A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 21

Author: William Travis
Publication date: 1909
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 631

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SYLVESTER HOBBS .- A native-born citizen of Washington township, Clay county, his birth occurring on the farm where he now resides Sep-

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tember 13, 1843, Sylvester Hobbs has a vivid recollection of life in pio- neer times, when the people dressed in homespun, lived on the produc- tions of their land, or on game found in forests, and Indians were still numerous, although friendly. As a boy he assisted his father in clearing a homestead, and has watched with gratification its gradual transforma- tion from a wilderness to a beautiful farm, yielding abundant harvests, being himself an important factor in its development.

Rev. Montgomery Hobbs, father of Sylvester, was born in Kentucky, from there coming to Washington township and entering from the gov- ernment three hundred and twenty acres of timber land. He cleared a part of the purchase, and in addition to farming was interested in reli- gious work, being for many years a preacher in the Baptist church. He died while yet in the prime of life. He married, in Kentucky, Nancy Phillips, who died on the home farm in Washington township in 1877. Further parental history may be found in connection with the sketch of Rochester K. S. Hobbs, a brother of Sylvester Hobbs.

Coming into possession of one hundred and twenty acres of the parental farm after the death of his mother, Sylvester Hobbs has now sixty acres of it under a good state of cultivation, the remainder of it being still covered with timber. He also owned until recently two hun- dred acres of land along the Eel river bottoms, but that tract he sold in April, 1906, and since that time he has not done active labor.

Mr. Hobbs married, April 25, 1895, Cassie Miller. She was born May 4, 1863, a daughter of William and Nancy ( Penrod) Miller. Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are the parents of two children, namely: Willard, born March 9, 1896; and Roy, born June 31, 1899. Mr. Hobbs is a solid Republican politically.

COLONEL WILLIAM HARRISON ZIMMERMAN, a brave soldier and officer of the Civil war, has also been among the most successful coal . operators within the state of Indiana, being one of the founders and pro- moters of the block coal fields in the vicinity of Brazil. He has been retired from active business for a number of years, having fairly won his spurs both in business and war. Born at Centre Square, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of September, 1836, he is a son of Nathan and Mary (Shaw) Zimmerman, both parents being natives of Montgomery county. The father was an excellent millwright and spent his life engaged in the various branches of his trade in his native county. Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Zimmerman were the parents of five sons, all now deceased except the Colonel.

William H. Zimmerman was educated in the schools of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and although his father died when the boy was only fourteen years of age, the honor attaching to labor and frugality had already been firmly impressed upon him. The youth worked in the rolling mills and nail factory, attending school when he could. At one time he was a pupil at Poland, Ohio, having saved sufficient to enable him to pursue a course at the institution located there. At the outbreak of the Civil war, while residing at Poland, he raised Company E of the Twenty-third Ohio Infantry, which was the first regiment of the state to enlist for the three years' term of service. Of this company, which was officially designated as above upon its arrival at Camp Chase, Columbus, young Zimmerman was elected captain. The personnel of his regiment made it one of the most famous in the Union army. As it was the first to enter the full

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three years' service in Ohio, Governor Denison was especially anxious that it should not only be finely equipped but officered by the best men at his command. It therefore numbered such men as Col. W. S. Rosecrans, who afterward became one of the great generals of the war, and still later a public man of national eminence; Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Mathews, who after the war was associate justice of the United States supreme court; Major Rutherford B. Hayes, afterward president of the United States ; and William McKinley, Jr., who enlisted as a private in Company E, whose sterling worth Captain Zimmerman first recognized, he having taken young McKinley from the ranks and made him corporal of the company. No other regiment in the armies of the north had the distinction of furnishing two presidents of the United States, with other distinguished characters of American history. Colonel Zimmerman served his three years in Company E of the Twenty-third Regiment, except thirty days' furlough, in January, 1862, when he returned home and mar- ried his first wife. At the expiration of his three years term he was pro- moted to be Lieutenant Colonel of the One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He participated in all its skirmishes and battles. He was with Rosecrans in West Virginia and with McClellan during his Maryland campaigns, and his regiment opened the engagement at South Mountain, which was preliminary to the battle of Antietam. During this Maryland campaign the regiment was a part of the famous Ninth Corps under command of General Burnside, and at the battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, which was the bloodiest battle of the war for the number engaged, the regiment participated in the capture of the "Stone Bridge" across Antietam creek on the extreme left of McClel- land. He also participated in the battles of Lynchburg and Lexington. At Bluffton Island, with two companies of men, he effected the capture of about one hundred of Morgan's historic raiders. His military career ended with the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston, which prac- tically terminated the war. At that time his regiment was at Raleigh, North Carolina, and thence was sent to Cleveland, Ohio, where it was mustered out of the service in July, 1865.

