A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 65

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

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John P. Rector was born at Mount Pleasant, Vigo county, Indiana,

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in December, 1816, and there grew to manhood. He came with his par- ents to Perry township in 1835, and here, in section six, his father entered land for him. He afterwards entered government land himself in section seven, and upon it built a log house, riving by hand the boards with which it was covered. He built a puncheon floor and a stick and clay chimney, and in this humble abode his children were born. He labored industriously and perseveringly, and on the farm which he hewed from the wilderness spent the remainder of his life, passing away in 1877. His first wife, whose maiden name was Anna Van Cleave, was born in Kentucky and moved when a girl with her parents to Orange county, Indiana, where she was brought up and married. She died in 1847, leaving three children, namely : Charles Galen, the subject of this sketch ; James; and Sarah. He married second Mrs. Martha (Gross) Lee, who bore him seven children, namely : Joel, John, George, Mary, Laura, Katie and Arminda.

Brought up in pioneer days, Charles Galen Rector obtained his early education in the log schoolhouse with its slab benches, learning to write on a plank placed against the wall, which took the place of the desks of modern times. The family in his boyhood days, in common with their neighbors, lived in very primitive style, dressing in homespun made from material manufactured by the good housewife, who used to card, spin and weave the flax and wool grown on the farm, and fashion the gar- ments for her entire family. Traveling was done either with teams or on horseback, there being neither railways nor canals when he was a boy. In August, 1862, Mr. Rector enlisted in Company C, Thirty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and veteranized in 1863. He remained with his regi- ment, gallantly participating in all of its hardships, exposures and engage- ments, until June, 1864, when in front of Kenesaw Mountain, while throw- ing up breastworks, he was severely wounded by a bullet from a sharp- shooter. He was first taken to the field hospital, from there being re- moved to Chattanooga, thence to Nashville, and from there to the Sol- diers' Home at Indianapolis. In the fall of 1864 Mr. Rector was trans- ferred to Company A, Seventeenth Veteran Reserve Corps, and continued with his regiment until November, 1865, when he was honorably dis- charged from the service and returned home.

Soon after his return to Indiana Mr. Rector bought forty acres of land in Posey township, and in the log cabin that stood upon it he and his family lived for a few years. Selling out then he came to Perry town- ship and purchased the land he now owns and occupies in section eighteen. Here he has a well improved and well appointed farm, with an excellent set of frame buildings, and is most successfully engaged in general farm- ing, stock-raising and horticultural pursuits.

Mr. Rector married first, in 1866, Delilah Boor, a life-long resident of Indiana. After her death Mr. Rector married Mrs. Phoebe A. (Foulke) Rector, a sister of Silas Foulke, in whose sketch, on another page of this volume, a history of her parents may be found. Her first husband, James Rector, was born in Perry township, Clay county, in November, 1844, a son of John P. and Anna ( Van Cleave) Rector; and brother of Charles G., the subject of this sketch. After his marriage Mr. James Rector moved from Perry township to Buchanan county, Missouri, and seven years later removed to Atchison county, Kansas. Locating about nine miles from the city of Atchison, he bought land and was there engaged in farming and horticulture until his death, May 23, 1886. By

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her first marriage Mrs. Rector had five children: Edwin; Claude, who married Annie McCoy; Charles, died at the age of thirty-two years ; Ger- trude is the wife of George Honeycutt and has one child, George; and Maude, wife of Ross Singhurse, has one child, Lucille. After the death of her first husband Mrs. Rector sold all of her Kansas property and returned to her girlhood's home in Perry township, where she has since resided. Mr. Rector is a stanch Republican and cast his first vote for Lincoln. Mr. and Mrs. Rector are members of the United Brethren church in Riley township, Vigo county, Indiana.

JACOB NELSON GARD .- Especially deserving of more than passing mention in this biographical volume is Jacob Nelson Gard, of Perry town- ship, Clay county, who comes of honored pioneer stock, a man of sterling integrity, a farmer of skill and ability, and who served during the Civil War as one of the youngest soldiers in the Federal army. A son of the late John H. Gard, he was born October 20, 1849, in Jackson township, Owen county.

