Charles Daily (Daly) arrived in America from (County Monoghan Ireland) at age 20 in 1789...port city of arrival and whether there were other family members with him is unknown at this time. He and Sarah Gates (Connecticut) married in 1804 near Athens County, Ohio and raised 12 children living near Brookville, Indiana and then near Greensburg, Indiana where Charles was later buried in 1849. Sarah and several children then moved west to Centralia, Illinois where she is buried and, some of the children further west to St. Louis, St. Joseph and Savannah, Missouri. Some grandchildren and nephews/nieces settled near Huntington, Indianapolis and Madison, Indiana. Other direct descendants of some of the 12 siblings of Chas. and Sarah are known today although the list is by no means complete. Those with further interest or inform ation please contact paul@dailys-inc.com.

Submitted by Paul Daily


RICHARD T. STOTT
That the Stott family was among the first to settle in the state of Indiana is proved by a tax receipt now owned by the venerable Richard T. Stott, of near Westport, Sand Creek township, Decatur county, which shows that his father, Louis Lunsford Stott, in 1813, paid taxes in Indiana for the years 1810, 1811 and 1812. Of course this was before Indiana was admitted to the Union, and before in reality it was a state at all. The family was founded in America by the great-grandfather of Richard T. Stott, who emigrated from Germany to Scotland, and from Scotland came to America. Raleigh Stott, the grandfather of Richard T., was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, who migrated from one of the Eastern states to the Middle West. Raleigh Stott's son, who was Richard T.'s father, was a soldier in the War of 1812, and Richard T. Stott was a soldier in the Civil War, so that with the possible exception of the Mexican War, members of this family have fought valiantly in behalf of individual and personal freedom in all of our great wars.

Richard T. Stott, who was born on November 14, 1842, in Jennings county, three miles south of Westport, is the son of Louis Lunsford and Sallie (Stewart) Stott, the former of whom was born in 1780 and who died in 1856. Louis Lunsford Stott had first married Miss Allen, who bore him eight children, all of whom are now deceased and the names of whom were as follow: Christopher, the father of Capt W. T. Stott, a former sheriff of Decatur county; Mrs. Hulda New, Allen, Mrs. Polly Griffin, Mrs. Mariah Kirtley, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, Frances Marian and Mrs. Sarah Jane Gaston. By the second marriage there were three children: D. W., who is deceased; Richard T., the subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Susan Newsome, who lives at Azalia, Indiana.

After removing to Decatur from Bartholomew county, when Mr. Stott was four years old, his mother died, and he was taken by an uncle, Willis C. Stribbling, who lived near Sardinia, Decatur county, to be reared, together with a sister. Here he lived until he grew to manhood, attending, so far as possible, the pioneer country schools of the time and receiving a limited education. After the breaking out of the Civil War, Richard Stott was only nineteen years old. Nevertheless he enlisted on July 8, 1861, in Company H, Nineteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served three years, three months and eleven days. Having been assigned to the commissary department on detached service, he was under fire in nearly all of the battles and especially was on the firing line in the second battle of Bull Run, the battles of Fredericksburg, South Mountain, Antietam and Gettysburg, as well as the Wilderness campaign.

Returning home at the close of the Civil War, Mr. Stott began farming in Jackson township on rented land, and late in 1865 was married. During the earlier years of his married life he lived in Decatur and Bartholomew counties, spending two years in Illinois later on, in 1881 and 1882. For seven years he lived in Edinburg after his removal to Decatur county, in March, 1907. He now owns a farm of twenty acres adjoining Westport.

In 1865 Mr. Stott was married to Eliza Ann Chaille, who was born on April 3, 1844, in Jennings county, Indiana, near Butlerville, and who is the daughter of William D. and Hulda A. Chaille, the former of whom was a native of Indiana, born on December 26, 1814, and the latter of whom was born on February 19, 1806. William D. Chaille was the son of John and Jane (Duncan) Chaille, natives of Maryland, who came to Indiana after their marriage. A brother of Jane (Duncan) Chaille was a soldier in the Revolutionary army and was held a prisoner by the British for seven years.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Stott have six living children, as follow: Dora C., who lives at Richmond, Indiana, has one daughter, Leota, by his first wife, who was a Miss Davis; his present wife is Birdellia (Rose); Hulda Elizabeth is the wife of William A. Knight, who lives near Sardinia, and has four sons, James R., Wallace L., George Taylor and John F.; William Preston lives near Auburn in the state of Washington; Louis Eldridge, of Indianapolis, married Rosa Smeiser, and they have three children, Louis Graves, Beryl Taylor and Russell Payne; John Franklin, of Colorado, married Mary Wilds, and they have one child, Martha Emily; James M., of Edinburg, married Ethel Russell, and they have one child, Loring Russell.

