USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 94
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Mary J. Hammond, whom George Golden married in 1863, was born in England and came to this country with her father, settling in Cincinnati. She was born in 1844 and died September 24, 19II.
That the rural life is the ideal one for children is undoubted. Mr. Miles' two children, Opha and Esther, are assured of a happy and healthy child- hood, under the inspiring influence of wise and loving parents and in the environs of the family homestead, so full of happy memories to those who call it home. Other conditions being equal, better results can be obtained from the fields of the family homestead, because there is naturally a stronger pride in maintaining the fertility of the land and the appearance of the buildings, and Mr. Miles continues the family traditions not only in the upkeep of his property, but in the living of an upright life as well.
Mr. Miles has been actively engaged in rendering assistance to the Re- publican party for many years. He and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and contribute liberally to its funds.
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MARTIN WARNER.
Among the many up-to-date and progressive farmers of Franklin county the name of Martin Warner stands out prominently, as Mr. Warner has had remarkable success because of the application of advanced ideas to the various processes of agriculture. He knows that the farmer of today who would make his land pay a fair profit must know the elements of crop rotation, fertilization, dairying, and so on, and in applying these elements of knowl- edge has secured results that the farmer of a few decades ago would hardly have dared to imagine.
Martin Warner first saw the light of day in Metamora township, Frank- lin county, on October 1, 1864, the son of John and Mary Ann (Simpson) Warner, the former of whom was born in North Carolina, October 18, 1822, and the latter on September 2, 1841. John Martin cultivated a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in this county and was highly regarded in his neighborhood. He was a Democrat and a Methodist. He died July 4, 1902, and his wife survived him a little more than two years, her death occurring July 12, 1906. They were the parents of Lucy, Martin, Eli, Colonel, Mar- shall, Emma, John and Alvern S. Before marrying Mary Ann Simpson, John Warner had married Emmaline Whitlock, by whom he had four chil- dren, of whom only one grew to maturity, Melvin.
The paternal grandparents of Martin Warner were Martin and Sarah (Hill) Warner, both natives of North Carolina. After marriage they moved to Kentucky and thence to Franklin county, where they entered land, estab- lishing the homestead on which the grandson lives today. Grandfather Mar- tin Warner died in 1880 and his wife died in 1882. They were the parents of John, Eli, William, Hubbard, Mahlon and Jefferson.
John and Elizabeth Simpson, the maternal grandparents of Martin War- ner, were pioneers in Franklin county, though they spent their last days in Henry county. They were the parents of Nahmier, Rachel, William, Eliza- beth, Delia and Mary Ann.
Reared on the home farm, it is not strange that Martin Warner decided to be a farmer, and he now owns a fine tract of one hundred and twenty acres, which he rents out, while he rents and occupies the Rudolph Weber . farm of about three hundred acres, located near Laurel. Mr. Warner raises high-grade stock and plants his fields to varied crops.
On January 31, 1894, Martin Warner married Belle Wheeler, who was born in Franklin county on August 8, 1874, the daughter of Major and Mar-
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garet (Lake) Wheeler, who were early settlers in Franklin county and are now dead, he dying in 1907 and she in 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Warner have been the parents of three children, two dying in infancy, the other, Ira, born on October 24, 1895, was educated in the Laurel public schools and is still living at home.
Mr. Warner is a member of the Democratic party, though he is not a politician or an office seeker. He is kind and considerable to his family, in whom he takes a proper pride. His stock shows evidence of kindly treatment by their sleek, contented appearance, and his place always looks neat and well kept, with substantial outbuildings and ample shelter for the farm machinery. By these signs is known the wise and progressive tiller of the soil.
ABRAM NOKES CHANCE.
A wonderful transformation has been wrought in Franklin county since the day when those first adventuresome settlers made their homes in the wil- derness. The land was then given over to dense forests, and was the home only of the roving Indian and the wild creatures of the forest. Today the land is tilled by prosperous farmers, and education and enlightenment flourish.
A man who appreciates the struggle which his forbears underwent in order that the way might be opened to bring to their present high state of cultivation his fertile acres today, is Abram N. Chance, who was born in Laurel township in 1849, his parents being John and Nancy (Smith) Chance, the former of whom was born in Kentucky in 1805, and the latter in Ohio in 1815. They also were the parents of May Isabelle, Sarah Elizabeth, Ruth M. and Mathew Smith Chance.
