Tipton County, Indiana - Biographical sketches, 1914 (part 4 of 11)

Doctor Gifford's first professional associates were Doctors Newcomer and Dickey, with whom* he entered into partnership immediately on his graduation, and this connection was continued until 1910, when Doctor Dickey withdrew and Doctor Newcomer and the subject continued their pro¬ fessional association, which has proved both pleasant and profitable, the progressive methods and thorough knowledge of materia medica displayed by the subject being a valuable asset in the building up of a splendid practice.

On October 12, 1904, Doctor Gifford was united in marriage to Pearl Frazee, of Springfield, Missouri, the daughter of Jesse and Mary (Thomas) Frazee, natives of Indiana, but who removed to Missouri and located in Springfield in 1879, where the father died in his forty-sixth year, the mother yet living there. They were the parents of three children: Pearl, the sub¬ ject's wife, was born December 15, 1877, in Lafontaine, Indiana; Leila and Jessie. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Gifford was Mr. Frazee, and he married Miss Case. They, were both natives of Ohio, and settled in Indi¬ ana in pioneer times, where they reared a large family and lived to ripe old ages, the father's death occurring at Lafontaine. Mrs. Gifford's maternal grandfather was Dr. Alexander Thomas and his wife's family name was Pearson, they having been early settlers in the Hoosier state, coming from Maryland and locating in Lafontaine and later in Winamac, their deaths occurring at the latter place. The subject and wife are the parents of a daughter, Martha.

Mrs. Gifford is a member of the Christian church. The Doctor, in political affairs, has given his support to the Democratic party, while his fraternal relations are with the Free and Accepted Masons and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, he being a member of Austin Lodge No. 128 in the former order and a charter member of the Tipton lodge of the latter.

Although comparatively a young man, Doctor Gifford has filled a large place in the medical profession in his city and county. A close observer and a constant reader, He has kept abreast of the best and most modern ideas in the art of healing, and by conscientious application and fidelity to honorable methods he has reached a position among the members of his profession of which he may well be proud.

Oris B. Norris

The life of the eminent and successful business man, though filled to repletion with activity and incident, presents fewer salient features to excite the interest of the general reader than the man whose place in the public eye has been won through political or military achievement. But to acquire distinction or great prosperity in the business pursuits which give to the country its financial strength and credit requires ability of as high if not higher order than that which leads to victory at the polls or on the field of battle This will be readily appreciated by all who tread the busy thorough¬ fares of trade. Eminent business talent is composed of a combination of high mental and moral attributes. It is not simply energy and industry ; there must be sound judgment, breadth of capacity, rapidity of thought, justice and firmness, the foresight to perceive the course of the drifting tides of business and the will and ability to control them, and, withal, a collection of minor but important qualities to regulate the details of the pursuits which engage attention. The subject of this review affords an exemplification of this talent, and, notwithstanding the limited theater of his operations, he has achieved a reputation which places him among the first of central Indiana's successful and prosperous business men.

Oris B. Norris, of the firm of Norris & Company, was born at Frank¬ fort, Indiana, June 7, 1873, and is the son of Abraham and Sarah M. ( Fudge) Norris. They had three children, Emma Luella, deceased, who was the wife of James Lee, of Frankfort; George L., of Ithaca, Michigan, and Oris B.

The father of the subject came to Indiana when a boy, and settled with his parents at Thorntown, Boone county. Later, they moved to Frankfort where he married and settled on a farm east of that city. He followed farming and carpentry until the day of his death, which occurred at Russiaville, August 15, 1901. His wife is still living. He served as a private throughout the Civil war in Company F, One Hundred Fifty-fourth Regi¬ ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Norris were natives of Germany, who emigrated to this country early in the nineteenth century and settled in Maryland. Soon afterwards they came to Indiana and located in Boone county. They reared a large family of chil¬ dren : Joseph B., J. Dale, Abraham H.; Phoebe, wife of Edward Ewbank; Silas David, William IL, Mary Wilson, and two deceased daughters, Mrs. Mash and one other.

The maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Moses Fudge. They were also early settlers in Clinton county and settled on a part of the present site of Frankfort and died there in old age. They reared a large family: John, Mary Brandon, George, Elizabeth Kelly, Sarah M. and Mary.

Oris B. Norris was raised on his father's farm, two miles east of Frankfort. He attended the district school and after he married he lived on his father's place for four years. He then moved to Tipton county, settled on the Shockley farm near Kempton and was there two years. He left this farm and went to Howard county, locating on the Francis farm east of Russiaville, and from there he moved to Russia ville, where he went to work in a hardware store for John L. Woody. After working here for two years he went to Kokomo for a short time, but returned to Russiaville and remained there until 1902, working in the hardware store. Since 1902 he has been in his present business of retailing implements, stoves and heavy machinery of all kinds.

Mr. Norris was married on August 17, 1893, to Minnie O. Frye, daugh¬ ter of William W. and Elizabeth (Francis) Frye. They have three children,

William Ward, Dale Abraham and Karl Francis. Mr. and Mrs. Norris are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Tipton. Politically, Mr. Norris is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. Fraternally, he belongs to Austin Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons; Tipton Chapter No. 1 14, Royal Arch Masons; Tipton Council No. 80, Royal and Select Masters, and is also a member of the Tipton Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the encampment at Russiaville.

Mrs. Norris was born in Howard county, Indiana, two and one-half miles east of Russiaville, April 28, 1873. Her mother died when she was seven years old, and her father is still living at Happy, Texas, in the Pan¬ handle country. They had two children, Minnie O. and Omer L.

Mr. Norris is a man of good business ability, strict integrity and fine personal qualities, and because of his genuine worth and high character he has long enjoyed a splendid reputation in the community where he lives. He contributes his support to all movements for the benefit of his fellow citizens and today is numbered among the representative men of Tipton county.

Solomon D. Adams

It is proper to judge of the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family circle, in church, hear his views on public questions, observe the opera¬ tion of his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the rela¬ tions of life and society, and are therefore competent to judge of his merits and demerits. After a long course of years of such daily observation, it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know of his worth, for. as has been said, ''actions speak louder than words/' In this connection it is not too much to say that the subject of this sketch has passed a life of un¬ usual honor, that he has been industrious and has the confidence of all who have the pleasure of his friendship.

Solomon D. Adams is a native of the county now honored by his citizenship, having been born in Prairie township, on October 23, i860. He is a son of John G. and Eliza (Ramseyer) Adams, natives, respectively, of

Hendricks county and Switzerland county, Indiana. They were the parents of ten children, eight of whom lived to maturity, namely: Caleb F., of Prairie township, Tipton county, Indiana; Solomon D., the immediate sub¬ ject of this sketch; John R., of Prairie township; William J., of Cicero town¬ ship, this county; Anna, wife of Daniel D. Campbell, of near Kirklin, In¬ diana; Florence, the wife of Charles Harter, of Lafayette, Indiana; Dulcina, wife of Albert Fenn, of Elwood, Indiana, and Philip C., of Prairie township, this county. The father of these children was reared in Hendricks county, Indiana, and always followed farming pursuits. In 1856 he came to Tipton county, and here he followed his vocation in Prairie township, where he spent his remaining days, his death occurring there in 1893. His wife died in 1874, at the age of forty-nine years. They were members of the Separate Baptist church. The subject's paternal grandparents were Solomon and who later removed to Hendricks county, this state, where they died when well along in years. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom the following are remembered: John G., Hall, James, Thomas, Caleb, Thad S., Joshua and Mary. The subject's maternal grandparents were Daniel and Martha (Hawkins) Ransmeyer, natives, respectively, of Germany and of Switzerland county, Indiana. They lived to advanced age, she dying at the age of about ninety-seven. Their children were Frederick, Obediah, John, Philip, Joseph, Peter, Martha, Eliza and Melinda.

Solomon D. Adams was reared on his father's farm in Prairie town¬ ship, this county, receiving his elementary education in the district schods, supplementing it by attendance at the State Normal Schoool in 1883 and 1884, and in 1889 was a student in Purdue University. He taught seven terms of school, in which way he earned money to pay his way through col¬ lege. On the completion of his studies he clerked for two years in a general store in Sharpsville, Indiana, and then bought the store, which he operated six months, when the store and contents were destroyed by fire, the insurance amounting to about one-fourth the loss. Mr. Adams then bought another store at Sharpsville, which he ran for two years, and in the meantime was appointed postmaster at that place. In 1896 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Tipton county, under Sheriff J. F. McCleary, serving in this capacity four years, and at the expiration of his official term he returned to farming, which he conducted until the fall of 1912, when he was elected county re¬ corder and is the present efficient incumbent of that position. His wife is the owner of ninety-one acres of land in Jefferson township. Mr. Adams gives to the discharge of his official duties the closest personal attention, and is so managing the affairs of his office as to receive the commendation of all who have business there.

On November n, 1890, Mr. Adams was united in marriage with Mar¬ ietta B. King, who was born in Jefferson township, Tipton county, Indiana, on August 8, 1865, the daughter of James and Lucinda (Hopkins) King. To this union has been born a daughter, Mildred Jean, who is assistant to her father in the recorder's office. Mrs. Adams' maternal grandfather was James Hopkins.

