History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 74

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

USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 74

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Mr. McClure was twice married, first, on October 19, 1865, to Sarah N. Green, the daughter of Hiram Green, and to this union were born two daugh- ters, Katherine Louise (deceased), and Mary Ellen, who is still living. Mrs. Sarah McClure died on August 28, 1871, and on November 18, 1877, Mr. McClure married Maria C. Weber, who was born in Salzwedel, Germany, the daughter of Henry and Sophia Weber. She came to America when about eighteen years of age. Henry Weber was also a member of the Seven- teenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which formed part of Wilder's brigade, and rose to the rank of sergeant. His death occurred in Gibson county on April 5, 1898, at the age of seventy-two years. To this second union were born five children, namely: Nora Charlotte (deceased) ; Clara S., the wife of Julian Palmer, of Patoka; Ella D. (deceased) ; and Allie H., a twin of Ella, who is now the widow of Clarence J. Barker, of Fort Branch, . Gibson county; Ada Ann is the wife of Byron Bingham, of Patoka. Clar- ence J. Barker, who was depot agent at Fort Branch, died on August 18, 1913, being stricken with uremic poisoning in the railroad station at Kansas City, while en route home from New Mexico after a residence of three years in the latter state. He and his wife had two children, John Alexander and Alma Fay.

Mr. McClure was an enthusiastic Mason, having attained to the degree of the York rite, including the order of Knights Templar, being a member of the commandery at Vincennes; Mr. Barker was a member of the order at Sul-

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livan, Indiana. Religiously, Mr. McClure was a member of the Baptist church, and having a high conception of his privileges and responsibilities as a Christ- ian, he supported this church to the extent of his means. A man of congenial and kindly impulses, he made friends of all with whom he came in contact, and was widely known throughout Gibson county as one of her representative citizens. Mrs. McClure was a member of the same church at Evansville, and her parents were also members of this church.

WILLIAM ARMSTRONG WATERS.

Indiana will soon round out one hundred years of its history. It is the record of the steady growth of a community planted in the wilderness in the last century and reaching its magnitude of today without other aid than that of continued industry. Each county has had its share in the story and every county can lay claim to some incident or transaction which goes to make the history of the commonwealth. After all, the history of a state is but a record of the doings of its people, among whom the pioneers and their sturdy de- scendants occupy places of no secondary importance. The story of the plain common people who constitute the moral bone and sinew of the state will always attract the attention and prove of interest to all true lovers of their kind. The first settlers of this state were in the southern part and the hard- ships and disadvantages which surrounded them at every turn have long since disappeared with the march of civilization. The subject of this sketch, now deceased several years, is one of the finest examples of the sturdy pioneer and frontiersman who came to this state in the years when Indians were ram- pant in our forests ; when every swamp was full of malaria ; when transpor- tation had to be carried on by water, or else by the trails which led through the woods. William Armstrong Waters not only fought the fight of the farmer in subduing the Indians and the forest, but also served his country in that long struggle which was necessary to preserve our union in the sixties.

William Armstrong Waters, the son of James R. and Nancy (Arm- strong) Waters, was born in 1813. west of Owensville, in Gibson county, In- diana. His parents came from North Carolina to Christian county, Ken- tucky, and from thence they moved, in 1807, to what was then Knox county, Indiana. At that time Gibson county was not organized, and the land which they entered upon their arrival was later a part of that county when it was organized, March 9, 1813. James R. Waters, the father of the subject, was a

