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 68
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By the younger generation he is asso- ciated with the water works system, having been for more than nine years a clerk and collector in that institution, where he em- phasized his already well-earned reputation as one of the most obliging and competent . of business men. Reared under the exact- ing eye of a careful and systematic merchant,
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he had become thoroughly imbued with that old-style grace and accomplishment of the merchant of fifty years ago, every effort be- ing advanced to secure and retain the trade of desirable customers, not by the modern allurements, appealing wholly to the pocket, but with a courtesy and manner that appealed to the higher and more courtly tastes and inclinations of patrons. That gentlemanly bearing and display of good breeding has become a part of the nature of the man, none, even of the old-style gentlemen now living, being easier in manner or cultured in conversation than this old-time merchant, to whom many of the business men of to-day owe what of that ancient courtesy they possess.
For fifty-eight years has he and wife journeyed the pathway of life together, ever having and displaying that mutual respect and confidence without which no two human beings can pass a life that is worth living. Upon the celebration of their fifty-eighth wedding anniversary a joyous reunion of the family and friends gave expression to some of the heartfelt sentiment that is to a lesser extent shown all along the road. Of their ten children eight lived to the maturity - of men and women, and of these four re- main to cheer by presence and companion- ship the parents to whom they owe so much. Mary is the wife of H. D. Thomas, of Marion; "Pet" is the wife of. A. W. Carr; Emma is Mrs. W. R. McMullen, of Indian- apolis ; and George W. Clunk is a prosperous farmer of Miami county, Indiana.
Forty-one years ago Mr. and Mrs. Clunk moved into the house that has ever since re- mained their home, and here all the emotions that some to sensitive natures during a period of more than forty years of varied
business life have been experienced, each room, stair, door or other feature of the old residence having some peculiar interest at- tached to it. South Washington street was then but a common road leading to the country, there being no buildings further out than their own, the expression being often heard that they were in the country. They have seen the city reach out with its insatiable tentacles and absorbing into itself miles of territory that was but farm or woodland, the small village assuming the importance of a commercial metropolis. Not having been simply an onlooker but a worker, Mr. Clunk may well take some credit to himself for being an active factor in the making of a city. Both being reared within the portals of the Lutheran church they took an active part in the building of the edifice of that denomination at New Castle, but on their coming to Marion became mem- bers of the Christian Temple, in which they have remained, being among the oldest of the present congregation.
Mr. Clunk has been an Odd Fellow for more than fifty-six years and is now one of the veterans of Mississinewa lodge. He lias received all the honors conferred by the order, passing the local chairs, representing the lodge in the grand lodge, the honors of the encampment and of the canton. This last body having received the recognition by the general of the order of being the most worthy body in Odd Fellowship as his escort to the National Encampment of Patriarchs Militant held at Los Angeles, California, in 1888, in honor of its having ir three successive contests carried off the first prizes, when it was accorded a duplicate of the grand medal and debarred from further competition.
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EVAN H. FERREE.
Among the most widely and favorably krown citizens of Marion, and in fact of Grant county, is Evan II. Ferree, attorney at law. Holding the responsible public pc- sition of an official for several years, his treatment of all upon all occasions was such as to merit the voluntary expressions of commendation and approval heard on every hand throughout the county. He is a na- tive of the county, being "to the manor born," his birth occurring July 12, 1854, in Liberty township, where his parents re- sided. The family of Ferree is one of the oldest of the country, the first known of the ancestry being a widow and three sons, who were French Huguenots, obliged to seek more liberal climes than the religious persecutions of their native country per- mitted. It would appear that one of the brothers settled in New York, one in Ohio, and the third, the ancestor of Evan H., went to the south.
