Blackford County Biography Ref. Page

HARRY T. CONNELLY. Cashier of the Upland State Bank, Mr. Connelly is one of the most successful farmers and stockmen of the county, and since 1909 has divided his time and attention between the business of agriculture and banking. The Upland State Bank was incorporated November 22, 1909, with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars and at the present time its surplus is four thousand dollars. The total resources amount to one hundred and forty thousand dollars, and the deposits of one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars indicate better than any other item the complete confidence placed by the community in this institution. Since it opened its doors for business, the bank has made a most remarkable growth, and its position is due both to its successful management and to the fact that all its officials and directors are well known residents of Grant county. The officers are: John Smith, president; Herman Fisherbuck, vice president; Harry T. Connelly, cashier; R. O. Smith, assistant cashier; and the directors are John Smith, H. Fisherbuck, R. J. Spencer, Edward Block, N. E. Duckwall, Daniel Marine, A. L. Homer, Charles W. Reed, and A. N. Kizer. All except Mr. Kizer were on the original board, and he has been connected with the institution since its second year. The Upland State Bank has correspondents in Chicago and Pittsburgh, and carries an account with the Grant Trust and Savings Bank at Marion. The bank has membership in the State Bank Association.

Harry T. Connelly was born on a farm near Upland on February 10, 1874, a son of John W. and Rebecca J. (Clevenger) Connelly. He comes of old Scotch-Irish ancestry. His grandfather, Rev. John Connelly, who was born in Virginia, was a prominent Methodist minister of his time. In 1808 he was made presiding elder over a district comprising portions of Virginia, Maryland and western Pennsylvania, and his last appointment to that office was made in 1821. He died in Wayne county, Indiana, when past eighty years of age in 1846. Rev. Connelly married Elizabeth Fell, a Virginia girl, and of an old family in that commonwealth. Her ancestors came from England to Baltimore during the seventeenth century, and played active parts in their respective communities, both in that state and in Virginia. Elizabeth (Fell) Connelly, died in Wayne county, Indiana, about 1830, being under forty years of age at the time. She became the mother of three children, namely: Joseph, who was one of the pioneer settlers of Kansas, a farmer there, and died leaving a family of six children; one daughter died early in life, and John W. Connelly.

John W. Connelly, father of the Upland banker, was born in Williamsburg, Virginia, May 11, 1825, and was a very small child when his parents moved out to Wayne county, Indiana, where they were among the pioneers and took an active part in the establishment of Methodism in that section.

Reared and educated in Wayne county, John W. Connelly gave perhaps the greater part of his productive years to the cause of education. He taught school in Wayne county, and in 1856 came to Grant county, where he bought land in Jefferson township, now a part of the Millerton Farm. He combined the occupations of teaching and farming, and his record as a teacher aggregated about thirty years. In 1871 he bought one hundred and ten acres in Monroe township, later increased his holdings, and lived there in prosperous circumstances until his death on October 27, 1893. In politics he was a Republican after the war. His first vote was cast for Franklin Pierce, and after voting for Douglas in 1860 he transferred his allegiance to the Republican candidates, and voted in 1892 for Harrison. John W. Connelly was married in Wayne county to Miss Rebecca Clevenger, who was born in that county, September 6, 1834, and who died in Monroe township of Grant county, December 28, 1909. Early in her life she joined the Methodist church and she and her husband had membership in the Doddridge church in Wayne county, one of the oldest societies of that denomination in Indiana. Later they were among the leading members of the Upland church in this county. Rebecca Clevenger was a daughter of Samuel and Ruth (Spahr) Clevenger, who were both natives of Virginia, but were married in Wayne county, Indiana. Samuel Clevenger was born in 1808, and his wife in 1812. He died in 1881 and she in 1884. They were pioneers, upright and worthy people, both as neighbors and citizens, and active members of the Doddridge church in Wayne county. Mrs. John W. Connelly was the oldest in a family of eight children, and all of them lived in Indiana. Her sister Sabra died at the age of seventy-six. John W. Connelly and wife had eight children, named as follows: John, who lives at home and is unmarried; Belle, who died after her marriage to Noah Johnson, leaving three children, Alva, Elva, and Bertha; Samuel, now postmaster of Upland; Mary, who died in infancy; Joseph, who is an oil man in Oklahoma, and is married but has no children; Dora, wife of J. P. Richard, a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and their children are Hugo and Homer; Flora, who died at the age of twenty-two years, and Harry T., the youngest.

