USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 1
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 1
USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 1
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61
Cc 977.2 B523b v. 1 1452663
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02402 2789
BIOGRAPHICAL
AND
GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
OF
Wayne, Fayette, Union and
Franklin Counties,
INDIANA
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME I
Gc 977.2 B5236 V.I
V.I
CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1899
1
1
INDEX.
A.
Abbott, Joseph, 933. Addleman, William S., 546. Allen, James B., 650. Alvey, George W., 834. Andres, Martin, 1054. Anness, William R., 1015. Applegate, John A., 826. Applegate, Mary, 826. Ardery, James N., 503. Ault, Lee, 55%.
1452663
B.
Baker, James S., 905. Baker, Maxwell, 929. Baker, Walter S., 908. Ballard, Micajah B., 291. Ballinger, Isaac, 659. Ballinger, Samuel H., 224
Banes, William M., 638. Barbour, Francis, 1057. Barefoot, W. B., 501. Barnes, John W., 203.
Bassett, David D., 1017.
Baxter, William, 107. Bean, Jobn, 591. Beard, Everett R., 516. Beard, O. P., 935. Beard, William, 516. Beck, John W., 442. Beeson, Benjamin B., 645. Beeson, Benjamin F., 43. Beeson, Charles, 987. Beeson, Elwood, 571. Beeson, Florance R., 654. Beeson, George W., 879. Beeson, Lycurgus W., 626. Breson, Marquis D., 665. Beeson, O. H., 613. Benbow, Joseph, 962. Benbow, Arthur T., 963. Bennett, Thomas W., 392. Berry, Ann, 145. . Berry, George, 144. Berry, William H., 719. Best, William P., 1044. Bieghle, Alexander W., 1062. Bilby, Francis M., 46. Binkley, Charles C., 36. Bishop, George, 428. Blacklidge, Alfred, 656.
Blose, John V., 1041. Bond, Abner D., 104. Bond, Henry T., 104. Bond, Jesse, 104. Borton, Jesse 1)., 873. Bourne, Nathan, 948. Bowman, John, 583. Boyd, John C., 694. Bracken, William H., 880. Bradbury, Wilham H., 265. Bradrick, Asa V., 958. Brady, John P., 1008. Broaddus, Homer M., 796.
Brockman, John W., 590. Brooks, James E., 746. Brown, Franklin J., 820.
Brown, Lewis J., 1019. Brown, Rebecca M., 229.
Brown, Martin V., 139. Buckingham, George B., 781.
Bula, Daniel, 998. Bundrant, Charles H., 550.
Bundy, John E., 226. Burbank, John A., 395, Burchenal, Charles H., 84.
Burger, Jacob, 889. Burgess, Andrew, 211. Burgoyne, Julius C., 985. Burk, Elisha, 825. Burke, L. L., 536. Burkhart, John, 898.
Burnside, Ambrose E., 48. Burnside, Edghill, 221. Burnside, Thomas C., 219 Burt, Aretus F., 185. Byram, Silas D., 286.
C.
Calloway, John, 975. Campbell, Thomas, 330. Canaday, Nathan F., 567. Carpenter, Walter T., 235. Carter, Abraham S., 838. Carter, Calvin, 740. Case, Absalom R., 1029. Cates, Jesse, 384. Cates, Rebecca, 384. Chance, Euphrates 1., 900. Chandlee, Webster, 938. Chrisman, Jesse, 684. Clark, Hezekiah, 411. Claypool, Austin B., 752.
iv
INDEX.
E.
Claypool, Benjamin F., 874. Clevenger, Francis M., 922. Clevenger, Joseph, 862. Clevenger, Samuel S., 455. Coddington, Benjamin F., 475.
Coffey, Bert, 974. Colburn, Clarence P., 727. Coleman, Rowland, 419.
Conn, Clemenc, 892.
Connaway, Joseph W., 374.
Conwell, Abram B., 563.
Cook, Alexander P., 748.
Cook, John W., 682. Cook, William H., 713.
Corrington, Joseph, 848. Cory, Clement R., 816.
