USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 22
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 22
USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 22
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 22
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Mr. Harrison was likewise prominent in church work and was a recog- nized leader in the Friends' meeting, serving for many years as clerk of the Whitewater meeting and as elder of the Indiana yearly meeting. He was an earnest, zealous and untiring worker in the cause of the Master, and in con- nection with William Tate organized a Sunday-school for the colored children of Richmond. They began with only a few scholars, but developed the school until it became the largest ever held in Richmond. He gave his support to all measures which he believed to be of public benefit, and exer- cised his right of franchise in support of the Republican party, in whose prin- ciples he firmly believed, although he took no active part in politics. He was a man of good judgment and sound financial ability; and that he had the unlimited confidence of his fellow men was shown by the fact that he was fre- quently chosen to settle up estates.
Mr. Harrison was united in marriage, in 1858, to Miss Naomi W. Mor- 12
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gan, and to them were born the following children: Mrs. Mary E. Tits- worth, who was educated in the high school of Richmond and Westtown, and is now a resident of Chicago; Thomas H., whose sketch appears follow- ing this; Mrs. Susan R. Johnson, a graduate of Earlham College, now of Whittier, California; Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Anna R., who received a high-school education and became a trained nurse in the Ann Arbor Med- ical hospital, where she became head nurse, and when she handed in her resignation in the spring of 1896 received the unanimous vote of the medical faculty to the place again; Timothy, who was educated in Earlham, married Pearl, daughter of Senator Landers, a prominent Democratic politician of Indianapolis, and is now buyer for the Stubbs Construction Company, Chi- cago, having previously, in 1893, served as manager for the Chicago Wreck- ing Company, which was engaged in wrecking buildings after great confla- grations; Miriam Alice, a graduate of Earlham, who pursued a post-graduate course of education in Bryn Mawr.
Mr. Harrison was most devoted to his family and counted no effort or sacrifice too great that would enhance the welfare and happiness of his wife and children. He crossed the Atlantic ocean thirteen times, the first time after his arrival in America in 1858, when with his bride he went on a wedding tour to the land of his birth. In 1867 also he went abroad, accom- panied by his wife and three of their children, visiting his brother, Thomas . H. Harrison, who still resided in the mother country.
Mr. Harrison of this review long ranked among the foremost representa- tives of business and religious interests in Richmond, and his death was a sad loss to the community. His widow still resides in West Richmond, in a res- dence erected by Mr. Harrison soon after his arrival in this city, but which was remodeled, enlarged and improved in 1870. Like her husband she shares in the warm regard of his many friends, and is an earnest Chris- tian lady.
THOMAS H. HARRISON.
In connection with industrial interests, the reputation of Thomas Henry "Harrison is not limited by the confines of Richmond, his name being well known in this connection in Chicago and many of the leading cities through- out the central section of our country. In studying the lives and characters of prominent men we are naturally led to inquire into the secret of their suc- cess and the motives that prompted their action. Success is oftener a matter of experience and sound judgment and thorough preparation for a life-work than it is of genius, however bright. When we trace the career of those whom the world acknowledges as successful, and of those who stand highest in public esteem, we find that in almost every case they are those who have risen gradually by their own efforts, their diligence and perseverance. These
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qualities are undoubtedly possessed in a large measure by the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and who, by reason of his marked busi- ness ability, has recently been appointed manager for the Hazel Pure Food Company.
