Douglas C. Ramsey, M. D., a prominent physician of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Xenia, Clay county, Illinois, son of George D. and Mary A. (Price) Ramsey. His father was born and reared in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his mother in Vincennes, Ind. The father was a physician and practiced at Xenia, Illinois, where he died at the age of seventy-seven, and the mother died at Mt. Vernon, aged eighty-two. The name Ramsey is of Scotch origin. Douglas Ramsey attended the public schools and for two or three years had a private tutor. He graduated from the Washington University in 1880, and shortly afterward located in Mt. Vernon, remaining here since that time. He took a post-graduate course in the St. Louis University in 1893, one in the Chicago Policlinics in 1895, and has visited Montreal and other Eastern cities to obtain medical knowledge. He has written much for medical journals, the following being among his subjects: "Brain Surgery," New York "Medical Record," "Salicylic Acid in Rheumatism," and "Preventation of Tuberculosis." Dr. Ramsey was appointed a member of the State Board of Health by Governor Matthews, and served from 1895 to 1897. He was president of the board and while serving in this capacity he wrote several valuable reports. He is a member of the Posey County, the State and American Medical associations, and also of the Mississippi Valley Society. He has twice been president of the Posey County Medical Association. For four years he was medical examiner for the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and was for a similar time their medical director or intermediate. Governor Durbin appointed Dr. Ramsey delegate to the National Tuberculosis Congress, held in New York in 1907. Ile was president of the pension board under the two terms of President Cleveland. In politics, Dr. Ramsey is a Democrat, and fraternally he is a Master Mason and an Elk. He was medical director for the Intermediate Life Assurance Company for the first four years of its existence.

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


Col. Richard Sarlls, one of the early pioneers of Posey county, Indiana, was born in Ghent, Carroll county, Kentucky, August 13, 1839, son of Richard and Julia (Evertson) Sarlls, the mother a native of New York, and the father of Indiana. They removed to Kentucky and died when Richard was but seven years of age. Richard Sarlls came to Posey county, Indiana, in 1846. At that time the place called McFadden's Bluff, now Mt. Vernon, did not number over 500 inhabitants, and the wharf was not yet built. The boy had already begun its schooling in Kentucky, and continued in the schools of Posey county, paying tuition of $1.00 per month, besides having to do the janitor's work. He attended school in Mt. Vernon. At that time the "Ricaune" mill stood where the wharf was built later. Our subject started in life by blacking shoes, and at the age of twelve was able to operate the steam wool carding mill owned by his uncle. About three years later he and his uncle began grinding wheat. He became an expert judge of grain, and during the Civil war worked for Lowry Welborn & Sullivzn, a big grain concern. Upon leaving the employ of this firm he engaged in the grain business with a nephew of Mr. Sullivan, under the name of Sullivan, Sarlls & Company. They did a general merchandise business, in addition to buying and selling grain. This company did a thriving business until the cholera epidemic in the '70s, when they failed and turned everything over to their creditors. He left the company in 1874, and two or three weeks later he bought a barge load of drowned corn and flour, the cargo of the old "Ironsides." Inside of two more weeks he sold the cargo at a profit of five cents per bushel, netting the sum of $2,500, with which he again embarked in the grain business. The next year Mr. Washington Boyce sent Mr. Sarlls and Mr. William Fuhrer to Wichita, Kan., to buy grain and they bought 30,000 bushels, which they sold in Kansas City and returned to Mt. Vernon. That fall they began buying hogs, as there was no corn on account of the floods. In 1876 they bought over 450,000 bushels of corn, which they sold at a profit of $50,000. Mr. Sarlls then began buying land and secured 1,100 acres in Illinois. He continued in the grain business alone and has prospered ever since. He has made his money by dealing in grain and land, and has handled more than 20,000 acres of land. He did not make money in hogs, having only about $100 when he got through with his season, but the buying of grain in 1876 put him on his feet again. Mr. Sarlls is also a mechanic and understands machinery about mills. On one occasion he was paid $20.00 for four hours' work fixing a pump. This was before he worked for Welborn & Sullivan. Colonel Sarlls now owns about 2,800 acres of land in Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. At the time of the Civil war Colonel Sarlls was lieutenant in Company A, National Home Guards, and made trips to Kentucky in charge of his company. On June 7, 1860, occurred the marriage of Richard Sarlls to Elizabeth Hinkle, daughter of Edward Hinkle, a merchant of Shawneetown, Ill., where Mrs. Sarlls was born, December 7, 1840, and where she was raised. They had seven children: Richard E., deceased; Edward, deceased; Jessie Walter, of Jackson, Miss.; Howard, of Mt. Vernon; LeRoy Anson, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Louis, of Evansville. Jessie married E. M. Brady. The first wife died February 7, 1879. Mr. Sarlls married again in June, 1883, Frances Hinch, daughter of John D. and Ellen Hinch, natives of Posey county, where she was born and raised. They have one child, Mary Emily, who married Dr. H. P. Carson, now a resident of Phoenix, Ariz. Our subject is one of the largest land owners of Posey county, and is offering some attractive farms to the people.

