David Coffman was born near the present site of Knoxville, Tennessee, on the 21st of March, 1809, and was about twenty-one years old when he accompanied his parents to Indiana. Mrs. Coffman, whose birth occurred on October 31, 1814, came from the same neighborhood in which her husband was reared and was a young lady in her teens when the family sought a new home in the wilds of Owen county. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Coffman settled on a tract of land in Owen county, which the former purchased from the government, but after a brief residence and finding that the locality was inimical to his health Mr. Coffman sold the land and entered two hundred and forty acres in the western part of what is now Cloverdale township in the county of Putnam, moving to the latter he at once addressed himself to the task of its improvement and in due time his labors were rewarded, the farm which he cleared and developed being among the best and most valuable in that locality. David Coffman was not only a man of great industry and energy, but possessed more than ordinary intelligence and business ability. By well directed and judicious management he succeeded in adding to his holdings until at one time he was among the largest land owners of his township as well as one of the most enterprising farmers and highly esteemed citizens.
When David Coffman moved to Putnam county there was but one family living between his place and Putnamville, while the population of Cloverdale and the immediate vicinity consisted of only four householders. He assisted in the construction of the old National road through this part of the state and with the money thus earned was enabled to meet the payments on his land when they became due. He always manifested a lively interest in the settlement of the county and the development of its resources and used his influence to further all laudable means for the material and moral advancement of the community. His religious belief, which was one of the controlling influences of his long and useful life, was based upon the creed of the Primitive Baptist church, to which both himself and wife belonged, and in the faith of which they passed to the unseen world, the former February 16, 1888, the latter on March 4, 1883. The children of this worthy couple were eight in number, equally divided between the sexes, the oldest, John W. Coffman, dying in 1905, leaving ten children. namely: Sarah C., Mary J., Irene, Elizabeth, Eliza A., Margaret Ellen, Andrew J., Albert E., Ada B., Ida Belle and Lily A. Zilpha C., the second in order of birth, with Mary A. and Elizabeth, the third and fifth respectively, live on the old homestead, with their brother George, who is the youngest member of the family. James S., the fourth, is a leading agriculturist and representative citizen, owns a beautiful farm about two miles southeast of Cloverdale and is one of the popular men of his community. He married Martha E. Morrison and is the father of two sons and four daughters, Henry S., Lee Otis, Minnie F., Effie M. and Gilbert C. Joseph L., the next in succession, departed this life August 7, 1908, leaving a widow, Ann E. (nee Swartz), and one child, Ollie M., to mourn their loss. Nancy M., who married Evan Cline and lives near the family homestead is the fourth in order of birth. (See sketch of Evan Cline.)
George E. Coffman, the eighth and youngest of the above children, was born October 29, 1856, in the western part of Cloverdale township, Putnam county, Indiana, and grew to maturity in close touch with nature on the farm of his father redeemed from the wilderness. He was reared to habits of industry and early bore his share in the planting and cultivating of the crops, in the meantime attending school during the fall and winter months until acquiring a practical education. Selecting the honorable vocation of agriculture for his life work, he became familiar with the same while still with his parents and since reaching the years of manhood has devoted himself with gratifying results to his chosen calling.
Emma A. Turner, to whom Mr. Coffman was united in the bonds of wedlock on October 7, 1876, was born in Owen county, Indiana, where her parents, Abram and Eliza (Hubbard) Turner, natives of Kentucky, settled a number of years ago. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Coffman went to Kansas, where he followed farming for one year, but a disastrous fire in which he lost much of his property, together with ill health, induced him to dispose of his interests in that state, at the expiration of which period he returned to Indiana, from which time until 1902 he lived in his native township, near the family homestead. In the early part of the above mentioned year he moved to Sullivan county, this state, where he remained until the death of his wife, on the 8th of August ensuing, when he returned to Putnam county and took charge of the home farm, which he has since managed.
Mr. Coffman devotes considerable attention to agriculture and stock raising and, being a man of progressive ideas and employing advanced methods in his labors, he is fully up-to-date and, as already indicated, ranks among the successful men of his vocation in the township honored by his citizenship. In the spring of 1909 he was elected assessor of Cloverdale township for a term of four years, a position for which his sound judgment and knowledge of values especially fit him, although he has never aspired to official honors nor sought any kind of public distinction. In his relations with his fellows he has always been governed by a high sense of justice and as a consistent member of the Primitive Baptist church he exemplifies in his daily walk the sincerity of his religious profession and the beauty and worth of Christianity as practically applied to the affairs of men.
Nine children blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Coffman, three of whom died in infancy, those living being as follows: Homer D., Otto E., Wilbur R., William W., Jesse I. and Lola M. Homer is homesteading in Oklahoma, and has before him a bright and promising future. Otto has a claim in North Dakota and is doing well, likewise Wilbur, who has taken land in South Dakota, the other children being still under the parental roof.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
SAMUEL DARNALL.
