USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 54
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 54
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 54
USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 54
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and his knowledge of the law, combined with his oratorical powers and his strong and logical arguments, has enabled him to win many notable cases.
In his political views Mr. Jones is a stalwart Republican, unswerving in his support of the principles of the party. In ISSo he was elected chairman of the Franklin county central committee, which position he held for six years. In 1886 he was elected a member of the Republican state central committee, representing the fourth congressional district, of which Franklin county was at that time a part. For a number of years he was district chair- man of the Lincoln League, of Indiana, and through these various connec- tions has been largely instrumental in advancing the interests and in secur- ing the success of his party. In 1896 he was unanimously nominated a pres- idential elector at large for Indiana by the Republican state convention, and with the remainder of the ticket was elected in November of that year, and in January, 1897, as a member of the electoral college had the pleasure of helping cast the vote of the state of Indiana for William McKinley for presi- dent of the United States. Since 1896 he has been a member of the state advisory committee of Indiana and is widely recognized as one of the lead- ing Republicans of the state. He has studied closely the questions and issues of the day, and, with a just conception of the duties and responsibili- ties of citizenship, he gives his support to every movement and measure which he believes will prove of public benefit.
On the 23d of October, 1879, Mr. Jones married Miss Mary Rose, of Fairfield, Indiana, and in the community in which they reside this worthy couple have many warm friends, enjoying the hospitality of the best homes of Brookville. They have a very pleasant residence in the town, and Mr. Jones also owns the old family homestead, comprising nearly three hundred acres of land, lying adjacent to Brookville. Both he and his wife hold member- ship in the Methodist Episcopal church, and for eleven consecutive years he has served as superintendent of the Sunday-school, being the present incum- bent. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are also members of various literary societies and are the possessors of a very fine library, which is an indication of their cult- ured taste. They hold an enviable position in those social circles where true worth and intelligence are received as the passports into good society, and in the history of the county they well deserve honorable mention.
DAVID HAWKINS.
David Hawkins, the only male representative of his father's family in Franklin county, has resided on the old homestead in Laurel township since he was two years old, and consequently is well known in this part of the county, which he has seen developed from a wilderness to a region of fertile farms.
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While the war of 1812 was in progress, John Hawkins, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came to the territory of Indiana from his former home in Tennessee. Locating in Ray township, Franklin county, he cleared a farm and in time was numbered among its prosperous farmers. The country here was very wild, Indians roaming through the forests and wild game of various species being abundant. The three sons of John Hawkins- Nathan, David and Reuben-aided their father in the arduous work of pre- paring the land for cultivation, and years ago they passed into the silent land. There were seven daughters, all now deceased, and named as follows: Mrs. Polly McArthur, Mrs. Jennie Ford, Mrs. Rebecca Nordyke, Mrs. Ruth McClellan, Mrs. Elizabeth Abraham, Mrs. Sally Abraham and Margaret, who never married.
Reuben Hawkins, father of our subject, was born in Tennessee, October 20, 1798, and was a youth of sixteen, perhaps, when he came to this county, thenceforth to be his home. For a wife he chose Mary, daughter of John and Mary Lefforge, who were among the earliest pioneers of this county, they having settled here in 1807. Mrs. Hawkins was born June 7, 1805, in Huntington county, New Jersey. John Lefforge spent his last years here, and after his death his wife went to Westport, Decatur county, Indiana, where she died at an advanced age. Of their six sons and three daughters, only one, William, survives, who is now a resident of Iowa.
In 1832, Reuben Hawkins bought the old homestead, on section 34, in Laurel township, now managed by his son David. Here he and his esti- mable wife spent many active, happy years, improving and cultivating the property, rearing their children and striving to do their duty toward God and man. They were almost lifelong members of the Christian church, and in their daily lives constantly carried out the noble principles of their faith.
David Hawkins, the fourth in order of birth in his father's family, was born January 30, 1830. The others were: Sarah, wife of R. A. Wildridge, died February 16, 1846; Marie, wife of Jerome Wiley, died January 12, 1893; Alexander died September 30, 1898; George W. died July 11, 1892; Catherine died at the age of sixteen months; Caroline Jane was born January 14, 1838, and lives on the home farm with our subject and their sister Mary; Charles Marion resides at Elwood, Madison county, Indiana; John Wesley died April 14, 1868; Mary is the next in order of birth; and William R. resides in Elwood, Indiana.
