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 147

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 147
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 147

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).

William McDonald, father of David L., was born in Clarke county, Ohio, his parents coming from Kentucky. When the latter was but four years of age, went to Fort Recovery, laid out that town, and settled on a farm adjacent. He had also been associate judge in an early day in Mercer county. He was twice married, first to Miss Larkins, who became the mother of the following children: David L .; George, banker at Fort Recovery; Thirza, died in 1876, was wife of Isaac Latz, of Jay county, Ind. The second marriage of McDonald was to Sarah Stone, who bore eight eight children, viz: Elizabeth, now. Mrs. Slack, living near Fort Recovery; Sarah Ann, now Mrs. Clumm, Fort Recovery; Mary F., deceased wife of Alex A. Knopp: Eliza, wife of R. B. Castle; James and William, deceased; John, manufacturer at Celina, Ohio, and Fre- mont, of Marion, Ind.

R OBERT B. McKEE, a popular livery- man of Union City, Ind., was born near Gettysburg, Adams county, Pa., in 1830, and is a son of John and Nancy (Breckenridge) McKee, also natives of Pennsylvania. His early educational advan- tages were somewhat limited, owing to the fact that he had to walk one and a half miles to the

schoolhouse in winter, and was then able to attend only three months each season until thirteen years of age; although he was brought west by his parents, at the age of nine. The family first located in Darke county, Ohio, in 1839, in the vicinity of Hill Grove, and in 1840 moved to a permanent home three miles east of the first site, at Hill Grove itself. The father was a harness-maker and also kept a small hotel in the village named. Robert B. McKee clerked for a cousin of his father, and ran a peddling wagon to Piqua, Ohio, until twenty-two, and then came to Union City in 1852, and first clerked in the store of J. J. Turpen for about ten years, and then formed a partnership with Mr. Turpen under the firm name of R. B. McKee & Co., in the dry goods business, which lasted five years. He was then in then in the employ of R. Kirshbaum for eight or ten years as salesman, and then united in partnership with O. C. Gordon in the boot and shoe trade for two years, after which time he withdrew and engaged in buy- ing and shipping horses, having always had a deep interest in and love for the animals from childhood, as was manifested by his purchas- ing a weanling, with the first $13 he ever had, at the age of fifteen.

About 1887, he purchased his present livery business on North Columbia street. The building is of brick, and carries ten outfits, with sale and feed departments attached. He own the thoroughbred pacing stallion "Robert M.," the six-year-old bay stallion by " Hoosier Dick" (2:28), and Tom Crowder, and another natural pacer. Mr. McKee was at one time trustee of Wayne township, serving two years. In politics he is a republican. He was married in 1855 10 Miss Margaret Manual. They have three daughters and two sons living. The family is one of the most highly respected in the city, and the daily walk of each of its mem- bers fully warrants this respect.

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HOMAS McMAHON, agent for the Big 4 railroad company, at Union City, is a son of John and Margaret (Hynes) McMahon, and was born in Ireland, in Jaunary, 1851. He was brought to America, in 1852, by his parents, who passed a year at Covington, Ohio, and in 1854 settled in Union City, where the father aided in building the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (Big 4) railway. Here, Thomas attended the public schools and graduated under Prof. Tucker. In September, 1869, he entered the postoffice as clerk, under Capt. J. R. Jackson, and served four years; he then became chief clerk for the Pennsylva- nia railroad company at Union City, and held the position for more than nine years; next he entered the employ of the old "Bee Line," now the "Big 4" railroad, as agent of the company, and still holds the office. He has also been alderman from the third ward since 1890, being an ardent republican.

John McMahon, the father, died in 1889, respected and honored, a pure and upright man; Margaret, the mother, is still living. They had five children born to their marriage, the only survivor being Thomas. One son, Patrick, enlisted at the age of nineteen years, in company C, Nineteenth Indiana volunteer infantry, He was wounded at Gainesville, Va., . was taken prisoner, exchanged, and died from his wound in the hospital at Washington, D. C., in 1862. Thomas McMahon is quite popular at Union City, both socially and as a railroad official, and is looked upon as one of its useful and substantial citizens.