In any comprehensive history of Putnam county, the biographical memoir of Samuel Darnall, one of the best remembered of her pioneers, should not be omitted. He was born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, December 9, 1804, a descendant of a long line of sterling ancestry in America, the representative of this family in America being a member of Lord Baltimore's colony which settled in Charles county, Maryland, in 1634. Daniel Darnall, father of Samuel, was born in Maryland, in 1775, from which state he moved with his father, Isaac Darnall, when he was ten years of age, the Blue Grass state being at that time covered with primeval woods. Daniel Darnall married Nancy Turpin, the daughter of another pioneer, also from Maryland. They established a home in Montgomery county, where, after the usual hard struggle, they became well established, rearing a family of five sons and one daughter, the latter named Emilia, late of Bainbridge. Samuel, of this review, was the fourth child in order of birth. When twenty-five years of age he married Maria, daughter of Joshua Yeates, her father being of English descent, his people settling in eastern Virginia early in the eighteenth century, and in Loudoun county, that state, he was born in 1773, and emigrated to Kentucky with his father in 1790. He was there married to Nancy Higgins, and to this union seven daughters and one son were born, the latter being the late Dr. Larkin Yeates, of Winchester, Kentucky. The youngest of the daughters married Samuel Darnall. They lived in Kentucky five years after their marriage, and then in order to get cheaper land, moved to the then new state of Indiana. In the fall of 1835 they came to Putnam county, stopping at the home of Johnson Darnall, who had preceded them by two years. They established their rude home in the woods here and began life in true pioneer fashion, and in time were the operators of a large farm, Mr. Darnall becoming one of the leading farmers of the county. He was one of the first to introduce blue grass into Putnam county.
Mr. Darnall and his wife followed in the footsteps of their ancestors in religious matters, being adherents to the Calvinistic or predestinarian Baptist church. Politically Mr. Darnall was first a Whig and an admirer of Henry Clay, but when the Republican party was organized he joined its ranks, and when, on the death of his father, he inherited five slaves, he desired to free them at once, but was forbidden; he allowed them to choose their own master and finally sold them at a very low figure. He was no office seeker, but always outspoken in his political views. He was at one time, back in the forties, solicited by a special committee to make the race for the Legislature as a Whig, but declined the honor. In Kentucky he served as lieutenant of militia, filling that position until his removal to Indiana. Under the military law of the state he was quartermaster on the staff of Col. James Fisk. He gave his influence to the national Union, sending three of his sons into the Federal ranks. The eldest, Francis M., made a splendid company in the fall of 1861 and led it to the field as captain. Lafayette enlisted the same year in Col. Lew Wallace's regiment of Zouaves, for the three months service, and later joined his brother's company in the Forty-third Regiment and was made sergeant, later being promoted to lieutenant. In 1863, when Morgan, the raider, invaded Indiana, a third son, Joshua, a fine boy of sixteen years, went to the front and laid down his young life for his country, as a recruit in the One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, in which he took part in the hard campaign to Cumberland Gap. While retreating from that country he contracted a cold while passing through the mountains of Kentucky, which, after a recent attack of measles, proved fatal.
Samuel Darnall's death occurred January 13, 1879, and in the shade of the old Brick Chapel he is sleeping the sleep of the just. He was a peaceable, home-loving, kind, public-spirited, noble-hearted man whom every one held in the highest esteem, for he was always ready to serve friend and stranger alike with a lavish hospitality, and had a word of cheer and encouragement for all.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
FRANK M. STROUBE.
It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who has led an eminently active and busy life and who has attained a position of relative distinction in the community with which his interests are allied. But biography finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a full appreciation of all that is demanded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be accorded each statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon the details of such a record as has been that of Frank M. Stroube, the well-known sheriff of Putnam county.
Mr. Stroube was born at Augusta, Kentucky, July 19, 1863, the son of Oliver Stroube, a native of the Blue Grass state, this family having been prominent for several generations in Bracken county. There Oliver Stroube was reared and educated. In 1865 he came to Putnam county, Indiana, locating on a farm in Madison township, where he soon had a comfortable home and where he lived until his death, April 3, 1901, at the age of sixty-three years, having been born July 19, 1838. He was a man whom everybody respected owing to his steady habits and his genial disposition. He married Eliza Blackerby, a native of Bracken county, Kentucky. She is a woman of such kind and generous instincts that she is greatly admired by her friends and neighbors in Greencastle, where she now resides.
Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Stroube, named as follows: Frank M., of this review; J. W. is trustee of Madison township, where he resides; Anna died when one year old; Dr. Charles N. lives at Roachdale; Earl is a farmer in Madison township; Clifford E. died when one year old; Ida is the wife of Dr. Reginald Pollon, Cayuga, Indiana; Minnie is the wife of E. R. Bartley, of Greencastle.
The paternal grandfather of these children, John Stroube, was a native of Virginia, removing from that state to Kentucky at an early date, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at Augusta, Kentucky. He married a Miss Reader and they became the parents of four children, all deceased but one son, N. J., a banker in Augusta.
Frank M. Stroube was brought to Putnam county, Indiana, by his parents when he was but an infant. He spent his youth on the home farm, which he assisted in developing, attending the district schools in the meantime. He remained at home until he was twenty-five years of age, when he took up the livestock business, buying and shipping. He was very successful at this and built up an extensive business, becoming known throughout the county as one of the leading stock men of this locality.
Mr. Stroube always took considerable interest in political matters and as a reward for his public spirit and his genuine worth he was elected sheriff of Putnam county on the Democratic ticket in 1908, and, according to the statement of many of his constituents, he has so far proven to be one of the best sheriffs the county has ever had, always faithful in the performance of his duty and going about the same in a conscientious and business-like manner.
Mr. Stroube was married on September 19, 1888, to Belle Roberts, daughter of John Roberts, of Manhattan, Putnam county, where she was born and reared, attending the public schools. Three children have been born to this union, named as follows: Jean Lucille, Ruth Marie and Gail Blackerby; they are all members of the family circle, constituting with their parents a mutually happy household, their home being a cozy and pleasant one.
Mr. and Mrs. Stroube are members of the Christian church. Fraternally Mr. Stroube is a Mason, and he carries into his daily life its sublime teachings.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
CLARENCE ARTHUR SHAKE.
