Decatur County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 2 of 2)

Robert Cassius Hamilton was bom in Clinton township, Decatur county, Indiana, June 26, 1844, the son of William Warder and Isabelle Jane (Hamilton) Hamilton, both natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in April, 182 1, died on January 22, 1907, and the latter of whom was born on February 7, 1820, and died on June 18, 1899. William Warder Hamilton was the son of William and Polly (Bernau) Hamilton, the former of Scottish and the latter of French descent, residents of Nicholas county,

Kentucky. Col. ^Vi!liam Hamilton was a soldier and drilled a company for service in the War of i8'i2. Isabella Jane Hamilton was a daughter of Robert and Polly (Henry) Hamilton, natives of Kentucky, both of wlmm died within three days of each other, at the age of fifty-two. To the unicm of William and Polly (Bernau) Hamilton were born five children: Cincinnatus, who died in Kentuck}- : Thomas George, William ^Varder and Samuel Robert, all of whom died in this county, and Mrs. Mary Menefee, who died in Missouri.

\\'illiam \\'. Hamilton came to this county in 1823, when he was twentyone years of age and spent the rest of his life here. He settled on a tract of sixty acres in Clinton township, his sole possessions at that time being a horse and saddle and fifteen dollars in cash. He prospered, his energy and initiative quickly making him one of the dominant factors in that part of the county, and gradually added to his farm lands until he jiresently was the owner of no less than two thousand acres of well-culti\'ated land in the county. In the very nature of things he took a prominent part in the affairs of this section of the state, his energy and fine executive ability giving him a place among the leaders of men and for many years was one of the directors the state board of agriculture, part of which time he served as president of the board. He was widely known and his influence was more than local. He was one of the men most largely instrumental in securing the location of the old Vernon, Greensburg & Rushville railroad and the Greensburg & Hope railroad and assisted in building every church in Greensburg, even the Catholic church, although he was an Old School Presbyterian. He was singularly progressive in his business methods for that day and, in some things, might even have been looked upon as a "plunger," although it must be said for him that he invariably "made good" in his many financial transactions. There was no more popular man in the county than he in his day and he gained and held the warmest friendship of all his associates. Charitable to all, liberalminded and kind-hearted, he was extremely well liked. In 1863 he moved to the farm on which his son, Cassius, now lives and, erecting a brick-kiln, burned the bricks which entered into the construction of the fine house which he built upon the place. In this home he spent the rest of his life and there his son, Cassius, now makes his home.

To William Warder and Isabella Jane Hamilton were born two sons, Robert Cassius and William Brutus. The latter died in 1905 in Greensburg, leaving four children, William Cassius Hamilton, of Indianapolis: Mrs. Mary Florine Roland, of Greensburg ; Richard Ray Hamilton, of Greensburg, and Harry Warder Hamilton, of Indianapolis.

Cassius Hamilton received his elementary education in the district schools of. his home neighborhood, supplementing the same with comprehensive courses in Hanover College and in Monmouth College. His father was a dealer in mules in an extensive way and when a young man Cassius was given practical direction of this branch of his business and has followed the business all his life, having been very successful. During the Civil War he indirectly supplied the government with large numbers of mules and for years was one of the heaviest shippers of this class of stock in the country. He gives bis personal attention to the direction of affairs on his place. This farm consists of four hundred acres of highly-cultivated land, one of the best farms in the county.

On October 7, 1879, Robert Cassius Hamilton was united in marriage to Estelle Fcnton, who was born in Wisconsin on May 23, 1856, the daughter of William Warren and Mary Eliza (Totten) Fenton, the former of whom was born in 182 ^ and died in 1906, and the latter of whom was born in 1826 and died in 1877. In 1859 the Fentons moved from the state of Wisconsin to Cincinnati. Mr. Fenton had been connected with large timber interests in Wisconsin and upon moving to Cincinnati was connected with the Little Miami Railroad Company. In 1871 the family moved to Greensburg, but after Mrs. Fenton's death, Mr. Fenton moved to Eaton, Ohio, later returning to Greensburg, where he died. Mrs. Hamilton has two sisters, Mrs. Iva Wooden, of Chicago, and Mrs. Phillip Auer, of Chicago.

Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are members of the Presbyterian church and Mr. Hamilton is a Democrat. They have many friends throughout Decatur county, all of whom hold them in the highest regard and their pleasant home in Washington township is the center of much hospitable entertainment.

David Andrew Ardery

As we perceive the shadow to have moved along the dial, but did not perceive it moving; and it appears that the grass has grown, though nobody ever saw it grow ; so the advances we make in knowledge, as they consist of such insensible steps, are only perceivable by the distance. The same truly may be said of communities in a civic, social and industrial way. The present generation is conscious of the countless advantages shared by all the members of the community, but rarely is thought given as to how these advantages were secured, it requiring the perspective of the historian to bring into view the insensible steps by which the present lofty heights were reached. It. is this perspective which volumes of this character design to lend to the view. A rigid comparison of the days of the pioneers in tliis community, with those of the present generation, is as startling as it is illuminating, and if this biographical work shall do no more than to create within the minds of the younger generation a \ivid and comprehensive appreciation of the blessings they so readily accept as common gifts, the labor of its compilation shall have been well requited. There are still a few of the pioneers remaining in this section, who ha\'e seen these commonlyaccepted blessings slowly bud and blossom and fructify, and it is of one of these that this biography shall treat, the venerable David Andrew Ardery, one of the best-known and most highly-regarded citizens of Decatur count}-, a man to whom his community owes much for the acti\'e part lie has taken in the development of the same.

David Andrew Ardery was born on a farm in Fugit township, this county, July 8, 1837, the son of Thomas and ^Martha (INIcKee) Ardery, both natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in 1801 and died in- 1846, the latter of whom was 1jorn in 1801 and died in 1872. Thomas Ardery and ^Martha McKee were married in Kentucky and their elder children were born in that state. In 1830 they moved to this county, settling in Fugit township, where they rented a farm. Fifteen years later, Thomas Ardery died, leaving his widow with the responsibilities of the farm and the care of a family of young children. She was of the true pioneer Ijrand, however, and kept the family well together, managing the farm with rare ability. In her old age, Mrs. Ardery was tenderly cared for in her household; David A., her son, thus lovingly requited the devotion of her earliei days.

To Thomas and Martha CMcKee) Ardery were born seven children, two sons and five daughters, all of whom now are deceased, save Mrs. Fliza Archibald Spear, of Rushville, this state, and David Ardery, the subject of this sketch. The other children were Mrs. Jane Wallace Smith, Mrs. Mary Alexander Walters, Mrs. Martha Thomas Thomson, Eliza Archibald Speer, Mrs. Nancy Margaret Throp and John William.

David Ardery was compelled, by the necessities of the case, to begin working for himself at an early age and received but a limited schooling, his attendance at school being confined to a few months in the season at the schools, during his early boyhood. He was active, industrious and energetic and kept pushing along until, in 1872, he purchased his present farm of four hundred acres in \A^ashington township, on which he ever since has made his residence. In i8Si his home was destroyed by fire and he then erected his present fine large farm residence, the same being completed in 1884. Mr. Ardery has his own private gas well on his farm, the house aiid, barn being piped for lighting and heating purposes. On his farm he als"o " is fortunate enough to have a fine artesian well, the water from which is piped through the house and barn, the local water system receiving its pressure from a hydraulic ram. This is one of the best farm houses in Decatur county and, with its many modern improvements, affords Mr. Ardery and his family much comfort and pleasure.

On January 4, 1872, David A. Ardery was united in marriage to Theresa J. Lowe, who was born at Kingston, this county, October 5, 1852, daughter of x-\lfred and Isabella (Ouigley) Lowe, members of old families in that section of the county. Alfred Lowe was the son of Seth Lowe, one of the earliest settlers of the Kingston neighborhood. Seth Lowe was a native of Glenwood, North Carolina, born on December 27, 1787, and who emigrated to Kentucky, where he married and, in 1821, settled at Kingston, this county, homesteading the farm now occupied by Charles Throp. He was a fine, vigorous character and a strong force in the new settlement, his influence for good thereabout being felt in many ways during the pioneer days. Seth Lowe died in 1S71, while on a visit to one his sons in Mills county, Iowa. Alfred Lowe, 'who was born in this county in 1826 and died in 1887, married Isabella Ouigley, who was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Spear) Ouigley, who settled in the Kingston neighborhood in 1837, after living for a short time in Franklin county, this state. Isabella (Ouigley) Lowe was born in 1835 and died in 1910. Her father, Samuel Ouigley, died in 1847, the year the cholera was rampant in this section of the state. Both the Lowes and the Ouigleys were strong and influential families in that part of the county.