Aaron Gard, grandfather of Jacob N., was one of the earlier pioneers of Union county, Indiana, coming to this state while it was yet a terri- tory. Taking up land in that county, he improved a farm and there resided until his death. His wife was born in Virginia and she survived him, and spent her closing years at the home of her son, John H., in Owen county.

Born in Union county, Indiana, in 1821, John H. Gard was there bred and educated. About 1845 he removed to Owen county, becoming an early settler of Jackson township. Purchasing land that was in its primi- tive condition, he cleared a space in the timber, and subsequently built the log house in which his son Jacob was born. It was a substantial building, made of hewed logs, and a part of it is still standing and is occupied. Clearing and improving a homestead, he lived there until a short time previous to his death, when he removed to the home of his son Jacob, where his death occurred January 25, 1888, at the age of sixty-seven years. He married Phebe Nelson, who was born in Preble county, Ohio, in 1821, and died in Clay county, Indiana, June 25, 1906. She reared four children, namely : Lorenzo D., Nancy J., Jacob Nelson and James Monroe.

Before celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of his birth, Jacob N. Gard, inspired by patriotic zeal and enthusiasm, enlisted, in 1864, in Com- pany B, Ninety-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and from that time until the close of the war was in the thickest of the fight. With his regi- ment he took part in Sherman's campaign while on the way to Atlanta, marched with that gallant hero and his troops to the sea, afterwards pass- ing through the Carolinas and Virginia on to Washington, where he par- ticipated in the Grand Review, and on June 9, 1865, was honorably dis- charged with his regiment, all of this taking place before he was sixteen years of age. Returning home, he remained with his parents until taking upon himself the responsibilities of a married man. Going then to Craw- ford county, Illinois, he bought a farm and resided there a year. Selling out then, he returned to Indiana, and for a year resided in Owen county. Buying then his present farm in Perry township, Mr. Gard has since been here successfully employed in general farming and stock-raising. He has made improvements of a noteworthy character on his place, having erected good farm buildings, planted fruit and shade trees, and in other ways added to the beauty and value of his estate.

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In February, 1868, Mr. Gard married Sarah E. Anderson. She was born in Owen county, Indiana, in Jackson township, a daughter of Robert Anderson, and granddaughter of Isaac Anderson, an Indiana pioneer. Isaac Anderson came from North Carolina, presumably his native state, to Indiana in 1822, with his wife and children making the journey with teams, and bringing all of his earthly possessions. Locating in what is now Cass township, Clay county, he entered a tract of government land, a part of which is now included within the limits of the village of Poland. This section of the country was then a vast wilderness, the home of wild beasts, and the hunting ground of the Indians. Reclaiming a farm from the forest, he continued as a farmer until his death, about 1854. His wife, whose maiden name was Barbara Dyer, survived him, and in 1859, with three of her sons and some of her neighbors, went to Kansas, making an overland journey. Settling in Bourbon county, she was there during the troublous times that preceded and during the Civil War, continuing her residence in that county until her death, at a ripe old age. She reared seven children, namely : James, Joel, Robert, George, Daniel, Isaac and Eliza. Born near Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1813, Robert Anderson was a lad of nine years when he came with his parents to Cass township, Clay county, where he was reared. On attaining his majority, he entered eighty acres of government land in Jackson township, Owen county, and there built the log cabin on which his children were born. For a number of years thereafter Terre Haute, twenty-five miles away, was the nearest market. Deer were plentiful, roaming at will through the woods, which was also the home of bears and wolves. Subsequently clearing a large part of the land, he replaced the log cabin with a frame house, erected a fine set of farm buildings, and there lived until his death, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. He married Lydia Cagel, who was born in North Carolina, and came with her father, John Cagel, to Cass township, Clay county, where he bought land and improved a homestead. She died in 1871, having reared seven children, as follows: Mary Jane, Daniel, John C., Sarah, Edward, Elizabeth and Alice.

