USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 49
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Mr. Sims is a Republican in politics and is a member of the Christian church. He is one of the most prosperous farmers of Elmore township and is counted among the leaders in the social and civic life of his community. being interested and taking a prominent part in all movements which are designed to better the general condition. He is a good citizen who well deserves the high position he occupies in the regard of his neighbors.
OSCAR HANEY.
In the anxious and laborious struggle for an honorable competency and a substantial career on the part of the average professional man fighting the every-day battles of life, there is but little to attract the idle reader in search of a sensational chapter, but for a mind fully awake to the reality and meaning of human existence, there are noble and immortal lessons in the life of the man who, without other means than a clear mind, a strong mind and a true heart, conquers fortune and gains not only temporal reward for his toil, but also that which is greater and higher, the respect and con- fidence of those with whom his years of active life have placed him in contact. One of the well-known young citizens of Daviess county, Indiana, who has made a record for himself as a teacher in the schools of Daviess county is Oscar Haney.
Oscar Haney was born in Clay county, near Brazil, Indiana, November 15, 1890. He is the son of George and Mary (Mccullough) Haney, the former of whom is a farmer in Clay county.
Educated in the common schools of Jackson township, Clay' county,
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Oscar Haney subsequently spent a year and a half in the non-commissioned high school of his home township and then four years at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute, graduating in 1913.
After Mr. Haney had graduated from the Indiana State Normal School he came to Montgomery, Indiana, in the fall of 1914, as assistant principal of the schools of that place. Subsequently he was appointed as principal of the Cannelburg schools and is now filling that position with credit to himself and to the school he is serving. Mr. Haney is popular, not only with school officials and patrons of the Cannelburg schools, but likewise with the pupils of the school. He is devoted to his chosen pro- fession, and although a comparatively young man, is destined to become one of the foremost leaders in the educational circles of this section of the state of Indiana. Oscar Haney is industrious, well trained for his pro- fessional work and possessed of unusual native ability to become a leading instructor.
WILLIAM J. SHANKS.
It is proper to judge the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at work, in his family circle, in church, hear his views on public questions, observe his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and civilization and are, therefore, competent to judge of his merits and demer- its. After a long period of years, during which daily observations are car- ried on, it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know of his worth, for, as has been said, "Actions speak louder than words." In this connection it is not too much to say that William J. Shanks has passed a life of exceptional honor. He has been the recipient of meritorious recog- nition from the people of Daviess county, who elected him to the office of county surveyor. He possesses the confidence of every one who has had the pleasure of his friendship.
William J. Shanks, the present surveyor of Daviess county, Indiana, was born in Washington township, three miles south of Washington, on April 16, 1887. He is the son of John G. and Mary E. (Carnahan) Shanks, both natives of Daviess county,
John G. Shanks was the son of William and Katherine (Graham) Shanks. William Shanks, subject's grandfather, a native of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, was born June 29, 1827. He was a son of John and Sarah
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(Jordan) Shanks, and of German-Irish extraction. Of four children born to John and Sarah Shanks, William was the third. John Shanks was born in the northern part of Pennsylvania in 1801 and his wife was born in 1802 in the same state. In 1837 he came to Daviess county, Indiana, and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land. Aside from being a farmer, he was also a tanner and followed this trade in this state. Subsequently he returned to Pennsylvania in 1838, and remained there until 1846, when he returned with his family and located in Washington township, Daviess county. Here he died in the fall of 1852, and his wife died in 1883.
William Shanks, the grandfather of William J., remained at home and worked for his father until he was twenty-three years of age, after which he taught school for three terms. In 1849, he was appointed deputy sur- veyor and served for two years. In 1852 he went to California and engaged in mining, but returned in 1856 and began farming. In 1858 he settled on a farm in Washington township, where he remained until his death. He owned three hundred and twenty-six acres of land, of which two hundred and twenty-six acres were in a fine state of cultivation. . In 1868 he was elected county surveyor of Daviess county and re-elected in 1872. He was married in 1857 to Katherine Graham, a native of Pike county, Indiana, who was born on October 31, 1827, and who is the daughter of John and Ann M. Graham. John Graham was born in 1779 in Scotland, and his wife was born in Maryland in 1801. The children of William and Kath- erine Shanks were: Anna and Sarah E., twins, born in February, 1861, and John G., in 1862. William Shanks was an ardent Republican.
