USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 82
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107
824
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
THOMAS A. WALTERS.
All honor should be accorded the brave "boys in blue" who, when the ominous clouds of rebellion gathered over our national horizon, sacrificed the pleasures of home, business opportunities and all that makes life happy, and went forth to "do and die," if need be, on the fields of carnage in the South, thus saving a great and united country to succeeding generations. The sub- ject of this biography is one of that loyal host, and, incidentally, one of the most highly honored citizens of Fort Branch, Gibson county, Indiana, where he has spent a long and successful career.
Thomas A. Walters was born January 22, 1847, in the eastern part of Fort Branch, Gibson county, the son of Reuben T. and Susan (Smyth) Wal- ters, the former born September 20, 1820, near where the Methodist Episcopal church now stands in Fort Branch, and the latter born in county Monahan, Ireland. the daughter of Thomas D. Smyth, who settled on a farm near Fort Branch at an early date, reared a large family and died at the age of sixty- four. A brother of the subject's mother, Jeremiah, the eldest son of Thomas D. Smyth, was an officer in a crack English regiment, the family being fol- lowers of King William, the hero of the battle of the Boyne in 1690. The trouble between the Orangemen and Catholics becoming very acute, the whole family moved to America, with the exception of a daughter who was married in the Emerald Isle, and later emigrated to Toronto, Canada. The Smyth family settled near Fort Branch. The youngest son had a successful career as a physician and after retiring from practice died in Princeton, Indiana. The other children located near Evansville, Indiana, except William, the second son, who remained on the home farm. The Smyths were people of promi- nence in their day and were highly respected in their communities. William Smyth, a brother of the subject's maternal grandfather, amassed a fortune and an international fame as a linen manufacturer in Ireland.
The subject's paternal grandfather was Alvin Walters, of New Jersey, who was a fisherman, in which vocation he lost his life in a very tragic manner in about 1813 or 1814. He and two companions and two boys went out in a fishing smack, which encountered rough water and was upset, all being drowned with the exception of one of the boys, who was the subject's father, he saving himself by clinging to the upturned bottom of the boat. Alvin Wal- ters swam to the shore, a distance of about three miles, but was so exhausted on reaching land that he could not extricate himself from the tangled seaweed
.
THOMAS A. WALTERS.
825
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
and perished. In the meantime his wife had become anxious and went to the shore, where she found his lifeless body. The mother had come to Indiana in search of land in 1820, being accompanied by her brother-in-law. Enoch Walters, and while at Fort Branch gave birth to the subject's father, return- ing shortly to New York, where she remained until after her husband's death, when she returned to Indiana, in about 1833. The subject's father had been fortunate in securing an excellent education in New York, he having attended the schools there up to the age of thirteen, and after the family was located in Indiana and the mother had again married, he resumed his studies, finishing his education in the old seminary in Princeton at the age of twenty. He then worked on his step-father's farm for about six years and was then married, March 13, 1846, the parents of his wife dying on that same date and leaving her an orphan. The father of the subject and his bride moved on to the farm east of Fort Branch where Thomas .\. was born, they soon purchasing a brother's interest in the place and continuing its cultivation until 1880, when the father retired and made his home in Fort Branch, where he died April 21, 1895, his wife having passed away April 22, 1891. Reuben T. Walters was a man of the highest character and intelligence, a strong supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church, and, although many times urged by his friends to accept public office, steadily refused. To himself and wife were born eight children, namely: Thomas A., the subject ; Mercy J. died August 17, 1901 ; Sally L. married Calvin Binkly, of Clay Center, Kansas; Susan is the wife of B. F. Shannon and lives a half mile north of Fort Branch: James D. lives in Austin, Minnesota ; Richard S. lives in Fort Branch : William died in infancy ; Fanny M. L. died January 27, 1891.
