Frederick W. Nolte, deceased, formerly a farmer and land owner on a large scale, was born in Prussia, Germany, June 14, 1847, and died August 20, 1899. He was a son of August and Charlotte (Schwartz) Nolte, natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1856, locating at Evansville, Ind., where he followed the occupation of shoemaker. Frederick Nolte obtained a good German education in the schools of Germany, but his English education was acquired by his own efforts. At the age of thirteen years he began clerking in a dry goods, boot and shoe establishment in Evansville, continuing there for a number of years, and then going into an exclusive dry goods store. Here he remained seven years. Later he became managing proprietor of a large dry goods store, but discontinued this after eighteen months and became a traveling salesman, which vocation he followed successfully for five years. In 1880 he removed to Mt. Vernon and bought 1,400 acres of land, at once becoming a successful farmer on a large scale. Frederick Nolte was twice married. His first wife was Miss Lizzie Link, whom he married in 1875, but who lived but seven months after their marriage. On April 23, 1879, Mr. Nolte married Miss Mary Ann Evison, daughter of James and Mary Ann (Broadhead) Evison. She was born May 10 , 1855, in Mt. Vernon. Her father was born March 16, 1809, in England and came to America by way of New Orleans at the age of twenty-five. He died September 5, 1873, at Mt. Vernon, where he had been a merchant tailor. He was a consistent member of the Episcopal church. During the Civil war he was a member of the State Home Guards. Mr. Evison was married, August 13, 1839, to Miss Mary Ann Broadhead, daughter of William and Mary Ann (Baldwin) Broadhead. Mary Ann Broadhead was born April 12, 1813, and died August 3, 1883. They had seven children, all of whom died in infancy except Mary Ann, who became Mrs. Frederick Nolte. Mr. and Mrs. Nolte had six children, four daughters and two sons: Mary Evison, born September 17, 1880, graduated from the Mt. Vernon High School and became a teacher of note in the State, married E. M. Spencer, Jr. (see sketch of Elijah M. Spencer), November 30, 1900, and they have one child, Elizabeth, born July 20, 1901; Lola Evison, born November 3, 1881; Frederick Evison, born February 25, 1884; James Evison, born April 2, 1885; Lucy Isabel, born January 1, 1892; Emily, born August 9, 1894.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

George Washington Robertson, deceased, inventor, banker and public official, was born December 22, 1842, in Connersville, Ind., son of Thomas and Lydia (Frost) Robertson, natives of Westchester county, New York. He was the eldest of five children. After finishing high school he became a clerk to a quartermaster in the United States Navy at the age of nineteen. At the age of twenty-one he was commissioned paymaster of the flag ship "Carondelet" for a fleet of twenty-one vessels. On account of sickness he resigned after a service of four years, and after remaining one year at a sanitarium in New York he entered the college at Marietta, Ohio, taking the full collegiate course. He then took a commercial course in Chicago, all at his own expense. He became clerk in a bank at Muncie, Ind., and later in Evansville, Ind. In 1880 he organized the Monticello National Bank at Monticello, Ind., becoming its cashier and its active head. Three years later he came to Mt. Vernon and became assistant cashier of the First National Bank. Under President Harrison's administration he was appointed chief of the redemption division of the United States Treasury, holding this office ten years. He assisted in counting all the funds in the United States treasury for both the outgoing and incoming administrations of Presidents Cleveland and Harrison. Mr. Robertson also was an inventor, having patented the Robertson machine gun, which he sold to the Government for use in the army and navy. He had a number of other patents, among which was the automobile seat. He retired from active life in 1899 and died July 5, 1912. In politics he was a Republican and his fraternal affiliations were with the Knights Templars. On June 10, 1875, Mr. Robertson married Miss Anna Pullar Lockwood, daughter of John M. and Caroline Charlotte (Newman) Lockwood. She was born November 23, 1852, at Evansville, Ind. John M. Lockwood was a descendant of Edmund Lockwood, who came with Governor Winthrop and his Pilgrim band in 1630. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson had one child, Estella Lockwood. She lives with her mother at 604 Main street, Mt. Vernon, on Lot No. 179, corner of Main and Sixth streets, which is the same lot on which the first school house in Posey county was built. Miss Robertson is an expert musician and a teacher of theory, harmony and composition. She was educated in Chicago and in Washington, D. C. Mrs. Robertson is a literary woman, making frequent contributions to the press on historic subjects and on present day matters of general interest.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Hon. William Gonnerman Success in any line of occupation, in any avenue of business, is not a matter of spontaneity, but represents the result of the application of definite subjective forces and the controlling of objective agencies in such a way as to achieve desired ends. Mr. Gonnerman has realized a large and substantial success in the business world and his career has well exemplified the truth of the foregoing statements. He occupies today a large place in the commercial circles of the city of Mt. Vernon and is a potential force in its most important industry. He has large and varied capitalistic interests and is one of the distinctively representative men of Posey county. Progressive and energetic in the management of these varied affairs, loyal and public spirited as a citizen, he holds a secure position in the confidence and esteem of the community and has contributed in large measure to the industrial advancement of Mt. Vernon. He is vice-president of the Keck-Gonnerman Company and the People's Bank and Trust Company and president of the Industrial Brick Company, specifically mentioned on other pages of this volume. William Gonnerman is a native of Germany and was born in Solz, county of Rodenberg, Province of Hessen-Nassau, on January 5, 1856, the son of Adam and Martha (Ripple) Gonnerman. The father, Adam Gonnerman, owned and managed a bakery in the town of Solz, having learned the trade when a boy, and the business has, since his death, been conducted by his son-in-law. Mrs. Gonnerman survived the death of her husband but three years, passing to her reward in 1904. The surviving children by this union are: Catherine, the widow of Johann Schaefer, machinist of Sontra, Germany; Christina, the wife of William Shaus, a farmer of Armstrong, Vanderburg county, Indiana; Conrad, foreman of the Louisville & Nashville railroad's freight depot in Evansville; Rudolph, in the forestry service of the German government; William, the subject of this