A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 40

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

USA > Indiana > Clay County > A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2) > Part 40

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 (link on the Part 1 page).

STEWARD DRAKE .- A substantial and prosperous farmer and an esteemed resident of Washington township, Steward Drake is actively associated with the agricultural progress of this part of Clay county, and is an excellent representative of the native-born citizens of this com- munity, his birth having occurred here November 10, 1845. His parents, Thomas and Maria ( Bybee) Drake, were natives of Kentucky, his father having been born in Barren county, while his mother was a native of Clark county. His paternal grandparents, Greenberry and Nancy (Lane) Drake, and his maternal grandparents, Lee and Jerusha Atkison ) Bybee, were also Kentuckians by birth and breeding.

Thomas Drake came with his parents from Kentucky to Indiana in 1831, locating in Washington township, where he grew to man's estate. After his marriage he bought one hundred and ninety acres of land, and on the farm that he improved lived for forty years, carrying on general farming with excellent pecuniary results. Selling out in 1882, he in com- pany with his son Steward, the special subject of this sketch, bought two hundred and twenty-one acres of land in section eighteen, Washington township, on the river bottom just north of Bowling Green, and there resided until his death, February 13, 1888. On January 14, 1842, he married Maria Bybee, who survived him, dying December 28, 1890. Two children were born of their union, namely: Margaret and Steward. Margaret married Jesse Allee, of Clay City, and died January 15, 1906, leaving no children.

Receiving his elementary education in the old log schoolhouse of pioneer days, Steward Drake subsequently taught school for a number of terms. Reared to agricultural pursuits, he found farming more con- genial to his tastes as well as more profitable, and since March, 1882, when he and his father bought the farm where he now resides, he has continued in this occupation. At the death of his father, Mr. Drake came . into possession of one hundred and eighty-five acres of the home farm, He cultivates fifty acres of his land himself and leases the remainder, receiving a good income in each case. He has made valuable improve- ments on his farm, which is advantageously located, his fine two-story frame residence of nine rooms commanding an extended view of the sur- rounding country. Mr. Drake, in 1891, in partnership with Mr. Weid-

Digitized by Google

277

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

eroder, bought a grist mill, and a few years later bought his partner's interest in the plant, of which he is now the sole owner, his son Otis superintending its management.

On August 18, 1869, Mr. Drake married Delila Tressel, who was born April 19, 1849, in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, which was the birthplace of her father, George Tressel. Her father, who was of German descent, married Sarah Maughiman, a daughter of Henry and Margaret Maug- himan, natives of Germany. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Drake, namely: Otis, of whom a brief sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; Harley R., of Indianapolis; Zella, wife of Arthur Kendall, of Bowling Green; Ernest T., of Bowling Green; Chester, living with his parents ; and Olga, who died March 25, 1894, aged five years. Politically Mr. Drake is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and fraternally he is a member of Clay Lodge No. 185, F. & A. M., of Bowling Green.

JOHN P. ELL, of section fifteen, Perry township, enjoys the double satisfaction of having greatly contributed to the progress of his section of Clay county in the development of her agriculture and the erection of structures devoted both to business and the cause of education. He is a native of Posey township, born on the 23rd of November, 1855, and is a son of John Adam and Margaret Ell. Both his parents were born in Berlin, Germany, his father coming to the United States in 1828 and locat- ing in Hamilton county, Ohio. There he worked at his trade as a black- smith until 1835, when he went to Staunton, and after continuing in that city for several years, similarly engaged, abandoned his trade for agricul- ture. He bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Posey town- ship, where the parents resided until their deaths-the father in 1896 and the mother in 1898.

