USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A twentieth century history of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 40
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54
Brought up on a farm, Levi Booher developed an aptitude for agricul- tural pursuits, and at the age of nineteen years began the battle of life for himself as a tiller of the soil, an occupation in which he has since been most prosperously employed.
At the age of twenty-two years, September 26, 1872, Mr. Booher mar- ried Amelia G. Campbell, who was born in Randolph county, June 29, 1852, a daughter of Samuel Campbell and a granddaughter of James Campbell, a pioneer settler of this place, and the original owner of the homestead now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Booher. Samuel Campbell was born in Ohio, and there married Paulina Gibson. They subsequently came to Delaware township as pioneers, and here spent the remainder of his long life, dying when eighty-one years old. She is living, at the age of eighty- six years. They reared six children, namely: Eliza, William D., Amelia G., now Mrs. Booher, Amanda, Elizabeth and Thomas H.' The two latter died, both leaving families. Mr. Booher has one hundred and five acres of rich and arable land in his estate, and is carrying on general farming with undisputed success. He has made substantial improvements on the place, having erected new buildings of modern construction, his barns and out- buildings being commodious and convenient, and his farm well supplied with the requisite appliances for carrying on agricultural operations.
Mr. and Mrs. Booher are the parents of seven children, namely : Myrtle Iola, Forest Violet, Samuel C., Thomas E., Ivy Dell, Naomi V. and War- ren Waldo. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Booher are earnest and valued mem- bers of the Christian church in Delaware. Their daughter Naomi, who was an invalid for many years, was cured by faith and prayer, her recovery becoming completed on January 18, 1906.
ISAAC MANN. Noteworthy among the active, enterprising and pro- gressive men who did so much towards the development and advancement of the various interests of Albany was the late Isaac Mann, who was prac- tically a lifelong resident of this part of Delaware county, coming here with is parents when a child of two years. He was born in Highland county, Ohio, near Leesburg, June 12, 1834, a son of Warner Mann and a grandson of Joseph Mann.
955
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
Joseph Mann was born in Delaware, and there married Elizabeth Blades. He subsequently migrated to Ohio, locating in Highland county, from there coming to Niles township, Indiana, where both he and his wife spent the closing days of their lives. He was a man of strong character, honest and upright in his principles, and an excellent representative of the honored Quaker family from which he was descended.
A native of Delaware, Warner Mann was taken to Ohio by his parents when a small boy, and there grew to man's estate. A man of much push and energy, he saw unlimited possibilities in the uncultivated lands of Indiana, and in 1836 came to Niles township, bringing with him his family and all of his worldly goods. He subsequently took up land in Delaware township, and within the limits of Albany cleared and improved a large tract of land, rendering his homestead one of the best in point of improve- ments and equipments of any in the locality. He married, in Highland county, Ohio, Nancy, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Pavy, and they became the parents of the following named children: Elizabeth, deceased; Mary, deceased; Mrs. Rhoda Wright, of Delaware township; Joseph, who settled in California; Isaac, the subject of this biographical sketch; Mar- tin, of Dunkirk; and Thomas, who died at the age of three years. Warner Mann died in manhood's prime, being but forty-four years of age, but his wife, who survived him, attained the ripe old age of four score and four years. Politically he was a stanch Abolitionist, and with his keen knowl- edge of public affairs foresaw the Civil war. Both he and his wife were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
But two years of age when he was brought to Niles township, Isaac Mann attended the pioneer schools of his day, and in the log cabin erected by his father spent his early years. Subsequently assisting his father in the improvement of the homestead in Albany, he became skilled in the vari- ous branches pertaining to agriculture, and selected farming as his life occu- pation. Energetic and capable, he made a success in his chosen career, his farm being well managed and improved, while his farm buildings were models of convenience and comfort. Politically Mr. Mann has been promi- nently identified with the Republican party since casting his first presidential vote, in 1856, for John C. Fremont, and has served his fellow-townsmen in many offices of trust and responsibility, performing the duties devolving upon him with ability and fidelity.
