Born on October 16, 1841, on the old homestead farm near Kingstown, in Decatur county, he is the son of Cyrus and Mary (McCoy) Hamilton, the former of whom was born in 1800 in Kentucky and who died in 1879. Coming to Decatur county, in 1821, with four brothers, James E., Cyrus, Thomas and Robert Marshall, he settled on a farm near Kingston in Decatur county. All of the four brothers, after coming to Decatur county from Kentucky, and all of whom were the sons of Robert Hamilton, occupied farms between Kingston and Greensburg. In time Cyrus Hamilton came to be a large landowner in Decatur county, and at one time owned as much as four hundred acres, which he had cleared and improved. He resided upon the farm until his death. His wife, Mary McCoy, who was a native of Kentucky, was born in 1799, and died in 1881. They had six children, only three of whom are now living: William M. is deceased; Mrs. Melissa Nyce is deceased, and Orlando died in the spring of 1914. Mrs. Cordelia Donnell lives near Clarksburg; Chester lives on a farm in Decatur county, the old homestead farm, and Everett Hamilton is the subject of this sketch. A prominent member of the Whig party and a free-soiler until its disintegration and the formation of the Republican party in 1854, Cyrus Hamilton was a prominent Abolitionist also, and one of the leading advocates in this section of the state of the Abolitionist cause. He was well known as a debater, especially on the subject of slavery, and a devout Presbyterian and member of the Kingston church, which he helped to build.

Educated in the common schools of Fugit township, Decatur county, Indiana, and in the old Northwestern Christian University, now Butler College, of Indianapolis, where he spent one and one-half years, Everett Hamilton began farming for himself in 1864, at the age of twenty-three, near Kingston, in Decatur township, on eighty acres of land given to him by his father. At the same time he purchased eighty acres of land, on which he never lived, but which he farmed before his marriage. In 1866, he exchanged this farm for one hundred and sixty acres near Clarksburg, to which he moved, and which, in time, he increased to four hundred acres. This farm he cultivated until 1911, when he removed to Greensburg, after erecting a modern residence on East Main street. During his life he was engaged in general farming and stock raising, and was considered to have made a splendid success of his life's vocation.

In 1870, Mr. Hamilton was married to Mary Jane Hopkins, who was born in 1843, on a farm in Fugit township, who is the daughter of Preston E. and Eliza (Donnell) Hopkins, the former of whom, a native of Kentucky, came to Decatur county with his father at an early day. To this union three children were born: Paul, Edwin S. and Frank. Paul is engineer of track and roadway for the Big Four railroad, and has his office in Cincinnati; Edwin S. is a farmer on the old homestead, and Frank is an attorney of Greensburg, Indiana.

A Republican in politics, Everett Hamilton served as trustee of Fugit township for two terms, and also as a member of the board of county commissioners for one term, from 1886 to 1889. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are members of the Kingston Presbyterian church, in which he served as trustee for many years.

Everett Hamilton is one of the best-known and most highly respected citizens of Decatur county. As a farmer and citizen of Fugit township he was well known and as a public official he was recognized as capable, earnest and scrupulously honest in all his relations. In his declining years he has the satisfaction of knowing that his three sons are following the footsteps of their father, and that they themselves are on the way to similarly honest and useful lives.

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

In a biographical sketch relating to Alexander Porter, one of the members of this firm, presented elsewhere in this volume, reference is made to the many large building contracts executed by this company, and it will not be necessary to enter into that phase of the concern's operations here, but it is fitting to set out here something regarding the general extent of the plant maintained by the company. In Greensburg, the company operates an extensive planing-mill and sash-door factory, manufacturing, so far as possible, all material entering into the building trades, with particular reference to special work, most of the stock work used in the extensive building operations of the concern being bought outside. In addition to operating the factory at Greensburg, which utilizes the services of about fifty hands on an average, the firm maintains a general supply house at that place, carrying pretty much everything required in the building trades. The company has pleasant and well-equipped offices in connection with the retail building, the planing-mill and lumber yard being situated near the railroad. The Hope plant, which has one of the best-equipped and most modern sheds in Indiana, with a capacity of from thirty to forty carloads of building material, employs from fifteen to twenty men and has a saw-mill, a ten-ton ice plant and a complete double electric lighting system in connection therewith, using exhaust steam for heating purposes. This plant is maintained for both public and commercial uses and carries building material of every description.

William C. Pulse was born in a farm home in the woods in Salt Creek township, Decatur county, Indiana, on September 30, 1859, the son of David G. and Rebecca (VanCleave) Pulse, both natives of Hamilton county, Ohio, who were born and reared near Cincinnati at a time when the now proud Queen City was but a village. The Pulses and the Vancleaves were among the prominent families of the Cincinnati neighborhood and were associates of the Tyler Davidsons, the Nicholas Longworths and others of the leading families of Cincinnati in that day. At that period the country around Cincinnati was an unbroken forest and Mr. Pulse's parents often recalled in later years the fact that there were but few houses in the neighborhood of their childhood homes and the wild deer still frequented the "licks" which were so common thereabout. It was customary for the families to go to market in big wagons, camping over night on the way.

