History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 70

Author: Stormont, Gil R
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F.Bowen
Number of Pages: 1284

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HENRY C. VICKERS.

It is generally considered by those in the habit of superficial thinking that the history of great men only is worthy of preservation and that little merit exists among the masses to call forth the praises of the historian or the cheers and appreciation of mankind. A greater mistake was never made. No man is great in all things and very few are great in many things. Many by a lucky stroke achieve lasting fame who before that had no reputation beyond the limits of their neighborhoods. It is not a history of a lucky stroke which benefits humanity most, but the long study and effort which made the lucky stroke possible. It is the preliminary work, the method, that serves as a guide for the success of others. Among those earlier citizens of Gibson county who served their day and have now passed into the great beyond, leay- ing behind them the fruits of a proper life, is the subject of this sketch.

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Henry C. Vickers, deceased, was born in 1833, in North Carolina, and died in Oakland City, Gibson county, Indiana, July 12, 1901. He came to Gibson county when a boy and was taken into the home of an uncle, Grander- son Vickers, who resided near Providence church in Union township, this county. Here he grew to manhood, becoming efficient in agricultural work. Owing to circumstances, he received but a limited schooling in his youth, which was always a cause for regret with him. In 1873 he was united in mar- riage with Malissa Stephens, widow of Lewis Stephens, of Springfield, Illinois, and a daughter of Lemuel Emmerson, of Patoka township, Gibson county.

Lewis Stephens was a teacher in the public schools and also was engaged in agriculture near Fort Branch, Indiana. He married Malissa Emmerson in 1861. Not long after his marriage he enlisted for service in the war of the Rebellion, being a member of Company E, Eightieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served three years. He re-enlisted for service in the same company and regiment and received a wound at the battle of Perrysville, from the effects of which he died at Louisville, Kentucky, in the hospital there. He had also suffered an attack of measles while in service. One son was born to the union of Lewis and Malissa ( Emmerson) Stephens, being Charles, who is a teacher in the public schools at Jacksonville, Texas. His wife was Helen Follett and to them has been born one child, Pauline.

Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Vickers sold their farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Union township and moved to Oakland City, Indiana, where for many years Mr. Vickers was engaged in the dry goods business. In later years, the close confinement telling on him, he disposed of his business and engaged in truck gardening.

Mr. Vickers was a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in Company E, Fifty-eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, at Princeton, and served until the close of the war. During this time he was shot in the ear. which destroyed his sense of hearing. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Oakland City and his religious sympathies were with the Cumberland Presbyterian church, of which he was a consistent member. Mrs. Vickers holds her church membership in the General Baptist church, and gives of her time and means to furthering the good work of that society. Politically, Mr. Vickers was a stanch Republican, always taking a quiet though keen interest in his party's affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Vickers were the parents of five children, three of whom are dead, Wilbur, Randolph and an infant son. Laura is the wife of Lewis Goff, of Winslow, Indiana, and is the mother of

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two children, Mary L. and Margaret. Dale H., the only living son, resides with his mother and is engaged in sign and general painting at Oakland City.

The late Henry C. Vickers was of a retiring disposition and possessed of many admirable traits, making him a good husband and father and a good citizen. He was of genial nature, well liked and respected by a large number of friends.

GEORGE T. KENEIPP.

In a brief sketch of any living citizen it is difficult to do him exact and impartial justice, not so much, however, for lack of space or words to set forth the familiar and passing events of his personal history, as for want of the perfect and rounded conception of his whole life, which grows, develops and ripens, like fruit, to disclose its truest and best flavor only when it is mellowed by time. Daily contact with the man so familiarizes us with his virtues that we ordinarily overlook them and commonly underestimate their possessor. It is not often that true honor, public or private,-that honor which is the tribute of cordial respect and esteem,-comes to a man without basis in character and deeds. The world may be deceived by fortune, or by ornamental or showy qualities, without substantial merit, and may render to the undeserving a short-lived admiration. but the honor that wise and good men value and that lives beyond the grave must have its foundation in real worth, for "worth maketh the man." Not a few men live unheralded and almost unknown beyond the narrow limits of the city or community wherein their lots are cast, who yet have in them, if fortune had opened to them a wider sphere of life, the elements of character to make statesmen or public benefactors of world-wide fame. Compared with the blazon of fame which some regard as the real seal or stamp of greatness, there is a lowlier and simpler, and yet true standard whereby to judge of them and fix their place in the regard of their fellow men. During his life of nearly sixty years in Owensville, this county, its people have had means to know what manner of man George T. Keneipp is. The record of testimony is ample that he is a good citizen in the full sense of the term, and worthy of honor and public trust, ever doing worthily and well whatever he puts his hand to do-an encomium worthy of being coveted by every man.

