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 76
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
Pence and George White. Brick dwellings had not appeared, nor, indeed, was there a railroad within the entire state. But emigra- tion began pouring. in and improvement once begun was carried on so rapidly that few tokens are left to remind one of the old pioneer days.
Mr. Farr has been twice married, his first wife was Mrs. Mary J. Camblin, by whom he had five children, four of whom are living. viz. : Tillie, widow of John Col- lette, resides with her parents; she com- pleted the common school and Marion Nor- mal and taught several terms in the city of New Orleans. She is a very efficient teach- er : Jesse H. is a prosperous farmer of Van Buren township; Enoch E. is also a farmer of Van Buren township, locating there after teaching two years in the state of Nebraska; and Mary Jane. the wife of William Dill- man, a carpenter and joiner of Upland. Mrs. Farr died March 24. 1861, and De- cember 5. 1863. Mr. Farr placed at the head of his household Miss Susan C. Amos. This union resulted in the birth of six sons and seven daughters, ten of whom live to-day. Smiley E. is engaged in agricultural pur- suits and lives in Van Buren township; Liz- zie, who was a teacher in subscription and public schools, is the widow of David Whin- ery and resides in Wells county, Indiana; Gertrude was married in Michigan to John Lightfoot, and now lives in Van Buren township: Pearlie resides at home: Mina. a graduate of the public schools: Fred and Charlie are twins; Daisy is the wife of Charles Knight and resides in Landesville, this state: Ruby is at home; and so is Raleigh, the youngest. Ile is a bright scholar and finished the fourth grade with a general average of ninety-four per cent.
Mrs. Farr was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1841, and was educated in the common schools. She is an estimable woman, a lov- ing wife and mother and occupies a warm place in the regard of the community.
Mr. Farr is an advocate of Democratic principles and has always voted with that party. He is an honored member of the Methodist Protestant church at Farrville and has lived a consistent Christian life. taking for his motto the Golden Rule. The Farr family have been highly esteemed citizens of this county and it is from them the village takes its name.
DAVID P. LONG.
David P. Long. a prominent attorney of Swayzee, was born in Sims township. Grant county. Indiana. February 25. 1850, and is a son of Adolphus R. and Mary ( Pence) Long. of German descent. His mother's father was the first of the family to come from Germany and to locate in Penensyl- vania, whence he removed to Ohio, where his daughter, Mary Pence, was born. Adol- phus R. Long, father of David P., was born in Pennsylvania, but was married in Ohio and moved to Indiana, this county, in 1849, where he died in 1856. the father of nine children, viz. : Oliver M. (who was a soldier of the Civil war), Emily J. (Mrs. Joseph S. Boswell), Susan M. (Mrs. Evan Bell), AAmanda (Mrs. Enoch Barngrover), Dicy ( Mrs. John R. Grindle ), David P. (the sub- ject of this sketch ), Benjamin F. ( deceased), Jasper N. and Mary A. (both deceased). Mrs. Mary ( Pence) Long was again mar- ried, accepting as her second husband Will- iam LaForge, to whom she bore two chil-
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dren, Melissa (Mrs. Elijah Williams) and Alice R., who was first married to Ebenezer Williams and secondly to Joseph Dilks. The mother of these two families was called away in 1899.
David P. Long received his elementary education in the common schools of his na- tive township, which he attended until six- teen years old, and then attended the Na- tional Normal Sschool at Lebanon, Ohio, for two terms, and was then employed in teaching in Grant county, Indiana. In 1875- 76 he was principal of the school at Green- town, Howard county, and in 1877-78 taught in the Normal school at Kokomo, in the same county. About this time he commenced the study of law under the direction of James O'Bryan, of Kokomo, but continued to teach until 1895, having received his original teacher's certificate from T. D. Tharp. Outside the occasional hints and explanations received from Mr. O'Bryan, Mr. Long is wholly self-instructed in the law, and was admitted to the bar of Grant county, Indiana, in 1883, but did not follow the practice exclusively until 1895, since when he has been in active practice in the courts of Grant and surrounding counties, with his residence in Swayzee.
Fraternally, Mr. Long in 1874 became a member of Beacon Lodge, No. 320, I. O. O. F., at Converse, Miami county, and has passed all the chairs. He has represented his lodge twice in the grand lodge, in 1883 and 1892, and is a charter member of Co- lumbian Encampment, No. 220, of Van Buren, Indiana. In 1887 he was made a Mason, at Greentown, Indiana, and was a member of that lodge about three years, when it surrendered its charter. He is also a charter member of Swayzee Lodge, No.
