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 42

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 42
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 42
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 42

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

and Mrs. Pittinger are named as follows: Emma J., William F., Carrie A .. Samuel M., Claude E., and Elz ra E. They take an active part in the education of their children and have one of the most respected families of Boone county. Mr. Pittinger's political opinions are, like his father's, democratic, and botn he and his wife are members of the church. Fraternally, Mr. Pittinger affiliates with the I. O. O. F., Luther lodge, No. 227, and Jamestown encampment. No. 140, also with the G. A. R., Advance post. No. 524, and has filled all the offices. Mr. Pittinger has a good record not only as a soldier, but as a citizen, and stands deservedly high. He has been a very hard-working, industrious man. He receives a pension of $12 per month. Mrs. Pittinger had one brother, James, in the Civil war-Fortieth regiment Indiana volunteer infantry.

.....

a LVIN REES, of Sugar Creek town- ship, Boone county, Ind., is a native of the state, having been born in Parke county, September 10, 1839. His parents were William aud Mary (Hunni- cutt) Rees, the former of whom was born in Tennessee, in 1805, and was a son of James and Jane (Elmore) Rees. James Rees, also a native of Tennessee, was of Welsh descent, was a farmer, and the father of six children, viz: Thomas, William, Joel, James, Nancy and Charity. The grandmother of our sub- ject was a daughter of a Cherokee chief and one of seven sisters, all of whom married white men of the utmost respectability. William Rees, father of Elvin, was reared in Hamilton county, Ohio, and in Parke county, Ind., mar- ried Miss Mary Hunnicutt, who was born in Petersburg, Va. From Parke county he re- moved to Montgomery county, Ind., in 1840, and in 1844 came to Boone county and bought

a farm of 220 acres, a part of which is now the home of Elvin Ree". Here William died in 1858, his wife, Mary, surviving him until 1879, both having been, like their forefathers, mem- bers of the Friends' church.

Elvin Rees, although reared a farmer, early fitted himself for an educator, but ill health prevented his following the profession. He had secured a school in Iowa, but the morning it was to open diphtheria intervened and he was obliged to abandon the calling for good. April 1, 1862, he married Miss Tacy Cox, a native of Boone county, Ind., born in 1843. and a daughter of Isaac and Rachael (Menden- hall) Cox, the union resulting in the birth of seven children named as follows: Orpheus E., deceased; William; Virgil, of Kentucky; Della M., at home; Cassie A., a graduate of Thorn- town academy; Howard and Olema. Mr. Rees has a well-cultivated farm of 112 acres in this township, of which twelve acres are devoted to the larger fruits, three to rasp- berries, and one to strawberries, etc. He makes a specialty of fine corn, and gives much attention to Chester White and Berkshire hogs. He has a fish pond, supplied with scale and carp, and his home is delightful in all respects. Beside this property, he owns in Leavenworth county, Kans., a farm of 160 acres and valu- able lots in several towns. In politics Mr. Rees is a republican, and his religion, like that of his wife, is in the faith of the Friends' church.

J OHN RAY, one of the oldest pioneers of Boone county now living, is a native of Indiana, born in Wayne county, May 2, 1822. His parents, Chesley and Nancy (Hoover) Ray, were both natives of Randolph county, N. C., and of Irish and German lineage respectively. Chesley was the son of John and Tabitha (Pettit) Ray,

Elvin Rees

Jaey de Rus

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

early settlers of Randolph county, N. C., where they reared a family of nine children, namely : Elizabeth, Presley, Sarah, Nancy, Mark, Jordan. Polly, Cynthia and Chesley, the last named being the second in order of birth. The birth of Chesley Ray occurred in the above county and state January 20, 1798; he married in 1817, and about four years later immigrated to Wayne county. Ind., where he resided for a limited period and then moved to Marion county, where the mother died March 6, 1826. The following year, Mr. Ray entered into the marriage relation with Mrs. J. Mitchell, widow of Robert Mitchell, and in 1846 the family moved to Hamilton county, subsequently to Illinois, in Knox county of which state Chesley Ray departed this life on the sixth day of March, 1869, his wife surviving him about two years. The family of Chesley Ray consisted of seven chil- dren : Netty, Nancy, John. William and Elizabeth, by his first wife, and by his second wife, Mark and Tabitha.