George T. Keneipp, the son of Robert and America (Lucas) Keneipp, was born in Owensville, Indiana. April 11, 1853. Robert Keneipp was a native of Erie county, Ohio, and moved to Mount Carmel, Illinois, with his

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parents when a small child. There he received his common school education and at an early age was apprenticed to a tanner. He grew to manhood in Mount Carmel and was married in that place. In 1852, when he was about twenty-six years of age, he came to Owensville, Gibson county, Indiana, where George T., the subject of this sketch, was born. In 1854 Mr. Keneipp began farming in Montgomery township, about one and one-half miles north of Owensville, on a forty-acre tract of land. After operating this farm for about a year, he moved five miles north of Owensville on a farm on Skelton creek, where he lived for three years. Then an opportunity presenting itself to enter the business world, he moved to Owensville and entered into a part- nrship with James Montgomery in the general mercantile business. Not finding this to his liking, he sold out his interest three years later and pur- chased a farm about one and one-half miles northwest of Owensville, the farm now occupied by his son, Fielding L. Here he lived until 1890, when he moved about one and one-half miles south of this farm to another place, where he spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring December 4, 1893. His wife, Mrs. Robert Keneipp, mother of the subject of this sketch, was a native of this county, and was born about one mile north of Owens- ville. She is still living with her son. Fielding, at the advanced age of eighty- four years. To these parents were born two children, Fielding L. and George · T. Fielding married Edith Kirkpatrick and lives on the old homestead farm, and has three children, Nellie, who married Luther Knowles, who died some years ago, and now makes her home with her father on the farm; she has one child, Alvin : Anna May married Hugh Marvel, a farmer living on the home place, and is the mother of one daughter, Eugenia ; Robert lives with his par- ents on the home farm.

George T. Keneipp was married October 20, 1875, to Kitty H., the daughter of Henry and Eliza (Mason) Matthews. Her father is a native of Buckinghamshire, England, and came to this country when the subject's wife was only six weeks old. They came to New Jersey, where they re- mained for four years, then they came west and settled near Evansville on a farm, where they remained for one year, but wishing to take up his old trade of miller, he moved to Hazleton, Gibson county, Indiana, where he entered the employ of Byram Bingham, who owned and conducted a large flouring mill. He worked in this mill for three years, when he came to Owensville and bought the old Star mill from John Walker. He continued to operate this mill until his death, which occurred February 12, 1877. His wife was also a native of England, and her death occurred February 5, 1911.

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in Owensville, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Keneipp. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Matthews were the parents of six children : Emma, deceased : Harry, de- ceased; Thomas J .; Kitty: Joseph, deceased, and Wayne, deceased. Emma married John S. Lucas, and they had five children, Henry, John, Harvey, Emma, deceased, and Noble: Thomas J. married, first, Ella Barker, whose death occurred January 20, 1883, and subsequently he married Mrs. Martha Boren, and by his second marriage there were three children, Hugh, Byron and Paul.

