History of Boone County, Indiana : With biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families, Volume II, Part 23

Author: Crist, L. M. (Leander Mead), 1837-1929
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : A.W. Bowen
Number of Pages: 522


USA > Indiana > Boone County > History of Boone County, Indiana : With biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families, Volume II > Part 23


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


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venting the disruption of the Union during its darkest days a half century ago.


Mr. Richey was born in Washington township, Boone county, Indiana, April 13, 1839. He is a son of John and Sarah (Peck) Richey, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. The father was of Scotch-lrish descent and the mother was of German extraction. These parents located in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, in 1832, and two years later they established their permanent home in what is now Boone county, enduring the usual hard- ships and privations incident to pioneer life and by hard work and close application they developed a good farm from the wilderness. The death of the mother of the subject of this sketch occurred in 1859, and the father died in 1883. The farm they settled is owned by our subject. Their family con- sisted of two sons and three daughters, namely: James, of this sketch; Milton, deceased, married Angeline Thomas, and settled in Iowa; Margaret married David Burns and they settled in Lebanon, this county; Julia Ann married Clinton Lucas, he being now deceased; and Mary, who married Doctor Loftin, lived in. Mechanicsburg twenty years, then moved to Frank- fort, where the doctor died.


James Richey grew up on the homestead and here he has continued to reside, being contented to remain on the old farm, which he has very care- fully looked after and tilled it so skillfully that it has retained its original fertility and is one of the best farms in the township. The place consists of one hundred and fifty-six acres. He has kept the buildings well repaired and has been very successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, keeping considerable graded stock.


When the Civil war came on Mr. Richey enlisted in Company D, Seventy-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, August 9, 1862, at LaFayette. He served his full three years' enlistment in a very gallant and faithful man- ner and saw considerable hard service. He had a horse shot from under him at the battle of Plantersville, Alabama, and was wounded in the right shoulder and left thumb by minie balls. Mr. Richey served his country faithfully and well during almost three years of the Civil war. There were few better soldiers, none more willing to volunteer for hazardous duty or less inclined to shirk the heaviest responsibility. His enlistment papers were signed at Mechanicsburg. Of the thirteen comrades who enlisted at the same time and place, seven returned after the war. After his enlistment, Mr. Richey went


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to LaFayette where the regiment rendezvoused. At the beginning of his service, he acted as corporal of Company D. Later he was promoted to orderly sergeant, in which capacity he served for eighteen months. In the winter of '63-4, all the commissioned officers of the company were absent for four months and he served as captain of the squad during that time. In the four months he received twenty-two recruits and had charge of their drilling and disciplining. The regiment to which Mr. Richey belonged participated in sixty-two engagements in the three years of service. At Plantersville, Alabama, there was hand to hand fighting with the enemy for thirty or forty minutes. The Seventy-second boys were armed with the repeating Spencer rifles and these turned the tide of battle on more than one occasion in their favor. In the Plantersville fight, Mr. Richey is certain he killed two of the rebels.


Mr. Richey's most hazardous trip was taken when the brigade was lying near Chattanooga. Orders came from General Wilder to pick a detail of first-class swimmers, six men and a sergeant, to carry important dispatches to Jasper, Alabama. Why the order was for swimmers was never learned, unless it was expected that the men would be compelled to cross bodies of water. The detail was chosen from Company D and placed in charge of Mr. Richey. The men crossed the Cumberland and Walden mountains, swam the Tennessee river, made their way through the rebel lines and safely delivered the dispatches to General Reynolds. The distance covered in mak- ing the journey was fifty miles. The detail crossed the Tennessee river after- ward and burned the bridge behind them. The Wilson raid saw some of the most severest fighting in which the regiment participated. This raid which began at East Port, Alabama, extended to Macon, Georgia, during which Forest's army was defeated. Mr. Richey was wounded several times, though not seriously. He was mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, June 24, 1865.


