USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana > Part 6
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ROBERT R. ORR, who for twenty-nine years has been an es- teemed resident of Gibson County. and is one of the leading con- tractors of Princeton, was born in Livingston County, New York,
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March to, 1841. His father. Collin Orr, was born in Scotland in 1805. and after a long, useful life as a farmer died in Cale- dania, New York, in 181. He married Jennie Robertson, who died in 1850, leaving the following named children: William, deceased: Jennie, wife of Daniel Elyea, of Jewell City, Kansas; Lucy, wife of William Melntyre, of Caledonia, New York; Angus, of Michigan: and Mary A., deceased wife of John Cameron. Robert R. Orr was reared on the home farm, and assisted in its cultivation until twenty-six years of age, when he came to Prince- ton. In the meantime he had aided in the preservation of the Union, as a member of Companies F and K of the Eighth New York Cavalos. He participated in the battles of Beverly's Ford, Middleburg, Gettysburg. Boonesboro, Brandy Station, Stephens- burg. Rappahannock, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg. Wilson's raid. Winchester. Cedar Creek, Fisher's Hill, Woodstock, Waynesboro, Richmond and Appomattox. He was under fire in fifty battles, and his loyalty and bravery were fully tested. He enlisted as a private, and was discharged as quartermaster sergeant. Mr. Orr learned the carpenter's trade under S. J. Wallace, of Princeton, with whom he continued busi- ness for twenty-four years. He aided in the construction of the Methodist Church, the residences of Sam Reaves, S. Benson, Al- bert Martin. Tom Walters and W. II. Evans, and has done a large and successful business, his efficient workmanship and faithful fulfillment of his part of a contract securing him a liberal patron- age. On the 8th of February, 1871, Mr. Orr was united in mar- riage with Anna, daughter of Thomas Paul, who came to this county from Tennessee. They have one son, Charles A., born in 1873. Mr. Orr belongs to the Ancient Order of United Work- men and to the United Presbyterian Church. His life has been one of industry and usefulness and his duties of citizenship are performed with the same loyalty that characterized his carcer as a soldier.
JAMES A. SPROWL, justice of the peace of Patoka township. and a well known citizen of Princeton, was born in that township. July 28. 1840, a representative of one of its pioneer families. His father. John O. Sprowl, came from South Carolina, his native state, to Gibson County in 1833. He died here in 1841, at the age of twenty-seven years. His wife bore the maiden name of Mar- garet Me( lellan, and after the death of her first husband she mar- ried James Wilson. The Sprowl family is of Trish origin, having been founded in America by John Sprowl, the grandfather of our subject, who emigrated from his native land to South Carolina. and spent his remaining days there. James A. Sprowl was reared and educated in his native county. During the war he joined the boys in blue, of Company B. Fifty-eighth Indiana Infantry, but was discharged from that regiment at Bowling Green, Kentucky,
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on account of physical disability. In January. 1865, he re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-third Regiment, and was stationed at Clarksville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In September, 1865, he was mustered out and returned home. He was a loyal and devoted soldier, who well deserves his country's praise and grati- unde. For seven years after the war Mr. Sprowl engaged in farming, and in 1872 removed to Princeton, where he engaged in teaming for several years. He was then elected Constable and after six years' service in that capacity was appointed 'deputy sheriff by Mr. Chambers. He also served in the same position during the incumbency of Sheriff MeGary. In March. 1&1. he. was appointed Justice of the Peace, in the fall of 1804 was elected to that office for a four years' term, and is now acceptably serving in that capacity. In politics he is a stalwart Republican, decply interested in the success of his party. In the fall of 1865 Mr. Sprowl married Martha L., daughter of John K. Crow. Their children are John ()., Carrie M., wife of George I. Taylor: George M. Charles (). Nellie M., and James Arch.
