USA > Indiana > Rush County > Centennial history of Rush County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 29
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ELIJAH A. KIRKPATRICK, one of the public-spirited citizens of Posey township, was born in Jackson township, Rush county, on the 15th day of May, 1849, and is the son of William and Susannah (Corbin) Kirkpatrick, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Fayette county, Indiana. Mr. Kirkpatrick came to Rush county in young manhood and located in Jackson township, where he followed farming during the remaining years of his life, becoming the owner of two hundred and seventy-nine acres of land in that township. Of the ten children who were born to him and his wife, but three are now living, namely : Hannah G., Martha J. and Elijah A. Elijah A. Kirkpatrick received his educational training in the
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Osborne school, and he remained on the home place until his marriage, in 1870, when he rented a tract of land from his father and began farming operations on his own account. After enltivating rented land for about fifteen years, Mr. Kirkpatrick bought a forty-acre farm, following which he successively bought and sold several farms until 1892, when he bought and located on the farm where he now lives and where he has since made many splendid improvements, the present appearance of the place indicating him to be a man of good ideas and practical methods. He carries on general farming opera- tions, and also deals extensively in live stock, buying and selling hogs and cattle, in which he has been successful. On February 6, 1870, Mr. Kirkpatrick was married to Laura A. Leisure, a native of Jackson township, Rush county, the daughter of Henry and Elsie Leisure. To their union were born two children, Owen E. and D. Claude, both of whom are deceased. Owen E. Kirkpatrick, who was a merchant in Hancock county, Indiana, married Katie Humphrey and they had two children, Glenn and Wilbur. D. Claude Kirkpatrick, who conducted a real estate and insurance business in Lincoln, Nebraska, married Nellie Frakes and they had two children, Alta and an infant, both deceased. Mrs. Laura Kirkpatrick died on April 6, 1888, and on November 8, 1891, Mr. Kirkpatrick was married to Angie Cox, who was born and reared in Hancock county, Indiana, the daughter of Riley and Sarah (Leary) Cox, both of whom were also natives of Hancock county, where Mr. Cox followed the vocation of farming. He and his wife were the parents of four children, three of whom are living, Martha, Stella and Angie. Politically, Mr. Kirkpatrick gives his support to the Democratic party. He is a member of the Chris- tian church, while Mrs. Kirkpatrick is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to both of which societies they give liberal support. Throughout his long life here he has ever enjoyed the confidence and good will of all who have had dealings with him and he has always been an ardent supporter of every movement the object of which was the advancement of the public welfare in any way.
WILLIAM WILLIAMS, one of the most widely known citizens of Rush county, who after a long period of strenuous endeavor, is now retired from active life and is quietly spending his last days in New Salem, comes from one of the real pioneer families of Rush county, for his paternal grandparents, Isaac and Margaret Williams, were the first white settlers in that part of the county now comprised in what is Noble township. Isaac Williams was a native of Tennessee and his wife was born and reared in the Cumberland mountains of Tennessee. They made the trip north to their Indiana destination by horseback-or, rather, they took turns in coming horseback, as they had but one horse and the family comprised the parents and two children. They first stopped in Franklin county, where they remained for a time. In the spring of 1818 they came to this locality and "squatted" in what is now Rush county, their cabin home being in what later was organized as Noble township. Here they lived and improved their home as best they could, and when the land here was
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opened for sale Isaac Williams entered this land from the Government, and there he spent the remainder of his days. Among his children was John Williams, who was born in Franklin county, Indiana, in 1813, and who married Elizabeth Wilson, a native of Kentucky. In his childhood he had been brought to Rush county by his parents and here was reared to manhood. He followed the vocation of farming during all his active years and he and his wife lost their lives in a cyclone which passed over their home on June 14, 1880. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are living, namely : Mar- garet, Jennie, Anna, Amanda, William, James A. and John O., living, and Isaac, Harriette M. and Nancy E., deceased, the first named hav- ing lost his life in the Civil war. William Williams, who has spent practically his entire life of more than three-quarters of a century in Noble township, received his education in the old Bethany Metho- dist Episcopal church, in which building a school was conducted, and in the old Pinhook school house. He was then employed as a farm hand until his marriage, after which he farmed rented land for about ten years. He then bought sixty-two acres of land, which he operated in addition to rented land, and so successful was he that he eventually increased his holding to 195 acres, all of which was located in Noble township. Mr. Williams carried on general farming and stock raising on this farm until 1917, when he retired from the active personal management of his farm and since then has resided at New Salem. Mr. Williams was married to Julia A. MeKee, the daughter of James and Emily McKee, and whose death occurred on March 7, 1920 Politically, Mr. Williams is an earnest supporter of the Republican party. Whatever of success Mr. Williams attained in life has been due entirely to his own efforts, energy and natural ability, and he has left the strong impress of his individuality upon all with whom he has come in contact.