In 1868 Colonel Zimmerman went to Indiana to prospect the coal fields in the vicinity of Brazil, finding them of such unusual value that, with Messrs. Niblock and Alexander, he energetically commenced their development. The firm of Niblock, Zimmerman and Alexander was among the pioneers in the establishment of this great industry in the state of Indiana. Colonel Zimmerman also organized the Otter Creek Coal Company, and has been among the heaviest prospectors and actual operators in the state. He retired from business with a large com- petency in 1904.

Colonel Zimmerman has always been an earnest supporter of the Republican party, and it is perhaps needless to add, was especially vigorous in the campaigns headed by his old army comrades, Hayes and Mckinley. He has been an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic for many years, being identified with the General Canby post, and, as an Elk, belongs to Lodge No. 762. He was first united in marriage to Miss Fan- nie Hezlip, January 10, 1862. She was born in Eastbrook, Pennsylvania, January 7. 1838. and died on the 26th of March, 1868. On June 23. 1869. he married Miss Maria A. Niblock, daughter of Rev. Isaiah and Rachel Niblock, natives of Butler county, Pennsylvania. By this union four children were born, three of whom survive. Arthur H. Zimmerman re-

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sides in Brazil and is largely interested in the development of clay prod- ucts in Clay and Parke counties. Nellie F. is now the wife of H. B. Harper, also of Brazil. W. Paul Zimmerman, the third child, is the secre- tary and treasurer of the Hall-Zimmerman Block Coal Company of Brazil, and is one of the members of the firm.

JONATHAN MARION FAST .- One of the enterprising business factors of Brazil, Indiana, is a native of Ohio, born in Ashland county, May 16, 1839, son of George and Sarah ( Brink) Fast, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania in 1807. The father died in Ashland county, Ohio, in 1889 on July 4. The mother died in the same county and state in 1878, aged seventy-two years. This worthy couple were the parents of eight children, five of whom still survive. They are as follows: William, living in Ohio; Jonathan M., of this memoir; Hannah, wife of Abraham Myers, residing in Ohio; Dellia, wife of James Tuttle, now a resident of Michi- gan ; George, also resides in Michigan. The paternal grandparents, Chris- tian and Barbara Fast, were early settlers in Ohio, and George, father of Jonathan M., spent his life in Ohio, following farming for his livelihood. He owned a farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres. He was fond of good horses and kept many. He cleared up a farm from out the forest and became a well-to-do man. Politically, he was an old line Whig and later upon the formation of the Republican party, supported that, but never sought or held public office. He was a consistent member of the Christian church.

Christian Fast, the grandfather, was taken prisoner by the Indians when but sixteen years of age, but finally made his escape from them and while swimming the river and in mid-stream, he saw the Indians on the opposite shore, so he simply floated down stream-which was the Ohio- but was finally recaptured by the Indians. He was then adopted into an Indian family and held for eighteen months, but at the time over five hundred Indians started out to capture Fort Wheeling, he made good his escape. Subsequently, he married in Pennsylvania and removed to Ash- land county, Ohio, where he took up government land upon which tract he built a log cabin. He was among the early pioneers of Ohio, and many years later, a son of the Indian who had adopted him, found him in Ohio and made him an offer of all the land he could walk around in a day, if he would return to the tribe to which he belonged, but of course this seemingly liberal offer, made in good faith upon the Indian's part, was not accepted.