Politically, Mr. Adams has, since attaining his majority, given his sup¬ port to the Democratic party and has taken an active interest in its welfare and advancement in his community. Fraternally, he belongs to Reserve Lodge No. 363, Free and Accepted Masons, at Sharpsville. He also holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America. Religiously, he and his wife are faithful and earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they give substantial support. M«r. Adams is a man of splendid influence in his community, having been a very industrious man and led an honorable career. He is regarded as a public-spirited man and can always be counted on to support the right side of any movement involving the moral, educational, social or material welfare of his fellow citizens.

The man who devotes his talent and energies to the noble work of ad¬ ministering to the ills and alleviating the sufferings of humanity pursues a calling which in dignity and importance and beneficial results is second to no other. If true to his profession and earnest in his effort to enlarge his sphere of usefulness he is indeed a benefactor to all of his kind, for to him more than to any other man is entrusted the safety, the comfort and in many instances the lives of those who place themselves under his care. Amongst this class of professional men is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch, who has stood for many years with few peers and no superiors among the physicians of Tipton county, Indiana, during which time he has not only gained a wide notoriety in his chosen vocation, but has also established a sound reputation for uprightness and noble character in all the relations of life. He early realized that to those who attain deter¬ minate success in the medical profession there must be not only given tech- nical ability, but also a broad human sympathy which must pass from mere sentiment to be an actuating motive for helpfulness, so he has dignified and honored his profession by noble services in which through long years of close application he has attained unqualified success.

M. V. B. Newcomer, a successful physician and surgeon and wellknown citizen of Tipton, Indiana, was born in Cambridge City, this state, on October 30, 1836, the son of Christian and Elizabeth (Hartman) New¬ comer, both of. whom were natives of Pennsylvania, the father born at Lancaster and the mother at York. They were the parents of thirteen children, nine sons and four daughters, of whom the subject of this sketch was the eighth son in order of birth. These children were named as follows : David, Christian, Abram, Rebecca, the wife of Harvey Bates; Martha, the wife of C. F. Curnutt; John; Elizabeth, who died young; Jackson, who was drowned in boyhood; Sampson; Franklin, of Mabel, Minnesota; M. V. B., the immediate subject of this sketch; Melissa, the wife of C. W. S. Pettijohn, of near Sheridan, Indiana; and Levi, of near Sheridan, Hamilton county, this state. The subject's grandfathers were, on the paternal side, John Newcomer, and on the maternal side, Nicholas Hartman, both natives of Pennsylvania. The subject's father, Christian Newcomer, was reared in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he received his education and in young manhood engaged in teaching school. He was a captain in the Pennsylvania state militia and was a soldier in the war of 1812, his company being called into active service and he remained in the field until the close of that strug¬ gle. He was captain of his command and took part in the bombardment of Baltimore. He learned the trade of a tailor, married and, after the birth of four of their children, he and his family came west, locating at Cambridge City, Indiana, about 1825. He afterward entered a tract of land in Hamil¬ ton county, Indiana, below Sheridan, where he resided for forty years, his death occurring there in 1877, at the age of eighty-seven years. His wife died six months prior to his death, at the age of eighty years. While living in Pennsylvania they were identified with the Lutheran church, but after coming to Indiana they joined the Methodist Episcopal church, of which they were ever afterwards faithful adherents.

M. V. B. Newcomer was brought to Hamilton county, Indiana, at the age of eleven months and was here reared to manhood. He well remembers pioneer conditions through this section of the state, and was in Indianapolis when it was no larger than Tipton. He grew up on his father's farm and attended the old-fashioned subscription schools, to which he had to walk live miles each way daily. Later he attended the public schools, and after¬ wards was a student in the W. F. W. C. Ensminger School in Boone county. Having determined to take up the practice of medicine as his life work, he matriculated in the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1867, though he had practiced the profession for nearly three years prior to that. He entered upon the active practice at Tipton in 1864, and has practiced here continually since, a period of almost a half century. Prior to taking up the study of medicine, Doctor Newcomer had given some attention to the study of law and had practiced that science for about a year. He has long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, supplemented by the rigid professional training and thorough mastery of technical knowledge, without which one cannot hope to rise above mediocrity in ministering to human ills. In his chosen field of endeavor Doctor Newcomer has achieved success such as few attain, and his eminent standing among the leading medi¬ cal men of Indiana has been duly recognized and appreciated not only in Tipton, the city long honored by his residence, but also throughout the cen¬ tral part of the state. Doctor Newcomer is a member of the Tipton County Medical Society, the Indiana Medical Society and the American Medical Association, as well as the International Association of Railway Surgeons, the Pennsylvania Railway Surgeons Association, and was for some years a member of the Mississippi Valley Medical Society and the Medical Legal Society of New York City. He has been a railway surgeon for forty years, having been in the first railway surgeon appointed in Tipton and still holding that office. He is local surgeon for the traction lines, and was pension ex¬ amining surgeon for about thirty-five years. To Doctor Newcomer belongs perhaps the distinction of being the only doctor in America who ever pre¬ sided at the birth of a baby in an automobile. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting professions he has also proved an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and esteem of the people, and in all the relations of life he has never fallen below the dignity of true manhood, nor in any way resorted to methods that invited criticism. He is a stockholder and vice-president of the Citizens' National Bank at Tipton, a director in the Citizens' National Bank of Delphi, Indiana, and vice-president of the Citizens' Trust Company of Delphi.

this union have been born three children, Ora, Clelia and Ethel May. Ora became the wife of James A. Shirk, and they live at Delphi, this state; they are the parents of two children, Herbert and Esther. Clelia is the wife of William B., Mason, of Delphi, and they have four children, Robert N., Ruth N,, George and William; Ethel May died in infancy.

Fraternally, Doctor Newcomer is a member of Tipton Lodge No. 1012, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has for many years been an enthusiastic and appreciative member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Religiously, Mrs. Newcomer has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church continuously since she was fourteen years of age, a period of fifty-six years, and is the oldest in point of membership in that congre¬ gation. She was born at Darlington, Indiana, on November 7, 1843, her father being a native of Ohio and her mother of Kentucky. Her father was killed on the railroad near Perrvville, Indiana, when sixty years of age. To him and his wife were born two children, Mrs. Newcomer and a brother, A. K. Wilson, of Kokomo, Indiana.

Welcome Clyde Howard

It is pleasing indulgence to refer to the life and achievements of a man who has been so long and so prominently identified with the material activities of a community as has the subject of this review, and who stands conspicu¬ ously forward among the leading factors in the continued growth and pros¬ perity of one of the most flourishing and substantial sections of the Hoosier state.

Welcome Clyde Howard was born in Bloomington, Illinois, October 1 , 1871, the son of James L. and Mary Etta (Brown) Howard, the father a native of Alton, Illinois, and the mother of Virginia. They had four sons: William F., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Edward L., of Bloomington, Illinois; Berl Valentine, of Kansas City, Missouri, and Welcome C. The father was a carpenter and stairbuilder and was reared in Alton, Illinois, but is now living in Tipton. He and his wife are Methodists. During the Civil war he served for two years as a private soldier.

The maternal grandfather of the subject was William Valentine Brown, a native of Virginia, who was an early settler in Illinois. He died at an extreme age, his death occurring in McLean county, that state.

Welcome Clyde Howard was reared in Peoria, Illinois, and attended the public schools of that city. After leaving home his first employment was in the Wabash railroad shops at Decatur, Illinois, then being transferred to the store room and the baggage room of the same company. He was afterward employed as a brakeman on the Wabash road and then as a fire¬ man. Leaving the service of this company, Mr. Howard accepted a position with the Lake Erie railway as yardmaster at Bloomington, Illinois, soon being appointed a freight conductor and then a passenger conductor on the same lines. In 1905 he accepted employment as train dispatcher for the Union Traction Company of Indiana, with headquarters at Tipton, also having charge of the instruction of employes for some time.

On June 25, 1895, Mi\ Howard was united in marriage to Lilly May Wright, daughter of James .M. and Martha Wright. They have one child, Lewis Edwin. Mrs. Howard was born in Fairbury, Illinois, her parents having one other child, Harry. James M. Wright holds a position in the office of the adjutant-general at the Soldiers* Home in Danville, Illinois.

Mr. Howard is a member of the Methodist church, while his wife be¬ longs to the Presbyterian church. The subject's fraternal relations are with Austin Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons; Tipton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and Tipton Council, Royal and Select Masters; also the Mod¬ ern Woodmen of the World and the Tribe of Ben-Hur. In political matters, Mr. Howard is a strong supporter of the principles of the Republican party and in 1910 was elected city clerk, which office he now holds, and by his business-like conduct of the affairs of that responsible position he has gained friends, who are free to commend his administration of that office, re¬ gardless of political views.

John O. Behymer

Among the strong and influential citizens of Tipton county, Indiana, the record of whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, the gentleman whose name appears above occupies a prominent place and for years has exerted a beneficial influence in the locality. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, a tireless energy, honesty of purpose and motive and every-day common sense, which have enabled him not only to advance his own interests, but also largely contribute to the moral and material advancement of the community. The owner and pub¬ lisher of the oldest contemporary newspaper in the county, he has long helped mold public opinion along lines conducive to the best interests of the community, and in his hands the interests of the '"fourth estate'* have never languished for want of a virile and facile pen and a spirit that knows no such word as defeat.

