USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 77
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On December 16, 1847. Franklin Jones was united in marriage to Com- fort Sharp, born near Cynthiana, Indiana, and a daughter of John Wright and Temperance (Sharp) Sharp. The Sharp family originally came from Carroll county, near Baltimore, Maryland, and at the close of the eighteenth century went to Kentucky, later coming to Gibson county about 1833. Benja- min Sharp, father of John Wright Sharp, secured government land which he reclaimed from the wilderness, located near the present site of Owensville,
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and this same tract of land is to-day known as the Franklin Jones estate. Benjamin Sharp and wife were the parents of twelve children, namely: Thomas, John Wright, Talbott, Micajah, Benjamin, Mary Weaver, Hannah, Nancy, Cassandra, Mrs. Sally Pollard, Prudence Pollard and Carolina Mont- gomery. Benjamin Sharp's wife was Elizabeth Wright.
Benjamin Sharp's brother Thomas married Rachael Elliott and settled in Gibson county on the land now owned by William H. Redman. There were eight children in their family, two sets of triplets and one set of twins. Their names were: James E., Horatio, George, John, Hugh, Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Hunter, Mrs. Temperance Sharp and her twin sister Comfort.
John Wright Sharp, son of Benjamin Sharp, married Temperance Sharp, daughter of his uncle Thomas. They had two daughters, Comfort and a child who died in infancy. John Wright Sharp and wife died when their little daughter, Comfort, was only twelve years old, and she came to live with her aunt Elizabeth Herring on the land where John Wright Jones, mentioned elsewhere in this volume, now resides, and there she made her home until her marriage to Franklin Jones. Her mother, Temperance Sharp, daughter of Thomas Sharp, was born in 1800, and when the baby, Temperance, was but two weeks old, her father started on a trip back to Maryland. While there, the baby's Aunt Temperance gave her a ring for the little namesake, made of Guinea gold and that ring is still in existence, being in the possession of the daughters of Franklin Jones.
Franklin Jones and wife were the parents of eight children, all of whom lived past maturity. There were Eleanor W., Maria, John Wright, Martha Temperance, Eliza Jane, Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Alice, and William Franklin. All are now living but Sarah Alice, who was the wife of W. O. Jones, and died leaving five children. Her husband is still living near Owensville. Eleanor W., Maria, Martha Temperance and Eliza Jane still live on the old homestead left them by their parents. They proved themselves worthy chil- dren of such excellent parents, and remained with their father and mother, caring for them through their old age. Mary, one of the daughters of the family, is the wife of Theodore Crawford and lives not far from the old home and William F. also lives in the neighborhood.
Franklin Jones was a farmer all his life, but for many years was unable to engage in the active work required about the homestead owing to con- tinued illness which incapacitated him, and the management of the home fell very largely upon his efficient and faithful wife and the older children of the family. Notwithstanding this, however, they reared their large family,
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caring for them properly, and accumulated considerable property besides. While not a member of any church society, Franklin Jones gave his religious sympathies to the Baptist church and lived in strict accordance with the rules of same. Throughout his life, his manner of living was such as to win for him many warm friends, and considering the disadvantage under which he labored, he was able to accomplish a surprising amount. From beneath his · roof, sons and daughters have gone forth to take their places in the world. bearing with them the consciousness of early and correct training.
ZADOK M. McCLEARY.
To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is always honored and re- spected, even from childhood, deserves more than mere mention. It is no easy task to resist the many temptations of youth and early manhood and plant a character in the minds and hearts of associates that will remain an unstained figure for all time. One may take his place in public life through some vigorous stroke of public policy, and even remain in the hearts of friends and neighbors, but to take the same position by dint of the practice of an upright life and without a craving for exaltation merely for selfish ends, whose chief desires seem to be to serve others and lead a life of use- fulness and honor, is worthy of the highest praise and commendation. Such "a man is Zadok M. McCleary, a man who has discharged his public and pri- vate duties as they appeared to him, honestly and in a spirit of candor and fairness. He is always ready to assist when he sees that aid is needed and he certainly deserves the high esteem in which he is held.
