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 37

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 37
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 37

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).

The doctor was married, in 1883, to Miss Lillie F. Stewart, daughter of Mark O. and Hannah M. (Beemer) Stewart, and this union has been blessed with the birth of five chil- dren, viz: Calaburn, George A., Ada May,

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Mabel and Grover Mock. The doctor and his wife are among the respected members of Muncie society, and enjoy the reputation of being among the foremost to forward every enterprise calculated to advance the moral and material progress of the city of Muncie.

ARKER MOORE, one of the oldest and most respected agriculturists of Centre township, Delaware county, Ind., deserves to the full a brief notice among those other worthies of the township of whom mention is made in these pages. He was born February 28, 1826, in Scioto county, Ohio. His father, Lewis Moore, was born in Pennsylvania January 4. 1797, and on the 4th day of January, 1816, married Patience Truitt, a native of Arm- strong county, Pa., then residing in Scioto county, Ohio. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Nancy, Aaron, Amanda, Rhoda, Parker, John, Lewis, Sarah, Mary and Patience, of whom Nancy, Aaron and John are deceased. The father was a farmer, and followed that occupation during life. He sometimes built flat boats while living in Ohio, and, loading them with produce, sold it to towns along the river. He came with his family to Delaware county, Ind., in 1829, and entered land in Centre township, where he claimed and proved a farm. He died Novem- ber 20, 1841. His wife died September 22, 1874.

united in marriage with Mrs. Christina, daugh- ter of Gilpin E. Cook, and widow of the late Andrew N. Ribble, of this county. Her par- ents came to Delaware county in 1846, where the mother died in 1854. The father then moved to Blackford county, Ind., where he was engaged in milling operations until his death, which occurred in 1861. Mrs. Moore died July 17, 1876. April 16,_ 1887, Mr. Moore was wedded to his present companion, Miss Mary Cook, of this county, and the daughter ot Gilpin and Sarah (Bush) Cook, who were natives of Pennsylvania and who are both now deceased. Mr. Moore is one of the representative men of this township and occupies the old homestead farm. He is a successful farmer and an active friend to pub- lic improvements and the cause of education. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and they enjoy the good will of all who know them. He is one of the earnest republicans of this county and has been voting that ticket since the organization of the party in 1854.

ILLIAM R. MOORE, the subject of of this sketch, is an old Delaware county boy, born and reared in this county, where he has spent all of his life, with the exception of about eighteen years. He is one of a family of eight children, the son of William J. and Sarah Moore, nee Wilcoxon, both of whom are now deceased.

His parents were born and raised in Scioto county , Ohio. They came west with their parents and settled in this county in 1832. John Moore, the paternal grandfather, who was quite well to do, located on the old State road. about three miles southeast of Muncie, and built for himself a substantial brick dwell- Parker Moore was but three years of age when he came to this country, and grew up with but very limited educational advantages. At the age of twenty-three years he married Miss Martha, daughter of John and Harriet Smith, who died December 10, 1871, leaving four children-Caroline, William R., George W. and Parker T. August 8, 1872, he was | ing on what is now known as the James Boyce

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farm. Loyd Wilcoxon, senior, grandfather on the maternal side, located on the same road a little east of the other grandfather.

William J. was given the farm by his father about one-half mile east of the old homestead, now known as the Charles W. Cecil farm, to which he added, by purchase, land enough to make in all 400 acres. He built for himself a comfortable two-story frame dwelling, which has been moved back to give place for Mr. Cecil's elegant farm dwelling.

There was quite a colony of Scioto county people located, about the same year, near and around the Moores and Wilcoxons, nearly all related to them by blood or marriage ties, of whom we will mention the Truitts, Parker, George and James; Jackson's, Mahlon and Lemuel G., the latter an uncle of William J., and one of the founders of Muncietown, the Jackson donation to Muncie cornering at the northwest corner of Walnut and Jackson streets, being a part of his farm.

