History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 68

Author: Archibald Shaw
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1123

USA > Indiana > Dearborn County > History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 68

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Ambrose E. Stark, vice-president of the Cochran Chair Company, Au- rora, Indiana, was born on February 27, 1871, at Versailles, Ripley county, where his parents settled when he was five years old, and where he was edu- cated in the public schools, as far as facilities and conditions permitted, fin- ishing the course in the public schools of Cochran, Indiana. After leaving school, he went to work in the Cochran Chair Factory, in 1885, with which institution he has been associated ever since, with the exception of two years spent at Ft. Smith, Arkansas. The first twelve years of his connection with his present business, Mr. Stark spent in the capacity of an employe, but since 1907, he has officiated as vice-president of the company, his brother, William E., being the president, and Miss B. M. Smith occupies the position of secre- tary. The history of this company dates from 1879, when it was organized, but it was not formed into a stock company until 1899. They now employ a

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force of one hundred and twenty-five people in the manufacture of finely finished chairs of every description, their goods being sold in all parts of the United States. Mr. Stark is a firm believer in the Republican principles, and he is associated with Aurora Lodge No. 51, Free and Accepted Masons, and is the present master of the lodge.

Silas and Margaret E. (Johnson) Stark, parents of the subject of this sketch, were natives of Ripley county, Indiana, where they lived on a farm. In 1873 Mr. Stark immigrated to Pettis county, Missouri, making the trip by wagon, with his wife and five children. He settled on a farm, two miles from Green Ridge, in that state, and lived there until his death, February 22, 1875, aged thirty-four years. His wife survived him, and returned with her children to Ripley county, Indiana, in March of the same year. but decided, in September, 1877, to make Versailles her place of residence. After a few years here, Mrs. Stark again moved, in September, 1883, to Cochran, Indiana, where her son, William, was employed in the store of Frederick Opperman, and her sons, Lytle and Ambrose, found employment with the Cochran Chair Company. She died at the home of her son, William; at Cincinnati, August 31, 1914, at the age of sixty-nine years and past. Mrs. Stark and her family were all earnest members of the Methodist church.

The paternal grandfather was Elijah Stark, whose wife was Margaret (Johnson) Stark. He was born in Virginia, and his wife was a native of Kentucky. They 'moved to Ripley county, Indiana, in 1837, where he en- gaged in general farming. Prior to his marriage Mr. Stark was a carpenter by trade, but abandoned that work for the life of a farmer, of which he was one of the most prominent in Ripley county. He gave his generous support in all questions for the benefit and progress of his county, in which he occu- pied some of the prominent offices, among which were those of county clerk, for two terms, and one term as county treasurer, in which position he was officiating when Morgan went through that part of the county on his raid. In 1885 Mr. Stark moved, with his wife and daughter, Anna, to Grant City, Worth county, Missouri, where he died, aged eighty-seven years, and his wife at the age of eighty-five years. They were the parents of the following chil- dren : James, William, Henry, Silas, Anna, Wilson, Calvin, Emery, and sev- eral who died in infancy.

The maternal grandfather was William Johnson, a native of Schenectady. New York, and his wife was Margaret E. (Shook) Johnson, who died at the age of fifty-two years. He was a painter by trade, and followed that line all his life. Mr. Johnson went to the Civil War in Kilpatrick's Cavalry, and died

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in 1878. To this union were born six daughters: Margaret, Eliza, Wiley, Fannie, Matilda and Jennie.

Ambrose E. Stark was married on June 24, 1896, to Louise Kerr, daugh- ter of Mahlon B. and Elizabeth (Bruce) Kerr. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church of Aurora, of which he is church steward, in addition to his office of district stewardship, and his membership on the state board of the Indiana Sunday School Association.

The parents of Mrs. Ambrose E. Stark were born in Dearborn county, and both died at Aurora, Indiana. Her father reached the ripe old age of eighty-seven years. Five children were born to this union, Walter, Julia, Emeline, Rachel and Louise ..

The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Stark was Walter Kerr, who was born on April 23, 1799, at Guilford, North Carolina, and was a son of William and Elizabeth Kerr. His wife was Elizabeth Russell, who was born on June 14, 1803, on the Licking river, Campbell county, Kentucky, and to whom he was united in marriage on September 13, 1821. Ten children were born to this couple, as follow: Mary A., Minerva, Mahlon B., Catharine, Rachel, Nancy J., Elizabeth, William, Charles and David. Minerva married a Mr. Hill, and resides at Aurora. Elizabeth is now Mrs. Terhune, of Rush county.