John O. Behymer, editor and publisher of the Tipton Daily Times, was born in Rush county, Indiana, April 9, 1855, a son of William and Martha (Littleton) Behymer, the former a native of Lincoln county, Kentucky, and the latter of Ohio. William and Martha Behymer were the parents of eleven children, namely: Mary J. is the wife of Jacob Hiatt, and resides near Rigdon, Indiana; Perry, of Ordway, Colorado; Andrew J., of Elwood, In¬ diana; Rebecca A. is the wife of J. L. Newkirk and lives near Rushville, Indiana; John O., the subject of this review; Franklin P., of Elwood, In¬ diana; William H. ; Christopher R. resides near Rigdon, Indiana; Sarah E., deceased, was the wife of A. T. Corbin, and lived near Sharpsville, Indiana; Martha M. is the wife of Leander Jones and lives near Indianapolis; one died in infancy.

William Behymer, the subject's father, was a cooper by trade, but after his removal to Indiana, in 1851, he followed farming, first in Rush county, later, in 1861, locating in Grant county, from which, in the same year, he enlisted in the One Hundred and First Regiment, Indiana Volun¬ teer Infantry, being mustered in as a member of Company H, but later being transferred to Company E, in which he served until the close of the war, being promoted to the rank of sergeant near the close of the conflict. Orr his return home from his country's service he re-engaged in agriculture. He took an active interest in politics, being a strong supporter of the Demo¬ cratic party, and was honored by election to a number of offices, having been a justice of the peace in Green township. Grant county, for several terms, where he was a notary public and also practiced law. In Rush county he served as a constable for several years. He died at Rigdon, Grant county, August 25, 1890, at the age of sixtv-eight years, his widow, who still sur¬ vives him, residing near Rigdon. He was a member of the Methodist Epis¬ copal church, as is his widow.

Solomon Behymer, the paternal grandfather of the subject, was a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent, and after attaining his majority he removed to Lincoln county, Kentucky, where the subject's father was born. John Littleton, the maternal grandfather, was a native of the Buck-

John O. Behymer was about six years old when his parents left Rush county and settled in Grant county, and in the latter locality, near Rigdon, he grew to manhood, following an agricultural life, his early education being acquired in the district schools. In 1875 he came to Tipton and taught his first term of school, later teaching two terms in Madison county. In 1878 the subject purchased a half interest in the Windfall News office, which he assisted in conducting, in addition to his pedagogical duties, until the spring of 1880. On the nth of March of that year he was married, and, coming to Tipton, he purchased a half interest in the Times office. However, Mr. Behymer sold this interest during the following winter and started the Saturday Express , which he owned and managed until the spring of 1883, when he sold the plant and, going to Winamac, purchased the Democrat , which he conducted for about six months. At the end of that period he sold out and returned to Tipton, where he purchased the entire plant of the Times , which he has owned and published since. This paper was established as a weekly in 1855, but since March 19, 1913, the weekly has been discon¬ tinued and is now issued as a daily. In political complexion the Times is a strong supporter of the Democratic party. It has a large circulation and is liberally patronized by advertisers.

On March 11, 1880, Mr. Behymer was united in marriage to Annie E. O'Banion, daughter of William M. and Martha O'Banion, who were early pioneers in Rush and later in Grant county, Indiana. The father of Mrs. Behymer died in Tipton in 1898 and his wife in Windfall in 1870, the father having been a soldier in the Civil war. To Mr. Behymer and wife have been born two sons, Lawrence O. and Lester.

Mrs. Behymer is a member of the Presbyterian church and also of the Order of the Eastern Star, in which latter order she has served several terms as worthy matron. Mr. Behymer is a member of Austin Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons, and Tipton Lodge No. 1012, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. For more than twenty-five years Mr. Behymer has belonged to the Indiana Democratic Editorial Association and has served as its president and treasurer. Although never having been a candidate for public office, the subject was chairman of the Democratic county central committee in 1888 and was a delegate to the Democratic national con¬ vention at Denver, Colorado, in 1908. In his business Mr. Behymer has prospered and, besides owning his splendid home, has several other pieces of valuable residence property. Mr. Behymer is one of the strong, sturdy individuals who has contributed largely to the material welfare of the city in which he resides, being an up-to-date, public-spirited man, progressive in all he does, and has the respect and admiration of' a large circle of friends.

John H. Tranbarger

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

John H. Tranbarger, auditor of Tipton county, was born in Quincy (now Elwood), Indiana, on March 29, i860, the son of David and Eunice (Cook) Tranbarger, who were born in Virginia, the mother being of sound old Quaker stock. They were the parents of seven children: Oliver N., of Anderson, Indiana; Miranda E., wrife of William W. Stretcher, who lives north of Elwood, Indiana; Alcana L., of Forest, Indiana; Sarah A., wife of Mr. Smith, of Elwood; John H., of Tipton; Nathan S., of near Muncie, Indiana, and a daughter, Mary, who died at the age of two years. . The sub¬ ject's father came to Indiana w ith his parents when a small child, they locat¬ ing southwest of Elwood, where they entered land from the government, and there David wfas reared to maturity. He then continued the farm on his own account, and when about thirty-five years old he began the manufacture of brooms, which he continued until his death, in 1910, being in the eightyfifth year of his age. His wife died in comparatively young wromanhood, in 1867. The father belonged to the Christian church and the mother to the Friends. He wras a man of prominence in his community, serving during most of his lifetime as justice of the peace. He was a son of Jacob and Sarah (Mumpower) Tranbarger, natives of Virginia, being of German descent on the paternal side and Scotch-Irish and German on the maternal. These grandparents died in Madison county, Indiana, the grandfather at the age of forty and the grandmother at the age of seventy-three years. They were the parents of six children, David, Alfred, Gabriel, Joseph, Olive A. and Emeratta.

John H. Tranbarger was reared by his grandmother on the old home¬ stead farm, his mother having died when he was about seven years old. He secured a good practical education in the district schools of the neighborhood and then taught one term of school. In young boyhood he began working out for six dollars a month at farm work, but after he quit teaching he worked in a store in New Lancaster, this county, afterwards buying an in¬ terest in the business, and was thus engaged for four or five years. He was elected justice of the peace, being at that time the youngest man elected to such an office in the state of Indiana, and served the greater part of two terms, resigning in order to accept the position of deputy county treasurer, under G. W. Myerly. He had formerly served as postmaster at New Lan¬ caster and had had good practical business experience. He served as deputy county treasurer during Myerly's term, and then during a portion of Auditor F. M. Price's term he served as deputy county auditor. He then returned to the treasurer's office under Treasurer Lem Darrow, and after leaving that office he was for three years manager of the Tipton Hardware Company, in which he exhibited business and executive qualities of high order. In 1905 Mr. Tranbarger again served as deputy auditor under Dr. T. W. Longfellow, and also under J. F. Barlow. In 1910 he was nominated by his party for the position of auditor and was elected bv a majority of over six hundred, the highest majority won by a candidate of his party for twenty years, his predecessor having been elected by the Republicans by over a hundred ma¬ jority, and Mr. Tranbarger is justifiably proud of the fact that he received the largest vote in his home township of any candidate during the preceding years, he having one hundred and seventy-eight majority. In Cicero, his present home, he received two hundred and one majority, these facts stand¬ ing as marked evidence of his personal popularity and the faith that his fellow citizens had in his ability and trustworthiness. He has not disap¬ pointed his friends in any respect in the discharge of his official duties, and is one of the most popular officials Tipton county has ever had.

On August 14, 1887, Mr. Tranbarger married Emma Ressler. the daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Litsinger) Ressler. To this union were born three children, Byron H., Bessie F. and Dallas. Byron H. is deputy to his father, and Bessie is also employed in the auditor's office. Dallas died when about eleven months old. Mrs. Tranbarger was born in Minnesota, but from young childhood was reared in Tipton county. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, but were early settlers in Tipton county, and here died. The father followed farming and was also an expert blacksmith. They were the parents of nine children : Jeremiah, Susan, John W., Angeline, Mary J., Ella M., Emma, Nettie and Ida.

Politically, Mr. Tranbarger is a Democrat, while, fraternally, he be¬ longs to Austin Lodge, Eree and Accepted Masons, and to the Tipton lodge of Odd Fellows and also the encampment. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Improved Order of Red Men, Som¬ erset Tribe. He and his family are members of the Methodist church/ to which they give earnest support. Kind and genial in disposition, he has won a host of acquaintances and many warm and loyal friends throughout the county which has been honored by his citizenship.

Michael T. Sheil

It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of a community or state lies not in the machinery of government, nor even in its institutions, but rather in the sterling qualities of the individual citizen, in his capacity for high and unselfish effort and his devotion to the public welfare. In these particulars he whose name appears at the head of this paragraph has con¬ ferred honor and dignity on his country, and as an elemental part of history it is consonant that there should be recorded here a resume of his career, with the object in view of noting his connection with the advancement of one of the most flourishing and progressive sections of the commonwealth, as well as his career as a member of one of the most exacting professions to which man can devte his talents and energies.

