USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware county, 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 26
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any individual-that of being elected to the office for two consecutive terms. In 1893 he was elected, by a unanimous vote, secretary of the democratic editorial association of the state, showing the high esteem in which he is held by his fellow democratic journalists throughout the state. His acquaintance with the leading men of Indiana, especially with those of the democratic party, and his sound judgment in matters political, although not professing to be a politician, make him a valuable factor in party councils, and his voice is never unheeded. He is a strong tariff re- former, and is regarded as an eloquent politi- cal orator, as he handles his subject in the hustings with the ease and clearness that come from well-founded convictions.
In May, 1890, Mr. Haimbaugh was united in marriage with Miss Emma Elginfritz, of Warsaw, Ind., the union being blessed with one child, Paul A., whose presence in the household adds sunshine to the already bright and happy home of the parents. Mr. Haim- baugh, it will be perceived, has raised himself to his present elavated position solely through his own talents and persevering industry.
ALVIN HAINES, a successful busi- ness man of Muncie, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, September 5, 1841, son of Stacy and Judith Haines, an appropriate mention of whom is found else- where in this volume. Mr. Haines was reared on the home farm until his thirteenth year, and then removed, with his parents, to the village of Sligo, Ohio, where he attended school until eighteen years of age. On quit- ting school he apprenticed himself to a Mr. Andrews to learn the blacksmithing trade, at which he worked for a period of three years, or until August, 1862, when he entered the
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army, enlisting in company I, Seventy-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry. with which he served until the close of the war. He was with his command in the Tennessee and Georgia cam- paigns and participated in all the battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta, through all which he passed without receiving the slightest injury. At one time, he was confined to the hospital at Nashville on account of sickness, but re- covered in time to take part in the great battle fought near that city which resulted in the de- struction of Hood's army. He was sent to Goldsborough, N. C., in 1865, and in June of that year was honorably discharged from the service at Washington, D. C. Returning home at the close of the war, Mr. Haines en- gaged in farming for two years, and then embarked in the grocery business, which he carried on with a reasonable degree of success until March, 1869, at which time he disposed of his stock and moved to Muncie.
On coming to this city he engaged in the dry goods trade until 1878, at which date he began handling feed, and also embarked in the ice trade, both of which lines he conducted until 1884, and the former of which occupied his attention until 1891. In the latter year he disposed of his feed store and opened a meat market, which he conducted with success and financial profit until June, 1893. Mr. Haines has managed his various business enterprises with judicious care, and since becoming identi- fied with the commercial interests of Muncie, he has been recognized as one of the city's efficient and progressive citizens. He was married September 5, 1867, to Mary T. Har- vey, of Clinton county, Ohio, daughter of Simon and Ann (Townsend) Harvey, to which union three children have been born, namely: Walter H., a business man of Pueblo, Col .; Harvey C., deceased; and Frank, who resides with his parents at home. Mr. and Mrs. Haines are consistent members of the Society
of Friends; in politics Mr. Haines is a repub- lican.
AVID T. HAINES, one of the repre- sentative business men, and for many years a prominent citizen of Dela- ware county, is a native of Ohio and a member of an old Virginia family which settled in the "Buckeye" state before the dawn of the present century. John Haines, the grandfather of David T., was born in Vir- ginia August 15, 1769, and married in Freder- ick county, W. Va., December 4, 1792, Eliza- beth Allen, whose birth occurred on the 10th day of May, 1768. Shortly after marriage they moved to Warren county, Ohio, and set- tled in Wayneville, where he built the first mill in that part of the state, which began operations in 1797. Subsequently, he dis- posed of the mill and moved to Greene county, Ohio, entered a tract of land in the vicinity of Xenia, cleared a farm and reared a family of nine children, eight of whom grew to years of maturity. He died in November, 1823, and was buried on the old home farm near Xenia, where an appropriate monument marks the place; his wife died in Highland county, Ohio. Stacy Haines, son of John Haines and father of David T., was born August 2, 1795, in Frederick county, Va., and was united in mar- riage December 3, 1817, in Highland county, Ohio, to Judith Terrell, who became the mother of twelve children; David T., Noah, Mary, Amos, Samuel T., John, Sarah, Stacy A., Martha wife of John Moore; Judith A., wife of George Breckney; Edwin A. and Cal- vin. Of these children David T., Stacy, Martha, Judith, Edwin A., Calvin and Allen are still living. Stacy and Judith Haines were birthright members of the Society of Friends, to which both branches of the family have belonged for several generations. The
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father died October 5, 1854, and on the 6th day of January, 1861, the mother was called away.
