USA > Indiana > Warren County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > White County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > Newton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > Pulaski County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > Benton County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Biographical history of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties, Indiana, Volume II > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60
719
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
In August, 1862, he enlisted for three years in Company K, Ninety-third Ohio Infantry, which was attached to the Army of the Cumberland under General Rosecrans and was in many fiercely contested battles. At Chicka- mauga his left leg was shattered by a shell and he was confined to the hos- pital at Chattanooga, going from there to Bridgeport and later to Murfrees- boro. He was then given a furlough and returned home for a time, subse- quently reporting for duty at Columbus, whence he went to Camp Dennison, where he was mustered out May 12, 1865. He then remained in Ohio and for several years was obliged to walk on crutches, as a result of his wound received in battle.
In 1866 Mr. Wood came to Indiana and located in Jasper county, where he engaged in the cattle business, continuing the same for several years. In 1871 he settled on a farm, but subsequently sold out, together with his cat- tle business, and removed to Rensselaer, where he was elected to the office of recorder, a position he filled for eight years. During this time he bought a small tract of land, to which he has added until he now has about five hun- dred acres, which he has remodeled, improved and ditched, and on which he has built a commodious house, with barns and other out-buildings, constitut- ing a most desirable farm and comfortable home, five miles southeast of Rensselaer. He is a strong Republican and takes a deep interest in all pub- lic affairs.
In 1871 Mr. Wood was united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Crockett, who was born in Howard county, Indiana, September 22, 1850, a daughter of Mordecai and Caroline (Lamson) Crockett. Her father was born April 29, 1816, and was married in Montgomery county, March 27, 1840, to Miss Caroline Lamson, who was born March 26, 1816. He worked in a woolen- mill until about 1846, when he moved to Kokomo, Howard county, and in 1852 came to Jasper county, entered some land, to which he added more by purchase and was obtaining an excellent start in farming and stock-raising when he died, in 1854. His wife survived him and in order to give the chil- dren a better education took them to Rensselaer, where she remained eight years, and then returned to Howard county, but some years later returned to Rensselaer, and while visiting her children in the west her death took place, January 9, 1889. She was a consistent and active member of the Presby- terian church. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Crockett, the following mention is made: Thomas A. served in the civil war; David B. also fought in the rebellion; Sarah A. married F. Riesling; William W .; Mary C. be- came the wife of our subject; and Charles A.
The children of our subject are: John P., attending a dental college at Chicago, Illinois; Mabel; Milton V., attending school at Rensselaer; Harvey W., Jr., at home; Mary S., Chauncey H. and Letha J. Mr. and Mrs. Wood
720
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
are members of the Methodist church. Socially our subject is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and has served as master of Prairie Lodge, No. 125, at Rensselaer, and he belongs to Post No. 87, G. A. R.
John Wood, father of our subject, was a native of Virginia and a son of John Wood, who was of English and French descent. The latter moved to Illinois, where he followed farming until his death. His son was reared in Virginia and came to Ohio when a young man and settled in Montgomery county, where he engaged in farming the rest of his life, his death occurring in April, 1871. He married Miss Saloma Razor, who was born in Ohio and still survives her husband. She is a daughter of Daniel Razor, who was born in Pennsylvania of German ancestors, and who moved to Ohio at an early day, where he conducted a distillery and a large farm. He was a member of the Dunkard church and was a man of honor and ability. To Mr. and Mrs. John Wood were born the following children: Elizabeth; Sarah A .; Aldeba; Eli; Harvey W., our subject; Mary; John H., who served in the civil war; Jennie; Clara, deceased; Clayton, deceased; Melissa; Charles W., deceased; Loretta and Justin. Mrs. Wood is a member of the Method- ist church, and, at the ripe age of eighty-six, she now resides in White coun- ty, Indiana.
GEORGE M. ROBINSON.
Among the Indiana appointments made for postmasters in the spring of 1898 was that of George M. Robinson as postmaster of Rensselaer. He lived to serve but a brief time, his death occurring on December 28, 1898, causing a vacancy in the office and a loss that is deeply felt in the commun- ity of which he was an honored resident.
