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 46

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 46
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 46
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 46

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a constitutional wreck, and for several months was unable to attend to business, and even to this day his health is in a shattered condition. When he had sufficiently recuperated, he joined his father in the mercantile business, but in 1875 sold out his interest and engaged for one year in the jewelry trade, when he again sold out: for four years afterward he clerked for Wilson & Baker, merchants of Lebanon, and then for five years was in the grocery business on the north side. In the fall of 1890, he was elected, on the democratic ticket, clerk of the Boone county circuit court, and being a very popular man, received a very large majority and succeeded a republican in the office.

Mr. Scott was married June 30, 1871, at Lima, Ohio, to Miss Lizzie Kiplinger. daughter of William S. and Mary (Thatcher) Kiplinger. This lady's father was a contractor and builder and constructed many of the best edifices in Lima. Four children have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Scott, and were named John William, Mary Lula, Wallace A. and May Queen, all of whom were born in Lebanon, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Scott were members of the Methodist church, and their daily walk through life shows the sincerity of their religi- ous faith. Mr. Scott is serving his second term as commander of Rich Mountain post, No. 42, G. A. R., and has held all the chairs in Ben Adhem lodge, No. 472. I. O. O. F .; was also a member of the grand lodge, and grand senior warden of the grand encampment of the same order; he is a member of the I. O. R. M., Winnebago tribe, No. 36, and has filled all the offices in his tribe: likewise is a member of the grand council; as a K. of P. he is a member of Lebanon lodge, No. 45, and is, moreover, past chancellor of this order, and a member of the grand lodge.

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

Scott, moved in his young days to Licking county, Ohio. He had married in Pennsylvania Sarah Moore, who bore him five children: Elizabeth J .. Joseph, John M., James M and Sarah C. The third child in the above family, John M., was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1824, and married in Hardin, Ohio, April 19. 1846, Mary A. Blue, daughter of Barna- bas and Mary (Hilliard) Blue, the result of which union was seven children, viz: Charles W., whose name opens this sketch; Edward L .; Flora-G .; Amanda; Harry B., who died at the age of fourteen years; Hattie, and Lizzie, who died in infancy; of this family the three first named were born in Ohio, and the remain- ing four in Lebanon, Ind. His great grand- father, Joseph Scott, was born in Ireland, coming to this country when a young man. His great grandmother, -(Curry) Scott, was born in Scotland and also came to America in an early day and settled with her parents in Pennsylvania, near her to-be future husband. His grandfather, Samuel Scott, moved in his young days to Licking county, Ohio, having previously been married to Sarah Moore in Pennsylvania. His grand- father, Barnabas Blue, was born near Harper's Ferry, Va., and moved when a boy with his father to Miami county, Ohio, and settled near the present city of Piqua. Mary (Hill- iard) Blue was born and reared in and near Cincinnati, Ohio, until fifteen years of age, when her father removed to what is the city of Piqua, Ohio, but at that time the present thriving city consisted of one log cabin, which was occupied by a French family.

James M. Scott was apprenticed when fif- teen years of age to Mr. Knapp, of Bellefon- tain, Ohio, to learn the tailoring trade-his father's contract with Mr. Knapp being that he was to serve until twenty-one years of age and then he was to receive one good suit of jeans clothes and a Bible. After passing four

or five years in Logan and Shelby counties, Ohio, he came to Lebanon, Ind., in 1852, and opened a dry goods store, which he conducted for many years and became one of the best known business men of Boone county. Be- tween 1854 and 1856 he was postmaster of the city, an office he filled to the entire satis- faction of the public. He took a leading part in the building of the Missionary Baptist church in the city, his wife being an ardent member of this denomination. In politics he was a Jacksonian democrat; but was a stanch supported of the Union cause during the late Civil war, giving his only son old enough to enlist, Charles W., to the service of the Union cause. Mr. Scott was always active in the promotion of the best interests of the city of Lebanon, and erected some of its finest busi- ness blocks, among them, in company with G. W. Baird, the marble front on the corner of Lebanon and Main streets. He took an active interest in educational matters and in every- thing else that led to the public welfare. The business firms with which he was connected were Scott & Mclaughlin, Scott & Baird. Scott & Daily and Scott & Son. His death took place August 31, 1877, but his widow survived until August 2, 1887, and in their de- mise Lebanon sustained a severe loss.

