USA > Indiana > Henry County > Hazzard's history of Henry county, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume II > Part 58
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Amanda (Elliott) Bundy, the mother of Eugene Halleck Bundy, was a daughter of Abraham Elliott, who was admitted to the bar at the first term of the Henry Circuit Court in 1823; in 1825 he was appointed a master in chancery; he was a member of the board of justices from 1825 to 1827, and associate judge, from 1843 to 1849. She was a sister of the late Jehu T. Elliott, who was for many years a judge of the Henry Circuit Court and of the Supreme Court of the State of Indiana.
Eugene Halleck Bundy early became a student. His primary education was ob- tained in the common and academic schools of New Castle and in September, 1864, he entered Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, where he spent two years. He then went to Union College, Schenectady, New York, where he entered the Sophomore class and re- mained for a year. He then returned to Miami University, where he completed the regular classical course and graduated in June, 1869.
After graduation, young Bundy returned to his home in New Castle and began the study of the law in the office of his father, which was then in the rear room of the First National Bank, of which the latter was president. He was a diligent student and made such rapid progress in his studies that he was admitted to the bar in 1870, and then hegan a practise which has grown from day to day, and from year to year. His natural capacity, his eagerness to learn things and his laudable ambition to excel, coupled with the friendly rivalry of boyhood companions, so many of whom had, like himself, entered the arena of the law, caused him to strive with unabated energy for the honors of his profession, until he now stands in the first rank.
In his boyhood he had shown a decided bent toward political life and at the age of fifteen years he was appointed a page in the House of Representatives of the General As- sembly of Indiana, by Cyrus M. Allen, of Vincennes, then Speaker of the House. This was in 1861, when the General Assembly (forty first and special sessions) was known and is now historically referred to as the "War Legislature." Great events were com- ing; civil war was casting its mighty shadow athwart the country; the Union of our fathers was threatened; the rope that hound the Commonwealths together was like to prove a rope of sand; on either side was heard the fife's shrill note and the drum's loud alarm calling the people to arms. It was amid such forboding scenes that young Bundy gained his first experience in governmental affairs and their lasting impression upon his mind has been demonstrated in many ways. It was at this time he came in contact with the then president elect. Abraham Lincoln, who was making his famous journey to Washington City for inauguration. His first stop was at Indianapolis, where he was ten- dered a reception, which was held in the parlor of the old Bates House, which stood on the southeast corner of Illinois and Washington streets, where the Claypool Hotel now stands. A part of the ceremony was to consist of the presentation of the members of the General Assembly to the president elect and for that purpose they formed in line, headed by John R. Cravens, of Jefferson County, President of the Senate, and Cyrus M. Allen, of Knox County, Speaker of the House. It was the privilege of this young page to stand at the head of the line and, as each member advanced, to announce his name to Mr. Lincoln.
Engene / Bundy/2
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
In 1861 Martin L. Bundy was appointed and commissioned, hy President Lincoln, Major and Paymaster, United States Volunteers, and in the latter part of 1862, Eugene H. became one of his father's clerks and remained with him until September, 1864, when he entered Miami University. During most of their service, they were stationed at Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago and Detroit. These two years of army service were strenuous in character and were important in that they gave the subject of this sketch a business training and education of great importance to him in after life.
Eugene Halleck Bundy and Elizabeth Mary (Bettie) Mellett, only daughter of Judge Joshua H. and Catharine ( Shroyer) Mellett, were united in marriage, at the home of the bride's parents in New Castle, Indiana, July 6, 1870, the ceremony heing performed by the Reverend Milton Mahin. They are the parents of one child, a daughter, Nellie Catharine, a very charming and accomplished young lady, who gracefully adorns the home and delightfully entertains her many friends.
Not long after his admission to the har Mr. Bundy entered into a partnership with Mark E. Forkner, under the firm name of Forkner and Bundy. They had a large and lucrative practise for a period of six years, when the firm was dissolved and Mr. Bundy became a partner with his father-in-law, Judge Mellett, who had just retired from the bench. The partnership of Mellett and Bundy continued for thirteen years and was re- garded as one of the strongest legal firms in Eastern Indiana.
