USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 96
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HARRY EMERY WEAVER.
Harry Emery Weaver, cashier of the Farmers Bank of Bentonville and a well-to-do landowner of Posey township, this county, was born on a farm in that township, one and one-half miles west of Bentonville, and has lived in that neighborhood all his life. He was born on September 28, 1883, son and only child of George H. and Rachael E. (Thornburg) Weaver, the former of whom was born in that same township and the latter in the neigh- boring county of Wayne, who are now living in Bentonville.
George H. Weaver was born on a pioneer farm on Williams creek, in Posey township, this county, December 26, 1851, son of William and Lovisa (Messersmith) Weaver, the former of whom was born on that same farm during the early twenties of the past century, a son of George and Catherine (Hanley) Weaver, natives of Pennsylvania, who came from that state to Indiana in the early days of the settlement of this part of the state and
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after a sometime residence in Wayne county came to Fayette county, where George Weaver entered from the government the northeast quarter of sec- tion 30, southeast of Bentonville, and there established his home, he and his wife spending their remaining days on that pioneer farm. William Weaver grew up on that farm, thoroughly inured to the hardships inseparably con- nected with the lives of the pioneers, and in that neighborhood married Lovisa Messersmith, daughter of Hiram Messersmith and wife, pioneers of that section of the county, who moved from there about the year 1863 to Missouri, where they spent the rest of their lives. After his marriage William Weaver for two years made his home on what is now known as the old Rodney Shipley farm northeast of Yankeetown and then he moved to Madison county, where he bought a farm and where he made his home for twelve years, at the end of which time he returned to the farm on which he was born, southeast of Bentonville, and after four years there moved to a farm just on the eastern edge of Bentonville and thence, after awhile, to a farm two and one-half miles southwest of Bentonville and from there back to his farm in Madison county, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring about 1882. His wife had died about 1863, by which time two of his children were grown and married, and for some time afterward he kept the younger children together, his son, George H., remaining with him until he was sixteen years of age, when he began work- ing for his uncle, John Weaver, on the latter's farm northwest of Benton- ville, where he remained for six years, at the end of which time he returned to the old home place and after his marriage a year later established his home there.
For six years after his marriage George H. Weaver remained on his old home farm and then bought a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres a mile and a half west of Bentonville, where he made his home for ten years, at the end of which time he moved to the farm three-quarters of a mile south of Bentonville, where Frank Weaver is now living, renting the latter place, it being a larger farm than his own, and after six years of residence there rented a two-hundred-acre farm a couple of miles southwest of Bentonville. A year later he returned to his own farm and there continued to make his home for fifteen years, or until in February, 1916, when he retired from the farm and moved to Bentonville and has since made his home in that pleasant village, he and his wife being very comfortably situated there. In the fall of 1916 Mr. Weaver was compelled to undergo the amputation of his left leg as the result of complications ensuing from an abrasion of the foot caused by a nail in his shoe. He is a member of the local lodge of
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the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife are members of the Christian church, in the affairs of which they ever have taken an active interest.
On November 21, 1874, George H. Weaver was united in marriage to Rachael Thornburg, who was born on a farm about five miles north of Hagerstown, in Wayne county, this state, a daughter of William and Frances (Spradlin) Thornburg, both of whom were born in that same county, the former a son of Dempsey and Jane Thornburg, who came to this state from Tennessee and established their home in the Hagerstown neighborhood. William Thornburg grew up in that community and married Frances Sprad- lin, daughter of Wright and Frances Spradlin, who came to this state from North Carolina. After his marriage William Thornburg established his home on a farm in the neighborhood of his boyhood home and there he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring there in August, 1914.
Harry E. Weaver, only son of George H. and Rachael E. (Thorn- burg) Weaver, grew up on a farm in Posey township and supplemented the schooling he received in the local schools by a course in a business college at Marion, from which he was graduated, and later took a post-graduate course in bookkeeping, finishing there in 1903. Upon leaving school Mr. Weaver returned to the farm and after his marriage in the fall of 1905 established his home on the farm and there continued farming until he met with an accident while operating a corn-shredder on November 17, 1915, which permanently disabled him from the manual labor of the farm, compelling his retirement from the farm. Upon relinquishing his place on the farm Mr. Weaver moved to Bentonville and aided in the organization of the Farmers Bank of Bentonville, of which institution he was made cashier and is now occupying that important posi- tion. He owns the building in which the bank is located and has done much during the short time the bank has been doing business to insure the perma- nency of the institution. The Farmers Bank of Bentonville was organized and opened for business on July 8, 1916, with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, all paid up, and with the following officers: President, J. K. Smith ; vice-president, R. S. Hicks ; cashier, Harry E. Weaver, and directors, besides the above-named officers, as follow: J. A. Boyd, A. Boyd, Bent Wilson, George Kelsey, Oliver Thornburg, T. B. Millikin, J. C. Dodson and Warren Munger. The bank has a large, burglar-proof vault, with safety-deposit boxes and is well equipped for the business.