Mr. Harrison, a son of Timothy Harrison, was born on Cedar Hill, at the corner of Main and West Seventh streets, Richmond, November 16, 1860. He pursued his education in the old Whitewater Friends' school, in a district school taught by Mary Harris, an eminent educator and graduate of Vassar College, and later entered Earlham College, where he was graduated in the class of 1880. He entered upon his business career as an architect and builder, and has since continued in that line of business. He erected the Richmond city hall in 1886, and also built a number of the dwellings in Richmond and Earlham Place. In 1885 he took the contract for the erec- tion of the laboratory for Morrison, Plummer & Company, of Chicago; in 1887 superintended the construction of the water-works at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for A. L. Pogue; in 1888 he built Lindley Hall, of Earlham Col- lege; and in 1889 sent in an estimate for the building of the court-house at Richmond, but was not awarded the contract. He then went to Chicago, where he erected the Lakeside hospital; was the architect and superintendent of construction of the plant of the Chicago Wire & Spring Company, near Blue Island, and of Farquhar's furnace plant. He also superintended the construction of the Epworth and Columbia hotels,-World's Fair enter- prises,-and remodeled a hotel in Buffalo and one on the Bowery in New York city. In connection with Mr. Campfield he erected the State Soldiers' Home at Lafayette, Indiana, in 1896, and has figured on contracts from Pittsburg to Little Rock, Arkansas, and from the north to the south. In September, 1898, he accepted the position of manager for the Hazel Pure Food Company, having charge of their extensive plant, which is being erected and is owned by the well-known firm of Siegel, Cooper & Company, of Chicago. He will have charge of the manufacturing department, a most responsible position, the duties of which, however, he is ably qualified to discharge.
In 1885 Mr. Harrison wedded Miss Claribel Barrett, of Spring Valley, Ohio, a daughter of Isaac M. Barrett, an extensive miller and pork-packer, who has also served as state senator of Ohio. Unto our subject and his wife have been born seven children, six of whom are living, namely: Isaac Mer- ritt, Raymond T., Russell Earl, Carlos E., William Henry and Thomas. The third son, Julian Paul, has passed away.
In his political views Mr. Harrison is a stalwart Republican and takes a deep interest in the issues and questions of the day, at the same time labor- ing earnestly to promote the growth and insure the success of the party. His family have long been connected with the Society of Friends, and he is like-
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wise connected therewith. For a time after his father's death he served as clerk of the Whitewater meeting. He is a man of commanding influence in the community and the county, and widely known and honored throughout the state as one who is always on the right side of all questions affecting moral and educational interests. He has attained prominence in business circles, while in private life no man in Richmond has more friends than he, and they have been won and are being retained by his attractive personality, his outspoken devotion to the best interests of the community and his mental ability, which is of a high order.
SAMUEL H. MORRIS.
Samuel Heffley Morris, of Harrison township, Wayne county, is num- bered among the veterans of the civil war and is a worthy representative of one of the pioneer families of this region. He is a grandson of Jonathan Morris, whose birth occurred in 1789, in Pasquotank, North Carolina. He married Abigail Charles, and in 1816 they came to Wayne county. Settling in this township, they passed the rest of their lives here, esteemed and honored by all who knew them. He died in 1844, and two years later his widow passed to her reward, when fifty years of age.
The father of our subject, Elias Morris, was the eldest son born to his parents, his birth taking place in this township, November 6, 1817. Here, amid the wild scenes of frontier life, he grew to manhood, reared in the noble ethics of the Society of Friends, to which his parents belonged. He was independent enough, however, to marry the woman he loved, notwithstand- ing that she was not a member of the sect, and for this reason he was excluded from the church, as was the rule at that time. Mrs. Morris, who is still living, was formerly Miss Margaret Heffley, and fifty-five years have rolled away since she became the wife of the sturdy pioneer. Her parents, Samuel and Mary (Myers) Heffley, natives of Pennsylvania, resided in this county for a number of years, dying here, the father in 1840, at the age of forty- seven years, and the mother in 1857, when in her fifty-seventh year. Quiet and somewhat retiring in disposition, fond of his home and family, Elias Morris spent his life in a manner beyond reproach. Friends he had by the score, and as far as known he had no enemies. Ever glad to aid those who were unfortunate, he followed the teachings of the golden rule, and all loved him. For some time previous to his death, which event occurred December 23, 1889, he was an invalid, but he was remarkably patient and uncomplaining. His widow, who was born in 1824, is living on the old homestead where she has dwelt for so many years.
Samuel H. Morris, the eldest child of Elias Morris and wife, was born October 11, 1845, on this homestead, which property was purchased by his
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grandfather in the early days of this county. The other children of Elias Morris are Henry F., Jonathan P., Mrs. Sarah Miller, Mrs. Melinda J. Mills and Martha, who died at the age of twenty years, and Mary E., who died at twenty-six years of age.