Jonathan M. Fast spent his youthful days in Ohio and in 1872 came to Indiana, locating at Brazil, where he engaged in the bakery and con- fectionery business, with William Shannon. This firm carried on an extensive and profitable business up to the date of the death of Mr. Shan- non, after which the widow retained her interest up to November 27, 1907, when Mr. Fast purchased her interest. The subject is now numbered among the oldest business men of Brazil and bears the good will and respect of the entire community in which he has traded for so many years. Politically, he is a staunch Republican. He has served the city as mem- ber of the council for six years and has always been interested in the welfare of his home city and county. He is a member of the Brazil Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 30; also belongs to Lodge No. 762, Benev- olent and Protective Order of Elks.

In the month of April, 1867 he was united in marriage to Frances Vol. II-10

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V. Shannon, in Ashland county, Ohio, in which county she was born in 1845; she died in September, 1905. Her parents were both natives of Ohio. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Fast were: Elza D., and William.

JESSE A. DECKER .- The history of a community concerns itself not so much with the machinery of government as with the character of the citizens who are active in its business circles and constitute the essential basis of its political and legal status and its educational and moral prog- ress through their support of interests tending in the line of improvement. In this connection therefore mention should be made of Jesse A. Decker, for long years a successful merchant of Brazil, where he was engaged in dealing in groceries, provisions, meat, flour and feed from October, 1866, to January, 1908.

J. A. Decker was born January 7, 1841, near Pisgah, Butler county, Ohio. His father, Obadiah B. Decker, was born in Pennsylvania, January 26, 1816, and having removed westward was married near Piqua, Ohio, to Miss Sarah Ann Austin, whose birth occurred in that state August 6, 1821. His death occurred April 9, 1885, while his wife died November 19, 1883. They were parents of nine children, all sons, and seven grew to manhood. Frequently they with their father cast eight Republican votes. Five of the number are now living : Jesse A., William W., Elmon A., Andrew S. and Oba A. During the pioneer epoch in the history of Clay county Obadiah B. Decker brought his family to this locality, arriv- ing on the 16th of August, 1849, after two weeks of travel in a large cov- ered wagon, for this was before the era of railroad building. The father cut the date of their arrival upon a big beech tree which stood for a num- ber of years thereafter and gave witness of the day of their coming. Mr. Decker was a shoemaker by trade but in Indiana turned his attention to farming and also engaged in buying furs each winter. He was likewise well known as a coon hunter and throughout Clay and adjoining counties he was frequently seen taking a lot of furs on horseback to the nearest market. His son Jesse frequently made these trips with him and the father handled thousands of dollars' worth of furs each winter. The father had the assistance of his seven sons (there were no daughters in the family) in clearing up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. They cut down and burned large oak trees just to get the land ready for farm- ing. Deer, turkeys and other kinds of wild game were plentiful and Mr. Decker of this review has seen wild deer within twenty feet of the cabin home in which the family lived. During the busiest season of the year the father frequently employed hired help and sometimes paid them in flour and meat at a rate of from fifty to seventy-five cents per day or at eight, ten or twelve dollars per month for the summer. They raised stock of all kinds and each spring and summer the boys of the family would have a great time picking wool, which was carded and spun into cloth from which their winter garments were made. Log rollings were very common in that locality from 1849 until 1860 and the father would spend from five to fifteen days each spring in assisting his neighbors in that way. The wives of the helpers would at the same time have a quilting or wool picking and at night there would be a dance or party-festivities which were greatly enjoyed. Whiskey was always served in those days and Obadiah Decker raised rye and would take the grain to Williams- town, where he had whiskey manufactured. It sold from twenty-five to

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thirty-five cents per gallon in those days and was an unadulterated article. The experiences of pioneer life were utterly unlike the modes of living at the present time. If there was a death in the community the relatives would go to William West, a cabinet maker of the neighborhood, who manufactured cupboards, tables, bedsteads and chairs. Receiving an order for a coffin, he would have it ready for the burial the next day, working all night at times to complete his task, and sometimes the varnish was hardly dry at the time of the funeral. The funeral procession would be composed of farm wagons and people on horseback. Later a man of the community purchased a spring wagon with which to go to market and church and this was often borrowed to be used for hauling the corpse to the cemetery, the coffin placed in the wagon, with a white bedsheet spread over.

