Putnam County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1910 (part 7 of 16)

From a fine old \'irginia family, noted alike for its hospitality and industry, is descended Andrew Marshall Troxell, who has long figured prominently in Putnam county affairs. He himself was born near Lexington, Virginia, January 12, 1858, the son of .\ndrew and Elizabeth Troxell. who died when their son, Andrew M.. was young, the father dying in the Old Dominion, and the mother soon passed away after her arrival in Henry county. Indiana.

Andrew M. Troxell was ambitious when a lad and in order to get a proper text-book training, worked his way through the Knightstown schools. He began his life work by taking a position as assistant agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Knightstown. Indiana, where he remained for a period of four years, then he represented this company as agent at Raysville. Indiana, for two years. Always of an artistic temperament and by nature a lover of the beautiful, he obser\-ed an opening for a florist at Knightstown and accordingly established himself there in this line which he continued with varying success for a period of fifteen years. Twelve years ago he came to Greencastle and launched out in the same line of business and was very successful from the first. In 1908 he formed a partnership with C. A. Shake and he is still engaged in vigorously pushing his business to the front. This finn has now become well established and is one of the b.est known in this part of the state and does an extensive business with this and surrounding towns. Fraternally Mr. Troxell belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, also the encampment. He is known as an energetic, honest and congenial business man who has made manv friends since coming here.

A woman who enjoys distinctive social prestige in Warren township, Putnam countv. where she has iiosts of friends who delight in her companionship because of her genial and hospitable disposition, and who has proved herself to be a woman of rare business ability in the successful management of her fine farm, is Mrs. Virginia C. Akers, who is a native of Putnam county, having been born here February 22, 1842, the daughter of John and Marv Gose. an old and well established family of this county, her father being a native of Virginia. Mrs. Akers grew to maturity on her father's old homestead and had the advantage of the common schools. January 19, 1865, she married Martin C. Hurst, born March 15, 1846, the son of Jefferson and Eliza Hurst, the father bom in Marion township, Putnam county, March 28, 1824, the son of William and Fannie Hurst, the former a native of Virginia. His parents came to Putnam county, Indiana, in 1823, being among the first settlers of the county, locating on Deer creek, in Marion township, entering several tracts of land there from the government. Like all pioneers, he endured many hardships and privations and died in 1850. He and his wife were the parents of six children, all now deceased. Mr. Hurst was widely known and highly respected. Politically he was a Democrat and he was a devoted member of the old-school Baptist church. Jefferson Hurst was reared to manhood in this county and received a limited education in the early subscription schools. December 24, 1844, he married Elsie \'owel and eight children were born to them, namely: Martin C, first husband of ]Mrs. Akers, of this review; William, Levi, Squire J.. James H., George W., Benjamin F. and Mary, wife of Daniel Moffet. The mother of these children died November 2, 1879, and on September i, 1891, Jefferson Hurst married Mary E. Tilley, a native of Owen county, Indiana. Two children were born to this union, Joseph B. and Flossie M. Mr. Hurst was a successful farmer; he first settled on a farm in section 36, Greencastle township, and he became the owner of six hundred acres of valuable land and was considered one of the leading agriculturists of the countv. He was a member of the old-school Baptist church and served as clerk of the local congregation for many years. His death occurred on September 19, 1888.

:\Iartin C. Hurst, his son and first husband of ?\Irs. Akers. began his married life on a fann given him by his father, near Mt. ^Meridian, in Jefferson township, and they made this their home for five years, then moved to a farm of one hundred and fourteen acres in section i, Warren township, and after a few years bought an adjoining eighty, and they moved into a weather-boarded log house, on which they made additions later, and here, ]\ Irs. Akers has continued to reside. ^Ir. Hurst prospered and owned three hundred and fifty acres at his death, which occurred February 4, 1899. He devoted his life to farming and stock raising and he and his wife were members of the Primitive Baptist church. Seven children were born to them : Ida Lee, now Mrs. Dobbs, was born November 25, 1866, married July 28, 1889. and she has had four children, Joel M.. Albert Lee, Edgar R. (deceased) and Eugene H. Mr. Dobbs is a farmer in Mill Creek township. Albert W., born November 25, 1868, died January 3, 1S88; Walter W., born April 9, 1 871, married Maud May Bryan, :May 15, 1892, and they are the parents of four children. Hazel C, Norbert, Caroline and Thomas A. Mr. LIurst is a salesman, living at Columbus, Ohio. Lawrence T. Hurst, born April 22, 1873, married Birdie W. Wright December 24, 1893, and they have one child, H. Kenneth. Mr. Hurst has taught school and engaged in merchandising. The next child was named Edgar, born September 2, 1875, and died November 18, 1877. Paul Hurst, born .\pril 30, 1879. married Gertrude Cooper: he is engaged in farming and he and his wife are the parents of four children, Victor Ray, Harry H., Alton O. an<l Cecil C. Jasper T. Hurst, born February 6, 1S82, is also engaged in farming: he married Myrtle' Cooper January 14, 1902, and they have the fcjllowing children: Emmett C, Edgar E., Opal Marie.

After the death of her first husband, INIrs. }ilartin C. Hurst had the management of the home farm and she looked after the same in a businesslike and successful manner. On September 16, 1902, she married Henry S. Akers, a native of Virginia, who came to Lidiana October i, 186S. He was drafted from Franklin county, Virginia, for service in the Confederate army, under Colonel Magruger, of the Fifty-Seventh Regiment. Longstreet's corps. Pickett's division, and he saw service in many of the greatest battles of the war. including Gettysburg, Antietam. Winchester and many of lesser note.

^Ir. .\kers was previously married, his first wife dying April 26, 1884, and twelve children were born to that union, of whom seven survive: Chades

J., a Baptist minister, living in the state of Washington; ^Irs. Mildred Britton, a farmer in Putnam county, and they have two children, Harvey and Clav ; James C. Akers has remained single and is living in this county ; Mrs. Sarah Jarvis lives in Parke county, Indiana: Silas Lee, Stock Yards, Indianapolis; Joseph A. lives in Jasper county; Mrs. Elizabeth C. Angus also lives in Jasper county. Indiana.

Capt. William P. Wimmer

.\ pioneer of the pioneers, a Civil war veteran with a splendid record, and a progressive fanner who has made a success of his business by keeping up with the procession - such a man is Captain Wimmer, to whom we now introduce the readers of this volume. He is a good man to know and all who meet him are sure to like him. When it is stated that his progenitor was a \'irginian of the old school, it will be seen that this family comes of excellent stock. It was in 1822 that Jacob Wimmer and his young wife mounted their horse in front of their old Virginia homes, kissed their friends goodby and turned their faces resolutely to the west. It took a stout heart to ride the hundreds of miles intervening between the Old Dominion and western Indiana at the time this journey was undertaken. There were practically no roads, only trails and traces. Long ranges of rough mountains had to be crossed, large and deep rivers to be forded or ferried, miles and miles of gigantic forests to be threaded, under mighty trees whose shade was so dense that in many places the sunlight could not penetrate at mid-day. Jacob Wimmer and wife were brave and self-confident. They had made up their minds to hunt a home in the boundless west, where land was cheap and the soil rich. Thev escaped all accidents by flood and field, including wild beasts and Indians, trudged along at the rate of some fifteen or twenty miles a day and eventually reached their goal. Mr. Wimmer entered government land, one mile east of what is now Bridgeton in Parke county and this in time became the homestead of the Wimmer famih-. This ad\-enturous youth married a pioneer girl named Elizabeth Mills, and tradition says she made him a helpmate worthy of his courageous character. They were married in Virginia and she accompanied him to Indiana, riding the seven hundred miles on horseback.

education in the old subscription school and loves to tell how he had to walk three miles to school ever\' day and he wastes no sympathy on the tender shoots of this age who insist on being hauled to school. It was perhaps his pioneer experiences that caused Captain Wimmer to become an advocate of good roads, in which cause he has always been enthusiastic. He took an active and ot^cial part in the building of the first free roads in Putnam countv and long ago saw the vital necessity of easy means of transportation from place to place, especially fanners. He has been one of the viewers anil has opened up over seventy miles of gravel and rock roads in Putnam county.

Captain Wimmer is ju.stly proud of his war record and has reason to be. as no man can show one longer or more creditable. He enlisted on July 6. 1 86 1, and devoted four years and a half to the cause of the Union. He was promoted from the ranks to second lieutenant and from second to first lieutenant, and from first lieutenant to captain, and had command of Companx- H. of the Twenty-first Indiana Regiment. First Heavy Artillen,-, as captain. The command served under Gen. Ben Butler and saw much hard fighting and campaigning. .\t Baton Rouge his regiment, in connection with the Si.xth Michigan and Fourth Wisconsin, had a severe engagement with the enemv and it was the opinion of General Butler, publicly expressed. tliat the Twenty-first Indiana had won the day.

.\fter the war. Captain Wimmer engaged in farming and came to Putnam county in i8fi8. He has always taken much interest in all farmers' organizations, such as the Grange, the institutes and other educational gatherings. Captain Wimmer has always been a Democrat and in 1S77 was elected ioint representative from Putnam and Plendricks counties, overcoming a Republican majority in Hentlricks county of eleven hundred, and being elected bv sixty-one. which was (|uite complimentar}- to his popularity considering the state of parties in the two counties at that time.

