History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

James Stucker, farmer, Covington, was born in Scott county, Kentucky, in 1825, and is the son of Valentine and Lydia (De Haven) Stucker, both natives of the same county, from which place they moved to Fountain county in 1835. The early life of James was spent mostly in his native place, as he did not come to this county until 1845. His father, after residing in Fountain county for three years, returned to Kentucky, where he died. His mother is still a resident of Fountain county, and resides in Covington. Mr. Stucker, though now one among the leading farmers of Troy township, began life for himself poor, and dependent upon his own resources. He now has a finely improved farm of 480 acres, on which he has erected a dwelling at a cost of $3,000, and a barn that cost $1,800. In 1845 he was married to Miss Martha Blue, who was born in Ohio in 1827, and is the daughter of Richard Blue, who came to Fountain county about 1835. They have a family of four children: John, Mary (now wife of S. Balden), Thomas and Lydia.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Major Robert McIntyre was a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, emigrated to Indiana, and was the first who settled in the territory. As a testimony of his high moral worth, unbending integrity, and strong mind, he was selected by his fellow citizens of Washington county, Indiana, as a delegate to form the state constitution. He removed to Fountain county in 1835, and was subsequently elected and reelected to the state legislature. Up to the time of his death he carried a bullet, and bore the marks of a wound received while contending with the enemy as a major in the Indian battle, upon the sanguinary field of Tippecanoe. He died at the residence of William Harris, near Keosauqua, Iowa Territory, on October 17, 1848, at the age of eighty years.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

William Lamb, deputy county auditor, Covington, is a native of Worcester county, Massachusetts, where he was born January 1, 1817. In 1836 he and a brother came west and settled in Newtown, Fountain county. There he began clerking for Judge Joseph Ristine, and afterward became his partner in the general merchandise business. He remained a resident of Newtown about fire years, and probably would have continued business there longer but for the democratic party having nominated and elected him to the office of auditor of Fountain county. This office was created in 1841 by the legislature, and Mr. Lamb was the first to fill the office. He discharged the duties of his office with such satisfaction to the people that they kept reelecting him for twenty years in succession. After this he spent about six years as deputy auditor. He was then nominated and elected by the same party to the office of county treasurer in 1866, to which office he was reelected in 1868. After the expiration of his second term as treasurer he engaged in merchandising in Covington, which he continued for about five years, when he again went back in the auditor's office as deputy, which position he still holds. In 1880 he was again nominated by the democratic party for county auditor; but the constitutional amendments declaring no vacancy in that, as well as some other offices of the county, he was left with only the duties of a deputy to look after. Such a long and successful career as a county officer is unusual, and must be accepted as a very flattering tribute paid to honesty and popularity. Mr. Lamb is now serving his second term of office as worshipful master-of Fountain Lodge, No. 60, A.F. and A.M. Not until after he became a resident of Fountain county did Mr. Lamb marry. His wife was Miss Lucinda Stafford, whose parents were among the earliest of Fountain county's pioneers, they having become residents of the county as early as 1824. They have raised quite a family of children, though but one son, who is also employed in the county auditor's office.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

I. H. Dicken, farmer, Covington, was born in Troy township, April 17,1837, and is the son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Cook) Dicken, who were natives of Scott county, Kentucky, and came to Fountain county in the fall of 1827. The former was born January 21, 1801, and died September 26, 1876. The latter was born December 5, 1798, and is now residing with the subject of this sketch, who is one of the industrious and well-to-do farmers of Troy township. He received a good business education, and has devoted most of his life to agricultural pursuits. Of the old home farm he now owns one hundred acres. He is a democrat in politics, and a member of the Missionary Baptist church, as was also his father; his mother also being a member of the same church.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

J. L. Allen, county clerk, Covington, is a native of Fountain county, and, besides being the present clerk of the county, is extensively engaged in the agricultural business, as he is cultivating five hundred acres of land, owned by himself and brother. For sixteen years he has been engaged in the saddle and harness business, the first two years with his brother (Joseph Allen, who came to Fountain county and to Covington in 1838), and for fourteen years on his own account. To this business he has added a full line of agricultural implements. He gives employment to about four men, and is kept constantly employed himself. He was elected clerk of Fountain county by the republican party in 1878, for a four years' term, by a majority of 432 votes. Mr. Allen is a man thirty-five years of age, of a quick, practical turn of mind, and a good financier. He is a member of the A.F. and A.M., K. of P., and I.O.O.F. orders, and is now passing the chair of the latter order for the third time.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Jno. Allen (deceased), one of Covington's earliest dealers in furniture, was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, May 1811. He had very limited opportunities of getting an education. His people removed to Warren county, Ohio, in 1826. He there learned the trade of cabinetmaking with his brother-in-law, Wm. F. DeBois, and afterward went into partnership with him. They were engaged in business in the town of Springboiler. Mr. Allen removed to Franklin and engaged in business for a time with a Mr. Nipple, and afterward on his own account. In the fall of 1836 he was married to Miss Sarah Presly, and in 1838 came west, and located at Covington, where he began at once in the furniture trade. He was a member of the I.O.O.F.,and an industrious and economical business man. He died in 1873, possessed of a good property, and leaving a wife and five children to mown his loss.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

