Hamilton County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 1 of 14)

Biographical sketches

The Christians of old Virginia, of Georgia and Indiana always have been a generous, high-spirited, struggle-conquering, home-loving, country-serv¬ ing, God-fearing, stalwart people. The subject of this sketch is a true scion of the old stock and a very worthy representative of the family. Wherever you meet him he is always the same cheery, level-headed, well-poised, plainspoken, generous-minded, open-hearted, enthusiastic man, with clear vision, seeing through the social, civil and political pretenses, yet never ill-natured in doing so.

A man who loves the silent road, the pathless woods, the flowers of the fields, the lifting hills, the open sky, and the storm-bearing ocean, and who from his boyhood has known the blue-bird to be the emblem of happiness, and yet, with deeper ardor, loves his fellowmen, the people, the honest, com¬ mon people, for he is one of them.

His greatest delight is found in his own home, with his good wife, his children and his children's children. Is a lover of a good horse and has always owned one. His few books, his flowers, his farm and his little gar¬ den are things that contribute much to his enjoyment.

Judge Christian is a member of the Christian church, and holds to no creed but the Bible. He is a Republican in. politics, honored bv his party and honoring it with a fealty that has in it no shadow of turning, but at the same time is most generous to his political opponents. He believes that the Ameri¬ can woman should share with the men all civil and political rights; that they are by nature the two halves of the human race, appointed by God to walk together side by side, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, bearing each its equal burden ; he, the father, and she the mother of the race. He is opposed to the liquor business in every shape and form, holding that the government that sanctions its sale by license or otherwise is guilty along with the men that sell it. He believes that honest toil should have an honest wage, that the

His favorites among the gems of literature are the Book of Job, the Psalms of David, the Four Gospels, the letters of St. Paul, Homer's Illiad, Milton's Paradise Lost, the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles, and the plays of Shakespeare, the world's greatest poet. History holds charms for him no less than poetry; these are the things that keep his world renewed and sweet and ever young.

Do wrong to none; be able for thine adversary Rather in power than use; and keep thy friend Under thine own life's key; be checked for silence,

History and biography for the most part record the lives of only those who have attained military, political or literary distinction, or who in any other career have passed through extraordinary vicissitudes of fortune. The unostentations routine of private life, although in the aggregate more im¬ portant to the welfare of the community, cannot, from its very nature, figure in the public annals. But the names of men who have distinguished them¬ selves in their day and generation for the possession, in an eminent degree, of those qualities of character which mainly contribute to the success of private life and to public stability- - of men who, without dazzling talents, have been exemplary in all their personal and social relations, and who have enjoyed the esteem, confidence and respect of those around them - ought not to be allowed to perish. Few can draw rules for their own guidance from the pages of Plutarch, but all are benefited by the delineation of those traits of character which find scope and exercise in the common walks of life. Among the individuals of this class is Ira W. Christian. His record is the account of a life which is, in the main, uneventful, as far as stirring inci¬ dents or startling adventure is concerned, yet is distinguished by the most substantial qualities of character. His life history exhibits a career of un¬ swerving integrity, indefatigable private industry and wholesome home and social relations - a most commendable career crowned with success. It is the record of a well-balanced mental and moral constitution strongly marked by those traits of character which are of special value in such a state of society as exists in this country.

The Christian family was descended from Thomas Christian, who came from England to America in 1656 and settled in Charles City county, Vir¬ ginia, on the James river. While the family did not assume in the eighteenth century the important position it has enjoyed in the nineteenth century and which it enjoys today, the term ''Mr./' accorded Thomas Christian, the im¬ migrant, is indicative of his social standing. Going back to England, we find the ancestor of the family on record was a member of the House of Keys, in the Isle of Man, at Tyndwall Court, held in the island in 1422. The first to settle at Ewanrigg was Ewan Christian, Esq., barrister-at-law, eldest son of Edward Christian, Esq., of Minton, judge of the Isle of Man.

Below is a cut of the coat of arms of the Christian family, with the family motto: Azure; a chevron humettee between three covored cups, gold. Crest - unicorn's head erased, silver, collared and armed, gold.

Christian, John, Esq., M. A., of Ewanrigg Hall, Cumb., and Milntown, Isle of Man, a unicorn's bead, erased, ar. armed and gorged with a collar, invecked, or. Sains per Christum.

As this matter will be of interest to many persons who are unacquainted with the terms used in heraldry, it is thought to be not inappropriate to add an explanation of those terms. Erased means having uneven or jagged edges, as if torn from the body by violence. Ar. (argent) means that the head is of the color of silver. Armed means that the horn is of different color from the head, and or., indicates that it (the horn) is of gold. Gorged with a collar, invecked, or., means that the neck is encircled with a collar whose edges do not lie flat against the neck, but are arched or rolled outwards and over, and that the color of the collar is gold. The field of the shield is blue, the chevron and the cups gold ; the head and neck silver, the horn and collar gold.

Elijah L. Christian, the father of Daniel L. Christian, was born in Westover Parish, Virginia. July 28. 1794, the son of Jesse Christian, who was the son of Charles Christian. Father and son were Whigs and soldiers in the Revolutionary War from Virginia. Jesse Christian and his two brothers, George and Turner, moved into Georgia, when they were grown and settled in the vicinity of Atlanta, on the Chattahoochee river, and Tur¬ ner's Ferry, north of Atlanta, was named after Turner Christian. Elijah L. Christian married in Georgia in 1820 and died in 1848. He had three sons, Daniel R. Christian, born November 19. 1821, died in prison March 4, 1865; Jesse T. Christian, born November 15, 1823, died in 1843; John Willis Christian, born December 7, 1825, was an architect of great promise at Atlanta when the Civil War divided the two brothers - there is no record of his death. The descendants of the Christian family who served in the Fed¬ eral and Confederate armies in the Civil War are almost innumerable. It has been said that no one of the name ever failed to bear himself with credit, while many of them were conspicuous for gallantry and devotion to duty.

Ira W. Christian, ex-judge of the Hamilton circuit court, was born in Clay township, in this county, October 25, 1855. He is the son of Daniel R. and Eliza (Click) Christian, natives of Georgia and Indiana, respectively.

Daniel R. Christian had a most remarkable career in many ways. He was born on November 19, 1821, on a plantation near Marietta, Georgia, his father, Elijah L. Christian, being a Georgia planter and a large slave owner. Tn 1839, in company with his father, Daniel R. Christian came north as far as Louisville, Kentucky, in search of runaway slaves. He and his father were en route to Missouri, where he expected to buy land and establish his son. Daniel R. At Louisville Elijah L. Christian was called back to Georgia on business matters and left his son. Daniel R., at the Gault House in Louis¬ ville, until he could return. A chance acquaintance with one of the guests at the hotel changed the whole career of Daniel R. Christian. Staying at the same hotel was a Mr. Filbert Wright, a very brilliant man and a native of Tennessee, who lived near Salem in Washington county, Indiana. They be¬ came acquainted and their acquaintance soon ripened into friendship; in fact, they became so intimate that when Mr. Wright left Louisville for his home near Salem he had no difficulty in inducing young Christian to accompany him and be his guest until his father returned from Georgia. Mr. Christian had a fine saddle horse and he and Mr. Wright set out on horse back for the

Wright home in Washington county, Indiana, twenty-five miles away. Soon after reaching the home of Mr. Wright, Daniel Christian received a message from his father to the effect that he would not be able to return north and directing his son to return home at once. The young man had grown to like Indiana and it is to be inferred that there was something else besides the climate with which he was in love. Another consideration which induced young Christian to remain in the north was the fact that he hated slavery. Upon due consideration, therefore, yoimg Christian sent word to his father that he had decided to remain in the north. He sold his fine saddle horse and sent the proceeds to his father in Georgia and settled in Washington county, Indiana, to make his home. He remained with Mr. Wright and, since he was a man of education, Mr. Wright induced him to teach the school in his neighborhood during the coming winter. Mr. Wright was the school direc¬ tor and he had no difficulty in securing the place for young Christian. He proved to be a splendid teacher and continued in the school room during the winter time for several years, not only in Washington county, but after he removed to Hamilton county, Indiana.