In 1867 Captain Wimmer married Angela, daughter of David Parker and Elizabeth (Lockridge) Farrow, a descendant of Colonel Farrow, a noted pioneer, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. His wife having died a few months after their union. Captain W'immer married her -lister. Catherine Elizabeth, the ceremony taking place .\ugust 7, 1S68. They ha\-e had sexen children; Gertrude Flarddee is a resident of Indianapolis: lessie married James Owens, who makes his home in Chicago: Claude Parker, who remains with his father, married :\Iyrtle Ragsdale : Xelly Elizabeth died in infancy: Oscar died when three years old, and Omar, his twin brother, is a resident of Chicago; William Andrew, who married Xelly

Can-er, has one child, Elizabeth Louise, and remains on the old homestead Captain Wimmer's two sons assist him on his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which has all the modern improvements and is conducted on scientific principles.

Captain W'immer has been an Odd Fellow since 186S, belonging to Lodge Xo. 45, of Greencastle. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Greencastle Post.

Thoalas D. Brookshire

The record of Thomas D. Brookshire is that of an enterprising and public-spirited gentleman who worthily upholds an honorable family name, and whose life has been very intimately associated with the material prosperity and moral advancement of Franklin township, and in fact, with the general progress of Putnam county, during the most progressive period of its history, for he has always been found on the right side of questions looking to the development of his community in any way, and while he has been prominent in the industrial affairs of the county, he has at the same time won an enviable reputation for honesty and wholesome living. He is a native of Montgomery county, Indiana, where his birth occurred October 15, 1861, the son of Drake and Sallie (Graves) Brookshire, the father having come to JNIonto'omerv countv in 1830, being among the first settlers in his community. He made the long and somewhat hazardous trip oxerland from Randolph county, Xorth Carolina, but he was a hardy son of the soil and enjoyed new conditions and primitive surroundings. Sallie Graves also came from the same locality in the old Tar state, and they were married in Montgomery county, Lidiana. in 1S41. Drake Brookshire is still living, three miles northeast of Ladoga. Indiana, where he owns a^ valuable farm of two hundred and fortv-ei^ht acres. He has been very successful since coming here, having seen the countrv develop in a wonderful manner. He is a man of excellent characteristics. He was biirn in 1819, and is now in his ninety-first year. Grandfather Joel Brookshire was a native of North Carolina and came to Alontgomerv countv in 1830. He married Sallie Slack. He died in 1869. after rearing a familv of twelve children, five sons and seven daughters.

To Air. and Mrs. Drake Brookshire ten children were born, nine sons and one daughter, named as follows: Andrew G., Allen. Alexander M., James and Alarv E, are both deceased; Hon. Elijah \'.. who represented the old eighth congressional district in Congress for a period of six years, is a prominent lawyer in Washington. D. C. ; Joel, Thomas D., of this review, is the seventh son in order of birth; Swan C. (deceased) and Lee.

Thomas D. Brookshire was reared on the farm and when old enough assisted with the general work on the same, attending the district schools during the winter months until he reached maturity. He was a student at Ladoga Normal School for a time, and after receiving a good education he returned to the farm, but in iS88 he returned to Ladoga, Indiana, and entered the butcher business. He had been ver}- successful at this, but on August 17, 1S91. he left that place and came to Putnam county where he purchased a fami. which recei\'ed his entire attention, consequentl}' he has prospered and now owns one hundred and fifty acres in Jackson township, also owns one hundred and twenty acres in Montgomery comity. He has developed his farm in a manner that stamps him as a modern twentieth-century agriculturist and his abundant harvests annually attest to his care and sound judgment. Besides carrying on general farming he also devotes considerable attention to stock raising, and knowing well how to handle all kinds of stock, no small part of his annual income is deri\ed from this source. He has one of the best impro\"ed and most attractive places in the township.

On October 15, n^oj.'Mr. Brookshire moved to Roachdale. where he has since made his home in an attractive, cozy and modern dwelling on Indiana street. He was married on November 27. 1884, to Emma Myers, the representative of an excellent family of Montgomery county, Indiana, where she was born December 17, 1863. having been reared on the home farm and educated in the district schools. She is the fifth child in order of birth in a famil_\- of eight children.

l\Ir. and Mrs. Erookshire's pleasant home has been graced by the birth of two interesting children, namely: Flora C. born November 30. 1887. is the wife of Dora Crodian. li\-ing in Putnam county; Carlisle M.. born January 5, 1S90. is single and is living at home.

Mrs. Brookshire is a member of the Christian church. Fraternally. [Mr. Brookshire belongs to Roachdale Lodge. No. 602. Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a past master. Both he and his wife belong to the Eastern Star, of which he is worthy patron. He is also a member of Greencastle Chapter. No. 2J. Royal .\rch Masons, of Greencastle Council. Roval and Select Masters, and Greencastle Commandery. No. 11, Knights Templar.

Politically, ]\[r. Brookshire is a Democrat, and he has long taken considerable interest in the affairs of his party, ami he has alwa_\-s done wJiat (30) he could politically and otherwise to advance the interests of his county. On December i. 1898. he was elected county commissioner from the first district and he made such an honorable and highly commendable record in every way that he has since been re-elected twice to the same office, serving the same with fidelity and ability for a period of nine years and one month, during which time there were four hundred miles of macadam road built and there was an expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars, and he ^vas also chairman of the board of construction when the court house was built, which imposing structure would be a credit to any county, as would also the fine system of roads. According to the statement of many of his constituents and fellow citizens, regardless of party affiliations, Mr. Brookshire was perhaps the best commissioner the county has ever had, for he did many important things while in office and always discharged his duties with a fidelity of purpose that could not help being in the end of general benefit. His record is without a stain or the shadow or suspicion of wrong in any way and he will always have the high esteem of his friends and acquaintances throughout the country or wherever he is known.

Mr. Brookshire is a large stockholder in the bank at Roachdale and is one of its directors. Success has attended his efforts because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has been true to every trust reposed in him. Personally he is a good mixer, genial, genteel, straightforward and hospitable, and while advancing his own interests never fails to consider the rights of others.

Estes Duxcax

Among the enterprising farmers and representative citizens of Putnam county who bv well directed industry and force of character have surmounted adverse conditions and risen to positions of influence and prominence in their respective communities, the name of the subject of this sketch is deserving of special notice.

The family of which Estes Duncan is an honorable representative is an old and highly esteemed one in this part of Indiana and wherever known the name stands for all that is upright in manhood and creditable in citizenship. Benjamin Duncan, the subject's grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania and a man of sound, practical judgment and intelligence. He and his wife. Adaline. migrated to Putnam county some time prior to 1830 and. settliu"- in what is now Cloverdale township, purchased a valuable tract of government land which he subsequently developed into a fine fann and on which both spent the remainder of their days, dying just across the county line in the village of Ouincy. where for several years they had made their home.

Among the children of Benjamin and Adaline Duncan was a son, Llovd T., whose birth occurred on the homestead in Putnam county, April 3. 1843, and who, like his father, was a farmer by occupation and a man of more than ordinan,- intelligence and influence. He was a member of Companv E, Thirty-third Regiment. Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, in the late Civil war and was with his command during all the varied experiences of the campaign and battled and bore his part bravely and well, upholding the honor of the government in its time of peril. He shared with his comrades the hardships and dangers of active ser\-ice until severely wounded at the battle of Peach Tree Creek (siege of Atlanta), where he was shot through the left arm so near the shoulder that the entire arm had to be amputated, during which operation the blood pressure was so strong on the arteries at the injured part as to endanger his life. Indeed, for a long time his friends despaired of his reco\'ery and more than a year elapsed before he regained sufficient strength to enable him to reach his home. Among the more important engagements in which he participated were : Peach Tree Creek, Thompson's Station and Cumberland Gap.

Shortly after leaving the army 'Sir. Duncan was united in marriage with ^lan.- A. Gillespie, daughter of Lysander and Rebecca (Alartin) Gillespie, the union resulting in the birth of eight children, of whom the subject was the first born, the youngest three being triplets, one of whom died at the age of nine months, this, with the father's death, which occurred [March 13, 1903, being the only invasions of the family circle by the dread Destroyer. Airs. Duncan, who is residing in Cloverdale township, is a lady of excellent character, and is highly esteemed by her neighbors and friends and those who know her best speak in glowing terms of her many excellent qualities of head and heart.

Estes Duncan, whose birth occurred in Putnam county, Indiana. September 13. 1S67, was reared on the home place in the northern part of Owen county and early became familiar with the varied duties of the fann. At the proper age he entered the public school in the neighborhood and with such interest did he apply himself to his studies that on the seventeenth anniversary of his birth he was sufficiently advanced to pass the required examination and receive a teacher's license. Although but a youth in age and appearance, he took charge of a district school and proved not only a successful and popular instructor but a strict disciplinarian, whose methods won the favor alike of pupils and patrons. Actuated by a laudable desire to fit himself for o-reater efficiency in his chosen calling, he subsequently entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute, which he attended at intervals during the early part of his professional career, teaching in the meantime and afterwards devoting his entire attention to school work. Mr. Duncan's experience in the school room covered a period of fifteen years, during which time he forged to the front among the successful teachers of the county and had he seen fit to devote his life to this honorable profession he doubtless would have achieved high distinction among the educators of the state. With a natural liking for the soil, however, and an aptitude for its cultivation, he decided to give his attention to fanning; accordingly in 1889 he engaged in that vocation which he carried on in connection with teaching during the ten vears ensuing, when he discontinued the latter, since which time he has ranked among the enterprising agriculturists of his township and county. The father, being a clear headed, well balanced man of practical ideas, advised his sons to buy land and go in debt for the same, assuring them that for young men without ready capital this was the best and surest way of securing a home and acquiring a competency. Acting upon this judicious counsel, the subject purchased lands from time to time until his indebtedness amounted to the sum of three thousand five hundred dollars, but managed his affairs with such energy and diligence that at the end of four years his land was not only free from encumbrance but he occupied a prominent position among the leading men of his calling in Cloverdale township.

