, while fraternally he was identified with the Masons, having become a member of that body in Scotland. His family numbered three children, of whom Sophia is the second in order of birth, the others being David and Agnes Melbille.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Brown has been blessed with three inter¬ esting little daughters, Euphemia, Thelma and Agnes Ellen. Following in the political footsteps of his father, Mr. Brown gives his support to the men and measures of Democracy, while fraternally he is connected with Brazil Lodge, Xo. 30, K. P., and Brazil Lodge, No. 215, I. O. O. F. Having spent their entire lives in Clay county, both Mr. and Mrs. Brown have a wide and favorable acquaintance and the hospitality of their pleasant home is enjoyed by their many friends.

James M. Rixgo, who is a life-long farmer of Posev township. Clay county, was born in that township, near the village of Turner, February 11, i860. William H. Ringo, the father, was a native of Henry county, Kentucky, born February 22, 1830, son of Major and Elizabeth (Bryan) Ringo. The grandparents came to Clay county in 1833 and settled in Posey township near the town of Staunton, and in that locality reared their family of ten children, namely : Morgan H. ; George ; Margaret, who married William M. Congleton ; Allen ; Martha, who married Farmer Doyle ; Albina, who married Frank Congleton ; William H. ; John W. ; Lu¬ cinda ; and Cornelius. The father was three years of age when the family located in Clay county and he was reared in Posey township and educated in the public schools of the township. He married Miss Elizabeth Gainer, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Coffman) Gainer, both natives of Putnam county, Indiana, his wife being raised and educated near Greencastle. Their five children were: Jennie, who married William McColough and still lives in Posey township; James M., of this sketch; Sarah, now Mrs. Philander Mace, who resides at Terre Haute, Indiana; Mary, who died at the age of nineteen years ; and Charles, who died when four years of age. The father was a Democrat and both he and his wife were leading and active members of the Methodist church. He himself was a farmer throughout life and died November i,, 1896, upon his homestead of one hundred and twenty acres. His wife followed him August 15, 1903.

James M. Ringo was reared to manhood in Posey township and creditably completed the common school course. He has engaged in farming all his mature life with the exception of three years when he was engaged in the mill and feed business at Brazil, being during that period associated with W. W. Lathrop. At the present time he is engaged in his life avocation on a farm of forty acres. He is a Demo¬ crat but has never sought public office or advancement. He is also a Mason in good standing, belonging to Brazil Lodge, No. 264, A. F. & A. M. On October 13, 1886, Mr. Ringo married Miss Myra Wilkerson, daughter of Urias and Penelope Wilkerson, of Cass township, this county. Their two children are Clifford W. and Cora E. Mrs. Myra Ringo died May 1, 1891, and January 12, 1893, Mr. Ringo married Miss Elnora Elliott, daughter of William and Chariot (Winters) Elliott. The parents of his present wife were natives of Ohio, and came at an early day to Clay county, where Mrs. Ringo was born, reared and educated. The children born to this second union were : Hallie, Effie, Maude, Harvey, Raymond, and Stanley and Wesley, twins.

Joseph A. Herron, a prominent and well known oil merchant in Brazil, has been identified with the business interests of this city for a number of years, first owning and residing on property in the northern part of the city. After five years there he sold and bought a house and lot at 24 West Logan street and began dealing in fire insurance, in which line he continued for a year and a half. On the 1st of January, 1884, he embarked in business as a retail oil merchant, delivering to customers in Brazil and vicinity, and he is now at the head of a large and remunerative business.

Mr. Herron was born in Perry township, Clay county, April 16, 1861. His father, James Herron, was born in Lancaster county, Penn¬ sylvania, March 8, 1798, a son of John and Rebecca (Clark) Herron, both of whom were born in Ireland. In Ohio, in 1833, James Herron was united in marriage to Margaret L. Archerd, who was born in Clearmont county, that state, in June, 1814, a daughter of John and Marv (McMichael) Archerd, natives respectively of England and of Scotland. In 1838 Mr. Herron came with his young wife via the Ohio and Wabash rivers to Terre Haute, Indiana, entering two hundred acres of timber land from the government in Perry township, which he par¬ tially cleared and improved. In 1851 he sold his farm there and bought one hundred and fifty acres in Posey township, four miles west of Brazil, where he. spent the remainder of his life and died on the 10th of Sep¬ tember, 1869. In 1901 Mrs. Herron sold the farm and moved to Brazil, where she died February 8, 1908. Of their family of eleven children eight are now living, three sons and five daughters, seven of whom are living in this vicinity, and the eldest son is in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Joseph A. Herron spent his boyhood days on the homestead, assist¬ ing his mother with the work of the farm until his marriage, which occurred on the 10th of July, 1881, Carrie Cook becoming his wife. She was born in Clearmont county, Ohio, a daughter of WTilliam and Sophia (Enlows) Cook, natives of Baltimore, Maryland, and a grand-

Oscar O. Van Cleve. - Conspicuous among the more progressive and intelligent agriculturists of Perry township, Clay county, is Oscar O. Van Cleve, the owner of a fine farming estate in section 1 1 , where in the pursuit of his chosen calling he is meeting with noteworthy success. He is a native of this county, his birth having occurred on the home¬ stead where he now resides, August 11, 1858. His father, Benjamin B. Van Cleve, was a pioneer settler of Clay county, and did his full share in leveling its forests and transforming its timbered lands into^ rich farms.

