The Clan of Ervin found its origin in Scotland many years ago, and members of the family were early settlers in Maryland, where John Ervin, the grandfather of William L. Ervin, was born about the year 1790. In the latter years of his life he came to Blackford county, Indiana, and here died prior to the year 1850. He was married twice, his wives being half-sisters and natives of Maryland, and by his first marriage he had seven children. His second union resulted in the birth of eight children, of whom Rev. Joshua Ervin, a Methodist divine of Muncie, Indiana, still survives. There were three sons and four daughters in his first wife's family, and among these was Samuel Ervin, the father of William L. He was born September 7, 1815, in Maryland, and was still young when he accompanied his parents to Perry county, Ohio, there growing to manhood. In 1837 he accompanied his parents, and most of the children, of whom several had married, to Indiana, where some of the children secured government land for homes in Delaware county, Samuel taking up one hundred and sixty acres in the vicinity of Eaton. There he erected a good frame home and made considerable improvements, but in 1850 traded his farm for one hundred and sixty acres in Section 2, Licking township, Blackford county, near the present residence of William L. Ervin. There the father continued to be engaged in farming until his death, October 2, 1880, being known as a successful agriculturist and a good citizen, a staunch republican, and a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was an organizer and church leader. He was married three times, first in Indiana, on March 25, 1841, to Miss Jane M. Haight, who was born in New York state May 15, 1815, and died on the old homestead at Eaton, Delaware county, Indiana, July 22, 1849, when her son William L. was just one month old. She also left a daughter, Naomi, who is the widow of Harrison Strong, has a son and two daughters, and resides in Union township, Delaware county. Samuel Ervin married for his second wife, Miss Nancy Alexander, daughter of Rev. Robert Alexander of Wells county Indiana. She died in Licking township at the age of twenty-four years, and left two children: Robert Volney, now deceased, married Flora Veach, and their three children were: Moffitt H. Ervin, of Los Angeles, California; Robert Paul, of Eaton, Indiana; and Ora Beryl, who is the wife of Henry Shannon, formerly of Blackford county, but now of Denver, Colorado, and they have one son, Ervin. John Benson, the second son of Samuel and Nancy Ervin, died July 4, 1855, at the age of two and a half years. Samuel Ervin's third marriage was to Anna Galbreth, who survived her husband about two years, and died when sixty years of age without issue.

William L. Ervin was born at Eaton, Delaware county, Indiana, June 22, 1849, and secured his education in the public schools of Licking township, Blackford county, whither he was brought by his father as an infant. He was still but a boy when he enlisted for service in the Union army during the Civil War, becoming a private in the One Hundred Thirtieth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the war, a period of about two years. In spite of his extreme youth he proved himself a good and faithful soldier and saw much hard fighting, being wounded in the scalp by a Confederate bullets at the battle of Buzzard's Roost, Georgia, May 9, 1864. Upon his return to his Indiana home he worked on his father's farm and also attended school in Hartford City and at Richville College, and taught in the country schools five successive terms, beginning with the autumn of 1868. Since then his career has been that of a substantial agriculturist, and he is now the owner of a handsome property. Mr. Ervin has made all the improvements upon his land, which include two large farm houses, two commodious barns and a full set of substantial outbuildings, as well as a thorough complement of modern farm machinery and equipment. He has engaged in general farming and has also met with success as a stock raiser, having good hogs, sheep and horses, and a valuable herd of Polled Angus and other good cattle.

