Grant County, Indiana - The whole text, 1914 (part 1 of 32)

The whole text

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Centennial History Indiana

Compiled from Records of the Grant County Historical Society, Archives of the County, Data of Per¬ sonal Interviews, and Other Authentic Sources of Local Information

Chicago And New York

Colonel John L. McCulloch. Valiant, self-reliant and endowed with great circumspection and constructive ability, Colonel McCulloch has proved one of the most influential and resourceful powers in the civic and industrial progress of the city of Marion, the beautiful and thriving capital and metropolis of Grant county. His character is the positive expression of a noble and loyal nature and he holds by just deserts an inviolable place in popular confidence and esteem. He is a native son of Indiana and a scion of a family whose name has been worthily linked with the history of this state for considerably more than half a century. Through energy, strong initiative and sterling integrity of purpose he has gained definite precedence as one of the prominent and influential men of affairs in his native state, and, further than this, he has been significantly prominent in connection with civic activities representing the higher ideals in the scheme of human thought and action. He is one of the most honored Indiana affiliates of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has the distinction of having received the thirty-third and maximum degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and he has done much to foster the interests of the great fraternal order in his state, especially in his home city. He has served as a member of the military staff of the governor of Indiana, with the rank of Colonel; he is one of the representative bankers of the state, as president of the Marion National Bank; and he has been the liberal and progressive citizen to whom is mainly due the development and upbuilding of a number of the most important industrial enterprises that contribute to the commercial precedence and material and civic prosperity of Marion. The foregoing brief statements indicate fully that in any history of Grant county it is imperative to accord definite tribute to Colonel McCulloch, and thus a review of his career is given in this publication, with all of appreciation and with marked satisfaction.

Of the staunchest of Scotch and Swiss lineage, Colonel John Lewis McCulloch has given evidence of possessing the sterling traits of char¬ acter that most significantly designate the races from which he is sprung, and he takes a due amount of pride in reverting to the fine old Hoosier commonwealth as the place of his nativity. He was born near Vevay, Switzerland county, Indiana, on the 14th of March, 1858, and is a son of George and Louisa (Weaver) McCulloch, the former of whom was bom in Scotland and the latter in Switzerland county, Indiana, a representative of one of the fine families that early founded the Swiss colony in that county. The father devoted the greater part of his active career to mercantile pursuits and was long numbered among the representative and influential citizens of Switzerland county, both he and his wife having continued to reside at Vevay until their death. Of their ten children four sons and two daughters are now living.

and this discipline was supplemented ' by a short course of study in Wabash College, at Crawfordsville. At the age of nineteen years he put his scholastic attainments to practical test and utilization, by turn¬ ing his attention to the pedagogic profession, in which he was a success* ful teacher in the district schools of his native county for two years. Thereafter he was employed as clerk in a hardware store at Frankfort, Clinton county, for one year, at the expiration of which he gained further and valuable business experience by assuming the position of bookkeeper for the Southern Glass Works, in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, where he remained four years. He then went to the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, where he became bookkeeper for the North Wheeling Glass Company, for which corporation he later became gen¬ eral salesman. After serving five years as one of the valued attaches of this company Mr. McCulloch returned to Indiana, and the spring of 1888 marked his arrival in the city of Marion, where he became the promoter and organizer of the Marion Fruit Jar & Bottle Com¬ pany. He individually held two-thirds of the stock of the new company and became its president and treasurer. Through his previous expe¬ rience in connection with the glass-manufacturing industry he had gained substantial knowledge of the details of this line of enterprise and thus was well fortified in the initiating of the new manufactory in Marion. Operations were instituted on a modest scale, with an invest¬ ment of only ten thousand dollars, and under his aggressive and resourceful administration the industry rapidly expanded in scope and importance, until the company became the second largest fruit-jar manufacturers in the entire United States, with branch factories at Converse and Fairmount, this state, and at Coffeyville, Kansas. The discovery of natural gas in Indiana greatly spurred manufacturing in this state, as history fully records, and in this connection the Marion Fruit Jar & Bottle Company effected large leases of gas and oil land in Indiana and other states. After the supply of gas began to wane these lands proved to be very valuable in the production of oil, and it is a matter of record that the Marion company mentioned drilled about one hundred oil wells which proved very profitable in their output. In 1904 the manufacturing business, which had grown to extensive proportions, was sold to the only other company which had been a large competitor. Colonel McCulloch had been indefatigable in his labors and other incidental activities in connection with the great industry built up under his direction, and the sale of the business was prompted largely by his desire to obtain relaxation from the mani¬ fold cares and exactions involved. He sought and found a mucli needed rest, and he found special pleasure and recreation through two years of extensive travel, in company with his wife and daughter. They not only visited the various sections of the United States but also sojourned in Mexico and made a trip around the world, - starting from San Francisco, and returning home by way of New York city. They visited all of the countries of the Old World and the pleasures and profits gained have proved of abiding order.

When, in 1905, the Marion National Bank was reorganized, Colonel McCulloch became a prominent figure in the institution, as the owner of one-fourth of its stock, and one year after its incorporation under the new regime he was elected its president. He has since continued as the chief executive of this strong and representative bank, and its interests have been signally advanced under his wise and conservative direction, the bank being now the most important in Grant county, in the matter of solidity and extent of business controlled, even as it is also one of the strongest and most popular in central Indiana. Colonel

McCulloch has shown special predilection for and ability in the bank¬ ing business and is known as one of the representative figures in con¬ nection with financial affairs in his native state, the while he has a wide acquaintanceship among the leading capitalists and financiers of the country, especially those of Chicago and New York city. Never swerving in the least from the highest principles of integrity and honor, he is an exponent of the best element in financial circles, and his influ¬ ence in this connection has been both fruitful and benignant. He has held many positions of honor and trust in the Indiana Bankers' Asso¬ ciation, of which he is president at the time of this writing, in 1913, and he is also a valued member of the American Bankers' Association, in which he has served as vice-president for Indiana.

Deeply appreciative of the many attractions and superior advan¬ tages of his home city, Colonel McCulloch has been most aggressive and influential in the furthering of measures and enterprises tending to advance the civic and industrial progress and prosperity of Marion, and in this connection his fine initiative and executive powers have come into effective play. In the year 1900 he became one of the inter¬ ested principals in the Marion Paper Company, and for several years past he has been the owner of three-eighths interest in its capital stock, and vice president and secretary of the company. This corporation represents one of the most important and successful industrial enter¬ prises in this part of the state, as is shown by the fact that it is to-day the largest patron of the railroads entering Marion, where it ships in and out a greater freight tonnage than does any other manufacturing concern in Marion. The company manufactures paper-box board, and its trade is not only of the most substantial order but is also widely disseminated.

In politics Colonel McCulloch has been found arrayed as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, with well fortified opinions concerning matters of governmental and economic import, but he has been essentially a business man and had no desire to enter the turbulent stream of so-called practical politics, though one preferment of incidental order has been his, that of colonel on the military staff of Governor Hanley. He is a man of fine address and unvarying courtesy and consideration, is genial and tolerant, and is by nature and voluntary determination a distinct optimist. He is appreciative of his steward¬ ship and in an unassuming way has given ready aid to those in affliction and distress, so that there are ample reasons for his being held in unequivocal confidence and esteem by all who know him. He and his wife are active and liberal members of the Presbyterian church; he is affiliated with the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, and not only holds membership in the Marion Country Club and the Marion Golf Club and has been president of both, but has also been for a number of years a valued member of the Commercial and Marion Clubs of Indianapolis, these being representative organizations of the capital of the state.

In the Masonic fraternity Colonel McCulloch has been specially prominent and influential in his native state, and he has been a close and appreciative student of the history and teachings of this timehonored fraternity. He is one of the seventy representatives in Indiana who have been distinguished in receiving the thirty- third and ultimate degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry, and he is most active in the work of the various Masonic bodies with which he is affiliated, including the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The beautiful new Masonic Temple in Marion will reach completion about April, 1913, and the large and noble benefae tions of Colonel McCulloch in this connection demand special mention. From an article published in a Marion paper at the time when decisive action was being instituted in connection with the proposed Masonic building are taken the following extracts, which are well worthy of preservation in this article:

"The most prominent Mason in Marion and one of the best known in Indiana is Colonel John L. McCulloch, president of the Marion Na¬ tional Bank. It has been largely through the untiring efforts of this representative citizen and Mason that the local Masonic bodies will soon be housed in one of the finest Masonic homes in the state. When the movement for a new temple was launched, Colonel McCulloch, through his great business ability and Masonic enthusiasm, was made its leading spirit and was voted to the chairmanship of the building committee, on which he has admirably and successfully served.