John P. Ell, the eldest son of ten children, resided with his parents until he was sixteen years of age, when he went to Terre Haute and learned the bricklayer's trade, which he followed for some four years. He then returned to his parents' home, where he resided until his marriage, June 15, 1877, to Miss Catherine Hoffmann. Mrs. Ell was born in Posey town- ship and is a daughter of Conrad and Mary Eva Hoffmann, also natives of Berlin, Germany. Mr. Ell resided on a rented farm in Posey township for about two years prior to his marriage, and afterward resided for a similar length of time on his father-in-law's homestead in Perry township, then buying eighty acres of partly improved land. The improvements consisted of a modest house and fifty acres of cleared land. Renting his farm, Mr. Ell industriously and persistently worked at his trade, his operations extending to Staunton, Riley, Cory and the country surround- ing for a dozen miles, and including the building of twenty brick school houses and numerous stores and residences. He has also added to his landed estate until it now amounts to three hundred and twenty acres, all in Perry township and either under cultivation or pasture. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. John P. Ell are William, a resident of Perry town- ship, and Mary, now Mrs. Michael Rouchleine, also living in the township mentioned. Mr. Ell is very prominent in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church, having served as a trustee since 1903. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never been ambitious for public advancement.

Digitized by Google

278

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

PROFESSOR THOMAS N. JAMES, by the consensus of public opinion accorded a position of marked precedence and prominence among the representatives of public instruction in Indiana, being now identified with the schools of Brazil, was born in Vigo county, this state, November 27, 1849. He is descended in both the paternal and maternal lines from southern ancestry. His parents were George W. and Ruth ( Nance) James, the former born in Mason county, Kentucky, December 5, 1822, the latter in North Carolina. The mother died during the early boyhood of her son Thomas, leaving three children, of whom Professor James is the only one now living. After losing his first wife the father married again, his second union being with Mary Sarchett, who was born in Ohio and died in this state in 1861. They were the parents of four children, of whom two survive: William H., and Nancy, the wife of John Summer- ville. During the pioneer epoch in the history of Indiana, when this state was a frontier region, Professor James was brought here by his parents. The grandparents were Berryman and Mary K. James, both natives of Virginia and the great grandparents were Thomas R. and Hannah W. James, who were also natives of the Old Dominion and were of English parentage. Berryman James first located in Monroe county, Indiana, in 1829, and in the year 1832 he and his father, Thomas R. James, came to Clay county, being among the first to penetrate into the wilderness of Dick Johnson township. It was the year in which the Black Hawk war occurred and Indians were yet numerous in this part of the country, resenting the encroachment of the white men upon what they claimed was their hunting grounds.

Amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life George W. James was reared to manhood. He spent his winters working in pork packing establishments in Terre Haute and during the summer months when river navigation was open he made trips to New Orleans with the products of the packing establishments on their boats. Later he devoted his attention to farming in Dick Johnson township, where he resided until 1858, when he removed westward to Kansas and again became a factor in pioneer life, entering government land. But he had to leave the state on account of the unsettled condition brought about by the question of slavery and again came to Indiana after living in Kansas for eight or nine months. He remained a resident of this state until 1880, when he went to Nebraska. but after spending two years there he once more became a resident of Dick Johnson township, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits until 1883, when he retired from active life and took up his abode in Brazil, where he spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He was township assessor of Brazil for four years and also filled the office of township clerk in Dick Johnson township. He was likewise road superintendent and in all these positions he discharged his duties in a manner creditable to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. His loyalty, however, was not alone demonstrated in civic life, for at the time of the Civil war he gave proof of his patriotism and his devotion to the Union by his enlistment as a member of Company I, Twenty-first Regi- ment of Indiana Volunteers on the 7th day of July, 1861, serving until January, 1866. This regiment was made the First Heavy Artillery of Indiana and Mr. James became lieutenant of Battery I. He did active service with the gulf division under Generals Butler, Banks and Canby and participated in many important battles, including the siege of Fort Hudson, the battle of Bayou Teche, the capture of Fort Morgan, siege

Digitized by Google

279

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

of Mobile and the siege of New Orleans, being under command of General Butler at the prison city in 1862. Almost forty years before his father had been a soldier at New Orleans under General Jackson in 1815, participat- ing in what is known in history as the tearless battle, so small were the losses of the American troops. George W. James cast his first presiden- tial vote for James K. Polk, and voted for Abraham Lincoln for the sec- ond term and remained a stalwart champion of the Republican party until his demise. He maintained pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in General Canby Post No. 2, G. A. R., and greatly enjoyed the camp fires where were recalled the scenes and inci- dents that took place on the tented fields of the south. He belonged to the New Light or Christian church. He died January 9, 1904, at the ven- erable age of eighty-two years and Brazil and Clay county mourned the loss of a citizen who was uniformly respected and honored.