Mr. Ervin was married in Licking township, December 29, 1870, to Miss Henrietta Slater, who was born in this township, August 20, 1849, daughter of James and Jane M. (Kirkpatrick) Slater, and granddaughter of Jacob Slater, who brought the family to Indiana from Ohio in pioneer days and became one of the substantial men of Blackford county. James Slater was married in Guernsey county, Ohio, and in 1836 came to Blackford county, and located on wild land in Licking township, here continuing to reside until his death. James and Jane Slater were the parents of thirteen children, twelve of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. These children have each brief mention as follows: David, the eldest son, spent several years in the California gold fields when a young man, returning home in 1862 to engage in agriculture, having purchased nearly two hundred acres of land, and in 1869-70 under took, in association with his father, a sub-contract for grading on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, but the failure of the chief contractor caused them to lose nearly all they had. David Slater in 1863 married Julia Everett, a daughter of a Jackson township pioneer, and they were the parents of nine children. David Slater died in March, 1870, and his widow and most of his children moved to Colorado. The second son was Rezin Slater, who married Lucy Hughes, of Licking township, a daughter of Aaron Hughes, a pioneer, and they had six children. The third son, Joseph Slater, died in early manhood, having for several years taught school. Next in the Slater family was the seven daughters. Elizabeth married Harve Harmon of Licking township, a farmer, and is still living, the mother of five children. Eliza married John Sims of Licking township, a farmer, and she is now deceased, having been the mother of ten children. Sarah died in early womanhood. Maria married Tice Hudson, they lived in Blackford county, and she was the mother of six children. Dona Martha married Dodge Swift of Licking township, a farmer, and became the mother of three children. Mary Ann married David W. Stewart, a Jackson township farmer, and is still living, the mother of two children. Henrietta was the daughter who is now Mrs. W. L. Ervin. John A. Slater, the next son after these daughters, was twice married. His first wife was Ellen Lytle of Licking township, and their two children are living, Bruce in Colorado, and Mae M., a trained nurse in Indianapolis. John A. Slater married for his second wife, the widow of Samuel Emsheller of Hartford City. John A. Slater was a lifelong school teacher, and was engaged in the work of his profession in the Hartford City schools when a stroke of paralysis caused his death. Lemach Slater was the only one of the thirteen children to die in infancy. Thomas I. Slater, the youngest son, was twice married. His first wife was Margaret Davis of Licking township, who lived only a few years, and left no children. Thomas Slater then went out to Gilpin county, Colorado, and there married Maggie Murphy of Idaho Springs, and their one daughter, Katherine, is engaged in teaching at Durango, Colorado. Thomas Slater is now engaged in mining at Alice, Colorado.

James Slater, the father of these children, died at the age of seventy years, in 1877, in Licking township. His widow, Jane M., was by his death left alone at home, and then gave up housekeeping and lived with her youngest daughter, Mrs. William L. Ervin, for eleven years, until her death in November, 1888.

Mr. and Mrs. Ervin have been the parents of the following children: Satyra J. married Melvin Ray, who died leaving two children, Charles and Marguerite, and married for her second husband, P. W. Dunn, a farmer of Union township, Delaware county, by whom she has two children, Ruth C. and Betty J.; Aurora Blanche, formerly a teacher in the public schools of Hartford City, is now the wife of William P. Modlin, a Licking township farmer, and is the mother of two children, Hazel and Mary. Robert Franklin died at the age of nine years. Oscar Slater, who is now engaged in the operation of his father's homestead, married Ada Craig of Licking township, and their two children are Catherine and William C.; Thomas W., who graduated at the Terre Haute Normal School, is a teacher by vocation, and now assistant superintendent of the chemical works at Hammond, Indiana, and married Ora Hurlock of Madison county.

Mr. and Mrs. Ervin are consistent members of Mount Carmel Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a class leader and prominent in religious movements. Theirs is an ideal country home, know for its refinement and hospitality, and both Mr. and Mrs. Ervin have long been accounted leaders in the social life of the community. Since 1884 Mr. Ervin has been a staunch supporter of the prohibition party, having in that year cast his vote for John Pierce St. John, presidential candidate of the prohibition party.