The well known florist and honored citizen, Clarence Arthur Shake, who is an honored resident of Greencastle, in the progress of which he has ever been deeply concerned, is a native of Stoddard county, Missouri, where he was born April 1, 1886. He is the son of Spencer J. and Mary R. (Brooks) Shake, the father born in Iowa, in 1858, on a farm on which his parents settled when the country was comparatively new. Spencer J. Shake was educated in the common schools of his native community. Moving to Carlisle, Indiana, he entered the schools of that place and was graduated therefrom. He was ambitious to become a minister of the gospel and in order to properly fit himself for this eminent calling he worked his way through Borden College, Borden, Indiana. He was duly ordained a minister in the Methodist Episcopal church, his first charge being in New Providence, in 1890. He was popular with his congregation and developed into a preacher of power, doing a great deal of good wherever he went. On Thanksgiving day, 1878, he was married to Mary Rebecca Brooks, daughter of Thomas Brooks, of Missouri. This union resulted in the birth of eight children, of which number, Clarence A., of this review, was the third in order of birth. Rev. Spencer J. Shake is now pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Farmersburg, Indiana.
Clarence A. Shake obtained a good primary education and in 1905 he was graduated from the high school at Evansville. In 1906 he entered DePauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, taking a general course, but before graduating he left the university in order to form a partnership with A. M. Troxell, in 1908. He has taken readily to this line of work and together they are building up a very satisfactory business.
Mr. Shake is a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, in which he has always taken a great deal of interest.
Mr. Shake was married on June 16, 1909, to Clara J. Yunker, a popular young lady, the daughter of Conrad and Susan (Skiels) Yunker, of Evansville, Indiana, where she was a favorite in the best social circles of the city, being a woman of culture and education.
Politically Mr. Shake is a Republican, and he is an earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Knights of Pythias. Considering the fact that he is yet quite a young man and has made such a promising start in the business world, the future needs must augur large success for him.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
WILLIAM MILFORD HOUCK.
Fealty to facts in the analyzation of a citizen of the type of William Wilford Houck is ail that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other consideration, that gives character and stability to the body politic and makes the true worth of a county or state revered at home and respected abroad. In the broad light which things of good report, ever invite, the name and character of the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch stand revealed and secure and though with modest demeanor, with no ambition to distinguish himself in public position or as a leader of men, his career has been signally honorable and it may be studied with profit by the youth entering upon life's work, for it shows that the man who persists along right lines of endeavor will eventually accomplish what he sets out to do despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Mr. Houck is too well known to the readers of this book to need any lengthy chronicle of his life history, for he has been interested in large affairs here for many years and has spent the major part of his life in the community of his birth, being one of the worthiest representatives of the Houck family, which is one of the old and influential families of Putnam county.
Mr. Houck was born April 5, 1860, on the home farm in Madison township, the son of David and Rachael Houck, a complete sketch of whom appears on another page of this work. He was educated in the country schools of Washington township and assisted with the work on the farm, becoming well acquainted with general and scientific agriculture and stock raising early in life and he has continued to make this his principal life work. However, he began life as a school teacher, having applied himself very assiduously to his text-books and received a good education, very largely by his individual efforts, teaching two very successful terms of school, in 1878 and 1879, in Washington township. But this line of endeavor did not appeal to him as a life vocation and he returned to the freer life of the husbandman and stock man, and an evidence of his large success in this line is shown by the fact that when eighteen years of age he purchased forty acres; by hard work and good management this small place has grown to one of the model farms of the county, comprising four hundred acres, which is well improved in every respect, very carefully tilled and under a high state of cultivation. He has a modern, commodious and beautiful residence and all the substantial outbuildings that his needs require. He handles large numbers of live stock of various kinds and usually of a very high quality, being considered a good judge of stock, especially cattle and hogs.
Mr. Houck is also a stockholder in the Live Oak Plantation Company, which has twelve thousand acres in Louisiana, which is a very paying investment, yielding its stockholders excellent returns. He is a stockholder and director in the Plezee Company, of Greencastle, a firm manufacturing the famous soda fountain drink from which the company derived its name, and which for several years has had an immense sale in the Middle West.
On October 20, 1880, Mr. Houck married Emma Myra Bence, the representative of an influential and highly respected family, her parents, John and Annie E. (Kidd) Bence, being represented on another page of this work. Mrs. Houck was born June 23, 1864. She is a member of the Washburn Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Twentieth Century Club and the Crescent Club of Greencastle. Mr. and Mrs. Houck have one foster daughter, Ethel Houck Sheppard, wife of Will M. Sheppard, who make their home with Mr. and Mrs. Houck. She is a graduate of the city high school.
Politically Mr. Houck is a Democrat and firm in advocating his party's principles, taking considerable interest in local affairs during elections. He has attained to the thirty-second degree in Masonry, being also a member of Murat Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Indianapolis, Blue Lodge No. 47, Greencastle Chapter, No. 22, Royal Arch Masons, and the Greencastle Commandelry, No. 11, Knights Templar. Mr. Houck stands high in the circles of this great fraternity in this state. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Although Mr. Houck has a beautiful country home, he resides in Greencastle, owning one of the attractive residences of this city, at No. 733 East Washington street, which is equipped with all up-to-date appliances and tastily arranged, and here the many friends of the family frequently gather, always finding an old-time hospitality and good cheer unstintingly dispensed.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
JOHN FRANCIS CULLY, M. D.
