Daniel Davis began early in life to hustle for himself and from a very early age was compelled to depend upon his own efforts and his own resources. He was bound to a man by the name of Clark in Ripley county and, when twenty-one years old, did not have a single dollar. He began life for himself by working out on a farm for sixteen dollars a month in Ripley county.
On May 25, 1850, Mr. Davis was married to Matilda Jennings, a daughter of John Jennings, a native of England, who settled in Ripley county. Mrs. Davis was born in 1826 and died in August in 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Davis had two children, Edward L., and William H., a clerk in the postoffice, both of Greensburg.
In May, 1861, the venerable Daniel Davis enlisted in the Sixteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Col. P. A. Hackleman and Major Wolf. Attached to the Army of Western Virginia, he served until 1863, when he was discharged for disabilities and came home.
Shortly after the end of the Civil War, in 1867, Mr. Davis moved to Greensburg, Indiana, and engaged in the dairy business. A Republican in politics, he cast his first vote for John C. Fremont in 1856, and for many years was on the firing line of the political campaigns of this county. He has always been a drummer and has the oldest drum in the state of Indiana. He is a member of the Baptist church, the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Masonic lodge at Greensburg. He owns land in Florida, near Jacksonville, but has never looked after the land personally. He is still a man of vigorous mental poise and well preserved for his years. For thirty years he has supplied the people of Decatur county with all kinds of plants and is well and familiarly known as "Uncle Dan."
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Jason E. Hughes, who is now deceased, was a native-born citizen of this great county, having been born on the old Hughes homestead on April 2, 1844, which homestead had been established by his father, at McCoy Station, in Washington township, ant1 here Jason B. Hughes lived from the time of his birth until his death, March 4, 1902.
John Hughes, the father of Jason B., who lived a modest, quiet life far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife, was a pioneer in this section, having died at the age of ninety-three years, August 25, 1888. He was always possessed of a keen and intelligent mind and was known as a great reader, a man who maintained his faculties and energies in a high state of efficiency up to the time of his death. His early life had been filled with interesting experiences, which he liked very much to relate during his declining years. In the meantime, he had become very prosperous, owning three hundred and twenty acres of land, most of which he had cleared with his own hands. Noted for his kindly, charitable disposition, he is remembered today with pleasant feelings by those who knew him. He was a man who always inquired after his neighbors' welfare and assisted them in every possible way to get on in the world.
Of the seven children born to John and Anna Hughes, Jason B. was the youngest. The others were William, David, Sarah, Oscar, Thomas and Franklin. Oscar left two sons at the time of his death, Thomas and Chalmer. Thomas also left two sons, Frank and John.
Jason B. Hughes received his education in Decatur county. He received a portion of the old homestead farm, comprising eighty acres, at the time of his father's death, and, before his own death, increased this farm to one hundred and seventy-two acres. He was known far and wide as the inventor of the American Corn Shuck Compressor, an invention and device which enjoyed a phenomenal success.
The late Jason B. Hughes was married on December 25, 1878, to Lou E. Stewart, who was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, on January 16, 1855, the daughter of John W. and Keziah (McCullough) Stewart. Her mother was a widow, who had one child by a former marriage to James McLaughlin, Maria, and who, by her second marriage, had one daughter, Mrs. Hughes. Her husband, John Mr. Stewart, was also twice married, and by his first marriage there were eleven children. He died in 1860. The widow and daughter moved to Hartsville, where Mrs. Hughes was graduated from the Hartsville College. After her graduation, she and her mother moved to Greensburg, where the latter died, February 1, 1900, at the age of eighty-one years. Mrs. Hughes and her sister are members of the Christian church. Maria McLaughlin married Robert Mitchell, who died on December 15, 1892.
All the children of the venerable John Hughes, a pioneer of Decatur county, are now deceased. Among his grandchildren are Mrs. Lon Innis, a farmer, of Milroy, Indiana; Wilbur McCoy was postmaster for many years of Guthrie, Oklahoma; Frank McCoy, an attorney at Omaha, Nebraska, and the children of Sarah McCoy.
The late Jason B. Hughes was not only a fine type of the intelligent, industrious and self-made citizen, but he was a man of strong religious instincts, and throughout his life a devout member of the Presbyterian church. He never took much part in politics, but always cast his vote for the Republican candidate and in behalf of Republican principles. At the time of his death he left, besides his family, a host of friends in Decatur county to mourn his loss.
