USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 88
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
There is a story, which may be related in this connection, that this Lord Stormont had inherited a legacy from his uncle, Admiral Stormont, of the British navy, and that this legacy was passed to his nephew, David Stormont, son of Samuel, mentioned above; that this David Stormont refused to ac- cept this legacy, or to have anything to do with it, because he regarded it as ill-gotten gains, the legacy being obtained as prize money from captured vessels. And the conscientious scruples of this David Stormont, who came with his father to this country, were maintained by some of his children, who lived and died in Princeton. So this legacy, whatever it amounted to, was never claimed.
As has been stated, the father of the branch that came to this country, and with whom this sketch has to do, was Samuel Stormont. At the time of his family leaving Ireland they were given a certificate from the church to which they belonged, of which the following is a copy :
883
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
"That Samuel Stormont, his wife, Martha, and son David, who is a single person, who is about to go to South Carolina, with his daughter, Esther, who is also a single person, soberly and honestly, and may be received into any Christian society where God, in His providence hath ordered his lot."
This certificate is not dated, and there is no date obtainable as to the time of their arrival in America. It appears from this, and other instances along the line, that the Stormonts of early times were so much occupied in raising large families that they were very negligent about dates and details of their movements. But, from the fact that there were five children in the family, and only the two oldest are mentioned in the church certificate, it is probable that the others were born after the family came to this country. And, from other evidence, it is likely that Samuel Stormont came to America in the first half of the seventeenth century. The children were: David, who married Nancy Boyd; Esther, who married James Chestnut; Martha, who married Samuel Ferris; Mollie, who married Samuel McClure; John, who married ( 1) Nancy Wilson (2) Bettie Maybin; William, who married Anna McClure.
It is not the purpose of this sketch to follow the line of family history of the Stormonts, from the time of the settlement of this first family in South Carolina, down to the present time. This would be impracticable, if not im- possible, because of the lack of data upon which a reliable record could be made. Even if this were obtainable, a complete genealogical record of the several branches of this family down to the present time would interest but few of the readers of this volume. It is the purpose to deal only with the history of the branch of the original family that came to Gibson county, and were among the early settlers. These were well-known by many of the older citizens now living, and their family history may find appropriate place in a Gibson county history. This sketch will bring the genealogical line down within the memory of the present generations, and those who care to do so may take up this line and follow the several family branches, ad infinitum.
So far as known, Samuel Stormont and all his sons and daughters found homes in South Carolina, probably all in Chester district, and there they spent their life time. From the best information obtainable, David, the oldest son, married Nancy Boyd in 1788, and the history of this family comes within the purpose of this sketch.
Family of David Stormont, son of Samuel.
Martha, born July 7, 1789, never married, and died in Princeton.
Robert, born April 30, 1791, the father of Dr. Wasson Stormont. a former
884
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
teacher in the old Seminary in Princeton, who moved to Topeka, Kansas, in the early days of that territory, and was a well-known and prominent physician and citizen of that city and state. Crawford, another son, was well-known in Princeton, where he lived in his early years. He died at his home in Sparta, Illinois, a few years ago. Neither of the sons of Robert Stormont had any children.
Amanda, married Dr. George B. Graff, who was a prominent physician in Princeton, in the later forties and early fifties. He removed to Omaha, Nebraska, about 1859, where he died several years ago. His wife died some years later. The only one of the family now living is a son, John, who is located some place in Wyoming.
Louisa, married Moses Biddle. One son, Crawford Biddle, is now living in Chicago. Another son, Dr. Edgar Biddle, lived in Patoka, and died there a few years ago.
Mary, born April 8, 1793, was never married. She lived and died in Princeton.
Esther, born June 3, 1795, married Clem Allen. She had two daughters and one son ; one of the daughters married John Garrett. Mrs. Garrett was the mother of the late Mrs. William Anderson, and the grandmother of Dr. Robert Stormont Anderson, Mrs. J. A. Pfohl and Mrs. David Burch- field, of Princeton, and Mrs. John Hamilton, of Manhattan, Kansas.
