USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 77
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James Wilson McConnell spent practically all his life on the pioneer farm where he was born and was both a farmer and a carpenter. He mar- ried Rachel Reese, who was horn on a pioneer farm about a mile east of the Blevins farm on October 24, 1828, a daughter of Stephen Reese and wife, and after his marriage established his home on the old home farm. There he died on January 28, 1905. His wife had preceded him to the grave seven years, her death having occurred on January 18, 1898. They were the par- ents of seven children, namely : Mrs. Mary Hinchman, of Greenfield, this state; Ellis, who lives southwest of Connersville; Mrs. Nancy Kinder, of Fairview township; Mrs. Belle Reese, of Connersville; Victoria, wife of Mr. Blevins ; Stephen T., of Glenwood, and Oliver, also of Glenwood.
To Mr. and Mrs. Blevins seven children have been born, as follow : Clyde, now living in Connersville, who married Bessie Cullins and has one child, a daughter, Merle: Clarence, also of Connersville: Claude, who lived but nine months: Glen and Grace (twins), the former of whom is at home and the latter of whom married Charles Stout, of Rush county, and has one
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child, a son, Howard; Donald, who is at home, and Edith, who died when nine months of age. Mr. and Mrs. Blevins are members of the Christian church and have ever taken an earnest interest in church work and in neigh- borhood good works.
JOSEPH B. WILES.
Joseph B. Wiles, former trustee of Fairview township and the proprietor of a well-improved farm in that township, was born on a pioneer farm near his present place of residence and has lived in that neighborhood all his life. He was born on June 11, 1853, son of Peter M. and Harriet (Goodwise) Wiles, the former a native of the state of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio, pioneers of that section, whose last days were spent there.
Peter M. Wiles was born not far from the city of Pittsburgh and grew to manhood in Pennsylvania. He served as a soldier during the War of 1812 and later moved to Butler county, Ohio. For his services in the War of 1812 he was given a land warrant, but not being then ready to enter a claim on the same sold it. Later he came up the White Water valley and settled in Fayette county, buying a tract of land in Fairview township, one and one-half miles east of Glenwood, established his home there and there spent the remainder of his life, becoming one of the most substantial pioneers of that part of the county. He took an active part in local affairs and held various township offices at one time and another. He was an earnest mem- ber of the Christian church and although not an ordained minister of the gos- pel frequently occupied the pulpit and was widely known throughout this part of the state as a preacher of much power. Peter M. Wiles was a man of sturdy and vigorous physique and retained his extraordinary physical powers almost to the time of his death, at the age of eighty-five riding a horse that younger men feared to ride. He was twice married. His first wife bore him nine children. His second wife, Harriet Goodwise, survived him for more than twenty years, her death occurring in 1904. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, and was but a child when her parents came up the valley of the White Water and settled in Fayette county. She was the mother of five children, of whom two, Morton and Charlotte, are deceased. the others besides the subject of this sketch being Ross and George Wiles.
Joseph B. Wiles was reared on the paternal farm in Fairview township, receiving his schooling in the neighborhood school, and remained at home, a valued assistant to his father in the labors of the home farm, until his mar-
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riage when twenty-three years of age, when he started farming for him- self on the farm on which he now lives and where he ever since has made his home. Mr. Wiles is now the owner of a fine farm of about two hundred acres and has made all the improvements on the same. In addition to his general farming he has given considerable attention to stock raising and has done very well. He is a Republican, as was his father, and has held various local offices, including that of township trustee, which latter position he held for a little more than four years, his term of office expiring in 1904. Mr. Wiles also has served on numerous occasions in a fiduciary capacity, as exec- utor, administrator or guardian, and at one time held guardianship papers in the cases of seven different wards.
