THOMAS D. BROOKSHIRE.
The record of Thomas D. Brookshire is that of an enterprising and public-spirited gentleman who worthily upholds an honorable family name, and whose life has been very intimately associated with the material prosperity and moral advancement of Franklin township, and in fact, with the general progress of Putnam county, during the most progressive period of its history, for he has always been found on the right side of questions looking to the development of his community in any way, and while he has been prominent in the industrial affairs of the county, he has at the same time won an enviable reputation for honesty and wholesome living. He is a native of Montgomery county, Indiana, where his birth occurred October 15, 1861, the son of Drake and Sallie (Graves) Brookshire, the father having come to Montgomery county in 1830, being among the first settlers in his community. He made the long and somewhat hazardous trip overland from Randolph county, North Carolina, but he was a hardy son of the soil and enjoyed new conditions and primitive surroundings. Sallie Graves also came from the same locality in the old Tar state, and they were married in Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1841. Drake Brookshire is still living, three miles northeast of Ladoga, Indiana, where he owns a valuable farm of two hundred and forty-eight acres. He has been very successful since coming here, having seen the country develop in a wonderful manner. He is a man of excellent characteristics. He was born in 1819, and is now in his ninety-first year. Grandfather Joel Brookshire was a native of North Carolina and came to Montgomery county in 1830. He married Sallie Slack. He died in 1869, after rearing a family of twelve children, five sons and seven daughters.

To Mr. and Mrs. Drake Brookshire ten children were born, nine sons and one daughter, named as follows: Andrew G., Allen, Alexander M., James and Mary E. are both deceased; Hon. Elijah V., who represented the old eighth congressional district in Congress for a period of six years, is a prominent lawyer in Washington, D. C.; Joel, Thomas D., of this review, is the seventh son in order of birth; Swan C. (deceased) and Lee.

Thomas D. Brookshire was reared on the farm and when old enough assisted with the general work on the same, attending the district schools during the winter months until he reached maturity. He was a student at Ladoga Normal School for a time, and after receiving a good education he returned to the farm, but in 1888 he returned to Ladoga, Indiana, and entered the butcher business. He had been very successful at this, but on August 17, 1891, he left that place and came to Putnam county, where he purchased a farm, which received his entire attention, consequently he has prospered and now owns one hundred and fifty acres in Jackson township, also owns one hundred and twenty acres in Montgomery county. He has developed his farm in a manner that stamps him as a modern twentieth-century agriculturist and his abundant harvests annually attest to his care and sound judgment. Besides carrying on general farming he also devotes considerable attention to stock raising, and knowing well how to handle all kinds of stock, no small part of his annual income is derived from this source. He has one of the best improved and most attractive places in the township.

On October 15, 1907, Mr. Brookshire moved to Roachdale, where he has since made his home in an attractive, cozy and modern dwelling on Indiana street. He was married on November 27, 1884, to Emma Myers, the representative of an excellent family of Montgomery county, Indiana, where she was born December 17, 1863, having been reared on the home farm and educated in the district schools. She is the fifth child in order of birth in a family of eight children.

Mr. and Mrs. Brookshire's pleasant home has been graced by the birth of two interesting children, namely: Flora C., born November 30, 1887, is the wife of Dora Crodian, living in Putnam county; Carlisle M., born January 5, 1890, is single and is living at home.

Mrs. Brookshire is a member of the Christian church. Fraternally, Mr. Brookshire belongs to Roachdale Lodge, No. 602, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a past master. Both he and his wife belong to the Eastern Star, of which he is worthy patron. He is also a member of Greencastle Chapter, No. 22, Royal Arch Masons, of Greencastle Council, Royal and Select Masters, and Greencastle Commandery, No. 11, Knights Templar.

Politically, Mr. Brookshire is a Democrat, and he has long taken considerable interest in the affairs of his party, and he has always done what he could politically and otherwise to advance the interests of his county. On December 1, 1898, he was elected county commissioner from the first district and he made such an honorable and highly commendable record in every way that he has since been re-elected twice to the same office, serving the same with fidelity and ability for a period of nine years and one month, during which time there were four hundred miles of macadan1 road built and there was an expenditure of one hundred thousand dollars, and he was also chairman of the board of construction when the court house was built, which imposing structure would be a credit to any county, as would also the fine system of roads. According to the statement of many of his constituents and fellow citizens, regardless of party affiliations, Mr. Brookshire was perhaps the best commissioner the county has ever had, for he did many important things while in office and always discharged his duties with a fidelity of purpose that could not help being in the end of general benefit. His record is without a stain or the shadow or suspicion of wrong in any way and he will always have the high esteem of his friends and acquaintances throughout the country or wherever he is known.

Mr. Brookshire is a large stockholder in the bank at Roachdale and is one of its directors. Success has attended his efforts because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has been true to every trust reposed in him. Personally he is a good mixer, genial, genteel, straight forward and hospitable, and while advancing his own interests never fails to consider the rights of others.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


ESTES DUNCAN.
Among the enterprising farmers and representative citizens of Putnam county who by well directed industry and force of character have surmounted adverse conditions and risen to positions of influence and prominence in their respective communities, the name of the subject of this sketch is deserving of special notice.