Nancy Agnes, born October 23, 1799, married Joseph Hartin The children were Margaret, the first wife of Andrew J. Wright; David; Mary, Cath- erine, Sarah and Joseph C. Hartin.
David, born August 7, 1802, married Mary Hartin 1825 and removed from South Carolina to Gibson county in 1812, and resided in this county from that time until his death in 1886. His children were Nancy J., who married John Hull; Amanda married John Adams; Martha married Alex. McConnahey; Joseph enlisted in the Forty-second Indiana Regi- ment Volunteer Infantry and died in the service; Robert, deceased; and Riley, the only son living, who married Mary Lytle.
Family of John Stormont, second son of Samuel.
John Stormont was twice married : First to Nancy Wilson: second to Eliza- beth Maybin. James and Samuel were sons by the first wife. The children by the second wife were Mary, Thomas and Sarah. Mary mar- ried Samuel McClure: Sarah married William Stormont, a cousin ; Thomas was killed in an accident in South Carolina ; Samuel removed to southern Illinois where he died. Some of the members of this family
885
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
remained in the south, locating in northern Mississippi, and their descend- ants were loyal to the Confederate cause during the Civil War. A Colonel Stormont commanded a Mississippi regiment and another by that name in the Confederate army was killed in the battle of Stone's River; another, a Confederate prisoner, died at .Alton, Illinois.
James, the oldest son of John Stormont, removed with his entire family ex- cept the oldest son, John, to Gibson county in 1832, and settled on the Indian creek hills, about three miles east of Princeton. John, who was married before leaving South Carolina, removed to Greene county, Ohio. The family of James Stormont has been identified with the history of Gibson county from early times and their history is given more in detail.
Family History of James Stormont, Grandson of Samuel.
James Stormont, born July 16, 1773, died in Gibson county, 1862. Married Jane Sprowl ( 1781 ) October 1. 1799. Removed to Gibson county 1832. Their children were:
Nancy, born July 16, 1801, who married ( 1) James Vance, (2) William Lawrence.
Jennette, born April 6, 1804. who married John McWilliams. A daughter, Mrs. Martha Spence, widow of Gabriel Spence, is the only one of this family now living.
John, born January 5, 1806, married (1) Esther McMillan, (2) Nancy Cooper. Removed from South Carolina to Greene county, Ohio. Two of his sons, Rev. Samuel R. Stormont and Wm. Henry Stormont, were residents of Gibson county for several years before their death. The widow and a son of Rev. Samuel are residents of Princeton.
William, born December 7. 1807, married ( [ ) Sarah Wallace, (2) Elvira Louisa Carithers, (3) Mary Lizada Carithers. (A more detailed history of this family is given under a subhead to follow. )
Martha, born December 12, 1809, married Robert Ervin. John Riley, who married Sarah Finney, and Nancy E., who married George W. Shophell, reside in Princeton and are the only children of this family now living. Mary, born April 1, 1812, married David Stormont (a cousin), and lived and died in southern Illinois. Robert P. Stormont, who died at his home in Princeton a few years ago, was a son. His widow is still living here. Rosanna, born April 20, 1814, married Joseph Woods Hogue in Gibson county and removed to Warren county, Illinois.
Sarah A., born February 16. 1816, married William Hogue and removed to Warren county, Illinois.
886
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
James, born December 30, 1817, married Amanda Melvina Carithers. (A more detailed history of this family is given under a sub-head to follow.) Jane, born November 30, 1819, married (1) John Paul, (2) John McNeece, Samuel Riley, born March 6, 1823, married Mary Cooper and removed to Greene county, Ohio, where he died a few years ago, the last of the family.
David, born July 14, 1825, married Mary Ann Clark, both deceased. (A more detailed history of this family is given in a sub-head to follow. )
Family of William Stormont, son of James.
James Renwick, married Rebecca M. Clark, both deceased. The children living are, Sarah Elizabeth, who married Erastus L. Townsend ; Marietta, who married Hugh Morrow, and Miss Jane Amanda, living, Princeton. Jane Amanda, married Charles B. Ford, both deceased. The children living are, William M., who married Eleanor Ames, Indianapolis; Rose, who married E. T. Hoar, Indianapolis; J. Crawford, who married Emma Sulmer, Marion, Indiana.