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"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Oliver C. Elder, who is one of the highly respected older citizens of this county and a native of Washington township, was born on November 27, 1843, one mile south and two miles east of Greensburg, the son of William M. and Sarah S. (Sellers) Elder, natives of Kentucky, who moved to Decatur county in 1826, shortly after it was open for settlement. Born in January, 1802, William M. Elder entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Decatur county, after coming here in 1826 and later purchased an eighty acre tract from his brother. He had four brothers, Matthew, James, Andrew and Robert. Leaving the farm in 1863, he moved to Greensburg because four of his sons were engaged in the service of their country in the Civil War and he had no assistance with which to operate the farm. Of his ten children, three died in infancy and seven lived to maturity. Five of these seven children, Mrs. Mary C. Vawter, Mrs. America Gray, Mrs. Sarah Taylor, George and Henry are now deceased, and the living children are Oliver and James Marshall. The last four served in the Civil War. James Marshall resides at Highland Center, Iowa. The mother of these children having died in May, 1855, the father was married again to Eliza Ford and by this second marriage had two children, Mrs. Serena Hamilton, of Iowa, and Mrs. Zerura Griffey, of Indianapolis. The father died on April 8, 1875.
After living at home with his parents until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he was eighteen years old, Oliver C. Elder enlisted on August 25, 1861, in Company E, Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Col. E. B. Dumont and Capt. Ira Grover, serving until September 20, 1864. He was in the principal battles of 1861-62 in western Virginia and Shenandoah Valley and the Army of the Potomac during 1863-64.
After the war, Mr. Elder returned home and engaged in farming until 1903, when he moved to Greensburg. Beginning with two tracts of land, comprising two hundred and forty acres and one hundred and fifty-four acres, Mr. Elder now owns two hundred and thirty acres in one tract and sixty acres in another.
On January 28, 1868, four years after his return home from the army, Mr. Elder was married to Sophronia Cobb, the daughter of Dyer Cobb and a granddaughter of Joshua Cobb, one of the very first pioneers in Washington township, Decatur county, Joshua Cobb having settled in Decatur county in the fall of 1820 OII the old Michigan trail, married Almira Tremain, of New York state.
Of the five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Elder, two are deceased. The three living children are, Orris Clifford, who lives on the home farm; Mrs. Edna Meek, the wife of Edmund L. Meek, of Clinton township, and Jessie A., who lives at home.
Mr. Elder is a Republican. He and his wife and family are members of the Christian church. He is a member of Pap Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Thirty years ago the famous "Washington" pie was first made. This pie consisted of meat, bread, cakes, fruit, spices and New Orleans molasses, and was baked in huge pans. During the last few years, however, pie baking has been discontinued, the volume of the business having become so great that it was necessary to either discontinue pie baking or enlarge the quarters of the store.
Sam V. Littell, well-known restaurant keeper and grocer of Greensburg, was born in Ripley county in 1859, the son of Benjamin and Jane M. (Vanzandt) Littell. At the age of two years he was brought to Greensburg, Indiana, by his parents, where he grew up and was educated in the common and high schools.
At the end of his school days in 1876, Mr. Littell began clerking in the grocery store of which he is now the owner and which was then owned by his brother, B. F. Littell. Here he served his apprenticeship, lasting about eight years, and learned the business. Later he purchased a half interest in the business with another brother, William T. Littell. This arrangement continued for four years, when he sold out and entered the partnership with another brother, James S. Littell. This partnership continued six years and was discontinued when Sam took over the entire business. It is now occupied exclusively by Sam V. Littell. He has been in business for himself for about twenty years, and has been very successful. His volume of business is equal or superior to that of any other grocery or lunch room in Decatur county. In point of years, he probably has been engaged in this business as long as any other man in Indiana. He entered the store, of which he is now the proprietor and sole owner, when sixteen years of age, and with the exception of eight months, when he was in the hospital, has never been out of this store.
In years gone by the Littell grocery and lunch room has fed as high as two thousand people in a single day. Mr. Littell likes the business, and especially the lunch room. In the past he has probably fed more people than all the hotels and lunch rooms of Greensburg combined.
In September, 1887, Sam V. Littell was married to Lida Howard, a daughter of Jesse and Mary (Ewing) Howard, the latter of whom was the daughter of Patrick Ewing, the founder of the famous Ewing family in this county, whose life and works are recounted elsewhere in this volume, and who has many descendants living in Decatur county today. Mr. and Mrs. Littell have had two children, Mary, who was born in 1888, and Howard, in 1892.
