USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 57
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By his industry and good business judgment, Mr. Emerson now owns two hundred and eleven acres of fine land in this county, one hundred and one acres in Union township and one hundred and ten in Montgomery town- ship. During his long career in this county Mr. Emerson has stood for every- thing which tended toward the bettering of the moral and intellectual life of the community. He and his wife have been life-long members of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church and have contributed liberally of their means during all these years toward the support of that denomination. Mr. Emer- son is also one of the oldest members of the Free and Accepted Masons in the county.
It is interesting to note that Mrs. Emerson's first husband was a valiant soldier during the Civil war and spent several months in the notorious Libby
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prison before he was liberated. Mrs. Emerson's grandfather, James Devin, was in the battle of Tippecanoe in 1807. Her great-grandfather, Alexander Devin, was one of the forty-three members composing the first constitutional convention of Indiana in 1816. He was one of the two delegates sent from Gibson county.
The mother of Columbus Emerson died June 6, 1889, his father's death having occurred several years before, on November 6, 1878. Mr. Emerson is a type of the sturdy pioneer, who has brought the agricultural interests of our state to the present state of perfection. During his long residence in this county he has seen all of the modern improvements gradually introduced into farming. As a citizen no one is more highly respected in the county than is he, and as a veteran of the Civil war all delight to honor his name.
JAMES E. BELOAT.
To make a success of agriculture it is necessary to be something more than a hard worker. A farmer might labor from dawn to twilight every day in the year and yet fail to accomplish much; there must be sound judgment and discretion exercised at the same time, a knowledge of soils, grains, live stock, and, in fact, general business. The man who accomplishes much as a tiller of the soil and the manager of a landed estate in these days should be accorded a place along with the men who succeed in other walks of life, for often it requires more ingenuity and courage to be a farmer than anything else that claims the attention of men in the world of affairs. A brief review of the life and career of James E. Beloat, retired agriculturist, of Haubstadt, Gibson county, will suffice to show that he has achieved success in his life work partly because he has worked for it and partly because he was a good manager and a man of proper liabits
James E. Beloat was born April 8, 1853, in Johnson township, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of George and Martha (Reel) Beloat, both natives of the same township and county, the father being a son of James Beloat, who was a native of Scotland, and the mother a daughter of Henry Reel.
The subject's maternal grandfather, Henry Reel, who was one of the early settlers in Gibson county, first located near Patoka, removing shortly thereafter to Johnson township, where he bought a piece of land from John J. Neally, the first postmaster of Princeton. Here he settled with his family, later taking up government land, and on this place he raised a family of twelve
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children and lived to a ripe old age. In addition to his agricultural pursuits, he drove a stage for a time between Evansville and Vincennes. He was a man of great energy and action and a leader in his time. During the Indian wars in Tecumseh's time Mr. Reel took an important part in the suppression of the troublesome redskins.
The subject's grandfather, James Beloat, was of Scotch descent, although he was born in America. His immediate ancestors hailed from the high- lands of the land of Bobbie Burns and spoke the Gaelic language of that section. At the extremely early date on which the grandfather settled in Gibson county, the country was in an almost primitive condition and Indians were quite numerous in that vicinity.
George Beloat, father of the subject, purchased the land which he occu- pied during his lifetime from his father-in-law, Henry Reel. He enlisted, in August, 1862, in the First Indiana Cavalry and served with his regiment until honorably discharged in 1865, being wounded while in the service, but not seriously. At one time his entire company was captured. Among them was a private, a Missourian, who had previously been taken prisoner and had taken the oath of allegiance to the South. Knowing that as a Confederate prisoner he would be shot, he decided he might as well be killed in attempting to escape as in any other way, so decided to make the effort. He was joined by the subject's father and three others, all of whom were successful in elud- ing the sentries and reaching the Union lines in safety. George Beloat was a representative citizen, an elder in the Presbyterian church for thirty-one years, and when he died in 1902, at the age of sixty-two, his demise was mourned by a large circle of friends. His widow, who was also a member of the Presbyterian church and a woman well versed in the genealogy of the family and in local history, died in 1910, at the age of eighty-four.
To the subject's parents were born six children, who were: James E. : Thomas, now in Princeton; Marcus lives in Oakland City; Kate, deceased, was the wife of John Fowler, of California; George lives near Fort Branch; Belle married Harter Bell, of Evansville.
