Hendricks County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1914 (part 9 of 19)

Air. Pattison was married in August, 1886, to Jennie M. Downard, the daughter of I\Ir. and Mrs. Robert Downard. Mr. and Mrs. Pattison have three children: ]\Iarion, the wife of Carl Hawley, of Toledo, Ohio; Albert, who is now attending the Central Normal College, and Ruth, who is a student in the high school at Danville.

Mr. and Mrs. Pattison are devoted and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Danville, and for many years Mr. Pattison has been a member of its offitial board. He is also secretary of the college board of trustees and has held that important position for many years. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is at present the district deputy of the district in which the Danville lodge is situated. He was a member of the school board of Danville for nine years and was no small factor in building up the schools of the city to their present high standard. Politically, Mr. Pattison has been a life-long Republican, and has taken more or less interest in local campaigns. However, he has not held any public positions at the hands of his party.

Mr. Pattison's life has been a busy and useful one and his career fully exemplifies what can be accomplished by a man who is filled with the determination to succeed in life. As a public school teacher for many years and later as a college professor, he was a factor of great power in molding the lives of young people. In his official capacity as a member of the school board he was instrumental in employing high grade teachers in the city schools of his resident town and in every way he encouraged the educational life of the community. Whether his work has been in the school room, the lodge room, in his law practice or wherever he has been found, it can be truly said of him that he was always animated by high ideals and the desire to treat his fellow man with exact justice. He has attained to an enviable standing in the legal profession of his county and his reading of the law is always characterized by that fine sympathy which is the true mark of great advocates. He is a man of genial personality and makes friends with all with whom he comes in contact.

Elmer Hodson

l"he student interested in the history of Hendricks county does not have to carry his investigations far into its annals before learning that Elmer Hodson has long been one of its most active and leading citizens in its agricultural and stock-raising interests and that his labors have been a potent force in making this a rich agricultural region, for through several decades he has carried on general farming, gradually improving his valuable place, and while he has prospered in this he has also foimd time and ample opportunity to assist in the material and civic development of the county.

The subject's ancestral record, in brief, is as follows: On the paternal side, the great-great-grandparents were George and Mary (Thacher) Hodson; great-grandparents, Robert and Rachel (Mills) Hodson; grandparents, Jesse and Mary (Wilson) Hodson, whose children were Robert W., Jesse W., Jeremiah W., Eli W., Elizabeth W., Rachel W., Mary W., and Joel W. Mary Wilson was a daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Saferight) Wilson. On the maternal side, the grandparents were Samuel and Rebecca (Binford) Parker, the former being a son of Joseph or Josiah and Martha (Peel) Parker, and the latter a daughter of James and Hannah (Crew) Binford. To Samuel and Rebecca Parker were born the following children: Silas, John, James, Josiah (died in young manhood, single), Hannah Jane (mother of the subject), Martha Ann, and Angelina, who married a Mr. Brown and died about a year later, leaving a baby girl who died about six weeks after her mother's death.

Elmer Hodson, the son of Joel and Hannah Jane (Parker) Hodson, was born in the house in which he is now living on June 15, 1866. His father was born in North Carolina on August 3, 181 7, and came to this state with his parents in 1831. They located in Mill Creek settlement, but after a year's residence there, they entered land in Clay township in 1832. A few years later Joel Hodson entered six hundred and forty acres of land in Iowa, and held it for a number of years, and when he sold it at a good price he invested the proceeds in land in this county. He spent his whole life in this county from the time he came here in 1831 until his death, which occurred June 3, 1911. His first wife was Charlotte Brown, and to this marriage was born one child, Brazeldon B., who married Ann Bryant. After the death of his first wife, Joel Hodson married Sarah A. Hill, and to this marriage there were born three children: John R., who married Ella Masten, and after her death, Mrs. Lydia Jessup; Jesse C. married Ruth Masten; Jennie married James Kendall, and after his death, Samuel Pitts. After the death of Mr. Hodson's second wife he married Hannah Jane Parker, and to this union there were born four children: Mary, wife of Samuel Atkins; Rebecca became the wife of Jesse Branson; Martha married Nathan Carter, and Elmer, the immediate subject of this sketch. Hannah Parker, the mother of Elmer Hodson, was born in Rush county, Indiana, February 17, 1829, and died in Clay township, this county. May 3, 1904.

Elmer Hodson received his education in the schools of his home township and early in life started to work on his father's farm. When he became of age his father gave him a farm of his own, and on this place he has spent his entire career. He is recognized as one of the most scientific farmers of the county, keeping abreast of all the latest methods in agriculture and having his farm well supplied with all the necessary farming machinery and accessories.

Mr. Hodson was married to Luella Hadley, the daughter of Samuel J. and Locadia (Brown) Hadley, and to this marriage has been born one child. Vera Jane, who is now attending Earlham College, and will graduate in June, 1914. The parents of Mrs. Hodson were both natives of this state, her father's birth having occurred in ]\Iorgan county, where he spent his entire life. He was a farmer and at the time of his death he was the owner of two hundred and forty acres of land. To Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Hadley were born six children : Cornelius, who first married Elsie

Clark ; Elva married Joshua Hunt ; Sarah Jane married Harry Thompson ; Luella, the wife of Mr. Hodson; Vinton, deceased; Elizabeth married Alva R. Shirley, of Indianapolis.

Mr. Hodson has been a Republican in politics from conviction, feeling that in the principles set forth by that party the welfare of the nation would be best conserved. His interest in politics has been that of the public-spirited citizen, who has a civic interest in his country's welfare, but is not particularly concerned in holding office himself. He is a member of the Friends church at Mill Creek and Mrs. Plodson belongs to the societ\' at Amo, both being interested in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the community in which they live. Mr. Hodson's upright life and courteous dealings have won for him the esteem of a wide concourse of friends throughout the locality in which he has spent his life.

Robert Opie Christie

The history of many Indiana families takes us back into colonial times, and it is a source of satisfaction to trace the history of a family from the seventeenth century up to the present time. The Christies of Hendricks county trace their ancestry back to colonial times, where they have found that the original founder of the family was educated for a Catholic pnest. However, his relatives objected so vigorously to his espousal of the Catholic faith that he left England and came to this country, where he could worship as he pleased. He settled in ^^irginia and in the course of time married a woman of refinement and culture who lived in the city of Philadelphia. To this marriage there was born one son, James, who, in turn, married and became the father of William, the founder of the Hendricks county branch of the Christies. James Christie enlisted in the Revolutionary War when a very young man and served for seven years. James married Sarah Lemond and settled in Franklin county, Virginia, on the James river, where he lived until 1803. He then moved to Lincoln county, Kentucky, and a year later he moved with all his family to Shelby county, in the same state, where he taught school until his death. William was the third of the ten children born to James Christie and wife.

William Christie was born in Virginia, August 25, 1786. and was sixteen years of age when his parents moved to Kentucky. Therefore, he had but little chance for schooling, although his father taught all of his children to read and write at home. He acquired a fair knowledge of law and, being a wide reader, he was well versed in the topics of the day. On August 15, 1805, when only nineteen, he was married to Sarah Miles, who died a year later, leaving an infant daughter, Mary. On February 20, 1810, William married Elizabeth Miles, a cousin of his first wife. At the opening of the War of 1812 he enlisted and served throughout as the captain of a pack-horse company. After his return from the war he lived on a farm in Kentucky and held some minor offices in his count}'. In the fall of 1836 he moved to Hendricks county, Indiana, where he lived until his death, May 30, 1878. He died in the faith of the Regular Baptist church, to which he had belonged for nearly seventy-five years.

Robert Opie Christie, the great-grandson of William Christie, was born December 4, 1S72. in Marion township, Hendricks county, Indiana. His parents were James P. and Amantha Ann (Yowell) Christie, his father being born in this county on November 19, 1844. James P. was married in 1871 to Amanthis Ann, the daughter of Walker and Eliza (Duvall) Yowell. Walker Yowell was a native of Virginia and came west to Kentucky with his parents when he was a small boy. He grew to manhood and married in that state. In 1854 he came to Hendricks county and located on the farm in Marion township where James Christie now lives. He lived on this farm of eighty acres until his death, in 1902, at the age of eighty-four, having been born in 18 17. His wife was born in Kentucky and died in Marion township, this county, in 1885, at the age of fifty-six.

James P. Christie was the second son of eight children Ijorn to John and Lucinda (Bush) Christie. John was a native of Kentucky, being born in that state January 15, 1816, and dying in this county October 8, 1888. He was farmer- and carpenter all his life, and took quite an interest in public affairs. He was a Democrat and was elected supervisor several times in his township. His wife was a native of Kentucky, but came to this county when a small girl with her parents and was reared in the county. She died in 1891. Mr. and Mrs. John Christie were the parents of eight children: William P., James, Thomas J., Sarah Elizabeth (deceased), Lemon M., John Wesley (deceased), Frank Douglass and George Washington.