Zadok M. McCleary was born in Barton township, Gibson county, In- diana, December 1, 1844, the son of James L. and Maria ( Martin) Mc- Cleary, he a son of William. of Ohio, and he a son of Robert, of Ireland. The McCleary family were early settlers in Barton township, Gibson county, arriving in that community about the same time as the Skelton family. They settled on wild land and the family has always lived in that locality.
Subject's father was a farmer and died in 1878, at the age of sixty-five, and his wife passed away in 1877, in her sixty-fifth year. They were mem- bers of the Baptist church. To them were born eight children : (1) William H. is deceased. He married Jane C. Kirkpatrick and they had three children, James, John K. and Thomas W. William H. was a soldier in Company F, Forty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry. (2) James W. was a member
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of Company F, Forty-second Indiana Volunteers, and was killed at Stone's River. (3) Jacob died young. (4) The subject. (5) Mary married James C. McGregor and both are deceased. (6) Anna is the wife of Miles Mc- Kane, of Chandler, Indiana. (8) Dicey D. married Neamiah Wallace and died in Essex, Missouri.
Zadok M. McCleary received little schooling and worked on the home place until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he, his father and two brothers all enlisted in Company F. Forty-second Regiment Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, his father and brothers enlisting on October 9, 1861, and the subject in December of that year, he joining the company at Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was in Sherman's command on the march to the sea, and was engaged in all the battles and skrimishes incident to that memorable campaign, finally taking part in the grand review at Washington, D. C. Mr. McCleary was discharged from the army July 21, 1865, at Louisville, Ken- tucky, and returned home.
On December 22, 1865, Mr. McCleary was united in marriage to Nancy L. Kirkpatrick, of Barton township, the daughter of John and Nancy (Wil- son) Kirkpatrick, who were early pioneers in Barton township, having come here from the Chester district of South Carolina, their native state. They spent their lives in Barton township, the father being a farmer. To John and Nancy Kirkpatrick were born ten children, namely: Letitia, deceased wife of James C. Minnis ; Jane, widow of William H. McCleary, of Mackey, Barton township: Robert and William, deceased; Mary, deceased, married James M. Hunter, who died in Andersonville prison; John, deceased ; Nancy, the wife of Mr. McCleary; Sarah, deceased; one died in infancy; James, of Bentonville, Arkansas.
To Mr. and Mrs. McCleary have been born eight children: Hettie died at the age of fifteen years; Laura Ann married. W. D. Farris, of Barton township, and is the mother of the following children: Charles (deceased), Ella (deceased), Alva, Lillie, Floyd (deceased), Lula, John, Hazel, Josie, Earl, one died in infancy, and William; Cora married James W. Farris, of Barton township, and is the mother of five children, Harley, Mahala, Blanche, Clyde and Harvey ; Clara married L. L. Bell, of Evansville, Indiana, and has five children, Russell, Fred, John, Edward and Esther; John enlisted in the regular army of the United States June 16, 1898, and was honorably dis- charged April 15, 1899, by general order number forty-four, from head- quarters at San Juan, Porto Rico. He served all through the Spanish- American war. Previous to his army service he was with the Tutor Iron
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Works at East St. Louis and was also a member of the East St. Louis police force. He died September 4, 1906. He was a splendid young man, a Mason and an Odd Fellow; Mary is the widow of David Fields, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and has one daughter, Edith; Emma is the widow of Crawford Martin, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Dora is the wife of George F. Seats, a mill man of Houlka, Mississippi. They have two children, Thelma and Golden.
After the war Mr. McCleary lived in Barton township and followed agri- culture until 1892, when he removed to Summerville, Indiana, remaining there until 1906, when he located in Oakland City, where he has since re- mained.
Mr. McCleary is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Re- public, being a member of A. H. Cockrum Post No. 520, at Oakland City, and is now serving his eighth term as commander. The subject is a faithful and earnest member of the General Baptist church at Oakland City.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN JOHNSON.
