USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 29
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Prof. Eugene D. Merriman was born on August 8, 1871, in Huntington county, Indiana, the son of Hixon and Angeline (Broughman) Merriman, natives of Indiana, who were the parents of five children, Prof. Eugene D., of Washington; Cyril, of Camden, New Jersey; May, the wife of Fred Stacey, of Camden, New Jersey; Leona, the wife of L. C. Bowman, of Chicago; Hortense, who is unmarried and lives in Chicago, and Forrest, who died in early childhood.
Hixon Merriman was reared in Huntington county, Indiana. He owned a farm of forty acres, which he improved and where he reared his family. He sold this farm and moved to Marion, Indiana, where he now resides. His wife died in 1904 at the age of sixty years. Both were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The paternal grandparents of Prof. Eugene D. Merriman were Micajah Merriman and wife, natives of Ohio, who came to Indiana as pioneers. They took up land in Huntington county and owned a large farm where they died, well advanced in years. Their children were Hixon, Newton, Wayland, Jacob, Douglas, George and Basil. The maternal grandparents of Profes- sor Merriman also came from Ohio in an early day and settled in Hunting- ton county, in the village of Plum Tree. Mr. Broughman was a blacksmith and died in Plum Tree at an advanced age. They were the parents of five children, Sylvester, Angeline, Fremont, Colonel and Charles.
Prof. Eugene D. Merriman was reared on his father's farm in Hunt- ington county, Indiana, and attended the district schools. After graduating from the district schools, he was a student at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute and finally at DePauw University and the Indiana State University at Bloomington. After leaving Indiana University, he be- gan teaching in the district schools of his home county and taught there for several years. His first principalship was at East Chicago, Indiana, after which he became superintendent of the North township schools, including East Chicago and Whiting. He remained there for seven years and then became a student at Cornell University at Ithaca, New York, being gradu- ated from this university in 1905, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
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From Cornell, he went to Belvidere, Illinois, as superintendent of the city schools and was there for eight years. During this period he attended Chi- ·cago University, from which institution he secured the degree of Master of Philosophy in 1911. Professor Merriman was called to Washington, In- diana, in 1913, as superintendent of the city schools there. There are three hundred students in the high school and about fifteen hundred pupils in the public schools of the county seat, over whom Professor Merriman has direct supervision. Superintendent Merriman is at present in attendance at Chi- cago University, during the summers, working for his Doctor's degree.
Prof. Eugene D. Merriman was married on August 15, 1896, to Eliza- beth Stout, daughter of Job C. and Mary (Brady) Stout. One son, Merrill V., has been born to this union.
Mrs. Merriman was born in Huntington county, Indiana. Her parents were natives of Ohio, and early settlers in Huntington county. Her father died in 1910, at the age of seventy years, and her mother is still living. They were the parents of six children, Ella, Jennie, Mattie, William, Eliza- beth and Nettie.
Professor Merriman and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an active part in the affairs of this church, to which they are liberal contributors. Fraternally, Professor Merriman belongs to Wash- ington Lodge No. 30. Free and Accepted Masons, Washington Chapter No. 92, Royal Arch Masons; the Knights of Pythias; the Royal Arcanum and the Modern Woodmen of America. Professor and Mrs. Merriman are members of the Order of the Eastern Star. Professor Merriman is a mem- ber of the National Education Association and has been prominently con- nected with the proceedings of that associattion. Mr. and Mrs. Merriman are popular in the social life of Washington and leaders in the social and civic affairs of that city.
CHARLES P. SCUDDER, M. D.
The man who devotes his talents and energies to the noble work of ministering to the ills and alleviating the sufferings of humanity pursues a calling which in dignity and importance is second to none other. If true to his profession and earnest in his efforts to enlarge his sphere of usefulness, he is indeed a great benefactor to all of his kind, for to him more than to any other man are entrusted the safety, the comfort, and in many instances
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the lives of those who place themselves under his care. Among this class of professional men is Dr. Charles P. Scudder, who has stood for many years, with few peers and no superiors, among the physicians of Daviess county, Indiana. During this time he not only has gained wide distinction in his chosen vocation, but also has established a substantial reputation for uprightness and character in all the relations of life. Doctor Scudder early realized that to those who attained well-defined success in the medical pro- fession there must be given not only technical ability, but also broad human sympathy-a sympathy which passes mere sentiment and which becomes an actuating motive for helpfulness, and ever has sought to live up to this ideal, thus adding dignity and honor to his profession by noble purposes.
