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 30
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Rebecca Kerwood consisted of four sons-As- bury L., David L., William R. and Albert, and two daughters, Mary E. and Margaret F.
The eldest son, Asbury L., was born June 21, 1842, in Preble county, Ohio, and acquired a fair English education in the common schools of that and Wayne county, Ind., attending one term at Liber college, Jay county, after he was fifteen years of age. In October, 1859, he was apprenticed to Judge John Brady of Muncie to learn the trade of saddler and har- ness making. While thus employed the coun- try became enveloped in the clouds of civil war, and he enlisted April 6, 1861, in a com- pany raised by Gen. Thomas J. Brady for the three months' service. He accompanied his command to the front and participated in one of the first engagements of the war-the battle of Rich Mountain, W. Va., where he received a wound in the left arm and right breast, being the first soldier from Delaware county to receive injury by rebel bullets.
On the 6th of August, 1861, he was honor- ably discharged, and in November of the same year he enlisted in Company F, Fifty-seventh Indiana volunteer infantary, as duty sergeant. His regiment went into camp at Richmond, Ind., thence moved to Indianapolis in Decem- ber, 1861, and on the 23d day of the same month proceeded to the scene of conflict, the first engagement being the bloody battle of- Shiloh, which was reached after a forced march of thirty miles. Subsequently, Mr. Kerwood participated with his regiment in the following battles: Perryville, Ky., three days' battle at Stone River, where for gallant con- duct he was promoted to rank of first sergeant; Mission Ridge, Tenn., Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Moun- tain, and other battles of the Atlanta cam- paign, in all of which he earned laurels as a brave and gallant soldier. Later he was with his regiment in the battles of Peachtree Creek,
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siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Ga., Franklin, Tenn., Springhill, Tenn., and Nashville.
February 4, 1865, Mr. Kerwood was honorably discharged from the service, and after his return to Indiana was engaged at school teaching and other pursuits in Wabash and Hamilton counties, and devoted his time to the collection of material for the history of his regiment, which he completed and pub- lished in the spring of 1868. In the spring of 1866 Mr. Kerwood made a tour of the eastern states, and upon his return temporarily located at Fairmount, Grant county, where he worked at his trade during the summer of that year. In October, 1867, he settled at Wheeling, Delaware county, where he made his residence until 1875. July 22, 1868, Mr. Kerwood and Mrs. Susan Craw, daughter of William P. and
Sarah Reasoner, and widow of Ephraim Craw, were united in the bonds of wedlock. At the republican county convention, 1874, Mr. Ker- wood received the nomination for the office of the clerk of the circuit court, and in October of the same year was elected by the largest majority on the ticket. He was re-elected in 1878 by a very large majority, and discharged the duties of his position in a faithful and able manner until the expiration of his term in August, 1883. In April, 1884, he was elected a director in the Citizens' National bank, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Henry Hamilton. In April, 1885, he succeeded George W. Spilker to the presidency of the bank, and has since filled that honorable po- sition to the eminent satisfaction of all con- cerned. In 1887 Mr. Kerwood became a member of the city school board, of which he is now treasurer, and to him is largely due much of the credit of bringing the schools of Muncie to their present high state of efficiency. He was one of the organizers of the Muncie Land company, of which he has since been a director and vice-president. For the past five
years he has been a member of the firm of E. P. Smith & Co., manufacturers of hubs and spokes, and was one of the original directors of the Muncie Exploring company, which drilled the first gas well in Muncie. In addi- tion to the above enterprises Mr. Kerwood was a member of the first advisory board of the Citizens' Enterprise company. It will thus be seen that Mr. Kerwood's career has been one of great business activity. He proved himself a faithful and efficient officer, and in all relations of life, whether official, business or social, he has shown himself to be worthy of the confidence and esteem of his fellow citi- zens, and those with whom he comes in con- tact unite in pronouncing him a true type of the intelligent and well bred gentleman.
ORRIS D. KIDNOCKER, a well- known· miller, was born in Morgan county, Ohio, October 2, 1837, the son of Goodlief and Lucinda (Miller) Kidnocker. The father was a native of Germany and the mother of Massachusetts. Goodlief and Lucinda Kidnocker were married in Marietta, Ohio, and reared a family of eight children, as follows: Sarah (deceased), Robert, Malinda, Morris D., David (deceased), Caro- line, Samantha and Luther. The father was a man of unblemished moral character, an earnest supporter of the republican party, and was honored by all who formed his acquaint- ance. He died in January, 1883; his wife died in March, 1865. Like her husband, she was a member of the U. B. church and a woman of eminent respectability.