James McMannomy, farmer, Covington, is the youngest child of Patrick and Nancy (McDivvit) McMannomy, both natives of Denagauld county, Ireland. Patrick McMannomy emigrated, an orphan, to New York when fourteen years old, accompanied by his sister Hannah, eleven years of age. There he learned the shoemaker's trade, then located in Philadelphia, where he married. There four children were born to them: John, William, Elizabeth and Catharine. The family then emigrated to Kingston, Ross county, Ohio, where he followed his trade till his death. His wife died in Fountain county, Indiana, in September 1849. Both belonged to the Catholic church. Two children were born in Ross county, Ohio, namely Ann and James. James McMannomy was born March 5, 1824. His education was limited, most of his time having been spent on the farm. When fourteen years old he came to Fountain county and worked for his brother on a farm, and also in the excavation of the Wabash and Erie canal. In 1842 he made a trip to New Orleans on a flat-boat, then returned again to the canal and farm. In 1846 he enlisted in Co. B 2nd Ind. reg., and departed for the Mexican war June 14. Before starting he was elected second lieutenant. Col. Drake commanded. He served about thirteen months, then returned to farm labor. On January 20,1850, he set out with others to seek gold in California, where he was very suceessful. In one year he returned and bought all of Sec. 28, Troy township, Fountain county, known as part of the Hawkins farm. He was married February S, 1851, to Emiline Ward, daughter of John and Tamer (Masterson) Ward. She was born in Scott county, Kentucky, July 10, 1826, and in that year her parents moved to Fountain county, Indiana, where they afterward died. Mr. McMannomy became an extensive farmer. In August, 1863, he enlisted in Co. H, 63d Ind. reg., for the civil war. He was immediately elected second lieutenant, and in twenty-eight days was elected lieutenant-colonel, and in 1863 was promoted colonel. In the spring of 1864 rheumatism compelled him to return home. He resumed farming and now owns 750 acres of land in home-farm, and land in Missouri, and property in Covington, all the outgrowth of energy and tact, having had but a five-dollar blue-back bill when he came to Indiana. He has been a Mason since 1851. He is a democrat in politics. Mrs. McMannomy is a member of the Baptist church. They have had two children: Divvit, born May 14,1856, and died March 12, 1874; and Emma born November 8, 1867.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Wm. F. DeBois, cabinetmaker, Covington, was barn in Warren county, Ohio, December 3, 1811. He was raised on a farm until most of his boyhood was passed, when he began serving a three years' apprenticeship in learning the trade of a cabinet-maker. This he completed, and at the age of twenty-one years he began business on his own account in Carlisle, Ohio. He continued there until 1838, when he removed to Covington and began work at his trade, in which he is still engaged. He has carried on business in Covington for many years, and has made and lost much money. He is now in the employ of T. W. McClure. August 21, 1832, he married Miss Sarah Allen, who was born February 6, 1809. They have reared a family of eleven children, seven of whom are living, five girls and two boys. They had two sons in the service of their country during the war of the rebellion, namely Allen and John, the latter losing his life in the service.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

N. M. Clark, manufacturer brick and tile, Covington, which is one of Covington's most important manufacturing industries, was established in 1869 by the present proprietor of the yards and kilns. The beginning was small, and made by a hand-machine, manufacturing about 50,000 tile per year. The business has gradually increased until, with the modern improved machinery now in use, he has a manufacturing capacity of 6,000 tile per week. A dry-shed, 250 feet long, and two kilns are required - one round and one square - the former with a capacity of 5,000 and the latter of 14,000. Mr. Clark has also the only nursery of any importance in Fountain county, which was established by his father, Chister Clark, a native of Vermont, a man of some local prominence in Fountain county, and one of the earlier settlers of the Wabash valley. He died in 1877. Vermilion county, Indiana, is the native place of the subject of this sketch; but he has been a resident of Fountain county since he was a child of three years, excepting the time spent in the army and in the west. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. E of the 63d Ind. Vol. Inf., Capt. F. Wilcox and Col. Jas. McMannomy commanding. Shortly after entering the service he was promoted to quartermaster-sergeant. He was in many of the hard-fought battles: Nashville, Frankfort, Columbia and others. Returning from the war, he became a member of the Monorach Mining Company, consisting of eight members. They left here in 1866, and spent three years in the west, principally in Idaho Territory. Mr. Clark returned, in 1869, and began the business in which he is now engaged. Two years after returning from the west (1871) he married Miss Druzilla Hall, who is a native of Montgomery county, Indiana.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

C. W. Clark,(deceased) was one of Covington's active business men, and was born in Fountain county in 1838, his parents being among the early settlers of the county. His father was engaged in farming, which business the subject of this brief memoir followed during his early life. His education was received in the subscription schools of that period; and through his aptitude for reading and study, and his own efforts, he acquired a fair education. Becoming well known in this respect, he was elected to the office of township trustee. His first engaging in business in Covington was in the handling of lime, and a partial supply of builders' materials, to which he subsequently added a full stock of lumber. This business he conducted alone until the fall of 1879, when his brother became associated with him. They continued together until the death of Charles W., which occurred a few months after the partnership had been formed. Mr. Clark was married, in 1873, to Miss Julia, daughter of Mr. John Barkley, who is one of the pioneers of Covington. Their union was blessed with one child, a handsome little girl, born in January 1878. Mrs. Clark still resides in Covington, and is one of the estimable and respected ladies of the city.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Jacob Roads, farmer, Covington, was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1798. In 1810 he removed with his parents to Warren county, Ohio. On July 7, 1814, his father, Samuel Roads, was accidentally killed while repairing a saw-mill. At the age of twenty-one years the subject of this sketch went to Pennsylvania, where he served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade. In 1830 he came west and settled in Fountain county, and bought property in Wabash township and began farming. He has been a hard worker, and is the owner of 247 acres of finely improved land, on which he has resided for thirty-one years. In 1870 Mr. Roads sold his farm at $65 per acre, since which time he has resided on a small property which he owns, and which is located about one mile southeast of Covington. Mr. Roads has served the county as commissioner for three years. He is a democrat, though he was formerly a whip, and afterward a republican. In 1820 he was married to Miss Mary Fox, a native of Maryland, who was born in 1799; she died September 24, 1822. In 1832 he was again married, to Miss Amanda Robinson, a native of New Jersey, she being born January 28, 1814. Mr. Roads has reared a family of eight children, two sons and one daughter by his first wife, and three sons and two daughters by his present wife.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