The family of which Estes Duncan is an honorable representative is an old and highly esteemed one in this part of Indiana and wherever known the name stands for all that is upright in manhood and creditable in citizenship. Benjamin Duncan, the subject's grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania and a man of sound, practical judgment and intelligence. He and his wife, Adaline, migrated to Putnam county some time prior to 1830 and, settling in what is now Cloverdale township, purchased a valuable tract of government land which he subsequently developed into a fine farm and on which both spent the remainder of their days, dying just across the county line in the village of Quincy, where for several years they had made their home.

Among the children of Benjamin and Adaline Duncan was a son, Lloyd T., whose birth occurred on the homestead in Putnam county, April 3, 1843, and who, like his father, was a farmer by occupation and a man of more than ordinary intelligence and influence. He was a member of Company E, Thirty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the late Civil war and was with his command during all the varied experiences of the campaign and battled and bore his past bravely and well, upholding the honor of the government in its time of peril. He shared with his comrades the hardships and dangers of active service until severely wounded at the battle of Peach Tree Creek (siege of Atlanta), where he was shot through the left arm so near the shoulder that the entire arm had to be amputated, during which operation the blood pressure was so strong on the arteries at the injured part as to endanger his life. Indeed, for a long time his friends despaired of his recovery and more than a year elapsed before he regained sufficient strength to enable him to reach his home. Among the more important engagements in which he participated were: Peach Tree Creek, Thompson's Station and Cumberland Gap.

Shortly after leaving the army Mr. Duncan was united in marriage with Mary A. Gillespie, daughter of Lysander and Rebecca (Martin) Gillespie, the union resulting in the birth of eight children, of whom the subject was the first born, the youngest three being triplets, one of whom died at the age of nine months, this, with the father's death, which occurred March 13, 1903, being the only invasions of the family circle by the dread Destroyer. Mrs. Duncan, who is residing in Cloverdale township, is a lady of excellent character, and is highly esteemed by her neighbors and friends and those who know her best speak in glowing terms of her many excellent qualities of head and heart.

Estes Duncan, whose birth occurred in Putnam county, Indiana, September 13, 1867, was reared on the home place in the northern part of Owen county and early became familiar with the varied duties of the farm. At with such the proper age he entered the public school in the neighborhood and with such interest did he apply himself to his studies that on the seventeenth anniversary of his birth he was sufficiently advanced to pass the required examination and receive a teacher's license. Although but a youth in age and appearance, he took charge of a district school and proved not only a successful and popular instructor but a strict disciplinarian, whose methods won the favor alike of pupils and patrons. Actuated by a laudable desire to fit himself for greater efficiency in his chosen calling, he subsequently entered the State Normal School at Terre Haute, which he attended at intervals during the early part of his professional career, teaching in the meantime and afterwards devoting his entire attention to school work. Mr. Duncan's experience in the school room covered a period of fifteen years, during which time he forged to the front among the successful teachers of the county and had he seen fit to devote his life to this honorable profession he doubtless would have achieved high distinction among the educators of the state. With a natural liking for the soil, however, and an aptitude for its cultivation, he decided to give his attention to farming; accordingly in 1889 he engaged in that vocation which he carried on in connection with teaching during the ten years ensuing. When he discontinued the latter, since which time he has ranked among the enterprising agriculturists of his township and county. The father, being a clear headed, well balanced man of practical ideas, advised his sons to buy land and go in debt for the same, assuring them that for young men without ready capital this was the best and surest way of securing a home and acquiring a competency. Acting upon this judicious counsel, the subject purchased lands from time to time until his indebtedness amounted to the sum of three thousand five hundred dollars, but managed his affairs with such energy and diligence that at the end of four years his land was not only free from encumbrance but he occupied a prominent position among the leading men of his calling in Cloverdale township.

By well directed effort and sound judgment Mr. Duncan has been enabled to add to his holdings at intervals until he now is the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land, the greater part under a high state of cultivation and otherwise well improved, his buildings being among the best in the community, and in point of productiveness his farms yield precedence to no like area in the county. As a tiller of the soil he is not only energetic and progressive, but also studious, believing in the dignity of his calling and striving by every means at his command to make it remunerative and in the highest degree honorable. In addition to his agricultural and livestock interests he is identified with several local enterprises of different character, among them being the Cloverdale Hardware & Lumber Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer and the success of which is very largely attributable to his judicious management.

The domestic life of Mr. Duncan dates from the year 1889, at which time was solemnized his marriage with Nevada Pollard, a daughter of William G. and Martha A. Pollard, a union blessed with two children, Frank P. and Floyd R., both bright and intelligent young men with promising futures before them. The older son is a student of the State University, where he is preparing himself for a life of usefulness and honor; the younger, who is also ambitious, is pursuing his studies in the Cloverdale high school, with the object in view of becoming more than a mere passive factor in the world of affairs.

