Decatur County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 1 of 2)

Biographical sketches

Old Decatur has given to the United States many citizens of wide prominence in various Hnes of human endeavor, many men of state prominence and a few men who have attained even national distinction. As a fanner, stockman and business man, Decatur county has produced perhaps no more widely-known man than John E. Robbins, who has won pre-eminence in many phases of human endeavor. In the first place, he is the proprietor and general manager of the John E. Robbins Company, manufactures of "Saltone," a medicated salt, Avhich has an enormous sale among stockmen throughout the entire country, an enterprise which has brought thousands of dollars to its owner and proprietor. In the second place, he is one of the most up-to-date and progressive farmers to be found in the Middle West, and a man who has succeeded in a large way, merely because he has applied to the farm the same principles which he might apply to the operation of a railroad, a factory or a large department store. As a breeder, however, it is possible that Mr. Robbins is most widely known. A man of wide vision, he recognized the larger opportunities and, in 1896, while at Jersey Island, purchased ten head of Jersey cows, which were considered by experienced breeders on the Island to be the best that could be procured there. As a breeder of Hampshire hogs, he is equally well known and has accomplished equally remarkable feats. No attempt to explain his large success would be complete, unless one were able to met and know the man himself. It is significant, however, that he is descended from the best stock that Decatur county has ever produced. His father, his grandfather and his remote ancestors were men of large vision and great accomplishments, and it is true, no doubt, that John E. Robbins has inherited from these worthy progenitors many of his most sterling traits of character and much of his capacity for large business enterprise.

Stead, three-quarters of a mile south of Greensburg. Here, in a beautiful country home, surrounded with all of the opportunities which the father of wonderful ability could give to his son, he grew to manhood. The house in which he was born and in which he lived during the early years of his life, was supplanted by a magnificent brick house, erected by the father in 1868. Since he was twenty years old, he has been well-known in this state as a breeder. His business, of this character, has grown from year to year until, in 19 14, he raised five hundred head of Hampshire hogs, and it was only in 191 1 that he began breeding Hampshires. He sells fancy sows and boars all over the country and has exhibited his choice animals at state fair in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa and the international live stock expositions. He has carried away a majority of the prizes and ribbons at each exhibit. A list of prizes he has won on his most famous animals would far exceed the available limits of this biographical review. Nevertheless, at his auction sale held on January 8, 19 14, the "Saltone Stock Farm" established a new record. Sixty-nine Hampshire hogs sold for eight thousand seven hundred dollars, a previously unheard-of average price of one hundred and twenty-six dollars a head. "Lady Over" brought five hundred and twenty-five dollars; "Saltone II.," five hundred and ten dollars; "Vesta," four hundred aiid fifteen dollars, and "Bessie Burk," four hundred and five dollars. Ten hogs sold at an average of three hundred and thirty dollars, twenty hogs sold at an average of two hundred and forty-five dollars, and forty at an average of one hundred and seventy-one dollars. Mr. Robbins attributes a part of his success with Hampshire hogs to the liberal use of Saltone, a medicated salt, which he himself manufactures. At the international live stock exposition at Chicago in 1913, his herd of Hampshire hogs won two grand championships, and three championships, the prizes including, however, not only the prizes won at international live stock exposition, but also at the Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois state fairs of the same year. In 191 5 he sold one hog for one thousand and twenty-five dollars. Formerly a noted importer of Jersey cattle, Mr. Robbins made many trips to Jersey Isle, and, during his career, imported many thoroughbred Jersey cattle. Beginning in 1896, for fourteen years he bred and sold Jerseys and was the only man in the United States who ever bred, raised and sold a Jersey bull which brought the enormous price of ten thousand dollars. This excellent animal, " Silverine Coomassie," was sold to Dr. C. E. Still in the spring of 1905.

It is especially designed to destroy worms in live stock and to tone np animals physically. The formula was discovered in an enterprise launched by Mr. Robbins under the trade-mark name, "Saltone." This enterprise has been very successful, and, in nomial times, the company employs about forty people and the sales in 19 14 amounted to more than eighty thousand dollars.

With all of these enterprises to look after, it is not hard to conclude that John E. Robbins is a \ery busy man. He owns two hundred and seventy-five acres of land, and it is upon this farm, situated near Greensburg, that his extensive business operations are carried on. Personally, he is an intelligent and progressive citizen and an independent thinker and voter, although nominally he is identified with the Republican party. Fraternally, he is a member of the INIasonic lodge; the JNlurat Temple; nobles of the ]\Iystic Shrine, of Indianapolis ; the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Mr. Robbins has been twice married, the first time, December 24, 1884, to Lou Elder, the daughter of James Elder. She died on February 2, 1885, only a short time after their marriage. JMr. Robbins was married again, December 11, 1912, to Elizabeth C. Ehrhard, the daughter of Adam Ehrhard, of Greensburg. To this second marriage has been bom one son, John Everman, who was born February 4, 191 5.

John E. Robbins is a son of John E., Sr., and Nancy (Hunter) Robbins. The genealogy of the Robbins family begins with Bethiah V^ickery, who was born on December i, 1760, and who married \\'illiam Rol:)bins. To them were born three children : Albe, Charity and Benjamin. William Robbins was killed in the Revolutionary War, soon after enlisting, and his widow married a second William Robbins in Guilford county. North Carolina. To this couple were born nine children : Marmadnke and Jacob, born on May 15, 1783; Elizabeth, born on February 5, 178S; Polly, bom on April 9, 1791 ; Nathaniel, born on April 5, 1793; John, born on February 8, 1795; William, born on August 6, 1797; Dosha, born on I\Iay 20, 1804. William Robbins, the second husband of J\Irs. Robbins, was born on October 21, 1761, in Randolph county. North Carolina. In October, 1777. when sixteen years of age, he enlisted in the Revolutionary army, sen'ing until 1781 under Capt. Joseph Clark and Colonel Dugan and Col. Anthony Sharp. He left Virginia for Henry county, Kentucky, and, in 1821, came to Decatur county, settling nine and one-half miles south of Greensburg. Here he made a home among the timbered hills. Trees were cleared away and a new log house of one room was erected with a shed, in which was built a room for carpet weaving and many kinds of cloth. In Septemljer 11. 1834, Will- iam Robbins passed away and was buried at Mt. Pleasant cemetery. The third WiUiam Robbins, heretofore referred to in the children born to the second William Robbins and Bethiah Vivery, was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He was taken by his parents to Henry county, Kentucky, and accompanied them to Indiana, when the family came in 182 1. At this time he was twenty-four years of age. He selected the site for a home for himself about one and one-half miles north of his father's home, but the next year returned to Kentucky and was married to Eleanor Anderson, of that state.

Upon returning to his new home with his bride, and during the same year, three sisters and two brothers, John and Nathaniel, settled in the same vicinity. A short time later other relatives of the Robbins family came to the same township. The Robbins family became prominent both as to number and influence in the early affairs of this section. Nathaniel Robbins was the first justice of the peace in Sand Creek township. William and Eleanor Robbins lived on the farm originally selected as their home, during the remainder of their lives. They had four children : Sarilda, born in October, 1823, who married William Styers; John E., born on February 20, 1825, who married Nancy O. Hunter; James G., born on June 10, 1827, who married Elmira Stout, and Merrit H., born in 1829, who married Jeannette Gilchrist. William Robbins died on February 3, 1868, and his wife died four years later.

John E. Robbins, Sr., was born on his father's farm near Greensburg, February 20, 1825, and was married on November 7, 1844, to Nancy Hunter, the daughter of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hunter. After their marriage, the young couple went to housekeeping on a farm of forty acres given them by Mr. Robbins' father. After living on this farm until February 15, 1848, they purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land one mile south of Greensburg, where they made their home until their death. To this purchase, however, they added large tracts of land until they owned three thousand acres in Decatur county and twenty-four hundred acres in Bartholomew county, besides personal property of great value.

In 1882, John E. Robbins helped to organize the Third National Bank of Greensburg, and became a dire'ctor and its president, in which capacity he served until his death. Under his direction and management, the Third National Bank grew to be one of the most substantial and successful institutions in the country. Mr. Robbins passed away on July 22, 1896. His -wife, who had shared all of his interests and labors, a most willing and efficient helpmate, continued to live on the farm until her long and useful life closed, J\lay 2, 1905. John E. and Nancy Robbins had fourteen children, of whom the names of twelve are herewith given : Elizabeth Ellen, deceased ; Charlotte Adeline, deceased; Sarilda Ruth, who married H. F. Smiley; Minerva Jane, who became the wife of Archie Gilchrist; Nancy Elmira, who married J. B. Kitchen; Sarah Jeanette, deceased; William Hunter, who married Cora Sefton; Clara Alinda, who is the wife of Frank B. Kitchin; Olive Ida, who married Robert IMcCoy; John Everman, who married Louisa Elder; Frank Roscoe, who married Katie Sefton, and Eliza Angeline, who became the wife of Will Q. Elder.

John Everman, given in the above list of children as having married Louisa Elder, is the John E. Robbins of this sketch. Mr. Robbins is at the present time at the very zenith of his usefulness, but it must not be assumed that he is at the zenith of his power and prosperity. As a matter of fact, he is hardly fifty-one years old today, and it is well known among men who have studied personal careers that great fortunes are generally acquired after the age of fifty. The people of Decatur county have every reason in the world to be proud of the career of John E. Robbins, and there is every reason to believe that thev are proud of what he has accomplished ; proud of the fame and name he has given to this section; gratified that the exceptional opportunities of which he has taken advantage, lie here at their threshold.