Professor James, reared under the parental roof, supplemented his early education by study in Bloomingdale Academy and in Danville Nor- mal and State Normal. He afterward turned his attention to the pro- fession of teaching as a life work and in 1902 became principal of the Diamond school in Parke county, Indiana. He was principal of the schools at Cory and for eighteen years was principal of the Brazil high school, while at the present writing he is principal of the Jackson street school at Brazil. He has taken special work for three years in university extension work, devoting one year to literary economy, one year to literature and one year to history. His long connection with the schools of Brazil indicates in no uncertain manner his high standing in the profession and the regard in which his ability is held in this city. He has made steady progress, holding to high ideals in his work and keep- ing abreast with the best thinking men of the age, who are devoting their lives to education.

On the 4th of March, 1875, Professor James was married to Miss Orpha J. Hobson, who was born in Parke county, Indiana, January 31, 1850, a daughter of Milton and Charity (Davis) Hobson, both of whom were natives of North Carolina, the former born in 1826 and the latter in 1829. Mr. Hobson was brought to this state by his parents when only three years of age, the family home being established in Parke county near where the town of Marshall now stands. The Hobsons had come from Greensboro, North Carolina, and with the work of pioneer develop- ment in this section of the state they were closely, actively and helpfully associated. Milton Hobson devoted his entire life to farming in Parke county and his activity and enterprise made him a loyal resident of the community. At the age of seventy-five years he returned to his old home in North Carolina on a visit. In community affairs he was deeply inter- ested, served as a member of the township committee, gave his political allegiance to the Whig party and was a member of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. In this state he married Miss Charity Davis, who died in 1902, while he survived until 1906. Their family numbered thirteen chil- dren, of whom eight are living: Mrs. James; George W .; Josiah D .; John R .; Martha, the wife of J. D. Fisher ; Rhoda, the wife of I. Fulen- wider ; Mary, the wife of Charles Blake ; and Wallace M.

Professor and Mrs. James have a family of five children, as follows : Eva Estelle, the wife of W. S. Davis, a practicing physician of Marshall. Indiana; Milton T., who resides in Brazil; Jessie J., who is engaged in

Digitized by Google

280

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

teaching in the schools of Toronto, Indiana; Ruth C., who follows teach- ing in the Brazil schools; and George H., who pursued a course of study in Chicago and is now attending the Indiana University. The parents are well known in Brazil, where they have an extensive circle of friends, occupying an enviable position in social circles, where true worth and intelligence are received as the passports into good society. Professor James belongs to Brazil Lodge No. 215, I. O. O. F., and is one of its most prominent representatives, having served as its treasurer for twenty- three years. He and his wife are members of Mayflower Lodge No. 61, of the Rebekah degree, and for thirteen years have been members of the Order of the Knights and Ladies of Honor. Mr. James is also connected with Iron City Encampment No. 118, of the Uniformed Rank of Odd Fellows, and is in hearty sympathy with the principles and precepts of this order, which has its basic element in mutual helpfulness and brotherly kindness. He is a member of the Southern Indiana Teachers' Associa- tion and the Indiana State Teachers' Association, of which he was vice- president, and is ex-president of the Clay County Teachers' Association. At one time Mr. James was township assessor of Brazil. Keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day he has come to the con- clusion that the platform of the Republican party embodies the best ele- ments of good government and therefore gives to it his support at the polls. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their many excellent qualities have gained them a most enviable position in public regard. "Not the good that comes to us but the good that comes to the world through us is the measure of our success," and judged by this, Professor James has been a most successful man. In his chosen life work he has embodied the spirit of Kant who said "the object of education is to train each individual to reach the highest per- fection possible for him." It is a widely acknowledged fact that the most important work to which a man can direct his energies is that of teaching, whether it be from the pulpit, from the lecture platform, or from the school room. Its primary object is ever the same-the development of one's latent powers that the duties of life may be bravely met and well performed. Recognizing the responsibilities that devolve upon him, Pro- fessor James has met every duty in life with a sense of conscientious obligation and has always stood for high ideals in educational work.