Bv well directed effort and sound judgment 'Sir. Duncan has been enabled to add to his holdings at intervals until he now is the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land, the greater part under a high state of cultivation and otherwise well improved, his buildings being among the best in the community, and in point of productiveness his farms yield precedence to no like area in the county. As a tiller of the soil he is not only energetic and progressive, but also studious, believing in the dignity of his calling and strivino- bv e\-ery means at his command to make it remunerative and in the hio-hest decree honorable. In addition to his agricultural and livestock interests he is identified with several local enterprises of different character, amono- them being the Cloverdale Hardware & Lumber Company, of which he is secretary^ and treasurer and the success of which is very largely attributable to his judicious management.

The domestic life of Mr. Duncan dates from the year 18S9. at which time was solemnized his marriage with Nevada Pollard, a daughter of William G. and Martha A. Pollard, a union blessed with two children. Frank P. and Floyd R., both bright and intelligent young men with promising futures before them. The older son is a student of the State University, where he is preparing himself for a life of usefulness and honor; the younger, who is also ambitious, is pursuing his studies in the Cloverdale high school, with the object in view of becoming more than a mere passive factor in the world of affairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, together with their sons, are members of the [Methodist Episcopal church and are zealous in all lines under the auspices of the same. Fraternally, Mr. Duncan belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen, in both of which societies he has been honored from time to time with important ofificial positions.

Johx W. Wallace

In reality no greater badge of honor could be attached to a man at the present time than to refer to him as one of the "boys in blue," for it required no little amount of -sacrifice, no small degree of courage and no lack of patriotism to leave hearth and home and brave the dangers and hardships of camp, campaign and battle in order to perpetuate the L'nion, to sa\e the national integrity and to insure peace and prosperity to future generations. Such a man is John W. Wallace, one of Mill Creek township's substantial farmers. He was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, in 1835, the son of Elijah and ]\Ielvina (Manley) Wallace, the father born March 22, 181 1, in Anderson county, Tennessee, the son of David and Elizabeth (Atkins) Wallace. Elijah Wallace grew to maturity in his home community and in March. 1S34. he married Melvina Manley. who was born October 6. 18 1 3. in Tennessee. Her parents were Wilson and Louisa Manley. natives of the same state. Eleven children were born to this union, namely: Amanda, wife of Leonard Shaw: John, James, David and Elizabeth: Louisa, the wife of Homer W. Sandv : Xancy, wife of Samuel ^IcCollum: ^^"illiam ; Ellen, wife of Richard Brown, and Serelda.

Elijah ^Vallace and family came to Indiana in 1834 and settled first in Morgan county, but after a short residence there moved to what is now Hendricks county, locating in the woods, cleared a spot and erected a cabin, and soon began the work of clearing a farm. He had a total capital of only one hundred dollars when he reached this state, but he was successful and at his death had accumulated large holdings; he died July I3. 1884. He was a man whom everybody liked and trusted. After his death his widow moved to Alill Creek township and made her home there; she often referred to the days of 1834. when she and her husband arrived in Indiana, having made the journey from Tennessee in a one-horse wagon. Mr. Wallace was worth quite a sum for those days, one hundred thousand dollars at the time of his death.

When John W. Wallace was about seven years old the family moved to Morgan countv. where the father entered another farm, and lived there five or six years, then moved two and one-half miles south of Stilesville. where the father bought another farm, tliis being the family home until the death of the father in 1884: thus in the southwest corner of Hendricks county John W. Wallace grew to maturity. In i860 he married Louisa Hill, who was born in Jefiferson township, the daughter of George and Nellie Hill. Reuben Hill was the father of George, Harrison and ^^'arren Hill. George Hill married Melinda Christenson and they became parents of three children, namely: Vandever B.. Piney married Robert McCammack ; Andrew, who first married a Miss MacAmic, there being one daughter by this union; he then married Emily Jane Scott, and to this union were born three sons and four daughters. Melinda Christenson Hill died and George Hill married Elinor Newman in Kentucky. George Hill came from Kentucky about 18^0 and settled one and one-half miles west of Belle Union, where he entered government land, the country roundabout for many miles being new and uncleared. He remarried and died there. By his second marriage these children were born: Malinda. Sallie, Eliza (wife of John Wallace), IMargaret, Harrison and James.

Andrew Hill grew to maturity near^where Belle Union now stands. He was bom in Kentucky about 1828 and in 1830 his parents brought him to Indiana. Twelve children were born to Andrew Hill and wife, eight of whom are now living, namely: Florence Dell married Thompson Vaughan ; Vandever Berry: Savanna married John Cohn : Chandler B. ; IMonte married Hucrh Hicks and is now deceased; Franklin died in infancy: Agnes is the widow of John Whittaker: Nevada married Reuben Ma.sten : Otto and George. Mrs. Hill died February 17. 1898.

James Hill, now deceased, was born in Putnam county in August, iS-'<). the son of George and Nellie Hill, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of

Putnam county. He was reared in this county and always followed farming. He was also engaged in shipping stock. He was married in March, 1861. to Elizabeth, daughter of Elijah and Afelvina Wallace, early settlers of this county.

Xine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. John W. Wallace, named as follows: James W.. Elijah. Frances, George. Minnie (deceased). Emma. ]^larietta (deceased). Dora and Catherine.

Icihn W. Wallace had a small farm in Jefferson township, this county, where lie lived until 1863. when he moved to section 17. 'MIW Creek township, where he lived until 1884. In March. 1864. he enlisted in Company E. Fiftyninth Regiment. Indiana \'olunteer Infantry, joining the regiment at Fluntsville. Alabama, while the army was on its way from Tennessee to Atlanta. He was taken sick the following August and was sent to the hospital at Cleveland. Tennessee, where he was confined by illness until Christmas, following. From there he was sent to Baltimore, then by ship to Xewburn. Xorth Carolina; he was then in the battle of Kingston; then he joined Sherman's army at Goldsboro. Xorth Carolina, from which place he accompanied the army to Raleigh to meet Johnson's army, taking three days' rations and went out to battle, but Johnson surrendered and there was no battle. Then came the long, hard march to Washington City, where Mr. Wallace took part in the Grand Review. He received his honorable dis- ' charge at Louisville, Kentucky, and soon afterward came home, his reunion with his family being something not to be forgotten.

In 1884 Mr. Wallace bought a farm in sections 19 and jo in Mill Creek township.- ^^ here he has one hundred and twenty acres of well-kept and welltilled land. Politicallv he is a Democrat ; he was township asses.sor for two terms. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greencastle. and he and his wife both belong to the Friends church near his home. Their children are as follows: James W. Wallace marrierl Cora Knoy and lives in Hendricks county. Indiana: they are the parents of seven children. Ida. Lottie, .\nnie. Eva. Walter. Xeda and Robert. Elijah Wallace is a stock trader and lives at Greencastle: he married Ida McFadden and they have one child, Frank. Frances ^\'allace married Vanley Humphrey and li\es in Mill Creek township; two children were born to them, Elbert and Myrtle the latter dying when about two years of age. George A\"allace, who lives near the home place, married Ella Goodpaster and has four children, Xellie, Xettie. Elma and Herman. Minnie Wallace married Wilfred Ogles and died in 1899, leaving two small children. John and Gilbert: after the death of their mother they made their home with John \V. Wallace, of this review. Gilbert Wallace married ^label Elmore and lives near John W. Wallace. John Wallace is still a member of the home circle. Emma Wallace married Walter Butler and lives at Martinsville, and has one son. Gilbert. Marietta died when a bab\-. Dora and Catherine both live at home with their parents. John W. Wallace is a man whom everybody likes, being kind-hearted, honest and reliable.

Tohx L. Sellers

Among the native sons of Warren township. Putnam county, who deser\-e a place in local history is John L. Sellers, who has spent his long life here and who has ever had the interest of his community at heart. His birth occurred August 25, 1S36. the son of John Crawford Sellers, who was born March 26, 1796, in Garrard county, Kentucky. ]March i, 1821, he married Fannie Brown and thirteen children resulted from this union, two of whom are living, John L.. of this review, and Joseph B., whose death occurred in 1843; those deceased are, Mrs. Rebecca Gilmore, born in 1830, died in April, 1906: Mrs. Martha Ruark, born in 1838, died April 19, 1909; Mrs. Lucy Ann Leach, born in 1822, died May 6. 1846: James Washington, born in 1823, died June 11, 1865; William, born in 1824, died October 5, 1850; Mary, born 1826. died October 2. 1853: Elizabeth, born 1828. died October 16. 185S; Amanda J., born 1832. died November 13. 1836: Mrs. Xancy Talbott. born 1834: died February 8, 1872; Fannie E. (twin sister of John L.), born 1836, died November, 1S51 : Sarah B., born 1840, died in infancy.