In 1822, when what is now a part of the Big Four railway system, then known as the Indianapolis, Pittsburg & Cleveland railroad, was being constructed through this county, William J. removed from his farm (which was at that time well stocked, some eighteen head of horses, with cattle, sheep and hogs in propor- tion), to Selma, a new station on that road, six miles east of Muncie, where he engaged in general merchandising and continued for many years. Uunfortunately for him he could not deny any one credit; the result was a large number of his customers afterward removed to the far west, owing him in the aggregate thou- sands of dollars. At about the same time he, like many others, put his fine farm and some Muncie property into a railroad company then proposed building between Cin- cinnati and Chicago, via Muncie, receiving therefor stock and bonds of the fraudulent corporation, which are still amongst the papers

of his estate, and if they bore interest at six per cent. would amount to more than $75,000, and yet they are not worth the paper they are engraved on. He was of the kind that never became discouraged, and possessed indomitable will power. Possessing the confidence and re- spect of all who knew him, he set himself the task of retrieving his lost fortune, which he ac- complished by slow but sure degrees. He and his life partner lived happily together for nearly fifty-eight years, both departing this life in the same year, 1893, in the firm belief that " Death does not end all."

William Roby, or "Robe," as many are in the habit of calling him, was the fifth child, was born on the farm referred to, March 9, 1845. He received a good common school education, becoming very proficient in mathe- matics. After leaving school he learned the blacksmith's trade. At the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, in '61, his father's patriotism was such that he volunteered his services to help put down the rebellion, which was then thought to be a matter that could be squelched before breakfast. He was too old to be received into the service. Roby was then but little past sixteen, too young, but owing to the trade that he was working at was remarkably well developed, physically, for his years. Patriotism was in the air, the war news and the fife and drum worked upon him until he finally persuaded his father to permit him to go in his stead. He enrolled himself in Capt. Samuel J. Williams' company, who was a near neighbor of the Moores. On the 2d day of July, '61, Capt. Williams proceeded to the state capitol with his company. It was ordered into camp at Camp Morton. The various companies that were encamped there were being drilled daily in the arts and tactics of war by experienced drill masters. On July 28, Capt. Williams' company was mustered into the United States service for three years or

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during the war. The company was assigned to the Nineteenth regiment Indiana volunteer infantry and drew place as Co. K. Sol. Mere- dith, of Wayne county, an intimate friend of the governor, was commissioned as its colonel. The regiment left for the seat of war on August 5, arriving in Washington city, D. C., on the 7th, and went into camp on Kolorama Heights where daily drills continued. At the time that this regiment was organized, the United States government had not adopted any particular uniform for its troops. The state of Indiana, through the indomitable will power of its great chief executive officer, that grandest of war governors, Oliver P. Morton, although handicapped by rebel sympathizers, at its own expense uniformed, armed and equip- ped its own volunteers and sent them to the front. The Nineteenth was supplied with a gray uniform which proved to be a rebel color. The first engagement that the regiment was in it was necessary to tie strips of white muslin around their arms to distinguish them from the rebel soldiers. The Second, Sixth, and Sev- enth Wisconsin regiments, the. Nineteenth Indiana and the Twenty-fourth Michigan, com- posed the famous Iron Brigade, being given this name after withstanding the furious on- slaught of a whole division of Stonewall Jack- son's corps at the battle of Gainesville, Va. At the time of the battle of Gettysburg, this brigade was the First brigade, First division of the First army corps. The First and Eleventh army corps opened the battle at Gettysburg and did heroic work in stemming the rebel advance during the first day until the Union army came up and secured position to wage successfully the decisive battle of the war.

Young Moore took part with his regiment in various heavy battles-those of Gainesville, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam and other minor engagements, thirteen in all, without

receiving so much as a scratch, until the bat- tle of Gettysburg, in the afternoon of the first day's fight, while bearing the regimental ban- ner, he had the index finger of his left hand shot away; was shortly after taken prisoner and held in the town of Gettysburg during all of the heavy engagements following. On the morning of the 4th day of July, 1863, the Union army having been victorious, he walked away from the place of his confinement, out through the streets of the little town, viewing the battle field covered with its thousand upon thousands of valiant dead soldiers-a battle field of historic renown, a battle field where the noble martyr Lincoln in his unapproach- able gem of a dedication address of the Nation- al cemetery said: "But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow the ground The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have con- secrated it far above our power to add or de- tract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