review; Henry, secretary of insurance for the Province of Nassau ; Elizabeth, the wife of George Gross, of Sontra ; Herman, a retired baker, of Eschwege, Germany; Eliza, the wife of Fred Eichholz, a saloonkeeper, of Cassel; Christian, proprietor of a bakery in Eschwege, Germany; and Julia, the wife of Henry Abel, baker, of Solz, Germany, and successor to Adam Gonnerman. Adam J. Gonnerman, the eldest child of this union, died in 1883. William Gonnerman received his education in the public schools of his native town, was apprenticed to the machinist's trade, which he learned under his brother-in-law, Johann Shaefer, and became a journeyman machinist at the age of seventeen. In 1873 he decided to avail himself of the broader opportunities offered in the United States. He landed at Castle Garden, and later came to Evansville, Ind. He secured employment in the foundry and machine shops of Conrad Gratz, and was made foreman in 1878, a position which he creditably filled until 1884. In the year mentioned he removed to Mt. Vernon, and here instituted his first independent business venture. With John Keck and Henry Kippler he formed the firm of Keck, Gonnerman & Co., and engaged in the foundry business. From the modest enterprise thus established has been developed the extensive and important industry of the Keck-Gonnerman Company, the most important industrial plant in Posey county, and one of the largest and most successful in southwestern Indiana. As vice-president in charge of the manufacturing and sales departments of the company he has been responsible for the high standard of quality maintained in its products, their efficiency in performance, and improvement in design. That he possesses the qualifications necessary to the successful management of the departments under his charge is proven by the highly satisfactory growth of the business of the corporation. He is also president of the Industrial Brick Company, of Mt. Vernon, of which he and Louis A. Keck were the principal organizers. A review of these enterprises is found in the chapter, "Manufacturing and Commercial Enterprises," to which the reader is referred for supplemental information. In 1908 he, with Charles A. Greathouse, organized the People's Bank and Trust Company, of Mt. Vernon. He was elected vice-president on its incorporation and is still serving in that capacity. A review of this institution is found in the chapter, "Banks and Banking." For some time he was the senior member of the form of William Gonnerman & Co., who owned and operated the electric lighting plant at Mt. Vernon. Mr. Gonnerman has always taken an active interest in the questions of the day and he has actively supported, both with time and money, those measures which have had for their object the betterment of civic, commercial and social conditions. He is a Republican. He was elected to the city council in 1893 and served for ten years. He introduced the measure, which was passed, providing the fund for the building of the present city hall, and it was through his efforts that modern fire equipment was provided by the city. He was elected to the State senate in 1904 and served one term, which included the regular sessions of 1907 and 1909 and the special session of 1908. He was made chairman of one of the most important of the committees, that of manufactures, and was a member of those on banks and banking, agriculture, executive appointments, labor, fees and salaries, claims and expenditures, and congressional apportionment. He refused to become a candidate for renomination, as his business affairs required his attention. His election to the senate was a distinct personal victory, as he received a majority of 198 in a district having a normal Democratic majority of 600. Mr. Gonnerman is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Criterion lodge, Knights of Pythias, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a member and generous supporter of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Gonnerman married, on September 7, 1875, Miss Lena Alexander, the daughter of Henry Alexander, a farmer of Rheinfaltz, of Germany. She died on April 5, 1891. They were the parents of the following children: Margaret, born November 13, 1876, the wife of Joseph Forthoffer, a machinist in the employ of the Keck-Gonnerman Company; Catherine, born July 20, 1878, the wife of William Espencheid, an attorney of Mt. Vernon, a sketch of whom is published in this work; Caroline, born May 15, 1880, the wife of Ray Smith, lumber dealer of Mt. Vernon; William H. Gonnerman, born July 23, 1884, mechanical engineer, Keck-Gonnerman Company, and a graduate of Purdue University, class of 1906, and Lena, born December 31, 1888.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

William Mason Holton, M. D. Among the physicians and surgeons of Indiana who attained a distinction merited by years of study, observation and practice, was he whose name initiates this article. An active practitioner in his profession for fifty-eight years, he equaled, in length of service, the record of American practice. Doctor Holton was born in Westminster, Vt., on July 15, 1827, a son of William and Betsey (Mason) Holton. His ancestors, paternal and maternal, were among the early settlers of America, and numbered among them are men who achieved distinction in the frontier life of those early days, in the commercial era which followed, in the French and Indian wars, and later in the War of the Revolution. The Holton family was founded in America by William Holton, a native of Ipswich, England, who came to the Massachusetts Colony in 1634. He removed to Hartford, Conn., in 1636, where he was one of the first settlers, and died in Northampton, Mass., August 12, 1691. He was a member of the first board of magistrates and a representative to the grand court. Doctor Holton is descended from William Holton as follows: John, the son of William, born in Hartford, died in Northampton, Mass., April 14, 1712. William, son of John, a resident of Northampton, Mass., died in 1756; John, son of William, was born in Northampton, Mass., August 24, 1707, died in Northfield, Mass., October, 1793. Joel, son of John, born in Northfield, Mass., July 10, 1738, died August 12, 1821. He was one of the twelve original settlers of Westminster, Vt., built and owned the first saw mill in the town, and was one of its most influential citizens. His brother, Solomon Holton, was a lieutenant in the Colonial army and served throughout the War of the Revolution. William, the son of Joel, was born in Westminster, Vt., July 26, 1771. He was a farmer and removed to McDonough county, Illinois, in 1835, where he died in 1857. His son, William, born in Westminster, Vt., October 31, 1801, was the father of Doctor Holton. He was a farmer, and with his father settled in McDonough county, Illinois, in 1835. He married, on September 15, 1826, at Cavendish, Vt., Betsey Mason, a member of a pioneer family of that State. William Mason Holton acquired his literary education in the public schools of Vermont and Illinois. He later