It is necessary at this point to leave the history of young Daniel R. Christian to tell something of the Click family who had come to Washington county from North Carolina, having originally come from Prussia to this country in 1770. They settled in North Carolina, where they remained until about 1810, when they came to Indiana and made their home in Washington county, near Salem. Eliza A. Click's mother was a Rhetts, her grandfather Rhetts coming from Alsace, France, in 1740, and settling in Virginia and later moved to North Carolina. Representatives of the Click and Rhetts families were soldiers in the Revolutionary War from North Carolina. It is not on record that Eliza A. Click was a pupil of the young teacher, Daniel R. Chris¬ tian, but it is enough to say that they became acquainted, their acquaintance ripening into love and this was consummated by their marriage at Salem, In¬ diana, August 27, 1843. After their marriage Daniel R. Christian and his young wife continued to reside in Washington county for a time, teaching and attending the famous May's Seminary. In 1847 he decided to move north to Kokomo, Indiana, and in accordance with the custom of those days the family put all of their possessions into a large wagon and started to drive from Washington county to Howard county, Indiana. Again it seems that fate was destined to take a stand in the career of Mr. Christian and his family. Before the family reached Howard county one of the horses failed him and he found himself with his wife and family stranded in Hamilton county, not far from where the Hill church stands on the Marion county line, and thus the Christian family became identified with Hamilton county and not Howard county. Fortunately Mr. Christian and his family found shelter with Joshua Wright, a kinsman of Filbert Wright, of Washington county, the early friend of Mr. Christian. Finding it impossible to proceed to How¬ ard county, the family settled in an old log cabin in the wild woods. A few years later Mr. Christian purchased a farm over on Williams creek, a mile away, in Clay township, where Ira W. Christian, whose history is subse¬ quently related in this connection, was born. Daniel R. Christian became a school teacher in the schools of Clay township and continued to instruct the youths of this county for about twelve years. He also served as trustee ot Clay township and while holding this office was instrumental in establishing a good school system in not only his own township but throughout Hamilton county. In 1859 the Christian family moved to Noblesville and lived for a year on the lot at the oak tree where Aaron Spanneth now lives, Mr. Christian contemplating the practice of law. However, he had a large fam¬ ily and he had to do something which would yield an income sufficient ade¬ quately to care for his family. Within a year he saw that the law would not pay, so he purchased a farm two and one-half miles southeast of Nobles¬ ville and removed his family upon it in March, i860. Here he was living when the Civil War broke out in 1861. During the summer of '6 2 he helped organize the Fifth Indiana Cavalry, Ninetieth Indiana Volunteers, Incoming a member of Company A, and was its quartermaster-sergeant during the war. The Fifth Cavalry was mustered into service August 22, 1862, at In¬ dianapolis, Indiana. In September, 1862, the regiment was sent to the front and was actively engaged in Kentucky during the fall and winter of 1862-63. Early in 1863 they campaigned against Gen. John H. Morgan from Bucksville, on the Cumberland river, through Kentucky to Indiana, through Ohio to Buffington Island, capturing Morgan on July 19, 1863. .On the return march to Kentucky the regiment was remounted, after which it marched over the Cumberland mountains, reaching Knoxville, Tennessee, September 1, 1863. Then ensued the campaign of East Tennessee and West Virginia, known in history as the Burnside campaign and siege of Knoxville; then followed the battles of Salina, Rheatown, Strawberry Plains, Blountsville, Bristol, Zollacoffer, Henderson's Mill, Bean Station, Walker's Ford, Dandridge and others; then the return march via. Cumberland Gap to Nicholsville, Kentucky, in March, 1864. As soon as the regiment had a runout and equipment it set out over the Cumberland mountains to join Gen. W. T. Sherman at Ringgold, Georgia, and actively engaged on the left of the lines of Sherman's army to Atlanta, beginning at Ringgold Gap; fought in the Battle of Dalton on May seventh, at Resaca on the fifteenth, Adairsville on the seventeenth, Cassville the eighteenth, Altoona Pass, June first; New Hope Church, June fourth; Big Shanty, June ninth; then followed Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, and Marietta July third. On July 5 Johnston's army was forced across the Chattahoochee river and on the tenth was compelled to abandon the river and retreat towards Atlanta, seven miles away. At this time Johnston was relieved of his command and Gen. J. B. Hood took command of the Confederate army. On July 22 the Confederates abandoned the heights along Peach Tree creek, Sherman pushed vigorously forward towards Atlanta but was checked by Harden in a terrible battle. It was here that General McPherson fell. Sherman was finally victorious. At this time Sherman dispatched cavalry to make raids on the railways in the rear of his antagonist. Generals Stoneman and McCook were sent out on this business, on different routes, but with the intention of co-operating. The Fifth Cavalry - three hundred strong - was under command of Col. Thomas H. Butler, attached to Stoneman's cavalry. Stoneman passed west around Atlanta and south towards Macon, destroying railroads. In the vicinity of Macon, Stoneman's cavalry was met by Gen. Joe Wheeler and the battle of Macon was fought July 27, 1864, in which the Fifth Cavalry was literally shot to pieces. McCook, failing to connect with Stoneman, the Fifth Cav¬ alry was selected to hold Wheeler in abeyance until the other regiments should make good their escape, and for four hours this regiment fought Wheeler's entire army. When overpowered and captured they were marched without delay to Andersonville prison in southern Georgia. On this raid Daniel R. Christian passed within a few miles of his old Georgia home, whence he had set out with his father twenty-four years before.

There has been so much written and said about Andersonville prison that it seems pertinent to make more than a passing mention of it in this connection. It was established in November, 1863, as one of the Confederate military prisons and continued to serve in that capacity until the close of the war. Sixteen and one-half acres were cleared off and a high stockade built around the land. The first prisoners arrived in February, 1864. and in Mav, of that year, there were thirteen thousand prisoners, this number by June in¬ creasing to such an extent that it was necessary to add ten more acres to the original sixteen and one-half acres. By August of 1864 there were more than thirty-two thousand prisoners within the twenty-six and one-half acres. These men were without any shelter other than that provided by rude tents which they themselves constructed. It is not possible to go into details here and tell of the horrible sufferings which these men endured. It is sufficient to state that there were forty-nine thousand four hundred and eighty-five prisoners at this prison, of whom thirteen thousand seven hundred and four¬ teen died and were buried there, nine hundred and twenty-one of whom were unknown.

In this prison Daniel R. Christian was placed on August i, 1864, and kept there until late in November of the same year. Immediately after the fall of Atlanta the Confederate authorities removed many prisoners from Andersonville in November. Christian was taken with the detachment which was sent to Camp Florence, South Carolina, where he spent the winter of 1864. After Sherman had retired from Georgia, the prisoners at Camp Flor¬ ence were taken to Willington, North Carolina, and in a few days were re¬ moved to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where Daniel R. Christian died a prisoner, March 4, 1865. After the war, in 1866 or 1867, the soldiers who died at Goldsboro were removed to the National Cemetery at Raleigh, North Carolina, and he occupies one of the three thousand five hundred "unknown" graves in that historic "bivouac of the dead." Thus ends a history of a man who was true to every duty and a man who was held in the highest esteem by everyone who knew him. He left a heritage to his children than which there is no greater, a pure and undying devotion for his home, his country and his God.

The historian must now revert to the family of Daniel R. Christian in Hamilton county. When he went to the front in 1862 Daniel R. Christian left his wife and seven children, five sons and two daughters. The wife and growing sons managed and cultivated the farm, the boys doing the work of men. His death found them with a farm of four hundred and ten acres, but which was encumbered with a heavy mortgage. The father's parting ad¬ monition to his young sons when he left for the front was "Take good care of mother," and the little fellows naturally measured up to the injunction of their father. An interesting sidelight upon the horrible struggle which ex¬ isted in the sixties is shown in the following incident. During the president¬ ial campaign in 1864, when Ira W. Christian, whose history is set forth. later on, was a boy of nine years, he was in a field next to the Cumberland road rolling the ground for wheat, riding the old family mare. It happened that on this particular day a company of people, men, women and children, went by the field in wagons and on horseback on their way to Noblesville to attend a Democratic campaign rally. George McClellan was the Democratic candi¬ date for President. As the crowd passed along the road they hurrahed for McClellan and young Christian, the nine-vear-old patriot, returned their cry with a hurrah for Lincoln and Morton. Some one in the crowd along the road hurrahed for Jeff Davis, and young Christian responded with the reply "and a rope to hang him/' At this reply on his part a half dozen young men left their horses, climbed over the fence into the field and made a rush for young Christian, yelling at the same time that they would make him hurrah for McClellan. It is not cause for wonder that he was terribly frightened. They caught hold of the bridles of his horse and said he had to hurrah for "little Mac," but he said "1 will die first/' At this juncture a good, motherly old woman in the company came to his rescue by calling out to the young men, "Boys, you ought to be ashamed; you know that his father is today a prisoner in a southern prison !" That did the work and the young men jumped back across the fence, mounted their horses and rode off.

After the death of the father the widow, whose courage never failed and whose devotion to her family never flagged, and her family kept dili¬ gently at work drowning their sorrow and grief in their daily labors. They determined to relieve the farm of the heavy mortgage and it must have been a happy day when they paid the last cent of the financial burden. The noble and heroic mother passed away April 29, 1884, leaving six children living and one deceased. The children of Daniel R. Christian and his wife are as fol¬ lows: James R., Greensburg, Indiana; Mary, who died January 1, 1866; Frank, who died in February, 1891 ; Ira W., with whom this narrative sub¬ sequently deals; William S., who became an eminent attorney and died November 8, 1909; Jennie (Christian) Young, died May 30, 1893, and George S., cashier of the American National Bank of Noblesville.

