USA > Indiana > Grant County > Biographical memoirs of Grant County, Indiana : to which is appended a comprehensive compendium of national biography with portraits of many national characters and well-known residents of Grant County, Indiana. > Part 31
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In politics Mr. Webster has ever been a stanch Republican and an active and influ- ential worker for the party, but would never accept public office. Mrs. Webster and her daughters are members of the Christian church, and of this body Mr. Webster is a trustee.
CHARLES REECE.
Charles Reece, a retired druggist of Marion, Indiana, is a self-made man in the true acceptance of the word; his father hav- ing died when he was in his thirteenth year, he was left to fight his way almost unaided from comparative poverty to a fair com- petence. He was born February 9, 1829, in Henry county, Indiana, and is a son of Nathan and Susanna (Elliott) Reece, and a grandson of John and Ann (Needham) Reece.
John Reece was probably a native of Wales and came to America with two of his brothers, he settling in North Carolina, where he was married. He and his wife were members of the Friends' Society, and
followed the occupation of agriculture. The grandmother, whose maiden name was Ann Needham, was probably a native of Randolph county, North Carolina. About 1824 they came to Indiana, and with their family located in Henry county, which at that time was covered by a dense forest, and there entered land from the govern- ment.
Nathan Reece was born in the year 1806, in the state of North Carolina, and was reared to the life of a farmer. He was eighteen years old when he came with his parents to this state. In 1828 he was married to Susanna Elliott, a native of Wayne county, but then a resident of, Henry county, with whom he lived happily until his death, which occurred in 1841. Mrs. Reece survived her husband many years, dying in Sterling, Kansas, at the ad- vanced age of seventy-seven years. They were both members of the Society of Friends. Six children were the fruits of their union, namely : Charles; two that died in infancy; Jane, who reached the age of thirty-six; Mary, wife of Hon. H. H. But- ler, who resides in Miami, Indian Terri- tory; and Joel, for many years a news- paper man in Kansas and now a resident of Pratt.
Until he was eighteen years of age, Mr. Reece, of this biography, remained on the farm at home and attended the public school, where he laid the foundation of a good, practical education. To this was added a two-years' course in the Friends' Boarding School at Richmond, Indiana, now known as Earlham College. Then fol- lowed four or five terms of teaching school, an employment in no wise congenial and one that was soon abandoned for agricult-
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ural life. Having husbanded his resources, he purchased an eighty-acre tract of land in Rush county, this state, in 1851, and spent four years in its cultivation and im- provement. At the expiration of that time he disposed of this property and moved to Richmond where he embarked in the grocery business for another four years, when he sold out and moved to Alexandria, Madi- son county, this state. Here he engaged in the drug business and enjoyed a good pat- ronage until in March, 1866, when he lo- cated in Marion, where he achieved posi- tive success and soon received recognition as a live business man. In 1867 he opened a drug store and pharmacy at 414 South Washington street, where his energy and genial disposition compelled attention and proclaimed him one of the best business men of the county. He possesses the rare faculty of making friends where they are most needed, and of retaining them, and, although an avowed Democrat, he was chos- en by the voice of the people to the office of town trustee, which he retained for two years and where he recognized and worked for the interests of his entire constituency. His busi- ness had grown to such an extent that in 1890 he sold out and was able to retire from active life with a neat competency.
He was united in marriage August 25, 1852, to Miss Eunice Dennis, of Hope- well, Henry county, Indiana, who died leaving four children, two of whom died in infancy, and one, Elizabeth J., at the age of sixteen, just as she was budding into wom- anhood. The fourth is Emma C., wife of Joseph Fenimore, of Anderson, this state. On June 4, 1864, he contracted marriage with Mrs. Maria (Egbert) Moore, daugh- ter of Henry and Phœbe (Thornton) Eg- 15
bert, and a native of Champaign county, Ohio, where she grew to womanhood. Her parents were both natives of New Jersey, where they were married and at once started for the west. He was a farmer and chair- maker, and reached the good old age of eighty-five. His wife died at the age of seventy-seven years. Maria Egbert first married John W. Moore, who died at the age of thirty-six years, leaving her with three children, viz .: Mary Jane, wife of Marshall F. Tingley, of Wabash county; John W., owner and publisher of the Kemp- ton Chronicle, of Kempton, this state; and Ida, who died at the age of thirty-eight years.