James P. Christie spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, receiving his schooling in the district schools of the neighborhood. He worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-eight and then moved to his present farm of one hundred and eighteen acres. He has been a road supervisor for the past thirty years. His wife, Amanthis Ann Yowell, was born in Kentucky in 1851 and has lived in this county since she was four years of age. To James P. Christie and wife have been born three children: Robert O., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Beatrice Hadley and Herbert D.

Robert O. Christie was educated in the schools of his home township and then spent three terms in tiie Central Normal College of Danville. He started farming on his present farm, which is a part of the old homestead (30) farm. In addition to a general system of farming, he specializes in cattle breeding, raising Shorthorn and Durham cattle for the market. He has a fine herd on hand at all times and is an expert judge of cattle. He is regarded as one of the best stock raisers in central Indiana, and is rapidly coming to the front as one of the leading cattle experts of the state.

Mr. Christie was married on October 9, 1895, to Clara Rogers, the daughter of Chilin and Sallie (Clay) Rogers. Her parents are natives of this county and are now living retired at Amo, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Christie have had two children, but both died in early childhood, Gladys R. at the age of six and Ruth at the age of two and a half.

In his political relations, Mr. Christie has always voted the Democratic ticket, believing in the principles advocated by that party. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has been a member of the Friends church since he was seventeen years of age. He is now an overseer in the church. His wife is a member of the Christian church at New Winchester. Mr. Christie is a genial man and has always been a hard worker. He is a man who has favored all civic enterprises which might help the communitv and because of his public spiritedness he is justly regarded as one of the representative men of the county.

Clarence C. Whicker

The best history of a community or state is that which deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially of those who, by their own endeavor 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 fovmd the record of one who has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and achieved a career surpassed by few of his contemporaries, a career of marked success in agricultural affairs and a name which all men who know him delight to honor owing to his upright life and habits of thrift and industry.

Clarence C. Whicker, the son of Frederick and Louisa S. (Duley) Whicker, was born in Clay township, Hendricks county, Indiana, January i, 1859. His father was also a native of this county, his birth having occurred in Clay township on February 24, 1833, and he spent his entire life in the county of his birth, his death occurring on November 22, 1913. Mrs. Frederick Whicker was born near Flemingsburg, Kentucky, November i, 1832, and died March 27, 1868. The paternal grandfather of Clarence C. Whicker was born in Salem, North Carolina, April 3, 1794, and died October 29, 1853. He married Elizabeth Cosner, daughter of John and Abigail (Pike) Cosner, and to this union were born the following children : Mrs. Dorinda Stanley, Mrs. Eliza Cosner, John C, Louis, James, Abigail, Mary, Luretta (who married Parnell Kennell), Frederick (father of the subject), Elizabeth, Allen (who married Amanda West), Sarah, who died unmarried. The ^Vhicker family are very fortunate in having their family history traced back in an unbroken line for five generations. James Whicker, the greatgrandfather of Clarence C. Whicker, was born near Liverpool, England, February 16, 1765, and died in Salem, North Carolina. His second wife, Mary Dean, was born July 25, 1770, and died at the age of one hundred and thrive at Salem, North Carolina, and to this union there were born six children: Sarah, born April 10, 1780; Benjamin, June 20, 1784; William, March i, 1789: James, January 13, 1791 ; Frederick, April 3, 1794; Eli, July 23, 1803. John Cosner, the maternal grandfather of C. C. Whicker, was born ^lay 8, 1768, and died December 15, 1849. He married Abigail Pike, who was born October 3, 1770, and died January i, 1861. To Mr. and Mrs. John Cosner were born ten children: Nathan, born August 29, 1793; Mary, January i, 1795 ; Elizabeth, May 5, 1797; Anthony, born April 7, 1799; John, January 18, 1804; Sarah, January 21, 1801 ; William, January 11, 1806; Lovey, May 26, 1808; Hannah, June 10. 181 1 ; Peggy, May 21, 1814.

Frederick Whicker received his common school education in the district schools of his township and worked on his father's farm until the la^'ter's death, which occurred when the son was nineteen years of age. He then went to farming for himself and soon afterward bought a farm of forty acres in Clay township, this county. He was a very successful farmer and in the course of a few years had one hundred and sixty acres of good farming land. In the spring of 1861 he moved to Ben Davis, remaining there until October, 1875, when he returned to Franklin township, Hendricks county, and again resumed farming, and here he continued to reside until twelve years before his death, when he retired from active work and removed to Stilesville, this count}-, where he died November 22, 191 3. In the spring of 1858 Frederick Whicker married Louisa S. Duley, and to this union there were born two children, Clarence C, the subject of this review, and Franz F., of Franklin township. The subject's maternal great-grandparents were Zadock and Susanna (White) Duley, whose families had been located in Virginia for two and a half centuries. Eventually they moved to Fleming county, Kentucky, where their deaths occurred. Their children were as follows: John, single; Hiram, who married Sophia Northcut; Charley, who also married Sophia Northcut ; Henry married Martha Mershon ; Susan, the wife of Henry Sweet; Jane, single; Ann, the wife of James Wilson; PoUey, the wife of Thomas Money. Of these, Henry Duley, the subject's grandfather, was born April 4, 1800, and died July 2, 1846. On January 6, 1825, he married Martha Mershon, who was born January 11, 1804, and died July 16, 1881, and their children were as follows: America, single; John C, born September 7, 1828, who married Heba Hord; Louisa S., the subject's mother; Frances, wife of Philip Pratt; Henry C, born September 26, 1836, married Athalinda Redmond; William, born July 14, 1830, married Malinda Wood. Daniel Mershon, the father of Mrs. Martha Duley, was of French Huguenot descent, though a resident of Virginia, where he married Effie Hamilton. Their children were as follows : Susan married Jesse Turner ; Martha married Henry Duley; Sallie married James Jones; Eliza became Mrs. Allsup; Fannie married Washington Wills; Benjamin married Miss Gorganay; Eli married Miss Bell; James married and died young; Cornelius died young. In 1868 Mrs. Louisa Whicker died, and subsequently Mr. Whicker married Martha A. Robinson, the daughter of John and Martha Robinson, and to this union one child was born. Mildred Mary, who died October 10, 1881. Mrs. Martha A. Whicker was a daughter of John and Martha A. (Hughes) Robinson, of Kent county, England. She was born at Covington, Kentucky, September 9, 1844. and died at Stilesville May 10. 1914, in the seventieth year of her age. She joined the Methodist Episcopal church in 1886 and, until her health failed, was a regular attendant of church and Sunday school.

Clarence C. Whicker attended his first school in Marion county, Indiana, near Ben Davis, but his school advantages were very limited. However, he has kept apace with modern improvements in agricultural work and on the current topics of the day, so that he is now able to discuss intelligently the leading current events. He worked on his father's farm until 1897, when he married and began farming on his own account, locating then im his present place, known as the John Grimes farm, on the Amo and Stilesville road. He first bought one hundred and sixty acres in 1892, to which hei added one hundred acres in 1896, and all but about thirty-five acres is in a high state of cultivation. In 1910 he built the splendid fifteen-room residence and has made many other permanent and substantial improvements. He carries on general farming operations, also giving proper attention to live stock. In addition to a diversified system of farming he engaged in stock raising and was successful from the first in this line of work.

Mr. Whicker married Iva Wallace on April 20, 1897, the daughter of Thomas L. and Alamanza (Kirkham) Wallace, of Tipton county, this state, and to this union there have been born two children, Louis and Clarice Crista. Mrs. \Vhicker's parents are natives of Indiana, her father having been born in Tipton county, and her mother in Morgan county, and they were the parents of three children, Victoria, the wife of Orin L. Osborne, and the}- have two children, Carodine and Blythe ; Cora married Elvin Mc- Clelland, and has two children. Emil and Doris.

Mr. Whicker has allied himself with the new Progressi\e party because he feels that it offers the best solution for all those evils which beset our nation today. He and his wife take an active interest in the various affairs of the neighborhood in which they live which seek the public welfare. Mrs. Whicker is a loyal and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Stilesville. As a farmer Mr. Whicker has been very successful, having de\oted all his energies to agricultural pursuits and has met with the success which he merits. He is a practical and methodical farmer and has always given his personal attention to the various details of his farm work with the result that he has an enviable standing in the community because of his ability and success in his chosen vocation. He has been successful in the accumulation of material wealth, being the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of fine farming land in Franklin and Clay townships in this county.

