USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A twentieth century history of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 47
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In July of 1848 Dr. Jump married Miss Letitia K. Allen in Wayne county, Indiana, but his wife died in 1856, after becoming the mother of two chidren : Isabell, also deceased, and Elizabeth, the wife of John Gates, of Delaware county. For his second wife the Doctor married Miss Rebecca Cecil in December, 1858, a daughter of Aaron Cecil, and their four children
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were Anna, Emma, Francis and Agnes. The wife and mother died in 1870, and in 1871 he married Miss Sophia Gilbert, the daughter of O. J. Gilbert, of Mt. Pleasant township. The four children by this union are Gilbert, Julia W., Clara V. and Charles A. To Dr. Jump belonged the honor of being one of the first residents of Perry township. He was highly regarded throughout the county of Delaware as one of its most honorable citizens and is cherished for the many sterling qualities and kindly disposition which he ever manifested. In 1869 he was elected to represent this district in the state legislature, and with the exception of this and the postmaster- ship of New Burlington, he held no public positions. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and of Whitney Lodge, No. 229, F. & A. M., of New Burlington, also of the chapter, council and commandery of the order at Muncie. His death occurred on the 13th of August, 1887.
GEORGE H. THORNBURG. Perry township includes among her native sons George H. Thornburg, who has not only spent his entire life here but has also been prominently identified with its farming and stock-raising interests. His birth occurred on the farm on which he now resides, April 13, 1859. His father, Edward W. Thornburg, whose name is recorded among the lionored pioneers of Perry township, was born in North Carolina, but during his youth his father and family moved from that state to Ohio and thence to Indiana, locating in Randolph county, where the son Edward grew to years of maturity and received his educational training. He was there married to Susana Thornburg, and they became the parents of thirteen children, four sons and nine daughters, all of whom were born on the present Thornburg homestead. Mr. Thornburg came to Delaware county among its first settlers, and on the farm of one hundred and sixty acres he entered in Perry township he erected a little log cabin and began the diffi- cult task of clearing and preparing his land for cultivation. He became well known throughout the county, esteemed alike for his ability and his true worth of character. The Republican party received his political sup- port, and he was a member of the Christian church. He was reared a Quaker, but as he married out of the church he was debarred thereafter from participation in its affairs. His death occurred when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-seven years.
The district schools of Perry township afforded George H. Thornburg the educational training he was permitted to enjoy in his youth. On the 18th of November, 1878, he married Celia A. Brewer, who also claims Perry township as the place of her nativity, where her father, Reuben Brewer, came in a very early day in its history from Ohio. He became well known as an agriculturist. Two children, a son and a daughter, have been born of this union, Ruby D., the wife of Francis O. Ratliff, and William A., both born on the farm which was also the birthplace of their father. Mr. Thornburg has allied his political interests with the Repub- lican party, and has taken an active part in the public affairs of his com-
George, M Reaching
George B. Keesling.
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munity. In 1894 he was elected the trustee of Perry township, remaining as the incumbent of that position for five years, and he was again elected to the office in 1904. His fraternal relations connect him with the Masonic and the Red Men orders, and he and his wife are members of the Christian church.
JOHN N. BELL, M. D., whose name occupies a leading place among the physicians and surgeons of Delaware county, is prominently engaged in the practice of his profession in New Burlington. His birth occurred in West Virginia, in Monongahela county, April 21, 1858, and he is a son of Henry and Louisa (Swisher) Bell, farming people of that community. The early youth of the Doctor was spent on a farm in his native common- wealth, and when he had reached the age of sixteen years he began teaching in the district schools, continuing in that profession for ten years. When he had reached the age of twenty-six years, in 1884, he entered the Starling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio, where he pursued his studies for two years, and then matriculated in the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, in which he was graduated on the 7th of March, 1888. It was in the same year of his graduation that he sought a field for his activities in Delaware county, Indiana, and since that time he has been numbered among the prominent practitioners of medicine and surgery in New Burlington.