From Gettysburg young Moore was sent to Philadelphia, where he was given a clerkship after his wound healed. The last six months of his service were spent in Indianapolis as chief clerk for Dr. P. H. Jamesen, surgeon in charge of the soldiers' home. He was must- ered out of the service in August, 1864, and immediately secured a position on what is now the main line of the Big 4 system. After- wards he went to Cincinnati and took a com- mercial course in Bryant, Stratton & DeHans' Commercial college. Good luck seemed to follow him. He has seldom had to seek a situation. In 1865 he returned to his old home on a visit; while passing through Indian- apolis the superintendent of the Bee Line tendered him the agency of his road at Selma. His parents persuaded him to accept it, which he concluded to do. In connection with that

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he engaged in buying and shipping grain and prospered in his business.

In 1866, he married Susanna, daughter of William Miller, who was at one time county commissioner. Two children, girls, blessed this union, but they were soon called to Him who gave them. In 1873 he was promoted and sent to take charge of the station at Sidney, Ohio. Two years after moving there the direc- tory of the First National bank of that place tendered him a position as cashier of their bank at a salary greatly in advance of any that they had ever paid previously. He accepted the position, and the earnings of the bank during his management was the greatest in its history. The Resumption act, to take effect in 1879, scared hundrds of National banks into liquida- tion. This bank went into voluntary liquida- tion, paying its shareholders one hundred and seventy-five cents on the dollar. He after- wards engaged in the grain trade on an exten- sive scale, subsequently taking a partner in the business. They operated several grain eleva- tors, and owned and operated a line of boats in connection with their business. Having splendid banking facilities, they engaged exten- sively in buying track grain of other dealers throughout Ohio and Indiana, and shipping it to the seaboard. During the large crop years of 1879-80, they got caught in a blockade with large quantities of grain, which they could not get into the seaport markets in time to apply on their sales, in consequence; they were squeezed badly, crippling them, which event- ually ended in an assignment. Mr. Moore, when prosperous, had often said that he would not give shucks for a young man who could not get on his feet again after a financial failure, not knowing that he would so soon have a chance of trying it for himself. The loss of all of his money was as nothing as compared with the anguish and humiliation that he felt reflect- ed on his business judgment, on which he

prided himself. Two days after his failure a friend from another town came over expressly to offer him employment, knowing that it was needful for him to do something at once to ward the wolf from the door. The friend pretended that it was doing him a favor, but it was princi - pally in the fact of his enjoyment of the con- sciousness that he had done a kind act to a fellow man in distress. The offer of employment was appreciated and promptly accepted and afforded time for the "lame duck " to get its bearings. After traveling a few weeks another friend volun- tarily offered him money for him to engage in his former business on a small scale; within six months he had cleared his first thousand dollars, passing the Rubicon. Mr. Moore had inherited from his father father pluck, preseverance and good common sense, and with practical knowl- edge gained in his varied business experiences was soon on the road to prosperity once more. He removed to Union City, Ind., where he remained two and one-half years, and where splendid opportunities offered for regaining lost wealth.

In the spring of 1887 he removed to Mun- cie, and at the present time is devoting all of his business ability to official duties of the Delaware County Building, Savings and Loan association, one of the largest in the state, of which he was the promotor and principal or- ganizer, he holding the principal office, that of secretary. He has had many years' experi- ence in various capacities in the building and loan business, and has the reputation of being the best posted in this particular line of business of any one in the state.

Susanna Moore, the wife of William R., is the daughter of William and Anna Miller, nee Janney. Her parents were born and reared in Stark county, Ohio, and removed to Harrison township, Delaware county, many years ago, where they continued to reside up to the year 1865, when they removed to Selma. Her

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mother was of English descent and was a re- markably beautiful woman in her day. She died at her home in Selma, June 4, 1882, and was interred in Mount Tabor cemetery. Her father possesses a vigorous constitution and is still living at an advanced old age. He is en- dowed with good common sense, has a cultiva- ted mind and a large fund of general informa- tion. Susanna takes an active part in church work, in literary clubs and her domestic duties, and enjoys the confidence and respect of all who know her.

