Edward Kessing is statistician for the Bureau of Commerce in Greensburg, Indiana, and Democratic county chairman. He was born on March 13, 1854, in Franklin county, Indiana, being the son of Herman H. and Elizabeth (Schroeder) Kessing. The father of Mr. Kessing was a native of Germany, being born there in 1823. He came to America in 1839, and became one of the first hatters in Cincinnati, where he learned the business. Previous to his marriage he had worked on the construction of the Ohio & Erie canal. It is interesting to know in this connection that it was while working on the canal that he learned to speak the English language. In 1851 he bought a farm in Franklin county, and operated it for several years, then removed to Decatur county, and purchased another farm at St. Maurice. This was in 1858. Besides superintending farm work, he had charge of a store from this date until the time of his death, in 1878. He was a member of the Ohio National Guards at Cincinnati at the time of the Mexican War. The mother of Mr. Kessing was a sister of J. H. Schroeder, the oldest resident of this county, and who is now living at Enochsburg. Mrs. Kessing was born in Germany in 1824. She is now a resident of Greensburg, but her former home was in Cincinnati, the city to which she came with her parents when she was twelve years of age.

There were seven chiidren born to Mr. and Mrs. Kessing, the eldest being Henry, who died in Greensburg in 1882. He was ordained a priest in 1868, afterwards preaching in Bloomington, Bedford and Gosport, and ten years after his ordination he went to Greensburg, where he was in charge of a parish at the time of his death. The other children were: Charles B., a dry goods merchant in Cincinnati; Agnes, wife of Joseph H. Maroney, of Pueblo, Colorado; Edward, the subject of this sketch; Mollie, who lives in Greensburg with her mother; Clem, a lithographer, of Cincinnati; and Frank, who is associated with the Citizens Artificial Gas Company.

Edward Kessing was fortunate in that he received a more thorough education many of the boys living in the same community, for he took the classical course at St. Xaviers College at Cincinnati, after attending the common schools at St. Maurice.

Mr. Kessing's first business experience came as a storekeeper, for in the town in which he then lived he had charge of a store until his twenty-first year. In the fall of 1875 he took up the duties of the county recorder's office, having been elected to that position, serving for a term of four years. Then he engaged in the dry goods business, continuing until his health failed, at the end of twelve years. Again he entered upon public office, when, in 1892, he became deputy county auditor, a position he held for four years. In 1896 he engaged in the life insurance business, continuing until his federal appointment as statistician for the Bureau of Commerce of the sixth district, which includes five counties. This appointment came on March 1, 1915.

Mrs. Kessing was formerly Rose Moffett of Edinburg, and her marriage to Mr. Kessing took place on June 1, 1886. She is the daughter of Michael and Rose Moffett. Mr. and Mrs. Kessing are the parents of five children, namely: Charles Edward, the eldest, who died at the age of twenty-four in 1911, was an expect inspector of veneers, and was employed by Thompson & Moffett Company of Cincinnati; Oliver Owen, after graduating from the high school of Greensburg was appointed to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, from which institution he was graduated in June, 1914, and is now an ensign officer on the cruiser "Maryland," although only twenty-four years old, he has traveled all over the world; Robert Leo, a graduate of the Greensburg high school, has been traveling for the Central Union Telephone Company, which has its headquarters at Indianapolis, he has been employed by them for five years, and is now twenty-one years of age; Moffett, aged nineteen, and Margaret, aged seventeen years, both are living at home, having completed the course of study prescribed for graduation from the high school of Greensburg.

Mr. Kessing has been since young manhood a prominent figure at the state and national conventions of the Democratic party, for he is known in the politics of the state of Indiana. The Democratic county ticket was elected while he was county chairman, an office which he held for two years. He has been a devout Catholic all of his life, and besides being a member of the organization of Knights of Columbus, he has belonged to the commandery of the Knights of St. John. In this organization he served as commander until he was elected colonel of the regiment. In 1890, he was honored by being elected supreme commander of the United States and Canada, at the meeting in Pittsburgh. After serving with credit to himself and the organization for a term, he was placed on the retired list with a "badge of honor" for excellent service.

