USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 35
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On May 22, 1872, Doctor Mitchell was married to Lucy Cross, the daughter of Albert Cross, whose wife was an Akester, and to this union three children were born, Clare, Claude and Charles. Clara married S. H. Burton, of Washington township, this county. Claude is a farmer in Min- nesota, living near Pine River postoffice. He is married and has four chil- dren. Charles is unmarried and is farming with his brother in Minnesota. He is city clerk of Pine River. The mother of these children was born in Iowa, and her parents, both now deceased, were natives of Indiana and Iowa, respectively. They were the parents of seven children, Laura, Lucy, Alfred, Judson, Glendora, Carrie and Lizzie.
Upon the death of his first wife, Doctor Mitchell married, secondly,
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Elizabeth Wilson Gill, who was born at Carthage, Ohio, daughter of Eli and Sarah Gill, both natives of Ohio. Eli Gill was a well-known merchant and dealer in live stock, who has been dead for some years, his widow making her home with Doctor and Mrs. Mitchell. Eli Gill and his wife were the parents of the following children: Frank, Jacob (deceased), Albert, Fred, Carrie, Elizabeth, Maggie and Lucy.
Although Doctor Mitchell was reared a Methodist, he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He is vice-president of the board of trustees of the church and is a teacher of the ladies' class in the Sunday school. Doctor Mitchell has a fine tenor voice, and has sung in choirs since he was twenty years old. Fraternally, he belongs to Charity Lodge No. 30, Free and Accepted Masons, and to Liverpool Lodge No. 110, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, at Washington. He also is a member of the county and state medical societies. Formerly a Republican, Doctor Mit- chell became a member of the Progressive party at its formation, and has been active in the councils of that party since 1912.
Not only does Dr. Ringgold S. Mitchell stand high in the esteem of the people of Washington and vicinity, professionally, but in the civic and religious work of his home city, he has performed a worthy part. He is honored and respected by the hundreds of people who know him for this unselfish work.
JAMES A. BURRELL.
In examining the life records of self-made men it will invariably be found that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True, there are other elements which enter into and conserve the advance- ment of personal interests, as perseverance, discrimination and the master- ing of expedients, but the foundation of all achievement is earnest and per- sistent labor. At the outset of his career, Mr. Burrell recognized this fact, and he has never sought any royal road to the goal of prosperity and inde- pendence. He began work earnestly and diligently in order to advance him- self, and the result is that he is now numbered among the progressive and influential business men of Daviess county.
James A. Burrell was born at Coshocton, Ohio, on May 29, 1854, the son of John W. and Sarah (McCoy) Burrell, both of whom were born in. Ohio, John W. Burrell being the son of Richard Burrell. J. A. Burrell came to this county in his youth, locating at Odon, and was educated in
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the public schools. He entered the marble business, learning the technical points of the same under G. W. Correll, his present partner. In 1881 he started business in Odon for himselt, first taking as a partner W. H. Wagy. The firm was known as Burrell & Wagy, and the partnership continued until 1892, in which year the present firm of Correll & Burrell was formed. This firm does an extensive wholesale business in Kentucky and Bedford stone, and a large retail business in monuments.
In 1880 J. A. Burrell was married to Sarah Crooke, daughter of Howard Crooke, to which union four children have been born, Carl H., a. dentist of Jasonville, Indiana; Nellie, who married C. R. O'Dell, of Indian- apolis; Carrie, who married Edward Love, of Odon, and Harry, who died at the age of two years. Mr. Burrell and family are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Tribe of Ben Hur.
