USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 27
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 27
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 27
USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 27
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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
This worthy couple were the parents of fourteen children, two of whom died in infancy, while twelve grew to mature years; but of this once numer- ous family only Henry Dilling is now living. George, the eldest of the twelve, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1820, and died at the age of fifty-seven years. Elizabeth, born in 1822, married Levi Sprinkle, and died when
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about twenty-five years of age. Catherine, born in 1823, married Moses Schmuck, and died at the age of sixty-eight years. Jacob, born in 1825, died at the age of thirty-eight years. David, born in 1827, enlisted in an Illinois regiment during the civil war, and probably lost his life in the service, for no news of him was afterward received. Christina, who was born in 1829, married Levi Sprinkle, and died at the age of sixty-eight years. Henry is the next in order of birth. Frederick, born in 1833, died at the age of thirty-six years. Annie, born in 1837, married Gabriel Hardman, and died at the age of thirty-five years. William, born in 1839, died when about twenty-six years of age. John, born in 1843, died at the age of eighteen years. Daniel, born in 1845, died at the age of forty-five.
Henry Dilling, the only surviving member of this family and the seventh son, was born in Pennsylvania May 27, 1831, and was only about two years old when brought by his parents to Indiana. Here his entire life has been spent. In his boyhood and youth he assisted his father in the mill and on the farm, and for a short time in the winter season attended such schools as the county then afforded. He was married October 25, 1852, to Miss Anna Schock, a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Miller) Schock, natives of the Key- stone state. Her father removed from Pennsylvania to Indiana with his parents and settled in Wayne county not far from Milton. There the grand- parents of Mrs. Dilling spent their remaining days, dying on the old home- stead, where they first located. They became the parents of a large number of children, but all have now passed away save Mrs. Dilling's father. He was born September 16, 1808, and married Mary Miller, who became the mother of four daughters and died at the age of twenty-five years. The daughters yet survive. For his second wife Mr. Schock married Lavina Swafford, who with her husband lives in Henry county. They have one daughter and five sons. It is quite remarkable that all the children born to this now aged man are still living.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dilling have two sons and two daughters, namely: Levi S., whose record begins this sketch; Margaret Ann, who was born Feb- ruary II, 1857, and is the wife of Elwood Lawson; Daniel O., who was born May 21, 1863, and married Elizabeth Holder, and is a resident of Jefferson township, Wayne county; and Ida E., who was born August 31, 1867, and became the wife of Charles Lawson, who died August 28, 1887. They also lost one child, Eli R., who was born February 10, 1861, and died February 9, 1862.
Henry Dilling is the owner of a fine farm and pleasant home where he and his estimable wife and their daughter Ida now live, which has been in his possession for nearly half a century. Mr. and Mrs. Dilling are numbered among the highly esteemed people of the township where the great part of
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their lives have been passed. The family are worthy and consistent members of the German Baptist Brethren church, with which they have been con- nected through four decades. Mr. Dilling is accounted one of the progressive and public-spirited citizens of the township and has aided in no small meas- ure in advancing its best interests. The cause of education has ever found in him a warm friend and supporter and his children have been provided good educational privileges and are now useful and respected members of society.
P. T. JONES.
A representative of an honored pioneer family of Franklin county, Indiana, will be treated in this biographical notice. P. T. Jones was born on the old family homestead where he still resides, November 21, 1834. He received his schooling at the old-fashioned log school-house, and was trained to do farm labor. His parents were Philip and Sarah (Crossley) Jones, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, but who came west when young. Philip's father emigrated to Hamilton county, Ohio, about 1795. He remained there from the time he was eight years of age till he grew to man- hood and married. He served in the war of 1812, and in 1814 entered land and two years later moved his family and settled there. At first he secured one hundred and sixty acres of land, but later added to it and made good improvements on the same. , Milling had to be done at a far distant point, and the roads had to be "blazed,"-the bark on trees along the line shaved off a little by an ax, -thus showing that the section was yet a veritable wilderness. He endured all these early-day hardships and remem- bered how the Indians used to roam about the dark forests and how there was much wild game. He was an old-time Democrat, but never aspired to office. His wife was a member of the Primitive Baptist church, of which he was a liberal supporter. He was a strictly moral man, but never united with a church. He died August 27, 1865, and his wife died in 1878. Their children were: James D., who died in Iowa; Ross C., now deceased; Will- iam L., of Cleves, Ohio; Sarah B., now Mrs. R. McGee; and P. T., the sub- ject of this sketch.
