USA > Indiana > Boone County > History of Boone County, Indiana : With biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families, Volume II > Part 16
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
750
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
of the township. He has kept the buildings in good repair and everything denotes good management and thrift.
Politically, Mr. Lane is a Republican, and fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
CHARLES A. TAYLOR.
The farmer is so accustomed to having advice handed him on a silver platter that to presume to speak in his own behalf does violence to custom and perhaps borders on impudence hardly tolerated in the society of industry, but he is nevertheless a potent factor in agriculture, and his viewpoint, right or wrong, must be reckoned with by those who deal with the subject. Dame Nature is a fickle goddess, and men sometimes play false and lose with her, but the farmer knows that prosperity will never sit idly beside him. It will come only as a result of intelligent toil and the application of sound business methods. The city man, as a rule, does not understand the farmer, and neither does he fully comprehend his problems. This is often true of state and national law makers as well. It is quite a luxury to think that one is right and very human, but error is always expensive to those who bear the burden, and in this case it is the farmer-for those who scheme seldom plow.
One of the intelligent and successful farmers of Boone county is Charles A. Taylor, who owns a good farm in Center township. He was born Octo- ber 30, 1853, in Sugar Creek township, Boone county. He is a son of Oliver and Malinda ( Utter) Taylor. The father was born in Union county, Indi- ana. and he devoted his life to farming, dying in time of the Civil war. The mother of our subject was born in Tennessee, from which state she came to Indiana when a girl, and she has now been deceased many years.
Eight children were born to Oliver Taylor and wife, four of whom are deceased. Those living are Charles A., of this sketch: Warner, Henry and Ammesy.
Charles A. Taylor grew to manhood on the farm and he received a common school education in Sugar Creek township. later attending the Thorntown Academy. Early in his youth he took up farming for a life work and has followed the same to the present time. He has made his home
751
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
in Center township for about thirty-two years and is well known here. He owns one hundred acres of productive and well-improved land on which stand good outbuildings and a comfortable home which he built himself. He keeps a good grade of live stock and is very well situated in every respect. Politically, he is a Democrat but has never been active in public affairs.
Mr. Taylor was married April 17, 1878, to Maggie Kern, who was born in Boone county in 1858, and here she grew to womanhood and was edu- cated in the common schools. She is a daughter of Arthur and Amanda (Beck) Kern. The father was born in Kentucky and he came to Indiana when a young man and devoted his life to farming. The mother of Mrs. Taylor was born in Union county, this state. Five children were born to Mr and Mrs. Kern, namely: Oscar, James, Emanuel, William and Maggie, wife of our subject.
To Mr. and Mrs. Taylor seven children were born, all still living, namely : Lee lives in Lebanon ; Mabel married a Mr. Beck and they live on a farm: Guy, a civil engineer, is in the employ of the United States govern- ment, lives in California; Oland is farming near Phoenix, Arizona: Orville is at home; Helen is attending high school; and Lawrence is also a high school pupil.
WILLARD O. WYANT.
The science of veterinary surgery has an able exponent in Boone county in the person of Willard O. Wyant, of Lebanon, who, although yet a mere youth, has proven himself quite capable of practicing his chosen profession successfully and he gives promise of taking a place in the front ranks of his professional brethren in Indiana in due course of time. This locality is one of the best for veterinaries in view of the fact that there are so many stock men, who are handling high-grade live stock of all kinds and owing to their great value they cannot afford to take chances on losing an animal by disease or accident when by the services of a man like Doctor Wyant such loss may be prevented.
Doctor Wyant was born in Thorntown, Indiana, January 21, 1890. He is a son of Robert M. and May (Waggoner) Wyant. He grew to manhood in his native community and received a good common school education, and
752
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
when a boy decided to take up the work of a veterinary, for he always mani- fested a decided liking for horses and was a good judge of all kinds of live- stock, also possessed by nature other necessary qualifications for a success- ful practitioner in this field. So he began studying veterinary medicine with Doctors Nelson & Airhart, of Lebanon, before finishing his public school course .. He made rapid progress and in order to complete his course he entered the Indiana Veterinary College at Indianapolis, where he made a splendid record and from which he was graduated April 13, 1913. Soon thereafter he opened an office in Lebanon, forming a partnership with Dr. J. O. Airhart, and has built up a very satisfactory and rapidly-growing busi- ness and has been successful from the start. He has remained unmarried. Politically, he is independent, and in religious matters belongs to the Chris- tian church.
