Grant County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 31 of 32)

Mr. and Mrs. Highley are the parents of four children: Olive I., graduated from the common schools, attended the Fairmount Academy, is a skillful musician and both a vocalist and instrumental player, and teaches a large class in her home vicinity; Aiden Marvin, is a graduate of the common schools in which she was a prize winner, attended the Fairmount Academy for two years, graduated from the Marion Normal College, and also from the State University, was for several years a teacher of mathematics in different high schools in Indiana, and is now located at Monroe, Michigan; Levi Preston, graduated from the common schools as a prize winner, studied in the Converse High School, graduated at the Indiana Business University, and is now in business at Indianapolis.. Samuel R. is a graduate of the common schools, and lives in Blackford county, Indiana. The family are members of the Christian church at Somerset, and Mr. and Mrs. Highley have been identified with that church for forty-five years. In politics he is an active Republican, served one term as trustee of Richland township, and is glad to take part and assist in any community enterprise. As a farmer he has gained great success in the breeding of fine trotting and pacing horses, and has given his attention to that line of industry since 1887. He is said to have brought the first standard bred horses to Grant county, and has bred and raised more standard bred trotters than any one else in the county.

John 0. Spurgeon. Now actively engaged in business as a manu¬ facturer of drain tile, and connected with several other financial and business concerns. Mr. Spurgeon is secretary-treasurer of the Herbst Drain Tile Company ; vice president of the Fowlerton Drain Tile Com¬ pany; a director in The Farmers Trust and Savings Company of Ma¬ rion; a stockholder in the Sweetser Rural Telephone Company, and in the Citizens Natural Gas Company, and is president of a corporation organized for the purpose of building an electric railroad from Marion to Logansport. Mr. Spurgeon is perhaps best known for his long serv¬ ice in the cause of education. He began teaching about the close of the war and kept it up continuously for a period of forty years, and hun¬ dreds of his old pupils pay their tributes of respect for the man who worked conscientiously and with patient zeal in their early training.

John 0. Spurgeon was born in Adams county, Ohio, September 20, 1845, a son of Joseph and Cynthia (Powell) Spurgeon. Both parents were born, reared, educated and married in Adams county, Ohio. The mother died there in 1859, and the father died and was buried at Sedan, Kansas, in 1891. The father served as lieutenant in Company E, of the Seventieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war. He was a private on entering the army, but for meritorious service was advanced to the rank of lieutenant. He was held in high honor by his old comrades, and was buried under the auspices of the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1850, he joined the Christian church, and in 1873 he became a member of the Independent Order of Odd FellowB, and remained a faithful member in both until death.

In 1865, the family moved to Indiana, and on August 29th of that year settled in Sims township, one mile west of the present town of Sweetser. There were seven children in the family, four of whom are now living: John 0., Albert S., Adaline Sutton and Sarah Jolly.

John 0. Spurgeon was twenty years old when he located in Grant county. Ilis early education had been received in the schools of Adams county, and he had already qualified as a teacher and taught one term in Ohio before moving to Indiana. His later education was received in the Jonesboro High School, the Marion Academy, the National Normal University, of Lebanon, Ohio, and the State Normal School at Terre Haute, Indiana. During his long career as an educator, he taught common school, was superintendent of the Jonesboro schools, and of the Swayzee schools, and for twelve years was superintendent of the Sweetser schools. Probably no other citizen of Grant county has a more detailed and appreciative knowledge of early educational condi¬ tions than Mr. Spurgeon.

On December 31, 1876, he married Miss Emma Riggs of Madison county, Indiana. Mrs. Spurgeon was born in the State of Virginia They became the parents of four children, the two now living being: Verlin R., cashier of the First State Bank of Gas City, and of the Citizens' Bank of Jonesboro, and who married Bertha Johnson, their home being in Gas City. Madge, a graduate of the common schools, also college trained, is at home with her parents.

The family affiliates with the Christian church, and Mr. Spurgeon is a member of Sweetser Lodge, No. 433, I. 0. 0. F. ; of Grant Encamp¬ ment No. 66, of Marion ; of Canton Marion No. 6, Patriarchs Militant, and he was the first captain of Marion Uniformed Degree Camp, No. 5. Mr. and Mrs. Spurgeon hold membership in Marion Rebekah Lodge No. 247. Mr. Spurgeon having passed the chairs in all these fraternal organizations. In politics, a Democrat, he served as trustee of Pleasant township.

Marvin M. Woodmansee. In Richland township, twelve miles north¬ west of Marion, and five miles northeast of Converse, is located the beautiful and attractive farm of Marvin M. Woodmansee, which is widely known throughout that locality, as the "Old Hickory" Farm. This is an estate of one hundred and forty acres, in the southwest quarter of section fourteen. He is one of the prosperous farmers and stock raisers in the western half of Grant county, and as a young man of thirtyfive he has done remarkably well in business and in laying the founda¬ tion of a greater prosperity to come.

Marvin M. Woodmansee was born in Clinton county, Ohio, Septem¬ ber 1, 1878, a son of Wilson and Anna (Noble) Woodmansee. His father served two years in the Civil war, having enlisted in the Union army from Clinton county, Ohio. In 1882, the family moved to Howard county, Indiana. The father is now deceased, while the mother resides in Howard county. They were the parents of eleven children, ten of whom are yet living, mentioned as follows : Grant, a farmer in Howard county; Melissa, wife of William Windsor of Miami county; Ida, unmarried; Maggie, wife of Ora Hunsinger, of Howard county; Pro¬ fessor Robert, a graduate of the State Normal and the State University, and a teacher of mathematics ; John, a farmer in Richland township;

Marvin M. ; Alice, wife of Ulysses Brannen of Greentown, Indiana; Rose, wife of Ed. Powell, of Miami county; Sylvia, wife of Homer Middlesworth of Howard county.

Marvin M. Woodmansee was reared on a farm, in Howard county, Indiana, the family having moved to that locality when he was four years of age. His early education was received in the district schools of the country, and he lived at home until he was married, doing a large part of the work on the farm.

On February 10, 1904, Mr. Woodmansee married Maude Miller, who was bom in Miami county, a daughter of Eli Miller of Swayzee, Indiana. Eli Miller was a son of Levi Miller, who is well known through his large practical philantrophy as the founder and builder of the Orphans' Home at Mexico in Miami county. This home is a refuge for children whose parents are deceased or are too poor to care for them. Levi Miller was a remarkable man in many ways, and will always be honored for his benevolence which took so practical a turn and which has brought benefit to so many hundreds of orphaned chil¬ dren. He was an active member of the Dunkard church, and a man of highest moral standards. Mr. and Mrs. Woodmansee are the parents of three children: Emerson, aged eight years; Eldon, aged six; and Charlotte, aged four. They are members of the Methodist Church, being attendants at Richland Chapel.

Oliver J. Weaver. Two and a half miles northwest of Sweetser is situated Sugar Grove Farm, the proprietor of which is Oliver J. Weaver, who has made a reputation as a stockman and horse breeder of excep¬ tional success. His stud occupies several fine horses and in particular the noted Ira Julian, a trotter with a record of 2:20*4. Mr. Weaver is a young man, in the thirties, and has lived in Grant county all his life, having been trained for farm life and making crop growing and stock raising a regular business.

He was bora in Pleasant township of Grant county, November 25, 1879, a son of James A. Weaver. Reared on a farm and educated in district schools, he was still a young man not yet twenty-one years old when he took upon himself the responsibilities of a home of his own. He was married January 28, 1900, to Nora 0. Gilbreath. Mrs. Weaver was born in Pleasant township. They have one son Garl, born June 28, 1901.

Mr. Weaver's farm comprises sixteen acres, and besides his barns and feed lots, he devotes practically all his place to the growing of fruits. He is probably one of the most successful fruit growers in the county, especially the small berry crops, raising each season large quan¬ tities of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. In his stud he has three fine Percheron Norman horses, besides the great trotter stallion Ira Julian. Ira Julian is a handsome bay stallion, stands sixteen hands, and weighs twelve hundred pounds. His blood lines are of the best and he is a son of Jaybird, and has relationship with a number of America's famous horses. Air. Weaver has a splendid location for his stock breeding enterprise, and with his skill and experience in this line his success is assured. In politics he is a Democrat.

Matthew Sheffield. Well known in Grant county, Indiana, and particularly in Franklin township where he makes his home, is Matthew Sheffield. He has been a farmer in this vicinity for many years and his father was a farmer here before him. The name is associated with all that is honorable and upright, and Mr. Sheffield has the respect and liking of a large circle of acquaintances and friends. He has not only been engaged in agriculture but he is also known as a business man in Marion, where he was in the wholesale butcher business for eighteen years, and he won a reputation for fair dealing that is an enviable one.

Matthew Sheffield was born in Hocking county, Ohio, on the 6th of August, 1861. He is the son of William and Miriam (McClune) Shef¬ field. His father was born on that quaint little island off the coast of Rhode Island, which is known as Block Island. At the age of nine years, William Sheffield came with his parents to Hocking county, Ohio, and here he grew to manhood and married Miriam McClune. They lived in Hocking county until she died in 1865. Four children were born to them, only two of whom are living now, Matthew and Augusta, who is the wife of Jerome Fisher, and lives in Fairfield county, Ohio. Two of the children died in infancy. After the death of his wife William Sheffield continued to live in Ohio until November, 1882, when he came to Indiana and located in Grant county where he lived until his death. Meanwhile Mr. Sheffield had married again. By this marriage he had one child, Webster Sheffield.

