USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62
Artemus Riker and Jane Schoonover were both residents of the state of New Jersey until about 1800, when the families of both moved to this county. Here they were united in marriage, removing from Cedar Grove to Brookville township, where the father purchased forty acres of land. This is adjoining the present home of our subject. Life in Indiana in those pioneer days was fraught with privation and hardships little understood by the present genera- tion; and the difficulties surmounted by them, the dangers to which they were subject, and the trials undergone, seem almost impossible of belief in these days of plenty. Those hardy pioneer ancestors faced the wilderness of unbroken country with oftentimes nothing but willing hands and stout hearts as their capital stock; sometimes a team of horses or oxen, and a wagon, with a small array of household goods, belonged to them, and fortunate, indeed, was the man who was possessed of money. Their implements were of the most primitive sort, many of them being rude inventions of their own, yet the results accomplished by them were remarkable. Many found large fortunes in tilling the soil, as nature provided a ready market for their sup- plies in the appetites of her children, and few were the cases recorded where the pioneer failed to make a comfortable living for himself and family. Such was the state of Indiana when Artemus Riker became a resident within her borders. He added to his original purchase of forty acres until he owned three hundred, -one hundred of which was afterward disposed of to advan- tage. At the time of his death, in July, 1879, he owned two hundred acres. He was then in his eighty-sixth year, and was a man who commanded respect from all. He was connected with the early Baptists of that locality, -- a denomination now almost extinct there, but at that time the most prominent in the township. He was liberal with his means, contributing with a lavish hand to the support of the church, while the poor never asked in vain of him for assistance. His wife was, indeed, a helpmeet to him, and preceded him through the "gates ajar," dying in March, 1870, at the age of seventy-two years. Their children were: Moses, our subject; John, deceased; Asa, deceased; Phœbe, wife of Thomas T. Conner; and Oliver, who lives in Rush county. The brothers of Mrs. Riker were Joseph, Jerry and Roswell Schoonover.
Moses Riker was four years of age when his parents removed from Cedar Grove to his present location. He has worked at farming since early boy- hood, remaining with his father until he had reached his majority and then renting land of the latter for one year. In 1843 he started on the present
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farm, then consisting of only one hundred and twenty acres, and has improved and added to it from time to time until he now has two hundred and forty acres of as fine farm land as can be found in the county. For many years he lived in the old log house which formerly stood on the land, but this and the primitive outbuildings have given place to a brick residence of modern architecture and convenience, and comfortable barns and other buildings, making it at once a model of comfort and convenience.
Mr. Riker was married November 10, 1842, to Miss Hetty, daughter of Elijah and Amelia Warne, of Ohio. Mrs. Riker came to this county with her parents when in her seventh year. She was the fifth in a family of eleven children, viz .: John, deceased; Sarah, wife of Stephen Martin; Eliza- beth, wife of William Halstead, deceased; William, deceased; Hetty, deceased, wife of our subject; Mary Jane, wife of James Gobel; Samuel, deceased; Ann, wife of John Armstrong, deceased; Elijah, deceased; Stephen ; and Catherine, who is deceased. Mrs. Riker died December 24, 1888, at the age of sixty-three years, two months and eight days. Her children are: Sarah Jane, who is the wife of James McAdams, of Union county, this state; and the mother of Harmon, Wilbur, John and Lura; Phoebe Ann, the widow of George Wilson, later became the wife of Talvin Munson, now deceased; and her children are Moses, Elsie. Charles, and John Wilson; Mary Elizabeth is the wife of W. Scott Hutchinson and her children are Charles, Mozella and Bertha; Lydia, who died in 1893, was the wife of Frank S. Alley, and their children are Orris, Charles, Bruce and John; Amelia C. is the wife of William R. Bowles. and has four children, -- Moses, Grace, Gertrude, and Lydia May. Mr. Riker is a strong Democrat.
T. HENRY DAVIS, M. D.
In the subject of this review we have one who has attained to distinc- tion in the line of his profession, who has been an earnest and discriminat- ing student and who holds a position of due relative precedence among the medical practitioners of Richmond and Wayne county. Native talent and acquired ability have won him high standing and fame; there are no favored positions to be given in this line of endeavor: prominence comes alone through merit, and success is the reward of carnest labor, ability and the pursuit of a persistent purpose. Thus working his way upward, Dr. Davis has long since left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few, and his position commands the respect and admiration of all.
