HISTORY OF PARKE COUNTY, INDIANA
(Source:  History of Vigo & Parke County, Indiana - Chicago: H. H. Hill & N. Iddings, 1880, 1310 pgs.
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)

BIOGRAPHIES OF RESERVE TOWNSHIP

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F. M. ALLEE, farmer, Montezuma, was born in Reserve Township, Parke county, Indiana, June 26, 1844.  He is the son of Linus and Sarah A. (Bryant) Allee.  His father was a native of Hancock county, Indian, and died in Parke county in 1858.  His mother was a native of Pennsylvania, and died in this county in about 1852.  Mr. Allee has been a resident of this county the most of his life.  In the late rebellion he went out in 1861 and served until June 26, 1865, in the 9th Ind. Battery, and was in several battles and a great many skirmishes.  In 1865 he was married to Nancy C. Wolfe, a native of Parke county.  She died in 1868.  He was married again in 1877, to Mary E. Huxford, daughter of W. R. Griffith.  She was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1849.

JOSEPH ALLEN, farmer, Coloma, is the son of Solomon Allen, who is one of the pioneers of Parke county.  He was born in Parke county, Indiana, April 15, 1833, and has lived close to this birthplace all his life.  His occupation has been that of a farmer.  He owns 180 acres of fine improved land.  In 1857 he was married to Miss Mahala Stalker, of Highland county, Ohio, born July 30, 1837, and by this union they have six children:  Marianne, Addie, Tacy J., Layton, Burgess and Harmann.  The family are members of the Friends society, and are respected by all who know them.

SOLOMON ALLEN, farmer, Coloma, is one of the old and most respected pioneers of Parke county.  He was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, October 20, 1796, and when he was eleven years of age his parents removed to Warren county, Ohio, and in 1816 to Green county, Ohio.  In 1826 they emigrated to Parke county, Indiana and settled in Reserve township on the farm where Mr. Allen now lives.  They first settled in a camp in the woods, having at that time entered eighty acres of land, on which they built a log cabin, and began life in the woods with a capital of but 87 cents in money and limited amount of household goods.  But being endowed with a determined will, backed up by a robust constitution, they were not long in making a home for themselves.  In a few years they set out a nursery, from which they supplied a great many of the first orchards that were set out in an early day through this part of the country.  Mr. Allen has been twice married.  In 1818 he was married to Amy Woody, a native of Virginia, born in 1788, and died in Parke county in 1872.  He has a counterpane for which she picked the cotton, carded, spun and wove it before their marriage; it has been in constant sue ever since.  He married his present wife in 1873.  Her name formerly was Peggy Morris.  Mr. Allen is now in his eighty-fourth year.  He is in good health for a man of his age, and has a retentive memory.  He was formerly an old line whig until the organization of the republican party, since which time he has acted in unison with that party.

COL. E. M. BENSON, merchant, Montezuma, is one of Parke county's most prominent business men and one of her most respected citizens.  He is one of their self-made men.  He is the second child of William W. and Gertrude Benson, of Virginia.  He was born in Accomoc county, Virginia, October 26, 1813.  In 1823 his parents removed to Hamilton county, Ohio, where they remained until 1827, after which they removed to Parke county, Indiana, and purchased a farm near Rockville.  Here Mr. Benson lived from the time he was fourteen until he was twenty-one years old, and his time was spent in working on a farm and attending a common school.  In his twenty-second year he taught school for six months.  Mr. Benson's aim in life was to become a merchant, and to this end he went to Rockville in 1836, and was employed by Messrs. Danaldson & Lowe, and clerked for them one year, when he brought Mr. Lowe's interest in the business and formed a partnership with Mr. Danaldson, which was continued for four years.  In 1839, when only twenty-six years old, he was selected by the county commissioners to fill the important office of county treasurer, and was appointed by them without solicitation on his part.  In the winter of 1841-2 he was appointed enrolling clerk for the state legislature, and filled that office for one term.  In September, 1843, he removed to Armiesburg, and embarked in the dry goods business with Messrs. Patterson and Silliman, and lived there until 1846, when he removed to Montezuma, his present home.  Here Mr. Benson formed a partnership with Hon. John G. Davis, with whom he carried on a very large and successful business for seventeen years, conducting the business for the most part himself.  At the expiration of this time the partnership was dissolved, and Col. Benson has kept up the business alone.  During the many years the colonel ahs been in active business he has dealt honestly with his many customers, and has gained for himself an enviable reputation.  August 7, 1853, he was married to Louisa M. Fairchild, of New Orleans, by whom he has five children.  The mother and three of her children are no longer among the living.

