USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 111
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William Falton was married in Kentucky and came with his father, David Fulton, to Decatur county in about 1835 and entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, a part of which tract Samuel David Fulton now owns. After a year's residence in Greensburg, William Fulton cleared a strip of this land, built a home and took up his residence there. He increased his holdings until, at one time, he owned three hundred and twenty acres.
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The same year of his death, in 1853, his residence burned, and was after- ward rebuilt by his widow. This house is the present home of Samuel David Fulton, but has been remodeled by him, since his mother's death, into a beautiful modern farm residence. It is one of the finest farm resi- dences to be found in Decatur county. It is set far back from the main road, is reached by a beautiful driveway, and is surrounded by modern farm buildings, a large catalpa grove and a fine, up-to-date orchard.
William and Susanna ( Ratcliffe) Fulton were the parents of seven children, six daughters and one son, as follow: Kittie Ann, deceased, mar- ried Joseph Keislang; Eliza Jane, aged eighty, the wife of Samuel McCul- lough, of Westport; Mrs. Paulina Morrow, deceased; Mrs. Martha Law, of Illinois, deceased; Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Shirk, deceased; America, de- ceased, and Samuel David, the subject of this sketch.
Samuel David Fulton deserves especial credit for the success he has made through seemingly insurmountable difficulties. His father died when he was but five years of age, and when he was a mere lad he took hold' of the farm work and helped his mother in her struggle. Today Samuel David Fulton is a man far above the average in intelligence, although he had only a district school education. He is a great reader, and to this fact and his life struggles he owes his present education. He bought out the interest of other heirs in the home place, and with what his wife inherited and what he acquired through subsequent purchase he is now in possession of about two hundred and eighty acres, which lies in two tracts.
Ile is a breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs and raises about two hundred of these annually. He is also a buyer and feeder of both cattle and hogs.
Samuel David Fulton was married on September 25, 1883, to Mary A. Biddinger, who was born in Jackson township in 1861, the daughter of Dr. Solomon Wesley Biddinger and Eliza ( Scott) Biddinger. Doctor Bid- dinger was born near Rising Sun, Indiana, and lived for many years in Decatur county. He practiced medicine for over sixty years, and is at the present time living in Bartholomew county.
To Samuel David and Mary Ann (Biddinger) Fulton were born the following children : Wesley, a teacher at Alert and a graduate of Val- paraiso University; Ratcliffe, farming at home after being graduated at Valparaiso University and studying two years in the Indiana State Uni- versity; Ray, a graduate of Valparaiso University and at present a student in the Indiana State University; Sherman, in the district schools, and Will- iam Ira and Mabel who died in infancy.
Samuel David Fulton has fully demonstrated his belief in the neces-
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sity of higher education by what he has done for his own children along that line. He knew how much he wanted an education and how hard he had to struggle to secure this and so has determined that it shall be easier for his children. Mr. Fulton has always been affiliated with the Republican party and has filled minor township offices. He is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and he is always a willing worker in the ranks of that denomination.
Mr. Fulton has reared his family with highest dignity and devotion, and has attained to a position of influence and worth in his community by hard and persistent effort throughout life.
MARION M. ELLIOTT.
The recent development in agriculture which has sought to increase the productivity of agricultural land, especially corn land, has done very much for the farmers of this state. As an individual state Indiana ranks high not only in the acreage sown but in the average production of corn per acre. Nevertheless, we are still far behind other cereal producing countries in yield per acre, and the fact that a few farmers have in scattered sections of the state been able almost to double their production of corn is sufficient proof of what may be accomplished in this direction.
Marion M. Elliott, a well-known farmer of Jackson township, Decatur county, Indiana, was one of the first citizens of this section to take an inter- est in increased productivity of land planted to corn, and his results have been especially gratifying. Two or three principal factors enter into Mr. Elliott's success as a corn grower, and these factors are common to the similar success of other men. In the first place, soil must be reasonably fer- tile naturally, or made so by the use of decayed vegetable matter or com- mercial fertilizers. In the next place, the land must be well drained, and therefore well ventilated. In the third place, the soil must be kept carefully prepared, and in the last place the seed must be carefully selected. Of course, there are many elements which enter into the cultivation of the crop once it is planted. Of all these factors, perhaps the quality of the seed is the most important. In any event, Mr. Elliott has mastered the modern processes of increased corn production, and has won for himself in this connection an enviable reputation as a farmer in Decatur county.