John J. Dug An

It has been often said that the versatility and virility of the American people have been brought about largely by the continual introduction of new elements through the assimilation of the better class of our immigrant population. One small country beyond the seas has furnished its full quota of desirable citizens, and the brilliant thought and quick wit of these gentlemen are proverbial. Not a few of our most brilliant statesmen and men of aflfairs have been either natives of "Ireland, the Beautiful Isle of the Sea," or were descended from sturdy Hibernian stock. One of the conspicuous successes of this character in Hendricks county is John J. Dugan, the son of Michael and Margaret (Hughes) Dugan.

In some respects a true son of Erin, he is none the less a loyal American and a Hoosier, being widely known and generall}' respected in the community in which he was born and bred. He, himself, is a na>! e of Hendricks county, having first seen the Hght of day upon his father's farm in Aliddle township, on the 4th day of March, 1882, and since that day he has lived in and worked loyally for the interests of this county. His father, Michael, and his mother. Margaret Dugan. were both natives of Gahvay, Ireland. They came to America in their youth, Michael being but nineteen years of age when he reached this country. He immediately found an abiding place on a farm near Brownsburg, Lincoln township, this county. Later he came to Middle township and, by hard work as a farmer and frugal habits, came into possession of a large tract of land about four miles north of Pittsboro. Here the remainder of his life was spent, toiling diligently and intelligently for the sustenance of himself and his family, and also looking forward to his later years when he need no longer toil for necessities, but could enjoy the fruits of his labor. His faithful wife was an unfailing source of help and strength and to her efforts, in no small measure, his success is due. To them were born eight children, seven of whom are still living to carry out into the world, for generations to come perhaps, the name and teachings of their father. These children are Martin, Katherine (Collins), Ellen, Delia, Mary, Patrick, John J., and Anna, whom death called. The devoted mother still enjoys the home of her youth, ably assisted in its management by her children. Michael Dugan was a firm adherent of the tenets of Jefferson, always voting the Democratic ticket. Though very progressive in his ideas and active in affairs touching the public welfare in his community, he aspired to no political oflfice, finding ample field for his abundant energy in his immediate surroundings.

His son, John J. Dugan, is one of the thoroughly progressive, representative men of the county. Abreast of the times and thoroughly informed on all questions pertaining to the public welfare, his judgment is largely relied upon by many of the neighboring citizens. His education was received in the schools of the township, but he has never ceased to study. Like his father, he is a stanch Democrat, and was elected to the Legislature on this ticket at the election in 1912. which office he has filled with great credit, devoting his energies to the service of the people as conscientiously as he has always worked for his own success.

Mr. Dugan is one of the very successful farmers of the locality, caring for the homestead of his childhood, a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which by its appearance shows the intelligent care it has received. Here he engages in general farming, devoting considerable attention to the breeding of live stock, particularly hogs, a large number of which are marketed by him yearly.

Mr. Dugan is unmarried and has taken no interest in fraternal affairs. lie is a prominent member of the Indiana Democratic Club, and also a member of the St. Malachy Catholic church at Brownsburg. A man of wide acquaintance, sound judgment, decisive and straightforward in all his dealings, he stands as an exemplary citizen, one of the truly representative men of the county.

Virgil S. Watson

There is no more important factor in the history of a town than the newspapers, and it is often true that it is the newspapers of a town which are largely responsible for its prosperity. The influence of a good newspaper cannot be over estimated. In it the people read from week to week not only of the happenings of their own county and state, but news from all over our country and the world as well. Every weekly newspaper in every town of Indiana gives the main facts of the world's history from week to week. It places in the hands of the readers the most important events which happen any place in the world. No great invention is made which is not exploited in the newspapers. Every newspaper now which depends upon the rural districts for much of its support prints from week to week a special page for the farmer. Among the newspapers of Hendricks county which are doing their full share in advancing the interest of the state, there is no paper doing more brilliant work for the good of the county than the Brozvnsbiirg Record, which is now owned and edited by Virgil S. Watson.

Mr. Watson, the son of Thomas J. and Amanda (Wright) Watson, was born November 4, 1869. in Camden, Preble county, Ohio. His parents were both natives of Hendricks county, Indiana. The parents of both families came directly from Kentucky and were among the earliest settlers of this county. Thomas J. Watson was a successful farmer in this county and was largely interested in the buying and selling of stock. He and his wife were the parents of three children, Virgil S. being the only one of the children now living.

Virgil S. Watson was educated in the common school of Middle township, in this county, and being a young man of intellectual ability it was natural that he should take up school teaching. He taught school in this county for three years and in the meantime he attended the Central Normal College, at Danville, in order to equip himself for more successful work in the school room. However, in compliance with the wishes of his parents, he abandoned the school room, and remained at home to assist in looking after the business of his father's farm, where he remained until he was forty years of age, when he went to Lebanon, Indiana, where he became engaged in newspaper work, for the Indianapolis A^eu's. A year later he bought the Brownsburg Record, assuming the management of the newspaper on June lo, 1912. In politics he is a Republican. He runs a modern job printing plant in connection with his newspaper, and adds not a little to his annual income by his job work. He is prepared to do all sorts of job printing on short notice, and the excellence of his work l^rings him a continually increasing amount of business.

Mr. Watson was married, June 29, 1904, to Angle Belle Herring, daughter of Phillip B. and .\merica (Walker) Herring, and they are the parents of two children. Hazel Bernice and one son who died in infancy. They are members of the Methodist Protestant church and contribute liberally of their substance to its support.

Mr. Watson is a man of high character and is giving the i^eople of his community a paper which stands for the best interest of Brownsburg in every respect. He advocates all measures and movements which he feels will redound to the credit of his home town and be of benefit in any way to the citizens of the communitv.

Allen Whicker

Among the citizens of Hendricks county who have built up comfortable homes and surrounded themselves with large landed and personal property, none have attained a higher degree of success than Allen Whicker. With few opportunities except what his own efforts were capable of mastering and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made an exceptional success of life and in his old age has the gratification of knowing he has the respect of the community in which he has resided all his life, and that it has been benefited by his presence and counsel. He is a link between the old days and the new, for his boyhood days were spent in truly pioneer conditions. Settling in a virgin wilderness, he helped his father to clear the forests, drain the fields and raise the first crops on some of the best land in Hendricks county.

Allen Whicker, the son of Fred K. and Elizabeth (Kosmer) Whicker, was born two miles southeast of Amo, Hendricks county, Indiana, ]\larch 20.

1837. His grandfather, James \\'hicker, was in the Revolutionary War. His grandmother, on his mother's side, was Abigail Pike, who lived to he ninetysix years of age. She was a great patriot during the Revolutionary days, and when the subject of this sketch was a small boy she told him many stories of the dark days of the Revolution. Her husband was a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. James Whicker, the grandparents of Allen Whicker, lived all their lives in North Carolina, and it was in that state that Fred K. \Vhicker was reared and married. Mr. and Mrs. Fred K. Whicker reared a large family of twelve children, six of whom were born in North Carolina and six in Indiana. They moved from North Carolina to Indiana shortly before Allen Whicker, the subject of this sketch, was born and located in the virgin wilderness south of Amo. Here they built a cabin of logs, with a puncheon floor and riven door, the entire building being erected without a nail. Wild game of all kinds was abundant in the woods, turkeys, squirrels, deer and all kinds of fur-bearing animals. In order to prepare the land for cultivation they cut down the magnificent oak, walnut and hickory trees and piled them in big heaps and burned them. Timber which was burned in those early days would now be worth several hundred dollars per acre at the present price of lumber. Fred K. Whicker died at the age of sixty-one and his wife at the age of seventy-eight.

Allen Whicker is the eleventh child in order of birth and the only one living of the twelve born to his parents. He has spent his whole life in this county. He attended the subscription schools in his boyhood days and received a limited education at the three-months terms, which was the length of the school year in his time. He continued to live and work on the homestead farm until he was twenty-five years of age, when he married and bought forty acres of land of his own adjoining the homestead farm. He has been remarkably successful as a farmer and from time to time has added to his possessions until he is now the owner of five hundred and fifty acres of as fine land as can be found in the county. He has for many years made a specialty of cattle feeding and is recognized as one of the largest cattle feeders of the county. He has, in addition to his raising of cattle, also raised large numbers of horses and hogs for the market.

Mr. Whicker was married October 30, 1861, to Amanda West, of near Amo, and to this marriage there have been born six children : Mary, the wife of John Bunny, of Amo; Lina, the wife of William Lewis Beasley; Nora, the wife of Frank Bersbow : Simon, a merchant at Amo; Dennis, who lives near Indianapolis, and Otto, who now operates the home place. Mr.