The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Stark was named Bruce. He and his wife were pioneers of Dearborn county, where they cleared and improved a farm and reared their children, and where Mr. Bruce died, well advanced in years, as did also his wife. They were the parents of a large family of children.

EDGAR U. BAILEY.

We cannot but admire the pluck and determination of a man who, in spite of long odds, keeps hammering away at a proposition until he overcomes all difficulties and clears for himself a pathway to a successful career. Mr. Bailey belongs to this class, and is deserving of praise and congratulations in making a second attempt at a business which, on first trial, failed to result as profitably as he had anticipated.

Edgar U. Bailey, grocer, Aurora, Indiana, was born on January 13, 1869, in Ohio county, Indiana, and is a son of William G. and Eliza (McHenry) Bailey. He was reared in Switzerland county, and received a good education in the district schools. After leaving school he assisted his father on the

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farm, until the time of his marriage, when he engaged in farming on his own responsibility, which he followed up to 1907, and then moved to Aurora, where he went into the grocery business. Not finding business as he had anticipated, he returned to his farm, after a trial of four. years, and resumed his agri- cultural pursuits for a short time, when he again, in 1913, returned to Aurora and engaged in the grocery business a second time, which business he still follows, under the firm name of The Bailey Grocery Company, with unusu- ally successful results. Mr. Bailey is a stanch believer in the Republican policies, and never fails to cast his vote on election day. He is an attentive and prominent member of the Baptist church, in which he occupies the office of treasurer. He belongs to Chosen Friends Lodge No. 13, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

William G. Bailey, the father of Edgar U., was a native of Indiana, and was reared in Dearborn and Ohio counties. He followed farming in Union township, Ohio county, Indiana, and served three years in Company C, Eighty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private in the Civil War, at the end of which time he resumed farming. He owned a comfortable farm of forty acres in Ohio county. He died in November, 1911, aged sixty- seven years. His wife, Eliza (McHenry) Bailey, is also a native of Indiana, and is the mother of four children: Edgar U., of Aurora; Anna E., wife of Charles Smith, of Ohio county; Elmer H., also of Ohio county; and Nellie, who lives at home. Mrs. Bailey is now seventy-five years of age, and is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

The paternal grandfather was Philander Bailey. and his wife was Elizabeth (Wethers) Bailey, both natives of Pennsylvania. They settled at an early day in Ohio county, Indiana, where they both died, the former aged about fifty years, and the latter at seventy-five years. They became the parents of the following children: Samuel, William G., George, who died in infancy, Rosanna, Matilda and Maggie.

The maternal grandfather was Hugh McHenry, and his wife was Mary (Stone) McHenry. The former was of Scotch descent, and a native of Pennsylvania, where he followed the vocation of a farmer. Mrs. McHenry was also a native of Pennsylvania, but of German lineage. They migrated west at an early day, and settled in Switzerland county. Mr. McHenry died at the advanced age of eighty-seven, and his wife some years younger. They had the following children: Isaac, James, Irvin, Joseph. Sarah, Eliza and Mary.

Edgar U. Bailey was married on December 24. 1893. to Elizabeth W.

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Cofield, daughter of Walker W. and Elizabeth (Ray) Cofield. She was born in Ohio county, near Hartford, January 20, 1873. There are five children to this union, namely: Olive E., William Orville, Mildred E., Irene Ray and Edward McHenry. Mrs. Bailey and two of her children are mem- bers of the Methodist church.

Walker W. Cofield, father of Mrs. Bailey, was born in Kentucky, and his wife, Elizabeth (Ray) Cofield, was a native of Ohio county, Indiana, and both are now deceased. They had three children, Elizabeth and two who died young.

The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Bailey was Robert Cofield, and his wife was Amanda (Wallingford) Cofield, natives of Kentucky. They moved to Ohio county at an early day, where he died when past middle life, and she when over eighty years of age. They had a large family, as follow: Robert, John, Walker, Stephen, David, Lida, Caroline, Elizabeth and Margaret.

The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Bailey was John Ray, and his wife was Elizabeth (Monroe) Ray. He was a native of Pennsylvania. They were early settlers in Ohio county, and were the parents of the following children: Elizabeth, Jane, and Caroline, who died young.

