HARRY STEWART HOPKINS, D. D. S.
The improvements made in the practice of dentistry during the past fifty years would be a matter of deep interest to our pioneer settlers, could they but return to earth and visit one of our modern dental parlors. Everything is so shining and up-to-date, they would almost he tempted to have a tooth pulled, just to see for themselves whether or not dentistry has been robbed of any of its terrors, and to prove the truth of the statement that teeth may be extracted without pain, which statement usually is interpreted as meaning without pain to the dentist. However, due credit must be given to the dentist of today, for he is always on the lookout for the aids that help to lessen the hurt, as well as for those that improve the appearance of his work, in which class of up-to-date dentists none is better known hereabout than Doctor Hopkins, a popular dental surgeon at Greensburg, this county.

Harry Stewart Hopkins was born on May 30, 1874, on a farm near Kingston, this county, a son of James Burney and Susan (Stewart) Hopkins. He was reared on a farm, and attended high school, later attending the Ohio Dental College, at Cincinnati, from which he was graduated in 1896, entering upon the practice of his profession at Greensburg, in the fall of the same year. Doctor Hopkins has been very successful, and has built up an excellent practice. In politics, he is a Republican, and in religion, a Presbyterian. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

James Burney Hopkins, father of Doctor Hopkins, was a native of Dearborn county, born in 1838. He died at the home of his daughter, three miles east of Greensburg, in 1901. He was a farmer all his life, and did service in the Union army, during the Civil War, spending thirty days in an effort to resist Morgan's raid into Indiana. His wife was born in Ohio in 1845 and died in 1890. She was a daughter of Samuel Stewart, a native of Ohio, who came to Decatur county about 1850. They were the parents of three children, Nellie, Elizabeth and Harry Stewart. Nellie married a Mr. Doles, and lives on a farm east of Greensburg. Elizabeth married Bruce McCoy and died in 1901. George Washington Hopkins, of Kentucky, Doctor Hopkins' paternal grandfather, was one of the pioneer settlers of the Kingston neighborhood, having located in this county in 1821.

In 1897 Dr. Harry Stewart Hopkins was united in marriage to Ida C. Hollensbee, daughter of Henry Hollensbee, and to this union two children have been born, Mary and Helen.

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



CHARLES S. TEMPLETON
Charles S. Templeton is a well known farmer of Adams township, this county, who owns two hundred and twenty acres of land, of which eighty acres is situated in Daviess county. Representatives of the Templeton family have resided in this county since 1869, when Robert Templeton, a native of Virginia, came to this county. He died at the age of eighty-seven in this county. His wife, who before her marriage was Mary Holland, is a native of Franklin county, Indiana, and is now living on the home farm at the age of seventy-eight years. The old home farm consists now of sixty acres, but formerly comprised a tract of one hundred and sixty acres.

Charles S. Templeton was born on July 25, 1861, in Franklin county, Indiana, the son of Robert and Mary (Holland) Templeton, being the fourth child born to his parents, and one of a family of eleven children, the others being as follow: George, who lives south of Adams, in this county, and is engaged in farming; Lillie, who died at the age of seven years; David, who lives at Spiceland, Indiana; Mrs. Anna McKee, of Adams township, this county; Mrs. Nannie Bailey, deceased; Morton, of St. Paul, Indiana; Dora, of Hope, Indiana; Dudley, a well-known merchant of St. Paul; Stella, who lives at home with her mother, south of St. Paul, and Roy who is a telegraph operator in Connersville.

Charles S. Templeton was educated in the public schools of this county and began farming at the age of twenty-two years on the farm owned by his father-in-law, the late James Davis. He was located there for three years, and then moved to a farm farther south where he lived for three years, at the end of which time he moved to Daviess county, where he lived for nine years. Returning to Decatur county, Mr. Templeton located in Adams township, and after living on a farm for six years moved to Adams, where for two years he was engaged in the livery business. He then purchased his present home farm of sixty acres. In the meantime Mr. Templeton has acquired additional land until now he owns two hundred and twenty acres.

On January 15, 1882, Charles Templeton was married to Mary E. Davis, who was born in Adams township, this county, the daughter of James and Sarah E. (Holland) Davis, both now deceased, to which union one child has been born, Luna, who married M. T. Platt, of Adams, this county, and has one son, William Templeton.

Mrs. Charles Templeton was born in Adams township, this county, on December 10, 1861, daughter of James and Sarah E. (Holland) Davis, the former of whom was born on April 26, 1829, and died on May 5, 1904, and the latter of whom was born in this county on January 10, 1837, and died on June 12, 1911. James Davis came to this country from County Mayo, Ireland, in 1840, at the age of eleven years, a poor lad without friends and without resources. Settling in Adams township, this county, he lived there for many years and prospered. A good trader and financier, he became in time a very successful man, at the time of his death being the owner of nearly three thousand acres of fine land. We was a man known far and wide for his sterling integrity and rugged honesty, his word ever being regarded to be as good as his bond. Twelve hundred acres of Mr. Davis' land was situated in Daviess county, the remainder being located in Decatur and Shelby counties. That he was recognized as an honorable and upright citizen is proved by the fact that on many occasions he was called on by the courts of different counties to administer estates, a most trustworthy and responsible position.

During his life he dealt heavily in live stock, and was an extensive shipper in this section. He and his wife were the parents of eight children as follow: Euphemia Jane, deceased; George M. C., deceased; John H., deceased; Mrs. Templeton; Robert J., of Clay township; James G. and Edward W. (twins), the former of whom lives on the home farm, and the latter near Milford, and Mrs. Luna Smith, of Clay township.

