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 36
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make a marked success of the more respon- sible position he now found himself in. The fact of his retention as manager for ten years, and then being given a partnership upon the retirement of one of the firm speaks in emphatic terms of the ability he displayed and of the confidence reposed in him by his employers. Since the erection of the new mill the business, having the most up-to-date machinery and facilities, has steadily grown, the management keep- ing it abreast with the demands of the times. It is now operated sixteen hours of the twenty-four, producing upward of sixty barrels per day of the choicest flour. "Tip- Top" is the favorite brand, the demand for it from local consumers passing the capacity of the establishment. All the surrounding towns give market for the output, the prod- uct never failing in giving the utmost sat- isfaction to all.
Mr. Thomas was united for life to Miss Eva Prickett, September 6, 1891. She is the daughter of the late well-known Thomas Prickett, of Pleasant township, where she was born. Nancy Prickett, her mother, survives, residing at present at Gas City. The Thomas family consists of four bright children-Gretchen, Ruth, William Corwin and Anna.
Politically Mr. Thomas is identified with the Democratic party, and, while hold- ing tenaciously to the tenets of the faith, is not given to such persistent advocacy as might detract from his popularity as a busi- ness man.
An Odd Fellow in fraternal relation, he has not become specially imbued with the work of the order to the extent of lessen- ing his attention to the enterprise the suc- cess of which depends so fully upon his
oversight. He and his wife are communi- cants in the Methodist church, holding their membership at Sweetser.
Mr. Thomas, by the exercise of those business qualities that make for the success of any enterprise, has won a warm place in the estimation of the leading men of the city, who see in him a careful, conservative financier, whose excellent traits of head and heart have contributed much to the pros- perity of the establishment, as well as to his own standing in the community.
DAVID OVERMAN.
Among the popular and progressive cit- izens and well-known contractors of Marion is David Overman, who was born January 20, 1840, within what is now the city limits, and still resides on a part of the old home- stead, though the city has extended its lim- its far beyond, taking into the city all that was formerly included in the old homestead. For the ancestral history of the family the reader is referred to the sketch of Joel Overman in this volume, the only survivor of the family of which John, the father of David, was one.
The family of Eli Overman were Ste- phen, John, Jesse, Ephraim and Joel, and a (laughter, Rachael, who became the wife of Ephraim Smith, a farmer and merchant. Their son is Ansel Smith, the county sur- veyor. Stephen Overman died at the age of fifty. None of his family survive him. Jesse has three sons living-Henry, George and Joseph-all of Marion. Of Ephraim Overman much of interest might be writ- ten, for he was a man who became identified
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with various enterprises and lines of effort, that marked him as a man of much more than ordinary ability and energy. For twenty years he had been the editor of various papers, including the Marion Star. He was also a physician; and had he con- tinted in the practice, had the ability to take a stand at the head of the profession. He was a merchant at Marion, Valparaiso and at Indianapolis, where he died, and where his widow and daughter now reside. He had been earnest in the advocacy of abolition, making many powerful ad- dresses on the subject. He was a man of much force of character; and having ready wit and fluent language, was a power on the stump, his invincible arguments pro- ducing action on the part of others. He, being a Friend, was in close touch with Levi Coffin and other abolition leaders, his own efforts doing very much to advance the cause of human freedom.
John Overman, the father of David, was born in 1814, and was thirteen years old upon coming from North Carolina to Indi- ana. He married Ann, the daughter of David and Elizabeth (Hodgin) Mc- Cracken who had also come from North Carolina at the same age as himself. John, about 1842, secured a part of the old home- stead, his old residence still standing near the Pan Handle Railroad. There he devoted this life to the modest pursuit of agriculture, being content to remain free from the cares of a public career. Happy in the limited circle of a few warm friends and in the bosom of his own family, he lived and died, having attained the age of sixty years. Four of his sons reached maturity-Ander- son, David. Daniel and Clarkson. Of these the eldest was a teacher for some years, and
became a civil engineer, being employed in locating the Pan Handle road from Marion to Logansport, and retiring from that line of work on the account of failing health. Ilis latter years were passed upon a farm- part of the old homestead-where he died at the age of forty-two, in the year 1880. His widow is the present wife of Asa Bald- win. Daniel is a well-known grocer of Marion, and Clarkson is the efficient post- master at Fairmount.