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son of Thomas Water ,, a native of Virginia, who went to North Carolina, where James R. was born. Thomas Waters later moved to Kentucky and in 1807 he and James R., then a young man, came to Gibson county, Indiana. Thomas Waters entered land from the government in section 4, township 3 south, range 12 west. He was not able. to get his patent from the government until November 10, 18II. Starting here in the primeval forest several years before Indiana became a state, he fought the forests by day, the Indians by night and the malaria all the time. His closest market was Vin- cennes and this could be reached only by an old Indian trail. On this farm, entered in 1807, Thomas R. Waters lived and died at a ripe old age, having succeeded by his native honesty and sound business judgment to the acquisi- tion of a comfortable competence. James R. Waters entered land in section 34, township 2 south, range 12 west. His brother, William, entered the other part of the same quarter section, but later James bought his part of this land. James R., father of the subject of this sketch, married Nancy Armstrong, a native of North Carolina. In 1809 she came with her parents, John and Polly (Swayne) Armstrong, from North Carolina to Kentucky, and later to Vanderburg county, Indiana. James R. Waters lived and died on the land which he entered.

William A. Waters, whose history is here presented, was born on his father's farm and there grew up to manhood. Early in life he was married to Eliza Jones, daughter of Charles and Eleanor (Warrick) Jones. Her mother was a daughter of Capt. Jacob Warrick, one of the heroes of the battle of Tippecanoe, and after whom Warrick county was named. Her father. Charles Jones, came from North Carolina to Christian county, Kentucky, and from thence, by way of Henderson, Kentucky, then called Red Banks, to Gibson county, Indiana, in company with James R. Waters, who had gone back to Christian county, Kentucky, to collect money due him. William A. Waters bought a farm in 1825, where his children still live. It is a quarter of section 3, township 3, range 12 west, located west of Owensville, and here he lived all his life with the exception of the time when he was serving in the Civil war.

William A. Waters and his son, James, both enlisted in Company E, Forty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and followed the cam- paign from Chattanooga in the summer of 1863 through to Atlanta and then followed Sherman on his famous march to the sea. From thence they went up through the Carolinas to Virginia and were in the Grand Review at Wash- ington in the summer of 1865. William A. Waters was mustered out as a lieutenant after serving seven months, resigning on account of ill health.

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The brother continued on through to the close of the war. During his two years' service in the army James R. was constantly at the front and fought in all the battles from Chattanooga down through Georgia and up through the Carolinas until the surrender of Johnson in North Carolina in April, 1865. Although the son saw so much of hard military service, he was never wounded and came out of the conflict in good health.

William A. Waters returned to the farm at the close of his service, and by successful business management he succeeded in acquiring a very com- fortable competence. He continued active operations on the farm until his death, which occurred on August 6, 1886, his widow surviving him many years, her death occurring on February 3, 1901, at the advanced age of eighty-one. Their union was blessed with eleven children, eight of whom grew to maturity and five of whom are still living together on the old home farm, Charles C., James B., John F., Ellen and Martha. Charles C. Waters enlisted to fight in the Civil war, but when he went to be mustered into the service, it was found that his company was full, so he was sent back home. All of these five children own farms of their own, their total acreage aggre- gating nearly nine hundred acres, all of which is located in Montgomery township. None of them have ever married, preferring to keep unchanged the tie of home and family which bound them together as children on the old homestead. Here they live an unostentatious, hospitable life, doing all the good that they can for the community in which they live. No family is held in higher esteem in this county than the Waters family and no movement which has for its end the betterment of the community is ever launched which does not find in them ready and sympathetic helpers. They have al- ways displayed that consistent Christian spirit, that genuine worth that has endeared them to all classes, and their lives have been an inspiration to others.

WARRICK D. JOHNSON.

It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affairs who makes the real history of a community and his influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The examples such men furnish of painstaking effort and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellowmen and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which

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make so much for the prosperity of the community. In placing the history of the influential citizen of Gibson county, Indiana, whose name forms the caption of this review, it is plainly seen that the respect and esteem which he enjoys has been won by his commendable qualities, and it is also his personal worth that has won for him the highest regard of all who know him.