Matthew Sheffield grew up on his mother's farm in Ohio, and there received his education in the public schools. When his father came to Grant county he accompanied him, and he remained with his father until he was twenty-three years of age. He then rented his father's farm and began operations for himself. This farm was located where the Malleable Iron Works now has a plant. His father bought another farm on section 18, Franklin township and there Mr. Sheffield now lives. The farm consists of a hundred acres and since his father's death Mr. Sheffield has greatly improved the place until now it ranks among the fine farms in Franklin township.

Although farming is the occupation with which Mr. Sheffield would rather be identified than any other, he has now spent all of his life in this field. He went west after having farmed for a number of years and settled in Kansas City, Missouri. Here he learned the butcher's trade, and upon his return to Grant county, he went into the wholesale butchering business in Marion and in this vicinity. He was thus engaged for eighteen years, and it is only, within the last two years that he has given up this business. He is a general farmer, raising a variety of crops.

Mr. Sheffield was married on December 20, 1884, to Miss Rhoda Small, who was born April 5, 1864, the daughter of Josiah and Nancy Boxell Small, pioneers of Franklin township, who came to this settle¬ ment when it was all in woods, and raised a large family. All lived to be grown and of the seven daughters and four sons, two boys and four daughters are still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheffield were born five children: James William, born September 1, 1886, is now with the Union Traction Company, of Marion; Dwight Me., born April 22, 1890, is now farming for his father; Etha, the only daughter, was bom January 29, 1896. When this little girl was four and one-half years old, on October 16, 1900, she went out to play about 10 o'clock where the mother had burned some trash. Her clothing caught fire and she was burned all over her little body, and at 9 o'clock that night her spirit took its flight to the God who gave it - the first great sorrow of their lives. Warren T. was bom May 12, 1902; Donnel J. was bora May 10, 1903. They attend the little red schoolhouse at the comer of their father's farm. Mr. Sheffield holds his political allegiance with the Democratic party, while Mrs. Sheffield and the son hold to the Prohibition party. Mrs. Sheffield is a member of the Wesleyan Metho¬ dist church at Roseburg.

Felix Blackman. For a long period of years one of the most pros¬ perous farmer citizens of Grant county has been Felix Blackman. His rural estate in Pleasant township is popularly known as the Richland View J3tock Farm. This farm comprises one hundred and twentyfour acres, and has been brought to a state of improvement comparing favorably with that to be found on any farm in Grant county. Mr. Blackman's progressiveness and prosperity as well are indicated in the fact that he owns and uses an automobile, both for pleasure and busi¬ ness. He raises the general variety of crops usually cultivated in this section, and feeds practically all his grain to his own stock.

Felix Blackman was born in Wabash county, January 10, 1855, a son of Alpheus and Eliza (Debricks) Blackman. His father was a New Englander by birth, born in the state of Vermont. His wife came from Virginia, and they were married after both had come by different routes to Wabash county. There they spent the balance of their lives and were respected and honored people in their community. The father for a number of years conducted a store at Young America in Wabash county. The children were : Felix, Naomi, and Lincoln. Naomi became the wife of Marion Mcllvain.

Mr. Felix Blackman spent his youth in Wabash county, where he grew up and had his education in the district schools. On October 8, 1876, at the age of twenty-one he married Letha Barley, who was born in Grant county, and received her education in the schools of her native locality. They are the parents of six children, mentioned as follows: C. C. Blackman, a fireman on -the Pennsylvania Railroad, running be¬ tween Logansport and Chicago; Harry, who is a farmer in Grant county; Netta, wife of Ross Doget, who lives near Swayzee, Indiana; Blanche, wife of Charles Lawrence of Marion; Grace, wife of J. R. Kemm; Clifford,- who is a graduate of the grade and high schools, and now a scientific student in the state normal.

The family are attendants and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Jalapa, and Mr. Blackman is a trustee of the parsonage. Fraternally his affiliations are with Sweetzer Lodge No. 433, I. 0. 0. F., of which he is a past noble grand and a member of the State Grand Lodge. In politics his support was steadily given to the Republican cause until the campaign of 1912, when he voted with the Progressives.

Amos Livezey. On section twenty-one of Green township, six miles south and a mile and a quarter west of Swayzee, is the home of a man who has been a resident of Grant county since early youth, and through his own efforts and enterprise has prospered. He has also enjoyed the esteem of the neighborhood in which he dwells, and has never hesitated to perform a kindly service to his friends and neighbors.

Amos Livezey was bom in Henry County, Indiana, July 10, 1851, a son of Charles and Hannah (Bavington) Livezey. His father was born and reared in Pennsylvania, while the mother was a native and grew up in the state of Maryland. They were married in Pennsylvania, and on moving to Indiana, located in Henry county, which was their home all the rest of their lives. The father was a man who per¬ formed his duties quietly, and never sought conspicuous place in affairs. He was the father of six children by his first marriage, and also had six by his second wife. Amos Livezey was the youngest child of the first marriage.

He was reared on a farm in Henry county, and while living at home and assisting in the work of the farm, he attended the district schools during the winter seasons. His father died when Amos was still a boy, and for this reason he did much work at home to assist in the support of the family. When he was seventeen he came to Grant county, locating in Green township, and for a number of years depended upon his own industry and the labor of his hands to get a start.

On March 6, 1876, he married Miss Sarah Downs, who was bom in Grant county in 1849, and received a district school education. The four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Livezey are : William F., who died at the age of thirty years, was a graduate of the common schools and was a student at the Ladoga Normal College and also a student of the State Normal School of Terra Haute, Ind. He spent a number of years as a teacher. William F. married Miss FTa villa Litzenbarger and had one child, Donald L.; Zella B., a student of the Fairmount Academy and who taught school, died at the age of twenty years; Charles C., after completing the common schools, married Senia Rybolt, a daugh¬ ter of William H. Rybolt, and they have one child Charles E. Veriin A. is unmarried and lives at home. The family are members of the Methodist church at Point Isabel. In politics Mr. Livezey is a Repub¬ lican, but has never sought any office. At his home place in section twenty-one he owns one hundred and twenty acres of land, and has forty acres in section twenty-two. He engaged in general farming and stock raising and the value of his annual crop represent a tidy sum.

Arthur B. Brewer. In these years of the twentieth century the tiller of the soil is gradually coming into his own, and rewards of con¬ stantly increasing scope await the young farmers possessing the same qualities of thrift, industry and business judgment which marked their pioneer fathers, together with the scientific training of modern effi¬ ciency. Of this later generation of young men now firmly established in the great business of managing soil and crops in Grant county, Arthur B. Brewer is a very successful example. His fine estate is on section thirty-four of Liberty township.

On this place he was born March 1, 1880, a son of Mahlon and Winnie 0. (Freeman) Brewer. Both parents were long well known and sub¬ stantial people of Liberty township. The father died in July, 1907, while the mother passed away June 10, 1895. There were eleven chil¬ dren in the family and the seven living in 1913 are : Rosa, wife of A. M. Harvey, of Traverse City, Michigan; Myrtle, wife of Emory Scott of Texas; Fred, who married Rebecca Clark and lives in Kokomo; Fern, unmarried; and Horace, who is connected with the Shadeland Stock Farm at LaFayette, Indiana.

On the old homestead Arthur B. Brewer was reared and attended the Little Ridge school house until he had completed its curriculum, later graduating from the Fairmount Academy. Mr. Brewer is a college man and a thoroughly educated farmer. After his preparatory course, he entered the Purdue School of Agriculture and completed the four years course, graduating with the degree of A. B. With this thorough training he returned to the farm, and has made himself an influential factor in local agricultural circles. He takes much part in the Grant County Farmers' Institute, and was at one time a member of the Grant County Boys' Com School, of which he was secretary. As a farmer he does much in the breeding of thoroughbred Duroc swine, and all the stock on his place is high grade in quality.

On January 1, 1906, Mr. Brewer married Etta Kirkpatrick. Mrs. Brewer was born in Mill township, of Grant county, was educated in the public schools and in the Jonesboro high school. They are the parents of three children, - Levon O., five years old; Florence 0., aged three years; and Winford E., aged one year. The family are members of the Friends church of Little Ridge, while in politics Mr. Brewer is a Repub¬ lican, though in the latter years he has supported the Prohibition cause.

William L. Duckwall. One of the most active and successful among the farming men and live stock dealers of Van Buren in Grant county, may be mentioned William L. Duckwall, who operates a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Section 31. He was for a number of years prior to his farming activities, successfully engaged in the mercan¬ tile business, but in 1904 sold his interests therein and has since devoted himself exclusively to a rural existence, which he finds more attractive and quite as absorbing.