A native of Preble county, Ohio, Benjamin B. Van Cleve was bred and educated in his native state. He there married Jane Hays, who was born in Darke county, Ohio, a daughter of James Hays. Coming with his young wife to Clay county in 1846, he purchased eighty acres of land in section 1, and eighty acres in section 11, and immediately began the improvement of a farm. I11 i860 he erected a one-story house, finishing it in black walnut. It was a very pretentious structure, the finest in the county at that time, and it is still in good repair, and is now occupied by Mr. Van Cleve. He was an excellent farmer, was prosperously engaged in tilling the soil until his death, in 1868. His wife survived him, passing away on the homestead in 1894.

The youngest of a family of five children, Oscar O. Van Cleve was about ten years old when his father died. He received his early educa¬ tion in the district schools, after which he attended the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, fitting himself for a professional career. He subsequently taught school for twenty-four years, commencing in 1877 in Brazil, where he was for many years principal of the Lambert Street school. For fifteen years previous to his mother's death Mr. Van Cleve rented the old home farm, and in addition to teaching had the management of the home estate. Subsequently buying out the remaining heirs, he has since devoted his whole time and attention to its care, and as a general agriculturist is meeting with uniform success, his farm, in its improvements and appointments, being one of the best in Perry township.

On January 15, 1882. Mr. Van Cleve married Belle Harris, who was born in Perry township, a daughter of Dr. William M. and Maria ( Barber) Harris, who came to this locality from Darke county, Ohio, in 1855. Dr. Harris was here engaged in the practice of his profession for upwards of forty years, dying here in 1898. His wife, mother of Mrs. Van Cleve, died in early womanhood, passing away in 18 66. Into the pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Van Cleve, four children have been born, namely: Guy F., of Custer, Montana; Ray M., attending the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis; Clara; and Gretchen O. Po¬ litically Mr. Van Cleve is a steadfast Republican, sustaining the prin¬ ciples of that party by voice and vote. Fraternally he is a member of Center Point Lodge, No. 597, A. F. & A. M. ; and of Center Point Lodge, No. 449, I. O. O. F. Religiously he is an esteemed member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Harvey D. Scott Bennett, the popular and well known liveryman of Cory, was born in Perry township, Clay county, Indiana, March 29, 1855, a son of Robert and Telitha (Lavcox) Bennett, who were born in Dearborn county, Indiana. They were also married there, and soon afterward purchased and moved to a farm half a mile south of Cory. Shortly after purchasing this land he sold it and bought a farm two and a half miles south of Cory, where they spent the remainder of their lives. During two years of this time they resided in Terre Haute to afford their children good educational advantages.

Harvey D. S. Bennett, the seventh born of their eight children, spent his boyhood days on the home farm, and after his parents' death he bought a portion of the homestead, but later sold that land. He also owned forty acres adjoining the home place, where he resided and farmed until the 15th of April, 1907, moving then to Cory and embark¬ ing in the livery business. He has met with success in this venture, and his barn is now equipped with seven excellent driving horses and a number of carriages and vehicles of all kinds, and he enjoys an excellent patronage.

Mr. Bennett was married on the 6th of August, 1876, Mattie B. Crable becoming his wife. She was born in V irginia, and is a daughter of William D. and Charlotta (Myers) Crable, both of whom were, also born in the Old Dominion state. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are: Orvil, at home with his parents; Virgil and Vincel, who are in Terre Haute; and Essie, Zelta and Truel. Mr. Bennett is a Republican in his political affiliations, and is a member of the Independent Order of Red Men at Cory and of the Masonic order at Riley.

John B. Longshore, prominently identified with the farming and stock raising interests of Jackson township, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, September 5, 1838. His father, Thomas Longshore, and his mother, Effie Boyd, were both born in that state, and they became the parents of eight children, four sons and four daughters, all of whom were born in Ohio.

John B. Longshore, the fourth child and second son, left home at the age of twenty-one years and came to Indiana, purchasing eighty acres in the woods of Jackson township, on which he erected his house and began at once to clear his land. In time he added forty acres more to the place, a part of which he also cleared, but in the fall of 1861 he left the farm and moved to Peoria county, Illinois, where he worked as a farm hand until his enlistment for the Civil war on the 16th of August, 1862. He entered the Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Com¬ pany A, in which he served for three years, and was in the battle of Jackson, the charge on Vicksburg, the battles of Pleasant Hill, Spanish Fort, Abbeyville, Hurricane Creek, Lake Chicot, in the march to Oxford with General Grant and in many other engagements. He was mustered out at Springfield, Illinois, on the 16th of August, 1864.