Cranor, Milo, 253. Crawford, John, 707. Crist, Casper C., 690. Crist, Henry, 795. Crockett, Charles C., 402. Culbertson, John M., 944. Cully, Leander J., 742.
Cunningham, Robert A., 277.
Curme, Arthur A., 376.
Curry, Milton, 976. Curry, Ralph, 960. Custer, B. B., 292. Cutter, Henry, 471.
D.
Dale, Joseph, 541. Davis, Albert, 343.
Davis, T. Henry, 670.
Deal, Benjamin F., 150.
Deal, Otis F., 152.
Deeter, Allyn S., 301. Dehaven, James I., 288.
Demprey, William S., 348. Deráno, David W., 17. Dennis, Mattie C., 20. Derbyshire, Ephraim, 31. Derbyshire, James A., 31. Dickson, John, 1037. Dilks, George R., 498. Dilks, William W., 999. Dilling, Levi S., 755. Dillman, Lurton D., 854. Doan, Isaac C., 335. Doddridge, David J., 458. Doddridge, Mordecai D., 98. Doty, John A., 1031. Dougan, John B., 592. Dougherty, James P., 318. Douthit, Charles, 821. Downs, Thomas, 34. Downs, William F., 116. Drapier, Charles A., 739. Druley, Elmer M., 578. Drury, Isaac N., 415. Dugdale, James K., 495.
Dugdale, Samuel G., 126. Du Hadway, Caleb S., 504. Du Hadway, Charles R., 505.
Egelston, Benjamin F., 1061. Eikenberry, Daniel, 260. Elliott, Jesse P., 749.
Ellis, Elwood O., 436. Elwell, Hiram C., 153.
Erb, William H. H., 886.
Erk, Edward H., 710. Evans, Isaac P., 302.
Evans, Thomas D., 171.
F.
Fagan, William B., 697.
Farlow, Willam S., 366.
Ferguson, Charley, 732.
Ferguson, Elizabeth, 706.
Ferguson, Linville, 704.
Ferguson, Oliver, 650.
Finfrock, William, 731.
Finney, Joseph, 258. Fisher, James T., 839. Fletcher, Samuel F., 954.
Ford, Thomas J., 608.
Fosdick, Albert C., 445.
Fox, Henry C., 3. Freeman, Perry J., 237.
Fries, John A., 711.
Frost, Hyatt L., 708.
Fulghum, F. C., 604.
Fulghum, O. B., 242.
Fulghum, Oscar E., 603.
G.
Gaar, Abram, 24. Gaar, Clem A., 26.
Gaar Family, The, 1.
Gaar, Fielding, 30.
Gaar, John M., 27. Gaar, Jonas, Jr., 31.
Gaar, Jonas, Sr., 2. Gaar, Samuel W., 27. Gant, Newton, 1067.
Gardner, Edwin, 400.
Gardner, Stephen, 371. Gardner, Warner, 386. Garwood, Nathan F., 281.
Getz, Jacob, 512. Gifford, Samuel A., 996. Gifford, Thomas, 996. Gilmore, Joseph C., 724. Goble, Samuel H., 894. Goodwin, Charles F., 803. Goodwin, John R., 800. Gordin, Stanton E., 1036. Gordon, J. Bennett, 205. Gordon, Mahlon C., 662. Graef, John L., 865. Graham, W. B., 364. Graver, Christian H., 435. Gray, J. E., 674. Grubb, Hezekiah, 114.
INDEX.
H.
Hackman, Joseph F., 1072. Hadley, Edwin, 263. Haman, John F., 120. Hamilton, Samuel N., 832. Hanılyn, Walter, 847. Hammond, James, 1009. Handley, Wesley, 815. Hanna, House of, 1026. Harold, Isaac S., 461. Harrell, Samuel S., 192.
Harrel), Sarah C., 194. Harris, Branson L., 102. Harrison, Thomas H., 178. Harrison, Timothy, 176. Hartley, John M., 542. Harvey, Daniel T., 257.
Harvey, Joseph J., 965.