Ira W. Christian hardly could have failed to achieve success in life with such noble parents. Thrown early on his own resources and assuming a man's responsibilities when he was a mere youth, he quickly acquired that sturdiness of character which has made him the successful man he is today. He was reared and educated in the country and after finishing the course in the common schools of his county attended the Noblesville high school for two years, then took the complete four-year course at Butler University at Indianapolis and later entered the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1881 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, the degree of Bachelor of Laws being conferred upon him the following year. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta college Greek letter fraternity. Prior to this time he had read law in the offices of Moss & Stevenson, of Noblesville, so that he had a practical knowledge of law when he commenced his practice in 1882. He opened an office in partnership with his brother, James R., who had just retired from the office of county clerk. In the fall of the following year his brother, James R., retired from the firm and went on his farm. At the same time his brother, William S., came into the firm, he having just been graduated from Hanover College. The two brothers practiced together until 1886, when Ira W. was elected county clerk. He assumed his duties on November 2, 1887, for four years. At the expiration of his term he and his brother, William S., again resumed their partnership in the law practice. This partnership continued until October 19, 1903, when Mr. Christian was elected judge of the Hamilton circuit court for a term of six years. Upon retiring from the bench he resumed the practice of law with his nephew, Floyd G. Christian, who had succeeded his brother in the firm of Christian & Christian, William S. having died November 8, 1909. The firm has a growing practice in the state and federal courts. It is needless at this point to enter into a discussion regarding the ability of Mr. Christian, it simply being sufficient to say that nothing like weakness ever has appeared in either his official or professional life. His hand has been at all times vigorous and firm, and with his broad knowledge of jurisprudence in all of its ramifica¬ tions he has won high rank among the leading legal men of his community.

Mr. Christian was married September 19. 1883, to Mary Durbin, the daughter of Thomas J. and Martha (Deupree) Durbin, of Edinburg, In¬ diana. To this union have been born two children, Paul D., a farmer and stock raiser of Johnson county, Indiana, and Haddee, the wife of John A. Beals, of New Orleans, Louisiana. He and his family are members of the Christian church and always have taken an active part in the church and Sunday school work, Mr. Christian at present being a trustee of the church. He and his wife always have been active in all movements prompted by the local desire for the civic, moral or intellectual advancement of their home city.

Fraternally, Mr. Christian is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men. He also is a member of the Indiana Division of the Sons of .Veterans and as such has been a teacher of patriotic principles for twenty-five years on Decoration days, at Sheridan. Rising Sun, Bloomington, Winchester, Wabash, Richmond, Fort Wayne in 1895, and also in 1905, and Terre Haute in 1914. His orations on these occasions are of a very high order. He is a Republican in politics and always responds to his party's call. He has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions, and his advice and counsel frequently have been sought by the leaders in state politics. Mr. Christian is a man of action and a man of worth, utilitarian rather than theoretical, a hater of shams, pretenses and subterfuge. His chief characteristics include force of character, persistence.

unswerving integrity and unmatched energy, which have made him an in¬ fluential factor in his county. He always has played a leading part in the affairs of his city and county and through his persistent efforts he has made for himself a place in the history of his county w'hich justly entitles him to a high place among the county's representative men.

Judge Meade Vestal

Indiana always has been distinguished for the high rank of her bench and bar. Perhaps none of the newer states can justly boast of abler jurists and attorneys. Many of these have been men of national fame, and there is scarcely a town or city in the state that can not boast of one or more lawyers capable of crossing swords in forensic combat with any of the distinguished legal lights of the country. While the growth and development of the state in the last half century has been most marvelous, viewed from any stand¬ point, yet of no one class of her citizenship has she greater reason for just pride than for her judges and attorneys. In Judge Vestal are found united many of the rare qualities \vhich go to make the successful lawyer and jurist. He possesses perhaps few of those brilliant, dazzling, meteoric qualities which have sometimes flashed along the legal horizon, riveting the gaze and blinding the vision for the moment, then disappearing, leaving little or no trace behind; but rather has those solid and more substantial qualities which shine with a constant luster, shedding light in the dark places with steadiness and con¬ tinuity.

Meade Vestal, the judge of the Hamilton circuit court of Indiana, and the son of George W. and Mary Elizabeth (Maker) Vestal, was bom Novem¬ ber 29, 1866, on a farm three miles west of Noblesville. George W. Vestal was born in 1835 in North Carolina and came to this county in i860, where he followed farming and carriage making. After coming to this county he married Mary Elizabeth Maker, a native of this county. Later in life he engaged in the drug business for many years at Noblesville and died in that city January 27, 1913. His first wife died in December, 1873, and he later married Clista A. Maker, a sister of his first wife. His second wrife died November 11, 1906. Bv the first marriage there were seven children, who grew to maturity. George W. Vestal wras an influential man in Democratic politics during his life time and one of the leaders in his party in Hamilton county. He was a candidate for county auditor when the county was strongly

Republican and was able to reduce the regular Republican majority more than one-half. Later he was elected city treasurer of Noblesville and held this position for several years.

Judge Vestal was reared in Noblesville, his parents moving to this city when he was only three months of age. He took a common and high school course at Noblesville and was graduated from the high school in 1885. He then entered the law office of Shirts & Shirts of Noblesville for one year, after which he entered the law department of Michigan University at Ann Arbor, graduating with the class of 1888. He was admitted to the Hamilton county bar the same year and has been in continuous practice at Noblesville since that time. For the first three years of his practice he was in partnership with Shirts & Shirts, then, after practicing a year by himself, he formed a partner¬ ship with Joseph A. Roberts, which continued for the next seventeen years, or until Judge Vestal took the bench. His record as an attorney in this county has been one of exalted character and he has been honored in many -ways by his fellow citizens. He is an able and reliable counselor and is thoroughly grounded in the principles of the legal practice. Broad and liberal in his views, with consideration for the greatest good of his fellow men ever before him, his conduct always has been that of a true and loyal citizen and he is ready at all times to make any reasonable sacrifice for the cause in which his interests are enlisted. He is withal a man of the people, proud of his distinc¬ tion as a citizen of the. state and nation, for whose laws and institutions he has a most profound admiration and respect. With his strong mentality, wise judgment and unimpeachable integrity, he has demonstrated his ability to fill honorably the important official position which he is now occupying. From the point of critical legal scholarship, keen intellectuality and professional success, he easily stands in the front ranks, while in all that constitutes the upright man and public-spirited citizen, he stands today among the leaders of thought and the molders of opinion in his community. Politically, Judge Ves¬ tal always has been a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party and always has been active in its councils. For ten years he was chairman of his party's county committee. During his long residence in the county he has been a frequent delegate to district and state conventions. He was elected in the fall of 1908 as circuit judge of the Hamilton circuit and went on the bench Octo¬ ber 19, 1909, for the six-year term, as provided by the constitution of In¬ diana. It is needless to add that he is performing his duties in this important office with that conscientious devotion to duty which has characterized his whole life.

Joshua A. and Mary Elizabeth (Ross) Clark, of Noblesville. The Clark family were early pioneers of this county, and prominently identified with its early history. Judge Vestal and wife have two children, Harold, who is now a student in Cornell University at Ithaca, New York, and Mary Elizabeth, a student at Roanoke College, Roanoke, Virginia.

In his fraternal relations, Judge Vestal is a member of the Masonic fra¬ ternity, also being a member of the Chapter, Council and Commandery. He has long been a close student of Masonry and has filled all of the chairs of the different degrees to which he has attained. He was prominently identified with the movement which resulted in the erection of the new Masonic Temple in Noblesville. Judge Vestal also holds membership in the Modern Wood¬ men of America. He and his family are members of the Christian church of Noblesville, and always have taken an active interest in church work, the Judge now serving the congregation to which he is attached as deacon. He is a. man of musical tastes and for many years has been the choir director of his church, as well as director of the Noblesville Military Band, an organiza¬ tion which for many years has had a state-wide reputation. He and his fam¬ ily have been prominently identified with the social, religious and intellectual life of the community and with all of the varied interests of his city during their residence here. He and his wife are prominent members of the Shakes¬ peare Club, one of the oldest literary organizations of the city. The record of Judge Vestal is an enviable one in every respect and this brief sketch is but a poor tribute to his worth as a citizen.

