USA > Indiana > Rush County > Centennial history of Rush County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 45
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A. G. SHAUCK, M. D.
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
nevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Rushville, and Beech Grove Lodge, No. 399, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Ar- lington. He is also a member of the Rush County Medical Society and the Indiana State Medical Society. Ilis religious affiliations are with the Christian church at Arlington. Personally, the doctor is genial and companionable and enjoys a marked degree of pop- ularity throughout the community where he is known.
ELMER KELLAM, a progressive young farmer of Orange town- ship, this county, was born on a farm in Wayne county, Indiana, June 11, 1892, son of Richard J. and Elizabeth (Schenk) Kellam, the latter of whom also was born in that county. Richard J. Kellam was a native of South Carolina, but most of his life was spent in Indiana, for years a farmer in Wayne county. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, all of whom are living, those besides the subject of this sketch being Albert, Charles, Martin, John, Gertrude, Jessie, Lucy, Mary and Ima. Reared on the home farm in Wayne county, Elmer Kellam received his schooling in that county and as he was well trained to the ways of the farm early became engaged in that calling as his life's vocation. He married at the age of twenty-three and then began farming on his own account, renting a farm in this county. He is now renting a well kept place of eighty acres in Orange town- ship and there makes his home, he and his family being quite com- fortably situated. Mr. Kellam carries on his operations along up-to- date lines, is progressive and enterprising, and if his plans mature as he confidently expects will in due time become included in the list of landowners of Rush county. It was on December 18, 1915, that Elmer Kellam was united in marriage to Lavonne Wagoner, who was born in this county, daughter and only child of Lloyd and Lora (Ross) Wagoner, and to this union three children have been born, Loretta, Marguerite and Edna. Mr. and Mrs. Kellam are members of the Big Flat Rock Christian Church and give proper attention to the work of the church as well as to the general good works and social activities of their home neighborhood. Mr. Kellam is a Democrat and takes a good citizen's interest in local political affairs. Mrs. Kellam is a member of one of the old families of Rush county, both the Wagoners and the Rosses having been represented here since pioneer days. Her father, Lloyd Wagoner, was born in Orange township, as was his wife, and is still living there, owner of an excel- lent farm of 120 acres. The Kellams live on rural mail route No. 2 out of Manilla and have a pleasant home.
WILLIAM C. FAIR, one of the enterprising farmers of Rush- ville township, operating a farm of 170 acres of land, was born in Union township, Shelby county, February 19, 1873, son of Michael and Sarah E. (Kines) Fair, both of whom were born in that county, where they were educated. Michael Fair became the owner of eighty acres of land on which he was long engaged in farming. He and his wife had eight children, six of whom now survive, Celestia, William C., Charles A., Scott, Lotta and Mabel. William C. Fair was reared
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
in Vine township, Shelby county, and after completing his attendance at the local schools devoted his time to assisting his father with whom he remained until his marriage, although from the age of eighteen to twenty-four years he worked as a farm hand. Following his marriage he rented 120 acres of land in Shelby county, and farmed it and other rented properties in that county for some years. Finally he came to Rush county and for the past seventeen years has been operat- ing his present farm which he rents from T. K. Mull. Here he is doing general farming and stockraising business and produces about 200 logs annually. On March 21, 1896, Mr. Fair was married to Maggie Gardner, daughter of Robert and Dorothy (Crim) Gardner, both natives of Shelby county, where their daughter was also born. She died on August 8, 1909, and is buried in the Bennett cemetery in Shelby county. Mr. and Mrs. Fair had four children, all of whom are living: Raymond, a farmer of Rushville township, who married Margaret Kirk, and has two children, William H. and Bertha V., and Robert, Thomas and Lealand, who are at home. Mr. Fair belongs to Manilla Camp, Modern Woodmen of America, and Rushville Lodge, Improved Order of Red Men. He is a Republican. In both Shelby and Rush counties Mr. Fair is held in high esteem.
