History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 100

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

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Mr. Scott has always been identified with the Republican party and has been the recipient of positions of honor and trust at the hands of his party. No more efficient township trustee has ever performed the duties of that office in this county, and he was supported not only by the members of his own party, but by those of other parties who wished to see a well- qualified man in this position. The family are all earnest members of the Christian church and have long been active in church and Sunday school work. Mr. Scott is a member of the Knights of Pythias and has been active in the work of that fraternal organization. In all the essentials of good citizenship he is a man among men and by his earnest life, sturdy integrity and strict regard for the highest ideals of citizenship, he has earned and retains the warm regard of all who know him.

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CHARLES F. MYERS.

It is generally considered by those of the habit of superficial thinking that the history of so-called great men only is worthy of preservation, and that little merit exists among the masses to call forth the praises of history or the cheers and appreciation of mankind. A greater mistake never was made, for no man is great in all things, and very few are great in many things. By a lucky stroke many have achieved lasting fame who before had no reputation beyond their own neighborhood. It is not a history of the lucky strokes which benefits humanity most, but the long, steady efforts which made the lucky stroke possible. It is the preliminary work, the methods that serve as a guide for the success of others. Among those in this county who have won success by steady, persistent efforts is Charles F. Myers, former cashier of the Citizens' National Bank of Carmel.

Charles F. Myers was born October 25, 1872, in Mapleton, Marion county, Indiana, the son of Allen and Ellen ( Martin) Wright Myers.

Allen Myers, himself a well-known banker and public spirited citizen, was born in Delaware township, this county, March 15, 1837, the son of Charles M. and Isabel (McGrew) Myers. Charles M. Myers was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1800, his ancestors being of German descent. Charles M. Myers accompanied his parents to Ohio when a child. He grew to maturity in that state and then settled in Wayne county, Indiana, about 1822. Shortly after coming to Wayne county he married Isabel McGrew, a native of Wayne county and the daughter of William and Charlotte (Cheva- lier ) McGrew. The McGrews were of Scotch descent. while Isabel McGrew's mother was French, her father having served as a French interpreter with the Indians. The McGrews settled in Wayne county in the early part of the last century and reared a family of eight children. Immediately after his mar- riage, Charles M. Myers came to Hamilton county and bought forty acres of land in Delaware township. The nearest neighbor at that time lived a mile and a half away. Charles M. Myers was a weaver by trade and followed this occupation in connection with farming. He was a man who had known what responsibility was from his earliest boyhood, his father having died when he was only ten years of age. From that time until he came to Indiana he had helped to support the family, there being eight children. Charles M. Myers prospered as a farmer and at the time of his death in 1865 he owned one hundred and sixty acres of land in this county. His wife died in the fall of 1858.

William McGrew, who was the father of Mrs. Charles M. Myers, reared

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his family in the wilderness, and, while he was not molested beyond endur- ance, his wife's brother fell a victim to the savages after having killed six of the invading party.

Charles M. and Isabel (McGrew) Myers were the parents of eight chil- dren: Louis, deceased; Naomi, the wife of John Wise, one of the old set- tlers of Hamilton county and now deceased; Allen, the father of Charles F. Melissa, deceased, who was the wife of S. H. Moffitt, who owned six hundred acres of land in Hamilton county ; Charlotte, deceased, who married John F. Nutt, a farmer and blacksmith; Mary A., who married Pulaski Eller, former- ly a soldier, but now a farmer and merchant; Amanda, the widow of William Nutt; and Ellen, who died at the age of fifteen.

