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HISTORY
OF PARKE COUNTY, INDIANA
Source:
History of Vigo & Parke County, Indiana
Publ. Chicago:
H. H. Hill & N. Iddings,
1880
1310 pgs.
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)
BIOGRAPHIES OF ADAMS TOWNSHIP
NOTE: These biographies contain many other names
than are listed below. To find out if a person you are
searching for, do a "Control F" to search the contents of this page.
Biographies will be transcribed upon request
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ADAMS, Harvey |
119 |
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ALLEN, James A. |
118 |
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BANTLEY, James L. |
157 |
|
BEADLE, James W. |
132 |
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BEADLE, John Hanson |
127 |
|
BOARDMAN, Thomas |
146 |
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BOGUE, Eli |
156 |
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BOYD, Harrison |
117 |
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BOYD, Lewis |
140 |
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BRADFIELD, Edward |
140 |
|
BRYANT, William Perkins |
106 |
| BURROUGHS, James Greene |
164 |
|
COCHRAN, James H. |
157 |
|
COLE, Oscar A. |
149 |
| CONNELLY, Jesse B. |
121 |
| COX, John B. |
141 |
| CRAIG, William H. |
160 |
| CRAIN, John G., Hon. |
135 |
| CUMMINGS, William P. |
120 |
| DAVIS, Samuel T. |
124 |
| DOWD, John B., Capt. |
151 |
|
FISHER, Daniel D. |
115 |
| FISHER, Lewis W. |
142 |
| FULWIDER, John |
135 |
| FUSON, Stephen K. |
162 |
|
GREEN, John |
116 |
| HARGRAVE, William H. |
158 |
|
HARRISON, Wilburn P. |
144 |
| HOWARD, D. S. |
167 |
| HOWARD, Tilghman,
|
101 |
| HUNNELL, Jacob S. |
161 |
| HUNT, Elwood |
131 |
|
HUNT, John F. D. |
144 |
| JERDON, Joseph H. |
139 |
| JOHNSTON, James T. |
153 |
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KIRKMAN, Samuel
(colored) |
159 |
|
LAMBERT, Benjamin F. |
112 |
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MARSHALL, Emmet Filmore |
143 |
| MARSHALL, Mahlon W. |
123 |
| McCUNE, Wallace W. |
123 |
| McEWEN, James |
113 |
| McEWEN, Robert B. |
114 |
| McMILLEN, William L. |
119 |
| MEACHAM, John J. |
116 |
| MEREDITH, Thomas |
166 |
| MORRIS, Cephas |
107 |
| MULL, William D. |
126 |
| MURPHY, Clinton |
155 |
| PRICE, G. C. |
125 |
|
PUETT, Alexander |
112 |
| PUETT, Samuel Duncan |
133 |
| QUINLAN, Cornelius |
166 |
|
RICE, Thomas N. |
140 |
|
ROACH, Addison L. |
108 |
|
RYAN, Martin |
142 |
| SKELTON, Samuel L. |
159 |
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SLAVENS, Henry |
107 |
| SMITH, George P. |
152 |
|
SMITH, Samuel W. |
150 |
| STARK, David W. |
116 |
|
STEELE, George K. |
110 |
| STROUSE, David |
134 |
| TENBROOK, William |
120 |
| THOMAS, Patrick |
155 |
|
WARD, Greenberry |
113 |
| WELCH, Frank |
145 |
| WHITE, Ared F. |
130 |
| WHITE, William J. |
139 |
| WILSON, John, Jr. |
165 |
| WOODARD, Solomon B. |
122 |
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HARVEY
ADAMS, farmer, Rockville, was born in Ross county,
Ohio, July 6, 1825, and is the son of Philip and Mary L.
(Chestnut) 'Adams. His father was born in Virginia
in 1783, and died in Parke county, Indiana, in 8145.
He moved to Ohio before the war of 1812. In 1830 he
moved to Vigo county, Indiana, and in 1835 moved to Parke
county. He served in the war of 1812, and was a member
of the Methodist church, and in politics was an old
line whig. His mother was born in 1795 and died in
1863. Mr. Adams had only the common school
education of his day, and although he did not have the
education of the schools, yet he obtained a practical
education that has enabled him to become the wealthiest
farmer in Adams township. Mr. Adams began
farming for himself in1846, with but little capital.
He was married August 15, 1848, to Miss Elizabeth A.
Caruthers, who was born in 1827. They have had
nine children: Joseph D., who has attended
school at Bloomingdale Academy and has taught school in the
fall and winter for eight or nine years; Emma I., who
has taught school, and has attended the Bloomingdale Academy
and the State Normal at Terre Haute, intending to graduate;
Anna L., who died May 12, 1876; Lewis E., Lucy A.
(the last two are twins), John M., who attended
Bloomingdale Academy and taught school for a number or
terms; and Mary E., who is the wife of Josephus
OTT. Mr. ADAMS now has about 2,000 acres of
land, about 900 acres of which is in good cultivation, and
the remainder is good woods and pasture land. Upon the
place where he lives he built, in 1859, a large, fine slate
roof dwelling houe, at a cost of about $5,000. Mr.
Adams has raised grain and stock largely.
- Page 119 |
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JAMES
A. ALLEN, farmer, Rockville, is one of the respected
men of Adams township, and was born in Parke county Apr. 7,
1833. His father James ALLEN was born in Wythe
county, Virginia, Oct. 15, 1803, and died March 8, 1876.
He settled in Parke county in 1825. He was left an
orphan at twelve years of age, without money, but by
industry and good management he became a wealthy farmer.
During the early days of Indiana he endured many hardships,
and passed through many trying and interesting experiences,
but he lived to see what was then a wilderness become the
abode of civilization. Mr. ALLEN's mother,
Mary (CARUTHERS), was born Dec. 1, 1810, and died Nov.
19, 1877. She was the daughter of John CARUTHERS,
of Ohio. Mr. ALLEN had the advantages of the
common school for an education. He began farming for
himself in the spring of 1854, and was married Mar. 25,
1858, to Mary Jane OTT. She was born May 26,
1836, in Augusta county, Virginia. They have had five
children: Oscar M., born Dec. 19, 1859, died
Sept. 28, 1860; James E., Dec. 4, 1860; Cora B.,
July 8, 1865, and died May 26, 1866; Frank S., July
30, 1869, and Homer O., Sept. 5, 1873. Mr.
and Mrs. ALLEN are both members of the Presbyterian
church of Rockville. Mr. ALLEN was a Mason
fifteen years, and in politics is a republican. He is
a successful farmer, an enterprising citizen, and has
reached his present condition by hard labor and good
management.
- Page 118 |
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JAMES
L. BANTLEY, farmer, Rockville, was born in Virginia
in 1822, and is the son of George and Ann M. (Hogue)
Bantley. His father was a cooper by trade; a
Methodist class-leader till his death, and in politics was a
democrat. While living in Virginia Mr. Bantley
conducted a tannery for another man. He lived
near and learned his trade of William Taylor, the
noted preacher and theologian. The southern government
took charge of the tannery establishment during the war, and
employed him to conduct it. His first marriage was
November 5, 1846. The children by this marriage were:
John R., Cyrus, Edward A., who died March 14, 1875;
Virginia E., who died November 21, 1864;
Dorman M., died June 22, 1862; William L.
and Gorder P. His first wife died Nov. 13,
1864. There are also two other children dead:
Lillie R. and Mary A. His second marriage
was October 21, 1867. His wife was born Apr. 5, 1839.
By this marriage they have two children living:
Stalard B. and Wallace G. Mr. Bantley
suffered considerable loss by the depreciation of southern
paper money, and came to Rockville in 1865 with only $1.25
in his pocket; but he went to work, and is now in
comfortable circumstances.
- Page 157 |
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JAMES
W. BEADLE, farmer, Rockville, was born in Parke
County, July 8, 1844, and is the son of James W. and
Elizabeth (Bright) Beadle. Mr. Beadle had the
advantages of the common school and the Rockville High
school for an education. July 29, 1862, Mr. Beadle
enlisted in the 78th Ind. Vols., and one month afterward he
was captured by the guerrillas. He was immediately
paroled, and came home and attended the Rockville high
school that winter, and in the spring was exchanged.