A native of the Buckeye state, Mr. Robinson was descended from ances- tors who were among the early settlers of the eastern states. His father, Joseph Robinson, was born in New York state, January 2, 1815. He was a cooper by trade, but during the greater part of his life was engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. Leaving his New York home, he came west to Ohio and settled in Summit county, where he worked at his trade and farmed until 1864, in which year he came over into Indiana and took up his abode on a farm one mile east of Rensselaer, where he spent the rest of his life, his death here occurring in 1887. Joseph Robinson's father was Edward Robin- son, a native of Rhode Island, who moved to Ohio at an early day and lived successively in Washington, Medina and Summit connties, and died in the last named county in 1834, at the age of forty-nine years. His wife, whose maiden name was Martha Capron, was likewise a native of Rhode Island. Joseph Robinson married Miss Louetta Aldrich, daughter of Levi W. and
721
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Waitsell Aldrich, of New Hampshire. Their union was blessed in the birth of five children, namely: Charles L., born July 29, 1838, was in the Union army, a member of the Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was killed at Port Republic, June 9, 1862; Jane M., born July 3, 1840, is the wife of Thomas Thompson, of Rensselaer; George M. is the subject of this memoir; Oliver P., born December 7, 1845, is deputy sheriff of Jasper county; and Welcome, born October 16, 1848, is a resident of Hammond, Indiana.
George M. Robinson was ushered into life in Summit county, Ohio, May 5, 1844, and was reared to farm life, early shouldering his part of the work and becoming familiar with every duty of the farm. His educational advantages were, of course, not equal to those enjoyed by the youth of to- day, but he improved his opportunities and in time acquired sufficient knowledge to enable him to teach. After teaching for a time, he learned the carpenter's trade and engaged in contracting and building, erecting a number of houses.
Politically Mr. Robinson was always a stanch Republican. He spent a number of years in public office and was well known throughout the county. His first county office was that of sheriff, to which he was elected in 1876. In 1878 he was re-elected, and thus was the incumbent of the sheriff's office four years. In 1882 he came out as a candidate for auditor, was elected, and in 1886, was re-elected, for a second term, serving in all eight years, thus rounding out a dozen years in county office. The fidelity with which he dis- charged his duties brought him into public favor, and when, in April, 1898, he was appointed by President Mckinley to the position of postmaster of Rensselaer the public was more than pleased, feeling assured that the office had passed into competent and trustworthy hands.
Mr. Robinson married Miss Mary E. Catt, a native of Indiana, and they reared a large family, fourteen children having been born to them, thirteen of whom are living. Their family record is as follows: Gertrude, wife of D. G. Warner, Rensselaer, has one child, Rex; Charles, also of Rensselaer, mar- ried Maude Clark, and they have one child, Dephon; Floyd, who resides on the old homestead, which is owned by Mr. Robinson, married Miss Cora Landis; Frank, who died at the age of ten years; Mattie, wife of Fred Phillips, of Rensselaer; May, wife of Charles Blue, also of Rensselaer, has one child, Robert; and the following named at home: Verne, George, Clara (who is assistant postmaster), Ilma, Harvey, Louis, Grace and John.
In fraternal as well as political circles, Mr. Robinson was popular. He was one of the charter members of the Knights of Pythias, at Rensselaer, which he has represented as district deputy, and for a number of years he was identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
722
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Mr. Robinson had been in failing health for about a year prior to his death, and he passed from earth's labors December 28, 1898, secure in the respect and esteem of all who knew him and mourned by a large circle of friends. He was a man of broad charity in judging his fellow men, was ge- nial and courteous and was distinctly popular. His life record was one which remains a priceless heritage to those nearest and dearest to him.
GEORGE S. BROWN.
One of the oldest and best known architects in Lafayette, where he has resided for fifty-four years, is George S. Brown, who was born in Hamilton, Ohio, October 18, 1835, a son of George and Margaret (Swaile) Brown. In his early youth he attended private and select schools, after leaving which he learned the carpenter and joiner's trade and followed the same for some years. He then entered his father's office, where he studied architecture and drawing, with which he later combined contracting, and has continued in that line of endeavor ever since. He has seen Lafayette grow from a village to its present size, and has erected a large number of the buildings here and in the surrounding towns. He is competent and reliable, and throughout the county has acquired an enviable reputation as an architect and builder.