To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Templeton have come an extraordinary measure of the comforts of life, and they have lived together these many years devoted and loving companions on the pathway of life. Mr. Templeton's standing in the community, as well as his standing among the members of his own family, is adequately proved by the fact that at the death of the late James Davis, his father-in-law, he was called upon by the court and by the family to administer this large estate and performed the duties of that exacting trust not only with credit to himself, but to the entire satisfaction of the members of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Templeton are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Adams and active workers therein, contributing liberally of the means with which fortune has favored them to religious works. Mr. Templeton is a Republican and takes an earnest and intelligent interest in the political affairs of the county, being regarded as a leader in his community.

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



WILLIAM M. ROBERTSON
The preservation of the personal annals of prominent citizens of this generation is not only a pleasing, but a most useful work; one for which the succeeding generations of those represented in the pages of such annals should be very grateful. William W. Robertson, a well-known farmer of Adams township, this county, one of several brothers who have done so much for the agricultural development of Adams township, for many years has stood in the front ranks of agricultural vocational life in this community. Coming from an old and respected family of Decatur county, he is naturally a man who is well known here, where his life has always been an open book, subject to the most searching scrutiny. He has responded nobly and faithfully to all the duties which citizenship in a free country impose upon a man, and has amply won his spurs in the race for success.

William W. Robertson was born on March 20, 1858, on the old Robertson homestead, the son of Oliver Perry and Mary A. (Davis) Robertson, early settlers in Adams township, the former of whom was born in Lawrenceburg, Dearborn county, Indiana, on August 1, 1825, the son of John and Ruth (Ridlen) Robertson, natives of Maryland and early settlers in Dearborn county. After coming to this county, locating in Adams township in 1829, the family became quite prosperous and widely recognized as one of the leading factors in the agricultural life of the community. Mrs. Mary A. (Davis) Robertson, who was the second wife of Oliver P., was born on June 15, 1833, the daughter of John W. and Sarah (Forsythe) Davis, natives of New Jersey, who came to Decatur county about 1830 and settled in Adams township. Mrs. Mary A. (Davis) Robertson died on May 25, 1907. She was the mother of seven children, of whom all are living. Of these children, Josiah W., Franklin, Edward and William W. are farmers in Adams township, this county; Charles lives at Acton, Marion county, Indiana; Lydia is the wife of Elmer Shelhoun, and Ruth is the housekeeper for her brothers, Josiah W. and Edward. The late Oliver P. Robertson, who passed away in 1907, was first married to Nancy Edrington, who was born in 1831, and who died in June, 1852. She was the daughter of Hiram and Rhoda Edrington, natives of Kentucky and pioneers in Adams township. To that union there were born two children, Louisa L. (deceased) and Lafayette, also a farmer of Adams township, this county.

Until he was twenty-five years of age, William W. Robertson lived on the old homestead and in 1883 purchased his farm of one hundred and twenty acres, the farm on which he now resides and where he has lived continuously for a period of thirty-two years. In 1887, four years after purchasing his farm, Mr. Robertson was married to Josephine Thomas Perry, who was born on October 12, 1855, near the Franklin-Decatur county line, the daughter of James and Martha (Ryan) Perry, natives of Indiana and early settlers of Decatur county. Subsequently they moved from Decatur across the line to Franklin county, and thence back to Decatur. When Mrs. Robertson was a child her parents moved to Illinois and settled in Jasper county, where the father died. The mother returned to this state and died in Seymour, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Perry were the parents of four children, namely: Sarah Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Chapman, and died in 1913; Mrs. Mary Isabelle Smith, of Rushville; Mrs. Martha Jane Terhune, of Urbana, Illinois; and Josephine Thomas, who returned to Indiana from Illinois and was here married. No children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, but they have one foster daughter, Mrs. Lillian Leonora Hinkle, who lives in Shelby county.

William W. Robertson is a Republican and for many years has been prominent in the political life of Adams township; well known throughout the county for his political following in the section of the county in which he lives. From May 1, 1906, to January 1, 1909, he was trustee of Adams township. He and his wife have a fine home, which is reached by a driveway from the main road. Their land is fertile and highly productive and as Mr. Robertson is a good farmer, the most has been made of the opportunities thus afforded, with the result that they have prospered. Mr. Robertson's election as township trustee is an evidence of the regard in which he is held by the people of his home community and both he and his wife enjoy the highest esteem of their neighbors.

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



ORLANDO LEE
One of the enterprising farmers of Adams township, this county, well known for his efficient public service in the office of county commissioner, where he served for six years, is Orlando Lee, who lives in the northeast corner of that township. Although he owns forty acres of land, he was formerly engaged in operating three hundred acres of rented land. His claim to distinction in this county is bred not only on his record as a successful farmer, but in the fall of 1904, he was elected to the office of county commissioner by the largest majority ever given a candidate for that office, being elected on the Republican ticket. His repeated re-elections afforded the most tangible evidence that could be cited of his efficient service and the universal satisfaction which he gave in that office.

Orlando Lee was born on August 30, 1850, in Tipton county, Indiana, the son of Randolph and Eliza (Summerville) Lee, who came to Decatur county on September 26, 1863, Orlando being then thirteen years of age.

Randolph Lee, who was born in Kentucky in 1824, came to Decatur county first in 1842 and here learned the wheelwright's trade from the late Samuel Hood. He was married in 1846 and two years later moved to Tipton county and fifteen years later returned to Decatur county. In 1877 he moved to the state of Kansas, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was a Scottish Rite Mason of the thirty-second degree. His wife was the daughter of Joseph Summerville, a pioneer settler of Fugit township, this county. To them were born ten children, namely: Philander, deceased; Orlando, the subject of this sketch; Amanda, who died in Rush county on March 22, 1875; Joseph, who lives at Pawhuska, Oklahoma; Mrs. Mary Barlow, who lives at Stillwater, Oklahoma; Ira, who lives at New Albany, Kansas; Mrs. Margaret Ridgeway, who resides in Koweda, Oklahoma; John, deceased; William, who lives at Ramona, Oklahoma, and Randolph, Jr., deceased.