Marion M. Elliott, who owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in
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Jackson township, where he has lived for nearly twenty years, was born on February 9, 1868, in Jackson township, the son of Daniel Webster and Cor- delia (Bake) Elliott, the former of whom was born in Jennings county on April 3. 1841, and who died on May 4, 1897, and the latter of whom was the daughter of Eli and Catherine ( Risley) Bake. Daniel Webster Elliott was the son of David and Lucinda ( Spears) Elliott, who came to Decatur county when he was a mere lad. He was married to Cordelia Bake on May 29, 1864, at Sardinia. Mrs. Elliott's father, Eli Bake, was born in Union county, Indiana, June 23, 1813, and died, January 9, 1899. Eli Bake married Catherine Risley on December 24, 1834. They had twelve children, three of whom died in infancy. Catherine (Risley) Bake was born on October 6, 1817, in New Jersey, and died on March 7, 1904.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Webster Elliott were the parents of seven chil- dren, of whom Marion M. was the second born. The others were as fol- low : Minerva Alice, born on September 27. 1865; Cora May, November 18, 1870; Rozenia. July 31, 1873; Harry Clinton, March 19, 1886; Lucinda Isophene, and Eveline, at home with her parents.
Educated in the Big Horn school of Jackson township, Marion M. Elliott began farming for himself in 1893. when he rented land of Isaac Shira for three years. In 1896 he moved to his present farin, and three years later purchased the farm at thirty-seven and one-half dollars an acre. The farm is now worth more than a hundred dollars an acre. In the mean- time he has built a barn, forty-eight by sixty feet, erected a garage and granary, and remodeled his house. The color scheme of the buildings is white, and they present an attractive appearance to the passerby. He is an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs, and keeps registered pure-bred stock. Ordinarily, Mr. Elliott raises about a hundred and fifty head of hogs every year.
On December 26, 1893, Marion M. Elliott was married to Grace Moore, the daughter of D. J. and Amanda Moore, early residents of Jackson town- ship, natives of Decatur county, and whose parents were of German ances- try. Grace Moore was born in December, 1871, in Jackson township.
Mr. and Mrs. Marion M. Elliott have one son, Lester, who is now nine- teen years old. He was born on January 16, 1896, and was graduated from the Westport high school with the class of 1915. In 1908, when Lester was only twelve years old, he received a prize for the best ten ears of corn grown by the boys of Decatur county, in the corn show at Greensburg, Indiana. At this time he raised the Gold Standard variety. In 1913 Mr. Elliott produced eighty bushels of corn to the acre on his farm, and is now
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competing in the Decatur county contest in the class which has undertaken to grow one hundred bushels to the acre.
Marion M. Elliott is a progressive, enterprising and broad-minded citi- zen. Not only this, but he is a well-to-do citizen and a man favorably known in Decatur county. A Democrat in politics, he served three years, 1912, 1913 and 1914, as a member of the Decatur county council. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott and son are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Elliott is a member of Westport lodge No. 52, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Sardinia Lodge No. 146, Knights of Pythias.
MILTON E. EVANS.
Milton E. Evans, whose name heads this sketch, started in with the belief that a farm would yield him a better percentage of profit than any other field in which he could invest his funds, and with this end in view, he set to work to do his part in bringing about the desired result. He co-oper- ated with his investment in every possible way, knowing that money and land alone would accomplish but little without the willing hands and good manage- ment. which were, after all, the principal factors of his success.
Milton E. Evans, of Jackson township, was born on August 27, 1862. and is a son of William A. Evans and Emily M. (Hice) Evans. He began his career with one hundred and twenty acres, just west of his present home. On his father's death, received one hundred and sixty acres of the estate. He later bought eighty acres, to which he subsequently added forty acres more. He has improved the place with a fine modern home of eight rooms, and has fitted it up with acetylene gas, water and bath. He also has a fine, large barn fifty by fifty feet, with shed adjoining. He has still further added to the beauty and value of his farm by planting shade trees, and building an iron fence. In the stock line, he makes a specialty of Duroc-Jersey hogs, and an annual output of about two carloads of cattle. He is now ( 1915) preparing to plant one hundred acres of corn, and has the same amount in wheat. His farm contains three sets of buildings. In politics, Mr. Evans is a Republican. He is a member of the Presbyterian church.