Henry Brown

It is by no means an easy task to describe within the limits of this review a man who has led an active and eminently useful life and by his own exertions reached a position of honor and trust in the line of industry with which his interests are allied. But biography finds justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history, as the public claims a cer¬ tain property interest in the career of every individual and the time invariably arrives when it becomes advisable to give the right publicity. It is, then, with a certain degree of satisfaction that the chronicler essays the task of touching briefly upon such a record as has been that of Henry Brown, a man who has been a successful farmer and an efficient official of Hamilton county.

diana, expired January i, 1915, was born September 2, 1865, on a farm in Rush county, Indiana, the son of Nicholas and Catherine (Beckner) Brown. Nicholas Brown was born in 1840 in Germany and came to America wilh his parents when he was thirteen years of age and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shortly afterwards his father moved to Rush county, Indiana, where Nicholas Brown grew to maturity and where he married Catherine Beckner, who was a native of Rush county. Nicholas Brown is still living in Rush county, this state, his wife having died in March, 1867, when Henry, whose history is here presented, was only two years of age.

Henry Brown received a good common school education in the country schools of Rush county, Indiana, and remained with his father on the farm until he was married, in 1891. After his marriage he settled in Rush county on a farm, where he remained until December, 1895, when he moved to a farm in Noblesville township, this county. Four years later he moved to Noblesville and engaged in the retail meat business, following this line of business until 1908, when he again moved to a farm in Wayne township, this county. In 1912 he returned to a farm in Noblesville township, where he was living when he was elected sheriff of Hamilton county. As a fanner, Mr. Brown had a reputation as one of the most progressive agriculturists of his county, being a hard worker, a good manager and a man of economical habits, and he made a success which was commensurate with his efforts, and at the same time so conducted himself as to win the hearty approval of his fellow citizens. The nine years which he spent in Noblesville conducting a retail meat market stamped him as a man of excellent business ability, and this fact, no doubt, had not a little to do with his election as sheriff of his county.

Mr. Brown was given the unique honor of being the first Democratic sher¬ iff ever elected in this county, and upon assuming the duties of this office, on January 1, 1913. he at once demonstrated his peculiar fitness for this import¬ ant office, giving it the same painstaking and conscientious attention which he has always given to his personal affairs, with the result that his administration met with the hearty commendation of every one with whom he was any way officially associated. Mr. Brown always has been active in public affairs, al¬ though he had never held a public office before, one reason being that Hamil¬ ton county has been for more than fifty years one of the Republican strong¬ holds of the state.

Mr. Brown was married March 8, 1891, to Cora Beckner, the (laughter of Jasper and Mary (Edwards) Beckner, of Rush county, Indiana, and to this union have been born two children, Marv, the wife of Jesse Musselman, of Wayne township, this county, and Donald, who is still making his home with his parents. The family are members of the Christian church and take an active part in the various branches of the church work. Mr. Brown is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America, and takes an active part in the work of these fraternal organizations. Mr. Brown has been true to every trust which has fallen to him and is emin¬ ently deserving of the enviable position which he holds in the esteem of the citizens of his county. In the public life of his community he always has taken a deep interest and has given his support to such movements as would serve the best interests of his fellow citizens.

Buzan E. Pardue

In the world of action, will is power ; persistent will, with circumstances not altogether unfavorable, is victory; nay, in spite of circumstances alto¬ gether, persistency often will carve out a way to unexpected success. Read the life of Frederick the Great and you will understand what this means. Fortune never will favor a man who flings away the dice box because the first throw brings a low number. There is only one thing that can give signi¬ ficance and dignity to human life, - virtuous energy.

Buzan E. Pardne, the son of Francis M. and Maria Jane (McCray) Pardue, was born June 20. 1857. at Knightstowm, Indiana. His father was a native of Richmond, Indiana, and his mother was born in Knightstown. Francis M. Pardue was a contractor and a man of influence in his community until his death, July 13, 1873. He and his wife reared a family of four chil¬ dren : Clara M., deceased ; Buzan E., whose history is here presented ; George, w'ho died at the age of twenty: John C., a farmer in Hancock county, In¬ diana. The mother of these children died October 9, 1899.

Buzan E. Pardue was educated in the district schools of Hancock county and lived in that county until his marriage, in 1902. He then came to Hamil¬ ton county, w^here he has since lived. While living in Hancock county he was engaged in the mercantile business at Eden with Lee D. Olvey. Upon moving to this county Mr. Pardue lived one year in Noblesville, after which he lived on a farm for eight years, since which time he has resided in Noblesville. He has a fine farm of one hundred acres, wdiich he rents out to responsible tenants but at the same time keeps under his general supervision.

natives of Virginia. The Richwines came to Hamilton county about sixtyfive years ago and have been prominent factors in the life of the county ever since. Abram Richwine died April 26, 1896, and his widow passed away February T4, 1891. They were the parents of four children : Caleb, deceased; Mrs. Mary E. Essington, of Noblesville; George C., of Noblesville; Martha E., the wife of Mr. Pardue.

Mr. Pardue long has been actively identified with the Republican party and for years has been one of its leaders in Hamilton county. The party, recognizing his ability, chose him as the chairman of the County Republican Committee on February 10, 1914, and he is now making plans for the success of his party in the coming election. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America. Pie and his wife are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and give generously of their means to its support. Mr. Pardue is an active, progressive citizen, always on the alert for any thing which will benefit his fellow men in any way, and consequently is well deserving of the high regard in which he is held by those among whom he is best known.

Emil G. Decker

Fortunate is the county which has efficient county officials, and there is probably no county office which demands a more thoroughly competent man than that of assessor. There is a marked tendency in these days to elect only such men for our public offices as have the necessary qualifications, and when once a man shows that he has the necessary qualifications we keep him in the office. The position of county assessor is one demanding the knowledge of a large number of details such as can be learned only after a period of study. Every one must admit that there is a special training for this particular office, one of the most important within the suffrage of the people of Indiana today. The subject of taxation is one of the most trying forms of Indiana at the present time. If all public officials, and especially the assessors, were fully competent, this cry would not be so insistent. What has been said in regard to the qualifications of a public official has a special bearing upon the life of Emil G. Decker, who, during his recent incumbency, was recognized not only as the most faithful assessor Hamilton county ever had, but as one of the most capable county assessors of Indiana.

Both of his parents were born and reared in Germany and came to this coun¬ try in their youth. In 1806 they met in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where they were married and where Emil G. was born. George Decker was a tailor by trade, having learned this occupation in his native land. During the Civil War, when Governor Morton needed drill masters for his raw troops, George Decker volunteered his services and rendered efficient help in drilling the troops of the state. He had served in the German army and was an accom¬ plished drill master as a result of the many years of severe training which he had received in the Fatherland. He was not only a drill master during the war, but served in several inportant campaigns in Kentucky and along the border during the rebel raids. In 1887 George Decker came to Nobles ville and became the manager of the tailoring department of the store of Ezra Swayne, at that time one of the leading merchants of Noblesville. Mr. Decker continued in the tailoring business until a few years ago, when he retired from active work and is now living a retired life in Noblesville. His wife died January 5, 1906.

Emil G. Decker received a good common school education in the schools of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and was equally well educated in the German and English languages. In accordance with the German custom, he learned the trade of his father and when he came to Noblesville with his parents, although he was only sixteen years of age, he was able to take his place in the tailoring establishment where his father worked, and continued to work at his trade until 1906, when he became the county assessor of Hamilton county.

It is in the office of assessor that Mr. Decker has rendered valuable service to the citizens of his township and county. His first work in the office was in 1898, when he became deputy assessor for Noblesville township under David Sopple. He served two years as deputy and in 1902 was elected assessor of Noblesville township, serving four years. He rapidly became ac¬ quainted with all of the multitudinous details of the office and upon retiring from his term was again made deputy under his successor, A. C. Wood. The Republican party, of which he has been a stanch supporter since coming to this county, recognized in him a man of superior ability along this particular line, and in November, 1906, elected him assessor of Hamilton county for a term of four years. At the expiration of his first term he was nominated and elected for a second term, being the only man in Hamilton county who ever was re-elected to this important office. His term of office expired January 1, 1915. During his many years' service as assessor he has made a study of the subject and when the state board of assessors met in the annual meeting he was selected as a member of the committee to instruct township assessors.

This committee, recognizing his thoroughness in township work, as well as the thoroughness of his supervision of township assessors when he was county assessor, made him chairman of the committee. In this capacity he served for five years, and it is not too much to say that Mr. Decker, during this five years, was really the controlling factor in the establishment of a system of instructions for assessing throughout the state. Mr. Decker always had been a Republican in politics until the summer of 1912, when he became affiliated with the new Progressive party, and in the new party, as well as in the old Republican party, at once forged to the front and became the first county chairman of the Progressive party in Hamilton county. Besides that he has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions, and in all has taken a prominent and active part.

Mr. Decker was married April 1, 1896. to Claudia, the daugh¬ ter of Edward and Sarah (Alfrey) McCord, of Fortville, Hancock county, Indiana, and to this union have been born two children, Esther and Edward, both of whom are now attending the schools of Noblesville. While not a regularly affiliated member of any church, yet Mr. Decker is a firm be¬ liever in the work of the church, and has been a liberal supporter of the churches in Noblesville. He is a man of charitable impulses and is always -willing to help anyone who is in distress.

