Gibson County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1914 (part 13 of 20)

Arthur Brown Woods

Among the men of sterling worth and strength of character who have made an impress on the life of the locality in which they live, no one has achieved a larger meed of popular respect than the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this review. His lifelong residence in one locality has given the jjeople an opportunity to know him in e\'ery phase of his character, and that he has been true to life in its every phase is manifest by the esteem and regard in which he is held by all those who know him. He has gained his success bv his own honest endeavor and indomitable energy, and has placed himself in the front rank of the farmers of his community, by exercising these excellent qualities. He has outstripped less active plodders on the highway of life and has achieved a marked success in agricultural affairs and has won for himself a name which all men who know him delight to honor, owing to his upright life and habits of thrift.

on the old homestead fanii. Tlie \\'oods family are represented specifically elsewhere in this \oIunie. Arthur B. Woods spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, enjoying the best education which the district schools of his time afforded. When he was a young boy his father died and shortly afterwards his oldest brother also died, and this caused Arthur B. to take the responsibility of caring for the family upon his own shoulders. It is to his credit that he was equal to the emergency, and successfully managed the farm for some years. He was married October 16, 1893, to Julia Thompson, the daughter of Francis Marion and .Susanna (Fravel) Thompson. To Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Woods have been born six children. Darwin. Sidney, \'ada, Frieda, Marjorie and Eugenia. After his marriage ]\Ir. Woods purchased the old Smith farm of one hundred and ten acres, on which he still resides, and which he has brought to a high state of cnltixation. Later he added an additional ten acres, making a total of one luintlrcd and twenty acres oi fine farming land. He engages in general farming and also raises considerable live stock, in which he has been very successful. He keeps abreast of the latest improvements in farming machinery and equipment and recently built a two-hundred-dollar silo, and made other improvements to the value of a thousand dollars on his place. He has remodeled the old residence which was on the farm when he bought it, and now has a most attractive and upto-date farm in every respect, well fenced, well drained and by a scientific system of crop rotation he keeps his ground in good producti\-e condition.

Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, belonging to the lodge at Owensville. Although he has been a life-long Democrat he has never taken a very active interest in the deliberations of his party. He has never asked for any public office, but has been content to devote his time and energy to the building up of his agricultural interests. He and his wife are both loyal and earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Owensville, and he acts as one of the trustees of the church.

Mr. Woods is a man of pleasing disposition, genial personality and easily makes friends wherever he goes. He always looks on the bright side of life and is very charitable to the faults of his neighbors. In his business transactions he is strictly honest and upright and exercises all those qualities which make for good citizenship. At the outset of his career Mr. Woods recognized the fact that perseverance and honest effort furnished the only ro\al road to prosperity and independence and began to work earnestly and diligently to advance himself, using these excellent qualities as guides, with the result that he is now numbered among the progressive and successful farmers of Gibson countv.

George Washington Smith

An enumeration of the representative citizens of Gibson county, Indiana, would be incomplete without specific mention of the well known and popular gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. A member of one of the old and highly esteemed families of the county, and for many years a publicspirited man of affairs, he has stamped his individuality upon the community and added luster to the honorable name which he bears, having always been scrupulously honest in all his relations with his fellow men and leaving no stone unturned whereby he might benefit his own condition as well as that of his neighbors and friends, consequently he long ago won the favor of a great number of people of Montgomery township, where he maintains his home in Owensville.

George Washington Smith is a native of the "Sucker"' state, born in Logan county, Illinois, June 22, 1859, the son of Warrick and Margaret (Simpson) Smith. Warrick Smith was a native of Gibson county, born in Owensville, September 23, 1831, being the third child and only son of Dr. Willis J. Smith, one of the pioneer physicians of Gibson county. Doctor Smith was born about 1800 at Danville, Kentucky, the son of parents in good circumstances. He was an extremely well educated man, a man of broad ideas which placed him in advance of his day and age. He received his medical training at the Louisville Medical College and came to Gibson county early in his married life. He was a man highly honored by all who knew him and his practice extended over a wide area. He made his home about two miles west of Owensville on what is now known as the Paden farm, and his practice extended from Princeton to New Harmony. He spent a great deal of time in the saddle, as was the custom of early physicians, and in taking his lonely way tlirough unbroken spaces he met and made friends with the Indians and by his honorable treatment of them won their sincere regard. To them he was the great "medicine man," and as such was honored and revered. His promising and useful life was early closed, his death occurring August 17, 1835. Before coming to Indiana, Dr. Willis J. Smith was united in marriage with Patsy C. Warrick, a daughter of Capt. Jacob Warrick. She was born on June 3, 1809, near Lexington, Kentucky. Captain Warrick was prominent in the early military affairs of the state of Indiana, and his record appears in that chapter in this work devoted to military affairs. At the battle of Tippecanoe he received his mortal wound and before his death occurred bequeathed his possessions to various lieirs. a portion of whicli went to liis -hiughter, Patsy C, wiie of Dr. Willis J. Smith. The wife of Capt. Jacob Warrick was Jane Montgomery, who was horn in Virginia in 1774 and in Gibson county married Jacob Warrick in i/()^ \^\ ^Xji\U LD'j fv^)-

Warrick Smith, father of the immechate subject of this Sketch, was united in marriage to Margaret AI. Simpson in February, 1856, and they at once took up their residence near Atlanta, Logan county, lUinois. They resided on a farm, which he operated, and he also conducted a livery and sales stable in the town of Atlanta, remaining there for twelve years, at the end of which time he returned to his native Montgomery township. Here, in 1868, he purchased the John C. Simpson farm, where his wife was born, located directly north of Owensville. John C. Simpson and his wife, Margaret (Stewart), were the parents of Mrs. Warrick Smith. He came to Gibson county in the early forties and took up residence near Owensville, where he H\ed to a ripe old age, spending his very last days in the town of Owensville. Warrick Smith was a man who became prominent in the affairs of the community, after taking up his residence on the Simpson farm, and lived there until his death, in June, \qo2. His wife's death occurred January -'4. 1895. They were consistent members of the General Baptist church and took great interest in the progress of that society's affairs. His fraternal affiliation was with the time-honored order of Freemasonry and he gave much of his time to the interests of the Democratic party. While not a seeker after office for himself, he wielded a definite influence for others. In the spring of 1897 he laid out and platted Smith's addition to the town of Owensville. adding a decided improvement in the affairs of that thriving town. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Warrick Smith, one of whom died in early infancy. Those growing to maturity are George W'., the immediate subject of this sketch; John Willis, farmer and bank director, residing north of Owensville, and Lillie, the only daughter, wife of Charles Arurnahan. of Owensville.

George W^ashington Smith was nine years old when his parents returned to Gibson county from Logan county, Illinois, and has lived in the vicinity of Owensville ever since, both owning and renting land in \arious places. His education was received in the schools of his native county and he remained at home until his marriage, March 2j. 1890, to Mina Montgomery, who was born near Owensville, a daughter of Benjamin F. and Hannah (Sharpe) Montgomery. Benjamin F. Montgomery was born south of Owens\ille, the son of Samuel and Cvnthia .Ann (Griggsby) Montgomery. Samuel yiont- gomery was a son of Hugh jMontgomery, Sr., and was called "Blind Sam," owing to an affliction of weak eyes, and to distinguish him from others of the same name in the community. Samuel Montgomery was an excellent gunsmith and several specimens of his work are still to be found near Owensville. Benjamin F. Montgomery, father of Mrs. George W. Smith, is considered a quite versatile man, having the ability to handle many different lines of work with equal ease and facility. He has long been considered a resident of Owensville, and for the past twenty years has lived at the various homes of his children. His wife, who died March 3, 1874, was Hannah Sharpe, daughter of Harrison and Amaretta (Decker) Sharpe, and was born and raised near Vincennes, Indiana.

George Washington Smith holds membership in several fraternal bodies, among them being the Free and Accepted Masons, the Tribe of Ben-Hur, Modern Woodmen of America and others. He and his wife are both members of the Order of the Eastern Star and take an active interest in the affairs of the General Baptist church, of which both are members. Mr. Smith has always been a stanch Democrat and is considered one of the foremost men of his party in the township. He was at one time appointed a county commissioner to fill a vacancy occurring and was himself a candidate for the office at the next election. He met defeat with his ticket, but succeeded in cutting down the nominal majority of the opposition to within a few votes of election. In 1898 he was elected a county commissioner and in the year 1900 was elected trustee of Montgomery township, serving four years. In 1908 he received the nomination for recorder of Gibson county, but was defeated, the election going to the opposition. He has recently been elected a member of the Owensville town board. When in office, he has been most conscientious in the discharge of the duties pertaining thereunto, often neglecting his own private affairs that public ends might not suffer.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of eight children, namely: Lyle Warrick, born October 31, 1892; Chauncey M., born May 6, 1894; Willis F., born February 29, 1896; Heber W., born February 9, 1898; Margaret, born April 10, 1900; Madeline, born February 18, 1902. died February 24, 1904; Mona A., born July 5, 1906, and Norman B., born May 25, 1908. Mr. Smith is considered a broad-minded man, full of spirit and a leader in those matters relating to the advancement of his fellow men. He is a man of decided convictions on public questions, maintains his stand with resolute firmness and has made his usefulness felt in the various trusts with which he has been honored fTom time to time. In e\-ery sphere of endeavor in which he has taken a part, his unpretending bearing and strict integrity have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens and his inlluence is always powerful and salutary in the comnuinity.