Michael T. Sheil is a native son of Indiana and was born near Atlanta, Hamilton county, on March 28, 1853. He is descended from sterling old Irish stock, his paternal grandfather, Michael Sheil, who was familiarly known by his friends as "General" Sheil, having been a native of the Emer¬ ald Isle. His wife bore the native name of Bridget O'Brien. They both lived to advanced ages,' he dying at eighty years and she at about ninety. They were the parents of the following children: Ellen, James, John,

Thomas, Catherine, Mary Ann, Michael, Edmund (who died young), Ann, Victoria and Margaret. Of these children, James, the subject's father, was born in county Tipperary, Ireland, in 1820, and in 1833, when but thirteen years old, came to the United States with his parents, who settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1835 they came to Hamilton county, Indiana, where Michael, the subject's grandfather, purchased land from the govern¬ ment. Here James grew to manhood and he carried on farming for over seventy years on the same farm, his death occurring there at the age of eighty-seven years. He was a well-known and influential citizen of the com¬ munity and in his active years made many political speeches and was known all over Hamilton and Tipton counties as being very apt and up-to-date. He served as justice of the peace in Jackson township for twelve years, and was a Democrat in his political views. During the Civil war Mr. Sheil was In¬ strumental in raising a full quota of soldiers in his native township. He married Sarah J. Forkner, who was born in Indiana, and they had two children, Michael X., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Mary A., the wife of Francis H. Gallagher, 0/ Atlanta, Indiana. The subject's mater¬ nal grandparents were John and - (Herrington) Forkner, natives of

North Carolina, and early pioneer settlers of Hamilton county, Indiana, where they followed farming pursuits and where they spent the rest of their lives, their deaths occurring here. They had a number of children, among whom were James M., Sarah J., Cerilda and William W.

Michael T. Sheil was reared on his father's farm in Hamilton county, Indiana, and received his early education in the district schools of that neigh¬ borhood, later attending the public schools of Atlanta and supplementing this by five months' attendance at Notre Dame University and two years at the college at Valparaiso, graduating from the classical and scientific courses in the latter. He then spent one year in the law department of the Univer¬ sity of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and in 1878 was admitted to the bar of Hamilton county. Locating at Noblesville, he studied law under David Moss, and practiced his profession there for a year and a half. He taught school for thirteen years, and on March 31, 1891, he came to Tipton and has con¬ tinuously practiced law here since that time. Mr. Sheil is an able and re¬ liable attorney, with a fair acquaintance with the principles, intricacies and complexities of jurisprudence, but his honesty is such that he has frequently advised against long and extensive litigation, and this, too, often at the loss of liberal fees. He has stood high in his profession, and has built up an exten¬ sive practice in his own and other counties, being frequently retained in im- portant cases in other courts. No one knows better than he the necessity of thorough preparation for the trial of cases and no one more industriously applies himself to meet the issues than he. Throughout his entire profes¬ sional career, Mr. Sheil has been animated by lofty motives and has made every personal consideration subordinate to the higher kinds of duty. Broad and liberal in his views, with the greatest good of his fellow men ever before him, his conduct has been right on the level of the true and loyal citizen. He is ready at all times to make any reasonable sacrifice in the cause in which he has been enlisted. Mr. Sheil has written and published a copyrighted work on the "Immortality of the Soul/' and previously had written a work on the "Origin and Perpetuation of the Human Family/' both works being of unusual merit, receiving the commendation of some of the best thinkers in our country.

In 1883 Mr. Sheil married Luella A. Phillips, who was born in Ham¬ ilton county, Indiana, in 1863, the daughter of Charles C. and Jane (Thomp¬ son) Phillips. These parents came from North Carolina to Indiana, being early settlers of Hamilton county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of three children, Luella A., Ora and Orley. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheil have been bom two children, James Carl and Law¬ rence S. The former is a lawyer and teacher. He served at one time as prose¬ cuting attorney of Tipton county and is now engaged in teaching in Huron, South Dakota, being principal of a ward school. He married Mabel Brookbank and they have one child, Genevieve. Lawrence S. Sheil studied medi¬ cine and later was a teacher in the public schools of Tipton county. He maried Golda Green, who is now deceased, leaving two children, Mary J. and Catherine Judith.

Politically, Mr. Sheil is a Democrat and was a candidate for judge of the thirty-sixth judicial circuit against Judge Elliott, of Kokomo. He is now county attorney of Tipton county. He has been successful not only in his professional affairs, but also in material things, and is a stockholder and member of the board of directors of the Citizens National Bank of Tipton, with which he has been connected since its organization. Religiously, he and his wife are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Sheil is a scholarly man, a polished writer and an able lawyer. His writings show a literary finish and a charm of expression shown by few wrriters. A strong and logical reasoner, a man of deep thought and a splendid conversationalist, he is a welcome member of any circle he chooses to enter and because of his genial disposition and unassuming manner he enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know him.

The Wright Family

The name W right originated in Germany, from a man working in wood (a carpenter), called wright, now chiefly used in compounds, as millwright, wheelwright, shipwright, etc. The descendants of this carpenter, called Wright, had to flee from Germany to save their lives when the Catholics were persecuting the Protestants. There were three brothers, John, Thomas and David Wright, who went to England. John settled on the Isle of 'Wight, Thomas on the Isle of Man, and David in Scotland. Their descendants emi¬ grated to America and settled in Culpeper county, Virginia, and other parts of the United States.

The Wright family has been prominent in England for several genera¬ tions, especially in Suffolk, Kent, Surrey, Warwick, and Durham. Cranham Hall, Essex, is one seat of the Wrights and Bilham House, York, another. The Irish branch of the family was established by Ireland Wright, who went with Cromwell to that kingdom.

One of the first of whom we have any record was John, Lord of Kelvedon Manor, Essex. He died in 1551. His son was Robert of the Moat House, and Lord of the Manor of Great and Little Ropers. His direct descendant was Thomas, whom we find deputy to the General Court at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1643, whose wife was Margaret, widow of John Elson.

In 1645 Benjamin, who ljad come from England, was a large land owner at Guilford, Connecticut. He was granted permission to put up a tan mill, "take water vt issueth from ye waste gate, provided it hurt not ye town mill." He had nine children, and from him descended Silas, governor of New York and United States senator, and William, governor of New Jersey and also senator.

Nicholas, who was living at Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1637, was a sur" veyor, a large land owner, and town schepen or magistrate. He also held many other offices of civil trust.

The Wrights have a noble record as governors of states. Besides Silas and William, already mentioned, there was Sir James Wright, the last royal governor of Georgia. He was born in South Carolina, 1714, and son of Benjamin, who was from Durham, England. Robert Wright was governor of Maryland, and Joseph of Indiana.

Morgan Wright

Silas Wright was bom at Amherst, Massachusetts, May 24, 1795. He graduated from Middlebur rough College, Vermont, in 1815,. was admitted to the bar in 1819, jmd began practice at Canton, in northern New York. The place where he settled was almost a wilderness. His farm was a small one and no laborer upon it worked harder than he did. His manner of life was of the simplest. In his professional work he was a type of a lawyer of the old school - shrewd, skillful, rigidly just, and controlled by the belief that his profession was a public trust and that judicial qualities must mingle with those of the advocate. He is said never to have sought an office and never felt at liberty to refuse one, even that of village postmaster, if he could possibly serve. He was appointed surrogate in 1820 and was elected successively to the state Senate in 1823, to the House of Representatives in 1827-29, comp¬ troller of the state 1829-33, United States senator 1833-44, and governor of New York, 1844-46. During his public life he had become a leader of the Democratic party in New York, Van Buren being his closest associate. When the national Democratic party in 1844 nominated and elected Polk to the presidency, instead of Van Buren, Wright and the state organization took an attitude of armed neutrality toward the new administration. Renominated for governor in 1846, Wright was defeated and the result was ascribed to the hostility of the Polk administration. The death of the defeated candidate, August 27, 1847, at Canton, gave intense bitterness to New York politics for several years, and his faction, in 1848, succeeded in defeating their national party's candidate in the presidential election.

Nathaniel Wright, an active member of Winthrop's colony, was a Lon¬ don merchant, who owned one-eighth of the ships that brought the colonists to America, which country he never visited. Thomas, of Wethersfield, was of the same family, and Nathaniel's half-brother, Samuel, was ancestor of the Springfield, Massachusetts, branch.

The brothers, Peter and Anthony, were progenitors of the Long Island Wrights. The deed of their land purchase in 1677 from the Indians shows that the consideration was six Indian coats, six kettles, six fathoms of wam¬ pum, six hoes, six hatchets, three pairs of stockings, thirty awl blades, twenty knives, three shirts, and as much peas as would amount to four pounds. A portion of this land has been owned and occupied by the Wrights ever since.

The first Quaker meeting was held at Anthony Wright's house, and a house of worship erected on his grounds was paid for in Indian corn, pork and peas.

In 1736 Thomas Hynson Wright, a surveyor for Lord Baltimore, was one of the delegates to the Assembly at Annapolis. His son, Colonel Thomas, was delegate to the Colonial Convention of 1775, a member of the associa¬ tion of freemen who protested against infringements of their liberty and the first military commander of Maryland forces under Revolutionary organiza¬ tion.