July 4, 1863, he reenlisted in the 115th Ind. Vols. He
was mustered into service at Camp Karrington, Indianapolis,
and remained there about two months guarding rebel
prisoners. Just before his regiment left Indianapolis
Mr. Beadle took sick, but afterward joined it at
Cumberland Gap. The greater part of the winter of
1863-4 he was sick with the measles. Mr. Beadle
served in the 90th Army Corps, commanded by Gen. Burnside,
and was mustered out in February 1864. May 6, 1864, he
enlisted in the one-hundred days service, and was discharged
in the fall of the same year. He came ome and attended
school until January 1, when he enlisted in the navy for two
years, and served until the close of the war. In the
spring of 1866 Mr. Beadle went into the drug business
at Evansville, Indiana, and continued there until the fall
of 1869. In the spring of 1870 he went to Dakota
Territory, and engaged in land surveying about three years,
when he returned to Parke County. He was married June
10, 1875, to Miss Bell Tenbrook, who was born Jan. 9,
1856, in Parke county. They have three children:
Edward P., Clara M. and John F. Mr. Beadle
is a successful farmer and resides on the old homestead.
He is a member of A. O. U. W., is a great reader, and is
politics is a republican. He votes to maintain the
Union, which he fought to save. His father, James
Ward Beadle, was born in Jefferson county, Kentucky,
near the city of Louisville, September 30, 1806. In
1820 he moved with his father to Clark county, Indiana.
He afterward returned to Kentucky and was married to Miss
Elizabeth Bright. She was the daughter of John
and Elizabeth (Burroughs) Bright, and was born March 12,
1805. Her ancestors settled in America in very early
times. Her father cut down the first tree where the
city of Washington now stands. He did duty in the war
of 1812, and sank his boat in the Chesapeake Bay at Norfolk,
to keep it from being captured by the British. Mrs.
Beadle is a member of the Methodist church, and lives
with her son, James W. Beadle. Her father lived
to be ninety-five years old, and her mother ninety-four.
Mr. and Mrs. Beadle had nine children:
Catherine A., Mary E., Laura V., William H., John H., Fred.
R., James W., Edward T. and Sarah E. In
February, 1837, Mr. Beadle moved to Parke county, and
for ten or twelve years did business in Howard, farming,
pork packing, dealing in dry goods and groceries, and
shipping to New Orleans. In 1848 he was elected
sheriff of Parke county. He served two terms and made
an efficient officer. He also held the offices of
justice of the peace and county commissioner for a number of
years. He had four sons in the great rebellion.
Mr. Beadle died April 18, 1879. He was a member
of the Methodist church, a republican, and a Mason for many
years. Mr. Beadle was a man of positive
convictions, strongly attached to his family and friends,
and had extensive information, wide experience, and was an
active and useful member of society.
- Page 132 |
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JOHN
HANSON BEADLE, author, and editor and proprietor of
the "Rockville Tribune," Rockville, second son of James
Ward and Elizabeth Beadle, was born March 14, 1840, on a
farm two miles east of Waterman, in Liberty township, this
county. At a very early age he was attacked by the
ague, which was then the curse of the Wabash country; with
this disease he languished an entire year, and was finally
left with an enfeebled constitution. For this reason
his personal tastes were indulged rather more than those of
most children, and as he early showed a remarkable aptitude
for books and papers he acquired the reputation of an "odd
child." He learned to read so young that he has no
recollection of the matter, and at the age of seven was
among the advanced scholars of the district school.
His memory was then considered marvelous, and being somewhat
indulged he used to spend whole days reading, or rambling in
the woods and reciting little poems and stories he had read.
At the age of ten years he committed the entire New
Testament to memory, besides the Book of Job, most of the
Psalms, and other portions of the Old Testament. This
power of memory continued in full activity till about the
age of sixteen; then it disappeared almost at once, and
since that time, though very good, his memory is not at all
phenomenal. At the age of nine he had completed the
studies then pursued in the common schools, and his father,
being desirous to educate his children more thoroughly,
obtained the nomination of the whigs for sheriff; he was
elected and the family removed to Rockville. In three
years John and his elder brother, William,
had completed the high school course - then not as full as
now - and were prepared for college. But John
was still of a delicate constitution, and it was decided
that his days of study were over. At the age of
thirteen he was removed to the farm near Rockville, and
spent the next five years in farm labor and driving stock,
attending school only two winter terms in Rockville.
Having meanwhile grown stout and apparently rugged he became
eager for a college course; and in October, 1857, he and his
brother William entered as freshmen at Ann Harbor,
Michigan. His health, at no time really robust, broke
down in the second year, and for awhile his friends
despaired of his recovery. He at length rallied, and
when able to travel returned home. After a short visit
he started on a tour through Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and
Minnesota, traveling largely on foot and paying his way by
farm-labor, teaming, selling books, etc. After a brief
sojourn in Minnesota his health was so much restored that he
returned to college. After the breaking out of the war
he made an extensive tour through New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Ohio. On his return he enlisted
as a private in Co. A, 31st Ind. Vols., and served until
after the fall of Fort Donelson, when exposure brought on a
disease of the lungs and he barely escaped death. The
next four years he traveled, taught school, and studied law;
and in 1866 located, as he supposed, permanently in
Evansville in the practice of his profession. Again
his health failed, and in 1868 he started for California,
the next winter corresponding with the Cincinnati
"Commercial" from Salt Lake City. These letters,
signed "Beadle" (racy and original), attracted wide notice,
and established for him a reputation which placed him in the
front rank of the newspaper correspondents of our land.
During his residence in Utah he edited the Salt Lake
"Reporter" a year. This was a gentile sheet, the only
one in the territory, and under his editorial control was
soon recognized as one of the sprightliest and most
effective journals in the west, and by the "Saints" as a
rapier to Mormanism. He next traveled constantly for
several years in the western states and territories as the
correspondent of the Cincinnati "Commercial," "Western
World," and other papers, at the same time collecting
material for his books. The first of these was his
"Life in Utah," published early in 1870. This is a
history of Mormonism, and the most complete and valuable
book on the subject that has ever been written. It
found an immense sale, showing its great popularity - over
80,000 copies having been sold. It has been said by
another that the work "reflects great honor on the writer
from the clear, impartial statement of the rise, progress
and workings of Mormonism, acquired only by the most hard
and patient labor; and from the forcible and interesting
style in which it is written, will deservedly rank it among
the reliable histories of our land." On December 25,
1872, Mr. Beadle was married to Miss Jennie Cole,
of Evansville, a lady who adds to quiet, social charms a
rare development of the moral sensibilities. This
union was happy for Mr. Beadle, not only in securing
a partner whose grace and tenderness would fill his home
with the sunshine of domestic happiness, but whose
qualifications otherwise lend ready assistance in his
intellectual labors. In 1874 an interest in mining
took Mr. Beadle, with his wife and child, to
Colorado, where he worked and traveled that season.
Then he went to Utah and was appointed clerk of the supreme
court. This position he held till August 1875, when he
resigned and went to New York city. There he wrote
various articles for the magazines, and served as
Wall-street reporter for the "Daily Graphic." Early in
1876 he accepted the position of Columbus (Ohio)
correspondent of the Cincinnati - Gazette." retaining the
same two years; during the time he made two lengthy tours in
the south for that Journal. Growing weary of the life
of a wandering scribe, in 1878 he settled in Rockville, and
bought the "Rockville Tribune," a paper which he is at this
time publishing. In addition to his editorial work he
is performing a variety of literary labor. In 1877 he
published "Western Wilds" - a history of seven years' travel
and residence in the Far West. Besides his
correspondence Mr. Beadle is widely known for his
books and various short articles: among them, "Then
Darwinian Genesis," a little satire, which has been
repeatedly published both in Europe and America; the
"Centennial State," etc. Mr. Beadle's
acquirements are of a high order. His talents, made
conspicuous by great memory, remarkable powers of
observation and generalization, and an unusually versatile
style, have brought him prominently before the reading world
as a writer of signal promise, and laid the foundation for a
career of usefulness and fame in the empire of letters.
He is still a young man, and the public have every reason to
hope that they may be refreshed for many years to come from
the fountains of his inspiring pen, and that he may add
greatly to his very gratifying success and reputation.
- Page 127 |
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THOMAS
BOARDMAN, shoemaker, Rockville, was born in
Manchester, England, Feb. 9, 1826. He came with his
parents, Thomas and Alice (Aspinal) Boardman, to New
York in 1832. His father was a woolen manufacturer,
and settled in that city, where the family lived several
years. The subject of this sketch began the
shoemaker's trade there, but before he had finished it they
removed to Steubenville, Ohio, then to Lisbon, and next to
Salem, From here Thomas returned to
Steubenville, and when he was done with learning his trade
he went to Elkton to help his father run a woolen factory
which he had bought. He quit the factory in 1847 and
came to Parke county, arriving at Morlan's mill, on
the Little Raccoon, on May 1. He settled and lived on
Sand creek a couple of years, farming and working at his
trade; he then moved to New Discovery, and in like manner
worked two or three years from thence he went to Rocky Fork,
near Mansfield, and lived until 1856, when he and his
brother Joseph and Ashford Mankins formed a
partnership and kept a general store at Piattsville.
