USA > Indiana > Sullivan County > A history of Sullivan County, Indiana, closing of the first century's history of the county, and showing the growth of its people, institutions, industries and wealth, Volume II > Part 17
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On September 10, 1896, Mr. Unger married Cora Keith, who was born, November 14, 1873, on the south line of Sullivan county, a daugh- ter of Marion and Elizabeth (Curry) Keith, the father born in Knox county, and the mother in Dubois county, Indiana, and they died in Sulli- van county. Mrs. Unger was educated in the Bicknell high school, and subsequently remained at home until her marriage, receiving from her mother a good training in the domestic arts. Mr. and Mrs. Unger have no children of their own, but in 1907 they adopted a daughter, Doris Unger, who is now four years of age, and is a bright and interesting child. Both Mr. and Mrs. Unger are valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Bethlehem. Mr. Unger is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Camp No. 3332, at Carlisle, Indiana.
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
RICHARD WILLIAM HOKE .- A worthy representative of the agricul- turists of Sullivan county, and a respected and highly esteemed citizen of Haddon township, is Richard William Hoke, of this brief personal his- tory, in which are recorded a few of the more important events of his life. A son of George H. Hoke, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work, he was born in Widner township, Knox county, Indiana, April 4, 1862, of pioneer ancestry. His father was three times married. By his first wife, whose maiden name was Mary H. Pearce, he had three chil- dren, of whom Richard W., is the only survivor. George H. Hoke mar- ried, second, Mary Polk, who bore him three children. By his marriage with his present wife, Alice Scanling, he has one child.
Brought up in Widner township, Richard W. Hoke obtained his early education in the district schools, and until twenty-six years of age assisted in the care of the home farm, in the meantime acquiring a prac- tical knowledge of the science and art of agriculture. Buying then the old Pearce homestead, on which his grandfather, Richard William Pearce, settled in the very early part of the past century, while the Indians were still numerous, and while
"The forests in their grandeur all proud and noble stood,
Ere the woodman's blows rang echoing in the deep and darksome wood.'
Continuing the improvements previously begun, Mr. Hoke has added greatly to the value of his property, his buildings being now in excellent repair, and his house occupying a beautiful site on a natural elevation. As a general farmer, he has met with richly deserved success, both as a grain raiser and as a stock breeder and feeder, raising each year from two to four carloads of hogs, an industry which brings him much money. as do his two carloads of cattle which he ships each year. Mr. Hoke has also other interests of value, being a stockholder in the People's State Bank of Carlisle. He is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and a member of Carlisle Lodge, No. 3, F. & A. M.
On March 5, 1889, Mr. Hoke married Mary Osborn, who was born in Widner township. Knox county, Indiana, September 17, 1865, a daugh- ter of Wines and America (Colton) Osborn. Her father was born in Greene county, Indiana, December 20, 1839, and her mother was born November 3, 1842, in Haddon township, Sullivan county. They were married in 1864, in Haddon township, and after living for a year in Greene county, settled in Widner township, Knox county, where they resided until 1900, when they retired from farming, and have since made their home in Oaktown. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Osborn, as follows: Mary, wife of Mr. Hoke; Emma, deceased; Anna, wife of Lee Bond, of Oaktown; and Theodore W., of Oaktown. Mr. and Mrs. Hoke have one child, George Osborn Hoke, born June 5, 1897, now attending school in Carlisle. Religiously, Mrs. Hoke is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
In December, 1906, Mr. Hoke, his wife and little son Osborn made a pleasure trip to Monterey, Mexico, and spent some two months in the land of the Montezumas. Mr. Hoke is known amongst the citizens of
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Carlisle as an intrepid hunter and dead shot, and passionately fond of the chase. Whilst in the mountain wilds of Mexico, he killed fourteen deer, one Mexican tiger, one haviline or wild hog and a mountain wolf and hundreds of ducks. He had the skins of the animals tanned by a Mex- ican and they adorn his country residence. He killed the Mexican tiger with a No. 303 "Savage" rifle, sixty yards distance, whilst the animal was feeding upon the carcass of a deer which Mr. Hoke had slain. He expects to again spend some of the hunting seasons in that country. His father, George Hoke, and wife also spent a vacation at Monterey and Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico. Richard Hoke and his brother Charles, who is a resident of Monterey, witnessed four bull fights, which is the national sport in Mexico.