If it is true that the greatness of a community or state depends not so much upon the nature of its government nor its institutions, as upon the character of its citizenship, then the man whose career we have outlined briefly has honored the city and state in which he lives by a life of personal integrity, as well as by public service in which the general good has always been the predominating and actuating motive. His has been a high order of citizenship.

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

Aaron Logan was born in 1841 on the old Logan homestead about one mile from Greensburg, and is the son of Samuel and Susannah (Howard) Logan, the former of whom was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1795, and came to Decatur county with Colonel Ireland and Colonel Henderson and entered land one mile from Greensburg, now known as the Logan farm.

Susannah (Howard) was born on Paddy's run, in Ohio, in 1805. Samuel Logan first came to Decatur county and entered land and then returned to Pennsylvania. On his way back to Indiana from Pennsylvania, he stopped in Ohio and was married, and then came on to Indiana with his young bride. Here they lived the remainder of their lives, he dying in 1879. They were members of the Presbyterian church and he was a life-long Democrat, a man of strong character and high-minded conviction. Accustomed to hunt bears in the region around Greensburg, Samuel Logan and Colonel Henderson killed a bear on the spot where the Greensburg waterworks are now situated. He and his wife started in life very poor, but Samuel Logan was a money maker. He accumulated a considerable fortune. On his way across the Alleghany mountains from Pennsylvania, having started with a wagon and one horse, he traded with various people along the way until upon his arrival he owned four horses.

Samuel and Susannah (Howard) Logan had nine children, of whom James, John, Mrs. Martha Anne Hitt, Mrs. Jane Deen and Mrs. Rachel Hobbs are deceased; the latter was the wife of Alvin I. Hobbs, of Dennis, Iowa. Mrs. Mary Hamilton, the wife of Morgan Hamilton, is also deceased. Those living are Samuel Logan, Jr., who lives at Letts, in Clay township; Aaron, the subject of this sketch; and Frank, of Topeka, Kansas.

Aaron Logan began life for himself after having reached his majority, and for about three years was engaged in cultivating the old home place. After this he purchased ninety-two acres of land out of what was known as the old Hillis farm, which is now owned by William Hatche. Later, however, Mr. Logan sold that farm and purchased the land where he now lives. He has always made a good living for himself and family and has always enjoyed the best things of life. In fact, there are few people living in Washington township who enjoy life more than Aaron Logan. He says that he gets more enjoyment out of what he can buy with a dollar than in keeping the dollar itself and for its own sake.

Aaron Logan was married to Susannah Simmons, who lived near Greensburg, the daughter of Edward and Polly (Howard) Simmons, both natives of Ohio, and of Scotch-Irish descent. Mr. and Mrs. Logan have had two children: Walter Scott Logan, deceased; Sherman, whose wife is deceased, and who by her had one child, Clyde L., born in 1901, lives with his father.

The Logan family have been Democrats for the most part for several generations, and Aaron Logan is no exception to the rule. He is in fact a loyal and faithful Democrat, interested in the welfare of his party. Mr. Logan is well known in Washington township, and has always enjoyed the confidence of his neighbors and fellow citizens.

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

Scott F. Crist was the son of Abram and Catherine (Templeton) Crist. His father, born near Brookville, in Franklin county, in 1832, was the son of John and Polly (Deboise) Crist, the former of whom was a native of Ireland and who came to America when he was seventeen years old, with his parents, settling first on the east fork of White river in Franklin county, some time between 1820 and 1825. Eventually, John Crist entered land in Franklin county. The trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was made in a flatboat. John Crist became a successful farmer and made a large amount of money. He was a man of stern disposition and of firm convictions, who, nevertheless, was well and favorably known as a substantial citizen. He died about 1850 after rearing a family of five children, of whom Abram Crist was the fourth. Abram Crist, who was born in 1832, grew to manhood on his father's farm in Franklin county and in 1854 was married to Catherine Templeton, who was the daughter of David and Jane (Barrickman) Templeton, the latter's parents being natives of Kentucky and the owners of a great deal of land where the city of Covington, Kentucky, now stands. David Templeton and Jane Barrickman were married in Kentucky and came to Franklin county, Indiana, in the winter, bringing with them all of their belongings on a sled. Entering land on Templeton creek, named for David Templeton, they lived there until the latter's death in 1863, and after his death his widow made her home with her children in Franklin and Decatur counties. She died in Adams in 1889. David Templeton was a successful business man and a fine Christian character.