Hastings, E. R., 658. Haughton, Richard E., 325. Hawkins, David, 994. Hawley, Andrew D., 299. Haworth, David B., 406. Haworth, Richard M., 403.
Hays, Joseph, 818. Hays, Josiah A., 818. Heim, George M., 493. Henry, James W., 485. Henry, Jesse S., 367. Henwood, John S., 916. Higgs, John M., 197. High, Edwin W., 483. Hill, Benjamin, 341. Hill, Daniel, 413.
Hill, George, 82. Hill, Kittridge, 231. Hill, Lloyd K., 233. Himelick, John W., 1035.
Hite, William, 1050. Hoerner, David J., 240. Hoffman, A. Z., 1010. Holland, George, 55. Holliday, Martin V., 810. Hoover, David, 183. Hoover, Elias M., 635. Hoover, Larkin, 290. Hoover, Lewis, 559. Hopkins, Edward, 1048.
Hopkins, R. R., 312. Hoshour, Philip J., 950. Hosier, A. M., 65. Howell, Erastus H., 407. Howren, Guy B., 502. Hubbell, Charles W., 732. Huddleston, Silas, 660. Huff, Daniel, 805. Huff, Oliver N., 809. Hughes, Charles E., 518. Hughes, Isaac M., 474. - Hunt, William M., 702. Hurst, Cyrus O., 141. Hurst, Horace L., 127. Hutton, Jesse M., 307. Hutton, John H., 332.
Hutton, Noah H., 284. Hutton, William P., 308.
J.
Jackson, Caleb B., 609. Jackson, Richard, 346. Jay, Allen, 6. Jay, Eli, 574.
Jemison, John K., 246.
Johnson, Benjamin, 448. Johnson, James H., 479. Johnson, James (., 269. Johnson, Melyne M., 433.
Johnston, E. Dwight, 96.
Jones, Abram B., 931. Jones, Charles F., 992. Jones, Philip T., 966. Jones, P. T., 758.
Jones, Sylvester H., 677.
Jordan, Charles W., 309.
K.
Kaler, William S., 1046.
Kamp, Henry F., 744. Kennedy, James P., 640.
Kennepohl, Bernard A., 491.
Kenworthy, Jesse J., 228.
Kerr, J. D., 210. Kibbey, John F., 133.
King, James E., 597.
King, John, 799.
Kinsey, Isaac E., 812.
Klein, George L., 743.
Koogle, John W., 560.
L.
Lacey, M. M., 389. Lackey, Charles L., 699, Lackey, John S., 234.
La Fuze, Danford, 169.
La Fuze, Joseph, 477. Lamb, Isaac, 1001. Lamb, Phineas, 54. Lamberson, Samuel, 1065. Lamberson, William T., 1070.
Land, Frank, 693. Land, Horatio N., 776. Langfermann, John B., 1052.
Lee, Anna C., 915. Lee, Isaac K., 915. Lee, Joseph J., 939. Lewis, Allen W., 295.
Lewis, Charles S., 174.
Lichtenfels, Peter, 1040.
Limpus, William F., 980. Lindemuth, Arthur C., 443. Lyons, David, 582.
M.
Manlove, Alfred, 70. Manlove, John T., 1024.
vi
INDEX.
Marlatt, Charles E., 725. Marshall, Swain, 213. Martin, Benjamin L., 520. Martin, Charles B., 631. Martin, Ezra. 540. Martin, John S., 168. Martindale, James W., 279. Marvel, Charles, 587.
Marxer, Joseph, 856.
Mason, Beniamin F., 537.
Mason, D. W., 544.
Mathews, Henry P., 924.
Maxwell, Milton, 762.
Maze, John W., 450.
McCarty, Jonathan, 82. McClure, John H., 636.
McCray, W. F., 363. McCready, Enos M., 61.
McFarlan, J. B., Sr., 887. McGraw, John S., 78. McGrew, Charles N., 829.
McGrew, Melinda H., 827.
McIntosh, James C., 187.
McIntosh, James M., 189.
McKee, David W., 866.