Whicker retired in 1913 from active farm life and divided his land among his children and now lives in Amo. His first wife died in 1901, and on May 25, 1903, he was married to Mrs. Ruth (Masten) Shirley, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Masten. Mrs. Whicker had a son, Walter Hodson, by a former marriage, who resides in Clay township, west of Mr. Wicker's place.

Mr. Whicker is a loyal member of the Baptist church of Amo and is a liberal supporter of its various activities. He is a man of sound judgment and sterling integrity and has made his success in life by strict attention to business, starting out with small capital, but a stout heart and willing hands, and he has risen to a place of prominence among the representative citizens of his county. Although he has been very successful in accumulating a goodly share of this world's goods, he has not neglected those finer and higher things in life, but has always identified himself with all movements which tend to elevate the general welfare of the locality in which he has' lived for so many years.

The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors, friends and fellow citizens. The life of the honorable subject of this review has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best. This has been brought about because he has always been loyal to all trusts imposed upon him and has been upright in all of his dealings with his fellow citizens, at the same time lending his support to the advancement of any cause looking toward the welfare of his community.

Franz F. Whicker, the son of Frederick and Louisa (Duley) Whicker, was born in Marion county, Indiana, January 15, 1866. The Whicker family has a very interesting history, but inasmuch as it is given in detail in the sketch of Clarence C. Whicker, elsewhere in this volume, it is not repeated here.

Frank F. Whicker attended the common schools in Franklin township, this county, and the ncompleted his education by taking a course in the Central Normal College at Danville. After finishing his college work he returned to his father's farm, where he continued to reside until his marriage. He then began farming for himself, first starting out as a renter. He has been a successful farmer and stock raiser and today has one hundred and sixty acres of as fine farming land as can be found in the count}'. He keeps his farm in a high state of cultivation and every thing in good repair at all times, thus making his farm one of the most attractive in the county.

Mr. Whicker married Anna Stark, the daughter of W. J. and Amanda (Adams) Stark, and to this union there have been born three children, Fred J., Floyd L. and Mildred A. All of the children are still at home. Mrs. Whicker's parents v^^ere both natives of Missouri, her father being deceased (September 2, 1905) and her mother still living. Mr. and Mrs. Stark reared a family of ten children, Ella, Joseph, Anna, Samuel, Arthur, Everett, Floyd, Nora, Leslie and Jane.

Fraternally, Mr. Whicker is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is allied with the Republican party and has been a firm follower of the great leaders of that party. He has. however, never been a candidate of his party for any office, preferring to serve in the ranks. He and his excellent wife are both people of broad sympathies and take an intelligent interest in the welfare of those about them, and, because of their genial dispositions and high character, they enjoy a large popularity in the community where they have spent so many years.

Elbert M. Murphy

The prosperous farmer whose history is here portrayed is a man who, by his own efforts, has worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of influence in his community. His life has been one of unceasing industry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have won for him the confidence of his fellow citizens in Hendricks county, whose interests he has ever had at heart and which he has always labored to promote. As township trustee and as county commissioner for many years, he rendered faithful and efficient service to the citizens of the county. As a farmer he has shown by example what can be accomplished by scientific agriculture, and his farm today may fairly stand as one of the best farms in every way in the county.

Elbert M. Murphy, a fine type of the modern farmer, was born February 6, 1863, in Franklin county, Indiana. His parents were Henry W. and Elizabeth (Howell) Murphy, his father being a native of Franklin county, his birth having occurred there in 1833. Henry W. Murphy married Eliza- beth Howell, who was also a native of Franklin county, and they continued to live in that county until 1864, when they moved to Decatur county, this state. After a residence of sixteen years in that county, they moved to Marion county and settled on a farm south of Indianapolis, where they have since continued to reside.

Elbert M. Murphy was reared in Marion county, Indiana, and married there in 1884 to Mary J. Miles, the daughter of John and Rosanna (Fowler) Miles. Her father was a farmer of Marion county and died there when she was about six years of age. Her mother continued to reside on the farm until Mary, the wife of Mr. Murphy, grew to womanhood, and then moved to Indianapolis, where she now lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Murphy was born one child, Gladys E., in 1892, who died in 1893, at the age of ten months.

After his marriage Mr. Murphy bought ninety-one acres of land near North Salem in this county and from time to time added to his holdings until he is now the owner of three hundred and sixty-eight acres in this county. \^'hen he first started farming in the county there were few improvements on his farm and they were of small value. He gradually improved his farm, built a fine, large barn and other outbuildings and has made a scientific study of farming efficiency, in order to accomplish the most with the least amount of labor. In other words, he uses his brains as well as his muscle, and the result has been very gratifying to him. He now has a fine home which compares very favorably with the best country homes in the state and adds greatly to the appearance as well as to the value of his farm. While he carries on a general system of farming, he makes a specialty of feeding live stock and has found this a very lucrative diversion from his regular farming.

Mr. Murphy has been a life-long Republican, taking an intelligent interest in all political matters and an indication of his popularity in his township is shown bv his election, in the fall of 1894, to the office of township trustee, an office which he held for five years five months. In 1901 he was nominated by his party for commissioner of his district and was elected without any trouble whatever. Following his election, he was appointed on November i, 1901, to fill out the unexpired term of his predecessor, and then held office until the end of his term. He gave such excellent satisfaction that he was twice re-elected and held the office of county commissioner continuously for ten years, his last term expiring January i, 191 2. For this long period of ten years he advocated every movement which would benefit his county and fought against any measure which he thought would be detrimental to the best interests of his county. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are mem- bers of the ^Methodist Episcopal church of North Salem and take an active interest in all kinds of church work. Mr. Murphy is a trustee of the church and of the Methodist Episcopal Hospital of Indianapolis, and has been no small factor in the erection of that memorial to the Methodists of the state. Fraternally he is a member of North Salem Lodge No. 142, Free and Accepted Masons. He is universally regarded as one of the most prominent and progressive farmers of the county and, judging by his achievements of the past, he promises to maintain his reputation for many years yet to come. He is well informed on all the current topics of the day and is a broadminded genteel, highly respected man who has always stood high in the comnnmitv I'A his residence.

Jacob O. Burgan

The history of Hendricks county, as an integral part of the great commonwealth of Indiana, reveals the handiwork of many a great and noble soul who wrought heroically and unselfishly. Her splendid homes, her highgrade institutions, her happy, prosperous people speak volumes of some one's steadfastness of purpose, of some one's strength of arm, courage of heart and activity of brain. Among the men of this county who have been actively identified with the commercial life of Lizton for many years, is Jacob O. Burgan, the present postmaster. Today we have a division of labor which was not dreamed of fifty years ago and in a small village there are frequently as many as two score occupations represented. Each man fills his particular part and the minister is no more important than the blacksmith, the teacher is of no more intrinsic value to the community than the section boss, and the barber performs as useful a mission in life of the community as any of the others. Society needs all of these professions and it would be impossible to determine the approximate value of each one to the general welfare of the community.

Jacob O. Burgan, postmaster and merchant of Lizton, was born June 17, 1865, in Eel River township, Hendricks county. His parents were Alexander and Pernetia (Toney) Burgan. Alexander Burgan was born in Floyd county, Virginia, January 20, 1825. The Burgan family originally came from Sweden and probably have as complete and detailed a family genealogy worked out as any family in Hendricks county. At the present they have the ancestral tree traced back to eight generations. The first Burgan of whom they have definite record was Jonathan, who was born in Sweden in

1560. He had one son, John or Jonnie, who was also born in Sweden in 1601. John married in due course of time and had one son, Yerick, who was born in the land of his father in 1640. Yerick went to Germany, where he married and had one son, Jacob, who was born in that country in 1695. Jacob grew to manhood, married and had one son, by the name of James, who was born in Germany in 1744. James was the first one of the family to come to this country and settled in Maryland about the last quarter of the eighteenth century, where he married and had one son, Isaac, born in 1786. Isaac grew to manhood, went to \'irginia, married and had one son by the name of Alexander. Alexander came to Hendricks county, Indiana, married here and became the father of Jacob O. Burgan, whose history is herein portrayed.

Alexander Burgan spent his boyhood days upon the farm which his father entered in Union township and, upon his marriage to Prenetia Toney, moved to his own farm of forty acres adjoining the old homestead farm. He lived on two or three different farms in the township and five years before his death he moved to Lizton, where he remained until he passed away September 28, 1879. Alexander Burgan and wife were the parents of five children: John Wesley, who died in 1883: Tranum, of Indianapolis; Harvey, of Indianapolis; Jacob O., the subject of this review, and Mrs. Almanda Swift, of Kokomo, Indiana.