Mr. Mann married, in 1859, Mary L. Krohn, who was born in Albany, a daughter of William F. Krohn. Mr. Krohn was born in Germany, but when a boy came to the United States, locating first in Ohio. He there mar- ried Maria Pendray, after which he migrated to Delaware county, becom- ing an early householder of Albany, where he spent the remainder of his years. Of the children born of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Mann, seven grew to years of maturity, namely: Carson M., of Niles township; Mary, wife of James Maynard; Anna, wife of R. St. John; William, of Muncie; Ameldam, wife of George R. Story, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this
956
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
volume; Gustave E., deceased; and Thomas P., of Muncie. Mr. Mann has been an Odd Fellow for thirty-three years, belonging to Heart and Hand Lodge, No. 361, I. O. O. F. Mrs. Mann is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church.
WILLIAM JOHN BURDEN. Noted as a native born citizen of Delaware township, and as one of the most able and prosperous agriculturists of this part of the county, William John Burden is eminently worthy of representa- tion in a work of this kind. He holds high rank among the intelligent and able farmers of his neighborhood, and is everywhere respected as a substan- tial man of business, honor and worth. A son of the late Nehemiah Burden, he was born on the homestead where he now resides, March 10, 1851. He is the descendant of an old family of prominence in New Jersey, and is the grandson of William Burden, formerly an influential citizen of Ohio.
A native of Ohio, Nehemiah Burden grew to manhood on a farm, and finding the life congenial to his tastes, adopted the occupation of his ances- tors. Coming when a young man to Delaware county in pursuit of a favor- able location in which to locate permanently, he took up eighty acres of government land, selecting what he deemed the most desirable tract in the vicinity of Albany. Clearing an opening he built the typical log house of the pioneer, and for many years afterwards was one of the foremost in advancing the settlement of his adopted town. Deer, wild turkeys and other game was plentiful at that time, frequently visiting the clearing. Meeting with good results in his agricultural labors, he subsequently bought other land from time to time, becoming owner before his death, which occurred December 14, 1892, at the age of eighty years, of a farm contain- ing nine hundred acres of land. He married Margaret Campbell, who was born in Ohio, a daughter of James Campbell, a pioneer settler of Dela- ware township. She died at the age of fifty-three years, leaving seven children, namely: Christiana, Elizabeth, Augustine, William John, Cath- erine, Julia and Mary J.
Having completed his early education in the district schools, William John Burden, choosing farming for his occupation, made a practical study, under the instructions of his father, of the various branches of that industry, becoming proficient in the science and art of agriculture. Succeeding to the ownership of the homestead, he has made improvements of a marked character, his dwelling house, barns and outbuildings being substantial, well built structures, admirably adapted for the purposes for which they are used. He is busily and successfully engaged in general farming, and has his farm, which is a model in its appointments, well stocked with a good grade of cattle, horses and hogs. Mr. Burden married, October 12, 1872, Orilla M. Wasson, who was born in Blountsville, Indiana, a daughter of Theophi- lus and Sarah Wasson, early settlers of Henry county. Mr. and Mrs. Burden have one child living, namely: Catherine, wife of Charles May, who lives on the home farm. Their other child, Roby, died when but two
٢
1
--
1
957
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
years old. Mr. and Mrs. May have three children, namely: Anna, Alma and Leffler. Politically, Mr. Burden uniformly supports the principles of the Democratic party at the polls, and religiously both he and his wife are consistent members of the Christian church.
GEORGE R. STRONG. Among the native born citizens of Delaware township who have spent their lives within its precincts, and have in every possible way aided its growth and development, stands George R. Strong, whose birth occurred on the homestead where he now resides October 30, 1854. He is a son of the late Alfred B. Strong and a grandson of Reuben Strong, an early pioneer of this place, and the original owner of the home- stead property.
Born in Pennsylvania, Reuben Strong moved to Ohio in early man- hood, and there married Barbara Boots. Subsequently coming with . his family to Delaware township, he took up land from the government on sections 2 and 12, and in course of time, by dint of hard and persistent labor, he had title to a good farm of three hundred acres. The small log cabin, which was his first dwelling place, was replaced by a substantial frame house, in which he and his worthy wife spent their remaining days in com- fort and peace.
