USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 12
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 12
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 12
USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 12
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Mr. Pelsor has been a Republican since the organization of that party, and is a worthy member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is the present assessor of Metamora township, a position which he has held sev- eral terms. He is well informed on the general issues of the day and is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens.
WILLIAM MERRELL.
For many years William Merrell, now deceased, was connected with the business interests of Connersville and Fayette county, and belonged to that class of representative American citizens who promote the public good while advancing individual prosperity. The salient points in his career were sound judgment, unflagging energy, versatility of business talent and capable man- agement, and these brought to him success and gained him distinction as one of the leaders in commercial circles in Connersville. His well spent life commended him to the confidence and esteem of all, and in his death the community lost one of its most valued citizens.
A native of Kentucky, William Merrell was born in Mason county, near Maysville, February 27, 1813, a son of Reuben and Sarah (Helm) Merrell. He was reared and educated in Maysville, and assisted his father in the work of the home farm until 1837, when he came to Connersville, Indiana, where he entered upon a mercantile experience, as a clerk in his uncle's dry-goods store. He subsequently engaged in the same line of business on his own 40
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account, being associated in partnership with his father-in-law for some years. They conducted the leading general store in the town, carrying a large stock of goods and receiving a liberal share of the public patronage. Mr. Merrell was also the owner of a large farm just west of Connersville, and resided thereon for a number of years, largely devoting his energies to its cultivation and improvement. In the field of finance he was equally successful. In con- nection with James Mount, now deceased, he established the Farmers' Bank in Connersville, and acted as its cashier for a considerable period, making this one of the most reliable and prosperous financial institutions in the locality. He was safe and conservative in his business methods, yet not unprogressive, and his native sagacity, enterprise and reliable methods brought to him a most gratifying success.
On the Ist of November, 1840, Mr. Merrell was united in marriage to Miss Anna K., daughter of Abram B. Conwell. She now resides in Conners- ville, and is a most estimable lady, having the warm regards of many friends. Nine children were born of their union, namely: Sarah E., of Connersville, the widow of Dr. George Garver, who was a prominent physician here; Charles; William, who has served for a number of years as city councilman, being the only Democrat elected to that office through a long period; Con- well, a farmer; Frank P., who is proprietor of a restaurant in Grass Valley, California; John, who is engaged in farming and makes his home with his mother on the old homestead; Emma, wife of William Havens, of Rushville; Minnie, wife of Andrew A. Norman, of Cincinnati; and Mrs. Anna M. Mc- Ilheny, of New York city.
Mr. Merrell spent his last years upon his farm near Connersville, and there his death occurred. In the business world he ranked with the ablest; as a citizen he was honorable, prompt and true to every engagement; as a man he held the honor and esteem of all classes of citizens, of all creeds and political proclivities. For many years he vas identified with the substantial and material development of his adopted county, and was classed among the worthy pioneer settlers who laid the foundation for the present prosperity of this section of the state.
LYCURGUS W. BEESON.
This popular and influential citizen of Milton, Indiana, who is now serving as the trustee of Washington township, Wayne county, was born in that township on the 7th of February, 1856, and belongs to one of the oldest and most distinguished families of the county. The Beeson family was founded in the United States by Edward Beeson, of Lancastershire, Eng- land, who crossed the Atlantic in 1682 with one of William Penn's colonies and first settled in Pennsylvania. Later he spent several years in a Quaker
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settlement in Virginia, and then bought land on the Brandywine in Delaware, a portion of which is now within the corporate limits of the city of Wil- mington. There he died. He had four sons,-Edward, Richard, Isaac and William. Isaac Beeson, one of the descendants of Richard, in the fourth generation, removed to North Carolina. His son Benjamin was the great- grandfather of our subject. The grandfather also bore the name of Ben- jamin. He, with two brothers, founded the family in Indiana. In 1812 Isaac took up his residence near Richmond, and Thomas settled in Washing- ton township, Wayne county, in 1818.