Mr. Reece was formerly a Friend, but was excommunicated because his second marriage was with a lady who was not a member of that church. He was made a Mason in July, 1851, at Knightstown, Henry county, but now holds membership in Samaritan Lodge, No. 105, of Marion. He is also a member of the Chapter, Coun- cil, and Marion Commandery, No. 21, Knights Templar.
Mr. Reece has a pleasant home situated on the corner of Boots and Sixth streets, where he and his estimable wife are spend- ing the evening of their lives in comfort and contentment, with the consciousness of years well spent and ministrations given that have brightened many a home.
THOMAS CLEMENT KIMBALL, M. D.
Thomas Clement Kimball, M. D., found- er and owner of Marion Hospital and well known as a surgeon, is a graduate of Rush Medical College, class 1868.
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His great-grandfather was born in Eng- land, and after immigrating to America set- tled in New Hampshire. Here Abner Kim- ball, grandfather of Dr. Thomas C., was born, grew to manhood and married, but soon afterward removed to Ohio and became an early settler of Coshocton county, where he passed his remaining years as a farmer.
Moses Kimball, father of the Doctor, was born in Coshocton, Ohio, in March, 1818; married Louisa Powell, and in 1848 removed his family to Miami county, Indiana, where he was numbered among the well-to-do farmers and stock raisers. In the fall of 1871 he sold his property, and on account of ill health he and his wife traveled one year, after which he settled on a farm in Wilson county, Kansas, where he died in 1884.
The mother of the Doctor was born in Virginia, but her parents, Thomas and Hen- rietta Powell, were natives of England. She is now eighty-three years old and re- sides with a daughter in Kansas. Moses and Louisa Kimball were the parents of nine children, of whom Thomas C. Kimball was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, No- vember 23, 1842, and when six years old re- moved with the family to Indiana, where he attended the common schools and aided in the work upon the farm.
In 1861 he entered Marion high school, and later Stockwell Collegiate Institute, of Tippecanoe county, to complete his literary education ; but he was hardly accustomed to school life when he laid aside his books and enrolled his name as a volunteer sol- dier, and in September, 1861, was mustered into service as a private of Company I, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served as such during the three years of his
enlistment, when he was honorably dis- charged. He was always ready for duty, and participated in all battles, skirmishes and marches that fell to the lot of his com- pany. The principal engagements were : Rich Mountain, Black Water and Sugar Creek, Missouri; Pea Ridge and Cotton Plant, Arkansas; Port Gibson, Jackson (first battle), Champion Hills, Big Black River and Jackson (second battle), Mississippi; Murlany, Fort Esperando and Austin, Tex- as; Baton Rouge, Carrion Crow Bayou and Atchafalaya, Louisiana; Berryville and Hall Town, West Virginia. After three years of soldier life young Kimball again entered the Stockwell Collegiate Institute and three months later took up the study of medicine, his preceptor being his brother, Abner D., and after taking the course of study at Rush Medical College entered upon the practice of his profession at Converse, Indiana, where he remained until 1885, when he located at Marion, where he has attained a high stand- ing in his profession.
In 1896 he founded the Marion Hospital, which has accommodations for thirty pa- tients, and he now gives his attention to surgery and surgical diseases of women.
Dr. Kimball was surgeon of the Fourth Regiment, I. N. G., and when the regiment was mustered into service for duty during the Spanish war President Mckinley ap- pointed Dr. Kimball chief division sur- geon, and the appointment being confirmed by the United States senate, he was as- signed the Sixth Army Corps at Chickamau- ga, where he served until honorably dis- charged at the close of the war.
Dr. Kimball has taken three special courses of lectures at Rush Medical College, and is a member of the Grant County Medi-
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cal Society and the American Medical As- sociation.
He is a thirty-second-degree Mason, be- ing an active worker in all branches of the fraternity.
The marriage of Dr. Kimball took place in 1865, when Miss Louisa J. Vinnedge became his wife. Four children have been born to this union, viz .: India, now Mrs. L. J. Hoover, of Hartford City, Indiana ; Carl V., editor Hardwood Journal, Chicago; Glen D., a graduate from Rush Medical College, is in charge of Marion Hospital; and Earl, who is at home. The family own and occupy one of the most attractive and beautiful homes in the city.
JASON WILLSON.