O. P. BROWN, farmer and stock dealer, Montezuma, is one of eight children of Samuel and Mary Brown, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and came to Butler county, Ohio, in the year 1809, and located on a farm near the town of Venice, where the subject of this sketch was born November 15, 1823; and in 1824 his parents removed to Parke county, Indiana, and settled on a farm in Reserve township, where Mr. Brown now lives.  Like most of the pioneers of this country, Mr. Brown had but few advantages, and he has had to make his own way in the world.  He received a common school education, such as could be obtained in those days, and at the age of twenty-five he began farming for himself, and today is one of the largest farmers of Parke county.  He has added yearly for the last twenty years to his farm 100 acres of as fine land as Parke county affords, until at the present writing he owns 2,500 acres.  All of this is due to Mr. Brown's industry, economy, and a close attention to business.  As an idea of the extensive scale upon which he farms and deals in stock, we may mention that in 1863 he clipped 5,500 pounds of wool and raised 527 lambs.  Mr. Brown's father died in this county in 1855, and his mother the same year.  Mr. Brown is one of Parke county's most respected citizens, and was honored by the people of the county in 1879 by being elected county commissioner.  He has been twice married, first to Mary Moore, November 1, 1849, and the last time to Nancy Warner, February 12, 1856.

J. P. BROWN

J. P. BRYANT, farmer, Bloomingdale, was born in Wayne County, North Carolina, May 6, 1831, and came with his parents to Parke county in 1840, and settled on the farm now owned by Thomas Outland, and subsequently removing to where Mr. Bryant now lives.  Here his father, Edwin Bryant, died, April 4, 1864, and his mother, Martha Woodard, June 27, 1874.  In 1854 the subject of this sketch was married to Miss Percey Morris, daughter of William Morris, and they have a family of six children: William E., Martin L., Martha C., Mary B., Frances V. and Caroline M.

E. T. COX, farmer, Coloma, is a minister of the Society of Friends.  He was born in Wayne county, North Carolina, July 4, 1825, and in 1827 his parents removed to Parke county, and settled on the farm where Mr. Cox now lives.  His father, James Cox, died in this county in 1828, and his mother still resides with him.  In 1847 Mr. Cox married Miss Emily Siler, daughter of Phillip Siler, of Parke county.  Their family consists of Stanton, Zachariah M., James G., Matilda, Mary A., and Emma I.  The family are all members of the Friends society, and are respected by all who know them.

JUDGE WALTER DANALDSON, merchant, Montezuma, a prominent citizen of Parke county, was born on a farm in Clark county,Kentucky, August 22, 1804, and is the son of John and Ellen Danaldson.  The judge remained at home until he was twenty-five years old, receiving meanwhile a common school education.  On July 24, 1827, he was married to Harriet Thomas, of Shelby county, Kentucky.  In 1834 he removed to Parke county and located at Rockville, where he engaged in the dry-goods trade, which he continued for eight years.  In 1848 he was elected associate judge by the whig party, and served for six years, when he resigned.  The celebrated Beauchamp was tried, convicted and hung under his jurisdiction.  Such men as Gov. Wright, Tighlman Howard, J. A. Wright and many other legal lights practiced in his court.  Judge Danaldson's first wife having died in 1849, he was again married to Ellen M. Cook, daughter of Wm. Cook of Montezuma, and shortly afterward went to Montezuma to live.  His second wife died in 1863, and his third marriage was in 1877, to Mrs. Julia A. Russell, widow of M. W. Russell, who was one of the prominent early settlers of Parke county.  The judge served three terms as county commissioner and three terms as a member of the state board of agriculture.  In 1865 he was elected by the republican party to represent Parke county in the legislature, and served his term in the winter of 1865-6.  The judge is a self-made man and has gained the position in society and politics which he now occupies by his own exertions and by his determination to merit the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens.