Gavin McMillan, married Elizabeth Watt (deceased), Pomona, California. Sarah Diantha, married William C. Lawrence. The children are, John C., who married Clyde Stormont, Canon City, Colorado; Clarence E., who married Anna Massey, Princeton; Elmer, who married Carrie Fischer, Danville, Illinois; and Emner, Cairo, Illinois.
Gilbert Reiley, married Kate Keys. The children living are, Harry K., who married Eunice Heston, Indianapolis; Donald M., who married Pearl Murphy, Princeton; Ralph M., who married Mary Genung, Oakland City.
Mary Rose Ann. born April 16, 1845, died February 25, 1847.
Andrew Harvey, married Jennette Paul, Sterling, Kansas.
Nancy Theresa, born March 3, 1850, died August 19, 1859. William John, born September 2, 1852, died August 1, 1859.
Elizabeth Elvira, born February 17, 1856, died November 25, 1888. Josiah Crawford, born October 11, 1857, died September 7, 1877. Miss Mary Louisa, living in Princeton
Family of James Stormont, son of James, Sr.
John McLeod, married Nancy E. Watt. The children are Clyde, who mar- ried John C. Lawrence, Canon City, Colorado; Frank Newton, who mar- ried Grace Gilmore, Jacksonville, Florida; Miss Lillian, living at home.
887
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
Andrew Riley, married Sarah E. Lawrence and moved to Nebraska; both deceased.
Mary Jane, married Thomas Mclaughlin and moved to Marion county, Illinois. The wife died May 12, 1913, the husband died several years
previous. The only daughter, Florence, is living in Canon City, Colorado. Martha Araminta, died at her home in Princeton in 1893.
James Calvin, living in California.
Gilbert McMaster, married Lyda Cunningham. The husband died at his home in Gibson county in 1897. The widow removed to Long Beach, California, where she is now living.
Samuel Josiah, married Anna Sturges and removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where they are now living.
Family of David Stormont, Son of James, Sr.
Elizabeth Lonisa, married Milton Kell (deceased), Princeton. The children are Miss Ella, and Lilly, who married William Lockwood, Evansville. John Crawford married (1) Jane Mclaughlin, (2) Margaret Baldridge.
The children are Arthur, who married Oma Boswell: Ernest, Laura, David and Bertha.
James Theophilus, living in Gibson county.
EDWARD WEISGERBER.
The following is a brief sketch of the life of one who, by close attention to business, has achieved marked success in the world's affairs and risen to an honorable position among the enterprising men of the county with which his interests are identified. It is a plain record, rendered remarkable by no strange or mysterious adventure, no wonderful and lucky accident and no tragic situation. Mr. Weisgerber is one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never seeks, who command the respect of their con- temporaries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they live.
Ed Weisgerber was born on December II, 1874, in Patoka town- ship, Gibson county, Indiana, and is the son of Emil and Gertrude Weisgerber. These parents, who were both born and reared in Germany, came to America
888
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
at different times, locating at Princeton, Indiana, where their marriage oc- curred. The father was a brick layer by trade, and also owned a good farm in Patoka township where his son Henry and daughter Sophia now live. Sometime after the death of his first wife he married Nellie Hale, of Pike county, Indiana, who is still living in the latter county. In his later life Emil Weisgerber lived in Pike county. In 1861. in response to the call of his adopted country for defenders of the national integrity, he enlisted as a private in Company F, Thirty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served during the remainder of the war. He went through many hardships and privations, and as a result of his exposures he contracted a bad throat. He also became a member of Archer Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Princeton. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, and a man of excellent qualities of character, being widely known and highly esteemed by all. To him and his wife were born the following children : Emma, who now lives in Princeton, is the widow of L. Hill: Anna, who is unmarried, lives in Illinois; Sophia, with her brother Henry, lives on the home farm in Patoka township; Henry, just referred to, is a successful farmer; Gertrude, deceased; Edward, the subject of this sketch; Clara, the wife of John H. Burns of Patoka township in this county.
