A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 105

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1474

USA > Indiana > Randolph County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 105
USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 105

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).

Mr. Heff was always an earnest advocate of temperance, and an earnest worker in the cause. He was a member of the Washing- tonian society, and a charter member of the first lodge of the Sons of Temperance organ- ized at Winchester. In 1845 he was "made a Mason," and is still in active fellowship with the order. He is now a member of the royal arch degree, as well as of the command- ery. Since 1843 he has been a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his life has been consistent with his profession. He has been married twice. First, July 2, 1839, to Miss Elizabeth Carr,

born in Xenia, Ohio, in 1817, and a daughter of John Carr, a highly respected citizen of Rush county, Ind. By this union they were the parents of four children, viz. : Frances R., now of Pittsburg, Pa, and widow of Capt. Asa Teal, a native of Perry county, Ohio; Laura Elmer, wife of Joseph S. Fisher, a wholesale lumber merchant of Pittsburg; J. Lawrence, and John S., deceased. In 1862, his wife died, and three years later, November 7, 1865, he married Miss Margaret, daughter of William and Margaret (Smith) Mitchell, natives of New Jersey and Ohio, respectively. This lady was born in Wayne county, Ind .. January 11, 1825. Her father was a promi- nent business man of Wayne county, Ind., and later of Peru, Ind. His wife is a lady of superior accomplishments and wifely qualities, and a general favorite in the social circle. Col. Neff and his worthy companion are social and genial, and their kindness and hospitality have won them many friends, among whom they are highly esteemed.

a APT. JAMES LAWRENCE NEFF, son of Henry H. and Elizabeth (Carr) Neff, was born October 24, 1845, at Winchester, Ind. In 1861, he en- tered the Northwestern university, at Indian- apolis, where he remained one year, then en- tered the State university, at Bloomington, Ind., remaining until the holiday season of 1863. During that vacation, he went to visit his father, who was then in camp with his regiment at Camp Wayne, near Richmond, Ind. While visiting the camp, he organized a company for the service, which became com- pany H, of the One Hundred and Twenty- fourth regiment, I. V. I., and of which he was at once elected captain. It was his purpose to resume his studies when the peril that

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menaced the Union should have passed, and order and peace restored. But in the struggle he yielded up his life on the gory field of Kingston. He was mustered in as captain in February, 1864, andat once took charge of the company, drilled and equipped it, and in the following month went to the front. He was with his regiment in all the battles of the Atlanta campaign, and in the terrible conflicts of Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. At the battle of Wise's Fork, near Kingston, N. C., Capt. Neff fell at his post, pierced by a ball from a rebel rifle. Earlier in the fight a minie ball had struck him, producing moment- ary unconsciousness, but, recovering himself, he advanced again to the head of his com- pany. On the day of his death he had been appointed officer of the day, having charge of the brigade skirmish line. At about four o'clock in the afternoon, just before the rebels fell back, he was advancing his skirmish line when he received his death wound.

J OHN W. NEWTON, deputy prosecut- ing attorney of Randolph county, Ind., was born in Preble county, Ohio, July 14, 1855, and is a son of William F. and Adaline (Stakebake) Newton, the former of whom was born in Kentucky in November, 1827. He settled on a farm in Preble county, Ohio, was married there, and was there elected first lieutenant of company F, One Hundred Fifty-six Ohio volunteer infantry, with which he gallantly served through the late war. In 1868, he came to Winchester, and here en- gaged in carpentering until his death, which occurred in 1889. His widow now resides with a daughter at Marion, Ind. They had born to them four children, viz .: John W .; George A., railroad agent in Missouri; Bell, wife of James N. Gwyn, an expert roller miller

of Nashville, Tenn .; Anna, wife of H. S. Hoover, agent for the Northern Pacific railroad, Hastings, Neb.

John W. Newton was reared on the home farm until 1868, when he came to Winchester with his father and attended the schools until qualified to teach, when he took charge of a school for two years. He then went to Cen- terville, Ind., and was confidential book- keeper for William S. T. Morton for two years, and then for five years was employed as salesman in the boot and shoe trade. In 1879, he began the study of law with A. J. Stake- bake, Winchester, and in 1880 was appointed deputy prosecuting attorney for the county under J. C. Mellett, and on the death of the latter, for years later, was appointed prosecut- ing attorney for the twenty-fifth circuit, then comprised of the counties of Randolph and Delaware, to fill out Mellett's unexpired term. At the next election, 1889, he was candidate for the same office, but met defeat at the hands of Chauncey E. Medsker. He then en- gaged in the practice of law until November, 1892, when he was appointed deputy prose- cutor of the same district.