After returning from the army Mr. Longshore went to his old home in Muskingum county, Ohio, where he remained for one year, and in 1866 returned to Clay county, Indiana, and farmed here until his removal to Allen county, Kansas, in 1882. In 1884 he came again to Clav county and purchased the farm which he now owns, consisting of three hundred and ten acres of rich and fertile land in section 4, Jackson township.

On the 5th of March, 1868, Mr. Longshore was married to Martha Hamaker, who was born in Richland, Ohio, and was but nine months old when brought by her parents to Clay county, Indiana. Her father, David Hamaker, was one of the pioneer farmers of Van Buren township, where he entered eighty acres of land and worked on the first railroad ever built through Clay county. He was of German descent, and was married to Mary Fisher, also born in Ohio, and they had nine children, of whom Mrs. Longshore was the third born, and all attended the district schools of Van Buren and Jackson townships. Mr. Hamaker was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. One of his sons, William Hamaker, was killed in the sinking of a shaft in Jackson township November 10, 1871. Mr. and Mrs. Longshore have had eight children, namely : Thomas and Mary E., both of whom are deceased; David W. ; Joseph B. ; Effie, wife of Benjamin Dougal, whose home is in the state of Washington ; Anna Louetta and Mattie, both of whom are teaching in the schools of Jackson township; and Roy, a bookkeeper in Brazil. All were born in Clay county with the exception of one, whose birth occurrred in Kansas, and all were reared and educated here. Mr. Longshore has supported and upheld the principles of the Republican party throughout the years of his maturity, and he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and the F. M. B. A. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as a trustee for many years.

Preston Coltharp. - One of the best known and most honored of the pioneers of Clay county was Joseph Coltharp, the father of Preston, and for many yeaVs a faithful and earnest laborer in the cause of Christianity and a minister of the Baptist church. He was born in Tennessee, September 15, 1808, and was there married to Nancy Coff¬ man, who was also born in the commonwealth, in 1810, and about 1828 they came to Indiana and located in Jackson township, Owen county, where he bought one hundred and twenty-three acres of land. They also lived a short time in Putnam county and in 1870 came to Clay county and bought, cleared and improved sixty acres of land on the Eel river, remaining there for three years. During the two following years Rev. Coltharp was a resident of Knightsville, and then bought the farm in Jackson township on which he spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of seventy-four years. For a period of forty-four years he preached the gospel throughout Clay and the surrounding counties, labor¬ ing faithfully and earnestly as a minister of the Baptist church, and his efforts were abundantly blessed. Rev. Coltharp and his wife had nine children, five sons and four daughters, namely: James, John. Mary, Pres¬ ton, Samuel, Nancy Jane and Joseph. Two, the fourth and fifth born, died in infancy, and Samuel and Nancy Jane are also deceased. Rev. Coltharp supported the principles of the Democratic party, and his father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.

Preston Coltharp, a son of this revered pioneer minister of Clay county, was born in Putnam county, Indiana, September 29, 1841, and when twenty-eight years of age he went west and located in Dent county, Missouri, where he bought and improved a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and remained there for three years, returning thence to Putnam county. From there he came to Clay county in 1869 and located on his present farm in section 3, Jackson township.

On the. 2d of July, 1863, he was married to Amanda Christenberg, who was born in Owen county, Indiana, February 28, 1844, a daughter of Green Christenberg, one of the pioneers of that county. Their twelve children are: Missouri, Mary Alice, Mary Jane and Anna, all of whom are deceased; the next in order of birth died in infancy; Joseph William, James Albert, Jesse Asbury, Robert Lee, Frances Lorina, Elda May and Flora. Mr. Coltharp votes with the Democratic party, and is a member of the Grange and the F. M. B. A. Mrs. Coltharp is a member of the Predestinarian Baptist church.

Lewis Baum, a farmer and stock raiser of Posey township in section 30, was born in this township on the 1st of January, i860. His father, Arthur Baum, was for many years a farmer in Posey township, and was born, reared and educated in Germany, coming to America when a young man and locating in Ohio, where he was married to a native daughter of his own land, Margaret Tiefel, a sister of Henry Tiefel, whose history is given on other pages of this work. They became the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom Lewis was the first born, and five are now deceased. From Ohio the parents came to Clay county, Indiana, during an early period in its history, purchasing eighty acres of land from John Miller in Posey township, a part of which Mr. Baum cleared, and he in time placed his land under an excellent state of cul¬ tivation. He also owned other farming property in Clay county, but his home was in Posey township throughout the remainder of his life, dying at the age of eighty-four years. He was a member of the Lutheran church, and throughout his residence in this country gave his political support to the Democracy.

