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 124

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 124
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 124

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).

A DAM SLONAKER, a self made man, of Monroe township, Randolph coun- ty, Ind., was born in Hampshire county, Va. (now West Va.), in 1824. The father of Adam died when the latter was but an infant, and the mother, in 1840, mar- ried William Parish; the pair settled in Fred- erick county, Va., where both ended their days, leaving in the wide world Adam and a

1154

RANDOLPH COUNTY:

brother James, now deceased, and three chil- dren born to the second marriage, viz: Daniel, deceased; Jackson, and Mary, wife of William Hicks, of Virginia. Adam Slonaker was but ten years of age when he went upon the farm of George Oats, in Hampshire county, and worked hard until twenty-one years of age, re- ceiving but nine months schooling during the entire period. At his majority his worldly possessions consisted of a horse, saddle, bridle and his freedom suit, and freedom itself, which was something. He worked at general labor for two years and then crossed over to Ohio, the fall of 1848, and for two vears longer worked at farm labor in Highland county. January 8, 1851, he married Nancy Morris, born in Highland county, Ohio, October 1, 1826, a daughter of Isaac and Maria (Cooper) Morris, who came respectively from Virginia and Tennessee. Mrs. Morris died, however, when Mrs. Slonaker was an infant, but Mr. Morris survived until November 15, 1862. In Highland county, Ohio, Mr. Slonaker made his home for six years, and in 1855 came to Monroe township, Randolph county, Ind., and purchased 160 acres of land in its primitive condition, on which he resided until 1864, and then removed to a point just east of Farmland, where he bought a tract of 188 acres, which he has since improved and still owns. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Slonaker have been born eight children, viz: Alice, wife of Charles Paris; William N., who died when two weeks old; Julia E., deceased; Anna M., deceased; Cornelia B., wife of P. Hancock, of Califor- nia; Charlotte, wife of James H. Jeffrey, of Wisconsin; Arthur S .; James R., of Madison, Wis., a student at the university, since elected to junior fellowship of Clark's university of Worcester, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Slonaker are members of the Christian church. In politics Mr. Slonakcr is a republican, and for four years was township trustee, and for four years

county ditch commissioner. He has been an Odd Fellow since 1870, and his character is without a blemish. He is a self-made man, and the spectacle of this orphan now enjoying all that man can desire, should be well worth the attentive study of the rising generation.

0 R. CALVIN SMITH, of Farmland, Ind., and prominent among the physicians and surgeons of Monroe township, was born in Fayette coun- ty, Ind., August 23, 1845. His parents, Ezra and Phebe (Brown) Smith, were natives re- spectively of New York and Ohio, and were married in Fayette county, Ind., where the father was engaged in carpentering and farm- ing, but died in Marion county, Ind., July, 1865; the mother now resides in Indianapolis, a devout member of the Christian church, in which faith, also, her husband found his last consolation.

Calvin Smith left his native county at the age of nine years and went to Marion county, Ind., where he received his preliminary educa- tion, and then attended the Indianapolis schools, where he was prepared for college. In 1872 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and for two terms attended the Medical college, from which he eventually graduated. From 1870 to 1876, he was engaged in practice at Indian- apolis, and in the latter year came to Farm- land, and here he has since remained, gaining favor with the public as each day ' passes and adding new names to his lenghty list of patients. November 30, 1872, the doctor was married at Dayton, Ohio, to Miss Jennie Flood, a native of Montgomery, Ohio, born November 20, 1847, and daughter of John L. Flood, of Farmland, and this joyful union has been crowned with the birth of five children. The parents are members of the

1155

MONROE TOWNSHIP.

Christian church, and in politics he is a republi- can. The doctor and his wife are the center of an admiring circle of friends, and life, with them, flows away in a tranquil, placid stream, undisturbed by storm or strife.