Warrick D. Johnson, son of Levi and Louisa (Smith) Johnson, was born on February 1, 1865, one and one-half miles east of Johnson Station. Levi Johnson was born about half way between Poseyville and Cynthiana, in 1824, the son of George and Anna (Williams) Johnson. George Johnson came to Indiana with his parents, Arthur and Lucy ( Harmon) Johnson, from North Carolina in the early history of the state. George Johnson was mar- ried in this county, and after his marriage he lived in Cynthiana until after his first wife died, when he married Mary Mason, and continued to reside near Cynthiana until his death. Levi Johnson lived under the parental roof until he was old enough to work out, and then he worked at farm labor for several years in the Maumee bottoms west of Johnson Station. On October 21, 1848, he was married to Louisa Smith, who was born about two miles west of Owensville, June 12, 1829, and is a daughter of Dr. John Willis and Martha (Warrick) Smith. Her father was born at Danville, Kentucky, about 1800. He studied medicine at Louisville and came to Gibson county, Indiana, in the early days of the state, buying land west of Owensville and becoming quite an extensive land owner in this county. He was among the first physicians in this part of the country, and his practice extended from Princeton to New Harmony and Evansville. He was married to Martha Crockett Warrick, who was born June 3, 1809, about two and one-half miles southwest of Owensville. She was a daughter of Captain Jacob Warrick, a hero of Tippecanoe. Doctor Smith was said to be two generations in ad- vance of his time, and was one of the foremost physicians of that section of the state. He was educated at Danville, Kentucky, well versed not only in medicine, but in the literature of his day, and was a very interesting con- versationalist. It was said that upon his death the whole township was in tears His death occurred August 17, 1835, and some years after his death his widow married Jacob Paden.

After Levi Johnson married he built a log cabin in the woods two miles west of Owensville on land where his widow still lives, and there he spent the remainder of his days. He taught school for several years before his mar- riage, and served as trustee of the township when a young man and was elected again in later years.

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As a farmer he was very successful and gradually added to his land holdings until he was one of the largest land owners in the township. To Mr. and Mrs. Levi Johnson were born six children : John Willis, deceased; George Washington, who lives west of Owensville; Martha, who is living with her mother: Emma, the widow of John Doss Thompson, lives in Owensville: David Warrick lives two miles west of Owensville : Laura Ella died in childhood. Levi Johnson was an active Republican all his life and took a prominent part in the councils of his party. He was also a very active member of the General Baptist church, and for years was a deacon in that denomination. His death occurred on November 26, 1904.

Warrick D., son of Levi Johnson, was reared on the homestead farm, following the ordinary life of the average country boy, going to school in the winter seasons and working on his father's farm in the summers. After finishing the schools of his county, he became a student at the State Normal at Terre Haute for four terms, at the expiration of which time he engaged in teaching, followed this occupation for five years in Montgomery township, and was teaching at the time of his marriage.

In 1887 Mr. Johnson was married to Phena Boren, the daughter of Samnel and Serelda ( Marvel) Boren. She was born about four miles south of their present home and lived there until her marriage. Her family gene- alogy is set forth in sketch of T. J. Boren, elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of five children : Mata. the wife of Harvey Witherspoon, lives south of Owensville, in Union township: Warren Boren married Violet V. Benson, the daughter of Columbus and Laura (Thompson) Benson, on February 3, 1914, and is on the farm with his father ; he runs a grain elevator at Johnson Station: Warner Lee and George Washington. Jr., are in the high school at Owensville : Ella Marie is in the common school at Owensville.

After his marriage Mr. Johnson engaged in the operation of the farm where he is now living, and gradually built up his farming interests by buying more land until he is now the owner of over three hundred acres of as fine land as there is in the county. In 1913 he built a handsome residence, equipped with all the modern improvements and one of the most beautiful country homes in the township. He owns the land on which Johnson Station is built, a town which was platted and opened for the sale of lots in 1911. He and his son, Warren, are engaged in grain buying and selling business, shipping their grain from Johnson Station. He has been very successful in his business affairs, owing to the fact that he has exercised sturdy persistence.

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stern integrity and excellent judgment, qualities which have won for him the confidence and esteem of the public to a marked degree.