Daniel and Lydia (Elliot) Ferree, the grandparents of Evan H., came from North Carolina to Morgan county, Indiana, in an early day, and there John was born De- cember 17, 1828. Rebecca Harvey, daugh- ter of William and Ruth Harvey, was born in Ohio April 16, 1828, and when twelve years old was brought to Morgan county, where she grew to womanhood and where she was united in marriage, in the year 1848, to John Ferree. In 1851 they came to Grant county, locating in Liberty township, where they improved a valuable farm. Her parents had also re- moved to the same neighborhood, living in the county until their deaths. John Ferree was reared a Friend and was an elder for
many years. He was a Republican and an earnest advocate for temperance, exerting all the influence he possessed for a cleaner and healthier tone to the morals of the com- munity. His family are Alvin; Evan H .; Lydia, the wife of M. Aurelius Hiatt, of Fairmount ; Charles A .; Dr. William E., a dentist in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; and John D.
Being somewhat ambitious, Evan H. Ferree attended the normal school of which Prof. D. T. Tharp was the principal, ac- quiring the proficiency to enable him to teach a district school, which he did, having charge of the school of his home district. The next year, 1876, he entered Earlham College, but not having the necessary means to defray expenses, he taught for two years, then returned to Earlham, though he did not remain long enough to complete the full course.
August 20, 1880, Mr. Ferree was mai- ried to Miss Flora A. Cammack, daughter of Willis and Sarah (Jay) Cammack, of whom further mention may be found in an- other part of this volume. She was born in Liberty township April 14, 1861. This union has resulted in the birth of one child, Edna S. Ferree.
For the four years subsequent to his marriage Mr. Ferree farmed and taught school at various places, mainly, however, in his home township. Upon the acces- sion of Orange R. Holman to the office of sheriff. Mr. Ferree was chosen as his deputy, in which position he remained two years, returning at the expiration of that period to the work of teaching, having been offered a position in the schools of Mississinewa. Subsequently he became as- sociated with M. A. Hiatt in handling ag-
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ricultural implements at Fairmount. His recognized ability as a teacher was such that the citizens of Fairmount secured him as the superintendent of their schools, and the three years that he filled the place added largely to an already established reputa- tion as a capable instructor and efficient director of educational work.
Wilson Addington was elected clerk of the county and at once made Mr. Ferree his deputy, in 1890, from which time he has resided in Marion. Entering the office of the clerk, the greater part of the official details was entrusted to him, his careful attention to the keeping of accounts, his well-known probity of character and the wide personal acquaintance he possessed making him especially valuable in this im- portant office. When the four years had passed and it came time to place another in the office to succeed Mr. Addington, all recognized that no mistake was possible if Mr. Ferree be named. He had the satis- faction of feeling that his services had been appreciated, as he received by far the largest vote of any one on the ticket. Dur- ing the four years that he was the clerk the efficiency of the work was greatly en- hanced, the use of computation machines and typewriters was adopted and the work of the office much more thoroughly sys- tematized, more exact and explicit accounts being the result as well as increased facili- ties for the transaction of the county's af- fairs. Few men have left office in Grant county holding more fully the confidence and respect of the great mass of the peo- ple regardless of political affiliation.
Mr. Ferree is an all-round student, be- ing versed in the great literature of the lan- guage as well as having familiarity with
the history of social and political move- ments. He is a respected member of the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows, having taken an active part in the lodge work of the latter, both in the subordinate and encampment bodies.
Retaining the membership in the So- ciety of Friends conferred upon him by the right of birth, he has endeavored to make life correspond with the precepts and the teachings of the society, his life being one that may be pointed to as one embodying the elements of true and honorable manhood.
JAMES D. MCKAY, M. D.
Dr. J. D. McKay, a regular practicing physician and surgeon at Marion, Grant county, Indiana, with his well-equipped office in the. Webster block, is a native of Ontario county, province of Ontario, Do- minion of Canada, and was born August 13, 1868, a son of Donald and Alice (No- ble) Mckay, also natives of Canada, and the former of whom is a merchant. The family of Donald and Alice comprises six children ,namely: Stella, wife of Dr. John Park, of Ontario county; Ambrose N., who is married and is on the editorial staff of the Denver (Colorado) Evening Post; Dr. J. D., whose name opens this biographical review; John, a student at Trinity Medical College in Toronto, Canada; Emily and Janet, still under the parental roof.