James E. Beloat received a good education in the common schools of the district and attended the high school at Fort Branch. On completing his scholastic studies he actively engaged in agriculture on the homestead, and up to the time of his retirement devoted his energies and careful thought to the development and improvement of his holdings. Starting with one hundred and sixty acres of the home place. he has gradually acquired additional land as he was prospered until at the time of his retirement he was the possessor of two hundred and thirty acres of splendid land on which he conducted general
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scientific farming and stock raising, taking especial interest in the latter branch of the industry. For a number of years Mr. Beloat bred Durham Cattle from the best registered stock, but when the Hereford, or whiteface, cattle came in, he turned to them and afterward raised large numbers of the latter breed. The soil of his farm is exceedingly fertile, due, no doubt, to his intelligent rotation of crops, and it has more than a local reputation for large crop production, as high as one hundred and ten bushels of corn having been raised to the acre.
Mr. Beloat was married in February, 1873, to America Brumfield, of Vanderburg county, Indiana, daughter of David Berry Brumfield and Eliza- beth A. (Redmond) Brumfield, he a native of Vanderburg county, Indiana, and she of Warren county, Kentucky. The grandfather of Mrs. Beloat was Berry Brumfield, who came to Indiana in pioneer days and spent almost his entire life in this state. The father of Mrs. Beloat was a farmer who lived near Owensville and was a consistent church member and an honored citizen.
To Mr. and Mrs. James E. Beloat has been born one child, Estrella, who is the wife of John Bryant, of Fort Branch. The subject and his wife occupy a nice residence in Haubstadt, where they are spending the evening of life in content, surrounded by friends and enjoying a well earned respite from the toils and cares of a busy and useful life. They are consistent members of the Presbyterian church, to which they contribute liberally of their means.
ARTHUR PERRY TWINEHAM.
Indiana has been especially honored in the character and career of her active men of public service and the professions. In every section have been found men born to leadership in the various vocations, men who have dom- inated because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character. It is always profitable to study such lives, weigh their motives and hold up their achievements as incentives to greater activity and higher ex- cellence on the part of others. These reflections are suggested by the career of one who has forged his way to the front ranks and who, by a strong in- herent force and superior ability, controlled by intelligence and right princi- ples, stands today as a leading man of his community and state. Mr. Twine- ham has an enviable reputation as a lawyer in a community noted for the high order of its legal talent, while as the representative of his community in
ARTHUR P. TWINEHAM.
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the Legislature of his state, he conducted himself with honor to his con- stituency. Success is methodical and consecutive, and Mr. Twincham's suc- cess has been attained by normal methods and means, the determined applica- tion of mental and physical resources along a rightly defined line. A self- made man in the truest sense of the term, Mr. Twineham is eminently de- serving of representation in the annals of Gibson county.
Arthur Perry Twineham is descended from sterling old Scotch-Irish parentage on his paternal side, and from excellent Pennsylvania Dutch stock on the maternal side, the striking qualities of both of which seem to have entered into his make-up, giving to him the many desirable characteristics which have helped him cheerfully over rough places in his struggles for suc- cess, which might well have discouraged one of less optimism. Mr. Twine- ham was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, August 16, 1847, the son of William S. and Sarah Ann (Brant) Twineham. One other son was born to this union, Francis M., who died in Kansas twelve years ago, at the age of fifty years. Though the Twineham family, as above stated, is of Scotch- Irish descent, the name seems to be of English origin. The father of the subject, William S. Twineham, was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, in 1823, and died in 1888. He lived in the same county all his life. He came from a family of tanners, which trade he also followed. The mother of the subject was a native of Franklin county, Indiana, born in 1823 and died in 1889. The grandfather of the subject was Arthur Twineham, a tanner, who was born and passed his life in Switzerland county, Indiana. He married Miss Johnson and reared a large family. His father, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was William Twineham, who came from Ken- tucky to Switzerland county, Indiana, in 1802. He was a merchant. His wife was a Stuart and they were the parents of a large family. The family name is still well known in Kentucky.