To Alfred and Isabella (Ouigley) Lowe were born eight children, namely: Mrs. Ardery; Seth, who lives at Greensburg; Charles, who lives at Kingman, Kansas : \\'illiam, deceased ; Edward, the Rex salt dealer, at Greensburg ; Catherine, who married Thomas Hamilton, a well-known farmer who lives on the old Hopkins place east of Kingston, this county; Marsh, a well-known traveling salesman, who travels out of Cincinnati, and Arthur, who was assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank.

To David A. and Theresa J. (Lowe) Ardery five children have been born, as follow : Mary, who is at home with her parents ; Mrs. Martlia Batchelor, of Indianapolis, who has five children, David Ardery, Thomas Churchill, Robert Lowe, Martha Theresa and Helen Emily; Clara, who also' is at home; Samuel David, a well-known farmer of Washington township, this county, who married Florine Bowman and has one child, a son, David Henry ; Helen Lowe, a studewt in Indiana University at Bloomington. and l\Tay. a graduate of Bloomington, Indiana.

Air. and Airs. Ardery are members of the Presbyterian church at Greensbur}- and their children were reared in that faith. They, for many years, have been acti\e in good works and no couple in the county is held in higher esteem. Air. Ardery is a Republican and always has been interested in local politics, being one of the most earnest supporters of all measures designed to elevate the standards of government, not only being an active worker in the ranks of his party, but a liberal supporter of the finances of the party; such work as he has done, however, having been done only as a means of supporting the cause of good government as he recognized it, he never having been included in the office-holding class. Air. Ardery is a large man and in the days of his vigor was a veritable giant for strength. He finds himself now somewhat enfeebled, with the near approach of his eightieth year, but, for all that, retains all his former wit and jocular manner. In his heyday, he was a man among men and still enjoys life as well as proving himself a most entertaining companion. He is hospitable and cheerful, an ardent lover of his home and is proud of Decatur, county and his native state.

Hexry Ai. Aultaian

To be a successful photographer, a man must study both cause and effect. Anyone may take a picture, but unless one has that artistic instinct, without which no art is perfect, the- result is apt to be unsatisfactory. It is like making a suit of clothes. Anyone may build cloth into a covering for the human form, but the result is frecjuently very discouraging to all concerned. It is true, that a garment may frequently be tinkered with until it is wearable, but it is not a work of art, and comes under the head of a built-over article. A satisfactory photograph is one that is a perfect article at the start. It will admit of no building over. The gentleman whose name is mentioned in the following pages has so thoroughly satisfied his patrons as to his artistic ability and good work, that he has no need for worry in regard to his future success.

Martin and Nancy (Porter) Aultman. He worked on a farm for a time, and after his marriage, took up the study of photography at home, and later established his present gallery at Greensburg, where he has been most successful and where he has about paid for a fine new home. He is a Republican, a member of the Baptist church, and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

Martin Aultman, father of our subject, was a native of Louisiana, and served three years in the Confederate army in a Louisiana regiment. He was captured at Pittsburg Landing, and taken to Louisville, where he took the oath of allegiance. He came directly to Indiana after the war, settling a farm in Jennings county, and with the exception of about five years in Illinois, he lived in Jennings county until his death.

Henry M. Aultman, our subject, was united in marriage, in 1895, to Miss Luella Gelling, daughter of George Gelling, of Jennings county. They the parents of the following children:. Ivan O., Leroy Chester, Omer Franklin, Edna May and William Raymond. Ivan O. is in the coast artillery, United States army, at Fort Stevens, Oregon; Leroy is at home. Mr. Aultman's present gallery was established in 1903, on the north side of the square at Greensburg, where he carries on aH branches of photography and engraving.

Robert S. Meek

The Meek family is not only among the best known families of Decatur but it is likewise one of the most numerous in this county. The earlier generations of the family all had large families of children, and since the family was established in this county in pioneer times, it naturally has become numerous. Thomas and Martha Meek, who came from Kentucky to Decatur county, Indiana, had fifteen children, most all of whom lived to maturity. Samuel Meek, a son of Thomas and Martha (Davis) Meek, accompanied by two brothers-in-law, James and William ]\IcCracken, was the first of the Meek family to settle in Decatur county. Samuel Meek, and the McCrackens came here in 1821. Robert S. Meek, the son of John Meek, who was the son of Samuel Meek, who in turn was the son Thomas and Martha (Davis) Meek,, is also a native of Decatur county, and has spent all his life here. His wonderful business success in life is not a matter of acci- since it is founded upon habits of industry and methodical ways of work formed early in life. In fact, most successful careers are founded upon habits formed during youth and young manhood. Robert S. Meek is hale and hearty at the age of seventy-five years, and this is a condition which is due to his open and active life, and to the painstaking care he has always taken of his health.

Robert S. Meek, well-known capitalist of Greensburg, and one of the heavy stockholders in ]\Ieek Ice Company, was born, March 27, 1840, on a farm in Clinton township, in a log cabin built by his grandfather, John Montgomery, who, by the way, was the father of his mother, Mrs. Jane (Montgomery) Meek.

Robert S. Meek's father, John Meek, was born in Kentucky in October, 1 8 14, and passed his youth in the wilds of Fugit and Clinton townships, Decatur county. He married Jane Montgomery, and after enjoying a successful career as a farmer, retired to Greensburg, where he died on April 20, 1896. He and his wife, who, during their lives, were devout members of the United Presbyterian church, had a family of four sons and six daughters, four of whom, the eldest, are deceased. Mrs. Turgot Ennis, Mrs. Lola Smith, Josiah and Etta are deceased. The last two died early in life. Robert S. is the subject of this sketch. The other children, in the order of their birth, are, Mrs. Margaret E. Robinson, John T., Louisa, the wife of John A. Meek, Adam, Jethro C, Mrs. Mary Brown, of Rushville, and Mrs. Anna Pleak, of Greensburg.

It was Thomas Meek, the grandfather of John, who was the first of the Meek family to settle in Decatur county, as heretofore related. Samuel was one of fifteen children born to his parents, Thomas and Martha (Davis) Meek. The children were as follow: James, born January 8, 1781, died in Kentucky; Samuel, born. May 15, 1782, and died,' August 18, 1837; Sarey was born, August 17, 1784: Priscilla was born, September, 1786; Adam R. was born, December 15, 1789; Martha was born, April 30, 1792; David was born on January 21, 1794; Jemima was born. May 9, 1796; Luziah was born, April 28, 1797; Mary was born, June 15, 1800; Davis was born, September 18, 1802; Sophia was born, August 31, 1805, and Anna K. was born, "January 18, 1808.

With little or no opportunity to secure education, because pioneer educational advantages were extremely limited, Robert S. Meek remained at home until of age, helping to clear the land his father settled and working hard from early boyhood, usually from sunrise until dark. His earliest recollections are of driving cows and milking them at the age of six years. He actuallv began when five vears old, and, by the time he was grown, had (37)

In April, 1861, Robert S. Meek enlisted in Company F, Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Beamenstaffer, and served four months. On the second call, he responded with an enlistment for thirty days to help ward off a guerrilla attack at Henderson, Kentucky, in 1861. He also re-enlisted to repel the Morgan invaders.

After the war, Mr.. Meek settled on a farm at Springhill in Fugit township, his father having given him a hundred and sixty acres of land, for which he paid one thousand dollars, as he earned it. Mr. Meek was very successful with hogs and cattle. For a long time he was in the employ of a Mr. Allerton, of Illinois, as a stock buyer, and bought thousands of cattle for export purposes to Europe. Investing his savings from time to time, he accumulated about nine hundred acres of land in Rush and Decatur counties, and this land is today well improved and very valuable. Mr. Meek has refused a hundred and fifty dollars an acre for his home farm.

In 191 1, Mr. Meek became interested in the Greensburg Ice Company, or rather in what came to be called the Meek Ice Company. Previously, he was associated with his son, Clyde L. Meek, in the grain business. The Meek Ice Company was organized by Robert S., Jethro C, his brother, and the son of R. L., Clyde L. Meek, with a capital of fifty-five thousand dollars. The Meek Ice Companj- does a most substantial and profitable business, and now includes, not only ice, but the retail coal business, and furnishes employment to ten men. In 1909, Mr. Meek removed to Greensburg, and enjoys the occupation of a splendid brick residence on North Franklin street.