The early education of Dr. J. D. Mc- Kay was acquired in the public schools of his native county, and this was supple -. mented by an attendance at the high school of Whitby, Ontario, and later at the Col-
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legiate Institute at the same place, where he was matriculated in medicine, and then entered the Trinity University at Toronto, where he pursued a four-years' course of study and was graduated in 1895, with honors in each branch of study; he also passed an examination before the board of medical examiners of Trinity and was awarded diplomas authorizing him to prac- tice both surgery and medicine.
In July, 1895, Dr. Mckay came to Ma- rion, Indiana, and immediately became a favorite, esatblishing a lucrative and still growing practice, and being devoted to his profession, his attention to it is constant and untiring. The Doctor is a member of the Grant County Medical Society, of the Indiana State Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association, and keeps well abreast of the progress made by his professional brethren; he is also local ex- aminer for the M. W. of A., the I. O. O. F. and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company of New York. Fraternally the Doctor is a Freemason and holds the office of W. P. for 1900 in Mississinewa Chap- ter, No. 94, O. E. S.
Dr. James D. Mckay was united in mar- riage in Marion, April 25, 1900, to Miss Hattie Louise Nixon, who was born and educated in Youngstown, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Z. J. and Nancy Nixon, the former of whom was a gallant officer in the Union army during the Civil war, but is now living in retirement. Mrs. Mc- Kay's education was of a most practical business, and she is now a most expert stenographer and typewriter. In religion she is a devout Presbyterian, being a stead- fast member of the church.
The Mckay family is of pure Scotch
origin and came from the vicinity of Wick, in the extreme northern part of the island of Great Britain; the Noble family were among the early settlers of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and were doubtless of En- glish origin.
LEVI F. CRAVENS.
One of the old and substantial citizens of Pleasant township, Grant county, and a man whose life has redounded to the bene- fit of the community in which he lives, is Levi F. Cravens, who was born July 4. 1832, as the cannons were proclaiming the freedom of the nation for the fifty-sixth time. . Etna, Wayne county, Indiana, was his birthplace, though at the age of four years, in 1836, he was brought by his par- ents, Joseph and Sarah ( Tuttle) Cravens, to the limits of the township that has since remained his home. His father was a na- tive of Virginia and his mother of Penn- sylvania. He secured land of James Stack- house, three miles north of Marion, and began the making of a farm, though but two years thereafter he was taken away by the hand of death, being then in the sixty- seventh year of his age. Of his children, John died at fifty; Joseph resides in Rich- land township: James was a pioneer of Marion county, Iowa, where he still resides ; Monroe died at twenty-four ; Milton is also in Richland; Aaron B. is in the state of Washington : Ruey married David Arthur- hults and died at the age of sixty-six at Jalapa ; and Martha is the widow of Will- iam Ward, of Richland township. The mother continued to live at the old home , until her own death at the age of sixty.
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The old homestead is now partially owned by George Cravens, one of the sons of Levi.
