USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 106
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107
1060
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
was a shoemaker by trade, but when he came to Gibson county he followed agricultural pursuits.
Philip J. Reinhart received a very limited common school education in the district schools of this county. In May, 1881, he was married to Margaret Singer, the daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Habbig) Singer. Both of her parents were natives of Germany. Upon his marriage in 1881, Mr. Rein- hart purchased a farm in this county, although he had only five hundred dol- lars in money in his pocket at the time. He had sufficient confidence in his ability as a farmier to venture upon such a transaction and was compelled to go into debt for part of the amount. Within twenty years he had it all paid for and since that time he has gradually enlarged his holdings until he is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of fine land in the county. In ad- dition to his regular line of farming interests he has operated a threshing machine for several years. He has also made a specialty of breeding and raising Poland-China hogs for some years and has one of the finest droves of this breed which can be found in the county. With the help of his good wife and his children, he has succeeded in acquiring a very comfortable competence.
Mr. and Mrs. Reinhart are the parents of an interesting family of ten children : Albert J., a stock buyer living in Texas ; Jacob P., a farmer of this county ; Mrs. Tillie Olds, who lives in California; Adam, a farmer of this county ; Antone, at home with his parents; Mrs. Anna Reed, of Princeton ; Nettie B .; Mary M .; Philip J., Jr., and Louisa M. The last five named are still at home with their parents.
Politically, Mr. Reinhart has always been a stanch Democrat, but has not been a seeker after political honors. He has felt that his interests demanded his careful attention, so he has not thought it possible to take a very active part in politics. He and his family are earnest and faithful members of the Catholic church of Princeton, and contribute liberally of their means to the support of that denomination. They are firm believers in the benefit to be derived from church affiliations and as a result are ever to be found on the right side of all movements which have for their object the bettering of the moral and social life of the community in which they live.
Mr. Reinhart and his splendid family have won the esteem and regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He is one of those self-made men whose business success has been achieved solely by the exercise of every- day common sense and untiring energy. He has always been actuated by noble motives and high resolves and has contributed in his sphere of action to the welfare of his community in no small degree.
1061
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
JOHN WRIGHT JONES.
Holding distinctive prestige among the enterprising citizens of Gibson county is John Wright Jones, whose record here briefly outlined is that of a self-made man, who, by the exercise of the talents with which nature endowed him, successfully surmounted an unfavorable environment and rose to the position he now occupies as one of the influential and well-to-do men of the locality honored by his residence. He is a creditable representative of one of the old and highly esteemed pioneer families of southern Indiana and possesses many of the admirable qualities and characteristics of his sturdy ancestors, who came to Indiana in a very early day.
John Wright Jones, who possesses extensive farm lands in Montgomery township, Gibson county, and is considered one of the best agriculturists in that section, was born in the township where he now lives on March 14. 1852, two and one-half miles west of Owensville. He is a son of Franklin and Comfort (Sharp) Jones. Franklin Jones was born near Owensville in 1823 and was a son of Charles and Eleanor (Warrick) Jones, and Charles, in turn, was a son of Cadwallader and Martha ( Pitt ) Jones, both of whom were natives of England. Martha Pitt was a relative of William Pitt, the great English statesman, and came to America when a young girl. She and Cadwallader Jones were probably married in North Carolina and emigrated to Kentucky, probably near Hopkinsville, where their son Charles was born. Here Cadwallader Jones died and his widow came to Indiana, locating in Gib- son county, where she later married Jesse Wells and located on Barren creek about three and one-half miles west of Owensville. Charles accompanied his mother to Indiana and married Eleanor Warrick, daughter of Captain Jacob Warrick, who was mortally wounded in the battle of Tippecanoe. . \fter their marriage, Charles Jones and wife located south of Owensville and there passed the remainder of their lives. Twelve children were born to their union, namely : Mrs. Eliza Waters, Jacob W .. Franklin, father of the inn- mediate subject of this sketch, John, Nancy Mauck, William, Robert, who died in infancy, Martha, Thomas Corwin, Marshall and James Smith. Jacob WV., who never married, lived near Midland City, Illinois with his brother John and died when he was eighty-eight. He had an excellent memory for family history and was proud of the fact that he cast his first vote for Henry Clay and had heard Abraham Lincoln speak. He was successful financially, and at his death left quite a fortune. John, also, was a man of means, who had lived for many years near Midland City, Illinois. William, who lived on
1062
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
his father's farm south of Owensville, died March 14, 1908. He was said to be the largest tax-payer in the township. His wife was a Massey. Thomas Corwin Jones lives south of Owensville. His wife, now deceased, was Mary Kesterson and to them were born five children, two of whom are still living. Marshall made his home in Beatrice, Nebraska, and died there, while James Smith Jones died unmarried, on the home farm in Gibson county.
