USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 40
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 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
Joseph M. Myers, the father of Thomas C., was born and reared in Bogard township, Daviess county, where he was a druggist in Epsom. He owned a good farm of one hundred acres. Mr. Myers died in 1900 at the age of fifty-eight and his wife is still living. Both were members of the Methodist church. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Myers were Joseph and Mary (Sifrit) Myers, natives of North Carolina. Born in 1802, he came to Indiana when quite young, when he engaged in farming in this state. He built the first house in Bogard township outside of the Dutch settle- ment. He and his wife both died at advanced ages, he at the age of eighty and she at the age of eighty-four. They had a large family, among whom were the following children: Joseph M., Elias, William, George W., Chris- tina and Elizabeth. The maternal grandparents of Thomas C. Myers were Christopher and Nellie (Lee) Adkins, he a native of Kentucky and she of Virginia, and both were early settlers in Daviess county. He died at the age of fifty-eight and she at the age of seventy-four. They had two children, John, who died while comparatively young; and Nancy L., the mother of Mr. Myers.
Thomas C. Myers was reared on his father's farm in Bogard township and attended the district schools. He lived at home until twenty-one years of age and then worked in a store at Elnora for one year. Subsequently, Mr. Myers went into the saw-mill business in partnership with his brother. Charles H. They were together some twenty-six years, during which time they were also engaged in the mercantile business. Together they built the first flour-mill at Epsom and conducted it for four years. This mill was traded for a store in Mecca, Indiana. Soon afterward they dissolved partnership. Thomas C. Myers then went to Terre Haute and worked for the Kauffman Grocery Company for a short time and finally returned to Washington and started a restaurant. He then moved to Michigan and lived there for a few months when he came back to Washington and traded for his present grocery .. He and his brother, Alfred C., are in the saw-mill business at the present time.
Thomas C. Myers was married on July 24, 1887, to Flora J. Wilson, the daughter of Andrew J. and Eleanor (Perkins) Wilson. One daughter, Lola A., has been born to this union. She married Charles Everett Miller, who died in April, 1913, leaving a son, Ivan. A daughter, Doris, was born after his death.
Mrs. Myers was born in Daviess county, Indiana. Her father was
430
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
born in Missouri and her mother in this county. Her father died when he was a young man and her mother is still living, in Martinsville. Mrs. Myers is the only child born to this union. Her paternal grandparents were James Wilson and wife, natives of Indiana, who moved to Missouri in an early day, where they died. They had the following children: Andrew J., and Mary. Mrs. Myers' maternal grandparents were Asbury Perkins and wife, who were the parents of two children, Eleanor and John A.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Myers are members of the Christian church. Mr. Myers is a Republican. He is a good business man, a good citizen and belongs to two of the early pioneer families of this county. He is a representative citizen of this county and is therefore entitled to representa- tion in a volume such as this.
ROLAND M. SMILEY, D. D. S.
Roland M. Smiley, D. D. S., a well-known dentist of Washington and a member of R. M. Smiley & Son, has practiced his profession in Daviess county for a period of nearly thirty years. By his professional ability and high personal character, he has made a distinctive mark in the community where he has lived so long and where he is so well known. In the realm of dentistry he has achieved a splendid reputation. Trained in the first in- stance as a public school teacher, Doctor Smiley later qualified himself ad- mirably for his present profession. Among his professional colleagues in Daviess county, he is held in the highest regard. Associated with him in the practice of dentistry is Roy D. Smiley, his son, who also well trained for his profession. Dr. R. M. Smiley and son enjoy a large and lucative prac- tice in Washington and Daviess counties.
Roland M. Smiley was born on February 12, 1859, in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. He is the son of Abner G. and Esther B. (Bair) Smiley, na- tives of Pennsylvania. They had five sons and two daughters, Payson A., of Raglesville, Indiana; Wilson S., of the same place; Roland M., Reisin P., of Raglesville; Wallace, of Odon, Indiana; and two daughters who died in infancy.
Abner G. Smiley, the father of these children, was a farmer and was reared in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. He came to Daviess county in 1863, locating in Van Buren township, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he improved. He had added forty-six acres to this tract and now has one of the best farms in the county. It was on this
43L
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
property that the Smiley family was reared. Abner Smiley died in Odon, in 1908, at the age of seventy-eight and his wife is still living at the age of eighty-one. Both were members of the United Brethren church.
