USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 101
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Willis Pauley was born October 8, 1868, in Washington township, Gib- son county, Indiana, the son of William and Ella (Miller) Pauley, the father having been born in Kentucky in 1833 and dying in Washington township, Gibson county, in 1890, at the age of fifty-seven years, while the mother was a native of Gibson county.
William Pauley came to Gibson county in 1850, when he was about eighteen years of age, and located in Washington township, where he passed his life, reaching a position of honor and respect among his fellow men.
Of a family of five children, Willis was the eldest, and spent his youth- ful days on the home place, attending the district school and assisting his father in the conduct of the farm. In 1890, however, Willis Pauley struck out for himself and engaged in farming on his own behalf. He purchased
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his present home farm in 1905, having disposed of his former property, and now owns one hundred acres of as fine land as can be found in the county. It is all under a high state of cultivation and improved with the most modern and up-to-date farm buildings, which, together with his com- fortable home, represents an agricultural plant of which any inan might feel proud. Along with general farming, Mr. Pauley raises coach horses, for which he finds a ready market at remunerative prices.
January 26, 1891, Mr. Pauley was united in marriage to Frances John- son, daughter of Thomas Johnson, of Knox county, Indiana. one of the best known and most prosperous farmers in the state. He is the possessor of two thousand four hundred acres of fine land in Knox county, on which he raises large crops. in addition to marketing about one hundred head of horses annually. On the splendid estate over which he presides he maintains a deer park stocked with sixty head of these beautiful animals.
To Willis Pauley and wife have been born five children: Ethelbert, Pearl, Artie, Willis and Waldo, all of whom are still under the parental roof.
Mr. Pauley is a worthy and representative citizen, having acted well his part in life, and while primarily interested in his own affairs, he has not been unmindful of others, as his efforts to advance the public good and promote the welfare of his fellow men abundantly attest.
WILLIAM HYNEMAN.
There could be no more comprehensive history written of a city or county, or even of a state and its people, than that which deals with the life work of those who, by their own endeavor and indomitable energy, have placed themselves where they well deserve the title of "progressive." In this sketch will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active and less able plodders on the highway of life, one who has not been subdued by the many obstacles and failures that come to every one, but who has made them stepping stones to higher things and at the same time that he was win- ning his way in material things of life gained a reputation for uprightness and honor.
William Hyneman was born November 11, 1849, in Washington town- ship, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of A. K. and Luzanna ( Hargrove) Hyneman, the father being born in the same county and township, where he
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died in 1900, in his seventy-ninth year, and the mother a native of White River township. The father of A. K. Hyneman was John Hyneman, who came from Pennsylvania to the Hoosier state over one hundred years ago and located in Washington township, the land which he originally entered being yet in the possession of the family. At the time of his coming to Gibson county there was but one family living between his home and Prince- ton. Here he continued the rest of his days on the original homestead, dying in his eighty-first year.
A. K. Hyneman spent his entire life on the land originally occupied by his father, developing and improving his holdings until he became the pos- sessor of over four hundred acres of the best land in the community, he being one of the representative men of his time. To A. K. Hyneman and wife were born nine children, namely: John is living in Patoka township; Mary and Isaphina are deceased; William ; Lizzie, deceased ; Samuel resides on the old homestead; R. A. is living in Pike county; Cynthia resides in Ohio; and Willis, Washington.
William Hyneman's early life was spent on his father's place, he re- ceiving a good education in the district schools. On May 25, 1881, he was married to Mrs. Edith (Price) Thompson, daughter of Amzi Price, of Washington township, who was born in 1810 and died in 1893. Her grand- father, William Price, settled in this county over a century ago, he having emigrated from North Carolina. and Amzi Price continued during his life- time on the home place.
To William Hyneman and wife have been born six children: Perry. deceased; Minnie, at home: Ora, who married George Decker: Edgar, who died in infancy ; Bret and Burtis, at home.
After his marriage, Mr. Hyneman rented land in Pike county, Indiana, where he followed farmning for about a year, and then came to Washington township, Gibson county, and purchased land, on which he has continued to reside. This land. which includes a part of the old homestead, has been im- proved and added to until it now comprises a tract of two hundred acres, and is considered one of the best farms in the county. A number of im- provements have been made, among them a splendidly located and comfort- able home and good barns and other farm buildings.
