USA > Indiana > Shelby County > Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana, Vol. 2 > Part 54
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Mr. Edwards is a successful farmer, and a devoted member of the Chris tian church. He has been a wide reader and has broadened his education through serious study and close observation, and is regarded as a man of sound judgment and unimpeachable character. In politics Mr. Edwards votes the Prohibition party ticket.
THOMAS S. JOHNSTON.
A native and life-long resident of Sugar Creek township, and an hon- ored descendant of one of the early pioneer families of Shelby county. Thomas S. Johnston, an enterprising farmer and representative citizen, has borne well
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his part in life. His grandfather, Jantes Johnston. a Pennsylvaman by birth. fell in a struggle with the Indians during the early wars which delnged the frontiers with the best blood of the Colonial citizenship. When quite young James Johnston went to Ohio, thence, in 1819, came to Shelly county, In- diana, and entered land in section to, Sugar Creek township, to which he brought his family in the spring of the year following, having erected a rude log cabin in the meantime, around which he cleared a small area of ground to be in readiness as soon as the rest of the household should arrive. Born on the frontier and reared amid the stirring scenes of the pioneer period. Mr. Johnston and family experienced many vicissitudes and hardships during the early days in their wilderness home and lived to see the dense forest removed. the little log cabin give place to a more comfortable and commodious modern dwelling and the country converted into one of the finest and most prosperous section of our highly favored commonwealth. He was a true type of the strong, courageous men of the day, developed by the times in which he lived. sober, energetic and industrious, and by his own strong arms, determined will. he persevered in his labors until becoming one of the prosperous farmers of the township. He was a leader of the old Whig party in early times, later became a Republican, and for a number of years his advice was sought by his neighbors and friends. When a young man he learned how to tan hides and make leather, and, on coming to Indiana, he established a tannery ou his farm, which, for several years, was well patronized and highly prized by the people of the locality. At one time he was made overseer of the county poor, and in many other ways rendered public service and rose to a position of considerable prominence in the township which he helped redeem from the wilderness. He was a charter member of the Methodist Protestant church, at Boggstown, and continued an humble and faithful disciple until his death. He was born March 6. 1777. departed this life on the 28th of March, 180.1. and was laid to rest in the old cemetery at Boggstown. His wife Keziah. whom he married March 5. 1801, was born November 23. 1781, and died November 10, 1810. Their children were as follows: Mrs. Cynthia Caster. born January 28. 1802. died December 6. 1858: Mrs. Mary Carson, born April 24. 1804. died January 12. 1839: Joseph C., who was born April 6. 1808. and died April 1. 1844, was twice married. first to Lavina Sleeth, and the second time to Mary McFadden: John, whose birth occurred February 18, 1806. died September 3. 1814: James, the youngest of the family, was born November 10. 1809. married Harriett Sleeth and died November 6. 1876.
After the death of the mother of the above children James Johnston married Anna Kruzan, of Virginia, who bore him five children, the names of two sons being given. Eli, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, and Lem- uel, whose birth also occurred in that county. December 30. 1814. and who
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departed this life November 19. 1843. in Shelby county. Indiana. Mr. John- ston was married a third time, choosing for the companion of his declining years. Elizabeth Caster, whose people were among the carly pioneers of Shelby county.
Eli Je heston, father of the subject of this sketch, came to Shelby county with his parents in 1820, when a small boy. his mother having died before the family left Ohio. He experienced many vicissitudes and hardships dur- ing his childhood and youth, grew up energetic and industrious, and in the course of time became one of the most successful farmers in Sugar Creek township. He married, when a young man, Martha Carson, who was born in Ohio. December 17. 1817. the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Mc- Dermott ) Carson, of Pennsylvania. These parents moved to Ohio in an early day, thence, in 1829. to Shelby county, Indiana, settling one mile west of Boggstown, on land which Mr. Carson purchased from the government. and on which he and his good wife spent the remainder of their days. Eli and Martha Johnston became the parents of the following children : James F .. born April 10. 1836, is still living on the old homestead : William K .. born June 24. 1838, married in 1860 to Rebecca Cooper, who was born December 10. 1838, and died December 6. 1881. her husband having been called away February 20, 1800: his second wife, Carilda Snyder, whom he married Jan- uary 20, 1866, was born December 10. 1842, and is now living in Worthing- ton, Indiana: Sarah C., born April 23. 1841, was married July 4. 1866. to C. D. Patterson, and makes her home in Indianapolis: Thomas S .. born Apri! 20, 1843: John W., who was born February 5. 1845. lives on the old Carson homestead in Sugar Creek township. married Margaret Stickler, who was born August 26. 1849. their union being blessed with children as follows: Sammuel B., born January 20, 1870: Ortis. November 21. 1872, died Decem- ber 12, of the same year: Gilbert, born February 22, 1875, the two surviving sons being married, the older having three children. the younger one. The youngest of the family was Martha Ladora, born September 15. 1857. married Henry P. King March 2. 1881, and died March 2, 1909. Their chil- dren are: Alice. Ormond, deceased: Carson 11 .. Leland Thompson.
