USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 71
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It is impossible to close this summary of a man's life without paying to him a tribute not only for his character as an individual, but for his public service. It means much to a community to have within itself men who are stanch and true to their convictions as to right and wrong; men who, while building up their own fortunes, are not unmindful of the needs and misfortunes of others, and, most of all, men whose lives are guided by high moral principles and purposes. Such is the man we have endeavored to describe.
SMITH B. BUSSELL.
Smith B. Bussell belongs to that large colony of retired farmers of Decatur county now living in Greensburg and is himself the owner and pro- prietor of a highly productive farm of two hundred and sixty acres, sit- uated in Clay township near the Liberty church. It is only during his later years that he has been engaged in farming, his earlier years having been devoted largely to mechanical pursuits and especially to contract building, in which he was very successful.
Smith B. Bussell was born on November 29, 1849, in Hamilton county. Ohio, the son of Moses and Eliza (Garrison) Bussell, natives of Florence, Kentucky, and Hamilton county, Ohio, respectively, the former of whom was born in 1800 and died in March, 1857, and the latter of whom was born in 1820 and died in 1864. Moses Bussell was the son of a native- born English gentleman, who settled in Virginia, the Bussell family having been related on the paternal side to the mother of General Washington. From Virginia the family moved to Kentucky, and here the parents of Smith B. Bussell lived and died. Eliza Garrison was the daughter of Jonas and Priscilla Garrison, early settlers in Hamilton county. Ohio. The great- grandfather of Mr. Bussell. Joseph Garrison, entered land where the court
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house now stands. Finding this land very wet and flat, he later moved to higher land. Moses and Eliza Bussell had a family of seven sons, three of whom, Joseph, the eldest; John, the third, and Thomas, the sixth; are deceased. The others are Erastus, of Wichita, Kansas; Smith B., the sub- ject of this sketch; George, who lives in Greensburg, and Ezra, who lives in Cleves, Hamilton county, Ohio.
Being only eight years old at the time of his mother's death, Smith B. Bussell grew up among strangers and was compelled to shift for himself. Coming to Decatur county in 1870, having learned the mechanic's trade in Cincinnati, he worked as a builder until 1880, a period of ten years, and then engaged in general contract building until 1900, a period of twenty years, specializing during this period in the construction of foundations. For six years he was superintendent of the Greensburg Limestone Company. Since 1900 Mr. Bussell has been engaged in farming. In the meantime, he has invested his savings in farm real estate, and now owns two hundred and sixty acres near the Liberty church in Clay township, where general farming and stock raising are carried on.
Mr. Bussell has been twice married, the first time in 1872, two years after coming to this county, to Mary Foster, of Greensburg, who was born in Gallipolis, Ohio, and who died in February, 1911. She was the mother of three children, two of whom died in infancy. William, the first-born, died in April, 1912, about one year after his mother's death, at the age of thirty-nine, he having been born in 1873. At the time of his death he was a member of the Decatur county board of commissioners and a large fariner. He left a widow, who before her marriage was Margaret Emmert, and one daughter, Helen Catherine. Harry and Louis, the other two ehil- dren born to Smith B. and Mary Bussell, died at the age of four months and six weeks, respectively. In September, 1912, Mr. Bussell was married again to Gertrude Kerr, a native of Greensburg and the daughter of David R. Kerr.
Mr. Bussell has always been actively attached to the principles of the Democratic party and its candidates. For sixteen years he served as a member of the Greensburg eity eouneil. He is a member . of the Baptist church, while fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Bussell is well known in this county and he commands the confidence and respeet of his fellow townsmen and is universally liked not only in private, but in publie life. His success in business was founded upon sterling integrity, a scrupulous code of right dealings with his associates.
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WILLIAM G. UPDIKE.
It is one of the primary purposes of this volume 'to give fitting recognition to those representative men who, by their force of character, have aided in the advancement of the city or town or county in which they live, and by so doing, have made such place better and more attractive for the homes of others. Based upon this premise, the man whose name heads this article is entitled to consideration, for his life has been an integral part of the community, and his energies have been directed to those ineasures which make for the common good. It is the altruism of such men that advances civilization, and that helps to make life worth while for the masses. William G. Updike, who belongs to one of the oldest families in America, was born on April 29, 1850, in Franklin county, and came with his parents, to Decatur county when he was eleven years of age.