After the marriage of Abram Crist and Catherine Templeton, they purchased a farm in Franklin county, which was sold in a short time and in 1860 they came to Decatur county, Indiana, and purchased two hundred and fifty-five acres of land in Adams township, where they lived the remainder of their lives. He was a very successful farmer and business man and well known in Decatur county. He was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Personally, Abram Crist was a human dynamo, who seemed never to tire. He had a host of friends at the time of his death in 1873.

Scott F. Crist grew up on the farm in Decatur county and in 1885 was married to Martha Vanausdall, the daughter of Joseph and Annie (Ferguson) Vanausdall, the former of whom was a native of Butler county, Ohio, and the latter of Franklin county, Ohio. They came to Decatur county about forty-one years ago and settled on the farm in Adams township, known as the Oliver Deem farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Crist have had one son, Raymond, who was born on October 8, 1886, and who was married to Dora Mercer, the daughter of Archibald and Mary Elizabeth Mercer. The Mercers are natives of Baltimore, Maryland.

Mr. and Mrs. Crist, after their marriage, started in life with nothing and Mr. Crist rented land for several years. Finally, he was able to purchase and pay five hundred dollars cash on eighty acres of land, on which he and his wife now live. They have a beautiful home which cost approximately four thousand dollars and which has most of the modern conveniences.

A man of progressive ideas and deeply interested in his country's welfare, Scott F. Crist is a Republican in politics. He is intensely patriotic, and has a host of friends in this county. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Milford.

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

Louis 0. Travis was born in 1869 in Decatur county, Indiana, near Mechanicsburg, on his father's farm, the son of James and Elizabeth (Steward) Travis, the former of whom was born in Kentucky in 1831, and who came to Decatur county in pioneer days and settled on a farm near Oldenburg in Franklin county. He owned eighty acres of land which he sold later in life, buying a farm near New Point, which he still owns. James Travis is now retired and living with his daughter, Mrs. Curtis Wright, of Greensburg, Indiana. He has been a successful farmer and business man and is well known and respected. A life-long Democrat, he has taken a keen interest in the politics of this county, state and country. He is a member of the Baptist church. His wife, who before her marriage was Elizabeth Stewart, was born in Franklin county on January 4, 1829 near Brookville. She died on June 27, 1906, in Franklin county.

James and Elizabeth (Stewart) Travis were the parents of six children, as follow: Wilbur, of Rushville; John, of Greensburg; George, of Batesville; Henry T., a farmer of near Mechanicsburg; Louis, the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Hettie Travis Wright, the wife of Curtis Wright, of Greensburg. There were also three children by a prevous marriage, namely: William, of Decatur county; Mrs. "Sis" Travis Taylor, the wife of Richard Taylor, of Greensburg; and Mrs. Travis Hawkins, the wife of B. Hawkins, of Kansas.

Louis O. Travis, when he was three years old, was brought from Franklin to Decatur county, Indiana, and grew to manhood in this county. He was educated in the schools of Decatur county, and in 1897 was married to Annie Baker, the daughter of John and Annie Baker. The father of Mrs. Travis was a native of Germany who after his marriage came with his wife and two small children to America. They arrived here about 1865 and after living for a short time in Cincinnati, where he was engaged in the mercantile business they came, in 1875, to Decatur county, Indiana, and settled on a farm near New Pennington. He was a successful business man and well respected citizen. A Republican in politics, he was prominent in the councils of his party. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, the church which stood on the corner of his farm. He died in 1892, and his wife in 1898.