.JAMES W. BRANAM, a well-known general farmer in Walker township, this county, was born in that township, March 6, 1864, and has always lived there. His parents were Matthew and Jane (Hodge) Branam, the former of whom was born in Ireland and the latter in Rush county. Matthew Branam came to the United States alone when sixteen years old. He followed an agricultural life and lived in Rush county for many years. Of the six children of the family the follow- ing are living : James W., Sarah A., Alberta and Alfred E. They all attended the common schools in Walker township and James W. was his father's right hand man on the farm as long as the latter lived. At that time he and his sister, Sarah A., inherited the home place consisting of 130 acres in Walker township. To this Mr. Branam has added eleven adjoining acres and has the entire 141 acres under his management. In addition to crop growing he feeds both cattle and hogs, having about 15 head of cattle and 100 head of hogs yearly. He and his sister, Miss Sarah A. Branam, reside on the homestead. They are members of the Christian Union church at Homer, and he belongs to the order of Red Men at Homer. In politics he is a Democrat.
MRS. EMMA (KIRKPATRICK) SAXON, who resides on and manages her fine farm of eighty acres, situated in Washington town- ship, this county, is the widow of Leroy Saxon, who for many years was an excellent farmer and highly respected citizen of this section. Leroy Saxon was born in Fayette county, Indiana, July 3, 1865. He attended school in that county and completed his education in the old Fairview Academy, where the course of study was thorough and practical. Mr. Saxon devoted the rest of his life to farming, at first in association with his father and later for himself, at the time of his marriage purchasing a farm of eighty acres in Washington town-
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
ship. He improved this property and through his thrift and good management greatly increased its value. His death occurred there on March 23, 1907. Mr. Saxon married Emma Kirkpatrick, who was born in Washington township, this county, a daughter of Samuel and Charlotte Kirkpatrick. Mrs. Saxon, like her husband, was educated at Fairview Academy. Mr. and Mrs. Saxon had two children : Lola B., who married W. T. Cummins, of Fayette county, and has two children, Leroy and Roscoe, and Mary C., who is the wife of Guy Wiley. Mr. and Mrs. Wiley reside with Mrs. Saxon on the home farm. They have four children : Etna Mae, Wayne, Russell L. and Paul La Verne. Mrs. Saxon is well-known and very highly esteemed in Wash- ington township. She is a member of the Fairview Christian Church as was her husband during life. Mr. Saxon was greatly interested in church affairs and for a number of years was superintendent of the Sunday school.
CHARLES FOSTER, one of the large landowners and success- ful farmers of Union township, now living on the old Smith place where he has made his home since the spring of 1913, is a native Hoosier, a. fact of which he never has ceased to be proud, and has lived in this state all his life, a resident of Rush county since the days of his young manhood. He was born in Grant county on December 24, 1864, son of John and Martha (McConnell) Foster, both of whom were born in Fayette county, members of pioneer families there. John Foster and Martha McConnell were mar- ried in Fayette county and for some years then made their home in Grant county, but not finding things there to their liking returned to Fayette county and established their home on a farm in the western part of that county, John Foster there developing an ex- cellent piece of property. On that place Mrs. Foster died. Upon his retirement from the active labors of the farm Mr. Foster moved to Dunreith, where he is now living. John and Martha (McConnell) Foster were the parents of five children, those besides the subject of this sketch, the third in order of birth, being Harriet, Edward of Glenwood, James of Rushville and Reull. Charles Foster was but a child when his parents returned to Fayette county from Grant county, and in the schools of the latter county he received his schooling. He remained at home assisting his father in the opera- tions of the home farm until his marriage at the age of twenty- three when he began farming on his own account, coming over into Rush county and renting a farm in Union township. This was a farm of 240 acres and on that place he made his home for twenty- seven years, meanwhile as his affairs prospered buying land for himself. His first investment was in a tract of twenty acres and to this he gradually added until he had the 240 acres. In March, 1913, Mr. Foster moved from that farm to the old Smith place of 136 acres in Union township on which he is now living and which he owns and has there since made his home, he and his family being
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
very comfortably situated. In addition to the land above men- tioned Mr. and Mrs. Foster have other land holdings in Union town- ship, owning a total of 460 acres. In addition to his general farm- ing Mr. Foster always has given considerable attention to the rais- ing of live stock and in his operations has done well. His place is well improved and well kept and he has one of the most up-to-date farm plants in the countryside. Mr. Foster is a Democrat. He and Mrs. Foster are members of the Ben Davis Christian church and have ever given their interested attention to the work of the church as well as to the general good works of the community. On October 6, 1887, Charles Foster was united in marriage to Har- riet R. Smith, who was born on the farm on which she is now living, a member of one of the old families of Rush county, and to this union four children have been born, namely: Blanche, wife of Charles Eskew; Thomas, who married Beatrice Bagley; Paul, who married Myrtle Johnston and has one child, a son, Thomas Emer- son, and Clarence, who is unmarried. Mrs. Foster's parents, Thomas and Charlotte (Thompson) Smith, both were born in Rush county and lived here all their lives. Thomas Smith was a son of the pioneer Louis Smith, who came to this county in pioneer days and entered a tract of land in Noble township, where he made his home for about fifty years. Thomas Smith grew up a farmer and continued in that line, in which he was quite successful, coming to be the owner of close to 700 acres of land. He and his wife had two children, daughters both, Mrs. Foster having a sister, Cather- ine. The Fosters have a very pleasant home on rural mail route No. 10 out of Rushville and have ever taken a hospitable and be- coming interest in the community's general social activities.
