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 87
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reception of his family. In 1836 the family and household goods were loaded into a two-horse wagon and started across country for the new home which awaited them in the forests of Indiana, and happy were they when they were once more re-united and comiciled in their humble little home. Their surroundings were primitive and they were, indeed, near to nature's heart; deer and even wolves and bear inhabited the forest, while the red men were far more numerous than the whites, who, like angel-visits, were few and far between.
Father Dean was a good marksman and has killed deer within three hundred yards of his home. He was a most successful man in his business and was reputed to be worth some twenty-five thousand dollars at the time of his death, September 4, 1878. He was a Whig in politics. Mother Dean was born in the state of Maryland in 1795 and survived her husband three years, dying in 1881. They were the parents of three chil- dren, two of whom were sons and both are deceased. Many of the older residents of Grant county can recall this worthy couple. and the words of warm affection and esteem in which their tribute is paid tells of the strong and enduring friendship that bound them to Mr. and Mrs. Dean. Industry and honesty were the mottoes of their lives, and the influence for good that they exerted over the early settlers has been far-reaching in its results.
Anna Dean was a child of fifteen when her parents took up their residence in this county ; rather we should speak of her as a young woman, as she did a woman's share in the work of the family. The children of those early days knew that idleness was not for them and they developed into men and
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women of independence and ability at an age when the present generation is in the nursery or at best the school-room. The school Anna Dean attended was conducted for a short period each year in a log house built for that purpose and furnished in a manner that would strike with dismay a scholar of the present day should he be re- quired to seek an education among such sur- roundings. The seats were all of a height, made from split saplings, which were hewn smooth and upheld by wooden legs. These benches were all that were considered nec- essary for the younger pupil, the book being kept on the seat by his side. The seat had neither back or desk, and if the child was too short to rest his feet upon the floor it was his misfortune ; no provision was made for such a circumstance, as he would grow into the proper size in time. The larger boys and girls were furnished desks upon which to practice writing, the desk being a wide board supported by long pegs which were driven into the walls, and the pens were home-made from the goose or turkey quill, shaped and kept in repair by the master. Amidst such surroundings Miss Dean gath- ered a valuable fund of information, but her education did not stop with her school days, for she has been an omniverous reader and much has also been gained by experience. She was one of the most successful teachers ir: this county for three years, and abandoned that field for the higher calling of wifehood and motherhood.
David McVicker was born in Guernsey . county, Ohio, March 25, 1820, educated in the district schools and reared to agricult- ural pursuits. At the age of fourteen he ac- companied his mother to this county, where they entered a tract of government land,
while his brother, Archibald, entered a tract in the adjoining county of Blackford. On May 28, 1846, he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Dean, and brought his bride to the homestead which she still occupies. This comprised two hundred acres of land, upon which he had placed some improve- ments. The forest gave place to smooth lawn and well cultivated fields, and the log cabin was replaced by a substantial modern structure, which is at once commodious and beautiful. Three sons and three daughters were the offspring of this union, four of whom are living and residents of this lo- cality. They are as follows: Dennis, who i .: represented elsewhere in this work; Thomas D., a prosperous farmer of this township; Davis, who resides on the home- stead with his mother and is manager of the farm; and Jennie, who finished a com- mon-school education with a course in the Marion Normal, and was one of the efficient teachers of Grant county. She makes her home with her mother.
Mr. McVicker went up into the light of the eternal morning on July 10, 1883, leaving a wide circle of friends to mourn him. He was a Democrat in politics and a consistent member of the Methodist church, to which his wife also belongs. He was a kind and indulgent husband and father and a citizen of the highest type whose loss in the town- ship was deeply felt. Mrs. McVicker is spending her declining years on the farm to which she came as a bride sixty-four years ago, her steps cheered and supported by af- fectionate children and loving friends, for whom she is ever ready with smile and word of welcome in her life like a "sweet star gently falling in the evening's purple light."
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WILLIS O. MODLIN.