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


Ferdinand A. Funke; vice-president and menera1 manager of the Mt. Vernon Straw Board Company, was born in Evansville, Ind., January 24, 1868, the son of Ferdinand and Mary (Kuntz) Funke, both of whom were born in Germany, the father at Ruethen, Luebstadt, Westphalia, and the mother near the city of Worms. Ferdinand Funke learned the trade of a gun and lock smith. He came to the United States in 1849, locating in Evansville, Ind., where he opened a shop and followed the trade learned in his native land. In 1858 he built a paper mill and began the manufacture of wrapping paper, in the operation and management of which he continued until his death in 1895. The enterprise was a success from the start and he realized a substantial fortune from its profits. After his death the business was continued by his sons, John M.?,Ferd A. and Joseph, under the firm style of Ferdinand Funke Sons. The output of the plant at the present writing is three thousand tons per annum, marketed in the United States, and the plant represents an investment of over $50,000. It is operated under the management of John M. Funke. Mr. Funke is survived by his widow and the following children: Caroline; John M. Funke, president of the Mt. Vernon Straw Board Company, Mt. Vernon, the Commercial Bank, Evansville, director in the Globe Paper Company, and having important real estate and manufacturing interests in Evansville; Ferdinand A. Funke, the subject of this article, and Joseph Funke, secretary of the Mt. Vernon Straw Board Company, Mt. Vernon. Ferdinand A. Funke acquired his education in the public schools of Evansville and the Evansville Business College. He entered the employ of his father in 1885 and was taught by him the trade of making wrapping paper. On his father's death in 1895, and the taking over of the business by his sons, under the firm style of Ferdinand Funke Sons, he became superintendent of the mill and remained in charge of the manufacturing end of the business until 1904, when he was elected vice-president and general manager of the Mt. Vernon Straw Board Company (see chapter on manufacturing). The continuous and healthy growth of the business of this corporation since its founding, the satisfaction given by its products, together with the good will extended to him at all times by the employees, prove his possession of these qualities which not only assure his business success, but make him a valuable acquisition to the citizenship of Mt. Vernon, of which he became a resident in 1909. He is a Democrat and a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a communicant of the Catholic church and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Funke married on October 11, 1909, Miss Mary Logel, daughter of Louis Logel, of Evansville. They are the parents of two children: Ludwig Ferdinand, born August 2, 1910, and Karl Ferdinand, born May z, 1912. Mrs. Funke is a communicant of the Catholic church and a leader in the social circles of Mt. Vernon.

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


John H. Moeller, mayor of the city of Mt. Vernon, successful man of affairs and popular citizen, is a native of Posey county and was born in the city of which he has served as chief executive on August 7, 1867, the son of John and Dortha (Haas) Moeller. John Moeller, the founder of the family in Indiana, was born in Altenschlirf, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, on December 11, 1837. He received a good education in the schools of his native town, was apprenticed to the cooper's trade, and came to the United States in 1555, first locating in New Orleans, where he remained a short time, and then came by boat to Louisville, Ky., where he secured employment at his trade. In 1857 he became a resident of Mt. Vernon, secured employment in the cooper shop of Philip Vernon, and in 1864 succeeded to this business through purchase. From 1882 until 1893 he had as associates in business George Zeigler and William Rheinwald, but in the last named year bought them out. In I903 he consolidated his business with that of his son's, John H. Moeller, under the firm style of J. H. Moeller & Company. In addition to the cooperage shop they ran a saw mill and stave and heading factory. The business was operated very successfully, but in 1911 the mill burned and John Moeller retired from the firm. He at present is the owner of a cooperage plant which is reviewed at length in the chapter "Manufacturing and Commercial Enterprises." Mr. Moeller married on May 18, 1859, Miss Dortha Haas, a daughter of Charles Haas, a pioneer resident of Mt. Vernon, who was born in Lauteraka, Beiren, Germany, and who died in Mt. Vernon in 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Moeller are the parents of the following children: Mollie L., the wife of Adam Ware, Mt. Vernon; Charles C., Mt. Vernon; John H. Moeller, the subject of this review; William, Mt. Vernon; and Nellie H., the wife of Charles Pearson, Mt. Vernon. Mr. Moeller and his wife are members of the German Methodist church. Mayor Moeller was reared in the city of Mt. Vernon, acquired his education in its public schools, and learned his father's trade, that of cooper. He became a clerk when sixteen years of age, later learned telegraphy and was employed in Mt. Vernon by the Western Union Telegraph Company, the Evansville & Terre Haute and the Louisville & Nashville railroads, and in Texas by the Missouri Pacific railway. He returned to Mt. Vernon from Texas in 1885 and was made assistant agent of the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad, a position he filled until 1888, when he engaged in the cooperage business, having as a partner his brother, Charles. He purchased the latter's interest in 1898, built up an exceedingly profitable enterprise and in 1903 consolidated it with that of his father, under the firm style of J. H. Moeller & Company, as previously stated. In 1911 the saw mill was destroyed by fire, and as this portion of the firm's enterprise was uninsured, they suffered a heavy loss. Shortly after the fire the elder Moeller retired from the firm and the business was continued by our subject. During 1911 he was the chief factor in inducing the Whitmore Handle Company to locate in Mt. Vernon, and as one of the inducements held out to them for locating in the city, rented his cooperage property to them at a very low rental. The value of this plant to the city of Mt. Vernon is easily estimated by perusal of the chapter on "Manufacturing and Commercial Enterprises," which contains an article descriptive of its history. As a manufacturer of staves, heading and cooperage, Mayor Moeller attained a substantial success; he was an untiring worker, knew each and every detail of the business, from the buying of timber in the tree to the marketing of the finished product, and had the cheerful cooperation of his employees. As a citizen of Mt. Vernon he has, since attaining his majority, been actively concerned in the development and betterment of its commercial and civic affairs. He has always been a consistent advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party and an active worker in its ranks. His first public office was an appointive one, that of city commissioner, which he entered in 1901, and served for six years. His record in the administration of the affairs of this office was such that he was honored in 1909 by his party with the nomination for the office of mayor, and he was elected by the largest majority ever given a candidate for that position. During the four years in which he has occupied the mayor's chair he has given the city an exceedingly able and frugal administration, considering the many improvements made; while his unselfish attitude and broad-mindedness in dealing with questions and policies which had for their object the good of the city proves that he has the right conception of the duties and obligations of the office. To his progressiveness, stick-to-it-iveness in surmounting difficulties and business foresight the city is indebted for its handsome water-front park; another site having been under consideration. His logical handling of the proposition, combined with perseverance in securing the money necessary for its equipment, won for the citizens not only a place of recreation for young and old, but one that could not be surpassed for accessibility and beauty of view. He found the city with a debt of $3,000 in excess of its limit. This was changed within two years to a surplus of $5,000. He has secured greatly improved service from the light, water and telephone companies, public drinking fountains, an overhead crossing at Mulberry street and the Louisville & Nashville railway, safety gates at other dangerous crossings have been installed, sanitation and sewerage conditions greatly improved, a street flushing machine bought, many of the unpaved streets oiled, the weeds cut and trees trimmed on the public thoroughfares, while other improvements are in prospect. During the disastrous flood of April, 1913, his executive and initiative talents were exploited at their best. With a vast section of territory adjacent to the city under water, thousands without shelter or provisions, and live stock in the greatest peril, he headed the relief movement and assumed charge of its operation. He secured, through the War Department, rations for ten thousand people for ten days, together with a distributing force under the command of Captain W. K. Naylor, and with him acted as pilot of the relief expedition. He commandeered every boat, power, skiff, and flat, on the river and these were in constant use in bringing to Mt. Vernon the people who were marooned. He obtained by telegraph from Governor Ralston an order stationing one company of militia in the city, who were to assist in rescue work, and who were under his orders. Through his efforts the Red Cross Society sent a representative, Mr. Hubbard, to the city, and through their joint efforts $20,000 was raised for the relief of those who had lost their all in the disaster. This labor entailed upon Mayor Moeller severe hardship and caused him to be absent from his business for nearly one month. During this trying period his conduct was marked by no thought of self but by a desire to do all in his power to relieve those who were in need, irrespective of condition, and to fulfill to the utmost his obligations as head of the government of Mt. Vernon, which was untouched by the waters. That his efforts have been appreciated is attested through his nomination for the office of mayor, to succeed himself, in the election of 1913; his majority in the primary having been overwhelming, and his reward by election to a second term seems certain. Mayor Moeller is affiliated with a number of secret and social organizations. He is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Posey Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles; Loyal Order of Moose; Knights of Pythias, Hoo Hoos, and is president of the Mt. Vernon Boosters Club. He is a member of the German Methodist church. Mr. Moeller married on August 23, 1892, Miss Anna H. Nefzger, daughter of the late Xavier Nefzger, of Mt. Vernon. They are the parents of two children: Esther C. Moeller, born October 25, 1893, who graduated from the Mt. Vernon High School in the class of 1912, and John Robert Moeller, born January 18, 1911. The family are popular in the social circles of their home city and the Moeller residence is known for its generous hospitality. Mrs. Moeller is a communicant of St. Matthew's Catholic Church. Mayor Moeller is a fine type of the German-American citizen, is a self-made man, possesses energy, initiative, and executive ability of a high order, and is justly entitled to the popularity he has attained, both as a citizen and as an official of his home city. He has always maintained that the best citizen is the home builder, and that such are to be depended upon to devote a part of their time, intelligence and funds to secure that which is most desirable in furthering the general welfare of the community in which they reside. That he is consistent is exemplified in his record as mayor of Mt. Vernon.