Dr. Bell married, November 28, 1888, Carrie L. Will, who was born and grew to years of maturity in Perry township, her parents being John and Mary Will. Of their two daughters, Letha and Mary, the younger is deceased, and both were born in New Burlington, where the family reside in the home which was built in 1896. Dr. Bell is a member of the Masonic order, Whitney Lodge, No. 229, and of the Red Men at Muncie. He also holds membership relations with the Delaware County and the State Medical Associations, the Eighth District Medical Association, and is one of the deputy health officers of Delaware county. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a Republican in his political affiliations.
GEORGE W. KEESLING, a well-known representative of the agricultural and stock-raising interests of Perry township, has through the careful con- duct of his business interests become one of the largest land owners of Delaware county. His homestead farm in Perry township consists of five hundred and fifty-five acres of rich and fertile land, while in addition he owns two hundred acres in Jasper county, Indiana, and two hundred and seventy acres in Pennsylvania. Nearly all of his land is under cultivation, and he has sold about seven thousand dollars' worth of timber in Perry township. He has also cleared and improved other farms, and is a stockholder in the People's Bank of Muncie.
Mr. Keesling was born in Perry township November 15, 1844, and here his father, Martin Keesling, had lived and labored for many years. He was born in Virginia, in 1802, but when a young man he left his native
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commonwealth, where he had followed agricultural pursuits, and made the overland journey to Indiana. On arriving in Delaware county he pur- chased two hundred and ten acres of timber land in Perry township, on which he erected a little log cabin home and began the arduous task of clearing and cultivating his land. He married Coracy Rees, a daughter of Lewis Rees, also of Delaware county pioneer fame, and they became the parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters, all of whom were born and reared in Perry township. Mr. Keesling's name is enrolled among the earliest pioneers of Delaware county, and during his later life he re- moved from Perry to Center township, where he spent his remaining days. He was a lifelong Republican and was well and favorably known throughout the county in which so many years of his life were spent.
George W. Keesling, the seventh in order of birth of his parents' ten children, was born on the homestead farm in Perry township November 15, 1844. In 1863, when but a lad of nineteen years, he offered his services to his country's cause in the Civil war, enlisting in the Ninth Indiana Cav- alry, Company G, in which he served for over two years, and was present at the capture of Franklin, Tennessee. He was mustered out of service in Mississippi in 1865 and returned to his old home in Perry township, and in 1871 he removed to his present homestead in Perry township, section 3. In 1867, about two years after his return from the army, Mr. Keesling was united in marriage to Cora J. Cunningham, the daughter of Joseph Boyd and Margaret (Farmer) Cunningham, who came to Delaware county in 1855. Mrs. Keesling was born in Harford county, Maryland, and was young when her parents moved to Virginia, where she was reared and received her educational training, and to her and her husband have been born seven children, two sons and five daughters, all of whom claim Perry township as the place of their nativity. They are Ella May, Ida Maude, Laura Belle, George Boyd, Homer, Clara and Hildra. Ella May died in infancy. Ida Maude is the wife of William Thornburg. Laura Belle mar- ried William Jordan. George B. died at the age of twenty-one years. He was a most promising young man, and his death was mourned by a large circle of friends. Mr. Keesling maintains pleasant relations with his army comrades by his membership in the Grand Army post at Muncie, and in political matters he gives his support and cooperation to the Republican party. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
WILLIAM A. JORDAN. Since the early days of Delaware county's his- tory William A. Jordan has occupied a distinctive place in its annals, and for many years he has been numbered among the prominent agriculturists of Perry township. He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, November 9, 1826. His father, William Jordan, who was for many years a prominent farmer of Wayne county, was born in Pennsylvania in 1792, and was of Scotch-Irish descent, a son of John Jordan, who was, it is thought, born in Ireland, of Scotch ancestry. In the early year of 1808 he came with his
Peter A Helm Elizabeth A Helm
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family to Indiana, establishing their home in Wayne county, where the senior Mr. Jordan entered land and cleared a farm near Boston. Seven years later they removed to another farm near Economy, in the same county, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. William Jordan re- turned to Pennsylvania and married Mary McClellan, who was born in Ireland, but when about seven years of age she came with her parents to America, spending eight weeks on the ocean en route, and on their arrival on American shores they established their home in Pennsylvania. There she was left by her father with a family named Blair from their own coun- try, by whom she was reared. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, six sons and five daughters, but the son William is now the sole survivor of the family. The father was a Whig in his political affiliations, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His death occurred on his home farm near Economy when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-six years, and his wife was ninety ere she was called to the home beyond.
The district schools of Wayne county afforded William A. Jordan his educational training, and on the 3d of March, 1847, in Wayne county, he married America Davidson, a native daughter of Henry county, Indiana. Of their thirteen children, six sons and seven daughters, all were born in Perry township, and four are now deceased. The wife and mother has also answered the call to the home beyond, dying on the 14th of October, 1872, and in the following year, on the IIth of October, Mr. Jordan married Min- erva Finch, who was born in Randolph county, Indiana. In 1847, immedi- ately after his marriage, Mr. Jordan came to Delaware county, establishing his home on a farm in section 23, Perry township. With the aid of his sons he cleared the most of his farm of one hundred and sixty acres, but leaving that place, he removed to another farm, of forty acres, in Perry township, which he also cleared and improved. It was in the year of 1869 that he came to the farm on which he now resides, consisting of one hundred and eighty acres, about half of which he has cleared, and he has placed thereon the many valuable and substantial improvements which it now contains. He is also a stockholder in the People's Bank of Muncie. He was for- merly a Whig politically, and joining the Republican party at its organiza- tion, has voted at every presidential election since 1848. His first presiden- tial vote was cast for General Taylor. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
PETER A. HELM. One of the oldest and best-known residents of Perry township is Peter A. Helm, who has long been identified with its business interests as a farmer and stock raiser, and the township also numbers him among her soldier citizens, for he bravely and valiantly followed the stars and stripes through the Civil war. His birth occurred in Perry township October 27, 1838, the old homestead where he now resides being the scene of his boyhood's pleasures as well as his subsequent years of activity. His
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parents were Jacob and Elizabeth (Slick) Helm, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, she of German and English and he of German and Scotch- Irish descent. In their family were twelve children, eight sons and four daughters, three of whom were born in Pennsylvania and the remainder in Perry township, and Peter A. is the sixth son and seventh child in order of birth. In about 1833 Mr. Helm established his home in Wayne county, Indiana, but a short time afterward removed to Randolph county, and about 1836 the family came to Delaware county and located in Perry township. For some time Mr. Helm rented land, and then purchased a wooded tract of forty acres, which he not only cleared and improved but also with the passing years added to its boundaries until he was the possessor of about three hundred acres, of which he cleared about a hundred. Throughout the period of his residence in Indiana he was extensively engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, but previously, before leaving Pennsylvania, he had been occupied by driving cars over the mountains, steam engines being used on more level land. He was a Republican in his political affiliations, was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was one of the best and most favorably known men in Delaware county, his death occurring when he had reached the age of seventy-one years.
In the early-day log schoolhouses of Perry township Peter A. Helm received his educational training, and when he had reached the age of twenty-three years he enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteer In- fantry, in which he served for three years, and during the time participated in many of the historic battles of the Civil war, including those of Pitts- burg Landing, Perryville and Stone River, and was through the Georgia and Kentucky campaign. In 1864 he was honorably discharged on account of the expiration of his term of enlistment, and on being mustered out of the service he returned to Delaware county and rented the old home farm of his father. Finally purchasing the homestead, he has ever since con- tinued its cultivation and improvement, and is the owner of about three hundred acres of rich and fertile land, with six good sets of frame buildings which he has erected. The farm is located in section 2, Perry township.