JAMES HENRY KERSEY.
Recurrence to the past, with reflections and associations which make it appear in life-like review before our mental vision, will continue as of old to be a source of much satisfaction ; but especially when our personality and former friends, happily interwoven in some pleasing incident, will the picture thus reflected be more pleasing. These reminders, however, often vanish and pass away with the life of the participants when no landmarks remain to serve as a background for the picture engraved on the tablets of memory, the impressions of which are but remodelings of others. To preserve these from oblivion before they have lost their distinguishing originality is the work devolving upon the writer of biography and local history. These both fail in their mission when they fail to preserve the life features connected with their trust. Biography, more than anything else, commands the most interested attention for the reason that it is a record of those who, in times gone by, traveled the thorny pathway of life as companions, acquaintances, friends and relatives. To preserve from forgetfulness the simple story of their experiences and record their acts, however uneventful, is a task attended with much pleasure and fraught with great good to humanity. Especially is this the case when the subject, like that of the well remembered and highly honored citizen whose name forms the caption of this article, has led a use-
J. H. KERSEY
TELITHA J. KERSEY
JACOB KERN AND DAUGHTERS
757
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ful, honorable and successful life and has been of distinct benefit to his com- munity in all the relations with the world.
James Henry Kersey, who was a scion of one of the sterling pioncer families of Boone county, was born in Center township, this county, in De- cember, 1840. He was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Hinton) Kersey, natives of Kentucky, where they grew up and were married, and from there they emigrated to Boone county soon after their marriage, entering land from the government and spending the rest of their lives engaged in general farm- ing in Center township. Their family consisted of twelve children, eight sons and four daughters, our subject having been the ninth in order of birth.
James H. Kersey grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked hard when a boy helping clear and develop the land, for the children of pioneers all had plenty to do back in the forties and fifties, and he received his education in the district schools. He remained with his parents until in 1864 when he enlisted in the Union army, Company G, Sixteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he served faithfully until the close of the war. After being honorably discharged he returned to Boone county, and on September 15, 1865 married Telitha J. Kern, who was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Feely) Kern, also natives of Lawrence county, where they grew up, were educated and married and there Mr. Kern became an extensive land owner. There Mrs. Kersey grew to womanhood and was educated. After his marriage Mr. Kersey lived with his wife's parents one year, then Mr. Kern gave Mrs. Kersey an eighty acre farm in Center township. Boone county, on which Mr. Kern built a house for his son-in-law and wife, and here our subject began farming, but owing to failing health could not do a great deal of active work, however, he proved to be a good manager and prospered. His constitution had been weakened by his service in the army and he never recovered, and his death occurred November 4. 1899. Mrs. Kersey remained on the farm until 1902 when she moved to Lebanon. She took care of her parents the rest of their lives, Mr. Kern dying August 30, 1908, and Mrs. Kern April 12, 1905. Mrs. Kersey owns a fine residence, neatly furnished, in Lebanon, also one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land in Center township, all of which came to her from her father and mother.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kerscy the following children were born: Margaret (47)
758
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Ellen who died when eleven years of age; Estella M. died when twenty-five years of age; John Jacob oversees the home farm. Mrs. Kersey is a faithful member of the First Christian church at Browns Wonder. Politically, Mr. Kersey was a Republican, and fraternally was a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Jacob Kern, mentioned above, was a great hunter, and each autumn he traveled in the west with Colie Brown, a hardware merchant of Lebanon. Mrs. Kersey has a fine elk's head mounted that is a valuable trophy. He was a successful business man and well-liked by all who knew him. It was in 1852 that Mr. and Mrs. Kern came to Boone county and established their home in Center township, and here he experienced the usual hardships in clearing and developing his land, but he was made of sterling mettle and persevered until he made a fortune which he left to his widow and our sub- ject. He retired from active farming in 1898 and moved to Lebanon where he spent the rest of his days.