Arthur Perry Twineham received his elementary education in the country schools of Switzerland county and at the old Hartsville Academy in Bartholomew county. When a boy of fourteen, Mr. Twineham worked in a woolen mill and from that on has worked his own way in life When only seventeen years of age, he and a chuum ran away from their homes to Ohio where. in 1864, they enlisted in Company I. Fifth Ohio Cavalry. This was Kilpatrick's cavalry, which shared the hardships and later the honors of the famous march to the sea. He was mustered out of service July 1. 1865. After his services to his country were thus discharged, Mr. Twincham at- tended Wabash College at Crawfordsville, Indiana, for three years and was
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graduated from the literary department of Indiana University at Blooming- ton in 1870. For a short time he taught school at Rockville, Indiana, and also at Greenfield, Indiana. This was merely a stepping-stone for him, for soon he was received into the office of the Hon. Daniel Vorhees at Terre Haute, Indiana, where he took up the reading of law. He later attended Indiana University for training in his chosen profession, and also studied one year in St. Louis. He came to Princeton in November, 1873, and has since made this place his home. From the very first he has taken an active interest in politics.
Mr. Twineham has been twice married. His first wife was Letta R. Behymer, a native of Switzerland county, by whom he had one daughter, Gertrude, wife of Dr. Charles A. French, of San Francisco, California. Mrs. Twineham died July 23, 1890, and on November I, 1894, he took as his second wife Agnes Lockhart, of Princeton. Three children have been born to this union, Arthur Perry, Jr., aged eighteen, Charlotte, aged sixteen, and Mary Agnes, aged thirteen.
Endowed by nature with such traits as make one a natural leader, Mr. Twineham has had heaped upon him such honors as his city and county can give, although he has never sought an office of any sort, and has discharged all duties to the satisfaction of his constituents. Mr. Twineham has been city attorney, county attorney, and in 1884-5 served in the lower house of the Indiana Legislature. He was mayor of Princeton in 1907-8, resigning from that office to fill the position of postmaster of Princeton, to which he was appointed by President Roosevelt. This position he held for four and one-half years. He was a delegate to the national convention in Chicago in 1888, at which Benjamin Harrison was nominated for the Presi- dency. He served as county chairman for the Republican party from 1878 to 1882, and as district chairman of the first congressional district. He was a member of the Republican state committee from 1882 to 1886 inclusive. From President Harrison he received an appointment to the Round Valley Indian commission and served in California in 1892. He was the Republican nominee for Congress from the first district in 1892, but was defeated, and at the next convention at which his name was also mentioned, former Senator Hemenway received the greatest number of votes. Mr. Twineham is the present commander of Archer Post No. 28, Grand Army of the Republic, of Princeton.
Through the years of his residence in this locality, Mr. Twineham has been true to every trust reposed in him, whether of a public, professional or
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private nature, and has commanded the respect of all who know him. Possessing a kindly and genial disposition, he readily makes friends and is a very agreeable companion. Gibson county has been dignified by his life and achievements and he is eminently deserving of this feeble tribute to his worth as a man and a lawyer and politician.
MATTHEW WILM.
In the daily laborious struggle for an honorable competence and a solid career on the part of the average agriculturist there is little to attract the casual reader in search of a sensational chapter; but to a mind thoroughly awake to the reality and meaning of human existence there are noble and imperishable lessons in the career of an individual who, without other means than a clear head, strong arm and true heart, directed and controlled by cor- rect principles and unerring judgment, conquers adversity and, toiling on, finally wins not only pecuniary independence but, what is far greater and higher, the deserved respect and confidence of those with whom his active years have brought him in contact. Such a one is found in the person of Matthew Wilm, successful farmer and the present efficient trustee of Johnson township, Gibson county, Indiana.
Matthew Wilm was born March 27, 1866, in Johnson township, Gibson county, the son of John Wilm, a native of the fatherland, having been born in the town of Reiterswies, Germany. The subject's grandfather was also named John, and he emigrated to .America in 1857, with his family, locating near Evansville, Indiana, and later moving to Gibson county in about 1859 or 1860, and taking up his residence in the town of Haubstadt, where he lived the life of a retired farmer, dying in the sixty-fifth year of his life.
John Wilm, father of the subject, first followed agricultural pursuits in his own behalf on a farm located about one-half mile west of Haubstadt, continuing in that location for four or five years. when he purchased land two miles west of Haubstadt, where he spent the remainder of his days, his death resulting from typhoid fever in 1882 in his forty-sixth year. His untimely death in the prime of life was greatly deplored by the community in which he resided, for he had gained a position of prominence among his neighbors and was loved and respected by his fellow men. To the subject's parents were born four children. namely: Mary and Magdalene are deceased; Matthew; John is a farmer in Johnson township.