Mr. Helm married, December 1, 1864, Elizabeth A. Clevenger, who was born on her father's farm in Randolph county, Indiana, and they have had seven children-George T. S., Alverine, Carrie Luella, Mary Leora, Indiana Blanch, and two, Margaret and William, who died in infancy. All were born and reared on the old Helm homestead. Mrs. Helm is a daughter of William and Mary Jane (Smithson) Clevenger. He was a native of Ohio, a son of John and Nancy Clevenger, natives of Virginia and Ohio and pio- neers of Nettle Creek township, Randolph county. Mary Jane Smithson was born in Stony Creek township, Randolph county, a daughter of George Wesley and Elizabeth (Thornburg) Smithson, natives of Virginia and North Carolina and very early settlers of Randolph county. As a representa- tive of the Republican party Mr. Helm has served in many of the township offices, including one term as trustee, five years as assessor and appraiser,
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and has been twice elected the commissioner of Delaware county. He main- tains pleasant relations with his army comrades by his connection with the Grand Army of the Republic, and fraternally is a member of the order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs and the Red Men. He is also a member of the New Light Christian church.
GEORGE T. S. HELM. Perry township of Delaware county numbers among its most prominent agriculturists George T. S. Helm, whose farm is located on section 35. It was on this place also that he was born, October 19, 1865, his father being Peter Helm, whose biography also appears in this work. The son George attended the district schools of his native town- ship of Perry, and in the meantime also assisted in clearing the old home farm, remaining on the homestead until his marriage, on the 21st of No- vember, 1885, Ella May Swingley becoming his wife. She was born in Randolph county, Indiana, and is the daughter of Cale Swingley, who has long been numbered among the prominent agriculturists of Delaware county. He was born, however, in Ohio, but in an early day emigrated to Indiana and established his home in Randolph county. He was there married to Mary Lucinda Thompson, a native daughter of the Hoosier state, and they became the parents of ten children, of whom Mrs. Helm is the fourth in order of birth. She was very young at time of the removal of her parents to Delaware county, the family home being established in Perry township, on section 35. Her father performed the arduous labor of clearing a part of his farm, and was numbered among the early and honored residents of the county.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Helm located with his young bride on the farm which he now owns and operates, their first residence being a little log cabin, and here the young couple spent the first thirteen years of their married life, the primitive log dwelling at that time giving place to their present attractive home. The forty-acre tract which served as the nucleus of Mr. Helm's landed possessions has been increased to three hundred and fifteen acres, all of which is located in Perry township, on sections 1, 35 and 2. He cleared forty acres of the tract and with the passing years has placed many valuable improvements on the farm, making it one of the attractive homesteads of the township.
Four daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Helm, namely : Arvillie, Edith Blanche, Margaret and Neva, but the last named is deceased. All were born on the present homestead farm. As a representative of the Republican party Mr. Helm has served as a member of the advisory board of Perry township, and was at one time a member of its board of supervisors. His fraternal relations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Red Men, and he is a member of the New Light Christian church.
WILLIAM LINDSEY. As a representative of one of the earliest and most honored families of Delaware county and as one of the leading business men of Perry township Mr. William Lindsey deserves mention in this his-
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tory, devoted as it is to the portrayal of the lives of the leading men of the county. He is also numbered among the native sons of Perry town- ship, where his birth occurred on the 7th of October, 1844, and he is of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, Thomas Lindsey, of Delaware county pioneer fame, was born in North Carolina in 1807, where his father was a prominent slave holder. He was reared on a farm in that commonwealth, and his first presidential vote was cast for Jackson. He married one of North Carolina's native daughters, Sally Finch, her birth occurring in October, 1804, and they became the parents of eleven children, of whom seven sons and two daughters grew to years of maturity, Mr. William Lindsey being the next to the youngest in order of birth. In about 1826 Mr. Lindsey, the father, came with his family by wagon to Indiana, locating in Wayne county, where they lived on a rented farm for some time, and from there removed to Henry county. In the early '30s they established their home in Perry township, Delaware county, where the father bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He cleared the most of his land, and there spent the remainder of his life. When Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey came to Indiana their worldly possessions consisted of a few tin dishes, and their cash capital was only what the father earned at twenty-five cents a day ; but at the time of his death he was the owner of a valuable estate of two hundred and forty acres, while at one time he was the owner of five hundred and forty acres, these large possessions representing his excellent business ability and his wonderful perseverance. He was a Republican in his political views, had fraternal relations with the Masonic order, and was a member of the Methodist church. His death occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-three years and nine months, and he was one of the best-known men of Delaware county.