Edward Weisgerber attended the schools of his home neighborhood, re- maining with his parents until 1894, when he took up the vocation of farm- ing for himself at Tafttown, Patoka township. There he continued to be engaged in this line with splendid success until March 13, 1913, when he took charge of the Lotus celery farm in Patoka township for William J. Ritters- kamp, proprietor of the Princeton gardens. He had started to work for Mr. Ritterskamp in 1899 and was with him for four years, when he took up gardening on his own account until again joining Mr. Ritterskamp. The Lotus celery farm, which is located five miles southwest of Princeton, is one of the noted celery farms of this section of the state, and a large portion of its success is due to the personal efforts of Mr. Weisgerber.
Edward Weisgerber was married on May 15, 1894, to Gertrude L. Malone, of Patoka township, Gibson county, Indiana, the daughter of Hugh Malone, and to this union have been born six children: Gladys C., George Herbert, Ruby Catherine, Isabelle, Rudolph and Delbert. Politically, Mr. Weisgerber is an earnest advocate of the Republican doctrine, and has been active in the support of this organization for many years. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having his membership in the subordinate lodge at Princeton for the past seven years. He is also a
889
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
member of the encampment of this order. The success which attended Mr. Weisgerber and his affairs has been due to his persistence, integrity and splendid judgment, qualities which have won for him the confidence and esteem of the public to a marked degree.
FRANK REAVIS.
It is always pleasant and profitable to review the career of a man who has won a definite goal in life, whose career has been such as to command the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. In these days a man cannot live a secluded life, but if he is to be a part of the community in which he lives he must subserve his interests to those of the community at large. The most valuable citizens to any community are the men who not only are able to man- age their own affairs successfully, but also to take an intelligent part in the affairs of the community. No man lives entirely to himself and a man's value to the public is measured by the service to his fellow men. The subject of this sketch has been one of those men who have not only been successful in their own private business, but he has, when called upon by his fellow citizens, been a prominent factor in contributing to the welfare of the district in which he lives.
Frank Reavis, the only child of Alexander and Louisa ( Palmer ) Reavis, was born January 13, 1861. in Center township, this county. His parents also were both natives of Gibson county, and were among the pioneer settlers of the county. Frank Reavis received his education in the district schools of his neighborhood, and his early life was divided between his school duties and the various chores on the farm which fall to the lot of the average country lad. On the farm he learned all those details which must be mastered by the farmer before he can be able to command any degree of success in agricul- tural lines. Some one has said that the information which a farmer must have would fill a volume of several hundred pages and he who has tried to operate a farm without previous experience will readily acknowledge the fact. Our schools today are giving courses in agriculture and trying to teach it from a scientific standpoint. However, it is undoubtedly true that many a college graduate with a degree in agriculture can go home to his father, who was reared on the farm and get information which he never re- ceived from books.
890
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
Mr. Reavis was united in marriage on October 18, 1881, to Sarah L. Wood, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Wood, and to this union there have been born two children, Durbin C., who has had a very successful career as an educator. After finishing his elementary education in the township schools of his county, he graduated from the Francisco high school, and then took the three-year course in the Oakland City College. He followed this by taking the course of study provided for in the University of Chicago. His teaching experience has been very extensive, starting from the bottom and continuing on up through the various grades of teaching experience until he is now the superintendent of the St. Louis. Missouri, schools. He has been the superin- tendent of the high schools at Hazleton, Indiana, and Francisco, Indiana ; later of the Oakland City College and now, as before stated, has charge of the schools at St. Louis. Such a career is certainly worthy of emulation and should be a source of great gratification to his parents and friends. The sec- ond child of Mr. and Mrs. Reavis is Mrs. Nellie D. Shanor, who now lives at Oakland City, this county, her husband being superintendent of the Oak- town schools. Mr. and Mrs. Shanor are the parents of one child, Charles Reavis.