He was born on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, September 29. 1836, and is the eldest son of Henry W. and Lydia (Cartwright) Davis. He is indebted to the public-school system for the educational privileges afforded him, and to his own efforts for the good he derived therefrom. He was
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especially proficient in mathematics, but was at all times an apt scholar and gained a good general knowledge to serve as a foundation on which to rest the superstructure of professional learning. He commenced the study of medicine under the direction Dr. William P. Cross, of Nantucket, under whose preceptorage he continued for three years, and in the meantime also attended two courses of lectures at the Cleveland Medical College, but was subse- quently graduated at the Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri, in St. Louis.
In the year 1857 he went to the south, where he spent a few months, but not finding a suitable location he started again for New England. How- ever, it seemed to him to show a marked lack of success to thus go back to his old home, and he resolved to try the west. Seemingly trivial circum- stances often change the whole current of a human life and color one's entire future destiny. No strong influence or attraction induced Dr. Davis to come to Richmond, chance seeming to direct him hither, but once in Wayne county he was quick to note its possibilities, its advantages and the bright future which seemed to lie before this region. He determined to try the location, and since that time has continuously engaged in the practice of his profession, his efforts being attended with excellent success. Within the year following his arrival, 1858, he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa G. McDonald, of Oxford. Ohio, a lady of superior culture and attainments.
The Doctor has always been a close student of medical works and jour- nals, thus keeping in close touch with all which marks the advancement that is continually being made in the profession. Steady application, combined with much skill and acquired ability, has gained him a foremost place in the ranks of his professional brethren, and to-day Dr. Davis is a recognized leader in the medical circles in Wayne county. Obstacles and difficulties in his path have only served as stepping stones to something higher and given him new impetus, strength and courage. He has been a member of the state board of health for four years, and is president of the same, while he has been a member of the local board of health for thirty-one years. He is president of the medical board of St. Stephen's Hospital, and for forty years has enjoyed a successful practice in Richmond.
Dr. Davis is an esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree. In many fields of research his investigations are original, and in thought he is independent, possessing a very quick and active mind. He readily discerns the ludicrous side of a question, and not infrequently turns it to a jest. He tells a story admirably and is ever ready with repartee. Unbiased by fear, favor or prejudice, he forms his opinions independently and does what he believes to be right, regardless of what others may say.
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AUGUSTUS M. SINKS.
Among those whose business activity has contributed to the welfare and prosperity of the city of Connersville is Augustus M. Sinks, who for many years was a prominent figure at the bar and in journalistic circles, and who is now enjoying a well earned rest-the fruit of his former labors. He was born in Bethel, Clermont county, Ohio. March 27, 1838, a son of Randolph M. and Eleanor H. (Clarke) Sinks. On the paternal side he was of German lineage, and on the maternal side of English descent. His grandfather, Nicholas Sinks, was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, April 20, 1771, and was there married to Margaret Pence, whose birth occurred in that place. March 15, 1774. In 1795 they removed to Clermont county, Ohio, making their home in Williamsburg, where the grandfather of our subject died April 9, 1825. His wife passed away at Bethel, Ohio, October 26, 1856. Nicholas Sinks was a tanner by trade and conducted the first tan-yard in Clermont county. He was also the proprietor of the leading tavern there, and was a man of much influence and prominence. He was a Whig in his political affiliations, and for seventeen years he efficiently served as treasurer of Cler- mont county. In his family were ten children, five sons and five daughters.
The maternal grandfather of our subject was Houton Clarke, who was born in England, March 16, 1766, and emigrated to America in 1800. He took up his residence in Bethel, Ohio, and there married Nancy Riley, a daughter of Garrard Riley, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, serv- ing under General Washington. In 1806 he purchased property in Bethel, which has been in possession of the family continuously ever since and is now owned by our subject. He, too, conducted a tavern, making that his life work. He died in Bethel, September 28, 1834.
