History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 94

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1326

USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 94

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The Lakes, an old family in this county, take their name from the ancient founders of the family in England, a family which took the surname "Lake" from the fact that it had its establishment in a home by a lakeside. Ellis R. Lake has gathered through much effort, for the benefit of the entire family, records of the Lake family which give dates back to 1585 in England,

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and about seven generations earlier, of whom dates are not available, to about the year 1295, in England. The founder of the family in America was William Lake, a whaler, who bought land near Trenton, New Jersey, established a home there and became the owner of several other tracts of land. William Lake, one of the descendants of this forebear and grandfather of E. R. Lake, and who died on December 9, 1857, was thrice married, his wives having been Mary Rounseval, Elizabeth Carmichael and Sarah Veatch, and was the father of seven children, Daniel, Deborah, Ellis R., Absalom, Catherine, Phenas and Willis. Leaving New Jersey in 1815, William Lake came out into Indiana and settled on a farm in Dearborn county, across the river from Harrison, and in 1835 moved up the river to Fayette county and located on a farm in the Everton neighborhood, in Jackson township, where he spent the rest of his life. On July 21, 1807, William Lake was married, in New Jersey, to Mary Rounseval, who was born in that state in 1785, and they had four children when they came to this state.

Phenas Lake, who was the second of the children born to William and Mary (Rounseval) Lake after their arrival in this state, was born on a pioneer farm on the banks of the White Water, in Dearborn county, across the river from Harrison, July 25, 1820, and was about fifteen years of age when his father moved to Fayette county and settled in the Everton neigh- borhood. There Phenas Lake grew to manhood and in 1844 married Rebecca Lambert, who was born near Everton on October 20, 1822, a daugh- ter of William and Nancy Ann (Lee) Lambert, among the earliest settlers of that community and the latter of whom was a distant kinswoman of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Phenas Lake established his home at Everton, in the house in which his son, the subject of this sketch, was born and is still living, and there he spent the rest of his life, one of the most active and influential resi- dents of that part of the county. In addition to farming on a considerable scale he also for many years operated a saw-mill at Everton and also operated an old horse-power threshing-rig, which he would set up in barns and with which he would thresh the grain of his neighbors during the winter months. By the exercise of his energy and excellent business judgment he became the possessor of an estate valued at about eighty thousand dollars, a considerable accumulation of property for one man at that time and place. He ever gave his earnest attention to local civic affairs and for years served as justice of the peace in and for Jackson township, a position in which he exercised a wide influence for good throughout that part of the county. Phenas Lake died at his home in Everton on March 18, 1888, and his widow survived him

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for more than six years, her death occurring on December 18, 1894. They weer the parents of ten children, namely: Nancy Jane, William, Sarah, John, George W., Charles, Daniel D., Ellis R., Mary Ann and Peter.

Ellis R. Lake, eighth in order of birth of the ten children born to Phenas and Rebecca (Lambert) Lake, was born at Everton, in the house in which he now lives, June 9, 1859, and has lived there all his life. He received his schooling in the Everton schools and, in addition to being a helpful aid in his father's farming operations, learned the carpenter trade, at which he worked for some time, but has been actively engaged in farming most of his life. At one time he was the owner of nearly five hundred acres of land, but has reduced his land holdings until now he owns but about three hun- dred and forty acres, the same lying in four tracts. About 1908 Mr. Lake formed a partnership with Doctor Johnston, of Connersville, for the manu- facture of cement vaults at Connersville, and later bought the Doctor's inter- est in the factory and has since been operating the same alone. He also, for the past seventeen years, has been dealing in fertilizers, with offices and distributing point at Everton, also he has been agent for automobiles and in both of these industries has done very well, long having been regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of that part of the county. He has been suc- cessful as a seller of automobiles. Mr. Lake has ever given his earnest atten- tion to local civic affairs, but has never been a seeker after public office.

