USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 14
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 14
USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 14
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 14
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HON. WILLIAM BAXTER.
In the death of William Baxter, September 6, 1886, Wayne county lost one of her most prominent and useful citizens, and though more than a decade has been added to the past since he passed to his reward he is remem- bered in many a home, and his good works in various directions still speak his praises. While he was deeply concerned in numerous philanthropic enter- prises, he was, more especially, heart and soul identified with the temper- ance cause. Gifted with eloquence and a ready flow of language, he delivered able addresses on the subject of temperance, in all parts of this state and Ohio. A Republican, politically, he was elected on that ticket to the Indiana legislature, and served one term there in the '70s. Later he was further
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honored by being elected to the state senate, and while a member of that honorable body he introduced and secured the passage of the bill known as the Baxter local-option bill. He was actively engaged in all measures of public importance and was a thorough disbeliever in the system of capital punishment which prevails. Not only was he prominent in the Woman's Reformatory of Indianapolis and deeply interested in all state-prison reforms, but in every practical manner he also sought to do good to his fellow men. In short, his life was the embodiment of the highest teaching of Christianity, of love and service toward God and man.
A native of Yorkshire, England, William Baxter was born February II, 1824. His parents were John and Mary (Pollard) Baxter, likewise of York- shire birth. The father was a minister of the Methodist church, and doubt- less his beautiful example and wise teaching had much to do in forming the character of his son William. He was very influential in his own neighbor- hood, for he was not only a good man but one of brains and liberal ideas, and a great student. He was the father of ten children, three of whom died in England. The father having died, William Baxter came to the United States in 1848 and made a home in Philadelphia, to which his widowed mother came the following year, and the rest of the family later crossed the Atlantic.
Prior to leaving his native land Mr. Baxter had studied law, but he concluded that he would not follow that vocation, and instead he accepted a position as manager of a woolen-goods factory. At the end of a few years he became interested in the tea trade at Liverpool, and after arriving in Philadelphia he dealt in wool in wholesale quantities, as a partner in the firm of David Scull & Company. When he came to Richmond in 1864 he continued buying, shipping and selling wool to his old Quaker City house up to 1875. He became the owner of a fine one-hundred-acre farm in what is now West Richmond, and from 1875 until his death he was a stockholder and director in the Wayne Agricultural Works, of Richmond.
In England Mr. Baxter married Mary Wickett, who died soon after their removal to Philadelphia, and their only child, a son, died in infancy. December 3, 1856, Mr. Baxter married Mary Barker, who survives him and resides in Richmond, loved and respected by all who know her. Her par- ents, Enoch and Sophia (Davis) Barker, were both natives of North Caro- lina, and left that state to take up their abode in the north on account of their opposition to slavery. They came to this state in 1831 and five years later the father died at his home near Thornton, Boone county. The mother survived him for sixty years, dying at a very advanced age in Rich- mond, in 1896.
The five living children of William and Mary (Barker) Baxter are:
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Sarah, wife of Edward Fletcher, of this place; Mary E., wife of John G. Sutton, of Warsaw, Indiana; Maria, at home; Lucy V., who married Per- cival B. Coffin, of Chicago; and William H., a citizen of Richmond.
ANDREW F. SCOTT.
It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of the state lies not in the machinery of government, or even in its institutions, but in the sterling qual- ities of its individual citizens, in their capacity for high and unselfish effort and their devotion to the public good. To this class belonged Andrew F. Scott of Richmond, a man prominent in the business, social and church cir- cles of the city. His influence for good was widely felt, and his example was indeed worthy of emulation. He was at all times actuated by the highest motives and the most lofty principles; he lived for the benefit of others, and his memory remains as an unalloyed benediction to all who knew him. The history of Richmond would be incomplete without the record of his life, so intimately was he connected with its commercial and benevolent institu- tions.