"One of Colonel McCulloch's fondest hopes was to see a Masonic temple in Marion, - a temple that would be a credit to the city and the fraternity. To this end he contributed liberally and kept in close touch with the work of raising finances. When $16,000 was raised by the lodge for building purposes and it was realized that this would be insufficient to defray expenses and that the lodge would have to go in debt for the remainder, Colonel McCulloch came forward and sub¬ mitted a proposition which certainly attested his interest and enthu¬ siasm. Here is what he told his brethren of Samaritan Lodge, No. 105, Free & Accepted Masons, of which he is a trustee: 'We already have raised $16,000 by subscription and we figure that we shall need $28,000 more to construct the building as we want it. We can, of course, borrow the money to take care of the matter, but I would like to have the building dedicated without indebtedness. I want every penny of the indebtedness provided for before the last brick is laid. We yet need about $28,000. I will give half the amount if the lodge will take care of the remaining half. My money will be ready whenever the lodge raises its half.' This generous offer from Colonel McCulloch was warmly received by the lodge, and thus was assured the splendid Masonic temple for Marion."

'When the thirty-third degree was conferred upon Colonel McCul¬ loch, at Saratoga, New York, the members of his home lodge showed their appreciation of the high honor conferred upon him by presenting to him a beautiful ring emblematic of the degree which he had received. He is a valued member of all the Masonic bodies in Marion and is influential in the affairs of each.

On the 5th of July, 1883, was solemnized the marriage of Colonel McCulloch to Miss Alice Rebecca Wilson, of Louisville, Kentucky, - a young woman of gracious presence and distinctive culture and a representative of one of the old and distinguished families of Ken¬ tucky. She is a daughter of Wood and Elizabeth (Muir) Wilson, both of Scotch lineage and both members of families whose names have been prominently and worthily linked with the annals of the state of Kentucky. Mrs. McCulloch's parents are both dead, having died in Louisville, Kentucky, about the close of the Civil war. Her father was a prominent merchant of Louisville, and during the Civil war the Wilson home in Louisville was the headquarters for everything identified with the Union cause, as the family had two sons in the Union Army. Immediately after their marriage, which was celebrated in the city of Louisville, Colonel and Mrs. McCulloch removed to Wheel¬ ing, West Virginia, and there, in the year 1884, occurred the birth of their only child, Alice Rebecca, who is now the wife of George Alfred Bell, a prominent manufacturer of Marion, their marriage having been solemnized in 1910. Mrs. Bell has been a resident of Marion from her childhood days and is one of the leaders and most popular factors in the representative social activities of her home city, besides being well known in the social circles of other cities. She and her husband reside with her parents and the beautiful home is a center of gracious and refilled hospitality.

Dr. Marshall T. Shively. One of the leading citizens of the city of Marion, Indiana, and a representative of one of the pioneer families of the state of Indiana, Dr. Marshall T. Shively is one of the most suc¬ cessful practitioners in Grant county. He has lived in Marion all of his life and his father was a physician in this city before him, and he has well sustained the reputation of his family for ability and strong character.

Dr. Marshall T. Shively was bom in Marion, Indiana, on the 10th of July, 1849, the son of Dr. James S. and Harriet 0. (Marshall) Shively. The latter was a daughter of Riley Marshall, who was the grandfather of Vice-president Thomas R. Marshall. Riley Marshall came to Grant county and settled in 1829, one of the early pioneers of this section. Dr. James S. Shively was a native of West Virginia, having been bom on the 8th of April, 1813, at Morgantown, West Virginia, which at that time was part of Virginia. He came to Grant county, Indiana, in 1836, his father having preceded him and settled in Rush county, Indiana. James S. Shively first taught school and then read medicine at Newcastle, Indiana. After his preparation was complete he began the practice of his profession in Muncie, Indiana, remaining there for about a year. In April, 1836, he came to Marion and here began to practice medicine. For fifty-four years he was engaged in the practice of his profession in Marion and he became a prominent physician and one of the influential citizens of the town. He was well known for his charity and for the broad mindedness of his views in the days when this was a rare virtue. In politics he was a member of the Democratic party and was always an active member of his party. He served several terms in the lower house of the Indiana Legislature and in 1886 was elected to the State Senate. He was the father of the Shively Medical Bill, the first practical medical bill passed in the state of Indiana. He spent a long and useful life in Marion, dying in 1893, at the age of eighty years. His- wife was also over eighty years old when she died on May 28, 1889. Six children were born to this couple, one of whom died in infancy. Those yet living are Mrs. Terrie E. Johnson of Marion and Mrs. Mary C. Motter, of Marion, in addition to Dr. Shively.

Dr. Marshall T. Shively was educated as a boy in the city of his birth, attending the public schools and taking private courses. In 1872 he entered the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated in 1874. He began to practice in Marion in partner¬ ship with his father and he has been in active practice here ever since. He was in partnership with his father for ten years.

Dr. Shively is an active Democrat but he has never cared to fill office, although he has served as a member of the state central committee. He is a member of the Grant County Medical Society and of the Indiana State Medical Society, and represented this district at the Democratic National Convention at Baltimore in 1912.

On the 17th of May, 1876, Dr. Shively was married to Miss Zamora Bobbs, a daughter of Dr. A. J. and Mary Bobbs, of Marion. The doctor and his wife have become the parents of seven children, as follows: James H. Shively of Houston, Texas ; Mary L., who has become the wife of Elmer De Poy, of San Antonio, Texas ; Senator Bernard B. Shively, of

Marion, a sketch of whose life is included in this work; Thisbe, who is the wife of Raymond E. Page, of Horaell, New York; Miss Lile Zamora Shively, Miss Dorothea Shively and Miss Naedeine Shively, all of whom are living at home. Mrs. Shively died on the 9th of January, 1910.

Zamora Bobbs Shively was born June 7, 1858, in Phillipsburg, Montgomery county, Ohio. She was the eldest of two daughters of Doctor and Mrs. A. J. Bobbs. On the seventeenth day of May, 1876, she married Doctor Marshall T. Shively of Marion, Indiana, and the couple lived happily together until the death of Mrs. Shivelv, January 9th, 1910.

There are many elements in human nature that go to the molding of a genuine lady, a womanly woman. And of course every individual has his or her conception of just what these elements are or what they should be. To say that Mrs. Shively was a talented woman is putting it mildly, since she was in fact in many respects a remarkable woman. And one of the most complete proofs of this fact was, that she was at all times a strong defender of her sex. She believed that the sphere of woman offered abundant opportunities for the making of her position one of importance in the world.

Mrs. Shively's philosophy of life was not drawn from what the public or society thought or suggested, although she was one who ever respected public opinion. She believed that the rule wrhich guided society was too frequently the rule deduced from a false vanity that did not admit the broader, humanitarian view. True, Mrs. Shively was in all respects an individual. She was a character to those by whom she was well known. A woman of active mind, of marked originality and talent. These God given powers which were so much a part of her nature she did not get to pursue during her marriage life with her ardour that she might had she not had the care of a large and ambitious family to look after. But she did manage in her resourceful way, when her time was not occupied with looking after the interests of her children, for she was essentially at all times the mother, faithful, devoted and kind, dur¬ ing her early married life to pursue her love for art and wood carving. And she has left her family some lasting legacies in oil and water color and specially designed furniture.

In later years prior to her death Mrs. Shively devoted her time more closely to reading and studying current questions and literature, biog¬ raphy and ancient and modern history. The writer can so well recall the rapture with which she almost devoured the works of Swedenborg, Lamartine, Josephus and her constant companion, the Bible, besides scores of other ancient masters of philosophy and literature.

While not a club woman in the common conception of society, yet she did belong to several but took the deepest interest in her literary club work, in which capacity she read several papers on the 44 Philosophy of Life and the Bible as Applied to Life," that revealed to her auditors masterful attainments. Other and more elaborate papers on the same subjects were in the course of preparation at her death and it is to be hoped that some of the family wdll in the near future put them in pub¬ lication for the use of the public.

Mrs. Shively never sought to be the leader of any social set, although she had her friends and admired genius and culture wherever found. In her entertainments she was an original and a genial hostess. Her resourceful mind, ready wit and charming personality won for her the love and admiration of many friends. And while it is true that she loved life, and loved her friends, yet she was not devoted to the narrow confines and limitations of society. Her's was a broader field. She lived in a world, in part within t herself, because she ever sought the ideal. A woman of keen perception, she wanted humanity to also see the broader view. She wanted humanity to know and understand more fully the handiwork of the great Maker. She believed that life \fras the best worth living that contributed something to life, however small it might be. She ever believed that man was too much depending on self, that he was seeking to solve his own destinies when those destinies were not his to control but belonged to the God of Life.