Politically, Mr. Stott is a Republican. He and his good wife are members of the Baptist church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men at Edinburg, and of the Knights of Pythias at Westport. He has filled all of the chairs in the Red Men's lodge. Mr. Stott is also a member of Fred Small Post No. 531, Grand Army of the Republic, at Westport.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



HUBER C. MOORE
Perhaps no county in the state is on a sounder basis as regards its banking and financial affairs than is Decatur county. In the hands of safe, conservative men, the banks of the county are noted for their solidity and for the careful manner in which the money entrusted to their care is handled. For the most part, the men engaged in banking in this county have had special training for their work and the mere technical side of banking is conducted with a degree of accuracy and a proper regard for the most conservative forms of investment, insuring to depositors a feeling of safety. Among the banks of more recent origin in this county, few, if any, have made larger strides in public confidence than the Burney State Bank, of Burney, the pleasant village in Clay township, which in late years has made such rapid progress in industrial, commercial and civic development. This bank, which was opened for business on December 22, 1913, had a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars, and has enjoyed an unusual degree of success. Surrounded by rich farming territory, peopled by substantial stock raisers and shippers, the opportunities for modern banking methods were awaiting the coming of the gentlemen who organized the Burney bank and these opportunities have been promptly and properly utilized, the number of depositors of the bank growing from the very first day of the opening of the bank, until they now number more than four hundred and are increasing daily. The officers of this bank are as follow: William G. Smiley, president; John W. Corya, vice-president; Huber C. Moore, cashier; the other directors being John Gartin, Frank Alexander, W. F. McCullough.

Huber C. Moore was born at Morgan, Kentucky, in 1890, a son of James P. and Sarah J. (Green) Moore, both natives of Kentucky, the latter of whom was born in the city of Lexington, a daughter of John Green. Mrs. Moore died some years ago and Mr. Moore continues to make his home in Kentucky, being one of the prominent and wealthy citizens of Pendleton county, that state. James P. Moore is one of the best-known bee breeders in the country, his apiary supplying a demand for queen bees in all parts of the world. He has been in the business of bee culture for the past twenty-five years and has been very successful, the variety of bees of which he makes a specialty having created a wonderful demand.

Huber C. Moore received his elementary education in the schools of Falmouth, Kentucky, following his graduation from the high school at that place with a course of one year at the Kentucky State University, after which he pursued a thorough course in a business college at Lexington. Thus equipped for a business career, Mr. Moore entered the employ of the Citizens State Bank, of Falmouth, Kentucky, as assistant cashier, remaining with this bank for two years, at the encl of which time his services were secured by the Indiana National Bank, of Indianapolis, and he moved to the Indiana state capital, remaining with the Indiana National Bank at that place for a period of four years, at the end of which time his services were solicited as cashier of the newly organized bank at Burney, this county. Mr. Moore accepted this proffer and upon the opening of the Burney State Bank was installed as cashier, a position which he since has occupied, his skilled and efficient service having proved most satisfactory, not only to the directors of the bank, but to the customers of the same.

On December 25, 1910, Huber C. Moore was united in marriage to Olive Ruby Williams, of Whiteland, Indiana, daughter of Dr. Luke P. V. and Sarah Jane (Woollen) Williams, the former of whom is a native of Kentucky and the latter of whom is a native of Ohio. Dr. Luke P. V. Williams was born in 1862, son of Luke P. and Elizabeth P. (Simer) Williams, both natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was of Welsh descent and the latter of whom was of German descent. Sarah Jane Woollen was the daughter of John W. and Mary C. Woollen, who moved from Ohio to Kentucky in 1883, they also being of German descent.

Dr. Luke P. V. Williams, who is a direct descendant of Roger Williams, "that noble champion of religious liberty," of whom Milton thus sang, the founder of Rhode Island, who came to America from Wales in 1636, was a member of the last Kentucky constitutional convention, having represented the counties of Bath and Rowan in that historic gathering. He was reared in Kentucky and from the days of his young manhood took an active part in the affairs of his community. He is a man of tremendous energy; in fact, a veritable "human dynamo," as some of his friends characterize him. He early began to take a prominent part in Kentucky politics and, besides the distinction of being a member of the constitutional convention, above noted, served as an elector on the Democratic ticket from his district in the second Cleveland campaign. Some years ago he moved to Indiana, locating at Whiteland, in Johnson county, where he organized the Whiteland National bank. He also was active in the organization of the Jonesville State Bank, of Jonesville, this state, and was one of the principal promoters of the organization of the Burney State Bank.

Mr. and Mrs. Moore are members of the Baptist church at Burney and are active in the good works of the community. Though comparatively recent additions to the society of that pleasant village, they have entered into the social life of the town with characteristic energy and are among the most enthusiastic promoters of the various and rapidly growing interests of the village. Mr. Moore is a Democrat and takes an intelligent and proper interest in the political affairs of the county, being an ardent advocate of all measures along the line of good government. He is a member of the local lodge of the Knights of Pythias and at present is much interested in the plan which is being promoted for the erection of a fine new two-story Pythian hall in Burney. He is an enterprising and energetic young man and his native love for the intricacies of business and financial life has given him an interest in his life's work which rapidly is bringing him to the front as one of the most prominent young financiers of Decatur county, he having displayed an ability in this direction that has inspired in the breasts of his business associates the utmost confidence and respect, they having the highest regard for the ability he has displayed in conducting the difficult transactions which confront him in connection with his important position in the bank.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



HENRY CHRIS BOWMAN
Henry Chris Bowman, an enterprising farmer of Washington township, Decatur county, Indiana, who owns one hundred arid sixty acres for which lie has worked and for which he has himself paid, is a splendid type of the self-made American citizen and his career forcibly illustrates what industry, economy and good management may accomplish. There is no man living in Decatur county who deserves more personal credit for what he has accomplished than Mr. Bowman, since he has by his own hard toil and by his systematic and methodical saving, built up his own fortune and obtained for himself and his good wife all the comforts which they now enjoy.