Mr. Hyneman has always taken an active and earnest interest in educa- tional matters and served for a number of years on the school board, having been a member when the present Mt. Olympus school was established, it being one of the finest country schools in the United States. having five
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teachers. Always a strong advocate of consolidation, Mr. Hyneman has been a leader in all improvements tending to modernize and increase the utility of the educational institutions of his district. Mrs. Ilyneman is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and takes a deep interest in its well-being and effectiveness.
JOHN A. ZWISSLER.
Any person who will investigate the facts in the case will be surprised to learn of the great number of people of Germanic nativity and descent now living in the United States. Unquestionably the greatest number of emi- grants reaching the shores of the new world comes from that nation, and statistics show that there is more Germanic blood in the United States than any other. This being a fact, it is easy to account for the prosperity and morality of this country. Not only that, but it will afford an explanation for the love of learning shown by the people of this vast nation. Germany is famous the world over for its remarkable universities, for its educated men, for its poets and philosophers, and for the industry, patience, intelli- gence, morality and sturdiness of its citizens. These qualities have been brought to this country by the immigrants, and are now part and parcel of our wonderful nation-its progress in domestic economy, its advancement in every branch of material improvement, and its love of country and home.
John A. Zwissler, one of the leading farmers of Patoka township, Gib- son county, Indiana, was born on November 2, 1853, in Audenbach, Ger- many, the son of Lawrence and Agnes Carl Zwissler, both of whom were also natives of the same locality. There they were reared and married, whei, the father successfully followed farming until his death, which oc- curred in 1859, at the age of sixty years. The following year the widow and her children came to the United States in the hope of improving their con- dition. These children were Catherine, who is now living at Sparksville, Ohio; Joseph, deceased; Peter, who remained in the fatherland, where he followed farming; Barbara, deceased; Ferdinand, deceased, and John .1., the immediate subject of this sketch. Subsequently, the mother became the wife of Simon Moser, also a native of Germany, and to them were born two children, Kate, who lives in Evansville, Indiana, and Mary, a resident of Vanderburg county, Indiana. When the family first arrived in America
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they located in Dayton, Ohio, for two years, and then came to Indianapolis, Indiana, where they remained until they moved to Evansville, Indiana, two years later. There the father and mother both died. John A. Zwissler has received only a limited education, and at the age of twenty-six years, in 1872, he enlisted in the Fifteenth Regiment of the United States Army, at Evansville, Indiana, being sent to Newport Barracks, where he remained until sufficiently acquainted with military tactics, and was then assigned to the command at Fort Stanton, in New Mexico, where he remained for five years. During a part of this time he was assigned as escort to the paymas- ter through that section of the country, and proved a trustworthy and faith- ful soldier. After his discharge from the army he came to Gibson county, Indiana, and, in 1879, located on the Charles Key farm, south of Princeton, in Patoka township. He first obtained eighty acres of land in section 31, to which he later added ninety acres more, being now the owner of a fine tract of one hundred and seventy acres, comprising one of the best farms in Gib- son county. Mr. Zwissler remodeled the residence and other farm buildings and made many other and substantial improvements, which have added materially to the value and attractive appearance of the place. He is up-to- date and progressive in his ideas relating to agriculture, and in this calling has achieved a splendid success. He carries on a general farming business, raising all the crops common to this section of the country, and also gives some attention to the raising of live stock, in which he is also successful.
In 1879 Mr. Zwissler married Margaret McWilliams, a native of South Carolina, a daughter of David and Martha (Wharn) McWilliams, also natives of South Carolina, but who became early settlers of Gibson county, where the father followed farming, and where he and his wife died. To Mr. and Mrs. Zwissler have been born the following children: Martha Agnes, the wife of Elbert Cunningham, of Tulsa, Oklahoma ; Lawrence, a farmer, who is at home; Sarah Ellen, who died unmarried; Olive, the widow of William L. Smith, who lives with her father; J. Arthur, who is now at- tending the civil engineering department in Purdue University, where he will graduate with the class of 1914: Florence, who is at home and is a student in the Princeton high school; and Mary and Katie, who are deceased.
Politically, Mr. Zwissler is an earnest Republican, and religiously is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at King's Station in this county. Mr. Zwissler occupies a prominent place among the substantial farmers of his locality, and deserves all the splendid success which has attended his efforts. He has acted well his part in life, and while primarily interested in
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his own affairs, he has not been unmindful of the interests of others. as his efforts to advance the public good and promote the welfare of the community amply attest.