EORGE W. MUNN, route agent for the United States Express company for all its lines within the state of Indiana, was born on a farm near Bradford, Vt., where he lived until he reached his eighteenth year, attending school in the meantime. In 1870, he went to Chicago, whither his brothers had preceded him, and just after the tremendous conflagration which swept that city in October, 1871; was ap- pointed messenger by the American Express company for the run between Chicago and Cairo, Ill. In 1873 he was appointed deputy internal revenue collector for the first district of Illinois, and held the position until October, 1875. In 1876 he went to Emporia, Kans., was employed by the Adams Express com- pany as messenger on the run from Atchison, Kans., to Pueblo, Colo., for a year, and then between Emporia and Denison, Tex .; he was then agent for the same company at Jop- lin, Mo., for six months, and in January, 1878, accepted a position with the Baltimore & Ohio Express company as messenger between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Parkersburg, W. Va., filling the position two years; the next nine months he was transfer agent at Cincinnati for the Baltimore & Ohio and Ohio & Missis-

sippi companies, and then auditor of express accounts at Cincinnati for the Ohio & Missis- sippi company and for a time was acting superintendent. April 10, 1882, he became route agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Express company on the Ohio and Mississippi division between Cincinnati and St. Louis, and filled that position until March, 1887; later he was appointed route agent of the Baltimore & Ohio Express company for all of the Cincin- nati, Hamilton and Dayton territory, covering 400 miles, with headquarters at Hamilton, Ohio. In September, 1887, the United States Express company succeeded the Baltimore & Ohio company and Mr. Munn was placed in charge at Deshler, Ohio. April 1, 1891, he was transferred to Indiana, with headquarters at Muncie, where he has ever since had cha ge of the lines of the combined express companies for the state of Indiana, controlling 805 miles of road and 103 offices and all the employees.

Mr. Munn was married in July, 1873, to Miss Jane E. Shants, of Willamette, Ill., the result being five children, of whom two are sons: Amos S., and Clark C. The other three, daughters, are deceased.

Clark Munn, the father of G. W. Munn, was born in New Hampshire, in 1801, and led the life of a farmer in the Green Mountain state until within the last ten years of his life. He was highly honored by his fellow towns- men, was their selectman and trustee. He ended his days with his children in Chicago, Ill., at the age of seventy-seven. His wife, who was born in West Fairly, Vt., February 1, 1804, was a daughter of Randall Wild, and survived until December, 1892. Both were interred in Rose Hill cemetery, ten miles from Chicago. The family were Congregational- ists on both paternal and maternal sides, and Clark and his wife died in that faith. Of their family of seven sons and four daughters four are living, George W. being the seventh

C. F. W. NEELY

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boy; of the others, Benjamin M. Munn is a member of the noted law firm of Munn & Mapledom, of Chicago. Daniel W. is a mem- ber of the criminal legal firm of Munn & Wheeler, of the same city, and James Monroe Muun is in charge of the records of Cook county, Ill. Each of these boys was a faith- ful soldier in the Union army during the civil war. Of the deceased children all expired in early youth excepting two-Mary, wife of Daniel Hastings, of Corinth, Vt., who died about 1853, leaving two children, Hallie, and the other daughter was the wife of Sergeant Peabody, superintendent of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad at Columbus, and died May 22, 1893, leaving three children.

a HARLES F. W. NEELY, editor and proprietor of the Morning, the Sunday and the Weekly News, Muucie, Ind., is a native of the city, born January 4, 1859, and a son of Moses L. and Mary A. (Kenower) Neely. He was educated at the city schools, and after graduating at the Muncie high school, in 1877, studied law for three years in the office of Blount & Templer. About the time he was well prepared to enter upon the practice of his chosen profession, he found the city of Muncie overcharged with legal aspirants, and he found employment at other business at other points, including St. Louis, Mo, for one year, and Kansas City, in the same state, for one year, and elsewhere. In 1885 he purchased the Evening News, of Mun- cie, from N. F. Ethell, who founded that journal in 1872. It was continued as an even- ing newspaper until July 5, 1892, when it was changed to the Morning News. To venture upon the publication of a morning journal was a somewhat precarious undertaking, as many sad failures of similar ventures had occurred in

cities much larger than Muncie, and therefore the success of the Morning News has been a source of much gratification to its proprietor. In August, 1892. Mr. Neely associated with himself Frank J. Claypool, and together they began the publication of the Farmers' Record, which was, for the time, the official organ of the F. M. B. A., but when that political and economic organization began to show evidences of loss of vigor, Messrs. Neely & Claypool dis- posed of their organ to the American Farmer company, of Springfield, Ohio.