JAMES E. HOLLER.
There has sprung up within the past few years, to meet the modern de- mand, a new department in agricultural knowledge, known as "farm manage- ment." The agricultural college and experiment stations have recognized the need of more knowledge of farming from a business standpoint, and have established departments of farm management not alone for the purpose of helping the farmers, but also for the purpose of studying, investigating and collecting facts relative to the business of farming. Taking the farm as a whole the expert in farm management makes a thorough study of all the operations of the farm, including the farm life in its best and broadest sense, and with this knowledge seeks to improve the methods for the purpose of increasing the desired results. One of the successful farmers of Eagle town- ship, Boone county who has sought to increase his annual income by properly applying advanced methods, gathered from diverse sources to his fine farm known as the Berry Hill Fruit and Dairy Farm, three miles northwest of Zionsville is James E. Holler, a man who has used judicious judgment in not clinging to old methods too long nor adopting new ones too soon. He is one
759
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
·of the best informed horticulturists in the county and also understands every phase of dairying.
Mr. Holler was born in Catawba county, North Carolina, May 7, 1847, and he is a son of Andrew Holler, also a native of that state, and was of German ancestry. He grew up in the old Tar state and there married Lovina Miller, also a native of that state, each representing old families, and to these parents ten children were born, eight sons and two daughters; four of the sons were soldiers in the Confederate army, in which the father also fought ; those four sons were, Adley, of the Twenty-eighth North Carolina Volun- teers, is now living at Rock Hill, South Carolina; Gilbert, of the Twenty- third North Carolina Volunteers, died some six years ago; Lemuel, of the Twenty-eight North Carolina Volunteers, lives at Rock Hill, South Carolina ; James E., who was only seventeen years old when he enlisted in the Twenty- third North Carolina Volunteers. The other children were Daniel, who lives in North Carolina : Marcus is deceased; Wilson is deceased; Hinkle is de- ceased; Catherine E. lives in North Carolina, and Mary M., deceased. The mother of the above named children died at the age of seventy-three years, and the father reached the age of eighty-one years.
James E. Holler was reared on the home farm and educated in the early- day rural schools. He came to Boone county, Indiana in 1868, where he has since resided and has engaged in farming. He was married in 1878 to Ella Brock, a native of Boone county, and a daughter of Pryor and Emeline Brock, both long since deceased. Mrs. Ella Holler's death occurred at the age of forty-seven years, leaving one daughter, Sylvia.
For his second wife Mr. Holler married Alma Beck, a daughter of Larkin Beck, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this work, he hav- ing lived on Berry Hill farm for years, eventually selling the same to our sub- ject. Mrs. Holler was born in this locality and here she grew to womanhood and was educated in the public schools. Mr. Beck is living at the advanced age of eighty-five years, his wife having passed away some years ago when seventy-five years old.
Berry Hill farm consists of forty acres of valuable and productive land, on which stand a good eight-room house and substantial outbuildings. The surroundings are attractive. A large apple orchard is to be found on the place also small berries, in fact, fruits of all kinds common to this latitude. Mr. Holler also keeps a splendid herd of Jersey cows, and runs a small dairy,
760
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
making a fine brand of butter and he finds a very ready market for whatever he offers for sale from his dairy or orchard and garden.
Politically, he is a Progressive and is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church.
SCOTT TAYLOR SUMPTER.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and, yet in the life of the successful man, there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out in life before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. Today among the progressive and prominent agriculturists and successful self-made men of Jefferson township, Boone county, is Scott Taylor Sump- ter. The qualities of keen discernment, sound judgment and executive ability enter very largely into his makeup and have been contributing elements to the material success which has come to him.