In 1872 Allen Myers moved to Marion county and engaged in farming. He began working for himself in 1858, when he had attained his majority. He can easily recall the days when he cut his wheat with a sickle, and later with cradle, and still later when these crude implements were laid away for the self-rake and the old wood binder. The old wood binder was considered the acme of agricultural machinery. Allen Myers became an extensive land owner about Carmel. In 1900 Mr. Myers moved to Carmel and he and his son, Charles F., went into the banking business and continued in it until Jan- uary, 1915. In the spring of 1859 Mr. Myers was married to Tasa Moffitt, the daughter of Silas and Hannah (Wilkinson) Moffitt. The Moffitts were North Carolina people, who came to Hamilton county in 1822 and built a little cabin in the woods. The Indians still lived in this locality and there were few white settlers. The courage required to start a home and to rear a family under such conditions, with only savages for neighbors, can scarcely be un- derstood by the present generation. Everything worn and used was made at home. The deprivations and hardships suffered by these early settlers would seem intolerable to the descendants of these hardy people. Mrs. Myers died. leaving her husband with two children, Rev. Elmer L., who is now a minister of the Methodist Protestant church at Garrett, and Artemis H., a farmer and prominent citizen of Hamilton county and a member of the legislature.

Rev. Elmer L. Myers was born May 22, 1860. He is the father of eight children : Oren, Mrs. Lillie Horney, Ellis, Mabel, Ivan, Paul, Errol and Lois. Artemis Myers was born July 14, 1866. He is a prosperous farmer of Dela- ware township and has taken a very active part in the management of the Hamilton County Fire Insurance Company. He is president of the board of directors of the Carmel Mutual Telephone Company and is now serving a term in the Indiana Legislature. He is the father of five children: Tilford, Mayme and Marie (twins). Chauncey and Raymond.

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Allen Myers' second marriage was to Mrs. Ellen (Martin) Wright, the widow of Isaac Wright and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Martin. Isaac Wright was a millwright and later a prosperous farmer. He died, leaving two living daughters and one deceased: Alffaretta, the wife of A. J. Bailey, of Indianapolis, Indiana; Harriett Blue, the wife of Rev. Elmer L. Myers ; and June, who died at about the age of twelve.

The present Mrs. Myers was born in Salem, Washington county, Indiana, September 30, 1835. Her parents were John and Eliza (Clark) Martin and were natives of Kentucky and among the early settlers of Washington county, Indiana. By his second marriage Allen Myers is the father of one son, Charles F., the subject of this sketch.

Allen Myers is a Republican and was township trustee during the Civil War. From early manhood he has enjoyed an enviable reputation for sterling, upright character and has always possessed the trust and confidence of his fel- low citizens. He is a Mason and belongs to Carmel Lodge No. 421. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Charles F. Myers was educated in the schools of Mapleton and northern Indianapolis. After leaving school he became a clerk in one of the largest Indianapolis banks. Here he learned the banking business, and in 1901 moved to Carmel, where he and his father opened the Citizens Bank under their own management. It was conducted as a private bank until 1909, when it was reorganized with additional stockholders as the Citizens' State Bank and incorporated for $25,000. Allen Myers and Charles F. Myers retired from the management of this bank in 1915.

Charles F. Myers was married in 1894 to Clara Davenport, the daughter of Frank and Phoebe Davenport, of Marion county. Frank Davenport was the son of James and Barbara Davenport, and was born in Preble county, Ohio. He came to Marion county with his parents when he was fourteen years of age and remained at home until he was married. He was drafted for the Civil War, but, on account of sickness in his family, he was released from service. His wife was the daughter of William and Mary McCune, na- tives of Nicholas county, Kentucky. In 1850 the McCune family moved from Kentucky to Rush county, Indiana, where they lived for a short time before moving to Decatur county, Indiana. Subsequently, they moved to Marion county, where they lived until their death. After Frank Davenport was mar- ried he rented a farm near Traders Point in Marion county and lived in that vicinity until about 1880, when the family moved to Fairview Park, north of Indianapolis. Here he lived until 1895, when he bought property in Irving- ton, the eastern suburb of Indianapolis, where he lived until his death in

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February, 1901. His wife then went to live with Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Myers and remained with them until her death, August 4, 1909. Frank Davenport and wife were the parents of four children, William, Albert E., Charles, and Clara, the wife of Mr. Myers. Clara was born at Traders Point March 13, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are the parents of three chil- dren, Charles F., Jr., Juanita and Eldred, all of whom are attending the pub- lic schools at Carmel.