William L. Woods

The gentleman to a brief review of whose life and characteristics the reader's attention is herewith directed was among the favorably known and representative citizens of Gibson county. By his indomitable enterprise and progressive methods he contributed in a material w ay to the advancement of his locality and during the course of an honorable career was fairly successful in his business enterprises, having been a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of purpose, and is thus well deserving of mention in this volume.

William L. Woods, a native of Gibson county, \vas born five miles southwest of Princeton on section 21, Patoka township, on "September 13, 1820, and passed his entire life of seventy-six years on this one farm, having lived in three different houses in the same yard. This old homestead in the township of Patoka was first owned by Joseph Woods, father of William L., who came to Gibson county, Indiana, from Tennessee in 1820. He secured gov- _ ernment land in section 21, Patoka township, which he converted from wild land into cultivated acres and well fruited orchards. In addition to general farming, he raised stock extensively, and was a successful, wellknown and highly respected man. He and his wife, who was Elizabeth Hanna, died on this place. To them were born six children, namely : Patrick N., a farmer in Patoka township; Polly, deceased, who was the wife of Silas Stone, of Owensville; William L., the immediate subject of this sketch; Andrew Jackson ; Jane, who married John Hudelson and Abraham.

William L. Woods attended school in tb.e little old log school house of earlv pioneer days, heated from an open fireplace and where the children sat on crude and uncomfortable puncheon seats. His schooling was necessarily limited and at an early age he began to assist his father around the farm and in the course of time came into the management of the home place. He ^vas a very successful farmer and in addition to that line of work gave a great deal of attention to the different phases of the cattle business. He bought and sold cattle and other stock, paying special attention to the raising of

Shorthorn cattle, long wool and Cotswold sheep ; he also had a fine strain of Poland Chhm hogs and a splendid class of general purpose horses. His activity inlive stock naturally made him interested in the Gibson County Agricultural Society and fair, especially in his particular line. He was one of the directors and leading men of the fair association. His life was Amanda C. Mangrum, whom he married on the 14th of October, 1852, and she is still living west of Princeton at the age of eighty-two years. William L. Woods died on January 10, 1897. in the seventy-seventh year of his age.

Amanda C. Mangrum was the daughter of William and Mary C. (Douglass) Alangrum, and was born J\Iay 12, 1831. William Mangrum was born in North Carolina on January 8, 1792, and died on March 26, 1841. His marriage to Mary C. Douglass resulted in the birth of thirteen children, a typical pioneer family. The children were as follows: Alcephas W., born February 5, 1813; Olivia J., born November 22, 1814, died at the age of ninety-two years; Narcissa, born September 10, 1816: Trafton, born June 18, 1818; Spencer, born October 13, 1820; Valentine S., born December 28, 1822, died at the age of eighty-five years; William E., born December 31, 1824; John N., born January 13, 1827; Henry J., born March 4, 1829, died October 19, 1904; Amanda C, born March 12, 1831 ; Mary E., born September 28, 1833; Lydia E., born September 18, 1835, now Mrs. John Selby, of near Petersburg. Indiana, and Mileta E., July 22. 1838.

William Mangrum was one of the first men to enter the county of Gibson. He first settled in what was known as the Froggery settlement. The land was wild and uncultivated, and after securing a tract from the government he set to work to clear a space for a home and his crops. Mr. Mangrum did a great deal of freighting in the early days and also ran a peddler wagon for some time. At another time he occupied the unique position as driver of the overland stage between Evansville and Vincennes. He was a popular man in his day and was well liked. Both he and his wife died on the old home place. Mr. Mangrum was a member of the old Liberty church of the .Christian denomination. Politically, he was an old-line Whig.

William and Amanda C. Woods reared a family of seven children, as follows: Harriett Ann, wife of John McCarty, Vw'mg west of Fort Branch, Indiana; Jane, wife of Joseph Emerson, of near Owensville, Indiana; John Fremont, a farmer on the old homestead, whose wife was Essie Cushman; Martha, deceased wife of Thomas Emerson, a farmer of Montgomery township; Olevia, widow of Joseph McCarty, who resides at McCaw Summit;

It is ajjprupriate at this juncture to say soinelliirig of Joseph ]McCarty, whose widow now hves at McCaw Summit. Joseph McCarty was born in Patoka township, this county, on February 3, 1862, and was the son of Jacob and Nancy (Wilson) McCarty. wliicli parents were from Ijioomington, ]\Ionroe comity, Indiana. Tn tliese latter parents were liorn the following children who grew to maturity; John, who married Harriett Ann Woods, and now lives west of Fort Branch, where he keeps a well-stocked implement store ; William, who is deceased ; Joseph : Belle, w'ho married James Adlcins, of McCaw Summit; Amanda, who married first Charles Solomon, and later Benjamin Backley. Joseph McCarty attended the district schools and latei" the schools at Vincennes. and then took up farming in Patoka township, later, farming on the Woods and DunL-q) place>, and in igo6 bought a farm at McCaw Summit. In ii;i_' he built a home at tb.is jjlace. lie was associated with Oscar Clark for many years in the implement business, the firm being known as Clark & McCarty. He was a member of the agricultural board for nineteen years. Mr. McCarty was a member of the Baptist church, and was a very .strong Prohibitionist. His death occurred on June 3, 1913. He had married Oievia Woods, on December i, 1881, and two children were born to this union, Harvey A. married E\'a Brown and is the father of two children, Earl Brown and Paul Lamon ; Virgil lives at home with his mother. ]\Ir. McCarty took an active interest in many business and ci\ic enterprises during his life, at one time l)eing ])resident of the -\merican .\;itional Bank of Princeton. During this time he was also interested in the White Church cemetery to a great extent.

George W. Woods, the son of William L. Woods, was born on .\pril 12, 1868, at the family homestead, Patoka township, this county, and was educated in the district schools of Gibson county, also spending one year at the high school at Owensville. Indiana. ' On September 4, 1889. he was united in marriage to Eliza E. Brown, of Patoka township, a daughter of John L. Brown, a farmer. To their union have been born two children, nau'ely ; Carl L.. who was educated in the home schools, was a salesman for several vears, and is now emi)loye(l at the Princeton iKjstoffice, and riazel D., who remains at home, and is a teacher in Patoka township schools.

From the time of his marriage until i8c)8 Mr. Woods was engaged in farming and then went into the harness and implement business at Princeton.

Mr. Woods' political sympathies have always been with the Republican party, in whose affairs he has ever taken a quiet interest. His fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Tribe of Ben-Hur and the Kjiights and Ladies of Honor, being connected with these societies through the local organizations at Princeton. He is also a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which he gives a liberal support.

Altogether, Mr. Woods has led a well rounded and complete life, measuring up to the high standard of manhood in all relations of life and is well deserving of the high esteem in which he is held in the community.

Vivian H. Emmerson

The farmer is the bulwark of the nation and investigation has shown that a majority of our best business men in the cities were raised on the farm. George Washington was a farmer and was proud of the fact. Abraham Lincoln was raised on a farm in Spencer county, Indiana. Probably the most popular Democratic governor this state ever had was "Blue Jeans" ^Villiams, who prided himself on being nothing but a farmer. The Republican party never had a better governor than that plain and unostentatious farmer, James A. Mount, ^^erily the farmer is the bulwark of the nation and the salt of the earth. Among the farmers of this county none is more progressive than Vivian Emmerson, the subject of this brief review. He has been thorough]}- schooled in all the multitude of agricultural details, which are the necessary concomitants of the best farmers. Careful and conservative in his business methods and affairs, he is nevertheless sufficiently progressive to make him keep apace with twentieth-century ideas and methods of agriculture. For these reasons it is eminently fitting that he find a worthy place in this volume.

Vivian Emmerson, the son of Thomas and Ella (Montgomery) Emmerson, was born October 20, 1881, on a farm three and one-half miles east of Owensville, this county. His father was also a native of this county, and lived on the farm practically all of his life, with the exception of the last few years, in which he engaged in the hardware business in Owens^-ille. He moved from the farm to 0\vens\ille in 1890, where he conducted a liardware store until his death in 1898. He served as county commissioner of Gibson county for two terms, but died before the expiration of his second term. He was well liked by everyone and did full justice to his important office by his square dealing and honest methods. His wife was also a native of Gibson county and died in 1896. Mr. and Airs. Thomas Emmerson were the parents of three children, Vivian H., the immediate subject of this sketch; X'irgil, deceased in 1S91 ; Verlie, who married Marion Jones, a farmer in this county, having land adjoining that of the subject: Mr. and Mrs. Jones have one child, Lloyd, who is still at home.