Franklin Jones, father of John Wright Jones, was born just about one- half mile west of where the subject of this sketch now resides. On Decem- ber 16, 1847, he married Comfort Sharp, born near Cynthiana, a daughter of John Wright and Temperance (Sharp) Sharp. The Sharp family was originally from Carroll county, Maryland, near Baltimore, and in 1799 went to Shelby county, Kentucky, coming to Gibson county, Indiana, about 1833. Benjamin Sharp, father of John Wright Sharp, settled on what is now known as the Franklin Jones estate, about two and one-half miles west of Owens- ville. They had twelve children, five boys and seven girls, namely : Thomas, John Wright, Talbott, Micajah, Benjamin, Mary Weaver, Hannah Sharp, Nancy Sharp, Cassandra Sharp, Mrs. Sally Pollard, Prudence Pollard and Carolina Montgomery. The mother of this family and the wife of Benjamin Sharp was Elizabeth Wright. The mother of Benjamin Sharp brought with her from Wales a pewter plate, which is now a much-prized heirloom in the family, as is also the family Bible used by him and which is still in practical use.
After his marriage in 1847, Franklin Jones and wife made their home about two and one-half miles west of Owensville, where four of their daugh- ters now reside. Here Comfort Sharp Jones died August 29, 1907 and Franklin Jones died June 16, 1908. All his life he had engaged in agricul- tural work so far as able, but by the time the subject of this sketch was about eight years old, the father had been so weakened from sickness as to make farming impossible for him and John Wright Jones, while still what would be considered a little boy, felt the burden of a man's responsibilities. He plowed when only eight years old, guided and assisted in all he did by a wise and loving mother, who allowed him to develop his abilities. She herself was an excellent financier and this trait seems to have passed on to her son. When he was but twelve she permitted him to bargain for and trade a horse and at the age of fifteen he took their produce to Evansville and disposed of it to advantage. At the age of twenty-two he purchased his first ground, thirty acres for himself, and did this entirely on credit, agreeing to pay eight per cent. interest on his purchase. This debt was discharged in a surprisingly
1063
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
short time and from that time on he made various purchases, usually buying one tract for himself and the next for his father. In this way he added be- tween one and two hundred acres to his father's estate before he left home, and counting this, together with what he has purchased for himself from time to time, makes his total purchases amount to over three hundred acres. An enviable record surely, when the tender age at which he started out, and his numerous handicaps, are considered. When forty-eight years of age he settled on his present location, and in addition to general farming he raises short horn cattle, Poland China hogs and Buff Orpington chickens, in all of which he is highly successful.
