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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Lawrence, Orange
and Washington Counties, Indiana;
From the Earliest Time to the Present;
Together with Interesting Biographical Sketches,
Reminiscences, Notes, Etc.
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers
1884
JOHN EDWARDS
was born in Ashe County, N. C., Aug. 13, 1815, son of
William and Permelia (Murphy) Edwards, natives
respectively of North Carolina and Virginia; he was born in
1791; they were married 1813 or 1814, and in 1816 came to
Indiana, traveling on foot. He was a soldier in the
war of 1812 and a great huntsman; he died in 1864. Our
subject was brought by his parents to Indiana when quite
young. In 1838 he purchased eighty acres of land,
adding to it afterward, making it 316 acres in all, which he
has since disposed of to his children. In 1869 he was
elected Township Assessor; has also served as Township
Trustee. He was married in 1838 to Miss Lucy Burton,
born in North Carolina Mar. 20, 1820, a daughter of Allen
and Sylvia (Reeves) Burton, and by this union ten
children have been born: William H., Allen, Eli M.,
Malinda, Maria, John R., James W., Mary F., living, and
Louisa and Wesley, dead. The family are
members of the Baptist Church, and he is a Republican.
Mr. Edwards has always taken an active interest in
the cause of education, and has paid considerable attention
to fruit raising.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange
and Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 290 - Marion Twp. |
WESLEY EDWARDS
was born in this township Oct. 6, 1822, son of William
and Emily (Murphy) Edwards. Both parents were
natives of North Carolina, where they were married and
resided until 1816, when then came to Orange County, and
about a year later to Lawrence County, locating on our
subject's farm. Here the parents lived and farmed,
well respected, until their deaths; the father dying in
1863, and the mother in 1850. The father was a soldier
in the war of 1812, was a Whig and a member of the Baptist
Church, and was a man of more than ordinary worth.
Wesley was one of ten children, seven of whom reached
maturity. He passed his youth on a farm, and at the
age twenty-two years married Sarah, daughter of
Allen Burton, who bore him seven children, only three
now living: Herbert H., Louisa and Harriet.
Mrs. Edwards was born in Ashe County, N. C., Mar. 1822.
Wesley owned forty acres when he married; he now has
300 acres. For six years he was County Commissioner,
and has honorably officiated in other responsible positions.
He is a member of the Baptist Church. The county ahs
no better citizen.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange
and Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 290 - Marion Twp. |
WILLIAM
EDWARDS was born is Ashe County, North Carolina, June
16, 1811, the ninth of twelve children born to Starling
and Salin (Cobb) Edwards. Our subject came to this
state in 1827, and has been a resident of this county ever
since. In consequence of his father's death his
educational facilities were limited, and he was cast out
upon the world to carve his own fortune, and well he has
done it. July 18,1833, he was married to Elizabeth
Fish, and to this union twelve children have been born,
six of whom are now living: Serelda, who was united
in marriage to Thomas Kilgore; Sallie,
wife of B. F. Kilgore; John, who married
Retta Williams; Lucien, whose wife was Martha
Long; a son, who married Delilah Cariss; Virginia F.,
who married George Kinnick. Farming has
always been his occupation, and he now owns 208 acres of
land. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards are members of the
Christian Church, and he is a Democrat, having in by gone
years taken quite an interest in political matters. He
is well respected.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington
Counties, Indiana; Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co.,
Publishers 1884~ Page 249 - Shawswick Twp. |
HON. WILLIAM H. EDWARDS,
attorney at law, was born in Marion Township, Nov. 30, 1841,
and after the usual common school training, in 1865, entered
Wabash College at Crawfordsville, where he remained till the
following May, when he went to farming, and after
accumulating enough to pay his expenses, entered the Law
Department of the University at Bloomington. During
the year 1869 he was admitted to practice at the bar of
Bedford, and located at Mitchell, where he has since
remained; in 1864 was Assessor of Marion Township, and in
1868 was made Treasurer of Mitchell. In 1872 he was
elected by the Republican party to the Legislature, serving
a special and regular term. Dec. 8, 1868, he was
married to Miss Cornelia McCoy, a native of Ohio, and
daughter of J. D. and Catharine (Ewing) McCoy, and
one child has been born to them - John H.
August 8, 1862, Mr. Edwards enlisted in Company H,
Sixty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and
participated in the following battles: Munfordville,
Ky. (where he was captured), Vicksburg, Arkansas Post, Grand
Gulf, Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River Bridge, and
Siege of Vicksburg, where he was discharged by reason of
disability. He is a member of the G. A. R.
Source: History of
Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 290 - Marion Twp. |
AUGUSTIN
ELLIS, jeweler, was born Aug. 30, 1836, in Hendricks
County, Ind., and is one of six children born to William
and Sarah (Blackwell) Ellis, who were among the earliest
settlers in Indiana from the South. Mr.
Ellis received such school privileges as were to be had
at that early day in Indiana, and was left when young by the
death of his parents to care for himself. In youth he
learned the carriage-makers' trade, which he followed about
four years in Canton, and Morgan County, Ind. He was
engaged in business in Salem, Washington County, at the time
of the famous Morgan raid in that locality, and was
by Gen. Morgan taken prisoner, but soon after
released. Mr. Ellis was married Apr. 18,
1860, to Drusilla Green, and to their union
six children were born, four of whom are now living:
Samuel, Oliver, Magnolia and Augusta. June
12, 1874, he located in Bedford in the jewelry business,
where he owns the store room where he is doing a prosperous
business, and has a stock of goods valued at $6,000.