John Chance was a son of James Chance, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. John Chance came to Franklin county with his parents in 1815 and here lived and died. He died April 1I, 1892, and his wife died in 1902. He was a member of the Democratic party and a man who stood high in his community, his influence ever being for the good.
Reared as a farmer boy, Abram Chance attended the public schools in the winter months and mixed play with work during the summer months. He is now a prosperous farmer, owning one hundred and sixty acres of fertile land, which was owned by his father before him. There are eighty acres in the farm on which he lives.
In 1875 Mr. Chance married Martha Ryman, who was born in Brook-
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ville township on December 25, 1849, and who died in 1908, the mother of Willard S., born December 25, 1881, who married Catharine Wagner, the couple being the parents of Agnes Marie, Edwin Russell and Frances Willard, and Alva Ray, who was born January 29, 1884, and married Cecilia Wagner, to which union was born one child, Martha Elizabeth.
On August 2, 1911, Mr. Chance married, secondly, Phoebe Alcestis Clark, the daughter of Thomas and Martha (Jackson) Clark, who were re- spectively native to Hamilton county, Ohio, and England. Thomas Clark was the son of John and Alcestis Catharine Clark. John was a native of England, coming to Hamilton county, Ohio, as a young man and later moving to Franklin county, Indiana. He married Martha Jackson in Hamilton county, and to this union were born Jane, Sarah, Mathew, William, Edward, Letitia and Thomas. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Chance's second wife were Robert and Phoebe Jackson, who were the parents of John W., Mary Cora, Roswell, Howard, Phoebe A. and Joseph A.
Abram Chance is a member of the Prohibitionist party, and throws his influence against the liquor curse at every opportunity. He also is a member of the Christian church, is active in the church work and lends his moral and material aid whenever needed in promoting the best interests of his com- munity. He is not a man who seeks public favor, but gains it nevertheless by his upright, unassuming life.
EDGAR ROLLIN QUICK.
The Quick family have been residents of Franklin county since Indiana was admitted to the Union, and few families in the county have taken a more active part in its general welfare. The father of Edgar Rollin Quick was one of the most prominent physicians of the county for many years, and was a man of great influence throughout the county. Edgar Rollin Quick has taught school several years, was the editor of the Brookville Democrat for a few years, and is now engaged in general farming and stock raising.
Edgar Rollin Quick, the son of Dr. John H. and Sarah Jane (Cleaver) Quick, was born in Cedar Grove, Franklin county, Indiana, February 28, 1851. His father was born in Brookville township October 22, 1818, and his mother in Butler county, Ohio, in 1819. His parents, who were married June 16, 1841, reared a family of four children: Florence, deceased; Dr. Emmett W., who died in 1873; Edgar Rollin, with whom this narrative deals, and Gertrude, the wife of William Campbell, of Red Key, Indiana.
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in the employe of the Pennsylvania Railway company at Richmond, Indiana. Joseph married Laura Schum, of Brookville, a daughter of John Schum.
Mrs. Quick was born in 1851 in Highland township, and is a daughter of Peter Bossert, whose history is given elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Quick are members of the Universalist church. Politically, Mr. Quick has always been a Democrat, and for many years has taken an active part in the councils of his party. He has served in the revenue department of the United States government for three years, this being the only official position he has ever held. He is a worthy scion of a family which has been identified with the history of Franklin county for more than a hundred years and his record is such as to add luster to a distinguished name.
MILLARD F. CUPP, M. D.
The Cupp family came to Franklin county, Indiana, about seventy years ago and located in Salt Creek township. Doctor Cupp has been engaged in the active practice of medicine since 1882. He has an extensive practice in the locality where he settled, and is regarded as one of the most success- ful physicians of the county. In order to keep abreast of the times he has taken post-graduate courses within the past few years and makes it a point ever to keep fully informed of the latest advances in medical research.