B ARCLAY SMITH, one of the promi- nent and well-to-do farmers of Mon- roe township, Randolph county, is a son of Evan and Abigail (Morrison) Smith, and was born in Fayette county, Ohio, March 15, 1833. He is the second son of a family of nine children. His paternal grand- parents came from Germany and settled in Virginia. The grandmother, with her parents, while she was yet young, came from England -a very tiny girl, as she was born on the voyage, in mid-Atlantic. The grandparents of Mrs. Barclay Smith came from Germany to Virginia, where the parents of our sub- ject's wife, David and Mary Groves, were born and raised and grew to manhood and womanhood and were married. After a lapse of a few years they moved to Kentucky, where they remained two years, and moved to Clinton county, Ohio, where the mother died December 16, 1835. Her own parents lived and died on the farm which they purchased when they first went there, the father in 1864 and the mother in 1862. They were buried in Clinton county, Ohio. A family of nine children had been born to them, viz: Abraham, a farmer; Mrs. Smith, wife of our subject; Susan, wife of Avery Griffith, Rachael, wife of Lafayette Pierce, now living in Ohio; Elizabeth; Hannah, wife of Jacob Harris; Charles, a farmer; and Mary, wife of Allen Cox. Mr. Smith's father while in Virginia was a O LIVER G. SMITH, was born in Fay- ette county, Ohio, near the town of Leesburgh, October 2, 1855. Janu- ary 7, 1864, he landed in this county slave holder, but sold his negroes and came to the Buckeye state to make his future home on free soil. After the marriage, in 1854, of Mr. Barclay Smith to Sophia Groves, he lived on : with his parents, Barclay and Sophia (Groves)

a rented farm in Fayette county, Ohio, for a couple of years, after which he moved to Lees- burg, Highland county, where he remained for three years, when, in 1865, he came to Ran- dolph county, Ind., Stony Creek township, where he rented a farm of his uncle, Amos Smith, on whose place he lived for a period of three years. At the end of this time he pur- chased eighty acres of land, on which to-day he resides. Here he built himself a hewed log house and began the arduous task of clearing his farm. Being a man of unremitting indus- try, united with frugality and good manage- ment, he soon succeeded in making for him- self a handsome home, but the "cabin in the forest" still stands, as a remembrance of that day when life was so awfully earnest and he earned his living by thrice the sweat of his brow. In politics he is a republican of the most pronounced and unwavering mind, and is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic fra- ternity and I. O. O. F. Six children have blessed this pleasant home: Oliver G., a stock- man; Everett W., a farmer; Edgar O., painter; Ida M., wife of Franklin Sherman, a barber of Muncie, Ind .; Charley, a farmer; Sarah, wife of Wi liam O. Morris. They are all active members of the Friends' Society, and are esteemed as the best citizens of the place. Mr. Smith has a glass factory on his place, and has laid off ten acres of his farm in town lots, joining the town of Parker, a number of which he has sold. Citizens such as Mr. Smith are the ones who make our state rich, both in material and moral wealth.

1156

RANDOLPH COUNTY :

Smith. Our subject was raised on a farm near Windsor, remaining with his parents until he was old enough to "work out," when he hired out by the month, giving his hard-earned wages to his parents until he was twenty years of age, after which time he kept his earnings as a financial nucleus for his after career. In the year of 1877 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Wood, the daughter of John F. and Mary (Wert) Wood, a sketch of whom has been prepared for this history.

After his marriage Mr. Smith rented a farm of John Wood for four years and began life on his "own hook" as a family man. Not content with tilling other people's soil exclusively, in the following summer he purchased a farm of fifty-five acres, and a little later added to this twenty-five acres more. Improvements on his farm followed as rapidly as his means would permit, and, being a young man of push and enterprise, his ability to improve became greater every year. Soon after purchasing the twenty-five acres he laid 2, 700 rods of tile and built himself a handsome barn at a cost of $1,212. After this he turned his attention to stock feeding-cattle and hogs-and in 1887 he invested $4, 700 in horses (the thoroughbred Percheon-Normans), and soon won an enviable place and reputation as one of the first horse breeders of the state. He also turned his at- tention to the growing of blooded cattle and sheep, and his herds soon became well and fa- vorably known among the prominent cattle men of the country. He owned the first full bred mare ever brought to this county, which gave an impetus to the growing of a higher grade and better stock. In the year of 1891 he purchased ninety acres more of land at a cost of $5,000, and in April of the present year (1893) he made another purchase of sixty acres, making an aggregate of 230 acres, all of which is under cultivation and well improved; also in April of this year (1893) heinvested in

another blooded horse, this time paying $2, 100 for the animal, which was the best in the county in the point of blood and breeding.

All honor is due Mr. Smith for his enter- prise and his manly and earnest endeavor to "get along in the world" but to such men as follow he would pay the passing tribute of having aided him in his career, William M. Woods, Joseph Meeks, and Josiah Meeks. These men were his friends indeed, as they came to him, with their advice, counsel and aid when all were most needed. To his ami- ble wife who has been a helping hand, ready in every emergency to do her part, he attrib- utes much of his success. Their union was blessed with four children-Berla B., Estella, Joseph J. B. and Flossy. Mr. Smith's par- ents were Quakers, and he to was brought up in the good old fashioned, substantial way. In politics he is a republican, and never has his faith in his party been greater than at the present time. Such men as our subject are the living, open secrets of Indiana's success and greatness. As a scientific farmer, his acres blossom with fertility, and every foot of land laughs because of its crops and richness. As a scientific stock raiser, he came to the front and evened up his county with its neigh- bors.