Mckeown, Francis, 1056. Mckeown, John, 472. Mckinley, Patrick, 698.
McNeill, James, 844. Meid, Christian, 1053.
Mendenhall, Carver J., 429. Mendenhall, William, 324.
Meredith, Henry C., 782. Meredith, Solomon, 271. Meredith, Virginia C., 452. Merrell, William, 625. Middleton, William H. H., 642. Miles, Margaret, 946. Miles, Wilbam, 946.
Miller, Elizabeth, 1043.
Miller, Henry B., 1059. Miller, John F., 915. Mills, Joseph J., 772.
Moffett, Miles K., 182. Moffitt, Abijah, 524. Moore, Henry H., 515.
Moore, Joseph, 190. Moore, Matthias M., 496.
Moore, Samuel, 381. Moore, Theodore A., 497. Moore, William D., 497.
Moorman, Benjamin, 199. Moorman, Henry, 229. Moorinan, Richmond, 294. Morgan, David L., 178. Morgan, Nathan, 216. Morgan, Richard, 991. Morgan, Spencer, 990. Morris, Samuel H., 180, Morton, Oliver, P., 91. Most, Thomas A., 499. Mount, Charles, 883. Muir, William H., 857. Mul., Philip L., 911. Munger. Lazarus, 13. Murray, W. T., 767.
Newkirk, William, 875. Newman, Edmund B., 791. Newton, Abner N., 555. Nicholson, Timothy, 422. Nye, Zadock A., 439.
O.
Ogborn, Aibert G., 409. Osborn, Alonzo, 1014.
Osborn, John, 314.
Osborne, Clarence W., 616.
Osburn, William, 1039.
Ostheimer, Simon, 928.
Overhiser, Willard B., 686.
P.
Paddack, Cassandra E., 912.
Paddack, Charles R., 912. Paige, Ralph A., 201.
Parker, Samuel W., 239.
Parry, Mordecai, 509.
Parry, William, 846.
Parry, Webster, 511.
Parsons, George W., 417.
Paxson, Isaac H., 508.
Pearce, Asher, 585. Peelle, John, 864. Pelsor, Peter D., 623.
Phillips, George W., 1051. 1 Pierce, Elmer E., 759.
Pierce, N. F., 80. Pigman Family, The, 432. Pigman, George W., 432. Powers, Thomas, 956. Price, Charles T., Sr., 526.
Price, Joel B., 947.
Q.
Quick, John H., 760. Quinn, Harlan R., 416. Quinn, Jonathan B., 420.
R.
Ranck, George W., 904. Ratliff, Cornelius, 165. Ratliff, Joseph C., 164. Ratliff, Walter S., 222. Reed, Frank I., 456. Reed, Irven, 456. Reeves, James E., 63. Rehling, William, 738. Reid, Daniel G., 320. Reid, Ella D., 322.
*Reid, William D., 68. Reifel, Charles G., 1071. Reynolds, Josiah, 649. Reynolds, Marcus D. L., 356. Ridenour, Tobias M., 268. Ridge, Jacob, 159. Riegel, David, 337.
vii
INDEX.
Rigsby, John, 370. Riker, Moses, 668. Robbins, George W., 538. Robbins, John F., 252. Roberts, Elizabeth, 688. Roberts, Frank C., 463. Roberts, Jonathan, 121. Roberts, Thomas W., 372. Robinson, Hanson J., 870. Rockwell, William, 830. Rodman, James A., 794. Rose, James C., 494. Roots, Francis M., 783. Roots, Francis T., 161. Ross, Andrew J., 1068. Roth, William A., 630. Rude Brothers Mnfg. Co., 358. Rude Family, The, 358. Rude, George W., 361. Rude, John F., 362.
Rude, Squire B., 360. Rupe, John L., 155.
S.
Sanders, Wesley, 1023. Schmuck, Moses, 589. Scholl, George, 876. Schurman, George, 664. Schurman, Henry G., 664. Schwegmann, Joseph, Sr., 1055.
