USA > Indiana > A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume I > Part 90
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"Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head."
He first served in a general grocery store in Water- ford, New York, at five dollars per month. At eighteen he entered the employment of Eli M. Todd, of Water- ford, New York, as deputy postmaster and clerk in the store, where he remained four years; then went to Lan- singburg, in that state, continued as clerk for one year, and then started West, with sixty dollars in his pocket. On November 18, 1837, he reached Cincinnati, stopped at the Broadway Hotel, and while at supper the first night his room was entered, though left locked by him, and the contents of his trunk stolen. He was a stranger in a strange city, far from home, with but twelve dol- lars in money and a single suit of clothes at his com- mand. He formed the acquaintance of the hotel-keeper, and through his influence obtained a situation as bool :- keeper in a flour-mill and distillery at Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Here he worked very hard almost night and day, and besides bookkeeping he traveled and bought grain for the establishment. An attempt was made by the farmers to form a combination to advance and con- trol the price of grain. The buyers were determined to break up this combination; so Mr. McGuire was sent to the Wabash country to buy a large amount. Near Vincennes he bought one hundred and fifty thou- sand bushels of corn at one time, in the fall of 1841. Then came the tug of war in getting it to Lawrence- burg, for there were no steamboats running on the Wabash River above the falls at Mt. Carmel, which were twenty-five miles below. His plan was to form a
line of flat-boats and float the corn on these to the foot of the falls, and transfer it to the steamboats. He was unacquainted with the bed of the river, and could get no pilot to help him. But the adversity of his younger days had taught him not to recognize the word fail; so he began, and explored the shallows and difficult places of the river for the twenty-five miles by wading it him- self. Here were scenes of peril and exposure, as month after month they piloted these flat-boats down stream, run the rapids, and discharged their cargoes. Hard. as this was it was much harder to get the boats back to the point of loading. With hawsers attached at one end and the other fastened to their guide poles and drawn over their shoulders, they would set out for their long up pull of twenty-five miles. By the aid of trees and bushes which grew on the banks, they slowly worked their way along. At night they slept on the ground, exposed to the elements, and many of them were attacked with chills and fever. Mr. McGuire's well-developed physique served him well in these emer- gencies. Almost every week his gang of men, whom he always led instead of following, would break down and have to be replaced by a fresh lot. This transportation was not finished till August the next year, and through it all the subject of our sketch never failed to be at the head of his column of men. Such was the care exer- cised that no accident or loss occurred, and the firm made money out of the transaction. But other agents who bought corn there became discouraged at the many obstacles to be overcome, abandoned their enterprise, and thousands of bushels of their grain were thus left to rot on the ground. In 1845 Mr. McGuire took the proprietorship of Hunt's Hotel in Lawrenceburg, and was there during the remarkable freshet of 1847, and, notwithstanding his house was the highest hotel in the place, the water covered the lower floor to the depth of eighteen inches. In 1850 he removed to Covington, Kentucky, and did a produce business on Front Street, Cincinnati. In 1853 he went to Eaton, Ohio, to exam- ine the books and accounts of the Eaton and Hamilton Railroad Company. The company saw his ability and de- clined to let him leave them. After being in their employ- ment about one year he was elected treasurer of the road, and in 1858 was chosen secretary. Afterwards he was appointed receiver by the courts of Ohio and Indiana. In 1863, by a decree of the court, the road was sold, and in 1864 Mr. McGuire was made general agent at Richmond, where he has since continued. He has had no political aspirations, and, with the exception of serv- ing eighteen months in the state militia of New York, under the commission of Governor Marcy, he has no military record. He has had no connection with secret societies whatever. One special point in Mr. McGuire's success has been that he has acted on this motto, "Owe no man any thing." Mr. McGuire became a member
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of the Presbyterian Church at Eaton, Ohio, in 1866. | living. When but an infant his parents went to Boston, He married Miss Eliza A. Hunt, daughter of Jesse Hunt, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, by whom he has three sons. Mrs. McGuire deceased in 1864, aged forty-four years, four months, and four days. He now enjoys the blessings of a temperate life.