In 1867, when the Lee family moved to Rush county, Indiana, they were accompanied by their son, Orlando, the subject of this sketch, who lived there until 1892, in which year he purchased his farm in Decatur county, giving one thousand dollars for the tract. At the time he went heavily in debt for the land but has since been able to pay for the farm and has lately refused one hundred and twenty-five dollars an acre. Mr. Lee has a beautiful country home, of which he has every reason to be proud. In 1914 he raised ninety-six acres of wheat and seventy-two acres of corn. On January 12, 1915, at a sale, he sold sixty head of hogs and seven head of horses. In late years he has been engaged in the sale of fertilizer throughout Decatur county, as a representative of the Reed Phosphate Company, and has been very successful, selling large quantities of fertilizer in this county.

On September 30, 1875, Orlando Lee was married to Katie Hardesty, who was born on March 18, 1849, near St. Omer, in Adams township, the daughter of George Hardesty. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are members of the Milroy Christian church and for years have been considered among the leaders in all good works in that community, being held in the highest regard by all who know them.

In the community in which he lives, Mr. Lee is known as one of those men whose word is as good as his bond and who maintains a friendly and sympathetic interest in the welfare of his neighbors, a cordial and intimate relationship with his fellow citizens and a patriotic, optimistic attitude toward the government of which he is a part. He is a good citizen, who stands first and foremost for law and order and one who believes that good government is the result of electing to office men, who are not only right in intentions and possessed of honorable purposes, but men who likewise understand the needs of those whom they would serve.

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



ISRAEL D. JEWETT
The gentleman whose name appears above is widely known as one of the honored old residents of Decatur county. For nearly three-quarters of a century he has been identified with this community, while, since attaining mature years, he has been a valued factor in the development of the county, being prominently identified with the various interests of his locality. His well-directed energies in the practical affairs of life, his capable management of his own business interests and his sound judgment have demonstrated what may be accomplished by a man of energy and ambition, who, persevering often in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, has proved that he is the possessor of those innate qualities necessary to bring success, if properly directed.

Israel D. Jewett was born in Adams township, this county, on March 15, 1842, and has lived continuously in that township. The brick house in which he now lives was built by his father and the place is numbered among the best old homesteads of that part of the county. The father of Israel D. Jewett, Hiram D. Jewett, was born on January 17, 1822, and died on March 25, 1890, and his wife, Malinda (Israel) Jewett, was born on May 7, 1823, and died on October 22, 1880. She was the daughter of Thomas and Christiana (Deem) Israel, the former of whom died on August 17, 1858, and the latter on May 25, 1834. The paternal grandparents of Israel D. Jewett were David and Elizabeth (Crosby) Jewett, natives of New Jersey, where David Jewett died on April 30, 1860. The Jewetts were among the first settlers of Adams township, this county, locating near the present site of Downeyville, where he built a stone house and acquired a large tract of land. He built the old Picayune mills and in the early days was a distiller of whisky and also operated a tannery. He built the first saw-mill on Flat Rock river and also the first grist-mill. He served as justice of the peace, or "squire," for many years and was widely known for his honesty and high sense of justice. He was, as stated above, a pioneer in his community and a leader in all movements for the advancement of the welfare of the locality in which he lived.

Hiram D. Jewett was reared and married in Adams township and for a time operated a farm on Flat Rock, later settling on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. For a number of years he operated a general store at St. Omer, which he sold and with the proceeds bought a tract of land which he gradually enlarged, until his real estate holdings amounted to three hundred and ninety-six acres. Hiram D. Jewett was prominent in the community and for years served efficiently as trustee of Adams township.

Israel D. Jewett was educated in the schools of St. Omer and, upon reaching manhood, opened a general store at Adams, which he operated for two years. He then engaged in the mercantile business at St. Omer, which occupied his attention from 1872 to 1888, after which, for four years, he was engaged in business at Williamstown. He then moved to Greensburg, where he bought property, erected a comfortable home and remained for fifteen years, at the end of which time he moved to the home farm and has remained there ever since. He has now practically retired from active business, although he maintains an active supervision of the three hundred and ninety-six acres comprising his estate, from which he derives a very comfortable income.

Mr. Jewett has always allied himself with the Republican party and has been stanch in his espousal of its principles. He formerly was a member of the Masonic order and has, in his life, demonstrated the nobility of its teachings.

Though practically retired from active life, Mr. Jewett retains a warm interest in the welfare of the community with which his entire life has been identified and has clone much for its advancement and progress. He is the owner of the Jewett Telephone Company, which has proved to be one of the best public-utility corporations in this section of the state and, in other ways, has demonstrated that he is a man of sound business principles, progressive ideas and untiring energy.

On March 22, 1870, Israel D. Jewett was married, at Indianapolis, to Samantha J. Mann, who was born in Brown county, Ohio, on March 14, 1848, the daughter of John W. and Sarah (Dye) Mann, natives of Ohio, who died in Brown county, Ohio, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, respectively, the latter on December 3r, 1883. Upon the death of her father, when she was quite young, Samantha Mann was cared for by an uncle in Rush county, Indiana; her mother going to one of the southern states, where she afterwards remarried. Mrs. Jewett has neither father, mother, sister nor brother. She received her education in the public schools and taught school in Decatur and Shelby counties, beginning this vocation before she was eight years of age. She later attended Franklin College and received a well-rounded education. She is a woman of splendid attainments and is held in the highest regard by all who know her. To Israel D. and Samantha J. (Mann) Jewett have been born the following children: Ora H., born on September 17, 1871, who lives in Indianapolis, married Jennie Thomson and has three children, Robert, Marie and Caryl, the latter deceased; Ettie M., October 31, 1872, died on April 5, 1909; and Earl D.