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


David M. Erwin, formerly a merchant at Erwin Station, a point named for him, was born in that vicinity in Black township, Posey county, Indiana, July 21, 1854, son of James M. and Rachael J. (Redman) Erwin, both natives of the township in which our subject was born. James M. is the son of Samuel Erwin. Both his parents were natives of Tennessee and came to Posey county over one hundred years ago, when this part of the country was still a wilderness, there being no city of Mt. Vernon. Samuel Erwin entered several hundred acres of land in Black township, part of which is still in the hands of his grandson, David M. James Erwin cleared up a number of acres of this land and our subject finished the work of clearing away the forest. James Erwin was born September 6, 1829, and his wife, Rachael, was born August 25, 1832. Both are living with their son, David M., enjoying a ripe old age. David Erwin received his early education at Farmersville and at Gill school house. Later he graduated from the Evansville Commercial College and attended the University of Indiana at Bloomington, Ind. After leaving the university he engaged in the book business in Mt. Vernon, where he had a store for about two years. Selling out, he went back to the farm where he was raised and farmed for about six years. In 1884 he opened a general stole at Erwin Station. Here he remained for twenty years and was ticket agent for the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad and the only postmaster the place ever had. The store is now abandoned, but the flag station is still known as Erwin's Station. In 1902 he retired from business and removed to Mt. Vernon, where he has a nice city home. His farm at Erwin's Station contains 110 acres. Mr. Erwin has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for thirty-three years, a member of the Encampment for sixteen years, and has represented the Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment several times. He also belongs to the Ben Hur Lodge and the Baptist church. In politics he is a Republican. On April 12, 1879, Mr. Erwin married Miss Katie Kastenbader, a native of Hawesville, Ky., who was raised in Mt. Vernon, where she attended common school. They had three children: Minnie, John and James, all deceased, and the mother died in December, 1881. Mr. Erwin married the second time, February 12, 1884, taking as his wife Amelia Banks, a native of White county, Illinois, where she was raised and attended common school. They had two children, one of whom died in infancy. The other, Frank M., was born June 25, 1889. He attended at Craborchard school in Black township until he finished the eighth grade. His parents then removed to Mt. Vernon and he graduated from the high school there. He then entered Purdue University, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1912, and also received a degree in civil engineering, being the first person from Posey county to graduate with the degree of Civil Engineer. He married Pearl Bottomly, daughter of James Bottomly, of Mt. Vernon, and he is now engaged by the Louisville & Nashville railroad as civil engineer at Louisville, Ky. In politics he is a Republican.

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


Howard H. Sarlls, publisher and proprietor of the Mt. Vernon "Republican," a weekly newspaper, was born in Mt. Vernon December 27, 1870, and has been a resident of that city ever since. He is the son of Colonel Richard and Elizabeth A. Sarlls (see sketch of father). His mother died February 7, 1879. He attended the public schools of Mt. Vernon, graduating in the class of 1858. He worked at the printer's trade in local offices during the summer months while attending school. He went to business college in Indianapolis in the winter of 1889-1590, after which he again took up printing in local offices and in the offices of the Poseyville "News" and Evansville "Journal." In February, 1893, he went in with John B. Thomas to establish the "Republican" under the firm name of Sarlls and Thomas. Eighteen months later he took entire charge of the paper, which he has since conducted. On December 4, 1895, Mr. Sarlls married Miss Lottie Engler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Engler. At present their home is at 220 West Fifth street, Mt. Vernon.