SYLVESTER B. ROBINSON.
Sylvester B. Robinson, a farmer and influential citizen of Gibson county, was born here September 15, 1852, the son of James A. Robinson, who was born in Warren county, Kentucky, August 20, 1826. The father of James Robinson was John, a native of Virginia, who after his marriage to a Miss Daugherty, went to Kentucky, where they secured a large tract of land on which they made their home and where he died. After his death, his wife came to Gibson county, Indiana, about the year 1847, and here she died in 1861. They were the parents of seven children, namely: Sarah, William. Earl, Milton, James A., Robert and John. This entire family is now de- ceased. James A., one of the sons, came to Gibson county about the year 1847 and was that year married to Louisa Benson, a native of Gibson county, born in 1833. She was a daughter of William Benson, of Hardin county. Kentucky, who had come to Gibson county and married Margaret Leach, who was born in Virginia in 1803. William Benson was originally from Virginia and came here in 1816, where he died in 1878. The wife's deatlı occurred in 1866. Mr. Benson was a wheelwright by trade, quite skilled in that day when all sorts of farm implements and vehicles were hand made. He was also a farmer, owning and cultivating a large tract of land. Their children follow: Mary Jane, deceased; Sylvester, who died on March 31. 1914: Martha, deceased: Ellen, wife of Amasa Wilson, of Montgomery township; Louisa (mother of the immediate subject of this sketch). of Owensville, Indiana; Sarah, deceased ; William C., who was killed at Kings- ton, North Carolina; and Lemyra, deceased.
James A. Robinson, after his marriage to Louisa Benson in 1847. located on a farm in Gibson county, where he remained until 1856, at which time he moved to DeWitt county. Illinois. He remained there ten years. and in 1866 returned to Gibson county, where he farmed until 1903. He was always anxious to introduce new and helpful methods into his agricul- tural work and has the distinction of having brought the first corn planter into Gibson county. He was a man of genial disposition who made scores of friends. Always a stanch Republican, he was active in the politics of his
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county and filled an office or two. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, seven of whom are now living. Their names follow: Martha, born September 20, 1850, deceased, the wife of Elisha L. Pritchett, a farmer, furniture dealer and funeral director; Sylvester B., subject of this sketch; George C. died in infancy; Woodfin D., born January 27, 1857, in DeWitt county, Illinois ; graduated from State University at Bloomington in 1879, taught school for a while, later attended law school at Ann Arbor, Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1882, was admitted to the bar and took up the practice of his chosen profession in Princeton. In 1884 he was elected county superintendent of the schools of Gibson county. He and A. P. Twineham operated the Gibson County Leader for about a year. He was first elected judge in 1895 and served twelve years on the appellate bench. He also represented his district in the state Legislature. In 1909 he removed to Evansville, Indiana, where he took up the practice of law with a partner under the firm nanie of Robinson & Stilwell. His wife was Jessie Montgom- ery. The fifth child in this family was William C., born June 28, 1859, residing at present in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In his earlier years he was a dealer in grain at Oakland City, Indiana, and later went to Kansas, where he started in banking business, and still later to Holyoke, Colorado, where he practiced law and engaged in real estate business. He was also made judge in the county courts there. Later he removed to Colorado Springs, where he has since practiced law. He is a stanch Republican and was elected senator of his district. His wife was Lida Dorsey. The sixth child is Minnie Belle, born June 30, 1862, wife of Henry Mauck, of Owens- ville, Indiana, a farmer and stock dealer; Dove, the seventh child, born in October, 1866, wife of Osborn Lockhart, dealer in coal and building mater- ials at Owensville; Ada, the eighth child, born in August, 1869, wife of John A. Mauck, a salesman traveling out of Fort Smith, Arkansas; and Anna, the ninth and last child, born in 1875, wife of Orville McGinnis, of Evans- ville, Indiana, a graduate of DePauw University and now an attorney. He has served in office and was referee in bankruptcy.
Sylvester B. Robinson received his elementary education in the schools of DeWitt county, Illinois, later attending the high school at Owensville, Indiana, and the Normal College at Lebanon, Ohio. from which he was grad- uated in 1872. He taught school for five years in the schools of Gibson county and then took up farming in Patoka township. Here he remained for two years, when he went to Miller, South Dakota, took up a homestead claim and was there three years. At the end of that time he returned to Gibson county and was interested in the coal business at Owensville for about
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eight years, since which time he has carried on farming and stock raising in Patoka township.