The boyhood of David was spent with his father, being given nearly full charge of the place while yet but a boy. About his first attempt at earning anything off the farm was in hauling wheat to Wabash, and merchandise on the return trip, receiving 121/2 cts. per cwt. for the freight. This had become quite an important business, when the railroad was broached. It was now thought that not only the freighting business, but the entire town would be de- stroyed, and the encouragement to the road was not very enthusiastic.
Mr. Overman early became interested in the improvements of the city, building the first sewer system in 1882. He invested four thousand dollars, and by charging one hundred dollars per tap, received a fairly satisfactory return for the labor and invest- ment: The system is still in use, but the later and more extensive mains of the city have practically made his system valueless. In 1885, in company with Willis Cammack and Isaac Carter, Mr. Overman began the line of contracting in which he has become the most widely known-that of building gravel roads. This firm has constructed probably more miles of pike road in this and the adjoining counties, it is doubtless safe to say, than all others combined. The
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same idea has been extended to include the building of gravel streets and sidewalks, and the construction of city sewers and all of that line of public work.
Receiving a few acres of the old home- stead, David Overman platted it making the Overman addition; and in connection with his son, has erected nearly forty resi- dences, mainly on Eighteenth street.
The firm of Overman & Baldwin, lo- cated at Eighteenth and Pearl streets, are dealers in sewer pipe, lime, cement, and all kinds of builders' materials.
Besides attending to all these interests, Mr. Overman finds time to operate a tract of ninety acres in Center township, five miles east of Marion, in the oil belt, where he is making an effort to secure the best fruit farm in the county. He has already set thirty acres in fruit, there being three hun- dred peach, three hundred plum, three hun- dred cherry and eight hundred apple trees, besides a carefully selected variety of small fruits. He has one oil well in active opera- tion and three more now being drilled, which give promise of being productive. He was one of the first men to investigate the existence of gas at Marion in sufficient quantity for manufacturing, later becoming a stockholder in the Baldwin Gas Company, subsequently absorbed by the Mississinewa Mining Company.
The Overman family were nearly to a man Whigs in the early days and David followed in that line, being an active Repub- lican until the campaign of 1872 (at which time he was serving as the county sur- veyor), when he joined in with the Greeley movement, falling naturally into the Demo- cratic ranks. April 16, 1885, he was ap- pointed postmaster by President Cleveland,
having warm supporters in the persons of the late Dr. Shively, Senator Voorhees and John W. Kerns, the recent aspirant for governor. He stands to-day with his party, and while he is not offensive in his parti- sanship, he is an enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Bryan, believing that the ideas for which he stands-the broader the personal liberty, the adherence to the constitution, the opposition to centralization of wealth and the bi-metallic standard-are essentials to the permanancy of true democratic in- stitutions.
Mr. Overman was married February 3, 1864, at Waynesville, Ohio, to Miss Eliza+ beth Welch, and the ceremonies of the So- ciety of Friends were observed at the union. Their family are two children-Turner W. and Mary Ann. The former is associated with his father in the real-estate business, and the daughter is the wife of Oscar Moon, of Greenfield, Indiana. One son, Eugene, who had been closely identified with his father in the construction work, and whose ability was demonstrated on many occa- sions, was stricken with that insidious en- emy, Bright's disease, and after but a few weeks illness, passed to the farther shore, at the age of thirty. His widow was Miss Leona Miller has one child, Edith.
GEORGE WEBSTER, JR.
George Webster, Jr., cashier of the Marion Bank, was born October 28, 1849, at the corner of Fifth and Washington streets, Marion, Grant county, Indiana, and is a son of George W. Webster, Sr., of whom further mention may be read in the life
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sketch of William C. Webster, to be found elsewhere in this volume.
George Webster. Jr., attended the pub- lic schools until about nineteen years of age, then clerked in a grocery store and earned sufficient money to pay his way through Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Chicago, Illinois, from which he was duly graduated, and on his return home served as deputy county clerk three years. He next engaged in the grocery business in . partnership with his brother, but in a short time sold out and went to Manistee, Mich- igan, where he was employed as a book- keeper three years, for a large lumber and shingle mill.
