USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume I > Part 7
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David Everett was educated at the high school of Fowler, of which he
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is a graduate, and he also attended the high school at Edinburg, Indiana. He began the study of medicine under his father's tuition, entered the Medi- cal College of Indiana in 1889 and pursued a three-years course, but was finally graduated at Gross Medical College, at Denver, Colorado, in 1892. The following year he spent in the Arapahoe County Hospital, at Denver, where he held the position of interne. Returning home in the autumn of 1893, he engaged in the practice of his profession in company with his father, which is the present relation. Joseph Haller was educated in the high school of Fowler, also at Bloomington, this state, and at Purdue University -at the latter in the pharmaceutical department,-and is now employed in the drug business in Fowler. The daughter, Helen Hart, is now a young lady of sixteen years, and a student at the Fowler high school.
The mother of our subject was born in 1810, and died July 15, 1898.
A miscellaneous item of history in connection with the genealogy of Dr. Mavity will, in conclusion, be a matter of interest. The great-great-grand- father of Dr. Mavity was a soldier in the army of William, Prince of Orange, and when England was conquered he settled in Ireland, where the grand- father of Dr. Mavity was born, and where the great-grandfather was about to be assassinated by reason of his political views and activity in public affairs, but was liberated by friends-or rather saved-and immediately came to America.
WILLIAM S. LEFFEW.
For many years William Samuel Leffew has been connected with the journalistic interests of Indiana, and is now editor of the Boswell Enterprise, one of the leading papers of Benton county. He was born September 9, 1858, near Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and is a son of Samuel and Arah Belle Leffew. The former was a valiant soldier in the Mexican war and in the civil war. During the hostilities between the north and the south he enlisted in the Third Kentucky Infantry, and was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga. His death occurred August 18, 1875. His maternal grand- father, a Pennsylvania German, bore the surname of Tanner, and fought in the war of 1812. His wife was a daughter of the Scotch family of McClures, in Virginia, and from the Old Dominion they removed to Kentucky during the early settlement of that state. Samuel Leffew, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Tennessee, and his father was of Scotch-French parentage, the family living in Louisiana. On the maternal side William S. Leffew is descended from Scotch and Irish ancestry, who removed to Kentucky from the eastern states.
William S. Leffew completed his literary education by his graduation in
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the high school of Danville, Indiana, as a member of the class of 1876. When he was only fifteen years of age his father died, and his youth and early manhood were therefore a struggle against poverty, as no patrimony came to him. It was his great desire to enter West Point Military Academy, but instead he was obliged to provide for himself and his mother and sisters by entering a printing-office, where he learned the practical part of news- paper work - mechanical and editorial. He was employed as a journeyman printer at various places until 1886, in which year he entered the publishing and printing business in Lafayette, Indiana, where he remained until March, 1888, when he came to Benton county and published a small weekly paper at Fowler, called the Nut Shell. In August of the same year, in connection with E. F. Wallace, he leased the Era, at Fowler, and published it for one year. He then went to Indianapolis, in the fall of 1889, and was employed on the Indianapolis Journal for four years. In the spring of 1893 he returned to Fowler, where he published the Republican Era, in connection with Senator Isaac H. Phares, for two years. In August, 1895, he took charge of the Boswell Enterprise, and to-day it is acknowledged to be one of the best papers in the county. It has a good circulation and advertising list, and is a bright, entertaining journal devoted to the interests of the com- munity and to the advancement of Republican principles.
In March, 1879, Mr. Leffew was united in marriage to Miss Emma L. Carter, of Danville, Indiana, and they had three daughters, but one died in infancy. The others are Cara Belle, born December 18, 1879; and Bertha May, born June 15, 1884. In his political views Mr. Leffew has' always been a stanch Republican, but never held public office until appointed post- master of Boswell, in 1897. He is a valued and exemplary member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias fraternities, and belongs to the Christian church. He holds friendship inviolable and is true to every trust reposed in him, whether public or private. He is also regarded as one of the most enterprising men of the town, and his energetic spirit has been an important factor in many movements and measures which have proved of benefit to Boswell and the county.