J. M. HILL, farmer, Bloomingdale, was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, June 6, 1838, and is the son of William and Achsa Hill, who were natives of North Carolina and came to Hendricks county at an early day and removed to Parke county in 1839.  Mr. Hill was raised on a farm, and received a good common-school education.  In 1861, he was married to Mary E. Woodard, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Woodard, who were of North Carolina and came to Parke of a farmer.  He has a family of five children:  Herman J., Lydia F., George G., Warner F. and Wilfred R.

DR. B. F. HUDSON, who has been a prominent physician and surgeon of Montezuma for many years, was born in Clermont county, Ohio, March 16, 1826.  In 1832 the doctor's parents removed to Vermilion county, Indiana, and located on a farm three miles south of Newport.  Here the doctor grew up to man's estate, working on the farm and attending school at such odd times as he could be spared from work.  His father, David Hudson, died in about 1866, and his mother, Margaret (Jackson) Hudson, in 1873, they having spent their lives from 1832 in Vermilion county, Indiana.  At the age of twenty-four the doctor began the study of medicine under Messrs. Griffin & Willitts, of Newport, Indiana.  In 1855-56 he attended the Ohio Medical College, of Cincinnati, and in 1858 he attended the Miami Medical College, and in the spring of that year he received his diploma from that time honored institution.  Soon afterward he came to Montezuma and began the practice of medicine, and by his successful treatment of his many patients he has honestly earned a standing reputation, not only as a physician and honestly earned a standing reputation, not only as a physician and surgeon, but as one of the respected citizens of Parke county.  He is a member of the Indiana State Medical Society, also of the Parke County Medical Society.  December 26, 1859, he was married to Mary E. Stacy, daughter of J. F. Stacy, and by his union they have one daughter, Ada C.

J. X. IRELAND, merchant, Montezuma, was born in Orange county, New York, in 1814.  At fourteen years of age he went to New York city, and engaged as clerk in the grocery business, where he remained for some time, and in the fall of 1843 he came to La Fayette, Indiana, where he again engaged as clerk in the same business.  After remaining one year he went to Eugene, Indiana, where he embarked in the grocery business for himself.  In 1849 he removed to Montezuma, where he has been engaged in his former business ever since.  He started in life without anything but a determination to succeed, and by paying strict attention to his business he not only owns a fine brick store, in which he carries on business, but has other property in the village of Montezuma.  His father was John Ireland, and his mother Azuba Wood.  The latter part of their lives were spent with Mr. Ireland. His father died in 1858, in his eighty-fourth year, and his mother in abut 1875, being over ninety-one years of age.  Mr. Ireland is a member of the I. O. O. F., and also of the Presbyterian church.  By his honest dealings with his many customers he has not only been able to retain their patronage, but has continually added many new ones.

R. O. JONES, grocer, Montezuma, was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, December 6, 1827.  His parents were Abraham and Catharine (Talbert) Jones; his father a native of Maryland, and his mother of Kentucky, from which state they removed to Montgomery county, Indiana, in 1836.  Here Mr. Jones' father died, in about 1839.  His mother died in Putnam county, Indiana, in 1872, at the age of eighty.  At the age of sixteen Mr. Jones went to learn the tailor's trade, which was his occupation until he was forty years of age.  In 1849 he came to Montezuma, where he worked at his trade for some time, but finally embarked in the grocery business, which he has followed ever since.  In 1851 he was married to Miss Charlotte L. Egbert, daughter of Benjamin Egbert, who was a native of Kentucky, and came to the Wabash valley in an early day.  Mr. Jones served the people of his township as township trustee for seven years.