JOHN L. HINKLE .- An industrious and thriving farmer of Had- don township, John L. Hinkle comes of substantial pioneer stock, and is an excellent representative of the native-born citizens of this part of Sullivan county, his birth having occurred, March 23, 1863, on what was then known as the old Walker farm, near the Knox county line.
James S. Hinkle, father of John L., was born in Kentucky, but when eight years of age came to Sullivan county with his parents, who entered government land in Haddon township, and on the farm which they improved spent the remaining years of their lives. During the days of his youth and early manhood he assisted his father in the strenuous labor of reclaiming a farm from the forest. When ready to settle in life he chose farming as the occupation most congenial to his tastes, and has always been employed in agricultural pursuits, his home being now one and one-half miles northeast of Carlisle. Until recently he was an ardent supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and for four years rendered excellent service as justice of the peace. He is a man of emi- nent piety, and a consistent member of the Baptist church, to which his wife also belonged. He married Eliza Walker, who was born in Haddon township, on the farm adjoining the one owned by her son John, and died, in this township, about 1880. She bore her husband six children, as follows: Elzora Jane, deceased; John L., of this sketch; Carrie I., deceased ; Cora May, deceased; Hammet D., who was graduated from the State Normal school, at Terre Haute, and afterwards taught school for four years in Knox and Sullivan counties, has been practicing law the past five years in Vincennes; and Charles H., who is married, and resides with his father.
Brought up on a farm, and receiving a common school education, John L. Hinkle remained at home until attaining his majority. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits at that time, and for four years farmed for himself in Widner township, Knox county. The ensuing three years he was similarly employed in Gill township, after which he spent two more years in Knox county. Coming then to Haddon township, Sullivan county, Mr. Hinkle purchased the farm where he now resides, and has since carried on gen-
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
eral farming, including grain and stock raising, with signal success, cultivating, in addition to his own farm, other land. He takes especial interest in breeding and raising fine horses, and is a stockholder in the Carlisle Coach Horse Company. In his political affiliations, he is a stanch Republican.
Mr. Hinkle married, November 12, 1905, Anna Jones, who was born in Busseron township, Knox county, Indiana, March 28, 1876, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy Ellen (Ridgeway) Jones. Her parents, natives of Knox county, are now living, retired from farming pursuits, in Oak- town. Mr. and Mrs. Hinkle have one child, Elzora Jane. Religiously, Mr. Hinkle was reared in the Baptist faith, and Mrs. Hinkle is a valued member of the Church of Christ, of Oaktown, Indiana.
JAMES KAUTZMAN WILSON .- A prominent member of the farming community of Sullivan county, and a man of sterling integrity and worth, James K. Wilson, of Haddon township, has been an important factor in the development of this part of the state, and in the advancement of its welfare. He is a son of the late John L. Wilson, and grandson of Peter Wilson, who, with three of his brothers, John, Adam and George, came to Sullivan county, Indiana, and were among the original settlers of Haddon township. Mr. Wilson's great-grandfather, John Wilson, was born, June 16, 1761, in what is now Hardin county, West Virginia, and as a young man served in the Revolutionary war. He married Susan A. Kautzman, who was of German descent, and who lived to the age of ninety-four years, dying July 17, 1857. Great-grandfather Wilson died in Greene county, Tennessee, April 13, 1809.
Born in Greene county, Tennessee, May 15, 1792, Peter Wilson died, January 29, 1849, in Haddon township, Sullivan county, Indiana. Inher- iting the patriotism that inspired his ancestors, he served in the war of 1812. Coming with his family to Haddon township in 1828, he entered forty acres of land in section 18, having a deed written on sheepskin and signed by President Andrew Jackson. It is one of the first deeds exe- cuted in Sullivan county, being dated October 23, 1835. This is a valu- able souvenir. Being very successful, Peter Wilson from time to time bought other land, having at his death one hundred and sixty acres. He married Judith Welty, who was born in Germany and died in Haddon township, November 15, 1854. They reared but one child, John L. Wilson.