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


John Willis Turner. The growth and development of any community depends largely upon the management of its financial institutions. The manufacturing and commercial enterprises of the city of Mt. Vernon, as well as the farmers of Posey county, owe much to the progressive policy of the First National Bank of Mt. Vernon, of which Mr. Turner has been the controlling executive since 1907. He occupies today a prominent place in the banking circles of southwestern Indiana, has contributed in large measure to the advancement of Mt. Vernon, in whose still greater commercial and civic prestige he is a firm believer, and holds a secure position in the confidence and esteem of the citizens of the county. John Willis Turner was born on his father's farm in Owen county, Kentucky, near Georgetown, Scott county, on August 7, 1872, the son of Thomas W. and Amanda J. (Lee) Turner. The family was founded in America by Joshua Turner, a native of Ireland, who settled in Kentucky in 1847. He was a farmer and a successful one. He served with the Confederate forces in the Civil War and was killed at the battle of Cumberland Gap. His son, Thomas W. Turner, the father of our subject, was also a native of Ireland, where he was born on February 19, 1843. He came to Kentucky with his parents in 1846 and was reared on his father's farm. He also served with the Confederate forces in the Civil war and was wounded in the battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn. He married when a young man Miss Amanda J. Lee, the daughter of Nathaniel W. Lee, founder and owner of the town of Lee's Mills, and well known distiller and land owner of Owen county, Kentucky. Mr. Turner was reared and has always followed farming as an occupation. He has been successful as an agriculturist, is a man of influence and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the residents of his neighborhood. His political allegiance has been given the Democratic party and he has taken an active part in the work of that organization. Mrs. Turner died in 1880. They were the parents of four children, two of whom are living: Fannie Lee, born August 26, 1870, is the wife of Frank M. Davis, a carriage and implement dealer of Corinth, Ky., and John Willis, our subject. Flora, born October 5, 1875, died of pneumonia in 1892, and Stella, born April 5, 1879, died in 1887. Mrs. Turner's maternal ancestors 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 War of the Revolution, and later in the Civil war. The founding of the Lee family in Kentucky dates from the settlement there of Dr. LeGrand Lee, a physician of Virginia, and descendant of General Lee of Revolutionary fame. He was joined later by Doctor Joseph Lee, a physician, John Lee, a Baptist preacher, and Nathaniel W. Lee, brothers, the latter of whom was the grandfather of the subject of this review. He became the most extensive land owner of his section of the State, one of its most successful distillers, and was one of the most influential citizens of his district. His death occurred on August 27, 1893. John Willis Turner received his early educational discipline in the public schools of Owen county, graduated from Owenton High School and in 1889 entered the literary department of the Kentucky State College at Lexington and was graduated in the class of 1893. The succeeding two years he was engaged in raising hogs on an extensive scale, purchasing the refuse from his grandfather's distillery for feed. The markets of 1894 and 1895 were high and he sold at a large profit. The success he had attained in his initial business venture attracted the attention of the officers of the First National Bank of Owenton and he was offered and accepted a position with that institution. He resigned from this position in 1897 and entered the People's Bank of the same town, where he remained until 1899, when he accepted the position of corporation clerk in the State Capitol at Frankfort. While in charge of this office he gained a comprehensive grasp of banking as conducted in Kentucky, which has been of great advantage to him in his later career. He became a resident of Posey county in 1903, when he came to Poseyville and organized the First National Bank of that town. His connection with this institution, of which he was cashier, continued until 1907, when he was offered and accepted the position of cashier of the First National Bank of Mt. Vernon, the oldest financial institution in the county and which, at this writing, 1913, has the largest deposits. In the administration of the business of this bank, of which he has been the dominant executive since 1907, his progressiveness, energy and resourcefulness have been largely responsible for the healthy growth enjoyed by the institution, as well as the high reputation of the organization. He is known to the banking fraternity as an able and discriminating financier and one who has brought the administrative policy of his bank up to the point of highest efficiency. Essentially a business man, he has neither the time nor inclination for public office, though he never neglects in the least his civic duties and obligations and has taken an active part in the councils of his party. He has been a lifelong Democrat. Mr. Turner has attained the Thirty-second degree in Scottish Rite Masonry, is a member of Indianapolis Consistory, and Hadi Temple Shrine, Evansville. He is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Turner married on October 14, 1896, Miss Anna Lee True, the daughter of William R. and Sue Katherine True, of Louisville, Ky. They are the parents of one child, a daughter, Mary Louise, born March 12, 1907. Mrs. Turner is a woman of broad culture and refinement and popular in the social circles of Mt. Vernon, in which she is a leader. The Turner residence, one of the most attractive in Posey county, is known for its gracious hospitality. Mr. Turner is in all respects a high type of the conservative, unassuming American, diligent in his various duties and business affairs and conscientious in all things.