On January 1, 1878, Joseph B. Wiles was united in marriage to Armilda Worsham, who was born on a farm in the west half of section 25 of Fair- view township, this county, daughter of Franklin M. and Mary S. (New- bold) Worsham, members of pioneer families in this county. Franklin M. Worsham was born on a pioneer farm in the White Water valley a few miles south of Connersville, a son of Jeremiah and Nancy (Fullen) Wor- sham, the latter of whom was descended from one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. There is also a family tradition that Jeremiah Worsham had the blood of one of the signers of that immortal document in his veins. He was a Virginian, born near the Natural Bridge, who came out here to Indiana in pioneer times and settled in Fayette county, buying a tract of land west of Bunker Hill, in Fairview township, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring nearly seventy years ago. He became a considerable landowner, possessing, in addition to his home farm, lands south of Connersville and in the southeast part of Fairview township, in this county, as well as a tract of land ten miles southwest of Indianapolis, in Marion county, and another tract in Kosciuski county. His son, Frank- lin M. Worsham, grew to manhood on the home farm and spent the remainder of his life as a farmer in Fairview township. He married Mary S. Newbold, who was born on the old Wotten farm on the south side of the Rushville pike, several miles west of Connersville, a daughter of Robert and Jemima (Messersmith) Newbold, pioneers of that part of Fayette county and the former of whom was a direct lineal descendant of one of the sign- ers of the Declaration of Independence. In the old days of the stagecoach Robert Newbold drove a stagecoach from Connersville to Rushville, his stopping place for the night being the Frybarger stone house about midway between the two towns. Later he moved to Kosciusko county, this state, but a few years later returned to this part of Indiana and settled in Rush
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county, where he spent the remainder of his life and where his daughter, Mary, lived until her marriage to Franklin M. Worsham.
To Joseph B. and Armilda (Worsham) Wiles five children have been born, namely: Allen, who married Mary McClure and now lives in Con- nersville; Frank, who died at the age of seventeen years; Maude, who is at home with her parents; Iva, who lives at Indianapolis, and Ernest, who lives at Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Wiles are members of the Christian church and have ever taken an earnest interest in church work, as well as in the general good works of their community, ever helpful in advancing all movements designed to better local conditions.
THOMAS M. LITTLE.
The late Thomas M. Little, an honored veteran of the Civil War, for years one of the best-known and most able of the members of the Fayette county bar, former clerk of Fayette county, former treasurer of the city of Connersville and for years a justice of the peace in and for his home town- ship, was a native son of this county and lived here all his life, doing much during his active and useful career to advance the best interests of the com- munity in which his heart was wrapped up. He was born on a farm in Orange township on September 24, 1840, son of Samuel and Frances (Russell) Little, the former a native of the state of South Carolina and the latter of this county, a member of one of the pioneer families of Orange township, and whose last days were spent in Pawnee, Nebraska.
Samuel Little was born in Chester, South Carolina, and in the days of his young manhood moved from there to Ohio, locating in Greene county, whence he came to Indiana and settled in Orange township, this county, where he lived until late in life. Samuel Little had taught school in his early manhood and was a man of intelligence and excellent judgment. He was an active Republican and for some time, many years ago, represented this district in the state Legislature. He also served for some time as a doorkeeper in the national capitol at Washington. About thirty years ago he moved to Pawnee, Nebraska, where he spent his last days, his death occurring about ten years later. His wife, Frances Russell, was reared in this county, a daughter of William Russell and wife, who came to this county from Adams county, Ohio, and were among the pioneers of Orange town- ship.
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS M. LITTLE.