The paternal grandparents of Dr. Roland M. Smiley were William and Elizabeth (Swyhart) Smiley, natives of Pennsylvania and pioneers of Tus- carawas county, Ohio. They died in that county, he at the age of forty-five- and she at the age of eighty-three. They had a family of seven children, La- fayette, Abner G., Nancy, Jane, Martha, Harvey and Andrew J. The ma- ternal grandparents of Doctor Smiley were Jacob Bair and wife, natives of Pennsylvania and early settlers in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where they were farmers. They had sixteen children, Jacob, Benjamin, Kizzie, Mary, Catharine, Leah, Esther, Jonas, John A. and others who died young.
Roland M. Smiley was four years old when he was brought to Daviess county, by his parents, and this county has been his home since that time. He grew up on the farm and remained there until seventeen years old, attending the district schools. Subsequently, he was a student. at the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso and later the Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. Still later he took a one-year course in Dana's Musical Institute at Warren, Ohio. Doctor Smiley then taught in the public schools for two years and taught music for one year. Finally he took up dentistry and graduated from the Indiana Dental College in 1886, when he began practicing in Washington and has practiced in that city since that date.
Doctor Smiley was married on December 30, 1886, to Clara Danks, the daughter of Rev. Thomas C. and Emma (Young) Danks. Six children have been born to this union, Roy D., Karl, Clara, Charles, Paul and Esther. Roy D. is a graduate of the Indiana Dental College and is a member of the firm of R. M. Smiley & Son. He married Marguerite Scoble; Karl died at the age of twenty years; Clara died at the age of sixteen months; Charles is a student at Indiana University; Paul and Esther are students in the Washington high school.
Mrs. R. M. Smiley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father was a native of Wales. Both her father and mother are now deceased, her father dying in 1908 at the age of seventy-two and her mother in 1907 at the age of sixty-nine. They were the parents of six children, Joseph, Mayme, Clara, Belle, Charles and Lydia.
Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Smiley are members of the First Methodist Episco- pal church and Doctor Smiley is a trustee of the church. He has also been choir director for twenty-six years, and is now teacher of the young men's.
432
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Bible class in which there are about sixty enrolled. Fraternally, he belongs to Charity Lodge No. 30, Free and Accepted Masons; Washington Chapter No. 92, Royal Arch Masons; Washington Commandery No. 33, Knights Templar. His son, Dr. Roy Smiley, is also a Knights Templar and belongs to Washington Council No. 67, Royal and Select Masters. Both men and their wives belong to the Order of the Eastern Star No. 210. Dr. R. M. Smiley is also a member of Pythagorean Lodge No. 118, Knights of Pythias.
ALBERT KILLION.
Prominent in the affairs of Daviess county and distinguished as a citi- zen whose influence extends beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the name of Albert Killion stands out conspicuously among the successful farmers and stock breeders. All of his undertakings have been actuated by noble motives and high resolves and are characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality. His success and achievements but represent the results of utilizing his natural talents and directing his efforts along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimination lead the way.
Albert Killion was born on May 19, 1865, in Steele township, the son of Alexander Killion and the brother of Nathan Killion, the latter of whom is referred to elsewhere in this volume.
Educated in the common schools of Daviess county, Albert Killion was reared on the farm and attended school in the winter, working on the farm during the summer. At the age of twenty-two, Mr. Killion was married to Mary Kettery, November 24, 1887. Mrs. Killion was born on February 27, 1869, in Madison county, and is the daughter of Jacob and Dialtha M. (Foust) Kettery, the former of whom was a farmer of Madison county and a native of Tennessee. He died on February 23, 19II. To Albert and Mary (Kettery) Killion three children have been born, Ethel, on April 4, 1900, died on December 5, 1908; Virgil, November 9, 1896, and Vernon, February 21, 1903.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Killion lived in Steele township and moved from there to Bogard township, Daviess county, in what is known as the Ten-mile house. While living upon this farm, Mr. Killion had charge of five hundred and forty-nine acres of land. They removed to Plainville in 1910. Mr. Killion owns in all eleven hundred acres of land, the most of
433
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
which is in Steele and Bogard townships, Daviess county. Ninety acres of this land, however, is situated in Knox county. Besides farming, Mr. Kil- lion is also a prominent stockholder in the Plainville Flouring Company, which was established in 1910. At the present time, however, he spends most of his time in buying and selling stock for the Tarr-Downs Company, in which he is financially interested.