July 17, 1890, Mr. Newton was elected department commander of the Indiana division of the Sons of Veterans of the United States, was re-elected by acclamation June 22, 1891, and served until July 20, 1892, reaching the limit of terms of service. Mr. Newton was married April 22, 1885, at New Madison, Ohio, to Miss Ella V. Townsend, a native of Preble county, Ohio, born November 15, 1863, and a daughter of Nehemiah and Sarah A. (Bowen) Townsend, the result of the union being one child, Fleeda M. Mr. Newton is a republican in politics. He is a master Mason of lodge .No. 56, and a member of General Sherman camp, No. 44, Sons of Veterans, U. S. A., While Mrs. Newton is a member of the Eastern Star lodge, F. & A. M .; and of the

ALONZO L. NICHOLS.

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Woman's Relief corps, G. A. R. Mr. Newton has won for himself a high reputation in his profession, and his ability as a prosecuting officer has met the recognition of the bar and of the people. He is the owner of forty-two acres of fine land in Nettle Creek township, and western lots and lands, and has earned for himself the esteem of the entire commu- nity.

LONZO L. NICHOLS, county clerk of Randolph county, attorney-at-law and formerly one of the foremost educators in the county, was born in the town of Lynn, Washington township, this county, August 3, 1856, a son of Henry D. and Elizabeth (Gray) Nichols, both belonging to the pioneer families of Randolph county. Henry D. Nichols was born in Greensfork town- ship, Randolph county, Ind., in 1832, and was the father of eleven children. He moved to Lynn in 1864, was a farmer, carpenter, mer- chant, clerk, hotel keeper, served as school trustee four years, and as township assessor three years, and is a republican in politics.

Alonzo L. Nichols was educated at Lynn; he clerked at Lynn a year and a half, and at the age of seventeen began teaching, a voca- tion he followed for twelve years. In the earlier part of his career as a teacher, he availed himself of the vacations to attend the State normal school and other institutions, to better qualify himself for his profession. He taught in the high school of Winchester one year, in the south ward two years, was one year principal of the Lynn school, and one year principal of the Arba school, beside teach- ing many years in district schools. After re- linquishing teaching, he acted as deputy clerk from 1885 to 1889, under Richard A. Leavell. Prior to this, however, he read law under Thompson, Marsh & Thompson for three years,

and was admitted to the bar in September, 1889. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession, meeting with flattering suc- cess and gaining popularity daily, until he was elected, by the republican party, in 1892, county clerk of Randolph, an office he has filled, until the present time, with credit to himseif and to the satisfaction of the people.

August 25, 1880, Mr. Nichols was married in Decatur county, Ind., to Miss Kittie C. Wiseman, who was born in that county, July 23, 1856. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Hood) Wiseman, the former a native of Germany. Three children have been born to the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, of whom the eldest and youngest died in infancy, the second born, Chase, being the only sur- vivor. Mr. Nichols is a member of the Sons of Veterans association, and is a Knight of Pythias. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols are respec- tively members of the Disciples and Presby- terian churches, and are looked upon with high regard by all their neighbors and ac- quaintances.

J OHN PEGG, of White River township, Randolph county, Ind., was born in Guilford county, N. C., May 17, 1800. He was a son of Reuben and Rachel (Chambless) Pegg, early settlers of the Caro- linas, and descendants of an English family which came to the United States in the time of the colonies. In early manhood, John Pegg left the parental roof and came to Indi- ana, locating at Richmond, Wayne county; thence, about the year 1831, made his way to the county of Randolph and entered a tract of land in section 28, White River township, where he carved out a farm from what was then an unbroken wilderness. Subsequently he aded to his original purchase, and in time, became the owner of a valuable farm of 164

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acres, the greater part of which, under his judicious care and management, was brought to a high state of cultivation. On the 12th day of February, 1829, Mr. Pegg was united in marriage to Lydia Cloud, daughter of Mordecai and Rebecca (Thornton) Cloud, of Warren county, Ohio, the fruit of which union was the following children: Mrs. Jane L. Teagle, deceased; William; Rebecca, wife of J. Hurst; Rachel, wife of A. Giberson; Martin; Mrs. Lydia Moore, deceased; John; Mrs. Minerva Oren, deceased; Jesse; Lucinda, wife of H. Wolfe, and Lurene, wife of B. F. Ed- wards.

