Colonel Farrow was born near Grassy Lick, Montgomery county, Kentucky, ,April 21, 1794. His father, William Farrow, a sterling representative of Scotch-Irish parentage, caught the spirit of the tide of emigration that poured through the Cumberland Gap and other passes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the early days, and left his Virginia homestead to try his fortunes anew in the then boundless undeveloped middle west. Those were days that tried men's souls and such tedious, hazardous journeys were no pleasure Excursions, and for years after the advent of the first settlers, the stockaded village and huge block-house were the only title proofs to the soil, but the reign of the savage here was forever ended by General Wayne's campaign of 1794. In the closing year of this Indian war, Mr. Farrow was born, and he grew to manhood before the country around his home had been entirely reclaimed from primitive conditions. Thus familiarized from childhood with the simple customs and wants of the pioneer farmer, he became qualified for the part he afterward performed in the opening and settling of a new country.
In August following the declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812, three regiments of volunteer infantry and one of regulars left Gorgetown, Kentucky, for the relief of Detroit. Alexander S. Farrow, then a lad of eighteen, could not repress his youthful patriotism and joined this detachment under Capt. Samuel L. Williams, at the crossing of the Ohio they received the news of the surrender of Detroit and Michigan Territory by General Hull to the British, but continued their march under General Harrison to Ft. Wayne, on the Maumee, which was invested by the Indians, and young Farrow participated in the subsequent operations against the red men, undergoing the vicissitudes incident to a soldier, their sufferings from hard marches, cold and privations in general being very trying, and they were frequently reduced to the point of starvation. "At one time, Mr. Farrow related, "we went seventeen days without a mouthful of bread, subsisting on fat pork alone." It was interesting to hear him relate the trials of those days, how the horses died of exhaustion or became useless from starvation, so that the sleds carrying their baggage were drawn by the soldiers themselves, six men being harnessed in the place of one horse. At night they bivouacked in the frozen forest, sleeping on beds of bark and boughs upon which they spread their blankets. The morning reveille woke many a poor fellow to the consciousness of frosted limbs and racking rheumatic pains. The first week in January a two-foot snow fell which rendered their marches slower and more painful. At this stage of the return march a runner brought news of the threatening of Frenchtown by the British and Indians and a detachment of five hundred soldiers was sent to the town's relief. In that detachment was young Farrow, who was destined shortly to more trying experiences than eves. He fought under General Winchester there in a losing battle against General Proctor's forces and was taken prisoner to Malden escaping the famous massacre of the River Raisin. He with his comrades were confined for many days in open warehouses, where they suffered from lack of fire and food. From Malden they were marched through southern Canada to Fort George on the Niagara river, a journey of two weeks, at which place they were parolled and sent across the line. From this point they crossed the country on foot to Pittsburg, and thence by water to Kentucky. Notwithstanding the hardships of this adventure in the wild and frozen north, beset with the gravest dangers, young Farrow never regretted his service to his country.
Shortly after his return from his experience in the army, Colonel Farrow was married, being yet under age, and settled in the neighborhood of his old home, adopting the occupation of a farmer. On May 26, 1815, he was commissioned by Gov. Isaac Shelby, adjutant of the Thirty-first Regiment of the Kentucky Militia, and on December 22, 1820, Governor Adair appointed him brigade inspector of the Fifth Brigade. About this time he became a candidate for the Legislature, and canvassed his native county in a series of convincing speeches, being an enthusiastic supporter of Henry Clay and his doctrine. He was subsequently elected and very ably served one or more terms in the General Assembly, being barely eligible at the time of his first election and perhaps the youngest man in the Assembly.
In 1830 Colonel Farrow determined to cast his lot in the new state of Indiana, where cheaper lands and better facilities were offered to the wants of a large and growing family. Accordingly he arrived in Putnam county in the autumn of that year, and settled nine miles north of Greencastle, on lands purchased, in part, of the original preemptors. He immediately took an active and leading part in the opening and development of the new country, and from the first assumed broad and liberal views in all his undertakings and in his intercourse and dealings with his neighbors. He was one of the first to introduce blue grass into the county, and was the first to sow it extensively, having brought a supply of the seed on his removal from Kentucky. He also made several trips to Ohio and his native state, bringing back valuable breeds of horses and cattle, which he used extensively for the improvement of the stock of the country. March 15, 1832, Governor Noble commissioned him colonel of the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Militia and as such he regularly took part in the annual drills and musters. Being a devoted member of the church, Colonel Farrow early felt the deprivation occasioned by the want of such an association in his new home, and, with characteristic promptitude, he organized in his own house, with the aid of a few of his neighbors, the first church association ever held in that part of the country, the organization consisting of nine members. Colonel Farrow and wife, James Nelson and wife, Henry Foster and wife and a Mr. Blake, also John Leaton and wife.
In 1851 Colonel Farrow was elected one of the representatives from Putnam county to the state constitutional convention, and the records of that assemblage will show that during the four months' session he was never absent from his seat or evaded a vote on any of the questions that came before that body, for he never desired to conceal his views on any subject.
Early in life Colonel Farrow took a decided stand for the cause of temperance and the suppression of the liquor traffic. He was among the first to throw the whisky jug from his house and announce to his neighbors that he would furnish no more liquor at log-rollings and husking-bees, let the consequences be what they would. His example was later followed by many of his neighbors.
Colonel Farrow possessed remarkably strong qualities both of head and heart, and he was at all times manly and dignified in character and honest and outspoken in the expression of his views and opinions. Hypocrisy and duplicity found no lodgment in his composition, and his inability to see such traits in others often led to his being imposed upon by designing and unscrupulous men. He was alike free from an envious and jealous disposition. and it has been said of him, indeed, that, practically, he did not know the meaning of the terms. He possessed the virtue of patience in a remarkable degree, and whether in health or sickness, in prosperity or misfortune, his mind adapted itself with philosophic complaisance to the conditions of his lot. His natural bent of mind was toward politics, subject to a strong moral and religious supervision, and being an honest opponent and always remarkably conscientious, the later-day school of politics found no favor in his sight. He was a close and constant reader on all topics of the clay, his mind being, seemingly, as clear at fourscore to perceive aid analyze the drift of events as in the prime and vigor of life. His religious convictions were the steady and gradual growth of a lifetime, and became at length remarkably strong and deep seated. He was moral from his childhood, and, as an instance of his moral rectitude of mind, it may be told, that on the occasion of his marriage, although not a member of the church, he announced to his wife that they would begin life with the daily practice of family prayer.