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Matthew Wilm spent his boyhood days in Johnson township, assisting in the work on the home place, and securing a good education in the public and parochial schools. When he attained to the age of twenty years he purchased a farm one mile south of Haubstadt and engaged in general agricultural pur- suits and stock raising, and by a course of wisely applied energy and judg- ment has increased his original holdings of eighty acres to two hundred and forty acres, all of which splendid farm is under a high state of cultivation. His home is one of the best and the outbuildings are modern and convenient.
In 1908 Matthew Wilm was chosen by his fellow citizens as township trustee and he is still the efficient incumbent of that responsible office, his public acts having met the entire approval of his constituents.
Mr. Wilm was married on October 12, 1886, to Bina Greubel, of John- son township, daughter of Adam Greubel, a native of Germany. This union has been blessed by the birth of nine children, namely: Margaret is the wife of Benjamin Oing, of Johnson township; Frank, Lonie, John, Magdalene, Matthew, Lizzie, Raymond and Lucille are at home.
Mr. Wilm and his wife are devout members of St. James Catholic church, to which they contribute liberally of their means, displaying a deep interest in the many worthy benevolences of that parish.
JAMES R. MONTGOMERY, M. D.
Among those who stand as distinguished types of the world's workers is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this paragraph, who is one of the able and honored physicians and surgeons of southern Indiana. A man of fine intellectual and professional attainments, of most gracious personality, of strong and noble character, and one who has labored with zeal and devotion in the alleviation of human suffering, he is clearly en- titled to representation among the progressive and enterprising citizens of Gibson county, Indiana. He is devoted to his chosen calling and has lent honor and dignity to the medical profession, having due regard for the highest standard of professional ethics and exhibiting marked skill in the treatment of disease.
James R. Montgomery, one of the most prominent physicians and sur- geons of this county, was born September 16, 1879, in Gibson county, and is the son of Samuel Newton and Melissa (Redman) Montgomery. Samuel Montgomery is also a native of this county and has been a prominent farmer of his community all his life. He is now retired and lives at Cynthiana.
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Mrs. Samuel Montgomery was a native of Posey county, this state, and died on December 26, 1913. They were the parents of five children : Otis L .; James R., the immediate subject of this sketch; Ruby, who married Willis E. Roe, an attorney of East Chicago, and they have two children, Fern and Luella; David Wilbur married Ethiel Williams, and is a dentist at Evansville, Indiana ; Essie, deceased.
Doctor Montgomery spent his boyhood days on the home farm, securing his elementary education in the common schools of his neighborhood and in the high school at Owensville. He continued his education in Valparaiso University, graduating from that institution. with the degree of B. S. in 1898. After teaching school two years in his home township, he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago, in the fall of 1900, and took the four years course of that institution, graduating in the spring of 1904. Throughout his whole college course he took advantage of every opportunity and finished his medical course with honor to himself. Imme- diately upon his graduation he returned to Owensville and entered upon the active practice of his profession.
Doctor Montgomery was married August 25, 1905, to Cora A. Knowles, the daughter of Isaac and Martha (Cantrell) Knowles. Her father was a native of this county and followed the occupation of a farmer all his life. His death occurred in February, 1907. Mrs. Montgomery's mother was also a native of this county, and is still living on the old home place. They were the parents of six children, Mrs. Ada Gardner, whose husband is deceased, and who was married again to Joseph Davis, of Owensville, In- diana; Miss Lere Knowles; Cora A., the subject's wife; Roy and . Loy. twins, and Luther, deceased. To Doctor and Mrs. Montgomery has been born one child, Arvid N.
Politically, Doctor Montgomery is a Republican, but has never sought any public preferment from his party, being content to devote all of his time and attention to his constantly increasing practice. He is a quiet, unassuming man, and is rapidly building up a large practice in this county. His broad human sympathy, technical ability and skill are placing him in the front rank of general practitioners in this section of the county. No one can measure the beneficent influence of good physicians. for their re- markable power goes hand in hand with the wonderful laws of nature that spring from the very source of life itself. Doctor Montgomery is true to his profession, and earnest in his effort to enlarge his sphere of usefulness. and therefore he is a benefactor to all of his fellow citizens, for him they trust their safety, their comfort and. in many instances, their very lives.