On January 26, 1861, Robert S. Meek was married to Espy Patton, a daughter of Nathaniel Patton, an early settler of Decatur county, and a native of Ohio. Mrs. Espy (Patton) Meek died on February 16, 1879, after having had four children, two of whom are deceased. Of these children, Leda, the eldest, died at the age of eighteen years; Mabel is the wife of George Davis, of Greensburg; Delta died in childhood, and Clyde L. is the manager of the Meek Ice Company. On June 18, 1895, Mr. Meek was married again to Melissa Patton, a sister of his first wife. Her father, Nathaniel Patton, was born in 1809 and died in 1889. He married Elizabeth M. Duncan, of Kentucky, who was born in 181 2 and died in 1894. Nathaniel was a native of Adams county, Ohio, and the son of Nathaniel Patton. Sr., who moved to Rush county, about 1823.

Although a Republican in politics, Mr. Meeks has never found time for any considerable political activity. The Meeks are stanch members of the

United Presbyterian church at Springhill, four Meek brothers having contributed five thousand dollars for the building of this church. In fact, the ancestors of Robert S. Meek were some of the founders of the church at Springhill.

Robert S. Meek has not only lived a life of usefulness in Greensburg and Decatur county, but he has set a worthy example to young men of the present generation. Few men have more effectively demonstrated what economical and frugal living, industry and good management will accomplish. At the age of seventy-five, Robert S. Meeks, not only is able to enjoy the fruits of his early labors, but, because he has cared wisely for his health, he is enabled to enjoy the competence he has accumulated in the fullest measure. He is a most worthy citizen of this great city and county.

Albert C. Russell

One of the best-known and most popular men in Decatur county, is Albert C. Russell, of Greensburg, a retired merchant and farmer who was born in this county and has lived here all his life, being known to nearly every man, woman and child in that part of the county in which the greater part of his active life was spent, the eastern part of the county, in the Cliffy (or Milford) neighborhood in Adams and Clay townships, where for years he was engaged in the merchandise business and where for years he also was equally well known as a farmer. He and his wife, who are among the large landowners of the county, are now living a life of quiet retirement in the county seat, where they enjoy the esteem and regard of all their large circle of acquaintances.

Albert C. Russell was iiorn in Clifty, this county, on July 2. 1841, the son of Robert C. and Sarah C. (Craig) Russell, natives, respectively, of Ripley county, Indiana, and Kentucky. Robert C. Russell came to Decatur county in 1845, when fifteen years of age, and engaged in the manufacture of wheat fans at Clifty. He also farmed and engaged in the merchandise business at that place, moving from thence to St. Paul, this county, where he died in 1901 at the age of eighty years. He married Sarah P. Craig, who was a daughter of William Craig, an early pioneer of this section, who entered about sixteen hundred acres of land near Burney and then went to Shelby county. To this union there were born ten children, two sons and eight daughters, Alice, Dorcas, Henrietta, Albert C, Mary, Lena, George H.,

Adelia, Ida and Ann K. Of these six are living, namely: Mrs. Dorcas Ridlen, of Rosedale, Indiana; Mrs. Henrettia Stevens, of Rushville, Indiana; Albert C, the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Lena lupenlautz, of Oilman, Indiana; Mrs. Adelia Tomkins, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Mrs. Ida Cory, who lives near Burney, in this county.

Albert C. Russell was reared at Milford and grew up to a full acquaintance with the merchandise business in his father's store at that place. After his marriage, he became a partner with his father in the store at St. Paul, this county, where he remained four years, being engaged in the buying of grain in connection with the general merchandise business. At the end of this time he bought a small farm in Adams township, on which he lived for three years, at the end of which time he sold the farm and bought one hundred and sixty acres at Turners cross roads, which he presently traded to Edward Marshall for 'a stock of goods and the store building at Cliffy, taking in, at the same time, a partner in the person of James D. Braddn, whose interest in the store he later bought. He then traded a half interest in his store for the Walter Braden farm and he and Mr. Braden bought the adjoining tract of one hundred and sixty acres. About two years after buying the Braden interest, Mr. Russell's store was destroyed by fire and Mr. Russell moved onto the Braden farm, where he lived for twenty years and where his wife, who was a daughter of Walter Braden, died. In the old brick house which was known as the Braden homestead, Mrs. Russell was born, married and died and there she also spent the most of her life.

Following the death of his wife, Mr. Russell rented his farm and for about thirteen years boarded with his tenant farmer, at the end of which time he married the widow of James D. Braden and, in February, 1906, moved to the city of Greensburg, where he and Mrs. Russell are living in pleasant retirement. Together they own a farm of five hundred and ninety acres about two and one-half miles southwest of Cliffy, in Clay township, and are very well circumstanced.

In the year 1860, Albert C. Russell was united in marriage to Lucinda Jane Braden, who was born on March 10, 1843, ''"^ died on September 13, 1894, the daughter of Walter and Elizabeth (Mowery) Braden, pioneers of the Cliffy neighborhood, to which union there were born four children, namely: Nina A., on August 27, 1862, married J. W. Young and lives on a farm south of Cliffy; Walter Braden, September 3, 1864, died on November 5, 1891; Robert J., April 7, 1867, was graduated from the Indiana Dental College at Indianapolis in 1894 and has practiced dentistry in Greensburg for twenty-one years; married on March 3, 1902, Glenn Montgomery, daugh- ter of John G. and Lida IMontgomery, of Greensburg, and has one child, a son, Albert M., and John N., born on March i6, 1869, died on November 30, 1869. The mother of these children died in 1894, as set out above.

On March 7, 1906, Albert C. Russell married, secondly, Mrs. Etta G. (Anderson) Braden, widow of James D. Braden, who was born on Nov^hiber 19, 1851, the daughter of William and Mary E. (Stanley) Anderson, natives of New Jersey, the former of whom was born on February 15, 1814, died on May 26, 1894, and the latter of whom was born on January 5, 1825, and died on February 11, 1905, who were the parents of six children, John F., William B., Mrs. Sallie R. Whisman, Mrs. Russell, Hamlin and Mollie. James D. Braden, who died in 1S86, was the son of Walter Braden. By his marriage with Etta G. Anderson he had one son, Emmet, who married Clara Jenkins and died, leaving one daughter, Mary Louise.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell are members of the Methodist church and take a warm interest in the various beneficences of that church. Mr. Russell is a Republican and a member of the Odd Fellows and the Masons. He also is a member of the Horse Thief Detective Association at Cliffy. Though practically retired from the active labors of life, he continues to take a keen interest in public and general affairs and he and his good wife are held in universal esteem among all who know them.

Among the well-known women of Greensburg, Indiana, is Dorcas E. (McLain) Holmes, who was born on October 31, 1842. in Butler county, Ohio, the daughter of David and Lucinda (Brown) McLain, natives of Ohio, who came to Indiana in January, 1842, first locating in Bartholomew county. The father engaged in the mercantile business near the Decatur county line, buying land in Decatur county and becoming a very wealthy man. He and his wife had five children, two of whom died in childhood.' The three children who lived to maturity are Mrs. Holmes ; Elizabeth, who married Lafayette Elliott, of Bartholomew county; and Oliver Perry, who died in 1905.

Mrs. Holmes grew up in Bartholomew county, Indiana, and lived at home with her parents until her first marriage to John Kelley, on November 7, 1858. He was the son of Matthew and Charity Kelley. the former of whom was a large landowner in Jackson township, Decatur county. John Kelley, the first husband of Mrs. Holmes, who was a well-known school teacher and farmer, died in 1864, leaving a son, James P., who died at the

The second husband of Mrs. Dorcas E. (McLain) Hohnes was George W. Holmes, who was born in 1828 and died in 1912. He was born in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, and was the son of Robert Holmes, a native of Ohio and one of the pioneers of Decatur county. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were married on July 3, 1865. He had been twice married before, first to Jane McCannon, who bore him one daughter, Ann Eliza, who is now deceased, and second to Martha Stafford, who bore him one son, George, who now lives at Redlands, California. Four children were born to him and Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes, David T., of Greensburg; Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Annerman, of Sardinia, who has six children, Frederick, Magnolia, Ruth, Calvin, Helen and Edna; Mrs. Lucinda Williams, of Austin, Texas, and Henry Clay, of Wyoming, who has two children, Mary and Ruth.

