USA > Indiana > Greene County > Biographical memoirs of Greene County, Ind. : with reminiscences of pioneer days, Volume III > Part 25
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The subject and wife are the parents of six children, as follows: William L., an attorney of Bloomfield. In- diana : Theodore, also an attorney in Bloomfield ; Marga- ret is the wife of Finley Spooner, living in Bloomfield : Charlie is a farmer living in Washington township, Greene county, Indiana : Steven is living at home : Ethel was the wife of Charles Armstrong. She is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. N. V. Slinkard lived for some time in Da- viess county, Indiana, after their marriage. He is a Dem- ocrat, and has been supervisor of his county and is now on the advisory board. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been through the chairs and is a member of the grand lodge. Both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and they are highly respected by everybody in Newberry.
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JOHN I. MILAM.
In the death of John I. Milam, for a number of years me of the pad lic-spirited and representative citizens of Bloomfield. the county of Greene lost a man who promised to worthily fill important trusts. He was honored by his fellow men and his career, though comparatively brief, conferred credit and dignity upon the community and his influence had much to do in molding the senti- ment of the political party with which he affiliated and led it to victory in a number of hotly contested campaigns. He was essentially a man of the people, a true American of the period in which he lived and possessing the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens. It is but just to state that on the roster of Greene county's men of ability and sterling worth his name shines with peculiar luster.
The family of which John I. Milam was an honor- able representative has been known in Greene county since the pioneer period, his father having moved here from Virginia in an early day and settled in what is now Rich- land township, where he purchased land, cleared a farm. and in connection with the pursuit of agriculture also operated a cooper shop. He was a man of influence in his community, a leader in all worthy enterprises for its material advancement. and is remembered as a most excel- lent and praiseworthy citizen, who did much for the moral improvement of those with whom he mingled. His wife. before marriage was Margaret Routt, also belonged to one of the old and highly esteemed families of Greene county, and was a lady of beautiful character and many virtues, whose life was a blessing to her relatives and
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friends and a benediction to all with whom she came in contact. This excellent couple passed to their reward some years ago and left as a priceless heritage to their posterity the memory of names and deeds which time can neither obliterate nor dim.
John I. Milam was born April 21. 1834, and spent his early life on the family homestead. receiving the best education which the schools of the time could impart. He devoted especial attention to penmanship and in due time became one of the most skillful and artistic penmen in this part of the state, his chipography as it appears on the county records having almost the smoothness and fault- less symmetry of the finest copper plate. His father dying when John was quite young, his mother subsequently be- came the wife of Hugh L. Livingston, a lawyer of Bloom- field, who proved a father indeed to the lad and spared no effort to rear him to a life of honor and usefulness. Later he entered the service of Samuel R. Cavins, and while still a youth he was given a position in the clerk's office by that gentleman, and practically spent the remain- cler of his life in the same, serving a number of years as deputy and later was elected clerk, the duties of which office he discharged with credit to himself and to the sat- isfaction of the public until his death, which occurred while serving his second term. Mr. Milam was a Demo- crat of the most pronounced type.and it is doubtful if his party in Greene county has ever enjoyed the services of a more adroit or successful leader. He was a natural politician, judicious in counsel, shrewd in planning cam- paigns, skillful in conducting the same and to him more than any other man was the local Democracy indebted for
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its strength and success during the years of his leader- ship. With all his ability as a politician he was eminently honorable in his methods, never resorted to the undigni- fied and questionable practices of the professional parti- san, but on the contrary so conducted the affairs of his party as to gain not only the confidence of his political as- sociates, but the esteem and good will of those holding views directly the opposite of his own.