Mr. Pegg followed farming all his life and met with well earned success in that useful calling. As a neighbor and citizen he was highly esteemed, and during a long and re- markably useful life, he enjoyed, in a full de- gree, the respect and confidence of all with whom he had business or other relations. While not identified with any church or relig- ious organization, he was a firm believer in the morality as taught by the Sacred Scrip- tures, and his character as a man was ever above reproach, and the integrity of his mo- tives was never known to have been ques- tioned. Originally a whig, he afterward exer- cised the elective franchise in behalf of the republican party, and while always taking a lively interest in matters political, he never aspired to official position, preferring to give the best energies of his mind to his business and to the proper rearing of his family. Up- right in his dealings, he earned a reputation of which any man might feel justly proud, and the memory of a life well spent and duties well performed is the most valuable legacy to a grateful posterity. The death of this good man occurred April 7, 1867, in White River township, and in his departure the community lost a noble citizen, his neighbors a kind and faithful counselor, and his immediate family a

true and faithful husband and a kind and in- dulgent father. Mrs. Pegg is still living, hav- ing reached a ripe old age, and is surrounded by her children, who rise up and call her blessed. She has thirty living grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren, and all who know her unite in praising her for the great amount of good which she has accom- plished, as well as for her many noble qualities of mind and heart.

J OHN A. PEGG was born in White River township, Randolph county, Ind., April 9, 1841, son of John and Lydia Pegg. He was reared in the county of his nativity, in the common schools of which he received a limited education, and grew to manhood on a farm; consequently his early years were marked by no event aside from the ordinary. When the war cloud spread its somber folds over the country and the states were in in imminent danger of disruption, he responded with patriotic pride to the call for volunteers, and in December, 1861, entered the army as member of company. C, Nine- teenth Indiana infantry, with which he did valiant service for the national Union in the bloody campaigns of Virginia with the army of the Potomac. Among the battles in which he bore a gallant part were. South Mountain, second Bull Run, first and second engage- ments at Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Antietam and Gettysburg, in the last of which his left lung was pierced by a musket ball, from the effects of which fearful wound he has never recovered. He was made a prisoner at Gettys- burg, but was recaptured three days after falling into the hands of the enemy, owing to the inability of the latter to move him when they fell back across the river before the ad- vance of the Union forces. For a period of

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four months, he remained an inmate of a hos- pital in Philadelphia, after which, he did guard duty at Washington city as a member of the invalid corps until honorably discharged at the expiration of his period of enlistment.

After the war Mr. Pegg returned home and engaged in carpentering and building, in ad- dition to which he also engaged for some time in the manufacture of lime. Subsequently he abandoned both of these pursuits, and turning his attention to agriculture has for a number of years been a successful tiller of the soil on the home farm, a part of which he now owns. In addition to farming, Mr. Pegg gives con- siderable attention to stock raising, in which his success has been most gratifying. He began life in moderate circumstances, and by hard work and economy has succeeded in ac- cummulating a comfortable share of worldly wealth. He is enterprising and progressive, enjoys the respect and confidence of all who know him and is justly entitled to a conspicu- ous place among the representative citizens of the township in which the greater part of his life has been passed. In politics he is a re- publican, casting his first ballot for Abraham Lincoln, and fraternally he belongs to the G. A. R. Mr. Pegg and Mary A., daughter of James and Nancy Parsons, were united in the bonds of wedlock on the 24th day of Decem- ber, 1868, which marriage has been crowned by the birth of four children, namely: Mrs. Flora Thornburg, Willie Carl, Bertha and Nellie Pegg. Mrs. Pegg is a member of the Methodist church, in which she is highly respected.

S AMUEL A. PIERCE, a well known and highly esteemed resident of White River township, Randolph county, Ind., was born November 24, 1829. His father, Thomas Pierce, was a native of

Virginia, and came to this county when a young man and entered land in this township, where he lived and died. By occupation he was a farmer and came here in 1819 and took an ac- tice part in organizing the county. He was married about the year 1824, to Miss Lydia Ward, daughter of Thomas and Margery Ward. Nine children were born to them, namely: John M .; William O .; Samuel A .; Delilah J .; Anthony R .; Joab; Maria L .; Emeline E .; Thomas O. and Cordelia E., all of whom are , living except John and Emeline. The father was active in public affairs but had no political aspirations. He died November 2, 1864, and the mother died in the latter part of Novem- ber, 1880. By good management and industry they had acquired a competence, leaving a fine farm of 320 acres. They belonged to the old Society of Friends, and were people of mod- est but real worth. Mr. Pierce was a republi- can and was ever a firm adherent and sup- porter of the principles of his party.