The following sketch of Thomas F. Davidson is contributed by Lucas Nebeker:
No other department of government so immediately concerns the general public, nor so directly affects its welfare, as that which is known as the nisi prius court. Legislative enactments and appellate court decisions possess but little potency, merely as printed books, mostly unread, unless by the lawyer, and then generally in pending suits; but when administered by a court of original jurisdiction they acquire vitality and become an irresistible power, and that not only as to those upon whose fortune or whose liberty they are brought directly to bear, but even as to all people residing within the limits of the court's jurisdiction and within the reach of its mighty arm. Such dignity and importance thus attaches to the trial court, that, in the selection of a circuit judge, capacity and fitness for the position and its duties very often outweigh all other considerations, even those of party politics; and the feeling has for some years been gaining ground, that in this important affair party ends and interests ought to be altogether ignored. Owing to these facts and results, and in the same degree that the office is exalted in public estimation, so is he exalted also who is honored by the careful choice of the people to fill the office, and especially if when chosen he not only lifts himself to the high level of the office, but, rising to a still higher dignity, fulfills the expectation of the people and satisfies the varying and severe demands of the position. Whether or not these observations fitly apply to the subject of this article, let his judicial acts and expressions speak for themselves. Very few of these can be stated or even referred to in this brief notice, but the public is already familiar with his career at the bar and on the bench, and is therefore qualified to judge him. Besides, the judgment which has already been pronounced by more than one expression of public sentiment, speaks for him with greater force than would an expression of opinion from the writer. Thomas F. Davidson was born in Covington, Fountain county, Indiana, February 17, 1839. He was the son of Samuel H. Davidson, Esq., now a farmer living near Hillsboro, an honest and upright man and good citizen. As to the early life of the subject of our sketch, it may be said of him as of all others, that there is little to record. The memories of one's own boyhood are intensely interesting. We cherish them more fondly perhaps than any other; they linger with us even in old age, like the twilight after other lights have gone out forever; but for others the career of a boy has one, and but one, interesting feature. We do not and cannot pass judgment upon human character according to final merits. There is a finer feeling, which is universal, and which is close akin to charity, that calls for the boyhood of the man, and regards his early struggles with almost pathetic interest, and such defects of character as we may discover in the man seem only scars received in the first , the fiercest, and most uncertain battle of life. Do we not all of us expect that in the final reckoning we shall receive like charity and be judged according to our several opportunities. So long as the characters of men shall continue to be estimated according to the ratio in which advantages have been improved, the struggles of an ambitious boy will interest mankind. In the case of Judge Davidson it is fair to state that in youth his facilities for culture and menial development were those possessed, in his time, by the average backwoods boy. When fifteen years old he learned the trade of a miller in his father's mill, east of Hillsboro, now known as Snyder's mills. After remaining in this occupation for two years, he worked on his father's farm, near Hillsboro, until the fall of 1860. It was in the summer of 1859 that he took up the study of law, and began to make a lawyer of himself. To this end he borrowed law books from S. C. Wilson and Lew Wallace at Crawfordsville. These he read at home at night, the day being occupied with farm labor. On finishing a volume he went to Crawfordsville and returned it, reciting to Gen. Wallace the book which he had read, and then returning home with another book. After obtaining a license to teach school from John M. McBroom, Esq., he taught one term in the neighborhood during the winter of 1859-60. In the fall of 1860 and the winter following he taught school in Tazewell county, Illinois, still continuing his law studies. There is nothing more to be said concerning his youth, except that his education was received wholly from the common school and one term at a high school in Waynetown, that his social advantages were such as belong to farm life in the country, and that he never was taught at any university or law school. In the spring of 1861 he settled in Covington as a lawyer. He was permitted by the kindness of Samuel F. Miller, Esq., then recorder of the county, to occupy his office, or a part of it, for a law office. In this manner, and with but few law books and fewer apparent grounds for hope, he entered upon a life work in which only a few succeed. What lawyer has ever forgotten the day, fraught with doubts and fears and with anxious hopes, when he too pushed off from shore, perhaps poorly prepared, perhaps without a hand to help or guide, with an unknown and dangerous sea stretched out before him. But with dauntless courage, partaking of a rugged experience, he announced himself through the usual mediums as an attorney-at-law, soon gained admission to the bar, rapidly improved his mind by study, gathered technical knowledge by observation as well as by reading, cultivated and expanded his social qualities, extended his acquaintance, and secured support and influence in every way. Thus pushing out and building up, he was found after a few years (perhaps three or four) in the enjoyment of a law practice second to none in the county. The successful lawyer will pause here and recall that part of his own experience, when darkness broke away and the sky grew brighter; when the future began to shine with hope; when the toil and sacrifice of years before began to return in the shape of recompense and reward. On May 31, 1865, Thomas F. Davidson was married (Rev. H. H. Cambern officiating) to Miss Eliza E. Tice. She was the youngest daughter of Jacob Tice, Esq., one of the oldest citizens of Covington. In no act of his life has he been more fortunate. It was about this time that he became widely known and generally recognized as an able and successful practitioner. During these few years of trial and preparation he had really educated himself, and in spite of circumstances had overtaken in the race of life most men of his years. Those fortunate ones whose childhood and youth never knew any toil or deprivation will perhaps give but little credit on these accounts; but those who have traveled a rough road, and especially those who have keenly felt the lack of education in their own youth, will be inclined to put a higher value on this measure of success. For several years, and until his elevation to the bench of the circuit, he devoted himself almost entirely to the practice of law, in Fountain and the surrounding counties and the supreme court of the state, giving but little time to politics, a field so tempting to most of the profession, though in 1862 he was a candidate for prosecuting attorney, and in 1868 he was placed on the democratic electoral ticket for the congressional district in which he resided, and made a canvass of the district in opposition to Robert Harrison, Esq., who occupied a corresponding position on the republican ticket. With these exceptions he was not, daring this time, a candidate for any office. While engaged in the practice of law he maintained and advocated a high professional standard, both for himself and others, not only as to matters of courtesy and propriety among attorneys (matters of no small consequence), but also as to the qualification and fitness of those holding themselves out to the world as members of the profession, a matter in which the public have a much deeper interest than is generally supposed; for in no relation of life does there exist a greater necessity for trust and confidence than in that of attorney and client. Never does the client so completely surrender control of his fortune, or of himself, as when he employs a lawyer to conduct an important suit or defense. His record as a practicing lawyer, even in the view of this lofty standard, was pronounced .by the bar of the circuit to be at least satisfactory, for in 1870, when only thirty-one years old, and in a large circuit, including many lawyers older than himself, who were eminently qualified in every respect, he received the very hearty endorsement and warm encouragement of a large proportion of the bar as candidate for circuit judge, and though opposed by so able a lawyer as Joseph H. Brown, of Williamsport, he overcame an adverse majority, and was elected by a majority of about 408 as judge of the circuit composed of the counties of Warren, Fountain, Montgomery, Boone and Clinton. After serving for a term of six years he was reelected in 1876, the circuit having been changed by act of the legislature so as to consist of the counties of Fountain, Warren and Vermilion. His opponent was the Hon. W. P. Rhodes of Williamsport, a lawyer of ability and high standing. In this election Judge Davidson gained upon his opponent more than 1,000 votes, and received a majority of 690 votes. He has occupied the circuit bench for over ten years, and has presided in the trial of a great number of important cases, both civil and criminal, not only in his own circuit, but elsewhere, being often called upon to sit in important trials in various parts of the state. In the fall of 1871 he presided over the celebrated trial of