Colonel Farrow was twice married, and was the father of six sons and four daughters, all of them the children of his first wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Nelson. The total number of his descendants at the time of his death was ninety-six. Two of his children, William Simpson and Francis Marion, had died.
This venerable and in many respects, remarkable patriarch was gathered in the fullness of his years to the reward of his merits on March 31, 1877, at the home of his eldest daughter in Greencastle, leaving behind him the rich remembrance of a blameless life to become the inheritance of his children and his children's children forever. Awhile he sleeps the sleep of the just on the old homestead nine miles north of Greencastle, in the family cemetery. Here, in the soil he had reclaimed from the wilderness, by the highway he had traveled when it was but a blazed trail, and in sight of the church he had organized in his early manhood, he rests from his weary pilgrimage of four score years, but the light of his example is still shining brightly on the pathways of his numerous descendants.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
COL. COURTLAND CUSHING MATSON.
It is no 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 every statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of setting forth the details of such a record as has been that of Colonel Matson, who has won wide distinction as a lawyer, soldier, statesman and public-spirited citizen of Putnam county, where he has been too well-known for more than a half century to need a formal introduction to the readers of this work. In examining his life record we find much that is worthy of commendation and his varied and interesting career could be profitably emulated in many ways by the youth whose destinies are yet matters for the future to determine. In early life he found it essential that he should conquer, and this could only be done by labor, study, resolute and heroic action. He obeyed the commands of industry from the beginning and his methods have always been those of persevering and indefatigable attention to business - truly the philosopher's stone which transmutes all things to gold. His energies have always been concentrated on a fixed. steady, unalterable and honorable purpose, that of attaining success in his profession and dignifying it by observing the canons of morality, honesty and integrity, by which it can only be exalted.
Colonel Matson is a native of Brookville, Indiana, where he first saw the light of day April 25, 1841, the son of Hon. John A. Matson, one of the distinguished attorneys and politicians of his day and generation in Indiana, a descendant of an excellent pioneer ancestry. He received a good education for those early days and equipped himself for his profession, beginning the practice of law in Brookville in 1833 and continued there until 1831, becoming known as one of the leading lawyers of that section of the state, and from which place he moved to Greencastle, seeking a larger field for the exercise of his talents, successfully practicing here until his death, July 13, 1870. He was a strong man in the political affairs of the state for many years and had the distinction of being the Whig candidate for Congress in the old Brookville district, and he was a member of the Legislature in 1841. He was a man of many sterling characteristics and wielded a very potent influence in his section of the state. He was married in 1833, while living at Brookville, to Margaretta M. Woelpper, a native of Philadelphia, who came to Brookville in 1832. She was of Welsh descent, while Mr. Matson's ancestors were Scotch-Irish.
Colonel Matson was ten years old when he accompanied his parents to Greencastle, in 1831. When he reached the proper age he was placed in school, and, being an ambitious lad and desirous of following in the footsteps of his father in the legal profession, he was very studious and made an excellent record, both in and private schools. Completing his preparatory work, he entered DePauw (then Asbury) University, from which institution he was graduated with honor in the class of 1862, having left the university at the breaking out of the Civil war for the purpose of enlisting, later graduating from this institution without further study.
As a law student, Colonel Matson had for his able preceptor none other than his worthy father, with whom and Hon. Solomon Claypool he formed a partnership after being admitted to the bar, the firm continuing as one of the strongest in the county until the death of the senior Matson, young Matson then forming a partnership with Judge Claypool, which continued until the latter's removal to Indianapolis in 1873, after which he practiced his profession alone until 1880 with the exception of one year, when he had as a partner Henry H. Mathias, under the firm name of Matson & Mathias.
Having taken an active interest in politics from early youth, Colonel Matson was soon singled out by party leaders as a likely candidate for public offices of importance, and in the early eighties he was elected to Congress from the fifth district of Indiana and served with a most creditable and praise worthy record through four consecutive Congresses, from the forty-seventh to the fiftieth, inclusive. In these he was one of the conspicuous Democratic figures in our national politics, winning, by his unusual tact, fidelity to the trusts reposed in him and his persistency in what he believed to be right, not only the admiration and respect of his colleagues but the hearty commendation of his constituents, irrespective of party affiliations.
Having become so popular in Indiana as a result of his splendid record in Congress, his party selected him as their candidate for Governor in 1888, but he was defeated in a very spirited contest by Hon. Alvin P. Hovey, by two thousand one hundred and ninety-one votes. The Colonel then resumed his practice at Greencastle, and soon afterwards became attorney for the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad Company, for the state of Indiana, which position he held very satisfactorily for a period of four years, at the end of which he again took up practice at Greencastle, and also formed a partnership with Hon. Joseph Giles at Bedford, Indiana, which was continued for several years, his son, Smith C. Matson, becoming his partner in the Greencastle office in the meantime. In 1872 Colonel Matson was elected prosecuting attorney of Putnam county and during his incumbency of this office he successfully prosecuted the Vandalia Railroad Company to recover school fund money due from its earnings under the special charter. From 1868 to 1870 he was district attorney, the prosecuting office of the common pleas court. In 1878 he was chairman of the Democratic state committee and as such did a great work for the party in Indiana.
Colonel Matson, when twenty years of age and while a student in Greencastle, enlisted in a company of students, known as "Asbury Guards," on April 14, 1861, the day after Fort Sumter was fired upon, and serving as such until June 5, 1862, in Company K, Sixteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. On the last mentioned date he was elected second lieutenant of his company and served very gallantly as such until the expiration of his term of enlistment. Soon after his discharge he was appointed adjutant of the post at Terre Haute. Hon. R. W. Thompson being the commandant, and upon the organization of the Seventy-first Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, he was made adjutant of the regiment, which lost all its field officers, August 30, 1862, they being killed at the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, and Mr. Matson was at once appointed to succeed Lieut.-Col. M. D. Topping. Early in 1863 the Seventy-first was changed to a cavalry regiment, the Sixth Indiana, of which organization Mr. Matson served as lieutenant-colonel until the close of the war, May, 1865; then the Fifth and Sixth Indiana Cavalry were formed into one regiment and Mr. Matson was appointed its colonel, in which capacity he continued to serve until October, following when he was mustered out of the service, having made a gallant soldier and a most creditable record, having participated in all the important battles in the West up to Atlanta, in 1864, also took part in numerous skirmishes in Sherman's campaign. He has long been an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
On December 12. 1871, Colonel Matson was married to Mary S. Farrow, second daughter of Col. William L. Farrow, an old and highly esteemed family of the county. The Colonel and wife are the parents of three children, Smith C,. a prominent attorney at Ardmore, Oklahoma; Rees F., and Mary Nelson, now the wife of Charles Walter Brown, living in Chicago.