Mrs. John G. Shanks, who, before her marriage, was Mary E. Carna- han, was the daughter of John G. and Ellen (McLin) Carnahan, both of whom were natives of Daviess county. John G. Carnahan was the son of Robert and Rebecca Carnahan, natives of Ireland. Ellen McLin was the daughter of George and Anna (Morgan) McLin, the former a native of Kentucky and an early settler in Daviess county. He was a soldier in the American Revolution.
John G. Shanks, the father of William J., was educated in the Daviess county public schools and the Washington high school. He began farm- ing early in life on the old home place of his father south of Washington. He owns two hundred and twenty-five acres and is engaged in general farm- ing. He is a republican and was commissioner of Daviess county from 1906 to 1910. All of the members of the family are active in politics; in fact, William Shanks served sixteen years as surveyor of his home county.
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Mrs. John G. Shanks is a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, but. the children are mostly members of the Methodist church. John G. and Mary E. (Carnahan) Shanks have had six children, Ethel K., who .mar- ried Oren Peek; William J., the subject of this sketch; Clifford J., who married Ethel Barber and is now farming the old home place; Bertha, who died at the age of two and one-half years; Frank C., who is a student in the high school, and Russell, who is at home.
William J. Shanks was educated in the common schools of Daviess county and in the high school at Washington. He was also a student for some time at the Washington Commercial College. He took private lessons in surveying under Grant, Ed and George Faith. Mr. Shanks was deputy county surveyor and city engineer for four years under George Faith. Will- iam J. Shanks has also been a prodigious student at home. Grant Faith was county bridge engineer when Mr. Shanks was a student under him, and Ed Faith was an attorney who had received a course in surveying in college.
Three years ago William J. Shanks quit surveying and worked as a, farmer until January 1, 1915, when he took the office of county surveyor, to which he had been elected in the fall of 1914. William J. Shanks is a man well known throughout Daviess county, and few young men have accomplished more in the same length of time than he. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Washington.
JOHN FITZPATRICK.
Descended from honored ancestry and himself numbered among the leading agriculturists of Daviess county, Indiana, John Fitzpatrick is entitled to specific recognition in a work of this character. A residence in this county of many years has but strengthened his hold on the hearts of the people with whom he has been associated and today none here enjoys a larger circle of warm friends and acquaintances, who esteem him for his sterling qualities of character and the honorable methods he has always pursued in his dealings with his fellow men.
John Fitzpatrick was born on February 20, 1870, on his present farm in Washington township, Daviess county, and is the son of Ternes and Helen (Mahony) Fitzpatrick. His paternal grandparents were John and Mary (Fitzpatrick) Fitzpatrick, both natives of the state of Ohio, who came here
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about the year 1851, and settled on the farm at present owned by John Fitzpatrick. It is observed that the grandmother's maiden name was the same as her husband's family name, but they were of no relation. To their union were born the following named children: Elizabeth; Bettie; Ternes, deceased; Susanah; Patrick, deceased; William, deceased; John, deceased ; Mary and Nicholas.
Ternes Fitzpatrick was born on the old place in Ohio, in the year 1838, and received his early education in the neighboring public schools. As a young man, he started as a farmer and pursued that calling his entire life, and after coming to Daviess county with his parents, he not only farmed, but having purchased a complete threshing outfit, made this his business, which afforded him an opportunity for increasing his income and, at the same time, gave him a large acquaintance. His original farm consisted of one hundred and thirty-five acres of fine land, and on this place he made a great many improvements. He was regarded as a successful agriculturist in his day and, after living a most useful life and one full of kind consideration and devotion to his family, he died in 1878, being then but forty years of age. His wife, Helen Mahony, was born on May 26, 1836, in County Tipperary, Ireland, and was a daughter of James Mahony and Julia (Sause) Mahony, natives of Tipperary county, Ireland, where the former was a herder. It was in the year 1851 that they immigrated to American soil and settled in Daviess county, this state. To them were born six children, Ellen, John, James, Catherine, Mary and Michael. To Ternes Fitzpatrick and wife were born, William, who died at the age of two and one-half years; John, the subject of this review; Frank J., who graduated in the Washington county high school, attended the Catholic College in Jasper, Indiana, and who is now living in the city of Indianapolis, where he is occupied as a boiler maker.