On his return to Marion in 1879, Mr. Webster was appointed cashier of Sweet- sers Bank, a position he filled about nine years. He next went to Chicago, Illinois, and was engaged in the manufacture of leather case goods for two and a half years. He then purchased the electric light plant at Wabash, Indiana, remodeled it and operated it about eighteen months. Mr. Webster returned to Marion and bought an interest in the Marion Bank, and assumed the office of cashier, a position he still offi- cially fills.
February 14, 1884, Mr. Webster mar- ried, in Wabash, Miss Marie Daugherty, daughter of J. S. Daugherty, president of the First National Bank at Wabash. This union has been crowned by the birth of one son, Laurence B., now sixteen years old and a student in the high school.
In politics Mr. Webster is an active Re- publican and has served in the city council as an appointee, but subsequently refused to become a candidate for the office. He was a member of the school board about eight
years, has served as its president, and is now serving his third term as its treasurer.
Fraternally Mr. Webster is a member of the F. & A. M .. is a charter member of Grant Lodge. No. 103. Knights of Pythias, of which he was the first chancellor com- mander, and the first representative to the grand lodge, and at that meeting was elected grand treasure, an office he held about five years. Mrs. Webster is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church.
DANIEL ELLIS WILSON.
Among the most widely known and truly representative citizens of Marion, and one who is justly commended for his ad- vanced views on all public questions, is Daniel Ellis Wilson, the efficient trustee of Center township. Although not among the older residents of the county, he is more extendedly acquainted than are many of the pioneers. His keen interest and insight into the business of the community have given him a place second to none in the estimation of almost every citizen.
Mr. Wilson was born in what is now Clinton, then Center, county, Pennsylvania, on the 27th of February, 1830. His parents were Mark and Harriet ( Hartman ) Wilson.
The principal part of his boyhood was passed on a farm in Wayne county, Ohio. While his education was acquired in the primitive log school-house, he had the ad- vantages of rather advanced teachers- men and women who had high estimation of their duties and the responsibilities rest- ing upon them. His own interest in educa- cation was so aroused that all the benefits
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of the time were taken advantage of, and at the age of nineteen he was able to take charge of a school. Meeting with the suc- cess that his fitness and enthusiasm entitled him to, he continued to teach for several terms.
So many of his old companions had been attracted to the mining fields of California, and the reports had been so gratifying, that he, too, decided to cast his lot with the hundreds who were wending their way to the new Eldorado. Accordingly, in the spring of 1852, he joined a company bound overland; and after many interesting expe- riences while crossing the plains, finally reached the land of gold. The high antici- pations, as to the rich diggings, failed to materialize as fully as expected, and after about a year devoted to this line of investi- gation, he concluded that the states held sufficient attraction for him. The return voyage was made by the Nicaragua route, the tropical scenery of the isthmus leaving lasting and interesting memories. The fol- lowing three years he devoted his attentions to farming, being married, in 1856, to a former school-mate.
Believing in the memorable advice of Horace Greeley, and acting upon it, he in 1858 removed to Missouri, making the then young city of Macon his home. The Han- nibal & St. Joseph Railroad had but just been completed as far as that place, and he made the entry into Macon on the first passenger train.
He taught the first school in that village, though, at that time, the public-school sys- tem was crude and very unpopular, so that he entered upon the conduct of a select school, which he continued to teach for some time. He became a popular instructor, |
though his political complexion was not to the liking of the Missourians. Though guarded, but not concealed, in the expression of his views, he was highly esteemed and was given a place in the organization of the city as councilman.