As a successful farmer, a county commissioner and township trustee, Mr. Updike has filled an unusually prominent place in the community. He is the son of Elijah and Matilda (Gilbreath) Updike, the former having been born on August 4, 1818, and died on May 10, 1893. Peter Updike, father of Elijah and grandfather of William G., was a native of Pennsyl- vania, and early in the country's history, packed his household goods in wagons, and brought his family to the rough timber lands of Indiana, look- ing into the uncertain and dangerous future with faith in himself and in the God of his fathers. Nor was that faith disappointed, as the after years have proven. It was in Franklin county that Elijah began his life on earth, and when he had reached manhood, he married, and made his home on a farm two miles north of Westport. His wife, whose maiden name was Matilda Gilbreath, was twice married, and was, at the time of her marriage to Elijah Updike, the widow of a Mr. Luse. She had a daughter, Nancy J. Luse, now deceased. Matilda Updike was the daughter of James Gil- breath, whose enterprising spirit and ambition brought him from bonnie Scotland to this country when he was still a young man. He had a reputa- tion in all the country round for his honesty and integrity, and his good business ability. His daughter, Matilda, was born in 1834, and passed away on July 1, 1889.
The farm on which Mr. and Mrs. Updike, Sr., settled in 1861, became their life-long home. Their children, four in number, were William G., the subject of this sketch; Mary Ann, wife of Isaac Shera, of Westport; Frank M., of Butler county, Ohio, and John Reiley, who died, when two years of age, in Franklin county.
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The father of this notable family believed that children should be brought up with industrious habits, and practical training, and with the help of his faithful wife, taught them the principles of good farming, as well as their application. Thus it was that the first-born, William, came to love the farm, and made it his home for fifty years. After the death of the senior Updike, the homestead was divided, and one hundred acres became the share of William. These lands he continued to improve until his became one of the most prized farms in the county. As a country home, also, it was most attractive.
On the 20th of December. 1883. Mr. Updike was united in marriage to Louisa Armstrong, daughter of Robert Armstrong, and a sister of F. D. Armstrong. Her birth date was on June 17, 1862, and the place, Sand Creek township. To these parents two children were born, Charles C., the eldest, is now a resident of St. Paul, Indiana, where he teaches in the high school. After graduating from the Letts Corner high school, he studied at the Terre Haute State Normal, showing in all of his work a high grade of scholarship, and a special adaptability to the teaching profession. Charles Updike was born on February 23, 1885. and will graduate at Danville, Indiana, in the class of 1915, and will teach at Milroy, Indiana, and Mabel, who is attending the Westport high school, was born on August 5, 1900.
Farm work is rather strenuous for one in good health, and when there is any impairment of the physical organism, it may become a burden. Find- ing that his health was not equal to the duties of farm life, Mr. Updike left the country in 1912, and, with his devoted wife and family, took up their residence in a beautiful, modern home in Westport, later selling their farm. Since his removal, Mr. Updike has enjoyed comparative freedom from activity, and has given part, at least, of his time to those pursuits to which his tastes attracted him.
Always interested in whatever would advance the well-being of his home town, Mr. Updike creditably filled the position of township trustee, serving for a term of five years. He then was elected to the office of county commissioner, his term expiring on January 1, 1909. When his official duties were completed, there was general regret, for it was recognized that the affairs of the township and county had been handled in an admirable way, and that his duties had been discharged with honor and efficiency. Mr. Updike is a Republican. Both Mr. and Mrs. Updike are members of the Baptist church, and here as elsewhere, both have been not only nominal members of the organization, but adherents to the faith in reality, for they have contributed in many practical ways to the welfare of the church.
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Mrs. Updike, by her devotion to her home and family, has been a real inspiration to the efforts of husband and children, and has had a share in their success. Mr. Updike is a prominent member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Knights of Pythias.