Colonel Matson's record in the service of his fellow men is a long one and many instances could be cited of his fidelity to his countrymen, especially while a member of Congress. In the forty-ninth session he introduced a bill and had it passed under the suspension of the rules, known as the "Dependent Pension" bill, which President Cleveland vetoed. He was chairman of the committee on invalid pensions in the forty-eighth, forty-ninth and fiftieth Congresses. Fraternally he is well up in Masonry, having attained the Royal Arch degree. On August 24, 1909, Governor Marshall appointed Colonel Matson a member of the state board of tax commissioners, for four years, on his own motion, when there were seventy-three applicants.
Colonel Matson has tried many of the most important civil and criminal cases in Indiana, his record as a lawyer ranking second to none in the state. He infuses his personality, courage and conscience into his work, is active among his books, is determined and has the strength of will for achievement. Habits of systematized thought, study and reflection have invigorated his mind and he has always had clear discernments of the law, comprehension of its principles, and, to points in contention, the genius of their application. He is a safe and competent adviser, being a man of firm and decided convictions, whether in the law, in politics as a Democrat or in any department of thought or action embodying his time and attention. Frank, bold, honest, aggressive, he or his position can not well be misunderstood, acting and thinking quickly, but never evading, always meeting a situation squarely. He is known as a mail of energy, intellect, will; has self-purpose, resolution and determination, throwing his entire force of body and mind upon his work; but his self-reliance has not been wholly- acquired; it was born in him. In his private and social relations he is enjoyable, genial, animated, entertaining and at all times the well bred, genteel gentleman. There is no pretense or display about him, caring little for the "lime light." merely desiring to do his duty as he sees and understands it and to be of the greatest service to his country.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
SIMPSON FARROW LOCKRIDGE.
The gentleman whose name forms the caption of this sketch belongs to that class of men who win in life's battles by sheer force of personality and determination, coupled with soundness of judgment and keen discernment, and in whatever he has undertaken he has shown himself to be a man of ability and honor, always ready to lend his aid in defending principles affecting the public good, having very ably and conscientiously served his country in the capacities of legislator and soldier and equally well in many roles during a career altogether commendable.
Simpson Farrow Lockridge was born on his father's farm, fifteen miles north of Greencastle, Indiana, January 23, 1846, the son of Andrew M. Lockridge, one of the early pioneers of Putnam county and a man remembered by a large circle of friends and acquaintances for his probity of character and habits of industry. He was of Scotch descent on his father's side and of Irish extraction on his mother's, both born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, where they grew to maturity, married and successfully engaged in farming, in fact the Lockridges for many generations have been well-known agriculturists and stock breeders and raisers in both Kentucky and Indiana, and Simpson F. seems to have inherited from his worthy progenitors his love for fine stock and well cultivated fields, thus making him one of the best known breeders of fine stock in this part of the state. In 1833 the family moved from Kentucky to Indiana, locating upon land in Putnam county, which was purchased by Grandfather Lockridge shortly before his death, and here, amid primitive conditions, like other pioneers of those early days, a home was established, a clearing made in the wilderness and in due course of time a good farm developed.
Andrew M. Lockridge married Elizabeth S. Farrow, daughter of Col. A. S. Farrow, a sterling pioneer of Indiana, having come to this state from Kentucky in 1830. He was a prominent man in political affairs and had the distinction of being a member of the convention that framed the constitution of the state. The names Lockridge and Farrow appear on the regimental rolls of the Revolutionary War and the war of 1812, also the frontier Indian wars. Desiring to perpetuate the military records of these sterling families, Simpson F. Lockridge endeavored to enlist in the Union army early in the Civil war, but was not permitted to do so longer than a short period at a time; however, he saw some service during the years 1862, 1863 and 1864, while a member of the Seventy-eighth and One Hundred and Thirty-third Indiana Volunteer Regiments. He proved his mettle so well and was so faithful in the performance of every duty that when he received his last honorable discharge he wore the straps of a sergeant. This service made him eligible for membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, and he was honored by General Torrence of Minnesota, as aide-de-camp on his staff when the latter was commander-in-chief of the organization.
After he returned from his army career Mr. Lockridge entered Asbury (now DePauw) University, where he made a splendid record and from which institution he was graduated in 1868. He had applied himself so assiduously to his test books that he impaired his health, and to recuperate he visited the Pacific coast, remaining there about a year, returning home greatly invigorated. He then gratified an ambition of long standing by beginning the study of law, but finding Blackstone more irksome than he had anticipated and having a natural longing for the out-of-doors, he abandoned the law and turned his attention to breeding fine cattle, having always been a lover of blooded stock, and he readily conceived the idea of greatly improving the breed of the cattle then in Putnam county, knowing that this would mean much in a financial way to not only himself but to the whole community, and he accordingly set to work developing a plan with this end in view, with the result that he has accomplished an untold amount of good for his fellow men and has doubtless surpassed in this and in a financial way anything he could have done had he continued in the law. His pure-bred stock soon became widely known and were the admiration of all, buyers coming to him from all parts of the county and adjoining counties soon after he began his work in 1872. In 1874 he visited Canada in quest of a bull as leader of the herd, finally selecting "Lord Strathallan," an unusually splendid specimen of the bovine tribe. He was bred in Scotland and Mr. Lockridge paid the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars for him and shipped him to his farm in Putnam county. Since that time great advancement has been made and Mr. Lockridge has become widely known as one of the best authorities on Shorthorn cattle in the country, now keeping a large herd of pure-bred Shorthorn cattle on his excellent farm of several hundred acres, which is one of the model farms of Putnam county, being well improved in every respect, is well tilled and on it stands a modern and attractive residence and substantial and commodious barns and outbuildings. Mr. Lockridge has the distinction of being one of the organizers of the American Shorthorn Breeders' Association, and he has been an important factor in the affairs of the same from the first, having been a director in the association since its incorporation and he has held the office of president and secretary.