Levi F. Cravens remained at home till the death of his mother, when he was about fourteen. The family was then scattered, he making his home for a time with his brother Joseph. He then secured such work as the conditions of the new country al- lowed, making shingles, etc. That was about all that the country produced that could be turned into money, and by this means he managed to pay his way, getting all the benefit that the primitive schools of the time afforded. At the age of nineteen he began teaching, and for two terms taught in Richland township, when, desiring to see something of the new northwest that was then beginning to attract the attention of emigrants, he visited the states of Minneso- ta and Wisconsin, where he spent one sea- son. Returning, he was married Septem- ber 20, 1855, to Miss Jenetta Harter, a daughter of Solomon and Celia (Baldwin) Harter, who came from Darke county, Ohio. She was then the belle of the neighborhood, being a sprightly and buxom girl of nine- teen. They at once located on their pres- ent farm, then all in the woods and lying ยท adjoining her parents' home. The land was paid for and a hewed log house, which is still standing, was erected. This remained their home until it was replaced thirty years later by the present commodious residence. The tract was covered with a heavy growth of walnut and poplar, the value of which, if now standing, would exceed the value of the farm, but which was gotten rid of by burning. In order to live he found it necessary to work out, he and his brother
Milton taking jobs of cutting rails, mak- ing shingles and clearing land. He has often walked two miles and cut and split his two hundred or two hundred and fifty rails per day, or make a thousand shingles. In those earlier years he could farm but the higher places of the tract, much of it being covered by water, but by the opening of drains, the laying of timber ditches and the constant application of industry the till- able land was extended until he found him- self the possessor of a fine farm in a high state of cultivation. He now has one hun- dred and two acres, eighty-five being in farming condition, all 'being underlaid with upwards of one thousand rods of tile. In this manner more than twenty acres of worthless swamp and wet land has been brought into a fine condition, even making the most valuable part of the entire estate. Six children were born to this worthy cou- ple : Rosetta, wife of Culver Julian, of Champaign county, Illinois; George, who owns part of the old homestead of his grandfather; Albert, living in the town- ship; Willie, at home; Celia, the wife of Wesley Julian, who operates the farm; and Sarah J., who died at eighteen. Eight grandchildren call them their ancestors. Ever a Democrat, Mr. Cravens has not sought emolument of public office, devot- ing his attention most fully to the conduct of his private interests. For more than forty years he and his wife have affiliated with the Mount Olive Methodist Protest- ant church, and in which he is a trustee.
Now that the weight of years precludes further effort on his part to continue the work of improvement, he can with a great deal of satisfaction review the making of
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this section of the county into the produc- tive condition of to-day, realizing that no man living has had more to do with the present condition than himself.
ARTHUR E. CURLESS.
There is in the history of what is termed the "self-made man"-that is to say, the man starting in life unaided by fortune or influential friends-a thousand and one things potent in their influence, of which the world is not permitted to know. Mani- festly when Mr. Curless was engaged in some of the menial tasks of his early life during his efforts to acquire an education, he had aspirations and aims in life which were to him vague in outline and scarcely more than musings, and yet there were evi- dently sharply defined conceptions of the value of integrity which were to guide his life and shape his destiny. Integrity, with all its family of synonyms, rectitude, up- rightness, probity, virtue, goodness and moral soundness, was as Tennyson says, "the one clear harp of divers tones"-step- ping-stones to higher things, the guiding star of his life, always kept in view in storm and shine-the compass and the chart by which to steer his bark.
Appreciating the value of an education, Arthur E. Curless was tireless in his efforst, and mastered the whole curriculum of the common schools, and such was his phenom- enal progress that at the age of seventeen he began life's labors as a teacher. This achievement not only contributed to his financial resources, but created a thirst for knowledge, which was gratified as oppor-
tunity came within his reach, not one being permitted to pass unimproved, developing along lines of protracted knowledge until he was recognized by his fellow citizens as the peer of the foremost citizen of the coun- try. With characteristic energy, Mr. Cur- less applied himself to whatever presented itself as a means of obtaining a livelihood and laying the foundation for a successful business career later in life. No labor was too hard, but with intelligent application he turned , his hand to any vocation which promised satisfactory returns for labor and capital invested. After teaching for a short time Mr. Curless became identified with the agricultural interests of Grant county, and, though his sphere of business activity has greatly broadened, he has always main- tained his early allegiance to agricultural pursuits. At the present time he owns one of the finest farms in the country, compris- ing two hundred and eighty acres adjoin- ing the town of Swayzee. This is improved with first-class buildings and stocked with valuable high-grade animals. From the sale of surplus stock and grain a handsome annual income is derived, which runs well up into the thousands. But our subject soon became interested in other business affairs, and in 1887 he ventured into the then uncertain development of the gas in- terests. He became the largest stockholder in the Swayzee Mining Company, and was chosen president of the organization sold out on the first of October, 1900. Under the management of Mr. Curless, the first gas well in Sims township was successfully "drilled in." He then became interested in the banking business, and was instrumental in the organization of the Farmer's Banking Company of Swayzee, of which institution
Ada Surles
Arthur & Curbs
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he served as official cashier for about two years.
