A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana, Part 106

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080

USA > Indiana > Boone County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 106
USA > Indiana > Clinton County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 106
USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 106

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).

discharged, and from which he has since suf- fered severely as well as from asthma, all of which render him a complete invalid. After the war Mr. Meyers settled in Indiana and married, in Hendricks county, March 21, 1890, Clara, daughter of William and Mollie (Kinsey) Pace. Mr. Pace is a farmer of Putnam county, Ind., but came from Kentucky. To Mr. and Mrs. Meyers have been born two children, Al- bert R. and Ida M. For some years Mr. Mey- ers followed farming, until incapacitated so that he could do no more work, and has been en- tirely disabled for several years. He is a member of the Christian church, to which faith his wife also adheres. In politics he is a re- publican, and is a member of the G. A. R., at Coatsville. Ind. Mr. Meyers was a brave and good soldier, who did his full duty and fought in three hard battles of the great Civil war, and has been a sufferer from the effects of army life ever since.

Although it may be going beyond the prov- ince of a sketch of this character to comment on the result of the war for the preservation of the Union, as far as the individual sufferings of the brave participants are concerned, it is diffi- cult to refrain from noticing the peculiarly un- fortunate case of Mr. Meyers, whose sufferings seem to demand the fostering care of an ap- preciative and grateful government.

J EHU HADLEY, deceased, was, in his day, one of the most prominent farmers of Franklin township, Hendricks coun- ty, Ind., and was an honored pioneer citizen. He was the son of James T. and Mary (Richardson) Hadley, born in Chatham county, N. C., in 1810, and was fifteen years old when he came to Hendricks county with his father. He received a common education, and became a farmer and merchant in Blakesbury, Putnam county, Ind., where he settled when a young

JEHU HADLEY.

MRS. JERUSHA HADLEY.

1007

OF HENDRICKS COUNTY.

man. He married, August 27, 1837, in Hen- dricks county, Ind., Jerusha, daughter of Jere- miah and Sibyl (Fillbrick) Stiles. Mr. Stiles was from Massachusetts, and was of English Puri- tan descent. He married in Vermont and he and wife became the parents of four children: Ruth P., Jerusha, Theodore B. and Sibyl. Mr. Stiles moved to Indiana in 1823, and set- tled in the woods at the point which afterward became Stilesville. The Indians surrounded him and it was nine miles to his neighbor. His settlement was on the Indianapolis and Terre Haute trail, over which there was con- siderable travel in the early days, and he built a tavern which became well known to the pion- eers for miles around. It was first built of lags, and later of frame. He kept this tavern for many years, and it is believed to have been the first in Hendricks county. Besides being a tavern-keeper, he was a farmer, owning 100 acres. He married, for his second wife, Susan Cunningham, and they were the parents of six children: John Q., William, Lewis, Diantha, Lucinda and Patty. Mr. Stiles lived to be eighty-two years of age, and he moved, in the latter part of his life, to Missouri. Mr. Stiles and his first wife were members of the Chris- tian church, and his second wife was a member of the Methodist church. He was one of the first justices of the peace in Hendricks county, and was commonly called "Squire Stiles." Personally he was a large, powerful, upright man, and was an honored pioneer.

Jerusha Stiles was born in Vermont and was five years old when brought to Hendricks county, Ind., by her parents. She well re- members the old log tavern of her father and seeing her father shoot a deer that came into the meadow, when she was a little girl. She had but little chance to obtain any education, as, when she was ten years old, her mother died. At the age of twelve years she went to school in Putnam county, two miles away, and

walked the distance twice each day. She was over eighteen years old when she married Mr. Hadley, and they settled in the woods, a small patch only being cleared on their place. Before his marriage, Mr. Hadley had cleared up one farm in Clay township, but sold this and bought 600 acres where the present home- stead now is. He was a hard-working man, of indomitable fortitude and great industry. While small of stature he was thick-set, and energetically cleared up his land and converted it into one of the finest farms in the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Hadley were born ten chil- dren: Nancy M .; Mary F., who died a mar- ried woman, aged forty-one years; Henry C .; George W .. died in the war; Marcus L., died in the war: Sibyl A., deceased, a married wo- man; Alice E .; Laura E. : Jerusha E. and Jehu S. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley moved into Dan- ville, residing there eight years for the purpose of educating their children. Mr. Hadley was a stanch republican in politics and had three sons in the Civil war, viz: George W., Marcus L. and Henry C. George was in the Twenty-first Indiana cavalry, company A, and died in hospital in Memphis, Tenn., from the effects of army life; Marcus L. also died from the same cause. In 1876 Mr. Hadley erected one of the most substantial and tasteful brick residences in Hendricks county, and very sub- stantial farm buildings. The residence is furnished in the best style and the place is one of the most attractive in the county. Mr. Hadley died February 5, 1892, aged eighty- one years, three months and sixteen days. He was a man of excellent character, of tireless industry and energy, and accumulated a hand- some fortune. He was always ready to assist the needy, and he assisted every church that solicited his aid. He was a practical man and passed his life in an earnest effort to better the surroundings of his family. His children are as follows: Nancy, who married William