W. T. STOTT & COMPANY.
The department store of W. T. Stott & Company is one of the con- spicuous places in the business section of Westport, and since its establish- ment by the honored father of the present owners has added much to the commercial prestige of the town in which it is located. While the careers of both William T. and J. C. have been interesting, they may be better understood by a perusal of the life of their father, the late Capt. William T. Stott, than whom Westport has never had a more enterprising merchant nor a more loyal citizen. As a tradesman he was just, honorable and kind, and as a man his influence transcended the usual limitations, for he was called upon to serve his country, which he did with an honor and bravery well worthy of emulation. William Taylor Stott, Jr., was the second son born to Capt. W. T. Stott and his wife, Caroline Bennett. Captain Stott was born in October, 1840, in Jennings county, and died in August 8, 1912, in Greensburg, having lived a life of signal usefulness. He was the son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Daily) Stott, natives of Kentucky and Vir- ginia, respectively, who early came to Jennings county to make their future home. About the year 1846 they removed to Decatur county, where they began farm life in Sand Creek township. But this was interrupted later by the call to arms which took the young man into many battles, for he enlisted in Company B, Fifty-second Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served for four years, becoming captain of his company. He distin- guished himself in many battles and engagements. At the close of the Civil War, Captain Stott engaged in the drug business, continuing until about 1875, his store being in Westport. Then he was appointed deputy internal revenue collector, a position which he filled with eredit for a num- ber of years. Elected sheriff of Decatur county in 1896, and re-elected two years later, he served in that capacity until the end of his term, and then bought out the well-known firm of Davis & Littell and took his sons into partnership with him. Captain Stott was by nature a politician, and took great interest in politics, being a Republican and a leader in his party. He
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was honest and fair, and an advocate of clean political standards. A mem- ber of the Christian church, although he lived a busy life, he found time for worship, and he and his wife brought up their children to respect mat- ters pertaining to religion. An ardent patriot, he was prominent in the Grand Army of the Republic post, of which he not only was commander, but whose offices he filled at various times. He was also a member of the Westport Free and Accepted Masons, joining the Masonic lodge when he was only twenty-one years of age.
Captain Stott's wife, who was before her marriage Caroline Bennett, was his helpmeet and inspiration in all matters of interest to him, and while he was active in the outward world of affairs, she looked after the home and the happiness of her family with devotion and true womanly unselfish- ness. She was born in 1845 and died in February, 1877. Her birthplace was in Decatur county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Stott, Sr., were four in number, Charles A. became a farmer and lives in Sand Creek town- ship, one mile south of Westport; the second son was William Taylor, born on May 20, 1870, to whom we shall again refer; Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob Binninger, of Greensburg; James Clarence, November 26, 1875, and was reared in Westport. He, like his father, is a Republican, a member of the Christian church and of the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. He was married on July 17, 1895, to Mary Elizabeth Brown of Decatur county, and to them were born seven childern, namely: Paul T., Chris- topher, Benjamin H., Gertrude and Gladys, twins, born in 1904, Dorothy and Verd.
Since going into business with their father in 1902, both W. T. and J. C. Stott have put into practice those principles which cannot fail to bring success. Their large department store carries an immense stock of general merchandise to meet the demands of the trade, which has become especially heavy since the store has occupied the two-story brick block into which the goods were placed in 1910.
Much of the success of this firm is due to the energy and ability of its senior member, William T. Stott, who is considered one of the repre- sentative business men of Westport. He, like his father, is a man of sterling honesty, fair and just in his business relations, and equally fair and just as a friend. He has identified his interests with those of his native town, and has been one of the leading public-spirited men of the community. He is a Republican, a member of the Christian church and a prominent member of the Free and Accepted Masons.
The ability of the members of the firm of W. T. Stott & Company
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has given them a distinctive place in the commercial life of the town in which they were born and reared, and the sons, who are now the owners, by their strict adherence to principle, and by their honorable, upright deal- ing, have been a decided impetus to the community to which their family has contributed in no small degrec.
FRANCIS M. ALLISON.