DR. AMOS V. EATON.
The popular proprietor of the Bramble House, Lafayette, is also a prominent dentist as well as a scientist of considerable reputation. He was born in Morristown, Lamoille county, Vermont, February 27, 1844, the son of Amos and Meriel (Lake) Eaton, both natives of that state. Their fam- ily consisted of seven children, four daughters and three sons, of whom the following are now living: Henry R., residing in Grant Park, Illinois; Corolin,
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wife of David Taylor, of Fort Collins, Colorado; and Amos V. The father was a carpenter, contractor and farmer, and removed in 1845 from Vermont to the state of New York, where he lived in Chautauqua and Allegany counties for about fifteen years. He then went to Shiawassee county, Michigan, remaining there for three years, and from there to Strawberry Point, Clayton county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming and working at his trade. He died at the latter place in 1874, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife departed this life the following year. The father enlisted in the Mexican war, but peace being declared soon afterward he did not have an opportunity of serving. He was captain of the militia in his old home in Vermont and was thoroughly posted in military tactics. He held various township offices, and with his wife was a member of the Universalist church.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was Simeon Eaton, a native of Vermont and of English descent, the first of the family in America coming over in the Mayflower. He was a farmer by occupation, had a large family, and died at an advanced age. The maternal grandfather was Henry Lake, also a native of Vermont and of English descent. He was a farmer and school-teacher and had a family of eight children.
Amos V. Eaton spent his boyhood and youth in New York and Iowa, attending the common schools and gaining a fair education. When the civil war broke out, his patriotism was aroused and in July, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, was made a non-commissioned officer and served for three years. He was in a number of bloody engage- ments, among them the battles of Springfield, Missouri; the Red River cam- paign; near Mayesville, Prairie de Anne, Moscow, Poison Springs, Saline River, Arkansas, and many minor engagements. When the war was over our subject returned to Iowa and studied medicine and dentistry in Anamosa, where he practiced the latter branch of his profession for twenty years and was then obliged, on account of ill health and loss of eyesight, to give up his work. In 1883 he went to Effingham, Illinois, and started a fruit farm, on which he lived for about five years, at the end of that time removing to Greene county, Indiana, where he was engaged in the hotel and livery busi- ness, at Newberry, until 1891, when he sold out and removed to Lafayette, becoming proprietor of the Bramble House.
On January 14, 1867, Dr. Eaton was married to Miss Ida Simmons, a daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Wolcott) Simmons, of Anamosa, Iowa. They have six children, all daughters, Cora, Jessie, Mayme, Caddie, Mabel and Florence. Jessie is the wife of John L. Lewis and Caddie became the wife of Joseph M. Hughes. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are members of the Uni- versalist church, in which the former is a trustee. While a resident of Ana-
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mosa Dr. Eaton was its mayor for three years, a member of the city council for six years and school director six years. He has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and belongs to John A. Logan Post, No. 3, G. A. R., and also to the Union Veteran Legion. Politically, he is a Republican, and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, after entering the army. Mrs. Eaton is president of Circle No. 7, Ladies of the G. A. R., of Lafayette.
While in Iowa Dr. Eaton was a member of the Anamosa Scientific As- sociation, of which he was vice-president at its organization and later its president. In the meetings of this body various topics were discussed, such as geology, fish culture and its history, eye and ear, chemistry, diphtheria, hygiene, heat and ventilation, photography and other subjects. During that time the Doctor gained a reputation as a geologist, and has written some able articles on that subject. He has a large and interesting collection of spec- imens of minerals, fossils, rock formations, and curiosities, and also an ex- tensive library relating to these things. While mayor of Anamosa, in 1879. he wrote an article for the History of Jones County, upon the solicitation of the publishers, the Western Historical Company, of Chicago, which treats exhaustively of the geological formation of Jones county, and includes inci- dentally the counties of Clinton, Jackson, Scott and Howard, embracing a territory of fifty miles in width by one hundred and sixty miles in length. He also furnished for the same publication a valuable article on the stone quarries of Jones county, from which some stone was furnished for the capitol build- ing at Des Moines, the state penitentiary and other prominent buildings in Iowa and other states all through the west and northwest. The Doctor, among other of his writings, has also preserved a diary of his three years' serv- ice in the army, showing his career and important events occurring every day during that time.