John Ray accompanied his parents to Marion county. Ind., when quite young, and he spent his youthful years in that part of the state, being reared to a life of industry on the farm. On the twenty-ninth of August, 1844, was solemnized his marriage with Jane Jen- nings of Virginia, whose birth occurred May 16, 1828. She is the daughter of Allen and Eleanor (Thornbrow) Jennings. and has borne her husband three children : Chesley, Allen and Ella. After his marriage he began farm- ing on the old homestead, where he continued to reside until 1848, in January of which year he went to Indianapolis and there remained until October following. At the latter date .he purchased a farm in Hamilton county, where he made his home until 1852, when he moved to the county of Boone, locating first at the town of Zionsville and later purchasing the farm in Eagle Creek township, where he now

resides. Financially, Mr. Ray has met with well-earned success, owning at this time a valuable farm of 110 acres, upon which are good and substantial improvements, the entire property representing the fruit of his industry and successful business management. He is an intelligent and progressive citizen and a consistent member of the Christian church, and it is with pleasure that this brief tribute to his worth as a man is given in this connection.

OOD A. PHILLIPS, a leading farmer of southern Harrison town- ship, Boone county, Ind., and ex- Union soldier, comes of an old American family of Scotch-Irish descent. His great-grandfather came from Scotland and set- tled in South Carolina in years long gone by, whence he went to Kentucky, contemporane- ously with Daniel Boone. Philemon Phillips, son of the above-named pioneer and grand- father of Wood A. Phillips, was born in Ken- tucky, but when a young man came to Indi- ana and entered a farm in Jefferson county, and later, in his old age, moved to Hendricks county, Ind., where he bought a good farm of 809 acres. He was twice married, the second time to Nancy Wilson. The children by his first wife were named Thomas, Maidy, Phile- mon and Wash. His eldest son, Thomas, father of Wood A., was born in Kentucky, but was also a young man when he came to Indiana. He married Susan Wilson, and was the owner of a good farm of 200 acres; in politics he was a republican, and he and wife were members of the Methodist church.

Wood A. Phillips, son of Thomas and Susan, was born in Jefferson county, Ind., January 27, 1839, was reared to farming, and October 12, 1890, married Alice, daugh- ter of James Wright. John Wright, grand-

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father of Mrs. Phillips, lived and died in the state of Kentucky; James Wright, father of Mrs. Phillips, was also born in Ken- tucky, but came to Indiana when a young married man and entered eighty acres of land in Hendricks county. The family of Mr. Wright consisted of the following-named children: Manda W., Carrie, John, Mattie, Sarah, Ellen, Emma, Dora, Alice, James, Will- 'iam and Charles. Mr. Wright gave his chil- dren all a good education, was a great friend of school work, was a republican in politics, and he and wife were members of the Chris- tian church. Mr. Wright was almost instantly killed by a cyclone that swept over his farm in 1885. This storm lasted about fifteen min- utes and carried away his barn and all out- buildings, which were never again seen, and dishes and other articles were afterward found that had never before been seen on the prem- ises. Mr. Wright, after being struck, lived long enough to inquire if any other member of the family had been injured or killed, and then sank in death.

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Wood A. Phillips moved upon their present farm, which he has highly improved and cultivated, and where they are passing their years in ease and comfort. They are the parents of two chil- dren: Julia F., and Jesse G. The family are much respected by their neighbors, and Mrs. Phillips is an ardent member of the Methodist church, and in politics Mr. Phillips is a repub- lican. Mr. Phillips has quite a peculiar war record. He enlisted, at the first call Lincoln made, at North Vernon, Ind., April 22, 1861, but the quota was full and he was placed in the twelve months' service, in company K, First Indiana infantry, and sent to Harper's Ferry; after that skirmish, went to Washington, D. C., and then on the double-quick to Bull Run, but was too late; then to Fredericksburg, and back through the Bull Run field to Richmond,

and was there discharged. In October, 1862, he enlisted in company L, Second cavalry, Forty-second Indiana volunteers, at Indianapo- lis; they were sent to Louisville, Ky., mounted, and dispatched to Nashville, Tenn .; went to Murfreesboro; then were in the first fight at Lookout Mountain; then at Chattanooga, and would have been captured if not rescued by the Thirty-seventh Indiana infantry; were in front of Sherman, fighting more or less, as he marched and countermarched two or three months on his way to Atlanta; went with Thomas back to Nashville, and in the fight were dismounted, and for one day served with with the infantry; went with Wilson to Selma, Ala, and had his horse killed under him and was himself shot in the heel; then went on to Tallahassee, Fla., where he was honorably dis- charged and came home. In the fight at Selma, Mr. Phillips' horse fell on that gentle- man's leg, the result being a developement of varicose veins. On his return home he neg- lected to apply for a pension, although his health was very poor and he was unable to do farm labor-only a few chores-and his leg was considerably shrunk by the injured veins. Now all his old comrades are dead, or lost sight of, and he is unable to substantiate a claim to a pension, yet it is plainly appar- ent that he is entitled to quite a large one. Although Mr. Phillips is not alone in this un- fortunate predicament, his case is not the less to be deplored on that acconnt.

