USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 37
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HON. WILLIAM H. GOODWINE.
Indiana was still a "territory " when the Goodwine family came to dwell within its borders, in 1815, their former home having been in Ken- tucky; and during the long years that have intervened they have been ably represented, in every generation, in the upbuilding and development of the state. After some years spent in Jackson, then Bartholomew, county, they became residents of Warren county, in 1828, and on account of the active part which was taken by them in the early establishment of the laws, good government. churches, schools and other institutions which benefit a commu- nity, they are justly entitled to representation in the annals of the county.
A son of James Goodwine, whose biography appears upon another page of this work, William H. Goodwine, of West Lebanon, Warren county, was born in a log cabin, containing but a single room, May 5, 1838. This hum- ble yet happy abode was situated on the homestead owned by his father, in Pike township, Warren county, and here the lad grew to manhood. April 21, 1861, he enlisted for three months' service in the Tenth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, was sent to West Virginia and took part in some of the important campaigns of the first year of the civil war, including the battle of Rich mountain. Two brothers of the young man also " donned the blue " and went to the defense of the old flag. John Q. enlisted in the Thirty-third Indiana Infantry soon after William H. returned home, and Frank became a
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member of the same company and regiment a little later. At the expiration of their terms of enlistment they both re-enlisted and both had the misfor- tune to be captured and sent to Libby prison. John Q., after participating in Sherman's march to the sea, to Savannah, Georgia, accidentally cut his knee, from which his death soon occurred.
The marriage of W. H. Goodwine and Miss M. E. Johnston was solem- nized in 1863. Mrs. Goodwine died February 26, 1881, and left one son, Frank, who is now a hardware merchant at West Lebanon, a member of the firm of Goodwine & Miller. The present wife of our subject was formerly Miss Dora B. Johnston, she being a cousin of the first Mrs. Goodwine. By this marriage there is also one son, William H., Jr.
For many years William H. Goodwine has occupied and managed the old homestead-his birthplace-in Pike township, which property he still owns and oversees, while for several years he has made his home in West Lebanon, where he has important business interests. One of the large stock- holders in the Farmers' Bank of West Lebanon, an active advocate of all public enterprises and improvements; a Mason of the thirty-second degree; a liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church and of other religious and benevolent institutions,-it may be seen that the position he holds in the community is one of importance and esteem. Although he has never been a politician in the ordinary sense, and has never sought official preferment, he has ever been zealous and interested in the welfare of the Republican party, and in 1888 was honored by being the choice of his friends as their repre- sentative in the Indiana state legislature. He served in that distinguished body with credit to himself and constituency.
JAMES WADE STEWART.
One of the self-made and public-spirited men of Romney, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, is found in the subject of this sketch, James W. Stewart, who is entitled to rank with the pioneers of Randolph township.
Mr. Stewart is a representative of a Scotch family. His ancestors came to this country in colonial times and settled in Maryland, and it was in that state that James Stewart, the father of James W., was born. He was a farmer, and in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, he married Elizabeth Wade. Of her family but little is known except that she had two brothers, Joseph and William. Some years after marriage Mr. Stewart settled at West Union, Adams county, Ohio, and subsequently, about 1830, moved to Indi- ana and took up his abode in Tippecanoe county, his location being on a tract of land at Sugar Grove, in Jackson township. But before this land came into the market he died, at about the age of sixty-five years. His chil-
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dren were Sarah, Nancy, Elizabeth, Margaret, Caroline, William and James W., and they grew up to occupy honored and useful positions in life. Politic- ally he was an old-line Whig, and religiously he affiliated with the Method- ists, serving his church in the capacity of steward.
James W. Stewart, the immediate subject of this review, was born November 18, 1823, in Adams county, Ohio, near West Union, and he was a small child when brought to Indiana by his parents, -so young, in fact, that he does not remember the journey. He was reared amid pioneer scenes, and among his earliest recollections are those of his attendance at the log school-house. The rude structure in which the subscription schools of the neighborhood were held, was built of logs, with stick chimney, big fireplace, and greased paper for window-lights. The puncheon seats and desks comprised the furniture. In this primitive school-house Mr. Stewart received the common-school education of his day, and when he grew up he engaged in farming operations on his own account.
