USA > Indiana > White County > A standard history of White County Indiana : an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. II > Part 18
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NATHAN C. GIBSON. One of the last surviving members of that little group of native sons of White County who date their birth back to the '30s is Nathan C. Gibson, now living in quiet retirement at Idaville. He was born in a log cabin in Jackson Township more than three-quarters Vol. II-11
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of a century ago. All his life has been spent in the confines of the county, except while he was away performing the duties of a soldier dur- ing the Civil war. His long residence has given him a host of associa- tions and memories that make this locality for him the fairest spot in the world. For many years Mr. Gibson was one of the capable farmers of Jackson Township and has an important record as a builder of modern highways, and a number of miles of the best thoroughfares now in White County was constructed by him as contractor. His has been a useful and honorable career. Within the lines of normal but concentrated business activity he has won the prosperity that is most men's ambition, and with admiration for his commercial abilities his fellow citizens also commend his fine integrity and his valuable citizenship. It was more than eight decades ago that the Gibson family established its home in the midst of the wilderness of White County. The grandfather of Nathan was William Gibson, a native of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, but taken when a child by his father to Tennessee. On reaching man's estate he went to Ohio, and was married there to Mary Chambers. He soon afterwards returned to Tennessee, and in 1813 the couple took up a home in Shelby County, Ohio. It was in the fall of 1834 that they came to White County as part of a considerable colony. This colony was made up of about thirty-five families, all members of that branch of the old Presbyterian Church known as Seceders. This was a fine body of people, strict in their religious beliefs, high-minded and moral, and possessing all the best qualifications for influencing the development of the new country. The character of the first settlers in any county is often reflected through all the subsequent generations, and White County owes much to the class of people who first settled within its boundaries, and to none' more than to this colony of which the Gibson family was a member. William Gibson pre-empted land from the Government on section 27 of Jackson Township. His title was given by the Government during the presidential administration of Andrew Jackson. William Gibson and wife had eight children. The son Thomas died when young, and the others, who reached maturity, were John, Elizabeth, Robert P., Isabel, William, Margaret and Adam. William Gibson was a democrat in his political belief and in every way was a conscientious, clean- minded, upright man, and an influential factor in the early times of White County.
Robert Parks Gibson, father of Nathan C., was born in Blount County, Tennessee, December 19, 1812, about the beginning of the second war with Great Britain. His death occurred at Burnettsville in White County in March, 1904, at the venerable age of ninety-two years. He grew up and received his education in Ohio. Though the schools he
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attended were of a primitive nature, by private reading and study he became a man of unusual intelligence and with a range of information covering a great variety of subjects. He became particularly well versed in the Scriptures, and for many years was an active preacher of the gospel, carrying the messages of Christianity to many frontier com- munities and isolated settlements. His business was that of farming, and during his time was regarded as one of the most progressive agri- culturists of Jackson Township. In his religious belief and activities he was first a member of the New Light denomination, but subsequently joined the Church of God, known as the New Dunkard. He was a strong democrat, but neither in politics nor in his other relations was he a contentious man, and always lived peaceably and was never a party to a lawsuit. He served as a trustee of Jackson Township at a time when the administration of the township was entrusted to three trustees. In 1838 Robert P. Gibson married Sarah Tam, who came to Indiana from Delaware with her brother, Joshua D. Tam. The Tam family is one of recognized prominence in White County and is referred to on other pages. Robert P. Gibson and wife had a very large family of children. Eight of them died in early life, while two daughters died after their marriage, Mrs. Rebecca Sands, who died March 20, 1879, and Mrs. Ida Jane Gates. The surviving children all live within a radius of a few miles around Idaville. They are: Nathan C .; Mary R., wife of Cyrus Gibson; William J .; Sarah Ann, wife of Morris Boehme ; Belle, a widow, who married Warren Jump; and Emeline, wife of John Gorman.