ENRY C. MACY, grocer of Union City, and son of James M. Macy and Isabella (Leadnum) Macy, was born near Greensboro, Guilford county, N. C., April 25, 1844. The Macy family, proud

of its ancestral lincage, have compiled an octavo volume, giving the history and genea- logy of the Macy family in America. 'From it we learn that the founder of the family tree in the United States was Thomas Macy, who came from near Salisbury, Wiltshire, Eng., to America, about the year 1665. In religious faith he was a Baptist, and probably sought this country as an asylum, where he might enjoy the privilege of worshiping God accord- ing to the dictates of his own conscience. He, by his worth and intelligence, gained promin- ence in the colony, being a selectman in the community, where he settled, opposite to Cape Cod. Here he preached, but some religious intolerance gained a foot hold among the colonists and drove him, with nine others, to purchase the island of Nantucket, to enjoy again the religious freedom of thought. In the community thus founded he was a promi- nent citizen in public affairs until his death, on the nineteenth day of April, 1682. He was married to Sarah Hopcott and had seven children. Sarah was born near Chilmark, Eng., and died at Nantucket in 1706. The line of descent to Henry C. Macy, our sub- ject, is through the second son, John Macy. He was born at Saulisbury, Mass., and died at Nantucket, August 14, 1691. He mar- ried Deborah Gardner, and by her had three sons; Thomas Macy was born at Nan- tucket about 1687, and died March 16, 1759. He was married to Deborah Coffin, and had eleven children, of which his oldest son, John, was the fourth generation, born April 8, 1709, and died June 28, 1772. Joseph Macy married Hannah Hobbs in 1728, and had seven chil- dren, of which Paul was the fourth son and the fifth generation, born May 3, 1740, at Nantucket, and died in Ohio, in 1832. He married Bertha M. and Deborah Coggeshal, and by both wives had eleven children, part of which were born in Guilford county, N. C., and

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of these, Obed, the third son and sixth genera - tion, was born in Guilford county, N. C., May 26, 1782, and died at the same place, February 21, 1821.

Obed Macy was the grandfather of our sub- ject, and married Mary Armfield, who was the daughter of William Elizabeth (Green) Arm- field, born in North Carolina, October 22, 1783, and married April 10, 1803, add died in Randolph county, Ind., December 24, 1861. He had nine children, of which James M. Macy, father of Henry C., was the fourth son, born in Guilford county, N. C., May 11, 1814, and resided in Gadkin county, N. C. James M. Macy married Isabella Leadnum, and of their marriage had eleven children, of which Henry C. Macy is the third son. Isabella Leadnum was a daughter of Ebenezer and Susan Leadnum, born in Guilford county, N. C., in 1821, and married in 1836. Henry C. Macy was raised on a farm near Yadkinville, N. C., where he received a common school education and resided until 1869. At the age of twenty-four years he came to Randolph county, Ind., and first engaged in farming for four or five years in Wayne township. He was afterward employed in the lumber yard in Union City for a period of years and subse- quently engaged in huckstering and handling country produce for about ten years. In this way, by careful management, industry and economy, he acquired the capital sufficient to go into the grocery business for himself, which he did in 1886. His present business room for the past four years has been located on Oak street, where he carries a well selected stock of groceries, queensware and provisions, and enjoys a good trade. Mr. Macy is recog- nized as an obliging and progressive self made business man of Union City, and his reputa- tion for honesty and fair dealing is everywhere recognized. He was married March 6, 1870, to Miss Nancy C. Powell, of Stokes county,

N. C. Of this union five children have been born, of which four are yet living: Lulu L., born near Union City, Ind., December 10, 1870; and is the wife of William L. Morgan, of Greensfork township; Oscar, born October I, 1872; Virgil, born November 19, 1874; Ethel, born March 8, 1884 One child died in infancy.

ENJAMIN T. MESSICK, the popular and rising young dentist of Union City, Ind., is a son of Jewett L. and Margaret (Gainey) Messick, and was born in 1869, in Bedford. Ind. He received his preparatory education in his native town, and in 1887 attended the Bloomfield Normal school. In the same year he began the study of dentistry under Dr. J. W. Trainor, of Bed- ford, with whom he remained ten months, and then entered the Louisville Dental college, from which he graduated June 17, 1890. He then entered into co-partnership with his old preceptor, Dr. J. W. Trainor, for a short time, and in September, 1891, settled down to the practice of his profession, on his own account solely, in Union City. His rooms are pleasantly located in the Oehler block, where he is well supplied with all the appliances to successfully conduct operative and mechanical dentistry, making a specialty of crown and bridge work. His patronage is quite extensive and his work is pronounced to be of a most excellent character.