Willis O. Modlin, of Matthews, Indi- ana, resides on his farm in Jefferson town- ship, Grant county, and easily takes the jead as farmer and stock-raiser. He was born in this county April 7, 1869, and is one of five children born to William and Jane ( Benbow ) Modlin, all of whom have became creditable members of society. George, who is represented elsewhere, is county auditor and resides in Marion; Wil- lis O .; Lillian M. is the wife of Mr. Pil- cher, a stationary engineer of Marion; Myrtle, wife of Professor McMullen, of the Marion Normal, graduated from the common school in 1892, then from the Ma- rion Normal, where she took the teachers and scientific courses. She was engaged in teaching for two years in this county; and Edgar C., who is engaged on a large cattle ranch in Oklahoma, completes the number.
William Modlin, the father, was born October 16, 1839, in this county, and died August 8, 1897. He was a contractor and also engaged in agriculture. He was very successful in his business affairs and was upright and honorable in all his dealings, winning the confidence and respect of all who had transactions of any kind with him. He was a strong Republican, an ardent ad- mirer of Abraham Lincoln and hated the institution of slavery with a bitter hatred. He and his wife were zealous workers in the Friends church and were foremost in all charitble movements. In his death Grant county lost a valued citizen and the community an able counselor and guide. His wife was also a native of Grant coun-
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ty, and was born July 20, 1840. She is a (laughter of Aaron and Catherine B. (El- liott ) Benbow, who had twelve children, of whom nine are living. Isaac E. served for three years in the Civil war; Elvira mar- ried Reverend Gordon, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the other members of the family are scattered over various parts of the country.
Aaron Benbow was born in the Buck- eye state in 1812, and died in 1875. He was a mechanic by trade and came to this state in his boyhood. He was a Wesleyan Methodist and a devout Christian gentle . man. His wife was born in Randolph county, this state, in 1819, and died in 1898. Her parents were early settlers of Grant county, her father, Isaac Grant, en- tering land from the government which is now occupied by the Marion Soldiers' Home. Mrs. Modlin is a remarkably well- preserved lady and is still quite active fon one of her years, finding her greatest en- joyment in contributing to the happiness of others. She makes her home with her son George in Marion.
Willis O. Modlin is a young man of exceptional attainments and has received an academical education in the Fairmount Academy, taking a literary, scientific and teachers' course. He then engaged in teaching, and was employed in this manner for four years, when he embarked in stock raising and agriculture, combining the two pursuits in such a manner as to make the one subserve the other, and has met with flattering success. He is endowed with ex- ceptional business capacity, and exercises an acumen and judgment seldom displayed by a man of his years. He chose as his
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wife Miss Nancy V. Crow, to whom he was united March 24, 1897. One child, a son of two years, Donal, has blessed this union. They are a young couple of cultured taste, and have gathered in their home some literary works of merit from the very best authors. Having received good educations, they are anxious to have others accorded the same privilege, and recogniz- ing the fact that it is not always possible to raise the money necessary to defray ex- penses through college, they are in favor of raising the standard of the public schools and making of them institutions worthy the name, where the pupil may receive thor- ough training in all common branches with a more thorough instruction in the sciences given in the high school. They are hon- ored members of the Presbyterian church, in which they take an active interest, al- though Mr. Modlin was reared a Quaker. He is a Republican in politics and has served as delegate to county and congressional con- ventions. He is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, having joined Lodge No. 383, of Cumberland, and both he and his wife are members of the Daughters of Rebekah.
Nancy V. Crow was born in Delaware county, Indiana, October 22, 1872, and is a daughter of Michael and Margaret (Wil- helm) Crow. There were but two chil- . dren, Nancy and her brother, B. W., who is an agriculturist of Delaware county, but at present is a student in the University of Indiana, where he is taking a literary course. Michael Crow was born in Dela- ware county November 30, 1845, and de- parted this life December 24, 1895. Mrs. Modlin still retains the old parchment deed to the one hundred and sixty acres of land
upon which they resided in Delaware coun- ty. It was dated August 5, 1837, and bears the signature of Martin Van Buren, and is quite a valuable relic. Her father was an agriculturist, and was yet a young and act- ive man when he took charge of the farm which was located in Washington town- ship. It had received but little in the way of improvement, much of it still being in timber, and it required a great deal of hard work to bring it into anything like a state of cultivation. He enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Indi- ana Regiment, during the Rebellion and served as a hundred-day man, receiving his honorable discharge September 2, 1864. He was a strong Republican and a strict adherent of the doctrines of Presbyterian- ism. He was widely known and respected, and increased this circle during the three years of his residence in Grant county. His wife was born May 9, 1851, in this county, and passed away May 17, 1900. She was a daughter of Frederick and Mar- garet (Kunkel) Wilhelm, natives of Ger- many, the latter of whom is still living, in her eighty-eighth year. Their family was made up of five sons and two daughters.