More and more, as he advanced in years, did our subject's father come to rely upon the strong arm and clear brain of David Hawkins, and for many years he has had entire control of the farm, which he manages in a skillful manner. All local enterprises deserving his attention receive his earnest support, and all who know him hold him in high esteem.
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SAMUEL A. GIFFORD, M. D.
Samuel A. Gifford, M. D., of Laurel, Franklin county, Indiana, is a son and the successor of Thomas Gifford, M. D., who was for a long series of years a prominent physician and representative citizen of this county.
Dr. Thomas Gifford was born at Penn Yan, Yates county, New York, December 17, 1816. His parents, John and Mary Gifford, emigrated to Indiana and located at Lawrenceburg, Dearborn county, and the following year settled on a tract of land in Manchester township, in the same county, and began clearing away the heavy timber and developing a farm. In 1820 the wife and mother died, leaving to the care of the father two sons, Thomas and Levi, the former being the elder and but four years of age. This afflic- tion resulted in the separation of the family, Levi, who was but two years of age, being placed in the home of a kind neighbor, while Thomas was taken to the home of his grandfather, Daniel Morgan, who lived in the same county. In 1821 he became an inmate of the home of an uncle, the Rev. John Morgan, with whom he lived until he was sixteen years of age, when he left the hoine of his uncle and engaged in learning a trade. About this time his father sold the farm above referred to and removed to Cincinnati, and soon afterward met with an accident which resulted in his death. The early educational advantages of Dr. Thomas Gifford were very limited. While residing at the home of his uncle he attended school about three months in the winter season of each year. At the age of eighteen he was so fortunate as to form the acquaintance of Rev. John Sloneker, an excellent scholar and educator, who, in 1838-9, gave him instruction in English grammar. On February 9. 1833, he left the home of his uncle, who then lived near Andersonville, and went to Laurel, where he engaged to work in the tanyard of Conwell & Shultz. He continued with this firin for one year, less forty-five days, and these days he spent in attending a school taught by the Rev. John Morrow. At this school he made arithmetic a spe- cial study, and his progress was rapid. The following year he worked on the farm and in the tanyard of Alexander Power, in Posey township. At the end of a year he rented land of Mr. Power, and for three years engaged in the raising of hops. This enterprise proved profitable, and he was enabled from the profits of the business to save sufficient money to pay for a three-years course in the study of medicine. Accordingly, in the fall of 1837. he entered the office of Dr. William A. Anderson, where he studied three years, including a course of lectures at the Ohio Medical College, in 1840. He returned to Laurel at the end of his lecture course and opened an office. In 1845-6 he received the benefit of another course of lectures at the same college, graduating in medicine and surgery. His practice rapidly
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increased, and as a skillful physician and surgeon he established a reputation second to that of no other medical practitioner in Franklin county. .
The whole of Dr. Thomas Gifford's professional career was at Laurel, - a period of about forty-four years. By virtue of his extensive practice and his skill as a physician he became widely known, and was ever held in the highest esteem, both professionally and otherwise. He was always a student and ever kept abreast of the times, both in his profession and on the general issues of the day. He, however, devoted his best efforts to his profession, which he dearly loved, and he was ever prompt to respond to calls by day and by night, in stormy as well as in pleasant weather, and the rich and the poor shared alike in his attentions. Many physicians with the same practice would have become affluent, but he was so lenient toward those indebted to him for professional services that he lost many thousand dollars thereby. He ever looked on the bright side of life, possessed a strong sense of humor and was always a favorite in social circles. His last illness, which covered a period of about eighteen months, was borne with patience and resignation.
At the October election in 1858 Dr. Gifford was elected, as a Democrat, to the general assembly of the state of Indiana, and was re-elected for a sec- ond term. In 1862 he was elected to the state senate, and to this office also he was re-elected for a second term. From 1870 to 1878 he was trustee of Laurel township. During these eight years he exerted a special effort in the interest of the schools of the township, bringing them up to a rank with the best schools of Franklin county.
