David Andrew Ardery was born on a farm in Fugit township, this county, July 8, 1837, the son of Thomas and Martha (McKee) Ardery, both natives of Kentucky, the former of whom was born in 1801 and died in 1846, the latter of whom was born in 1801 and died in 1872. Thomas Ardery and Martha McKee were married in Kentucky and their elder children were born in that state. In 1830 they moved to this county, settling in Fugit township, where they rented a farm. Fifteen years later, Thomas Ardery died, leaving his widow with the responsibilities of the farm and the care of a family of young children. She was of the true pioneer brand, however, and kept the family well together, managing the farm with rare ability. In her old age, Mrs. Ardery was tenderly cared for in her household; David A., her son, thus lovingly requited the devotion of her earlier days.

To Thomas and Martha (McKee) Ardery were born seven children, two sons and five daughters, all of whom now are deceased, save Mrs. Eliza Archibald Spear, of Rushville, this state, and David Ardery, the subject of this sketch. The other children were Mrs. Jane Wallace Smith, Mrs. Mary Alexander Walters, Mrs. Martha Thomas Thomson, Eliza Archibald Speer, Mrs. Nancy Margaret Throp and John William.

David Ardery was compelled, by the necessities of the case, to begin working for himself at an early age and received but a limited schooling, his attendance at school being confined to a few months in the season at the district schools, during his early boyhood. He was active, industrious and energetic and kept pushing along until, in 1872, he purchased his present farm of four hundred acres in Washington township, on which he ever since has made his residence. In 1881 his home was destroyed by fire and he then erected his present fine large farm residence, the same being completed in 1884. Mr. Ardery has his own private gas we11 on his farm, the house and barn being piped for lighting and heating purposes. On his farm he also is fortunate enough to have a fine artesian well, the water from which is piped through the house and barn, the local water system receiving its pressure from a hydraulic ram. This is one of the best farm houses in Decatur county and, with its many modern improvements, affords Mr. Ardery and his family much comfort and pleasure.

On January 4, 1872, David A. Ardery was united in marriage to Theresa J. Lowe, who was born at Kingston, this county, October 5, 1852, daughter of Alfred and Isabella (Quigley) Lowe, members of old families in that section of the county. Alfred Lowe was the son of Seth Lowe, one of the earliest settlers of the Kingston neighborhood. Seth Lowe was a native of Glenwood, North Carolina, born on December 27, 1787, and who emigrated to Kentucky, where he married and, in 1821, settled at Kingston, this county, homesteading the farm now occupied by Charles Throp. He was a fine, vigorous character and a strong force in the new settlement, his influence for good thereabout being felt in many ways during the pioneer days. Seth Lowe died in 1871, while on a visit to one his sons in Mills county, Iowa. Alfred Lowe, who was born in this county in 1826 and died in 1887, married Isabella Quigley, who was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Spear) Quigley, who settled in the Kingston neighborhood in 1837, after living for a short time in Franklin county, this state. Isabella (Quigley) Lowe was born in 1835 and died in 1910. Her father, Samuel Quigley, died in 1847, the year the cholera was rampant in this section of the state. Both the Lowes and the Quigleys were strong and influential families in that part of the county.

To Alfred and Isabella (Quigley) Lowe were born eight children, namely: Mrs. Ardery; Seth, who lives at Greensburg; Charles, who lives at Kingman, Kansas; William, deceased; Edward, the Rex salt dealer, at Greensburg; Catherine, who married Thomas Hamilton, a well-known farmer who lives on the old Hopkins place east of Kingston, this county; Marsh, a well-known traveling salesman, who travels out of Cincinnati, and Arthur, who was assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank.

To David A. and Theresa J. (Lowe) Ardery five children have been born, as follow: Mary, who is at home with her parents; Mrs. Martha Batchelor, of Indianapolis, who has five children, David Ardery, Thomas Churchill, Robert Lowe, Martha Theresa and Helen Emily; Clara, who also is at home; Samuel David, a well-known farmer of Washington township, this county, who married Florine Bowman and has one child, a son, David Henry; Helen Lowe, a student in Indiana University at Bloomington, and May, a graduate of Bloomington, Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Ardery are members of the Presbyterian church at Greensburg and their children were reared in that faith. They, for many years, have been active in good works and no couple in the county is held in higher esteem. Mr. Ardery is a Republican and always has been interested in local politics, being one of the most earnest supporters of all measures designed to elevate the standards of government, not only being an active worker in the ranks of his party, but a liberal supporter of the finances of the party; such work as he has done, however, having been done only as a means of supporting the cause of good government as he recognized it, he never having been included in the office-holding class. Mr. Ardery is a large man and in the days of his vigor was a veritable giant for strength. He finds himself now somewhat enfeebled, with the near approach of his eightieth year, but, for all that, retains all his former wit and jocular manner. In his heyday, he was a man among men and still enjoys life as well as anyone, proving himself a most entertaining companion. He is hospitable and cheerful, an ardent lover of his home and is proud of Decatur county and his native state.