He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and also of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America. Politically, he has affiliated with the Republican party, and has been an active worker in its behalf. He has never been a seeker after political honor, but has been content to devote his time and energy to his increasing business affairs. A study of his career shows what patient purpose and steadfast integrity will accomplish, and there is a full measure of satisfaction in recording the life history of such valuable citizens. They give strength and solidity to all the institutions and movements which have for their object the welfare of the community. He possesses in a marked degree those sterling traits of character which have commanded uniform confidence and regard, and for this reason he is today honored by all who know him and is numbered among the representative men of his county.

GEORGE C. MASON, M. D.

The man who devotes his talents and energies to the noble work of min- istering to the ills. and. alleviating the sufferings of humanity is pursuing a calling which in dignity, importance and beneficial results is second to no other. If true to his profession and. earnest in his efforts to enlarge his sphere of usefulness, he is indeed a benefactor of his kind, for to him more than to any other man are entrusted the safety, the comfort and, in many instances, the lives of those who place themselves under his care and profit by his services. It is gratifying to note in the series of personal sketches appearing in this work that there remain identified with the professional, public and civic affairs of Gibson county many who are native sons of the county and who are ably maintaining the prestige of honored names. Of this number, Dr. George C. Mason, who is prominent among the physicians and surgeons and who is practicing his profession at Oakland City, is one of the representative men of the county. He stands in the front rank of Gibson county's profes- sional men, having been engaged. in his calling here for many years, during which time he has not only gained wide professional notoriety, but also estab- lished a sound reputation for uprightness of character in all the relations of life.

George C. Mason was born in. Barton township, Gibson county, Indiana,

G.C.Mason.

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on January 24, 1848, and is descended from one of the sterling old pioneer families of Gibson county. His grandfather. Rezin Mason, who founded the family in Virginia, was of Scotch birth, and a relative of the distinguished divine, Dr. John Mason. His son, Rezin Mason, Jr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born near Winchester, Virginia, in 1818, and came to Indiana with his mother and three sisters in 1836, and located in Gibson county. He married Elizabeth Jane Martin. the daughter of John and Jane (Steele) Martin, and to this union were born ten children, of whom George C., the sub- ject of this sketch, was the first born. The latter was reared on his father's farm in Barton township, securing his education in the neighboring schools, and, being of a studious disposition, at the age of fifteen years he had ac- quired a good knowledge of the fundamental branches. However, his father's death at this time threw upon him the care of the family, which responsi- bility he accepted with heroic courage, devoting himself to the support of his mother and brothers and sisters until some of the latter were old enough to relieve him of a part of the burden. During this period he did not cease his efforts to gain a further education and, although confronted with many ob- stacles that would have discouraged one of less heroic mold, he continued his efforts in this direction and through his persistent efforts he became a well- educated and symmetrically developed man. Fortunately for this farmer hoy there was in the neighborhood a Presbyterian clergyman, Rev. Robert Gray, a graduate of Oberlin College, Ohio, and a man of superior college attain- ments, to whom young Mason went for directions in his advanced studies and to whom he recited. In this way he equipped himself for teaching in the common schools of his county and also prepared himself for college, entering the classical course in the State University, where he spent two years. Dur- ing the following eight years he engaged in teaching in the public schools, and during a portion of this time he was associated with Prof. Lee Tomlin, in the Oakland City Normal School. He also served efficiently as superinten- dent of the public schools of Fort Branch and Hazleton. However, the peda- gogical profession did not satisfy the young man's ambition, and in January, 1876, George Mason determined to engage in the medical profession as a life work, and to this end began his technical studies in Miami Medical College of Cincinnati, and later in the Medical College of Indiana at Indianapolis, where he was graduated in 1879. Subsequently he supplemented this professional work by studies in Eastern colleges and, thus thoroughly prepared for his life work, Doctor Mason came to Oakland City and entered upon the active prac-

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tice of his profession, his efforts being rewarded by a large clientele. In his chosen field of endeavor, Doctor Mason has achieved success such as few attain, and his eminent standing among the leading medical men of southwest- ern Indiana has been duly recognized and appreciated not only in Oakland City, which has long been honored by his residence, but also throughout this section of the state. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, he has also proved an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, and in every relation of life never falling below the dignity of true manhood, nor in any way resorting to methods that have invited criticism. As a citizen, he has ranked with the most influential of his compeers in affairs looking toward the betterment of his chosen city and county. His character has ever been above suspicion, and those who have been favored with an intimate ac- quaintance with him are profuse in their praise of his many virtues and up- right character, that of a true gentleman.