On May 20, 1908. Mr. Jones was united in marriage with Mrs. Claire H. (Basford) Brumbach, widow of Lucius J. Brumbach. She was born at Greenwich, Ohio, the daughter of Napoleon O. and Mary Isabelle ( Cam- eron) Basford. The Basfords are of English ancestry, the first of them coming to Baltimore, Maryland. Mary Isabelle Cameron, the mother of Mrs. Jones, was the daughter of Charles and Mahala A. ( Slater) Cameron, and was of Scotch-English ancestry. Her father was descended from the Cameron clan of Scotland and his people were later in life engaged in wear- ing business in county Antrim in Ireland and were people of means. The Slater family came to Ohio early in its history and lived in a block-house on account of the danger from the Indians. At one time the family was considered the wealthiest in three counties. Charles Cameron was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1818, near the Giant's Causeway. He came to America when about twenty-one years old and made his home with his uncle, James Cameron, about twelve miles from Ashland, Ohio, and thirteen miles from Worcester, near Jeromeville. His uncle had entered land from the govern- ment and this same land continued in the possession of the family until about a year ago, when the title to it passed out. Napoleon O. Basford, father of Mrs. Jones, was originally engaged in farming, but for the past twenty years has been in the bakery business most of the time and now resides at Owens- ville. He was engaged in farming in southern Illinois when Mrs. Jones became the wife of Lucius J. Brumbach, of Odell, Livingston county, Illinois, on June 14, 1899. Mr. Brumbach died in 1906 at St. Petersburg, Florida, whither he had gone in search of health. In the meantime, Mr. Basford had removed to Owensville, and when visiting him, Mrs. Brumbach formed the acquaintance of Mr. Jones, which resulted in their marriage. To them one son has come, John Orlando, born June 7, 1909. This is Mr. Jones' sec- ond marriage. His first wife was Dovie Kell, to whom he was married Aug-
1064
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ust 30, 1899. She was a native of Kentucky, born and raised near Madison- ville, daughter of Westerfield and Sarah Kell. She came to Gibson county when twelve years old and lived with her aunt, Mary Mounts. To John Wright Jones by his first wife were born two children, a son and a daugh- ter. The daughter died when a young child and the mother and son both died at his birth and were buried together.
John Wright Jones stands high in public estimation and can always be counted upon to be actively interested in anything which tends to the moral or material betterment of his community. During his long and industrious career, he has not only gained the confidence of his fellow men in business dealings, but as a man of force and character, upright and honest, he has a warm place in the regard of all who know and appreciate his goodness.
CHARLES WILDEMAN.
Among the men who were identified with Posey and Gibson counties dur- ing the early history of the state and bore their full share in bringing about the contrast between the distant past and the practical present. the searcher after local records will find frequent mention of the ancestors of the gentle- man whose name heads this paragraph. When his father came to this state from Germany his eyes did not behold the pleasing scenes which are now familiar to every resident and visitor. Most of the land was still covered with those famous forests, whose felling and removal constituted the chief labor of the early arrivals. His father took hold manfully with character- istic German determination and by dint of many a hard blow eventually found himself in possession of a large tract of land.
Charles Wildeman, the son of Charles and Sarah ( Aker) Wildeman, was born January 6, 1869, in Posey county, Indiana. His parents were both natives of Germany and after first settling in Posey county moved to Gibson county in 1882, shortly after the death of Mrs. Wildeman, the mother of the subject of this sketch. She passed away on February 23, 1881. The senior Charles was one of the largest land owners of the county at the time of his death in July, 1909. He started life poor and knew what hard work meant, but he was a good manager and skilful trader, with the result that he ac- cumulated considerable property before his death.
Charles, the subject of this sketch, was given such educational advantages
1065
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
as the district schools of his county afforded at the time. He continued to assist his father on the farm until the time of his marriage. He was married on February 14, 1893, to Carrie Stinner, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Stinner. Both of his wife's parents were born in Germany and came to this country many years before the Civil war. Mr. Stinner served throughout the war in Company B, Fifty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Mr. and Mrs. Wildeman are the parents of three children : George, born Aug- ust 29, 1895 : John, born September 25, 1898; Rosa, born October 11, 1896.
Mr. Wildeman has spent all his life on the farm with the exception of four years (1908-1912) when he resided in Princeton. He and his wife own three hundred and thirty acres of well-improved and productive land in Patoka township under a high state of cultivation. In addition to his diversified agriculture, he makes a specialty of the breeding of Hereford cat- tle. He has won success by consecutive and earnest application and good management, and is known as a careful and straightforward business man. enterprising and progressive, upright in all the relations of life and public- spirited in his attitude. In politics he is staunchly arrayed in support of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, while he and all the members of his family are loyal adherents of the Catholic church.
Mr. Wildeman is a public-spirited citizen who is held in unqualified esteem in the community in which he lives. He is a gentleman of unfailing courtesy and gracious personality and the circle of his friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances. He is an alert business man and a progressive farmer, while it is unnecessary to add that he is thoroughly familiar with all the details of farming. He is doing his share towards building up his com- munity and every project which aims at the improvement of the social, moral, or intellectual life of the community in which he lives finds in him a ready and sympathetic helper. For these reasons he well merits a worthy place in a volume of the representative citizens of Gibson county.