451, K. of P., and on the night of institu- tion was elected one of four past chancellors as member of the grand lodge.
Mr. Long was first united in matrimony February 15, 1879, when he selected for his bride Miss Mary J. Fagan, daughter of Francis A. and Mary Fagan, and to this union were born five children, viz. : Ethel B., born November 3, 1880, and now teach- ing the Swayzee schools; Leah, born Sep- tember 7, 1882, a graduate of Marion Busi- ness College ; Wade Hampton, born July I, 1884, graduated from the Swayzee schools at the age of fifteen years; Asher Blaine, born September 18. 1887; and Florence N., born October 2, 1892. Mrs. Mary J. (Fa- gan) Long died in Swayzee September 22, 1895, and July 4, 1897, Mr. Long married Mrs. Minnie L. Sheek, daughter of William and Mary McBee, natives of Indiana.
In politics Mr. Long has always been a Democrat, and in the latter part of Cleve- land's second term as president of the United States Mr. Long was appointed postmaster of Swayzee as successor to William Fisher, deceased, and served through the remainder of the term and about one month under the administration of President McKinley.
In religion Mr. Long is a Free Thinker. As a professional man he has met with phenomenal success and is still gaining ground, while as a citizen he is respected wherever known.
GEORGE M. BANTER.
George M. Banter is an intelligent and highly respected agriculturist residing in Monroe township, Grant county, Indiana,
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
and is widely known as a progressive farm- er and stock-raiser. He was born in Wells county, this state, September 16, 1862. He was left an orphan in his infancy and was taken by his uncle and grandmother and reared to an honorable manhood. His edu- cation was obtained in the common schools, his studious habits enabling him to grasp and retain facts and his application was re- warded by receiving a teacher's certificate. He was industrious and no stranger to toil from his youth up, and at the age of twenty- one started out with a capital of one hun- dred and fifty dollars. In 1884 he came to Monroe township and located upon sixty acres which he had inherited, and has since added sixty acres by purchase. improving and enriching the property until it is one of the most productive and attractive farms in the township. In the fall of 1899 he erected a large, commodious barn for the comfort of his stock and the storage of his produce, and the prosperity which he has achieved is but the outcome of his own per- severance and good management.
On October 27, 1883. he was joined in matrimony with Miss Mary E. Farr, who was born in this county May 3. 1863, and is a daughter of James W. and Nancy E. (Ox- ley) Farr. She received a common-school education and has been an inspiration to her husband in his daily work. Four children have blessed their marriage, all sons and all living. viz. : Karl, a student in the eighth grade of the common school: Virgil, who is making great headway in his studies; Arthur Neal: and an infant.
Mr. Banter has always stood by the Democratic party and has served as dele- gate to county, congressional and state con- ventions, also acting in that capacity at ju-
clicial conventions. He is a man of sterling character whose noble nature would disdain a petty or dishonorable action, and one whose honorable conduct in the daily affairs of life has won for him the esteem and friendship of all those who appreciate true worth. His friends are legion and entirely without so- licitation on his part have they several times honored him by choosing him as their rep- resentative. No more able friend of edu- cation was ever found on the board than Mr. Banter, whose strong personality en- abled him to accomplish untold good and whose efforts in that direction have reflected great credit both on himself and on the township.
JOHN H. LAWSON.
John H. Lawson, a well-known and pros- percus tiller of the soil and a highly re- spected citizen of Sims township, Grant county, Indiana, was born in Rush county. this state, December 27. 1846. His parents, Theodore and Rebecca Ann ( Pickeral) Law- son, were agricultural people, both being na- tives of the state of Kentucky. To Theo- dore and Rebecca Lawson were born four children, viz. : Edward Franklin, who served in the Civil war, from Richland town- ship: Elizabeth Ann, John H. and Frances Jane : of these. Elizabeth Ann was married to David P. Draper and Frances Jane to Christian Schaffer.
John H. Lawson was but four years of age when his parents changed their residence from Rush county to Grant county, Indiana, and here passed the remainder of their lives. Here young John H. Lawson attended the district school in Richland township until.
