Grant County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 20 of 32)

College at Cincinnati, and while there he met and married Matilda E. Franklin, a resident of that city. She was a woman of many talents, brilliant and pleasing, and it is generally believed that it was the mother who endowed Mr. Smith of this review with those literary tal¬ ents that would not be denied expression, and which have already brought him a generous measure of prominence in the literary and journalistic worlds. She was a daughter of Benjamin Franklin, who carried out the traditions of his honored name by identifying himself with the printing business, and was long known as the editor of the American Christian Review of Cincinnati. He was a direct descend¬ ant of Joseph Franklin, a brother of Benjamin Franklin, of undying name and fame, and was one of the most estimable and honored men of the city in his day.

Dr. Reuben Smith was for a good many years located at Converse, Indiana, where he was engaged in medical practice. He was born in Henry county, this state, and he died in Converse, Indiana, when he was sixty-three years of age. He was a man of many excellent qual¬ ities of heart and mind, and performed his full share in the humani¬ tarian labors that fell to the lot of the small town physician. When he died he was mourned of many, and his name is yet living in the communities where he was known during his active years.

J. E. Smith was born in Howard county, near Greentown, Indiana, in 1862, and he gained his early education in the public schools of his native community. He did not receive any training beyond that of the common schools, and his literary ability has thus proven itself to be a latent and not a cultivated talent. He has always been a student and a thinker, and has devoted much of his spare time to reading and study until he launched out into his literary efforts that have proved so successful. He has been in the employ of the Pennsylvania lines since he was twenty yers of age, and various places have represented his headquarters. For six years past he has been located at Gas City as general agent of the company, and he has held a position of trust with them practically through all the thirty years of his identification with the corporation.

Mr. Smith began his literary work as a contributor to the Railroad Man's Magazine, of the Frank A. Munsey Company, and he has pro¬ gressed steadily into other fields in recent years. As a fiction writer he already has a secure reputation, and his feature articles are sought by many journals who devote space to that class of work. Character sketches have found artistic handling by him and his descriptive work is excellent in its quality and tone. Mr. Smith has added very materi¬ ally to his income as a result of the few hours he spends monthly in this work, and as an avocation it has the added virtue of being remun¬ erative as well as pleasant.

In 1884 Mr. Smith was married at Bunker Hill, Indiana, to Miss Katherine Mowry, who was there born and reared, and to them have been born four children. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Henry Mowry, a prominent and prosperous farming man of Bunker Hill vicinity, now deceased. The mother of Mrs. Smith was in her maiden days Miss Sarah Dice, of Peru, Indiana, who came of one of the earliest fam¬ ilies of that city, having Jiad its location and establishment there as long ago as during the building of the Erie Canal.

The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Smith were as follows: Donald M., born in 1886, and died in 1899; Dorothy, born in 1890, and died in 1895; Dwight Mowry, born in 1893, and Donalda, born in 1900, are now students in the public schools.

church or political party. He seeks to do what little good he can as he passes along, and gives his time and efforts to the uplifting movements of his day. He regards the final state of perfection of the human race as a slow but sure evolutionary process that is often retarded rather than accelerated by hard and fast connections either religiously or politically.

William T. S. Strange. One of the fine country homes of Grant county, which for years has given a distinctive character of prosperity and well ordered enterprise to the country life of Monroe township is the Joshua Strange farm, now occupied and managed by William T. S. Strange, a son of the foremost citizen who for so many years has filled a large place in Grant county affairs and who now lives retired in the city of Marion. The son has ail the spirit of enterprise of the modern stock farmer, and his own career has been remarkably suc¬ cessful.

The estate on which he lives is situated in section ten, and com¬ prises one hundred and sixty acres of land. His first home farm, which he still owns is in section three of Monroe township and con¬ tains a little more than seventy-two acres of land. Mr. Strange is engaged in the cultivation and operation of five hundred and twenty acres, owned by his father Joshua Strange. He carries on farming on a business-like basis, and the Strange estate produces every year boun¬ tiful crops both in grain and stock. Mr. Strange has at the present writing, twenty-eight horses, twenty-eight cattle, seventy hogs, and markets about eighty hogs each year. During 1912 his crops amounted to three thousand bushels of corn, thirty-two hundred bushels of oats, sixty tons of hay. His residence is known as the Joshua Strange House, a fine old brick building fronting the roadside, and nearby is a large bank barn, with a generous equipment of other outbuildings. The progressiveness of Mr. Strange as a farmer, and an indication of his success is the fact that he uses a Cadillac automobile for both business and pleasure. On his upper farm of seventy-two acres, he also has a good house and outbuildings.

William T. S. Strange was bom on the Strange farm in section eleven of Monroe township, August 13, 1866, a son of Joshua and Eunice (Leonard) Strange. The career of his father, and many inter¬ esting items concerning the Strange family, will be found on other pages of this publication. The son was reared in Monroe township and as a boy attended the school known as District School House No. 2. That school house, which he attended as a boy, and about which so many of his memories center, is now standing on the home farm and is used as a grain house. For many years tjie building stood in the vil¬ lage of Arcana, and was not only used as a school, but also was the meeting place for the Arcana Lodge of Masons for many years. At the age of twenty, Mr. Strange began farming on his father's old home place in section thirteen, where he lived for two years. He then bought seventy-two acres of land in section three, and that was the scene of his industrial labors until the fall of 1903. At that time his father moved to Marion, and the son took his place as active manager of the estate.

In politics Mr. Strange is a Democrat, and attends the Disciples church. He is affiliated with Van Buren Lodge No. 496, K. P. In 1886 he married Miss Josephine Nelson, a daughter of John W. Nelson. They are the parents of five sons and three daughters, and this fine family of children are mentioned as follows: Cecil is the wife of Roscoe Smith, living one mile north of her. father. Ancil J., born

August 24, 1888, educated in district school No. 2 and the Upland high school for three years, and also attending the Marion Normal for two terms, has taken up farming as a regular vocation, and is now occupying his father's old estate of seventy-two acres. Ancil J.

Strange married on May 9, 1912, Miss Brook Camblin, a laughter of John C. Camblin of Yan Buren township. The third child is Curtis Orr, who is in the creamery business in Yan Buren township. He was bom August 3, 1890, and was educated in district school No. 2, Upland and then spent two years in high school and two terms in the Marion Normal. On June 9, 1912, he married Miss Edna Merrill of Van Buren, a daughter of Mrs. Lena Merrill. Donald lives at home at the age of nineteen and. has recently graduated from the Yan Buren high school. Lydia is a graduate of the Monroe township schools in the class of 1913. Merritt, George, Alta, and J. Herbert complete the fam¬ ily circle. The daughter Cecil was for two years a student in the Marion Normal College and Mrs. Curtis Strange for four years taught in Van Buren township, and the wife of Ancil J. Strange was also a teacher for four years.

Wimpy, teller in the First National Bank, as a member of the Jona¬ than Hockett family (see Friends Church Chapter), in which he and his brother Francis H. Wimpy were reared. There have also been two half-brothers:' Henry T. and William, and four half-sisters:

Wimpy. The father, Robert F. Wimpy, married again and died at Winchester, and the ol^er Wimpy boys and his second family of chil¬ dren did not grow up together, and they do not often meet. Francis H. Wimpy met an accidental death, January 25, 1907, and thus A.

N. Wimpy is the only representative of his father's family now living in Grant county. The two older Wimpy boys, Asa and Francis grew up on a Mill township^ farm, and their aunt, whose life story is else¬ where told, was as a mother to them. Mrs. Esther Hester had a sad bereavement herself, and these two nephews were her consolation. /

The grandfather, Jonathan Hockett, was a typical Friend - the sort of Quaker whose word was as good as his bond. The Hockett and Ellis families were all related, and all came about the same time into Grant county. They came direct from Ohio in 1853, Jonathan Hockett having come from North Carolina, crossing the Allegheny mountains the day he was twenty years old. The institution of slavery was very distasteful to him, and when he located west of Jonesboro he was right in a hot-bed of anti-slavery sentiment, and he had his part in under¬ ground railway affairs.

Jonathan Hockett. Mr. Wimpy entered Fairmount Academy, Sep¬ tember 24, 1885, the day it was opened for the reception of students, and he was in the first graduating class receiving all its training in the academy, and taking the full three years' work, previous gradu¬ ates having had other credits before entering the Academy. Those who graduated in 1888 with Mr. Wimpy were W. W. Ware, and Dr. Milo Ratliff. He later graduated from the Teacher's Department of the Marion Normal College, earning this college degree by attending school in the vacation time while teaching, which profession he followed for eleven years. Before entering active business life, Mr. Wimpy gradu¬ ated from the Indianapolis Business University and he is well qualified as an accountant, bank clerk and teller.