In the old log schoolhouses of the township William Lindsey, a son of this honored Delaware county pioneer, received his educational train- ing. At the time of his marriage he rented a part of his father's farm, but finally bought his present estate of eighty acres in Perry township. After a time, however, he returned and farmed his father's homestead until 1879, since which time he has resided on his own estate. He cleared a part of the land, and has placed thereon many valuable and substantial improvements.
At the age of twenty-one years, on the 19th of November, 1865, Mr. Lindsey married Lovina F. Stanley, whose birth occurred in Henry county, Indiana, January 8, 1847, her parents being John and Mary A. Stanley, farmers of that county. Seven children have been born of this union, Zella, Eva J., Mollie M., Maggie, Louie, Wilma F., and one, the second born, who died in infancy. All were born and reared in Perry township. Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey are members of the United Brethren church.
THOMAS MARSHALL, a well-known farmer, stock-raiser and business man of Perry township, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, August 27, 1835. His father, Miles Marshall, a deceased farmer and one of the early
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and honored pioneer residents of Perry township, was also a native of the Hoosier state of Indiana, attaining to years of maturity in Wayne county. He was married there to Elizabeth Bell, whose birth occurred in Ohio, but she was reared principally in Wayne county. To this union were born ten children, six sons and four daughters, of whom Thomas was the eldest in order of birth. In 1836 the family came to Perry township, Delaware county, where the father purchased eighty acres of woodland. He cleared this property and also bought other lands in the township, owning at one time three hundred and twenty acres in Perry township. His political views were in harmony with the principles of the Republican party, but he generally voted for the man whom he regarded as best qualified for public positions. In the early years of his life he was a Quaker. His busy and useful life was ended in death when he had reached the age of seventy-four and a half years, and in his death Perry township lost one of its best and most useful citizens.
Thomas Marshall received his early education in the log schools of Perry township, and from 1855 to 1879 he taught school here, having been further prepared for this high and useful calling by pursuing a course in Greencastle College. During the time in which he was engaged in the work of a teacher he also carried on farming and studied law, and in 1880 he moved to the farm which he now owns and operates in Perry town- ship, consisting of one hundred and thirty-five acres of rich and fertile land, about thirty acres of which he cleared, and he has made all the valuable improvements now seen upon the place.
On the 24th of August, 1862, Mr. Marshall was united in marriage to Marion Walradt, who was born in Chenango county, New York, but was reared in Ohio as a farmer's daughter. They became the parents of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, all of whom claim Perry township as the place of their nativity, with the exception of two, who were born in Henry county, Indiana. . Throughout the period of his long residence in Perry township Mr. Marshall has taken an active part in its political history, voting formerly with the Republican party, but he is now independent.
JOSEPH A. MILLS. No man in all Perry township was more highly esteemed and loved than Mr. Joseph A. Mills, whose death occurred on the 5th of April, 1895, but his memory is still enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him. His name was prominently associated with the business interests of this section of Delaware county, which had been his home since his seventeenth year, and during an extended period he was one of the county's most prominent farmers and stock-raisers. His first occupation in Delaware county, however, was as a blacksmith, which trade he had learned in Randolph county, and after conducting a shop for about five years he transferred his operations to agricultural pursuits and purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, of which he cleared about seventy
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