George S. Littell

When a neighbor, himself a successful business man, says of another, "He is the greatest worker I ever saw," it is safe to assume that the latter is a success financially, and a citizen looked up to as a leader, whether the locality in which he. lives is a town or city. There is a sort of energy that is. invincible, an ambition that knows no defeat, and when these characteristics! are combined with a genial nature, we usually find a man well known and well liked, a power among his fellow men and a citizen worthy of honor and, esteem. When such a man comes of a line of ancestry living in the same neighborhood for many years, he has an added prestige, for he and his family become a vital part of the community whose well-being is a matter of their personal concern. Such has been the relationship of George S. Littell and his ancestors to Decatur county, that its history could not be written without prominent mention of them. And today, l\Ir. Littell and his father in their

George S. Littell was born at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, on June i, 1854. His, father, Benjamin Littell, who still lives with his son, George, is hale and hearty at ninety-five, and retains much of his former vigor and interest in life. His mother, who was before her marriage, Jane Van Sant, was the daughter of Reuben Van Sant, former county treasurer of Hamilton county, Ohio. The grandfather of George Littell was also named Benjamin, who passed away during the cholera epidemic, leaving a widow and four children. Benjamin, Elizabeth, Sarah Ann and Clara. Of Benjamin, the father of Mr. Littell. we shall have more to say later on in the present article, for he, too, has an interesting life history. His wife, who was born in 1822, lived until 1907. and died at the age of seventy-eight. Their children were, Alanson, a merchant of Greensburg; William T., a bricklayer and mason living in Indianapolis ; Frank, deceased ; Mrs. Adelia McCoy, a widow who is now caring for the home of our subject and his aged father; George S., in whom our present interest centers; Eliza, wife of Phil Weymar, of Greensburg; Samuel V. and James S., merchants of the same city; Mrs. C. D. Tillson, also a resident of Greensburg, and Curtis R., who lives in Washington state. The husband of Mrs. McCoy, mentioned above, was city councilman eight years, and has one son, Frank, who is deputy postmaster of Greensburg.

Benjamin Littell, the father of George, first came to Greensburg in 1863 to manufacture brick for Augusta Lathrop, so it was on easy matter for the son not only to be interested in that line of work but to pick up a practical education in brickmaking. George was two years old when his father moved from Mt. Pleasant, O.hio, to Ripley county, Indiana, and eight years afterward they came to Greensburg. When George began working in the brick plant of his father, it was on the land which became the first fairground of the county as well as the location of the first gas well ever drilled in the county. Here father and son continued working together until 1882, when the latter went in business for himself, making and selling brick until 1905. At that time his place of business was on East North street. While located here, he made brick for the Union Traction station, the Big Four livery stable, the home of Robert Watson, the Worthan Block, the east half of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Home (first building), the residence of Charles Zoller and Arthur Hutchinson, the enginehouse and roundhouse and the DeArmond hotel. For the construction of the latter building, he not only made and molded every brick, but also delivered them himself.

It was at the time that he was engaged in this strenuous work that the remark was made by Mr. DeArmond that George was the greatest worker he ever saw.

Besides being an expert in the manufacture of brick, Mr. Littell has been and is now a successful real estate dealer and live stock merchant. It has been said of him that "there is nothing in that line that he will not trade for." It seems that he is too ambitious to be contented with raising and selling live stock. He must own and place on the race-track famous horses, such, for instance, as "Exchange Boy," the renowned horse which he bred and raised. It is said of this wonderful creature that "considering the number of races in which he started, he holds the best record of any horse in the world today." He started in seventy-two races, and was behind the money but six times, making a record of 2:17)4 on a half-mile track. Mr. Littell was also the owner of "Bunyp,"' the horse with no hair, which was exhibited with great success in all the large cities in the country, and was considered the greatest freak horse in the world.

Having an active temperament, there seems to be a strain of adventure in ]\Ir. Littell which gives him many and various interests. For example, he at one time was owner and manager of a "carnival" which consisted of several amusement features, including a merry-go-round, a Ferris wheel, miniature railroads, etc. At the first street fair ever held in Greensburg, he won the first ribbon for saddle-horse and rider o\'er the competition of the best riders of Kentucky.

Mr. Littell is still engaged in the real estate business, and beside handling property for others, has a great deal of his own to look after. He owns ninety acres on the outskirts of Greensburg, near his own magnificent residence, and valuable land on Main street, including the site and building of a three-story brick block. IMoreover, he is the owner of fifty houses in Greensburg, some large, some small, and of four hundred and fifty acres of land in Decatur county, and eight hundred acres in Nebraska.

Mr. Littell is a Republican, and was at one time chairman of the county central committee. His interest in politics has been genuine, and his influence among politicians is that of a leader. He is a member in good standing of the Odd Fellows lodge.

Being a business associate of his father, the lives of these two men have been very closely bound together, and it is almost impossible to write of one without frequent reference to the other. In all of the activities of the younger Littell, he has had the interest and co-operation of his father, who was an active business man for many years in Greensburg, and is now the oldest citizen of Decatur county. He was born on December 24, 1820, in Cincinnati, wliere he lived until early manhood. The Littell home was on Fifth street. His father, a brickmaker, was a native of Vermont, so it seems that the brickmaking industry in this family extended through three generations. After moving to Mt. Pleasant, nine miles from Cincinnati, they made this home until 1856, when they again changed their place of abode, this time going to Ripley county, Indiana, where the elder Littell engaged in farming until 1863, and then returned to brickmaking, his first contract being to supply brick for the building at the southwest corner of public square, known as "crook's corner." He also manufactured the brick for the Moss House, now the DeArmond, and Annex hotel, of which Mr. Minear is the proprietor. Remaining in the brick business ruitil 1890, he then retired, and has made his home with his son. He is now in his ninety-fifth year, but is physically sound and mentally alert although he has been totally blind for the past six years.

Much of the success of this family has been due to the fact that they were hard-working and had good business ability. Benjamin Littell used to work early and late, and taught his children the value of a good day's work. He has always been a genial, lovable man, and in spite of his strenuous life, has taken the time to be kind. It was said of him that he could do more work than two or three men, and had the happy faculty of being able to teach others how to work. As an employer, he was wise and kind, knew how to handle men, and while peaceable in his nature, when occasion demanded it, he could defend his rights with physical emphasis if necessary. In other words, he was a fighter who never gave up when once he had been aroused. He may be regarded as a typical pioneer, for he came to Indiana in the state's infancy.

A lasting testimony to the thoroughness and honesty with which the Littells did their work, is found in the fact that many of the handsome and substantial structures standing in Greensburg today are made of the material manufactured by them, the bricks made by them being molded by hand.

Even at his advanced age, Mr. Littell retains much of his vigorous personality, and is a constant source of happiness to his son and daughter, who are tenderly caring for him during his declining years. During his many years of residence in this county, it is not surprising that he has made hosts of warm friends, having both the faculty of making new friends while retaining the old. While his educational advantages were not what they are today, he has a brilliant mind and a retentive memory. He is an interesting conversationalist, and is versatile both in mind and in achievement. As a business man, his remarkable memory was an important asset. The home of the Littells is one of the landmarks of Greensburg, for no expense has been spared to make it both comfortable and beautiful.

With such an energetic father and grandfather, we do not wonder that the mental inheritance of George Littell has been along business lines as well as in matters of politics and social affiliations as exemplified in lodge and fraternal organizations. To say that such a career has been useful is not sufficient, for the history of counties and states are proof of the fact that their growth and settlement would have been retarded, if not absolutely impossible, but for the zeal, the perse^-erance and the energy of such men as we have here described. Their lives have gone into the making of Decatur county, and it may be said of the younger man, especially, that he knew how to take advantage of every opportunity, and to mold it into reality, thus not only to increase his own fortune, but that of the communitv as well.

Harry Boyd

Harry Boyd, secretar}- of the Union Trust Company, of Greensburg, Indiana, who has risen in life to his present position of prominence in the financial circles of Decatur county, was born on October i8, i8'6i, in Jennings county, Indiana, the son of William and Jane (Dickerson) Boyd, the former of whom was of Irish parentage, and who was born in Dearborn county, Indiana. His wife, a native of Jennings county, was of German descent. They settled in Jennings county, Indiana, after their marriage, and in 1865 Mrs. Boyd died. After her death, William Boyd was married, secondly, to Mary Marryman. By his first marriage, William Boyd had seven children, only one of whom, Harry, is now living. He was a Democrat in politics and for some time filled the office of assessor.

Self-made and self-educated, Harry Boyd, the subject of this sketch, was finally able to prepare himself for the schoolroom and taught for four years, becoming finally the bookkeeper for Mr. Mitchell at Letts Corner. After holding this position for six months, he taught school at Letts Corner for a part of one term and then returned to Mr. Mitchell's emplo}'. Subsequently, he became a partner with W. T. and J. G. Adams, merchants at Letts Corner, and then, in partnership with ]Mr. Mitchell, opened the first hardware store at Letts. After a time, he traded his interest for a farm and was engaged in farming for four years. Not finding the farm everything that he had hoped it to be, Mr. Boyd and Mr. Adams purchased the Moore store and continued in partnership for some time, when Mr. Boyd came to Greensburg, as secretary of the Union Trust Company.