MITH, WILLIAM KENNEDY, merchant, the son of Jeremiah and Cynthia (Dye) Smith, was born in Randolph County, Indiana, April 27, 1836. His father was a native of South Carolina, and was an honored minister in the Christian Church, while his mother was a native of Ohio. His ancestors on his fa- ther's side are of English extraction. His great-great- grandfather, who was a Quaker, came from Yorkshire, England, and settled in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, under the auspices of the Penns, about the year 1727. His great-grandfather, David Smith, was born in 1736, and died in 1801. His grandfather, William Smith, was born in 1779, and died in 1831. The education of young William was obtained principally in the Win- chester Seminary ; and as he improved his opportunities his scholarship on leaving school was considered good, and well calculated to prepare him for his business in life. His father was anxious that he should be a law- yer, but having no taste in this direction he entered a dry goods and general store in Union City as a clerk in the year 1857. He continued in that about one year, then served as agent in the railroad office of his adopted town for a short time, and in the latter part of 1858 he began a course in the Commercial College of Cincin- nati. On finishing this he returned home, and in the fall of 1859 began his life occupation as a retail dealer in boots and shoes. This business increased so rapidly that from 1862 to 1870 the establishment did a wholesale and jobbing trade. Mr. Smith shouldered his musket and served his country during the great excitement caused by Morgan's raid north of the Ohio River dur- ing the war. He has no religious connection, but Mrs. Smith is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1863 he married Miss Elizabeth Farley, a native of Michigan, by whom he has but one child now living. He has a good social and business standing in the com- munity, and desires peace with all mankind.
ANSEY, EDWIN M., city treasurer, and cashier of the Citizens' Bank, Union City, Indiana, was born in the village of West Elkton, Preble County, Ohio, January 16, 1845. He is the son of Lewis E. and Huldah J. (Lamm) Tansey, and is the only one of the three children born that is now A-27
Wayne County, Indiana, thence to Hillsboro, and shortly to Muncie. In 1852 he with the family moved to Cincinnati, and during their four years' stay in that city young Edwin had the advantage of the excellent public schools, which was of great advantage to him in after life. His father died when he was about eleven years of age, and the remains were taken to Newport, Wayne County, Indiana, where the family were then living. Being in limited circumstances, it was neces- sary that Edwin should seek some business by which he might be self supporting. Very soon he went to live with Nathan Cadwallader, who then and in after life proved to be his earnest friend. Here he remained eighteen months, going to school part of the time. After a short interval he contracted with Abram Brower, a farmer living near, to work one year for fifty dollars, out of which his expenses for washing and mending were to be paid, and during the time he was to be sent to school for three months. By the closest economy at the end of the year he had a few cents more than half of the fifty dollars left. Henceforth, life and health granted, his pecuniary success was assured. Here he remained a few months longer at advanced wages; but the war breaking out the fever to enlist took hold of him, and though but little more than sixteen years of age he joined the 57th Indiana Regiment. Being so young, his mother would not consent to his going, and through the advice of Mr. Cadwallader he agreed to work in a general store at South Salem, a few miles away, for one year, for one hundred dollars and board and washing. But the martial spirit was in his blood, and he made another ineffectual attempt to enlist in the
war. Still ambitious to join the army, in August, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, 69th Indiana, under Captain Harris. In just three weeks he participated in the bat- tle of Richmond, Kentucky; after which he was re- turned to Camp Wayne, Richmond, Indiana. Here he was taken with typhoid fever, and in November was discharged as a consumptive. Then he went to his mother's, who was living in Union City, Indiana. He was soon appointed assistant postmaster of the place, but, on account of ill health, soon gave it up, and went to work on a farm, and in August, 1863, he enlisted in the 7th Indiana Cavalry, under General Thomas M. Browne. This proved to be of great advantage to his health, and on September 19, 1865, he was mustered out of the service a healthy man. At this time he was first sergeant of Company B. In January, 1866, he entered the Citizens' Bank as book-keeper, where he re- mained till 1873, when on the reorganization of the bank under the state law he was elected cashier, a position he yet retains to the satisfaction of all con- cerned. Mr. Tansey is a Royal Arch Mason, and served one year as Master of Turpen Lodge, No. 401. In
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March, 1877, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is now an earnest, working Christian. In April, 1878, he was appointed superintendent of the Sabbath- school, a position he now holds. On April 30, 1867, he married Miss Maria J. Gregory, of Union City. They have had five children born to them at three births-two pairs of twins, the youngest of whom are living. Two of their children have deceased. Mr. Tansey is an efficient officer, a courteous gentleman, and is highly esteemed in the community.