Sylvester B. Robinson was first married on August 12, 1875, to Mary Barker, of Owensville, daughter of Hiram and Eliza ( Fitzgerald) Barker. He was a farmer and pioneer of Gibson county. To their union was born one child, Pearl, wife of E. D. Fletchall, of Poseyville, Indiana, dealer in live stock. To Mr. and Mrs. Fletchall have been born four children : Emily (deceased ), Virginia, E. D., Jr., and Robert I. Mrs. Robinson's death oc- curred June 28, 1878. Mr. Robinson's second wife was Hattie Jaquess. whom he married September 29, 1802. She was a native of Owensville. Indiana, a daughter of William A. and Mary A. ( Pollard) Jaquess. Her father was a hotel man and was originally of Poseyville, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Jaquess had a family of eight children, namely: Roxanna, wife of Richey Summers, of Owensville: Emma, wife of W. . \. Stewart, of Vander- bilt. Texas: Lora, wife of Henry Baird. of New Albany, Indiana ; Fletcher P., a farmer of Owensville; Hattie, wife.of Mr. Robinson: Retta, wife of Charles W. Heistand, of Stamps, Arkansas: Ada B .. unmarried, a milliner in Connersville, Indiana, and Minnie, the wife of U. G. Teal. of Owensville. Indiana. By his second marriage. Mr. Robinson has one son, James J., born July 14, 1893, who attended the State University at Bloomington and grad- uated with the class of 1914.
All through life Mr. Robinson has been a stanch Republican and has taken some active interest in politics, but has never aspired for office as have other members of his family. Religiously, his sympathies are with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Robinson is a member and to which he gives his support. Of undoubted honesty and integrity, Mr. Robin- son enjoys the high esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. The members of the family move in the best circles of the community and be- cause of their genuine worth and splendid qualities they enjoy the high re- gard of all.
WILLIAM ENNES.
Among all branches of history, there is none more instructive or more eagerly sought after than that which truthfully delineates the rise and prog- ress of the state, county or community in which the reader lives. There is pleasure as well as profit to every intelligent mind in contemplating the struggles of the early settlers in every portion of the great West : how they
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encountered and successfully overcame every species of trial, hardship and danger to which men in that stirring period were subjected. But these things strike us more forcibly and fill our minds with more immediate inter- est when confined to our own locality where we can yet occasionally meet with some of the silver-haired actors in those early scenes, men whose bravery in encountering the manifold troubles and misfortunes incident to frontier times has borne an important part towards making Indiana what it now is, and whose acts, in connection with hundreds of others in the first settling of our vast domain, have compelled the world to acknowledge us an invincible people. The early settlement of Gibson county was marked by as much heroism and daring as characterized the frontier history of any other section of the state. Her pioneers were men of invincible courage, undaunted by the obstacles which confronted them, and the results of their self-sacrificing labors are today seen in the wonderful achievements they wrought in laying the foundation upon which their successors have builded wisely and well.
William S. Ennes, ex-county treasurer and retired merchant of Prince- ton, Indiana, was born November 28, 1862, in Washington township, Gibson county, Indiana, son of Embree and Martha J. (Kirk) Ennes, both of Wash- ington township, this county. The father was a son of John and Elizabeth (Key) Ennes, of South Carolina, and who were among the pioneer settlers of Washington township. Here they secured wild land, which they cleared and made a home, reared a large family and died there. They were buried in Mt. Olive cemetery. Embree Ennes had only a limited schooling in the schools of those days and lived at home until August, 1862, when he enlisted in Company B. Sixty-fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, at Prince- ton. Shortly after joining his command, he was taken sick at Henderson, Kentucky, and his wife brought him home, where he died in 1863 at the age of twenty-one years. He was a farmer and he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife was married a second time. to John Sullivan, a farmer (deceased), of Buena Vista, Washington town- ship, in this county. She resides in Oakland City. To John Sullivan and wife (Mrs. Martha J. Ennes) were born : Jasper S., a farmer in Knox county, Indiana: U. S., a jeweler at Vincennes, Indiana : Ada, deceased; Perry O., with the Waltham Watch Company at Waltham, Massachusetts, since 1892.