In the Fall of 1880, Eugene H. Bundy was elected State Senator for the district composed of the counties of Henry, Delaware and Randolph. He served in the fifty first regular and special sessions of 1881 and in the fifty second regular session of 1883. He was an active member of the Senate and took a prominent part in its deliberations, es- tablishing for himself a name which later warranted his nomination for Lieutenant Governor of the State by the Republican State convention in 1884. The candidate for Governor was William H. Calkins, of Laporte. The ticket was defeated, hut that result in no wise lessened the estimation in which Mr. Bundy was held by the people. He had made a complete campaign throughout the State and was everywhere recognized as a powerful advocate of the principles of the Republican party.
In 1887 when the State was erecting additional hospitals for the insane at Rich- mond, Logansport and Evansville, Governor Isaac P. Gray appointed Eugene H. Bundy, a member of the board of commissioners, to which the construction of the buildings was intrusted. He held this responsible position until the completion of the hospital. He was appointed a member of this commission in the place of General William Grose, who had resigned because of his election to the State Senate.
The General Assembly, by an act approved February 22, 1889, having erected Henry County into a separate judicial circuit, designated as the fifty third, Governor Alvin P. Hovey, under authority of the act, appointed Eugene H. Bundy judge of the circuit, to hold until the next general election in November, 1890. When the election was neld, he was chosen to succeed himself and served for the full term of six years. Judge Eugene H. Bundy's career on the bench was entirely satisfactory to the people of the county, and it is unquestioned that he fully maintained the high reputation of the Henry Circuit Court as established by his honorable predecessors.
The life of Judge Bundy, from the time of his first public service while still a boy in his "teens" until the present, has heen one of continuous activity. He retired with honor from the hench and at once resumed the practise of the law in partnership with Judge John M. Morris. This association continued until the latter in 1896 was elected judge of the Henry Circuit Court to succeed Judge William O. Barnard. Since that time Judge Bundy has continued to practise his profession alone.
During the term of years that Charles S. Hernly, of Henry County, was Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee, Judge Bundy was a member and chairman of the Executive Committee of that organization and contributed greatly to the success of the party in the campaigns of 1898 and 1900. He has always been a Republican in poli- tics, not merely a voter of the party ticket, hut an active and aggressive worker. In all campaigns, local, State and National, except during his incumbency of the bench when he upheld the hest traditions of the judiciary by refraining from politics, he has heen a conspicuous figure in the councils of his party. As an orator he ranks high and is a
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forcible campaign speaker who is always eagerly sought for. He is a close observer of political conditions and possesses the ability to clearly expound his well grounded opin- ions touching matters of importance to the State and Nation.
He has been an active member of the Henry County Historical Society since its organization and is now one of the three trustees of that important institution which has for its main object the preservation of the historical materials of the county. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, Crescens Lodge, Numher 33; of the Im- proved Order of Red Men, Iroquois Tribe, Number 97; and of the Benevolent Protec- tive Order of Elks, New Castle Lodge, Number 484. He is not a member of any church, but is closely identified by birth and association with the Methodist Episcopal denomina- tion.
Judge Bundy has grown in years, yet he is, comparatively speaking, not an old man. He is physically sound and mentally well balanced and the future, no doubt, has in store for him many years of usefulness as well as preferment and honors. He is noted for his genial disposition, his fine social qualities and the enduring nature of his friendships. As a young man, he started under the hest auspices and throughout his career has made the very best of his opportunities. His whole life has been a success. He enjoys the distinction of having heen one of his father's successors on the bench of Henry County, the only case of the kind in the county and one of the very few in the State. It is true, however, that when his uncle, Jehu T. Elliott, was presiding judge of the Henry Circuit Court, his father, the grandfather of Judge Bundy, Abraham Elli- ott, was associate judge of the county and sat on the bench with his son who was the presiding judge. Judge Bundy is also one of the successors on the bench of his father- in-law, Joshua H. Mellett, who was a judge of the Henry Circuit Court.
In chapter nine of volume one of this History is published a full biographical sketch of Judge Martin L. Bundy and his family, which should be read in connection with this sketch of his son for details of the family not mentioned here. Reference should also be made to the biographical sketch of his father-in-law, Judge Joshua H. Mellett, published in this volume.