In the fraternal life of Noblesville, Mr. Decker always has taken an active part. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and is now serving his twelfth year as secretary of the Royal Arch Masons. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and has been for several years the keeper of records and seals in that organization. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men and in that fraternity has served for nine years as chief of records. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and of the Haymakers, being treasurer of the latter order for eight years. At the present time he is secre¬ tary of the building committee of the new Masonic temple in Noblesville. For many years he has been manager of the Noblesville Military Band, one of the most popular military organizations of the state. It is a band of forty-five pieces and has won a reputation which is beyond the confines of Indiana. Mr. Decker was prominent in its organization in 1887, and has been actively identi¬ fied with it ever since. Sufficient has been said of the life of Mr. Decker to indicate that he is a man of much value to his community. In every capacity he has measured up to the full standard of American citizenship. The value of such men to a community cannot be estimated, and he stands today as one of the representative citizens of Noblesville and Hamilton county and emin¬ ently worthy of representation in this biographical volume.

R. Philip Carpenter

It is a well recognized fact that the most powerful influence in shaping and controlling public life is the press. It reaches a greater number of people than any other agency, and thus has always been, and in the hands of persons competent to direct it, always will be the most important factor in molding public opinion and shaping the destiny of the nation. R. Philip Carpenter, whose life history is here recorded, devoted fourteen years of his life to the newspaper business, and was until recently the editor and publisher of the Hamilton County Times at Noblesville, this county. A college-trained man and a lawyer of some years' experience, he brings to his chosen profession a well-trained mind and the ability to publish a paper in such a way as to command respect and patronage.

R. Philip Carpenter, the present postmaster of Noblesville, and the son of Rufus C. and Sarah J. (Stultz) Carpenter, was born in Mattoon, Illi¬ nois, December 21, 1872. He came with his parents to Putnam county, In¬ diana, when he was six years of age, and attended the common schools of that county until he graduated, after which he entered the Central Indiana Normal School at Ladoga, Indiana, and afterwards became a student at DePauw Lhiiversity at Greencastle, Indiana. He left school when in his junior year and took up the study of law under the tutelage of Judge Presley C. Colliver, of Greencastle. Upon mastering the rudiments of this profession, he was admitted to the bar and opened an office at Crawfordsville, Indiana, for the active practice of his profession. There he practiced with that success which attends a bright young lawyer and gradually drifted into politics, and as politics is intimately connected with journalism, he soon found out that the newspaper man is really more of a power in the political world than a politician himself.

The first newspaper experience of Mr. Carpenter began in 1900, w?hen he acquired the Roachdale (Indiana) News, and since that time he has been actively engaged in his chosen life work. After conducting the Roachdale News for some years he disposed of this paper and became connected with the Seymour Democrat , at Seymour, Indiana, which he disposed of in 1908 and purchased the Hamilton County Times, of Noblesville, and continued to publish this paper down to January 16, 1915. Being a Democrat in politics his paper espoused the principles of that party, and under his able leadership became a power in Democratic circles in Hamilton county. Mr. Carpenter is a fluent writer and a man of forceful expression. While he is an aggressive

Democrat, he is not a blind partisan and while editing the paper did not hesi¬ tate to point out the weaknesses in his own party when he saw them. Follow¬ ing the election of 1912 Mr. Carpenter was an applicant for the position of postmaster of Noblesville. In the contest before the executive committee of the Democratic Central Committee he was chosen from a large field of other worthy applicants as the choice of the Democrats of Noblesville and, upon the recommendation of his party in this county, he was appointed by Presi¬ dent Wilson to this office and assumed his duties on April 1, 1914. After being selected for the postmastership he disposed of a half interest in his paper to Fenton J. Lawler, a young newspaper man of Bloomfield, Indiana, but in August, 1914, bought back Mr. Lawler's interest and on January 16, 1915, sold the paper to Messrs. Paul Poynter and Norval K. Harris, of Sulli¬ van, Indiana, and Mr. Harris is now in charge of the paper.

Mr. Carpenter was married in 1897 to Zella Brandon, of Greencastle, the daughter of James and Mariah (Dawson) Brandon, and to this union there has been born one daughter, Myla Louise, born while her parents were living in Seymour.

Charles B. Macy

It cannot be other than interesting to note in the series of personal biog¬ raphies appearing in this work the varying conditions that have compassed those whose careers are here outlined, and the efforts which have been made in each case to throw well focused light upon the individuality and to bring into proper perspective the scheme of each respective career. It is safe to say that there are at least one hundred different occupations represented in Hamilton county today, and it is not within the province of anyone to say that one is more important than another. There are a few occupations in which there are but few representatives and of these there is one occupation which stands unique in the manufacturing industries of Hamilton county. There is one man who knows more about the manufacture of paper than any other man in the county, a man whose great ability along this line has been recog¬ nized by the greatest paper company in the LTnited States. It has been his life work as it was that of his father before him and there is no angle of the business with which he is not thoroughly acquainted. Charles B. Macy, the superintendent of the American Straw Board Company's plant at Nobles¬ ville, Indiana, is recognized as an expert in his chosen life work and he has built up an industry of which Noblesville is truly proud. Not only is he a business man who has built up an industry of large proportions in this county, but he has contributed largely in various other ways to the development of his county. He is a fine type of the self-made American citizen, the man who shoulders his share of the burden of community life and bears his burden in a worthy manner.

Charles B. Macy, one of the leaders in his profession in the United States, was born April 2, 1866, in Pulaski, Oswego county, New York, and is a son of John and Albertine (Hayner) Macy, his father being of English extraction and his mother of German descent. His parents, both of whom were born in America, have been dead many years. John Macy was a paper manu¬ facturer and it was in his establishment that his son was first initiated into the mysteries of the various processes of paper manufacture.

Charles B. Macy was reared in his native town and given the best educa¬ tion which his village school afforded. Before leaving home at the age of twenty he had learned the rudiments of paper making in his father's mill and when he went to Akron, Ohio, in 1876, had no difficulty in finding employment in a paper mill in that city. He remained in Akron until 1887, when he came to Kokomo, Indiana, and took charge of the plant of the Kokomo Strawboard Works. Two years later this plant was sold to the American Strawboard Company and Mr. Macy was transferred to Tiffin, Ohio, where for the next six months he had charge of a plant owned by that company. In 1890 Mr. Macy came to Noblesville and completed the erection and equipment of the American Strawboard Company's plant in this* city, becoming the superin¬ tendent of the plant upon its completion. Here he remained for ten years and in 1900 he went to Chicago and took charge of the plant owned by the Chi¬ cago Coated Paper Company, continuing in the employ of this company for six months. From Chicago he went to Piermont, New York, where he built a paper plant for the American Strawboard Company, then to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he built a paper plant for the Chicago Coated Paper Company. In 1902, having been gone from the county for two years, he re¬ turned to Noblesville, where he has since resided, resuming the superintend¬ ency of the plant of the American Strawboard Company. The Noblesville plant is one of the largest which this company has in operation and has a daily capacity of fifty tons. Mr. Macy has a thorough knowledge of every phase of the paper industry and is one of the most efficient men in the service of the American Strawboard Company.

Mr. Macv is financially interested in several of the enterprises of Nobles¬ ville, being a stockholder in the KJine-Macy Foundry Company, the American

National Bank, the Wainwright Trust Company and the water works. He is also a stockholder in the Sheridan Packing Company, at Sheridan, this county. He is a man of keen business ability, and his advice is always considered sound in financial matters.

Mr. Macy was married November 12, 1872, to Laura Viall, the daughter of John Viall, of Akron, Ohio, and to this union has been born one son, Lewis C., who married Greta Geneva Phillips, November 19, 1912, and is now em¬ ployed in the office of the American Strawboard Company in Noblesville. Mr. Macy is affiliated with the Christian church, of which his wife is a member and is a generous contributor to the various activities of that denom¬ ination.

In politics, Mr. Macy has always been a stanch Republican, but owing to the nature of his business and his frequent changes of residence, it has not been possible for him to take a very active part in the political affairs of Hamilton county. However, he is deeply interested in all questions affecting the welfare of his home city and is an ardent advocate of good government. Fraternally, he is a Mason and has attained to the thirty-second degree in that order. He also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Royal Arcanum. He is a man of pleas¬ ing personality, and one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Noblesville. He is a man of broad sympathies and takes an abiding interest in the welfare of those about him.