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

Henry M. Aultman, photographer and engraver, of Greensburg, Indiana, was born on December 5, 1865, in Jennings county, and is a son of Martin and Nancy (Porter) Aultman. He worked on a farm for a time, and after his marriage, took up the study of photography at home, and later established his present gallery at Greensburg, where he has been most successful and where he has about paid for a fine new home. He is a Republican, a member of the Baptist church, and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

Martin Aultman, father of our subject, was a native of Louisiana, and served three years in the Confederate army in a Louisiana regiment. He was captured at Pittsburg Landing, and taken to Louisville, where he took the oath of allegiance. He came directly to Indiana after the war, settling on a farm in Jennings county, and with the exception of about five years in Illinois, he lived in Jennings county until his death.

Henry M. Aultman, our subject, was united in marriage, in 1895, to Miss Luella Geiling, daughter of George Geiling, of Jennings county. They were the parents of the following children: Ivan O., Leroy Chester, Omer Franklin, Edna May and William Raymond. Ivan O. is in the coast artillery, United States army, at Fort Stevens, Oregon; Leroy is at home. Mr. Aultman's present gallery was established in 1903, on the north side of the square at Greensburg, where he carries on all branches of photography and engraving.

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

Robert S. Meek, well-known capitalist of Greensburg, and one of the heavy stockholders in Meek Ice Company, was born, March 27, 1840 on a farm in Clinton township, in a log cabin built by his grandfather, John Montgomery, who, by the way, was the father of his mother, Mrs. Jane (Montgomery) Meek.

Robert S. Meek's father, John Meek, was born in Kentucky in October, 1814, and passed his youth in the wilds of Fugit and Clinton townships, Decatur county. He married Jane Montgomery, and after enjoying a successful career as a farmer, retired to Greensburg, where he died on April 20, 1896. He and his wife, who, during their lives, were devout members of the United Presbyterian church, had a family of four sons and six daughters, four of whom, the eldest, are deceased. Mrs. Turgot Ennis, Mrs. Lola Smith, Josiah and Etta are deceased. The last two died early in life. Robert S. is the subject of this sketch. The other children, in the order of their birth, are, Mrs. Margaret E. Robinson, John T., Louisa, the wife of John A. Meek, Adam, Jethro C., Mrs. Mary Brown, of Rushville, and Mrs. Anna Pleak, of Greensburg.

It was Thomas Meek, the grandfather of John, who was the first of the Meek family to settle in Decatur county, as heretofore related. Samuel was one of fifteen children born to his parents, Thomas and Martha (Davis) Meek. The children were as follow: James, born January 8, 1781, died in Kentucky; Samuel, born, May 15, 1782, and died, August 18, 1837; Sarey was born, August 17, 1784; Priscilla was born, September, 1786; Adam R. was born, December 15, 1759; Martha was born, April 30, 1792; David was born on January 21, 1794; Jemima was born, May 9, 1796; Luziah was born, April 28, 1797; Mary was born June 15, 1800; Davis was born, September 18, 1802; Sophia was born, August 31, 1805, and Anna K. was born, January 18, 1808.

With little or no opportunity to secure education, because pioneer educational advantages were extremely limited, Robert S. Meek. remained at home until of age, helping to clear the land his father settled and working hard from early boyhood, usually from sunrise until dark. His earliest recollections are of driving cows and milking them at the age of six years. He actually began when five years old, and, by the time he was grown, had built up a strong and rugged constitution. At the age of twelve years, he was accustomed to do a man's work.

In April, 1861, Robert S. Meek enlisted in Company F, Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Beamenstaffer, and served four months. On the second call, he responded with an enlistment for thirty days to help ward off a guerrilla attack at Henderson, Kentucky, in 1861. He also re-enlisted to repel the Morgan invaders.