Mr. Lockridge formerly took considerable interest in politics and was often called into the councils of his party. As a result of his public-spirit, his genuine worth and his efforts in behalf of the Republican party, he was nominated and elected as state senator from Putnam and Hendricks counties, serving two terms from 1880 to 1881, making a record that was entirely creditable to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents, irrespective of party ties. Personally he is a good mixer, genial, genteel, well informed on all current topics and a man in whom the utmost confidence is reposed by those who know him best.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
GEORGE WORTH BENCE, M. D. In presenting the record of this successful and representative member of the Bence family, one of the best established and most highly honored of Putnam county during the past half century, the reader will not only find much that will prove interesting, but may profit by those experiences which, when properly applied to those conditions that quite generally fall to the lot of the average man, invariably lead to success. For the past quarter of a century he has been one of the leading physicians in this community which has long been noted for the high order of its medical talent, his name having become a household word not only to the citizens of Greencastle but to those residing in remote parts of the county and in adjoining counties. He is also regarded as one of the county's foremost citizens, being deeply concerned in all that pertains to its general uplift and, although a very busy man, he is always ready to do his full share in furthering any movement looking to the general good.
Doctor Bence was born near Louisville, in Jefferson county, Kentucky, November 11, 1846. His father, Philip Bence, was also a native of the Blue Grass state, where he grew to maturity, was educated and where he took up farming, which he made his life work. He moved to Indiana in 1853, locating in Washington township, Putnam county, where he lived until his death, in 1882, at the age of eighty-one years, having been born in 1801. He was a very industrious and honest man, respected by all who knew him, and he became influential in Washington township, although he led a rather quiet life on his farm. He was one of fifteen children born to Philip Bence. Sr. and wife. The Bence family comes of good old German stock on both the paternal and maternal sides. Grandfather Philip Bence, Sr., was a native of Pennsylvania, from which state he descended the Ohio river in a flatboat to Louisville, Kentucky, in a very early day. The Doctor's father first married Lydia Doup, of Maryland, by which union four children were born, namely: Fountain R., Onesimus O., Tabitha E. and Jeptha D. These children have long since passed to the great beyond, each having lived to be over seventy years of age, the psalmist's allotted span of years to mankind. Philip Bence chose as his second wife Anna Yenawine, by which union six children were born, named as follows: John A., who lives on the old home farm in Washington township; Lydia, now deceased, was the wife of John Lydick, of Putnam county; Louisa J. is the wife of Philip Hutcheson, residing in Washington township; Geneva A., who married G. C. Smith, is deceased; Matilda M. Married Levi Hepler and they are both deceased; Dr. G. W., of this review, was the youngest in order of birth.
When seven years of age George W. Bence came to Putnam county, Indiana, with his parents. He received a common school education and worked on the home farm until he was twenty-three years of age. In 1869 he gratified a desire of long standing by beginning the study of medicine with Dr. John Wilcox in Greencastle, with whom he remained one year, then entered the medical department of the University of Virginia, where he made rapid strides in materia medica and from which institution he was graduated with honor in June, 1871, being one of thirteen who were graduated from a class of sixty-five.
Thus being well equipped to enter his chosen profession, the Doctor opened an office on August 1, 1871, at Carbon, Clay county, Indiana, where he soon had a good foothold and where he practiced with increasing success for a period of eight years. On July g, 1879, he came to Greencastle and he has maintained his office here ever since. While living at Carbon he took a post-graduate course on diseases of the eye, in New York with the noted Doctors Noyes and Mittendorf. He also studied for three months with Dr. John Green of St. Louis. He has successfully engaged in continuous practice here since the date mentioned above.
Doctor Bence has long been interested in politics, finding time in the midst of his manifold duties to take an active past in party affairs, and while living in Clay county in 1874, he was elected to the lower house of the state Legislature, and was a member of the regular and special sessions of 1875, in which he made his influence felt on the floor and in committee work, and he represented his locality in a very able and conscientious manner, reflecting credit upon himself and receiving the hearty commendation of his constituents.
Doctor Bence was secretary of the Putnam county board of health for a period of twenty-two years, beginning in 1882, when the law was first passed, and serving until 1904. During that long period the affairs pertaining to this branch of the county's business were looked after with a fidelity that resulted in incalculable good and in winning for the Doctor the hearty praise of all classes.
The domestic chapter in the life of Doctor Bence dates from 1873, when he espoused Kizzie C. Pratt, a native of Clay county, who lived only three weeks after their wedding. In 1876 he married Sibbie Loftus, of Carbon, Indiana, who was a native of this county, and her death occurred in October, 1881. Two children resulted from this union, one dying before the mother passed away and the other four years later. On January 16, 1884, Doctor Bence married Minnie Brandon, of Greencastle, who was born on a boat on the Hudson river, New York. Three children were born to this union, namely: Era, born in 1890; Edna, born in 1891 ; the other child died in infancy. Both the living children are at this writing attending DePauw University, where they are making excellent records.
The Doctor is a Mason in his fraternal relations, belonging to Temple Lodge. No. 17. He has also taken the degrees of the Scottish rite up to and including the thirty-second. He has been very successful from a financial standpoint, and he is at this writing president of the On-I Drug Company and the Red Cross Drug Company, both of Greencastle. He was one of the first breeders of Angora goats in Indiana and has shipped them all over the country, having recently shipped a consignment to Argentine Republic. He now maintains a goat farm and his fine goats are admired by all who see them.