Lewis Baum spent the early years of his life on the homestead farm here, attending the district schools of the township, and after his mar¬ riage he moved to his present home farm, starting with forty acres, and he now owns a splendid farm of one hundred and thirty-eight acres, on which he has made many valuable improvements.

He was married on the 17th of April, 1883, to Mary Bilger, who was born in Clark county, Illinois, near Marshall, and when she was nine years of age she came to Clay county, Indiana, and was reared in the home of Thomas Keller, her mother having previously died in Clark county. Mr. and Mrs. Baum have had seven children, four sons and three daughters, namely : Amelia Rosetta, John C., William Jacob, Edward Andrew, Edith Maria, Grace Louise and Theodore, all of whom are liv¬ ing with the exception of Theodore, and all were born on the homestead farm. Mr. Baum votes with the Prohibition party, and is a member of the United Brethren church.

Albert Miller, whose name is familiarly associated with the farm¬ ing and stock raising interests of Posey township, is one of the township's native sons, born within its borders on the 1st of June, 1864, a son of John Nicholas Miller, whose history is incorporated in the sketch of Emanuel Miller on other pages of this history.

The district schools of Posey township afforded Albert Miller his educational training, and after his father's death he came into possession of eighty acres of the old homestead farm, but in 1896 he moved from that place to Parke county, Indiana, and bought a farm. In 1903, how¬ ever, he returned to his home township of Posey and bought his present homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he has made all of the improvements and has placed his land under an excellent state of cul¬ tivation. He has been a life-long supporter of Democratic principles, an active and efficient local worker for the party cause, and at one time made the race for the office of treasurer of Parke county, having been defeated at the polls by three hundred votes. He is a Mason in his fraternal rela¬ tions, a member^of Center Point Lodge No. 597.

The marriage of Mr. Miller was celebrated on the 20th of September, 1883. when he was married to Ann Chaney, born' in Parke county, Indiana, in 1854. Her father, William Chaney, is a Parke county farmer and an honored early pioneer of that county. Her people are of English and Welsh descent, and her mother. Tamer Burson Miller, is a member of another of the honored early families of Parke county. Mrs. Miller is the youngest of their family of seven children, three sons and four daughters, all of whom were born in Parke county and all grew to years of maturity with the exception of one, who died at the age of seven years. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Miller has been blessed by the birth of one son, Oscar Wiles, born in Posey township, Clav county, November 27, 1887. The family are members of the Predestinarian Baptist church.

Mitchell Gi m. - Patriotic, energetic and progressive, Mitchell Gum bravely served bis country during her time of need, taking an active part in the Civil war, and now as an active and true citizen of Van Buren township is equally as faithful in the performance of the duties devolving upon him in this capacity. He owns and occupies a farm near Carbon, and is also interested in mining. A son of William B. Gum, he was born, October 28, 1840, on the banks of the Kentucky river, in Estill county, Kentucky. His grandfather, William B. Gum, was born in Owsley county, Kentucky, a son of Elias Gum, whose birthplace was on the Duck Fork of Sturgeon creek.

Choosing farming as his life occupation, Elias Gum bought a tract of heavy timber in Owsley county, and having cleared a part of it sold it at an advanced price. Then buying another tract, he had equally as good success in disposing of it, and in the buying and selling of land was largely employed during his years of activity. He removed from Owsley county to Lee county, and there spent his declining years, passing away at the venerable age of eighty-five. His wife, whose name before marriage was Edie Phillips, was born, of Scotch ancestry, and died in that county.

Familiar with the river and its pursuits from early life, William B. Gum spent more than half a century as a pilot on the Kentucky, whose waters he loved, and was a life-long resident of his native state, dying there at the age of seventy-six years. He married Lucinda Benton, who was born in Estill county. Her father, Jesse Benton, a native of Ken¬ tucky, started in life even with the world. Energetic and enterprising, he dealt for a number of years in hogs, driving them to Richmond, Virginia, where he would buy slaves to take back to his neighbors, in this manner amassing a fortune. While yet in the prime of life, he suffered a stroke of paralysis, and for twenty years was a helpless invalid. Before his illness he was quite prominent in public affairs, and in 1840 and 1842 was elected to the state legislature. He married Phebe Quick, who spent her entire life in Kentucky, at her death being buried beside him in the Mount Taber churchyard, in Estill county. She was the mother of fifteen children, eleven of whom grew to years of maturity.