A native of Ohio, Alfred B. Strong was born, in 1816, in Greene county, where he was bred and educated. In 1832 he came with his parents to Delaware county, and assisted in the pioneer work of clearing a farm from the primeval woods. Industry, economy and integrity were the first and last lessons of his early days in this locality, and were his guiding principles through life. He was the third child in a family of seven children, and succeeded to the ownership of the old homestead, on which he was pros- perously engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1895, at the venerable age of seventy-nine years. Generous and liberal, he was always an encourager and supporter of everything calculated to advance the wel- fare of his community, intellectually, socially or morally, and was an active and valued member of the Methodist Episcopal church, which he served as clerk and class leader for many years. He was a liberal supporter of the church, and gave to the society the ground on which the church edifice was erected, and also gave the ground for the cemetery, to the addition of which George R. Strong, the subject of this sketch, has promised to give addi- tional lots. Under the management of the officers of the Strong Cemetery Association, consisting of Harry Waller, president; Elmer Ferguson, sec- retary, and R. A. Maxwell, treasurer, the cemetery is admirably kept, resem- bling in its appearance a beautiful park.
Alfred B. Strong married Mary Shearon, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, the birthplace of her father, George Shearon, who was also an early settler of this part of Delaware county. She died in January, 1872, at the comparatively early age of forty-three years. Six children blessed their union, namely: Reuben, deceased; Nancy, deceased; John, deceased ; . 21
.
958
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
George R., with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned; James A., of Red- key, Jay county; and Mrs. Laura Smith, of Arkansas.
Brought up and educated on the home farm, which adjoins the city of Albany, George R. Strong spent the days of his childhood and youth in very much the same manner as most farmers' boys, attending the district schools and helping in the harvest fields. He obtained a practical knowl- edge of the science and art of agriculture, and, as he reached maturer years, decided on farming as his life occupation. Becoming owner of the ances- tral homestead and also of a magnificent stock farm, he has since been extensively engaged and profitably employed in general farming and stock raising. He makes a specialty of keeping poultry, his Barred Plymouth Rocks being among the best grade of chickens to be found in the county. His large farm is under excellent cultivation, and with its substantial set of buildings and their tasteful surroundings, invariably attracts the atten- tion of the passer-by, and indicates to what good purpose Mr. Strong has employed his time and means.
On August 7, 1895, Mr. Strong married Amelda Mann, who before her marriage was a successful. and popular school teacher of this locality. Her parents, Isaac and Louisa (Krohn) Mann, were early and honored set- tlers of Albany. To Mr. and Mrs. Strong three children have been born, namely: James Walter, Thomas Lloyd and Alfred Robert, but the last named died at the age of fourteen months. Politically Mr. Strong is a steadfast adherent of the Republican party, and religiously both he and his wife are conscientious members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Albany, Indiana. Mr. Strong has three of the parchment deeds executed under the hand and seal of Presidents Andrew Jackson and Van Buren, one dating August 5, 1834, and another February 10, 1835, and the Van Buren deed was executed September 20, 1839. This makes eleven deeds of the kind found in the county.
JOHN M. MONROE. Among the substantial business men of Albany no one holds a more assured position than John M. Monroe, a well-known contractor and builder, his specialty in building materials being cement. With this material he takes contracts for building walks, cellars, houses or their foundations, and bridges, in his work meeting with great success. A son of the late John W. Monroe, Sr., he was born, December 31, 1856, in Sidney, Shelby county, Ohio, of old Virginia ancestry. His great-grand- father, James M. Monroe, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and this entitles Mr. Monroe and his descendants to become members of the great order in the United States of the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution. Mr. Monroe is also a lineal descendant of the President Monroe.
John W. Monroe was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, coming from an early and honored family of the Old Dominion state. As a young man he moved to Ohio, and there, in Shelby county, married Marian Benson, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer. Of their union seven children were
959
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
born, four sons and three daughters, all of whom received good common school advantages.