He owns some valuable farms and much city property. He endowed the German library of DePauw University with the sum of two thousand dollars. He is president of the Plezee Company, manufacturers of the celebrated soft drink known as "Plezee" all over the country. He is president of the Greencastle Commercial Club, the success of which has been very largely due to his wise counsel and active interest in promoting the city's various affairs. He is secretary of the Live Oak Plantation Company, which owns over twelve thousand acres of lands in Louisiana. The company raises hogs, cattle, rice, fruits. etc., and it has proven to be a very successful venture. Doctor Bence's methods are in keeping with the progressive spirit of the twentieth century and the splendid condition of the property over which he has charge is a monument to his well directed efforts. He is a man of broad humanitarian principles, earnest purpose and upright life, and by all is esteemed for his courteous manner, genial disposition and genuine worth.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
QUINTON BROADSTREET Among the best known and most highly respected families of Putnam county is found the one bearing the name that forms the caption of this article, members of which have figured conspicuously in the business and social life of the county since the pioneer days, assisting in the general development of the same whenever possible. Quinton Broadstreet is regarded by all who know him as a man of strong mentality, invincible courage and determined individuality, and he has so entered into the history of his section of the great Hoosier state as to make his presence felt as a factor in its industrial affairs, and in a large sense he may be classed as a director of thought in matters of business coming within his special province. Like many of the solid and substantial men of Greencastle, he has long endeavored to advance the interests of the community at large while laboring for his own advancement and he has therefore won the confidence and esteem of all classes. He is a native of Hendricks county, Indiana, having been born at Stilesville, August 14, 1837, the son of James and Melvira A. (Gentry) Broadstreet, the former a native of Jackson county, Indiana, and the latter of Bullitt county, Kentucky. The father was a plain, old-fashioned farmer, but a man of influence in his community, being scrupulously honest and kind to his neighbors and strangers as well. He spent practically all his life in Mill Creek township, Putnam county, where his death occurred in 1884, at the age of sixty-six years. His paternal ancestors were Irish and they came to America prior to the Revolutionary war, his father being Thomas Broadstreet, who was a pioneer of Washington county, Indiana, settling there very early in the nineteenth century. He removed to Marion township, this county, in 1825, where he entered eighty acres which he worked in connection with church work, he having been an earnest Missionary Baptist minister and he became well known in this locality in that connection and his services were greatly appreciated by the first settlers here. Melvira A. Gentry, the maiden name of the mother of Quinton Broadstreet, was a woman of many admirable traits of character. She spent her early youth in Kentucky, coming to Hendricks county, Indiana, when fifteen years old, accompanying her parents, who located there. Her death occurred in 1894. To Mr. and Mrs. James Broadstreet ten children were born, namely: Quinton, of this review; Eliza J., now deceased, married Calvin Hurst; Isaac B. died when seventeen years of age; Rachael, who married David Haines, is deceased; Sarah Ann, who married Henderson Layne, is deceased; Nancy is the wife of John W. Stringer, residing in Mill Creek township, Putnam county; Thomas H. lives at Coatsville, Hendricks county; Mary Ellen is deceased; Jerusha died when eighteen years of age; John C. resides in Mill Creek township.
Ouinton Broadstreet removed with his parents from Stilesville, Indiana, to a farm when he was but a child, and when of proper age he began working on the farm and continued agricultural pursuits until 1888, when he moved to Greencastle and engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business with W. B. Vestal. He has succeeded in building up a large and lucrative business in this line owing to his close application to his individual affairs, his minute knowledge of real estate values in this locality and his fair and conscientious treatment of all with whom he has dealings. He was very successful as a farmer and stockman, and he still retains his farming interests, which are extensive and valuable.
Mr. Broadstreet was first married on March 22, 1864, to Sarah Ellen Buis, who was born in this county, her people being highly respected here in the latter half of the nineteenth century. This marriage resulted in the birth of the following children: Melvira Ann is the wife of C. Elmer Wallace, of Mill Creek township; Ida E. died when eighteen years of age; Francis Marion died at the age of twenty; Leander died at the age of eighteen years; Charles P. was a leading grocer of Greencastle and one of the most popular young business men of the city, but is now farming; James Virgil died at the age of eighteen years; Della May is the wife of William B. Peck, of Greencastle; Ernest died in childhood. The mother of these children was called to her rest in 1887 and Mr. Broadstreet was married in 1900 to Margaret J. Walters, of Greencastle, where she has a wide circle of friends. This union is without issue.
Mr. Broadstreet was trustee of Mill Creek township for several years and was also assessor of that township, filling each office with credit to himself and satisfactory to all concerned. Politically he is a Democrat, but is not active in the party. Owing to his well-known business ability he acts as administrator of numerous estates, and does much similar work in connection with his own office work. Personally he is a man of imposing presence, portly, energetic, jol1y, courteous and always generous and hospitable, hence his easy manner of making and retaining friends. He has been very successful in life in a financial way, and now that the shadows of the evening of life have begun to lengthen he can look backward over a career that is satisfactory in the main, one over which no shadow of evil rests, conscious of the fact that he has done the best he could with his opportunities and environment and that he has benefited many who have been associated with him in all the relations of life.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
A worthy representative of one of the leading families of Putnam county is Alexander H. Lockridge, well known farmer and stock dealer. Throughout the country he enjoys distinctive prestige among the enterprising business men, having earned the right to be called one of the progressive men of this locality, having fought his way onward and upward to a prominent position in industrial circles and in every relation of life his voice and influence are on the side of right as he sees and understands the right. He is a native of this county and has spent his life here, his birth having occurred June 10, 1848, the son of Andrew M. and Elizabeth (Farrow) Lockridge. His ancestors on both sides of the house were pioneers of Putnam county, and owing to the fact that much space is devoted to them elsewhere in this work, their life records will not be repeated here; suffice it to say in passing that no more worthy or influential people ever honored the Hoosier state with their presence.
Alexander H. Lockridge was educated in the public schools, later attended DePauw University, which in those early days was known as Asbury University, receiving an excellent education. He began working on the home place early in his youth and he has devoted his life to farming and stock raising with splendid success attending his efforts. He is a typical twentieth century agriculturist, broad minded, alert, promoting new lines and phases of the same in a manner that stamps him as fully abreast of the times, and only a cursory glance at his model and very desirable farm is sufficient to indicate that a gentleman of thrift and good taste has its management in hand. and, being one of the best and most extensive stock feeders in the county, he has become widely known to stock men locally and at distant markets where high-grade stock, such as he always offers for sale, are duly appreciated and sought after. Mr. Lockridge is the owner of fifteen hundred acres of valuable land in Putnam county, which is kept well improved and tilled, bounteous crops being harvested therefrom annually under his able supervision, however, much of the minor detail work of his fields are left to others and a great deal of Mr. Lockridge's attention is directed to his large herds of cattle, with which he has been very successful. At one time he sold eighty-six head of cattle on the Chicago market which brought eight dollars and forty-five cents per hundred pounds, which is on record as one of the highest prices ever paid for any one herd of cattle.
The Lockridge residence is beautifully located, commodious, attractive and elegantly furnished, having all modern conveniences and surrounded by substantial barns and outbuildings.