William A. Evans was born in Ohio, November 3, 1835, and died in 1909. He was the son of William, Sr., and Martha Evans. Of his wife. Emily (Hice), little is known, except that she was a native of Pennsyl- vania, and that she was a sister of Samuel Logan, a pioneer. William A.
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Evans lived on the Cross Roads farm all of his life, with the exception of two years, spent at Colorado. He owned three hundred and ninety acres of fertile land. His children were: Winston L., deceased; Milton, the subject of this sketch, and John C., whose death in 1914, was caused by a fall from a barn loft.
The paternal grandfather, William Evans, Sr., was a native of New Jersey, and immigrated to Ohio, and later, in 1837. to Indiana. The Evans family is of Welsh extraction. They settled in the woods, and the first thing their children did was to gather up a bucket of hickory nuts. They lived in a log cabin, and operated a grist-mill by horse power. They cleared land, and owned nearly five hundred acres at the time of Mr. Evans' death, which occurred about 1864.
Milton E. Evans was married on March 6, 1890, to Lillie M. Swope, who was born in Jackson township on May 27, 1863. a daughter of J. R. and Mary Swope, early settlers of Jackson township. Mr. and Mrs. Evans are the parents of two children ( twins ), Guy and Glen R., born on July 30, 1897. Guy died at the age of seventeen days. Glen R., now a student in Letts high school, will graduate in the class of 1916, when he will go into partnership with his father. He attended school six years without absence or tardiness.
JOHN J. SHAW.
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During the years that have elapsed since the first settlers came to this state many changes have taken place and many wonderful inventions per- fected. A great part of the farm labor is now done by machinery, which was unknown to the pioneers. Railroads and telephones make travel and communication rapid and accessible. Homes are provided with comforts and conveniences that are in striking contrast to the conditions which once prevailed. The subject of this sketch is among those who have seen these changes take place, and whose labors have helped to make this state a pleas- ant place in which to live.
John J. Shaw, of Jackson township, was born on December 30, 1847. in Marion township, Decatur county, Indiana, a son of John Shaw and Eliza ( Hunter) Shaw. He lived for a time in Marion township, going in young manhood to Ripley county. His present home place was purchased in 1882. At first it consisted of twenty-three acres, and he afterward added to this. and it now amounts to one hundred and twenty acres. He is a mem-
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ber of the Progressive party, and a member of Owen post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Westport. He went to the army, at the last call, in 1865, in Company 1, Thirteenth Regiment Volunteer Infantry, and saw service the same summer in North Carolina. Mr. Shaw is retiring in his nature, and has always preferred the quiet life of a farm to that of the more active business life. He has built a neat, comfortable cottage and a large barn. both of which are well kept up. In the line of stock, his attention is devoted principally to Jersey cows.
John and Eliza ( Hunter ) Shaw were natives of Ohio, the former being a son of John Shaw, also a native of Ohio, and after his marriage lived for a time in Marion township. His wife, Eliza Hunter, was born on Novem- ber 17, 1817. She was a daughter of Nathaniel Hunter, a noted pioneer of Decatur county, who came to the county and entered land in the twenties, and where he farmed all his life. John and Eliza ( Hunter ) Shaw were the parents of the following children: Thomas, deceased; Sarah, who became the wife of a Mr. Stevens; Rebecca became the wife of a Mr. Bailey; Char- lote, who married a Mr. Baker; John J., the subject of this sketch; Nathan- iel lives at Bloomington, Monroe county, Indiana ; Lucinda, deceased ; Anna, deceased.
Nathaniel Hunter, the maternal grandfather, was born in 1787 or 1788, at Boone's Station, Kentucky, and was a son of Capt. Charles and Rebecca ( Dumford) Hunter, who were married within the stockade walls of Boone's Station. Captain Hunter was killed by a shot from an Indian ambuscade, and his body was buried at Boone's Station, Kentucky. . After his death, Mrs. Hunter married one Daniel Burch, and when Nathaniel was a lad of twelve the family moved to Butler county, Ohio, and later to Read- ing, Hamilton county. Nathaniel worked and gave his earnings to his step- father. He was a pack-horseman and teamster in the quartermaster's department during the War of 1812.