P. T. Jones was born and reared on the ho nestead, where he still resides. It fell to him by his father's will. He cared for his parents in their declining years, and in 1852 he married and settled down, after having come into full possession of the homestead. He cleared up inuch of the land and reconstructed the buildings, adding to the brick house a frame addition. He has become a successful farmer, by following the precepts of his father. He has always voted the Democratic ticket and been looked upon as a leader in the locality in which he lives. He has attended county and state conven- tions and ever worked for the interests of his party. Among the offices of
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trust which he has held may be named those of township trustee and ditch commissioner for the county, and he held the office of justice of the peace until he refused to serve any longer. He is a man of excellent judgment and possessed of a clear and broad mind, being, withal, a man of integrity.
Mr. Jones married Miss Mary J. Cowen, of an honored pioneer family. She was born January 4, 1834, in Indiana, the daughter of John and Martha (Miles) Cowen, her father being a farmer by occupation. They first settled in Union county, from there came to Franklin county and later removed to Decatur county, where they died. They were both members of the Christian church. Their children were: Squire, now of Kansas; John, at Brookville; James, deceased; Harry,-these four having served in the war of the Rebel- lion; Joseph, now of California; Mary J., wife of our subject; Margaret, Mrs. J. Landon; and Maranda, wife of H. C. Talley, a contractor of Hammond, Illinois.
Our subject and his estimable wife have been blessed with the following family of children: William, a farmer of this township; James M. engaged in mining in the state of Washington; Sarah J., Mrs. Barbour; John P., of Pendleton, Indiana; Albert O., of Linden, Indiana; George H., who died at the age of . thirty-one years; Laura B., who died at the age of twenty years, and Harry C., of Hamilton, Ohio. The angel of death visited our subject's home August 28, 1894, and claimed Mrs. Jones. Notwithstanding the early hardships and the later sad afflictions of this gentleman, he yet counts life dear and more than an ordinary success.
ELMER E. PIERCE, M. D., D. D. S.
One of the rising young physicians of Richmond, Wayne county, is the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch. For the past six or seven years he has had an office in this thriving little city, and though for some time he practiced dentistry exclusively, and met with gratifying success in that vocation, he afterward turned his attention more especially to the regu- lar medical and surgical line, and is rapidly gaining a foothold in this branch of medical science. By long preparation, study and experience he is thor- oughly qualified as a family practitioner and as a dentist, and his time is fully occupied in attending to the needs of his patients, among whom are many of the leading citizens of this locality.
The Doctor, as well as his parents, William D. and Anna M. (Millikan) Pierce, is of Indiana birth. They were all natives of Henry county, and there the father is still living, but the mother died in 1880, at the age of thirty-five years. William D. Pierce owns a finely improved farm of two hundred and ninety-five acres, and is famous in his county as a stock-raiser and breeder of short-horn cattle. As a citizen he stands very high in the
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estimation of all who know him, and in the Republican party he is a zealous worker. In 1898 he was honored by being elected county commissioner of Henry county, and is meeting the requirements of that responsible position with the sanie fidelity and regard for the public welfare that he has always manifested in all of his transactions in the past. Religiously he is a member of the Society of Friends, belonging to the Richmond meeting. He is the father of two sons and two daughters.
Dr. Elmer E. Pierce was born October 18, 1869, and was reared in Henry county. His education was obtained in the public schools of that county, and in the spring of 1890 he was graduated in the Richmond Busi- ness College. The following autumn he commenced the study of dentistry in Ohio Dental College at Cincinnati. Later he entered the Indiana Dental College, in Indianapolis, graduating there in the spring of 1892. That sum- iner he practiced in Richmond, and the ensuing autumn he returned to the Indiana Dental College and pursued a post-graduate course. Resuming his work in Richmond he continued to devote his whole time and attention to dentistry until the fall of 1896, when he matriculated in the Physio-Medical College in Indianapolis. In the spring of 1898 he was graduated in that institution and has since practiced medicine in connection with dentistry. Socially he is identified with Webb Lodge, No. 124, F. and A. M., and the Modern Woodinen of America, in which he is medical examiner. In personal manner he is agreeable and courteous, readily winning friends. He uses his ballot in favor of the nominees of the Republican party.