JAMES W. HILLMAN.
The record of an honorable, upright life is always read with interest, and it better perpetuates the name and fame of the subject than does a monu- ment, seen by few and soon crumbling into dust beneath the relentless hand of time. Those who have valiantly fought and suffered for their country are especially deserving of an honored place in its annals and their posterity will
(68)
1066
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
turn with a just pride to these records of the founders and preservers of a prosperous, united nation.
James W. Hillman was born in Clay township, Pike county, Indiana, July 6, 1845, the son of Daniel and Mary (Lane ) Hillman, he a native of Kentucky, and she of Pike county. Daniel Hillman came to Indiana as a young man with his father, Henry, and they made their home on wild land which they entered, building a cabin and clearing away the dense underbrush and trees in order to plant crops. Daniel Hillman had very little opportunity to attend school, and lived at home with his father until he reached mature years. He then purchased a farm in the western part of Pike county, later acquiring land in Clay township, where he passed the rest of his days. He was well known and highly respected by his neighbors. His first wife was Mary (Lane) Hillman, she dying in 1848. Rachael W. Wright was the sec- ond wife of Daniel Hillman, and she died at Newburg, Indiana. They were members of the Regular Baptist church. To Daniel Hillman and his first wife were born the following children: (1) John, deceased, was in Company G, Sixty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for three years; (2) Nancy is the widow of Alfred Decker, who served in the Civil war in Company G, Forty- second Indiana Volunteer Infantry; (3) Henry, who was a member of Com- pany G, Sixty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, died in Andersonville Prison. He married Mary J. McCrumell. (4) George, deceased, was a member of Company E, Forty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was wounded in the battle of Perrysville, and he was then honorably discharged and returned to his home. He was made deaf by the injury. He married Edith Davison. (6) William was in Company K, Twenty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, served three years and died on his return to his home in Pike county. (7) James W., the subject. To Daniel Hillman and his second wife were born six children, as follows: Taylor, deceased; Annie, deceased; Charles Miner mar- ried Mary Barrett and lives in Pekin county, Illinois; Dicey, deceased; Hattie and Mary.
Acquiring but little schooling in his boyhood days, James W. Hillman passed his youth on the home farm until he reached the age of seventeen. He then enlisted, July 15, 1862, in Company G, Fifty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Regiment, at Evansville, Indiana, the command to which he was attached be- ing first sent to Henderson, Kentucky, and at that place they started in pur- suit of the guerillas, being occupied in this hard and trying duty for about a year. From Kentucky they were sent to Tennessee, being for a while in the eastern part of that state. In April, 1863, they crossed the mountains to the
1067
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
eastern part of the state and remained there during the following winter. In the spring of 1864 they were in the Atlanta campaign, engaging in the battles at Bluntsville, Briscow, Jonesboro, Danridge, Mossy Creek and a number of skirmishes. In May, 1864, they took part in the Georgia campaign and were in the fighting at Buzzards Hill, Resaca, Altoona and Kenesaw Mountain. Later, with one hundred and twenty-five men to guard the artillery teams and wagons, they went seven miles to Stone Mountain after corn and food, and just as they were loading they were attacked by a large body of Confederates and a two hours' battle ensued. During this fighting Mr. Hillman's mess mate was shot through the heart and Mr. Hillman, dropping his gun, car- ried the body of his comrade to a wagon. On his return to the firing line he discovered that some one had appropriated his gun, and he was compelled to go through the battle unarmed. Subsequently the command was dispatched in pursuit of Hood in central Tennessee and while on this strenuous detail his shoes gave out and he was compelled to go barefooted for three days. From Rome, Georgia, their next stopping place, they were sent to Dalton and then by train to Nashville, Tennessee, and from there going to Pulaski, where they took up the chase of Hood and engaged his forces in battle at Columbus, Tennessee. About this time Mr. Hillman was seriously ill for a while. Recovering, he was a participant in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, then went to Nashville for two days, then to Franklin again, where he was on January 1, 1865. From that point Mr .. Hillman's command was sent to Clif- ton, Tennessee, on the Tennessee river, where they remained for three days, and then proceeded to Paducah, Kentucky, and up the Ohio river to Cincin- nati. where trains were taken to Washington, D. C. Remaining in Washing- ton three days, they were then sent to Annapolis, Maryland, and from there went by boat to Fort Fisher, marching from Fort Fisher to Wilmington, North Carolina, on the Cape Fear river, a march of two hundred and sixty miles. Later they went to Goldsboro, North Carolina, and had several battles on the way. Joining General Sherman, they marched to Raleigh, North Caro- lina. After this they were located at Greensboro, North Carolina, and High Point, in the same state, being at the latter point when the war was ended and peace declared. He was mustered out at Greensboro and, after going to Indianapolis to be paid off, returned to his home, July 6, 1865.
