USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 67
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as Sugarland, where he owned a well-improved place of one hundred acres, and there he remained all the rest of his life, doing, in all things, his full duty by the community, being known as a leader in all movements designed ยท to advance the public welfare. He and his good wife were among the fore- most residents of that neighborhood and their helpful counsels have not been forgotten there to this day.
On May 8, 1845, John H. Eads was united in marriage to Charity Wykoff, a member of one of the pioneer families of that neighborhood, and to this union were born seven children, as follow: Eliza Ann, on March 6, 1846, and who married John Jones; Lucy and Hannah, twins, July 16, 1848, the former of whom maried Frank Cross and the latter of whom married R. H. Bell and died on July 30, 1874; Lida, September 10, 1850, died in "October of the next year; Sarah, January 10, 1853, died on January 14, 1875, at the age of twenty-two years; and John, the immediate subject of this sketch, who had a twin brother, who died in infancy. John H. Eads was an ardent Republican, taking an active interest in the political affairs of his county, and was a member of and brought up his family in the Mis- sion Baptist church.
John Eads was educated in the public schools of Washington township, and, as a young man, assisted his father on the home farm, continuing to live there, after his father's death, until the year 1900, when he sold the home place and bought his present farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Elmore township, where he is successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising, giving particular attention to the breeding of Shorthorn cattle. He has four strong, healthy boys, whose assistance in the work of the farm their father finds invaluable and who are being brought up to regard the life of the farmer as the most free and independent manner of living, and who give promise in their sturdy young manhood of worthily maintaining the honorable traditions of family life which they so fortunately have inherited. In addition to his home farm, Mr. Eads owns another fine prop- erty of one hundred and twenty acres, in Elmore township. On the home farm, he has a splendid home, in which comfort and happiness abound and which is one of the most popular social centers in the community.
Mr. Eads has been twice married. He was first united in marriage to Nettie Muret, daughter of Julius and Eliza Muret, who died on April 30, 1889, to which union three children were born, Eliza, who married Caswell Woodruff, has two children, Lovida M. and Leonard; Bessie, who married Thomas Nugent and has three children, Muret, Thomas and Paul, and
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Julius, who died in infancy. In 1893, Mr. Eads married, secondly, Mary E. Tomey, daughter of John and Edith ( Ross) Tomey, and to this union four children have been born, Leonard, on September 17, 1894; Floyd, March 29, 1897; Frank, July 2, 1900, and Seth, January 21, 1904, all of whom are at home and who make a lively household for their devoted parents. The family are members of the United Brethren church and are active in all the good works of the community. Mr. Eads is a Republican, and while ever taking a warm interest in local campaigns, being deeply concerned in all matters of good government, has never been included in the office-seeking class, finding his chief pleasure in developing his fine farm lands and in pro- viding for the comfort and happiness of his interesting family.
EDWARD W. BEAN.
It is a well-known fact that success comes as a result of legitimate and. well-applied energy, determination and perseverance in a course of action when once decided upon. Success is never known to come to the idler or dreamer, and she never courts the loafer, and only the men who have dili- gently sought her favor are crowned with her blessings. The man whose name appears at the head of this sketch is one who enjoys a fair portion of success in this community as a result of his strict application and well- directed energies, and has gained for himself the high esteem of his fellow- men.
Edward W. Bean was born on February 19, 1865, in Harrison county, Indiana, and is the son of Charles H. and Nancy A. (Gwartney) Bean, also. natives of Harrison county, the former born on March 6, 1842, and the latter on November 7, 1844. The paternal grandfather, Pleasant D. Bean, was born near the town of Knoxville, Tennesee, and came with his parents when fourteen years of age to Corydon, Harrison county, where he received his early education, farmed for a time, and afterward taught school, then later, was county assessor. His wife was Elizabeth Farquar, daughter of William and Elizabeth Farquar, and she gave birth to the following named children : James T .; John; Aaron A .; William; Anna ; Charles H., subject's father ; George D .; Catherine ; Sallie; Milton and Benjamin.
Charles H. Bean was educated in the public schools of Harrison county, but spent very little time in school. At the breaking out of the Civil War,.