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WILLIAM H. PRITCHETT.
It is at all times very interesting to compile and preserve the experiences of the old soldiers who went to fight their country's battles during the slave- holders' rebellion of sixty years ago. These gallant old fellows are fast passing away, and we should get all of their experiences first hand, before they pass away and leave no record. It is important that we preserve these personal experiences, for after all those are the events which make history. What would history be worth were it not for the vivid actions of the indi- viduals? That is all there is to the splendid histories of ancient and modern times. The story as told by one who passed through the bloody experiences of four years of struggle and was in numerous battles, marches, campaigns, and, perhaps, prisons and hospitals, is far more interesting than if narrated long hence by some writer who may distort events out of their true historic significance. One of the honored "boys in blue" who can recall many inter- esting reminiscences of the great civil conflict of the sixties is William H. Pritchett, who, after a successful life as a farmer, is now living retired in the town of Fort Branch. Gibson county, Indiana.
William H. Pritchett was born December 9, 1837, at Lanesville, near New Albany, in Harrison county, Indiana, the son of John L. and Mary (Jones) Pritchett. John L. Pritchett came to the Hoosier state in an early day and was married while a young man to the subject's mother. After her death, he married his deceased wife's sister, Margaret, and later moved to Patoka township, Gibson county, where he engaged in farming the remainder of his days, dying here at the age of seventy-six years. He was a man of industry and integrity, and was highly respected in the community where he resided.
On the removal of the family to Gibson county the subject of this re- view went to Terre Haute, Indiana, to work. However, the call soon came ringing through the land for volunteers to fight in the great war between the states, and Mr. Pritchett enlisted in Company B, Seventy-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Toppin, of Terre Haute, being in command of the regiment and Captain Mckinney of the company when mustered out. Being mustered in at Indianapolis, the body of troops was sent to Richmond, Kentucky, where it was engaged in the struggle before that place in opposi- tion to Gen. Kirby Smith. In this, their first engagement, they were defeated, being outnumbered almost seven to one. The soldiers of this regi- ment, together with those of other regiments, were taken prisoners, but in
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the darkness of that night the subject and a comrade named William Hansel, from New Goshen, crawled through the weeds and made their escape. Elud- ing the Confederate sentries, they remained concealed in the woods until day- break, when they struck a pike road and started for Lexington, which they reached that evening. Their regiment lost two hundred and fifty men in this battle. General Smith being unable to take the prisoners with him, they were paroled and all returned to Indianapolis in order to recruit, where they were reorganized as the Sixth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, under command of Colonel Biddle, Colonel Topping having been killed and Captain Mckinney mustered out. Proceeding immediately to Nashville, Tennessee, they joined General Sherman's command and took up the pursuit of Hood as far as Atlanta, from where Mr. Pritchett's regiment went to Macon, Georgia, and destroyed the bridge and railroad, tearing up the track for a distance of some five miles below Macon. Here they had expected to join General McCook, but his force had been so badly cut up by the Confederates that he missed connections, so that the subject's command, on attempting to rejoin the main body of Sherman's column, was surrounded by the enemy and taken prison- ers. Mr. Pritchett had previously been promoted to the rank of sergeant, and was in command of twenty-five men engaged in this hazardous task of cutting the lines of communication. Many were taken prisoners, but the subject was among the few who were fortunate enough to escape. Being in the enemy's country, it was a case of every one looking out for himself. Mr. Pritchett struck out for Colonel Adams' regiment, the First Kentucky, and on finding them joined Company F and went with this regiment to Mari- etta, Georgia, where he rejoined his old command, the First Kentucky's term of enlistment having expired at that time. They again started in pursuit of Hood, General Sherman's command starting on its famous "march to the sea." They took part in the fight at Franklin, Tennessee, where they fought until dark, killing a great many of the enemy. They then retired into Nashville, General Hood following, and in the battle which ensued the Union forces were victorious, but the subject's regiment, having been dis- mounted, was unable to again take up the pursuit of Hood. Returning to Pulaski, Mr. Pritchett was honorably discharged as a sergeant, and later mustered out at Indianapolis.
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