P. M. KENNEY, who is serving as yardmaster of the Air Line at. Princeton, was born in Bloomington, Indiana, March 3. 1848. Ilis father is. perhaps, the oldest emplove on the Monon Railroad. He began with that company twenty-eight years ago, has served as roadmaster, and is now, at the age of seventy-four, filling the position of master carpenter. He was born in Kentucky. enlisted in the Confederate army in Missouri, was promoted to a Colonelcv. was captured and held as a prisoner of war in Alton, Illinois. Hc is the father of the following children: P. M .: Henry L .. an on- gineer on the Southern Railroad: Charles, who is with the Illinois Central Railroad: James, vard foreman on the Monon Railroad at New Albany: Ida, wife of John Brown, of Monon, Indiana: Ada. wife of Elbert Dickinson, of Monon: and Eva, wife of D. P. Ben- nett, of Rochester. Indiana. P. M. Kenney began his career as a common laborer with the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad at Bloomington, Indiana. June 7. 1864. He afterward worked as trainman and also as bridgeman. In 1874 he left that road and entered the service of the Wabash as yard switchman at Lafayette, and was later yardmaster. In 1877 he entered the service of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, with which he continued as trainman until 1883. He then ran a train for the Air Linc Com- many for a year, after which he returned to the Chicago & Fast- ern Illinois, serving as vardmaster at Danville. Illinois, until 1888, when he became conductor for the Chicago & Ohio road. Since 1801 he has occupied his present position with the Air Line Com- pany. His long railroad service has made him very proficient. and he is to-day one of the most trusted and competent employes of the road with which he is connected. Mr. Kenney was married in Orange County, Indiana, in 1868, to Eva Ramsey. daughter of
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A. M. Ramsey. She died August 9, 1895, leaving two children, Emma, wife of Henry Sherman, a mechanic on the Air Line road; and Filbert. Mr. Kenney is a member of the Order of Railroad Conductors and the Knights of Pythias fraternity. His faithful- ness to every trust reposed in him has won him the confidence of his employers and his genial manner and sterling worth has gained him the regard of many friends.
TIENRY P. CHAMBERS, one of Gibson County's representa- tive citizens, was born in Miami County, Ohio, August 3. 18.30. Ilis father, Eli Chambers, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1812, and followed carpentering as a life work. He passed away in Peru, Indiana, in 1846. His widow, who bore the maiden name of Catherine Puterbaugh, is still living in Shelby County, Ohio, at the age of eighty-one. Their surviving children are II. P., Maria 1 ... wife of John Apple, of Shelbyville, Indiana, and Harriet, wife of Benjamin Engle, of Dayton, Ohio. The paternal grandfather, Robert Chambers, a native of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. fol- lower the occupation of farming, and with his son came to the west, his death occurring in Miami County, Ohio. Henry P. Chambers acquired a fair English education and in his native county learned the trade of a machinist, and was working at his trade there when the war broke out. Putting aside all personal considerations he enlisted September 5. 1861, as a member of Company K. First Ohio Infantry, and was mustered in at Camp Corwin, in Daston. In the battle of Shiloh, his first engagement. he was wounded in the left shoulder. Soon afterward he was taken ill at Louisville, and was forced to remain in the hospital for eight months. Rejoining his regiment at Mumfordsville. Kentucky, he participated in the battle of Stone River. and the engagements of the Atlanta campaign until receiving an honorable discharge at Chattanooga. September 17, 1864. Mr. Chambers at once returned to the mechanic's bench and in 1866 removed to Indianapolis, whence the following year he went to Patoka, where be carried on carpentering for ten years. On the expiration of that period he became head sawyer and foreman in a saw mill. In the fall of 1880 he was nominated by the Republicans for Sheriff. elected by a majority of thirty-eight, and in 1882 was re-elected. He proved an efficient officer. and retired from the position as he had entered it, with the respect and good will of the voters of Gib- son County. In 1885 Mr. Chambers went to Harper County. Kansas, where he remained until 1888, and then returned to Princeton, where he has since engaged in contracting. a part of the time in partnership with George W. Shopbell. He was car- venter foreman and later general superintendent of construction in the shops of the Air Live Railroad at Princeton, and has aided in the creation of the People's National Bank. the Berger & Shan- non building. the Ward block, and the residences of R. H. Parrett.
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W: D. Robinson, A. G. Wolf and Ben Murphy. On the Ist of September, 1800, was consummated the marriage of Mr. Chambers and Miss Miranda James, daughter of Solomon James. Their children are Charles E., Carrie A., Walter (), and Henry II. Mr. Chambers is a Knight Templar Mason, is past master workman of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is past commander of the G. A. R. Post. A self-made man, his success has been achieved through his own perseverance, diligence and capable management.