THOMAS BEAVER, than whom no man stands higher in pub- lic esteem among the residents of New Salem who, after many years of continuous and successful effort, are now resting from labor and enjoying the fruits of former toil, is a native son of Rush county, having been born in Noble township in 1841. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Heaton) Beaver, the former a na- tive of Kentucky and the latter of Rush county, Indiana. John Beaver was brought by his parents to Rush county in his boyhood and ever afterward lived in this county. His parents, who were among the pioneer settlers of this locality, entered land in Noble township and there created a fine homestead farm, spending the remainder of their days there. There John Beaver grew to man- hood. He received his education in the common schools of Noble township, and after his marriage began farming on his own ac- count on rented land in Fayette county, but a short time afterward he bought a farm in Noble township and there spent the remainder of his life. He was a good farmer and a wise manager, and at one time owned 300 acres of land. Of the eleven children born to him and his wife, five are now living, namely : Thomas, Margaret, Mor-
THOMAS BEAVER
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
rison, George and Benjamin. Thomas Beaver was reared on the paternal farmstead and attended the schools of Noble township. He then worked on the home farm with his father until about a year after his marriage, when he bought a tract of timber land from his father, to the clearing and improvement of which he ap- plied himself. He built a comfortable home, cleared about ninety acres of land and devoted himself to the operation of this farm until 1903, when he moved to New Salem, where he now resides. At one time he owned over 200 acres of land, but has disposed of all his farm land. He also engaged in stock buying for about twenty years and in this business he traveled over much of the county. Mr. Beaver has been twice married, his first union being with Mary Ann McKee, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel McKee, and to them were born four children, namely: Bert, who married Miss Gray and has two children, Wilbur and Stella; Sam- nel, who married Mabel Cassady and has one child, Harold; Lottic, who became the wife of Aaron Wellman, and Betty, who became the wife of Harry Stricker. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Beaver was married to Jennie Lewis, daughter of John S. and Sarah (Beetem) Lewis. Mr. Beaver has long been a member of the Meth- odist Protestant church, of which he has been a steward. Polit- ically, he is a Republican. He is a man of strong character and clean life and enjoys marked popularity throughout the commu- nity where he is known.
DAVID M. DEARINGER, a well known farmer, residing on his well improved property in Walker township, this county, was born in that township on April 25, 1866. His parents were James M. and Minerva A. (Hilligoss) Dearinger, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Rush county. They had a family of five children, four of these surviving : John R., Isaac N., Armilda J. and David M. The father was a successful farmer in Rush county, the owner of 320 acres of land. David M. Dearinger got his educational training in the Goddard public school in Walker township, after which he assisted his father on the home place until the time of his marriage, when he rented a part of the home farm. For fifteen years Mr. Dearinger operated as a renter there, then bought the eighty acres which comprise his farm, immediately afterward beginning its im- provement. He has put up substantial buildings, has developed a gas well on the place that he utilizes for domestic and farm purposes, and carries on his various farm industries according to modern methods. In addition to crop raising he ships 150 head of hogs yearly. On November 4, 1891, Mr. Dearinger married Etta Miller, who also was born in Rush county, daughter of John S. and Mahala (Orme) Miller. There were four children in the Miller family and three are living, Laura H., Elmer J. and Etta. The father of Mrs. Dearinger was a farmer in Walker township. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dearinger, three of whom survive: Chester,
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
who is in the railway mail service, resides at Rushville, married Mary Woods; Carl, who is a farmer in Walker township, married Lavon Casady ; and Clell, who is at home. Mr. Dearinger and his family are members of the Baptist church at Homer, Ind., and he is a deacon in that body. He has always given his political support to the Democratic party.