determined to make the practice of medicine his life work and entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York City, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1852. Following his graduation he spent one year in practice in that city. In 1853 he removed to Plymouth, Ill., practicing his profession in that town until 1859, when he came to Posey county, Indiana, and located in Stewartsville. Doctor Holton served for about two years in support of the Union cause in the Civil war. He enlisted in 1861 in Company D, Sixtieth Indiana volunteer infantry, and became lieutenant of his company. He was transferred by Governor Morton, in 1862, to the Twenty-fifth Indiana and served as assistant surgeon of that regiment until 1863, when he was compelled to resign on account of ill health. In 1863 he located at New Harmony, his place of residence until his death, which occurred on December 13, 1910. As a physician and surgeon he was considered one of the most able in his section of the State. Until his death, at the age of eighty-three, he continued to keep up his interest in the advancement of the science of medicine. He possessed a large library, which was well selected and of wide range. He was a student all his life, a great reader, and kept abreast of the times, not only as to his profession, but upon general subjects as well. He was a member of the Posey County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. The meetings of these organizations were his opportunity for relaxation from practice, kept him in touch with fellow practitioners and the advancement in medicine and surgery. He seldom failed to attend these gatherings, even during his latter years. He took an active interest in the political affairs of his county and State, was a Republican from the birth of the party, and influential in the councils of his local organizations. He had neither inclination nor time for public office, although frequently urged to become a candidate. Doctor Holton married, at Elizabethtown, Essex county, New York, on March 11, 1853, Miss Caroline E. Cuyler, the daughter of Col. E. S. Cuyler, a prominent lawyer of Essex, and a member of one of the pioneer families of that section of the State. She was born in Essex, Essex county, on December 24, 1833 and died in New Harmony, March 8, 1873. They were parents of eight children, five of whom are living. They are as follows: Mrs. Fannie C. Kight, of Washburn, Ill.; Mrs. Cornelia Catherine Brigham, of Chicago, Ill.; Mrs. Minnie G. Bailey, the wife of William S. Bailey, lawyer of Tulsa, Okla.; William E. Holton, cashier of the Mt. Vernon National Bank, a review of whose life follows this sketch; and Frank C. Holton, of Plymouth, Ill., an employe of the Post Office Department, rural mail service. Those deceased are: Emma E.. who married Leo Kahn, of Evansville, Ind.; Charlotte E., who was the wife of August Duysing, of Evansville; and Mary Alice, who died August 4, 1875. The tributes of respect, and in many cases of affection, called forth by the death of Doctor Holton have seldom been equaled in Posey county in the passing away of a citizen. His life work was finished; it had met to a great extent the fullness of his ambition. But infinitely more precious and of personal consequence to him was the fact that he died rich in the possession of a well earned popularity, and in the affection that slowly develops only from unselfish works.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

William Edward Holton. The growth and development of Posey county, particularly its commercial and industrial development, has been accomplished by and with the assistance of its financial institutions. In the conduct of the business of its banks opportunity has been given many men to exercise not only their financial talents, but to greatly assist in molding public opinion along constructive, productive and progressive lines. In this respect no man has been a more consistent supporter of and worker for those measures which have had for their object the growth of the commercial and industrial enterprises of the county than he whose name initiates this article. William Edward Holton, cashier of the Mt. Vernon National Bank and treasurer of the People's Loan and Savings Association, was born in Stewartsville, Robb township, Posey county, on November 27, 1861, the son of the late William M. Holton, a prominent physician of the county, a personal review of whom precedes this article, and his wife, Caroline E. Cuyler. He acquired his education in the schools of his native county and was graduated from the New Harmony High School in 1881, a member of its first class, which had but two members, our subject and his step-sister (Miss Mollie Foetageot, now Mrs. John M. Hale, of Oklahoma City). From 1881 to 1883, he was engaged in teaching in Harmony and Bethel townships. In the last named year he initiated his banking career by entering the employ of the Mt. Vernon Banking Company in the capacity of individual bookkeeper. He was made assistant cashier in 1889 and elected cashier in 1898. Since the death of Charles A. Parke, its president, in 1900, he has been the controlling executive. The history of the Mt. Vernon Banking Company and of its successor, the Mt. Vernon National Bank, since his employment by the former institution, is the history of Mr. Holton's identification with the banking life of Indiana. An article descriptive of this bank is included in the chapter on "Banks and Banking," to which the reader may consistently refer for supplemental information. He is known to the banking fraternity as a close student, not only of banking, but of commercial and industrial methods and conditions, and is considered one of the most able financiers of Southern Indiana. He was one of the organizers of the Germania Loan and Savings Association, incorporated in 1887, and served as treasurer until the business was voluntarily liquidated in 1907. He is treasurer of the People's Loan and Savings Association, incorporated in December, 1905, and was one of its organizers. He has been a member and active supporter of the various commercial organizations of the city of Mt. Vernon. His efforts in assisting these organizations to attract manufacturing and commercial enterprises to locate in the city have been second to none; while his individual services along this line have been of inestimable value. Mr. Holton has always taken a keen interest in the questions of the day and has been actively identified with the political life of his county and State. He is a Republican. Political office has never appealed to him. He is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of Criterion Lodge, Knights of' Pythias. Mr. Holton married on June 25, 1890, Miss Otillie E. Brinkman, the daughter of Henry Brinkman, pioneer manufacturer and merchant of Mt. Vernon, personal mention of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. They are the parents of one child, a daughter, Margaret Cuyler Holton, born August 18, 1899. The family have long been prominent in the social life of the county and the attractive home in Mt. Vernon is known for its gracious hospitality. Mrs. Holton is a member of the Episcopal church and active in the charitable and social work of that organization.