Dr. Eaton is of a quiet disposition, genial and agreeable, and capable of carrying to a successful conclusion anything he undertakes. He is a first-class dentist, and in his capacity of host is a royal entertainer, making it a point to look after the comfort of his patrons and thus winning the praises and abiding friendship of those who have been his guests.
JAMES H. KEYS.
The purposes of life have been well served if the record is that of honor in business and fidelity to the duties of private life. Such is the history of James Harvey Keys, who for half a century was prominently identified with the development and progress of Warren county. For many years he was known and honored for his sterling qualities, his fearless loyalty to his con- victions and his advocacy of all moral, educational and material interests
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tending to promote the welfare of the county. He won the unqualified con- fidence and regard of his fellow men, and the entire community mourned his loss when he reached the termination of life's journey.
Mr. Keys was a native of Franklin county, Ohio, born January 9, 1823, his parents being Samuel and Mary (Champ) Keys. He spent the first six- teen years of his life in the Buckeye state, and then came to Indiana, locat- ing near what is now known as Green Hill, Warren county, then known as Poolesville. For almost a half century he resided upon his farm in Pine township, and was accounted one of the substantial agriculturists of the state. Farming and stock-dealing formed his principal occupation in life, but his ability and energy were by no means confined to one line of endeavor. He became the owner of a very valuable tract of land, which he transformed into rich and fertile fields. He also made fine improvements upon his place, added all the accessories and conveniences of the model farm and followed the most progressive methods in agricultural pursuits. He was also one of the organizers and the president of the roller-mill company of Keys, Porch & Company, and was also financially interested in the elevators owned by R. W. Claypool & Company. About 1888, in company with others, he or- ganized the Warren County Bank, at Williamsport, becoming one of its principal stockholders, and from its formation up to the time of his death he served as its vice-president. Its success was largely due to his wise counsel, able management and business sagacity, while his well known reliability gave the institution a reputation for solidity that it could hardly have gained otherwise. He possessed untiring energy, was quick in perception, formed his plans readily and was determined in their execution, while his close appli- cation to business and his excellent management brought to him a degree of prosperity which made him one of the wealthy men of the state. In addi- tion to his commercial interests he was the owner of about three thousand acres of valuable land in Warren and Benton counties, and possessed a larger amount of tangible personal property than any other resident of his adopted county, in addition to various valuable corporate stocks.
He was a most public-spirited and progressive citizen and no man in the county did more for the public welfare in many directions than did Mr. Keys. He was the author of the splendid system of graveled roads. In his brain originated the plan for so improving the roads, and his capital largely made their construction possible. In recognition thereof and in his honor, the board of commissioners called this the Keys gravel road. It is an improvement that has been of great practical benefit to the county, for good thoroughfares are an important factor in promoting commercial activity. It was also greatly through the influence of James H. Keys that the court- house was removed from the old town to its present location, and after its
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removal he began to have faith in the town and became a firm believer in the future growth and success of Williamsport, for which he had done more than any other country resident of the county.
In politics Mr. Keys was an earnest and zealous Republican, using his aid and influence for the advancement of the party's interests. He was very charitable and benevolent, gave of his means to the needy, and contributed his share to the support of churches and other institutions calculated to bene- fit humanity. With him friendship was inviolable, and he not only had the happy faculty of winning friends, but of drawing them closer to him as the years went by.