The medical practitioner who would succeed at his profession must possess many qualities not to be gained from test and medical books. In analyzing the career of the successful physician it will invariably be found to be true that a broad-minded sympathy with the suffering and an honest, earnest desire to aid his afflicted fellow men have gone hand in hand with skill and able judgment. Dr. John Francis Cully, of Bainbridge, one of the best known physicians of Putnam county, fortunately embodies the necessary qualifications mentioned above, and these, too, in a marked degree, and by energy and application to his professional duties is building up an enviable reputation and drawing to himself a large and remunerative practice.
Doctor Cully was born in Newark, New Jersey, July 4, 1852, the son of Mathew and Mary A. Cully, the father a native of Ireland, who came to this country in an early day and became well established. He was loyal to his adopted country, joined the Union army and gallantly fought during the war between the states, meeting death on the field of battle. The Doctor's mother died when he was six years old, and when he was eight years of age he came to Putnam county, Indiana, from New York, and has since resided here, having found a home in the family of John and Eliza Allen, who treated him as if he had been their own child, and to whom, in a large measure, he attributes much of his success in life, since they gave him every opportunity looking to his education and success.
After completing the prescribed course of study in the common schools, he began the study of medicine under Dr. R. F. Stone, in 1876; in 1878 and 1879 he attended lectures at the Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, from which institution he was graduated in 1880. Returning to Bainbridge, he immediately began practice and has since continued here, having been very successful both as a general practitioner and as a surgeon, enjoying a large and lucrative practice and keeping on hand a carefully selected stock of medicine. He has kept abreast of the latest discoveries in the medical profession in every respect, and he has a large and valuable medical library, and his rank among the medical men of the county and state is high.
Doctor Cully was married in 1885 to Ella F. Darnall, who was born, reared and educated in Putnam county; she is the daughter of Samuel and Maria Darnall, a highly honored old pioneer family of this county, her father having long been deceased. To Doctor Cully and wife three children have been born, Lily, Don and Max.
The Doctor is a member of the Christian church, and in his fraternal relations he belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, holding membership in Commandery No. 11. at Greencastle; also the Knights of Pythias, No. 323. He belongs to the Putnam County Medical Society and the Indiana Medical Society, taking much interest in both. He is a member of the board of pension examiners. At one time he served as president of the Putnam County Medical Society. He has also served on the school board and the town board of trustees. On January 8, 1910, Doctor Cully suffered the loss by fire of his fine library, instruments and drug stock, which, though a serious handicap, temporarily, has not deterred him from practicing his profession with his usual vigor and skill. The Doctor is a lover of fine horses, and is the owner of a 2:13 trotter.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
DAVID KNOLL.
Holding worthy prestige among the enterprising fanners and public spirited citizens of Putnam county is David Knoll, of Cloverdale township, a gentleman of high standing and marked influence in the community of which he has long been an honored resident. As the name implies, he is of German lineage, his father, John Knoll, having been born in the upper Rhine valley about the year 1813. John Knoll was the son of a soldier who served in the army of Napoleon and considered the great Emperor as something more than a mere mortal. Long after the wars in which he took part had closed and the star of the man of destiny had set forever, any reference to the Emperor would arouse the patriotism of the Rhennish soldier, and when an old man to hear the music to which he had marched while wearing the cockade was sufficient to cause the tears to flow down his furrowed cheeks.
John Knoll left his home in the Fatherland when nineteen years old and came to the United States, locating at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked for a number of years at tailoring, which trade he had learned in his native country. Later he went to Union county, Indiana, where in due time he married Susannah Knipe, who was born at Dublin, Wayne county, of which part of the state her father, Thomas Knipe, was an early pioneer. Mr. and Mrs. Knipe were natives of England, but came to America many years ago and spent the remainder of their lives on the farm in the county of Wayne which the husband and father redeemed from the wilderness. On changing his residence to Union county, John Knoll turned his attention to farming, which he carried on for some years in connection with his trade. He proved a valuable accession to the community in which he settled, doing much of the tailoring required by the neighbors, who remunerated him by assisting with his farm work. The nearest trading points at that time were Lawrenceburg and Cincinnati and in marketing his produce at those places, where he also purchased the few groceries and other necessities for the family, required a trip of several days. About the year 1847 Mr. Knoll disposed of his interests in Union county and moved to what is now Jennings township in northwestern part of Owen county, where he bought land and developed a good farm on which he made his home the remainder of his days, dying at a ripe old age in about 1885.
David Knoll was born January 9, 1842, in Union county, Indiana, but spent the greater part of his youth and early manhood in the county of Owen, to which he was taken by his parents when about five years old. He well remembers the journey to the new home, in what was then the wilds of Jennings township, as a part of the way had to be cut through a dense forest, no roads having yet been made. As soon as his services could be utilized, he assisted his father with the labors of the farm, attending at intervals such schools as the county afforded and until his twenty-second year remained at home and contributed to the interests and comfort of his parents. In 1864 he went to Nebraska, where he engaged with a government wagon train to transport supplies to various military posts and other points in the far West. The train consisted of twenty-six wagons, each drawn by six yoke of oxen, Mr. Knoll taking charge of one of the wagons, which he drove as far as Salt Lake City. The trip across the plains was fraught with many difficulties and hardships and it is estimated that it cost the government the sum of thirty-two dollars and fifty cents for every hundred weight of goods thus freighted.
Mr. Knoll passed through not a few thrilling experiences on the trip, both going and coming, being obliged to walk much of the way, which with the labor of attending to his six yoke of oxen and other incidental duties proved not only exceedingly tiresome, but at times exasperating. Of the twenty-six wagons with which the company started all but one were left in Utah and on the return trip these were brought farther than Fort Halleck, making their way from the latter place to Leavenworth, Kansas. Mr. Knoll decided to leave the West and accordingly in the winter of 1866 he returned to Indiana, arriving at his home in Owen county on Christmas day.