Aside from her family, her husband and her books she loved most the charms of th£ external world, from which she gleaned so much joy and inspiration. Her love of life sprung from what life had to her revealed. The sighing forests, the meandering streams, hills, mountains J and valleys in their draperies of green, these she would have humanity know for in them she saw God, to her they were the green pastures, beside the silent waters over which the Master held sway.

John M. Wallace, Sr. From the date of its organization down to the present time Grant county has been continuously honored and bene¬ fited by the presence within her borders of the Wallace family. In the character of its individual members and in their public services no family in the county probably has been more distinguished and it is impossible to estimate the strength and diversity of the influences which emanate from such a family and affect the social and business affairs of the county even to its most remote bounds.

A representative in the present generation of this well known old family, John M. Wallace, Sr., has been for many years a prominent business man of Marion, in which city he was bom May 9, 1853. His parents were John M. and Mariam C. (Weeks) Wallace, the father a native of Connersville, Indiana, and the mother of Rutland, Vermont. The date of the family settlement in Grant county was either 1829 or 1831, so that the family was here in ample time to become charter mem¬ bers of the newly organized Grant county. Their location was in Marion, and the elder John M. Wallace grew up in that city, and entered the profession of law, in which he acquired distinction and success. He was at one time judge of the common pleas court of this county. During the Mexican war he saw service as captain of his company, and during the Civil war he served as adjutant general of Indiana under Governor Oliver P. Morton, Indiana's famous war governor. At the close of the war he was given the rank of colonel. He was then appointed and served for a time as paymaster in the United States Army, with head¬ quarters at Washington, D. C. Col. Wallace was an uncle of General Lew Wallace, the eminent soldier, statesman and author of Indiana. He was a brother of David Wallace who was one time governor of Indiana. Another brother was governor of Washington territory, and secretary of the state of Iowa. Probably no better citizen ever lived in Marion than the late Col. John M. Wallace. He was first in every enterprise that had for its object the advancement - of the community, and by his achievements and character earned the lasting esteem of all who came within the circle of his acquaintance. His death occurred in Marion in 1866. Of the four children born to himself and wife two are living, one being L. A. Wallace of Marion, and the other John M., whose name heads this article. John M. Wallace attained his early education in the public schools of Marion, and on entering into active relations with the business of the city, he became one of the owners and publishers of the Marion Democrat , a newspaper with which his name was associated for a number of years. He was then clerk in the gov- ernment service for a time, and about twenty-five years ago estab¬ lished the present music house which bears his name and which is one of the largest establishments of the kind in the state. This firm deals in all kinds of musical merchandise and has a trade that is much more than local through the city or counties.

Mr. Wallace in 1872 married Miss Emma L. Todebush of St. Louis, Missouri. Their two children are Mrs. Kenton M. Wigger of Marion: and John M. Wallace, Jr., who is associated with his father in business. Mr. Wallace is a member of the Marion Golf Club and in politics is a Democrat, one of the most influential members of his party.

William S. Elliott. Grant county, Indiana, has among its honored retired citizens many men to whom it owes much, men of the highest typ^ of responsible citizenship. They have been useful to the community through their activities in business and agriculture, their public services and their professional achievements, and now, having stepped somewhat aside from the busy paths that their descendants still creditably occupy, they are entitled to the consideration *which they universally receive. Among these men, one who holds a prominent place in his community is William S. Elliott, now living a retired life at Fairmount, after many years spent in agricultural pursuits.

Mr. Elliott is a member of a family that originated in New England, but which for more than a century and a half made its home in the South. His grandfather was born near Dobson's Cross Roads, in North Carolina, abQut the year 1800, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. a young man he moved to Virginia, where he was married to Rachael Overman, a native daughter of the Old Dominion State, and a member of an old and honored Virginia family, and as young married people came to Wayne county, Indiana, probably about the year 1818, as their youngest child was born there in 1819, and the second child, Reuben, the father of William S., was born in the latter part of 1821. In 1822 the family came on, as they had come from the old Quaker settlement of Virginia, with wagon and teams, and located at what is now the land and location of the present Soldiers' Home in Center township, Grant county. Here Mr. Elliott purchased government land, all wild and undeveloped, and from this property started to carve out a home. The first family residence was a little log cabin on the banks of the Mississinewa river, and there the grandfather died in 1868, his widow passing away at an advanced age some years later. They were both of old Quaker stock and were themselves well-known and prominent Quakers of this settlement, having come North to avoid the slave-holding element. For many years Mr. Elliott was an elder in the Quaker meetings, and at the time of his death was the head of his church. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children, of whom about one-half died in childhood, while the others grew to maturity, while three are still living, as follows: Isaac, who is married and lives in Fairmount, Ohio; Elijah, who is married and resides with his family in Michigan; and a sister, the Rev. Rachel, wife of Henry Thomas, residing in Howard county, Indiana, and a leading minister of the Quaker faith.

Reuben Elliott, the father of William S. Elliott, was beared in Grant county, Indiana, at the old homestead of his father, and received his education in the church schools. After his marriage he settled down on a part of the homestead, and later, in 1849, the father purchased eighty acres of land from the government, which was then known as Sugar Creek Settlement, at that time in the Indian reservation, but which later became the site of the present city of Amboy. This became the home of Reuben Elliott, and here he resided until 1869 or 1870, when he moved with his family to Wabaunsee county, Kansas. There he took up a seetion of school land and broke a fine farm from the raw prairie, developing an excellent homestead, and planting an orchard which became famous throughout that locality, and was noted for its beauty, being located on a plateau which gave it eminence for many miles sur¬ rounding. Reuben Elliott died, honored and respected by all who knew him, in 1897, while his wife passed away there in 1903, at the age of eighty-four years. Mr. Elliott was for many years an elder in the Quaker church, in which his wife was a noted preacher. He was a stal¬ wart Abolitionist, and when the Republican party was organized he joined its forces. His children were as follows: William S. ; Elwood, who died unmarried when a young man ; Keziah, the wife of Pleasant Perry, residing on the old Elliott homestead in Kansas; Mary E., who died in infancy; Sarah, who is the wife of William Hinshaw and lives in the vicinity of the old homestead in Kansas ; Yiretta, the wife of Marceta Walton, living at Sunnyside, Washington; Isaac N., for years a railroad conductor and engineer in Kansas, who died at the home of his brother William S., of injuries received in a wreck, while his widow and children live in Kansas City, Missouri; and Joseph Clarkson, a railroad carpenter and contractor whose home is in Topeka, Kansas.

William S. Elliott was born on the old homestead farm in Grant county, Indiana, on the present site of the Mess Hall of the National Military Home, January 20, 1844. He received his education in the Quaker and public schools and the Friends' Academy, and in reality has never ceased studying, as he has been a keen student of human nature and an observer all of his life, as well as a great reader. He became a pioneer tile-maker, the first in this section of the State, starting in a crude way aiid gradually developing his business until he had produced the first steam and gear machine, this being later worked out from his method by Chandler & Taylor, of Indianapolis. This has since been the plan and principle by which all of these machines have been manufac¬ tured. In addition, Mr. Elliott early turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he met with unqualified success, accumulating a hand¬ some property in Center and Liberty townships, a part being the present city of Radley, which was named in honor of his wife. There he has more than 200 acres, all in a high state of cultivation, being operated by the most up-to-date machinery and modern methods.

In August, 1862, Mr. Elliott enlisted in Company C, Eighty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private, being then not nine¬ teen years of age. He joined for three years ' service, but before he had been out five weeks he was taken prisoner by the Confederates, at Mumfordsville. Shortly thereafter, he was paroled and sent home, and six weeks later was exchanged and rejoined his regiment at Memphis, Tennessee. There he did post duty while the army marched on to Vicks¬ burg, Mississippi, but eighteen weeks later, during which time Mr. Elliott did much special duty of an important nature, he was appointed a non¬ commissioned officer. Early in 1864 the regiment was ordered into the field and went to Vicksburg under General Sherman to raid all that section in Mississippi as far as Meridian, destroying the enemy's stores, factories, etc., and tlfen returned to Vicksburg. The Eighty-ninth was later sent to meet Banks, at Alexandria, to support that general, but never lost its identity as a part of the Sixteenth Army Corps. Later the regiment was engaged in moving gun-boats and transports up the Mississippi river, but in April, 1864, left the transports to assist General Banks and his retreating army. The Sixteenth Army Corps allowed him to retreat through their lines, and then checked the Confederates in the Battle of Pleasant HUl, where both sides met with great loss. Later the

Union army retired from the Red river country, and was subsequently sent North and West, against Forrest at the battle of Tupelo, Mississippi, where that general's army was scattered. Returning to Memphis, Mr. Elliott's regiment was sent with others to St. Louis, and took part in driving General Price and his army out of Missouri, and then returned to St. Louis and was sent by transport to Nashville, arriving there on the eve of the great battle of Franklin. Two days of hard fighting ensued, following which Hood's defeated army was pursued to the Ten¬ nessee river. The regiment was then sent to New Orleans, and thence via the gulf route to Mobile, participating in the siege of that city, which lasted two weeks. It was then sent to Montgomery, Alabama, and was at that point when the news came of General Lee's surrender, the regi¬ ment being then ordered to Mobile, where the men were discharged and mustered out of the service, July 26, 1865. Mr. Elliott's record was that of a faithful soldier, who won promotion by reason of his bravery and gallant service.

