History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 54

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

USA > Indiana > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 54

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Stephen Hinshaw was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, in 1803, and as a young man farmed in the summer and worked at the shoe- maker's trade during the winter season. He was married November 22, 1826, to Gulia Elma Hoover, who was born in Guilford county, in that state. Her parents, John and Millicent (Winslow) Hoover, were of Ger- man descent and devout members of the Friends church. Jonas and Andrew Hoover were the first to come to this country, settling here about 1785. Jonas was the grandfather of Gulia Elma Hoover. He had a son of the name of John and this son married Millicent Winslow, a lineal descendant of the brother of Governor Winslow, the founder of the Plymouth Colony in (35)

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Massachusetts in 1620. Thomas Winslow, the father of Millicent, was a noted surveyor of his time. In the fall of 1830 Stephen Hinshaw came to Indiana with his family and lived the first three years on a rented farm in Wayne county, near Richmond. However, he wanted a farm of his own and, hearing of the excellent government land in Hamilton county, came to this county in 1833 alone, and on foot and entered one hundred and sixty acres in Clay township. He then went back to Wayne county and returned to this county with his family and all of his possessions in one wagon. Here, in the wilderness, he built a rude log cabin, twenty by thirty feet, began to clear the land and bring it under cultivation. At first the cabin had no door but a blanket, and the wolves often would come and poke their heads in at the door, but, because of the bright fire in the fire-place, they would not come into the room.

At that time people depended upon wild game for their meat and it was no trouble to keep plenty of it on hand at all 'times. Deer, bear, squirrels and other game were to be found in abundance, Mr. Hinsaw at one time killing a deer from his own front door. He shot many deer on moonlight nights while sitting in an oak tree by the old salt lick just east of Poplar Ridge cemetery. He prospered and at the time of his death, September 27, 1854, owned two hundred acres of land. His wife passed away April 16, 1873, at the age of sixty-six. Stephen Hinshaw and wife were the parents of ten children : Millicent, Andrew, John S., Thomas, Enos, Alsinda, William H., Rebecca H., Martha A. and Ira. One of the sons of Stephen Hinshaw, served through the Civil War in Company E, Seventy-ninth Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, and is the only one of the family who has ever served in any of the wars in this country.

Enos Hinshaw, the fifth child of this family and the father of James T. Hinshaw, was born in Hamilton county in 1834, and remained at home until he was married. At one time he went to Kansas and entered one hun- dred and sixty acres of government land, but remained on it only long enough to prove his claim. He then -disposed of it and returned to this county, where he lived until the time of his death. His wife was Martha R. Haines, the daughter of James F. Haines and Margaret H. (Ruddel) Haines, and was born in Boone county, Kentucky. James F. Haines, the son of Henry and Hannah ( Blankenbarger) Haines, was born in 1808 in Cul- pepper county, Virginia, and went with his parents to Boone county, Ken- tucky, in 1823. Margaret H. Ruddel, the wife of James F. Haines. was the daughter of James and Jane (Mulharem) Ruddel, and was a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky. James Ruddel was born in 1758 in Virginia

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and was a large land owner and kept a number of slaves. Ruddel's Mills, Kentucky, was named for him. He had two sons in the War of 1812: Charles was a non-commissioned officer and George was a private. Enos Hinshaw and wife were the parents of eight children, six of whom are still living : George W., Clara A., Etta M., Jennie M., James T. and Albert W. Two of their children died in infancy.

James T. Hinshaw, who is now living in Washington township, in this county, was born three and one-half miles northwest of Carmel on January 10, 1870, and has lived in Clay and Washington townships all of his life. He received a good common school education and remained at home until his marriage, in 1901. In 1896 he bought sixty acres of his present farm, four miles northwest of Carmel. In 1901 he built the handsome residence in which he now lives and subsequently added substantial and commodious barns and outbuildings. He makes a specialty of stock raising, feeding all of his grain to his stock, having found by experience that, with the present good prices paid for stock, this is the most profitable procedure. He has added to the original farm, until he now has one hundred and fifty-three acres of excellent land.

James T. Hinshaw was married on November 28, 1901, to Carrie L. Spaugh. She is the eldest daughter of John E. and Printha E. (Harvey) Spaugh, and was born August 6, 1879. one mile south of Eagletown, in this county. There was a family of five girls and two sons, two of whom died in childhood. Her father was the son of Joshua and Christena ( Petry) Spaugh and was a native of North Carolina, coming to this county with his parents in a wagon when four years of. age. Mrs. Hinshaw's mother, Printha F. (Harvey) Spaugh, who died September 12. 1911, was the daughter of William and Cinderella ( Beeson) Harvey. William Harvey and one brother were left orphans in Wayne county, Indiana, at an early age and their guard- ian subsequently came to Hamilton county and entered land for them, and in later years ,both grandparents of Mrs. Hinshaw. Mr. Spaugh and Mr. Harvey·helped organize the Little Eagle Creek Christian church.