John L. Wilson was born in Greenville, Greene county, Tennessee, May 5, 1817, and died, June 17, 1897, in Haddon township, on the farm now occupied by his son James. Engaged in agricultural pursuits during his entire life, he was eminently successful, and acquired a good prop- erty, at one time holding title to three hundred and eighty-nine acres of valuable land. He was active in local affairs, and until Lincoln's time was identified with the Democratic party. He married Elizabeth Ste- phens, who was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, January 12, 1821,
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
and died, September 4, 1865, in Haddon township. Into their household ten sons were born, namely: Peter, who died in Bolivar, Missouri, in 1888, leaving a widow and two sons, who still reside there; Will- iam Stephens, of Ripley county, Missouri, and his twin brother, Harvey, who died at the age of one month and twenty days; James Kautzman, of this sketch; John Martin, living in Edgar county, Illinois; Courtney M., of Seattle, Washington; Uriah, of Jefferson township; Jasper, deceased ; Ashpel P., deceased; and Morton, deceased. Both parents were lifelong members of the Presbyterian church.
At the age of nineteen years, James K. Wilson, who had received a good common school education, enlisted in Company D, Twenty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which his brother William served from July, 1861, until January, 1866. James K. was mustered out of service, at Indianapolis, in January, 1866, having been doing garrison duty during the entire period of his enlistment. He was a member of the state militia also in 1863 and his captain was Samuel McCormick. After returning home, Mr. Wilson began farming on a piece of land given him by his father. He afterwards sold that land, and purchased another farm. In 1874, he bought the farm where he now resides, and has since carried on general farming with great success. He has a good residence and comfortable farm buildings, everything about the premises indicating the care and supervision of an able manager. Mr. Wilson's entire farm is underlaid with a four to five foot vein of coal, and a gas well is about one-half mile from his residence.
On April 8, 1869, Mr. Wilson married Laura Jane Johnson, who was born, November 16, 1845, in Haddon township, which was likewise the birthplace of her father, Samuel Johnson, while her mother, whose maiden name was Amanda Elizabeth Reid, was a native of Jefferson township. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson four children have been born, namely : one who died in infancy ; Amanda E., born December 12, 1870, is the wife of Charles L. Pirtle, of Hamilton township, of whom a brief sketch may be found in this volume; Jasper Nevil, born July 15, 1873, married Iona Bensinger, and lives in Jefferson township; and James A., born November 4, 1875. James A. served in the Spanish-American war, being under command of General Lawton in the Philippines. He is now a member of the Coast Artillery Company, and was stationed at Fort Miley, at the Golden Gate, and is now at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, Sixty-fourth Company of United States Coast Artillery. He is unmar- ried. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have seven grandchildren, six grandsons, and one granddaughter. They and their children are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church of Bethlehem.
CAPTAIN NEVEL BLACKMER BOONE, a veteran of the Civil war and a large land owner in Sullivan county, Indiana, comes of the Boone stock of which "Old Daniel Boone, the Hunter of Kentucky," was a member. Captain Boone, of this narrative, was born in Boone township, Harrison
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
county, Indiana, June 12, 1835, a son of Craven Boone, and grandson of George Boone, who was a cousin of Squire Boone, the latter being a brother of the old pioneer Daniel Boone, and an early settler in Harrison county. Captain Boone's mother was Sarah Newman, daughter of Ben- jamin Newman, a native of Virginia, who moved to Tennessee and from there to Indiana. The captain is one of a family of eleven children born to his parents, Craven and Sarah (Newman) Boone. He was reared and educated in the common schools of Harrison county, Indiana, as well as the higher schools of Corydon, Indiana. Elected recorder of Harrison county in 1858, he resigned after three years and organized Company E, of the Eighty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was mus- tered in August 29, 1862, and served faithfully and well until his dis- charge in October, 1863. He took active part in the battles of Stone River and Chickamauga, after which he resigned and returned home. He was engaged in the dry goods business at Laconia in 1864 and then moved to New Albany, and from there to several other places, returning then to Harrison county and locating at Corydon. Here he remained for a time, then removed to Mauckport, where he sold goods a year and a half, and purchased a store-boat on which he made two trips-one to Cottonwood Point, Missouri, and one to Memphis. Captain Boone was in the mercantile business from 1864 to 1874, since which year he has been devoting his time to agriculture. He remained on his farm until May, 1906, when he moved his family to Carlisle, where he has lived since. He still owns his farm in Harrison county, the same consisting of two hundred and fifteen acres, and it is now carried on by his son, Rush H. Boone.