Returning to his home by way of Indianapolis, Mr. Elliott again engaged in farming on an extensive scale, but for the past two years has made his home in Fairmount, having retired somewhat from active life. He has always been a stanch Republican, and has served as a member of the common council for ten years, being chairman of the board for the past four years, an office which he still holds. At the age of twentyfour years he was made an elder in the Quaker church, in which he served for fourteen years as meeting clerk, and for six years as clerk of the quarterly meetings. For the past six years Mr. Elliott has been trustee of the White Institute of Wabash county, an institution for the care of poor and needy children. *

In the fall of 1865 Mr. Elliott was married in Grant county, Indiana, to Miss Ruth Wilson, daughter of Jesse Wilson, a prominent churchman here, and she died eighteen months later without issue. Mr. Elliott 's second marriage was to Miss Alice Radley, in Fairmount, Indiana, she born in England, in 1845, and brought to this country as a child by her parents, Samuel and Mary (Bull) Radley. The Radleys have always been agricultural people and Quakers, and the parents of Mrs. Elliott spent their lives in farming in Grant county ? where both died. Eleven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, all of whom are living, having homes and families of their own. They have been well educated and fitted for honorable places in the world and are credits to their par¬ ents and their community. They were born as follows : Wilson R., born May 31, 1869 ; Mary, bora January 19, 1871 ; Edward E., born February 23, 1872 ; Elizabeth J., born October 26, 1873 ; Frederick Charles, born October 23, 1875 ; Stanley P., born November 1, 1877 ; Walter W., born February 6, 1879; Gertrude A., born October 19, 1880; Rebecca Ruth, born September 4, 1882 ; Samuel R., born September 26, 1884 ; and Lucy V., born September 26, 1886.

George W. Webster. One of the men of a past generation who helped to make the real history of Grant county was the late George W. Webster. He came to this community at an early day, when conditions were in a most primitive state, and during the long*years of his residence hereabouts he played well his part in the development and growth of the city and county. To such men as he the county owes more than may ever adequately be estimated, and perhaps no man of his day is more kindly remembered than is George W. Webster.

Born at Fairfax, Vermont, near St. Albans, he made his home in that vicinity until he was about twenty years of age, then going to New Orleans, next to Piqua, Ohio, and finally coming to Marion, Indiana.

Here he followed the trade of a carpenter and contractor, which he had learned as a young man, and he built many houses and bridges in the county, among the residences which he constructed being a , dwelling house for his father-in-law, Dr. McKinney, in 1836. Railroad building was a branch of construction work to which he gave considerable atten¬ tion, and although a vast amount of work was done on some of the early railroads they were never completed. Among some of the larger edifices which were erected by Mr. Webster were a college building in Chicago, the court house in Marion wrhich gave place to the present Grant county court house and the Smithson College building at Logansport. Through¬ out Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana are also to be found many bridges of his construction.

In his political faith Mr. Webster was a Republican, and at one time he served out an unexpired term as county treasurer, but was never a man to seek public office at any time. His death occurred on the 13th of February, 1892, at the fine old age of eighty years.

Mr. Webster married Miss Maria J. McKinney, the daughter of Dr. McKinney, of Miami county, Ohio. She was born May 12, 1816, in Miami county, Ohio, and she survived her husband but a little more than a year, death claiming her in June, 1893. Both had been life long members of the Christian church, and they were known for worthy Christian people, honored and esteemed by all who shared in their acquaintance. They were the parents of eight children, concerning whom brief mention is made here as follows: William C., the eldest, is now vice-president of the First National Bank of Marion, and is a man of influence and high standing in the city where he has long been known. Euretta married Dr. Milton Jay, of Chicago. Dr. Elery C. Webster is a practicing physician of Marion, Indiana. George Webster, Jr., was for twenty-two years cashier of the Marion State Bank, but has recently retired. More extended mention of his life will be found on other pages of this historical work. Marietta married George W. Spencer and lives in Chicago. Three other children of the family died in infancy. All of the surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Webster are occupying places of prominence in their various communities, and all are well worthy of the esteem and regard in which they are held wherever they are known.

George Webster, Jr. Before George Webster, Jr., settled down to the banking business in real earnest he tried his luck at many and varied business enterprises, in all of which he realized a fair degree of success, but in none of which he was entirely contented. But his ten years' experience in banking when he first launched out in independent life seemed never to be forgotten, and in 1890 he forsook all other interests, returned to Marion, the town in which he was born and reared, and identified himself with the Marion State Bank as cashier, a position he held for twenty-two years. At that time he sold his banking interests and retired from the business.

Mr. Webster was born on the 28th of October, 1849, at the family home on the corner of Fifth and Washington streets, Marion, a son of George W. and Maria J. (McKinney) Webster, both now deceased. Concerning the father extended mention is made elsewhere in this work in a memorial sketch dedicated to him, so that further reference to the parents of Mr. Webster is unnecessary at this point.

George Webster attended when a boy the public schools, and when he was nineteen accepted his first position - a clerkship in a grocery store. It was thus that he earned the money to pay his way through the Bryant and Stratton Business College in Chicago, from which he was graduated after pursuing a full course of business training in that pioneer and still famous business institution. Returning to Marion, he became deputy county clerk, a position he continued to fill for three years. He engaged in the grocery trade when his services with the county were ended, but the venture did not prove an attractive one with him and he soon sold his interest and went to Manistee, Michigan, where he entered the employ of a large lumber concern as bookkeeper. When he once more returned to Marion, in 1879, he was appointed cashier of Sweetzer's Bank, a position he continued to fill for something like ten years, and he then went to Chicago, becoming interested there in the manufacture of leather goods. For two and a half years he was thus occupied, and at the end of the time disposed of his interests and, locating in Wabash, Indiana, purchased the electric light plant, which he remodeled, putting the plant in excellent shape and continued to operate it for eighteen months. It was at the close of that period that he once more retraced his steps to Marion, here buying an interest in the Marion State Bank and becoming its cashier, a position he continued to fill until his retirement from business, in March, 1913. He has earned an excellent reputation for ability in finance in the banking circles of the state, and is reckoned among the most dependable men of the city, and one whose integrity may not be questioned.

On the 14th of February, 1884, Mr. Webster was married in Wabash, Indiana, to Miss Marie Daughtery, a daughter of Josiah Daughtery, and they have one son, Lawrence B. Webster. Mr. Webster is a stanch and active Republican, and has done good work in the interests of the party whenever the occasion presented itself. The cause of education is one that has also had his special interest, and he was a member of the Marion school board for nine years, serving it in the positions of presi¬ dent and treasurer. He takes a pardonable pride in the educational system of the city which is his home, and his influence in connection with the moral conditions of the community is a most praiseworthy one. He was a member of the library board that was instrumental in securing for Marion its present magnificent library building, and his honest endeavors for the advancement of the city has been felt along every possible line. Fraternally he is associated with the Knights of Pythias, Grant Lodge, No. 103, of w'hich he was the first chancellor commander and was for five years grand treasurer for the state of Indiana. He is at the present time a member of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Boys' School, located at Plainfield, Indiana.

James Charles. The Charles family was founded in Grant county more than half a century ago and its name has been most prominently and worthily linked with the progress and upbuilding of the city of Marion, judicial center of the county. The late James Charles was a young man at the time when he established his home in this city and through ability, close application and sterling integrity of purpose he gained and long retained precedence as one of the leading business men and influential citizens of the county, where his memory is held in lasting honor. Virtually his entire active career wfas devoted to the milling busi¬ ness and he became one of the leading exponents of this line of enter¬ prise in central Indiana. He was a man of broad views and sound judg¬ ment, vigorous and self-reliant, loyal and public-spirited, and his strong individuality combined with sterling attributes of character to make him well equipped for leadership in popular sentiment and action. He held various positions of public trust, including that of representative of his district in the state senate, and his high standing in the com¬ munity that long represented his home and the stage of his activities

James Charles was bom in Cornwall, England, on the 22d of Decem¬ ber, 1835, and in both the paternal and maternal lines was a scion of the stanchest of English stock. He was the tenth in order of birth of the twelve children of Richard and Mary (Oates) Charles. His father was a miller by trade and vocation and followed this occupation in his native land until 1854, when he immigrated with his family to the United States. He first located at Buffalo, New York, but about one year later he came to Indiana and established his residence in Grant county, where he continued to be identified with the milling business during the residue of his active career, his death having occurred, at Marion in 1905, and his wife having survived him by several years.