William OB award
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WILLIAM OSCAR BARNARD.
SCHOOL TEACHER, LAWYER AND JUDGE.
The Barnard family is a notable one and traces its origin back to colonial days in America. The family is of English origin but genealogical information regarding the family in the mother country is lacking. The lineal representatives of seven genera- tions of this family in America, given in their order, are as follows: Thomas, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, William, Tristram, William, and Sylvester, father of William Oscar Barnard, the subject of this sketch. Thomas, Nathaniel, Ebenezer and the first William were all residents of the Island of Nantucket, famous in the annals of the early colonists and which figures prominently in later American History, and where even to this day still survive many of the quaint customs and peculiar forms of government of the seven- teenth century which have become obsolete elsewhere. Thomas Barnard was a soldier in the Colonial Army and was killed by the Indians during King Philip's War, in 1675.
The first white settler of Nantucket was Thomas Macy, whose descendants became connected with the Gardner and Barnard families by intermarriage. The Barnards and Macys first settled on the mainland in the Plantation of Plymouth, but they are said to have been Quakers, who came under the ban of the Puritans, owing to the religious in- tolerance of the times, and were driven for safety to take refuge on the Island. As Thomas Barnard rendered military service and lost his life in the Indian Wars. it is possible that the Barnard family at least, were not at that time Quakers but became so afterwards. However obscure the reasons, the fact of their early removal and settlement on Nantucket is indisputable. The subsequent removal of the family to North Carolina, where there was a large settlement of Quakers clearly points, however, to Quaker con- nections. The date of their removal to North Carolina has not been kept and the next known fact regarding the movements of this family relate to the emigration from North Carolina of the second William, named above in the chain of ancestry. The religious and political dislike of the Quakers to the institution of African slavery caused him to move his family in 1818 to Indiana, where they settled in Union County, three miles east of Liberty, the county seat of the county.
The last named William Barnard married Matilda Gardner in North Carolina about the year 1805, but the exact date is not obtainable. He died in March, 1858, and his wife in July, 1845, and both are buried in the cemetery at Poplar Ridge, near Everton, Fay- ette County, Indiana. This pioneer couple were the parents of the following named chil- dren: Lydia G., who died at Spiceland, Indiana, aged seventy two years, and is buried in the Spiceland Cemetery; Paul, who died at Richmond, Indiana, In 1880, and is buried there in Earlham Cemetery: Eunice, afterwards Mrs. Eli Stanton, now deceased; Mary B., afterwards Mrs. Shubal Swain, now deceased and buried at her home in Kansas; Isaac, who married Alvira Swain, died in August, 1880, and is buried at his home in Iowa; Phoebe, who died at Poplar Ridge and is buried there; Barzillai, who married and reared a large family, died and is buried in the cemetery at Rushville, Indiana; Margaret, after- wards Mrs. Richard D. Taylor, who is now deceased and buried at her home near Oska- loc~a, Jowa; William D., who married Mary Jane Trusler, sister of Colonel Nelson and Milton Trusler, died in February, 1881, and is buried at Connersville, Indiana; Melinda, who lives at Spiceland, on Academy Avenue, and is now past eighty two years of age; Anderson, who died young; Byron, who married Maria Piper, near Connersville, Indiana. now lives at Halstead, Kansas; and Sylvester, father of the subject of this sketch.
SYLVESTER BARNARO.
Sylvester Barnard was the thirteenth child, but the superstition as to that number being unlucky, in his case at least, completely fails, as he has been singularly fortunate and has lived a very successful life. Devotees of the Black Art, however, may have a ready explanation of this in the mysterious virtues of the number "seven," he being the seventh son. He was born March 31, 1828, in Union County, Indiana, on his father's farm, three miles east of Liberty, in a typical log cabin of the period. On April 10, 1850,
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
he was married, at the home of the bride in Fayette County, nine miles southeast of Con- nersville, to Lavina Myer, daughter of Jacob and Sarah Myer. Jacob Myer came from Pennsylvania and his wife from Virginia and settled in Union County, near Boston, Wayne County. They were known as Pennsylvania Dutch, an appellation not used deris- ively but to distinguish a class of people, very many of whom came early to Indiana and by their efforts and those of their descendants have helped to bring the Hoosierland to its present state of prosperity.
