Hendricks County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1914 (part 18 of 19)

Politically, Mr. Hunt was a stanch Republican and was always active in the councils of his part}-, although he never held any office. He was a member of the b^ee and Accepted Masons, and he and his wife were both devout members of the Christian church. The people of this county of a past generation remember John W. Hunt as a man of irreproachable character and one who was always ready to accommodate anyone and ready to help those who were in need and distress. He was the architect of his own fortune and upon his entire career there rests no l)lemish, for he was true to the highest ideals and principles in life. He lived and labored to worthy ends and as one of the sterling citizens and representative men of Hendricks county in the generations that are now numbered with the irre\ocable past his memory merits a tribute of honor on these pages.

Dr. Frank E. Hill

Success in this life most always comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The present age is essentially utilitarian and the life of every successful man carries a lesson which, told in contemporary narrative, is productive of much good in shaping the destiny of others. There is, therefore, a due measure of satisfaction in presenting, even in brief resume, the life and achievements of such men and in preparing the following sketch of the well-known dentist of Brownsburg the biographer is sensible of the pleasure of his task, especially in view of the fact that the subject has given some of the best years of his life to his love of country and has received from a grateful nation a tribute of acknowledgment of services rendered.

Frank E. Hill, who is successfully practicing dentistry at Brownsburg, this county, is a native of the Hoosier state, having been bom in LaGrange county on July 31, 1880, the son of John C. and Sarah L. (Baker) Hill. John C. Hill was a farmer in LaGrange county for many years and was following this vocation at the time of his death, which occurred April 4, 1907. His wife died April 30, 1914. Doctor Hill lived on the home farm when a boy, attending the district schools of their locality and later attended the high school at LaGrange. The last two years of his high school course he studied at a town in Illinois where he had a brother-in-law instructor in the school. After finishing his high school course he returned to his home and enlisted in the United States navy, where he spent four years, serving on seven or eight different ships, and in this way travelled to all parts of the world. He was with the United States Ship "Bennington" in 1905 when, in the harbor at San Diego, California, her boilers exploded and seventy-seven men, more than half of her crew, were killed outright. Sixty-six of the victims were buried in one grave. At the time of the explosion, Mr. Hill was connected with the commissary department and was himself on the sick list. At the very instant the explosion occurred, he was in the act of coming up the stairs from the sick bay and as a result of escaping steam and flying debris his eyes were injured so as to seriously impair his sight for some -time. He also had two toes so badly scalded that it was necessary to amputate them, but, despite his injuries, he immediately returned to the hold and assisted in rescuing injured men from alley-ways, engine rooms and compartments, right in the midst of the scalding steam. Two men fell dead right at his feet and today, after the lapse of so many years, he still suffers from the nervous shock of that trying ordeal. On two occasions on regaining the deck with injured men he fell in a dead faint, resuming his labors as soon as consciousness returned and keeping at his task as long as it was necessary. In recognition of the endurance and bravery he displayed on that occasion, the government has awarded him a medal, which takes the form of a bronze star pendant and was made at a United States mint. On the reverse side is the following inscription: "For extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion of a boiler of the U. S. S. 'Bennington' at San Diego, California, July 21, 1905." Doctor Hill, in addition to the medal above mentioned, was also given one hundred dollars in money and a button of the Legion of Honor, the latter being awarded only for the saving of human life. During his service in the navy, he accumulated many curios and mementoes from foreign lands and has many interesting and thrilling experiences to relate. On many occasions he displayed marked bravery and inasmuch as he is the son of a veteran of the Civil War, this trait may be unusually strong in him. His father served (50) for three years and ten months as sergeant of Company H, Forty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, passing through many serious conflicts, the evidences of which he bore on his body to his dying day. He was an active member of the Grand Army of the Repubhc.

A short time after the explosion at San Diego, Doctor Hill's term of enlistment in the navy expired and he returned to his home. In 1906 he matriculated at the Indiana Dental College at Indianapolis, from which he was graduated in 1909. He immediately after graduation came to Brownsburg where he engaged in the practice of his chosen profession and has resided here since. In 1908 he was united in marriage with Lulu C. Wilson, who was born at Bloomington, Indiana, a daughter of Samuel S. and Serepta Wilson. Her parents now reside near Center Point, Clay county, this state, where her father is engaged in farming.

Doctor Hill has made rapid strides in his profession and has the distinction of being the only dentist in Brownsburg and vicinity. He holds his fraternal affiliations with the time-honored body of Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the fifth degree. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of the Macabees. While he is not a member of any church, Mrs; Hill belongs to the Christian church and in the welfare of that church Doctor Hill is interested. In the public life of the community where he resides. Doctor Hill takes an intelligent interest. He is a man of strong character and marked ability and because of these elements and his genuine personal w'orth. he enjoys a marked popularity in the locality honored bv his residence.

John Milton Smith

The life of John Milton Smith has been characterized by public-spirited and generous acts. Honesty and steadfastness of purpose have marked his career throughout and his many friends regard him as one of the most intelligent and progressive citizens of Flendricks county. He has always exercised an influence for the general good of his community, and, although meeting with many discouragements and obstacles along his pathway, his optimistic nature has never forsaken him. He was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of influential friends, but in spite of this he has, by his perseverance, industry and wise economy, attained a comfortable station in life.

John Milton Smith, the son of Jacob and Margaret (Cooper) Smith, was born in Boone county, Indiana, October 20, 1867. Jacob Smith was born in Hendricks county in 1840 and was the son of Reuben and Melinda (Turpin) Smith. Reuben Smith was one of the earhest settlers of Boone county, but at the time when Jacob was born he was living in Hendricks county. Melinda Turpin was born in this county southeast of Brownsburg and was the daughter of Jacob Turpin, who was among the earliest pioneers of the county. The Turpins came to this county from Scott county, Kentucky. A\'hen Jacob Smith was three years of age his parents settled southeast of Lebanon, in Boone county, and there the family home was maintained until the death of Jacob Smith, on October 19, 1913. Margaret Cooper, the wife of Jacob Smith, was born and reared in Marion county, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Moore) Cooper. Samuel Cooper and his wife came to Marion county from Ohio, making the overland trip on horseback and carrying one small child with them. Samuel Cooper became one of the first settlers of JNIarion county. For some years after settling there they were greatly annoyed by the thieving of the Indians. One day Mr. Cooper took his gun and - threatened to shoot the first Indian he saw around his house, and the result was that there was no more thieving on his property.

Jacob Smith, father of him whose history is here recorded, was a worthy man in every respect; a soldier of the Civil War. serving in the Seventyninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a fifer; an active member of the Baptist church, and a man who was highly respected by every one who knew him. His widow is still living in Boone county, this state.

John Milton Smith received his education in the schools of Boone county and remained on the home farm until 1889. He then came to North Salem, this county, and engaged in the dry goods and grocery business in partnership with Elijah Shirley. Two years later he sold out his interest in this store and spent a year in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Vandalia, Illinois, after which he returned to North Salem and worked for two years in a grocery store. He and his brother-in-law, John W. Lackey, then formed a partnership and engaged in the grocery business again in North Salem for the next four years. Mr. Smith then sold out his interests and for the next five years engaged in agricultural pursuits in this township. He then bought one hundred and seventy-three acres of land northeast of North Salem, and three years later sold that farm and bought another tract of one hundred and fifty acres northwest of North Salem. His last farm adjoins the corporation line of the town.

this county and the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Rogers) Smith. Samuel Smith was a native of this county and his wife of Kentucky. Samuel Smith was a carpenter by trade and also owned a farm northwest of North Salem; his death occurred when Ona, the wife of John M. Smith, was a small girl. Mr. and Mrs. John M. Smith are the parents of four children, Fred, Kenneth, Lucile and Nellie, all still at home.

Fraternally, Mr. Smith is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and takes an active interest in the lodge at North Salem, where he is now serving his third term as master of the lodge. He and his wife are both devout and faithful members of the Christian church. Mr. Smith possesses the happy faculty of not only making friends, but of binding them to him by his good qualities of hand and heart.

George Edgar Davenport

The commercial world has come to recognize the farmer's importance and has surrounded him with many con\-eniences not thought of fifty or one hundred years ago. The inventor has gi\-en him the self-l)inder, the riding plow, the steam thresher and many other labor-saving devices. And the tiller of the soil has not been slow to take advantage of the improvements thus invented and offered. Among the up-to-date farmers of Hendricks county is George Edgar Davenport, of Eel Ri\-er township, who was born February 7, 1874, in the township where he is now residing, the son of George Russell and Drusilla ( Pennington) Davenport.