John Fitzpatrick received his early education in the public schools of Washington township, Daviess county, assisted his father around the farm and, at the age of sixteen, engaged in farming to his exclusive interest. He has always raised a general line of crops and, in addition to this, takes a keen interest in raising good stock. On February 20, 1900, he was married to Celia Wathan who was born on July 28, 1870, and was a daughter of Raphael and Mary (Cavanaugh) Wathan, the former a native of the state of Mary- land and the latter a native of the city of Cork, County Cork, Ireland. To their union were born Sarah K., Anna, Thomas, Mary, Celia and Rose. To John and Celia (Wathan) Fitzpatrick have been born the following named children : Doyle, on March 23, 1901 ; Helen, August 17, 1903; James, Octo- ber 7, 1905, and Alma, February 4, 1908.
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Mr. Fitzpatrick and his family continue to reside on the home farm in Washington township this county, and in the past few years have made a number of decided improvements on the place, including the erection, in 1905, of a fine new modernly-constructed barn building. Everything about the place takes on the aspect of the occupant possessing a fair measure of this world's goods. Mr. Fitzpatrick has the reputation of being a hard-working, indus- trious and successful agriculturist, and, in the matter of production, he is able to get the maximum results from his lands. The entire family and all of the ancestors have been true to the teachings of the Catholic church and the living members in Washington township are regular attendants at St. Simon's Catholic church in Washington. He is faithful to the principles of the Democratic party, but does not take an active interest in politics. Person- ally, he is a gentleman in every sense of the word, a warm supporter of all movements tending toward the advancement and welfare of his fellow men and is eminently deserving of the respect and high esteem of everyone.
ARTHUR H. GREENWOOD.
The biographies of enterprising men, especially of good men, are in- structive as guides and incentive to others. The examples they furnish of steadfast purpose and inflexible integrity, strongly illustrate what is in their power to accomplish. Some men belong to no exclusive class in life. Ap- parently insurmountable obstacles have awakened and developed their facul- ties and served as a stimulus to carry them to ultimate success. Arthur H. Greenwood has lived to good purpose and achieved a much greater degree of success than falls to the lot of the ordinary individual. By a straight- forward and commendable course, he has made his way to a respectable position in the world and has won the esteem and admiration of his fellow citizens. His character and steadfast integrity, the public has not been slow to recognize and appreciate, for today, although a young man, he enjoys a large and lucrative law practice in Daviess county, Indiana.
Arthur H. Greenwood was born on January 31, 1880, in Steele town- ship, Daviess county, the son of Richard H. and Eliza J. (Davis) Green- wood, the former a native of Daviess county, and the latter of Crawford county, Ohio. They had six children, who are living, Martha D., the wife of John A. Dilley, of Corydon, Iowa; Franklin K., of Washington ; Charles B., of Bogard township; Harry P., of Washington; Theodore, of Bogard township; and Arthur H. Four children died in infancy.
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Richard H. Greenwood, the father of Arthur H., was reared in Daviess county. He was a farmer, a blacksmith and operated a saw-mill. He served two terms as trustee of Steele township and was then elected county treas- urer, serving two terms. He was a soldier in the Civil War and belonged to the Twenty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served in two companies and was in the service altogether three and one-half years. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam, having been shot through the hip. Richard H. Greenwood now lives in Bogard township with his son, Theodore. He is seventy-eight years of age, having been born in 1836. His wife died in 1904, at the age of sixty-six years. Both joined the Meth- odist church when they were young.