In 1892 Dr. Pierce married Stella M. Walls, and they have a little daugh- ter, Lorine. Mrs. Pierce is a daughter of Dr. J. A. Walls, a successful phy- sician and specialist in chronic diseases. She is a member of the Christian church.
JOHN H. QUICK, M. D.
This honored citizen of Brookville is not only one of the oldest inhabi- tants of Franklin county, but may justly claim the palm for having been longer engaged in the practice of his profession than any other physician in this section of the state. Loved and venerated by a multitude of friends, he is happily passing his declining days within four miles of his birthplace.
John Quick, the father of the Doctor, was a native of Maryland, his birth having occurred near Hagerstown, in 1780. Removing to Kentucky in his early manhood, he there married Mary Eads, of a prominent family and a cousin of the famous civil engineer, Jaines B. Eads, who superintended the construction of the wonderful bridge across the Mississippi at St. Louis, and also built the jetties below New Orleans. The young couple lived at George- town, Kentucky, until 1807, when they removed to Ohio, thence in 1809 they removed, with their three children, to Franklin county, Indiana. The
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previous year the father had entered a quarter-section of land four miles to the southeast of Brookville, and during the following years he had abundant work in the clearing and improvement of his homestead. He died there in in 1852, loved and esteemed by his neighbors and associates. Though his chief occupation in life had been agriculture, his exceptional ability and men- tal powers led to his being chosen to occupy various important public posi- tions, in all of which he distinguished himself and won the approbation of the people. For several years he held the office of justice of the peace, and for three terms he was an associate judge. Politically he was a strong Andrew Jackson Democrat, and in religion he was a Baptist, for years con- nected with the Litte Cedar Grove church, in which he filled nearly every official position. To himself and wife eight sons and two daughters were born. William G., one of the sons, was a successful attorney at law, prac- ticing in Brookville and at Martinsville, Morgan county, in the latter place serving as a judge for one term. For many years he was deputy auditor, under his brother, the Doctor. His death occurred at his home in Martins- ville, in 1893. Another brother, Cyrus, was county commissioner of Frank- lin county for two terms.
The birth of Dr. John H. Quick took place October 22, 1818, on his parents' pioneer farm near Brookville. He passed his boyhood there, his early education being such as the district schools afforded, and later he attended Brookville Seminary. Under the direction of the late Dr. George Berry, of Brookville, he commenced the study of medicine, after which he attended the Ohio Medical College for two terms. On the Ist of June, 1840, he began practicing at Drewersburg, Franklin county, and at the end of eighteen months he removed thence to Cedar Grove. In the latter town he continued successfully in practice for twelve years, and in November, 1854, he returned to Brookville, the county-seat, where he has since dwelt and pursued his vocation. Nothing in the way of study or arduous effort that might advance him in his chosen field of labor was neglected by him, and for years he was connected with medical associations. Into countless numbers of homes he has carried confidence, cheerfulness and renewed hope and healthfulness, and the heartfelt sympathy which he has ever manifested toward the sick and suffering has resulted in the lasting love and gratitude of his patients. For a number of years he has been the physician to the county almshouse and the Children's Home.
Following in the political footsteps of his father, the Doctor has given his earnest allegiance to the Democratic party. Years ago he filled a vacancy in the county auditorship for four months, and at the expiration of that time was elected to the position, which he acceptably held for two terms, or eight years, leaving the office, March 5, 1863.
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On the 16th of June, 1841, Dr. Quick married Sarah J. Cleaver, of Drewersburg, Franklin county, and of their children a son and a daughter survive, namely: Edgar, who is a progressive farmer of this vicinity; and Gertrude, who is the wife of William M. Campbell, of Redkey, Jay county, Indiana.