Blackford and Grant Counties, Indiana A Chronicle of their People Past and Present with Family Lineage and Personal Memoirs Compiled Under the Editorial Supervision of Benjamin G. Shinn
Volume I Illustrated
The Lewis Publishing Company Chicago and New York 1914
Submitted by Peggy Karol

DAVID COLE. Although the conscientious and well-directed labor of David Cole belongs to the past history of Blackford county rather than to the present, evidences are still to be found of his sojourn within its borders, and particularly of his diligence in developing the farm now owned by his wife, in section 10, Washington township. Throughout a long career he proved himself a useful citizen and helpful member of society, and at the time of his death, April 26, 1902, was considered one of the substantial and forceful men of a stirring community.

Mr. Cole was born April 3, 1836, in Fairfield county, Ohio, and was a son of Broad Cole, who was born in Ohio and came of an honored family of the Old Dominion. The grandfather entered land near Royalton, from the government. There Broad Cole grew to manhood and married Leah Peters, who has also been born in Ohio, her parents settling in the same locality as did the Coles. Both the Coles and Peters were enterprising and progressive farming people, and the parents on both sides lived to advanced years, and were successful in accumulating much property. After their marriage Broad and Leah Cole located on his father's large farm of 300 acres, which he later owned, and where he and his wife spent their active years, the father dying at the age of seventy-eight, and the mother when eighty-five years of age. They were old school Baptists by religion, and one of their sons, Thomas Cole, became a prominent minister of that faith, being known in various parts of the country. He finally died in the South, when about eighty years of age, leaving a large family.

David Cole was the third in a family of eleven children, of whom Jonathan, Henry and Joseph are yet living, are all married and have families. Jonathan is a resident of Lakota, North Dakota, where he is county superintendent of schools; Henry is a resident of Lancaster, Ohio, where he and his wife conduct a successful hotel; and Joseph is a worker and writer of local county historical works and is now making his home in West Virginia.

David Cole was reared in Fairfield county, Ohio, where he received an educational training which fitted him for work as a teacher, being thus engaged in Fairfield county, Ohio, until November 19, 1868, when he came to Blackford county, Indiana, and purchased a farm of 120 acres, in section 10, Washington township. From a practically worthless waste, he developed this land into a valuable and productive farm, building good structures and installing numerous improvements of a modern character. Later he sold forty acres of this property, and subsequently platted two and one-half acres, which he sold off in lots, this section now being an addition to the village of Dundee (Roll P. O.). The balance, a property of seventy-seven and one-half acres, is still owned by Mrs. Cole. In addition to his farming operations, Mr. Cole was for some years engaged in teaching school in Blackford county, and was very favorably known as an educator. His citizenship was such as to gain him the confidence and respect of the community, and those with whom he had business dealings invariably found him a man of the strictest business principles. Originally a democrat, he transferred his support to the prohibition party during his later years and on every occasion upheld the cause of temperance.

In 1859, while still a resident of Fairfield county, Ohio, Mr. Cole was united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Williamson, who was born that county, April 26, 1837. She was reared and educated there, and, qualifying as a teacher, "kept" school for two years prior to her marriage. She remained on the home farm until 1912, when she began living with her daughters at Montpelier, between whose homes she now divides her time. Mrs. Cole is a daughter of Jacob and Eliza (Odell) Williamson, her mother being a cousin of ex-Governor Odell, of New York. Mr. Williamson was born in Virginia, and four years later was taken to Fairfield county, Ohio, where his parents, Theodore and Rhoda (Cox) Williamson, spent the remaining years of their lives on a farm. They were Methodists, and belonged to the substantial class of pioneers who made the Buckeye state great. Mrs. Eliza (Odell) Williamson was a daughter of James and Catherine Odell, who came from Virginia to Highland county, Ohio, and took up and improved wild land. Still later in life they went by ox teams to Michigan, and again began life in a primitive way in a new community. In that state they continued to spend the remaining years of their lives. This old couple, probably Methodists, had the spirit of the pioneers, and their labors did much to advance the development of the various communities in which they made their homes. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson, the parents of Mrs. Cole, settled on a farm and there continued to engage in agricultural pursuits until death claimed them, the father when he was seventy-three years of age, and the mother at the age of eighty-seven years. They were faithful and consistent members of the Methodist church, in the faith of which they reared their children. In early life Mr. Williamson was a whig in his political proclivities, but later joined the ranks of the republican party. He was not an office seeker nor politician, but was content to spend his life in the peaceful pursuits of the soil, free from the jealousies and bitterness of public life. Mrs. Cole was the sixth of eleven children, of whom six daughters and one son are still living, all married, while four of the daughters are widows.