Jacob O. Burgan was given a good practical education in the schools of his township and when twelve years of age moved to Lizton with his parents, where he has spent the remainder of his life. While still a young man he learned the barber trade and for sixteen years operated a barber shop in Lizton. He then engaged in the retail meat market and mercantile business which he continued up until his appointment as postmaster in 1904. He has been postmaster at Lizton for the past ten years, during which he has given conscientious attention to the duties of this official position.

Mr. Burgan was married September 10, 1902, to Margaret, the daughter of John and Sue (Vandever) Halfaker. John Halfaker was a native of Johnson county, Indiana, but several years ago moved to Hendricks county and settled in Middle township where he owns a fine farm about two miles north of Pittsboro. Mrs. Halfaker is a native of Boone county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Halfaker are now living at Pittsboro.

Mr. Burgan is a member of the Knights of Pythias and he and his wife are members of the Pythian Sisters. He was also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. Politically, he has always been a Republican and has been interested in the activities of his party. He and his wife are both members of the Christian church of Lizton, to which they give freely of their means. Mr. Burgan has hved a successful and honorable life and has exercised those qualities of generosity, hospitality and loyalty to friends, with the result that he is a man who is much admired and esteemed by all with whom he comes in contact.

George Ore

To write the personal records of men who have raised themselves from humble circumstances to positions of responsibility and trust in a community is no ordinary pleasure. Self-made men, men who have achieved success by reason of their personal ciualities and left the impress of their individuality upon the business and growth of their place of residence and affect for good such institutions as are embraced in the sphere of their usefulness, unwittingly, perhaps, built monuments more enduring than marble obelisk or granite shaft. Of such we have the unquestionable right to say belongs the gentleman whose name appears above.

George Orf, the son of Adam and Catherine Orf, was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, September 24, 1863. His parents died when he was very young and he was reared in an orphans' home and for this reason knows very little of his family history. He came to Hendricks county when a small boy of five years and made his home with Addison Hadley, remaining there until he was nineteen years of age. He then went to Butler county, Ohio, where he worked on a farm for three years, after which he returned to Hendricks county, Indiana. Until 1910 he rented farms, being very successful as a renter and making a very satisfactory tenant. In 1910 he purchased his present farm of forty acres in Clay township, which he is now improving in every way and bringing to a high state of cultivation.

George Orf was married September 11, 1890, to Hattie Henderson, the daughter of Alpheus and Maria (Lancaster) Henderson, and to them have been born the following children : Lucy. Claude, Elizabeth, Chloe. Vera, Kenneth, Dorcas, Ruth, Ernest A., deceased, and Georgia. Lucy is the wife of Plurley Rector and has one child, Mark. Mrs. Orf 's parents had a family of six children, William, Hattie. James C, Sarah, Jesse and Mary A. William married Minnie Cassidy; Hattie is the wife of the subject of this sketch; Jo.seph married Eva Kersey; Jesse married Mattie Sanders;

Sarah died in infancy ; Mary became the wife of Fred Cassidy. Mrs. Orf's father died May 2^, 1907. Mrs. Orf's grandparents were both natives of North Carolina and had a family of three children, James Alpheus, Marinda and Clark.

Mr. Orf is a Republican and takes an active interest in local politics, although he has never been a candidate for any public office. He is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men and in his religious faith is an adherent of the Friends church of Danville. He is a fine example of the selfmade man, who, starting out with nothing, by the sheer force of will and determination rears a family to a life of usefulness and becomes an important factor in the welfare of the community. This he has accomplished because he has been upright in all of his dealings and willing to do his share in the fife of the community and because he has done this he has won the respect and sincere regard of all of those with whom he has been associated.

Jacob L. Kurtz

The best title one can establish to the high and generous esteem of an intelligent community is a protracted and honorable residence therein. Jacob L. Kurtz, one of the best known and most highly esteemed men of Hendricks county, Indiana, has resided in this locality all his life and his career has been a most commendable one in every respect, well deserving of being perpetuated on the pages of a historical work of the nature of the one in hand. Like his sterling father before him, he has been a man of well-defined purpose and never failed to carry to successful completion any work or enterprise to which he addressed himself. Beginning life in a new country and under many unfavorable auspices, he let nothing deter him and before the lapse of many years he had a fine farm under cultivation. Knowing that the country was destined to take a high rank in the productive and rich localities of the North, he applied himself very closely to his work and waited for the future to bring its rewards, and today he is one of the substantial men of his county.

Jacob L. Kurtz, who is now living retired in Danville, was born on July 22, 1854, in Putnam county, this state, the son of Henry F. and Margaret (Vannice) Kurtz, both of whom were natives of Kentucky. Henry F. Kurtz came to Putnam countv, Indiana, \Aith his father from Kentuckv, and lived in that county until his marriage and in Hendricks county the remainder of his life. Henry Kurtz served in the Civil War asa member of the Ninetyninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry and gave three years of his life to that memorable struggle. On July 22, 1864, on the tenth birthday of his son, Jacob L., he was taken prisoner and was held seven months, four months being spent amid the horrors of Andersonville prison. Upon his return from the war he settled in Marion township, this county, where he lived until his death, June 10, 1913. His wife died on May 28, 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kurtz were the parents of eight children: Caroline Francis, the wife of John F. Underwood, of Danville; Jacob L., the immediate subject of this sketch; Eliza, the wife of James A. Hadley, of Danville; William FL, who died in infancy; Jennie, the widow of Charles Hadle)', of Danville; Charles, whose present home adjoins the old homestead in Marion township; Oscar, a farmer of the same neighborhood in this county, and Wilbert, who died in infancy.

Jacob L. Kurtz received his common school education in the district schools of Marion township and lived the life of the ordinary farmer's boy until he grew to manhood. He worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-five years of age, when he married and began to farm for himself on the farm adjoining his father's farm. Here he continued to live until his removal to Danville, on August 15, 1913. Mr. Kurtz was very successful in his farming operations and when he left the farm in the fall of 1913 he left behind him a record of fifty years' splendid service as one of the leading agriculturists of the county. He kept apace with modern methods of agriculture and introduced the latest improved machinery and as a result his farm was one of the most highly improved and best equipped farms in the county. Jacob L. Kurtz was married January 12, 1881, to Lucy Tinder, of this county, daughter of William and Catherine Tinder, and to this union there were born five children, three of whom are living, Everett, an attorney in Miami, Florida, and Asa and John, farmers of this county. His first wife died December 9, 1886, and on August 15, 1888, Mr. Kurtz was married to Jennie Tinder, a sister of his first wife, and to this union there has been born one son, Lawrence Stanley, who is now a student in the high school at Danville.

JVTr. Kurtz has always been affiliated with the Republican party, but has never taken an active interest in the deliberations of this party. In his religious faith he has adhered to the Presbvterian church, and at the present tmie (31) is a ruling elder in that denomination. Mrs. Kurtz is a member of the Regular Baptist cinirch. Fraternall}', Mr. Kurtz is a member of the Knights of Pythias, holding his membership at Xorth Salem. Mr. Kurtz, who is now in the evening of life, can look back upon a career which was well spent in every particular. He can have the satisfaction of knowing that he has never done anything which would bring upon him the censure of his fellow citizens. Personally, he is genial and unassuming and easily makes friends. He is a man of good habits and kindly impulses and is deservedly popular in the community where he has spent his whole life.

John F. Stevenson

Among the representative citizens and prosperous farmers of Hendricks county, Indiana, is the gentleman whose name appears above, who is the owner of a fine landed estate in Marion township, and is carrying on the various departments of his enterprise with that discretion and energy which are sure to find their natural sequence in definite success, having always been a hard worker, a good manager and a man of economical habits, and, being fortunately situated in a thriving farming community, it is no wonder that he stands today in the front rank of the agriculturists of this favored locality.

John F. Stevenson, the son of Patton and Elizabeth (Ragland) Stevenson, was born in 1852 in Marion township, Hendricks county, Indiana. His father's birth occurred in Kentucky in 1798, and after reaching maturity he came to Hendricks county, Indiana, settling in Marion township, near New Winchester. Patton Stevenson was married three times, his first marriage occurring before he came to Indiana, aiad to this union there were three children born, all of whom are deceased, Vincent, Mrs. Sallie N. Pierson and Morgan. After the death of his first wife, Patton Stevenson married Catherine Brandenburg, and to this marriage were born three children, ToUiver, deceased; Squire and Mrs. Susan Ann Graham. His second wife died and he afterwards married Elizabeth Ragland, a native of Kentucky, and to his third marriage were born six children, Patton, deceased; Elsie Jane, deceased; Mrs. Pattie Graham; George Howard; Mrs. Cassandra Flynq^ deceased-, and John F., the immediate subject of this sketch. Patton St^Tenson was a quiet, hard-working farmer, who accumulated an estate of over three hundred acres of excellent land in Marion township. He was a member of the Missionary Baptist church and in his church affiliations he was

John F. Stevenson received his early education in the district schools of his home neighborhood and lived at home until his marriage, which occurred in 1875, at which time he was united to Paulina Harris, the daughter of Thomas W. and Eliza Jane (Stephenson) Harris. Her father was a native of Kentucky and came to Putnam county, Indiana, with his parents at the age of four years, settling in Jackson township. William Harris came from Kentucky at an early date and entered a large tract of land from the government in Putnam county, and his son, Thomas W., spent his entire life on this farm, his death occurring January 5, 1910. He was one of the largest land owners in the county and had over one thousand acres at the time of his death. His wife is still living on the old homestead farm in Putnam county at the advanced age of eighty-four. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Harris were the parents of three children, William, Paulina, wife of Mr. Stevenson, and Melinda, deceased.

