USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 83
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On October 27, 1881, the subject was married to Alice M. Hull, daughter of Thomas Hull, a pioneer of Gibson county. To this union have been born two children, namely: Thomas secured his early education in the common schools and in the Fort Branch high school, supplementing this by courses in the law departments of the University of Georgia and Yale University, after which he located as a practicing attorney in Chicago: Harold R. is attending high school.
Thomas Hull, the father of the subject's wife. came originally from New York City, and he was the son of John Hull, who emigrated to this country
(53)
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from Liverpool, England soon after his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor, of Rochester, England. John Hull and wife lived in New York City for a short while, during which time the son Thomas was born. Leaving this city, the family removed to Boston, where Thomas attended school and it was his privi- lege to see General Lafayette on his farewell visit to this country in 1824. Removing from Boston, they went to New Orleans by the ocean route, that same year, where they remained until 1827, when the family came up the river to Gibson county, Indiana, and settled on a farm near Owensville, in Mont- gomery township, where they continued to make their home the rest of their lives. The grandfather died in 1869, at the age of eighty-four, while the grandmother passed away in 1867, in her seventy-sixth year. The great- grandmother of Mrs. Holcomb was Elizabeth (Edwards) Hull, whose hus- band died as a young man, leaving two sons and one daughter, Mrs. Hol- comb's grandfather being one of the sons. The mother of the subject's wife was Elizabeth Nixon, whose grandfather. William Nixon, was a native of Ireland.
GEORGE WASHINGTON JOHNSON.
The best title one can establish to the high and generous esteem of an intelligent community is a protracted and honorable residence therein. George Washington Johnson has resided in this locality all his life and his career has been a commendable one, well deserving of being perpetuated on the pages of a historical work of the nature of the one in hand. Knowing that the county was destined to take a high rank in the productive and rich localities of the North, he applied himself very closely to his work and waited for the future to bring its rewards, and today he is one of the substantial men of his county.
George Washington Johnson, one of the most prominent farmers of Gibson county, was born January 2, 1852, two miles west of Owensville. He is the son of Levi and Louisa (Smith) Johnson. His father was born in New Harmony, Indiana, December 25, 1824, the son of George and Anna (Williams) Johnson. The Johnson family came to this state about 1807 from Virginia before the admission of the state into the Union. Levi John- son's mother died when he was born, and a little later his father moved to Gibson county and settled in Montgomery township, where he lived the re-
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mainder of his life. Levi Johnson was reared to manhood in this township and here married Louisa Smith, the daughter of Jackson W. and Martha C. (Warrick) Smith. Martha Warrick was a daughter of Captain Warrick, the celebrated hero of the battle of Tippecanoe, who fell in this memorable battle, which was fought in the fall of 1811. Her father, Jackson W. Smith, was born near Lexington, Kentucky, and came to Gibson county early in the history of the state.
From the time of his marriage Levi Johnson lived about two miles west of Owensville. He was a life-long farmer and by close application to his business he secured a very comfortable competence for his children. He took an active part in local public affairs and served two terms as township trustee. His death occurred November 25, 1904, and his widow is still living at the advanced age of eighty-five years. Mr. Johnson was an active and faithful member of the General Baptist church during all his life and always took an active interest in all the various workings of that denomination. Mr. and Mrs. Levi Johnson were the parents of six children: John W .; George W., the immediate subject of this sketch; Martha; Emma, widow of Doss Thompson ; Warrick D .; Laura, who died at the age of three years.
George W. Johnson grew to maturity in Montgomery township on his father's farm. Here he lived the life of the average farmer boy, going to school in the winter seasons and working on the farm in the summer. He was united in marriage to Marovia Johnson, who was the daughter of George Buckley Johnson and Lizzie (Martin) Johnson, and was born five miles west of Owensville, her parents having come to Indiana among the first settlers of of the state. Upon becoming twenty-one years of age his father gave him forty acres of land, and within a year he bought an additional forty acres, just west of Owensville, and by strict attention to his business and by thrift and frugality. he gradually increased his holdings until he is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres of fine land, and in addition to this he has bought land which he has given to his daughter.