Mr. Hinshaw hs always been a stanch Republican and an active sup- porter of its principles, although never seeking political preferment of any kind. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and interested in the work of that fraternal organization. He is affiliated with the National Horse Thief Detective Association, an organization for the apprehension of horse thieves. He and his wife are both members of the Christian church, of which he is a trustee.

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Mr. Hinshaw is a public-spirited citizen, always interested in matters of local welfare and consequently enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens. He is a worthy scion of worthy ancestors and reflects credit on his family, whose good name he has ever held spotless before the world.

FREDERICK EUGENE HINES.

If a resume were to be written of the lives of the successful and influential attorneys of the central part of Indiana, the name of Frederick E. Hines, of Noblesville, Hamilton county, would occupy a high position. In the legal profession he has supplemented the practice of the essentials with a wealth of common sense. In every profession theories and rules cannot be literally interpreted ; they act as guides only, the human equation being the force that impels decisions of merit. In judicious foresight, cool calculation and prompt initiative Mr. Hines has excelled. He stands for the lawyer in the true sense of that word; that is to say, the man who advocates a sympathetic reading of the law, and not a merciless, steely and unyielding interpretation. He has won for himself a reputation for lofty integrity, and his courteous, affable manner, savored with a brilliant fund of wit, has won for him countless friends and clients among the good people of Hamilton county.

Frederick E. Hines, the son of Hiram and Sarah M. (Neal) Hines, was born on a farm in Jasper county, Missouri, near Carthage. His father was born in Coshocton, Ohio, and his mother in Hamilton county, Indiana. Hiram Hines came with his parents from Ohio to Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1842, when he was only two years of age. He grew to maturity in this county and was married to Sarah M. Neal, who was a native of this county. Shortly after their marriage Hiram Hines and his wife moved to Jasper county, Missouri, where Frederick E., whose history is here recorded, was born. The family lived only five years in Missouri, at the end of which time they returned to Hamilton county, this state, where they lived the remainder of their lives. In 1880 Hiram Hines was elected auditor of Hamilton county for a term of four years and after retiring from the auditor's office engaged in general contracting until 1901, when he was appointed a rural mail carrier and held this position until his death, which occurred March 18, 1913. His widow is still living in Noblesville.

Hiram Hines was a distinguished veteran of the Civil War. He enlisted at the opening of the war in Company H, Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana

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Volunteer Infantry, and served for four years and a half. He was mustered in as second lieutenant and served with this rank throughout the war. At first his regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, but later was attached to the Army of the Tennessee. After the Atlanta campaign in the summer of 1864 the regiment to which Mr. Hines was attached was trans- ferred to Texas, where he was stationed when the war closed in the spring of 1865. Though his regiment saw active service continuously from the begin- ning to the close of the war, Mr. Hines served through the whole struggle without being wounded or having his health seriously impaired. He was a member of Lookout Post Grand Army of the Republic, at Noblesville, and al- ways took an active interest in its deliberations. In politics he was an active Republican and a leader in his party in this county. He was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias, while he and his family were earnest and loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Frederick E. Hines was but two years of age when his parents moved from Jasper county, Missouri, to Hamilton county, Indiana, and all the re- mainder of his life has been spent within the limits of this county. He has lived in Noblesville since his father moved there in 1880 to take the office of county auditor. He was educated in the Noblesville schools, graduating from the high school in 1893. He immediately entered Indiana University and graduated from the law department of that institution in the spring of 1897. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Greek letter fraternity while in col- lege and always has been interested in the work of this fraternity. In August, 1897, Mr. Hines opened an office in Noblesville for the 'practice of his pro- fession and has always practiced alone. He has been admitted to practice in all the state and federal courts and has enjoyed a constantly increasing and lucrative practice. Mr. Hines has achieved a splendid record at the bar, while from the beginning he has been intensely methodical and unswerving in his persistence in search of the true light and of the essentials of legal foundation. Success has crowned his efforts along these lines because he has combined common sense with his practice and uses that Christian charity which. is so necessary to the practice of the successful lawyer.

Mr. Hines was married October 23, 1901, to Martha Louise Pfaff, the daughter of William and Emma A. (Killen) Pfaff, of Hamilton county. Her father was a native of this county, while her mother was born in Phila- delphia. Both are now living in Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Hines have had one child, which is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hines are loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are active workers in the church and

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Sunday school, Mr. Hines having been the teacher of the Business Men's Bible class for several years.