Mrs. Ellis died Apr. 6, 1876, and July 17,
1879, Mr. Ellis was married to Ellen
LeForce, and by her is the father of one child, named
Frank. Mr. Ellis is a member of the Methodist and
his wife of the Presbyterian Church. He is a Democrat
in politics, although he takes little interest in public
affairs.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington Counties,
Indiana; Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers
1884~ Page 249 - Shawswick Twp. |
DAVID H. ELLISON,
County Superintendent, was born near Leesville, Lawrence
County, Oct. 7, 1851, son of James H. and Mary A.
(Breckinridge) Ellison, natives of Indiana and Kentucky.
In addition to the district schools, our subject attended
the high school at Leesville, two yeas, and in 1872 he
entered the State University at Bloomington, where he
remained three years. He then taught school two years,
after which he re-entered the State University, from which
he graduated June 12, 1878, when he accepted the
principalship of Leesville High School, remained five years,
and in 1883 was appointed County Superintendent of Schools,
receiving seven of the nine votes cast. He was married
in Leesville, June 11, 1878, to Miss Sarah Holland,
born in Oct. 3, 1858, and daughter of William A. and Jane
(Jeter) Holland, and one child has blessed the union -
Minnie. While at college the class agreed to
give a silver cup to the oldest child of any one of its
members after five years, and the daughter of Mr. Ellison
won the prize. He has two farms in Flinn Township,
containing 350 acres of fine land. He is an I.
O. O. F.
Source: History of Lawrence,
Orange and Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 291 - Marion Twp. |
ASA ERWIN,
farmer, was born in Shawswick Township, Lawrence Co., Ind.,
Jan. 23, 1818, where he was reared to farming and educated
being the fifth of thirteen children born to Robert and
Mary (Pearsole) Erwin, respectively of North Carolina
and Wales. He has always followed farming, and in 1838
purchased fifty-eight acres in Marion Township at $1.25 per
acre. This land he improved, and has since added to it
until he now has 600 acres in the tract, and owns 400 acres
besides. In 1883 he permanently located in Mitchell,
and is a large-hearted, public-spirited man, favoring all
laudable undertakings. He has been twice married;
first to Rosana Mason, Jan. 2, 1841; she died in
January, 1880, leaving six children - Priscilla, Beverly
C., Henry C., Edward E., Sarah J. and Milton Grant -
living, and four dead. Feb. 24, 1884, he married
Mrs. Elizabeth S. Adams, a native of England.
The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and he is a Democrat, but was A Whig until the late war,
having cast his first vote for Harrison. Mr. Erwin
is dealing extensively in lime, producing at his kilns near
Whitlock about 14,000 barrels per year.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange and
Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 291 - Marion Twp. |
WILLIAM ERWIN,
deceased, was a native of Randolph County, N. C. from whence
he emigrated with his family to Indiana Territory in 1808,
locating in Clark County, Indiana. In 1815 he removed to
Lawrence County, Indiana where he became widely known,
serving for a time as County Judge. Previous to this
he served as one of the Territorial Magistrates under Gov.
Harrison. The eldest of his children and his
name sake was the father of William Erwin, the
present County Recorder. By Bishop Roberts,
William the second was married to Elizabeth
Dodd, a native of Kentucky, in March, 1835, and to them
twelve children were born. Mr. Erwin was
a farmer throughout life, a member of long standing in the
Methodist Church, and a man of undoubted honor and
integrity. Early in life he espoused the Whig faith in
politics, but in 1856 was one of seventeen in Marion
Township who renounced their old party for Republicanism and
cast their ballots for John C. Fremont for President.
During the Rebellion he took advanced grounds for the
preservation of the Union. His death, which occurred
Nov. 19, 1881, was universally regretted. His oldest
son, Hugh Erwin, was elected to the Indiana
Legislature in 1860, at that time being the youngest member,
but in 1861 resigned, and enlisted in the Twenty-fourth
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was elected Captain of
Company A. He participated in the battles of Shiloh,
Port Gibson, Champion Hills and Vicksburg, but by reason of
failing health was compelled to resign his commission. He
was twice elected Treasurer of Lawrence County, and was
afterward appointed Government Gauger by President
Grant. He is now a resident of Cherokee County,
Kansas. William Erwin, the third of that name
here mentioned, and Hugh's brother, was born Apr. 11,
1843, and with his brother was raised on a farm. July
9, 1861, he enlisted in the same company and regiment as his
brother, served through the Missouri campaign and was
honorably discharged June 11, 1862. For a time
succeeding this he attended Asbury University at
Greencastle, and in May, 1864, graduated from Bryant
& Stratton's Business College at Indianapolis. In
this same month he became a member of Company E, One Hundred
and Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving until
the expiration of his term of enlistment. After this
he served as Deputy Recorder to fill the unexpired term of
John F. Richards. In 1876 he was elected to
this office and re-elected in 1880 with an increased
majority. Mr. Erwin is a stanch
Republican, a Free Mason and a member of the G. A. R. May
15, 1878, Miss Flora A. Irwin became his wife, and
Mary, born Oct. 11, 1879, is their only child. His
mother, now in her sixty-eighth year, and one sister, now
live on the old homestead in Marion Township; two sisters in
Eureka, Illinois. His brother, Thomas Erwin,
resides in Marion Township on his farm; one sister in
Anchorage, Kentucky, one in North Vernon and one near
Springville, Indiana.
Source: History of Lawrence, Orange and Washington
Counties, Indiana; Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co.,
Publishers 1884~ Page 249 - Shawswick Twp. |
| EVERSOLE FAMILY Source: History of Lawrence, Orange
and Washington Counties, Indiana;
Publ. Chicago: Goodspeed Bros. & Co., Publishers 1884~
Page 291 - Marion Twp. |
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