After the war, Mr. Meek settled on a farm at Springhill in Fugit township, his father having given him a hundred and sixty acres of land, for which he paid one thousand dollars, as he earned it. Mr. Meek was very successful with hogs and cattle. For a long time he was in the employ of a Mr. Allerton, of Illinois, as a stock buyer, and bought thousands of cattle for export purposes to Europe. Investing his savings from time to time, he accumulated about nine hundred acres of land in Rush and Decatur counties, and this land is today well improved and very valuable. Mr. Meek has refused a hundred and fifty dollars an acre for his home farm.

In 1911, Mr. Meek became interested in the Greensburg Ice Company, or rather in what came to be called the Meek Ice Company. Previously, he was associated with his son, Clyde L. Meek, in the grain business. The Meek Ice Company was organized by Robert S., Jethro C., his brother, and the son of R. L., Clyde L. Meek, with a capital of fifty-five thousand dollars. The Meek Ice Company does a most substantial and profitable business, and now includes, not only ice, but the retail coal business, and furnishes employment to ten men. In 1909, Mr. Meek removed to Greensburg, and enjoys the occupation of a splendid brick residence on North Franklin street.

On January 26, 1861, Robert S. Meek was married to Espy Patton, a daughter of Nathaniel Patton, an early settler of Decatur county, and a native of Ohio. Mrs. Espy (Patton) Meek died on February 16, 1879, after having had four children, two of whom are deceased. Of these children, Leda, the eldest, died at the age of eighteen years; Mabel is the wife of George Davis, of Greensburg; Delta died in childhood, and Clyde L. is the manager of the Meek Ice Company. On June 18, 1895, Mr. Meek was married again to Melissa Patton, a sister of his first wife. Her father, Nathaniel Patton, was born in 1809 and died in 1889. He married Elizabeth M. Duncan, of Kentucky, who was born in 1812 and died in 1894. Nathaniel was a native of Adams county, Ohio, and the son of Nathaniel Patton, Sr., who moved to Rush county, about 1823.

Although a Republican in politics, Mr. Meeks has never found time for any considerable political activity. The Meeks are stanch members of the United Presbyterian church at Springhill, four Meek brothers having contributed five thousand dollars for the building of this church. In fact, the ancestors of Robert S. Meek were some of the founders of the church at Springhill.

Robert S. Meek has not only lived a life of usefulness in Greensburg and Decatur county, but he has set a worthy example to young men of the present generation. Few men have more effectively demonstrated what economical and frugal living, industry and good management will accomplish.

At the age of seventy-five, Robert S. Meeks, not only is able to enjoy the fruits of his early labors, but, because he has cared wisely for his health, he is enabled to enjoy the competence he has accumulated in the fullest measure. He is a most worthy citizen of this great city and county.

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

Albert C. Russell was born in Clifty, this county, on July 2, 1841, the son of Robert C. and Sarah C. (Craig) Russell, natives, respectively, of Ripley county, Indiana, and Kentucky. Robert C. Russell came to Decatur county in 1845, when fifteen years of age, and engaged in the manufacture of wheat fans at Clifty. He also farmed and engaged in the merchandise business at that place, moving from thence to St. Paul, this county, where he died in 1901 at the age of eighty years. He married Sarah P. Craig, who was a daughter of William Craig, an early pioneer of this section, who entered about sixteen hundred acres of land near Burney and then went to Shelby county. To this union there were born ten children, two sons and eight daughters, Alice, Dorcas, Henrietta, Albert C., Mary, Lena, George H., Adelia, Ida and Ann K. Of these six are living, namely: Mrs. Dorcas Ridlen, of Rosedale, Indiana; Mrs. Henrietta Stevens, of Rushville, Indiana; Albert C., the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Lena Iupenlautz, of Gilman, Indiana; Mrs. Adelia Tomkins, of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Mrs. Ida Cory, who lives near Burney, in this county.