On the 18th of December, 1863, S. H. Morris enlisted in the defense of his country, becoming a member of Company K, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. From Camp Wayne he went to Nashville, Tennessee, where the regiment was attached to the Twenty-third Army Corps, and proceeded to take part in the memor- able Atlanta campaign under the leadership of General Sherman. From the important battle of Buzzards' Roost to the evacuation of Atlanta by the Confederate forces under General Hood, the gallant One Hundred and Twenty-fourth was actively engaged in the numerous battles with the rebels, suffering severe loss. When Sherman' started on his march to the sea, it was transferred to the command of General Thomas and aided in the Nash- ville campaign, which resulted in marked victory for the Union forces. Sub- sequently our subject's regiment was sent to the Atlantic coast, by way of Washington, and in North Carolina took part in the battle of Kingston, after which it proceeded to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where it joined General Sherman's army. From that time until the 31st of August, 1865, when they were mustered out of the service at Greensboro, North Carolina, the regiment was on garrison duty, and finally the boys who had made such a splendid record were honorably discharged at Indianapolis, in September. Mr. Morris was always thoroughly trustworthy and true to his duty. Though only eighteen years old at the time of his enlistment, he performed his arduous tasks with the steadiness and discretion of a man of twice his age, and it was a matter of pride to him that he was never forced to go to the hospital. On the 21st of July, 1864, under the blazing southern sun, during the siege of Atlanta, a day made memorable by the death of the gallant General McPherson, Mr. Morris received a sunstroke, which rendered him unconscious for several hours. In consequence he was granted a permit to " march at will," and thus managed to stay with his regiment. Many a summer since, he has suffered more or less severely from the effects of that stroke, and his health has been less robust since the hardships and privations of the war were endured by him. He is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to M. D. Leeson Post, No. 453, of Jack- sonburg, Indiana. Since his return home he has devoted himself to the cultivation of the old homestead, where his entire life, with the exception of the years given to his country, has been passed. Strictly upright and above reproach in all his dealings with others, he merits the high esteem in which he is held by all who have the pleasure of his acquaintance.
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MILES K. MOFFETT.
The present efficient and popular clerk of Fayette county, Miles K. Mof- fett, holds and merits a place among its representative citizens, and the story of his life, while not particularly dramatic, is such as to offer a typical example of that alert American spirit which has enabled many an individual to rise from obscurity to a position of influence and renown solely through native talent, indomitable perseverance and singleness of purpose.
A native of Fayette county, Mr. Moffett was born in Fairview township, September 21, 1860, and is a son of John and Fanny J. (Hamilton) Moffett, the former of Scotch and the latter of Irish descent. The paternal grand- parents, Joseph and Salome (Heller) Moffett, were born, reared and married near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where they continued to make their home until the removal of the family to Fayette county, Indiana, in 1826, when they settled on Williams creek, six miles west of Connersville. The grand- father, who was a life-long agriculturist, owned and operated a large farm here and in his undertakings met with excellent success. He also built the first gristmill on Williams creek and carried on milling for a number of years. Politically he was first a Whig and later a Republican, and in 1840 served as county commissioner of Fayette county. He died on his farm in 1872, when between seventy-five and eighty years of age. He filled the office of justice of the peace for a number of years, and was long a consistent and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his family were seven children, four sons and three daughters, all of whom followed farming.
The father of our subject, who was the oldest son in this family, was born near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and was about two years old when brought by his parents to Indiana, almost his entire life being passed on Williams creek, where he engaged in carpentering and farming as an exten- sive agriculturist and large contractor and builder. He was quite a prom- inent man and served as county real-estate appraiser for five years. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles, and was a lead- ing member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Connersville. He died on his farm in 1874, aged fifty-two years, his wife in 1890, aged sixty-eight. She was a native of Fayette county and a daughter of George Hamilton, who was for many years a prominent and successful farmer of the county, where at one time he owned a large amount of land. Our subject is one of a family of eight children, five sons and three daughters, and with the exception of himself the sons all follow agricultural pursuits.