The father of these children arrived in Putnam county in 1823, having a capital of only two hundred dollars. He bought eighty acres of land in section 5, Warren township, all in the woods, ten acres of which had been deadened. The first spring after he came here he rolled logs and assisted to build cabins for thirty-one days in succession. His only horse being crippled, he was compelled to tend his first crop of corn with a steer. He laid the "worm" rail of his fence at night and his wife \vould finish building the fence the next day while he was doing other work. From time to time he added other land to his home fami until he owned four hundred acres of valuable land, entering most of it from the government. When he started out he worked for twenty-five cents per day to get money with which to buv his first land. When he came here the county was practically a wilderness and to get to Greencastle. then a hamlet composed of seven cabins, he was compelled to blaze his way through the hea\y woods, composed princii)ally of tall oaks and dense underbrush. School houses and churciies were unknown then and the chances for an education were very limited, but he gave his children such as could be obtained. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. his regiment being organized principally in the northern frontier and he was in the famous charge when the Indian chief Tecumseh was killed at the battle of the Thames. Mr. Sellers was an industrious, plain, honest man, who never sought or held office. For forty years he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church at Putnamville, he being an elder during the greater part of that time, giving liberally and cheerfully of his means for the advancement of the church's interest, and he did much to develop the resources of the county. His death occurred November i, 1874, at the age of seventy-eight years, his wife surviving until 1878, dying in her seventyseventh year, and they are buried at the old Putnamville cemetery.

[ohn L. Sellers, the inimediate subject of this review, spent his youth on the home farm. ha\ing the advantage of a three-months subscription school each winter. September 4. i86_'. he enlisted in Company L, Forty-fifth Regiment. Third Indiana Cavalry, under Capt. O. 'SI. Powers and Lieut. G. JLangsdale. and he served with credit until the close of the war.

On December 11. 1866. Mr. Sellers married Mary Matkins. of Greencastle. and thev went to live with his parents, with whom he remained during their lifetime - in fact, he has since made his home on the parental farm, devoting his attention exclusively to general farming and stock raising, being \'ery successful in each.

Mr. Sellers very ably served his township as trustee for a period of four years. He is known as a very liberal man. generous and kind hearted, and he has thus been imposed upon, having frequently paid notes on which he was security. He is a memljer of the Presbyterian church and was an elder in the same for years, also a trustee for many years. Mrs. Sellers was also a faithful member of the ^fethodist church. She died October 20. 1879, having borne her husband seven children, namely: Edward ].. bom September 11, 1867. married Clara Silver, and they are the parents of seven children: Arthur U.. Lawrence L.. Ethel \'.. Joyne M.. Louisa A.. Harold G. and Edward L. Katherine .\. Sellers was born in November. 1868: she has remained single and is living at home. Jennie L.. born in April. 1S70. died in November. 1882. Nannie E.. born July 4. 1872. is the wife of Alonzo Dav and thev have two cliildren. Hazel and Russell (deceased). Sarah F..

born in October, 1874, died May 20, 1879. ^vlinnie B., born February 15, 1876, married Charles R. Grogan and they had four children: Grace May, Jennie (died October 22, 1902), Dorothy F., and Esther A. Ida M. Sellers is the wife of Hays Williams; she was born August i. 1879. and they have two children. Estelle L. and Hubert L.

On August 3, 1880. John L. Sellers married a second time, his last wife being Elizabeth Wells, daughter of Levi and Katherine Wells, of Greencastle, and this union resulted in the birth of three children : William C. born August 21. 1 88 1, married Grace Haymaker, and they have one child. John Riley; Mary E.. born January 17. 1884. and Myrtle O.. born July 5. 1891, graduated from the Greencastle high school in the class of 1910.

Oscar L. Joxes

The founder of the Putnam county family of this name, which has always been successful, prosperous and influential, was Jesse Jones, known familiarly to everybody hereabouts in olden days. He was born in Kentucky and came here when the county was still sparsely settled, without good roads and devoid of improvement of any kind. He entered government land in section 5 of Greencastle township, which at the time was wild and wholly unimproved and covered with a heavy growth of forest trees. Many a hard lick was put in by Jesse Jones in his efforts to convert his wild land into farming ground. He went at it. however, and kept at it with a dogged persistency that characterized the sturdy race of which he was a fine representative, and eventually he had a moderate estate to leave to his heirs. The land he purchased for one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre is now an average fami of Putnam countv and is so greatly improved by adjacent pike roads, fine buildings, good fencing, telephones, rural mail delivery and other modern appliances that the original owner would not recognize it as the same place. Hiram Jones was born in Kentucky in 1820. and came to Putnam county when a bov with his parents. He married Eliza Reeves, by whom he had four children, of whom Oscar L. Jones is the only survivor. The mother died in 1861 and the father married Hannah McCorkle. of Kentucky, and one child. Jesse Jones, of Monroe township, was born to them. Hiram Jones died Februan,- 14, 1870. Oscar L. Jones was born June 13. 1859. and grew up with usual experiences of fami boys of his period. He helped on the fami, doing all kinds of work suitable to one of his age, and meantime managed to attend school during the winter months. After he got older he attended old Asbury University and acquired a very fair education for his day. He remained on the farm until he was twenty-five years old, when he gave up fanning for a business career. For several years he was engaged in the wholesale produce business at Roachdale and made quite a success in this line, as he did of all his undertakings. He used to ship carloads of produce to Xew York and his store was headquarters for producers miles around who brought in their products and received for them the highest market prices. In 1899 Mr. Jones entered the feed and building material business in Greencastle and has carried it on on an extensive scale for many years. He handles lime, cement, brick, plastering goods and all other things suitable in house construction and all kinds of feed. His business is large and growing all the time, as Mr. Jones is energetic and resourceful, a close buyer and prudent seller - in fact a business man of the first rank. Like his father before him. he has always been a member of the Republican party, though not an office seeker and too bus}- with his own affairs to bother with political manipulations. In 1904 he was elected to represent the fourth ward in the city council and made a watchful and honest guardian of the city's interests. He is a member of the Locust Street Methodist Episcopal church and belongs to Greencastle Lodge, Xo. 473. Free and .\ccepted Masons.

Mr. Tones married Lena Shinn, of Putnam county, October 7. 1880, and thev have one child, Gladys, now the wife of John Johnson, of Greencastle, who is associated in business with his father-in-law. His wife having died, Mr. Jones married Mary Ellis, of Bainbridge. June 9. 1890.

William P.Vyxe Stoxer

.\ man who has long been active and influential in the affairs of Putnam county, reaping a just reward for his many years of endeavor along legitimate lines, and now living in honorable retirement in the city of Greencastle, surrounded by the evidences of his former years of thrift and good management, is William Payne Stoner. He comes down to us from the pioneer days in this county, the Stoner family having lived here when this city was a village. He was born on the old homestead two miles from Greencastle. Februarv 7, 1843. A complete sketch of his parents and an-

Wilham P. Stoner remained at home until he was eighteen years of age, when, although but a lad, he could not repress his patriotism at President Lincoln's urgent call for troops to suppress the rebellion in the South, and in the fall of 1862 he enlisted in Company A, Seventy-eighth Regiment, Indiana \'o!unteer Infantry, for the purpose of serving along the Ohio river. After being in the field thirty days he was captured by the Confederates at Uniontown, Kentucky, who made a raid- on the Union camp, taking two companies of the regiment at that time. They were soon paroled, and Mr. Stoner came home and was discharged; however, he was not contented to remain idle when he was needed in the field and in 1864 he enlisted in the heavv artillery for one year and he served until August, 1865, principallv at Baton Rouge. His company was detached from the main armv and was sent to Ft. A\'illiams until after Lee's surrender. They were sent up tlie Red river for the purpose of securing stores that had been surrendered.

^Ir. Stones was educated in the common schools of the county. With his two brothers he bought a fann near Manhattan, Washington township, where he remained for eleven years, during which time he got a good start. At the death of his father in 1876 he returned to the old home place and began farming a part of the same, part of the original entry from the government, known as the Hathaway farm, lying in Greencastle township, adjoining the original Stoner farm. He erected a comfortable and substantial dwelling and other buildings on the place in 1878 and lived there ver\- comfortably until 1905, making, besides general agricultural pursuits, stock raising a specialty, becoming widely known in this special feature, being one of the first men in this locality to breed heavy draft horses. For a period of fifteen years he spent the major part of the winters in Louisiana, fiftv-three miles north of New Orleans, having bought land there and stocked it with cattle. He understood well the proper care of all kinds of livestock and the greater part of his income was derived from this source. One thing that took him to the South during the winter was rheumatism, with which he has been troubled for twenty-si.x years. He added forty acres to the old farm, making a total of two hundred and twenty-two acres, which he still retains, having disposed of his other valuable property about five vears ago. He is reluctant to part with his farm here, all of which was formerlv owned by his father. It is still \-ery productive, having been very skillfullv tilled and properlv cared for. He purchased his present attractive and tastily furnished city residence some time ago ; it was known as the Ed. Hanneman homestead, the latter known as the builder of the local opera house. Mr. Stoner's sons are now operating the farm in partnership.

Politically ]\Ir. Stoner is a Republican, but he has never held otifice, preferring to lead a quiet life and give his attention exclusively to his fanii and stock. He is a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Stoner was married on February 7, 1872, while living on his farm in Washington township, to Mary Parritt, daughter of Burr G. and Almeda (Benedict) Parritt, a well known family of Hamricks, this county, where they conducted a store. Mrs. Stoner was born in the state of Connecticut and came to Putnain county when se\'en years of age, and she grew to maturity here and \vas educated in the public schools. Her father died in this county, being over seventy years of age. He took considerable interest in public affairs.

