USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 55
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A resident of Decatur county, Arthur J. Lowe, assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank, enjoys the distinction of having been the youngest grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias ever elected in this state. He had filled all of the chairs in the grand lodge and had attained the rank of grand chancellor at the carly age of thirty-one. He is now one of the five supreme representatives of the Knights of Pythias, one of the most numerous of the fraternal organizations in this country. The Supreme Lodge of Knights of Pythias hold their convention every two years, the last conven- tion having been held at Winnipeg, Canada, and the one previously at Denver, Colorado. Arthur J. Lowe was a representative to both conventions. Aside from the distinction which he enjoys as a prominent member of this great fraternal society, he belongs to one of the oldest and most favorably known of the pioneer families of Decatur county.
Born in Greensburg, Indiana, on February 8. 1877, Arthur J. Lowe is the son of Alfred and Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe, the former of whom was born on May 7. 1826, and who died, September 5, 1887, and the latter of whom was born on May 9, 1835, and who died, December 22, 1910. Mrs. Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe was the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Quigley. Alfred Lowe was the son of Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the former of whom was born in Glenwood, Wilkes county, North Carolina, on December 22, 1787, and who died in Mills county, Iowa, in May, 1871, in his eighty-fourth year. In 1795 he had moved with his father's family to Fayette county,
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Kentucky, not far from Lexington, and after living there for some years had moved to Montgomery county, where, in ISI0, he had married Rebecca Ryan, who was born in Virginia on October 22, 1790, and who died on Febru- ary 5, 1865, in her seventy-fifth year. They had seven children, namely : Polly, Matilda, Jackson, George, Eliza, Franklin and Alfred. Eliza, born in 1819, died in her second year.
Seth and Rebecca Lowe, having come to Indiana, settled in Dearborn county in 1819, and two years later moved to Kingston, Decatur county, and there entered land. On his trip to Decatur county, Seth Lowe was accom- panied by two of his children, who, after he had done some "deadening." went to Dearborn county for the remainder of the family, leaving the chil- dren in the care of two men who were assisting him in the work.
About the time that Seth and Rebecca Lowe came to Decatur county, there came also James and Cyrus Hamilton, the Donnells, the McCoys and Hopkinses a year or two later. William Custer, who lived about a mile south of the old Lowe homestead at Kingston, is supposed to have preceded Seth and Rebecca Lowe, the founders of the Lowe family in Decatur county, and from whom is sprung Arthur J. Lowe, a prominent banker of Greensburg, Indiana.
Among the first pioneers in Decatur county to plant an orchard was Seth Lowe, and people came great distances to get apples from his orchard. He was truly a temperance man and never used tobacco or intoxicating beverages and never used profane language. A public-spirited citizen, he was ardently favorable to public improvements, such as pikes and railroads, and gave land upon which to build churches and schools. He was among the first citizens of the county to introduce improved breeds of stock, importing choice animals from other states, and from foreign countries. His worthy wife was remembered long after her death. The Lowe house became known far and near for the generous hospitality accorded strangers, and men, weary after a long day's ride in a wagon or on horseback, found shelter from storm and darkness in the Lowe home. Although they were not men- bers of any church, they believed in the kind of christianity set forth and practiced by the lowly Nazarene, and the Reverend Mr. Stegdel is said to have preached in the Lowe home.
In an unbroken forest, was performed the arduons toil upon which the family fortune was builded. Alfred Lowe was a farmer upon the old homestead until his father's death. He was crippled when twenty-eight years old while assisting in the construction of the Kingston church, having fallen and broken a leg. Later he spent one year in the West, after the
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homestead was sold. accompanying Seth and Jackson, who were pioneers in the state of Iowa. He, however, went to Kansas and, after a time, returned to Indiana and lived in the village of Kingston until his death. Alfred and Isabelle (Quigley) Lowe had eight children, as follow: Terressa Jane Ardery, wife of David Ardery, of Washington township; Seth Samuel, of Greensburg; Charles, of Kansas; William Walter, deceased: Edward C., a manufacturer of Greensburg: Catherine Ella, the wife of Thomas M. Hamil- ton. of Kingston : Marsh, of Greensburg, and Arthur J., the youngest member of the family, the assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank, and the subject of this sketch.