George Davenport's father was a native of this county, and his parents, William and Nancy i^Dotson) Davenport, were natives of Virginia, who came from that state to Indiana shortly after their marriage on horseback and entered land southeast of North Salem, in this township. William Davenport died while George R. was a small boy. On reaching manhood he married Drusilla Pennington, who was born in this township about one and onehalf miles northwest of North Salem, the daughter of Hampton and Nancy (Dent) Pennington. The Pennington family came from Virginia and entered land in this township, Mr. Pennington dying at the early age of fortytwo and leaving a large family. When the family arrived in this county there were very few settlers here, and they had to blaze a trail through the woods in order to get to the land which they had entered. He and his good wife built a rude hut around a big rock, and used the rock to cook upon. An interesting instance happened when they built their first fire on the rock. It was cool weather and the rattlesnakes had collected under the rock, and when the rock became heated they crawled out from underneath the stone and Mr. and Mrs. Pennington killed them one by one as they emerged from underneath the rock. The widow of Hampton Pennington never remarried, but reared her children and lived to the good old age of eighty years.

After his marriage, George R. Davenport made his home southeast of North Salem, on what is known as the Alexander Williams farm. He and his young bride started in housekeeping under conditions which would discourage any but the most courageous of young couples. They lived in a rude log cabin and their bedstead was made by boring holes in the wall and supporting the outer corner by a stake driven in the ground. The cooking was all done in the fireplace, of course, and with the rudest of cooking utensils. Under such conditions they began their married life and no doubt they were just as happy as the young married couples of today, who start under the most auspicious circumstances. During the war Mr. Davenport met with severe losses, one of the most severe being the paying of a note on which he had gone security. They lived west of North .Salem until the death of Mrs. Davenport, in 1898, when they moved to Putnam county, this state, and bought the farm near Barnard. There were six children by Mr. Davenport's first marriage, five of whom are now living. Some time after the death of his first wife, he married again, but the second wife died two years later.

George Edgar Davenport received a good common school education and at the age of twenty was married and began to farm w ith his father. A year later he bought a small farm about three miles northwest of North Salem, on which he lived for four or five years. He then moved to his father-in-law's farm, where he remained for the next two years, and then spent the two following years in the creamery business in Mulberry Grove, Bond county, IlHnois, "after which he returned to Hendricks county and bought forty-six acres west of North Salem and, in 1909. bought his present farm of eighty acres tv,'o and one-half miles south of North Salem. He now has eighty acres in this township. He has very valuable and desirable land and his farm is one of the most attractive farms in the township, the improvements embracing everything modern, convenient and suitable for up-to-date farming. He has paid particular attention to the raising of cattle and hogs and has met with encouraging success in this line of agriculture.

Mr. Davenport was married November 9, 1S94, to Cora Page, the daughter of Jeremiah J. Page, whose family history is recorded elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport are the parents of two children, Ken- neth and one child who died in early infancy. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and he and his wife both belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. They are both devout and faithful members of the Christian church and to that denomination give their hearty support. Mr. Davenport is a man of strong character, whose success is the indication of his good business judgment, and he is widely known in this section of the county and wherever known is well liked and esteemed.

Joseph Lamb

Though no land is richer in opportunities or ofifers greater advantages to its citizens than America, success is not to be attained through desire, but must be persistently sought. In this country "labor is king," and the man who resolutely sets to work to accomplish a given purpose is certain of success if he has but the qualities of perseverance, untiring energy and practical common sense. One of the worthy citizens of Hendricks county who, through diligence and persistent efforts, has attained definite success and has won the respect of all who know him through his fair dealing with his fellow men' is Joseph Lamb, who has spent his whole life in this county.

Joseph Lamb, the son of Joel and Eunice (Lamb) Lamb, was born in 1846 in Marion township, this county. His parents were both natives of North Carolina, where they were married, and shortly after this event they put all their possessions in a one-horse wagon and made the long overland trip from North Carolina to this county. The)' located in Marion township, where they entered forty acres of land from the government, but after a year they became discouraged and went to Ohio: but Ohio offered no better opportunities, so tljey returned to Hendricks county, mortgaged their fort}' acres and purchased forty acres more, then, with the thrift and frugality which characterized our pioneer forefathers, they started to work to clear the farm and pay off their debts. Joel Lamb was a life-long farmer and as the years went by his efforts were increasingly successful until at his death he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres. Mr. and Mrs. Joel Lamb were the parents of fourteen children, of whom seven died in childhood and seven reached maturity. The mother of these children died about 1870, and afterward the father went to Kansas, where his death occurred in 1883.

Joseph Lamb, one of the seven children of his parents who grew to maturity, remained on the home farm until his marriage, at the age of twenty- five, at which time he married Ella Montgomery, a native of Union township, this county, and the daughter of James and Rebecca (Tharp) Montgomery. The Montgomery family came from Pennsylvania to this county early in its history, settling near Lizton.

/ Upon his marriage Mr. Lamb began farming on the old home farm, but two years later he moved to the eastern part of Eel River township, where he bought eighty acres of land where he is now living. In 1886 his house, with all of its contents, was destroyed by fire, after which he built the residence in which he is now living. In 1888 his wife died, and in the same year his barn, with all of its contents, was destroyed by fire.

Mr. Lamb was married the second time on July 8, 1891, to Carrie E. Gossett, a native of Erown township, this county, and the daughter of Thomas A. and Nettie M. (Combs) Gossett. Thomas Gossett was born near Plainfield, the son of Nathaniel W. and Mary G. Gossett, who were natives of North Carolina. Thomas Gossett was born December 21, 1841, and was the eldest of a family of five brothers and seven sisters. He began teaching in the public schools in i860 and, with the exception of the four years which he spent in the Civil War, he was engaged in public school work until February, 1899. Six years of this time he spent as county superintendent of the Hendricks county schools.

Mr. Gossett had a very interesting and at the same time a most harrowing experience during his four years' service in the Civil War. He enlisted in August, 1 861, in Company I, .Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and during fifteen months of the four years he was incarcerated in five dift'erent prisons, Lynchburg, Belle Isle. Richmond, Virginia, Andersonville and Milan, Georgia. In the latter prison he contracted scurvy and his legs had to buried in the ground up to the trunk of his body in order to give him relief and to keep them from rotting off. The disease never left him until his death, and he was a constant sufferer from it. In May, 1898, one of his feet had to be amputated, and in April, 1899, he finally died, hav>ing made a life-long fight against the disease. He was a good man in every sense of the word and was responsive to all of the Christian virtues. He was a good soldier, both physically and spiritually, and fought a brave fight for over fifty years.

The second wife of Mr. Lamb is a woman of great refinement and culture and before her marriage she attended the State Normal School at Terre Haute and was a teacher for three years. Mr. and I\Irs. Lamb are the parents of four children, Loren \\'., Roy R., Nettie Esther and Ralph E. Loren married Mav Young and lives near his father, and has one son, Russell Flovd.

Fraternally, Mr. Lamb is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his wife is a zealous member of the Christian church. Mr. Lamb has a fine farm of one hundred and forty acres, on which he carries on a diversified system of farming in addition to raising a considerable amount of live stock each year. Personally, he is a man of genial and kindly impulses and has won a host of warm and loyal friends in the community which has been honored by his citizenship.

John Durham

Hard and laborious effort was the lot of John Durham during his youth and early manhood, since he was born at a time when this county was a primeval wilderness. His fidelity to duty has won for him the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been thrown in contact, and by patient continuance in good service he has gradually risen from an humble station in life to his present high standing among the leading men of Hendricks county.

John Durham was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, on May 3. 1838, and is the son of John and Mary M. (Fields) Durham, both of whom were born and reared in Boyle county, Kentucky, and were married there before coming to this state. The father of John Durham, Sr., and grandfather of the one of whom this chronicle speaks, was also called John. The grandfather was born in Virginia and came to the state of Kentucky at the age of nine with his parents and lived in a fort at Harrodsburg for a year or so because of the Indian troubles. Mary M. Fields was descended from Irish ancestry, her grandfather coming from Ireland to this country in an early day. John and Mary Durham came from Kentucky to Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1835, locating near Waveland. The grandfather of John Durham came also and entered a large amount of government land and gave a farm to each one of his children, on which to start in life.

John Durham grew up in this new environment and lived at home until his marriage, which occurred on December 22, 1865, to Lee A. Tucker, a native of this county and the daughter of Lee and Miranda (Durham) Tucker. His wife is a grandmother of Nathan and David Tucker, whose history may be found elsewhere in this volume. Miranda Durham was born in Boyle county, Kentucky, the daughter of Thomas Durham, her father being a distant relative of John Durham.

this county, and began farming about hal f -way between Jamestown and North Salem, where he remained from December. 1865. until the fall of 1913, a period of forty-eight years. During his long career as a farmer he has seen many ups and downs and has encountered obstacles of all kinds, and yet has maintained his cheerful disposition through it all. Success has crowned his efforts and today he is the owner of five hundred and twenty acres of fine farming land in this tovvfuship. However, recently he has given away all of this land but one hundred and eighty acres, dividing it among his children.