To Mr. and Mrs. George Keneipp have been born six children: Arthur M .. Hervey, Lucretia, deceased in 1908: Eunice, Elsie, deceased in 1897 ; and Zella. Arthur M. married Nola Bixler and lives on a farm about one mile west of his father's farm; they have one son, James, who lives at home, and one who died in infancy: Hervey married Margaret Dorsey, and lives on a farm near Owensville. He graduated in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 1905, and afterwards spent two years in the Baltimore & Ohio railroad shops at Baltimore, but was compelled to return to agricul- tural life, because of his health, came back to Owensville and engaged in farming : he has two children, Harry and Warren; Eunice married Jesse Montgomery and resides in Owensville, and has two children, Alice and Philip; Zella married W. S. Jaques and lives on a farm about two miles west of Owensville, and has one child, Howard; Lucretia married H. A. Smoth- ers, a veterinary surgeon in Mount Carmel, Illinois; they have one son, George: Elsie died at the age of eight years.

George T. Keneipp has had a very interesting carcer in this county, and is one of the best known business men within the limits of the county. After finishing his education in the Owensville high school he managed his father's farm until 1896, at which time he was appointed township trustee, holding this office until November, 1899. He had previously farmed with his father in partnership until 1882, when he bought a farm of his own of eighty-seven acres near Owensville, and remained on this place until 1899. In this year he bought the Barker farm of one hundred and seventy-six acres, and has since added twenty acres more to his holdings. This farm he has improved in every particular, has drained it, fenced it and brought it to a high state of cultivation. He has added all the modern improvements, which lighten the labor of the farmer, and is universally conceded to be one of the most pro- gressive farmers in this locality.

Mr. Keneipp takes an active interest in the different fraternities of Owensville, being a member of four different fraternal organizations, the

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Free and Accepted Masons, Modern Woodmen of America, the Tribe of Ben-Hur and the Court of Honor. Although he has always taken an active part in the deliberations of the Republican party, he has never held any political office except the office of trustee, which is held by appointment. He takes an intelligent interest in current affairs, and is well posted on all politi- cal questions of the day.

Mr. Keneipp and his wife have long been members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Owensville, he being a trustee and steward of the church, and they are both firm believers in the efficiency of the various church organizations. They do much good and devote a great deal of their time to the social and missionary work of their church.

Mr. Keneipp has been uniformly successful in all of his business trans- actions, and the directorate of the Owensville Banking Company has rec- ognized his executive ability by electing him president of that company. He is a very companionable, quiet and unassuming man, and has reached his success in life only by hard work and painstaking effort. He is widely ac- quainted throughout the county and is well liked by all with whom he comes in contact. No movement which has for its object the betterment of the social, moral or religious welfare of his community is ever broached which does not find in him a ready and sympathetic helper. Such men as he are a blessing to the community in which they live.

VICTOR LEMME.

Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the in- dividual or whether they are quickened by a process of circumstantial de- velopment it is impossible to determine. It is certainly true that the profes- sion of teaching gives one habits of industry and application which are es- sential to success in any other profession. No one will gainsay the fact that fifteen years' experience in the school room is a very valuable asset to any man and when to this is added those sterling qualities of good common sense and sound business judgment, the man so blessed is sure to make a success in any undertaking. A gentleman with all these admirable qualities is Victor Lemme, and a perusal of his career should be an incentive to the younger generation.

Victor Lemme, the son of William C. and Maria A. (Burton) Lemme, was born September 14, 1873, in Barton township, Gibson county, Indiana.

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His father came to America from Germany when he was ten years of age and, with his parents, settled in Vanderburg county, this state, where they lived for a short time before permanently removing to Gibson county. The mother of the subject died in February, 1893, leaving three children, Victor, the immediate subject of this sketch; Charles E., a fruit grower in Utah, and Herbert J., a court stenographer living at Princeton, Indiana. Some years after the death of Mrs. William Lemme, Mr. Lemme married again, and to this union were born two children, both of whom are still at home with their parents.

Victor Lemme was educated in the district schools of Barton township, and then completed his high school education at Princeton, following this with a course at the Central Normal College at Danville, Indiana, and was also a student in the Vincennes University, and one of the first students to enter the Oakland City College, which he attended for five terms. Thus equipped, he started out to teach in his home township and was a successful teacher in the county for fifteen years. He inherited from his parents the German habits of thrift and industry and invested his savings in land, spend- ing his summers on the farm while he was teaching school. He continued his pedagogical work until 1908, when the citizens of his township prevailed upon him to run for the office of trustee, and showed their confidence in his ability by electing him to that office by a large majority. This office is one of the most important within the suffrages of the people, and he is discharg- ing its duties to the entire satisfaction of the citizens of the township. He has twenty teachers under his jurisdiction and is rapidly bringing the schools of his township to a high state of excellence. During his term of office he has had one certified high school established, and the high school at Mackey is doing excellent work for the short time which it has been in existence. His term of office will not expire until January, 1915.