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gard, namely: Willis L .; John R .; Iva F .: Mary V., who died at the age of eighteen years ; Henry R., who lived but fourteen years; Ada M .; Frederick C .; and Flona E .. who died when sixteen years old, in March, 1908. Willis L. married Dovey Chamberlain. John R. married Martha Jackson, and they have three children, Jessie O., Hugh M. and Vola. Iva F., wife of Ross Tucker, has six children, Edith, Jacob, Sarah, Lucy, Ernest and Velma. Ada, wife of John Knust, has two children, Herbert and Effie. Fred C. assists his father in the care of the home farm. Mr. and Mrs. Gard and their family are members of the Christian church. Mr. Gard is a Demo- crat and is somewhat independent in his franchise. He is a member of the G. A. R. Post at Cory, Indiana.

HORATIO A. MORGAN has made his home in Brazil since 1869, and was born in Vermilion county, Illinois, November 22, 1846, a son of Zack- quill and Mary ( Morgan) Morgan, a grandson of Uriah Morgan, who was born in Virginia, and a great-grandson of David Morgan, the progenitor of the family in America. David Morgan was born in Wales and came to Virginia about the year 1700, his family having been among the first to locate in the Old Dominion state and Morgantown was named in their honor.

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Zackquill Morgan was born in Monongahela county, West Virginia, May 22, 1800, became a farmer in the south and in 1841 moved to Grape Creek, Vermilion county, Illinois, making the journey north with team and wagon, and on his arrival bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on the river and erected the little log cabin which became the birth- place of his son H. A. In 1848 he bought other government land and located thereon in 1849, and he was numbered among the honored pio- neers of Vermilion county. He improved his land, but in 1851 left the farm and located in Georgetown, where he was the proprietor of a flour mill until his retirement from active business life in 1859. He spent his last days in Georgetown, Illinois, and died there in 1883. In Morgan- town, Monongahela county, West Virginia, he had married Mary Morgan, who was born in that county in June, 1803, and died in Vermilion county, Illinois, in 1883. They became the parents of eleven children, two sons and nine daughters, but only four of this once large family are now living : Cynthia, the wife of Thomas Prible; Temperance, the wife of Eli Shepler; Louisa, wife of Enoch Brazelton; and H. A., the youngest child.

Until he had attained his sixteenth year H. A. Morgan remained at home and attended school and worked on the farm. In time he learned to operate a stationary engine, and in 1861 he became a fireman for the Wabash Railroad Company, but in 1869 he left their employ and came to Brazil, associating himself with Ackelmire & Thomas in their woolen mill as engineer, dyer and finisher. He was with that company for about one year, from that time until 1885 was with the Crawford Coal Com- pany, and then became associated with the Brazil Electric Light Com- pany, having charge of the plant. He also installed the machinery for the first electric light plant in Brazil. In 1891 he entered upon his long connection with the Goodman Manufacturing Company, as a salesman installing engines in Chicago, the headquarters of the company. He has traveled over the entire United States in this capacity, and is still asso- ciated with the company. He was a stockholder in and the president of the Weaver Clay and Coal Company for some time, but disposed of his interest therein in 1904, and in 1905 he retired from an active business life.

On the 2d of July, 1872, Mr. Morgan was united in marriage to Lena H. Heller, who was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, at Smokers Cove, a daughter of Frederick and Eva (Furney) Heller, both of whom were also natives of Bedford county. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heller, but only three are now living,-Elizabeth, the widow of John C. Coleman, Frederick and Mrs. Morgan. Mr. Heller, the father, was a charcoal burner in Pennsylvania, and from there he came to Knightsville, Clay county, Indiana, in 1869, later on removing to Rockville, Parke county, this state, and coming to Brazil he spent his last days in travel, being a man of means. He was politically a Demo- crat. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, but four died in infancy and the only one now living is David H., born October 12, 1877. Mr. Morgan is a member of the Masonic order, Brazil lodge No. 264, and of the Methodist Episcopal church. His political affiliations are with the Republican party.

JOHN F. KUMPF, who has attained prominence in the agricultural circles of Posey township, is a native son of Germany, born in Baden

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on the 5th of November, 1840. and his parents, Charles P. and Sophia (Vogt) Kumpf, were also natives of the fatherland, the father born in 1800. The mother was the widow of John P. Houk at the time of her marriage to Mr. Kumpf, the former dying in Germany, and they had one son. Mr. and Mrs. Kumpf were married in their native land, and their union was blessed by the birth of four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom claimed Germany as their native land and John F. was the second born.