ANDREW LINEBARGER, farmer, Montezuma, whose portrait appears in this work, is one of Parke county's old and respected pioneers.  He was born in Lincoln county, North Carolina, June 8, 1815, and is the son of John and Mary Linebarger, both of whom are natives of Pennsylvania.  They removed Parke county in 1822, and settled on Sec. 16, Reserve township.  There they remained but a short time, and then entered land in Sec. 17.  They both remained honored and respected residents of Parke county until their deaths; the father died in 1847 and the mother of 1857.  The early life of our subject was spent in a comparatively new country, and he had such facilities for obtaining an education as were afforded by the old subscription system of schools at that time.  Having been raised on a farm he followed that time.  Having been raised on a farm he followed that line of business when he had grown to man's estate and began a business life on his own account.  Later in life he became quite extensively interested in stock growing, a business in which he has been very successful, and within the last ten years he has also dealt extensively in grain.  He has for some time been one of the largest stock and grain shippers in the western part of Parke county.  Mr. Linebarger is, though interested in the stock and grain trade, well known as one of the large land-holders of Reserve township.  Though an active and successful business man, Mr. Linebarger, has still given due time and attention to the cause of religion and to the building up of the Methodist church, of which he has been a member since he was fourteen years old.  This was probably due to the early teachings of his parents, who in after years became members of his family and resided with him till their deaths, which occurred as before stated.  Though he was a member of a family of eight children, he is the only one now a resident of Parke county.  Mr. Linebarger has been twice married:  in 1836 to Miss Elizabeth Burton, a native of Indiana; she died in 1846.  He was married again in 1847, to Miss Mary, daughter of Joel and Susannah Warner, who were among the early and prominent settlers of Parke county, 1832 being the date of their settlement; his death occurred in 1842, and Mrs. Warner's in 1868.  Mrs. Linebarger is still living and has the respect and love of her children and husband.  She is also a consistent member of the Methodist church.  The family of Mr. Linebarger by his first wife are:  Geo. H., Mary A., Wm. S., David, Levi J. and Andrew J.; and by his present wife:  Lewis C., Joel, Samuel C., Jacob, Elizabeth, Ida B., Ludah C., Emma O., and Louisa A.  The name of the deceased is Joseph H.  All of those living are already, or give promise of becoming as they grow to years of maturity, honored and respected citizens of the community.

GEORGE H. LINEBARGER, farmer, Montezuma, is the son of Andrew Linebarger, who is one of the pioneers of Parke county, having come to the county as early as 1822.  Mr. Linebarger has been a resident of Parke county all his life, and was born December 20, 1836.  He is one of the sixteen of the family who were all born in Parke county, and at the present writing are all living but one.  Mr. Linebarger was raised on a farm, and he has been an humble tiller of the soil all his life.  He is the owner of 440 acres of land which is located on the second bottoms of Reserve township, and is the best adapted for all agricultural purposes of any land in Parke county.

W. S. LINEBARGER, farmer, Bloomingdale, was born in Reserve township, Parke county, Indiana, October 13, 1840.  He is the son of Andrew Linebarger, who is one of the early and respected pioneers of Parke county, having come to the county as early as 1822.  Mr. Linebarger was raised on a farm, which occupation he has followed all his life.  In 1862 he was married to Melvina Morris, daughter of Nathan and Maria Morris.  She was born in Parke count, Indiana, July 10, 1846.  Their family consists of Mary A., Dora, Nathan A., William L., and Effie M.

THOMAS MORRIS, farmer, Coloma, is one of the old and respected citizens of Parke county.  He was born in Wayne county, North Carolina, July 12, 1812.  His father died when he was quite young, and in 1826 his mother and the family removed to Parke county and settled close to Coloma.  Mr. Morris was raised a farmer, but has been engaged in various kinds of business.  He has dealt in stock and has been in the mercantile business in Rockville, Montezuma, Plainfield and Coloma.  Mr. Morris has been one of the successful business men of Parke county.  He is the owner of about 400 acres of fine improved land in the county, and other property.  He has always been a strict member of the Society of Friends, and has cast his vote in unison with the republican party.  He began in life a poor boy, but by hard work and a strict attention to business he has honestly earned what property he has.