David G. Pulse, who was born in 1819, and who died in this county in March, 1889, was the son of a Virginian, of Pennsylvania-Dutch or High German extraction. He was united in marriage in Hamilton county, Ohio, to Rebecca VanCleave, and in that county the first three children of this union were born. About 1847, the Pulses moved to this county, buying a farm of about one hundred and twenty acres in Salt Creek township, hill and forest land, the forest being gradually cleared and the hills brought under cultivation. David G. Pulse was a man of large influence in the community in which he made his home and he and his wife were regarded as among the leaders in that neighborhood. Both were persons of excellent education, and it is undoubted that their influence had very much to do with bringing about better social and economic conditions in that now well-established farming region. Mr. Pulse was a Democrat and his first vote was cast for James K. Polk for President. For many years he served the township as justice of the peace, and his judgments always were regarded as equitable by his neighbors. The Pulses were Methodists and were leaders of the meetings which were conducted by the "circuit riders" thereabout in those days.

To David G. and Rebecca (VanCleave) Pulse were born five children: Olney E., who enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for service in behalf of the Union during the Civil War, and was killed in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain in June, 1864; John, who died in November, 1900; Oscar L., who now is living in Belle City, Missouri, to which place he moved in 1892; James C., who died in Paragould, Arkansas, in October, 1901, and William C., the immediate subject of this biographical sketch. In January, 1889, the Pulses retired from the farm and moved into the city of Greensburg, where Mr. Pulse died the following March, his widow continuing to make her residence there until the time of her death, twenty-four years later, June 17, 1913, she then being eighty-nine years, six months and seventeen days old.

William C. Pulse received his elementary education in the district school of his home neighborhood, which he supplemented with a course in Hartsville College and a course in the university at Valparaiso, Indiana, lacking but half a year of finishing in the latter institution. In 1883, he resumed his studies, taking the regular scientific course. Mr. Pulse earned his way through college by teaching school in Decatur county, having taught for nine years, in which profession he was very successful, his well-recognized qualifications giving him the choice of positions in the county. Between terms of teaching, Mr. Pulse farmed or operated a saw-mill until the year 1888, when he engaged in the contracting business. The history of the well-established firm of Pulse & Porter is the story of the success of Mr. Pulse since that time.

On January 10, 1894, William C. Pulse was united in marriage to Ida E. Black, of Anderson, Indiana, a daughter of McFarland and Mary (Wood) Black, both of whom now are deceased, to which union two children were born, William McFarland, on August 17, 1895, died on August 17, 1896, and Mary Rebecca, January I 7, 1897, died on August 13, 1900.

Mrs. Pulse is a member of the First Methodist church of Greensburg, and is active in its work. Mr. Pulse is a Republican and for years has been a leader in that party throughout this section of the state. In 1910, he was the party's candidate for joint senator for the district comprised of Bartholomew and Decatur counties, and was defeated in this Democratic district by a majority of but sixteen votes, the stress of his personal business preventing his close application to his campaign. He stands high in Masonry, having reached the thirty-second degree, and three times serving as the master of the Greensburg lodge of that order, of which lodge he was a trustee; a member of the grand lodge of Indiana and grand marshal of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Indiana; a thirty-second degree Mason, and a member of the Shriners at Murat Temple in Indianapolis, and has taken everything in Masonry, both York and Scottish Rite. He also is a charter member and past exalted ruler of the Greensburg Lodge No. 475, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and past chancellor commander of Greensburg Lodge No. 188, Knights of Pythias. Mr. Pulse is one of the directors of the Sterling Fire Insurance Company, of Indianapolis, which has a paid-up capital of eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars, with assets of one million, six hundred thousand dollars, including surplus and reserves. For six years he was a member of the directorate of the Indiana Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, which association he served for two years as president and one year as vice-president. He is active in all movements having to do with the development of the best interests of his home community, both in material, moral and civic way and he and Mrs. Pulse also take an active interest in the social affairs of the city, none there being held in higher regard than they, where they own a beautiful home. Mr. and Mrs. Pulse live on East Washington street.

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

Walter B. Cory was born in Washington township, Decatur county, Indiana, the son of Joseph and Lenora (Deem) Cory, both natives of this county, whose parents were among the earliest settlers thereabout. The genealogy of the Cory family, together with an extended biographical sketch of Joseph Cory, will be found on another page in this volume. Walter B. Cory was reared on the paternal farm, receiving such education as the district schools offered in the days of his boyhood, and two years in Greensburg high school and a business course at Danville, Indiana, and on February 6, 1894, was united in marriage to Louisa Lynch, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Bentley) Lynch, the former of whom was born in Franklin county, Indiana, in 1825, and died at his home in this county in 1902, the latter of whom was born in this county in 1834, and died in 1900.