In 1888 Harry Boyd was married to Carrie I. Mitchell, the daughter Oliver S. and Mary E. Mitchell, the former of whom, a farmer and merchant, was a native of Decatur county. He died in 1897 and his wife -died in 1894. To Mr. and Mrs. Harry Boyd has been born one child, Jessie Gail, who was born on January 31, 1895.

Fraternally, Mr. Boyd is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Free and Accepted Masons. x\s secretary of the Union Trust Company, he has had a considerable part in the growth and prosperity during recent years of this institution. Mr. Boyd is popular with the officers and directors of the company and also with the patrons, the officers of which at the present time are : President, J. H. Christian ; vice-president, Lewis Zoller, and secretary and treasurer, Harry Boyd.

John Locke Bracken

In the golden sayings of Epictetus there is no nobler utterance than this: "What wouldst thou be found doing when overtaken by Death? If I might choose, I would be found doing some deed of true humanity, of wide import, beneficent and noble. But if I may not be found engaged in aught so lofty, let me hope at least for this - what none may hinder, what is surely in my power - that I may be found raising up in myself that which had fallen; learning to deal more wisely with the things of sense; working out my own tranquility, and thus rendering that which is due to every relation of life. . . .

"If Death surprise me thus employed, it is enough if I can stretch forth my hands to God and say, 'The faculties which I received at Thy hands for apprehending this Thine administration, I have not neglected. As far as in me lay, I have done Thee no dishonor. Behold how I have used the senses, the primary conceptions which Thou gavest me. Have I ever laid anything to Thy charge ? Have I ever murmured at aught that came to pass, or wished it otherwise? Have I in anything transgressed the relations of life? For that Thou didst beget me, I thank Thee for that Thou hast given : for the time during which I have used the things that were Thine, it suffices me.

Take them back and place them wherever Thou wilt. They were all Thine and Thou gavest them me.' - If a man depart thus minded, is it not enough? What life is fairer or more noble, what end happier than his?"

The above beautiful thought is suggested to the biographer by a review of the life of the late John Locke Bracken, noted attorney and one time leader of the bar of the Decatur Circuit Court, of Greensburg, Indiana. It is but fitting that in a work of this character, carrying a historical and biographical review of the times in this county, the following Ijrief memorial should be preserved.

John Locke Bracken was born at Milroy, Rush county, Indiana, February 21, 1849, the son of Dr. William and Patience (Bracken) Bracken. Dr. William Bracken was a well-known medical practitioner at Milroy, who moA-ed to Greensburg in 1863, practising there for many years, during which time he became one of the most noted physicians in this part of the state, being held in the highest esteem throughout this whole region. He was spared to the community in which, for so many years, his skill was so beneficially exerted, until he had reached the great age of ninety-one years, having maintained his practice with full vigor of his superb powers unimpaired until he was eighty years of age, at which time he retired from the active practice of his profession, his influence in the community, thereafter, being confined to the no less useful position of counsellor and friend, many still living in and about Greensburg having cause for grateful remembrance that Doctor Bracken lived and labored hereabout.

John L. Bracken received his elementary education in the Greensburg schools. After finishing the high-school course in the schools of his home town, he entered upon a supplementary course at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, and was later graduated from Kenyon College. Thus equipped he entered upon the practice of law at Greensburg, where from that time to the day of his death he occupied a most prominent and honored place in the affairs of the city and county. After practicing for a period of sixteen years, Mr. Bracken's health became impaired and he retired from practice for a time, removing to a farm of forty acres which he had bought, one and one-half miles northeast of Greensburg, on which he remained until his close communion with nature had restored him to his wonted vigor, after which he resumed his residence and practice in Greensburg, the rest of his life being spent there. As a practitioner at the bar of the Decatur Circuit Court, Mr. Bracken was successful beyond the most of his fellow attorneys, and for years was regarded as the leader of the bar in this county. He had an (35) unusual grasp upon the intricacies of his exacting profession, and the vakie of his services as a counsellor in this community, never can be properly estimated. In the early period of his practice, he served as prosecuting attorney for Decatur county, his services to the public in that responsible capacity, receiving the recognition of all. During President Cleveland's administration, Mr. Bracken served as deputy revenue collector for this revenue district, under his brother William Holsworth Bracken, who was the district collector under that administration.

Mr. Bracken long was recognized as one of the leaders in the Democratic party in this section of Indiana, and his personal services ever were at the command of the managers of the party in the state. He had served his party as a delegate to state and national conventions and his sagacious counsels often proved of value in the deliberations of the party leaders. His death was, therefore, regarded as a distinct loss in political circles throughout the state, his absence creating a real vacancy in the councils of his party, while his eng-aging personality had so endeared him to all classes in this county, that his passing was regarded as a distinct loss to the entire community.

On December i8, 1877, John Locke Bracken was united in marriage to Maiy F. Christy, who was born at Greensburg, Indiana, December 10, 1852, the daughter of William T. and Susan (Israel) Christy, natives, respectively, of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

William T. Christy was born on September 6, 1829, and died on January 25, 1905. He came to this county from Kentucky as a young man and located at Greensburg, opening there a merchant-tailoring establishment, and for many years was recognized as one of the leading merchants in the city. 'For years he had practically all the trade of the growing city and became very successful in business. He was not only a man of fine business qualifications, but was a public-spirited citizen of the highest grade, his influence in the community ever being exerted for the best. His widow, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1834, of Dutch extraction, still is living, pleasantly and comfortably situated in the delightful home on West Washington street, in the city of Greensburg, where she enjoys the most respectful regard of her large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Christy were the parents of two children, daughters, Mary C, widow of Mr. Bracken, and Elizabeth Anna, who married the Rev. F. S. Tincher, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church at Battle Creek, Michigan, to which union were born two children, Mary I. and Coyle C, the latter of whom lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mary I. Christy married Roscoe Martin, of Moores

Hill, Indiana, a son of the Rev. Dr. John H. Martin, president emeritus of Aloores Hill College, and Josephine (Hansell) Martin, to which union there was born one child, a daughter, Dorothy Irene, on February ii, 1905.

To John Locke and Mary C. (Christy) Bracken were bom two children, William Christy, who died at the age of six years, and Locke, born on August 18, 1888, who married Clara McXaught and was manager of the Ward manufacturing establishment, at Decatur, Indiana, after which, in July, 191 5, he accepted a position as teller in the Greensburg National Bank. Mr. Bracken was an earnest member of the Methodist church, as is his widow, and was an active worker in the aii'airs of the congregation to which he was attached and the son was brought up in the same faith.

Mrs. Bracken takes an active interest in the social and club life of Greensburg, and her activities therein have been largely influential for good. She holds membership in the leading musical and literary clubs of the city, and is a member of the influential Department Club. She is devoted to the memory of her late husband, and the whole community shares with her the sense of loss at his passing. Such lives as his enrich the world with their presence. Gracefully and graciously they mingle with their fellows, lea\-ing examples well worthy of imitation by the generations following. The real life of John Locke Bracken abides with us as a perfume of undying fragrance.

Will T. Crisler

Among the well-known citizens of a past generation of Decatur county, Indiana, Will J. Crisler, for many years a teacher in the schools of Decatur county and later a stone dealer, occupied a prominent niche in the educational and business life of this county. ]Mr. Crisler belonged to a very old family in America and he was a man who worthily upheld the tradition of a noble family name.

A veteran of the Civil War, the late Will J. Crisler was born on October 7. 1840, and died on January 22, 1905. He was the son of James S. and ^largaret (Arnold) Crisler, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Shelby county, Indiana. James S. Crisler was born on February 18, 1817, and died on January 12, 1900. His wife, who, before her marriage, was Margaret Arnold, was born on April 11, 1826, and died on February 24, 1881. James S. Crisler was the son of Lewis, who was a son of Leonard, who was the son of Fawatt Crisler. The latter married Rosina Gaar, the daughter of Andreas Gaar, born in 1685. Andreas Gaar was the son of Jolm Gaar, who was born in 1657, and who died in 1738. Andreas Gaar and his family of iive, with three hundred others, came from Bavaria to America in 1732 in a saihng vessel.

Reared in Shelby county, Indiana, and educated in the schools of St. Paul, Will J. Crisler began teaching after the close of the Civil War and, for twenty years, was a teacher in this section of the state.

On October 20, 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Thirty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out of service, October 27, 1864, after serving in many battles and minor engagements. After the war, he taught school in Shelby and Decatur counties and in 1887 engaged in the stone business at Greensburg. He located in Greensburg in 1887. Later he operated a quarry at Westport, Indiana, and retired in 1898.

On May 15, 1873, Will J. Crisler was married to Eliza J. Stagg, who was born on January 26, 1852, in Switzerland county, Indiana, and who is the daughter of Philip D. and Sarah A. (Anderson) Stagg, natives of Indiana, he of Ripley county and she of Switzerland county, both of whom came to Decatur county in 1859. After two years in Greensburg, they moved to a farm, and in 1906, leased the farm and spent the remainder of their lives in Mrs. Crisler's home.