Later Mr. Knoll and a Mr. Routh took a contract to make one hundred and fifty thousand brick, for the preparation of which they devoted the latter part of the winter of the above year and during the summer following the work was completed as per agreement. In the ensuing fall the subject, in partnership with John Job, started a general store at what is now the village of Cunot, for two years, when Mr. Knoll's father purchased Mr. Job's interest and became a partner. Under the style of Knoll & Son, the store was conducted with encouraging success during the fire years ensuing, at the expiration of which time the subject traded his interest in the business for one hundred and twenty acres of land, forty in Owen county and eighty on the south line of Cloverdale township in the county of Putnam. Moving to this land, Mr. Knoll addressed himself to the task of its improvement and in due time had one of the finest farms and among the most beautiful and desirable homes in the community. There he lived and prospered until about 1890, when he purchased one hundred and fifty-two acres, one mile southwest of Cloverdale, where he has since resided. In the meantime he turned his attention to the manufacture of drain tile, for which there was a growing demand, constructing a factory about two miles south of the above town, which, after operating for some time, he exchanged for a tract of land in the vicinity. A few months afterwards he and his sons bought the factory, which they operated with profitable results until 1910, when the business was sold to other parties.
Mr. Knoll has been quite successful in his various business and farming interests and is now in independent circumstances, owning the fine farm of one hundred and fifty-two acres on which he lives, a fifty-acre tract in Owen county and fifty-two acres on the line between the counties of Owen and Putnam.
In 1898 he engaged in general merchandising at Cloverdale, where he conducted a thriving business until the latter part of 1904, when he disposed of the establishment, since which time he has devoted his attention to agriculture and the manufacturing of drain tile, in both of which his success has been commensurate with the ability, energy and excellent management displayed in all of his undertakings.
Mr. Knoll, on February 5, 1867, contracted a marriage with Livonia Hendricks, daughter of William and Mary Ann (Routt) Hendricks, who moved to Putnam county, Indiana, from their native state of Kentucky when Mrs. Knoll was about five years of age. The off springs of this union are as follows: Ida M., who first married Mack Asher, by whom she had three children, Forest, Nora Ellen and Marian. After the death of Mr. Asher, she married William Nanns, with whom she now lives near Cataract in Owen county, their marriage resulting in the birth of four children, Alma, Doris, George and Floy Genevie. Hannah, the second of the family, married John Vice, to whom she bore a son, Roy, and two daughters, Florence and Dorothy. Mr. Vice dying, she subsequently entered the marriage relation with her present husband, Thomas Paris, of Cloverdale township, the union being blessed with three offsprings, Glory, Rosey and Harold. James, the third child, died in infancy. William Knoll, the fourth in order of birth, lives in Prairie county, Arkansas, where he is engaged in the growing of rice. His wife, formerly Lovina Cook, has presented him with four children, Orville, Grace, Everett and Garnett. Emma, the next in succession, married Nicholas Mace and lives in Clay county, Indiana, their family consisting of a son, David, and a daughter who answers to the name of Hattie Ila. Nellie, who married John Canada, with whom she moved to Arkansas some years ago, died in that state the month following her arrival, leaving four children, Ruth, James, Charles and Ann, all born in Indiana. George Knoll, the sixth in order of birth, married Mettie McMains and lives in Arkansas, two children having been born to them, Willard and Mary Livonia McMains. Susie, the seventh of the family, is unmarried and still a member of the home circle. Arley is head bookkeeper and cashier of the National Biscuit Company at Indianapolis. Grover. Hattie and Marie, the youngest of the family, are still under the parental roof.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
JOSEPH B. CROSS, M. D.
Few of the early physicians of Putnam county succeeded in winning the reputation that Dr. Joseph B. Cross enjoyed through a long span of years in which he engaged in practice here. He was one of those whole-souled, large-hearted, kindly men who delighted in his practice more because he could do humanity the most good in this than by any other medium, and it was not from sordid mercenary motives that he followed his profession. And because of his clean, honorable and praiseworthy life he was always held in the very highest regard by his fellow men. He won a worthy place in the estimation of medical men of this section of the state as both a general practitioner and surgeon, having long maintained his office at Bainbridge.
Doctor Cross was born in Wayne county, Indiana, February 12, 1823, son of John J. and Ruth (Poe) Cross, natives of Ohio and of German ancestry. They were the parents of five children, four of whom grew to maturity. In 1836 they removed to Montgomery county, Indiana, where they remained until 1854, thence to Iowa for two years, then returned to Putnam county where the father died in April, 1872, and the mother in 1876. The Doctor was reared on a farm in Wayne and Montgomery counties, Indiana, and received a good primary education in the public schools. He began life as a school teacher, but having been ambitious from boyhood to enter the medical profession, he gave up teaching and earnestly applied himself to the study of medicine in the office of Dr. A. Kelly, of Ladoga, and he took his first course of lectures at the Louisville University, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1847 and 1848. He graduated from the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, in the winter of 1852 and 1855. He returned to Indiana and opened an office in Ladoga. Although he as gaining prestige here, he moved to Carpentersville, where he believed there existed a better opening, and he continued success fully in the latter place for a period of sixteen years, and in 1863 he moved to Bainbridge, Putnam county, where he continued until 1880, building up a very extensive and lucrative practice, retiring from active work on the last mentioned date. His retirement to private life was due principally to inflammatory rheumatism contracted, no doubt, from his too assiduous attention to his many patients, riding through all kinds of weather, often long distances.