Henry Chris Bowman was born on March 9, 1867, in Franklin county, Indiana, the son of Henry and Johannah (Thesin) Bowman, natives of Germany, who were married after coming to this country. Henry C. Bowman left home at the age of twenty-one and came to Decatur county, working for twelve years for William Warder Hamilton, a pioneer mule dealer of Decatur county. At the end of twelve years' hard toil, he had saved fifteen hundred dollars and out of this he paid one thousand dollars down on the farm he purchased at this time and used the other five hundred dollars to stock the farm. His father, who was born in 1825, was killed in 1870 while working as a carpenter on the Enochsburg church. He had come to America in 1841.

Henry, Sr., and Johannah Bowman had three children, Mary, who is deceased; Lena, who married Clem Rowling, a dairyman, who lives near Cincinnati, and Henry C., the subject of this sketch. After the death of Mr. Bowman, the mother married again, this time to Martin Frichtman, and they had eight children, George, who lives in Decatur county; John, of Washington township; Matthew, who lives on the Robinson farm; Kate, the wife of Joseph Mincke, of Cincinnati, who died in October, 1914; Lizzie, the wife of George Lampe, of Shelbyville; Sophronia, the wife of William Oberlein, of St. Louis; Rosa, who married Chester Luther, of Shelbyville, and Celia, of Indianapolis. The mother of these children died in Shelbyville, Indiana, at the age of seventy-eight years, in 1908.

At the time Henry Chris Bowman purchased his farm in Washington township, the farm was very much run down. He and his good wife lived in an old house on the place until they were able to erect a handsome, modern farm residence. The house sets back from the road and leading down to it is a large, well-kept farm. The barn, which is sixty-four by sixty feet, was built in 1908, and a corn-crib built in 1911 cost five hundred dollars. Altogether about eight thousand dollars has been spent in various kinds of improvements, including fencing and tiling. When Mr. Bowman first purchased the farm, he sold hogs at three dollars a hundred. He has had a hard time to get on in the world and has always been a hard worker. One of the secrets of his success, perhaps, is that he never sells any grain, but feeds all that he raises to hogs and cattle, selling a hundred head of hogs and from twelve to fifteen head of cattle every year.

On September 2, 1884, Mr. Bowman was married to Bridget Woods, who was born on December 4, 1864, in County Clare, Ireland, and who is the daughter of John and Bridget (Kerivan) Woods, who came to America in 1880 and located on a farm three miles from Zenas, Indiana. It is a matter of interest to note here the St. Denis's church was named after Denis Woods, Mrs. Bowman's uncle, who gave ten acres of ground for the church. Mrs. Bowman's father died in 1889 and her mother in 1890, one year later. John and Bridget Woods had six children, Mrs. Marie Slattery, who lives in Ireland; John, who died in Jennings county, in 1913; Sarah, the wife of William Vansickle, of Kansas; Thomas, of near St. Denis, who married Margaret Duffy; Denis, who died in 1888, and Mrs. Bowman.

To Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Bowman have been born four children, Florine, the wife of Samuel Ardery, of Washington township; John, who lives at home on the farm; Rosa, who died at the age of twenty-three years, on April 6, 1912, and Sophia Lillian, fourteen years of age, is a student in the Greensburg high school.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Bowman have at their command practically every convenience which is available to anyone who lives on the farm. They are fortunate in having at their disposal a natural gas well, located on the farm, and also an artesian well. They have most comfortable and convenient buildings located on magnificent grounds which are always well kept, and they themselves are the people who most deserve to enjoy these conveniences.

Although Mr. Bowman owns an automobile along with the other comforts of life, yet he still works very hard and he and his good wife deserve great credit and praise for what they have accomplished. Genial and hospitable by nature, they are popular in the community where they reside. Mr. Bowman is a Democrat. The Bowman family are all members of the St. Mary's Catholic church at Greensburg.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



JAMES E. THROP
Settlement was just beginning in Decatur county, Indiana, in 1821, when Thomas Throp, a native of New Jersey, who had immigrated to Warren county, Ohio, in 1817, came on west to Decatur county, Indiana, and purchased the northeast one-quarter of section 23, township 11, range 10, comprising one hundred and sixty acres and located in what is now Fugit township. The deed for this farm, which was signed by James Monroe, was dated on December I 7, 1821, and this worthy pioneer had previously entered the farm where a daughter, Margaret J., now resides, an entire section which he purchased at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. It was Thomas Throp, the father of the late James B. Throp, who established the family in Decatur county. When he came to Decatur county, the land was covered with heavy timber, but he cleared a place for a home and later built a log cabin. His granddaughter, Margaret J. Throp, lives in the first brick house which he erected.