Dr. Millard F. Cupp, the son of Philip and Sarah (Joliffe) Cupp, was born in Salt Creek township, Franklin county, Indiana, July 12, 1858. His father was born in Kentucky in 1825 and died January 8, 1868, in Franklin county. His mother was born in Brown county, Ohio, in 1825, and died in Franklin county, October 23, 1892. His parents had six children, Hester, Martha, John J., Millard F., Hannah and James. All these children, with the exception of Dr. Millard F., died within three months of diphtheria in the year 1866. Philip Cupp, Jr., the father of Doctor Cupp, was reared in Kentucky, and in 1845 came with his parents to Franklin county, Indiana, and continued to farm in Salt Creek township until his death in 1868. His widow never remarried, but continued to reside on the farm until her death.
The paternal grandparents of Doctor Cupp were Philip, Sr., and Hannah (Murphy) Cupp, both of whom probably were born in Kentucky. There is evidence that the Cupp family went from Pennsylvania to Vir- ginia and later to Kentucky. About 1845 the grandparents of Doctor Cupp
MILLARD F. CUPP, M. D.
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located in Salt Creek township, Franklin county, Indiana, where their three children grew to maturity.
The Joliffes went from France to Wales and lived there several genera- tions before representatives of this family immigrated to America. The maternal grandparents of Doctor Cupp were Enoch and Catherine (Bowler) Joliffe, the latter of whom was a daughter of a British officer who came with the English army to America in 1812. Her father deserted and married a Miss Springer. Grandfather Joliffe was a farmer in Brown county, Ohio, and lived to a good old age, his wife living to be eighty-seven years of age. They were members of the Universalist church.
Doctor Cupp received his elementary education in the district schools near his home. The first school he attended was conducted in an old log school house known as the Randolph school. While still a mere youth he began to read medicine at Andersonville, Indiana, under Doctor Orr, and later under Doctor Raber. In 1878 he entered the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, Ohio, and was graduated with the class of 1882. Immediately after graduation he began the practice of his profession at Metamora and re- mained there until 1891. He spent the next ten years practicing at Edin- burg, Indiana, and then, after one year at Rushville, Indiana, he returned to Metamora, and has since made this place his home. Doctor Cupp has taken two post-graduate courses in Cincinnati in order to prepare himself for more efficient service. He is a member of the Franklin County, Indiana State, and the American Medical Associations, and also holds membership in the Union District Medical Society. He has carried on a general practice, but now makes a specialty of treating chronic diseases of all kinds.
Doctor Cupp has been twice married, his first wife having been Hattie Wiley, to which union was born one son, Frank R., born May 27, 1881, who now is in California engaged in the fruit-growing business. Doctor Cupp was married, secondly, on Christmas day, 1890, to Bertha E. Gordon, who was born in Metamora township, Franklin county, Indiana, a daughter of Mahlon C. and Rebecca Ann (McWhorter) Gordon, both of whom are now deceased.
Doctor Cupp is a Progressive in politics, having allied himself with the new party of that name upon its organization in the summer of 1912. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Doctor Cupp has availed himself of every legitimate means to keep in touch with the trend of modern medical thought, and is familiar with all the leading authorities. He has a fine professional library in which he spends much of
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his time when not responding to the calls of his numerous patients. His knowledge of the kindred sciences of medicine and surgery is broad and comprehensive and in his professional labors he has shown himself amply qualified to cope with the intricate problems which continually confront the earnest and conscientious practitioner in his efforts to prolong life and restore health.
JAMES CHANCE.
Franklin county is peculiarly fortunate in the very high grade of her citizenship, as there are included in the number of those who have done honor to the county not a few men who have won distinction in various lines of endeavor. Agriculture is one of the noblest occupations that man may fol- low, and this vocation has attained a high standard here. Among those who have contributed their full share to the county's eminence in this line, few are better known than James Chance, a popular and progressive farmer of Laurel township, who forms the subject of this biographical sketch.
James Chance was born in Laurel township, in May, 1854, son of James and Hannah (Miller) Chance, both natives of Franklin county. To these two were born seven other children, William, Alonzo, John, Milton, Ruth, Jane and Mary.