Mr. Stevenson began farming one mile south of his present farm and lived there for thirty-two years, coming to his present place on October 16, 1907. His farm of nine hundred twenty acres, two hundred of which is in Putnam county, is one of the largest individual farms in central Indiana. He has brought it to a high state of cultivation and has improved it in every way until it is one of the model farms of the county. It is needless to say that he has been a successful farmer, since his place will bear witness to his ability along agricultural lines. He still has active charge of the management of his farm and takes an active interest in everything which pertains to the conduct of his large estate.

Mr. Stevenson has long been a member of the Democratic party, but has never held any public office or evinced any desire along that line. His extensive land holdings have necessitated his concentrating his attention upon his property interests with the result that he has had little time to mingle in politics. He and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Missionary Baptist church at New Winchester, and are generous and willing contributors to its support. Mr. Stevenson has always been a hard worker, and although he has been very successful along material lines he has never allowed his success in worldly affairs to blind him to the higher duties which he owes to society. Thus he has always been a supporter of all public-spirited movements in his community and all worthy enterprises enlist his hearty cooperation. Consequently he is highly esteemed by all of those with whom he has been associated.

John E. Vestal

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 life history. 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 honored subject whose life now comes under review.

John E. Vestal, the son of Benjamin and Anna Vestal, was born in Hendricks county, Indiana. His father also was a native of Hendricks county, his grandfather having come from North Carolina in the early history of the state. The Vestals trace their ancestry back to colonial times and have even traced a direct descent back to the Vestals of old England. The mother of John E. Vestal was born in Hendricks county, and both his father and mother are still living at the hearty age of eighty years, making their home with their son, John E. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Vestal were the parents of five children: Willis S., born May 11, 1858, and died October 8, 1875: Mrs. Alice Mills, born April 9, 1866, the wife of Elwood Mills, a farmer of this county; Benjamin Corydon, a farmer and stock raiser of Washington township, married Cora Belch; Charles Louder, born January 18, 1873, a farmer of Guilford township, married Sallie Parks and has one daughter, Esther.

John E. Vestal received his early education in the district schools of his township, and early in life began to follow the occupation of a farmer. There is no angle to the agricultural profession which he does not understand, and has always made it a point to keep in close touch with all the latest ideas on farming. A glance at his fields of corn and wheat will convince the casual onlooker that he has been a successful farmer. On his farm of three hundred and sixty acres he raises all of the crops of this part of the state as well as a large amount of stock annually for the market. However, he has made a specialty of stock raising, as his father did before him; his father had the reputation of being one of the best stock raisers in the central part of the state. His son is following in the footsteps of his father.

Mr. Vestal is a member of the Friends church and a generous supporter of its various activities. In his poHtical relations he has always adhered to the Republican party, but has never been a seeker for any public office. However, he was treasurer of Hendricks county in 1904 and 1905. Mr. Vestal is a man of vigorous mentality and strong moral fiber, and has achieved great success in his calling and is eminently deserving of the esteem in which he is held in the community where his entire life has been spent.

John T. Lee

It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has won a definite goal in life, whose career has been such as to command the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such in brief is the record of the well known farmer whose name heads this sketch, than whom a more whole-souled man it would be difficult to find within the limits of Hendricks county, where he has long maintained his home and where he has labored not only for his own individual advancement and that of his immediate family, but also for the improvement of the entire community, whose interests he has ever had at heart.

John T. Lee, well known farmer of Brown township, Hendricks county, Indiana, who was born in this county on April 19, 1864, about three miles north of Plainfield, is of Irish parentage, being the son of John and Catherine (Dugan) Lee, both of whom were natives of county Galway, Ireland. John Lee (father of the su1)ject) was bereft of both parents while still a boy and emigrated to America when twenty years old, landing at Quebec in Canada. He remained in the Dominion for one year, when he came direct to Hendricks county, Indiana, where he passed the remainder of his life. iMien first coming here he worked out among the farmers of the county by the month, and for three or four years after his marriage, in 1861, continued this mode of employment. Then, with the aid of a brother, he purchased a forty-acre farm near Tilden. There he lived for perhaps a couple of years, when he disposed of that land and bought the forty-acre tract where the subject of this sketch now makes his home. John Lee was energetic, thrifty and prosperous and to his original forty acres he added from time to time until at the time of his death he had accumulated one hundred and fifteen acres of e.Kcellent farming land. His death occurred on July 4, 1879, preceding his wife by a number of years, as her death took place on June 26, 1904.

John T. Lee, siiljject of this sketch, received liis education in the schools of Hendricks county. He was one of a family of six children and remained under the paternal roof until the time of his marriage, in 1902, to Ellen E. Flynn, born in Marion county, Indiana, on April 13, 1870, the daughter of Patrick and Mary (Kelley) Flynn, both of whom were natives of Ireland, the former coming from county Roscommon and the latter from county Galway. They both came to this country when about seventeen or eighteen years of age, both landing in New York City. Patrick Flynn worked in New York for a few months and then went into New Jersey, where he was employed on a truck farm for seven and one-half years. Mary Kelley went direct to Philadelphia, upon landing in this country, where she worked for a short time and then went to Woodbury, New Jersey. It was there she and Patrick Flynn met and were married. They came to Indiana in 1857, settling in Marion county, where they remained one year, and then removed to Hendricks county, southeast of Plainfield, where for four years he worked on various farms for a share of the crops. He then returned to Marion county, where he purchased a farm and lived there the balance of his life, his death occurring February 18, 1901. He outlived his wife, who passed away on July 13, 1888. It was on this homestead in Marion county that Ellen E. Flynn was born in an old log cabin, and there she lived until the time of her marriage, with the exception of one year spent in the city of Indianapolis.

After Mr. Lee's marriage, he took his bride to his old home where he and his mother had lived for several years and where the subject is living at the present time. The farm is about six miles northeast of Brownsburg and is in an excellent state of cultivation. Mr. Lee, in addition to general farming, pays considerable attention to a good grade of live stock, it being his belief that no strain is too good for general purposes.

Politically, Mr. Lee has always given his support to the Democratic party, in the affairs of which he has always taken an active, though cjuiet, part. His fraternal affiliation is with the Ancient Order of Hibernians and both he and his wife are communicants of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Lee have but one child, a daughter, Mary Catherine, who remains at home with them. The family is one of the most highly respected in the community and Mr. Lee does his full duty as a citizen in all the affairs of the locality affecting the moral, social or material welfare of his fellow citizens. He is a man who makes friends and holds them by reason of his sterling worth. He is well known in Hendricks county and is eminently deserving of mention in a book of the scope intended in the present work.

Arthur Spears

In touching upon the Hfe history of the subject of this sketch the writer aims to avoid fulsome encomium and extravagant praise; yet he desires to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life - a life characterized by perseverance, energy, broad charity and well-defined purpose. To do this will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who have known him long and well.

Arthur Spears, a progressive farmer of Eel River township, was born February 28, 1865, on the farm where he is now residing, two and one-half miles northeast of North Salem, Hendricks county, Indiana, the son of Robert K. and Jane (Trotter) Spears. Robert Spears was born near Danville, Boyle county, Kentucky, in 1834, and came to this county with his parents, John and Martha Spears, the year following. They located about two miles northeast of North Salem, where John Spears entered a large tract of government land and farmed for the remainder of his life. He started in as a pioneer in every sense of the word, built a rude log cabin in the woods, cleared his ground and opened the way to civilization in this part of the county. He was a Whig in politics until the Republican party was formed in 1856, and then voted for the Republican candidates until his death. RoI>- ert K. Spears was reared on this farm under these primitive conditions, and upon reaching manhood was married to Jane Trotter, the daughter of Isaac and Lucy (Simms) Trotter, natives of Virginia, who had come to this county in an earlv day. After his marriage Robert K. Spears followed the vocation of farming the rest of his life on the farm where ^Arthur now lives. He was a Republican in politics, was a trustee of his township and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died September 15, 1910, while his wife's death occurred January 10, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Spears reared four. children, Adelia, deceased, who was the wife of William Dean, of North Salem; Arthur; Annie, deceased, who was the wife of Nathan Tucker, and Omar, who died at the age of thirty-two years.