Mr. Lemme was married April 6, 1899, to Minnie Miller, daughter of Samuel and Cornelia (Stroud) Miller, both natives of South Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of three children, Minnie, the wife of the sub- ject of this sketch; William B., a stock buyer at Somerville, and James S., who lives at home. To. Mr. and Mrs. Lemme has been born one son, Mau- rice M., born February 23, 1905, who is now attending the schools in his township.

Mr. Lemme is now living on his farm of one hundred and thirteen acres, and is regarded as one of the most progressive and enterprising young farmers of his county. His teaching experience makes him a very competent

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trustee, and the interests of the township are well served by him. Politically, he has always been a Democrat and his party has recognized his ability by electing him to his present office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and Knights of Pythias, his membership in both lodges being held at Oakland City. Mr. Lemme has succeeded in his chosen voca- tion solely through his own courage and persistence, and he is a man who believes in lending whatever aid he can to his neighbors. He has not only attained a definite degree of success in his profession as teacher and farmer, but he has at the same time greatly benefited the community in which he lives, and for this reason well merits a place in a biographical volume of this nature.

JAMES L. STEWART.

The gentleman to a brief review of whose life and characteristics the reader's attention is herewith directed is among the favorably known and representative citizens of Oakland City, Gibson county, Indiana. He has by his enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a material way to the advancement of his locality and during the course of an honorable career has been fairly successful in his business enterprises, having been a man of energy, sound judgment and honesty of purpose, and is thus well deserving of mention in this volume.

James L. Stewart was born December 12, 1844, in Palmyra, Missouri, a son of Thomas P. and Frances (Sanders) Stewart, who were natives of Louisville, and after their marriage went westward into Missouri. James Stewart, the father of Thomas P., was a native of Georgia. He was de- scended from colonists who had accompanied the British General Oglethorpe when he came to the new world and founded the colony of Georgia. Later, James Stewart and family located in Kentucky, near Louisville, on the Beardstown pike, and where the first toll gate was located. There they ob- tained land which they cleared and where they made a comfortable home, and passed the remainder of their lives. James' wife was Jane Stephens, .a cousin of Alexander H. Stephens, and to their union were born four chil- dren, namely: Susan, Sarah, Thomas P. (father of the immediate subject of this sketch) and James.

Thomas Patrick Stewart, father of James L., grew to manhood in Ken- tucky, having the advantage of but limited schooling, but was a self-taught

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man. It was about 1835 when he went to Palmyra, Missouri, which was then but a small village indeed. The Indians were thick about the settlement and wild game of all kinds was plentiful. He was a plasterer by trade and this occupation he followed until his death in Palmyra, in 1889, at the advanced age of eighty years. His wife had died two years previously, at the age of seventy-two. Both were consistent members of the Christian church. He had originally been a stanch Whig in politics and at the dissolution of that party refused to cast his vote with the others then in existence, because he had been a leader of the Whig party until Horace Greeley ran for President in 1872 and for whose election he voted. Thomas P. Stewart and wife had a family of three children: Gabrillia, widow of Thomas J. Johnson, resides in the state of Colorado; James L., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Sarah P., widow of James Reeves, of Montrose, Iowa.