Mrs. Modlin is a lady who had devoted her youth to obtaining an education, and graduated from the public schools in 1891. The months immediately following were spent in Oberlin College in close application to instrumental music, and that fall she en- tered Fairmount Academy, where she took the scientific course. In the fall of 1893 she entered Taylor University, taking the full scientific course, graduating in June, 1895. She is a skilled musician, whose delicacy of touch and exquisite rendering place her in the front rank of pianists, and
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her services as an instructor are highly val- ued. They are popular in all social cir- cles, and their hospitality is too well known to be eulogized in these pages.
GEORGE E. EVISTON (DECEASED).
Among the honored dead of Grant coun- ty, Indiana, is found the name of George E. Eviston, who is well remembered as a worthy citizen and whose grave is marked on each decoration day by the emblem for which he gave his life.
George E. Eviston was born in Wheel- ing. West Virginia, February 1I, 1838, a son of Elias and Janetta (Burns) Eviston. While yet an infant he was taken by his parents to Muskingum county, Ohio, where he remained until about 1848, when the fam- ily selected Indiana as their future home, and located in Jefferson township, Grant county, where George E. grew to manhood. During these years he attended the common schools and assisted his father in making improvements on their new home, which in- deed were necessary. After spending some ten or twelve years on this farm they re- moved to Washington township, same coun- ty, where George E., at the age of twenty- one, began life for himself by working at the carpenter trade, which he followed, to- gether with farming, until he enlisted as a private in the Civil war in August, 1861, being chosen as second sergeant in Company A, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
While in the service he did duty in Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, and while located at Georgetown, Missouri, he drank water from a spring which had been poisoned by the Rebels who had lately left
there, and from which he suffered greatly, and was discharged on account of disability in October, 1861, came home and was un- (ler the doctor's care, but never regained his health, and on June 21, 1879, departed this life.
On the 20th day of April, 1862, George E. Eviston and Miss Sarah Craw were united in marriage. To this union were born two children, named in order of birth as follows: Alonzo, the first born to gladden their home, was permitted to remain with them but a short time until the death angel came and took him home; Luna J., the sec- ond and last born, is now the wife of E. H. Neal, who is postmaster of Jonesboro; they also have two children, namely : Goldie and George.
Mrs. Sarah Eviston, widow of George E .. is still living in Jonesboro, where she is enjoying a "ripe old age," and has the love and esteem of all who know her.
George E. Eviston was a member of the I. O. O. F., in which he was for many years an active member. In religion he was a worshiper in the Methodist church, and in politics he was a Republican.
He will long be remembered as an hon- est, upright man, and in his death Mrs. Eviston lost a true and lovable companion, the children a devoted and indulgent father and the community an honored citizen.
THOMAS F. SCOTT.
Thomas F. Scott, a veteran of the Civil war and a life-long resident of Jefferson township, Grant county, Indiana, is well worthy a place among the leading men . of the county. He was born in Guern-
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sey county, Ohio, February 24, 1842, and is the seventh in a family of nine children born to Thomas and Nancy (McCoy) Scott. But two are living, Mr. Scott and his brother John, who is a carpenter and joiner of Reno, Kansas. The father was born in Steubenville, Ohio, about 1804, and lived to the age of sixty-six years. The parents of Thomas Scott were natives of Ireland and came to America to better their fortunes, settling in Ohio, where they en- gaged in farming.
Thomas Scott also made that his voca- tion, attending the primitive schools of his neighborhood during his boyhood. He was a very busy man, who made the most of his opportunities, and when the new country was opened and the tide of immigration set in to this state, Mr. Scott saw a chance to improve his condition by purchasing the unimproved land. Accordingly he came to Grant county and bought one hundred and sixty acres, and in 1852 moved his family here, making the trip by wagon. Their first house was constructed of round logs and was sixteen by eighteen feet in dimen- sions, with clapboard roof. The fireplace was five or six feet wide and heated the room, besides giving a cheerful light by which to sit. Father Scott was a Whig, but espoused the principles of Republican- ism at the birth of that party. He and his wife were members of the Methodist church and were true Christians. Mother Scott was born in Guernsey county about 1808, and died in 1874. She was a good neigh- bor and an indulgent mother.