Mr. Boardman kept the Boardman kept the
post-office at that point. In the spring of 1858 he
sold out and made a journey with his family in a two-horse
wagon to New York, stopping along the way to visit
relations. The trip occupied four weeks. His
father and mother had previously returned to New York and
settled at Poughkeepsie. In the fall he sold his team
and returned by rail, and took up his residence at
Rockville, where he has lived to this date. For three
or four years he carried on a boot and shoe establishment,
manufacturing much of his stock, and keeping several workmen
for that purpose. He next embarked in the grocery
trade, to which he added a meat market, taking Henry
Craft as a partner in the latter. This partnership
was summarily dissolved by Craft's being killed in a
quarrel with Washington Painter, who shot him.
After a few years Mr. Boardman resumed work at his
trade, and has not departed from that since. He was
married at New Lisbon, Ohio, in 1846, to Edna Hann,
who was born July 10, 1829. They have had nine
children: Sarah Catharine, now dead;
Alice, Amanda, Mary Ann, Joseph
Henry, Julia, who is deceased; Andrew, dead;
Thomas, deceased; Edna, May, and William.
Mr. Boardman and nearly all his family are members of
the Christian church. He has filled all the stations
from janitor to pastor, and has indeed been most efficient
in all the relations he has borne to the church, and
faithful to her every trust and interest. Mr.
Boardman has two brothers, Andrew and Samuel,
lawyers, who reside in New York city and are eminent in
their profession. It was Judge Andrew Boardman,
it will be remembered, who presided on the trial of
Stokes for the killing of Fisk. The
Boardman family on both sides are remarkable for their
longevity. His father died June 23, 1869, aged 83, and
his mother May 6, 1880, aged 90. His grandfather
Boardman lived to be 101 years old, and his grandfather
Aspinal 110.
- Page 146 |
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ELI
BOGUE, farmer, Rockville, is the son of William
and Rebecca (Cook) Bogue, and was born in Vermilion
county, Illinois, October 12, 1840. Mr. Bogue's
father was a Friend Quaker, a republican, and a farmer.
Mr. Bogue lived in Illinois till 1861. In 1859
he made a trip through Iowa. He enlisted in Co. K,
37th Ill. Vols., and was mustered into service at Camp
Washington, Chicago, Illinois, and proceeded at once to St.
Louis. He fought at Muddy Creek, where the Union
forces captured 1,400 prisoners. This battle was
commanded by Gen. Pope. His company was then
placed under the command of Gen. Fremont. Mr. Bogue
also fought in the battle of Pea Ridge. His
regiment took boats, went down the Mississippi river to the
siege of Vicksburg; then up the Yazoo, in North Carolina;
then to New Orleans, across the Gulf; and he was mustered
out at Springfield, Illinois, after three years of service
for his country. While in the army he was offered
promotion on account of good conduct. He made a good
record as a soldier. May 13, 1867, he was married to
Miss Rebecca Newlin. She was born in 1848.
They have three children: Richard H., Almetta
and William N. Mr. Boyd is a Friend Quaker, and
a republican; he votes as he shot. He is an
industrious and successful farmer.
- Page 156 |
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HARRISON
BOYD, farmer, Rockville, was born in Tennessee May
28, 1819, and is the son of William B. BOYD.
The latter was born in Albermarle count, Virginia. He
was a farmer, a Methodist, and democrat. In 1833 the
subject of this sketch went with his parents to Hendricks
county, Indiana, and in 1835 settled in Parke county.
Mr. BOYD was married Nov. 3, 1846, to Miss Rebecca
LEWIS, who was born in Ohio May 30, 1822, and is the
daughter of Jason and Nancy (ASHFORD) LEWIS.
Their children are: James M., who married
Miss Margaret McCAMPBELL; Ann L., Lewis, who is a farmer
and school teacher; William, Mary E., Albert H., and
Eldridge. His son James taught school
several terms, and attended school at Farmersburg and
graduated from the first medical college in Philadelphia.
Before attending school he read in the office of Dr.
CROSS, of Rockville. He is now a practicing
physician in Harveysburg, Fountain county, Indiana.
Mr. BOYD commenced farming for himself in 1840, in poor
circumstances. He now owns a good farm of 134 acres,
for which he paid $50 per acre, and upon which he is
preparing to build a new house. Mr. BOYD and
wife are members of the Methodist church. Mr. BOYD
is a democrat in politics, and is a man who believes in
progress and improvement. He is an honest, hard
working, good natured gentleman.
- Page 117 |
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LEWIS BOYD, farmer and
teacher, Rockville, was born in Parke county, Jan. 14, 1851,
and is the son of Harrison Boyd. His father was
born in 1818, and is still living, is a member of the
Methodist church and in politics is a democrat.
Besides a good common literary education Mr. Boyd is
a graduate of the Terre Haute Commercial College. He
entered this school in 1872, graduating in five months.
He also took merchant emporium besides the regular course.
After leaving school he went into a store as clerk, but on
account of ill health began farming He was married
Apr. 12, 1876, to Miss Lucy A. Archer. She was
born Mar. 3, 1858. They have two children:
Charles H., born Jan. 29, 1877, and John H., born
Nov. 26, 1878. Mr. Boyd is the daughter of
Lemuel and Martha Archer. Mr. Boyd made his own
way through school, and has made all he now has. He
has taught school eight six-months terms. As a teacher
he gives good satisfaction and gets the highest wages.
Mr. Boyd is a member of the Presbyterian church, and
in politics is a democrat, though he often votes for
republicans, especially for county offices, aiming to vote
for men and principles, and not for party alone.
- Page 140 |
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EDWARD
BRADFIELD, farmer, Rockville, was born in Columbiana
county, Ohio, Aug. 1, 1841, and is the son of William and
Sarah Bradfield, Mr. Bradfield had a
common-school education and also attended Bloomington
Academy two terms. He was married to Sarah J. Cox
December 8, 1867. She was born May 5, 1846, and is the
daughter of John B. and Mary (Mayfield) Cox.
They hae four children: William A., Reason
E., Minnie J. and Seth. Mr.
Bradfield's father died April 26, 1862. His father
was an elder in the Christian church, and in politics was a
whig and afterward a republican. Mr. Bradfield
began life in limited circumstances, but now has a good
farm, upon which he is building a fine new slate-roof
dwelling-house. Mr. Bradfield taught school in
his own district for eight terms in succession. He has
taught, in all, twelve winters and two summers. The
fact that he taught so long in his own district is a
standing proof of his success as a teacher. He took an
active part in getting the gravel road that runs past his
place, thus evincing his wisdom and enterprise. He is
a member of the Christian church, and in politics is a
nationalist. He is a man of careful and judicious
judgment.
- Page 140 |
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WILLIAM
PERKINS BRYANT was born in Mercer county, Kentucky,
August 3, 1806. His mother died when he was quite
young; afterward his father moved to Shakertown, where young
Bryant remained till he was eighteen. Not liking the
customs of the Shakers, he left his family and went to
Lancaster; he was entirely without means, but while here he
managed to study law, and in 1825 arrived in Indiana.
Whether he came directly to Parke county is not known but
only a short time could have elapsed till he was settled in
Rockville. When the Black Hawk war broke out he
volunteered and served throughout the campaign, a
circumstance which greatly increased his reputation.
Immediately on his return he went back to Lancaster,
Kentucky and married his cousin, Maria BRYANT and
then elected prosecuting attorney, which was a considerable
office at that time, as the circuit embraced a large
territory extending from Vincennes to Fort Wayne; and
attorneys who attended the courts made long journeys and
were away from home weeks and months engrossed with their
practice. He was a circuit judge two or three terms;
about 1838 he formed a partnership with Gen. HOWARD.
Up to 1840 he had been a whig, but in that year he joined
the democrats. Gen. HOWARD was a democratic
candidate for governor against Samuel BIGGER, which
was probably the motive for the change. That year the
democrats were swept from power, and his partner failed of
election. When they were reinstated Judge BRYANT
was rewarded by President POLK with the
appointment of chief justice of Oregon. The judge was
at this time broken down in fortune, and while residing in
Oregon improved the occasion to better his circumstances.