David McLain, the father of Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes, was a prominent citizen of two counties, having served as county commissioner in Bartholomew while living there, and having been elected to the same office after his removal to Decatur county. He was a well-known leader in the councils of the Democratic party. Although he himself was a stanch Democrat, he was perfectly willing that others should think and vote as they pleased. He owned nearly four hundred acres of land in Jackson township and, before his death, presented this land to his children. The farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres in Jackson township, which Mrs. Holmes now owns, she received from her father. Her only brother who grew to maturity, Oliver Perry McLain, died in 1905, leaving a wife and three daughters, who now live in Indianapolis. The daughters are Clara, Blanche and Edith.

After Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were married, they settled on a farm near Westport, in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, and within one and one-half years they moved on Sand creek, two miles south of Westport. Two years later they moved to near Sardinia in Jackson township and, in October, 1907, moved to Greensburg, Mr. Holmes dying five years later.

Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes is an intelligent, cultured and refined woman and is highly respected by the people of Greensburg and is well known, especially in the several communities in which she has lived in Bartholomew and Decatur counties. She has experienced, no doubt, her share of both joys and sorrows, but she has borne the one without great exultation and the other without complaint. In her declining years she is able to enjoy the comforts of life and to live in ease. These are her compensations for the toil and worry of latter days.

Charles Zoller

Carles Zoller is one of tlie best-known business men in the city of Greensburg and in Decatur county, Indiana, a man who for sixteen years has been engaged in the insurance business in this city, and who during this period has built up a large clientele and patronage. Aside from his insurance business, which he personally conducts, he is also heavily interested in two of Greensburg's most flourishing enterprises, the Greensburg Building and Loan Association and the Greensburg Natural Gas, Oil and Water Company, to the latter of which he is secretary-treasurer and general manager.

. During Mr. Zoller's sixteen years in the insurance business at Greensburg, Indiana, he has represented most of the time fourteen of the largest and best companies of this country, among which are the Aetna, the Hartford, Springfield, Queen, National, Fire Association, New York Underwriters, Niagara, Fireman's Fund and the Sterling. He also is the Decatur county representative of the Fidelity and Casualty Company, the Southern Surety Company and the Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford. These companies comprise not only the largest and the best in the insurance field, but the ones which are the surest and safest guarantee of the promises and pledges contained in their policies. Mr. Zoller now has, as a result of his sixteen years continuous business, an extensive renewal department, which has become verj^ profitable.

In the Greensburg Building and Loan Association, a corporation established in i8'96, and capitalized at a half million dollars, Mr. Zoller is associated with some of the best-known business men of Decatur county. The original capital of this company was one hundred thousand dollars, but from year to year it has grown to its present large proportions. The president of the company is W. C. Woodfill ; the secretary, Mr. Zoller, and the treasurer, Walter W. Bonner. The directors include, besides the officers, Robert Nagle, George P. Shoemaker, P. T. Lambert and Louis Zoller. No institution in Decatur county has had more to do with the construction of new homes and the repair of old homes than the Greensburg Building and Loan Association, since it has furnished to home owners an easy means by which their property might be improved.

Another flourishing enterprise, of which Mr. Zoller is an important factor, is the Greensburg Natural Gas, Oil and Water Company, an incorporated concern which was established on July 17, 1886, and of which he is now secretary-treasurer and general manager. Capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars, it supplies natural gas for domestic -purposes. Its presi-

Two other enterprises, with which Charles Zoller is connected, are the Decatur County Independent Telephone Company, and the Third National Bank. He is secretary of the telephone company and a director in the Third National Bank.

Mr. Zoller's important connections with leading business enterprises in Decatur county is, therefore, apparent. He is a widely known citizen and popular, not only in commercial and industrial circles, but in the larger life of the community. He is a man of broad and liberal views, interested keenly in all worthy public enterprises and a man who in support of their behalf can always be depended upon.

Arthur J. Lowe

A resident of Decatur, county, Arthur J. Lowe, assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank, enjoys the distinction of having been the youngest grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias ever elected in this state. He had filled all of the chairs in the grand lodge and had attained the rank of grand chancellor at the early age of thirty-one. He is now one of the five supreme representatives of the Knights of Pythias, one of the most numerous of the fraternal organizations in this country. The Supreme Lodge of Knights of Pythias hold their convention every two years, the last convention having been held at Winnipeg, Canada, and the one previously at Denver, Colorado. Arthur J. Lowe was a representative to both conventions. Aside from the distinction which he enjoys as a prominent member of this great fraternal society, he belongs to one of the oldest and most favorably known of the pioneer families of Decatur county.

Born in Greensburg, Indiana, on February 8, 1877, Arthur J. Lowe is the son of Alfred and Isabelle (Ouigley) Lowe, the former of whom was born on May 7, 1826, and who died, September 5, 1887, and the latter of whom was born on May 9, 1835, and who died, December 22, 1910. Mrs. Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe was the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Ouigley. Alfred Lowe was the son of Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the former of whom was born in Glenwood, Wilkes county, North Carolina, on December 22, 1787, and who died in Mills county, Iowa, in May, 1871, in his eighty-fourth year. In 1795 he had moved with his father's family to Fayette county.

Kentucky, not far from Lexington, and after living there for some years had moved to jNIontgomery county, where, in 1810, he had married Rebecca Ryan, who was born in Virginia on October 22, 1790, and who died on February 5, 1865, in her seventy-fifth year. They had seven children, namely: Polly, :\Iatilda, Jackson, George, Eliza, Franklin and Alfred. Eliza, born in 1819, died in her second year.

Seth and Rebecca Lowe, having come to Lidiana, settled in Dearborn county in 1819, and two years later moved to Kingston, Decatur county, and there entered land. On his trip to Decatur county, Seth Lowe was accompanied by two of his children, who. after he had done some "deadening," went to Dearborn county for the remainder of the family, leaving the children in the care of two men who were assisting him in the work.

About the time that Seth and Rebecca Lowe came to Decatur county, there came also James and Cyrus Hamilton, the Donnells, the McCoys and Hopkinses a year or two later. William Custer, who lived about a mile south of the old Lowe homestead at Kingston, is supposed to have preceded Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the founders of the Lowe family in Decatur county, and from whom is sprung Arthur J. Lowe, a prominent banker of Greensburg, Indiana.

Among the first pioneers in Decatur county to plant an orchard was Seth Lowe, and people came great distances to get apples from his orchard. He was truly a temperance man and never used tobacco or intoxicating beverages and never used profane language. A public-spirited citizen, he was ardently favorable to public improvements, such as pikes and railroads, and gave land upon which to build churches and schools. He was among the first citizens of the county to introduce improved breeds of stock, importing choice animals from other states, and from foreign countries. His worthy wife was remembered long after her death. The Lowe house became known far and near for the generous hospitality accorded strangers, and men, weary after a long day's ride in a wagon or on horseback, found shelter from storm and darkness in the Lowe home. Although they were not members of any church, they believed in the kind of Christianity set forth and practiced by the lowly Nazarene. and the Reverend Mr. Stegdel is said to have preached in the Lowe home.

In an unbroken forest, was performed the arduous toil upon which the family fortune was builded. Alfred Lowe was a farmer upon the old homestead until his father's death. He was crippled when twenty-eight years old while assisting in the construction of the Kingston church, having fallen and broken a leg. Later he spent one year in the West, after the homestead was sold, accompanying Seth and Jackson, who were pioneers in the state of Iowa. He, however, went to Kansas and, after a time, returned to Indiana and Hved in the village of Kingston until his death. Alfred and Isabelle (Ouigley) Lowe had eight children, as follow: Terressa Jane Ardery, wife of David Ardery, of Washington township; Seth Samuel, of Greensburg; Charles, of Kansas; William Walter, deceased; Edward C, a manufacturer of Greensburg; Catherine Ella, the wife of Thomas M. Hamilton, of Kingston; Marsh, of Greensburg, and Arthur J., the youngest member of the family, the assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank, and the subject of this sketch.

Reared on the old Lowe homestead in Fugit township, Arthur J. Lowe grew up on the farm and was educated in the common schools of the township. After a time he attended the high school and Greensburg Normal School, when he began teaching. Eor four years he was engaged in following this profession, and then attended Heeb's Business College at Indianapolis. Returning to Greensburg from Indiana in the fall of 1899, he engaged in banking. On August i, 1899, h^ became associated with the Citizens National Bank, where he remained until April 15, 1905, 'when he was elected assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank. Here he has been engaged in the banking business ever since. His own personal integrity and capable business ability have been no small factors in the progress and growth of this bank.

