USA > Indiana > Clinton County > History of Clinton County, Indiana : With historical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families, Volume II > Part 35
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James M. Bell was one of eight children: Nancy Williams, of Burling- tom, Kas .; Mary Hamilton, of Clinton county; Margaret Shortle (deceased) ; John M., our subject; John A. (deceased) ; Joseph W., Pawhuska, Okla. ; Alice Thompson ( deceased) , and Hiram J., of Clinton county.
Our subject was educated in the common schools of the county where he was born. He early learned the rudiments of the agricultural art, and he remained a farmer nearly all of his life. For two years he was engaged in the stave business in Frankfort and in the coal mining business in Parke county for three years. He retired from active life in 1901, and now leads a quiet life in his beautiful home in Frankfort, Ind. He still owns two
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hundred acres of fertile and tillable land in Union township and excellent oats, corn and live stock are raised thereon. He has a tenant on his estate.
Politically, Mr. Bell is a Democrat, and was a trustee of Owen town- ship for two terms, from 1886 to 1890. Religiously, he is a member of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally, Mr. Bell belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men and the Tribe of Ben Hur. He is also president of the Farm- ers' Mutual Insurance Company of Mulberry, this county.
In the year 1876 Mr. Bell took as his wife Susan Wallace, the daughter of Benjamin and Christy Ann (Thompson) Wallace, natives of Ohio, and farmers all their lives. The father died when Mrs. Bell was eight months old and the mother departed this life in 1901. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bell: Mabel, now Mrs. Brosier, of Dayton, O., and Myrtle, now Mrs. Myer, of Rensselaer, Ind. The latter has two children: Margaret and Jane.
Mr. Bell and wife travel very extensively. They enjoy the balmy sea breezes of the Florida shores in the winter months, and spend the sweltering days of summer, among the cool rocks of northern Maine.
FRANK REED STEWART.
Prominent in the affairs of Clinton county and distinguished as a cap- able citizen whose kindly influence was felt far beyond the confines of the community in which he lived, the subject of this sketch inspires an easy and pleasant task for the biographer. His magnanimity, his energetic and honest business methods live after him, for it is true that his bodily presence has disappeared. Men with large souls and willing hands are the elements that keep up civilization in the face of immorality, degradation, and dishonesty. Such a man was Frank Reed Stewart, of Frankfort, Ind., and his name has been engraved in the halls of Clinton county as one of her noblest citizens.
Mr. Stewart was born in Clinton county September 9, 1866, being the son of Henry and Nancy Ann Stewart. His father was a native of Mont- gomery county, and spent the days of his life in farming and stock raising. His mother was born in Clinton county. Henry Stewart was a great worker in the Antioch church during his younger days. At one time he owned all of the land where the little town of Antioch now stands, but he sold it to be plotted and made into town lots. Mr. Stewart led the singing in the church,
FRANK REED STEWART, DECEASED
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and in those days that insured him the foremost place in the social affairs of the community, a position which he filled admirably.
Frank Stewart was educated on the farm and m the very. meager schools of that period. When twenty years of age, Mr. Stewart engaged in the furniture business, remaining for some time at that occupation. Subse- quently, the livestock trade appealed to him more strongly and he entered upon that calling, and continued until his death on February 16, 1911.
In his endeavors in his chosen field of work, Mr. Stewart covered large territory, making trips to all the cities in the country, and he had a personal acquaintance with most of the leading stockmen of the United States. It was his custom to buy cattle and sheep in the West and ship them East to be sold on the market. Frequently, he made large shipments, approximating at times five thousand dollars. For a number of years, Mr. Stewart lived in the town of Darlington, Montgomery county, and his efforts were greatly responsible for the building up of that town. He was councilman for a few years.