Cassius M. Gentry

The life. history of Cassius M. Gentry reveals a character of unusual force and eminence. For a number of years he has been recognized as one of the able and successful lawyers and prominent citizens of Noblesville, In¬ diana. As a lawyer he has a comprehensive grasp upon the philosophy of jurisprudence and is* easily the peer of any of his professional brethren at the Hamilton county bar; as a citizen he is public spirited and enterprising, deeply interested in the educational and religious welfare of his city; as a friend and neighbor he combines the qualities of head and heart which have won confidence and commanded respect; as a servant of the people in the office of prosecuting attorney he served in a manner which won for him the commendation of law-abiding citizens of his county. Starting in life as a teacher in the public schools he gradually worked himself to a place where he realized that there were larger things in store for him. Recognizing the great opportunities for good offered by the conscientious practice of the law, he left the school room and matriculated at one of the best law schools in the coun¬ try and was graduated with distinction from the law department of Yale University. Such is the general standing of the man whose life history is here briefly recorded.

Cassius M. Gentry, the son of Francis M. and Barbara J. (Wise) Gen¬ try, was born September 25, 1866, on a farm near Perkinsville, Madison county, Indiana. Francis M. Gentry was a native of Indiana, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Gentry. Ephraim Gentry was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, and grew to manhood and married in the county of his birth. After his marriage he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, with his family and there Francis M., the father of Cassius M., whose history is here presented, was born. Ephraim Gentry was a captain of a company of state guards during the War of 1812. Shortly after the close of that war he moved with jus family to Wavne county, Indiana, settled in the primitive wilderness of that county and literally carved a home out of the virgin forest. There Ephraim Gentry lived the remainder of his life and there Francis M. grew to manhood and married. After his marriage, Francis M. Gentry moved to Madison county, Indiana, where his death occurred in 1867, leaving his widow with seven children, Cassius M. being the youngest of the family.

Cassius M. Gentry was reared on the farm in Madison and Hamilton counties, this state, and was given a good, common school education. Being naturally of a studious turn of mind and being blest with an active brain, he began to teach school when little more than a lad. He taught for three win¬ ters, spending his summers working on the farm. He saved his money with the intention of entering college and the happiest moment of his life was the day he matriculated in Wabash College at Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1894, and for the next four years taught the sciences in the Kokomo high school. However, he felt there was a larger career in store for him in the law, and he taught for the purpose of obtaining money to pursue his legal education. In 1898 he en¬ tered the law department of Yale University and was graduated with the de¬ gree of Bachelor of Laws in 1901.

Immediately upon his graduation from Yale, Mr. Gentry came to Noblesville, Indiana, and entered into a partnership with Judge Theodore P. Davis and Judge Frank E. Gavin, the firm being known as Gavin, Davis & Gentry. Here he soon became familiar with the legal procedure of Indiana and was thrown into contact with the large practice of the firm. His college training of seven years and his naturally studious turn of mind now proved of great benefit to him. He mastered legal details with exceeding rapidity and showed a grasp of legal technicalities which was surprising in one of so little exper¬ ience. At the expiration of three years in this firm he formed a partnership with Ernest E. Cloe, the firm being known as Gentry & Cloe. This firm has been in existence down to the present time and has enjoyed a continued and ever-increasing practice, being recognized as, one of the strongest legal firms in this section of the state. Gentry & Cloe have one of the best law libraries in Indiana, a most valuable asset to the modern law office.

Mr. Gentry has been associated with the Republican party since reaching his majority, and always has been active in publio and political affairs. In 1904 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Hamilton county, and such was his success in this office that he was re-elected for a second term in 1906. In the general public affairs of his home he has always taken a deep and abiding interest. He is a member and the present treasurer of the City Board of Education, as well as a member and president of the Public Library Board.

In addition to his large legal practice Mr. Gentry is interested in the raising of live stock. He has a fine farm in White River township, this county, where he engages extensively in farming, stock raising and stock feeding. He keeps only the best breeds of stock upon this farm and has one of the finest herds of Aberdeen Angus cattle to be found in this section of the state. He is a member of the County and State Draft Horse Breeders' As¬ sociation. Among his other interests, Mr. Gentry is a stockholder in the First National Bank, of Noblesville, and the First National Bank, of Arcadia, his firm being the attorneys for these banks.

Mr. Gentry was married October 4, 1901, to Margaret Melilig, the daughter of Louis and Melinda (Morgan) Mehling, of Kokomo, and to this union have been born three daughters, who are still with their parents, Mar¬ garet Louise, Esther Bertha and Frances Josephine. Mrs. Gentry is promin¬ ent in the affairs of the women's clubs of her city and is a woman of gracious charm and pleasing personality. Mr. Gentry and his family are earnest and loyal members of the Presbyterian church, in which denomination he is an elder. For some time he was superintendent of and now is a teacher in the Sunday school. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men, .the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America. Personally, Mr. Gentry is a verv pleasant gentleman to meet and is held in high esteem not only for his superior professional abilities, but for his public-spirited nature, wholesome private life and high ideals of public service.

Henry C. Gaeth

It is a well authenticated fact that success comes as the result of legitimate and well applied energy, unflagging determination and perseverance in a course of action when once decided upon. She is never known to smile upon the idler or dreamer and she never courts the loafer, and only those men who have diligently sought her favor are crowned with her blessings. In tracing the history of Henry C. Gaeth of Noblesville, Indiana, it is plainly seen that the success which he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities, his personal worth having gained for him the high esteem of those who know him.

Henry C. Gaeth, a box manufacturer of Noblesville, Indiana, was born November 15, 1874, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His parents, Frederick and Caroline Gaeth, were born in Mecklenburg, Germany, and came to America in their youth. Mrs. Gaeth died in 1884, while Frederick Gaeth is still living in Indianapolis. He entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad com¬ pany upon coming to America and was in continuous service with that com¬ pany until he was retired on pension in July, 1912, a period of thirty-eight years of honorable service.

Henry C. Gaeth was reared in Indianapolis and educated in the public schools. He left school when he was a junior in the high school and became a clerk in the ticket brokerage office of Thomas H. Webb. After working here for two years he went to the J. S. Carey box manufacturing plant where he worked for three years. While working here he became interested in the manufacture of boxes and barrels and got his first insight into this business. In August, 1892, he came to Noblesville and became interested in the Lay Pail Company which manufactured lard tubs. He continued with this com¬ pany until it retired from business, after which he became connected with the Noblesville Glass Company as its secretary. At the same time he manufac¬ tured the boxes used in shipping the wares of the glass, company, engaging in this as a private enterprise. When the glass company moved to Evansville in 1901, Mr. Gaeth remained in Noblesville and devoted his entire attention and energy to the manufacture of boxes and barrels for shipping purposes. Under his able management he has built up a company which is one of the most prosperous concerns in Noblesville. He manufactures all sizes and grades of shipping boxes and barrels and has had the satisfaction of seeing his busi¬ ness increase from year to yeai*. Much of his product goes to the manufac¬ turing concerns of Noblesville, although he also ships his products to other parts of the state. He employs twenty men the year round and has built up a

Mr. Gaeth was married November 28, 1905, to Margaret Wild, the daughter of Leonard and Margaret (Barth) Wild, one of the prominent families of Noblesville. A sketch of the interesting career of Mr. Wild ap¬ pears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Gaeth have no children.

In politics, Mr. Gaeth has long been identified with the Republican party, but though interested in its success he has never been a candidate for any public office. He is a charter member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of Noblesville and also -holds membership in the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife are earnest members of the Presbyterian church and have always been interested in church and Sunday school work. Mr. Gaeth is treasurer of the church and holds the same position in the Sunday school organization. He has taught the boy's class in the Sunday school for the past nine years and in this way has been a potent influence for good in his community. In fact he stands in favor of every measure which he feels will benefit his city in any way, and no public enterprise is launched which does not find in him a hearty and enthusiastic supporter. The family residence at one hundred and seven East Logan street, is the center of many hospitable gatherings of friends and acquaintances. Mrs. Gaeth is a woman of refine¬ ment and culture and is deeply interested in all measures advocated by the women of her city.

Benjamin F. Hadley

It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affaire that makes the real history of a community and his influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The examples such men furnish of patient pur¬ pose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which make so much for the prosperity of the community. Such a man is the worthy sub¬ ject of this review, and as such it is proper that a review of his character be accorded a place among the representative citizens of the city and county in which He resides.

Benjamin F. Hadley, a prominent furniture dealer and undertaker of Noblesville, Indiana, was born near Mooresville, Morgan county, this state, in a native of North Carolina. John Hadley came to Morgan county, Indiana, from North Carolina with his parents, Eli and Margaret (Towell) Hadley, in 1817, and settled in the dense forest that covered the land which they entered from the government. Rebecca White was a niece of Levi Coffin, who was so prominently connected with "the underground railroad" in Indi¬ ana previous to the Civil War. The Hadleys and Whites were extensive landowners in Morgan county. John Hadley died in April, 1888, and his grave was the first in the Westfield cemetery in Hamilton county. His widow died May 8, 1908, having previously married William Macy after the death of her first husband. To John Hadley and wife were born two sons and two daughters, Cynthia, deceased; Benjamin, whose history is here presented; Jennie, the wife of Amos Spray, of Indianapolis and Alonzo, also of Indi¬ anapolis.