Arthur Spears has spent his entire life upon the farm where he is now living, with the exception of about ten years when he was a molder. At the age of twenty-three he went to Indianapolis and learned the molder's trade, and for the next ten years was employed at that trade in that city, Cincinnati and St. Louis. He has also been in California for two years on a fruit ranch, but has ahvavs considered this countv his home. He is the owner of one hundred and eighty-seven acres of excellent farming land in this township, two residences on his farm, excellent barn and silo, and all of the modern improvements, machinery and accessories which constitute the successful farmer's equipment.

Mr. Spears was married September 13, 1896, to Anna Walton, who was born at Winterset, Iowa, on a farm, the daughter of Amos and Letitia (Gowin) Walton. Mrs. Spears' mother was born in this county and her father in Ripley county, this state. Her parents were married in Hendricks county and then went to Iowa, where they lived the remainder of their lives. The father is deceased, and her mother is now living at Adel, in that state. Mr. and Mrs. Spears are the parents of two children, Gerald and Mary. Mr. Spears is a man of progressive ideas and tendencies and has made a decided advancement in the location to which his energies have been devoted for so many years. As a citizen he is wide-awake and enterprising and a typical representative of the large and intelligent class of yeomanry which give character and stability to the body politic, and to which Indiana is so largely indebted for the proud position which she today occupies among her sister states.

Joseph S. Carter

Among the successful, self-made men in Hendricks county whose efforts and influence have contributed to the material upbuilding of the community, Joseph S. Carter occupies a conspicuous place. Being ambitious from the first, but surrounded with none too favorable environment, his early youth was not especially promising, but, resolutely facing the future, he gradually surmounted the difficulties in his way and in due course of time rose to a prominent position in the commercial, agricultural and financial circles of his community, besides winning the confidence and esteem of those with whom he comes in contact, either in a business or a social way, and for years he has stood as one of the representative men of the locality honored by his citizenship.

Joseph S. Carter, the son of William K. and Mary (Crouch) Carter, was born in Davidson county. North Carolina, August 30, 185 1. His grandfather was Richard Carter, a native of Scotland, who married Sarah Tigg. His maternal grandfather was Richard Crouch, a native of Germany. Richard Carter came to America from Scotland when he was a lad of sixteen and settled in North Carolina. He was one of four brothers, and was a pioneer school teacher in North Carolina, dividing his time between farming and teachifig. He was in the War of 1812 and also in the Black Hawk War in 1832, and lived to be over eighty years of age. The school building in the county in which he taught for so many years is still known as the Carter school, although there have been several buildings erected on the same ground, the present building being a structure of four rooms. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Carter were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters. At the time of the discovery of gold in California three of the brothers removed to that state, where they have since made their homes. They have married, reared families in that state and have been very successful. Some of them have made visits back to the old home. William K. Carter, the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, took part in the Mexican War, after which he returned to his home in North Carolina, where he followed the occupation of a farmer. He was for a number of years the overseer for a large plantation owner by the name of Joseph Spurgeon, and had seventyfive negroes under his charge. He did not marry until after he came back from the Mexican \\'ar, and after a number of years as o\-erseer he engaged in fjirming on his own account. At the opening of the Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate army in Company I, Forty-second Kegiment North Carolina Infantry, and served throughout the war. He took part in scores of battles in many states, having fought in the West at the battle of Vicksburg and in the East in the battle of the Wilderness. He was severely wounded in one of the last engagements of the war and never fully recovered from the effects of this disabiity. z\fter the close of the war he returned to his home in North Carolina and lived there until he was about fifty years of age, a highly respected farmer. Mr. and Mrs. William Carter were the parents of nine children, only two of whom are now living, Joseph S., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Margaret Everhardt, of Thomasville, North Carolina.

Joseph S. Carter was reared in North Carolina and received his education at the Carter school, which has been mentioned, and Piney Grove and Wautowrj, a suburb of Old Salem, North Carolina. At the age of nineteen he started out to seek his fortune and came to Hendricks county, Indiana, arriving at Amo on the 24th day of November, 1869. He took employment with the farmers of the neighborhood and worked in this line for about three years, after which he bought forty acres of land south of Stilesville, this countv.

but did not move onto this farm. Later he purchased forty acres one and one-half miles south of Amo, and to this small beginning he has added acreage from time to time until he is now the owner of four hundred and fifty-five acres of fine farming land in the county. He has made a remarkable success as an agriculturist, and has gained a reputation as a feeder of stock which cannot be excelled in the county. He nas made a specialty of raising corn and hay and then feeding all of it on his farms. At one time he, in partnership with Jacob Phillips, had seven hundred hogs, which they were fattening for the market. This was in the year 1874, at the time of the famous grasshopper plague in Kansas, when they were able to buy hogs in that state at their own price. Mr. Carter has exercised wonderful judgment in all his financial transactions, with the result that he is now recognized as one of the most substantial farmers of Hendricks county.

Mr. Carter was married on January 26, 1873, to Sarah J. Masten, of this county, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Masten, and to this union there have been born four children: Arthur L. married Maude Underwood, and now lives on a farm of one hundred sixty acres west of Amo; Charles Burton married Nellie Hazlett and resides on a farm one-half mile south of Amo; Lewis, who died in infancy, and Ada, who married William Everett Atkins, and they have one son, Howard Carter, four years old, who is the delight of his grandfather's heart.

Mr. Carter now resides on the Masten property adjoining Amo on the south, where he has a fine modern home, with all the conveniences of the city. He was unanimously elected as a member of the town council of Amo and has taken a very active interest in the affairs of the town. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In his church relations he is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church of Amo and contributes liljerally of his means to its support.

Mr. Carter is a fine type of the self-made man, and although he only had twenty-five dollars when he landed in this county, in i86g, he has, by thrift and economy, accumulated a very comfortable fortune. In addition to his heavy landed interests, he has a large amount of money loaned on mortgages. Mr. Carter is a genial man, pleasant to meet and has a host of friends throughout the county. He helped organize the First National Bank at Amo, Indiana, being a charter member and was a director.

Robert Bell

That the plenitude of satiety is seldom attained in the affan-s of life is to be considered a most beneficial privation, for where ambition is satisfied and every idtimate end realized, if such be possible, apathy must follow. Effort would cease, accomplishment be prostrate and creative talent waste its energies in inactivity. I'he men who have pushed forward the wheels of progress have been those to whom satisfaction lies ever in the future, who have labored continuously, always finding in each transition stage an incentive for further effort. Mr. Bell is one whose well directed efforts have gained for him a position of desirable prominence in the agricultural circles of Hendricks county, and his energy and enterprise have been crowned by a gratifying degree of success.

Robert Bell is a native of this county, born on February 28, 1845, in what is now Lincoln township, being the son of Moses and Jane (Harbison) Bell, both of whom were natives of Ireland, coming to the United States from county Down about 1832. They entered eighty acres of government land about one mile south of Brownsburg, and after a few years they purchased from a. Mr. Dunn forty acres which joined their farm on the east. Later on they purchased another eighty-acre tract about two miles south of the land they first owned, where Moses Bell passed the remainder of his life. Moses Bell was the son of John Bell, who died in Ireland, and it is thought his mother's maiden name was Jane Troutman, but this is not known positively. Moses Bell was one of the leading citizens of his day and community and deserved much credit for the station to which he attained. He arrived in Hendricks county a stranger from another land, without means, and at the time of his death he occupied an enviable place in the regard of those who knew him and had amassed considerable of this world's goods. He ever conducted himself so as to win the confidence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact, and throughout his life in this section he was always glad to endorse any movement having for its ultimate aiiu the betterment of the moral or material good of the community. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party and took an active interest in the administration of that party's affairs. He filled one or two minor ofifices at different times, discharging his duties in a manner satisfactory to all.

Robert Bell was one of a family of five children, himself being the only one remaining out of the family. John died in infancy and Isabelle, Eliza J. and Mary .V. died later in life. Robert Bell's mother died when he was but nine 3-ears of age, when the eldest sister assumed the duties of the homekeeper and acted in this role until her death. After that, the father made his home with the subject. Air. Bell remained at home until the time of his marriage, on September 26, 1868, receiving under the careful guidance of his father instruction in the labor of husbandry. After marriage, he continued to live on the home farm until the father's death, when he purchased property in Brownsburg and has since divided his time between the home in town and the farm.