Ellis R. Lake has been thrice married. On February 22, 1883, he was united in marriage to Indiana F. Murphy, who was born on a farm in the vicinity of Everton, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Corbin) Murphy, and to that union one child was born, a daughter, Rosa Maude, who married Clair Lake and lived in the Green settlement, near Nulltown, about four miles west of Everton, until her death, on December 26, 1916, leaving twin daugh- ters. On October 30, 1895, Mr. Lake married Phoebe Ella Kingery, a school teacher, who also was born at Everton, daughter of Henry and Amelia Kingery, the former of whom operated a saw-mill at Everton, and to that union two children were born, Edna May, who is now teaching school, and Ella, who died in infancy. The mother of these children died on January 6, 1899, and on May 9, 1900, Mr. Lake married Coda B. J. Ritner, who was born near Hartsville, in Decatur county, this state, daughter of Stafford and Sarah (Johnson) Ritner, and to this union two children have been born, Coda B. and Boyd J. The Lakes have a pleasant home at Everton and take a proper interest in the general social activities of the village, helpful in pro- moting all good causes in that community.

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JAMES MARTINDALE MCINTOSH.

Though no longer a resident of Connersville, the city of his birth, the Hon. James Martindale McIntosh, former representative from this district to the Indiana state Legislature, former clerk of the Fayette circuit court, former mayor of the city of Connersville, a former practicing attorney of that city, for some time engaged in the banking business in that city, but now and for some years past president of the National City Bank of Indian- apolis and a resident of the state capital, continues to take a warm interest in the affairs of his native city and county and no history of Fayette county could be regarded as complete without some reference to his services in behalf of this county during the years of his residence here.

James Martindale McIntosh was born in the city of Connersville on November 14, 1858, son of James C. and Elizabeth W. ( Martindale) McIn- tosh, for years prominent and influential residents of Connersville, where the former was engaged in the practice of law, one of the best-known lawyers in this part of the state, and both of whom are now deceased.

James C. McIntosh was a son of Joshua and Nancy McIntosh, early residents of this county. He completed his schooling and preparation for the practice of law at old Asbury (now DePauw) University and during his attendance there met and married Elizabeth W. Martindale, who was born at Indianapolis. Before she was ten years of age Elizabeth Martindale's parents died and she was reared by her guardian, Alfred Harrison, a merch- ant of Indianapolis, who sent her to Mrs. Larabee's select school for young women at Greencastle to finish her schooling and it was there that she met Mr. McIntosh, a student in Asbury College, in that same city. After their marriage at Greencastle they drove across to Connersville, the home of Mr. McIntosh, the journey requiring four days, and in that city established their home, there spending the remainder of their lives. James C. McIntosh became well established in the practice of his profession and was thus suc- cessfully engaged until the time of his death in 1878. His widow survived him for many years, her death occurring on November 16, 1916. She was very active in church work, one of the leaders for many years in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church at Connersville, and for years was the presi- dent of the Home Missionary Society of that church, a position she occupied at the time of her death. James C. McIntosh and wife were the parents of six children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth, the others being as follow: Horace P., an officer in the United

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States navy, with residence at Washington, D. C .; Ida L., who is still living at Connersville, the widow of William Newkirk; Allen Ernest, who died in infancy; William W., whose last days were spent in Portland, Oregon, and Charles K., vice-president of the Bank of California, at San Francisco, and a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of that city.