Andrew F. Scott was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, on the 28th of December, 1811, and made the best of the advantages afforded him for the acquirement of an education. In 1838 he left the Old Dominion in order to try his fortune upon the prairies of the far west and took up his residence in the little village of Richmond, Indiana. He entered upon his vocation here as a school-teacher, and later accepted the position of clerk for Daniel Reid. In 1839 Mr. Reid was appointed registrar of the land office at Fort Wayne, and appointed Mr. Scott his chief deputy. In 1841 the latter was appointed deputy sheriff of Wayne county and returned from Fort Wayne to Centerville in order to assume the duties of his new position. On the expira- tion of his term of service he went to Cincinnati and entered the employ of a steamboat company, with which he was connected until 1847, when he came to Richmond and embarked in merchandising. For four years he successfully carried on operations in that line, and then assumed the duties of county clerk, to which office he was elected in 1851 for a term of four years. In 1855 he was again chosen for that position, being elected almost without opposition. When his second term expired he turned his attention to agri- cultural pursuits and carpentering, which he followed for six years, when, in 1866, he became a partner in the grocery firm of Forkner, Scott & Elmer, which relation was maintained for a number of years. In 1872 he was instru- mental in organizing the Second National Bank, was one of its leading stock- holders, and at its formation was elected president, in which position he con- tinued to serve to the time of his death. To his enterprise, sagacity, keen discrimination and thorough reliability, the success of the institution is
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largely due, and to his efforts may be attributed its high standing in financial circles. He was a man of unquestioned integrity in all business transactions, was progressive in his methods and very energetic; and the success and prosperity he achieved was the deserved reward of honorable labor. He aided in organizing, and was a stockholder in the Richmond Natural Gas Company.
In 1839 Mr. Scott was united in marriage with Miss Martha McGlathery, of Philadelphia. She was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, June 17, 1808. Her father was a wealthy market gardener near Philadelphia, who came to Richmond, Indiana, in 1837, and lived here until her marriage to Mr. Scott, July 11, 1839. She was a faithful helpmate until her death, January 8, 1888. She was a member of the United Presbyterian church, but her home among the flowers and plants was her delight. In regard to her benevolent character we can empathically say she never turned the needy from her door unsupplied. Her kindness of heart often carried her to the limit of her resources. For example, during the civil war word was received that the soldiers were suf- fering for blankets to keep them warm; and Mrs. Scott contributed the last comfortable or quilt she had in the house.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Scott were John, Letitia, Augustus and Mary; but all are now deceased with the exception of Augustus. Letitia died February 22, 1863, at the age of twenty-two years. She was married in 1859 to Joseph McNutt, who died in 1877. They had two children. The elder, Albert Scott McNutt, is a graduate of the West Point Military Acad- emy and was stationed for some time in the west, at Cheyenne, Fort Thomas and other points, with the rank of first lieutenant. The younger son, Frank A., is a man of superior education and has traveled all over the world, hav- ing circumnavigated the globe. He served as secretary of the legation at Madrid and consul at Constantinople. He recently married a Miss Van Cortland Ogden, an heiress of New York city, and now lives in a palatial home in Rome, Italy. Mary E. was the wife of John M. Tennis, and had one daughter, Martha, wife of Joseph Gibson, of Richmond, Indiana.
For many years Mr. Scott was one of the leading and zealous members of the United Presbyterian church of Richmond, and served as elder for a long period. He was always found in his place at the church services and lived that practical religion which teaches charity, kindness, sympathy and benevolence. The poor and needy found in him a warm friend, yet his aid was always unostentatious, and was frequently bestowed when the recipient knew not who was the donor. In politics he was always a stanch Democrat, and for eight years served as a member of the city council, taking an active part in the advocacy and adoption of all measures tending to prove of public benefit. He was an exemplary member of the Independent Order of Odd
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Fellows, of the Masonic order and of the local humane society. He passed away March 16, 1895, honored and respected by all who knew him. The banks of the city were closed during the hour of the funeral services, and throughout this section of Indiana was mourned the death of this honored pioneer, enterprising citizen, faithful friend, devoted husband and father and earnest Christian gentleman. At the meeting of the Humane Society, the following tribute to his memory was read by Mrs. F. M. Clark:
" The cause of humanity never had a truer friend than this loved and valued member of our society who has passed to the higher life. The stereo- typed words customary on such occasions seem but mockery when we remem- ber all the grand traits that went to make the character of this, one of nature's noblemen. In all the relations of life,-family, church and society, -he displayed that consistent Christian spirit, that innate refinement, that endeared him alike to man, woman and child. He early learned that true happiness consisted in ministering to others, and his integrity and fidelity were manifest in every act of his life. Splendid monuments record the vir- tues of kings, history's pages chronicle the deeds of heroes, but the memory of our brother will live in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. The example of such a life is an inspiration to others, and his influence will be felt long after the marble has crumbled and history's pages are dust. We feel that in the death of Andrew F. Scott our society has sustained an irreparable loss, 'and we extend to his family our sincere sympathy in this their great bereavement."