GEORGE W. SHOPBELL. an enterprising contractor of Princeton, is numbered among the boys in blue who went forth to the defense of the Union, and valiantly followed the stars and stripes until the old flag floated over the capital of the Southern Confederacy. He was born in Stark County, Ohio, May 21, 1843, and at the age of sixteen came to Gibson County with his father. William Shopbell, who is now living in Homer, Michigan, at the age of seventy-seven. He is a native of I'consylvania, and in early manhood married Harriet Miller. Their only surviving child is (icorge W .: those who have passed away are Mary. Miranda, M. L., William, Sarah, Ilattic and Alice. When only eighteen years of age. George W. Shopbell, in December, 1861. enlisted in Company D. Fifty-eighth Indiana Infantry. He served for three years without being absent from his company on a furlough of on sick leave, and his loyalty was above question. After his return he learned the carpenter's trade in Princeton, and for more than twenty years has been engaged in contracting and building here. For many years the firm of Shopbell & Chambers, of which he was the senior partner, did the most extensive business in their line in the city. He has been connected with the erection of the greater part of the best buildings in the city and vicinity, and on all sides stand evidences of his handiwork. He is most energetic and pro- gressive, is true to every trust committed to his care and has the respect and confidence of the entire community. Mr. Shopbell was married February 25. 1869, to Nancy E. Ervin. Her father. Robert Ervin, was born in Ireland, and married Martha Stormon, His death occurred in 1847. hers in 1860. Their children were Margaret, deceased wife of John E. Lillie: James, also deceased, who married Margaret Mumford: John R .. who married Saral Finney; and Catherine, deceased wife of D. C. Wood- why mca in the army. The two children of Mr. and Mrs. Shopbell are Clifford C., an architect of Evansville, who married Winnefred Dunlap; and Kate, wife of Frank Forthoffer. Mr. Shopbell is past grand of Princeton Lodge. I. O. (). F., and is an active member of Archer Post, G. A. R. His name is the synonym of honorable business dealing and he is a worthy representative of the industrial interests of Princeton.
ALFRED S. FORD is prominently connected with the indus-
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trial interests of Gibson County, and is now successfully operating planing mill in Princeton. He was born in Bedfordshire, England. February 1. 18.35, a son of James A. Ford and Jane B. Ford. His father established the first nursery in Gibson County, and was a leading representative of the business interests of this In- cality for many years. He died in 1883, at the age of seventy- nine. In the family were four children-Charles, who died in 1815: Alfred S .: Annie, wife of George Mills; and Josiah. Since 18.45 Alfred S. Ford has been a resident of Princeton. He ac- quired his education in its public schools, learned the carpenter's trade with the firm of Turner Brothers, and for many years fol- lowed that occupation. For the past fifteen years his attention has been devoted to cabinet making and the lumber business, and he is now successfully conducting a planing mill in Princeton. He is a man of known reliability and his energy, capable management and diligence have brought to him an excellent trade and made him one of the leading representatives of Princeton's commercial interests. The success which has attended his efforts is well mer- ited. At the call of duty Mr. Ford laid aside all personal con- siderations, and in 1862 joined the boys in blue of Company A. Eightieth Indiana Infantry, which was attached to the Twenty- third Army Corps under General Scofield. He was wounded at Resaca by a piece of shell, but after six weeks spent in the hospital rejoined his regiment in Decatur. Georgia, and went in pursuit of Hood. When the object of that campaign was attained the regi- ment joined Sherman's army in North Carolina, and at Salisbury. that state. Mr. Ford was mustered out with the rank of sergeant. He at once returned to his family and his home. In Princeton. in May. 1858, he had married Elizabeth A .. daughter of Wash- ington Rice, a pioneer of Gibson County from Virginia. They have six children- Lucy, wife of F. A. Sharp: Kate: Frank W .. who married Annic McCrea: Nellie: George T. and Arthur D. In politics Mr. Ford is a Republican, and while a member of the town council from the Second Ward was active in securing the appro- priation for the cast school building. Public-spirited and pro- gressive, he is deeply interested in all that pertains to the welfare of the community and is one of Princeton's most valued and respected citizens.
A. B. NICKEY .-- Among the quiet, carnest men whose depth of character and strict adherence to principles excite the admir- ation of all. is this gentleman; yet he is not unknown to the public for his business relations have brought him into prominence and he is a leading representative of commercial interests in Southern Indiana. Ilis excellent success is due to his own efforts. The spirit of self-help is the source of all genuine worth, in the indi- vidual, and it has been the means of bringing to him a prosperity which is well merited. Mr. Nickey was born in Whitley County.