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Thomas M. Little was reared on the farm on which he was born, in Orange township, and was living there when the Civil War broke out. On July 25, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company F, Third Indiana Cav- alry, and served with that command until he was honorably discharged as a corporal in Mt. Pleasant Hospital, Washington, D. C., November 15, 1862, he having been sent to the hospital on account of a serious wound in the shoulder received in a skirmish before the battle of South Mountain-a wound from the effects of which he suffered all the rest of his life. At the time he was wounded Mr. Little was captured by the enemy, but was paroled and later exchanged. His family still has his parole, signed by order of Brig .- Gen. Wade Hampton. Upon partially recovering from his wound and after his exchange, Mr. Little enlisted for the hundred-day service and served during that period as a member of the One Hundred and Thirty- seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
Upon the completion of his military service Mr. Little returned to Fayette county. He previously had studied law in the office of James C. McIntosh at Connersville and in 1865 was admitted to the bar. After his marriage in 1866 he established his home in Connersville and there spent the remainder of his life, one of the most useful and influential citizens of that city and a lawyer of wide repute throughout this part of the state. Mr. Little took an active part in local politics and for years was accounted one of the leading Republicans of Fayette county, his activities being extended also to district and state political affairs. On June 30, 1881, he was appointed clerk of the Fayette circuit court to fill an unexpired term and after two years of such service was elected to the office of county clerk and was re-elected, serving in that capacity, in all, about ten years. Upon the expiration of his term as county clerk, he was appointed to the office of city treasurer to fill an unexpired term and was re-elected at successive elections, occupying that responsible position for about seventeen years. He later was elected justice of the peace and was occupying that magisterial position at the time of his death. Mr. Little was an able advocate in court and held a high position in the estimation of his colleagues at the bar. He was a brilliant orator and both before the court and jury and on the hustings com- manded the close attention of his bearers. As a patriot he thought deeply of his country and of its rights and its needs and as a public servant he was faithful to his trust, even to the smallest fraction. Though Mr. Little possessed a keen sense of humor, tenderness ever was his dominant chiar-
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acteristic. He had a marvelous memory and this faculty he had cultivated until he came to be regarded as well nigh a walking gazetteer of local events and his recollection of affairs in this county usually was accepted as final and conclusive. Thomas M. Little died at his home in Connersville on February 5, 1916, and at his passing left a good memory, for he had done well his part in life. His widow is still making her home in Connersville, where she is very comfortably situated. She is a member of the First Methodist church, as was her husband, and has ever taken an active part in church work. Mr. Little was reared in the Presbyterian church and for many years and up to the time of his death taught a class in the Sunday schools of both of these churches.
It was on February 20, 1866, in Orange township, this county, that Thomas M. Little was united in marriage to Martha Huston, who was born on a farm in that township, June 21, 1845, daughter of William and Jane (Ramsey) Huston, early settlers in that township, whose last days were spent there. William Huston was born in Ireland about 1807 and was left an orphan at an early age. When he was about twelve years of age he came to the United States with his aunts, the family settling in Ohio. In Preble county, that state, he grew to manhood and there married Jane Ramsey, who was born in that county, and shortly after their marriage they moved over into Indiana and settled in the southeastern part of Connersville township, this county, near the Village Creek church, moving thence, after a residence there of about three years, to Orange township, where they spent the remainder of their lives and where Martha Huston was living at the time of her marriage to Mr. Little. To that union five children were born, namely : Samuel Calvin Little, now a resident of the city of Indianapolis, who mar- ried Martha A. Miller and afterward married Ida Turner, to which union nine children have been born; George Little, who married Rebecca Blaine and lived at St. Paul, Kentucky, until his death on December 30, 1915; Ethel who lives at Eaton, Ohio, widow of Thomas M. Buck, and has two children, Thomas M. and Charles H .: Mary, who is unmarried and makes her home with her widowed mother at Connersville, and William, also of Conners- ville, who married Florence W. Achey and has four children, William A., Mary Josephine, Frances Ellen and Thomas Allen. Miss Mary Little is a graduate of Cedarville College at Cedarville, Ohio, and taught school one year at Muncie and four years in Connersville. During the time of her father's incumbency as city treasurer she acted as his deputy and attended to much of the detail work of that office.
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JOHN MELVIN WHITE.
John Melvin White, a well-known retired farmer and stockman of Jack- son township, former county assessor and a former member of the board of county commissioners of Fayette county, now living at Everton, is a native son of Fayette county and has lived here all his life. He was born on a farm about two miles southwest of Everton, in Jackson township, March 22, 1866, son of William Madison and Sarah (Kerr) White, both of whom also were born in Jackson township and who spent all their lives there, honored and respected by all in that part of the county during the past generation.