Vivian H. Emmerson was reared on his father's farm and lived the life of the ordinary farmer's boy, attending school in the winter seasons and working on his father's farm during the summer months. After attending the Owensville high school he started to take the mechanical engineering course at Purdue University, but after continuing two terms he returned to the farm and engaged in the hardware business which he followed for about six years. In 1907, he closed out this business and returned to the home farm, where he has continued to reside until the present time.

Mr. Emmerson was married March 6, 1903, to Amanda Linenberger, the daughter of Frederick and Paula Ann (Bass) Linenberger. Her father was a native of Germany, but came to America while yet a young man with his parents. He has been a farmer, but is now living retired in Owensville. Airs. Linenberger is a native of Barton township, this county, and is still living. They were the parents of six children : William, who lives at Johnson Station; Airs. Alary Dyball, of Owensville; Amanda, the wife of the subject; Simeon, Fred and Alinnie, who are living with the subject of this sketch.

Mr. and Airs. Vivian Emmerson have one son, Raymond, and are now living on the farm, enjoying all the pleasures of agricultural life. They have a fine home, well furnished and attractive, modern barn and outbuildings, and one of the most up-to-date farms in the township. Air. Emmerson is an enthusiastic Alason, being a mcnilier of the chapter, council and conimandery of that order. Although he is a Republican in politics, he has never asked for any political office at the hands of his party, being satisfied to devote all his time and energies to his farming interests. He is a progressive farmer in every sense of the word, and is making a scientific study of agricultural methods. While primarily attending to his own interests, he has not neglected his duty to his fellow man, but has !)een untiring in his efforts to inspire proper respect for law and order, and is ready at all times to assist humanity along civic and social lines.

Thomas A. Walters

All honor should be accorded the brave "boys in blue" who, when the ominous clouds of rebellion gathered over Qur national horizon, sacrificed the pleasures of home, business opportunities and all that makes life happy, and went forth to "do and die," if need be, on the fields of carnage in the South, thus saving a great and united country to succeeding generations. The subject of this biography is one of that loyal host, and, incidentally, one of the most highly honored citizens of Fort Branch, Gibson county, Indiana, where he has spent a long and successful career.

Thomas A. Walters was born January 22, 1847, i" the eastern part of Fort Branch, Gibson county, the son of Reuben T. and Susan (Smyth) AA'alters, the former born Septemlier 20, 1S20, near where the Methodist Episcopal church now stands in Fort Branch, and the latter born in county Monahan, Ireland, the daughter of Thomas D. .Smyth, who settled on a farm near Fort Branch at an early date, reared a large family and died at the age of sixtyfour. A brother of the subject's mother, Jeremiah, the eldest son of Thomas D. Smvth, was an officer in a crack English regiment, the family being followers of King William, the hero of the battle of the Boyne in 1690. The trouble between the Orangemen and Catholics becoming very acute, the whole family moved to America, with the exception of a daughter who was married in the Emerald Isle, and later emigrated to Toronto, Canada. The Smyth familv settled near Fort Branch. The youngest son had a successful career as a phvsician and after retiring from practice died in Princeton, Indiana. The other children located near Evansville, Indiana, except William, the second son, who remained on the home farm. The Smyths were people of prominence in their day and were highly respected in their communities. William Smyth, a brother of the subject's maternal grandfather, amassed a fortune and an international fame as a linen manufacturer in Ireland.

The subject's paternal grandfather was Alvin Walters, of New Jersey, who was a fisherman, in which vocation he lost his life in a very tragic manner in about 1813 or 1814. He and two companions and two boys went out in a fishing smack, which encountered rough water and was upset, all being drowned with, the exception of one of the boys, who was the subject's father, he sa\-ing himself l\v clinging to the upturned bottom of the boat. Alvin Walters swam to the shore, a distance of about three miles, but was so exhausted on reaching land that he could not extricate himself from the tangled seaweed and perished. In the nieanlime lii.s wife had bee.uuie anxious and went tu the shore, where she found his lifeless body. The niotlier had come to Indiana in search of land in i8jo, being accompanied by iier bruther-in-law. Enoch Walters, and while at Fort Branch ga\e birth to the subject's father, returning shortly to New^ York, where she remained until after her husband's death, when she returned to Indiana, in about 1S33. The subject's father had been fortunate in securing an excellent education in New York, he having attended the schools there up to the age of thirteen, and after the family was located in Indiana and the mother had again married, he resumed his studies, finishing his education in the old seminary in Princeton at the age of twenty. He then worked on his stejj-father's farm for about six years and was then married, March 13, 1S46. the parents of his wife dying on that same date and leaving her an orphan. The father of the sultject ami his bride moved on to the farm east of Fort Branch where Thomas .\. was born, they soon purchasing a brother's interest in the place and continuing its cultivation until 1880, when the father retired and made his home in Fort Branch, where he died April 21, 1895, his wife having passed away .April 22. 1891. Reuben T. W'alters was a man of the highest character and intelligence, a strong supporter of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal church, and. although many times urged by his friends to accept public ofifice, steadily refused. To himself and wife were born eight children, namely: Thomas A., the subject: Mercy J. died August 17. 1901 ; Sally L. married Calvin Binkly. of Clay Center, Kansas; Susan is tlie wife of B. F. Shannun and li\es a half mile north of I'ort Branch; James D. lives in Austin, Minnesota; Richard S. lives in i'drl liranch ; Williaiu died in infancy: Fanny M. L. died January 27, 1891.

T. A. Walters, the subject of this review, received a good elementary education in the common schools of Evansville and Fort Branch. On December 14, 1863, he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Indiana Cavalry, One Hundred Twenty-fifth Regiment, Col. Thomas M. Pace commanding the regiment and Capt. Thomas G. Williamson the company. The subject was mustered in at Vincennes December 14, 1863, and, with his comrades, was sent to Columbus, Indiana, where the regiment was organized, and on the 21st of Alay they were dispatched to Louisville, Kentucky, from there tf) Xa.shville. Tennessee, and then to Pulaski, Tennessee, which vicinity they spent tiie summer, having numerous engagements at different points in that section with General Wheeler's forces. In the fall of that year (November, 1864) the regiment was returned to Xashville and took part in the battle of Nashville, on December 14, 15, 16 and 17, 1864. A portion of the regiment followed after the retreating General Hood, while the remainder were sent to Nashville and placed on board ship for Mobile, Alabama, the subject being with the latter body. From New Orleans they immediately continued on to Mobile, the other part of the I'egiment having joined them on the way, and arrived in the Crescent City about May 12, 1865. Remaining there a few days, they were sent back to Mobile, and after the fall of the forts they started through Alabama and Mississippi, expecting to join General ^Vilson. They had already taken Selma and detachments were in pursuit of Jefferson Davis, so they proceeded to Montgomery, thence to Kosciusko and then to Vicksburg, where they were mustered out August 30, 1865.

Mr. Walters, being honorably discharged September 7, 1865, at Indianapolis, he returned to the old homestead, and, at the insistence of his father, attended two terms of school, his parent wishing him to become a physician, but the subject was not inclined toward that profession. For a time he engaged in various occupations, spending two years in the hardware business in Minnesota. In 1876 he was selected as a deputy sheriff and served two years. In 1894 occurred his election to the office of recorder of Gibson county, in which responsible position he was an efficient and popular public servant for four years, refusing a second term.

The subject of this brief review was married October 30. 1895, to Anna E. West, of Newburg, Indiana, the daughter of Henry C. and Phoebe E. (Genung) West. Phoebe West was a sister of Dr. William R. Genung. of Fort Branch, and her father, who died in 1872, was a veteran of the Civil war, he having been a member of Company E, Twenty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and having been wounded at Pittsburg Landing.

Mr. Walters is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Stephen Meade Post No. 187, while his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been an appreciative member for forty-five years, and the Tribe of Ben-Hur and the Knights of Pythias. He has always taken an active interest in politics, being prominent in the councils of the Republican party. Mrs. Walters is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

In the real estate and insurance business conducted by the subject a large measure of success has been his. At the present time Mr. Walters represents twelve of the leading insurance companies of the country and is handling the bulk of the business in that line in his community. For many years he has been a notary public and he also enjoys a large patronage from attorneys and others needing his services in a notarial capacity.

Samuel B. Thompson

The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomphshments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors, friends and fellow citizens. The life of the honorable subject of this sketch has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best, owing to the fact that he has always been loyal to trusts imposed upon him and has been upright in his dealings with his fellow men, at the same time lending his support to the ad\ancement of an\- cause looking to the welfare of his community.

Samuel B. Thompson, the son of Francis Marion and Susannah Elizabeth (Fra\el) Thompson, was born March 12, 1875, three and one-half miles north of Owensville. The genealogy of the Thompson family is found elsewhere in this volume in the sketch of Francis Thompson, father of the subject of this sketch.

