USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 99
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119
Like his father, E. A. Gibson has always been interested in politics and is one of the leaders in the councils of the Democratic party in this county. He has a good business in the town of Horace, where he lives, and is highly spoken of by the people of that community.
1014
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
WILLIAM DAVIS.
Not many years ago in Clay township, this county, a young farmer began his married life with less than one thousand dollars and within seven years he owned five hundred and thirteen acres of land, all of which he made and paid for himself. This enterprising farmer is William Davis, a well- known citizen of Clay township, whose home farm of two hundred and eleven acres lies eight miles southwest of Greensburg.
William Davis, the son of George T. and Mary (Case) Davis, was born in Sand Creek township, Decatur county, in 1848, and lived on the old home farm until twenty-one years of age. George T. Davis was a native of Frank- lin county, born in 1818, who died on January 17, 1909, at the age of ninety- one years. He came to Decatur county when a young man, after his mar- riage, and settled on a farm in Sand Creek township, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a successful farmer and accumulated considerable land, being the owner of one hundred and eighty acres at the time of his death. George T. Davis was the son of Robert Davis, who came to Decatur county in pioneer times and entered three eighty-acre tracts, which, later in life, he gave to his children. At the time this land was given to George T. Davis by his father he set out some locust trees that are still standing. A member of the Whig party until 1856, George T. Davis became a Republican upon the formation of the latter party. He was a member of the Masonic lodge at Westport and of the Baptist church at Letts. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children, of whom seven are still living, namely: William, the subject of this sketch; Isane, of lowa : Thomas C., of Tennessee : Martha, of Vernon. Indiana ; John, of Letts Corner, this county ; Lavina, who married John Jerris, of Marion township, this county, and Mrs. Hannah Brown, of Connersville, Indiana.
In 1870 William Davis was married to Harriet Hunter, the daughter of Lewis and Mirah ( Martin) Hunter, both natives of Dearborn county, this state, the former of whom was born in 1806 and died in 1859, and the latter of whom was born in 1814 and died in 1848. Lewis Hunter moved from Dearborn county to Jennings county in an early day and spent the rest of his life in that county. After the marriage of Mr. Davis, in 1870, he and his wife lived on a farm and he worked by the month. After a few years of hard and diligent labor, he rented a farm and finally purchased two hundred and ninety-nine acres, paying seven or eight thousand dollars for the prop- erty. He paid this debt off in seven years and then purchased two hundred
1015
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
and thirteen acres more, having come to own, within seven years, five hundred and thirteen acrees. At that early period he received no financial assistance and was not benefited by any legacies. He has made his money from the live-stock business, buying, feeding and selling cattle and hogs. For years he was a large dealer in live stock and some weeks shipped between five and ten thousand head of hogs, mostly to Louisville.
To William and Harriet ( Hunter) Davis two children have beeen born, James G., who farms the home place, married Mrs. Dora Stout, widow of Albert Stout, and daughter of Herman Myer, and has three children, George WV., Mary and Denzel D., and Nora, who married Ralph McGee, of Greens- burg, a farmer, and has one child, a daughter, Orpha. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Baptist church and are regarded as among the leaders in the good works of their community.
Mr. Davis is a Republican and is a strong believer in the Republican principles. He was beaten by only one vote for trustee in Sand Creek town- ship, at a time when the normal majority of the opposition was one hundred. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Greensburg. First and last a stockman, Mr. Davis feeds about fifty head of cattle every year and has two silos. The land is gently rolling and originally grew sugar trees and walnut, as well as yellow poplar. Broad-minded in his views and charitable in his attitude towards others, Mr. Davis is always ready to help the unfortunate and is a good, strong, substantial citizen.
LAWRENCE O. BLACKMORE.
On a beautiful farm of three hundred acres, one-half mile east of Mil- ford, in Clay township, Decatur county, there live Mr. and Mrs. L. O. Black- more, among the most prominent and influential residents of the county. They are well-to-do farmers, surrounded with all of the comforts and many of the luxuries which life in the country now so generously offers. Mr. and Mrs. Blackmore are very well circumstanced and spend their winters in Florida.