After completing liis early education, John M. Monroe, then a youth of seventeen years, began learning the trade of a plasterer and stone mason, which he subsequently followed for many years. Since coming to Albany, in 1893, Mr. Monroe has worked almost entirely in cement, filling large and valuable contracts, among others being the putting in of six hundred and forty feet of cement at the Enlow Springs bridge, and one hundred and seventy-six yards at the strawboard plant, both expensive pieces of work. The twenty-seven years of experience that he has had in his line of business has rendered him proficient, and he is kept busy all of the time, his honesty, trustworthiness and the durability of his work being fully appreciated throughout this part of the state.
Mr. Monroe was married first when but twenty-one years of age, in Shelby county, Ohio, to Tryphena Spencer. She died in early womanhood, leaving three sons, namely: Harley R., a druggist in Valparaiso, and Forest and Fred, who are associated in business with their father. Mr. Monroe married, second, October 21, 1891, at Bluffton, Ohio, Mary E. Mur- ray, a native of that place. In the course of his active career Mr. Monroe has accumulated considerable property, and aside from the pleasant home that he owns and occupies in Albany, has acquired title to many valuable house lots in that vicinity. As a neighbor, friend and citizen he is held in high respect. Politically he is an earnest supporter of the principles of the Democratic party. Socially he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Albany, to which his three sons also belong, and he is likewise a member of the Encampment and has served as a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Mrs. Monroe is a faithful and valued member of the Pres- , byterian church, toward the support of which Mr. Monroe is a generous contributor.
ALEXANDER H. ANDERSON. Among the sturdy, energetic and able men who assisted in developing and advancing the industrial and agricultural interests of Delaware county was Alexander H. Anderson, late of Delaware township, who was well known throughout this locality as a man of sterling worth and integrity, an enterprising and skillful farmer, a patriotic citizen, a kind neighbor, a loving husband and father, and his death, which occurred January 10, 1907, at the homestead where he had so long resided, was a cause of general regret. A native of old Virginia, he was born March 14, 1842, near Staunton, a son of William Anderson, of thrifty Scotch ancestry.
William Anderson was born and spent the earlier part of his life in Virginia. In 1848 he migrated with his family to Indiana, locating in Delaware township. He subsequently moved to Edgar county, Illinois, where, a few months later, his death occurred. His widow, whose maiden name was Jeannette Murray, returned with her family to this township,
.
960
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
which she made her permanent home while living. She had four children, namely : Alexander H., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Calvin Wachtell, of Muncie ; Mrs. Nathan Spence ; and Mrs. Dorcas Crowley, of Vincennes.
But a child when he came with his parents to Indiana, Alexander H. Anderson was practically a lifelong resident of Delaware township. In the small log school house of his day, with its slab seats and puncheon floor, he acquired his first knowledge of books, and on the old home farm he became thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of farming. During the Civil war he enlisted, in September, 1864, in Company G, Thirteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was sent with his regiment to join Sherman's troops in Atlanta, and there met in battle the Confederate soldiers who were under the command of General Joseph Johnston. At the end of a year's service he was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, and returned home to more peaceful pursuits. Resuming the carpenter's trade, which he had previously learned, Mr. Anderson followed it for a number of sea- sons, as a builder doing much of the carpenter work in this locality. Wise in his savings and prudent in his expenditures, he accumulated money, which he invested judiciously. Buying land from time to time, he became owner in the course of a few years of a large and finely improved home- stead, on which he had a substantial set of farm buildings, and all of the machinery and appliances for carrying on his chosen occupation. His home farm contained one hundred and ninety-six acres of choice land, well adapted to the raising of the cereals common to this section of the country, and in its management he met with most gratifying results. He had like- wise other real estate of value, being the owner of a fine and productive farm in Monroe and Perry townships, that farm containing one hundred and twenty acres. Mr. Anderson was a man of exceptionally good business ability, and possessed in a high degree those sterling traits of character that . won for him the respect and esteem of all who knew him. He was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, which he served as a trustee, and belonged to Ira J. Chase Post, G. A. R., of De Soto, Indiana.