Mr. Richey was married on June 5, 1867, to Ann Eliza Olive, who was born in Lebanon, Indiana, October 21, 1846, a daughter of Robert and Mary (Riley) Olive, a well known old family of that city and there Mrs. Richey was reared to womanhood and educated in the public schools.


Mr. and Mrs. Richey are the parents of eight children, three now de- ceased, namely : Perry, who was born February 15, 1868, died November 26, 1876; Mary O., born April 15, 1877, died September 9th of that year;


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Fleta Jane, born June 27, 1882, died June 4, 1913: Frank, born December 8, 1871, lives at home ; John R., born April 13, 1874, has remained on the home- stead ; Walter M., born August 22, 1879, is also still a member of the family circle; Jessie, born May 14, 1886, married Harry Thompson and lives in Mechanicsburg ; and James N., born February 16, 1889, lives in Ft. Wayne.


Politically, Mr. Richey was formerly a stanch Republican, but when the Progressive party came into existence in 1912, he joined that and is enthusi- astic in his support of the same. .


BEN F. COOMBS.


The biographies of successful men are instructive as guides and incentives to those whose careers are yet to be achieved. The examples they furnish of patient purpose and consecutive endeavor strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, if he is willing to press forward in the face of all opposition, refusing to be downed by untoward circumstances, thus making stepping-stones of what some would find to be insurmountable stumbling blocks. The gentleman whose life history is herewith, we hope, accurately and succinctly set forth, is a conspicuous example of one who has lived to good purpose and achieved a definite degree of success in the special spheres to which his talents have been devoted. Mr. Coombs has for many years been one of the best known and most enterprising business men of Lebanon and is one of the leading lumbermen in this section of the state. He is a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Boone county and here he has been content to spend his life.


Mr. Coombs was born in Lebanon, Indiana, April 10, 1861. He is a son of George and Lydia A. (DeBois) Coombs, both natives of Union county, Indiana, where they grew to maturity, were educated and married, and re- mained there until in 1851, when they removed to Lebanon where they estab- lished the future home of the family. George Coombs devoted the earlier years of his life to the mercantile business, maintaining a store in Lebanon for some time, but later took up farming which he followed until his death June 10, 1873. His widow survived nearly forty years, reaching an advanced age, dying January 20, 1912. Both the Coombs and DeBois families came origin- ally from New Jersey.


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Ben F. Coombs spent his boyhood days partly in town and partly on the farm and he received his early education in the common schools, including the Lebanon high school. When eighteen years old he began clerking in the Leb- anon National Bank, where he remained six years, giving his employers emi- nent satisfaction. He then launched in the merchandise business in Lebanon, which he followed six years with ever-increasing success, building up a large trade with the city and surrounding country by reason of his honesty and courteous dealings. He kept a retail shoe store, one of the largest in this section of the state. In 1891 he became connected with the Pennell-Coombs Lumber Company, with yards at Lebanon, Jamestown, Advance, Colfax, Shelbyville and Fairland, all doing a large business, also extensive planing mills, sash and door factories, where a large number of men are employed and which are equipped with modern machinery, so that high-grade and superior work is turned out promptly, their products finding a very ready market over a vast territory, which is constantly growing, owing, principally, to the able management and wise foresight of Mr. Coombs. Fine grades of finishing, dressed lumber and rough building lumber, in fact, all kinds of building ma- terial is handled, also coal of all kinds. Their business at all the above named yards is rapidly increasing. Mr. Coombs is also a director in the First National Bank of Lebanon, also the Citizens Trust Company of Lebanon, the Campbell, Smith & Ritchie Company, of Lebanon, the Bank of Advance, is vice-president of the Indestructable Wheel Company. He is a heavy stock- holder in all the above named concerns and is interested in the Oak Hill Ceme- tery Company and various other business enterprises, in all of which his judicious and able counsel makes for success. He has been very successful in a financial way and is one of the leading and most substantial men of affairs of Boone county and is regarded as an unassuming, straightforward, trust- worthy man of broad and progressive ideas.