The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stoner: Ernest, employed in the postoffice at Greencastle; Omer is active manager of the farm; ^lary Almeda married James Lynch, of Danville. Indiana: Andrew P. also Ii\"es on the home farm, but he is a civil engineer by profession and is engaged most of the time in railroad work in the civil engineering department.

This family deserves a very high rank among the leading citizens of Putnam county, having always been industrious, honorable in all the relations of life and interested in the public welfare.

Although the late David .Ader has passed from tlie scene of action in Putnam county, where he was so long a conspicuous figure, his wholesome influence is still felt by scores who knew him well and his memory will ever be revered for his many little acts of kindness and the good example he set the vouth of the land, for he was truly a good and just man in all the walks of life and a very successful one. his large rewards coming as a result of rightiv applied energy, the carr\-ing out of honorable principles and by strict integrity in his dealings with his fellow men. .All credit is due a man who wins success in spite of obstacles and by persistency and energ}- gains a competence and a position of honor as a man and citizen.

The record of Mr. Ader is that of such a man. for he came to Putnam county in the davs of her rapid growth and here worked out his way to definite success and independence. He quickly adapted himself to the conditions which he found here and latoring so consecutively and that lie became one of the substantial men of the county and also one of her most highly honored citizens.

David Ader was bom March 6. 1S22. in Davidson county. North Carolina, the son of Solomon and Elizabeth (Pickle) Ader, the father a native of \'irginia. the son of Adam Ader, who was a native of Maryland and of German extraction ; thus the Ader family has been in America for many generations and many of them have been conspicuous in various walks of life. Elizabeth Pickle was the daughter of Valentine Pickle, also of German ancestry.

It was as eariv as 1828 that the Ader family came to Putnam county, Indiana, making the long journey overland from the old Tar state of the South, and here, amid the trials and inconveniences of a new countrv\ they established a home in the wilderness, from which in due course of time, by dint of hard toil, sprang an excellent farm and a comfortable and commodious home. x-Mthough David Ader, of this review, was then but eight vears old. he began assisting his parents in their home building in whatever wav he could. Their first house, built on their land in Russell township, was a pole cabin fourteen by sixteen feet. Here young Ader found a very limited opportunity to attend school, but later in life he educated himself. He grew to maturitv on the home place in Russell township and shortly afterward moving to Flovd township and became acquainted with hard toil like all sons of pioneers. In 1865 he came to Bainbridge and lived here till his death.

January 9. 184.^. David Ader married Elizabeth Aldridge, a native of Connersviile. who proved to be a very faithful helpmate through the years that she traversed the path of life by his side. To this union two children were born. Nathan W. and Helen E.

The mother of these children died on May 4, 1854, and on January- 18. iS^T. Mr. Ader married Mrs. Belinda C. Buchanan. This union resulted in the birth of four children, two of whom are living at this writing. Alice B. and Francis David.

David Ader was a philanthropist and stood always ready to assist in anv worthv cause. Although he started in life under none too favorable environment, being compelled to literally hew out his fortune, he became prominent and accumulated a vast fortune, owning two thousand three hundred and fifty acres of land. He was a hard worker, a good manager and a man of keen foresight, and his death occurred very suddenly while riding on horseback looking after his extensive interests, on September 6, 1894, in Floyd township, and in the Bainbridge cemeterv- he is sleeping the sleep of the just.

Mr. Ader took an ardent interest in politics, always interested in seeing the best men in local and national ofiices, and he very ably served as justice of the peace, which honor was literally "thrust upon him," as Shakespeare says. He was no office seeker, preferring to give his exclusive attention to his private business affairs. He aided his government during the war of the Rebellion by acting as agent for his township, paying the total sum of eighteen thousand dollars for substitutes in the Union armv. He was prominent in church affairs, having been an elder in the local Cumberland Presbyterian church, which he practically built and of which he was always a liberal supporter. _ He was a trustee of the Groveland church from the time of its organization until his death. He was never a user of strong drink, detesting saloon and grog shops in general and wherever he could he struck a blow for temperance. He is remembered as a man whose word was as good, if not better, than the bond of most men. strictly honorable in his dealings with his fellow men, obliging, generous, a kind neighbor, indulo-ent father and an ideal home man, his commodious and well appointed dwellino" often being the scene of rare hospitality, for he delighted to show every courtesy to whatever guest passed his threshold. Such a life should be enuilated by the youth who stands at the parting of the ways, for it was successful, noble, exemplaiy in ever\- respect, and he left behind him the greatest of all inheritances, an untarnished reputation.

This family, which is of English origin, sent representatives to the United States and at an early date they were settlers in Kentucky. Rife Sutherlin. who was born in that state, came to Indiana as earlv as 1826. settled in Putnam count}", and entered land from the government in Russell township, on which he lived until his death, about 1883. He married Rebecca Saylor, bv whom he had seven children. Among the number was Elijah Sutherlin. who for many years had been a farmer in Russell township, where he was born and reared. He married Elizabeth Triplett. who was born near Brazil, Clay county, Indiana, and by this union there were eight children: Emma, the wife o* T. M. Kelly, of Roachdale, Indiana; Carrie, wife of William Myers, of Russell township; Viven, wife of William Saylor. of Russell township: William ^L. of Greencastle; Guy, a resident of Russell township; Hattie, wife of Bert Clifford, of Russell township: Dollie, wife of Perry Harbison, of Russell township, and Roy, at home.

William M. Sutherlin. the fourth child, was born in Russell township, Putnam county, Indiana, November 27, 1878. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-two years old. meantime attending the district schools and acquiring a good primary education. Later he entered DePauw University and devoted a year to study in the excellent courses of that famous institution. He also took a course in law and the scientific department at Central Normal College in Danville, from which he was graduated in 1902. Prior to this he had taught school for three years in Russell township and after leaving college he taught one year. In 1904 he opened a law office at Jasonville. Greene county, Indiana, where he practiced about one year, and then removed to Greencastle. He is regarded as one of the brightest and most promising of the younger members of the bar and his friends predict for him a prosperous career. In 1909 Mr. Sutherlin was the Democratic nominee for mayor of Greencastle, and, though defeated by a few votes, made a splendid race in a city known as a Republican stronghold.

In July, 1905, 'Sir. Sutherlin married Ethel, daughter of Henry and Maiy Day, of Greencastle. They have an only son. Roy C, born August 27, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Sutherlin are members of the Christian church. His fraternal associations are with the Masons, Elks. Eagles and Modern Woodmen. The family ranks well socially and enjoy general popularity among the wide circle of acquaintances.

Amono the prominent and widely known citizens of Putnam county is Tames L. Hamilton, the present efficient county clerk, who is an important factor in both business and political circles, and his popularity is well deserved as in him are embraced the characteristics of unabating energy, unbending integrity and an industry that never flags. He is public spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the welfare of the com-

The founder of this well known eastern Indiana family was an emigrant from the Emerald Isle, who, more than a century ago, reached American shores and here became well established. He was familiarly known bv the soubriquet of "Old-School." and from him to the gentleman whose name appears above thrift and other accessory qualities that win have been proverbial in the Hamilton family. James Hamilton first settled in Pennsylvania, from which state he migrated to Kentucky and eventually came to Indiana, locating in White county, but afterwards removed to Putnam, where he arrived as early as 1SJ9, and here, among other adventurous home-seekers, he began life anew, soon becoming well established for those early days on the frontier. Before leaving Pennsylvania he married Hannah Ramsey, a native of that state, and to this union nine children were born. The father remained here until his death in 1840. Robert S. Hamilton, youngest of his children, was born in White county. Indiana. April 15, 1816, the same year which witnessed the entrance of the Hoosier state into the Union. When thirteen vears of age he accompanied his parents to Putnam county, and he became a physician, having graduated fn^m the Louisville Medical College, and he practiced his profession several }-ears in Putnam and Parke counties, his first location being at Mansfield in the last mentioned county. He served by appointment as county treasurer at one time and was a citizen of influence up to the time of his death in 1893. He married Mary R. Bishop, a native of Portland Mills, Putnam county, by whom he had five children, named as follows : James L.. of this rc.iew : Fay S. : Pearl G.. wife of Elmer Smith, of Parke county, Indiana: Dr. Claud B., a dentist of Greencastle. and H. Claire, the wife of Samuel H. Gibson, of Greencastle.

James L. Hamilton, oldest of Doctor Hamilton's family, was born near Portland Mills, this county. January 13. 1868. After the usual terms in the common schools, he entered Danville Central Normal College, from which he graduated with honors in penmanship and bookkeeping, in 1896. He had the misfortune, when twenty years old, while working in a sawmill, t'l have his left arm so badly cut In- a circle-saw that amputation near the elbow was necessary, this totally incapacitating him from manual labor ever afterwards. Xot knowing defeat by this untoward mishap, he set to work to sell musical instruments and met with much encouragement as a piano salesman for himself and in 1900 estal^lished a music store in Greencastle and bv hard work he has succeeded in building up a large and lucrative business, his store being one of the best appointed in the city, carefully stocked with a (31) large line of standard instruments and which is one of the largest and most popular music stores in this section of the state. For a time he was also ver\- successfullv engaged in cement bridge contracting and built fourteen bridges for the Big Four railroad.