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan, together with their sons, are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are zealous in all lines under the auspices of the same. Fraternally, Mr. Duncan belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen, in both of which societies he has been honored from time to time with important official positions.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


JOHN W. WALLACE.
In reality no greater badge of honor could be attached to a man at the present time than to refer to him as one of the "boys in blue, " for it required no little amount of sacrifice, no small degree of courage and no lack of patriotism to leave hearth and home and brave the dangers and hardships of camp, campaign and battle in order to perpetuate the Union, to save the national integrity and to insure peace and prosperity to future generations. Such a man is John W. Wallace, one of Mill Creek township's substantial farmers. He was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, in 1835, the son of Elijah and Melvina (Manley) Wallace, the father born March 22, 1811, in Anderson county, Tennessee, the son of David and Elizabeth (Atkins) Wallace. Elijah Wallace grew to maturity in his home community and in March, 1834, he married Melvina Manley, who was born October 6, 1813, in Tennessee. Her parents were Wilson and Louisa Manley, natives of the same state. Eleven children were born to this union, namely: Amanda, wife of Leonard Shaw; John, James, David and Elizabeth; Louisa, the wife of Homer W. Sandy; Nancy, wife of Samuel McCollum; William; Ellen, wife of Richard Brown, and Serelda.

Elijah Wallace and family came to Indiana in 1834 and settled first in Morgan county, but after a short residence there moved to what is now Hendricks county, locating in the woods, cleared a spot and erected a cabin, and soon began the work of clearing a farm. He had a total capital of only one hundred dollars when he reached this state, but he was successful and at his death had accumulated large holdings; he died July 12, 1884. He was a man whom everybody liked and trusted. After his death his widow moved to Mill Creek township and made her home there; she often referred to the days of 1834, when she and her husband arrived in Indiana, having made the journey from Tennessee in a one-horse wagon. Mr. Wallace was worth quite a sum for those days, one hundred thousand dollars at the time of his death.

When John W. Wallace was about seven years old the family moved to Morgan county, where the father entered another farm, and lived there five or six years, then moved two and one-half miles south of Stilesville, where the father bought another farm, this being the family home until the death of the father in 1854; thus in the southwest corner of Hendricks county John W. Wallace grew to maturity. In 1860 he married Louisa Hill, who was born in Jefferson township, the daughter of George and Nellie Hill. Reuben Hill was the father of George, Harrison and Warren Hill. George Hill married Melinda Christenson and they became parents of three children, namely: Vandever B., Piney married Robert McCammack; Andrew, who first married a Miss MacAmic, there being one daughter by this union, he then married Emily Jane Scott, and to this union were born three sons and four daughters. Melinda Christenson Hill died and George Hill married Elinor Newman in Kentucky. George Hill came from Kentucky about 1830 and settled one and one-half miles west of Belle Union, where he entered government land, the country roundabout for many miles being new and uncleared. He remarried and died there. By his second marriage these children were born: Malinda, Sallie, Eliza (wife of John Wallace), Margaret, Harrison and James.

Andrew Hill grew to maturity near where Belle Union now stands. He was born in Kentucky about 1828 and in 1830 his parents brought him to Indiana. Twelve children were born to Andrew Hill and wife, eight of whom are now living, namely: Florence Dell married Thompson Vaughan; Vandever Berry; Savanna married John Cohn; Chandler B.; Monte married Hugh Hicks and is now deceased; Franklin died in infancy; Agnes is the widow of John Whittaker; Nevada married Reuben Masten; Otto and George. Mrs. Hill died February 17, 1898.

James Hill, now deceased, was born in Putnam county in August, 1839, the son of George and Nellie Hill, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Putnam county. He was reared in this county and always followed farming. He was also engaged in shipping stock. He was married in March, 1861, to Elizabeth, daughter of Elijah and Melvina Wallace, early settlers of this county.

Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. John W. Wallace, named as follows: James W., Elijah, Frances, George, Minnie (deceased), Emma, Marietta (deceased), Dora and Catherine.

John W. Wallace had a small farm in Jefferson township, this county, where he lived until 1863, when he moved to section 17, Mill Creek township, where he lived until 1884. In March, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, Fifty-ninth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, joining the regiment at Huntsville, Alabama, while the army was on its way from Tennessee to Atlanta. He was taken sick the following August and was sent to the hospital at Cleveland, Tennessee, where he was confined by illness until Christmas, following. From there he was sent to Baltimore, then by ship to Newburn, North Carolina; he was then in the battle of Kingston; then he joined Sherman's army at Goldsboro, North Carolina, from which place he accompanied the army to Raleigh to meet Johnson's army, taking three days' rations and went out to battle, but Johnson surrendered and there was no battle. Then came the long, hard march to Washington City, where Mr. Wallace took part in the Grand Review. He received his honorable discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, and soon afterward came home, his reunion with his family being something not to be forgotten.

In 1884 Mr. Wallace bought a farm in sections 19 and 20 in Mil1 Creek township, where he has one hundred and twenty acres of well-kept and well tilled land. Politically he is a Democrat; he was township assessor for two terms. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greencastle, and he and his wife both belong to the Friends church near his home. Their children are as follows: James W. Wallace married Cora Knoy and lives in Hendricks county, Indiana; they are the parents of seven children, Ida, Lottie, Annie, Eva, Walter, Neda and Robert. Elijah Wallace is a stock trader and lives at Greencastle, he married Ida McFadden and they have one child, Frank. Frances Wallace married Vanley Humphrey and lives in Mil1 Creek township, two children were born to them, Elbert and Myrtle the latter dying when about two years of age. George Wallace, who lives near the home place, married Ella Goodpaster and has four children, Nellie, Nettie, Elma and Herman. Minnie Wallace married Wilfred Ogles and died in 1899, leaving two small children, John and Gilbert: after the death of their mother they made their home with John W. Wallace, of this review. Gilbert Wallace married Mabel Elmore and lives near John W. Wallace. John Wallace is still a member of the home circle. Emma Wallace married Walter Butler and lives at Martinsville, and has one son, Gilbert. Marietta died when a baby. Dora and Catherine both live at home with their parents.

