USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 90
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Frank M. Weadon was born in London county, Virginia, on July 7, 1835, and received an excellent education in his home state. In 1854 he came to this county, entering the postoffice at Greensburg as deputy post- master under Postmaster J. V. Bemustaffer. In this capacity he quickly made friends in his new home and was regarded as one of the "coming" young men of the community. President Lincoln later appointed him rev- enue collector for this revenue district, and he served most acceptably in that
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capacity until 1871, in which year he was elected county auditor of Decatur county, a position of trust which he filled with the utmost fidelity to the public. This service continued for four years, at the end of which time his services were engaged by the Big Four Railroad Company, and in 1882 the scene of his activities was transferred to Indianapolis, in which city he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on December 21, 1914. In his thirty years of service in the division headquarters of the Big Four Railroad Company at Indianapolis, Mr. Weadon was absent from the office but four weeks. He remained with the company until he was retired on pension on account of the encroachments of age. He was singularly faith- ful and devoted in his service to the company and was held in the very highest esteem by all his office associates and the authorities of the road.
On October 8, 1856, Frank M. Weadon was united in marriage to Mary Jane Jamison, who was born in Greensburg, this county, on April 24, 1838, the daughter of Francis and Nancy (Preston) Jamison, both members of pioneer families of this county. Francis Jamison was the son of Martin and Barbara (Seebaugh) Jamison, the former of whom was born in Glas- gow, Scotland, coming to this country in early manhood and locating at Har- risburg, Pennsylvania, where he married Barbara Seebaugh, a member of one of the old Colonial families, later coming to Decatur county and enter- ing business in the then rapidly growing village of Greensburg. Martin Jamison had been trained to the hatter's trade in Scotland and he engaged in the hatter's business at Greensburg, to which he added a general stock of dry goods, becoming one of the leading business men in southern Indiana. He built the first two-story building in Greensburg, his place of business having been located on the site now occupied by Minear's dry-goods store. and was a power in the early development of the commercial and industrial interests of this county, his influence in the religious and civic life of the community having been equally potent, so much so that few names in the early history of Decatur county are entitled to more respectful recognition than that of Martin Jamison.
Francis Jamison was born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and as a child came to this county with his parents, being reared at Greensburg, and upon reaching manhood was associated with his father in the dry-goods business at Greensburg, being for many years one of the leading merchants in that city. He married Nancy Preston, who was born in Georgetown, Kentucky, and who came to Decatur county with her parents at the age of sixteen years, her father, Thomas Preston, becoming one of the best-known pioneer farmers of this county. Thomas Preston entered a government tract, at
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what is now known as the Doss Pleak farm, and became a substantial and honored resident of that part of the county.
To Frank M. and Mary Jane (Jamison) Weadon were born the fol- lowing children: Percy, who is prominently connected with the theatrical business in New York City; George A., a prominent business man in Indian- apolis, in the millinery line, a biographical sketch of whom is presented else- where in this volume; Burt C. and Bruce.
The Weadons are held in high esteem throughout Decatur county, though long having been absent the connection of the two names, Jamison and Weadon, formerly so strongly identified with the commercial and politi- cal life of the county seat, giving to the family a substantial position in this county which time cannot effect.
OSCAR B. TRIMBLE.
Among the men of sterling worth and strong character in Decatur coun- ty, who have left the mark of their influence on the institutional life of this section, none has been honored with a larger measure of popular respect than Oscar B. Trimble, a prominent farmer of Clay township, former trustee of that township and twice elected treasurer of Decatur county. Mr. and Mrs. Trimble have a splendid farm of one hundred and seventy acres, three-quar- ters of a mile south of Milford, on the old Vernon road, where they have lived for many years in comfort and happiness, sweethearts quite as much as they were in the days of their courtship.
Oscar B. Trimble was born in Washington township, Decatur county, Indiana, in 1859, the son of John B. and Adelaide (Owens) Trimble, the former of whom was born in 1818 in Grayson county, Virginia. The Owens family, originally from Pennsylvania, came to Decatur county in pioneer times, first settling in Jackson township, where their descendants are still numerous. Risden Owens, the founder of the present branch of the family in this section, emigrated, when past the prime of life, to Kansas and there entered land and became wealthy. He died in that state, after having spent a life of unusual vigor. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom Adelaide, the mother of Mrs. Trimble, was one of the daughters.