Charles P. Scudder, M. D., physician and surgeon, of Washington, Indiana, was born in that city on November 8, 1859, a son of Dr. John A. and Helen (Van Trees) Scudder, natives of Daviess county, who were the parents of seven children, namely: Dr. Charles P., with whom this narra- tive deals; Tillie F., the wife of S. B. Boyd, of the Washington Democrat; Laura G., the wife of John L. Winston, of Washington; Anna V., the wife of R. C. Davis, of Indianapolis; Dr. David A., deceased, and two who died young.
The late Dr. John A. Scudder, was reared in Daviess county, Indiaita, and was a physician practicing in Washington for thirty-five or forty years. He served throughout the Civil War as an army surgeon and died in 1896, at the age of sixty-three years. His widow still survives him. Both were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. He was pension examiner in Washington for more than thirty-five years.
The paternal grandfather of Dr. Charles P. Scudder was Jacob S. Scudder, whose wife was Matilda Arrell. The former was a native of Daviess county, Indiana, and the latter a native of Pennsylvania. They were pioneer farmers of Veale township, this county, their home being six miles southwest of Washington. Jacob S. Scudder died in middle life, while his widow lived to reach the age of seventy-five. They were the parents of Dr. John A., Mrs. Elizabeth F. Hall, James, Emma and Dr. Charles, of whom Mrs. Hall is the only survivor.
John Scudder, the great-grandfather of Dr. Charles P. Scudder, was born in Freehold, New Jersey, and moved to Daviess county, Indiana, in 1819. He was a surgeon in the Revolutionary army, serving in the regiment of his father, Col. Nathaniel Scudder, also a physician, who was born on Long Island. His parents moved to Princeton, New Jersey, when he was
(21)
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sixteen years of age, and he was graduated from Princeton University, in 175I.
The maternal grandparents of Dr. Charles P. Scudder were John and Laura (Prentiss) Van Trees, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter a native of Indiana, pioneers in Daviess county. For many years. John Van Trees was a merchant in Washington, and was county clerk for more than thirty years. Both died in Washington. The biographical sketch of Warren Van Trees, presented elsewhere in this volume, gives additional interesting details regarding the Van Trees family history.
Charles P. Scudder, M. D., therefore comes from two of the oldest and most highly respected families of Daviess county, and is descended from a long line of physicians and surgeons. He was born and reared in Washing- ton, Indiana, where he attended the public schools, being graduated at the head of his class at the Washington high school, after which he took up the study of medicine. In 1881 he was graduated from the Miami Medical Col- lege at Cincinnati and has practiced continuously in Washington for thirty- four years.
On August 20, 1895, Doctor Scudder was married to Louise J. Stam- per, a daughter of William W. and Bertie (Davis) Stamper, and to this union four children have been born, Charles P., John A., William W. and David Fenwick, the latter of whom died at the age of two and one-half years. Mrs. Scudder was born in Owen county, Kentucky. Her parents, who likewise were natives of that county, are now living in Louisville, Ken- tucky. They are the parents of four children, Louise J., who married Doctor Scudder; Mrs. Ruth Swope; Mrs. A. W. Ellen, and John, the latter of whom died when a child.
Mrs. Scudder's father is a native of Kentucky, and is one of two chil- dren born to his parents, William W. and Elwood Stamper, the latter of whom is connected with the Second National Bank, of Louisville. Mrs. Scudder's maternal grandfather was Alfred P. Davis, who was a native of Kentucky, in which state he spent his entire life. He was the father of four children, Richard C., John O., George and Bertie, by his first marriage; and by his second marriage he had two children, Harry and Mrs. Allie Jones.
The founder of the Scudder family in America was Thomas Scudder, who came from London, England, and who lived at Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1635. There he resided until his death in 1658. His wife was Elizabeth Scudder.
Charles P. Scudder, M. D., is a member of the Daviess County Medical Society. the Indiana State Medical Association and the American Medical.