Politically, Mr. Hines is a Republican and has always been interested in all political affairs. He has served as secretary of the Republican County Central Committee for four years, and has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions. In 1901 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Hamilton county for a period of two years, and was re-elected at the expiration of his first term, serving four years altogether. In view of the fact that it is customary to give the office for only one term, this speaks well for the efficiency and popularity of Mr. Hines. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Sons of Veterans, Camp No. 56. Those most closely associated with Mr. Hines are loudest in their praises of his personal qualities, and his fidelity to every trust confided in him. He is popular in the official, social and commercial circles of his county, and because of his high integrity, he commands general respect and confidence in the community to whose interests he is so devotedly attached.

CHARLES BENTON JENKINS.

Among the worthy citizens of Noblesville, Indiana, whose residence here has contributed in no small degree to the prestige of the vicinity, is Charles Benton Jenkins, who while laboring diligently for his individual advancement, has never forgotten his obligation to the public, and who invariably has sup- ported such measures and movements as have had for their object the general good and welfare of his community. Although he has been a resident of this county for a comparatively short time, he has impressed his individuality upon the community in such a way as to leave no question as to his high integrity and worth as a citizen. Pre-eminently a business man, he has taken his place at the head of his industrial calling and today is known as one of the most prominent millers of Indiana, as well as being prominently recognized in the deliberations of the National Millers Association. Being favored by few opportunities except those that his own efforts were capable of mastering, and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made an exceptional success of life and Hamilton county is proud to claim him as one of her representative citizens.

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Charles Benton Jenkins, the manager and treasurer of the Noblesville Milling Company, was born on a farm near Urbana, Ohio, August 28, 1865. His parents, David and Amelia R. (Wirt) Jenkins, were natives of Page county, Virginia, and Maryland, respectively. David Jenkins came from his native state to Ohio with his parents in 1830 and settled in Champaign county, Ohio, near Urbana. He was a farmer and stock raiser and died August 5, 1912, at the age of eighty-nine years, within a mile of the farm on which he settled as a lad in 1830. His whole life was spent in Champaign county, Ohio, with the exception of one year when he lived near Bunker Hill, in Miami county, Indiana. The Wirt family came from Maryland to Ohio early in its history. One member of the Wirt family, William Wirt, was attorney general of the United States from 1817 until 1829, and has the honor of holding this office longer than any other man in the whole history of the federal government. The wife of David Jenkins died October 12, 1866.

Charles Benton Jenkins was reared on his father's farm in Champaign county, Ohio, and attended the public schools during the winter time and worked upon his father's farm during the summer seasons. He spent one summer at a normal school, preparing himself for the vocation of teaching, after which he taught school for four years, beginning April 2, 1883, his last term ending April 1, 1887. All of his teaching was done in his home county in Ohio. In April. 1887, immediately after the close of his last term of school, he entered the United States railway mail service and continued in the employ of the government until November, 1891, a period of four and one- half years. He was assigned to duty on the Pennsylvania lines between Pitts- burg and St. Louis. The milling experience of Mr. Jenkins began in 1891, immediately after he left the mail service. He engaged in the milling busi- ness at Saint Paris, Ohio, under the firm name of Jenkins & Dudleston, as salesman, bookkeeper and general utility man. He remained with this com- pany until October, 1893. He felt that he needed special training in a count- ing and business practice, and in order to develop more efficient practice along these lines he attended the Miami Commercial College at Dayton, Ohio. After taking the course in this institution he entered the wholesale grocery firm known as the Cincinnati Grocery Company, at Dayton, Ohio, but a few months later went back into the milling business with the Marion Milling Company, of Marion, Ohio. as bookkeeper and assistant treasurer. He remained with this company from September 18, 1894, until in October, 1896, when the com- pany went into the hands of a receiver. The court recognized the ability of Mr. Jenkins, as well as his high integrity, and appointed him to take charge of the business. His services as receiver continued for nine months to the

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day. At the expiration of his receivership the company was reorganized under the firm name of the Marion Milling and Grain Company. Upon the organization of the new company on July 27, 1897, Mr. Jenkins became man- ager and treasurer, and remained with the company in this capacity until November 1, 1906. He then opened a brokerage office in Marion, Ohio, deal- ing in milling and elevator property, although he still retained his interests in the company with which he had severed active connection and continued as a member of its board of directors. He continued in the brokerage business from 1906 until August, 1909, when he was offered his present position at Noblesville.

Mr. Jenkins has been manager and treasurer of the Noblesville Milling Company from August, 1909, down to the present time. This position came to him without solicitation and is a tribute to his knowledge of the milling business as well as a proper recognition of his exceptional business ability. The Noblesville Milling Company has the capacity of twelve hundred barrels of flour daily. It has an elevator capacity of seven hundred and fifty thousand bushels of wheat and can keep more grain on hand for its business than any other mill in Indiana. Its products go into many states in the Union, and the company also has a large export trade, especially to Ireland, Scotland and England. The mill is constantly taxed to its full running capacity in order to fill its large orders, and under the skillful management of Mr. Jenkins, the company is rapidly coming to the front as one of the most successful of its kind in the United States.