THOMAS EDWARD MEDD. Farming as a life occupation has interested many of the most substantial citizens of Rush county, and their well cultivated and improved properties show that their efforts have met with material reward and that they take a pride in their homes. One of these representative farmers is Thomas Ed- ward Medd, of Noble township, owner of 128 acres of valuable land, who is now living somewhat retired from his former activi- ties. He was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, September 28, 1855, son of Thomas and Susan (Poshard) Medd, natives of York- shire, England, and Dearborn county, Indiana, respectively. Thomas Medd was an infant when his parents brought him to the United States and settled in Dearborn county, Indiana, where he was reared to manhood, and taught to make himself useful both as a farmer and cooper, both of which occupations he followed all of his life. When war broke out between this country and Mexico in the '40s he enlisted in the army from Dearborn county, and served until the close of that campaign. IIe and his wife had fourteen children, five of whom survive, namely: Joseph, Albert, Thomas
T. E. MEDD AND WIFE
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Edward, Anna and Laura. Thomas Edward Medd attended the common schools of his native county, and after he left school be- gan farming, working out as a farm hand in that county until he was twenty years old, at which time he came to Rush county, here continuing to work for others for a time, in all following this line of work for about four and one-half years. During this time he was thrifty and was finally able to get a start for himself, first renting land, but later buying a farm of eighty-two acres, to which he added until he seeured his present farm. While he operated his land himself he carried on general farming and stock raising for which he deemed it best suited. He married Catherine, daughter of James and Nancy Holman, who died in April, 1907. For many years Mr. Medd has been a consistent member of Little Flat Rock Christian Church. He is a Democrat and has ever given his thoughtful attention to his duty as a citizen, helpful in promoting movements having to do with the betterment of local conditions.
SAMUEL L. TRABUE, who occupies a leading place among the members of the legal profession at Rushville and is known likewise as a prominent and influential member of the Democratic party, was born on a farm in Noble township, this county, June 29, 1878, a son of Samuel H. and Mary J. (McKee) Trabue. Samuel H. Trabue received his education in his native state of Kentucky and at the age of twenty-four years came to Rush county, where he worked for one year as a farm hand. He then seeured by purchase twenty-five aeres of land in Noble township, which he cultivated for about ten years, following which he sold his holdings and moved to Center township, where he bought eighty aeres. Through industry and good manage- ment he increased his possessions to 190 acres and continued to live on this farm until 1910, when he retired from active pursuits and moved to Rushville, his present home. Mr. Trabue still supervises the operation of this farm, on which he specializes in live stock rais- ing, and feeds out about 1,000 head of hogs a year. Mr. Trabne married in 1877, Mary J. McKee, daughter of David and Martha McKee, members of old families of Rush county, and to this union there were born six children, of whom four are living, those besides Samuel L. Trabne being David M. Trabue, who manages the home farm for his father; Bert L. Trabue, president of the Farmers Trust Com- pany of Rushville, and Harry C. Trabue, of Kokomo, Ind. Samuel L. Trabue received his early schooling in the common schools of Center township, following which he took a one-year normal course at Glenwood. He then attended Valparaiso University for two years, and upon his graduation from that institution with the degree of Bachelor of Laws returned to Rushville and entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he has been highly successful. He belongs to the various organizations of his calling and oeeupies a high place in the esteem of his fellow-practitioners and the confidence of a large and constantly growing clientele. In politics a Democrat. Mr. Trabue has taken a keen and active interest in political matters, and at present is secretary of the Democratic state central committee.
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During the World war he was in the Field Artillery Officers' Train- ing School at Camp Taylor, Ky. Previous to entering the military service he was fuel administrator for Rush county. As a fraternalist, he is a Scottish Rite Mason, a Knight Templar and a Shriner, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows and Elks, all of Rush- ville. His religions connection is with the First Presbyterian church of Rushville. On September 28, 1910, Mr. Trabue married Mar- guerite, daughter of Frank E. and Anna Tritt, of Knightstown, Ind.