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he became anxious to serve his country and enlisted in the year 1861, as a member of Company B, Third Indiana Cavalry, and served until Decem- ber, 1863, when he was honorably discharged. After serving in the army, he started farming in Harrison county and remained there until 1879, when he went to Greene county and farmed, as a renter, until 1882, and then bought a farm consisting of seventy-one acres, in section II, of Elmore township, Daviess county, which he farmed for the next five years and then retired from active business. He is residing in Elnora, with his wife, who was a daughter of John B. and Martha Jenkins, and who gave birth to the following children: Edward W., the subject of this sketch; Addie L., who married George Westman, and who have three daughters; Benjamin T., who married Maggie Ward and lives in Montana, and who have one child living and one dead; Effie H., who married Jacob Christopher Weaver; Otto, whose first wife was Lulu Weathers, and who is now married to Flora Williams, who had one child, deceased; Maud, who married Lemuel Ged- burg; John W., who married Mary Swayzee, to whom one child was born; Coy, whose first husband was James Swayzee, deceased, and who is now the wife of James Manning, to whom one son was born.
Edward W. Bean, the subject of this sketch, received his education in the public schools of Harrison and Daviess counties, and started farming when quite a young man. In this work he has been successful in raising gen- eral crops and live stock. His first land purchase was a forty-acre tract in Elmore township, which he held for about four or five years, then sold it. He next purchased eighty acres in the same township, section 29, and kept this for a period of nine years, then in 1908, bought eighty acres in section 21, known as the east half of the northeast quarter section, and it is on this place that Edward makes his home. Edward W. Bean was married to Delila W. Frets, daughter of Abraham Frets, to which union have been born the following children : Virgil A .; Ray; Carl, deceased infant; Charles ; Beulah ; Harold; Frank, and Frederick.
Mr. Bean upholds the standards of the Republican party and can be depended upon to render assistance to his party when duty calls him. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and he is a regular member of the United Brethren church, as is also his wife and family. Per- sonally, Mr. Bean is considered a good-natured, easily approached, straight- forward and unassuming gentleman. He commands the respect of all with whom he comes in contact and his friends are in number as his acquaint- ances.
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WILLIAM H. COURTNEY.
America is in the making. The blending of her various peoples into one homogeneous whole to work out the vast problems of civilization both for herself and the entire world, is the immediate task before her. The descendants of the original settlers will be expected to stand foremost among the many in projecting the activities of the future. This is true not only in the wider national sense, but in the more immediate local sense. The burden of obligation rests upon the descendants of those who first made clear the ways hereabout. To the old families of the commonwealth the newcomers naturally look for direction, and this is well and proper. The influence of these old families in the local field, therefore, cannot be estimated too highly. That the present generation of the fine old stock that "blazed the ways" in Daviess county is giving a good account of its worthy heritage, is amply demonstrated in countless local instances, and it does not require the pen of the present reviewer to give proper credit for the noble manner in which the traditions of the past have been maintained by the energetic descendants of those pioneers to whom this section of the state owes so much. It is proper, however, that due attention be paid in a work of this character to the present representatives of those early families and it is a pleasure, therefore, for the biographer here to present a brief and modest review of the gentleman whose name appears at the top of this sketch, & very worthy representative in the present generation of one of Daviess county's best-known and most influential pioneer families.
William H. Courtney was born in Elmore township, Daviess county, on October 6, 1876, the son of James H. and Elizabeth (Crotz) Courtney, both of whom were born in the same township and county, the former being the son of James S. and Frances Ann (Moore) Courtney, pioneers of that neighborhood.
In his day one of the leading men in his part of Daviess county, James S. Courtney was born on September 8, 1811, and his wife, who was Frances Ann Moore, was born on January 29, 1825, she also being of pioneer stock in this county. James S. Courtney was a farmer, and in addition to his work on the farm, he was well known, locally, as a cabinetmaker, he having become a skilled craftsman in that line, and his labors in this connection were much in demand on the part of his neighbors. Many a piece of substantial furni- ture still in use in that neighborhood, bears conclusive evidence to this day of the thorough character of his work.