Samuel A. Pierce, whose biography now follows, was born on the old farm in White River township. He attended the common schools until he was nineteen years of age, which at that period did not offer the advant- ages they now do. He remained with his parents until the age of twenty-four, when he was married to Jennetta Holmes, the daughter of Simon and Sarah Holmes of Virginia. They soon secured a farm of eighty acres by inheritance and purchase, and three children were born to them: Thomas J., Julia Elma Sarah. The first wife died in 1862, and on February 14, 1864, Mr. Pierce was again married, his second wife being Elizabeth A. Coats, daughter of Gabriel and Matilda Coats. Four children came to this union: U. S. Grant, Lillie M., Luella and Ogilvie. All of Mr. Pierce's children are still living. He remained on the home farm until the spring of 1892, when he sold and purchased fifty-six acres of

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Hezra Cox, a short distance from Winchester, which is now his home. Mr. Pierce is a repub- lican and a practical farmer, a happy meeting and combination of qualities. He is a pleas- ant man, has a pleasant home and enjoys the respect of all who know him.

RANCIS MARION PRESTON, a re- tired business man of Winchester, Ind., was born at Finneytown, Hamil- ton county, Ohio, August 3, 1832, a son of John Preston and youngest brother of Mrs. Gen. Asahel Stone. He was reared by his mother, as the father died when the boy was about three years of age. He, in 1848, went to Cincinnati and learned brick-laying, continued to make his home with his mother until 1862, when he came to Indiana, at the solicitation of Gen. Stone, to take charge of the latter's farm, which the general was com- pelled to abandon to attend to duties in the field. The city of Cincinnati was then under martial law and the general was obliged to ob- tain a pass for Mr. Preston before the latter could leave either the city or the state. Every thing was arranged, however, and on the 22d day of September, 1862, Mr. Preston took charge of the farm and operated it in a most satisfactory manner until 1869, when he re- sumed his trade, which he has since continued to follow with unvaried success. He was married at the residence of Gen. Stone Novem- ber 23, 1863, to Miss Sarah E., who was born in Winchester, a daughter of Martin C. Graves, and to this genial union have been born four children, viz .: Lois S., deceased; William S., at home; Edward E., at home and Alice C., deceased.

Mr. Preston is in politics a democrat and has filled the office of town councilman for two years; he is also a Knight of Honor and a

good citizen. He has been a hard-working and industrious man all his life, and is proud, and justly proud, of the fact that he is self made. During all his years passed in busi- ness transactions, not one can be recalled that he regrets as having been misspent, and his rectitude and strict integrity have never been questioned. He feels that he has never wronged a fellow-creature by word or deed, and is one of the worthy citizens of Winchester.

R. JOSEPH J. PRETLOW, the very skillful and popular dentist of Win- chester, was born near Franklin, Va., September 19, 1852, and is a son of Robert S. and Isabella (Cook) Pretlow, both natives of Virginia and of English and French descent respectively. The children born to Robert and Isabella were eight in number, viz .: James, a teacher and attorney, still in Virginia; Deborah H., a teacher in Minneapolis; Mary, wife of George Moorman, of Edinburg, Ind .; Joseph J .; Belle, of the Normal school of Plattville, Wis .; Robert, a dentist of Thornt wn, Ind .; Chlotilda, attend- ing lectures on medicine at Minneapolis, and Lizzie.

Robert S. Pretlow was engaged in plant- ing on his 700 acres in Virginia until 1860, when he came to Indiana and located near Raysville, Henry county, but in a short time bought a farm near Dublin, in Wayne county. He had been an old line whig, but on the birth of the republican party, he cast his lot with that organization, and voted with it until the last before his death, when he voted the prohibition ticket. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and died in their faith in 1889. His widow still survives, and makes her residence in Minneapolis, Minn.