In Delaware township, March 10, 1866, Mr. Anderson married Rhoda C. Hatfield, who was born December 31, 1847, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Thompson) Hatfield. He died in early manhood, leaving his widow with four young children, namely: John, who served during the Civil war as a member of the Fifty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Kenesaw mountain; Mrs. Mary Pittenger, of Delaware township; Mrs. Malissa Myers, of this township; and Mrs. Rhoda C. Anderson. Mrs. Hatfield subsequently married for her second husband Abram Cline, by whom she had three children, namely: Emory L., Martha Riley and Florence Curry. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson nine children were born, two of whom died in infancy, and one child, Ches- ter, died March 8, 1902, aged fifteen years. Six are living, as follows : Charles S., living on the homestead; John G., of Walla Walla, Washington ; Mrs. Mary J. Ketterman, Frank A., Mrs. Nora M. Jones and Flora Madill.
!
- 1
961
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
During their years of happy married life Mrs. Anderson well assisted her good husband in all the cares and burdens of life, encouraging and coun- seling him in times of trouble, at all times proving herself a true helpmate and a loving companion. She is a woman of high principles, and a con- scientious member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which she united when but thirteen years old.
WILLIAM W. GREEN. For upwards of half a century a resident of Delaware township, William W. Green has been actively identified with the advancement of its growth and prosperity, as a carpenter erecting some of its most substantial buildings and as an agriculturist aiding the improve- ment of some of its choicest lands. He owns and occupies a valuable farm, which is well equipped with modern machinery and furnished with all of those conveniences that make rural life so desirable, including among other things excellent telephone service and rural free mail delivery. A son of the late James W. Green, he was born March 10, 1840, in Xenia, Greene county, Ohio, the descendant of a well-known and highly respected family.
A native of Virginia, James W. Green removed with his parents to Greene county, Ohio, when young. He came of patriotic stock, and one of his brothers was a soldier in the Mexican war, serving under General Winfield Scott and General Zachary Taylor. While living in Greene county, he married Rebecca Cahill, who was born in Ireland, of Protestant Irish parents, with whom she emigrated to the United States, locating in Ohio. In 1851 he came with his family to Indiana, settling first in Delaware town- ship, but afterwards locating in Nile township, where he died at the age of sixty-three years. His first wife, Mrs. Rebecca Green, died when but twenty-six years old, leaving five children, of whom but two survive, namely: James P., of Dunkirk, Indiana, and W. W., the special subject of this brief biography. The father subsequently married a second wife, Mrs. Martha (Smith) Whicker, and by her he had three children, two of whom are living: Jesse and Newton J., both of Jay county, Indiana. He was a Democrat in politics, and his first wife was a member of the Christian church.
A boy of eleven years when he came with his parents to this county, W. W. Green completed his early education in the district schools, after which he learned the carpenter's trade. Following his chosen occupation for a number of years, he built many houses, both for business and residen- tial purposes, his services being in demand throughout this part of the county. Since 1902 Mr. Green has devoted his entire time and attention to the management of his finely improved and well-kept farm, exercising wise judgment in its care. He has a substantial set of farm buildings, which are models of comfort and convenience, and which with their neat and at- tractive surroundings evince the thrift and prosperity of the owner.
May 22, 1862, Mr. Green married Rebecca Hitchens, a daughter of William and Margaret (Albin) Hitchens, who came to Delaware township
962
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
from the state of Delaware. Mr. Hitchens was born in Delaware, removed to Clark county, Ohio, where Mrs. Hitchens was born, and afterwards set- tled in Delaware county, Indiana, where he resided until his death, at the age of seventy-four years. His wife survived him, dying at the advanced age of four score years. Mr. and Mrs. Green have four children living, namely : Alice, wife of E. E. Marks, of this township; Elmer, likewise of Delaware township; Ida, wife of Walter Miller, of Liberty township; and William, of this township. Four of their children have passed on to the higher life, two having died in infancy, Emma at the age of seven years and Mrs. Minnie Bartlett, at the age of twenty-six years. In his political affil- iations Mr. Green is a Democrat, and socially he is a member of Anthony Lodge, No. 171, A. F. & A. M., of Albany. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has served as steward and trustee. Mr. and Mrs. Green have one of the old parchment deeds, which was executed by President Martin Van Buren and is dated August I, 1837. This is the eighth deed of the kind found in the county, so far, a val- uable relic in Mr. Green's home.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.