The late James B. Throp, who at the time of his death was one of the wealthiest farmers in Decatur county, owning six hundred and eighty acres of well-cultivated and fertile land, the son of Thomas and Ellen (Emily) Throp, was born on December 22, 1815, in Monmouth county, New Jersey, and died April 6, 1864. His father, who was born on October 17, 1776, was married on November 29, 1800, to Ellen Emily, who was born on November 30, 1783, and who died on August 12, 1859. They had ten children, William F., who was born on August 7, 1802; Bethany, December 15, 1804, who married Daniel Eden, of near Adams; Jane, March 4, 1807, who married James Freeman, a merchant of Greensburg: John I., March 15, 1810; Mary Ann, December 23, 1812, who married a Mr. Gilham; James B., the subject of this sketch; Eleanor, February 10, 1818, who married Granville Kindred; Margaret Finley, April 26, 1820, married a Mr. Clark; Charles C., December 6, 1822, and Wesley, November 29, 1825. All of these children erected homes in the vicinity of the old home on the Throp land.

The late James B. Throp was six years old when his parents moved from Warren county, Ohio, to Decatur county, Indiana, and when he was twelve years old, he moved with his parents to a brick mansion erected about 1827. In this house he lived continuously until his death, on April 6, 1884. Owning six hundred and eighty acres of land, during the latter years of his life, and being one of the most extensive farmers in Decatur county, he was naturally well known.

The wife of the late James B. Throp was Mary Kerrick, who was born near Fairfield, in Franklin county, Indiana, on August 15, 1830, and died in 1907, at the age of seventy-six. She was the daughter of Thomas and Phoebe Kerrick, of Loudoun county, Virginia. The Kerricks comprised an old family of the Old Dominion state and included many teachers and preachers. Mrs. Thomas Kerrick’s mother was a prominent member of the Quaker church. Thomas Kerrick taught a subscription school in Franklin county and was paid partly in supplies and partly in cash. He had come from Virginia to Ohio, and finally to Franklin county, Indiana, in 1857. After purchasing land in Decatur county, he moved here. Rev. Nimrod Kerrick, a son of Thomas and the brother of Mrs. Throp, was for many years a prominent teacher and minister in Decatur county. He was the eldest child and the others were James, Walter, Armisted, Mrs. Mary Throp, Joanna, Hugh and Stephen, fourth child.

The late James B. Throp and wife had three children, Ella, the wife of Marshall Newhouse, who died in 1907; Phoebe A., the wife of George Wirt, who lives in Fugit township, and Margaret J., who lives on the old homestead and who owns one hundred and sixty acres of this farm and one hundred and eighty acres of her mother's original old home farm, a total of three hundred and forty acres. She is an active member of the Mt. Carmel Methodist Episcopal church.

Not only was James E. Throp a prominent farmer, but he was also prominent in fraternal and religious circles in his community, being a charter member of the Masonic lodge at Clarksburg and a regular attendant at the services of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he was an ardent Republican, who believed strongly in the principles of Abraham Lincoln and the principles of the party which Lincoln helped to found.

No volume purporting to set forth the historical annals of Decatur county would be complete which did not contain a record of the life and works of James B. Throp, a well-known citizen and farmer during his day and generation, one who had a large part in the pioneer development of this splendid county now in a high state of development. James B. Throp belonged to a family which has never failed to measure up to the opportunities and obligations of their time. The Throp family has performed well its duties in all the multifarious relations of human existence.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



WESLEY THROP
The late Wesley Throp, of Fugit township, Decatur county, Indiana, belonged to one of the oldest families of the county, his father, Thomas Throp, a native of New Jersey, who had come to Warren county, Ohio, in 1817, having emigrated to Decatur county and entered a tract of land from the government in 1821, at a time when the settlement of Decatur was just beginning. Since 1821, therefore, a period of nearly a century, the Throp family have been prominent in the agricultural, political and civic life of this section, and in all of this period have contributed materially to the progress and prosperity of Decatur county. It was so with the original Thomas Throp, and also true of the family he left at the time of his death.

The late Wesley Throp, who, during his lifetime, was a well-known farmer of Fugit township, and who owned two hundred and forty acres of land at the time of his death, land which is now in the possession of a son, Bruce, and a daughter, Miss Jennie, himself was born on December 29, 1825, the son of Thomas and Ellen (Emily) Throp, the former of whom was born on October 17, 1776, and who was married, November 29, 1800, to Ellen Emily, who was born on November 30, 1784, and who died on August 12, 1859. Of their ten children, William was born on August 7, 1802; Bethany, December 15, 1804, and married Daniel Heaton, of near Adams: Jane, March 4, 1807, married James Freeman, a merchant of Greensburg; John I., March 15, 1810; Mary Ann, December 23, 1812, and married, first, a Mr. Miller, and second, Talbert Gillam; James B. was an extensive farmer of Fugit township during his life, December 22, 1815, and married to Mary Kerrick, who was born on August 15, 1830, and who died in 1907, and died on April 6, 1884; Eleanor, February 10, 1818, and married Granville Kindred; Margaret Finley, April 26, 1820, and married Richard Clark; Charles C., December 6, 1822, married, first, Kate Roberts, and second, May Sneidiger, and Wesley, the subject of this sketch, November 29, 1825. All of the children erected homes in the vicinity of the old homestead and owned the Throp land.