Though intensely interested and active in business affairs, Mr. Curless has always found time and inclination to identify him- self thoroughly with the social, religious and political status of the community. From early life he has been an active working member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In this broad field he has been active and vigilant, contributing liberally of his means to every worthy enterprise calculated to en- hance the spiritual interests of his fellow- : men. He has served the church in various official capacities, among which may be men- tioned superintendent of the Sunday school, class-leader, class-steward, church trustee, etc. He was one of the organizers of the new Methodist Episcopal church in Sway- zee and a liberal contributor to the building fund. But though Mr. Curless is a Meth- odist by inheritance and personal experience, he is not biased in his religious views. He considers all the various sects and religious organizations as auxiliaries having in view the laudauble purpose of civilizing and chris- tianizing the world. With this broad and liberal view, he very naturally approves of all laudable efforts put forth by other churches, and assists with his means where help is needed. In secular affairs he is equally public-spirited and enterprising. Every public enterprise having in view the best interests of the community, county, state or nation meets with his candid support. In politics, as in religion, he views with a fair degree of allowance the honest efforts of those opposed to him in doctrine, though he sturdily advocates and defends the doctrines of Republicanism. In his political faith he is uncompromisingly Republican, believing 33
that "performance" is always better than "promise."
Socially, Mr. Curless is a leader. No public gathering in Swayzee is quite com- plete without the presence of this estimable gentleman. For many years he has been prominently identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His membership is with Swayzee Lodge No. 625, in which he has passed the principal official stations, and has twice represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of Indiana, being a member of the Grand Lodge at the present time. In the higher branch of the order, known as the Encampment, he holds membership at Converse. But the geneological feature must not be overlooked because of the more interesting recital of our subject's personal history.
Arthur E. Curless was born in BrowIn county, Ohio, on the seventeenth of January,. 1846. He is a son of Bayard and Eliza (Hall) Curless. His father was born in. New Jersey on the eighth of May, 1808 .. When a young man he emigrated to the their far west and located in Highland county, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Eliza 'A. Hall. Their marriage was solemnized on the sixth of January, 1831. Miss Hall was born in Virginia on the eleventh of September, 1811. Her parents were Patrick ' and Mary (Reese) Hall. When a child, she accompanied her parents from Virginia to Highland county, Ohio. The parents of Arthur E. Curless died in Indiana, the fa- ther on the twenty-eighth of December, 1873, and the mother on the sixth of June, 1889. They had a family of eleven children, of whom John R. was the eldest. He was born December 1, 1831, and died February IO, 1834; Mary A. was born May 22, 1833.
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became the wife of Azure Newton, and died in November, 1899; William A. was born September, 1835, and died April 13, 1840; Morris L. was born August 29, 1838; Eliza- beth S., born February 4, 1840, died June 18, 1841; Patrick H. was born June 18, 1842, and died June 29, 1843; Samuel B. was born May 18, 1844, and died in the army during the Civil war, his death occur- ring on the 26th of May, 1862; Arthur E., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth ; Ellen J. was born August 4, 1850, and died July 4, 1851 ; James R. was born March 19, 1852, died October 27, 1854, and Eliza A., the youngest of the family, was born March 19, 1856. But three of this large family are now living, and but five of them lived to years of maturity.
Arthur E. Curless received the elements of a common school education in his native county, but this has been supplemented by a lifetime spent in careful reading and study, as previously intimated in this sketch. When a youth of seventeen he came to Grant coun- ty, Indiana, and engaged in teaching school. This fact alone gives evidence of. his supe- rior mental attainments at that early age. He returned to Brown county, Ohio, where on the thirteenth of July, 1865, he led to the marriage altar Miss Ada E. Hite, a most estimable young lady, who has fully estab- lished her right to the honorable title of wife and companion, with all the sacred and en- dearing characteristics which naturally fol- low. Miss Hite was born in Brown county, Ohio, on the 3d of December, 1846. For thirty-one years she has stood by her hus- band's side, a faithful, devoted and exem- plary wife and helpmate throughout all the family joys and sorrows: the varying for- tunes of business life, and in the commend-
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