Jewett L. Messick, father of Benjamin T. Messick, came originally from Kentucky to Indiana, in 1855, and located in Lawrence county, where he married Miss Gainey, the result of the union being seven sons and two daughters. He was a merchant tailor, and died in 1876. at the early age of forty-six years. His widow resides at Springville, Ind. ; her surviving children are Jewett, a railroad

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conductor; Meredith, a farmer at Park, Ind .; Benjamin T., the subject proper of this sketch, and Lucy, still unmarried and resid- ing at Springville, Ind., where she enjoys the socity of her amiable mother. The family have always maintained a reputation for morality and gentility, and its various mem- bers are respected in every community in which their lot may happen to have been cast. In politics Dr. Messick is a republican. He is also a member of the Christian church.

0 AVID T. MORRIS was born in Fay- ette county, Ohio, December 15, 1823. He is the youngest son of John R. and Mary (Clifton) Morris. The father was born in Kent county, Dela- aware, January 25, 1785, and died in 1865, being buried at Louisiana, Mo. The mother was born in Sussex county, Del., Sep- tember 29, 1787, and died January 25, 1848, and was buried at Cincinnati, Ohio. They were married January 27, 1805, in Kent county, Del. Eleven children were born to them, all of whom are dead, except Nancy and Mary Ann, both of Indianapolis, and the subject of this sketch. The father was a car- penter, though he spent most of his time on the farm; in politics he adhered strictly to the principles of the old whig party. The family moved to Ross county, Ohio, in 1810, and in 1828 removed to Campbell county, Ky., where they remained for ten years. Returning then to Ohio they located on the Cheviot road, four miles from Cincinnati. Here young David finished his common school education, and took a mathematical course in Farmer's college, which he finished in three years. Dur- ing his college vacations he taught in the com- mon schools. After leaving college he kept books for his brother-in-law, Isaac Merchant,

who ran a hotel on Ninth street, in Cincinnati. He next became express messenger and route agent for Green & Co.'s express. He traveled on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers between Cincinnati and St. Louis. He was soon to get an office in St. Louis, but taking the cholera his hopes were blasted. On regaining his health, he and his brother-in-law bought

of W. H. H. Evans the old Cincinnati hotel, now the Spencer house, located on the corner of Broadway and Front street. He sold his interest two years later and became book- keeper in the Evans hotel. The rough crowd of steamboat people that he had to associate with here was so unpleasant to him that, after two years, he engaged in the grocery business for two years; then he retired to a farm adjoin- ing Bellbrook, Greene county, Ohio. In the spring of 1858 he traded a portion of this land for 160 acres of his present homestead in sec- tion 13, Wayne township, Randolph county, Ind. He has since added to this till he now owns 240 acres in one body; 200 acres are cleared and under cultivation with a complete system of drainage. He was one of the orig- inal incorporators, and has usually been a di- rector, of the Union Agricultural association, and has contributed of his time, his money and his labor to promote its success. Mr. Morris never followed the turf, but has owned and still owns some interesting horses, includ- ing Montgomery Boy, a celebrated trotting stallion, owned and kept by him and R. A. Wilson for ten years; colts sired by this horse are noted for their speed and soundness. He has bred a very high grade of shorthorn cattle for many years past, though he is now more interested in half-blood Holsteins. His farm is principally stocked with horses.

Mr. Morris was married, in 1849, to Mary Ann, daughter of Capt. John C. Murphy of Bellbrook, Ohio. They have had nine children. The eldest, Mary Jane, was born May 17,

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1851, died June 20, 1869; Alice E., born December 8, 1853, died in infancy; George E., born February 13, 1856, died in infancy; Robert B., born December 23, 1858, died June 3, 1861; David T., Jr., born February 19, 1860, died in infancy; John H., born December 15, 1864, is a farmer on the old homestead. He was married November 4, 1891, to Minnie A., daughter of John M. Tur- ner. To them was born one son, David T., Jr. The seventh child was Ada Lee, born November 8, 1866, and married June 14, 1893, to Albert Anderson, an attorney at law, Lebanon, Ohio. The eighth child, Charles C., born February 29, 1868, is now foreman in the supply department of the Cash Register factory, Dayton Ohio. The youngest child, Samuel H., was born September 6, 1870, and is now a drug clerk in Springfield, Ohio. In rearing and educating his family, Mr. Morris employed a governess, and had his children instructed at home. He has been prompted to this course by his location being remote from school facilities, as well as by his own preference, yet no citizen pays school taxes more cheerfully than he. In religion the members of the family have all belonged to or affiliated with the Methodist church. Politic- ally, Mr. Morris has been a democrat all his life, though he never sought for office. He is free hearted and generous, and very widely known for his hospitality.