A career marked by earnest and indefatigable application has been that of the honored and substantial citizen of Gibson county, Indiana, whose name appears at the head of this sketch. In this county he has had a continuous residence of nearly four score years, in all of which time his life has been an open book and read by his fellowmen. He was a valiant soldier of the Civil war, where his fidelity was of the type which has characterized his actions in all relations and gained for him the confidence and esteem of the public, and the unbounded respect of all with whom he has been brought into con- tact. As a farmer looking out for everything which would advance the farming interests of his community ; as a public official endeavoring to put into his office the best judgment which he possessed ; as a soldier in the late Rebellion, we find him in all of these various walks a man in whom his fellow men could place unbounded confidence. The old soldiers are fast passing away and the few who are left should be honored by every citizen who loves his country. These were the men who proved their love and loyalty to the government along the path of marches, on the lonely picket line, on the tented field and amid the flame and smoke of battle and then returning to civil life, again took up manfully the struggle of industrial and commercial life, but whether in war or in peace, the record of Mr. Johnson has been signalized by honesty of purpose and integrity of thought and action so that he has fully
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deserved the position which has been granted to him by the people with whom he has mingled for so many years.
Benjamin Franklin Johnson was born April 23, 1834, in Pike county, Indiana. His parents were Benjamin and Polly (Almon) Johson, the father a native of Virginia, and a son of Arthur Johnson, who was born in 1757 in Virginia and served through the Revolutionary war. At the close of that struggle he returned to civil pursuits and married Lucy Harmon and moved to Kentneky, and from thence he went to Gibson county, Indiana, settling in Montgomery township. After remaining there a few years he went west- ward and settled in White county, Illinois, where his death occurred. About twenty years after his death his grandsons, Levi and Benjamin Franklin, moved his body to a cemetery seven miles north of Carmi and erected a sub- stantial monument over his grave. Polly Almon, the mother of the subject, was born in Kentucky and while she was still a young girl, moved to this state and settled in Montgomery township, this eounty. She was a daughter of Arnot Almon and wife. She had a brother, Thomas, who was wounded in the battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, and another brother, Buckner, who was killed in the same battle. Benjamin Johnson and wife, parents of the subject, settled in Montgomery township, this county, after their marriage, while B. J. Johnson was a small child, and soon after coming here the wife and mother died. Benjamin Johnson lived a widower the rest of his life, his death oc- curring at the age of sixty-three, having spent his whole life on the farm. To Benjamin Johnson and wife were born eight children, of whom three of the sons are living: Thomas Almon, of Owensville; Marion, of Oakland City, and Benjamin Franklin, the immediate subject of this sketch. Three of the brothers, Thomas, B. F. and William R., deceased, were soldiers of the Civil war.
Benjamin Franklin Johnson enlisted on September 3, 1863, in Company D, One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to duty in the Twenty-third Army Corps under General Scho- field in the Army of the West. He participated in many battles and skirmishes, among which were the battles of Resaca, Kingston, North Caro- lina, the second battle of Nashville, and others in the northwest part of Georgia and Tennessee. He was at Raleigh, North Carolina, in the spring of 1865 when Johnson surrendered to General Sherman. He was then kept on guard duty until January 6, 1866, at which time he was finally mustered out. He immediately returned to Montgomery township, and resumed his farming operations. ·
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Mr. Johnson has been married three times, his first marriage occurring on September 4, 1859, to Laura A. Davis, the daughter of William and Sally (Johnson) Davis. Her father was a native of North Carolina and came to this state in an early day, his family settling along Black river in Montgomery township, near the Posey county line. To Mr. Johnson's first union were born five children: Emma, the widow of William Henry Sharpe, who now lives in Vincennes, and is the mother of six children, five living and one dead ; Ida Ross, deceased wife of Julius Martin, was the mother of three children, two living and one dead: Sally D., the wife of R. M. Johnson, lives in Hamilton county, Illinois, and has six children : Charles, deceased, was the father of three children, one of whom is also deceased; William W., who lives at Vincennes, is a practicing attorney in that city.
In 1876 Mr. Johnson married Henrietta (Williams) Mounts, who died two years later, January 22, 1878, leaving two sons, James Burgess, who died in infancy, and Francis Alexis, who lives at Centralia, Illinois. Francis A. married Margaret Benson, and they have one son. On November 3. 1881, Mr. Johnson married Mary Ann Parkhill, the daughter of John and Martha (Patterson) Parkhill. She was born in Claysville, Guernsey county, Ohio, and to this union four children were born: Lena, the wife of Bert Dodd, who lives in Vincennes, and has one son, Benjamin Franklin Dodds, born December 7, 1906; Dr. Morris H. C., a physician at Vincennes ; Benja- inin Ernest, a telegraph operator, of Floren, California, who married Flor- ence Towes, and Martin Harrison, of Chicago Heights, who is an employe of the United States Steel Corporation at that place.