Mr. Stewart, on December 28, 1892, was married to Emma E. Miller, the daughter of Samuel and Harriet C. Miller. The father was of good Scotch-Irish blood and was a native of the Blue Grass state. Her mother came from a stock of Indiana farmers, and is able to trace her ancestry back to a very interesting period. She lost her mother when she was but a child, and then she helped keep house for her family until the day she mar- ried Frank Stewart. Her great grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War and her grandfather participated in the second conflict with Great Brit- ain in 1812, and also was the squire of Franklin, Ind., for a long time in those early days. Her grandmother on her father's side bore the name of Ross, and was descended from one of the signers of the Declaration of In- dependence in 1776, thus Mrs. Stewart is eligible to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a privilege which she never sought. An interesting little story of a great uncle, Thomas Miller, is to the effect that, in 1795, he was hunting in Kentucky and came upon five buffalos, one of which he wounded, when the herd attacked him furiously and drove him into a tree. He had to kill all of thein before he could come down. A spoon made from a horn of one of these buffalos has been handed down in the family as an heirloom. Mrs. Stewart's father lived for fifty-two years on a farm given to him as a wedding present. He belonged, from an early day, to the Horsethief Association of his county. Mrs. Stewart has one uncle living, and he is in the ministry at Waynetown, Montgomery county, the Rev. John (45)
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L. Miller of the Baptist church. Her sisters and brothers living are. Will and Otto, farmers near Darlington, Montgomery county ; Homer, in the In aware business in above tran, John W m iron brings in Washing ton state; Rue ( .. making bene in San Francisco Cal, and Mr. Onelia Hopper, living near Lebanon. Boone county. Two brothers are dead.
Mr and Mrs. Stewart has three children, Read M. Noble F and Esther Rue, all of whom are now living.
Mr Stewart was a very public-spirited and generous man, and a great lover of his family and home. Rather inclined to a quiet disposition, he hesi- tated to hold public offices, but took an interest in polities. He was a Re- pullican in perles and belong to the Methodist church and to the lodges of Free and Accepted Masons Knights of Bothias, and the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows.
JESSE C. BLINN.
It is a pleasure to sketch the biography of the old veterans of the Civil war, because their lives are interesting and surrounded by a glamor of ro- mance. We place them upon a pedestal in our minds and view them with wonder. To the younger generation the exciting days of '6f and '65 seem far away, and to be permitted the pleasure of hearing the talk of men to to whom the days seem but yesterday, is indeed a pleasure to be sought and cherished. The subject of this sketch faithfully played his part in the war drama, and lives today, a veritable magazine of reminiscences. Since the day of Robert E. Lee's surrender, Jesse C. Blinn has lived a life of valuable achievement in his chosen field, farming.
Mr. Blinn places the date of his birth on January 4, 1840, the place Center township, Clinton county. He was the son of Jacob and Lucinda (Thatcher ) Blinn, who were among the earliest settlers in this county, hav- ing come here in the year 1830 from Warren county, (., where they were married. The father remained a farmer all of his life, and raised a family of six children: Adam (deceased), \mos (deceased), Julia (deceased ), George, Jesse C., and Mary.
In his youth, Jesse Blinn attended the common schools and subsequently engaged in agricultural pursuits. The call for volunteers in 1861 was an irrisistible attraction for him, and on September 19, 1861 he enlisted in Com- pany K. Tenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Captain Shortle in charge. His regiment became a part of the famous Army of the Cumberland, commanded
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by General Thomas. Mr. Blinn was mustered out in Indianapolis. Ind., on September 19, 1864. His regiment had a brilliant war record, having par- ticipated in no less than twenty-two important battles.
Mr. Blinn lost no time after his retirement from the army to seek the girl who had waited for him. He and Margaret E. Gaddis were wedded in 1864. She was the daughter of John and Hannah Gaddis, very old settlers in the county. To them there have been born two children, Ora and Clare.
Mr. Blinn continued the work of farming until the year 1881 and then songht retirement, choosing Frankfort, Ind., as his home. Mr. Blinn has been identified with several notable movements while he has lived there. For several years he was an energetic and worthy member of the city council. Mr. Blinn constructed the opera house in Frankfort, which ranks as one of the most complete and artistic theaters in the state of Indiana. Since build- ing it, however, Mr. Blinn has not taken active charge, but has kept it under lease.
Mr. Blinn is a Methodist and a Republican, both of which are good affiliations. He has not taken an ostentatious position in his services to the community, lut has preferred to be numbered among the silent workers.
JACOB HODGEN.