Scott, Andrew F., 109. Scott, Augustus C., 113. Scott, Elias P., 173. Scott, Smith, 1060. Scott, William G., 72.
Scott, William J., 1045.
Seal, Frank E., 840.
Seal, Henry H., 775. Seal, John, 1005. Sedgwick, Isham, 488. Shafer, George W., 902. Shafer, Joseph, 890. Shaw, Abial, 953. Shaw, Edward, 505. Sheafer, Amos M., 285. Sherwood, Daniel, 1042. Shew, Matt., 719. Shields, Margaret, 5. Shipley, Samuel J., 218. Shirk, Andrew, 352. Shirk, John C., 352. Shively, Josiah, 562. Short, John H., 89. Showalter, James C., 724. Shultz, James, 1033. Sinks, Augustus M., 672. Sinks, George M., 383. Sipe, Richard W., 76. Skinner, John T., 632. Smalley, Allison A., 872. Smelser, Isham, 106. Smelser, John, 106. Smelser, Nicholas, 276. Smith, Alpheus M., 764. Smith, Andrew J., 633.
Smith, Benjamin, 926. Smith, Caleb B., 319. Smith, Isaac N., 676. Smith, J. Marion, 920. Smith, John W., 842. Smith, Lewis P., 248.
Smith, Oliver H., 245.
Smolley, Maud C., 957.
Snyder, Joshua M., 31 !.
Spahr, Joseph D., 482. Sparks, Elizabeth, 896.
Sparks, Hiram, 896. Spekenhier, John A., 692. Springer, Lorenzo D., 600. Squier, George E., 769. Stanford, Leland H., 208. Stanley, Mrs. Z. H., 398. Stanley, Zachariah J., 397. Stanton, Franklin, 465. Starr, Charles W., 529. Starr, James M., 534. Starr, William C., 531. Starr, William G., 699. St. Clair, John W., 1003. Stevens, Steven C., 884.
Stevenson, George W , 339.
Stewart, Benjamin, 328. Stivers, Charles W., 250. Stoops, Harry M., 730. Stotelmver, Charles 1., 751.
Stout, Ichabod, 507. Strasburger, Conrad, 970.
Strattan, Stephen S., 471. Strattan, Steplien S., Jr., $12.
Straub, Cleophas, 286. Stuart, Amos, 523.
Surface & Flickinger, 469.
Surface, Daniel, 469. Swain, Charles G., 255. Swift, Ferdinand S., 736.
T.
Talbert, Jabez, 388. Tatman, John M., 535. Teagle, Leander A., 556. Teeter, Lewis W., 548. Tennis, Israel, 349.
Test, Alpheus, 679. Test, James W., 515.
Test, William, 513. Test, Zaccheus, 148.
Thistlethwaite, Timothy, 261.
Thomas, Ellis, 357. Thomas, Franklin Y., 605.
Thomas, John A., 982.
Thompson, John, 823. Thompson, William M., 131. Thornburg, Oliver M., 715. Thursion, Eli H., 843. Thurston, Joseph M., 580.
Tingle, John W., 997. Tobey, Reuben, 322. Trichler, H man, 936. Trueblood, William N., 440. Trust , Milton, 9.
viii
INDEX.
Turner, John W., 254. Tuttle, Samuel, 111. Tyner, John H., 74.
U.
Uhl. John, 207. Union County Schools, 616. Unthank, Charles R., 722.
Van Meter, J. M., 345. Voorhees, Herbert S., 264. Voris, Oliver L., 67.
W.
Waddell, Walter, 747.
Waggoner, Abram, 868.
Waggoner, Lot S., 888.
Walker, James H., 118.
Wallace, Joseph, 942.
Wallace, Lewis, 41.
Ward, George W., 333. Watt, Anthony, 728.
Watt, Robert, 859.
Weist, Jacob R., 136.
Westcott, John M., 124.
White, Alexander S., 689.
Whitesell, Samuel C., 427.
Whitney, Asa T., 681.
Whitney, Isaac W., 918.
Whitridge, John C., 316. Wiley, Adonijah, 978. Wiley, Cornelius E., 1021.