Albert C. Russell was reared at Milford and grew up to a full acquaintance with the merchandise business in his father's store at that place. After his marriage, he became a partner with his father in the store at St. Paul, this county, where he remained four years, being engaged in the buying of grain in connection with the general merchandise business. At the end of this time he bought a small farm in Adams township, on which he lived for three years, at the end of which time he sold the farm and bought one hundred and sixty acres at Turners cross roads, which he presently traded to Edward Marshall for a stock of goods and the store building at Clifty, taking in, at the same time, a partner in the person of James D. Braden, whose interest in the store he later bought. He then traded a half interest in his store for the Walter Braden farm and he and Mr. Braden bought the adjoining tract of one hundred and sixty acres. About two years after buying the Braden interest, Mr. Russell's store was destroyed by fire and Mr. Russell moved onto the Braden farm, where he lived for twenty years and where his wife, who was a daughter of Walter Braden, died. In the old brick house which was known as the Braden homestead, Mrs. Russell was born, married and died and there she also spent the most of her life. Following the death of his wife, Mr. Russell rented his farm and for about thirteen years boarded with his tenant farmer, at the end of which time he married the widow of James D. Braden and, in February, 1906, moved to the city of Greensburg, where he and Mrs. Russell are living in pleasant retirement. Together they own a farm of five hundred and ninety acres about two and one-half miles southwest of Clifty, in Clay township, and are very well circumstanced.

In the year 1860, Albert C. Russell was united in marriage to Lucinda Jane Braden, who was born on March 10, 1843, and died on September 13, 1894, the daughter of Walter and Elizabeth (Mowery) Braden, pioneers of the Clifty neighborhood, to which union there were born four children, namely: Nina A., on August 27, 1862, married J. W. Young and lives on a farm south of Clifty; Walter Braden, September 3, 1864, died on November 5, 1891; Robert J., April 7, 1867, was graduated from the Indiana Dental College at Indianapolis in 1894 and has practiced dentistry in Greensburg for twenty-one years; married on March 3, 1902, Glenn Montgomery, daughter of John G. and Lida Montgomery, of Greensburg, and has one child, a son, Albert M., and John N., born on March 16, 1869, died on November 30, 1869. The mother of these children died in 1894, as set out above.

On March 7, 1906, Albert C. Russell married, secondly, Mrs. Etta G. (Anderson) Braden, widow of James D. Braden, who was born on November 19, 1851, the daughter of William and Mary E. (Stanley) Anderson, natives of New Jersey, the former of whom was born on February 15, 1814, died on May 26, 1894, and the latter of whom was born on January 5, 1825, and died on February 11, 1905, who were the parents of six children, John F., William B., Mrs. Sallie R. Whisman, Mrs. Russell, Hamlin and Mollie. James D. Braden, who died in 1886, was the son of Walter Braden. By his marriage with Etta G. Anderson he had one son, Emmet, who married Clara Jenkins and died, leaving one daughter, Mary Louise.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell are members of the Methodist church and take a warm interest in the various beneficences of that church. Mr. Russell is a Republican and a member of the Odd Fellows and the Masons. He also is a member of the Horse Thief Detective Association at Clifty. Though practically retired from the active labors of life, he continues to take a keen interest in public and general affairs and he and his good wife are held in universal esteem among all who know them.

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

Mrs. Holmes grew up in Bartholomew county, Indiana, and lived at home with her parents until her first marriage to John Kelley, on November 7, 1858. He was the son of Matthew and Charity Kelley, the former of whom was a large landowner in Jackson township, Decatur county. John Kelley, the first husband of Mrs. Holmes, who was a well-known school teacher and farmer, died in 1864, leaving a son, James P., who died at the age of thirty-three years in Kansas City, Missouri. Mrs. Holmes and her first husband lived in Decatur county.

The second husband of Mrs. Dorcas E. (McLain) Holmes was George W. Holmes, who was born in 1828 and died in 1912. He was born in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, and was the son of Robert Holmes, a native of Ohio and one of the pioneers of Decatur county. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were married on July 3, 1865. He had been twice married before, first to Jane McCannon, who bore him one daughter, Ann Eliza, who is now deceased, and second to Martha Stafford, who bore him one son, George, who now lives at Redlands, California. Four children were born to him and Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes, David T., of Greensburg; Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Annerman, of Sardinia, who has six children, Frederick, Magnolia, Ruth, Calvin, Helen and Edna; Mrs. Lucinda Williams, of Austin, Texas, and Henry Clay, of Wyoming, who has two children, Mary and Ruth.

David McLain, the father of Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes, was a prominent citizen of two counties, having served as county commissioner in Bartholomew while living there, and having been elected to the same office after his removal to Decatur county. He was a well-known leader in the councils of the Democratic party. Although he himself was a stanch Democrat, he was perfectly willing that others should think and vote as they pleased. He owned nearly four hundred acres of land in Jackson township and, before his death, presented this land to his children. The farm of one hundred and sixty-two acres in Jackson township, which Mrs. Holmes now owns, she received from her father. Her only brother who grew to maturity, Oliver Perry McLain, died in 1905, leaving a wife and three daughters, who now live in Indianapolis. The daughters are Clara, Blanche and Edith.

After Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were married, they settled on a farm near Westport, in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, and within one and one-half years they moved on Sand creek, two miles south of Westport. Two years later they moved to near Sardinia in Jackson township and, in October, 1907, moved to Greensburg, Mr. Holmes dying five years later.

Mrs. Dorcas E. Holmes is an intelligent, cultured and refined woman and is highly respected by the people of Greensburg and is well known, especially in the several communities in which she has lived in Bartholomew and Decatur counties. She has experienced, no doubt, her share of both joys and sorrows, but she has borne the one without great exultation and the other without complaint. In her declining years she is able to enjoy the comforts of life and to live in ease. These are her compensations for the toil and worry of latter days.

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

During Mr. Zoller's sixteen years in the insurance business at Greensburg, Indiana, he has represented most of the time fourteen of the largest and best companies of this country, among which are the Aetna, the Hartford, Springfield, Queen, National, Fire Association, New York Underwriters, Niagara, Fireman's Fund and the Sterling. He also is the Decatur county representative of the Fidelity and Casualty Company, the Southern Surety Company and the Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford. These companies comprise not only the largest and the best in the insurance field, but the ones which are the surest and safest guarantee of the promises and pledges contained in their policies. Mr. Zoller now has, as a result of his sixteen years continuous business, an extensive renewal department, which has become very profitable.

In the Greensburg Building and Loan Association, a corporation established in 1896, and capitalized at a half million dollars, Mr. Zoller is associated with some of the best-known business men of Decatur county. The original capital of this company was one hundred thousand dollars, but from year to year it has grown to its present large proportions. The president of the company is W. C. Woodfill; the secretary, Mr. Zoller, and the treasurer, Walter W. Bonner. The directors include, besides the officers, Robert Nagle, George P. Shoemaker, P. T. Lambert and Louis Zoller. No institution in Decatur county has had more to do with the construction of new homes and the repair of old homes than the Greensburg Building and Loan Association, since it has furnished to home owners an easy means by which their property might be improved.

Another flourishing enterprise, of which Mr. Zoller is an important factor, is the Greensburg Natural Gas, Oil and Water Company, an incorporated concern which was established on July 17, 1886, and of which he is now secretary-treasurer and general manager. Capitalized at twenty-five thousand dollars, it supplies natural gas for domestic purposes. Its president is W. B. Ansted and its directors, besides the officers, are Margaret Porter, Mary Lewis and Louise German.

Two other enterprises, with which Charles Zoller is connected, are the Decatur County Independent Telephone Company, and the Third National Bank. He is secretary of the telephone company and a director in the Third National Bank.

Mr. Zoller's important connections with leading business enterprises in Decatur county is, therefore, apparent. He is a widely known citizen and popular, not only in commercial arid industrial circles, but in the larger life of the community. He is a man of broad and liberal views, interested keenly in all worthy public enterprises and a man who in support of their behalf can always be depended upon.

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

Born in Greensburg, Indiana, on February 8, 1877, Arthur J. Lowe is the son of Alfred and Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe, the former of whom was born on May 7, 1826, and who died, September 5, 1887, and the latter of whom was born on May 9, 1835, and who died, December 22, 1910. Mrs. Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe was the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Quigley. Alfred Lowe was the son of Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the former of whom was born in Glenwood, Wilkes county, North Carolina, on December 22, 1787, and who died in Mills county, Iowa, in May, 1871, in his eighty-fourth year. In 1795 he had moved with his father's family to Fayette county, Kentucky, not far from Lexington, and after living there for some years had moved to Montgomery county, where, in 1810, he had married Rebecca Ryan, who was born in Virginia on October 22, 1790, and who died on February 5, 1865, in her seventy-fifth year. They had seven children, namely: Polly, Matilda, Jackson, George, Eliza, Franklin and Alfred. Eliza, born in 1819, died in her second year.

Seth and Rebecca Lowe, having come to Indiana, settled in Dearborn county in 1819, and two years later moved to Kingston, Decatur county, and there entered land. On his trip to Decatur county, Seth Lowe was accompanied by two of his children, who, after he had done some "deadening," went to Dearborn county for the remainder of the family, leaving the children in the care of two men who were assisting him in the work.