As the young man of today spins through the picturesque valleys and along level fields in his motor car and see the white road thread itself like a ribbon under the wheels, he does not think of the day when his father or grandfather slowly toiled along through the same country in a slow-going wagon, over stumps and logs, fording streams, ever pushing into a new country. Nor does he reckon that the cost of the car and the motor that hums so powerfully would have kept a pioneer family for many years in the midst of plenty. Their food was not bought-it was grown by themselves ; their homes were not constructed by accomplished craftsmen-they were hewed and fitted and covered by the calloused hands of the home-maker. Watch one of these old heroes today when he gazes upon the evidences of. wealth around him and the twentieth-century youth He will smile com- placently and nod his head; he does not resent or criticise ; he would be the first to help his own son have the comforts of the "best of them." Such a
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man was Jacob Hodgen, and we regret that a fuller account of his interesting life may not be given in this sketch.
Jacob Hodgen was born July 9, 1831, in Clinton county, twelve miles north of Frankfort, and was the son of William and Magdalene (Smith) Hodgen, who were natives of Kentucky, coming to Clinton county during the first years of the nineteenth century and following farming all of their lives. Our subject died May 5, 1907, being the last of a family of ten children.
Mr. Hodgen received a meager common school education in his youth, but made up the deficiency in after life by reading and social intercourse. He began farming early, and continued the same until his retirement late in life. He owned one hundred and sixty acres of excellent farm land, well tiled, tillable and fenced, south of Frankfort. Mr. Hogden conducted a grocery store in Frankfort for a time preceding his retirement from active life.
In the year 1849, when the people rushed to the West in search of gold, Mr. Hodgen joined the train. Like so many others, however, unacquainted with the pitfalls of prospecting, he found his Midas-dream like the quest for the end of the rainbow. He soon returned home to this county. Before his death, Mr. Hodgen sold his farm and all other possessions with the ex- ception of his home in Frankfort. His widow now lives in comfort and plenty.
In 1857 Mr. Hodgen married Mary Mckinsey, the daughter of Mercer and Sarah (Elmore) Mckinsey, both natives of Ohio, coming to Clinton county in the early days among the first families. She was born in 1838 in a log cabin and had a log cabin education. She used to help do the farm work, remembering the days when she followed her father and dropped corn in the furrows. She was ever a strong worker in the .Christian church. Noah and Hale, of Frankfort; Emma, of Kokomo; Kate, of Peru, and Mary are the survivors in a family of ten children.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hodgen were born six children : Laban, Henry. Oscar, Anna, Josephine, and Magdalene. Laban, of Winamac, Indiana, has one daughter, Lenora, and three sons, Wilber, Howard and Noble. Lenora has two girls, Atterah and Mary Louise; Noble has two girls, Ruth Lenora and Ida Evelyn; Wilber has two boys, Rushton and Jack Laban; Howard is sin- gle. Henry Hodgen, Winamac, has two children, Fern and Earl, Earl has one boy, John ; Oscar and Anna Hodgen are both deceased; Josephine makes her home in Oklahoma, and Magdalene lives with her mother in Frankfort.
Politically, Mr. Hodgen was a Republican, and about fourteen years
CLINTON COUNTY INDIANA
before his death became a strong Prohibitionist. At one time in the eighties he held the office of county frustee. Fraternally, he belonged to the So diary of trage He was an ardent member of the Christian church.
JOHN O. FRYF.
We should mdeed be proud of the fact that there is no limit in this country to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. One hen in the nost urpromising surroundings and reared in the most adverse environment may. nevertheless, break from I fetters and rise to the high- est station in the land, and the qualities do not have to be of transcendent character to enable him to accomplish this result. It is more the way he does it and his skill in grasping the opportunities presented than to any remarkable qualities possessed by him. Accordingly, it is found that very often in this country the chief executive of the nation or state and other high public officials possess no greater ability than thousands of others. They have simply taken better advantage of their opportunities than their fellows. And this truth runs through every occupation. The business man rises above his competitors merely by taking advantage of conditions which others over- look or fail to grasp. It is so with the subject of this review; he has ever been wide awake and industrious, and his reward has been an enviable success.