T. A. Walters, the subject of this review, received a good elementary education in the common schools of Evansville and Fort Branch. On Decem- ber 14. 1863, he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Indiana Cavalry, One Hundred Twenty-fifth Regiment, Col. Thomas M. Pace commanding the regiment and Capt. Thomas G. Williamson the company. The subject was mustered in at Vincennes December 14. 1863, and, with his comrades, was sent to Columbus, Indiana, where the regiment was organized, and on the 21st of May they were dispatched to Louisville, Kentucky, from there to Nashville, Tennessee, and then to Pulaski, Tennessee, which vicinity they spent the summer, having numerous engagements at different points in that section with General Wheeler's forces. In the fall of that year (November, 1864) the regiment was returned to Nashville and took part in the battle of Nashville, on Decem- ber 14, 15, 16 and 17, 1864. A portion of the regiment followed after the
826
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
retreating General Hood, while the remainder were sent to Nashville and placed on board ship for Mobile, Alabama, the subject being with the latter body. From New Orleans they immediately continued on to Mobile, the other part of the regiment having joined them on the way, and arrived in the Crescent City about May 12, 1865. Remaining there a few days, they were sent back to Mobile, and after the fall of the forts they started through Alabama and Mississippi, expecting to join General Wilson. They had al- ready taken Selma and detachments were in pursuit of Jefferson Davis, so they proceeded to Montgomery, thence to Kosciusko and then to Vicksburg, where they were mustered out August 30, 1865.
Mr. Walters, being honorably discharged September 7, 1865, at Indian- apolis, he returned to the old homestead, and, at the insistence of his father, attended two terms of school, his parent wishing him to become a physician, but the subject was not inclined toward that profession. For a time he en- gaged in various occupations, spending two years in the hardware business in Minnesota. In 1876 he was selected as a deputy sheriff and served two years. In 1894 occurred his election to the office of recorder of Gibson county, in which responsible position he was an efficient and popular public servant for four years, refusing a second term.
The subject of this brief review was married October 30, 1895, to Anna E. West, of Newburg, Indiana, the daughter of Henry C. and Phoebe E. (Genung) West. Phoebe West was a sister of Dr. William R. Genung, of Fort Branch, and her father, who died in 1872, was a veteran of the Civil war, he having been a member of Company E, Twenty-fifth Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, and having been wounded at Pittsburg Landing.
Mr. Walters is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Stephen Meade Post No. 187, while his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been an appreciative member for forty-five years, and the Tribe of Ben-Hur and the Knights of Pythias. He has always taken an active interest in politics, being prominent in the councils of the Republican party. Mrs. Walters is a member of the Methodist Episco- pal church.
In the real estate and insurance business conducted by the subject a large measure of success has been his. At the present time Mr. Walters represents twelve of the leading insurance companies of the country and is handling the bulk of the business in that line in his community. For many years he has been a notary public and he also enjoys a large patronage from attorneys and others needing his services in a notarial capacity.
827
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
SAMUEL B. THOMPSON.
The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors, friends and fellow citizens. The life of the honorable subject of this sketch has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best, owing to the fact that he has always been loyal to trusts imposed upon him and has been upright in his dealings with his fellow men, at the same time lending his support to the advancement of any cause looking to the welfare of his community.
Samuel B. Thompson, the son of Francis Marion and Susannah Eliza- beth (Fravel) Thompson, was born March 12, 1875, three and one-half miles north of Owensville. The genealogy of the Thompson family is found else- where in this volume in the sketch of Francis Thompson, father of the subject of this sketch.
Samuel B. Thompson spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, and after taking the course in the common schools of his home county, he gradu- ated from the Owensville high school. After this he spent one year in the old Normal College at Princeton, Indiana. Upon his marriage he bought his present farm of one hundred and nineteen acres from his father, and has improved it with that discriminating judgment which stamps him as one of the most progressive farmers of the township. He has a fine residence, com- modious barns and other outbuildings, and his farm is well fenced and drained. He takes a very active interest in all the movements which have for their end the improvement of farming, and has acted as chairman of the Farmers' Institute of his county. He believes that the corn show contests which have been held in the county are productive of great good, and for this reason is an enthusiastic booster for them. He keeps himself well informed on the latest methods of scientific farming and is always ready to take advan- tage of anything which will improve his farm and bring about better results.