Philip Doddridge Stagg was one of eight children. His ancestors came to America during Queen Anne's reign, settling near Hackensack and Trenton, New Jersey. The name Stagg is of Norman-French origin and was originally spelled LeStagg. In the rolls of Parliament appear the names of John LeStagg and Dorthea LeStagg. It is derived from animal traits or characteristics, such as pride, swiftness, speed and shyness of the stag. The motto on the Stagg coat-of-arms is "En Dieu est ma £ance," "In God is my trust." The royal mantle of crimson velvet and the Crusader's cross between the stag's horns on the coat-of-arms plainly show the royal lineage. After settling in England, branches of the family went to Holland, from which place they came to America. Philip D. Stagg was an artist of rare genius and skill and many paintings testify his artistic ability. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Methodist Episcopal church. Philip D. Stagg was the son of James Dunn Stagg, who was the son of Daniel Stagg, who was the son of Capt. James Stagg, who was the son of Cornelius, who was the son of John Stagg and the latter was a son of Thomas. The first mention of Thomas Stagg's name was in 1632, when he immigrated from England to Holland. He was one of the Dissenters of those times and, after living in Holland for some time, came to

Decatur Coitnty, Indiana

America. Thirteen descendants of Thomas Stagg are shown to have fought in the Revolutionary War. James Dunn Stagg, the father of PhiHp D., was born on January 27, 1796. Capt. James Stagg, the father of Daniel and the grandfather of James Dunn, was born on September 18, 1737, and died on May 4, 1825. Major John Stagg, a cousin of Capt. James Stagg, was private secretary to General Washington at Valley Forge. Capt. James Stagg owned a large plantation in Mercer county, Kentucky. He commanded a company in a New Jersey regiment during the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Crisler's father, Philip D. Stagg, who was born on September I, 1827, died on December 15, 1908, and her mother, Sarah A. (Anderson) Stagg, was born on [March 2, 1833, and died on December 6, 1913. She was the daughter of John G. and Matilda Berkeley (Adams) Anderson, the latter of whom was a lineal descendant of John Ouincy Adams, on her paternal side and of Lord Berkele}' on her maternal side.

Philip D. and Sarah A. Stagg had eight children, five of whom are living, James A., of Greensburg, married Mary A. Fisher on June 29, 1875 ; Harvey D.. of Indianapolis, married Gertrude M. Greer on September 7, 1905: Mrs. (Ida) J. N. Hodgin, of Richmond, Indiana; Mrs. Anna, wife of J. H. McGill, of Joplin, Missouri : Mrs. Crisler'; Edith, who died on November 4. 1S67, at the age of four; George, who died on March 24, 1904, and Albert, who died on November 12, 1905.

To ~Slv. and Mrs. Will J. Crisler have been born two children, Winona and ^^^alter W. W^inona, born on February 27, 1874, married, June 11, 1902, George Deiwert, of Greensburg, who was born in Shelby county, Indiana, in 1870, and has three children living. Philip Sebra. Eliza Adeline, Albert Emerson, and one, William Walter, died at the age of two and one-half years, on September 30, 1905 ; Walter W., born on June 3, 1882, conducts a cigar store in Greensburg. He served four years in the United States navy, three vears of which were silent in the Philippines, and, by special act of Congress, received an active-service medal. He married Minnie L. Crews, of North Carolina, on July 12, 1909.

The late Will J. Crisler was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his widow. He was a member of Pap Thomas Post No. 5. Grand Army of the Republic, the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he served as noble grand. He was past commander of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic and regimental secretary of the Union Veteran Legion. Mrs. Crisler is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star No. 147, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is a prominent worker in the Woman's Relief Corps and has held many offices in this organization, among which are junior vice-president, senior vice-president, president of the department of Indiana, department press correspondent for seven years and also department patriotic instructor for eight years and national patriotic instructor for two years, which is one of the most important offices in this organization. She is secretary and past matron of Lois Chapter No. 147, Order of the Eastern Star; treasurer and past president of Pap Thomas Woman's Relief Corps No. 113; secretary of the Thirty-seventh Indiana Regimental Association, and a member of the county board of charities and correction.

Len J. Emmert

Four miles southeast of Greensburg, Indiana, on the old state road, is the old Cobb farm, entered from the government by the grandfather of Jasper Cobb, one of the farms settled in Decatur county and one which remained in the Cobb family until 1906, when it passed into the hands of E. G. Schultz, of whom Len J. Emmert purchased it in March, 191 3. In pioneer times, a mill, a tavern and a still house were operated on this farm and, because there was always plenty of water to be found on the farm, it was a camping place for the Indians. Its many springs furnished abundant water for the whole countryside. During the last two years, the old Cobb farm has been owned and operated by Len J. Emmert, one of the foremost farmers and stockmen of the county, an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs, cattle, horses and calves. Its present owner, who has had a varied experience in business, since he engaged in farming, has applied the same business methods to the farm which he employed in the shop and the store.

Len J. Emmert was born on May 11, 1871, in Greensburg, the son of native-born German parents, John B. and Catherine (Seitz) Emmert, the former of whom was born in Mannheim. Germany, and who came to America with nothing in his possession except good health, a strong heart and a willing hand. After coming to Greensburg, in 1866, John B. Emmert built and operated the Garland mills until his death. Previously he had lived in Lawrenceburg for thirteen years. Not only was he a, successful business man, but he was an influential and prominent citizen, public spirited, progressive and industrious. Catherine Seitz was born in Alsace-Lorraine and came to America with her parents in 1838. After living for some time in Hamilton, Ohio, the family moved to Dearborn county and later he became a well-known farmer in this county. John B. Emmert died in 1882 and his wife in 1909.

Educated in the public schools of Greensburg, in 1888, Len J. Emmert went to Cincinnati, where he was employed for nine years in the home steam laundry. Upon returning home, he engaged in business for a short time in the employ of Minear & Company. For a short time, he was also engaged in the dry goods business at Anderson and for six years dealt in horses and stock. Eventually, he was able to buy his present farm, which is located on the old state road, four miles southeast of Decatur county's county seat. He has been very successful in raising hogs for the market and ordinarily has from twenty to twenty-five brood sows and from sixty to one hundred and feeders. The old Cobb farm is well adapted to the raising of hogs, because of the great quantity of flowing water. They are believed to be immune from cholera. In 19 14 Mr. Emmert raised one hundred and thirty head of hogs. He generally fattens them until they weigh two hundred pounds and then sells them. Lately he has been keeping eighteen or twenty head of cattle, the same number of calves and from sixteen to twenty head of horses. Mr. Emmert is very fond of horses and has been able to make substantial profits buying and selling them. Today he is recognized as one of the most prosperous farmers of the county and one who, perhaps more than any other, has the operations of the farm reduced to a business basis.

On February 6, 1897, Len J. Emmert was married to Lou Goddard, who was born on October 18, 1874, and who is the daughter of William and Mary (McKinney) Goddard, the former of whom was born in 1820 in Kentucky, was married to Mary McKinney on December 6, 1866, and died in 1897. Mary McKinney was born in 1832 in Washington county, the daughter of John and Margaret fVan Cleave) McKinney, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Washington county. They moved, in 1837, to Decatur county from Washington county, settling in Washington township. The late William Goddard was the son of Thomas Goddard, a native of Kentucky, whose parents came originally from Virginia. Mrs. Emmert is one of five children born to her parents, the others being Samuel, an auto salesman of Boston, Massachusetts; William R.. who lives on the home farm: Margaret, who is at home, and Bertha.

To Air. and Mrs. Len J. Emmert have been born three children, Louis, April 13, i8g8, and is a student in the third year of the Greensburg high school: Alildred, December 26, 1901, and Mary Catherine, October 16, 1904.

In politics, Len J. Emmert is active and influential in the councils of the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Emmert and family are members of the Presbyterian church of Greensburg and are regular attendants of the services.

They are liberal contributors to the support of this church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Greensburg. As a farmer and stockman, it is doubtful if Mr. Emmert has any superior in Decatur county. He is interested in worthy public movements, which has made him a valuable citizen in the community where he lives, while his genial and cordial relations with the public have made him decidedly popular. The Emmert family are popular socially in Greensburg and vicinity.

David M. Blackamore

No business is of more importance economically to the farmers of this country than the elevator and warehouse business, to which is sold the most important products of the farm. Within recent years there has been a widespread agitation not only against the railroads which carry the farmers' grain to distant markets, but in many instances, against the local elevator. Criticism or censure has centered in two distinct allegations, first, that the farmers were not provided with sufticient facilities to market their grain, and second, that a combination existed among the elevator men to beat down prices and control the visible supply of the leading cereals which come from the farm. Perhaps some of the criticism has been justified, but one of the troubles of the grain business has been that the men engaged in it were incapable of grasping the farmer's point of view, or of appreciating his demands for a free market. When David M. Blackamore purchased the McCoy elevator in 191 1, he brought to the business here in Greensburg the farmer's point of view, as well as an equal appreciation of the elevator operator's viewpoint. During the past five seasons the business of this elevator has grown enormously, and the increase is due, no doubt, to the fact that Mr. Blackamore pays for the farmers' product a price that is equal or greater than the price paid anywhere in Decatur county. Popular as he is with the patrons of his business, larger and larger increases may be expected in the future.