Born on August 28, 1863 on a Van Buren township farm, William L. Duckwall is the son of Joseph F. Duckwall, who was bom in 1834, and who still resides on his farm with his son, L. C. Duckwall. He was born in Highland county, Ohio, and is the son of John Duckwall, a native Virginian, who came to Grant county in 1838, when Joseph Duck¬ wall was four years old. Here the elder Duckwall was reared from childhood, and here he has passed his life and reared his own family, consisting of three sons and a daughter - William L., of this review; John L., a farmer and stockman; L. C. Duckwall, a farmer; and Mary the wife of John W. Cloud of Van Buren.

When John Duckwall, the paternal grandfather of the subject, came to Indiana and to Van Buren township, it was a wilderness, pure and simple. Here he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, and after clearing up a small place, sufficient to build a cabin upon, the family moved on the new place and there continued to reside.

Joseph Duckwall has passed his days on the farm his father settled, and many are the changes that he has seen in the face of the landscape of the long years of development.

William L. Duckwall attended No. 2 District School and divided his time between his studies and the care of the farm at home, in which his father gave him expert training. In 1877, when he was twenty-four years old, he came to Van Buren and here he engaged in the mercantile business with James E. Riley until 1904. They together erected a fine brick building and opera house, into a part of which they moved in March, 1902, and there carried on a thriving mercantile business. The building is one of the fine ones of the place, said to be the most sub¬ stantial and metropolitan in aspect in the community. In 1904 Mr. Duckwall sold his interest in the business to his partner, since which time he has been engaged in buying and shipping live stock and in farming, to a certain extent. Hogs, cattle and sheep in large numbers are handled annually by Mr. Duckwall and he is said to be one of the heaviest shippers in the community.

In 1885 Mr. Duckwall was married to Miss Clara Smith, a daughter of Henry Smith, of Van Buren township, and they have one child, - Guy, born in 1889, and who is now married to Miss Cecilia Gift, of Jonesboro. One child was born to Guy Duckwall and his wife, whom they have named Mary Jane.

Mrs. Luvenia E. Harris. Two very prominent and interesting families are united in the above name of Mrs. Harris, who since the death of her husband, Elam T. Harris has kept her residence chiefly on the old homestead in Franklin township. Mrs. Harris' maiden name was Jones, and she is of that branch of the family which furnish so many prominent personalities in both early and' modern Jonesboro and Mill township annals.

Elam T. Harris, who died at the family homestead in Franklin, May 19, 1905, after a long illness, was the oldest son of John and Sarah (Thornberg-Osborn) Harris. The grandfather was Thomas Harris, and there is a large relationship in the original Harris family. John Harris and his family were among the largest landholders and most influential farmers in Grant county. All the sons cooperated with their father, and for years there was no division of property among them. The entire life of Elam T. Harris was spent in one community. His widow now lives where they both lived together for more than forty years. Two of their children were born in Mill township and two in Franklin.

Concerning the children of John and Sarah Harris, the following is a brief record : Elam T. Harris ; George S. Harris, who maTried Margaret Ann Cretsalow; Benadah C. Harris, who married Eliza Winslow; Mary Harris, who married T. Baldwin; Davis W. Harris, who married Eva Unthank; Nancy Jane Harris, who became the wife of David Winslow; Sarah Rosetta Harris, who married J. W. Hardin.

On September 17, 1856, at Jonesboro, Elam T. Harris married Luvenia Elizabeth Jones, a daughter of Daniel H. and Amelia Jones. (See chapter on Mill Township). The children of Elam T. Harris and wife are mentioned as follows: Ernest Clifford; Ora Byron, who married Myrtle Gibson, and has two children, Blanchard and Russell; Charles Rollin, who by his marriage to Ida Hinton, had two children, Lowell Rollin and Mary Marguerite; Nellie V. became the wife of W. 0. Fenstemaker, and her children are Lawrence E., Charles A., and Grace Amelia Fenstemaker, all her immediate family living in the community. In the division of property Mrs. Harris retains the homestead, and she remains at home or spends the time among her children as suits her best, also making frequent visits at the old home in Ohio. She had always saved "Rolinda" clippings from newspapers and she was glad there was to be a "Rolinda History.' ' While she survives her husband, she is also the last of her own family, her brothers were J. Branson Jones; Dr. Charles R. Jones, who married Amanada Walling, and Ade¬ laide Dolman; Byron H. Jones, who married Rosetta McClure; and Newton Jones, - all of whom were at one time well known citizens of Grant county. The ancestry on both sides of the family comes of Quaker stock, and 1 ' Aunt Millie" Jones, the mother of Mrs. Harris had not changed her family name when she married, although she came from Georgia, and her husband from North Carolina, and they met in Ohio. Like other Quaker families in the south, the institution of slavery was most unpleasant to them and when the Northwest territory was opened for settlement, they came into Ohio, and later into Indiana.

While the Harris family has always been identified with Franklin, the Jones family was prominent in Mill, and Mrs. Harris feels proud of the wide streets in Jonesboro, due to the forethought of her father who made the plat of the town. "Brant" Jones was a Jonesboro carriage maker, and he dealt in carriages and buggies as soon as they came into popularity. Dp. "Rol" Jones w^s one of the best posted men who ever lived in the community. Byron H. Jones was the first citizen in Grant county to open a bank account with Jason Willson, the pioneer Grant county banker. "Aunt Millie" Jones lived on the comer of Maine and Sixth Street in Jonesboro, and everybody knew her. She was a typical Quaker woman and outlived her husband so long that many who knew her had never known him at all. Mrs. Harris is like her mother, and she is one of the few Grant county women who connect the present with the past. The future will not change her, and such women always have an influence in the community.

Nelson L. Shockey. Pleasant township with its fine farms and improvements of all kinds is economically and socially one of the most attractive subdivisions of Grant county. The people in that locality are especially proud of their schools, and they are agreed that the local school system was never in better administrative hands, than under the present trustee, Nelson L. Shockey, who has been in office since the beginning of 1909. Mr. Shockey is a substantial farmer, and is in love with his job. Long application of energy and intelligence in the manage¬ ment of the soil has made him prosperous in a material way, and he likewise stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens.

Bom in Pleasant township, five miles northwest of Marion on May 31, 1864, Nelson L. Shockey was a son of Daniel and Eliza J. (Berry) Shockey. His father, a native of Virginia, immigrated to Indiana, and located in Grant county, in 1850. The grandfather was Daniel Shockey, who was the founder of the family in Grant county, the father, Daniel, Jr., being about eight years old when his home was established in this county. Grandfather Shockey was a wagon maker by trade, and fol¬ lowed that vocation after coming to Grant county, his shop being located within the present limits of the city of Marion, in Center township. Afterwards he moved to a farm in Franklin township, where he lived until his death. Daniel Shockey was reared and. educated in the common schools of Grant county, but like many boys of pioneer settlers had only limited advantages. He was married in this county, and is still a resident of Pleasant township. He and his wife had a family of whom four are still living, namely: Nelson L. ; Ollie, deceased; Marie, wife of John Scott of Liberty township; Abbie, wife of Burr Weaver of Pleasant township ; Mandas C., who is single and lives at home with his father.

Nelson L. Shockey when about eight years of age accompanied his parents to Starke county, Indiana, where he received most of his common schooling in the district schools. At the age of sixteen he returned to Pleasant township in Grant county, and grew up and at the beginning of his career married Eliza J. Thompson, a daughter of Nelson Thomp¬ son of Franklin township. He was born and reared in that township,, gaining a fair education in the local schools. When Mr. and Mrs. Shockey were married they had no capital, and for the first four years farmed as renters. By their vigorous efforts they gradually got ahead in the world, and were able to buy forty acres of land in Franklin township. Mr. Shockey moved to that place, put up some buildings, improved the land, and finally sold and on February 22, 1904, bought the one hundred and sixty acres where he now lives. Ten days after his removal to his new farm, his house and practically all his house¬ hold goods were destroyed by fire. This severe blow to his financial prospects, did not allow him to be overtaken by discouragement, and he soon rebuilt and has now one of the most attractive and comfortable rural dwellings in the township. Mr. Shockey has been prosperous, and besides his farm is a director in the Farmers State Bank of Sweetser. They are the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom are living at this time, five of them are graduates of the common schools, one is mar¬ ried, and all have been carefully reared and trained for lives of use¬ fulness and honor. Mr. Shockey is affiliated with Sweetser Lodge No. 431, I. O. O. F., of which he is a past grand, and member of the State Grand Lodge. In politics a Democrat, he was elected a trustee of Pleasant township and took office in January, 1909. He has a number of excellent schools buildings under his supervision, and has done much to improve the educational facilities of the township during his admin¬ istration.

George B. Dooley. The beginning of many a successful career dates from marriage when the burden of responsibilities brings out the best there is in a man. When about twenty-two years old, George B. Dooley married a competent young woman, two years his junior, and they started to make their way as renters. Ambitious and indus¬ trious, they soon outgrew their early economic conditions, and while rearing and educating their children, they also kept advancing in material prosperity. Mr. Dooley is proprietor of a fine " Marshfield Farm" in Pleasant township, and his place in the community life is further evidenced by his capable services for several years as town¬ ship trustee.