Nancy E. Clem, in Boone county, indicted for the murder of Nancy Young near Indianapolis; and again, in the summer of 1878, he presided over another trial of the same case, the jury in the first trial having failed to agree. Each trial occupied about four weeks. It is needless, perhaps, to say that in many of these cases intricate and important questions were involved, as well as large and important interests. In all the cases, great and small, his decisions have been such as to command the respect of all parties. Generally both parties go out of court believing that the law has been correctly decided. A small number of these cases have been taken on appeal to the supreme court, and of these, so far as decided, it is said that three-fourths have been affirmed. Some of the judgments and opinions pronounced by him have been published by leading law journals and magazines of the country. Aside from his judicial labors, he has written leading articles, which have appeared in the "American Law Register," of Philadelphia, one of the oldest law journals in the country. He is also the author of ''Davidson's Overruled Cases," which has proved a great convenience and help to Indiana lawyers; also a work on Executors, which has been found useful as a guide in estates and guardianships. As student, lawyer and judge, certain personal characteristics distinctly appear, and have attracted attention. These are worthy of special note. First, a clear, and therefore active, mind, one whose machinery moves without friction; next, energy, not of the kind which, like the valor of Bob Acres, a will come and go," but continuous and persevering. Aptness for affairs which, in some callings, would be shrewdness, such as quickly comprehends a situation, and as quickly adapts itself to meet it. To these capabilities, which are the gifts of nature, have been added methods of thought and expression, which are of less consequence only because they may be adopted by any one. First among these is discrimination in the acquirement of knowledge, whereby one measures his capacity, his circumstances and his time, economizing all, selecting the best thoughts and the prominent facts, leaving the rubbish for those to gather up who expect to live always. Next, directness of thought and reasoning, as well as of statement, which goes toward truth in a straight line, not spending its force in winding about. To this may be added a bold and fearless disposition, which ignores adverse criticism, and repels the darts of envy and malice, enabling the mind to work freely, without suffering from annoyance and irritation. By these characteristics and their results his judicial career, in particular, has been strongly marked. The dockets of all the courts have been cleared up and kept so. With rare exceptions cases have been tried at the time set down for them, whereby the convenience of parties and witnesses have been greatly subserved. Justice has thus been administered speedily and without delay. The probate business of the circuit has been well cared for, considering the variety of the court's jurisdiction. Guardians or administrators, found to be neglecting or abusing their trusts, hare been made to feel the hand of the court. Counsel have understood that points made in argument would be comprehended and appreciated, and that sophistry was sure of detection. The courtroom has been free from unpleasant exhibitions of temper among attorneys. The abusive treatment of witnesses, and tormenting and aimless cross-examinations of them, have been rarely attempted. The general tone of the bar has been elevated so far that not only does propriety and decorum prevail at the sittings of the court, but instances of unprofessional conduct among the members of the bar have been rare. The accomplishment of these latter results without coercion (for no fines for contempt have been imposed) are largely due to the administrative ability of Judge Davidson, and to the respect felt by all for the authority of the court and the integrity of its judgments, though very much is also due to the cooperation and aid of the members of the bar. The criminal law, especially so far as it concerned the peace and quiet of community, has received especial attention. No effort bas been spared by Judge Davidson to preserve the public peace. Upon this matter his position has been radical, perhaps somewhat unusual. In 1877 very serious troubles occurred among the miners of Stringtown, in Fountain county, which culminated in riots and bloodshed, several persons being killed at different times. For several days great uneasiness and apprehension was felt throughout the county. Judge Davidson was then holding a term of court at Williamsport, but in order that he might be present, in case his presence were needed, he drove to Covington every night during the most dangerous period of the trouble, returning to his court the next morning. He was in favor of maintaining the public peace at all hazards, and at any cost, and was disposed to use all the authority of the court to enforce the settlement of these troubles, and the disputes out of which they grew, by the peaceable methods of the law. In illustration of his position we quote from his charge to the grand jury, which met soon after. After some remarks concerning the particular matter which they were required to investigate, he said: " It must be distinctly understood that there is no man or body of men who can defy the law. If the law is wrong or defective it may be repealed or amended, but while it stands it must be obeyed and its commands executed. When it speaks it is with the voice of authority; it is supreme; its power is the power of the state. Those who are its instruments may die, but the law lives with its rigor and vitality unimpaired. It may be evaded for a time, but its penalties are certain to overtake the criminal at last. In this country the reign of law is established and secure; the great body of the people are law abiding; they are satisfied with the supremacy of the law, and demand that its behests shall be obeyed. The judges only give voice to the law; it is the power of the people which enforces it. Criminal acts are sometimes thoughtlessly excused, on the ground that the individual ought to be allowed to redress his own grievances when the law will not; or in other words, to make the law and provide the means of enforcing it himself. As a general rule that cannot be said to be a wrong which the law does not characterize as such; but if there are wrongs which the law cannot redress, they must be borne. The good of a whole people is of greater importance than the grievance of any individual. The question in such a case simply is, whether it is better that the few evils which the law cannot remedy shall be borne with patience to those to whose lot they come, or whether established law and order shall be broken up, and whole communities plunged into the uncertainty and confusion of anarchy. The law seeks to furnish a remedy for every wrong, and the remedy must be sought in the law, or there is an end of all quiet and security. Yen are too selfish ever to judge impartially in any case where they are interested. They either cannot or mill not, in such a case, see the relations they hold and the duties they owe to others. The necessity of a common arbiter is, therefore, clear. The law is that arbiter, and to it all must appeal. There is nothing that will so soon produce bad laws as the toleration of disobedience to good ones. The law which protects human life is a good one; it is the wall of protection between the weak and the strong. It is not always able to stay the hand that seeks to take human life, but it is usually prompt in the execution of its penalties. The law may not always prove a barrier over which the strong cannot break, but it is the only barrier there is; and break it down entirely and there is nothing to save the weak from the rapacity or cruelty of the powerful. There can , therefore, be no toleration of the idea that the laws may be disobeyed with impunity by any person or class of persons; or that any person who feels that he has grievances which ought to be redressed, but which the law will not redress, may make a law for his own case and then execute it himself. To do this would lead to the utter disregard of all law, for no other cause than that in some respects it is thought to be defective. The man who builds a fence around his field does not tear it all down because one part proves weak; nor does a sensible man uncover his whole house because a leak occurs in one place in the roof; neither can we abolish all law, or have its authority disregarded, because it is, in some of its parts, imperfect. If, therefore, there are any who feel that the law does not fully meet their wants or protect their rights they must seek the improvement of the law and not its destruction." The spirit of fairness, and the determination to have the law obeyed, which were exhibited in this charge, did much to allay uneasiness among the people of the county, and to bring about a settlement of these troubles which threatened still greater loss of life and destruction of property. In conclusion, it may be safely and truly said that in the discharge of official duty he has at least endeavored to meet all the demands of his high office, and to discharge its functions faithfully and efficiently. Nothing like weakness has appeared in either his professional or official career; his hand has been vigorous and firm. In common with all mankind he had, and will have faults, else he would not be human. It is not for any human hand to write any man's complete history. No eye but that of' the all-seeing God is fit to behold human nature undisguised. Physically man needs to be clothed. All human character needs to be clothed with the mantle of human charity.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