Mr. Greenwood's paternal grandparents were William and Sarah (Wing- field) Greenwood, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of North Carolina. Both were of English stock. They came to Daviess county in 1830, and were farmers. They died at advanced ages, he at the age of eighty-six and she at the age of seventy-six. They had eleven children, Richard H., John W., Catherine, Martha, Theresia, Sina, Elizabeth, Will- iam, Mack, Lydia and Elisha H. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Green- wood were Christian and Charity (Felts) Davies, natives of Ohio, where they lived in Crawford county. She and her husband died in Ohio and had a family of seven children, Mary A., Levi, Charity, Eliza J., mother of sub- ject of this sketch; Elias, Julia, and one, Christian, who died while young.
Arthur H. Greenwood lived in Washington township, Daviess county, until twelve or fourteen years of age, when his parents removed to Wash- ington, where he grew to manhood. He attended the public schools and was graduated from the Washington high school with the class of 1898. He then entered Indiana State University, at Bloomington, and graduated from the law department in 1905 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Be- tween the time Mr. Greenwood was graduated from the high school and the time he entered the university, he was a clerk for Cabel & Kauffman, in Washington, Indiana. He worked in this capacity from 1898 till 1902, or three and one-half years. In 1905, Mr. Greenwood was admitted to the bar in Daviess county, in the state and federal courts, and has practiced law in Washington since that time.
Arthur H. Greenwod was married on September 30, 1906, to Nettie B. Small, the daughter of Joseph W. and Annetta B. (Brown) Small. Three children have been born to this happy union, Ruth, Joseph R. and Arthur H., Jr.
Mrs. Greenwood was born in Washington. Her parents were natives
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of Daviess county and now live two miles west of Washington. They have six children, Naomi, William, Nettie, Joseph W., Ella and Thomas. Mrs. Greenwod's paternal grandparents were William and Ann (Sanford) Small, both natives of Daviess county. They had eleven children, Joseph W., Tabitha C., Mary, Lucretia, John, Thomas, Helen, Jennie, Reuben, Benja- min and Sarah. The maternal grandparents were Alonson and Margaret Brown, natives of Indiana and former residents of Fredericksburg. Mrs. Small is the only living child born to this union. Margaret Brown had been formerly married to a Mr. Morgan and had eight children by that marriage, Elizabeth, David K., Lydia, Richard, John, William, Sarah and Volney.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Greenwood are members of the Baptist church, of which Mr. Greenwood is a deacon. He is also assistant superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Greenwood belongs to Washington lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His affiliations are with the Democratic party. At the present time he is county attorney of Daviess county and is also acting as treasurer of the Washington board of education.
During his college course, Mr. Greenwood distinguished himself as a leader among his fellow students. Since his graduation from college he has fulfilled the expectations of his friends during his college days. He has become a leader, not only in his profession, but in the political life of the county where he resides. He is a man of well-pronounced convictions and a man who does not deviate from these convictions.
JOHN W. BILLINGS.
Among the representative farmers and stock growers of Washington township, Daviess county, Indiana, is the man whose name appears as the caption for this review. He is known as one of the alert, progressive and successful agriculturists of this favored section of the Hoosier state. In his labors he has studied and experimented with intelligence and thus secured the maximum returns from his enterprising efforts. At all times his course has been so ordered as to command the confidence and regard of the people of this community, being a man of honorable business methods and advo- cating whatever tends to promote the public welfare in any way.