About the time that Seth and Rebecca Lowe came to Decatur county, there came also James and Cyrus Hamilton, the Donnells, the McCoys and Hopkinses a year or two later. William Custer, who lived about a mile south of the old Lowe homestead at Kingston, is supposed to have preceded Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the founders of the Lowe family in Decatur county, and from whom is sprung Arthur J. Lowe, a prominent banker of Greensburg, Indiana.

Among the first pioneers in Decatur county to plant an orchard was Seth Lowe, and people came great distances to get apples from his orchard. He was truly a temperance man and never used tobacco or intoxicating beverages and never used profane language. A public-spirited citizen, he was ardently favorable to public improvements, such as pikes and railroads, and gave land upon which to build churches and schools. He was among the first citizens of the county to introduce improved breeds of stock, importing choice animals from other states, and from foreign countries. His worthy wife was remembered long after her death. The Lowe house became known far and near for the generous hospitality accorded strangers, and men, weary after a long day's ride in a wagon or on horseback, found shelter from storm and darkness in the Lowe home. Although they were not members of any church, they believed in the kind of christianity set forth and practiced by the lowly Nazarene, and the Reverend Mr. Stegdel is said to have preached in the Lowe home.

In an unbroken forest, was performed the arduous toil upon which the family fortune was builded. Alfred Lowe was a farmer upon the old homestead until his father's death. He was crippled when twenty-eight years old while assisting in the construction of the Kingston church, having fallen and broken a leg. Later he spent one year in the West, after the homestead was sold, accompanying Seth and Jackson, who were pioneers in the state of Iowa. He, however, went to Kansas and, after a time, returned to Indiana and lived in the village of Kingston until his death. Alfred and Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe had eight children, as follow: Terressa Jane Ardery, wife of David Ardery, of Washington township; Seth Samuel, of Greensburg; Charles, of Kansas; William Walter, deceased; Edward C., a manufacturer of Greensburg; Catherine Ella, the wife of Thomas M. Hamilton, of Kingston; Marsh, of Greensburg, and Arthur J., the youngest member of the family, the assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank, and the subject of this sketch.

Reared on the old Lowe homestead in Fugit township, Arthur J. Lowe grew up on the farm and was educated in the common schools of the township. After a time he attended the high school and Greensburg Normal School, when he began teaching. For four years he was engaged in following this profession, and then attended Heeb's Business College at Indianapolis. Returning to Greensburg from Indiana in the fall of 1899, he engaged in banking. On August 1, 1899, he became associated with the Citizens National Bank, where he remained until April 15, 1905, when he was elected assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank. Here he has been engaged in the banking business ever since. His own personal integrity and capable business ability have been no small factors in the progress and growth of this bank.

In 1905 Mr. Lowe was married to Eleanor Eich, the daughter of Hubert Eich, who married Catherine Brinkmeyer. The father was a native of Bonn, Germany, who came to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was seventeen years old. There he engaged in his trade, which was that of a locksmith, and after several pears came to Decatur county and settled in Greensburg. Here he followed his trade for many years and was very successful. He was one of the solid and substantial citizens of Decatur county, and at his death, which occurred on April 7, 1915, he left a large estate, which was divided among his children. His wife was a native of Decatur county, her parents' ancestry having been of German extraction. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have one daughter, Margaret Alice, who was born on May 20, 1909.

The Lowes have a beautiful home in Greensburg where they live in comfort and happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are members of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally, Mr. Lowe is a member of the Elks lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, as heretofore mentioned. A Republican in politics, he is ardent in his political beliefs and can always be found on the firing line when campaigns come around. Arthur J. Lowe is a worthy representative of the family in hose veins flow the blood of Seth and Rebecca Lowe. He is a representative citizen not only of Decatur county, but he is representative of her larger interests and her larger connections.

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

Born in Clay township in 184.0, he has lived here practically all of his life and, until quite recently, in Clay township. He is the son of Walter and Elizabeth (Mowry) Braden, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, who came to Decatur county during the early period of its settlement, and entered land here. The Mowrys were natives of Kentucky and an old and prominent family in that state. Walter Braden was identified with the Whig party until the formation of the Republican party, when he became an ardent supporter of the party of Lincoln and remained throughout his life. He had nine children, of whom Richard was the fourth.