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
fifteen years old, working, meanwhile dur- ing the season on his father's farm, thereby strengthening his brain and muscle and de- veloping his physical system generally, as well as increasing his mental powers and intellectual faculties through the inhalation of the oxygen or ozone that permeated the pure country air of Grant county, and also adding daily to his knowledge of the vocation that was to be his in after life, the noble pursuit of agriculture. At the age above mentioned young Lawson finished his studies and went to work permanently on the farm, since when agriculture, to which he has added stock-raising, has occupied his sole attention from a business point of view.
June 17, 1872, Mr. Lawson was joined in wedlock with Miss Sarah Kennedy, the amiable daughter of William W. and Elmira (Cowan) Kennedy, and this felicitous union has been blessed with two daughters- Emma, born in February, 1875, and Ada. born in November, 1881-now accomplished young ladies and ornaments to the society in which they move, and of which they are the acknowledged leaders.
William W. and Elmira (Cowan) Ken- nedy, the parents of Mrs. Sarah Lawson, reared a family of six children, who were born in the following order: Milton H., now deceased ; Nancy Ann, married to Cal- vin Gibson; Malinda Jane, the wife of Mr. Draper; Quincy A., a resident of Clinton county, Indiana ; William P. and Mrs. Sarah Lawson, the latter the wife of John H. Law- son, whose name stands at the opening of this biographical review. William W. Kennedy was a very popular man and useful citi- zen in his day, and was honored by his fel- low citizens by election to the office of town- ship trustee and also that of township super-
visor. The two elder born sons of Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy did valiant service in the Union army during the Civil war. The ma- ternal side of Mrs. Lawson's ancestors, the Cowans, were of French extraction.
EDWARD LEWIS RETZ.
Edward Lewis Retz, an enterprising and prosperous young agriculturist of Sims township, Grant county, was born in How- ard county, Indiana, September 17, 1862, and may still be classed as a young man, as he has barely reached the prime of life. He is a son of Charles and Caroline (Heidran) Retz, both natives of Germany, and of these parents brief biographical sketches will be given before undertaking that of Edward Lewis, the subject proper of this review.
Charles Retz, the father, was a young man when he came to Amercia from Ger- many and he first located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he resided a short time only and then settled on a farm near Hagerstown, Wayne county, Indiana. Charles Retz was taught the baker's trade in his younger manhood, and from Wayne county removed to How- ard county, Indiana, where he continued the production of the "staff of life" until 1864, when he came to Grant county and embarked in agricultural pursuits, a knowledge of which, to some extent, he had acquired in boyhood in Wayne county, and this voca- tion he has successfully followed in Grant county up to the present time.
Mrs. Caroline (Heidran) Retz was an infant of but two years of age when brought from Germany to America by her parents, who settled in Brookville, Franklin coun-
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
ty, Indiana, where she was reared to woman- hood. To her marriage with Charles Retz she bore three children, in the following order : William, who reached mature years and was killed by a railway train in 1885; Clarinda, wife of Rudolph Retz, her cousin, and Edward Lewis, whose name stands at the head of this review. Mrs. Caroline Retz, the mother of these children, was called from earth July 24, 1896, and her loss was a most severe blow to her husband and two surviving children.
Edward Lewis Retz, the subject of this biographical notice, was but two years of age when brought to Grant county by his parents. He was reared to manhood on his father's farm, and was thoroughly instructed in the vocation of agriculture. He was af- forded the advantages of the public schools until he had reached his majority, when he relinquished his educational course and en- gaged in farming on his own account. This pursuit he has found so congenial to his natural taste and early training, as well as so profitable in a pecuniary sense, that he has continued to follow it up to the present time. and is now classed among the most skillful agriculturists of Sims township.
July 22, 1893, Edward Lewis Retz was most happily joined in matrimony with Miss Martha Janette Burns, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Barton) Burns, and this union has been rendered the more happy by the birth of four children, of whom the eld- est, Russell, was born June 2, 1894; Roscoe, the second child, was born March 20, 1896; the third child, Winona, was born March 29, 1898; and Ira, the youngest of the four, born July 29. 1900.
also of the Daughters of Rebekah branch of that order, in which he held the office of left hand supporter, but at present is non -. affiliating. In religion he and his wife are members of the Protestant Methodist church, and in politics Mr. Retz is a Republican.
JAMES BROOKS MARK (DECEASED).
James Brooks Mark was an experienced farmer of Mier. Grant county, Indiana, and one of its highly respected citizens and was born in Ross county, Ohio, December 20, 1824. a son of Jonathan and Susan ( Plaugh- er ) Mark. He died January 27. 1901.