When the family of Francis M. Allison, a well-known and prosperous retired farmer of Adams township, this county, gather about the hospitable board at his pleasant home in the village of St. Paul, there are fifty there assembled. He is the father of thirteen children, all of whom are living, well and strong, and who, with their respective wives and husbands and their children and grandchildren, constitute the even half hundred when gathered with their father, who also is a great-grandfather. This undoubt- edly is the largest collective family, all living and in good health, ever reared in Decatur county, a distinction of which Mr. Allison, naturally enough, is quite proud. The mother of these children died in 1908 and since 1911 Mr. Allison has been living somewhat retired in the village of St. Paul, though still giving close attention to the operation of his excellent farm. Both he and his wife were of excellent pioneer stock and their numerous progeny gives assurance to the future that this stock long will persist in this county, to the no small gain of the community at large.
Francis M. Allison was born at old St. Omar, this county, on Novem- ber 16, 1847, the son of John and Elizabeth (Zeigler) Allison, the former of whom was born in March, 1913, and died in August, 1882, and the latter of whom was born in 1816 and died in December, 1881. John Allison was born in Washington county, Virginia, the son of Matthew Allison, who was born and reared in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he married, emigrat- ing thence to Virginia, later going to Knoxville, Tennessee; emigrating from that point in 1822 to Indiana, locating in Orange township, Ruslı county, on the banks of Big Flatrock. He also owned land over the county line, in Adams township, this county, which he sold in 1834. IIis wife, who was a Mrs. Cline, died in 1822. Elizabeth Zeigler was born in Butler county, Ohio, the daughter of Peter Zeigler, who came to Decatur county in 1819 or 1820. He first entered land on Michigan road in Washington township. On this tract he built a log cabin and proceeded to clear the timber away. Upon improving this tract he sold the same and then entered
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another tract just west of St. Omar, on which he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1874. His grandson, James W. Allison, now owns the farm originally entered by Mr. Zeigler in this county in 1821.
John Allison was reared on the paternal farm in Rush county and, upon finishing his schooling, taught school for three years. He bought a farm two miles west of St. Paul, which, in 1861, he sold, moving to the state of Iowa, where he remained until 1866, in which year he returned to Decatur county, locating in the village of St. Paul, where he spent the rest of his life. To his union with Elizabeth Zeigler there were born the following children: Charles, who was killed by an accident at the age of eleven years; Mrs. Salina Courtleyou, who was born on February 24, 1836, lives in Des Moines, Iowa; Francis M., the immediate subject of this sketch; Mrs. Alice McCain, of St. Paul, this county ; James W., who lives at Essex, Illinois; Mrs. Jessie Wilson, of St. Paul, this county, and Mrs. May Kurr, also of St. Paul.
Francis M. Allison received his education in the district schools and was reared to the life of the farm. In 1871 he bought a farm of sixty- eight acres in Adams township and in 1874 bought a small farm on Flat- rock creek. From 1876 to 1882 he lived on a farm of eighty acres in Orange township, Rush county. In 1881 he bought the old William A. Pearce farm of two hundred and seventeen acres in Adams township, which was entered from the government in 1821, and in 1912 sold this farm to his brother, James W. Allison. For one year he then owned the old Jona- than Paul farm at the edge of the village of St. Paul, which he sold and in September, 1914, bought a farm of two hundred and two and one-half acres on Little Flatrock, which he still owns and which he is operating very successfully, though not occupying, he having made his home in St. Paul since the year 191I.
On October 5, 1870, Francis M. Allison was united in marriage to Mary A. Garrett, who was born in Orange township, Rush county, Indiana, on August 1, 1848, the daughter of Wesley Garrett, who died on December 5. 1908. To this union there were born thirteen children, as follow: Dr. Charles D., a physician of South Bloomington, Illinois, on August 10, 1871, was graduated from Indiana Medical College in 1896, married Mary Mina Apple, of Adams township, this county, and has four children, Nina, Mary, Charles and Caroline : Elizabeth, January 17, 1873, married Albert A. Green, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has two children, Earl and Helen; Mary, April 4, 1874, married Daniel Apple, a farmer living east of St. Omar, in this county, and has six children, Ethel (who married Livy
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Adamıs), George, Gladys, Charles, Forrest and Caroline; Katy, November 2, 1876, married Otto Owen, of Reddick, Illinois, and has four children, Scott, Russell, Helen and Mary: Myrtle, September 2, 1878, married Otis Doggett; of Adams township; Dr. Francis M., July 13, 1880, a graduate of Indiana Medical College, practicing medicine at Gardner, Illinois, mar- ried Mayme Allison and has one child, Francis; Anna, April 27, 1882, mar- ried Ernest Tevis, of Adams township and has one child, Francis; Fannie, September 25, 1883, married George Burtscher, of Chicago; Ernest W., who operates the home farm in Adams township, May 23, 1886, married Nellie Shelhorn and has two children, Mabel and Caryl; Dorthy, April 23, 1888, married Cleve Archie, of Mt. Victory, Ohio, and has two children, James Francis and Robert Allison; Ethel, December 2, 1890, married Orba Land, of Adams township, and has one child, Carlos Allison; Bessie, Feb- ruary 17, 1892, married Walter Tonyes, of Richland township, Rush county, and has one child, Mary Elizabeth, and Marguerite, February 8, 1893, who is her father's housekeeper in their pleasant home in St. Paul.