On December 26, 1854. Mr. Milam was united in the bonds of wedlock with Miss Julia Ferguson, who was born near Shelbyville, Kentucky, the daughter of William and Susan (Graves) Ferguson, of that state, but early set- tlers of Greene county. Indiana. Mr. Ferguson moved his family to this county when Mrs. Milam was a small child and located in Highland township, where in due time he became a progressive farmer and leading citizen and where he spent the remaining years of his life. Him- self and wife were consistent members of the Presbyte- rian church and leaders in all laudable movements for the betterment of their friends and neighbors, among whom they were held in high esteem and regard. They were the parents of eight children, as follows: William H .. Eliza, Andres, Benjamin, America, Esther J., Mary and Julia A., the majority of whom grew to years of ma- turity and became well settled in life and highly respected in their several places of residence.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Milam was blessed with four children, namely: John, Mack, Mitton and Nettie, wife of Dr. M. Beaty, all deceased but the last named, who lives in Cincinnati, where her husband is a practicing physician.
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Measured by the true standard of excellence, Mr. Milam may be considered a man of noble aims and high ideals, whose life was filled to repletion with activity and usefulness, and who ever tried to do the right as he saw and understood it. He wielded an influence for good in the community and proved worthy of the high trust re- posed in him by his fellow men, and as a neighbor and citizen none stood higher in the esteem of the public.
On the 23d day of July, 1865, in his thirty-second year, when life seemed full of hope and promise, the final dissolution came, which soon or late must come to all. and his untimely death was felt as a personal bereavement in the city where his life had been so signally accom- plished. To those who knew him no words of eulogy are needed, for his life was an open book, inviting the closest scrutiny, and there were few if any blots on its fair pages. Of honest worth and unostentatious character, his name merits an enduring place on the roll of Greene county's representative men, while his memory is destined long to be cherished in the hearts of his friends and fellow citizens.
Three years after the death of Mr. Milam, Mrs. Mi- lam became the wife of John J. Hardy, July 14, 1868, a well known and highly respected resident of Bedford, to a brief review of whose life the remainder of this sketch is devoted. Mr. Hardy was a native of Virginia, but came to Indiana in his youth and grew to maturity in Lawrence county. He early learned blacksmithing, and. acquiring great skill as a workman, was not long in build- ing up a lucrative patronage in Bedford, where he con- ducted a very successful establishment until physical dis-
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ability rendered imperative a less strenuous mode of life, when he disposed of his shop and engaged in the livery business.
Mr. Hardy was one of the brave young men of the North who so nobly responded to the country's call for defenders when the gallant ship of state was wrecked on the rugged rocks of treason and disunion, enlisting in Company G. Fourth Indiana Cavalry, with which he served until the expiration of the time for which he vol- unteered, when he re-enlisted in Company A, Fifteenth Indiana Infantry, remaining with the latter command un- til the close of the war. He entered the army as a private, but for gallant and meritorious conduct was promoted successively until reaching the position of major of his regiment. although the commission for the office did not arrive until after his discharge at the cessation of hos- tilities.
Few soldiers had as varied or thrilling experience as Mr. Hardy, and not one in a thousand ever went through as many dangerous situations as he and lived to tell the story. He took part in all the battles in which his regi- ment was engaged, received several wounds in as many actions and after one battle five bullets were extracted from his body, in addition to which his jawbone was broken by a flying missile and one ball that entered his shoulder finally made its way under the arm on the oppo- site side of the body. He was fairly riddled with shot and otherwise bruised, and the mystery of it all is that he ever lived through the deadly ordeal and reached his home. It was by reason of the effects of these injuries that he changed his business, as above stated, and contin-
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ued to suffer from his wounds as long as he lived, but being a soldier, true and tried, and a patriot who made everything subordinate to his love of country, he was never known to repine, but, on the contrary, was proud of the scars received in defense of the flag. for whose honor he gave a full measure of heroic service.
In politics he was stanchly and uncompromisingly Republican, and for a number of years was an active and influential member of the Grand Army post at Bloom- field. He discharged the duties of citizenship in the quiet. unostentatious manner becoming a true American, did much to promote the business interests of his city and in a marked degree enjoyed the confidence and friendship of his fellow men. To the best of his ability he lived up to his highest ideals of duty, and in his death the community lost a valuable citizen, the wife a devoted husband and the nation one of its brave and patriotic defenders.