Reverting to Mr. Burrell's parentage, his father, John W. Burrell, was. born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, January 3, 1829, the son of Richard and Sarah (Keniristrick) Burrell, both natives of Maryland, who moved to. Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where they both died on their farm in that county. when John W. was a small boy. John W. Burrell was educated in the public schools of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and on July 7, 1853, was married, at Dover, Ohio, to Sarah McCoy. In 1859 they moved to this county, locating on a farm two miles east of Odon, and in 1861 moved to Odon, where they have since made their home. John W. Burrell was an undertaker and cab- inetmaker, having learned the business in Dover, Ohio. As long as he was. able to work this was his trade, but he has been disabled since the year 1910. Sarah (McCoy) Burrell was born in Carroll county, Ohio, the daughter of John and Ruth (White) McCoy, the former a native of Ireland and the latter a native of Wheeling, West Virginia. John McCoy was a son of Hugh and Elizabeth McCoy, natives of Ireland, who located in Belmont, Ohio, after coming to America. He was a preacher in the Methodist Epis-
copal church. Both he and his wife died in Belmont county, Ohio. Mrs .. John W. Burrell's maternal grandparents were Thomas and Sarah White,. both natives of Virginia, the former of whom was a slave-holder in that state and a captain in the patriot army during the Revolutionary War. He emigrated to Ohio about 1816 and located in Belmont county, from there moving to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he and his wife both died.
To John W. and Sarah (McCoy) Burrell six children were born, Albert, Richard, Anna, Harley, Samuel and Hilbert, all of whom are still
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living, and are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. John W. Bur- rell was a charter member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellow's at Odon and is the only charter member now living.
James McCoy, a brother of Mrs. John W. Burrell, was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, having enlisted in the Fourteenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under General Kemble. He was made a prisoner by the enemy and confined in Libby prison. This was the last ever heard of him. All the members of the Burrell family are well known and highly respected citizens of Daviess county.
ELISHA HYATT.
One of the beauties of our government is that it acknowledges no hereditary rank or title; no patent of nobility except that of nature, leaving every man to fix his own rank by becoming the artificer of his own fortune. Places of honor and trust, rank and preferment, thus happily placed before every individual, high or low, rich or poor, to be striven for by all, but earned only by perseverance and sterling worth, are most always sure to be filled with deserving men. Business responsibility in a community is won only by prodigious energy, by those possessing the ability, perseverance and industry of the very highest order. Elisha Hyatt, the proprietor of many splendid farms in Daviess and Knox counties, is a man who has had a large part in the business life of Washington and vicinity and affords a conspicuous example of the successful, self-made American. He not only deserves the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens, but this confi- dence in a large measure has been the basis of his splendid success. He is a man of vigorous mentality, and this quality has been a large factor in his career. Mr. Hyatt not only enjoys the distinction of belonging to one of the oldest families in this county, but he is one of the wealthiest citizens of the county and has been liberal with his money.
Elisha Hyatt, a farmer, now living at 406 East Grove street, Wash- ington, Indiana, was born in that city on September 8, 1856, the son of Elisha and Martha (Beasley) Hyatt, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter a native of this county. They were the parents of the following children : Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of I. M. Parsons; Thomas, deceased; Theodore F., deceased; Hiram. deceased; Lydia, the wife of
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Hugh Rogers, of Washington, Indiana; Richard, deceased; Adelaide, who- died young; and Elisha, Jr., the immediate subject of this sketch.
Elisha Hyatt, Sr., was nine years old when he came with his parents. to Daviess county. They settled just north of Washington on what is called the old Hyatt homestead, where he grew to manhood. He was a merchant during his earlier years and accumulated considerable property. He owned, at one time, eight thousand acres of land and was one of the organizers. of the private bank of Hyatt, Levings & Company, which, on account of its. failure in later years, lost Mr. Hyatt considerable money. He operated a stave factory and saw-mills and bought grain, in addition to running flat- boats to New Orleans, being regarded as one of the leading men in Daviess. county in his day and generation. He died at Washington on December 31, 1885, at the age of seventy-six years and two months, and his wife died on her birthday, August 20, 1901, at the age of eighty-four years. She was a member of the Presbyterian church and her husband, while not a member of the church, was also partial to that faith. He was a Republican- and was at one time a member of the city council, but did not like to hold public offices.
The paternal grandparents of Elisha Hyatt, Jr., were Thomas Hyatt and wife, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Daviess county. They bought land just north of Worthington, as above mentioned, and there. they lived the remainder of their days, Thomas Hyatt's death occurring as. a result of injuries received from the kick of a colt. They were the parents: of seven children, Elisha, John, William, Eliza, Mary, Ann and Margaret. The maternal grandparents of Elisha Hyatt, Jr., were Edwin and Elizabeth Beasley, natives of Pennsylvania, who emigrated from that state to Ken- tucky, coming thence to Daviess county, at a time when the Indians were still here. They located in Maple Valley, south of Washington, and engaged in farming and tanning. They were the parents of but two children, Martha and a son, who died young.