Coming here on a tour of inspection in 1813, Benjamin Beeson selected one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he entered at Cincinnati, and then returned to his home in North Carolina. The following year, with a wagon and four-horse team, he moved to his new home in Indiana territory, and in the midst of the wilderness commenced the struggle of pioneer life. He was a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade, and in a shop upon his farm he followed those occupations in connection with clearing and improving his land. His nearest neighbors were five and six miles away. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Dorcas Starbuck, was a true helpmeet to him, and they raised the wool and flax which she spun, wove and made into gar- ments for the family. The latchstring of their little cabin always hung on the outside of the door, and the early settlers in search of homes found there a resting place. Mr. Beeson was extensively engaged in farming and stock-raising, and by the assistance of his estimable wife accumulated a large property, which they left to their children. He supported the principles of the Democratic party as advocated by Jefferson and Jackson, and most capably filled the office of justice of the peace for many years, his decisions never being reversed. For many generations the family was identified with the Society of Friends, but the Indiana branch, which seemed more progress- ive than the rest, withdrew from that sect, though they still retain many of the admirable characteristics of the society and have always commanded the respect and confidence of every community in which their lot has been cast. Benjamin Beeson died March 1, 1852, aged sixty-four years, his wife in October, 1872, aged eighty-six. Two of their eleven children were born in North Carolina, the others in Indiana. They were as follows: Bezaleel, Othniel, Templeton, Delilah, wife of John Patterson; Rachel, wife of James Harvey; Julia, wife of William Dick; Cinderella, wife of William Harvey; Benjamin F., who is represented elsewhere in this volume; Amanda M., wife of Thomas Emerson; Marquis D., father of our subject; and Charles, who died unmarried in 1852.
Marquis D. Beeson was born in Wayne county, October 18, 1829, and after his marriage in 1851 he settled upon the farm given him by his father,
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two and a half miles south of Milton, where he still resides. It is a beautiful place, upon which he has made many improvements in the way of buildings. The owner of this delightful country home is one of the most prominent and highly respected citizens of Washington township as well as one of its most successful business men. He is charitable and benevolent, willing to lend a helping hand to the poor and needy, and has given his children an excellent start in life. In 1851 he was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Harvey, who was born March 20, 1834. Her father, Benjamin Harvey, was born in Wayne county, May 15, 1808, a son of John and Jane (Cox) Harvey, natives of North Carolina, who at an early day came to Indiana and settled near Centerville. John Harvey was a farmer and stock trader by occupation, was prominent and wealthy, and was upright and honorable in all transac- tions. By birthright he was a member of the Society of Friends, to which he always adhered. He was born May 17, 1779, and died September 12, 1850, while his wife was born March 3, 1782, and died in 1854. Their children were Rebecca, Isom, Benjamin, Aaron, Nathan, William C., John P., Mary E. and Jane. After his marriage, Benjamin Harvey, the maternal grandfather of our subject, located on land entered by his father three miles south of Milton, where he improved a large and valuable farm. He was a hard-working inan, strictly honest and honorable, and at his death owned six hundred acres of land. He died March 27, 1856, aged forty-seven years. He married Nancy Sellers, who was born in Kentucky, November 1, 1809, and in 1816 came to Wayne county, Indiana, with her parents, who settled near Jacksonburg, where they improved a fine farm. They were of Irish descent and members of the Baptist church. The children born to Benjamin and Nancy (Sellers) Harvey, were Isaac S., who died at the age of nineteen years; John, who died in Oklahoma; Ellen, mother of our subject; Louisa, wife of M. G. Beeson; Ira, deceased; Viola, wife of A. Banks; Amanda, wife of J. Howard; Nancy, wife of E. Wilson; William O., deceased ; Granville, a resident of California; George W., deceased; and Melinda and Melissa, twins, the former the wife of T. Beeson, the latter deceased. The subject of this sketch is the oldest in a family of four children, the others being Lafayette, born March 10, 1858; Wellington, September 6, 1860; and Eva, June 28, 1863.
Lycurgus W. Beeson, of this review, was educated in the country schools and remained under the parental roof until his marriage, when he settled on a farm in Posey township, Fayette county, remaining there until 1886. He then located upon a farm in Washington township, Wayne county, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted his energies until elected township trustee, in 1895, when he removed to Milton, his present home. He has met with marked success as a farmer and stock-raiser and now owns
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two well improved farms in Washington township. Being a man of sound judgment and good business ability, he has been called upon to serve his fellow citizens in various ways, such as settling up estates and acting as guardian. He has also served as township assessor, and is now filling the office of trustee in a most capable and acceptable manner. In political sentiment he is a Democrat, and he is one of the leaders of his party in his community.