The Trimble family is of Scotch-Irish descent and came to Decatur county in 1836 from Virginia, settling in Washington township, near Greens- burg. John B. Trimble was a carpenter in his younger days, and there are
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MR. AND MRS. OSCAR B. TRIMBLE.
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several houses still standing and in good condition which he built in Decatur county. The house on what is known as the old Tarkington farm, where the ancestors of Booth Tarkington lived, now owned by Bird Sefton, was built by Mr. Trimble and stands today as a monument to his skill and honesty as a builder. Later he abandoned carpentering and became a farmer. He was married in 1855 to Adelaide Owens and after their marriage, they purchased a farm in Washington township, now known as the Applegate farm. After selling this farm, John B. Trimble moved to Kansas, where he remained one year, and then came back to Decatur county, purchasing land in Clay town- ship, now owned by his sons, O. B. and A. B. Trimble.
Although reared a Democrat, the late John B. Trimble, soon after coming to Decatur county, became a member of the Whig party and, upon the organization of the Republican party, in 1856, became a member of that party. He was always true to the party of Lincoln and was intensely pat- riotic, ever displaying the utmost loyalty to the principles of the Union during the time of the Civil War. John B. Trimble was elected several times as trustee of Clay township and made a fine record in that office. A noble citizen and an influential man, he had a wide acquaintance and was popular with his neighbors, especially on account of his brilliant conversational abili- ties. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Christian church. He died on August 24, 1907. His widow, who died less than two months later, on October 12, 1907, was a woman of kindly, Christian charac- ter and was much loved and respected in Clay township.
To the late John B. and Adelaide (Owens) Trimble the following chil- dren were born : Mrs. Maria Morse, wife of William Morse, of Indianapolis ; O. B., the subject of this sketch ; Arthur B., a farmer of Milford, this county ; Mrs. Carrie McCoy, wife of Curtis McCoy, of this county, and Fred B., a well-known Decatur county farmer, who died in 1900, at the age of forty- two.
In 1879 O. B. Trimble was married to Ida M. Butler, who was born in Bartholomew county, this state, in 1860, daughter of John F. and Susan (Woodard) Butler, who later were well-known residents of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Trimble began life on the farm where they now live and there they have lived a life noted for its peacefulness and happiness. To them two children have been born, Claudia A., wife of Dr. Charles A. Kuhn, of Greensburg, and Ethel B., wife of Christian Steen, of Minneapolis, Minne- sota. Dr. and Mrs. Kuhn have two children, Dorothy and Hilda.
Always intensely loyal to the principles of the Republican party, O. B. (59)
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Trimble has been prominent in the affairs of his party for many years and is- regarded as one of the influential men in the party's councils in Decatur county. In 1894 he was elected trustee of Clay township and served for five years. In 1906 he was elected treasurer of Decatur county and was re-elected in 1908. Both as trustee of Clay township and treasurer of Decatur county, Mr. Trimble was one public official who worked at the job; who kept the business of the county and the township absolutely straight and who devoted his time exclusively to looking after the public business. He is a man of whom the people of this county have reason to be proud. Mrs. Trimble is a member of the Christian church and takes a warm interest in the affairs of the same. Mr. Trimble is a Mason, being a member of the lodge of that order at Milford. He also is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Milford, the Knights of Pythias lodge at Burney and the lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Greensburg, being very popular among the members of these several fraternities. He and lias wife are active in all good works in their neighborhood and are held in the highest esteem there- about.
DILVER E. DOUGLAS, M. D.
Among the prominent physicians and surgeons of Greensburg, Indiana, who also have been prominent in the political and civic life of the county, is Dr. Dilver E. Douglas, whose grandfather came down the Ohio river from Pennsylvania and settled early in the history of the state near Vevay, Indiana. The career of this successful physician, the subject of this sketch. is a striking example of boyish ideals and ambitions which have been fully realized in later life.