In the year of 1847 the family sailed for America, spending their first seven years in this country in Ohio, and in the schools of that state John F. Kumpf learned to speak the English language. In 1854 the family came to Clay county, Indiana, and located in Posey township, where the senior Mr. Kumpf at first bought eighty acres of land. Selling that tract he bought forty acres of the present Kumpf farm, added a one- room frame addition to a log building, and at once began the task of clearing his land. His death occurred on this farm when he had reached the age of fifty-five years, after a long and useful life in harmony with the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal church. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party.

At the time of his father's death John F. Kumpf became the owner both by inheritance and by purchase of the old family homestead in Posey township, and his farm now contains one hundred and forty-five acres, on which he has made many valuable and substantial improve- ments, and in addition to this home farm he also owns two other farms in Posey township, containing one hundred and twenty and fifty-three acres, respectively, and he has improved both tracts, while on one he has cleared ten acres. In 1901 he transferred his residence from the old Kumpf homestead to one of his newer farms. He has attained promi- nence in the agricultural circles of Clay county and is well and favorably known. In politics he has been a life-long Republican, favoring the principles of that party, although he votes independently at local elections.

On the Ist of November, 1868, Mr. Kumpf was married to Mag- daline Ell, whose parents, John and Anna Margaret (String) Ell, were pioneers in Posey township. The six children, three sons and three daughters, of this union are: Nellie, deceased; Samuel E .; Charles W .; Clara, the wife of Gustave Seigling, a farmer; John F., Jr. ; and Bertha, the wife of John R. Folke. Mr. Kumpf is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

SAMUEL SPARKS .- A well known farmer and highly respected citi- zen of Perry township, Samuel Sparks has been actively identified with the agricultural development and growth of this part of Clay county for many years, having cleared and improved an excellent farm. During his long and busy life he has pursued the even tenor of his way as an honest man and a good citizen, and now in his declining years is reaping the reward of his persistent toil and enjoying the regard and esteem of his neighbors and friends. A son of Owen Sparks, he was born April 3, 1834. in Linton township, Vigo county.

Richard Sparks, grandfather of Samuel, was born in Virginia, and from there moved to Kentucky, where he resided a number of years. Coming to Indiana in pioneer days, he was an early settler of Linton township. This part of Indiana was then largely a wilderness, through which wild beasts of all kinds roamed at will, and in which the red man

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still had his home. Taking up government land, he cleared and improved a homestead on which he lived and labored until his death, at the age of seventy-five years.

A native of Kentucky, Owen Sparks lived there until after his mar- riage. He then came with the family to Honeycreek township, where his father had entered land for him, and for a few years made that his home. Locating then in Linton township, Vigo county, he purchased a tract of timbered land, and there built the log house in which the birth of his son Samuel occurred. Subsequently selling that place, he rented a farm near Terre Haute, where he lived until 1857. Coming from there to Perry township, he lived on rented land until his death, a year later. He married Lucinda Osborne, a daughter of Abner Osborne, another pioneer settler of Vigo county. She survived him a number of years, and reared eleven children.

Attending school in the rude log house, with its puncheon floor and stick and clay chimney, Samuel Sparks obtained a practical knowledge of the studies there taught. He was reared in primitive times, when his mother, like all good housewives, used to card, spin and weave the ma- terial from which the clothes of the family were made, she herself fash- ioning the garments without the aid of books giving the very latest styles of dress. As soon as old enough he began to help his father in clearing the land and tilling the soil, remaining with his parents until ready to establish a home of his own. Renting then a place upon which there was a log cabin, he and his bride began life together in true pioneer style, she doing her cooking by the open fireplace. Succeeding well in his agri- cultural work, Mr. Sparks subsequently bought forty acres of timber land in section thirty-three, and there built a good hewed log house, improved a large part of the land, and resided for several years. Buying then forty acres in section thirty-three, Perry township, he continued general farming, and afterwards bought eighty acres in section thirty-four, of the same township. He has now a finely-improved and highly-cultivated farm, and ranks well among the leading agriculturists of this part of Clay county.

