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 79
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Joseph Abbott, the great-great-grand- father of this subject, was born August 29, 1739, and his wife, Ester, September 17, 1746. Their children were Chloe, who was born February 10, 1769; John A., grandfather of our subject, was born No- vember 22, 1770; Rebecca was born De- cember II, 1772; Rachel, November 22, 1774; Eunice, April II, 1777; Silas, June 28, 1779; Jane, November 28, 1781; and Joseph, June 28, 1784.
Joseph Reynolds, maternal great-grand- father, was born July 9, 1749. Experience, his wife, was born April 9, 1751, and they reared a large family, among whom was Hannah, born September 1, 1787, who was married to John A. Abbott, grandfather of subject, March 4, 1804, and became the grandmother of John M. Abbott, the sub- ject of this sketch. The eight children that resulted from the union of John A. and Hannah Abbott were born in the following order: Lewis, December 1, 1804; Amanda, May 2, 1806; Eliza, September 15, 1807; Charles, July 15, 1809; Esther, March 20, 18II; Roxy, June 9, 1813, died in Sep- tember, 1839; George, August 30, 1815; and Elias, December 9, 1817.
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RINALDO R. TAYLOR.
Rinaldo R. Taylor, a representative and progressive agriculturist and stock raiser of Richland township, Grant county, Indiana, was born here September 16, 1852, and is a son of George W. and Jane ( Whittaker) Taylor, natives of Fayette county, Pennsyl- vania, where George W. was reared a blacksmith, was married, and thence emi- grated to Coshocton county, Ohio. In
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1847 he came from the Buckeye state to Indiana and entered eighty acres of land in section No. II, in Richland township, Grant county, which land is known as the Whitlock farm, and this he improved and cultivated, clearing off all superfluous tim- ber, but still continuing to work at his trade of blacksmithing. On this farm Mrs. Jane ( Whittaker ) Taylor passed away in 1882, and George W. Taylor then came to the farm now occupied by his son, R. R. Tay- lor, where his death occurred in January, 1893. In politics he was an active Repub- lican. To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Tay- lor were born ten children, viz. : Daniel W., who enlisted in the Thirty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry in the Civil war, was promoted to a sergeant, and died in To- peka, Kansas, in 1867; Alfred B., second sergeant in the Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, died in Kansas City, Missouri; Zachariah was a physician and surgeon at Somerset; Levi; George W .; Joseph; Le- titia; James; Puty; and Rinaldo R.
R. R. Taylor was reared and educated in district No. 1, Richland township, and settled on his present farm of two hundred and sixty acres in 1875. This farm he im- proved with a fine brick dwelling, a sub- stantial barn and all other necessary out- buildings, and is now one of the most suc- cessful agriculturists and stock growers in Grant county.
In 1873 Mr. Taylor married, in Rich- land township, Miss Rosa Hudson, a na- tive of the township and a daughter of Jacob Hudson, whose sketch will be found in full on another page of this work. One child, Alfred B., has blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, who is married and still resides on the home farm.
Mr. Taylor is in politics a Republican, is very popular with his party and is its present candidate for township trustee. His good management and industry and general moral conduct, as well as his pub- lic spirit, have made him popular not only with his party, but with the entire com- munity, by every member of which he is held in the highest esteem.
MICHAEL MASON (DECEASED).
Michael Mason, deceased, was a pioneer of Grant county, and for many years one of its most honored and widely known citi- zens, was born in Wayne county, Indiana, near Dublin, on the 15th day of October, 1827, and passed his boyhood days under the parental roof, attending the common school during the winter months, although the ed- ucational advantages were limited at that time, as the schools, such as they were, were conducted in school-houses made of logs, and the terms consisted of from three to five months during the year; the remainder of the year he assisted his father, who was a cooper by trade.
In 1849 Michael Mason wedded Miss Anna Coleman, a daughter of Thomas and Mary ( Bates) Coleman, who was born July I, 1827, in Bellmount county, Ohio.
Thomas Coleman, father of Mrs. Mason, was a native of Ohio, but hearing of the ad- vantages of his neighbor state came to In- diana, driving through as far as Winchester by team, at which place he came down the river by boat, locating in Mill township, Grant county, in 1829. where he entered one hundred and forty-five acres of government
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MICHAEL MASON-GROUP.