ELSON SHAW, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Eagle township, Boone county, Ind., is a native of Livingston county, N. Y., and a son of John and Clarissa Shaw, who were born re- spectively in the states of New York and Ver- mont. The birth of John Shaw occurred Sep- tember 17, 1792, and he was married in New York, in the year 1815, to Clarissa Stearns, who was born on the eighteenth day of Octo- ber, 1792. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw resided in New York until 1825, when they emigrated to

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

Clinton county, Ohio; thence, five years later, to Boone county, Ind., where they settled on a tract of land in Eagle township, which Mr. Shaw purchased from the government. John Shaw was a man of local prominence, and his death, which occurred August 11, 1883, at an advanced age, was an event greatly deplored by a large circle of friends in Eagle and other townships. Mrs. Shaw preceded her husband to the silent land, departing this life in the month of May, 1863. The names of the four children of Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are John S., Nelson, Laura J. and Amanda."

place in the confidence of his fellow-citizens, who have learned to esteem him for his many sterling qualities of manhood. For many years he has been a consistent member of the Methodist church, to which his wife also be- longs. Mr. Shaw and wife have had ten chil- dren, namely: John W., James, Louisa, David N., William M .. Thomas M., Sarah E., Annie, Albert M., and one that died in infancy unnamed.

NDREW J. SHELBY is one of the leading lawyers of Boone county, Ind. Although he has numbered but a few years in the practice of his pro-

Nelson Shaw was born July 11, 1817, and came with his parents to Indiana in 1830, since which time he has made his home in Boone county. During the period intervening be- fession, he has established a repatation as a tween his arrival and the present time he has , successful and reliable attorney, having in so witnessed a scene of transformation such as is · short a time built up a lucrative and extensive possible only in this western country, namely, the redemption of the county from a compara- tively primitive state to its present position of enlightenment among the most favored sec- tions of Indiana. Mr. Shaw was married in Marion county November 7, 1839, to Sarah Hartman, who was born in Stokes county, N. C., April 24, 1818, the daughter of John and Nancy (Markland) Hartman. These parents moved to Boone county, Ind., as early as the year 1830, and had a family of eleven children, namely: Temperance, Polly, Annie, Sarah, John W., Matthew E., Daniel, Harvey G., Nancy G., James T. and Silas W. Mr. Shaw, after his marriage, began life for himself on the farm where he now lives, in Eagle town- ship, and has become one of the most success- ful agriculturists in his part of the county. He has succeeded in accumulating a handsome competence, including a valuable farm of 210 acres, and to him, as much as to any one man, is Eagle township indebted for its material and moral development. Mr. Shaw is public spir- ited and enterprising, and occupies a prominent practice. He springs from sterling Irish an- cestry, and from an old pioneer Kentucky fam- ily. one of his great uncles having been a com- panion of the famous Daniel Boone. His great-grandfather was born and reared in Ire- land, having come from the old country in the year 1753, and settled in New York, whence he moved to and settled in the state of Ken- tucky, where he died in the year 1790. Joseph Shelby, grandfather of our subject, was born in Kentucky in the year 1789, in Mason county, where he lived until the year 1812, when he moved to Union county, Ind. He served two years in the war of 1812. In the year 1829, he moved to Hancock county, Ind., and settled upon a farm, where he spent the remainder of his days. He became a promi- nent and successful farmer and died at the age of sixty-nine years. His son, Benjamin F. Shelby, the father of our subject, was born in Union county, Ind., in 1829, and with his par- ents and seven other children moved to Han- cock county, Ind., in 1829. He received his education in the district school, worked on

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

his father's farm until of age, and upon the death of his father, he, with his mother, took charge of the farm. At the age of twenty-six years he was married to Albertine, daughter of John and Elizabeth (King) Parker. John Parker was born in the state of Ohio, and moved to Hancock county, Ind., and was one of the early settlers of that county. He was of Welsh descent t Elizabeth (King) Parker was born in Ohio, and with her husband moved to Hancock county. She was of Irish descent. Mr. Parker was an honest, christian gen- tleman, and became a successful farmer. After his marriage, Benjamin F. Shelby re- mained upon the home farm, having purchased the interest of his brothers and sisters, and largely engaged in farming and stock dealing, and is now one of the prominent and prosper- ous farmers of Hancock county. To himself and wife were born twelve children; we give their names in proper order of birth: Joshua W., Clara L., Josiah H., Mary J., George W., Selodeous M., Andrew J., Minnie M., Benjamin F., John B., Angie B., and Noble W. Mr. Shelby gave all his children the bene- fit of the district schools, some receiving a collegiate education. The children are all well settled in life and have become successful men and women, depending entirely on their own efforts and not receiving aid from home. Mr. Shelby is a stanch democrat, and socially stands decidedly high for his sterling worth.