MILTON MAXWELL.
Few men are better known or more enthusiastic in the welfare, develop- ment and success of his home county than Milton Maxwell. He is the son of Thomas and Jemima Maxwell, the youngest of a family of ten children. Milton Maxwell was born in Union township, Union county, Indiana, January 18, 1841. His great-grandfather came to America from Ireland about the year 1740, settling in North Carolina. Milton Maxwell's father was born in Tennessee. When a young man he came north to Union county, Indiana. He married in the adjacent county of Wayne, bringing his wife on horseback to Union township, Union county, Indiana, where they settled on one hun- dred and twenty acres of unbroken forest land. Here, with a few other "clearings " around them, this worthy couple, full of hope and energy, began the battle of life with few advantages and fewer luxuries coming to their door. Their fare was common but good; their clothing of homespun; but their hands were busy with plenty of hard work, from rosy dawn until the stars girdled the night. To this hardy, industrious generation of pioneers the subject of this sketch belonged, -a pioneer generation that laid deep the foundation of our strong and enduring civilization, shaping the destinies of the greatest country on earth, and weaving crowns of glory with which to adorn the. nation's brow. The ancestors of Milton Maxwell, generations back, were adherents to the faith of the Society of Friends.
Milton Maxwell's father was an active Abolitionist. When politicians were wrong, judges subservient to influence and the pulpit a coward, Thomas. Maxwell cried aloud: "Man shall not hold property in man. The least developed person on earth is just as important and sacred to himself or her- self as the most developed person is to himself or herself." To this democ- racy he held, and was an active agent in the " Underground Railroad " in those days, aiding with food, shelter, money and comfort many of the blacks in their night flittings from their plantation huts in the south to the land of the free, beyond the swift, sparkling waters of the old St. Lawrence. This pioneer hero was a cabinetmaker by trade, and many of his evenings were spent making furniture and other articles for the comfort of his own home and those of his neighbors. At the age of forty-eight years, young as the years are measured, but aged in experience and good deeds, his sun of life dropped behind the hills of life. He left a wife and ten children, and bequeathed to. them a legacy of honest and faithful endeavor that will never die.
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At an early age Milton Maxwell was thus left with brothers and sisters, and with a mother who was built upon the same grand plan of the father and husband, -strong, in character, self-reliant, a pioneer, brave, hardy and resourceful. She was as a giant oak, sheltering well her children, and pos- sessed of a heart that opened her hand togive substantial aid to the poor and all that called at her home in the "clearing."
After reaching his majority Milton Maxwell went to the town of Lotus, in Union county, where he engaged in the merchandise business for about two years. He then went to Richmond, Indiana, where he followed the same business for a time. Returning to Union county, he purchased the farm owned by his father-in-law, Jonathan Swain, in Center township, which farm he still owns and manages. He has always been a man of convictions, with the courage to express them. To this " courage of conviction," and feeling that it was a duty, he became a member of the state militia in early man- hood. For this, and because of marrying outside the Society of Friends, he- was deposed from that church. He is a stanch Republican, and his friend- ship for the soldier is as strong as affection can bind man and man together. He is a charter member of the Liberty Lodge of Knights of Pythias, No. 114,. and past chancellor of that order.
The most of Milton Maxwell's life has been devoted to agricultural pur- suits. For fifteen years he bought and sold live stock, being a member of the firm of Keffer, Maxwell & Company, which firm transacted a very exten- sive and profitable business. He is an earnest worker in the party of his- choice, the Republican party, using his best efforts and influence in the cause which he believes to be right. In 1894 he was elected auditor of Union county, Indiana, which office he filled for the term of four years, efficiently and to the satisfaction of all concerned. In 1898 he was re-elected auditor for another term of four years.