Mr. Dooley was born in Franklin township of Grant county, Novem¬ ber 13, 1865, a son of David R. and Elizabeth (Rhea) Dooley. The parents were both natives of Preble county, Ohio. The father when a young man came to Grant county, but after a brief while went back to his home vicinity, where he was married, and then brought his young wife to Grant county, locating on a farm on the Delphi pike four miles west of Marion. He remained a resident of Franklin township the rest of his days. The father was a quiet, unassuming citizen, prospered as a farmer, and he and his wife were both active members of the Christian church. They were the parents of six children, and three are now liv¬ ing, namely : Rachael, wife of David M. Miller of Franklin township ; James A., who married Mary Thompson, and lives in Marion; and George B. The other three children, Mary Ann, Julia and Joseph Aldine, all lived to be grown.

George B. Dooley was reared on the old farm in Franklin town¬ ship, attended the district schools during his youth, but his schooling was derived almost entirely from attendance during the winter months, since his services were required at home on the farm during the open seasons of the year. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, and on November 23, 1887, married Mary Julian. She was born in Pleasant township in 1867 and grew up in that locality, getting her education in the local schools. She is a daughter of Louis and Sarah Elizabeth (Seghner) Julian. After they were married they rented some land, and in a few years were well on their way to independence. At the present time Mr. Dooley owns one hundred acres of first class land in section 8 of Pleasant township. They are the parents of one daughter, Mabel L., a graduate of the district schools. The family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church at Japala, Mr. Dooley being one of the trustees of the church, and superintendent of the Sunday school. He is in politics a Democrat, and has served as a member of the township advisory board, and from 1905 to 1909 gave a very capable administration of the schools in his capacity as town¬ ship trustee.

Owen E. Dibble. In the career of the late Owen E. Dibble, of Washington township, who passed away December 15, 1911, there is found something to encourage the youth of today who, without friends or fortune, is trying to gain a position of independence among the sub¬ stantial men of his community. Left an orphan at the age of four years, Mr. Dibble's boyhood and youth were spent in hard, unremitting and unremunerative toil, and in the years that followed he was con¬ stantly handicapped by illness and discouragements, but through it all he displayed perseverance and persistence, and enjoyed life in its fullest, taking great pleasure in laboring for those he loved. He left his family in independent circumstances and in possession of the heritage of an honored name. A sketch of his life should prove of interest to those who are admirers of self-made manhood.

Owen E. Dibble was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1856, a son of Charles Dibble, a native of England, who belonged to the nobility. His early educational advantages were somewhat limited, as at the age of nine years he was put out to work in a sawmill, at fifteen dollars a month, and these wages went to . his sister and family for a number of years. Mr. Dibble's father had at one time been in comfortable circumstances, but the estate, left in the hands of an incompetent administrator, dwin¬ dled greatly, and Owen's share when he reached manhood was but $475. In the meantime, he had dispalyed his ambition by accepting every opportunity to secure an education, and in 1875 was persuaded by his teacher, W. W. McCleery, to come to Grant county. Bringing just enough money to) pay his fare, he came to Washington township, and for a time worked in the sawmill of John Dunn and later with M. Thompson. On receiving his inheritance he invested it in a forty-acre farm, but in 1884 sold this and moved to a property in Pleasant township. Subsequently, he came to the farm in Washington township, on the Huntington pike, and here the remainder of his life was spent. In January, 1895, Mr. Dibble rebuilt and improved the farm house, which is now a twelve-room residence, with concrete porch and hot and cold water, surrounded by a well-kept lawn and numerous fruit trees. He erected other buildings, including a fine new barn, and through his industry made this one of the valuable properties of the township. His crops in 1912 included 2,000 bushels of com, 1,500 bushels of oats and twenty-five tons of hay, raised on 101 acres of land. He had ten head of cattle, eight horses and 100 hogs, and was known as a good judge of livestock. Mr. Dibble won success under the most dis¬ couraging circumstances. One year after his marriage, he was injured while clearing his land from timber, a log rolling upon him and injuring him internally, so that he was a semi-invalid during the remainder of his life. He did not allow his suffering, however, to keep him from his farm work, and was ever an energetic, progressive man, keeping fully abreast of his neighbors and alert to all the advancements of his voca¬ tion. His death finally resulted from stomach trouble, directly traced to his injury. Just when he was ready to retire with a well-won com¬ petence, after years of the most exacting and self-sacrificing labor, he was taken away, but he had his reward in the knowledge that he left his widow and children with their future comfort assured. In politics, he supported the principles and candidates of the Republican party, and his fraternal connection was with Marion Lodge of Odd Fellows.

On September 9, 1879, Mr. Dibble was married to Miss Mary E. Bradford, daughter of William R. and Elizabeth (Gaines) Bradford, both of whom are deceased. William R. Bradford was born December 18, 1825, and died July 7, 1895, and his wife was born December 18, 1826, and died November 14, 1911. They were married July 26, 1848, and were the parents of the following children : Catherine R., Oliver N., Mary E., William P., Margaret A., and Henry L.

Mr. and Mrs. Dibble were the parents of four children: Bessie E., who married Mr. Robert Brinker and resides on the Bradford pike, in Washington township; H. Orville, who married Miss Ethel Lowry; Clara A., residing with her mother; and Mary Elizabeth, a graduate of Marion College, who completed her education at Muncie. Mrs. Dibble still survives her husband and is one of the well-known and highly respected women of her community, she shared with her husband the burdens as well as the joys of life, and to her must be given much of the credit for the comforts they now enjoy. Her Christian influence extends beyond the limits of their own home, she being ever ready to lend a helping hand to those who are in need. Her son, H. Orville Dibble, now has the management of the farm.

things of life he did not neglect his religious obligations and it was this that meant most to him. He was naturally a man of pure motives and tilean life, and believed with all his soul in the development of personal religious experience. He was converted at an early age and consecrated himself to the Master's service. His life was a benediction to his children, and all of them are following the example he set before them. The entire family are active members of the First M. E. Church of Marion, where Mr. Dibble was a beloved and faithful member.

Elmer J. Creviston. Grant county has reason to be proud of its many fine rural homes, some of which are the envy of the wealthier city residents. A place which combines the comforts of the city with the charms of the country is the Creviston homestead, located on the Wash¬ ington and Van Buren Pike in Washington township, on the farm extend¬ ing over portions of sections ten and eleven. This is the home of Elmer J. Creviston, who is proprietor of the farm, and a former business man in Marion but now a practical and successful farmer, who has sur¬ rounded himself with all the comforts of real living. He has two hun¬ dred and forty acres in the farm, all of it improved, except forty acres, and engages chiefly in grain farming. He raises about eight hundred bushels of wheat and about two thousand bushels of com every year, has a small orchard planted two years ago, and keeps considerable stock. The Creviston residence is a nine room house built by his father in 1900. There are three drilled wells in the immediate vicinity, and the house is supplied with that modern equipment of waterpipe, so that running water is as familiar a feature of this home as in a city residence. In the basement is a plant for acetylene gas, supplying lights to all parts of the house. There are also three natural gas wells situated on the farm. The father of Mr. Creviston put up both barns during his lifetime, and there are other facilities in keeping with those already mentioned.

Elmer J. Creviston was born in 1866, on a farm just half a mile east of his present home. His father, E. W. Creviston, who now resides on North Washington street in Marion, was bom in Ohio, in 1839, and when an infant one year of age was brought to Grant county, by his father, Daniel Creviston, who was one of the pioneers of the county. Daniel Creviston entered one hundred and forty-nine acres of land from the government, and an interesting fact of the family record is that this land was never transferred from its original ownership until the grandfather's estate was divided in 1909. Daniel Creviston died in 1888, and his wife survived until 1909, to a very great age. E. W. Creviston, the father, -first occupied a farm a half a mile east of the present home place and moved to the latter in 1866. He was a substantial farmer and good citi¬ zen, and showed his patriotism during the Civil war by .enlisting in the Thirty-Fourth Indiana Infantry. The maiden name of his wife was Margaret Coulbertson. Their two children were Alma Lugan, who resides south of Landersville ; and Elmer J.

Elmer J. Creviston spent his youth in Washington township, and when old enough to go to school he became one of the scholars ip what was known as number one school house of this township. His first experi¬ ence in farming was on one hundred acres of land belonging to his father and lying south of the present place. He remained there from 1889 to 1892, and then moved to Marion, and engaged in business affairs. He was in the livery business for three years, in 1895 spent six months again in farming, and in the latter part of the same year established a restau¬ rant business, which he conducted until 1897. He was then from 1897 to 1905 in the grocery business, and in the latter year came to the present estate of which he is practically the proprietor.

Mr. Creviston was married in 1890 to Miss Myrtle Ballard, daughter of Dr. J. R. Ballard, a native of Ohio. They have one son, Daniel, aged nineteen years. The politics of Mr. Creviston is Progressive, and he and his family worship in the United Brethren Church.

William R. Brock. When William R. Brock took upon himself the responsibility of a family he knew much of farming by hard and prac¬ tical experience, but had hardly a dollar of capital. He is now regarded as one of the most thrifty and substantial residents of Pleasant township, owns a good home, makes his farm pay regular dividends, and has pro¬ vided liberally for his growing children, who will start in life much better equipped than he was. These accomplishments are assuredly a fair measure of success, and Mr. Brock's retrospect on life is a satis¬ fying one.

