USA > Indiana > Union County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 55
USA > Indiana > Fayette County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 55
USA > Indiana > Franklin County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 55
USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Biographical and genealogical history of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 55
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Isaac Lamb grew to manhood on his father's farm, receiving such edu- cation as could be obtained from the pioneer schools. To this was added an inherited shrewdness and a keenness of obsevation that were the means of placing hin among the most prominent and successful men in this part of the state. At the age of eighteen he left home to make his way in the world, going west, crossing the Mississippi and finding employment in different localities. Part of his time was spent in the Sac and Fox Indian agencies, and here he learned to speak their language. After three years he returned to Richmond,
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his old home, where he was married, November 1, 1842, to Miss Rebecca Jarrett, a daughter of George and Mary Jarrett. The following year he again went west with his bride, crossing the Mississippi on the ice, in the month of March. He located in Henry county, Iowa, where sickness finally caused him to abandon his farm, after a year spent in clearing and getting it ready for cultivation. In 1844 he returned to Wayne county, and took up his resi- dence near Abington, but soon after moved to Centerville, where he lived until 1853, when he built a house in Richmond. This residence is a com- modious brick, situated in the west part of the city, and it has since been their home.
Mr. Lamb has been extensively engaged in selling and handling patent rights, and has made it a most profitable business. He continued this voca- tion until the civil war broke out, and then spent ten years in the cultivation of cranberries, in the northern part of the state, and later engaged exten- sively in the real-estate business in this and adjoining states, a business in which he is still prominent. He entered several thousand acres of land and supplied the Panhandle Railroad with their wood for several years, -until, at his suggestion, they began the use of coal. He has been quite successful in settling up estates, and has had many calls for that kind of work in this coun- try, and has settled three estates in England, making five or six trips across the ocean in the interests of his clients. He possesses the confidence of the people in a remarkable degree, a confidence that is in no wise misplaced, and the sunset years of his life promise to close with cloudless sky. Mrs. Rebecca (Jarrett) Lamb was descended from parents who were natives of Virginia and who came to this state at an early day. Looking back over fifty years to the day of their union, many and great changes are apparent and many bless- ings have fallen to their lot, none more welcome or lasting than the children who were sent to cheer their declining years. They are: Vashti, deceased wife of Dr. B. F. Lamb; Rosanna, wife of Dr. D. H. Dougan, a prominent banker of Denver, Colorado; Thomas, a railroad man of Colorado Springs, that state; Newton, an extensive furrier of Richmond; and Albert S., a drug- gist of Aspen, California.
JOHN W. ST. CLAIR, M. D.
More than a score of years have rolled away since this esteemed physi- cian of Milton took up his abode here and entered upon a professional career which has been gratifyingly successful. Having won the high regard of all with whom he has been in any wise associated, and having been actively interested in all local affairs relating to the public good, he justly deserves a prominent place in the annals of the town and county.
William R. St. Clair, the father of the Doctor, was of Scotch-Irish
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extraction. Born and reared in Pennsylvania, he removed to Ohio, where he married Miss Sarah DeCamp, of Butler county. Then he located upon a farm in the same county, remaining there until 1866, when he sold out and came to the vicinity of Milton. Buying a farm in Fayette county, he con- tinued to cultivate the property for some eight years, when he disposed of the place and retired to Milton, his death occurring there in 1887. His first wife died in Ohio about 1852, and he subsequently married a widow, Mrs. Mary A. Stevens. Mrs. Sarah St. Clair, the Doctor's mother, was a daugh- ter of Ezekiel DeCamp, a pioneer Ohio fariner, who reared a large family, and, with his worthy wife, lived to attain a ripe old age, their deaths taking place at their old home. They had several sons, who, as soon as they arrived at a suitable age, went to Cincinnati, learned trades, and became use- ful members of society.
Eight children blessed the union of William R. and Sarah (DeCamp) St. Clair, namely: Mary, who married Dr. C. N. Brants; Phoebe, who became the wife of William Davis; Marinda, who died when young; Mrs. Samantha Turner; John W .; Margaret, Mrs. N. Booth; Elizabeth, Mrs. L. Alexander; and Christian, wife of Joseph Yeager. A son and a daughter were born to the second marriage of William R. St. Clair, but both have passed away,-Charlotte, at the age of eighteen years, and William R., Jr., when in his fifth year. The father and both of his wives were faithful mem- bers of the Methodist church. He was not only a very liberal contributor but usually held some kind of an office in the church, and frequently occupied the pulpit as a preacher of the scriptures. He was universally loved and respected, for his life was genuinely noble, unostentatious and far removed from the sordid elements which predominate with the majority of mankind.