WILLIAM S. DAVIS.
A striking illustration of what may be accomplished by industrious effort and persistent application is found in the character of our subject. who is one of the most successful farmers and stock breeders of Greene county. Mr. Davis was born in North Carolina on October 13. 1855. being the son of John W. and Mary (Walker) Da- vis, both natives of that state. The Davis family are of Scotch extraction, the ancestors having come to America during the time that such large numbers of Scotch and
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Irish people were leaving the foreign fields for homes in the new world. The paternal grandfather of Lemuel Davis followed farming and blacksmithing, and ended his days in North Carolina. He was an ardent lover of the American Union and enlisted from North Carolina in the army during the Mexican war, in which struggle he took an active part, doing most valiant and effective service.
In 1866, when our subject was eleven years old, his father removed to Rush county, Indiana, and worked out as a farm hand. After that he began farming on his own responsibility, and for several years we find him making frequent changes by way of purchasing or renting farm property. At this time he made several trips with his family to Missouri and Kansas, engaging there in farm- ing, sometimes making purchases and at other times rent- ing farm land. William received considerable experience in these ventures and profited greatly by what he could observe in making bargains and in executing transactions. John W. Davis was living in Greene county at the time of his death on June 11. 1898. He left seven children, his wife having departed this life several years previous. During the Civil war he joined the Confederate army and was first lieutenant in his company. He was a great help in the smithing department, and did considerable manu- facturing of stirrups for the soldiery. After two years. however, he lost sympathy with the southern army, join- ing himself to the Union troops, and continuing there- with until the war's close.
William received but a meager education, but ac- quired the faculty of keen observation and a tendency to experiment and investigate matters for himself. After
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reaching maturity he became engaged in farming, and during the years following this humble beginning he has made substantial additions to his original tract, until he has gained possession of two hundred and eight acres. He has made a close study of the science of agriculture and has been enabled so to apply his knowledge of crops and their needs that he has greatly increased his annual yield from year to year. In doing this he has demon- strated to others the value of scientific knowledge when it comes to farming and has proved that soils can be so treated as to give forth a greater yield without exhaustion than was at one time deemed possible.
In connection with the above Mr. Davis has had most conspicuous success in raising fine breeds of hogs, cattle and poultry. He holds sales at frequent intervals, at which time he often disposes of sufficient numbers to make his receipts quite large. His droves of Poland- China hogs are splendid examples of care and interest in their growth, and are the wonder of all who visit the farm. They are known far and wide as being among the best of their kind to be found in this country. The Short- horn cattle, too, marvels of excellence, are the most at- tractive features about the farm. Most of his stock is registered, and Mr. Davis takes great pride in keeping his animals in the best of condition and never lacks for a mar- ket when desiring to sell.
On November 24, 1894, Mr. Davis was joined in wedlock to Nancy A. Slinkard, daughter of Moses and Sarah (Smelser) Slinkard. Mrs. Davis is a member of the United Brethren church, and they are held in high esteem by their neighbors and friends. Their family con-
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sists of six children: The eldest died unnamed ; Winnie died in 1899. aged seventeen months and twenty-six days ; Charles D., born in August, 1899: William Henry, born October 13, 1901; Russell A., born January 9, 1904; Florence, the youngest, was born December 31, 1906.
Both parents and children take great pride in the wholesome atmosphere of the home, making it one of the most delightful places for their many visitors and friends.
GUY H. HUMPHREYS.
Success is not necessarily a matter of genius, as held by many, but rather the outcome of clear judgment, per- sistency and rightly applied effort. The successful man is he who plans his own advancement and accomplishes it in spite of opposition. Difficulties and obstacles will always disappear before determination and unfaltering energy, and, while the road to prosperity does not always seem plain, there can ever be found a path leading to the goal of one's hopes. Among those worthy sons of Greene county who had ambitions to excel in the battle of life is the subject of this sketch, who, although he had influential ancestors and enjoyed early advantages that many youths do not have, has gained his present prestige at the bar very largely through his own efforts and gained wide recognition in his chosen profession while yet a young man, by sheer force of his individuality.