Reared upon the home farm in Fairview township, Miles K. Moffett attended first the common schools of the neighborhood, and subsequently the Fairview Academy for one year and the Danville Normal School for two
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years, graduating in the scientific course at the latter institution in 1884. At the age of twenty he commenced teaching school, and had taught three terms in Fayette county before his graduation. He continued successfully to follow that profession until 1894, and was principal of the Maplewood school of Connersville for the last five years of the time. He was then elected clerk of the county, and so acceptably did he fill the office that he was re-elected in 1898, his present term expiring in 1902.
As a Republican, Mr. Moffett has always taken an active and prominent part in political affairs, was chairman of the county committee in 1896, and is now a member of the Republican state committee. He read law with Reuben Connor, an able attorney of Connersville, and was admitted to practice in 1893; but, having since been engaged in teaching and in the dis- charge of his official duties, he has not yet engaged in practice. On the expiration of his present term, however, he expects to turn his attention to his profession. He is quite prominent in social as well as political circles, and is a member of Fayette Lodge, I. O. O. F .; Whitewater Encampment, I. O. O. F .; Connersville Lodge, No. 1I, K. P .; Connersville Lodge, No. 379, B. P. O. E .; Otonka Tribe, No. 94, I. O. R. M., of which he is past sachem; and is past state president of the Haymakers' Association, a branch of the Red Men. Religiously he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Connersville. He is held in high regard by all who know him, his public service has been most exemplary, and his private life has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty. On the 4th of May, 1886, Mr. Moffett mar- ried Miss Anna Hoak, of Hendricks county, Indiana, and to them have been born two children, a son and a daughter.
DAVID HOOVER.
This gentleman was one of the honored pioneers who aided in laying the foundation on which to erect the superstructure of Wayne county's pres- ent prosperity and progress. Through the period of early development he was an important factor in the improvement and advancement of this section of the state, and was also concerned with the broader interests which had to do with the welfare of the commonwealth.
David Hoover was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, on the 14th of April, 1781, and was a son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Waymire) Hoover. He removed with his father's family to Ohio in 1802, and in 1807 came to Whitewater, Indiana. He was of the earliest settlers in this section of the state. The land was still in its primitive condition, the forests were uncut and the work of progress and civilization had scarcely been begun. Mr. Hoover was married March 31, 1807, to Catharine Yount, near the Great Miami, and removed to the land selected and entered in 1806, and on which,
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before his removal, he had erected a log cabin. There he made his home until his death in 1866. Although his educational privileges were exceed- ingly limited, having, as he wrote, "never had an opportunity of reading a newspaper nor seen a bank note until after he was a man grown," he accu- mulated a fund of practical knowledge which fitted him for the various public trusts confided to him by his fellow citizens. In 1810 he was appointed a justice of the peace of Wayne county and filled that office for many years, discharging his duties with marked fairness and ability. In 1815 he was appointed an associate judge of the Wayne county circuit court and his serv- ice in that position covered an extended period. In February, 1817, he was elected clerk of that court, and held the office by re-election nearly fourteen years. He would undoubtedly have been continued in that position for a longer period had it not been incumbent upon him as an office-holder to remove to the county seat. He preferred the farm, however, and in conse- quence retired from office. He served as a member of the Indiana senate for six years and left the impress of his strong individuality, clear insight and sound judgment upon the statutes of the state. A man of strong intellect- uality, of honorable purpose and keen discernment, he was well fitted for leadership in matters of public moment, and in the first half of the century was one of the most prominent men of Indiana. He delighted in reading and collected a large and valuable library, embracing a wide range of litera- ture, science and general knowledge. This more than supplied the deficiency in his school education, and his example strongly commends itself to the thousands of young men who, like him, have been deprived of early advan- tages, but who, following in his footsteps, may attain success, and perhaps fame. He stated his political position thus: " In politics I profess to belong to the Jeffersonian school, " and he took his motto from Jefferson's first inau- gural, "Equal and exact justice to all men." He declared himself a firm believer in the Christian religion and was opposed to all wars and to slavery.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Hoover were born ten children. Elizabeth, the eld- est, married Jacob Thornburg, of Newcastle, and after his death became the wife of Simon T. Powell, of that place; Hiram married Elizabeth Marmon, and after her death removed to Kansas, where he married Mary Price and spent his remaining days; Mary died in childhood; Susan was the wife of William L. Brady, of Richmond; Sarah was the wife of Benjamin Hill, of Wayne township, Wayne county; Isabel married James M. Brown, of Rich- mond; Esther became the wife of Henry Shroyer, of Newcastle; William and Rebecca died in early childhood; and David married Phoebe Macy, and resided on the old family homestead until his death. His children are Andrew M., Henry Irvin and David Simon.