Nathan C. Gibson, who was born in Jackson Township of White County, April 27, 1839, has the distinction of being the oldest native son of that community. For more than three score and five years he has made his home in this immediate region. As his memory travels. back to the early scenes of his boyhood he recalls many interesting things about the people of White County and local conditions sixty and seventy years ago. He describes some of the early schools which were typical of the times and country. They were usually held in log build- ings, and the furniture was home made and fashioned largely by the axe of the pioneer. The seats on which the scholars sat were split logs, with pegs to support them from the floor. The school he attended had a great dearth of every facility for instruction, and there were not even books at first, except such as each child would bring from its own home. The public funds were sufficient to support the school only about four or six weeks, and the remainder of the three-month term was carried on by private subscription. After leaving the common schools Mr. Gibson attended the Burnettsville Academy a time, and also attended the normal school at Kokomo when it was under the supervision of Professor Cur-
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tis. Both the high school at Burnettsville and the normal school at Kokomo were well-nigh broken up at the beginning of the war.
Mr. Gibson has a military record, having enlisted at Indianapolis in October, 1864, in Company B of the One Hundred and Forty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He continued with that command until the close of hostilities and his honorable discharge. Mr. Gibson has followed various kinds of business, has done a great deal of farming, but the accomplishment of which he has best reason to be proud is as a road contractor. He built the W. A. Bryant road of three miles in Jackson Township, the three-mile John Kentwick road in Monon Town- ship, the Moore road of six miles in Big Creek Township, and the W. E. Fox road, a distance of ten miles, out of Wolcott. He also constructed about thirty-seven miles of stone and gravel road in Cass County. The Moore road cost about $25,000 to build, the Fox road about $26,500, while approximately $15,000 was expended on the Kentwick and the Bryant roads. As a business' man Mr. Gibson has had his share of material fortune, and now owns 120 acres of land in Jackson Township and considerable property in Idaville. He and his wife have lived in Idaville since November, 1898.
On March 8, 1867, Mr. Gibson married Miss Elizabeth Wilburn, who was born in Madison County, Indiana, April 8, 1849. Their marriage has been blessed by four sons and seven daughters, constituting a fine household of worthy men and women, and there is also a large group of grandchildren. Amanda, the oldest, is Mrs. Richard Bird. Orion, the second, is now deceased. Sarah B. is the wife of Samuel Timmons. Minnie is Mrs. Albert Shidler. John R. married Nancy Shafer. Eliza- beth is the wife of Bruce Farley. Ruth married Robert Gates. Milton married Anna Fisher. Pearl is the wife of Albert Heiny. Fred mar- ried Theo Hunt. Dilla, now deceased, was the wife of Harry Hardy.
Mr. and Mrs. Gibson are both active members of the Church of God, and he has been an elder in that denomination for a number of years. In politics he has always espoused the cause of the democratic party in national affairs and began casting his vote in 1860. In local politics he has usually supported the man whom he deems the best qualified for the office.
WILLIAM H. YORK. One of the oldest and most honored families of White County is that represented by William H. York, of Burnetts Creek. He himself is a native of this county, and since reaching man- hood has been closely identified with farming and stock raising and varied public and private interests around Burnettsville. Not only has the York family been identified with White County since the very begin-
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ning of its improvement for the uses of civilized men, a period of fully eighty years, but the members of the different generations have' exer- cised such qualities of industry, true civic worth, as to make this long residence a fact of no little importance and significance in the history of the community.
The ancestors of Mr. York who established the home in Jackson Township in 1835 were his grandparents, Jeptha and Susanna (Slaid) York. His grandfather was born in Darke County, Ohio, while his grandmother was a native of Maryland, and they were married in 1808. White County had very few settlements in 1835, and Jeptha York pre- empted eighty acres of land on section 24 of Jackson Township, and spent the rest of his years in improving and cultivating it, and died there in 1846. His name does not appear in the official annals of the county, since he had no desire for public office, but in the early days usually supported the whig ticket. He was a member of the Baptist Church. On coming to Jackson Township he built a log house, and that was his home until his death. Though not a politician, he aligned himself with public-spirited movements in his community, was esteemed for his lib- eral and broad-minded attitude toward those interests which unite the people of a locality and cause it to make definite progress. The chil- dren of Jeptha York and wife and the dates of their birth are given record as follows: Bellender, born June 30, 1809 ; Lydia, September 14, 1811; Patty, January 28, 1814; Clementine, January 10, 1816; William, October 10, 1817; John, January 31, 1821; Rebecca, April 27, 1823; and Susanna, May 20, 1834. The last named, now more than eighty years of age, is living at Rogers, Arkansas.