Mr. Coombs was twice married, first, December 18, 1883, to Mellie Lane, a daughter of Levi and Pherbia ( Hayes) Lane, of Lebanon, and to this union three children were born, John L., deceased, Florence M. and Esther A. The wife and mother was called to her eternal rest August 19, 1897. Mr. Coombs was again married June 5, 1901, to Ethel Campbell, a daughter of George W. and Alice C. (Page) Campbell, one of the prominent families of Lebanon .-


Mr. Coombs is a Republican and since attaining his majority has been very faithful in his support of the party, active in political and public affairs


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and influential in his county and city. He has served as a member of the Republican County Executive Committee and for some time was a member of the County Jury Commission, and has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions. Fraternally, he is a Mason, a member of the Chapter, Commandery and the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is a ruling elder and active in all church and Sunday school work. The family is prominent in the best social life of Lebanon and their beautiful home on East Washington street is known for its hospitality.


MRS. ELIZA A. BEARD.


Wholly devoted to home and domestic duties, doing through all the best years of her life the lowly but sacred work that comes within her sphere, there is not much to record concerning the life of the average woman. And yet what situation so dignified, what relation so endearing, what office so holy, tender and ennobling as those of home-making, wifehood and mother- hood? A celebrated author once said that the future destiny of a great nation depended upon its wives and mothers. May this not also be said concerning the future that is blood of her blood, and which is incalculable of results and will never be fully known until eternity solves the problem? In the settlement of the great middle west woman bore her full share of hard- ships, sufferings and vicissitudes, helping man in the rugged toil of wood and field, cheering him when cast down and discouraged, sharing his dangers, mitigating his sufferings, in the end quietly and unostentatiously rejoicing in his success, yet ever keeping herself modestly in the background. As a man's equal in every qualification save the physical, and his superior in the gentle and loving amenities of life, she fully merits a much larger notice than she ordinarily receives. One of the highly esteemed and worthy women of Boone county is Mrs. Eliza A. Beard, widow of Jarrett S. Beard.


Mrs. Beard was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in 1834, and is a daughter of John and Nancy Nelton, both natives of Ohio also, in which state they grew to maturity, were married and in fact, spent their entire lives there.


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They were, like most of the early residents of the old Buckeye state, hard- working, honest and kind people and built for themselves a comfortable home through their enterprise. They have both long been sleeping the last sleep.


Mrs. Beard grew to womanhood in her native state and there received her education in the early-day schools. She has been twice married, both husbands being now deceased. She first married Adam Trimble, in 1865, in Ohio. His death occurred about 1868. To this union two children were born, one of the children dying in infancy ; the other, Mrs. Mary C. Hissong, lives on a farm in Worth township, Boone county. This farm belongs to Mrs. Beard, our subject.


The second marriage of the lady whose name heads this sketch was to Jarrett S. Beard, in Illinois, in which state they resided on a farm until 1901, when they removed to Indiana and bought two hundred and four acres near Whitestown, Worth township, Boone county, but they subsequently rented this farm to Mrs. Beard's son-in-law, Mr. Hissong, and took up their resi- dence in Whitestown, but after living there two months moved to Lebanon, buying an attractive home in North Lebanon, where our subject now resides, surrounded by all the comforts of life. Her farm is one of the best in Worth township and has been brought up to a high state of improvement and culti- vation and on it is to be seen an excellent group of buildings.


To Mrs. Beard and her second husband, one child was born, Charles R. Beard, who lives in Indianapolis. Jarrett S. Beard died in Lebanon about four years ago. He had been married twice before he married our subject, and he had one son by a former wife. He is James Beard and is married and makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jarrett S. Beard was born in Ohio in 1834, and there grew up and was educated. He devoted his active life to agricultural pursuits. Adam Trimble also spent his early life in Ohio and was living there when the Civil war began. He served in that conflict in an Ohio regiment.