ZACHARIAH MORRIS, retired, Coloma, was born in Wayne county, North Carolina, April 25, 1798, and came to Parke county in 1833.  He resided on one farm in this county for thirty-two years, and on it he has spent many days of hard work, improving and cultivating the land.  During his many years spent in Parke county he has established an honest and spotless character.  He has been three times married.  His first marriage was to Rebecca Horn, and after her death he was united to Mahala Horn. His present wife was Margaret Lewis.

J. E. OUTLAND, farmer, Coloma, was born in Reserve township, Parke county, Indiana, November 15, 1838.  He is the son of Exum and Polly J. (Morris) Outland, who were natives of Wayne county, North Carolina, and came to Parke county in 1832.  The father was born March 22, 1816, and died in Parke county April 15, 1841, and the mother was born October 1, 1818, and is still a resident of the county.  Mr. Outland has been a resident of the county all his life, and has been engaged in farming and dealing in stock.  October 11, 1864, he was married to Miss Martha Newsom, of Bartholomew county, Indiana, born June 8, 1838.  Their family consists of three children: Virgil F., Anna V. and Frank.  Mr. Outland is the owner of 227 acres of land, the most of which he has earned by hard work.  He and his wife are members of the Society of Friends.

J. T. OUTLAND, farmer, Coloma, was born in Wayne county, North Carolina, November 30, 1821.  He is the son of Exum and Agatha (Hollowell) Outland, who removed to Parke county, Indiana, in 1832, and settled at what is now known as Leatherwood Station, on the Indianapolis, Decatur & Springfield railroad, where they lived until their deaths.  Mr. Outland was raised a farmer, and this has always been his occupation.   He is the owner of a fine farm of about 200 acres, under good cultivation.  In 1847 he was married to Miss Mary Newson, daughter of David and Elizabeth Newson, of Bartholomew county, Indiana.  She was born September 17, 1828.  They have one son, Edgar M.  Mr. and Mrs. Outland are members of the Friends society, and are esteemed and respected by their many acquaintances in Parke county.

WILLIAM PHILLIPS, farmer, Montezuma, was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, August 27, 1798.  In 1821 he was married to Miss Harriet Robinson, who was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, in 1804.  In 1836 they removed to Parke county, Indiana, and settled in Reserve township, on the farm where they now live.  They have had a family of nine children, of whom six are living: Nancy, wife of W. Hawkins, Jenkins, Benjamin, William, Alphus, and Randolph.  Mr. Phillips has been one of the successful farmers of Parke county.  He has secured a good home for each of his children and has plenty left for himself.  He has been honest in all his dealings, and is a good old Jackson democrat.

J. F. STACY, grain dealer, Montezuma, was born in Orange county, New York, October 5, 1815, where he remained until twenty-one years of age, after which he went to Massachusetts, where he engaged as an employe on a railroad which was being constructed at that time.  Railroading has been his business for many years, he having had charge of a gang of men most of the time.  He was for some time on the New York & Erie railroad.  In 1849 he went to California, where he spent three years, and returned to his native state and again engaged in railroading.  In 1853 he went to Kentucky and worked for the Louisville & Nashville railroad.  In the spring of 1854 he came to Montezuma, after working for the Indiana & Illinois Central railroad.  He also spent one year on the Milwaukee & Lake Superior railroad.  After spending a great many years of his life in the employ of different railroads, he finally settled at Montezuma, where he has for many years been engaged in his present business, buying and shipping grain.  What property he owns has been acquired by his own exertions.  He owns a large warehouse with a capacity for holding 19,000 bushels of wheat and other material.  Mr. Stacy is one of the highly respected citizens of Parke county.  He has long since been a member of the Masonic fraternity; also of the Odd-Fellows.  In 1840 he was married to Miss Clarrinda Lynch,  a native of Massachusetts.  They have one daughter, Mary, now wife of Dr. Hudson, of Montezuma.