On December 24, 1896, Mr. Wimpy married Miss Millie Small (see sketch of Otto Small), who was a Marion high school graduate in the class of 1891, and who came of Orthodox Friend training. They are active in the First Friends' church, Mr. Wimpy serving as an elder and member of the meetings of ministry and oversight. For several years he was superintendent of the Sunday school. Two children, Orville Robert and Sarah Marie, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wimpy. Their home is at 616 West Sixth street in a house built by them, and Mr. Wimpy now owns the Jonathan Hockett farm where he was reared, and where he has had one tenant fifteen years.

Mr. Wimpy left the school room in 1901 for a clerical position in the First National Bank, and has had continuous employment there for more than twelve years. Because other Friends have had employ¬ ment there it is sometimes called the Quaker Bank, and Mr. Wimpy reflects honor on the church he represents in his business relations. The city council of Marion has three times elected him a member of the library board and he is now serving his fifth year as its treasurer.

Francis H. Wimpy, his brother, married Miss Corintha Clark, daughter of Simon and Julia (Nottingham) Clark, and one daughter, Ursula Wimpy, was born to them. Francis Wimpy was a farmer, and his family had the land in Mill township where he lived when he met his death. While the original Hockett family is gone, A. N. Wimpy who represents it has many of the characteristics of his ances¬ tors, and is a useful man in the community.

Robert McGibbon. The story of Robert McGibbon of Sims town¬ ship, Grant county, Indiana, is a story of determined effort, courage and steadfastness of purpose, which no obstacle was great enough to destroy. Mr. McGibbon is now one of the most successful farmers and popular citizens in this part of Grant county, and when he arrived in this county he was friendless and had just ten cents in his pocket. Such a life as his should not only be an inspiration to boys handicapped by poverty but also to those more fortunate ones who have the first steps made smooth for them. Mr. McGibbon is an influential factor in the business world of this section and he has taken an active and public spirited part in the interests of the farmers, doing much to draw them closer together.

Robert McGibbon was born in Belfast, Ireland, on the 12th of Feb¬ ruary, 1866, the son of Francis and Sarah (McGee) McGibbon, both of whom are now dead, having passed away in their native Ireland. He was educated in the schools of Ireland, and until he was eighteen years of age he lived in Belfast. Then the desire to see the United States and to try his fortunes in the new land, a wish he had long had, came to its fulfillment. A cousin of his, returned from the United States to settle an estate, offered to take the boy back with him. His parents were opposed to his going, and so he borrowed the money for his passage, for he felt that he would never amount to anything if he stayed in Ireland. Upon his arrival in New York City, his sole possession was an English sixpence, so his cousin paid his fare to Tipton county, Indiana, and upon his arrival he had just ten cents. He went to work for his cousin to pay him back the loan and for some time he worked on a farm in Grant county.

far West and there in the gold mines became a mining engineer. He was possessed of a clever brain and a turn for mechanics and soon became an expert in this work. For five years he was an engineer in the mine and quartz mill, later became chief engineer in the water works, and although holding a responsible and lucrative position, he always felt that the agricultural life was the most independent and the happiest, so he returned to Grant county and there bought the farm on section fourteen, Sims township, which he named the Esperanza Farm, the Span¬ ish name of which means most hopeful or most successful. He owns 219 acres of land in Sims township, which is well ditched and highly im¬ proved. He has erected all the buildings on the place and they are modern and well built. He is well known among breeders, as a breeder of Short Horn cattle, subject to register, and he also breeds Poland China hogs. He is a large feeder and sells his cattle almost entirely to local buyers. He lives the life of the modern farmer, with his modem house, with all the conveniences of a town house, a telephone to bring the world nearer and lastly, that boon to the farmer, an automobile.

Mr. McGibbon has never taken a very active part in politics, but he is a loyal member of the Republican party. He has served as a member of the Grant County Board of Equalization, and he has also been super¬ intendent of the twelve miles of gravel road through his district. He is one of the stockholders in the Farmers' Trust and Savings Bank in Marion, and he is a stockholder in the Sweetser Telephone Company. He has always been active in the farmers' organizations and is treasurer of the Grant Farmers' Institute.

Mr. McGibbon was married on the 27th of May, 1895, to Miss Agnes Shafer, of Carroll county, Indiana. Nine children have been bom of this union, two of whom are dead. Those living are as follows: Ford B., bom on April 2, 1896 ; Loren, who was bora on the 3rd of February, 1898; Raymond, whose birth occurred on May 1, 1900; Mabel, who was bom on May 24, 1902; Dolores, bora on the 17th of April, 1904; Pauline, whose birth took place on September 19, 1908, and Isabelle, who was bom on the 24th of September, 1909. Mr. McGibbon is a member of Swayzee Lodge, No. 637, of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons.

Bloch Brothers. In the general mercantile field there is no ques¬ tion of the precedence held by the firm of Bloch Brothers in Gas City and Upland. The firm consists of Edward and Benjamin Bloch, who are proprietors of the Golden Eagle store in Gas City and Upland, and are the chief owners in the corporation known as Gas City Mer¬ cantile Company of Gas City, Edward Bloch being president and Benjamin Bloch a director. They took the leading part in the organi¬ zation of the latter concern, which was established in 1909, to carry everything in the line of dry goods, with special attention to women's wear, including apparel and dress goods for both old and young, shoes and the other lines usually found in up-to-date and metropolitan stores of that character. The Gas City Mercantile Company has its establishment in a very eligible location on East Main street in Gas City. Just opposite and on the same street is the Bloch Brothers Golden Eagle store, which as a men's furnishing establishment has no superior in the county. It is a large, commodious and well lighted store building, and the shelves and counters are stocked with all the staple goods required by a well dressed community. The brothers opened a branch of their men's furnishing goods store at Upland in 1902. The Golden Eagle store has had a record of continuous and growing business success since it was started in 1896 by these brothers. Their store adjoins the post office building, and is a large building on a basis of forty-four by one hundred feet, while the Upland branch house occupies a building eighteen by fifty-five feet. The mercantile company is in a store building twenty-two by one hundred feet.

These business establishments are a monument to the industrial energy and enterprise and the reliable dealings of the two brothers, Edward and Benjamin Bloch. They are merchants in the best sense of the word, have made a close study of business detail and know not only how to attract trade, but how to hold it by scrupulous dealings and by furnishing goods which the custom wants and is satisfied with. The brothers have been associated in business since 1896, when they started their store at Gas City.

Both brothers were born in Milan, Missouri, came to Marion in Grant county in 1888, where they were reared and educated, and received valuable business training under their father, Simon Bloch, who was also for many years in the Men's furnishing goods business. He was a merchant of Marion some years before his death, in 1895. At that time he was forty-five years of age. His birth occurred in Germany, and he was of Hebrew family. He grew up in his native land, and in 1866 came to the United States, living in Chicago until 1877, and then went to Missouri, where he married Celia Brede, who was also born in Germany and of Hebrew family. She is still living, being now fifty-four years of age, and makes her home with her two sons in Gas City. The Bloch Brothers are live and energetic merchants, leaders in business affairs, and their support is counted upon for all matters that affect the substantial welfare of the community. Both affiliate with Lodge No. 428, Knights of Pythias, at Gas City, and Edward is also a member of the local lodge of Red Men. In politics they maintain an independent attitude.

John1 W. Aelen. Among the older residents of Grant county, none perhaps is better known than the late John W. Allen, who died at his home in Marion, November 21, 1913, in his seventy-second year. He was born in this county, lived here all of his life, and through many years was actively identified with business and political affairs. A larger share of his active career was spent in farming, but at the same time he was always ready to accept public service, and the high esteem which was given him in his life and which followed him to the grave proved that he had been an efficient public servant, an honorable busi¬ ness man, and a valuable factor in his community.

John W. Allen was born in Washington township of Grant county, March 19, 1842. His father was Wesley Allen and his mother was Rachael (Hicks) Allen, both of whom were natives of the state of Ohio and settled in Indiana among the pioneers. Wesley Allen was one of those sturdy frontiersman who carved out of the wilderness their little farms, and he spent his life as a farmer, dying about six¬ teen years ago. The mother of Mr. Allen died about ten years ago. There were eight children in his family, as follows: Solomon, San¬ ders, John, Sarah Ann, Ruth, Constantine, John W. and James. Of these, Sanders, Sarah Ann, Solomon and John W. are now deceased.

On his father's farm in Washington township John W. Allen wras reared, and in the meantime received his education by attendance at the country schools. Before reaching his majority the country was set on fire by the noise of the guns of Fort Sumter, and in September, 1861, although only nineteen years of age he enlisted in Company F of the Thirty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served from that time until February 1, 1866, more than four. years. He was in many campaigns and notable battles, was all through the campaign about Vicksburg, fought at Champion Hill and Jackson, participated in the siege of Vicksburg, and as the culminating experience of his long career as a soldier was present and a fighter in the last battle of the war, fought near the Rio Grande river in southern Texas. After his honorable discharge he returned to Grant county, and began farm¬ ing near the old homestead. That was his home until 1884, when he retired from his close attention to business affairs and removed to Marion. His brother James now owns the old homestead. The last years of his life Mr. Allen spent in looking after his property interests in the county seat and in the country, and at Marion he had a comfort¬ able home, where his widow now resides, at 216 W. First street.