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Associatiton. He is surgeon for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway Company, and fraternally, is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Politically, Doctor Scudder is a Republican. Mrs. Scudder is a member of the Presbyterian church, of which the family are faithful attendants and to the support of which they are liberal supporters.
ERNEST E. FORSYTHE.
Among the enterprising, progressive and public-spirited men, whose activities in business and political circles, as well as in public affairs, have made Daviess county one of the thriving counties of Indiana, and the city of Washington an important center of commerce and industry, is Ernest Forsythe, who is at present holding the responsible position of postmaster at Washington, and who is regarded as one of the influential men of Wash- ington and Daviess county.
Ernest E. Forythe was born on April 2, 1873, at Nineveh, in Johnson county, Indiana, the son of David P. and Mary L. (Logan) Forsythe, the former of whom was a native of Johnson county, Indiana, and the latter of Kentucky. Mrs. Mary L. Forsythe rode on the horn of a saddle with her mother, when a baby, in coming from Oldham county, Kentucky, to Johnson county, Indiana, where she grew to womanhood and was married, and where the rest of her life was spent, her death occurring in 1903. David P. Forsythe died on March 28, 1915, at the home of his son, the subject of this sketch. His wife was originally a member of the Baptist church (old school), but later identified herself with the Methodist church. They were farmers in Johnson county, Mr. Forsythe owning a farm of eighty acres, which he sold before moving into Nineveh. They were the parents of ten children, Thomas T., deceased; Martha L., deceased, who was the wife of A. C. Deer; Sarah J., deceased; who was the wife of W. D. Terhune; Flora, the wife of Frank Chambers, of Clermont, Indiana; Oscar D., of Wash- ington, this county; Josephine, the wife of N. F. Houston, of Topeka, Kansas; John E., of San Diego, California; Margaret L., the wife of Mar- shall Deer, of Johnson county, Indiana; Ernest E., of Washington, and Gussie E., the wife of Dr. J. J. Deer, of Zionsville, Indiana.
The paternal grandparents of Ernest E. Forsythe were David and Mar- garet (Pritchard) Forsythe, natives of Kentucky and pioneer farmers of Johnson county, Indiana, where they died and were buried upon the farm
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upon which they settled upon coming to this state. They brought their slaves with them from the South, but upon arriving on free soil freed their bondmen. The latter remained with them, however, and were buried in the same graveyard with their former master and mistress. The children born to David Forsythe and wife were David P., Sarah and Betsey. David For- sythe was married, secondly, to a Miss Lawins and two children were born to this latter union, Andrew J. and Elkanah.
The great-grandfather of Ernest E. Forsythe was also David Forsythe. He was the original David of the American line of this family and his wife was a girl that he had cared for on the voyage across the ocean to America. The original David Forsythe was born in Ireland and was a member of the Protestant church. He moved from Ireland to Scotland and thence to America, to obtain religious freedom. He located in Virginia, married Margaret Gibbins and reared a family, the numerous progeny of which is now represented in many states in the Union.
Ernest E. Forsythe's maternal grandparents were John and Paulina (Sturgeon) Logan, the former of whom was a native of Ireland. They were married in Kentucky and were pioneers in Johnson county, Indiana, where he was a plasterer by trade and later a farmer. They died on the old home place in Johnson county. They were the parents of Harry, Mary L., John, Margaret, Elliot and Nancy Eaton.
: Ernest E. Forsythe, the subject of this sketch, was reared in Nineveh, Indiana, but was brought up as a farmer lad. He attended the Nineveh public schools and the high school and then went to the Danville Normal school, where he took the teachers' course. Afterwards he taught in the public schools of Johnson county for one year and then accepted a position with the Rock Island Railroad, at Herrington, Kansas. He worked in the baggage and freight department of that road for a time and later in the general offices of the Santa Fe Railroad at Topeka, Kansas, which latter position he resigned to accept a proposition from a Chicago portrait company as state agent for Indiana, with headquarters at Indianapolis. While oc- cupying this position he was married, on June 1, 1896, to Mabel C. Fisher, the daughter of William H. and Mary J. (Good) Fisher, of Franklin, Indiana, to which union two children have been born, Harold, now aged seventeen, and Paul, aged eight.