John W. Wallace is a man whom everybody likes, being kind-hearted, honest and reliable.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


JOHN L. SELLERS.
Among the native sons of Warren township, Putnam county, who deserve a place in local history is John L. Sellers, who has spent his long life here and who has ever had the interest of his community at heart. His birth occurred August 25, 1836, the son of John Crawford Sellers, who was born March 26, 1796, in Garrard county, Kentucky, March 1, 1821, he married Fannie Brown and thirteen children resulted from this union, two of whom are living, John L., of this review, and Joseph B., whose death occurred in 1843; those deceased are, Mrs. Rebecca Gilmore, born in 1830, died in April, 1906; Mrs. Martha Ruark, born in 1838, died April 19, 1909; Mrs. Lucy Ann Leach, born in 1822, died May 6, 1846; James Washington, born in 1823, died June 11, 1865; William, born in 1824, died October 5, 1830; Mary, born 1836, died October 2, 1853; Elizabeth, born 1828, died October 16, 1858; Amanda J., born 1832, died November 13, 1836; Mrs. Nancy Talbott, born 1834; died February 8, 1872; Fannie E. (twin sister of John L.), born 1836, died November, 1851; Sarah B., born 1840, died in infancy.

The father of these children arrived in Putnam county in 1823, having a capital of only two hundred dollars. He bought eighty acres of land in section 5, Warren township, all in the woods, ten acres of which had been deadened. The first spring after he came here he rolled logs and assisted to build cabins for thirty-one days in succession. His only horse being crippled, he was compelled to tend his first crop of corn with a steer. He laid the "worm" rail of his fence at night and his wife would finish building the fence the next day while he was doing other work. From time to time he added other land to his home farm until he owned four hundred acres of valuable land, entering most of it from the government. When he started out he worked for twenty-five cents per day to get money with which to buy his first land. When he came here the county was practical1y a wilderness and to get to Greencastle, then a hamlet composed of seven cabins, he was compelled to blaze his way through the heavy woods, composed principally of tall oaks and dense underbrush. School houses and churches were unknown then and the chances for an education were very limited, but he gave his children such as could be obtained. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, his regiment being organized principally in the northern frontier and he was in the famous charge when the Indian chief Tecumseh was killed at the battle of the Thames. Mr. Sellers was an industrious, plain, honest man, who never sought or held office. For forty years he and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church at Putnamville, he being an elder during the greater part of that time giving liberally and cheerfully of his means for the advancement of the church's interest, and he did much to develop the resources of the county. His death occurred November 1, 1871, at the age of seventy-eight years, his wife surviving until 1878, dying in her seventy-seventh year, and they are buried at the old Putnamville cemetery.

John L. Sellers, the immediate subject of this review, spent his youth on the home farm, having the advantage of a three-months subscription school each winter. September 4, 1862, he enlisted in Company L, Forty-fifth Regiment, Third Indiana Cavalry, under Capt. O. M. Powers and Lieut. G. J. Langsdale, and he served with credit until the close of the war.

On December 11, 1866, Mr. Sellers married Mary Matkins, of Greencastle, and they went to live with his parents, with whom he remained during their lifetime - in fact, he has since made his home on the parental farm, devoting his attention exclusively to general farming and stock raising, being very successful in each.

Mr. Sellers very ably served his township as trustee for a period of four years. He is known as a very liberal man, generous and kind hearted, and he has thus been imposed upon, having frequently paid notes on which he was security. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and was an elder in the same for years, also a trustee for many years. Mrs. Sellers was also a faithful member of the Methodist church. She died October 20, 1879, having borne her husband seven children, namely: Edward J., born September 11, 1867, married Clara Silver, and they are the parents of seven children: Arthur U., Lawrence L., Ethel V., Joyne M., Louisa A., Harold G. and Edward L. Katherine A. Sellers was born in November, 1868, she has remained single and is living at home. Jennie L., born in April, 1870, died in November, 1882. Nannie E., born July 4, 1872, is the wife of Alonzo Day and they have two children, Hazel and Russell (deceased). Sarah F., born in October, 1874, died May 20, 1879. Minnie B., born February 15, 1876, married Charles R. Grogan and they had four children; Grace May, Jennie (died October 22, 1902 ) , Dorothy F., and Esther A. Ida M. Sellers is the wife of Hays Williams; she was born August 1, 1879, and they have two children, Estelle L. and Hubert L.