Mr. and Mrs. Durham were the parents of seven children : Charles Omer, physician and now coroner of Marion county, Indiana, who married Mary Maley, and has one daughter, Frances: Frank C. deceased, who was a lawyer in Indianapolis for a time and later in Chicago, and died in the latter city in 1909; John L., who is on the old home farm north of North Salem, is married to Adeline Clark and they have two children, Glenn and Walter ; Clarence S. is in Missouri; Harry C. and Thomas G. both live at North Salem and are engaged in farming, while Mary F. is at home with her father. The mother of these children died in 1911.

Mr. Durham has been a life-long Democrat and has always taken an intelligent interest in public affairs. He has twice been elected as trustee of Eel River township, his last term ending in 1883. He has always kept in touch with the times and the trend of current thought, and has always discharged the duties of citizenship in the intelligent manner becoming the levelheaded American citizen of today. He has taken a deep interest in whatever makes for the material advancement of the community and endorses all worthy enterprises whereby his fellow men will be benefited and made better.

Among the thriving agriculturists and stock men of Hendricks county, Indiana, Oliver Perry Owen has been especially conspicuous for many years. Few men of his experience have achieved such marked results, none occup}- a more prominent place in the confidence and esteem of his fellow men, and it is safe to presume that his example and influence have done as much to promote the general interests of the locality as any other agency in the \icinity of North Salem, where he maintains his beautiful home.

western part of Eel River township, in this county. His parents, Horatio and Margaret ( Sears) Owen, were both nati\'es of Clark county, Kentucky, where they lived until after their marriage and removal to this county in 1833, when they entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land in the northwestern part of Eel River township, where they lived until 1867. They made the trip from their native state to this county in a wagon and began life under truly pioneer conditions. Horatio Owen sold his farm and moved about one and one-half miles northwest of North Salem, where he bought another tract of one hundred and sixty acres. Being a man of thrift and economy, he was enabled a few years later to add eighty acres more to this farm and at the time of his death, April 4, 1881, he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres of well-improved land in this township. His wife died February 11, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Owen were the parents of nine children, two of whom died in infancy; Elamilton died in 1867, ^^ the age of twenty-two years; William died at the age of thirty-two, leaving a widow and one son ; Elizabeth, who died in the seventies, was the wife of James McCloud ; Rebecca was the wife of Joseph Camplin and died in September, 1881 ; Keziah died in 1906 and was unmarried. The other two are James M. and Oliver P., and these are the only two of the original nine children who are living at the present time.

Oliver Perry Owen remained on the home farm until his marriage, which occurred on November 21, 1880, when he was united to Florence M. Duckworth, a native of this township and the daughter of James J. and Mary E. (Mark) Duckworth. James J. Duckworth was a native of Kentucky and, after his father's death in that state, came with his mother to Indiana, settling near North Salem, this county. Here he married Mary E. Mark, and engaged in farming until about 1879, when he moved into North Salem, but continued to manage his farm. His wife died in 1877, and his death occurred on January 3, 191 1. He was a Mason and a devout Methodist, while his wife belonged to the Christian church.

After his marriage, Oliver P. Owen began farming on the place where he now lives, about one and one-half miles northwest of North Salem, and has continued to reside here until the present time. He started in life with one hundred and thirty acres of land and has since added ninety-seven acres more to his homestead, which is a very productive and desirable farm, on which stands an attractive and comfortable home and substantial and convenient outbuildings. In connection \\ ith general farming he raises various kinds of live stock, in which he has been very succcessful, and is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished, for it has been done in an honest manner, through hard work and skillful management.

Mr. and Mrs. Owen are the parents of four children: Taylor W., who married Edna Clay, lives in North Salem ; Logan married Jennie Tucker and lives on a farm one mile north of North Salem; Maggie died at the age of eleven months; Ruth is at home with her parents. Mr. Owen is a hard worker, a man of rare foresight and business ability, and has prospered from year to year and thus developed one of the best farms in the township. He has been instrumental in the upbuilding of his community and is well known and highly respected throughout this part of the county.

Pleasant A. Hackleman

The Hackleman family is one of the pioneer families of Indiana, the first representative of the family who came to Indiana being Abram Hackleman, who came to Indiana before it was admitted to the Union in 1816. The first members of the family lived in Rush county, Indiana, and later in Hancock county. The various members of the family have taken an active part in the community life wherever they have settled and have always been numbered among the substantial citizens of their respective communities.

Pleasant Alvie Hackleman, the son of Abram and Martha (Manwaring) Hackleman, was born October 30, 1873, in Rush county, Indiana. Abram Hackleman was born in Rush county, Indiana, September 6, 1835, the son of Richard and Hannah (McCune) Hackleman. Richard Hackleman was a native of South Carolina, the son of Abram Hackleman, and came with his parents to Rush county, this state, when a small boy, and when he was grown Rushville contained only three houses. He was a tax collector in the early history of the state, and rode on horseback from house to house collecting' the taxes. He was a lifelong farmer and in the early history of the state ran a small grist-mill in the central part of Rush county. In the latter part of the thirties Richard Hackleman moved to Hancock county, Indiana, and bought a farm, living there the remainder of his life. He took a great interest in public affairs and served twenty-one years as justice of the peace, retiring from that office against the wishes of his neighbors. Hannah McCune, the wife of Richard Hackleman, was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Franklin cuuntv, Indiana, with her parents, where she lived until her marriage.

Abram Hackleman lived in Hancock county with his parents until he was of age and then moved to Rush county, where he followed farming for a few vears. Later lie moved back to Hancock county and upon his father's death he bought out the heirs of the estate and remained on the old home farm several years. About twenty years ago Abram Hackleman moved to Boone county and located two miles west of Jamestown, buying two hundred acres in one place and over three hundred in another, and is now the owner of over five hundred acres of highly improved land in Hendricks and Boone counties.

Abram Hackleman was married in 1858 to Martha Ann Manwaring, the daughter of Solomon Manwaring and his first wife, and was a native of Sullivan count}^ Indiana. Solomon Manwaring was born in Franklin county, Indiana, but lived the most of his life in Sullivan county, his first wife dying when Martha was an infant. Three children we're born to Mr. and Mrs. Abram Hackleman; Rosa Belle, who married Thomas Trotter and died in 1908, leaving two children, Lena and Fred ; Pleasant A., whose history is here recorded, and James Harlan, who lives on his father's farm in Boone county, this state, and was married in 1900 to May Burns, of Decatur county, Indiana, and they have four children, Velma, Wayne, Grace and Ward. Mrs. Abram Hackleman died in 1902.

Pleasant A. Hackleman spent the earlier part of his boyhood in Rush county, and later removed to Hancock county with his parents, who afterwards moved to Marion county, vvhere they remained for a short time, and when he was about twelve years old the family moved to the southern part of Boone county, about two miles west of Jamestown, where his father has since resided.

Pleasant A. Hackleman grew tO maturity on the home farm and received his education in the schools of Rush, Marion and Boone counties, and upon reaching the age of twenty-one he was married, on March 2, 1895, to Catherine Robbins, the daughter of Benjamin and Dora (Davidson) Robbins. Benjamin S. B. P. Robbins was born in Marion township, this county, on December 11, 1S36. and was the son of Benjamin and Ruth (Parker) Robbins. Benjamin Robbins was born in North Carolina, the son of William and Leah (Lamb) Robbins. Ruth Parker was born in North Carolina in 1812, and in that state she was married to Benjamin Robbins. After two children were born to them in that state, they moved, about 1830, to Ohio, and a year later came to Indiana and entered land in Putnam county. Benjamin Robbins was a carpenter by trade, and when he came to Putnam county he selected land on which there was water power, and he at once built a large mill five stories in height on Eel river, a mile south of Barnard, and after a time he hired a miller to operate the mill and he himself went to New \\"m- - Chester and erected a steam saw-mill, living at the latter place from about

1850 until his death in 1858, at the age of forty-seven. His death was caused by paralysis. Ruth Parker, the wife of Benjamin Robbins, was the daughter of John and Katherine (Parsons) Parker. John Parker was a physician and lived his whole life in his native state of North Carolina. Mrs. Ruth (Parker) Robbins died in 1877. Benjamin Robbins, Jr., grew up under the parental roof and assisted his father in the saw-mill at New Winchester in early life. In 1874 he married Dora Davidson, the daughter of Samuel and Rena (Parsons) Davidson, of North Salem. Samuel Davidson was born in Kentucky, and came to this state with his parents early in life. His wife was a native of North Carolina, who came here with the Robbins family, to whom she was related. For a time before his marriage, Benjamin S. B. P. Robbins clerked in a store at North Salem, part of the time in a hardware store and the remainder of the time in a drug store. After his marriage he farmed for four years, then he and John Fleece built a store room and engaged in the hardware business. He managed the store for some years and then Mr. Fleece sold out his interest and Mr. Robbins put in a grocery stock and conducted a store for about three years, when he sold the building and built a new business block. Howexer. he did not engage in business again, but re-entered the carpenter trade and has since that time put u]) a large numlier of residences and many large barns in and around North Salem. He has also farmed to some extent, owning a small farm southeast of North Salem. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are the parents of three children, Katherine, Barton and Thomas. Barton is a carpenter and builder of North Salem and married Jennie Pace, and has one son, Jack; Thomas lives in Indianapolis and is a barber and carpenter. Mrs. Robbins died July i, 191 1, and about three months later Mr. Robbins went to live with his son. Barton, at North Salem. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins were both life-long members of the Christian church.