In politics, Mr. Neely has always been an earnest republican, and for five years has been chairman of the city central republican com- mittee; fraternally, he is a member of the B. P. O. E., and of the I. O. R. M. He has always manifested a lively interest in the in- dustries of Muncie, and has done much toward forwarding them, both by the use of his pen and other means. He is a sprightly and incisive writer, a shrewd politician, and a born newspaper mań. His marriage occurred March 23, 1886, to Miss Sarah E. Morgan, of Muncie, a daughter of Thomas Morgan, of of Madison county, Ohio.

Moses L. Neely, father of Charles F. W. Neely, was born in Adams county, Pa., April 30, 1816, and was a son of Moses and Jane (Smith) Neely, who left Pennsylvania in 1834, and with their son, Moses, and other members of their family settled in Clarke county, Ohio. He was married March 20, 1838, to Mary A. Kenower, a native of Cumberland county, Pa., born March 7, 1818, and taken to Clarke county, Ohio, in 1835, by her parents, Jacob and Sarah Kenower. In February, 1839, Moses L. Neely came to Muncie, Ind., and was the second cabinet maker in the town. After some years he engaged in general mer- chandising at the corner of Main and Walnut streets, carrying on the business for eighteen years, and then purchased a farm near town,

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to which he retired to enjoy the fruits of the labor of his earlier days, but in the short space of five years, on January 9, 1869, he passed away, leaving, to mourn his loss, a widow and ten children, the names of the latter being: Cyrus G., Carey O., Charles F. W., Sarah F., Mary J., Laura S., Wilma E., Leonora I., Emma and Kate W. Mr. Neely was a repub- lican from the organization of that party, and a pious member of the Presbyterian church, of which, also, his widow is a consistent member.

HOMAS S. NEELY was born Sep- tember 13, 1811, in Adams county, Pa., of which county his grandfather, Thomas Neely, and his father, Moses Neely. were also natives. His father married Jane Smith in that county, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits, owning a farm within eleven miles from Gettysburg. In 1831, he moved with his family to Miami county, Ohio, and, about the year 1840, to Randolph county, Ind., settling near the town of Windsor. His family consisted of four sons and five daughters, of whom Thomas S. is the only survivor.

In early life Thomas S. Neely was engaged in the labor of farm work at home, attending the district school in the winter until seventeen years of age, when he was apprenticed to a blacksmith at Petersburg, Pa., to learn the trade. He remained with him for nearly three years, and having acquired a good knowledge of the trade, he began to work on his own ac- count, and in 1831 removed with his parents to Miami county, Ohio. He worked at his trade in Troy, Urbana, and other Ohio towns, and, in 1833, returned to his former home in Pennsylvania, and was wedded to Miss Matilda Wierman. He lived in Miami county six years, and, in February, 1839, came to Muncie, with whose interests he has long been identified.

He at first engaged in the grocery trade, but the town was small and the merchants plenty, and he was soon convinced that there was a better opening for the mechanic than the merchant, and decided therefore to devote himself to his trade. He accordingly opened a blacksmith shop, and followed his trade for over twenty years. From 1842 to 1848 he served as a member of the board of county commissioners of Delaware county, and as school director subsequent to that time. In June, 1878, he was elected as a member of the board of education. His first purchase of real estate was the lot now occupied by the Abbott house, where he had his residence, and, at a later date, he erected the brick block on Main street, in which the photographic rooms of L. S. Smith are now located. In this building Mr. Neely established a daguerreotype gallery, and made the first pictures in Muncie, and was the leading photographer of this city until about twenty years ago, when he transferred the gallery to his son, Lon M.

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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 37

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