Beginning life for himself on the Kentucky river, Mitchell Gum became an expert pilot, an occupation that he followed until after the breaking out of the Civil war. On August 17, 1861, he enlisted in Com¬ pany A, Seventh Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into service at Camp Dick Robinson, in Garrard county. Going with his regiment from there to Cumberland Ford, he crossed the river in time to take part in the battle there fought, then proceeded to Camp Cotterell, going from there to Tazewell, Tennessee, thence back to Big Tree Gap, Kentucky, where after a sharp skirmish they captured the Gap. With his comrades, he remained there several months, in the meantime being sur¬ rounded by Confederate soldiers. The battalion to which his regiment was attached managed to slip through the lines, and arrived in Richmond, Kentucky, in season to participate in the battle fought there on August 30, 1862. The battalion was that day captured, and on the second day of September was paroled, the parole reading as follows :

"This is to certify that fylitchell Gum, a private in Company A, Sev¬ enth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, does solemnly swear that he will not take arms against the Confederate States, or give any information to the enemy thereof, (Violation of this parole the penalty is death) till duly exchanged according to the cordial regulation of Exchange of Prisoners.

Returning to his home, Mr. Gum remained there until exchanged, when he rejoined his regiment at Covington Barracks, Virginia. Three weeks later he went to Cincinnati, and there with his command embarked on the transport "R. C. Wood/' and went down the Mississippi to Vicks¬ burg. Landing at Milliken's Bend, his regiment was camped there a few days. On December 28th they met the enemy at Chickasaw Bluffs, and being repulsed, with heavy loss, retreated to Milliken's Bend, and there remained until April, 1863. Marching then to Grand Gulf, Mississippi, his battalion, after a fierce fight of five and three-fourths hours, ran the blockade, landing at the James plantation, in Mississippi. Proceeding to Thompsons Hill, they fought, captured the place, and took seven hundred prisoners, the loss on the Union side, also, being very heavy. From there to Port Gibson, fourteen miles away, thence to Mississippi Springs, and on May 16, 1863, took an active part in the engagement at Champion Hill. From there to Black River Bridge, and after the battle at that place was fought crossed the river on pontoons, and marched to Vicksburg, where,- with his regiment, Mr. Gum took part in the memorable siege of that city, remaining in that vicinity until its surrender. After the fall of Vicksburg, he was at the front in the Battle of Jackson. There receiving a sun¬ stroke, he was taken back to Vicksburg, placed on the hospital boat, on which he remained until August 18, 1863, when he was sent to the Overton Hospital, at Memphis, Tennessee. The fever' from which he was suffering caused an abscess to form on his left thigh, which had to be operated on. On November 2, 1863, Mr. Gum was transferred to the United States Hospital, at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. On the tenth of January. 1864, he was granted a thirty days' furlough, which he had extended from time to time. On recovering his health, he rejoined hi - company at Barracks, No. 1, Louisville, Kentucky, from there was sent to Fenton Barracks, St. Louis, but his remaining' time of service being then so short, he was sent back to Louisville, Kentucky, where, on October 5, 1864, his term of enlistment having expired, he was honorably discharged.

Returning from the army, Mr. Gum remained for some time in his native place, working a part of the time in the coal mines, and a part of the time as river pilot. Coming to Indiana in 1873, he was in the employ¬ ment of the Otter Creek Coal Company until he commenced mining operations on his own account. In addition to the management of his coal interests, Mr. Cum is also engaged in agricultural pursuits on his well improved farm, located near Carbon, and is meeting with excellent suc¬ cess, both as a farmer and as a miner.

Mr. Gum married, in 1862, Ellen Fowler. She was born in North Carolina, and when an infant was left fatherless. Her widowed mother removed to Kentucky, and there she was brought up and married. Mr. and Mrs. Gum have three sons and one daughter, namely : John P., Harry I., James B., and Mary Belle. Harry married Bertha Bailey, and they have one daughter, Ethel. James B. married Ella Nickson, and they have two children, Harley and Mary Agnes. Mary Belle, the wife of Thomas Umpleby, has three children, Harry, Bernice, and Lucia. Fraternally Mr. Gum, as we should naturally expect from his honorable war record, belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Joseph H. Clinoerman, of Brazil, was born in Washington town¬ ship, Clay county, Indiana, July 6, 1861, a son of John and Barbara Ann (Royer) Clingerman, natives of Pennsylvania, and a grandson of John about 1846, and purchased and lived on land two and a half miles from Bowling Green until their death, the mother dying in 1895 and the father on the 2d of January, 1899.

Joseph H. Clingerman was the fifth born of their twelve children, eight sons and four daughters, seven of whom are now living, and he remained on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age. Dur¬ ing the two and a half years following his leaving home he farmed on rented land near Stanton, while during six years he farmed on rented land in Jackson township, and it was on the 23d of December, 1891, that he came to Brazil and engaged in the teaming business, an occupation which he has ever since followed, and since 1897 he has also driven the city sprinkling wagon.