Sam V. Littell has always been identified with the Republican party and has always taken a commendable interest in politics, especially as a good citizen. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
It will be many long years before the life and career of Sam V. Littell will be forgotten by the people of Greensburg and Decatur county. Here in this city his place of business is one of the most famous and he has always enjoyed a large patronage and a profitable and successful trade because he knows the business and the wants and needs of the public. He has been honest and fair in all the relations of life, and no man living in this county is more popular than he.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Reuben Smalley was but about twenty-three years of age when, on August 15, 1862, he joined Company F, Eighty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and leaving his wife and two small children, answered his country's call for volunteers. After drilling for six weeks at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, this regiment joined Grant's army at Cairo, Illinois, and here boarded a steamboat and proceeded to Memphis, Tennessee. From Memphis they went to Azoo swamp in Mississippi, where they attacked the Confederate forces, having later taken eight thousand prisoners at Arkansas Pass. Immediately after this the Fifteenth Army Corps built the Butler canal. In the following spring they took part in the Vicksburg campaign. This fortress they surrounded on May 19, 1863, and it was in this siege that Mr. Smalley first distinguished himself. The siege of Vicksburg lasted from May 19, until July 4, and on May 22, Grant called for volunteers to lead the way into Vicksburg, where Mr. Smalley was promoted for gallantry. Mr. Smalley was one of the one hundred and fifty to volunteer. At Fort Pennington, he distinguished himself for bravery and wears the badge of honor for services in that battle, a medal of which he is very proud.
After the surrender of Vicksburg, the army started to march to Jackson, Mississippi, and met General Joe Johnson's army at Black River, Mississippi, which they defeated and followed him into Jackson, where they defeated him again. Later they came back to Memphis, Tennessee, and from there marched to Chattanooga, which march was marked by skirmishes with Forester's cavalry. At Chattanooga Mr. Smalley took part in the battle of Missionary Ridge, at which time he was acting as first sergeant. After pursuing Johnson for some time, the army went into winter quarters and in the spring Grant's army joined Sherman's. Then followed the famous campaign of Sherman, with which every one is familiar.
Reuben Smalley was with his army throughout this campaign and marched with it from Atlanta to the sea. He was once taken prisoner, but, as he says, no one could hold him in those days, and as his captor had not taken the precaution to disarm him, he relates that after marching along quietly for about three hundred yards, he decided it was time to do something and the time had come to determine whose hide was the tougher. In the struggle, his gun somehow came in contact with the rebel's head and well, Reuben Smalley joined his command. He never missed being in any battle which it was possible to engage in. Fort McAllister was the last hard battle in which he was engaged. Finally he was present at the surrender of Johnson to Sherman, which was one of the incidents marking the close of the war.
Of Mr. Smalley's parentage, it may be said that his father was a native of France who came to America, and, after arriving in this country, settled in New York state. He died when Reuben was a lad of three years. When he was seven years old, he came to Jennings county, Indiana, with an uncle, with whom he lived until seventeen, at which time he began the business of life for himself. Two years later, at the age of nineteen, he was married to Martha Ann Johnson, the daughter of Elijah and Nancy (Bowley) Johnson, the former of whom was a native of Decatur county, Indiana, and the latter of whom was a native of Vermont. Married in Ripley county, July 23, 1859, Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Smalley lived in that county until the beginning of the Civil War.
After the war, Mr. Smalley came back to Ripley county and, after two years, he and his wife, his two children having died while he was fighting for the cause of his country, immigrated to Decatur county. Mr. Smalley has been employed on railroad construction work for several years as a stationary engineer. He has been a shrewd business man and successful in life.
An enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Reuben Smalley is a man of remarkable vitality and striking personality. He is well known and highly respected in this community and in surrounding counties. The medal of honor, which he wears for distinguished services and bravery at the siege of Vicksburg and elsewhere, is something of which he is extremely proud and for which he has every right to be. In 1914 he was elected constable on the Republican ticket by a majority of three hundred and fifty-two votes. Several years ago he had been elected to the same office. Mr. and Mrs. Smalley are a pleasant couple. She is seventy-three and her husband is seventy-six. With the exception of occasional heart trouble, both are still vigorous in body and mind and take a keen delight in living.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
John W. Beck was married, December 25, 1891, to Dollie Smith, of Decatur county. They have had two children, Adene and Serlett.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
The late James B. Robison was enterprising as a private citizen, it is true, but he was public-spirited, which is even more important. More men of his type and spirit are needed today.
