USA > Indiana > Washington County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Harrison County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Crawford County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Clark County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Scott County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Floyd County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Jennings County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
USA > Indiana > Jefferson County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 32
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LAURENT AUGUSTUS DOUGLAS was born in the city of New Albany, Floyd county, Ind., October 15, 1857. He is the son of Laurent C. Douglas, a native of the State of Connecticut, and Charlotte W. (Lampton) Douglas, a native of Jefferson-
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ville, and daughter of Capt. Geo. W. Lampton, a distinguished steamboat cap- tain and river man, an old and highly respected and esteemed citizen of the city of Jeffersonville. He was a native of Cul- peper county, Va., and came to Louisville, Ky., with his uncle Mark Lampton at an early day and settled there. He was cap- tain on the river for many years, and was owner as well as master of the steamboat Echo. He died in the city of Jeffersonville. He represented the First Ward of Jefferson- ville in the City Council for six years, from 1859 to 1865.
Laurent A. Douglas' father removed to the city of Jeffersonville, and brought his family with him, and here lie obtained his education in the public schools of the city. He read law in the law office of Col. James B. Merriwether, in Jeffersonville, and then entered the Law Department of the Louisville University, from which he graduated in the spring of 1883. He immediately opened an office and began the practice of law in the courts of the county. Taken into consid- eration the fact that, in entering the list for a share of the legal business of the county, he was met at the threshold with old and established practitioners as rivals in business, he has succeeded well and has established himself as a safe and reliable . attorney who may be safely intrusted with any intricate or difficult law matters for settlement. He has associated with him William D. Marshall, and they are now practicing in the courts under the firm name of Douglas & Marshall.
Mr. Douglas was married to Miss Caro- line E. Fessler, of the city of Madison, December 6, 1883, and two children are the result of the union.
Heis an honored member of the Order of the Knights of Pythias and has held all
the offices in the Lodge, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
H. D. DOW was born in this (Clark) county, April 19, 1824, and is a son of Henry and Mercy (Kinney) Dow, natives of Connecticut, the former born in Plainfield, Conn., May 13, 1794, came to Indiana in 1818, and settled in this county, and engaged in farming. He served several years as town trustee-was a sol- dier in the war of 1812, and a corporal. He died in 1873, at an advanced age. Mercy Dow died in July, 1874. His father, Henry Dow, came to Indiana, was a farmer, ran a carding machine for many years. Under the old militia laws of the State, he was captain of a company. He died in 1841. The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools. He farmed until two years ago, when, in company with Mr. Geo. W. Martin, he erected a mill for sawing, making boxes, and grinding corn meal, un- der the firm of Dow & Martin. He was married in 1844 to Elizabeth A. Baggerly, a daughter of Jonathan A. Baggerly, of Jef- ferson county, Ky. He was a farmer, and came to this State in 1818, and settled in this county. His wife, Cassandre Bailey, was a native of Shelbyville, Ky. They had nine children, six of whom are living, viz : Laura A., Milburn, George W., Alice, Mary A. and Lizzie C. Subject's father had nine children, viz: Hannah, Martha E., Lucy, Sallie N., Rhoda, Lyda, Rebecca, James, Emily and H. D., the subject of this sketch. Lucy, Rhoda and Emily are now deceased. Mr. Dow is a member of the Christian Church and of the Republican party. He rented his farm in 1888, and formed a partnership with George W. Martin in the manufactur- ing of lumber, etc. The firm is Dow & Mar- tin, New Providence, Ind.
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JUDGE CHARLES P. FERGUSON, a native of Indiana, was born on his father's farm, two and a half miles from the town and the old county-seat of Clark county, Charlestown, on the 10th November, 1824. His father, Benjamin Ferguson, was a Vir- ginian by birth, a lawyer by profession, and came to Clark county at an early day in its history, and practiced his profession, often serving as a member of the State leg- islature and was elected Associate Judge of the county. Under the old constitution there were two Associate Judges elected for each county, who occupied the Bench with the Circuit, or President Judge, whom he consulted in relation to his decisions.
Judge Benjamin Ferguson held this po- sition for seven years, having in 1820 re- moved to his farm near the Ohio river, where the present Judge Ferguson was afterward born. He was a great student and gave much of his time to books.