Dr. Gifford was married May 31, 1842, to Catherine Case, daughter of Henry and Ann Case, of Metamora township. Their lives were happily blended together for a period of forty-three years, when death severed the union. Dr. Gifford died at his home in Laurel, June 14, 1885, his wife pass- ing away March 8, 1889. They were the parents of nine children, -three sons and six daughters. Of these William T. died at the age of twenty years and Elizabeth J. at the age of sixteen. The eldest son, Captain John Gifford, is a graduate of West Point. He is now retired as captain, and holds the position of quartermaster at the Soldiers' Home at Hampton, Virginia. He entered the army in 1861, and at the close of the war of the Rebellion was appointed a cadet to West Point. He was retired just before the breaking out of the late war with Spain. Mary A. is the wife of John M. King, of Indianapolis. Alice is the wife of Henry Reece, of Connersville. Naomi is the wife of Dr. J. S. Rice, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Emma H. is a teacher in the New Orleans University. Dr. Samuel A. is the next in order of birth. Marie Kate is a music teacher and resides at the home-' stead in Laurel.
Dr. Samuel A. Gifford, his father's successor, was born in Laurel, Indi-
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ana, November 11, 1855. He pursued the study of medicine under the pre- ceptorship of his father and graduated in the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, in 1879, just thirty-three years after his father gradnated in the same institution. He at once located in Laurel and engaged in practice, and on the death of his father, in 1885, engaged in settling up his father's estate, and succeeded to his practice. In 1890 Dr. Gifford removed to Richmond, Indiana, as senior physician in the Eastern Indiana Hospital for the Insane. He remained in Richmond two and one-half years, when he resigned and engaged in a general practice in Richmond. In November, 1895, he returned to Laurel, where he has since engaged in the practice of medicine. He num- bers among his patients the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who received his father's professional services a half century and more ago.
Dr. Samuel A. Gifford occupies the old Gifford homestead in Laurel. His wife was formerly Miss Lizzie May Colescott and is a daughter of John A. Colescott. Fraternally the Doctor is identified with the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men.
DANIEL BULLA.
In the days when Wayne county was a frontier settlement, during the first decade of the present century, William Bulla, a native of Guilford county, North Carolina, cast in his lot with the few inhabitants of this sec- tion, and from that day to this the family have been prominent and influen- tial in the annals of southeastern Indiana. For generations they adhered to the faith of the Society of Friends, and have been noted for industry, honor and justice in all their relations with their fellow men.
William Bulla, mentioned above, was the father of the subject of this ยท memoir. He came to the north in 1806 and entered a quarter-section of government land in Wayne township. The property was covered with heavy timber, much of which he cleared away, and the year after his arrival here he built a substantial house one mile north of the present corporation limits of Richmond. The walls of the cellar of this comfortable house are of stone, two feet in thickness, and the sleepers are hewn from massive forest trees. Though ninety-two years have rolled away since the construction of the resi- dence it is still in good preservation, and is now occupied by the widow of Daniel Bulla and by their two sons. After its hospitable walls had sheltered him for more than half a century William Bulla died in the old home, in 1861, at the age of eighty-five years. He was reared as a Friend, but was not actively identified with the meeting. His wife, Elizabeth, was a sister of David Hoover, who was one of the committee appointed to select a name for Richmond, and was the person who suggested this name, dear to the many southern settlers from old association. Of the seven sons and four daughters
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born to William and Elizabeth Bulla, all lived upon farms and were inter- ested in agricultural occupations save James, who was a millwright.
Daniel Bulla was born in Wayne township in the old home, April 13, 1814, and passed the greater part of his life there. His chief occupation was farming, though for a few years he lived in Richmond and was employed in the manufacture of plows. He was the president of the Wayne County Agricultural Society at one time and kept well posted upon everything relat- ing to the subject, frequently delivering addresses before the farmers of the county in their meetings for the exchange of ideas on the proper manage- ment of farms. Interested in the public schools, he was a director of the board of his own district, and in political matters he was a Whig and a Republican.