James M. McIntosh received his early schooling in the Connersville schools and in 1876 entered Asbury University with a view to completing his law studies, he having begun his preliminary reading along that line, even in his boyhood in the office of his father, but was compelled to leave the university during his junior year, because of the death of his father. Return- ing he there became engaged in a manufacturing line, secretary-treasurer of the White Water Valley Plating Company, meanwhile continuing his study of law, his father's extensive law library having been retained, and in due time was admitted to the bar. He began practice in association with Charles A. Murray and afterward was associated in practice with his father's old law partner, Charles Roehl. In the spring of 1886 he was elected mayor of the city of Connersville, serving in that capacity for four years, and in 1890 was elected clerk of the Fayette circuit court, a public position he also held for four years. It was during his incumbency in the clerk's office that the Fay- ette county court house was remodeled and made over into its present more modern style and he helped in the selection of the furniture for the court room. In the fall of 1894 Mr. McIntosh was elected to the state Legislature as joint representative from the district comprised of Fayette and Wayne coun- ties and served in that capacity during the session of 1895, after which he resumed his law practice at Connersville. In the meantime, about 1893, Mr. McIntosh had been elected cashier of the First National Bank of Conners- ville and remained thus connected with that bank until it changed manage- ment. In 1899 he was appointed United States bank examiner for the dis- trict comprising Indiana and western Kentucky and was thus engaged until 1907, when he resumed the banking business, having been elected in that year to the position of president of the Union National Bank of Indianapolis, remaining thus connected with that institution until January 1, 1912, when the National City Bank of Indianapolis was organized and took over the Union National Bank and the Columbia National Bank, occupying the build- ing on Washington street formerly occupied by the Columbia National Bank. Upon the organization of the National City Bank Mr. McIntosh was elected president of the same and has since occupied that highly responsible position, giving his exclusive attention to the affairs of the bank. The National City Bank of Indianapolis has a capital of one million dollars and a surplus of two

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hundred thousand dollars and is regarded as one of the strongest financial institutions in the state of Indiana. Mr. McIntosh is a Republican and is a member of the influential Columbia Club at Indianapolis. He also is con- nected with the Commercial Club and with the Country Club in that city. Fraternally, he is a Knight Templar Mason, retaining his connection with the blue lodge and the commandery at Connersville, and is a noble of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, affiliated with Murat Temple of that shrine at Indianapolis. During his college days he was affiliated with the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He and his wife are members of St. Paul's Episcopal church of Indianapolis.

On February 12, 1889, James M. McIntosh was united in marriage, at Connersville, to Anna Laura Pepper, of that city, daughter of Dr. William J. and Mary S. (Frybarger) Pepper, and to this union four children have been born, namely: Mary E., who died on September 7, 1913, at the age of twenty-three years; Jessie C., who on November 9, 1916, married Paul H. Hawkins, of Indianapolis, and Dorothy J. and James Pepper McIntosh.

Dr. William Jesse Pepper, father of Mrs. McIntosh, was a native of Kentucky, born in Mason county, that state, September 26, 1830, a son of Abner and Sarah (Merrill) Pepper, natives of that same county. Abner Pepper was a son of Jesse Pepper, a Virginian and a member of the famous Lewis family in that state, who early settled in Kentucky, where he estab- lished his home and where Abner Pepper in turn established his home. The latter married Sarah Merrill, daughter of Reuben Merrill and wife, the latter of whom was a Helm. Reuben Merrill was born in New Jersey and early became a resident of Mason county, Kentucky. In that county William Jesse Pepper received an academic training, including a careful drill in Latin, and remained there until he was sixteen years of age, when he came up into Indi- ana with his aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth Merrill Wotten, locating at Connersville, where he became a student in the office of Dr. G. R. Chitwood, one of the best-known physicians in this part of the state at that time. Under this able preceptorship he was prepared for medical college and presently entered the Western Reserve Medical College at Cleveland, Ohio, from which he was graduated with distinction in 1856. Upon receiving his diploma, Doctor Pepper returned to Connersville and for a time thereafter was engaged in practice with his old preceptor, Doctor Chitwood. He then established in that city an office of his own and was there engaged in the practice of his profession to within a few weeks of his death, thirty-six years later, for years having been regarded as one of the leading physicians of eastern Indiana. Doctor Pepper was the first president of the Fayette County Medi-

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cal Society, organized in 1879, and remained an active member of that organi- zation the rest of his life, his death, on August 31, 1892, being made the occasion for a formal and fitting official expression of sympathy and apprecia- tion on the part of the society. The Doctor was an ardent lover of music and was a skillful performer on the violin. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church and ever took an earnest interest in local good works.