March 3, 1848, he married, in Wayne township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, Miss Mary A. Crouse, who was born October 5, 1821, daughter of John W. and Eliza (Crisman) Crouse. John W. Crouse was a native of Ohio, born near Eaton, his parents having gone to that state from Pennsyl- vania. (The reader is here referred to the sketch of Dr. J. H. Crouse, of Dayton, Indiana, which appears in this volume.) John W. Crouse came over into Indiana and became one of the pioneer farmers of Wayne township, Tippecanoe county, where he entered land and acquired title to about three hundred acres. He was one of the substantial citizens of his locality. His children were Mary A., Hamilton and Daniel. Mr. Crouse was a man of deep piety, a class-leader in the United Brethren church, and was one of the founders of this church in his township. He died in the very prime of life, in 1842, at the age of forty-four years, much respected and esteemed by all.
James W. Stewart, after marriage, settled in Randolph township, on a tract of wild prairie land, on which not a tree was then growing. His first purchase was one hundred and sixty acres, to which he subsequently added, as prosperity attended his efforts, until he had nearly three hundred acres. His first purchase was made at five dollars per acre, the next at twenty dol- lars and the third at sixty dollars, which illustrates the great increase in the price of land. Referring to his early farming, he states that in one year, about 1857, he raised and sold nineteen hundred dollars' worth of corn. Before the civil war he had built on his farm a substantial barn, at a cost of eight hundred dollars, and a comfortable and commodious residence which cost him fifteen hundred dollars.
His children by his first wife were Alice J., Albert. A., Eliza and Annie. In April, 1874, Mrs. Stewart died. She was a member of the Methodist
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church and was a woman whose many estimable qualities endeared her to a large circle of friends. Some years later, January 3, 1883, Mr. Stewart mar- ried Celia M. Case. The first four years of their married life were spent in Romney, and at the end of that time they moved to their present beautiful country home in North Romney, where they have a tract of eighty-two and one-half acres of land. Altogether, Mr. Stewart now owns three hundred and sixty acres.
Mrs. Celia M. Stewart was born in Wellington, Lorain county, Ohio, February 22, 1834, daughter of John Seward and Biantha (Blair) Case. Both the Cases and Blairs came of Puritan stock, their forefathers being among the early settlers of New England. The home of the Cases was Granby, Connecticut, and that of the Blairs was Blandford, Massachusetts. John Seward Case was born July 11, 1808, son of Dr. Gideon Case, who, in 1816, moved from Granby, Connecticut, in the early settlement of the " Western Reserve," and selected a location in Hudson township, Ohio, the farm now occupied by J. M. Treat. Dr. Gideon Case later purchased quite a tract of land at the center of Hudson Village, a part of which afterward became the site of the Western Reserve College. He lived in a log house located on what is now the college campus. He was killed when a young man by being kicked in the abdomen by a horse. His wife was Persis Seward, sister of Rev. John Seward, a distinguished Presbyterian minister of Ohio, his home being Solon, that state. The children of Dr. Gideon Case and wife were Gideon, Albert, Dr. Almon (who was killed by guerrillas in Tennessee during the civil war), Otis, Lucia and Jane. After Dr. Case's death his widow consummated a second marriage, and thereby had two sons, Benjamin and Perry. John Seward Case was a tanner in early life and after- ward a farmer. He invested in real estate at Wellington, Ohio, acquired a large amount of property, and lived to a venerable age. He died November 18, 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years. His children were Celia M., Helen, Frank S. and Emma. Frank S. served with distinction in the civil war, first being promoted to the rank of lieutenant and then to captain. He was shot through the chest in a skirmish in Kentucky, but lived a number of years afterward, and was made a colonel in the Ohio state militia. John Seward Case was one of the founders of the Presbyterian church at Welling- ton, Ohio. Later in life he identified himself with the Congregational church, in which he was for many years a deacon, and of which he remained a member until the time of his death. Politically, he first harmonized with the Whigs, later became a Republican, and for some years prior to his demise gave his support to the Prohibition party. He was a stanch Union man and an ardent supporter of the "Underground Railroad."
Returning to James W. Stewart, we further record of him that he has
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long maintained membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a liberal supporter, and in which he has served as trustee and stew- ard. Mrs. Stewart is a Presbyterian. She is a lady of rare culture and education. Her education, begun in the public schools of Wellington, Ohio, was continued in the famous academy at Twinsburg, and finished at Oberlin College. For a number of years she was a popular and successful teacher. Previously to her coming to Indiana she taught four years in Ohio, and during her long experience as a teacher in Tippecanoe county, where she taught for twenty years, she became one of its best known educators.