Mr. Brown was married December 18, 1878, to Miss Annie R. Carley, a daughter of John and Mary (Rea) Carley, and two children have resulted from this union: Bessie, who died when about two years old; and Carl. Mrs. Brown is a member of the First Presbyterian church ..
Socially, our subject is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and, politic- ally, he has always been a Republican, and, with the exception of his first vote, which he cast for James Buchanan, he has always supported that party. He served two terms as trustee of the Lafayette city water-works.
George Brown, the father of our subject, was a native of Ireland, where he was born, near Belfast, in 1807. After attending the public schools he came to America, at the age of sixteen years, and served an apprenticeship as an architect in New York, subsequently becoming a builder and con- tractor, working in various places in New York and Canada. In 1832, from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, he floated down the river in a skiff to Cincinnati, where he married Margaret Swaile, December 3, 1833, and he resided there and at Hamilton, Ohio, until about 1843, when he came to Lafayette and engaged in building and contracting up to 1865, when he retired. He built a great many court-houses in this state and Ohio, and was known as " Court- house Brown," on account of the number of court-houses he built. He died in 1889, aged eighty-two years, his wife having passed away three months previously, at the age of seventy-five years. She was an Episcopalian, while
723
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
he, although a believer in the Bible, was not a member of any church. His mother was a Presbyterian and his father a Quaker. At one time he was a member of the city council of Lafayette.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was James Brown, a native of Ireland, who came to America in 1823, and lived many years in New York state and Canada, finally coming to Indiana about 1850, and died in Oxford, Indiana, at an advanced age. The maternal grandfather was William Swaile, an officer in the British army, of whom all trace was lost after the battle of Champlain. He was of Irish stock. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann Foster, was born at Brighton, England, and moved from New York to Cincinnati, where she reared her family.
MARION H. INGRIM.
Marion Hamline Ingrim comes of one of the old and honored families of the south, several of his ancestors having distinguished themselves by the part which they bore in the early colonial wars, and without exception they have ever been ready to sacrifice their own personal interests to the cause in which they believe, -to the community of which they are and have been patriotic citizens.
In tracing the ancestry of M. H. Ingrim, of Winamac, it is found that the founder of the Ingrim family in America was the Rev. Mr. Ingrim, who was born in England in 17II and was one of the colony which accompanied General Oglethorpe to this continent in 1732. Locating in Georgia, he was actively engaged in the Spanish-American war of 1740-2, and assisted in driving the Spaniards out of Georgia and Florida, and to the island of Cuba, where they have been in practically undisturbed possession until the recent war, when the United States once more meted out to the tyrannous Spaniard somewhat of his long delayed punishment. Jeremiah, son of the minister named above, won an honorable record in the war of the Revolution. Old manuscripts testify to the fact that " he was a private in Captain John Webb's company, Fifth and Eleventh Virginia Regiments, known also as the Eleventh and Fifteenth Virginia Regiments, commanded by Colonel William Russell, of the Revolutionary war; enlisted December 3, 1776, to serve three years;" and on the roll for November, 1779, his name appears, with the words, "Dis- charged December 3." His son, John Ingrim, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, apparently took his vacated place in the ranks of the patriot army, for the records show that during 1780 and 1781 he " served in Captain Gilbury McCay's company, Colonel Joseph Reed, Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, Revolutionary war;" and at the close of that period received an honorable discharge.
724
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
He was a native of Virginia, and January 12, 1785, married Rebecca Williams, whose birth had occurred in Scotland, and for some years this worthy couple dwelt in Pennsylvania. Their son George, the next in the direct line, was born in the Keystone state, January 4, 1789, and died at Winamac, Indiana, September 2, 1844. His wife, Margaret, née Kinnear, was born in Dublin, Ireland, and departed this life September 1, 1844. Mar- garet Kinnear was the daughter of Andrew and Mary (Delamar) Kinnear. The Kinnears have the record of a high and honorable lineage, reaching back for more than three hundred years, -to the Huguenots of France. Their an- cestors (the Delamars) emigrated from France to Dundee, Scotland, and lived there for one hundred years; thence to the banks of the river Shannon in Ireland, where they settled and their descendants remained, honored and influential citizens, for another hundred years, and toward the close of the eighteenth century (in 1788) crossed over to America.