Benjamin Hadley was reared on his father's farm in Morgan county, attended the district schools of his neighborhood in the winter time and as¬ sisted his father on the farm during the summer seasons. When he was twenty years of age he entered the Friends Academy at Mooresville for two winter terms, driving back and forth each day the distance of two and onehalf miles. The academy at that time was in charge of the two Dorian brothers, Edward and Alpheus. While attending the school at Mooresville, he met Emma Brown, who was one of the teachers in the high school, and while sitting at her feet as a pupil, young Benjamin fell in love with the young teacher. Before he was twenty-two years of age they were married, and to this happy marriage were bom four daughters, Luella, the wife of Dr. C. H. Tomlinson, of Cicero; Elma, the wife of Walter Sanders, a carpenter of Noblesville; Carrie, the wife of Henry Wall, a druggist of Noblesville, and Grace E., who graduated from the Bradley Institute at Peoria, Illinois, and now is a teacher of domestic science in the schools of Jackson township in this county. Grace graduated from the Noblesville high school and was a student at Earlham College before entering Bradley Institute. The mother of these children died December 20, 1896.

After his marriage in 1868, Benjamin Hadley farmed in Morgan county until 1874. He then came to Adams township, Hamilton county, where he followed agricultural pursuits for the next ten years. He then sold his farm and engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in Westfield, where he remained until 1895, and in that year came to Noblesville, where he engaged in the same business at No. 10 East Logan street, and has remained in the same location to the present time. He carries a full line of furniture, sewing machines, pictures, picture frames, as well as a complete line of musical instru¬ ments of all kinds. He is a licensed embalmer and funeral director and has his full share of business in this line in Noblesville and the surrounding terri¬ tory. Mr. Hadley is a man of keen business ability, and by his upright methods and strict integrity, has won the confidence of all who have had any business transactions with him.

Mr. Hadley was married the second time on June 21, 1899, to Mrs. Mary O'Neal, of Richmond, Indiana. Fraternally, Mr. Hadley is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Improved Order of Red Men, and has always taken an active interest in the work of those fraternal organizations. He is a member of the Indiana State Funeral Directors' Association.

Mr. Hadley and his family are faithful and earnest members of the Friends church, and have always contributed liberally of their substance to its support. He always has been a staunch Republican and always has been interested in the welfare of his community. He never has been an aspirant for public office, feeling that he never had the time to engage in the game of politics. While living in Westfield he was a member of the school board, and in that capacity did everything possible for the advancement of the educa¬ tional interests of Westfield and vicinity. Mr. Hadley is a man of well-bal¬ anced mind, sound and practical intelligence and mature judgment, and with his geniality and amiability of disposition, he has won a large and loyal follow¬ ing among his acquaintances. No citizen stands higher in the community than Mr. Hadley for the reason that he has always given his support to every movement for the educational, moral or material advancement of its citizens.

Albert R. Baker

One of the pioneers of Hamilton county is Albert R. Baker, a man who has been actively connected with the growth and development of his native county for more than half a century. He has seen service in the school room, in township and county offices, in city offices, in the business circles of his county and in the agricultural life of his community. In every capacity he has measured up to a high standard and to-day there is no more highly re¬ spected citizen in the county. He has grown up with the county and has never failed to do his share toward the advancement of its intellectual, civic, moral and material welfare.

September 6, 1846, in Jackson township in this county. His father was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and his mother in Highland county, Ohio. The Baker family originally came from England and were of Quaker stock, the first members in this country coming over with William Penn. Nehemiah Baker, the father of Joseph, went from Pennsylvania to Ohio with his family and later settled in Wayne county, Indiana. The Mills family went from Ohio to Wayne county and there Joseph Baker and Anna Mills were married. Shortly after their marriage they moved to Hamilton county and located in the woods in Jackson township. They built a rude log cabin and began to make a home in wilderness. Joseph Baker died in Xoblesville, October 12, 1873, and his widow passed away in Xoblesville township. They were the parents of four children who lived to maturity, four others dying in infancy. The children who lived to maturity are as follows: James, deceased; Nehe¬ miah, of Xoblesville; Albert R., whose life history is here recorded; Eliza¬ beth, deceased.

Albert R. Baker was reared on the farm and educated in the country schools of his home neighborhood. He was ambitious to secure a good edu¬ cation and later attended the Union High school at Westfield, Indiana, and the schools at Adrian, Michigan. lie then started to teach in this county and completed five very successful terms in the public schools. In 1872, he with¬ drew from the teaching profession and engaged in the drug business with George W. Vestal, the partnership continuing for the next five years. He was next interested in the livery business in Xoblesville and conducted it very suc¬ cessfully for thirteen years. In the fall of 1890 he was elected treasurer of Hamilton and served for two years to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of the county. On leaving the office he engaged in farming for two years after which he again became interested in the drug business at Xoblesville. In 1900 Mr. Baker was elected mayor of the city and held the office for four years during which time he favored every measure which he felt would benefit his home city in any way. After leaving the mayor's office he again engaged in the livery business and has followed it down to the present time. In 1908 he was elected to the office of trustee of Xoblesville township and is still hold¬ ing this responsible position administering the office in such a way as to win the commendation of all concerned.

Mr. Baker was married November 13, 1873 to Caroline Cook, the daugh¬ ter of Levi H. and Mary J. (White) Cook, of Hamilton county. To this union there have been born two sons and two daughters, namely: Olin C., who is married and lives in Albion, Indiana; Fred L., who is married and is a resident of Xoblesville; Edith, who married J. D. Allman, who is engaged

The Republican party has always claimed the support of Mr. Baker and it has honored him on several occasions by nominating him for township, county and city offices. He has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions and always has been regarded as one of the leaders of his party in this county. In addition to the offices, previously mentioned he has served the public on the board of education and in the city council of Noblesville. The Baker family are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and give freely of their substance to its support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Baker has been one of the most useful citizens of the county for many years and in all the relations of life has proved his worth.

Joel D. Bray

Indiana will celebrate its centennial in 1916, and it would be indeed inter¬ esting if it were possible to present to the people of this state a cabin typical of those that constituted the dwelling places of the early pioneer life of our state. One hundred years ago practically every new house was a log cabin nestled away among the forest trees whose wide-spreading branches almost interlocked over its roof, as if their outstretched hands would shield it from the stormy blasts as well as shelter it from the burning sun. Birds sang in the branches of its protective trees, wild flowers bloomed around its doorstep and altogether the landscape seemed fairer than that which any painter could present to our eyes today. The high cost of living never bothered our good forefathers, and the throes of appendicitis never caused them any suffering. True, they had few of the conveniences of modern life, but that they were happy, as we are today, can hardly be doubted. Today there are living in Hamilton county the representatives of many of these pioneer families and these cherish with the deepest reverence the tales of the vicissitudes which their grandfathers and grandmothers were compelled to meet. One of the earliest families in the county was the Brav family, but unfortunately with the lapse of time it is hard to trace their history.

Joel D. Bray, county recorder of Hamilton county, Indiana, the son of John M. and Sarah (Dickson) Bray, was born February 22, 1851, in Mooresville, Morgan county, Indiana. John M. Bray came to Hamilton county in

1859 and settled on the farm now owned by his son, T. T. Bray, his father having entered this land from the government December 13, 1833, the deed not having been recorded, however, until November 28, 1836. When the family first came to Hamilton county they slept the first night by the side of a large oak log and on rising the next morning, they began to cut logs for their home. It was only a short time until a rude log cabin was raised and in this cabin J. D. Bray was reared to manhood. John M. Bray was a successful farmer in this county, and at the time of his death owned two hundred and eighteen acres of excellent farming land. He was greatly interested in the breeding of live stock and was the first man to bring Durham cattle to Hamil¬ ton county. He voted the Whig ticket and upon the organization of the Republican party in 1856, threw his support in favor of the new party. He was a member of the Friends church and a man who was greatly interested in religious work. Fraternally, he was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was killed in the Broad Ripple wreck, January 31, 1884.

Joel D. Bray was twentv-one days old when his mother died and accord¬ ingly he was reared without the ministrations of a loving mother. As a youth he received but meager schooling, since the schools of his day offered but very poor instruction. However, he studied alone and later entered Earlham Col¬ lege, Richmond, Indiana, where he spent one year. He would have continued his college course if he had not been stricken with typhoid fever, but his illness left him in such a shape that he decided to remain on the farm and regain his health rather than run the risk of permanently impairing it bv returning to college. He remained on the farm with his father until his marriage, when he engaged in farming on the old home farm, where he lived until September, 1899, when an unfortunate accident made it impossible for him to continue farming. While working with a corn-shredder he was so unfortunate as to lose his left arm and this necessitated his retiring permanently from the farm. He moved to Noblesville and became interested in the insurance and real estate business and has been remarkably successful in that line. He built up a good business by careful attention to details until he had a full share of work in his special line in Noblesville and the surrounding territory.