Mr. Hamilton comes from a fannly who have enjoyed the conhtlence of their fellow men and ha\e been chosen to public office on numerous occasions, his father having served as treasurer of Parke county: an uncle, Samuel Hamilton, also served as commissioner of Parke county, and a great uncle being Governor Bishop of the state of Ohio, besides many of his other relatives filling offices of public trust. James L. has shown himself quite capable of rendering the public efficient service, and he has been quite prominent in politics, his political career showing results both notable and unusual. He made his debut in the political arena in 1898 in the race for the nomination for countv clerk and was a close second to a man that was very popular and who was the logical candidate of his party. Again in the campaign of 1902. he made the race for county clerk and had for his opponent the popular young editor of the Greencastle Democrat. Arthur Hamrick. It was a warm fight and attracted the chief attention of the campaign. In this race Mr. Hamilton was successful, having received two votes to every one of his opponent, receiving in the Democratic primaries twenty-two hundred and seventv-tive votes and a majority of sixteen hundred and seventeen, the largest ever given a candidate. He received every vote in Russell township, except two, and every one but four in his home township. At the ensuing election he defeated his opponent, Charles Hughes, of Bainbridge, who was looked upon as the strongest man on the Republican ticket, by a majority of seven hundred and seventy-nine, the largest ever received by a local candidate, and he ran far ahead of any one on the county ticket and one hundred votes ahead of the state ticket. He was re-elected in 1906, having so faithfully perfomied his duties during his first term that his constituents were unwilling to give up his services, and he served until 1910 with continuing popularity and esteem bv those who elected him as well as by the people generally. In his second race he headed the ticket and his name proved a tower of strength to the cause of his party and associates.

Mr. Hamilton has one of the coziest and most tastily appointed cottage homes in the countv, at No. 910 South Indiana street, Greencastle. It is modern in e\erv detail, with hardwood floors, beautiful woodwork throughout, decorated bv an expert decorator of Indianapolis, and in every part of the house there is a striking harmony of detail. The presiding spirit of this attractive home is a ladv of culture and refinement, known in her maidenhood as Marv R. Heck, a native of Kentucky, of an excellent Southern family, and whom Mr. Hamilton married on May 19. 1900. She is the daughter of Aiigustu.s D. and Samantha ( Stroube ) Heck, both of whom were born and reared in Bracken county, Kentucky, in which place they spent their lives, both being now deceased, Mrs. Heck dying in 1879 ^"d Mr. Heck following her to the grave in 1904. He was a farmer and at one time a tobacco planter and in his younger days handled fine horses. Mrs. Hamilton is one of three children, having two brothers hving at Augusta, Kentuck-}-, in which place Mrs. Hamilton was reared and educated. This union has been without issue.

Mr. Hamilton is a charter member of the Bene\olent and Protective Order of Elks, and he was the hrst exalted ruler and organizer of Lodge Xo. 1077, Greencastle, doing the entire work himself, practically without assistance. He is also a member of the Ben Hur, Improved Order of Red Men, the Woodmen and Eagles lodges.

Mr. Hamilton has made his own way since boyhood and is a fine type of the pushing, ambitious, unconquerable American spirit which deserves success bv hax'ing; earned it.

Abe Cohx

In ever}' life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch onlv those salient points which give the keynote to his character. Thus in gi\ing the life record of Abe Cohn sufficient will be said to show, what all who know him will freely acijuiesce in, that he is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of Putnam county, being a well known merchant at Cloverdale.

Mr. Cohn was born in Cincinnati. Ohio, December 18. 1858, the son of Aleig and Lena (Amberg) Cohn. the father a native of France, from which country he came to America in [848 and located in Cincinnati, and there met and married Lena Amberg, who was bom in Germany and who came to Cincinnati when young. They were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, one of whom died in Cincinnati. One son. Lambert Cohn. resides in Cincinnati and travels for a wholesale house : John Cohn is at Belle L'nion. where he is engaged in the mercantile business. His full sketch appears elsewhere in this work. David Cohn is at Martinsville engaged in conducting a sanitarium. Hannah Cohn married Samuel Simons,

-who is now deceased; she formerly resided in Greencastle. but now Hves in Louisville ; the other sister, next to the oldest child, died in childhood in Cincinnati.

In i860 this family moved to Cloverdale, Putnam county, where the father engaged in the mercantile business and lived there until 1893 where he was verv successful ; he then moved to Indianapolis, where he died in 1899. He was a man whom evers'body liked and who was enterprising and honorable in his dealing with his fellow men. His wife died in Cloverdale in the latter se\enties.

Abe Cohn received a very serviceable education in the common schools and early in life decided to follow in his father's footsteps and devote his time to this line of endeavor and he has been active in business affairs since he was eighteen years of age. He assisted his father for several years and learned the "ins and outs" of merchandising, and was later taken in as a partner with his father. About 1896 he purchased his father's interest in the business and has conducted the store alone, continuing to build up the business until he now has a very extensive patronage with the surrounding country. He now deals in clothing, boots and shoes, gents' furnishings and some jewelrv: also ladies.' misses' and children's cloaks. He carries a neat, carefully selected and up-to-date line of goods and his prices are always right, according to his customers.

On March t, 1893. Mr. Cohn married Eva Rogers, daughter of J. H. and Ophelia fTavlor) Rogers. Her parents were well known and influential in Putnam county. A full sketch of her family appears on another page of this work. Mr. Rogers died in February. 1902: ^Irs. Rogers is now living in Cloverdale.

Mr. Cohn is a member of Sanders Lodge. Xo. 307. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Masonic Lodge. No. 132, of Cloverdale. He has the verv highest standing in Cloverdale. having the respect and good will of all. being regarded as one of the reliable and substantial merchants and among the leading citizens of the town.

Among the citizens of Mill Creek township, Putnam county. Indiana, who have built up a comfortable home and surrounded themselves with large landed and personal property, none has attained a higher degree of success than the subject of this sketch, and his Hfe demonstrates what mav be accomplished by any man of energy and ambition who is not afraid to work, his success being the result of his well-directed and persistent efforts, his capable management of his business interests and his sound judgment. In all the relations of life he has commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been brought in contact and he is today numbered among the representative men of his county.

The subject of this sketch is descended from sterling patriot ancestn', his grandfather. John McHaffie, having been a soldier in the war of the Revolution, participating in the battle of Yorktown. where he witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He was a native of the state of Virginia, volunteered at the early age of sixteen years, and sometime after the securing of national independence he married Elizabeth Hackett. Among the children born to this union were three sons. Robert. John and Andrew. Robert and John were soldiers in the war of 1812, ser\-ing with different Tennessee regiments, and at the battle of Horseshoe. Robert took an active part. John being in the reserves, the same condition existing at the battle of New Orleans. They were valiant soldiers, as was their father before them. Robert died in Putnam county. Indiana, and John in Hendricks county, the latter being now buried in the bur\-ing ground at the McHaffie homestead. Andrew Mc- Haffie was too young to enlist and when old enough he learned the tanner and harnessmaker's trade. In iS^^o he made the trip on horseback from Tennessee to Indiana and entered nine eighty-acre tracts of government land in Morgan and Hendricks counties, near the northeast corner of Alill Creek township, Putnam county, and he also entered one hundred and sixty acres near Mt. Meridian for his brother James. He arrived on this land in October, 1832, with his family consisting of his two daughters and son, the subject of this sketch. The daughters were Haney Emeline, who became the wife of \^'illiam P. Roberts, and Thirza Jane, who died at the age of twelve vears. The homestead residence was erected in Hendricks county, but afterwards the father removed to Stilesville. where he remained until 1841, when he bought a home located across the highway from where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives. Andrew E. !McHaffie first married Nancy D. Woods, the mother of the children before mentioned, who died in 1830, and in 1838 he married Nanc}' D. Denning, of Kno.x county, Tennessee. To this union was born one child. Mar}- .\ngeline, who subsequently became the wife of Harvey Lee and is now deceased, leaving three sons. Andrew ^McHaffie died in 1866 and is buried at Stilesville.

!Mel\'ille F. McHaffie was born in Knox county, Tennessee. December 27, 1826. and he was reared on the parental homestead, the family first came to Indiana they located in the midst of a dense forest, the only timber felled being that cut to make way for the National road, which was being constructed. The subject witnessed the early efforts made to clear the country and has a distinct recollection of the tremendous labor incurred in the construction of this road, when laborers worked for fifty cents a day and boarded themselves. A cousin of the subject ran a boarding house (or rather cabin) for these workers. Mr. McHaffie helped clear practically all the land .from a half mile west of his house to Stilesville and has thus had an important part in this early work of transformation. He raised steers from young calves and with the aid of these he hauled logs and pulled stumps. Game was plentiful and he has killed many deers within a short distance of his present home and in his early boyhood saw many bear tracks there.

In 185 1, the year following his marriage, he was preparing to build a home for himself, when his father bought one hundred and sixty acres of land from Lewis Orth, in section 29, in the northeast corner of what is now Mill Creek township. Mr. :McHafiFie located on this tract and it has been his home continuously since, a period of practically sixty years. Their first home there was in an old brick house, but in 1870-72 Mr. McHaffie erected in its stead a fine large brick house, the finest in the locality, its original cost having been twelve thousand five hundred dollars, aside from much of the work done by the subject himself. Today, forty years after its erection, this house is still considered one of the best in that part of the county.

In his business affairs Mr. McHaffie has met with a gratifying measure of success. As a farmer he was practical and progressive in his methods and indefatigable in his efforts, and as he has prospered he added to his landed possessions from time to time, until he became the owner of over sixteen hundred acres of land. His investments have not been confined to the Hoosier state, as he entered eleven hundred acres of land in Missouri, one hundred and twenty acres of which was con\erted into fami land. He also bought eighty acres of splendid farm land three miles east of Tu.scola. Illinois, for which he paid ten dollars an acre, later selling the same for forty dollars an acre. Mr. McHaffie became interested in the southern mule trade a number of years ago and his business in this line rapidly grew to enormous proportions, having not a little to do with the making of the city of Macon. Mississippi, which became the headquarters for the trade. He was considered one of the best judges of mules in the country and made big profits in this business, having at one time cleared over two thousand dollars on a single carload. Through his trades he secured a good deal of southern cotton land.