While in Ohio Mr. Jenkins was secretary of the Ohio Millers Association from the date of its organization in April, 1904, until he left the state and came to Noblesville. He was one of the organizers of the Ohio Association and saw it grow from thirty-eight original members to a flourishing association comprising two hundred and twenty-seven of the best millers in the state of Ohio. He was the leader in this organization from the time of its incep- tion until he left the state and, as manager and secretary, built up an organiza- tion which kept the milling business before the people of Ohio in a very credit- able light. When he left Ohio to come to Noblesville, he was given a fare- well banquet at Toledo by the members of the association and presented with valuable tokens of their esteem. Since coming to Indiana, Mr. Jenkins has been no less prominent in the affairs of the Indiana Millers Association, and is now president of that body. He also is a member of the National Millers Association and prominent in the deliberations of that large organization. He is recognized as a leader in his chosen field. The position, which has come

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to him solely through his own undivided efforts, is a tribute to his study of the profession.

Mr. Jenkins was married November 6, 1887, to Ida A. White, the daugh- ter of David and Catherine ( Anderson) White, of Saint Paris, Ohio, and to this union there have been born two children, Don B., who married Nelle Sowerwine, a member of a prominent family of Noblesville, and Evangeline, who is still at home with her parents.

Mr. Jenkins is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and has taken all the degrees in that time-honored fraternity up to and including the thirty- second degree. He also holds membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a Democrat in politics, and while he always has been interested in political questions, has never been an aspirant for public office in any way. He and his family are earnest and loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Jenkins being a member of the official board of that denomination.

Mr. Jenkins is not only a well trained man in his chosen field, but he is widely informed on all current topics: honest and upright in all of his rela- tions with his fellow men, there are few citizens of Hamilton county who are better known, and none more highly respected .. He has performed his full part as a citizen since coming to this county, and has earned the sincere regard and confidence of all with whom he has been associated.

JAMES W. SMITH.

It is one of the beauties of our government that it acknowledges no hereditary rank or title, no patent of nobility save that of nature's, leaving every man to establish his own rank by becoming the artificer of his own for- tune. Places of honor and trust, rank and preferment thus happily placed before every individual, high or low, rich or poor, to be striven for by all, but earned alone by perseverance and sterling worth, are most always sure to be filled with deserving men, or at least by those possessing the energy and talent essential to success in contests where public position is the prize. James W. Smith affords a conspicuous example of the successful. self-made American, who is not only eminently deserving of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens, but also possesses the necessary energy and talent that fit him to discharge worthily the duties of the responsible place with which he has been honored by the people of his county. A man of vigorous mentality and

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strong mental fiber, he finds those qualities the chief factor in the carving out of a career that has been above the suspicion of reproach and of honor to the county which he so ably and acceptably serves. Mr. Smith has made a notable success in more than one line of activity, a fact which reveals his many-sided character. As a public school teacher of many years' experience, as a business man handling large financial deals, as a public official and as a private citizen interested in the affairs of his community, James W. Smith has played no inconspicuous part. Such men benefit the community in which they live.

James W. Smith, former mayor of Noblesville, the son of John and Harriett (Thompson) Smith, was born in Marion county, Indiana, near Oaklandon on October 11, 1854. His father was a native of New Jersey while his mother was born in Clermont county, Ohio. John Smith came to Ohio in the early history of the state and later went west and entered land in Marion county, Indiana. After securing a farm in this state he returned to Clermont county, Ohio, married Harriett Thompson and returned to his farm in this county. He was a farmer and one of the largest land owners in the county. He hauled his produce to Cincinnati, Ohio, and drove his stock to the same market. He was a Republican in politics, but the labors of the field were sufficient to keep him occupied all the time. He and his wife were loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were very active in church work. John Smith died in 1891, his wife having preceded him to the grave many years, her death having occurred in 1860. They were the parents of ten children : Cyrus, deceased, who was a prominent school teacher of Indiana during his lifetime: Samuel S., deceased; David T., deceased; Francis M., who is now living on the old homestead in Marion county ; Mary E., deceased, who was the wife of James Dunham, a soldier of the Union who took a prominent part in the Civil War and who suffered many hard- ships in Libby prison : William, deceased : Henry N., Indianapolis : Cinderella, the wife of Summerfield Thomas of West Virginia: Theodore E., who is a farmer in Marion county, and James W., with whom this narrative deals. The father of these children married a second wife. Rebecca Packard, also of Ohio, to which union were born four children, Olive, Lycurgus, Clara and Everett, the latter three of whom are deceased. Olive married Thomas J. White. a prominent merchant of McCordsville, Hancock county, Indiana, where they now reside.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 54

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

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