John N. Ingrim, the father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania, July 21, 1809, and was married in Ohio to Rebecca McArthur, October 15, 1833. They removed to Indiana in 1842, and became prominent, respected citizens of Winamac. The father was successfully engaged in merchandising here for a number of years and served as postmaster for one term. He was an active member in the Methodist church and was identified with the Ma- sons and Odd Fellows. He passed into the silent land August 25, 1877, and was survived a few years by his devoted wife, who was born August 25, 1812, and died in 1892.
The birth of Marion H. Ingrim occurred in Fairfield county, Ohio, Oc- tober 12, 1834. He obtained a liberal education in the public schools and in the printing offices in which he learned the trade that has commanded the greater share of his time and energy since. In Louisville, Cincinnati, Chi- cago, St. Louis and Memphis, he was employed at his chosen vocation, and in 1859 he embarked in the publishing business upon his own account, at Grenada, Mississippi. He was quite successful in his new enterprise, and won a favorable reputation and a paying circulation for the newspaper which he edited, it being known as the Grenada Locomotive.
When the civil war broke out, Mr. Ingrim, whose sympathies were on the side of the south, enlisted in the company commanded by Captain Calvin B. Vance, Battery A, Mississippi Light Artillery, Confederate Army, and took part in numerous skirmishes and battles in Tennessee and Mississippi. The chief ones were an encounter with the forces of General Hurlbut, near Lagrange, Tennessee, in September, 1862; Corinth, Mississippi, Octo- ber 3 and 4; and Chickasaw Bayou, December 30 and 31, of the same year, and January 1, 1863. Later he took part in the famous defense of Vicks- burg, during the siege, and was made a prisoner of war when the city was
725
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORI'.
surrendered to General Grant, July 4, 1863. After an exchange had been effected for himself and twenty-eight thousand of his comrades, he was sent to Alabama, but from that time until the close of the war he saw but lit- tle very active campaigning.
In February, 1865, Mr. Ingrim came to Winamac and. purchased the Winamac Herald from Judge George Burson. On the 16th of that month he issued the first number of the paper since well known throughout this section of the state as the Winamac Democrat. With the exception of a short period during the '70s he has owned and published this journal regularly for about thirty years. Its present title is the Winamac Democrat-Journal, the Jour- nal having been consolidated with the Democrat by Mr. Ingrim just fifteen years ago. The paper is edited in the interests of the Democratic party, and presents the news, both foreign and local, in an attractive manner to the gen- eral public, thus meriting the high praise and extensive patronage which it enjoys.
In 1887 Mr. Ingrim was honored by being appointed to the position of postmaster of Winamac by President Cleveland. Fraternally, he belongs to the J. T. Liddell Camp, United Confederate Veterans, of Carrollton, Missis- sippi. He is also affiliated with Winamac Lodge, No. 262, F. and A. M .; Winamac Lodge, No. 168, I. O. O. F .; Tippecanoe Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, and Sophronia Degree Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah. Relig- iously he is a Methodist in faith, and is associated with the Winamac church as a member.
The first marriage of Mr. Ingrim was celebrated in Grenada, Mississippi, February 28, 1861, Miss Argyra A. Moody becoming his bride. She was called to her reward March 2, 1882, and of their three daughters two have passed away. Nettie, the one surviving, is now the wife of L. A. Smith, the well-known druggist of Winamac. On the 27th of May, 1887, Mr. Ingrim married Miss Alice V. Drake, at Linden, Indiana, and one son, John, born July 29, 1888, blesses their union.
GEORGE H. HEALEY.
The Brookston Gazette, published in Brookston, Indiana, is a bright, newsy journal, devoted to the welfare of this community, fearlessly independ- ent in politics and liberal in its aims. The editor of this well known and esteemed newspaper has had considerable valuable experience in jour- nalistic work, having mastered the printer's trade in his youth and gradually worked his way upward through the various departments of the business until he was, for two or three years, the editor of two newspapers.
