USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A twentieth century history of Delaware County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 50
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The marriage of Mr. Jones was celebrated on the 7th of December, 1861, when Martha A. Martin became his wife. She is a daughter of Israel Martin, a farmer of Center township and a representative of one of the early pioneer families of Delaware county, from whence they came from Ohio. Mrs. Jones was reared in Salem township and by her marriage she has become the mother of three children, two sons and a daughter- Margaret, deceased; William V., and one who died in infancy. All were born in Delaware county. Margaret married Edwin Crandall and died aged thirty-one years, leaving three sons-Louis, William and Allen. William V. married Mary Nixon and has one child, Viola. Mr. Jones upholds the principles of the Democracy. No one in the community enjoys a better reputation for integrity of word and deed, and when a man stands high in the estimation of the people who have known him during his entire life no greater testimonial to his worth can be given.
JOHN L. DRISCOLL, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Monroe township, was born in Clark county, Ohio, April 26, 1833. His father, William Driscoll, who for many years was numbered among the most prominent agriculturists of Monroe township, as well as one of its earliest pioneers, was also a native son of Ohio, born in Greene county, but his father, John Driscoll, had his nativity in Ireland. He was educated in his native country for the priesthood, but this calling not proving congenial to his tastes he came to America when a young man and located in Greene county, Ohio, where he was afterward married. He was one of the three first settlers of that county, and in that commonwealth he followed farming throughout the remainder of his life, clearing and cultivating in the meantime many acres of land.
In his native state of Ohio William Driscoll, the father of him whose name introduces this review, was reared and educated, and in Clark county he married Emeline Franklin, whose birth occurred in Virginia, but she was reared in Ohio. In 1841 Mr. Driscoll came with his family to Dela- ware county, Indiana, establishing his home on the site now occupied by
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Driscoll.
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the Ball Brothers' glass manufactory in Center township, where he erected a log cabin and cleared his farm of eighty acres. In their family were eleven children, five sons and six daughters, five of whom were born in Ohio and six in Delaware county, but all were educated in the district schools of Center township. They are as follows: Minerva, deceased; John L., the subject of this review; Mary, James and William, also deceased; Emeline; Margaret, Amanda and Pearson, deceased; Julia, and Warren. Mr. Driscoll was an old-line Whig in his political affiliations, and his death occurred at the age of forty-eight years. He was one of the best and most favorably known men of Delaware county.
On the 22d of October, 1857, Mr. Driscoll of this review was united in marriage to Mariah Gibson, a native daughter of Monroe township and a representative of one of the county's earliest and most prominent families. Six children, two sons and four daughters, were born of this union, namely : Dr. W. E. Driscoll, Eliza Adeline, Francis Emeline, Mary Burdella, John B. (deceased), and Ida Belle. The wife and mother was called to the home beyond January 10, 1901, and in 1903, on the 16th of December, Mr. Driscoll married Celia (Gibson) Jones, the widow of Joshua Jones, an honored pioneer of Delaware county, and who was killed at the battle of Antietam. One son was born to Mrs. Driscoll by her first marriage- George E. Jones. Mrs. Driscoll was born in Monroe township, her parents being Garrett and Sarah Gibson. With her husband she now resides on the valuable estate of one hundred and thirty-eight acres in section 12, Monroe township, which has been the home of Mr. Driscoll since 1864. He cleared about half of the farm and has placed thereon many valuable improvements. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, and he has membership relations with the Masonic order, being a Master Mason. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
W. E. DRISCOLL. The gentleman whose name introduces this review, Mr. W. E. Driscoll, a prominent agriculturist of Monroe township, Delaware county, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of this section of the state. He is also numbered among the township's native sons, his birth having occurred on the 14th of October, 1858. His father, James W. Dris- coll, claimed Clark county, Ohio, as the place of his nativity, born April 22, 1837, but when a little lad of five years, in 1842, he was taken by his parents to Delaware county, Indiana, where in the sarne year his father, William Driscoll, entered the land in Center township on which the Ball glass factory now stands. For further genealogy of the family see sketch of John L. Driscoll in this work. His son James supplemented the educational training which he had received in the district schools of Center township by attend- ance at the Muncie Seminary, and after leaving the school room followed farming and stock buying and shipping, also teaching school for a number of years in Monroe township. During his active business career he suc- 26
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ceeded in clearing considerable land, but finally retired from industrial pur- suits and moved to Cowan, where his death occurred on the 20th of April, 1905. He was first married to Elizabeth Ross, a native of Indiana and edu- cated in the district schools of Monroe township, Delaware county, her parents, Nepthalin and Nancy (Gibson) Ross, having been numbered among the earliest pioneers of Delaware county. Her death occurred on the 6th of May, 1870, after becoming the mother of five children, four sons and a daughter, William E., Nepthalin B., John E., Garrett O. and Dora B. The daughter is the wife of David West. For his second wife Mr. Driscoll married Mary Reese, who was born in Perry township, Delaware county, a daughter of John and Martha Reese, of pioneer fame. Two daughters were born of this union, Lena May, deceased, and Hattie Kemper, the wife of D. S. Koons. All of the children were born in Monroe township. Mr. Driscoll gave his political support to the Republican party, while his fra- ternal relations were with Delaware Lodge, No. 46, F. & A. M., and he was a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
At the early age of seventeen years W. E. Driscoll, of this review, started out to battle with the world for himself, his first business venture having been farming. He had previously attended the district schools of Monroe township and also spent one year at Purdue University, and after returning from college began teaching in the schools of Monroe township, continuing in the profession for about fourteen years. In the meantime he became identified with agricultural pursuits, and in 1892, in the capacity of a bookkeeper, he became associated with the washing machine factory, at ' Cowan, Indiana, spending about six years in that institution. During the following year he resided on his present farm, but at the close of the period moved to Muncie and served as deputy clerk until his return to the farm, which consists of a tract of eighty acres. Throughout the period of his manhood Mr. Driscoll has given a stanch and unfaltering support to the principles of the Republican party, being an active worker in its ranks, and from 1884 to 1886 he was the incumbent of the office of assessor of the township, while from 1894 to 1900 he was a trustee and for one year served as the deputy county clerk. His fraternal relations connect him with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Red Men, and he also has mem- bership connections with the High Street Methodist Episcopal church of Muncie.
The marriage of Mr. Driscoll was celebrated on the 25th of December, 1878, when Margaret L., the daughter of James and Mary C. Oard, became his wife. She was born in Delaware county, Indiana, July 9, 1858, her parents having taken up their abode within its borders in an early period in its history. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Driscoll, one son and two daughters, namely: Lilly May, the wife of Warren W. Rees, James O. and Lizzie M., all born in Monroe township. The family have inany friends in the community and are held in the highest regard by all who know them.
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JOHN T. HEATH, who is well known throughout Monroe township be- cause of his long identification with its interests, comes of a family who were early allied with its history. He was born on a farm in section 6, Monroe township, March 28, 1844, and traces his ancestry back to the Carolinas, the birthplace of his father, Harvey Heath, where he was also reared to mature years. In an early day he came with his parents, Robert and Mollie ( Per- diue) Heath, to Delaware county, Indiana, taking up his abode in Monroe township, but the elder Mr. Heath located in Salem township, where he pur- chased and cleared a farm of one hundred and sixty acres and there spent the remainder of his life. He and his wife were pioneers in the township. Im- mediately after his arrival the son purchased a tract of eighty acres in Mon- roe township, but later added to its boundaries until he became the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of rich and fertile land. As the years passed by he succeeded in clearing his land of its dense growth of timber and con- tinued to make his home thereon until within a few years of his death, dying at the age of ninety-one years. He was married in North Carolina to one of the commonwealth's native daughters, Erminta Finley, and they became the parents of nine children, four sons and five daughters, of whom John T. of this review was the second child and son in order of birth, and all were born on the old homestead in Monroe township. The Republican party received Mr. Heath's hearty support and co-operation, and he was also a worthy mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church.
During his boyhood days John T. Heath attended the district schools of Monroe township. The school buildings were primitive in construction as well as furnishings, containing slab seats and benches. In the meantime he assisted in the clearing and cultivating of his father's farm, and finally be- came the owner of a farm of his own, the estate consisting of one hundred and fifty-six acres of rich and fertile land, all of which is under an excellent state of cultivation. He has placed there many of the improvements which it now contains, and he is numbered among the leading agriculturists of Monroe township. In 1907 he purchased a home of forty acres in Center township, near Muncie, and removed thither, but he still owns the homestead in Monroe township.
In 1869 Mr. Heath was united in marriage to Delila Pitser, a native of Delaware county and a daughter of Evan Pitser, of pioneer fame. Mrs. Heath was reared in Salem township, and by her marriage she has become the mother of six children, four sons and two daughters, Sanford and Laura, deceased, Merritt, Edward, Addie and Jessie, all born in Monroe township. Mr. Heath advocates the principles of the Republican party, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JAMES A. REYNOLDS. Throughout his entire business career James A. Reynolds has been identified with the farming and stock-raising interests of Delaware county, and his entire life has also been spent within its borders, his birth occurring in Monroe township on the 3d of October, 1841, a son of
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Breckenridge and Ellen (Clear) Reynolds, both of whom were born in Virginia. In about 1837 they emigrated to Indiana, at once establishing their home in Monroe township, and their names are therefore recorded among its very earliest pioneers. Purchasing a farm of eighty acres the husband and father at once began to clear and cultivate his land, and with the passing years he added to his original purchase until he became the owner of eleven hundred acres in Delaware county, much of which he cleared. Agriculture continued as his life occupation and he won success in the calling. Ten children, six sons and four daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, of whom James A. is the second child and second son in order of birth. All were born in Monroe township and four are now de- ceased. The wife and mother was called to the home beyond in 1867, and Mr. Reynolds subsequently married Euphemia Gibson, a native daughter of Delaware county, and three children, one son and two daughters, were born of the second union.
James A. Reynolds was twenty-one years of age when he left the parental home and began the battle of life for himself, starting without a cent, and his large holdings are the outcome of earnest labor and honorable effort. The first land which he purchased consisted of forty acres in Center township, the greater part of which he cleared, and a few years later he bought his present homestead of one hundred and five acres. A part of it was cleared at the time and he has since cleared the remainder and placed thereon the many improvements which make it the valuabl attractive farm it now is.
Mr. Reynolds married, in January, 1901, Mary (Kiger) Losh, who was born in Center township, a daughter of William Kiger and the widow of John A. Losh. Mr. Reynolds affiliates with the Republican party.
JAMES R. PEACOCK. Numbered among the younger representatives of the agricultural interests of Monroe township is James R. Peacock, a mem- ber of one of the county's earliest and most honored families. His birth occurred on the old Peacock homestead in Monroe township April 30, 1875, a son of William H. Peacock, whose history will be found on other pages of this work. In the district school near his boyhood's home the subject of this review received his educational training, in the meantime assisting his father in the clearing of the old homestead and placing the fields under cultivation. After his marriage he remained at home about one year and then settled on the farm he now occupies.
The marriage of Mr. Peacock was celebrated on the 13th of December, 1898, when Beatrice H. Wright became his wife. She is a daughter of Samuel and Clara (Harris) Wright, who removed from Ohio to Delaware county in a very early day. It was during his boyhood days that the father came to Indiana with his parents, attaining to years of maturity in Henry county, finally becoming one of its leading citizens and most prosperous agriculturists. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wright lived in different
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localities. Three children, two sons and a daughter, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Peacock, but the daughter, the second child in order of birth, died in infancy. The sons are William Wayland and Emery Norman, both born on the home farm. Mr. Peacock has given a lifelong support to the Republican party and has been an active worker in its ranks, while as its representative he served as precinct committeeman and is now a member of the advisory board of Monroe township. He holds membership relations with Ko Ka Tribe of Red Men No. 286, and with Cowan Lodge No. 561, I. O. O. F., both he and his wife being members of its auxiliary, the Rebekahs. The family are well and favorably known and stand high in the community.
SAMUEL DRUMM. Monroe township numbers among its leading agri- culturists and prominent business men Samuel Drumm, who is the proprietor of a rich and well cultivated farm on section 32. Throughout nearly his entire business career he has been identified with the interests of Delaware county, and in all that time has resided on the farm which he now owns and operates. His father, Samuel Drumm, Sr., also devoted his entire business career to tilling the soil, and was one of the influential residents of Mus- kingum county, Ohio, as well as one of its earliest pioneers, but he was a Virginian by birth. That he was one of Muskingum county's earliest settlers is shown by the fact that he hauled the first logs to erect the first cabin home in his vicinity, and in addition to his agricultural pursuits he also made millstones and shipped his product to all parts of the state. His political affiliations were with the Democracy and he gave a lifelong support to those principles. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and in its faith he passed away in death at the age of sixty-five years. In Ohio Mr. Drumm married Susannah Rickner, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of twelve children, eight sons and four daughters.
Samuel Drumm of this review, their sixth child in order of birth, was born in Ohio on the 18th of June, 1824. In 1852, shortly after his marriage, he made the overland journey to Indiana, and established his home in Monroe township, Delaware county, where he first bought eighty acres, the nucleus of his present valuable homestead. This little tract was located in the dense woods, but he set to work to clear his land and on the 18th of June he planted his first crop of corn. This was on a Saturday afternoon, and on the following Monday morning it had sprouted and had reached a height that it could be seen from the road. With the passage of time he has added to his original purchase until the homestead now consists of one hundred and fifty-three and a half acres, all of which is well improved, and the many valuable improvements which the farm now contains have been placed there by his own industry and ability.
In Ohio, in 1850, Mr. Drumm was united in marriage to Anna Myres, who was born in that commonwealth, and they became the parents of six
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children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom grew to years of maturity. The wife and mother died October 14, 1877, and Mr. Drumm subsequently married Sophia (Kern) Harold, the widow of Noah Harold, a prominent farmer of Monroe township, and a daughter of Jacob Kern, who was numbered among Delaware county's earliest residents. Mrs. Drumm was born, reared and educated in Virginia, but during the early `6os she came with her father to Delaware county, Indiana. On arriving in Indiana, however, they first took up their abode in Henry county, from whence they removed to this vicinity. In Virginia Mr. Kern had married Mary Ann Dean, and they became the parents of eight children, three sons and five daughters, of whom Mrs. Drumm was the second child in order of birth. By her first marriage she became the mother of four sons and a daughter, while to Mr. and Mrs. Drumm have been born one child, a son named Grover. Mr. Drumm's children by his first marriage are Nathaniel, Mary Viretta, Jasper, Emma, Albert and Belle. Mr. Drumm holds fraternal relations with the order of Red Men, and politically he is identified with the ยท Democracy, but in local affairs votes independent of party ties.
WILLIAM FRANK ANDERSON, a prominent farmer and stock raiser of Monroe township, residing on section 3, was born in Miami county, Ohio, January 21, 1854. His father, Joseph Anderson, who followed the plaster- er's trade in Ohio, was a native of that commonwealth, to which his father had removed from Virginia, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. After attain- ing to years of maturity in Clark county, Ohio, where he also received his educational training, Mr. Joseph Anderson was there married to one of the commonwealth's native daughters, Mary A. Smith. They became the parents of eight children, six sons and two daughters, of whom William Frank is the third child in order of birth, and all but one of the number grew to years of maturity. As a representative of the Republican party Mr. Ander- son took an active part in the public affairs of his community, and during the W. H. Harrison presidential campaign he headed a glee club.
It was in the year of 1874 that Mr. William F. Anderson established his home in Delaware county, and during two years thereafter he was num- bered among the educators of Monroe township, teaching in its district schools. At the close of that period he transferred his activities from a professional life to the work of the farm, purchasing in 1880 fifty acres of land, the nucleus of his present homestead, to which he has since added a tract of forty acres, and he has cleared most of his land. The many im- provements which he has placed upon this farm make it one of the attractive and valuable homesteads of the community.