Born December 12, 1841, upon his father's farm in Butler county, Ohio, Dr. John W. St. Clair was reared to the ordinary occupations of farmer lads, and received his elementary education in the district schools. When he was about twenty years old he determined that he would devote himself to the medical field of labor, and began studying with that purpose in view. His preceptor was Dr. C. N. Brants, with whom he practiced to some extent during a period of three years prior to the outbreak of the war of the Rebell- ion. In 1863 he enlisted, in his native county, in Company I, One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. His regiment was placed upon detached duty in the commissary department of stores in West Virginia, and was thus sta- tioned for the greater portion of the time intervening between that year and the close of the war, though they had several skirmishes and more or less serious encounters with the enemy. Shortly after Lee's surrender our sub- ject was sent to Hamilton, Ohio, where he received an honorable discharge.
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Upon his return home he resumed his interrupted studies, and during the winter of 1865-6 attended medical lectures at Miami Medical College, in Cin- cinnati, Ohio. Then he established an office in Strawtown, Hamilton county, where he was associated with his old preceptor for two years, being thus thoroughly initiated into the proper treatment of disease. He continued to practice in that town some seven years after Dr. Brants had left the place, and in 1872 he removed to Germantown, Wayne county. There he was suc- cessfully occupied in his vocation for six years, at the expiration of which time he came to Milton. During the twenty-one years which have since elapsed he has built up an extensive and lucrative practice in this vicinity, and an enviable reputation for general skillfulness. He takes commendable interest in public affairs, and though his father was an advocate of the Republican party he is affiliated with the Democrats. Fraternally he belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Upon the 23d of August, 1866, the Doctor married Miss Mary Masbaugh, a daughter of Conrad Masbaugh, who was born, reared and married in Germany. He emigrated to the United States at an early day, and lived in Wayne county for several years, working on the Whitewater canal. Later the family removed to Hamilton county, Indiana, and dwelt upon a farm which Mr. Masbaugh had purchased, not far from the town of Cicero. There the last years of the father passed quietly, his death taking place about 1870. Though brought up in the Catholic faith, he and his wife united with the Evangelical church after coming to America. They were the parents of eight children, namely: Tana, George J., John, Mary, Elizabeth, Delilah, Har- riet and William H.
George the only son of Dr. St. Clair, died when four years of age. The eldest daughter, Laura, is now the wife of Dr. T. M. Gentle, now residing in the northern peninsula of Michigan, where he enjoys a large practice as a physician and surgeon. Mrs. Gentle, as well as the two younger daughters, Nora O. and Evangeline, were given superior educational and musical advantages, being graduated in a conservatory of music. Mrs. Gentle and Miss Evangeline have been remarkably successful as teachers of the art to which they have devoted so much of their time and attention for years. The second sister, Nora O., is the wife of John A. Brown, of this town. Dr. St. Clair and all of his family are identified with the Methodist church, and are active in all religious and benevolent enterprises, as far as time and means will permit.
JOHN SEAL.
John Seal, of Mount Carmel, is a representative of one of the earliest families of Franklin county, Indiana, which is also the place of his birth, his natal day being January 18, 1819. His parents were William and Eliza
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(Owens) Seal, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Virginia. Joseph Seal, the grandfather, was born in the Keystone state, but was of English descent, and with his parents came to Franklin county, Indiana, in 1810, locating in Big Cedar creek, where he entered land from the govern- ment. There he developed a fine farm, upon which he spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1831. He was one of the heroes of the Revolution, loyally serving in the conflict for independence. During the war he was wounded in the thigh, and he carried the bullet through the remainder of his days. His children, all natives of Pennsylvania, were as follows: James, born in 1785; William; Martha, who was born in 1793 and became the wife of Nimrod Brackney; Joseph, born in 1799; Mary, who was born in 1802 and became the wife of Mr. Foster; and Benjamin, born in IS06.