As a skillful farmer and a shrewd and far-seeing business man, especially in the purchase and sale of live stock, the late James B. Robison had no superiors and few equals in Decatur county. Born on June 12, 1834, in Fugit township, and the son of Andrew and Polly (Donnell) Robison, he passed away quietly on his golden wedding anniversary, May 19, 1913. His father, a native of Pennsylvania and a tanner by trade, came to Decatur county during the early twenties, and lived and died on his farm in Fugit township. After his death, his son, the late James B. Robison, took charge of the homestead farm when he was only nineteen years old.
James B. Robison was married, May 19, 1863, to Margaret Meek, who was born on December 25, 1844, and who is the daughter of John Meek, of the Springhill community, and the great-granddaughter of Thomas Meek, a pioneer in the state of Kentucky, whose descendants have lived to populate Decatur county with many of its more enterprising citizens, its successful farmers, bankers and mechanics. Mr. and Mrs. Robison had three children: William E., who was born in Fugit township on July 31, 1864, married Clara Taintor, December 31, 1887, in Sterling, Illinois, the daughter of George J. and Martha (Hughes) Taintor. They live on the old Robison homestead in Decatur county, and have three children, Mary, Margaret and Mildred; Stella, December 10, 1870, married Alva M. Reed, of Greensburg, January 21, 1891, and they now reside in Greensburg. They have one son, Rollin Reed; Clara J., November 25, 1875, was married, April 2, 1902, to George Davis, and on October 30, 1909, she died in Alberta, Canada.
One of the largest farmers and one of the most extensive stockmen of Decatur county, in 1896 the late James B. Robison removed from the farm to Greensburg, leaving his son, William E., in charge of the homestead. Later, however, he bought a farm near Greensburg, and personally superintended it until the time of his death.
The late James B. Robison was not only a member of the Indiana General Assembly for two terms, but, from 1906 to 1912, he served as a member of the Greensburg city council. In this office he used his best talents and energies for the promotion of enterprise, industry and wholesome living in this city. For more than a half century he was a well-recognized factor in all phases of life and was especially devout as a member of the Presbyterian church, having been an elder in the Kingston church from 1886 until the time of his death. To this church he not only gave his best personal services, but he also gave liberally of the means of which he was possessed, and which appeared without any apparent effort to grow from year to year. He regarded himself as a steward merely of the fortune which had come into his hands, and dispensed it with a liberality of one gifted with a patrician heart.
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"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
George W. Sefton was born on October 10, 1841, in Clinton township, Decatur county, Indiana, the son of Henry and Sarah (Brown) Sefton, natives of Ohio and Fountain county, respectively. The former, who was born in 1808 and died in 1878, was the son of William Sefton, a native of Ireland, who came with his parents to Ohio, where he was reared. From Ohio he moved to Indiana and settled in Decatur county near Sandusky. Henry Sefton came with his parents and was reared in this county in the early twenties, and eventually settled in Clinton township, where he became a successful farmer. By his first wife, Sarah Brown, to whom he was married in 1848, he had six children, five of whom are now deceased. The only living child is George W., the subject of this sketch. The deceased children were: Preserve O.; William; John, who died of measles in the army; Elizabeth and Jane. By his second marriage to Sarah Stine, Henry Sefton had two children, Mrs. Rachel Wilkinson, of Sandusky, and Isaac Stine, who lives on the home farm in Clinton township. Until March, 1903, George IV. Sefton was engaged in farming. He owns one hundred and sixty acres in Clinton township.
Mr. Sefton has been married three times, the first time on October 1, 1866, to Julia Lanham, who was born in 1843 and who was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Lanham. She died in 1869, leaving two children, Monnett O., born on September 5, 1867, who lives in Rush county, and Julia E., on June 27, 1869, who married John Frank Deem, of Adams township. By his second marriage, April 25, 1871, to Elizabeth Brock, who died in 1875, there were two children, Mrs. Emma M. Brown, of Indianapolis, who was born on May 4, 1872, and Mrs. Mary E. Walker, of Newpoint, on October 7, 1873. By his third marriage to Harriett Weed, September 19, 1876, one child, Mrs. Stella Waters, of Indianapolis, was born on September 18, 1878.