Although he is an ardent Democrat, he has never sought any political office, being content to devote all his energies to his agricultural interests. Fraternally, he is a valued member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a clean, progressive farmer, well liked and with a pleasing disposition which makes him friends wherever he goes. He is devoted to his chosen vocation and has lent honor and dignity to the profession of farming. and justly de- serves to be numbered among the progressive and enterprising citizens of his
828
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
county. With his natural intellectual endowments and upright character, he has become a valued factor in the community, and is ever vigilant in his efforts to further its interests along moral, material and civic lines.
Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Cora E. Emmerson on October 19, 1899. She was a daughter of James and Susan J. (Williams) Emmer- son, whose family is referred to specifically elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Thompson is lady of many excellent qualities of head and heart, devoted to her home and family, and religiously, is affiliated with the General Baptist church, of which she is an ardent and loyal member, taking a deep interest in all the various activities of that denomination. She and her husband are popular and well liked in the social circles in which they move and command the respect and esteem of all who know them. To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson has been born one child, Alice Pauline.
PINKNEY S. ARMSTRONG.
Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of Pinkney S. Armstrong, progressive farmer and business man of Montgomery township, Gibson county, is all that is required to make a bio- graphical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community honored by his residence, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other consideration, that gives character and stability to the body politic. While advancing his in- dividual interests, he has never lost sight of his obligations to the com- munity in general, where for many years he had held a high place in popular confidence and esteem.
Pinkney S. Armstrong was born November 24, 1866, in Montgomery township, this county, the son of William S. and Emily (Smith) Armstrong. William S. Armstrong, subject's father, was born in Vanderburg county, Indiana, the son of Kirby and Miranda (Gambrel) Armstrong, and the father of Kirby was John. John Armstrong was one of three brothers who came to America from Ireland. For seven years he had been a sailor on the high seas, and wearying of this, he decided to settle down to the life of a farmer in America. He and his brothers lived for a short time near Albermarle Sound in North Carolina, and later John went to Kentucky. There he stayed for a short time and about the year 1806 came over into Indiana, at the time when his son, Kirby, was a lad of about seven years. They settled in Vanderburg
829
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
county, where the lad Kirby grew to manhood, married, and there his son William S. was born. William S. also grew to manhood in Vanderburg county, and when about twenty-two years old was united in marriage with Emily Smith. She was born in Montgomery township, Gibson county, a daughter of Dr. Willis Smith. Her mother was Patsy Warrick, a daughter of Captain Jacob Warrick, prominent in the early history of Gibson county and one of the heroes who received a mortal wound during the battle of Tip- pecanoe. Doctor Willis Smith was originally from Kentucky and was one of the pioneer physicians of this county, when the practice of the profession of medicine was surely no sinecure.
After his marriage. William S. Armstrong moved to Gibson county, locating in Montgomery township, between Owensville and Princeton and about four miles from Owensville. He purchased land at this point and here he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. His death occurred July 24, 1877, and his wife died Jannary 1, 1902, at the age of seventy-five years.
Pinkney S. Armstrong grew up on his father's farm and continued to live there until he was thirty-two years old. On December 1, 1887, he was united in marriage with Martha Roberts. She is a native of Gibson county, a daughter of John and Jane ( Montgomery ) Roberts, and is a sister of William T. Roberts, the present auditor of Gibson county. Her mother, Jane Mont- gomery, was a daughter of Colonel William Montgomery, a prominent pio- neer of the county. To the union of Pinkney S. and Martha ( Roberts) | Armstrong was born one child, Mildred Blanche, who was not quite six years old at the time of her mother's death. June 14, 1909. On May 21. 1911, Mr. Armstrong took as his second wife Nora Smith, a native of Montgom- ery township, and a daughter of Henry W. and Matilda ( Matick) Smith.
After his first marriage, in 1887, Mr. Armstrong continued to reside on his father's farm for eleven years, when he purchased his present farm three miles northeast of Owensville. In all. he is the owner of about nine hundred acres of fine farm land. He has about eighty acres in his home farm and this he farms, together with about one hundred and sixty acres near King's Station, and the balance of his land, located at the same place, he rents. The accumulating of this vast acreage is a high tribute to the excellent business ability of Mr. Armstrong. Forseeing that the fine farm lands in his county would some day demand a much higher price than they did in his earlier manhood, he bought up all the land he felt he was safe in assum- ing, borrowing heavily to meet his obligations, and when the rise came, as he
John Roberts.