Richard J. Braden was twenty-one years old when the Civil War broke out. He responded to the first call for volunteers and enlisted in the Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving for three years. He participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and, at the battle of the Wilderness, was wounded. Later, at Fort Republic, he was captured by the Confederates and held a prisoner for three months in Libby prison. There he suffered the most indescribable horrors of prison life. He was mustered out of service as a corporal of Company D, Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Colonel Welsh was in command of the regiment. After the war Mr. Braden came home and resumed farming, in which he proved to be very successful.

In 1865 Mr. Braden was married to Ermina Dickinson, the daughter of Amos and Indiana (Palmerton) Dickinson, who were natives of Kentucky and who came to Dearborn county in pioneer times and eventually settled in Decatur county. Mrs. Braden was born shortly after the arrival of her parents in this state in 1844. The Dickinsons became very prosperous in this section of the state, where they were people of power and influence in agricultural circles.

Mr. and Mrs. Braden have had three children, all of whom are living, Charles A., born on August 2, 1866, who is now farming in Clay township; Mrs. Anna Butler, May 19, 1870, who is the wife of Ozro Butler, of Clay township, and Harry, September 3, 1880, of Greensburg, who married Carrie Erhart.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Braden are a happy couple and are spending their declining years in peace and plenty at their comfortable home in Greensburg, to which they moved in 1910. He has always been an enthusiastic and loyal supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Both Mr. and Mrs. Braden are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, Mr. Braden is a member of the Masonic lodge at Milford. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greensburg. Since the war, his health has not been good and he has had more or less sickness as a consequence of the wound he received at the battle of the Wilderness. Nevertheless, he is a man of happy and philosophical temperament and gladly says that if he could live to be one hundred years old, he would make the best of life and would expect to enjoy the very last minute. Mr. and Mrs. Braden are charming citizens of this city and are highly respected here.

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

Elmer E. Wooden was born in the city of Milford, Decatur county, Indiana, December 28, 1860, the son of Dr. John L. and Sarah (Guest) Wooden, the former of whom was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, on May 17, 1826, and died at his home in Greensburg, this county, November 28, 1886, the latter of whom was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on August 24, 1835, and is still living at her home in Greensburg.

Dr. John L. Wooden, a native of Shelby county, Kentucky, was the son of Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden, the former of whom was a native of that county, and the latter of whom was born at Bingen-on-the-Rhine, Germany. Levi Wooden's parents were among the early settlers in Shelby county, Kentucky. The Wymans emigrated to America from Germany in the year 1818, at a time the daughter, Frances, was fifteen years of age, locating first at Baltimore, Maryland, later emigrating to Shelby county, Kentucky, where Levi Wooden and Frances Wyman were married. In 1821 Levi Wooden came to Indiana, entering land in Decatur county, in Clark county and in Floyd county, making his home in this county, on the homestead four miles west of Greensburg, in Clay township. He became one of the most extensive landowners in this part of the state and was a man of large influence in the formative period of the now well-established farming region. He died in 1840, leaving a large estate and his wife, being a resourceful and energetic woman, carried on the large farming operations with much success. To Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden were born four children, John L., father of the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Barger, who died in Iowa, and Martha, who died in Illinois, and William, who died in Kansas, was a farmer.

When twenty-one years of age, John L. Wooden entered a dry goods store at Milford and for two years followed commercial pursuits, at the end of which time he determined to devote his life to the practice of medicine. He studied in the office of Dr. L. McAllister, at Milford, and in May, 1853, began the practice of his chosen profession at Andersonville, in Franklin county, this state. In the fall of 1859 he entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated on March 1, 1860, thereafter entering the practice of medicine at Milford, this county. In the fall of 1861, Doctor Wooden volunteered his services as an assistant field surgeon for service in the Union army during the Civil War. He was attached to the Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Field Surgeon Dr. J. Y. Hitt, with the rank of captain, later being promoted to the position of field surgeon, with the rank of major, being attached to the Sixty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on August 18, 1862. On September 17, 1862, at Munfordsville, Kentucky, Doctor Wooden was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces, but was exchanged in the November following when he rejoined his regiment. At the battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863, he again was captured by the Confederates and this time was sent to Libby prison, at which time he weighed one hundred and thirty pounds; when exchanged he weighed but about ninety pounds. After all incarceration of three months in that historic prison, he again was exchanged, when he again rejoined his regiment, and served until the close of the war, becoming brigade surgeon on the staff of General Willich. At the close of the war, Doctor Wooden located in Greensburg, where he spent the remainder of his life, becoming a very successful practitioner and was loved throughout the entire county, where he was devoted to his profession and his practice to him ever was a labor of love, his devotion to humanity being paramount to any question of fees for his services; much of his practice being conducted without regard to money consideration. He was president of the Decatur County Medical Society and for many years served as examining surgeon for the United States pension board in this district.