Mr. Sumpter was born in Vernon, Jennings county, Indiana, February II, 1849, at the close of the Mexican war period and he was named for the two great generals, Scott and Taylor. He is a son of Edward D. and Maria (Flury) Sumpter. The father was a native of Virginia, born April 23, 1799, and his death occurred in Vernon, Indiana, in 1861. The mother was born in Pennsylvania, October 20, 1812. The former was of Scotch descent and the latter was of German ancestry. The death of the mother occurred January 5, 1859. when only forty-six years of age. Her parents were early settlers in Pennsylvania. The Sumpter progenitors were famous military men.
The parents of the subject of this sketch were married in Pennsylvania, January 5, 1834, and soon thereafter they came to Jennings county, Indiana. Edward D. Sumpter was a butcher and carpenter by trade, and he kept a tavern at Vernon before the state road was established, he being one of the very earliest settlers in that locality, and there at Vernon he and his wife
761
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
spent the rest of their lives. They were the parents of the following chil- dren : James Henry, born in Medina, Ohio, February 28, 1835, died in Weightsville, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1838; Eliza Ann, born June 1, 1839, died April 1, 1842; Maria Louisa, born November 19, 1842, lives in Austin, Texas; John Clay, November 24, 1845, died August 16, 1852; Scott T., of this sketch; Mary Ellen, born July 5, 1851, is deceased; Jacob Dazol, born March 26, 1854, is in the west.
Scott T. Sumpter was left an orphan at the age of seven years, and went to live with Isaac Sterns, with whom he remained until he was sixteen years of age, when he started out for himself by cutting wood at one dollar per cord. He had little opportunity to obtain an education, but in later life has become a well-informed man through wide home reading and contact with the world. When about nineteen years old he hired out at farm work, which he followed until he was twenty-five years old, at which time he was married, then he rented land for two years in Boone county. The date of his mar- riage was January 26, 1873, and his wife who was known in her maidenhood as Mary Isabell Hurt, was a native of Boone county, born October 11, 1854. She was a daughter of Larkin H. and Margaret (Sandlin) Hurt. Mr. Hurt was born May 25, 1829, in Virginia, from which state he moved to Indiana in the fall of 1830, locating in Jackson township, Boone county. He was married to Margaret Sandlin, November 22, 1850, who was born October 21, 1821. To them eight children were born, namely: Elizabeth died in infancy ; Martha A., born November 2, 1852, married George O. Roberts, and they live in Jamestown; Mary Isabell, wife of Mr. Sumpter; Sarah Ann, born December 24, 1856, married Charles W. Hurt and they live in Hamilton county, Indiana : John, born July 23, 1858, died when four years old; James David, born April 9, 1860, married Emma Peffly, born in this township, now lives in Indianapolis; William M., born May 18, 1863, married Carrie Randle, a native of Putnam county, and she is now deceased ; Lewis F., born February 18, 1865, married Jennie Pierce, is a prominent business man of Indianapolis, a wholesale and retail furniture dealer.
In 1875, Scott T. Sumpter bought eighty acres in Jackson township, all cleared, and on it stood a log house. He remained here four years, then sold out and bought sixty acres farther north, and lived there about two years when he sold out and went to Putnam county, buying one hundred and sixty acres. He remained there four years, then returned to Jackson
762
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
township and bought sixty acres, which he improved and on which he built a good house. He lived here until 1893, when he bought one hundred seventy-five and one-half acres in Jefferson township, this being improved land, and on which stood a fairly good set of buildings. In 1906 he built a fine large residence in the midst of beautiful surroundings, a large grove of timber standing in front. He and his wife lived retired in Lebanon about three years, buying property there, but later returned to the farm where he is still living, but is practically retired, his son doing the actual work on the place. The former was for many years one of our most successful farmers and a large stock feeder, mostly cattle and hogs, and his son is following in his footsteps as a feeder. Although having many discouraging situations to overcome, our subject has been very successful in a financial way and is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished, starting from an humble beginning and mounting the ladder of success unaided.