Politically, Captain Boone is a firm believer in the principles of pure Democracy. He was united in marriage to Anna R. Helms, October 8, 1867. She was born August 1, 1846, daughter of Dr. H. N. Helms by his wife, Mary, the latter being a daughter of Rev. John Davis, a Methodist preacher, and a sister of Hon. John W. Davis, of Sullivan county, who was a member of Congress. Captain and Mrs. Boone have had nine children, as follows: Rush H., residing in Harrison county, where he is engaged in farming on the father's place; Mary M .; Ida, wife of Theodore Elbert, residing in Louisville, Kentucky; Lola V., wife of Oliver Neely, of Anderson, Indiana, a retired merchant ; Fay N., now attending the state normal, at Terre Haute, and will graduate with the class of 1909; Bonnie, unmarried and at home ; Hamet N. and Anna C., twins, died in infancy ; Daniel E., deceased. Mrs. Boone and the family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
It should be subjoined, in this connection, that Mrs. Boone is the daughter of Dr. Helms, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of Carlisle, who died at his home, September 16, 1902. He was born near Geneva, New York, October 3, 1814, and came with his father to Car- lisle, Indiana, in 1817. His education was begun in the old log school house, and he studied medicine with Dr. John W. Davis, afterward study- ing at Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Helms commenced medical practice at Edwardsport, where he remained one year. He also practiced at Carlisle
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
with Dr. Davis and Dr. Murphy, and later with Dr. John M. Hinkle and Dr. W. R. Miller. About 1873, he abandoned the practice of medi- cine and turned his attention to farming. Politically, he was a stanch defender of Democratic principles, and in church connection was of the Methodist denomination. He was twice married, first to Mary Ann Davis, by whom three children were born: Dr. Rush Helms, who died in 1887 ; Margaret, of Haddon township; and Anna R., wife of Mr. Boone, of this biography. For his second wife, Dr. Helms married Amanda Sallee, who survived the doctor, dying in 1905. Three sons were the issue by this union : Samuel Dixon, deceased ; Albert Gray, also deceased ; Daniel V., who resides on a farm in Haddon township.
JOHN UNGER, who is known as one of the heavy farmers of Sullivan county, carrying on as he does both grain and stock farming in an upto- date manner, as well as being an extensive grower of watermelons, natu- rally finds a place in the family history of the representative men of Sullivan county. Mr. Unger comes from a family well and favorably known in the south of Europe. He was born, October 6, 1843, in France, a son of Michael and Malissa (Gregor) Unger. (For a sketch of Michael Unger, the reader is referred to his personal sketch in this work.) In 1875, John Unger came to America and located in Ohio, within Ashland county, where he worked on a farm by the month. In 1876, he went to Haddon township, Sullivan county, Indiana, where he rented a farm to the south of Bethlehem church, where his brother Michael now lives. After a two-year stay there he moved up to within about one mile of Carlisle, where he also remained two years. Thinking to better his con- dition, he removed to a place east of Bethlehem church, remaining one year, and then located in Widner township, Knox county, where he lived two years, going back then to Haddon township, near Ermin Station. Upon leaving that farm, Mr. Unger went to the John A. Hoke place and continued there five years, purchasing then the one hundred and two acres of land upon which he now resides, the same being situated four miles west of Carlisle, bordering on the Gill and Haddon township lines. Here, in addition to his general grain and stock farming operations, he raises about thirty-five acres of watermelons annually of late years. His present farm consists of about three hundred acres. He moved to this place in March 1889.
Mr. Unger was united in marriage, January 20, 1876, to Catherine Lake, born in Jefferson township, Sullivan county, April 5, 1844, a daugh- ter of Abraham and Ursula (Roberts) Lake. The father was born Sep- tember 3, 1802, in Tennessee, and the mother in old Virginia. This worthy couple were married in Sullivan county, Indiana, in 1830. Abra- ham Lake came to Indiana before it had been admitted into the union. He came along with the Minichs and followed farming and stock raising. His children were as follows: Elizabeth, Morris, Mary Ann, John, Martha, Jane, Thomas, Catherine, Eliza, all of whom are now dead, excepting Mrs. Unger. She was educated in Jefferson township.