1008

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

Daggs, and lives in Danville; Laura married Cyrus H. Masten, a farmer; Mary married Dr. Harvey Gibbons, both deceased, leaving one child, William; Alice married David Mat- lock, living in San Francisco. Cal .; Jehu S. resides on the home farm, married Olive M. Willhite. Mrs. Hadley is now seventy-six years old and has passed a busy life. She has worked very hard, faithfully brought up a large family of children, and is one of the few remaining pioneer women in Hendricks county, and when she was young frequently cooked for from fifteen to twenty people by the old- fashioned fire-place. She is a devout member of the Missionary Baptist church of Amo, and retains her faculties wonderfully, and her many descendants may well take pride in their pioneer grandmother.

ENRY C. HADLEY, ex-treasurer of Hendricks county, and an old soldier, is a native of this county and a son of Jehu Hadley, who was a son of James T., the son of Simon, the son of the original Joshua and Ruth (Lindley) Hadley, the pioneers and founders of the Hadley family in Indiana. Henry C. Hadley was born May 21, 1841, on his father's farm, in Franklin township; he re- ceived a good common school education, but left home at the early age of thirteen years and went to Montgomery county, O., where he at- tended school in winter and worked on a farm in summer for two seasons; then attended the graded school one year, at Dayton, and high- school, of the same city, for another year; then returned to his home and enlisted in August, 1861, at Clayton, in company" A, Eleventh Indiana volunteer infantry, for three years, under Capt. George Butler and Col. Lew Wallace, and served until honorably dis- charged at Halltown, Va., late in 1864, after having served in the battles of Fort Henry,

Fort Hindman, Fort Donelson, at Shiloh, in several battles in the rear of Vicksburg, at Champion Hills, and for forty-four days in the siege of Vicksburg; he also was in the battle of Jackson, Miss., and was later on detailed duty at New Orleans. He had been promoted to be corporal and sergeant during the siege of Vicksburg, and at New Orleans was detailed as orderly-sergeant to command a battery at Fort Connolly. He was next transferred, with his regiment, to the Shenandoah valley, under Gen. Phil Sheridan, and here his service closed. On returning to Hendricks county, Mr. Hadley attended a commercial college at Indianapolis, and was then for four years em- ployed as clerk in wholesale houses; was next engaged in the cattle trade for ten years on his own account, and then for a year in the mer- cantile business. Politically Mr. Hadley is a republican, and cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. In 1884 he was elected treasurer of Hendricks county, and served two years; fraternally he is a Knight of Pythias, and is also a member of Joseph Fleece post, G. A. R., of North Salem.

RS. SUSANNAH HADLEY SMITH, of Clay township, Hen- dricks county, Ind., is the daughter of Jorhua and Rebecca (Hinshaw) Hadley, with her postoffice at Hadley, Ind. She was born in Chatham county. N. C., De- cember 1, 1818, came to Hendricks county, Ind., a young woman of twenty years, and married Pryor C. Woodard, March 19, 1840. They soon after went to lowa as pioneers, making the journey with horses and wagons and driving cattle. They crossed the Missis- sippi river at Burlington, Iowa, May 1, 1840, on a balmy spring morning. They settled at Salem, Henry county, Iowa, and remained one year. In March, 1841, they settled in

1009

OF HENDRICKS COUNTY.

Keokuk county, Iowa, on a quarter section of land, and next year laid out the town of Rich- land, the Indians being located within two miles of them. Mr. Woodard sold off the lots of the town of Richland, which soon became a thriving village. Here he died in 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Woodard were the parents -of five children: Joshua, Rebecca, Asenath (deceased at thirteen months), Ruth (deceased a married woman, aged thirty-four years), and Newton. Mrs. Woodard remained in Richland and married Dr. W. B. Smith, eighteenth of the twelfth month, 1851, the ceremony taking place at the Friends' meeting house. The doctor and Mrs. Smith were the parents of two children: Matilda S., now the wife of Alonzo Wheeler of Mooresville, Ind .; and Dr. Mary S. Smith, now a physician in the insane asylum at Indianapolis, and who is a graduate of the medical college at Ann Arbor, Mich., and is a woman of ability and a very skillful practitioner.