Mr. Bray \Vas married on December 25, 1875, to Mary E. Williams, the daughter of Solomon and Margaret (Murphy) Williams, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Bray's grandfather was a minister in the Friends church, a native of North Carolina and an early settler in Wayne county, this state. He was a man of marvelous eloquence and made several trips to England, where he preached for the Friends of that country.

Mr. and Mrs. Bray are the parents of three children, of whom they are very proud, Walter W. ; Harry H. and John L. Walter is the assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Noblesville; Harry, who lives in Noblesville for a time was in partnership with two other men in the milk business in Indianapolis, but is now manager of the gas plant at Middletown, Indiana. J. L. Bray, who for a time lived in Orland, Florida, where he was a book¬ keeper in the state bank of that city, now is deputy county recorder of Hamil¬ ton county, Indiana.

Politically, Mr. Bray is a Republican and for years has taken an active interest in politics, his services in behalf of his party having been rewarded in the fall election of 1914, when he was elected county recorder of Hamilton county. He and his family are all loyal members of the Friends church, and contribute generously of their time and means to its support. Fraternally, he is a member of the F'ree and Accepted Masons Blue Lodge No. 57, and the Improved Order of Red Men, Cherokee Tribe No. 96. Mr. Bray and his wife are now living in their own home near Noblesville, surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of modern life. Mr. Bray is a man who is respected by every one with whom he has been associated, and is regarded as a man of the highest integrity and strictest probity.

John George Heylmann

The name of Heylmann has long been connected with the development and progress of Hamilton county, Indiana. The name has been borne by men who have reflected credit upon their county, upon their state and upon the country which gave them birth. It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of a country lies not in the machinery of government nor even in its institu¬ tions, but rather in the qualities of the individual citizen, in his capacity for high and unselfish efforts and in his devotion to public welfare. One of the citizens of Hamilton county, who has not only won honor and success for himself in his specific line of endeavor, but who has conferred honor upon his community, is John George Heylmann, today the oldest active business man in Hamilton county. For nearly sixty years he has been identified with the business interests of Noblesville and during that period he has won a name for himself in his particular line of business. He is one of the oldest manu¬ facturers of vehicles in the state and the high quality of his products always has been recognized.

Heylmann, was born October 6, 1834, in Prussia. His father was a farmer and lived all his days in the land of his birth, never coming to America. John G. Heylmann, as a young man of great ambition, felt that America offered so much wider opportunities than his own country that he would come here as soon as he was able to take care of himself. Accordingly, when he was eighteen years of age and had previously received a good common school education in his own land, he came to America and first located at Port Wash¬ ington, Ohio, a small village about half way between Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and Columbus, Ohio. Here he learned the trade of a wagon and carriage maker, a trade which was destined to become his life work and win for him a fortune.

Mr. Heylmann landed in Noblesville, Indiana, in 1855, nearly sixty years ago, and during these three-score years he has been actively identified with the history of the city. Upon coming to this city, he immediately began to fol¬ low his trade, and a year later formed a partnership with Wesley Hare, for the manufacture of wagons, carriages and buggies. At that time all vehicles were hand made and consequently the annual output did not compare in any way with the enormous output of the factories of today with their many labor saving machines. The firm of Hare & Heylmann prospered from the start, its products soon becoming well known by reason of their superior qualities. This partnership continued for twenty-one years when it was dis¬ solved and then Mr. Heylmann established a similar factory of his own in Noblesville, which he has continued to operate down to the present time. For the past thirty years his sons have been associated with him in the business. The firm of J. G. Heylmann & Sons has placed its products throughout the state of Indiana and all of the states of the middle west. Mr. Heylmann always has insisted that only the best workmanship and the best materials enter into the manufactured product, with the result that his vehicles always have maintained their high standard of excellence. It is needless to say that he has prospered and that he has become one of the substantial men of his city. For many years he has been a large land owner, he and his sons owning four hundred acres of as fine land as can be found in Hamilton county. In addi¬ tion to his agricultural interests, he is a director of the Citizens State Bank, a stockholder in the Wain wright Trust Company and also owns much valuable real estate in Noblesville. He lives in one of the most imposing residences in the city of Noblesville at the corner of Tenth and Logan streets.

Mr. Heylmann was married January 13, 1859, to Caroline Barth. To this union have been born six children, three sons, Frederick E., George, de¬ ceased, and George B., both of the surviving sons having been associated with

Mr. Heylmann has been engaged in business in Noblesville longer than any man in Hamilton county. No man within the limits of the county is more widely known and universally respected. He has been a life long Democrat in politics but has never been actively identified with the affairs of his party, his large business interests having demanded all of his time and attention. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Frederick E. Heylmann, son of John G. Heyknann, was born in Nobles¬ ville, on October 30, 1861. He was raised and educated in the public schools of Noblesville, and later attended the Commercial College of Poughkeepsie, New York. In 1883, he and his brother George B., became associated with their father in business, under the firm name of J. G. Heylmann and Sons. Within recent years the manufacture of wagons has been discontinued and entire attention of the firm devoted to the manufacture of lighter vehicles, many of them being of special designs and patterns. They are not only manufacturers of high class vehicles of all kinds, but also have added auto¬ mobiles to their sales department and do a large business along that line.

Frederick E. Heylmann is a stockholder of the Citizens National Bank and a director of the Wainwright Trust Company of Noblesville, and as has been mentioned, he with his brother and father own about four hundred acres of fine farming land near Noblesville which is highly improved and under cultivation. General farming is carried on with a considerable amount of stock raising. Frederick E. Heylmann was married June 30, 1896, to Cora Ingermann, daughter of George W. and Amanda (Dale) Ingermann, of Noblesville. Both of his wife's parents are deceased. Frederick T. Heyl¬ mann and wife are the parents of three daughters, Dale, Caroline and Frances. Frederick Heylmann follows in the footsteps of his father in political affairs and always has affiliated with the Democratic party, though he never has been an office seeker. However, he maintains an active interest in public affairs and is a consistent advocate of good government. Fraternally, he is a mem¬ ber of the Knights of Pythias and of the Protective Order of Elks. He has retired permanently from active participation in the management of the firm's business, though, still keeping up an active interest in the social life of the com¬ munity, in the affairs of which he and his family take a prominent part.

John George Heylmann and his sons represent a fine type of American business men, and yet they have never let their material success blind them to their duty to their fellow-men. Personally they enjoy the warm esteem of many men, who recognize in their cordial and affable manners the distinguish¬ ing characteristics of the true gentleman.

Charles H. Wann

The career of Charles H. Wann, a native son of this county, sets forth the history of a gentleman who has arisen to a place of prominence in his county solely through the use of his own efforts. For many years a public school teacher of this county, he came in contact with hundreds of young people and in this way exerted an influence for good, which never can be properly measured by earthly standards. A man of high ideals and strong character, he has impressed his individuality upon the growing youths who have been under his able instruction. Ten years of work in the school room gives one a keen insight into human nature and an equipoise which is a valu¬ able asset in any other profession. Mr. Wann always has been active in the civic life of his county and is now the efficient surveyor of Hamilton county. In this office he is performing his duties in a faithful, conscientious and pains¬ taking manner and thereby winning for himself success in a new field of endeavor.

Charles H. Wann, the son of Andrew and Amanda (Snyder) Wann, was born on a farm in White River township in this county February 6, 1884. His parents, who also are natives of this county, are of German descent and those sterling characteristics which have made the German people of this country such desirable citizens, have descended to their son. They are still living in Jackson township near Cicero, where Mr. Wann is a prosperous farmer. He has been active in Democratic politics in this county and has served as assessor and township committeeman from his township, Andrew Wann and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Cicero.

Charles H. Wann was given a good common school education and was graduated from the Arcadia high school in 1902. He then attended Indiana University at Bloomington for two years and the Winona Biological Academy for one term, after which he began teaching school and was in the school room until the end of the school year 1912. He then began teaching at the Hale schoolhouse in Jackson township, in this county, and taught there for two years, after which he taught at Sumner school, in Jackson township, continu¬ ously for the next nine years, where he made an enviable record as a pro¬ gressive and successful instructor of young people. He is a musician of ability and for the past several years has taught mandolin and guitar music in classes in different parts of the county. He owns a small farm in Jackson township where he lived and farmed during the summer season.

Mr. Wann was married September 10, 1907, to Laura Noble, the daugh¬ ter of Elia and Martha ( Hershman) Noble of Jackson township. His wife's