Gen Joseph LANE, of Indiana, was then governor of the
territory, and the two engaged together in lumbering, and
when Judge Bryant returned to the states his losses
were fully repaired. Near the close of his life he
aspired again to be circuit judge, but was beaten for the
office by Judge COWAN. Judge BRYANT was
large of stature and had a splendid physique; in disposition
he displayed the characteristic fiery temper of the south,
and had hardly better command of it than the representative
southron; but he was a kind-hearted man, liberal in his
views, and a respecter though not a professor of religion.
He was a cultured gentleman, forcible but not pleasant
speaker, and was well read in the law. He died Oct.
10, 1860.
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JAMES GREENE BURROUGHS
- Page 164 |
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JAMES
H. COCHRAN, hotel keeper, Rockville, was born near
Princeton, in Gibson county, Indiana, Apr. 12 1819. He
was the oldest child of William and Elizabeth (Colvin)
Cochran. His father died when he was thirteen
years old. He partly learned the wagon-maker's trade,
but not liking it, when to carpentering. For
many years at first he did but little at either. About
1845, his health failing, he began clerking in a hotel at
Princeton, Indiana, for William H. Boicourt, and
continued in his employ until after the latter removed
to Evansville, in 1850. He then went into the grocery
business in the same place. In little over a year he
sold out and went to Mount Carmel, Illinois, where he ran a
hotel upward of a year, when he came back to Evansville and
opened the "Railroad House." He kept this until 1855,
when, his wife having died, he quit the business and engaged
again with Boicourt as hotel clerk. His first
marriage was with Miss Mary Anderson, Dec. 25, 1850.
She died July 16, 1854. He was married again Oct. 3,
1855, this time to Margaret Deere. Two children
were the issue of the first union: Alice A.,
wife of Joseph Hunt, of Buena Vista, Colorado, and
Morris J., dealer in mining claims in Colorado. By
the last marriage there have been the following children:
Millard F., dead; Kate M., dead; Laura B.,
Jennie, John W., William S., dead; Rosa B., dead;
and Charlie F. Shortly after his second
marriage Mr. Cochran went into the employ of the
Evansville & Crawfordsville Railroad Company as general
passenger agent. In Dec., 1863, he quit the service of
the company, and bought an interest in the Parke House, in
Rockville. He ran this, in company with Thomas
Williamson, till July, 1868, when he rented his hotel
and bought a stock of books and stationery, and in the
spring of 1869, having sold his hotel property, he moved his
goods to Evansville, and going into speculations, broke up.
It was then that he realized the advantage of being a
tradesman. He returned at once to his plane and saw,
and kept close companionship with his tools till 1873, when
he left Evansville for Montezuma, where he was in the hotel
business till 1878. At that time he came to Rockville,
and has since ran the "Central House." Mr. Cochran
joined the Methodist denomination. He has been
Sunday-school superintendent, class-leader, trustee, and is
now an elder. His wife is a member of the same
society. He has been an Odd-Fellow since 1847, and has
filled all the elective offices in the subordinate lodge.
Politically he is firmly grounded in republican principles.
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OSCAR
A. COLE, farmer, Rockville, was born May 2, 1860, at Catlin
Station, Parke county. He is a son of James A. and
Sarah (Kirkpatrick) Cole, and his father is a brother to
Jacob Cole, whose sketch appears in this history.
When Oscar was a year and a half old his parents
moved to Jackson township, where the boy lived till 1879.
He was educated at the Rockville high school and at
Valparaiso Northern Indiana Normal School. Jan. 21,
1879, he was united in marriage to Florence R. Forr,
daughter of Niles H. and Nannie (Mullis) Forr.
Her father, Mr. Forr, was born near Greencastle.
The disease from which he had suffered so long, aggravated
by all the vicissitudes of the war, compelled him to travel
extensively. But consumption overcame him July 25,
1876, aged forty-one years. At the time of the birth
of Florence, wife of Mr. Cole, which occurred Sept.
11, 1860, her parents lived at Greencastle. In 1862
they moved to Clay county, and in 1870 to Parke county, near
Lena, where Mr. Forr died. Mr. Cole is
solidly republican in principles. They have one child,
Ora A., born Nov. 1, 1879.
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JESSE B. CONNELLY
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JOHN B. COX, farmer,
Rockville, was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, July
14, 1819, and is the son of Jacob and Sytha Cox.
His father was born in Chatham county, North Carolina, July
14, 1784, and died in 1854. He was a whig, a farmer
and a blacksmith, and was for many years a justice of the
peace, and clerk of the Baptist church. Mr. Cox
had a common-school education. He was first married
Mar. 16, 1843, to Mary Mayfield. Their children
were: William, Sarah, Mary E., Francis and
Marion. His second marriage was to Maria
Anderson. Their children by this marriage are:
Gaven D., John T., Clara, Caroline, Anna, Oscar and
Homer C. William was a soldier in
the Union army. He was twice captured by the rebels,
and was confined both at Libby and at Andersonville prisons.
Mr. Cox began farming in Green county, Indiana, in
1843. He lived there about five years, when he removed
to Martin county, where he bought a farm for $700, which he
sold a few years afterward for $1,600. His next
removal was to Iowa. After a residence of two years
there he came to Parke county. His farm of 231 acres
lies about four miles southwest of Rockville. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Cox are members of the christian church.
He has been an elder upward of twenty years. He
belongs to the national political party, and is a respected
citizen.
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WILLIAM H. CRAIG
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HON. JOHN G. CRAIN
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WILLIAM P. CUMMINGS
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SAMUEL T. DAVIS
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John B. Boyd |
CAPT. JOHN B. DOWD
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DANIEL
D. FISHER, farmer, Rockville, was born in Brown
county, Ohio, Sept. 17, 1817, and is the son of George
and Hannah FISHER. His father was a blacksmith by
trade, and was born in Pennsylvania, and died din 1848.
He was in the war of 1812. His mother was a member of
the Presbyterian church. Owing to the defective
common-school system Mr. FISHER, had a very limited
education. In 1829 he came to Parke county. He
was married Oct. 23, 1844, to Mary A. MARSHALL.
They had nine children by this marriage: Theodore
M., Oliver P., Victoria, John, Sarah L., Charles E., George
F., Samuel L. and Rovilla. Mr. FISHER began
farming in 1844, with not much capital. He now has a
well improved farm of 160 acres. His son Theodore
M. was in the army. He enlisted Dec. 24,
1863, in Co. F, 126th reg., 11th Ind. Vol. Cav. He
served until the close of the war. Mr. FISHER
has traveled through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and
has visited Niagara Falls, crossed the great lakes, and
traveled in Canada. Mr. FISHER is a republican,
and a highly respected gentleman.
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LEWIS W. FISHER, farmer,
Rockville, is the son of George and Hannah Fisher,
and was born in Brown county, Ohio, May 5, 1828. His
father was in the war of 1812; was a blacksmith, and was
born in Pennsylvania and died in 1848. His mother was
a member of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Fisher
had only the common school education of his day. He
was married Sept. 2, 1853, to Rebecca Marshall,
daughter of Judge John Marshall. Their children
are: Edmund, born Aug. 2, 1855; Lorenzo Dow,
Nov. 14, 1859, died Aug. 16, 1861; Mary, Aug. 22,
1856; Emily A., Jan. 19, 1861; Clarentine,
Jan. 1, 1863; Hulda L., Oct. 22, 1864, died Sept. 1,
1865; Albert E., Nov. 25, 1868; and Dunward M.,
June 5, 1875. His son Edmund was married Sept.
24, 1879, to Miss M. Hixon. Mary A. was
married Oct. 16, 1879, to Robert McCord. Mr.
Fisher has traveled through several of the western
states, and visited Niagara Falls and Canada. He has
been a successful farmer, beginning life with very little
capital, and now has a well improved farm of 260 acres.
He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian church.
Mr. Fisher has been an elder in that church since
1860. He is a republican, and a respected christian
man and citizen.
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JOHN FULWIDER
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STEPHEN K. FUSON
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JOHN
GREEN, farmer, Rockville, was born in Guilford
county, North Carolina, March 11, 1812. His father,
Gravener GREEN, was a farmer, and was born in Guilford
county, North Carolina, Oct. 26, 1783. His mother,
Ruth GREEN, was born Feb. 26, 1791, and died in 1859.
His father and mother were married Nov. 23, 1809.