On January 23, 1879, Mr. Lockridge was united in marriage with Laura Pickrell of Springfield, Illinois, daughter of William and Amanda (Robinson) Pickrell, an old and highly respected family. Mrs. Lockridge was well educated and is known to a large circle of friends as a woman of excellent attributes. This union has resulted in the birth of two children, Andrew S., born October 16, 1879, who is living in California, and William P., born April 17, 1881, who is living at home and is ably assisting his father in the management of his large interests. He is one of the most popular young men of the community and is evincing splendid business qualifications. He is a member of Lodge No. 1077, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Lockridge showed his patriotism during the great war between the states, although a mere lad, by enlisting in the One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in 1864, for the one-hundred day service, during which time he had some interesting experiences. After the war he returned home and resumed farming. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post H, at Greencastle. Politically he is a Republican, but has never aspired to party honors, preferring to devote his exclusive attention to his private business affairs. He is a quiet, unassuming man whom everybody likes because of his straightforward, honest dealings with his fellow men and his genial disposition.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
THOMAS GILLESPIE. No name is more familiar in Putnam county than that of Gillespie. The first settlers of this name came in as early or before the organization of the county and their descendants have ramified until by increase and intermarriage, they are connected with a large part of the population. Members of the family have been engaged in many kinds of business, have developed good business men and achieved unusual success in their various callings. It would take several volumes to give a history of the Gillespies, who have enriched the citizens of Putnam county by their energy, industry and law-abiding character.
They have done much individually and collectively for the development of Putnam county and take credit for a good deal of the progress which has marked the last half century. James Gillespie, who was born in Virginia in 1810, cam west when still young and settled in Clinton county, Ohio, where he died. He worked for a while as a tanner. Thomas Gillespie came to Putnam county in 1828, when this region was still in almost primitive condition, with only a sparse population, log cabins, scattered here and there, wide apart and the woods still full of game. He followed his occupation as a tanner until 1850, when he changed to farming. He had but a limited education, as in his day schools were poor and scarce, but he made up for this deficiency in after life by much reading and study. Though a Democrat in a mild way, he never sought office, being a quiet unobtrusive man, who attended industriously to his own business and did not interfere with that of others. He had the reputation of being the strongest man physically in the county and many stories are told of his feats in lifting and throwing. He died August 21, 1890, and was laid away in Forest Hill cemetery. James G. married Katherine Peck, and Thomas Gillespie was a son of this union. He married Elizabeth Shore Farrow, who was born December 28, 18I, her parents being Richard and Mary (Nelson) Farrow, one of the old pioneer families of the county. The children are as follows: Mary Josephine, born June 30, 1840, and married Isaac H. Meekins and lives in Iowa; Katherine Howard, born January 1, 1842, now Mrs. Arthur Wood, is a resident of Champaign, Illinois; James M., born June I, 1843, lives in Vigo county; Martha, born March, 25, 1845, now Mrs. J. W. Fletcher, lives in Shenandoah, Iowa; Elizabeth F., born February 21, 1847, now Mrs. William Hathaway, resides in Clinton township, Putnam county; Sarah Evelyn, born September 29, 1849, died September 29, 1858; William F., born October 9, 1850, is a resident of Indianapolis; Margaret, born December 30, 1851, is a resident of Greencastle; Richard A., born September 25, 1853, lives in Greencastle and is a farmer by occupation; Thomas P., born March 26, 1855, is a resident of Logansport ; Susan F., born January 3, 1857, died November 27, 1857; Emma Clay, born January 10, 1858, is now Mrs. P. W. McNary; Alma D., born January 14, 1860, is now Mrs. D. C. Stairwalt, and resides in Greencastle; Daniel A., born March 8, 1862, is a resident of Logansport; Joseph F. is a physician of Greencastle; Beverly is a dentist in the same city. The mother of this family died August 9, 1896, at the age of seventy-four years.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
JAMES LAFAYETTE RANDEL.
The family of this name originated in New York, from which state representatives removed to South Carolina, where Thomas Randel was born during the latter part of the eighteenth century, coming in early life to Indiana and finding a last resting place near Bainbridge, Putnam county. His son, William Randel, was born in Union county, South Carolina, August 26, 1793, lived in Franklin county, Georgia, from 1801 to 1807, and went through the Cherokee Indian nation to Barren county, Kentucky, where he grew to manhood, married, and in 1824 came to Putnam county, settling on a farm in Monroe township, where several generations of the family were born and developed. He married first, Nancy McReynolds, by whom he had a number of children, including Gibson Randel, Mrs. Malinda Sharp, Mrs. Maria McCoy, Mrs. Mary Daniels, John W., and Mrs. Emma Summers, all of whom are dead. Harrison M. Randel was the youngest of the children and is the only one living. The mother died about 1845 and a second marriage was contracted with Nancy ( Siddons) Stevens, who died about 1881, without issue. The father died in 1885, when ninety-two years old, longevity being a characteristic of this hardy race. Harrison M. Randel was born in Putnam county, Indiana, December 25, 1838, and after reaching manhood engaged in farming, which has been his life work. In 1862 he was elected county surveyor and served eight years. In 1870 he was elected county treasurer and re-elected in 1872 on the Democratic ticket. In 1874 he was elected county auditor, in which office he served four years, after which he retired to his farm and subsequently removed to Greencastle, where he has resided for some ten or eleven years. He first married Nancy A. Stevens, a native of Putnam county from near Bainbridge, and by this union there were seven children, five of whom are living: William M., of Greencastle; James T., the subject; Thomas F., of Hendricks county, Indiana; Daniel V., of Abbeville, Louisiana; and Harry Clay, a druggist at Terre Haute. The mother died in 1892, when about fifty-one years old, she and F. M., the oldest child, and Mrs. Carrie Hirt, the only daughter, dying of typhoid fever within a month of each other. The father's second wife was Ella King, who died one year later without issue. A third marriage occurred with Amanda, daughter of Elsephus Thomas, one of the early and wealthy pioneers of the county.
