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 77
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114
After his marriage Mr. Pierce's first business venture was the manufacture of tile, in which he was engaged for four years. This business was not very profita- ble and not at all congenial to his tastes, so he turned his attention to farming, go- ing in debt for his first forty acres, which were in Monroe township. Industry and practical common sense here won the day, and Mr. Pierce had the satisfaction of see- ing his crops flourish and gathering bounti- ful harvests. In a few years sixty acres more were added to the first forty, and this tract has formed the nucleus of his present pleasant farm. In 1886 he sold his first forty acres and the same year bought an-
·
600
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
other forty adjoining his sixty. In 1889 an additional tract of forty acres was add- ed, making one hundred and forty acres, his present home, of as fine land as can be found in this section. It is most advan- tageously situated in Monroe township, with the pike extending on two sides of it, and is adapted to raising all kinds of grain and general farm products. Part of the product is fed to his stock, which, after fattening, he places on the market, afford- ing him a much better price for the grain than it would if marketed in the natural state.
On April 21, 1883, James T. Pierce was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Bergher, a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Smith) Bergher. She was born March 25, 1861, and was one of a family of six children. She was educated in the graded schools of Upland and grew into a lovable woman, whose amiable disposition and lofty character made her a general favorite. Fif- teen years constant companionship but served to strengthen the bond uniting them, and the saddest moment ever experienced by the devoted husband was when the gen- tle spirit of the kind and loving wife an- swered the final summons and winged its flight to the great white throne. She was a conscientious Christian woman and a zealous worker in the United Brethren church, of which she was a member and in which her absence is deeply felt. Marchi 30, 1898, she received the summons to come up higher, and the many who knew her joined with the family in their grief. Three bright children are left to perpetu- ate her memory : Zula, who has completed the fourth grade in the public schools and is devoting her young life to making a
home for her father and brothers; Bynum, who is a second grade scholar; and Olga Drew.
Mr. Pierce is a member of the United Brethren church, known as the Kiter church, in which he holds the office of trustee. He was one of the managers of construction when the new church building was erected in 1895, rendering efficient service and se- curing a neat, attractive building which is an ornament to the community. The church is in a flourishing condition, as is the Sun- day-school. Mr. Pierce is a public-spirited citizen and freely gives his support to all movements tending to the upbuilding of the neighborhood and general public. Edu- cation has his hearty endorsement, and the good effects resulting from his influence are not to be estimated. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and his first presiden- tial vote was cast for our martyred presi- dent, James A. Garfield.
GERRARD P. RILEY.
Gerrard P. Riley, the subject of this sketch, was born at Bethel, Clermont county, Ohio, November 17, 1821. Soon after his birth his father moved on to a farm located three miles southwest of the village. Later on he sold the farm and purchased a mill property on Poplar creek, one mile west of Bethel, to which he removed his family. Ger- rard was then fourteen years of age. Up to this time his advantages for an education had been very limited. In fact he could barely read in the New Testament which was then used as a text book in the schools. Soon after moving to the new home-while
Gerrard. P. Riley
601
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
splitting wood-he cut his foot severely, and was laid up for the entire winter. From this accident dates the turning point in his life so far as morals and education were concerned.