Benjamin Lynch came to this county from Franklin county as a young man and here he was married. He opened a store at the hamlet of Letts, which he conducted quite successfully for some years. Later he bought a farm near the village of Adams, and, in addition to operating the same, engaged extensively in the business of stock buying. It was on this farm near Adams that Mrs. Cory was born. Benjamin Lynch was the son of Pierce Lynch, a native of Pennsylvania, who emigrated to Indiana in an early day, locating in Franklin county, where he spent the remainder of his life, coming to be one of the most influential residents of the community in which he lived. Benjamin Lynch retired from the farm when encroaching years made impossible his further active labors, moving into the town of Adams, where he died in 1902. His wife had preceded him to the grave by two years, her death having occurred in the year 1900. She was the daughter of William and Sarah M. (Howe) Bentley, pioneers of this county. For additional details of the genealogy of the Bentleys, together with a history of that family in this county, the reader is referred to the sketch of Alexander Bentley, presented elsewhere in this volume.

To Benjamin and Sarah (Bentley) Lynch four children were born, as follow: Mrs. Anna Wooley, who died at Lebanon, Indiana; Olive, who married Professor George L. Roberts, a member of the faculty of Purdue University, and lives at Lafayette, Indiana; Perry, who lives in Oklahoma, and Louisa, the widow of Mr. Cory.

For two years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Cory resided in the Lynch home near Adams, after which they engaged in farming on their own account, buying a fine tract of land about three miles west of Greensburg. This farm recently was sold by Mrs. Cory, who since then has been making her home in Greensburg. In addition to operating his farm, Walter B. Cory also operated a threshing outfit and was one of the best known men in the county.

To Walter B. and Louisa (Lynch) Cory two children were born, Cecil L. and Ernest J., both of whom are still at home with their mother, and the latter of whom is still in school. Mr. Cory was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is his widow, and these children have been reared in the faith of that church. Mr. Cory's death in September, 1909, was a grievous blow to his family and was lamented also by his large circle of friends and acquaintances throughout the county the fact that he was removed from the scene of earth's activities in the very prime of his vigorous manhood making his passing all the more to be regretted.

Mr. Cory was a Republican and took a good citizen's part in the political affairs of the county though not what might be called a particularly active worker in politics. He, however, took an earnest interest in good government and was deeply interested in all measures designed to improve the general conditions of society. He was a good man and the community sustained a real loss when he was called away.

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

John Nicholas Wallingford, deceased, a merchant of Greensburg, Indiana, was born on March 31, 1840, and died on August 13, 1907. He was a son of Hiram and Hannah (Morris) Wallingford. He succeeded his father in the dry goods business, upon his retirement, and continued the business until 1885, from which he also retired later on, and was for eight years in the employment of the government, serving four years as deputy internal revenue collector, and then storekeeper gauger until his death.

Hiram Wallingford was a native of Kentucky, and came to Rush county directly after the Civil War. He finally located in Greensburg, where he conducted a mercantile business, and where he spent the last years of his life. His children were: Mary, Alicia, Eliza, John, Kate, Fannie and William. Mary became Mrs. Tully, and is now deceased; Alicia lives in Decatur county; Eliza, deceased; Kate became the wife of a Mr. Grove, and is now deceased, as is also Fannie; William lives at Farnham, Nebraska.

John Nicholas Wallingford was twice married. First, about 1866, to Alice Foster, a native of Pennsylvania, who died about 1893, leaving three children: John Devol, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa; William, who died at Des Moines, and Morris, also deceased. His second marriage took place on November 17, 1897, with Mary Louise Snodgrass, who was born in Ripley county, and is a daughter of William Harrison and Mary (Wood) Snodgrass, natives of Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. Mr. Wallingford was a Republican, and a member of the Christian church. Mrs. Wallingford survives her husband.

William Harrison Snodgrass, father of Mrs. Wallingford, was born in 1818, and died in 1900, his wife, Mary, was born in 1823, and died in 1905. Mr. Snodgrass was a son of John Snodgrass, of Kentucky. He lived in Ripley county until 1884, and then came to Greensburg, where he retired from business, and where his last days were spent. Capt. William Harrison Snodgrass, of the Eighty-third Indiana, enlisted in Decatur county, and served throughout the Civil War. He was captain of Company A, and enlisted as second lieutenant, advanced to first lieutenant, then captain and brevet major. His children were: Josephine Callahan, who died in 1900; Emma Hatch, now a widow; Hester Dennison, deceased; Worth, deceased; Melissa Dennison now living at Greensburg; Mary Wallingford, and Dea Jenks, deceased. They were all members of the Christian church.

John Snodgrass, paternal grandfather of Mrs. Wallingford, was a native of Kentucky, and located in Indiana, in 1821, where he bought government land, the deeds to which were signed by John Quincy Adams.