Earl D. Jewett was born on March 31, 1880, and received his education in the public schools. Following his graduation from the Greensburg high school, in furtherance of his desire to make the practice of medicine his life work, he matriculated in the Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis and subsequently became a student in the Illinois Medical College at Chicago, from which latter institution he was graduated in 1904. He then went West, locating in Grant's Pass, Oregon, where he practiced his profession for one year and six months, at the end of which time he returned to Indiana and for three years was located at Richland and Milroy, later moving to St. Paul, this county, where he has ever since continued in the practice of his profession.

Well trained and keeping abreast of the times in his profession, Doctor Jewett has met with well-deserved success and is now numbered among the successful and prominent physicians of this community. Doctor Jewett is a member of the Decatur County Medical Society and takes a deep interest in its proceedings. In addition to his professional interests, Doctor Jewett is engaged in the operation of the Jewett Telephone Company, which was established by his father in 1894 and which has been under the doctor's management since 1909. The lines are connected with a number of other exchanges so that the subscribers receive the best of service and are connected with all points in Rush and Decatur counties. Doctor Jewett is a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and is physician for that order in Decatur county.

In 1906 Dr. Earl D. Jewett was united in marriage to Maude Yeager, a daughter of Samuel Yeager, of Blue Ridge, Shelby county, and to this union have been born two children, Justine Ione and Emma Fern.

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



EZRA L. PLEAK
Among the well-known farmers of a past generation in Decatur county, Indiana, was Ezra Larkin Pleak, who, prior to the time of his death, February 13, 1913, owned three hundred and eighty acres of farming land in this county. Of him it may be said that he began life in humble circumstances, but slowly and gradually worked his way up to a position of prominence among the farmers of this township. Ezra Larkin Pleak had the good fortune to select for his wife, not only a good woman, but one of superior business ability, and one who proved of great assistance to him in their struggles for success. He died on his farm in Jackson township within ten feet of where he was born.

Ezra Larkin Pleak, until his death a successful farmer of Jackson township, was born, October 24, 1844, the son of Llewellyn and Emily (Menifee) Pleak, the former of whom died in 1850 and the latter of whom, born, April 18, 1818, in Scott county, Kentucky, was the daughter of Larkin and Charity Menifee, who removed from Kentucky to Indiana in 1832 and settled in Decatur county. Emily E. Menifee was married to Llewellyn Pleak, November 5, 1840, and after her husband's death, in 1853, married William Cure. At her death, March 3, 1902, she had two sons living: Ezra Larkin, the subject of this sketch, and Joseph Cure, who died in April, 1915. A sister, Barthena Pleak, the wife of Thomas J. Clark, was born, June 6, 1842, and died July 8, 1900.

The Pleak family in Decatur county had its origin in this country through Johann Pleak, a Hollander, who came to America in the middle of the eighteenth century and settled in Kentucky, in the neighborhood of Castletons Fort, now Mt. Sterling, where he married a Miss Wade, a sister of General Wade, of Revolutionary fame, and to them was born a son, Fielden Blickenstorfer Pleak. In 1818 Fielden Blickenstorfer Pleak married Sabina Virt, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and of Dutch descent, who was six months old when her parents emigrated to Bryants Station, Kentucky, and where she lived at the time of her marriage. Following their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Fielden Pleak moved across the Ohio river, settling at Cressplains, Jefferson county, Indiana, where they remained only a short time. On March 11, 1822, they came to Decatur county, entering a farm in Washington township; this farm is still in possession of the Pleak family.

Johann Pleak, whose mother was a Blickenstorfer, born in Holland, April 15, 1826, came with his two brothers and a sister to America, landing at Jamestown. Joseph, one of the brothers, went to North Carolina and was never heard of again. The sister was married in Pennsylvania to a man by the name of Throgmorton, and reared a large family. Johann presently settled in Kentucky, where he purchased a tract of land. He became a well known scout in this pioneer state in the neighborhood of Castletons Fort, and had many interesting experiences with the Indians, who were very much afraid of him. He was married to the sister of General Wade at Castletons Fort. They had three sons and three daughters. One son was slain by the Indians; the other two were Dawson and Fielden, heretofore referred to.

The first shelter which Fielden Pleak set up in Decatur county after his removal here was a brush lean-to, covered with branches of trees and blankets, which served as a home until a log cabin could be erected. After being in Decatur county a short time, Fielden returned to Kentucky to bring back his furniture. Upon his return he found that his wife during his absence had sawed logs and erected the first four courses of a log cabin, and here the family was reared. Fielden Blickenstorfer Pleak, who was born, December 24, 1792, died, December 29, 1835. His wife, Sabina Virt, died December 24, 1875. They were married, June 9, 1814, and had a family of thirteen children, of whom Llewellyn, the father of Ezra Larkin, was the second born. The names of the children in the order of birth were as follows: Louisa, who married Charles Miller; Llewellyn, Joseph Dawson, John Isaac, George G. W. E., Catherine, Joseph D., Eletvan, America, Susannah, Norcus Baron Steuben, Isaac Henry Fielden and Louis.

Ezra Larkin Pleak, the son of Llewellyn Pleak and the grandson of Fielden Pleak, and the great-grandson of Johann Pleak, the founder of the Pleak family in America, was an orphan at the age of five, and was reared by his uncle, Steuben B.