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


James Madison Greathouse. Great, indeed, have been the changes which time and man have wrought in Posey county since the birth of Mr. Greathouse in 1847, and no man has been more actively identified with the work of improvement in Point township than he. He is best known to the citizens of his native county through his service as township trustee, to which office he was elected in 1908, in the administration of which he has proven the possession of sound financial ability, marked executive talent and sound business judgment. To him the township is indebted for an extended school term, modern school buildings, greatly improved roads, substantial bridges and a financial policy which has wiped out a considerable indebtedness, replaced it with a comfortable cash balance, and this has all been accomplished without an increase in the tax rate. James M. Greathouse was born on his father's farm in Point township, on April 27, 1847, a son of John Tecumseh and Eliza (Browning) Greathouse. The father was a native of Union county, Kentucky. Little is known of his early life or occupations, except that he operated a grist mill on Highland creek, Union county, previous to his locating in Posey county, Indiana. In some manner he learned that relatives were living in the latter county and acting on an impulse to join them, he tied his belongings on a slab and, pushing it ahead of him, swam across the Ohio to the Indiana shore. In Point township he found three cousins, the sons of David Greathouse (see sketch of Frank M. Greathouse). During the year of his arrival in Posey county, 1844, he married Eliza Browning Greathouse, the widow of his cousin John. They became the parents of the following children: Aaron, born in 1845, a resident of Mt. Vernon and veteran of the Civil War; James Madison, our subject; William R., a traveling salesman; and Sarah Ann, the wife of James Dowell, a farmer of Black township. John Tecumseh Greathouse underwent the hardships incident to the early life of the county, cleared and improved land and became a prosperous farmer. The first frame building in Point township, a school house, was built on his farm in 1872, and was named the Greathouse school. This building was replaced in 1913 by one of concrete, substantially finished and furnished and erected under the supervision of his son, James M., trustee of the township. Mr. Greathouse died in 1880. He was a charter member of Mt. Vernon Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Methodist church. His wife died in 1863. James Madison Greathouse was reared on his father's farm and received his education in the school bearing the family name. From boyhood his occupation has been that of a farmer. He is recognized as one of the progressive and successful men of his district; one who has always taken an active interest in public affairs and who has given generously of both time and money in assisting those movements which had the public good in view. He has been a lifelong Democrat. He was elected trustee of Point township in 1908. When he entered upon the duties of this office the affairs of the township were in a deplorable condition. The treasury was empty and an indebtedness totaling $17,000 had been incurred by previous incumbents of the office. During his administration of the affairs of the township its indebtedness has been reduced to $2,250; two modern school buildings have been built, one a graded school building of two rooms at a cost of $3,500, and the new Greathouse school, a one-room building costing $3,000. These buildings are modern in all respects. They are constructed of concrete and the interior finish and equipment are of the best. The roads of the township have been greatly improved and a number of substantial bridges have been built. The township treasury has about $4,000 in cash (1913). These improvements have been made and the debt reduced without increasing the levy of previous years and the levy for 1913 was cut four cents. The record made in the administration of the affairs of this office by Mr. Greathouse will probably stand as the high-water mark of efficiency and accomplishment for many years to come. Mr. Greathouse married on March 29, 1871, Miss Victoria Combs, a daughter of David Combs, a farmer of Black township. He was born in Kentucky in 1816 and died in 1876. His wife was Jane Thompson, also a native of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Greathouse are the parents of the following children: Evaleen, born September 21, 1876, the wife of Edwin V. Spencer, Jr., a farmer of Black township; Flora May, born July 4, 1880, the wife of Edward Morlock, also of Black township; and Bessie, born March 10, 1889, residing with her parents. Three children died in infancy - David A., James C. and Ida Belle. Mr. Greathouse is in all respects a high type of the conservative American, diligent in his various duties and commercial affairs, and conscientious in all things. He is rich in the possession of a well earned popularity and the esteem which comes only from honorable living.

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


Joseph Robinson Haines, auditor of Posey county, editor and publisher, was born at St. Wendel, Ind., January 31, 1864, the son of Charles and Jane (Culley) Haines. The first of the family to settle in Indiana was Peter Haines, a native of Kentucky, who located in Robinson township, Posey county, during its formative period. He was a farmer and the grandfather of the subject of this article. His son, Charles Haines, born in Posey county, also a farmer, married when a young man Miss Jane Culley, also a native of the county, where she was born in 1835. Charles Haines died when our subject was a child. He is survived by his widow, now a resident of Cynthiana, and the following children, viz: Mary E., the wife of James R. Smith, a farmer of Smith township, Posey county; Martha, the widow of Albert Whiting, Anna, Ill.; Ella, the wife of Crawford B. Smith, a farmer of Smith township, Posey county; Joseph R., auditor of Posey county; Charles L., Cynthiana; and Fannie J., the wife of William M. Chappel, a farmer of Oakland City, Gibson county, Indiana. Joseph Robinson Haines was reared on the Haines farm in Robinson township and assisted in the work incident to its carrying on until he was aged nineteen. He received his education in the public schools of Posey county and was graduated from the Cynthiana High School in 1883. From 1883 until 1890 he was engaged in teaching in the schools of the county. In the latter year he purchased the.Poseyville "News," of which he was the editor and publisher until he entered the office of auditor in 1912, and of which he retains the ownership. Mr. Haines has always taken a keen interest in the questions of the day and has been active and influential in the political life of his home county. He is a Democrat. He was elected to the lower house of the State Legislature in 1900 and re-elected in 1902. His work during the sessions of 1900-01 and 1902-03 received the commendations of his constituents and he was considered by his colleagues as one of the energetic and active leaders of his party in the house. He was elected auditor of Posey county in 1910 and entered upon the duties of the office on January 1, 1912. His administration of the business affairs of this department of the county's official life has received favorable comment, efficiency has been the mark consistently sought, and promptness in the conduct of work constantly maintained. He had previously served as an official of the county through appointment, having filled the office of treasurer from February 28, 1907, until January 1, 1908, succeeding Fred A. Morelock, who had died in office. He is a member of the Masonic order, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Haines married on December 20, 1893, Miss Virgie C. Dougherty, the daughter of James H. Dougherty, a farmer of Rolla, Mo. They are the parents of one child, Edith May Haines, born May 7, 1895.

