Marshall County, Indiana - Chapter 5: By A. C. Matchette, >r. D, 1890 (part 2 of 2)

Sinclair D. Parks, oldest son of James O. Parks, was born in Kosciusko county, Ind., in the year 1837, and came with his parents to Bourbon township at the age of one year. With short intermissions he has been a resident of the above mentioned township ever since, and is classed among its best known and most intelligent citizens. He was raised a farmer, to which useful calling he has since given his attention, and in which he has been very successful. His early scholastic training was of a limited character, but his father, a man of superior intelligence, directed his studies at home, and afterward sent him to the academy at Waveland, in which he obtained a good literary education. Subsequently he took up the study of law, and in order to become proficient in the same he entered the law department in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated, and then began the practice of his profession in the town of Bourbon where he has sice resided. He has a good business and practices in the courts of Marshall and adjoining counties, in all of which he sustains the reputation of a sound lawyer and successful practitioner. He inherits in a marked degree the strong mental qualities so abundantly possessed by his father, and has succeeded his parent in a great measure to the well deserved confidence of the people. To Mr. and Mrs. Parks, whose maiden name was Maria A. Nolan, were born three children: Orison, Early and Claud, all of whom are deceased. In connection with the legal profession, Mr. Parks, as already stated, gives considerable attention to agricultural pursuits, being at this time proprietor of a fine farm of 120 acres a short distance north of Bourbon. He is a republican in politics, and as such has rendered his party valuable services in Marshall county.

Martin Reed, retired, was born in Erie county, N. Y., February 15, 1827, son of Benjamin and Lucy Maria (Strieker) Reed, who left York state about the year 1834, and moved to Detroit, Mich. The family subsequently moved to Marshal county, Ind., and settled on a farm in the southern part of Bourbon township, which he purchased from the government. The family were among the early settlers of this part of the county, and Mr. Reed became one of the leading citizens of Bourbon township. The mother died in this township April g, 1865, and the father afterward moved to Kansas, thence to Missouri, where his death occurred February, 1S78. He served in the war of 1812, as did also his father, who was killed in that struggle. The following are the names of the children born to Benjamin and Lucy M. Reed: Betsy Ann (deceased), Israel, Mrs. Lucinda Merrill, Laura (deceased), Martin, Richard (deceased), Mrs. Eliza Jane Grant, William H. H. C, Mrs. Candas A. Keller. Martin Reed came to Marshall county when the country was new, and grew to manhood amid the stirring scenes of pioneer life, attending the indifferent schools of that period as circumstances would permit. He helped to clear the homestead farm and has always followed farming, in which he has met with well deserved success. In an early day he ran an ashery with his father, which produced much of the saleratus used by the pioneers of the community. April 9, 1848, he married Miss Emeline Towns, daughter of Elijah T.and Roxana (Bassett) Towns, who were natives of Canada and early settlers of New York. After his marriage, Mr. Reed located on eighty acres of land, in section 29, Bourbon township, upon which he lived for a few years, and then moved to Iowa, settling in Black Hawk county, that state, which was his home until 1861, when he returned to Marshall county. He followed farming quite successfully in Bourbon township until 1883, when he retired from active life, and is now spending his declining years in the town of Bourbon. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Reed, viz.: Margaret, wife of Wayne Jordan, who has six children; Charles W., resident of Center township, married Mary

Brinard, and has four children; Albert M., married Elizabet Payne, has a family of two children; Elijah M., of Bourbon, married Sophronia Petchor, has two children; OUie, wife of Milton Martin, has three children; Richard, who resides at home; William, of Bourbon, who married Miss Dora Klingaman; Melvin, also of Bourbon, who married Emma Reddick, has one child.

George Ridenour is a native of Franklin county, Ohio, and fourth child of George and Mary (Sterrett) Ridenour. His ancestors, both paternal and maternal, figured prominently in the early history of the country, his grandfathers having served with distinction in the war of the revolution. F. Sterrett, his mother's father, served on the body guard of Washington, with whom he was a close personal friend. The father of the subject was born in Maryland in the j'ear 1785, and resided in that state until the age of twelve or fourteen years, when he accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania. In the year 1S06 he moved to the neighborhood of Chillicothe, Ohio, where he lived four jears, and later became a resident of Franklin count}', that state, where he passed through all the hardships and dangers incident to that trying period. He was never molested bj-the Indians who made life so unpleasant to the settlers in that part of Ohio. George Ridenour was born in the year iSsg, and lived upon his father's farm until the age of twenty, at which time he entered upon an apprenticeship to learn the blacksmith trade, which he followed with a good degree of success for over thirt}- years. He resided in his native county for fifteen years, and was there married May iS, 1S54, to Sarah Staley. In 1S61 he moved to Miami county, Ind., and followed his trade in the villages of Chilli and Paw-Paw until 1S63, when he came to Marshall county, locating in Bourbon township on the place where he is now residing. His first acquisition of land was forty acres, to which he has added from time to time until he now owns 240 acres situated three miles east of the town of Bourbon. Since engaging in agriculture Mr. Ridenour has been very successful, his farm and improvements ranking among the best in Marshall county. He is a self-made man, and his success in life is due to his own unaided abilities. He was appointed drainage commissioner in 18S1, and held the ofifice for five years, during which time he became well acquainted with the topography and resources of the county, which he considers the best tract of land in the state, his thorough knowledge making his opinion valuable. Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which they were reared from childhood. They have a family of four children: Louis G., HenryS., Reuben Monroe and John F. Mr. Ridenour is a member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to lodge No. 262, at Etna Green.