On August 16, 1866, the late Ezra Pleak was married to Lucinda Bruce, who was born, November 10, 1849, in Jackson township, the daughter of Hiram and Mary Ann (Nevitt) Bruce, the former of whom was born, January 10, 1825, in Dearborn county, Indiana, and who died, April 28, 1900, and the latter of whom was born, December 16, 1831, and who now lives in Westport. Hiram Bruce was the son of Stephen Bruce, who married a Miss Rivers, and who was the captain on a steamboat. Stephen came to Ripley county in 1828. Hiram Bruce was employed on a steamboat on the Ohio river and married Mary Ann Nevitt, January 1, 1849. After their marriage they removed to Decatur county, Indiana, in the spring of 1850, erecting a log cabin and clearing a farm. The children were compelled to blaze their way to school through the wilderness. In 1853 the parents built a frame house. Subsequently, they owned two hundred and forty acres of land, which they inherited from David Nevitt, Mrs. Pleak's maternal grandfather. Hiram and Mary Ann (Nevitt) Bruce had ten children, of whom four are deceased.

The names of the children in the order of birth are as follows: Mrs. Lucinda Pleak, Mrs. Mary Gartin, Mrs. Alice Gartin, Mrs. Belle Lemasters, Mrs. Lizzie Lemasters, deceased; Mrs. Ida Gwynn, deceased; Charles, deceased; John, who lives with Mrs. Pleak; Hiram, who was killed in a railroad wreck near Cleveland, Ohio, and George, of North Vernon.

Mr. and Mrs. Pleak began their married life with sixty acres of land, which he inherited. Later, they purchased sixty acres from his sister. It was bare land without any improvements except an old log cabin in a bad state of repair. They were compelled to clear the land. Ponds stood on the place and it was necessary to install elaborate drainage. Later they were able to build a good home on high ground, and prospered. Of the three hundred and eighty acres which Mr. and Mrs. Pleak owned at the time of his death, eighty acres of it belonged to Mrs. Pleak in her own right, which she acquired as the result of raising chickens in a period of three years. She now owns the whole farm, having purchased the interest of the heirs, and has since sold sixty acres, and she now has three hundred and twenty acres in her own right. Mrs. Pleak and her brother operate one hundred and twenty acres, and her sons operate the other land. Some of the many buildings on the farm have been built by Mrs. Pleak since her husband's death.

To Mr. and Mrs. Ezra Larkin Pleak were born six children, one of whom is deceased: Mary Louisa, who was born, September 13, 1867, and died, July 27, 1894, was the wife of John H. Spear, to whom she was married, May 23, 1886, and who at the time of her death left one son, Oda; Dr. Ezra H., who was horn, May 30, 1869, and lives at Evansville, and who has been married three times, his first wife being a Miss Anthers, has four children, Carl E., Freda M., Thelma N. and Mary L., who have been partly reared by their grandmother; Orda E., who was born, March 12, 1871, and lives at Letts, married Nevada Evans and they have eight children, Asa D., Mary Leone, Wayne F., Alfonso Lee, Bernice I., Ardra, Dale and Gerald; Steuben D., who was born, January 1, 1873, married Marie Vanosdal, August 19, 1911; Charles F., who was born on December 9, 1874, and who lives in Jackson township, was married, August 15, 1897, to Daisy D. Borden, and they are the parents of eight children, Vera F., Cecil F., Gladys M., Iola B., Norma Louisa, Naomi L., Orion E. and Helen Leota; Walter E., who was born, March 1, 1877, married Gertrude Dunden, April 8, 1903, and they have two children, Maurice D. and Ruth Isabel, living in Jackson township, near Sardinia.

The late Ezra Larkin Pleak was a member of Mt. Aerie Baptist church, as is also his wife. He was a Republican in politics and recorded his first vote for Lincoln. A skillful and enterprising farmer, an efficient and upright citizen, a kind husband and loving father, the late Ezra Larkin Pleak was widely mourned by the people of Jackson township, where he had many friends. Although his work is ended here, his influence goes on to mold for good the lives of his children and the lives of those with whom he came in contact during life.

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



LORIN A. JEWETT
No resident of Adams township, this county, is better known in the township, or in this section of the state, since Mr. Jewett's acquaintance extends through several counties, than the subject of this sketch. He belongs to an old and highly respected family in this section, his grandfather having been one of the pioneer settlers in Adams township, having entered, upon his arrival here in 1823 from New York state, three thousand acres of land in that part of the county, much of which is still held by the Jewett family. Mr. Jewett is the township trustee and a well-known merchant of St. Paul, this county, senior member of the firm of L. A. Jewett & Son.

Lorin A. Jewett was born on October 28, 1861, on a farm three miles north of Adams, the son of Orin C. and Phoebe (Smith) Jewett, the former of whom was born in 1829, and who died in 1907, and the latter of whom was born on July 29, 1829. Orin C. Jewett was born on the farm entered by his father, David Jewett, and the two-story stone house still standing on the land was built by the latter. Orin C. Jewett built a house a quarter of a mile distant from the stone house of his father. The Jewett family, which was established in this section by David Jewett, who died in 1861, is one of the leading families in Decatur county. The founder of the family in this section was an Englishman who married a German woman. Their son, Orin C. Jewett, spent all his life, with the exception of six months, on the old homestead farm in Adams township, and at the time of his death was the owner of four hundred and thirteen acres, having begun with two hundred and forty acres. David Jewett erected a grist-mill at Downeyville, on the Little Flat Rock river, and or many years operated that mill, the pioneers coming from a distance of twenty miles to have their grain ground. Lorin A. Jewett was one of six children born to his parents, the others being as follow: Charles and Frank D., who live in Greensburg with their mother and who operate the home farm; Effie, the wife of J. T. Kercheval, a farmer living in Washington township, two miles east of Greensburg; Mrs. Mary Farlow, of Greensburg, and Mrs. Bertha Bentley, whose husband is a farmer of this county.