His home relations were most pleasant. In his early manhood, on the Ist of June, 1843, he was united in marriage to Miss Letitia D. Stone, and they began their domestic life near the present site of Templeton, Benton county, Indiana, where they remained until the spring of 1849, when they located on Pine creek, Pine township, Warren county, where Mr. Keys con- tinued to make his home until his death. Eight children were born of this marriage, four of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Isalemah Mullen, wife of Lafayette Mullen, and Mrs. Anna Coffelt, both of Walnut Grove, Indiana; Mar- garet E., wife of Fernandes E. Pearce, of Boswell; and Belle, wife of George W. Day, of Talbot. A daughter, Sarah, wife of Henry Canutt, formerly of
Williamsport, died leaving three children,-Grace, James H. and Mary,- who now reside in Rosedale, Kansas. Another daughter, Mary, died at the age of eighteen years, and James and Emmaretta died in infancy. Mrs. Keys died May 22, 1863. She was a daughter of Thomas Stone, who in the fall of 1837 emigrated with his wife and children from Kentucky to Indiana, locat- ing in Pine township, Benton county. Soon afterward the family removed to Green Hill, Warren county, where the parents spent their remaining days. They had three sons and four daughters, Mrs. Keys being the third daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Keys started ont in life in limited circumstances, but by her faithful assistance and careful management she greatly aided her husband in making a start in business life. She was a most estimable lady, a kind and affectionate wife and mother and a devoted Christian, holding membership in the United Brethren church. Her children, though all young when she passed away, have ever held her in loving remembrance.
On the 23d of October, 1864, Mr. Keys was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. Crosley, a native of Warren county, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph and Fantima (Eulass) Crosley, who remained in the Buckeye state until death. Mrs. Keys came to Warren county, Indiana, in 1862, and is a most esti- mable lady, highly esteemed by many friends. By her marriage she became the mother of five children, two of whom are now living: Alice, wife of Levi Van Reed, of Williamsport, and Charles, the only son. He was born Feb-
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ruary 2, 1876, attended the public schools and was graduated in Lafayette Business College. He is with his mother and aids her in the management of the estate. A daughter, Jennie, died when about sixteen years of age; the other two in infancy.
The life history of James Harvey Keys indicates what may be accom- plished by a man of resolute spirit and of unwavering integrity. He entered upon his business career empty-handed, but steadily worked his way upward to success, overcoming the obstacles and difficulties in his path by persever- ance and enterprise. His methods were honorable, his word as good as his bond, and over his life records there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He left.to his family not only the honest accumulations of years of toil but the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. He passed away Novem- ber 3, 1898, but many years will have come and gone before his beneficent influence will cease to be felt.
JOHN BRAND.
Upon one of the farms first developed in Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county, Indiana, resides John Brand, a substantial and progressive farmer, whose well tilled fields and substantial buildings indicate the careful super- vision of an industrious and energetic owner. His birth occurred upon this homestead, which had become the home of his parents in 1835. His father had previously visited the county, having made three trips to Indiana. On his visit in 1834 he purchased the property and located thereon the follow- ing year. The land was in part entered from the government by Joseph Slater in 1829, and John Brand still has in his possession the original deed, signed in the bold handwriting of Andrew Jackson, then president of the United States. Four years later, in 1833, a portion of this farm was entered by George Storm.
Very little had been done in the way of improvement when Samuel Brand took possession of the property, and in clearing and developing the land he was assisted by his sons, including John Brand, whose birth occurred on the farm April 16, 1841. His education was largely acquired in a small frame school building which stood on the northeast corner of the farm, and was built by the neighbors for school purposes, but his first instruction was received in his father's log cabin, where for a time school was held. He early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and thus when he began life for himself was well prepared by practical experience to manage the work of the farm. In 1866 he was mar- ried and brought his bride to the old family homestead, where he is still liv- ing. The playground of his boyhood thus became the scene of his manhood's
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labors, and the fields where he was wont to romp in youth, afterward yielded to him golden harvests in return for the care and cultivation he bestowed upon them. He purchased the farm of his father,-a tract of one hundred and sixty-two acres. This had been cleared by the father and his sons, but Mr. Brand has added many substantial improvements and now has a very valu- able property supplied with all the conveniences and accessories of the model farm. From time to time he has purchased other lands until his farm now comprises three hundred and seventeen acres, and in addition he has other valuable property elsewhere. He is also one of the directors and stockhold- ers of the Farmers' National Bank, of Mulberry, of which he was one of the founders, and is an enterprising business man, whose capable management, sound judgment and great energy have brought to him prosperity.