James L. Randel, second of his father's surviving children, was born near Bainbridge, Putnam county, Indiana, December 10, 1862. He remained on the farm until his father's election as county treasurer and went with the latter to Greencastle when nine years old. He attended school at the county seat and assisted his father in the office. After his father's election as auditor, he was appointed deputy and retained this place for four years, attending school a part of the time. He afterwards was appointed deputy treasurer under W. R. Grogan and later deputy auditor under J. U. Edwards. He also served as deputy treasurer under Ephraim Tucker and in 1886 was elected county auditor, in which position he served from 1887 to November 1, 1891. January 1, 1893, he accepted employment with the First National Bank as collection clerk; in April, 1893, he was appointed assistant cashier of the Central National Bank and served until 1904, when he was elected cashier. In May, 1900 he was one of the organizers of the Central Trust Company, of which he was elected secretary and has since retained that position. In 1893 he was elected a member of the city council from the first ward and served four years. He ranks high in financial circles, as is evidenced by the honors bestowed upon him by various organizations. He is president of the Fifth District Bankers' Association, was a member of the executive council of the Indiana Bankers' Association for 1909-10, president of the trust company section of the Indiana Bankers' Association. vice-president for Indiana of the trust company section of the American Bankers' Association, and member of the building committee of Putnam county's new court house, being appointed to act with the board of county commissioners by the judge of the circuit court.
Mr. Randel's fraternal connections are numerous and indicative of his standing and popularity. He is trustee of Temple Lodge, No. 47. Free and Accepted Masons; past high priest and trustee of Greencastle Chapter, No. 22, Royal Arch Masons, past eminent commander of Greencastle Commandery, No. 11; Knights Templar, and grand warder of the grand commandery Knights Templar of Indiana. He is also a member of Indiana consistory, Scottish rite, and Murat Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, and treasurer of Greencastle Lodge, No. 1077, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has always been active and influential as a Democrat and holds the position of chairman of the city committee of his party.
On October 9, 1883, Mr. Randel married Martha E., daughter of John W. A. Hall, who lives in the vicinity of Roachdale, where she was born April 11, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Randel have had four children: Frank H., who died in infancy; Walter C., who died when three years old; C1yde R., who was born July 14, 1858, is a senior at DePauw University; Naomi, who was born November 30, 1893, is a student at DePauw University. Mr. Randel is a deacon and trustee of the Christian church and a citizen of the highest standing and regarded as an unusually able business man by the people of Putnam county, who have so often exhibited their regard and respect for him.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
WILLIAM B. VESTAL
The Vestals have been conspicuous in the affairs of Putnam county since the days of the first settler, the several members playing well their parts in all the relations of life and establishing reputations for both industry and integrity as well as public spirit and hospitality, and no member of this family is better known or has been of greater service to his fellow men than William B. Vestal, who was born in Warren township, Putnam county, February 1, 1843, and whose home is now in Greencastle.
The Vestal family comes of Scotch-Irish stock on the paternal side, William Vestal being the first of the name to come to the United States, having emigrated here in 1683 with the famous William Penn colonists. Meeting a Miss Mercer, a Welsh lady, on the vessel which brought them to America, they were married and upon arriving on our shores located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. One of their children, Thomas, moved to North Carolina, where he married a Miss Davis. Their son, William, married into the Wheeler family, who lived near Rock River, that state, in which vicinity Mr. Vestal had settled. Thomas, one of their children, married a Miss Brower and these were the great-grandparents of William B. Vestal, of this review. Thomas Vestal, brother of William, of North Carolina, was a soldier in the Revo1utionary war. Samuel Vestal, father of William B., was a native of Kentucky, who came to Indiana in 1822, settling in Warren township, Putnam county, Indiana. His father, William Vestal, also came here at that time. They were both farmers and hardy pioneers. The latter, grandfather of the subject, was born in Rock River, North Carolina, in 1790, and he died in 1863 at the age of seventy-three years, spending his last days in Iowa, where he had moved in 1848. He was twice married, first to Sarah Moore, a native of Kentucky, and lastly to her sister, Esther. Samuel, father of William M., of this review, was born of the first union, another child born to them dying in infancy. Ten children were born of the second union.
Samuel Vestal was born in 1817 and he died in Warren township, Putnam county, Indiana, January 20, 1891 , at the age of seventy-four years. He married Tillitha Brinton, who was born near Lebanon, Kentucky, 1819, and who died on February 15, 1904. Seven children were born to this union, namely: Mary Jane, wife of John Branhan, of Limedale, Putnam county; William E., of this review; Margaret A. died in 1880; James W. lives one mile north of Cloverdale; Ellen died in 1866, at the age of twelve years; Emily F. is the wife of Manford Chamberlin, living near Cloverdale, this county; Elizabeth P. is the wife of Havila Jones, living near Cloverdale.
William E. Vestal remained on the old home farm until 1870, where he alternated farming with schooling in the district schools. He studied hard and received a good education, and taught school in a very acceptable manner for a period of fifteen years in Putnam county, in the county schools, principally at Cloverdale and Manhattan. From 1875 to 1880 he engaged in the near livery business at Cloverdale, after which he farmed for a few years, that town. From 1887 to 1888 he was mail clerk on the Vandalia railroad. In 1888 he was elected sheriff of Putnam county on the Democratic ticket and so faithfully and well did he perform the duties of this important office that he was re-elected in 1890, making one of the best officials the county has ever had, according to many of his constituents. After leaving this office, Mr. Vestal engaged in the real estate business, abstracts and loans, forming the firm of Vestal & Broadstreet in 1894, which has continued until the present time, a very satisfactory business having been built up. From 1872 to 1875 he was trustee of Cloverdale township.
Mr. Vestal was one of the loyal supporters of the Union cause during the dark days of the sixties, having enlisted in Company I, Fifty-fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and in 1864 he re-enlisted in Company E, Fifty-first Indiana Regiment. He saw much active service in general warfare in Kentucky, and he fought at Columbia and Nashville and at the many and almost continuous skirmishes between those battle grounds. At the close of hostilities he received an honorable discharge and returned home.
In September, 1869, Mr. Vestal married Isis M. East, daughter of Baily East, of Heltonville, Lawrence county, Indiana, where Mrs. Vestal was born, reared and educated. This union resulted in the birth of five children, namely: Clarence A., now engaged in the livery business in Greencastle; Capt. Samuel Curtis, who is now on the general military staff at Manila, Philippine Islands, is a graduate of the Annapolis Military Academy; Nellie M. was born in 1876 and died in 1880; Edith is the wife of Tilden McNeff, living near Putnamville, this county; the youngest child died in infancy unnamed.
Mr. Vestal is a Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and commandery, and he also holds membership in the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic. Personally he is a good mixer, genial, public-spirited and honest, as were his ancestors before him, hence he enjoys the confidence and friendship of all who know him.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN
SENATOR FRANCIS CALVIN TILDEN.