JAMES A. WINN is a retired farmer residing in Brazil but deriving a gratifying income from a valuable property of four hundred acres of rich and productive land in Clay county. He has lived in this county since the days of the log cabin and the unimproved wilderness and has watched its development as the pioneer settlers have converted their claims into productive farms, while those who have concentrated their energies upon industrial and commercial interests have doubled the towns and cities. Mr. Winn is a native of Muskingum county, Ohio. He was born September 29, 1845, of the marriage of Andrew and Abigal Jane (Rainer ) Winn. The father was born in New Jersey, August 1, 1806, while the mother's birth occurred in Orange county, New York, September IO, 1810. They were married in the latter county. Andrew Winn had spent his boyhood days in New Jersey upon the farm of his father, Abraham Winn, but after his marriage lived in Orange county, New York, for some time, removing thence to Muskingum county, Ohio, where he remained

Digitized by Google

281

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

for seventeen years. In the fall of 1856 he became a resident of Clay county, Indiana, settling in Dick Johnson township, where he took up his abode in a log cabin, adding thereto a stone chimney through which the smoke from the huge fireplace found egress. The family shared in all the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. They had made the journey to Indiana with two yoke of oxen and a two-horse wagon, thus covering the entire distance from their old home in Ohio. Having lived for some time in Clay county, Mr. Winn removed to Worth county, Mis- souri, where he remained for about three months and then returned to Clay county, where his remaining days were passed. His death occurred May 8, 1885. In his political views he was a Democrat. His widow long survived and passed away on the 10th of September, 1893. Their family numbered eleven children, seven of whom still survive: Henry R .; Harriet, the wife of Jackson McGranham; Lois Amanda, the wife of John McGranham; James A., of this review; John W .; Andrew F .; and Jesse S.

James A. Winn was reared in the usual manner of farm lads of the frontier. He was but eleven years of age when the family came to Clay county and he assisted in the arduous task of clearing the fields and developing the farm. The public schools afforded him his educational privileges but his opportunities in that direction were somewhat meager, for the schools at that time had not been brought to their present system of perfection in this county. However, he learned many valuable lessons concerning the worth of industry, enterprise and integrity. He learned also the caution and the prudence necessary to those who live on the frontier and he always utilized every chance to the best possible advantage. He completed his arrangements for having a home of his own by his marriage on the 10th of May, 1868, to Miss Caroline Compton, who was born in Dick Johnson township, Clay county, Indiana, in her father's log house, March 1, 1850. Her parents were Jacob L. and Elizabeth (Haw- thorn) Compton. Her father's birth occurred in Warren county, Ohio, October 22, 1808, and he died April 3, 1877. His wife, who was born February 27, 1818, died December 28, 1897. They were married April 2, 1833, and their family number four sons and five daughters, but only two are now living, Richard M. Compton and Mrs. Winn. It was in September, 1843, that Mr. Compton arrived in Indiana, having journeyed with horse and wagon. He located in Dick Johnson township. His father, Richard J. Compton, had come to Clay county in the early '40s and entered government land for his children. He was born March 19, 1789, in New Jersey, and died January 29, 1858. His wife, Mary (Lyons) Compton, was born October 15, 1783, and died October 14, 1860. Their family numbered four sons and three daughters, including Jacob L. Compton, who on arriving in Clay county built a log cabin in Dick Johnson township in 1843. With characteristic energy he began the development and improvement of his place and as time passed added to his land until he had one hundred and sixty acres, which he cultivated and improved up to the time of his death. He served as township trustee and was interested and active in community affairs. His political support was given to the Democracy and he was a consistent and faithful sup- porter of the Universalist church, his friends and fellow townsmen respecting him for his many sterling traits of character.