George Rowland, M.D., Covington, was born in Fountain county April 19, 1840. His father, Thomas Rowland, became a resident of Fountain county in 1833. He located at Portland, and there read medicine with Dr. Crawford. He began the practice of medicine about 1838, in Hillsboro, remained there a short time, and then removed to Chambersburg (now Veedersburg), where he resided and engaged in the practice for about twenty-five years. There the subject of this sketch was born, and at the proper age began the study of medicine with his father. In 1865 he graduated at the Ann Arbor University, of Michigan, and in 1866 at the Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the spring of the same year he began the practice of medicine in Chambersburg, Kentucky, and remained there for some years. He then returned to Fountain county, and in 1875 founded the first greenback newspaper ever published in the county. This he ran for about two years, and then changed his place of publication to Attica, where he also issued the paper for two years more, and then changed again to Covington, where, in a short time after his removal, he sold the paper to the present owners. After giving up journalism the doctor again began the practice of medicine, in which he is now engaged, and though he has been a resident of Covington but a short time he already has a good practice. The doctor is a charter member of the Fountain County Medical Society, which was organized in 1866. He is also a member of the order of A.F. and A.M. In 1869 he married Miss Mary A. Spencer. They have but one child, Miss Maud, born in 1871.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Benton Cade, farmer, Covington, was born in Van Buren township, this county, in 1840, and is the son of David and Mary A. (Reed) Cade. He is a native of Maryland and she of Kentucky. They were among the very first of Fountain county's pioneers, as their settlement in the county dates back nearly to 1820. They located on the old Crawfordsville and State road, in Gain township. Mr. Benton Cade was raised a farmer; but as he grew to manhood he spent much time in travel, and finally settled down in 1862, and married Miss Margaret Bodine, daughter of William and Rebecca Bodine, who were natives of Virginia. They, too, were among the early pioneers of Fountain county, and their first location was in Wabash township Mr. and Mrs. Cade have a family of three children: Odelia, Oka and Sampson R.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