Samuel B. Thompson spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, and after taking the course in the common schools of his home county, he graduated from the Owensville high school. After this he spent one year in the old Normal College at Princeton, Indiana. Upon his marriage he bought his present farm of one hundred and nineteen acres from his father, and has improved it with that discriminating judgment which stamps him as one of the most progressive farmers of the township. He has a fine residence, commodious barns and other outbuildings, and his farm is well fenced and drained. He takes a very active interest in all the movements which have for their end the improvement of farming, and has acted as chairman of the Farmers' Institute of his cOunty. He believes that the corn show contests which have been held in the county are productive of great good, and for this reason is an enthusiastic booster for them. He keeps himself well informed on the latest methods of scientific farming and is always ready to take advantage of anything which will improve his farm and bring about better results.

Although he is an ardent Democrat, he has never sought anv political office, being content to devote all his energies to his agricultural interests. Fraternally, he is a valued member of the Modern \\'oodmen of .America. He is a clean, progressive farmer, well liked and with a pleasing disposition which makes him friends wherever he goes. He is devoted to his chosen vocation and has lent honor and dignity to the profession of farming, and justly deser\es to be numbered among the progressive and enterprising citizens of his county. With his natural intellectual endowments and upright character, he has become a valued factor in the community, and is ever vigilant in his efforts to further its interests along moral, material and civic lines.

Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Cora E. Emmerson on October 19, 1899. She was a daughter of James and Susan J. (Williams) Emmerson, whose family is referred to specifically elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Thompson is lady of many excellent qualities of head and heart, devoted to her home and family, and religiou.sly, is affiliated with the General Baptist church, of which she is an ardent and loyal member, taking a deep interest in all the various activities of that denomination. She and her husband are popular and well liked in the social circles in which they move and command the respect and esteem of all who know them. To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson has been born one child, Alice Pauline.

Pinkney S. Araistrong

Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of Pinknev S. Armstrong, progressive farmer and business man of ^Montgomery township, Gibson county, is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community honored by his residence, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other consideration, that gives character and stability to the body politic. While advancing his individual interests, he has never lost sight of his obligations to the community in general, where for many years he had held a high place in popular confidence and esteem.

Pinkney S. Armstrong was born November 24, 1866, in Montgomery township, this county, the son of William S. and Emily (Smith) Armstrong. William S. Armstrong, subject's father, was born in Vanderburg county. Indiana, the son of Kirby and Miranda (Gambrel) Armstrong, and the father of Kirby was John. John Armstrong was one of three brothers who came to America from Ireland. For seven years he had been a sailor on the high seas, and wear^'ing of this, he decided to settle down to the life of a farmer in America. He and his brothers lived for a short time near Albermarle Sound in North Carolina, and later John went to Kentucky. There he stayed for a short time and about the year 1806 came over into Indiana, at the time when his son, Kirby, was a lad of about seven years. They settled in Vanderburg county, where the hid Kirby grew to nianhdiuh married, and there his .son \\'ilHani S. was burn. William S. also grew to manhooil in Vanderhurg county, and when about twenty-two yoars <>ld was imited in marriage with Emily Smith. She was born in Ahjntgoniery township, Gibson county, a daughter of Dr. Willis Smith. Her mother was Patsy Warrick, a daughter of Captain Jacob Warrick, prominent in the early history of Gibson county and one of the heroes who received a mortal wound din-ing the battle of Tippecanoe. Doctor Willis Smith was originally from Kentucky and was one of the pioneer physicians of this count}-, when the practice of the profession of medicine was surely no sinecure.

After his marriage. William S. .\rmstrong moved to Gibson county, locating in Alontgoniery township, between Owensville and Princeton and about four miles from Ow-ensville. He purchased land at this point and here he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. His death occurred July 24, 1877, and his wife died January i. 1902, at the age of se\ enty-five years.

Pinknev S. Armstrong grew up on his father's farm and continued to live there until he was thirty-two years old. On December 1, 18S7, he was united in marriage with Martha Roberts. She is a native of Gibson county, a daughter of John and Jane( Montgomery) Roberts, and is a sister of William T. Roberts, the present auditor of Gibson county. Her mother, Jane Montgomery, was a daughter of Colonel William Montgomery, a prominent pioneer of the county. To the union of Pinkney S. and Martha (Roberts) Armstrong was bom one child, Alildred Blanche, who was not quite six years old at the time of her mother's death, June 14, 1909. On Ma)' 21. 1911, Mr. Armstrong took as his second wife Xora Smith, a native of Montgomery township, and a daughter of Henry W. and Matilda (Mauck) Smith.

After his first marriage, in 1887, Mr. Armstrong continued to reside on his father's farm for eleven years, when he purchased his present farm three miles northeast of Owens\ille. In all. he is the owner ot alxnit nine hundred acres of fine farm land. He has about eighty acres in his home farm and this he farms, together with about one hundred and sixty acres near King's Station, and the balance of his land, located at the same place, he rents. The accumulating of this vast acreage is a high tribute to the excellent business ability of Mr. Armstrong. Forseeing that the fine farm lands in his county would some day demand a much higher price than they did in his earlier manhood, he bought up all the land he felt he was safe in assuming, borrowing heavily to meet his obligations, and when the rise came, as he felt sure it would, he found himself a wealthy man. Mr. Armstrong has not only farmed along the most modern and scientific methods, but he has devoted considerable attention to the raising of live stock, doing especially well with a fine strain of Poland China hogs. In addition to this, he has done a large business in raising pears and is now giving his particular attention to the growing of alfalfa on a large scale, inoculating the soil and carrying it through to the harvest in the most approved scientific method. In addition to his regular business, Mr. Armstrong is a stockholder in six banking concerns, namely : Farmers' National Bank of Princeton, Citizens' Trust and Savings Bank of Princeton, First National Bank at Fort Branch, llie Bankers' National at Evansville, the First National Bank of Owensville and the American National Bank of Princeton. He is also a director in the two last named. Mr. Armstrong is a man of splendid influence in his community, and being a A^ery industrious man who has led an honorable career, he sets a worthy example to the younger generation of his community. He is regarded as. a public-spirited man who can always be counted on to support the right side of any movement involving the moral, educational and social welfare of his fellow-citizens. He is one of those solid men of brain and substance, so essential to the material growth and prosperity of a community and whose influence has been willingly extended in behalf of every deserving enterprise.

Although not an old man in years, the gentleman whose life record is herein outlined has stamped his individuality in no uncertain manner upon the localities where he has resided, being an excellent representative of that type of the much heralded American business man - the type that does things - Mr. Lockhart being a worthy descendant of a long line of honorable and influential ancestors.

R. P. Lockhart, who is at present engaged in the lumber business in Patoka, was born at Winthrop, Atchison county, Missouri, (in Jifly 6, 1864, the son of Ephraim G. and Elizabeth (Casey) Lockhart, natives, respectively, of New York state, and Posey county, Indiana. Ephraim G. Lockhart came to this county about 1854 and first devoted himself to farming pursuits, and later he became interested in saw and grist mills and other enterprises, in which he was very successful. Lie attained to a high place in the esteem of his fellow citizens, serving for many years as a justice of the peace at I'atoka. A few years after locating liere lie nio\e(l to Atchison county, Missouri, and about 1864 returned to Gibson county, spending the rest of his days in this state. He lived in Dubois county a short time, but his death occurred in Patoka at the age of seventy-two years. His wife had died about two years prior to that time. They were the parents of six children, namely : William, Katie and Arena are deceased, Henry, of Patoka, R. P., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Thomas, deceased.

R. P. Lockhart received his education in the public schools of Patoka, and then took up the vocation of saw filing, in which he was employed in various saw mills throughout southwestern Indiana for many years. About eight years ago Mr. Lockhart engaged in the saw mill business on his own account in Patoka, in which enterprise he has met with pronounced success. In addition to his milling interests, Mr. Lockhart owns a splendid farm of two hundred and forty acres of land west of Patoka, which he is devoting to general agricultural purposes, raising all the crops common to this locality and also giving some attention to the breeding and raising of live stock. He is a stockholder and director in the Patoka National Bank, of which he was one of the organizers in connection with Will Parrett. .Alex D. Milburn. Preston Milburn and others. He is considered a man of keen and sagacious business judgment, whose advice is sought Ity tli<ise in need of counsel.

On June 20, 1900, occurred the marriage of Mr. Lockhart to Kate Cline. the daughter of Daniel Cline, of Patoka. The ceremony which united this couple was extraordinary in one respect at least. Mr. Lockhart was in Stanton, Tennessee, and his bride in Patoka on the day set for the wedding. Mr. Lockhart found that he would be unable to come to Patoka and the ceremony was performed by telephone. To their union has Ijeen born a daughter. Cathleen Elizabeth.

Fraternally. Mr. Lockhart is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic order, while politically, he is a Progressive Republican, h:iving served as a member of the city council. He owns one of the most attractive residences in Patoka, and here the spirit of old-time hospitality is always in evidence, the home being a favorite gathering place of the many friends of the family. Personalh-. Mr. Lockhart is popular, possessing to a marked degree the characteristics that win and retain warm friendships. For his kindness and courtesy he has found an abiding place in the esteem of his fellow citizens, and his intelligent energy and enterprising spirit have made his influence felt during his residence in Gibson county.