In 1905 Mr. Lowe was married to Eleanor Eich, the daughter of Hubert Eich, who married Catherine Brinkmeyer. The father was a native of Bonn, Germany, who came to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was seventeen years old. There he engaged in his trade, which was that of a locksmith, and after several years came to Decatur county and settled in Greensburg. Here he followed his trade for many years and was very successful. He was one of the solid and substantial citizens of Decatur county, and at his death, which occurred on April 7, 19 15, he left a large estate, which was divided among his children. His wife was a native of Decatur county, her parents' ancestry having been of German extraction. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have one daughter, Margaret Alice, who was born on May 20. 1909.

The Lowes have a beautiful home in Greensburg where they live in comfort and happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are members of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally, Mr. Lowe is a memjjer of the Elks lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, as heretofore mentioned. A Republican in politics, he IS ardent in his political beliefs and can always be found on the firing line Tvhen campaigns come around. Arthur J. Lowe is a worthy representative of the family in whose veins flow the blood of Seth and Rebecca Lowe. He is a representative citizen not only of Decatur county, but he is representative of her larger interests and her larger connections.

Richard J. Braden

Richard J. Braden, a retired farmer of Decatur county, who owns one hundred and sixty acres of land two miles northeast of Burney in Clay township and who is now li\-ing retired in Greensburg, is one of the well-known and interesting citizens of this county.

Born in Clay township in 1S40, he has lived here practically all of his life and, until quite recently, in Clay township. He is the son of Walter and* Elizabeth (Mowry) Braden, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, who came to Decatur county during the early period of its settlement, and entered land here. The Mowrys were natives of Kentucky and an old and prominent family in that state. \\'alter Braden was identified with the Whig party until the formation of the Republican party, when he became an ardent supporter of the party of Lincoln and remained throughout his life. He had nine children, of whom Richard was the fourth.

Richard J. Braden was twenty-one years old when the Civil War broke out. He responded to the first call for volunteers and enlisted in the Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving for three years. He participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and, at the battle of the Wilderness, was wounded. Later, at Fort Republic, he was captured by the Confederates and held a prisoner for three months in Libby prison. There he suffered the most indescribable horrors of prison life. He was mustered out of service as a corporal of Company D, Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Colonel \Velsh was in command of the regiment. After the war Mr. Braden came home and resumed farming, in which he proved to be very successful.

In 1865 Mr. Braden was married to Ermina Dickinson, the daughter of Amos and Indiana (Palmerton) Dickinson, who were natives of Kentucky and who came to Dearborn county in pioneer times and eventually settled in Decatur county. Mrs. Braden was born shortly after the arrival of her parents in this state in 1844. The Dickinsons became very prosperous in this section of the state, where they were people of power and influence in agricultural circles.

Mr. and Mrs. Braden have had three children, all of whom are living, Charles A., born on August 2, 1866, who is now farming in Clay township; Mrs. Anna Butler, May 19, 1870, who is the wife of Ozro Butler, of Clay township, and Harry, September 3, 1880, of Greensburg, who married Carrie Erhart.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Braden are a happy couple and are spending their declining years in peace and plenty at their comfortable home in Greensburg, to which they moved in 1910. He has always been an enthusiastic and loyal supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Both Mr. and Mrs. Braden are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, Mr. Braden is a member of the Masonic lodge at Milford. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greensburg. Since the war, his health has not been good and he has had more or less sickness as a consequence of the wound he received at the battle of the Wilderness. Nevertheless, he is a man of happy and philosophical temperament and gladly says that if he could live to be one hundred years old, he would make the best of life and would expect to enjoy the very last minute. Mr. and Mrs. Braden. are charming citizens of this city and are highly respected here.

Elmer E. Wooden

Since the very beginning of a social order of things in Decatur county, the Woodens have been prominent factors in the development of this community and no volume purporting to carry to posterity the invaluable message of the past, as related to this region, would be complete without special reference to the lives and the achievements of those of the family who, for several generations, have performed well their parts in the upbuilding of this favored region. In 1821, five years after Indiana had been admitted to statehood, Levi Wooden emigrated from Kentucky to this county, settling two miles west of the struggling village of Greensburg. His son. Dr. John L. Wooden, for many years one of the most successful practicing physicians in this county, a surgeon-major in the Union army during the Civil War, and one of the best-loved men that ever lived in this county, was the father of Elmer E. Wooden, whose name stands as a caption for this biographical sketch, a retired merchant of the city of Greensburg, who, following in the footsteps of his honored father and grandfather, performed well his part

Elmer E. Wooden was born in the city of jMilford, Decatur county, Indiana, December 28, i860, the son of Dr. John L. and Sarah (Guest) Wooden, the former of whom was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, on May 17, 1826, and died at his home in Greensburg, this county, November 28, 1886, the latter of whom was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on August 24, 1835, and is still living at her home in Greensburg.

Dr. John L. Wooden, a native of Shelby county, Kentucky, was the son of Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden, the former of whom was a native of that county, and the latter of whom was born at Bingen-on-the- Rhine, Germany. Levi \\'ooden's parents were among the early settlers in Shelby county, Kentucky. The ^Vymans emigrated to America from Germany in the year 1818, at a time the daughter, Frances, was fifteen years of age, locating first at Baltimore, Maryland, later emigrating to Shelby county, Kentucky, where Levi Wooden and Frances Wyman were married. In 182 1 Levi Wooden came to Indiana, entering land in Decatur county, in Clark county and in Floyd county, making his home in this county, on the homestead four miles west of Greensburg, in Clay township. He became one of the most extensive landowners in this part of the state and was a man of large influence in the formative period of the now well-established farming region. He died in 1840, leaving a large estate and his wife, being a resourceful and energetic woman, carried on the large farming operations with much success. To Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden were born four children, John L., father of the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Barger, who died in Iowa, and ]\Iartha, who died in Illinois, and W^illiam, who died in Kansas, was a farmer.

When twenty-one years of age, John L. Wooden entered a dry goods store at Milford and for two years followed commercial pursuits, at the end of which time he determined to devote his Hfe to the practice of medicine. He studied in the office of Dr. L. McAllister, at Milford, and in ^Nlay, 1853, began the practice of his chosen profession at Andersonville, in Franklin county, this state. In the fall of 1859 he entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated on March i, i860, thereafter entering the practice of medicine at Milford, this county. In the fall of 1861, Doctor Wooden volunteered his ser\ices as an assistant field surgeon for service in the Union army during the Civil \\^ar. He was .attached to the Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Field .Surgeon Dr. J. Y. Hitt, with the rank of captain, later being promoted to the position of field surgeon, with the rank of major, being attached to the Sixty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on August i8, 1862. On September 17, 1862, at Munfordsville, Kentucky, Doctor Wooden was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces, ])ut was exchanged in the November following when he rejoined his regiment. At the battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863, he again was captured by the Confederates and this time was sent to Libby prison, at which time he weighed one hundred and thirty pounds ; when exchanged he weighed but about ninety pounds. After an incarceration of three months in that historic prison, he again was exchanged, when he again rejoined his regiment, and served until the close of the war, becoming brigade surgeon on the staff of General Willich. At the close of the war, Doctor Wooden located in Greensburg, where he spent the remainder of his life, becoming a very successful practitioner and was loved throughout the entire county, where he was devoted to his profession and his practice to him ever was a labor of love, his devotion to humanity being paramount to any cjuestion of fees for his services; much of his practice being conducted without regard to money consideration. He was president of the Decatur County Medical Society and for many years served as examining surgeon for the United States pension board in this district.

In 1847, Dr. John L. Wooden was united in marriage to Jane Braden, who died in 1850. On October 13, 1853, Doctor Wooden married, secondly, Sarah Guest, of Milford, this county, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Branson) Guest, natives of Pennsylvania, who located in Hamilton, Ohio, later coming to this county, becoming prominent residents of the Milford neighborhood. Elizabeth Branson was a daughter of David and Sarah (Antrim) Branson, pioneers of this county. Elsewhere in this volume the reader will find set out a genealogy of the Antrim family.

To Dr. John L. and Sarah (Guest) Wooden were born four children, namely: Ida May, who married T. Edgar Hamilton, a well-known resident of this county; Dr. William H., who died in 1900, was graduated from the Ohio Medical College and for many years practiced his profession in Greensburg; Elmer E., the subject of this sketch, of the firm of Bird, Deem & Wooden, hardware merchants, now retired, and Fannie E., who married J. S. Moss, a well-known druggist of Greensburg.