On November 3, 1814, Nathaniel Hunter was united in marriage with Elizal.eth Ferris, daughter of John and Mikey ( Mires) Ferris, of Sheridan. Hamilton county, Ohio. Elizabeth Ferris was born, July 25, 1707. Her mother's family were of Holland descent. This pioneer couple began life by working out the first six months. Mr. Hunter received twelve dollars a month, and his wife seventy-five cents a week. He next engaged to John Merry for twenty dollars a month to work about the mills and distillery, remaining here two years, at the end of which time he invested the money he had saved in a flat-boat and a cargo of flour for the lower river trade. He was gone five months, going down the river as far as Natchez, sold his
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flour for less than it cost him, disposed of his boat, and arrived home with three dollars. His next business engagement was with a millwright for a few months, and soon after he leased twenty acres, built a cabin and cleared off a little land. This was on the Mill Creek Bottoms, thirteen miles from Cincinnati, on the Dayton road. His next venture was as a contractor on the Miami Canal, where he built half a mile of that work, between Hamil- ton and Redding. After this he was employed by the Cincinnati & Dayton turnpike officials, where he made sometimes as high as ten dollars a day. With the money thus earned, Mr. Hunter invested in one hundred and seventy-four acres of land in Springfield township, Franklin county, In- diana, for which he paid about four hundred dollars. This was in 1828. Having built a fine brick house, good barn, and planted an orchard, he sold the place for four thousand five hundred dollars, and came to Sand Creek. Decatur county, and bought one hundred and sixty acres for seven hundred dollars. He moved on to this land in October in- 1839, and soon bought one hundred and forty acres adjoining for two thousand dollars. After mak- ing this his home for about a quarter of a century, he disposed of it for eleven thousand dollars, and after living with his son-in-law, John E. Rob- bins, a few months, bought a home in Greensburg, where he spent his declining years.
To Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Ferris) Hunter were born the following children: John, born on September 17, 1815, died in 1817; Ann Eliza, November 12, 1817, married John Shaw: Rebecca, October 2, 1819, mar- ried Robert Wallace, died in Jasper county, Missouri, May 25, 1876; Sarah, March 25, 1822, married William W. Stephenson, died in Sand Creek town- ship, in 1864; Nathan, September 25, 1824, married Sarah M. Anderson, and resided in Washington township; Nancy, December 8, 1826, married John E. Robbins and lived in Washington township; Charlotte, August 16, 1829, died October 18, 1834; Peter, April 18, 1834, married Caroline Black- more, a daughter of Owen and Eliza Blackmore, early settlers of Washing- ton township.
John J. Shaw was united in marriage, in 1870, with Eliza R. Skiles, who was born in Butler county, in 1843, a daughter of Isaac and Jane (George) Skiles, natives of Ohio, who came to Decatur county. To Mr. and Mrs. John J. Shaw was born one son, Edwin L., who attended West Point Military Academy and is now in the insurance business. He mar- ried Alice Harrell, and they have had one child, who died in infancy.
Mrs. Shaw is a member of the Christian Union church.
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BARTON W. JAMESON.
The gentleman whose name heads this sketch has the proud distinction of belonging to a class of brave men of but whom few remain. He served his country well and faithfully during the Civil War and feels that he has done his part toward the land of his birth. His record will make interest- ing reading for his descendants, who will, in turn, be able to tell their chil- dren what a brave and loyal man their ancestor was.
Barton W. Jameson, retired farmer, of Jackson township, was born on August 28, 1843, in Berks county, Pennsylvania, a son of Phineas P. and Jane ( Wilson ) Jameson. He lived at Milford with his father until his marriage, when he rented a place, on which he remained two years, and then moved to the old Handley farm in Jackson township. After living here for thirty-five years, Mr. Jameson moved to his present home, which, at that time, consisted of forty acres, to which he has since added twenty acres more, making sixty acres in all. Valuable improvements have been made on the place, including a comfortable house. After Mr. Handley's death, he took charge of his estate, and cared for his three sisters-in-law until their death. He went to war September 17, 1862, in Company E, Eighty-third Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, and arrived home, June 12. 1865, nearly three years later, after taking part in the following battles : Yazoo River, Siege of Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge, Atlanta campaign, and Sherman's march to the sea. He was in Savannah, and went from Columbia to Goldsboro. He claims that the Confederates set fire to cotton piled in the streets of Columbia, thus causing the burning of that city-the Union soldiers were not to blame. Mr. Jameson was also in many minor battles and skirmishes. His division made a charge on the Savannah forts, and he was in the thick of the fight, from which he escaped without a wound, and was never in a hospital. Mr. Jameson is a Repub- lican. He is a member of the Christian church, and is a member of the West Point Fred Small Post No. 531, Grand Army of the Republic.