L. O. Blackmore, son of Lawrence O. and Frances (Wallace) Black- more, was born in 1850 on the old Blackmore homestead in this county. The late Lawrence O. Blackmore was the son of Owen W. and Eliza (Fulton) Blackmore, the former of whom was born in Maryland or Virginia in 1793, his mother, a daughter of John Wilson, a native of Maryland, of English
1016
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
origin, member of a wealthy and distinguished family that owned a large amount of land where Washington. D. C., now stands. Eliza Fulton was the daughter of David and Nancy ( Rankin) Fulton, of an old and aristocratic southern family, distinguished in many lines of endeavor. On another page of this volume there is presented in detail. in a memorial sketch relating to the late L. O. Blackmore, father of the subject of this sketch, a history of these interesting families, to which the reader is respectfully referred in this connection.
The late Lawrence O. Blackmore was the eldest of a family of six chil- dren. He married Frances W. Wallace, daughter of John and Jane ( Quigley) Wallace, the former of whom was a native of Maryland, who came to this county with his family from Rockridge county, Virginia, in 1837, and to this union were born seven children, as follow: Mrs. Eliza Jane Smiley, widow of George W. Smiley; Lawrence O., the subject of this sketch: Sarah H .; Samuel Edgar, of Shelby county; Elisha W., deceased; Lenora Ann, who died in infancy, and Frances Olive, the wife of Doctor Crawford, of Milford.
L. O. Blackmore was educated in the common schools of Decatur county and spent one year at Holbrook Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. He was about ten years old when the Civil War broke out and, near the close of that struggle, tried to enlist, but his father, finding out his intentions, promptly put him to work hoeing corn, which soon dissipated his desire for warfare. When about twenty-five years old, Mr. Blackmore began life for himself. He rented land for six years and during that time accumulated some two thousand dollars, which sum he paid on the farm of one hundred and twenty acres. As a matter of fact, he spent one thousand dollars in improvements and thus had only a one-thousand-dollar equity in the farm, which cost him six thousand dollars. Mr. Blackmore has added to this original tract until he now owns three hundred acres, having paid from fifty to one hundred and ten dollars an acre for his land. His money has been made from corn, hogs and cattle, and he now has an admirably improved farm. A partner whom he took into the farming business eight years ago is now worth at least ten thousand dollars, a distinct evidence that agriculture on the Blackmore farm is being made to pay.
In 1877 L. O. Blackmore was married to Fannie C. O'Byrne, the daugh- ter of Henry O'Byrne, a native of Ireland, who came to America and settled in Franklin county. Mrs. Blackmore's mother, who was a Barbour, was a native of that county. Henry O'Byrne was a successful business man and farmer and died at the age of about fifty years, being the owner of about twelve hundred acres of land. Mrs. Blackmore spent five years in the Oxford
1017
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA,
Female College at Oxford, Ohio, and was graduated in 1875. Upon her graduation she went to Indianapolis and spent two years there, at the end of which time she and Mr. Blackmore were married. She is a cultured and refined woman and a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Milford, to which church Mr. Blackmore also is attached, they being regarded as among the leaders in all good works thereabout. Mr. Blackmore is a Republican and takes an intelligent interest in the political affairs of the county. He is a stockholder in the Third National Bank at Greensburg and prominent, not only in agricultural circles, but in the financial circles of this. county. There are no more highly respected citizens living in Decatur county than Mr. and Mrs. L. O. Blackmore, and they are held in the highest esteem in their large circle of friends.
JAMES HOWARD.
One of the successful farmers, strong and conservative characters, good citizens and ardent Democrats of Clay township, this county, is James How- ard, who owns sixty-six acres of splendid land in that township, three miles northwest of Burney and three miles southwest of Milford.
James Howard was born in Noble township, Shelby county, Indiana, in 1861, the son of John and Mary ( Pullen) Howard, the former of whom was a native of Butler county, Ohio, the son of Aaron Howard, a native of Ohio. John Howard came to Decatur county when he was eight years old with his father, Aaron, who settled on a farm in Washington township, west of Greensburg, known as the Ralston farm. Aaron Howard was a prosperous farmer and a well-known citizen of this county. For twelve years he served as county assessor and, being an ardent Democrat, he was prominent in the councils of his party. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom John Howard, the father of Jamies, was the second child. He was born in Ohio and grew to manhood on his father's farm in this county: When about twenty-five years old, he was married to Mary Pullen, a native of Virginia, born in 1831. the daughter of William and Martha (Hogue) Pullen, both natives of that state. William Pullen, a farmer by occupation, came of a good old Virginia family, all of whom were Democrats of the old school.
To John and Mary ( Pullen) Howard were born seven children, namely : Dennis, who is a resident of Shelbyville, this state ; James, who is the subject
1018
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
of this sketch; Sarah Jane, who is the wife of John Moore, of Johnson county, Indiana ; Jessie, who lives in Michigan ; Mattie, who is the wife of William R. Braden, of Shelby county, Indiana; Othor, also a fariner of the same county, and Oscar, who also lives in that county.
After being reared to manhood on his father's farm, James Howard was married in 1882 to lda Alley, a daughter of Samuel and Nancy (Selby) AAlley. A history of the Alley family is presented elsewhere in this volume in the biographical sketch relating to J. L. Alley. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Howard began life on a farm in Shelby county, where they lived until about 1885, when they moved to the farm upon which they now live. To them four children have been born, two of whom are living and two deceased, namely : Opal, who married Conda Steward, of Bartholomew county, this state, and has one son, Howard Donald, who was born on October 12, 1914; Alley, who died at the age of four years ; a child who died in infancy, and Oscar, who lives at home with his parents. Mr. Howard is very proud of his only grandchild and especially proud because Howard Donald is a very lively little youngster.
James Howard is a Democrat, stanch and true to the mandates of his party organization and the principles for which his party stands. He has always a deep interest in politics and is one of the leaders of his party in Clay township. Mr. and Mrs. Howard and family are members of the Christian church at Milford. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Geneva, in Shelby county. Progressive, public-spirited, lib- eral and broad-minded, he has contributed in a rather large measure to the material advancement of this county and no man is more popular in the neigh- borhood where he lives than he.
JOHN W. CORYA.
Practical industry and good management never fail to bring success, carrying the worker onward and upward and bringing out the strong points of his character at the same time, acting as powerful stimulants to the efforts of others. It is always refreshing to consider the character of self-made men, among whom may be mentioned John W. Corya, a prosperous Clay township farmer, living three and one-half miles northwest of Burney and three and one-half miles southwest of Milford, who owns four hundred and seventeen acres of splendid farming land.
1019
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
John W. Corya was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, in September, . 1858, the son of Francis M. and Lucinda ( Phillips) Corya, the former of whom was a native of that same county, the son of Philip and Isabella (Boicourt ) Corya. Philip Corya was a native of Pennsylvania, of German origin, who was brought when a mere lad to Jefferson county, Indiana, by his parents, who were well-respected German farmers. Isabella Boicourt was a native of Decatur county and the Boicourt family is of French extrac- tion. Although Lucinda Phillips's mother, who was a Wilson, was a native . of this county, her father was a native of Ireland, reared as a Protestant.
John W. Corya left home when about six years old to live with an uncle in Jefferson county, Indiana, where he remained until thirteen years of age, at which time he began life for himself by working in a store in Jen- nings county. After working in this store as a clerk for seven years and learning the principles of good business, he spent a short time in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the produce commission business. He then went to Colorado, where he was employed in gold and silver mines, running a pack-train of burros, carrying ore and supplies to and from the mines.
The Marshall Pass Basin of Colorado every winter fills with snow and until late in the spring is impassable. While engaged in running the pack- train, in the spring of 1883, John W. Corya, then a young man of twenty- five, went through this pass with his train of burros earlier in the season than anyone before him had ever been able to make the trip. After spending five years in the mines, he returned to Indiana and settled in Jennings county, where he was married to Flora Galloway, the daughter of William and Eliza- beth (Parker) Galloway, the former of whom was a native of Indiana, whose father came from Kentucky, and the latter of whom was the daughter of Enoch Parker, a native of. Jennings county, Indiana, a member of an old and established family of that county.
After his marriage, in 1887. John W. Corya located at North Vernon, this state, where he engaged in the produce business. One year later he and his wife went to West Virginia and after staying there but a very short time, came back to Indiana and settled in Decatur county. One year later they moved to the northwestern part of Missouri, where Mr. Corya rented a farm, on which they lived for three years. There he was fairly successful but eventually he returned to Jennings county, Indiana, and for ten years was engaged in the mercantile business. Upon selling out this business, in December, 1902, he came to Decatur county and purchased a farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Clay township from Joseph Burney. The build- ings on the farm were dilapidated and hardly fit for human habitation. There
1020
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
were scarcely any fences and the farm was very much run down in every par- ticular. That was twelve years ago and today John W. Corya owns four hundred and seventeen acres of land and has erected on the farm a splendid home of nine rooms, modern in every respect and costing five thousand dol- lars. He has two large and substantial barns, one sixty by one hundred and twelve and the other fifty by sixty-four feet. Besides the home farm in Clay township, Mr. Corya owns a farm of one hundred and thirty-seven acres of well-improved land in Bartholomew county.
When John Corya started on the farin in Clay township, he had twelve thousand dollars and today he could "cash out" any time for more than fifty thousand dollars, success having crowned his efforts in these short twelve years. It may be said in passing that neither Mr. Corya nor his wife has inherited to exceed five hundred dollars, their large success being the result of their own hard work and prudent management. Mr. Corya has specialized in breeding Western lambs and usually feeds about one thousand head of sheep. He is preparing to extend his operations so that he may feed fifteen hundred or more. There are two silos on one of his farms, a great help in feeding.
To John W. and Flora ( Galloway) Corya four children have been born, namely : Delta, who was born in North Vernon in 1888 and who lives at home: Horace, who was born in Jennings county in 1893 and who is also at home; Russell, born in Jennings county in 1889, and Erma, who was born in 1906, died in 1907.
There are no more stanch or true Republicans living in Decatur county than John Corya, who is steadfast to the principles of the party of Abraham Lincoln and who believes that party is eminently capable of administering the affairs of this government. He is regarded as one of the leaders in the councils of the Republican party in Decatur county. Formerly, Mr. Corya was a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at North Vernon. Russell Corya, the youngest son of Mr. Corya, who is now a student of the agricul- tural course at Purdue University, won a prize for the best acre of corn raised in Clay township in 1914.
John Corya is a man of more than ordinary ability. He has a liking for and an aptitude for politics. Being a pronounced optimist in his views, he is naturally popular with his neighbors and fellow citizens. With all of his public interests he is. nevertheless, a man of strong domestic temperaments and devoted to the interests of his family, all of whom are held in high esteem throughout the section of the county in which they reside.
IO2I
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
JAMES A. PUMPHREY.
James A. Pumphrey, the proprietor of "Spring Dale Farm," comprising one hundred and ninety-five acres of fertile land located one and one-half miles north of Burney and one and one-half miles southwest of Milford, is one of the prosperous citizens of Clay township, this county. This farm not only lies in the garden spot of the great Hoosier commonwealth, but is itself. in fact, one of the most desirable farms in the community. No better land is to be found anywhere. "Spring Dale Farm" is so named from a fine spring which never freezes and never goes dry. The picturesque springhouse was built over this spring more than a half century ago. The farm was entered by Captain Lowry, who came to Decatur county in 1823. It has changed hands only twice since that time, once when Captain Lowry deeded it to the late William Pumphrey and the second time when the latter deeded it to his son, James A., the subject of this sketch.
James A. Pumphrey was born on the old Pumphirey homestead in Clay township in 1863. He grew to manhood on that farm and was educated in the district schools of Clay township, after which he began the business of life for himself.
On February 7. 1884, James A. Pumphrey was married to Mary E. Mandlove, a daughter of William A. and Nancy J. (Edwards) Mandlove, the former of whom was the son of James and Sarah ( Bean) Mandlove. James Mandlove, a native of Kentucky, was born in 1816 and died in 1862. His wife was born in England in 1820, the daughter of William and Sarah Bean. William Bean was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal church in England, who immigrated to America late in life, when Sarah, the grand- mother of Mrs. Pumphrey, was only two years old. The voyage required nine weeks and one of Sarah's sisters died and was buried at sea. James and Sarah Mandlove began life in Decatur county on a farm, after having settled in Clay township on the site of the present town of Burney. In that day Clay township was a dense wilderness, the few inhabitants marking the trails through the dense forests by "blazing" the ways, gashing the trees to mark the little-traveled routes. The grinding for the household was done at the Critser mill on Clifty creek, which mill is still standing and still in opera- tion. James Mandlove was one of the prominent citizens of Decatur county during his day, at one time being rated as the wealthiest man in the county. He died in 1862, at which time he owned a large tract of land and a store at Milford which in that day was a thriving town. He was a Democrat and a member of the Methodist church.
IO22
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
After his marriage, Mr. Pumphrey and his wife moved to a farm owned by his father, which he rented. There they lived for about one year, when they moved to Burney, where he was engaged in the mercantile business for six years, at the end of which time he sold the store and purchased "Spring Dale Farm." The original tract comprised only fifty-five acres and was bought in 1891, since which date Mr. Pumphrey has added to the farm until it now comprises one hundred and ninety-five acres.
To James A. and Mary E. (Mandlove) Pumphrey have been born two sons, Edgar Ray and William Falonzo. Edgar Ray Pumphrey was born on October 31, 1888, and was educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county. After graduating from high school in 1907, he entered Purdue University and was graduated from the electrical engineering depart- ment with the class of 1911. He now holds a responsible position with the Fairbanks-Morse Electric Company, of Indianapolis. He is a popular young man and familiarly known in this community as Ray. William F. Pumphrey, who was born on May 1, 1892, was educated in the common and high schools of Decatur county and later attended the Winona Technical Institute at Indianapolis. He is an automobile expert, engaged in his calling at Hope, Indiana.
James A. Pumphrey is a stanch and true Democrat and is a member of the Masonic lodge at Milford and of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Burney. Mr. Pumphrey is a stockholder in the Burney State Bank and is regarded as one of the most substantial residents of that community, he and his family enjoying the highest esteem of all who know them.
EDWARD PUMPHREY.
Practical industry never fails to bring success, especially when con- sistently and wisely managed. It carries a man onward and upward, brings out his individual character and acts as a powerful stimulant to the efforts of others. The greatest results in life are often attained by simple means, the exercise of the ordinary qualities of common sense. The everyday life, with its cares, necessities and duties, affords ample opportunity for acquiring experience. Edward Pumphrey, a well-known farmer, scion of an old family in Decatur county, living a mile north of Burney, is one of the most sub- stantial citizens and farmers of Clay township.
Edward Pumphrey was born on the old Pumphrey homestead in Clay
I023
DECATUR COUNTY, INDIANA.
township, this county, in 1869, the son of William and Loduska (Jewell) Pumphrey, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, the son of Andrew Pumphrey, whose family, of English origin, emigrated to Kentucky in pio- neer times. Andrew Pumphrey emigrated to Decatur county at an early day in the settlement of this section and located in Clay township, west of where Burney is now situated. He was a well-known and successful farmer, a Democrat in politics, and well respected. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom William, the father of Edward, was the fourth in order of birth. William Pumphrey grew to manhood on his father's farm and began life for himself at the time of his marriage to Loduska Jewell. They settled on a farm which William Pumphrey owned and gradually added to this tract, until at the time of his death, when eighty years of age, William Pumphrey owned thirteen hundred acres of land, all in Clay township. He- was a very successful farmer and business man, a Democrat in politics and a member of the Methodist church. A man of decided convictions and moral courage, he was more than the ordinary type of citizen. Generous in his impulses, he had a host of friends in this county, where he was favorably known. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, namely: James A., Francis M. and Edward P., residents of this county ; William P., a resi- dent of Shelby county, this state; Doad P., deceased; a child who died in infancy ; Elizabeth, who married Frank Alexander; Mrs. Fannie Miner, of Decatur county : May, who married Clyde Elliott, and Josephine, who mar- ried Earl Littell and lives in Indianapolis.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.