Thomas F. Scott was educated in the common schools, which were of log made very much like the house in which his fa- ther lived. Benches of split saplings and
a broad board fastened to the side of the wall for a desk completed the furniture. He was an industrious youth and gave his father much assistance in clearing and cul- tivating the farm. When he was twenty. years old the distant rumble of war was heard, growing louder and more ominous as the days passed until at last it culminated in the struggle which threatened the dis- ruption of our nation. Patriotic and fear- less, Thomas F. Scott was among the first to proffer his life for the good of his be- loved flag, and on August 12, 1862, he en- listed in Company C, Eighty-fourth Indi- ana Regiment, at Richmond, this state, un- der Captain William A. Boyd and Colonel Treesler. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and partici- pated in some of the hardest fought bat- tles of the Rebellion. His first engagement was at Chickamauga, where the loss was very heavy and his comrades fell thick around him. The soldier on each side fell, pierced by a Rebel bullet, also the man just behind him, and just back of that man was Lieutenant Smith, who was also killed. Mr. Scott took part in the Atlanta cam- paign and was present at the actions at Re- saca, Dalton, Strawberry Plains and Pump- kin Vine Creek. The regiment was under fire all summer, and at the battle of Rocky Face Ridge Mr. Scott's hat was perforated by a minie ball, closer than most people 1 would care to have it strike. At Moccasin Point they underwent much privation and were badly in need of food. Here Mr. Scott parted with his last money (thirty cents) for one pint of Indian corn, which he parched and ate to stave off the pangs of hunger. The news that the war was over was received by the boys with the wildest
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enthusiasm, and thoughts once more turned homeward in the hope of clasping their loved ones again to their bosoms; and the certainty that the weary tramp was almost ended and home would soon be in view infused in their tired, worn bodies new life and strength. The regiment was disbanded at Camp Parker and received their dis- charge, and in thirty-four months of ser- vice Mr. Scott was never wounded or in the hospital, although he had several close calls from death, and was home but once on a furlough. Returning finally to his home, he took up the broken thread of life and soon adapted himself to the old routine of former days.
On September 28, 1873, he was united in marriage with Miss Uree Slater, a na- tive of Grant county and daughter of Will- iam and Mary (Tacy) Slater. She is a sister of Trustee Slater, who is represented on another page. She is a lady of intelli- gence and refinement, and had taught one term in Monroe township, showing herself to be well qualified for the work which she abandoned to become the wife of Mr Scott. Fourteen children were the fruits of this marriage, and eleven are now alive and honored by all who know them. They are Charlie, who is associated with his father in the pursuits of agriculture. He cast his first vote for McKinley, and will give him his support this fall. Carrie lives at home and has a teacher's certificate, but prefers to help her mother. Minnie, who made a grade of eighty-six and one-half per cent. in scholarship and is one of the popular and efficient teachers in the Cumberland school. Harry will take up high-school work this fall and is a good student. Nora will also take up high-school work in Cumberland.
Bertha will graduate next year. Ella, Clar- ence and Thomas are all in school. Anna and Ada are the babies at home. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have spared no pains or expense to give their children good educations and thus fit them for the higher duties of life and to become good men and women, and their example in this respect is worthy of commendation and emulation. The future prosperity of the nation depends upon the children of to-day; if they grow up enlight- ened and intelligent we may expect a na- tion guided by wisdom, but if the present generation grow up in ignorance and sloth the government is bound to degenerate.
When Thomas F. Scott and his wife began their wedded life they had forty acres of land, upon which were a frame stable and a log house. The latter is still standing. They have been very successful in their la- bors, and now have an estate of two hun- dred and twenty-six acres, all well improved, as a monument to their industry and per- severance. Their large barn was erected in 1885, and three years later they built the handsome structure in which they now reside. They are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Cumber- land, and Mr. Scott is a member of B. R. Dunn Post, No. 446, G. A. R., and has at- tended six or seven of their annual encamp- ments, the last one being in Chicago. He is a Republican.