Dr. W. B. Smith died sixth month, eigh- teenth day, 1861, in Hendricks county, Ind., where he moved in 1858. He was a regular physician and successful in his practice. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Smith has re- sided in Hendricks county. She owns a good farm of sixty acres in this county, and 160 acres in Hardin county, Iowa. Mrs. Smith is an excellent business manager and has herself by thrift, shrewdness and industry accumulated a goodly property. She is a devout member of the Friends' church, and in her younger `days was one of its ablest exhorters. Her daughter, Rebecca, was a teacher among the colored refuges with her cousins: David, Han- nah, and Alida Hadley. (See sketches.) She taught a period of six years, which was a longer time than any of the others. She was a warm friend of the colored race and of their educa- tion, and labored with enthusiasm for their advancement. Mrs. Smith is a woman of high

character and marked integrity, and reared an able family of children. She had one son, Joshua H. Woodard, who was a soldier in the great Civil war-Twelfth Indiana infantry- and who was killed at the battle of Blue Ridge, Tenn. He was at one time a prisoner of war and had served his country fifteen months at the time of his death. He was a young man of high talent and well educated, having at- tended the high school at Greenfield and the academy at Mooresville, Ind., and was about to enter college with a view to a professional life, when his patriotism called upon him to serve his country in her hour of trial. Hehad taught school three terms in this county, and was a young man of excellent impulses, kind- hearted and a model son.

a ALEB HUNT, deceased, was one of the prominent members of the Friends' church at Amo, Hendricks county, Ind. He was born in 1815, seventh day and twelfth month, in Guilford county, N. C., and was the oldest child of Asael and Rachael (Johnson) Hunt, who were the par- ents of the following children, viz : Caleb, Elizabeth, Margaret, Alethe, Albert, Beulah, Elmira, Cynthia, Lydia, who died a young woman, and Almina. Asael Hunt came from North Carolina to Hendricks county, Ind., settled two miles northwest of Amo, and was one of the original pioneers of this county. He was a devout member of the Friends' church, reared an excellent family of children, and died, highly respected, at an advanced age, Caleb Hunt was about sixteen years of age when he came with his parents to this county, about 1831 or 1832, was brought up a farmer, and received a common education. He married, when aged about twenty-four years, Theresa Benbow, daughter of William and Catherine (Hunt) Benbow, and by their

1010

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

marriage Mr. Hunt became the father of three children : Catherine, Mary A. and Aseneth. ' Mrs. Hunt died, and Caleb next married, twelfth month, seventeenth day, 1851, Mary Dixon, a daughter of Eli and Margaret (Towel) Hadley. Eli Hadley, the son of Thomas and Mary (Newlin) Hadley, was born in North Carolina, when he came to Indiana, and after passing two years in Orange county, moved to Morgan county, in 1820, and settled near Mooresville, when there were only six families in that settlement. He was the father of eight children : Thomas, born in 1814, seventh month and fourteenth day; Sallie, born in 1817, ninth day, twelfth month; Jessie, born in 1819, twentieth day, tenth month: John, born twentieth day, tenth month, 1819; Mary, born in 1822, sixth day, second month; Tre- cilla, born seventh month, twelfth day, 1824, died thirteenth day, first month, 1825; Caleb, born in 1826, thirteenth day, first month, and Ann, born in 1831, twenty-ninth day and sixth month. Mr. Hadley lived to be about forty years old. He was a devout member of the Friends' church and a highly respected pioneer citizen.

Caleb Hunt settled in Clay township, Hen- dricks county, and about 1851 came to the farm now occupied by his widow. He became a substantial farmer, owning 300 acres of land, and accumulated his property by thrift and in- dustry. He was much interested in his church, was an overseer and elder for many years, and was highly esteemed for his religious character. To Mr. and Mrs. Hunt two children were born: Annie J., who died a small child; and M. Ella, now wife of Linsey Morris, a farmer of Amo, to whom she has borne two children. Mr. Hunt was a very correct man in his habits, one of high moral character, an honored citizen and highly respected for his sterling honesty. He died in 1889, fifteenth day and second month, aged seventy-three years. Mrs. Hunt,

since the death of her husband, has herself managed her property, she is a woman of good business qualifications, and of many virtues. She inherited from the Hadley family the traits of business capacity . and thrift to a marked degree. She is a devout member of the Friends' church and is universally respected.