Mrs. Forsythe was born in Johnson county, Indiana, her parents also being natives of the same county. The latter now reside in Franklin, where they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in October, 1914. They have five children, Lester, Herbert M., Earl C., Nellie and Mabel C. Mrs.
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Forsythe's paternal grandfather was Capt. William Fisher, who served with distinction in the Union army during the Civil War.
Mr. Forsythe is an efficient postmaster. He was appointed to that re- sponsible office in August, 1913, and is now holding the position, his service proving very satisfactory to the patrons of the Washington post office. Mr. Forsythe is a Democrat and for years has been active in the councils of his party. Mr. and Mrs. Forsythe are members of the Christian church as also is their son, Harold. Mr. Forsythe belongs to Moore Lodge No. 304, Free and Accepted Masons, of Odon, Indiana; Washington Chapter No. 92, Royal Arch Masons; the Washington lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Odon lodge of Knights of Pythias, and the Washington lodge of the Modern Woodmen of America. Ernest E. Forsythe is not only an efficient postmaster, but he is a good citizen and is held in high esteem by a host of friends and acquaintances who know him best.
SYLVESTER A. WHISMAN.
In and around the town of Elnora, in Elmore township, Daviess county, and throughout that whole part of the county, there is perhaps no one who does not know the gentleman whose name is noted above. Mr. Whisman is not only the heaviest property owner in the town of Elnora, but is one of the most extensive farmers and stock raisers in the county, his business operations covering a wide range. As farmer, stock raiser, merchant and banker, he has been a successful manager in all he has undertaken and in consequence wields a large measure of influence in the community in which his activities for years have been expended. Not only is he widely known, but he is personally popular among all with whom he comes in contact and there are few men in the county who have a larger personal following than he. A large man, of exceptional physical endowment, he also is a man of large heart and his friends are limited only by the number of his acquaint- ances. It is a pleasure therefore for the biographer here to call the reader's attention to a brief review of the achievements of this notable personality, whose influence in behalf of better things in Daviess county has been for so many years so wisely and widely exerted.
Sylvester A. Whisman was Born in Monroe county, Indiana, near the village of Elletsville, on January 23, 1852, the son of George and Lettie (Hightower) Whisman, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and
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the latter a native of Tennessee. George Whisman, who was a teamster in Virginia, emigrated to Indiana in his middle age and bought a farm near Elletsville, in Monroe county, where he spent the rest of his life. To him and his wife there were born four children, William G., Harondon L., Sylvester A., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Nicey.
Sylvester A. Whisman was reared in Monroe county, attending the township schools of the neighborhood in which his parents lived. The first school that he attended was equipped as to seats, or benches for the pupils to sit upon, with split logs upheld by pegs driven into the rounded side, the children perching themselves upon the split surface, which Mr. Whisman recalls was not always entirely free from splinters, to the no small discom- fort of the wriggling urchins who were compelled to occupy these precari- ous benches. Upon reaching manhood's estate, Mr. Whisman started farm- ing in Monroe county and remained there until 1862, in which year he moved to Morgan county, Indiana, taking a farm near Martinsville, on which he remained until the year 1893, in which year he came to Daviess county, taking a farm in Elmore township, about one mile west of Elnora, on which he ever since has made his home.
Mr. Whisman believes in doing things on a large scale and for years managed no less than one thousand acres of land in the vicinity of Elnora. As his other business interests grew, however, he gradually reduced his farm holdings until now he operates but four hundred and thirty-seven acres; his sons and farm employees doing the active work of the farm, to which general farming is added stock raising on an extensive scale, partic- ular attention being paid to white-faced cattle and the big type of Poland- China hogs, Mr. Whisman giving his close personal attention to the direc- tion of the various phases of the cultivation of his broad fields.
In addition to his large farming interests, Mr. Whisman is the heaviest individual property owner in Elnora, and is a stockholder in the Elnora bank and in the bank at Marco. For the past sixteen years he has been a full partner in the general store at Elnora, with W. H. Black, this business also having prospered, as have all the other enterprises with which Mr. Whisman has been connected. He finds time, in connection with his large business affairs, to give a proper degree of attention to public affairs and his voice ever is heard in behalf of all movements having for their object the advancement of the common welfare. He is a Democrat and takes a no in- considerable part in the campaigns of that party in his part of the county. For some years Mr. Whisman has given his services to the public in his
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vicinity as a member of the township advisory board, his excellent executive ability and sound business judgment proving invaluable in that connection.
