USA > Indiana > Shelby County > Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana, Vol. 2 > Part 6
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By always proving faithful to the interests of his clients he has been enabled to build up a safe and growing business within a comparatively short time and forge to a conspicuous place among the progressive professional men of the city in which he resides.
Mr. Shaw keeps in close touch with the leading questions and issues upon which the public is at variance and as a Democrat has rendered efficient ser- vice to his party though not a politician in the sense of sceking office or aspir- ing to leadership. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and in matters religious has decided opinions, although not identified with any church. Mrs. Shaw is a member of the Christian church.
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CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHIELBY CO., IND.
On January 1. 1896, at Franklin, Indiana, was solemmized the marriage of Mr. Shaw and Frances E. Rose. daughter of Jacob and Harriett Rose, of Hendricks township. Shelby county, and the eighth of a family of nine chil- dren. all but one of whom are living. Mrs. Shaw was educated in the schools of her native county, is a lady of many amiable traits and enjoys the esteem of her many friends in Shelbyville. moving as she does in the best social circles of the city and being interested in the various charities and other enterprises which usually engage the minds of the intelligent and progressive women of the present day. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw have one son by the name of Robert H .. who was born on the 8th day of May. 1899.
MRS. SOPHIA CHERRY.
The subject of this sketch is descended from two of the oldest and best known familes of Shelby county, and is herself well known and esteemed in the community where she lives, being a lady of reputable standing and possess- ing to a marked degree those qualities of mind and heart which win and retain permanent friendships. Her family name was Wharton. and her paternal antecedents were among the pioneers of Kentucky, in which state her grand- parents, William and Sarah Wharton, were born. also her father. John Whar- ton. William Wharton moved to Shelby county. Indiana. some time in the fifties. and located in section 8. Sugar Creek township, where he purchased land, developed a farm on which he and his wife spent the rest of their lives. both dying a number of years ago. Their family consisted of the following children, viz. : Mrs. Parmelia Rush, Mrs. Rachael Jenkins, Mrs. Palena Stevens, John. James. Thomas, and Mrs. Sarah Gunn. of whom James, of Kansas City. and Mrs. Gunn, of Fremont. Iowa, are the only survivors.
John Wharton, the second of the above family and oldest of the sons, was born June 28. 1824. in Kentucky, came to Indiana with his parents, and spent his early life in Sugar Creek township. When a young man he learned car- pentry, which he followed for a number of years at Fairland, and in connection with his trade also devoted considerable attention to agriculture. He first mar- · ried Virginia Odell. after whose death her sister. Elizabeth. became his wife. both natives of North Carolina. and daughters of Jeremiah and Elizabeth ( Dice) Odell. who moved overland from the Old North State in an early day. and purchased a claim of eighty acres a short distance south of the site of Fair- land, Shelby county, Indiana, the country at the time of their arrival being a dense wilderness into which but few white men had previously penetrated.
Mr. Odell possessed great energy and fine business ability, and by judicious investments added to his original purchase at intervals until he finally became
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the owner of three hundred acres of fine land. the greater part of which he cleared and improved, developing it into one of the most beautiful farms in Sugar Creek township. Jeremiah Odell was born February 14, 1704. and die ! on the above farm July 16, 1830. his wife, whose birth occurred November 25. 1804. departing this life at the same place in the year 1885. They were the parents of children as follows: Elizabeth, second wife of John Wharton: William I ... Isaac. Virginia, first wife of John Wharton, all deceased.
Mrs. Virginia Wharton was born on the 5th day of March. 1830, and died in her twenty-third year. Her sister. Elizabeth, the second wife of John Wharton, was born January 24, 1824. and closed her eyes to earthly scenes on February 12. 1906, her husband dying June 28. 1856, when nearly thirty-thite years of age ; John and Virginia Wharton became the parents of two children. Sophia, the subject of this sketch. and Virginia, who was born February 27. 1853, and who married Dr. James K. Stewart, both deceased.