William Seal, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood among the pioneer band of settlers in Franklin county and assisted his father to improve the forest farm. He remained under the parental roof until his majority, when he located on a farm of his own, -the homestead upon which our subject now resides. It was covered with a heavy growth of timber, but with characteristic energy he began its development. A little log cabin was erected and other substantial improvements were made, while, from time to time, as his financial resources increased, he extended the boundaries of his farm until it comprised three hundred and twenty acres. The family expe- rienced all the hardships and trials of life on the frontier, living in true pioneer style. They spun and wove their own cloth and took their grist to mill at Miami, over almost impassable roads. Wild game, including deer and turkeys, was very plentiful and furnished many a meal for the settlers. Fre- quently game could be shot from the cabin doors and turkeys were trapped in large numbers, William Seal at one time secured nine in one huge trap. In the course of time the farm was all under cultivation and the golden fields of grain yielded to the owner good financial return for his labors. He thus became one of the well-to-do residents of this section of the county. On one occasion he embarked on a flat-boat on the White river in order to find a market for his produce, but before he had journeyed many miles he exchanged his boat and cargo for one hundred and sixty acres of land. Later, in order to utilize the grain which he raised, he built a distillery and manufactured whisky, which was sent to the New Orleans market by way of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. In 1829 he erected a commodious two- story brick residence and one of the largest barns in the county. His still- house also was of brick and he had many other substantial improvements upon his place, which stood as monuments of the thrift and enterprise of the owner. In 1847 he turned his business over to his sons and retired to private life, but remained upon the farm till his death, which occurred in
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1863. In politics he was an inflexible adherent of the Democracy, but would never consent to accept office. In his religious views he was liberal, but his life was characterized by honesty and by kindliness.
William Seal married Eliza Owens, a native of Virginia. Her father died in the Old Dominion and she came to Indiana with her uncle, Arthur Henry, who was a civil engineer, and secured from the government the con- tract to survey the territory of Illinois, which great task he finally accom- plished. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Seal were born the following children: Harri- son, who is still living; James, deceased; Mrs. Hannah Attenborough; John; William, who died in Franklin county; Eliza J., wife of Mr. James; and Harriet, wife of A. H. West.
John Seal spent his boyhood days in the usual manner of farmer lads in a pioneer settlement. He obtained his education in a log school-house, but his privileges in that direction were somewhat nieager. His training at farm labor, however, was not limited, for as soon as he was old enough to handle the plow he began work in the fields, assisting in the cultivation of the farm which is yet his home. He also worked in the distillery until his marriage, in 1847, when twenty-eight years of age. At that time his father gave him a two-story house, in which he still resides, together with a tract of wild land that he has since cleared and cultivated, making it a valuable farın. He has also purchased the old homestead and has given his entire attention to agri- cultural pursuits, following the most progressive methods of farming.
Mrs. Seal bore the maiden name of Mary A. West, and was a daughter of Hugh and Mary A. (Woodyard) West. Her father was a native of Eng- land, but her mother was born in Virginia, of Scotch parentage. After her marriage they removed to Indiana, accomplishing the journey in carts. It was in 1827 that they took up their abode in Franklin county, where the father developed a good farm, upon which they spent their remaining days. In politics Mr. West was a Whig. His wife belonged to a prominent family of Virginia, who owned many slaves. The children of Mr. and Mrs. West were: Bushrod, who died in Illinois; William, who died in the same state; Townsend, whose death occurred in Brookville, Indiana; Susan, wife of J. L. West; George, who died in Illinois; Alexander, deceased; and Mary A., wife of our subject. The mother of this family was a member of the Meth- odist church and a lady of many admirable qualities.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Seal has been blest with seven children: Thomas J., a farmer; Townsend, of Muncie, Indiana; Viola, wife of George Seal; Angeline, now Mrs. Everhart; Susan E., William and John M., all at home. The family is widely and favorably known in this locality, where they have a large circle of friends. In his political views Mr. Seal is a
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Democrat and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, so that he is always able to give an intelligent reason for supporting the party of his choice.
JOHN P. BRADY.