During the troubled days which preceded the dreadful civil war, both Daniel Bulla and his revered father were active and zealous in the "under- ground railroad" system, as they lived on the route which many escaping slaves followed on their way to Canada. On one occasion William Bulla employed on his farm a negro who had come from Kentucky. The master traced him to this section, and while trying to establish his ownership of the slave in a justice court the negro tried to jump from the window of the court room, but his master seized him by the leg. The poor man, sus- pended painfully in mid-air, shrieked pitifully, and Mr. Bulla, kind-hearted man that he was, could not endure this, and, springing forward, he forced the Kentuckian to release his prisoner, who needless to say made good his escape. The result of the case was not a pleasant one for Mr. Bulla, how- ever, as he was sued by the irate southerner and obliged to pay one thou- sand dollars, the estimated value of the slave, and the costs of the court.
Daniel Bulla chose for his wife Caroline, daughter of Abner Clawson, who was a life-long farmer, his home being on Middleboro Pike, in Wayne township. To Mr. and Mrs. Bulla three sons and a daughter were born, namely: Andrew J. and William A., who are both farmers on the old homestead; Charles H., also a farmer of Wayne township; and Mrs. Eliza- beth Pyle, whose home is in this vicinity, likewise. Mr. Bulla departed this life on the Ist of June, 1890, loved and mourned by a large circle of friends and neighbors, who treasure his memory, the memory of a blameless life.
WILLIAM W. DILKS.
William W. Dilks, the memory of whose honorable and upright life is enshrined in the hearts of his many friends in Wayne county, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 25, 1842. In that city, aptly termed the "City of Brotherly Love," by reason of the noble, peaceable and kindly lives of the Friends, resided his parents, George and Hanna (Richie) Dilks.
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His father was born in Gloucester, New Jersey, in 1804, and was married May 30, 1837, to Miss Richie. Throughout the greater part of his business career he was a representative of the commercial interests of Philadelphia, where he carried on a wholesale and retail lumber business. He also engaged in contracting and building and found both branches of business very profitable, owing to the extensive patronage which he secured. He displayed great energy, enterprise and sound judgment in all his trade trans- actions, was reliable and trustworthy, and by his well directed efforts gained a most comfortable competence. Of the Society of Friends he was a most prominent member, and therein filled a number of offices. He died in Phil- adelphia, February 16, 1855, and his wife surviving him many years, passed away in Richmond, July 5, 1888, at the age of sixty-four years.
William W. Dilks spent the first eighteen years of his life in the city of his nativity, and acquired his education in the Westtown Boarding School, at Westtown, Pennsylvania. He possessed an observing eye and retentive mem- ory, and therefore largely added to his fund of practical business knowledge as the years went by. In his youth he was employed in the leather store owned by his uncle, Edward Richie, in Philadelphia, and in 1861 he came to Richmond. His father died when William Dilks was only twelve years of age, after which he resided for one year with his uncle, Samuel Richie, near New Paris, Ohio. The mother and the other members of the family of six children then went to the Buckeye state, and resided near New Paris for a time, after which they came to Indiana, subsequently to the removal of our subject to Wayne county. In 1868 he located on a farm a mile and a half south of Richmond, on Green Mount pike, there making his home for thirty years. He was the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land, and to its cultivation and improvement devoted his energies. He also engaged quite extensively in stock-raising and in the dairy business, and prosecuted his labors with diligence, his careful management and untiring industry bringing him a very desirable measure of success. Ill health largely interfered with his business duties during the last ten years of his life, and for three years prior to his death he was an invalid. All of his trade trans- actions were conducted most honorably, and his reputation in business circles was unassailable. He was a man of superior judgment, and his discretion made his counsel sought by many business associates.
Mr. Dilks was twice married. On the 30th of December, 1863, he wed- ded Anna Shoemaker, of Philadelphia, and to them were born two children: Charles W., the elder, is a traveling salesman for a lumber firm, and resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He married Clara Kearnes, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and they have two children, Harold and Mildred. William W., the younger son, is conducting the old home farm near Richmond. The mother, who
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was born May 29, 1840, died January 22, 1880, and Mr. Dilks was again married, November 3, 1881, Sarah Scearce becoming his wife. She is a daughter of Jonathan and Dorcas (Edwards) Scearce, both of whom are natives of Wayne township, Wayne county, and are farming people.