As a young man George W. Johnson attended Asbury University, now DePauw, at Greencastle, and after leaving the university he taught school for a number of years. To Mr. and Mrs. George W. Johnson have been born two children, one son who died in infancy, and a daughter. Laura Ella. the wife of Dr. Ralph W. Emerson, who lives near her father and is the mother of seven children, Ralph Waldo, Johnson. Louisa E., John Warrick. Myron Titus and twin babies. All of the family are loyal members of the General Baptist church at Owensville. Mr. Johnson has been a member of
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the Free and Accepted Masons for thirty years, and has always taken an active interest in the affairs of that fraternal organization.
Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the son-in-law of George W. Johnson, was born one mile east of Owensville on October 23, 1869, the son of John W. and Nancy Jane (Knowles) Emerson. Dr. Emerson grew up on the farm near Owensville, securing his elementary education in the district schools of his county. Later he took the classical course at Union Christian College at Merom, Indiana, graduating from that institution on June 13, 1895, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In September of the same year he entered the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from that school on May 10, 1898. Ten days later he was back in Owensville, had opened his office for business in the active practice of his profession, and continued active practice for four years and a half. In 1903 he discontinued his prac- tice owing to ill health and retired to the farm, where he has continued to reside since. In his practice he was building up rapidly a good reputation for himself as a physician. He was well prepared for a general practitioner and had his health permitted him to continue in the practice he would undoubt- edly have become one of the prominent physicians of his county.
On August 28, 1898, Mr. Johnson was married to Laura Ella Johnson, the daughter of George W. and Marovia Johnson, who are represented in the foregoing pages. The whole family are very much interested in music. Mrs. Emerson took a musical course at Oakland City College and graduated in both the vocal and instrumental departments. Every one in the family plays on some musical instrument. The youngest son, at the age of eight years, plays a cornet and has the reputation of being the youngest cornetist in the state ; Wash Johnson plays the slide trombone, and the family assist in the orchestra of the General Baptist church. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson are the owners of one hundred and eighty-eight acres of fine land in this county and Mr. Emerson also farms his father-in-law's land of two hundred and twenty acres, making a total of four hundred acres operated by Doctor Emerson. Agriculture has always been an honored vocation from the earliest ages and men of education are turning to the farin in increasing numbers every year. The free out-door life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and de- velop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterize true manhood. It has always been the fruitful soil from which has sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country. Mr. Emerson is leading a life charac- terized by perseverance and energy and commands the confidence and re- spect of the people of the community in which he lives.
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CLAUDE A. SMITH.
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 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. The man whose name stands at the head of this sketch has already won for him- self an enviable reputation as a lawyer in a community noted for the high order of its legal talent, and being still in the first flush of manhood, of un- doubted honor and integrity, has before him great opportunities in his chosen profession.
Claude A. Smith was born July 26, 1881, at Owensville, Gibson county, Indiana, the son of John F. and Cleo ( Bird) Smith, both natives of Gibson county. John F. Smith was born in Montgomery township, Gibson county, December 25, 1853, where he passed his entire life. In 1889. together with Richard P. McGinnis, he organized the Owensville Bank. From the first he served as its cashier and remained in that capacity, retaining his interest in the bank until his death. This was the first bank in that (Montgomery) township. Mr. Smith was an active member of the Knights of Pythias and was serving as chancellor commander of his lodge at the time of his death, in September, 1893.
Claude A. Smith's parental grandfather was Noah Smith, who lived to be eighty-four years old and died some six or seven years ago. He was a farmer all his life. His wife was Patsy Benson, a member of one of the finest families of the county.