Mr. Bailey and his wife have a large circle of friends, and well deserve the lucrative business which they now enjoy.

NATHAN STEDMAN.

The name starting this sketch belongs to a descendant of good old Revolutionary stock, and is in every sense of the word entitled to be called an American. Mr. Stedman has been fortunate in more ways than having been born an American. His father established a plant at Rising Sun, Indiana, for a general foundry and machine business, which was later moved to Aurora, Indiana, where he trained his son in all the important details of a business that was destined to become a factor in the industries of the town. The son came in as partner in his father's business in 1867, and was fully qualified at the death of his father to take over the entire management of the business, in which he became even more successful than his father had been before him.

Nathan Stedman, retired manufacturer, of Aurora, Indiana, was born

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at Cincinnati, Ohio, July 11, 1838, and is a son of Nathan R. and Sarah (Belden) Stedman. He grew to maturity at Aurora, from a lad of eleven years, and has lived there since 1849. His parents gave him a good education in the public and select schools, after which he went to school at Wilmington, to which place he was obliged to walk. He then spent two years at college, and when through, went to work in his father's foundry, where he spent fifty years of his life. At the death of his father, he succeeded to the business, and conducted it with the assistance of his sons, W. R. and George M. Sted- man, until his retirement from active work, when he turned it over to his second son, George, who afterwards sold it. Mr. Stedman has affiliated with the Masonic order for many years, and was for a time a member of the Knights Templar. In politics he is an independent voter.

Nathan R. Stedman was born in New Jersey, in 1814, and when quite young went to Connecticut, where he learned the molder's trade, after which, in 1837, he went to Cincinnati, and a little later, to Rising Sun, where he started his first foundry, in partnership with Col. Pinkney James. In 1849 Mr. Stedman moved his family and his foundry to Aurora, where he con- tinued in business up to the time of his death, in May, 1884, aged seventy years. His wife, Sarah (Belden) Stedman, was a native of Connecticut. She died about 1847. They were the parents of five children, namely : Nathan, of Aurora; Harriet, widow of A. G. Wilson, of Pueblo, Colorado; Abigail, deceased, who was the wife of James D. Parker; Sophia, who is now Mrs. J. W. Christie, of Norwood, Ohio; Frances, widow of John P. Stier, of Aurora, Indiana. Mr. Stedman was married, secondly, to Louisa Caldwell, by whom he had five children: Lucy, Seth, Hazen, Charles and John. Lucy became the wife of Torrence Hurst, of Streator, Illinois, and is now dead; Seth, deceased; Hazen lives at Natchez, Miss .; John is a resi- dent of Hamilton, Ohio. The third wife of Nathan R. Stedman was Mrs. Sarah Jane Langley, whose maiden name was Stage, and by whom he had one child, Mary, who lives at Columbus, Ohio. She was married twice, her last husband being a Mr. Candler.

The paternal grandfather was Nathan Stedman, whose wife was Belinda Stebbins. They were both natives of Connecticut, and both dier in the East. Mr. Stedman followed various pursuits, and was a soldier in one of the early wars. They were the parents of five children, namely: John W., James, Nathan R., Hazen and Rachel. Grandfather Stebbins was a native of Massachusetts or Connecticut, where he followed farming all his life. except the time spent as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

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Nathan Stedman, the immediate subject of this sketch, was united in marriage on March 24, 1859, with Elvira Smith, daughter of William and Rachel (Teagarden) Smith, and was born on February 9, 1840, at Augusta, Kentucky. To this union have been born four children, namely: Sarah R., William R., George M., and Vira Grace. Sarah R. became the wife of Charles C. Connor, and is now deceased. She was the mother of two chil- dren, Ellen and Ruth L. William R. is now living in retirement, after a successful business career. His wife, Anna (Noble) Stedman, died several years since, leaving no children. George M. became successful and has re- tired from an active business life. He was united in marriage with Jeannette Benedict, by whom he has two children, Nathan P. and Louise E. Vira Grace became the wife of Pinckney Flowers, and has two children, William H. and another.

The parents of Mrs. Nathan Stedman were natives of Kentucky, and lived on a farm in Bracken county. They were the parents of the following children: Eliza, Jeremiah, George, Elizabeth, Elvira, Robert A. and some who died young.