Dr. J. J. Pretlow was reared much as farm

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boys usually are, and attended the public schools at Dublin until 1872, and then passed a year in Earlham college, near Richmond, and then taught school in winter for three years. He now began the study of dentistry at Dublin, under Dr. William Stanley, for eighteen months, and later went to Cambridge City, and studied under Dr. Wilson, and eight years later came to Farmland, this county, and passed the state board of examiners June 29, 1880. He practiced with much success in that town for three years, and then moved to Winchester in 1883, and here at once secured a desirable and lucrative patronage, and es- tablished a most enviable reputation as a skillful practitioner. He keeps well abreast of the times and avails himself of every appli- ance and method introduced for the allevia- tion of pain, and of every improvement in the mechanical department of the art.

On March 16, 1882, the doctor was most happily married to Miss Eva Flood, who was born in Randolph county, 1861, and is the daughter of John and Sarah (Prue) Flood, and their union has been blessed with one child- Edna. The doctor is a republican in politics, and he and wife are members of the Society of Friends. He is a director in the Winchester Building and Loan association, and he and his little family enjoy the respect and esteem of the entire community.

ATHAN PUCKETT, a representa- tive of one of the earliest families of Randolph and one of the oldest liv- ing residents of the county at this time, is a Carolinian by birth and son of Isam and Elizabeth (Taylor) Puckett. He was born January, 1806, in the county of Surry, N. C., and when twelve years old accompa- nied his parents to Randolph county, where

the father died about 1850, and the mother several years later. Nathan was the eldest of a family of ten children, three sons and seven daughters, and his early years were spent amid an almost unceasing round of labor, assisting his father in removing the dense forest growth and fitting the soil for cultivation. He early displayed superior qualities as a financier, and as a reward for his well directed efforts in this direction, he became the possessor of a valuable tract of land consisting of 300 acres from which he developed a finely improved farm. In 1857, he met with a serious loss in the destruction of two large barns and contents by an incen- diary fire, the effect of which involved him financially and caused him no little discourage- ment. In 1859 he purchased a farm near the town of Dover, Wayne county, where he made his home until 1890, at which date he re- turned to Randolph and has since lived with his son. His wife, Betsey Knight, whom he married in the county of Wayne, died nerr the town of Dover about the year 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Puckett had a family of nine chil- dren, namely: Harriet, deceased; Rachael, wife of F. Kenworthy; Calvin W., Hiram, Joel, Angeline wife of E. Hollingsworth; Lu- cinda, wife of J. Stedden; Elvira, died in in- fancy and Rhoda, wife of. J. Kenworthy.

Nathan and Betsey Puckett were birth- right members of the Society of Friends, to which religious order both branches of the family belonged for many years. Isam Puck- ett was a preacher and was instrumental in disseminating the principles of the Quaker faith among the sparse settlements of Ran- dolph county in an early day.

Calvin W. Puckett was born in the town- ship where he now resides, in Randolph county, Ind., January 16, 1836. He is the eldest son of Nathan and Betsey Puckett, whose sketch appears above, and, with the

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exception of a few years, has spent all of his life within the present boundaries of Randolph county. Being the oldest son and his father being physically disabled a great part of the time, Mr. Puckett was early obliged to con- tribute to the support of the family and to manage the farm, in consequence of which his education was sadly interfered with, his prin- cipal instruction having been acquired at home by devoting his leisure moments to such books as he could obtain. He remained under the parental roof during the years of his minority, and, on reaching manhood's estate, in 1857, he went to Illinois, where, for about one year, he was employed as a farm laborer in Jo Daviess county. Returning to Randolph county, Ind., at the end of that time, he re- mained on the home place, looking after his parents' interests until 1861, in December of which year he entered the army as private in company E, Fifty-seventh Indiana infantry, with which he served as a brave and gallant defender of the national Union until his dis- charge, March, 1865.

During his period of service, Mr. Puckett was in the army of the Cumberland and shared with his comrades the fortunes and vicissitudes of war on many bloody battle fields, among which may be noted: Pittsburg Landing, Rocky Face Gap, Resaca, Burnt Hickory, Kenesaw Mountain and all the engagements of the historic Atlanta campaign. At Kene- saw Mountain he received a severe gun-shot wound in the right thigh, from the effects of which he was compelled to use crutches to assist him in walking for two years. He re- turned home at the close of the war and re- sumed the pursuit of agriculture under discour- aging difficulties, his wounded limb interfering so sadly with his work that he was compelled to sow his fields from horseback. Being am- bitious, and knowing no such word as fail, he kept steadily on and in time was sufficiently

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A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 105

Author: Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1474

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1474