Jonathan Mark came from Ohio to Sugar Creek, Fayette county, Indiana, when his son James B. was but two years of age and was one of the first settlers of that county. He held a military land warrant, but lost the land he entered with this for some technical reason. He, however, bought another tract of one hundred and twenty acres, a little west of his first claim, and this purchase was situated on Rattlesnake creek, in Fay- ette county, a little west of Washington, in Wayne county. Here young James B. attended the old-time subscription school and aiso three months at the free school.
At the age of nineteen years James B. Mark was apprenticed by his father to the carpenter's trade, which he followed one year only, when he found the times to be so hard that he could not afford to live on an apprentice boy's wages, so he went into a sawmill, two miles southwest of Washing- ton, where he worked about two years.
Mr. Retz was at one time a member of June 1. 1844. Mr. Mark married Miss Converse Lodge, No. 320, I. O. O. F., and . Sarah Sharp, daughter of William and Eliz-
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
abeth (Leahy) Sharp, and born April 17, 1825. To this marriage were nine children, in the following order: John W., born March 16, 1846, died April 17, 1863, a sol- dier ; William, born March 15, 1848; Mary C., born September 26, 1850, died Novem- ber 1, 1878; Martha A., born February 6, 1852, was married to John Ryan and died in February, 1891 ; Moses, born October 18, 1853; Aaron, born December 31, 1857, died February 20, 1891 ; Loretta Jane, born Feb- ruary 23, 1861; Harrison, born May 15, 1863; and Sarah E., born May 10, 1865.
Mrs Sarah (Sharp) Mark was called from earth April 16, 1880, and for his sec- ond helpmate Mr. Mark selected Mrs. Ann Slover, widow of John Slover and daughter of David George and Sarah Barnes, and to this union have been born four children, namely : Nellie, April 27, 1883; Grover C., April 22, 1885; George W., November 5, 1886; and James, May 4, 1890.
The mother of Mrs. Anna Mark was reared in Wayne county, Indiana, was there married, and later went to South Carolina, of which state her father was a native, but returned to Indiana. She had an uncle, William Lacey, who served in the war of 1812, and three sons, Thomas, John and William, who did gallant acts in the late Civil war, in which the eldest of the three sacrificed his life.
James Brooks Mark may be truly classed as having been among the wealthiest and most influental of the agricultural popula- tion of Grant county. His farm comprises four hundred and eighty acres, and no bet- ter kept place is to be seen in a radius of fifty miles or more. His liberality and use- fulness as a citizen were proverbial, as no measure or proposition for the improvement
or betterment of his township or county ever arose without receiving his hearty co-opera- tion and financial aid.
Religiously, Mr. Mark was a Methodist Protestant, and in politics he was a Democrat and was trustee of Sims township two terms. Mr. Mark's remains lie buried in the I. O. O. F. cemetery in Sims township.
FRANK C. WOODS.
Frank C. Woods, a young and rapidly rising farmer of Sims township, Grant coun- ty. Indiana, had his nativity in Converse, Miami county, Indiana, December 2, 1874, and is a son of Albert A. and Jane (Ros- brough) Woods.
The paternal great-grandfather of Frank C. Woods came from Ireland to America and found a home in Ohio, where he pros- pered, reared a family and passed the re- mainder of his life. His son, Samuel Woods, was joined in matrimony with a Miss Bashford, to which union there were born four children, who were named, in order of birth, Wesley, Margaret, Albert A. and Sarah. Of the daughters, Margaret was married to Samuel Acres and Sarah became the wife of Adam Juday.
The Rosbrough family came from Scot- land to America prior to the Revolutionary war and settled in Virginia, where the male members took part in the struggle which gave the United States their independence, and in fact have borne a conspicuous part in all the wars in which America has been engaged since then up to the present time, the family being in fact one of the oldest in the "Old Dominion."
Frank C. Woods received a very sound
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
education in the public schools of his na- tive village, which he attended until fifteen years of age, when he began the battle of life on his own account by turning his indus- trious hands to any kind of labor that would earn him an honest dollar, whether that labor was of an agricultural or any other character.