Mr. Myers has always taken an interest in Republican politics, but has never held an office other than that of town clerk, having served the town in that capacity for four years. He and his wife are members of the Carmel Methodist church. Mr. Myers was instrumental in building the church at Carmel, and he and his wife have always been active workers in this denomi- nation. Mr. Myers has always been interested in the affairs of his home town and taken an active part in any movement which he felt would better it in any way. He is a man of good business ability and is regarded as one of the sub- stantial business men of his community.

JACOB G. KEPNER.

The name of Kepner has been for more than thirty years an honored and respected one in Hamilton county, Indiana, and the gentleman of that name who is the immediate subject of this sketch is richly deserving of the uni- versal respect and esteem which is accorded him in the community in which he lives. He is numbered among the progressive and enterprising citizens of the county, and he has also been accorded definite recognition in the political circles of the county, being now the trustee of Jackson township, in which position he is rendering efficient and satisfactory service.

Jacob G. Kepner, a prosperous farmer and the present trustee of Jack- son township, was born March 10, 1850, in Noblesville township, this county. He is the son of F. F. and Charlotte (Engerman) Kepner, his father being born in Putnam county, Pennsylvania, the son of Jacob and Hannah (Craw- ford) Kepner, Jacob being the first of the family to come to this county. F. F. Kepner is a substantial farmer and land owner of Jackson township, and he and his wife have reared a family of five children: Jacob G., Manuel, John, Mrs. Alice Day and Leander.

Jacob G. Kepner received his common school education in the "Baton Rouge" school of his immediate neighborhood. He spent the winters of his boyhood in school and assisted his father on the farm during the summer

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vacation. In this way he not only acquired a good common school education, but also the rudiments of the science of agriculture. He continued to assist with the work at home until he was twenty-one years of age, when he began to work in a tile factory in Noblesville township. He was working here when he was married in 1885, but some years later he retired from the tile factory and devoted all of his attention to general farming and stock raising.

Mr. Kepner was married November 24, 1885, to Emma Rouls, and to this union have been born four children, Edith, Paul, Mary and Alice. All of these children are still living with their parents except Edith, who married Henry Kiser, and they have one son, Jacob.

Mr. Kepner has always taken an active interest in politics in his county. That he is regarded as a man of ability is shown by the fact that he was elected to the important office of township trustee, and since assuming the duties of the office has administered its affairs in such a way as to command the confidence and esteem of the citizens of his township, irrespective of their politics. There is no more important official in the state today than the town- ship trustee, and, as has been said, he holds more power in his hands than any other one official. In his hands lie the educational interests of his town- ship, and for this reason it is absolutely necessary that only men of the highest qualifications should be elected to this office. It is safe to say that no more efficient incumbent of the office has held the position since it was created. Mr. Kepner and his family are loyal members of the Lutheran church and contribute generously of their means to its support. Mr. Kepner is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. As a private citizen and as a public official he has made a noteworthy record and measures up to the full standard of American citizenship, and is in every way worthy of the high esteem in which he is held by the citizens of his township and county.

ROBERT E. WASHINGTON. .

Hamilton county, Indiana, enjoys a high reputation because of the excellent character of her citizenship, and none of her citizens today occupy a more enviable position in the esteem of his neighbors than Robert E. Washington, a member of the present county board of commissioners. Al- though he has been a resident of this county only five years, yet in that time he has impressed his individuality upon the people of the county, a fact which was shown by his election to the important office he now occu- pies. His rapid rise in the affairs of the county is due solely to his innate

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ability and high character and is a glowing tribute to his worth as a citi- zen and public-spirited man of affairs. He is essentially a self-made man and can attribute his present success to his self-reliance and self-denial. It was that quaint philosopher, Benjamin Franklin, who made the remark that to be thrown upon one's own resources is to be cast into the very lap of fortune, a maxim, the truth of which is strikingly shown in the career of Mr. Washington.