Hon. Albert Gallatin Holcomb

Prominent among the representative citizens of Gibson county, Indiana, pre-eminently distinguished for his splendid ability in carrying to completion important public enterprises and enjoying marked prestige in many things far beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the gentleman whose name forms the caption to this brief review stands out a clear and conspicuous figure among the successful men of a part of the great Hoosier state noted throughout the commonwealth for its high order of citizenship. Characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, his achievements but represent the utilization of innate talents in directing efforts along lines in which mature judgment, rare discrimination and a resourcefulness that hesitates at no opposing circumstances, pave the way and ultimately lead to great achievements. It is not the intention of the biographer in this connection to give a detailed history of his busy life, but rather to note, incidentally, his connection with the various phases of the development of Gibson county and to show the marked influence he has wielded in advancing the material interests of this locality by his strict adherence to the Golden Rule and his desire to promote the general good.

Albert Gallatin Holcomb was born March 7, 1858, in Johnson township, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of Silas M. and Nancy A. (Ralston) Holcomb, the mother being a sister of Dr. W. G. Ralston, of Evansville, Indiana, and the father a son of Hosea Holcomb, who came from Virginia to Indiana as a young man and entered land in Gibson county three and one-half miles east of Haubstadt. Hosea Holcomb settled in the virgin forest, cut timber, cleared his land, built a home and raised his family here, being a successful man in all that term implies.

The subject's father continued on the original property after the death of his father and continued the successful conduct of the home place. He was a man who took an active part in public affairs and was elected to and served in the state Legislature, being a leader in his district. He died in his sixty-five year. He was the father of five children, namely : William R. is now living in A'incennes : Albert G. ; Minnie is deceased ; Martha lives at Fort Branch ; Andrew 1^. is in Oklahoma.

The subject of this review spent his boyhood in Johnson township, receiving his education in the common schools, and then taught school for eight years. At the end of this period he was elected trustee for two consecutive terms and gave such efficient service in that responsible office that at the com- pletion of his second term lie was ilie clioice of the people of his district for state senator, to which ofilice he was elected for one term. His constituents soon realized the wise choice they had made in selecting Mr. Holcomb to represent their interests in the General Assembly, for he devoted his talents and energies to legislating for their best interests, he being the author of a number of admirable measures, and displaying a wise discrimination in the casting of his vote on all matters before the senate. In 1904 the subject was the unanimous choice of the Democratic party as a candidate for Congress, but he was included in the general landslide which overwhelmed his party on the occasion of Roosevelt's second election. Mr. Holcomb has been chairman of the Democratic county committee for four years and also has served as chairman of his township for the last thirty years, having been elected to the latter position when he was but eighteen years of age, he ha\ing been on the committee continuously since.

For sixteen years the subject has been a member of the board of directors of the Gibson County Agricultural and Horticultural Fair, having served as president of this body for two terms. He has attended and been an active worker in the farmers* institutes for a number of years. The Senator has a splendid farm adjoining the town of Fort Branch, where he raises fine crops of grain and other farm products. His place is a model agricultural plant, the equipment of buildings, silo and barns being especially complete. For a number of years the subject has been interested in the best o-rades of live stock, his Percheron horses, bred from registered sires, having taken many prizes at fairs, while his cattle are pure bred Jersevs. His large and beautifully furnished modern residence is located at the turn in the main road, the bend in the road forming the border to a lawn frirmed in the shape of a half circle, comprising about a half acre in extent, and i^resenting a pleasing effect with its beautiful shrubbery and trees.

On October 27, 1881, the subject was married to Alice M. Hull, daughter of Thomas Hull, a pioneer of Gibson county. To this union have been born two children, namely : Thomas secured his early education in the common schools and in the Fort Branch high school, supjilementing this by courses in the law departments of the University of Georgia and Yale University, after which he located as a practicing attorney in Chicago : Harold R. is attending high school.

Thomas Hull, the father of the subject's wife, came originally from New York City, and he was the son of John Hull, whn emigrated to ijiis country (33) from Li\erpool, England soon after his marriage to Elizabeth Taylur, of Rochester, England. John Hull and wife lived in New York City for a short while, during which time the son Thomas was born. Leaving this city, the family removed to Boston, where Thomas attended school and it was his privilege to see General Lafayette on his farewell visit to this country in 1824. Removing from Boston, they went to New Orleans by the ocean route, that same year, where they remained until 1827, when the family came up the river to Gibson county, Indiana, and settled on a farm near Owensville, in Montgomery township, where they continued to make their home the rest of their lives. The grandfather died in 1869, at the age of eighty-four, while the grandmother passed away in 1867. in her seventy-sixth }ear. The greatgrandmother of Mrs. Holcomb was Elizabeth (Edwards) FIulI, whose husband died as a young man, leaving two sons and one daughter, Mrs. Holcomb's grandfather being one of the sons. The mother of the subject's wife was Elizabeth Nixon, whose grandfather, William Nixon, was a native of L-eland.

George Washington Johnson

The best title one can establish to the high and generous esteem of an intelligent community is a protracted and honorable residence therein. George Washington Johnson has resided in this locality all his life and his career has been a commendable one, well deserving of being perpetuated on the pages of a historical work of the nature of the one in hand. Knowing that the county was destined to take a high rank in the productive and rich localities of the North, he applied himself very closely to his work and waited for the future to bring its rewards, and today he is one of the substantial men of his county.

George Washington Johnson* one of the most prominent farmers of Gibson county, was born January 2, 1852, two miles west of Owensville. He is the son of Levi and Louisa (Smith) Johnson. His father was born in New Harmony, Indiana, December 25, 1824, the son of George and Anna (Williams) Johnson. The Johnson family came to this state about 1807 from Virginia before the admission of the state into the L^nion. Levi Johnson's mother died when he was born, and a little later his father moved to Gibson county and settled in Montgomery township, where he lived the re- niainder of his life. Levi jdhnsim was reared to manhood in this township and here married Louisa Smith, the daughter of Jackson W. and Martha C. (W'arrick) Sniilli. ALartha Warrick was a daughter of Captain Warrick, the celebrated hero of the liattle of Tippecanoe, who fell in this memorable battle, which w-as fought in the fall of iSi i. Her father, Jackson W. Smith, was born near Lexington, Kentuck\ , anil came to Gibson count}- early in the history of the state.

From the time of his marriage Le\i Johnson lived about two miles west of Owensville. He was a life-long farmer and by close application to his business he secured a very comfortable competence for his children. He took an acti\e part in local public affairs and served two terms as township trustee. His death occurred November 25, 1904, and his widow is still living at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Mr. Johnson was an active and faithful member of the General Baptist church during all his life and always took an acti\e interest in all the \arious workings of that denomination. Mr. and Airs. Le\'i Johnson were the parents of six children: John \V. : George W., the immediate subject of this sketch: Martha: Emma, widow of Doss Thompson; Warrick D. ; Laura, who died at the age of three years.

George W. Johnson grew to maturity in Montgomery township on his father's farm. Here he lived the life of the a\erage farmer boy, going to school in the winter seasons and working on the farm in the summer. He was united in marriage to Marovia Johnson, who w as the daughter of George Buckley Johnson and Lizzie (Martin) Johnson, and was born five miles west of Owensville, her parents having come to Intliana among the first settlers of of the state. Upon becoming twent\'-one years of age his father gave him forty acres of land, and within a year he bought an additional forty acres, just west of Owensville, and li}- strict attention to his business and by thrift and frugality, he gradually increased his holdings until he is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of fine land, and in addition to this he has bought land which he has given to his daughter.

.As a young man George W. Johnson attended Asbury University, now DePauw, at Greencastle, and after leaving the university he taught school for a number of years. To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Johnson have been l)orn two children, one son who died in infancy, and a daughter, Laura Ella, the wife of Dr. Ralph W. Emersim, who lives near her father and is the mother of seven children, Ralph Waldo, Johnson. Louisa E., John Warrick. Myron Titus and twin babies. All of the family are loyal members of the General Baptist church at Owens\ille. Mr. Johnson has been a member of

Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the son-in-law of George "VV. Johnson, was born one mile east of Owensville on October 23, 1869, the son of John W. and Nancy Jane (Knowles) Emerson. Dr. Emerson grew up on the farm near Owensville, securing his elementary education in the district schools of his county. Later he took the classical course at Union Christian College at Merom, Indiana, graduating from Ihat institution on June 13, 1895, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In September of the same year he entered the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from that school on May 10, 1898. Ten days later he was back in Owensville, had opened his office for business in the active practice of his profession, and continued active practice for four years and a half. In 1903 he discontinued his practice owing to ill health and retired to the farm, where he has continued to reside since. In his practice he was building up rapidly a good reputation for himself as a physician. He was well prepared for a general practitioner and had his health permitted him to continue in the practice he would undoubtedly have become one of the prominent physicians of his county.