William H. Sickman, whose sketch is herewith presented, is a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and a descendant of an old and well-known German family, a number of representatives of which are living in various parts of Indiana. The family originally settled in Pennsylvania, from which they subsequently migrated westward, locating in several states, principally Ohio. His father, John J. Sickman, was born in that state, in 1821, married in Stark county, Ohio, Miss Elizabeth Kinne}', and came to Indiana in 1S49, settling in Pulaski county, where he engaged in farming. William H.. Sickman was born in 1849, and was six months of age when the family moved to this state. He was raised on a farm in Pulaski county, received his rudimentary education in the common schools, and subsequently graduated from the Valparaiso college with a professional training as a teacher. He taught for some time after completing his education, six years as principal of the high schools of Rochester, where he earned the reputation of a painstaking and first-class instructor. In the meantime he began the study of law with William E. Talcott, of Valparaiso, Ind., under whose instruction he continued the greater part of two j'ears, and on severing his connection with the Rochester schools, engaged in the practice of his profession in that city, where he soon took high rank among his legal brethren of the bar. After continuing the practice for some time and obtaining a lucrative clientage, he was compelled to withdraw from the profession on account of impaired health, after which he engaged in farming, and in 1888 moved to his present place, consisting of 200 acres, a short distance east of Bourbon. Mr. Sickman was married in 1880, to Clara Sturgeon, daughter of Enoch Sturgeon, a well-known lawyer of Rochester, now deceased. Three children have been born to this marriage: Ethel, Ruth and Mary.

Among the successful farmers of Bourbon township few rank as high as John Swoverland, who was born in Richland- county, Ohio, in the year 1837. His parents were Christian and Barbara (King) Swoverland, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Germany. They settled in Ohio in the year 1828, at which time Christian Swoverland was twenty-eight years of age. The subject of this sketch is one of the family of ten children, nine of whom are still living, one sister, the wife of John Redinger, being a resident of Bourbon township. Mr. Swoverland began life for himself at the age of twenty-one as a farmer in Miami county, this state, where he lived for four years, and later moved to Marshall county, purchasing land in Bourbon township, where he now owns 407 acres all in one body. He is one of the largest land owners in the county, and upon 'his fine farm are many valuable improvements, among which is an elegant brick residence erected in 1881, a commodious barn erected in 1873, and

Other buildings, all of which are constructed in the latest style of modern architecture. Mr. Swoverland possesses fine business ability, and as a farmer, has met with success such as few attain. He was married in 1S67 in Miami county, to Nancy Jackson, who has borne him five children, viz.: Marida, Matt, Mark, Gail and Pearl. Mr. Swoverland served in the late war in Company H, Eighty-seventh Indiana infantry, enlisting in 1863, and was with his regiment for a period of seven months. In his younger days he had but little means of obtaining an education, but has given his family all the opportunities possible in this direction.

William M. Thompson was born in the year 1831, in Sangamon county. 111., and is the son of John L. and Sarah (Van Sickle) Thompson, natives of Kentucky and Germany respectively. The parents were early settlers of Illinois, moving to that state about 1822, and later came to Indiana, locating in Madison county where they resided until 1834, at which time they became residents of Marshall county, locating near Wolf Creek Mill, Greene township. John L. Thompson was elected sheriff in 1852, and moved to Plymouth, in which city he died before the expiration of his second term of office. The subject was at this time already working for himself, having been married in 1853, in January of which year he moved to the present site of Bourbon and built the first business house in the town. It was a hewed log structure and stood near the marble shop where until quite recently, Mr. Thompson was in business. At the end of the first year his building and stock were completely destroyed by fire, after which he went to Plymouth, where for eighteen months he clerked in the mercantile establishment of W. G. Pomeroy & Co. Returning to Bourbon, Mr. Thompson again engaged in the dry goods trade, which he conducted about two years meeting with good success. He afterward lived on a farm, and seven years ago moved to Bourbon, where he has since resided. He has been trustee of Bourbon township since 1888, and has proved a faithful and efficient officer. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, a republican in politics and is one of the thrifty and enterprising citizens of Marshall county. Mrs. Thompson's maiden name was Eliza M. Greer, whose father, John Greer, is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had four children only one of whom, Hosea Sherman, born in 1873, is now living.