The subject of this sketch, who was the youngest child born to his parents, was a native of Decatur county, born after the removal of the parents from Warren county, Ohio, to Indiana, and he spent all of his life in this section. After his marriage, in 1855, he and his wife began housekeeping in a log cabin on his farm, and a few years later removed to a new frame house which he built, now occupied by his daughter, Jennie, and his son, Bruce. Here the parents lived until their death. Eventually, he became the owner of two hundred and forty acres of land, adding to his original tract as he was able to do so, and this entire farm is still intact and is still owned by members of his family.

On September 4, 1855, Wesley Throp was married to Nancy M. Ardery, who was born on January 22, 1835, in Fugit township, the fifth child born to her parents, Thomas and Martha (McKee) Ardery, the former of whom was born in 1801, and who died in 1846. The latter was a daughter of Daniel McKee. Thomas and Martha (McKee) Ardery were natives of Kentucky, who were married in that state and who came with their family to Fugit township, Decatur county, Indiana, in 1830. Their children were Mrs. Jane Wallace Smith, deceased; Mrs. Mary Alexander Walters, deceased; Mrs. Martha Thomas Thomson, deceased; Mrs. Eliza Archibald Spear, of Rushville; David A., a well-known farmer of Washington township, Decatur county, Indiana, and John William, who died in youth.

Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Throp, three are now deceased. The living children are Bruce, the eldest child, born on November 22, 1856, and lives on the old home farm with his sister, Jennie, April 4, 1873, the sixth child; Mattie, April 11, 1867, who was the fifth child in her, parents' family, married William R. Pleak, and lives at Culpeper, Virginia. The deceased children are Luna, Omer and Bessie. Luna was born, February 4, 1859, and died on April 25, 1862; Omer, February 10, 1862, and died on October 7, 1863; Bessie, January 24, 1865, married William Schomper, and died on November 23, 1890. She left one son, Ralph, born on November 21, 1890. He lives in Tipton county, Indiana.

The father of all these children, who passed away quietly at his home in Fugit township on August 18, 1851, was a Republican in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian church at Kington at the time of his death. He was also a charter member of Clarksburg Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. His wife survived him many years, dying on February 3, 1914.

The only male descendant of the late Wesley Throp is his son, Bruce, who is unmarried, and who lives on the home farm with his sister, Miss Jennie. In fact, these two members of the family of Wesley Throp are the only ones who now reside in Decatur county. Miss Throp is a member of the Kingston Presbyterian church, and for many years has been active in church work. Wesley Throp was a man who was highly respected during his life, a man of honorable and humane impulses, kind to his family and cordial to his neighbors, one of the empire builders, whose work and labors live on, even though the author of the work and labors has passed away.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



MAX RUHL
It is a distinction of no mean importance to have lived to become the oldest living native-born settler of the township of one's residence. This distinction belongs to the venerable Max Ruhl, a retired farmer of Marion township, now living in Millhousen, himself the soil of native-born German parents, who settled in this township three-quarters of a century ago. While it is a considerable distinction to have attained the rank of the oldest living native-born citizen of a township, it is a further distinction to have lived an honorable and useful life in this community and this also belongs to the life works and career of Max Ruhl.

The venerable Max Ruhl, a pioneer citizen and farmer of Marion township, now living retired in Millhousen, was born on February 15, 1843, on a farm in this township in a log cabin, built by his father, the late Gehardt Ruhl. This farm, which now comprises two hundred acres all in one tract, is a productive body of land, which, in recent years, has been maintained in a high state of cultivation. A magnificent house sets back a quarter of a mile from the main road and is reached by a well-kept driveway. Gerhardt Ruhl, who was born in Germany, came to America when a young man and, after working in Cincinnati and Franklin county for some time, in 1840 settled in Marion township, one mile north of Millhousen. It is literally true that his farm was cut out of the virgin forest. Here he cleared in all one hundred and twenty acres of land and, in the meantime, built a comfortable home. He passed away at the age of sixty-six on February 8, 1875. His wife, who, before her marriage, was Mary Ann Peters and to whom he was married at Oldenburg, Franklin county, died on March 10, 1872. They reared a family of ten children, seven of whom are now living and three deceased, Mrs. Caroline Fischer, who was the eldest; Christ, the fourth born, and Catherine, the youngest. The living children are, Max, the subject of this sketch; Joseph, who lives in Cincinnati; Mrs. Mary Henneker, who lives in Millhousen; John, of Minnesota; Grefor, who lives on a farm near Batesville; Adam, of Indianapolis, and Anthony, of Cleveland, Ohio.

When Max Ruhl was a young man, he worked in various parts of the country and, for a considerable period, was engaged in driving a team for a miller at Millhousen, Indiana. After his marriage, in 1872, he came back to the home farm and eventually purchased the interest of the other heirs to his father's and mother's estate in the home farm of one hundred and twenty acres and has since added eighty acres to the original tract, malting in all two hundred acres. When we consider that practically the entire value of this two hundred acres has been created by its present owner and that he has had little assistance of anybody, we can understand his real work as a citizen, since this value could not have been created and this farm could not have been paid for and increased without hard and laborious efforts, unfailing determination, frugal living and careful management, all of which are distinctive marks of worthy citizenship. This venerable pioneer citizen deserves inexpressible credit for his many sturdy qualities of head and heart.