On August 3, 1880, John L. Sellers married a second time, his last wife being Elizabeth Wells, daughter of Levi and Katherine Wells, of Greencastle, and this union resulted in the birth of three children: William C., born August 21, 1881, married Grace Haymaker, and they have one child, John Riley; Mary E., born January 17, 1884, and Myrtle O., born July 5, 1891, graduated from the Greencastle high school in the class of 1910.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


OSCAR L. JONES.
The founder of the Putnam county family of this name, which has always been successful, prosperous and influential, was Jesse Jones, known familiarly to everybody hereabouts in olden days. He was born in Kentucky and came here when the county was still sparsely settled, without good roads and devoid of improvement of any kind. He entered government land in section 5 of Greencastle township, which at the time was wild and wholly unimproved and covered with a heavy growth of forest trees. Many a hard lick was put in by Jesse Jones in his efforts to convert his wild land into farming ground. He went at it, however, and kept at it with a dogged persistency that characterized the sturdy race of which he was a fine representative, and eventually he had a moderate estate to leave to his heirs. The land he purchased for one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre is now an average farm of Putnam county and is so greatly improved by adjacent pike roads, fine buildings, good fencing, telephones, rural mail delivery and other modern appliances that the original owner would not recognize it as the same place. Hiram Jones was born in Kentucky in 1820, and came to Putnam county when a boy with his parents. He married Eliza Reeves, by whom he had four children, of whom Oscar L. Jones is the only survivor. The mother died in 1861 and the father married Hannah McCorkle, of Kentucky, and one child, Jesse Jones, of Monroe township, was born to them. Hiram Jones died February 14, 1870. Oscar L. Jones was born June 13, 1859, and grew up with usual experiences of farm boys of his period. He helped on the farm, doing all kinds of work suitable to one of his age, and meantime managed to attend school during the winter months. After he got older he attended old Asbury University and acquired a very fair education for his day. He remained on the farm until he was twenty-five years old, when he gave up farming for a business career. For several years he was engaged in the wholesale produce business at Roachdale and made quite a success in this line, as he did of all his undertakings. He used to ship carloads of produce to New York and his store was headquarters for producers miles around who brought in their products and received for them the highest market prices. In 1899 Mr. Jones entered the feed and building material business in Greencastle and has carried it on on an extensive scale for many years. He handles lime, cement, brick, plastering goods and all other things suitable in house construction and all kinds of feed. His business is large and growing all the time, as Mr. Jones is energetic and resourceful, a close buyer and prudent seller - in fact a business man of the first rank. Like his father before him, he has always been a member of the Republican party, though not an office seeker and too busy with his own affairs to bother with political manipulations. In 1904 he was elected to represent the fourth ward in the city council and made a watchful and honest guardian of the city's interests. He is a member of the Locust Street Methodist Episcopal church and belongs to Greencastle Lodge, No. 473, Free and Accepted Masons.

Mr. Jones married Lena Shinn, of Putnam county, October 7, 1880, and they have one child, Gladys, now the wife of John Johnson, of Greencastle, who is associated in business with his father-in-law. His wife having died, Mr. Jones married Mary Ellis, of Bainbridge, June 9, 1890.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


WILLIAM PAYNE STONER.
A man who has long been active and influential in the affairs of Putnam county, reaping a just reward for his many years of endeavor along legitimate lines, and now living in honorable retirement in the, city of Greencastle, surrounded by the evidences of his former years of thrift and good management, is William Payne Stoner. He comes down to us from the pioneer days in this county, the Stoner family having lived here when this city was a village. He was born on the old homestead two miles from Greencastle, February 7, 1843. A complete sketch of his parents and ancestors is to be found on another page of this work, under the caption of Lycurgus Stoner.

William P. Stoner remained at home until he was eighteen years of age, when, although but a lad, he could not repress his patriotism at President Lincoln's urgent call for troops to suppress the rebellion in the South, and in the fall of 1862 he enlisted in Company A, Seventy-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for the purpose of serving along the Ohio river. After being in the field thirty days he was captured by the Confederates at Uniontown, Kentucky, who made a raid on the Union camp, taking two companies of the regiment at that time. They were soon paroled, and Mr. Stoner came home and was discharged; however, he was not contented to remain idle when he was needed in the field and in 1864 he enlisted in the heavy artillery for one year and he served until August, 1865, principally at Baton Rouge. His company was detached from the main army and was sent to Ft. Williams until after Lee's surrender. They were sent up the Red river for the purpose of securing stores that had been surrendered.

Mr. Stones was educated in the common schools of the county, with his two brothers he bought a farm near Manhattan, Washington township, where he remained for eleven years, during which time he got a good start. At the death of his father in 1876 he returned to the old home place and began farming a part of the same part of the original entry from the government, known as the Hathaway farm, lying in Greencastle township, adjoining the original Stoner farm. He erected a comfortable and substantial dwelling and other buildings on the place in 1878 and lived there very comfortably until 1905, making, besides general agricultural pursuits, stock raising a specialty, becoming widely known in this special feature, being one of the first men in this locality to breed heavy draft horses. For a period of fifteen years he spent the major part of the winters in Louisiana, fifty-three miles north of New Orleans, having bought land there and stocked it with cattle. He understood well the proper care of all kinds of livestock and the greater part of his income was derived from this source. One thing that took him to the South during the winter was rheumatism, with which he has been troubled for twenty-six years. He added forty acres to the old farm, making a total of two hundred and twenty-two acres, which he still retains, having disposed of his other valuable property about five years ago. He is reluctant to part with his farm here, all of which was formerly owned by his father. It is still very productive, having been very skillfully tilled and properly cared for. He purchased his present attractive and tastily furnished city residence some time ago; it was known as the Ed. Hanneman homestead, the latter known as the builder of the local opera house. Mr. Stoner's sons are now operating the farm in partnership.