Randolph M. Sinks, the father of our subject, was born in, Clermont county, Ohio, October 15, 1809, and there spent his entire life, having engaged in merchandising in Bethel for fifty years. He entered upon his mercantile career in the capacity of clerk when fifteen years of age, and after becoming thoroughly familiar with the business began the conduct of a store of his own, which he successfully carried on for half a century. Ile died in Bethel, June 6, 1890. His political support in early life was given the Whig party, and on its dissolution he joined the ranks of the Republican party. He took an active interest in political affairs, but never sought office for himself. He was elected a general in the state militia in aute-bellum days and was always known as General Sinks. Being elected to break up the old system of militia he did so by refusing to call out the men, and as the other generals followed the same practice the legislature voted to abolish the system.
General Sinks was three times married. On the 14th of July, 1835, he
ROPKEY-MASON CO., INO'PLS.
Am Sinker
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wedded Eleanor H. Clarke, who died July 16, 1850, at the age of thirty-four years, her birth having occurred in Bethel, August 5, 1816. She opened her eyes to the light of day in the same house in which she closed them in death, and there her marriage also was celebrated. She had five children: Augustus; Mrs. Caroline Swing, of Bethel; Marcus R., a merchant of Jeffer- son City, Missouri; George M., of Connersville; and Houton W'., of Jefferson City, Missouri. For his second wife Randolph Sinks chose Mary Frazer, the wedding being celebrated in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 6, 1852. They had one child, Charles N., who was born January 27, 1856, and is now a job printer of Connersville. The mother died May 13, 1865, in Bethel, and on the 29th of September, 1872, Mr. Sinks married Mrs. Hannah Reed, who is now (1899) living on the old homestead at Bethel, at the age of eighty-two years.
Augustus M. Sinks, whose name introduces this review, and who is one of the prominent citizens of Connersville, was reared in Bethel, and com- pleted his literary education in the State Normal School, at Lebanon, Ohio. At the age of nineteen he began teaching, a profession which he successfully followed for four years, the last two years of that period acting as principal of the graded schools in his native town. At the same time he pursued a course of law-reading under the direction of his uncle, R. W. Clarke, and in 1863 was elected clerk of Clerniont county, serving for a term of three years. He was also admitted to the bar in 1863, and in 1867 he came to Conners- ville, where he purchased the Connersville Times, a weekly paper which he published for four years. Selling out in 1871, he began the practice of law, forming a partnership with Judge Jeremiah M. Wilson under the firm name of Wilson & Sinks, which connection was continued for four years, when Mr. Wilson was elected to congress and the business relation between them was discontinued. Mr. Sinks was for ten years attorney for the Cincinnati, Ham- ilton & Indianapolis Railroad Company, the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company and the Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati Railroad Company. He engaged entirely in the practice of corporation law and was one of the most able and distinguished representatives of that branch of the profession in eastern Indiana, but in 1881 he resigned his position as attorney for the railroad companies and returned to the journalistic field as the editor and proprietor of the Connersville Times, which he conducted until 1891. In that year he sold out and has since lived retired from the active cares of business life. He at one time capably and efficiently served as city attorney of Con- nersville, filling that position for six years. At one time he was also con- nected with the banking business, having been a director in the First National Bank at Batavia, Clermont county, Ohio, some years ago.
On the 23d of June, 1859, Mr. Sinks was married to Miss Mary M. 43
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Quinlan, of Bethel, and they have one daughter, May, who is now the wife of Professor Frank E. Crane, principal of the public schools of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. Sinks died September 10, 1866, and on the 18th of October, 1870, Miss Birdie Spangler, of New Liberty, Kentucky, became the wife of our subject. She is a daughter of John L. and Elizabeth (Kemper) Spangler. Her father was born near Frederick, Maryland, February 26, 1816, and was a son of George V. Spangler. Mrs. Spangler was a daughter of Jonathan and Fannie (Chowning) Kemper, and was born near New Liberty, Kentucky, October 17, 1824. Her father, Jonathan Kemper, was a son of Tillam Kemper and was born in Virginia, January 13, 1788. General Kemper, who led the charge at Gettysburg, and was afterward governor of Virginia, was of the same family.