On August 4, 1858, Dr. William J. Pepper was united in marriage, at Connersville, to Mary S. Frybarger, who was born in that city, February 24, 1841, and who survived her husband more than twenty years, her death occurring on December 31, 1915. She was a daughter of George and Eliza (Eichelberger) Frybarger, natives of Maryland and of York county, Penn- sylvania, respectively. Eliza Frybarger was a daughter of Adam and Sarah E. (Wolf) Eichelberger, who also were born in York county, Pennsylvania, Adam Eichelberger having been a son of Capt. Adam Eichelberger, born in that same county in 1739 and who, upon the opening of the War for Independence was commissioned by the General Assembly of Pennsylvania 'as captain of a company of foot in the Third Battalion, Pennsylvania line, from York county. Captain Eichelberger's wife was Magdaline Bechtel.

George Frybarger was born of German parents in Frederick county, Maryland, December 28, 1796, and was but eight years of age when his parents, in the spring of 1805, emigrated to Montgomery county, Ohio, and settled in the vicinity of Dayton. At the early age of fifteen, George Fry- barger taught a term of subscription school in his home neighborhood and when sixteen became a clerk in a mercantile establishment at Dayton. In that position he displayed such admirable fitness that within a few weeks he was advanced to the position of chief clerk of the establishment and in 1819 was taken into the firm as a partner of his employer, William Wotton. In May, 1821, seeking a new field for the exercise of his talents and energy, Mr. Frybarger left Dayton and came over into the new state of Indiana, locating in the then promising village of Connersville, where he at once entered upon his wonderfully successful business career, for many years thereafter there being few enterprises of importance projected in that town that were not in some way or another touched by his influential direction and before his death on March 26, 1853, he had built up what for those days was regarded as a handsome fortune. For many years Mr. Frybarger was a member of the board of trustees of the growing village of Connersville and his service in that conection undoubtedly did very much toward start- ing the town out right in the way of its present remarkable industrial develop- ment. As one of the organizers and a member of the board of directors

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of the Richmond branch of the Indiana State Bank he was an influential factor in the financial life of this region in early days and that influence always was exerted in behalf of progress. He also was interested in various mercantile enterprises in Connersville, took a prominent part in the work of constructing the old White Water canal, a director of the company that constructed the canal ; erected quite a number of business blocks in Conners- ville, some of which are still standing; established a pork-packing plant on the banks of the river and from the date of its organization until his death was the president of the Bank of Connersville. He died in his fifty-seventh year, active in business up to the very last.

To Dr. William J. and Mary S. (Frybarger) Pepper seven children were born, of whom but three grew to maturity, Mrs. McIntosh having two sisters, Irene, widow of Tracy B. Johnson, former vice-president of the Tracy Shoe Company of Portsmouth, Ohio, and who is now living at Connersville, and Miss Sophia E. Pepper, who is living with her aunt, Mrs. Sophia Chit- wood, at Connersville.

ALBERT E. GOBLE.

Albert E. Goble, one of Jackson township's well-known and substantial farmers and the proprietor of a fine farm of three hundred and thirty acres just southwest of Everton, was born at Harrison, Ohio, January 25, 1872, son of Samuel and Louisa (Stone) Goble, the former of whom was born in Canada and the latter in Ohio, who later became residents of Fayette county, where the father died, his widow now making her home at Richmond, this state.

Samuel Goble was a son of Iden Goble and wife, the former a native of England, who came from his native Hampshire to this country and settled at Harrison, Ohio, where he married and later moved to Canada, where he lived for about twelve years. At the end of that time he returned to Har- rison, Ohio, bought a farm in that vicinity and there spent the rest of his life His widow is still living there. Samuel Goble was about twelve years of age when his parents returned to Harrison, Ohio, and on the home farm in that vicinity he grew to manhood. There he married Louisa Stone, who was born and reared there, a daughter of Asel and Margaret Stone, and a few years later moved over into Indiana, locating on a farm near Brookville, in Franklin county, coming thence up into Fayette county and settling on a farm in the eastern part of Jackson township, where he spent the rest of his

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life, his death occurring in November, 1904. His widow is now living at Harrison, this state.