Mrs. Harriett (Weed) Sefton was born on July 16, 1847, near Milroy in Rush county and is the daughter of Alvin and Jane Ann (Ross) Weed, natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in 1810 and died in 1896, and the latter was born in 1814, died in 1886. Alvin Weed was the son of a well-known pioneer citizen who was drowned while traveling down the Ohio river in a flat-boat in 1812. Alvin Weed died in Howard county at the home of his son. His wife, who before her marriage, was Jane Ann Ross, was the daughter of Alexander Ross, a native of Ireland. Alvin and Jane Ann Weed had a large family of children, as follow: James Hiram, deceased; Eliza, deceased; Robert Thomas, deceased; Mrs. Lucinda Webster, of Hope, Indiana; Oliver, who died in infancy; Charles William, of Kokomo, Indiana; Mrs. Harriet Sefton, of Greensburg; Mrs. Melissa Margaret Dilman, of Howard county; Mary Frances, deceased; Mrs. Alice Root, of Indianapolis; Alonzo and John Lincoln, deceased.
George W. Sefton cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln and since that time has always voted the Republican ticket and upheld vigorously Republican principles and Republican candidates. Fraternally, he is a member of Pap Thomas Post No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic. Mrs. Sefton is a member of the Christian church. George W. Sefton is one of the honored and highly respected citizens of Greensburg and Decatur county and a man who is well known and well liked by his neighbors and fellow townsmen.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Henry Thomson had just reached his majority at the time of the breaking out of the Civil War, when he enlisted on September 5, 1861, in Company G, Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving until May 5, 1864, when he was wounded in the first day's battle of the Wilderness. Seriously wounded in the right leg, the effects of which are felt to this day, he was not dismissed until September 6, 1864. During his service as a soldier in the Civil War his principal engagements were those at Green Briar in 1861, Winchester in 1862, where he was wounded in the right shoulder, the second battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Gettysburg, Manassas Gap and the Wilderness. In 1910 Mr. Thomson and his good wife took an automobile trip over many of the battle scenes of the Civil War, taking along a complete camping outfit, and remaining away for several weeks. Starting on August 14, 1910, they did not return until September 11, and during this period visited nearly all of Mr. Thomson's old battlefields.
The father of Henry Thomson died before his son Henry was born, and the latter was reared in the home of his grandfather Hopkins. His father, who was born in Kentucky, was the son of James Henry Thomson, who was born on April 2, 1778, and who in turn was the son of James and Mary (Henry) Thomson, the former of whom was born in 1731, and the latter of whom was born in 1736. They had three children, as follow: William Henry, who was born in 1743; Elizabeth Davis, in 1750; James Henry, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, April 2, 1778, and who was married to Sarah Henry, in 1776.
James Henry and Sarah (Henry) Thomson had eight children, as follow: Almira, who was born in 1800, and who married the Reverend Mr. Lowry, the first pastor of the Presbyterian church at Kingston; William Henry, January 11, 1803, the father of the subject of this sketch; John Davis, April 7, 1805, and who married Susanna Howe; James Henry, October 26, 1807, and who married Nancy Ann McLeod; Alexander Brown, January 8, 1810, who first married Johanna S. Howe, September 1, 1815, and for his second wife, Elizabeth R. Carson; Samuel Harrison, August 26, 1813, was a professor at Hanover College for twenty-five years, and married Magdelena Sophronia Clifton; Preston Wallace, January 17, 1816; married Mary Ann Ashman; Mary Elizabeth, the last born, who first saw the light of day, June 2, 1818, married George F. Whitworth.
William Henry, the father of Henry, was married to Eliza Jane Hopkins, who was the daughter of John and Jane Hopkins, natives of Kentucky and early settlers in Washington township, Decatur county. John Hopkins became a judge of the appellate court, and was a man of ability and great power. It was Judge John Hopkins who practically reared Henry Thomson, the subject of this sketch. Judge Hopkins died in 1852, and his wife in 1854, two years later. Mrs. Eliza Jane (Hopkins) Thomson died in 1864, on December 26.
After the Civil War, Henry Thomson entered Hanover College, where he was a student for some time, but he later returned to the farm in Washington township, and was actively engaged as a farmer until 1903, when, after a trip to the West, including the National Park, the Pacific coast, Oregon, the Pacific coast cities, New Mexico, Arizona, and the Grand Canon of Colorado, he and his wife settled at their present home in Greensburg, Indiana. The one-hundred and twenty-acre farm, with which he started life, in the meantime has been increased to one hundred and sixty acres. Mr. Thomson still owns this farm, which is well improved.