In the schools of his native land James Charles received a good practical education, which he later rounded out and made symmetrical through self-discipline and active association with men and affairs. He learned the miller's trade under the effective direction of his honored father and he anticipated his parents and other members of the family in coming to America, as he crossed the Atlantic in 1854. Soon after his arrival he found employment at his trade in the city of Buffalo, New York, where he was thus engaged for three years. He then came to Indiana and first located at Fort Wayne, but in December of the same year he came to Grant county and assumed charge of the City mill, the leading flouring mill in the comity. He operated this mill for a period of fourteen years and then retired from active business, but at the expiration of one year he again rented the mill, of which he became the owner in 1881. He made many improvements in the prop¬ erty and kept the same up to a high standard in its mechanical equip¬ ment and other accessories. He continued the operation of the mill for many years and with marked success, having retained the same in his possession until his death, which occurred on the 8th of Decem¬ ber, 1905. From the time of their marriage until their death he and liis wife lived continuously in one locality, though various improve¬ ments were made upon the lot and the house with the passing of years.

Mr. Charles was an aggressive business man, fertile in expedients and an indefatigable worker, but he did not hedge himself in with the affairs and exactions of his business interests, but stood foremost in giving his influence and tangible co-operation in the support of meas¬ ures and enterprises tending to advance the civic and material wel¬ fare of his home city and county. He was identified with the various commercial and general business organizations formed in Marion and wielded large and beneficent influence in community affairs, the while he had the respect and confidence of all those who could appreciate honesty, integrity and loyalty. He served two terms as a member of the city council, and in 1880 further evidence of popular esteem was given, by his election as a member of the board of county commissioners, to which important post he was re-elected in 1882 and in which he advo¬ cated progressive policies and labored zealously for the proper admin¬ istration of the affairs of the county. His loyalty to the land of his adoption was of the most intense order, and he was well fortified in his opinions concerning matters of governmental and economic policy, his allegiance being given unequivocally to the Republican party, as a representative of which he was finally elected to the state senate, in which body he made an admirable record.

On the 1st of July, 1860, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Charles to Miss Sarah Elma Secrist, who was born in the state of Ohio, on the 26th of June, 1842, and who was a daughter of John Secrist, a miller by trade and vocation. The home life of Mr. and Mrs. Charles was marked by ideal relations and associations and she survived him by several years. She continued to reside in the old homestead until her death, which occurred on the 1st of September, m 1912, and her name is held in affectionate memory by all who came within the sphere of her gentle and gracious influence. Of the eleven children of Mr. and Mrs. Charles six attained to maturity, and of these John Edwin died in 1887. The five children who survive the parents are all residents of Marion. Miss Lulu Charles is a popular factor in the social life of her native city; James F. is a representative member of the Marion bar and is individually mentioned on other pages of this work; Harry S. is employed by the Marion Light and Heating Company; Mark E. is engaged in general contracting ; and Bessie is the wife of A. L. Higbee.

James F. Charles. On other pages of this work is entered a memoir to the late James Charles, who w*as one of the honored pioneers and influential citizens of Grant county, and thus it is not demanded that the record of his career and of the family history be repeated in the following epitome of the life of his son, James F., who is one of the representative members of the bar of his native county and who is engaged in the successful practice of his profession in the city of Marion, judicial center and metropolis of Grant county.

James F. Charles was born in the city that is now his home and the date of his nativity was December 30, 1872. He received his early educational discipline in the public schools of Marion and was graduated in the high school when but fourteen years of age, in 1887 - a fact indi¬ cating his receptiveness and also his ambition and appreciation. He was at the time the youngest person ever graduated in the Marion high school. After leaving school he gained practical and valuable business experience by entering the flour mill conducted by his father, and with the operations and business management of the same he continued to be actively identified until 1896, in the meanwhile show¬ ing himself of distinctive business acumen, - a trait evidently inherited from his father and grandfather, the names of both of whom have been prominent in connection with industrial activities in Grant county.

Desirous of fitting himself for a broader field of endeavor, Mr. Charles severed his association with his father's business and was matric¬ ulated in the law department of the celebrated University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. In this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1898 and he received therefrom his well earned degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then returned to his native city and was forth¬ with admitted to the Indiana bar. He has become continuously engaged in the active practice of law in Marion since the autumn of 1898 and has gained secure prestige as one of the prominent and resourceful representatives of the bar of Grant county. He has won success through close application and the proper utilization of his admirable powers as a strong and versatile advocate and well fortified counselor. He continues a close student and is specially well fortified in the involved and exacting science of jurisprudence, the while he is a stickler in the observance of the unwritten ethical code of his profession, so that he commands the confidence and high regard of his confreres at the bar, as does he also those of the general public. In the practice of his profession he has had various partnership alliances but his law busi¬ ness is now conducted in an independent way, with a clientage of important and representative character.

Eri Rich And Family

of its influential representatives in this section of the state. Through several important campaigns he served as vice-chairman of the Repub¬ lican central committee of Grant county and he has otherwise been active in furthering the party cause. He has served as city attorney of Marion for the past ten years, under three different administrations, and his long retention of this position indicates the value of his services and the estimate placed upon him in the community that has ever been his home. Upon the organization of the present Grant County Bar Association Mr. Charles had the distinction of being elected its first president, and he is one of its active and valued members at the present time. He is essentially progressive and liberal in his civic attitude and gives his support to those undertakings that tend to conserve the general good of the community. He is secretary and a director of the United States Glove Company, representing one of the important indus¬ trial enterprises of Marion, and is an influential member of the Marion Civic Assembly. He is Past Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent & Pro¬ tective Order of Elks and a member of the Knights of Pythias.

Connubial responsibilities were assumed by Mr. Charles on the 11th of June, 1907, when he wedded Miss Edith M. Esler, who was born in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and the two children of this union are Robert Franklin, who was bora May 12, 1908; and Edwin Esler, who was bom June 26, 1911.

Eri Rich. Of the substantial old Quaker stock which has produced such wealth of character and citizenship in Grant county, the Rich fam¬ ily has been among the worthiest representatives. Eri Rich has spent his best years in this county, has prospered in health and lands, has reared a family to do him credit, and has possessed the esteem of all whose lives he has touched in business or social relations. Mr. Rich after a long career of farming has in recent years lived in Fairmount, and has made a reputation as a breeder of fine horses, his skill in this direction having made him well known among stock men of northeastern Indiana.

Eri Rich was bom in the southern part of Hamilton county, Indiana, near Carmel, October 12, 1840. His father was Joseph Rich, his grand¬ father Peter Rich, Jr., both natives of Randolph county, North Carolina, while the great-grandfather was Peter Rich, Sr., a native of England. Peter Rich, Sr., was married in his native land, and came to America about the time of or a little before the Revolutionary war. He lived and died in Randolph county, North Carolina, and reached a good old age. His wife was also old at the time of her death. They had a family of children, among whom was Peter, Jr.

Peter Rich, Jr., was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, about 1776-1777. Growing up in his native locality he learned the trade of wagon making, and was also a farmer. For many years he followed these pursuits in his native county. He married Sarah Sanders. She was a Quakeress, but her husband held to no church. Born to their marriage in North Carolina were the following children: Aaron, Joseph, Isaac, Jesse, John, David, and three daughters, Mary, Rebecca and Martha.

Joseph Rich, the third in the above named family, and the father of Eri Rich was born in North Carolina, in 1811. In 1830 or 1831, before he was of age, he bought his time from his father and came north to Indiana, locating near Carmel, in Hamilton county, on eighty acres of government land. His home was in the wilderness, and in a clearing among the woods he put up a log cabin, cutting the timbers from the standing trees. An interesting fact concerning this old pioneer of Ham¬ ilton county is that he set out soon after locating there two acres of apples and peach trees, and that orchard grew and flourished, and for yol n - i many years was one of the best in all that part of Indiana. Some years after his own settlement, his parents and other members of the family came on to Indiana, locating in Grant county, in Fairmount township, during the latter forties. Thus the latter years of Peter Rich and wife were spent in Grant county, where Peter died at the age of eighty-six years and his wife at the age of eighty-seven. After getting well started in his new home in Hamilton county, Joseph Rich met and married Miriam Newby. She was born in North Carolina, was a young woman when she accompanied her parents to Hamilton county, and her people spent their lives in that section. The first wife of Joseph Rich died in Hamilton county, August 22, 1851. She was born January 28, 1803. In 1852 Joseph Rich after the death of his wife, brought his family to Grant county, having sold his property in Hamilton county. He bought land in Liberty township and lived there a number of years finally retiring and making his home at Fairmount where he died about 1896. After coming to Grant county he was three times married, but had no children. His first wife left six children named as follows : Sarah, who married Abner Halloway, who died in Fairmount, and she now lives in Fairmount township, having a family, all of whom are married. Mary, the second child, is the wife of James Marley, of Fairmont, but has no children. The next in order is Eri Rich. Asenath is the wife of John Seale, an Englishman, now living in California, and they have a family of children. Jessie S. married Angeline Jenkins, now deceased, and he lives in the southeastern part of the state of Kansas near Baxter, and has a family. Eliza is the wife of Frank Davis, and lives in Fairmount having children.