For two years he was deputy sheriff of the county. In his political views he always voted Republican and was active in the party. He was also a popular man in the ranks of the Grand Army of the Repub¬ lic, and at one time held the office of Senior Vice-Commander.

On October 7, 1869, Mr. Allen .married Miss Eliza Culbertson, a daughter of Joseph and Margaret Culbertson. She was born in Guern¬ sey county, Ohio, and when she was ten years of age her parents moved from that locality to Franklin county, near Columbus, Ohio. Later they came to Grant county, where Mrs. Allen met and married her hus¬ band. They have one son, Otto G. Allen, who made his home with his father and mother in Marion. Otto G. Allen is an attorney and gives special attention to the legal interests of the Grant Trust and. Sav¬ ings Company. He is a graduate of the Indiana Law School, and has practiced law at Marion for twelve years. In this time he has served as deputy prosecuting attorney one term, and made a notable record for the expeditious handling of cases, seven hundred coming under his management during that time. He has been twice married. He first married Miss Lou Hamilton, a daughter of Dr. A. A. Hamilton, of Marion, and after her death married Miss Florence Riddell, who is his present wife.

John 0. Willson, ex-mayor of Marion, is one of the citizens of Marion whose long residence, success in business, and high personal character entitle them to the best distinctions in public life, where their previous record insures careful and intelligent service for the public welfare.

During the past ten years Mr. Willson has made a notable record in public affairs and has come to be known as one of the public men of Grant county who have a special faculty for getting things done and for general efficiency in all their public service. Mr. Willson in 1904 was elected to the office of city clerk on the Republican ticket. N

At that time the term of office was two years, but when he was reelected in 1906 the law had in the meantime been changed so that cities of the class of Marion elect their' principal officials for a term of four years. In 1909 Mr. Willson became candidate in the cam¬ paign for the office of mayor, was elected by the people and began his official service on January 1, 1910. His terms has but lately expired, and in reviewing the four years of his service as the head of the city's affairs, it is gratifying to note the progress that his admin¬ istration has stood for. Those in any way familiar with the munici¬ pal growth of Marion during the past three years can not fail to note the large and varied accomplishments which may properly be accred¬ ited to the administration of Mr. Willson. Probably the foremost feature of it would be the new civic assembly hall and market house which was built at a cost of $50,000, and is one of the largest public buildings of its kind in Indiana. The possession of this building hjis been a very happy thing for Marion and a source of much pride to its citizenship. With such facilities the city and the civic organiza¬ tion have the means to offer inducements to large public meetings and conventions, and a number of large conventions h$ve already been secured since the completion of the building. The construction of this hall was one of the leading measures advocated by Mr. Willson during his campaign for mayor, and on taking office he applied himself with great energy to getting the enterprise carried out suc¬ cessfully. Another achievement that could be mentioned as a feature of his administration is the concrete "611" and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad right-of-way, an undertaking which was completed at the cost of a great sum of money, and which has added much to the permanent development and improvement of the city. Mr. Willson also successfully advocated the granting of a ten-year franchise for artificial gas, and by means of this measure the city obtained the cheapest street lighting proposition in the United States.

John 0. Willson was born in the city of Maryland, September 21, 1869, a son of Gilbert and Margaret (Brownlee) Willson, both of whom were natives of New York state. The mother, who is a daugh¬ ter of Judge John Brownlee, a representative of one of the fine old families of this locality,, is now living at the age of seventy-five years. The father, who was a grain and stock dealer, died in 1895 at the age of fifty-eight. The three children in the family were: John O. ; Hiram B., who died in 1902, and Laura F., who is a clerk in the county clerk's office.

John O. Willson received his early education in the common schools of Marion, but he left off his studies at a comparatively early age in order to enter upon the practical affairs of life. When he was four¬ teen years of age he became a clerk in Blumenthal's clothing store, and was in the same capacity for Goldwaith & Son, and subsequently was with Barney Freund's mens' furnishing store. His next experi¬ ence was as a shipping clerk at the Holiday's Bicycle Works, where he remained for three years, and was then for two years employed as shipping clerk with the McCullough & Wilson Fruit Jar Works.

Mr. Willson, on March 2, 1910, married Miss Elizabeth (Steele) Dun, of Columbus, Ohio, a daughter of John G. Dun, who was pro¬ prietor of the Hotel Vendome in that city. The two children of Mr. and Mrs. Willson are Margaret Ann and Elizabeth Jane.

Mr. Willson is a director of the Mecca Club, one of the leading social organizations of Marion, and is also a member of the Marion Country Club, the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Loyal Order of Moose, and an honorary member of the Orioles. He and his wife are communicants of the Episcopal church.

Oscar E. Haynes. One of the large farmers of Grant county, Indi¬ ana, who is also a native of this county, is Oscar E. Haynes, of Sims town¬ ship. He has spent his life in his present occupation and although he is now only in his prime he has devoted himself to his vocation with s6 much energy and industry that he is now one of the most prosperous farmers in the township. He is a man of many friends and is highly respected for his honesty and strength of character.

The father of Oscar E. Haynes was William H. Haynes, who was bora in the state of Virginia. He came to Indiana with his parents in 1848 when he was nine years of age. They located in Wabash county, and his father entered land in Richland township, where he lived until his death. William H. Haynes grew up on his father 's farm and received little education, for educational facilities in those days were very poor. He married Miss Anna Rife, who was born in Logan county, Ohio, and came with her parents to Indiana at the age of seventeen years. She was well educated for the time and was a teacher. William H. Haynes became a farmer and has so continued throughout his life. He and his wife are both living in Pleasant township. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Haynes, as follows : Cora> who is the wife of Samuel Frantz, of Wabash county. Indiana; Oscar E.; Minnie, who is unmar¬ ried and lives at home ; and Charles, who is married and lives in Rich¬ land township.

Oscar E. Haynes was bom in Pleasant township, Grant county, Indi¬ ana, on the 15th of January, 1869. He grew up on this farm, attending the common schools of the township. He remained at home until he was of age and then he worked at farming by the year. This continued until his marriage, a period of four years. Since that time he has been farm¬ ing for himself. He and wife now own 162 acres of land in Sims town¬ ship, the larger share of which has been put under cultivation by Mr. Haynes himself. Their farm, which is known as the Lumbo Farm, is located on sections 11 and 14, two miles north and a half mile east of Swayzee, Indiana, on the Shanahan pike. Mr. Haynes operates a modern farm, engaged in general farming and stock raising, and in addition to other modern improvements he is the owner of a Haynes automobile. He is a stockholder in the Farmers ' Trust & Saving Co., of Marion, Indiana, and his wife is a stockholder in the Sweetser State Bank at Sweetser, Indiana.

Mr. Haynes is a member of the Republican party, and he and his family are members of the Church of the Brethren, he being one of the trustees of the church.

It was in 1894 that Mr. Haynes was married to Miss Amanda Minnick, daughter of Jacob and Sarah Minnick, both deceased. She was reared in Richland township, Grant county, and after being graduated from the township schools, attended Mount Morris College in Illinois. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Haynes: Ira, who is a graduate of the common schools and of Swayzee high school, was born on the 15th of May, 1896 ; Walter, who has been graduated from the gram¬ mar school and is now through his third year in the high school ; Ralph, who is eight years of age; Jason, who is four years old, and Susan, who was born on July 1, 1912.

Benjamin Jones Ludlum. As county assessor Benjamin J. Ludlum is a county official who not only performs with fidelity and efficiency the usual routine of duties, but has also brought to his office special vitality and a spirit of service which has resulted in a great improve¬ ment of the office, increasing its value to the county and the county's citizenship.

Benjamin Jones Ludlum, who has been a resident of Grant county for a quarter of a century, was born in Butlerville, Warren county, Ohio, March 26, 1870. His parents, Dr. B. F. and Elizabeth (Jones) Ludlum, were both born in Warren county, , Ohio, and Dr. Ludlum came to Marion, Indiana, in 1886, practicing his profession here until his retirement a few years ago. He now lives retired with Benjamin J. at the age of seventy-eight. He was born in June, 1835. At one time he served as county health officer. The mother died in 1882, and of the four children in the family, only one other is now living, John C. Ludlum, whose home is at Lebanon in Warren county, Ohio.

schools of Warren county, Ohio, until the removal of the family to Marion, where he finished in the high school. He also attended the National Normal University of Lebanon, Ohio, where in 1889 he graduated in the scientific course, and in 1890 in the classical course. His first professional activities were in the educational field, and he was a teacher in Grant county, for a while was connected with the Marion Normal School, and was in the country schools for seven years. His next occupation was practical farming, and he lived on a farm three years, and then became associated with Mr. J. B. McClain as manager or foreman of the dray and transfer line operated by that gentleman in Marion. He remained in this business for a number of years, until November, 1910, when he was elected county assessor of Grant county on the Republican ticket. He took up his official duties in January of the following year, his term of office running for four years. In the assessor s office Mr. Ludlum, among other changes and improve¬ ments, has card-indexed all the records of mortgages, and this system has proved its value in greatly facilitating the work of the township assessor.