On April 15, 1858, Mr. Sparks married Maria J. Jackson, who was born in Perry township, Indiana, November 11, 1840, a daughter of Samuel Jackson. Her grandfather, Thornton Jackson, moved from Fair- fax county, Virginia, the place of his birth, to Clermont county, Ohio, where he was engaged in boating and fishing until his death, from cholera, in 1832. His wife, whose maiden name was Sophia Short, died in 1834. Samuel Jackson was born June 29, 1812, in Clermont county, Ohio, and was there a resident until 1836. Coming then with his bride to Indiana, he made the journey with a pair of horses, bringing in a wagon all of his worldly effects. Locating in Perry township, he took up government land in section twenty-nine, and at once built a log cabin, riving the boards to cover the roof, which was held in place by weight poles; made a stick and clay chimney and whip-sawed the boards for the floor. Clear- ing about forty acres, he lived there until 1853, when he sold out and bought canal land in section twenty-eight. It was covered with a heavy growth of timber, in the midst of which he erected a log house, which the family occupied a number of years. In 1866 he built a good frame house, in which he lived until his death, December 18, 1883.

The maiden name of the wife of Samuel Jackson was Mary Hixson. She was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, December 18, 1817, a daughter

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of Amos Hixson and granddaughter of Abner Hixson, who served for seven years as a soldier in the Revolutionary army, and spent his last days on a farm near Trenton, New Jersey. Amos Hixson was born in New Jersey, and after learning the shoemaker's trade removed to Penn- sylvania, locating near Harrisburg. A few years later he migrated to Hamilton county, Ohio, making the removal on horseback, and being nineteen days on the way. Coming to Indiana in 1835, he bought a small piece of land in the northwest quarter of section nineteen, Perry township, and there during the remainder of his active years followed his trade of a shoemaker, living until ninety-one years old. He married Elizabeth Wolverton, who was born October 25, 1783, and died at the age of seventy-seven years. Their daughter Mary, who married Samuel Jackson, attained the age of eighty-eight years, passing away December 25, 1905. She reared nine children, as follows: Thornton; Andrew ; Maria J., wife of Mr. Sparks; Amos; William F .; John M .; Samuel; Edwin; and Mary Ellen. All of these children married and reared children.

Eight children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Sparks, namely : Sarah A., Mary E., Hiram, James, William, George M., Stella J., and Owen. Sarah, who married James French, died at the age of twenty- nine years, leaving one son, Ray French. Mary E., wife of Edgar Stone- burner, has five children, Harlan, Elmer, Guy, Worth A. and Audrey May. Hiram married Ella Vandyke, and they have three children, Orville, Everett and Carl. James married Ella Dalrymple, and they have one son, Austin. William married Roxie Larew, and they have one son, Floyd. George M. married Donnie Jackson, and they have two children, Elva May and Mary J. Stella, the wife of Charles Fiscus, has four chil- dren, Ethel, Goldie, Lucy and Hazel. Mr. and Mrs. Sparks have one great-grandchild, Archie, son of Ray and Lula (Longnecker) French.

MARION MCCULLOUGH .- Numbered among the successful agricul- turists of Perry township is Marion Mccullough, a man of industry, thrift and enterprise, whose general worth impresses those with whom he comes in contact very strongly. A native of Indiana, he was born December 30, 1848, in Washington township, Putnam county, being the fourth son in succession of birth of West and Matilda (Mills) McCul- lough. Further parental and ancestral history may be found elsewhere in this volume in connection with the sketch of W. H. Mccullough.

Reared and educated in his native township, Mr. Mccullough remained with his parents until his marriage. Coming then to Clay county he lived for two years in Cass township. On April 25, 1873, he bought one hundred and ten acres of land in section 10, Perry township, on which a few cleared acres, a log house and a pole barn constituted the only improvements. Laboring with characteristic energy and ambi- tion he cleared a large part of the place, and lived there until March 4, 1886. Selling out at that time, Mr. Mccullough bought his present farm in section 3, Perry township, and is here busily employed in tilling the soil, having his one hundred and twenty acres of land in an excellent yielding condition, his annual harvests being most satisfactory in quantity and quality. He and his family occupied the log house which stood upon the place when he bought it until November, 1903, when they moved into the substantial and conveniently arranged frame house which he built.

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A History of Clay County Indiana (Volume 2), Part 65

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

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