On November 8, 1905, Harry E. Weaver was united in marriage to Bessie S. Mason, who was born on a farm just east of Bentonville, a daughter
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of John S. and Alice ( Norris) Mason, substantial residents of that com- munity. Though permanently retired from the active labors of the farm Mr. Weaver continues to give general supervision to the farm he owns in Posey township as well as to a farm owned by his wife in that same township. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver are members of the Christian church, with the local con- gregation of which Mr. Weaver has been connected since he was sixteen years of age, and take an active interest in church work, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful in promoting all good causes thereabout.
GEORGE WASHINGTON LAKE,
George Washington Lake, one of Fayette county's best-known retired farmers and the proprietor of a fine farm in Jennings township, where he made his home for thirty-five years, but who is now living in the pleasant village of Everton, was born in that village on November 22, 1851. He is a son of Phenas and Rebecca (Lambert) Lake, members of old families in this county and the parents of eleven children, further mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume, together with a somewhat extended history of the Lake family, going back for centuries in England and detailing the history of the life of William Lake, father of Phenas Lake. William Lake came to Indiana from New Jersey in 1815, settling in Dearborn county, whence, in 1835, he came up the river to Fayette county and settled in the Everton neighborhood, in Jackson township, where he spent the rest of his life and where his son, Phenas Lake, also spent the rest of his life, a farmer and saw-mill owner, justice of the peace and for years one of the most sub- stantial and influential residents of that part of the county.
It was on the home farm at Everton, in the house now occupied by his brother, Ellis R. Lake, a biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume, that George W. Lake grew to manhood. He received his schooling in the Everton schools and from boyhood was a valued aid to his father in the labors of developing and improving the home farm. After his marriage, he then being twenty-six years of age, he established his home on his farm in the southern part of Jennings township, and there resided for thirty-five years or until his retirement from the farm in 1911 and removal to Everton, where he is now living and where he and his family are very com- fortably situated. Mr. Lake is the owner of an excellent farm of one hundred
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and ninety acres in Jennings township, which, since his retirement from the active labors of the farm, has been operated by his son, Frederick E. Lake, who is living on the farm.
On November 5, 1876, George W. Lake was united in marriage to Mary Caroline Kerr, who was born on a pioneer farm south of Everton on July 10, 1850, daughter of James and Margaret (Grist) Kerr, well-known and influential residents of that community. James Kerr, who was one of the first school teachers in the Fairfield neighborhood, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, October 22, 1791, and was but eight years of age when his parents left Ireland and came to this country. His father, a political refugee on account of his participation in the Irish rebellion of 1798, left his native land with his wife and two small sons, James and Henry, December 12, 1799, and arrived at the port of Charleston, South Carolina, April 20, 1800. He established his home in the Abbeville district of South Carolina and there James Kerr grew to manhood. There, on March 7, 1815, James Kerr mar- ried Nancy McIlwain and in the spring of 1822 he and his wife came West, arriving in Indiana on May 21 of that year, settling in the Fairfield neigh- borhood, in Franklin county. On July 27 of that same year Nancy Kerr died and on December 23, 1824, James Kerr married Margaret Grist, who was born in the Pendleton district of South Carolina, January 9, 1809, and who came to Indiana with her parents, Simon and Sarah Grist, in 1813, the family settling in Fayette county. During the period of his residence in the Fairfield neighborhood James Kerr taught school and he also taught for some time after moving to the farm south of Everton in this county, where he spent the rest of his life. On January 28, 1828, he and his family moved to that farm in Jackson township and it was not long until James Kerr came to be recognized as one of the strong and influential characters in that part of the county. He took an active interest in the general civic affairs of the community and for some time served as trustee of the township, in that capacity rendering admirable service in behalf of the pioneer community. His last vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln. He and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church and their children were reared in that faith. There were thirteen of these children, all of whom grew to maturity save one son, Hugh, who died when two years of age. James Kerr died on September 16, 1873, at the age of eighty-one years, and his widow survived until January 26, 1884, she being seventy-five years of age at the time of her death.
To George W. and Mary Caroline (Kerr) Lake three children have been
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born, namely: Mamie G., who married Lafayette Moore, a biographical sketch of whom is presented elsewhere in this volume, and has one child, a son, Daniel George; Frederick Ellis, who is at home with his parents at Everton, and Walter Arden Lake, now farming in the Bentley neighborhood, who married Eva Pierce and has one child, a son, Arden Pierce, born on October 17, 1916. Mr. Lake is a member of the local lodges of the Knights of Pythias and of the Improved Order of Red Men and Mrs. Lake is a member of the Pythian Sisters and of the Daughters of Rebekah, both taking a warm interest in the affairs of these several organizations. Mrs. Lake is a member of the Methodist church and she and her husband have ever given their earnest attention to local good works, helpful in promoting all measures having to do with the advancement of the common welfare of the community in which they have lived all their lives.
