History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 115

Author: Reifel, August J
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1648

USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 115

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).

THOMAS CONNELLY.

The prosperity and welfare of an agricultural community are in a large measure due to the enterprise and foresight of the individual citizens of that community. It is the progressive, wide-awake farmers that make the real history of an agricultural community and their influence in keeping and directing its interests is difficult to estimate. Thomas Connelly has for a long time ranked among the leading farmers of Franklin county. He is keenly interested in historical works, as well as in all matters of public con- cern.

Thomas Connelly was born December 3, 1863, in Butler township, Franklin county, Indiana, the son of Thomas and Anna (Sweeney) Con- nelly, who were both born in Ireland. Thomas Connelly, Sr., was born in 1819 and died in November, 1866. His wife was born in 1834 and died September 8, 1910. Thomas Connelly, Sr., came to America while young and landed in Philadelphia. He came on to Cincinnati, Ohio, thence coming to Butler township, Franklin county, where he bought eighty acres of land. on which he lived until his death. When he came to Franklin county it was a wilderness. Thomas Connelly, Sr., and wife were the parents of three children: Ann, born in 1861, died in 1883; Thomas, the subject of this sketch, and Jennie, who married Charles B. Kelly, of Terre Haute.

Thomas Connelly was educated in the common schools and has al- ways been a farmer. He was married May 20, 1884, to Theresa Doll, who died December 28, 1905. Seven children were born to this marriage: Jen- nie, William (deceased), James J., Dorothy E., Joseph, Peter and Edward.

II64

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

Jennie married Joseph Holtel, of Oldenburg, and they have three children, Rosemary, Ambrose and Clara.

Mr. Connelly was again married, February 16, 1909, to Rosa Hoege- man, who was born September 17, 1877. Mrs. Connelly is a daughter of Henry and Mary (Assman) Hoegemann. Mr. Connelly owns the eighty acres, which is the farm his uncle, William formerly owned. His uncle entered this land and it has never been out of the family name.

Mr. Connelly and wife belong to Oldenburg Catholic church and Mr. Connelly is a member of the Knights of America. Mr. and Mrs. Connelly are the parents of two children, Albert and Harry, in addition to those born to him by his first wife.

Henry Hoegemann, the father of Mrs. Connelly, was born October 25, 1819, in Oldenburg. Germany, and died January 10, 19II. He married Mary Assmann, who was born May 20, 1841, and is yet living in Butler township, Franklin county, on the farm adjoining that of Thomas Connelly. Henry Hoegemann came to America with his parents, who first went to Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and came from there to Butler township, Franklin county. They were members of the Catholic church at Oldenburg.

Mr. and Mrs. Connelly and family are highly respected citizens in the township where they live. They are interested in good works and are public- spirited in every sense. Mr. Connelly enjoys the esteem of his neighbors and friends.

SAMUEL M. RODGERS.

Efficiency in one vocation is generally believed to unfit a man for any other, yet Samuel M. Rodgers, of Buena Vista, Franklin county, has made a success of farming as well as of the mercantile business. The farmers of this country are the bone and sinew of the land, but the merchants, like- wise, are necessary to our present scheme of society and it speaks well for the individual's initiative and versatility when a man can prosper in two such occupations.

Samuel M. Rodgers was born north of Buena Vista, in Posey township, Franklin county, Indiana, September 13, 1868, the son of William and Sarah E. (Cramer) Rodgers, the former born in Rush county and the latter in Posey township, Franklin county.

The paternal grandparents of Samuel M. Rodgers were James and Mary (Pruett) Rodgers, the former born in New Jersey and the latter in

1165

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

Kentucky. His paternal great-grandparents were Hugh and Rebecca Rod- gers, of New Jersey, who came west at an early day and located in Cincin- nati. After his death in Cincinnati, his widow remarried and died in Rush county.