Eli Johnston was a man of generous impulses, highly esteemed in his community and always bore the reputation of an enterprising and praise- worthy citizen. He was a Republican in politics, and a Christian in the true sense of the term. He wielded a strong power for good on all with whom he mingled, and he will long be remembered as one of the substantial, hon- orable men of the county in which he lived. He died July 10. 1887.
Thomas S. Johnston, whose name heads this review, was born in Sugar Creek township. Shelby county. April 20, 1843. as already indicated, on the farm in section 19. Which joins his present place of residence. He was rearel to agricultural pursuits, enjoyed but limited educational advantages and.
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after remaining with his father during his minority engaged in farming for himself which he has since successfully followed. In 1895 be purchased the farm of one hundred twenty-five aeres in section 19. on which he now lives . and on which he has made many substantial improvements, bringing the place to a high state of cultivation and making it one of the finest and most attractive rural homes in Sugar Creek township as well as one of the most valuable. Mr. Johnston carries on general farming and is also largely in- terested in stock raising, devoting considerable attention to cattle and sheep from which he derives no small part of his income. His wife, formerly Norah Preble, daughter of John G. and Lavina ( Ullery ) Preble, was born September 30, 1863, in Ripley county, Indiana, their union resulting in three children, namely : Lowell T., born March 18, 1893: Paul P., March 29. 1896, and Leland O., who first saw the light of day on January 27, 1902.
Mr. Johnston votes the Republican ticket. and is a devoted member of the Seventh Day Adventist church, in which, for several years, he has held the office of elder, being at this time a deacon and a member of the board of trustees. His early religious training was under the influence of the Metho- dist Protestant church, but becoming convinced that the tenets of the denom ination were unscriptural, he and his brother. John W., withdrew from the same and united with the religious body to which they now belong.
The antecedents of Mr. Johnston originally lived in Ireland, and the first of the family to come to America is supposed to have settled in one of the eastern colonies as carly as the year 1707. James Johnston, the subject's grandfather. who is noticed in a preceding paragraph, was the first white per- son to permanently settle in Sugar Creek township and ever since his arrival the family has been represented among intelligent and progressive members of the community.
The Preble family, to which Mis. Thomas S. Johnston belongs, is an old and noted one, the following being a brief outline of the branch with which she is connected: John C. Proble, her father, was a son of Grafton Preston Preble, and he a son of Stephen Preble, whose birth occurred on July 17, 1774. and who married, in 1799. Jane Rogers, who was born April 5. 1775. The children of Stephen and Jane Preble were Grafton P .. born Jan- uary 17, 1800: Henry K .. March 2, 1802 : Barnard. May 28, 1803 : Benjamin. December 13, 1804: Mary, August 1, 1800: Alexander J., March 21, 1808: Clemency, August 17, 1809, and John S., who was born September 5. 1816. The mother dying in May. 1828, Stephen Preble, on May 10. 1831. married Jane Ware, who was born May 11. 1779. and who departed this life in 1862.
Stephen Preble moved from Brown county, Ohio, to Ripley county, In- diana, in 1819, where he lived until 1838, when he sold out and returned to the former state, locating in Preble county, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1862. He was a native of Washington county, Penn-yl-
CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., IND.
vania, and a son of John Preble, whose wife. Clemency Bond, was born in Virginia. The parents of John Preble were Stephen and Nancy (Gallion) Preble, the father a near descendant of one of the three Preble brothers who came to America from England, early in the colonial period, one of them settling in Maine, an ! one in Charless wn. South Carolina, and the other in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the latter being the progenitor of the branch of the family noted in the preceding paragraph. Commodore Edward Preble. whose name adorns a bright page in the history of the United States, by rea- son of distinguished service on the sea during the early period of the govern- ment, was also a descendant of the Preble who figured in the early annals of Philadelphia, and it was in his honor that Preble county. Ohio, was named. From the most authentic data obtainable Commodore Preble appears to have been the ancestor from whom sprang the present Preble family in Indiana. and other parts of the Middle West, and it is with no little pride that the de- scendants of that sterling hero point to their genealogy.