A native of the Hoosier state, Mr. Healey is thoroughly identified with all
726
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
its interests. He was born in Rensselaer, November 14, 1872, being a son of Colonel Joshua and Julia A. (Howland) Healey. The father, who won his title by meritorious service in the civil war, was a native of Canada, while the mother's birth-place was in Cass county, Indiana. They were the parents of five children, two of whom have passed away. Dora L. is the wife of Frank B. Lyon, of Delphi, Indiana, and Mand J. resides in Rensselaer. The father of the colonel was likewise a Canadian by birth, and up to the time of his death, when seventy-two, he was exceedingly hale and hearty. In his early manhood the colonel was engaged in newspaper work, but when the war of the Rebellion came on he enlisted in Company G, Ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and at the end of three months was promoted to the rank of captain of his company. Later he was commissioned major of the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and still later became the colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-first Indiana Regiment. His service was conspicuous for bravery and steadfast heroism, and during the four years which he spent in the conflict between the north and south he had numerous narrow escapes from death, was once wounded by a cannon ball and at another time was seriously injured by his horse falling upon him. Resuming his former enterprises at the close of the war, he was con- nected with journalistic work for a number of years. Later he practiced law at Rensselaer and Goodland, Indiana. His death took place in the last named town, January 2, 1880, when he was but forty-two years of age. His widow, who survives him, resides in Rensselaer. She is a member of the Christian church. Her father, William Howland, was an early settler of Cass county, and for years, and until he was quite old, he was a school- teacher, as well as a farmer.
The early years of George H. Healey were spent in Rensselaer, his birth-place. He was a pupil in the common schools there until he embarked in business life. In 1891 he went to Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, and later to Middlesboro, Kentucky, working at the printer's trade during the year or more of his stay in the south. Returning to Rensselaer, he soon set out for the west, and the succeeding four years he passed in Missouri. In many re- spects he preferred his native state, and he finally returned with the inten- tion of remaining here permanently. Settling in Brookston, he became the editor of the Brookston Reporter, which he published until July, 1898, then disposing of the same. From October, 1897, to February, 1899, he was editor of the Chalmers Ledger, also, but is now giving his entire time and at- tention to the Brookston Gazette, which he founded on January 1, 1899, running in connection with it a job printing office.
June 14, 1893, Mr. Healey married Miss Stella Hough, a daughter of Rev. M. T. Hough, a minister of the Christian church, in Tipton, Missouri.
727
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Henry, the first-born child of Mr. and Mrs. Healey, died at the age of twenty-one months, and their other children are George and Vera.
Politically Mr. Healey uses his franchise in favor of the Republican party. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Modern Woodmen of America.
SIMEON A. DOWELL.
Simeon A. Dowell, who has been a successful and well-known farmer and stockman of Jasper county for a quarter of a century, was born in Bartholomew county, Indiana, March 28, 1852, and received his education in the common schools.
Mr. Dowell is a son of George and Elizabeth (Noblet) Dowell, the former of whom was a native of Ohio and came to Indiana about 1846, locating in Bartholomew county, where he engaged in farming. He bought a tract of land, improved the same and continued working on it until 1861, when he enlisted in Company C, Thirty-sixth Illinois Infantry, which was assigned to the western army and participitated in many hard-fought battles. His health being poor he was detailed to hospital duty and was finally mustered out at Atlanta. He then returned to Illinois where he had left his family, and after sojourning there for thirteen years he came to Jas- per county. He was married in 1842 to Miss Elizabeth Noblet, a native of Kentucky, and to them were born the following children: James and Nancy J., deceased; Simeon A., our subject; Malinda (Mrs. Knight); and Harrison O., who lives at Seymour, Indiana. George Dowell was a son of George and Grace (Helms) Dowell, the former being a native of Virginia, and the latter of Maryland. They were of Irish and German ancestry, respectively.
Simeon A. Dowell spent part of his youth in Illinois and has always been engaged in farming. In 1872 he rented a farm in the Prairie state and remained there until 1874, when he came to Jasper county and purchased a farm in Barkley township, where he also handled stock. He subsequently exchanged this farm for another, sold the latter and bought the one on which he now lives in 1892. , It consists of two hundred and fifty-five acres, which he now has under a good state of cultivation, tiled and ditched, and on this land he has built a pleasant two-story frame house, with barns and other out- houses attached. He deals to some extent in stock, which he raises and ships to various parts of the country. His successful career is the direct result of his ability, enterprise aud strict attention to business, and these qual- ities have made him the architect of his own fortune.
The marriage of Mr. Dowell took place April 7, 1873, when he was united to Miss Mary E. Tanner, a daughter of David and Eliza (Freeman)
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.