George Swing, his maternal grandfather, was one of the best and kindliest of Christian gentlemen. He visited the injured boy often and brought him good books to read, and offered up many fervent prayers in his be- half; praying that he might grow up to be a good and useful man. These visits had such a melting and moulding influence upon his mind that there was developed a desire- above all else-to be a scholar and a Chris- tian, and in obedience to these divine impulses he sought earnestly every oppor- tunity to help himself and others to a better and a happier life. As soon as able he en- tered the common school, then ân academy ; but his thirst for knowledge was unquenched. He longed to go to college. This his father opposed. He thought that he "had learning enough," and he would give no assistance in furthering his ambitions in this direction. But to college he went, determining to make his way, though how he knew not. Few young men of this generation can under- stand what it meant in those days to "work one's way through college." To him it meant many hardships and privations. A cold room over a cobbler's shop; a broken stove, a rickety bedstead, a deal table and two wooden chairs comprised his furniture. There he studied latin and mathematics by the light of a tallow candle. Many a meal he eat without either bread or meat. Beans alone had been his bill of fare for almost a week when he was surprised by a visit from his father. Business had brought him to that section of the country, so the visit was 37
incidental. His father was a good-hearted man though somewhat stern and set in his way. He was a good provider for the home and he liked good living. When he saw the sore straits to which his son had come ; when he learned of how he had worked at making brooms and mending shoes, and gar- dening, and at everything by which he could turn an honest penny; when he found out that he was one of the brightest of his class and had been chosen as valedictorian for the commencement day which was near at hand, his heart softened and filled with pride. He ordered him a fine suit and provided him with board and clothes until he was grad- uated from Granville College. Returning home he engaged in teaching school in which vocation he was eminently successful. In 1844 he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Blair who was born and raised in Clermont county. It was time now for him to be settled in his convictions as to the many exciting questions of the day. His mind was made up without reference to what others thought about it, anl when once convinced of what was right he seldom changed. In religion he was a Methodist; in politics (though raised a Whig) he was a Liberty party abolitionist; in reforms he was a teetotaler and anti-tobacco, and "anti" everything that was hurtful to man. To those who most influenced his life he is in- clebted for the unwavering purpose which followed his convictions. These were first, his mother, for religious devotion, and obe- diance to conscience; second, his grand- father, George Swing, for experimental piety, truthfulness and honesty; third, to James Buntin, a worthy neighbor, for the loan of books on the reforms of the day ; and fourth, to the Honorable Thomas Morris
602
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
chattels and had already been acting as con- ductor on the underground railroad. He was known all over the country as an aggressive abolitionist. He lectured upon slavery, he preached it from the pulpit. Hon. Marcus Clark, of Kentucky, a cousin of Riley's who had grown rich, and had a fortune in slaves, came into Ohio and challenged any one to clebate the question : "Does the Bible Justify American Slavery." Riley accepted the challenge and the debate lasted for two days and nights before an immense audience. It terminated when Riley asked him this question : "If the Bible justifies slavery, who is to be the slave in America?" The question was put three times before an answer could be obtained from him. He then replied : "No man under heaven can answer that question." The decision was at once given in Riley's favor. At twenty- three he became pastor of the only church of his denomination in Cincinnati.
for the liberty-loving principals which moulded his politics. It was he ( Morris) who made the first abolition speech ever made in the senate. It was a reply to Henry Clay on his compromise hobby. An account of it in the newspapers was headlined : "Bearding the Lion in His Den." Senator Morris availed himself of every opportu- nity to talk with him upon the issues of the day. Slavery being the subject that the most dwelt upon. He would say: "Young man, if you live to be of my age you will see this government all torn to pieces -an international war, perhaps; all on account of this great evil, slavery." And Riley did live to see it. And not only did he see the dividing line between the north and the south, but also one separating himself and those of near relationship. In the strength and majesty of his young manhood he met every question bravely, with a spirit that shrank not from duty no matter where that luty led him. A minister of the gospel, an So, when the war came he was ready for it. He was at that time at the head of an academy which he had established some years before. When the demand came for volunteers he took an active part in espous- ing the Union cause. At a mass meeting largely attended by his students he was asked would he go to the front, and he immediately assented to go. He said it was God's war, and he entered upon his duties as a soldier as if called of God. When the regimental organization was completed he was elected its chaplain. This was in the Fiftieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. His duties were ever conscientiously performed. He organized a regimental church and Sunday-school and held services regularly. When the regiment went into winter quarters at Muldo's Hill, educator of the y oung and a zealous patriot, the demand made upon him was great. The Wesleyan Methodist church was founded mainly on the one principal-opposition to slavery. The first society of this denomina- tion was organized at Utica, New York. The paper advocating these principals was "The Zions' Watchman," published at Utica. Le Roy Sunderland was the publisher. The idea spread rapidly. The first church or- ganized in Ohio was in Clermont county, and Gerrard P. Riley was one of the original thirteen members. Salmon P. Chase, E. E. Ilale and all anti-slavery men were in sym- pathy with the movement, and it was a time of great agitation of the public mind. Riley had become thoroughly imbued with the sinfulness of holding human beings as : Kentucky, he had a very comfortable log
1
603
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