David M. Blackamore, now a well-known business man of Greensburg, but formerly a farmer of the county, was born on August 30, 1874, one mile west of Greensburg, the son of David F. and Lucetta (Sayler) Blackamore, the former of whom was born on April 6, 1823, at Shelbyville, Kentucky, and who died on October 27, 1885, and the latter of whom was born on November 15, 1838,' in Ripley county, Indiana. Mrs. Lucetta Blacka- more is still living, and makes her home with her son, David M., the subject of this review. She is a daughter of Lewis Sayler, an early settler of Ripley county. David F. Blackamore was a son of John O. Blackamore, a pioneer of Decatur county, who settled here in 1838, one mile west of Greensburg, on the farm where David M. was born. He was a sturdy, vigorous man when in his prime, a man of great mental power, strong convictions and determined will. He was very successful as a pioneer farmer in this county,' and at the time of his death was rated as being worth twenty thousand dollars, all of which he had personally hewed out of the wilderness. David F. Blackamore, his son, lived on the farm settled by the father until February, 1875, when he removed to Clay township, and purchased a farm in that vicinity. This was known as the Joel Bennett farm, which he sold in the spring of 1880 to Ralph McGee. Subsequently, he purchased the Joseph Graham farm of two hundred and forty acres in Fugit to-wnship, and lived on this farm the remainder of his life.

David F. and Lucetta (Sayler) Blackamore were the parents of five children, two of whom. Will, the eldest, and Eliza, the third in order of birth, are deceased. The latter died at the age of eight years. The living children are James F., John O. and David M. James F. lives southeast of Greensburg, on what is known as the White farm. John O. lives north of Kingston, on a farm.

David M. Blackamore lived on the old home farm in Fugit township until the spring of 1900, having sold the farm in the fall of 1899, to H. Springmier. In the meantime he had become the owner of one hundred acres of the old farm. Later, in 1900, he purchased one hundred acres of land, one mile west and one mile south of the original farm, known as the old John L Throp farm. He improved this place and held it until 19 10, when he sold out and removed to Greensburg, engaging in the grain business. He now owns one hundred and sixty acres, the old Grant farm, in Adams township, located three and one-half miles from the Greensburg court house, which farm he purchased in August, 1914. He is operating this farm from his home in Greensburg.

On March 15, 191 1, Mr. Blackamore took over the elevator and grain business of R. A. McCoy. This plant has a capacity of twenty-five thousand bushels o-f wheat and six thousand bushels of corn, and its proprietor handles on an average thirty thousand bushels of wheat and twenty thousand bushels of corn annually. He also buys straw and hay, and has a wholesale and retail business in these commodities. He buys and sells farming seeds, oats, timothy, clover, alfalfa, corn and retails coal and feed. Four men are employed at the mill. Feed is ground for local consumption, but Mr. Blackamore is not able to grind enough for the local market, and purchases great quantities in other markets. He now has one of the best-equipped plants in Decatur county.

On June 17, 1896, David M. Blackamore was married to Harriet Elizabeth Butler, the daughter of John Butler, of Richland township, Rush county, Indiana. Of the five children born to this union, three, all of whom are sons, are still living, Merwin Adelbert. Loren Jewel and Delmar Butler, all of whom are students in the local schools. Two children died in infancy.

For many years Mr. Blackamore has been prominent in Republican politics in Decatur county. In 19 12 he was the Republican candidate for representative in the Indiana General Assembly, and was defeated by sixtytwo votes, at a time when the defection caused by the Progressive party was a very severe handicap. He made a splendid race in the face of great odds, holding the normal Republican vote and receiving many Democratic votes. He cut down the Progressive vote by thirty-two and received three hundred and seventy-eight Democratic votes in the county, from five to fifteen votes in every precinct.

Mr. Blackamore and family are earnest and faithful members of the Presbyterian church, of which they are regular attendants and to the support of which they are liberal contributors. Fraternally, Mr. Blackamore is .a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias.

John F. Russell

One of the most thriving and extensive industries of Decatur county is the Garland Milling Company of Greensburg, of which John F. Russell, a prominent and influential citizen of the fourth congressional district, is president and general manager. His long connection with one of Greensburg's leading industries, his prominence in the official life of Greensburg and Decatur county, his long service as one of the leaders of the Democratic party in Greensburg and Decatur county, have combined to make him one of the best known men of this section of the state. Like so many of the prosperous and successful business men of the present generation, he has been the architect of his own fortunes. It is no small step from a delivery wagon which he drove at the beginning of his career, to managerial position and the presidency of a large milling company, one which has a trade in all of the principal countries of the globe, yet these two positions describe the progress of John F. Russell during an active working period of about twenty-five years.

Born on February 14, 1870, at Lawrenceburg, Dearborn county, Indiana, and the son of Richard C. and Catherine ( AlcCullough) Russell, John F. Russell has enjoyed a phenomenal rise in life. His father, a native of Ireland, came to America when two years of age, in 1847, ^"^1 after locating in Cincinnati, was married, in 1869, and became superintendent of telegraph construction for the Big Four railway. Eventually, he moved to Greensburg in 1879. and had charge of the building of the Michigan division of the Big Four, and the time of his death was an official of this railroad. He was born in 1845, ^"d died in 1894, the son of John F. Russell, Sr. ]\Irs. Catherine (McCullough) Russell is the daughter of John McCullough, a native of Scotland, who married Margaret King, and who, after their marriage, settled in Galveston, Texas, where the mother of John F. Russell was born. The McCullough family removed to Cincinnati in 1852, where Mrs. Russell's father engaged in business as a wholesale commission merchant. After the death of her husband, in 1894, she married the second time to Thomas Hartman. who is deceased, and she now resides in Greensburg, Indiana. Of the eight children born to Richard C. and Catherine (McCullough) Russell, John F. was the eldest; Katie is deceased; Elsie is the wife of Dan S. Perry, the cashier of the Greensburg National Bank; Clara is deceased; Richard E. is a clerk in the traffic department of the Chicago, Burlington vt Ouinc}' railroad at Chicago ; Clem is employed by the American Express Company at Chicago ; Marie is the wife of Stanton Guthrie, an extensive news dealer, and Lillian lives at home.

Educated in the public schools of Greensburg, Indiana, John F. Russell was graduated from the high school with the class of 1888, in the meantime, however, during 1886 and 1887, having worked on railroad construction, and during his vacations having learned the lineman's trade. During 1888 and 1889 he was engaged in driving a delivery wagon for a grocery. Two years later he was taken into the business of Doles & Russell, a grocery firm of this city. During 1896 and 1898 Mr. Russell was engaged in publishing the Nczv Era. of which he was the business manager. In 1898 he entered the employ of the Garland Milling Company, and became finally a stockholder, was elected secretary and treasurer, then vice-president, and finally president of the company.

kjiown brands are "Pinnacle." "Old Times" and "Defender." With an output of five hundred barrels a day. it exports its products to all the leading markets of the world, and especially the markets of Great Britain and Ireland, South America, the Scandinavian Peninsula, and France. Drawing its raw products from Franklin, Shelby and other counties within a radius of seventy-five miles, the company employs twenty-eight men, and is one of the most thriving industries of this city. The capital of the concern is fifty thousand dollars. The vice-president is George B. Ayers, and the secretarytreasurer is George P. Shoemaker. Mr. Russell's knowledge and his popularity among his fellows, are well attested by the fact that he served two terms as president of the Indiana Millers' Association, and is at present a directer of this organization.

The prominence of John F. Russell as one of the leading Democrats of Decatur county is proved by his long-time connection with the Democratic organization, Mr. Russell having served as secretary for eight years and as treasurer for eight years of the Democratic city and county committees. Altogether he has served in various capacities connected with these committees for a period of twenty years, having been elected in 191 1 by the Greensburg city council as a member of the board of education and re-elected in 19 14, and served until his appointment by Governor Ralston as a member of the board of trustees of the southeastern hospital for the insane, at Madison, a board of which he is now secretary. During his administration the new high school building at Greensburg, which cost one hundred thousand dollars, was erected. It is one of the very finest in the state of Indiana, and the people of Greensburg owe as much to Mr. Russell as to any other man, for the successful completion of this splendid building. During the Democratic state convention of 1914, Mr. Russell represented the fourth congressional district on the resolution committee. He also served two terms as a director and as president of the local associated charities, and was president of the commercial club for one term, an organization in which he is now a director. ]\Ir. Russell is also a stockholder, vice-president and director of the Greensburr/ JJ'cekly Democrat and Greensburg Evening Times.

On November 22, 1891, John F. Russell was married to Ella E. Doles, daughter of Henry Doles, who, at the time of his death, in 1910, was the oldest native-born resident of Greensburg, having been born in 1822, and being at the time of his death eighty-eight years old. To Mr. and Mrs. Russell have been born two children, John Francis, familiarly known as Frank, Jr., graduated from the Greensburg high school and has been a

With his many duties, private and public, Mr. Russell is also devoted to the comfort and happiness of his home and to his wife and only son. The Russell family are favorites in Greensburg and Decatur county, and Mr. Russell, in his long career, has won a host of friends by his genial personal relations with the public and his cordial manner. In many respects he has displayed those sturdy traits of character common to the Scottish and Irish people, from whom he is sprung. His greatest asset in this community, however, is not so much the business he has conducted' with such conspicuous success, or the position which he has held, as the good name he enjoys among his fellows.