David T. Haines was born in Xenia, Ohio, October 1, 1818. He was reared on the home farm in Ohio, and in the common schools received an education, which, supplemented by subsequent years of association with the world, has enabled him to transact the duties of an active business life. While still young, he was engaged in teaming to Cincinnati, Dayton and other points, and at the age of twenty years began learning the trade of mill- ing in Clinton county, Ohio, in the mill pur- chased there by his father in 1838. He con- tinued the trade for twelve years, and in 1848 he came to Muncie, Ind., where, until 1853, he was engaged in the wholesale and retail grocery business. To Mr. Haines is largely due the credit for the general system of inter- nal improvements which did so much towards developing central Indiana and Delaware county, and in locating the Fort Wayne & Southern railroad through this part of the state, of which company he was secretary from 1853 until its failure in 1855. He continued as custodian of the archives, stocks, bonds and books of the company until 1868, when they were turned over to John C. Parker, who attempted to rebuild the road from Jefferson- ville to Muncie. After the failure of this proj- ect, he assisted in organizing the company that built the road from Fort Wayne to this city, now the Ft. W., C. & L., of which he was secretary and treasurer, and later became vice-president of the road until sold to Chas. H. Dalton and others. He was elected an official in 1868 of the company that construct- ed the road from Connersville to Fort Wayne, which was subsequently leased to the Cincin- nati railroad company, after which he became secretary and a director of the same line, since known as the Fort Wayne & Cincinnati road. He was one of the committee that bought the
iron for the road and the first six engines that are still in use by the company. He contin- ued with the company until it disposed of its interest to a Boston syndicate, and retained his official connection until the road changed hands. Practically Mr. Haines had personal charge of the construction of the road, and it was by his exertions alone, and careful man- agement; that the company was enabled to complete the work at the time specified, in order to receive the subsidy promised by the citizens of Muncie and Delaware and Wells counties. He was identified with the com- pany until the sale of the line in 1872, at which time he devoted his attention largely to the grain trade in Muncie and other points, and in 1867 began to speculate in Kansas real estate. In 1865 he began buying grain in Chicago, later extended his operations in this line to Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1875 became prominently identified with the Muncie Machine works, of which he was a director and of which he afterwards became general manager. In 1881 Mr. Haines moved to Kan- sas, where he remained until 1892, at which time he returned to Muncie.
Mr. Haines was married October 10, 1841, to Deborah Sever, of Warren county, Ohio, where her birth occurred on the 17th day of October, 1819; she bore her husband three children, namely: Elma, wife of A. G. F. Janes of Topeka, Kan; Adelbert, of Kansas City, Mo., and Melvina, widow of Samuel C. Gregg. Mrs. Haines died in 1852, and De- cember 7, 1853, Mr. Haines was united in marriage with Elizabeth Dragoo, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Crantz) Dragoo. Mrs. Haines is a native of West Virginia and dates her birth from May 19, 1827. To Mr. Haines' second marriage three children have been born: Elizabeth, wife of J. N. Smith ; Allen, of this city, and David T., a commission merchant in Kansas City, Mo.
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Mr. Haines is a man of the highest stand- ing in the community, and his reputation has been gained by a long course of honest and straightforward conduct. He was a member of the common council of Muncie for two terms, and is entitled to the honor of introdu- cing Odd Fellowship to the city-being a member of the original lodge organized here in 1849. He was the original proprietor of the National hotel, which he conducted three and one half years under the name of the Haines house, and it was by his capital that the building was erected. In his political affiliations Mr. Haines is a republican, and in religion is a member of the Society of Friends, to which denomination his wife and different members of the family belong.