Wiley, Spencer, 720. Williams, Albert E., 93.
Williams, Charles R., 852.
Williams, Joseph B., 552.
Williams, Olive, 835.
Williams, Richard, 595.
Williams, Thomas, 837.
Williamson, Franklin, 480.
Wilson, Lemuel J., 878.
Wineburg, W. E., 971.
Wissler, Benjamin F., 304.
Witter, Joseph, 467.
Wolfe, John E., 486.
Wood, Alexander, 350.
Wood, John, 466.
Wood, William L., 351.
Worster, Thomas W., 565.
Wright, C. T., 737.
Wright, Frank A., 883.
W'right, John, 883.
Y.
Yager, Joseph, 700.
Yocom, William M., 696.
Young, M. L., 701.
Z.
Zacharias, William J., 786. Zeller, Daniel K., 568.
INTRODUCTORY.
Out of the depths of his mature wisdom Carlyle wrote: "History is the essence of innumerable biographies." Farther than this what propriety can there be in advancing reasons for the compilation of such a work as the one at hand? The group of counties embraced in this work has sustained within its confines men who have been prominent in the history of the state and nation from the early pioneer epoch of the middle west. Its annals teem with the records of strong and noble manhood and womanhood, and, as Sum- ner said, "The true grandeur of nations is in those qualities which constitute the true greatness of the individual." The final causes which shape the fortunes of individual men and the destinies of states are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure; their influence wholly unexpected until declared by results. When they inspire men to the exercise of courage, self- denial, enterprise, industry, and call into play the higher moral elements; lead men to risk all upon conviction, faith, -such causes lead to the planting of great states, great nations, great peoples. That nation is greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men, and the intrinsic safety depends not so much upon methods and measures as upon that true manhood from whose deep sources all that is precious and permanent in life must at last pro- ceed. Such a result may not consciously be contemplated by the individuals instrumental in the production of a great nation. Pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they work out this as a logical result. They have wrought on the lines of the greatest good.
Ceaselessly to and fro flies the deft shuttle which weaves the web of human destiny, and into the vast mosaic fabric enter the individuality, the effort, the accomplishment of each man, be his station that most lowly, or one of majesty, pomp and power. Within the textile folds, may be traced the line of each individuality, be it the one that lends the beautiful sheen of honest worth and honest endeavor, or one that, dark and zigzag, finds its way through warp and woof, marring the composite beauty by its blackened threads, ever in evidence of the shadowed and unprolific life. Into the great aggregate each individuality is merged, and yet the essence of each is never lost, be the angle of its influence wide-spreading and grateful, or narrow and baneful. In his efforts he who essays biography finds much of profit and
×
INTRODUCTORY.
much of alluring fascination when he would follow out, in even a cursory way, the tracings of a life history, seeking to find the keynote of each respect- ive personality. These efforts and their resulting transmission can not fail of value in an objective way, for in each case may the lesson of life be conned, " line upon line; precept upon precept."
Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the indi- vidual, or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial devel- opment, it is impossible to clearly determine. Yet the study of a successful life is none the less interesting and profitable by reason of the existence of this same uncertainty. So much in excess of those of successes are the rec- ords of failures or semi-failures that one is constrained to attempt an analysis in either case and to determine the method of causation in an approximate way. The march of improvement and progress is accelerated day by day, and each successive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelligence and a greater discernment than did the preceding. Successful men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity, and the lessons of biography may be far-reaching to an extent not superficially evident. A man's reputa- tion is the property of the world. The laws of nature have forbidden isola- tion. Every human being either submits to the controlling influence of others, or, as a master, wields a power for good or evil on the masses of mankind. There can be no impropriety in justly scanning the acts of any man as they affect his public, social and business relations. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the path along which others may follow with like success. Not alone are those worthy of biographic honors who have moved along the loftier planes of action, but to an equal extent are those deserving who are of the rank and file of the world's workers, for they are not less the con- servators of public prosperity and material advancement.