On August 28, 1898, Mr. Johnson was married to Laura Ella Johnson, the daughter of George W. and Marovia Johnson, who are represented in the foregoing pages. The whole family are very much interested in music. Mrs. Emerson took a musical course at Oakland City College and graduated in both the vocal and instrumental departments. Every one in the family plays on some musical instrument. The youngest son, at the age of eight years, plays a cornet and has the reputation of being the youngest cornetist in the state ; Wash Johnson plays the slide trombone, and the family assist in the orchestra of the General Baptist church. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson are the owners of one hundred and eighty-eight acres of fine land in this county and Mr. Emerson also farms his father-in-law's land of two hundred and twenty acres, making a total of four hundred acres operated by Doctor Emerson. Agriculture has always been an honored vocation from the earliest ages and men of education are turning to the farm in increasing numbers every year. The free out-door life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and de- \-elop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterize true manhood. It has always been the fruitful soil from which has sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country. Mr. Emerson is leading a life characterized by perseverance and energy and commands the confidence and respect of the people of the community in Avhich he lives.

Claude A. Smith

In a brief sketch of any living citizen it is difticult to do him exact and impartial justice, not so much, ho\ve\cr, for lack of space or words to set forth the familiar and passing events of his personal history, as for want of the rounded conception of his whole life, which grows, develops and ripens, like fruit, to disclose its truest and best flavor only when it is mellowed by time. Daily contact with the man so familiarizes us with his virtues that we ordinarily overlook them and commonly underestimate their possessor. The man whose name stands at the head of this sketch has already won for himself an enviable reputation as a lawyer in a community noted for the high order of its legal talent, and being still in the first flush of manhood, of undoubted honor and integrity, has before him great opportunities in his chosen profession.

Claude A. Smith was born July 26, 1881, at Owensville, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of John F. and Cleo (Bird) Smith, both natives of Gibson county. John F. Smith was born in Montgomery township. Gibson county, December 25, 1853, where he passed his entire life. In 1889, together with Richard P. McGinnis, he organized the Owensville Bank. From the first he served as its cashier arid remained in that capacity, retaining his interest in the bank until his death. This was the first bank in that (Montgomery) township. Mr. Smith was an active member of the Knights of Pythias and was serving as chancellor commander of his lodge at the time of his death, in September, 1893.

Claude A. Smith's parental grandfather was Noah Smith, who lived to be eightv-four years old and died some six or seven years ago. He was a farmer all his life. His wife was Patsy Benson, a member of one of the finest families of the county.

Mrs. John F. Smith, widowed mother of the subject of this sketch, makes her home in Owensville, Indiana, where she has lived all her life. She is the mother of one other child, Mabel, the wife of Lynn Lucas, furniture dealer of Princeton. Jacob F. Bird, maternal grandfather of the subject, still resides in Owensville at the ripe old age of eighty-six. He was the first county superintendent of Gibson county and is said to have started the first school in Montgomery township. Fie was a memlier of the Indiana Legislature fifty years ago.

Claude A. Smith attended the primary and high schools of Owensville. graduating from the latter in 1900. Having chosen the law as his profession, he then matriculated in the Indiana State Uni\-ersity, from which he was graduated in 1903 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He attended Columbia University, New York City, for special training in his chosen profession, was admitted to the bar in 1905, and after his graduation from Columbia University in 1906, took up the practice of law in Princeton.

On July 23, 1907, he was united in marriage to Phoebe Barnard, daughter of G. W. Barnard, of Oakland City. Mrs. Smith is the daughter of Grove W. and Maria (Teel) Barnard, her father being a native of Connecticut and her mother of this county. Grove W. Barnard came to this county when grown and taught school for some time; but later engaged in the milling business at Oakland City, where he was killed in 1892. He was an active Democrat and had been the county chairman of his party.

Mr. Smith is a member of the time-honored body of Master Masons, and an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, his convictions are with the Republican party. An energetic and upright young man, Mr. Smith possesses those qualities which make a man a representative citizen in whatsoever locality his lot may fall.

The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men who have succeeded in their special vocations in Gibson county, and at the same time are impressing their personalities on the community, men who are conferring honor on the locality in which they reside, would be incomplete were there failure to make specific mention of the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, for he is an important factor in the business life of his comnumity. The splendid success which has come to him has been the direct result of the salient points in his character, for, with a mind capable of laying judicious plans and a will strong enough to carry them into execution, his energy, foresight and perseverance have carried him forward to a position in the front rank of the successful business men of his community. He has carried to successful completion whatever he has undertaken, and his business methods have ever been in strict conformity with the standards and ethics of commercial life. He has taken an intelligent interest in the civic life of the community and has earned the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.

VV. L. Robbins was bcirn at Paoli, Orange Cdunly, Indiana. Marcb jo, 1838, the son of David and Arrianna (Gilluni) Robbins. Uavid Robbins was born August 22, 1812, and his wife, a native of Chatham county. North CaroHna, was born February 11, 1809, their marriage taking place January 22, 1835. The father of David Robbins was Nathaniel Robbins, who came from Pennsylvania to Orange county, Indiana, at an early date, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life.

The subject of this brief review was the second of seven children, four of whom are still living. His boyhood days were spent in Orange county, where he attended the district school for a period of only forty-nine days altogether and helped in the work of the farm until he reached his legal majority. In i860 he was united in marriage to Mary A. Tate, to which union were bom three children, namely: Alice E., deceased; Hettie and Dessie May died in infancy. After his marriage. Mr. Robbins continued agricultural pursuits, specializing in the raising, buying and selling of hogs. In 1862, owing to the unsettled condition of business due to the Civil war, the subject lost all he possessed. However, his indomitable spirit rose superior to reverses, and he continued farming until 1870, at which time he remo\ed to Gibson county and located in Hazleton. where for several years he was employed by Jarvis Hazleton in the lumber Inisiness. In i88t he rented a saw mill from Mr. Hazleton and went into business on his own account. This business, prospering, he continued in it until IQ02. having in the meantime worn out two saw mills.

The second marriage of the subject occurred on .\pril 27, 1882. when he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Sallie Williams, daughter of Eli A. and Margaret M. (Hartin) Williams, the former a native of North Carolina, wiio died in October, 1882. at the age of seventy-two years, and the latter a native of South Carolina, who died in 1892, at the age of seventyfour years. The mother's family mo\-ed to Indiana alraut 1830 and located in Princeton. The father was actively engaged as a carpenter and builder in Princeton during his lifetime. Mrs. Robbins was educated in the public schools of Princeton and at the age of sixteen years engaged in teaching, which she continued up to the time of her marriage in 1882, teaching twentythree terms and missing but one year during that time, this being due tn ill health.

During his highly successful career in the lumber business, Mr. Robbins confined himself exclusively to the best grades of timber, mostly walnut and oak. P.v careful and systematic attention to the details of his business he became highl}- successful and gained a reputation for being an ideal employer. He always made it a point when placing an emploj'e in a certain position to hold him responsible for the work of his department, never interfering so long as results were forthcoming in a satisfactory manner. In the sulaject's boyhood days, while he was working out for others, he had many trying experiences, especially in the matter of securing his wages after they were earned. At that time he resolved that should he ever engage in business for himself he would see to it that his employes received their money when it was due, and it is his proud boast that in the twenty-one years he was in business he missed but two Saturday nights in making up the pay roll, and those were occasions when he was ill. It is a testimonial to his good standing in the business world that when, in 1884, the spring thaw came suddenly and carried away his logs, leaving him practically without a dollar, he went right ahead, his good name tiding him over and comparatively few knew how heavily his misfortunate had borne upon him.

While the subject's early education was very meager, he has by close observation and reading become a man well grounded in the general knowledge of the world, the practical kind that is really worth while. In brief, Mr. Robbins has, by his own hands, carved out a place for himself in his community that has gained for him the respect of his fellow men. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Robbins' mother belonged to the Friends church. Mr. Robbins has been a stanch Democrat all his life, but never a candidate for anv office.

John David Smith

Among the enterprising and progressive citizens of Gibson county, none stands higher in the esteem of his fellow citizens than the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this sketch. He has long been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in this county and the years of his residence here have but served to strengthen the feeling of admiration on the part of his fellow men owing to the honorable life he has led and the worthy example he has set the younger generation, consequently the publishers of this biographical compendiurn are glad to give such a worthy representation in this work.

John David Smith, of Crowleyville, Wabash township, Gibson county, is a native of the Hoosier state, having been born in Posey county, Indiana, January 16, 1865, and is the son of Richard Smith and Jane (Medows)

Smith. Richard Smith was a son of Adam Smith, who came from Virginia about the year 1829, when Richard was about five years of age. They settled in the south edge of Montgomery township, Gibson county, along Black river, being among the early settlers of that section. Here Richard Smith grew to manhood and here he was married to Jane Medows, who was a native of Kentucky, having been born and reared near Cynthiana, that state. After his marriage Mr. Smith moved to a farm near Stewartsville, which he operated until the outbreak of the Civil war, when, he responded to the call of his country for defenders and served faithfully throughout that great struggle, taking part in many of the great battles of that conflict, receiving severe wounds in the leg and being taken prisoner at one time. He was a loyal and brave soldier and at the close of the war was mustered out and given an honorable discharge, and returning to his home again took up agricultural pursuits. He moved to the Kendle farm, two and one-half miles south of Crowleyville, in Wabash township, this county, now owned by Harmon Siegert, and here he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on this place. He was a life-long farmer, devoted to his chosen calling, of which he made a distinct success, and was highly respected by his fellow agriculturists and all with whom he came in contact. In politics he was a Democrat, while both he and his wife were earnest and faithful members of the Baptist church. To them were bom six children: Mary, deceased, the wife of Henry Carbaugh, spent her life in Wabash township, this county: Olletha died at the age of twenty-two; Isaac Newton died on December Z2, 1912, antl also was a lifelong resident of Wabash township; John D.. the immediate subject (if this sketch; Lewis Marshall, of Kennsburg, Illinois: Alfred Clinton resides in the state of Washington. The father of these children died in 'May, 1886, at the age of sixty-two years.