Upon the outbreak of actual hostilities at the opening of the Civil war, attention to the protection of homes was paramount, and he was made lieutenant of a company of home guards, and in many ways endeared himself to the citizens, many of whom had gone into the Confederate army, leaving their families to be cared for. Macon soon became the headquarters of the Federal forces in that region; and it being neces- sary to retain a civil organization, Mr. Wil- son was selected as mayor, the duties of which office he continued to administer dur- ing the remainder of the war. There being so many southern sympathizers in the com- munity, it made his official life a peculiarly onerous one; but with an appreciation of the delicate situation and realizing the ne- cessity of allaying the bad blood that was constantly asserting itself, he conducted the office with an impartiality that brought forth sincere expressions of gratitude and com- mendation. In recognition of his faithful services, the president appointed him asses- sor of internal revenue and assignee in bank- ruptcy, a position he filled with credit so long as the position existed.
Mr. Wilson continued to reside in Ma- con, contributing much to its growth and prosperity, during a period of thirty years, seeing it grow from a mere hamlet to the most thriving and progressive of the inland cities in northeast Missouri. Much of this time he was identified with the commercial life of the town, assuming more than ordi-
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nary importance in the community. While ever firm in his political convictions, his plan was to so conduct his life that friends rather than enemies would result from his living and associating among men. It was the pleasure of the writer to meet Mr. Wil- son while a resident of the Missouri city, and he can truthfuly say that few men held the general esteem of the citizens there to a greater degree, and that none stood higher for the interest displayed in every matter of importance pertaining to the city's prog- ress and growth.
While in Macon, Mr. Wilson was called upon to part with her whom he had married in youth. Her maiden name was Abbie Bevans and her death occurred in 1880. Her two children, Harry B. Wilson and Ada Wilson, still reside at Macon, he being one of the city's merchants.
While the life of Mr. Wilson has been full of the cares of business, it has not been entirely devoid of romance. When still a young man in the old Ohio home, he had known a charming miss of fifteen, whose sister had later found a home in Missouri. Through her, Mr, Wilson had kept in- formed of the life and marriage of her sis- ter, who had become the wife of a pros- perous citizen of Huntington, Indiana, named Smith. Her son is the popular shoe merchant of Marion familiarly known as "Heavy Smith." The hand of Fate is often credited with an influence in the shaping of men's lives, and in this case there seems to have been some unseen influence at work, as, in the same year that saw the loss of Mr. Wilson's wife, his boyhood companion was called to separate from her husband. Through her sister in Missouri they were again brought in contact, and the old and
sincere friendship of youth was found to have so ripened that a life relation was soon arranged. They were united in 1887, the two succeeding years being passed in the Macon home, when they decided to live near her own children, and erected a hand- some home in Marion.
Upon coming to Marion, Mr. Wilson became associated with the business inter- ests of the place, and was soon chosen to make the assessment of the township, which he did with such satisfaction that he be- came the Republican nominee for the posi- tion of trustee in 1894. At that time the Democrats held nearly all the local offices, and though he had been elected by a hand- some majority a dispute arose as to the time of the retirement of the old official. Finally it was referred to a committee of three men of each party, and the suggestion that the proper time seemed a year from August, 1894, when the term expired, was apparently agreed upon. This seemed so manifestly unfair that Mr. Wilson consid- ered it an imposition, and so notified the incumbent, and likewise made an appeal to the county commissioners, who continued to pay the old officer. Many other similar cases arose throughout the state, but no one seemed willing to give the matter a test. Seeing that a resort to the courts would be necessary to establish a precedent, he brought suit, the case of Wilson vs. Wells attract- ing wide attention and interest, owing to the great number of officials affected there- by. The decision in the local court was detrimental to his cause, but feeling the justice of the case, he displayed some of the spirit so much needed when standing for the rights of the people in Missouri, and appealed the case to the supreme court,
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where, by the able presentation of H. M. Elliott, he received a favorable decision. That court held him trustee from the time
One of the present board of county of his qualification, and though given the i commmissions of Washington township, office in August, 1895, he was accorded the : Grant county, Indiana, and a gentleman who right to pay from the former date. The : is widely and favorably known throughout commissioners being disinclined to pay two the county, is John T. Williams, who is also one of the more extensive farmers of Wash- ington township, where his desirable and highly productive estate attracts the eye of the traveler as he passes east over the Salen pike, some five miles from Marion. men for the same service, it was found necessary to bring a second suit to compel payment for the full time as designated by the higher court; however, after litigation extending over a period of nearly two years, the matter was finally adjusted. During the service of Mr. Wilson, as trustee, the im- portance of the office has greatly increased, the community advancing in its wealth and population. Much credit is due for the ac- tivity taken in the improvement of the schools, his interest in affording the best educational advantages having rather in- creased with years, keeping pace with the general demands of the times. Ten teach- ers are now employed in the seven schools of the township; and it has been his coll- stant effort to secure the best talent as teachers that the county affords. Increased interest is also shown in the school work, on the part of both pupils and parents, the number of graduates from the grammar grades increasing with each year. Longer terms are, also, secured in his township, in i fact, no other in the county having equal advantage in this respect.