Reared on the old Lowe homestead in Fugit township, Arthur J. Lowe grew up on the farm and was educated in the common schools of the town- ship. After a time he attended the high school and Greensburg Normal School, when he began teaching. For four years he was engaged in follow- ing this profession. and then attended Heeb's Business College at Indian- apolis. Returning to Greensburg from Indiana in the fall of 1899, he engaged in banking. On August 1, 1899, he became associated with the Citizens National Bank, where he remained until April 15, 1905, when he was elected assistant cashier of the Greensburg National Bank. Here he has been engaged in the banking business ever since. His own personal integrity and capable business ability have been no small factors in the progress and growth of this bank.
In 1905 Mr. Lowe was married to Eleanor Eich, the daughter of Hubert Eich, who married Catherine Brinkmeyer. The father was a native of Bonn, Germany, who came to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was seventeen years old. There he engaged in his trade, which was that of a locksmith, and after several years came to Decatur county and settled in Greensburg. Here he followed his trade for many years and was very successful. He was one of the solid and substantial citizens of Decatur county, and at his death, which occurred on April 7, 1915, he left a large estate, which was divided among his children. His wife was a native of Decatur county, her parents' ancestry having been of German extraction. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have one daughter, Margaret Alice, who was born on May 20. 1909.
The Lowes have a beautiful home in Greensburg where they live in con- fort and happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are members of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally, Mr. Lowe is a member of the Elks lodge, and the Knights of Pythias, as heretofore mentioned. A Republican in politics, he is ardent in his political beliefs and can always be found on the firing line when campaigns come around. Arthur J. Lowe is a worthy representative
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of the family in whose veins flow the blood of Seth and Rebecca Lowe. He is a representative citizen not only of Decatur county, but he is representative of her larger interests and her larger connections.
RICHARD J. BRADEN.
Richard J. Braden, a retired farmer of Decatur county, who owns one hundred and sixty acres of land two miles northeast of Burney in Clay town- ship and who is now living retired in Greensburg, is one of the well-known and interesting citizens of this county.
Born in Clay township in 1840, he has lived here practically all of his life and, until quite recently, in Clay township. He is the son of Walter and Elizabeth (Mowry) Braden, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, who came to Decatur county during the early period of its settlement, and entered land here. The Mowrys were natives of Kentucky and an old and prominent family in that state. Walter Braden was identified with the Whig party until the formation of the Republican party, when he became an ardent supporter of the party of Lincoln and remained throughout his life. He had nine children, of whom Richard was the fourth.
Richard J. Braden was twenty-one years old when the Civil War broke out. He responded to the first call for volunteers and enlisted in the Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving for three years. He partici- pated in some of the bloodiest battles of the war and, at the battle of the Wilderness, was wounded. Later, at Fort Republic, he was captured by the Confederates and held a prisoner for three months in Libby prison. There he suffered the most indescribable horrors of prison life. He was mustered out of service as a corporal of Company D. Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Colonel Welsh was in command of the regiment. After the war Mr. Braden came home and resumed farming, in which he proved to be very successful.
In 1865 Mr. Braden was married to Ermina Dickinson, the daughter of Amos and Indiana ( Palmerton) Dickinson, who were natives of Kentucky and who came to Dearborn county in pioneer times and eventually settled in Decatur county. Mrs. Braden was born shortly after the arrival of her parents in this state in 1844. The Dickinsons became very prosperous in this section of the state, where they were people of power and influence in agricultural circles.
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Mr. and Mrs. Braden have had three children, all of whom are living, Charles A., born on August 2, 1866, who is now farming in Clay township; Mrs. Anna Butler, May 19, 1870, who is the wife of Ozro Butler, of Clay township, and Harry, September 3, 1880, of Greensburg, who married Carrie Erhart.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Braden are a happy couple and are spending their declining years in peace and plenty at their comfortable home in Greens- burg, to which they moved in 1910. He has always been an enthusiastic and loyal supporter of the principles of the Republican party. Both Mr. and Mrs. Braden are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, Mr. Braden is a member of the Masonic lodge at Milford. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Greensburg. Since the war, his health has not been good and he has had more or less sickness as a conse- quence of the wound he received at the battle of the Wilderness. Neverthe- less, he is a man of happy and philosophical temperament and gladly says that if he could live to be one hundred years old, he would make the best of life and would expect to enjoy the very last minute. Mr. and Mrs. Braden are charming citizens of this city and are highly respected here.