Reared on the farm and educated in the public schools of Adams township, Lorin A. Jewett taught school for twenty years in Decatur county. For three years he was a student at Hartsville College, and for two years was in attendance at the Central Indiana Normal School at Danville, Indiana. In college he prepared himself for teaching and bookkeeping. In the fall of 1906 he engaged in business at St. Paul, in a large brick building, and has been thus engaged since that time. He has a large stock of merchandise and has built up an excellent trade. His store is arranged on the department plan, and is admirably managed. Mr. Jewett has an extensive trade, not only in Adams township, this county, but over the line in Shelby and Rush counties, his store being one of the most popular thereabout.

On December 25, 1887, Lorin A. Jewett was married at Danville, Indiana, to Sallie Green, daughter of Henry Green, of Danville, and to this union has been born one son, Kenneth L., born on December 6, 1888, who is engaged in business with his father, as the junior member of the firm of L. A. Jewett & Son.

Lorin A. Jewett was elected township trustee of Adams township on the Democratic ticket in the fall of 1914. For five years he has served as secretary of the St. Paul Building and Loan Association. The Jewett family are all earnest and faithful members of the Christian church. Fraternally, Mr. Jewett is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, in all of which organizations he takes an active interest. He holds membership with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Greensburg, with the Red Men and Odd Fellows at St. Paul, with the Eagles at Greensburg, and with the Masonic fraternity at Waldron.

A successful merchant and a well-known citizen, L. A. Jewett deserves to rank as one of the representative citizens of Decatur county, a man of generous impulses, of splendid business ability and of pleasing personal parts.

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



ALBERT G. TAYLOR
Albert G. Taylor, a well-known farmer of Adams township, this county, who owns a highly-profitable farm of two hundred acres in that township, belongs to a family which was established in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, in 1832, when that township was practically a wilderness. Although Mr. Taylor is neither one of the largest farmers nor the largest stockmen of this county, he has made a very gratifying success of his two hundred acre tract and has an annual output of about two hundred head of hogs and some forty or fifty head of cattle.

Born on March 10, 1847, Albert G. Taylor, who has lived in Adams township for the past twelve years, is a native of Sand Creek township, Decatur county, the son of George and Anna (Hill) Taylor, who are natives of Pennsylvania, born and reared in that state. After their marriage they came west in 1842 and settled in Sand Creek township, this county, where they purchased three hundred acres of timber land, built a log cabin and made ready to clear and develop their farm. In this they were very successful, and presently came to be regarded as among the well-to-do residents of that community. George Taylor died at the age of seventy-five years and his wife died at the age of sixty-five.

Of the ten children born to George and Anna (Hill) Taylor, seven are still living. Isaac died in 1905, Mrs. Elizabeth Robbins died in 1885, and Mrs. Jane Samuels died in 1890. The living children are as follow: Albert G., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Anne Rayles, of Carroll county, Indiana; Frank, of Greensburg, this county; Mrs. Alice Myers, of Sand Creek township, this county; John Anderson; Merritt, of Jackson township, and Belle, who makes her home with her brother, Albert G.

After attending school in Sand Creek township, and living at home with his parents until twenty-three years of age, Albert G. Taylor rented a farm in Sand Creek township, having previously engaged in farm work for hire in that neighborhood. From his savings Mr. Taylor was able eventually to buy one hundred and forty-two acres in Sand Creek township and later to add forty acres to this original tract. making one hundred and eighty-two acres in all. There he lived until 1903, in which year he add that farm and removed to Adams township, purchasing his present farm of two hundred acres.

In 1869 Albert G. Taylor was married to Rachel Stout, who was born in Franklin county, this state, in 1849, the daughter of the Rev. Joab Stout, a pioneer Baptist minister, who came to Decatur county from Franklin county when Rachel was an infant. The marriage proved a very happy one, and Mr. Taylor and his wife lived together, true and devoted companions, until Mrs. Taylor's death, December 26, 1910. To them six children were born, namely: Alpha H., who became a teacher in the Decatur county schools at the age of seventeen, later taking a course at Franklin College, going thence to the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute, from which she was graduated, and is now a teacher in the public schools of Gary, Indiana. Mrs. Myrta Myers, of Connersville, Indiana, who has one child, Dorothy; Mrs. Luna Burton, of Atlanta, Georgia, who has one child, Wynne; May, who lives at home with her father; Mrs. Edith West, of Indianapolis, who has two children, Albert and Robert, and Luther, who lives at home and is engaged in farming.

Mr. Taylor is a member of the Baptist church, as was Mrs. Taylor before her death, and their children were reared in that faith. Mr. Taylor has lived to rear a large family of children, all of whom are leading honorable, useful and successful lives and has the gratification of knowing that his own career in this respect has been successful. He has the further satisfaction of knowing that he enjoys the confidence and esteem of his neighbors and fellow citizens, all of whom hold him in the highest regard.

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



LAFAYETTE ROBERTSON
In these latter days farming has become a vocation for highly trained and educated minds and the haphazard processes of former generations must be given up if men are to succeed in this generation. Many far-seeing farmers have anticipated this modern development in agriculture and themselves have adopted and followed improved methods and scientific processes for many years. Lafayette Robertson, a well-known farmer of Adams township, is a man who not only understands the business of farming as a business, but who practices farming as a business and who has managed to make it pay him handsome returns.

Lafayette Robertson was born in Decatur county, Indiana, on March 15, 1852, the son of Oliver Perry and Nancy (Edrington) Robertson, the former of whom was born in 1825 and died in 1907, and the latter born in 1831 and died in June, 1852. Oliver Perry Robertson, a native of Decatur county, was the son of John and Ruth (Ridlen) Robertson, the former a native of West Virginia, who settled in this county in 1823. Mrs. Nancy (Edrington) Robertson was the daughter of Hiram and Rhoda Edrington, natives of Kentucky and pioneer settlers in Adams township, this county, where they cleared the land for their farm, built a log house and later erected a large brick house, now owned by E. Shelhorn.