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Judge William P. Edson (deceased), formerly an eminent jurist of Posey county, was born May 14, 1834, in Mt. Vernon, where he resided all his life and where he was the first mayor of the town. His father, the Hon. Eben D. Edson, was an early settler and a talented lawyer of Southwestern Indiana who came from Otsego county, New York, in 1828 and located in Mt. Vernon, where he resided until his death on March 4, 1846. He held several offices of trust and was representative in the legislature and at the time of his death was prosecuting attorney of Posey county. Sarah L. Phelps, the mother of Judge Edson, was a native of Litchfield, Conn., and removed to Leavenworth, Ind., where she was married. She lived to see her son attain a high position among his fellow men, who placed unlimited confidence in his ability and worth. Her death occurred September 2, 1868. William Edson entered the schools of Mt. Vernon when quite young and later obtained an excellent education in the seminary at that place. Before reaching manhood he had read every book in the public library of Posey county that was calculated to be of benefit to him in later years. He was a close student, consequently his mind was a storehouse containing the main facts in the many valuable works he read. After finishing his education he obtained a position as teacher in a country school. He then taught two terms at Mt. Vernon. At the age of nineteen he began the study of law in the office of Judge John Pitcher, and, after two years, was admitted to practice. In October, 1856, he was elected representative to the legislature, being the youngest member of that body. He was placed on some very important committees, among which was the joint senate and house committee on the State library, of which he was chairman. He introduced a bill providing for the geological survey of the State, to aid in its mineral development, and made several important speeches advocating its passage, on which he was highly complimented by the leading newspapers of the State. It was adopted at the next session of the legislature. In 1858 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Posey and Gibson counties and held that position one term. In 1871 he was appointed judge of the court of common pleas for Posey, Gibson, Vanderburg and Warrick counties, in which capacity he distinguished himself by his knowledge of law and his business dispatch. On January I, 1862, Judge Edson married Erruphene Lockwood, of Mt. Vernon, and to this union five children were born: Eben Darwin, born November 9, 1862, died November 15, 1879; Louisa Lockwood, born May 17, 1864, died August 15, 1865; Sarah Phelps, born June 21, 1866, now the wife of Judge James W. Henson, of Henderson, Ky.; John Murrey, of Evansville, Ind., born November 28, 1868; Caroline Charlotte, born December 27, 1873. Caroline became the wife of Amos Erwin September 6, 1893, by whom she had one child, Edson Lockwood, born September 12, 1897. She took as her second husband James Humber, a Mississippi cotton planter, to whom she was married July 12, 1910. Mrs. Edson, the esteemed wife of Judge Edson, is a daughter of John M. Lockwood, a prominent pioneer of Southern Indiana, born in Westchester county, Sew York, April 24, 1809. In 1852 he removed to Mt. Vernon, where he died April 30, 1902. He was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, was active in public life in Posey county, being one of the founders of the First National Bank of Mt. Vernon, in which he was a large stockholder and of which he was president for sixteen years. He served in this capacity without compensation other than from the dividends upon his stockholdings in the institution.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Silas Green Howard, former auditor of Posey county, junior member of the firm of Hoehn & Howard, a leading real estate and insurance firm of Mt. Vernon, was born in Obian county, Tennessee, August 25, 1858, the son of William A. and Louisa E. (Roden) Howard. The Howard family is of Irish ancestry, was founded in the Virginia colony previous to the War of the Revolution, and was also early settlers of Tennessee. The Roden family came to Kentucky during its formative period. William A. Howard was reared a farmer, but later became a wagon maker. His death occurred in 1881, and that of his wife in 1893. Both are buried in Mt. Vernon, of which they became residents in 1873. Silas Green Howard acquired his education in the schools of his native state and in Posey county, graduating from the Mt. Vernon High School in 1878. Following his graduation he became a teacher in the schools of Mt. Vernon, in 1883 he resigned as principal of the East Ward School to accept the position of deputy auditor of Posey county and remained in this office through the administrations of George Green and Thomas J. Johnson. He was elected auditor of the county in 1898 and re-elected in 1902. His service as auditor and as deputy was creditable to himself and his constituents. He has always been a consistent advocate of the principles and policies of the Democratic party. He formed in 1908, with George L. Hoehn, the firm of Hoehn & Howard, with which he has since been identified. The firm is a leader in the real estate and insurance field in Posey county and its principles are recognized as among the progressive and successful men of their county. Mr. Howard married on September 24, 1902, Miss Catherine Mann, a daughter of Philip Mann, a successful business man of Mt. Vernon. They are the parents of two children: Catherine Louisa Howard, born August 16, 1903, and William Philip Howard, born November 16, 1907. Mr. Howard is a member of the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Francis Braddock MacGregor (deceased), formerly a manufacturer and land owner on a large scale, veteran of the Civil war, was born at Highland, W. Va., July 24, 1845. His parents, who were natives of Scotland, had eight children: John, Sarah, Florence, Francis B., Susana, James F., Joseph P. and William Alexander, all deceased, except James F. and William Alexander, the last named being in the planing mill business in Mt. Vernon. Francis Braddock was left an orphan at the early age of eight years, and went to live with his grandparents at Marietta, Ohio, where he received a public school education. At the age of sixteen years he enlisted in Company B, Seventy-seventh Ohio regiment, and served four years in the Civil war, attaining the rank of sergeant. He was in many important battles, was taken prisoner once, but never wounded. He was discharged at the close of the war with an excellent record. He came to Posey county, Indiana, and purchased a farm near Mt. Vernon. A year later he engaged in the saw milling and grain threshing business, and in 1873 returned to Cairo, W. Va. Here he