ELMER E. WOODEN.
Since the very beginning of a social order of things in Decatur county, the Woodens have been prominent factors in the development of this com- munity and no volume purporting to carry to posterity the invaluable mes- sage of the past, as related to this region, would be complete without special reference to the lives and the achievements of those of the family who, for several generations, have performed well their parts in the upbuilding of this favored region. In 1821, five years after Indiana had been admitted to statehood, Levi Wooden emigrated from Kentucky to this county, settling two miles west of the struggling village of Greensburg. His son, Dr. John L. Wooden, for many years one of the most successful practicing physicians in this county, a surgeon-major in the Union army during the Civil War, and one of the best-loved mien that ever lived in this county, was the father of Elmer E. Wooden, whose name stands as a caption for this biographical sketch, a retired merchant of the city of Greensburg, who, following in the footsteps of his honored father and grandfather, performed well his part
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during the days of his larger activity in the commercial walks of his home town.
Elmer E. Wooden was born in the city of Milford, Decatur county, Indiana, December 28, 1860, the son of Dr. John L. and Sarah (Guest) Wooden, the former of whom was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, on May 17, 1826, and died at his home in Greensburg, this county, November 28, 1886, the latter of whom was born in Ilamilton, Ohio, on August 24, 1835, and is still living at her home in Greensburg.
Dr. Jolin L. Wooden, a native of Shelby county, Kentucky, was the son of Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden, the former of whom was a native of that county, and the latter of whom was born at Bingen-on-the- Rhine, Germany. Levi Wooden's parents were among the early settlers in Shelby county, Kentucky. The Wymans emigrated to America from Ger- many in the year 1818, at a time the daughter, Frances, was fifteen years of age, locating first at Baltimore, Maryland, later emigrating to Shelby county, Kentucky, where Levi Wooden and Frances Wyman were married. In 1821 Levi Wooden came to Indiana, entering land in Decatur county, in Clark county and in Floyd county, making his home in this county, on the homestead four miles west of Greensburg, in Clay township. He became one of the most extensive landowners in this part of the state and was a man of large influence in the formative period of the now well-established farming region. He died in 1840, leaving a large estate and his wife, being a resourceful and energetic woman, carried on the large farming operations with much success. To Levi and Frances (Wyman) Wooden were born four children, John L .. father of the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Mary Barger, who died in Iowa. and Martha, who died in Illinois, and William, who died in Kansas, was a farmer.
When twenty-one years of age, John L. Wooden entered a dry goods store at Milford and for two years followed commercial pursuits, at the end of which time he determined to devote his life to the practice of medicine. He studied in the office of Dr. L. McAllister, at Milford, and in May, 1853, began the practice of his chosen profession at Andersonville, in Franklin county, this state. In the fall of 1859 he entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, from which institution he was graduated on March I, 1860, thereafter entering the practice of medicine at Milford, this county. In the fall of 1861. Doctor Wooden volunteered his services as an assistant field surgeon for service in the Union ariny during the Civil War. He was attached to the Seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Field Surgeon Dr. J. Y. Hitt, with the rank of captain, later being promoted to
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the position of field surgeon, with the rank of major, being attached to the Sixty-eighth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on August 18, 1862. On September 17, 1862, at Munfordsville, Kentucky, Doctor Wooden was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces, but was exchanged in the November fol- lowing when he rejoined his regiment. At the battle of Chickamauga on September 20, 1863, he again was captured by the Confederates and this time was sent to Libby prison, at which time he weighed one hundred and thirty pounds; when exchanged he weighed but about ninety pounds. After an incarceration of three months in that historic prison, he again was exchanged, when he again rejoined his regiment, and served until the close of the war, becoming brigade surgeon on the staff of General Willich. At the close of the war, Doctor Wooden located in Greensburg, where he spent the remainder of his life, becoming a very successful practitioner and was loved throughout the entire county, where he was devoted to his profession and his practice to him ever was a labor of love, his devotion to humanity being paramount to any question of fees for his services ; much of his practice being conducted without regard to money consideration. He was president of the Decatur County Medical Society and for many years served as examin- ing surgeon for the United States pension board in this district.