ADAM A. RICHEY, one of Orange township's well known and substantial farmers and stockmen, now living practically retired from the active labors of the farm, his son and his son-in-law looking after the operations of the same, is a native son of Rush county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a farm in Anderson township, June 7, 1859, son of Green B. and Catherine (Zimmerlee) Richey, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Virginia, whose last days were spent in this county, where they had made their homes since the days of their childhood. Green B. Richey was but a lad when he came to Indiana with his parents from Kentucky and he grew up in Rush county, where the family had settled upon coming to this state. Here he married Catherine Zimmerlee, who had come here with her parents from Virginia in the days of her girlhood, and after his marriage he established his home on a farm and continued farming the rest of his life. He and his wife were parents of eleven children, six of whom are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being Mary, Rilda, John, Roll and Emma. The deceased members of this family were Charles, Oran, William, Patience and Luella. Reared on the home farm in Anderson township, Adam A. Richey received his schooling in the old school house in district No. 8. At the age of nineteen he began working on his own account, working as a farm hand on neighboring farms, and so continued until his marriage when he rented a tract of land from his father-in-law, Alfred Peck, in Orange township. On that place he made his home for about twelve years and then, in 1900, moved to his present place of residence, the old Peck home farm of 125 acres, which his wife had inherited about that time, and has there since resided, he and his family being very comfortably situated. In addition to his general farming Mr. Richey gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock and feeds out a car load or more of hogs annually. He still keeps a supervisory eye over the operations of the farm though for some time past the active operations of the place have been carried on by his son, Alfred Richey, and his son-in-law, Verton Rockafellow, both progressive and up-to- date young farmers who are doing well. In his political views Mr. Richey is a Republican, but has never taken a particularly active part in politics, though ever maintaining a warm interest in local govern- mental affairs. He and his wife are members of the Christian church at Moscow and have ever taken an interested part in church work as well as in the general good works of the community. Fraternally. Mr. Richey is a member of Blue Ridge Lodge, No. 473, Knights of Pythias. It was on August 14, 1887, that Adam A. Richey was united in marriage to Jessie F. Peck, who was born on the farm on which
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
she is now living, and to this union two children have been born, Alfred and Ina. Alfred Richey, who, as noted above, is farming a part of the home place, has been twice married and has two children, Wanda and Charkie. His first wife, Edna Fisher, who also was born in Orange township, died on August 1, 1913, and he later married Mable Favor, of St. Paul, this state. Ina Richey married Verton Rockafellow, also of this county, and has one child, a daughter, Mary Fremont. Verton Rockafellow, who, as noted above, is farming a part of the Richey place, the old Peck farm, served during the world war as a sergeant in the Fifty-second Coast (Railroad) Artillery and during the closing months of the war participated in some very stirring action, including the historic battle of the Argonne in September, 1918, and the no less equally decisive engagement at St. Mihiel, September 11-14, and in the battle at Beenorth, September 23-27, as well as in prior engagements at Thurneville, August 25-27, and Balinacourt, August 27-29. Mr. Rockafellow was in the service twenty-two months, seventeen months of which were spent overseas, and he received his discharge on January 23, 1919. Mrs. Richey was born on the farm in Orange township on which she is now living and received her schooling in the nearby Peck schoolhouse. Her parents, Alfred and Elizabeth (Colliver) Peck, were both born in Kentucky and came to Indiana with their respective parents in the days of their childhood, both the Pecks and the Collivers settling in Rush county. Here Alfred Peck and Elizabeth Colliver were married, in 1850, and established their home in Orange township, where they spent the remainder of their lives, useful and influential residents of that com- munity. In his earlier days Alfred Peck for some time followed the vocation of millwright and carpenter and did much building here- about, but he later settled to farming and at the time of his death was the owner of more than 800 acres of excellent land in Orange township. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom four are still living, those besides Mrs. Jessie F. Richey being Lina, May and Lafayette. The deceased children of this family were Josephine, Sally and Samuel Peck.