DAVID PHEBUS.
One of the thrifty successful agriculturists of Prairie township, White county, is David Phebus, one of the native-born sons of this section of Indiana, birth his having occurred May 11, 1851. He is a grandson of James Phebus, who was one of the rich and prominent farmers and stock dealers of Pickaway county, Ohio, in his day, and whose death took place in that state many years ago. Of his children, Silas M., the father of our subject, was the sec- ond, and the others were named as follows: Samuel, Joseph, Absalom, Mary J. and Martha.
Silas M. Phebus, a native of the Buckeye state, was one of the pioneers of White county, the date of his arrival here being 1838. He afterward bought a tract of land, to the cultivation and improvement of which he devoted his life. In all his transactions he was honorable and just, and all worthy causes found a sincere friend in him. Death put an end to his use- ful career when he was in his seventy-sixth year, on the 21st of August, 1898. His widow, Martha A., is a daughter of Henry L. Harvey, one of the early settlers of this county, where he entered and improved land. He was a pil- lar in the Christian church, and worked earnestly for the spread of righteous- ness. He died in 1874, loved and mourned by all who knew him. Mrs. Mar- tha A. Phebus, his second child, died January 7, 1899, on the old homestead which was owned by her husband, and, following her early training, she was deeply interested in the Christian church, with which she was identified. Her numerous brothers and sisters were named as follows: James, Betsey, Thomas, Noah, William, Enoch, Charity, Mary, John and Joel. By her union with Mr. Phebus she had five children: David; Samuel, a farmer; Mary E. Bobsine; George, of Monon; and Mrs. Jennie White.
In his youth David Phebus attended the district schools and obtained practical knowledge of agriculture by working under the instruction of his father. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1879, when he started out independently as a farmer, and improved a homestead. In 1884 he sold
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the place and purchased the farm where he now resides, and has instituted valuable improvements, making it one of the most desirable farms of the township. As a citizen he endeavors to meet his obligations and to promote the good of the community and state by his ballot and influence. Politically, he favors the Democratic party, and though in no wise an office-seeker he has held a few minor positions with credit.
Twenty years ago Mr. Phebus married Miss Sarah Taylor, a native of this county, and daughter of Thomas Taylor, who was born in Ohio, and came to Indiana with his parents when young, and passed the rest of his life here. Both he and his wife were consistent members of the Christian church. They were the parents of the following named children: Elizabeth, Rebecca, Sarah, Isabel, Loronzo D., Sophronia (who died in early life), George, Fanny and Ella. Mrs. Sarah Phebus died February 13, 1880, and in Octo- ber, 1881, our subject married Miss Alice Taylor, whose parents, L. D. and Mary (Sayers) Taylor, were well known citizens of this county. Mrs. Alice Phebus was born in White county, April 15, 1859, and received excellent educational advantages. The only child of the first marriage of Mr. Phebus died in infancy, and his second union has been blessed with seven chil- dren, named as follows: Mabel, Walter, Frank, Bernard and Bernice (twins), Iva M. and Charles. Mrs. Phebus, who is greatly loved by a large circle of acquaintances, is a faithful member of the Christian church.
CHARLES E. BROWN.
Nearly forty years have rolled away since Charles E. Brown first saw Monticello, the town in which he is now living and expects to make his per- manent home. Four decades have made wonderful changes for the better, and the hamlet of long ago is now a thriving, well improved little city, ---- a place of beautiful homes and prosperous citizens. Wherever he has re- sided Mr. Brown has been esteemed and highly respected, and in all local affairs has taken deep interest, using his influence to advance the public welfare.