Andrew J. Shelby, our subject, was born on his father's farm in Hancock county, Ind., on the 17th day of September, 1866, and re- mained with his father, working on the farm until he was eighteen years old, and received the benefit of the district school. At this time he decided to secure for himself an education; he attended a business college at Ladoga, Ind., and next entered the State Normal at Terre Haute, Ind., and next attended the Central Normal college at Danville, Ind. He was

then a member of the Depauw university (law department) at Greencastle, Ind. While gain- ing his education he acquired accuracy and thoroughness, besides assisting himself finan- cially by. teaching two terms of school. . . He pursued his legal studies under Hon. James L. Mason, a prominent and wealthy attorney of Greenfield, Ind., who was widely known for his legal attainments, and under whom a great number of young men gained their legal ac- quirements. In 1891, at the age of twenty- four, Mr. Shelby began the practice of his chosen profession at Lebanon, and from the first he was successful and gained a good standing, and soon possessed the largest prac- tice of any of the younger members of the Boone county bar, and now, by his industry, skill and ability, he has a lucrative practice, having the same self-reliance in his profession as he possessed in acquiring his education, and keeping in view his favorite maxim, of doing unto others as he would have others do unto him, he has made himself to be what he is-an able and proficient lawyer. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ben Adhem lodge, No. 472, and of the Improved Order of Red Men, Win- nebago tribe, No. 36. In political opinion, he is a stanch democrat. Mr. Shelby, soon after entering upon the practice of law, was married to Pearl, daughter of Cyrus W. and Sarah (Wilson) Ball, of Rush county, Ind , Mr. Ball is a prominent and wealthy retired farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Shelby have two daughters, Joy and Madge; and both parents are devout members of the M. E. church. The legal pro- fession is perhaps the most difficult of any in which to gain a standing that will provide a lucrative practice; most lawyers think them- selves fortunate that, after years of diligent effort, they have attained this position. That Mr. Shelby should have immediately become successful demonstrates his natural ability for

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

his profession and the confidence of the people in his integrity and ability. He is a young man of quick and active mentality, accurate in his judgment, and as a speaker is versatile and pleasant.

ENRY Z. SHERRILL, an enterprising young farmer of Jackson township. Boone county, Ind., was born in Ire- dell county, N. C., November 6, 1854, and is of French extraction. His great-grand- father, Alford Sherrill, was a planter and slave- holder of considerable prominence in Alexan- der county, N. C., and his son Alford held a similar position, later on, in the same county. The younger Alford married Miss Moore, of an equally prominent family, which union re- sulted in the birth of the following children: Franklin. John, Hiram, James. Leander, Rufus, Phebe and Lou. Alford the younger was also the owner of a large plantation and a number of slaves, and was a gentleman of considerable consequence in his county. Franklin Sherrill, mentioned above and the father of Henry Z., our subject, was born in Alexander county, N. C., September 10, 1821, was married in his native state to Miss Eliza- beth Tucker, the accomplished daughter of Zacharich Tucker. This lady is a leading member of the Baptist church and is active in church work. She and her husband now live in retirement on their estate in Iredell county, N. C., and are reverenced by a large circle of devoted friends.

Henry Z. Sherrill remained on the home place in Iredell county, N. C., until seventeen years of age, when he came to Indiana and for one year stayed with some friends in Hamilton county; he then went to Augusta, Marion county, Ind., and passed two years with friends. In the spring of 1875 he came to Boone county, where he learned tile making, and for

six years followed this for an occupation, and having become an expert, made money. He now married Miss Emma J. Armstrong, daugh- ter of David and Esther (Vail) Armstrong, of Jefferson township, both members of the United Brethren church. Mr. Armstrong owns a large farm, improved with modern, ornamental buildings, and well ditched. fenced and cultivated, and on this farm Mrs. Arm- strong still resides-a hale and healthy lady, with the promise of many years of usefulness still before her. For a year after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Sherrill lived on the farm of the latter's grandfather in Montgomery county. and then Mr. Sherrill resumed the manufacture of tile at Bower's Station, Montgomery county, for a year, after which he came to Boone county and built a tile factory in Max. which he operated five years, then sold and purchased his present farm of 112 acres of as fertile land as there is in the county, and drained with over 1,000 rods of tile. He has erected modern, substantial, farm buildings, including a handsome residence and barn. The money to purchase this property and make these improvements has been earned through Mr. Sherrill's energy and industry within the past twenty years, and his good management cannot be too highly commended.

