USA > Indiana > Rush County > Centennial history of Rush County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 61
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
making a specialty of the Hampshire breed of swine, and is feeding out about 300 head of hogs annually, having done very well in that line. On January 9, 1913, Donald V. Kiser was united in marriage to Frances E. Carson and to this union one child has been born, a daugh- ter, Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Kiser have a very pleasant home on rural mail route No. 10 out of Rushville and give their interested and hospitable attention to the general social activities of the community in which they live. Mrs. Kiser is a member of the Plum Creek Christian Church. Mr. Kiser is a member of the Rushville lodge of the Modern Woodmen.' Politically, he is a Republican.
CORYDON E. KISER, a well-known and progressive farmer and stockman of Union township, was born in that township and has lived there all his life, the house in which he is now living having been built by his father in 1856. Mr. Kiser's father was a Kentuckian, James Kiser, born in Bourbon county in the old Blue Grass state, where he grew to manhood and where he married Jane Smelser, who also was born in that county. Almost immediately after his marriage James Kiser came with his wife up into Indiana and located in Rush county, settling on a farm in Union township. A few years later he bought the farm now owned by his son, C. E. Kiser, and on that place erected in 1856 the house above referred to and which is still in excellent condition. There his wife died in 1887 and he continued to make his home there, living with his son who in the meantime had married and had established his home there, the rest of his life, his death occurring in his seventy-seventh year. Corydon E. Kiser, son of James and Jane (Smelser) Kiser, was born on June 5, 1864, and grew to manhood on the home farm in Union township, receiving his schooling in the school house in district No. 2. From the days of his boyhood he devoted himself to the work of the farm, a valued assistant to his father in the labors of the same, and after his marriage when twenty-two years of age established his home on the old home place and continued to operate it for his father. Not long after his marriage his mother died, as noted above, and his father continued to make his home with him and his wife until his death when past seventy-seven years of age. Mr. Kiser has about 120 acres under cultivation and is locally noted for the productiveness of his fields. In addition to his general farming he feeds about two car loads of hogs a year and in all his operations is doing well. It was on February 23, 1887, that Corydon E. Kiser was united in marriage to Corena New- house, also of Rush county, and to this union five children have been born, namely: Lela, who married Francis Thatcher, and has three children, Ellen, Eugene and Kathleen; Opal, who is living at home; Donald, of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this volume. who married Frances Carson and has one child, Ruth, and Marie and Edith, at home. The Kisers have a very pleasant home on rural mail route No. 7 out of Rushville and take a hospitable part in the com- munity's social activities. Mr. Kiser is a member of the Church of Christ (Scientist). In his political leanings he is a Republican, but
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
has never been particularly active in political affairs, though ever giving a good citizen's attention to local governmental affairs. Fra- ternally, he is affiliated with the local lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America.
JASPER N. COON, a Noble township farmer, was born on Feb- ruary 16, 1874, on a farm in Fayette county, Indiana, a son of John and Sarah A. (Moore) Coon, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Randolph county, Indiana. John Coon was about one year old when brought from_Kentucky to Indiana by his father, Solomon Coon, the latter entering fifty acres of land from the Gov- ernment in Fayette county and spending the rest of his life in the development of a farm. John Coon was reared in Fayette county and carried on general farming throughout his life. He died in 1896 and his widow survived him until 1908. Of their five children, two are now living : Jasper N. and George W. Jasper N. Coon received his education at the Johnson schoolhouse, in Fayette county, and after leaving school took up farming with his father. After his mar- riage he remained on the home place and continued to do so until about two years after the death of his father, when he fell heir to fifty acres of land, to which he moved. About 1905 he disposed of this property and rented the farm situated across the road from his present home. This continued to be his home until about 1914 or 1915, when he left that 155-acre property for his present farm, a tract of eighty acres, on which he has since carried on operations and which is his by purchase. On February 27, 1896, Mr. Coon was united in marriage to Ida, daughter of Edward Stevens, and to this union there have been born two children, Freda and Russell. Mr. and Mrs. Coon are members of the Christian church at Orange. Mr. Coon is affiliated with the Masonic lodge at Andersonville and the Knights of Pythias at Rushville. He is a Democrat.