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

Mr. Braden was born in Clay township, Decatur county, on November 5, 1861, the son of Robert and Pamelia (Anderson) Braden. William Braden, the paternal grandfather, was a native of County Tyrone, in the north of Ireland. He emigrated to the United States in 1795, and after settling temporarily in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, removed to Scott county, Kentucky, and, in 1822, removed to Clarksburg, Decatur county, where he died in 1825. He married Ufama Jackson, a native of Ireland, and they had nine children. Robert Braden, the father of Luther D., was born on July 11, 1814, in Scott county, Kentucky, and was eight years old when brought to Decatur county, in 1822. In 1839 he located in Clay township, where he became an extensive farmer. He was a man of very aggressive disposition, and a leader in the community where he lived. A charter member of the Milford Christian church, founded in 1842, and a Republican in politics, he died in 1887. In 1838 he had married Pamela Anderson, the daughter of Joseph Anderson, who laid out and named the town of Andersonville, Franklin county, Indiana. They had four children: Joseph A., a veteran of the Civil War, a justice of the peace and an insurance and real estate dealer at Rossville, Illinois; Jane, the widow of Thomas A. Shirk; Jeremy A., a retired farmer, of Greensburg, and Luther D., the subject of this sketch.

Born and reared in Clay township, Decatur county, Indiana, Luther D. Braden entered Hartsville College in 1878, and after spending four years in that institution, began teaching in 1882. In the meantime he studied in the Northern Indiana Normal at Valparaiso. From 1889 to 1891, he served as county superintendent of Decatur county, and from 1891 to 1893, he was principal of St. Paul's school.

In 1893, Mr. Braden came to Greensburg, and for one year was a member of the firm of J. C. Pulse & Company, wholesale grocers. In October of the following year, Mr. Braden purchased the Standard, the oldest paper in Decatur county, and one which was established in 1835 by John Thomson, the grandfather of Mrs. Braden. It is a family newspaper.

On December 17, 1890, Luther D. Braden was married to Ella Thomson, the daughter of Orville Thomson, of Greensburg. To this happy union has been born one child, Marie.

Mr. Braden is a Republican in politics, and a very active worker in the Christian church, of which he is an elder. He is a member of the official board of the Greensburg congregation and was superintendent of the Sunday school for seven years. Fraternally, he is a member of Greensburg Lodge No. 36, Free and Accepted Masons; of Chapter No. 8, Royal Arch Masons, and Greensburg Council No. 74, Royal and Select Masters. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.

As a man who exerts a silent and unostentatious influence for good, Luther D. Braden has no superior in Decatur county. Not only does he possess the confidence and esteem of his fellow townsmen, but of the people wherever he is known. He is an eminently worthy citizen of this great county.

Mr. Braden has taken great interest in collecting early historical data of Decatur county, and his paper for the past twenty years has presented many valuable facts that otherwise might have been lost to posterity. Since the death of Orville Thoinson, in 1910, he is generally conceded to be the best-informed person in the county on all matters pertaining to its general history.

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

William F. Smiley, now a resident of Greensburg, Indiana, and a retired farmer of Decatur county, was born on November 21, 1848, in Butler county, Ohio, the son of William and Mary Ann (Kinney) Smiley, natives of Miflin county, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, respectively, the former of whom was born in 1814 and died on June 6, 1893, and the latter of whom was born in 1817 and died in 1906. William Smiley was the son of Patrick Smiley, a gentleman of Irish descent, who lived in Pennsylvania, from whence the son moved to Butler county, Ohio, and, after being married there, in 1835, came, when seventeen years old, to Decatur county, arriving in February, 1849. Settling in Clay township, he purchased land and became a prosperous farmer. Starting with eighty acres of land which was purchased with a capital of three hundred dollars, inherited by his wife, he returned for his family and drove through from Ohio to Decatur county with an ox team. From time to time he bought more land and owned, at the time of his death, one thousand acres. A large farmer and stockman, he was also an ardent Democrat and a member of the Primitive Methodist church. He and his wife had nine children, four of whom are deceased. The names of the children, in the order of their birth, are as follow: Mrs. Parmelia Henry, deceased; Mrs. Caroline Sefton, the wife of Ed. Sefton, of Greensburg; George Washington, who died in 1907; Harvey, who died on January 8, 1915; Thomas K., a farmer near Hartsville, Indiana; Mary, who died on August 16, 1914; William F., the subject of this sketch; Sovereign P., a hotel proprietor in Texas; and Mrs. Margaret Johnson, of Greensburg.

Educated in Hartsville College, Mr. Smiley has always farmed. He began with a tract of eighty acres given to him by his father and, after locating upon this farm, which is situated in Clay township, he built a new house and, upon his marriage, settled there, residing on the farm from 1878 to 1897, after which he moved to Greensburg for one year and then moved to Burney, where he lived until 1911. He later returned to Greensburg and now resides in this city. In the meantime, Mr. Smiley has increased the acreage of his farm to two hundred and forty acres and has two sets of farm buildings. He is one of the most extensive raisers of cattle and hogs in the county.

On October 29, 1878, William F. Smiley was married to Jennie Ewing, who was born on July 20, 1857, in Milford, Decatur county, Indiana, and who is the daughter of Joshua and Alice (Russell) Ewing, natives of Decatur county, the former of whom was born in 1833 and who died in March, 1891. Joshua Ewing, who was the son of Patrick Ewing, a native of Maryland, was one of a large family and was also one of triplets, born to his parents. The other two children born at the same time were Putman and Abraham.