Judge Hoover died in 1866, in his eighty-sixth year, and his wife passed
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away in 1865, in her seventy-sixth year. His was a long, active, useful and honorable life, and his name is indelibly inscribed on the pages of Wayne county's history.
His grandfather on his mother's side, Rudolph Waymire, was a native of Hanover, Germany, who used to boast that he had been a soldier under his Britannic majesty, and that he was in the battle of Dettingen in 1743. For some time previous to his emigration to America he also served under Fred- erick the Great, of Prussia, as one of his body guard, a company into which no man was admitted who was not seven feet or more in height, he being seven feet eight inches!
ARETUS FRANKLIN BURT.
This name is one known throughout Union county, for here Mr. Burt has passed his whole life, and here his parents lived for many decades. He is now serving his fifth year in the responsible office of county commis- sioner, having been twice elected to this position by his Republican friends. He has been active in the councils of the party and generally attends the meetings of the county central committee. At various times he has occu- pied more or less important township offices and has always acquitted him- self with credit. There are sixty-seven miles of graded roads in the county to be looked after, and many other quite as important public matters that require his supervision as commissioner.
The father of our subject was Zenas Burt, whose birth occurred in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, July 1, 1794. He was a son of Zephaniah Burt, two of whose brothers were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. For his wife Zenas Burt chose Miss Phœbe Ratcliff, who was born May 12, 1799, and soon after their marriage, March 6, 1817, the young people started for their new home on the frontier, proceeding down the Ohio river in company with Mrs. Burt's brother, Samuel Ratcliff, and his family. Some years later this brother went to New Orleans on a flat-boat and was never heard from again. Zephaniah Burt had made the trip to Union county about 1814 and took up some land here. A few years later he located in Henry county, where he died. Zenas Burt settled on seventy-one acres of the Union county property selected by his father, and this land has never left the family and is now owned by James Morris, a son of our subject. In time Zenas Burt became well-to-do, owned four farms, and for years was a justice of the peace. He was an old-line Whig and very active in his party. Religiously he was a strict Presbyterian, concerned about the observance of family prayers and other forms of the church. He was one of the zealous members of the Sil- ver Creek church, which he assisted in founding and later was influential in the organization of the Presbyterian church at Liberty. In 1850 he bought
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the present farm of A. F. Burt, and dwelt here until his death in 1866. His widow survived him several years. He had a brother Daniel, who lived in Union and Henry counties, and they had three sisters, one of whom, Eunice, married John Bradway, of Henry county. In the days of his early settle- ment here Zenas Burt was obliged to haul his grain to Cincinnati, a four-days trip, and would return with provisions and supplies for his household, enough to last for many months.
Of the children born to Zenas and Phoebe Burt, Laban R. was the eldest. He was born December 28, 1817, and was a farmer of Kosciusko county, Indiana, for several years prior to his death, which event took place when he was in his sixty-sixth year. John Milton, the second son, was born March 5, 1820, and died in Franklin county, this state, where he had been engaged in merchandising. Amzi Elmer, born March 9, 1822, died at the old homestead in this county when a young man, in 1853. Isaiah Gra- ble, born May 23, 1824, died in Coles county, Illinois, where he owned a farm. Hannah Main died at the age of nine years. Rebecca Ritten- house, born August 15, 1829, never married and died when about thirty-five years of age. Phœbe Caroline, born September 15, 1831, never married, and died when about sixty-five years of age. Joseph Hayward, born Sep- tember 17, 1833, served under General Lew Wallace in the Eleventh Indi- ana Regiment during the civil war, and died while at home on a furlough. Silas Everts, born December 15, 1835, was a farmer of Union county until four years ago, when he removed to Taylor county, Wisconsin.
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