ELIJAH ENSMINGER.
The family of this name were among the first settlers to reach Shelby county, and their descendants have been among the county's best citizens. When John M. and Margaret ( Ballard ) Ensminger left their native state of Vermont it was an undertaking of great danger and hardship to make the long trip to the western wilderness : the traveling was by horseback or wagon. most of the way, with an occasional lift by boat when they reached a lake or river, and the roads were merely trails or traces. So, very weary and worn out were these New Englanders when they reached their objective point in Shelby county, and gloomy were the prospects of establishing a home. How - ever, the early pioneer was nothing if not strong-hearted, and John M. ard Margaret Ensminger had the Yankee pluck that plucked success many times from the thorns of adversity. Locating first in Liberty, they soon moved on to Moral township, finding it necessary to blaze a trail to the wild land they had selected in the southeastern part of the township. They took hokl. how- ever. with the genuine pioneer nerve and soon had things "whipped into shape" for an abiding place, and there they labored. suffered and struggled until their earthly careers ended. Their children in order of birth were: Elijah. Caroline, Adeline, George W. Sarah, Catherine M. William and James M. Sarah, who died June 12. 1909, resided at London, this county. William, who is a farmer in Brandywine township. is now the only survivor. Elijah Ensminger, the ellest of the family, was born in Liberty town ship. Shelby county, Indiana, August 23, 1834. As there was nothing then
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but an occasional subscription school, conducted on the "boarding around" plan, his education was necessarily limited. but he made up the deficiency in after life by reading and was regarded as a well informed man. He remained on the farm with his parents until his marriage. July 27, 1862. to Lenie. a daughter of Joseph O. :: { Matilde ( Harrell ) Oldham. Her father was born in Kentucky June 1, 1824. and his wife on November 29. 1828. Joseph was a son of John and Margaret ( Floyd) Oldham, who settled on Blue river in 1834, and died there in the late forties. Matilda Harrell was a daughter of Baron and Sarah Oldham ( Pertle) Harrell. Joseph O. Oldham died April 1.4. 1865, and his wife on October 15, 1885. They lived the quiet life on the farm, were faithful to all their duties, members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and worthy citizens in every way. Lenie, their eldest child. was born in Brandywine township, May 6, 1844. Sidney A .. now deceased. wis the wife of Thomas Linville, and the mother of ten children. Granville I. is a practicing physician at Columbus, Indiana. John Q. is a resident of Shelbyville. Mary, who is the wife of John J. Totten, resides in Brandywine township. After his marriage Elijah Ensminger lived in Brandywine town- ship for three years and then took possession of the farm in Moral township. where he resided until the time of his death, which occurred September 6. 1902. When he bought his little farm of fifty acres it was practically unim proved, being compelled to take his family into an old log cabin that had long been an abode for owls and bats. Elijah Ensminger, however, was a sturdy man. and one not easily discouraged, so he set doggedly to work to better his condition. There was much deadening, much grubbing, much log-rolling necessary, to say nothing of the hard work connected with putting in the an- nual crops. He was equal to all emergencies, and by and by had a well cul- tivated farm, with a comfortable house to live in. Still better. he increased his holdings from time to time until he had one hundred twenty acres of fine farming land to show for his toil and industry extending over thirty-seven years. During all this time he had a strong helpmeet in the person of his wife, who had the genuine pioneer spirit and stuck to her husband loyally through all his trials and tribulations, his joys and his sorrows. If there ever was a self-made man it was Elijah Ensminger, and he richly deserved all that he laid up as it came to him as the result of many a day of toil and many a night of anxiety. His reward was his home, the love of a good wife, duti- ful children, and the esteem of every citizen in his community. He was a man of quiet habits, strictly devoted to his farming interests and though a Democrat by conviction, was never known to seek office. He was reared in the Methodist church and was a consistent member of the same throughout his entire life. Mr. and Mrs. Ensminger became the parents of three chil- dren: John M., married Ida May Harrell, and their children are: Jessie Pearl, Alta, Ethel B., May, Hazel O. and Josie Caroline. William T. married Ed-
CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., INE
die Weaver, and has an adopted daughter named Lizzie. Minnie (. is the wife of David H. Tucker, a resident of London, has three children. Roy ( .. Bertha Fern, and Fred Benjamin. Mrs. Ensminger was a charming lady. a true wife, a devoted mother and a good neighbor, as is attested by all who cante in contact with her during her long residence in Brandy wine township.