Dr. Caleb V. Jones was born near Peekskill, on the Hudson river, in the State of New York, March 22, 1812. During his early boyhood his parents removed to what were then the frontier settlements of central New York, and located in the town of Spencer, in Tioga county. Here he spent his youth and early manhood, surrounded by the hardships and vicissitudes of a life of toil in a new country. His opportunities for education were extremely limited, but by his application in securing the benefits so meagerly offered he attracted the attention of his schoolmaster, and through his kindly counseling he received the first impressions which excited within him the desire for a higher position in life than that of a wood-chopper. Selecting the profession of medicine, he placed himself under the tutelage of a competent practitioner, and, after several years of private study, paying his way by manua1 labor, he succeeded in taking a course of lectures in the then prominent medical school of Herkimer county; and, after a thorough examination in all the branches of the profession, he received a license under the laws of the State of New York to practice medicine and surgery. This was early in the year 1834, and on April 13 of the same year he was married to Phebe Watson, a farmer's daughter, of Spencer, who has been his constant and faithful companion until the present time. After a few years' practice of moderate success among the hills of the Susquehanna country, he decided to cast his lot with the tide that was flowing westward, and, leaving the home of his kindred, he came to Indiana. Locating first in Plymouth, Marshall county, he struggled with the marsh malaria, in his person and among his patrons, until after two years he selected Covington as a new location, attracted by the glowing accounts of the Wabash valley and the glittering prospects held out by the opening of the Wabash and Erie canal. Arriving here in the autumn of 1840, he at once took a leading position in his profession, and for forty years has been prominently identified with the interests of the town and of Fountain county. As a physician Dr. Jones has always commanded the respect and esteem of his professional compeers, and his practice has been very extensive. His reputation as a surgeon has been especially prominent, and his services have been required over a large territory. On the call for volunteers to serve in the war with Mexico, he enlisted in the 1st reg. Ind. Vols., and was commissioned immediately as regimental surgeon by President Polk. After one year's service on the Rio Grande he returned home on leave of absence, and finding his business and :family demanding his attention, he threw up his commission and entered again into civil practice. In the spring of 1862, during the war of the rebellion, he was appointed a special surgeon to relieve the extra demand for medical assistance following the battle of Pittsburg Landing. Being assigned to the 40th reg., he remained about a month, when he returned home, carrying with him the good will and gratitude of the officers and men of the regiment. The following winter, upon the urgent request of many of the members of the 63d reg., which had been largely recruited from Fountain county, he accepted a commission as surgeon of that regiment, and served with them until the spring of 1865. At the organization of the Fountain County Medical Society, in 1867, he was unanimously chosen as the first president; and in 1876, the old society having been merged into a district organization, it became necessary to reorganize the county society to comply with the regulations adopted by the State Medical Society, and he was again chosen as president. Dr. Jones is a member of the American Medical Association, the Tri-State Medical Society, composed of physicians from Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky, also of the Indiana State Medical Society. These facts, better than any encomium, will serve to indicate his professional standing. In public life he has been active, ardent in the advancement of his ideas, and uncompromising in the maintenance of his principles. Entering political life as a democrat, he was elected to the Indiana state senate in 1843, and served until the outbreak of the Mexican war. In 1848 he acted with the freesoil party, being unable to reconcile his decided antislavery ideas with the support of the democratic party in that campaign. In 1854 he severed his connection with the democratic party entirely, and entered heartily into the agitation which resulted in the formation of the republican party. Purchasing a printing office, he assumed editorial charge of a political newspaper, and for two years he combined the rise of the probe and lancet with the pen. In 1856 he was the candidate for elector, on the Fremont presidential ticket. In 1860 he was elected treasurer of Fountain county. Leaving the duties of this office principally in the hands of his son, he became earnestly engaged in the exciting events which followed the breaking out of the rebellion. Being on friendly and confidential relations with Gov. Morton, he was frequently called upon for special services, notably the appointment as special surgeon, before mentioned, and the subsequent appointment as commissioner of the first draft from Fountain county. Having been defeated with the party for reelection as treasurer, he went into the army as surgeon of the 63d reg., leaving six months of his unexpired term to be filled by his son. In 1864, while with his regiment in Georgia, he was the third time nominated by his party for treasurer; but the democratic party having obtained the ascendency in the county, the election was not actively contested. Soon after entering the army a vacancy occurred in the command of the regiment, and quite an energetic movement sprang up among the men and some line officers to have the surgeon appointed colonel. The movement did not succeed, and the result was the production of a bitter hostility against the doctor by some of the field officers whose promotion would have been interfered with. One of these, afterward succeeding to the command, pursued the doctor with petty annoyances until he succeeded in preferring charges for disrespectful language, and after a long, dilatory trial the court-martial agreed upon a decision dismissing Dr. Jones from the service, at the same time uniting upon a recommendation to the president to have their verdict set aside. During the progress of these proceedings the regiment had passed through East Tennessee, formed a part of Sherman's army in the advance upon Atlanta, and after the capture of that point had returned by way of northern Alabama to Nashville, pursued by the rebel army under Hood. After being actively engaged in the operations which ended in the destruction of Hood's army, the regiment was transferred, with the 23d Army Corps, to North Carolina. In all his service Dr. Jones was constantly in the field and with his regiment, looking after the welfare of the men; and when,soon after their arrival in North Carolina, the order for his dismissal reached him, the regiment gave a demonstration of their regard for him which amounted to an ovation, and, as an evidence of their confidence in him, over $10,000 of the soldiers' money was intrusted with him for distribution among their families on his return home, and not a single man asked for a receipt or any written obligation to secure himself in case the money might be lost or miscarried. Arriving at Washington, he was so fortunate as to meet Gov. Morton, and with so powerful a friend it required but a few hours to obtain an interview with the president, and he had the satisfaction of seeing the work of his persecutors fall to pieces before the quiet but powerful edict of Abraham Lincoln, by whose order all his disabilities were removed. He reached home in time to rejoice with his friends and neighbors over the downfall of Richmond, which glad intelligence was so soon followed by the painful news of the assassination of the president, who had so lately befriended him. Since the war the doctor has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession, still keeping an eye on politics, and every important campaign has found him vigorously engaged in the work of advancing the interests of the republican party. Dr. Jones comes of Methodist stock, his maternal grandfather, John Sproson, having been a class-leader in the old John street church in the city of New York. He united with the church while a young man, and has retained a membership ever since. Most of the time since his residence in Covington he has been a member of the official board of the church. His house has always been the home of the itinerant, and most of the older members of the Northwest Indiana conference have shared his hospitality. Five sons out of a family of eleven children are all who have lived beyond the age of infancy. Dr. George S. Jones, the oldest, is living and practicing medicine in Covington, having graduated in the classical course of Indiana Asbury University, at Greencastle, in the class of 1862, and in medicine at the University of Michigan in 1867. Charles D. Jones is a resident of La Fayette, Indiana. He is a classical graduate from Asbury University of the class of 1871, studied law, and has served one term as prosecuting attorney for the circuit comprised in Tippecanoe county. Robert B. Jones resides in West Lebanon, Warren county, and is the present prosecutor for the circuit composed of Fountain, Warren and Vermilion counties. Dr. C. V. Jones Jr. graduated in the scientific course at Asbury University in 1877, and in medicine at the Indiana College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1879. He is engaged in the practice of his profession at Spokan Falls, Washington Territory. Norman L. Jones, the youngest, is a student of medicine in Rush Medical College, Chicago.