Longfellow wrote, " We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done." If this golden sentence of the New England bard were uniformly applied, many a man who is now looking down with haughty stare upon the noble toilers on land and sea, sneering at the omission of the aspirate, the cut of his neighbor's coat or the humbleness of his dwelling, would be voluntarily doing penance in sack- cloth and ashes, at the end of which he would handle a spade or, with pen in hand, burn the midnight oil in his study, in the endeavor to widen the bounds of liberty or to accelerate the material and spiritual progress of his race. The humble and lowly often stand representative of the truest nobility of char- acter, the deepest patriotism and the most exalted purpose, and through all the gradations of life recognition should be had of the true values and then should full appreciation be manifested.
xi
INTRODUCTORY.
In the Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties the editorial staff, as well as the publishers, have fully realized the magnitude of the task set them. The work is purely biographical in its province, and in the collation of material for the same there has been a constant aim to use a wise discrimination in regard to the selection of sub- jects, and yet to exclude none worthy of representation within its pages. Those who have been prominent factors in the public, social and industrial' makeup of the counties in the past have been given due recognition as far as it has been possible to secure the requisite data. Names worthy of perpetu- ation here have in several instances been omitted, either on account of the apathetic interest of those concerned or the inability to secure the information demanded. Yet, in both the contemporary narrative and the memoirs of those who have passed on to " that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns," it is believed that there has been such utilization of material as to more than fulfill all stipulations and promises made at the inception of the undertaking.
In the compilation recourse has been had to divers authorities, including various histories and historical collections, and implying an almost endless array of papers and documents, public, private, social and ecclesiastical. That so much matter could be gathered from so many original sources and then sifted and assimilated for the production of a single work without incur- ring a modicum of errors and inaccuracies, would be too much to expect of any corps of writers, no matter how able they might be as statisticians or skilled as compilers of such works. It is, nevertheless, believed that no inaccuracies of a serious nature can be found to impair the historical value of the volumes, and it is further believed that the results will supply the demand which called forth the efforts of the publishers and the editorial corps.
To other and specific histories has been left the task of touching the general history of the counties, for the function of this work is aside from this and is definite in its scope, so that a recapitulation would be out of har- mony with the compilation. However, the incidental references made to those who have been the important actors in the public and civic history of the county will serve to indicate the generic phases and will shadow forth much to those who can "read between the lines." In conclusion we can not do better than to quote another of Carlyle's terse aphorisms: "There is no heroic poem in the world but is at bottom a biography, -the life of a man."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL HISTORY
... OF ...
WAYNE, FAYETTE, UNION AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES INDIANA.
THE GAAR FAMILY.
If a complete account of the events which form the history of Wayne county were written no name would appear more frequently or figure more prominently in connection with leading events than that of Gaar. Through many decades representatives of the family have been important factors in the public life, especially that department bearing on the industrial and com- mercial development whereby the growth and prosperity of the county has been assured. From the Fatherland came the first American ancestors, who left their Bavarian home and crossed the Atlantic to the shores of the New World. Their first location was made in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, whence they removed at a later date to Virginia. In 1807 the first settle- ment of the family was made in Wayne county, then a wild western region on the very borders of civilization. The Indians had not departed for west- ern hunting grounds, fleeing before the oncoming tide of civilization; the for- ests stood in their primeval strength, and the broad prairies had been unturned by the plow.
Such was the condition of the country into which Abraham Gaar made his way more than four score years ago. He was born in Madison county, Virginia, February 28, 1769, and was there reared to manhood. He mar- ried Miss Dinah Weaver, who was likewise born in the Old Dominion and was also of German lineage. In 1805 they became pioneers of Kentucky, and in 1807 they made their way to Wayne county, Indiana, locating in what is now Boston township, where Abraham Gaar secured one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government. A little clearing was soon made and a log cabin erected. Then other trees were cut down and such veg- etables and grains planted as would supply the family with the necessaries of life. As the years passed, however, and the work of development was con- tinued, the entire tract was placed under a high state of cultivation, and wav- ing fields of grain were seen where once stood the uncut timber. The father 1
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.