Soon after his marriage Mr. Winn purchased forty acres of wild tim- ber land in Dick Johnson township and built a log cabin sixteen by

Digitized by Google

28z

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

eighteen feet. He split the clapboards for his house and furnished it in primitive style, but their little home was a happy one and the earnest endeavor that was there put forth enabled him to prosper in his farming operations, so that after a brief time he was able to add forty acres to his original purchase. He has since bought land as opportunity has offered and his financial resources have permitted until he is now the owner of nearly four hundred acres of rich and arable land, from which he derives a gratifying annual income. He also owns a good home in Brazil, where he now resides and other city property, all of which he has accomplished through his own efforts and the assistance of his estimable wife, who has indeed been a helpmate to him. In 1879 he erected a good modern dwell- ing on his farm, doing all the carpenter work himself, his wife helping him put on the cornice boards. They have lived a life of industry, care- fully directed by intelligent judgment, and as a result, have attained a gratifying measure of prosperity.

Unto this worthy couple have been born seven children: Josephine Alice, the wife of George Morris; Lucy E., the wife of Herbert Wolf; Mary E., the wife of Melvin Houk; Austin M .; Oliver, who died in infancy ; Myrtle C., and James C.

Mr. Winn is a member of the Brazil Lodge No. 264, A. F. & A. M. and is loyal to the teachings and tenets of the craft. He votes with the Democratic party, but has never sought nor desired office, preferring to concentrate his time and attention upon his business affairs, which creditably directed, have brought him a gratifying measure of success, so that he is now enabled to live in well earned ease, his home being supplied with all of the comforts and some of the luxuries which go to make life worth living.

WILLIAM HENRY MOYER .- The name of William H. Moyer is prominently associated with the milling interests of Clay county. It was in 1900 that he sold his farm and bought from F. C. Watts the flour- ing mill which he conducted about one year, and then in partnership with John Willen purchased a larger grist mill there and operated it for two years. Selling his interest in the mill at the close of that period he in August, 1903, became the owner of his present valuable mill at Cory, purchasing the property from A. R. Gruber.

Mr. Moyer was born in Owen county, Indiana, September 16, 1863. a son of John and Mary ( Baumgartner) Moyer. The mother was born in Germany, but came with her parents to the United States and to Ohio in 1832, and there gave her hand in marriage to John Moyer, a native son of Pennsylvania and a farmer and weaver of blankets. They were married in the spring of 1862, and coming to Indiana resided in Owen county for a number of years, the husband and father dying there in 1868. The widow then moved to another part of the county, and five years afterward to the northern part of Clay county, where she remained for four years, and has since lived with her children, her home having been with her son William H. until 1900, since which time she has been with a daughter. William H. was the only child of John and Mary (Baumgartner) Moyer, but the parents had both been previously married. the mother first wedding a Mr. Halt, by whom she had six children, and the father had four sons and a daughter by his first marriage.

Until he was sixteen years of age William Henry Moyer attended the district schools of his home neighborhood, and leaving the school

Digitized by Google

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Digitized by Google

Silas W. Coffey

Digitized by Google

283

HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

room at that early age he rented a farm and also operated a saw mill. In company with his brother-in-law, John Zurcher, he was also engaged in operating a threshing mill for four years, and then selling his interest in the machine he bought forty acres of land near Clay City and moved to that place. He again purchased a half interest in a threshing machine, and for eight years operated it in connection with his farming interests. He sold his interest in the thresher at the close of that period, and after adding forty acres to his original purchase he also sold his farm in 1900, and moving to Clay City has since been extensively engaged in the mill- ing business.

Mr. Moyer was married on the Ist of March, 1883, to Rose Zurcher, who was born in Clay county, and their six children are Walter, William, Oliver, Elmer, Herbert and Maude. Walter makes his home in Terre Haute, and Maude died at the age of seven years. The wife and mother is also deceased, dying in October, 1900, and on the 9th of January, 1904, Mr. Moyer wedded Mrs. Mary J. (Conley) McConnell, a native of Decatur county, and the widow of Albert McConnell, by whom she had one child, Floyd, born in 1889. Mr. Moyer votes with the Democratic party, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Clay City and of the Reformed church. Mrs. Moyer is a member of the Baptist church.

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.

A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 40

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

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