Morris D. Kidnocker was reared to man- hood in the county of his nativity, in the schools of which he received a good education, and at the early age of seventeen, began teaching, which profession he followed with
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creditable success for several years. On at- taining his legal majority he engaged in the manufacture of lumber, which business, in connection with agriculture, he pursued until 1865, when he began the manufacture of flour in Ross and Hawkins counties, Ohio, to which calling he has since devoted his attention. He was married in Hawkins county, Ohio, in 1860, to Clarissa Jane Wiggins, who was born March 18, 1838, the daughter of John T. and Nancy (Schultz) Wiggins. The parents of Mrs. Kidnocker were natives respectively, of Kentucky and Virginia, and were among the early pioneers of the Buckeye state. The wedded life of Mr. and Mrs. Kidnocker was blessed with the birth of ten children: Ella, Albert, Silas (deceased), Gilbert, Hattie, Lillie, Rosie, Alma, Ottie and Wilber (deceased). The mother departed this life December 22, 1881, and, subsequently, in 1884, Mr. Kid- nocker was united in marriage with Mrs. Anna Witt, mother of Enoch Witt, a biographical mention of whom appears on another page of this volume. Mr. Kidnocker is a substantial citizen, and his life, though comparatively uneventful, has not been unfruitful of good results and kind deeds in behalf of his fellow- man wherever he has resided. He thoroughly understands the business to which so many of his years have been devoted, and the confi- dence and respect of the community are his in a satisfactory degree. He is a supporter of the republican party and takes an intelligent interest in public affairs.
J UDGE DAVID KILGORE, late of Delaware county, was born in Harri- son county, Ky., April 3, 1804, the second in a family of four sons. His father, Obed Kilgore, was a native of Pennsyl-
vania, but for many years, was a citizen of Kentucky, where he carried on farming until 1819, when he removed with his family to Franklin county, Ind., then a wilderness, but soon died at the residence of his son David at the age of eighty-two. Judge Kilgore's mother was Rebecca (Cusic) Kilgore; she died in Franklin county, in 1843. After the usual course of study in the common schools of his native place and of Franklin county, Ind., Mr. Kilgore commenced reading law without a preceptor, but was occasionally aided by Gov. James B. Ray and John T. Mckinney, the latter afterward judge of the supreme court of Indiana. In 1830, having finished his pre- paratory studies, he started on foot for Dela- ware county, carrying all his worldly effects, which consisted of a small bundle of clothes, four law books and $4.75 in money. On reaching his destination, he secured a pre- emption claim and located upon it, but com- menced the practice of his profession. In 1832 he was chosen on the whig ticket to represent Delaware county in the legislature, was several times re-elected, and in 1836 be- came speaker of the house. In 1839 Mr. Kilgore was elected judge of the judicial cir- cuit, composed of the counties of Randolph, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Blackford, Madison, Wells and Adams, and served seven years. In 1850 he was a member of the convention that revised the state constitution. He was elected by heavy majorities to the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth congresses, and bore a part in the exciting discussions that there occurred during Buchanan's administration. Judge Kilgore was very active as one of the original builders of the Bee-Line railway, and was one of its directors for about twenty years. He was a stockholder in the Citizens' National bank of Muncie, and also a stockholder in the Muncie Natinal bank, and in the First National bank of Indianapolis. He was chiefly instrumental
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in establishing the Indiana Hospital at Wash- ington during the first year of the civil war.
Judge Kilgore was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and took all the council degrees. He helped organize the republican party, to which he remained firmly attached. He was born within the pale of the Presby- terian church, but afterward changed his rela- tions and became connected with the Metho- dist denomination. He married July 4, 1831, Mary G. Van Matre, daughter of Absalom Van Matre, a prominent resident of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Kilgore had a family of six sons: Henry C, who died in infancy; Alfred, who was a captain in the Thirty-sixth volunteers, afterward a district attorney and also member of the legislature three terms; Obed; Tecum- seh, a surgeon of the Thirteenth Indiana cavalry; David, also a captain, and James, a leutenant, both of the Nineteenth infantry.