Fraternally, Mr. Johnson belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and has been a life-long member of that fraternity. He has always taken a prominent part in public affairs and has served as a member of the Gibson county council for four years, failing of re-election only by a mistake in the printing of the ballots. He served as constable for eight years upon his return from the war, and made a most excellent official in the capacity. As a member of the county council he took an active part in all the affairs of that important body. He has been a member of the Grand Army of the Republic for more than forty years, and has always been found a true friend of the soldier. He and his wife are loyal members of the Christian church, and have always contributed liberally to the support of that denomination. In all his relations with his fellow men he has so conducted himself that he has won the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.
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THOMAS COYNE.
The history of every man is an account of what he does, and the life history of some men is as interesting as a novel. A novelist could take the life history of Thomas Coyne, of Princeton, and around it weave a romance which would make a novel of first rank. The incidents in his life, the strug- gles through which he has gone and the fine type of character which is illu- strated in the man would make a story which would grasp the hearts of its readers. His story begins in Ireland, where he was born March 24, 1846, and after thousands and thousands of miles of wandering he is now living at Princeton, Indiana, a peaceful, quiet life, surrounded by his family and friends and highly respected and honored by everyone in the community.
Thomas Coyne was born in Ireland, the son of John and Nora (Welsh) Coyne. His father died when he was a small boy and he came with his mother and the rest of the family to America when he was thirteen years of age and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, at which place the mother shortly after- wards died. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Coyne were Nora, de- ceased ; Martin, of Manchester, Ohio, who served the government during the Civil war and is now a furniture dealer in that place; Anna, of Germantown, Ohio; Mary, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Thomas, the immediate subject of this sketch.
Thomas Coyne never went to school and what education he has gained has been actually picked up in the tramp life which he passed through in his experiences in the Civil war and in the regular army afterwards. He is surely a self-taught man. As a small boy he ran away from his home in Cincinnati and never stopped until he found himself in the camp of the Union soldiers in West Virginia in the summer of 1861. One of the officers asked him what he wanted to do, and he told him that he wanted to become a soldier. Accordingly he was taken into the camp, given food and set to work feeding and caring for the army mules. He proved to be a very efficient boy and when the army changed camp he was taken along and went with the army from place to place until he reached Washington, D. C. He was then sent to Warrington, Virginia, and carried the mail from Culpeper to Siegel's division in eastern West Virginia. While on duty he was taken sick and had to return to his home in Cincinnati. Just as soon as he recovered he en- listed, on December 2, 1862, as a second-class boy in the United States navy and served on a boat which did patrol duty on the Mississippi, Ohio, Ten- nessee and Cumberland rivers. He was promoted to quartermaster the sum-
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mer he was sixteen years of age and served as long as this boat was on duty, being discharged on July 11, 1864. From 1864 to 1866 he was in the gov- ernment employ at Nashville, Tennessee, as a teamster. On March 8, 1866, he enlisted in the United States Regular Army, Company G, Fourth Light Artillery, and was stationed at Detroit, Michigan. After his enlistment had expired he went to Wyandotte, Ohio, and there took employment as a puddler in the steel works. While here he was married to Mary Ellen Kelly, of Wyandotte, Ohio. Owing to the nature of his occupation he made fre- quent changes during the next few years. In 1871 he left Wyandotte, Ohio, and went to Cleveland, that state, where he remained for about nine months. From here he went to Niles, Ohio, and in 1872 to Erie, Pennsylvania, and the following year returned to Ohio and worked for a time at .Ashtabula, where his wife died. There were two children by this marriage, Mary, de- ceased, and James, of Princeton, Indiana. In 1873 the panic came on and all of the factories shut down, and for this reason Mr. Coyne could not find any work at all. For the next two years he was merely a wanderer over the face of the earth and traveled thousands of miles, trying to find something to do. In 1875 he found a position in the stone quarry at Greencastle, In- diana, where he worked for about a year, and then, in 1876, came to Owens- ville, Indiana, where he found employment in a saw mill.