John David Smith was reared under the parental roof, securing his education in the common schools of his neighborhood, and in his early life worked at farm labor between school seasons. In April, 1887, at the age of twenty-two. he was married to Rhoda Smith, wlni was a daughter of William and Marv Ann (Picketts) Smith, who had moved fmni Warrick county, Indiana, to Wabash township, this cnunt\-, in an early day. and to this union were born three children, namely: Delia, who was the wife of Thomas Tillet and died at Grayville : Edgar died at the age of seven years, and Mary is still at home with her father. The mother of these children died in 1898, and on October 22. 1908, Mr. Smith was married to Mrs. Mary A. Williams, who was born in Harmony township. Posey county, Indiana, the daughter of

William and Elizabeth (De Foster) Hunget. Her parents were early settlers of Posey county, her father having come there from South Carolina fifty-nine years ago, at the age of ten years, while her mother's birth occurred near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and she lived at that place until her marriage to Mr. Hunget. Mrs. Smith lived in Posey county until her marriage to Mr. Smith. Her first husband was John ShuU, and they were the parents of two children, Martha E., who lives with her mother, and Mahala, who died at the age of five years. After Mr. Shull's death his widow married Riley R. Williams, who is also deceased.

For the past seven years Mr. Smith has been engaged in the general mercantile business at Crowleyville, and is well known all over this section of the county. He carries a good line of general merchandise, and while his store is not a large one, he does a thriving business, and in July, 1913, also established a store at Johnson's Station, and is now conducting both stores, meeting with very satisfactory success in this line. He is a Democrat in politics, and takes an active part in all public affairs of his community. In 1908 he was elected assessor of Wabash township for the term of four }-ears, and because of legislative changes in the law governing his term of office, he continues to hold the office for two more years, making a term of six years. He is discharging the duties of this important office to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents and is one of the popular, enterprising and alert citizens of his community.

Theodore Fleming Thomas

A review of the life of the honored subject of this review must of necessity be brief and general in its character. To enter fully into the interesting details of the career of Theodore Thomas Fleming, touching the struggles of his early manhood and the successes of his later years would far transcend the limits of this article. He has filled a large place in the ranks of the public-spirited citizens of his day, and that he has done his part well can not be gainsaid, for his record has been such as has gained for him the commendation and approval of his fellows. His career has been a long, busy and 'useful one and he has contributed much to the material, civic and moral advancement of the community, while his admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward course of his daily life has won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he has moved.

Theodore Fleming Thomas was horn May 22, 1857, in Princeton, Indiana, the son of James and Cyntliea ( Key) 'i'homas, the former liaving been born in London, England, and the latter in ( iibson county, Indiana, near the town of Princeton. The Christian name of su1)ject"s paternal grandfather is unknown, although efforts have been made a numlier of times to ascertain it, there being considerable of an estate to which subject would be entitled were he able to clear up this genealogical jihase. It is only known that the grandfather was a resident of London, England. James Thomas, father of llie subject of this biography, was a prominent civil engineer in luigland. 'laving been foreman during the con.struction of one of the large bridges built over the Thames river. The family at that time consisted of two brothers and a sister. When James Thomas and his brother came to America the sister remained in England. On arriving in New York, the two brothers separated, subject's father coming to Princeton, Indiana, at an early date, where he located and engaged in the manufacture of firearms, he being an extrordinarily proficient gunsmith. In those pioneer days, before the advent of labor-saving machinery, almost everything was done by hand, and. it must be admitted, done in a more thorough and workmanlike manner than is the case nowadays. James Thomas, it is affirmed, made the best of guns complete, lock, stock and barrel, and built up a thriving business for those days. His natural genius as a mechanic won him a reputation far and wide, and a few of the firearms made by him are still preserved and highly prized by their owners. He was thus actively engaged until the time of his death, at the age of seventy-six years, his death occurring while he was living with his son at Owensville. Gibson county.

fames Thomas was twice married, and to the first marriage were born two children, Franklin and Helen. Franklin was a gunsmith and li\ed at Washington, Indiana, where he died in 1862, single. He willed ten tlious.nul dollars to the Cumberland Presbyterian church. He made lots of guns and was a celebrated workman. The daughter. Helen, died at Sparta. Illinois, several vears ago.

To Tames and Cvnthea Thomas were born seven children, namely: Henrv died in 1874: Mary, who married Henry Geisky. is now deceased; David is making his home in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania; William is de'-e;ised ; Susannah married Harry Pigman and lives in Cincinnati. Ohio; the subject; Dellia married Frank Rightly and lives in AMiite River township. Gibson county.

district schools, after completing which he took up the task of learning the blacksmithing trade in the shop of Thomas Ewing and Henry Geisky. Upon completing his apprenticeship, he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked at his trade for three years, learning the construction of engines and general machine work. Returning to Princeton, in 1882, he saw an opening for his talents in the town of Hazleton, and there he started in business on his own account. He has steadily increased his business, now handling farm implements of all kinds and having a machine shop in connection, where all varieties of repair work are done.

In November, 1878, Theodore Fleming Thomas was united in marriage with Berminnia Shreves, of Decker Station, Knox county, Indiana, daughter of John W. Shreves, a native of Scotland. To this union have been born nine children, namely : Oliver Morton resides in St. Louis and is superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph office there; Fay E. married Cleveland Morgan, of Atlanta, Georgia, where they reside; John F. is connected with his father's business; Louis R. is train dispatcher for the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad at Indianapolis ; Leslie A. is now in Evansville, Indiana, and is assistant foreman of the Vulcan Plow Company ; Franklin L. is emploj^ed by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company as assistant agent and operator at Hazleton, Indiana ; Blanche, ^lay and Dale are still under the paternal roof.

Fraternally, Mr. Thomas is a member of the blue lodge of the Masonic fraternity, while in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he has been through all the chairs and has been honored by selection a number of times as delegate to the grand lodge. He is a member of the city council, of which body he has served as president. Politically, he was a stanch Democrat, while in his religious belief, he was a loyal member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

William Henry Harrison De Priest

The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his friends and neighbors. The life of the honorable subject of this review has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best, owing to the fact that he has always been loyal to trusts imposed upon him and has been upright in his dcahngs with his fellow men, at the same time lending his support to the ad\ancement of any cause looking to the welfare of the community at large.

William Henry Harrison De Priest was born August JO, 1841, in Gibson county, Indiana, the son of George W. De Priest, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Julia (Foster) DePriest, who was born near Fort Branch, Gibson coimty. The grandparents of the subject on the paternal side were William and Nancy DePriest, who came from the state of Mississippi over one hundred years ago and settled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, later removing to Gibson county, where they entered government land near Fort Branch. Here they spent the remainder of their days engaged in farming. The subject's father assisted on the home farm and after the death of his parents he took charge of the estate and energetically applied himself to the development of the land. As an example of his energy, it is cited that he taught school for a period of six months in 1840 in order to get money to pay a man for getting out logs, he doing the building himself. This house is still standing and is occupied by his widow, who was his third wife. The father only li\ed to be forty-five years of age. He was very successful in life, starting with but forty acres given him by his father, and at the time of his death being the owner of a farm of five hundred acres, he having cleared over two hundred acres. He was a man of great energy, and was a strong Democrat, the subject having been named after William Henry Harrison. He was well informed, a readv debater, and was urged many times by his friends to rim for Congress, but could never be persuaded to do so.

The subject of this review was the oldest of a family of four children. He lived on the home farm until 1875, when, owing to poor health, he sold out and came to Hazleton, where he engaged in general merchandising. His business prospering, he added a grain elevator, which burned down about 1883. and about two years later his store was also destroyed by fire. Going to Princeton, he was engaged in clerking for fi\e years, after which he returned to Hazleton and engaged in the grain business. Five years was -^pent in this line, he then going into the drug business with his brother at Hazleton. .\fter the brothers organized a mill. ^Tr. DePriest again returned to the farm of his brother, where he acted as superintendent until 1898. when he was appointed postmaster at Hazleton. He has given such uni\ersal satisfaction both to the postal authorities and the general public that he has been appointed to the same position at the end of each four-year term. His genial manner has won for him a host of friends and acquaintances, among whom he is familiarly known as "Uncle Billy." In connection with his duties as postmaster, he has a nice assortment of stationery, pencils, postcards, etc., and enjoys a good patronage. He has had more than his share of the ups and downs of life, but every reverse has found him bobbing serenely up ready for another battle, never disposed to quarrel with his fate.