Alfred Kilgore, late of Muncie, will always be remembered as one of the most talented men of Indiana. With an ordinary English education, he arose by his own active energies to the high position he occupied at the bar, in political circles, and in the army. He was the son of Hon. David Kilgore, and was born April 7, 1833, on the homestead farm, in Mount Pleasant township, Delaware county, where also occurred his death, August 22, 1871. During boyhood he attended the old seminary at Muncie. On leaving school he engaged for a year or two in teaching, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857 in Muncie, where he soon gained an enviable reputation as a criminal lawyer. Mr. Kilgore held numerous local offices in the city and county, prior to 1860; but when the first alarm of war was sounded in 1861, he wasone of the first to offer his services. He recruited a company, which was assigned as company B, of the Thirty-sixth Indiana volunteer infantry, with which regiment he remained,
and participated in all the campaigns of the army of the Cumberland until the battle of Shiloh. Though his spirit was brave his body was too weak to endure the hardships of the camp and field. Stricken with disease, he lingered in the hospital for months, then was brought home to die. His strong will con- quered the disease in a measure, but only par- tially, for it was the cause of his death. In appreciation of his talents and services, his friends elected him to the state legislature for two terms. Soon after the expiration of his term of office he was appointed United States attorney for the district of Indiana. Mr. Kilgore married, August 2, 1854, Miss Susan Shoemaker, now the wife of Hon. James N. Templer. Of this happy marriage two chil- dren were born-Charles W., a young lawyer, who seems to have inherited his father's genius, and Mollie G. (Mrs. Davis), a lady of rare beauty
a HARLES W. KILGORE, son of the late Hon. Alfred Kilgore, was born February 20, 1855, in Yorktown, Dela- ware county, Ind. He received his education in the schools of Muncie and Smith- son college, Logansport, and at the age of eighteen began the study of law in the office of Templer & Gregory, under whose instructions he continued two years, making rapid progress in the meantime. He was admitted to the Delaware county bar in 1874, and his abilities soon won for him an extensive legal business as well as a prominent position among the successful lawyers of Muncie. In 1876 he be- came associated in the practice with Hon. O. J. Lotz, and continued the relationship un- der the firm name of Lotz & Kilgore, until his election as mayor in 1879, when he retired from active participation in the law in order to devote his attention to the discharge of his
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official functions. In the spring of 1893 Mr. Kilgore became interested in the construction of the Chicago, Indiana & Eastern railroad through central Indiana and Delaware county, and as a director of the same he was chiefly in- strumental in pushing the enterprise to a suc- cessful completion. The legal career of Mr. Kilgore presents a series of continued suc- cesses, and since his admission to the practice has been a prominent factor in the Muncie bar, standing deservedly high in the profes- sion. Although not as actively engaged in the practice as formerly, he still maintains an office and gives his attention to the prosecu- tion or defense of cases involving interests of great moment and requiring a high order of legal talent. For a number of years Mr. Kil- gore has been identified with various busi- ness enterprises in Muncie, among which are the Muncie natural gas plant and the Muncie Architectural Iron works- being vice president of the latter, and devoting to it the greater part of his attention. He was active in behalf of the city's interest for some time as a member of the common council from the First ward, and while identified with that body was instrumen- tal in promoting much important municipal legislation. Mr. Kilgore is a man of decided opinion and great strength of character, fear- less in the expression of what he believes to be right, and an active politician of the Jeffer- sonian school of democracy. His personal popularity is very great in Muncie, a proof of which was his election to the mayoralty, also his election to the common council from a ward which has always cast a heavy vote in favor of the republican nominees. Mr. Kil- gore was married June 20, 1877, to Addie, daughter of Milton Hess, of Henry county, a union which resulted in two children-a son and daughter: Alfred and Archa.
HAS. M. KIMBROUGH, clerk of the Delaware circuit court, and president and general manager of the Indiana Bridge company of Muncie, was born in Clinton county, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1847, and is a son of Ira and Clarissa (Howland) Kim- brough, natives of the same county and state. Mr. Kimbrough was educated in the public schools, and his early inclinations leading him to mechanical pursuits, he learned the trade of blacksmithing, in which he acquired skill and proficiency, and which he followed until his twenty-sixth year. He then engaged in the mercantile business in Connersville, Ind., where he remained until 1876, on April 4 of which year he removed to Muncie and c pened the first exclusive book and paper store in the city. His place of business was in the Walnut street Opera House block, and Mr. Kimbrough conducted a very successful business in his line until 1887, at which time he disposed of his mercantile interest in order to become manager of the Indiana Bridge company, of which, two years later, he was elected presi- dent. This company was established in 1886, and employs about 150 persons.