Sophia Wharton was born in Fairland. Shelby county, and attended the district schools during the years of her childhood and youth, and early became proficient in the duties of the household, and her mother's able and willing assistant in conducting the home. She grew up an intelligent young lady, with proper conceptions of life and its responsibilities, and on September 25, 1879. gave her hand in marriage to Robert Franklin Cherry, an estimable young gentleman of Shelby county, and a carpenter by trade, also a painter and paper- hanger, being skilled in all three trades.
Mr. Cherry was a son of Robert Cherry. Esq., and one of the best known and most highly esteemed men of the community in which he resided. As stated above. he followed mechanical pursuits for a livelihood. and for a num- ber of years was noted as one of the best workmen in the county, his skill as a builder and proficiency and taste as a painter and decorator causing a wide and continuous demand for his services.
He was a Democrat, but not a politician, and in his fraternal relations belonged to the Improved Order of Red Men, having been honored from time to time in the local lodge with important official positions. In matters religious he had strong convictions and for many years he was a member of the Baptist church, and his life was a practical exponent of the faith, being in strict accord with its teachings.
Mr. and Mrs. Cherry's marriage was blessed with one child, a son named Thomas, whose birth occurred July 11. 1880, and who died on the 11th day of February. 1908. He married Lulu Bradley February 2, 1935
Mr. Cherry died December 14. 1907.
Mrs. Cherry owns a beautiful country home in section 16. Brandywine township, a part of the original Odell farm, and is very comfortably situated. She is highly esteemed by all who know her, and moves in the best social circles of the community. She, too. is identified with the Methodist church.
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CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., IND.
JOHN REID FOX.
This representative farmer, who has been a life-long resident of Shelby county, was born on the same farm he row occupies on the 8th day of April. 1843. His people were among the early settlers of Marion township, his father, Jacob Fox. migrating to this part of Indiana when the country was a wilderness infested with wild animals and their scarcely less wild companions, the red men. Mr. Fox entered and improved the land which the subject of this sketch now owns and cultivates and while cutting the timber and burning the logs and brush he was frequently visited by the Indians, who warmed themselves by the fires, but never molested nor in any way annoyed either the pioneer or his family. Deer were then pleuti- ful and easily obtained: the flesh of these animals with that of wild turkeys. ducks, geese and other edible denizens of the earth and air, affording an agreeable addition to the housewife's bill of fare. In addition to clearing and improving a good farm. Jacob Fox built a blacksmith shop on his place which was highly prized by the early settlers for many miles around. He also raised a great many hogs, which he drove to Cincinnati to sell. that city being the nearest market place, not only for live stock but for nearly all of the produce upon which the pioneers depended for their groceries, clothing and necessities. Mr. Fox took a prominent part in the improvement of the country and the development of its resources and in due time became one of the best known and most influential citizens of the county. He was a zealous politician of the old Democratie school, took an active interest in political and public affairs and in the immediate neighborhood was frequently consulted on legal and business matters, in both of which his counsel and advice were judicious and. in not a few instances, prevented much useless and expensive litigation. . 1 North Carolinian by birth, he accompanied his parents to Indiana when a young man, and spent the remainder of his life in Shelby county, dying many years ago on the family homestead which he redeemed from the wilderness.
Jacob F. Fox and Sarah Reid were married in this county and became the parents of nine children. of whom the subject of this sketch. only, is living. five sons and three daughters having rejoined their father and mother on the other side of death's mystic stream.
John Reid Fox spent his early years amid the stirring scenes of the pio- neer period and as soon as old enough to be of service bore his part in the clearing of the farm and the cultivating and gathering of the crops. Owing to the absence of school facilities his education was sadly neglected : neverthe- less, by attending a few terms of subscription school in an old log building of the most primitive type. he obtained a fair knowledge of the usual branches. which, supplemented by a wide range of reading and contact with the workl in after life, made him quite a well informed man.
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On reaching the age when most young men become self-supporting. he turned his attention to agriculture, and after the death of his parents and the other members of his family, came into possession of the homestead, which he still owns. and which. under his industry and judicious management, has been $ improved that it is now regarded as one of the most productive and valuable farms of its area in Marion township. This place lies in section four. and is well adapted for agriculture and stock raising, in both of which Mr. Fox has met with encouraging success, while the old house, erected about sixty- five years ago, has been remodeled and improved until it is now a substantial . and commodious edifice, its imposing and fine old-fashioned appearance sug- gesting ideas of comfort and rest foreign to dwellings of a more modern date.