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Indiana, August 22, 1844, a son of Samuel Nickey, of Virginian birth, who in early life followed the cooper's trade, but afterward became a successful farmer. He married Elizabeth Grayless, and they had four children-David W., an extensive farmer and stock- raiser of Whitley County; Rebecca, wife of Silas Briggs; Mary, wife of Samuel Pierce, of Chicago; and A. B., of this sketch. Both the paternal and maternal grandfather of our subject were Conti- mental soldiers in the war of the Revolution, and the latter, William Girayless, was in Detroit in 1812, with General Hill, at the time of the surrender. A. B. Nickey spent his boyhood and youth in his parents' home in Whitley and Allen Counties, and followed farming until thirty-two years of ago. He then turned his atten- tion to the lumber business in ( herubusco, Indiana, where he re- mained for five years, when he removed to Auburn, operating a large lumber plant there for six years. He is now the most ex- tensive hard wood lumber manufacturer in Southern Indiana. He came to Princeton in 1887. and created a plant with a capacity of two million feet of lumber per year. He has recently enlarged his facilities by the establishment of a factory in Auburn, which makes his lumber business the leader in this line in Southern Indiana. His patronage has assumed extensive proportions, and the output of his factories is of such superior quality that his busi- ness is steadily increasing. Ile is also the owner of large farms in Gibson and Allen Counties. Mr. Nickey was married in Whit- ley County, November 13. 1867, to Alpha L., daughter of Francis Mossman, who came from Ohio to Indiana in 1832. They have four children-Samuel M., William, Maxic N., wife of E. L. Mclellan, of Columbia City, Indiana; and Alice. Mr. Nickcy is a prominent Mason, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the Indianapolis Consistory, while of Fort Wayne Chapter and Comamndery he is also a member.
SETIL WARD, Sr., has been identified with the business inter- ests of Princeton since 1847, and is one of the self-made men of Gibson County. Genuine success is not likely to be the result of mere chance or fortune, but is something to be labored for and sought out with consecutive effort. It comes as a reward of caru- est endeavor, and it is thus that Mr. Ward has gained the pros- perity to which a well spent life justly entitles him. Born in Amelia County, Virginia, July 10, 1823, he is a son of Josiah and Temperance (Brown) Ward, who removed to Illinois about 1828. locating in White County. There both parents died within a short time, and the family of nine children was left without home or friends. Of this family our subject is now the only survivor. Through his boyhood he worked on a farm and in the summer carned the means which enabled him to attend the common schools during the winter. Ile afterward went to New Harmony. Indiana, where he learned the trade of a saddler, and after work-
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ing as a journeyman in various parts of the country for a time, he came to Princeton in the fall of 1847. No other business man in the place has continued longer in business than he, and his honorable dealing and thorough reliability has justly made him a leader in business circles. His life has been one of industry and perseverance. He is the patentee of several articles used in con- nection with harness, including the Ward back band hook, which is widely known and widely sold to the wholesale trade. Two years ago Mr. Ward sold the business to his son, Seth Ward, Jr., who has since conducted it successfully. On the 12th of July, 180)3, the buildings on a plot of ground two hundred and twenty- two feet front were burned, but within six months he had replaced these with a fine brick block much better than the original struc- tures. Mr. Ward was married December 4, 1849, to Mary Jane, the eldest daughter of Willis Howe, a pioneer settler of Gibson County, and a well known and respected citizen. Mrs. Ward is a native of Princeton, and by her marriage became the mother of nine children, of whom five died in early life. The four living are Annie B. wife of James Il. Warnock, of Princeton; Dr. John P. Ward, of this city; Dr. U. S. Ward, of New York City : and Seth Ward, Jr., who succeeded to his father's business in 1804. The mother of this family died June 2. 1880, beloved by all who knew her. She was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church and soon after their marriage Mr. Ward united with that church, of which he has been an elder for thirty years. In politics he was a Whig, and on the organization of the Republican party joined its ranks. He has twice served as a member of the town council, and has ever taken a deep and active interest in promoting the welfare of the county. His life has been honorable and upright and through the long years of his residence in Princeton he has ever merited the highest regard of his fellow townsmen.