The Ewing family is of Scotch-Irish extraction, Patrick Ewing, the founder of the family in America, having immigrated from Ireland before the Revolution, a son, Putnam, being born on the voyage to America. Patrick Ewing settled at Elkton, Maryland, and became the father of four sons, Samuel, Joshua, Nathan and Putnam. The first three sons settled in Virginia. Putnam Ewing married Jennie McClelland, the daughter of a Doctor McClelland, of Maryland, and moved to Bourbon county, Kentucky, in 1806, settling in Bath county, where he died. Eleven children were born to Putnam and Jennie Ewing, Robert, Patrick, Joshua, Polly, Samuel, Jennie, James, Eliza, George, McClelland and Andrew Jackson. Of this family, Patrick, the immediate ancestor of Mrs. Smiley, was born in 1803 in Cecil county, Maryland, and was married to Lydia Morgan, September 5, 1827, who was a native of Montgomery county, Kentucky. Patrick and his wife, the former of whom was the captain of the militia during his residence in Kentucky, came to Decatur county in 1827 and settled in Clay township, where they reared a family of fifteen children, Sarah J., Mary, Eliza, Putnam, Abel, Joshua, Robert, Cortez, Samuel H., Lydia, James K., George M., Martha C., Morgan J. and Alice J. Of this family, Sarah J. was first married to John G. King, and after her death, he married her sister, Eliza; Mary married Jesse Howard. Of the three sons, Putnam, Abel and Joshua, triplets, Putnam married Mary DeArmond and after her death married Sarah A. Hackleman; Joshua married Alice Russell and they were the parents of Mrs. Smiley; Abel married Nancy J. G. Patton; Robert married Sallie King; Cortez, an attorney-at-law, married Elizabeth H. Matthews; Samuel H. married Mahala Braden; Lydia married James W. Barclay; James K. is referred to elsewhere in this volume; Martha C. is the wife of James C. Davis, and Alice J. is the wife of James M. Hiner.

Alice Russell, who became the wife of Joshua Ewing and the mother of Mrs. William F. Smiley, was born in 1841, at Milford, the daughter of Robert Russell, a pioneer citizen of the county. She died in 1905. Of the seven children born to Joshua and Alice (Russell) Ewing, Jennie married the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Lydia Russell lives at Flat Rock, Indiana; Mrs. Hessie Arnold, who lives one-half mile from Burney, is the wife of a music dealer, and Mrs. Lucy Alley lives five miles south of Burney on a farm.

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Smiley have had no children. Mr. Smiley is a Democrat. Mr. and Mrs. Smiley are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Smiley is a member of the Department Club, the Afternoon Lecture Course, the Art Circle and the Music Circle. Mr. Smiley is a member of Burney Lodge, Knights of Pythias.

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

The store now owned by W. C., C. M. and J. V. Woodfill was established by their grandfather, Gabriel Woodfill, in November, 1830, this being carried on in connection with a banking business made necessary because, at that time, there were no banks. It will thus he seen that the business instinct has been strong in this family for several generations back, but it has also been connected with high moral principles and an ethical consciousness, for Greensburg's first banker assisted in building the First Methodist Episcopal church. We shall have occasion to refer more definitely to Mr. Woodfill's ancestry later on in this sketch.

William C. Woodfill graduated from the Greensburg high school, and then took a course in a business school in Cincinnati. Returning, he began work in his father's store, then known by the firm name of Hittle & Christian. As the sons in this family came of age, they were given an interest in the store, and William was no exception to the rule. From that time on, he has taken a keen interest in thc lnanagement on good business principles of the oldest merchandise store in Greensburg, and as its leading merchant, has attained an enviable place in the community.

On October 4, 1893, Mr. Woodfill married Miss Elizabeth Donnell, daughter of Seth Donnell, who is deceased. Her mother, Mrs. Donnell, still lives in Greensburg. To this union the following children were born: James Donnell, a student of Purdue University; William Stewart, of Bowdoin College, Main; Elizabeth and Margaret, both of whom are attending school at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodfill have taken deep interest in educational matters, and the former is at present a member of the city school board. Aside from his own business establishment, Mr. Woodfill has identified himself with other commercial activities of the town, and is now the president of the Greensburg Building and Loan Association.

Mr. Woodfill is a Republican, and his personal influence has given strength to the local party. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge, the Knights of Pythias, the Free and Accepted Masons, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

As the merchandise store founded by his ancestors has formed such an integral part of his life, a brief sketch of its history mill not be inappropriate. The store now supplies the public with clothing and men's furnishings. It succeeded the firm of J. M. Woodfill & Sons in 1897, this having been the firm name from 1895. It was known as Woodfill & Byers from 1890 until 1895, as Christian & Woodfill from 1888 until 1890, which succeeded Hittle & Christian, who, in turn, succeeded John P. Hittle, founder of the original store. There was a close alliance between business and family relations, as J. H. Christian was a nephew of J. M. Woodfill, and son-in-law of John P. Hittle.