Mr. Clingerman was married on the 2d of October, 1881, to Cannie Bohannon, who was born in Washington township September 1, 1863, a daughter of Abner and Palmyra (Garvin) Bohannon, born in Kentucky, and a granddaughter of John Bohannon and John and Lydia Garvin, who were also born in that state. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Clingerman are: Clifton J., whose home is in Brazil; Elva Bell, the wife of Josephus Hudson, also of Brazil: John Abner, at home; Lola, also at home; and Ross Earl, who died in infancy. Mr. Clingerman is a Republican in his political affiliations, and during two years he represented the Fourth ward of Brazil in the city council. He is a member of the Eagles, Knights and Ladies of Security and of the Home Defenders.

farm, the neat and orderly appearance of which bears speaking evidence to the fact that he has a thorough understanding of his business, and exer¬ cises good judgment in its management. Of pioneer ancestry, he was born, June 20, 1845, *n this township, a son of Peter Wilson. His grand¬ father, Joshua Wilson, was, without doubt, born in Virginia, where he was living at the time of his marriage. He subsequently joined the tide of emigration westward, and after spending a few years in Ohio, came to Clay county, Indiana, being a pioneer settler of Van Buren township. Quite an old man at the time of his arrival, he did not enter land, but rented a farm, and resided here until his death.

Peter Wilson was born in Lee county, Virginia, in 1818. Before attaining his majority, in 1836, he came with the Poff family to Indiana, locating in Van Buren township. Entering land in the southwest quarter of section 14, he subsequently built a log cabin in the clearing, and in it his son Samuel first opened his eyes to the light of this world. Almost the entire stretch of country roundabout was then a wilderness, and in the set¬ tlements then in process of formation the ringing strokes of the pioneer's axe could be heard as he levelled the giants of the forest. Bears, deer, wolves and other wild beasts were plentiful, and often did great damage to the early crops. The wild game found in the woods assisted in fur¬ nishing the food for the few people of the place. Peter Wilson labored with courage and perseverance, cleared a large portion of his land, erected a frame house in place of the first log one, and was here employed in farming until his death, at the age of seventy-two years. He married Mary McMillen, who was born in North Carolina, a daughter of Daniel McMillen. Her father, a native of Scotland, was three years old when he was brought by his parents to the Lmited States, his first home in this country being in Randolph county. North Carolina. In 1838 he left that place, and with his family came to Clay county, Indiana. Settling in Van Buren township, he took up land in section 10, and in addition to clearing the farm on which he spent his remaining days made good use of his natural mechanical talents, making for his family and neighbors spinning wheels, chairs, tables and other needed household articles. His wife before marriage was Alice Cole. Mary (McMillen) Wilson proved a true help¬ mate to her husband, cheerfully performing her share of the pioneer labor, with her own hands carding, spinning and weaving the homespun with which her family was clothed, and with her own hands fashioning the garments they wore. She is now living, an aged woman of eightyseven years. She reared six children, as follows : Luvisa ; Sarah J. ; Samuel, of this brief sketch; Rhoda ; George C., and William.

The little log cabin in which Samuel Wilson obtained his early book knowledge was heated by a fire in the huge fireplace ; had no desks ; but boards placed around the sides of the building furnished a place on which the children could write. He remained beneath the parental roof-tree until ready to start in life for himself. Settling then upon a forty-acre tract of land given him by his father, he remained there two years, and then traded for the property he now owns and occupies. This is located in section 14, and contains seventy acres of land. About thirty acres had been cleared when Mr. Wilson assumed its possession. He has since cleared the remainder, and is still continuing his works of improvements. He has erected a good set of frame buildings, planted a variety of fruit trees, and is here carrying on general farming in an intelligent and skillful

In 1870 Mr. Wilson married Mary Ann Armstrong, who was born in Carroll county, Ohio, a daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth (Allen) Arm¬ strong. Further parental and ancestral history of her family may be found elsewhere in this volume, in connection with the sketch of William Armstrong. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the parents of nine children, namely: Jacob E. ; Mary C. ; Luvisa ; Peter; Beppo; Omer and Homer, twins : Dora ; and Hugh E. Jacob E. married Emma McQueen, and they have four children, Ernest, Elsie, Lola, and Elmer. Mary C., wife of Frank Flack, has four children, William, Clara, Cora, and Louise. Luvisa, wife of Elza Brooks, has four children, Jasper, Mary Catherine, Elizabeth, and Linus. Beppo married Maudie Thomas, and they have one child, Marshall. Homer married Clara Adamson, and they have one child, Ray¬ mond. Dora, wife of Abel McQueen, has four children, Ralph, Ruth, Marie, and Alvah. In his political affiliations, Mr. Wilson is a straight¬ forward Democrat, sustaining the principles of his party by voice and vote

Philip Keller, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Posey town ship, is a native son of this township, born on the 22d of November, 1877, the second son and second child of Michael Keller, who is represented on other pages of this work. The district schools of his native township afforded Philip Keller with his educational training and he remained at home with his parents until his marriage, assisting his father to clear and improve his land. In 1901 he established his home on his present farm, his first purchase consisting of eighty-four acres, to which he has since added another tract of eighty acres, and has made many of the improve¬ ments which now adorn the homestead.