Major Samuel Turbutt Wright, also of the Maryland family, was a hero of the Revolution, and one of the principal leaders at the battle of Long Island, where it was that the valor of Maryland's "400" shone so gloriously. The Sons of the Revolution of that state have commemorated the bravery of the heroic band by the erection of a monolith at Brooklyn.

Revolutionary rosters give the names of Lieutenant Nahum, wounded at Bunker Hill; Surgeon Elihu, of Massachusetts; Lieutenant Dudley and Lieutenant Ebenezer, of Connecticut; Captain Robert and Lieutenant Daniel, of New York; Lieutenant Anthony, of Pennsylvania; Lieutenant Benjamin, of Maryland; Lieutenant David, of North Carolina; and Captain John, of Georgia. His son, Captain Benjamin, won laurels in the war of 1812.

Dr. Thomas, of the Long Island family, one of the most eminent sur¬ geons of his day, although an old man at the time of the Revolution, took part, and died in prison, his body being thrown into one of the trenches in the rear of the present City Hall, New York, known as the "Graves of the Martyrs." His body was reinterred in Trinity cemetery. Dr. Thomas was an ardent patriot and served on board the privateer "Greyhound" during King George's war, 1744-1748.

Joseph Wright, styled Wright of Derby, subject, landscape and portrait painter, was born at Derby, September 3, 1734, the son of an attorney of the place, who was afterwards town clerk. During his early years he manifested an aptitude for mechanical pursuits, and also for music, but he finally re¬ solved to become a painter and, in 1757, he went to London and for two years studied under Thomas Hudson, the master of Reynolds. Returning to Derby, he practiced portrait painting, but feeling the need for further in¬ struction, he again placed himself for fifteen months under his former mas¬ ter. He then settled in Derby and varied his work in portraiture by the pro¬ duction of the subject seen under artificial light, with which his name is chiefly associated, and bv landscape painting. He married in 1773 and in the end of that year he visited Italy, where he remained till 1775. While in

Naples he witnessed an eruption of Vesuvius, which under various treatment formed the subject of many of his subsequent pictures. On his return from Italy he established himself at Bath, as a portrait painter; but, meeting with but little encouragement, he returned to Derby, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a frequent contributor to the exhibitions of the Society of Artists and to those of the Royal Academy, of which he was elected an asso¬ ciate in 1781 and a full member in 1784. He, however, declined the latter honor on account of a slight, which he believed that he had received, and severed his official connection with the academy, though he continued to con¬ tribute to the exhibitions from 1783 till 1794. He died at Derby on August 29, 1797. An exhibition of Wright's work was brought together at Derby in 1883, and twelve of his pictures were shown in the winter exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1886.

Thomas Wright was born in Ludlow, in Shropshire, April 21, 1810, and was descended from a Quaker family formerly living at Bradford, in York¬ shire. He was a great scholar and antiquary. He helped to found the Brit¬ ish Archaelogical Association.

Characteristics of the family are truth and honor, rare executive ability, a strong sense of justice, firmness combined with courtesy and affability, and other traits, to which may be added patriotism, military ardor, and a selfsacrificing spirit. Always taking the environments of others into considera¬ tion, they were ready to lend a helping hand to those sinking morally or finan¬ cially, but never had a word of praise or encouragement for those who, by their environments, were able to oppress those more unfortunate. Length of years has been theirs for upright living and the Wrights have num¬ bered many centenarians in their ranks. It is recorded of one that when an old man - in the neighborhood of ninety - he went out one day to mow with the young men, but sat down to weep when he found that he could not keep up with the others.

Our Branch Of The Family

My great-grandfather, Zadock Wright, with other near relatives, came from England and settled in Culpeper county, Virginia. My great-grand¬ father lived there until his death. He was of a military turn of mind. and boasted of his attainments as a cavalier. The story is handed down to us when he, all booted and spurred, made an attempt to mount a very high and spirited horse. Two colored servants were in attendance, one at the head of the horse, the other to adjust the stirrup. Aide-de-camp Wright gave a spring, his spurred foot struck the horse before he had proper command of the bridle, the horse sprang forward, the servants were both knocked down, the horse ran away and the "cavalier" was left sitting in the dirt.

Great-grandfather had five sons and two daughters. The eldest son was John, then Thomas, James and Lewis, then a daughter, Lucy, then William, born in 1762, then Sarah. In the year 1773 John moved near Red Sand Stone Fort on the Monongahela, in Pennsylvania. Afterward he returned to Culpeper county, Virginia, and brought his mother and all his brothers and sisters to where he had settled. Some few years later John moved to Kentucky. He did not stay there long until he moved over into the state of Ohio. At last, they all, except Lewis, moved to Ohio. William, who was the last to come, settled sixteen or eighteen miles north of Cincin¬ nati, in the year 1809.

Albert Wright, who is now in the United States mail service. Springfield, Ohio, is the great-grandson of the Wright who built the canal from Bristofshire to the English Channel, England, in 1795-1803. This civil engineer, who was superintendent of the canal for a number of years after its construction, was a first cousin of Grandfather William Wright, born in 1762.

I shall give a little sketch of the life of the last one of Grandfather Wright's family, to show how the early life of the pioneers was. Margaret Wright was bom April 13, 1803, in Greene county, Pennsylvania. Her father, William Wright, was of English descent and her mother, Margaret Phillips Wright, of German descent. Her father, John Phillips, was bom in Germany, on the bank of the Rhine, so near the river that they could look over into France. Margaret Wright was but a small child when her father, William Wright, emigrated to Ohio, and bought a farm now in the corporate limits of Cincinnati. The journey from Pennsylvania was made principally by flatboat. The little girl always remembered the new home and the village of Cincinnati, then only a few log houses. Mr. Wright soon sold his hilly farm for one of the fine bottom land of the Miami Valley, Butler county. Here, when Margaret was only nine years old and the eldest of the daughters at home, her mother died. The home was kept for a short time and then Margaret went to live with her sister, Lucy Bradbury, in Camden, Preble county, and Elizabeth, two years younger, was taken into the home of another sister, Mary Simcox, Hamilton, Ohio. Then William Wright, who had been a soldier in the American Revolution, again volunteered his services, this time in the war of 1812. Margaret remained in Camden until her sister and her family moved to Michigan. She journeyed with them as far as Centerville, Indiana, where she remained with her eldest brother, John, while her sister's family made the long journey to Niles, Michigan, in a covered wagon. Soon after this Margaret married Robert Henning Brown, of Camden, Ohio, who was born December 13, 1802, in Newry, county Down, Ireland. Mr. Brown was the village storekeeper, but went on a farm to rear his family. .In 1872 he retired from the farm and lived in Camden, where he died November 14, 1883. Soon after Mrs. Brown went to Kansas to visit her children. She returned twice to stay, but her attach¬ ments in Kansas were too strong and each time she returned to that state. After the death of her eldest daughter, Margaret, whose home was in Preble county, she had no desire to go back to Ohio again. Her last journey was made in comfort, when she was in her ninety-second year. She was a happy, cheerful and much beloved member of the family of Judge and Mrs. William Agnew Johnston, and died in their home, No. 700 Topeka avenue, Topeka, Kansas, October 25, 1900, aged ninety-seven years six months and twelve days. Her funeral services were held in the Presbyterian church of Cam¬ den, Ohio, where she was an honored member for more than sixty-five years, and she was laid to rest beside her husband in the cemetery north of Camden. There were many changes affecting the lives of women during the period of Mrs. Brown's life - almost a hundred years. When little Margaret Wright grew to school age the public school was not open to her simply because she was a girl, except of summer evenings after the boys had gone home. But she was taught knitting, fine sewing, spinning and embroidery. Once, when her father lived in Pennsylvania, he had to take his family into Red Sand Stone Fort for some time. He had to go out to hunt and fight Indians, and her mother thought he ought to have warm stockings, so she sheared the wool off their little dog and knit him a pair of stockings.

Margaret was a fine horse-woman and her wedding journey was made on horseback, the groom bringing a little bay mare to Centerville for her to ride back. The "infair ' dinner was served at the village inn, and one of the meats was a whole roasted pig, which held a red apple in its mouth. When Mrs. Brown went to housekeeping, the baking was done in an out-oven and the cooking on a crane over an open fire. She was proud of having the first cook¬ ing stove in the county, a "step stove." There were no lucifer matches and fire had to be kept over or borrowed from the neighbors. All table furnish¬ ings, bed furnishings and wearing apparel were woven and made in the home.

Ohio, out of which the Woman's Christian Temperance Union grew. She was small of stature, had black eyes and fine black hair. She was lovingly called "Aunt Peggie" or "Grandma Brown" by a host of children and grown-ups who could not claim the legal right.

United States pension rolls, 1835, page ip8, Ohio: William Wright, private Pennsylvania Militia. Received pension, begun March 4, 1831, placed on roll October 12, 1833. Age, seventy-two.