church built, with platform, seats, etc. It was admired by all who saw it. Here he held services regularly for three months with good results, as testified by the regimental officers. When the regiment broke camp and started out into active service they marched through Union county, and its peo- ple were what its name implied. Women and small children lined the roadside and chered them as they passed by and hurrahed for Lincoln. Tears came into the women's eyes as the officers shook hands with them as they passed by. They said that every able-bodied man was in hiding, as the re- cruiting officer was abroad in the land gobbling up everything in sight for the Rebel army. For six weeks these men had not dared to return to their homes, but hid in caves and underbrush, their food being carried to them after midnight. They were all affected by the demonstration made by this suffering but loyal people. And this was not the last that they heard of them. Perry- ville could not have been far from Union county, for the next evening the regiment was there and engaged in one of the hard- est-fought battles of the war. Here Riley proved of what metal heroes are made. He ·could not carry a musket, but he did carry canteens filled with water for the thirsty soldiers on the firing line. Here he gained the appellation of "the fighting chaplain." All day long he passed back and forth upon this errand of mercy, running the risk of his life many times. Once his horse es- caped him and run into the Rebel lines, and a Rebel soldier seized it by the bridle, but no sooner had he done so than he was shot by a Union soldier. The horse rushed back into the Union lines and was secured until his master found him. An incident worth
recording is the fact that a cousin (Clark Riley) was serving in a similar capacity in General Bragg's army and was present at the battle of Perryville, although not until years afterward did either of the cousins know that they had faced each other that day as deadly enemies. The night after that battle was one never to be forgotten by the subject of this sketch. All night long he cared for the dying and wounded soldiers. The night was dark and drizzling rain. From all parts of the battle-field could be heard the pleading and pitiful cries of suffering men, calling for help, for water and doctors. As fast as possible the wound- ed were collected in a barn and sheds and a large meeting-house. A breakfast of soup and hardtack was served. About one o'clock in the afternoon they were surprised to see a long line of wagons and carts descending a hill about a mile away. With great sus- pense they watched them as they drew nearer and slowly ascended the hill leading to their improvised hospital grounds. To their great surprise they found them to be the women who gathered by the roadside and cheered the regiment as they marched through Union county. They had heard of the battle, of the great loss of life and of the suffering that must follow from lack of food, and they set up all night cooking food which they now brought as an offering of love and loyalty to "Lincoln's soldiers." Here were chicken pies and many dainties, but even the wounded boys liked best of all the corn dodgers, with the print of the fingers of the loyal women upon them-made as their mothers used to make them. The regiment participated in several other engagements and finally went into camp near Louisville, Kentucky.
604
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
During his service with the Fiftieth Regiment there were some things that great- ly worried Chaplain Riley. One was the order for Union soldiers to guard the prop- erty of Kentucky Rebels because the state had not seceded. Another was that many slaves seeking protection of the regiment were turned over to their masters, many of the regiment being in sympathy with the fugitive slave law. His heart ached to see : these poor slaves "betrayed in the house of their friends." He had with him a negro acting as his servant ; this negro had sought his protection and he gave it to him by as- signing him to this place. He was in con- stant fear that he would be kidnapped, as he was valuable in the market, being large and strong. These kidnappers followed the army and would nab any negro that they could get hold of, claiming them to be theirs, and would sell them back into slavery. One afternoon Chaplain Riley had gone to the village to make a few purchases, taking his servant Dave with him. He left him hold- ing his horse while he stepped into a store. He returned in a few moments to find the horse loose in the street and Dave struggling in the clutch of two rough men who were dragging him toward the jail. The Chaplain soon overtook the rascals and in a stern voice said, "Release my servant at once." The men loosened their grip for a moment, and jerking Dave from them he placed him- self in front of him and said, "If you take this man you will take him over my dead body.". The men were ugly and persistent ; they claimed that Dave was the slave of a man in Georgia and that their orders were to put him in jail until his master coukl come and claim him. They declared that they would go to the colonel of the regi-
ment and demand their lawful property. This they did and a trial was ordered. After a great deal of trouble the Chaplain won. But it was not safe for him to retain Dave longer, so. he determined to send him to his home to work on the farm where he could be safe and earn wages. The General in command granted his request and gave him a pass for Dave. He hurried with him to the landing to put him on board a boat that was about to start. The kidnappers followed them. They had swore that they would have him yet. The Chaplain showed the pass and got Dave on board and hurried forward to buy his ticket. While he was gone the kidnappers got Dave out on the wharf and had taken his pass from him. The Chaplain got him back on the boat again, this time putting him in the wheel- house and setting some soldiers to watch the kidnappers, while he hurriedly wrote a let- ter to his wife and also full directions for Dave to find his home in Ohio. He had just placed the letter and ticket in his hand when the bell rang for the boat to start. He grasped the negro's hand and said, "You will soon be a free man now, Dave. Remember your promise to be faithful to my family. I will stay and help fight this war out, and then, thank God. there will be no more slavery." Noticing that Dave's cap was old and dirty he jerked it off and threw it in the river, and taking his own hat, of soft felt with a gold cord and tassel twisted around the crown, he clapped that on Dave's head, who, with tears streaming down his face, said, "God bless you, Massa Chaplain." The kidnappers turned and walked away, one of them saying. "He de- serves to beat us : such grit as that is what will make the Yankees win in the end."