On the 1st of January, 1901, Mr. Keller was married to Flora Jean¬ nette Howald, who was born in Posey township. Her father, Peter Howald, was born in Switzerland, but in his early boyhood days he came alone to this country, and from Canada, where he first landed, he came to Clay county, Indiana, where he was married to Cecelia Hirt, also a native of Switzerland. She came to America with her parents in early life, and the Hirts were among the early pioneers of Clay county. Two children, a son and a daughter, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Keller, Mabel Louise and Raymond Michael, both of whom were born on the present home farm. The Republican party has received the support and cooperation of Mr. Keller since he attained to years of maturity, and he is prominent and active in the public life of his community.

Alfred Howald, who owns and conducts a valuable estate in Jackson township, in section 29, was born in Posey township of Clay county July 10, 1869. His father, Peter Howald, for many years a farmer in both Posey and Jackson townships and one of the early pioneers of this community, was born in Switzerland in 1834, and was reared in his native land, and at the age of eighteen years emigrated to America. Land¬ ing in Canada, he remained there for several years working by the day, and in about 1854 he came to Clay county, Indiana, and established his home in Posev township, where he remained until buying and moving to a farm in Jackson township in 1903. He was married in Posey township to Cecelia Hirt, who was born in Switzerland, and came with her parents during her early girlhood days to America, the family locating in Ohio, from whence they later came to Clay county and farmed in Posey town¬ ship. Her father, Franklin Lewis Hirt, was one of the early pioneers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Howald became the parents of twelve children, namely: William, Franklin, Alfred, Charles (deceased), Jacob, John, Flora, Elizabeth and May (twins), Peter, George and Sally. Mr. Howald, the father, gave his political support to the Democratic party, and was a member of the German Reformed church. Farming was his life occupation, and he died at the age of seventy-four years.

In the district schools of Posey township Alfred Howald gained his educational training, and on the 31st of December, 1893, he was mar¬ ried to Mary S. Deardorf, the daughter of Gustav Deardor f, a deceased pioneer farmer of Jackson township. He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, April 12, 1845, a°d coming to Clay county when a young man he farmed on eighty acres of land with his father, Peter Deardorf, the latter having cleared and improved his land, and later added to the boundaries of his farm. Gustav was the fifth of his eight children, and he was mar¬ ried in Jackson township to Margaret Sieglin, who was brought from her native land of Germany to America when but six years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Deardorf cast their lot with the early pioneers of Jackson town¬ ship, Clay county, Indiana, clearing forty acres and later buying forty acres more. In their family were five children, all born in Jackson town¬ ship, John Michael (deceased), Mary S., Emma J., George W. and Carry Ellen. Mr. Deardorf gave his political support to the Democratic party, and was a member of the German Reformed church.

Mr. and Mrs. Howald took up their abode on their present home¬ stead January 15, 1894, where they own one hundred and forty acres, all under an excellent state of cultivation. They have four children, namely : Gustave Franklin, Lydia Pearl, Margaret Ellen and Mary Emma, all of whom were born in the present family home. Mr. Howald supports the principles of the Democratic party, and is a member of the German Reformed church.

Matthew Wilson Nance. - Numbered among the native-born resi¬ dents of Clay county is Matthew Wilson Nance, who is one of the most thrifty and prosperous farmers of Dick Johnson township, and possesses in a marked degree those principles which constitute him an honest man and a good citizen. A son of Joseph Nance, he was born, July 20, 1849, on the homestead where he now resides, of pioneer ancestry.

William Nance, Mr. Nance's grandfather, was born in Iredell county, North Carolina, of French ancestry. In 1826 he moved from his native place to Ohio, but not pleased with his future prospects in that part of the county soon continued his journey westward to Greencastle, Putnam county, Indiana. Taking up land, he cleared a farm in true pioneer style, and lived there until 1843. Coming in that year to Clay county, he secured a tract of land that was still in its original wildness, and com¬ menced to clear it. He did not finish its clearing, however, having received injuries from which he never recovered, but continued his residence here until his death. He married Elizabeth Culver, who was born in North Carolina, and died, in 1859, on the Indiana homestead, in Clay county. Nine children were born of their union, as follows: Joseph and James, twins ; Adam : Henry ; Webster ; Amelia ; Jane ; Lydia ; and Ruth.

made the overland trip to Ohio, thence, a short time later to Indiana. During the journey, which was made with teams, the family was obliged to pass through extensive woods and morasses, and to cross many creeks, the way at times being full of danger. A large part of this section of Indiana was then a wilderness, the land being owned by the government, and the forest were filled with an abundance of game of all kinds, forming in a large measure the subsistence of the few inhabitants. While yet in his teens he began to make himself useful, helping to clear the land, and to till the soil. Succeeding, after the death of his father, to the ownership of the homestead, he there carried on general farming until 1871. In that year Joseph Xance removed to Crawford county, Kansas, and in 1880 located in Linn county, the same state, where he bought land, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, February 28, 1898, aged seventy-nine years.