On January 7, 1872, he was married in the state of Ohio to Rosa Spander, who was born on February 15, 1850, and who has been the companion in all of his struggles, trials and tribulations of his early life and the triumphs and comforts of his later years.

In one respect Mr. and Mrs. Ruhl have been exceptionally fortunate, since every one of the six children born to them is still living, is married and rearing a family of his or her own. The names of the children, in the order of their birth, are as follow: Mary, William, John, Clara, Anna and Lawrence. Mary married Joseph Zapfe, of Jennings county, and has eight children, Luella, Esther, Harry, William, Edward, Olivia, Lawrence and Raymond. William, who lives on a farm in Marion township, first married Rosa Herbert. After her death, he married a Miss Rosczell and has two children, Leo and Herbert. John, who lives in Kokomo, in Howard county, Indiana, married Julia Ann Zapfe and has two children, Esther and Albert; Clara became the wife of William Fry, of Marion township, and has three children, Alfred, Olivia and Ferdinand; Anna, who is the wife of Harry Leuken, of Marion township, has four children, Luella, Edna, Frank and Walter, and Lawrence, who married Josephine Blankman, lives on the home place.

Max Ruhl has never been an office seeker nor has he ever been active in the councils of the Democratic party, with which he is affiliated in Marion township, since he has always preferred to devote his time and attention to his home, his family and his farm. The Ruhl family are all members of St. Mary's Catholic church at Millhousen.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



WILLIAM HARRISON ISGRIGG
In the industrial field there are few names better known in Decatur county than that which the reader notes above. One of the most prominent building contractors in southern Indiana, a form of activity to which he turned his attention very naturally, following the footsteps of his father, who was one of the best-known builders and decorators in this part of the state, Mr. Isgrigg has made a name for himself which must be enduring in this region, for the buildings which he has erected hereabout stand as impressive testimonials of the substantial character of his work.

The firm of W. H. Isgrigg & Son, for Mr. Isgrigg's son, Isaac J. Isgrigg, is associated with him, does a business of not less than one hundred thousand dollars to two hundred thousand dollars annually, employing a large number of workmen. This firm has made a specialty of erecting school buildings and is well known in this field, having in the last few years completed twelve high and grade schools. They have also completed many other buildings, such as churches, passenger stations, factories, etc. At the time this is being written, the firm is erecting the Young Men's Christian Association building in Greensburg.

Mr. Isgrigg also as done work in Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Wichita, Colorado City, Ft. Scott, Dodge City and other cities in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska and in Arkansas City and other cities in the West and South. He started contracting in 1873, operating under the firm style of Isgrigg & Brown and later under the firm style of Isgrigg & Tumulty, then for a time he again operated alone, in 1904 taking his son, Isaac J. Isgrigg, into partnership, since which time the firm has been W. H. Isgrigg & Son and has been very successful.

William Harrison Isgrigg was born in the city of Greensburg, Decatur county, on April 16, 1853, the son of Jefferson and Martha Rebecca (Morris) Isgrigg, natives, respectively, of Ripley and Dearborn counties, this state. Jefferson Isgrigg, who was born on November 4, 1828, and died on July 8, 1859, was the son of Elijah Isgrigg, who came to America with his father, Daniel Isgrigg, from England when nine years of age and settled in Ripley county, this state. Jefferson Isgrigg was reared in Ripley county and learned the trade of plasterer and stucco worker, becoming very proficient in that line of work. On February 29, 1852, he married Martha Rebecca Morris, who was born six miles north of Lawrenceburg, in Dearborn county, on December 28, 1833, daughter of Isaac and Matilda (Fitzgerald) Morris, natives, respectively, of Wayne county, Virginia, and Newcastle, Kentucky.

Matilda Fitzgerald was a daughter of Joseph Fitzgerald, a native of Ireland, who fought in the War of American Independence under General Wayne. Isaac Morris was a son of Amos and Rebecca (Tyler) Morris, the latter of whom was a sister of John Tyler, tenth President of the United States.

On March 1, 1853, a little more than a year after his marriage, Jefferson Isgrigg came to Greensburg to perform the ornamental work on the Decatur county court house, which was being erected at that time, and liked the town so well that he remained, making Greensburg his headquarters the rest of his life, although his work required him to travel extensively over the country. To Jefferson and Martha Rebecca (Morris) Isgrigg were born three children, Mrs. Nellie Throp, William Harrison, the subject of this sketch, and Sarah, who was born on January 26, 1856, and died on September 29, 1857.

William H. Isgrigg was educated in the schools of Greensburg and early devoted himself to the building trades, following in the footsteps of his father. With a view to learning the business literally from "the ground up" he began at an early age to learn the bricklayer's trade under William Dyer and Mr. J. W. Stites. At fourteen years of age he started to carrying the hod and served his apprenticeship of three years. Upon completing his trade, he started out as a journeyman workman, going westward through Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. After acquiring some very practical experience by this method, he returned to Greensburg and engaged in contracting on his own account. He later was associated with others in the same line of business, as noted above, and in 1904 made his son, Isaac J. Isgrigg, a partner in the business, since which time the firm has been known as W. H. Isgrigg & Son, one of the most successful and energetic firms of building contractors in the state of Indiana.