ARD, THOMAS, was born in Champaign County, Ohio, January 9, 1819. His parents, Joab and Amy (Grave) Ward, were married and first settled in Ross County, Ohio, but afterwards moved to Champaign before the subject of this sketch was born. They then went to Randolph County, In- diana, with their three children, including their son Thomas. who was but an infant at that time. The county was an almost unbroken wilderness, and wolves, bears, deer, and other game abounded. So great were the numbers that on one occasion his father, who was a good hunter, actually killed six deer and wounded a seventh one morning before breakfast. The Indians had not yet removed from that territory, and Mr. Ward well remembers a tragic occurrence which took place when he was about five years of age. A dissipated In- dian, in company with two others, rushed upon three white men, including the father of Mr. Ward, in the i latter's own house, brandishing a large knife and mak- ing terrible threats. In repelling the attack the savage was shot through the leg when running, and a few days afterwards was killed while threatening vengeance against the whites. For about three months each win- ter Thomas was sent to school, his opportunities for an education being very poor. Early in life he developed the faculty for accumulating money, and by buying and selling furs, deadening timber for owners of newly en- tered lands, etc., he came into possession of about six hundred acres of land, including one hundred and twenty acres given him by his father. This occurred before he was twenty-one years of age. He walked to Fort Wayne and back, through deep snow, making a distance of about one hundred and thirty miles, when a boy, carried his silver in his hand, and paid for eighty-four acres of land for a home. This incident shows his great perseverance. Being in the country be- fore the organization of the county, one of the northern tier of townships was called "Ward" in honor of the family name. He moved to Winchester, his present home, in 1845, went into the mercantile business in the same year, and continued it till 1871, with slight interruption. He was elected to the state Senate in
1864 for four years, and was urged to continue, but de- clined the proposition. He had the honor to introduce the first bill to repeal the odious law which forbade the evidence of colored citizens to be received in our courts of justice. He has never belonged to any Church, but believes in the creed of the Society of Friends, except their doctrine of endless punishment. Politically in his early days he was a Whig, and latterly has affiliated with the Republican party. He served from 1865 to 1868 as president of the First National Bank of Winches- ter, and again served one year, but declined the office in 1875. The history of his married life in some respects is a sad one, having lost by death three most estimable wives. The subject of this sketch is an hon- est, honored, and trusted citizen of the community in which he lives.
ILLIAMS, CHARLES R., of Connersville, auditor of Fayette County, was born in that county June 10, 1830, and was the third of the eight children born to Charles and Lydia (Job) Williams. His father was a native of New York state, and his mother of Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools of his native county, and as these were poor his early acquire- ments were limited. Being industrious and ambitious, he soon, however, passed the average student, and at the age of eighteen began teaching. This he continued for twenty-one years in Fayette and Madison Counties, working at farming in summer. In 1869 he began the manufacture of drain-tile in his native county. He afterwards served as county surveyor for several years. In 1874 he was elected county auditor for four years, and in 1878 was re-elected. During the late Civil War Mr. Williams was twice drafted, but each time sent a substitute, feeling it his duty to remain at home to care for his large family. Being drafted the third time, however, he shouldered his musket and went to the field, presenting a singular coincidence, whereby a man and his two substitutes served in the army at the same time. All remained until the close of the war. August 3, 1851, he married Miss Caroline Ellis, of Fayette County. They have a family of nine children. Mrs. Williams and her daughter are members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Williams's politics are strongly Republican. He is a quiet, unobtrusive gentleman, and a respected member of society.