For the past three years Mr. Ludlum has been connected with the Marion Fair Association, for two years having been superintendent of privileges. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being chancellor commander, and is chancellor com¬ mander of the Knights of Pythias. He also belongs to the Benevolent Crew of Nep tunes, and the Sons of Veterans.

On June 16, 1892, Mr. Ludlum married Estelle Davies, of Huntington county, Indiana. Her parents died when she was very young and she was reared in the home of Isaiah Dill from the time she was four years of age. The six children now living of Mr. and Mrs. Ludlum are: Mrs. Lillian Scott, of Franklin township, Grant county; Miss Estelle; Harrison McKinley; Emma; Evangeline; and Roberta. One child, Elizabeth, died in infancy.

James H. Poston. Recently retired from a long career as a mer¬ chant in Marion, Mr. Poston is now enjoying the latter-end of a well spent life, and is devoting some of his leisure and experience to the welfare of his city in the city council.

James H. Poston was bom July 9, 1853, at LaFontaine, in Wabash county. His parents were Aaron F. and Nancy (Braustetter) Poston, both of whom had been born in Rush county, Indiana. From that county they moved to Wabash county, about 1845, and there the father began his business career as a cabinet maker. During the last five or six years of his life he followed merchandising and the dry goods busi¬ ness at LaFontaine. His death occurred at the age of twenty-nine, in 1859, when his son, James H., was five years old. The father was a Republican in politics, having joined the party at its inception. The four children in his family were : Arkansas, wife of H. M. Sailors, of Kokomo, and formerly county clerk of Howard county; W. G. Poston, who is a farmer in Wabash county; James H. ; H. E. Poston, who died in Marion, in January, 1911. The mother, after her husband's death, married F. T. Taylor of LaFontaine, and they both spent the rest of their years in that vicinity, where her death occurred in 1899, and his in March, 1910, at the age of ninety-three years. They had no children by their marriage.

James H. Poston as a boy attended the public schools at LaFontaine in Wabash county, and when it came time for him to take up a practical occupation of his own he began as a carpenter. He worked at that trade until he was thirty-five and then became identified with the dry goods business in LaFontaine. He remained one of the enterprising business men of that village until 1893, at which time he found a larger field in Marion, and had one of the popular trading centers of this city up to 1911, when he disposed of his business and has since been retired. For some time his store was located at the comer of Fourteenth and Adams streets, but for sixteen years its site was 1 Washington street, near the railroad tracks.

In 1910 Mr. Poston was elected a member of the city council on the Republican ticket. He was married November 23, 1879, to Laura Pogue, daughter of Wilson T. and Nancy Pogue, of Wabash county, but formerly of Rusk county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Poston have one daughter, Georgia, wife of Homer Lester of Marion. Mr. Poston is a deacon in the Christian church, and fraternally belongs to the Inde¬ pendent Order of Odd Fellows in the LaFontaine Lodge in Wabash county.

John Grant. Although the Grant family, to which John Grant, the present Marion market master belongs, has always been identified with Wabash county and LaFontaine, since the death of Mr. F. M. Grant, who was a well known horticulturist in that locality, his sons having all located elsewhere, some of them becoming permanent citizens of Marion, and active business men in the community. For many years F. M. Grant sold nursery stock and some of the best orchards in Grant county have been put out by him. He was an authority on horticulture, and was in demand to discuss the fruit-growing proposition before Farmers Institutes in other counties. He was always a member of the State Horticultural Society, and he and Snead Thomas of Marion worked together in advancing local interests in horticulture. Mr. Grant planted the Picket-Hendrick cherry orchard, which- is the largest in this part of Indiana, located in Pleasant township, along the interurban south of Fox Station. When John Grant began the wholesale fruit and produce business, he bought the fruit from this cherry orchard for several years.

John Grant spent more than seven years delivering mail on the rural route No. 3 out of LaFontaine, and there were a few Grant county patrons. He has always been interested in Grant county. He was among the first rural carriers in Indiana to deliver mail froin a motor¬ cycle, and he covered his twenty-seven miles in three and one-half hours. His patrons never objected to being on the end of the route - always had their mail at dinner time. Mr. Grant came to Marion in 1909 and engaged in the wholesale fruit and produce business. When the Marion Market House opened he engaged a stall and within a few months had become market master and devoted himself to building up the market. Grant Brothers are all hustlers, and they are known in several com¬ munities as active produce dealers. They have branch poultry-packing establishments in several towns. In the way of Grant family genealogy they are descended from Daniel Grant, after whom Grant creek at LaFontaine takes its name. Their ancestor was prominent as a peace¬ maker among the Indians in the early days. The Odd Fellows ceme¬ tery along Grant creek is where most of the older members of the family now slumber. Francis M. Grant, father of Mr. John Grant, married Mercy Waggoner, and eight children were bom to them as follows: Bert Grant Inarried Lottie Fuller-Dausman, and has one son, Paul Grant; Charles E. Grant married Violet Heller, and has three children : Maro, Richard, and Pauline ; John Grant, above named at the beginning of this sketch, married Lavina Taylor, and their five children are Lillian, Verle, Jesse, Dilmar and Francis Marion, the last carrying the name of his grandfather; Jesse Grant married Virginia Reed; Ida Grant married Delmar Shepard; Nellie Grant married C. E. Perkins and has one child, Aline Perkins; Reid Grant married Hazel Rogers and has one child ; and the youngest is Miss Virginia Grant.

While the early history of the Grant family belongs to Wabash county, the above mentioned members of the family are scattered and more of them are located in Marion than at any other point. They grew up at a nursery and fruit farm, and naturally turned their attention to that kind of business, the boys all having picked berries for the Marion trade while small, and John Grant thoroughly understood the requirements of a city market, when he became market master.

While the several brothers in the Grant family are independent in their interests they also have many interests in common, and when one of them wants anything all want it, and thus they cooperate almost unconsciously, each preferring the other in all things. While their father was a member of the Church of the Brethren, they have all affiliated with their mother's church - Disciples or Christian. While they grew up Republicans, in the 1912 election and without premedita¬ tion, they all found themselves Bull Moose voters. Thus their minds seem to run along similar lines although occupied differently. It is not straining a point to say the Grants are upright, conscientious busi¬ ness men who have the confidence of the community.

Jesse Clanin. On section two of Sims township, three quarters of a mile east and three miles north of the town of Swayzee, is located the rural home of Jesse Clanin, one of the prosperous men of Grant county. With almost one hundred and twenty acres of the fine soil of Sims town¬ ship at his command, Mr. Clanin has never failed to make a good living for his family, is well provided for future needs, and along with security in material circumstances possesses the high esteem of the citizens who have known him through youth and manhood in the community where he has spent all his life.

Jesse Clanin was bora on the same section of Sims township where he now resides, November 23, 1860. His parents were substantial and highly respected people, Reuben and Jane (Townsend) Clanin. The father was bora in Montgomery county, Ohio, and the mother in Wayne county, Indiana, in which latter locality they were married, and soon afterwards moved to Grant county and located in Sims township in 1859. There they spent the rest of their lives in quiet activities of coun¬ try life. The mother died in 1875, and the father in 1898, the latter having been born in 1814, and being eighty-four years of age when death came to him. He was a member of the Universalist church. The father had fourteen children, seven of whom are living in 1913. By his first marriage seven children were bora and the same number by his second union, and of the latter marriage four are living at this time, Jesse; Susan, wife of Stephen Carmichael; Thirza, wife of Charles Harold; and Thompson, of Sweetser.

Jesse Clanin grew up on the old farm, and while a boy attended the local schools. On September 25, 1880, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary B. Hall, who was born in the state of Illinois, but has resided in Grant county since early girlhood. They have four children : Arthur, a graduate of the common schools and the business college and Normal College, is private secretary for Sterling R. Holt, at Indianapolis ; Frank, a graduate of the common schools and the high school at Swayzee, is a school teacher; Earl is a graduate of the common and high schools and the Marion business college, and is a farmer near Gas City; Anna T. was graduated from both the grammar and high schools and lives at home.

Mr. Clanin has had membership in the F. M. B. A. In politics he is a Democrat, but in the campaign of 1912 voted the Progressive ticket. For several years he served as constable of Sims township. He has led a life of quiet industry, and is one of the substantial men in his community. He bought his present farm of 120 acres in 1907, and has made many improvements thereon. Prior to this time for twenty-five years, he lived on his fifty-acre farm in section eleven, Sims township, but sold that farm when he bought his present homestead.