followed mercantile pursuits until November, 1876, when he returned to Posey county and took up his residence at Farmersville, and resumed the saw milling business. In 1880 he and his brother, William A., bought a farm of 1,000 acres on the Wabash river, clearing this farm and sawing up the timber. In 1883 he removed to Mt. Vernon and March I, 1881, purchased a one-half interest in the saw mill and stave factory owned by Ford & Vandergrift, retaining Ford as a partner and later having a chain of mills in Mississippi and buying large tracts of timbered land in that State. He founded the town of Ritchie, Miss., and was a successful promoter on a large scale, accumulating quite a fortune. He was a liberal donor to charity. Mr. MacGregor was a Republican in politics, and his fraternal affiliations were with the Knights Templar Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and the Elks. He belonged to the Presbyterian church. He served four years as a member of the city council from the second ward and being public-spirited and progressive he was instrumental in having the streets of Mt. Vernon paved. In 1880, he, with Mr. Ford, his partner, installed the electric lighting system. Mr. MacGregor died at Ritchie, Miss., November 24, 1906, and his remains were brought to Mt. Vernon for burial. On January 21, 1869, occurred the marriage of Francis Braddock MacGregor and Miss Louise Catherine Monroe, daughter of Edwin and Miranda (North) Monroe. She was born June 7, 1550, in Mt. Vernon, Ind. Her father was born in New York in 1815, his parents being natives of Scotland. He came to Mt. Vernon at the age of sixteen and was a brick mason. He later bought a farm four miles north of town and farmed for forty-seven years prior to his death, which occurred January 31, 1899. He was married July 15, 1840, and had thirteen children as follows: Julia A., Darius North, Mary Jane, Charles P., Louise Catherine, Nathaniel Stewart, Alvin Hovey, Emily, William, Ira Hackett, James Madison, Edwin Sherman and Derusha Ella. Mr. and Mrs. MacGregor had three children: Olive, born October 11, 1869, married Frank M. Smith, June 27, 1894, had one child, Francis MacGregor, born April 5, 1900, and lost her husband January 6, 1900; Inez, born October I, 1872; Charles Monroe, born June 2, 1876, graduate of Purdue University, at Lafayette, Ind., now an electrician of Mt. Vernon. Charles Married Miss Mabel Clair Highman, on November 27, 1907, and they have one child, Sarah Catherine, born December 2, 1908.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

William Espenschied, prominent attorney, popular citizen, and senior member of the law firm of Espenschied & Curtis, of Mt. Vernon, was born at Leavenworth, Kan., April 27, 1876, the son of Peter and Katherine (Schnarr) Espenschied. Mr. Espenschied was reared in the city of Mt. Vernon, of which his parents became residents in 1878, was graduated from its high school in 1892, and completed a two-year course in the State University at Bloomington. From 1895 until 1897, he was engaged in teaching in the public schools of Posey county. He then read law and was admitted to practice in 1898. In November of the last named year he was appointed deputy prosecuting attorney for the Eleventh judicial district, composed of Posey and Gibson counties. He remained in this position until 1901, when he became prosecuting attorney of this district, having been elected in 1900. He was elected to succeed himself in 1902. His record in the office was creditable to himself and to his constituents. Following his retirement, in 1905, he resumed the practice of law, and in 1910 formed with Hon. George William Curtis the firm of Espenschied & Curtis. During the years of his practice, Mr. Espenschied has appeared in connection with important litigations in both the State and Federal courts, and is recognized by members of the bar as an able and conscientious practitioner. He is a member of the Masonic order and of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Espenschied married, on October 30, 1901, Miss Katherine Gonnerman, daughter of Hon. William Gonnerman, a personal review of whom appears elsewhere in this work. They are the parents of one child, William Peter Espenschied, born August 28, 1903.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Kelly De Fur, clerk of the circuit court of Posey county, was born on his father's farm near Wadesville, Center township, on May 5, 1875, the son of Theophilus and Eliza (Wade) De Fur. He is of French ancestry on the paternal side, the De Fur family having been founded in America during the Colonial period, when his ancestors came from France to the Carolina colony. The family dates its founding in Posey county from the settlement in Robb township of De Fur, the great-grandfather of our subject. Thomas De Fur, his son, became a man of influence in his township, was a farmer, a lifelong Democrat, and supported the Christian church. Theophilus, the son of Thomas and father of our subject, was born in Robb township. He was a carpenter and cabinet maker. He sold furniture, made coffins, and acted as the undertaker of that district. He married Eliza Wade, the daughter of Thomas Wade, a native of South Carolina, and a pioneer resident of Center township. He was a successful farmer, influential, and founder of the town of Wadesville. Theophilus De Fur and wife were the parents of four children, three of whom survive his death, which occurred on January 24, 1886. They are: William E. De Fur, a machinist of Ashton, Ill.; Kelly, the subject of this sketch, and Omar, born May 18, 1885, of Wadesville, with whom the mother resides. A son, Thomas, died an infant. Kelly De Fur received his education in the schools of Center township, working during his boyhood years as a farm hand. In 1893, he entered the employ of Thomas D. Shelton, grain dealer of Wadesville, as bookkeeper and buyer, remaining in this position until 1895, when he became a clerk in the general store of James Cross, Wadesville. In 1904, he formed a partnership with Walter Williams, under the firm name of De Fur & Williams, and they engaged in the hardware business at Wadesville. He disposed of his interest in this enterprise in 1905 and secured a position as a traveling salesman, which he followed until March, 1906, when he formed with Louis Schlosser, a brother-in-law, the firm of De Fur & Schlosser, general merchants, Wadesville. In 1909, the interest of Mr. Schlosser was bought by John A. Wade, and the firm style changed to De Fur & Wade. The business was liquidated in 1911. Subsequently, Mr. De Fur, a lifelong Democrat, received the nomination of clerk of the circuit court, and was elected by more than the normal majority. He entered office on January I, 1913. Since his incumbency of the office, the administration of its business affairs have been such as to receive public commendation. He is an untiring worker, his courtesy is unfailing, and he possesses the qualifications for the successful conduct of the office. Mr. De Fur is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Modern Woodmen of America. He married on November 3, 1898, Miss Emma Schlosser, the daughter of Christian Schlosser, a well known farmer of Wadesville. They are the parents of two children: Dale De Fur, born June 3, 1900, and Clyde De Fur, born January 1, 1910.