Mr. Woodfill's strength of character, as well as his energy and marked business ability, have been of signal value in the history of the community in which he and his family have lived for several generations. While building up his commercial interests, he has not neglected those personal and civic duties which assume the form of obligations in the life of every man, for, like his distinguished ancestors, he has been public-spirited, and has placed the good of his town and county next to that of himself and his own family. It is such men that form the bone and sinew of any people.

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

Born on July 10, 1832, at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, in Prussia, John Henry Metz came to America in 1854, at the age of twenty-two and, after two years in Ohio, in 1856 came on to Decatur county. The son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Kolb) Metz, farmers by occupation, John H. Metz was reared on the farm in his native land. He left home, family and friends to seek his fortune in a new country with a single companion. The voyage to America, which required forty-six days, was made on the ship "Milhausen."

On arriving in Decatur county, Indiana, Mr. Metz was employed by James and, later, by William Bonner, for five dollars a month, and out of these earnings, he was able to save money and purchase his first land in Salt Creek township. Later, he bought forty acres and still another forty and began to raise hogs. In fact, this has been the secret of his success and fortune. He also made great profits in the early days by growing wheat. For many years he has been accustomed to raise one hundred and fifty head of hogs a year, and to sell at least one carload of cattle every year. He now owns six hundred acres of land in Fugit and Salt Creek townships, upon which are located three sets of buildings. All of this land is either farmed or managed by members of his family. Not many years ago he remodeled his farm house and now has a handsome and comfortable residence, the equal of any to he found in Fugit township.

Six years after coming to America and four years after arriving in Decatur county, John Henry Metz was married, February 14, 1860, to Louise Huber, who was born in Franklin county, Indiana, July 16, 1836, and who was the daughter of Gottfried and Margaret (Zeigler) Huber, natives of Germany. After rearing a large family of children, Mrs. Metz passed away on July 10, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Metz had eight children: Leona, George W., Mary Elizabeth, John H., Jr., Edward L., William G., Charles Frederick and Maude Louise, the latter dying in 1912. Leona married Chester King and lives in Clinton township, near Williamstown; they have six children, Mary Elizabeth, the wife of Fred Caldwell; Florence, John H., Jr., Stella, Elendore and Edward. George W. married Catherine Ravenstein, of Cincinnati and is a merchant at Newpoint, where he was postmaster for sixteen years. Of his nine children, Amanda married McClelland Wolfe and has two children; Neola Maurine died on March 30, 1915, age two years, and Orin Keith, lives in Delaware, Ohio; Elma Marie married Howard Starks and has two children, Bessie Metz and Audrey Louise; Christina, William M., Anna L., Margarette, Cora May, George H., Catherine. Mary Elizabeth is the housekeeper for her father. John H., Jr., lives at home. Edward L. married Louisa Moulton and has two children, Edward Albert and Temperance Louise. William G. married Luella Dravis, Fugit township. Charles Frederick is at home.

Mr. Metz's sons are extensive breeders of Aberdeen Angus cattle and ordinarily have from eighty to one hundred head on the farm. A Republican in politics, John Henry Metz has never been active in the councils of his party, even though he is, and has always been, a leader in his community. He is a member of the Kingston Presbyterian church, as was his good wife during her life. John Henry Metz is a fine type of the German gentleman, who has attained success from the humble start which he had in this country. He is well-read, intelligent and hospitable and one of the few really old settlers left in Decatur county. He has reared a fine family of industrious sons and daughters and his home is decidedly one of the best in the state of Indiana. That he is a good farmer and that his sons, who have taken up his work, are also good farmers, is amply proved by the fact that in a dry year, 1914, they raised from sixty to eighty bushels of corn per acre on their land. It is unfortunate that every community cannot have within its boundaries men of the same character, capacity and ability, as John Henry Metz.

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

Guy Kitchin, farmer, Fugit township, was born on October 7, 1882, in Fugit township, on their home farm. He is a son of Frank B. and Clara (Robbins) Kitchin. He first attended the public schools at Kingston, and when eighteen years of age, entered Purdue University, remaining there one year, 1899-1900, after which he returned home and farmed for a short time, and then went to Kansas and Oklahoma for his health in 1908. He remained in Oklahoma four years, and then returned to Decatur county in the fall of 1912. In politics, he has always voted the Republican ticket, and is a member of the Kingston Presbyterian church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. The fine farm, of three hundred and twenty acres, stands as a witness to his ability, as well as to his thrifty habits.

Frank Benjamin Kitchin, father of our subject, was born and reared on the home farm in Decatur county, where he farmed until his removal to Indianapolis in the spring of 1912. He owns five hundred acres in Fugit township, covering three well-improved farms. He does general farming, and is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle. To Frank Kitchin and his wife were born six children, as follow: Clyde, Guy, Coza, Grace, Thomas and Frank Barnard. Clyde lives in Rush county; Coza lives in Indianapolis; Grace is the wife of Harry Moore, and lives at Alexandria; Frank Barnard lives in Indianapolis.