Sylvester and Lavina (Myer) Barnard are the parents of the following named chil- dren: Edna Ann, who married John Meckel, an architect of Anderson, Indiana, hut is now deceased; William Oscar, the subject of this sketch; Isaac Myer, who is a farmer in Rush County, near Knightstown, Henry County; Jacob Newton, who was formerly a teacher and then a dry goods merchant, but is now a banker at Daleville, Delaware County, Indiana; Lawrence Carlton, formerly a school teacher but now connected with one of the large department stores at Muncie, Indiana; and Pliny Colfax, a popular prac- tising physician at Oakville, Delaware County, about ten miles north of New Castle.
Mr. and Mrs. John Meckel became the parents of four children: Frank, Grace, Nellie, deceased, and Maud. The family of Mr. and Mrs. William O. Barnard are treated of fully below; Mr. and Mrs. Isaac M. Barnard are the parents of Carl W., Helen, and Joseph S .; Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Barnard are the parents of Elliott and Boyd T .; and Mr. and Mrs. Pliny C. Barnard are the parents of one child, Harry L. Of these grandchildren of Sylvester Barnard and wife, two, Frank and Grace Meckel, are mar- ried. Frank and his wife are the parents of two children, Edna and Orion; and Grace, and her husband, John Bernard, are the parents of two children, Paul and Ruth.
Sylvester Barnard, for the greater part of his life, has been a farmer. His boy- hood was spent amid the difficulties and dangers of pioneer surroundings. He has al- ways been an industrious man and is now enjoying the fruits of a well spent life at his beautiful home in Middletown, Henry County, Indiana. Through- out their married life, Mrs. Barnard has been a sympathetic and helpful companion. In politics he was first a Whig, but when that organization ceased to exist, he became a firm adherent of the Republican party, He has belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for forty five years, and is now a member of Olive Branch Lodge, Number 89, Dublin, Indiana. He was initiated into the mysteries of the order and conducted through the ceremonies by Milton Trusler, of Everton Lodge, Number 139, Fayette County, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard were Quakers until their removal to Middle- town in 1892, but as there was no church of that denomination at that place, they took membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which they are consistent and faith- tul members. They are devoted to their children and their descendants; have many warm friendships; are free givers to charitable objects; and strive in all ways to do the will of Him whom to rightfully serve brings joy and peace everlasting.
Following the advent of the Barnard family into Union County, Indiana, where they resided for a number of years, they removed to the adjoining county of Fayette, where in March, 1858, William, the father of Sylvester, died. He was an influential mem- ber of the Society of Friends or Quakers and during his life took an active personal interest in all matters relating to the management of the church and its affairs.
The relationshhip by intermarriage of the Barnard, Gardner and Macy families has already been casually mentioned. Matilda Gardner, the mother of Sylvester Barnard, was the daughter of Isaac and Eunice (Macy) Gardner, who were consequently his grandparents. The line of descent in the Gardner family runs thus: Richard. first, Richard, second, Solomon, Stephen, Isaac, husband of Eunice Macy, Matilda, mother of Sylvester Barnard. The line of descent in the Macy family runs thus: Thomas Macy, the first, who was the first white settler of Nantucket Island, John, Thomas, second, Joseph, Paul, Eunice, who married Isaac Gardner. Sylvester Barnard is consequently a descendant on the maternal side of the first settler of Nantucket.
Tristram, the grandfather of Sylvester and the great grandfather of William O. Barnard, married Margaret Folger, daughter of Latham Folger. and thus relationship by intermarriage is established between the Barnard and Folger families. The line of
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
descent of the Folger family begins with Peter Folger, who was the first Clerk of Nan- tucket, and runs thus: Peter, John, Jonathan, Latham, Margaret (wife of Tristram Barnard).
WILLIAM OSCAR BARNARD.