Harry T. Connelly was educated in the schools and at the Fairmount Academy, and in the Marion Normal College. From 1893 until 1902 he was one of the successful teachers, most of his work being done in Jefferson and Monroe township. While a man of extended activities in business, Mr. Connelly's life is also distinguished for much public service, and his record as a teacher might be well included under that head. From 1905 until January 1, 1909, he gave four years of capable administration in the office of township trustee of Monroe township. He was elected on the Republican ticket, and was the second Republican ever elected to that office in the township. His majority of sixty-four votes was a noteworthy showing in a Democratic community. In the fall of 1908 Mr. Connelly was elected to the state legislature and served during the sessions of 1909-10 and in 1911. During the first session he was on the committee of education and roads, and in 1911 was on the committee of counties and townships and also on the committee of banks and trusts companies.

In 1899 Mr. Connelly came into the possession of the old home place by buying out the other heirs, and soon after settled down to farm life. The farm, located in section thirty-four of Monroe township, comprises one hundred and eighty acres of land, all under the plow, with the exception of a timber lot of thirty-five acres. In 1912, his crops were represented by the following figures: Eight hundred bushels of corn, nine hundred bushels of oats, and one hundred and sixty bushels of rye. He sold about one hundred head of hogs during that year, and he averages from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five hogs a year. He has a herd of twenty-three short horn cattle on the place, twenty-five sheep and four horses. These figures, without further comment, are sufficient to show that Mr. Connelly is in the farming business for something besides recreation, and he is rightly entitled to his reputation as one of the most progressive and successful farming men in the county.

On June 23, 1904, at Upland, was solemnized the marriage of Harry T. Connelly, with Miss Edith Kline. Mrs. Connelly was born in Mill Grove, Blackford county, Indiana, August 5, 1874, and is a woman of splendid education and thorough culture. Her schooling was in Hartford City, and in the well known private school kept by Mrs. Bleaker. For eleven years Mrs. Connelly was a successful teacher in Hartford City, and in Upland. Her father is Henry J. Kline, who for the past twenty years has had his home in Upland, and in early years made a record as one of the popular teachers in this part of the state.

Mr. and Mrs. Connelly have five children: D. Gretchen, who is now in school at Upland; Barbara H., also in school; Marjorie E., Phillip, and Roger Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Connelly are members of the Upland Methodist church, and he has fraternal associations with the Masonic Order at Upland, and the Royal Chapter at Hartford City.

"BLACKFORD AND GRANT COUNTIES INDIANA, A CHRONICLE OF THEIR PEOPLE PAST AND PRESENT WITH FAMILY LINEAGE AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS"; Complied Under the Editorial Supervision of BENJAMIN G. SHINN; vol. II ; THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY; CHICAGO AND NEW YORK; 1914
Submitted by:Peggy Karol and Karen Overholt

EDGAR THORNBURG. One of the prospering farmers of Grant county, Edgar Thornburg is one whose success has been won entirely as the result of his own well directed efforts. He had no fortune given to him by families, and early in life had the courage to marry and establish a home for himself, and since that time has steadily prospered, until he is reckoned as one of the substantial men of Monroe township.

In that township he purchased a home place of seventy-four acres of land, and in 1912, as an indication of his progressive farming efforts, he harvested one thousand bushels of corn, seven hundred bushels of oats, cut seven tons of hay and shipped to market about fifty hogs. His farm is not only a profitable business, but is an attractive home place, where he and his family enjoy life. His large brick house is located on a hill, with land sloping down from it, and among other improvements are some good barns, while all the farm is kept in good condition. Edgar Thornburg was born May 9, 1863, in Henry county, Indiana, a son of Alfred M. and Emeline (Wallace) Thornburg. His father was born in North Carolina, and the mother in Fayette county, Indiana. Her parents were natives of New Hampshire, and she died in 1872 in Marion. Grandfather Benjamin Thornburg emigrated from North Carolina to Henry county, among the pioneers. Alfred M. Thornburg, the father, was a carpenter by trade, and moved to Marion in 1871. He lived there until February, 1886, when he went west to Los Angeles, California. The five children were Edgar; George of Los Angeles; Elmer of Marion; Mrs. Aletha L. Beck, who died in December, 1911; and Mrs. Ida Belle Fruchey of Marion.

After the death of the mother, several of the children were placed in the homes of friends to be cared for and reared. In this way Edgar Thornburg entered the home of Samuel R. Thompson of Monroe township, where he was reared to manhood. When he was twenty-two years old he married and moved to the Holloway farm, where he spent fifteen years. Shortly after moving to the Holloway place in 1886 he bought sixty acres of land, and after selling that in 1901 bought his present homestead.