SAMUEL TUTTLE.
Samuel Tuttle, postmaster of Orange, Fayette county, Indiana, is a veteran of the civil war and a man whose sterling integrity entitles him to the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.
Mr. Tuttle is a native of the Pine Tree state. He was born in Passa- dumkeag, Penobscot county, Maine, October 12, 1840, son of Samuel and Fanny (Sibley) Tuttle, both of whom were born in Maine. James Tuttle, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was an Ohio farmer who passed his life and died in the Buckeye state. His children, five in number, were Samuel, James, Church, and Martha, wife of J. Wolf, and another daughter whose name cannot now be recalled. James Tuttle was an Abolitionist and a Republican, and in his religious views he was known as a materialist. General James Tuttle, who has figured prominently in Iowa politics, is a cousin of our subject.
The senior Samuel Tuttle grew to manhood on his father's farm in Maine, later in Ohio, and when a young man returned to Maine and engaged in the lumber business, rafting lumber down the Penobscot river. He was
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married in Maine, and in October, 1850, moved with his family to Indiana, locating in Fayette county, where he spent the rest of his days in the quiet of farm life. He died in Fayetteville about 1870. Both he and his wife were identified with the Christian church, and she survived him until 1893 She was a daughter of Hiram Sibley, a farmer of Maine. To Samuel and Fanny (Sibley) Tuttle were born four children, namely: Martha, who died in early womanhood; James, a member of the Ninth Indiana Cavalry, died in the service during the civil war; Samuel; and Mary, deceased wife of A. Pettis. Thus Samuel is the only one of the family now living. Of their mother we further record that she was the youngest of a family of four children, the others being John, William A., and Eliza, wife of J. P. Roundy, of Bangor, Maine.
The direct subject of this sketch, Samuel Tuttle, was ten years old when his father moved from Maine to Indiana, and on his father's farm in Fayette county he passed the years between ten and eighteen. He then learned the trade of harnessmaker, and as a journeyman was employed in work at that trade when the civil war was inaugurated. August 12, 1861, he enlisted at Terre Haute, Indiana, as a member of the Nineteenth United States Infantry, which was mustered in at Indianapolis. His command was sent to Kentucky, where it became a part of the Fourteenth Army Corps, Third Division, and with it he shared the fortunes of war, participating in numerous engagements. Among the battles in which he took part were those of Shiloh, Stone river, Chickamauga, etc. Sunday night, September 20, 1863, he was taken pris- oner by the enemy and sent to Richmond, Virginia, where he was destined to taste the horrors of prison life, -a life which did not soon end for him. He remained at Richmond until February of the following year, when he was transferred to Danville; subsequently was sent back to Richmond and was held a captive until September, when he was released. It was only by strat- agem that he avoided Andersonville at the time he was transferred to Dan- ville, and it was by the use of the same means that he obtained his parole. After this he went to Annapolis, Maryland, and was placed in St. John's hos- pital, where he remained a month, at the end of that time going to Detroit, Michigan, where he was honorably discharged, his term of enlistment having. expired.
At the close of his army service Mr. Tuttle returned to Fayette county, a physical wreck, and it was a year before he recovered sufficient health to enable him to resume work at his trade. As soon as he was able he engaged in work as a journeyman harnessmaker, and was thus occupied until 1876, traveling about from place to place. In 1876 he returned to Fayetteville,. opened a shop and settled here. In the meantime he had married, in Mar- shall county, Indiana. He worked at his trade here until 1885, when he
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retired. In May, 1898, he received the appointment as postmaster of Orange postoffice and has acceptably filled the office ever since.