ILLIAM F. DYER, of Franklin township, Hendricks county, Ind., saw a service of over four years and three months in the late war, was in many battles, bears the wounds of a brave soldier and is totally disabled. He springs from sterling English and Welsh stock, his family having been early settlers of Virginia and Tennessee. He is the son Calloway and Matilda (Howton) Dyer, and was born in Grainger county, Tenn., May 2, ,1836. His father moved to Indiana in 1852 and settled in Putnam county. . In 1855 he went to Kansas, but returned to Indiana the next year and set- tled three miles south of Ladoga, in Montgom- ery county, and here William F., our subject, enlisted April 19, 1861, at the age of nearly twenty-five years, in company G, Eleventh In- diana infantry, under Capt. Carr, with David Knox as first lieutenant, for three months. He served out his term and was honorably dis- charged at Indianapolis. Before the expira- tion of this service, and previous to being mus- tered out he had re-enlisted for three years or during the war. He was sick in hospital one month, during which time his regiment returned home and was mustered ont. On his recovery he enlisted at Indianapolis in company H, Eleventh Indiana infantry, served about two years and veteranized for three years more or during the war, and served four years, three months and six days in all, and was honorably discharged at Baltimore, Md., July 25, 1865.

OF HENDRICKS COUNTY.

1011

This is one of the longest terms served by any volunteer from this county.

He was in the battles of Romney, Va., Fort Henry, two battles in Louisiana, not remembered, Halltown, Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek. He was in several severe skirmishes, and was wounded on the White river expedition, a ball striking him in the right side of the head, passing the ear and taking off a part of the skull. He was in hospital for nearly two months at Helena, Ark., and now suffers from spine trouble caused by that wound. A ball passed through his hair at the battle of Win- chester in 1864. He contracted lung fever at Fort Henry in February, 1862, and was sick then for some time; was sent from Crump's Landing to hospital, Evansville, Ind .; received a furlough for thirty days, which was extended ten days longer, on account of disability. He was also sick with small-pox below Vicksburg, and also with malarial fever at St. Louis for three weeks. He was on several severe marches, notably from Cumberland, Md., to Romney, Va., marching all night, and after that battle returned to Cumberland, Md., again marching all night. The greatest ex- posure was on the march to Fort Henry and Shiloh, it being very rainy, and the soldiers sleeping on the wet ground in the slush and snow. Mr. Dyer was a very stout and rugged young man when he went into the army, and when he came out he was greatly disabled. Since 1875 he has been unable to do much, and for fifteen years has been almost totally disabled, and for the past five years has been wholly incapacitated.

He married, April 30, 1876, Catherine,- daughter of Peter and Rachael (Leonard) Cline. Peter Cline was born in Virginia, and his wife at Knoxville, Tenn. He was a farmer of Emma, Morgan county, Ind., having come to this state at an early day. He lived to be

about eighty years old and was the father of ten children, John, Peter, Elizabeth, Samuel, Tabitha, Catherine, Mary M., Laurence and George (twins) and Rachael. Mr. and Mrs. Dyer lived three years at Emma, and then moved to Stilesville in 1879. They have three children living, William F., John A. and Mary J. Both Mr. and Mrs. Dyer are members of the Christian church, and he is a church trustee, also a member of the G. A. R., Enoch Alexander post, Stilesville, and has filled the offices of adjutant and quartermaster. He is also a non affiliating Odd Fellow of North Salem. Mr. Dyer is a republican, and was supervisor of this township two terms. He was a good soldier, and, except when disabled by wounds and sickness, was always on duty, cheerfully and patiently doing his full share to put down the rebellion. He did not hesitate to continue his service by re-enlistment twice when his country needed him.

P RANCIS M. ALEXANDER, of Frank- lin township, Hendricks county, Ind., descends from an old colonial Vir- ginia family. Hugh Alexander, grand- father of our subject, was born in Virginia, married Annie Dewe, and by her became the father of five children: Sarah, Peggie, Jane, William and Northcott. Mr. Alexander moved to Tennessee, and later to Ohio, close to Cincinnati, and finally to Indiana in 1837, settling in Morgan county, where he bought land and cleared up a good farm in the bot- toms on Eel river. He resided there until his death, having reached the great age of nearly ninety years. He was a typical American pioneer and an honest man. William Alex- ander, son of above, and father of our sub- ject, was born in Virginia, in 1804, and went with his father to Tennessee when a boy. He received a good education and became well