Guy H. Humphreys was born in Linton January 15. 1878. the son of James H. Humphreys, cashier of the
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Linton Bank. His mother was Mattie \Jackson) Humphreys, who died when our subject was one year old. His paternal grandfather, Honorable Andrew Humphreys, was one of Greene county's most distin- guished citizens for a half century (a sketch of whose life is found elsewhere in this volume). The subject's maternal grandfather was Dr. Evan A. Jackson, a native of Kentucky, who was an early settler in Greene county.
Guy H. Humphreys received a liberal mental train- ing, having attended the public schools in Linton, later teaching school there for a period of three years, a part of this time being devoted to teaching in Stockton town- ship. He was principal one year in the common school department of the Indiana Boys' School at Plainfield. He was eminently successful in his educational work and many who had occasion to know of his work in this line regretted the fact that he gave up teaching to launch in the journalistic field in which, however, he was equally successful, having been city editorof the Linton Daily Call from 1902 to 1903. Later he was clerk in the Linton Bank for four years, showing his natural business tact in a very plausible manner while thus engaged, and he was called upon to serve his city from time to time as town clerk and town treasurer, later as city clerk and city treasurer. These positions came by appointment. In April, 1907. Mr. Humphreys was appointed by Governor Hanly a member of the board of control of the Indiana Boys' School at Plainfield in recognition of his faithful public service and the excellent record he had made. He still ably manages his part of this work in 1908.
Mr. Humphreys entered the Indiana State Univer-
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sity in 1904. where he made a brilliant record, complet- ing a three years' course in the law department in two years, graduating with honor in 1906, taking the degree of Bachelor of Law. He came to Bloomfield in 1906 and took up the practice of law, making a success from the first and soon becoming popular in that vicinity.
Our subject was happily married, February 10, 1903, to Carrie Elrod, of Bloomfield, a lady of a promi- nent family and possessing many admirable traits. She was private secretary to the superintendent of the Indiana Boys' School, and later assistant secretary of the presi- dent of the State University.
Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys are well known in the community where they reside for their hospitality. gen- iality and well ordered lives, making and retaining scores of friends and enjoying the undivided esteem of all who know them. Owing to the splendid start Mr. Hum- phreys has so early in life the future to him is an un- usually promising one and will doubtless be crowned with eminent success.
HARVEY DILLON HAXTON.
The present age is essentially utilitarian and in nearly every avenue of life the man of practical ideas is in evidence. Such a man is the well known gentleman whose name introduces this review and as such he has made his influence felt in different lines of enterprise and gained high standing among his fellow citizens of Worth- ington and the county of Greene. The Haxton family
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had its origin in Ireland, from which country the sub- ject's grandfather, Richard Haxton, came to America many years ago and settled in Pennsylvania, thence mi- grated to Indiana in pioneer times and entered land in Owen county, which he cleared and improved and on which he lived until his death in 1885 at an advanced age. The maiden name of the wife of this worthy an- cestor was Sabina Grim, a native of Ohio and a fit com- panion and helpmeet to her husband during the strenuous and trying period in which they were carving a home from the wilderness and rearing their family. Both were stanch Presbyterians of the type of which martyrs are made, and like others of their class they subordinated every other consideration subordinate to loyalty to their church and the principles of a rigid faith constituted the rule of life to which they closely adhered.
Alexander C. Haxton, father of the subject, was a native of Ohio, in which state his wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Harstine, was also born. These parents spent the greater part of their lives in Owen county, Indiana, where they reared a family and fol- lowed the pursuit of agriculture for a livelihood. Alex- ander Haxton enlisted in 1862 in Company F. Ninety- seventh Indiana Infantry, with which he served until disabled by a wound near the base of the brain, which incapacitated him for further duty and from the effects of which he has been a sufferer ever since, being at this time an invalid and unable to attend to his business af- fairs. Among the battles in which he participated were the siege and fall of Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge. Re- saca and the hundred days of continuous fighting at At-
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lanta, near which place he received the injury mentioned above.