Mr. McHaftie has taken an active interest in general business aftairs and assisted materially in the organization of the Central Xational Bank of Greencastle. of which he was tendered the presidency, but the other demands on his time would not permit him to assume the duties of tiie position, and he became vice-president of the institution, which soon became one of the leading monetarv concerns of the county. His son Ernest was for some time a clerk in the bank, but he longed for the open life on the farm and relini-iuished the position. Mr. McHafhe's ability was recognized in his appointment as a member of the board of county commissioners, to fill out an unexpired term, and he was afterwards elected to succeed himself. In this position he ga\e etficient and satisfactory ser\ice. Mr. McHattie is a Jackson Democrat and has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs, being one of the strong and influential citizens of the county.

In his younger days Mr. McFIaffie was an accomplished horseman and at one time he shot a deer from the back of a wild mustang in Missouri, standing in the stirrups as he shot. That he was also possessed of much endurance is evident from the fact that he rode from Tuscola. Illinois, to his home in Putnam count}', a distance of over one hundred miles, during the daylight of one day. This forced ride, which was made on a mule, was because of an urgent business matter which required his presence at home. His love of horsemanship has been inherited ];y his grandson Robert, who has won a widespread reputation because of his e.xpertness in this line. At the age of fourteen years he competed with old and experienced riders at county fairs and at one of the state fairs he won a one-hundred-dollar premium. Mr. McHaffie's success has come as the result of his own persistent efforts and now he is enjoving that ease to which he is so justly entitled. Standing at his beautiful home, he may look a mile north, a mile and a quarter east, a half mile west and a half mile south, and the land within that scope of vision is all his. anil this despite the fact that he has given to his children twelve hundred acres of land. The attracti\'e and well arranged home was planned by Mrs. McHaffie and is as fine a home as can ht found in either Putnam or Hendricks counties.

On August 15, 1S50. Mr. McHattie was united in the bonds of wedlock with Mary Ann Thomas, a daughter of Jonathan and Catherine ( Ulrich) Thomas. She was born at Georgetown. Pennsylvania, and came with her mother to this county, her father having died in Pennsylvania. Subsequently her mother married Theodore Long at Dayton. Ohio, and the family came to Putnam county in the fall of 1S49. Mr. and Mrs. McHattie fell in love with each other at first sight, and this mutual feeling was never altered in any degree, she proving to her husband a "helpmate" in the truest sense of the word. She was a woman of splendid personal qualities, endowed with a liberal share of sound common sense, and she not only reared their children to honorable manhood and womanhood, but she also took an intelligent interest in business affairs and 'Mr. McHaffie placed a high value on her advice and counsel in Inisiness affairs. She is spoken of flatteringly today by those who enjoyed her acquaintance. Her death occurred on the 2ist day of July, 1897. To ^Nfr. and Mrs. ]\[cHaffie were born the following children, ten in number.

(i) Florence Alice became the wife of Charles Bridges, a native of Putnam county, who later became a successful business man at Indianapolis, where his death occurred : she still resides in that city.

(2) Thurza Jane, generally called Jennie, became the wife of Thomas S. Boggess. of ?i[acon. ^lississippi. but she died of typhoid fever in that state about two years after her marriage. She left a son. Bennett ^Mack Boggess, a trader and cotton grower, who is married and has a daughter. Caroline.

(3) George ^^'. is a farmer and resides on three hundred acres of land southeast of Stilesville. gi\-en him by his father. He married Emma Cosner and thev became the parents of three children, namely: One died in infancy; Katie married . Harry Tincher. a successful lawyer at Louisville, Kentucky; Maty Ann lives at home with her parents. She and her sister were both educated at St. ]\[ary's-of-the-\Voods, at Terre Haute.

(4) Minnie became the wife of Dr. M. G. Masters, who was born and reared at Stilesville, Indiana, the son of Alexander and Almira (Graham) Masters, these parents subsequently moving to Kansas, where their deaths occurred. Dr. ^Masters died in 1902 at Plainfield. Indiana. To him and his wife were born four children, of whom three. Orian. Eva and ^lax. are deceased, the sur\i\'or being Lex. now sixteen years old. who lives with his mother in the home of Mr. INlcHaffie. and who is now a student in the Stilesville high school.

(8) Oscar S. is a farmer, living on three hundred acres of land adjoining his father's farni. He married May Leachman, daughter of James Leachman. of near Fillmore, this county, and they have a son, James Melville, now a student in the agricultural department of Purdue University at Lafavette. Indiana.

(9j Ernest married Annie Greer, daughter of John and Man,- Agnes Greer, of Sevmour, Indiana, and they have three children. Ernestine. Robert and Maxine.

John Willson Osborx

The first half of the nineteenth century was characterized by the emigration of the sterling element which made the great commonwealth of Indiana what it is. These pioneers were sturdy, heroic, upright, sincere folks, such as constitute the intrinsic strength of a state and give solidity to its institutions. It is hardly possible that in the future another such period can occur, or, indeed, any period in which such a solid phalanx of strong-minded, determined men and self-sacrificing women will take possession of a new country, develop its resources and lay broad and deep the foundation of an advanced and permanent state of civilization. Too careful or too frequent reference cannot be made in the pages of historv' concerning those who have thus figured as founders and builders of a commonwealth, and equal credit is also due to the sturd}- sons and daughters who, born and reared among the stirring experiences of those heroic times, nobly assumed the burdens borne by their predecessors and with patience and fortitude such as the world has seldom seen excelled, carried on the good w ork until what was under so many difficulties begun, was in due course of time most earnestly and triumphantly completed.

Among the Indiana pioneers whose depth of character, public-spirit, unswerving devotion to right principle, and indefatigable energy enabled them to play their parts in the early development of Indiana, was John Willson Osborn, who. although long since a pilgrim to that "undiscovered bourne from which no traveler ever returned." set in motion such ameliorating forces while he sojourned on earth for more than three score years- and ten. that his infiuence will not wholly be dissipated, but will continue to bless the generations that follow him "unto the perfect day." Therefore this noted pioneer Hoosier editor is eminently deserving of a conspicuous place in the history of this state, as well as worthy of emulation b\- the youth of the present day whose ambitions are to ser\e mankind and w hose destinies are }"et matters for future \"ears to determine.

Mr. Osborn was born at St. Johns. Xew Brunswick, February 7. 1794. He was the second son of Capt. Samuel Osborn, a gallant and accomplished officer in the British navy. His maternal grandfather. Col. John W'illson, and his eldest brother, Capt. William Osborn, were also officers in the service of his majesty the king of England. The former was an intimate friend of General Brock, acted as commissar}' general, and filled many places of trust. It was for him that the immediate subject of this sketch was named. William Osborn, the eldest son of Capt. Samuel Osborn, Jr., was promoted to a captaincv when ver\' young for bravery during several sharp engagements at sea. Thus bv the divine right of inheritance and early associations, John W. Osborn was fitted for the struggles and privations of pioneer life which need a brave heart and an untiring devotion, progressive and aggressive, to the principles of right. His mother's maiden name was .Mice W'illson. the daughter of John and Rebecca (Thixton) Willson. She was born on Staten Island, and she was educated in Xew York, where the family always spent a part of each year, her father being an officer in the British army, loyal to his king. They finallv left the United States and sought a new home in Canada. sometim.es living at Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Canancoqua, and finally settling down at Toronto, buying land and laying, as they supposed, a permanent foundation for a home. Colonel Willson sent to Scotland and brought a hundred families from that country, settling them upon his lands in Canada, and, believing in the magic power of the press to enlighten and civilize, he sent to England for a printing press, type and men and started a paper in the then almost wilderness of the west. Associated with him in the publication of TJic Vpl^cr Canada Guardian and Freeman's Journal was Col. Joseph Wilcox, who was a member of the provincial Parliament, an ardent politician, an educated Irish gentleman and a Republican. This paper was stronglv devoted to the cause of liberty and free government, and it was as an apprentice in this office that young John W. Osborn learned the printer's art, this experience giving direction to the whole current of his after life, for he immediatelv imbibed the principles he was aiding to disseminate, and when the war of 1812 ensued he followed his leader in espousing the American cause, leaving his country and kindred on August u, 181 J. and cast his lot with the people of the United States. His father. Captain Osborn. had died when his son was yet a lad. and the Captain's associate in the journalistic field. Colonel Wilcox, joined the army of the Republic and was made a colonel in the .American army, and was killed while leading his men in the sortie up Lake Erie.