As a loyal citizen Mr. Kimbrough did serv- ice in defense of the national Union as mem- ber of company I, Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, with which he served for a period of eight months, being discharged at that time at Augusta, Ga. His official career began in November, 1890, at which time he was elected to the responsible position of clerk of the Delaware county circuit court, the duties of which he has since ably discharged. As a member of the common council representing the Third ward, and as a member on the com- mittee on finance, he has been instrumental in effecting much important municipal legisla- tion. In matters educational, Mr. Kimbrough was also very energetic, having been a member of the city school board. As a business man
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he occupies a deservedly prominent place in the estimation of the people Muncie, and as presiding officer of the large manufacturing establishment with which he is identified has shown executive ability of a very high order. Personally, Mr. Kimbrough enjoys great popu- larity, and, irrespective of his position as a leading republican, has numerous friends throughout the county, irrespective of party affiliations. He is one of the busy, thorough- going, reliable men of Muncie, and as a mem- ber of the Citizens' Enterprise company manifests great interest in everything that pertains to the material welfare of this thriving city. Fraternally Mr. Kimbrough stands high in Masonry, in which he has taken a number of degrees, including both chapter and com- mandery, and he also belongs to Williams post, No. 78, G. A. R. In 1870 Mr. Kim- brough and Miss Margaret A. Curry, daughter of James and Mary Curry, of Clinton county, Ohio, became man and wife, and their union has been blessed by the birth of three children: Hal C., Frank H. and James Lloyd. Mr. Kimbrough and family are communicants of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he holds the position of trustee in the High street con- gregation.
HOMAS KIRBY (deceased). - Proba bly none of the early settlers of Muncie were more closely identified with the town and its growth than Mr. Kirby. He was one of its earliest as well as one of its most prominent citizens-having settled here when Muncie was but a small clearing in the wilderness, and was still called by its aboriginal name, "Outainink," by the Indians who lingered about the former town of the Delaware tribe. He was a member of the first mercantile firm in Muncie, and a leader in all public enterprises. If a sub-
scription was to be raised for a turnpike, rail- road, or other object of a public nature, he was always the first to be solicited for his patronage, and never withheld his bounty. He was one of the first trustees elected in Delaware county, but was not a politician, and never aspired to the public positions to which his ability entitled him. He was born in the town of Stockbridge, Mass., December 25, 1804, and, at theage of ten years, became an apprentice in a woolen factory. While thus employed, he gained an early education, by attending school in the winter; but this was supplemented by practical experience in later years. In the fall of 1827 he removed to Richmond, Ind., and accepted employment at his trade with Levinas King. One year later he began to trade in furs, deerskins and gin- seng, buying about six thousand pounds of the latter article every year. In 1830, he removed to Muncie and was engaged in the mercantile business for five years. In the meantime he had acquired a large tract of land (a portion of which is now within the city limits), and retired from business life, and devoted his time to agricultural pursuits. He owned about one thousand acres adjoining Muncie, and made six additions to the town at various times, and donated the grounds on which were erected the Universalist and Pres- by terian churches. He was a kind hearted landlord, and was repeatedly known to sell lots, and, when subsequent developements convinced the purchasers that they could not meet their obligations, instead of foreclosing the mortgages, he would refund the money already paid him, purchase the partially com- pleted buildings at their actual cost, and sell the lots to some one else. He erected the first brick store in Muncie, and also a fine hotel which bears his name. On the 15th of July, 1833, he married Miss Sarah Tomlinson, a native of North Carolina, and daughter of
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Judge Tomlinson, one of the early associate and probate judges of Delaware county. They had three sons-Thomas Hickman, John M. and George, now prominent business men of Muncie, and three daughters-Martha A., "ife of A. H. Hamilton; Elizabeth, wife of J. A. Heinsohn, proprietor of the Kirby house, and Sarah, who died quite young.