W. H. SYLVESTER, druggist, Montezuma, was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1843.  He is the son of John S. and Melvina Sylvester, who removed to Wisconsin when Mr. Sylvester was a mere child.  Here they remained until he was quite a boy, after which they removed to Kentucky, where his father died in 1860.  His mother died when he was quite young.  Mr. Sylvester has been a resident of Montezuma for a great many years.  He began by working at the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a short time, and soon after he engaged with Wilson & Bros. to clerk in their dry-goods store.  Here he remained for some time, and acquired a knowledge of the business, after which he started in business for himself, first embarking in the grocery and confectionery business, and at the same time dealing in real estate.  At present he is the owner of several houses and lots in the town of Montezuma, he also owning a half interest in a drug store, which would do credit to any city.  Mr. Sylvester is a member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities of Montezuma, and is one of the active business men of the town.

JAMES WARNER, farmer, Montezuma was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, October 8, 1820, and in 1831 came with his parents to Parke county, who settled on the farm now owned by Henry Warner, one of their sons.  They lived there until 1864, after which they removed four miles northeast of Montezuma, where they lived until their deaths, the father dying in 1869, and the mother in the same year.  Mr. Warner, the subject of this sketch, was raised on a farm, and farming has always been his occupation.  He is the owner of 316 acres of well improved land, on which he has made all the improvements.  He is considered a model farmer of Parke county.  In 1857 he was married to Miss Margaret Shupe, daughter of Martin and Elizabeth Shupe, who were natives of Ohio, and came to Parke county in an early day.  Mrs. Warner was born in Parke county, Indiana, December 12, 1835.  Their family consists of Oliver, Elizabeth, Athes, Garrett and Luda.

E. G. WILSON is one of the leading dry-goods merchants of Montezuma.  He is of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1835.  He is the son of James and Jane L. Wilson, who removed to Parke county, Indiana, in 1839, and located at Armiesburg.  Mr. Wilson's father, being a millwright by trade, helped to build the grist-mill now owned by Judge Patterson at Armiesburg.  Mr. Wilson, having a desire to become a merchant, came to Montezuma and engaged as clerk with Messrs. Benson & Davis, for whom with the mercantile business, and in 1859 he and his brother embarked in the dry-gods business.  They continued in business together until 1864, after which Mr. Wilson bought out his brother and has since carried on the business himself.  He began in life without anything but a natural business qualification backed up by energy and a determination to succeed, and today he is considered to be among the substantial business men of the county.  In 1856 he was married to Elizabeth Skeliton, daughter of Robert and Susan Skeliton.

ZACHARIAH WOODARD, deceased, was one of Parke county's most respected citizens.  He came to the county early as 1828.  He was born in Wayne county, North Carolina, on July 20, 1809, and remained a resident of Parke county from the time he came until his death.  He was twice married: first to Sally Coate, October 25, 1832.  She was born August 21, 1817, and died in about 1848.  His second marriage was January 17, 1850, to Harmony Cox, daughter of John Cox.  She was born in Knox county, Indiana, March 15, 1818, and came to Vigo county in an early day, and to Parke county in 1846.  Mr. Woodard became the father of five children by his first wife:  Mary, Betsy, Lousana, Sarah E. and Thomas; and by his second wife, four living:  Ruth, Francis, Anna and Julian.

L. R. YOUNG, merchant and postmaster of Montezuma, was born in Bath county, Kentucky, on October 6, 1840, and in 1848 he came to Terre Haute, Indiana, where he engaged as clerk in one of the prominent business houses.  In 1851 he came to Montezuma and clerked for George McDonald in the grocery business, after which he and Mr. Justice embarked in the dry-goods business.  In 1861 he was engaged at the Mecca Mills, where he took charge of the books for that firm, and continued for three years.  He then returned to Montezuma and embarked in the grocery and boot and shoe business.  He has also been interested in the saw-mill business for some time.  He has been postmaster of Montezuma for fifteen years, which position he has honorably filled, and to the satisfaction of the people.  In 1861 he was married to Miss B. A. Danaldson, daughter of Judge Danaldson, who is one of the old and respected citizens of Parke county.