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To James S. and Frances Ann (Moore) Courtney were born eleven children, as follow : Mary Ann, on August 6, 1842, married Jacob Wesner ; William M., October 7, 1843, died in his youth; John A., January 27, 1845, married Mary Treed; James H., father of the immediate subject of this bio- graphical sketch; Thomas J., August 29, 1848, died in his youth; Levi M., October 15, 1849, married Frances Mumaw; Joseph G., March 28, 1852, married Lovina Dillon; Nancy Ann, March 26, 1854, married Frank P. Meyers; Elizabeth S., December 31, 1858, married Thomas D. Slimp ; George W., November 23, 1859, married Nancy M. Johnson and has three children, Nellie B., who married Charles Trotter, Ralph and Edna; Sarah F., March 7, 1862, married John Hasting and died on March 10, 1881.
James H. Courtney was born on November 23, 1846. He was reared on the paternal farm in Elmore township, receiving such advantages of schooling as his home township afforded in that day, and, upon his marriage, began farming for himself, early becoming recognized as among the leaders in the social and economic development of that section of the county. He became a man of substance and was active in all the good works of his com- munity, his influence ever being exerted in behalf of all movements having as their object the advancement of the community interest. His death occurred on March 27, 1905, and there was sincere mourning throughout that part of the county at his passing. Mr. Courtney was thrice married. By this union with Magdeline Treed, he had two children, Thomas W., who was born on June 20, 1870, who died on April 16, 1911, and Mary M., on November 26, 1872, who died on April 19, 1880. Upon the death of his first wife, Mr. Courtney married, secondly, on November 8, 1875, Elizabeth Crotz, born on October II, 1851, who died on October II, 1876, to which union there was born but one child, a son, William H., with whom this article directly treats. Mr. Courtney's third wife was Mrs. Nancy Grabill, who was born on January 17, 1848, and who died on July 11, 1909. To this union there was no issue.
William H. Courtney was educated in the schools of his native town- ship, was reared to the life of a farmer and has followed that vocation all his life. By diligence and industry he has attained a position in the com- munity well in keeping with that of his forbears and is recognized, as were they, as among the leaders in that part of the county. He has owned his present fine farm, of one hundred and twenty-seven acres, since 1910, dur- ing which time he has greatly improved the place, rebuilding the house and barn, erecting additional outbuildings and putting the farm in the best con- dition as regards fences, drainage, etc. Diligent in his own business, he is
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not neglectful of the duty which a good citizen owes to society at large and he finds time in connection with the labors of the farm to take part in all movements of a local character designed to improve the common welfare.
On October 16, 1904, William H. Courtney was united in marriage to Rosetta Kinnaman, who was born in this county on July 9, 1882, the daugh- ter of Lafayette and Clara M. (Kepler) Kinnaman, well-known residents of the county, to which union two children have been born, a son and a daughter, Ethel L., and Ross K., lively and engaging youngsters who are the delight of the lives of their devoted parents and the light of their happy home.
Mr. and Mrs. Courtney are members of the United Brethren church at Mud Pike, and are active participants in the various beneficences of that congregation. They are counted as among the leaders in the social affairs of that neighborhood, there being no more popular couple thereabout than they. Mr. Courtney is a Republican and takes an earnest interest in the political issues of the day, the part of all good citizens. He has never been included in the office-seeking class, however, preferring to devote his whole time and energies to the growing interests of a splendid farm, and one of the pleasantest homes in the neighborhood, and he is looked upon in his com- munity as an all-round, good citizen, whom his neighbors delight to honor, even as they honored his father and his grandfather before him.
CLYDE T. AMICK.
The man who devotes his time and energies to the noble work of edu- cating the young, pursues a calling which, in dignity and importance and beneficial results, is second to none. If true to his efforts and earnest to enlarge his sphere of usefulness, he is indeed a benefactor to all his kind, for to him, more than to any other man, are entrusted the future careers of those placed in his charge. Amongst this class of professional men, is the gentle- man whose name forms the heading of this sketch, and, who, for many years, has been identified with the people of Daviess county, who hold him high in their esteem on account of his broad human sympathy, honorable methods and constant devotion to his vocation as an instructor.
Clyde T. Amick was born in Scipio, Jennings county, Indiana, on Sep- tember 5, 1880, and is the son of John D. and Nellie (McCosky) Amick, both of whom were natives of Clark county, Indiana. The father, John D.
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Amick, received his early education in the public schools of his native county and afterward learned the trade of blacksmith, which occupied him for the next ten or twelve years in the town of Hartsville, Bartholomew county, this- state. He discontinued the blacksmithing business and decided to engage in farming on a tract of land in the neighborhood of Hartsville, which he farmer as a renter, and, at a later date, purchased a farm of eighty-five acres near Scipio. After conducting general farming for a period of about seven years, he sold out and made a trip to Arkansas, where he remained until the following year, when he returned to Indiana and bought ten acres of land near the town of Scipio, Jennings county, where he resides at this. time, with his wife, and leads a life of retirement from active business. To them were born the following named children: Elmer, who married Alice Cadby; Rosa, the wife of Albert Amick; Lola, the wife of Charles B. Mor- gan; Lena, deceased in 1915, and who was the wife of John W. Corya; Samuel, who married Lillie Corya; John P., who married Pearl May; Charles, who married Mabel Gannon; Albert, who married Aura Boston; Clyde, the subject of this sketch. The parents of these children are devout members of the Presbyterian church in Scipio, and in political aspirations, Mr. Amick is an ardent supporter of the Republican ticket.
Clyde T. Amick received his early education in the public schools of Scipio, during which time he resided under the parental roof. After going through the various school grades, he was graduated from the high school, then attended the Normal School in Danville, Indiana, where he remained for a term and then became enrolled in the State Normal School, at Terre Haute, graduating in 1909. He also studied special courses for three sum- mer terms in the State University. Having made up his mind to continue in his chosen profession as a schoolmaster, and having taught for seven years in the Jennings county schools, Mr. Amick made due application and was appointed superintendent of schools in Elnora, Daviess county, and is occupied in that position at the present time.
On September 22, 1907, Professor Amick was married to Lucy Hulse, daughter of Jason and Elvia (Greathouse) Hulse. She was born on November 23, 1879, in Scipio. To their union have been born two children, Elizabeth H., on September 4, 1910, and Frances L., July 10, 1914.
Clyde J. Amick is a Republican and an aggressive advocate of the pro- gressive principles of his party, but does not take any active part in politics. Mr. Amick and wife are firm believers in the Presbyterian faith, to which denomination they lend their support. Personally, Mr. Amick is a man highly esteemed by all who know him and has executed his educational duties in
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the town of Elnora for the past five years with great credit to himself and the community. Everyone throughout this section speaks well of him as being a man of genial disposition, unassuming, and socially inclined. He has a great many friends and is worthy, in every respect, of the trust reposed in him by his fellow men.
JOHN T. SMITH.
Among the successful self-made men of the past generation in Daviess. county, whose efforts and influence have contributed to the material upbuild- ing of the community, was the late John T. Smith, who occupied a con- spicuous place. Being ambitious from the first, but surrounded by none too favorable environment, his early years were not especially promising. Reso- lutely facing the future, however, he gradually surmounted the difficulties in his way, and, in due course of time, became a prominent farmer in Daviess county, Indiana. Moreover, he won the confidence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact, either in a business or a social way. For years he was regarded as one of the representative farmers of Daviess county. Early in life he realized that there is a purpose in life and that honor, not founded upon work, is futile. His life and labors were note- worthy, because they contributed to a proper understanding of life and its problems. The strongest characters in American history have come from the ranks of self-made men, to whom adversity acts as an impetus for unfaltering effort, and from this class came the lamented John T. Smith.
Mr. Smith was born on the farm where his widow, Mrs. Margaret Smith, now lives, in Harrison township, Daviess county, Indiana, on Septem- ber 23, 1833. He died on February 29, 1912. John T. Smith was the son of Raphael and Mary Ann (Potts) Smith, the former of whom was born in Kentucky, in 1806, and who died in 1878, and the latter of whom was born in 1821, in Harrison township, Daviess county, and who died in 1892. Raphael Smith, when a young man, came from Kentucky to Daviess county and took up one hundred and twenty acres in Harrison township, at one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. He lived there until his death. He and his wife were both members of the Catholic church. They had a fam- ily of four daughters and four sons.