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


John T. Gill, a retired farmer of Posey county. now living at 324 West Ninth street, Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Black township, Posey county, March 29, 1845, son of John T. and Anna (Moore) Gill, also natives of Posey county. Their parents, who were natives of Virginia, came to Posey county at an early date. Samuel Gill, the grandfather of our subject, at one time owned a part of the land on which Mt. Vernon now stands. Before his death, in 1850, he owned 300 acres three miles northwest of the town, where he had been an active farmer all his life. He had two daughters and six sons as follows: Joseph, John T., Samuel, Sarah, Anna, James M., Quincy A., William H., all born in Posey county, and all now deceased. John T. Gill, Sr., the father of John T., of this record, was born in Posey county in 1806 and married Miss Anna Moore in 1831. She was born October 5, 1810, in Posey county, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Moore, natives of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. John T., Sr., had ten children: Sarah (deceased), born April 18, 1832; Samuel (deceased), born December 23, 1833; James (deceased), born April 21, 1836; Joseph (deceased), born December 14, 1837; Rachel, born September 24, 1839, now the widow of David Lyttle, Clarkston, Wash.; Charles (deceased), born May 6, 1841; Martha Ann, born December 30, 1842, now the widow of John M. Crunk, Mt. Vernon; John T., of this sketch; Zachariah Taylor, born October 28, 1848, now deceased; Harriet, the youngest, died in infancy. John T. Gill, our subject, was educated in the public schools of Posey county. His father died when he was but five years of age and he was reared by his uncle, Joseph Gill, who lived five miles northwest of Mt. Vernon. Here John T. lived until 1864, when he enlisted in Company B, First Indiana cavalry, and was mustered out in July, 1865 at St. Charles, Ark. He took part in the battles of Pea Ridge, Pine Bluff and Helena, Ark., but was never wounded. He is now a member of the Harrow post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of Mt. Vernon, in which he has served as adjutant and has from time to time been honored with other offices. His brothers, James and Joseph, were also veterans of the Civil war, serving in Company F, Twenty-fifth Indiana volunteer infantry. In 1902 Mr. Gill was elected a member of the advisory board of Black township, serving eight years. In 1904 he was elected councilman from the Fourth ward in Mt. Vernon, serving six years. He is a Republican, and belongs to Beulah Lodge No. 578, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. On March 10, 1875, Mr. Gill married Miss Mary A. Brookins, daughter of Milton and Sarah (Davis) Brookins. She was born May 2, 1855, near Mt. Vernon, Ill. Her parents were natives of Ohio. They have had but one child, Fannie, born March 23, 1879, and died April 30, 1997. She was educated in the schools of Mt. Vernon. Mr. Gill was a farmer all his life until his retirement in 1903. His farming interests comprise eighty-seven acres in Black township, which he rents. He now lives in Mt. Vernon.

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


John A. Deig, a prominent farmer of Mt. Vernon, was born in Black township, March 21, 1870, son of John S. and Mary (Muller) Deig, the father born in Germany, came to this country in 1838 with his parents and settled in Posey county near St. Phillips. John S. was but five years of age at that time and he was educated in the common schools of his locality and later engaged in farming and stock raising. He married Mary Muller, daughter of Louis Muller, in 1855. They became the parents of twelve children: Caroline, Mary, Margaret, Joseph, Charles, Louis, William, John A., Frank, Lillie, Anna, and one who died in infancy. Of these only John A. and rank are living Caroline married Antone Breiner (see sketch). John A. Deig was raised in Black township, Posey county, where he was educated in the public schools and worked on the farm with his father until of age, when he started out for himself, farming one year on the home place on the Fourth street road. After the first year he removed to his farm adjoining the town of Mt. Vernon, and has recently built one of the finest residences in the city, located on Main street, the last house inside the city limits. It is near one of his farms containing ninety-one acres. He has 160 acres east of town, making a total of 251 acres. On October 10, 1893, occurred the marriage of John A. Deig and Matilda Fischer, daughter of Valentine and Barbara (Soellner) Fischer, her parents natives of Germany, the mother from Bavaria and the father from Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany. The mother came to Posey county in 1836 with her parents, who located in the county. The father came in 1839 with his parents, who located in West Virginia, and after two or three years came to Posey county, where they engaged in farming and stock raising. Mrs. Deig was born in Marrs township, December 13, 1869, where she was reared, and educated as far as the common schools went. She then attended St. Joseph Academy at Evansville, where she graduated in 1886. Mr. and Mrs. John A. Deig became the parents of five children: John (deceased), Cecelia (deceased), Sylvester S., Alfonso W. F., and Francis J. Sylvester S. and Alfonso W. F. are attending school in Mt. Vernon. Mr. Deig is a Democrat in politics, and he and his family are members of the Catholic church.

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


Henry Weissinger (deceased), former undertaker and furniture dealer, of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Springfield, Ohio, July 14, 1834, and died in Mt. Vernon, Ind., May 22, 1906. He was a son of Carl and Marie (Klenck) Weissinger, both natives of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany. They came to Mt. Vernon when their son, Henry, was a boy. Henry was bound out to a cabinet maker of New Albany and remained with him many years. During the Civil war he was in the United States Marine Service on the gunboat "Autocrat," and as a ship carpenter had the rank of second lieutenant. He came to Mt. Vernon in 1866 and opened an undertaking and furniture establishment. Later he discontinued the furniture business, but continued in the undertaking line until his death. In 1894 his son, Allison V., became his partner and the firm of Weissinger & Son was formed. The business is still conducted under this name, Allison V. now having as his partner his own son, Merle A. Henry Weissinger was married, in New Albany, Ind., in 1857, to Martha Venable, who was born and reared in that town and who now lives in Mt. Vernon at the age of seventy-five years. They became the parents of eight children: Allison Venable, of Mt. Vernon; Harry, of Chicago; John R., of Enid, Okla.; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Henry Walters, of Sapulpa, Okla.; Manor, of Mt. Vernon; Frank, of Enid, Okla.; Mattie, now Mrs. Jesse Sutton, of Danville, Ill., and Jesse, of Enid, Okla. Henry Weissinger was a Democrat, served as councilman of Mt. Vernon and was county coroner four terms. He was a Master Mason and with his wife belonged to the Missionary Baptist church. Allison V. Weissinger was born in New Albany, Ind., March 31, 1859. He was reared in Mt. Vernon to the age of about sixteen, when he returned to his maternal grandparents in New Albany, remaining there for eight years attending school. He then came back to Mt. Vernon to work with his father. From 1888 to 1894 he was with the Adams Express Company and was away in the West a greater part of this time. In 1894 he became his father's partner and has continued in the business since that time, building his present fine establishment in 1911. He is a licensed embalmer and served as secretary of the State board of embalmers, to which office he was appointed by Governor Durbin, for seven years. Mr. Weissinger is a member of the Elks lodge and of the Knights of Pythias. He is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Presbyterian church. In 1882 he was married, at Mt. Vernon, to Adellah Duckworth, daughter of John K. Duckworth, a liveryman and stage line owner of Mt. Vernon and related to one of the early pioneer families of Posey county. They have but one child, Merle, who is associated with his father in business and has served his third term as county coroner. He married, in 1906, Miss Grace Sullivan, daughter of Richard L. Sullivan, grain dealer of Mt. Vernon. They are the parents of one child - Emily Dee - born April 22, 1908.