MORTON P. GRAY, one of the well-known and progressive farmers and landowners of Union township, was born in that same township, a member of one of the pioneer families there, and has lived there all his life. The Grays are an old family in Rush county, as is noted elsewhere in this volume of biography, and are widely represented here in the present generation. Morton P. Gray was born on August 11, 1863, son of George and Mary (Hinchman) Gray, both of whom were members of the Virginia colony of settlers who came in here in the early days of the settlement of this section and formed so stable a part of the pioneer development hereabout, both the Grays and the Hinchmans having had a good share in that development. George Gray was but a child when he came here with his parents from Virginia, the family having come from Monroe county in what since the Civil war period has been West Virginia, and he grew up on a pioneer farm in Union township. After his marriage to Mary Hinch- man, who also had come from Monroe county in the Old Dominion with her parents when but a child, he began farming on his own account, his father giving him a tract of ninety-six acres, and in time
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IIISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
got around him an excellent piece of property, having been the owner of 520 acres of land in Union township. In addition to his general farming, which was carried on on a large scale for that period, he was widely known as one of the most extensive cattle feeders in this sec- tion, and he continued actively interested in agricultural affairs until his death in 1888. George Gray and wife were the parents of twelve children, nine of whom grew to maturity, those besides the subject of this sketch being James, Rebecca, Mary, John, Susan, George, Minnie and Margaret. Morton P. Gray was reared on the old home farm in Union township and received his schooling in the nearby Blacklidge school. As a lad be became interested in farm work and in the raising of live stock and upon reaching manhood's estate continued farming with his father on the home place, where after his marriage at the age of twenty-three years he made his home. After his father's death about two years later he came by inheritance into possession of his portion of the home place and continued farming there, at the same time renting additional land in order to increase the scope of his operations and as his affairs prospered added by purchase to his holdings until he became the owner of 375 acres, of which he since has sold 120 acres, his present holdings including 255 acres. Included in the improvements which Mr. Gray has made on the place is a modern dwelling house which he erected in 1915. The other buildings are in keeping with the same, the farm plant being up-to-date and effective in its arrangement. Of late Mr. Gray has given over the active operation of the farm and is living practically "retired," rent- ing his fields and taking things a bit easier than during the more strenuous years of his activities. In 1886 Morton P. Gray was united in marriage to Comma Guffin, daughter of George W. and Della (Bagley) Guffin. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are members of the Ben Davis Christian Church and have long taken an interested part in the work of the church as well as in the general good works of the community. Mr. Gray is a Republican and takes a proper interest in political affairs. He and his wife have a very pleasant home on rural mail route No. 2 out of Rushville and their friends are always sure of a hospitable welcome there. They have an adopted daughter, Lucile, adopted at the age of five years, who was graduated from the Rush- ville high school and from the Indiana State University at Blooming- ton and married John H. Frazee, Jr.
CHARLES F. CUSTER, one of the well-known farmers and landowners of Union township, has lived on the farm on which he is now living, rural mail route No. 7 out of Rushville, for more than twenty years and has surrounded himself with many of the comforts of life, giving himself a pleasant prospect of the approaching "evening time" of his life. He was born in the neighboring county of Fayette on August 9, 1856, and has been a resident of Indiana all his life. His parents, Joseph and Mary (Foster) Custer, the former of whom was born in Kentucky and the latter in Illinois, spent their last days in Rush county, having come over here many years ago from Fayette
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
and located on a farm in the Raleigh neighborhood in Washington township. Joseph Custer was but a boy when he came into Indiana with his parents from Kentucky and he grew up in Fayette county where the family had located upon coming here. He became a farmer and after his marriage in Fayette county established his home there, but some years later disposed of his interests there and moved with his family over into Rush county. For a time after coming here he rented a place in the Raleigh neighborhood but presently bought a farm of eighty acres there and on that place spent the remainder of his life. He and his wife had five children, of whom four are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being James, Josephine and Belle. Charles F. Custer was but a lad when his parents moved into Rush county and he completed his schooling in the schools of this county, growing to manhood on the home farm in the vicinity of Raleigh. He continued farming with his father until his marriage and then he began on his own account, making his home on a rented farm in Washington township until in 1900 when he bought the farm on which he is now living and has since made his home there. Mr. Custer has a well kept farm of eighty acres and in addition to his general farming feeds out about sixty head of hogs a year. On February 27, 1900, Charles F. Custer was united in marriage to Theresa Schonert, a daughter of Theodore Schonert, and to that union five children were born, namely: Mary, who married John Johnson and has two chil- dren, Catherine and Helen; Theodore, Bertha, Thomas and Joseph. Mrs. Custer died in 1910. Mr. Custer is a Republican. He is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church at Rushville and is a past noble grand of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Fal- mouth, in the affairs of which organization he has long taken a warm interest.