STEELE F. GILMORE, D. D. S., who is successfully engaged in the practice of dentistry in Princeton, was born in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, a son of Rev. John and Jane L. (Steele) Gilmore. His father was of Scotch descent, his mother of Irish lineage. They were married in Pennsylvania, became the parents of four sons and one daughter, and are now residing in Oskaloosa, Ohio, having located in the latter state at an early day. The Doctor was reared in Ohio, and acquired bis literary education in Lch- anon, that state. In Columbus he began the study of dentistry and was licensed to practice in 1871. He first opened an office in Columbus, but after about a year renmoved to Maysville, and fourteen months later came to Princeton, which has been his home since October, 1873. His success in his profession has been most marked and demonstrates his superior skill and ability along this line. In 1800 he went abroad and took a special course in dental surgery in Paris. In 1922 he graduated from the Haskell Pros-
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SETH WARD, SR
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thetic School of Chicago, and in his practice makes a specialty of bridge work. The science of dentistry is comparatively a new one. It was unknown for centuries after the medical science was utilized by man and nowhere can more rapid progress be shown than has been made along this line. Dr. Gilmore has kept fully abreast with the times, using the most advanced appliances and improved methods known to the profession. Ile belongs to the Indiana State Dental Association and ranks high with his pro- fessional brethren and the public as well. The Doctor is regarded as one of the most active and influential citizens of Princeton, hav- ing been prominently connected with substantial progress for many years. He is president of the Princeton Mining Company. is a director and stockholder in the water works company, is presi- dent of the State Buikling and Loan Association of Princeton, and is also president of the Commercial Club. He is serving as secretary of the school board, is a member of the United Presby- terian Church, and docs all in his power to promote the moral, social, educational and material welfare of the community. In politics he is a Republican. In 1879 was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Gilmore and Miss Hettie Blair, daughter of W. W. Blair, of Princeton. They have four children. Their home is noted for its hospitality and is the center of a cultured society circle. The Doctor and his wife are both popular and highly esteemed. and their friends throughout the community are many.
WILLIAM S. SPILMAN, who has been an important factor in the political and business life of Gibson County, and is an es- tecmed resident of Princeton, was born in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, September 4, 1838, a son of Chesterfield C. and Mahala (Williams) Spilman. His father was a native of Gibson County, and in 1877 removed to Arkansas, where he died in 1879, at the age of sixty-seven years. The grandfather, Samuel Spilman, was a native of Kentucky, and came to this county about 1805. llc married a daughter of John H. Hunter, who served for seven years in the Revolutionary war, and Samuel Spilman was also one of the heroes in that sanguinary struggle, which happily resulted in American independence. On coming to Gibson County he lo- cated in Montgomery township, where he followed farming and tanning until his death. The mother of our subject was born in Posey County, Indiana, in 1818, and Med in Illinois, in 1845. She was a daughter of William Williams, a native of Tennessee, and a pioncer settler of Posey County. William S. Spilman, of this review, is the eklest of a family of two sons and two daughters. He was reared under the parental roof, and from an early age assisted in the labors of the farm and tannery. He gained a com- mon school education, and when fourteen years of age started out in life for himself, since which time he has been dependent upon his own resources. Whatever success he has achieved in
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life has come as the reward of his labor. Mr. Spilman was mar- ried August 21, 1859, to Helen D. Camp, daughter of Dr. Joseph Camp, of Lynnville, Indiana. They began their domestic life on a farm, which Mr. Spilman cultivated until July 22, 1861, when he felt that his highest duty he owed to his country, and entered the Union service as a member of Company G, First Indiana Cav- alry. In 1862 he was made sergeant, and with that rank was honorably discharged September 14, 1864, having participated in the battles of Frederickstown, Helena, Little Rock and Pine Bluffs. On his return from the army, Mr. Spilman resumed farming in Warrick County. The following year he was elected County Commissioner of that county on the Republican ticket, and later also became a candidate for Sheriff, for which office he was de- feated by a very few votes, although the county was Democratic. Ile followed farming until 1875, when he removed to Boonville, where he negaged in the livery business for a short time. He then went to Lynnville, where be carried on the same business until 1879, at which time he again went to Boonville. Later he conducted a livery barn in Mt. Vernon until 1887. In that year he came to Princeton, where he has since remained in the livery stable business. For two years he served as marshal of Mt. Vernon, and in 1894 was elected marshal of Princeton for a four years' term, so that he is now serving in that capacity. Ile has made a good marshal, and holds the esteem and respect of all. Mr. and Mrs. Spilman have one son and three daughters, and have given their children good educational privileges. lle has always been a Republican in politics, is a Master Mason, belongs to the Eastern Star, and holds membership in the Knights of Pythias fraternity.
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