Elisha Hyatt, Jr., was reared in Washington and attended the public schools of that city. He remained at home until he reached his majority, at which time his father gave him a start, and he later fell heir to a share of his father's estate, which he helped to settle. He has always followed farming, stock raising and buying of grain, but has kept his residence in Washington. He now owns about six hundred acres in Knox and Daviess: counties.
In 1886 Mr. Hyatt was married to Etta Nixon, daughter of M. A. and
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Elizabeth (Williamson) Nixon, born in Knox county, Indiana, in 1863. Her mother died in 1891 at the age of forty-eight and her father died on December 25, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Nixon were the parents of seven chil- dren, Etta, Clara, Eliza, Myrtle, Ruth, Elizabeth and Elisha.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hyatt five children have been born, Clarence, Martha E., Evelyn Pearl, Elisha and Robert. Clarence, who married Alta Smith, conducts a grocery store at Indianapolis. Martha E. is at home. Evelyn P. is a physician in Syracuse, New York, and is now an interne in the women's and children's home there. Elisha, Jr., is in the automobile busi- ness, and Robert is a student in the Washington high school.
Mr. Hyatt is a member of the Republican party and was a city council- man for two or three terms. Mrs. Hyatt is a member of the Presbyterian church and is interested in all church work. Mr. and Mrs. Hyatt are well and favorably known in Washington and Daviess county, and are highly respected and esteemed by all who know them.
ROBERT J. BARR.
The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this biographical review needs no introduction to the people of Daviess county, since his entire life has been spent in this community, a life devoted not only to the fostering of his own interests, but also to the welfare of all. An honorable representative of one of the esteemed families of his section and a gentle- man of high character and worthy ambitions, he has filled no small place in the public view, as the important official positions he has held bear witness. He is a splendid type of the intelligent, up-to-date, self-made American, and is regarded as one of the very best business men the county can boast of, being progressive and abreast of the times in all that concerns the common- wealth and, very properly, possesses the unqualified respect and confidence of all.
Robert J. Barr, the son of John and Julia (Burris) Barr, was born in Daviess county, Indiana, November 14, 1846, and has lived here all of his life. John Barr was a native of Kentucky, while Julia Burris was a. native of Indiana, her birth having occurred in what is now Martin county.
The paternal grandfather of Robert J. Barr was James Barr, who came from Kentucky to Indiana about 1816 and located in what is now Barr township, Daviess county. He cleared the land and made a home for
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himself and family in the wilderness. He was a farmer all his life and was a prominent and influential citizen in the early days in the township which bears his name. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Barr were Rob- ert and Mahala Burris, natives of Kentucky who came to Indiana in an early day and located in what is now Martin county, near the Daviess county line. They were pioneers in that section, and spent the rest of their lives there.
John Barr was reared on his father's farm in Barr township. He had very little opportunity for securing an education in that early day, attending school only three weeks all his life. He learned to read and write, however, and being a man of close observation, managed to become very well informed. As a young man he took up farming in Reeve township, and continued to reside there the rest of his life, he and his wife dying on the homestead in that township. John and Julia (Burris) Barr were the parents of seven children, namely: Eliza, deceased, was the wife of W. H. Godwin, and lived in Edwardsport, Knox county, Indiana; Jane, deceased, was the wife of Frank Prater, and lived in Reeve township, this county; William W., of Montgomery, Indiana; Susan, deceased, was the wife of Samuel Potts, of Reeve township; James, deceased, was a farmer of Reeve township; Juda, the wife of A. J. Burris, a farmer of Reeve township, and Robert J., with whom this narrative deals. William and James both served in the Union army during the Civil War, both surviving the struggle and becom- ing substantial citizens of Daviess county.
Robert J. Barr received his education in the common schools of Reeve township, and after he grew to maturity took up farming in Reeve town- ship. In 1891 he sold his farm and moved to Washington. For the past fifteen years he has been engaged in fruit growing, and has a fine apple orchard of thirty acres two miles out of Washington. Mr. Barr is also a director in the State Bank of Washington.