After his marriage Louis O. Travis rented a farm in Adams township, where he and his wife lived for five years, when they purchased a hundred and sixty acres of land. There they lived about one year, and after selling the farm came to Washington township and purchased a small farm in the suburbs of Greensburg. It was a beautiful home, ideally located, and here Mrs. Travis and her only son, Virgil Louis Travis, born on May 6, 1903, live. Mrs. Travis is a woman of most pleasing disposition and respected by the people in the community where she lives.

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

Born in St. Paul, Adams township, in 1869, Harry W. Ballard is the son of Dr. D. J. and Anna (French) Ballard, natives of Decatur county and prominent citizens here.

Educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county, Harry W. Ballard became a student in T. C. Steel's art school under the direction of Mr. Forsyth and Mr. Steel as instructors. After finishing the course he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later became an instructor in the John Herron Institute at Indianapolis in commercial art. He has been active in commercial art for more than twenty-five years, and during most of the past twenty-five years has acted as superintendent of the art department of various engraving establishments. Mr. Ballard is now the superintendent of the Printing Arts Company, of Indianapolis, and is on the art staff of the Woman's Magazine, of Elgin, Illinois. His life has been a very busy one and he has devoted his time to his profession.

Mr. Ballard has exhibited his work at the John Herron Art Institute with Indiana artists and this in itself is sufficient proof of the merit of his work. He works in oil, pastel, water colors, pen and ink and burnt wood. His work is characterized especially with realism and is true to nature and life.

Among his other accomplishments Mr. Ballard is a musician of considerable ability. He plays the saxaphone, plays the piano and sings. He is indeed a true artist in every fiber of his being.

In 1897, Mr. Harry W. Ballard was married to Frances Floyd, a daughter of E. L. and Anne (Paul) Floyd, natives of Decatur county. It was for the family of Mrs. E. L. Floyd that the town of St. Paul was named. E. L. Floyd, Mrs. Ballard's father, was a native of Kentucky, born in 1823. He left Kentucky with his parents and came to Shelby county, Indiana, where he was educated. Later he attended Indiana University for one year, and in 1855 was married to Anne Paul, a daughter of John P. Paul, a prominent citizen of Decatur county. After their marriage they began life for themselves in St. Paul in the home which Mrs. Ballard now owns. Mr. Floyd was a very successful man in all of his business undertakings and one of more than average ability. He was a man of high ideals whose outlook on life was the very brightest. In 1885 as a Republican he represented Decatur county in the Indiana General Assembly. He served valiantly as a soldier in the Mexican War. A public-spirited citizen and man, he had a fair knowledge of law. Though not professing to be a lawyer, he had no little law practice. E. L. Floyd was one of the biggest men mentally who has ever lived in this community.

Anne Gregg Paul, the wife of E. L. Floyd, and the mother of Mrs. Harry W. Ballard, was the eldest child born to her parents. She was born in St. Paul, in 1837, in the old brick residence which is today the oldest building in the town, and which was built by her father in 1823. John P. Paul was born in 1801 and was of Scottish and English origin. He was one of the solid and substantial citizens of Decatur county and had much to do with the development of this section. He died in 1867. During his early life he was a member of the Whig party. Upon the disintegration of that party and the formation of the Republican party he became a Republican.

E. L. and Anne Gregg (Paul) Floyd had six children, of whom Mrs. Harry W. Ballard was the youngest. The names of the children in the order of their birth are as follow: James E., who was born in 1855, was a graduate of Indiana University and died in 1893 at Decatur, Illinois; Walter F., 1857, and who was a graduate of Butler College, died in 1882; Oliver P., 1861, is living in Granite City, Illinois, and is connected with the engineering department of the American Steel Foundry Company; George G., 1865, was a student at Purdue University, lives at Riverside, Illinois, where he is chief engineer for the American Steel Foundry Company; Nellie F., 1867, married George L. Mueller, who is now deceased; Frances is the wife of Mr. Ballard.