The lineage is carried into the next generation by John York, who was born in Darke County, Ohio, January 31, 1821. He was about fourteen years of age when he arrived with his father in White County, and up to the time of his death on August 9, 1894, could narrate from his personal recollection practically all the important events during the history of White County since pioneer times. His life was spent as a farmer, and after his marriage his home was in section 14 of Jackson Township until he retired, and from about 1876 he lived in Burnetts- ville. As a republican he cast one of his early votes for Abraham Lin- coln, but immediately after the war changed his politics to support the democratic party. For three years he was honored with the important position of township trustee, having been elected on the democratic ticket, and for a number of terms served as a party committeeman. He was one of the liberal supporters of the Baptist Church in Jackson Township and served as a trustee. His industry and business judg- ment are illustrated by the fact that at the time of his death he was
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the owner of about 400 acres and some town property. He never joined any secret organizations, but in movements for the community good could always be found on the right side. John York married Sarah J. Ryerson, whose parents, John and Elizabeth (Winegarner) Ryerson, were among the very early settlers of Cass County, Indiana. Mrs. John York died January 30, 1901. There were four children: William H .; Jonathan S., who lives in Burnettsville, married Nancy L. Davis and they adopted a boy, A. G. Bell, as their own son, and he bore the name of A. G. York and is now deceased; Lydia, the second child, died in infancy; and Amanda J. is the mother of five children by her marriage to George Mertz, and they live just north of Burnettsville.
The birth of Mr. William H. York occurred on the old farm in section 14 of Jackson Township January 27, 1843. He grew up in that neighborhood, attended the public schools, and was already looked upon as a young man of good habits, industry and with a promising future when he was married, November 18, 1862, to Miss Barbara J. Mitchell, a daughter of William and Mariah (Thebes) Mitchell. Mrs. York is a sister of George Mitchell, who is said to have been the first white child born in Jackson Township and now deceased. Thus by their mar- riage two of the very old families were united. Mr. and Mrs. York became the parents of three children. The first, John B. M. York, died in infancy; Ida M., now deceased, married George B. Tam, a well known citizen mentioned elsewhere in this publication; Julia A. is the wife of Samuel J. Showalter, living two miles north of Burnettsville, and their children are Charles A., a student in the University of Indiana, and Ida Jane. Mrs. York is a native of White County, born November 23, 1845, the eighth in a family of ten children, six sons and four daughters, of whom three are living. James W., who is a widower, is a resident of Cass County, Indiana, and an old soldier. In politics he is a republican, and he is a member of the Baptist Church. Franklin James, who is also a widower, resides in the State of Wash- ington. Mr. Mitchell, the father, was born in Carlisle County, Ken- tucky, in 1812, and his death occurred in August, 1864. He was a farmer and general business man and an official. He was reared in his native state, and, coming to Indiana, was here married. In the early days he was a whig and then became a republican. He was a man of prominence in his day and community. Mrs. Mitchell, the mother, was born in Fayette County, Ohio. She became a physician, and practiced medicine for forty years. She was a member of the Christian Church. Her death occurred in November, 1895, and both she and her husband lie buried in the Mcconahay Cemetery, where beautiful stones are erected to their memory. Mrs. York was reared
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in White County. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Burnettsville, of which she is one of the officials, and she has nobly performed her part in the rearing of their children and in establishing their home and property. Mr. and Mrs. York have three of the old parchment deeds, two executed under the hand and seal of President Polk, and bearing the dates July 1, 1845, and May 1, 1848, and the third, issued by President Taylor, is dated February 11, 1858. These are valuable heirlooms in the County of White as well as in the home of Mr. and Mrs. York.