ILLIAM S. MORTON (deceased), son of David and Ellen (Stidham) Morton, was born at Richmond, Ind., November 14, 1822. His mother died when he was a babe and he was reared by his grandfather, William Stidham, near Middleboro, Wayne county, Ind., on a farm, where he received an educational train-

ing better than was ordinary in that part. He was married December 30, 1841, to Elizabeth A. Barton, daughter of Leven and Levisa (Wright) Barton. This young couple started on their journey through life with nothing of this world's goods. The husband, at the age of nineteen, was $40 in debt and rented a portion of his grandfather's farm. He bravely continued the up-hill struggle of farming on shares, for about fifteen years. He came to Randolph county about 1856 and purchased a portion of the farm now owned by Thomas S. Kennon, on which he lived until about 1864, when he purchased 200 acres, just west of Bartonia, of a Mr. Drellinger, and on this he lived and prospered until the close of his earthly career. Mr. Morton was in many re- spects a versatile character. He was unusually successful in buying and selling farm property, having owned a number of farms in this town- ship, which he sold at a profit. He dealt ex- tensively in live stock for many years and was a most excellent judge of a horse, having been employed to select and purchase a large num- ber of horses for buyers at Richmond, Ind., and other places. He for many years made a practice of purchasing young stock in the spring and grazing it through the summer, and disposing of it in the fall. He was also in a local way a successful practitioneer of veteri- nary science, being called in all directions to treat sick animals throughout the neighbor- hood. Mr. Morton was a republican, but never sought official preferment. He was much attached to his home and family and al- ways provided for them liberally, and was ever solicitous for their comfort and happiness. He was reared under the influence of the Society of Friends, but never united with any church. In private life and in his dealings with others he was upright and just.

Mr. and Mrs. Morton were the parents of nine children. Of these there are but two

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living; John W. Morton, a prosperous farmer of this township, and Maggie Pender, who re- sides with and cares for the mother and only daughter, Pearly M. Of those deceased Wmn. D., died October 25, 1885, at the age of thirty- seven years, and leaves two surviving children, Charlie E. and George E .; George C., died June 13, 1879, at the age of twenty-three years, and was married. Five others died in infancy.

The father of Mr. Morton, Leven Barton, was a native of Maryland, born September 4, 1790. He was married January 17, 1815, to Levisa Wright of the same state and by her became father of ten children, Elizabeth being born in Maryland, February 6, 1822, but when a few months old the family emigrated to Wayne county, Ind., and settled near Cox's Mill. The eldest brother, Edward Barton, in 1849 laid out the town of Bartonia on his own land. Of the family of ten children, only Mrs. Morton and three sisters are living. The family belong to the Society of Friends and ex- emplified the beautiful precepts of their simple faith in their early life. Mrs. Morton and her daughter, however, have been for many years active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Bartonia. Mr. Morton died Decem- ber 23, and was buried Christmas day, 1893.

0 AVID MURPHY, one of the oldest native citizens of Wayne township, was born on the farm where he now resides, in section 13, on August 25, 1838. He is a son of Robert and Elizabeth (Duvall) Murphy, who were married in 1827. Robert Murphy was a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, where he was born in 1804, and came to Randolph county, Ind., four years before David was born. He was a well read man and served as township trustee for

thirty years. People had much confidence in his ability and honesty, and he was made administrator of many estates. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and died in 1884. Elizabeth was born in 1807 and died in 1847; they were the parents of fifteen children, as follows: Benja- min, born 1828, October 19; William, born 1829, October 27; Absalom, born 1830, No- vember 15; Alzinah, born 1831, November 30; Robert, born 1833, September 14; Albert, born 1834, December 8; Martin, born 1836, March 7; Elizabeth, born 1837, May 3; David, born 1838, August 5; Elcy, born 1839, Decem- ber 23; Thomas, born 1841, October 12; Rachael, born 1842, September 8; Moses, born 1844, March 4; Asa, born 1845, Novem- ber 10; John B., born 1847, March I.

When Robert was a boy the public school lasted only about three months of the year, then he attended only a part of the time. He got enough of a start, however, to enable him to take up self education afterward. Until August, 1862, he worked with his father on the farm; at that time he enlisted in company F, Sixty-ninth regiment Indiana volunteer in- fantry. First, he was in battle at Richmond, Ky., where, with about all of his regiment, he was captured and paroled, returning home only two weeks after leaving it. He was ex- changed soon afterward, and with his regiment joined the army at Memphis, Tenn., and went with the fleet to Vicksburg, where it suffered defeat. He was in the siege of Mobile and many other important campaigns and engage- ments, notwithstanding the fact that he was afflicted during his entire service with chronic diarrhea. He was also in the Mississippi de- partment and was mustered out of the service on July 9, 1865. On returning home Mr. Murphy engaged in farming with as much earnestness as his impaired health would per- mit, but hired most of the work done. At

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first he owned twenty acres, adding forty acres later. His farm has now about 100 acres under cultivation, and he chiefly raises grain.