On December 15, 1881, Mr. Thomson was married to Laura Alice McCracken, who was born on January 31, 1852, and who is the daughter of Adam and Mary Jane (Rankin) McCracken, natives of Kentucky. Adam was the son of James and Sallie (Meek) McCracken, and was born on May 20, 1824, and died in 1901. His wife was the daughter of Adam and Hester (Logan) Rankin, natives of Kentucky, who settled at Springhill in Decatur county in the early twenties. Here they homesteaded a farm and it was here that the mother of Mrs. Thomson was reared. Adam McCracken and Mary Jane Rankin were married in 1851. The latter was born in 1827. Mrs. Thomson is one of three children born to her parents. The others were James Logan, who was born on January 9, 1858, and who lives at Watseka, Illinois, and Whilma, November 7, 1864, died, July 24, 1889.
An ardent believer in temperance and in the suppression of the liquor traffic, Henry Thomson has been an active and influential member of the Prohibition party. Mr. and Mrs. Thomson are members of the Presbyterian church. Henry Thomson is a member of Pap Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Greensburg, Indiana.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Thomas and Sarah (Sayler) Deem were the parents of ten children, whose names in the order of their birth are as follow: Mrs. Mary Ann Heaton, who was born on December 10, 1826, died on March 6, 1915; Mrs. Eliza A. Stewart, April 11, 1828, died in December, 1911; Mrs. Catharine Dailey, the widow of E. G. Dailey, of Greensburg; Mrs. Elizabeth Hoodlow, of Topeka, Kansas, in 1829; Mrs. Lenora Corey, November 22, 1830, lives on the old homestead; John Wesley, the immediate subject of this review; Lemuel, in 1836, is now deceased; Oliver, in 1840, lives in Greensburg; William Henry, in 1844, died in the service of his country during the Civil War, and Thomas Harvey, in 1847, died in 1864, and was also a soldier in the Civil War.
After his father had purchased the homestead farm, John Wesley Deem assisted in clearing the land, and did his share toward the improvement and cultivation of the home farm. The family lived at this time in a hewed log house, and experienced all the privations and hardships, as well as the joys of true pioneer life in southern Indiana. When he was twenty-four years of age, in 1855, John W. Deem removed to Shelby county, Indiana, where he lived for two years. During this period he and his wife lived in a round log cabin which was notched, daubed and chinked with mud. It consisted of one room, eighteen by fifteen feet, with one window and a door on the opposite side from the window. The chimney was built of mud and sticks with mud jambs and a clapboard roof. It was a typical pioneer's cabin, the door having a wooden latch with a string on the outside, which could be locked by pulling the string on the inside. Mr. Deem sawed lumber at night during the winter season, by the use of the water-mill, four miles away, and in this may secured lumber enough to build a new house. His father had built what is believed to have been the first brick house in Decatur county. After two years' residence in Shelby county, Mr. Deem returned with his family to Decatur county, and here he engaged in the mercantile and grain business at Adams, where he remained for six years. He operated a saw-mill for a number of years and then moved to his farm in Adams township. At one time he was the owner of four hundred acres of land, but has sold the greater portion of this land and now has two hundred and fifty acres. In 1894 Mr. Deem retired from active farm life and moved to Greensburg, where he engaged in the hardware and implement business, in which he continued for a period of eighteen years. On account of the poor health of Mrs. Deem, he retired from business at this time and cared for his wife until her death.
John Wesley Deem was married on September 20, 1855, to Margaret Jane Logan, who was born on November 9, 1832, in Decatur county, the daughter of Samuel Logan and wife. Mrs. Deem died on September 28, 1903. John W. Deem and wife were the parents of six children, Sarah Susanna, who was born on August 11, 1856, was married to Arthur Doggett, March 4, 1875, and died ten years later on October 17, 1885, leaving two children, Mrs. Sarah Alberta Brockelmeier and Otis; Samuel Logan, February 15, 1858, married Flora King; Kate, March 25, 1860, died on December 20, 1865; William Henry Ellsworth, August 13, 1862, died August 22, 1863; Mary, October 13, 1864, married J. C. Bird, December 21, 1881, and on May 29, 1895, her death occurred, leaving two children, Mrs. Ethel Koester, who is a resident of Cincinnati, and has two children, Robert and one unnamed, and Harry Bird, a resident of Greensburg; John Franklin, who was born on March 29, 1871, lives on the home place. He married Julia E. Sefton, December 24, 1890.