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Charles Smith, Jr., founder of the retail lumber firm of Charles Smith & Sons, well known citizen of Posey county, and veteran of the Civil war, was a native of Germany, born in Baden on June 8, 1844, the son of Carl Schmidt, who brought his family to the United States in 1852, and first settled in Shawneetown, Ill. He afterwards removed to Carmi, that State, and later became a resident of Mt. Vernon, Ind., where he was engaged in the saw mill and lumber business, from which he retired in 1890, and died in Mt. Vernon in 1902. Charles Smith, Jr., as the name is now spelled, enlisted in Company F, Eighty-seventh Illinois volunteer mounted infantry on August 15, 1862, and served for three years with his regiment, being mustered out in Helena, Ark., June 16, 1865. On the conclusion of his military service he entered the employ of Charles Schaurnberger, a retail grocer of Mt. Vernon. About 1868, he formed with his father, the firm of Charles Smith & Son, and engaged in the manufacture of lumber, their mill being at the corner of Sycamore and Saw Mill streets. In 1882, Louis Smith, a brother, was admitted to partnership, and the firm named changed to Charles Smith & Sons. In 1886, the entire plant was destroyed by fire, the loss suffered being a total one, as they carried no insurance. Two years later the business was moved to its present location on Second street. In 1890, the elder Smith retired and the business was continued by the sons under the firm style of Charles Smith, Jr., & Brother. In 1901, Louis Smith retired from the firm, and Mr. Smith's four sons were admitted to partnership, under the present name of Charles Smith, Jr., & Sons. On January 24 of the following year, 1902, Mr. Smith died, his life work ended, and which included one of his cherished wishes; the establishing of his sons in the business which he had developed until it was the leading one in its line in Posey county. He was a man of strict integrity, of warm friendships, a home builder; a predominant characteristic of whom was his fatherliness, his great foresight in caring for his own, and his tender sympathy with them was conspicuous in his life. He believed in the family and the fireside, and in the sacredness of the hearth. Mr. Smith married on January 7, 1869, Miss Lizsette Armbruster, the daughter of Barnabus Armbruster, a well known farmer of Black township, and a native of Germany. She was born on September 2, 1844, in Marrs township, Posey county. They were the parents of seven children, five of whom, with their mother, survive. They are in order of birth as follows: Charles Edward, born February 14, 1871; William Lee, born February 20, 1874; Clinton F., born December 19, 1876; Ira A., born December 28, 1878, all of whom are members of the firm of Charles Smith, Jr., & Sons; Winona A., born March 28, 1882, the wife of Otto Weilbrenner, of Mt. Vernon; Ordella M., born November 20, 1869, and Ruby, born July 4, 1885, are deceased. The business of Charles Smith, Jr., & Sons, owned by the four sons of its founder and their mother, is conceded to be, by those in the lumber industry, one of the best managed enterprises of its kind in Southern Indiana. They operate a planing mill, carry a general line of rough and dressed lumber, and finished builders' material. The buildings are models of their kind and equipped with modern labor saving devices for the satisfactory conduct of the business. The buildings and yards occupy a space having a frontage on Second street of 148 feet, and extending back to the Ohio river. The plant represents an investment of $18,000, one half million feet of lumber is carried in stock and the average sales per year total $40,000. In the conduct of the business Charles E. Smith is in charge of the mill and yards, Clinton F. Smith is the buyer, William Lee Smith, who is an architect, the sales department, and Ira F. Smith is the office manager.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Joseph Milton Causey, sheriff of Posey county, successful agriculturist and prominent citizen, was born on his father's farm in Lynn township on February 27, 1864, the son of David Bryant and Margaret E. (Cox) Causey. The family was founded in Indiana in 1830, when Hutson Bryant Causey, born in North Carolina, in 1795, came to Posey county and settled in Center township, where David Bryant was born on July 1, 1840. The latter married in early manhood, Margaret E. Cox, the daughter of David Cox, who was also a pioneer resident of Center township. Hutson Causey and his son, David, were farmers. They underwent the hardships incident to the development of a wilderness, cleared away the forest and made productive farm lands from it, were active and influential in the various phases of the life of their period, and performed men's work at a time when living was a strenuous performance and success was obtained only through hard work and the enduring of many privations. Hutson Bryant Causey died in 1872, aged seventy-seven. His son, David Bryant, on September 13, 1900. Margaret Cox Causey preceded her husband to the rest eternal on October 1, 1892. They were the parents of eight children: Jane D., born December 11, 1861, is the wife of Daniel Willis, a farmer, who resides near Dexter, Mo.; Joseph M., the subject of this review; Maria, born June 3, 1866, the wife of Henry Travers, a farmer of Center township; William H., born January 10, 1870, a farmer, residing at Mt. Vernon; Emma B., born September 20, 1872, the wife of Henry Shaffer, a farmer of Lynn township; Sarah J., born March 30? 1875, the wife of Elvis Wiley, also a farmer of Lynn township; Enoch E., born December 30, 1877, a farmer of Lynn township, and Seth L., born January 22, 1880, of Lynn township. Joseph Milton Causey was reared on his father's farm and acquired his education in the district schools of Lynn and Center townships. Reared a farmer, he has continued in that line of endeavor, and has made a success of it. His farm property, which consists of 170 acres, is situated near Wadesville, in Center township, its improvements, which include a modern residence, erected in 1913, are of the best, and in the conduct of his farm work, he is recognized as one of the most progressive agriculturists in the county. To the citizens of Posey county, Mr. Causey is best known through his service as sheriff, a position he has filled since 1910, although he had attained prominence in public life as trustee of Center township, an office to which he was elected in 1900, and in which he served from November 16 of that year until January 1, 1905. During his incumbency of this office he built some twelve miles of new dirt roadway, repaired or reconstructed nearly all of the bridges in the township, and secured the addition of