Doctor Mason has long been a close student of political history, being an extensive reader, and he takes a profound interest in educational affairs, in- cluding in his linguistic attainments Latin, Greek and German, all of which he reads with equal facility. Doctor Mason is a Republican in his political views, and in 1880 was elected a representative to the Legislature by a ma- jority of two hundred and twelve votes, being the first Republican elected in Gibson county in sixteen years. During the ensuing session of the Legisla- ture, the Doctor had the satisfaction of voting for Benjamin Harrison for United States senator, and earnestly advocated measures which resulted in the improvement of public roads. Doctor Mason served fourteen years consecu- tively as president of the Oakland City school board, in which he rendered valuable service in the advancement of local educational affairs. On July 15, 1897, Doctor Mason became superintendent of the Southern Indiana Hospital for the Insane, serving efficiently in this position for three years. He is a member of the Gibson County Medical Society and the State Medical Society, taking a deep interest in the proceedings of these bodies. His religious affilia- tion is with the Presbyterian church, in which he is an elder. He has been very successful in material affairs, owning a splendid apple orchard of fifty acres near Somerville, this county, in the handling of which he has been very successful.

On July 17, 1873, at Princeton, Doctor Mason was married to Elizabeth L. Henderson, who was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, the daughter of Thomas W. and Jane (Gray) Henderson, and to this union have been born

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four children, two of whom are living, namely: Gertrude S., who is the wife of Robert W. Hunter, who is engaged in the lumber business at Provi- dence, Kentucky; Grace L., born July 17. 1881, and died January 23, 1887; George C., born September 15, 1884, and died April 4, 1885; Russell L. is a graduate of Wabash College, and lives in Oakland City, being a clerk in the Why clothing store.

G. B. BINGHAM.

Among the earnest men whose enterprise and depth of character have gained for them a prominent place in the community and the respect and confidence of their fellow citizens is the honored subject of this sketch. A leading farmer and grain man of the locality in which he resides and a man of decided views and laudable ambitions, his influence has ever been exerted for the advancement of his kind, and in the vocations to which his energies are devoted he ranks among the representative men of the county.

G. B. Bingham was born in Patoka, Gibson county, Indiana, on April 6, 1866, and is a son of Gordon Byron and Minerva ( Stockwell ) Bingham, the father a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and the mother of Princeton, this county. Gordon B. Bingham came to Gibson county in young manhood, locating in Princeton. His father, Gordon B. Bingham, had been a well-to-do merchant in Baltimore, Maryland, and his son, the subject's father, acquired large interests of different kinds, including store, flour mill, packing house. distillery, etc. He was successful in the management of these enterprises, and was numbered among the substantial and influential business men of the com- munity. During the Civil war, the responsibility of looking after the affairs at home fell upon his shoulders, and he managed the business interests of the family in such a way as to earn the commendation of his father. Two of his brothers were in active service in the war, Captain Sylvester, in the North- ern army, and John, in the Southern army. His death occurred in 1876. He was survived many years by his widow, who died on April 13, 1907. To them were born eight children, of whom four are living, namely: W. B. Bingham, G. B. Bingham, Mrs. W. P. Casey, of Patoka, and Mrs. S. G. Ingle, of San Diego, California. The subject's maternal grandmother bore the family name of Prince, and after her family the city of Princeton, Gibson county, was named.

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History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions, Part 74

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