Joseph Nance married Nancy Wilson, who was born in St. Joseph county, Indiana, December 12, 1825, a daughter of Matthew Wilson, who, like his father, was born in Ireland, of Scotch ancestry. Mr. Wilson was one of the early settlers of St. Joseph county, locating there at a time when the Indians were still on their reservations, and before there were any towns or villages in that part of the state, an occasional "Indian trading post," only, breaking the monotony of the wild scenery. There were, of course, no markets, the few settlers having to haul anything they had to sell to Michigan City. He improved a farm, and both he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in that county. Mrs. Joseph Nance sur-, vived her husband, and now. a hale and hearty woman of eighty-two years, is living in Crawford county, Kansas. She reared the following named children: Matthew Wilson, Daniel W.. Margaret Jane, Sarah Elizabeth, Archibald J., Mary M., Ellen, Walter, and Julian.

Completing his studies in the district schools, Matthew W. Nance subsequently attended the Bloom ingdale Academy, and at the age of twenty years began his professional career at Bee Ridge, Dick Johnson township, teaching there one term. He subsequently taught in Posev and Brazil townships, this state, and in Linn and Crawford counties. Kansas. In 1888, returning from Kansas, Mr. Nance settled on the parental home¬ stead, which he now owns, and has since been successfully and profitably engaged in general farming.

On September 16, 1871, Mr. Nance married Sarah Catherine Weaver, who was born near Covington, Kentucky, December 9, 1848, a daughter of Samuel Warren and Magdaline ( Van Gorder) Weaver. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nance, all being born in Kansas, and two are now living, namely: Lelia and Maude. Lelia married Joseph Tilly, and has two children, Mary Catherine and Florence. Frank, the oldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Nance, was born June 29, 1872. After his graduation from the public schools, he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and followed farming until his death, August 8, 1897. Daniel W.. the second child, born September 30, 1873, was graduated from the Brazil High School, and afterwards attended the Indiana Central Normal School, in Danville, preparing himself for a professional life. He met with success in his work, and was teaching his second term when he was taken ill, and died October 26. 1894, aged twenty-one years. While a resident of Kansas, in 1871, Mr. Nance became a member of Cherokee Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but is not affiliated with anv fraternal organization of Indiana.

Samuel Frederick Adamson. - A man of recognized enterprise and ability, Samuel F. Adamson is a substantial and prominent business man of Knightsville, and is contributing his full share towards advancing its growth and prosperity. A son of the late Lloyd Nelson Adamson, he was born, July 31, 1848, in Muskingum county, Ohio, near Zanesville. His grandfather, Frederick Adamson, was of Scotch ancestry, but the place of his birth is unknown. A farmer by occupation, he removed from Vir¬ ginia to Ohio, becoming a pioneer settler of Muskingum county, and there, with his wife, whose maiden name was Martha Riley, cleared a home from the unbroken wilderness.

Born at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, Lloyd N. Adamson received excel¬ lent educational advantages, and in his early life was engaged in teaching for several years. In the meantime he studied medicine, but never adopted the profession. Embarking in preference in agricultural pursuits, he bought land at Brush Creek, Muskingum county, Ohio, where he car¬ ried on farming until 1872. Coming then to Indiana, he located at Harmony, and was there engaged in mercantile business the remainder of his active life, dying there, in 1886, aged sixty-six years. He married Eliza Bond, who was born in New Jersey, a daughter of Samuel and Har¬ riet (Whittaker) Bond. She survived him, and now, a venerable woman of eighty-two years, is living in Harmony. Ten children were born of their union, all of whom are living, namely: Martha. Samuel Frederick, William, Harriet, George, Rose, Mary, Alice, Charles, and Della.

Having received a practical education in his Ohio home, Samuel F. Adamson came to Harmony, this state, in February, 1868, and there began the struggle of life for himself, starting out even with the world. Working as a clerk until 1893, ^ie obtained a good knowledge of mer¬ cantile business in its various branches, and, settling in Knightsville, opened a store of general merchandise, which he conducted successfully for a few years himself, giving his entire attention to its care. At the present time, 1908, Mr. Adamson's son, Clarence Clinton Adamson, who is a member of the firm, carries on the business principally, his father devoting his time to outside matters, dealing in real estate, and being inter¬ ested in farming.