Albert E. Goble was but a child when his parents moved over into Indi- ana from Ohio and he grew up accustomed to the work of the farm. At the age of fifteen years he began making his own way in the world, working at various forms of employment, and was thus engaged until his marriage in 1896. For about five years thereafter he was engaged in saw-milling, oper- ating two mills in Jackson township, after which he began farming and was thus engaged until 1908, when he engaged in the automobile business at Connersville. In 1911 he disposed of his interests in the city and resumed farming, being now the owner of three hundred and thirty acres of excellent land in Jackson township, where he has a very comfortable home and where he and his family are very pleasantly situated, their home being just on the edge of the village of Everton.

On December 24, 1896, Albert E. Goble was united in marriage to Bessie White, who was born in Jackson township, a short distance southwest of Everton, and who was reared in the house in which she is now living, a daughter of the late William Madison White and a sister of John Melvin White, former county commissioner. In a biographical sketch of the latter, presented elsewhere in this volume, there is set out at considerable detail a history of the White family, one of the oldest families in Fayette county. Mr. and Mrs. Goble have three daughters, Mabel May, Sarah Josephine and Olive Catherine.

CHARLES BEESON.

Charles Beeson, one of Fayette county's best-known and most sub- stantial farmers and stockmen and the proprietor of beautiful "West View Farm" at the west edge of the pleasant village of Bentonville, is a native son of this county and has lived in Posey township all his life. He was born in that township on November 15, 1853, son of Templeton and Sarah Ann (Loder) Beeson, both of whom also were born in this part of the state, the former just over the line in Wayne county and the latter in Posey township, this county, and who spent their last days here, useful and influ- ential residents of the Bentonville neighborhood.

The Beesons are among the old families of this section, having been prominently represented here since pioneer days. The Beeson family is of Colonial stock, the first of the name to settle in this county having been

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Edward Beeson, who emigrated from Lancashire, England, with one of the parties coming to join William Penn's colony in 1682. Edward Beeson located first in Pennsylvania and then moved to Virginia, later moving to Delaware, where he bought land on the Brandywine, land now covered by the city of Wilmington, and there he spent his last days. Fifth in descent from Edward Beeson was Isaac Beeson, whose son, Richard, had a son, Benjamin, who had a son, Benjamin, Jr., who married Dorcas Starbuck and was the father of Templeton Beeson. The junior Benjamin Beeson came out into Indiana from North Carolina in pioneer days and settled in the southern edge of Wayne county, just over the line from where Beeson Station now is located, this county, and there spent practically all the rest of his life. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, Othniel, Bezaleel, Templeton, Mark, B. Frank, Mrs. Julia E. Dick, Mrs. Cinderella. Harvey, Mrs. Amanda Emerson, Mrs. Delila Patterson and Mrs. Rachel Harvey.

Templeton Beeson grew to manhood on the pioneer farm his father had settled, up in Wayne county, and there lived until his marriage to Sarah Ann Loder, after which he bought a farm two and one-half miles west of Bentonville, in Posey township, this county, established his home there and there spent the rest of his life, one of the most substantial farmers and stock raisers in that part of the county. He died in January, 1881, and his widow died about two years later. The latter was born on a pioneer farm east of Bentonville, in Posey township, daughter of John and Isabel (Ringland) Loder, who settled in this county in 1815, the year before Indiana was admitted to statehood. John Loder was born in Essex county, New Jersey, August 10, 1780, and when seventeen years of age, in 1797, went to Cin- cinnati, where he began working at his trade, that of a cooper. He presently went from there to North Bend and, after two years spent at that place, went to the settlement at the mouth of the Big Miami, whence, two years later, he moved to a tract of land he had bought in the immediate vicinity of Hamil- ton, where, on September 25, 1806, he married Isabel Ringland, who was born on May 31, 1785. On that farm John Loder and his family lived until 1815, when they came on up the valley of the White Water and settled on a tract of land he had bought in Posey township, this county, where they established their permanent home. For some time after settling there John Loder also operated a cooper shop, working at his trade while not engaged in the labors of clearing his farm, and he thus became early one of the best-known pioneers of that community. He took an active part in early political affairs and was an influential citizen. His first vote was cast for Thomas Jefferson for President. During his residence in Ohio he voted

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History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 94

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1326

Author: Barrows, Frederic Irving, 1873-1949
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1326