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land, paying one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre for same. He also entered two hundred acres of land, the present site of Roseburg. It was necessary at that time to go to Fort Wayne to make out his entry papers, which he did. Upon this farm of one hundred and forty-five acres he erected a log house, 16x18, on the banks of the Mississinewa river, using as a substitute for window glass greased paper, which gave but little light into the house and could not be seen through. For many years they re- sided on this farm, which was but a deep forest when they entered it, but which de- veloped, by hard work, into a pleasant home, where they remained until called away. Mr. Coleman lived to the advanced age of sev- enty-four and his wife to fifty-four years of age. They were both consistent members of the M. E. church, in which they were both held in high esteem by all.
Soon after the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mason they came to. Mill township, Grant county, where they rented a farm of Thomas Coleman, father of Mrs. Mason, where they lived until 1858, at which time they moved onto forty acres of land in the Indian Reserve, where they erected a log cabin of one room; here they lived from 1858 to 1879, when they returned to the farm of Mrs. Mason's father, where the sub- ject died October 18, 1880. Mrs. Mason now owns the entire old homestead.
Mr. and Mrs. Mason were the proud parents of eight children, of whom John C. is a farmer, living in Mill township, Grant county ; William Ellsworth is still living with the mother on the old homestead; Sa- mantha is the wife of James Kirkpatrick; Ida D., wife of John Dieoff, residing in Ohio. Those deceased were Elizabeth, who
died when twenty-one years old; James F. died when twenty-four years old; Daniel was two years old when he died; Mahala C., born April 30, 1860, died April 7, 1862.
Mr. Mason was one of the best known citizens that ever lived in Grant county, and was a man of sterling quality, and as a citizen and pioneer he was universally re- spected, and his life was such as to render him deserving of the high regard in which he was held by all.
WILLIAM E. STOUT.
William E. Stout is one of the practi- cal farmers of Jadden, Grant county, Indi- ana. Sprung from a race whose endur- ance and hardihood enabled them to with- stand the trials and hardships of pioneer life and lay the foundation of our present civilization, he has inherited their sterling principles, and his strong force of charac- ter makes his a powerful factor for good in the community. Born and reared in Monroe township, he has contributed his full share to the development and growth of the county in its later years, while the strong underlying current of integrity and honor with which he is endowed has gained for him the well-merited respect and es- teem of all with whom he has come in con- tact. He first opened his eyes to the light of day on August 4, 1857, in the home of his parents, John and Catherine (Yount) Stout, and grew to manhood in the place of his nativity.
John Stout is one of the oldest living pioneers of Grant county, and is too well known to need an introduction to the resi- dents of this part of the state. He was
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born January 21, 1825, in the Buckeye ' as was the additional eighty which was state. his father, George Stout, having added to their possessions a little at a time. This was cleared, tiled and placed in a fine state of cultivation, and is graced by a hand- some brick residence and other improve- ments in keeping. August 7, 1894, Mrs. Stout passed away, leaving behind the blessed memory of a well-spent life, and the seed sown by her hand shall continue to give forth blossom and fruit in the honora- ble and upright lives of future generations. A mother's influence is far-reaching, and who may fathom the depth of mother love. She and her husband were members of the United Brethren church, and were liberal and kind hearted. John Stout is a Repub- lican. moved from North Carolina and settled in Clinton county, Ohio. The wilds of an unbroken wilderness have given place to the vine and fig tree of advanced civilization, and the industry and foresight of his early life have enabled him to accumulate a com- petency which permits him to spend his declining years in the roseate glow of a serene but glorious sunset. The name of Stout is so closely related to the history of the county as to be indissoluble from an accurate record of past events, and it is a privilege to hear this history recounted by one whose graphic description of experi- ences in which he has participated; it brings it the more vividly before the mind's eye. He was married October 9, 1850, to Miss Catherine Yount, a native of Bedford coun- ty. Pennsylvania. She was born July 26, 1824, and was a woman of excellent quali- ties of head and heart. The children born to them are all living, viz. : Josiah, a farmer of Pinson, Tennessee; Orlando, a promi- nent physician whose memoirs appear else- where in these pages; Andrew Y., a real estate and insurance agent, who is repre- sented in a separate article ; William E., the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch ; George H., one of the methi- odical farmers of this township; and John W., who enlisted in Company A, One Hun- dred and Sixtieth Indiana regiment, and went with it to Cuba during the late war, and is now a resident of Washington. District of Columbia, holding a position in the census bureau.