When Lafayette Robertson was only four years old, his father moved to the old Robertson homestead, which is in sight of Lafayette Robertson's present home. The late Oliver P. Robertson lived to rear a large family of children and to become quite well-to-do, owning, at the time of his death, one hundred and sixty acres of land. By his first marriage two children were born, Louisa L. (deceased) and Lafayette, the subject of this sketch. After the death of his first wife, Oliver P. Robertson married, secondly, Mary Ann Davis, who died in 1909. To this second union eight children were born, namely: Warren, who lives on a farm west of Adams; John; Frank, who lives in Adams township, south of his brother Warren's residence; William W., who lives three-quarters of a mile west of the old Edrington home; Charles T., of Marion county, Indiana; Edward, who resides with Warren; Ruth, who lives in Adams township, and Mrs. Lydia Shelhorn, who lives in the old Edrington home. Lafayette Robertson lived at home until seventeen years of age and then worked as a farm hand for six years. After his marriage he lived on the old homestead for two or three years and then rented and moved to the Nelson Jewett farm, which he bought several years later and has lived there for thirty-seven years.

On April 7, 1875, Lafayette Robertson was married to Emma Jewett, who was born on July 31, 1855, in a brick house on the same farm where she is now living, the daughter of Nelson and Ruth (Hayes) Jewett, the former of whom was born in 1820 in Hamilton county, Ohio, the son of David Jewett and who died on September 28, 1882, and the latter of whom was the daughter of Jacob Hayes, an early settler of Jackson township, who was born in 1824 and who died on September 29, 1887. Mrs. Robertson is the third in order of birth of the children born to her parents, the others being as follow: Mrs. Julia Hill, deceased; Mrs. Elizabeth McCoy, who died on January 22, 1915; Mrs. Fannie White, of Greensburg; Mrs. Clara White, also of Greensburg, and several who died in infancy.

To Lafayette and Emma (Jewett) Robertson have been born three children, one of whom died in infancy, those living being Mrs. Myrta Anderson, of Adams township, this county, and Mrs. Nellie Mullikin, who lives in Ridgeville, Indiana, and has one child, Robert Stanley.

At one time Mr. Robertson served a term as a member of the county council. Politically, he is now identified with the Progressive party. He is a man well known throughout Adams township and today is regarded as a leader in the agricultural affairs of this township, a man of gracious personality, who has mastered the vocation in which he is engaged and whose efforts have met with a most satisfactory and gratifying degree of success.

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



WILLIAM S. KETCHUM
William S. Ketchum was born in 1834 in Hamilton county, Ohio, the son of Benjamin and Rhoda (Beem) Ketchum, the former of whom was a native of New York and who came to Ohio, where his son, William S., the subject of this sketch, grew to manhood.

At the age of twenty-two years William S. Ketchum married Elizabeth Bevington, a native of Miami county, Ohio, to which union six children were born, four of whom are still living, namely: Benjamin K., of Grant county, Indiana; William E., of Decatur county, a farmer and preacher living near Mt. Pleasant; Mrs. Arminta Knaar, the wife of Adam Knaar, of Greensburg, and Isom Ketchum, of Indianapolis. The mother of these children died in the early seventies and William S. Ketchum, in 1879, married, secondly, Mary M. Williams, the daughter of Peter and Eliza (Palmer) Williams, the latter of whom was the daughter of David and Annie (Hammond) Palmer, natives of New York state. Annie (Hammond) Palmer came with her parents from England, where she was born in 1794. When eighteen years old she was married to David Palmer, who shortly afterwards became a soldier in the War of 1812, serving as a member of the troop of light horse artillery recruited in New York state. Annie (Hammond) Palmer was ninety-four years old when she passed away in Dearborn county, Indiana, in 1888, to which county she and her husband had come from their home in New York state, and where her husband died in 1853. They were the parents of ten children, of whom Eliza (Palmer) Williams, the mother of Mary M. (Williams) Ketchum, was the third child. Eliza [Palmer) Williams was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, in 1819, shortly after the removal of the family to this state. She grew to womanhood there and in 1842 married Peter Williams, a native of Kentucky, and one of the descendants of Roger Williams. Peter Williams died in Dearborn county, Indiana, about 1844. His widow married John Fawcett, a native of Ohio, about the year 1853, and they spent the rest of their lives in Dearborn county, she having been one of the oldest citizens of that county at the time of her death.

William S. Ketchum saw service in the Union army during the Civil War as a soldier in Company G, One Hundred and Tenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving under Colonel Kiefer. This regiment was attached to the army of General Grant and was present at eighteen decisive and severe battles, of which the battles of the Wilderness, Mission Ridge, Gettysburg and Winchester were among the most famous. In 1862, in front of Petersburg, on the skirmish line, Mr. Ketchum was shot through the lungs and after that was confined in the hospital for six months. When he recovered the war was over and he came to Decatur county, where for years he was successfully engaged in farming, and is now living retired at his pleasant home in Greensburg.

Mr. Ketchum is a Democrat of the Andrew Jackson variety. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greensburg, and of the Baptist church. He is known as a good man, a patriotic citizen and as one who has been a brave and efficient soldier. Naturally, he is highly respected by the people of this county, who hold him in high esteem.

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



GEORGE W. SHUPERD
George W. Shuperd, a retired citizen of Adams township, this county, the son of a veteran of the Civil War, and himself a soldier of that great war, was one of the color bearers on the morning that General Johnston surrendered to General Sherman, one of the concluding events of the great Civil War.