Politically Mr. Stoner is a Republican, but he has never held office, preferring to lead a quiet life and give his attention exclusively to his farm and stock. He is a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Mr. Stoner was married on February 7, 1872, while living on his farm in Washington township, to Mary Parritt, daughter of Burr G. and Almeda (Benedict) Parritt, a well known family of Hamricks, this county, where they conducted a store. Mrs. Stoner was born in the state of Connecticut and came to Putnam county when seven years of age, and she grew to maturity here and was educated in the public schools. Her father died in this county, being over seventy years of age. He took considerable interest in public affairs.

The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stoner: Ernest, employed in the postoffice at Greencastle; Omer is active manager of the farm; Mary Almeda married James Lynch, of Danville, Indiana; Andrew P. also lives on the home farm, but he is a civil engineer by profession and is engaged most of the time in railroad work in the civil engineering department.

This family deserves a very high rank among the leading citizens of Putnam county, having always been industrious, honorable in all the relations of life and interested in the public welfare.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


DAVID ADER.
Although the late David Ader has passed from the scene of action in Putnam county, where he was so long a conspicuous figure, his wholesome influence is still felt by scores who knew him well and his memory will ever be revered for his many little acts of kindness and the good example he set the youth of the land, for he was truly a good and just man in all the walks of life and a very successful one, his large rewards coming as a result of rightly applied energy, the carrying out of honorable principles and by strict integrity in his dealings with his fellow men. All credit is due a man who wins success in spite of obstacles and by persistency and energy gains a competence and a position of honor as a man and citizen.

The record of Mr. Ader is that of such a man, for he came to Putnam county in the days of her rapid growth and here worked out his way to definite success and independence. He quickly adapted himself to the conditions which he found here and laboring so consecutively and effectively that he became one of the substantial men of the county and also one of her most highly honored citizens.

David Ader was born March 6, 1822, in Davidson county, North Carolina, the son of Solomon and Elizabeth (Pickle) Ader, the father a native of Virginia, the son of Adam Ader, who was a native of Maryland and of German extraction; thus the Ader family has been in America for many generations and many of them have been conspicuous in various walks of life. Elizabeth Pickle was the daughter of Valentine Pickle, also of German ancestry.

It was as early as 1828 that the Ader family came to Putnam county, Indiana, making the long journey overland from the old Tar state of the South, and here, amid the trials and inconveniences of a new county, they established a home in the wilderness, from which in due course of time, by dint of hard toil, sprang an excellent farm and a comfortable and commodious home. Although David Ader, of this review, was then but eight years old, he began assisting his parents in their home building in whatever way he could. Their first house, built on their land in Russell township, was a pole cabin fourteen by sixteen feet. Here young Ader found a very limited opportunity to attend school, but later in life he educated himself. He grew to maturity on the home place in Russell township and shortly afterward moving to Floyd township and became acquainted with hard toil like all sons of pioneers. In 1865 he came to Bainbridge and lived here till his death.

January 9, 1845, David Ader married Elizabeth Aldridge, a native of Connersville, who proved to be a very faithful helpmate through the years that she traversed the path of life by his side. To this union two children were born, Nathan W. and Helen E.

The mother of these children died on May 4, 1854, and on January 18, 1855, Mr. Ader married Mrs. Belinda C. Buchanan. This union resulted in the birth of four children, two of whom are living at this writing, Alice B. and Francis David.

David Ader was a philanthropist and stood always ready to assist in any worthy cause. Although he started in life under none too favorable environment, being compelled to literally hew out his fortune, he became prominent and accumulated a vast fortune, owning two thousand three hundred and fifty acres of land. He was a hard worker, a good manager and a man of keen foresight, and his death occurred very suddenly while riding on horseback looking after his extensive interests, on September 6, 1894, in Floyd township, and in the Bainbridge cemetery he is sleeping the sleep of the just.

Mr. Ader took an ardent interest in politics, always interested in seeing the best men in local and national offices, and he very ably served as justice of the peace, which honor was literally "thrust upon him," as Shakespeare says. He was no office seeker, preferring to give his exclusive attention to his private business affairs. He aided his government during the war of the Rebellion by acting as agent for his township, paying the total sum of eighteen thousand dollars for substitutes in the Union army. He was prominent in church affairs, having been an elder in the local Cumberland Presbyterian church, which he practically built and of which he was always a libera1 supporter. He was a trustee of the Groveland church from the time of its organization until his death. He was never a user of strong drink, detesting saloon and grog shops in general and wherever he could he struck a blow for temperance. He is remembered as a man whose word was as good, if not better, than the bond of most men, strictly honorable in his dealings with his fellow men, obliging, generous, a kind neighbor, indulgent father and an ideal home man, his commodious and well appointed dwelling often being the scene of rare hospitality, for he delighted to show every courtesy to whatever guest passed his threshold. Such a life should be emulated by the youth who stands at the parting of the ways, for it was successful, noble, exemplary in every respect, and he left behind him the greatest of all inheritances, an untarnished reputation.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