On December 10, 1882, William Harrison Isgrigg was united in marriage to Vira Byrum, of this county, and to this union two children have been born, Isaac J., on December 5, 1883, who married Lela Gayette Burke and has two children, Lela Florine and William Shelton, and Mary, July 18, 1885, married Frank Hamilton, a well-known attorney, of Greensburg, a biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume, and has one child, a son, William Everett.

Mr. Isgrigg is a Republican and gives due attention to the political affairs of his home county. He is an active, public-spirited citizen and is deeply interested in the cause of good government, throwing his influence invariably in behalf of such measures as are designed to uplift the common cause of the people. He is a member of Greensburg Lodge No. 136, Free and Accepted Masons, and is warmly interested in the affairs of that order. Starting at the very bottom of the ladder, so to speak, Mr. Isgrigg has created for himself a very distinct position in the industrial life of this part of the state and is honored and respected by all who know him or with whom his extensive building operations bring him in contact.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



DR. CHARLES B. GROVER
Very likely there are no physicians practicing in Decatur county who have had a more general experience in the practice of a profession than Dr. Charles B. Grover, the proprietor of the Grover Sanatorium, which is located in the Everhart block, city of Greensburg, and which is fitted up especially for treating patients in emergency cases. The hospital has twelve beds and two attendant nurses during all hours of the day and night. It is quite natural that Dr. Charles B. Grover should be a successful physician, since he is descended from a family of medical experts, both his grandfathers having been physicians in New Hampshire, the state of his birth.

Born and reared on a farm in the state of New Hampshire, Dr. Charles E. Grover is from every standpoint a self-made man. The parental home, which was located near the new Hampshire and Vermont state line, was the scene of his early labors and the place where his early ambitions began to shape themselves. He was born, May 21, 1851, the son of Andrew T. and Laura (Kimball) Grover, who were intelligent, progressive and broad-minded people, and successful farmers.Subsequently, however, he went from New Hampshire to Chicago, and for a short time was there engaged in the practice with a Doctor Wilson. Later he practiced medicine for seven years at Frankfort, Indiana, with a Doctor Saylor, and during all of this period was improving his medical education and enlarging his information by home study. He had come to be known by the medical profession in the various communities where he had practiced as a profound student of medical science.

In 1894 Doctor Grover came to Decatur county, locating at Greensburg, and one year later established the Doctor Grover Sanatorium, which had met with a very satisfactory measure of success. He is known today as one of the hardest-working physicians in Decatur county, and one who practices medicine for the love of the work, rather than for the desire of gain. Patients are welcome to his office and to his sanatorium. No questions are asked regarding their ability to pay for the treatment they receive. Fitted up with the latest appliances, devised for present-day practice, the sanatorium is especially equipped for the successful treatment of tubercular patients, and many of them have been cured under Doctor Grover's care and treatment. A self-made and a self-educated man, not only in medicine, but along broad and general lines of information, his entire evening periods are now devoted to the acquisition of the latest knowledge available to practitioners of the medical profession. Genial, whole-souled, and indifferent to pecuniary success, Dr. Charles B. Grover has established for himself a place in the hearts of the people of the county seat, which no one is likely very soon to take away. Earnest and sincere in his life's vocation, he deserves to be classed among the citizens of Decatur county as one of nature's own noblemen. Doctor Grover is not only a member of the Decatur County Medical Society, and of the American Association of Progressive Medicine, but formerly he was a member of the American Medical Association.

In 1909 Dr. Charles B. Grover was married to Ethel Clemons, daughter of Henry Clemons, a well-known citizen of Greensburg, to which union two children have been born, Gladys and Laura Margarette.

A member of the Christian church since 1885, Doctor Grover is one of the leading members of the Greensburg congregation, and takes a reverent interest in the affairs of the church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Faribault, Minnesota. A Republican in politics, he has been honored by the people of this county to election as county coroner of Decatur county, and served four years in this office, from 1908 to 1912. During his residence in Clinton county he was deputy coroner there for eight years.

Men of Doctor Grover's type are so few that a community which numbers one among its citizens is fortunate indeed. When his work is finished he will have what money cannot buy, the respect and esteem of this county.

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"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



EDGAR EARL HITE
The lawyer's training is vastly different now from what it was a generation ago. Today the best law schools are within the range of opportunity of every young man who aspires to the legal profession. Most of the younger lawyers have been trained efficiently in the standard law schools of the country. One of the well-known younger attorneys of Greensburg, Indiana, who enjoys the advantages of a splendid preparation for the law and a splendid training in the law, is Edgar Earl Hite.

Mr. Hite was born on October 3, 1881, on a farm near Clarksburg, in Decatur county, the son of Lewis E. and Elizabeth (Miller) Hite, the former of whom was born in 1849 in Rush county, and the latter of whom was born in 1851 in Fairfield, Franklin county, and who died in 1904. Lewis E. Hite is the son of Nicholas Hite, who married Sarah Fisher. The latter was born in 1819 in Pennsylvania, and came overland with her parents from that state in 1830. She died in 1913. The former is a native of Virginia, and was an early settler in Rush county. Nicholas Hite, who was born at Staunton, Virginia, owned a large tract of splendid farming land on the Rush and Decatur county line. Edgar Earl Hite is one of three children born to his parents. The others are Albert M., a farmer, and Charles C., who is fifteen years old.