Their children are: Joel GREEN; Jessie,
wife of L. G. Whitehead; Minerva, wife of James R.
LAMBERT, residing in Indianapolis; Susan, John, Lucy,
Ruth, Nancy and Syntha. Ruth married
Jefferson RITCHES, and Lucy was married to
Perry SMITH Dec. 8, 1872. He was born in Parke
county Feb. 14, 1836. He is a hard-working and
energetic farmer, and in politics is a democrat.
Syntha was married to Samuel H. BURKS, Aug. 7,
1873. He was born Oct. 8, 1850, in Putnam county,
Indiana. Mr. GREEN moved to Orange county,
Indiana, in the fall of 1816, and lived there until 1830,
when he moved to his present residence. He began life
for himself in Parke county when the country was all a wild,
woody wilderness. He has nothing but his axe on his
shoulder, and now he has a large farm in 188 acres, all in
good condition, as the result of his strong arm and tireless
energy. In the early days, when Mr. GREEN was
in the strength and prime of his young manhood, he was noted
for his great skill as a hunter, and the wild deer, turkey
and other game were the numerous victims of his hunting
sports.
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WILLIAM H. HARGRAVE
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WILLIAM P. HARRISON,
farmer and coal dealer, Rockville, was born Nov. 9, 1858, in
Parke county, and is the son of William D. and Elizabeth
A. (Bradfield) Harrison. He has attended the
common school and has attended Bloomingdale Academy two
terms. He began farming for himself in the fall of
1879, and lives with his mother on the old homestead.
He has successfully managed the farm for about six years,
since his father's death. Mr. Harrison is a
republican, quite reader, and an energetic,
industrious young man. Mr. Harrison's
grandfather (on his father's side) was born Mar. 21,
1787, and died in his eighty-fourth year. He taught
school, kept store, and was afterward a farmer. He was
a great reader, and retained his mind clear until the time
of his death. Grandmother Harrison was born
July 23, 1788, and died in April, 1863. Mr.
Harrison's father was born Apr. 18, 1827, in Columbiana
county, Ohio, and died Sept. 26, 1873. In the fall of
1852 he moved, in company with his parents, wife's folks and
others, to the number of forty, to Parke county, Indiana.
Mar. 21, 1850, he was married to Miss Elizabeth A.
Bradfield. They had six children: Sarah L.,
who died Nov. 23, 1857; Eliza J., Charles B., William S.,
who died Oct. 23, 1873; and Minnie E. Mr. Harrison
began life in limited circumstances, but at the time of his
death he owned a fine farm of 307 acres, three miles
northeast of Rockville, as the result of his industry and
labor. There is a large vein of coal on his place,
which covers about 100 acres, and produces as good coal as
can be found in the state. Mr. Harrison was a
man of sterling integrity and upright character. He
was a member of the Christian church, and in politics a
republican. He was a kind, indulgent father, and an
influential member of society, and his death was lamented by
all who knew him. Mrs. Harrison was born in
Columbiana county, Ohio, Mar. 9, 1830, and is the daughter
of William and Sarah Bradfield. Her father died
about eighteen years ago. Her mother is seventy-eight
years old and still lives on the old place. Mrs.
Harrison and her husband were both born in the same
community, went to school together, and finally concluded to
live together. Since her husband's death she has had
the responsibility of managing the place and a good deal of
business, which she has borne and transacted with remarkable
fortitude and success. She is a member of the
Christian church and a respected christian lady.
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D. S. HOWARD - Page 167 |
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TILGHMAN
ASHURST HOWARD - Page 101 |
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JACOB S. HUNNELL
- Page 161 |
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ELWOOD HUNT
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JOHN F. D. HUNT,
deputy county clerk of Parke county, Rockville, was born in
Canfield, Ohio, Jan. 18, 1836, and was reared in Hartsgrove
township, Ashtabula county. He was given a fair
English education, and apprenticed to the shoemaker's trade.
He arrived at Mansfield, Parke county, Indiana, in October,
1855, and while he worked some at shoemaking, the most of
his time for the first five years was employed in teaching
school, a vocation in which he realized excellent success.
Determined still further to qualify himself for active
business pursuits, which his tastes seemed to point out as
his proper channel of labor, in 1860 he took a course of
study at the commercial college in Terre Haute, graduating
in one term. On May 7, 1861, he entered the county
clerk's office and served in the capacity of deputy until
Nov. 16, 1868, when he assumed the duties of the first
position, having been elected clerk in October. In
1872 he was given a new lease of the office, thus filling it
two consecutive terms. He has since held until the
present time the position of deputy, making his whole period
of service in the office over nineteen years. By his
long experience he has acquired a most thorough familiarity
with every detail of business connected with the office, and
his business talents, united with his prompt, agreeable and
accommodating manners, have made him hosts of friends.
Mr. Hunt's father was a disciple of Jeffersonian
principles, and he taught our subject "from his youth up" to
utter the shibboleth of democracy; but when the latter began
to exercise his political privileges and acquit himself of
his duties as a citizen, he acted with the republican party,
casting his first vote for president for Abraham Lincoln,
in 1860, and voting for him again in 1864. Mr. Hunt
was trustee of Adams township four years from 1864, and
trustee of Rockville one year, also from the same date.
He is a Mason and an Odd-Fellow, and in the latter order has
held all the elective offices in the subordinate lodge, and
has been representative to the grand lodge and to the grand
encampment of the state. Mr. Hunt was married
Apr. 3, 1862, to Miss Mary A. Kemper, who was born
Mar. 25, 1840. They have six children, all living:
William Wallace, Charles Colfax, Henry Horton, Harriet
Hortense, Alice Amanda, and John Jay.
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JOSEPH H. JERDON
- Page 139 |
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JAMES T. JOHNSON
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SAMUEL KIRKMAN
(colored), laborer,
Rockville, was born on Sandy creek, in Randolph county,
North Carolina, Oct. 5, 1824. His father's name was
Isaac. His mother, Susie, belonged to a man
named Walker. They were a family of slaves.
Samuel was a mechanic, and when the war broke out he
had a hundred dollars in bank bills, which he had the
foresight to convert into coin, amounting to about forty
dollars. This was saved by burying it beneath a
boulder, where it remained until near the close of the war,
when it was removed and secreted in a hollow tree. He
embraced his freedom by quitting his master's service on
Aug. 4, 1865, but remained in the neighborhood until the
next spring, in the meantime attending school three months.
He then came to Parke county, arriving in March, and for
four years made his home at Bloomingdale. The next
winter he got a school started at Annapolis for the benefit
of the colored men, who employed Nathan Maris to
teach them. In the winters of 1867-8 and 1868-9 he
went to school in Vigo county, and in the neighborhood until
the next spring, in the meantime attending school three
months. He then came to Parke county, arriving in
March, and for four years made his home at Bloomingdale.
The next winter he got a school started at Annapolis for the
benefit of the colored men, who employed Nathan Maris
to teach them. In the winters of 1867-8 and 1868-9 he
went to school in Vigo county, and in the winter of 1869-70
at Rockville. In addition to this he has had two
winters' schooling since. In the fall of 1870 he
returned to North Carolina on a visit, and was very
cordially received both by his black and white
acquaintances. He returned near Christmas, bringing
with him Abram Gaston's family, the first that
emigrated to Rockville from that state. Subsequently
the colony of forty-nine came, and with them his mother, who
died on the second day after arriving, at the age of
eighty-eight. She had been for a number of years
a member of the Primitive Baptist church. with this
colony came Mr. Kirkmans two brothers, Joseph
and Jesse, the latter a preacher of several years'
standing. By hard work and good management Mr.
Kirkman has succeeded in saving about $1,500 worth of
property. He is a leading member of the A. M. E.
church; he joined at the first revival and was at once made
a trustee, which office he has held to the present time.
He was married a few years since, but his wife and child
recently died.
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BENJAMIN
F. LAMBERT, farmer, Rockville, was born in Kentucky,
July 7, 1821, and is the son of Benjamin and Sarah
(MARTIN) LAMBERT. His father was a Baptist
preacher, and was born in 1776, and died July 30, 1857.