Mr. and Mrs. Stout began housekeep- ing on eighty acres of land which was heavily timbered and covered with swamps,
The boyhood of William E. Stout was similar to that of other boys of his time. Completing the common schools, he en- tered the high school at Marion under the supervision of Professor Tharp, and was soon qualified to become a teacher. Seven years were devoted to teaching the young idea the way of knowledge when he de- cided it would be more profitable and cer- tainly more pleasant to become a tiller of the soil and watch the development of growing crops rather than of youthful ideas. His estate comprises one hundred and seven acres of land, and the yield of wheat and corn has been equal to the best. Mr. Stout takes a justifiable pride in his stock and raises choice cattle and hogs. His residence and surroundings speak vol- umes of his thrift and management, and forms one of the many pleasing pictures which make this county so attractive.
William E. Stout was married on No- vember 19. 1884. the lady of his choice being Miss Alice A. Smith, a native of
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Grant county. Their only child is Victor L., a student in the fourth grade, and it is the aim of his parents to start him in life with an education that will be of practical importance. Mrs. Stout was born April 18, 1860, and is one of six children born to Charles and Beulah Smith, four of whom are living. Completing the common school course she entered the Normal at Ada, Ohio, and also spent several terms in the Marion Normal. She is a lady of rare ability as a teacher, as was demonstrated in Monroe and Jefferson townships, where she was em- ployed in the capacity of instructor and where her work was marked by the rapid advancement of the pupils and the readi- ness with which she gained and held their esteem. They are members and contributors of Oak chapel, as the United Brethren church is called, and are earnest workers for the upbuilding and welfare of the com- munity.
Mr. Stout is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge at Upland, and of the Knights of the Maccabees, Tent No. 22, . of Marion. In early life he was a Repub- lican, but as he grew older and realized the curse that intemperance was to our fair land and the misery and degradation it caused, not only among those who were the slaves of the drink habit, but through them to innocent parties, he became a Pro- hibitionist. He is not satisfied with giving this party his lukewarm, half-hearted sup- port, but is consistent in his wishes to see the world reclaimed and votes as he talks. If all professing temperance men would do the same, it would not be long that the saloon would hold sway in America. He has represented the principles of his party
in county conventions. Socially Mr. and Mrs. Stout are among the most popular residents of this section.
JOSEPH C. HORNER.
Joseph C. Horner, a substantial and in- fluential farmer of Jefferson township, Grant county, Indiana, was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, November 29, 1832, and is a son of Andrew and Nancy (Walker) Horner, the former from Pennsylvania and the latter from Virginia.
Andrew Horner learned the trade of a miller and followed it in his native state un- til he was twenty-one, when he went to Vir- ginia, married and in 1833 moved to Miami county, Ohio. Eleven years later they took up their residence in Darke county, that state, where they carried on farming until 1851. News of the fertile Indiana timber land reached them with accounts of the won- derful prosperity awaiting the early settler, and Mr. Horner set out on horseback to pur- chase land in the new territory. He bought forty acres of land in this township and in 1851 brought his family to his possessions. Their cabin was built from the trees which covered the land, and often times their homely fare was made more appetizing by the addition of a wild turkey or slice of venison. These were not the only animals found there, as the wildcat and wolves were also plentiful. They were members of the Presbyterian church and followed godly lives. The father died in 1867 and the mother in 1894. Four sons and four daugh- ters were the offspring of their union, five of whom are living and all are honored and respected citizens of Grant county. They
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are Joseph C .; David; Calvin; Mary; and Jane, the wife of Warren Fergus.