James Rodgers, the paternal grandfather of Samuel M. Rodgers, came west with his parents and learned the shoe-maker's trade in Cincinnati. He then worked in Indianapolis, Indiana, and afterwards moved to a farm in Rush county. Still later he moved to Posey township, Franklin county, where he had eighty acres and was a farmer until his death. The maternal grandparents of Samuel M. Rodgers were Samuel and Almerine (Messer- smith) Cramer, the former born in Ohio and the latter in Fayette county, Indiana. The maternal great-grandparents of Samuel M. Rodgers were Daniel and Nancy Ann Cramer, of Pennsylvania, who located in Ohio. He was a millwright who disappeared and was never heard from again. Almer- ine Messersmith was the daughter of Hiram and Charity (Freeman) Mes- sersmith, natives of Pennsylvania and New England, respectively. The Messersmith family located in Fayette county early in the last century. He was a blacksmith at Columbus and died there, his wife dying at Conners- ville, Indiana. Samuel Cramer learned the carpenter trade and worked at this trade in Columbia, Fayette county, Indiana. There he married and after his marriage he continued to follow this trade for some time. He later moved to Laurel, where he died. At the beginning of the Civil War he enlisted in Company F, Fifty-second Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served througout the war.

William Rodgers, the father of Samuel M. Rodgers, was educated in the public schools. He enlisted in Company B. Thirty-seventh Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and served three years and three months during the Civil War. At the end of the war he came back to his home. where he has continued to live except during one year, which he spent in Illinois. He has always been a farmer. At one time he bought forty acres in Salt Creek township. He is now retired and lives in Buena Vista. He was formerly a member of the Christian church, but is now a member of the United Brethren church. His children are Marietta, Samuel and Clara.

Samuel M. Rodgers was educated in the public schools and worked at cigar making in Connersville, Indiana, for four years after leaving school. In 1894 he entered the general mercantile business at Buena Vista, buying out John Fey. At the same time he also bought the Emsweller building. From 1906 until 1912 he was engaged in farming on his farm of one hun-

II66

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

dred and sixty acres just north of Buena Vista. He still owns this farm, but has resumed the general mercantile business in Buena Vista.

Samuel M. Rodgers was married in February, 1894, to Nethe Davison, the daughter of John A. Davison, of Buena Vista. To this union six chil- dren have been born, Edna, Harold, Raymond, Hazel, Roland and Thomas, of whom Edna, Raymond and Hazel are deceased.

Mr. Rodgers is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Improved Order of Red Men. He is a member of the Christian church, but Mrs. Rodgers is a member of the United Brethren church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers are highly respected in the community in which they live and popular with everybody.

EDWARD SCOTT.

In the early part of the last century the tide of immigration which set in so strongly toward the western and undeveloped sections of the country brought from Virginia into Indiana, particularly into the southern and cen- tral portions of the then wilderness which since has developed into the grand Hoosier commonwealth, some of the sturdiest stock which has left to the present generation its priceless legacy of sterling worth, inherent virtue, moral rectitude and physical stability. Among these Virginians who sought a wider horizon amid "the farther boundaries," where new homes could be erected and new fortunes created, few were better equipped for the stern struggle with the wilderness than was the paternal great-grandfather of the gentleman whose name heads this biographical narrative and the fifth gen- eration of the Scott name now occupies and enjoys the home which that vigorous ancestor carved out of the forest, enjoying the blessings of a more comfortable way of life, based upon conditions which he literally wrested from the soil back in the days when pioneers were men of stout heart indeed.

In 1830 William H. Scott, who was born at Staunton, Virginia, of Scotch ancestry, left his home in the Old Dominion colony and, coming to Indiana, founded a new home in what is now Richland township, Rush county, nearby the present village of Andersonville. William H. Scott's wife was Ann Houston, a cousin of General Sam Houston, of Texas fame, and proved a fitting helpmeet for him in his trying days while conquering the wilderness and creating a new home. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters, whom they reared to venerate the teachings of the Presby-

1167

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

terian faith, instilling into their youthful minds high principles and noble aims, from which they never departed in after years. The pioneer father survived the wife and mother about three years, passing to his reward April I, 1845. Mrs. Ann (Houston) Scott died March 22, 1842.

The youngest son of this pioneer pair was Smith Scott, who was born in Virginia, August 22, 1823. In 1845 he married Miss Sophronia Larue, who died in 1894, leaving an only son, Seneca L. Scott, the father of the subject of this biography. Smith Scott was of the true adventurous type which makes pioneering ever possible, and was one of the great throng of bold spirits that joined in the famous gold rush to California following the amazing discovery which startled the world in 1849. He was among the very first to make the overland trip and after a journey of six months' dura- tion, which was filled with hardships which the present generation would no doubt count almost insuperable, he reached Sacramento. Instead of engag- ing in the mad scramble for gold, Mr. Scott entered into merchandising and for two years conducted a base of supplies in the gold region for the "Argo- nauts." Deciding then that, after all, Indiana was a good place in which to establish a permanent home, he returned, making the back passage by way of the isthmus and Cuba. The remainder of his life was spent at his home in Posey township, where he ever was regarded as among the most substan- tial and influential residents of the county.