Mrs. John F. Smith, widowed mother of the subject of this sketch, makes her home in Owensville, Indiana, where she has lived all her life. She is the mother of one other child, Mabel, the wife of Lynn Lucas, furniture dealer of Princeton. Jacob F. Bird, maternal grandfather of the subject, still resides in Owensville at the ripe old age of eighty-six. He was the first county superintendent of Gibson county and is said to have started the first school in Montgomery township. He was a member of the Indiana Legisla- ture fifty years ago.
Claude A. Smith attended the primary and high schools of Owensville. graduating from the latter in 1900. Having chosen the law as his profession.
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he then matriculated in the Indiana State University, from which he was graduated in 1903 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He attended Colum- bia University, New York City, for special training in his chosen profession, was admitted to the bar in 1905, and after his graduation from Columbia University in 1906, took up the practice of law in Princeton.
On July 23, 1907. he was united in marriage to Phoebe Barnard, daugh- ter of G. W. Barnard, of Oakland City. Mrs. Smith is the daughter of Grove W. and Maria (Teel) Barnard, her father being a native of Connecticut and her mother of this county. Grove W. Barnard came to this county when grown and taught school for some time; but later engaged in the milling business at Oakland City, where he was killed in 1892. He was an active Democrat and had been the county chairman of his party.
Mr. Smith is a member of the time-honored body of Master Masons, and an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, his convictions are with the Republican party. An energetic and upright young man, Mr. Smith possesses those qualities which make a man a representative citizen in whatsoever locality his lot may fall.
W. L. ROBBINS.
The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men who have succeeded in their special vocations in Gibson county, and at the same time are impressing their personalities on the community, men who are conferring honor on the locality in which they reside, would be incomplete were there failure to make specific mention of the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, for he is an important factor in the business life of his community. The splendid success which has come to him has been the direct result of the salient points in his character, for, with a mind capable of laying judicious plans and a will strong enough to carry them into execution, his energy, foresight and perseverance have carried him forward to a position in the front rank of the successful business men of his community. He has carried to successful completion whatever he has undertaken, and his business methods have ever been in strict conformity with the standards and ethics of commercial life. He has taken an intelligent interest in the civic life of the community and has earned the high regard in which he is held by all who know him.
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W. L. Robbins was born at Paoli, Orange county, Indiana, March 20, 1838. the son of David and Arrianna (Gillum) Robbins. David Robbins was born August 22, 1812, and his wife, a native of Chatham county, North Carolina, was born February 11, 1809, their marriage taking place January 22, 1835. The father of David Robbins was Nathaniel Robbins, who came from Pennsylvania to Orange county, Indiana, at an early date, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life.
The subject of this brief review was the second of seven children, four of whom are still living. His boyhood days were spent in Orange county, where he attended the district school for a period of only forty-nine days al- together and helped in the work of the farm until he reached his legal ma- jority. In 1860 he was united in marriage to Mary A. Tate, to which union were born three children, namely: Alice E., deceased; Hettie and Dessie May died in infancy. After his marriage, Mr. Robbins continued agricul- tural pursuits, specializing in the raising, buying and selling of hogs. In 1862, owing to the unsettled condition of business due to the Civil war, the subject lost all he possessed. However, his indomitable spirit rose superior to reverses, and he continued farming until 1870, at which time he removed to Gibson county and located in Hazleton, where for several years he was employed by Jarvis Hazleton in the lumber business. In 1881 he rented a saw mill from Mr. Hazleton and went into business on his own account. This business, prospering, he continued in it until 1902, having in the mean- time worn out two saw mills.
The second marriage of the subject occurred on April 27. 1882, when he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Sallie Williams, daughter of Eli A. and Margaret M. (Hartin) Williams, the former a native of North Carolina, who died in October, 1882. at the age of seventy-two years, and the latter a native of South Carolina. who died in 1892, at the age of seventy- four years. The mother's family moved to Indiana about 1830 and located in Princeton. The father was actively engaged as a carpenter and builder in Princeton during his lifetime. Mrs. Robbins was educated in the public schools of Princeton and at the age of sixteen years engaged in teaching, which she continued up to the time of her marriage in 1882, teaching twenty- three terms and missing but one year during that time, this being due to ill health.