W. M. SUTHERLIN.
This family, which is of English origin, sent representatives to the United States and at an early date they were settlers in Kentucky. Rife Sutherlin, who was born in that state, came to Indiana as early as 1826, settled in Putnam county, and entered land from the government in Russell township, on which he lived until his death, about 1883. He married Rebecca Saylor, by whom he had seven children. Among the number was Elijah Sutherlin, who for many years had been a farmer in Russell township, where he was born and reared. He married Elizabeth Triplett, who was born near Brazil, Clay county, Indiana, and by this union there were eight children: Emma, the wife of T. M. Kelly, of Roachdale, Indiana; Carrie, wife of William Myers, of Russell township; Viven, wife of William Saylor, of Russell township; William M., of Greencastle; Guy, a resident of Russell township; Hattie, wife of Bert Clifford, of Russell township; Dollie, wife of Perry Harbison, of Russell township, and Roy, at home.

William M. Sutherlin, the fourth child, was born in Russell township, Putnam county, Indiana, November 27, 1878. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-two years old, meantime attending the district schools and acquiring a good primary education. Later he entered DePauw University and devoted a year to study in the excellent courses of that famous institution. He also took a course in law and the scientific department at Central Normal College in Danville, from which he was graduated in 1902. Prior to this he had taught school for three years in Russell township and after leaving college he taught one year. In 1904 he opened a law office at Jasonville, Greene county, Indiana, where he practiced about one year, and then removed to Greencastle. He is regarded as one of the brightest and most promising of the younger members of the bar and his friends predict for him a prosperous career. In 1909 Mr. Sutherlin was the Democratic nominee for mayor of Greencastle, and, though defeated by a few votes, made a splendid race in a city known as a Republican stronghold.

In July, 1905, Mr. Sutherlin married Ethel, daughter of Henry and Mary Day, of Greencastle. They have an only son, Roy C., born August 27, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Sutherlin are members of the Christian church. His fraternal associations are with the Masons, Elks, Eagles and Modern Woodmen. The family ranks well socially and enjoy general popularity among the wide circle of acquaintances.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


JAMES L. HAMILTON.
Among the prominent and widely known citizens of Putnam county is James L. Hamilton, the present efficient county clerk, who is an important factor in both business and political circles, and his popularity is well deserved as in him are embraced the characteristics of unabating energy, unbending integrity and an industry that never flags. He is public spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the welfare of the community and the county has profited by his labors in behalf of the general public.

The founder of this well known eastern Indiana family was an emigrant from the Emerald Isle, who, more than a century ago, reached American shores and here became well established. He was familiarly known by the soubriquet of "Old-School," and from him to the gentleman whose name appears above, thrift and other accessory qualities that win have been proverbial in the Hamilton family. James Hamilton first settled in Pennsylvania, from which state he migrated to Kentucky and eventually came to Indiana, locating in White county, but afterwards removed to Putnam, where he arrived as early as 1829, and here, among other adventurous home-seekers, he began life anew, soon becoming well established for those early days on the frontier. Before leaving Pennsylvania he married Hannah Ramsey, a native of that state, and to this union nine children were born. The father remained here until his death in 1840. Robert S. Hamilton, youngest of his children, was born in White county, Indiana, April 15, 1816, the same year which witnessed the entrance of the Hoosier state into the Union. When thirteen years of age he accompanied his parents to Putnam county, and he became a physician, having graduated from the Louisville Medical College, and he practiced his profession several years in Putnam and Parke counties, his first location being at Mansfield in the last mentioned county. He served by appointment as county treasurer at one time and was a citizen of influence up to the time of his death in 1893. He married Mary R. Bishop, a native of Portland Mills, Putnam county, by whom he had five children, named as follows: James L., of this review; Fay S.; Pearl G., wife of Elmer Smith, of Parke county, Indiana; Dr. Claud B., a dentist of Greencastle, and H. Claire, the wife of Samuel H. Gibson, of Greencastle.

James L. Hamilton, oldest of Doctor Hamilton's family, was born near Portland Mills, this county, January 13, 1868. After the usual terms in the common schools, he entered Danville Central Normal College, from which he graduated with honors in penmanship and bookkeeping, in 1896. He had the misfortune, when twenty years old, while working in a sawmill, to have his left arm so badly cut by a circle-saw that amputation near the elbow was necessary, this totally incapacitating him from manual labor ever afterwards. Not knowing defeat by this untoward mishap, he set to work to sell musical instruments and met with much encouragement as a piano salesman for himself and in 1900 established a music store in Greencastle and by hard work he has succeeded in building up a large and lucrative business, his store being one of the best appointed in the city, carefully stocked with a large line of standard instruments and which is one of the largest and most popular music stores in this section of the state. For a time he was also very successfully engaged in cement bridge contracting and built fourteen bridges for the Big Four railroad.