The paternal grandfather of James Chance was James Chance, who was born in Kentucky in 1780 and died in 1852. He came to Franklin county in the early days (in 1815) and entered land now known as the Weber farm. His wife, Agnes (Nokes) Chance, was born in 1784 and died in Laurel township about the year 1860. They were the parents of Jane, Libbie, Benja- min, John and James Jefferson, the latter of whom was the father of the subject of this sketch. James J. Chance was a farmer ; politically, he was a Democrat. He died April, 1870, at the age of sixty, and his wife died in 1874, aged forty-five.
Born and reared on a farm, James Chance followed the example of his father and became a farmer. He now owns a farm of two hundred and twenty-three acres of fertile land in Laurel township, on which he raises the crops that are best adapted to Indiana's climatic conditions.
In 1874 Mr. Chance married Sarah Warner, who was born in Laurel township in 1859, the daughter of William and Susan (Westbrook) Warner, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky, born January 1, 1831, died December 4, 1904, and the latter a native of Christian county, Illinois, born
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in 1831, died January 15, 1907. William Warner was a Franklin county farmer clearing his own land in the pioneer days. Five children were born to James and Sarah (Warner) Chance, namely: Harvey, born December 28, 1877, cultivates the home farm; Eddie and Glenn, both deceased; Dora, aged twelve, and Mandus, who, after attendance on the Laurel high school and the Indiana State Normal College, makes teaching his profession.
Politically, Mr. Chance is a Democrat. He is a public-spirited man, who believes that community welfare is identical with individual welfare. He is a home lover, a devoted husband and a kind father. Mr. Chance does not farm by guess work, but studies his work with intelligence and the knowledge gained by fruitful experience and as a consequence has come to occupy a prominent and influential position in his home community.
JOHN NESBITT.
The life which is most conducive to genuine happiness and which ap- proaches nearest to the ideal is that of the owner of one of Indiana's garden spots, which Whitewater township and all of Franklin county are. The farmer is thoroughly independent and looks every man in the eye without flinching and has the indefinable satisfaction of knowing that he is feeding the world. John Nesbitt realizes the truth of the statement and glories in his vocation.
John Nesbitt was born July 24, 1880, on the farm where he now lives in Whitewater township, Franklin county, Indiana. His parents were James and Jerusha (Stillwell) Nesbitt. He is one of a family of four children, the others being Nellie, Anna and Bertha. Anna and Bertha are deceased, and Nellie married I. N. Watkins, and is living in Shellburg, Iowa.
Thomas Nesbitt, the grandfather of Mr. Nesbitt, was born in this county. He secured the deed for the farm where John Nesbitt now lives directly from the government. Thomas Nesbitt's children were James, Nancy and Thomas.
James Nesbitt, the father of John, in his earlier days operated a grist mill at Greensburg, Indiana, also maintaining a general supply store at that place. After leaving Greensburg he came to Franklin county, locating on a farm in Whitewater township. He added to his original land holdings from time to time until at the time of his death, in 1897, he was the owner of three hundred and thirty-three acres of fine farming land, all in Whitewater town- ship. He engaged in a general system of farming, and was very successful
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in his agricultural pursuits. He was twice married, his first wife being Eleanor Blocker, and to this union were born four children, Emma Jane, William, Addie and Thomas, deceased. After the death of his first wife, James Nesbitt married Jerusha Stillwell, who died May 31, 1914, and to his second union were born four children. James Nesbitt was a member of the order of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and was a prominent member of his community. James Nesbitt died in December, 1907.
On the death of his father, John Nesbitt and his sister, Nellie, fell heirs to the old homestead and he makes his home on the old place.
JOHN KOEPPEL.
The greatest number of emigrants reaching the shores of America have come from Germany, and those qualities of industry, patience, intelligence, morality and sturdiness which characterize the German nation have made the immigrants from that country valued citizens of the communities in the United States where they settled. Franklin county has been fortunate in receiving a large number of German immigrants. Among this number fit- ting mention should be made here of John Koeppel, who came to this country! in 1885 and located in Franklin county, where he speedily took his place among the progressive and influential residents of that section of the county in which he resides.
John Koeppel, the son of Carl and Hannah (Hora) Koeppel, was born in Brex, Bavaria, Germany, October 21, 1860. His father was born in the same place and his mother in Nenchan, Bavaria. The parents of Carl Koeppel were weavers by trade and lived all of their days in Brex, Germany. The maternal grandparents of John Koeppel also were life-long residents of Germany and never came to America.