After Mr. Hackleman was married he went to farming on eight}- acres which his father had given him on the county line between Boone and Hendricks counties. He has been very successful as a farmer and has acquired additional land from time to time and is now the owner of over two hundred acres of as fine land as can be found in the state. When he went on the farm it was almost bare of improvements, but he has spent a great deal of money in making it a model farm. He has built a splendid and attractive home, good barns and other outbuildings, ditched and drained it and made it one of the most attractive farms in the county.

Mr. Hackleman has allied himself with the Republican party and takes a deep interest in all the political questions of the day. His success in life has not come about without earnest effort on his part and his perseverance and industry have been handsomely rewarded. In addition to his landed interests, he holds stock in the Citizens State Bank, of Jamestown. He and his wife are members of the Christian church at Jamestown, and he is a deacon in this denomination. Mr. and Mrs. Hackleman have two children, Ona Gladys and Nellie Marie.

Horace Greeley Cook

Life is pleasant to live when you know how to make the most of it. Some people start in life as if they had weights on their souls or were afraid to make the necessary efifort to live up to a high standard. Others, by not making the proper study of the conditions of existence, or by not having that blessed trainer, a good and intelligent mother, are side-tracked at the outset and never seem thereafter able to get back on the main track. Much depends on the start, just as it does in a race. It would seem from the large success that has attended the efforts of Horace Greeley Cook, farmer and stock man of Hendricks county, that he not only got a proper start on the highway of life, but that he has been able to maintain the proper course all the while; but those who know him, his methods and innate characteristics, are not at all surprised that this is so.

and Edith (Jackson) Cook. Henderson Cook grew to manhood in North Carolina, and when a young man came to this county on horseback, and for a short time managed a hotel at Belleville. While living at Belleville, he was married to Nancy J. Banta, the daughter of Cornelius and Rebecca (Eccles) Banta. Mrs. Cook was a native of Indiana and was reared in Hendricks and Ripley counties. After his marriage, Henderson Cook traded in live stock and during the Civil War bought horses and mules and sold them to the government. In 1872 he moved to a farm northwest of North Salem, which he already owned, and lived there until two or three years before his death, when he moved into North Salem, where he died in September, 1884. He was a staunch Republican all his life and was once nominated by his party for the ofifice of sheriff, but did not care enough for the office to make a canvass. His widow now lives at Los Angeles, California. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson Cook were the parents of seven children, five of whom are living: Mrs. Luella Myers, whose husband is city auditor of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Edith

R. Jones, of San Francisco; Edward and Charles M.. both of whom live in Los Angeles, California, and Horace Greeley, whose history is here presented.

Horace Greeley Cook remained on the home farm until he was nearly twenty-eight years of age. He received a good common school education and later attended the academy at Belleville. ITpon his marriage, in 1881, he bought forty acres in the northern part of Marion township and lived there with his wife's mother for three years. After his father's death he moved to his father's farm and remained there until 1900. He then bought the farm of one hundred and sixty-three acres which he now owns, three miles north of North Salem.

Mr. Cook was married August jS. 1881, to Hattie \\'alker, the daughter of David and Mary (Robbins) Walker, of Eel River township. David Walker was born June 4, 1828, in Virginia and came to this county with his parents when a small boy, they settling on what is now the Michael Higgins farm. The parents of David Walker were Goodloe and Rebecca (Henderson) Walker. Upon reaching his majority, David Walker married Mary Robbins, who was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, and is the daughter of John and Lydia (Parsons) Robbins. Lydia (Parsons) Robbins lived to be ninety-five years of age. Mary Walker came, with her parents, in early childhood to Ohio arid three years later came to Indiana, her father entering one hundred and sixty acres of government land in Marion township, this county, about 1835, and lived there the remainder of his life. After David Walker was married he followed carpentering and contracting and lived the most of his Hfe in the southern part of Eel River township. He enlisted in Company B, Seventh Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and died in a military prison in Florence, South Carolina, December 4, 1864, leaving a widow and three children living. Mrs. Walker remained on the farm until her children were grown and married and in 1872 she married David Jones. an ex-soldier of the Civil War, who died less than a year later. Mrs. David Walker Jones now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Cook.

Mr. Cook was allied with the Republican party until 1912, when he united with Progressive party, believing that the principles ad\-ocated I))- this new party Vv^ere better suited to the modern conditions of the country. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are the parents of two children, Nellie and Edith. Nellie is the wife of Roy M. Sharp and lives four miles east of Ladoga on a farm; she has one daughter, Hariett Catherine. Edith is still at home with her parents. The one son born to Mr. and Mrs. Cook died in early infancy. Mr. Cook and all the members of his family have been adherents of the Christian church and give to it their earnest support. Mr. Cook has long taken an interest in the affairs of his vicinity and county and identifies himself with all worthy measures of a public nature. For the exercise of grit, economy, perseverance and honesty, Mr. Cook has not only won material success, but, what is still better, he has the esteem of all w ith whom he has come into contact.

Alfred Cox

He whose career now comes up for review has for many years been a citizen of this county and a brief sketch of his life will show what any young man can hope to accomplish who has in his mind a definite aim and steadfastly pushes toward that goal. His career has been a most commendable one in every respect. Beginning life under none too favorable auspices, he allowed nothing to deter him, and by persistent industry and the exercise of sound sense in his operations, he has gained the rewards for which he labored and is today numbered among the substantial and influential men of his community.

Alfred Cox is a native of the Buckeye state, born on February 2J, 1853, in the suburbs of Cincinnati. He is the son of William and Ann (Reeves) Cox, the former born in Londonshire, near the city of London, England, and there grew to manhood. He was twice married, his first wife being a native of his county and when they came to America they had a family of two daughters and one son. The wife died while they resided near Cincinnati, and there some time later he was united in marriage with Ann Reeves. She, too. was a native of England, having been born in Yorkshire, and was brought by her parents to America when a small child of three years. To this union were born three children, among them being the immediate subject of this sketch. All the children were born while the family lived in Cincinnati, where the father was a gardener and florist and also interested in fruit growing. He was also a landscape gardener of no mean ability and it was he who laid out Spring Grove cemetery on the north side of Cincinnati. Later he removed to a place near Chicago, but only stayed there three years when he came to Marion county, this state, and located his family about three miles south of the city of Indianapolis. There his death occurred in 1866, at the time the subject of this sketch was fourteen years old. Young as he was, Alfred Cox assumed his position as "man of the family" and, under the guidance of a wise mother, carried on the business his father had left. The mother lived a widow for a good many years, passing away in 1892. In Oc- tober, 1882, the subject, together with his mother and her brothers and sisters, purchased an eighty-acre tract in the southeast portion of Lincoln township, Hendricks county, and there resided for some time. Later on, however, the subject purchased the interests of the others and held the land under his own title. When the family purchased the tract in question, there were but twelve acres cleared of timber and fit for cultivation. The subject has cleared the balance of it and set out a large orchard numbering some two thousand trees. These are mostly apple, but there are a few specimens of pears and cherries. He also carries on general farming on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres Avhich he owns and which lays partly in Lincoln and partly in Washington townships. He also owns a farm of two hundred and five acres north of Clermont, Marion county. In his earlier days he did considerable gardening and has attended the city market of Indianapolis from the time he was eight years old and has the distinction of being the oldest attendant on market in point of years of service. At one time he handled cut and potted flowers, also live and dressed poultry, but now confines his efforts mostly to fruits, having made for himself an enviable reputation among the patrons of the market.