At two years of age Mr. Lambert moved with his family
to Parke county. He began farming for himself in 1844,
with not very much property, but by hard work and good
calculation he has reached his present condition. His
first marriage was to Sarah HISE. She died July
27, 1861. By this marriage there were born eight
children: John R., who is now dead; he enlisted
in the last call for troops and served two years, till the
close of the war. The other children were:
Rosanna, wife of Benjamin F. HAYWORTH, residing
in Vermilion county, Illinois; Aaron M., who died
April 2, 1874; James A., Mary E., who was married to
Gaven D. ANDERSON, October 20, 1870; Daniel F.,
who died July 27, 1856; Sarah J., who was married to
James H. COX, October 11, 1876, and died April 14,
1880, and William F. Mr. LAMBERT's second
marriage was to Lucy J. MORING, April 18, 1867.
The children by this marriage are: Francis F.,
who died Sept. 21, 1876, and Letite E. Mr. LAMBERT
has been a successful farmer, and in politics is a
republican. He and his wife are both members of the
Christian church, and are highly respected by the community
in which they live. |
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EMMET FILMORE MARSHALL,
farmer, Rockville, is the son of Theodore C. and Hannah Jane
(Bradfield) Marshall, and was born September 3, 1855, in
Parke county. He attended the common school and also
Bloomingdale Academy four terms. He has taught school
twelve terms and has been a very successful teacher,
receiving the highest wages and having a first grade
certificate. He is a great reader and lover of books.
He was married Oct. 9, 1877, to Miss Clara Cox.
She was born Feb. 4, 1856. They have had two children:
Gilbert E., born June 21, 1878, and Sylva M.,
Mar. 14, 1880, and died June 21, 1880. He and his wife
are both members of the Christian church. In politics
Mr. Marshall is a national. Mr. Marshall's
father was born in Rockville, Oct. 9, 1833. He has
been a farmer, and has raised stock and dealt considerably
in stock. About fourteen years ago he began preaching
in the Christian church, and has preached in Parke,
Fountain, Clay, Vigo, and Sullivan counties in Indiana.
He has been very successful as a minister of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. He has taught school nine terms.
Rev. Theo. C. Marshall is one of the influential and
respected citizens of Adams township. John Marshall,
the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in
Orange county, North Carolina, Sept. 29, 1799. He
moved to Orange county, Indiana, in 1822, and to Parke
county. He thus was one of the pioneer settlers of
this county, and has been largely identified with its
history and growth. He filled the office of probate
judge of this county for a number of years. He was a
judicious and efficient officer.
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MAHLON W. MARSHALL
- Page 123 |
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WALLACE W. McCUNE
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JAMES McEWEN, deceased, was
born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Mar. 20, 1802, and in1804
his parents removed to Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, where
he was reared. His father, James, belonged to
the militia force which was dispatched by President
Washington, under command of Gov. Lee of
Maryland, to the scene of the whisky insurrection in western
Pennsylvania in 1794. This body of troops, amounting
to 1,500, was reviewed by Washington at Carlisle,
Pennsylvania. Mr. McEwen was also a veteran of
the war of 1812. In 1826 the McEwens settled in
Rockville, but the father, now the subject of mention, did
not come for many years, though at last he lived and died
here, and was interred in the cemetery at this place.
James, the son, and subject of this sketch, being a
tanner by trade, established, in conjunction with his
brother Robert, who still survives, the first tannery
in Rockville. This was run successfully about
twenty-five years, and finally sold. In June, 1829, he
was married to Miss Frances W. Swearingen, of
Crawfordsville, the Rev. James Thompson being the
officiating clergyman. The family of ten children, of
whom only five are living, comprised the following:
John B., deceased; Nancy Ellen, deceased;
Margaret Jane, Charles S., James R., Mary Frances,
Harriet B., William W., deceased; Arthur Wallace,
deceased; and Alexander M., deceased. His
health having become greatly impaired, in 1852 Mr. McEwen
went overland to California. His company was six
months making the journey, and he walked the whole distance
excepting fifty miles. He remained five years, and
returned perfectly restored, arriving home on Christmas eve,
1857. Early the next year he removed temporarily to
Davenport, Iowa, and continued his residence there till the
fall of 1862, returning at that time to Rockville. He
died at Indianapolis, Aug. 23, 1864. Mr. McEwen
was a strict Presbyterian, whose life was a continued
exhibition of the noblest christian qualities, and a savor
of the sweetest influences. His piety led the way in
all his intercourse with the world, and was cropping out
constantly in beautiful practices which told of the
sanctified spirit and perfect man. In his lifetime he
did a good work. Besides his own he reared seven boys,
children of other parents, and saved them from hard lives,
and perhaps harder fates, to become useful members of
society. Three of these became ministers in the
Methodist church. At that time, when denominational
lines were kept so very distinct, this was remarked as a
curious circumstance that so exact a Presbyterian should
give such "aid and comfort" to any other sect than his own,
and in course of time his tanyard came to be known as the
"Methodist University." His aspirations were not in
the direction of political preferment ,and never but once
did he seek the emoluments of public office; this was in
1841, when he was a candidate for county auditor. He
was not successful, being opposed by Judge Potts, who
was supported by a combination of whigs and democrats.
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ROBERT B. McEWEN
- Page 114 |
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WILLIAM L. McMILLEN
- Page 119 |
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JOHN J. MEACHAM
- Page 116 |
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THOMAS MEREDITH
- Page 166 |
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CEPHUS
MORRIS, brother of Judge Morris, was an early
lawyer in the place. WILLIAM T. NOEL,
the first law student in the county, was prominent in this
time; he was the leader of the whig party in Parke county.
He did not do much in the law; he finally went to
Crawfordsville, and was appointed registrar of the land
office. He died there. Another man noted in this
day, and not deficient in energy, ambition and strength of
will, was JOHN G. DAVIS.
He was the second clerk of Parke county, and held the office
twenty-six years; from 1852 to 1860 he was the
representative in congress, and was one of the first movers
in favor of the transcontinental railway. His
progressive qualities were the notable features of his
character, and while he had not so high an order of
intellect as HOWARD, or even BRYANT, he
possessed considerable more natural force than either.
Among the earliest settlers who attained to prominence was
AUSTIN M. PRATT, who died a year or
two since. He was a man of very decided character, and
his life was checkered with stirring scenes. He filled
various stations of public responsibility - sheriff,
treasurer, canal trustee and state senator.
Among all the shining galaxy it will be admitted that
none can contest the first place with Howard; but
McGAUGHEY stands next to the noble line. He was
diminutive in size, and wanting in the weight and commanding
nobility of Howard, but possessed unequaled
shrewdness, was fully as talented, and even more brilliant.
Could the animated political contests of forty years ago be
reproduced with the intellectual gladiators in the stormy
areana, the surpassing genius and thrilling eloquence of
Ned McGAUGHEY would be seen swaying the passions and
excitements of the hour, controlling the surging tide of
debate, and challenging the delighted admiration and solid
respect of every class. He came to Rockville before
1840, a stripling looking young man, was elected prosecuting
attorney, and as such officer was one of the counsel in the
BEECHAM trial. Opposed to him were HOWARD
and WRIGHT, the former greatly distinguished for his
oratorical ability, and the latter enjoying a reputation at
the bar and in the council for his searching powers of
investigation. His celebrated plea, which is now,
after an interval of forty years, pronounced by all who
heard it was wonderful effort, at once brought him into
prominence. In politics he was an ardent whig, and had
contests with WRIGHT for a seat in congress, and both
lost and won. His reputation steadily increased; but
in 1852 he went to California and died shortly after his
arrival.
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WILLIAM D. MULL
- Page 126 |
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CLINTON MURPHY
- Page 155 |
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G. C. PRICE
- Page 125 |
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ALEXANDER
PUETT, farmer, Rockville, the youngest son of Coleman
and Judy (MOORE) PUETT, was born in Burke county,
North Carolina, January 15, 1809. In 1815 his parents
removed to Monroe county, Indiana, and in March, 1825, to
Park county, settling three miles northwest of Rockville.
Three years afterward Mr. PUETT made his residence
where he now lives, on the outer limits of the corporation.
He is one of the very few early settlers of Parke county now
living; and his memory of remote occurrences is quite
distinct and vivid. We are indebted to him for some
notes of information which appear in the township history,
and which were not accessible elsewhere. Mr. PUETT
was married August 20, 1834, to Minerva STRAIN.
By his wife he had four children: Mary Jane, who
became the wife of John ALLEN, and died Sept. 9,
1871; Charlotte, relict of Harvey LOWRY;
Shelby C., and Lucy Minerva, wife of William
OVERMAN. Mrs. PUETT died May 30, 1848, and
on November 12, 1850, Mr. PUETT celebrated his second
marriage with Miss Margaret Ellen ALLEN, a
cousin to the Rev. William Y. ALLEN. She was
born Dec. 22, 1822, near Shelbyville, Kentucky, and came
with her widowed mother to Parke county in 1828. She
has been a member of the Presbyterian church since 1838.