Elsewhere in this volume, in connection with the biography of the late Hon. Zachariah T. Riley, the genealogy of the Riley family in this county is presented at some length, the Colonial and Revolutionary ancestry of the family being very clearly set out. In the presentation at this point of the biography of Dr. Eden T. Riley, one of Greensburg's best-known and most prominent physicians, the genealogical feature of the same therefore may properly be omitted, the reader being referred to the sketch above referred to for interesting information along that line, it being sufficient here to say that Doctor Riley is a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families in Decatur county, a family that has performed valuable service in the development of the best interests of the local commonwealth.

Eden T. Riley, of Greensburg, Indiana, was born on a farm in Clinton township, this county, June 23, i8C)8, the son of Zachariah Thompson and Mary Jane (Anderson) Riley, prominent residents of the Springhill neighborhood, the former of whom was a one-time representative in the Indiana General' Assembly from this district, genealogies of both of whom the reader may find presented under another heading in this ^-olume. and the latter of wfhom is still living at her home in Greensburg, this county, enjoving the of her life at the advanced age of eighty years. There were four children born to Z. T. and Mary J. (Anderson) Riley, Mary Libbie, who -died at the tender age of sixteen years; \^essie, who is living at h(ime with her aged mother: Dr. Eden T., the immediate subject of this sketch, and one who died in infancy.

Eden T. Riley was reared on the home farm in CHnton township, his preliminary schooling being received in the local schools of that township, supplemented by a course in the high school at Greensburg, from which latter school he was graduated. He then took a course in Butler University, at Indianapolis, Indiana, after which he entered Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, being graduated from, that excellent institution with the class of 1895. Following his graduation. Doctor Riley located at Montpelier, in Blackford county, this state, where he remained for two years engaged in the practice of his profession. .Vt the end of this time he returned to Decatur county, locating at Greensburg, in which city he ever since has been very successfully engaged in practice, having made for himself a name as a practitioner that is known far beyond the precincts of the county. He served for six years as secretary of the city board of health at Greensburg and for two years as secretary of the Decatur county board of health, his services in that connection having met with the most appreciative approbation of the general public; his interest in the public-health service having been very largely instrumental in bringing to its present high state of efficiency the department of health in this county and in the city of Greensburg.

In 1902 Dr. Eden T. Riley was united in marriage to Lottie McVey, who was born in Columbus, Ohio, daughter of C. P. jNIcVey, and he and Mrs. Riley take a prominent part in the social affairs of their home city and are deeply interested in all the good works of the community. They are very popular among their many friends and are held in the highest esteem by all, being regarded as among the leaders in all movements having to do with the advancement of the best interests of this part of the state.

Doctor Riley is a prominent Mason, as were his father and grandfather before him, his grandfather, W. W. Riley, having been a charter member of the Greensburg lodge of that order and for many years master of the lodge at Adams, this county. Doctor Riley's membership is in Greensburg Lodge No. 136, Free and Accepted INIasons, in which for four terms he has served as master, there being few Masons in this section of the state who display a more active interest in Masonic affairs than he. Doctor Riley has been high priest of the chapter, and past worthy patron of Eastern Star. He has had ten years' official connection with Masonic bodies. He is a highly-cultured gentleman, genial and affable and a prime favorite hereabout. His extensive practice takes him to all parts of the county, and the number of his friends is limited only by the number of his acquaintances, all who know him holding him in the highest respect and esteem.

George E. Erdmann

George E. Erdmann, a well-known citizen of Decatur county, Indiana, and the postmaster at Greensburg, Indiana, was born, March i, 1867, in Gilford, Dearborn county, Indiana, the son of Charles E. and Ellen Morris Erdmann, the former of whom was born in Switzerland in 1838, and the latter of whom was born in Ireland, March 17, 1836. Both the Erdmann and the Morris families emigrated to the United States about 1850, and settled in Cincinnati, where Charles E. Erdmann and Ellen Morris were married. The}- had four children: Charles J., a bond broker, of Greensburg ; William W. and Frederick, who are engaged in tlie cigar business, and George E., the subject of this sketch.

The Erdmann family removed to Greensluirg. Indiana, in March. 1868, when George E. was scarcely a year old. Here he attended the public schools, and, after completing his education, was engaged in the manufacture of cigars with his father and brothers, until 1895. when he engaged in the real estate and insurance business. During his active business career in this city he built and repaired many of Greensburg's most splendid residences and business houses, especially one now occupied by the "Shoe Feller." I\Ir. Erdmann, from the time he engaged in the real estate and insurance Inisiness, enjoyed a satisfactory measure and was able to build up a large patronage in Decatur county.

For many years prominent in the covmcils of the Democratic party in Decatur county, he has served as a member of the Democratic County Central committee as acting treasurer and secretary ; as acting chairman, and, finally, as chairman by election. During his career as one of the leaders in the Democratic party in this county he had very much to do with its successes and victories, and as a reward for faithful service to his party he was appointed postmaster of Greensburg on March 10, IQ14. and is now ser\ing in this capacity.

Mr. Erdmann was married. October 9, 1889, to Kate Hamon. who died on March 25, 1895, leaving three children, Morris, Holden and William. Some three years later, Mr. Erdmann was married to Carrie L. Livenguth, the marriage taking place, June 22, 1898. Two children were born to this union, Alva, who died in 1899, and Robert L., who is still living. ^Ir. and Mrs. Erdmann reside at 432 East Main street, Greensburg. Indiana, where they have a comfortable home and where they are surrounded with all the conveniences of life.

confidence of the people and has worthily discharged the duties of every position of responsibility and trust bestowed upon him. He is a man of engaging personality, affable, generous, broad-minded and liberal in his views.

He is a member of the Commercial Club since its organization, and was secretary for four years. He is also a member and director of the associated charities, and for many years has been affiliated to Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

John J. Foley

In the memorial literature of Decatur county, no name is more worthy -of honorable mention in these pages than that which the reader notes above. Mr. Foley, a one-time well-known and wealthy grain dealer of the city of Greensburg and one of the most progressive and enterprising farmers of Decatur county, was the son of the late Hon. James Bradford Foley, one of the most noted men which this section of the state ever produced, and in all things lived worthy of the good name which had been bequeathed to him. Reared on a farm and following the vocation of farming, until he had substantially established himself in a financial way, John J. Foley left the farm and engaged in the grain business in Greensburg, becoming the leading grain dealer of that city, a business which he followed with much success until he was ready to retire from active pursuits, after which he again took charge of his farm, btit never left the city of Greensburg after locating there. At his death there was much mourning, for he was a man who made and retained friends as few men are able to do and he was held in the sincerest affection throughout the whole county. His widow is living in pleasant retirement at her delightful home in Greensburg, located at 222 South Broadway, enjoying, in the evening of her life, the profoundest regard of all who know her.

John J. Foley was born on January 21, 1830, on a farm in Decatur county, Indiana, the son of Gen. James Bradford and Mary (Hackleman) Foley, the former of whom was born in Kentucky on October 18, 1807, and became one of the pioneer settlers and most prominent citizens of this county, being honored by his fellow citizens in this district by election to a seat in the Indiana state constitutional convention in 1850; honored by Governor Wright by the appointment to the post of brigadier-general of the Indiana state militia for the fourth district, and by the voters of this congressional district to a seat in the national House of Representatives in 1856. General Foley also had served this county as treasurer, being elected to that responsible office in 1841, and in that and all. other offices to which he was called, perfonned the most faithful public service. General Foley died at his home in this county on December 5, 1886, honored and respected of all throughout this entire section of the state.

Gen. James B. Foley was twice married. On April 2, 1829, he was united in marriage to ]\Iartha Carter, of Mason county, Kentucky, who was born on February 25, 1810, and died on April 22, 1847, to which union there were born three children, Mrs. Mary Mansfield, who lives on Broadway, in the city of Greensburg, this county; Mrs. Mary Zoller, also of Greensburg, and Mrs. Elizabeth Payne, of Franklin, Indiana. On March 4, 1848, General Foley married, secondly, Mrs. Mary Hackleman, of this county, to which latter union there were born three children, John J., the immediate subject of this memorial sketch, Alexander A., and William O., of Connersville, Indiana. Mrs. Mary (Hackleman) Foley was born on January 21, 1830, and died on October 18, 1888.

John J. Foley was reared on the paternal farm in Washington township, this county, and received excellent schooling, the course in the public schools being supplemented by careful reading in his father's excellent private library. He was a great reader and one of the most devoted lovers of books in this county, being recognized as a person of very fine literary tastes. On January 13, 1853, Mr. Foley was united in marriage to Margaret J. Hillis and for ten year he and his wife resided on a farm in Washington township. At the end of that time they sold the farm and moved into the city of Greensburg, where, for years, Mr. Foley was successfully engaged in the business of buying and selling grain, becoming one of the most extensive dealers in grain in this part of the state, amassing quite a comfortable fortune in the pursuit of this business. Some years before his death, Mr. Foley retired from business and bought a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres on the Madison road, near Greensburg, which he took charge of until his death. Mr. Foley's death occurred on February 16, 1903, and there was since mourning among his friends at his passing, for he was a good man.