In those early days Mrs. Decker, the mother, rode to church on horseback. Services were held in a log schoolhouse, the only church at that time being at Cloverland, a representative of the Baptist denomina- tion. Educational privileges in the early '50s were very poor. The teach- ers were hired by the people of the district, paying so much for each scholar, and the school term covered December, January and February. The roads were often bad and the weather inclement and these conditions, combined with the amount of work to do on the farm, made it impossible for J. A. Decker and his brothers to attend school for more than about two months in the year.

After attaining his majority Mr. Decker left the farm and came to Brazil, where he attended a graded school taught by Professor Loveless, realizing the fact that his education was inadequate for the demands of the time in a growing and progressive country. There was probably not a frame schoolhouse in the county in the early '50s. One of the school- houses in which he pursued his studies was a low, squatty structure of round logs, with a big fireplace in one end in which could be burned a four-foot log. The seats were made of split logs, the flat side being dressed smooth, while legs were put in the round side to rest the slab upon and thus was constructed a bench for about a dozen pupils.

Another feature of pioneer life was less pleasant, for in the early days there were horse thieves, robbers and murderers who infested the country and it was an impossibility to arrest the culprits and secure their convic- tion according to law, for they were banded together and when one of them would get in trouble the others would stand by him until he was cleared. The good people, therefore, had to organize and eventually broke up the band. They formed a society known as the Regulators, of which Obadiah Decker became a member. As time went on the organiza- tion grew stronger and more determined to break up the band of outlaws, who were in command of one John A. Clark, who lived on a farm about two miles west of Cloverland in the house now occupied by Charles Hen- dricks. Not far distant lived other members of the band and it was arranged between them that when any of them saw an opportunity to trade horses or buy a cow from a family emigrating westward they would pay for the same in counterfeit money. The mover was left absolutely help- less, for the band would warn him to go on and keep quiet about the transaction or it would be the worse for him. On one occasion Clark, in a quarrel with a man in Cloverland, went to his wagon which was stand- ing near, secured the wagon hammer and knocked the man in the head. killing him on the spot, and yet he was not arrested for the crime! The

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law abiding people realized that something must be done. They went to the homes of all whom they knew to be antagonistic to the band, routing them out at night with the intention of lynching the culprits but they escaped, although some were shot. At different times the law abiding citizens made a raid upon the bandits. On one occasion, following such a raid, the next morning twelve or fifteen of the bandits, mounted on horseback. rode through Cloverland, shouting that they were going to Deckers, Modesitts and Corbans and take them out and lynch them. They were all armed with revolvers, dirks and knives. They reached the Decker home about eight o'clock in the morning and to their surprise found about twenty-five men there who had been after them in the night and were holding counsel as to what to do next. The bandits, not making their real errand known, said they wanted to buy hogs. One Nathaniel Modesitt, a man of too much "grit" to quietly accept such an excuse, called out that he would lick any of the party in fair fight, saying, "You came here for trouble and not for hogs ;" but his challenge was not accepted. The Regu- lators did not care to enter into an open fight, as they knew that some of their number would be killed or seriously wounded. Later the whole force of the Regulators was called out with the intention of capturing Clark. There were over two hundred men who proceeded to Clark's house in day time but they found him out, learning that he had gone to Terre Haute. Proceeding to the city, they asked of the authorities per- mission to find Clark and were told, "Get him if you can." They then proceeded to one of Clark's friends, who kept a den and was noted for stealing. They did not succeed in finding Clark but took his friend out east of the city across the canal bridge and, placing a rope around his neck, they pulled him up, then let him down, asking him to tell where Clark was. He did not have the information, however, but he confessed to stealing meat and other supplies. Clark's band was so well organized that they kept him out of sight and later the family removed to Illinois. At length the band of lawbreakers was broken up but occasionally a horse theft was committed for several years and lesser depredations were committed, so that the Regulators continued their organization until there was no further need of the society, the last call for their aid being made in 1862. There are still four members of the society living in Brazil : Lake Modesitt, San- ford Modesitt and William and Jesse Decker.