Mr. Coyne was married a second time in 1879. to Julia Ellen Nolan, of Gallatin county, Illinois, and to this union there have been born four chil- dren : Thomas E., who married Mabel Daugherty and is now with the Stormburg Electric Company, of Chicago, Illinois; Nina, the wife of Levi Welsh, of Decatur, Illinois, who has two children. John and Mary Ellen; John Martin, the third child, is now with Brooks & Company, an auditing company, of Chicago. For four years he was traffic manager of the Carson, Perrin & Scott Company, of Chicago. He married Mary L. Gales; Gladys Dale, the youngest child, is still under the parental roof, and is now a senior in the high school at Princeton. The children have all been remarkably suc- cessful and reflect great honor upon their parents.
He went from Owensville to Oakland City, Indiana, where he worked in a flouring mill for a short time. From Oakland City he went to Prince- ton, where he remained for two years. In 1889 he went to Kingfisher county, Oklahoma,. with his family and entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land on which he lived for six years. However, the crops were so poor that he decided to give up his claim and return to this county. After disposing of his land and farming implements, he started overland and
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settled for a time in St. Clair county, Illinois. The contrast between the old life and conditions in Oklahoma was so marked and so much to the ad- vantage of Illinois that he lived in that state for six years. In 1901, how- ever, he came back to Princeton with his family and bought his present home at 829 North Race street, where he and his family are now living. He is now in the employ of the Southern Railway shops at Princeton.
Mr. Coyne is one of the most loyal members of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Princeton, Indiana, and always take a very active interest in the deliberations and activities of that order. He is also a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and a Knight Templar at Princeton. Mr. and Mrs. Coyne are members of the First Baptist church at Princeton and are both interested in the moral and civic welfare of their community. They are fine people in the highest sense of the word and have reared a splendid family of children. Today there is no more highly respected citizen in Princeton than Thomas Coyne.
L. J. DEUTSCH.
Among the earnest men whose enterprise and depth of character have gained a prominent place in the community and the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens is L. J. Deutsch, well-known merchant of Oakland City. He is a man of decided views and laudable ambitions, and his influence has ever been for advancement of his kind and in the vocation to which his ener- gies are devoted he ranks among the thriftiest young business men and is deserving of the large success which has attended his efforts.
L. J. Deutsch, well-known merchant and well-known citizen of Oakland City, was born near Corydon, Harrison county, Indiana, on February 12, 1864, the son of Jacob and Magdalen (Louis) Deutsch. Both of these par- ents were natives of Alsace, Germany, who came to America in childhood with their parents, who located respectively in Kentucky, and Corydon, In- diana. The father followed farming during his active years and eventually removed from Louisville, Kentucky, to Harrison county, Indiana, where he lived until his final removal to Gibson county. In 1881 Albert Deutsch, an elder brother, came to Oakland City and engaged in the grocery business. The subject of this sketch came here one year later and the balance of the family in 1886. The business was begun in a modest way at the corner of Harrison and Main streets, and they were prospered in this enterprise, but eventually suffered the loss of their entire stock by fire. They then located on Depot
L. J. DEUTSCH.
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street, but about eight years ago removed to their present location on Main street. Albert and L. J. Deutsch were in business together until, about fourteen years ago, the former sold his business and located at San Antonio, Texas, where he is now engaged in the lumber business. The father of these sons died here about seven years ago, and the mother about two years later. They were the parents of eight children, of whom six are living, namely: Mrs. Sallie Houston, of Odon, Indiana ; Mrs. Emma D. Mauck, of Bentonville, Arkansas ; Albert, of San Antonio, Texas; Mrs. Mary Hurley, of Bentonville, Arkansas; L. J., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Anna Evans, of Shreve- port, Indiana.
L. J. Deutsch received his education in the public schools at Corydon, and practically his entire life has been spent in the grocery business. He first worked in a store in New Albany, from whence he came to this locality in 1882. Possessed of marked business ability and characterized by sturdy per- severance and indomitable industry, his success has been earned by hard work and has been honestly merited. He has been successful in his material af- fairs and has other interests aside from his grocery, being a stockholder, director and vice-president of the First National Bank, of Oakland City, and a man of definite and recognized influence in local commercial affairs.
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