In 1870 Mr. Barr was married to Emily H. Cole, of Reeve township, the daughter of Rev. Jacob Cole, of Floyd county, Indiana, and to this union have been born six children, Florence E., O. W., Estella A., Annie L., Glenn E. and Robert C., all of whom are living, with the exception of Florence E., who died at the age of thirty-seven. The family are all mem- bers of the United Brethren church.
Mr. Barr is an adherent of the Republican party, and for years has been actively interested in public affairs. He served his fellow citizens two terms as trustee of Reeve township, and in 1890 was elected to the office of county treasurer, serving one term. He also served two terms as county
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commissioner. Mr. Barr is a man of high moral character, persistent indus- try and excellent judgment, and throughout the locality where he has lived for so many years he occupies an enviable position among his fellow men.
WILLIAM S. WALLER.
The Union soldier during the great war between the states builded wiser than he knew. Through four years of suffering and wasting hard- ship, through the horrors of prison pens and amid the shadows of death, he laid the superstructure of the greatest temple ever erected and dedicated to human freedom. The world looked on and called these soldiers sub- lime, for it was theirs to reach out the mighty arm of power and strike the chains off from the slave, and preserve the country from dissolution and to keep unfurled to the breeze the only flag that ever made a tyrant tremble. For all their unmeasured deeds the living present will never repay them. Attention and political power may be thrown at their feet; art and sculpture may preserve upon canvas and in granite and bronze their unselfish deeds; history may commit to books, and cold type may give to the future the tale of their suffering and triumph, but to the children of the genera- tions unborn will it remain to record the full measure of appreciation and undying remembrance of the immortal character carved out by the American soldiers in the dark days of the sixties, numbered among whom was Will- iam S. Waller, the tyler of the Masonic lodge at Washington, Indiana.
William S. Waller was born at the corner of First East and Van Trees streets, Washington, Indiana, the town at that time being known as Liver- pool, on February 4, 1837, the son of John W. and Mary Ann (Goodwin) Waller, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky and the latter of Pennsylvania, who came to this county from Kentucky in 1817, locating at Liverpool, now Washington. John W. Waller was a merchant and held several public offices in the early days, among which were those of city treasurer and county assessor. He assessed the taxables of the county at a time when he received only ninety dollars for the entire work. He also served as justice of the peace for a number of years, and was a man of large influence in the early affairs of Daviess county. Later he purchased a farm east of Washington, consisting of a hundred and twenty acres, which he improved, and where he died in 1874, at the age of seventy-six.
(25)
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His widow died in 1882, at the age of eighty-two. She was a Methodist and for many years was an influential factor in the good works of the community.
The paternal grandparents of William S. Waller were John W. and Mary G. (Mathis) Waller, natives of England, and pioneer settlers in Ken- tucky, to which state they emigrated at the close of the Revolutionary War, they first having settled at Plymouth, Virginia. John W. Waller, Sr., served as a captain in the Revolutionary War and died in Kentucky at an old age, in the year 1810. His widow came to this county, locating in Liverpool (now Washington), where she died at a very advanced age. They were the parents of the following children: John, George, Edward, Nellie, Nancy Mary, Jane, Patsey, Hannah and Elizabeth.
The maternal grandparents of Mr. Waller were Aaron and Margaret (McCullough) Goodwin, the former of whom was a native of Ireland and the latter of Scotland. Aaron Goodwin was a tanner by trade, who moved from Pennsylvania to Marietta, Ohio, and thence to Liverpool, now Wash- ington, Indiana, where he operated a tannery, the first in the town. This tannery was on the corner of what is now First West and West Main streets. Both he and his wife lived to very advanced ages, and were prominent in the early affairs of Washington. They were the parents of the following children: William, Aikman, Aaron, Jane, Mary Ann, Ruth, Laura and Matilda.