In September, 1850, the Doctor was married to Sallie Call, who was born in Kentucky, October 31, 1831, daughter of Squire and Mary (Moore) Call. Six children were born to Doctor Cross and wife, only two of whom are living, Emma F., wife of J. A. Lewman, a well known farmer and stock man of Putnam county, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in these pages, and Anna Cross, who married Harry G. Brown and they live near Greencastle.
Doctor Cross became well fixed financially and owned two hundred and eighty acres of good land in this township, besides his property in Bainbridge, where he had a large residence and one acre of ground. He was a member of Masonic Lodge No. 75, at Bainbridge, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge No. 311. He was also a member of the Christian church and a liberal supporter of the same.
The Doctor took an interest in his distinguished ancestry. His mother was a first cousin of General Poe, the famous Indian fighter, and the family was also related to Edgar Allen Poe, the great poet. John Call, a brother of Mrs. Cross, died while in the Union army.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
JOHN F. CANNON.
This utilitarian age has been especial1y prolific in men of action, clear-brained men of high resolves and noble purposes, who give character and stability to the communities honored by their citizenship, and whose influence and leadership are easily discernible in the various enterprises that have added so greatly to the high reputation which Putnam county enjoys among her sister counties of this great commonwealth. Conspicuous among this class of men whose place of residence is in Greencastle is the progressive citizen under whose name this article is written, for, while yet young in years, Mr. Cannon has reaped the rewards that never fail to collie as the result of rightly applied energy.
John F. Cannon is a native of the city where he now resides, having been born here on July 2, 1872. His father, Frank Cannon, was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in 1842, grew to maturity and was educated there. He early in life formed a desire to come to America and in 1864 he gratified that ambition. He located in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, remaining there for a period of two years. From there he went to Indianapolis and in 1870 came to Greencastle, Indiana, where he has since remained, with the exception of one year spent at his old home in Ireland, making the trip in 1899. He has always followed the trade of tailor and he is regarded as very skillful in this line of work, having long enjoyed a very liberal patronage. He married in 1870, at Indianapolis, Catherine Carr, who was born in Ireland, not far from the birthplace of Frank Cannon. She came to America when a young woman, and she is still living, being, like her husband, highly esteemed among a wide circle of friends. They are the parents of ten children, six of whom are living at this writing, namely: John F., of Greencastle; Bridget lives in the Community of St. Mary's-of-the-Woods; James and Frank live in Greencastle; George is a senior in DePauw University and will graduate with the class of 1910; Anna is also a student in that university. The parents of these children are members of the Catholic church.
John F. Cannon was educated in the public schools of Greencastle, and when but a boy he decided to follow the footsteps of his father by entering the tailoring business, which he accordingly did with his father, with whom he remained for about six years, during which time he mastered all the details of the same; but, desiring a larger field for the exercise of his talents, he, in 1891, engaged in the clothing business with D. W. Alspaugh under the firm name of Alspaugh & Company, with which firm he continued very successfully until four years ago, when Mr. Alspaugh died. Frank Cannon also had an interest in the firm, which, at the time indicated above, became J. F. Cannon & Company, advertising as the Bell Clothing Company, which has continued to grow steadily until a large and lucrative patronage is enjoyed with the town and surrounding country. A large, up-to-date and carefully selected stock of clothing, gents' furnishings and men's outfittings in general are carried. Customers' are accorded such fair and courteous treatment here that they are invariably pleased and never care to change their favorite place of trading, according to the statement of many of them.
John F. Cannon was married on November 26, 1901, to Rose Gainer, a native of Greencastle, the daughter of John Gainer and wife, highly honored citizens here. Mrs. Cannon is a woman of refinement and is a favorite with a large coterie of friends. This union has resulted in the birth of one daughter, hearing the good old name Mary Katherine. Mr. Cannon is a director in the Indiana Retail Merchants Fire Insurance Company, also a director of Plezee Company of Greencastle, a company organized to manufacture the well known popular soft drink "Plezee." Fraternally he is the present exalted ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 1077. He also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church, and liberal supporters of the same. No family in Greencastle is more highly esteemed than the Cannons, this being the result of upright and proper living and the manifestation of right principles in furthering the city's interests.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
JOSEPH A. LEWMAN.
It is proper to judge of the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family circle, in church, hear his views on public questions, observe his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and civilization, and are therefore competent to judge of his merits and his demerits. After a long course of years of such daily observation, it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know of his worth, for, as has been often said, "Actions speak louder than words." In this connection it is not too much to say that Joseph A. Lewman has lived a life of honor; that he is industrious and has the confidence of all who know him and have the pleasure of his friendship, being one of Monroe township's well known stockmen and farmers, having owned some the best horses that Putnam county ever produced.
Mr. Lewman was born January 1, 1853, the son of Jesse and Purcella (Laforge) Lewman, natives of Fleming county, Kentucky. In 1857, while on a trip to Iowa, the father was drowned by falling off the deck of the steamboat that was carrying him. The mother and children then abandoned the trip and came to Indiana.
Joseph A. Lewman received an ordinary common school education. On January 15, 1879, he married Emma F. Cross, daughter of a well known local physician of the past generation, a sketch of whom is to be found elsewhere in these pages. Mrs. Lewman's father's mother was related to Edgar Allen Poe, the great American author.
This union resulted in the birth of the following children: Ida May, born January 18, 1880, married Harry L. Grider, a merchant of Fincastle, this county; they have one child, Howard L., born March 25, 1909; James B. Lewman was born October 5, 1882; Frederick A., born February 24, 1887; Frank C., born January 2, 1890, is a bookkeeper in the employ of the Bell Telephone Company; Ruth, born June 24, 1895, is a student in the Bainbridge schools.