On the 7th of February, 1866, Mr. Brand was united in marriage, in Madison township, Clinton county, Indiana, to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Camp- man, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Lewis F. and Maria (Moyer) Campman. Her father was born in New Jersey and was of sturdy English ancestry and educated in the German language. Lewis Frederick Campman was born at Hope, New Jersey, February 2, 1794, a son of Christian Fred- erick and Annie Mary Campman. November 12, 1829, he married Mary Moyer, a daughter of David and Sarah Moyer, and their children were Frederick Andrew, born March 23, 1831; Henry Frantz, January 16, 1833; Mary Annie, August 6, 1834; David, May 3, 1836; Louis Henry, January 23, 1838; James William, April 23, 1839; and Sarah E., December 28, 1840. The father followed farming in early life, afterward engaged in school-teach- ing in New Jersey, and subsequently engaged in clerking in a store. Later he went to Philadelphia, where he accepted a position as cashier in a bank, and on severing that connection he returned to Grimville, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in clerking until an advanced age. He afterward lived with his children in Indiana, and died at the home of our subject, when about seventy-eight years of age. He was a straightforward, honorable man, a highly respected citizen and a consistent member of the Reformed church. By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Brand were born six children, namely: Alvin S., born October 28, 1867; Sylvester L., born December 20, 1868; Lilly Ellen, born March 9, 1871; Katie Ann, born January 31, 1872; Guy Orlando, born October 17, 1875; and May Susannah, born March 27, 1879.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Brand are members of the German Reformed church, and in his political connections he is a Republican. He also belongs to the- Odd Fellows lodge, of Mulberry, and is popular with his brethren of the fraternity. He has always been a man of great industry, intelligence and determination in business, and through his well directed efforts has won a handsome competency that numbers him among the substantial citizens of
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the community. There has been nothing in his life to awaken the condem- nation of his fellow men; on the contrary he commands uniform regard, and is accounted one of the leading residents of Sheffield township, Tippecanoe county.
JUDGE JOSEPH M. RABB.
Among her native sons Indiana has reason to be proud of Judge Joseph M. Rabb, who for six years served on the bench of the twenty-first judicial circuit of this state, and acquitted himself in a manner which gave thorough satisfaction to the public. As a judge his decisions were marked by calm, well balanced reasoning, founded upon intimate knowledge of the law and love of justice, tempered with mercy. He is one of the boys who " wore the blue " and fought for the preservation of the Union during the dread civil war, and at all times he has nobly discharged the duties which fell to him as a citizen of this great republic.
The Rabb family is an old and honored one in the central states of this country. In the last century the great-great-grandfather of the Judge came here from Ireland and took up his abode near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In the line of descent then followed his son Andrew, grandson Johnston, and great-grandson Smith, the latter being the father of our subject. Andrew Rabb removed from Pennsylvania, his native state, to Warren county, Ohio, in 1801, and there purchased a large tract of land, and spent his last days. His son Johnston, born in the Keystone state, accompanied the family to Warren county, and in 1828 became a resident of Fountain county, same state. He had a large family, and many of his children became citizens of Indiana.
Smith Rabb, father of the Judge, was born in 1822, and has passed most of his life in this state. He is still making his home in Perryville, Ver -. million county, where he embarked in the mercantile business about 1847, and was for many years very successful in that line. His wife Mary, a native of Liberty, Union county, Indiana, died in 1885. Her father, James . Carwile, was born in South Carolina in 1775, and being opposed to slavery he removed to the north in 1800, with his father-in-law, William Brown, and both became leading men in Liberty, Indiana. Three sisters and a brother of the Judge are still living, namely: Oral S. Rabb, of this county; Ella, wife of William Switzer; Amelia who married, and resides in Detroit, Michigan; Mrs. Isabel Davidson, of Perryville, and Mrs. Hattie I. Parks, also of Perryville.
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