WILLIAM EDWIN TARPLEE, widely known as one of the honored citizens of Richland township, this county, the major portion of his life having been spent in this locality, was born in Decatur county, Indiana, on the 1st day of December, 1866, and is the son of George and Elizabeth (Arnold) Tarplee, the latter a native of Philadelphia, Pa., daughter of John Arnold and wife, who became pioneers of Decatur county, this state. John Arnold was born in the vicinity of Berlin, Germany, and his wife also was of German birth. They were married in their native country and shortly afterward came to America, locating at Philadelphia, from which city they presently moved to Cincinnati. While living in Cincinnati John Arnold came up into Indiana and at the land office at Brookville entered claim to a tract of land in the eastern part of Decatur county, where he presently established his home, he and his family thus having been numbered among the pioneers of that county, and he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in that county. George Tarplee was born in Worcestershire, England, where he was reared to the age of fifteen years, when he came to the United States. He landed at New York with limited financial resources but, determined and ambitious, he turned his face westward and worked his way to Deca- tur county, Indiana. He first located at Greensburg, where he learned the trade of shoemaking, and then he moved to Clarksburg, where he opened a shoe shop and engaged in the making of custom shoes. So successful was he that he soon had six shoemakers working for him and gained a wide and favorable reputation for the quality of his work. Subsequently he added a line of general merchandise, to which he eventually devoted all of his time. For some years he was in partnership with Anderson Beagles, but in 1876 he retired from active business pursuits and spent his last days quietly there, his death occurring in 1908, three years after the death of his wife. He had been very successful in all of his business affairs and at the time of his death was the owner of 466 acres of land in Rush county. To him and his wife had been born four children, William E. Tarplee having two brothers, James H. Tarplee, bookkeeper for O'Neal Bros. at Rushville; John T. Tarplee, a farmer living at Clarksburg, and a sister, Cordelia, wife of F. A. Rohe, of Greensburg. William E. Tarplee received his schooling in the public schools of Clarksburg and on the completion of his studies he turned his attention to farming. renting land from his father when only sixteen years of age. He has devoted practically his entire active life to agriculture, in which course he has made no mistake, for he has been successful and enjoys
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a reputation as a man of practical ideas, sound judgment and indus- trious habits. He continued to rent land from his father until the latter's death, at which time he inherited 160 acres from the estate. He carries on a general line of farming, devoting about fifty acres to corn and a like amount to small grain, while he also has been markedly successful in the feeding of live stock, of which he handles about a carload of cattle and 100 or more hogs. In 1885 Mr. Tarplee was married to Ida B. Taylor, the daughter of Sarah Taylor, and they have become the parents of four children, namely: Tressa, who became the wife of Joseph Harves and is the mother of one child, Har- old; Allen, who married Bessie Parker; Frank, who married Isa- belle Clark, and Dorothy. Mr. Tarplee is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he is a Democrat and his fraternal rela- tions are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has received preferment, having passed through the chairs of the subordinate lodge to which he belongs. A residence here of many years has but strengthened his hold on the hearts of his fellow citizens and none in his locality enjoys a larger circle of friends and acquaintances.