Nathan Stedman has led an exemplary life, and is one of the most highly-respected citizens of Aurora.

MARC L. BOND, M. D.

Marc L. Bond, of Aurora, Indiana, was born on March 12, 1859, in the same block in which he is now practicing medicine. He is a son of Richard and Eliza (Bevan) Bond. After attending the public schools, he was gradu- ated from the Aurora high school in 1872, and then entered the Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati, from which he graduated in 1880. His shingle made its debut in Louisville, Kentucky, where he practiced for a period of four years, and then returned to his home town, where he established a practice in which he has become eminently successful. Doctor Bond is a member of Union Lodge No. 34, Knights of Pythias, and belongs to the county and state medical societies, and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Richard Bond was a native of Virginia. He was born on March 22, 1822, in Wood county, and was the seventh son of Lewis and Lydia (John) Bond. In his eighteenth year he entered the New Geneva Seminary, in Pennsylvania, and in 1843 he began reading medicine with Dr. James

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Stevenson, of Greensboro, Pennsylvania, and in 1846 settled in Ripley county, and in July, 1848, moved to Aurora, where he became well known as a physician of great skill and ability, and where his good judgment and effi- cient co-operation in the interest of his community placed him in a position of enviable prominence. He continued the practice of medicine in the county until the time of his death, which occurred while on a visit to his brother and sister in Virginia, in 1904, at the age of eighty-four years. He was married ori April 1, 1847, to Eliza Bevan, only daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Bevan, who was born on June 11, 1829, and died in 1908. Doctor · Bond and his wife were both earnest members of the Baptist church, and he was for several years pastor in charge of the churches at Wilmington, Rising Sun and Aurora, during which time he continued to practice medicine. Doc- tor Bond served as surgeon through the entire period of the Civil War, resuming his practice when peace was declared. Doctor Bond and his wife were the parents of six children, namely : Flora B. married John A. Conwell, and resides at Cincinnati; Charles R. was scalded to death at the age of three years; Harry is deceased; Fannie died at the age of eighteen; Marc L., of Aurora; Elizabeth is the wife of Crawford S. Wymond, and resides at Louisville, Kentucky.

Lewis Bond, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a farmer and a Baptist minister, and his wife, Lydia (John) Bond, was of Welsh ancestry, and was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bond was over ninety years old at his death, and was killed by being thrown from a horse. His wife also lived to the age of ninety years.

The maternal grandfather was Thomas .Bevan, whose wife was Eliza- beth Bevan, both natives of Ohio, and were very early settlers in Dearborn county. Mr. Bevan established his little family on a farm in Center township, about two and one-half miles from Aurora, which he cleared and improved, and where he reared his family. Like the paternal grandfather, he also met with a tragic death, in being killed by a horse, when about forty years old. Mrs. Bevan survived her husband, and lived to the ripe old age of eighty years. They were the parents of three children, John, Thomas and Eliza.

Dr. Marc L. Bond was united in marriage in 1894 with Lida Truelock, daughter of James Truelock and wife. Mrs. Bond was born on January I, 1859, at Aurora, Indiana, where she was reared and educated. She is a woman of culture and refinement, and has a large circle of admiring friends.

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Doctor Bond is one of the most successful physicians of Aurora and vicinity, and he and his wife enjoy the confidence and high esteem of the people living here.

JOHN MCCULLOUGH.

There is always considerable interest in accomplishing anything on a large scale, and in the manufacture of drugs, in which the subject of this sketch is especially interested. there is a fascination not to be found in many other lines. While the profit to be gained is the most important feature, it is extremely gratifying when one is able to combine both profit and pleasure in his daily employment.

John McCullough, wholesale druggist, Lawrenceburg, Indiana, is a son of John C. and Louise F. (Koons) Mccullough, and was born on December 24, 1875, in that city, which is still his home. Here he attended the public schools. After his father's death, Mr. Mccullough and his brother, Edwin C., who attended Hanover College, and later was graduated from the Cin- cinnati College of Pharmacy, continued the business, with himself as president and treasurer, and his brother, William T., as vice-president, and Louise F. Mccullough as secretary. Mr. Mccullough is a stanch Democrat, and is demonstrating his interest by serving as a member of the city council. He belongs to Lawrenceburg Lodge No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons, Law- renceburg Chapter No. 56, Royal Arch Masons, and also belongs to the Scottish Rite and is a member of Mystic Shrine, Murat Temple, Indianapolis.