Edgar E. Hite, after having received a common school education, and having been graduated from the Clarksburg high school, spent the year 1900-01 in Butler College at Indianapolis, and then three months at the Indiana Law School at Indianapolis. Subsequently, he spent four years in Indiana University, from which he was graduated in 1905 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. From 1905 to 1906 Mr. Hite was associated with Judge Douglas Morris, now on the Indiana supreme court. Coming to Greensburg in October, 1907, he began the practice of law here, and served one year as deputy prosecuting attorney.

Since 1910 Mr. Hite has served as city attorney of Greensburg, having been elected by the city council of that year for four years. He was re-elected in 1914 for a term of four years. In 1904 he was a candidate for prosecuting attorney of Decatur and Bartholomew counties, and has always been active in politics. Recognized as one of the leaders of the Democratic party in this county, he served for two years as secretary of the Democratic central committee in Rush county, from 1905 to 1907. From 1908 to 1914 he was secretary of the Democratic central committee of Decatur county. He has also been secretary of the Democratic city committee since living in Greensburg.

Edgar E. Hite was married on October 19, 1908, to Eva M. Cartmel, daughter of Joseph A. and Susan Cartmel, formerly of Clarksburg. Mrs. Hite's father is now deceased. She is the mother of one daughter, Hazel Ione.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar E. Hite are members of the Christian church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. He is at present chancellor commander of the Greensburg Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and exalted ruler Greensburg Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

A young man of affable and agreeable personality, well learned in the law, Edgar E. Hite not only enjoys a comfortable practice in Decatur county, but is a highly respected citizen of the county, and one who enjoys to the fullest degree the confidence of the Decatur county people.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



GEORGE M. SCHEIDLER
All success in this life represents progress, and those who laid down their burden in the dangerous days of the wilderness, planted the seeds that have, by careful pruning and scientific grafting, grown into trees whose fruits have benefited, not only the new country, for which they braved the perils of the seas to reach, but have reached far beyond our own shores, back to the homes of their native soil, and in fact over the entire civilized world, in many instances. For those of us who are interested in evolution and scientific progress, it is a matter of deep regret that we cannot know what will be accomplished along these lines after we are put away under our six feet of ground. The prosperous looking farm wagon of today bears but little resemblance to the oxen-drawn wagons of pioneer days.

George M. Scheidler, wagon-maker, of Marion township, was born on December 1, 1853, in Cincinnati. He is a son of John and Kunigunda (Steger) Scheidler. At the age of fifteen, he began to learn wagon making and repairing and machine repairs, and now conducts a general machine and repair shop at Millhousen, Marion township, which was established in 1862 by his father, and now is operated as the John Scheidler estate. He is a stanch Democrat, was elected trustee in 1908, and served six years. He was justice of the peace from 1878 to 1898, twenty consecutive years, and was notary public from 1898 to 1908, and is a member of St. Mary's church at Millhousen. His present farm covers two hundred acres of land in Marion township.

John Scheidler was born in Waldthurn, Bavaria, on June 19, 1826, and died on December 18, 1898. His wife, Kunigunda (Steger) Scheidler, was born on November 6, 1831, in Bavaria, Germany, where she was reared to young womanhood. He learned the wagon maker's trade in Germany, where he served three years as journeyman wagon wright. He came to America in 1839, and was married at Cincinnati in 1850, to Kunigunda Steger, who had come over with her parents. John came with his two sisters, Mrs. Hager, of Marion township, and Mrs. Anna Haubner, who lives near Cincinnati. In 1862 John came to Millhousen and established the business now carried on his sons. Of their children there are only five who are now living, Adam died at the age of sixty years, at Earl Park; George, subject; John is a blacksmith at Millhousen; Catherine, Michael and Joseph died in infancy; Louis is a blacksmith; Joseph is in the employ of Herbert & Son, millers, at Millhousen; Herman is a farmer and lives in Ripley county; Edward, Francis and Anthony are all dead. John established his shop and dwelling in a little farm building still standing in Millhousen. The business grew to considerable proportions, and in 1870 Mr. Scheidler erected a brick wagon, blacksmith and general machine repair shop, as well as a handsome brick dwelling, in the town, and in addition to this, he owned several pieces of valuable town property. The shop is yet the property of the estate. Mr. Scheidler is a member of St. Mary's Catholic church at Millhousen. He was drafted in the Civil War, but paid a substitute to take his place.

George M. Scheidler was twice married, first to Catharine Koelker, on June 4, 1878. She died on September 10, 1883, leaving one daughter, Olivia (Heidlage) Oldenburg, who has a son, Victor. Mr. Scheidler's second marriage, on May 26, 1885, was to Josephine Huber, who died in April, 1895, leaving three sons, namely: Paul L., Lawrence J., and Carl R. Paul L. is married to Clara, daughter of Joseph Herbert, and has two sons, Norbert and Urban. He is a farmer; Lawrence attended the Terre Haute College, and graduated in 1915, and married Anna Moorman. He is a teacher in the high school, and Carl R. is in a clothing store at Greensburg.

"History of Decatur County, Indiana"
Lewis A. Harding
B. F. Bowen & Co.
Indianapolis, Indiana
published in 1915.



Deb Murray