John O. Frye was born in Morristown, Hamlin county, Tennessee, on April 20, 1875. Ile was the son of John B. and Nancy (Cox) Fryc, the father a native of Clinton county, and the mother of the state of Virginia. By trade the father was a tanner, and was an ardent member of the Christian church He died on May 18, 1895. Hle served in the Civil war, and made there a splendid record being a corporal under Capt. John W. Hannah, Company \. One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment of Indiana Volun- teers. He was enrolled on the Twelfth day of November, 1863. and honor- ably discharged from service August 31 1865 at Greensboro, N. C
The mother is still living with her son, Thomas, in Tennessee. Our subject was one of a family of eight, namely: Love H., a merchant of Ash- ville, N. C .; William F. a railroad man of Cincinnati; Thomas, a conductor on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; James C., a farmer : Lillie B. Luttrell : Florence E. Smith, and Jennie B. Wilford, the two latter deceased.
Mr. Frye spent his early days in the state of Tennessee, and received his carly education in the common schools there. Before coming to Indiana,
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and after leaving school, he followed railroading for several years. In 1893 he moved to Clinton county, and continued for a period of three years in the railroad business. He finally gave that up and entered the employ- ment of the Leseure Brothers, as clerk in their cigar store. His ability soon asserted itself and he was promoted to the position of manager, which same he held for five years. Having saved enough of the worldly goods he opened up a store of his own in 1911, and in 1913 he incorporated with the Lescure Brothers under the name of J. O. Frye & Company, he being the president of the concern. Two stores are operated in Frankfort. The scope of their business is described by their advertising term: "Wholesale and retail tobacco dealers." Mr. Frye is also a stockholder in the People's Life Insurance Company and the Capital State Bank of Indianapolis.
Fraternally, Mr. Frye is one of the most prominent men in the county. His memberships include the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council, Commandery, and Shrine of the Masonic Order ; the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; the Knights of Pythias; Improved Order of Red Men; Hay Makers; Tribe of Ben Hur; Order of Eastern Star; Pythian Sisters; Travelers' Protective Association, and the Loyal Order of Moose. Politically, Mr. Frye is a Re- publican. In 1912, he ran for the office of recorder of Clinton county, but was defeated by the narrow margin of twelve votes. He is a member of the Christian church.
Mr. Frye was united in marriage to Georgia G. Comly, the daughter of John A. and Eva (Davidson ) Comly, both natives of Clinton county. Mrs. Frye had one sister-Mrs. Isalake Auble, a school teacher at Forest, Ind. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Frye: Evelena, Ellen and Johnnetta.
HENRY M. MOORE.
The most reliable history of a community, whether it be a township, county, or state, is one that embraces the lives of its people and, provides scope for the relating of the part they played in the npbuilding of the locality. Especially ought the lives of the progressive men be detailed, those men that stand out as types of good citizens. In this cursory review will be found the record of a man who has outstripped many of his fellowmen and has achieved a highly successful career in the agricultural and business world, and has made for himself a name honored by all his contemporaries.
Henry M. Moore was born in Clinton county, Indiana, April 14, 1846.
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Ile was the son of William and Sarah E. Moore, of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father was a carpenter by trade. The family came to In- diana from Ohio, and lived here two years, during which time our subject was born. When he was two months old, the parents moved back to Ohio, where they remained until 1865. Then they returned to Clinton county. The parents have both passed away and their bodies now lie near Scircleville, Ind. Six children were born to their home: Carrie Miller, Mulberry, Ind .; Mary Rex, also of Mulberry; W. E. Moore, state of Kansas; Emma J. Moore, of Mulberry; Frank Moore, of Nebraska; and the subject.
Henry M. Moore was educated in the comuon schools of Oxford, O. After leaving the realm of the pedagogue, he went onto the farm in Clinton county, and continued so until 1900, at which time he was appointed drain- age commissioner of Frankfort. So acceptably did he perform his duties in this capacity that he was chosen for four terms of two years each. After his service in Frankfort, he retired from active business life and farming, and has since been leading a rather quiet life.
Mr. Moore had a very brief experience in the Civil war. His intent was excellent, but circumstances robbed him of his share of the glory. When he was old enough, Mr. Moore joined Company A, One Hundred and Sixty- seventh Ohio Volunteers, as a private, but had only served four and one- half months when the army was discharged without Mr. Moore having had the pleasure of shooting a rebel. Captain James E. Stewart and Colonel Thomas Moore were the officers in command of his regiment.
Although living a retired life. Mr. Moore still takes an interest in his farms, and occasionally in the breeding of Poland China hogs, a favorite pastime with him. He owns one hundred and seven acres in Clinton county and forty acres in Boone county, and rents both of the estates. He owns his home in Frankfort, a large and beautiful place on Washington avenue, and is content to enjoy its comforts. Mr. Moore is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and is a Republican in politics. He is a member of no church.