LAFAYETTE MOORE.
Lafayette Moore, trustee of Jackson township and one of the best- known and most substantial farmers of that township, was born in that same township and has lived there all his life. He was born on the old Moore farm, now occupied by his elder brother, Joseph A. Moore, in section 22 of Jackson township, October 2, 1875, son of Daniel W. and Caroline (Beckett) Moore, both natives of this section, members of pioneer families, and both of whom are now deceased, the latter dying about eighteen years ago and the former surviving until May I, 1916. Daniel W. Moore was one of the most substantial farmers in the southern part of the county and for some time served as trustee of Jackson township. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second son and the fourth child in order of birth. In a biographical sketch relating to Joseph A. Moore, the elder son, presented elsewhere in this volume, there is set out a comprehensive history of the Moore family in this county, and to that the attention of the reader is respectfully invited for additional information in connection with the present sketch.
Reared on the home farm in Jackson township, Lafayette Moore received his elementary schooling in the local schools and supplemented the same by a course in the Central Normal School at Danville, this state, and at the uni- versity at Valparaiso, and for three winters taught school at Everton. After his marriage in 1894 Mr. Moore located on the farm on which he is now
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living, about one mile east of Everton, and has ever since made that place his home, having been quite successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. Like his father and his grandfather before him, he has long been a buyer and shipper of live stock and has also done well in that line. Mr. Moore is a Democrat and has ever given his close attention to local civic affairs. In the fall of 1914 he was elected trustee of Jackson township and is now serving in that important capacity, giving his most thoughtful and intelligent attention to the public service.
On May 15, 1894, Lafayette Moore was united in marriage to Mamie G. Lake, who was born in Jennings township, this county, a daughter of George W. and Caroline (Kerr) Lake, both members of prominent pioneer families in the Everton neighborhood and further and extended mention of whom is made elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Moore completed her school- ing in the high school at Everton and she and her husband have ever given their earnest attention to the general social and cultural affairs of the com- munity in which they live. Mr. Moore is a member of the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Improved Order of Red Men and in the affairs of these organizations takes a warm interest. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have a very pleasant home and have one child, a son, Daniel George Moore, born on March 20, 1895. Mrs. Moore has been county president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union for the past three years and was chosen as delegate to the national convention at Seattle, Wash- ington, which she attended.
HON. JAMES K. MASON.
Hon. James K. Mason, joint representative in the Indiana state Legis- lature from the district comprising the counties of Fayette and Franklin, former chairman of the Fayette County Farmers Institute, one of the best- known farmers and stockmen in Fayette county, the proprietor of a fine farm in Posey township and for years actively identified with all movements having to do with the improvement of rural conditions throughout this part of the state, is a native son of Fayette county, born in Posey township, and has always lived in that township. He was born on a farm about three- fourths of a mile southeast of Bentonville on April 11, 1879, son of James Henry and Emma F. (Kemmer) Mason, the former a native of the state of Ohio and the latter of this county, for years well-known residents of the
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Bentonville neighborhood, who later moved to Cambridge City, where James Henry Mason spent his last days and where his widow is now living, very comfortably situated.
James Henry Mason was born on a farm about eight miles east of the city of Hamilton, in Butler county, Ohio, August 18, 1848, son of James Mason and wife, who moved from New Jersey to Ohio, driving through with a spring wagon which contained all their belongings and settled in Butler county. There James Mason made a success of his farming opera- tions. and was regarded as a quite well-to-do farmer when, shortly after the close of the Civil War, he disposed of his holdings in Butler county and came to Indiana and bought a farm about four miles north of Connersville, on the west side of the Milton pike, just south of the county line, where he established his home remaining there for some years, at the end of which time he bought the Othniel Claypool farm of about four hundred and eighty acres, one and one-half miles east of Bentonville, where his grandson, the subject of this sketch, now lives; the place known as the old James McCul- lum farm. The handsome old brick house, of Colonial architecture, which still stands on that place, now remodeled and modernized, with a furnace heating plant and the like, was erected by James McCullum in 1848 and is back thirty-four rods from the road, being approached through an avenue of pine trees. On that place James Mason spent the rest of his life, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the northern part of the county. He was a man of large public spirit and took an active part in political affairs, for years being regarded as one of the leaders in the Republican party in this county. He was stricken with apoplexy while addressing a Republican meeting during a campaign and died shortly afterward, sincerely mourned throughout the entire county. James Mason left four children, James H., John S., Mrs. Hannah Thompson and Mrs. Kate Murphy.