OODS, ROBERT, president of the First National Bank, Knightstown, Indiana, was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, December 26, 1806. He is the second of ten children born to Jeremiah and Margaret Woods. His father, with his family, went to Ohio about the year 1810, and about 1815 he removed
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to Indiana Territory, and located on a farm in Union | not wake up this stranger, but, perched on the fence County, where the subject of this sketch was brought | about one hundred yards from the cabin, he looked up. As a natural consequence, his school privileges were very limited; for, in the first place, the teachers were few, and those few very poorly qualified to teach, and as water never rises higher than its level, so the scholars in these primitive days, in rude log school- houses, could not well surpass the teacher in scholar- ship. Notwithstanding all of these discouraging cir- cumstances, he acquired sufficient education for the transaction of his business in after life. In those days the bread and butter question was always at the front, and every man, woman, and child that was able to do so was compelled to work. Young Robert helped clear up one hundred and thirty acres. In those days the woods were infested with bears, wolves, deer, and smaller game; and the night sport of boys frequently was to hunt raccoons and opossums till midnight or day- light. On these occasions many fine trees, oak, ash, and poplar, were sacrificed for the sake of a coon-skin. Shortly after reaching manhood, on January 3, 1828, he married Miss Hannah Heaton. They have had ten children born to them, seven of whom are now living, married, and in comfortable circumstances. In 1829 Mr. Woods, with his wife and one child, removed to Henry County, which has since been his home. They first settled in West Liberty, then a village of three stores, situated one mile south-west of the spot on which Knightstown was afterwards built. At that time West Liberty was the town between Rushville and New Castle. Subsequently, the National Road was laid out, and this place went back into its original farms. He here raised hemp, sold it, and kept a grocery for a few months, obtaining possession of sixty dollars in cash. At this time there was a certain eighty acres of land, since known as the Ballard Farm, which Mr. Woods wanted to enter, but another party coveted it at the same time. The land was worth a dollar and a quarter per acre. The government would not sell in less quan- tities than eighty acres, and the question with him was, " Where can I get the other forty dollars?" Having walked to Connersville and back without getting the money, he heard, through a friend, on Sunday, of a man who had forty dollars to loan. He was to go to that friend the next morning and get a line to this third party. He retired that night with his mind full of the ' scheme of money-getting the next day. Not having with longing eyes for the approach of day. To keep from freezing, he alighted from his seat and paced back- wards and forwards as the dull, dark hours passed slowly by. Finally, his great patience was rewarded by seeing the man of whom he was in quest. He ap- proached, saluted him, and delivered his paper, which was slowly read. The capitalist then went into the house without a word, not even an invitation to come in. This was a painful suspense; but it was all right. In a short time the farmer brought out the forty dollars, for which he refused to take a note, and Mr. Woods went on his way rejoicing. The land was secured, and he began in earnest to open a farm. This forty dollars was borrowed and paid and reborrowed from various persons nine different times before it was all paid up. Having cleared out some twenty-five acres of land, he sold this farm in 1833 for seven hundred and fifty dol- lars, and about forty years afterwards he bought it back for seven thousand five hundred dollars. Of this seven hundred and fifty dollars he laid out four hundred dol- lars in land, and with a partner he invested the three hundred and fifty dollars in business in Knightstown. After some four years his partner sold out, and Mr. Woods continued in trade for fifteen years, making a large amount of money for that time. He bought farms, built houses, and went largely into the cattle-grazing business, in which he was quite successful. In 1860 he entered into an extensive business in Cincinnati as a member of the firm of Gilbert, Ogborn & Co. In four or five years they lost one hundred and sixteen thousand dollars, and Mr. Woods had the whole of it to pay. He could have compromised with his creditors, no doubt, for fifty cents on the dollar, but would not. He ob- tained an extension of time for one year by paying ten per cent interest. He began to sell his property, and in two months he paid off the whole debt, and was again a free man with his fair name untarnished. The subject of this sketch has given farms or property to each of his seven children, five of whom are settled about them, and he now owns some fifteen hundred acres. Both of his sons went into the army, and re- mained till the close of the war; and both were wounded in battle. The youngest was but little more than fifteen years old when he enlisted. Mr. Woods is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and both he and Mrs. Woods any time-piece, and thinking it better to be early than ! are acceptable members of the Methodist Episcopal late, he arose at what he deemed a seasonable hour, went to his friend's house, roused them up, and found it was only two o'clock in the morning. With a line --- of introduction to the third person, he set out in the night and walked across the country to his house. It was in the month of February, and the weather was -- Church, The latter as a faithful wife has stood by and cheered her husband through all their eventful married life. And now in old age they have the consciousness of having done their duty. Mr. Woods is a man of the highest standing in his community. His reputa- tion has been gained by a long course of honest and
cold. His sense of propriety was such that he would , straightforward conduct.