Mr. Tuttle's first wife, whose maiden name was Mary David, was the daughter of W. P. David, a farmer and Methodist minister of Marshall county, Indiana. Mrs. Mary Tuttle died in 1871, leaving an only child, Rosa, who is now the wife of Martin P. Carny, a farmer of Madison county, Indi- ana. In 1876 Mr. Tuttle married Mrs. Agnes Spangle, a daughter of John Flanders, a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. Flanders was for years engaged in farming in Steuben county, Indiana, and died there. Mrs. Tuttle has one child by her first husband, William Spangle. By Mr. Tuttle she has had three children. The first-born died in infancy and James A. and Mary are both at home. Mr. Tuttle's first wife was a Methodist and his present wife and the two children are members of the Christian church. Mr. Tuttle is an ardent Republican and is identified with the G. A. R. Post, No. 126, at Connersville.
AUGUSTUS C. SCOTT.
Of an old Virginia family that was founded in Indiana at an early period in the history of the Hoosier state, Augustus C. Scott is a worthy representa- tive. He was born in the city which is still his home, Richmond, August 4, 1843, and is a son of Andrew F. and Martha Scott. His grandfather, Jesse Scott, was a native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, where he spent his entire life in the occupation of farming. Andrew F. Scott likewise was a native of Rockbridge county, born December 8, 1811. He was educated in the com- mon schools, was reared on a farm, and in 1838 came to Indiana. For many years he was identified with the growth, development and improvement of Wayne county, and in his death, which occurred March 16, 1895, the com- munity experienced a great loss.
Under the parental roof Augustus C. Scott was reared to manhood, and pursued his education in the schools of Centerville and Richmond, and through this source and by means of reading, experience and observation he has become a well informed man. For many years he has successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising, and is now the owner of two valuable farms. The larger, comprising two hundred and seventy-eight acres of rich land, is situated a mile and a half east of Richmond, while the other, of sixty-three acres, is three miles southeast of Richmond, and both are in Wayne township. Thus conveniently near the city, Mr. Scott gives to them his personal supervision and derives from the property a very desirable income. For a number of years he has successfully and extensively engaged in the raising and selling of stock, and being an excellent judge of stock he makes judicious purchases and profitable sales. His business interests, how- ever, have not been confined to one line of endeavor. He is a man of resource- 8
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ful ability and has been an active factor in the successful control of some of Richmond's leading enterprises. He is a stockholder in the Richmond Nat- ural Gas Company, and also in the Second National Bank, and through these avenues adds materially to his income.
In marriage Mr. Scott was united with Miss Rachel, a daughter of John S. and Rachel (Thorne) Brown, the wedding being celebrated May 3, 1888. They became the parents of four children, namely: Thomas H., now .deceased; Andrew F., Martha Mabel and Ruth Eloise, all at home. The family is one of prominence in Richmond, and their home is the center of a cultured society circle.
In his political views Mr. Scott is a Democrat, but aside from casting an intelligent ballot in support of the principles of his party he takes little part in political affairs. At all times and in all places he commands the respect of his fellow townsmen by his upright life, and in the history of the county he well deserves representation.
His father-in-law, John S. Brown, deceased, was born in New Jersey in 1812, and in 1819 was taken to Preble county, Ohio, by the family in their emigration to that point. After growing up he became a successful farmer, buying the old home farm of six hundred acres, where Mrs. Scott was brought 'up. She was the youngest of nine children, eight of whom are still living. Mr. Brown was especially successful in the rearing of live stock, practically carrying out the maxim, "The best is none too good." For about eight years he was connected with a firm in Richmond engaged in packing pork. In his religious views he was liberal, not connected with any church, though by birthright a Friend. In 1836 he married Rachel Thorne, a native of New Jersey, who was engaged in school-teaching before her marriage. She was an active member of the Hicksite Friends' meeting, and was a clerk of the meeting at her death in 1856. Mr. Brown died in 1879.
HEZEKIAH GRUBB.
Jackson township, Fayette county, Indiana, includes among its repre- sentative farmers and respected citizens Hezekiah Grubb, whose postoffice address is Everton.