Mr. Allison is a friend of all churches and does his part toward the promotion of the best interests of his community. He is a stanch Demo- crat, as was his father before him, and is regarded as a leader in the ranks of that party in Jackson township. He was elected township trustee in 1886 and was re-elected in 1888, his service in that connection having been of large benefit to the township. He is active in lodge work, being a mem- ber of the Masonic lodge at Waldron; of the Knights of Pythias lodge at St. Paul and of the lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Greensburg, in all of which lodges he is very popular, his genial dispo- stiion making him friends wherever he goes.
JACOB EMMERT.
The conspicuous success which has come to the venerable Jacob Emmert, a retired farmer and miller of Clarksburg, Indiana, is by no means a matter of accident, since he has from the beginning of his career approached the problems of the farm and the problems of the milling busi- ness with the scientific insight of one who knows that the smaller the cost of operation the larger the profit. His methodical precision in mastering the details of business seems to have been a natural endowment. Personal successes frequently can be explained on no other hypothesis than that the
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individual is possessed of a superior ability. It is not difficult to explain the success of those men who were favored by inheritance or accidental good fortunate, but Jacob Emmert does not belong to this class of successful inen, since he came to Clarksburg as a poor man and has become a- wealthy citizen by his own individual and personal effort.
Jacob Emmert was born seventy-six years ago, on April 19. 1839. 111 Bavaria, Germany, the son of Christopher and Elizabeth Emmert, who seven years after the birth of Jacob came to America and located on a farm in the state of Maryland. From Maryland they removed to Wilmington, Delaware, where Christopher worked in a mill. Eight years after coming to America they removed to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and the father, who worked in a flour-mill, died in that city. Although this part of Jacob Emmiert's carcer may appear uneventful to the superficial observer, never- theless it probably was the most eventful period of his life, since about this time he was learning the business in which he was to become so prominent in later life. One of a family of eight children, it is quite natural that Jacob had to begin to shift for himself at an early age. Three of his brothers, Peter, John and Fred, and his two sisters, Elizabeth and Cath- erine, are deceased. He has one living brother, Philip, who has been a merchant in Lawrenceburg. Indiana, for sixty years.
Leaving home at the age of sixteen years, in 1855, Mr. Emmert first operated a mill at Harrison, Ohio, for two years, and during the succeed- ing two years was engaged in operating another mill two miles north of Elizabethtown, Ohio. This was a water-mill. During the first two months of 1859 he was engaged in operating a steam-mill at Guilford, and for a short time later was at Greensburg. From Greensburg he re.noved to Dear- born county, and there operated a water-mill for John Emmert at Dills- boro for two years. In 1862 Mr. Emmert went to Fairland in Shelby county. Indiana, and was engaged in the milling business there for two years, when he returned to Greensburg, where he remained until the fall of 1869, at that time purchasing a mill which had been owned by a com- pany of men who had failed. Purchasing the plant at an assignee's sale, for nearly fifty years he has been engaged in manufacturing flour, grinding grain and sawing lumber. The mill, which is operated for custom and local trade, is now run by Mr. Emmert's son, Clinton Buell Emmert. It is equipped with all the latest machinery and operated by a gas engine at a cost of five cents an hour. The roller processes are employed, and two well- known local brands of flour, the "White Loaf" and "Blue Ribbon," are manufactured.
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