RS. MARTHA A. REES, of Sugar Creek township, Boone county, Ind., was born in Union county, in the same state, March 15, 1841, and is a daughter of Hugh and Anna (Talbert) Max- well. Mr. Maxwell was a native of Tennes- see, and was born in 1801, and Mrs. Anna

Oliver Rua

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

Maxwell had her nativity in North Carolina in 1806; they were united'in matrimony in Union county, Ind., in 1825, and there lived on a farm until 1874, when they moved to Wayne county, Ind., and resided in Dublin until the death of Hugh Maxwell in 1884, when his widow returned to Union county, where her days were closed in 1885. They were the par- ents of ten children, as follows: Alpheus, now of Kansas; Calvin, deceased; Moses, of Jef- ferson township; Aaron, deceased; Albert, of In- diana; Benjamin, of Missouri; Sarah T., wife of A. Williamson, of Kansas, Mrs. Martha M. Rees, whose name heads this biographical notice; Louisa, deceased; and Mary A., now Mrs. Nathan Brown, of Kansas. The parents of this family were members of the Society of Friends. Mr. Maxwell was a republican, and one of the most prominent men of Union county.

Martha Maxwell, the lady with whom this sketch has most to do, received her prepara- tory education at the common schools, and this was supplemented by an attendance of one year at the Earlham college in Richmond, Wayne county, Ind .. September 24, 1864, she was united in marriage to Oliver Rees, who was born in Parke county, Ind., September 21, 1838, a son of William and Mary (Hunni- cutt) Rees, natives respectively of Virginia and Tennessee, and, like the Maxwell family, members of the Society of Friends. Oliver Rees was reared a farmer, and received the ordinary common school education, improved by an attendance at the Earlham college. He came to Boone county while still a young man, and employed himself in agriculture until his marriage, when he entered into the grocery business, and this occupied his attention for five years, when he sold out and bought an elevator in company with S. Robinson, and this was profitably carried on for five years longer, when he disposed of his interest in

this business, and purchased a farm of 103 acres, and resumed the pursuit of his earlier manhood, which he continued to follow until death claimed him for his own, January 29, 1891. His remains now quietly rest in the cemetery of Sugar Plain. He had increased his acreage to 180, and had been strictly hon- orable in all his dealings; was a prohibitionist, although at first a republican in politics; was a useful citizen, and his death was mourned not only by his afflicted wife and children, but by the community at large, by whom he had been held in the highest esteem. The follow- ing obituary notice is extracted from the Chris- tian Worker of Chicago: "Died, in the tri- umph of faith, at the 'Invalids' Home,' Ko- komo, Ind., ist mo., 29, 1891, Oliver Rees, son of William and Mary Rees (deceased), a beloved member of Sugar Plain Monthly Meet- ing, Ind., born in Parke county, Ind., 9th mo., 19, 1837. He received injuries by being thrown from a mowing machine last summer, from which he did not fully recover, although able to attend meeting and to superintend his business. He was present at monthly meet- ing Ist mo., 3, but was taken sick with a chill that evening, and grew more feeble daily. At the end of two weeks he went to the Invalids' Home for hygienic treatment; his disease proved to be a complicated case of typhoid fever. His wife, two oldest children and two brothers were with him at the close."

His children were seven in number, and named: Anna M., wife of Ludovic E. Ed- wards, now a druggist of Denver, Colo .; Ros- coe W., a dentist of the same city; Homer L., Arthur H., Oris J., Mary A. and Ethel C., all five living with their mother. At his death the bereaved widow took charge of the farm, which she has successfully managed. She is a member of the W. C. T. U. and of the mis- sionary society, and is honored by all who know her christian humility and the modest

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demeanor with which she pursues her way through life.

EORGE BROWN RICHARDSON .- Prominent among the representative men of Marion township, Boone county, Ind., is George Brown Rich- ardson, a leading agriculturist and one of the honored old settlers. His grandfather was William Richardson, a Virginian, who married Mrs. Jane (Bobbett) Laws and became the father of the following children-Lettice, who married a Mr. Barnes; Nancy, whose first hus- band was Charles Rusk, and who afterward married a Mr. Leach; Joel, Jonathan, Caleb, Rebecca, Mary and James Richardson. Wil- liam Richardson was a farmer by occupation and a life-long democrat. The following inci- dent is related by his descendants: At one time, in company with a neighbor by the name of Stephens. he went to procure a supply of salt from the salt works several miles from his home, and while on the way fell in company with a stranger who was sick, and of whom he at once took charge. At night they slept with the unknown stranger, and upon their return home discovered that his ailment was nothing less than the small-pox, of which dread disease Mr. Richardson subsequently died, but not until his whole family had been exposed and become infected.

Jonathan Richardson, brother of George B. Richardson, was born January 13, 1797, in Virginia, moved with his parents, when five years of age, to Kentucky, and later, about 1815, came to Indiana, locating in the county of Decatur, where he entered and purchased a valuable tract of real estate. He married Anna Wheeler, who was born in 1807, which marriage is said to have been the first event of

the kind solemnized in Rush county, Ind., after its organization. Their children were: John W., Mrs. Elizabeth J. Parr, William, George B., Mrs. Mary A. Parr, James P., Mrs. Nancy E. Parr, Mrs. Hannah B. Wheeler, Benjamin M., Tillman H., Mrs. Rebecca E. Hooper, Jonathan, Anna, Sarah O., and Rachel. Mr. Richardson moved to Boone county in 1837, purchasing 240 acres of land, of which but eight acres at that time had been partially cleared. He was an honest and re- spected citizen, died at the age of fifty-nine years, and was buried on his farm at Big Springs. His wife's grandfather served in the early Indian wars and participated in the bat- tle of Horse Shoe Bend in March, 1814, under Gen. Jackson. He had a profound regard for that general, and was frequently heard to say: "I love God Almighty first, and then Gen. Jackson."

George B. Richardson was born in Decatur county, Ind., August 24, 1828, and came with his parents to Boone county when ten years of age. Reared a farmer, his early life was with- out event of any particular note, and on the seventh day of March, 1850, he entered into the marriage relation with Margaret L. Parr, who was born in 1832 in the state of Tennee- see. The result of this union was the follow- ing children: Sarah E., wife of John J. Rich- ardson; Elizabeth J., wife of Hopson M. Scott; John J .; William J .; Mrs. Anna C, Maines; Mary, wife of Jacob Maines; Mrs. Hannah Reynolds; George T .; Mrs. Lucinda Stahl; Thomas H .; Mrs. Margaret Mills and Claude Richardson. The father of Mrs. Richardson was William Parr, one of the early scttlers of Boone county, where he lived a number of years and afterward moved to Missouri, where his death occurred, about the age of sixty. His wife was a native of Tennessee and died at the early age of twenty-one years; Mr. Parr afterward married Elizabeth F. Richardson,

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

who still survives him. . After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Richardson began housekeeping on his present farm, consisting originally of eighty acres, to which he has made additions from time to time until he is now the possessor of 124 acres, the greater part of which is well improved. In 1888 he suffered a serious loss in the destruction of two large barns by fire, aggregating fully $3,000, but a small portion of which was covered by insurance. Later he erected a large and commodions barn and other buildings, and has fully recovered from the loss, which might have discouraged a less energetic man. For nearly a half century he lived in a log dwelling, which has since been replaced by an elegant frame residence, which represents the value of over $2,000. His farm is one of the best in Marion township, thorougly drained by a thousand rods of tile- ing, and in all that goes to make a successful agriculturist he occupies a front rank. He was one of the leading promotors of the pres- ent gravel road system of Boone county and was a contractor on one of the highways which runs near his residence. He lives within six miles of nine railroad stations, thus being eas- ily accessible to good markets-a striking con- trast to the time when he was compelled to drive his hogs and haul his grain to Cincinnati in order to find a sale. He is a stockholder in the Big Springs Natural Gas company and uses natural gas for light and fuel in his resi- dence. His political views are in harmony with the democratic party, and for a period of four years he served as justice of the peace of his township, the duties of which position he discharged in a manner highly creditable to himself and satisfactory to all concerned. He is held in the highest esteem by his neighbors and is indeed one of the leading citizens of the township of Marion. Mrs. Richardson is a consistent member of the Baptist church and a lady of many excellent traits of character.

a ILLIAM T. RICKARDS is a native of Ohio and dates his birth from the fifteenth day of August, 1838. He is a descendant of Scotch-Irish an- cestors, and although the family history is to a considerable extent vague, it is known that his grandparents, John and Mary (Harris) Rick- ards, were natives of one of the eastern states and that his mother's father was John Harris. an early resident, if not a native, of the state of Maryland. Nathan Rickards, father of Will- iam T., was born February 23, 1813, in Dela- ware, and by his marriage with Sarah A. Har- ris, which took place in the spring of 1834, he had a family of eleven children, whose names are as follows: John H., Mary H., William T., Margaret J., Emily, Livia, Sarah, Nathan, Permelia, Jemima and Elizabeth, twins, all but two of whom grew to years of maturity. About the year 1835 Nathan Rickards emi- grated to Greene county, Ohio, thence, in 1841. to Boone county, Ind., where he purchased a farm not far from the place now occupied by William T. He added to his original purchase from time to time, and, though never becom- ing wealthy, he succeeded in accumulating a sufficiency of this world's goods to place him- self and family in very comfortable circum- stances. He was a man of great industry and determination, and during a long and useful life nothing reflecting on his business integrity or private character ever gained circulation. While still young he and wife united with the Methodist church, of which they remained faithful communicants until death, thus setting a godly example for their children, which, to their credit be it said, they all tried to imi- tate. Nathan Rickards died April 28, 1893. and was laid to rest in the Spencer cemetery by the side of his faithful companion, who pre- ceded him to the grave on the twenty-eighth day of January, 1879.

Willliam T. Rickards was about three years

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of age when brought to Indiana by his parents, since which time, with the exception of the pe- riod spent in the army, he has been a well known and honored citizen of Boone county. His early educational advantages were by no means of a high order, but he obtained a fair knowledge of books in such schools as the country afforded, and, by coming in contact with the world in after life, became the pos- sessor of a practical education, such as schools fail to impart. Bred a farmer, he early chose agriculture. as a life-work, and he followed that calling with a fair degree of success until sum- moned to do battle in defense of the national honor in the days of 1861. In September of that year he was sworn into the United States' service, entering camp first at La Fayette, thence to Indianapolis, from which city he ac- companied his command to Louisville, where his first active duty was guarding the several lines of railroad leading from that point to the south. Later he shared the vicissitudes of war in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, assisted in caring for the wounded and burying the dead at Shiloh, and in many other ways proved himself a true and gallant defender of the national Union. While with his command and near Corinth, he used water from a plan- tation well which was found to be poisoned, the result of which was a severe attack of ty- phoid fever, which brought him near death's door, and left him but an insignificant re- mainder of his former health. This sickness necessitated an absence from his command of over ten months, during a part of which time he performed light duty in and about the hos- pital where he was being treated; but he after- wards rejoined his regiment, and participated in some active campaigns and bloody battles, in one of which, Chickamauga, he was se- verely injured by a gun-shot wound in the left hand. Owing to disabilities occasioned by sick-

ness and wounds, Mr. Rickards left the army a confirmed invalid, and since his discharge, September 19, 1864, he has not been able to perform any manual labor. The fever settling in his eyes caused him much trouble, and for the past eleven years his sight has become so impaired that he has to be led from place to place, being totally blind at times. While not able to do much physical labor, he suc- cessfully manages his farm, and is remembered by a grateful government with quite a liberal pension.

Mr. Rickards was married November 4, 1858, in Hamilton county, Ind., to Miss Re- becca Emler, daughter of William and Clar- issa ( Zaring) Emler, a union blessed with the birth of the following children : Mary E., born September 12, 1859; Leffel H., born October 16, 1865, died February 20, 1874; George E., born February 13, 1868 ; Clarence E., born June 12, 1871; Sarah E., October 22, 1874 ; Willie, born April 10, 1877, died April 27, 1877 ; Lee O. E., May 14, 1881, and James S., whose birth occurred July 26, 1883. The following are the names of the brothers and sisters of Mrs. Rickards : Mary Louis, Rebecca, Martha and Elizabeth.

J AMES RILEY, the well known fancier and live stock breeder of Sugar Creek township, Boone county, Ind., was born in Switzerland county, same state, De- cember 15, 1826, a son of Elias and Lucinda (Jennings) Riley. Elias Riley was born in Washington county, Pa., in 1817, and was a son of James, a farmer of that state and the father of five children, viz: Elias, father of our subject; James, Amy and Mary, all three deceased, and Ann. He and wife were mem- bers of the Methodist church, and in politics he was a whig. Elias Riley, father of James, our subject, was reared a farmer, but was edu-

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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