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ECK, WILLIAM H., first mayor of Connersville, merchant tailor, and member of the school board, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1818. He is the son of David and Catherine (Harb) Beck, the former a native of the Keystone State, the latter of Maryland. In 1821, when their son Will- iam was three years old, they moved to Connersville, Indiana, where he was brought up, and has lived for more than half a century. He was educated in the common schools of the then small town, Samuel W. Parker being his principal teacher. Mr. Beck's father was a tailor, and brought his son up in the same occu- pation. He remained at Connersville until about the age of nineteen, when, for one year, he traveled as a journeyman tailor. He soon tired of this, having veri- fied in his own experience the truth of the adage, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." On settling at Falmouth, a few miles from his home, he had but fifty cents in his pocket. He remained in that village about eleven years, and while there was elected treasurer of Rush County, which position he held four years. When about thirty- eight years of age, in partnership with his brother, he started as a merchant tailor in a small frame building on the corner lot on which his handsome brick building now stands. By industry, good management, and close attention to business, they extended their trade, until larger quarters were demanded, and in 1868 they erected the building above referred to, which they now occupy. Mr. Beck has filled various offices; among others that of member of the city school board, which he held some twelve or fifteen years. For the past thirty-three years he has been a member of the Baptist Church, to which Mrs. Beck also belongs. In 1843 he married Miss Chris- tiana Skillman, of Fayette County, by whom he has two sons. The elder, Samuel Beck, is now in business with his father. Mr. Beck had the honor to be chosen first mayor of Connersville; and under his administration the Holly system of water works was constructed, which has proved a great benefit to the city.
USTON, WILLIAM, banker, late of Conners- ville, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the 3d of September, 1801. He was of Scotch- Irish descent. After reaching the age of maturity he followed the business of farming and milling, be- ing associated in business with James Huston, his brother, under the firm name of J. & W. Huston, for many years, in fact until the death of James Huston, which occurred in August, 1872. The firm of J. &. W. Huston did an extensive milling business, both in Frank- lin County, Pennsylvania, and also in Indiana, to which state Mr. Huston removed in 1851. He had acquired by this time considerable means, and began money lending.
His neighbors had great confidence in him, from his well known integrity of character, and he frequently had sums of money lodged in his hands in a fiduciary character. He was an extremely scrupulous man in re- gard to religious and moral observances, and would allow no desecration of the Sabbath. Early in life he joined the Presbyterian Church, and after its division was an adherent of the Old-school branch, serving as an elder in the congregation for nearly fifty years. He was very zealous. In 1870 he, with others, opened a private bank in Connersville, since known as the Citi- zens' Bank, which proved very successful, and he con- tinued in that line until his death. He was married in 1847 to Isabella Elizabeth Duncan, whose ancestors were also Scotch-Irish, having by her one child, J. N. Huston, now the proprietor of the Citizens' Bank. Mr. Huston was an excellent business man; he understood human nature well, and his judgment was rarely at fault. Perhaps the most marked trait of his character was his great decision. He made conclusions rapidly, and was very positive in his beliefs. While the Whig party still had an existence he was a member of that organization, pleased when it was successful and pained when it was defeated. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise broke up the lines of former parties he joined the Re- publicans, being active and earnest in promoting their welfare. He lent his aid and encouragement to the Union cause when it needed it most during the Civil War, and during Morgan's raid shouldered his musket and helped to defend his home and fireside. He never sought nor would accept office, but was always ready to help in the improvement of the place of his adoption. Connersville owes much to him. He was a great reader of books, although he had received no advantages of education, and was an ardent friend of the temperance cause. In person he was very tall and erect, measuring six feet and two inches. His death occurred January 5, 1875.
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