James H. Mason was a young man when the family came to this county from Ohio and he at once took an active part in the work of improving and developing the home farm in Posey township. At the age of twenty-eight he married Emma F. Kemmer, who was born in that township, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Campbell) Kemmer, members of prominent pio- neer families of that neighborhood, further reference to whom is made else- where in this volume. Elizabeth Campbell was a kinswoman of Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Christian, or Disciples church. After his mar- riage James H. Mason continued farming in Posey township until about 1905, when he retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Bentonville, presently moving thence to Cambridge City, where he died on
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August 31, 1911, and where his widow is still living. He and his wife were the parents of four children, those besides the subject of this sketch being Clarence A., Mrs. Maggie M. Beeson, who is living across the line in Wayne county, about a mile and a half east of the old Mason home, and Dorothea E., now Mrs. Grover Castner, living in Cambridge with her mother.
James K. Mason was four years of age when his parents moved from the old home farm to the farm northwest of Bentonville and was eighteen years of age when they moved back to the old home place, where he is now living. He received his schooling in the high school at Bentonville and has ever sedulously supplemented the same by exhaustive home study and wide reading until he has come to be one of the best-informed men in the county. After his marriage in the fall of 1901 he rented the old home farm where he was born and there established his home. Two years later he bought at administer's sale an adjoining "eighty" that had been a part of his Grandfather Mason's original homestead, and in the fall of 1910 he bought from his father, paying one hundred dollars an acre for the same, sixty acres of the home place, including the house. Upon the death of his father he inherited ninety acres additional and now is the owner of two hundred and thirty-two acres of the old home place, besides a one-fourth interest in a section of land in Briscoe county, Texas, owned jointly by himself and his brother and sisters. In addition to his general farming Mr. Mason has for years taken much interest in the raising of cattle and hogs for the market and has given much attention to the work of promoting the raising of hogs in this county, promoting the "pig-feeding" contests in all proper ways. In 1915 his little daughter, Elsie, won second prize in this contest at the county fair and in 1916 Mr. Mason had charge of the annual contest and with the preparations for the same, speaking on every possible public occasion in behalf of the movement and urging the boys of Fayette county to enter into the movement. Thirty days before the date of the decision of the contest he and others toured the county with a pair of scales, weighing the pigs that had been entered in the contest and during the final exhibit at the county fair weighed them again, one hundred dollars in prizes being divided among the four winners. Mr. Mason also was continued in charge of that work in 1917 and has done wonders in the way of stimulating interest in hog raising among the youngsters of this county. During the years 1912-13 he was county chairman of the Farmers Institutes and his indefatigable labors in that connection did much toward reviving the interest in such meetings and in re-establishing the work of the farmers institutes throughout the county. When Mr. Mason accepted that chairmanship he found but two such insti-
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tutes in the county. When he retired from the office there were eleven in the county and all doing good work. From the days of his boyhood Mr. Mason has been an unwavering Republican and has for years taken an active part in local political affairs. In 1912 he was nominated by his party as the candidate for joint representative from the legislative district comprised in the counties of Fayette and Wayne, but was unsuccessful in his cam- paign, the Democratic landslide in that year nullifying the effects of his can- vass of the district. In 1914 he was again nominated from that same district and was elected, serving in the session of 1915. During that session the joint-legislative district was changed, Fayette county being linked with Frank- lin instead of with Wayne, and in the spring of 1916 when Mr. Mason was re-nominated to succeed himself in the Legislature the district was generally conceded to the Democrats; but the nominee entered the campaign with all the vigor of which he was capable and won out by a majority of two hun- dred and seventy-four, running ahead of the state ticket in every precinct in the two counties. During the memorable legislative session of 1917 Mr. Mason took much interest in the question of better roads for Indiana and worked vigorously in that behalf, his chief contention being that there should be a cash fund in each county to provide for the construction of all public roads and thus to do away with the present costly system of bond issues for highway purposes, according to his convincing demonstration forty per cent. of the present cost of building highways in this state being chargeable to interest accruing on the bonds issued for that purpose. In addition to his labors in behalf of a highway commission, Representative Mason stood firmly for the act prohibiting the traffic in liquor in this state, favored woman suffrage and was a supporter of the bill for the creation of a new consti- tional convention.
On October 9, 1901, James K. Mason was united in marriage to Nellie Manlove, who also was born in Posey township, on the farm where her father still lives, two and a half miles southeast of Bentonville, daughter of John L. and Mary E. (Scott) Manlove, and to this union five children have been born, three of whom are living, Elsie Viola, Mary Florence and Bertha Olive, and two of whom, Carl Scott and James Lester, are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Mason have a very pleasant home and have long been regarded as among the leaders in the general social activities of the community in which they live, helpful in promoting all proper agencies for the advance- ment of the common welfare not only throughout this county, but through- out the state.
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