In June, 1888, Alfred Cox was united in marriage with Anna Anderson, who was born at Milk Creek in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Abner and Catherine (Householder) Anderson, the former of whom was of excellent Scotch-English ancestry and the latter of sterling German strain. They came to Indiana in the _\-ear 1S70 and located at Knightstown, where they remained for a year and then moved to Indianapolis where the father passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring about 1873. ^^ early life he had been a farmer, but later took up carpentry. His widow still resides in Indianapolis on Beville avenue and is enjoying good health and clear faculties at the advanced age of seventy-eight.

Mr. Cox's religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a consistent member, giving of his time and means to further its good works. His fraternal affiliation is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been a member for a number of years in the local lodge at Brownsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have an attractive and comfortable home in Lincoln township, the excellent condition of the farm land attesting the thoroughness of the owner, while the air of the home is that of genuine hospitality. Throughout his life, Mr. Cox has shown himself entirely worthy of the high esteem in which he is held. His life has been filled with activity and usefulness, while his untiring energy and ability have secured him a (50 conspicuous place among the citizens of his community. In 191 1 Mr. Cox agitated the proposition of good roads in Lincoln township and secured a successful petition for an improved road running two and a half miles south from Brownsburg, thence two and a half miles east ; also three miles on the county line, running north from the Crawfordsville road. When it was decided to build the roads, he was made superintendent of the work. His strict integrity and unpretending bearing have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens and his influence has always been exerted in the interests of those things which help to elevate his fellowmen in any way.

Melvin And Melvina Harper

Descendants from an old and honorable pioneer family of this county, Melvin Harper and his sister Eva are among the most highly honored and respected citizens of Eel River township. Their father was a gallant veteran of the Civil War, who died in the service of his country during that terrible conflict. The Harper family came originally from Virginia in the early history of the state and have numbered many worthy descendants since crossing the Alleghanies. William Forrest Harper, the first one of the family to be born in this county, was born near New Winchester, March 4, 1836, and died July 22, 1865, in Pulaski, Tennessee. The father of W. F. Harper was a native of Virginia, who came to Kentucky and married a girl by the name of Harper, but no relation to his parents or the family. The young couple came from Kentucky to this county on horseback and about eight years after settling in this county the father of W. F. Harper died, leaving his widow and seVen Sf.ns. The widow never remarried, but remained on the farm with her children, wliere all seven of whom grew to manhood. In 1878 the mother of W. F. Harper went to Mitchell, Indiana, to live with one of her sons.

William F. Harper was reared to manhood at New Winchester, although he spent a year or two in Kansas before the war. He was married February 3, 1858. to Sarah E. Christy, a native of Putnam county and the daughter of William and Julian (Buntain) Christy. William Christy was born in Monroe county, Virginia. August 7, 1816, and died in Putnam county, Indiana, March 27. iS8q. He came to Indiana when a small boy with his parents, James and Elizabeth Christy, and lived for a short time in Hancock county. Later his parents moved to the eastern part of Putnam county, where he spent most of his life. W^illiam Christy was married January 13, 1835. to Julian

Bimtain, the daiigbter of William and Leannah Buntain. Julian Buntain was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, December 8, 1814, and came to Indiana with her parents when a child. She was an earnest Christian from the age of eighteen, when she united with the Cumberland and Presbyterian church near New Winchester. Afterward she became a member of the Baptist church at Bethel. She died June 13, 1905, at the advanced age of ninety. William Christy was reared by pious parents and early in life joined the Methodist Episcopal church and in 1848 united with the Missionary Baptist church at Bethel in Putnam county, after which he decided to enter the ministry and was ordained in 1870 and continued to be an active minister until his death.

After William F. Harper married in 1858, he started farming on his wife's father's farm southwest of Coatesville, and remained there until he enlisted in the Civil War in 1865 except two years on a farm that he owned just north of New Winchester. He enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on February 15, 1865. and died in Pulaski, Tennessee, July 22, 1865. He was endeared to all who knew him and a man who led an upright Christian life in every way. He left a widow and two children, Melyin Carey and Melvina Eva. whose careers are set forth in this connection.

After the death of William F. Harper, his widow married Hiram T. Storm on December 25, 1867, and made their home four miles northeast of North Salem, the place now occupied by Melvin C. and his sister Eva. To this second marriage have been born four children, only one of whom is living, Orville Storm. Mrs. Storm, the mother of Melvin C. Harper and his sister, died April 28, 191 2, at the age of seventy-three. Some years after her marriage to Mr. Storm, she left the Baptist church, since there was none near her home, and united with the Christian church and remained an earnest member of that denomination until her death.

Melvin Carey Harper, the son of William F. Harper and Sarah Elizabeth Christy, was born August 14, 1862, near New Winchester in this county. When he was five years of age his mother remarried and she and her family then moved to his present farm. At the age of eleven his stepfather was elected treasurer of Hendricks county and for the next five years Melvin C. and his sister lived in Danville, where they attended school. After finishing the high school at Danville, Melvin entered DePauw University at Greencastle. At the age of twenty-two he went to Kansas and entered a government claim in Comanche county, forty-five miles from a railroad, and started in to improve his claim." \Mien he went to Kansas, his sister E\a went with him and they lived there together on his claim for seven and one-half >ears.

S04 Hendricks County, Indiana

They then came back to North Salem and H\ed upon the farm where they are now residing. Neither brother or sister has ever married, but have Hved for each other through all these years, since the death of their father in the Civil \Var.

Melvina Eva, the sister of Melvin, is a finely educated woman. She attended the State Normal School at Terre Haute for two years and has spent several years in teaching. She taught five years before going to Kansas with her brother and taught se\'en years while they were living in Kansas. When they returned to this county she taught three years more, but several years ago retired from teaching and is now living with her brother on the farm. They have one hundred and fifty-five acres of fine farming land and ^Ir. Harper owns eighty acres in Alarion townsliip. He was a Republican up until the fall of 1912, when he allied himself with the new Progressive party. Mr. Harper is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at North Salem and he and his sister both belong to the Daughters of Rebekah and the Christian church. She is also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps at Lizton. She is also a member of the "Lawrence School Girls," an organization of ladies who attended the Danville public school during the years of 1873- 1875. This worthy couple have lived lives of usefulness in this county and their influence has always been found on the right side of all public questions which affected the welfare of their community in any way. They ha\-e many warm friends in the township, who esteem them for their many good qualities.

Charles F. Martln

Realizing that every day is a fresh beginning and that every morning the world is made new, Charles F. 3.1artin, of Jamestown and Eel River township, is too well known to the people of Hendricks and surrounding counties as a financier and farmer to need any formal introduction here. He forged his way to the front, from a beginning none too auspicious, by courageously removing, one by one, the obstacles he found in life's pathway, for he was well aware that clearly defined purpose and consecutive efifort in the affairs of life will inevitably result in the attainment of a due measure of success. In following out the career of one who has achieved the coveted goal by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic indi\'iduality which made such accomplishment possible, and thus there is gained an incentive and inspiration, while at the same time there is enkindled a feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Mr. Martin one of the prominent and successful men of this locality have also brought him the esteem of his fellow men. for his career has been one of well-directed energy. strong determination and honorable methods.

Charles F. Martin, president of the Citizens State Bank of Jamestown. and prosperous farmer of Eel River township, was born on August 20, 1851, in this township, on the farm where he is now residing. His parents were Le\-i and Emmeline { Fullen) Martin. Levi Martin was born in Union county, Indiana, on March 10, 1826. and was the son of James and Mary (Hendricks) Martin. Levi Martin came to Hendricks county in 1833 with his parents, who purchased land near where Charles F. is now living and remained there until their deaths, James Martin's death occurring in 1849. Levi Martin grew to manhood on the home farm and married Emmeline Fullen. who was born in this county and was the daughter of Charles and Sarah (Lawson) Fullen, early settlers in this locality.

Charles F. Martin grew up on the farm and enjoyed such educational ad\'antages as were afforded by his home schools and later was given an academic and commercial course at Indianapolis. Returning to this county, he taught school for three years and then engaged in farming, and has lived the life of a farmer ever since. He has been very successful as an agriculturist and is now the owner of three hundred and fifty acres of land which he has improved and brought to a high state of productivity. In addition to his landed interests, he is one of the stockholders and organizers of the Citizens State Bank of Jamestown, which bank was organized in June. 1903. with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. In 1913 the net profits of the bank were ten thousand dollars, with deposits amounting to nearly two hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Martin has been president of the liank from the time of its organization and has had the satisfaction of seeing it grow in strength and enlarge its usefulness to the community. While Mr. Martin has been busy with his financial and agricultural interests he has not neglected his duty as a citizen of the township. In 1888 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of trustee of his home township and filled this responsible office to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens, irrespective of party.