William Madison White was born on the same farm as was his son, the subject of this sketch, and spent his whole life in that neighborhood. He was born on March 23, 1838, a son of Alexander and Deborah (Lake) White, pioneers of this county, further reference to whom is made else- where in this volume. Alexander White was born in Kent county, Delaware, January 22, 1808, and was early orphaned, his father dying when he was two years of age and his mother a few years later. He was thus early put on his own resources and at the age of twelve years began to make his own living. In 1827, when eighteen or nineteen years of age, he located at Harri- son, Ohio, and there began working in a tavern, also being employed to carry the mails on the stage line out of that place, and while there drove the canal boat for two or three years on the old White Water canal. For seven years he resided at Harrison and while there, December 10, 1831, married Deborah Lake, a member of the Lake family well known in this county and further reference to whom is made elsewhere in this vohune, and in 1834 he and his wife moved to Indiana, settling near Blooming Grove, in Frank- lin county. A year or two later they came up into Fayette county and settled in the Everton neighborhood in Jackson township. Upon coming to this county Alexander White entered from the government a tract of land in Jackson township and there established his home, continuing to reside there for many years. He did well in his farming operations and became the owner of about five hundred acres of land. He and his wife were members of the Methodist church and were active in church work. They lived together for nearly fifty years, her death occurring in 1883, she then being about sixty-eight years of age, and he survived until May 26, 1888, being then seventy-four years of age. Mrs. Deborah White was born in Connecticut and was about five years of age when her parents, the Lakes, came to this part of the country and located at Harrison, Ohio, down in the White Water valley, just over the Indiana line.
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William M. White was reared on the home farm in Jackson township and there grew to manhood, a valued aid to his father in the labors of develop- ing and improving the same. Before he was twenty-two years of age he married and established a home of his own on the place his father had entered from the government and became a prosperous farmer, owning at the time of his death about five hundred acres of land, the greater part of which was under profitable cultivation. He and his wife were earnest members of Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal church and ever took an active part in church work and in the advancement of all other good works in the community in which they lived. Both he and his wife had been born and reared in that community and watched its development from the days of their youth and did what was in their power to aid in such development, so that at their deaths they were sincerely mourned throughout that entire countryside.
On February 21, 1860, William M. White was united in marriage to Sarah J. Kerr, who was born on a pioneer farm a short distance south of Everton, in Jackson township, this county, daughter of James and Margaret (Grist ) Kerr, well known among the early settlers of that neighborhood and to whom further and more particular reference is made elsewhere in this volume. James Kerr, who was the first school teacher in the Everton settle- ment, teaching first at Fairfield and later near the present village of Everton, was a native of Ireland, but had been a resident of this country since he was eight years of age. Sarah J. Kerr was a twin. At the age of fourteen she joined the Methodist Episcopal church at Everton and ever remained a faith- ful and consistent member of the same. She died at her home in Jackson township on May 26, 1901, aged sixty years, and her husband, William M. White, survived her less than two years, his death occurring on August 9, 1902, he then being sixty-four years of age: To their union eight children were born, all of whom save one, William Earl, are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being Mrs. Catherine Elliott, Mrs. Mary Olive Worster, Mrs. Ida Belle Funderburg, Mrs. May Funderburg, Mrs. Bessie Goble and Mrs. Daisy Bohnenkemper.
John Melvin White, who, from the days of his boyhood, has been known familiarly among his friends as "Mel" White, grew up on the home farm in Jackson township and was early put to work at what is now regarded as man's work. At the age of eleven he rode horseback to Cincinnati, helping his father drive stock to market, and at thirteen drove the teams, hauling all the material used in the erection of a house his father built in 1879 on the home place southwest of Everton, and at sixteen was driving four- and six- horse teams, even at thirteen having driven six-horse teams, getting timber
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out of the woods. He early became an expert stockman and for years dealt extensively in live stock, long being regarded as one of the best judges of mules, particularly, in this part of the state, his services being much in demand as a judge at county fairs and stock shows. Mr. White is an ardent Repub- lican and from the days of his boyhood has taken an interested part in local politics. In 1894 he was elected assessor of Jackson township, his term to run four years, but by reason of legislative changes made during his incumbency he was kept in office for five years. In 1902 Mr. White was elected as a member of the board of county commissioners from his district and was unanimously renominated for that office and re-elected, thus serving two terms in that important office, or six years, during which time much bridge and road work was carried out in this county. During the past five years Mr. White was made his home in Everton, where he and his family are very comfortably situated. He is a member of local lodge of the Knights of Pythias and was a trustee of the lodge when the lodge building was erected at Everton in 1892. He also is a member of the local lodge of the Loyal Order of Moose and in the affairs of both of these organizations takes a warm interest.