Seneca L. Scott, only son and child of Smith and Sophronia (Larue) Scott, was born on the old Scott place in Posey township November 22, 1856, and died at the same place December 22, 1904. He was educated at the old Brookville Seminary, following this course of instruction with a supple- mental course at Greensburg. In his young manhood he spent two years in California. where he taught school. Returning to Andersonville, he en- tered upon the serious business of farming, and presently succeeded his father in the general management of the fine old homestead farm of two hundred and sixty acres. During this time he gave close attention to public affairs, believing it the duty of all thoughtful men to give to the political life of the country, and particularly of the immediate community in which they reside, whatever of intelligent attention is possible. He was ever an ardent Republican and twice filled the important office of township trustee. His family, as had been that of his forebears for generations back, was raised in the strict faith of the Presbyterian church.

On December 30, 1880, Seneca L. Scott married Annie G. Spilman, daughter of Dr. F. J. and Elizabeth (Wrightson) Spilman, who was born at Andersonville, Indiana, in 1862, and to this happy union seven children

II68

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

were born, as follows: Luella A., Frank S., Edward, the subject of this sketch; an infant (deceased), Hazel, Marie and Wallace. Mrs. Scott died August 1, 1906.

Edward Scott, fourth of the same 'line to occupy the old Scott home- stead, was born October 22, 1884. He was educated in the local schools at Andersonville and followed the footsteps of his fathers, taking up farming as the choicest of life's vocations. In this he has been successful and is con- stantly trying to improve and add to the fine estate created so many years before by his grandfather. In 1906 Edward Scott married Miss Bessie Cameron, daughter of W. A. and Rachel (McCready) Cameron, who was born in Posey township, Franklin county, in April, 1887: They have two children, Dorothy and Robert, who constitute the fourth generation of Scotts on the old homestead, and there seems to be abundant reason to be- lieve that the future historian of Franklin county may be able to record the presence on the same spot of many other generations of Scotts, all true to their sterling ancestry, giving to all a fine example of the advantages of a persistent family unity.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott are members of the Presbyterian church, and politi- cally, Mr. Scott is a Republican. He is a member of the Andersonville lodge of Free and Accepted Masons No. 96.

CLEMENT ALEXANDER CORY.

Franklin county has many distinguished families who have taken a prominent part in the affairs of the county for many generations, reflected credit and, in some instances, glory on their county. One of the most dis- tinguished families that has ever come to Franklin county is the Cory family, who from the very earliest times, have been noted, not only in the local affairs of the different communities where they have lived, but in the affairs of the state and nation, where they have been represented in the legis- lative halls and in the military affairs of their country, at the present time they still occupying a very prominent place in the affairs of their township and county.

Clement Alexander Cory was born in Brookville township, Franklin county, Indiana, January 9, 1862, the son of Clement R. and Mary Prudence (Johnston) Cory. Clement R. Cory was the son of Clement R. Cory, Sr., who was one of the earliest settlers of this part of the country, having

MR. AND MRS. CLEMENT A. CORY.

1169

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

come here from New Jersey. He was a blacksmith by trade, his birth occur- ring November 11, 1789. After coming to Union county, Indiana, he settled on a farm, also working at his trade.