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Mr. and Mrs. Unger are the parents of the following children : George W., born November 23, 1876; Morris, born July 31, 1878, edu- cated in the district schools and a civil engineering school, and is now a car framer at the American Car Shops, Terre Haute; Thomas, born March 8, 1880, died in 1893; William, born August 16, 1882, educated in the district schools, is unmarried and on the farm with his father ; Frank, born December 6, 1884, also educated in the district schools, unmarried, and assists on the home farm; Charles, born December 16, 1887, educated in the common schools, being graduated from the Carlisle high school with the class of 1906, and now attending law college at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and will graduate with the class of 1909. Politically, John Unger believes in the general principles laid down by the Republican party. Both he and his wife are exemplary members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JAMES WILLIAM ADAMS, one of the thoroughgoing agriculturists of Haddon township, Sullivan county, Indiana, is a native of the township in which he now resides, and was born November 17, 1864, a son of Isaac and Barbara (Summers) Adams. The father was born in Virginia and the mother in Haddon township. Grandfather Adams and family were among the early settlers. Isaac Adams was one of five children, as fol- lows: Mary, deceased; Benjamin, deceased; James, deceased; Isaac ; and one who died in infancy. Isaac was always a farmer and stock raiser. Politically, he was a Democrat. He and his wife were faithful members of the Christian church. The mother died in 1876, aged forty-three years, and the father in the spring of 1898, aged seventy-two years. The children of Isaac Adams and wife were: Thomas, deceased; the next two both died in infancy; Hannah, wife of Richard Hackett, residing in Haddon township: Rebecca, wife of William Clark, also residing in Haddon township; Belle, deceased; James W., of this notice; Jesse, a resident of Knox county, Indiana; Stonewall Jackson, residing in Oak- town, Indiana; Isaac, residing on the Adams homestead, on Shaker Prairie.
James William Adams remained at home on the father's farm until about fifteen years of age, when he began working by the month for various farmers until he was twenty-two years of age, commencing then to farm on his own account, on a farm which he purchased and where he lived one year. He then lived on and farmed the Samuel A. White farm for eight years, after which he bought the fifty-seven acres where he now resides, in the spring of 1898. Besides cultivating his own land he rents a large acreage from other farmers. He carries on general grain and stock farming, besides being an extensive grower of water- melons, planting out from thirty to forty acres annually. In his political choice, he is a stanch Democrat. Believing in the theory that every man should make some provision in the way of life insurance for the benefit of his family, he carries a membership policy in the Modern Woodmen of America, belonging to Camp No. 3332, at Carlisle.
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
Mr. Adams was married, September 27, 1891, to Isabelle Wolfe, born November 4, 1870, on the old Wolfe homestead on Shaker Prairie, in Haddon township, Sullivan county, Indiana. She was educated in the district schools. Her parents were William B. and Flora (Fry) Wolfe. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are members of the Christian church. Eight chil- dren have been born of this union: Orville E., born July 8, 1892, died November 28, 1897; Flora B., May 3, 1894, died August 14, 1906; Roy J., November 22, 1895; Mervin W., May 8, 1898; Joseph C., April 6, 1900; Edith G., May 23, 1903; Gracie G., born March 11, 1905 ; William B., born January 16, 1907.
WILLIAM E. TUCKER, who owned one of the productive farms sit- uated within Haddon township, Sullivan county, Indiana, was a native of Franklin county, North Carolina, born April 26, 1838, son of James Madison and Betsey Ann (Stone) Tucker. The father was born in Nash county and the mother in Franklin county, North Carolina, where they were united in marriage, and both died in that county. The son William E., was reared on a farm and had the advantages of a common school education. When the Civil war broke out and in 1862, when it was known that a fierce conflict was to be waged between the North and South, he enlisted in Company B, Forty-seventh Regiment of North Carolina, as a private soldier, and served until 1866. He took part in the engagements at Second Bull Run, Cold Harbor, the Wilderness, being captured at the last named place. He also fought at the battle of Gettys- burg. He was made a prisoner of war at Petersburg, Virginia, in April, 1866, and released a few days later in April.
In the same month he located in Haddon township, Sullivan county, where he attended the public schools and later the Ascension Seminary, at Farmersburg, Indiana, where he also worked for Capt. William T. Crawford, who founded the school last mentioned and was a professor in the same. After attending this most excellent educational institution for twelve months, Mr. Tucker began teaching in Haddon township, and taught twelve consecutive winters, while he farmed during the summer months. He taught three terms in Knox county and one in Greene county, but the balance of his teaching was all in Haddon township. After he quit teaching, he followed farming pursuits exclusively. Some- time during the eighties he purchased one hundred and six acres of land, to which he added at a later date twenty more. This place is situated four miles west of Carlisle, and borders on the Gill and Haddon township lines. Here he carried on a general farming and stock business and also raised several acres of watermelons each season. The peach orchard contains seven acres, while the apple orchard has the same acreage. Politically, Mr. Tucker was a Democrat, formerly, but of late leaned strongly towards the Socialist party. He died October 25, 1908, and was interred in Shaker Prairie Cemetery.
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