ROBERT G. SNODGRASS.
The Snodgrass family, originally of Virginia, domiciled at an early day in Kentucky. We first hear of Benjamin Snodgrass, who came from the old Dominion to the "Dark and Bloody Ground." there married Ursula Evans, of Pennsylvania. later migrated to Indiana and settled on a wild tract of land bought in Hancock county, near Palestine. Into a tumble-down old log cabin on this forbidding tract the pioneers moved with their meager belonging- and set up housekeeping after the primitive methods of those distant days. The family took possession October 7, 1828, and on September 10, 1820. the head of the house passed away, leaving a widow and five children. Napoleon Bonaparte Snodgrass, one of the sons, was born in Harrison county. Ken tucky. November 8. 1822, and was about six years old when the removal to Indiana occurred. His widowed mother, with the care of so many small chil dren, had a hard struggle to make both ends meet. Napoleon, who possessed a mechanical turn, made her a hand-loom and she became so skillful in handling this pioneer instrument that her iame was spread broadcast. Even Governor Jennings and his wife were attracted and paid a visit to the cabin home of Mrs. Snodgrass to get her to weave for them one of her beautiful coverlets. In the course of time this high type of the pioneer woman sank to rest and left her growing family to struggle for themselves. Napoleon helped on the farm until he was twenty-one and then branched out as a carpenter and millwright. He followed this business until the winter of 1850, when he bought the oldl grist and linker mill on Sugar creek, besides twenty acres of land in Moral township. He conducted this laisiness until the going out of the dam compelled him to abandon it, when he turned his attention to farm- ing. He kept buying land until at the time of his death, which occurred De- cember 4. 1896, he owned five hundred and sixty-six acres, mostly in Moral township. He improved his holdings by modern methods and eventually had the largest part of his land under a high state of cultivation, his crowning achievement being the building of a beautiful brick residence in 1874. He was a citizen of the highest order. the minister who attended to his funeral services and had known him long and intimately, declaring that Napoleon B. Snodgrass lived literally by the strictest interpretation of the "golden rule."
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This was the general opinion of all who knew him. February 17, 1850, he married Susannah, daughter of John A. and Lavina Leonard, and born in Davidson county. North Carolina. in 1828. There were eight children by thi- union : Loretta, who married D. MeDougall, and resided in Hancock county. is deceased: Robert G. : Willard, died April 7. 1872: Sarah. deceased : Jennie. wife of Thaddeus L. Major, of Irvington. Indiana: Annie, wife of Dr O. C. Neier, is also a resident of Irvington : John N. occupies the old homestead, and Clement died in youth. The mother died September 1, 1897. and was laid to rest by the side of her husband in the New Palestine cemetery.
Robert G. Snodgrass, second of his parents' children, was born in Moral township, Shelby county, Indiana, July 3. 1853. As he grew up he assisted his father on the farm, but at an early age conceived an ambition to get a bet- ter education than was afforded by the district schools. On his own responsi- bility, he went to Shelbyville and attended the high school for some time. after which he spent fifteen years in teaching. His schools were in Moral township and after finishing the winter terms, his rule was to enter the fields in summer as a full-fledged farm laborer. In 1887, he bought eighty acres of land. to which he has since added until his holdings amount to one hundred and sixty-four acres of the choice and productive soil which has given Moral township such high rank in the agricultural world. He has made many im- provements, put up modern buildings and otherwise made his place one of the most valuable of its extent in the whole region around.