A RCHIBALD HAMILTON, deceased, was one of the most successful agri- culturists and general business men of Centre township, Delaware county, Ind., and was born in Monongalia county, Va. (now West Va.), February 19, 1828, the son of Stephen and Elizabeth (McAbee) Hamilton. He was the youngest son in a family of eight children: Alvin, farmer near Lyndon, Kan .; Washington, deceased when a young man; Henry (see sketch of Milton Hamilton), Selina, wife of Silas Bates, farmer near Jerseyville, Ill. ; Mary, first wife of William Walling, of Muncie; Thomas, deceased, was a farmer near Deepwater, Mo .; Stephen, farmer of Centre township, and Archibald, whose name heads this sketch. Archibald was but two and a half years old when brought to Centre town- ship, where his father entered 160 acres of land, on which Archibald was reared, and of which he in due time became part proprietor with his father until the latter's death. After receiving a fair amount of schooling in his
neighborhood, but a still larger amount of farm training, he started for the gold fields of California with a company, of which his father and brother, Stephen, were also members, and of which party Archibald was the youngest. Having been fairly successful in the mines, Archibald returned, in 1851, and invested $800 of his earnings in"a part of the old homestead and engaged in raising and dealing in live stock, in which enterprise his brother, Henry, afterward became associated, and which they together carried on until some time in 1868, when- the partnership was dissolved. Then Archibald bought out the other heirs to the home farm, which then comprised 404 acres, and took upon himself the care of his parents. For the last fifteen or eighteen years of his life, Mr. Hamilton rented out this property and other that he had accumulated, amount- to 600 acres of farm land and numerous valu- able town lots.
In December, 1887, Mr. Hamilton was married to Miss Harriet Fleming. Her par- ents, Isaac and Amelia Fleming, were from Marion county, West Va., and settled in Henry county, Ind., in 1855. The father died in 1857, leaving a widow and seven chil- dren. His remains were interred in the ceme- tery at Hillsboro, Ind. In 1865 the widow removed to Muncie, Ind., where she ended her days in March, 1892, at the age of seventy- nine, leaving as her survivors one son and three daughters, viz: Hugh H. Fleming, whole- sale hardware merchant of Sedalia, Mo .; Harriet, widow of Archibald Hamilton; Mrs. Amanda Coffeen, widow of Zelomir Coffeen, and Lydia, wife of George H. Andrews. Three children, deceased, were named David, Pres- ton and Charles.
Archibald Hamilton was called from life July 5, 1890. He was a man of extraordinary business sagacity and yet of great tenderness of heart. His good qualities are summed up
A. HAMILTON.
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in the few sentences following: He was very liberal with the poor and afflicted; was never extortionate with his tenants, but always gen- erous in his benefactions to public enterprises of merit; he was possessed of remarkable financial ability and was a wonderful mental mathematician; he was lenient to an extreme with his debtors, and seldom made a forclos- ure, and was, in the full sense of the term, a large-hearted, sympathetic man. He was a lover of fine horses and always drove a good one, and his æsthetic tastes are exemplified in the remodeling of his late residence, now occupied by his amiable and ladylike widow. His name will be remembered with gratitude by hundreds of recipients of his bounty, and his loss deplored by his family till time to them shall cease.
ILTON HAMILTON, commission salesman, sale and livery stable keeper, Muncie, is a native of Dela- ware county, Ind., born in Centre township, January 3, 1853. His father, Henry Hamilton, was a native of West Virginia and son of Stephen and Ann (McAbee) Hamilton, who were among the pioneers of Delaware county, settling, many years ago, about three miles north of Muncie, upon 380 acres of land purchased from the government. Henry Ham- ilton was but eleven years of age when he ac- companied his parents to this county, and he grew to manhood amid the stirring scenes of pioneer times. It is stated that he never knew the use of a shoe until after his eleventh year, and during his youth he bore his full share in contributing toward the support of the family in their new home in the woods. He received his educational training in the indifferent country schools of that period, and at the age of twenty-four went to Illinois and entered a tract of government land in Henry county, that
state. When thirty-two years old, he was united in marriage with Mary C. Coe, daughter of William and Harriet Coe, of Indiana, and immediately thereafter disposed of his interest in Illinois, and, returning to Delaware county, settled on the old home farm, where he re- mained, a successful tiller of the soil, until his death, which occurred on the 17th day of March, 1884. His wife survived him nearly two years, departing this life in January, 1886. Henry and Mary C. Hamilton had a family of four children, namely: Milton, Millard F., William Harry and Carl E. Of the above, William Harry is deceased; Millard F. and Carl are at this time engaged in farming and real estate business in the new state of Wash- ington.