Judge Ferguson's mother was Sarah Hay, a native of Clark county and the daughter of Samuel Hay, who was appointed by Gov- ernor Harrison, in the organization of the first court in Clark county, in 1801, its first sheriff and assisted in organizing the first court in Clark county, which met in solemn conclave at the county seat, at Springville, on the 7th day of April, 1801, as the court of general quarter sessions of the peace. He was a South Carolinian by birth. The descendants of this first sheriff of Clark county are numerous and some of them stand very high in community. The last sheriff of Clark county, Charles S. Hay, is a grandson of the first sheriff, Samuel Hay.
Judge Charles P. Ferguson was princi- pally educated in the high schools of Charles town. His first occupation was in a print- ing office and for a short time was a teacher in the county seminary. At the session of
1845-6 of our State legislature he received an appointment of assistant to the clerk of House of Representatives, and spent the winter at Indianapolis during the ses- sion.
Returning home to become deputy clerk to Eli McCauley, clerk of the Clark Circuit Court, and read law at the same time. Up- on examination was admitted to practice in the Clark county courts. He continued to act as deputy clerk until 1850, when he was elected clerk as the successor to his chief, who was not a candidate. He was re-elected to be his own successor at the end of his first term, the former clerk, Mr. McCauley, being also a candidate. After retiring from the clerk's office he engaged actively in the practice of the law and soon had a large and growing practice.
In 1860 he was elected a State Senator from the Senatorial District composed of the counties of Clark and Scott, and served the State in that capacity for four years,- four of the most eventful years that ever occurred to this, or in fact to any other, nation in the history of the world; four years of rebellion and civil war on a gi- gantic scale. Indiana played a leading part in that grand event, and Judge Fergu- son, as one of her Senators, assisted in the work.
The Judge all this time, except during the sittings of the Legislature, devoted himself to the practice of the law until 1873, when he was elected Common Pleas Judge to serve four years, but after serv- ing a few months the office was abolished and its duties merged into that of the Cir- cuit Judge. He again returned to the practice of the law, and associated with him a rising young lawyer of ability and prominence, James K. Marsh, Esq., who had been Prosecuting Attorney for the Judicial Circuit for a number of years.
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CLARK COUNTY
The firm of Ferguson & Marsh was a strong team, and they got a large practice. This continued until 1880, when Judge Fer- gnson was elected Judge of the Clark Cir- cuit Court for a term of six years, which expired in 1886, when he was again elected to be his own successor, which term will not expire until 1892. It is a most difficult because a delicate matter to write the true history of a living man, giving to the pub- lic a full and true statement of his mental, moral and social standing in the commu- nity in which he lives. There is danger of being accused of fulsome flattery on the one side, or of detraction from bias or prejudice on the other. But this much can be said of Judge Ferguson, without any fear of the imputation of unworthy motives : He is an honest Judge and the people's rights are safe in his hands. He may not be as brill- iant as some; not so ready to pronounce judgment in a case upon the evidence pre- sented. He is patient in investigation and, it may be, slow to arrive at conclusions, but when he does his judgment is very apt to be correct and stand the test of a review by a higher court of appeals. But perhaps the best test of the public appreciation of Judge Ferguson's ability as a Judge and his great moral and social standing in his Judicial Circuit, at the command of his biographer, is to refer his readers to the simple fact that after serving them one full term for six years the people re-elected him for six more, over one of the oldest and most popular lawyers and an old predecessor and ex-mem- ber of Congress, by a largely increased ma- jority. Let this fact suffice for the present, and let the people's judgment stand until the people themselves shall reverse it.
Judge Ferguson was, on the 28th of No- vember, 1851, married to Miss Samantha Henderson, a daughter of Thomas W. Hen- derson, of Charlestown, Ind., a native of the
State of Kentucky and a manufacturer of truss hoops for coopers. The Judge's good wife has borne him seven children, six boys and one girl,-Charles S., who is the Jef- fersonville correspondent for the Louisville Courier-Journal; Walter H., conductor on the Louisville, St. Louis & Texas; Harry T., book-keeper at the First National Bank, Jeffersonville ; John D., Deputy in the Clerk's office of the Clark Circuit Court; Otto W., at Williamsburg, Ky., in a law office ; How- ard G., in Citizens' National Bank ; Mamie, at home attending school.