Jason Willson, banker at Marion, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, banker in Indiana, and no citizen of Grant county is more worthy than he of having his life's history preserved within these pages.
His father, Osborn Willson, was a na- tive of Vermont, born in 1793,-his paternal ancestors being Scotch-Irish and his ma- ternal ancestors being Scotch. The Mc- Crackens, to which family his mother be- longed, came from Scotland and settled in New England during the Colonial days, and her grandfather, Col. David McCracken, sacrificed an arm in the cause of American independence. Her father, Isaac Clapp, and his brother, also, served in the Revolution- ary army. Thus the founders of the fam- ily in America proved themselves patriots, and left a record well worthy of emulation by their descendants.
Osborn Willson in early life migrated
from Vermont to Washington county, New York, where he was united in marriage with Susan Clapp, who was born in Salem, Washington county, New York, in 1799, and was of Welsh descent. The union of Osborn Willson and Susan Clapp was a happy one, and they lived together for more than sixty-three years. Twelve children were born unto them, all attained their ma- jority, all led honorable lives, and all won the esteem of those who knew them. The parents celebrated their golden wedding surrounded by hundreds of descendants and friends, and when they had passed sixty-two years of married life, again a goodly num- ber gathered at their home. The mother was the first to pass on-she died in Au- gust, 1875. The father survived his com- panion five years, when he died respected by all his friends and neighbors.
Jason Willson was born November 23, 1826, in the same house where ten of the twelve children of the family were born. His early life was passed upon the farm and in the country schools. When eighteen years of age he taught school-and it may here be noted that all his brothers and sisters, with one exception, taught school-and for eight years he served as teacher during the winter months and tilled the soil in summer. But the wages paid country teachers were very meager and Mr. Willson being ambitious to make money was on the lookout for a more remunerative field of labor, and thus, from 1853 to 1859, engaged as a traveling pho- tographer, making daguerreotypes for peo- ple in many different states, east, south and west,-a vocation which he found both pleasant and lucrative. But he was still clissatisfied and longed for a more profitable business, and so in 1859 he embarked in
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the grocery business at Muncie and met with marked success.
September 19, 1860, the marriage cere- mony was solemnized whereby Miss Sabrina Wolfe became his wife. She is a daughter of Adam Wolfe, the pioneer banker and merchant of Muncie.
After conducting a grocery store about two years Mr. Willson was asked by his fa- ther-in-law how he would like to engage in banking. At the same time adding that if he should like to become a banker, he, Mr. Wolfe, would join him as a partner. To become a banker had been a life dream of Mr. Willson, and he readily accepted the helping hand, disposed of his business and entered the banking house of Mr. Wolfe, so as to become familiar with the duties he was soon to assume, and January 8, 1862, he founded the Jason Willson & Co. Ex- change Bank at Marion. At that date there was not a railroad or a mile of gravel road in Grant county, and the only sidewalks in Marion consisted of a few stones stuck in the ground around the court house. The bank was a success from the beginning, but it was a small institution compared with its present extensive business. It has had a steady and healthy growth from the begin- ning to the present date.
For more than three years Mr. Willson did all the work alone, assuming the duties of clerk, bookkeeper, cashier, president and board of directors ; now he requires the help of no less than six bright, active men, and the Jason Willson & Co. Exchange Bank is rated among the most substantial banking houses of Indiana, having no less than ten corresponding banks. Mr. Wolfe was a partner in the bank until his death, March 20, 1892, a period of more than thirty years.
Since 1892 Mr. Willson has had his two sons associated as partners. Our subject is also interested in valuable farming lands in Grant county. The Bank block, built by him in 1883, was the best in the city at that date; and his residence, built in'1896, is the largest, handsomest, best built and most modern in the city.
He is a Democrat in politics, but never sought office, as his private business always required all his time and attention. In re- ligion all members of his family are Episco- palians. Mr. and Mrs. Willson are the par- ents of three children : Grace died in 1879, in her seventeenth year; Fred W., a gradu- ate of Racine College, of Racine, Wisconsin ; and Albert J., a graduate of Yale Universi- ty. The sons are active in the work in the bank, and evidently are following in the footsteps of their father.