Mr. Reavis is the owner of one hundred and seventy acres of fine farm- ing land in Center township, though he is living in Francisco. He has brought his farm to a high state of cultivation and has equipped it with all the modern appliances necessary for the successful farmer. He has always taken a very prominent part in the material advancement of his county and his ability was recognized several years ago by the county commissioners when they appointed him as superintendent of the rock roads of Center township. It costs about three thousand dollars a mile to build a rock road and there are now about twelve miles of this splendid road in Center township. As superintendent of the roads he has given universal satisfaction to the citizens of the town- ship, and the roads which he has constructed are a credit to the community.
Mr. Reavis has been an active member of the Democratic party, but has held no other office than that of superintendent of the rock roads of his township. He feels that in this office he can perform a very useful service for his community, and is content to exercise all his talents along this par- ticular line. He has made a study of road building and is recognized as one of the county's best qualified men in roadbuilding. He and his family are members of the General Baptist church of Francisco, and take a prominent part in all the activities of that denomination. He is a member of the Tribe of Ben-Hur at Francisco. He is a man of high moral character and strictest
-
MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM P. WITHERSPOON.
891
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
integrity, persistent industry and excellent judgment, and as such he has won the esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. While he has been ad- vancing his individual interests, he has never lost sight of his obligation to the community in general, where for many years he has held a high place in the popular confidence and esteem.
WILLIAM P. WITHERSPOON.
The great English poet, Pope, has said that "the proper study of man- kind is man," and no truer statement was ever made. To be able to trace one's ancestry back through the past generations and find that they have occupied high and honorable positions in the history of their country, is a source of genuine satisfaction and deep graitfication. There is no one who would not like to have it said that his ancestors fought in the Revolutionary war, the Mexican or the Civil wars; and to be a descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence or a president of Princeton University is an honor which falls to very few people. There is, however, one family in Gibson county which can claim as distinguished ancestry as any in the state of Indiana, an ancestry which includes some of the most honored names of Revolutionary fame and which has continued down through the years of our country's history as a family of high ideals and patriotic devotion to their land. The Witherspoon family has seen one of its distinguished ances- tors as the friend of Washington and Madison and Franklin and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, others as valiant soldiers in the Revolu- tion, others as heads of great educational institutions, others as leaders in the Civil war, and all members of the family as high-minded citizens and patriots who loved their God, their country and their homes.
William P. Witherspoon was born near Patoka, Gibson county, Indiana, at the Witherspoon homestead on February 11, 1848, being the sixth child of William P. and Parmelia (Berlin) Witherspoon. This family of Wither- spoons is a branch of the Witherspoons of New Jersey, who were prominent patriots at the time of the War of the Revolution. John Witherspoon, father of William P. Witherspoon. Sr., was born in 1756. and was a surgeon in the Continental army, serving three years, and also attained to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His uncle. John Witherspoon, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Continental Congress, and
892
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
afterwards president of Princeton College, New Jersey. After the close of the Revolutionary war, one branch of this family moved southward and William P. Witherspoon, Sr., the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Alabama in 1808, and, leaving his native state twenty years later. went north to southern Indiana. In 1833 he married Permelia Berlin. and two years later purchased the farm where he resided until the time of his death, which occurred in 1892. His daughter, Zella, cared for him the last eleven years of his life. The wife and mother died in 1878. Their family consisted of nine children, seven boys and two girls, five of whom are now living. Mr. Witherspoon pursued his first lessons in the Patoka schools and later attended school on the old Tippecanoe battle field, north of Lafayette, Indiana. He was but a lad when the Civil war broke out, and three years later, at the age of sixteen, he entered the ranks of the Union army, enlist- ing in Company G, One Hundred Forty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he was first color guard, which place he occupied until the close of the war. He was mustered out at Nashville on October 17, 1865. Three of his brothers also served in the Union army: John was a member of Company H, Seventeenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and re-enlisted after the expiration of his first term of enlistment; Moses and James were in Company A, Eightieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- fantry. After the war Mr. Witherspoon lived with his father on the home farm until October, 1868, when he went to Vermillion county, Illinois, and took employment in the store of his cousin, J. R. Witherspoon, of Fair- mount, where he remained for eighteen months. He then returned to Patoka for one year, and in 1870, in company with his brother, Moses, opened a store of general merchandise at Patoka, which they conducted until the spring of 1872.
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.