John C. Mccullough is a native of Pennsylvania, where he was reared on a farm in Washington county, and came west about 1865, settling at Osgood, Ripley county, Indiana, engaging in the drug business. In 1874 he came to Lawrenceburg and established a store in Newtown, Lawrenceburg, which he conducted until 1888, when he was appointed deputy internal revenue collector, under the administration of President Cleveland, which office he held about three years, and then resigned on account of ill health. He was then engaged in the drug business at Warsaw for a period of one year, when he returned to Lawrenceburg, establishing himself in Oldtown, where he conducted a wholesale business on a small scale. Seeing possibilities in a larger establishment, he again sold out and went into exclusive jobbing and manufacturing of drugs, which he continued until his death. He incorporated the business, in 1901, under the firm name of The Mccullough Drug Com-

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pany, with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, which was later increased to fifty thousand dollars, associating with him his sons, Edwin C., and John. Mr. Mccullough died in September, 1906, aged fifty-six years. He and his wife, Louise F. (Koons) Mccullough, both became members of the First Presbyterian church, in which he was an elder. He was a Democrat, and gave his support by serving as city .clerk for two terms. His fraternal alli- ances were with the Lawrenceburg Lodge No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. and Mrs. McCullough had the following children: Edwin C., John, of Lawrenceburg; William T., of Indianapolis; and Harry, of Lawrenceburg.

The paternal grandfather was John McCullough, and his wife was Agnes B. (Morrison) Mccullough, natives of Scotland. Mr. Mccullough died when a young man, and his wife lived to be about ninety years of age. They had four children: William B., Mary, Martha and John C.

The maternal grandfather was Charles T. Koons, and his wife was Sophia S. Koone, natives of Germany, who came at an early date to America, settling in Ripley county, Indiana, where Mr. Koons officiated as paymaster and auditor for the old Ohio & Mississippi Railway. He afterward moved to Lawrenceburg, and from there to Cincinnati, where he died while still quite young. His widow still survives him at the age of eighty-nine years. They were the parents of a large family of children: Charles T., Herman W., Walter, Louise F., Sophia S. and others.

John McCullough is a man of sterling qualities, and occupies a position of high standing as a citizen in his community.

LOUIS WILLARD COBB.

Louis Willard Cobb, son of the late O. P. Cobb, was born in Aurora, Indiana, April 29, 1847, and died on December 29, 1912. All of his life, with the exception of the years he was away at school, and in pursuance of pro- fessional studies, was spent in Aurora. He attended the celebrated Chick- ering Institute at Cincinnati, where he made a brilliant record as a student. A unique feature of his graduation was the delivery of his commencement oration in Latin. Later he entered Yale College and was for two years a student at that institution. Here, as formerly, his grade as a student was of the highest rank, and the training he received here furnished the foundation

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for the highest culture and qualified him for the most exact educational tests of the times. It is no disparagement to others to say that Mr. Cobb was one of the best equipped men in his fund of knowledge and in the accuracy of it, in the community. He was a master in the use of English. in both its spoken and written form, as all who knew him and his writings can well attest.

In early life it was Mr. Cobb's ambition to become a lawyer. With this in view, he took up the study of law and for a time was a student under T. D. Lincoln, in the latter's office, in Cincinnati. But after some time, con- cluding that the field of journalism afforded the best opportunity for the accomplishment of the most successful constructive work in the civic, moral and social betterment of the people, he gave up the law and took up the latter profession.

His career as an editor and publisher began in April, 1873, when he bought the Dearborn Independent, at Aurora, Indiana. In that occupation he continued his life work with the same paper, until the time of his death, December 29, 1912, lacking four months of completing his fortieth year of service in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Cobb was a man of strong convictions and high ideals. He stood for the right in all civic and public affairs, and had the best interests of the people at heart. This sentiment is evinced in the line appearing continuously below the name of his paper, "Devoted to our own locality, we labor for its interests." So far as the policy of his paper was concerned, it can be said that in all matters of local interest it stood as a fearless champion of the rights and sacred interests of the community at large, regardless of the fear or favor of anyone. And so strict was he in the observance of this policy, that it was maintained throughout his life at the cost of serious financial loss and personal hardships.

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History of Dearborn County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 68

Author: Archibald Shaw Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1123

Author: Archibald Shaw
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1123