Morgan Wright was born in Wayne county, Indiana, September 4, 1834, and is the eldest of the five children of William and Margaret McCoy Wright, both natives of Wayne county, whose grandparents were early set¬ tlers of that county, and located on Nolan's Fork. When Morgan was one year old his parents removed to Hancock county, in 1835, and settled in the forest, where he was reared to manhood and obtained some education. At eighteen years of age he began life for himself, and came to this county (Tipton) in 1852. On September 17, 1855, he was married to Celia Philpott, of this township (Madison), who was born in Fayette county Septem¬ ber 16, 1837, the. daughter of Martin Philpott, who located here in 1852. Seven children blessed this union, four of whom survive: Mary E., bom November 12, 1856, died November 20, 1870. William E., born November 26, 1858, married Catherine Nuding January 2, 1881, and married Lora Steiger December 19, 1906; she died August 4, 1908, and he married Lucinda Foreman August 23, 1909, at Greentown, Indiana. J°Un M., born Novem¬ ber 16, i860, married Ella Stevens. John died June au, 1913. George T, born May 12, 1863, married Sarah Hall September 23, 1886. Josephus, - jm April 4, 1867, at Cedar Corner, Indiana, married Mary M. Hall June 15, 1889. Celia E., born February 15, 1870, married William DeVault Decem¬ ber 17, 1889. Julia A., born February 9, 1872, married Charles Clabaugh August 20, 1892, and died March 21, 1896.

Mr. Wright was without means after his marriage, but by providence and industry improved his fortunes. In 1857 received a legacy of one thousand dollars, with which he purchased eighty acres of land in his town¬ ship, where he lived some years, afterward purchasing the old Philpott farm, on which he resides. He now owns two hundred and eighty acres, all in Madison township, where he now resides.

Mr. Wright is an active Democrat. He was elected county commis¬ sioner in 1875; sheriff in 1892; justice of the peace of Madison township; township advisory board; at present county councilman and has been for many years, and has served in all his official capacities with general favor.

The portrait of Morgan Wright that appears on another page was taken on the day that he was seventy-nine years, six months and twenty-nine days old.

James C. Groves

There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. T* e man who gain, prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities 1* come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. Today among the prominent citizens and successful men of Tipton stands James C. Groves. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and executive ability enter very largely into his make-up and have been con¬ tributing elements to the material success which has come to him.

in Jefferson county, Kentucky, near Louisville, on June 7, 1864, the son of James and Louisa (Roby) Groves, both of whom were born in the old Blue Grass state. They were the parents of four children: Henry, of Beuchel, Kentucky; Belle, deceased, who was the wife of Benjamin Burdette; Mary, deceased, the wife of John Farmer, and James C, the immediate subject of thi^ sketch. James Groves, father of the subject, was reared in Jefferson county, Kentucky, and was the son of Isaac and Celia (Pairpoint) Groves, the former a native of Virginia. Their deaths occurred in Jefferson county, he at the age of about seventy and she at ninety-six years of age. Their children were James, Rachael, William, Catherine, Isaac, Mary Ann, George and Abraham. The subject's father was in early life a cooper by trade, but later followed farming. His death occurred in Jefferson county, Kentucky, in 1877, his wife dying many years afterwards, at the age of eighty -two years. Both were earnest members of the Baptist church. The subject's maternal grandparents were Josiah and Eliza (Pash) Roby, who lived in Nelson county, Kentucky, all their lives, and died there at advanced ages. They were farming folk and were highly respected in the community where they lived. Their children were Jasper, Coleman, Thomas, Rufus, Louisa, Permelia, Eliza Ann and Mary.

James C. Groves lived in Jefferson county, Kentucky, until nineteen years of age, having been reared on the home farm and getting his education in the district schools of the neighborhood. Upon gaining mature years he began farming on his own account, following that vocation until March 19, 1884, when he came to Indiana, locating near Strawtown, Hamilton county, where he was employed by the month at farm work. In 1888 he came to Tipton county, and engaged in farming on his own account on a rented farm, and afterwards bought a tract of eighty acres in Madison township, Tipton county, to the operation of which he devoted his attention with splendid success until 1911, when he entered upon the discharge of the duties of clerk of the Tipton circuit court, to which office he had been elected in the fall of 1910. He brought to his official position an alert mentality and vig¬ orous industry, which has enabled him to keep up with the business of the office and because of his accommodating disposition and the business-like methods which he has adopted in the administration of his official duties, he has won not only the approval of the county official family, but also the commendation of all who have been in the office.

1865, the daughter of Samuel and Mahala (Likins) Morris. Mr. and Mrs. Janies C. Groves have one son, Samuel D., born March 21, 1890, who is deputy county clerk. Mrs. Groves is a member of the Baptist church. Her father, who was a native of Virginia, and her mother, born in North Caro¬ lina, were early settlers in Tipton county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the mother dying at the age of sixty-five years. The father is still living. They were the parents of six children, Jane, Vonie Melinda, John F., Cenia A., Sarah Margaret and Susie Ann. By a prior marriage to Miss Welshons, Mr. Morris was the father of one child, Adeline.

. Politically, Mr. Groves is an earnest supporter of the Democratic party, in which he has long been active, while, fraternally, 'he is a member of Hobbs Lodge No. 777, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Austin Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons, at Tipton, and Camp No. 5378, Modern Woodmen of America, at Hobbs. He has been successful in his material affairs, and is the owner of stock in the First National Bank of Tipton. He is known to all who have formed his acquaintance to be a man of genuine worth and integrity, scrupulously honest in all his dealings with his fellow men and has won the respect of a host of good friends throughout the county.

Fred M. Recobs

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

Fred M. Recobs is a native of the county now honored by his citizenship, having been born about a mile and a half southeast of Tipton on July 19, 1874. He is descended from sterling ancestors, his paternal grandfather, Fredericks Recobs, having started from Ohio to Indiana in the early days, but dyiqg on the way. His wife completed the journey and established her home in Tipton, where she died when past eighty-four years of age. She was a pensioner of the war of 1812, and among their children were Joseph,

William and James. The subject's maternal grandparents, who bore the family name of Burnett, were natives of Virginia. The subject's parents were James and Lydia C. (Burnett) Recobs, both of whom were born and reared in Ohio, and there their marriage occurred on October 30, 1848. Mr. Recobs was a veteran of the Mexican war, having enlisted in his native state, and at the end of that brief struggle returned to Ohio. In 1849 he and his wife came to Indiana, and stopped at Strawtown a short time and then came to Tipton, where they remained continuous residents up to the time of their deaths. Mr. Recobs worked at the blacksmith trade with his brotherin-law, Isaac Houser, about thirteen years, and then engaged in farming, owning several tracts of land in different places in the county, and at one time owning the land now occupied by the county poor farm. He died on November 22, 1 9 r 1 , at the age of eighty-three years and several months, his widow dying on February 21, 1910, aged seventy-seven years. Religiously, Mr. Recobs was a member of the Christian church and his wife a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was a Mason and was the first man raised by the Tipton lodge. To him and his wife were born thirteen children, eight of whom grew to maturity, namely: Jennie, the wife of M. Recobs, of Tipton; Mary, the wife of E. E. Van Btiskirk, of Tipton; Verrell F., the wife of J. E. Forkner, of Kempton, Indiana; Dr. Robert M., of Tipton; Frederick M-, of Tipton; Samuel T., also of this city; Harry, deceased, and Gay, a daughter who died single.

Fred M. Recobs was raised on his father's farm until the age of twenty-four years, and during his youth he attended the district school, re¬ ceiving a good practical education. In 1899 he quit the farm and went to Colorado, where he was employed as a stationary engineer. After remain¬ ing in the west about four and a half years, he returned to Tipton county, where he has resided continuously since. He lived with his parents until they died and then married. Prior to the latter event he was elected sheriff and is now the incumbent of that office. From 1909 until 1911 he had served as deputy sheriff under Frederick W. Beck, and had thus received good practical experience in the affairs of that office. He has proved to be eminently qualified for this responsible position, and is discharging his duties to the entire satisfaction of the county.

On December 24, 1912, Mr. Recobs married Mrs. Emma Wagstaff, daughter of George Epperson. By her former marriage Mrs. Recobs was the mother of two children, Verne E. and Charles Dudley Wagstaff, both students at Indiana University.

Politically a Democrat, Mr. Recobs has always been actively interested in the success of this party, being a prominent figure in its councils and being considered a man of sound judgment in the management of campaigns. Mr. and Mrs. Recobs are members' of West Street Christian church at Tipton. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, belonging to Austin Lodge No. 128; Tipton Chapter No. 114, Royal Arch Masons; Tipton Coun¬ cil, Royal and Select Masters, and Tipton Commandery No. 52, Knights Templar. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He and his wife are members of the Order of the Eastern Star, she being a past worthy matron of both the Elwood and Tipton chapters. Mr. Recobs is a man of splendid personality and because of his exemplary habits and persist¬ ent energy he has attained definite success in life and enjoys the esteem and respect of the community in which he resides.

Seneca G. Young

In touching upon the life history of the subject of this review the aim is to avoid fulsome encomium and extravagant praise, yet to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life, a life characterized by perseverance, energy and well de¬ fined purpose. To do this will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who have known him long and well. Standing today among the intelligent and enterprising business men of Tipton, Tipton county, Indiana, he has per formed well his part in life and is deserving of the success which has attended his efforts.