Fraternally, the subject is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Hazleton, being affiliated with the blue lodge, and he is also an active worker in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church at Hazleton, Indiana.

Specific mention is made of man}- of the worthy citizens of Gibson count}' within the pages of this l^ook, citizens who have figured in the growth and de\elopment of this fa\-ored locality, and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well-being of the community in which he resides and to the ad\'ancement of its moral and legitimate growth. Among this number is Theodore W. Crawford, one of the leading farmers of Montgomery township, Gibson county, Indiana.

Theodore W. CranTord is a nati\'e of this county, ha\'ing been liorn at Oakland City August 28, 1861, the son of James Lawrence and Annie (Townsend) Crawford. James Lawrence Crawford was born at Owensville, the son 01 Holly and Delia (Dimick) Crawford. Holly Crawford was a native of the state of New York and in 1816, when a }-oung man, he jijurneyed westward to Indiana, arriving at Vincennes about the time the Indians \\ere bought out and driven further westward. He remained but a short time, returning to New York, but in 1818 came back to this state to stay. Before returning to Indiana he went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he joined several families coming out to Indiana. These were the Dimicks, the Runnels and the Townsends. They built a fiat boat, which was launched on the Ohio river at Pittsburgh and conveyed themselves and their possessions to - their new home The Dimicks settled at Princeton, and there are now cabinet makers of the name who are descendants of these pioneers. Holly Crawford also came to Princeton, and at that time it was only a little village, struggling to assume metropolitan airs. Holly Crawford was a carpenter and his labor lit'lped to form many of the liomes hnih in early da_\s. 1 ie als(j helped to build the old mill on the creek south of the town square. 1 le later moved to Owensville and lastly to Oakland City, where he came to p(>ssess some live or six hundred acres of land. This he farmed, or that jiortion which was cleared, and here he died. James Lawrence Crawford was about sixteen years old when his father took up his residence at Oakland City, and he lived the remainder of his life on the land which has father had owned, fillowing in the footsteps of his worthy father. Holly Crawford had for many N'ears been justice of the joeace and a man nuich admired am! respected. James Lawrence was comparatively yount;- when he became an elder in the Cumberland J'rcsliyterian church, and gave many years to that service, douig all in his power to further that society's interests. He took as his wife .\nn]e M. Townsend, born about three miles north of Princeton, a daughter of Dean Townsend, whose father came from Pitt.sburgh with Holly Crawford. She still lives on the old Crawford hometsead near Oakland City.

Theodore \\". Crawford grew up on the old home place, attendinj/ the countr}' schools and later the high school at Oakland City, from which he was graduated. In 1884 he united in marriage with Mary E. Jones, sister of John \\\ Jones and rlaughtcr of P'ranklin Jones, deceased, sketches of whose lives appear elsewhere in this volume. For about five years after his marriage Mr. Crawford continued to reside in Oakland City, and at that time purchased a farm about three miles southwest of Owens\-ille, \\here he now resides and where he owns in all some two hundred acres of fine farm land. .Mr. and Mrs. Crawford are the parents of five children, namely: Eva, Frank L.,- Opha, who is the wife of Lowell Mauck, and lives within two miles of her father's home; Minnie J. and Delia, who graduated from the Owensville high school in the spring of 1914. All of the family except Opha are at home. Minnie, however, is at present attending State Normal School at Terre Flaute, Indiana.

Politically. Mr. Crawford is a stanch supporter of the Republican parly. He is not a seeker after office for himself, but wields a definite influence in the party campaigns. Fraternally, he is a member of the time-honored order of Freenasonry, in which he has taken all of the ^'ork Rite work except the Knight Templar degree. Religiously, he is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and gives this society his liljeral support. Mr. Crawford is a man of large views and broad sympathies, and no movement for the advancement of his community has ever solicited his aid in vain, for he believes in progress all along the line of material effort and his interests are always in harmony with the highest and best interests of his fellow citizens. Genial and unassuming in manner, he has a host of friends throughout Gibson county.

William H. Thorne

The success of men in business or any vocation depends upon character as well as upon knowledge, it being a self-evident proposition that honesty is the best policy. Business demands confidence and where that is lacking business ends. In every community some men are known for their upright lives, strong common sense and moral worth rather than for their wealth of political standing. Their neighbors and acquaintances respect them, the younger generations heed their examples, and when they "wrap the drapery of their couches about them and lie down to pleasant dreams" posterity listens with reverence to the story of their quiet and useful lives. Among such men of a past generation in Indiana was the late William H. Thorne, who was not only a progressive man of affairs, successful in material pursuits, but a man of modest and unassuming demeanor, well educated, a fine type of the reliable, self-made American, a friend to the poor, charitable to the faults of his neighbors and who always stood ready to unite with them in every good work and active in the support of laudable public enterprises. He was a man who in every respect merited the high esteem in which he was universally held, for he was a man of public spirit, intellectual attainments and exemplary character.

\\'illiam H. Thorne was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, April 26, 1823, the son of Thomas Thorne. He was married in 1842 to Jemima Cain, also of Virginia. He died in 1902, his wife having passed away a few months before.

The Thornes were a prominent family in A'irginia. At the outbreak of the Civil war \A'illiam H. Thorne was engaged in farming, his estate being located in Wirt county, West Virginia, a tract that had been cleared and improved by the subject, and here were born eight children. At the commencement of the Civil war their sympathies were with the South, although they were opposed to slavery.

At the close of the war the family removed to Indiana, arriving on March 11, 1865, and locating at Hazelton, Gibson county, where the subject acquired three hundred acres of land adjoining the town, a portion of which has become town property known as Thome's addition, on which he erected the residence at present occupied by his daughters and known as Thorne Hill. The subject of this review served twelve years as justice of the peace at Hazelton and was a man highly respected and honored, he being a gentleman of the old Southern school.

To the subject and wife were born eight children, namely: Lunsford was a member of Company E, Thirt\-sixth \'irginia Regiment, Breckenridge's division, Early's corps; he was captured by the ['"cderals, hut v as pardoned and eventually he joined his family and came to Indiana; Zadock, deceased; Mary Margaret married Dr. M. M. Morgan, and both are now deceased; William Wirt, deceased; Theodore T. is a successful merchant in Hazelton; Esther Jane; Martha A., now Mrs. Crowe, resides on Thorne Hill; Lillie Belle. Esther Jane, mentioned abo\'e, is the widow of W. S. Kelley, who was a prominent attorney of Chicago. They made their home in Oklahoma, where Mrs. Kelle\' has considerable property. Her son, Wayne Scott Kelley, is the author of a number of popular stories, he writing under the nom de plume of "Si.\ Shot Shortie." Lillie Belle married Marcellus Howard Decker and is living on part of the old home place. They have four children: Marcellus Overton, the owner of the ferry across White river; Cayula Belle, who has been teaching in the Hazelton schools for the last seven ^-ears ; Alphonso and Alberta are twins. .Mphonso is at home and .\lberta, who married Fred B. McNiece, is living near Hazelton.

Mrs. Crowe and her sister, Mrs. Kelley, who occupy the residence. "Thorne Hill," are great lovers of books, are broad-minded in their views and are ladies of exceeding culture.

Henry P. Phillips

There is no positive rule for achie\'ing success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always many lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are e\'er the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. (54)

Today among the prominent citizens and successful business men of Hazleton, Gibson county, Indiana, stands Henry P. Phillips. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and executive ability enter very largely into his make-up and have been contributing elements to the material success which has come to him.

Henry P. Phillips was born near Union, Pike county, Indiana, October 23, 1864, the son of John G. and Mary J. (Sullivan) Phillips, both natives of Gibson county, he of Washington township, and she of near Hazleton. The father of John Phillips was also named John. John Phillips, St., was of Irish stock and after coming to America he settled in North Carolina and after living there for a short time, removed to Tennessee. But a brief period was spent in that state, the grandfather's family soon removing to Indiana and locating in Gibson county. Here they spent the rest of their days, the grandfather reaching the age of seventy. The father of the subject of this review continued the work of cultivating the home place until his death occurred April 29, 1868.

To John G. and Mary J. Phillips were born the following children : William Franklyn died at the age of fifteen years ; Nannie is the wife of J. P. L. Weems, an attorney at Vincennes, Indiana ; the subject, and a child that died in infancy. The mother, after the death of the father, was married to Fred Gowen and lives at Giro, Indiana.

The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days in Washington township in the northern part of the county. On September 16, 1892, he was married to Zora Brice, of Hazleton, Indiana the daughter of William Brice, a pioneer of Gibson county. To this union have been born eight children, namely: Ruth, who is a teacher in White Ri\er township; Grace, living at home, is a music teacher ; Mary, Cecil, Edith, Maurice and Brice are in school ; Frank died in infancy.