Mrs. Foley, widow of John J. Foley, was born on March 13. 1835, on a farm in this county, the daughter of John and Ann (Hazelrigg) Hillis, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born on February i, 1801, and died on May 6, 1876, and the latter of whom was born May 23, 1811, and died on November 8, 1870. John Hillis was the son (36) of William and Margaret (Wilson) Hillis, who were the parents of three sons and one daughter, William, John, who married Ann Hazelrigg; David, who married "Patsey" McConnell, and Jane, who married John Hazelrigg. The brothers and sisters of William Hillis were John, James, Ebenezer, who married Jane Lile ; David, who married Sarah Burke ; Matthew, Mrs. Nancy McConnell, Mrs. Cynthia Stevenson and Mrs. Jane Legerwood.

John Hillis and his wife came to this county in the early twenties of the last century, when Greensburg was a mere hamlet, and here they reared their family. Mrs. Foley well remembers when a log cabin ser\'ed as a court house and jail for Decatur county, and she has been a witness of the marvelous development which has taken place in this section of the country since the time of her girlhood, a development to which she and her late husband were among the most active contributors in their day and generation.

To John and Margaret J. (Hillis) Foley two children were born, Edwin Wallace, born on February 18, 1854, died on September 8, 1867, and Anna Belle, born on November 18, 1855, died on August 21, 1868.

Though not a member of the same, Mr. Foley was an attendant of the services of the Christian church and was active in the good works of his community, an honest, honorable and upright man, who believed in doing his full duty in the observance of all the principles of good citizenship. He was a Democrat and took an earnest interest in the political affairs of the county, though not an office seeker. He was a member of the Greensburg lodge of Odd Fellows, which he joined on January 15, 1855, and in the affairs of which he ever took an active and interested part. In the development of the best interests of both city and cotmty, Mr. Foley was an active worker and few men labored in this region in the past, are more rightly entitled to an honorable memorial in the hearts of the people than he.

Clarence Fay Kercheval, now a well established physician of Greensburg, Indiana, who was born. October 18, 1872, in Rush county, Indiana, on a farm, is the son of J. Louis and Martha (Martin) Kerche\-al, the former of whom was born in 1846, Decatur county, and the latter of whom was born in 1848, Decatur county. J. Louis Kercheval was the son of William Kercheval, a native of Virginia, who was married in that state to Mary Parmore, and who, in 1840, came to Decatur county and settled in Adams township, where he was a farmer, blacksmith and wagon maker. His shop was located on the site of the Kammerling residence, the first door west of the Centenary church. He died in 1872, after having been twice married. William Kercheval had seven children: Courtney and Margaret, deceased; Louis, Oren, William and Mary, deceased, and ]\Iabel, the wife of James Caskey. Louis Kercheval has been a farmer most of his life. In 1870 he moved to Rush county, but moved back to Decatur county and settled in Adams township in 187J. He resided on the farm until 1914, when he removed to Greensburg. but he still looks after his farming interests. Mrs. Louis Kercheval. who, before her marriage, was Martha Martin, was born in Decatur county in 1848, and is the daughter of Dr. Matthew Martin, a native of Harrison county, Kentucky, and a practicing physician in Decatur county until his death of typhoid fever in 1856, at the age of thirty-five.

Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Louis Kercheval, Albert lives in Indianapolis, Earl died at the age of one year, and Clarence Fay is the subject of this sketch.

After having been reared on the farm and living on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age, Clarence Fay Kercheval. who, in the meantime, had attended the district schools, was married upon reaching his majority. For several years he taught in the public schools of Decatur county, and later entered Illinois Medical College of Chicago, where, after paying his own expenses, he was graduated with the class of 1898. Doctor Kercheval began the practice of his profession at Harris City, in Decatur county, and after remaining one and one-half years, located at Greensburg. Here he has built up an excellent practice, and here he has won the confidence of the public to an unusual degree.

On September 24, 1893, Doctor Kercheval was married to Nellie McKee, of St. Paul, Indiana, and the daughter of John McKee, a merchant of that place. To this happy union, one son, Jolin Marine, has been born. He is now fifteen years old, and a junior in the Greensburg high school. He is well known in educational circles of this city as an earnest student, and was able to do the first and second year of high school work in a single year. He is a young man of splendid attainments and a son of whom his parents are very proud.

A member of the Decatur County Medical Society and the Indiana State Medical Association, Doctor Kercheval is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Loyal Order of Moose. Doctor and Mrs. Kercheval are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and botl: take a prominent part in the work of the church. Doctor Kercheval is not only an eminent physician of Decatur county, but he is hkewise respected and honored as one of the most enterprising citizens of Greensburg.

William Stewart Smith

Of the hundreds of young men who left home and friends at the outbreak of the Civil War, to serve their country and to assist in the preservation of the American union, no private soldier had a better record than William Stewart Smith, who served out three enlistments during this war. At the first call for volunteers, he enlisted on April 22, 1861, in the Beminstuffer Company, of Greensburg, and was with the Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, for three months. He then enlisted in the Seventeenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served eighteen months, and later in Wilder's Battery until the close of the war. The principal battles in which he was engaged were those of Cross Keys, Port Republic, Winchester, Harpers Ferry, Knoxville, and several engagements in the Atlantic campaign. At Harpers Ferry he was captured by the enemy and set free twenty-four hours later, while on parade. After returning to Springfield, Illinois, he rejoined his regiment and proceeded south to Kentucky, and participated in the siege of Knoxville and Sherman's campaign to the sea as far as Resaca. At the close of the war, Mr. Smith returned to his Decatur county home and here took up the peaceful pursuits of life.

William Stewart Smith, a retired farmer of Washington township, and the owner of sixty-two acres of land in this township, was born on October 22, 1839, in Switzerland county, Indiana, the son of Simeon and Roxanna (Jayne) Smith, natives of Indiana, whose parents came from Ireland and settled in Switzerland county. Simeon Smith was the son of Walter Smith, a native of Ireland, and his wife was the daughter of Daniel Jayne, also of Ireland. In 1853 his parents moved from Switzerland to Ripley county and William Smith came with them. LTpon the death of his mother, July 11, 1854, and the remarriage shortly afterwards of his father, William Smith left home. The father, who was born on January 29, 1812, and who was married the first time, April 4, 1829, died on June 14, 1886.

Simeon and Roxanna Smith had eleven children, of whom only one other besides William S., is living. The other living child is a daughter, Rosanna, the fifth born, who lives near Lebanon, Indiana. The eleven chil- dren, in the order of their birth, are as follow : Mrs. Jane Dilks, born on February 9, 1830, and died June 16, 1883, who married Isaac Dilks, July 18, 1849; Beniah, November 11, 1831, and died February 18, 1832; Cilicia, in November, 1832, and died Alay 16, 1859, who married Sylvester AI. Rudycyla, in August, 1855 ! Celestia, January 19, 1835, and died on November 6, 1891, who married James A. Burton; Rosanna, April 14, 1837, who married John Williams, October, i860; William S., the subject of this sketch; Marian D., February 28, 1842, and died on March 14, 1892; Maria E., September 28, i8'44, and died on March 13, 1S61 ; Mary Alice, January 20, 184S, and died August 4, 1908; Eunice Ellen. August 5, 1850, and died August 9, 1851, and Harriet Olive, November 4, 1853, and died on August 20, 1854. Simeon Smith married Laura M. Bowers and had one child born to this marriage, Dillard M., May 13, 1856, and died on August 21, 1908.

Shortly after the close of the Civil War, Mr. Smith was married, and some time afterwards lived at Smith's Crossing for three years. After this they moved to Boone county, Indiana, where they lived for three years and then moved to their present farm in Washington township, where they have lived ever since. For a period of eleven years, Mr. Smith was superintendent of the Greensburg gas and woolen works. He has always been known as a hard-working and industrious citizen, but the active period of his career is now passed and Mr. Smith has at his disposal a substantial competence for these unproductive years.

On March 15. 1866, William S. Smith was married to Sarah C. \\'illiams, who was born February 4, 1847, '" Washington township, and who is the daughter of George Washington and Drusilla (Van Cleave) \\'illiams, natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in 1812 and died in 1879, and the latter of whom was born in 1816 and died in Alay, iS'97. George W. Williams came to Decatur county in 1830 with his father, John Williams, who had been a soldier in the War of 181 2. jNIrs. George Williams was the daughter of David Van Cleave, a pioneer settler in Decatur county. Of the nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, only two are living: Mary Drusilla, born on April 17, 1867, died in infancy; Charles I., May 25, 1868, also died in infancy; William AI., October 21, 1869, who married Eugene Petus, and has one cliild, Alarion Stewart; Julia Olive, A larch 10, 1 87 1, and died on March i. 1908, who married Charles E. St. John and left four children. Hazel Catherine, Elton Livingston, William Sherman and Nadine Lavina; Martha Rosanna, November 2, 1872, who died in infancy ; one died in infancy unnamed ; and Sarah Elizabeth, September 5, 1880, who married Monteville Johnson, of near Indianapolis, and has three sons, Ivan William, George Franklin and Ralph Smith. William M., the only living son of Mr. Smith, served in Company F, One Hundred and Sixty-first Volunteer Infantry, recruited at Richmond, Indiana, by General Wilder for service in the Spanish-American War. W.illiam M., who was the second youngest captain of this company, served throughout the war. He is at present an electrician living in the city of Cincinnati. William Sherman St. John, the grandson of Mr. Smith, married Blanche Farlow and has one child, Edna Marguerite.