John Wesley Deem, during his lifetime has been an ardent believer in Republican principles and has always voted the Republican ticket. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, but on account of defect in hearing, cannot enjoy attending. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, in which he is deeply interested.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
Ira Clark was born on a farm near the town of Clarksburg, this county, on June 5, 1870, the son of Hezekiah E. and Catherine J. (Miller) Clark, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania in 1827 and died at his home in this county in 1896, and the latter of whom was born in Franklin county, this state, on June 1, 1840, and is now residing in the city of Greensburg.
Hezekiah E. Clark was the son of William Clark, who founded the town of Clarksville, Pennsylvania, in the year 1817, and who, with his brother, gave a church to the town. Just ninety-eight years later, on February 14, 1915, this historic old church was profusely decorated with flowers shipped from Greensburg by Ira and Nellie M. Clark, grandchildren of William Clark. William Clark and three brothers came to America from Scotland in the eighteenth century, one of the brothers locating in Pennsylvania, another in New Jersey and the other in South Carolina. William Clark later moved to Ohio, in which state his last days were passed. His son, Hezekiah E., came to Decatur county, Indiana, in 1854, settling in the village of Clarksburg, where he married Catherine J. Miller, who was born on June 1, 1840, the daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Lewis) Miller, and who now is residing in Greensburg. Jacob Miller, a native of Virginia, was the second person to settle in Fugit township, this county, and was one of the men who organized the township. He came to this county about the year 1821, following a "blazed trail," and quickly established himself here, being one of the most potent forces in the creation of a social order in the then wilderness. His wife, Rebecca Lewis, was a cousin of "Davy" Crockett, she and the immortal hero of the Alamo having been reared children together. The Lewises and the Crocketts left Virginia together, but parted at Cinch mountain, the Crocketts going on into Tennessee and the Lewises coming to Indiana. Jacob Miller, who was born in the year 1800 and died in 1872, first settled on Salt creek, in Franklin county, this state, where he married Rebecca Lewis, later coming to this county and settling in Fugit township where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Hezekiah Clark moved from Fugit township to Clinton township, this county, and died on the farm in that township, one of the most highly respected men in the county. Both the Clarks and the Millers were of a hardy, self-respecting, upright race, stanch Methodists and firm in the expression of the courage of their convictions. The Millers entertained John Wesley when that great apostle of Methodism made his historic tour into Virginia. These two families were ardent temperance advocates and practiced what they preached, even in a day when the drinking of strong drinks was a common practice. In the old "log rolling" days, when it came time far Jacob Miller to invite his pioneer neighbors to such a fete, he declined to furnish whisky to the participants in the arduous labors of the day, notwithstanding the time-honored custom of the period; being so strictly temperate in his own habits that he would not consent to putting the intoxicating glass to his neighbors' lips.
To Hezekiah E. and Catherine J. (Miller) Clark were born seven children, five sons and two daughters, namely: Jesse M., who died on April 9, 1898; Tillman, who lives in Howard county, Indiana; Mrs. Clara Draper, who lives on a farm east of Greensburg, in this county; Emmet, a well known farmer of Adams township, this county; Nellie M., who is associated with her brother, Ira, in the florist's business in Greensburg; Ira, the immediate subject of this sketch, and A. Burl, who lives in the state of Oklahoma.
Ira Clark received his early education in the schools of Sandusky, this county, and was graduated from the school at that place. To this course of schooling he added a course in the Central Normal School, at Danville, Indiana, from which he also was graduated, after which, for ten years, he taught in the schools of Sandusky and St. Paul, this county, being the assistant principal in the latter school. He then, in the year 1901, engaged in the florist's business in Greensburg, he and his partner conducting the business for a year under the firm style of Hedges & Clark, the concern in 1902 becoming known as Clark & Company. The beginning of this business was on a comparatively small scale, but Mr. Clark later bought out the greenhouses of Henry Bentlage, combining the two greenhouses under the present efficient management, and has been quite successful.