November 29, 1893, Mr. Woods was joined in wedlock with Miss Cora Pence, the estimable daughter of Darius and Mary (Marine ) Pence, and this union has been blessed with one child, Marine, born June 21, 1897. In religion Mr. Woods is a free- thinker, and is an upright straightforward gentleman and a useful and enterprising citizen. In politics he is a strong Repub- lıcan, but has never been an office seeker, although there are many men less worthy than himself that hold positions of trust and honor. He conducts a fine farm of about one hundred acres and owns property in Converse, Miami county.
D. B. PIERCE.
D. B. Pierce, a prominent and influ- ential agriculturist of Monroe township, Grant county, Indiana, and one of the old- est residents, is a native of Northampton county, North Carolina, where he was born September 1, 1832. He is the youngest and only surviving member of the family born to James and Nancy Ann ( DeBerry) Pierce. The genealogical tree of the Pierce family is deep rooted in English soil, and from one of its numerous branches came Franklin Pierce, former president of the United States. At the age of thirteen the
subject removed with his parents to Green county, Ohio, a never to be forgotten trip. which was made in a cart. The family had but little means and came west in the hope of bettering their fortunes. They settled on a farm, and the hours not given to work were spent in study in the common schools.
At the age of eighteen years he came west to Indiana and hired out in Grant county for the small remuneration of eleven dol- lars a month. Fortune has smiled on his efforts, however, and his continued indus- try and frugality have enabled him to ac- cumulate a comfortable property.
An event in his life, and one which was productive of much good to him, was his union with Miss Sarah O. Maddux, on November 9, 1854. This marriage resulted in a family of eleven children, seven of whom are living, namely: Mrs. L. B. Oli- ver, who is represented on another page of this volume; James Thomas, a prosperous farmer, who is also made the subject of an article following this; Caddie, wife of Joseph Harkins, a mechanic; Aseneth, wife of William Reynard, a farmer of this town- ship; Joseph and George W., both of whom have families and live in Hartford City, where they are engaged in the manufacture of brick; Duston, married and a farmer of Monroe township; Roy, engaged with his brothers in Hartford City in the manufac- ture of brick; and Charles, the youngest, who is still at home.
A woman of Mrs. Pierce's strong per- sonality is deserving of more than passing notice, and a few facts gleaned from her busy life are here presented. Sarah O. Maddux was born in Fayette county, Ohio. February 23, 1838, and is a daughter of Thomas and Aseneth ( Yeoman) Maddux.
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
Of the ten children born to this couple, six are now living. Her first school was in an old log school house in Fayette county, Ohio, and was kept three months each year. The room was heated by the wide, open fireplace, and the puncheon floor and seats weré made of saplings split in two. The seats were held up by rude wooden pegs and were of one height. To admit suffi- cient light a log was taken from one end of the building and the opening thus made was fitted with a narrow sash just large enough to hold 8xIo-inch glass. Sarah Maddux grew into a woman of kind and pleasing manners, and for forty-six years she has been the wise and loving helpmeet in all that . name implies. The first land owned by them was forty acres in Black- ford county, their first purchase in Grant being part of their present homestead. Their present holdings are two hundred acres, part of which have been obtained through their own industry and part in- herited by Mrs. Pierce. The improvements have been placed by the present owners, and they have one of the most desirable farm properties in this community. All kinds of grain are raised on this land, which is in the gas and oil belt, and will increase in value as the years go by.
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Mr. Pierce is a Republican, and believes in the single gold standard. Both he and his wife are members of the United Breth- ren church, and have given generously of time and money to assist in building Oak chapel and Kiter church, to the latter of which they belong. The Sunday-school al- so comes in for a share of their attention. Their generous support is freely given to all worthy causes, and many a kind deed has been traced to their door.
JAMES T. PIERCE.
James T. Pierce may well be ranked among the leading agriculturists of Grant county, his fertile, highly cultivated farm in Monroe township being well stocked with the best grade of horses, cattle and sheep, and every detail of the farm show- ing the careful, methodical manager. He was born August 27, 1858, to D. B. and Sarah O. (Maddux) Pierce, who were among the pioneers of the state of Indiana. Mr. Pierce remained with his parents until he reached his majority, giving them his earnings and performing the service of a filial son. His education had been a prac- tical one and comprised a full course in the public school, supplemented by a course in the Marion Normal. He had been a pains- taking student and was thoroughly equipped to take up the duties of life in an intelli- gent manner. He was a musician of more than ordinary ability, and, as a side issue, conducted singing schools in Grant and Blackford counties.
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