Mr. Fox was married in 1867 to Sarah Ellen Howery, who was born March 24. 1851. the daughter of Jacob and Sarah Howery, who moved from Ohio to Shelby county in pioneer times and became well known among the early settlers of Marion township. To Mr. and Mrs. Fox five children Irive been born, all but one living. their names being as follows: Talma C .. who married Pearl Fox and resides in Shelby county; Elbert V .. a farmer of Marion township, whose wife, formerly Mary Biss, has presented him with three children : Charles, also a married mar and the father of two children, is a farmer by occupation, his wife having formerly been Louisa Kaster: and Leander. likewise a man of family and a tiller of the soil, who married Grace Bass and is now the father of one child.
Mr. Fox has never taken a very active part in public affairs, belonging to that large and eminently respectable class of yeomen who, by actions rather than words, make their influence felt for good. A life-long Democrat and in harmony with the principles of his party, he has never permitted his quiet to be disturbed by ambition for office or leadership. Mr. and Mrs. Fox are members of the Christian church.
JULI'S L. SHOWERS.
A business man of excellent repute and large influence. the subject of this sketch has been identified with various lines of enterprise and the high esteem in which he is held by the public speaks well for his standing as a citizen. Julius 1. Showers is a native of Bartholomew county. Indiana, and dates his birth from November 23. 1853. being a son of Adam and Susan Showers. Adam Showers, whose birth occurred in Ohio in the year 1829, was a son of Benjamin Showers. also a native of that place and a representative of a very old and esteemed pioncer family. Adam came to Indiana when a boy, and grew to maturity in Bartholomew county, and at the breaking out ci the
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CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., IND.
Civil war he enlisted in the Eleventh Indiana Infantry and gave three years to the cause of the Union. He participated in several battles and minor en- gagements, under the leadership of Gen. Lew Wallace, was taken prisoner at one time. but was soon paroled and on August 30. 1864. received his dis- charge at Harper's Ferry. Virginia. He was a farmer all his life and died at his home in Bartholomew county April 26, 1808.
Susan Holland, wife of Adam Showers, was a native of North Carolina. and belonged to an old Moravian family of that state, several members of which figured in the early history of Bartholomew county. Indiana, her uncle. Martin Hauser, a Moravian minister. migrating to this state a number of years ago and establishing a church at Hope, of which town he was the founder. Thomas and Susan ( Hauser ) Holland, parents of Mrs. Showers. spent the greater part of their lives in the county of Bartholomew, and are remembered as a most excellent and praiseworthy couple. They were among the early residents of the vicinity of Hope, locating one mile north of that town where Mr. Holland impr wed a good farm and acquired a competence. They reared a family of eight children, the youngest of whom was Mrs. Showers, and departed this life a number of years ago. Mr. Holland was a man of much natural genins as a mechanic and could turn his hand to almost any eraft. his skill being greatly appreciated by his neighbors who profited thereby in early times.
Adam and Susan Showers had six children, of whom four are living. Thomas B., in New Mexico: Mrs. Mary B. Shultz. Melville J .. of Oklahoma, and Julius L., of this review. A daughter by the name of Mrs. Sarah L. La- Mar. died some years ago, leaving four children. A son by the name of Henry A .. is also deceased.
Julius L. Showers was reared in his native county and received his edu- cation in the public schools and the University of Hartsville. His early life was spent on a farm and in his young manhood he turned his attention to teaching which he followed with gratifying success for four years. Not car- ing to devote his life to educational work he discontinued it at the expiration of the period indicated and became bookkeeper for John Nading, a grain dealer at Flat Rock, in whose service he continued for four years, resigning his position at the end of that time to engage in the implement business at Edinburg. " After two years in that town he closed out his business and since then has been identified with various enterprises, being at this time the lead- ing spirit in the Homestead Building and Loan Association, of Shelbyville. one of the most successful organizations of the kind in the state. The association was established in 1899 with a capital of five hundred thousand dollars, which was afterwards increased to one million dollars, the present assets being three hundred twenty-seven thousand eighty-seven dollars and eighty-one cents, and the business all that the most sanguine member could desire. Mr. Showers has
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CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., IND.
been secretary ever since the organization went into effect and to his efficient and judici us management the success is largely due. He was also, secretary of the Citizens Natural Gas and Water Company, and during the four years of his incumbency built up the enterprise from nothing to a paying basis, and made the business profitable.