Milton Hamilton was reared on the home farm in Centre township and received his educational training in the district schools. He remained under the parental roof until his twentieth year, at which time, thinking to bet- ter his financial condition in the west, he went to the distant state of California, where for a period of seven years he was engaged in agri- cultural pursuits in Sacramento valley, princi- pally in the counties of Butte and Napa. He met. with a fair degree of success as a farmer, and in 1879 went to Washington terri- tory, pre-empted land, and there he resided until his return to Delaware county in the spring of 1884. From the latter year until September, 1892, Mr Hamilton was engaged in farming the old homestead, and then effect- ed a copartnership with F. Karn in the com- mission, sale and livery business, which he has since carried on and in which his success has been very encouraging. Mr. Hamilton is well known in business circles in Muncie, and his financial standing is first class in every particular. His close attention to his various lines of business has been marked by careful forethought, and he has been enabled to accu-
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mulate thereby a handsome property, owning at this time a valuable farm of 320 acres, be- side other real estate in the city and county. He is a director and stockholder in the Farm- ers' National bank of Muncie, and the business firm with which he is at present identified is one of the leading establishments of the kind in the city.
Mr. Hamilton was married in Puget Sound, Wash., December 8, 1885, to Hattie C., daughter of John and Hattie McArdle. This union has been crowned with the birth of three children, namely: Hazel, Henry C., and Louise-the second child dying in infancy. Mr. Hamilton's political affiliations are with the republican party, but he has never been a partisan in the sense of seeking official prefer- ment.
S TEPHEN HAMILTON, of Centre township, Delaware county, Ind., was born in Monongalia county, W. Va., December 27, 1825, the son of Stephen and Anna E. (McAbee) Hamilton, natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Maryland. After their marriage Stephen and Anna Hamilton settled in Monongalia county, W. Va., where they made their home until the fall of 1830, at which time they moved to Delaware county, Ind., locating on what is now the Granville turnpike, Centre township, where they purchased from the government 240 acres of land. To this Mr. Hamilton subsequently added another tract of 140 acres, and began life in the backwoods. His first dwelling was a rude log structure, eighteen by twenty feet in dimensions, covered with a clap-board roof held to place by weight poles, the door made of clap boards fastened with wooden hinges, while light was admitted to the interior of the domicile through a window in which greased paper was used in-
stead of glass. Mr. Hamilton, for some time after coming to the new country, supplied his table with the meat of deer, bear, wild turkey and other game, with which the forests at that time abounded. He acquired great skill with a rifle, and no wild animal upon which he drew his deadly aim was ever known to have escaped. He was one of the original " Forty-niners " who sought the gold fields of far away California, and he started for the Pacific coast by a private conveyance to Rich- mond, Ind., thence by stage to Cincinnati, at which place he took a steamer for New Orleans and across the gulf to Chagres City. After crossing the Isthmus of Panama he was detained for about six weeks, at the end of which time, in company with a number of other spirits as daring as himself, he chartered an English vessel and proceeded to San Fran- cisco. He was engaged in mining for a period of eighteen months, during which time he accumulated considerable money. He re- turned home by the same route as he went to Calafornia, resumed farming, and was thus employed until his death, which occurred on the 17th day of May, 1872; his wife died December 11, 1868, on the home farm. These excellent people were members of the Episcopal church; they reared a family of eight children, whose names are as follows: Alvin, of Osage county, Kan .; Washington, deceased; Henry, deceased; Selina, wife of S. Bates, of Illinois; Mary A., deceased; Thomas, deceased; Stephen, whose name opens this sketch, and Archibald, deceased.
Stephen Hamilton was but four years of age when brought to this county, within the boundaries of which the greater part of his subsequent life has been passed. He re- calls, with pleasure, the exicting scenes of pioneer life, and amid the rugged duties, incident to the clearing and developing of the home farm, he acquired strength of
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body and determination of will which served him well in after years. In the primitive log school house he acquired the rudiments of an education, and at the age of twenty-three, in company with his brother Archibald, accom- panied his father upon the latter's long and perilous journey to the gold fields of Cali- fornia. For a period two years and two months he worked in the mines, and during that time succeeded in accumulating a considerable sum of money, which he judiciously invested in 160 acres of fine land upon his return to Dela- ware county. The place he purchased is in Centre township, and he has since resided upon the same, being the owner at this time of a comfortable home and a hightly improved farm.