Jacob Kettery, Mrs. Killion's father, married Dialtha M. Foust, and to them three children were born, Mary, the wife of Albert Killion; Joseph E., who lives in Bogard township, and who married Laura Hardy, and Charles, who married Hattie Chestnut and who lives in Odon, Indiana. Jacob Kettery and wife were members of the Methodist church. Mrs. Kil- lion's paternal grandfather was Joseph Kettery, a native of Germany, who married Catherine Burk, also a native of Germany. Joseph Kettery was a farmer in Wayne county, Indiana, and a member of the Lutheran church. Of his children, only one, Lizzie D., is still living. The other children were John, Mary H., Lydia H., Joseph, Jacob and Jane.
Albert Killion has a comfortable home just at the edge of Plainville. He is a modest, unassuming man, but well liked and cordial in his manner. He is one of the enterprising and progressive citizens of Steele township and his work, as a farmer and business man, well deserves to be recorded in a volume of historical annals dealing with the lives of the people of Daviess county. Mr. Killion is the very soul of integrity and honor and is respected by his neighbors and fellow townsmen.
EDWARD B. SMITH.
Among the citizens of Daviess county who have lived long and useful lives in this community, is Edward B. Smith, now living retired at Wash- ington, Indiana. Whether the elements of a success in this life are funda- mental to the individual, or whether they are quickened by a process of accidental development, it is impossible to determine, yet the study of a successful career, whatever the field of endeavor, is none the less interest- ing and profitable by reason of this uncertainty. Edward B. Smith started in life unaided, and in his youth learned the correct principles of living. He has always been devoted to principles of right living and industrious habits. He has believed in education and morality, and in loyalty to the national (28)
434
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
government. Some of the best months of his life he gave to the defense of his country as a Union soldier. He is honored and respected in the city of Washington, where he lives, and is clearly entitled to specific mention in the annals of his county.
Edward B. Smith was born on July 6, 1846, in Clarington, Monroe county, Ohio. He is a son of Ira and Mary Ann (Bates) Smith, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter a native of the Isle of Man. They had several children: Lydia, the wife of Clem Allen, of West Virginia; Mortimer, who died at Cheat Mountain, was a soldier in the Civil War; Edward B., of this review; Elisha, a resident of Murphytown, West Vir- ginia, and Mary Ann, deceased.
Ira Smith, the father of Edward B., was reared near Clarington, and was a river man, following steamboating on.the Ohio river, and was an officer on a boat. His death occurred at the age of forty-five years.
Little is known of the paternal ancestors of Mr. Smith, but his mater- nal grandfather's name was Edward Bates. Both he and his wife were born in the Isle of Man, and were early settlers in Monroe county, Ohio. They came to this country in a sailing vessel, the trip requiring six months. Both died in Monroe county at an advanced age, he being about sixty-five, while his wife lived to be nearly a hundred years old. They were the par- ents of the following children: Benjamin, Mary Ann, Caroline and Will- iam. Edward Bates served in the War of 1812.
Edward B. Smith was reared at Clarington, Ohio, receiving his educa- tion in the public schools of that place until he was seventeen years of age, when he began working in a hotel. In 1861 he enlisted for service in the Union army by joining Company A, Seventy-seventh Regiment, Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, in which he served one year, lacking five days.
After the close of the war, Mr. Smith returned to Clarington, where he married and he and his young wife moved to Walker Station, West Vir- ginia, where he engaged in farming for one year. He then engaged in drilling oil wells, following this occupation until 1868, when he moved to Xenia, Illinois, where he purchased a farm of eighty acres. However, he sold this farm soon afterward, and moved to Xenia, where he became engaged in buying ties for the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company. In the fall of 1874, he moved to Washington, Indiana, and has since made this city his home, a period of more than forty years. When Mr. Smith first came to Washington he began clerking in the store of Hyatt & Cosby, later taking up the same work with Cable & Kauffman, remaining with the last named firm from 1875 until 1903, at which time he began working for the
435
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company at his trade of carpentering in their shops in the city of Washington, continuing at this occupation until Septem- ber 15, 1914.