On the 29th of September, 1880, Mr. Beeson was united in marriage with Miss Ida Ferguson, and they now have one son, Robert L., born August 4, 1881. Mrs. Beeson was born in Washington township, Wayne county, October 29, 1861, a daughter of Thomas L. and Mary (Lewis) Fer- guson, who spent their entire lives in this county. Her paternal grandparents, Nimrod and Elizabeth (Isbell) Ferguson, were natives of North Carolina. The grandfather was born in Wilkes county, August 2, 1786, and was a brother of Micajah and Joel Ferguson, early settlers of Indiana. He and Nimrod came to the territory of Indiana in 1809 and explored twelve miles of unsurveyed land, after which they returned to their native state. On again coming to Indiana, in 1812, Nimrod Ferguson entered three hundred and twenty acres of land five miles south of Milton, which he at once com- menced to improve, building thereon, in 1817, the second brick house in Wayne county. Then returning to North Carolina, he was married, October II, 1818, to Elizabeth Isbell, whom he brought as a bride to his home in the wilderness. Having some money, he was enabled to get his farm well improved in advance of the other early settlers, and as he was very successful in his life work he was able to give his children a good start in life. He died August 13, 1865, aged seventy-nine years: his wife, July 19, 1884, aged eighty-eight. She was born November 18, 1796, a daughter of Thomas and Discretion (Howard) Isbell, both natives of Albermarle county, Virginia, the former born June 27, 1753, the latter July 29, 1764. They were married in Wilkes county, North Carolina, in 1782. Mr. Isbell was one of the men who fought so bravely for the independence of the colonies during the Revolution- ary war, enlisting at the age of eighteen and serving five years. After being honorably discharged at the end of that time, he re-entered the service and remained until the war ended. His children were: Prudence, Benjamin, John, Frances, Livingston, Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary and James. The children born to Nimrod and Elizabeth Ferguson were: Thomas L., father of Mrs. Beeson; Milton, deceased; Polly E., wife of R. Wilcox; Viana, wife of William Wallace; John W., who lives on the old homestead; Pinkney M .; Casburn; Caroline, wife of W. Carver; James N .; Sarah C., wife of J. M. Swafford; Discretion R., now Mrs. Lair, deceased. The parents were members of the primitive Baptist church.
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Thomas L. Ferguson, Mrs. Beeson's father, was born August 13, 1819, and was married August 8, 1848, to Mary Lewis. He was a scientific and successful farmer, who began operations upon a farm given him by his father, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place plainly indicated the supervision of a careful and painstaking owner, as well as one who thoroughly understood their chosen vocation. His last years were spent in retirement at Milton, where he died May 22, 1891, and his wife passed away September 15, 1896. They were consistent members of the Christian church and highly respected by all who knew them. Of their three children only Mrs. Beeson is now living, their sons, Levi and Charles, having died of diphtheria at the ages of seven and nine years, respectively. Mrs. Ferguson's father was Caleb Lewis, an honored pioneer and prominent farmer of Wayne county.
WILLIAM A. ROTH.
One of the oldest merchants of Cambridge City, in years of active busi- ness enterprise, is William A. Roth, a prominent and much esteemed citi- zen. He recently passed the half-century mark, as his birth took place on the 23d of September, 1848. His honored parents, Eli and Mary A. (Hoo- ver) Roth, are both living, their home being in Cambridge City.
William A. Roth, who is the only child of Eli and Mary A. Roth, was born in Wayne county, and received good educational advantages in the public schools. In 1871 he embarked in independent business, becoming a member of the firm of Hoover, Roth & Company. For some time he was extensively engaged in the lumber business, after which he became inter- ested in the grain business, in the firm of Shultz, Roth & Company, which later became W. A. Roth & Company. He was one of the first to embark in the grain business in this city, and has built up a large and remunerative trade. He was one of the original projectors of the direct-acting steam or compressed-air shears, for cutting sheet metal, which device is justly considered the best of the kind in use in the United States. In 1893 he went to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he engaged in the real-estate business for some. time, but, returning to the north, where commercial matters are carried on in a much more business- like manner, he has continued his transactions in grain, and has prospered.