Clement R. Cory, Jr., the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, was the only one of his father's children born in Indiana, the other five having been born in New Jersey. He was born near Fairfield, just across the line in Union county, Indiana, January 28, 1834. He was reared on his father's farm, receiving his elementary education in the common schools of his township, later supplementing this with a course at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana. He engaged in the teaching profession after leaving college, and continued in this work for some time. Later he was elected to the office of county superintendent of schools of his county. He was a man of liberal education, broad in his ideas and thorough in his training. His career was one of great activity and was marked by valuable service in the cause of the political party to which he belonged. When he became interested in politics he gave his support to the Democratic party, but assisted the Re- publicans when he felt their candidate was the best man. He was one of the standard bearers of his party in this county, and was honored by being elected to numerous offices of public trust and responsibility. He served in the Indiana State Legislature during the years 1867 and 1869 and again in 1885. In 1871 he was reading clerk in the State Senate. He achieved an enviable reputation while in the Legislature for his broad understanding and comprehensive discussion of all public questions. Mr. Cory was a man of varied and extensive reading, broad and liberal in his views. He was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his fraternal relations were engaged with the Free and Accepted Masons, in which honorable ritualistic order he had received all the degrees, including the thirty-second. He also belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. At the time of his death, Mr. Cory was the owner of several hundred acres of finely improved land along the valley of East White river.

Clement R. Cory, Jr., was twice married, his first wife being Mary P. Johnson, who was a daughter of Alexander W. Johnson, of this county, and to this union were born the following children: Rose, Adelia, Maud, May, C. A. and Lenora, May having died in infancy. Rose, who is now de- ceased, was the wife of John R. Gowdy. Adelia became the wife of May- nard Irwin, and Lenora is the wife of Harry Feicht, of Dayton, Ohio.

The second wife of Clement R. Cory, Jr., was Mrs. Harriet Logan, the widow of Winfield Scott Logan. She was a daughter of Robert G. Hub-

(74)

II70

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

bard, who was a native of Fairfield township, the son of Samuel and Jane Hubbard. In 1843 Robert Hubbard married Mary A. Dennelsheck, the daughter of Jacob Dennelsheck. Samuel Hubbard came to Franklin county, Indiana, from New Jersey when a young man. The parents of Mrs. Cory removed from Franklin county to Missouri, where her birth occurred in 1858. Her father was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, he being one of the one hundred and seven Union men who voted for Abraham Lincoln for President in Andrew county, Missouri. He enlisted for service in the Union army as a private in the Twelfth Missouri Cavalry, which responded to the first call of President Lincoln for troops. His faith- fulness in service and his popularity soon gained for him the rank of captain. Later he was discharged from the service on account of disability, but on recovering his health he recruited a company and again entered the service as captain and remained at the front until the close of the war. Mrs. Cory lived in Missouri until she reached the age of twenty-five, when she married Winfield Scott Logan and they removed to Franklin county, Indiana, where Mr. Logan's death occurred. Mrs. Cory is a woman of culture and refine- ment, possessing much literary ability, and has written many songs and other verses. She has contributed a series of excellent articles to the children's department of the Western Christian Advocate, one of the organs of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which denomination she has given loyal support for many years.

C. A. Cory was reared on his father's large farm, receiving his educa- tion in the common schools of hi home neighborhood. He has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, and is now engaged in farming and stock raising on the old home place. He is the owner of two hundred and ninety-three acres of fine land in Union county, Indiana, just across the line from Frank- lin county, and has a beautiful home on the west bank of White river in Fairfield township, where he lives surrounded by all the comforts and con- veniences of life, including bath, water, gas lights, etc. Mrs. Cory's mother makes her home with her son, having reached the advanced age of seventy- nine years.

On June 5, 1895, Mr. Cory was united in marriage with Miss Cora Holland, daughter of James B. and Elizabeth (Wildridge) Holland, the former of whom was born near Metamora, Franklin county, Indiana, No- vember 27, 1840, and the latter of whom was born near New Trenton, In- diana, January 7, 1845, both of whom still are living on a farm in Franklin county and will celebrate their "golden wedding" this year (1915). Mr. Holland is a fine old gentleman and he and his good wife are regarded as

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

among the most substantial and influential residents of the county. He gave his services to his nation in the dark hour of its trial in the sixties, doing service in the Civil War as a member of the Eighteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. His patriotic service was interrupted by a severe attack of typhoid fever, which left him in such a debilitated condition that he was given an honorable discharge on account of physical disability.

To the union of Clement Alexander and Cora (Holland) Cory one child has been born, a son, Alexander Johnston, a bright little lad who is the light of the lives of his devoted parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cory are 'earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to the various activities of which they give their hearty support and are always found at the forefront in any movement having to do with the extension of the general interests of the community, in the social life of which they have proved such useful and influential factors and in which they are held in the highest regard by all their large circle of friends and acquaintances. Mr. Cory is not only one of the most progressive farmers in Franklin county but in the general affairs of the community, political, social and moral, he takes an intelligently di- rected interest, his fine executive ability and sound business judgment giving to his counsels a weight and an influence which make for good in every direction to which they are directed.