Mr. Grubb is a native of the township in which he now lives, and was born December 15, 1844, son of Joseph and Mary (Myers) Grubb. Joseph Grubb was a Virginian. He was born in 1815, and when two years old was brought by his parents to Indiana, their location being in Union county, "where his boyhood days were spent, up to the time he was fifteen, in assisting in the farm work. At that age he commenced working at the carpenter's trade in Fayette county, which trade he followed until he was thirty. He was married in Jackson township, Fayette county. Industrious and econo-
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mical, he prospered in his undertakings and when a young man invested in land in Decatur county. Afterward he disposed of that property and bought farm land in Jackson township, Fayette county, from time to time making additional purchases until he was the owner of eight hundred acres, which he divided among his children. The latter part of his life was spent in retire- ment at his homestead, where he died in the year 1892. His wife died in 1876. He was a broad-minded, well-posted man, interested in the public affairs of his locality but never seeking office or notoriety. Politically, he was a Republican. In his early life he was a Universalist in his belief, but later he identified himself with the Methodist church, of which he was a con- sistent member at the time of his death. Generous, genial and hospitable,- possessing in a measure the characteristics of the best pioneer element, - he was held in high esteem by the community in which he lived. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Myers, was of German parentage. Little is known of her family history except that her parents were early settlers of Fayette county, were Christian people and passed their lives on a farm. In the Myers family were six children: Abraham, Mrs. Catherine Bloomfield, Mrs. Sarah McIlwain, John, Henry and Mrs. Mary Grubb. John and Mary Grubb had a family composed of the following members: John, of Dearborn county, Indiana; Hezekiah, whose name introduces this sketch; Theodore, of Jackson township, Fayette county; Nancy, wife of William Casto; Rachael, wife of G. McLain; Indiana, wife of G. Myers; and Winfield and Marion, both farmers of Jackson township, Fayette county.
Hezekiah Grubb was reared on his father's farm and was educated in the public school near his home, and in time came into possession of a portion of his father's estate, where he now lives. After his marriage, in 1865, he went to Rush county, where he spent one year, at the end of that time returning to this place. Since 1869 he has occupied his present home. He has been engaged in farming all his life, and each season since 1888 has owned and run a threshing machine, doing a profitable business in this line.
Mr. Grubb is a Republican and takes an intelligent interest in all polit- ical matters. Since 1894 he has been trustee of Jackson township, giving careful attention to the affairs of this office and filling the same to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.
He was married, in 1865, to Miss Sarah Hood, who was born in Colum- bia township, Fayette county, Indiana, May 19. 1849, daughter of George and Susanna (Jones) Hood, who came from Tennessee to Indiana at an early day. Mr. Hood improved a farm in Fayette county and here passed the rest of his life and died, his death occurring in 1886. He was a son of Robert Hood, a native of Virginia, who moved to Tennessee, thence to Kentucky and later to Indiana. For many years he ran a flat-boat to New Orleans
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He was in the war of 1812 and took part in the battle at which Tecumseh was killed. His children were George, father of Mrs. Grubb; Samuel, a resident of Fayette county; Mrs. Martha Maber; Jane, wife of W. Ball; Jack, of Fayette county; and Robert, who died in Libby prison during the civil war. Following are the names in order of birth of the children of George and Susanna Hood: Mrs. Mary Lyons; Robert, deceased; Sarah, wife of the subject of this sketch; Charlotte, wife of T. Brookbank; Jane, wife of W. Corbin; Albert, of Fayette county; Samuel, who died, leaving one child; Mrs. Laura Mason; Sherman, of Tipton county, Indiana; and John. Mr. and Mrs. Grubb have had two children: Adelia, who died at the age of eleven years; and Norman, a promising young man, who for the past five years has been engaged in teaching school in Fayette county. Mr. and Mrs. Grubb and their son are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
WILLIAM F. DOWNS.
Perhaps no one agency in all the world has done so much for public progress as the press, and an enterprising, well edited journal is a most important factor in promoting the welfare and prosperity of any community. It adds to the intelligence of the people through its transmission of foreign and domestic news and through its discussion of the leading issues and ques- tions of the day, and more than that, it makes the town or city which it rep- resents known outside of the immediate locality, as it is sent each day or week into other districts, carrying with it an account of the events transpir- ing in its home locality, the advancement and progress there being made, and the advantages which it offers to its residents along moral, educational, social and commercial lines. Connersville is certainly indebted to its wide-awake journals in no small degree, and the subject of this review is the editor of two excellent newspapers of that city,-The Connersville Times and the Daily News. Throughout his entire life he has been connected with journalistic work, and his power as a writer and editor is widely acknowledged among contemporaneous journalists.
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