Seneca G. Young was born in Kent, Jefferson county, Indiana, May 17, 1849, the son of William B. and Catherine (Green) Young, natives of Ohio. William B. Young was twice married, his first wife, Catherine Green, dying in 1853 in her twenty-third year. She was born in Jennings county, Indiana, and her parents were natives of North Carolina, who removed from that state to Jennings county, Indiana, at an early date and passed their lives there. Catherine (Green) Young was the mother of two children, Seneca G., and Mary, who is the wife of S. W. Long, of Lincoln, Nebraska. The second wife of William B. Young was Mary Green, a cousin of his first wife, and five children were born to this union : Lulu, ythe wife of William Hardy, and Anna, the wife of Thomas Yeager, of Tipton; three died in infancy.

William B. Young, the subject's father, was reared in Brown county, Ohio, and came to Tipton, Tipton county, Indiana, in 1850. He was a cabinet-maker and opened a small furniture and undertaking establishment in 1852. From a very humble beginning, the father gradually built up a splendid business, until, in 1881, he had one of the most complete establish¬ ments of the kind in the city. At that time his son, the subject of this re¬ view, purchased the business and has since continued as the owner. The father was a member of the Christian church and was a Master Mason. In the Civil war he was captain of Company K, One Hundred Fifty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served ten months. He died in Tipton, April 19, 1909, in his eightieth year, and is survived by his widow.

The maternal grandfather of the subject was James Green, of North Carolina, a pioneer of Jennings county, wdiere he died at . an advanced age, the father of seven children.

Seneca G. Young was reared in Tipton and attended the public schools of this city, and after completing his education he was employed in his father's store, continuing as an assistant until he purchased the business. He has a large and well kept place, completely equipped with the best of stock, and has a splendid patronage, his genial and obliging manners having won for him many friends.

On October 24, 1874, the subject was united in marriage to Jennie Nance, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Lay) Nance, and to this union have been born four children: One died in infancy; William died at the age of eighteen months; Herbert died in his fifth year; Elizabeth married N. R. Lebo and they reside in Tipton. Mrs. Young was born in Johnson county, Indiana, her parents being natives of Kentucky and pioneers in Johnson county and later in Tipton county, where they lived the rest of their lives, he dying in 1890 and she in 1885. They were the parents of four children: Theodore M., Mary Jane, Mrs. Young, and Catherine, who married M. L. Bowlin.

Mr. Young and his wife are members of the Christian church, to the support of which they contribute liberally of their, means. The subject's fraternal relations are extensive, he being one of the best known and most consistent followers of the Masonic precepts in the community, being a mem¬ ber of Austin Lodge No. 128; Tipton Chapter No. 114, Royal Arch Masons: Tipton Council No. 80, Royal and Select Masters, and Tipton Commandery No. 52, Knights Templar. For forty-three years Mr. Young has been affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and for the same length of time with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being a member of Tipton Lodge No. 220 in the latter order. He also holds membership in Tipton Lodge, Knights of Pythias. Always taking an active interest in political affairs, Mr. Young has supported the principles of the Democratic party and was honored by election four terms as mayor of his home city.

Noah Robert Lebo

Conspicuously identified with the business and rhaterial interests of Tipton, Tipton county, Indiana, is the subject of this sketch, who has won for himself an honorable position in the community and is a distinctive type of .the self-made man. Not a pretentious or exalted life has been his, but one that has been true to self and to which the biographer may revert with no small degree of satisfaction.

Noah Robert Lebo was born in Noblesville, Indiana, May 27, 1871, the son of William and Eliza (Deck) Lebo, natives of Pennsylvania. To the subject's parents were born eight children, namely : Adeline, who is de¬ ceased; Frank J., deceased; George M., deceased; William H., of Hamilton, Ohio; Noah Robert; Harvey J., of Tipton; the two first born died young. William Lebo was reared in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and in his young manhood was employed as a cigar maker, which trade he followed for some time, later learning the art of tailoring. A very early settler in Hamilton county, Indiana, he located in Noblesville in 1868 and opened a tailor shop, where he continued in this business until 1879, when he removed to Alex¬ andria, later closing out his business in that city and coming to Tipton in 1884. In Tipton the father of the subject was engaged in the tailoring business, which he continued until his death on December 9, 1899, in his sixtv-ninth year. His wife still survives him, she having reached the eightieth year of her life on October 9, 1913. William and Eliza Lebo were originally members of the German Lutheran chyrch, but on their removal to Tipton they united with the Methodist Episcopal faith.

The paternal grandfather of the subject was Jonathan Lebo, he and his wife being of German descent and natives of the Keystone state, where they spent their lives. Jonathan Lebo was a blacksmith and was the father of Jonathan, Jacob, William, and two daughters. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Lebo were named Deck, they also being natives of the Keystone state, where they lived their entire lives, he dying in his eighty-fourth year and she in her sixties. They had but one child, the subject's mother.

Noah R. Lebo was but eight years old when his parents went to Alex¬ andria, and after five years in that city came with them to Tipton, where he grew to manhood and has lived until the present time. In his boyhood he ac¬ quired a fairly good education in the schools of the two cities named, and on the completion of his studies he accepted employment in the grocery store of Alpheus Benett, where he worked for three years, and then served an ap¬ prenticeship at the tailor's trade, which he has followed since, first in part¬ nership with his father from 1891 to 1894, and then independently. He has a high-class trade and does a large business, employing several skilled work¬ men.

On June 12, 1901, the subject of this review was united in marriage to Mary Elizabeth Young, daughter of Seneca G. and Jennie (Nance) Young. Mrs. Lebo was born and reared in Tipton and is a member of the Christian church.

Mr. Lebo is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Austin Lodge No. 128, Free and Accepted Masons, to Tipton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, to Tipton Council, Royal and Select Masters, to Tipton Commandery, Knights Templar, and to Murat Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Indianapolis. The subject also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Politically, he is a "standpat" Republican.

The business interests of the subject are varied, he being a director in the Farmers' Loan and Trust Company, the Tipton Building and Loan Asso¬ ciation, the Tipton Telephone Company and the Young Furniture Com¬ pany, in the affairs of which he takes an active and intelligent interest.

Jesse O. Bowlin

Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Tipton county within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well-being of the community in which he resides and to the advance¬ ment of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is he whose name appears above, peculiar interest attaching to his career from the fact that his entire useful and busy life has been spent within the borders of this county.

Jesse O. Bowlin was born in Jefferson township, Tipton county, In¬ diana, about two miles west and a half mile north of Goldsmith, on July 5, 1887. He is descended from honored ancestors, his father, John R. Bow¬ lin, having for many years been prominent in educational affairs in this county. John R. Bowlin is a native of Tipton, born May 23, 1858, and was reared partly on the farm and partly in the city of Tipton. He followed various occupations, and for twenty-one years was numbered among the successful and popular teachers of Tipton county, his ability and efficiency being recognized by his election to the responsible office of county superin¬ tendent of schools, to which he was re-elected, serving two terms. He is now deputy county surveyor, and is numbered among the well-known and highly esteemed citizens of the county. The subject's paternal grandpar¬ ents were Cliffton R. and Erthelda (McElhaney) Bowlin, the former a na¬ tive of Johnson county, Indiana, the latter of Ohio. They were early settlers of Tipton county, where they spent their remaining years. They were the parents of seven children, John R., David H., Mary, Willard, Effie, Nellie and Frank. To the subject's parents were born two children, Jesse O., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Gladys, who is a student in Chicago University. In the maternal line the subject is descended from William and Marinda (Eliason) Longfellow, who were natives of Wayne county and early settlers of Tipton county. They are both deceased, the grandfather at the age of seventy-two years and his wife at the age of eighty-three. They were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom lived to maturity, namely : Lucinda, Nancy J., Henry H., Sarah E., Louisa, James, Thomas, Newton, Rella, Agnes and two who died in infancy.

Jesse O. Bowlin was reared chiefly on his father's farm and secured his education in the district and the public schools of Tipton. At the age of * seventeen years he began teaching school, but later become a student in the university at Valparaiso, where he graduated in the scientific, commercial and engineering departments in 1909. He was then employed at railroad civil engineering a year, and then for a year taught in the high school in Meckling, South Dakota. Returning to Tipton county, he assisted his father on the home farm, and in the fall of 1912 was elected county surveyor, as¬ suming the duties of his office on January 1, 1913. He is the present in¬ cumbent of that office and is discharging his duties in an able and satisfactory

On August 29, 1911, Mr. Bowlin was married to Marcia I. Dye, who was born in Boonville, Porter county, Indiana, on September 4, 1888, *the daughter of Edgar R. and Hattie (Edminster) Dye, and to this union was born one child, Agnes Grace. Mrs. Bowlin died in April, 1913, at the early age of twenty-five years. She was a faithful and earnest member of the Christian church and was a woman of many excellent qualities of head and heart,4 which won and retained for her the friendship and esteem of her entire circle of acquaintances. Mr. Bowlin now lives with his parents at Xo. 226 North Conda street. He has, by virtue of his strong individual qualities, won his way to a high standing in the estimation of his fellow citizens, hav¬ ing by sheer force of character won his way from an humble beginning to a place of prominence in the community, and because of his attainments he is entitled to special mention in a volume of this character.