To Mr. and Mrs. Sumpter four sons have been born, named as follows: Larkin Bunnell, born November 3, 1877, is farming, married Rosa Miller, in February, 1899, and they have one child, Dee, who is now fourteen years old ; Billy Taylor, born August 17, 1880, lives in Houston, Texas; Harry Finis, born August 15, 1882, is farming, married Hazel Brown, a daughter of Caleb Brown, and they have three children, Margaret, Paul and Isabell; Leo Clay, born July 26, 1889, is operating his father's farm, married Pansy Taylor, a native of Boone county, and a daughter of Charles Taylor, a prominent citizen of Washington township; to Leo C. Sumpter and wife four children have been born, Mary Elizabeth, Dena Ermina. Leo, Jr., and Icie Dorice.
Politically, Scott T. Sumpter is a Republican, however, votes independ- ently in local affairs. He has never sought or cared for office, preferring to devote his time to his home and farm. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church at Advance, and he is a trustee of the same. Mrs. Sumpter is a leading worker in the Ladies' Auxiliary Society. Fraternally, our subject is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 759. at Max, Indiana, and he and his wife belong to the Ruth Rebekas, Lodge No. 2, at Lebanon. He was instrumental in organizing the Co-operative Telephone Company, of Hazelrigg, also the local Co-operative Insurance Company.
763
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
ROBERT S. STALL.
Few can draw rules for their own guidance from the pages of Plutarch, but all are benefited by the delineation of those traits of character which find scope and exercise in the common walks of life. The unostentatious routine of private life, although in the aggregate more important to the welfare of the community than any meteoric public career, cannot, from its very nature, figure in the public annals, though each locality's history should contain the names of those individuals who contribute to the success of the material af- fairs of a community and to its public stability ; men who lead wholesome and exemplary lives which might be profitably studied by the oncoming genera- tion. In such a class must consistently appear the name of Robert S. Stall, well-known grain dealer of Thorntown, Boone county, a public-spirited busi- ness man who leads a plain, industrious life, endeavoring to deal honestly with his fellow men and contribute somewhat to the general public good in an unobtrusive manner.
Mr. Stall was born February 21, 1857 in Clinton county, Indiana. He is a son of Arthur S. and Elizabeth ( Ham) Stall. The father was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1818 and there he spent his childhood, coming to Clin- ton county, Indiana, when a young man. He received a practical education, and after locating in the land of Hoosiers he turned his attention to merchan- dising, where he remained until 1865 when he removed to Thorntown, Boone county, and here spent the rest of his life, dying in September, 1888. His wife was a native of Baltimore, Maryland; they were married in Clinton county and her death occurred only a short time after that of her husband. To these parents five children were born, four of whom are still living, namely : Maria is deceased; Robert S., of this sketch; Nathaniel B., Harry and Carrie, the two latter twins, are all living.
Robert S. Stall was reared in Thorntown and received his education in the public schools, and here he began life for himself in the grocery business, in which he remained with most satisfactory results in a financial way for a period of about sixteen years, in partnership with his father. From 1888 until 1897 he engaged in the grain business here, enjoying an extensive trade. He was alone, and he built a substantial elevator, which he sold to the Thorn- town Grain Company, and, having accumulated a competency prepared to retire from active business, however he soon thereafter bought an interest in
764
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
another elevator and operated the same for two years under the firm name of Stall & McCorkle, and they have built up an extensive and lucrative busi- ness. In connection with the elevator, they operate a mill and handle grains, seeds, flour, feed and coal. Prompt, honest and high grade service has ever been Mr. Stall's aim in business, and he has therefore always enjoyed the confidence and good will of all concerned. He owns an excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Jefferson township, all tillable, and under a high state of improvement and cultivation. He also owns a fine home in Thorntown, and is a stockholder in both banks in his home town.
Politically, Mr. Stall is a Republican, but has never desired to be a politician, however, readily aids any movement looking toward the general improvement of his community. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Stall was married November 18, 1879, to Susie Davenport .. She was born in Boone county, January 7. 1859, and here she grew to woman- hood and was educated. She is a daughter of William T. Davenport, a highly esteemed citizen of this locality.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.