LVIN B. SOMERVILLE, a prosper- ous young farmer of Monroe town- ship, Randolph county, Ind., is a' native of the township and was born' September 28, 1864. He is a son of Robert L Somerville, born in Licking county, Ohio, September 18, 1818, and Robert L. was a son of James and Mary (Lynn) Somerville, who were born, reared and married in Ireland .: James Somerville was born in 1769, came to America in 1801, passed a few years in Penn- sylvania, and then settled in Ohio, where he"

1157

MONROE TOWNSHIP.

and wife ended their days. James Somerville died in 1869, and his wife two years latter, and their remains were interred in the Hanover cemetery. They were parents of ten children, viz .: Samuel; John; Margaret; Mary; James B .; Nancy; Rebecca; Robert L .; Azor W. and William. The father of this family was a mason by trade, and he and wife were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.

. Robert L. Somerville was reared a farmer, and at the age of twenty-seven married Jane, daughter of James and Celestia (Snyder) Jones, natives of Virginia, and also parents of ten children, viz .: John; Elizabeth; Ellen; Re- becca; Abigail; Mary; Eunice; Isaac; Eliza and David. The parents also were members of the Methodist church. After the marriage of Robert L. Somerville, December 12, 1845, he settled on a farm of 240 acres, then in its naturally wooded condition, but now as well cleared and cultivated, as any farm in the county. He also added eighty acres to the original tract, and owned beside, 200 acres in Missouri, when he has given to his children. To the union of Robert L. and Celestia Somer- ville have been born the following children, Clark J., a farmer in Blackford county, William R., who died in the war; Mary, wife of William Painter in Missouri; Cynthia, wife of B. F. Sunday; Martha, wife of James Painter; Laura, wife of Lincoln Pavey; Robert L., deceased; Celestia, wife of Abel Gillespie; Alvin B., and La Fayette. Mr. Somerville is a Free Mason, has served two terms as town- ship trustee, and with his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has always been an industrious man and has won the esteem and sincere regard of all who know him.

Alvin B. Somerville was married Septem- ber 28, 1889, to Miss Hattie, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Larue) Smith, of German extraction and well-to-do farmers of

Blackford county, and this happy union has been blessed with one child, Milo Lynn. Mr. Somerville, after his marriage, farmed one year in Blackford county, Ind., and then moved to his father's place in Monroe township, Ran- dolph county, where we now find him, very nicely situated. Mr. Somerville is a member of the United Brethern church, and the family is one of the most highly respected in the county of Randolph.

B ENJAMIN F. SUMWALT; a native of Monroe township, Randolph county, Ind., was born July 13, 1857, and is a son of William and Rachael (Shear) Sumwalt. Willfam was born in Baltimore, Md., and was a son of John and Jemima (Langdon) Sumwalt, who were born, reared, and married in Maryland, removed to Dayton, Ohio, lived there three years, and then came to Indiana, and settled on 160 acres in Monroe township, Randolph county, in 1822. They underwent all the hardships of pioneer life, but succeeded in hewing out a fertile farm from the wilderness, on which they passed the remainder of their life. John and Jemima were the parents of seven children, viz: Sarah, Harriet, Mary, Anna, William, John A., and Joseph L. The mother of this family died in 1844, but the father survived until 1876. Both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. William Sumwalt worked on the home farm until he reched his majority, and then worked out by the day or month until he was twenty- six years of age, when he married Miss Rachel, daughter of John and Isabelle (McCoppin) Shear, and for the first three years lived on his father's farm, and then purchased eighty acres in the east part of Monroe township, to which he added until at one time he owned 300 acres. Their six children were named as follows:

1158

RANDOLPH COUNTY :

Langdon, deceased; Jemima, Thomas F., Ben- jamin F., Frances, deceased, and Joseph. The mother of this family died in 1877, and was laid to rest in Hopewell cemetery; the father died August 28, 1893. He had provided his sons with eighty acres of good land each, and his only daughter will inherit the remainder of his property. He was an Odd Fellow, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and passed away his latter days in ease and comfort, respected by all who knew him.