Mr. and Mrs. Cole were the parents of the following children: Enos, a well-known attorney of Hartford City, Indiana, married Bertha Clapper, and they have three children,—Leah, Ruth, and Burr, the two former at the City High school; Amos, a hardware dealer of Bluffton, Indiana, married Addie Oppenhelm, and has no children; Laura, widow of Elmer C. Storm, lives on her farm near Dundee, and has two daughters,—Ruth and E. C.; Mary E., married Nathan B. Certain of Illinois, a practical carpenter and builder who is looking after the high school buildings at Montpelier, and they have four children,—Dorothy, a graduate of Montpelier High school, class of 1913, and now a student at the Terre Hunte State Normal school, Howard Guy, also a high school graduate and student at the normal school, Laura E., a student in the high school, class of 1915, and Neil V., now in the eighth grade of the public schools; Eliza L., the wife of Abe Gruver, of Warren, Indiana, has one son,—Calvin Cole, aged ten years, who is attending the public schools; and Magdalene, who is the wife of Ira P. Nelson, representing a Chicago piano house, lives on High street, Montpelier, and has two daughters,—Jessie M., aged twenty years, a graduate of high school and now engaged in teaching, and Janice, aged nine years.

Mrs. Cole is still active and strong in body and is in full possession of her mental faculties. Her residence in Blackford county has covered a period of forty-six years, and during this time she has watched the growth and development of this section into one of the richest in the great Hoosier state. Throughout this time she has continued to contribute her full share toward the general welfare, and is entitled therefore to mention among the builders of the county.

Blackford and Grant Counties, Indiana A Chronicle of their People Past and Present with Family Lineage and Personal Memoirs Compiled Under the Editorial Supervision of Benjamin G. Shinn
Volume I Illustrated
The Lewis Publishing Company Chicago and New York 1914
Submitted by Peggy Karol

WILLIAM CARROLL. The late William Carroll, who for many years was one of Blackford county's most prominent and influential farmers, came of fine old Irish ancestry. His great-grandfather, Robert Carroll, was born of Protestant parents, in Ireland, about 1750, and there married Mary Bell, who was also of a good family, and in 1770 they came to America, being accompanied by Mr. Carroll's two brothers and his sister. Locating in Morriss township, Washington county, Pennsylvania, they took up land and engaged in agricultural pursuits, continuing to be thus engaged during the remainder of their lives. Both Mr. and Mrs. Carroll lived to advanced ages and were well known and highly respected in their community. They had several children, including James Carroll, the grand father of William Carroll.

The eldest child of his parents, James Carroll was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1771, and in his native locality he was married to Miss Margaret Marshall. They reared a family of ten children, among whom Robert Carroll, the father of William Carroll, was the second in order of birth, and was born June 14, 1800, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he was united in marriage with Margaret Gregory, who was also born in Pennsylvania at about the same time and came of Scotch-Irish stock, being a kinswoman of many prominent Pennsylvania people, among them General Abercrombie's family. After the birth of several of their children, including William, who was born September 10, 1828, Robert Carroll and his wife migrated overland by way of teams to Delaware county, Indiana, locating upon wild land on the Mississinewa river, sixteen miles northwest of Muncietown, as it was then called, not far across the river from Eaton, in 1838. Mr. Carroll had disposed of his Pennsylvania farm for the sum of $2,000, and accordingly was able to make quite a purchase of land when he came to Indiana. The family settled in a little log cabin home, in which were born Samuel and Margaret, both of whom died young. The father was a thrifty and industrious land owner, made a success of his undertakings through business acumen and good management, and when he passed away was known as one of the substantial men of his community and the owner of one of the finest farms in his part of the county.