JACOB D. AUSTEN, one of the best known farmers of Union township, was born in the neighboring county of Fayette on January 27, 1858, son of William C. and Sarah (Daubenspeck) Austen, the latter of whom was born in this county in 1831, a member of one of the pioneer families of Rush county, and is still living. William C. Austin was born in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, in 1825, a son of Edward Austen, a Baltimore merchant, who disposed of his interests in that city about 1831 and came with his family to Indiana, locating in Fayette county. William C. Ansten was but six years of age when he came with his parents to Indiana and he grew to manhood in Fayette county, where after his marriage he became engaged in farming and remained until 1860 when he came over into Rush county and bought a farm. Four years later he bought a tract of 112 acres in Union township, including the place on which his son Jacob is now living, and there established his home, later increasing his holdings to 160 acres. On that place William C. Austen spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1889. As noted above, his widow is still living, now ninety years of age. They had six children, five of whom are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch
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IIISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
being Edward, Mary, George I. and Florence. Jacob D. Austen was about two years of age when he came with his parents from Fayette county to Rush county and he completed his schooling in the latter county, growing up in Union township, where he early learned the carpenter's trade. After his marriage in 1885 he located in Kansas where for about four years he was engaged in carpentering, but not satisfied with conditions there he returned to Rush county and resumed his place on the old home farm, where he ever since has resided and eighty acres of which original tract he is now the owner. Since becoming the owner of this farm Mr. Austen has made numerous substantial improvements on the place and has a well equipped farm plant, on rural mail route No. 7 out of Rushville. On June 24, 1885, Jacob D. Austen was united in marriage to Mary J. George, who was born in this county, and to this union one child was born, a daughter, Avice George, who married Jesse C. Brooks and has one child, a daughter, Frances Austen. Mr. and Mrs. Austen are members of the Ben Davis Christian Church and Mr. Austen has served the church as an elder, a deacon, a member of the board of trustees and treasurer. Politically, he is "independent." Mrs. Austen was born on a farm in Noble township, this county, daughter of David W. and Nancy Ann (Patterson) George, both of whom were born in Butler county, Ohio, where they were married. David W. George was a son of Joshua and Catherine (Thompson) George, the former of whom also was born in Butler county, Ohio, and the latter in Henry county, Indiana. Joshua George was a son of Reuben George, who was born at Fortress Monroe and who became one of the pioneers of Butler county. Not long after their marriage David W. George and his wife came from Ohio over into Indiana and located in this county, making their home in Noble township for some years, at the end of which time they disposed of their interests here and moved West. They were the par- ents of seven children, of whom three are still living, Mrs. Austen having a brother, Ralph F. George, and a sister, Ella.