Having married and taken upon himself the responsibilities of a home and family, William H. York, with the co-operation of his good wife, made a sturdy and steady progress through successive years, and was soon in a prosperous condition as a farmer. On November 20, 1888, he moved to Burnettsville, and on April 7, 1893, was appointed postmaster at Burnetts Creek, and gave a capable administration of the duties of the position four years and fifteen days. Since retiring from office he has spent most of his time managing his farm, and at the present time owns 100 acres and some town property, having given his two daughters forty acres each. Mr. York is a lifelong democrat, was for many years identified with the Baptist Church, but is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal denomination and a trustee in the home church.
JOSEPH SMILEY MCCALL. The youngest son and child of the McCall family, that has lived in White County since the spring of 1866, Joseph S. McCall has made himself a factor in the local life of Jackson Town- ship and has a good farm home 41/2 miles northwest of Idaville.
Joseph Smiley McCall was born near Concord in Muskingum County, Ohio, April 18, 1850, and during boyhood removed with his father to Green County, Ohio, and was about sixteen years old when the family located in White County.
The founder of the family in White County was James McCall, who came from Green County, Ohio, to White County in the spring of 1866, settling in section 28 of Jackson Township. He was born in Penn- sylvania, December 22, 1806, and on his birthday in 1828 was married to Mary Graham, who died in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1862. To this marriage were born nine children: John Graham, Elizabeth Thompson, Isabelle, Mary H., Dorcas J., Jennie Morrow Proudfoot, Daniel Steward, Matthew Waddell and Joseph Smiley. James McCall was of Scotch-Irish descent, and a practical farmer throughout his career. He was a member of the Reformed Presbyterian denomina- tion, and was devoted to church affairs. In earlier life he voted for
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the democratic party, but subsequently became an ardent prohibitionist. He was a man of liberal views, and in every sense a good citizen. Dur- ing the war he enlisted, but was not accepted on account of an injured leg. His death occurred February 4, 1896.
Joseph Smiley McCall was married April 24, 1883, to Miss Amanda M. Sproggs, daughter of Elam and Hannah (Beard) Sproggs. Elam Sproggs was a son of David Sproggs, who came to Indiana from Blount County, Tennessee, and further mention of this White County family will be found in other connections. Mr. and Mrs. McCall have three' children : Charles L., who lives at Monticello, married Sarah Wortman, and their five children are: Edith May, deceased; Charles Harry ; Bertha Fae; Walter Steward; and Lucile Ruth; Estella May married Harley Shafer and lives in Carroll County; Steward A. is unmarried and lives at home.
Joseph S. McCall is a republican, but for the past eight years has supported actively the prohibition movement. He has never sought office, but for eight years served as township supervisor and gave a very efficient administration of local affairs. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and liberal supporters of the same. Mr. McCall is the owner of sixty-five acres in Jackson Township, and has made farming his career for more than forty years.
WILLIAM GARDINER. It is now a little more than half a century since the Gardiner family became established in White County. What the presence of this family has meant to the general agricultural and business progress and civic upbuilding is well illustrated in the home of William Gardiner, situated 21/2 miles east of Idaville. The farm is known as "Oak Crest," and comprises 120 acres, with improvements of the highest class. It is an attractive homestead and shows some of the highest standards of rural life. The Gardiner family has always stood for religion and morality, better schools, better roads, and has made itself a factor in general advancement.
Archibald Gardiner, father of William Gardiner, was a son of Wil- liam Gardiner, who was a native of Scotland. Archibald married Mar- garet Morrison, a native of Scotland. These two families lived in Canada for a number of years after coming to America. Archibald married in Canada and lived in Lincoln County, Ontario, at that time called Canada West. He arrived in Jackson Township of White County with his family on November 13, 1864, and was thereafter a substantial farmer until his death. He was a republican in politics, and a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. The ten children of Archibald and Margaret Gardiner were: Elizabeth, who married James H.