Carl Koeppel, the father of John, learned the trade of a weaver and followed this occupation in Germany. He came to America in 1885 with his family and located in Blooming Grove township, Franklin county, In- diana. He followed the trade of a carpet weaver until his death in this township. Three children were born to Carl Koeppel and wife, John, with whom this narrative deals; Nicholas, deceased, and Margaret, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
John Koeppel was educated in the public schools of Bavaria, and was twenty-five years of age when he located in this country with his parents. He first worked on Franklin county farms by the month and after his mar-
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riage located in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he worked in the car shops for four years. In 1896 he returned to Franklin county and bought his pres- ent farm of one hundred and seven acres in Blooming Grove township. Since acquiring this farm he has erected a new home and otherwise im- proved it, so that he has greatly enhanced its value. He gives due attention to grain and stock raising and has the satisfaction of seeing his farm return a comfortable income year after year.
Mr. Koeppel was married in 1885 to Augusta Hora, who was born in Saxony, Germany, and came to America alone. She married Mr. Koeppel in Blooming Grove township, this county, and to this union have been born six children : Alice, the wife of Charles Slimer, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Clara, at home; Mrs. Rosa Seniour, living in Cincinnati, Ohio; Albert, a farmer of this county; Carl, deceased, and John, who lives at home.
Mr. Koeppel and his family are all loyal members of the German Luth- eran church and subscribe generously of their means to its support. The Democratic party receives the vote of Mr. Koeppel, and while interested in its welfare, he has never been an active worker in its ranks. Mr. Koeppel is energetic and thrifty, and yet notwithstanding his careful attention to his own private affairs, he does not neglect the life of the community about him, such having been his interest in the welfare of those with whom he mingles from day to day that he is held in high esteem by his neighbors and fellow citizens.
PIUS CONRAD SELM.
A descendant of German ancestry, Pius Conrad Selm has been promi- nently identified with the farming and stock raising interests of Franklin county, Indiana, for many years. He has given particular attention to stock "raising, and rightly ranks among the most progressive stock raisers of the county. He has those dominant characteristics of the German people which always lead to success, and during the thirty years that he has lived in Franklin county he has made a name for himself as one of the most pro- gressive and enterprising tillers of the soil in this section.
Pius C. Selm, the son of Francis and Catherine (Wagner) Selm, was born in Ripley county, Indiana, April 3, 1870. His father was born in Ger- many, July 2, 1819, and his mother in Alsace-Lorraine, July 1, 1834. They reared a family of sixteen children: Elizabeth, Balster, Oscar, Henry, John, Anna Mary, Barbara, Frank Joseph, Nicholas John, Catherine, Pius Con- rad, Joseph B., George W., George, Anna, Frederick and one who died in
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infancy. Of these children, the following are now deceased: John, Anna Mary, Frank Joseph, George W. and George. The father of these children died at Laurel, Indiana, March 18, 1892, while the mother passed away March 25, 1909.
Francis Selm came to Ripley county when a young man with his par- ents, Joseph Selm and wife, and bought a large tract of land in that county. Francis Selm was a veterinary surgeon, but after coming to this county he devoted most of his time to farming. He lived in Ripley county thirty- three years, and then bought a farm near Laurel in Franklin county, and on this farm of eighty acres passed the remainder of his days. The maternal grandparents of Pius C. Selm were Nicholas Wagner and wife, both of whom were born in Alsace-Lorraine and became early settlers of Ripley county, Indiana. Grandfather Wagner died in Ripley county and his wife later removed to Franklin county, where she died. She is buried at Laurel and he is interred at St. Peters.
Pius C. Selm was fourteen years of age when his parents moved from Ripley county to Franklin county, and he has spent his life since that time in Franklin county. He moved to Brookville township in 1895, and by careful methods and good management has accumulated a farm of one hun- dred and eleven acres. He has given particular attention to the breeding of Duroc-Jersey swine and Percheron horses. He also handles a good breed of Jersey cattle and raises White Leghorn chickens. He had the first reg- istered Duroc-Jersey sow in Brookville township. His farm is well im- proved and everything about his place bespeaks for him the possession of those qualities of thrift and industry which one always expects in the farmer of German descent.
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