WILLIAM A. LORD, a well-known coal dealer at Mays and a Center township landowner, who was formerly trustee of that town- ship, is a native son of Rush county, having been born in Union township on September 23, 1857, and is the son of James J. and Sarah (Billings) Lord, the latter of whom also was a native of Rush county. James J. Lord was a native of the state of Delaware, but in boyhood was brought by his parents to Indiana, the family settling in Rush county, where he completed his education in the common schools. He thereafter devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, buying a tract of land in Howard county, Indiana, where he spent the rest of his life. To him and his wife were born seven children, four of whom are living, namely : William, J. L. (a physician), Jennie and Hattie. Francis O. died on April 9, 1921, and Ann and Ellsworth died in infancy. William A. Lord was about three years of age when the family moved to Howard county and there he received his educa- tional training. He remained on the home farm with his parents until his marriage, when he rented seventy-five acres of land and engaged in farming on his own account. Two years later he returned to Rush county and for three years thereafter devoted himself to the cultivation of 180 acres of land near Mays. He then returned to Howard county and opened a general store, which he ran about four years. Again returning to Rush county, Mr. Lord spent seven years in the operation of a farm of 180 acres in Center township, but at the end of that time he retired from active farm work and moved to Mays, where he engaged in the coal business, which still commands his attention. Energetic and a good manager, he has been successful in all his operations and today is in comfortable financial circum- stances. He owns thirty acres of land in Center township and is num- bered among the substantial and enterprising citizens of his locality. Mr. Lord has been twice married, first to Maria Covalt and. after her
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death, to Hattie A. (Smith) Langston, a native of Rush county and the daughter of Shelby and Vina Smith. To the first union three children were born, Sarah Edna, Dora E. and Mary, the latter of whom died at the age of six years. To the last union has been born a son, Fred S., now three years old. Mr. and Mrs. Lord are members of the Christian church at Raleigh. Fraternally, Mr. Lord is a mem- ber of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically, he is a stanch supporter of the Repub- lican party and served four years as trustee of Center township. Ile takes a keen interest in public affairs and gives his support to every movement for the general welfare of the community.
BIRNEY E. HITE. Of the men who have actively participated in the agricultural transformation of Richland township during more than a quarter of a century past, a few are better or more favorably known than Birney E. Ilite, who is now carrying on suc- cessful farming and stock raising operations on a ninety-acre farm. Mr. Hite was born on June 8, 1869, in Richland township, a son of William T. and Mary A. (ILite) Hite, natives of the same township. Through both of his parents Mr. Hite is descended from Jacob Hite, Sr., a soldier of the Revolutionary war, who was born in Freder- ick county, Maryland, February 14, 1761, a son of John and Sarah Hite, and in 1762 was taken by his parents to Frederiek county, Virginia, where he was reared, educated and married. There he enlisted under Gilkison for service in the Revolutionary war, and was in the commands of Generals McIntosh, Armistead and Newell. As a private he served two months in 1778, and from October 1, 1781, served six months, also as a private, being present at the siege of Yorktown. Jacob Hite married Catherine Shiner, from whom the members of the family are said to inherit their black eyes, and they subsequently removed to Rockbridge county, Vir- ginia, near the Natural Bridge, where to them there were born five sons and one daughter, all of whom, with the exception of the eld- est son, John, Jr., emigrated with their parents to Rush county, Indiana, about 1829, the mother making the journey on horseback. John, the eldest son, remained and died in Rockbridge county, and no trace of his descendants has been found. The other children were: George, a soldier of the War of 1812, and a blacksmith and farmer, who had eight children, John, W. N. (the grandfather of Birney E. Hite on the paternal side), Jacob, G. W., Sr., Mrs. Polly Sack, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mrs. Harriet MeDaniels; William, a farmer and blacksmith, who had seven children, Green, William, Joseph, Mrs. Eliza MeDaniels, Mrs. Mary Watkins, Mrs. Harriet Watkins and Mrs. Cass Ann Barber; Jacob Ilite, Jr., justice of the peace of Richland township for years, and the purchaser of the 700 acres of land from the government on which the family re- sided afterward, and on which he molded and burnt the bricks for his house, one of the first in the township, who had eleven children, James, Mrs. Polly Douglas, Mrs. Lucinda Caskey, Mrs Eliza Cas-
BIRNEY HITE
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key, Mrs. Jane Tuttle, Francis, William, Mrs. Mary Moore, Harriet, Mrs. Caroline Sparks and Mrs. Jennie Sullivan; Polly, who mar- ried Archibald Crowdy and had one son, Alexander. Alexander Hite, a cabinet-maker and farmer, the maternal grandfather of Birney E. Hite, who had thirteen children, William C., John I., S. A., Thomas R., Jacob H., J. D., Joseph L., Winfield S., Mrs. Ga- brella J. Farthing, Hannah E., Mrs. Mary A. Hite, Mrs. Lucinda A. Lawson, and M. B. Hite. William T. Hite, the father of Birney E. Hite, was born in Richland township, where he was reared and educated. At the time of his marriage he rented eighty acres of land from his father, upon which he carried on operations until February, 1871, when he bought the farm now operated by his son. He did not live long thereafter, dying August 31, 1871. His widow survived him until July 12, 1917. The only child of his parents, Birney E. Hite attended the schools of Richland township, and was graduated from Clarksburg high school in 1885 with the second class to complete the course in that school. After attending De- Pauw University for one year, he returned to Clarksburg, where he was variously employed for about eight years, and then resumed farming on their property. In 1902 he moved to his present farm, a tract of ninety acres, which he is renting and which he operates along the lines of general farming and stock raising. He is a pub- lic-spirited, well-balanced man and is deeply interested in all that pertains to the lasting welfare of the community. A member of the Christian church, Mr. Hite taught in the Sunday school for twenty- five years, and during the past five years has been church clerk. Mr. Hite is a Democrat. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, af- filiated with the blue lodge at Clarksburg, the chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and the council, Royal and Select Masters, at Greensburg ; Rushville Commandery, No. 49, Knights Templar, at Rushville; the Indiana Consistory, S. P. R. S. thirty-second degree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, North Masonic Jurisdiction, Valley of In- dianapolis, and a noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, affiliated with Murat Temple, Indianapolis.