Benjamin F. remained on the home farm until his marriage, May 20, 1877, to Miss Sarah A. Thornburg, daughter of Isaac Thorn- burg, of whom mention is made elsewhere. He then moved upon the forty-acre farm his father had presented to him, and, like his father, began life in a log cabin. But this primitive mode of life did not last long, as he has handsomely cleared up the farm and added to it fifty-five acres, all of which are now under a high state of cultivation, and thoroughly improved. To the marriage of B. F. Sumwalt have been born nine children, as follows: infant, deceased; William, de- ceased; Earl, Arthur, Ottie, Bessie, Alice, Ople and Luther. Mr. and Mrs. Sumwalt are active members in the Methodist Episcopal church, while he is also a member of the F. M. B. A., and, like his father, a stanch re- publican.

INDLEY M. THORNBURG, a de- scendant of one of the oldest pioneer families in Randolph county, was born in Stony Creek township, Sep- tember 10, 1836, and is a son of John and Susanna (Bales) Thornburg. John Thorn- burg was born in North Carolina in 1790, and was a son of Isaac and Rachel (Hodson) Thornburg, who moved from North Carolina to Clinton, Ohio, in 1800, and in 1820 came

to Stony Creek township, Randolph county, Ind., where Isaac died in 1865, and his wife, Rachel, a year or so later. John Thornburg was taken by his parents from North Carolina to Ohio, and he was there married. In 1818, two years prior to his father's coming, John settled in Stony Creek township, and was en- gaged in farming until his derth in July, 1846, his widow surviving until April 10, 1887. They had born to them a family of nine chil-

dren, viz: William A., of Windsor, Randolph county, Ind., Isaac, of the same place; Re- becca, wife of R. H. Puckett, of northern Maryland; Rachel, deceased; Curtis, of Eaton, Ind .; Elizabeth, widow of John A. Clevenger, near Windsor; John, deceased; Lindley M., and Margaret, wife of Marion Hewitt, of Neff, Ind. The parents of this family were origi- nally members of the Society of Friends, but subsequently joined the Methodist church. John Thornburg was an out and out abolition- ist and and an underground railroad agent; he was also a minister in the society of the Methodist Friends, which was organized in 1830 as a branch of the Friends' society.

Lindley M. Thornburg was but seven years of age when he lost his father and was conse- quently reared by his mother, who, in 1850, married Thomas Clevenger. At the age of nineteen years Lindley M. was himself mar- ried and engaged in farming until 1858, and then for two years engaged general in merchan- dising in Windsor, and resumed farming until his enlistment, Angust 21, 1861, in company B, Thirty-sixth Indiana volunteer infantry, under Col. A. Kilgore. He took part in the fight at Pittsburg Landing, and in a number of skirmishes, and was discharged February 24, 1863, on account of disability. On his return home Mr. Thornburg re-engaged in farming for a year, and then again embarked in general mercantile trade, but this time at Farmland, Ind., and continued until 1867,

1159

MONROE TOWNSHIP.

when he sold out and clerked until 1875, and then went to Earlham, Madison county, Iowa, and then in 1878 to Clebourne, Johnson county, Tex., where he was in the musical instrument trade until 1880, after which he clerked two years. He then came back to Indiana, and for two years was employed in bridge building for the "Big Four" railroad company, and until 1888 followed carpenter- ing, when he took charge of the post office at Farmland, which responsible position he re- tained until July 22, 1893. As has been men- tioned, Mr. Thornburg was married September 6, 1854, the bride being Elizabeth J. Cleven- ger, daughter of F. M. and and Rebecca (Smithson) Clevenger. Two children were the fruits of this union-John H .. of Farmland and Josephine, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Thornburg are members of the Christian church, and make manifest the sincerity of their religious profession in all their acts. In politics Mr. Thornburg is a republican, and under the auspices of the party has served as justice of the peace both in this county and Iowa; and as constable, marshal, assessor, collector at various times. He was made a Mason in 1855; is a member of the Black Hawk tribe, I. O. R. M., of the G. A. R., and once was an Odd Fellow, but has withdrawn from this fraternity. Mrs. Thornburg is a member of the Eastern Star degree in Mason- ry, and the family are of the highest respecti- bility.