Eri Rich was about twelve years old when his father moved from Hamilton county to Grant county. He grew up on a farm, received a substantial education in the local schools, and taking up the vocation to which he had been trained, he conducted a place in the country for a number of years. In 1869, he moved to Miami county, Indiana, where he improved the farm of sixty acres. That land was subsequently traded for a place in Grant county, comprising one hundred and sixty-eight acres. In 1897, Mr. Rich moved to Fairmount, retiring from active agri¬ culture, and has since devoted his time to trade and stock breeding. For five years he was a feed merchant at Fairmount. Since then practi¬ cally all his work has been in the raising of registered stock. He owns several excellent horses, including the Belgian horse named Ameer, a fine Percheron named Minstrel, and also a fine Belgian named Edmund. He has made a reputation as a careful breeder, and maintains one of the best stables in Grant county.

Mr. Rich was married in Grant county in 1861 to Elizabeth A. David¬ son. She was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, January 20. 1841, a daughter of Joseph and Rena (White) Davidson, who were Quaker people, farmers, and natives of North Carolina. The family moved to Indiana about 1858, leased a farm in Grant county, and later in the same year the parents moved to Minnesota where they died at a good old age. Mr. and Mrs. Rich became the parents of eleven children, whose names and careers are briefly stated as follows : Enos died when young ; Rena Ellen is the wife of Ray McHatten, and has three children, Grace, Effie and Fred; M. Etta is the wife of Micajah Thomas, living in Fairmount, and their children are Everett, who is married, Adelbert, Clarence W., and Cleo F., the youngest being at home and all the chil¬ dren well educated ; Elwood lives in Huntington county, is married and has three sons, Robert, William and Ralph; John is married, and has a family of one son, Alvie, and two daughters, Lulu and Ethel, and lives in Fairmount ; Lucina is the widow of Lewis Thomas, living in Hunt- ington, Indiana, and has two sons, Eri and Walter; Milton resides in Fairmount township, is married and has three sons, Doite, Earl and Glen; Eliza is the wife of Norman Little, living in Huntington county, and they are the parents of three sons, Orville, Willard and Virgil ; May is the wife of Arthur Marsh, living in California, and they have two sons, Albert and Walter Eri; Eunice died after her marriage to Alfred Marine, leaving one son Eri. The twelfth and youngest child died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Rich are both birthright members of the Friends church. Mr. Rich was for a number of years a Republican voter, but latterly has supported the Democratic party.

George A. -H. Shideler. One of the best known men in the state of Indiana is George A. H. Shideler, secretary and general manager of the Marion Flint Glass Company, and practically all his life a resi¬ dent of Grant county. Few men in Marion are so well known as he, and his is a familiar figure to every man, woman and child in the city. A product of Grant county, he was bora in Jonesboro, on Novem¬ ber 23, 1863, and is the son of a well known family of that place.

When nine years of age Mr. Shideler removed to Indianapolis, Indiana, in company with his parents and there he attended school until the age of fifteen, when he took a position as cash boy in the New York Store, in that city. He was an ambitious youth, and it was but a few years before he was able to take a place as traveling salesman for a prominent dry goods house of the city, but when natural gas was discovered in Marion in 1887 he left his traveling position and came to Marion, becoming interested as a stockholder in the Marion* Flint Glass Company, being elected secretary of the company. The factory has long been rated among the most solidly established enter¬ prises in the city, and is operated in accordance with the most advanced methods in vogue today among glass manufacturers.

Mr. Shideler is a man who has always taken an active and prominent part in local and district politics, and his public usefulness has extended to the state legislature, to which he was elected in 1896 and re-elected in 1899. He was appointed a member of the Board of Control of the Reform School for Boys, located at Plainfield, his appointment coming from Governor Mount in 1897. He resigned the place in 1899 when he was elected a second time to the legislature, but was re-ap¬ pointed in 1900, in consequence of the excellent work he did as a member of that board. In 1899 he was tendered the position of Warden of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City, receiving the appointment through the governor and the board of managers, and he accepted the office, holding it for two years, when he resigned, since which time he has devoted his entire time and activities to the care of his many and varied private interests. As warden of the Indiana State Prison Mr. Shideler gained a nationwide reputation and no penal institution in the country was better managed than was that institution under his regime. A man of broad human sympathies, keen understanding and humanitarian tendencies, he was eminently fitted for the duties of his position, and he was ever found to be a friend to the unfortunate, who most needed a friend and counselor. He is especially interested in the boy problem, so potent a one in the present day social scheme, and his wide experience in state criminal institutions has taught him that the secret of true manhood lies in controlling the early tendencies of the boy and surrounding him with every safeguard that is- humanly possible in early life. It is not too much to say that Mr. Shideler is one of the most popular men in Grant county today, and one who is most deserving of mention in a historical and biographical work of this order.

Mr. Shideler married July 26, 1894, Margaret Ball, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Ball, of Marion. They have two boys, Robert, aged eighteen, and Richard, aged twelve.

Marcus M. Kilgore. The Farmer's Trust & Savings Company of Marion , is one of the solidest and most representative financial institu¬ tions of Grant county. Every financial institution during its earlier years acquires estimation and influence in a community largely through the character and reputation of the men who§e names are most inti¬ mately associated with the undertaking. Some institutions of this kind which have enjoyed prosperous careers of many years apparently lose this personal element in their composition, and continue to exist and enjoy the confidence of the public with apparently little regard to the business managers. But with a new banking house or similar concern, whose prosperity rests upon commercial credit, the personal factor is always the indispensable quality. The success and prosperity of the Farmer's Trust & Savings Company of Marion, which was established only a few years ago, have been to a large degree a reflection of the personal integrity and high business standing of its president, Mr. Marcus M. Kilgore. Mr. Kilgore has been identified with Grant county nearly all the years of his life, and is a plain man of solid worth, whose life and activities have always been above board, and such as to stimu¬ late and give permanence to the confidence reposed in him by a large community.

Marcus M. Kilgore was born on a farm in Franklin county, Indiana, .June 26, 1850. He is a son of David and Charity (Sislove) Kilgore. His father, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1808, and who was a lifelong farmer by occupation, and the mother, who was bom in Frank¬ lin county, Indiana, in 1811, both came to Grant county in 1852 and -spent the remainder of their lives in this vicinity. His father died in this county in 1896. There were eight children in the family, and besides the banker, the three others still living are: Hercules Kilgore of Marion; G. W. Kilgore, of Port Lisbon, Grant county; and Mrs. Susanna Keever, of Marion.

Two years of age when the parents came to Grant county, Marcus M. Kilgore was reared on the old home farm in this county and attained most of his education by attending the district schools, chiefly during the winter seasons. He left the farm when a young man and entered the merchandise business at Port Lisbon in this county and he was one of the successful merchants of that town for twenty years. From there he moved to Converse in Miami county, and in th^t vicinity was chiefly known as a fanner. During his residence in Miami county, he was elected to the legislature for the session of 1891 on the Demo¬ cratic ticket, representative of the counties of Cass and Miami. In 1895 Mr. Kilgore returned to Grant county, and for the following seven years was a resident upon his farm and actively engaged in its operation. In 1907 occurred his election to the office of assessor of Grant county, and he held this honorable distinction for four years. Mr. Kilgore since 1902 has been a resident of Marion, and active in business affairs of this city. In 1910 he was one of the organizers of the Farmer's Trust & Savings Company, and was chosen by other members of the company to the office /of president, a place which he has held ever since. He is still engaged in farming and has a splendid farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Liberty and Green township of this county. Mr. Kilgore is now regarded as one of the men of substantial means in Grant county, and yet looking back over a career of forty years, it can truthfully be said that he has acquired practically

July 15, 1870, Mr. Kilgore married Miss Elizabeth J. Lane, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Mordicai and Charity (Foster) Lane. Mrs. Kilgore died October 18, 1909, and the three children left at her death were: Myrtle, wife of Warren C. Pinkeman of Marion; Miss Olive Kilgore, of Marion, and Karl, who resides on his father's farm, and who married Mary Overman, and their one son is also named Karl. On June 12, 1912, Mr. Kilgore married for his second wife Mrs. Isabelle Edmundson of Marion. Mrs. Kilgore is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their home at 501 Wabash avenue is one of the most attractive residences of the city. Fraternally Mr. Kilgore is affiliated with the Elks' Club of Marion.