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Caughell; Anna S., now deceased, who married Frank Davis; Richard M., who lives with his sister Janet; Thomas M., who came to White County in 1863, one year before the rest of the family, and is now deceased; Christina, deceased; Janet, wife of John Rogers; Archibald, who married Marietta Longbrake; Lydia, unmarried; William; and David G. When Archibald Gardiner came to White County he invested in 120 acres of land, getting it cheap, and at the time of his death owned about 300 acres. He was a quiet, unassuming man, never sought to interfere with anybody else's business, and had a reputation for uprightness and sterling honesty. He was born about 1804, and died September 4, 1877. Mrs. Gardiner was born in 1811, and died Sep- tember 14, 1878. Both are interred in Cedarville Cemetery in Carroll County.
William Gardiner, next to the youngest son of the family, was born in Lincoln County, Canada West, January 9, 1853, and was about eleven years old when the family came to White County. He completed his education in White County, and for about three terms was a teacher, since which time he has followed farming continuously and successfully. Mr. William Gardiner married Miss Clara Wickersham, June 10, 1891, a daughter of LeRoy and Amanda (Bailey) Wickersham, who also located in Jackson Township of White County in May, 1864. To their marriage have been born two children: Fleeta A., who married Fred Tam, son of George B. and Ida Tam, the former the postmaster at Ida- ville, and has one child, Galen E .; Galen R., who lives in Jackson Town- ship, married Hulda Million, a daughter of Felix and Grace Million.
William Gardiner is one of the strongest advocates and workers in the prohibition party in White County. He was formerly a republican, but for the past twenty-five years has aligned himself stanchly with the prohibition interests. Such an allegiance as Mr. Gardiner has given to the cause of temperance and prohibition has not been altogether an agreeable one, but he is a man of convictions, and stands firmly by the right as he sees it. He was formerly an active member of the Reform Presbyterian Church, but about two years ago went into the United Presbyterian Church. In the former church he was a member of session for some time, and has always been active in church matters. Besides his fine farm of Oak Crest near Idaville, Mr. Gardiner owns 160 acres near Highmore, South Dakota.
David G. Gardiner, the youngest son of Archibald Gardiner, and a brother of William, was born near St. Davids in Ontario, Canada, December 27, 1855. He grew to manhood in White County, acquiring a common school education. He married Miss Leona Million on Novem- ber 13, 1879. Mrs. Gardiner is a daughter of Marion and Kate E.
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(Hoagland) Million, of English descent, the Millions being among the early settlers of White County, coming from Ohio. The children of Mr. and Mrs. David G. Gardiner are: Roy M., who married Miss Hazel Mochell; Hazel Dell, attending Cedarville College at Cedarville, Ohio; and J. Russell, who lives at home and attends school. David G. Gardiner is a republican in politics, is a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, while his wife is of the United Presbyterians. Mr. Gardiner served as township assessor from 1895 to 1900.
WILLIAM H. PASCHEN. Few men in White County have had a more creditable achievement than William H. Paschen, now trustee of Union Township. When nine years of age he was brought to this country from Germany, and owing to the death of his father a few months later and other adverse circumstances, he was at that tender point in his career thrown upon his own resources. Life with him has been largely a matter of struggle, and in competition with handicaps which would have dis- mayed many men, he has gained definite results that classify him among the successful men of White County. His position as township trustee indicates how far he has risen in popular esteem, and he is also one of the leading farmers of his township.
William H. Paschen was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, October 29, 1872, a son of William and Mary A. (Brandt) Paschen. In 1881 the family crossed the ocean and from the seaport came at once to White County, locating in Monticello. The father was a working man, and lived only two months after reaching this county. He left a widow and three children, all of whom are living, namely: William H. Paschen; Henry, who has a good farm of 133 acres in Cass County, married Miss Bertha Doll, and they have four children; and Emma, the wife of John H. Colbo, a farmer of Pulaski County, Indiana, and they have four chil- dren. Mrs. Paschen married for her second husband John Colbo, and is a resident of Francisville. They are members of the German Lutheran Church.
Mr. Paschen acquired considerable of his education in the old country, where he attended the public schools several years. Such education as he was able to obtain in English schools came in the intervals of hard labor for his self support. After the death of his father he accepted any employment which would promise him a livelihood, and with the experience acquired as a farm hand he finally took up agriculture as his permanent vocation. Industry and thrift gave him his start and he has made the best use of every opportunity.
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