Mr. PUETT has as always confined himself to farming, and
raising and dealing in stock, in which he has done a
successful business. He owned at one time 1,000 acres
of land, but has now divided the larger part of it among his
children. He retains 130 acres, adjoining Rockville,
the estimated value of which is $13,000, and 160 acres on
the Little Raccoon, valued at $5,000. Mr. PUETT
has always belong to that honored school of politics known
as Jackson democracy, and he signalized his devotion to this
political faith by casting his first vote for "Old Hickory."
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SAMUEL DUNCAN PUETT
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CORNELIUS QUINLAN
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THOMAS N. RICE, a leading
attorney of Parke county, residing at Rockville, was born
near Waveland, in Montgomery county, Indiana, June 7, 1829.
He spent his minority on his father's farm and during that
time obtained an academic education at Waveland. In
1851 he came to Parke county, and after nine months spent in
school-teaching became a student in the law office of D.
H. & Judge Samuel F. Maxwell. Continuing his
studies with these gentlemen until the fall of 1853 he
entered the Louisville University, and graduated in the law
course in the following March. He immediately began
practice in Rockville with Judge Elias S. Terry, now
of Danville, Illinois. In 1845 he was elected
prosecuting attorney of the common pleas court, the counties
of Parke and Vermillion composing the district.
In 1858 he was elected prosecutor for the eight judicial
circuit, which embraced the following counties: Boon,
Clinton, Montgomery, Fountain, Warren, Parke and Vermilion.
Mr. Rice lent an active and vigorous support to the
war for the Union, and assisted in recruiting every company
raised in Parke county. He traveled and addressed war
meetings, rendering valuable service to the cause in
encouraging and strengthening the loyal sentiment. In
1864 Mr. Rice became a member of the Indiana house of
representatives, and in 1866 also of the state senate,
serving in the latter body four years. During the
whole of his service in the legislature he was on the
judiciary committee, and in the senate was chairman of the
committee on corporations. He took a prominent part in
shaping the educational legislation which is now in force.
The people of Parke county are indebted to Mr. Rice
for the present admirable system of gravel roads. In
1865 or 1866 he graded half a mile of road on Howard avenue,
in Rockville, the first of the kind ever made in the county.
This resulting with that success which Mr. Rice had
clearly foreseen and confidently predicted, the enterprise
has gradually been carried forward until there are now in
Adams township alone not less than thirty miles of free
turnpike. Mr. Rice is reckoned among the
foremost in active endeavors to advance the moral, social,
material and intellectual interests not only of the
immediate community in which he lives but of the whole
county. During the past six years he has been an
efficient member of the Rockville school board. In
1869 he made a business trip of three months through Ireland
and Scotland. In 1878 he ran for circuit judge in
opposition to the present incumbent of the office, Hon.
William P. Britton, but was defeated. Mr. Rice
was married Nov. 7, 1855, to Miss Margaret Digby.
They have had four children, two of whom are living.
The eldest, recently married, is the wife of Shannon Nave,
of Attica. Mr. Rice is a christian gentleman,
and a republican of progressive ideas. Both he and his
wife are communicants in the Presbyterian church.
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ADDISON
L. ROACH,
son of Dr. Roach, started up
in practice with the late Judge Samuel F. MAXWELL,
both of whom studied law in the office of General HOWARD,
about 1840, and then formed a partnership. Roach
is now one of the supreme judges of Indiana, and resides
at Indianapolis. Thomas H. NELSON, ex-minister
to Chili and Mexico, came from Kentucky about the same date.
James M. ALLEN, brother of Dr. ALLEN, and
Judge John G. CRAIN began practice of the law here about
1845. They commenced poor boys, and rose to wealth and
eminence. They were in partnership several years.
ALLEN moved to Lawrenceburg near the beginning of the
war; CRAIN was appointed collector of internal
revenue by Lincoln, and went to Terre Haute to
reside. He died lately. Samuel MAGILL, of
Terre Haute, settled in Rockville about 1848, and was clerk
of the court eight years. Before this he had been a
clerk in the post-office department at Washington.
Judge Elias S. TERRY, of Danville, Illinois, acquired
some distinction here as a lawyer twenty-five or thirty
years ago. About the same date John M. McLAUGHLIN
was here and practiced two or three years.
Coming down to the present time there are now in
Rockville David H. MAXWELL, the oldest practicing
attorney in the place, who came from Bloomington, Indiana,
in 1845; and Hon. Thomas N. RICE, who entered the
work of the profession in 1853. Though these have not
quite "come down from the former generation," still
they are connecting links between the earlier and the later
periods in the history of the bar. In the ranks of the
younger professionals are to be found Ared F.
WHITE; Hon. James T. JOHNSON, of the firm of RICE &
JOHNSON; Samuel D. PUETT; George W. COLLIGNS,
prosecuting attorney; Elwood HUNT, of the firm of
WHITE & HUNT; Capt. J. B. DOWD; James F. CLARK and
Henry DANIELS. David ROACH, now of Crawfordsville,
was located here from 1874 to 1876, and was prosecuting
attorney. Frederick HUMPHREYS came in 1876, and
was here a year or two.
That those young men endowed with much native force of
character. who were early inured mark and become
distinguished in their community as citizens cannot escape
attention. As illustrating this in a quiet way Parke
county furnishes no more conspicuous example than the
subject of this sketch, Alexander McCUNE, of
Rockville, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania,
January 16, 1806. His ancestors were Scotch-Irish
Presbyterians, who settled in Pennsylvania in colonial
times. His mother's maiden name was Prudence
LAUGHLIN. His father, Robert, died when he
was young. Early in 1821 Mrs. McCUNE started
for the Far West with her family of six children. The
oldest was at this time about twenty years of age.
They came across the mountains to Pittsburgh, where they
bought a boat, in which the family were transported to
Madison; from thence they were conveyed in a hired wagon to
Terre Haute, arriving there at the beginning of July.
Relations named THOMPSON had preceded them in the
spring and settled near Eugene. By these friends they
were removed to a place once known as Walkertown, but now
called Numa, in the southeast corner of Parke county.
At this time the country where they settled was an unbroken
wilderness. Settlers began to gather around them, and
it was not long until young ALEXANDER was able to
find work as a laborer. For many years it was the
custom to flat-boat most of the produce to New Orleans.
The building of the boats gave much employment, and at this
our subject was a considerable time engaged. His
lessons, taken at a tender age in a hardy school, produced
in him habits of thrift and industry which have covered his
whole life with domestic worth and usefulness. As a
boatman he made thirty-five trips to the Crescent City,
returning in various ways, requiring great endurance.
Mr. McCUNE and Samuel LOWRY associating
themselves together in 1832, built a small carding mill at
Mecca. Subsequently they erected others,
improving and enlarging each as their increasing capital
would allow, until in the last they realized a first-class
woolen cloth factory. Afterward they built a large
flouring establishment, known everywhere as the Mecca mill.
Mr. McCUNE is one of the oldest temperance men in
Parke county, having taken as early as 1835 a firm stand
against the unholy traffic in intoxicating liquors and the
ruinous use of them. His marriage with Rosilla
CHANEY occurred August 28, 1829. She was born
Sept. 1, 1808. They have had six children, two of
whom, a son and a daughter, are dead. The survivors,
Henry C. George W., William W. and Samuel, all
reside in this county. The latter is cashier of the
National Bank of Rockville. During the war Henry
was sutler of the 71st Ind. Vols.; William
was a captain in the same regiment; George was
surgeon of the 14th, and Benjamin, deceased, was also
in the military service. Mr. McCUNE has led a
busy life. having been largely engaged in boat building,
milling, in buying and selling produce and stock, and in
farming. For a long time he did an extensive business
in packing and shipping pork to New Orleans. He has
always displayed great energy and sagacity in business, and
been conspicuously successful throughout. He has been
a useful citizen in a broad sense, and of far more service
to the people than the present generation are aware of.
Mr. McCUNE lived in Mecca from 1832 till 1860, when
he removed to Lima, Livingston county, New York, and resided
there until 1878, returning then to Parke county and
settling in Rockville. Mr. and Mrs. McCUNE are
Presbyterians in faith, and in politics the former is
republican. He is one of the largest stockholders in
the National Bank of Rockville, has been a director since
its organization until recently, and was for some years
president. From a poor boy he has grown to be one of
the wealthiest citizens of Parke county, and is widely and
most favorably known. The motives of such men can
always be studied and their methods imitated with profit.