William R. Brock, whose homestead is in Pleasant township, was born in Waltz township of Wabash county, June 3, 1862, a son of Ephraim Brock and Elizabeth (Leazenby) Brock. His father was a native of Greene county, Indiana, moved to Wabash county, where he learned and followed the carpenter trade and erected many bams and other buildings in that section. In Wabash county he married, and continued to follow contracting there for some years. In politics his father was a Republican, and he and his wife were active members of the Baptist church. Of his eight children, four are still living : William R., Joseph of Pleasant township, Jesse of Washington township, and Welman of Beaver county, Oklahoma.

William R. Brock was reared in Wabash county, and at the age of eighteen came to Grant county. His early preparation for life was like that of many boys of his time confined to the advantages afforded to the district schools. He first married Olive Lawson, who died at the birth of their first child. On February 4, 1891, he married Emma Shields, a daughter of James Shields and a sister of Mr. Preston Shields. They have six children: James G., a graduate of the common schools at LaFontaine, the high school at the same place, the Marion Normal Col¬ lege, and now a student in the Indiana State University, having pre¬ viously taught three terms of school; Allen, who has completed the common school course and has taken two years in high school; Mary, who is now a student in the high school ; Edna, Richard and Margaret, all of whom are school children. The family are members of the Meth¬ odist Episcopal church at Jalapa. Mr. Brock affiliates with the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Marion, and the Benevolent Crew of Neptune. In politics he is a Republican and was twice a candidate for the nomination for the office of sheriff. His home place comprises seventy-seven acres of land, and occupies a part of the old Indian battle ground and is known as the Battleground Farm.

Martin Lloyd. For many years a resident of Grant county, Indiana, Martin Lloyd is one of the most respected citizens of this part of the state. He is the owner of the Sassafras farm in Franklin township and has spent his entire life as a farmer in this county. He and his wife are widely known and beloved and hold a prominent place in the regard of the community.

Martin Lloyd was born in Madison county, Indiana, and was a babe of only four weeks when his parents came to Grant county to live. He is the son of David and Hanette (Tudor) Lloyd, who were bom in Guilford county, North Carolina, and Ireland, respectively. Both of them came to Indiana from their native places and here they met and married. They first located in Grant county and then removed to Madison county, Indiana. After a time, however, they moved back to Grant county, and settled in Franklin township. Here they lived until well along in life when they went to Ohio, and in the latter state Mrs. Lloyd died. Her husband then went to Wells county, Indiana, and here he passed away. Nine children were bom to David Lloyd and his wife, seven of whom are living, namely, Martin Lloyd; Hannah, who is the wife of William McCulloch, of Keystone, Indiana; El wood, of Lowell, Indiana; Jasper, a farmer in Wabash county, Indiana; Hiram, who lives near Fairmount, Indiana; Maria, who is the wife of Frank Builheimer of Winchester, Indiana, and Ambeis, who is a farmer in Michigan.

Martin Lloyd was just a baby when he was brought to his new home in Grant county and so he is practically a native of this county. He received very little education, being forced to go to work as soon as he was able to do anything. From boyhood, therefore, he has earned his own living, and this has been gained as a farmer. Sassafras farm on which he now resides is five miles from the court house in West Marion and he has developed this farm so that it is now one of the good farms of the county.

Mr. Lloyd married Sarah J. Haun on the 30th of June, 1872. Mrs. Lloyd was born in Franklin township, on the 17th of September, 1853, the daughter of Valentine Haun and Elizabeth (Burrier) Haun. Both of her parents were bom in Ohio, where they grew up and were mar¬ ried. They came to Indiana in 1850 and settled in Grant county, where they lived during the remainder of their lives. They became the parents of the following children: Elizabeth, who is unmarried; Sarah J.; Malinda, who is the wife of Leander Presnell, and William of Marion, Indiana.

Sarah J. Lloyd was educated in Grant county, attending first the graded schools of Franklin township and later being a student in the academies at Marion and Fairmount, Indiana. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd, five of whom are living, namely, Martha E., who is the wife of Frank Smith of Marion, Indiana ; Samuel B., who married Belle Owens and lives in Franklin township ; Blanche, who is now Mrs. John Deal of Marion; James, who married May Sharp and makes his home in Franklin township; and George, who married May Shockey and makes his home in Franklin township. They also have six grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Mr. Lloyd is a member of the Democratic party, but he has never taken an active part in politics. Mrs. Lloyd is active in church affairs. She is a member of the Union Baptist church and holds her membership in the Ollobine church in Franklin township.

Arthur E. Shugart is one of the highly estimable young citi¬ zens of Franklin township of the farming contingent, located on Sec¬ tion 35, township 24, north, of range seven, just about five and a half miles west of Marion, on ithe Jonesboro and Kokomo gravel road. Mr. Shugart is the owner of a little farm of forty-eight acres, and here he devotes himself diligently to the work of the place, where he has already realized a generous measure of success.

Born on August 21, 1875, Arthur E. Shugart is the son of Cornelius L. and Anna E. (Eshelman) Shugart, and he was born in Franklin township. The parents have three children living, and one, Alice N., died at the age of twelve years. The others are Nina, the widow of John Martin; Florence, the wife of Frank Strops, and Arthur E. of this record. He was reared on the farm, and gained his education in the common schools of Franklin township, and he was twenty-four years of age when on September 20, 1899, he married Mary Mills, a daughter of Clark Mills, one time sheriff of Grant county. Soon after his mar¬ riage Mr. Shugart moved to Marion and there he was employed as a conductor on the I. U. T.. Co., between Marion and Anderson. He was occupied thus for three years, and for two years on the city line, after which he returned to the farm, to which he has since devoted his energies and activities. They have one child, - Mildred Shugart, aged eleven years.

Rolla B. Davis. A prominent bachelor farmer of Franklin town¬ ship is Rolla B. Davis, who conducts the College View Farm on Thirtyeighth street, some two miles west of Marion, Indiana, and of which he is part owner. Mr. Davis is one of the most enterprising young agricul¬ tural men of the county, and his accomplishments in the stock breeding line have already given him a considerable prominence in these parts.

Born in Miami county, Indiana, twelve miles south of Peru, and ten miles north of Kokomo, on October 4, 1888, Rolla B. Davis is the son of Dr. G. W. Davis, a well known physician of Marion, Indiana. Dr. Davis has two sons, the other being Merrill S. Davis, a graduate of the Marion high school and of the Indiana College of Medicine. Rolla B. Davis was ten years of age when he came to Grant county, and like his brother, he was graduated from the Marion high school, following that with attendance at the Marion Normal College. It was no part of his inten¬ tion to enter the professions, but he wished to prepare himself for an intelligent career in agriculture, and when he had finished his studies he immediately turned his attention to his present industry. College ' View Stock Farm is one of the fine places in the county, and Mr. Davis is a half owner in the property and all the stock thereon. A fine herd of Holstein cattle is one of the specialties of the place, and twenty-four head of handsome Belgian horses on which he takes first premiums wher¬ ever they are §hown are further ornamental to the place. He specializes in pure blood Jersey Duroc hogs also, and his showing in stock is, on the whole, highly creditable to him and to the county. Mr. Davis is devoted to his business, and is unusually fond of animals, so that his work is a genuine pleasure to him, and never an irksome task.

Soon after Mr. Davis launched out independently for himself, he married, on April 1, 1909, Miss Martha Hamilton, who was bom in Marion and received her education in that place. She is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Davis has membership in his college fraternity, the Beta Pi Sigma. He was one who derived the greatest good from his college career, and devoted considerable of his attention to athletics, in which he played a prominent part. He and his wife are socially prominent in their community, and enjoy the high regard of a wide circle of friends throughout the county.

Henry Gould. The great aid which science has been to the farmer is now acknowledged by every one, but it was not so long ago that those who talked crop rotation and fertilizer values were laughed to scorn. It took a farmer with courage and independence to apply "book learning** to practical farming and in Grant county, Indiana, Henry Gould was one of these men. He is now an authority in that section on farming matters and is prominent in the Farmers' Institute, and his success has been gained, not only by industry and hard work, but also by a careful study of farming questions. He now owns a fine farm three miles west of

Henry Gould was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, on the 16th of September, 1857, the son of Andrew J. Gould and Rosamond (Hill) Gould. Andrew J. Gould was a native of the city of Baltimore and lived there until he came to Jefferson county, Ohio. Here he met his future wife, who was a native of that county. After their marriage they removed to Indiana, this being in 1861, and here they located in Adams county, in "Morrow township. Andrew Gould was a well educated man and had. studied medicine in the East. He practiced his profession in Ohio, but upon coming to Indiana he turned .to farming as a means of earning a livelihood. Andrew Gould and his wife became the parents of eight children, of whom two are now living, namely, Lavenia, who is the wife of James Londen of Adams county, Indiana, and Henry Gould. Mr. and Mrs. Gould lived in Adams county until they died.