Mr. Martin was married in 1880 to Miranda Frances Tucker, of Eel River township, the daughter of Dandridge Tucker and a sister to Nathan and David Tucker, whose biographies are given elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are the parents of five children, Paul, Levi Lawson, Charles Russell, Maude and Emma Catherine. Paul, Maude and Emma have been students of Butler College at Indianapolis and Emma graduated in 191 1.

Lawson graduated from Purdue University in 1910, and Russell graduated from the agricultural department of that institution in 1914. Paul is now assisting his father on the farm. Lawson is principal of the schools at Darlington, Indiana. Maude has charge of the musical department of Hazel Green Academy, at Plazel Green, Kentucky ; Emma is principal of the public schools at Mace, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are justly proud of their children, who have been given the advantages of the best educational institutions of the state and are filling useful places in society.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin have a beautiful country home one mile east of Jamestown, on the interurban line between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville. Mr. Martin is equally at home on the farm, in the bank and in all the activities of his community. He is an obliging, courteous, public-spirited and progressive man, who has performed useful service to his community and ;s rightly regarded as one of the most progressive men of his township.

Rev. Walter M. Benson

Among the men of Hendricks county who ha\'e been potent factors for good, there is no one who occupies a more prominent position than Rev. \V. M^ Benson. I-"or more than a score of years he was a public school teacher in various counties in the state and for the past thirty-hve years has been in charge of the Baptist church of North Salem and other Baptist churches in this section of the state. In addition to his teaching and ministerial work, be has also found time to engage in farming. It would be impossible to estimate the beneficent influence which has followed his work in all of these lines of activity, kor more than forty years he has been a resident of this coiuity and ;n all that time he has never neglected an opportimily to ser\-e his fellow men.

Rev. Walter M. Benson, the son of John Harley and Mary Ellen (Minor) Benson, was born in 1833 in Pendleton county, Kentucky. He was two years of age when his parents moved to this state, where his father entered land in Rush county and lived there the remainder of his life. Walter Benson li\'ed on the home farm initil he was twenty years of age and then taught school in Rush county for three years. He secured his education in the subscription schools and then attended Fairview College, an institution of learning on the line of Rush and Fayette counties, which was presided over by A. R. Benton and Re\'. Van Buskirk, the two famous educators of early Indiana.

In 1856 Walter Benson moved to the southern part of Marion county, near the Johnson county Hne, and for the next twelve years taught in Marion county, and followed this with six years of teaching in Johnson county. Five years of the time he was teaching in Marion county he had to teach in a log school house and only recently Rev. Benson had the pleasure of giving a lecture in that locality and met a number of the old people of the neighborhood who were his pupils fifty years ago. While teaching in Marion county, he also served as county trustee for two terms, while at the same time he managed a farm of his own.

Rev. Benson came to Hendricks county in October, 1869, and bought a farm a short distance southeast of North Salem in Eel River township. He finished clearing the land, ditched, fenced and otherwise improved it. Up to the time that Rev. Benson came to Hendricks county, he had been preaching and farming, although he had for years been taking an active interest in church work. A year after coming to this county, he definitely decided to enter the ministry and was ordained as a regular minister in the Baptist church. For the next thirty-five years he was in charge of the Baptist church at North Salem, and for twenty-five years had charge of three other churches at the same time. He has the gift of natural oratory and is a man of great fluency of speech. During the thirty-five years in which he was in the active ministry, he not only served his charges faithfully and well, but also found time to take part in public affairs, was twice elected trustee of Eel River township and served both terms to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He has also been able to keep his farm in operation and, due to the fact that he is a man of wonderful physique, he has never shirked manual labor, but has always been able to do his part in the field. He is proud of the fact that he is one of the best corn buskers in the county and from the age of sixteen has been able, until a few years ago, to husk three rows while the ordinary man was husking two.

In 1857 Rev. Benson was married to Mary Jane Vandever, who was born and reared in Marion county, the daughter of James and Sarah (Tucker) Vandever. She was one of his pupils when he taught in the old log school house in Marion county, and the romance which begun in that rude building continued through more than fift\- years. She li\ed to celebrate her golden wedding anniversary in 1907 and did not pass away until three years later, dying March 16, 1910. She was a wonderful woman in many ways, well versed in the Scriptures, clear and keen of intellect and helpful to her husband in his understanding of the Bible. Four children were born to bless this union: Homer A., a life insurance man of Indianapolis, who married Jennie

Miller, of Fayette county, and has one son, Neal: Mary E., the wife of J. S. Davis, of Gosport. has two children. Minor and Clarence; Hattie E., the wife of A. B. Davenport, a farmer of this county, has eight children, Herschel, Alberta, Edith, Maurice, Mary, Thelma, Frank and Beatrice : Eva Gertrude, the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Benson, is the wife of Everett Gregory, of Gosport, and has two children, Honor and Marion.

This biography is but a feeble tribute to the wonderful amount of good which has been accomplished by Rev. Benson. He is a typical man of wonderful strength and energy, who can do many things, and do them all well. As a teacher, as a minister of the gospel, as a public official and as a private citizen, he has taken his share of the burdens of the community. He is a man who has. always been trying to serve his fellow men. As a student of the Bible, he has few equals, has a wonderful memory and knows a large part of the Bible by heart and can repeat chapter after chapter without the slightest hesitation. He is a man of imposing appearance, tall, well built and with a personality which endears him to all who come in touch with him.

William Franklin Page

There is no more up-to-date farmer or public-spirited citizen in Eel River township, Hendricks county, Indiana, than William Franklin Page, a man who has won success in his chosen line of endeavor, because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has dealt fairly with his fellow men.

William Franklin Page, the son of Jeremiah J. Page and wife, was born September 29, 1865, in Putnam county near the Hendricks county line. The Page family history is recorded in the biography of Jeremiah J. Page, elsewhere in this volume.

William F. Page remained on the home farm until his marriage. He received a good common school education, and from his father learned all the finer points in agriculture. On October 10, 1893, Mr. Page married Ora Carpenter, the daughter of Fielding J. and Eline (Smith) Carpenter. Fielding J. Carpenter was born February i, 1854, in Morgan county, Indiana, the son of Felden and Sally (Leathers) Carpenter. Felden Carpenter came to Indiana in boyhood and settled in Morgan county among the first settlers of the county. Sally Leathers also came from the same part of Kentucky and settled with her parents in Morgan county. Felden Carpenter farmed all of his life as did his father, Daniel, before him. Fielding J. Carpenter grew up on the home farm in Morgan county and in 1875 married Eline Smith, who was born and reared in Wabash county, Indiana, the daughter of Benjamin and Sally Smith. In 1876 Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter moved to Hendricks county and lived here ever since except two years' residence in Montgomery county. Mr. Carpenter's first wife died January 21, 1891, leaving six children, Cora, Ora. Edgar, Cleveland, Alta Opal and an infant, deceased. Mr. Carpenter was married on October 18, 1891, to Ella Soots, daughter of John and Mary Adeline (Newman) Soots, of Eel Ri\'er township. Her parents were both reared in this county. To this second marriage of Mr. Carpenter have been born six children : Verley Esther, deceased ; Hazel Eern ; Edith Marie ; Cecil Dewey, deceased ; Herndon and Victor Hugo.

Before his marriage Mr. Page had been farming the land where he now lives and after his marriage he built a home and has since resided there. He has one hundred and twenty-five acres of excellent farming land which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. While he carries on a general farming, he has made a specialty of raising Poland China hogs and has been very successful on this line.

Mr. and Mrs. Page are the parents of two living children, Estal, born February 18, 1903, and Dorothy May, born November 22, 191 1, while Nina Esther and an infant are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Page are both members of the Christian church and give it earnest support. Mr. Page is a man who is respected by everyone because of his quaint and wholesome life. He and his wife number their friends everywhere throughout the community.