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MARTIN RYAN, farmer,
Rockville, was born in Tipperary county, Ireland, in 1805.
He was married in 1837 to Catharine Ryan, born and
raised in the same country. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan
lived in Ireland till 1840, when, on account of the
oppression of the English government and official class,
they bade good-by to the green isle of their birth, and
sought a free home in America. They landed at Quebec.
Mr. Ryan labored in the construction of railroads and
canal for some time in New York. He afterward owned
160 acres of land near Logansport, and also a lot in
Crawfordsville. He sold both properties, and in 1854
came to Parke county, Indiana. He constructed one mile
of the Evansville & Crawfordsville railroad, and in 1856
bought eighty acres of land in Sec. 19, Adams township.
Since that time he has engaged in farming,, and has added to
his domains till he now owns 401 acres, and is one of the
reliable farmers of Parke county. He is known as a man
whose word is as good as his bond. They have had seven
children: Bridget (dead), buried at La Fayette;
an infant (dead), Mike, James, William, John and
Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan are members of the
Catholic church. Mr. Ryan votes the democratic
ticket.
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SAMUEL L. SKELTON
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COL.
HENRY SLAVENS was a contemporary of these men, and
came to Rockville about the same time (as Wm. P. Bryant),
from Mount Sterling, Kentucky. He was a sharp, shrewd
man, but indolent and indifferent to business. He
plead law some, but caring more for sport and pastime than
for serious occupation he trifled away the better part of
his life in transitory pleasures and died poor. He
served in the Black Hawk war, and for some years was a
magistrate in Rockville. At one time he was editor and
proprietor of the county paper, then a whig organ.
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GEORGE P. SMITH
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SAMUEL
W. SMITH, farmer, Rockville, was born in Blair county,
Pennsylvania, Jan. 8, 1826, and is the son of Samuel and
Flora Smith. His father was born in 1792. He
was justice of the peace for a number of years served in the
war of 1812, was a member of the Presbyterian church, a
republican, and died in Rockville in 1865. His mother
was born in1799, in Pennsylvania, and died in 1828.
Mr. Smith moved to Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1837, and
in 1856 went to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1859 he made his
home in Rockville, Parke county. IN 1860 he worked in
the mines in Colorado, but returned to Rockville that fall
in time to vote for Lincoln. Mr. Smith
was married the first time to Martha J. Weaver, who
was born in Ohio in 1827, and died in Des Moines, Iowa.
Apr. 2, 1859. They had two children, Webster R. and
Ida F. Mr. Smith was married the second time to
Ruthanna F. McKinney, Mar. 13, 1862. She was born
Dec. 23, 1831, in Dayton, Ohio, and is the daughter of W.
J. and Rebecca McKinney. Her parents were members
of the Presbyterian church. Her father had quite a
distinguished career as a lawyer, educator and statesman.
He was a member of the state legislature, state
senate, was president of the board of education in Dayton,
Ohio, and clerk of the court when he died, which occurred in
1853. He also held other official positions. He
was a whig in politics, and took an active part in the
political campaigns of his day. He was an eminent
Odd-Fellow, and was also a prominent worker in the cause of
temperance. Mr. McKinney was entirely a
self-made man, and throughout his active career, whether in
the court-room pleading for justice or in the legislative
halls, he always maintained a clear conscience and practiced
the principles of highest manhood, based upon the Golden
Rule. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one son,
Samuel. He has attended school in Rockville, and
is a student of the Terre Haute Commercial College,
intending to finish the course. Mr. Smith
became superintendent of the Parke County Asylum and Poor
Farm Mar. 1, 1874. He found the place run down, the
fences and buildings shattered, and every thing in a poor
condition. Under his wise and efficient management the
farm has been placed in a better condition, and everything
greatly improved. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are both
members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Smith
is an Odd-Fellow, a republican, an a most respectable
gentleman.
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DAVID W. STARK
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GEN.
GEORGE K. STEELE was the son of Samuel and Mary
STEELE, and was born near Springfield, Ohio, Nov. 25,
1808. At an early age he moved with his parents to
Greene county, Ohio, and in 1821 came to Parke county,
Indiana, settling near where Portland mills now stands.
Here he assisted his father and brothers in clearing a farm
till 1825. After this, for awhile, he taught school,
and from this time to 1828 was clerk in the prosperous store
of Col. Moses ROBBINS, in Rossville. During
this time he made a trip each spring to New Orleans in
charge of flat-boats. In 1829 he established a store
at Mansfield, continuing in this business entirely, except
when engaged in public business, until 1838, when he became
owner of the Mansfield mills, which he ran in connection
with his store till 1846. He then disposed of his
property and moved to Rockville. In 1835 Gen.
STEELEwas chosen to represent Parke county in the state
legislature and state senate. He was a friend of
education, agriculture, and all benevolent institutions.
He voted for JACKSON, and upon the birth of the whig
party became one of its adherents, and thus remained
until the organization of the republican party, when he
joined it. He was a delegate to each national
republican convention. He was influential in the
nomination of Abraham LINCOLN in 1860. He was a
great admirer of Gen. GRANT and Gen. STEELE,
moved to Rockville in 1846 he engaged in mercantile pursuits
for three years. He then assisted in the establishment
of the Parke County Bank, of which he was chosen president,
and annually reelected to this position till 1863, when this
bank was merged into the First National Bank of Rockville.
He was again chosen as its president and held in position
until 1871, when he declined to hold it longer. He
took an active interest in all the railroads in the county,
especially the present road running through Rockville, which
was completed by his assistance and he was chosen
superintendent of the Rockville division of the road.
At the outbreak of the War, in 1861, Gen. STEELE,
being a member of the senate, took a decided stand for the
Union. He offered resolutions against neutrality,
which were sent to the President of the United States and
governors of all the states. A motion was made in the
senate to print 2,000 copies of Gov. MORTON's first
message and 2,000 copies of Washington's farewell address.
Gen. Steele moved to amend the motion by adding 2,000
copies of JACKSON's proclamation on nullification.
The amendment was adopted. Seen representatives and
six senators were appointed to meet LINCOLN, at the
state line and welcome him to Indiana. Gen. STEELE
was chosen president of the committee, and to make the
address of welcome. His speech and pointed, eloquent
and appropriate. At the commencement of the war
Gen. STEELE was offered the command of a regiment, but,
owning to ill health and severe affliction in his family,
was compelled to decline the honor. In the fall of
1861 he served with the regiment for a time, but on account
of ill health resigned the commission and returned home.
Soon after this Gov. MORTON appointed him as a member
of this staff, with the commission of colonel, which he held
till the close of the war. Gen. STEELE was a
man of wide experience, extensive information, untiring
energy energy, active public spirit and patriotic devotion
of his country. He became wealthy and did, perhaps,
more than any other man of his day for Parke county.
He died in Terre Haute May 7, 1879, where he had resided for
three years.
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DAVID STROUSE
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WILLIAM TENBROOK
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PATRICK THOMAS
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GREENBERRY
WARD, farmer, Rockville, was born in Woodford county,
Kentucky, Sept. 1, 1800. His father was born in
Rockbridge county, Virginia, Oct. 1, 1770, and died Feb. 10,
1840, in Parke county. His mother was born in
Virginia, Oct. 13, 1770, and died Jan. 11,1857, in this
county. Mr. WARD had a common school education,
and lived in Harrison county, Kentucky, until he was
twenty-one years old, when he moved with his father to
Fayette county, Indiana. In 1826 he came to Parke
county, and settled about four miles south of his present
residence. From 1867 to 1870 he was pecuniarily
interested in the mercantile business with his son-in-law,
William H. HARDING, of Rockville. Mr. WARD
is a republican. He and his wife have been members of
the Methodist church since 1829. They are among the
pioneer settlers of this community, and have seen the face
of nature changed from a wilderness, inhabited by wild
beasts and Indians, into a garden of beauty. Mr.
and Mrs. WARD are enjoying a green old age, and can look
back over lives well spent in useful labor and christian
endeavor. Their children are: William N.,
who died March 1847; James A., who died Jan. 10,
1832, and Adeline E., who was married to Willialm
H. HARDING, Jan. 29, 1856, and now resides in Rockville.
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FRANK WELCH
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ARED F. WHITE
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WILLIAM J. WHITE
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JOHN WILSON, JR.
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SOLOMON B. WOODARD
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