DR. WILLIAM D. FOUTS was born in Lexington, Scott county, Ind., October 7, 1832. He was the son of Angus and Mary (Bowels) Fouts. His father, Angus Fouts, was a native of the State of North Carolina. His father's family were of German origin, and his father was a farmer and emigrated to this State and located in Scott county in 1826, and continued to reside there until 1851, when he died. His mother's father, Wm. Bowels, was also an early settler in Scott county. Dr. Fouts, like other boys of that early age, was sent to such common schools as were taught in the village until he became advanced and was sent to the New Washington Seminary in Clark county. After completing his literary education there, at the age of nineteen he commenced reading medicine under the instruction of Dr. A. A. Morrison, of Lexington. After finishing the preparatory course with Dr. Morrison in 1847, he entered the Medical Department of the University of Louisville, and at the end of the second course gradu- ated with honor. In 1852 he began the practice of his profession at Lexington, Ind., and continued in that practice until 1862, when he joined the 81st Reg. Ind. Vols. as Assistant Surgeon, and was afterward pro- moted to that of Chief Surgeon. Served
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SOUVENIR SKETCHES.
eighteen months as Chief Surgeon to the Regiment, serving in all three years. At the battle of Chickamauga he was captured and sent as prisoner of war to that cele- brated Libby prison at Richmond, Va., where he was confined five months and fifteen days. At the close of the war he returned to his old home, Lexington, and recommenced the practice of medicine. He remained in his practice there until 1871, when he removed to Jeffersonville, and commenced practice there, and has re- mained in that city ever since, with a con- stant increase of practice until he has the largest of any doctor in the city. He is a member of the City Council from the second ward and is now serving out his fourth term ; he is now serving as chairman of two of the most important committees, that of Fire Department and on Railroads. In 1885 he was appointed by the Pension Bureau as a Pension Examiner, and is still on that Board. He is Surgeon for the J. M. & I. Railroad Company and for the Oliio Falls Car Company.
He was married to Miss Ellen Louchran, of Lexington, Ind. Of their children, only one son, Dr. William K. Fouts, is living, who is now in partnership with his father in the practice of medicine. He ' is a member of the Knights of Honor and of the Knights and Ladies of Honor.
Dr. Fouts stands in high esteem in the community in which he lives and is re- spected by all who know him.
JACOB S. FRY is a native of Clark county, Ind., was born Nov. 27, 1844, and was brought up on a farm in Utica township, where he received such education as the public schools of that township, at that time, afforded. Afterward he attended the High School in the city of New Albany.
He continued to live on the farm until 1888, when he came to the city of Jeffersonville and engaged in the grain and feed business under the firm name of J. S. Fry & Co., in which business he is still engaged. Mr. Fry was a farmer all his life, until in 1882 he was nominated by the Democratic party of his county as the candidate for County Treasurer, and was elected. Again in 1884 he was re-elected, and served in that capacity for four years, and retired in honor from his office. Mr. Fry owns one of the finest and most valuable farms in Utica township, the township of fine farms, of 250 acres of choice land, well stocked and improved, which of itself is a fortune to any man who knows how to handle it. He is a large landholder in the State of Kan- sas, owning there a thousand acres of fine land. He owns valuable property in the city of Jeffersonville. He built himself a fine frame residence in the north end of the city, in which he now resides. He is one of the most substantial men in his county. As a farmer he was one of the largest and most successful, in connection with which he traded largely in buying and selling stock and made much money. He is considered one of the wealthy men of his county. Mr. Fry is the son of John and Sarah E. (Swartz) Fry. His father was a native of Jefferson county, Ky., and came to Indiana about 1820. He was a prominent farmer in Clark county, and died in 1886 at the age 83 years. His mother was a native of Clark county, Ind., and died in 1881, at the age of 78 years. He was married in 1866 to Miss Sarah E., daughter of W. Fletcher Robinson, a prominent farmer of Utica township. They have five children, all boys-John R., Otis, Arthur and Ellis H. Mr. Fry is an upright man, a good citizen, a member of the Christian Church, and is highly respected by all who know him.
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CLARK COUNTY
There are but few, if any, better citizens than Jacob S. Fry.
DR. FRANKLIN R. M. GILBERT, SR., was born in Hardin county, Ky., October 27, 1823. He came to Indiana with his father when only five years of age, and located on a farm in Jackson county in 1828. He remained on the farm in Jack- son county until he was 19 years of age, when he went to live with his brother-in- law in Jefferson county, Ky., and there worked on a farm in the spring and sum- mer and attended school in Louisville during the winter until 1844, when he returned to Jackson county and engaged in farming.