Mr. Roth takes commendable interest in all public affairs and uses his franchise in favor of the nominees of the Democratic party. Fraternally he is associated with Cambridge City Lodge, No. 5. Free & Accepted Masons, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias, being trustee of the lodge building at the present time. In 1878 Mr. Roth was united in marriage with Miss Viola M. Kimmel, a daughter of Joseph and Amanda (Worman) Kimmel, who were of German extraction.
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Upright and just in all his business relations, Mr. Roth has won the confidence and high regard of all who know him. He holds his word as sacred as his bond, and never takes an undue advantage of another. Kind- liness and genuine courtesy are among his marked characteristics and have contributed to his sucess.
CHARLES B. MARTIN.
Charles B. Martin, one of the representative citizen of Brookville town- ship, Franklin county, Indiana, was born on the old Martin homestead May 28, 1841, and is a son of Stephen and Sarah (Wilson) Martin. His father came to this county from South Carolina in 1811 and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land where Brookville now stands. He was born March 7, 1785, and was blessed with a strong constitution which enabled him to endure the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life. By perseverance and industry he was able to accumulate a considerable property which placed him and his family in comfortable circumstances. He erected a cabin of poles, in which he lived many years and dispensed a generous hospitality to those around him. He was a Universalist in belief and demonstrated the beauty of his faith in his practical every-day life, delighting to give help to his brother man. He was twice married, his first wife, Anise Corners, being the mother of the following children, all of whom are dead: Elizabeth (Mrs. William Stoops), Edy (Mrs. John Stoops), Amos D., William, Daniel C., Stephen and Eliza Jane. His second wife, Sarah Wilson, was born in June, 1802, and died February 11, 1888. Her children were John S., born Novem- ber 24, 1835, and represented on another page in this work; Patty Annie, deceased, born June 10, 1838; and Charles B., our subject. The father of Sarah Wilson Martin came to this county, also from South Carolina, the same year as did Mr. Martin, and settled near the Martin homestead. Of his three children, John and Charles are prosperous farmers, the third child being Patty Annie. The father of our subject died on his farm May 5, 1846.
Charles B. Martin was educated in the common schools and remained at home until 1860. He then moved upon the farm of one hundred and sixty acres which had been purchased by his mother and uncle, Charles Wilson, and was known as the Simpson Jones farm; and to the original tract he has since added one hundred and thirty acres. In 1881 he built a pleasant new residence, replacing the old log house, which had been on the land for sixty years, with a modern brick building. This land is kept in the most perfect order, everything about the premises being neat and well kept. November 29, 1860, he was married to Miss Ellen Foster, daughter of William H. and Martha (Burns) Foster. Mr. Foster was a native of Pennsylvania, a farmer by occupation and a local minister in the Methodist church. He died when
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Mrs. Martin was one year old and to the mother fell the care and manage- ment of the farm and the care of seven children. The children are Jonathan H .; William Henderson, deceased; Mary; Emeline, wife of Joseph Alley; Ellis W .; Samuel B ; and Ellen, wife of our subject. Mrs. Martin was a judicious manager and by her industry and economy managed to clear the farm of debt and rear her children to lives of honor and usefulness. She lived to be eighty-eight years of age and died with the consciousness of a well- spent life.
The children who have blessed the union of our subject and wife are, John E., who married Laura Thomas; she died June 18, 1897, and in March, 1899, he married Jennie Jacobs, of Whitewater township; the children by his first- marriage were Bertha A., Anna, John T., and Charles, deceased; Sarah E., the second child of Mr. Martin, is the wife of Edmund Higgs; Mattie O., deceased; William H., who married Estella Higgs; George A., who married Daisy Holmes, and has two children,-Edith and Ethel; Lizzie M .; and Nellie M.
Mr. Martin joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at the age of twenty-one, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, being a lib- eral contributor to the funds for the erection of the West Fork church. He is a man of high principles and is esteemed for the upright honorable conduct of his every-day life.
JOHN T. SKINNER.