John W. Billings was born in the state of Illinois on November 26, 1850, and is the son of Jesse and Sarah (Miller) Billings. His father was born. in Lawrence county, Indiana, on August 19, 1831, and was the son of
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William and Mary (Davis) Billings, the former a native of the state of Tennessee and the latter of Wales, who were married in Tennessee in the year 1820. Two years after their marriage, they moved to Lawrence county, and made an investment in two hundred acres of land, situated near the town of Mitchell. It was in this neighborhood that John Billings' father was born and where his mother died when he was but eight years of age. Jesse Billings continued to reside with his father, received his early education in the public schools of Lawrence county, learned farming, and remained with the father until he attained the age of nineteen years, and was married, February 7, 1850, to Sarah Miller. She was born on November 22, 1833, and was a daughter of John and Susannah (Tyre) Miller. Soon after his marriage, Jesse Billings moved from Lawrence county to Illinois, where he bought land and remained for the following four years. It is said that he had erected the largest barn building in Illinois, also, that when he left Indi- ana he carried all of his belongings in a red bandana handkerchief and re- turned to Indiana with four thousand dollars in gold coin. Upon his return to this state, he settled in Daviess county, where he purchased one hundred and thirty-five acres of land and added to it from time to time until the total acreage he owned amounted to five hundred and sixty. To Jesse and Sarah (Miller) Billings were born the following named children: John W., the subject ; Abram R., who married Bettie Thomas; Mary S., who mar- ried Dora Dant ; George W., who married Eva Beckett; Annie A., who mar- ried James Meade ; Annetta B., who married Jefferson Bates ; Morton E., who married Turrie Hayes; Charles S., who married Lovina Osborn; Lillie M., who married John Kemper; Louis S., who married Belle Arnold; Jesse Frank, who married Rettie Rindinger. Jesse Billings was a member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons, a supporter of the Republican ticket, and a member of the Christian church.
John W. Billings received his early education in the public schools of Washington township. Daviess county, and afterward devoted a year to the teaching of school. Owing to his deep interest in farming, and not caring to continue teaching for a livelihood, his father purchased for him one hun- dred and fifteen acres of land in Washington township, and it is on that place John W. has devoted his entire life. Since beginning here, he has ac- quired considerably more land, and today, his holdings consist of four hun- (red acres of exceedingly high-grade farming land. A number of well-con- structed buildings are on the place and everything is kept up to the very high- est point of efficiency. The residence, which is one of the finest in the com- munity, is modern in every particular. and a source of pride to the owner and
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his family. John W. Billings has been twice married, the first union was with Ellen Cosby, a daughter of Overton Cosby and wife, to whom were born, Oscar, who married Nora Allison, they have two children, Nellie and Mary; James, who married Mary T. Holder, who now live in Evansville. Their children are Lillian, Arthur and Lessie; Harry, who married Jennie Blackwell and is living in the West. Their children are Dorothy, Floyd and Stewart, and William. Subject's second marriage was to Elizabeth Rogers, born on March 21, 1860, who was the daughter of William and Mary Sud- dith, and occurred in the year 1895. The children by the second marriage are Dewill and Gladys.
Though an ardent supporter of the Republican ticket, John M. Billings does not take a very active part in politics. He and his family are members of the Baptist church. Mr. Billings is a man who keeps well abreast of the times, being a wide reader of current topics and has won the respect and esteem of all who know him for his friendly manner, his business ability and upright living, and he is regarded by all as one of the substantial and progressive citizens of this section of the county. He is a popular member of the circles in which he moves and ever alert to promote anything that tends to benefit the welfare of mankind.
JOHN WILLIS WILLIAMS.
It is a well-attested fact that the greatness of a community or state lies not in the machinery of government nor even in its institutions, but rather in the sterling qualities of individual citizens; in their capacity for high and unselfish efforts, and in their devotion to the public welfare. In these par- ticulars John Willis Williams has conferred honor and dignity upon his locality and as an elemental part of history it is fitting that there should be recorded a resume of his career, with the object of noting his connections with the advancement of one of the most flourishing and progressive agri- cultural sections of the commonwealth.
John Willis Williams, a well-known and progressive farmer of Barr township, Daviess county, Indiana, was born in the township where he is living on November 13, 1855, the son of John Robert and Emmeline ( Gates) Williams, the former a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and the latter a native of Beardstown, that state.
The paternal grandparents of Mr. Williams were William and Eliza-
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beth (Hethington) Williams, both natives of Ireland, who were married there, and who, after their marriage came to America about 1832. He later returned to Ireland, but came to the United States a second time, settling near New Albany, Indiana. He was the owner of a farm near Palmyra.
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