Henry Gould was reared on a farm and received his education in the district schools. His father, however, added much to the boy's store of knowledge from his own resources, and he was, therefore, better educated than most lads of his time. He worked on the farm as a boy and remained with his father until he was twenty-one years of age. He then hired out as a farm hand and further broadened himself by travelling through the West, Northwest and South, gaining much practical knowl¬ edge of farming in these different sections of the country, as well as the advantages that a man who has seen many people and lived and worked under varied conditions has over the man who has always stayed by his own fireside. When he finally returned to Adams county, he was well able to operate any kind of a farm.

In June, 1893, he came to Grant county, Indiana, where he has since lived. He rented land at first, but by careful management he saved enough money to buy land of his own and he now owns eighty acres of land in Washington township. He has lived on his present farm for sixteen years. This farm of 187 acres is rented land, and upon it he raises general crops, and is also a raiser of fine stock. In politics Mr. Gould is a member of the Prohibition party and he was one of the three men in his township who voted this ticket in the last election.

Mr. Gould was married on the 15th of April, 1898, to Miss Burkhead. Mrs. Gould was born in Adams county, Indiana, on the 18th of September, 1874, a daughter of Jonathan Burkhead. She lived in Decatur, Indiana, until she was eight years of age, when her parents moved to a farm. She received her education in the public schools of Adams county, and it was in April, 1893, that she came to Grant county to live, and it was in the latter county that she was married to Mr. Gould. They have three children, as follows : Paul, who was born on November 12, 1901 ; Percy, whose birth took place on the 9th of October, 1909, and Clyde, who was born on the 6th of August, 1911.

John H. Stewart. Steadily the ranks of those who took part in the Civil War are thinning. One after another the gray-haired veterans are going to join their comrades in a land where bloodshed and suffering are unknown. Few of the defenders of the flag in the great struggle between the North and the South are now left who are able to hold their own in the keen competition of present day life, yet here and there are exceptions. A brave soldier, who fought valiantly during those trying days, and who fought just as bravely during the battles of peace that followed, John H. Stewart was for many years one of the leading agricul¬ turists of Liberty township, and although he is now somewhat retired from active life, and lives in his residence in Fairmount, he is still alert to all of the interests of the day, and with clear mind and undimmed faculties manages his business holdings. Mr. Stewart was bom in Clin¬ ton county, Ohio, September 4, 1843, and is a son of William and Eliza¬ beth (Seal) Stewart,

John Stewart, the paternal grandfather of John H. Stewart, was bom April 19, 1793, in New Jersey, of Scotch-Irish stock. He grew up a farmer, and was married in his native State to Miss Experience Mart, who was born in New Jersey, September 8, 1797, and soon after their union, in 1816, they removed to Clinton county, Ohio, where they settled on a tract of practically new land. There they spent the remainder of their lives, Mr. Stewart dying at the age of eighty-seven years, two months, and his wife when sixty-five years, eight months and eight days old. They were members of the Christian New Light church, and in his political preference Mr. Stewart was a Democrat. Their children were as follows: William, the father of John H. ; Mary Ann, deceased, who married Fred Pobst, also deceased, and left descendants in Ohio; Jona¬ than, who married Sarah A. Snyder, and settled on a farm in Jennings county, Indiana, where both passed away ; Abigail, the widow of Henry Sutton, is now living at Franklin, Ohio, with her family, being past eighty- four years of age; Daniel, who married first Cynthia Straw, by whom he had two children, and married for his second wife a Miss Steph¬ ens, who bore him five children; John, who served as a private throughout - the Civil War, returned to Clinton county, Ohio, where he was engaged in farming, and there married Jane Adair, by whom he had three daugh¬ ters; Susanna, who died in her fortieth year, unmarried; Rebecca, who died in childhood ; and Miner, who served as a soldier during the Civil War, returned to Clinton county, (Ohio, and died at the age of sixtyeight years, having married a Miss Mossman, by whom he had a large family.

William Stewart, the father of John H. Stewart, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, August 4, 1819, and died in Liberty township, Grant county, Indiana, April 10, 1861. He received ordinary educational ad¬ vantages in his native place, and was reared to agricultural pursuits, which he followed successfully in both Indiana and Ohio, becoming a substantial farmer and highly respected citizen. In political matters he was a Republican, although never an office seeker, and with his family attended the Christian New Light church. Mr. Stewart was married in Clinton county, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Seal, .who was bom in that county August 27, 1827, and she died in Liberty township, Grant county, Indiana, May 31, 1869. She was an excellent and helpful helpmeet and loving mother and was in sympathy with her husband in all things, but in the later years of her life joined the Wesleyan Methodist church, in the faith of which she died. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were the parents of seven children, as follows: John H., of this review; Robert G., de¬ ceased, who served as a private in One Hundred and Eighteenth, later One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, returned to Grant county and was engaged in farming until he passed away at the age of sixty years, married Martha E. Howe, also deceased, and they had two children - Effie and Mary, both married ; Samuel W., who served in an Indiana volunteer infantry regiment during the Civil War, and now a retired citizen of Fairmount, Indiana, married Mary Kimbrough, and they have four married children - William, Leona, Anna and Elizabeth; Martha, deceased, who was the wife of John T. Kimbrough, a Grant county farmer, by whom die had two children - Eli, a farmer, and one child who died in infancy; James E., a resident of Fairmount, who is married and has had four children - Alice, Frank and Harvey, all married, and one who died in infancy; EzeWel, a painter of Marion, Indiana, who married Anna Fite, deceased, and had a large family; and Catherine, the wife of Joseph Powell, of Jonesboro, who has had three children - Harry, Maggie and one who died in infancy.

John H. Stewart was bom at Westboro, Clinton county, Ohio, Sep¬ tember 4, 1843, and there received his early education in the public schools. He was fourteen years of age at the time he accompanied his parents to Grant county, and here he completed his education in the public schools. He was reared to agricultural pursuits, and was so engaged at the time of his enlistment, July 24, 1862, in Company C, Twelfth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry; Captain, David Cuberly; Colonel, Wm. H. Link. Thirty days later, Mr. Stewart received his baptism of fire at Richmond. He participated in all the marches, skir¬ mishes and battles of that great campaign, his regiment a part of the Fif¬ teenth Army Corps, Gen. John A. Logan commanding, taking part among others in Vicksburg, Jackson, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga, Resaea, Dalton and Atlanta, and assisting in the annihilation of Hood's Confed¬ erate forces, also accompanied Sherman in his " March to the Sea." At the battle of Atlanta, Mr. Stewart had a narrow escape from death, a minnie ball passing through his cap and inflicting a scalp wound, which, had it been one-half inch lower, would have caused his instant death. After much hard fighting, during which he won the respect of his officers and the admiration of his comrades. Mr. Stewart was honorably dis¬ charged at Indianapolis, Indiana, having been previously mustered out at Washington, D. C., June 9, 1865, and returned to his home.

Mr. Stewart at once resumed the duties of peace, taking up agricul¬ tural pursuits, in which he continued to be engaged in Liberty township until his retirement in 1903. He was industrious, enterprising and pro¬ gressive, made a success of his ventures, and accumulated a highlyimproved tract of eighty acres of land. For some years he was engaged in breeding fine stock, and in this connection was also successful. On com¬ ing to Fairmount, in 1903, he built a handsome home at the comer of Seventh and Morton streets, and here he is spending his declining years, content in the knowledge of a well-spent life.

On November 3, 1868, Mr. Stewart was married to Miss Almira Shull, who was bom in Clinton county, Ohio, January 18, 1849, and came to Grant county with her sister in 1865, her parents having passed away in Ohio. She died in the faith of the Wesleyan Methodist church, December 2, 1880, having been the mother of five children: James C., bora April 15, 1868, now engaged in cultivating his father's farm in Liberty township, who married Nancy Murray, and has four children, John A., Anna, Mary and Harvey; Eva A., bom August 18, 1870, who died unmarried January 29, 1887 ; Alvah M. bom September 23, 1872, who died unmarried September 6, 1891 ; Martha, bom November 19, 1875; who married Arvel Swain, the owner of oil wells in Oklahoma, and has two children, Lola and Eva; and Emma N., bom August 14, 1878, who is the wife of Jesse Hippie and lives in Fairmount.

Mr. Stewart's second marriage occurred in Liberty township, October 29, 1881, when he was united with Mrs. Elizabeth (Powell) Carey. She was bom March 14, 1848, in Grant county, Indiana, daughter of Harri¬ son and Nancy (Hale) Powell. Mr. Powell was born in England in 1800 and was there married to his first wife, who died in that country. When forty-five years of age he came to the United States with his oldest son, Thomas, and located in Liberty township, Grant county, Indiana, in 1845, where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1881, at the age of eighty-one years. Here he married Nancy Hale, who survived him several years and was sixty-one years of age at the time of her death, August 8, 1886. She had nine children, of whom five are still living. Mrs. Stewart has had no children. She and her hus¬ band were both prominent members of the Lynwood Friends church, in which both served as overseer and elder, but they are now members of the Fairmount Friends Church.

Washington Jolly, of Herbst, Indiana, has spent his entire life in Grant county, and he is widely known and highly respected. He has been a farmer during all of his active life and has made a success of agriculture, owning at the present time one of the fine farms in Sims township. He has been an enthusiastic farmer, devoted to the work and life of the farm and his love for the soil has been well repaid. His upright character, and the kindliness and geniality of his disposition have won him many friends and made him one of the popular men of the community.