Dilver E. Douglas was born on a farm near Vevay, Indiana, on Novem- ber 9, 1870, son of John and Esther ( Pocock) Douglas, natives of Indiana, the former of whom was born in 1840 and died in 1892 and the latter born in 1842 and died in 1894. John Douglas was the son of Jackson Douglas, a native of Pennsylvania, who, as heretofore stated, came down the Ohio river from Pennsylvania and, after numerous experiences and exploits, settled near Vevay.
Educated in the district schools and in the Vevay high school, Dilver E. Douglas was also a student for some time at the local normal school and taught school for seven years in Switzerland county. Beginning the study of medicine in his boyhood, in the office of Dr. R. D. Simpson, he entered the
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Ohio Medical University in 1892, later entering the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, from which he was graduated with the class of 1897.
From 1897 to 1912 Dr. Dilver E. Douglas was engaged in the practice of medicine at East Enterprise, near Vevay, but in 1912 came to Decatur county and has since that time been successfully engaged in the practice of medicine in Greensburg. Doctor Douglas is a member of the Decatur County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Association and the American Medical Association, in all of which organizations he takes a prominent part.
On June 10, 1896, Dr. D. E. Douglas was married to Lillian Adams, of Vevay. To this union two children, Robert E. and F. Mareta, have been born.
A member of the sixty-sixth General Assembly of Indiana, Doctor Douglas served as a member of the committee on ways and means, the com- mittee on state medicine and the committee on benevolent institutions. He was a prominent and influential member of that session, having been elected as a Democrat and serving as a member of a body which was Democratic for the first time in several years. During this session, however, the upper house of the General Assembly remained Republican.
Doctor Douglas is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. A Democrat in politics, in addition to his service as a member of the Indiana General Assembly, he also served as county surveyor of Switzerland county for one term before moving from East Enterprise to Greensburg.
Although a resident of this county a comparatively brief period. Doctor Douglas has already established a flourishing practice. During his short residence here, he has gained a host of friends and is honored and esteemed. not only by his patients, but by all the people of Greensburg. Decatur county.
MATHIAS JOHANNIGMANN.
If one should visit Decatur county in search for a model farm, from the standpoint of improvements, buildings and natural advantages, and one that was cultivated and farmed by the most modern methods, he would more than likely be directed to Marion township in search of Mathias Johan- nigmann.
Mathias Johannigmann was born on August 16, 1856, in a log cabin on the farm on which he now lives, the son of Bernard Dominicus Johannig-
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mann, who was born in Germany in 1821, and who died in Decatur county in 1896. After emigrating to America in 1850 Dominicus Johannigmann lived for a time in Cincinnati and then came to Decatur county and bought a tract of land in Marion township that had been partly cleared by the Indians, the aboriginals having had a village at that point. The remainder of this land was cleared by Dominicus Johanningmann and in 1876 he made the bricks and built the fine brick residence in which his son, Mathias Johannig- mann, now lives.
The wife of Bernard Dominicus Johannigmann was Elizabeth Egbert, who was born in Germany in 1832 and died in Decatur county in 1866. They had the following children: Mary, who lives in Cincinnati; John, who is deceased; Mathias, the subject of this sketch; Henry, who lives at Walnut Hills, Cincinnati; Joseph, who lives at Price Hill, Cincinnati, and Anna (Theimann) St. Bernard, of Cincinnati.
Mathias Johannigmann is now in possession of a tract of two hundred and forty-six acres of well-improved land, which has a running stream of water passing through it. Mr. Johannigmann has one of the finest barns in Decatur county. This barn was built in 1909 and is sixty-four by forty- eight feet and three stories high. It is made out of hard-wood lumber that was cut from trees taken on this farm. The construction of the barn is such that any of the three stories will support a wagon and team. The barn is well supplied with granaries and has running water for the stock. It is unquestionably the finest barn in Decatur county. The Johannigmann farm presents a most picturesque sight with its hills and valleys and fine old buildings set in surroundings of huge old maple trees. The fine brick resi- dence was built by Mathias Johannigmann's father in 1877, and is in an excellent state of repair. Mathias Johannigmann has always lived on this farm, with the exception of six years spent in Cincinnati, as a teamster, when a young man. He is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and has a fine herd of fifteen head of this breed. He has five head of fine mules and five head of pure-bred Percheron horses, and on both horses and mules he has won premiums at Batesville. North Vernon, Osgood and Greensburg fairs and stock shows. IIe also raises annually from twenty-five to forty head of fine Duroc-Jersey hogs.