-
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
605
Dave arrived safely at his destination and was faithful to every trust. The Chaplain he fairly worshipped, and he would have ‹lied for him had it been necessary for him to do so. "He saved me from bondage and delibered me from the debil," he often said.
But the Chaplain longed for a more strenuous life. So when Abraham Lincoln decided to enlist the colored troops he was one of the first to make application for a position, and he got it. He received a com- mission as captain and was assigned to Company K, Sixth United States Colored Troops. He ranked as senior captain in the regiment, and was ordered to the front and landed at Yorktown, in old Virginia, and went into camp on the very same ground where George Washington and Cornwallis met to sign the papers which closed the war of the Revolution. The regiment remained here several months and General Butler, whose headquarters were at Fortress Mon- roe, often called upon the regiment for a detail of a hundred men to operate in the enemy's lines. When the first order came it was read while the regiment was on dress parade. The nature of the order was ex- plained by the colonel, who detailed Captain Riley to head the expedition, which was un- derstood to be a dangerous one, as the enemy was in full force on the opposite bank of the York river. Volunteers were called for and ten were chosen from each company. also a first and second lieutenant. They marched out of camp with instructions to board the ship that was in the harbor await- ing them. When aboard the ship Captain Riley was handed a sealed envelope contain- ing his orders, which were to proceed to Maybric's Bay and land at "White's land- ing at midnight and proceed to certain fam-
ilies therein named and bring them away." They were the families of union men who had fled into the Union lines and were now working on the fortifications. A guide was furnished to take them to these places and the orders instructed them to "proceed with great caution, get the families and back to the gun-boat with all possible speed." This was done, and in addition to the loyalists about thirty slaves were brought away. The meeting of these husbands and wives, fathers and children was very pathetic indeed. They had been separated for months. Some of the slaves told Captain Riley of the inhuman treatment endured by them from their mas- ters. Mostly because they had rendered as- sistance to Union soldiers or were sus- picioned of doing so. They spoke partic- ularly of an old man named White, whom they said was the most cruel of them all. They told many weird stories about him; one of the most pitiful was of two children whom they said were starved and abused. The mother and aunt of these children had been accused of giving food to Union sol- diers. They were fearfully beaten and the aunt died of her injuries, and the mother was sent away bound down in a cart. These stories of the slaves were confirmed by the white families and Captain Riley was sent soon afterward to mete out vengeance to this same White, who was now accused of kill- ing a soldier. He was found to be a very old man, with hair as white as snow. He came near collapsing at the sight of the squad of soldiers who showed him the war- rant for his arrest, with the privilege of hanging him. The stories of his cruelty was confirmed by his slaves and they spoke in awe of the mother of the two children who they believed had mct with some fear-
606
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
ful fate. After severely frightening the
abuse and neglect. The soldiers confiscated plainly to be seen that they had suffered children were ragged and dirty, and it was her." the trembling wretch answered. The the mother of these children?" "I sold Captain Riley, who demanded. "Where is about six and eight years, were brought to looking children, a boy and a girl, aged dren, which he ordered done, and two bright Riley demanded him to bring the two chil- cease his cruelties to his slaves, Captain come back and hang him if he did not old man and telling him that he would surely
such of his property as they could make use
of and taking the two children away with
them left the old man, who was thankful to
get off so easily. A Quaker lady who had a .