James H. Carroll. This venerable man, now in the seventy-ninth year of his age, who with firm step and unclouded mind attends to hitf daily routine of affairs, has for thirty years borne a useful part in Grant county, and has been a resident of this section of Indiana for nearly sixty years. Although now retired from active business and living on his beautiful country estate in section twenty-three of Fairmount township, he still manifests a keen and intelligent interest in all that affects the welfare of his home county, and is widely and favorably known as a man of progress and public spirit.

James H. Carroll was born in the Blue Grass region of Kentucky, near Lexington, in Scott county, April 7, 1835. His parents were Jacob and Frances (Hutchinson) Carroll. Jacob Carroll was born in Virginia and of Virginia parentage, though of Scotch-Irish ances¬ try. With his brother William and a sister, Mrs. Hoover, Jacob Carroll came to Kentucky and located in Scott county. William Carroll was married in Scott county, and afterwards moved to Missouri where he died, and his widow then returned to Kentucky and spent the remainder of her days in that state. The Hoover family all lived and died in Kentucky. Jacob Carroll was a young man when he moved to Kentucky, and before his marriage enlisted in the War of 1812, in a Kentucky regiment. That fact establishes the very early settlement of the family in the middle west. He went through the war without injury and after his return home took up the life of a farmer. He married Frances Hutchinson in Scott county, and Jacob Carroll lived until after the Civil war, being past eighty years of age. He was a strong Whig in politics, an ardent supporter of Henry Clay. He was a member of no church. After his death his widow moved to Marion county, Indiana, where she died at the home of a daughter, and she was eighty-two years of age at the time. She was a loyal member of the Christian church. Of her four sons and four daugh¬ ters, all grew up and were married and had families of their own. Two of them died in the state of Kentucky and others came to Indiana, and all are now deceased except James H., whose name introduces this review.

James H. Carroll was reared on a Kentucky farm, and in 1854, at the age of eighteen, with his brother Scott, came to Marion county, Indiana. He began farming in Franklin township, of that county, his brother Franklin having moved thither some years before. It was in Franklin township that James H. Carroll married Eleanore Martin. She was born in Marion county in 1840, a daughter of Alfred Martin, who was born in North Carolina, was married there, and moved to Marion county, Indiana, where he was a pioneer teacher. Comparatively few of those old teachers who taught in the subscription schools made so famous by pioneer stories, can be mentioned by name in local history, but Alfred Martin was one, and a very able man in every way. He spent practically all his life as a teacher, having moved to Indiana during the early twenties, in the pioneer development of the section of the state about Indianapolis.

His death occurred in Marion county when he was a very old man. His politics was that of the Democratic party. His wife, Anna Eliza, belonged to the old school Baptist church. There was a large family of children in the Martin household, and all grew up and were married and are now deceased. Their deaths occurred iin Marion county, with the exception of that of Mrs. Carroll, who died in Fairmount township of Grant county, in 1908.

James H. Carroll and wife moved to Grant county, and located in Fairmount township in 1882. There he bought two hundred acres of land and has since had his home on a part of that fine farm. All of it lies in section twenty-three, and its spendid improvements are largely the result of the energy and foresight of Mr. Carroll. He has done very well in life, providing liberally for all his own wants and necessities, and also providing most of his sons with farms, and equipment for starting life. The work by which he has benefited the community has been liis enterprise in undertaking the construc¬ tion of extensive ditches and the tilling of the lowlands in the vicin¬ ity of his farm, so that a section of Fairmount township originally a swamp has been reclaimed and made now as productive as any other part of Grant county.

The children of James H. Carroll and wife are mentioned as fol¬ lows: 1. Florence died after her marriage to Perry Tackett, who now resides near Mr. Carroll and has two children. 2. William lives on a farm at Montpelier, Ohio, is married and his children are Earl, Bethel, Arthur, Paul, Orville and Woodrow Wilson. 3. Robert is a farmer in Fairmount township, and by his marriage to Alice Lewis has the following children: Ive, Glenn, Homer, Edna, Palmer, Orin, Clyde, Virgil and Everett. 4. James lives on a large farm at Blackwell and married Minnie Lewis. Their children are Dwight, Fay, Floyd, Fern, now deceased, as is also Berenice, Orley, Alma and Eunice. 5. John lives at Hartford City, Indiana, married Myrtle Pugh and has three children, - James, Mary and Hershel. 6. Albert lives on the old homestead. He married Bessie Irwin of Fairmount, who was born, reared and educated in Tipton county, Indiana, and who is the mother of Florence, Dolly, Charles and Albert, Jr. 7. Charles died in infancy. Mrs. Carroll, the mother of these children, was an active member of the Christian church. Mr. Carroll has been a life¬ long Democratic voter, and is also a strong advocate of the temper¬ ance cause.

Jaritjs A. Fillebrown. It would be well nigh impossible to esti¬ mate in any remarkable degree the comfort and rest that has been made to the general public through the activities of Jarius A. Fillebrown, until recently proprietor of the Marion Mattress Works, established here by him in 1892. It has been estimated that the average person spends something like one-third of his time in bed, and it will not be denied by any one who has given any degree of thought to the subject that com¬ fortable sleeping arrangements add much to the pleasure of ^ is here that Mr. Fillebrown has played his part in the interests of human¬ ity, and in many instances has added actual time to the lives of those people who have used mattresses manufactured by the Marion works, as a result of their superiority. But recently, on the 10th of November, 1913, Jarius A. Fillebrown disposed of the business which he had built to such splendid proportions and which contributed materially to the advancement of the business interests of Marion. The works is now known as the Marion Mattress Company. - . __ bee county, Maine, and is the son of L. W. and A. J. (Frost) Fillebrown, both natives of Kennebec county and long residents of that place. The father was a practical machinist and devoted the best years of his life to work of that order in his native community. He came to Marion about 1903, and here ended his days. The mother still lives. She made her home with her son Jarius until the 3d of January, 1914, when she went to live with her other son, the Rev. Charles L. Fillebrown, of Laurens, Iowa. Of the five children that came to these parents there are but the two sons surviving.

Jarius A. Fillebrown received his education in its more advanced stage in Maine Wesleyan Seminary, at Redfield, Maine, and when he was eighteen years old began to work at the machinist's trade under the supervision of his father. For seventeen years he continued in that work in Maine and in Piqua, Ohio. In 1882 the father moved to Piqua, bringing the entire family with him, and in 1892 Jarius A. Fillebrown and his family located in Marion, Indiana. It was then that he estab¬ lished the Marion Mattress Works, and afterward successfully and profit¬ able conducted the business, building it to splendid proportions and extending its ramifications until its trade extended over the United States and into South America and the islands of the sea.

Mr. Fillebrown was married in 1877 to Miss N. Margelia Brown, of East Livermore, Maine, where she was bom and reared. One child has been bora to them, Anna Louise, who is the wife of Norman N. Stevens, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Fillebrowns are prominent in social circles of the city, and have membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, while Mr. Fillebrown was superintendent of the Sunday-school for two years. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs, as well as of the Knights of Pythias and its auxiliary, the Pythian Sisters. He is also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose and the Benevolent Crew of Neptune, and is an active member in the Young Men's Christian Association of Marion. A Repub¬ lican in his political views, he has stanchly upheld the principles of that party but has never displayed any tendency to engage in the political fray of the community. His active work is carried on rather along civic than political lines, and he is recognized as a dominant force in the communal life of the city and as one who looks for the best good of the city in preference to the advancement of any political ideas. As ;3uch his life in Marion has been one of the utmost usefulness, and some mention of him and his work should be given proper place in an histori¬ cal and biographical work of the nature of which this publication partakes.

Bruce L. Pierce. This enterprising young merchant of Jonesboro represents the younger generation of a family which became established in this community during the early days, and is the son of the late Edward N. Pierce, who recently died after a career of twenty-five years, which made him one of the most successful men of Grant county. The grocer store operated by Bruce Pierce was established and its trade largely built up by his father, and it is easily one of the best stores of its kind in the entire county, only one other larger so far as known. Its present location is at the corner of Main and Fifth streets. The busi¬ ness was begun by Edward N. Pierce in 1888 at what was then known as the "Blue Front." The beginning of that business began shortly after the marriage of Mr. Pierce and he and his wife had just one hundred dollars in capital. They started out with a bakery and small restaurant, to which afterwards was added a stock of groceries. It is said that the late Mr. Pierce spent all his nights in baking, and in the day time helped about the restaurant. Only a few hours every morning were spent in sleep, and as he kept this up for some years until his business was estab¬ lished on a substantial basis, it proved undoubtedly permanently injuri¬ ous to his health. The bread and other products of the Pierce ovens had a great popularity and were bought and consumed by residents all about Jonesboro in a radius of ten miles. In 1890 Edward Pierce, in partner¬ ship with his father-in-law, Joel Koppeck, built the Pierce & Koppeck Block, two stories high, of brick, and one of the best buildings in the town. After the building was completed, Mr. Pierce and Mr. Koppeck started a general merchandise store in partnership. In a few years Mr. Pierce had finished paying out on his store building, and a few years later Cyrus L. Koppeck, a son of the elder Koppeck, became his partner. In 1900 the younger Koppeck employed one of the storerooms for a meat market, and Mr. Pierce then became sole proprietor of the grocery end of the business. In 1907 Bruce Pierce became associated with his father, being given a third interest, and in 1912 acquired half of the business, and for the past five years has been the active manager of the store. Since his father's death on July 19, 1913, the mother has continued to retain the other half interest, but Mr. Bruce Pierce is the active and responsible manager. In the display of his merchandise and its storage he uses the basement, ground floor and second floor, and also uses one floor in the adjoining building, the original Koppeck part of the block. As a grocery establishment, this is now the oldest under one continuous management in the county, and their selection and extent of stock and facilities of trade, it is not excelled Dy any other establishment in he county.