Mrs. Robert Bell was Miss Mary A. Barlow before her marriage, a daughter of Theophilus and Susan A. (Moberly) Barlow. The Barlow family were originally from Kentucky, but came to Indiana at a very early date in the state's history and settled in Hendricks county. They at one time owned a very large tract of land about three miles south of Brownsburg. Mrs. Bell was one of a family of nine or ten children and remained under her father's roof until the time of her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Bell have been born ten children, three of whom died in infancy. Clyde W. married Mary Cook and died February 7, 1905, leaving one child, a boy, Faye. A little daughter, Melvina, had preceded him into the life beyond. Lloyd S. went to Canada when a young man and there married a young lady who died when their child Robert was a year or two old. Lloyd and his son Robert are living on a homestead in British Columbia. Grace J. and Ernest E. were twins; the latter never married and lives in Brownsburg. Grace J. met her death when her father's home was destroyed by a fire caused by exploding gasoline. She left a young son Vance, who lives with his grandfather and is a promising boy, attending high school in Brownsburg. Charles H. married Ida Phillips, daughter of James and Melvina (Gray) Phillips. They reside in Brownsburg and have a family of three children, namely: Mabel Elizabeth, Horace and Thomas Grant. Nellie S. has been twice married. Her first husband was Thomas Anderson and when a widow she married Walter Roach. She was the mother of four children, one only by the first husband, and all have passed away except one son, Lawrence Roach. Myrtle Z., another daughter of Mr. Bell, died when twenty-one years ot age, and Estella C. and Clara P. were the names of two little daughters who died in infancy.

Mr. Bell's religious affiliation is- with the Presbyterian church, of which he is an active and consistent member. He is a man of generous impulses and genial disposition, who readily makes friends and retains them. He has been a stalwart Republican ever since attaining his majority and for his party has served as road superintendent and road supervisor at different times. His conscientious discharge of the duties thus devolving upon him met the approval of all concerned. In addition to the general farming conducted by Mr. Bell, he has given particular attention to the breeding of shorthorn cattle, and has been the most active stock buyer and shipper in the township for the past twelve years. For seven years he was in the farm implement business in Brownsburg and prides himself on the fact that his sales for one season have never been equalled in that town. Among other implements, sold that season, he disposed of thirty-eight binders and twentyeight mowers, an enviable record truly. In common with all men of affairs, ]\Ir. Bell has met with reverses at different times, but he has not permitted himself to be permanently handicapped by them, but has with renewed effort set himself to repair the breach. At the time of the death of his daughter, Grace, his town house was destroyed, at a loss of eighteen hundred dollars, and the same spring the house on the farm was also destroyed by fire. These material losses were small indeed to him when compared with the great loss which could not be replaced. Mr. Bell is a man of sterling qualities of character, patient and scrupulously honest in all the relations of life, hospitable and charitable, and he has gained the approval and high esteem of his fellow citizens because of his upright life. Because of his earnest character and business success he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of the character of the one at hand.

Thomas Kinney

A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to the controlling influence of others or wields an influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the way along which others may follow with like success. The reputation of Thomas Kinney, one of the leading citizens of Brown township, Hendricks county, Indiana, having been unassailable all along the highways of life, according to those who have known him best, it is believed that a sketch of his career will be of benefit to the reader, for it has not only been one of honor but of usefulness also.

born not far from his present home on April 4, 1869, the son of John and Bridget (MulHn) Kinney, both of whom were natives of county Galway, Ireland. They emigrated to America early in their married life and came directly to Indiana, where for a short time they lived in the city of Indianapolis. John Kinney then secured work on a farm in Marion county and in this way passed about seven years. By judicious saving he was able, at that time, to invest in a farm and found a tract of forty acres on the Hendricks- Boone county line that was what he desired, the farm being located in Hendricks county. The family lived there for two years, and it was during that period that the subject of this sketch was born. That tract was then disposed of and a farm of one hundred and ten acres in Brown township, Hendricks county, was then purchased, being the land on which subject now resides. John Kinney was a man eminently deserving of a great amount of credit, for through his own perseverance and untiring energy he was able to accumulate a considerable property, at the same time making a good living for his family, and so ordering his life as to win the confidence and respect of his fellow men. His death occurred in 1909, his wife having preceded him by ten years. They reared a family of three children, only one of whom married. Thomas Kinney has remained unmarried, and so has his sister Delia, the two of them making their home in the old homestead. Owing to the ill health of Miss Delia Kinney, her brother has a man and his wife to assist them about the place, the wife looking after the housework and the husband doing the duties about the farm, Mr. Kinney acting merely as an overseer.

Mr. Kinney conducts his business in such a manner as to attest his excellent business ability and in addition to the general farming carried on, he also gives particular attention to his stock, believing that care and attention to this phase of farm work greatly repays the time and labor expended. He also takes great pride in the quality of grain produced and to this end is a student of proper methods of agriculture along modern scientific lines and the proper rotation of crops. His farm shows the thought and care put into it and is one of the up-to-date farms of the county.

Politically, Mr. Kinney is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party and ever since attaining his majority he has taken a deep interest in public affairs. While not desiring offce for himself, his influence has ever been considered by those seeking that honor, as he has ever been desirous of seeing the right party in the right place. Both he and IMiss Delia are communicants of the Roman Catholic church and their lives are consistent with its teachings. Mr. Kinney is quiet and unassuming in his manner and because of his success in the material affairs of Hfe, his influence in local matters and the unblemished character which he bears, there is accorded to him the fullest measure of popular confidence and esteem throughout the community.

John Walsh

Though several' years have passed since the subject of this sketch was transferred from the life militant to the life triumpharit, his personality is still fresh in the memory of many of the citizens of Hendricks county, and especially Brownsburg, where the latter years of his life were spent. Because of his many excellent personal qualities and the splendid and definite influence which his life shed over the various communities in which he lived and which he labored so earnestly to upbuild in any way within his power, it is particularly consonant that specific mention should be made of him in a work containing mention of the representative citizens of the county. A man of high moral character, unimpeachable integrity, persistent energy and excellent business judgment, he stood "four square to every wind that blew" and throughout the locality where he lived he occupied an enviable position among his fellow men, by whom he was universally esteemed.

John Walsh was born in county Galway, Ireland, in March, 1835, being the son of John and Hannorah Walsh, both of whom were natives of that county and passed their lives therein. The subject came to America in 1S63, coming direct to Hendricks county and locating at Plainfield, which he considered his home for many years, while hiring out at farm work. He later purchased eighty acres of land three miles north of Brownsburg, where he lived for ten years. He then disposed of that tract and rented a farm two miles south of Brownsburg, where he made his home for two years, later purchasing property in the town of Brownsburg, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring September 7, 1910. After locating in Brownsburg, he engaged in the grocery business and later in the saloon business for some time, continuing therein until his retirement from active business pursuits.

On February 14, 1874, Mr. Walsh was united in marriage with Mary Ann Fahy, who was born March 17, 1862, in Franklin county, Ohio, being a daughter of Edward and Margaret (Hart) Fahy, both of whom were born in county Galway, Ireland. Edward Fahy first came to America about the vear 1853, and after living here for a while he returned to his native land, where he remained for six years. He then returned to the United States and located in Brown township, this count}-, where he purchased a farm and passed the remainder of his life. Mary Ann Fahy was one of a family of eight children, the others being Martin, Thomas, iMargaret, Kate, Edward, Patrick and Bridget.

To John Walsh and wife were born a family of seven children, namely: Xora, who is employed as saleswoman in a store in Brownsburg; Margaret, who is ^Irs. James Tarpey and lives on a farm in Brown township, this county. She is the mother of three daughters, Fanchort, Mary and Martha. The third child of the family was Mary, who died when small. Catherine is a teacher in the public schools of Hendricks county, being stationed at present in Brownsburg. John is an undertaker and is associated with the Evans undertaking establishment in Brownsburg. Two children out of this family, Edward and Vina, remain at home with the mother. The entire family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, and stand high in public estimation by reason of their sterling worth and many excellent qualities. While John Walsh's life on earth has closed, he still lives through the lives of the children he sought in every way to rear to perfect manhood and womanhood.

Jacob Lockhart

The gentleman to a review of whose life the reader's attention is here respectfully directed is recognized as one of the energetic, well-known farmers of Hendricks coimty, who by his enterprise and progressive methods has contributed in a material way to the advancement of the locality where he lives. As a mere lad of sixteen he joined the army during the Civil War and served his country gallantly and faithfully for two years. In the course of an honorable career he has been successful in the manifold lines to which his efforts have been directed and, enjoying distinctive prestige among the representative men of his community, it is eminently proper that attention be called to his achievements and due credit be accorded to his worth as an enterprising citizen.