Mr. Whisman has been thrice married. By his first wife, who was Carrie B. Constable, he had one child, a daughter, Ella, who married Earl Melsheimer. He married, secondly, Nellie Dutton, to which union four children were born, Joseph, Richard, Harry and William, the latter of whom is deceased. By his third wife, Oma Williams, there were two children, daughters, Lucy and Mary. To all these children Mr. Whisman has been a most devoted father and his sons, under his careful training, are taking an earnest and active part in the affairs of the locality in which they were reared. There are few men in Daviess county who are doing a larger work than is Mr. Whisman and he is regarded with the utmost respect and esteem by all who know him.
JOHN L. CLARK.
Specific mention is made of the many worthy citizens of Daviess county, Indiana, within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well-being of the community in which each resides and to the advancement of its moral and legitimate growth. Among this number is John L. Clark, the present county treasurer of Daviess county. Although Mr. Clark is not a native of Daviess county, he is a native of the grand old commonwealth of Indiana, and has contributed his best energies to the moral and civic advancement of this great state.
Mr. Clark· was born on February 13, 1863, at Weisburg, in Dearborn county, Indiana, a son of John and Carolina (Coman) Clark, natives of Dearborn county, who were the parents of ten children, namely: Mary, the wife of W. H. Patterson, of Bogard township; Clara, the widow of Francis Ferguson; Emma, the widow of James T. Williams; Ollie, the wife of Frank P. Eaton, of this county; John L., of Washington; Howard, of East Chicago, and four who died while young.
John Clark, the father of John L., was reared in Indiana, and was a farmer in Decatur county. Later he became a merchant at Weisburg, and for some years before coming to Daviess county, operated a saw-mill. In his latter years he was a farmer in Steele township, where he owned a farm of eighty acres. He died there in 1898, at the age of seventy-four years.
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His wife died in 1869. Both were members of the Methodist church. John Clark was a man of rather wide political influence in Daviess county, having served two terms as county commissioner, an office which he filled with ex- ceptional ability.
John L. Clark's paternal grandparents were natives of North Caro- lina and early settlers of the eastern part of Indiana. Their children were William, John, Samuel and a daughter.
John L. Clark was reared mostly in Daviess county, Indiana, and has. lived here from the time he was nine years old. He was reared as a farmer boy and attended the district schools, living at home until he reached his. maturity. He then married and rented land for several years. Finally he purchased forty acres of land in Steele township, which he improved and then added thirty-eight acres, which he still owns. He lived there until the spring of 1913, at which time he was appointed to fill out an un- expired term as county treasurer, he having previously, in 1912, been elected to the same office, and he is still holding this office. Mr. Clark also served four years as trustee of Bogard township.
On February 26, 1885, John L. Clark was married to Mary E. Morgan, a daughter of James and Laura (Burris) Morgan, natives of Indiana, and to this happy union seven children were born, Len L., Raymond E., John V., Vivian, Edwin, Lyle and Emma. Len L. is a carpenter at Bickell, Indiana. He married Effie Dalton, and they have one child, Fred. Vivian died at the age of nine months and Emma at the age of four months. The other children are all at home.
Mrs. Mary E. (Morgan) Clark, the mother of these children, died on January 12, 1912, at the age of thirty-eight. She was born in Barr town- ship and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Her father died in 1909 at the age of seventy-six, and her mother is still living. James and Laura (Burris) Morgan were the parents of thirteen children, Della, Mary, William, Thomas, James, Lucretia, Hattie, John and Frank, twins; Lucinda, Martha, Sarah and Ethel.
On October 6, 1909, Mr. Clark married, secondly, Sarah E. Small, a daughter of William H. and Ann (Sanford) Small, and to this union two children have been born, Robert and Walter, the former of whom died at the age of eighteen months. Mrs. Sarah E. (Small) Clark was born in Barr township. Her parents are now deceased. They were early settlers in Barr township, and were the parents of eleven children, Joseph, Reuben, John, Benjamin, Virginia, Tabitha, Mary, Lucretia, Helen, Sarah E. and Thomas.
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