Mr. Murphy was married August 15, 1868, to Miss Mary, daughter of Andrew Frazier of Wayne township. Four children are the fruits of this marriage: Baxter Milton, born August 12, 1869; Edward, born March 8, 1871; Nora Myrtle, wife of Clarence Stump, farmer in Darke county, Ohio, born April 20, 1875; Harvey Luther, born April 12, 1877. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Sedgwick G. A. R. post.

INFIELD SCOTT MURRAY, Amer- ican express agent and mayor of Union City, Randolph county, Ind., is the son of Thomas L. and Fran- ces E. (Graham) Murray, and was born in Madison county, Ind., March 4, 1853, the day that Franklin Pierce was inaugurated president. He is one of six children, his father being a carpenter. In 1861, when eight years old, his father brought him to Deerfield, Randolph county, and in 1865 they moved to Union City. W. S. Murray attended the Union City schools, gaining a moderate education. In 1872, he entered Branham's restaurant, continuing therein five years. In 1878 he was elected constable of Wayne township, and in 1881, city marshal of Union City. His official duties were performed with accuracy and faith- fulness, and to the satisfaction of the com- munity. September 30, 1875, he married Harriet Seibert, of Greenville, Ohio, and they have three children, two of them now living. He is a republican, a member of the K. of P., and of the Improved Order of Red Men. In May, 1882, he was re-elected to the position of city marshal, having been nominated at the republican primary election by a large majority. In August, 1882, he resigned the office of city

marshal and accepted employment from the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad com- pany, as station freight agent at Union City, and in 1883 he was elected a member of the city council from the first ward, and served until 1887. In 1889 he became agent for the Amer- ican express company, which position he still holds. In 1892 he was nominated by the republicans for mayor, without opposition, and was triumphantly elected.

Thomas L. Murray died about 1888, at the age of 1872. His wife still survives, and her living children are: Sasan, wife of E. S. Pettis; Winfield S .; Sarah, wife of Charles Dehaven, of Denison, Tex .; William H., salesman for the Bowen lumber company; Maggie and Jessie, teachers. W. S. Murray has proven to be not only a popular man with his fellow citizens, but a filial son and an affec- tionate brother, having aided materially in se- curing to his younger brothers and sisters a superior education.

A DOLPHUS ADAMS, livery man of Union City, Ind., son of Solomon and Julia Ann (Shafer) Adams, was born in Johnstown, Pa., December 7th, 1834. When he was about four months old his parents removed to Ohio and shortly after settled at Bellefontaine, where Mr. Adams received a common school education, and at the age of fifteen learned the shoemaker's trade. He worked on the bench as a journey- man shoemaker at Bellefontaine, Kenton, Ur- ban, and at other towns in Ohio, until about the beginning of the late civil war, when he gave up his trade and engaged in the bakery hnd confectionery business some two years, and also clerked in a hotel at Bellefontaine for a time. He came to Union City in May, 1867, and was foreman in the large shoe shop

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of Jesse Paxson until 1878, when he gave up the last, hammer and awl, to engage in the livery business. He purchased an interest in a livery stable of Charles Negley and con- tinued business two years under the firm of Brumbaugh & Adams, when he purchased his partner's interest and became sole proprietor. Sixteen years ago he established his present business on Pearl street and continued there without interruption until June 27, 1893, when his stable was entirely destroyed by fire. Mr. Adams replaced it during the same year with a magnificent two story brick block, forty-six and one-fourth feet in width by 185 feet in depth. The barn is one of the most complete in eastern Indiana and has fifteen box stalls and other stable room, which fur- nish a total capacity for feeding 150 horses. The second story carriage room, 46x82, is supplied with an elevator and is entirely free from dust. The stable is also supplied with a commodious office, ladies' parlor, wash, harness, and feed rooms, furnished with water and other modern conveniences. He has occupied his new stable since Novem- ber, 1893, and does the principal livery, sale and feed business of Union City. Mr. Adams was married, in 1859, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Myers, daughter of John Myers of Tiffin, Ohio. (They have no children.) Mr. Adams is an enterprising and reliable business man and a worthy citizen. He is a charter member of · the Knights of Pythias and a member of the uniform rank.

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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 147

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