Mr. Lewman is the owner of one hundred and forty acres of well cultivated and highly .improved land where he has carried on general farming very successfully for many years; but stock raising has been his principal source of income and has claimed his close attention. It is as the owner of fine horses that he has become widely known, having been a very successful horse raiser, among the well known horses he has owned being the following: "Brinoda," with a record of 2:11-1/4; "Major Ham," a 2:24; "Major Ham. Jr.," 2:19; "Coon Hollow Jack," 2:15-1/4; "Trixie," 2:19-1/4; "Major L.," a 2:09-1/4; "Alice Miller," a 2:15. He still owns some valuable stock for which he finds a ready market whenever he cares to dispose of them.
Mr. Lewman is a member of Masonic Lodge No. 75, at Bainbridge; in politics he is a Democrat; and while he is interested in the county's welfare in every way he is no office seeker, but spends all his time looking after his individual affairs.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
ANDREW MARSHALL TROXELL.
From a fine old Virginia family, noted alike for its hospitality and industry, is descended Andrew Marshall Troxell, who has long figured prominently in Putnam county affairs. He himself was born near Lexington, Virginia, January 12, 1855, the son of Andrew and Elizabeth Troxell, who died when their son, Andrew M., was young, the father dying in the Old Dominion, and the mother soon passed away after her arrival in Henry county. Indiana.
Andrew M. Troxell was ambitious when a lad and in order to get a proper text-book training, worked his way through the Knightstown schools. He began his life work by taking a position as assistant agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Knightstown, Indiana, where he remained for a period of four years, then he represented this company as agent at Raysville, Indiana, for two years. Always of an artistic temperament and by nature a lover of the beautiful, he observed an opening for a florist at Knightstown and accordingly established himself there in this line which he continued with varying success for a period of fifteen years. Twelve years ago he came to Greencastle and launched out in the same line of business and was very successful from the first. In 1908 he formed a partnership with C. A. Shake and he is still engaged in vigorously pushing his business to the front. This firm has now become well established and is one of the best known in this part of the state and does an extensive business with this and surrounding towns. Fraternally Mr. Troxell belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, also the encampment. He is known as an energetic, honest and congenial business man who has made many friends since coming here.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
MRS. VIRGINIA C. AKERS.
A woman who enjoys distinctive social prestige in Warren township, Putnam county, where she has hosts of friends who delight in her companionship because of her genial and hospitable disposition, and who has proved herself to be a woman of rare business ability in the successful management of her fine farm, is Mrs. Virginia C. Akers, who is a native of Putnam county, having been born here February 22, 1842, the daughter of John and Mary Gose, an old and well established family of this county, her father being a native of Virginia. Mrs. Akers grew to maturity on her father's old homestead and had the advantage of the common schools. January 19, 1865, she married Martin C. Hurst, born March 15, 1846, the son of Jefferson and Eliza Hurst, the father born in Marion township, Putnam county, March 28, 1834, the son of William and Fannie Hurst, the former a native of Virginia. His parents came to Putnam county, Indiana, in 1823, being among the first settlers of the county, locating on Deer creek, in Marion township, entering several tracts of land there from the government. Like all pioneers, he endured many hardships and privations and died in 1850. He and his wife were the parents of six children, all now deceased. Mr. Hurst was widely known and highly respected. Politically he was a Democrat and he was a devoted member of the old-school Baptist church. Jefferson Hurst was reared to manhood in this county and received a limited education in the early subscription schools. December 24, 1844, he married Elsie Vowel and eight children were born to them, namely: Martin C., first husband of Mrs. Akers, of this review; William, Levi, Squire J., James H., George W., Benjamin F. and Marr, wife of Daniel Moffet. The mother of these children died November 2, 1879, and on September 1, 1891, Jefferson Hurst married Mary E. Tilley, a native of Owen county, Indiana. Two children were born to this union, Joseph B. and Flossie M. Mr. Hurst was a successful farmer; he first settled on a farm in section 36, Greencastle township, and he became the owner of six hundred acres of valuable land and was considered one of the leading agriculturists of the county. He was a member of the old-school Baptist church and served as clerk of the local congregation for many years. His death occurred on September 19, 1888.
Martin C. Hurst, his son and first husband of Mrs. Aker, began his married life on a farm given him by his father, near Mt. Meridian, in Jefferson township, and they made this their home for five years, then moved to a farm of one hundred and fourteen acres in section 1, Warren township, and after a few years bought all adjoining eighty and they moved into a weather-boarded log house, on which they made additions later, and here Mrs. Akers has continued to reside. Mr. Hurst prospered and owned three hundred and fifty acres at his death, which occurred February 4, 1899. He devoted his life to farming and stock raising and he and his wife were members of the Primitive Baptist church. Seven children were born to them: Ida Lee, now Mrs. Dobbs, was born November 25, 1866, married July 28, 1889, and she has had four children, Joel M., Albert Lee, Edgar R. (deceased) and Eugene H. Mr. Dobbs is a farmer in Mill Creek township. Albert W., born November 25, 1868, died January 3, 1888; Walter W., born April 9, 1871, married Maud May Bryan, May 15, 1892, and they are the parents of four children, Hazel C., Norbert, Caroline and Thomas A. Mr. Hurst is a salesman, living at Columbus, Ohio. Lawrence T. Hurst, born April 27, 1873, married Birdie W. Wright December 24, 1893, and they have one child, H. Kenneth. Mr. Hurst has taught school and engaged in merchandising. The next child was named Edgar, born September 2, 1873, and died November 18, 1877. Paul Hurst, born April 30, 1879, married Gertrude Cooper; he is engaged in farming and he and his wife are the parents of four children, Victor Ray, Harry H., Alton O. and Cecil C. Jasper T. Hurst, born February 6, 1882, is also engaged in farming; he married Myrtle Cooper January 14, 1902, and they have the following children: Emmett C., Edgar E., Opal Marie.