1012

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

read in history. He married, near Knoxville, Tenn., Jane Wallace, and thirteen children were born to this union: Sarah J., Elizabeth, Charlotta, Nancy, John, Francis, Hugh, Ann, Francis M., Enoch, Thomas, James and Joseph. Mr. Alexander moved to Ohio, set- tling near Cincinnati, on the Ohio river. He then moved to what is now Putnam county, Ind., in the fall of 1837, bought land and also entered some, and cleared up a good farm, adding to it by thrift and industry until he owned 186 acres. He moved to Hendricks county in 1876 and ran a country store until his death, which occurred in Franklin town- ship. Mr. Alexander and wife are members of the Methodist church, in which he held the office of steward, but afterward became a member of the Christian church. He was much respected for his judgment and intelli- gence and was justice of the peace for forty years; being in politics a democrat. He had five sons in the Civil war: Hugh, Francis M., Enoch, Thomas and James, who served in company B, Fifty-ninth Indiana infantry. Thomas served over four years and was a vet- eran; Enoch, veteranized and killed in a skirmish in Alabama on the Hatchie river. Mr. Alexander was a highly respected citizen, honorable and patriotic, and a strong Union man.

Francis M. Alexander was born March 7. 1838, on his father's farm in Putnam county, then a part of Morgan county, Ind. He re- ceived a limited education, became a farmer and married September 2, 1860, Sophia, daughter of David Hubble of Texas county, Mo., and to them were born three children : Sarah J., Nannie and Thomas E. After mar- riage Mr. Alexander located on the home farm, until his enlistment, in July, 1862, in Putnam county, with enrollment, at Indianapolis, in company B, Fifty-ninth Indiana infantry. He served nearly eight months and was honorably

discharged at Jefferson barracks, Mo., on ac- count of disability, caused by typhoid fever. He was at the battle of Corinth, Miss. When Mr. Alexander entered the army he was a strong, rugged young man, able to do his full duty as a soldier; upon his return he weighed but eighty-six pounds, and for a long time could do no work, his ailment resulting in epilepsy. He finally recovered partially and bought out the heirs of the homestead, and by industry and good management has acquired a good farm of 156 acres. He moved to Illinois in 1867, lived in that state two years, then went to Cass county, Mo., in 1869, and lived there until 1871, when he returned home. In political opinions Mr. Alexander was a demo- crat, but of late years has been a prohibition- ist, as he is a strong lover of temperance. He is a man who holds the respect of the people and was assessor of his township, Mill Creek, Putnamn county, for six years, and was town- ship trustee four years. Mr. Alexander moved to Stilesville in 1890, and is retired from actual business, being disabled by his service to his country. Mrs. Alexander died November 26, 1864, and he married. May 27, 1886, Martha H. Leonard, née Gorham, daughter of Thomas and Cassandra (Hopkins) Gorham. Mrs. Alexander had previously been married to George W. Hurst, by whom she had one son, Vermandes C., now a farmer in Putnani county; and for her second husband, Jackson Leonard, by whom she had one child, Chattie E., (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Alexander are members of the Christian church. He has always been straightforward as an officer of his township and as a citizen. :

Thomas B. Alexander, son of William. was born February 27, 1842, in Putnam coun- ty. He enlisted at Gosport, Ind., and was enrolled January 1, 1862, in company B. Fifty-ninth Indiana infantry, to serve three years or during the war. He re-enlisted as a

1013

OF HENDRICKS COUNTY.

veteran, January 1, 1864. at Huntsville, Ala., and was honorably discharged July 17, 1865, having served three years, six months and sev- enteen days. He was in all the battles, skir- mishes and marches in which his regiment took part; was in the Atlanta campaign, on Sherman's march to the sea; on the return march to Washington, and at the grand re- view. He was in the battles of New Madrid, Tiptonville, Tenn., the first and second bat- tles of Corinth, Miss., Raymond, Jackson, Miss., Champion Hills, siege of Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, in many and severe skir- mishes, and at Savannah, Ga., and was pro- moted corporal. He was never sick in hospi- tal, and was an active, efficient and brave sol- dier. After the war, he returned to Indiana and married Mary, daughter of Reuben and Mildred (Ludlow) Stringer, and to them were born three children: Jesse, Nata and Fred. He is a respected and upright citizen and in politics is a democrat.

LIHU W. COBLE, of Franklin town- ship, Hendricks county, Ind., and one of the old soldiers of the Civil war, who bears the scars of battle and lost an arm in the service of his country, was born in Hendricks county, Ind., and is the son of George A. Coble, one of the county's pioneers. His ancestors were German and early settlers of Pennsylvania in colonial times. His grandfather, Samuel Coble, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, who married in North Carolina and died there at the age of sixty years. His wife reached the great age of nearly one hundred years. George A. Coble, father of our subject, was born about 1791 in North Carolina and acted as justice of the peace at an early day. He went to Ten- nessee when a young man, was under Gen. Jackson in the war of 1812, and was in the bat-

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.

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1080

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080