Born in Springfield, Ohio, July 12, 1851, our subject is a son of Cap- tain John C. and Anna M. (Schleigh) Brown. The father was born in the Buckeye state, while the mother's birth-place was in Hagerstown, Mary- land. He was a son of Harlan Shepherd Brown, who was born August 12, 1794, and died October 3, 1849. His wife, Mary A. Brown, was a native of Kentucky, and her death occurred at Perrysburg, Ohio, April 15, 1872, when she was in her seventy-fifth year. Both the father and grandfather of our subject were shoemakers by trade and worked at that calling during life. The grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was of Scotch-Irish
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descent and was a local preacher in the Methodist church in the days of the old-fashioned "circuit-rider." John Schleigh, the father of Mrs. Anna M. Brown, was of German extraction, as his surname indicates. Born in Maryland, he learned the trade of making saddles, and subsequently was a successful merchant in Hagerstown and the postmaster there during the civil war. His death took place when he was middle-aged. His first wife bore the maiden name of Mary Artz. They had three daughters and two sons. By a later marriage Mr. Schleigh had one daughter. (For full history of the life of Captain John C. Brown see the sketch following this. )
Charles E. Brown is one of five children, one of whom has been called to the better land. Florence R. is the wife of William P. Marshall, of Monticello; Alice E. married Oliver S. Dale, of Washington, D. C .; John W. resides in Logansport, Indiana; and Catherine, deceased, was the first wife of O. S. Dale. The family came to Monticello from Covington, Ken- tucky, in 1859, and here the father continued to dwell as long as he lived, and here the children grew to manhood and womanhood.
As he was a lad of eight years or so when he came to Monticello, Charles E. Brown commenced attending the public schools here and thus acquired his education. Having mastered the painter's trade he followed it with suc- cess for a number of years, and in 1878 went to Wood county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming. He still owns a tract of twenty acres there, but has recently returned to Monticello with the desire to pass the declining years of his life in the place endeared to him by a thousand associations of childhood.
In his political belief, Mr. Brown is a true-blue Republican, and from his noble, patriotic father, who fought and suffered greatly in the war of the Rebellion that his country might be preserved, he has inherited an earnest desire that good government should prevail, and to this end he uses such influence as he possesses. The cause of education is also dear to his heart, as it should be to every true patriot, and while in Ohio he was clerk of the local school board for several years. He likewise acted in the capacity of township supervisor. A zealous member of the Methodist church, he was superintendent of the Sunday-school; class-leader, trustee and steward for years, and in material ways aided in the growth and usefulness of the denomi- nation.
In all his enterprises and endeavors Mr. Brown has found a true help- mate in his devoted wife. They were married October 14, 1877, Mrs. Brown having formerly been Miss Mary Elizabeth Hanney, a daughter of John and Marietta (Warden) Hanney. Three sons and a daughter bless the home of our subject and wife, namely : John Malvern, Anna Marietta, George L. and Charles Harvey. Mrs. Brown is likewise a member of the Methodist church and is beloved by a large circle of friends.
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CAPTAIN JOHN C. BROWN.
For nearly forty years Captain John Calvin Brown was a resident of Monticello, and was loved and held in the highest respect by a large circle of friends. The following is gleaned from a sketch of his life published in the Monticello Herald at the time of his death. Born in Logan county, Ohio, November 22, 1818, his life came to a close on the eightieth anniversary of his birth. As a man he was noble in all the varied relations of life, and to his children he leaves a legacy more imperishable than wealth, and, far more to be desired, the record of an honest, upright life and an unblemished name.
In his youth Captain Brown learned the shoemaker's trade, it then being much more profitable than now, in the days of great factories and modern methods. A rapid and skilled workman, he succeeded in gaining a good livelihood for himself and family. July 9, 1840, he married Miss Anna M. Schleigh, of Hagerstown, Maryland, who survived him and died in Mon- ticello May 13, 1899. Five children were born to them, namely: Catherine, who was the first wife of Oliver S. Dale and died some years ago; Florence R., Mrs. William P. Marshall, of Monticello; Alice E., the present wife of Oliver S. Dale, of Washington, District of Columbia; Charles E., whose sketch precedes this; and John W., of Logansport, Indiana.
The army career of Captain Brown was particularly praiseworthy, if not brilliant, and in some respects he was one of the most distinguished soldiers of White county. The Twentieth Indiana, in which he served, enjoys a reputation of having been one of the best in the entire army, and it was usually placed in the thickest of the fray. Among the more deadly and notable battles in which it took active part are the following: Oak Grove, Glendale, second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Kelly's Ford, Mine Run, Picket Line, Wilderness, Spottsyl- vania, North Anna, Tolopotomy, Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, Hatcher's Run, Farmville and Petersburg. The Twentieth had a ghastly total of two hundred and one officers and men killed and seven hundred and seventy-one badly wounded, in these numerous encounters with the enemy !