Mr. Hamilton comes from a family who have enjoyed the confidence of their fellow men and have been chosen to public office on numerous occasions, his father having served as treasurer of Parke county; an uncle, Samuel Hamilton, also served as commissioner of Parke county, and a great uncle being Governor Bishop of the state of Ohio, besides many of his other relatives filling offices of public trust. James L. has shown himself quite capable of rendering the public efficient service, and he has been quite prominent in politics, his political career showing results both notable and unusual. He made his debut in the political arena in 1898 in the race for the nomination for county clerk and was a close second to a man that was very popular and who was the logical candidate of his party. Again in the campaign of 1902, he made the race for county clerk and had for his opponent the popular young editor of the Greencastle Democrat, Arthur Hamrick. It was a warm fight and attracted the chief attention of the campaign. In this race Mr. Hamilton was successful, having received two votes to every one of his .opponent, receiving in the Democratic primaries twenty-two hundred and seventy-five votes and a majority of sixteen hundred and seventeen, the largest ever given a candidate. He received every vote in Russell township, except two, and every one but four in his home township. At the ensuing election he defeated his opponent, Charles Hughes, of Bainbridge, who was looked upon as the strongest man on the Republican ticket, by a majority of seven hundred and seventy-nine, the largest ever received by a local candidate, and he ran far ahead of any one on the county ticket and one hundred votes ahead of the state ticket. He was re-elected in 1906, having so faithfully performed his duties during his first term that his constituents were unwilling to give up his services, and he served until 1910 with continuing popularity and esteem by those who elected him as well as by the people generally. In his second race he headed the ticket and his name proved a tower of strength to the cause of his party and associates.

Mr. Hamilton has one of the coziest and most tastily appointed cottage homes in the county, at No. 910 South Indiana street, Greencastle. It is modern in every detail, with hardwood floors, beautiful woodwork throughout, decorated by an expert decorator of Indianapolis, and in every part of the house there is a striking harmony of detail. The presiding spirit of this attractive home is a lady of culture and refinement, known in her maidenhood as Mary R. Heck, a native of Kentucky, of an excellent Southern family, and whom Mr. Hamilton married on May 19, 1900. She is the daughter of Augustus D. and Samantha (Stroube) Heck, both of whom were born and reared in Bracken county, Kentucky, in which place they spent their lives, both being now deceased, Mrs. Heck dying in 1879 and Mr. Heck following her to the grave in 1904. He was a farmer and at one time a tobacco planter and in his younger days handled fine horses. Mrs. Hamilton is one of three children, having two brothers living at Augusta, Kentucky, in which place Mrs. Hamilton was reared and educated. This union has been without issue.

Mr. Hamilton is a charter member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he was the first exalted ruler and organizer of Lodge No. 1077, Greencastle, doing the entire work himself, practically without assistance. He is also a member of the Ben Hur, Improved Order of Red Men, the Woodmen and Eagles lodges.

Mr. Hamilton has made his own way since boyhood and is a fine type of the pushing, ambitious, unconquerable American spirit which deserves success by having earned it.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


ABE COHN
In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer needs touch only those salient points which give the keynote to his character. Thus in giving the life record of Abe Cohn sufficient will be said to show, what all who know him will freely acquiesce in, that he is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of Putnam county, being a well known merchant at Cloverdale.

Mr. Cohn was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 18, 1858, the son of Meig and Lena (Amberg) Cohn, the father a native of France, from which country he came to America in 1848 and located in Cincinnati, and there met and married Lena Amberg, who was born in Germany and who came to Cincinnati when young. They were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, one of whom died in Cincinnati. One son, Lambert Cohn, resides in Cincinnati and travels for a wholesale house; John Cohn is at Belle Union, where he is engaged in the mercantile business. His full sketch appears elsewhere in this work. David Cohn is at Martinsville engaged in conducting a sanitarium. Hannah Cohn married Samuel Simons, who is now deceased; she formerly resided in Greencastle, but now lives in Louisville; the other sister, next to the oldest child, died in childhood in Cincinnati.

In 1860 this family moved to Cloverdale, Putnam county, where the father engaged in the mercantile business and lived there until 1893 where he was very successful; he then moved to Indianapolis, where he died in 1899. He was a mail whom everybody liked and who was enterprising and honorable in his dealing with his fellow men. His wife died in Cloverdale in the latter seventies.

Abe Cohn received a very serviceable education in the common schools and early in life decided to follow in his father's footsteps and devote his time to this line of endeavor and he has been active in business affairs since he was eighteen years of age. He assisted his father for several years and learned the "ins and outs" of merchandising, and was later taken in as a partner with his father. About 1896 he purchased his father's interest in the business and has conducted the store alone, continuing to build up the business until he now has a very extensive patronage with the surrounding country. He now deals in clothing, boots and shoes, gents' furnishings and some jewelry; also ladies,' misses' and children's cloaks. He carries a neat, carefully selected and up-to-date line of goods and his prices are always right, according to his customers.

On March 5, 1893, Mr. Cohn married Eva Rogers, daughter of J. H. and Ophelia (Taylor) Rogers. Her parents were well known and influential in Putnam county. A full sketch of her family appears on another page of this work. Mr. Rogers died in February, 1902; Mrs. Rogers is now living in Cloverdale.

Mr. Cohn is a member of Sanders Lodge, No. 307, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Masonic Lodge, No. 132, of Cloverdale. He has the very highest standing in Cloverdale, having the respect and good will of all, being regarded as one of the reliable and substantial merchants and among the leading citizens of the town.

"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN


Deb Murray