The subject of this sketch received but very limited schooling when a boy and started out in life for himself when but a lad of fourteen years. He worked at various occupations and in various places for a time, and in 1863 or 1864 left Missouri, coming to Evansville, Indiana, and in January, 1865, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was sent to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Tallahoosa and Clarksville and did garrison duty until October of the same year. when he was discharged. He returned to Evansville and came on to Princeton, Indiana, and has since been a resident of Gibson county. He first went to work for William H. Evans on the Princeton Democrat, where he stayed for a year, and from that time until 1878 he was a sort of journeyman printer, being employed on papers in various towns. In the year above men- tioned, he settled in Oakland City, Indiana, where, on September 19, 1880, he was united in marriage to Alice M. Dickson, of Center township, Gibson county, a daughter of John and Catherine (Elliott) Dickson, who died in 1859. During the Civil war he served as a private in Company D, Fifty- eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, having enlisted at Princeton. After the war he took up his old residence in Center township, later going to Illinois. However, he did not long remain there and returned to Gibson county, dying at Francisco in 1896. They were the parents of three chil- dren : Sarah, who is Mrs. James Woods, of Princeton; Mrs. Stewart, wife of the subject of this sketch, and Margaret, deceased.

Mr. Stewart has continued to reside in Oakland City since first going there before his marriage and is a plasterer by trade. Ile has also from time to time done some newspaper work. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart originally. had

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three sons and one daughter who died in infancy. The eldest son gave his life to his country during the Spanish-American war. This was Raymond T., born October 8, 1881. He received his education in the home schools and in November, 1898, enlisted in Company D, Twelfth Regiment Regular United States Army. He was a musician, a cornet player. He was sent di- rect to the Philippines and was in the battle of San Fernando Angeles. He contracted dysentery in a very bad form, was taken to the hospital on August 9th and remained there until January 2nd following. He was returned to the United States and died on February 18, 1900, at Presidio, California. The remains were returned to Oakland City and interred in Montgomery cemetery. Mattie, the daughter, born May 18, 1883, died August 27, 1883. Maxwell D., the second son, was born June 2, 1884, and was educated in the schools of his native town. He has always been employed by the Nordyke & Marmon Company at Indianapolis and resides there. He married Georgia Cooper and they have two children, Elenore and Charles. The third son, Donald W., was born July 23. 1893. He attended the grade and high schools at home and is now on the road for the Fairbanks-Morse Company of In- dianapolis, selling their gasoline engines.

Mr. Stewart is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Oak- land City and his religious affiliation is with the Christian church, while politi- cally he is a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party. Fraternally, he is a member of Oakland City Lodge No. 467, Free and Accepted Masons. He is very well known throughout the county as a man whose principles of living are such as to win for him the high regard of all. He is a man who keeps well posted on current events and is considered one of the best impromptu speakers in Gibson county. During the years of his residence here. he has made many warm friends, which is a fitting tribute to a man's genuine worth.

ISAAC L. MOUNTS.

Too much honor cannot be given to the boys in blue who fought through the long and bloody struggle in the sixties. When they heard their country's call they forsook their ordinary vocations, enrolled under the stars and stripes, and with patriotic fervor and enthusiasm braved all the dangers of the battlefield in order that our beloved flag might continue to wave from the lakes to the gulf. The sacrifices they made cannot be calculated, the dangers they encountered cannot be computed, and yet they were never found unwill-

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ing to do their full duty. The homage of a grateful people is theirs and we delight to accord them all the praise so justly due them. Among the few veterans who are left in Gibson county none 'are more deserving of a worthy place in this volume than the gallant old soldier whose name heads this sketch.

Isaac L. Mounts, one of the best known pioneer citizens of Gibson county, was born three miles south of Owensville, August 14, 1839. the son of Garrard and Martha (Montgomery) Mounts. Garrard Mounts, a native of Kentucky, migrated to this state in early life and settled on land near Black River, three miles south of Owensville. Mr. and Mrs. Garrard Mounts died several years ago. They were the parents of twelve children: Mrs. Nancy Emerson, deceased; Mrs. Almira Redman, deceased; Wesley, deceased ; Smith, deceased; Mrs. Elizabeth Trible, who is still living; Eliza Ellen, de- ceased ; Parmelia, deceased; John D., deceased; Isaac L., the immediate sub- ject of this sketch; Mrs. Martisha Redman ; Indiana, and one child who died in infancy.

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History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 70

Author: Stormont, Gil R Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F.Bowen Number of Pages: 1284

Author: Stormont, Gil R
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F.Bowen
Number of Pages: 1284