William Oscar Barnard, son of Sylvester and Lavina (Myer) Barnard, was born near Liberty, Union County, Indiana, October 25, 1852, but when he was two years of age, his parents moved to Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana. The family remained for a couple of years at that quiet place in Western Wayne County, which preceding the Civil War was noted as one of the stations on the underground railroad where negroes, fleeing from slavery, stopped for safety on their way to Canada. The family left Dublin in 1856 and moved to Fayette County, where they settled on a farm not far from Connersville. It was there that William O. Barnard passed the greater part of his boyhood, performing his share of the duties pertaining to life in the country. The modern conveniences, which make the life of the farmer one of comparative ease, did not prevail when the embryo judge was trudging along behind the single plow or with measured step was dropping the corn, sowing the wheat and swinging the scythe.
In 1866 he came with his parents to Henry County, Indiana, settling in Liberty Township, where he grew to manhood. His education up to this time was such as the average country boy secures, but after coming to Henry County, he entered as a student at the well known Spiceland Academy, where he had the good fortune to come under the guidance of that foremost of teachers, the late Clarkson Davis, whose fine character and remarkable ability as an educator have made a lasting impression upon the community. His students will never cease to honor and cherish his memory as well as that of his noble wife, Hannah Davis.
After leaving school, William O. Barnard became an educator himself. He taught in several of the district schools of the county and was for a year principal of the school at Economy, Wayne County, Indiana; also for a term or more, he taught in the public schools at New Castle.
He was now somewhat past the age of manhood and was confronted with the ever present question, "What shall I do in the world?" He was strongly inclined toward the legal profession and in 1876 commenced to read law with the late James Brown, of New Castle. He was admitted to the Henry County har in 1877 and at once began the practise, being at first associated, for a short time, as partner with Captain David W. Chambers.
Now fairly launched on the husy sea of professional life, William O. Barnard slowly but surely advanced along the way to success. The discouragements of his profession he brushed aside, its difficulties he overcame, until today he has the uniform regard and esteem of his friends and neighbors and the confidence of the whole bar, and enjoys a well earned reputation as a judge and jurist. While practising his profession, he was for two years the treasurer of the Corporation of New Castle. He afterwards served a term of six years, from 1887 to 1893, as prosecuting attorney, a part of this time for the eighteenth judicial circuit, which comprised the counties of Henry and Hancock, and later for the fifty third judicial circuit, which comprised the county of Henry alone. The fact may have been elsewhere mentioned, but it will bear repetition that the office of prosecuting attorney has in many instances proved the stepping stone to judicial honors, and this was so in the case of Mr. Barnard, who was elected judge of the fifty third judicial circuit and was commissioned for six years from November 17, 1896. At the time of his election, he was forty four years of age and it is a notable circumstance that since the time when Robert L. Polk sat on the bench, the judges of the Henry Circuit Court have been comparatively young men. Judge Polk was but thirty five years of age when he assumed the duties of the office in 1876. He was followed hy Judge Mark E. Forkner, in 1881, at the age of thirty-five; Judge Eugene H. Bundy, in 1889. at the age of forty three; Judge William O. Barnard, in 1896, at the age already stated; and the present judge, John M. Morris, at the age of forty five.
Among a law abiding people the position of judge is always an exalted one. In the stately language of Bishop Hooker, "of the law no less can be acknowledged than that her seat is the bosom of God," and unquestionably the judicial position demands of its
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY,
occupant the loftiest regard for truth, inflexible honesty and unimpeachable integrity. The true jndge is an interpreter and administrator of the law, who ignores all earthly ties of kinship and affection, in the discharge of his duties, and who inflicts the just penalties of the law without fear, favor or hope of reward; and it may be said of the judiciary of Henry County that its members, one and all, have been men of such high ideals; and of Judge Barnard, in particular, that during his term upon the bench, he upheld its best traditions and administered the law with the same abiding sense of re- sponsibility as his predecessors.
William Oscar Barnard was united in marriage with Mary V., daughter of Nathan H. and Margaret (Hubbard) Ballenger, December 22, 1876. To them have been born four children, namely: Paul, who occupies a responsible position with the Chicago, Cin- cinnati and Louisville railroad, which is a part of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton system, and resides at Peru, Indiana; George Murphey, who is a practising attorney at New Castle; Ralph Waldo, who is in charge of a branch office of the Western Union Telegraph Company, at Indianapolis; and Ruth, a bright and intelligent young lady who is a general favorite among her companions and who lives at home with her parents.
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