Anne Gregg Paul was born in 1873 in St. Paul and grew to womanhood in this town. She was educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county and was graduated from the St. Paul high school with the class of 1889. In 1890 she went to Purdue University, at Lafayette, where she studied for four years, finishing the scientific course in 1894. After finishing the course at Purdue she came home and here remained for three years, until her marriage in 1897 to Mr. Ballard. Mr. and Mrs. Ballard have one son, Jack Floyd Ballard, who was born in 1905, in Southport, near Indianapolis. He is now a lad of ten years and is attending school at St. Paul.

Mrs. Ballard is intensely interested and actively engaged in flower growing. She is in partnership with her sister, Mrs. Nellie F. Mueller, the widow of George L. Mueller, of Lafayette, Indiana. Their flower garden has been appropriately named the "Dripping Springs Garden," so named from the dripping springs along Flat Rock river, well known to nature lovers of central Indiana. The garden, which is located on the Paul farm, originally owned and entered by William Paul in 1821, will eventually comprise the entire farm of a hundred and seventy acres. It lies north and east of St. Paul and extends up to the edge of town and is an ideal spot for the tourist and lover of nature. It is traversed by beautiful Flat Rock river. Mrs. Ballard and her sister. Mrs. Mueller, expect eventually to make a flower garden out of the entire farm and to irrigate it from the springs.

Mrs. Nellie Mueller, who is Mrs. Ballard's partner in the flower farm and garden, grew to womanhood and was educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county. She later attended Purdue University, where she was a student in the scientific course. She was married in 1888 to George L. Mueller, whose parents were natives of Germany. Mr. Mueller died in 1909, leaving one child, Floyd Mueller, who was born in 1890, and who is an architect in Chicago. He is a graduate of Purdue University.

Mrs. Harry W. Ballard is a woman of more than ordinary ability, and of pleasing and attractive personality. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at St. Paul and widely acquainted in this county. She is a member of the Irvington Coterie Club, of Indianapolis, and also the Department Club, of Greensburg. At their beautiful home in St. Paul, Mr. and Mrs. Ballard entertain on a large scale and have a host of friends in Indiana and neighboring states. Mr. Ballard is a member of the Masonic fraternity and a member of the Knights of Pythias. He is a Republican and a member of the Methodist church. He takes an active interest in public affairs and is keenly interested in public questions. Decatur county has every reason to be proud of the careers of Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Ballard.

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

On December 2, 1885, George L. Hess was married to Nettie Frakes, daughter of David Frakes, whose wife was a Pierce, natives of Decatur county and successful farmers of this county. Likewise they were well-known and well-respected citizens. To Mr. and Mrs. Hess was born one daughter, Minnie E., who is the wife of Elmer Shortridge. Mr. and Mrs. Shortridge have one daughter, Percella.

In 1891 Mr. Hess was married, secondly, to Cora D. Higgs, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Burris) Higgs, natives of Decatur county, and well-known and respected citizens. To this union was born one daughter, Edna C. Hess, who married J. T. McCoy, the son of Curtis McCoy, of Decatur county. They have one son, George Trimble McCoy. George L. Hess is one of the solid, substantial citizens of Decatur county, and one whose word is known to be as good as his bond.

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

Clyde C. Morrison has scarcely reached the prime of life, having been born on August 24, 1872, in Clifty township, Bartholomew county, Indiana. He is the son of Robert and Mary J. (McCullough) Morrison. On both his paternal and maternal sides, Doctor Morrison's ancestry is Scotch-Irish, his grandparents, James and Nancy Morrison, having come to this country from County Down, Ireland, and settled in Bartholomew county in pioneer times. His grandparents on his maternal side of the family, Henry and Elizabeth McCullough, came to this country from County Tyrone, Ireland. They settled first in Butler county, Ohio, but later moved to Bartholomew county, Indiana.

Although his father died in 1880, Doctor Morrison's mother is still living and resides at Hartsville. She was born on November 5, 1839. Notwithstanding the fact that she is now seventy-five years of age, she is still well preserved and in possession of all of her native faculties.