A. BURL HINCHMAN, a progressive young farmer of Union township, is a member of the pioneer Hinchman family of this section, further mention of which is made elsewhere in this volume. He was born on a farm in the neighboring county of Fayette on December 27, 1893, and is a son of Ulysses G. and Eva (Huston) Hinchman, the latter of whom was born in Orange, Ind., and both of whom are still living in Fayette county. Ulysses G. Hinchman was born in Rush county, a son of Allan and Nancy (Moffett) Hinchman, the former born in Rush county and the latter in Fayette, both members of pioneer families hereabout, Allan Hinchman having been born on February 3, 1836, son of John and Margaret (Nickell) Hinchman. U. G. Hinchman was reared in Rush county but after his marriage made his home in Fayette county, where he devoted himself to farm- ing and live stock raising and where he is the owner of an excellent farm of 320 acres. He and his wife have three children, the subject of this sketch having a brother, Clarence P. Hinchman, and a sister,
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
Mary, wife of Howard Kehl. Clarence P. Hinchman married Nellie Shortridge and has two children. A. Burl Hinchman was reared on the home farm in Fayette county and was graduated from the high school at Connersville in 1912. He then entered Purdue University and after a two years' course in the agricultural college there returned to farm work with a view to applying practically the knowledge thus gained. He rented the farm on which he is now living and after his marriage established his home there and has since resided there, he and his family being very comfortably situated. Mr. Hinchman is farming 160 acres and in his live stock operations makes a specialty of purebred Duroc hogs. He has a well equipped farm plant and his operations are carried on along up-to-date lines. It was in 1916 that A. Burl Hinchman was united in marriage to Vera Poppoon, daugh- ter of John and Florence Poppoon, and to this union two children have been born, Mary Louise and Maxine. Mr. and Mrs. Hinchman have a pleasant home on rural mail route No. 1 out of Glenwood and are hospitable and interested in the general social activities of their home neighborhood. They are members of the Fairview Christian Church and Mr. Hinchman is a York Rite Mason, affiliated with the blue lodge at Fairview and with Rushville commandery of the Knights Templar. He is a Republican, as is his wife.
SAMUEL BEAVER, owner of a farm of sixty-eight acres in Noble township, was born in that township on February 7, 1870, a son of Thomas and Mollie (McKee) Beaver, who have been lifelong resi- dents of this part of Indiana. Samuel Beaver received his education at the Pinhook schoolhouse in Noble township, after leaving which he began to work for his father on the home place. At the age of twenty- two years he formed a partnership with his father and his brother Bert, an association which was maintained until 1918, in which year Samuel Beaver moved to his present farm. Mr. Beaver married Mabel, daughter of Simon Cassady, and to this union there has been born one son, Harold, who is attending Wabash College. Harold Beaver is a veteran of the World war, having been attached to the Engineers Corps with which he served two years and one month, of which eleven months' service was overseas. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and their son are members of the Little Flat Rock Christian Church. He is a member of the lodges of the Improved Order of Red Men and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Rushville and as a voter supports the candidates of the Republican party.
GEORGE W. GRAY, one of the substantial farmers and stock- men of Union township, proprietor of an excellent farm on rural mail route No. 2 out of Rushville, was born in that township on April 2, 1860, and has been a resident of this county all his life. He is a son of George and Mary (Hinchman) Gray, of whom further mention is made elsewhere in this volume together with additional details regarding the pioneer Gray and Hinchman families in this county. George Gray was a well-to-do farmer of Union township, the owner of 575 acres of land and for years regarded as one of the leading citizens
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IIISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
of that community. He and his wife were the parents of twelve chil- dren, of whom five are now living, those besides the subject of this sketch being John, Morton, Minnie and Margaret. Reared on the home farm in Union township, George W. Gray received his schooling in the neighborhood schools and remained on the home farm assisting his father until his marriage when he started farming on his own account, renting a farm of 160 acres from his father. In 1913 he moved on to the place on which he is now living and has a fine home and a well improved place of about 320 acres, a portion of which he inherited in the distribution of his father's estate. On August 16, 1882, George W. Gray was united in marriage to Ida M. Mauzy, who also was born in Union township, and to this union have been born three children, Mary, wife of Walter S. Wadell, Clarence and Ora, the latter of whom received a commission as second lieutenant during the period of his service in the army in connection with the participa- tion of the United States in the World war. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are members of the Ben Davis Christian Church and the family are Republicans. Mrs. Gray is a daughter of Thomas J. and Ruth A. (Smith) Mauzy, both of whom also were born in Rush county, the former in Union township and the latter in Noble township, members of pioneer families here. Thomas J. Mauzy, who died at the age of thirty-four years, was for some years prior to his death engaged in the shoe business at Rushville. He was a son of Silas Mauzy, a Ken- tuckian, who was one of the pioneers of Rush county and further mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume. Thomas J. Mauzy and wife were the parents of three children, those besides Mrs. Gray being Wilfred and Homer.