After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Martin C. Hurst had the management of the home farm and she looked after the same in a businesslike and successful manner. On September 16, 1902, she married Henry S. Akers, a native of Virginia, who came to Indiana October 1, 1868. He was drafted from Franklin county, Virginia, for service in the Confederate army, under Colonel Magruger, of the Fifty-Seventh Regiment, Longstreet's corps, Pickett's division, and he saw service in many of the greatest battles of the war, including Gettysburg, Antietam, Winchester and many of lesser note.
Mr. Akers was previously married, his first wife dying April 26, 1884, and twelve children were born to that union, of whom seven survive: Charles J., a Baptist minister, living in the state of Washington; Mrs. Mildred Britton, a farmer in Putnam county, and they have two children; Harvey and Clay; James C. Akers has remained single and is living in this county; Mrs. Sarah Jarvis lives in Parke county, Indiana; Silas Lee, Stock Yards, Indianapolis; Joseph A. lives in Jasper county; Mrs. Elizabeth C. Angus also lives in Jasper county, Indiana.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
CAPT. WILLIAM P. WIMMER.
A pioneer of the pioneers, a Civil war veteran with a splendid record, and a progressive farmer who has made a success of his business by keeping up with the procession -such a man is Captain Wimmer, to whom we now introduce the readers of this volume. He is a good man to know and all who meet him are sure to like him. When it is stated that his progenitor was a Virginian of the old school, it will be seen that this family comes of excellent stock. It was in 1822 that Jacob Wimmer and his young wife mounted their horse in front of their old Virginia homes, kissed their friends goodby and turned their faces resolutely to the west. It took a stout heart to ride the hundreds of miles intervening between the Old Dominion and western Indiana at the time this journey was undertaken. There were practically no roads, only trails and traces. Long ranges of rough mountains had to be crossed, large and deep rivers to be forded or ferried, miles and miles of gigantic forests to be threaded, under mighty trees whose shade was so dense that in many places the sunlight could not penetrate at mid-day. Jacob Wimmer and wife were brave and self-confident. They had made up their minds to hunt a home in the boundless west, where land was cheap and the soil rich. They escaped all accidents by flood and field, including wild beasts and Indians, trudged along at the rate of some fifteen or twenty miles a day and eventually reached their goal. Mr. Wimmer entered government land, one mile east of what is now Bridgeton in Parke county and this in time became the homestead of the Wimmer family. This adventurous youth married a pioneer girl named Elizabeth Mills, and tradition says she made him a helpmate worthy of his courageous character. They were married in Virginia and she accompanied him to Indiana, riding the seven hundred miles on horseback.
William Perry Wimmer, a son of the above mentioned couple, was born in Parke county, Indiana, March 15, 1836. He got the rudiments of an education in the old subscription school and loves to tell how he had to walk three miles to school every day and he wastes no sympathy on the tender shoots of this age who insist on being hauled to school. It was perhaps his pioneer experiences that caused Captain Wimmer to become an advocate of good roads, in which cause he has always been enthusiastic. He took an active and official part in the building of the first free roads in Putnam county and long ago saw the vital necessity of easy means of transportation from place to place, especially farmers. He has been one of the viewers and has opened up over seventy miles of gravel and rock roads in Putnam county.
Captain Wimmer is justly proud of his war record and has reason to be, as no man can show one longer or more creditable. He enlisted on July 6, 1861, and devoted four years and a half to the cause of the Union. He was promoted from the ranks to second lieutenant and from second to first lieutenant, and from first lieutenant to captain, and had command of Company H, of the Twenty-first Indiana Regiment, First Heavy Artillery, as captain. The command served under Gen. Ben Butler and saw much hard fighting and campaigning. At Baton Rouge his regiment, in connection with the Sixth Michigan and Fourth Wisconsin, had a severe engagement with the enemy and it was the opinion of General Butler, publicly expressed, that the Twenty-first Indiana had won the day.
After the war, Captain Wimmer engaged in farming and came to Putnam county in 1868. He has always taken much interest in all farmers' organizations, such as the Grange, the institutes and other educational gatherings. Captain Wimmer has always been a Democrat and in 1877 was elected joint representative from Putnam and Hendricks counties, overcoming a Republican majority in Hendricks county of eleven hundred, and being elected by sixty-one, which was quite complimentary to his popularity considering the state of parties in the two counties at that time.
In 1867 Captain Wimmer married Angela, daughter of David Parker and Elizabeth (Lockridge) Farrow, a descendant of Colonel Farrow, a noted pioneer, of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. His wife having a died a few months after their union, Captain Wimmer married her sister, Catherine Elizabeth, the ceremony taking place August 7, 1868. They have had seven children: Gertrude Harddee is a resident of Indianapolis; Jessie married James Owens, who makes his home in Chicago; Claude Parker, who remains with his father, married Myrtle Ragsdale; Nelly Elizabeth died in infancy; Oscar died when three years old, and Omar, his twin brother, is a resident of Chicago; William Andrew, who married Nelly Carver, has one child, Elizabeth Louise, and remains on the old homestead Captain Wimmer's two sons assist him on his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which has all the modern improvements and is conducted on scientific principles.
Captain Wimmer has been an Odd Fellow since 1868, belonging to Lodge No. 43, of Greencastle. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Greencastle Post.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN