USA > Indiana > Dearborn County > History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 62
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Anna Walser was born in Manchester township, a daughter of Benjamin P. and Amanda (Jackson) Walser. She was educated in the common schools of that township and remained under the parental roof until the time of her marriage. Benjamin P. Walser, her father, was a son of James and Mary ( Bailey) Walser, and was born in Manchester township on April 21, 1835. His education was rather limited, owing to the restricted oppor- tunities of that day in this section, and from early boyhood he assisted his father in clearing and farming the home place. He remained at home until the time of his marriage to Amanda Jackson, May 15, 1856, and shortly afterward they started to housekeeping on a farm which he rented near his father's home. They remained there but a short time when he purchased one hundred acres near Kyle, this township, and later added a tract of sev- enty acres. Benjamin Walser's first wife did not live very long, passing away on May 22, 1865. In the nine years of their married life she bore him five children, as follow: Charles, who married Lora Tibbetts, is deputy auditor of Dearborn county, and they are the parents of three children, Frances, Robert and Herbert, the latter deceased. Mary became the wife of a Mr. Rumsey and is the mother of three children, Florence (Mrs. Cross),
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Walter and Lucile (Mrs. Welsh). John is a farmer of Manchester township. Anna is the wife of the subject of this biography. Americus D., the youngest child of the family, married Ida Andrews and lives in Lawrenceburg, where he is connected with the United States revenue service. He is the father of two children, Hobart and Howard. Benjamin Walser later remarried, his second wife being Anna Maria Case, with whom he was united in marriage on September 27, 1866, and by whom he became the father of one child, Nancy (Mrs. Schooley). Benjamin Walser was a prominent man in this community in his day, being considered among the most influential citizens of his time. He was a strong advocate of the principles of the Republican party and for one term served as county commissioner.
To Weldon E. Howrey and wife have been born four children: Mollie, wife of Roy Fansler, a railroader living in Shelby county, this state, and mother of one child, Weldon Wesley; Hazel G., the youngest of the family, died on February 10, 1914, age twenty years; Ernest W. remains at home with the parents; Hattie, the eldest of the family, is the wife of Thomas Edwards, a section foreman on the Big Four railroad, resides at Indianapolis, and is the mother of three children, Estelle, Floyd W. and Imogene.
Mr. Howrey is considered one of the best citizens of his township, who is always ready to advance the public interests whenever possible. For four years he served as township trustee, being elected on the Democratic ticket, and is counted among the active workers of that party in this section. He holds his fraternal affiliation with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a past grand of that order. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and in the workings of both order he takes a deep and intelligent interest. In every phase of life he is eminently deserving of the'high esteem in which he is held by all who know him.
CAPT. ABRAM HILL.
It is seldom, indeed, that the publishers are given the privilege of re- cording the life of a man who has served his country so well as has Capt. Abram Hill, and who has been survived by a wife who in her ninety-first year, is so keen and alert mentally that she retains her old-time knowledge of, and interest in, the world in which she lives. Those who have had long acquaintance with the family marvel at the retentive memory, as well as
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the physical and mental activity of a woman upon whose head the snows of many winters have fallen, and they remember with keen satisfaction the service she rendered her country when she gave her beloved husband, kissing the young soldier good-by, when she knew not whether she might ever see him again. It is not strange, therefore, that their children desire not only to commemorate the worthy life of their departed father, but to place a laurel wreath upon the brow of the dear mother who still brightens their lives by her presence. Capt. Abram Hill was a Hoosier by birth, having been born near Lawrenceburg, in the township of the same name, in Dearborn county, Indiana, on November 10, 1823. He died at the age of eighty-one years and four months, March 18, 1905.
Back in the days of 1815, when wild animals roamed what are now the streets of Indiana cities, the sturdy parents of Abram Hill came from Virginia, and built their rude cabin in this county, undaunted by the dangers that surrounded them. Eli and Elizabeth (Hamilton) Hill were among the first to pre-empt government land in this part of the state, and into the task of clearing and cultivating it they put all the fervor of their youthful enthusi- asm and hope. Their farm was in Lawrenceburg township, and here they died, after they had lived long and useful lives. Like most all pioneers, they had a large family of children, these being by name: John, Ira, Eli, Elizabeth, Wood, Susan Wood, Melinda Osborn, Daniel, Abram (the subject of this biography), Mary Ann Kerr, and William.
With the exception of the few years during which he served in the Civil War, the life of Abram Hill was spent in Dearborn county. the place of his nativity. His boyhood was not different from that of other farmers' boys; much of his time was spent in fishing, hunting and swimming, and some time in the field, for there was plenty of work in clearing away the forest wilderness. Grown to manhood he was a farmer until his removal to Aurora in 1876, when he became a coal merchant, continuing in this business along with other commercial enterprises until the time of his death. Soon after his residence in town Mr. Hill purchased the wharf landing and wharf boat, and conducted the business at first in his own name, afterwards associating with him his two sons, Adam K. and Harvey B., who carried on the business after their father's death, for the first three or four years under the old name of A. Hill & Sons. They then consolidated the firm with the Sunnyside Distilling Company, at the same time organizing the Pittsburg Coal Company, incorporated, which company retains its name and is under the management of Adam and Harvey B. Hill and H. T. Howe.
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When the call to arms was heard, and the country's youth responded, Abram Hill was among the first to offer his services, enlisting in Company K, Twenty-sixth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for one year, at the end of which he resigned and returned home in order to recruit a cavalry company, assisted by Captain Wright. This being accom- plished, in 1863 he returned to the front as First Lieutenant of Company D, Seventh Indiana Cavalry, and served two years and four months. Although taking part in many battles and skirmishes, the young officer was never wounded. However, he narrowly escaped injury and probable death, when, on one occasion, his horse was shot from under him. At the close of the war, having served with honor, he was mustered out, and again took up the thread of business activities where he had left them. Besides the old lines, he fed stock at the distilleries of Lawrenceburg, Aurora and Cincinnati, dealt extensively in real estate, and at the same time, managed three farms.
On March 26, 1846, Abram Hill was united in marriage with Minerva Kerr, daughter of Walter and Elizabeth (Russell) Kerr. Mrs. Hill has been and still is such a remarkable woman, that she rightfully occupies a large share in the present family history. Having always been fond of reading, Mrs. Hill has not allowed the years to lessen her interest in affairs, and she is considered one of the best-read women of her vicinity. In spite of her ninety-one years, she reads without glasses. She was born in a log cabin near Aurora on September 3, 1824. When a young girl, Mrs. Hill attended the old-fashioned "subscription schools," having to walk a distance of three miles, and then sat on a slab bench in the days when they had to "toe the mark" and "spell down." She was only fifteen years of age when, with others of the neighborhood, she joined the Methodist Episcopal church, of which denomination she has continued to be an active member for seventy- six years.
The father of Mrs. Hill was born and reared in North Carolina, and migrated to this state in 1816, he and his wife having married near Aurora, although the latter was a native of Elizabethtown, Ohio. They began house- keeping in Hogan township where Mr. Kerr was a farmer, and at various times held a number of public offices, having been deputy sheriff for many years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kerr were remarkably long lived, he passing away in 1901, at the age of one hundred and one and a half years, and his wife living to be ninety years old. her death occurring in 1893. Mr. Kerr was unusually active, considering his age, even up to the time of his death. A family of ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kerr: Mary Ann became
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the wife of Elijah Elder, and lived to the ripe old age of eighty-four: Minerva is now past ninety-one; Mahlon B. died at the age of eighty-four : Catherine married a Mr. Worley; Rachel was a Mrs. Laird, and died in 1906: Nanc; Jane is the widow of William Ketcham; Elizabeth. Mrs. William Terhune, passed away in 1903; William lives on Salem Ridge; Charles died in the Civil War at Vicksburg, a few days after the surrender of that city, having taken part in the siege; David is now a resident of Greensburg, Indiana.
William Kerr, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Abram Hill, lived to be eighty-four years of age. His wife was Lydia McClain, who at the time of her death was living in North Carolina. They had the usual large family so common to pioneers, in this case consisting of eight children: Jane ( Mrs. Brown), Mary Ann ( Mrs. McBride). Catherine (Mrs. Shutts), David, Wal- ter, Aiken, John and Nancy. William Kerr, who was of Irish descent, had the distinction of being a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The grand- father of Mrs. Hill on the mother's side of the family was William Russell. his wife's Christian name being Mary. The former was an Englishman by birth, and it is quite certain that his wife was a native of New York, as they were married in that state, coming to Cincinnati when that city was still a village. Locating at first on the Licking river, they afterwards re- moved to Elizabethtown, Ohio, where they lived until their death, both being comparatively young at the time they passed from earth. Their chil- dren were: Mary (Mrs. Simondson), Martha (Mrs. Thompson), Elizabeth (Mrs. Kerr), Joseph, who lost his life in the War of 1812; Moses, who passed away in infancy; and William, who was never married and who died at seventy.
Abram and Minerva (Kerr) Hill were the parents of nine children, as follow: Amanda, Adam K., Milton V., Harvey B., Alice, Alta, Elizabeth, Lew W., and Jennie E. Amanda, the first-born, is the widow of William Seidler, of Aurora, Indiana, and the mother of Otto E. and Russell W. Adam K., of Aurora, married Ella Worley, and they are the parents of a daughter, Grace, the wife of C. J. Dils. Milton V., of Mound, Texas, of which town he is postmaster and general merchant, became the husband of Sophronia Sargent, and the father of four children, Walter (deceased), Abram H., Gertrude (wife of Fletcher Dils) and James. Harvey B., of Aurora, married Mary L. Conger, who died leaving a son, Edwin, a leading writer on the New York Sun, and a man prominent in the newspaper world. The second wife of Harvey B. Hill was Alma Hart, who also passed away. One of her children is named Harold, and the other, Gale, the wife of a Mr. Taylor, of Ft. Smith,
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Arkansas. Harvey B. Hill married, thirdly, Cornelia Parrish. Four children were born to this union, Louise, Thomas, Estella and Robert. Alice, wife of Riley W. Curtis, is deceased, and her three children survive her. They are Lola, the wife of William Ketcham, Mae, who married James H. Ewbank, of Lawrenceburg, and Carl Curtis, a farmer living near Aurora. Alta was left a widow by the death of her husband, Enos Buffington, of Aurora. Emil, her son, lives at home with his mother; Minerva, one of her children, grew to be a young woman, and passed away; the other daughter, Elizabeth, is living at home. Elizabeth lives with her mother. Lew W., of Aurora, has one son who is assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Aurora. Jennie E., wife of William Boone, of Seattle, Washington, is the youngest of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and is the mother of two children, Marcia Leona, who is Mrs. Henry Fox, of Seattle, and Clyde, of the same city.
While Captain Hill deserves all praise for having done the work of a man in caring for his large family, it must not be forgotten that he had the ready and sympathetic co-operation of his noble wife, whose only ambition was to be a good wife and mother. But even with the many and trying cares which are the lot of a mother, this energetic woman found time for the cultivation of her mind, and perhaps it is for this reason that her mental faculties are so remarkable today. She is an authority on the early history of the county, as her memory enables her to recall with vividness and accuracy events and incidents of many years ago, and is an interesting conversationalist, retaining much that she has read. Such a wife was a real helpmate.
Among the activities in which both Captain and Mrs. Hill were most interested were the affairs connected with their religious life, for during their many years of membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. they did much to build it up both materially and spiritually, for they were leaders. Captain Hill held many offices in the church, thus attesting his value to it and to the community. He was also a prominent Mason. Like his father before him he was a Whig. and then a Republican of the old-fashioned "stand-pat" variety.
The family from which Lew W. Hill has sprung has been for several generations one of the sort out of which the best type of American citizenship is made. Ancestors such as his are not a memory. They are an inspiration. And among these stands out most clearly the stanch patriotism of his father. and the true idealism of his mother.
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CHARLES F. LUKE.
To describe intelligently the life and career of an active and successful inan is a difficult undertaking in a limited space, as it is necessary to touch briefly on the important instances of general interest, as well as dates and names, places of birth, marriage and death, for the benefit of those interested in ancestral research work. For the benefit of descendants, this important matter should receive the most careful attention.
Charles F. Luke, farmer, Cæsar Creek township, was born on February 16, 1858, in the township where he now resides. He is a son of Frederick and Flora (Lothmann) Luke. He was educated at Farmers Retreat, and after leaving school, he followed agriculture under the instruction of his father, until his marriage, when he bought eighty acres of land from his father, to which he later added ninety acres, and at another time eighty acres, making in all two hundred and fifty acres of good, rich farm land, and as time went on, he purchased the old Wolf farm, containing one hundred and seventy acres. Mr. Luke later sold one hundred and fifty-five acres to his son, and he still resides on a splendid farm of two hundred and seventy acres. Mr. Luke has always been a stanch Republican, taking part in public affairs. serving for four years as township trustee. He is a member of the Lutheran church, of which he has officiated as trustee and treasurer.
Frederick William Luke was born in Hanover, Germany, as was also his wife, Flora (Lothmann) Luke. They settled in Cæsar Creek township at an early day, renting for a time, and then bought a farm of forty acres in section 35 at a cost of eight hundred dollars, to which they later added forty acres, making in all, eighty acres, on which they lived until their death. Mr. Luke died at the age of eighty-one years, in 1894. He belonged to the Lutheran church. His wife, Flora (Lothmann) Luke was born in 1819, in Hanover, Germany, and died in 1901, aged eighty-two years. To this union were born ten children, William, John. Carrie, Elizabeth (de- ceased), Emma (deceased), Charles, Rosa, Hannah, Amelia and one who died in infancy.
William Luke was killed in the Civil War, at Port Republic, in 1862. John was married to Mary Melcher, and is living at Cleveland, Ohio. They have two children, Frank and Ollie. Carrie became the wife of William Hildebrand, and is living at Cleveland, Ohio. Rosa is the wife of William Renner. of Aurora, who is a cooper by trade. They had five children, Edna, Alvin, Norma, Lawrence and one who died in infancy. Hannah became the
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wife of Fred. Heidemann, and is living at Seymour, Indiana. They have three children, Ilma, Edwin and Irene. Amelia is married to John Vinup, of Aurora. They had one child, Jean, who died.
Charles F. Luke was united in marriage on October 15, 1883, with Carrie Vinup, daughter of Henry and Mary (Oatman) Vinup. She was born on February 12, 1861, in Pike township, Ohio county, and was educated in that county, on Bear creek, where she lived until her marriage. This union has been blest with seven children, Edward, Lydia, Amelia, Daniel, William, Wal- ter and one who died in infancy.
Edward Luke was married to Amelia Kenniger, and is living in Cæsar Creek township. They have four children, Lucille, Marvin, Arnold and Aleda. Lydia is the wife of Henry Ruhlmann, and lives at Dillsboro. Amelia became the wife of Theodore Westmeier, and is living at Farmers Retreat.
Henry Vinup, father of Mrs. Charles F. Luke, was born on March 10, 1827, in Prussia, Germany, and died in 1905, in Ohio county, Indiana, aged seventy-eight years. His wife, Mary (Oatman) Vinup, was also a native of Prussia, Germany, her birth occurring on October 15, 1839. They were married in Ohio county, Indiana, November 1, 1857, and lived there until their death. Mrs. Vinup died in 1910, aged seventy-one years. They were the parents of eight children, Henry, Carrie, William, Annie, John, George, Sophia and Lucinda.
Charles F. Luke is one of the genial and accommodating citizens of Cæsar Creek township, where he is well known for his honorable and indus- trious life.
JOSEPH C. SMALL.
The Small family has been honorably and influentially represented in Dearborn county almost ever since the days of the beginning of the estab- lishment of social order hereabout. The first of the name in this county was Eliezer Small, a Virginian, who, with his wife and family of small chil- dren. immigrated to Indiana, shortly after the opening of this region to general settlement, and established a home on what is known as Ebenezer ridge, in Manchester township, this county. At that time wolves still were plentiful in that part of the county and this pioneer family met with many diffi- culties in making their home in the then wilderness. Eliezer Small was a
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man of much force of character, possessing the true pioneer spirit, and his wife was a most competent helpmeet; it being undoubted that this worthy couple did very much toward bringing about proper social and economic conditions in the early days of that now well-established district. They were influential in all good works thereabout and their memory is held in high regard in that part of Dearborn county to this day. Eliezer Small and his wife, with the diligent assistance of their growing children, cleared their homestead farm and created a home in the wilderness which radiated good influences far and wide in that region. Both of these earnest pioneers lived to good old ages and their deeds are not forgotten. They were the parents of six children, William H., Henry, Perry, America, Elizabeth and Phœbe Ann.
William H. Small was but a lad when his parents emigrated from Vir- ginia and settled in the wilds of Manchester township, in this county, con- sequently he had practically all his rearing in Dearborn county. He grew to manhood on the Ebenezer ridge homestead farm and in the early part of his life followed farming. also becoming one of the first general dealers in hay and produce in that part of the county. In 1864 he moved to Wilmington, the first county seat of Dearborn county, continuing, however, to keep up his extensive farming operations; at the same time being largely interested in the grain business. He later erected a large warehouse in Aurora, this county, and was engaged in the grain business in that city up to within ten years of the time of his death.
William H. Small married Elizabeth Clements, who was born in the state of Maryland, daughter of Charles Clements and wife, early settlers of this county, the latter of whom died in her young womanhood, leaving three small children, John. Charles and Elizabeth. To this union five children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch is now the only sur- vivor. namely: Joseph C., the well-known banker and manufacturer of Aurora, this county : Emily, who was the wife of John Wolcott : Charles H .. Elias C. and one who died in infancy. William H. Small died in 1888. at the age of seventy-eight years. his widow surviving him some years, she being seventy-six years of age at the time of her death. Mr. and Mrs. Small were earnest and devout members of the Methodist church, and their children were reared in that faith.
Joseph C. Small, son of William H. and Elizabeth (Clements) Small. was born on the old Small homestead in Manchester township. Dearborn county. Indiana, on November 28. 1844. and practically his whole life has
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been spent in this county, though for a few years in his young manhood he was engaged in business in Illinois and in Cincinnati. Since the year 1869, however, he has been continuously engaged in business in Aurora, this county, and few men in the county have built up a better or more substantial business reputation than he. Joseph C. Small lived on the paternal farm until he was thirteen years of age, receiving his elementary education in the district schools of Manchester township. He then was placed in a private school at Wilmington and, after finishing the course prescribed in that ex- cellent school, received a thorough business education in Bartlett's Commer- cial School at Cincinnati. During the period of the Civil War his services were engaged by a river traffic company and for two years or more he was in charge of that company's tow barges on the Ohio. He then went to Quincy, Illinois, where for a little more than one year he was engaged in the hay and grain business, at the end of which time he went to Cincinnati, where for several years he was quite successfully engaged in the grocery business. In 1869 Mr. Small returned to Dearborn county, locating in Aurora, where he took charge of the John C. Cobb Chair Company's affairs, being thus en- gaged for some years, at the end of which time he was elected secretary and treasurer of the Aurora Gas Company, a position which he occupied for more than twenty years; his duties as practical manager and superintendent of the gas company's affairs being performed with the utmost regard for good faith, both in his relations with the company and with the public. Mr. Small's able services then were engaged by the company operating the Aurora tool works and until 1913 he had practical charge of this extensive plant, his duties as secretary, treasurer and general manager giving him general control of this company's affairs, during which time the industry expanded and flourished. His investments were largely confined to real estate and he became a landowner, one of his farms, in Newton county, Indiana, covering ten thousand five hundred acres of fine prairie land, and another, in Mason county, Illinois, covering two thousand four hundred acres.
Mr. Small retired from the tool works and on September 29, 1913, was appointed receiver of the affairs of the Royer Wheel Company, of Aurora, a position which he still occupies, under direction of the court. The Royer Wheel Company, which was incorporated about twenty-five years ago, with a capitalization of three hundred thousand dollars, is engaged in the manu- facture of all kinds of wheels for vehicles, its product being sold in all parts of the United States, as well as in many foreign countries. The concern employes on an average of about one hundred and fifty men, this factory (41)
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