On January 17, 1889, John Melvin White was united in marriage to Viola Perduie, who was born at Everton and who, like her husband, has spent all her life in Jackson-township. She is a daughter of Harrison and Lizzie (Hubbell) Perduie, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Connecticut, who were for years well-known residents of Everton. Harri- son Perduie was born on November 9, 1835, at Harrison, Ohio, son of Rufus and Polly Perduie, and his wife was a daughter of Joel Hubbell, who settled at Mt. Carmel, in Franklin county, this state, in 1839. Harrison Perduie was a painter and followed that trade at Everton until his death on July 17, 1894. He was a member of the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias and of the Red Men. His widow, who was born on June 17, 1838, survived him until August 27, 1911, she then being seventy-three years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. White four children have been born, all of whom are liv- ing save their only son, Dolph, who died when two years of age, the daugh- ters being Ethel. who married Burleigh Durbin, of Connersville, and has one child, a son. Burleigh Melvin; Mary Catherine, who married Harry Griffith and now resides at Los Angeles, California, and Mildred, who is still in school.
"Mel" White is a member of one of the oldest families in Fayette county and his grandparents on both sides, as noted above, took an active part in early affairs in the southeastern part of the county, his mother's parents
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James Kerr and wife, being particularly well remembered throughout that section by reason of Mr. Kerr's early connection with the schools of the Everton neighborhood. For several years he taught a school conducted on the farm on which his daughter, Sarah, Mr. White's mother, was born and where she spent all her life., James Kerr married Margaret, or "Peggy" Grist, who came from North Carolina to Indiana when a child with her par- ents, George Grist and wife, who built a home in the woods in the south- eastern part of this county ; their first habitation there being a mere pole and brush lean-to, which they equipped with a bedstead made of poles stuck into holes bored into the supporting posts of the cabin. Even after James Kerr and "Peggy" Grist were married things were still in an unsettled state here- about and wild animals occasionally invaded the settlements. One day when Mrs. Kerr was going to the nearby spring for a pail of water she came upon a bear lumbering up the path. It is doubtful which was more astonished, Mrs. Kerr or the bear; but the bear, at least, was sufficiently startled out of his bearings to seek safety in the branches of a birch tree standing near the spring. Mrs. Kerr called her husband and the latter appeared on the scene with a rifle, with which he speedily dispatched bruin, and the Kerrs and their pioneer neighbors were thus provided with some very fine bear steak. James Kerr died in 1877.
CHARLIE NEWLAND.
Charlie Newland, one of Fairview township's best-known and most pro- gressive farmers, is a native son of Fayette county and has lived here all his life, actively engaged in farming with the exception of a couple of years engaged in business in Connersville. He was born on a farm one mile south of Alquina, in Jennings township. March 24, 1858, son of John and Maria (Edwards) Newland, both also natives of this county, the former born on that same farm, where he spent all his life, with the exception of one year.
John Newland was born on March 12, 1819, son of James and Hannah (Huff) Newland, who were among the early settlers of that part of the county and influential factors in the development of the same. James New- land was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, December 29, 1782, and was early left an orphan .. When he was twelve years of age his place of residence was changed to Bracken county, Kentucky, and later he moved to Lexington, in that same state, where he learned the trade of a cabinet- maker, a trade he followed all his life. He was living in Lexington when
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