In his political affiliations Mr. Dilks was a Republican, being an influ- ential and leading member of the party in this community. He served as a delegate to various conventions and on a number of political committees, and did all in his power to promote the growth and insure the success of his party. He was quite prominent in the Friends meeting and was an elder and over- seer of the Whitewater monthly meeting for a number of years. He was an earnest Christian gentleman, plain and unostentatious in manner, but thor- oughly reliable and straightforward. The purity of his life and the nobility of his character won him the esteem of all, and many friends mourned his death, which occurred September 3. 1898. His wife and his son William still reside on the farm, which has been in the possession of the family for thirty-one years. The son is a progressive and practical agriculturist, and the neatness and thriftiness of the place indicate his careful supervision. Mrs. Dilks is a most estimable lady and, like her husband, shares in the regard of many friends in Wayne county.
ISAAC LAMB.
Among the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Richmond, Indiana, is Isaac Lamb, whose sketch it is our pleasure to present to our readers. He is a native of Wayne county, and of his record, both in public and private life, she may well feel proud. Born about two miles northwest of Richmond, in Wayne township, April 21, 1821, he is the son of Thomas and Sarah (Smith) Lamb, both well known in the early history of the county. From his mother he inherited the lofty ideals of the English, while from his father he received the hardihood and perseverance which characterize the Scotch. He traces his ancestry back to 1658, to one Henry Lamb, a glove- maker, who came to this country from Scotland and settled in North Caro- lina. He was a Quaker of the Fox type, and freely suffered martyrdom in the cause of his beloved religion. His son, Isaac Lamb, was also of that faith, and was a glove-maker and also a mason by occupation. He was also a native of North Carolina, where he died, leaving a family of children, among whom was Thomas Lamb. He was born in Perquimans county, and followed in the steps of his forefathers in that he was a Quaker and a glove- maker. He died about the year 1780. His son, Thomas, was the father of our subject, and was born in the same county, July 7, 1780. In obedience to his certain belief that a more useful and satisfactory life awaited him in a wider field, he left his native state, in company with his brother John, and
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settled in Preble county, Ohio. Here he remained two years and then moved to Richmond, where he was employed by John Smith to clear ten acres of land. While engaged in this work he was making equal progress in another direction, with the result that he won the love of his employer's daughter, Sarah, and was united to her in marriage August 4, 1813. The land cleared by him afterward became the site of Richmond. Soon after his marriage he located on a farm about two and one-half miles northwest of this city. This farm had a few acres of clear land and a log house. He at once set about clearing off the timber and otherwise improving it, making it a most desirable property, and there he spent the remainder of his life. He was a farmer who was wedded to his occupation and brought skill to aid him in his work. Like his parents, he was a Quaker, and held a prominent place in the society. To Mr. and Mrs. Lamb were born five children: John, Isaac, Henry, Phineas and Elizabeth, all deceased except Isaac. The father died February 7. 1855, the mother having passed away July 24, 1833.
John Smith, the maternal grandfather of our subject, built the first brick residence in Richmond, one of the old landmarks which calls our atten- tion to the past by its presence to-day. He also was from North Carolina, having been born in Guilford county, and moved to this state in 1806. He entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which a part of Richmond was laid out. It extended from Main street to the Whitewater river. About this time Jeremiah Cox and Charles West Starr invested in land in this vicinity, laid it out in lots and began selling it off. Mr. Smith first cleared the timber from his land, raised a crop of wheat on it, and then platted it, it being known as Smithville at that time. His property became the southwest part of the city, while that of Jeremiah Cox was the north part. Mr. Smith kept a large store and dealt extensively with the Indians, trading with them from 1806 until after the war of 1812, and retaining their confidence and good will to the last, as he always treated them honorably. He was a Quaker and a prominent mover in erecting the Whitewater meet- ing-house. He was a man of keen discernment and sound judgment, and thus he became one of the best business men of his time. His death oc- curred in 1835. when he had passed his eightieth milestone.
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