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History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

W. H. Miles, merchant, Covington, was born in Troy township, Fountain county, in 1841, and is the son of Gabriel and Rnth (Alkire) Miles, who settled in Fountain county in the fall of 1835. He was brought up on a farm, and received his early education at the district schools. When grown to man's estate he engaged in farming on his own account, and followed it as a business until 1875, when he and his brother, J. R. Miles, engaged in the mercantile trade, and were associated together for one year, since which time he has conducted the business alone. At the democratic convention for the nomination of candidates for election to the county offices in October, 1880, he was nominated their candidate for county treasurer, and was only defeated by about a dozen votes. He would undoubtedly have been elected had not unfair measures been taken to secure his defeat. Mr. Miles is an energetic and enterprising man, who has a large circle of friends, and who, in the building up and establishing a good business, has been wholly dependent upon his own resources. He is a member of the order of A.F. and A.M., and is at present filling the following offices: captain of the host in the chapter, principal conductor of the work in the council, and junior warden in the blue lodge. He is also a member of the order of K. of P.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

D. T. Gumert, druggist, Covington, is a native of Fountain county, his parents becoming residents as early as 1836, and settling at Portland. His father, John A. Gumert, was a carpenter, and followed this as a business during his early days. D. T. was born at Portland in 1842. After receiving a fair education he went to Attica and began clerking in the drug store of Mr. Terry, who afterward sold out to Dr. Newland. Mr. Gumert remained in the store for some time after the change was made, when, in 1866, he came to Covington, and began as salesman for Mr. Wood, since deceased. Mrs. Wood has continued the business, over which Mr. Gumert has full control. He is now filling his seventh term of office as city treasurer, and he is a member of the order of A.F. and A.M. In 1869 he married Miss Sarah Winn, whose people came to this county about 1837. Her father was an undertaker, and dates back to the first in his line in Covington.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