Robert E. Washington, the son of James E. and Anna (Kealer) Wash- ington, was born in Franklin county, Indiana, October 4, 1869. His parents were both natives of the same county, and his father is now living in Tipton county, this state, his mother having died October 2, 1909.

Robert E. Washington is one of six children born to his parents, and the only one of four sons living. He was educated in the district schools of Franklin county, and grew to manhood and married in the county of his birth. In the fall of 1909 he moved to Hamilton county and purchased ninety-four and one-half acres of land, where he is now living. He has devoted all of his active life to the vocation of agriculture, in which he has attained an eminent success. His farm is well improved in every respect, and in the tilling of the soil and the care of his crops and his live stock, Mr. Washington pays due attention to modern ideas and methods relative to all phases of agricultural science. His five years' residence in this county has found him prominently identified with its various interests, and no one in his community has labored more zealously for the upbuilding and advance- ment of the public's interests. In return for this zeal and interest he has received in a definite degree the esteem and confidence of all who know him, and today is highly respected in the community in which he makes his home.

Mr. Washington was married on February 21, 1891, to Susan R. Julian, the daughter of Ferdinand and Christina (Wilkins) Julian, natives of Penn- sylvania and Ohio, respectively. Mrs. Washington died September 30, 1913, leaving a family of five children, Lelia Marie, born July 11, 1893, a graduate of the high school; Eva Mabel, born March 5, 1895; Carrie, born July 4, 1898; Loren F., born March 25, 1901, and Anna C., born May 13, 1904.

Mr. Washington is a Democrat in politics and has always been interested in the welfare of his party in this county. In the fall of 1912 he was elected as one of the county commissioners, taking his office in January 1, 1913. In this position he is giving his fellow citizens the benefit of his ability and is favoring every measure which he believes will redound.to the credit of his county. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and actively interested in the work of the church. In all of his operations he is actuated

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by the highest motives, and his relations with his fellow citizens have been such as to gain their confidence and good will. He is a man of genial dis- position and enjoys a large measure of prosperity in the community where he is living, while in every avenue of life's activities in which he has been engaged he has been true to every trust and is eminently deserving of the high position which he is now holding.

WILLIAM SHERMAN SWAIN.

A substantial farmer of Washington township, Hamilton county, Indiana, is William Sherman Swain, who has lived within this county practically all his life. He has been a successful farmer and has kept adding to his hold- ings from year to year since his marriage, until he is now the owner of one hundred and thirty-eight acres, as well as a general store. This success has not come to him without hard work and good management, and while he has been attending primarily to his own advancement in a material way, Mr. Swain has not forgotten the duty which he owes to his community as a public-spirited citizen.

William Sherman Swain, the son of John W. and Melvina (Stephenson) Swain, was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, in 1866. His parents were northern sympathizers and during the reconstruction period which fol- lowed immediately after the Civil War they found that their neighbors in North Carolina looked upon them with disfavor. Accordingly, in the summer of 1866, John W. Swain and his family left their native state and came directly to Hamilton county, Indiana, and settled near Hazel Dell. Shortly afterwards John W. Swain moved to Carmel, Indiana, and engaged in the shoe trade until his death, which occurred in 1871. At the time the Swain family came from North Carolina to Hamilton county, Indiana, there were a number of families made the trip together, among them being two sisters of Mr. Swain with their husbands and children. One of the sisters and family remained in Indiana. and one went farther west.

William Sherman Swain is one of a family of eight children, and when his father died in 1871, the mother had a very hard time to take care of her family. One was a babe in arms and Mr. Swain himself was only five years of age at the time. The mother of these eight children died in 1878. in the northwest part of Washington township, this county, where she had located soon after her husband's death. At the time of the death of the mother. the children were scattered, some of them being sent to an orphans'

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home, while others were taken in by the good people of the neighborhood. The fact that the family had no relatives in the state at all made it very hard on the children.