SAMUEL MCCLURE (DECEASED. )
Samuel McClure was born in Shelby county, Ohio, November 16, 1807, and was of Scotch and English-Irish descent. His great-grandfather emigrated from Scotland at a very early day to Richmond, Virginia. There his grandfather, Robert McClure, was born, date unknown. About the year 1770 his grandfather immigrated to New- berry district, South Carolina. In that state his father, Samuel McClure, was born No- vember 11, 1777. His mother, Mary Mc- Clure, formerly Mary Stewart, was born in South Carolina January 31, 1777. Her father was of Irish descent, her mother of English.
About the year 1804 Samuel McClure and Mary Stewart were married. Like the
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majority of young people who married in that state in those early days, they resolved to seek their fortunes in the fertile regions of the Northwest. Accordingly, the same year, 1804, they immigrated to Ohio, then the Northwest Territory, fixing their home near Dayton, on the Little Miami. There they remained about five years, when they moved to Shelby county, of the same state, 'settling on a creek called Laramie, near Piqua. There his father lived until the breaking out of the war of 1812, when he returned to South Carolina. He remained there until the fall of 1813. Returning then, he and his team were pressed into the United States service and taken to Fort St. Mary's, which fort and block-house he as- sisted in building. In the spring of 1815 he settled on what is known as Nine Mile creek, two miles above his former home. There he remained until December 25, 1826, when he removed to Indiana, settling on the present site of Wabash. He remained there but a short time, when he removed to Grant county, where he entered land. In 1827 or 1828 Mr. McClure built the first mill known on the Mississinewa, within the limits of Grant, and the second in the county. This he managed successfully for some years, when he returned to his former home in Wabash, where he died September 22, 1838. His wife, Mary, died on the 27th of the following May.
The family of Samuel McClure con- sisted of ten children. Samuel McClure, Jr., lived with his father until about the age of twenty years. He then concluded, there being about 1,800 Indians along the Wabash and Mississinewa rivers, to engage as In- dian trader. In the spring of 1828 he went to live with W. G. and G. W. Ewing, who
were Indian traders, that he might learn the business. In the fall of 1828 he pro- cured of the Ewings a small stock of goods suitable for the winter trade. Then build- ing on the Wabash, two and a half miles above the mouth of the Mississinewa, two log cabins, one for his goods, the other for himself, he remained there three years, trad- ing in the winter and assisting his father in the mill during the summer. While en- gaged as a trader young Samuel made a vigorous effort to learn the Indian language and to gain their confidence. In both these respects he was successful, soon being able to speak fluently their language, and ob- tain the confidence of all whose acquaintance he made. In the winter of 1832 and 1833 he moved his trading post three miles be- low Wabash, on his father's farm. There he served as trader in winter and farmer in the summer.
In 1833 Samuel and his brother Robert cut the first state road that ran through Wa- bash county. This road ran from the "twen- ty-mile stake" in Wabash county to the town of Wabash, and from there to Eel river, near Manchester. They cut this out for $7.58 per mile. January 10, 1833, Samuel McClure was married to Susannah Furrow, daughter of James W. Furrow, of Fort Laramie, Ohio. To the marriage of Samuel McClure there were born six chil- dren, viz .: James F., deceased; Eliza J., wife of J. D. Cook, of Toledo, Ohio; Mary A., Rosetta A. and Louisa, all three de- ceased; and Erastus Philip, mention of whom will be found in this volume. The family in politics is Republican.
After his marriage Samuel McClure re- mained in Wabash county until February, 1834. In that year, having rented a store
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room of his father, he moved to Marion, where he engaged in business, this being but about three years after the location of Marion where he begun trading both with the white men and Indians, but more par- ticularly with the Me-shin-go-me-sia band. Although he had been engaged as a trader for some time, yet his capital was very small. He obtained his first stock of goods from New York through the kindness of Jacob and Able Furrow, uncles of his wife, and merchants of Piqua, Ohio.
Soon after this, going to Dayton, Ohio, he made the acquaintance of Mr. Phillips, a wholesale merchant of that place and an intimate friend of his father, from whom he succeeded in obtaining a small stock of goods. By fair and honest dealing, meet- ing all his engagements promptly, he gained the confidence of the business men of Day- ton, and could soon procure all the goods he desired, whether he had the money to pay cash or not. From 1834 until within a few years of his death, Mr. McClure was engaged in the goods business in Marion. During this time he was closely identified with all measures affecting the interests of the city and county. His chief aim, how- ever, was to guard the interests of the In- dian. At an early day he became thorough- ly acquainted with the business of the In- dians, and in every transaction became their chief counselor, they profiting by his ad- vice. He soon obtained their implicit con- fidence and almost the entire control of their business. Several times he went to Wash- ington to intercede with the government in their behalf. Assisted by Mr. Miller, he was instrumental in securing the payment of their annuity at Peru, Indiana.