Elijah B. Martindale

Conspicuously identified with the business and material interests of Tipton county, Indiana, is the subject of this review, and he has won for him¬ self an honorable position in the community and is a distinctive type of the successful self-made man. Not a pretentious or exalted life has been his. but one that has been true to itself and to which the biographer may revert with feelings of respect and satisfaction. Identified in a prominent way with various interests, and having attained prestige by successive steps from a modest beginning, it is eminently fitting that a sketch of his life, together with, an enumeration of his leading characteristics, be given in this connec¬ tion, as he is recognized as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply inter¬ ested in everything pertaining to the advancement of the community along material lines, and today is recognized as one of the progressive men of the county of Tipton.

Elijah B. Martindale was born in Henry county, Indiana, October 27. 1850. the son of Samuel P. and Armilda (Oldaker) Martindale, both natives of the Hoosier state. To these parents were born six children, namely: Josephine L., deceased, was the wife of Elder Jacob B. Blount; James M., deceased; Elijah B. ; Samuel P., of Indianapolis, Indiana; two who died in infancy. The father was reared in Henry county, Indiana, and was a school teacher in his younger days, afterward living in Indianapolis and in Putnam county, coming to Tipton in 1870, when he engaged in mercantile and marble monument business, having previously engaged in farming and trading in stock in Putnam county. The last seven or eight years of his life he resided in Ripley county, Indiana, dying there in his eighty-third year, his wife hav¬ ing preceded him to her reward five years, in her seventy-fifth year. She was a member of the Christian church.

The paternal grandparents of the subject were Elijah and Elizabeth (Boyd) Martindale, natives of North Carolina. He was a minister of the Christian church and took the confession of Benjamin Franklin, one of the shining lights of the Reformation. Coming to Indiana when but a boy, Elijah Martindale settled in Henry county, where he. grew to manhood and passed his days, his death occurring in his eightv-second year, his wife living to be ninety-one years old. They had fifteen children, thirteen of whom lived to he heads of families: Newton, Benjamin, Samuel P., Simeon, William, Rob¬ ert, Elijah B., James. Mary, Eliza, Elizabeth, Belle and James M. ; the other two died young.

The subject's maternal grandfather was Jacob Oldaker, of German descent and an early settler in Wayne county, Indiana, where he died on his farm about 1856. He was the father of William, Jacob, Mary and Armilda.

Elijah B. Martindale was born in Henry county, Indiana, and later lived in Delaware, Marion and Putnam counties, this state, coming to Tipton in 1870, when he wras about twenty years old, and has since resided here. He attended the public schools at Indianapolis and the preparatory department of the Northwestern Christian University. After coming to Tipton he engaged in the mercantile business and ran a general store with his brother, James M., and his father, the firm name being Martindale & Sons. This connection con¬ tinued for five years, wdien the subject took up insurance and real estate as a business and has since continued in that line from March, 1885, to the present time. Mr. Martindale was one of the organizers of the Tipton Building and Loan Association in 1887, and was its first secretary and has continuously served in this capacity since, having the active management of this institution.

On October 3, 1871, Mr. Martindale was united in marriage to Jennie Parker, daughter of Dr. Isaac and Jane (Rittenhouse) Parker. To this union have been born two children, Effie E., who married David S. Fish, of Tipton, and one who died in infancy. Mrs. Martindale wras born in Tipton, Tipton county, Indiana, in January, 1854, her parents being natives of the (26) '

Buckeye state and her father one of the early settlers and influential men of Tipton, he having a dry goods store, a saw- and grist-mill and a livery stable, and, in addition, practiced medicine. He and his wife died here, he at the age of fifty and she in her fortieth year. They had six children live to ma¬ turity, Josephine, David H., Noah W., Jennie, Jam$s and Levica.

Mr. and Mrs. Martindale are members of the Christian church, in which they take an earnest and active interest, Mr. Martindale being an elder and having served as a Sunday school teacher for over forty years.

Marcelujs Racobs

It is hard for the present generation to properly appreciate the brave deeds of the "boys in blue," who sacrificed so much on the altar of patriotism during the momentous national crisis of the early sixties, but as the years go by the immensity of their deeds will be realized to a fuller extent and each veteran will be accorded full measure of credit and praise. A member of this great army of patriots is Marcellus Racobs, now a retired fanner and justice of the peace, living in Tipton, Tipton county, Indiana, a man who has spent a great part of his life in this vicinity, finding here ample opportunity for the exercise of his talents, and he has done much for the general welfare of the same, being public spirited and a good neighbor.

Marcellus Racobs was born in Fayette county, Ohio, August 13, 1845, the son of Joseph and Ruth (Van Treese) Racobs, natives of Ohio, and the parents of ten children, as follows: Marcellus: James, deceased; William; Joseph, deceased; Corrella Jane, the wife of Edward Coffman, of Cloverdale. Putnam county, Indiana; Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of John Snyder, of Ross county, Ohio; Ella, the wife of P. R. Reed, of Greenfield, Indiana: Alma, who died single; Anna, deceased, was the wife of Ed Koon, of Shell Lake, Wisconsin ; Frank, of Valley Mills, near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Joseph Racobs, the subject's father, was reared in Fayette county, Ohio, and was a farmer there for a number of years, later conducting a store at Washington Court House, Ohio. In the fall of 1867 he removed to the Hoosier state and located in Cicero township, near Tipton. Tipton county, but soon afterward went to Kansas, settling near Independence, in Mont¬ gomery county, that state. Remaining in Kansas for a few years, he re¬ turned to Indiana and located in Putnam county, and while there became an invalid, soon removing to Tipton to live with his son, the subject, and here he died in 1894 at the age of about eighty-two years. His wife survived him and died in Putnam county in 1908 in her seventy-eighth year. They were members of the Christian church.

The subject's paternal grandparents were Frederick and Elizabeth (Rowe) 'Racobs, the grandfather dying while he was a young man and his wife surviving to the extreme age of ninety-four years. They had four chil¬ dren, William, Joseph, James and Eliza. Elizabeth Racobs married again, her second husband being John De Haven, and there Avere several children born to that union.

Marcellus Racobs was reared in Fayette county, Ohio, near Washington Court House, where he attended school and in his younger days clerked in various mercantile establishments until the outbreak of the Civil war, when, at the age of sixteen, he enlisted in Company C, Sixtieth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private. Together with his entire regiment, he was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, but was paroled on condition that they were not to again enter the service until properly exchanged. At the expiration of his term of enlistment, the subject was discharged, and upon receiving notification of his exchange, in July, 1863, he enlisted in Company A, Second Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served until the end of the war, being engaged in fourteen battles and many skirmishes.

After the war Mr. Racobs returned to his home and engaged in farm work until March, 1867, when he came to Tipton county, Indiana, where he worked out as a farm hand for about a year. In 1868, on his marriage, the subject rented a farm and for several years followed agriculture on his own account. He at one time removed to Kansas, w^here his farming operations were unfortunate, the grasshoppers eating his crops and ruining him finan¬ cially. However, his nature was not to accept defeat, so he returned to Tipton county and again got a start, prospering in his vocation and developing a splendid farm. In 1880 the subject sold his land and moved to Tipton, where he has since resided in his comfortable home at No. 28 South Third street, being also the owner of several other pieces of valuable city property.

On August 23, 1868, Mr. Racobs was united in marriage to Jennie A. Racobs, daughter of James and Lydia (Burnett) Racobs, who was born in Tipton, February 26, 1850, her parents being natives of Ohio and early set¬ tlers in Tipton, where they passed their lives. The parents of Mrs. Racobs had seven children: Jennie; Alary E. ; Verilla Catharine; Robert E. ; John Harrison, deceased; Fred AI. ; Samuel J. The paternal grandparents of Airs. Racobs were Frederick and Elizabeth (Rome) Racobs, and her maternal grandfather was named Burnett. The union of the subject and wife has been blessed by the birth of the following children: Verella C. died at the age of nineteen ; Carrie J. married Walter Smitson and one child resulted from this marriage, Lenore. Carrie J. married a second time, to William Wolf, of Elwood, Indiana; David Henry, who lives in Kokomo, married a Miss Welch; Vida May married S, K. Stansbury, of Tipton, and they have three children; Florence E. married Oral Debault, of Tipton, and they have two children, Elizabeth Jane and Merita; Walter is in the United States army.

Mr. Racobs and wife are members of the Christian church, while his fraternal relations are with the Improved Order of Red Men. An honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the subject belongs to James Brice Post. In political affairs he takes a deep interest in the success of the Democratic party and served for over seventeen years as chief of police of Tipton. In 1910 he was elected justice of the peace and still holds that office.

The name Racobs was originally spelled Raecobs, but some of the family afterward spelled it Recobs, as they still do, the subject, however, preferring Racobs.

Samuel A. Culver

It is a well authenticated fact that success comes not as the caprice of chance, but is the legitimate result of well applied energy, unflagging deter¬ mination and perseverance in a course of action once decided upon by the individual. Only those who seek the goddess Fortuna find her - she never was known to smile upon the idler or dreamer. The gentleman whose name introduces this paragraph clearly understood this fact early in life when he was casting about for a legitimate and promising line to follow, and in tracing his life history it is plainly seen that the prosperity he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities, and it is also his personal and genuine regard for the welfare of others which has gained for him the good standing which he enjoys among his fellow citizens - at the bar and in public and social life.