Mr. Sherrill had the misfortune to lose his wife January 27, 1889, through a sudden at- tack of acute pneumonia. She died in the United Brethren church, of which she was an active member, and her loss was mourned by a large circle of friends, but was most sadly felt in the home which she had presided over with so much grace and affection. She was the mother of the following children: Mary A., Anna E .. Lou. E., Grover and Jesse L. Of these Lou. E. was taken ill and died while Mr. Sherrill was absent at his old home in North Carolina, and through the negligence of the telegraph company to deliver a message on

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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY

time, he was deprived of the melancholy pleas- ure of being in her company during her last hours on earth. Mr. Sherrill is a member of the Christian church and is very liberal in his contributions to its support. He is also a member of the Thorntown lodge, No. 113, F. & A. M., and of Advance lodge, No. 141, I. O. R. M. In politics he is a democrat. His social standing is very high as a citizen, a · farmer and christian gentleman.

I SAAC SHELLEY, a leading farmer and old citizen of Jackson township, Boone county, Ind., was born August 27, 1836, in Union county, Ind., and since his fifth year has been a resident of Boone county. His paternal grandfather was Adam Shelley, a native of Pennsylvania, and later a farmer of large means in the state of Virginia. The wife of Adam Shelley was Malinda Lin- dermude, who lived and died in Virginia; after her death her husband married Eve Slagle, of that state. Adam Shelley is remembered as a man of character in his community, was a free soiler in his political belief, a leading member of the Lutheran church, and his death occurred in the year 1861. Abraham Shel- ley, son of the above, and father of the subject of this mention, was born No- vember 14, 1811, in Pennsylvania, went to Virginia when a boy and was there married to Delilah Fleener, whose birth occurred on the twenty-second day of May, 1810. Mrs. Shel- ley was a daughter of D. and Mary (Hun- sucker) Fleener, and became the mother of the following children: Barbara, Adam, Isaac, Elizabeth, Martha, James R., Harriet; John, Noah, Millie, Mary and George. Abraham Shelley followed the pursuit of agriculture in Virginia for some years, and then emigrated westward to Indiana, settling in Union county; thence, in 1841, he moved to the county of

Boone, and entered a part of the present farm in Jackson township, consisting at that time of 160 acres. Additions were made to this place at different times, until it amounted to 240 acres, and became one of the best improved farms of the community. Mr. Shelley was a man of much more than ordinary energy, served as trustee of his township under the old law, and lived a sincere christian life as a member of the old Christian church. He died August 3, 1872; his wife preceded him to the grave in August, 1853. An incident in the family history of Mrs. Delilah Shelley is worthy of note in this connection .. In the early colo- nial history of the United States, during an Indian outbreak, a battle was fought not far from a village by the name of Hunsucker, in which the savages were defeated. In their haste to escape they left behind them their camp and belongings, and the victors, coming up, found there a small white boy, who had been taken prisoner. They cared for the little stranger, and not being able to ascertain his name or the whereabouts of his people, called him Hunsucker from the village near by, hence the origin of the family name; this lad was the great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Shelley. Sev- eral of his descendants served with distinction in the war of 1812, and became prominent residents of a number of the western states.

Isaac Shelley, as already stated, became a resident of Boone county at a very early age and received the rudiments of an education in the primitive log school-house, a brief descrip- tion of which is here given: The building proper, constructed of rough logs and covered with clapboards held to their places by weight poles, was about sixteen by twenty feet in area, supplied with split pole benches without backs, a writing-desk made of a board resting on pegs driven into the wall, while a large fire- place occupied nearly an entire end of the building, the whole lighted by a window made

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OF BOONE COUNTY.