In 1853, assisted by Mr. Miller and a
delegation of Miamis, he succeeded in hav- ing a census taken of all the Miami Indians; assisted also in the making of the treaty of 1854, and in securing the legislation for the partition of the Me-shin-go-me-sia reserva- tion, in 1873. Mr. McClure not having the advantage of an education which he had so much desired, he spared no pains or effort for the education of his own family, be- sides taking into his home several of his- nieces and nephews that they might have the privilege of the excellent schools of Marion. At one time he successfully main- tained a private school for young ladies, by hiring a teacher and assuming the responsi- bility of paying her salary, renting a school room and giving it all the care, oversight and effort that goes with good management and success in any undertaking.
Hospitable in the highest degree, his home was an "open house" for many years to numerous friends and relatives, and plen- ty was evident in all of its appointments. Mr. McClure was a great enthusiast in the cause of the Union army during the Civil war, and manifested great interest in the welfare of the soldiers. In fact, he was entrusted with thousands upon thousands of dollars in remittances from the soldier boys to be distributed among their families ; he also was a frequent visitor to the camp at Indianapolis, where he presented a valua- ble war horse to Colonel David Shunk.
Mr. McClure was a western man in the broad sense of that term and a splendid prod- uct of institutions which confer their fa- vors upon merit rather than upon the pres- tige of wealth and family. He realized the wants of the people among whom he lived, and with strong brain and keen fore- Isight he did what he could to aid in supply-
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ing that demand. Being of an exceedingly approachable character, Mr. McClure had the happy faculty of making friends at all times, and while his reputation was by no means confined to his place of residence, he was certainly best known and most popular at home. His life was fraught with good to the individual citizen and to the communi- ty in the aggregate, and it is a compliment worthily bestowed to class him among the noted men of his day and generation. From one of the poorest he grew to be one of the wealthiest men in Grant county, owning much valuable land in Grant county as well as business and residence property in Ma- rion and Toledo, Ohio.
What imperfections he may have had are now covered with the broad mantle of Christian charity, as is his body with the green turf of the beautiful cemetery where he sleeps so well, while his virtues, more en- during than marble shaft or granite obe- lisk, will ever live an enduring monument in the hearts of his fellow men.
ERASTUS PHILIP MCCLURE.
Erastus P. McClure, a well-known re- tired business man and a native of Marion, Grant county, Indiana, was born February 17, 1845, the son of Samuel and Susannah (Furrow) McClure, prominent mention of whom will be found on another page of this volume.
Erastus Philip McClure attended the common schools of Marion until sixteen years old, assisting in the meantime at the store on the old corner where his birth took place; later he attended the Bloomington
Academy one term, and was a graduate from the Toledo Commercial School. On returning from his studies Mr. McClure engaged in mercantile trade in Marion and in buying and shipping live stock. In 1885 he relinquished merchandising, but contin- ued the buying and selling of stock until 1898, when he retired to private life.
Erastus P. McClure was married in Ma- rion November 27. 1867, to Miss Celia Cary, who was born in Ohio in 1850, and is a daughter of Simon Cary. This mar- riage had been graced with three children, but one of whom, however, still lives, name- ly : Lizzie, wife of William C. Smith, boot and shoe merchant at Marion; one infant (lied unnamed; and the youngest born, Sam- uel, is also deceased. Mrs. McClure is a member of the Presbyterian church, and in politics Mr. McClure is a Republican, and has served as park commissioner.
Mr. McClure still keeps superintendency over his rent roll and the improvements in progress on his property. He owns one hun- dred and seventy acres in Grant county and much valuable improved city property, one piece 44×132 feet on the corner of Fourth and Adams streets, which was the old home of his father, and on which Mr. McClure erected in 1900 a block of four business rooms, 20x40 feet, facing Adams street, two stories in height. Mr. McClure's financial success has been commensurate with the en- ergy and wise forethought exhibited in the various undertakings with which his name has been connected, and few men have had as potent an influence in shaping and fixing upon a firm and substantial basis the busi- ness interests of the city.
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