William S. Waller was born and reared in Washington and that city has always been his home. He attended the old-fashioned subscription schools and lived at home until he was grown, after which he started for himself by farming on his father's farm. Later he worked at the carpenter trade for several years and still later engaged in the meat business for a number of years. After, for a little more than four years, he was street commissioner of Washington. For the past twenty-two years Mr. Waller has been the tyler for all the bodies of the Masonic lodge at Washington. He was made a Mason in 1874, his father having also been a prominent member of that body. He is a member of Charity Lodge No. 30, Free and' Accepted Masons; Washington Chapter No. 92, Royal Arch Masons; Washington Council No. 67, Royal and Select Masters; Washington Com- mandery No. 33, Knights Templar, and Washington Chapter No. 210, Order of Eastern Star.
Mr. Waller enlisted in the Union army on April 19, 1861, for a period of six months' service during the Civil War. He first served in Company G, Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and at the expiration of
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his term he re-enlisted in Company I, Twenty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving until November, 1865. Mr. Waller was in many hard-fought battles during the Civil War, in which he received a few slight flesh wounds, but had no bones broken. After the war he returned to Washington and took up his life work as heretofore mentioned.
On March 4, 1858, William S. Waller was married to Mary Kendall, daughter of John and Nancy (Dyer) Kendall, to which union only one child was born, Adda, who married John W. Coleman, a resident of Wash- ington, to which union has been born one daughter, Helen. Mrs. Mary Kendall Waller, who died in September, 1859, was born on a farm in this county, east of Washington. Her parents were natives of Kentucky, who came to this country in pioneer days and spent the rest of their lives here. They were the parents of seven children, Enoch, William, George, Joseph, Sarah, Mary and Martha.
While home on a furlough, during the war, Mr. Waller married, sec- ondly, February 5, 1864, Isabell Campbell, daughter of William and Mary (Coventry) Campbell, to which union five children were born, John W., Mary, James, Ella and Edith. John W. is a coal miner in Pike county, this state, near Oakland City. He married Melissa Thompson, and they have four children, Charles. Odell, Mary and Ione. Mary died unmarried. James is a carpenter in Washington and is unmarried. Ella married J. W. Walker, a machinist. They have two sons, William and Charles. Edith married Charles W. Quick. They live at Orange Grove, Mississippi, and have no children.
Mrs. Isabell Waller was born in Mexico, twenty miles from Mexico City, in 1842. Her parents emigrated from Aberdeen, Scotland, and settled in Mexico. They were the parents of three children who lived to maturity, William, Robert and Isabell.
Mr. and Mrs. Waller are members of the Baptist church. Though Mr. Waller is a Republican, he was made street commissioner by a Democratic administration, and served in that capacity for four years. Mr. Waller comes of a long line of Masons, and has in his possession his grandfather Waller's Masonic apron. He also is a member of U. S. Grant Post No. 72, Grand Army of the Republic, and was commander of the post for three years. Washington has been Mr. Waller's home for seventy-eight years. He is a prominent and exemplary citizen. He and his good wife are among the oldest citizens in point of residence now living in Washington, and are honored and respected by the people of that community.
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JOHN P. CAVANAUGH.
In the history of Washington the name of John P. Cavanaugh occu- pies a conspicuous place in the business circles, for during a number of years he has been one of the representative citizens in the city's commercial life, progressive, enterprising and persevering. Such qualities always win success sooner or later and to Mr. Cavanaugh they have brought a satis- factory reward for his well-directed efforts. While he has benefited him- self and the community, in a material way, he has also been an influential factor in the moral, educational and social progress of the community. Left an orphan when he was seven weeks old, John P. Cavanaugh has achieved a worthy success, overcoming handicaps and surmounting obstacles.
John P. Cavanaugh, a well-known general merchant of Washington, was born on April 20, 1857, in Saline county, Missouri. He is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Cavanaugh) Cavanaugh, natives of Wexford county, Ireland, and Cincinnati, Ohio, respectively. John P. Cavanaugh was the only child of his parents, both dying when he was but seven weeks old. His father was reared in Ireland and came to America when a young man. He settled first in Kentucky, and was married in Cincinnati. In company with some other men he went to Pettis county, Missouri, where he was among the first settlers. They intended to take slaves there, but Mr. Cava- naugh died soon after his arrival in Missouri, in 1857, at the age of forty years. His wife afterward came to Indiana to live with her people, who had moved to this state and settled in Daviess county, and her death occurred two weeks later in 1857, at the age of twenty-seven. Both were devout members of the Catholic church.
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