In 1847, Dr. John L. Wooden was united in marriage to Jane Braden, who died in 1850. On October 13, 1853, Doctor Wooden married, secondly, Sarah Guest, of Milford, this county, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Branson) Guest, natives of Pennsylvania, who located in Hamilton, Ohio, later coming to this county, becoming prominent residents of the Milford neighborhood. Elizabeth Branson was a daughter of David and Sarah (Antrim) Branson, pioneers of this county. Elsewhere in this volume the reader will find set out a genealogy of the Antrim family.

To Dr. John L. and Sarah (Guest) Wooden were born four children, namely: Ida May, who married T. Edgar Hamilton, a well-known resident of this county; Dr. William H., who died in 1900, was graduated from the Ohio Medical College and for many years practiced his profession in Greensburg; Elmer K., the subject of this sketch, of the firm of Bird, Deem & Wooden, hardware merchants, now retired, and Fannie E., who married J. S. Moss, a well-known druggist of Greensburg.

Doctor and Mrs. Wooden were earnest members of the Methodist church, in the faith of which they reared their children. Doctor Wooden was a member and first commander of Pap Thomas Post No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic, had served as commander of that post and also had served as senior vice-commander of the Department of Indiana, Grand Army of the Republic, being held in the highest esteem by the comrades in all parts of the state. He was a Mason, and for years had served as master of Concordia lodge of that order at Greensburg. He was a Republican and ever took a good citizen's part in local politics, his views on political questions having much weight with the party managers of this county. Doctor Wooden's widow is still living and continues to take a warm interest in social and church affairs in Greensburg. She was reared a Quakeress, being a birthright member of that church, but for many years has been devoted to the work of the Methodist church, of which she is an active member. She is a member of the Department Club at Greensburg and retains a hearty interest in the affairs of that useful organization. She has hosts of admiring friends and no woman in the county is held in higher respect than she.

Elmer E. Wooden was educated in the Greensburg schools and at eighteen years of age left the high school and graduated to take a place as a clerk in the hardware store of O. P. Shrives & Company, at Greensburg, continuing in that position for seven years, at the end of which time Mr. Schriver moved to Cincinnati to engage in the same form of business and Mr. Wooden accompanied him, remaining in Cincinnati for seven years.

He then returned to Greensburg and engaged in the hardware business with O. P. Schriver, under the firm came of O. P. Schriver & Company, which firm was maintained for four years, at the end of which time Mr. Schriver withdrew, and the firm was continued under the name of Bird, Deem & Wooden, this arrangement continuing from 1894 to 1900. In the latter year the firm became Bird, Meek & Wooden. In 1901 Mr. Bird withdrew from the firm, which was continued under the name of Meek & Wooden until July 9, 1913, at which time the company was dissolved, Mr. Wooden retiring from active business.

On May 7, 1905, Elmer E. Wooden was united in marriage to Della Mount, of Shelby county, daughter of Thomas J. Mount, a member of one of the pioneer families of Shelby county, a general history of which family is presented elsewhere in this volume in the biographical sketch relating to H. H. Mount. To Mr. and Mrs. Wooden have been born, Herschel, on December 31, 1907; Mary Elizabeth, October 10, 1909, and James Edgar, December 24, 1910.

Mrs. Wooden owns a fine arm west of Milford, the old Butler place, and Mr. Wooden gives much of his time to the active supervision of this farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Wooden are active members of the First Methodist church of Greensburg, and their children are being reared in that faith. Mr. Wooden is a Republican and is a member of Greensburg Lodge No. 36, Free and Accepted Masons; Lodge No. 346, Knights of Pythias, and Decatur Lodge No. 103, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His many years connection with the commercial interests of Greensburg gives to his opinions regarding the advancement of the best interests of the city and county much value and he is regarded as one of the most public-spirited citizens in that city. Mrs. Wooden takes a prominent part in the social affairs of the city and is a valued member of the well-known Department Club of Greensburg, being a leader in the musical section of that important organization. She and her husband are very popular with their friends and are held in the highest regard by all.

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