Joseph C. Horner was the eldest child of his parents and was not two years old when his parents moved to Miami county. He re- ccived a limited education and assisted his parents with the farm work, coming with them to this county. This was soon after gold was found in California, and when the "gold fever" was at its heighth Joseph C. decided to try his fortunes in the far west. Together with a few companions he started iti the spring of 1853. going to New York, whence he took passage in a steamer, via the Isthmus of Panama, for San Francisco, arriving there twenty-seven days after leav- ing New York. He spent two years in the Sacramento valley, most of the time near the Yuba river. His search for gold was at- tended with success and at the expiration of two years he once more turned his face towards home. The return trip was also made by the isthmus, touching at New Or- leans and Cuba. He tried farming a short time in St. Claire, Missouri, but soon started on a trip to the Rocky Mountains, his goal being Brush Creek Camp, located where the beautiful and flourishing city of Denver now stands. . After spending one month there he went up in the mountains into the Gregory "diggings," where he remained until fall, when he returned to his old home in Indiana.
He was married October 1, 1861. to Miss Arminda Pugh, who has bore him eight chil- dren, one of whom is deceased. She was a native of this county, where she had a wide circle of friends. For almost thirty years she was her husband's wiss counselor, en- couraging him by her cheerful views and assisting him in many ways. She was an earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal
church and her death was the occasion of widespread sorrow. July 10, 1889, she gen- tly sank to sleep to awaken in the eternal morning of heavenly life, and her remains were laid to rest under the waving willows in the Olive Branch cemetery, where a suita- ble marble stone marks the spot. Seven chil- (Iren are left to comfort the desolate father and perpetuate the memory of a devoted mo- ther, viz .: Elzona, a prosperous hardware merchant of Marion; Inez, wife of John Slater, a well-known farmer of this town- ship; Eva, wife of Samuel Conley, also a farmer of this township; Adona, a farmer of Jefferson; Libbie, who was educated for a teacher, in which work she engaged three terms, but has since given her time to look- ing after the comfort of her father and the younger children, and is a good housekeeper ; Mary, wife of Fremont Wilson, who is a surveyor and one of the prominent men con- nected with the railroad which runs through Matthews, where he resides. He is a very prosperous man. Denver, the youngest, is a student in Taylor University, where he is taking a mathematical course, preparatory to fitting himself for the profession of a practical surveyor. He is a bright young man and promises to become a leader in whatever he undertakes. Mr. Horner has endeavored to give each of his children a substantial education, and has given to the world a family of intelligent men and women who are a credit to the community and will be long remembered as honorable and up- right citizens.
The married life of Mr. and Mrs. Horner began in MeDonough county, Illinois, where they resided two years. They returned to Grant county and purchased forty-seven acres of land in Jefferson township, which
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they afterward sold, buying eighty acres which is included in the present estate. Only six acres of this was cleared when they took possession of the little cabin which formed the principal improvements, and they de- veloped and cultivated the ground, adding more land until they had a farm of one hun- dred and eighty acres in this township. He at one time owned the land upon which Taylor University stands and sold it to the trustees that the college might be built there. Mr. Horner is a member of the Methodist church and gave material assistance in the building of the present edifice, which is a credit to the neighborhood. His own prop- erty shows thrift and care in its management and is notable for its neat, orderly appear- ance. He is an unyielding Democrat and believes the country is in danger unless a change is had in the administration-a view in which a great many people coincide. He has been a prominent factor in Grant county for many years and his sterling qualities have made him universally esteemed.
JOHN JAMISON LEFAVOUR.
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One of the many truly representative men whose exertions have made wonderful progress in the advancement of Grant coun- ty during the last quarter of the nineteenth century is John J. Lefavour, whose valua- ble estate lies in the township of Van Bu- ren, some nine miles to the northeast of Ma- rion, and in a country where there are several fine farms, which have been made from the wilderness during the period mentioned.
This gentleman first saw the light in
Delaware county, Indiana, on the 5th of April, 1853. As indicated by the name, the family origin is traced to France, of which country Joseph, the grand father of John, was a native. John Lefavour and his father came to America with General La - Fayette and fought under Washington for the independence of the colonies. The great- grandfather settled in Boston, Massachu- setts, was there married and reared a family. The grandfather of subject came west and settled in Indianapolis, where, being a, car- penter, he built the third cabin in the town. He later moved to Delaware county, where his death occurred at the age of seventy- six years. His children still reside in this state. His son, Clinton, became a black- 'smith, at which trade he worked in Wheel- ing when his son John J. was a small child. His wife, the mother of John J., was Pris- cilla Jamison.