William Sherman Swain was taken by George Johns, and lived with him until he was sixteen years of age, at which time Mr. Johns retired from farming and Mr. Swain then began to work out by the month on farms in the neighborhood. When about twenty-one years of age he rented a farm three miles west of Sheridan in the eastern edge of Boone county, this state, and farmed one hundred and seventy acres alone for a year. He then rented a farm of two hundred and fifty acres, and operated it for five years, during which time he was married. After his marriage Mr. Swain con- tinued to farm for a year on this rented farm of two hundred and fifty acres, and then bought eighty acres one-half mile west and one-half mile south of Lamong. He moved on this farm in the fall of 1893, a year after buying it, and into a house which he had himself erected. About 1902 he bought twenty acres across the road from this farm and in 1906 bought twenty acres more. In 1905 he moved to a farm between his farm and Lamong, and in 1907 moved to his present home at Lamong, which he had purchased in 1907 of John G. Allen. In 1909 he bought twelve acres of land of Lydia Moore, adjoining his Lamong property on the west, and for the past seven years has been engaged in farming and general merchandising. With his one hundred and thirty-eight acres, four dwelling houses, and general store, he has the means to make a very comfortable living. He is a good business man and has always so managed his affairs as to win the esteem of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Swain was married in 1890, at the age of twenty-four, to Nora A. Neal, who was born in Boone county, Indiana, near Lebanon, the daughter of James F. and Anna (Stone) Neal. Her father was born in Jennings county, Indiana, June, 1840, and is the son of Dora and Vina (Butler) Neal. Vina Butler was a relative of General Benjamin Butler, of Civil War fame. Anna Stone was a native of Illinois, and came here with her parents in infancy, and located near Lebanon. Mrs. Swain's parents lived west of Lebanon until about thirty years ago, when the father bought a farm west of Sheridan and lived there until about 1913, when the family moved to Sheridan. He was a stanch Republican and even refused to vote for a near relative on the Democratic ticket.

The Neal family is a remarkable family in many respects. Mr. and Mrs. Neal have been married over fifty years, and have five sons and three daughters. all of whom are grown, married and have families of their own.

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Every member of this large family is a person of, strong, upright character, broad minded and well regarded in the community in which they live. Mrs. Swain's father was reared in the Baptist church, but he and his wife now are active workers in the Methodist Episcopal church. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Neal are as follows: Oliver M., Mrs. Minnie Smith, Charles, Dora, Mrs. Nora Swain, Albert, Mrs. Ethel Lambert, and Earl. Albert is a very active member of the Methodist church, and has been the organist of the church for several years, as well as superintendent of the Sunday school. All of the children also are loyal members of the Methodist church.

Mr. and Mrs. Swain are the parents of eight children, six daughters and two sons: Russell died at the age of two, and a little girl, Florence, died when only fourteen months old. The living children are Nell E., Alpha, Mary, Esther, Juanita and Neal.

Mr. Swain is a Republican and active in the affairs of his party, although he has never been an aspirant for any public office. He has not missed a primary, a convention or an election since his first vote. He and his family belong to the Friends church. His parents were Wesleyan Methodists, in which denomination his mother was an active worker.

EDWARD V. BRIGHAM.

The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men who have succeeded in their special vocation in Hamilton 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 Edward V. Brigham. He is an important factor in the business life of his community, and the splendid success which has come to him has been the direct result of the salient points in his character. With a mind capable of laying judicious plans and a will strong enough to carry him forward to a position in the front rank of the successful men of his community, he has carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken, and his business methods have ever been in strict conformity with the standard 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.

Edward V. Brigham, the president of the Kline-Macy Foundry Company (63)

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and the general manager of the Union Sanitary Manufacturing Company, of Noblesville, was born January 10, 1867, on a farm near Lansing, Michigan. His parents, Frank B. and Martha N. (Packard) Brigham, were pioneer settlers of Michigan. The father was a farmer and later in life became a building contractor.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 100

Author: John F. Haines Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051