IRA ROTAN, a well known farmer of Washington township, this county, was born in Decatur county, Indiana, November 17, 1867, a son of John W. and Phoebe (IIalstead) Rotan. John W. Rotan was born in Decatur county, September 4, 1838, and was a son of Isaiah and Ruth Rotan, who were early settlers in that county. John W. Rotan was reared, educated and married in De- catur county and from there came with his family to Rush county, February 22, 1870. He rented 116 acres of land in Richland town- ship and carried on farming during the rest of his life, his death occuring on July 20, 1901. He was an industrious, upright man and was universally respected. He had five children, Ira, Fanny, Ora, Elizabeth and Owen. Ira Rotan was three years old when the family moved to Richland township where he grew to manhood
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
and obtained his education in the public schools. He assisted his father on the farm in Richland township, but after his father's death bought his present fine farm in Washington township, on which he and his two sisters, Elizabeth and Fannie, have lived ever since. Mr. Rotan is unmarried. Ile has ninety-eight acres in his farm and has the entire tract under cultivation. He is a member of the United Brethren Church in Richland township. Like his father before him, he has always voted with the Democratic party.
CHARLES M. SEFTON, well known throughout Rush county as one of the enterprising farmers of Rushville township, his eighty- acre farm being recognized as one of the best-developed in his neigh- borhood, was born in Decatur county, Indiana, September 27, 1867, son of James and Harriette (Riffe) Sefton, natives of Ohio and Virginia, respectively. James Sefton was a farmer by occupation, and had eight children, five of whom are now living, Frank, Wes- ley, Gus, Charles M. and Lou. Charles M. Sefton was reared and educated in Decatur county, and after he finished his schooling he took up farming with his father with whom he remained until he was married. After that Mr. Sefton rented land in Decatur county for about two years and then moved to Rush county, buying 121 acres in Anderson township. This he farmed for about four years and then sold it and bought his present farm of eighty acres in Rushville township. He does general farming and raises about seventy-five head of hogs annually. On September 24, 1894, Mr. Sefton married Nettie Brown, daughter of John and Mary (Shields) Brown. Mrs. Sefton was born, reared and educated in Decatur county. Mr. and Mrs. Sefton have four children, Raymond, Lois, John and Eugene. Raymond Sefton, who is a farmer of Rushville township, married Ruth Moore. The other children are single and at home. Mr. Sefton belongs to the Rushville lodges of the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men. Ile is a Methodist, and loyal to his local congregation. In politics he is a Democrat.
WILLIAM H. GRAY, a well known and substantial farmer of Union township, now living retired at Glenwood, is a member of one of the old families hereabout and has lived in this county and in the neighboring county of Fayette all his life. He was born on a farm in Union township, this county, June 29, 1861, son of James and Martha (Nichols) Gray, the former of whom was born in that same township, his parents having been pioneers of that section, and who became one of the leading farmers of the neighborhood. Reared on the home farm, William H. Gray received his schooling in the neighborhood schools and from the days of his boyhood has devoted himself to farming. He early started out on his own hook, renting a farm in this county and after his marriage at the age of twenty-four continued as a renter here for a couple of years, or until 1887, when he moved over into Fayette county, bought a tract of forty acres on which he established his home and started
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WILLIAM H. GRAY AND FAMILY
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
there as a farmer on a considerable scale, renting about 600 acres of land and carrying on his operations in a progressive and profit- able fashion, these operations at times including the cultivation of as much as 700 acres of land, in addition to which he gave consid- erable atention to the raising of live stock for the market, often disposing of as many as 300 head of hogs a year besides many cat- tle. Mr. Gray was not disposed to invest in farm lands, and never owned more than eighty acres. He continued his operations in Fayette county for eighteen years, at the end of which time he re- turned to Rush county and has for some years been residing at Glenwood, where he and his family are very comfortably situated. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are members of the Ben Davis Christian church and Mr. Gray has served as a member of the official board of the church numerous terms, and also has been a trustee of the church. In his political affiliation he is a Republican. It was on August 12, 1885, that William H. Gray was united in marriage to Carrie B. Hinchman, who also was born in this county, and to this union two children have been born, Walter, who married Ethel Eakins, and Clara, who married Leslie Hinchman, now living at Glenwood, and has had two children, Orville (deceased) and Lowell Walter. Mrs. Gray's parents, Robert and Sarah J. (Kirkpatrick) Hinchman, both were born in Rush county, members of pioneer families here, as will be noted by reference made elsewhere in this volume to these two families. Robert Hinchman was a son of the pioneer James Hinchman, and became one of the substantial farmers and land- owners of his neighborhood, at one time the owner of better than 200 acres of excellent land. He died on April 13, 1919, at a ripe old age. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom five are still living, Mrs. Gray having two brothers, Van A. and William E. Hinchman, and two sisters, Eva and Hazel J. The deceased children of this family were Cora and Dora, who died in infancy.
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