James W. Dicken, farmer, Covington, is the son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Cook) Dicken, natives of Kentucky, who removed to Indiana in 1830 and settled in Troy township, Fountain county, where the subject of this sketch was born in 1843. He obtained his early education in the pioneer log school-house of the period, and during life has followed agricultural pursuits entirely. In 1871 he was united in the bonds of matrimony to Miss Mary De Haven, daughter of Jackson and Elizabeth (Stewart) De Haven, who settled in this county in 1828 or 1830, and here Mrs. Dicken was born in 1850. The result of this union is one son, Charles. Mr. Dicken now owns a beautiful farm of eighty acres of rich farming land, well improved, and bearing evidence of careful and thorough cultivation. He is a member of the Baptist church, as is also his wife. Throughout his life Mr. Dicken has been a hard-working, industrious farmer, and he has worked his way to his present position by his own unaided efforts.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical

James G. Hardy. In the early days the west was often a tempting field to energetic, ambitions, strong-minded men; and Indiana was filled with them during the time she was struggling up to a respectable position in the sisterhood of states. There was a fascination in the broad field and great promise which the new region of the northwest presented to activity and originality that attracted many men, and induced them to brave all the privations and discomforts of frontier life for the pleasure and gratification of constructing their fortunes in their own way and after their own methods. It is this class of men more than any other who give shape, direction and character to the business of a community, county or state. The subject of the sketch became identified with the commerce of the Wabash valley at an early period, while its trade was, if not in its infancy, in a formative state. Born June 10, 1810, a native of Canada, Mr. Hardy came to Ohio at the age of twenty-one, and afterward, in 1843, came to Covington, in this county, where he has since resided. Immediately upon becoming a resident of the county he began business as a merchant, first occupying a building upon the north side of the public square, and soon after in the house on the northwest corner of the square, so long and widely known as the Indiana Store. From the first his business was conducted upon a very comprehensive plan, and included the purchase of everything that the people of a new country had to sell, and the sale of every article which their needs required them to purchase. The farmer found at the " Indiana store" a market for his corn, wheat, oats, pork, beef, butter, eggs, rags, beeswax, etc. etc., and at the same time a depot from which he could procure all his supplies. In the purchase and shipment of furs Mr. Hardy did for many years a very large and extensive business, and his agents were frequently found at Louisville, Evansville, Vincennes, Terre Haute, and as far north as St. Paul. He was, during several years, one of the largest dealers in grain and other produce between Toledo and St. Louis, and more than once his shipments were made direct to Europe. In 1847 or 1848, in addition to his other operations, he began the business of packing pork at Covington, and continued in it for several years, packing, on an average, 3,500 hogs year. During a considerable portion of the same period he was purchasing cattle and manufacturing beef to the extent of 1,500 or 1,600 head per annum. It has been said with propriety and truth that it requires as much ability to successfully manage some of the great mercantile houses, or the business of large corporations, as it does to direct the affairs of many of the important departments of the state and national governments. It is certain that the extensive and varied business interests, running up the scale from the smallest to the largest transactions, which Mr. Hardy for many years had in charge, required great energy and ability, and it is not too much to say that he was successful. As we have seen, Mr. Hardy has covered a large extent of territory in his business ventures, and he has consequently been brought into relations more or less intimate with a great number of people. During all this time, and with all the people with whom he has been brought in contact, his reputation for promptness has been first-class, and a prominent feature of his business career has been a disposition to meet all his engagements at any cost. Mr. Hardy has always been liberal in his business views, and so much so that Edward A. Hannegan once said of him that he was the only merchant he ever knew that actually invited competition. During his career as a merchant Mr. Hardy had a great number of persons in his employ, and to these he was always kind, and made it a point to look after their welfare and to encourage in them the formation of correct business habits. Mr. Hardy has always been a strong advocate of a railway line connecting Covington with Toledo, and in 1856 was very earnest in his endeavor to secure the location of what has since been known as the Wabash line, by the way of Covington. After going out of business as a merchant, in 1877, Mr. Hardy formed a partnership with Sampson Reed and Benjamin Gardner, under the style of J. G. Hardy & Co., for the purpose of carrying on the business of banking, and this business has since been, and still is, conducted under this firm name. For several years Mr. Hardy has given a great deal of attention to agriculture and improved methods of farming, and in many respects has been a model farmer. He has also taken a great deal of interest in improving the breed of cattle and hogs. As the result of his business engagements and ventures Mr. Hardy has acquired wealth. He lives in a quiet, modest and retired may, in Covington, and all his surroundings give evidence of good taste and a love of the beautiful. In his manners he has the reserve which often belongs to men of intense thought and application, but is really very companionable and genial in disposition at home, and a most delightful companion abroad. He is a man of extensive and varied information, and of much liberality and breadth of view. Energetic and prompt in action, plain and direct in purpose, broad and comprehensive in plan and undertaking, and scrupulous and exact in keeping engagements, it is not flattery to say that James G. Hardy is a representative of the best class of business energy, ability and integrity.

History of Fountain County, Indiana
by H. W. Beckwith
Published by H. H. Hill and N. Iddings, Chicago, in 1881
Troy Township - Biographical