school for the contrabands at Yorktown
heard of the incident and wanted the chil-
dren sent to her, which was done. She
sent them to Philadelphia to have them ed-
ucated at the Orphans' Shelter. The mother
was never found, although every effort was
made to do so. Pictures of the children as they were found and as they were after being cared for by this kind la:ly, together with a history of their capture, was pub- lished and thousands of copies sold, and
they were sent all over the states in hopes that the mother might be found. Soon after this incident the Rebels destroyed a light- house, and a steamship run aground, and it was said that the Rebels killed the crew
-burning the captain alive. To punish the
people of Matthews county, where these atrocious acts occurred, General Butler sent the sokliers to free all of their slaves. Cap- tain Riley was in this expedition, as was his entire regiment, and this was to his liking. Ile had often advocated immediate eman-
cipation, but had never seen it put into practice before. His regiment camped on the Matthews county court-house grounds and detachments of soldiers were sent out over the county with orders to free all slaves that wished to go with them. Over three hundred were brought in and sent on the
ship to Norfolk, where there was a contra- band camp. While camped on the court- house grounds of Matthews county, which
They informed him that the mother of those who had taken those slave children away. many contrabands asked after Captain Riley, was the county where old man White lived,
ing up a company of fifty slaves to be taken eral months. A conscript officer was mak- children was in jail at this place for sev-
and she was one to be taken. While stand- to Richmond to work on the fortifications,
ing on the platform to have the handcuffs
put upon her wrists, she fell upon her knees and raising her mannicled hands to heaven
cried out, "O, God, send the Yankee soldiers
to take my children away." This was con-
sidered a wonderful answer to prayer, "for,"
said the contrabands, "in just seven days from that time Captain Riley came with his soldiers and took the children." Years after the exciting scenes of war had passed Captain Riley visited these children at their
home in Philadelphia. Educated and hold-
ing positions of trust, he was indeed grati- fied to meet them and to learn that they still held him in grateful remembrance. Ile has a number of letters from the boy whom he named Frederick Douglas White. If now living he is about forty-four years of age. After several other exciting ex- periences Captain Riley was in several im- portant battles. He was at Petersburg at the time of the great explosion. He was
607
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS.
later sent to recruit a regiment at Wilming- new field of labor. Just at this time he had a call from a wealthy church in Bureau county, Illinois. So he accepted the posi- tion and moved there, staying four years. He was then elected evangelist for the Illi- nois conference, serving one year. He was then assigned to the Fairmount circuit. He had always been interested in children, and realizing that the ordinary church services failed to meet the needs of the boys and the girls, he had organized a children's so- ciety within the other society, and each Sun- day held special service for them. This he kept up for about twenty-five years, his ton and was appointed provost marshal of that city. He was stationed at Raleigh after Sherman's army arrived, and was retained in North Carolina after the final surrender of Johnson until the fall of 1865. He was named as an officer of the Freedmen's Bu- reau and was kept in constant service, at- tending to the wants of this newly freed and inexperienced race. Returning to his home after three years of arduous duty, he engaged in making articles out of turned wood. In connection with this he had a saw-mill and a large flouring-mill. His . business assumed extensive proportions and i own interest and love for them being con- he was congratulating himself upon still greater wealth, when lo! in one night it was all swept away by fire. As he stood watching the red flames consume the accum- ulations of years of toil in the past, as well as all prospects of gain in the future, one of his workmen said to him, "What will you do now, Mr. Riley?" "I will do what is right and trust in God," was his reply. From that hour he never planned to make money, but to do all the good that he could. He took his misfortune heroicly and looked at it philosophically. "Perhaps it was all for the best," he said; "I may have been growing too worldly." The church over which he had presided before the war was no longer what it once had been. Opposi- tion to slavery was the chief corner stone of that church. Now slavery was abol- ished, and those who had come out of their churches on that account natur- ally returned when slavery was no longer an issue. The academy over which he had also presided had gone down when the master deserted it for what he thought a higher mission. So he must look for a stantly augmented. While at Fairmount he commenced the publication of a child's paper, called the Golden Voice. This enter- prise grew to quite large proportions, but he found the work too confining and he was compelled to give it up. In the meantime he had removed to Marion, Indiana. After : a short rest he turned his attention more fully to the development of an idea which had held a prominent place in his mind for forty years. Something to help the boys. Some fifteen years ago this idea had been placed in definite shape by Drummond and Moody, who found that military drill had the effect of retaining the interest of the boys in the Sunday-school work. This mat- ter was brought up at the Congress of Re- ligion at the World's Fair in Chicago, and he there obtained more definite ideas as to detail, though years before he had been con- vinced of the need of effort along these lines. San Francisco was the only city that had a brigade at that time, but soon many places had them. Mr. Riley organized a brigade with about forty members. This was under the pastorate of the Rev. Driver of the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.