In December, 1908, Guy Kitchin was married to Joy Thompson, daughter of Edgar Thompson, of Jennings county. They have one child, Edgar, born in November, 1911.

Guy Kitchin has lived on his present farm since 1911. The father bought this tract of land about 1887, known as the Donne11 farm. Guy Kitchin buys cattle and feeds on an average about seventy-five head during the year. On his farm he raises diversified crops and feeds all the grain and hay he can produce. Aside from this he buys a good deal of grain and feeds to carry him through the season.

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

The late William S. Woodfill was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, on November 16, 1825, the son of Gabriel and Eleanor (Pullman) Woodfill. The family trace their ancestry back to Welsh and English progenitors and have found that the first members of the family located in Pennsylvania in the early colonial days. Reverend Gabriel, the great-grandfather of William S. Woodfill, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Kentucky and settled in Shelby county early in the history of that state. He was a pioneer in Methodism in Kentucky and upon locating in Jefferson county, Indiana, became one of the earliest Methodist ministers of the Hoosier state. He was a man of large influence in his community and his labors in the Master's vineyard proved of inestimable benefit to his widely scattered neighbors.

Andrew Woodfill, the son of the good old Methodist circuit rider and the grandfather of William S. Woodfill, was born in Pennsylvania, but spent most of his life in the vicinity of Madison, Indiana. He entered government land in Jefferson county, married a Miss Mitchell and reared a family of twelve children, eight of whom lived to maturity. The last of the children to die were Mrs. Ellen Greene, of Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Sarah Maish, of Illinois, and Mrs. James Woodfill, of Texas.

Gabriel, one of the sons of Andrew, and the father of William S., was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, in 1800. Later he moved with his parents to Jefferson county, Indiana, but after reaching manhood returned to Kentucky, where he engaged in farming and merchandising. On November 16, 1830, he located in Greensburg, Indiana, and immediately began to take a prominent part in the commercial and fraternal life of the town. In the same year he opened a store and the business which he established in Greensburg, eighty-five years ago, is now in the hands of William W. Woodfill, at the corner of Washington street and Broadway, a grandson of the old pioneer merchant. Gabriel also carried on a banking business in connection with his store, and was easily the foremost man in the business life of the town. He was an ardent Whig and when the Republican party was organized he gave it the same hearty support. He was an earnest member of the Methodist church and was one of the organizers of the First Methodist church, and later of the Centenary church. He was twice married. His first marriage was with Eleanor Pullman, and to this union were born three children, Andrew; William S., a life-long merchant of Greensburg, and Mary, who became the wife of Henry Christian. Upon the death of his first wife, Gabriel Woodfill married Elizabeth Van Pelt, a daughter of Joseph Van Pelt, and to this second union were also born three children, John, deceased; James M. and Catherine, the deceased wife of Rev. James Crawford.

William Skeen Woodfill was five years of age when the family came to Decatur county in 1830 and spent the remainder of his life in Greensburg. Receiving a good common-school education, he early in life began to work in his father's store, which, by the time he had reached manhood, was the leading mercantile establishment of the town. Later his father made him a partner, the firm being known as Woodfill & Son until January, 1863. On that date the father retired from active business cares and the firm was changed to Woodfill Brothers, the three brothers being William, John and James. This arrangement continued until February, 1869, when the death of John caused the firm to be changed to W. S. Woodfill & Company. In 1882 the style of the firm was changed to J. M. Woodfill. & Company, but this change lasted less than a year. On January 1, 1884, James retired and from then until the death of William S., July 25, 1899, the firm was known as W. S. Woodfill & Sons. Since the year 1899 the firm has been known as W. W. Woodfill's Sons, although W. W. Woodfill is now the manager of the establishment.

The Greensburg Gas and Electric Company was organized by William S. Woodfill in 1875 and he was resident of the company from the time of its organization until his death, in 1899. In addition to his extensive commercial and industrial interests in Greensburg, he owned four valuable farms in Decatur county.

On November 18, 1857, William S. Woodfill was married to Sarah A. Talbott, the daughter of H. H. Talbott, the first clerk of the Decatur county circuit court. To this union were born four children, Elizabeth, who became the wife of Rev. J. W. Turner, of Decatur county; William Wirt, a merchant of Greensburg; Harry Talbott, superintendent of the Greensburg Gas and Electric Light Company, and Web, secretary-treasurer of the same company.

The wife of W. S. Woodfill died on October 31, 1898. She represented the highest type of womanhood and her whole life was a benediction to those who came in contact with her. Devoted to her husband and children, she fulfilled, in the truest sense, the noblest mission of womanhood.

William S. Woodfill was an earnest Republican, but never an office seeker, his extensive business interests demanding all of his time and attention. He was a charter member of Greensburg Lodge No. 102, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, organized in 1851, and lived to be the last survivor of the charter members of the lodge. He was also a member of the encampment at Evansville, Indiana. For twenty years he was a member of the Centenary church of Greensburg and took an active part in furthering all worthy causes proposed by his church.