February 10, 1875, Mr. Snodgrass married Nancy Jane, daughter of Henry C. and Elizabeth Smith, citizens of high standing and members of one of the best known and oldest families of the township. This union has resulted in the birth of five children, Larue, who married Myrtle Short, is a telegrapher at Rushville, and has one child, Wilbur; Orris, who married Lillian Tucker, is a farmer in Moral township: Emma is the wife of Claude Cole, a farmer in Van Buren township; Fairie E. and Earl are at home.
JOHN N. SNODGRASS.
Prominent among the younger set of farmers in Shelby county, Indiana. none is better known than John N. Snodgrass, of section 5. Moral township. He is a farmer by nature and inclination and is noted as a breeder and author- ity on trotting horses.
He was born in this township on December 24. 1867, and is a son of Na- poleon B. Snodgrass. (For the full history of the Snodgrass family see the sketch of Robert G. Snodgrass on another page of this book. ) He was born and reared on a farm and educated in the district schools of the county. He
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now owns the old Snodgrass farm of two hundred and fifty three acres, which he has brought into a prolific state of cultivation. He has always made a specialty of blooded and registered stock. He raises Shorthorn cattle, Shrop- shire sheep and trotting horses. In fact, he has grown some of the best tret ting stock in the county and is considered an authority on that breed of horses.
In 1890 he married Lenna Tuttle, who was born in Sugar Greek town ship. Hancock county, Indiana. She was a daughter of a well known family in that section, and to her and her husband were born the following children : Napoleon, Lowell Clyde and Gladys.
Jolm N. Snodgrass is a Democrat and has always been affiliated with that party. His estimable wife is a member of the Buck Creek Chapel Chris tian church and is a woman of many lovable qualities. Mir. Snodgrass has ever been identified with the up-building of his home community and bas added to it in innumerable ways in the matter of upright living and an irre- proachable life. His attempt to better the industrial and commercial side of his county has met with success and his farm is a mecca for all of those want- ing good stock. In addition to his stock raising business he carries on general farming and has made a success of life.
JEREMIAH McNAMAR. A.
All of the older citizens of Shelby county have pleasant memories of "Jerry" McNamara, the big-hearted, jovial dispositioned Irishman, who de- lighted every crowd he came into with his humor and was a favorite with all classes of people. All the children loved "Jerry" because he was fond of the young people and always had a kind word for the ambitious boy or girl. Mr. MeNamara was generous and always ready to open his purse to worthy men or worthy causes. He was welcomed in all gatherings. for his very presence had a tendency to infuse energy. A life-long Democrat, he was always heard from during campaigns, upholding the principles and candidates of his party. He was a hustler and vote getter that every candidate was anxious to have on his side. Charm of the social circle, a warm friend. an accommodating neigh- bor, kindness itself in all that concerned his family, many sincere regrets were expressed and real sorrow felt among thousands of people when it was announced that his genial heart had ceased to beat. Jeremiah McNamara was born in Ireland, near the city of Limerick, March 17, 1840. Thirteen years later he came to New York with his sister, Mary, arriving at the great metropolis after a tempestuous voyage of seven weeks. . After spending two years in New York, Mary and her fifteen-year-old brother started West, and eventually reached Indianapolis on their way to Hancock county, near Pales-
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tine. where their parents lived. The Irish lad grew to manhood in this player and during the process learned all about hard work, which was the insepar- able condition of farm boys in Indiana at that time. He became a farmer on his own account, and though he had the usual hardships, misfortunes and ac cidents to the business. he finally som out and long before the find sammen reached him he was in comfortable circumstances. Beginning in a small way. he added to his holdings until he had one hundred and twenty acres of ever- lent farming land, possessing all the modern improvements and kept in a high state of cultivation. He died in 1907. in the presence of as sincere a band of mourners as ever followed a man to his grave.
In 1863 Mr. MeNamara married Melvina, daughter of Peter and Mirth ! ( Henderson) Waggoner, the former a Pennsylvanian, who was reared and married in Rush county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. MeNamara were as follows: Mary died in infancy: John J. married Emma Valentine and live- in Moral township: Calvin married Minnie MeNamara and resides in Van Buren township: Nellie is the wife of Lewis Miller, of Moral township: Mai tha is the wife of Stephen Karr. of Moral township: Oliver, who married Daisy Golding, is a resident of Van Buren township: Ira. who married Lena Bell. of Van Buren township, resides on the home place of his mother : Lul is the wife of Hayden Noe, of Moral township: Pearl is at home with ler mother.
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