Mr. Thornburg was married in 1886 to Martha A. Hodson, a daughter of Jonathan Hodson. Their two children are Mrs. Alma N. Boller, of Center township, wife of Lee Boller, and they have one daughter, Helen Louise; and Hazel, who was married November 12, 1913, to Ollie Thurman. Mr. and Mrs. Thornburg are also rearing an orphan child, Oscar Wickum. In politics Mr. Thornburg allies himself with the Prohibitionists and he and his family worship with the Methodist church.

NIXON WINSLOW. Many lives have entered into the foundation of Grant county, and none of them more worthy to be considered in a history of pioneer personalities than the late Nixon Winslow, who for many years was prominent as a business man, farmer and banker and public spirited citizen in Fairmount township and city.

Like many other of the early Grant county pioneers, Nixon Winslow was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, June 28, 1831. He died at his home in Fairmount City, May 25, 1910. His parents were Thomas and Martha (Bogue) Winslow. His father was born in Randolph county, July 14, 1795, and his wife in the same state on August 3, 1802. She was a daughter of John and Lydia (White) Bogue, who were married in 1797. John Bogue was a son of Marmaduke and Sarah (Robinson) Bogue, who were natives of England, and who died at a good old age in Randolph county, North Carolina. They were what is known as Fox Quakers. John Bogue and wife Lydia died in Randolph county, North Carolina, when in the prime of life, leaving four daughters, all young. These daughters came north, were married, had large families, and were all identified with Grant county. The oldest of the daughters of John Bogue was Mary, better known as Polly, who married Phineas Henly, and lived and died in Grant county. Thomas and Martha Winslow came to Grant county in 1836, entering land and living there until their death in Fairmount township. They were both Charter members of the Old Northern Quarterly Quaker Meeting in that township. Thomas Winslow and wife were married in North Carolina about 1829, she being his second wife. His first wife who died in North Carolina was Millicent Gazan, who left four children at her death.

The late Nixon Winslow, who was the oldest child of his mother, Martha Bogue, was five years old when the family moved to Grant county, and here he grew up on his father's farm in Fairmount township. His education was obtained in the local schools, and from the time he started out on his own account, he steadily prospered. He bought some land of his own two miles east of Fairmount city, and some years later bought one hundred and sixty acres just outside the city limits on the east, and on that land spent his final years. As already stated, he was one of the most successful farmers and able business men in the county. He was one of the organizers and for many years was president of the Citizens Exchange Bank of Fairmount, having sold his interest and retired from the office only a short time before his death. Among other public things to which he contributed his efforts and means was the Fairmount Academy, and also the Quakers church in the city. He served as trustee and elder of the church, holding the latter office at the time of his death. Though no politician in any sense he was a regular supporter and voter for the Prohibition interests.

In Jonesboro, in the Friends church and according to the strict forms of the Quaker ceremonies, the orthodox faith, Nixon Winslow was married October 25, 1854, to Miss Cynthia Ann Jay. Her marriage introduces another interesting family into this biographical sketch. She was born in Miami county, Indiana, May 5, 1832, and when seventeen years old came to Mill township in Grant county. Her parents were Denny and Mary (Jones) Jay, her father a native of North Carolina, and her mother of Ohio. Her mother was a daughter of Elisha and Susanna (Hollingsworth) Jones, natives of Georgia, and early settlers in Ohio, where they located government land near Troy in Miami county. There Susanna Jones was killed by a stroke of lightning, while in the prime of her life. Her husband married the second time and continued to live in Miami county until his death at a good old age. Denny Jay and wife on coming to Grant county located on the Mississinewa River, north of Jonesboro, where they had their home until their lives came to a peaceful close, his at the age of sixty-one and hers when sixty-three years old. They were active members, and both were elders in the Jonesboro Quaker Meeting. In the Jay family were four sons and five daughters, three of them being: Jesse and Lambert B., and Mrs. Winslow. Jesse Jay is a farmer on the old Mill township homestead, is married and has a family, while his younger brother lives in Grant county, and is a genial bachelor, being a farmer by occupation.