Such, in brief, is the life of one of Greensburg's most influential citizens of the past century. His life was always above reproach and he never shirked his duty as a citizen of the commonwealth in order to avoid responsibility. Such men give stability to any community, and such a man, in the highest sense of the word, was William S. Woodfill.

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

Walter Scott, who owns eighty acres in Fugit township, and who is also farming one hundred and sixty acres, was born on May 5, 1881, on the Scott homestead, located on the Donnell pike. He was educated in the Kingston schools and at Tarkio College, but has always been engaged in farming. For a number of years he was associated with his brother, Fred, in farming the Logan estate and, in the fall of 1907, purchased his present farm, which he has greatly improved, especially by the erection of a beautiful country house in 1910 and a large barn, forty-four by forty-eight feet. Mr. Scott was married on October 26, 1910, to Hazel Walker, who was born in Adams on June 7, 1887, the daughter of John Lee and Stella Walker, natives of Indiana, who reside in Adams. To Mr. and Mrs. Walker Scott have been born two children: Harold Walker, on May 10, 1912, and Miriam Edith, February 1, 1915. Politically, Mr. Scott is a Republican and is a member of the township advisory board. He and his wife are members of the Kingston Presbyterian church.

Robert Scott is a well-known farmer of Fugit township, who owns eighty acres of land and who is farming another eighty acres belonging to Margaret J. Logan, was born on March 16, 1884, on the Donnell pike. Mr. Scott grew up as a farmer in Decatur county and was married on October 16, 1908, to Anna Martha McCall, of New Concord, Ohio, a sister of Reverend McCall, and daughter of Marshall and Anna McCall. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have had two children, Marshall Logan, born on October 27, 1909, and Margaret Jane, December 14, 1911.

Of the father of these two successful farmers, it may be said that William E. Scott was born on March 3, 1839, in Ohio, and died, June 20, 1885. His wife, who, before her marriage, was Emily L. Logan, was born on July 27, 1844, on the Logan homestead and died on the old farm, March 20, 1913, in the same room where she had been born and where she was married.

The late William H. Scott was a soldier in the Civil War, having served in Company K, Thirty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for three years. He was mustered out of service on October 27, 1864, after having served in many severe engagements, among which were the battles of Huntsville, Alabama, Chattanooga, Stone's River, Murfreesborough, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain and all of the battles of the Atlanta campaign.

Of the six children born to William H. and Emily L. (Logan) Scott, two are deceased, Edward Thomas, born in 1866, and Edith Margaret, in 1868, both dying in infancy. The living children are Fred G., born in 1871, who is a farmer in Decatur county; Nannie Lillian, in 1878, who is the wife of Samuel Goddard, of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Walter and Robert, the subjects of this sketch.

Emily Logan was the daughter of John E. and Eliza (Kerrick) Logan, the former of whom was twice married, the first time to Hattie N. Anderson, a sister of "Uncle Billy" Anderson, who was born in 1812, in Kentucky, and who bore him three children, George Douglas, who died in infancy; Margaret J., in 1837, who resides with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Scott, and Mary Anderson, in 1839, and died in 1872, who was the wife of John W. Gillespie, a well-known merchant of Greensburg, now deceased.

Margaret J. Logan, who was educated in the Springhill schools, received an academic education and taught school for twenty-four years. Her school was a famous one on account of the many skilled teachers who presided over it. She also taught for seven years at College Corner. Miss Logan, who is now "seventy-seven years young," is a bright and capable woman and is well known in this community.

The second wife of John E. Logan, who was born in 1812, and who died in 1899, was Eliza Kerrick. She was born in 1816 and died in 1893. Born near Lexington, Kentucky, John E. Logan was the son of George Logan, who was born in Pennsylvania about 1780 and whose wife, Margaret Robinson, was also born in Pennsylvania. George Logan and wife emigrated to Kentucky and their son, John E., after a time, left Kentucky and emigrated to White county, Illinois, from whence he came to Decatur county, Indiana, purchasing a farm in Fugit township in 1833. He bought one hundred and sixty acres of land for six hundred dollars, but eventually owned three hundred and twenty acres, which became the Logan homestead. By his second marriage, there were born six children, Mrs. Emily Scott, the mother of Walter and Robert Scott; Nancy Ann, born in 1847, died in 1876; James H., in 1849, died in 1851; Lillian Esther, in 1852, died in 1889, who was the wife of Rev. J. A. Thomson, the president of Tarkio College; Charles E., in 1858, died in 1859, and Rev. William W., in 1860, who now resides in Louisville, Kentucky, where he is pastor of a Presbyterian church.

Of Robert Scott it may be said further that he was educated in the Kingston schools, the Clarksburg high school and Tarkio College, where he spent one year. He has been farming in this neighborhood since he quit school. In 1913 he moved to his present farm and has established in this community an excellent reputation of a farmer and business man. Politically, he is identified with the Republican party. He and his wife and family are members of the Springhill United Presbyterian church.

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