Fraternally, Mr. Smith is a member of Pap Thomas Post No. 5. Grand Army of the Republic, at Greensburg. Since the organization of the Progressive party, in 1912, he has been identified with this party and is wellknown throughout Decatur county as an ardent admirer of Colonel Roosevelt and of Senator Albert J. Beveridge. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the United Brethren church.

Andrew M. Willoughby.'

Newspaper editors and publishers exert upon a community greater influence than any other institution. When a newspaper is well managed and well edited and when it seeks conscientiously to represent the best interests in the community where it circulates, there is no means by which the breadth and depth of its influence can be accurately measured. In Decatur county the Greenshurg Daily and Weekly Reviezv has exerted a profound influence, socially, religiously and commercially for many years. It has always stood faithfully and valiantly in support of the highest ideals of American citizenship and its high standard is due, in a large measure, to the forcefulness of Andrew M. Willoughby, former mayor of Greensburg, who has been connected with the paper for thirty years.

Andrew M. Willoughby, the editor of the Greensburg Daily and JVcckly Review and the former Mayor of Greensburg, was born on April i, iS'57. Educated in the public schools, he began learning the printer's trade on August 17, 1874, when he was seventeen years old. After that he worked on metropolitan papers in the Central West in various capacities for a period of nine years, coming to Greensburg in 1883. Two years later he purchased an interest in the Review and has been continuously connected with this paper for thirty years. Mr. Willoughby is an able editor and a writer of rare force and ability. The Review is a Republican newspaper and in the Fourth

Congressional District there is no paper which has more worthily upheld the ideals of the Republican party and which has fought harder for the success of its candidates than the Grccnsbttry Rcviciv.

Mr. Willoughby is a Republican and was elected nia^or of Greensburg in 1898 and served almost four years, during which time he looked honestly and sincerely after the interests of the city, endeavoring to uphold the patriotic traditions of its first citizenship and to promote its moral, civic and political welfare.

It was while serving as Mayor of the city that Mr. Willoughby opened a correspondence with Andrew Carnegie which resulted in the establishment of one of the handsomest public libraries in the state in Greensburg. He was a trustee of Decatur Lodge No. 103, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a member of the committee which located the State I. O. O. F. Home in Greensburg, an institution of which not only Greensburg but the entire state of Indiana is proud.

He resigned as mayor in February, 1902, to become postmaster of Greensburg, which position he held until IMarch, 1906. During his term as postmaster, Mr. Willoughb}' ga\'e to Decatur county the excellent rural mail delivery service that it now enjoys, and in many other ways improved the postal service of the city and county. In 1900 Air. AVilloughby was chairman of the Republican county central committee, and succeeded in restoring the county to the Republican column after the slump to the Democrats in 1898. Mr. Willoughby has also served as deacon of the Presbyterian church for fifteen years, as secretary and president of the Indiana Republican Editorial Association and as a member of the library board for two terms. He is a charter member of Greensburg Lodge No. 148, Knights of Pythias, and of the Elks.

]\Ir. \\'illoughby has been twice married, the first time to Minnie E. Christy, daughter of the late Samuel Christy, cashier of the Citizens National Bank. To them was born one son, Raymond C, who is now a well-known newspaper man of Indianapolis. On February 12, 1895, Mrs. Willoughby died at Greeley, Colorado, and on November 22, 1898, Mr. Willoughlw was married to Clara B. Hollowell, of Harrison, Ohio.

Not only in the realm of public life, where he has been prominent for more than a quarter of a century, is Andrew M. Willoughby admired and respected, but in the realm of private affairs, in the personal relations of life, he has won for himself an enviable position among the best people of this city and county. A worthy and capable editor, he is also an honored and courageous citizen.

Gen. James B. Foley

The civic honors which were bestowed upon Gen. James Bradford Foley,, during" his long and useful life in Decatur codnty, and the high tribute which the people of this section of the state of Indiana continue lovingly to pay to his memory, must stand as an abiding earnest of his singular ability as a statesman and his eminent services to the public, in the various capacities ta which his fellow citizens had called him. In his public service, General Foley played a dignified and forceful part; in his private life he was generous and large-hearted, greatly beloved of all who had the pleasure of an intimate acquaintance with him - a fine type of man, a useful citizen, who, in all things is fully entitled to have his name engraved high on the roll of Decatur county's great men. Though himself a leader of men, none was. more willing to take even the most modest part in the service of the common weal, and, in all that he did, the good that might be done in behalf of the people, ever was uppennost in his mind. Beginning his service as county treasurer of Decatur county, then called to take his part in the framing of the basic law of Indiana in the constitutional convention of 1850, as a delegate from this district, to that historic convention; then given by the governor of the state command of the Fourth Brigade of the Indiana state militia ; next sent to Congress by his admiring constituents in this district in 1856, declining a nomination to the same high honor in 1874 ; all the while regardful of the best interests of his home county in a moral, civic and commercial way, General Foley certainly did his part in the upbuilding of this community and did it well. Therefore, it is but fitting that in a historical and biographical work of this character, honorable tribute should be paid to his memory.

James Bradford Foley was born in Mason county, Kentucky, October 18, 1807, and died at his home near the city of Greensburg, in this county, December 5, 1886, in the ripe fullness of a green old age, honored and beloved of all throughout this entire section of the state. His father died when James B. was seven years of age, leaving to his mother the task of rearing and supporting a family of seven small children. This brave pioneer mother, who was Mary, the daughter of Benjamin Bradford, superintendent of the arsenal at Harpers Ferry during the Revolutionary War, was stricken with blindness shortly after the death of her husband, and the boys of the Foley family very early began life as bread winners. At the age of sixteen, James B. Foley began as a "hand" on a flatboat plying the watersof the Mississippi, engaged in the New Orleans trade. Applying himself to the opportunities which thus were opened to his discerning and enterprising mind, he presently engaged in the river trade for himself, and, by the time he had reached the age of twenty-one, had accumulated a fortune of twenty thousand dollars ; no insignificant achievement for one of his years in that day. On June 15, 1834, Mr. Foley abandoned the river trade and opened a dry-goods store in the growing village of Greensburg, the seat of government in this county. For two years he operated this store, meeting with much success in his commercial \enture, and then, in the year 1837, sold the store and bought a farm two miles from the city of Greensburg, on which he made his residence until the year 1880, at which time he sold this farm and bought a residence one mile out of town, in which he spent the rest of his life. For a period ending with 1877, General Foley was engaged in the pork-packing business in Cincinnati and in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, doing for years an aggregate business amounting to as much as eighty thousand dollars a year.

During all this time. General Foley was taking an active part in the civic affairs of this section and there were few men in this part of the state whose lives proved more useful to the general welfare. He was ever interested in the advancement of the best interests of this comnninity and gave himself unselfishly and ungrudgingly to the public service. In 1841 he was elected county treasurer of Decatur county, an office in which he performed good serxice. \Mien the convention for the revision of the state constitution in 1850 was called. General Foley was elected as a delegate to that convention from this county and in the deliberations of that historic body, his counsel and advice, based upon his sound judgment and excellent executive ability, proved of high value. In 1852 Governor Wright appointed General Foley to be brigadier-general of militia for the fourth district of Indiana and, in 1856, he was elected to ser\-e this district in the lower house of Congress, a service which he performed with an e}e single to the public good, largely extending his reputation as a statesman and a public man. 'In 1874 he was importuned by his party to accept a second nomination to Congress, but he declined the honor, his extensive business interests and the inexorable encroachment of years, necessitating his gradual, though reluctant, retirement from a measure of his former public activities.

On April 2, 1829, General Foley was united in marriage to Martha Carter, of Mason county, who was born on February 25, 1810, and died on April 22, 1847. On March 4, i8-|8, General Foley married, secondly, Mrs. Mary Hackleman, who was born on January 21, 1830, and died on October 18, 1888. To each of these unions three children were born, as follow:

Mrs. Mary Mansfield, who lives at Greensburg, this county; Mrs. Mary Zoller, who also lives at Greensburg; Mrs. Elizabeth Payne, of Franklin, Indiana; John J., born on January 21, 1830, died on February 16, 1903, a memorial and biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume; Alexander A. and William O., of Connersville, Indiana.

General Foley was a liberal supporter of the Christian church at Greensburg and also was a generous contributor to Bethany College, Virginia, and Butler College at Indianapolis, and was likewise active in all local good works in and about Greensburg. He was a Democrat and was one of the strongest supporters of that party in this county and throughout this section of the state, his sage counsel ever being sought by the party managers of this district. His large business affairs made him one of the leaders also in the commercial and financial life of this section, while his strong moral and religious convictions made him also one of the most potent factors in the general uplift of the community - a very faithful public servant of whom it truly may be said he did well his part ; faithful, devoted and true in all the relations of life.

Robert Cassius Hamilton

One of the pleasantest and most hospitable homes in Decatur county, is that of Robert Cassius Hamilton, one of the best-known farmers of Washington township, who is living on the farm, in the fine brick house ereceted by his father in 1863, and is active in the labors of the farm. His pleasant home is one of the landmarks in that part of the county and is a source of unbounded enjoyment to its genial owner, the well-kept lawn, driveway, evergreens and shrubbery testifying to the care with which the place is kept up. Cassius Hamilton is a member of the well-known Hamilton family of this county, of which further reference is made at other points in this biographical history, particular reference being made to the genealogy of the family in the biographical sketch relating to Chester Hamilton.