Washington Jolly was born in Franklin township, Grant county. Indiana on the 22nd of February, 1852. He is a son of Elijah and Keziah (Sharp) Jolly, who were residents of Grant county for many years. Elijah Jolly was born in Frederick county, Virginia, on the 16th of April, 1822, and when he was only a little child both of his parents died. He went to live with Henry Groves and the latter brought him to Clinton county, Ohio. Here he grew up and here he married Keziah Sharp. In 1851 they came to Indiana and located in Franklin township, Grant county. Here they lived until 1868 and in the fall of that year he purchased the farm in Sims township, which is now owned by his son. He moved hither and here he lived until his death December 7, 1908. Elijah and Keziah Jolly became the parents of five children, all of whom grew up and were married, but all are now dead with the exception of Washington Jolly. Both Elijah Jolly and his wife were members of the church. He began life as a poor orphan boy but when he died he was accounted one of the successful men of the township, all that he made having been earned by his own unaided efforts.

Until Washington Jolly was sixteen years of age he lived in Franklin township on his father's farm. He attended the district school, in the summer aiding his father on the farm, while during the long winter months he was free to go to school. At the age of sixteen his father moved to Sims township and here the boy went to school for two years longer. He then went to work in earnest on the farm and until he was married he lived at home and assisted his father.

Washington Jolly was married to Miss Sarah A. Spurgeon, on the 28th of March, 1872. She was born on the 30th of January, 1854, in Adams county, Ohio, the daughter of Joseph and Cynthia A. (Powell) Spurgeon. She came to Indiana in 1866 and received her education in the common schools of Indiana and Ohio. After he was married Mr. Jolly went to farming for himself and he has continued to farm for himself since that time. He owns a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Sims township, on the township line between Sims and Franklin townships, two and a half miles north of Herbst, Indiana. He left his ' farm in December, 1912, and moved to Herbst. Here he now resides, owning a beautiful lot qf one and a half acres. Mr. Jolly is a member of the Democratic party, but he has never been very active in politics. Mrs. Jolly is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church in Herbst.

Mr. and Mrs. Jolly have had four children, two of whom are living today, namely, Orville A., who is a traveling salesman for the Kokomo Steel and Wire Company, and lives in Marion, Indiana, and Virginia A., who is the wife of Samuel A. Krick, of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Preston Shields. From a single team of horses to one of the finest farms in Grant county, Indiana, is the life history of Preston Shields, told in a single sentence. All that such an accomplishment implies can be easily imagined. It has taken years of patient, industrious effort to gain success, but Mr. Shields has been equal to the task. He is not only a successful farmer, one who is considered an authority on agri¬ cultural matters, but he is also well known as a breeder of fine stock. He has spent nearly all of his life in Grant county and he is respected and honored by the entire community.

The father of Preston Shields was James M. Shields, who was born in Ohio, the son of Preston Shields. James M. Shields grew up in Ohio, and there he met Margaret Cline, to whom he was married at Cedarville, Ohio. They came to Indiana shortly afterwards, locating first in Jay county. They next removed to Clinton county but lived there only a short time. In 1863 they came to Grant county where they lived for a time and then returned to Jay county. It was not until the winter of 1869 that they finally located permanently in Grant county. Here they made their home on the farm which Mr. Shields owned until the death of the latter in November, 1903. Mrs. Shields, who was bom in Virginia, on March 6, 1832, is now living in Marion, Indiana. They became the parents of eight children, four boys and four girls. Of these children Hannah is the widow of John Fenstermaker and she lives in Marion; Anna married Philemon Pugh of Marion ; Preston is the third ; Benjamin W. lives in Franklin township; John, who is a carpenter lives in Marion; Emma is the wife of William Biscke, of Pleasant township; Arthur is a mail carrier on route No. 1, in Marion; Margaret married Mira Smith of Van Buren township.

Preston Shields was born in Jay county, Indiana, on the 10th of June, 1859. He was reared on his father's farm in Grant county, and attended the common schools of the county, receiving a fair education. He was brought up to the life and work of the farm and it was natural that he should turn to farming as a means of earning his living. At the age of twenty-one he began to work for himself, his sole possession at this time being a team of horses. He rented his father's farm and secure in the possession of a thorough knowledge of farming set forth on the road to success or failure. That it became the former has been due to his hard work and the scientific way in 'which he has conducted operations on his farm. He is now the owner of one hundred and ten acres of land in Franklin township, on sections 17 and 18. He breeds high grade stock, his fine Duroc hogs being his especial pride.

Mr. Shields is one of the directors in the Farmers' State Bank at Sweetser. In politics he is a Republican and takes a keen interest in politics having been active in behalf of his party at various times. He is a member of the Methodist Protestant church at Herbst, Indiana. In the fraternal world he is a member of the Ancient Order of Gleaners.

Mr. Shields married Hannah Freel, on the 24th of December, 1881. Mrs. Shields was bom in Darke county, Ohio, on the 11th of February, 1857, and she received her education in the public schools of that state. She died on the 17th of December, 1910. Six children wrere born to Mr. and Mrs. Shields, as follows: Ourer, whp was educated in the common schools and then took a business course in the Marion Normal School, taught for a year, then married and is now a traveling salesman for Dilling and Company, of Kokomo, Indiana; Maggie, who was graduated from the public schools is now the wife of Elmer Nesbitt, of Gary, Indiana ; Glen C., after being graduated from the common schools, married Earl Clannon, of Mills township ; Ruby, who is also a graduate of the public schools, is unmarried and makes her home with her father ;

John D. Williams. The farming interests of Washington township are capably and worthily represented by John D. Williams, who is now engaged in operating 157 acres of well-cultivated land in sections 11 and 12. He is known as one of the progressive and energetic citizens of his community, where he has resided since 1905, and is a member of an old and honored family of Grant county, members of which have long been identified with agricultural and official life here. Mr. Williams was born on his father's farm in Washington township, Grant county, Indiana, in December, 1876, and is a son of John T. and Susan (Middleton) Williams, and a complete review of the family will be found in the sketch of Claude Williams, elsewhere in this work.

The education of Mr. Williams was secured in district school No. 6, located not far from his birth-place, and while he secured his mental training during the winter terms, he spent the summer months in assist¬ ing his father. After he had finished his schooling, he continued to reside under the parental roof, being engaged in tilling the soil until removing with his parents to the city of Marion, where he resided during the two years that his father served as sheriff of Grant county. In the fall of 1905 Mr. Williams came to take the management of the property on which he now resides, which belongs to his father-in-law, Harvey M. Creviston, and which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, with the exception of a few acres left in timber. On this land, Mr. Williams produced in the season of 1912 about 600 bushels of wheat, 2,600 bushels of corn and 660 bushels of oats, and in addition sold 100 head of hogs and twelve head of cattle. He finds a ready market' for his produce, and his stock brings top-notch prices. He has demonstrated his ability in matters of business, and as an agriculturist his industry, energetic efforts and modern methods stamp him as one of the leading farmers of the younger generation in his township.

On March 31, 1896, Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Creviston, daughter of Harvey M. and Eldora Creviston, prominent retired residents of Marion. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, namely: Lela V., La Yon D., Lucille O. and Harvey J.

Mr. Williams is a stanch supporter of Republican candidates and principles, but has not desired nor found time for public office. An energetic, alert citizen, he has taken a keen and intelligent interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his community, but his con¬ nection therewith has been only that taken by every good and publicspirited citizen. A friend of education and morality, he is rearing his children to sturdy man and womanhood, giving them good educational advantages and fitting them for the positions which they will be expected to fill in life. He has a wide acquaintance in Washington township, as has Mrs. Williams, and both have the warm regard and esteem of a large circle of friends.

Arthur W. Jay. One of the thriving and well-kept farms of Liberty township is the property of Arthur W. Jay, who has here been operating in the agricultural enterprise for some years. His earlier vocation was that of a teacher, but his inherent love of the soil and his strong natural qualifications for the life of a husbandman induced him to give up his educational work, and he has since been devoting himself to the upbuild¬ ing of his farming property, known as "The Pines," and located five miles south of The Square in Marion, in Liberty township. No more highly esteemed man and citizen maintains a residence in Liberty town¬ ship than Mr. Jay, and with his family, he shares in the unqualified friendship of the best people of the community.

Arthur W. Jay was born in Mill township, Grant county, on February 3, 1856, and he is a son of Denny and Anna (Cogshell) Jay. The father was born on a farm in Miami county, Ohio, while the mother is a native daughter of Indiana, born in Wayne county, and coming with her parents as an infant to Grant county, making the journey in her mother's arms on horseback. The father was a boy of six years when his parents migrated to Grant county, Indiana, from Ohio, and thus the family are entitled to especial consideration as pioneers of the most distinctive order. These children grew to young manhood and womanhood and were married while yet young in years. They were people of the staunchest integrity, their religious faith being that of the Friends, or Quakers, and the tenor of their daily lives being maintained well up to the standard set by these vigorous Puritan people. They had a family of five children, named as follows: Riley J. is a resident of Fairmount; Eva is the wife of Oliver Davis, of Center township; Arthur W., the third born, is the subject of this review; Gulie is the wife of Bennett Shugart of Franklin township ; and Harvey J., who lives in Mill town¬ ship, Grant county.