Mr. Anderson married, in 1875, Martha E. Clark, a native of Monroe township and a daughter of John and Harriet Clark, who established their home here in an early day in the township's history, and on the old home farm which the father entered and cleared here Mrs. Anderson grew to mature years. One son and one daughter were born of this union, Charles
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E. and Anna B., the daughter the wife of Otis Pitser, who is conducting Mr. Anderson's farm in Monroe township. Mrs. Anderson passed away in death in 1905, after a beneficen and useful career. Mr. Anderson votes with the Republican party and is an active worker in its ranks. His fraternal rela- tions are with the Red Men.
JAMES OARD. Everywhere in our land are found men who have worked their own way from humble and lowly beginnings to places of leadership and high esteem. "Through struggles to triumph" appears to be the maxim which holds sway over the majority of our citizens, and thus it has been with this prominent agriculturist of Monroe township, James Oard, and in whose life history many useful lessons may be gleaned. He was born in Perry county, Ohio, May 4, 1835, and traces his ancestry to the commonwealth of West Virginia, the birthplace of his grandfather, William Oard. He was an agriculturist by occupation and was also a soldier in the war of 1812. Dur- ing the early boyhood days of his son William, the father of James, he emigrated to Ohio, and there the little son grew to years of maturity and was married to Hannah Shelly, a native of Pennsylvania and of German descent. She was reared in Ohio. Their union was blessed by the birth of three children, two sons and a daughter, James, Mary (deceased) and Martin. In an Ohio regiment of infantry Mr. Oard served in the Civil war from 1861 to 1865, his sons Martin and Aaron also participating in that conflict, and a half brother of our subject was out with Thomas Brady, of Muncie. Mr. Oard spent most of his life in Ohio, but his death occurred in Hartford, Indiana. During the early years of his life he affiliated with the Democrac but afterward transferred his allegiance to the Republican party.
James Oard, of this review, lost his mother when but five years of age, and he afterward lived with his grandparents for two years. He was but a little lad of seven years when he started out in the world to battle for him- self, working for his board, and the first wages he ever earned was twenty- five cents a day and his board. For four years he worked for Mr. O. M. Hollister, and in 1854 he came to Delaware county, locating on a farm in the woods of Center township. He cleared forty acres of his original pur- chase, later adding eighty acres thereto and still later another tract of eighty-two and a half acres, all in Center township. Selling his land there he purchased in 1870 his present faren in Monroe township. Previous to this time, in 1859, he had rented a far in this township and continued its cultivation until the purchase of his prese. t homestead. He at one time also owned two hundred and fifty-six acres in Blackford county, Indiana, upon a part of which the city of Hartford has since been built.
Before leaving his Ohio home Mr. Oard was married to one of the commonwealth's native daughters, Mary C. Bowers, the stepdaughter of O. M. Hollister, one of the early pioneers of Ohio. They have become the parents of four children, one son and three daughters: Charles A., Louisa, the wife of W. E. Driscoll; Lilly J., the wife of Irvin Sollars, of Monroe
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township ; and Flora B., the wife of George A. Tuttle. All of the children were born in Delaware county. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Oard has affiliated with the Republican party, and has been elected to many offices of the township, including those of school director, in which he served for many years, and trustee, holding that office for one term. He holds membership relations with the Masonic order, in which he served as commander, and with the Red Men, Lodge No. 30. He is a generous contributor to churches and all worthy causes and has always been a stanch advocate of all measures for the betterment and upbuilding of the community.
THOMAS CARL HENRY, M. D., who has attained distinctive prestige in the practice of medicine in Delaware county, enjoys an extensive and re- munerative practice. He is progresive in all his methods, constantly read- ing and studying, and keeps in close touch with the spirit of the times. His birth occurred in Harrison county, Kentucky, May 22, 1868, and he doubt- lessly inherited the love of his profession from his father, Dr. John Henry, who was a lifelong medical practitioner. He was born in South Carolina and was married in Missouri to Paulina J. Hall, a native of Kentucky, they becoming the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters, of whom the doctor was the third child and second son in order of birth. Dr. Henry, Sr., was a resident of Kentucky.
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