MILTON HENLEY, one of the most energetic, persevering and thoroughgoing agriculturists of Ripley township, has spent his life in this community, where he is the representative of a family that has been highly esteemed for many years. He was born on his father's farm in Ripley township, February 10, 1872, a son of Milton and Julia (Stanley) Henley, and a grandson of Thomas Henley, a pioneer of the locality, who took up Government land during the early set- tlement and established this branch of the family. Milton Henley, the elder, was born in Ripley township, where he acquired his early education in the public schools, this training being supplemented by a course at Earlham College, Richmond, Ind. When he was ready to enter upon his independent career, he chose farming as his means of livelihood and thus spent the rest of his life, becoming the owner of an excellent farm. He married Julia Stanley, daughter of Wyatt
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Stanley, another pioneer of Rush county, and they became the par- ents of four children, Harvey G., Walter C., Milton and a daughter who died in infancy. After leaving school Milton Henley evinced the family predilection for farming and adopted it as his life work. For some years he farmed in association with his father and brothers, and at the elder man's death inherited a share of the home farm, the balance of which he subsequently bought from the other heirs. While Mr. Henley has operated chiefly as a general farmer, he has special- ized in Berkshire hogs, and feeds out on an average of seventy ani- mals yearly, which are shipped to the big markets. Mr. Henley has 140 acres of excellent land. His buildings are substantial and his equipment complete and modern, and in every way he is a progressive farmer of up-to-date tendencies. He is unmarried. While not a politician, he adheres to the principles of the Republican party and discharges in full the duties of good citizenship. His religious con- nection is with the Friends church, which he attends at Carthage.
ROBERT W. NIXON, a well-known farmer of Jackson township and former trustee of that township, was born in Washington town- ship, this county, on May 4, 1864, and is the son of James R. and Jane (Abernathy) Nixon. The father was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, whence in early childhood he was brought to Rush county, where he was reared and educated. During the active years of his life he followed farming in Washington township, but later in life he moved to Union township, where he bought 104 acres of land and lived there up to the time of his death. His widow, who was born and reared in Union township, now lives on this farm. They became the parents of seven children, of whom four are living, namely : Robert W., Sallie A., Kate and Lulu. Robert W. Nixon secured his education in the public schools of Washington township and was one of the first pupils to attend the Raleigh consolidated school, which was the first consolidated school in the state. On com. pleting his studies, Mr. Nixon went to Rushville and entered the employ of W. T. Brann & Son, grocers, with whom he remained for four years. Then, having married, he received from his father-in-law a gift of thirty-eight acres of land in Jackson township, to which he at once moved and began its cultivation. He was successful in his farming operations and bought 122 acres which, together with fifty additional acres given him by his father-in-law, makes his total hold- ings 210 acres, all of which lies in Jackson township. In addition to a general line of farming, Mr. Nixon gives attention to stock raising, marketing about 100 head of hogs a year. He is thoroughly practical and up-to-date in all his operations and is numbered among the enter- prising and influential farmers of his community. On August 27. 1890, Mr. Nixon was married to Cora I. Gartin, who was born in Jackson township, this county, on May 1, 1866, the daughter of John G. and Arkansas (Porter) Gartin, both of whom were natives of Rush- county, where Mr. Gartin followed the vocation of farming during his active life. He and his wife were the parents of four children, all of whom are living, namely, Cora I., Omer G., Audit P. and Edmund N.
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