high school work in the schools. He left the office with a cash balance of about $1,000 more than when he entered it, and notwithstanding the large expenditures necessary for the improvements made by him, was able to reduce the tax levy from sixty-three to fifty-five cents. He has been a lifelong Democrat. He has always taken an active part in the work of his party, has been influential in its councils, and his record as trustee of his township was such as to secure for him the nomination for sheriff in 1908, which was followed by his election by a flattering majority. He entered upon the duties of his office on January 1, 1910, and his administration of the business of this department of the county's official service has been commended for its efficiency. He has always made good as a farmer, as trustee, and as sheriff. His methods have been clean, capable and honest, and he possesses a popularity which is deserved. He is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Posey Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and Wadesville Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Causey married, on August 10, 1884, Miss Laura Travers, the daughter of Joseph A. Travers, a well known farmer of Harmony township. They adopted, in 1894, a son, Edwin A. Causey, who is the manager of the Causey farm in Center township. He married, on July 11, 1909, Miss Lois Wade, the daughter of James A. Wade, a farmer of Center township. They are the parents of two children: Ralph Causey, born November 6, 191 I, and Joseph Merle Causey, born January 27, 1913. James M., born May 18, 1910, died January 26, 1911.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Dr. Arno Klein, a popular and successful young physician of Mt. Vernon, is a native of Posey county. He was born at Mt. Vernon, November 19, 1886, and is a son of Charles P. and Catherine (Schwerdt) Klein. The former is a native of Alzei, Germany, and the latter of Evansville, Ind. The father came to America when a young man and, for several years, was engaged in buying furs. He then settled in Kentucky and engaged in the general mercantile business at a place which he named Alzei, after his native city. He remained there until 1882, when he came to Mt. Vernon and engaged in the grocery business, which he has successfully conducted ever since, and is one of the substantial business men of Posey county. He has accumulated every dollar earned by straightforward business methods, which has won for him the confidence of the business world. The Klein family consists of two sons: Dr. Klein, of this review, and Otto C., who is engaged in the grocery business with his father. Dr. Klein attended the public schools of Mount Vernon and was graduated from the high school in the class of 1906. He also attended the Culver Military Academy three years. After spending a year in Germany, he returned to America and entered the Jefferson Medical College, at Philadelphia, Pa. He graduated from this time-honored institution of medical science and surgery in 1911, with a degree of Doctor of Medicine. After serving three months as interne in the Jefferson Hospital, he accepted a position in the Williamsport State Hospital, Williamsport, Pa. He remained there one year, when he returned to his home in Mt. Vernon, and engaged in the genera1 practice of his profession. Dr. Klein is well known in the county, and his skill in the field he has chosen for his life's work was recognized from the start. He is capable, diligent, and a close student of the science of his profession, and enjoys a good practice. He was united in marriage February 26, 1913, to Miss Emily V. Brower, of Williamsport, Pa. Dr. Klein is a member of the Mt. Vernon Medical Society; a Thirty-second degree Mason, and a member of the Elks.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Vincent M. Cartwright, of Mt. Vernon, is a native son of Posey county, and a descendant of sturdy pioneer ancestors. He was born in Harmony township, January 17, 1843, and was one of a family of ten children born to Presley and Sidda M. (Mage) Cartwright. Presley Cartwright was also born in what is now Harmony township, then in the Northwestern Territory, August 11, 1811. He spent his life in the locality of his birth, where he died November 26, 1896. He followed farming most of his life. He was also a cooper, shoe maker, and carpenter. Presley Cartwright was a son of Samuel, who came to the Northwestern Territory from Tennessee in 1800, at about the age of twenty. He settled in what is now Harmony township, which was an unbroken wilderness. The Cartwrights suffered all the privations and hardships common to the lot of the pioneers of the times. Two brothers of Samuel were killed by the Indians. The Cartwrights are of Scotch descent. Sidda M. Mage, our subject's mother, was a daughter of Daniel and Sidda (Green) Mage. The family came from Washington county, North Carolina, about 1825, and settled in the northern part of Posey county. They drove the entire distance from North Carolina, the girl, Sidda, walking most of the distance, as did the other members of the family. She died in February, 1882. Vincent Cartwright remained at home and worked on the farm after the fashion of the average boy of the times, until the peaceful life of the Nation was interrupted by the coming on of the Civil war. At this time, young Cartwright enlisted August 1, 1862, at Evansville, in Company C, Sixty-fifth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry. His regiment was immediately sent to Kentucky to oppose the Confederate operations in that section. The campaigning there was mostly of a skirmishing nature, and what insurance companies would term "extra hazardous." Mr. Cartwright did a great deal of scout duty. He was wounded September 22, 1863, at Bloutsville, Tenn., but recovered after a few months and took part in Sherman's Atlanta campaign. He participated in the engagements at Jonesboro and Franklin, Tenn. His regiment was in the pursuit of Hood and from Clifton, Tenn., went by boat to Cincinnati, then to Annapolis, and from there to Fort Fisher. Took part in the North Carolina campaign, and was at the surrender of Johnston at Greensboro, N. C. Here Mr. Cartwright was mustered out, June 22, 1865. When discharged, he was sergeant of the color guard. He had been elected first lieutenant of his company and recommended by the captain of his company for appointment, but never received his commission. At the close of the war, Mr. Cartwright returned to his Posey county home, and attended school for a time. He then went to Missouri and from there to Salina, Kan., where he was engaged in the lumber business. He was thus engaged when he lost his left hand in a mill accident, September 2, 1866. He then returned to Harmony township, and attended school again for a time where he engaged in teaching in Lynn, Center and Harmony townships until 1876, when he was elected trustee of Lynn township, serving two terms. In 1882, Mr. Cartwright was elected county recorder and served two terms, or until 1890. He then engaged in