William H. Robbixs

There are certain characteristics which are always prominent in successful men, and among these perseverance and sterling worth are always to be found. William H. Robbins affords a fine example of the successful, self-made man, who has the necessary talents and forcefulness which have made him successful as a man of the world. His career shows that he has a versatility which is not possessed by every one. During the course of a long and busy career he has been a farmer, a carpenter, a stone mason, a merchant and an undertaker, and, what is more remarkable, he has made a success at each calling. However, his career has been pre-eminently that of a farmer, and in this vocation he has made his greatest success. He is a man of strong fiber and vigorous mentality and has earned high words of commendation from

WilHam H. Robbins, the son of Lamech and Emily (Blanton) Robbins, was born December 5, 1849, in Eel River township, this county. His father was born in North Carolina in 1820. the son of Jacob Robbins. Jacob Robbins, with his I'amily, came to this county when Lamech was a small boy. settling on a farm in the southern part of Eel River township. Here Jacob Robbins purchased a farm and here he continued to reside the rest of his life, and here his son, Lamech, grew to manhood. Upon reaching his majority he married Emily Blanton, who was born near Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and came to this county with her parents when a small girl. After his marriage. Lamech Robbins bought forty acres of land east of Montclair, this state, and following that lived four years in Iowa. Upon his return to this county he bought a farm three miles east of North Salem, but later sold this tract and. in 1894, bought one hundred and sixty acres two miles west of North Salem. His first wife died during the latter part of the eighties, and some time later he married Delilah Blanton, the widow of John Blanton. who was a brother of his first wife, and after his second marriage he moved one-half mile east of North Salem, where he lived until three years before his death. He was compelled to retire from the farm on account of a severe stroke of paralysis and spent his remaining days in North Salem. Mr. and Mrs. Lamech Robbins were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom grew to maturity, although there are only four of them now living: Frances, the wife of David Henry, of Jamestown; William H. ; James, of Roachdale. Indiana, and Jacob, a farmer of this township.

William H. Robbins lived on the home farm until his marriage, and in 1873 married Mary Page, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Page, whose familv history appears elsewhere in this volume. She was born in Jackson township, Putnam county, Indiana, and her parents are still living in this township. After his marriage Mr. Robbins began farming on a place adjoining his father's farm, his father having given him twenty acres upon his marriage and from time to time has added to this until he is now the owner of eighty-three acres. While he has been a farmer the most of his life, he has also, as the opportunity presented itself, been a carpenter and stone mason. Since 1903 he has lived in North Salem, where he has been engaged in mercantile pursuits.

Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are the parents of four children : Lillie, who died in childhood ; Oliver, who married Clara Barnard, and lives one mile west of Mavsville, where he owns a farm of one hundred acres ; Frank is married to

Iva Dodds and lives three and one-half miles northwest of North Salem, where he owns a farm of one hundred and ten acres : they have four children, Verle, Nina, Ruby and Irene; Myrtle is the wife of Samuel Kent, a grocer of North Salem, and has one daughter, Inez.

Mr. Robbins was a Republican until the fall of igi2. when he cast his political lot with the Progressive part}'. He and his wife are members of the Christian church and give to it their earnest support. Mr. Robbins has a wide acquaintance throughout the county and is popular with all classes of people. He is friendly and congenial l^y nature and frank in his manner and has a personality which easily wins and retains friends. He is a man of c|ualities of character and commendable hal^its, and his influence for good has been the most prominent characteristic of his life in this community. He has always believed in assisting others while working for his own advancement and is sympathetically in fa^-or of all worthy public enterprises:

Oliver W. Trotter

The best history of a state or county is the one that deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially of those who, by their own endea\'- ors and indomitable energy, have forged to the front and placed themselves where they deserve the title of progressive men. In this brief review will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and among his contemporaries has achie\-ed marked success in the business world, the name of Oliver W. Trotter being honored by all owing to his upright life and habits of thrift and industry.

Oliver W. Trotter, of the firm of Trotter Brothers, of North Salem, was born in Eel River township, this county, in 1865, the son of William \\\ and Nancy E. (Keith) Trotter, who are represented elsewhere in this work.

Oliver W. Trotter was given a good, common-school education and lived on the home farm until 1898. He then began working in the dry goods store of Moore & Fleece, of North Salem, where he was employed for some years. He then entered the employ of J. W. Sparks, remaining with him until 1907, when he and his brother, Silas B., bought the store of Bymaster & Company, which they have continued to operate since that time.

Mr. Trotter was married in 1903 to Mamie Conover, the daughter of John D. and Ellen (Weible) Conover. Mrs. Trotter's mother was born in Cape May county. New Jersey, in 1831, the daughter of Thomas and Mary

Ann (Heritage) Weible. In 1840 her parents moved to New Albany, in ihis state, where they lived until 1870. Her father was a boat-builder in the ship yards there. In 1853 Mrs. Trotter's mother was married to Samuel Conover. ' the son of J. D. and Soffronia Conover. Samuel Conover was engaged in clerical and commercial work at New Albany, and his death occurred there in 1861, leaving his widow with three small children, William, Walter and Lydia. William lives in Indianapolis: ^Valter died in his seventeenth year and Mrs. Lydia Walker lives in North Salem. Some years after her husband's death, Mrs. Conover married John Conover, of Ohio, a steamboat man on the river. In 1870 they established their home at North Salem, in this county, and Mr. Conover continued to work on the ri\er as captain of a steamboat until several years later, when he retired from active work and permanently settled at North Salem, where he li\ed until his death in 1882. To the second marriage of Mrs. Conover there was one daughter born, Mamie E., now the wife of Oliver Trotter. In 1887 Mrs. Conover married John W. Clements, a native of Kentucky and long a resident of North Salem. He was a soldier in the Civil War in Company C, Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served three full years in the war, after which he lived the life of a fanner in this county until his death, which occurred in North Salem, March 24, 1905. Since her husband's death, Mrs. Clements has continued to reside in North Salem, and now enjoys good health, despite her advanced age of eighty-two years.

Mr. Trotter has made his way in life by force of his own merit and industry from a small beginning to a place of comparative success. He is a man of absolute honesty, always on the advance and has managed his share of business with a skill and prudence which comes of a practical knowledge of the various branches of the business.

Thomas C. Davis

Judging from the success that has attended the efforts of Thomas C. Davis, one of Hendricks county's leading farmers, he got a proper start in life and. although he has made some mistakes, yet he is today one of the splendid examples of our modern farmers. Much, if not all, depends upon the start in the battle of life, just as in the beginning of a race. The horse that gets the best start, all other things being equal, will almost invariably win. Realizing at the outset of his career that it took indomitable courage, unfaltering integrity and unfailing industry to achieve the best results, Mr. Davis began shaping his course gauged by proper ideals and is today eminent!}' deserving of the reward that has so lavishly attended his efforts.

Thomas C. Davis, the son of Walter and Mary (Scott) Davis, was born June 15. 1 87 1, about two miles east of North Salem, in this county. The history of the Davis family is fully portrayed in the sketch of Ouincy A. Davis, which will be found elsewhere in this work.

Thomas C. Da\-is grew to manhood on the farm where he was born and received his education in the schools of his home township. He was married on February 2.8, 1892, to Ella C. Leach, the daughter of James M. and Elizabeth (Hamilton) Leach. James M. Leach was born in Hendricks county, February 9, 1834, the son of Enos and Elizabeth Leach, who were both natives of Kentucky. Enos Leach and his wife came to Indiana from Kentucky in 1 83 1 and entered two hundred acres of government land in Union township, this coimty. James M. was one of seven children born to his parents, and grew to manhood in this county. He married Elizabeth Hamilton, March 17, 1839. She was the daughter of Abraham Hamilton, of this county. James M. Leach is one of the leading farmers of the county. He and his wife are loyal members of the Christian church and Mr. Leach has served as an elder in that denomination for many years.

After Mr. Davis was married he engaged in farming for himself on eighty acres which he had bought south of Montclair. in Union township. In 1893 he moved to his present home, two miles east of North Salem, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land. He has within the past twenty years made extensi\'e improvements on his farm in the way of rebuilding his house, erecting a new barn, outbuildings and fencing of \arious kinds. Success has come to him as a reward of his efforts and from time to time has been able to add to his holdings until he is now the owner of two hundred and and one-half acres in this township.

Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of two children. Jewel, born April 28. 1893, who died when she was about six months of age, and Mamie L.. who was born February 27, 1895, who is still at home with her parents. All the family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of North Salem and earnest in their support of that denomination. Mr. Davis is a Republican and takes an intelligent interest in the affairs of his party. He has served several years on the advisory board of his township, a place of honor and trust which carries with it a salary of onl\' five dollars per year. This position was a tribute to him as a pulilic-spirited ccitizen, since it came to him unsought and shows the confidence which his fellow citizens had in his abilitv and integrity. He has one of the finest sugar camps in the township. He carries on general mixed farming, giving attention to both hve stock and grain.

Michael Felix Hession

It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who has led an eminently active and busy life and who has attained a position of relative distinction in the community with which his interests are allied. But biography finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a career. It is, then, with a full appreciation of all that is demanded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be accorded each statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon the details of such a record as has been that of the respected subject whose life now comes under review.

Michael Felix Hession, who in many respects is one of the most prominent citizens of Brown township, Hendricks coimty, Indiana, \\as born on a farm in Boone county, this state, on September 15, 1868, the son of Michael and Catherine (Hogan) Hession, both of whom came from county Galway, Ireland. Both remained on the "old sod" until grown, when each came to this country and direct to Indianapolis, where they were married. Soon after their marriage they came to this county and purchased a farm in the eastern part of Brown township, where they lived for four or five years, when they traded that tract of land for eighty acres in Boone county, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Michael Hession died January i, 1903, his wife having preceded him in June, 1891. They reared a family of eight children, among them being the subject of this sketch.