On the 20th of August, 1863, Mr. Smith was married to Lovina T. Smith, daughter of Mahala Smith and husband, and to this union nine chil- dren were born, Alma Lenora, Charles, Fred, Herbert, George, Denva, Frank, Gussie and John. Alma Lenora married Harvey Lochridge, of Washington, and they have four children, Leo, Irene, Maxine and Robert; Charles is a machinist by trade, but is now operating a farm near Malta, Montana ; he married Maud Lyons, and they have one son, Leavitt; Fred is also a machinist living at Springfield, Missouri; He married Anna Crager, and to them were born Edda, Lavern, Walter and one unmarried. Herbert died at the age of thirty-one years. George is a machinist living at Wash- ington. He married Jennie Purcell, and they have three children; Deenva became the wife of Edward T. Gillick, of Cincinnati, and they are the parents of the following children: Melvin, Genieve and Mary; Frank is a machinist by trade, but is now engaged in farming in Montana, near Malta, where he and his brother, Charles, each owns three hundred and twenty acres. Frank first married Clara Allen, who died, leaving one child. His second wife was a Miss Keiser; Gussie died at the age of ten years, and John died in infancy.
Mrs. Smith was born in Monroe county. Her parents were natives of Ohio, and had four children, Jane, Elizabeth, Thomas and Lovina T. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are active members of the Christian church, in which Mr. Smith has been ordained elder for many years. Mr. Smith's mother, Mary Ann Bates, was one of the early members of the Christian church in the beginning of the Restoration movement, even before the days of Alexander Campbell, and died in that faith. She was twice married, her second hus- band being Sylvester Spears, to whom two children were born, John and Rosetta.
Mr. Smith has always been an adherent of the Democratic party, but has never taken an active interest in public affairs, preferring to devote his time and attention to his own interests, but nevertheless, has been an ardent supporter of all worthy movements having for their object the betterment of his community. Fraternally, he belongs to Charity Lodge No. 30, Free and Accepted Masons, and was made a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1868. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias, in the workings of which orders he takes an active interest.
436
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM J. BACON.
It is the progressive wide-awake man of affairs that makes the real history of a community. His influence as a potential factor in the body politic is difficult to estimate. The example such men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrates what is in the power of each to accomplish. There is always a full measure of satisfaction in advert- ing even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which make so much for the prosperity of a county. Such a man is William J. Bacon, of W. J. Bacon Company. dealers in hardware and implements at Washington, Indiana. It is proper that a review of his career be accorded a place among the representative citizens of Washington and Daviess county, where he is so well known.
William J. Bacon, of W. J. Bacon Company, was born on October 24, 1874, near Evansville, in Vanderburg county, Indiana, and is a son of Joseph D. and Sarah C. (Holcomb) Bacon, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter a native of Indiana. They had seven children, Howard J., who lives near Washington; Lulu, the wife of F. A. Williams, of near Hender- son, Kentucky; Mary J., wife of W. P. Coan, of Harrison township; Will- iam J., of Washington; Charles D., of Pontiac, Illinois; Edward S., of Chenoa, Illinois, and Elizabeth A., the wife of Elmer Russell, of Chenoa. The father of these children, Joseph D. Bacon, for a part of his life was reared in Kentucky. He came to Indiana in an early day, locating first at Evansville. Subsequently, he came to Washington, arriving in 1884, where he was employed to run an engine on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois rail- road for several years. Later, he was a farmer in Veale township, where he purchased a farm of fifty acres. He died a few years afterward, in 1904, at the age of sixty-two years. His wife still survives him and lives with her son William J. Bacon. Mrs. Joseph D. Bacon is a member of the Regular Baptist church, as was her deceased husband.
The paternal grandfather of William J. Bacon was James Bacon. His wife was Mary Ann (Dobson) Bacon, and both were natives of Salem, New Jersey. They moved to Kentucky and afterward to Indiana, dying at an advanced age soon after their arrival in this state. They had a large family of children among whom are the following: Theophilus, Charles, Mary Jane, Joseph D. and Thomas J. The maternal grandfather of Mr.