In his political views Mr. Sinks is a stalwart Republican and for many years has frequently served as delegate to state and district conventions. In August, 1893, he united with the Christian church and has since been very zealous in its work, serving as elder and in many ways advancing its interests. Socially he is a prominent Mason. In 1877 he became a member of Warren Lodge, No. 15, F. & A. M. and was its Master for ten years. Of Maxwell Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M., he was High Priest for five years, and of Fayette Council, No. 6, R. & S. M., he was Illustrious Master for five years. He joined Connersville Commandery, No. 6, K. T., was its Commander for four years, and in Indianapolis he received the degree of High Priesthood. In 1885 he was elected Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of Indiana and served for one year. During that time he attended the General Grand Council of the United States, held in Washington, D. C. Throughout his life his career has been marked by the strictest fidelity to duty, by loyalty to every trust reposed in him and by firm allegiance to the right as he has seen it. For many years a resident of Connersville, he has been actively identified with the professional, journalistic, its social, political and moral interests, and in all these relations has won the confidence of the public and the regard of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
J. E. GRAY.
No one in Cambridge City is better known than this popular railroad official, whose service here has extended over a period of thirty-one years. Few, if any, of the citizens of this place have taken more active interest in public works, in iniprovements, and in everything which has gone to make this one of the progressive and attractive towns in Wayne county.
Of English descent, Mr. Gray's parents, David and Naomi (Loftland) Gray, were natives of Delaware, and the father was a leading minister in the Methodist Episcopal denomination. Two of the brothers of our subject are
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inen of high standing in railroad circles, namely: D. S. Gray, who is well known in various parts of the United States; and S. F. Gray, who is the general western agent for the Pennsylvania lines, with headquarters at Indianapolis, Indiana.
J. E. Gray was born on the 15th of May, 1836, in Danville, Knox county, Ohio, received the advantages of a liberal common-school education, and turned his attention to railroading when he was about seventeen years of age. June 1, 1868, he was appointed agent at Cambridge City, and has retained his position during all of the intervening years and through the fre- quent changes of management. The road, now known as the Panhandle, is part of the great Pennsylvania system at the present time. The faithfulness and general efficiency of Mr. Gray are well attested by his long retention in office; and his thorough understanding of his business, as well as the uniform courtesy which he exercises toward everybody, accounts for his popularity.
In the spring of 1873 Mr. Gray was elected a member of the town board of trustees. At that time an indebtedness of fifty thousand dollars hung over the place, there being twenty-eight thousand dollars taxes standing uncol- lected on the tax duplicate. The property valuation of the town at that time was one million two hundred thousand dollars, and the rate of taxation was one dollar and a quarter per hundred dollars. The indebtedness of the town was reduced to twenty thousand dollars within the next three years, by judicious management, but in 1876 the purchase of a fire-engine, the con- struction of wells and cisterns for use in case of fire, and the erection of the town hall increased the debt to twenty-eight thousand dollars. Again sys- tematic reduction of this amount followed until 1883, when there was but one thousand dollars remaining of the original indebtedness, which amount was paid the following year. Mr. Gray acted as a member of the board for twenty-four years successively. In 1887 Mr. Gray retired from the board and devoted his entire attention to his regular business, but in the spring of 1894 his friends induced him to again become a candidate for the town board, the town in the meantime having gotten into financial embarrassment through the building of water-works. He consented to have his name used and was elected by an overwhelming majority. and was re-elected in 1896 without opposition. The water-works have been completed and the town's finances are again in a wholesome condition. Fine cement sidewalks are now being laid in all parts of the town, particularly in the business section. In addition to being one of the most influential and progressive members of the board of town trustees, Mr. Gray was for seven years one of the school trustees. He has been prominent in fraternal circles, having been for three years master of Cambridge City Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons,
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and being associated with the Knights of Pythias. Politically he votes the Republican ticket.