John T. Smith grew up on his father's farm and bought out the other heirs for the old homestead and lived upon it until his death. John T. Smith
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came from sturdy Irish stock and was a thrifty farmer. He died of pneu- monia, after three days in bed. He was well known in the county and could go to any bank and get money, as he was known to be honest and well-to-do.
The late John T. Smith was married on September 10, 1878, to Mar- garet (McDonald) McGuire, a widow who was born in Reeve township, Daviess county, on October 12, 1847. Mrs. Smith is the daughter of William and Bridget (Hughes) McDonald, both of whom were natives of Ireland, the former of County Kildare and the latter of County Tyrone. Bridget (Hughes) McDonald came to this country at the age of two years with her parents. They were six weeks in making the voyage from Ireland to New York city. William McDonald came to this country with his parents, who settled in Reeve township, Daviess county. He was killed as the result of a fall from a horse. William and Bridget (Hughes) McDonald had five children, Catherine, John, Margaret, Thomas B. and James, all of whom are now living, and all are more than sixty years of age.
Mrs. Margaret Smith was first married to James McGuire, who died of cholera in 1872. He was a coal miner and received five dollars a day for his services, which was considered enormous wages for that day. By this marriage there were four children born, Matilda Ann, who married William Brewer; William, who lives at Loogootee; John and Mary, who are de- ceased.
By her second marriage, Mrs. Smith was the mother of five children, Matthew and Leo are deceased; Francis lives in California, where he is a carpenter; Augustine is deceased; Alphonsus lives on the home place with his mother and Francis married Grace Toole. They have had four children, Veronica, Ada, Ernistine and Eleanor.
Alphonsus was married on September 30, 1909, to Lillian Ramsey and lives at Mt. Carmel, Illinois. She was a daughter of James and Frances Greathouse, both natives of Mt. Carmel, Illinois. He was a breeder of registered Poland China hogs, Polled Durham cattle, Barred Plymouth Rock chickens. To them were born two children, Noble E., who married Mary Rigg, who had one son, John Harold. Alphonsus and wife have four chil- dren, Frederick, Melvin, and Frances Granella, twins; Marguerette and John A.
The late John T. Smith was married twice. His first wife was Theresa McAtee. There were nine children born to this marriage, but only three of these children are now living, Dan is a carpenter in California; William lives
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in East St. Louis, and is unmarried, and Sophronia married James Worst and lives in Denver, Colorado.
The late John T. Smith was a splendid specimen of the race from which he sprang. A man of strong convictions and prodigious industry, he did much for the material progress of the community where he lived. He was known far and wide and was respected for definite and positive con- victions.
JOSIAH G. ALLEN.
Josiah G. Allen, of the law firm of Hastings, Allen & Hastings, of Washington, this county, was born in Washington township, Daviess county, Indiana, on December 3, 1861, a son of Moses and Ann (Graham) Allen, also natives of this county, who were the parents of four children, of whom Josiah G. was the second in order of birth. Glendora, the eldest child, is the wife of W. C. W. Wright, of Washington township, this county ; Deca- tur D. lives at Shreveport, Louisiana, and William B. lives in Washington, the county seat.
Moses Allen was born and reared in this county, the home farm hav- ing been a tract of land near the edge of the town of Washington. Shortly after his marriage he moved to Vigo county and purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, where he reared his family, but later in life returned to Daviess county and spent his last days in a comfortable home at the edge of the city of Washington, his death occurring in February, 191I, he then being seventy-two years of age. His widow still survives and is now seventy-two years old. She is a member of the Baptist church, as was her husband. Moses Allen was the son of William Allen, a native of New Jersey, of English stock, who moved from New Jersey to Harrison, Ohio, coming to Daviess county after his marriage in 1816, and locating on a farm one mile east of Washington. William Allen and his wife, who was an Eads, were the parents of twelve children, William, John, George, Robert, Elijah, Johnson, Firman, James, Moses, Melvin, Jane and Hannah. Moses Allen married Ann Graham, a daughter of the Rev. John Graham, a native of Scotland, who married in Maryland and emigrated to Indiana, becoming a pioneer in Daviess county. He was a Baptist preacher and rode horseback on his circuit. He and his wife located three miles southeast of Washington on a farm and spent the remainder of their lives there, both
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