Joshua Strange. The prosperity and advancement of a community depends upon the social character and public spirit of its members. In every prosperous town and country center will be found citizens who take the lead and give their energies not alone to their well being, but to the things that mean better and fuller life for all. Such a citizen in Grant county has Mr. Joshua Strange been recognized for many years.

As to his position in life and the work to which he has chiefly devoted himself it is somewhat difficult to classify Mr. Strange. A large number of the years of his active career were spent in farming and stock raising on a large scale in the eastern part of the county in Monroe township, but for a long time his name has been prominently associated with business, industrial and financial organizations in this part of the state. There is no question, however, but that Mr. Strange represents first and foremost the rural interests of this county. That he is by no means restricted in his activities and sympathies, since he has for some years been a national and state figure in everything that pertains to the development of the country and the welfare of the rural residents. With Joshua Strange it is a belief like the gospel that civilization rests at bottom on the wholesomeness, the attractiveness, and the completeness of life in the country. In the accomplishments of his long and useful life, if he might be privileged to express a signifi¬ cance for what he has done he would undoubtedly desire that his life work might stand for something actually done in developing country life to its greater efficiency and prosperity.

Joshua Strange is one of the oldest native sons of Grant county. He was bom in* this county November 18, 1844, a son of George and Lydia (Buckwall) Strange. His father was born in Highland county, Ohio, November 12, 1819, and gave practically all his life to the occupa¬ tion of farming. A few years were spent in partnership with William Hayes in the packing and shipping of hogs. This enterprise had its seat in Grant county, and the partners bought a large number, of hogs at 10c per pound, after which the market immediately dropped to 7c before they had accepted delivery of the hogs. The partners, however, stood by their contract, -and paid the ten cents, and in order to equalize things they had to buy a great quantity at the price of seven cents per pound. These transactions occurred about 1863, during the height \>f the Civil war period. The late George Strange came to Grant county in 1841, making his permanent settlement here in that year. Two years previously he had come to the county and selected the site on which he subsequently built his cabin home. After making this selection of his home he walked all the way back to Highland county, Ohio. The set¬ tlement of George Strange wras one hundred and twenty acres of land in section nine of Monroe township, that land having previously been entered by his father Absalom Strange, who had attained his grant from the government. Absalom Strange had gone from Ohio to Indiana to enter land, going via Indianapolis to Fort Wayne from Highland county, Ohio, where he returned after entering this land and where he remained until his death. George Strange spent most of the years of his active life in Monroe township, where at one time he owned seven hundred and twenty acres of land. He was a man of remarkable energy, and kept active supervision over his affairs until he was eighty years of age. He and his wife kept their own house and managed their own affairs even when extremely old. In the fall of 1908 Mr. George Strange was stricken with heart trouble and never fully recovered previous to his death which occurred October 1, 1909. In politics he was an ' 4 old hickory Democrat. ' 9 For twelve years he served as trustee of Monroe township, and during that time his annual service to the township never cost the public to exceed $67.00.

Lydia (Buckwall) Strange, the mother of Joshua Strange, was born in Highland county, Ohio, September 18, 1819, and died February 19, 1910, being then past ninety years of age. Although at that extreme age her death resulted from a fall when she broke her hip. She was a lineal descendant in the fourth generation from the Princess Louisa of the female side of the house of Hapsburg. Her grandfather, whose name was Ellis, was a Revolutionary soldier, and accompanied Wash¬ ington on his stormy voyage across the Delaware River to surprise the Hessians at Trenton. The late George Strange and wife were parents of eight children, five of whom are still living.

It was the fortune, of which he is now proud, of Joshua Strange to have been born under a primitive old homestead in the woods of Monroe township, in surroundings where the wolves and other wild animals were more numerous than domestic cattle, and at a time when this country was only a few years distant from its earliest settlement. When old enough to attend school he went to the first school in the district, at Arcana, originally called Mouron, and platted in 1852 for a town, of which Mr. Strange has the original plat. At this school the teacher and his family lived in half of the school building, only a slight parti¬ tion separating the two apartments. This school was taught by William Harrison. There are many novel and interesting reminiscences of those days which Mr. Strange relates, and they would all be valuable material for local history. His attendance at the district school was completed in a school house erected by the community and it is noteworthy that Mr. Strange now owns all the land where this school house stood; the old site at the present is abandoned, and the school was supplanted by a new frame building with the Masonic Hall over the school rooms.

When he was nineteen years of age, Mr. Strange entered the old seminary at Marion, where he was a student thirty-six days, and at the end of that time attained eighteen months' license for teaching. His first term of school was at Griffin school district, where he taught two terms during the years of 1864-65-66. He also taught two terms at the Number One school house in Monroe township. At the subsequent examination he obtained a certificate for two years, but declined any further solicitations to teach, and thence forward devoted all his time to stock raising and farming.

It is one of the distinctions of Mr. Strange as a farmer that he was probably the first man in the county to undertake the breeding of thorough-bred short-horn cattle on any commercial basis and produced the first herd of show cattle in the county. His business of farming was begun on eighty acres of land in section twelve of Monroe town¬ ship, where he remained for two years. During that residence he built a log house, and began housekeeping in a room eleven by fifteen feet. Two years later, having sold out, he bought the northeast quarter of section fifteen in Monroe township, and this fine body of land is still among his possessions. He remained there until 1883, in which year he built his present beautiful country home at the little village of Arcana, which is located just north of his former place and in section ten of Monroe township. He moved into the new home in January, 1884, and continued his residence there until November, 1903, at which latter date he moved to Marion, locating first at 3628 South Washington Street, a property which he still owns, and where he lived until he bought and built his present home at 612 South Bronson Street. Mr. Strange is a large land owner and at the present time has 600 acres in this county.

His active career as a stockman began in 1879, when he took up the breeding of thoroughbred short-horn cattle. In 1890 tuberculosis appeared in his herd and he had to dispose of all the survivors. In 1889 he began the breeding of pure Shropshire sheep, and continued in that industry as long as he remained on the farm.

Mr. Strange in 1889 became actively identified with the gas boom in this county. He was one among a number of associates who organized the gas company and constructed a pipe line into the town of Van Buren. He was president of this company, the Arcana Gas Company, and finally became sole owner of its stock and equipment While oper¬ ating in this field he struck the first oil well in the towmship, and when his gas wells gradually developed into oil he invented a separator which facilitated the production of the oil. In 1902 the American Window Glass Company bought out all his holdings and developments and leased his territory.

The flourishing town of Van Buren in the northeast corner of Grant county, will always owe a debt to Mr. Strange as the leader in its early development. In 1903 he secured options on two different tracts of land near the town and later bought them by the acre. They com¬ prised twenty acres within seventy-five feet of the center of town, and he platted this land and sold as business and residence lots. Subse¬ quently he bought another tract and influenced the railroad to build a new depot on his land. His enterprise made Van Buren largely what it is at the present time. His property there he sold almost entirely at a large profit during the days of rising values, and after completing his sales he retired largely from active business and has since turned over the management of his farm to his son. However, Mr. Strange has by no means given up his interest in scientific agriculture, and de¬ votes a large part of his activities and energies to means and practices for the improvement of country life.

His public and semi-public services have been so numerous and varied that it will be difficult to enumerate even the most important of them. First and foremost should be mentioned his interests in the good road movement. Mr. Strange is one of the vice presidents of the State Good Road Association, and was chosen one of the directors of the National Good Road Congress. He has been officially connected with a number of good road conventions, but has not been able to attend many of them. In* 1910 he was president of the Farmers National Congress which convened at Lincoln, Nebraska, and before which he delivered as his annual address a carefully thought out and worthy paper on " Federal Appropriation on Roads, as to its application and Work¬ able Plan, " an article which in substance was recently submitted to Senator Bourne, chairman of the Congressional Committee on Federal aid to postal roads. Senator Bourne had requested Mr. Strange's opin-

Mr. Strange has been a member of the Christian church since 1866. Fraternally he has been affiliated with the Odd-Fellows since 1890. In following out the varied activities of this remarkable citizen it is of interest to note that he was one of the original grangers in Grant county, having become active in that order during the early seventies. He was secretary of the first grange organized in the county, and subse¬ quently became master and later delegate to the state grange. He organized at Marion the largest grange with charter membership in the history of the order. Mr. Strange was also a member and was consti¬ tuted state organizer for the Mutual Benefit Association, during its existence. Co-operative movements with objects for the extension of practical benefit and for educational ends have always enlisted the hearty cooperation of Mr. Strange, and he has been identified with a number of minor enterprises of kindred nature.