EORGE VANPELT, one of the prominent and enterprising farmers of Monroe township, Randolph coun- ty, Ind., was born in Highland county, Ohio, December 7, 1864, and was but three years old when brought by his parents to Ran- dolph county, Ind. His life has been largely spent on the farm, the cradle of the mass of

good citizens of this great country. In the year of 1880, he again moved with his parents, but this time to a farm near Winchester, where his mother still resides. George re- mained at home until he arrived at his major- ity, when, July 16, 1887, he was married to Miss C. Kaugher, the daughter of Mr. Jacob and Mrs. Catherine (Oswalt) Kaugher. The wife's father had been a prominent farmer in Stark county, Ohio, and came to Randolph county, Ind., where he engaged in the same occupation. He was the father of five chil- dren-John, a laborer; Sherman and Joseph, the same; a daughter, Angeline, who lives at home, and Mary C., the wife of our subject. The mother died in 1881 and was laid to rest in Mt. Zion cemetery. The father is now a resident of Winchester, and is, as was the mother, a member of the Christian church, and exemplary and God-fearing.

After George VanPelt was married he moved to the farm on which he now lives, a fine tract of 100 fertile acres, a legacy of his father. He will also eventually receive forty-two acres more from the homestead, which will aggregate him the handsome number of 142 acres, a pos- session not to be regarded lightly. His acres are all well improved, and he is esteemed as one of the best and most enterprising farmers of the township. He has erected at consider- able expense a handsome house, which is a model in every respect. It is commodious, convenient and symmetrical, and is justly the pride of its owner. Mr. VanPelt has a com- mon school education, but his native shrewd- ness and tact compensate for lack of college training. Politically he is a republican and proud of being such. Four children have been born to this happy union: Charley, James O., Cressie and John. The VanPelts' is a pleasant home, with love enough in it to make all bur- dens light, and respect enough without to make life worth living.

1160

RANDOLPH COUNTY :

ILLIAM A. VANPELT is a native of the Buckeye state and was born in Clinton county, June 11, 1854. He is the son of Jonathan and Mill- icent (Morris) VanPelt. The great-grand- father removed from Virginia to Belmont county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming and lived and died. The grandparents were reared in Belmont county until manhood and womanhood. After their marriage they lived there some time, when they moved to Clinton county, Ohio, and remained there until 1868, when they immigrated to Randolph county, Ind., near Farmland, where the father pur- chased a farm of 128 acres. Before he moved here he was the owner of two farms, one of 120 acres and one of 100 acres. He remained on his farm until 1888, at which time he pur- chased a farm of 135 acres near the city of Winchester, and a short time afterwards he made a purchase of forty acres more. He was a peculiarly successful man in his financial transactions, his dealings always being characterized by honesty and a high sense of honor. He passed away in 1884 and was laid to rsst in Fountain Park cemetery in Win- chester. The mother still lives on the home- stead farm with her son, enjoying a ripe and happy old age.

William A. VanPelt was reared on the home farm and remained at home until his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Wood, the daugh- ter of J. F. and Mary (Wert) Wood, on Octo- ber 12, 1878. After his marriage he moved on the farm of eighty acres given him by his father, and soon afterward added forty acres and more to it. He was an industrious, hard working man and a good calculator, clearing the greater portion of his farm, and after a time was enabled to erect handsome and com- modicus buildings upon it at a cost of $4, 000. His farm is now regarded as one of the best and most productive in the county, brains and

muscle being the secret of it. The honor of having a beautiful piece of highway-the Van- Pelt pike-named after him, is a monument not to be too lightly esteemed. Two children have blessed his union-Mabel and Carrie. The following is a brief mention of his rela- tives: David VanPelt, a brother of our sub- ject, is a farmer living near Winchester; George is a farmer in Monroe township; James, died in 1887 and was buried at Winchester. As a family and a people they were a race of men and women whose standard of morality was high and whose sense of honor was great and religiously guarded and kept unsullied and unstained. They were and are the class of people who make a good community. In poli- tics they were all good and unwavering repub- licans, and imparted to their children their liberal and highminded views. Mr. VanPelt, our subject, has been a teacher of a good many years' standing, and is a zealous worker in religious circles. It is a kind and loving family throughout, making every community better for their having lived in it.

C. WEST, editor and proprietor of the Farmland Enterprise, at Farm- land, Randolph county, Ind., was born in Fayette county, Ohio, January 29, 1849, the son of Claibourne and Margaret J. (Evans) West. Claibourne was also a native of Ohio, and was born about the year 1826. He was reared in Clinton county, was a farmer and blacksmith. For some years he followed his trade at Stanton, Ohio, whence he came to Randolph county, Ind , in 1853. Here he worked at blacksmithing until 1855, then resided on his farm in Monroe township until 1858, and then resumed his trade at Win- chester, which he pursued until his enlistment in August, 1862, in the Eighty-fourth Indiana

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.

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 124

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