February 13, 1873, Mr. Hillman was united in marriage with Elizabeth Atkinson, of Logan township, Pike county, Indiana, a daughter of Andrew Atkinson, a farmer of that county. After his marriage he located first on a farm in Logan township, Pike county, Indiana, and later secured two other
1068
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
farms in that county. He followed agriculture in that locality until 1898, when he removed to Oakland City, where he has since resided. Since leaving the farm he has run a feed mill and looked after his farming interests.
Mr. Hillman is a consistent and worthy member of the Regular Baptist church at Oakland City, in which body he is a deacon. In political matters, Mr. Hillman gives a stanch allegiance to the Republican party. Although never having been an office seeker in the generally accepted sense of the term, he served very efficiently as a constable in Oakland City. He is a man of re- markable memory, is exceedingly well preserved and is one of the well- known and respected citizens of his community.
SIMEON NOBLE.
There are individuals in nearly every community who, by reason of pro- nounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and command the unbounded esteem of their fellow men. Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of their strong personality serves as a stimulus and incentive to the young and rising generation. To this class the subject of this review very properly belongs.
Simeon Noble was born February 14, 1833, at Lewisville, Ohio, whither his father, David Noble, had located when as a young man he left his home in Pennsylvania. After locating in Ohio, he took as his wife Rebecca Phillips, a native of New Jersey, whose family had originally come from England. The family of David Noble was of German descent. He re- mained in Ohio until 1857, when he removed his family to Knox county, Indiana, where he purchased a farm, which he greatly improved, and there engaged in agricultural pursuits for many years. During the latter years of his life he lived in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, in retirement from active labors, and there he died in 1862. His wife had died some years before him, having passed away in 1857. They reared a family of six children, as follows : John, who lived and died in Ohio; Francisco, deceased, who made his home in Mt. Carmel, Illinois; Simeon, the subject of this sketch: David, who lived and died in Ohio, and Joseph, deceased, whose earlier home was also in Ohio, but who later resided in Knox county, Indiana, and who served during the Civil war in the Eighth Indiana Cavalry. The youngest child was Addie, deceased, who was the wife of John Easton, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois. The
1069
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
family was reared in the faith of the old-school Presbyterian church and David Noble's political sympathy was with the old Whig party.
Simeon Noble attended the county schools at Lewisville, Ohio, and later received instruction in the West Bedford Academy in Ohio for two terms. He remained at home with his father until he enlisted in the army in July, 1864, as a private in Company MI. Third Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, at Vincennes, Indiana. He was first sent to Owensboro, Ken- tucky, where he was in camp for some time and was then sent to Tallahousa and on to Nashville. He did scout duty all of the time. He was with the Army of the Cumberland and was in several battles and skirmishes, Stone's River, Pittsburg Landing. Resaca and others. He was discharged in 1863 and re-enlisted in the same company and regiment and was sent to Resaca. He was with General Sherman on his famous march to the sea and remained under his command until the close of the war, taking part in all engagements which that famous command encountered. He was mustered out of service at Raleigh, North Carolina, in the fall of 1865. Having served all during the war and in so many engagements, it is a remarkable fact that he came out of service almost unscathed so far as permanent disability is concerned. He was shot in the hand while guarding a train and also shot in the leg.
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.