In 1849 he came to Jeffersonville and went into the grocery business and contin- ued in it until 1858. He then pulled up stakes and moved to Cooper county, Mo., and engaged in farming until 1863, and while there, Little Jeff Davis' army camped upon his farm and cleaned him out com- pletely-took his meat, grain and every- thing he had on his farm that was worth taking. After that he thought it about time to leave there; nor did he consider long the order of his going, but he pulled up and left at once, and again came back to old Jeffersonville. And there, looking round for something to do, he chose the livery business, and entered into that. He continued in it until 1874, when he again changed his location, this time to Indian- apolis, as it was about that time enjoying a tremendous boom, and the bubble had not yet burst, which it did soon after.
In 1878 he came back to old Jefferson- ville and again opened up a livery stable, and has continued here in the same busi- ness ever since. He is doing well, having built up a profitable trade, and keeps con- stantly on hand the best and handsomest turnouts in the city. He don't think now
that he will ever be induced to break up again to hunt a boom.
Mr. Gilbert was married in 1842 to Miss Elizabeth Jane Reynolds, of Pulaski county, Ky. She was born in Russell county, Ky., October 9, 1826. They have seven living children, four boys and three girls : Frank- lin R. M., Jr., James L., Theodore L., Aubry C., Cynthiann, Laura and Holland.
During his long experience in the man- agement and care of horses in connection with the livery business, he has by close observation and study acquired a practical knowledge of the diseases to which horses and cattle are subject, and the remedies best calculated to effect a cure. He has acquired quite a reputation in the commu- nity as a successful veterinarian in the care of sick animals.
JOHN A. GRAHAM is a native to the mauor born He was born in Clark county, Ind., March 28, 1853. His father, William Graham, was a prominent farmer near New Washington, in the upper or northeastern part of Clark county. He was a native of Westmoreland county, Pa., and emigrated to Indiana when quite a young man. He died May 11, 1873, at the age of fifty-five ·years. His mother, Catherine G. Graham, nee Patterson, is a native of Clark county, Ind., and is living with her children in Jef- fersonville.
Mr. John A. Graham, after finishing his education and leaving school, became a partner in the firm of "Graham & Bro." in the drug business in the city of Jeffer- sonville. His partner was his brother, Dr. Thomas A. Graham. He and his brother continued together in the drug business, doing a large and prosperous business, until March 1, 1886, when he bought his brother's interest in the business, and be- came sole proprietor and owner of it.
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SOUVENIR SKETCHES.
The success in business which this firm has achieved in building up a large and flourishing trade in the city and surround- ing country, is a practical illustration of what pluck and energy will do.
Mr. Graham was married May 11, 1886, to Miss Cora B. Fry, second daughter of Abraham Fry, a wealthy farmer of Utica township in Clark county, and a director in the First National Bank in the city of Jeffersonville. He became a communicant in the Presbyterian Church at an early age, and remains a member of that church in good standing. He is a member of Eureka Lodge No. 3, of the Knights of Honor, and served as treasurer of this Lodge for five years; and is treasurer of the Union Sav- ings and Loan Association.
J. J. HAWS was born in Clark county, Ind., in the year 1838. His father Isaac Haws, was born in the State of New York in 1809, and came to Indiana with his par- ents when about fifteen years old, and settled in Clark county, where he has re- sided ever since. His mother was Eliza- beth B. McGuire, daughter of Joseph Mc- Guire.
Mr. Haws was raised on a farm, and brought up to do farm work from his earli- est boyhood ; and all the education he ever received was by attending the public schools taught during the winter months when farm work was slack. At the age of seven- teen he left the farm and went to railroad- ing and followed it for twenty-four years. Filled various positions on the trains; for the greater portion of that time that of conductor.
In 1879 he quit the railroad and went to merchandizing, and opened a general store in the town Memphis, twelve miles north of Jeffersonville, on the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianpolis Railroad. He con-
tinued in the mercantile business, and in 1887 he launched out into a new business in this section and established what is known in the community as the Silver Creek Creamery, making some two hundred pounds of creamery butter daily. The business is yet in its infancy. He has sufficient capacity to manufacture a thou- sand pounds of creamery butter daily, and he expects in time to do it. He owns and operates a stave factory, a cooper shop and a saw-mill, and gives constant employment, in the various departments of his extensive business to a large number of hands. In addition to his other numerous and diversi- fied businesses, he owns a farm of three hun- dred and sixty acres of well improved land. It will be seen and readily acknowledged that he is one of the most energetic and best business men in the county. Other men may have heaped up more money and may be considered richer, but Mr. Haws puts his money in such business as to give his neighbors and laboring men employ- ment, and thus scatters blessings all around him. Such a man as J. J. Haws is a blessing to any community.