The late John P. Brady, who was a representative of an honored pio- neer family, and who was a successful farmer of Springfield township, Frank- lin county, Indiana, figures as the subject of this memoir. Mr. Brady was a native of Pennsylvania, and emigrated to the then far west, with his parents, settling in Franklin county, Indiana. He was reared on his father's farm and received the schooling cominon to that day. His early training was among the hard-working pioneers, and he had to assist his father in the improvement of his farm. He was the son of William Brady, of the old Keystone state, who emigrated to Indiana about 1818, first locating in Bath township, this county, where he remained eight years, and then removed to Union township, where he passed the residue of his days. His death occurred after he had reared the following family of children: Rachel, Mary A., Susanna, Eliza, Ema- line, Samuel, Joseph, and John P., our subject. Samuel is the only one who now survives.
John P. Brady grew to man's estate in this county, remaining under the parental roof until he was one year past his majority, when he married Miss Elnora Nutt, by whom six children were born. Two of this number died young, and the remaining ones were: Sarah, who died a young lady; Mary, Jane and John. The three last mentioned are still living. The wife and inother died in 1846, and in 1849 Mr. Brady married Mrs. Amanda (Guard) Young, who had no children by her previous marriage. That lady was a native of Butler county, Ohio, where he married her. He died in 1881 on the farm upon which he settled in 1835. He cleared up and otherwise beautified the place, and built a commodious residence, -- a two-story brick structure, -- erected a large barn, put up good outbuildings and added a fine grove and fruit trees. This fine farm home is two miles southeast of Union, in Springfield township. He was a successful agriculturist and commanded the respect of all in his neighborhood. Mr. Brady's last marriage union was blessed with the following children: Elizabeth (yet single), Jeremiah, Nelson and George H. The last named married and settled on his farm in this township, the three other children conducting the homestead farm. After the death of her companion the widowed mother remained on the place, together with her children, until April '14, 1899, when she was called to her long rest in death. She was a consistent member of the Big Cedar Baptist church.
John P. Brady was one of the sturdy farmer citizens of Springfield
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John P. Brady
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township, a Christian of long standing, a man of sterling integrity and honor, a loving husband and an indulgent father. He possessed many manly vir- tues. He was charitable to all of God's creatures. The worthy poor always found in him a helping friend. He, too, was a member of Big Cedar Baptist church. In the review of the life of such a man, one is impressed with the notion that money is desirable, but that too great a value cannot be affixed to manly character and true Christian virtues.
JAMES HAMMOND.
The life of James Hammond, a retired citizen of Dublin, Wayne county, has been a very active and useful one. A native of England, born in 1824, he retains many vivid memories of that country, though he was but six years old when he came to America, and, among other things worthy of mention is the fact that he was a witness of the passing of the first train ever run in the British isles, its run being from Manchester to Liverpool. With his parents, John and Mary Ann (Taylor) Hammond, natives of the vicinity of Manchester, he set sail across the Atlantic in 1830, and, after a tedious voyage of six weeks' duration, landed on the shores of the New World, to which they had come seeking a home and fortune. Their ideas of the extent of the United States were not diminished after they had passed another six weeks in making the trip from New York city to Cincinnati, in a wagon. They settled at first in Franklin county, Indiana, and later took up their resi- dence in Liberty, Indiana, where the senior Mr. Hammond carried on a grocery for some time. About 1840 he removed to Boston, Indiana, and devoted himself to farming until late in life, when he went to live with his son, our subject. Both he and his estimable wife are deceased, and of the family only James and Thomas H., of Dublin, survive.
James Hammond was reared in this state, and when a mere youth he displayed unusual talent as a financier and business man. Money was very scarce in those days, and the labors of frontier life were not child's play, but required great physical strength, fortitude and powers of endurance. At one time he drove a flock of sheep to Chicago, and received fifty cents for expenses and thirty-seven and a half cents per day as remuneration. He was much interested in sheep at one time, and has grazed his flocks on the site of Chicago. He it was who introduced the first long-wool sheep into Franklin county, and one of these animals', on which he had obtained a premium at the Indian- apolis fair, he sold for ten dollars. For a number of years he was employed in teaming, hauling meat from Cambridge City to Cincinnati, where he took loads of coal, which he conveyed to Richmond, and about 1844 he made several trips from the shores of Lake Michigan to Union county, with pine logs, each trip consuming ten days. In the same year he carried the mail in 64
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Brookville, Franklin county, and in the vicinity of that place. About 1849 he went to Texas for osage-orange plants, and was the first one to introduce the hedges into Wayne county, making three trips to the Lone Star state in this connection. In 1852 he removed from his former home in Union county to Dublin, and located on a farm in Jackson township, north of the village. Much of his active life was devoted to pastoral pursuits, and as a farmer he was noted for his progressiveness, far in advance of the conservative spirit of the times. He has seen hardships and endured many of the misfortunes to which inankind seems predestined, but his brave, inanly heart has not qnailed, and many have looked to him for strength and aid in times of affliction. During the great cholera epidemic of 1849. he was a blessing in numerous homes, nursing and caring for the sick, and aiding in the burial of the dead, only one family in his neighborhood being exempt from the scourge.