Doctor and Mrs. Wooden were earnest members of the Methodist church, in the faith of which they reared their children. Doctor Wooden was a member and first commander of Pap Thomas Post No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic, had served as commander of that post and also had served as senior vice-commander of the Department of Indiana, Grand Army of the Republic, being held in the highest esteem by the comrades in all parts of the state. He was a Mason, and for years had served as master uf Concordia lodge of that order at Greensburg. He was a Republican and ever took a good citizen's part in local politics, his views on political questions having much weight with the party managers of this county. Doctor Wooden's widow is still living and continues to take a warm interest in social and church affairs in Greensburg. She was reared a Quakeress, being a birthright member of that church, but for many years has been devoted to the work of the Methodist church, of which she is an active meml^er. She is a member of the Department Club at Greensburg and retains a hearty interest in the affairs of that useful organization. She has hosts of admiring friends and no woman in the county is held in higher respect than she.

Elmer E. Wooden was educated in the Greensburg schools and at eighteen years of age left the high school and graduated to take a place as a clerk in the hardware store of O. P. Shriver & Company, at Greensburg, continuing in that position for se\en years, at the end of which time Mr. Schriver moved to Cincinnati to engage in the same form of business and Mr. Wooden accompanied him, remaining in Cincinnati for seven years. He then returned to Greensburg and engaged in the hardware business with O. P. Schrixer. under the firm name of O. P. Schriver & Company, which firm was maintained for four years, at the end nf which time Air. Schriver withdrew, and the firm was continued under the name of Bird, Deem & Wooden, this arrangement continuing from 1894 to 1900. In the latter year the firm became Bird, i\Ieek & Wooden. In 1901 Mr. Bird withdrew from the firm, which was continued under the name (if Meek & Wooden imtil July 9, 191 3, at which time the company was dissolved, Air. Wooden retiring from actix-e business.

On Alay 7. 1905, Elmer E. \A"ooden was united in marriage to Delia Mount, of Shelby county, daughter of Thomas J. Mount, a member of one of the pioneer families of Shelby county, a general history of which family is presented elsewhere in this volume in the biographical sketch relating to H. H. Mount. T(j Air. and Airs. Wooden have been born, Herschel, on December 31, 1907; Alary Elizal^eth, October to, 1909, and James Edgar, December 24, 19 10.

Mrs. Wooden owns a fine arm west of Alilford, the old Butler place, and Mr. Wooden gives much of his time to the active supervision of this farm. Mr. and Mrs. Wooden are acti\-e members of the Eirst Alethodist church of Greensburg, and their children are being reared in that faith. Air. Wooden is a Repul)lican and is a member of Greensljurg Lodge No. 36,.

Free and Accepted Masons; Lodge No. 346, Knights of Pythias, and Decatur Lodge No. 103, Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows. His many years' connection with the commercial interests of Greensburg gives to his opinions regarding the advancement of the best interests of the city and county much value and he is regarded as one of the most public-spirited citizens in that city. Mrs. Wooden takes a prominent part in the social affairs of the city and is a valued member of the well-known Department Club of Greensburg, being a leader in the musical section of that important organization. She and her husband are ver}- popular with their . friends and are held in the highest regard by all.

As stated in many other places in this volume, the McCoy family was among the first to settle in Decatur county, Indiana, Andra McCoy, who lived first in Virginia and then in Kentucky, having come to Decatur county in 1823. As one of the pioneers in Decatur county, he attained considerable prominence in the political and civic life of this county, having served a period of several years before the Civil War as county commissioner, and his name is to be found today on the west front of the Decatur county court house. Sutherland McCoy, one of the second generation of McCoys in Decatur county, more than a quarter of a century later filled the same office, and the latter having in the decade before the Civil War served as an Indiana fighter in the West, at the outbreak of the Civil War, enlisted as a soldier* and made for himself a brilliant record as a private soldier.

The late Sutherland McCoy, public-spirited citizen and farmer, who owned at the time of his death three hundred and eighty-seven acres of fine farming land in Decatur county, was born, November 8, 1829, on the farm where the McCoy children are now living, and died, April 5, 1906. He was the son of Andra, who, the son of Daniel, the son of William, was born, December 20, 1789, at Wheeling Creek, Virginia, and who moved to Nicholas county, Kentucky, in 1791, and to Decatur county, Indiana, in 1823. A splendid farmer and a good mechanic, as well as a pioneer horse breeder, he settled on the farm where his grandson and granddaughter now live. On January 15, 181 8, Andra McCoy was married in Kentuck}^ to Margaret Hopkins, who was born, September 29, 1793, and who died, August 27, 185 1. Andra, himself, died, July 14, 1871. His wife taught the first Sabbath .school in Fugit township at Mt. Carmel. This school probably was the first ever conducted in Decatur county. She was the mother of nine children, Cohimbus, George W., John H., Kate, Parthena E., the wife of David L. Miller, Sutherland, Benjamin M., Amanda and Justus Barton.

The present residence of the McCoys on the old McCoy homestead, which is a substantial and attractive dwelling, was built by Sutherland McCoy, Andra having built and lived in a log house. The latter, who was a strong man, an industrious worker and an enterprising citizen, was eminently respected during his day and generation by the people of Decatur county, and being elected as a county commissioner of this county in 1853, served thereafter a term of six years.

The late Sutherland McCoy, who was the seventh child born to his parents, Andra and Margaret (Hopkins) McCoy, pioneers of this county, crossed the plains to the Pacific coast in 1852, shortly after reaching his majority, proceeding with a company of sixty-three men from Shasta Valley, to which place they had gone to drive back the Indians. After being actively engaged for a period of thirty-three days, during which the party participated in many thrilling exploits, they returned with only twenty-seven of the original party of sixty-three men, thirty-six having been killed and wounded. Sutherland McCoy himself was wounded in the neck by an Indian arrow.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sutherland McCoy responded to one of the early calls for volunteers and enlisted in Company G, Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry. During the war he was engaged in many severe battles, afnong which were those of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Rappahannock, Gettysburg, Thorough Gay, Mine Run, etc.

Returning from the war, Sutherland McCoy settled down to the peaceful pursuit of agriculture, and about ten years after the close of the Civil War was married. May 25, 1875, to Priscilla Kincaid, who was born, October I, 1847, ii^ Decatur county, Indiana. Four children were born to bless this marriage, one of whom, the third child, Mary J., who was born, June 5, 1883, died, September 5, 1899. Of the three living children, Ella was bom. May 5, 1877. Amanda, who was born, January 2-j, i88'o, was married, March 13, 1901, to Clyde William Kitchin, who was born in January, 1879, in Decatur county, Indiana. They now reside on a farm in Rush county, Indiana, and have five children, May Florence, born December 10, 1901 ; Martha Amanda, born November 5, 1903 ; Ruth and Ruby, twins, born June 4. 1907, and Clara Margaret, November 4, 1913. John Andra, the youngest child of Sutherland and Priscilla McCoy, was born, April 14, 1887, and after graduating from the Clarksburg high school, April 13, 1904, took up farming (38)

For almost a half century the late Sutherland McCoy was one of the leaders of the Democratic party of Decatur county. His judgment as an organization man was admitted to be of a superior order, and, possessed as he was of a genial and cordial manner, he was able to rely for his strength upon his own personality. Between 1882 and 1886 he served as county commissioner of Decatur county, filling the same office his father had so well filled before him. Religiously, the McCoys are devout members of the Springhill Presbyterian church. The late Sutherland McCoy, who was a member of the Clarksburg Masonic lodge, took a great interest in the welfare of this order.

Charles William Woodward

The Citizen's National Bank, of Greensburg, Indiana, which was organized as a private bank in 1866, is the oldest financial institution in the city of Greensburg. The bank having been organized by David Lovett, Levi P. Lathrop and Samuel Christy, on October 9, 1871, it was created a national bank with David Lovett as its first president, and Samuel Christy as its first cashier. These positions were later held by the Hon. Will Cumback and Louis E. Lathrop, now of Indianapolis, who filled all the offices in the institution, which at present are filled by James B. Lathrop, as president; S. P. Minear, of the Minear Dry Goods Company, vice-president, and Charles W. Woodward as cashier. The directors include Messrs. James B. Lathrop, S. P. Minear, John W. Lovett, Louis E. Lathrop, John H. Christian, C. W. Woodward and F. D. Bird.

Charles W. Woodward, who has been connected with the Citizens National Bank since 1879, a period of thirty-six years, was appointed assistant cashier on January 14, 1890, and cashier on January 8, 1901, and since then the career of Mr. Woodward has been identified with this bank, a period including practically his entire active Hfe. This bank has a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, average deposits of three hundred thousand dollars and surplus and undivided profits of fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Woodward not only has been connected with the Citizens National Bank for thirty-six years, but he has lived in Greensburg all his life, with the exception of his youth, which was spent at Adams, Decatur county, Indiana.