John T. Skinner was born in Brookville township near his present residence some sixty-seven years ago, a son of John and Isabella (Ewing) Skinner, and a grandson of Thomas Skinner. Thomas Skinner entered land in Dearborn county, Ohio, prior to 1812. He was born in 1760 and died in 1843. His widow, Anna (Caton) Skinner, was seventy- five years of age at the time of her death, which occurred in 1852. She was from Shelby county, Indiana. John Skinner was five years old when his parents came to Indiana. In 1812 he entered five hundred and forty acres, which included all the land west of the present farin of one hun- dred and fifty-six acres, and extended to the Indian boundary. This selec- tion proved to be a wise one, as it is now considered the best in the town- ship. He was a Methodist and a liberal supporter of the local church, known as the Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal church: He died in 1897, at the age of seventy-nine years.
John T. Skinner was the oldest of five children, viz. : John T., Nancy, William H., Mary Jane and Ellen, deceased. The father was married a second time, to Mrs Priscilla Toman, whose death occurred in 1893, when she had arrived at the age of seventy years. Their children were Isabella,
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Katie, Henry (deceased), Emmett, Winfield Scott, Laura and Winn. Our subject worked on a farm until he reached his twenty-fourth year, when he married and began to work on his present farm. He was married in 1856 to Catherine Bell, a daughter of John and Margaret Bell, natives of Maryland and former prominent residents of Brookville township. John Bell died August 10, 1893, at the age of eighty-five years; Margaret died August 22, 1889, at the age of seventy-three years. They had the following children: Richard; Catherine; Silby; Andrew; Thomas; Henrietta, wife of Henry Remy; Ellen, deceased, wife of John Copse. Mr. Skinner is a hard-working, indus- trious man, an excellent neighbor and possessed of high moral principles. He has never been connected with any religious body, but is a man of ster- ling worth. In politics he is a Republican.
ANDREW JACKSON SMITH, M. D.
In many respects the history of the life of the subject of this article is remarkable and extremely interesting. It will be plainly apparent to the reader that he is a man of strong personality, having the courage of his con- victions and daring to do what he believes to be right, under all circum- stances.
He is of German parentage, his ancestors spelling the family name Schmitd. He was born near Cape Hatteras, on board the good ship Kaiser Wilhelm, December 31, 1836, while his parents were on their way to the United States from the Fatherland. They settled upon a large plantation in McLean county, Kentucky, and the father, who was a physician, and pos- sessed great ability, became one of the prominent citizens of that community. He owned numbers of slaves, and about the time of the trouble which was brewing between the north and the south over this disputed question, he sympathized with the south, and served his country as a member of congress, from the sixth congressional district of Kentucky. He died in 1876, when in his eighty-seventh year, his death being the result of an accident which he had sustained. His wife, who died in 1894, lived to the advanced age of ninety-eight years.
Strange as it appears, Dr. Andrew J. Smith was totally opposed to the principles of slavery from his boyhood, though the sentiments of his family were at variance with his own. In his young days he assisted many a poor slave to make his escape by means of the " underground railway," and finally his life was threatened so seriously that he concluded that " discre- tion is the better part of valor," and he left home. Going to New Orleans, he entered the United States Navy as a sailor, and served for three years, a most eventful period in his life, as he visited many of the important ports of the world. He was in Japan at the time that Commodore Perry made the
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famous treaty of 1853, prior to which year that nation had for centuries been closed to all commercial relations with other countries. Upon his return to- Kentucky, his increasing sympathy for the slaves was too plainly evinced for his personal safety, and during the opening days of the war of the Rebellion, when sectional excitement was at its height, he tore down a Confederate flag which had been raised in his neighborhood. For this exploit he was pursued and captured and probably would have been shot had he not man- aged to escape in disguise. Reaching Louisville, he crossed the Ohio river and enlisted as a private in Company F, Fifth Regiment of Kentucky Vol- unteers, being accredited to Butler county, Kentucky. This body of troops was better known as the Louisville Legion. Company F was commanded by Captain J. E. VanSant, and the regiment had Colonel L. H. Rosseau at its head. Assigned to Rosseau's brigade, McCook's division of the Twentieth Army Corps, it served in the Army of the Cumberland, doing valiant service in many of the important battles and campaigns of the war.
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