H. D. Haxton was born on December 25, 1865, on the homestead in Owen county, and there, while still a youth, learned the lessons of industry which lead to suc- cess and the dignity of honest toil to which he owes his rise in life and present high standing as an enterprising man of affairs, Owing to weakness of vision he was obliged to discontinue his studies at a comparatively early age, but despite this defect he has always been a careful and intelligent observer, and by keeping in close touch with the trend of current thought has become widely informed on the leading questions and issues of the times and is now not only a well posted man, but in no small degree a moulder of opinion among his fellow citizens. Selecting agriculture for his life work he assisted in the cultivation of the home farm for a number of years and in 1898 purchased a fine place of one hundred acres, ad- joining the city of Worthington, which he still owns and manages. In addition to this he also looks after a farm of two hundred and forty acres, in Greene county, which is owned by his father, and as a farmer ranks with the most enterprising and successful in the county of his residence. as it attested by the ample competence which has rewarded his labors and management.
In 1905. Mr. Haxton became associated with W. H. Wadsworth in the insurance business, to which his atten- tion has since been largely devoted. In this as in his agricultural interests his success has been encouraging, and in the matter of farm property the business has grown to large proportions, being at this time more extensive perhaps than that of any other agent or firm in the county.
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Mr. Haxton is independent in politics and in 1896 was the Fusion candidate for the office of county treas- urer, but with the rest of his ticket went down in defeat before the formidable strength of opposing parties, al- though running far ahead of his associate candidates. Fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and in religion the Methodist Episcopal church represents his creed, of which his wife is also a member. His marriage was solemnized on April 29th, of the year 1800, with Bertha Schmidt, of Indianapolis, where her birth occurred. December 1. 1866, being the daughter of Ludwig and Pauline Schmidt. Mr. and Mrs. Hax- ton have no children. They own a comfortable modern home in Worthington, which is pervaded by a spirit of generous hospitality, and among their many friends and acquaintances they are held in high esteem.
SAMUEL F. HAYS.
One of the men whose energies have been directed toward the advancement of Greene county's best inter- ests, is the subject of the present sketch, who was born in this county, being the son of Marcus and Mary ( Leon- ard) Hays. The former was a native of Virginia, while the latter was born in Indiana. Mr. Hays' paternal an- cestors were of Scotch-Irish extraction and had their home in Virginia. The Leonards were of English de- scent and came from New Jersey. Mr. Leonard settled in Owen county and followed farming and carpentry. Marcus Hays, father of the subject, attended the
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seminary at Parkersburg, West Virginia, and also at Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. Here he was asso- ciated with Nicholas Longworth, grandfather of the present statesman. Later he came to Owen county, In- diana, and in 1849 moved to his farm near Worthington, . continuing there until his death, July 25, 1900. His first marriage occurred on May 20, 1850, to Mary Leon- ard, who died March 2, 1874. She bore him eight chil- dren, as follows: Byron, born December 29. 1852, died January 17, 1875; Benjamin F., born March 15, 1855. is now living in this county, having married Josephine Hays April 9, 1884, and has one son, Harvey McDonald; Joseph F. was born July 19. 1857, and died October 21, 1876: Lida, born January 13, 1860, became the wife of N. C. Houstan October 5, 1881, a commission merchant of Omaha, Nebraska, and she died July 9. 1888, having been the mother of one daughter, Josephine, who is also deceased : Dora L., born June 12, 1862, departed this life August 14. 1864: our subject was the next in order of birth : Marcus was born September 14. 1869, and is now farming in Greene county, having married Evangeline Sanders, October 25. 1893, and became the father of one son, Marcus : Flora was born October 25, 1872, and died July 18, 1873. Our subject was married a second time, September 16, 1875: this time to Anna P. McCord, of Bloomington.
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