Some of the boyhood years of John were passed in the state of Texas. In 1861 he came to Huntington county, Indiana, and soon after the war his father settled finally in Van Buren, some six miles east of Marion, Grant county, where he ope- rated a shop until 1877, when he removed to the state of Kansas, going later to the territory of Washington, and in the fall of 1900 returned to Grant county, Indiana, John had remained with his father until reaching the age of twenty-two, when he was married to Miss Amanda, daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth Smith. She was then a brilliant young lady of nineteen and had lived in Van Buren since about thirteen. Two years later, renting in the meantime, he secured his present tract of land, pay- ing twenty-three hundred dollars for eighty acres and assuming an indebtedness of one
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thousand dollars. There were but twenty acres cleared, so that he had ample oppor- tunity to exercise not only his brawn but his brain as well. He has added to the original purchase until it contains one hun- dred and forty acres, of which one hundred and twenty-five acres are in cultivation. About thirty-two hundred rods of tile have been placed beneath the ground, this feat- ure of improvement reclaiming many acres that were waste land until drained by this procedure. All of the tract was originally flat and wet, but the effort at drainage has brought it into a productive and profitable condition, the yield of crops being such as to compare favorably with any other estate in the vicinity. Commodious barns and other necessary buildings have been erect- ed, the whole presenting an appearance that excites the favorable comment of all pass- ers. Lying in the valuable oil field, five wells have already been sunk on this farm and are now in active operation, the yield adding materially to the general income of the proprietor. Starting with almost noth- ing, the progress was necessarily slow for many years, but by the constant exercise of the qualities of perseverance, industry and determination, that success has come to him that the conditions of the times might justify an honest man in expecting.
January 8, 1897, Mr. Lefavour was called upon to yield his claims upon his companion to that Higher Power whose demands none can gainsay. This lady was well qualified to fill the duties of a model wife and mother, and one whose influence and training of her six children was of the best. Jesse H., the eldest, was educated in the Fairmount AAcademy, and at the age of eighteen began to teach, being now employed
for the sixth time in the schools of his na- tive township. Ariel Inez is the wife of Bert Harvey, of Van Buren; and Nora, Pearl, Lulu and Chester are at home.
January 19, 1898, Miss Nevada Roland became the wife of Mr. Lefavour, and is the mother of one child, Frank. Her par- ents were Joseph and Nancy ( Van Meter ) Roland, and she was born in Hancock county, coming to this community at the age of two years.
For ten years Mr. Lefavour has served the Church of the Disciples at Van Buren as deacon. He is a Democrat in political affiliation, believing in the principles upon which the party stands as recently advocated by the great leader, William Jennings Bryan.
THOMAS D. McVICKER.
Thomas D. McVicker is the worthy scion of a noble race and is classed among the representative men of Upland, Grant county, Indiana. He was born in Jeffer- son township. July 4. 1849. grew to man - hood in the community and resides on his well kept farm about two miles from Upland and within a stone's throw of his birth- place.
David McVicker, deceased, the father of our subject, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, March 25, 1820, and at the age of fourteen accompanied his mother to this state and entered a tract of land in Jeffer- son township. May 28, 1846, he contracted marriage with Miss Anna Dean, whose biog- raphy appears elsewhere, and brought her to the home she still occupies. He was hard-working and honest, and accumulated
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two hundred acres of land which he placed in a high state of improvement. He died July 10, 1883, leaving a widow and four children. Jennie, the youngest and only daughter makes her home with her mother and is a lady of excellent education and an enviable reputation as a teacher. The sons are all prominent farmers of this township: Dennis, who is elsewhere represented, Thomas, our subject, and Davis, who lives with his mother and takes charge of the homestead. The mother was born in Hamp- shire county, Virginia, February 23, 1822, and was about fifteen when her parents came to this county. Her father, Thomas Dean, was born in Virginia about 1795. and was a man of goode education, who spent many years of his life in teaching school. Later he moved north and gave his attention to husbandry, accumulating a property valued at about twenty-five thousand dol- lars. Mrs. McVicker is now in her seven- ty-eight year and is hale and hearty.
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