SAMUEL G. STOVER.
Samuel G. Stover, an extensive stock raiser and farmer of Jefferson township, Grant county, Indiana, was born in Augusta county, Virginia, December 25, 1843. His
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father, David Stover, was born in 1808 in Augusta county, Virginia, and engaged in farming in his native state until the Civil war broke out, when his property was swal- lowed up and he was obliged to start anew. Previous to this time he had been a Demo- crat, but, like many other conscientious men of his time, he felt that the party had espoused a policy entirely foreign to their former principles, and that he could no longer endorse it, and from that time he became identified with the Republicans. The war caused many families to lose every- thing they had accumulated, and as Mr. Stover saw little prospect of repairing his 'ruined fortunes in the south, he moved his family by private conveyance to Henry county, Indian, where he was a renter for many years. He was united in marriage with Miss Mary Ann Bushong, who was born in 1814 and was a native of the same state, where they grew up together. She bore his four sons and three daughters, and passed to her reward in August, 1877, sixteen years after they moved to their northern home. They were courteous and kindly by nature, and the nobility of their lives has been a strong factor in shaping the characters of their children. They were members of the United Brethren church and faithful workers in the Master's vine- yard. The children left to perpetuate their memory and name are Mary, wife of Charles Holley, a farmer of Henry county, Indi- ana; Samuel G .; and David, who is a prominent farmer of Blackford county, this state. The father rounded out a goodly life, and on December 19, 1895, entered into the dreamless sleep which separates this world from the eternal.
Samuel G. Stover received most of his
education in the common schools of his native state, and was seventeen years of age when his parents moved to Indiana. He remained at home until he reached his majority, and had even at that age estab- lished habits of industry and economy that have since led to his success in business. He had saved one hundred and twenty- five dollars by the time he was twenty-one, and from that age until he was twenty- nine worked by the month as a farm hand, exercising the same frugality that had char- acterized his earlier life. Hard work had no terrors for him, and the faithfulness with which he discharged his duties insured his constant employment. He was then married and began farming in Delaware county, where he remained for three years, coming to Grant county in 1876, and pur- chasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Jefferson township. This land was but partially improved, and theirs was among the first frame houses in the town- ship. They did not have sufficient means to pay in full for their farm, so that they were obliged to go in debt for part of the purchase price, the amount, however, soon being saved from the splendid yields which Mr. Stover knows so well how to produce from his land. In 1889 they added eighty more acres to the original, and built their present handsome residence four years later.
February 11, 1873, occurred the mar- riage of Samuel Stover and Miss Mary Emma Shirey, daughter of John M. and Leannalı (Miller) Shirey. Her father was born in Augusta county, Virginia, April 18, 1816, was educated in the common schools, moved to Delaware county, this state, in 1851, and followed farming there until his death, January 7, 1885. He was
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a good man, an old-line Whig and a Re- publican later. He and his wife were mem- bers of the Lutheran Evangelical church and very strict in their religious observance. The mother was born in Roanoke county, Virginia, December 14, 1819, and preceded her husband to their heavenly home some three years, passing away on May 17, 1882. Four of the seven children born to them are living. Mr. and Mrs. Stover have had six children, but three of whom are living. They are Florence E., who graduated from the common schools in the class of 1899 and is now a student in the Upland Uni- versity, also a student in music; Pearl, a graduate of 1900 and a student of vocal music; and Paul, who is making rapid strides in his studies and has great ability in mathematics. Mrs. Stover was born in Roanoke county, Virginia, October 14, 1845, and was but a little girl of five years when she became a resident of Delaware county. Her charitable disposition and winning ways have brought her into close relation with her neighbors, by whom she is honored and loved. She and her husband are devout members of the Methodist Epis- copal church at Cumberland, but a number of churches as well as other benevolent en- terprises have received of their generous Stover has been affiliated with the Repub- bounty. Mr. Stover has been affiliated with the Republican party for years, General Grant being the first president for whom he voted. They are now enjoying a well- earned prosperity among their children and friends, on the land which has been tilled, fenced and otherwise improved by them un- til it is one of the most desirable in the county and stands as a monument to their enterprise.
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