Arthur W. Jay was reared in Mill and Liberty townships and his education was gained in the district schools, and in Amboy Academy and Earlham College. He was fitted for the teaching profession and took up that work in Grant county when he had finished his college training, and had he elected to carry the work forward, it is highly probable that he would have made a distinctive success therein, for he displayed the possession of no little talent along those lines. The call of the soil, however, was stronger than he cared to resist and he in time turned his mind and energies to the development and maintenance of a farm, in which enterprise he has since continued with a generous measure of success.

Mr. Jay married Flora Clark, a daughter of Simon and Julia (Not¬ tingham) Clark, the marriage occurring on October 9, 1879. Mrs. Jay was reared in Grant county, and here educated, and like her husband, has a wide acquaintance hereabouts.* They went housekeeping in Mill township, and the house is still standing where they initiated their wedded careers. Mr. Jay then was the owner of a small place of about fifty acres, but his holdings have increased very materially since that time.

Two children were born to them : Carl S. J., a student in the Normal College at South Marion, who is married fo Nellie Warrenberg, and has one child ; and Iona J., who is a graduate of the Marion Normal College and is the wife of Professor Harry L. Foreman, of Bloomington, Indiana. Prof. Foreman is a graduate of the state University, with the degree of A. B., and is one of the successful and rising educators of the state.

The family are members of the Friends' Church, Mr. Jay being an elder for years. Politically, he gives his material and moral support to the Prohibition party, and his citizenship is one of the highest order, calculated to wield an influence of the most genuine and praiseworthy nature.

Peter Hegner. One of the best known men in Grant county, Indi¬ ana, is Peter Hegner. He has lived in this section for many years, and is now trustee of Franklin township. He has been engaged in various kinds of business here in the county and has also been a farmer for many years. Inheriting from his German ancestry the qualities of industry and thrift, he has succeeded in life where another man might have failed, for he began life with little save prospects. In his public duties he has carried on the work in accordance with the same high ideals that he has maintained in his private and business life and the respect and esteem which is accorded him is evidence of the satisfaction which he has given to those who elected him to office.

Peter Hegner was born in Peru, Indiana, on the 3rd of August, 1860, the son of Paul and Catharine (Walters) Hegner. Both of his parents were born, reared and educated in their native land, Germany. When Paul Hegner came to the United States he first located in Michi¬ gan and later came to Peru, Indiana. Here he met his future wife, who had come here on landing after her trip from Germany. She was at the time working for a German family near Peru. After they were married the young couple went to live in Peru, residing there for four years, and they then moved to a farm near Bunker Hill, Indiana. Here Mr. Hegner bought forty acres of land, all timbered, and set to work to clear the land and get it under cultivation. This farm was in Deer Creek township and here they lived until Mrs. Hegner 's death. Mr. Hegner married again in 1882 and after this he moved to Howard county, Indiana, where he lived until his death. Of his children by his first wife seven lived to maturity, and of these Peter Hegner was the next to the eldest.

Peter Hegner received his education in the district schools of Miami county, Indiana, attending school in the winter and working on the farm in summer. He had thus acquired a very fair education by the time he was ready to leave school and go to work. He did not leave his father's farm until he was nineteen years of age, and then he went to work on a farm in Howard county. He worked here until he was twenty-three and then leaving the farm he went into the meat and grocery business at Kokomo, Indiana. He made considerable money in this business and was thus engaged until 1894.

It was in the latter year that he came to Marion, and locating in West Marion, he again engaged in the meat and grocery business. For six years he was one of the successful merchants of this place and then he was elected trustee of Franklin township, and sold out his business. After his term as trustee expired in 1904 he went into the coal business in West Marion and was also engaged in farming in that vicinity. He continued in this way until 1908 when he was again elected trustee of Franklin township. He is now serving in this office and his term does not expire until 1915.

In his political beliefs Mr. Hegner affiliates with the Republican party and he has been active in party politics in local affairs. He was at one time candidate for the nomination of county commissioner of Grant county. In the world of secret societies Mr. Hegner is a member of the Ben Hur and Neptune orders, having insurance in the first named. In religious matters both he and his family are members of the West Ninth Street Methodist Episcopal church in Marion. He is one of the trustees and is recording steward of the church as well as being active in the work of the Sunday school.

Mr. Hegner was married in October, 1891, to Miss Jennie Foreman. She was born in Boone, Iowa, on the 24th of January, 1871, and at the age of five years she was bereft of her .mother. She received her educa¬ tion in Ohio and in 1886 came to Kokomo, Indiana where she met and married Mr. Hegner. Three children have been bom of this union, namely, Paul and Pauline, twins, who were bom on August 5, 1892, and Elizabeth, who was born on November 25, 1897. Paul is a graduate of the common schools and of the Marion high school, and he has taught three terms of school. Pauline is a graduate of the grammar school and she is now at home, while Elizabeth, having completed the work of the grammar school is now a student in the high school in Marion.

C. W. Spiker. A career of marked prosperity and quiet usefulness in many ways has been the part of C. W. Spiker in Grant county, where he has lived for forty years. He began for himself as a boy of fifteen, working for wages, a hired hand, and by persistent labor and good man¬ agement finally promoted himself to a degree of success such as many might envy. His home is a well improved and attractive farm, in sec¬ tion twenty- four of Sims township, two miles west and one mile north of Swayzee on the Spiker Pike.

C. W. Spiker is a native of Virginia, where he was born March 31, 1858, a son of John and Catherine (Baker) Spiker. The parents came to Indiana, but after a brief residence were not satisfied with the country and returned to their native state, where the mother is still living at an advanced age.

Mr. C. W. Spiker spent the first fifteen years of his life in old Virginia, where he attended the public schools. He then came with his parents to Grant county, Indiana, and at that age began for himself as a farm hand, working for monthly wages. He found Grant county to his liking and remained here after his parents had gone back to Virginia. While still a young man in 1877, he married Letitia E. Maple, who was bom on the farm which she and her husband now occupy in Sims town¬ ship. She grew up and received her education in Grant county, and from the common schools entered the Amboy schools. She qualified her¬ self for teaching and followed that vocation for a brief while before her marriage. The six children in their family are mentioned as follows: Marshall, who graduated from the Marion Normal College and has taught school, but is now a farmer in Sims township ; Isaac is a graduate of the same school, and is assistant cashier of the First National Bank at Swayzee; Orville is a graduate of the common schools and lives at home ; Clayton is thirteen years old and has completed his course in the common schools ; Lawrence is still a school boy ; Bessie, an older daugh¬ ter, has a common school education and is the wife of Ashley Smith, their home being in Howard county, Indiana.

The family are members of the Methodist Protestant church, in which Mr. Spiker has served as trustee. A Republican in politics, he has never held any office, but has always interested himself in good local government. He has served as a director in the Swayzee National Bank, and was one of the organizers and is still a stock holder in that institu¬ tion. He is also a stock holder in the Sims Telephone Company.

Lewis 0. Poe. In the prime of life, prosperous and commanding the respect of all, such is the good fortune of Lewis 0. Poe. Mr. Poe has been for many years a prominent farmer of Grant county, Indiana, and his success has not been easily won. As a boy he was known as a hard worker and after he reached manhood he worked all the harder to secure a comfortable livelihood for himself and his family. A man of fine principles, an independent thinker, he is of the best type of American farmer, the men who are the strength of the nation today.

The father of Lewis 0. Poe is Robert L. Poe, who is still living and makes his home in Franklin township. He married Hannah Cabe and she is also living. Six children have been born to this couple, of whom Lewis 0. is the eldest. The others are, Eli, who is a resident of this township ; William and Elizabeth, who are twins, the latter being the wife of Oliver Small of Liberty, while her twin brother lives in

Lewis 0. Poe was born in Franklin township, Grant county, Indiana, on the 10th of May, 1867. He grew up on his father's farm and as soon as he was old enough was sent to the district school. He attended school thereafter every winter, but in the summer his services were in demand on the farm, and this was the way his life passed until he was about fifteen years old. He then began to work for himself, hiring to neigh¬ boring farmers by the day and month when not needed on the farm at home.

This was all changed when on the 17th of September, 1890, he married Miss Etta Small, a daughter of Lemuel Small and Amanda (Fleming) Small, her mother being a native of Richland township and her father of Franklin township, Grant county. Mrs. Poe was born in Franklin township on the 29th of May, 1874, and she was reared'and educated in her native township. After his marriage, Mr. Poe settled on the Hogston farm in Franklin township and here they resided for fifteen years. This farm was rented and it was their ambition to save enough money to buy a farm of their own. Mr. Poe was a good farmer, and his wife was a good manager and so they prospered and in 1900 were able to buy their present farm, whither they moved in March, 1906. This farm is located on section ten of Franklin township and lies four miles south¬ west of Marion on the Marion and Kokomo Traction Line. Here in addi¬ tion to raising products of a general nature, Mr. Poe makes a specialty of raising fine melons, potatoes and tomatoes and he has gained a fine reputation for the quality of his products. His land comprises ninetysix acres and is under high cultivation.