During his highly successful career in the lumber business, Mr. Robbins confined himself exclusively to the best grades of timber, mostly walnut and oak. By careful and systematic attention to the details of his business he
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became highly successful and gained a reputation for being an ideal em- ployer. He always made it a point when placing an employe in a certain posi- tion to hold him responsible for the work of his department, never interfering so long as results were forthcoming in a satisfactory manner. In the subject's boyhood days, while he was working out for others, he had many trying ex- periences, especially in the matter of securing his wages after they were earned. At that time he resolved that should he ever engage in business for himself he would see to it that his employes received their money when it was due, and it is his proud boast that in the twenty-one years he was in business he missed but two Saturday nights in making up the pay roll, and those were occasions when he was ill. It is a testimonial to his good standing in the business world that when, in 1884, the spring thaw came suddenly and carried away his logs, leaving him practically without a dollar, he went right ahead, his good name tiding him over and comparatively few knew how heavily his misfortunate had borne upon him.
While the subject's early education was very meager, he has by close observation and reading become a man well grounded in the general knowl- edge of the world, the practical kind that is really worth while. In brief, Mr. Robbins has, by his own hands, carved out a place for himself in his community that has gained for him the respect of his fellow men. Mr. and Mrs. Robbins are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Robbins' mother belonged to the Friends church. Mr. Robbins has been a stanch Democrat all his life, but never a candidate for any office.
JOHN DAVID SMITH.
Among the enterprising and progressive citizens of Gibson county, none stands higher in the esteem of his fellow citizens than the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this sketch. He has long been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in this county and the years of his residence here have but served to strengthen the feeling of admiration on the part of his fellow men owing to the honorable life he has led and the worthy example he has set the younger generation, consequently the publishers of this biographical com- pendium are glad to give such a worthy representation in this work.
John David Smith, of Crowleyville, Wabash township, Gibson county, is a native of the Hoosier state, having been born in Posey county, Indiana, January 16, 1865, and is the son of Richard Smith and Jane (Medows)
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Smith. Richard Smith was a son of Adam Smith, who came from Virginia about the year 1829. when Richard was about five years of age. They settled in the south edge of Montgomery township, Gibson county, along Black river, being among the early settlers of that section. Here Richard Smith grew to manhood and here he was married to Jane Medows, who was a native of Kentucky, having been born and reared near Cynthiana, that state. After his marriage Mr. Smith moved to a farm near Stewartsville, which he operated until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he responded to the call of his country for defenders and served faithfully throughout that great struggle, taking part in many of the great battles of that conflict, receiving severe wounds in the leg and being taken prisoner at one time. He was a loyal and brave soldier and at the close of the war was mustered out and given an honor- able discharge, and returning to his home again took up agricultural pursuits. He moved to the Kendle farm, two and one-half miles south of Crowleyville, in Wabash township, this county, now owned by Harmon Siegert, and here he spent the remainder of his life. his death occurring on this place. He was a life-long farmer, devoted to his chosen calling, of which he made a distinct success, and was highly respected by his fellow agriculturists and all with whom he came in contact. In politics he was a Democrat, while both he and his wife were earnest and faithful members of the Baptist church. To them were born six children: Mary, deceased, the wife of Henry Carbaugh, spent her life in Wabash township, this county: Olletha died at the age of twenty-two; Isaac Newton died on December 22. 1912, and also was a life- long resident of Wabash township: John D., the immediate subject of this sketch; Lewis Marshall, of Kennsburg, Illinois: Alfred Clinton resides in the state of Washington. The father of these children died in May, 1886, at the age of sixty-two years.