Mathias Johannigmann was married on February 19, 1884, to Anna Kuhlman, who was born in Madisonville, Ohio, in 1859, the daughter of John Kuhlman, a native of Germany, who came to Indiana from Ohio. To Mathias and Anna (Coleman) Johannigmann have been born six children. of whom three are living: Clara. born in 1888, now resides in Cincinnati;
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Mathias, June 8, 1893, is now farming at home, and Helen, October 25, 1894.
Mathias Johannigmann is a Democrat. He is a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and is a good example of the sturdy German blood which has done so much to enrich America, he and his family being held in the highest esteem throughout a part of the county in which for years he has taken so prominent a part in agricultural development.
EDWIN S. FEE.
Our republic, consciously or unconsciously, was founded on the idea that man's economic objects are to be obtained by the exploitation of one class by another class- by the appropriation of others' labor rather than by one's own labor, by political rather than by economic need. It is another instance of the institution of government designed to preserve in our civ- ilization the principle that the fittest shall survive. The aristocratic char- acter of our legislative bodies, particularly the federal court, and, until quite recently, the United States Senate, are glaring instances of the fact that at every crucial point the few have been foresighted enough to protect their tra- ditional rights, to exploit all not within the pale of their own social class.
When we find in our examination of the personal and biographical an- nals of the past generation, one who has devoted his life's energies to oppos- ing the aggressions of the few, who lived and died for the cause which he knew was right, who withstood the trials and discouragements, the opposi- tion and the isolation of friends and even relatives, yet remained steadfast in the cause and uplift of a downtrodden race of humanity, we are com- pelled to render a tribute to the memory of the man who put personal and selfish interests aside and cast his fortunes with those who were being preyed upon.
In the agitation against the institution of slavery which preceded the Civil War, no man gave greater power or more intelligent direction to the crusade than the late Rev. John G. Fee, founder of Berea College, at Berea, Kentucky. A school which today ranks with our foremost colleges and uni- versities, with an enrollment of more than two thousand students, it is a liv- ing monument to the memory of Reverend Fee, who was the father of Edwin Sumner Fee, a well-known farmer and stockman of Decatur county and the subject of this writing.
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Edwin S. Fee, born on March 17, 1863, in Clermont county, Ohio, is today the only surviving member of a family of six children, reared under the best impulses of Christian citizenship, and under the protecting love of a noble and capable Christian mother, who added her best energies, her best thought and action to the success of her husband and the cares of her house- hold. Mr. Fee has complete data on the genealogy of his ancestors as far back as 1630, which is greatly prized by himself and will increase in value in coming generations. Mr. Fee's infancy was contemporaneous with the stirring period of the Civil War. He, like all his brothers and sisters, was educated in the schools of Berea, Kentucky, and in Berea College.
On September 11, 1883, Edwin S. Fee was married to Enrie J. Ham- ilton, of Fugit township, Decatur county, Indiana, a daughter of the late William McCoy and Euphemie (Donnell) Hamilton, both members of old and prominent families in the county, the former of whom was born on November 26, 1822, and died on February 25, 1905, and the latter of whom was born on October 5. 1829, and died on December 6, 1892. Mrs. Fee's father was a citizen of Decatur county and lived his entire life within its borders. a son of Cyrus and Mary (McCoy) Hamilton, natives of Kentucky. William McCoy Hamilton was born and reared on the paternal farm in the Kingston neighborhood in Decatur county. On January 24, 1854. he was married to Euphemie Donnell, the only daughter of Luther and Jane ( Braden) Donnell. Immediately after their marriage they moved to the farm on which their only son, Luther Donnell Hamilton, now lives. At that time there was an old pioneer dwelling on this farm, which, ten years later, was supplanted by a fine, large brick residence, which Mr. Hamilton erected and which, with some remodeling to suit modern conditions, still does fine service as a coun- try home.
Mrs. Hamilton inherited about six hundred acres of land from her father, and gradually this was increased by Mr. Hamilton until he became the possessor of more than three thousand acres of land. He bred and raised a great number of mules, cattle and hogs for the market. He was one of the most substantial citizens in this county, an carnest Republican and took an active part in political affairs. He was a fiery abolitionist and served in the capacity of county commissioner for two terms. He was prom- inently connected with the affairs of the "underground railroad," by which agency many slaves found their way to freedom before the war. He was president of the First National Bank of Greensburg. Both Mr. Hamilton and his wife took active interest in all church work and charitable institu- tions. Mrs. Hamilton's main work was in her household and aiding poor
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and unfortunate people who came within the reach of her kindly care and Christian influence.
To William McCoy and Euphemie ( Donnell ) Hamilton were born five children : Enrie Jane, born on November 8, 1854, the wife of Mr. Fee; Grace Greenwood, November 20, 1858, died on January 16, 1898; Luther Donnell, at present one of the largest farmers in the county; Myrta Gay, February 18, 1865, married John M. Berry on December 26, 1893, and died at her Chicago home on March 19, 1897, and Mary Blanche, May 9, 1868, married George W. Lyons in December, 1900, and is now living in Greens- burg.
Mrs. Edwin S. Fee, the eldest of the family, was educated at Oberlin College, and took special courses in the conservatory of music and was affil- iated with the class of 1875. For two years she taught music in Berea Col- lege, and was teaching at the time she met Mr. Fee. After their marriage they began farming in this county. Today Mr. and Mrs. Fee own over nine hundred acres of land in three farms. They have a beautiful modern home in the town of Clarksburg, perhaps the finest residence in the county. Com- pleted in the fall of 1906, it contains twenty-one rooms and is finished throughout with native hardwood and with hardwood floors. It is hot- water heated and is lighted with natural gas. The rooms are all artistically decorated and a large open fireplace in the spacious living room is a most attractive and comfortable feature of this magnificent country home. It is painted cream and white and has French plate-glass windows and a large circular porch, which extends almost around the entire house, with the porte- cochere on the south side.
On this body of land there are four sets of farm buildings. Mr. Fee is an extensive cattle, mule and hog raiser, and a large feeder of Shorthorn cattle. He averages not less than one hundred and fifty head of cattle and twenty-five mules and two hundred head of hogs for market per year. Four men åre employed by the year to aid in the work on these farms, their fami- lies living on these farms.
To Edwin S. and Enrie J. (Hamilton) Fee five children have been born, two sons and three daughters, all of whom after attending the high school at Clarksburg enjoyed the advantages of higher education. Burritt Hamil- ton, born on June 26, 1884. was educated at Berea College and is now a farmer and stockman; William Howard, July 4, 1886, attended Berea, Tarkio (Missouri) and Valparaiso (Indiana) College, and is farming near Kingston. Both sons own one hundred and sixty acres of land apiece, be- sides other interests. Mary E., February 24, 1889, is pursuing special
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courses of music in Berea College, DePauw University and Oberlin and Cin- cinnati conservatories. Nellie M., August 4, 1891, attended Monmouth Col- lege, Illinois, for three successive years in the liberal arts course, at the same time taking a course in vocal music at the conservatory. Bessie E., July 16, 1894, attended college a year each at Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, Monmouth College and Bradley Polytechnic, at Peoria, specializing in music, domestic science and painting.
The family are members and regular attendants of the Clarksburg Pres- byterian church, Mrs. Fee having been organist and leader of the choir for more than forty years, and is today still doing excellent service in that capacity. All the family live at the home in Clarksburg.
Edwin S. Fee is a progressive Republican, but is independent in his voting and thinking. He has proved a valuable citizen in this great county, and is a director and largest individual stockholder in the Clarksburg State Bank, and is a trustee of Lincoln Institute at Louisville, Kentucky, and prominent on temperance boards and affairs of community interest and bet- terment. Both Mr. Fee and his two sons are valuable factors in the com- munity as farmers and men of judgment, prominent in corn and stock shows and farmers' institutes.
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