the real estate business and did an extensive business as pension attorney. In 1910, he was elected justice of the peace, which office he still holds. As a public officer, Mr. Cartwright's methods have been of the character that has won for him the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens. He was united in marriage March 25, 1869, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of William Wilson, of Lynn township. She was born in that township and her father was also a native of Posey county. To Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright were born five children, three of whom are living: Cynthia, married Aaron Shuffert, of Chicago; Ethel, married Noble Utley, of Mt. Vernon, and Fannie O., married Henry A. Deutsch, of Strathmore, Cal. Mr. Cartwright has been a lifelong Democrat, and taken a keen interest in the affairs of his county, State and Nation. He was chairman of the Democratic central committee of Posey county in 1884, and as a token of appreciation of his services, the committee presented him with a beautiful gold-headed cane, which he prizes very highly. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is past chancellor of the lodge. He was the first State representative at the grand lodge at Indianapolis; he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 491, and is the president of the Sixty-fifth Indiana Regimental Association, which meets on September 22 of each year. The meeting of 1913 was held at his residence. He is a charter member of the regular Baptist church.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Armenius Templeton, retired farmer and stock raiser, of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Black township, Posey county, October 30, 1849, a son of Gilbert and Desire (Phillips) Templeton, the parents natives of Posey county, where the father farmed and raised stock. Gilbert Templeton was the son of Samuel and Sally (Curtis) Templeton, natives of North Carolina, who came to Posey county about 1815, one year before Statehood and one year after the organization of the county. Samuel Templeton entered land, the country at that time being a wilderness. His son, Gilbert, was born in Posey county in 1820, and grew to manhood, assisting in clearing the land. Our subject also cleared a great deal of farm land and can remember when a large part of the land now under cultivation was thickly wooded. The first school he attended was in a log building on his father's farm. After finishing school he worked on the farm with his parents. His father died in 1891. Mr. Templeton was engaged in farming and stock raising until twenty-three years ago, when he retired from active farming to look after his lands. All of his farms are in Point and Black townships, 300 acres being in the former, and 150 in the latter. On his retirement from farming he removed to Mt. Vernon, and in 1888 went into the hardware business, continuing the store for sixteen years. He has served as councilman and has been in various ways identified with the upbuilding of the town and county. He is a member of the Methodist church, in which he is a trustee. In politics he is a Prohibitionist. Mr. Templeton was married February 3, 1880, to Pauline Newman, daughter of Charles and Rosana (Scheiber) Newman, parents natives of Germany, who came to this country when young. Mr. Newman was a farmer. Pauline was born in Posey county and attended the country schools at that time held in a log house. Later she continued her education at Mt. Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Templeton became the parents of five children: Bertha, who married Edward Blakely, and lives in LaJunta, Colo.; Everett A. (see sketch of E. A: Templeton); Gilbert C., married Justine Stander, and lives in Fowler, Colo.; Arthur N., at home with his parents, and Raymond, deceased. Mrs. Templeton is an active worker in the Methodist church and the whole family are members.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

Frederick A. R. Kemper (deceased), formerly a prominent farmer of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in that town February 14, 1860, a son of Frederick and Anna (Mehl) Kemper, parents natives of Germany. Frederick, Sr., was a veteran of the Mexican war. Before the Civil war he was a farmer and saw mill man, but died during the Civil war while a soldier in Missouri. The parents of our subject had six children. Frederick, Jr., was married January 27, 1883, to Miss Bertha Haas, daughter of Anton and Nancy (Henry) Haas. Bertha Haas was born September 23, 1863, in Mt. Vernon. Her father was a native of Germany, and her mother of Posey county. Mr. and Mrs. Kemper had six sons: Earl Vernon, born February 26, 1885, a steamboat clerk, Memphis, Tenn.; Royal Haas, born August 10, 1888, postoffice clerk at Mt. Vernon, belongs to the Elks; Edmund Emil, born June 26, 1892; Raymond Lester, born July 3, 1895; Paul Frederick, born December 19, 1898; Walter Anton, born August 13, 1902. Mr. Kemper died November 15, 1910. He was a farmer all his life, and belonged to the German Methodist Episcopal church.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913

David Walter Welch, M. D., of Mt. Vernon, was born in Saline county, Illinois, near Galatia, March 5, 1848, and is a son of Egbert G. and Nancy (Upchurch) Welch. His father was a native of Tennessee, and came of an old Virginia family, and at the age of eighty-eight years he died at Galatia, Ill., where lie was a pioneer settler, and his mother was born at Galatia, Ill., and was a daughter of David Upchurch, who came from North Carolina to Illinois, and was the founder of Galatia. Dr. Welch was reared on the farm, attended the country schools, and the Illinois State Normal at Normal, Ill., and then engaged in the profession of school teaching for fifteen years. He was superintendent of schools at Rockport, Ind., for two years, of the schools of Boonville, Ind., for two years, having previously been assistant superintendent of schools at Evansville, Ind. His early teaching was in Illinois. He was at Shawneetown for three years. He read medicine in the office of Dr. George B. Walker, dean of the Evansville Medical College. He then began practice in the country about five miles northeast of Mt. Vernon. He located in Mt. Vernon in 1855. He did post-graduate work at the Chicago Clinical College, and is a member of the Mt. Vernon City, the Posey County, and Indiana State Medical societies, and also of the Ohio Valley Medical Association. Dr. Welch married in 1868 Jennie R. Wright, of Cloverport, Ky. They have five sons and two daughters. The Doctor is a Prohibitionist in politics. He is not only an able and prominent physician, but as a citizen is progressive. To him is largely due the steps that led to the improvement of the public roads in Posey county, in which matter he received strong opposition, but the splendid roads of the county stand as a monument to his spirit of progress and foresight.

History of Posey county, Indiana
John C. Leffel, Editor
Standard Publishing Company
Chicago 1913