Mr. Moore married Maranda Baker, the daughter of Squire and Jane Baker of Clinton county. Squire Baker was a native of Kentucky and the mother came from Ohio. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Moore: Charles S. Moore, living in this county, and Edwin B. Moore, also of this county.
Mrs. Moore's parents came to this county sixty-five years ago when she was one year old. She remembers seeing many herds of deer around in the county, and she herself drove four yoke of oxen to break the land
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her father entered near Scircleville. Her husband, our subject, remembers when there were only five houses on the east side of the branch running through Frankfort, and no railroad in the county except the one across the Colfax corner. When Mr. and Mrs. Moore were first married they lived in a one room log cabin. Mrs. Moore had seven brothers and sisters: Elizabeth (deceased) : Nancy A., of Scircleville: William M. (deceased), and Charles A., John C., Addie Lee and Clara MeKinsie, all of Kansas
REV. M. M. WILES.
The life record of Rev. M. M. Wiles, a highly respected farmer and minister of the Sugar Creek region, Clinton county, teaches that the road to success and position among men, whatever the station of life may be, is open to all who possess the courage and fortitude to seek the elusive goal. The life of our subject has been a life of good work, it has acted for the material, moral and intellectual uplift of those with whom he has come into contact, and the impression made is deep, so deep that time and the passing of Reverend Wiles will not efface the lesson from the hearts of Clinton county.
Reverend Wiles was born October 10, 1864, in Sugar Creek township, Clinton county, the son of Peter M. and Susan (Ray) Wiles, the father a native of Hamilton county, Indiana, being born there on July 1, 1841. He still lives on a farm near our subject, after a successful life of farming. He was a Democrat. The mother was a native of Sugar Creek township, this county, born there in 1836, and dying in 1876. Two children were born of the union, our subject and Add B. After the mother's death, the father mar- ried again, this time to Elizabeth Hammond, a native of Hamilton county, who died in April, 1888. In 1800 the father was married for the third time. to Elizabeth Myers, who is still living. Our subject's grandfather was Adam Wiles. He entered land from the government in Hamilton county, and there, in one yard, he lived for sixty years.
Rev. M. M. Wiles graduated from the public schools of Sugar Creek township. Mr. Wiles did not enter a regular theological seminary, but used his own resources to learn the profession. Naturally a great reader, and hav- ing one of the largest private libraries in Clinton county, he found the best of literature open to him, and he studied diligently from 1891 to 1895, when he became the minister of the Sugar Creek Christian church, and he remained
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MR. AND MRS. M. M. WILES
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there until a year or so ago, when he began preaching in Cass county, In- diana, carrying on the work in addition to his extensive operations in gen- eral farming and stock raising.
On September 13, 1885, Mr. Wiles was married to Edith A. Kingsolver, who was born June 12, 1865, in Boone county, Indiana, the daughter of William and Mary Jane ( Whitaker) Kingsolver. Her father was born in Virginia in 1838, and died in December, 1890. The mother was a native of the Buckeye state, being born there on November 2, 1836, and came to In- diana with her parents when only a baby. She died February 9, 1908, in this state. Six children were born to the union, namely: Sanford, Milford, Edith, Samuel, Lucinda and Eliza. Our subject's wife received a good common school education in her youth. To our subject and wife the following chil- dren have been born: Lawrence, November 18, 1888, married to Effie Rogers, have three children, Eldon, Susa and Eugene: Mary Susan, July 31, 1897, died July 29. 1902; Ethel M., February 3, 1900, now in school, and Carrie L., born June 22, 1903, also in school.
Mr. Wiles has always farmed here in Sugar Creek township, in connec- tion with his work in the ministerial profession. He is living on his father's land, which comprises two hundred and seventy acres, all tillable with the exception of thirty acres. The ground is well tiled, and Mr. Wiles has placed upon his estate the latest improvements to be had. He makes a specialty of Shorthorn cattle, Poland-China hogs, Percheron and Shire horses, and Brown Leghorn chickens, the selection being the best in the different classes of stock raising. Politically, Mr. Wiles is a Prohibitionist, and is not af- filiated with any fraternal organizations.
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