437
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Bacon was Jerry Holcomb, a native of Indiana who died in Warrick county well advanced in years. He had several children, among whom were: Sarah C .. William, John, Timothy and Anna.
William J. Bacon was reared on his father's farm. He attended the district schools and lived at home until grown. He then began running a country store in Pike county, five miles east of Petersburg, and here lived for four years. Subsequently, he sold his interests, and, in 1901, Mr. Bacon came to Washington, working for C. L. Littell & Son in the hardware business. In 1906, he purchased a half interest in the business together with L. C. Aikman, and the firm then became Bacon & Aikman. In 1908, Mr. Bacon purchased Mr. Aikman's interest and operated the business alone until 1913, when it was incorporated as W. J. Bacon Company. The com- pany was organized with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars. The firm handles hardware and farm implements of all kinds. William E. Lough- miller is associated with Mr. Bacon in this business.
William J. Bacon was married on November 1, 1905. to Mary Ethel Hyatt, a daughter of George and Florence R. (Carter) Hyatt. Four chil- dren have been born to this union, Alice Marie, William Hyatt, Ralph Vance and Doris Margaret.
Mrs. Bacon was born on her father's farm just north of the city of Washington. Her father was born in Washington, and her mother in Bogard township, Daviess county. Her father died in 1911, at the age of sixty-two. His wife is now living on the old homestead. They had six children, William C., Mary Ethel, Alice Rosetta, George Read, Eliza and Charles Winton.
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Bacon was William Hyatt and his wife was a Miss Graham. They were pioneers in Daviess county and had five children, Mary, Margaret, Helen, George and Rebecca. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Bacon was a Mr. Carter. His children were David, Sarah, Florence, Mattie and Alice.
Mr. and Mrs. Bacon are devoted members of the Christian church and are active in the work of both the church and the Sunday school. Frater- nally, Mr. Bacon is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He is a Democrat. Mr. Bacon's prominence in the business life of Washington and Daviess county has attracted to him a host of friends. Although hardly in the prime of life, he has accom- plished what most men do not achieve until they have arrived at the age of fifty or sixty. Mr. Bacon is in every respect worthy of the confidence of the people of Daviess county.
438
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
MARY CAMPBELL SHIRLEY.
Devoted to the noble and humane work of teaching, Mary Campbell Shirley has made her influence felt in the public schools of Daviess county, Indiana, and is not unknown to the wider educational circles of the state, occupying as she does a prominent place in her profession and standing high in the esteem of educators in other than her own particular field of endeavor. For many years she has pursued her calling with all the interest and enthu- siasm, thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of the work, and has a proper conception of the dignity of the profession to which her life and energies have been unselfishly devoted. She always keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought along its various lines and, being a woman of scholarly and refined tastes, is acquainted with the literature of the world in general, while her familiarity with the more practical affairs of the day makes her feel at ease with all classes and conditions of people with whom she meets.
Mary Campbell Shirley was born on December 23, 1863, near Loogoo- tee, Martin county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Dr. John C. L. Campbell and Emily (Brooks) Campbell. Her father was a native of Iredell county, North Carolina, born on October 27, 1828, and her mother was a native of Orange county, Indiana, born near the town of French Lick on May 6, 1832. Her paternal grandfather, Milton Campbell, was a son of Archibald Camp- bell, a Scotchman by birth and belonging to the great Argyle family. His uncle was the Duke of Argyle. In the year 1757 Archibald Campbell came to the United States. He landed in Delaware, where he grew up and mar- ried Jane Evans in that state. Later they moved to Stokes county, North Carolina, during the same year that "Continental" money was discontinued in this country. His name is entered in the census of North Carolina of the year 1790. Here he raised a large family. His last years were spent with his son Milton on his estate in Iredell county. Milton Campbell was his son-subject's grandfather-who married Margaret Smith. He had accumulated considerable of this world's goods, and it was his pleasure to care for his father in his declining years. Milton had won the title of colonel and died in 1860. He was colonel of the state militia, county sur- veyor and one of the five "magistrates" of the county. Mr. Campbell was familiarly called "Colonel" Campbell and was known everywhere in that section.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.