Mrs. Beard is a faithful member of the Baptist church in Lebanon. She is now advanced in years, having attained her four score mile-post, but is comparatively hearty and has a good memory. Her life has been an open book, whose pages have never been soiled by any unwomanly act, according to her close friends. She has done well her part in the world and her career from the beginning has been a simple but beautiful poem of rugged, toilsome duty, faithfully but uncomplainingly performed as maiden, wife and mother.


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MURRAY S. BARKER.


Diversified farming is essential to profitable production and maintenance of soil fertility, but it is necessary to specialize on something to secure a superior standard of excellence. A well diversified farm will have the cus- tomary crops that are grown in the locality, together with the usual farm animals, and some one crop or some one animal should be singled out as a specialty. A farmer may take good care of his crops and animals and con- duct his business at a profit, but he will find an added enjoyment and an in- creased profit by giving special attention to some one crop, animal or fowl. Suppose a farmer's specialty is corn. If he does his duty by his pet crop he will raise some of the best, if not the best, corn in the neighborhood. He will not only have greater profits in the ordinary use of the crop, but the de- mand for his seed corn will enable him to dispose of a large amount of it at better than the average price of seed corn. The necessity of using only the best seed is yearly becoming more appreciated and the man who has the repu- tation of growing the best corn is the one that seed buyers will seek. The reputation is the reward for building up a specialty. It is well known that the specialty of Murray S. Barker, one of the most progressive of Boone county's young farmers, who owns a valuable model farm in Sugar Creek township, is Black Langshan chickens, which have carried his name through- out the United States. He has done much to improve the poultry of this locality and the results are plainly visible at the local fairs and exhibits. He has given his own reputation to the county and the county will not only con- tinue to be advertised as a result but it will mean much in a material way. It does not make much difference what the specialty is so that it is the one thing in which the owner has the greatest interest. The more one gives his atten- tion to his specialty, the more it will take possession of him and the only danger is that he may in a degree neglect his other stock or crops in his desire to excel in his specialty, but a glance over Mr. Barker's finely cultivated and tastily kept farm will indicate that such has not been the case with him, for everything is done systematically and according to the best and most modern methods. He knows that the mind of the farmer must be as well balanced as the farm affairs, and that with a good mental grasp on the situation a farmer should be able to get great enjoyment and much profit out of his specialty without interfering with the known necessity for diversified farming.


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BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.


Mr. Barker was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county, February 16, 1873. He is a son of Isaac N. and Cyrena (Brown) Barker, the former a native of Wayne county, Indiana, and the latter was born in Sugar Creek township, Boone county. After their marriage, the parents of our subject settled on a farm in Sugar Creek township. In connection with general farm- ing, the father made a specialty of raising fine poultry and Berkshire hogs, which he followed until his death, November 3, 1901. He was one of the leading citizens of the county for many years, and he showed his stock at many important fairs and exhibitions and always took premiums, and was generally recognized as one of the leading breeders of the United States.


The subject of this review, the youngest of a family of five children, grew to manhood on the home farm in his native township and there assisted with the general work, paying particular attention to his father's methods of stock raising and, with such a careful and learned preceptor, he laid by valu- able information that has stood him well in hand in after years. He received his education in the district schools and when eighteen years of age entered Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana, where he remained four years and made an excellent record for scholarship. He had previously taught school two years. After his graduation from college he taught successfully for five years, first in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he taught chemistry in the high school. He then went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he taught chem- istry and physics for three years. In June, 1901, he returned home and went into business with his father and brother raising stock and continued thus for six years on a large scale, when our subject and his brother divided the busi- ness, the former devoting his attention more to chickens, which business he thoroughly understood, having literally grown up in the same. So he was successful from the start and in the spring of 1907 he began specializing in raising Black Langshans and is now widely known to poultry fanciers all over the country, there being a great demand for all the chickens he places on the market owing to their superior quality. He has sold either chickens or eggs in every state in the Union but two and in a large number of exhibits of poultry in various cities he has taken many first premiums. He is owner of one of the choicest and most desirable farms in the county, which contains two hun- dred and seventy acres of fertile and highly improved land which he has brought up to a high state of cultivation, and he is one of the most success- ful general farmers in Sugar Creek township, operating all his land in an up-


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to-date manner and also raising all kinds of live stock on a large scale. He has a commodious and attractive home in the midst of beautiful surroundings and numerous convenient outbuildings, in fact, everything about the place denotes good management, thrift and prosperity.