In 1897 Ira Clark was united in marriage to Carrie Bell-Vandament, a well-known and popular teacher in the Sandusky schools, the daughter of J. C. Bell, a prominent resident of that village. To this union two children have been born, Wayne, who now is sixteen years of age, and Lewis, now twelve years of age.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church and are active workers in the congregation to which they are attached, Mr. Clark being one of the church stewards. Following the example of his pioneer forbears, Mr. Clark is a strong temperance advocate and is one of the leaders in all the good works of the city in which he lives. In his political views he is quite independent, believing that it is the duty of a good citizen to support the ablest and most conscientious men for positions of public trust and responsibility, regardless of the party with which candidates for office are affiliated. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Odd Fellows and takes a warm interest in the affairs of these two popular fraternal orders.
Mr. Clark is an energetic business man and public-spirited citizen who has the entire confidence of the community in which he lives and he and Mrs. Clark are held in the highest regard by all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
A resident of Greensburg, Indiana, Cornelius Messler lives in a comfortable home, and was born on September 23, 1832, in Hamilton county, Ohio, the son of John S. and Sabina Messler, the former of whom was a native of New Jersey, born on August 2, 1797, and who died on September 30, 1840, the latter of whom was born on April 13, 1809, and died on June 11, 1849. John S. Messler, who came west from Philadelphia, died in Union county, Indiana, and his wife passed away in Salt Creek township, Decatur county. They had six children, William F., James, Cornelius, John K., Henry, and Mary A.
When twelve years old, Cornelius Messler was employed to drive a team along the old White Water canal, from Cincinnati to Cleavestown, and thence by the way of the Wabash & Erie canal to Toledo, a distance of three hundred and eighty miles. In 1842 the family came to Decatur county, where Cornelius lived for one year, and then returned to the state of Ohio, and was engaged as a stage-driver in that state for a period of sixteen years. In the meantime he worked at various occupations, coming to Decatur county, Indiana, to live permanently in 1897.
Mr. hlessler has been twice married, the first time to Sarah Hannan, who was born on November 5, 1828, and who died on February 2, 1883. She was buried in Taswell county, Virginia. She was the mother of five children, three of whom, Mary A., John and Anna, the youngest, are now deceased. The two eldest, William, who was born, October 3, 1855, and James H., on June 8, 1859, live near Frankfort, and Hartford City, respectively.
Many years after the death of Mrs. Sarah A. (Hannan) Messler, Mr. Messler was married again, April 21, 1898, the second time to Sarah Elizabeth Bell, who was born on the Bell homestead on April 11, 1840, and who is the daughter of Henson S. and Ann (Marlin) Bell, natives of Woodford county, Kentucky, and Monmouth county, New Jersey, respectively, the former of whom was the son of Daniel and Nancy Bell. Henson S. Bell, who died on November 30, 1890, at the age of eighty-me years, was a mere boy when he came from Kentucky to Indiana. For some time he and his wife lived in Laurel, but they later moved to a farm, just before the death of his wife in 1841. In 1850 he removed to Oregon, driving overland, but returned in 1873, and lived on his farm until his death. In the meantime he had traveled over Oregon, Washington and California. He had two children, Nancy Jane, deceased, who was born in 1837, and who died in 1856, and Mrs. Cornelius Messler. Daniel Bell, the father of Henson S. Bell, died on April 28, 1875, at the age of ninety-five years. His wife, Nancy Bell, died on February 8, 1883, at the age of ninety-five. They had come to Decatur county in 1822, and homesteaded on government land. On their trip to Decatur county they were accompanied by their son, Henson, the father of Mrs. Messler. Before returning home they planted a patch of corn, and upon coming back to Decatur county found out that the squirrels had eaten up the corn. The ten children born to Daniel and Nancy Bell, John, Louisa, Henson, George, Thomas, Mary, Nancy, Tarlton, James and Julia, are all deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Messler have a farm of eighty-one acres in Fugit township, the old Bell homestead, although they have for several years resided in Greensburg, where, in October, 1902, they bought a home. They are known as among the most delightful people living in the city of Greensburg.
Mr. Messler is a man who has enjoyed a variety of experiences, and who is rich in anecdote of former times, a charming conversationalist, a genial, broad-minded citizen, who is revered by his fellow townsmen and honored by all with whom he has ever come in contact. Mrs. Messler is a woman of most gracious personality, refined and cultured, interested in all worthy public movements, and who for many years was a leader among her sex in this county. Eminently worthy as both Mr. and Mrs. Messler are, they weil deserve the respect and esteem of the people of Greensburg and Decatur county. Mrs. Messler is now and has been a member of Mt. Carmel Methodist Episcopal church since 1855.
"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.