прямой
830
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
felt sure it would, he found himself a wealthy man. Mr. Armstrong has not only farmed along the most modern and scientific methods, but he has devoted considerable attention to the raising of live stock, doing especially well with a fine strain of Poland China hogs. In addition to this, he has done a large business in raising pears and is now giving his particular attention to the growing of alfalfa on a large scale, inoculating the soil and carrying it through to the harvest in the most approved scientific method. In addition to his regular business, Mr. Armstrong is a stockholder in six banking concerns, namely : Farmers' National Bank of Princeton, Citizens' Trust and Savings Bank of Princeton, First National Bank at Fort Branch, The Bankers' Na- tional at Evansville, the First National Bank of Owensville and the Ameri- can National Bank of Princeton. He is also a director in the two last named.
Mr. Armstrong is a man of splendid influence in his community, and being a very industrious man who has led an honorable career, he sets a worthy example to the younger generation of his community. He is re- garded as a public-spirited man who can always be counted on to support the right side of any movement involving the moral, educational and social wel- fare of his fellow-citizens. He is one of those solid men of brain and sub- stance, so essential to the material growth and prosperity of a community and whose influence has been willingly extended in behalf of every deserving enterprise.
R. P. LOCKHART.
Although not an old man in years, the gentleman whose life record is herein outlined has stamped his individuality in no uncertain manner upon the localities where he has resided, being an excellent representative of that type of the much heralded American business man-the type that does things-Mr. Lockhart being a worthy descendant of a long line of honorable and influen- tial ancestors.
R. P. Lockhart, who is at present engaged in the lumber business in Patoka, was born at Winthrop, Atchison county, Missouri, on July 6, 1864, the son of Ephraim G. and Elizabeth (Casey) Lockhart, natives, respect- ively, of New York state, and Posey county, Indiana. Ephraim G. Lockhart came to this county about 1854 and first devoted himself to farming pursuits, and later he became interested in saw and grist mills and other enterprises, in which he was very successful. He attained to a high place in the esteem of his
·
831
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
fellow citizens, serving for many years as a justice of the peace at Patoka. A few years after locating here he moved to Atchison county, Missouri, and about 1864 returned to Gibson county, spending the rest of his days in this state. He lived in Dubois county a short time, but his death occurred in Patoka at the age of seventy-two years. His wife had died about two years prior to that time. They were the parents of six children, namely : William, Katie and Arena are deceased, Henry, of Patoka, R. P., the immediate sub- ject of this sketch, and Thomas, deceased.
R. P. Lockhart received his education in the public schools of Patoka, and then took up the vocation of saw filing, in which he was employed in various saw mills throughout southwestern Indiana for many years. About eight years ago Mr. Lockhart engaged in the saw mill business on his own account in Patoka, in which enterprise he has met with pronounced success. In addition to his milling interests, Mr. Lockhart owns a splendid farm of two hundred and forty acres of land west of Patoka, which he is devoting to general agricultural purposes, raising all the crops common to this locality and also giving some attention to the breeding and raising of live stock. He is a stockholder and director in the Patoka National Bank. of which he was one of the organizers in connection with Will Parrett. Alex D. Milburn, Preston Milburn and others. He is considered a man of keen and sagacious business judgment, whose advice is sought by those in need of counsel.
On June 20, 1900, occurred the marriage of Mr. Lockhart to Kate Cline, the daughter of Daniel Cline, of Patoka. The ceremony which united this couple was extraordinary in one respect at least. Mr. Lockhart was in Stanton, Tennessee, and his bride in Patoka on the day set for the wedding. Mr. Lockhart found that he would be unable to come to Patoka and the cere- mony was performed by telephone. To their union has been born a daughter. Cathleen Elizabeth.