Possessing genial, lively and social qualities, Mr. Maxwell is very fond of out-door sports. Almost every summer his steps incline him to wood- land paths and banks of purling streams, where the flowers bloom and the. breezes ripple the waters; and he takes his outings in the neighborhood of the great lakes of the north, where he finds sweet solace and an angler's. rapture in coaxing the leaping trout with artful lures; or in tossing the ani- mated shiner in the lair of the gamy bass, where, if fortunate enough he sends the cruel steel into the purloiner's quivering jaw, bringing on a battle royal that makes the nerves of the true sportsman tingle and his responsive heart beat a lively tattoo that will not quiet until the mail-clad warrior safely reposes on the green sward at his side. Turning from the sinuous streams, with his gun and dog, he roams the woods for the toothsome partridge and bounding deer. From these side trips every true lover of the sport with-
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rod and reel, gun and dog, returns to his duties invigorated and refreshed, taking up his work with renewed energy.
On the 17th of March, 1864, Milton Maxwell was married to Miss Jerusha Swain, the youngest daughter of Jonathan Swain. Her parents, too, were early settlers in Union county, coming from North Carolina. Both have long since passed to the land of shadows,-the "Land of the Leal."
Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell's first child died in infancy. The next, Clyde E., is a bookkeeper in the firm of Saddler, Huddleston & Company, in the stock- yards at Buffalo, New York. The third child, a daughter, Ora B., is the wife of Allie Bertch, the junior partner in the hardware firm of Bertch & Son, Liberty, Indiana. Leo C., the next, is a student in the Miami University. at Oxford, Ohio. Hollis D. and Ada E. are both pupils of the high school in Liberty, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell are affable and genial, esteemed and influential members of the highest social circles, and, being royal enter- tainers, their home is often the scene of festive enjoyment.
ALPHEUS M. SMITH, M. D.
Alpheus M. Smith, M. D., of Everton, Indiana, was born at Warring- ton, Hancock county, Indiana, April 4, 1848, son of Isaac M. and Catherine (Crum) Smith, both natives of Franklin county, this state.
John Smith, the grandfather of our subject, was an Englishman who, as a British soldier, came to America during the Revolutionary war. He was captured by the Americans and afterward fought with them for independence. After the war was over he settled in Pennsylvania, later moved to Ohio and from there came to Indiana, being among the pioneers of Franklin county, During the early part of his life he worked at his trade, that of tanner, but afterward turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He died in Franklin county. His wife was of German ancestry. They were the parents of the following named children: Mrs. Elizabeth Young; Nancy, wife of J. Chance; Isaac M., the father of the subject of this sketch; Matthew, who died while serving in the Union army during the civil war; and Mrs. Sarah A. Snyder.
Isaac M. Smith was reared on his father's farm in Franklin county and was married to Catherine Crum in Fayette county. Subsequently they inoved to Warrington, Hancock county, where he became a prosperous farmer, the owner of over seven hundred acres of land. He was engaged in farming in that county until 1881, when he sold out and went to Kansas, where he invested in land and stock. He also at different times had other interests, speculating in store, mill and manufacturing property, and as a business man his career was a successful one. He died in Kansas in 1890, and his wife died in that state in 1895. Both were members of the Christian
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church. Politically he was originally a Democrat, but affiliated with the Republican party from the time of its organization. His children in order of birth are: James, a farmer and stock-dealer; Elias M., a speculator; Robert A., a physician and a prominent and influential citizen of Greensboro, Indi- ana; Sarah, wife of J. Garris, of Garnet, Kansas; Alpheus M., whose name introduces this review; Dr. I. M., of Monterey, Indiana; and Nancy, wife of Mr. Hedricks, of Oklahoma.
Of Dr. Smith's mother, née Catherine Crum, we further record that she was the daughter of John Crum, an honored pioneer of Ohio. When a child of eight years John Crum was stolen by the Indians and was kept in captivity until he was about twenty, when he was restored to his friends in Ohio. He married in Ohio and came soon afterward to Indiana, settling in the northern part of the state, where he acquired a large tract of land and where he and his family became prominent citizens. One of his sons, William, represented St. Joseph county in the state legislature, afterward went to California for his health and died there. His only child became the wife of Senator Holler, of South Bend, Indiana. Other members of the family were John, who died in Muncie; Stephen; Peter, of Colorado; and Catherine and Mary, twins, the latter the wife of Joseph Garner, and the former the mother of our subject.
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