To the marriage of Nixon Winslow and wife were born seven children, one of whom, Marcus Alden, died at the age of two and a half years. The living children who grew up are mentioned as follows: Levina, wife of John Kelsie, a prosperous farmer, and a former county commissioner living in Fairmount township, has a family of children. Webster J. is retired and lives in Fairmount, his first wife having been Mary Jean who died leaving children, of whom two are living; his second marriage was to Ora Winslow, daughter of J. P. Winslow, and there were no children by the second union. Ella, maiden lady, resides with her mother in Fairmount, and between the mother and daughter there exists a strong affection and many mutual sympathies, which render the declining days of Mrs. Winslow specially pleasant. Thomas D. is a farmer in Liberty township, and has twice married, his first wife being Eva Pearson, who left three children, of whom two are living, and his second wife is Anna Ellis, by whom there is one daughter. The next two children of the family are Ancil and Clinton, both of whom are given more specific mention elsewhere in these pages.

Ancil Winslow, the youngest but one of the children of Nixon and Cynthia Winslow, was born in Fairmount township, December 29, 1864. He is deservedly regarded as one of the most enterprising and successful farmers and business men of Grant county. With the precedent of several generations of solid family success behind him, he has not failed to meet the expectations of family and friends, and among his associates is called a hustler, which very accurately described his character as a business man.

During his youth he was reared and trained in a good Christian home, and was taught the lessons of industry and honor. He was also a student in the local schools, and completed his education at Fairmount Academy. In 1889 Mr. Winslow bought one hundred and eighty acres of fine farm land on section seventeen of Fairmount township. There he later constructed in 1904, probably one of the handsomest and most comfortable rural residences to be found anywhere in Grant county. It is a thoroughly modern structure, and while built to harmonize with its surroundings and on the basis of utility, its is really as luxurious as many of the best city homes. The farm establishments contain all the improvements that would be expected of the best Grant county homesteads, excellent barns, equipment of outbuildings and machinery of every kind, and the farm is well stocked with high grade cattle, hogs and horses. Mr. Winslow grows a great deal of alfalfa and feeds practically every pound of the crops produced on the land to his stock. He uses a silo with a capacity of eighty tons. His success has lain especially along the line of stock raising and on his place he grows many varieties of fruit also.

At Marion, Mr. Winslow married Ida Elliott, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Small) Elliott. Her parents still live in Fairmount, and her father was born on the site now occupied by the Soldiers' Home of Grant county, the land having been entered by his father, direct from the government. Isaac Elliott and wife are hale and hearty old people, and both have been members of the Quaker faith since birth. Mrs. Ida Winslow is the only daughter and child of her parents. She graduated from the Marion high school and the Fairmount Academy, and is a woman of cultured tastes and an excellent homemaker. She is the mother of two children. Isaac R. was born June 7, 1893, graduated from Fairmount Academy, and is now a student in Earlham College. Marcus R. was born December 17, 1901, and is now attending the grade schools. Both Mr. and Mrs. Winslow were born to membership in the Quaker church.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN VAN VACTOR. A well known resident of Center township, Benjamin Franklin Van Vactor has been an important factor in agricultural circles of Grant county, and his popularity is well deserved, as in him are embraced the characteristics of an unbending integrity, unabated energy, and an industry that never flags. While he has been an exceedingly busy man, with large personal interests, he has ever been public spirited, and is thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of the community where he has resided all of his life. He was born on a farm about one mile west of his present home, March 12, 1857, and is a son of Joseph and Margaret Burkel Van Vactor.

Joseph Van Vactor was born in Holland, and on emigrating to the United States, settled in Ohio, where his first wife, a native of Prussia, died. After his second marriage he came to Center township, Grant county, Indiana, and took up a tract of eighty acres across from the Soldiers' Home to the east, there continuing to reside until his death September 10, 1867, at which time he was the owner of five hundred and eighty acres of land. Mr. Joseph Van Vactor was a faithful member of the Methodist church, and took an active interest in its work, liberally supporting its various movements. He was the father of four children, all of whom are living at this time: Joseph, who is engaged in farming in Monroe township; Benjamin F., of this review; C. E., who was for twenty years cashier of the First National Bank of Marion, and is now superintendent of the United States Glove Factory in that city; and Mary E., who married Roland Ratliff, principal of public schools of Danville, Illinois.

Benjamin Franklin Van Vactor was educated in the public schools of Center township, and was about eighteen years of age when he completed his education and turned his entire attention to farming, in which he had been formerly engaged only during the summer months. Some six years later he was married and took up his residence about one-half mile east of his present home, and since that time has continued to add to his property, until he now owns two hundred and twenty-five acres. In addition he has a one-sixth interest in nine hundred and sixty acres of land in North Dakota. He is a skilled farmer, employing modern methods in his work, and securing excellent returns for the work he expends upon his property. His fellow citizens have recognized his general worth and the confidence and esteem in which he is held is evidence of the confidence he has inspired in those who know him.