Mr. Hamilton was married October 18, 1855, to Miss Rachael Moore, whose birth oc- curred in Butler county, Ohio, July 8, 1837. Her parents, Mark and Mary (Davis) Moore, both natives of Ohio, were married April 4, 1835, and reared the following children: Zerelda, deceased; Rachael, whose name ap- pears above; John, a contractor of Muncie; Robert C., deceased; Anna, of Muncie; Lany, wife of John Pugh; Virginia, wife of J Smith of Kansas; Vincent T., of Muncie, a contractor. The father of these children died November 24, 1881; the mother still lives and makes her home in the city of Muncie. The wedded life of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton has been crowned by the birth of ten children, whose names are as follows: Charles E., of Seattle, Washing- ton; Lillie Z., wife of George Shafer; Ann E., wife of L. Michner; Frank E., Henry, Mary E., deceased; Iva, deceased; Archibald A., Grace S. and infant who died unnamed. Mr. Hamilton is a man of popularity in his com- munity; prudence and moderation are among his chief characteristics, and his life has been governed by pure and just precepts. By suc- cessful management he has accumulated a
competency of this world's goods, and owns the fine farm already noted, beside valuable property in the city of Muncie. He is a re- publican in politics, and has always taken an active interest in the material prosperity of his township and county.
RANT HANCOCK, contractor, of Muncie, Ind,, is a son of Watson and Elizabeth (Davis) Hancock, and was born in Wayne county, Ind., June 1, 1864. Watson Hancock was born near Ham- ilton, Ohio, in 1820 or 1821, was married at College Corner, Ohio, settled in Wayne coun- ty, Ohio, shortly after that event, thence moved to Randolph county, where he followed farming until about 1871, when he settled in Delaware county, near Yorktown, where he followed farming for about ten years, and then moved to Edgar county, Ill., where he and wife are now living-he at the age of seventy-two years. These parents have ten children now living, viz: George, a farmer of Randolph county, Ind .; Caroline, wife of Jerry Bennett, of Paris, Ill .; William, in business at Red Key, Ind. ; Hannah, wife of Frank Reed, Hildreth, Ill .; Alice, wife of Stephen Johnson, farmer, of Edgar county, Ill. ; David, farmer of the same county; Grant Hancock; Ida, unmar- ried, at home with her parents; Watson, a car- penter, of Muncie, Ind., and Nora, unmarried, with her parents.
Grant Hancock, at the age of seventeen, worked for himself a year in Illinois at farm- ing, and from that on in Randolph county, Ind., until twenty-two. But agriculture was not congenial to his taste, and at the age named he apprenticed himself at carpentering -first to John Williams and then to George Barnett, who were doing much work along the line of the I. B. & W. railroad in Ran-
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dolph county. After two years' work for these parties he was prepared to do business on his own account, and began contracting. He erected a large number of buildings near Modoc and Losantville, and for three years met with much success, and then came to Muncie, in 1889, and began contracting as a member of the firm of Hancock & Smith for the first. season. In 1890 he formed a partner- ship with his brother David for one year, since which time he has been contracting alone. His work has been quite extensive since then, having, since 1892, built ninety- two dwelling houses, to-wit: Forty for W. A. Sampson, and thirty-five for A. L. Johnson & Co., in Gray's addition in 1892, and twenty- two in the spring of 1893, before the financial depression came on. In active times his ef- fective force of employees numbers 100 men.
Mr. Hancock is in politics a democrat, and, as he believes in "live and let live, " assisted in the organization of the carpenters' union in Muncie, but resigned in 1892, yet continued to treat his employees with the same considera- tion as the other contractors in the city. Mr. Hancock started at contracting with limited capital, but by skill, strict business integrity, promptness in filling his contracts, he has placed himself at the head of the contractors of Muncie, as the attendance of patrons at his office, 406 east Adams street, will attest. Mr. Hancock was married, in 1886, to Miss Rosa M. Grubbs of Modoc, Ind., who has added happiness to this home by the addition of three bright children-Alvin, Bertha and an infant son.
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