In 1847, Dr. John L. Wooden was united in marriage to Jane Braden, who died in 1850. On October 13, 1853, Doctor Wooden married, secondly, Sarah Guest, of Milford, this county, daughter of John and Elizabeth ( Branson ) Guest, natives of Pennsylvania, who located in Hamilton, Ohio, later coming to this county, becoming prominent residents of the Milford neighborhood. Elizabeth Branson was a daughter of David and Sarah (Antrim ) Branson, pioneers of this county. Elsewhere in this volume the reader will find set out a genealogy of the Antrim family.
To Dr. John L. and Sarah ( Guest) Wooden were born four children, namely : Ida May, who married T. Edgar Hamilton, a well-known resident of this county; Dr. William H., who died in 1900, was graduated from the Ohio Medical College and for many years practiced his profession in Greens- burg; Elmer E., the subject of this sketch, of the firm of Bird, Deem & Wooden, hardware merchants, now retired, and Fannie E., who married J. S. Moss, a well-known druggist of Greensburg.
Doctor and Mrs. Wooden were earnest members of the Methodist church, in the faith of which they reared their children. Doctor Wooden was a member and first commander of Pap Thomas Post No. 5, Grand Ariny of the Republic, had served as commander of that post and also had served as senior vice-commander of the Department of Indiana, Grand Army of
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the Republic, being held in the highest esteem by the comrades in all parts of the state. He was a Mason, and for years had served as master of Con- cordia lodge of that order at Greensburg. He was a Republican and ever took a good citizen's part in local polities, his views on political questions having much weight with the party managers of this county. Doctor Wooden's widow is still living and continues to take a warm interest in social and church affairs in Greensburg. She was reared a Quakeress, being a birthright member of that church, but for many years has been devoted to the work of the Methodist church, of which she is an active member. She is a member of the Department Club at Greensburg and retains a hearty interest in the affairs of that useful organization. She has hosts of admir- ing friends and no woman in the county is hell in higher respect than she.
Elmer E. Wooden was educated in the Greensburg schools and at eighteen years of age left the high school and graduated to take a place as a clerk in the hardware store of O. P. Shriver & Company, at Greens- burg, continuing in that position for seven years, at the end of which time Mr. Schriver moved to Cincinnati to engage in the same form of business and Mr. Wooden accompanied him, remaining in Cincinnati for seven years. He then returned to Greensburg and engaged in the hardware business with O. P. Schriver. under the firm name of O. P. Schriver & Company, which firm was maintained for four years, at the end of which time Mr. Schriver withdrew, and the firm was continued under the name of Bird. Deem & Wooden, this arrangement continuing from 1894 to 1900. In the latter year the firm became Bird, Meek & Wooden. In 1901 Mr. Bird withdrew from the firm, which was continued under the name of Meek & Wooden until July 9, 1913, at which time the company was dissolved, Mr. Wooden retiring from active business.
On May 7, 1905, Elmer E. Wooden was united in marriage to Della Mount, of Shelby county, daughter of Thomas J. Mount, a member of one of the pioneer families of Shelby county, a general history of which family is presented elsewhere in this volume in the biographical sketch relating to H. H. Mount. To Mr. and Mrs. Wooden have been born, Herschel, on December 31. 1907: Mary Elizabeth, October 10. 1909, and James Edgar, December 24, 1910.
Mrs. Wooden owns a fine arm west of Milford, the old Butler place. and Mr. Wooden gives much of his time to the active supervision of this farm. Mr. and Mrs. Wooden are active members of the First Methodist church of Greensburg, and their children are being reared in that faith. Mr. Wooden is a Republican and is a member of Greensburg Lodge No. 36,
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Free and Accepted Masons : Lodge No. 346, Knights of Pythias. and Deca- tur Lodge No. 103, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His many years' connection with the commercial interests of Greensburg gives to his opinions regarding the advancement of the best interests of the city and county much value and he is regarded as one of the most public-spirited citizens in that city. Mrs. Wooden takes a prominent part in the social affairs of the city and is a valued member of the well-known Department Club of Greensburg, being a leader in the musical section of that important organization. She and her husband are very popular with their friends and are held in the highest regard by all.