John David Smith was reared under the parental roof, securing his edu- cation in the common schools of his neighborhood. and in his early life worked at farm labor between school seasons. In April, 1887, at the age of twenty-two, he was married to Rhoda Smith, who was a daughter of William and Mary Ann (Picketts) Smith, who had moved from Warrick county, Indiana, to Wabash township, this county, in an early day, and to this union were born three children, namely: Della. who was the wife of Thomas Tillet and died at Grayville: Edgar died at the age of seven years, and Mary is still at home with her father. The mother of these children died in 1898, and on October 22, 1908, Mr. Smith was married to Mrs. Mary A. Williams, who was born in Harmony township, Posey county, Indiana. the daughter of
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William and Elizabeth (De Foster) Hunget. Her parents were early settlers of Posey county, her father having come there from South Carolina fifty-nine years ago, at the age of ten years, while her mother's birth occurred near Bowling Green, Kentucky, and she lived at that place until her marriage to Mr. Hunget. Mrs. Smith lived in Posey county until her marriage to Mr. Smith. Her first husband was John Shull, and they were the parents of two children, Martha E., who lives with her mother, and Mahala, who died at the age of five years. After Mr. Shull's death his widow married Riley R. Will- iams, who is also deceased.
For the past seven years Mr. Smith has been engaged in the general mercantile business at Crowleyville, and is well known all over this section of the county. He carries a good line of general merchandise, and while his store is not a large one, he does a thriving business, and in July, 1913, also established a store at Johnson's Station, and is now conducting both stores, meeting with very satisfactory success in this line. He is a Democrat in politics, and takes an active part in all public affairs of his community. In 1908 he was elected assessor of Wabash township for the term of four years, and because of legislative changes in the law governing his term of office, he continues to hold the office for two more years, making a term of six years. He is discharging the duties of this important office to the eminent satisfac- tion of his constituents and is one of the popular, enterprising and alert citi- zens of his community.
THEODORE FLEMING THOMAS.
A review of the life of the honored subject of this review must of necessity be brief and general in its character. To enter fully into the inter- esting details of the career of Theodore Thomas Fleming, touching the strug- gles of his early manhood and the successes of his later years would far transcend the limits of this article. He has filled a large place in the ranks of the public-spirited citizens of his day, and that he has done his part well can not be gainsaid, for his record has been such as has gained for him the commendation and approval of his fellows. His career has been a long, busy and useful one and he has contributed much to the material, civic and moral advancement of the community, while his admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward course of his daily life has won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he has moved.
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Theodore Fleming Thomas was born May 22, 1857, in Princeton, In- diana, the son of James and Cynthea ( Key ) Thomas, the former having been born in London, England, and the latter in Gibson county, Indiana, near the town of Princeton. The Christian name of subject's paternal grandfather is unknown, although efforts have been made a number of times to ascertain it, there being considerable of an estate to which subject would be entitled were he able to clear up this genealogical phase. It is only known that the grand- father was a resident of London, England. James Thomas, father of the sub- ject of this biography, was a prominent civil engineer in England. having been foreman during the construction of one of the large bridges built over the Thames river. The family at that time consisted of two brothers and a sister. When James Thomas and his brother came to America the sister remained in England. On arriving in New York, the two brothers separated, subject's father coming to Princeton, Indiana, at an early date, where he located and engaged in the manufacture of firearms, he being an extrordinarily proficient gunsmith. In those pioneer days. before the advent of labor-saving machin- ery, almost everything was done by hand, and, it must be admitted. done in a more thorough and workmanlike manner than is the case nowadays. James Thomas, it is affirmed, made the best of guns complete, lock, stock and barrel, and built up a thriving business for those days. His natural genius as a me- chanic won him a reputation far and wide, and a few of the firearms made by him are still preserved and highly prized hy their owners. He was thus actively engaged until the time of his death. at the age of seventy-six years, his death occurring while he was living with his son at Owensville, Gibson county.
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