Michael F. Hession remained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage in 1894 to Sarah Mullin, daughter of Patrick and Mary (Tarpy) Mullin, both of whom emigrated from county Galway, Ireland. Mary Tarpy was left an orphan when but ten or twelve years old and soon thereafter took the long journey to this country alone. She made her home with various families until the time of her marriage to Patrick Mullin. After their marriage, they purchased a tract of forty acres in the eastern part of Brown township, this county, where they made their home for some fifteen or twenty years, and here it was that their daughter Sarah, wife of the subject of this sketch, was born. In 1879, Mr. Mullin bought eighty acres of land in Middle township, on the Hendricks-Boone county line, retaining the original forty acres, and the following year he moved to his new farm and resided there at the time of his death in 1891. Mrs. MuUin passed away in 1888. They had a family of eight or nine children, of whom but three are living. The daughter, Sarah, continued to reside at home until the time of her marriage to the subject, and they afterwards lived for seven years on this same farm. After disposing of it, they purchased their present farm of one hundred and twenty-seven acres, three miles north of Brownsburg. In addition to this, Mr. Hession also owns a farm of forty acres in Boone county, being land which his father gave him at the time of his marriage. Mr. Hession carries on general farming and other lines incident thereto and is thorough and upto-date in his methods. Mr. and Mrs. Hession have an interesting family of five children, namely : Mary Catherine, Theresa Marguerite, Thomas Leo, Esther Helena and Elizabeth Winifred. There is also one child dead.

Politically, Mr. Hession has always been identified with the Democratic party and, while not taking an active part in its affairs, has ever had a quiet interest in same. The famil}- are communicants of the Roman Catholic church and are highly esteemed in their community. In the public life of the locality, Mr. Hession takes a commendable interest, always being in the ranks of those desiring the betterment of the moral and material life of the community. His straightforward manner of living has won him an enviable place in the regard of those with whom he comes in contact.

Among those men of sterling attributes of character who ha\-e impressed their personality upon the community of their residence and have borne rheir full share in the upbuilding and development of Hendricks county, mention must not be omitted of Dr. Oscar H. Wiseheart, of North Salem, where he has long maintained his home and where he has exerted a strong inlluence for good on tlie entire community, being a man of upright principles and desirous to see the ad\-ancement of the community along moral, educational and material lines. Professionally, he is a man of recognized ability, who has in his chosen sphere of effort met with a large degree of success, winning the commendation and the confidence of all who have knowledge of the great value of the competent physician to any community.

diana, September 24, 1874. His father, John D. Wiseheart, of North Salem, was born in 1840 in Putnam county, the son of John D., Sr., and Mary E. (Ryner) \\'iseheart. John D. Wiseheart, Sr., was born in Nelson count)', Kentucky, and in childhood came with his parents, Jacob and Alary Elizabeth Wiseheart, to Putnam county, this state, where they entered government land near Groveland in the early history of that county and lived and died there. Mary E. Ryner was a native of Ohio, the daughter of Adam and Martha Ryner, and came with her parents to Putnam county, Indiana, where they also entered land from the government and lived there the remainder of their lives. John D. Wiseheart, Sr., grew to manhood in Putnam county, and in 1861 married Eliza Jane Clemmons, the daughter of Joseph N. and Caroline (Garrett) Clemmons. Joseph Clemmons was born in Maryland, near Hagerstown, and after the death of his parents in that state he came to Center township and followed the occupation of a farmer for the rest of his life. Caroline Garrett was born in Randolph county. North Carolina, the daughter of Caleb and Mary Garrett. Caleb Garrett was a physician who came to Salem, Indiana, and moved from there to Danville, in this county, where his death occurred. His daughter, Caroline, lived in Dan\ille until her marriage to Joseph Clemmons.

After his marriage John D. Wiseheart, Jr., lived for a short time on his father's farm and in 1862 volunteered as a soldier, but was refused because of physical disability. A year later he again volunteered and because there was a dearth of men he was accepted as a member of Company H, Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry; The company was sent to Baltimore, where they were stationed in the forts surrounding that city. Here he served one year and then mustered out, immediately after which he returned to Indiana, and he and his wife moved to Iowa, where they lived for a year and a half. They then sold their farm and returned to Indiana, purchasing a farm four and onehalf miles from North Salem, and on this farm of one hundred and fifty acres they lived until the fall of 1904, when they moved into North Salem and retired from acti\-e life. Mr. and Mrs. Wiseheart are both acti\-e members of the Presbyterian church in New Winchester. They ha\-e reared a family of five children: William H., a physician of Colfax, Indiana, who married Lillian Crose, and has one daughter. Nina : Effie, who died on reaching womanhood: Dr. Oscar H., whose history follows; Letitia is the wife of L. A. Whitenack, of Portland, Oregon, and she has one son, Clifford, and Victor H., who died in 191 1, at the age of twenty-six. His wife, Catherine Cameron, died four months after their marriage.

. Dr. Oscar H. \\'iseheart grew up on his father's farm in Marion township, and after completing the course in the common schools he entered the Central Normal College at Danville, and later the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, Kentucky, graduating in 1898. Immediately after his graduation, he began the active practice of his profession at North Salem and has continued in the practice there for the past sixteen years. Doctor Wiseheart has built up a very lucrative and satisfactory practice in his town and vicinity and has been very successful as a general practitioner.

l^octor Wiseheart was married in 1899 to Eva Morton Hadley, the daughter of Gillam and Harriett (Kissler) Hadley, of Eel River township, this county, and to this union ha\e been born two children, Harriett Louise and Robert Hadley. Doctor Wiseheart and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons in North Salem. He is the oldest physician in years of practice at North Salem and has succeeded in building up an enviable reputation as a physician who keeps fully alireast of the times in e\er)- particular. Doctor Wiseheart is a man whose heart is in his profession and never fails to respond to the call of the sick and suffering. He is a man of character, of stern honesty and one who inspires that confidence which is as necessary to the patient as are the medicines which are given by the physician. His personality is pleasing and the deep sympathy which he feels for his patients endears him to them and thus renders him the more efficient in his services. He and his wife mo\'e in the best social circles of the town and vicinity and are deserx-edly popular among all classes.

Calvin Stout

The Stout family ha\e Ijeen in Hendricks county for the past threescore and se\'en years. Samuel Stout, the grandfather of Calvin Stout, whose historv is portrayed in this sketch, was born in North Carolina in the year i8co, the same year in which Indiana territory was carved out of the Northwest territory. Samuel Stout married in North Carolina and came to this countv in 1837, with his family, consisting of his wife and two sons, William H., the father of Calvin and Luther. William H. was born Septeml)er 15, 1849, i" this county and died in 1896, his father, Samuel, the grandfather of Calvin, dying on October 4, 1875, in this county. William H. Stout was married on !\Iarch 21. 1872, to iMartha M. Curtis, who was born March 2S. 1853, (52) in Morgan county, Indiana. She was the daughter of Calvin and Rosa (York) Curtis. Martha, the wife of WilHam H. Stout, died June 8, 1910, on the old home farm.

Calvin Stout was born February 13, 1873, and spent his boyhood days on his father's farm. In 1896 he moved to his present farm where he is now operating one hundred and forty-six acres. He follows a general system of farming. He has a nice country home and has his farm improved with good outbuildings.

Mr. Stout was married August 30, 1895, to Mary Edna Milhon, who was born on May 17, 1877, the daughter of George W. and Susan Catherine (Richardson) Milhon. The history of George W. Milhon, which is found elsewhere in this volume, gives the ancestry of this family. Mr. and Mrs. Stout have one daughter, Lenore Magdalene, who was born on July 22, 1902.

James S. Dodds

Although the biography of the substantial citizen which is here presented is only the plain story of a farmer, yet it contains many incidents which will be interesting to the general public and especially to the many descendants of the honored subject. While James S. Dodds has been a resident of Hendricks county only a very short time, nevertheless his interests have been closely identified with this county and with the town of North Salem, where he has been doing much of his business for a long time.

James S. Dodds was born in Garrett county, Kentucky, on January 17, 1845, and is now living a retired life in North Salem, Hendricks county, Indiana, having moved there m the fall of 1913. He is the son of Samuel and Margaret E. (Ramsey) Dodds, both of whom were natives of Kentucky and who came to Putnam county, Indiana, when he was a child of five years, and located in Jackson township, where his father bought a farm and spent the remainder of his life.