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


Enoch E. Thomas, former mayor of Mt. Vernon, Ind., and ex-sheriff of Posey county, was born October 8, 1837, on a farm in Lynn township, Posey county, son of Capt. George W. and Ann L. (Noel) Thomas. George W. Thomas was born in Kentucky in 1813, while his parents were enroute from North Carolina to Posey county, Indiana, one year after the county was organized. The parents of George W. farmed in Posey county from 1813 to 1855, when they removed to Mt. Vernon. He became the owner of several hundred acres of land and was a pioneer miller, having built the first steam mill in Posey county. In 1855 he engaged in wharf and steam boating on the Ohio river, following this business until his retirement. He represented Posey county in the State legislature two years and was county recorder four years, and at different times was city councilman. While recorder of the county he, with Governor Hovey, secured the passage of an act permitting the use of funds in the county treasurer's hands for building the present court house. He was a life-long Democrat and belonged to the Masonic lodge. Enoch Thomas was reared on his father's farm in Lynn township, where he attended the country schools three months out of the year. In 1855 his parents removed to Mt. Vernon and he attended the old seminary two years. He is essentially a self-made man, and at the age of eighteen he engaged in the wharf and boating business with his father under the firm name of G. W. Thomas & Son. He continued in the business until 1882, when he embarked in the coal business. In 1884 he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the council from the Second ward, which is strongly Republican. This office he held two years. In 1886 he was elected mayor of Mt. Vernon, and was reelected in 1888. The water works franchise was granted during his first term as mayor. In 1897 he was elected sheriff of Posey county, and was reelected in 1899, serving four years and four months in all. He is said to have been the best sheriff the county ever had. He was always a prominent and active citizen. He is a charter member of the Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 277 Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has filled all of its offices. At present he is treasurer of the lodge. On December I, 1864, occurred the marriage of Enoch E. Thomas to Miss Anna Weaver, daughter of Dr. Warren Weaver, of Mt. Vernon. She was born in Evansville, Ind. They have five children: Gertrude, born in 1865, died in 1871; Mabel, the wife of Wilbur Cushman, lumberman, of Poseyville; Cornelia, the wife of Dr. C. H. Fullinwider, of Mt. Vernon; Emma, the wife of Charles Chislett, real estate, of North Vancouver, British Columbia; Ena, wife of A. K. Boyce, commercial traveler, of Terre Haute, Ind.

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


Edwin Rinear, M. D., one of the leading physicians of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Liberty Center, Wells county, Indiana, June 24, 1866, son of Elias M. and Mary Jane (Hupp) Rinear. His great-grandfather was a Frenchman who came to this country with Lafayette and served in the American Revolution. His grandfather, Charles Rinear, son of the French soldier, was born in New Jersey, and Elias M. Rinear, son of Charles Rinear, was born in Cuyahoga county, Ohio. Mary Jane Kupp was born in Wells county, Indiana, of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. Elias M. Rinear was a druggist in Liberty Center and other towns of Indiana, and now lives in Bluffton. He was a soldier in the One Hundred and First Indiana infantry and for three years was a "fife major." Edwin Rinear was reared in the place of his birth and attended the public schools, later completing a teacher's course in Holbrook Normal at Lebanon, Ohio, after which he taught for six years in the Wells county public schools. He then took up the study of medicine at Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from the Medical College of Ohio, of that city, in 1890. He practiced at Liberty Center ten years, at Warren, Ind., three or four years, at Bluffton for a time and located at Mt. Vernon in May, 1911. He is a member of the Mt. Vernon Medical Association, which he organized in 1912, is secretary of the Posey County Medical Association and a member of the Indiana Medical Society. In 1890 Dr. Rinear married Queen Mabel Webb, daughter of Benjamin F. Webb, of Warren, Ind. In politics he is a Democrat. Our subject is a self-made man, rising in the world by his own efforts. His chief distinction apart from his skill as a physician and surgeon is that he is a musician of more than ordinary skill and an artist of no mean ability.

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


Rev. Paul Press, pastor of the Trinity Evangelical Church at Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born at Cambria, Wis., March 30, 1877, son of Reverend Gottlob and Julia (Guenther) Press, both born in Germany, and married in Missouri in 1867, shortly after coming to America, having known each other in Germany. Gottlob Press has devoted his life to the ministry in the Evangelical church. When Paul was about three years of age his father accepted a pastorate at Arcola, Ill., and four years later was called to New Hanover, Ill., where our subject spent the greater part of his youth. Paul Press was educated in the public schools at Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, Ill., and at Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., where he completed a four-year course and was ordained in the ministry in 1898. His first work was at Murphysboro, Ill., where he remained five and one-half years, and in January, 1904, came to Mt. Vernon. He has been a member of the board of education since 1910 and in politics is a Republican. In 1905 Reverend Press married Anna Brauer, of Murphysboro, Ill., and they have two children, Paul and Helen.