Mr. Haws was married on the 31st day of December, 1863, to Miss Mary B. Diets, daughter of Thompson Diets, a native of Indiana, but of German descent. No chil- dren have come into their home to bless them.
He has served the people of his township as Township Trustee, and as a good busi- ness man will always make a good public officer. Mr. Haws filled the office of Trustee in a manner creditable to himself and ac- ceptable to the public.
GEORGE HOLZBOG is a native of Germany, born October 24, 1823. He came to the United States in 1849, and located in Louisville, Ky., remaining there
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CLARK COUNTY
only two years, when in 1852 he removed to Jeffersonville, where he now resides, and started a blacksmith and wagon manufac- turing establishment, having served an ap- prenticeship and thoroughly learned the blacksmith business in Germany. He has continued in the same business ever since.
He and his son, George H., whom he took in as a partner in the business in 1882, under the firm name of George Holz- bog & Son, have built up a large manu- facturing establishment, and are doing a large business.
He was married in 1854, in Jefferson- ville, Ind., to Miss Fannie R. Schneck, of Germany. They have four living children, three boys and one girl : George H., Henry J., Alfred W. and Sophia. Sophia is mar- ried to William F. Siebert, Jr., of Jeffer- sonville, who is in the grocery business in Jeffersonville, Ind. Geo. H. Holzbog, his oldest son, is, as stated above, a partner in his father's business. The other two sons are still at home.
He is among the best class of our Ger- man-American citizens. It requires in any community just such citizens to build it up and make it prosperous. Jefferson- ville would be greatly improved in its material industries, if it had many more just such men. He is an Odd Fellow, and he and his son, George H., are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
JONAS GEORGE HOWARD, ex-mem- ber of Congress, third district, and lawyer at Jeffersonville, was born in Floyd County, near the then village of New Albany, May 22, 1825. His father, James Howard, was a substantial farmer of Clark county, In- diana, whither he had emigrated from Champlain county, Vermont, in 1816. His mother, Margaret (Helmer) Howard was was a native of Herkimer county, New
York, where she removed with her parents to Indiana early in the history of the State. In the common and select schools, Mr. Howard obtained his early education. In his twentieth year he entered Asbury University, Greencastle, Indiana, where three years he pursued a scientific course. He then read law with Mr. John F. Read, of Jeffersonville, and in 1851, re- ceived his certificate of graduation in the Law Department of the Indiana State Uni- versity, at Bloomington, having previously taken one course in Law Department at the University of Louisville.
In 1852,Mr. Howard was admitted to the bar, and since time has devoted himself as- siduously to the practice of his profesion. His career as a lawyer has been marked with unqualified success ; he ranks high as a counselor at the bar and is highly re- garded by his associates in the profes- sion.
In numerous important cases he has been honored by an appointment from the Judge of his district to render judgment, and his decisions have always commanded the highest respect.
In 1862 and 1864 he was elected to rep- resent his district in the State legislature, on the Democratic ticket. In 1868 he was chosen presidential elector, and bore an able and effective part in canvassing the State for the Democratic candidates. In 1876 he was again called upon to take a place on the electoral ticket, and again his voice was heard in the field in support of his candidates and their principles. He has always taken a lively interest in politics bat has generally declined the cares of official positions, until in 1884 he was chosen by the Democratic party of the third congres- sional district as their candidate for con- gress and was accordingly elected at the No- vember election following, and took his seat in the Forty-Ninth Congress, and was re-
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SOUVENIR SKETCHES.
elected to the Fiftieth Congress in 1886. As a member of Congress, Mr. Howard was a hard worker and supported every measure that he regarded was to the peo- ple's interest.
On November 23, 1854, Mr. Howard married Miss Martha J. Roswell, daughter of James and Drusilla Roswell, of Clark county, Ind. She died February 19, 1872, leaving three children. September 8, 1873, Mr. Howard marrie.l Miss Elizabeth Ros- well, sister of his former wife, by whom he has one child.
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