Edward N. Pierce, whose death removed so prominent a business man from Jonesboro, was a noteworthy character, and a man whose experiences and accomplishments in life were much out of the common¬ place routine of most men. He was born in a log cabin on Main street

(Ensminger) Pierce, both of whom died when he was a young boy, so that he had to make his own way in the world. His father was born in Vir¬ ginia, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, while the mother was chiefly of Irish stock. Dr. Pierce was educated in Virginia, and prepared for his pro¬ fession, was married there, and in the latter part of the forties settled at Jonesboro. There his first wife died, when Edward was a child, and the doctor took a second wife. Dr. Pierce died at Jonesboro when nearly eighty years of age, and for many years had played the part of the oldtime country doctor, a man whose kindly and ready counsel and profes¬ sional skill were ever at the service of his patrons, no matter where they lived, and no matter what obstacles were interposed between the doctor and patient.

Edward N. Pierce having left home about the time of the Civil war found employment at first with a Mr. Charles Ink, in the country, and worked for his board and clothes and ten dollars in cash for one entire year. Somewhat later he changed employers, and Samuel Mart took him into his home and accorded him such treatment as is seldom read of except in old-fashioned sea-tales, when the cabin boys and sailors before the mast were treated with the utmost brutality and severity by their superiors. Edward Pierce was by no means lacking in spirit, and finally revolted from his master, running away, first into the state of Virginia, and finally wandered about the country until he was in the southwestern and western states, and there began a long career of a cowboy. At one time he worked on a ranch owned by an Indian, and was in Missouri during the reign of the noted criminals, the James boys and the Ford gang. He had more or less of a personal acquaint- ance with these noted characters of the frontier, and his life as a cow¬ boy brought him in contact with all the phases of western life, which has been written in books and familiarly depicted on canvas and on the stage. At the time of Mr. Pierce's death, the following anecdote was published as one which Mr. Pierce particularly enjoyed telling as a joke at his own expense: "One evening he rode seventeen miles to call on a young lady. While returning home late at night, through a wild lonesome country, his horse suddenly stopped and refused to go on. In looking around Mr. Pierce saw through the darkness what appeared to be a man on horseback. In the darkness only his whiteshirt bosom was visible. Mr. Pierce asked what he wanted and received no answer. After calling to the unknown several times and getting no reply he shouted that if he did not get out of the way he would shoot a hole through him. As the stranger did not budge, he pulled his revolver, and fired, then galloped home. The next day an advertise¬ ment appeared offering a reward of one hundred dollars for informa¬ tion regarding the person who shot the full-blooded mule with a spot of white on his forehead. Mr. Pierce had killed the mule."

Mr. Pierce was about twenty-nine or thirty years of age when he finally abandoned the west, and returned to his old home in Jonesboro. Here he found that his father and his step-mother had both died, but he determined to make Jonesboro the scene of his permanent business career. When some years previously he had run away from his old tormentor, Samuel Mart, it was with the indignant comment that some day he would return and visit a just retribution for his cruel treat¬ ment. When he got back to Grant county he kept his word, and pun¬ ished his old employer until the latter begged for mercy which was granted largely on account of his then advanced years. In 1888 Edward N. Pierce was married in Gas City to Miss Rachael Crockett. She was born, reared and educated in Grant county, and is still living, her home being on West Sixth street in Jonesboro, and she is now fortyeight years of age. As a young woman she taught school in this county. Her parents were Joel H. and Nancy (Pemberton) Crockett, who are still living in Jonesboro, which has been their home since before the Civil war. Joel Crockett was a veteran of the Union army, was a business man many years, and also held the office of justice of the peace. In politics the Pierces and the Crocketts were on both sides, the Crock¬ etts having always been Republicans, while Edward N. Pierce was for many years a Democrat, until McKinley was candidate in 1896, and thereafter voted the Republican ticket. He was also a Blue Lodge Mason, belongs to the Subordinate and Encampment Degree of Odd t Fellowship, and was prominent and popular both outside and inside fraternal ranks. The children of the late Mr. Pierce and wife are two sons, Wayne C., who was born in December, 1892, was educated in the Jonesboro high school and the Marion Business College, later became associated with his father in the grocery trade, and was one of the partners in the large establishment at Jonesboro until his death on July 5, 1913, only a few days before the death of his father. He was married in October, 1912, to Miss Jessie Freeman, of Winnemac, Indiana. Since her husband's death, she has lived in Marion and is engaged in the business college in that city.

Bruce L. Pierce was born February 22, 1890, was educated in the Jonesboro high school, and attended the Marion Normal and Business College until the ill health of his father made it advisable for him to leave school and return home and assist in the store. He is one of the popular and prominent younger set of business men in Grant county and is well upholding the reputation of a good old name in Jonesboro.

On January 1, 1909, he married Miss Olive K. Schriber, who was born in West Virginia, November 29, 1888, was reared and educated in Jonesboro, and is the mother of two children: Virginia M., born November 7, 1909, and Linn E., born January 12, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are members of the Presbyterian church, he has membership on the town board, is a Republican in politics, and is a member of Jones¬ boro Lodge No. 109, A. F. & A. M.

John H. Lawson. Among the prominent citizens of Grant county, Indiana, is John H. Lawson, the well known farmer of Sims town¬ ship. He owns a large and prosperous farm and is also an owner of a fine real estate property at 811 Fifth street, Marion, Indiana. Mr. Lawson is of fine old Kentucky stock, although himself a native of Indiana, and he has been a farmer all of his life. He is highly respected throughout the township and is a man of considerable influence.

John H. Lawson was born in Rush county, Indiana, on the 27th of December, 1846, a son of Theodore and Rebecca (Pickerell) Lawson, both of whom were born and reared in the state of Kentucky. They were married in Rush county, Indiana, and in 1850 came to Grant county to live. Here Theodore Lawrson entered land in Richland town¬ ship and he lived there until during the later years of his life, after the death of his wife, when he made his home with his son, John, with whom he lived until he passed away. ' Theodore and Rebecca Lawson became the parents of four children, three of whom are now living, as follows: Elizabeth, who is the wife of David P. Draper, of Pleasant township; E. F. Lawson, who married Helena Mower and lives in Sweetser, Indiana; John H., and Frances J., who was the wife .of Christian Shaffer.

John H. Lawson was reared in Richland township, attending the public schools of this township until he was fifteen years old. He did not receive a very thorough education for the schools in these early days wrere very crude and the life of the son of a backwoods farmer was filled to the brim with the many tasks that fell to the lot of a boy. After he became a man he continued along the lines for which he had been trained and became a farmer. He now owns 1512%00 acres of land and is a general farmer and stock raiser. He also owns property on Fifth street in Marion. All of this he has gained through his own labor with the exception of about $1,400, his share of his father's estate.

Mr. Lawson has always been a member of the Pemocratic party, but he has never cared to hold office. His only fraternal allegiance is with the Knights of Pythias, his affiliations being with Swayzee lodge, No. 451.

Mr. Lawson was married to Miss Sarah Canady in 1872, and seven children were born of this union, two of wrhom are now living, namely: Emma, who is a graduate of the common schools and the wife of James Fear, of Marion, Indiana, and Ada, who married Charles Carver, of Kokomo, Indiana. Sarah' Lawson, Mr. Lawson's first wife, died in 1905. and Mr. Lawson married Miss Mollie Sullivan in 1907. Mrs. Mollie Lawson was born in Wyandot to county, Ohio, and did not come to Grant county until after her marriage. She was educated in a Roman Catholic school at Cleveland, Ohio. The Lawson farm is located on section one, of Sims township, one mile east and four miles north of Swayzee, Indiana.

family as have in recent generations, in the direct line, added their share to the development and upbuilding of the communities wherein they have lived. The first of the name to come to Indiana, was Hugh Allen, the great-grandfather of Eli Allen, and he came here in 1815 from Blount county, Tennessee. Hugh Allen moved to Tennessee from North Carolina prior to the birth of William Allen the grandfather of Eli Allen. It is not now known where Hugh Allen first settled in Indi¬ ana, but he moved from place to place until about the year 1831 or 1832, when he lived in Wayne county, and he probably came to Grant county in 1833.