William S. Ennes, who was the only child by his mother's first mar- riage, was educated in the home schools and also at the Danville Central Normal College. After he left school he clerked in a hardware store at Fort
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Wayne, Indiana, and was also with Barrett & Stokes, hardware dealers at Princeton, Indiana. He was appointed deputy county treasurer in 1889 and was then appointed county treasurer to fill out an unexpired term in 1897, serving three months, after which he was elected county treasurer, taking office in 1900 and serving four years. After the expiration of his term he was in the grocery business in Princeton, Indiana, for eight years. selling out in 1911, and since then he has looked after his farm interests.
William S. Ennes was married November 14, 1889, to Lucy Kightly, who was born in White River township, Gibson county, Indiana, and is a daughter of Josiah Kightly. To Mr. and Mrs. Ennes have been born four children, namely : Vesper D., born March 9. 1891, who graduated from the high school of Princeton, and is now a steam fitter at Crawfordsville, Indi- ana; Darle, born July 11, 1893, who is attending Indiana University at Bloomington, and is in the second year; Raymond, born August, 1902, and died in October, 1902, and Lowell K., born October 4, 1903.
For the past ten years Mrs. Ennes has been on the board of charities and for the past four years has been president of guardians. She takes a great interest in lodge and charity work and is a splendid woman and mother.
The following is a story of the life of Josiah Kightly, the father of Mrs. Ennes, as written by himself just following his eightieth birthday, and dedi- cated to his children and his children's children :
"I was born in Chatteras, Cambridgeshire. England, in the closing hours of January 31, 1822. My father was William Kightly. My mother's maiden name was Mary Elizabeth Phillips. I was one of eight children, there being seven boys and one girl in the family. My father was a farmer and my early life, until I was ten years of age, was passed as childhood days were usually passed in that time in a farming community, helping and hinder- ing about the home. When I was ten years of age I decided I would go to work instead of going to school. I had no trouble in securing work and I want to say right here that I have worked from that day to this ( seventy years), but I now feel that I am entitled to a rest for the balance of my earthly days. As I was saying, when I was ten years old I hired to a neigh- bor to herd his sheep and lambs and for this I was paid sixpence a day- twelve cents in our money. After working a long time for this man, he was so pleased with my work he told me he would give me sixpence every two weeks for my own in addition to my regular wages, which he knew went to my parents to help pay my board and clothing. I am proud to say that I saved the extra sixpence and soon had plenty of money, all of which I care-
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fully saved until I decided to come to this country. I worked for the same boss eight years, then I went home to my father and worked for him four years, driving his team or whatever there was to do in the daytime and at night I often enjoyed myself going to see the girls.
"I had long had a growing desire to seek something better and my thoughts naturally turned to America. When I was twenty-two years old. strong and healthy, in the fall of 1844, the last of October, I bade farewell to home and kindred and set sail on the sailing vessel 'Frankona' bound for New Orleans. Shortly after we set sail the fun began. Before we were out of the Irish channel, we-the passengers one and all-were 'pumping ship' in great fashion, for we were all sea-sick. We had a good time and sailed very fast and the rolling salt waves looked like fire. It was a beautiful sight had we been in condition to enjoy it. However, we went to bed and stayed there until the seasickness wore off. While that sickness lasted I will confess I wanted back to the old home and the friends I had always known, but after recovering from the sickness life put on many charms and from that time on I saw all the enjoyment I could out of the voyage. We were forty-seven days making the trip and during that time I saw many strange sights that were new to me. Besides having lots of fun we saw sea hogs, flying fish in great numbers, also one whale. To my unpracticed eye the whale looked to be as large around as a big horse and more than thirty feet long. I guess he got mad at our vessel for he went off a little ways and blew up the water as high as we could see it. While passing one of the Bahama islands our vessel hove to and there I had my first sight of a black man. That was what we called him then, hut after we got to the United States I found the general term used for black man was 'nigger.' To many of us he was a great curiosity. All he had on was a gunnysack with a hole cut in the bottom through which his head came. The captain told the sailors to throw a rope down to him. He had a skiff load of fine fish and he rowed close to our ship side. They threw the rope to him and the darky filled a sack full of the fish and the sailors hauled it on deck. Then the darky came up and he was a sight for us to see-a black man in a gunny sack! The captain told the steward to take what fish he needed for the cabin and let the passengers have the rest. The fresh fish were a great treat to us. After the darkey went back to his skiff our vessel went on as best it could, but we had sea grass and hot winds to contend with, and we got along very slowly. I remember an incident that occurred about that time. There was an old dog on the vessel and one day as the first mate was on deck the old dog came along and the mate kicked
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