William Carroll was the last of his parents' children to die, passing away at his home in Licking township, Blackford county, October 8, 1902. He had grown up on a farm in Delaware county, and from young manhood proved himself a steady, hard-working man. When about of age, he with his brother Wesley, went to the mountains of Colorado and Montana, where they were engaged in mining for seven years and met with good success. Returning to Indiana, they purchased some 600 acres of land in Licking township, Blackford county, located in section 5, on Licking Creek, which stream ran through, watered and drained the land After his marriage, in 1866, Mr. Carroll settled on this property, bringing his mother with him, and she died here in 1869, the father having passed away a long period before when only forty years of age. She was sixty-four years old and passed away in the faith of the Methodist church.

After settling on his large farm in Licking township, Mr. Carroll began to concentrate, his energies upon its cultivation and improvement, and as the years passed added to its acreage from time to time, until he had nearly 1,000 acres, the greater part of his land being improved. A thrifty farmer and stock raiser, his cattle, sheep and horses were of the best breed and of every variety, and his live stock of all kinds met with a ready sale in the large markets. He was known as a leading exhibitor at all the stock shows, county fairs and agricultural exhibits, won numerous prizes with his animals, and was known as an authority on all matters pertaining to the breeding of stock, being a frequent and valued contributor to agricultural papers on the subject. In political matters he was prominent as a republican in his early years, but became a Bryan democrat with the advent of the brilliant young Nebraskan, and continued a supporter of that party until the time of his death, taking an active part in political matters. His last years were passed in semi-retirement, in his beautiful home, and there he passed away, mourned by a wide circle of friends who had been attracted to him by his many manly and sterling qualities of mind and heart.

Mr. Carroll was married at Hillsboro, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth J. Elton, who was born and reared at that place and educated at Hillard Academy, a female institute, in the work of the alumni of which she has since taken an active interest. She still resides at the beautiful, modern country home which was built by Mr. Carroll to replace the modest little house in which they settled at the time of their marriage. Mrs. Carroll is a daughter of John and Phoebe (Shoemaker) Elton, natives of New Jersey. Her grandparents, English people, emigrated to Nova Scotia not long after their marriage and then came to the United States and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In their native land they had been prominent and here they were also known as among the leading families, and later when they moved to Salem, New Jersey, became connected with the Shoemakers, another well-known family, by marriage. John Elton died at the age of seventy-eight years, and his wife when seventy-six. Both were members of the Presbyterian church, were talented vocalists and belonged to the church choir. In their family there were six sons and four daughters, all of whom grew up, married, and reared children, and all survive except three.

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Carroll, and of these, four died young, while Margaret passed away as a young woman in 1904. Three children are living: Charles E., Elizabeth and Anna. Charles E. Carroll, following in the footsteps of his father, has become one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of this part of the state, and it is also an authority on stock matters and an able writer on the subject. He is engaged in looking after his father's large estate, and is a leading factor in business affairs in the county. He has for some years been a member of the Sheep Breeders' Association. In public matters he has also been prominent, and is serving as a joint member of the Legislature from Blackford and Grant counties for the term of 1912-14. Ann Carroll married Dr. C. J. Stover, of Eaton, Delaware county, Indiana; and Elizabeth, who resides with her mother, is widely known is vocal and instrumental musical circles, being a teacher of music with classes at Hartford City. She also is possessed of a beautiful voice adapted to church work, and has frequently acted as soloist in the choirs of large Indianapolis churches and at other points. With her mother she attends the Presbyterian church at Hartford City, and both have been active in its work.

Blackford and Grant Counties, Indiana A Chronicle of their People Past and Present with Family Lineage and Personal Memoirs Compiled Under the Editorial Supervision of Benjamin G. Shinn
Volume I Illustrated
The Lewis Publishing Company Chicago and New York 1914
Submitted by Peggy Karol