A lifelong Methodist, Mr. Wilson has been ever active in the work of the church, ! side the son, were three daughters, Mary
being, in 1888, a delegate to the general conference. His voice and action have been for a healthier moral tone and a higher civilization, never being sparing of sub- stantial assistance to the demands of so- ciety.
JOHN T. WILLIAMS.
Mr. Williams was born in Warren county, Ohio, April 22d, 1844, being the son of William and Alice ( Hopkins) Williams, both of whom were born in Glamorganshire, Wales, coming to the United States in 1827, as a young married couple and spending five years in Philadelphia. They then located in : Warren county, Ohio, where they resided for nearly twelve years, coming in 1847 to Washington township, and securing a farm three miles north of the present home of their son. It was a new place with but a few acres cicared but which was made into a desirable farm which remained the home of the parents during their active career. For fifty-three years they traveled along the journey of life together passing to the hereafter but two years apart, he being eighty-seven and she cighty years of age. Both rest in the Fair- view burying ground, near where he had been associated with the Wesleyan Methodist church for several years. Their family, be- Ann who married John Hamaker, who died at fifty, when she became the wife of Hamil- ton Hicks; Catharine married Benjamin Gaines and died at forty-six ; and Sarah mar- ried George Gaines, brother of Benjamin who died while serving in the army, her own
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death following at the age of nineteen, but one year after her marriage, leaving one cl:ild-Alice-the present wife of Weed W. Erwin.
The only relatives in the United States are the descendants of a brother of William (Thomas Williams) who remained in Ohio, and of whose family but one is known to survive.
The boyhood of John T. was all passed on the farm until his enlistment, in the spring of 1864, in Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteers. The service extended over a period of six months, mainly in Alabama and Tennessee, where the regiment was kept on guard duty, looking after the government posts, guarding rail- ยท roads, bridges, etc.
Returning to his home, he remained with his father till his own marriage at twenty- four, on December 28, 1868, to Miss Susan Middleton, daughter of William and Marga- ret (Strickle) Middleton, of Center town- ship, where she was born, being the same age as himself.
Six children were the result of this union, viz. : William, of Marion ; Gertrude, wife of Allen Culbertson; John D., Agnes, Claude and Burrell-on the home farm, all being members of the United Brethren church.
Taking charge of his father's farm he operated it until he purchased it in 1882. It contained one hundred and sixty acres, to which he has added till it now contains two liundred and forty, all of which he has greatly improved by tiling and building, though the residence is one erected by his father in 1862. Three years since John T. secured his present home place of ninety acres, formerly known as the old March farm, lying on the Salem pike, and to which
he has added till it now comprises one hun- tired and twenty-two acres. Here he has erected a handsome residence, laid tile, re- modeled all the buildings, erected fences and thus made it one of the most desirable coun- try home in the county.
Mr. Williams has ever stood with the Republican party, having for many years been one of the recognized leaders of the or- ganization in the county. He was elected township trustee in 1888, at a time the town- ship was considered safely Democratic. A radical change has been going on till now it is about one hundred Republican. His ser- vice as trustee was not marked by any de- parture from the preceding years, except that the efforts he put forth to enhance the effi- ciency in the schools resulted in the securing of a better class of teachers and redoubled interest on the part of pupils and patrons. In 1892, Mr. Williams was chosen sheriff of the county, and the two years of his terni proved to be a specially active period on the part of the crooked fraternity, there being many convictions, and he being called upon to escort thirty-two of them to the peniten- tiary.
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