JAMES M. SMITH, one of the veteran farmers and landowners of Union township, was born in Rush county, a member of one of the old families here, and has lived in this county all his life. He was born on a farm in Noble township on March 7, 1849, son of George and Mary (Gray) Smith, both of whom also were born in this county, members of pioneer families here, and who spent all their days here. George Smith was a son of Lewis E. Smith and wife, pioneers of Noble township, and he grew to manhood in that township. After his mar- riage he started farming on his own account, buying a farm of sixty acres in Noble township, and remained there until in the early '50s when he moved to Union township, where he remained until his retire- ment from the farm and removal to Rushville, where his last days were spent. George Smith was a successful farmer and became a quite extensive landowner, having at one time 360 acres of land in Union and Noble townships. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, four of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch having two sisters, Margaret and Mary, and a brother, William Smith. James M. Smith was reared in Noble township and received his schooling in the neighborhood schools. He continued farming with his father until his marriage at the age of twenty-five, after which he bought a "sixty" in Union township, the place on which he is now
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HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY
living, and has since resided there. Mr. Smith has been a successful farmer and stockman and as his affairs prospered he gradually added to his land holdings until he became the owner of 520 acres, but he has sold all this but his present well-kept farm of 160 acres, he and his family being quite comfortably fixed there. In addition to his general farming Mr. Smith has been accustomed to feed out a couple of car loads of hogs a year. Mr. Smith's wife, who before her mar- riage was Rebecca Daubenspeck, also was born in Rush county, daugh- ter of Harvey and Margaret (Hinchman) Daubenspeck, members of pioneer families here. To James M. and Rebecca (Daubenspeck) Smith three children have been born, namely: Ora, who married Henrietta Disselkuhn and has had four children, Wayne (deceased), Florence, Ralph and James Marshall; Lillie, who died at the age of sixteen years, and Verne, who married Helen Rea and has two chil- dren, Lillie and James Rea, who died December 22, 1920. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Plum Creek Christian Church. In their political affiliations they are Republicans. They reside on rural mail route No. 1 out of Falmouth.
HOMER M. NASH, former trustee of Union township and one of the substantial landowners and progressive farmers of that township, was born over the line in the neighboring county of Fayette, but has been a resident of Rush county since the days of his young manhood. He was born on Angust 10, 1873, son of Oliver L. and Jessie ( Hall) Nash, both of whom also were born in Fayette county, the latter in the immediate vicinity of the city of Connersville. Oliver L. Nash had a farm just east of Glenwood, the same lying in Fayette county, but years ago he sold that place and moved over into Rush county, buying the farm on which his son Homer is now living in Union township, and there he remained until his retirement from the active labors of the farm and removal to Rushville, where he spent his last days, his death occurring on August 24, 1909. Oliver L. Nash was an active political partisan and was for years earnestly interested in the general public service. Under the Hanly administration he was appointed a member of the board of trustees or directors of the state hospital for epileptics at Newcastle and so effective were his labors in that connection that when, some time after his death, an extension was being made to that institution one of the notable buildings in the new section was given the name of the Nash building in his memory. Reared on the home farm in Fayette county, where his boyhood was spent, Homer M. Nash received his schooling in the Glenwood schools and early learned the art of telegraphy and for a year after becoming thus qualified was engaged as railroad telegrapher at the Glenwood station. His father meanwhile having moved to his farm in Union township he left the railroad office and resumed his place on the farm and continued farming with his father, giving his attention to the development of the place, until his marriage in 1904. A year later he established his home on the farm, his father retiring to Rushville, and is now the owner of the place, an excellent farm of 165 acres, on
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