DAVID HAWKINS.

Success comes as a result of legitimate and well-applied energy, unflag- ging determination and perseverance in whatever course of action one has decided upon. Success does not smile upon the idler nor the dreamer, and never courts the loafer. Only those who have diligently sought the favor of success are crowned with its blessing. In tracing the life careers of influential citizens of Franklin county, Indiana, the name of David Hawkins must be reckoned with. The success which he enjoys has been won by those com- mendable personal qualities which obtain for him the high esteem of the peo- ple of Franklin county.

David Hawkins was born near Cedar Grove, on Elkhorn creek, in High- land township, January 30, 1830, the son of Reuben and Mary (Leforge) Hawkins, the former of whom was born in Tennessee in 1798 and the latter in New Jersey June 7, 1805. Reuben Hawkins came to Franklin county while yet unmarried. He was married February 22, 1823, and moved near

1172

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

Cedar Grove. In 1835 he moved to a farm in Salt Creek township now owned by Caroline Hawkins, a sister of David Hawkins. He died there in 1863 at the age of sixty-five years, and his wife died in 1892 at the age of eighty-seven. He was a distiller near Cedar Grove and also followed farm- ing. He owned two hundred and seventy acres of land. Early in his life he was a Whig, but later was identified with the Democratic party. Reuben Hawkins and wife were the parents of eleven children: Sarah, born De- cember 15, 1823; Maria, born September 20, 1825; Alexander, born October 25, 1827; David, born January 30, 1830; George, born September 13, 1832; Catherine, born October 8, 1835; Caroline, born January 14, 1838; Charles, born January 7, 1841 ; John W., born November 16, 1843; Mary, born June I, 1846, and William R., born August 23, 1850.

David Hawkins and his sisters, Caroline and Mary, are the only sur- vivors of the above family. They all live on the old homestead, none of them ever having married.

The paternal grandparents of David Hawkins were John and Nancy (Gray) Hawkins, who came to Franklin county in 1812, and both of whom died in Salt Creek township. The maternal grandparents of David Hawkins were John and Mary (Smith) Leforge, who came from New Jersey in an early day and settled in Franklin county, near Brookville. He died in Brook- ville township and she in Decatur county, Indiana.

David Hawkins has been one of the most extensive real estate owners and stock dealers in Franklin county. He has owned nearly three thousand acres of land in Franklin county at different times, but has recently sold some. At present he owns between fifteen hundred and two thousand acres. He is now eighty-five years old, but can walk on stilts across Salt creek, a stream near his home.

Mr. Hawkins was a Republican for many years, but when, in 1912, he formed the conclusion that the party had come under the control of bad lead- ers, he turned from his former political faith and is now an ardent Progres- sive. He became a member of this latter party upon its formation, and since then has devoted much of his time and considerable money to the maintenance of the Progressive organizations in Franklin county and the state of Indiana. In fact, Mr. Hawkins has never hesitated to spend his money in worthy en- terprises. He is a public-spirited citizen in the highest sense of the word, and his life career has been a distinct and decided gain to the public welfare in Franklin county. Mr. Hawkins as a citizen and as a neighbor, is revered throughout the length and breadth of Franklin county, and no history of the county would be complete without the above brief and modest review of his useful and honorable career.

II73

FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.

JAMES CLINTON HARLEY.

It would be difficult to over-emphasize the value to the community of the life history of one who lived so honorable and useful a life and attained to such a pleasing local eminence as he whose name appears at the head of this sketch. As a private citizen the late James Clinton Harley made a pro- nounced success of everything with which he was connected. He was one of those individuals to be found in nearly every community, who, by reason of ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and com- mand the respect and esteem of their fellow men. Such a one makes his presence felt, the vigor of his personality serving as an incentive to the young and rising generation. To the more energetic and enterprising class of citi- zens who in all times have done so much to improve the condition of man- kind, the late James Clinton Harley, of Franklin county, Indiana, properly belongs, and it is a pleasure for the biographer here to present a brief and modest estimate and review of his life in this county.

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.

History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 115

Author: Reifel, August J Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1648

Author: Reifel, August J
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1648