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


Elijah M. Spencer, deceased, formerly a prominent attorney of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, December 6, 1831, the seventh son of Mathias and Harriet (Smith) Spencer, natives of Connecticut, the father born November 15, 1795, and the mother born April 23, 1796, and died April 9, 1874. The parents were farmers. They were married in 1818, and had eight sons: William D., born March 5, 1819, died May 7, 1858; Daniel S., born April 5, 1829, now deceased; John W., born February 24, 1823, died March 15, 1859; Dr. Edwin V., born October 9, 1825, died May 28, 1902; Henry A., born August 29, 1828, died January 21, 1888; Harvey H., born June 12, 1830, died February 13, 1831; Elijah M., born December 6, 1831, died October 3, 1912; George W., born August 9, 1835, now a retired farmer of Corey, Pa. Elijah M. Spencer was a graduate of the Allegheny College, of Meadville, Pa., and came to Mt. Vernon in July, 1856, where he was an active and successful lawyer all his life. At the time of his death, October 3, 1912, he was the oldest member of the Posey County Ear Association, and that fraternity adopted elaborate resolutions of respect. He was an extensive owner of real estate and had retired in 1996 after fifty years of law practice. In politics Mr. Spencer was 2 Democrat and represented Posey county in the State legislature for two terms, beginning in 1865. He was very active in law making, was a member of several important committees and author of several successful measures, which today stand as monuments to his memory. He served for a time as county attorney. Mr. Spencer was public spirited and liberal, and the last check he issued before his death was a large donation to the Presbyterian church, of which his wife and daughters are active members. He was very highly respected in the community in which he for so many years was a substantial and dependable citizen. Elijah Spencer was married November 15, 1860 at Akron, Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Morse, daughter of Huron and Alethia (Ives) Morse. Mrs. Spencer was born December 27, 1839, in Portage county, Ohio. Her father was born July 29, 1807, and died June 16, 1885, and her mother, born April 30, 1810, died March 20, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Huron Morse had four children: Laura A., born August 12, 1833, died May 24, 1901; Lucy H., born July 9, 1835, died October 26, 1894; Charles R., born October 14, 1837, died April 9, 1995; Mary E., born December 27, 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Elijah M. Spencer had six children: Charles M., born November 21, 1861, lawyer and assistant State auditor, Indianapolis; John W., born March 7, 1864, now chief justice of the State Supreme Court; Frank B., born August 12, 1868, died June 17, 1892; Mary A., born November 29, 1870, now the wife of Allyn B. Hart, superintendent of ice company, Mt. Vernon; Stella I., born March 19, 1873, was the wife of Arthur E. Fretageot, a merchant of New Harmony, died August 22, 1913, leaving one daughter, Mary, eight years old ; Elijah M., born March 19, 1876.

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


George L. Hoehn, of Hoehn & Howard, real estate and insurance, Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Harmony township, February 8, 1856. He is a son of Blasius and Josephine (Pfister) Hoehn, both natives of Germany, and also settled in Posey county in 1853. The father died in Lynn township in 1869, aged forty-eight, and the mother passed away in 1875, aged fifty years. George L. Hoehn was educated in the public schools, and took a commercial course. He engaged in the grocery business and later learned the tinner's trade. In 1887 he was appointed deputy county treasurer, serving in that capacity until 1895, when he was elected county treasurer, and served until 1900. For a time he was engaged in the grocery business, and in 1908 formed the present partnership with Mr. Howard. Mr. Hoehn was married October 8, 1890, to Miss Margaret Deig, of Marrs township. They have one child, Raymond L. He is a member of the Catholic Knights of St. John and is a Democrat.

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


William Degress Bennett. In the development of the agricultural resources of Posey county, which has resulted in her fame as a corn producing district, opportunity has been offered to many not only to cause the dense woodland to bloom with waving grain, to realize substantial returns in a financial way, but to become leaders and teachers among their fellow men. Among those who have been active in the development of Point township from the time of the removal of the forests to the present is numbered the subject of this review. William D. Bennett is a native of Kentucky and was born near Bell's Coal Mine, Crittendon county, March 1, 1857, a son of James Madison and Mary E. (Humphreys) Bennett, both of whom were born in Tennessee. The Bennett family are of English ancestry. Prior to the War of the Revolution, three brothers, Nicholas L., Walker Marion and Emory Hughes Bennett, immigrated to the Virginia colony, and subsequently all three served in the Continental Line in the struggle which resulted in the formation of the Union. These brothers were the founders of the family in America. William D. Bennett is the fourth in descent from Emory Hughes Bennett, the Revolutionary soldier, which is as follows: Emory Hughes Bennett, born in England, resident of Virginia colony, a soldier of the Colonial army; Emory Hughes Bennett, Jr., his son, plantation owner of Tennessee (2); Emory Hughes Bennett, second, his son, born in Tennessee, resident of Kentucky and an early settler in Point township, Posey county, a blacksmith by trade, and father of our subject (3). He was born near Nashville, on December 11, 1834. He served with Morgan's force in the Civil war, was captured by the Union forces, and remained a prisoner at Chicago for twenty-two months, refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the Union in order to secure his release. On the conclusion of hostilities he followed his trade of blacksmith, locating in Kentucky, and came to Posey county in 1875. With his son, William D., he bought 100 acres of land, at that time covered with forest. The tract was located in Point township, and is a part of the farm now owned by our subject. The elder Bennett followed his trade until his death, and the shop was operated for some years afterward by his son. He married when a young man, Mary E. Humphrey, a native of Tennessee, and whose father was a plantation owner and man of influence. The family originated in England, was founded in America during the Colonial period, and several members were active supporters of the movement which resulted in independence and served as well with the Colonial forces. Mr. Bennett's death occurred on December 28, 1887, and that of his wife on May 20, 1902. They were the parents of the following children: William D.; Jane Anne, wife of Jeremiah Kelley, a veteran of the Civil war, and resident of Mt. Vernon. Mrs. Kelley died in 1891; Emory Hughes Bennett, a retired farmer of Mt. Vernon; Fannie M., wife of Walter A. Curtis, farmer of Point township; John K. Bennett, farmer of Point township, and Walker Marion Bennett, also a farmer of Point township. William D. Bennett attended the country schools of his native State, the time spent in securing an education being very limited. From his father he learned the trade of blacksmithing, which he followed both in Kentucky and Indiana. Upon his coming to Posey county, in 1875, when, with his father, he purchased a tract of timber land, much of his time was spent in clearing the tract for farming purposes. The hardships incident to reaching the goal - a producing farm - were many; privations equally plenty, but he had the pluck, courage and energy necessary to win out. His farm, one of the most productive ones per acre in his township, is the return for many years of hard labor, privation and possibly some loss of enthusiasm. His holdings comprise 130 acres. The improvements are substantial, the farm well stocked and its owner is considered one of the successful men of his township, as well as one of the most influential. He has been a lifelong Democrat, is active in the affairs of that organization in his district, but not inclined to accept office. He is a member of Point Lodge, No. 779, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a liberal supporter of the Methodist church. Mr. Bennett married, on April 3, 1887, Louisa, the daughter of the late Henry Heinekamp, a native of Germany, and a carpenter by trade and a resident of Mt. Vernon. He was accidentally killed on March 26, 1889, by being thrown from his wagon, which ran over him. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett are the parents of the following children: Annie Christina, Cora Elgin, Emory Hughes, and George Washington. One child, a son, died in infancy.

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