Mr. Osbom. upon leaving the service, resumed "his professional labors. A book publisher of Albany. New York, induced him to go to Cortlandville. that state, where he took charge of and edited the Cortland Republican, a paper still published there. This paper, which was an ardent supporter of the United States government, he continued to publish until 1816. In the year succeeding the admission of Indiana to the Union as a state, the eyes of eastern peope being attracted to the wonderfully developing West. ^Ir. Osborn, on .\pril 18. 1817, in company with Lucius H. Scott and others, sailed from Ogdensburg. Xew York, and arri\-ed at A'incennes on June nth following, where he became associated with Elihu Stout, in publishing Indiana's first newspaper. The IJ'cstcni Sim. In July of that year he visited the site of Terre Haute, on which he found one log house. Being strongly attracted by the native beaut\- of the spot, he finally returned there in 18J3 and established the IJ'cstcni Rcgi.itcr. the first newspaper published at the now flourishing city of Terre Haute. Though twenty-two signed a protest again.st its pulilication, it was continued until 1832, the latter part of the time under the editorship of his son-in-law. Hon. S. B. Gookins. Mr. Osborn found slave trade fl<5urishing at \'incennes an<l he at once lifted a voice against it; finally, in co-operation with others, he carried the question to the supreme court of the state and obtained a decision which set at rest forever the question of slaver}- in Indiana. The first issue of the Register at Terre Haute created something of a sensation in the then wilderness, and the inhabitants came from all parts of the country to \ie\v the great wonder. It was published through many difficulties, it being necessary to bring the stock of paper used principally from ^^adison on pack horses, tlirough the primitive woods. His paper was delixererl by private carriers up and down the Wabash, as the nearest postoffices were St. Louis on the west, \incennes on the south and there was little civilization to tlie imrth. During that year, while he was riding up the Wabash toward Ft. Dearborn, he came to the Tippecan(5e battleground, where he discovered that the Indians had unearthed the soldiers buried there and. after stripping and scalping them, left their bones to bleach in the sun and wind. !\[r. Osborn returned to Terre Haute and induced Capt. Xathanie! Huntington to take his company of cavalry to the spot and reinter the bones with military honors.

Having occasion to pass through Greencastle. Putnam county, in 1834, Mr. Osborn was much impressed with the high rolling country, delightful location from a standpoint of health, and natural beauty, and soon decided to locate there, having sold his Terre Haute paper, and he accordingly began the publication of the first newspaper in Greencastle. a few of the first issues being entitled The Hoosicr, but this was soon changed to the JVcstcrn PlougJi Boy, which was the first truly agricultural paper published in the state. Becoming convinced of the evils of strong drink, he published a sort of leaflet called the Temperance Advocate, and sent it without cost as a supplement, thus giving to Indiana her first temperance paper. The country was new, times were hard and much of his pay was in produce - venison, corn, wood and manv things were among the rewards for his labors, but his motto was "Know no failure." and, with characteristic energv', he succeeded at whatever he undertook. Being not only interested in the furtherance of the temperance movement and the development of the new country, but also in educational affairs, his labors in Greencastle, in a ver\- large measure, resulted in the establishment and location of Asbury (now DePauw) University, the leading literary institution in the state, of the ]Methodist denomination, of which he was an active and zealous member. His name is on the record as one of the first trustees and original incorporators. In 18^6 '\{r. Osborn attended a state editorial convention at Indianapolis, where he succeeded in obtaining a unanimous vote in favor of abolishing "treating" at elections, and he was in 1S41 elected state printer, which led him to sell the Plough Boy and its entire equipment. In the meantime, however (1838), he moved to Indianapolis and published the Indiana Fanner and Stock Register, also continued the publication of his temperance paper. At the close of his term of office he retired from active newspaper business, but was a frequent contributor to various local journals during most of his after life. When the war between the states began, he was too old to take the field, but. being a stanch supporter of the national Union, he could not be idle during such stirring times, and he went to Sullivan county, the \erv hot-bed of Democracy, and there commenced the publication of a war campaign paper. The Stars and Stripes, and he rendered valuable service to the cause, until failing health compelled him to abandon the enterprise. He returned to his home in Greencastle. where, after a long, painful illness, which he bore with Christian fortitude, he passed to his rest on November 12, 1866.

yiv. Osborn was a worthy member of the Masonic order, and during the last thirtv-five years of his life he was a most earnest Christian. Zealous in ever}- good cause, he promoted zeal and perseverance in others.

Mr. Osbom's life was one of increasing activity, and of his work John B. Dillon, one of Indiana's first historians, justly says: "He was devoted to labors for the uplifting of society, was a pioneer in eveiy movement for education, humanitv and religion, and was always in the van of civilization and progress, leading others to noble and heroic efforts, and opening the way where masses of his fellow men have followed. He was genial and generous to a fault."

How wonderful and how grand the life and labors of this noble, yet modest man. For a full half century constantly battling, and that often in the face of bitter and violent opposition, for justice, for liberty, for the good of the farmer and stock raiser, for every moral and social reform, for temperance, for everv'thing that tended to ameliorate the conditions of the human race.

Air. Osborn married, in Homer, Cortland county, Xew York, on March 31, 1S14. Ruby \\". Bishop, a daughter of Thomas Lee and Ruby (Webb) Bishop. Mrs. Osbom was of distinguished colonial and Revolutionary ancestry, being a direct descendant of the renowned Governor AVilliam Bradford, of Plymouth; also of the Adamses, Lee. Palmer, Hobart, Allen. Ripley, and others of the most notable families of Xew England. Through Mrs Osborn her descendants are many times eligible to most of the patriotic societies of the L'nited States. She was a close student and retained, almost to the hour of her death, a keen interest in affairs which pertained to public welfare. It is said that the editorials in her husband's papers were alwavs submitted to her before publication and that she was often the proofreatler for the entire paper.

A group of voung men. who afterwards became well known in the state, were gathered in the office of the Western Rcyistcr. Mrs. Osborn directed their course of study, and to her is given the credit of first disco\'ering the poetical talent of Mr. Osborn"s nephew. George W. Cutter, author of "E Pluribus Unum." "Song of Steam" and "Buena Vista." She constantly encouraged these young men in all worthy effort and urged them to lofty aspirations, and their expressions of appreciation were a great solace to her in her declining years.

Seven children were born to John Willson and Ruby (Bishop) Osborn. of which number three died in infancy. The four who lived to maturity were: ^larv Caroline, who became the wife of Judge Samuel B. Gookins. of Terre Haute, died in Columbus. Georgia. .August 26. 1889. and is buried in Woodlawn cemetery. Terre Haute: Bishop Webb, born in Terre Haute, died in Indianapolis on .\pril 9. 1891. and is buried in Forest Hill cemetery. Greencastle: Hannah M. became the wife of Siilomon

Claypool and resides in Indianapolis; Ruby Alice, who was the wife of Hon. L. P. Chapin, long an honored citizen of Greencastle, and who is the subject of a sketch found elsewhere in this work, died in Indianapolis on November 6, 1907, and is buried in Forest Hill cemetery, Greencastle.

Prof. Oscar Thomas

The men most influential in promoting the advancement of society and in o-ivino- character to the times in which they live are two classes, to-\vit : the men of study and men of action. Whether we are more indebted for the improvement of the age to the one class or the other resolves itself to a question of honest ditYerence in opinion; neither class can be spared and both should be encouraged to occupy their several spheres of labor and influence, zealously and without mutual distrust. In the following paragraphs are briefly outlined the leading facts and characteristics in the career of a gentleman who combines in his makeup the elements of the scholar and the energy of the public-spirited man of affairs. Devoted to the noble and humane work of teaching, he has made his influence felt in the school life of Putnam county and is not unknown to the wider educational circles of the state, occupying as he does a prominent place in his profession and standing high in the esteem of educators in other than his own particular field of endeavor.

Professor Oscar Thomas, superintendent of schools of Putnam county, although yet a young man. has shown that rightly applied energy and ambition worthily pursued may accomplish large results in a comparatively short time. He is a native of this county, having been born in Madison township. January 20, 1872. the son of William Thomas, who was born in Greencastle township, June 17. 1844. and who is the representative of an excellent old pioneer family. He was educated in the primitive schools of his native community and devoted his lite to farming, being now one of the leading ap-riculturists of Madison township. The Thomas family is of Irish stock, the lineao-e of which may be traced back to 1685, since which remote period manv members of this historic family have distinguished themselves in various walks of life.

William Thomas married Elizabeth J. Ewing. born October 5. 1842. She was born in Montgomeiy county. Indiana, where her family were long well and favorably known. She is a woman of gracious personality and is still livino- in Madison township. To Mr. and Mrs. William Thomas eleven children were born, named as follows: Eliza, wife of Charles J. Priest, died in 1883: Mrs. Dora Reeves, a trained nurse, is living at home; Henr^' is a traveling salesman living in Indianapolis; Oscar, of this review; J. Elmer is living in Oklahoma, being a state senator there; Charles B. is an undertaker at Rosedale, Indiana; Ona, wife of Edward Wiley, died in Denver, Colorado, 1904; Bertha, who was a teacher, died in 1907; Fred is a teacher, living in Greencastle ; E, Cleve is also a teacher and is living at home; Frank died when two years of age.

Professor Thomas was reared on the home farm, which he worked w hen old enough during the summer months, devoting the winter to study in the public schools of Madison township. Being ambitious to become familiar with the classics and higher sciences, he continued his schooling by entering the Central Normal College at Danville, after which he took a course in De- Pauw University, where he made a splendid record and came out well qualihed to enter his chosen life work - teaching, which he soon began and which he has since followed, teaching for a period of thirteen years in townships of Aladison, Mill Creek. Monroe and Franklin. Of this time three years was spent in the high school at Brick Chapel, giving eminent satisfaction from the first. He soon became known throughout the county and his services were in great demantl. having so discharged his duties as to win the highest encomiums of the superintendent and boards of the various schools where he w as employed, to say nothing of his great popularity with the pupils under his charge and of the general public. In 1903 he was elected county superintendent of Schools and so faithfully and satisfactorily did he fill this important trust that he was re-elected in 1907.