About 1829 Mr. Kirby traveled through the sparsely settled regions of eastern Indiana, on foot and on horseback, peddling goods for Stone & Co., of Dayton, Ohio, and brought his first stock of merchandise to Muncie by ox teams from that point. He was uniformly kind and honorable in his dealings with the world, and his memory is treasured in the hearts of all who knew him. He died August 19, 1879. The funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Marion Crosley, of Fort Wayne, at the Universalist church, of which society Mr. Kirby was a member. His remains were in- terred in Beech Grove cemetery, and the cas- ket containing his remains was borne to the grave by Minus Turner, Warren Stewart, Mar- tin Galliher, John Brady, Thomas S. Neely, Daniel Pittenger, Robert Meeks, Joseph Strad- ling, Joseph S. Buckles, J. Henry Wysor, Walter March, Marcus C. Smith, Arthur F. Patterson and Lloyd Wilcoxson.
J OHN M. KIRBY, a prominent business man of Muncie and son of Thomas Kirby, whose sketch appears above, is a native of Delaware county, Ind., born on the 6th day of November, 1839. His educational training was acquired in the public schools of his native city, supplemented by a two years' course in Farmer's college of Cin- cinnati, in which institution he obtained a fair knowledge of the higher branches of learning. His early inclinations led him to embark upon a business career, and in 1860 he engaged in
the hardware trade in partnership with T. E. Putnam, and the firm thus constituted soon became one of the leading mercantile estab- lishments of Muncie. He continued in the hardware business very successfully until 1889, and in the meantime, 1879, became interested with his brothers in the lumber business, with which line of trade he has since been promi- nently identified. As a business man Mr. Kirby enjoys a reputation more than local, and to him is due in a great measure the present substantial growth of Muncie, in the material development of which he has always mani- fested a very active interest. Quick to foresee, wise to plan, and possessing business qualifi- cations of a high degree, he has wrought wisely and well, and in him have been reproduced the sterling qualities which for so many years marked the career of his father.
In his political belief Mr. Kirby is an ar- dent supporter of the republican party, but he has never sought nor desired official prefer- ment. In religion he subscribes to the creed of the Episcopal church, in which faith the different members of his family have been reared and educated. Mr. Kirby is promi- nently identified with several fraternities, in- cluding the Royal Arcanum, Independent Order of United Workmen, and the A. F. & A. M., in the last of which he stands high, having taken the Scottish rite degree, also that of Sir Knight. On the 14th day of June, 1866, in the city of Muncie, was solemnized the marriage of John M. Kirby and Mary F. Putnam, daughter of F. E. Putnam, a union blessed with the birth of the following chil- dren: Thomas P .; Ada, wife of Lewis Over; Susette and Sarah. The mother of these chil- dren died August 16, 1887, and on the 11th day of March, 1891, Mr. Kirby married his present wife, Mrs. Belle J. Gilbert, who was born in Muncie, the daughter of John Jack, Esq., deceased.
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EORGE KIRBY, prominent among the successful business men and rep- resentative citizens of the county of Delaware, was born in Muncie, Ind., on the 6th day of December, 1844. He is the son of Thomas and brother of T. H. and J. M. Kirby, and for the greater part of his life has been a valued citizen and an active business man of the city of his nativity. He was reared to manhood in Muncie, in the public schools of which he acquired his early educa- tion, and in 1863-4 attended the schools of Aurora, Ill. Returning home in the latter year he entered the army, enlisting in company B, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Indiana volunteer infantry, for the three months' serv- ice under Capt. Reese, and, after remaining with his command for a period of four months, was honorably discharged in September, 1864, at Indianapolis. On severing his connection with the army Mr. Kirby resumed his studies, and after completing his education returned home and took charge of his father's business and was thus employed until the latter's death in 1879. During the succeeding year he man- aged the home farm, and in 1886 was elected treasurer of Delaware county, and immediately thereafter removed to Muncie and took charge of the office. He was re-elected in 1888, and discharged the duties of the office in a highly satisfactory manner until 1890, since which time he has been extensively engaged in real estate transactions in partnership with T. F. Rose, and through his instrumentality, aided by the efforts of other progressive men, a large number of manufacturing estab- lishments have been located in Muncie, thus making the city the most enterprising manufacturing center of the great gas belt. Mr. Kirby has been a prominent and active member of the Citizens' Enterprise company, of which he is a director, and he also served as trustee of the Manufacturers' association,
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