April 30, 1863, the marriage of Mr. Gray and Miss Jane Ramsey, a daughter of Jesse and Eleanor (Mckinney) Ramsey, was solemnized. Three" sons and a daughter were born to our subject and wife, namely: William Frazer, David Ramsey, Jessie and John R. David R. is the general agent at Salt Lake City, Utah, for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Jessie is the wife of Frank Starr, the local editor of the Elkhart (Indiana) Review. John R., whose home is in Cambridge City, married Mary Caldwell, of Mil- ton, Indiana. Our subject's children have received an excellent education and are taking places of influence and importance in the world's busy field of endeavor.
ISAAC N. SMITH.
Isaac N. Smith, a valiant veteran of the civil war and an honored citizen of Wayne county for more than two-score years, was born December 13, 1829, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. His father, John Smith, a native of the same state, removed to Clark county, Ohio, at an early day and died in 1846, when in his forty-seventh year. The mother. whose maiden name was Susan Kauffman, is still living, and has attained the extreme age of ninety-four years. Of her four children, one, Benjamin F., is deceased, having died in 1852, when in his eighteenth year. Anna, the only daughter, is the widow of Emanuel Albert; and John K. is a resident of Cambridge City, Indiana.
The youth of Isaac N. Smith was spent in his native state and in Ohio, whither he removed with his parents. In 1855 he was united in marriage to Miss Maria Roller, a daughter of David Roller, of Clark county, Ohio, and the same year they came to Wayne county, where they have made their home until the present day, enjoying the friendship and high regard of a large number of acquaintances and associates.
For about six years after his arrival in this county, Mr. Smith carried on a tannery at Dublin, but when the war of the Rebellion broke out he left everything, in order to fight for his beloved country, enlisting in Company D, Eighth Regiment of Indiana Infantry. At the organization of the company he was appointed sergeant, and thereafter was, in turn, promoted first ser- geant, second lieutenant and first lieutenant. He participated in the battle of Pea Ridge and the various engagements leading up to the siege of Vicksburg, after which memorable victory for the Union forces he was transferred to the Department of the Gulf, and took part in the numerous eventful campaigns of General Sherman in the south. At the close of his term of enlistment he was at Savannah, Georgia. He seemed to have led a charmed life, as he
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went through the war from the beginning to the end, usually in the thickest of the fight, and in some of the most desperate campaigns, yet escaped with- out a wound, however slight. He was mustered out and honorably discharged in April, 1865.
Returning to his former home in Dublin, Wayne county, Mr. Smith turned his attention to the grocery business, and was thus occupied until 1870, when he removed to Cambridge City. Here he accepted a position as station agent for the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company, now a branch of the Big Four system, and for twenty years he retained this office, meeting fully the requirements of his employers and the traveling public. In 1890 he resigned, and for the past eight or nine years has been actively associated with the Western Wayne Bank, one of the stable and flourishing financial institutions of this section of the state. He is Republican in politics, and in 1894 was elected township trustee, which office he is still holding. Frater- nally he is a member of Cambridge City Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons; and for three years served as the commander of Cambridge City Post, No. 179, Grand Army of the Republic. He is justly popular among the best citizens of this place, and possesses the pleasant, kindly traits of character which readily win friends.
SYLVESTER H. JONES.
The Jones family, of which our subject is a worthy representative, is of Welsh origin. His great-grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, came to the United States and located in North Carolina prior to the war of the Revolution, in which conflict he participated. His son Benjamin, the next in the line of descent, was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, whence he came to Green township, Wayne county, Indiana, as early as 1811. In company with some friends he crossed the mountains with teams, and, taking up a quarter-section of land from the government, he proceeded to clear the tract, assisted later by his sons. A typical pioneer, hardy, brave and in- domitable in will and purpose, he met every difficulty with a spirit which surmounted it, and brought success sooner or later. He was a Baptist in religious faith. He chose for his wife Sarah Case, the sister of one of the noted ministers of that denomination, Rev. Nathaniel Case, who was like- wise a native of North Carolina, and came to this state at about the same time as did Mr. Jones. To the marriage of Benjamin and Sarah Jones four sons and two daughters were born. They were reared to maturity on the old homestead, their birthplace, and one by one passed to their reward. William, who was engaged in the practice of medicine in Austin, Minnesota, for several years, died in that place. Isaiah, a farmer, died in Howard county, Indiana James, who was elected clerk of the courts of Marion
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