Mr. Showers was a member of the school board for three years, and is now a member of the City Council. where he has rendered valuable service to the municipality. He is deeply interested in the prosperity of Shelbyville. and takes a leading part in all enterprises with that object in view. Judging by his past achievements and present influential standing, it is proper to be- speak for him a career of great promise and usefulness in the future.
Mr. Showers was married April 12, 1882. to Fannie L. Saddler, daughter of J. J. and Angelina ( Richie) Saddler. the father a surgeon in the Civil war. and the mother's father a member of the convention which framed the pres- ent constitution of Indiana. Doctor Saddler, a native of Indiana, attained an eminent reputation in his profession. He married Angeline Richie, being related to the distinguished Huntington family of Shelby county.
Mr. and Mrs. Showers have two children, the older of whom. Joseph Ralph, married Letta Brant. of Shelby county, and has one s .a. Joseph Ralph. Jr. Helen D., the second in order of birth, is unmarriel and a student in Fairmount Seminary in Washington county.
Mr. Showers is a Masen, being a member of Shelby Lodge. No. 28. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons: Chapter No. 20. Royal Arch Masons. Council No. 3. Royal and Select Masters: Commandery No. 2. Knights Tem- plar. and Chapter No. 73. Eastern Star, of which organization his wife is a charter member. He is past chancellor in Lodge No. 457. Knights of Pythias. and also belongs to the Modern Woodmen. In politics he is a Republican and in religion belongs, with his wife, to the Methodist Episcopal church.
CHARLES M. SLAGLE.
All of the old timers in Hendricks township kindly remember David 11. Slagle, universally addressed by his friends as "Dave." He was a man of social disposition, friendly to everybody and in turn liked by all with whom he came in contact. He had engaged in various pursuits during his long life. but was best known as a miller, to which occupation be devoted most of his time. He was born in Clark county. Ohio, March 16, 1826, and was the son of George and Sarah ( Wyatt ) Slagle. He married Barbara .!. Slagle, who. though of the same name, was no relation. She was born eleven miles north of Dayton, Ohio. in Montgomery county. her parents being Charies and
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CHADWICK'S HISTORY OF SHELBY CO., IND.
Susannah ( Snyder ) Slagle, the latter a native of Maryland and the father of Clark county, Ohio. After his marriage in 1851. David H. Slagle came to Indiana. April 15, 1862. and located on a farm in Hendricks township. Shelby county, near Smithland. Five years later they removed to Jackson township. remained there several years and then went to Johnson county, where Mr. Slagle had charge of a saw and grist mill. After this he operated a while in Jackson township, then ran a livery for several years in Edinburg, which was followed by another change to the village of Marietta. Shelby county. which proved permanent. as he was owner and contractor of a combined saw and grist mill at that place until his death. September 12, 1887. His family consisted of the following children, only four of whom are now living : Sarah Elizabeth, Susan M .. Charles M .. Keziah Belle. Enella Harriett, Ida Jane. Lily Alberta, and Mary Catherine. Hattie married Charles Beatty, had two children, Ralph and Alta Elizabeth, and died November 9. 1891, at Marietta. Luella Slagle married William H. Stine, had three children, Verne, Anna and Harlan K., and died December 18. 1997. Her daughter. Verne. married Wallace Armstrong, lives near Flat Rock. and bas two children, Minnie WVilletta and Jonas. Sarah E .. Keziah B. and Lily Slagle all died during childhood. Susan M. married George Henderson, and resides on a farm five miles west of Franklin. She has seven children. Roy, Alice. Kate, David J .. Edward. Charles and Bryce Sterritt. Charles M. married Anna Maley. Nr. and Mrs. Slagle live on a farm near Smithland. Ida Jane Slagle married William S. Snyder, resides in Shelbyville. Mary Catherine Slagle married Tilford Williams, a boiler maker employed at the Atlas Engine Works, in Indianapolis. Mrs. David H. Slagle is a resident of Shelbyville.