There were two men and their families who moved into a cabin near a war widow by the name of Peake, her husband having responded to the call to arms in 1861. In the fall of 1861 those two men came, strangers to the neighborhood, and settled in the cabin. No one knew anything about them and it seemed as though they got a living without working for it. Smokehouses were occasionally robbed of the meat and wheat and corn were also missed at different times. The two families found they were crowded in the little cabin and made known to the widow that they wished her to move away so they could have her cabin. She objected and one night she was taken out and all sorts of indignities heaped upon her. She brought suit against the men and while she was attending trial her house was burned to the ground. The neighbors then thought of the old-time law of the Regulators, called a meeting, organized and selected officers and plans were made to mete out justice to the two men. This was in the spring of 1862. About fifty members of the new society went to the cabin, knocked in the door with a fence rail and grabbed the two criminals (who had pistols under their pillows) before they were aware of what was

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LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

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Joseph. J. Bauer.

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going on. Taking them a half mile into the woods, they gave them a severe beating and told them to take their families and go and not to stop on this side of the Wabash river. That was the last movement of the Regulators but it seemed to be the only way to maintain law and order in those days.

During the period of the rebellion the Deckers were true to the stars and stripes. As there were seven sons in the family, all possessing natural musical talent, they had a martial band of their own and attended the meet- ings to help create enthusiasm incident to organizing companies for the front. This they did from the spring of 1861 until August, 1862, when three of the brothers joined the Union army, including Jesse A. Decker.

Following the return from the war Mr. Decker was married August 13, 1865, to Miss Lestia A. Kelsey, who was born in Ohio. That fall Mr. Decker and Henry Moore rented an old-fashioned sawmill, Mr. Decker borrowing three hundred dollars in order to engage in the business of making lumber. He found at the end of ten months that the work was too hard for him, so he sold out to his partner, clearing, however, four hun- dred and twenty-five dollars on the transaction. Removing to Brazil, he bought out David Keeler, who was engaged in the ice cream business where now stands the First National bank. This was in October, 1866. After a time he developed his business into a grocery store and for forty- one years after gave his time and energies to that business, which had grown to extensive and profitable proportions.

In 1885 Mr. Decker was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 22d of April of that year. His father also passed away on the 9th of May while his mother had died on the 19th of November, 1883. By Mr. Decker's first marriage there were born three children: Budd E .; Leuzetta, who died at the age of thirty-one years; and Ira, who died at the age of eleven years. On the 19th of April, 1887, Mr. Decker was again married, his second union being with Miss Angie Gonter, who was born in Ohio. Mention of her family is made on another page of this work. By this marriage there is one son, Benjamin H., who is now studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois. Mr. Decker's son. B. E., is now and has been engaged in the housefurnishing business in Brazil since 1889. It is managed along progressive lines and in strict accordance with a high standard of commercial ethics. J. A. Decker stands today as one of the prominent and honored pioneer settlers and few men have more intimate knowledge of the history of Clay county during the past sixty-seven years.

REV. JOSEPH T. BAUER, pastor of St. Patrick's church, is one of the able representatives of the Catholic ministry in this section of Indiana. He was born at Evansville, this state, August 10, 1865, a son of Peter and Catherine Bauer, who were also natives of Evansville. He was afforded the advantage of instruction in Trinity school in his native city, being a student there between the ages of six and fourteen years. He further continued his education in the college and seminary of St. Minard in Spencer county, Indiana, from which he was graduated in 1889. In early life he had determined upon taking holy orders and when his col- legiate course was completed he was ordained to the priesthood on the 29th of May, 1889, and at once entered upon the active work of the min- istry. In that year he was assigned to the Catholic church at Rockville and did effective work for the cause which he advocated. In 1891 he was

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A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 21

Author: William Travis Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Number of Pages: 631

Author: William Travis
Publication date: 1909
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 631