The family in North Carolina was one of the old Quaker ones, and they brought to their new home the faith of their fathers, in which many of the later generations have continued. But few facts relative to the early life of the first of the Grant county Allens are available at this writing, but it is known that in 1811 William Allen was born in Blount county, Tennessee, and at the age of 20 or 21 he married Sarah Simons in Wayne county, Indiana, and they then came to Grant county perhaps in the year 1833; they entered on an 80 acre tract of land four miles northeast of what is now the Soldiers ' Home. Resid¬ ing there for. a number of years when they sold their farm and bought another three miles directly east of the Soldiers' Home and it was at this place that James Allen, the father of Eli Allen was born, and when he (James Allen) was four years old, William Allen sold this farmand moved to Jackson township, Miami county, Indiana, where he spent the remaining years of his life. He was 74 years old when he died, and his wife had preceded him almost thirteen years prior to the date of his passing, being then about sixty years old. They were a fine old couple, claiming a host of stanch friends in the county of their adoption, and they had twelve children. James Allen, who became the father of Eli Allen of this review, was the eighth child in this goodly family.

James Allen was born in Center township, Grant county, in July, 1847. He was yet a small boy when the family moved to Miami county and bought a farm of fifty acres, and he grew up on that place. When he came of age, he returned to Grant county and was married in Back Creek Friends' church to Mary Elliott,, a native daughter of the county and the daughter of Exum and Ruth (Thomas) Elliott, Quak¬ ers of Grant county, Indiana, Exum Elliott being reared on what is now the Soldiers' Home, and Ruth Thomas being reared on an adjoin¬ ing farm.

Exum and Ruth Elliott were united in marriage in the Mississinewa Friends' church, Grant county, and she died here in the full bloom of * her young womanhood, being not more than twenty-three at the time * of her passing. She left two daughters, one of them now the widow of James Allen, and Olive being the second one, who married Ancel Wilsey, now living in Texas. Both daughters are yet living.

Following the death of his young wife, Exum Elliott married Hannah Morris, and she died one year later without issue. A third time did Mr. Elliott marry, Huldah Knight becoming his wife, and they lived for years on the farm owned by Eli Allen of this review. Exum Elliott died in 1892 at the age of sixty-seven, having survived his third wife by six years. He was a devout Quaker all his life, and each of his wives wTere likewise stanch adherents of the faith.

After the marriage of James and Mary (Elliott) Allen, they lived intermittently in Grant, Miami and Tipton counties. In the latter named county they owned a, tile mill and when they moved from Tipton county they took up their abode in Grant county. Here Mr. Allen spent his closing years of life on a Mill township farm, death claiming him on December 18, 1885. He was a birthright Quaker firm in his convictions, and a stanch Republican until the birth of the Prohibition party, when he turned his allegiance to that as the political organization best expressing his ideals. His widow, who yet survives him, makes her home with their son, Eli Allen, and despite advancing years, she is yet alert and active. She was bom in 1847 and is a birthright Quaker, as was her husband. She became the mother of seven children, briefly named here as follows : Eli, of this brief family sketch; Ruth, who died at the age of sixteen months; Sarah, the wife of David Pearson, now living in Oregon in the vi¬ cinity of Salem, and the mother of Cecil, Gerald and Ernest. The two children next in order of birth died in infancy, and they were followed by Lucy, who died at the age of twenty-four. Nora is the wife of Elbert Douglas, and lives in Miami county, Indiana. They have three children, - Bernard, Elden and Willidene.

Eli Allen was born on the old homestead that is now a part of his farm, on June 3, 1871. He was reared in Miami county and in Tipton county to the age of about eleven years, then came with the family to Grant county and settled in Mill township on the place which is now his own property. His present farm consists of 105 acres, practically all of it subject to the plow, the few acres not under cultivation being covered with a growth of native timber. Fine farm buildings and a commodious dwelling house add much to the place, and Mr. Allen has a fine herd of Jersey cattle that are a source of pardonable pride with him. He is also considered one of the most successful men -of the township, and has a secure position among the substantial and enterprising men here resident.

In 1897 Mr. Allen was married to Miss Idella Pearson, born in Miami county, Ohio, on February 20, 1873. She came to Grant county in girlhood and settled with her parents in Mill township. She is the daughter of John and Prudence (Pemberton) Pearson, both native Ohioans. The father died in Mill township at the early age of fortysix in 1877, and five years after that event his widow and children moved to Marshall county, Iowa, where she married Ruphas Chad¬ wick. He died there some years later, without issue, and his widow moved to Salem, Oregon, where she now lives at the age of seventyseven.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen have four children. John J., the eldest, is now in his freshman year at Fairmount Academy. B. Yerlou is attending school in the home community, as are also Orville E. and Ruth. All four of the children are birthright Friends, and the parents are also members of the Friends church. Mr. Allen is a Prohibitionist of sturdy conviction, and is of the most excellent standing in his com¬ munity.

House of Goldthait, Goldthwait, Goldthwaite. The Goldthait, Goldthwait, Goldthwaite family in Grant county all have the same family genealogy, which was published a few years ago by Char¬ lotte Goldthwaite of Hartford, Connecticut. Local information has been supplied by the family historian - E. L. Goldthwait of Marion, and the genealogy as prepared for the Centennial History is in con¬ formity with these two sources of information.

Thomas Goldthwaite, ancestor of all this name in America, was born in Yorkshire, near Pateley Bridge, West Riding, England, m 1610. The " Goldthwaite Hair' is still standing or was a few years ago. "Thwaite" is a very common suffix in that part of the country and means an open space cleared in a forest, or reclaimed land. The prefix indicates a local incident probably that gold was found there, or copper, or silver, or weapons such as "Gar" a sword or spear or a tree remaining on the reclaimed or meadow land, or a prominent stone, or any object that furnished the prefix and nat¬ urally transmitted as a family name. The ancestry of this family in that region dates back to the twelfth century. "Thomas" was a very common name in the English family. One third of the Chris¬ tian names of the male members of this family in that country were called Thomas. Other Christian names occurring very frequently were William, Robert and John.

The American ancestors came to New England with Governor Winthrop in 1630, eight years after the arrival of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Practically all the early emigrants to New England were dissenters of the Cromwellian type. In 1636, Thomas became a citizen of Salem and the name appears very frequently in the an¬ nals of that historic city. Thomas was a cooper and died in 1683. In the development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this family bore its part. They fought on land and sea for independence and in the Revolution about twenty of them served with the Colonists. Among them was Thomas Goldthwaite (I), ancestor of the family of Marion. He was born in 1738 at Petersham, Massachusetts, entered the Con¬ tinental army in 1776, and served until the close of the war in 1782. He had previously served in the French-Indian war from Marble¬ head, Massachusetts. He was of the fifth generation in this country, and the father of John Goldthwaite (II) who emigrated with the Marietta Colony of Ohio from Long Meadow, Massachusetts, in 1788, and finally settled in Fairfield county, Ohio. There, according to the Wiseman Centennial History of Lancaster, "He was probably the first school teacher. He taught in the McCleery district north of town. He had previously in 1801, taught the first school in Athens. His work here began as early as 1802 or 1803. He was a man of horticultural tastes and he planted the first orchard in Fairfield county, on the old Levering farm. He was also the proprietor of the first nursery in Fairfield county, situated on his farm in Walnut township." He died in 1830, leaving a wife and eight children, bom in the following order: (III) Elijah, Margaret, Oliver, William C., John W., Mary, Cimon and Lucy. William C. died in infancy; Elijah in 1874; Margaret (wife of John Stevenson) in 1842; Oliver in 1873; Mary (wife of Judge John Brownlee) in 1847 ; John W. in 1890. In 1836 the widow Goldthait with all her children living, except Elijah, moved to Grant county. Her son Elijah remained several years in Ohio, and then removed to Whitley county, Indiana, and then to LaGro. He lived in Marion for about six years before his death. Mary Goldthait, the mother, died in 1847 in Marion.

The name is variously spelled Goldthait, Goldthwait, Goldthwaite and Goldthrite. It might be added that John and his wife and the seven children were devout Methodists. John is recorded in the Fairfield County History as one who was especially active in. revival work, where "he was a power," and also an enthusiastic federalist. His nursery being among the first, was historic. Henry Clay, the great commoner, was entertained by him. He is spoken of as "the eccentric little Yankee."

The fetish of the family was education. Every one of the Grant county family was a school teacher at some time in their lives, a con¬ venient qualification in the pioneer annals of this community - it added materially to their meager income when it was most needed.

1. Orlando L., born May 5, 1847, was married to Georgiana Street, May 11, 1871. Their children: Homer DeKalb, February 13, 1872, now in the U. S. service, having enlisted in 1892. Harry, now man¬ ager of the Boston Department Store, born September 28, 1874, served in the United States Navy throughout the war with Spain on the Olympia, Admiral Dewey's flagship, and was at the battle of Manila, and afterwards was elected auditor of Grant county for four years; he was married to Kitty Borofli on May 14, 1901. Charles Goldthwaite was bom November 10, 1879, and is manager of the Goldthwaite Loan Company; he was married March 31, 1906, to Sylvia Carmichael, to whom was born March 24, 1907, Sylvia Jane.