Charles MI. Slagle, third of his father's nine children, was born in Shelby county, Ohio, July 7. 1856. As he grew up he karned the trade of sawyer under his father's instruction and followed this occupation for many years. October 23. 1884. he married Anna E., daughter of John and Helen Maley, who came from Germany and died ia Jackson township, before their daughter was three years old. After his marriage Mr. Slagle continued to work as a sawyer for a year and then moved upon a farm of one hundred and three acres which he had purchased in Hendricks township. He has greatly im- proved this property, built a fine home, added all the necessary conveniences. · in the way of outbuildings, and can loast of as fine a farm as there is in Hendricks township. He has always been a hard worker, has good judgment concerning farming matters, understands how to save and altogether has made a success of life. He is entirely self-made, owing little or nothing to others. Ent dependent upon his own efforts and industry to pull through. Mr. and Mrs. Slagle have four children : May, wife of Leotto Creek, resides in Marietta. while Ollie. Emery and Richard remain at home with their parents. The latter are devoted members of the Methodist Protestant church at Marietta
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and at different times for many years Mr. Slagle has been superintendent of the Sunday school, acting also as trustee. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Chillon Lodge, No. 129, at Shelbyville, and one of the highly re- spected citizens of this part of the county.
MARTIN M. NADING.
Although a young man, the subject of this sketch has achieved signal success as an electrician and scientist, and in reducing his knowledge to prac- tical use has conferred no small favor on the people of the community in which he lives. He is also interested in other scientific pursuits, being one of the large land owners and enterprising agriculturists of Washington township. and as a public spirited citizen takes an active part in forwarding all laudable measures for the material progress of the country and the intellectual and so- cial advancement of his fellow men.
John Nading, the subject's father, was a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, but spent much of his life in the county of Shelby, where he acquired a large amount of real estate and for a number of years he conducted a very successful business at Flat Rock in buying and shipping grain.
Martin M. Nading was born in Washington township. July 28. 1883. and spent his early life on the family homestead near the village of Flat Rock. attending the district schools at intervals in the meantime. In his youth he went to Kansas, and during the seven years spent in that state he attended the graded schools of Topeka, and upon returning to Indiana took a course of instruction in a private institution at Shelbyville, conducted by Prof. Thomas Harrison, devoting special attention to the natural sciences, for which he early manifested a decided taste. Later he continued his scientific study and research at Earlham College and after completing the special course in that institution entered the Bliss Electrical School at Washington, D. C., from which, in due time, he was graduated with an honorable record as a close and critical student.
Returning home shortly after finishing his scientific education, Mr. Na- ding erected an electrical plant on his farm near the village of Flat Rock, for the purpose of continuing his researches and experiments in the domain of electricity, also for private use in the lighting of his own and other homes in the vicinity. Since its completion he has doubled the capacity of the plant. and being equipped with the latest and most approved machinery and devices for investigating and experimenting in one of the most interesting and useful fields of research, it is now as complete an establishment of the kind as there is in this part of the state. Mr. Nading is a painstaking student and investi-
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gator, a genius in the line of electricity, and his labors and experiments have resulted in not a few discoveries and improvements which in due time will doubtless have an important bearing on the scientific thought of the age. He has already achieved much more than a local reputation in electrical circles. and those who have watched his career predict for him a promising future in the sphere to which he has devoted so much time and study.
As stated in a preceding paragraph, Mr. Nading has large real estate interests which demand a considerable portion of his time, owning five hun- dred and fifty acres of valuable and well improved land in Washington town- ship, to the management of which he gives his personal attention and from which he receives a very handsome income. His farms, with other valuable property, represent a comfortable fortune and it is needless to state that he is in independent circumstances with a sufficiency of this world's goods at his command to enable him to carry on his favorite pursuit without hindrance and to live with little or no concern for the future. In politics he is a Re- publican, but being so deeply interested in matters more immediately to his ad- vantage, he does not take a very active part in public affairs though wel! in- formed on the leading questions and issues of the day and abreast of the times in all that concerns the welfare of his fellow men.
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