by removing a log, into the opening of which greased paper was used in lieu of glass. When the family moved to Boone county, the coun- try was new and abounded in all kinds of game-deer, wild turkey and bear being especi- ally plentiful and serving the early settlers their chief supply of meat. Amid such scenes and surroundings were the early years of the sub- ject passed, and he grew up a strong vigorous boy, able, while still quite young, to do a man's work with the ax or plough. On December 19. 1858, was solemnized his mar- riage to Malinda Booker, who was born Janu- ary 2, 1841, daughter of James and Jane (King) Booker, early settlers of Putnam coun- ty, Ind. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Shelley have been born the following children: James F , Delila J., and John A., all married and doing well for themselves. Mr. Shelley has a good farm, well improved and drained and supplied with buildings, which in their various appointments will compare favorably with improvements of the kind in the com- munity where he resides. He has been a man of wonderful vitality and preserved his physi- cal health until recently, when he sustained a serious injury while pulling up a heavy load of hay in the barn, the rope breaking, letting the pulley fall upon him. Politically Mr. Shelley is a supporter of the populist party, the princi- ples of which he believes to be for the best in- terests of the country. Fraternally he belongs to the F. & A. M. and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in both of which he is a valued member. The family of Mrs. Shelley were originally from Virginia, but came to Indiana from Kentucky, in which state her grandfather, John Booker, lived and died; he was a soldier in the war of 1812. The following are the names of the children born to James and Jane Booker, parents of Mrs. Shelley-Catherine, Elizabeth, Frank, Malinda, Louise, and Samuel. By a subsequent marriage with

Margaret Howard, James Booker had five chil- dren, namely: Melissa, Howard, Sarah A., Erasmus P. and Mary E.

HOMAS H. SHEPHERD, of Perry township, Boone county, Ind., was born in Patrick county, Va., Decem- ber 20, 1849, and is a son of Huel J. and Leonea (Howell) Shepherd. The father was born in Bedford county, Va., in 1822, and the mother in Floyd county, Va., in 1823. They were married in Floyd county, located first in Patrick county, then, two years later, moved to the Blue Ridge mountains, where they lived ten years, and finally settled in Car- roll county, Va., where the father still resides, the mother having died January 5, 1894. There were born to them twelve children, viz: John W. (deceased), James D., Joseph L., (deceased), Thomas H., Caleb A., Elizabeth (deceased), Artemissa, Mary (deceased), Robert H., Frank I., Lenileoti (deceased). Huel J. is a Baptist in religion, a democrat in politics, and was a soldier in the Confederate army. He is a successful farmer and owns 180 acres of good land.

Thomas H. Shepherd remained with his parents in Carroll county, Va., until 1872, when he came to Indiana and settled in Boone county, where he followed general labor for a year, then learned carpentering; in 1875 he bought his present farm, which he runs in con- nection with his trade. December 4, 1879, he married Mary A. Schenck, a native of Boone county, born October 7, 1858, and a daughter of Daniel Schenck of Perry township, Boone county, Ind., a pioneer and wealthy land owner. To this union five children have been born, viz : Zelma V., Leonea (de- ceased), Naomi (deceased), Homer and Daniel. Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd are members of the Baptist church, and in politics he is a people's

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party man. He is also a Freemason, and a member of lodge No. 9, at Lebanon. His farm comprises eighty and one-half acres, and is in a high state of cultivation.

daughter of James and Elizabeth (Neal) Heath, both of Boone county and both now deceased, Mrs. Heath having died at the age of fifty-two years and Mr. Heath at sixty-nine, and both were leading members of the Methodist church. .. J AMES SHERA, a leading farmer of Jack- son township, Boone county, Ind ... is of Irish-German descent, but of Indiana birth. His father, Caleb Shera, was They were the parents of the following-named children: William P., Margaret C., Sarah J., Louisa A., Samuel S., Emma E., Rosanna, Basshie M., and James .M., all living. The children born to James and Margaret C. Shera born in Rosscommon county, Ireland, Novem- , are named: Lizzie M., Samuel M., James B., ber 20, 1808, and at the age of twenty-four came Arthur M., Benjamin and Hazel M. alone to America. He passed a short time in Oxford, Ohio, and then came to Indiana. In Franklin county, this state, December 21. 1837, he married Elizabeth. daughter of John Shafer; Mr. Shera was a leading farmer of Decatur county, where he entered 160 acres of land near Sardinia. Here were born his family, who were named Catherine, William (who died in the army), James, Thomas M .. Isaac, Wilson, Martha A .. Sylvester C., and John, who is deceased. Caleb Shera passed 1 the greater part of his life in Decatur county. was a pious Methodist, a noble man in all his impulses, and died near Sardinia, Decatur county, Ind., October 30, 1779. His widow is now a resident of Sardinia and is respected by all who know her.

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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