2. Edgar L. Goldthwaite was born August 7, 1850, and at twelve years of age became a printer apprentice, remaining in the trade in one capacity or another for more than forty years, twenty-five years of which he was editor and publisher of the Marion Chronicle. He married Candace Zombro. Children': Mary Agnes, January 15, 1887, is a student at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; George Edgar, October 18, 1889, electrical engineer, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; Margaret, January 15, 1892, is student in Western College at Oxford, Ohio; James S., March 27, 1894; John L., March 19, 1896; Rebecca, March 7, 1898; Robert S., March 30, 1900; Ellen M., June 11, 1905.

John Wesley Goldthwaite (III), born October, 1816, married Mary Bedsaul, and their children were: Caroline, born August 20, 1845, married Daniel Wood,* and died in Tulare, California; Emily, born July 6, 1849, married William Elmendorf, and resides in Santa Ana, California.

Mary Goldthwaite (III), wife of Judge John Brownlee, died April 2, 1844. Her children were: Margaret, who married Gilbert Willson, and is the mother of John Willson, mayor of Marion in 1913; and Laura, born in 1876.

In the early history of Grant county several members of the Goldthait family located in Marion, and Goldthait & Sons Company, the oldest continuous mercantile establishment in the country, was founded by Cimon Goldthait. (Ill) Cimon Goldthait was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, December 18, 1820, and white a young man came to Grant county. His marriage to Martha Emily Stevens occurred No¬ vember. 12, 1848. Miss Stevens had come with her parents to Marion in 1846, having lived for a time in Ohio, although born in Penn¬ sylvania. There were nine children bom to Cimon Goldthait and his wife. Mr. Goldthait and the four oldest children are deceased, these four children being named: Simon, John W. James C., and Mary M. The surviving children are : William E., Frank B., Mrs. Lucy Lindhard, Miss Alice and Miss Emily Goldthait. W. E. Goldthait married Miss Florence Reasoner, and their son, Harman Reasoner Goldthait, is the only grandchild in the family of Mrs. Goldthait. Miss Lucy Goldthait is the wife of William L. Lindhard.

for a while he opened a business for himself, being in partnership at different times with other pioneer merchants although it had been Goldthait & Sons for several years before his death, October 16, 1875. By the terms of his will everything went to his wife, and the firm name has remained unchanged, although since 1902 it is a corporation with all the stockholders members of the family.

Cimon Goldthait was a pioneer merchant who always had confi¬ dence in the future of the town. At one time and another he was associated in business with Aaron Swayzee, T. J. Neal, D. S. Hogin, and C. W. Mather, but after the Civil war he was alone. His older sons were of assistance to him, and both Simon and James Goldthait, were active in business. After the death of the father, Simon Gold¬ thait, who was the oldest son, began collecting the pictures of all of his father's business contemporaries, and a galaxy of early Marion faces may be seen in the office of the present Goldthait store.

The senior Cimon Goldthait had long had an eye on the business site now occupied by the store he founded, and soon after his death the corner was acquired by the family, and in 1881 the store build¬ ing was erected. Five years later the adjoining property was ac¬ quired, and the capacity of the store was doubled, and several times since then improvements have been made until it is now one of the most commodious store buildings, and one of the largest department stores in Indiana. The trade has learned to expect goods of quality, when patronizing the Goldthait store.

While Cimon Goldthait founded the business with but little cap¬ ital invested not much capital was required at the time. A credit system was in vogue, not known today, when business is on a strictly cash basis, and goods are handled at smaller profit and money is turned over oftener. "In my time," said W. E. Goldthait, "my father did ten times the credit business done by the store today." Merchandise is handled on smaller margins and the money is paid out and returned several times more frequently than in the older days.

In her home on North Washington Street, Mrs. Goldthait has the pictured faces of her husband and children who are gone. She is among the older residents of the community. The grounds about the home are always well kept, and the garden and pasture land toward the Mississinewa are like farm property. Good care is given to the lawn, and with the shade and commodious porches, this oldtime homestead is an inviting retreat. When the family went across the river to live it was not called North Marion, and Mrs. Goldthait has seen that locality grow very rapidly in recent years. She is much interested in all that concerns community advancement and the business has been conducted since the death of her husband as she thought he would have had it.

While the active oversight of the business is in the hand of W. E. and P. B. Goldthait, the Misses Alice and Emily Goldthait are actively connected with many social movements. Miss Goldthait is presi¬ dent of the Marion Play Ground Association, and Miss Emily is re¬ gent of the General Francis Marion Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Goldthait has been interested in all that has been going on in the community, although her own life is in the privacy of her home, and those who know her see her there. The Goldthait family stands for the advancement of Marion and all Grant county.

sometimes led him to fight vigorously for their maintenance, Moses Bradford was one of the men who played a role of great importance in the early history and development of Grant county. In many re¬ spects he was one of the most interesting characters who has ever jived within the borders of this county. To only a few men can credit be given that they have definitely shaped the course of events in progress and one of these was the late Moses Bradford.

He was born in Hardy county, Virginia, and was married Sep¬ tember 21, 1819, to Mary E. Vanhorn in Zanesville, Ohio. To tins union were born twelve children - four sons and eight daughters. They came to Indiana in 1841, and located on the banks of the Mississinewa river in North Marion. But two houses stood on the north side of the river at that time, and he obtained a quarter section of good land, all of which is now embraced within the limits of the city and built over with hundreds of residences, shops and factories. To these factories he gave much of his valuable land without price or cost. There he devoted his energies to farming and butchering and is said to have been the second butcher in the town of Marion. For thirty-five years Moses Bradford was the largest stock buyer in Grant county, and in his dealings he became known throughout this section of Indiana. His old home, which was erected by Riley Mar¬ shall in 1839, has been one of the historic landmarks of the city. And during the Civil War was many times the scene of thrilling preparation to resist capture by the Kuklux or border ruffians abroad at that time, a reward having been offered for his capture.

To no other man is so much credit due for the promotion and construction of the first railroad through Grant county. The town of Wabash, twenty miles to the north, on the canal, was the only outlet for commerce except the irregular undependable route of the Mississinewa and all goods for Marion and all produce that went out from this city had to be carried over all kinds of roads, and in all kinds of weather to Wabash. It was a situation with which the pioneers had to cope the best way they could, but as soon as civiliza¬ tion had advanced beyond the pioneer stage, and especially after the great era of construction had begun in America, such means of trans¬ portation was looked upon everywhere as too primitive to be tolerated. However, in spite of a more or less general and deep-seated appre¬ ciation of the needs of improvement in transportation, Moses Brad¬ ford almost alone possessed the practical insight and ability of lead¬ ership which were required to place the county within easy com¬ munication of the markets of the outside world. Secure in his own convictions in the matter, he made a thorough canvas of the opin¬ ions of all other citizens, and before long his enthusiasm had aroused the entire community on the railroad question. It was his leader¬ ship and aggressive action in the campaign which brought about the construction of the Panhandle Railroad through this county. He was the chief local promoter of the enterprise, and the right of way was obtained principally through his personal efforts. He freely gave the right of way through the entire length of his lands and bought and traded for the same between his home town and adjoin¬ ing towns. His idea was to have a grand union depot and to have North Marion a live, progressive center. Hardly had this railroad been constructed when his commercial sense perceived the need of a competing line, and this led to his becoming president of the old narrow-gauge, now the reconstructed line of the Clover Leaf. As a matter of fact Moses Bradford was actual owner of about forty miles of the old narrow-gauge line running between Kokomo and

Warren. The history of that railroad undertaking is too long to be detailed here, but it is sufficient to state that the litigation which finally arose among the officials and stockholders was eventually de¬ cided by the supreme court adversely to Moses Bradford, the chief grounds for the verdict being that it was against public policy for one man to own a controlling interest in any such important public utility. Mr. Bradford stood tenaciously for his rights, and made a vigorous fight for his property, but in the end lost it all. Thus there is a tragic phase to his career, as indeed there is in the careers of hundreds of patriotic and public spirited men who have devoted themselves disinterestedly to the promotion of some great and bene¬ ficial undertaking, only to see its control slip from their grasp. After years of effort in advancing the welfare of his community and struggling to retain the fortune he had amassed by the strictest legiti¬ mate methods, Moses Bradford died a poor man, others reaping of the harvest where he had cleared, broken and planted.

For many years he conducted a general store at Marion, and was constantly doing something in the way of building that tended to improve the town. He always manifested a firm faith in Marion, as a commercial and social center, and believed that it was destined to become a large city. Moses Bradford is remembered by all of the older citzens as a justice of the peace. In this minor judicial office many of his decisions bore the stamp of originality and even of genius, and where women and children were concerned his big heart always found a way. While he did much for the city's improve¬ ment, he never forgot the less fortunate and many baskets full of the necessaries of life found their way to them.