Indiana, the son of Isaac L. and Christe Ann (Jackson) Woodward, the former of whom was born in Kentucky on June 3, 1830, and who died on November i, 1914, and the latter of whom was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of WiUiam Jackson, a pioneer citizen of Decatur county, and a native of Virginia. Isaac L. was a son of Charles Woodward, who settled on a farm west of Greensburg in 1832, eventually became a druggist and merchant at Adams, in this county, afterwards becoming a gardener before he retired from active life, when he removed to Greensburg, Indiana. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company G, Seventy-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for thirty days. He was a Republican in politics, and was identified with the Baptist church. His wife, who is now deceased, was a daughter of a pioneer farmer, who came from his native state of Virginia to Cincinnati in an early day, later coming to Decatur county, where he was a farmer in the pioneer days. He died in Greensburg after a long and useful life.

Charles William Woodward was reared at Adams, the eldest of a family of ten children, three who died in infancy, the others, who live at Greensburg, Indiana, being Frank, a drayman; Mrs. George W. Magee, the wife of a dry goods merchant; Mrs. F. R. Christman, whose husband is a merchant; Ion L., a merchant; Mrs. James Porter, who lives on a farm three miles from that place, and Mrs. D. A. West, the wife of a merchant.

Charles W. Woodward received his education in the schools of Adams, and was one of the first bookeepers for the Greensburg Woolen Mills, having worked for Arthur Hutchinson for two years. Later he became a clerk for John Emmert, and a bookkeeper in a grain elevator for two and one-half years, after which he also spent six months working in a grocery store. Entering the Citizens National Bank as a bookkeeper on May 26, 1879, his rise to the position of assistant cashier in 1890, and to that of cashier in 1 90 1, has already been related.

Mr. Woodward was married on May 12, 1880, to Candas Coy, who was a native of Greensburg. and a daughter of Matthew Coy, a pioneer resident of Greensburg, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward are the parents of one son, Arthur Coy, born on August 18, 1890, is now a student at Cornell University, of Ithaca, New York. He is a graduate of the Greensburg high school, and also of DePauw University. At Cornell he is taking an engineer course. Arthur C. Woodward was married to Hazel Ayres, of Greencastle, Indiana, and they are now living in Ithaca.

to the people of this county. As a banker he has had no small part in its growth and prosperity, and it may be truly said that as cashier of this institution he enjoys the confidence not only of the board of directors and officers, but also of the patrons of the bank, with whom he is exceedingly popular.

Devoted to the noble work which his profession implies, the late Sherman B. Hitt, M. D., of Greensburg, by faithful and indefatigable service not only earned the due reward of his efforts in a material way, but proved himself eminently worthy to practice his great profession. He was a man of abiding sympathy, and. his earnest zeal in behalf of his fellow men made him a popular resident of Decatur county. His understanding of the science of medicine was regarded by his patients, by his fellows in the medical profession as broad and comprehensive, and he earned for himself a distinguished place among the physicians of Decatur county.

The late Dr. Sherman B. Hitt, who was born on January 15, 1854, in Louisville, Kentucky, and who died, September 25, 191 1, in Greensburg, was the son of Dr. John Y. Hitt, himself a well-known physician in two states. Dr. Sherman B. Hitt's mother was, before her marriage, Martha Ann Logan and was the daughter of Samuel Logan, one of the earliest of the pioneers of Decatur county, who came here with Thomas Ireland, whose life work is referred to repeatedly in this volume.

John Y. Hitt was born in Sullivan, Illinois, and was the son of Joel and Sarah Hitt, the former of whom, a farmer by occupation, was born on November 7, 1798, and who lived and died in the state of Kentucky, where he was a large landowner and slaveholder. His family is of English origin. Joel Hitt was one of a family of ten children, there being seven sons and three daughters. He was married in 18 17. After practicing his profession for a number of years at Sullivan, Illinois, the late Dr. John Y. Hitt came to Greensburg to live about 1901, and died there on April 14, 1914. He and his wife, Martha Anne (Logan) Hitt had two children, Joel and Dr. Sherman B.

Sherman B. Hitt was educated for his profession at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he spent four years at one of the post-graduate institutions of Berlin, Germany. After practicing his profession for five years in Cincinnati, Ohio, he came to Greensburg, Indiana, and here he built up a large and profitable practice and was highly esteemed and widely honored not only by his fellows in the medical profession, but by the public generally.

Dr. Sherman B. Hitt was married, May 9, 1895, to Mary S. Smith, a daughter of John H. and Mary Jane (Parant) Smith, the former of whom was a native of Jefferson county, Indiana, and one of a large family. Beginning life on a farm he became a successful farmer and owned a large tract of land in Decatur county. During the latter years of his life he lived in Columbus, Indiana, and died in that city. Mrs. Mary (Smith) Hitt was educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county and at Notre Dame University, located near South Bend, Indiana. She is a woman not only of wide information and of rare native intelligence, but a woman of refined and cultured habit, one who is popular in the social life of this city. As the result of her marriage to the late Sherman B. Hitt, one daughter, Gladys, was born on May 9, 1896, in Greensburg. Miss Hitt was educated in the common schools of Decatur county, and later pursued her academic work at Moores Hill College. Finally she entered the conservatory of music at Cincinnati and was a student there for three years, during which she completed the regular four years' course in vocal and instrumental music. Miss Hitt is a young woman of prominence in musical and social circles in the city of Greensburg.

Although the work of the late Dr. Sherman B. Hitt is finished, his influence goes on not only in the life of the members of his family, but also in the larger community where his work was done, since he was a man in whom the public placed implicit trust and confidence.

Lafayette Ford

Lafayette Ford, a retired railroad man and well-known citizen of Greensburg, was born on February i, 1841, on a farm in Washington township, the son of Johnson and Eliza (Waters) Ford, natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in 18 18, and died 1906, and the latter of whom was born in 1819, and died in 185 1. She was the daughter of William Waters, a native of Kentucky and an early settler who became wealthy, owning a large tract of land in this section and large herds of live stock. Johnson Ford was a son of Bailey Ford, who was born and reared in North Carolina, and who became a follower of Daniel Boone, a pioneer in the state of Kentucky. He moved to Decatur county from Kentucky in the early thirties, purchasing a farm in Washington township, two miles east of Greensburg. Johnson Ford settled on a farm, immediately after his marriage, known as the Waters farm, and after the Waters estate was settled up, he removed to Hendricks county. He died suddenly on the streets of Indianapolis. Of his eight children, four are now deceased, Alfred died in the service of his country during the Civil War; James died in Nebraska; the third born, was Mrs. Mary Smith; Mrs. Malinda McKee died near Brownsburg; Arnold lives at Miami, Indiana; WiUiam lives in Detroit, Michigan; Mrs. Ida Smith lives in Brownsburg, Indiana, and Lafayette is the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Ford is a veteran of the Civil War. having enlisted on President Lincoln's first call for volunteers on April 14, 1861. He served in Company F, Seventh Regiment. Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for three months and was engaged in the first battle on Cheat river, where the first rebel general was killed. Upon his second enlistment, September 9, 1861, he became a soldier in Company E, Thirty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served for three years. During this period he served under Capt. M. C. Conett, and Col. George W. Hazard, a brutal officer who was cashiered, and thereafter was succeeded by Colonel Gazely, who was also cashiered. He was succeeded by Colonel Hull, who was wounded, and who was succeeded by Colonel Ward, now an attorney at Versailles. The principal engagements in which Mr. Ford served were the battles of Stone's River. Chickamauga, siege of Atlanta, and many skirmishes and minor battles. He was mustered out of service, October 4, 1864.

After the war, Mr. Ford returned home to Decatur county, and farmed in Washington township for one year, and then farmed near Peru, Indiana, for about seven years. Subsequently, he engaged in railroading as express messenger and baggage man on the Wabash railroad for thirty-five years. In 1912, he retired, and in October of that j'car removed to Greensburg, where he has since been living.

In 1868, Mr. Ford was first married to Louisiana Isabelle Johnson, of Decatur county, the daughter of William P. Johnson, an early settler of the county, who bore him one child. Dr. Walter D. Ford, a well-known physician of Detroit, Michigan, who married Clara M. Dean. Mr. Ford lived in Detroit during his long service on the railroad.