Phineas P. Jameson was born on September 19, 1815, and died, April 12. 1883. His wife, Jane (Wilson) Jameson, was born on February 5. 18to. Phineas P. Jameson was of old pioneer stock, and a native of Penn- sylvania. His father was the Rev. Jacob Jameson. Phineas P. came to Bartholomew county in the spring of 1858, moving later to a farm on the county line, going later to a farm near Milford, after which he moved to the William Fix farm, three miles east of Hartsville, and then to the Levi
(72)
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Moore farm on the Hartsville pike. From there he went to the Davis farm west of Burney, finally settling on the Venner farm, where he died.
To Phineas and Jane (Wilson) Jameson were born five children, as follow : Mary Ann was born on October 5, 1836, and died on May 22, 1873; Sarah Jane, September 11, 1840, married Davis Hinton; Barton W., August 28, 1843, the subject of this sketch; Martha F., April 28, 1847, mar- ried William Pumphrey; Caroline L., March 18, 1853, married Joseph Oliphant.
The paternal grandfather was the Rev. Jacob Jameson, who was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, December 6, 1793, and was married, July 27, 1813, to Mary A. Saylor, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and united with the Baptist church, August 27, 1814, at Springfield, Pennsylvania, where he was licensed to preach, February 27, 1827. He was ordained a deacon in May, 1823, at Philadelphia. He later moved to Lawrenceburg, and was an elder there in 1839. His wife, Mary, died in 1868, and he afterward married Jane Smith, of Harrison, Ohio, who died in 1879. He died on March 22, 1881.
Barton W. Jameson was married, October 20, 1867, to Lizzie M. Hand- ley, who was born, May 11, 1844, in Ohio, and died, March 4, 1874. She was a daughter of Robert and Nancy Handley, and came with her parents to Decatur in 1846. Robert Handley was born on November 6, 1801, and died in Decatur county on January 6, 1873. When he first came to Decatur county, he settled in Jackson township. His wife, Nancy, died on Deceni- ber 19, 1861. They were the parents of eight children, namely: James, Samuel, Margaret, Jane, Catherine, Rebecca, John and Elizabeth.
DANIEL WEBSTER ELLIOTT.
Among the successful farmers of a past generation in Jackson town- ship, Decatur county, Indiana, was Daniel Webster Elliott, who was born on April 3, 1841, in Jennings county, and who died on May 4, 1897.
Daniel Webster Elliott was the son of David and Lucinda (Spears) Elliott, who came to Decatur county when Daniel Webster was a mere lad. The father having died when Daniel W. was a lad, his widow, the mother of Daniel W., lived in Greensburg for some time.
Daniel Webster Elliott was married on May 29. 1864, at Sardinia, to Cordelia Bake, the daughter of Eli and Catherine (Risley) Bake, the for-
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mer of whom was born on June 23, 1813, in Union county, Indiana, and who died on January 9, 1899. Eli Bake was married to Catherine Risley on December 24, 1834. She was born on October 6, 1817, in New Jersey, and died on March 7, 1904. Eli Bake moved to Decatur county in 1842, where he and his wife reared a large family and prospered. Of their twelve chil- dren, three died in infancy, Catherine, Elizabeth and one who died unnamed. The other children were as follow: Louis; Mrs. Amanda Gant, of Minne- apolis, Kansas; Mrs. Clara Gant, of Kingfisher, Oklahoma; Mrs. Cordelia Elliott, widow of Daniel W. Elliott; Perry, of Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Lucinda Matthew, deceased; Mrs. Martha Reilley, of Sardinia; William, of Jackson township, and Mrs. Louisa Shaw, of Westport.
Eli and Catherine Bake came overland from New Jersey to Indiana, and after coming to this state faced many hardships, being compelled to live for a time on parched corn. Eventually, however, they became well- to-do, and Eli Bake, who was always a hard worker, kept three hands and owned several farms. During a part of his life he operated a broom fac- tory and sold his brooms in Louisville, Kentucky, and in many other cities.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Webster Elliott lived the first year on a farm northeast of Westport and then moved to a farm one mile north of Sardinia, where they lived for three years. Subsequently, they purchased eighty acres of land, which is a part of the present farm, and in 1894 purchased eighty acres additional. After Mr. Elliott's deatlı, Mrs. Elliott built a splendid new house and moved the barn. She has a very attractive place on a widely-traveled highway and is surrounded with all of the comforts possible on the farm.
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