From the time he was eight until he was eighteen, he lived with his grandfather, Henry McCullough, a farmer of Columbus township, who resided one mile east of Columbus and attended the district schools and the Columbus high school. Afterwards he attended the Central Normal College of Danville and the Valparaiso University. Beginning his career in the school room at the age of twenty, he taught four years in the district schools of Bartholomew county, two years in the city schools of Columbus and three years as principal of the high school at Hartsville. Having begun the study of medicine, while clerking in a drug store he completed the course at Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, Kentucky, and Grand Rapids Medical College. He has taken post-graduate work at Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, and at Chicago, Illinois. At the outbreak of the Spanish- American War, he enlisted in the hospital corps of the army and assisted Major Vaughn in establishing the Third Division hospital of the Seventh Army Corps at Camp Cuba Libre, Jacksonville, Florida, and was later transferred to Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and Fort Monroe, Virginia. Eventually, he was transferred to Washington City and discharged at that place after the war. Doctor Morrison was engaged in the practice of his profession at Hartsville and Burney, and came to Greensburg March 1, 1911.

On November 16, 1898, Doctor Morrison was married to Hattie B. Rominger, of Hartsville, the daughter of Thomas W. and Sarah Rominger. Doctor and Mrs. Morrison have three children: Thomas R., who was born April 25, 1900; Sheldon, who was born March 17, 1906, and James T., who was born February 12, 1908.

Religiously, Doctor Morrison and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Free and Accepted Masons. No better evidence of the confidence placed in Doctor Morrison by his fellow townsmen and by the citizens of Decatur county can be presented than by the fact that he is president of the board of directors of the new Young Men's Christian Association, an institution which is perhaps, as a public enterprise, dearer to the hearts of the people of this city than anything undertaken within recent years.

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

David Albert Myers was born on August 5, 1859, near Logansport, in Cass county, Indiana, and is the son of Henry C. and Maria (Bright) Myers, the former of whom was born in 1834, and who died, April 10, 1902, and the latter of whom was born in 1836. Henry C. Myers was a native of Ohio, born near Hamilton, in Butler county, the son of John Myers, a pioneer settler of Cass county, who came to Indiana in the early part of 1835, when Logansport was a mere hamlet. There he purchased a tract of land, and clearing it, became a prominent farmer and citizen and a leader in the life of the community. During the latter years of his life he ranked as the oldest settler. On this farm Henry C. Myers, the father of Judge David A., was reared and married. He owned a farm within a mile of the pioneer homestead and became a prosperous citizen. In later years he owned four hundred and seventy acres of land. A Republican, he took great interest in political matters. Judge Myers' mother was a native of Virginia and the daughter of Anson Bright, an early settler of Cass county, who lived near the home of John Myers and who settled in Cass county in 1841. Judge Myers' mother lives on the old home place. There were four children in the Myers family. Of these children, Emma M. is at home; Charles W. owns a part of the home farm; Van is a farmer in Cass county; and David A. is the subject of this sketch.

After assisting his father on the farm until seventeen years old, Judge Myers entered Smithson College, where he remained for a year and one-half. Later he attended the Danville Normal School for a year and one-half, also Union University and the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated in 1881. The same year he began the practice of law in Greensburg, and today is regarded as the dean of the legal profession in this city. At the end of his first year he moved to his present office in the fall of 1882. He has one of the finest law libraries in the state of Indiana. His first political office was that of city attorney to which he was elected in 1886. He held this office until his election as prosecuting attorney in 1890 for the circuit comprising Rush and Decatur counties. This office he held two terms or four years. In 1899 Judge Myers was appointed by Governor Mount as judge of the eighth judicial district and served until the election following in 1900.

At the judicial convention in 1900 Rush and Decatur counties each nominated a candidate for judge, and Judge Douglas Morris was elected. The legislature subsequently redistricted these counties, and Decatur county was joined with Bartholomew.

On October 18, 1904, Judge Myers was appointed a judge of the appellate court for the first Indiana district, and on the same day was selected as the nominee of the Republican party for appellate judge. He was elected and served four years, and in 1908 was renominated and reelected, serving until January 1, 1913. In the election of 1908 Judge Myers had the largest plurality of any candidate on the Republican ticket, a plurality of over sixteen thousand. That year several candidates on the Democratic ticket, including the Democratic candidate for governor, were elected. Judge Myers was renominated in 1912 without opposition, but the state went Democratic and he was defeated. No word of suspicion has ever been cast regarding the judicial record of Judge Myers. He has had an honorable and successful career on the bench and one of which he and the party which nominated him to this office may be proud.