Mr. Barker was married February 27, 1902, to Anna Roop, a lady of many commendable characteristics, cultured and well educated. She is a native of Shelby county, Ohio. Mrs. Barker attended Antioch College in Ohio for three years, also spent two years in college in Richmond, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Barker have one child, Murray Stanley Barker, born June 26, 1907.


Politically, Mr. Barker is a Republican, and while he is deeply interested and influential in public affairs, lias no political ambitions, preferring to devote his attention to his extensive business interests and to his pleasant home. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order, No. 113. at Thorntown. He was reared in the Quaker faith from which he has not departed, while Mrs. Barker is a member of the Newlight Christian church. They are prominent in the affairs of the community and pleasant people to know.


J. T. FRANK LAUGHNER.


Life is pleasant to live when we know how to make the most of it. Some people start on their careers as if they had weights on their souls or were afraid to make the necessary effort to live up to a high standard. Others, by not making a proper study of the conditions of existence, or by not having the best of all trainers, good parents, are side-tracked at the outset and never seem thereafter to be able to get back again on the main track. Much de- pends on the start, just as it does in a race. The horse that gets the best start, all other things being equal, will almost invariably win the race. So in the race of life; if you are properly started with suitable grooming, such as good educational and home training, you will lead in the race in after years and enjoy your existence. Such home influences were thrown about J. T. Frank Laughner, one of the best known and most capable of Boone county's young men, formerly connected with the Citizens Bank at Whitestown, but now the able and popular treasurer of the county. He came from a family


Thanktaughner


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noted for their sound principles and exemplary habits, seldom any word of reproach being spoken against them since taking up their residence in this locality many years ago.


Mr. Laughner was born in Worth township, Boone county, October 27, 1874, on the home farm and there he grew to manhood, assisting with the general work when of proper age. He is a son of Ambrose M. and Ranna (Neese) Laughner, the father a native of Tennessee, where he spent his earlier years and from which state be came to Boone county when a young man, where he married our subject's mother, who was born and reared in this county. These parents received a common school education and estab- lished themselves on a farm in Worth township, acquiring a comfortable home by their thrift and perseverance.


Our subject remained under his parental roof-tree until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to Marion, Indiana, and there entered college, taking the scientific course, also bookkeeping and a commercial course, in all of which he made a splendid record and was graduated from the latter de- partment in 1899, having spent three years there. He then became a teacher of penmanship, which he followed two years, after which he accepted a position with the Muncie Normal school, as principal of the commercial de- partment, which he held most satisfactorily for two years. Later he pur- chased an interest in a drug store at Whitestown, Indiana, with his brother, Clyde O. Laughner, July, 1901, but not long afterwards he sold his interest to his brother and accepted a position as bookkeeper in the Citizens Bank at Whitestown, filling the same with satisfaction to the officials and stockholders, and in June, 1905, was promoted to the position of cashier of this institution, the duties of which responsible position he continued to discharge in an able and satisfactory manner until January 1, 1914, doing much the meanwhile to increase the prestige and success of this popular bank. Upon severing his connection with the same he assumed his duties as treasurer of Boone county, which office he is now filling in a manner that reflects much credit upon him- self and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents and all concerned, being an able, careful, faithful, painstaking and courteous and obliging offi- cial, popular with all classes, irrespective of party alignment.


Mr. Laughner was married on May 4, 1897, to Dora Scott, who was born in Worth township, Boone county, where she grew to womanhood and (52)




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