SUTHERLAND McCOY.
As stated in many other places in this volume, the McCoy family was among the first to settle in Decatur county, Indiana. Andra McCoy, who lived first in Virginia and then in Kentucky, having come to Decatur county in 1823. As one of the pioneers in Decatur county, he attained considerable prominence in the political and civic life of this county, having served a period of several years before the Civil War as county commissioner, and his name is to be found today on the west front of the Decatur county court house. Sutherland McCoy, one of the second generation of McCoys in Decatur county, more than a quarter of a century later filled the same office. and the latter having in the decade before the Civil War served as an Indiana fighter in the West, at the outbreak of the Civil War, enlisted as a soldier and made for himself a brilliant record as a private soldier.
The late Sutherland McCoy, public-spirited citizen and farmer. who owned at the time of his death three hundred and eighty-seven acres of fine farming land in Decatur county, was born. November 8. 1829, on the farm where the McCoy children are now living, and died. April 5. 1906. He was the son of Andra, who, the son of Daniel, the son of William, was born, December 20, 1789. at Wheeling Creek, Virginia, and who moved to Nicholas county, Kentucky, in 1791, and to Decatur county, Indiana, in 1823. A splendid farmer and a good mechanic, as well as a pioneer horse breeder, he settled on the farm where his grandson and granddaughter now live. On January 15, 1818, Andra McCoy was married in Kentucky to Margaret Hop- kins, who was born. September 29, 1793, and who died. August 27, 1851. Andra, himself, died. July 14. 1871. His wife taught the first Sabbath .school in Fugit township at Mt. Carmel. This school probably was the first
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SUTHERLAND, BENIAMIN M. AND JUSTUS B. MCCOY.
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ever conducted in Decatur county. She was the mother of nine children, Columbus, George W., John H., Kate, Partliena E., the wife of David L. Miller, Sutherland, Benjamin M., Amanda and Justus Barton.
The present residence of the McCoys on the old McCoy homestead, which is a substantial and attractive dwelling, was built by Sutherland McCoy, Andra having built and lived in a log house. The latter, who was a strong man, an industrious worker and an enterprising citizen, was emin- ently respected during his day and generation by the people of Decatur county, and being elected as a county commissioner of this county in 1853, served thereafter a term of six years.
The late Sutherland McCoy, who was the seventh child born to his parents, Andra and Margaret (Hopkins) McCoy, pioneers of this county, crossed the plains to the Pacific coast in 1852, shortly after reaching his majority, proceeding with a company of sixty-three men from Shasta Valley, to which place they had gone to drive back the Indians. After being actively engaged for a period of thirty-three days, during which the party participated in many thrilling exploits, they returned with only twenty-seven of the original party of sixty-three men, thirty-six having been killed and wounded. Sutherland McCoy himself was wounded in the neck by an Indian arrow.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sutherland McCoy responded to one of the early calls for volunteers and enlisted in Company G, Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry. During the war he was engaged in many severe battles. among which were those of South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Rappahannock, Gettysburg, Thorough Gay, Mine Run, etc.
Returning from the war, Sutherland McCoy settled down to the peace- ful pursuit of agriculture, and about ten years after the close of the Civil War was married, May 25, 1875, to Priscilla Kincaid, who was born, Octo- ber 1, 1847, in Decatur county, Indiana. Four children were born to bless this marriage, one of whom, the third child, Mary J., who was born, June 5, 1883, died, September 5, 1899. Of the three living children, Ella was born. May 5, 1877. Amanda, who was born, January 27, 1880, was married, March 13, 1901, to Clyde William Kitchin, who was born in January, 1879, in Decatur county, Indiana. They now reside on a farm in Rush county, Indiana, and have five children, May Florence, born December 10, 1901; Martha Amanda, born November 5, 1903; Ruth and Ruby, twins, born June 4, 1907. and Clara Margaret, November 4. 1913. John Andra, the youngest child of Sutherland and Priscilla McCoy, was born, April 14, 1887, and after graduating from the Clarksburg high school, April 13, 1904, took up farming
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