One year before finishing his college course David Albert Myers was married to Laura Hart, who died in 1883. In September, 1907, he was married, secondly, to Margaret McNaught, the daughter of M. F. McNaught, proprietor of the Garland Milling Company, of Greensburg. A stockholder in the Greensburg Electric Light Company, Judge Myers is also a director of the Greensburg National Bank and has been since its organization in 1900. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and is a Scottish Rite Mason of the thirty-second degree. He is a member of the Knights Templar at Shelbyville and the Mystic Shrine at Indianapolis, and also a member of the Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

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

Francis I. Galbraith, farmer, manufacturer, banker, commission merchant and public-spirited man of affairs, is one of the leading citizens of Decatur county and a man who is well known in the capital of the state, where he has spent a considerable part of his time in recent years and where he has extensive interests in many kinds of property.

Born on October 29, 1860, near Rugby, Bartholomew county, Indiana, Francis I. Galbraith is a son of Enos S. and Catherine (Phumphry) Galbraith, the former of whom was the son of Enos Galbraith, Sr. Francis I. Galbraith attended school in Bartholomew county, and later entered Hartsville College, where for some time he was a student. Until twenty years old, he lived in Bartholomew county, near Rugby. At the age of twenty, he went to Kansas and was there engaged in the cattle business for four years, or until 1884, when he returned to Bartholomew county and settled again near Rugby.

One year later, at the age of twenty-five, Mr. Galbraith was married, on September 1, to Mary Butler, who was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana, in 1865, and who is the daughter of Frank and Susan (Woodard) Butler. Mrs. Galbraith's father was one of the largest stock and fancy farmers in Decatur county, where both he and his wife spent practically all of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Galbraith have one son, Frank E. Galbraith, who was born on September 11, 1886, at Rugby, Indiana, and who attended the country schools of Bartholomew county. In 1900 he moved with his parents to Sunman, where he still lives. In 1914 he was married to Bessie Grosseclrouse.

After his marriage, Francis I. Galbraith removed to Rugby, where he engaged in the grain business for about one year, but he afterwards removed to Burney, Decatur county, where he and his father were engaged in the grain business and in stock shipping until 1900. At this time Mr. Galbraith removed to Sunman, Indiana, and there engaged in the hardwood lumber manufacturing business with William E. Talbert. Seven years later, Mr. Galbraith purchased Mr. Talbert's interest in this business and took into the business as a partner his son, Frank E., who was made manager and who still retains this position.

In the fall of 1912, Mr. Galbraith came to Indianapolis and assisted in the organization of the old Indiana State Bank, which has since been reorganized and renamed the Commercial National Bank. Mr. Galbraith was vice-president of the old bank and retained the same position in the new organization, the Commercial National. He owns one-half interest in the Ray & Galbraith Commission Company, located at the Indianapolis stockyards, and is also operating two large cotton plantations in the delta lands of lower Louisiana. Aside from these interests, he has large real-estate holdings in Indianapolis, especially flats and houses.

Mr. Galbraith is a stanch Democrat, and has always been faithful to his party. He has contributed liberally to the financial side of the party, and during the legislative sessions of 1909 and 1911 served as a member of the House of Representatives from Ripley county. He took a leading part in the sessions of the house and was considered one of its substantia1 members. In 1909 the Democratic party had come into power for the first time in many years and, although the opposite party maintained its control of the Senate, the Democratic party had a substantial majority in the lower house. Mr. Galbraith was a part of this majority and assisted in framing much of the important legislation which came from the General Assembly that year.

Mr. and Mrs. Galbraith are members of the Methodist church. Mr. Galbraith is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Shriner and a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks at Greensburg. Although having wide interests scattered over a great deal of territory, Mr. Galbraith makes his home in Sunman, Indiana.

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