In 1881 Mr. Van Vactor was married to Miss Jennie Caldwell, who was born and reared in Center township, where she secured her education in the public schools. Mrs. Van Vactor is a daughter of Nicholas and Anna (Nelson) Caldwell. Nicholas Caldwell was a native of Virginia, near Harpers Ferry, while his wife was born in Grant county, Indiana. Three children have been born to Mr. Van Vactor and wife: Grace L., a graduate of the common schools, is now the wife of Burr Wolff, formerly of Center township, but now residing in Montana on a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land, and they have five children�Faye Anna, Francis W., Ivan, Wayen W., and Lavon C. Lea A., formerly a teacher of music, is now the wife of Claude J. Stout, living near Ambrose, North Dakota, and they have one child, Lena Audra. Leo C., a bright lad of ten years, is living at home and a student in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Van Vactor are consistent members of the Griffin Chapel of the Methodist church. He is a Democrat in his political views, although not active, and his fraternal connection is with the F. M. B. A.

THOMAS J. BROOKSHIRE. No more estimable citizen may be found in Liberty township, nor no more capable and prospering farmer than Thomas J. Brookshire, who has been a resident of the state all his life and of Grant county since 1867. A veteran of the Civil war, his record is one of the highest honor and integrity, and he enjoys the unqualified esteem of the best people of his township, and wherever he is known. He was born in Henry county, Indiana, on November 26, 1844, the son of Emsley and Elizabeth (Shelley) Brookshire. The father was a native of North Carolina, and the mother of Tennessee, both of whom came to Indiana in the early days of their lives. The father entered land in Henry county, and in addition to his farming activities, was widelyknown as an itinerant preacher of the Wesleyan faith. He lived and died on the land he obtained from the government, there rearing a family of ten children, of whom two are yet living at this writing. Besides the subject, the only other survivor is Sarah A., who married Joshua Nuby of the state of California, and there resides. Three of their sons among which was Thomas J. of this review, served in the Civil war.

Thomas J. Brookshire was reared on the Henry county farm of his parents, and attended the district schools of his community. He was still very young when he enlisted in Company E of the Ninth Indiana Cavalry from Henry county, of which he was made first corporal, and he rendered a service approximating almost three years during the course of the war, the same being characterized by the most valiant action throughout. He was discharged in 1865, when the last gun had been fired, and the period of his service embraced some of the most exciting campaigns of the long civil conflict. He participated in the Vicksburg campaign and the Atlanta Campaign; and fought in many of the most hotly contested battles of the war. Following his discharge he returned to the Henry county farm, devoting himself quietly to farm life.

In 1866 he married Clementine Akers, of Rush County, Indiana, and to them were born ten children, six of whom are living at this writing. They are Leroy; Anna, the wife of John Dare; Jesse, living in Missouri; Cornelius, living near Hackelman; Nixon H., of Liberty township; and Nettie, the wife of Leroy Saders. Sixteen grandchildren have been added to the progeny of the family, and one great-grandchild, James Frederick Smith.

The year 1867 marked the removal of the family from Henry county to Grant county, and here he has a fine farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Liberty township. In the years that passed he has acquired title to a goodly bit of land in the county, at one time owning as high as five hundred acres. His present holdings, however, are sufficient for his demands, and here he is busy in the breeding of Percheron and Belgian horses, while the finest grade of shorthorn cattle may be found on his place. He has prospered all his days in his farming enterprise, and his neighbors know him for a successful man, as well as one of the most trustworthy men in the township, where he has a wide circle of stanch friends, as have the other members of his worthy family. He helped organize the Citizens Bank of Fairmount, was a director of the institution for several years and now a heavy stockholder and a director of the Fairmount State Bank.

Mr. Brookshire is a member of the G. A. R., and has served the local post as commander at times. He and his family are members of the Wesleyan church at Backcreek, taking an active part in the varied enterprises of that body, and in his politics Mr. Brookshire is a Progressive Republican. He is a man who ever manifests a good citizen's interest in political affairs relative to his own community at least, and is now serving on the Advisory Board of his township, where he has performed a valuable service for the town. He is known to be one of the progressive men of the county, not content to live in the past, but up and doing with the most advanced men of his community in both thought and action.

Deb Murray