George W. Shuperd was born in 1841, in Adams township, Decatur county, Indiana, the son of John and Elizabeth (Wood) Shuperd, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Decatur county about 1823 from Pennsylvania, the family being of Pennsylvania-Dutch origin. Elizabeth Wood was a native of Virginia, a daughter of James Wood, a member of one of the old families of Virginia, of English origin. John Shuperd and Elizabeth Wood were married in Decatur county, and to that union twelve children were born, of whom George W. was the fourth in order of birth. John Shuperd, a well-known cooper of this county, was sixty years of age when the Civil War broke out, but despite his years, enlisted in the Eighth Indiana Cavalry, under Colonel Jones, and served over two years, being discharged for disability. He was a brave and efficient soldier and a man of much strength of character, a useful factor in his community. He died in 1899.

George M. Shuperd was reared to the life of the farm and in 1861 married Emily Byrum, daughter of James and Nellie (Davis) Byrum, the former of whom was a native of North Carolina, of English ancestry. Members of the family were early settlers in Virginia. James Byrum was married in Kentucky, and soon after his marriage came to Decatur county, where he entered land in Adams township, and become a prosperous and successful farmer. He and his wife reared twelve children, of whom Emily, born in Decatur county in 1843, was the youngest.

One year after his marriage, in 1862, George W. Shuperd enlisted in the Thirty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and Eighth Cavalry, recruited in Indiana, and served until the close of the war. He was with General Sherman on his famous march to the sea, and was one of the color bearers when General Johnston surrendered to General Sherman, which event practically marked the close of the war. Mr. Shuperd saw strenuous service in this, the greatest of his country's wars. He is authority for the statement that during one of General Kilpatrick's campaigns "for twenty-one days the saddle was not taken from his horse and when it was removed the hair and hide came with it." Mr. Shuperd retains a vivid recollection of the stirring scenes through which he passed during the war. His regiment, which went into the war eleven hundred strong, was mustered out with only two hundred and fifty soldiers remaining. After the surrender of Johnston, Mr. Shuperd was detailed to break up the bands of guerrillas, the remnants of the armies of Morgan, Forrest and Wheeler which had disintegrated into roving and pillaging bands. He came home from the army in August, 1865, and began farming, which he followed for about ten years, at the end of which time he entered the butcher business, in which he was quite successful.

To George W. and Emily (Byrum) Shuperd three children have been born, two of whom, namely: Oliver, born on January 19, 1862, who died on March 30, 1873; Sarlinda, born in June, 1866, died when fourteen months old; John, born in 1872, who lives in Adams township, married Jane Waits, who died on May 5, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Shuperd have also reared three grandchildren, Dolly Ray, Pearl May and Carlos Melvern Shuperd.

George W. Shuperd has been a life-long Republican and is proud of the fact. He is a man of remarkably strong body and mind. Mr. and Mrs. Shuperd are members of the Christian church and enjoy the highest regard of their many friends.

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



ROBERT ANDERSON
The venerable Robert Anderson, of Clay township, this county, is another of those distinguished sons of '61 to '65, who, at the call of his country for the preservation of the Union, abandoned the peaceful pursuits of life and went out on the field of battle to yield up his life, if necessary, in behalf of the cause of freedom.

Robert Anderson was born in Butler county, Ohio, on October 26, 1838, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Frazier) Anderson, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, who migrated to Butler county, Ohio, in pioneer times and settled there on a farm. He was a Democrat in politics and a substantial citizen of the county, well known and highly respected throughout that section.

In August, 1862, Robert Anderson, Jr., enlisted in Company C, Ninety-third Regiment, Rosseau's Brigade, Third Division, Fourth Army Corps, as a private. At the battle of Missionary Ridge he was wounded in the shoulder and was confined to the hospital until the spring of 1864, when he again joined his command. In the summer of 1864, still unable, on account of his severe wounds, to resume active service he guarded cattle below Chattanooga, and drove them to Big Shanty, where he turned them over to the Fourth Army Corps and then returned to his regiment. He remained with the regiment unti1 June 15, 1865, when he received an honorable discharge and returned home.

Among the many severe and bloody battles in which Robert Anderson was engaged were those of Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Franklin, Nashville, New Hope church, and various engagements of the Atlantic campaign. After the battle of New Hope Church he was taken ill and was sent to the hospital camp at Chattanooga. Mr. Anderson had two brothers in the war, both serving in the same regiment with him. They were captured by the enemy and compelled to endure the horrors of both Libby prison and Andersonville.

On September 24, 1868, Robert Anderson was married to Elizabeth Ferguson, daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Nicholson) Ferguson, of Decatur county. To this happy union were born the following children: Alvin E., of Shelby county; Henry R., of Greensburg; Albert F., of Adams township; Mrs. Orpha Altizer and Mrs. Daisy Wright, of Greensburg. Upon the close of the war Robert Anderson, who then was without funds, worked at various occupations until about 1875, when he purchased sixty acres of land south of Greensburg. After owning the sixty acres about three years, he sold it and purchased one hundred and twenty acres in Adams and Clay townships, going in debt for the same to the extent of five thousand dollars, and after ten or twelve years of diligent effort was able to remove this indebtedness. Today he is regarded as a solid and substantial citizen of Decatur county, intensely patriotic in his devotion to his country and the flag; a man of good business ability and strong moral fiber.

Though always a Republican in politics, Mr. Anderson is more a patriot than a partisan. His first vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln and he has never wavered in his allegiance to the party of the great emancipator. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greensburg and of the Methodist church, with which church Mrs. Anderson also is connected. Mr. Anderson has been living a retired life for about fourteen years and is comfortably situated and able to enjoy life, he and his wife enjoying the utmost respect and esteem of their many friends.

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



Deb Murray