Fraternally, Mr. Lockhart is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic order, while politically, he is a Progressive Republican, having served as a member of the city council. He owns one of the most attractive residences in Patoka, and here the spirit of old-time hospitality is always in evidence, the home being a favorite gathering place of the many friends of the family. Personally. Mr. Lockhart is popular, possessing to a marked degree the char- acteristics that win and retain warm friendships. For his kindness and court- esy he has found an abiding place in the esteem of his fellow citizens, and his intelligent energy and enterprising spirit have made his influence felt dur- ing his residence in Gibson county.
832
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
HON. ALBERT GALLATIN HOLCOMB.
Prominent among the representative citizens of Gibson county, Indiana, pre-eminently distinguished for his splendid ability in carrying to completion important public enterprises and enjoying marked prestige in many things far beyond the limits of the community honored by his residence, the gentleman whose name forms the caption to this brief review stands out a clear and con- spicuous figure among the successful men of a part of the great Hoosier state noted throughout the commonwealth for its high order of citizenship. Characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, his achieve- ments but represent the utilization of innate talents in directing efforts along lines in which mature judgment, rare discrimination and a resourcefulness that hesitates at no opposing circumstances, pave the way and ultimately lead to great achievements. It is not the intention of the biographer in this con- nection to give a detailed history of his busy life, but rather to note, inci- dentally, his connection with the various phases of the development of Gibson county and to show the marked influence he has wielded in advancing the material interests of this locality by his strict adherence to the Golden Rule and his desire to promote the general good.
Albert Gallatin Holcomb was born March 7, 1858, in Johnson township, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of Silas M. and Nancy A. (Ralston) Hol- comb, the mother being a sister of Dr. W. G. Ralston, of Evansville, Indiana, and the father a son of Hosea Holcomb, who came from Virginia to Indiana as a young man and entered land in Gibson county three and one-half miles east of Haubstadt. Hosea Holcomb settled in the virgin forest, cut timber, cleared his land, built a home and raised his family here, being a successful man in all that term implies.
The subject's father continued on the original property after the death of his father and continued the successful conduct of the home place. He was a man who took an active part in public affairs and was elected to and served in the state Legislature, being a leader in his district. He died in his sixty-five year. He was the father of five children, namely: William R. is now living in Vincennes ; Albert G .; Minnie is deceased ; Martha lives at Fort Branch : Andrew R. is in Oklahoma.
The subject of this review spent his boyhood in Johnson township, re- ceiving his education in the common schools, and then taught school for eight years. At the end of this period he was elected trustee for two consecutive terms and gave such efficient service in that responsible office that at the com-
ALBERT G. HOLCOMB.
833
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
pletion of his second term he was the choice of the people of his district for state senator, to which office he was elected for one term. His constituents soon realized the wise choice they had made in selecting Mr. Holcomb to rep- resent their interests in the General Assembly, for he devoted his talents and energies to legislating for their best interests, he being the author of a number of admirable measures, and displaying a wise discrimination in the casting of his vote on all matters before the senate. In 1904 the subject was the unani- mous choice of the Democratic party as a candidate for Congress, but he was included in the general landslide which overwhelmed his party on the occasion of Roosevelt's second election. Mr. Holcomb has been chairman of the Demo- cratic county committee for four years and also has served as chairman of his township for the last thirty years, having been elected to the latter position when he was but eighteen years of age, he having been on the committee con- tinuously since.
For sixteen years the subject has been a member of the board of directors of the Gibson County Agricultural and Horticultural Fair, having served as president of this body for two terms. He has attended and been an active worker in the farmers' institutes for a number of years. The Senator has a splendid farm adjoining the town of Fort Branch. where he raises fine crops of grain and other farm products. His place is a model agricultural plant. the equipment of buildings, silo and barns being especially complete. For a num- ber of years the subject has been interested in the best grades of live stock, his Percheron horses, bred from registered sires, having taken many prizes at fairs, while his cattle are pure bred Jerseys. His large and beautifully fur- nished modern residence is located at the turn in the main road, the bend in the road forming the border to a lawn formed in the shape of a half circle. comprising about a half acre in extent, and presenting a pleasing effect with its beautiful shrubbery and trees.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.