In 1854 Mr. Hammond married Sarah, daughter of John and Elizabeth (McMillan) Bond, and they were the first bridal couple who went over the Indiana Central Railroad between Dublin and Madison, Indiana. John Bond, born in Virginia, in 1791, died in April, 1876, and his wife, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania, in 1800, died in IS87. Mr. Bond was one of the pioneers of Belmont county, Ohio, and for many years he made an annual visit in Wayne county, as all but three of his nine children lived in Dublin. He traversed the entire distance, some two hundred and fifty miles, on horse- back. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Hammond are Eugenia, wife of John Green, of Richmond, Indiana; Cassius Clay, of Ashley, North Dakota; Elizabeth, wife of Elmer Schooley, of Carbonado, Washington; and Jay Murray, of Dublin, Indiana. For forty-five years our subject and wife have shared the joys and sorrows of life together, and now in their declining years they may look back without regrets over their past record.
A. Z. HOFFMAN.
The late war of the United States with Spain has given the younger generation of Americans a faint idea of the horrors and anxieties of war, but the great civil war, waged fiercely for four years between brothers of the north and south, people of one blood, similar aims and manners, essentially of one family, was a contest so terrible that the whole world looked on and shuddered, as the contestants were much more equally matched, and the outcome of such vast moment. To the brave boys who wore the blue and fought for the Union that their opponents are now glad was preserved, trib- utes of praise should be given and are given by a grateful, prosperous and happy people.
A. Z. Hoffman, a well and favorably known citizen of Washington town- ship, Wayne county, and a veteran of the war of the Rebellion, was born in
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Montgomery county, Ohio, June 3, 1842. He is a son of Henry and Chris- tina (Nagle) Hoffinan, who were of German descent. The father was born in Pennsylvania, being a son of Joseph Hoffman, who located in Dayton, Ohio, when it was a small village, and bought a tract of land adjoining the town, which has since grown until it covers the property which he formerly owned. He was one of the founders of the United Brethren church, and organized a great many congregations in the east and west, his office being that of a bishop. He was rewarded for his zeal in the cause of religion and his careful training of his sons by having nine of the number choose the ministry as their chief work in life. Such a record is rarely, if ever, sur- passed, -that of a father and nine sons preaching the gospel, -and the power for good which this one family exercised wherever they dwelt cannot be estimated. The last years of the elder man were spent at the home of his son Henry, his death occurring about 1850. Of the children who lived to maturity, Enoch, the eldest, died in Iowa; Valentine died in Ohio; Eli carried on a farm and preached at the same time; Susanna and Jeremiah were twins, the former becoming the wife of J. Slife, "a minister, and Jere- miah managing a farm and occupying the pulpit in his community also; Henry and John were twins likewise, both farmers and ministers, and Camler was a merchant and is now living retired in Dayton. The Nagle family has been especially noted for its patriotism. John Nagle, the grandfather of our subject, did gallant service in the Revolutionary war and was commissioned major. He died in Germantown, Ohio. His only son, William, brother of Mrs. Hoffman, and now a resident of Pittsburg, raised and equipped a regi- ment for the Union army during the civil war, the entire expense, about seventy-five thousand dollars, being met by him personally. The three sis- ters of Mrs. Hoffman were Mrs. Caroline Zellar; Mrs. Elizabeth Arts, whose husband is a wholesale dealer in furniture in Dayton; and Mrs. Catherine Shafer, and the entire family were identified with the United Brethren church.
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