Politically his interests and activities have always been directed to the agrarian movement. In 1888 the Democrats, without his consent or knowledge, nominated him for the office of representative to the state legislature. In 1890 at the organization of the new, People's party, he was nominated for the legislature and the Democrats refused to name a candidate against him. However, he was defeated. In 1890 he was elected treasurer of the State Central Committee and in 1892 state chairman of the People 's party with headquarters at Indianapolis. In the same year he was nominated and received the largest vote in the state for congress from the People's party. He 'was a delegate to the National Convention at Omaha, being chairman of the Indiana delega¬ tion and a member of the platform committee. The platform drafted at the Omaha convention by the committee of twenty-seven, of whom he was one, was one of the most remarkable documents in the history of American political parties, especially since it is said to have furnished more material for active legislation than any other platform before or since. Mr. Strange was also a member of the National Committee of the Populist party. In 1894 Mr. Strange was nominated for congress by the Peoples party, an honor which he declined, and in the same year was a delegate to the National People's party convention at St. Louis when the nominees were Bryan and Watson. He took an important part in the deliberations and actions of that convention. In 1902 he was given the honor of writing and introducing the first resolutions covering the initiative and referendum, that being the first time in the history of American party conventions that such a resolution was intro¬ duced, and actually constituted a part of the platform.

In 1895 Governor Matthews appointed Mr. Strange a delegate to the Farmers National Congress at Atlanta, Georgia. He is a life mem¬ ber of that congress and has served it officially for eight years, four years as second vice president, two years as first vice president, and two years as president, and for six years on the program to respond to address. He was elected president at Raleigh, North Carolina in 1909, and made the program for the 1910-1911 session.

Mr. Strange is a member of the National Civic Federation, and at the meeting in January 1910 of the governors of the various states at Washington he was one of the committee at large on resolutions. The governor of Indiana subsequently appointed him one of the executive council of the Civic Federation on uniform legislation of the state. He is also a member of the executive committee of the State Conservation Association.

1912, of the Good Roads Congress at Indianapolis, and was for ten years president of the State Farmers Congress. On the subject which in a general manner is covered by these organizations mentioned, and - on a great many other public questions, Mr. Strange has been for years a keen and advanced thinker, and it is a special satisfaction that in later years he has seen many of the plans and methods which he advo¬ cated anywhere from twenty to thirty years ago now instituted and a regular part of our civic code. In all matters pertaining to the farmer, Mr. Strange is readily recognized as a national figure. He is one of the vice presidents of the National Citizens League on currency and banking reforms. He was appointed from the National Civic Federa¬ tion, by its president, Seth Low, as one of the committee of one hundred on immigration, and also on other committees notably that on distribu¬ tion, and also on the one for the enforcement of the pure food laws.

Mr. Strange was one of the prime movers in the organization of the Grant County Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, a company which now carries an insurance business aggregating three and a half million dollars. He drafted the bill for the organization of the State Cyclone and Hailstorm Insurance Company of Indiana. For four years he was state secretary of the State Farmers Mutual Union Insurance Company, and at one time also represented Indiana in the National Union of the same company. He took a foremost part in the Farmers Institute of Indiana, and every honor and opportunity for service in these different capacities have come to him as a natural demand for one equipped and experienced for the best possible service, and he has given in their behalf a great deal of disinterestedness and totally unpaid service.

Mr. Strange was married on March 1, 1866, to Miss Eunice Leonard, - a daughter of George W. and Hannah Leonard, who were natives of Clinton county, Ohio. Mrs. Strange was bom in Grant county, August 3, 1845. Of the six children bom to their union, only two now survive, William T. Strange, who is active manager of the farm in Monroe town¬ ship ; and Dr. Leonard Strange, D. D. S., who for the past three years has been supervising the operation of eight hundred acres of land in Saskatchewan, and is not now engaged in the practice of his profession.

J. Nixon Eluott. Among his many Quaker friends and all classes of people, Mr. Elliott of Fairmount long enjoyed an esteem of the quality such as is only paid to persons of fine character and noble lives. He belongs to the good old pioneer stock of Indiana, and Grant county, as did also his wife ; and in their own careers they have exemplified many of the finest attributes bf the substantial Quaker people.

The history of the Elliott family, to which Mr. J. Nixon Elliott belongs goes back to great-grandfather James Elliott who was bom in Perquimans county, North Carolina, in 1730. He married Mary Nixon, and they lived and died in their native county, farmers by occupation, and of the orthodox Fox Quaker sect. All the Elliott family were rigid adherents of the Quaker religion, and though they were settled in the Carolinas from the colonial days their principles of peaceful living pre¬ vented them from taking any part in the military history of the wars through which the family record runs.

Nixon Elliott, the grandfather, was bom in Perquimans county, March 12, 1764. He married Rhoda, a daughter of Joseph and Anna Parker Scott who was bom November 10, 1773. Her father Joseph Scott was bom about 1725, was a farmer, and Quaker in religion and lived and died in North Carolina. Nixon Elliott and wife had the following chil¬ dren : Job S., bom October 7, 1795, was married in North Carolina to Mary* Dillon, afterwards came to Indiana, and both died in Henry county; James, bom September 4, 1800, was a soldier through the Seminole war and afterwards lived and died in Florida, raised a family there and one of his sons, Nixon Elliott, now lives in Pueblo, Colorado ; Elias, father of J. Nixon Elliott, was born January 12, 1803. The daughter Mary Elliott, born January 20, 1807, first married a Mr. Alberson, who died early in life leaving one child, and then she married James Stelling, and came north and died near Greentown, Indiana, leaving no children by her second marriage.

Elias Elliott, the father of J. Nixon Elliott, grew up on a farm, and when a young man moved to Guilford county, in North Carolina. There he married Martha Saunders, of Deep River, where she was born in 1797, being six years older than her husband. After their marriage they began life as farmers in Guilford county, and all their children were born in that locality. In 1849 the family came north to Indiana, and after a few months in Wayne county, moved near to Ogden in Henry county, where they bought a farm, and in the following autumn the mother died. Elias Elliott married for his second wife Jane Cane, a Quakeress of North Carolina. They comtinued to live in Henry county for seven years, and afterwards moved to Dublin, Indiana, where Elias Elliott died in 1884. He was survived some years by his wife, who died at Richmond, Indiana, at the age of seventy-five. Both were lifelong members of the Friends church. By the second marriage of Elias Elliott, the following children are noted : John B., who lives in Richmond, In¬ diana, contractor and builder, and has one son and one daughter; Martha, who died early in life ; Emma, who died in childhood.

By his first marriage Elias Elliott had the following children: 1. William S., died recently near Greentown, in Howard county, at the age of eighty-four. He was for many years a substantial farmer. He mar¬ ried Sarah Havenridge, and they had a large family, two of whom are yet living; after death of his first wife William S. married Avis Irish. One of their children died in infancy, the two living are Mrs. Mary Golding and Charles Elliott of Oregon. 2. Patrick H. lived and died in Henry county, was a farmer by occupation, and attained the age of seventy-eight years. His first wife was Sarah Applegate, and his second was Levina Reeves. They had a family of children. 3. Dr. David S. died at the age of thirty-three years. He was a graduate of the medical department of Michigan University at Ann Arbor, and was president of the County Medical Society at the time of his death. Dr. Elliott mar¬ ried Hanna Cobb and had two children, both girls, one, Delphina, died aged 16, Hettie is still living, a teacher in the public schools of Rich¬ mond, Indiana. 4. James Nixon Elliott is the* next in line. 5. Mary Jane is the wife of J. W. Griffin, a farmer of Spiceland, Indiana. She was first married to Alfred Hall.

J. Nixon Elliott, was born at Deep River, Guilford county, North Carolina, October 28, 1837. When he was eleven years old the family moved to Henry county, Indiana, and there he grew up and received a practical training on a farm, and also some early educational advantages in the pioneer schools. At the close of the war he went south to Macon, Mississippi, and for one year was engaged in teaching the children of the Freedmen. In 1864 his brother David had moved to Grant county, and on J. Nixon Elliott's return from Mississippi he located in Fairmount. He bought a drug store at that place and continued actively in the drug business for fourteen years. Afterwards he changed his line for dry goods and was an active merchant for a number of years. For a long time he has been retired, and now lives in his fine home at 127 E. Washington street in Fairmount.