On October 17, 1912, Mr. Ford was again married to Mrs. Elizabeth Ann (Guest) Perry, of Decatur county, who was born on November 14, 1843, in Clay township, and is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Branson)

Elizabeth (Branson) Guest, the wife of John Guest and the mother of the above named children, was a daughter of David and Sarah (Antrim) Branson. The Antrim family was a very famous family, not only in this country, but abroad. The first of the Antrims to settle in this country was John Antrim, who receixed a large grant of land from the English king. James, the direct ancestor of Mrs. Ford, and a brother of John, purchased land from him. The family was originally of Irish extraction, and probably belonged to the landed gentry class of County Antrim, Ireland. They, as well as the Bransons, were Quakers. A genealogical history^ of the family has been issued by people at Burlington, New Jersey. An old Friends church built in the blockhouse at High street, Burlington, was the house of worship of the Antrims of that city. James Antrim, a brother of John Antrim, heretofore referred to, came to America from England, and settled in Mansfield township, New Jersey, some time between 1678 and 1680. His son, James, had a son, James, whose daughter, Sarah, was born on October 7, 1764, and who died, July 23, 1821. She married David Branson, heretofore referred to.

A Republican in politics, the venerable Lafayette Ford is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a member of Zion Lodge No. i, Free and Accepted Masons, of Detroit, Michigan. His career has been long and honorable, and he is glad to spend his last days in the county of his birth, where his early. friendships were formed, and where lived many people whom he dearly loved. In some respects Mr. Ford's life has appeared to be a charmed one. During his valiant service as a soldier in the Civil War, he received seven bullet holes in his clothing, but was never wounded. In fact, these entire seven narrow escapes were all incidents of the battle of Stone's River. Moreover, he took part in the one hundred and four days of con- tinuous fighting from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and here he also escaped. Mr. and Mrs. 'Ford are splendid people, intelligent, well infonned, sociable and hospitable. Both are well preserved and enjoy the best of health.

Rollin A. Turner

Rollin A. Turner, a member of the law firm of Treemain & Turner, and a graduate of the Harvard law school in 1907, is the son of a pioneer Methodist minister of this section of Indiana, and himself one of the brilliant young men of the fourth congressional district.

Mr. Turner has been well prepared for the practice of law. Aside from graduating from the public schools of Greensburg and from the Greensburg high school in 1900, he pursued for four years an academic course at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, and received the degree of Bachekir of Arts from this institution. After graduating from DePauw in 1904 he entered Harvard University in the fall of that year, and for three years was a student oi the law department, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1907. Hundreds of young men enter the Harvard law school every year, but comparatively few of them remain to graduate, on account of the very high standard of the institution. It is impossible for the derelict or the stupid, or for the brilliant young man who refuses or declines to study, to get a diploma from this institution, and it is a mark of distinction to any young man that he holds a diploma from the Harvard law school, for practically half of the freshman class is dropped at the end of the first semester, because of failure to maintain the standard of studentship required by this institution.

The firm of Treemain & Turner within a comparatively brief period has built up an extensive practice, not only in Decatur county, but in the courts of other counties adjoining Decatur, and in the state and federal courts as well. Rollin A. Turner is not only a profound student of the law, well learned in legal principles and well informed in present day jurisprudence, but he is what is commonly called a successful practitioner in court, and his success has been builded upon careful and painstaking study of the minutest details involved in every case presented to him. He never goes into the court room unprepared, and his habits in this particular are not difiicult to explain. Careful and methodical work was required of him during the time he was a student of the law.

Indiana, the son of the Rev. J. W. and Lizzie (Woodfill) Turner, the former of whom was a native of Indiana, and the latter of whom was a daughter of Wilham S. Woodfill, one of the pioneer citizens and business men of Decatur county. Of RoUin Turner's ancestry it may be said, that the Rev. J. \V. Turner was a son of Rev. Isaac Turner, one of the pioneer Methodist minister's of southeastern Indiana, and himself a native of England, whose wife was Alice Turner, and who came to America in 1854. The Rev. J. \V. Turner, who now resides on a farm in Decatur county, spent thirty years in the ministry of the ^lethodist church, retiring in 1905, and locating on his present farm. He was born, .\ugust 11, 1857, in Dearborn county, Indiana, and was graduated from Moores Hill College with the class of 1878, receiving, later, the degree of Master of zA.rts and Doctor of Divinity. He was married in i88'o to Lizzie Woodfill. During his career as a minister, he was located at the Trinity church, of Madison, Indiana, the Irvington church, at Indianapolis, the Trinity church at Louisville, the Trinity church at Evansville, and, finally, was presiding elder of the Evansville district, and pastor of St. Paul's chiireh at Rushville when he retired.

Of the mother of Rollin Turner, who, before lier marriage to Rev. J. \V. Turner, wa^ Lizzie Woodfill, it may be said that she is the daughter of William S. and Sarah A. (Talbot) \\'oodfill, the latter of whom was the daughter of H. H. Talbot, the first clerk of Decatur county. William S. and Sarah (Talbot) Woodfill had four children, Elizabeth, who married the Rev. Mr. Turner, was the eldest. The others are, William Wirt, of Greensburg; Harry Talbot, who is superintendent of the Greensburg gas and electric plant, and Web Woodfill, secretary and treasurer of the Greensburg Gas and Electric Company. William S. Woodfill passed away, July 2^, 1899, and his wife, the mother of ]\Irs. J. W. Turner, died, October 31, 1898. The former was born in Owen county, Kentucky. November 16, 1825, and was the son of Gabriel and Eleanor (Pullam) Woodfill. of Welsh and English e.xtraction, the Woodfill family having been established in Pennsyh-ania in early colonial days. The Rev. Gabriel Woodfill, the great-grandfather of William S. Woodfill, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, and moved from Shelby countv. Kentucky, to Jefferson county. Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a minister in the Methodist church in Kentucky and Indiana, and a man of large influence in the pioneer communities. Andrew Woodfill, the son of Rev. Gabriel Woodfill, and the grandfather of William S. Woodfill. was born in Pennsylvania, and spent most of his life at Aladison, Indiana, where he entered government land, and where he was married to a Miss Mitchell. He and his wife had twelve children, eight of whom lived to maturity. Gabriel Woodfill, one of the sons of Andrew Woodfill, and the father of William S. ^Voodfill, was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, in 1800, and though he emigrated from Kentucky to Indiana with his parents, he later returned to Kentucky and there was a farmer and tavern keeper. He came to Greensburg, Indiana, NoA-ember 16, 1830, and here during his life took a prominent part in the financial and commercial life of Decatur county, subsequently establishing a general mercantile store, which has been under the management of the W'oodfiU family for almost a century. Gabriel Woodfill's first wife was Eleanor Pullam, who bore him three children, Andrew, William S., the father of ]\Irs. J. \\". Turner, and Mary, who married Henry Christian. Upon the death of his first wife, Gabriel Woodfill married Elizabeth Van Pelt, daughter of Joseph Van Pelt, and there were three children by this second union, James M., John, deceased, and Catherine, the wife of Rev. James Crawford. The store with which William S. Woodfill became associated in 1825, after his death was operated under the name of W. S. Woodfill's son, and is now under the individual management of W. W. Woodfill.

The Rev. J. W. and Mrs. Elizabeth (Woodfill) Turner have had seven children: Rollin A., the subject of this sketch, is the eldest; Sarah married Lduis C. Uhl, of Huntingburg; Lieut. William W. Turner, of the United States navy, is stationed at Annapolis, Maryland: Harry D., James W., Jr., Rachel and Welwirt live on the home farm.

Rollin A. Turner was married, June i, 1910, to Lillian Hill, of Greensburg, the daughter of W. J. and Lillian Hill, old residents of Greensburg. The former, a native of Ireland, is a traveling salesman for Young, Smythe, Field & Company, of Philadelphia, and has resided in Greensburg fot the past thirty-five years. He is a well-to-do and substantial citizen, who has extensive property interests in real estate and business blocks in this city.

In 1914, Rollin A. Turner was nominated by the fourth district convention as the Republican candidate for congress in this district. Although he made a most vigorous fight, the fourth district is strongly Democratic, and Mr. Turner was defeated, but he is. today, one of the leaders of the Republican party in the fourth district, and is one of the counsellors of the party in state politics. Mr. Turner is a member of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal church, of Greensburg, while Mrs. Turner is a member of St. Mary's Catholic church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of P}ithias and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. At college. Mr. Turner was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Greek letter fraternity, as well as other Greek letter societies, local in their membership.