The life of the scholarly or professional man seldom exhibits any of those striking incidents that seize upon public feeling and attract attention to himself. His character is generally made up of the aggregate qualities and qualifications he may possess, as these may be elicited by the exercise of the duties of his vocation or the particular profession to which he belongs. But when such a man has so impressed his individuality upon his fellow men as to gain their confidence, and through that confidence rises to high and important public trust, he at once becomes a conspicuous figure in the body politic of the community and the state. Such a man is Senator Francis Calvin Tilden, who, not content to hide his talents amid life's sequestered Ways, has by the force of will and a laudable ambition forged to the front in a responsible and exacting calling and while yet young in years earned an honorable reputation in one of the most important branches of public service. His life has been one of hard study and research from his youth and, since maturity, of laborious professional duty in the several relations in which he has been placed; and the high public position to which he has attained is evidence that the qualities he possesses afford the means of distinction under a system of government in which places of honor and usefulness are open to all who may be found worthy of them.
Senator Tilden, who is one of the best known men in Putnam county, or, in fact, this portion of the state, is fortunate in a long line of distinguished ancestry, many of whom figured prominently in every walk of life. He was born in Grundy county, Illinois, September 20. 1872, the son of Allen Sherwood Tilden, a native of Vermont who joined the tide of emigration setting in strongly from the New England states to the West in 1832 and located in Grundy county, Illinois, where he successfully operated a farm; he was also a skilled machinist. He remained in Illinois until his death, in 1887, which occurred in a runaway accident. He was a highly respected and influential man in his community, although he led his life along quiet paths and did not seek official preferment, however, he was appointed by President Lincoln on the Illinois bounty board during the Civil War period, and he rendered very efficient service as treasurer of the same, which was a very responsible position, it having come to him unsought soon after his enlistment as a soldier in the Union army.
The Tilden family is of English extraction and may be traced back to Sir Richard Tilden, who was knighted under Queen Elizabeth. Under King James II he came to America and surveyed the colony of Massachusetts, in which state he located and reared a family, some members of which went to Vermont, and some to Connecticut, Samuel J. Tilden being of the latter branch. The branch of which Senator Tilden is a descendant lived in Vermont. This is one of the thirty-one families in America really entitled to a coat of arms. Grandfather Isaac Tilden was a native of Vermont, from which state he came to Illinois, bringing his son. Allen Sherwood, father of the Senator. He was a typical pioneer of sterling qualities and remained in Illinois until his death.
Allen Sherwood Tilden married Elvira Elizabeth Willis, a woman of many beautiful characteristics, the daughter of a highly honored family of Vermont, where she was born, reared and educated. To this union three children were born, named as follows: Eva E. Tilden is living in Maryville, Tennessee, where also resides the other daughter, Lucy M., now the wife of W. A. McTeer; Francis Calvin, of this review.
Francis C. Tilden was reared on the parental farm in Grundy county, Illinois, and received his primary education in the district schools. He assisted with the lighter work about the place during the summer months, and amid the bracing airs and wholesome rural surroundings of the prairies grew to vigorous manhood. Coming to Greencastle, Indiana, he entered DePauw Academy, then took the university course, which he finished in a most creditable manner in 1897. Desiring still higher mental discipline, he entered Harvard University, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts in 1899, after he had spent two years there. He was very active during his college days, finding time aside from his regular work to devote his attention to literature and athletics. He was editor of the college annual, Mirage, also the college paper, The Palladium, filling these positions in a very creditable manner, as he did also that of secretary of the athletic association, during which time the loan was negotiated by which they secured the McKeen field. He was elected a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, the scholarship society - only those students who make exceptionally high grades being elected.
In 1900 Senator Tilden was honored by being elected professor of English language and literature at Dakota University, located at Vermillion. South Dakota, and during the same year he was elected professor of English literature at DePauw University, where he remained until 1904, giving the utmost satisfaction, as he had done at his former post, being naturally gifted along these lines and profoundly versed in his chosen subjects, besides possessing the rare trait of being both an entertainer and an instructor in the school room. Desiring to more fully equip himself for this line of endeavor, he spent the summer of 1904 in study at Oxford and London, England, then returned to America for the purpose of taking the English work in the Winona schools, then being organized. He continued in the Winona school until May, 1907, when he resigned to take up journalistic work in Greencastle, having then become associated with the Star-Democrat Publishing Company, to which he has given his attention and talent up to the present time, greatly enhancing the prestige of this influential organ and rendering it a power for good in this vicinity, the Senator being an interesting and polished writer, always wielding a true and trenchant pen in championing the rights of his constituents and whatever would tend to the general good of Putnam county.
Senator Tilden has long taken an active interest in the political arena, in which he made his influence felt from the first, and his public spirit and talents attracted the attention of local political leaders and in 1908 the Democrats nominated him for state senator for the district comprising Putnam, Morgan and Marion counties and he was subsequently elected. In this important trust he has shown himself to be eminently well qualified and has discharged his duties in such an able and conscientious manner as to excite the admiration of his constituents, irrespective of party alignment. His influence among his colleagues was potent from the first, they at once recognizing his earnestness and his fidelity to the right. He was closely connected with the local option legislation, being one of the two Democrats who prevented the repealing of the law. His term expires in 1912, and he will doubtless accomplish much for this locality ere that date.
In 1905 the Senator began lecture work, since which time he has frequently appeared at Chautauquas and before teachers' institutes, where he is always accorded hearty welcome, being a forceful and at times a truly eloquent speaker, and always has a helpful and uplifting message. In January, 1916, he was further honored by being appointed special lecturer in literature at DePauw University.
Senator Tilden's ideal domestic life began September 13, 1900, when he married Ethel Nash Arnold, the accomplished and cultured daughter of F. A. Arnold, a prominent citizen of Greencastle, in which city Mrs. Tilden was born, reared and educated, being a graduate of DePauw University. This union has been graced by the birth of three children, named as follows: Francis Allen, born July 19, 1901; Elizabeth, born April 10, 1905; Richard Arnold, born December 30, 1906. Mr. and Mrs. Tilden are faithful members of the College Avenue Methodist Episcopal church. They are popular in all circles in this city and highly esteemed by all classes.
"Weiks History of Putnam County Indiana" by Jesse W. Weik. 1910
B.F. Bowen & Co., Publishers, Indianapolis IN