Among the first to enroll himself with the Twentieth was Captain Brown, and he was constantly at his post of duty, in every battle and skirmish, until he received a disabling wound, near the close of the war. His service extended from the time of his enlistment, in July, 1861, until he was granted an honorable discharge, December 24, 1864. When he determined to offer himself to his country Captain Brown was past forty-two years of age, had a wife and children, and various responsibilities resting upon him, and he cer- tainly had a valid excuse for remaining at home. One day at dinner he said to his wife, " Wife, I'll just have to enlist. I know I shall die if I don't."
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Only those who have passed through such ordeals can realize how hard it was for Mrs. Brown to give her consent to the sacrifice, but at length she bravely permitted him to go. The company in which Mr. Brown enlisted was almost entirely recruited in White county, and was known as Company K. Having no expectation of becoming anything but a private soldier, he was surprised when, upon the organization of the company, he was elected first orderly sergeant. Troops who have been in actual service know what an important thing it is to the men of a command if their first sergeant be a man of wisdom, tact and thoroughness, faithful in his oversight of those under him and faithful to all his duties. Such a man was Mr. Brown, and surely no one was more deserving of promotion, when the time came.
After the great seven days' battle before Richmond, the first lieutenant having resigned on account of wounds and illness, our subject was commis- sioned in place of the other, under date of July 18, 1862. The captain of Company K was wounded and held a prisoner by the enemy, and thus the actual command of the company fell upon the lieutenant. His regular com- mission as captain came to him December 20, 1862, and thus during the greater part of the service of the company he was its leader in most of its fierce battles, in long, trying marches; when recuperating in camp he was always among his men and one of them. He won their respect and admira- tion and afterward enjoyed their life-long friendship; and, though he was reticent about his own share in the glory they fought for and won on numer- ous occasions, he was never tired of relating instances of the bravery and fortitude of his men.
By his superior officers as well as by those under his command Captain Brown was recognized as a man of decided merit. His opinions upon mili- tary matters were generally respected and his advice was frequently sought. Nor was his courage for a moment doubted, and, as one who served with him wrote, " a braver man than Captain Brown never lived." Moreover, he was cool and resourceful in great emergencies, and on two occasions, when the colonel of the regiment fell, in the thickest of the fight, Captain Brown was one of those hastily called upon to decide what had better be done. In the fateful and historic encounter in front of Round Top, at Gettysburg, he was given a voice in deciding the course of events. When his regiment, almost alone and apparently unsupported, was holding on to the position recently taken from the enemy at Spottsylvania, and which was soon to become the famed " bloody angle " (where, among others, a tree fourteen inches in diameter was cut down by musket balls), it was by the counsel of Captain Brown and two other captains of the Twentieth Indiana that rein- forcements were sent for, and no advantage was permitted to the enemy. Twice after the war Captain Brown was summoned before important military
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tribunals that they might avail themselves of his accurate information and clear insight.
The wound which compelled the Captain to leave the service, and from which he was a severe sufferer during the rest of his life, was received on the North Anna river, Virginia. Grant was on his way to Richmond, a terrible crisis was at hand, and twenty thousand men were falling in a single day ! Company K and two others were to charge across a bridge, under the fire of the enemy's muskets. A position on the opposite bank had to be taken and held, and when Company K was ordered to lead the way it meant that Cap- tain Brown would be the first man over. The company was deployed in single rank ; the command, "forward, double quick," was given, and the Captain arrived safely at the further side of the bridge. Stopping a moment, while he indicated their positions to his men, a sharpshooter, seeing the ad- vantage, singled out the intrepid Captain and laid him low with a well aimed musket ball. Entering just below the left eye the ball passed diagonally through his head, emerging at the base of the right ear, a piece of which was cut away. His comrades and he, himself, believed the wound was a mortal one, but when some of his men stopped beside him, with the inten- tion of lending him aid, even in the fire of the rebels, the dauntless Captain shouted, with almost his accustomed energy, "Never mind me ; go on with the company !" This would have proved the fatal blow to many a man, but here, as everywhere, the indomitable resolution, will-power and courage which which were characteristic of Captain Brown came to the front, and he made a mighty struggle for life and conquered the grim enemy. Skillful surgery, long, patient months of nursing and fearful suffering had to be en- dured, but ultimately he recovered.
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