History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 69

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

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Mr. Aldred never failed to lend a helping hand to those in need, but he

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never attempted to make any show of the many kind deeds which he did. One interesting instance occurred several years ago which illustrates his characteristic generosity of heart. A young man who is now well known in Noblesville and who was at that time a senior in the high school, did not have sufficient money to allow him to graduate. His parents were unable to assist him financially and it seemed that his cherished ambition of graduating from the high school was to be denied him. The student appealed to Mr. Aldred for assistance to enable him to finish his high school education and all the money he asked for was forthcoming without even a demand on the part of Mr. Aldred for any kind of security. This young man is today a resident of Noblesville and it is needless to say that he never forgot the favor which Mr. Aldred showed him in his time of need.

Mr. Aldred had been in poor health for two years previous to his death, but was not confined to his bed until about seven weeks before the end, which came peacefully. Surrounded by the members of his family Mr. Aldred sank into the final slumber. As gently as he walked the way of life so passed he into the final repose, going from this world into the other as if he were falling into a restful sleep. So passed away a man who always had the interests of his fellow men at heart, a man who had the greatest sym- pathy for his neighbor, and always stood ready to aid and encourage those who were struggling to aid themselves. When he believed he was on the right path nothing could swerve him from it. He commanded the respect of all classes by his exemplary life and his memory will long be revered by his many friends and acquaintances.

CLEM C. STANFORD.

A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to the con- trolling influence of others or wields an influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the way along which others may follow with like success. The reputation borne by Clem C. Stanford, one of the leading citizens of Noblesville, Hamilton county, Indiana, having been unassailable all along the highways of life, ac- cording to those who have known him best. it is believed that a critical study of his career will be of benefit to the reader, for it has not only been one of honor but of usefulness also.

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Clem C. Stanford, a prominent funeral director of Noblesville, Indiana, of the firm of Stanford & Hays, was born on a farm in Wayne township, in .Hamilton county, Indiana, on January 23, 1870. His parents, Thomas and Mary J. (Hunt) Stanford, were both born at Blountsville, in Henry county, this state. They were reared and married in that town and there Thomas Stanford purchased a general merchandise store and carried on that line of endeavor for several years. In the early fifties the Stanford family came to Noblesville, where the father again engaged in the mercantile business for a few years. Later in life he bought a farm in Wayne township, this county, where he lived the life of a simple farmer until his death, on February 19, 1891. He was engaged in installing a gas tank at Burlington, Carroll county, Indiana, when he was stricken with heart failure and died suddenly. His widow is still living, at the age of eighty years, in Noblesville. Thomas Stanford was a Republican in politics and a man who always took an active part in public affairs. He was greatly interested in agricultural develop- ment and took much pride in the work done by the Hamilton County Agricul- tural Society, being a member of its board of directors for many years.

Clem C. Stanford attended the public schools of his home township, and lived on the home farm until three years after his father's death. In 1894 he came to Noblesville, where he engaged in the livery and transfer business. This enterprise he enlarged, when, on January 29, 1914, he bought out the undertaking business of Longley & Ball, which since he has conducted with much satisfaction to the public. Since taking a partner into the business this firm is now known as the firm of Stanford & Hays. In addition to the at- tractive show room of this establishment there is a well-equipped morgue and a comfortable parlor chapel, where funeral services sometimes are held at convenience. The firm has a stock of twenty-four horses and fine hearses and turnouts for funeral occasions, and does all the funeral work in Nobles- ville and surrounding country.

Mr. Stanford was married February 19, 1894, to Alice Fisher, the daughter of John H. and Ellen (Steffie) Fisher. Mrs. Fisher was the daughter of George Steffie, of Wayne township, a man of much prominence in his day and an undertaker and cabinet maker of recognized ability. Mr. . and Mrs. Stanford are the parents of one daughter, Mary Lucile.

Mr. Stanford is a Republican in politics, and has been active in public and political matters of all kinds, always ready to do his part in all move- ments calculated to advance the interests of his city and community. He is a member of the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of

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Red Men and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is an earnest and loyal member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife and daugh- ter are members of the Christian church, and are active workers in their denominations.

Mr. Stanford is actively interested in the Hamilton County Horse Show Association and is now vice-president of this organization, which is famed all over the state for its annual exhibitions of fine live stock. Mr. Stanford conducts his livery and sales stable at 53 North Ninth street, while the family residence is at No. 122 East Harrison street, Noblesville. Though always a busy man, Mr. Stanford has not been unmindful of his duties as a citizen, being a careful observer of men and events and an active participant in those affairs which relate to the welfare of his own community. In all the various avenues of activity in which he has been engaged, he has met with splendid success, and is numbered among Hamilton county's most substantial and en- terprising citizens.

JOHN THOM.

Practically every nation of Europe has contributed some of its best citizens to the population of the United States. No country has given us better or more patriotic citizens than Scotland. Wherever the sons of that country settle they have become prosperous and substantial citizens and taken their full share in the life of the community in which they resided. The people of Sctoland have always been noted for their sturdy independence and strong character, characteristics which have become dominant in them because of their centuries of strenuous national history. Among the citizens of Noblesville, Indiana, today who are important factors in the life of the community there is no one who is more deserving of mention in this bio- graphical volume than John Thom, one of the oldest business men of that city

John Thom, the son of James and Sarah (Mess) Thom, was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, September 18, 1844. James Thom was a successful farmer in his own country and lived there several years after some of his children came to America. He and his wife came to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1873, where he resided until his death. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, three of whom died in Scotland, the others coming to America, as follows: John, whose history is here related and who was the oldest of the children; William, of Marion, Indiana; Sarah, the widow of

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William Yule, of Indianapolis. Indiana; Susan, the widow of Alexander Eunson, of Chicago, and Charles, of Nevada, Vernon county, Missouri.

John Thom grew up in the land of his nativity and attended the schools of his home neighborhood. He was reared in the strict religious faith of his parents, namely, that of the Presbyterian church. As a lad he learned the trade of a harness maker with George Brown at Aberdeen, and early in life made up his mind to come to America. He felt that there were better op- portunities for a young man in America than in his own country and accord- ingly set sail for America in 1868 when he was twenty-four years of age. He landed at Quebec, Canada, where he remained for about two years work- ing at his trade in Quebec and other nearby cities in Canada. In 1870 he moved to Indianapolis, where he had no difficulty in finding employment as a harness maker. He worked as a journeyman harness maker there until 1876, when he went into the business for himself. In 1878 he married and went to Emporia, Kansas, and followed his trade there for two years. He then returned to Indianapolis, where he again engaged in business until 1881, when he moved with his son into Noblesville, where he has since resided. He has been engaged in the active pursuit of his trade up to the present time and the thirty-three years which he has spent in business on the public square of Noblesville entitles him to the honor of being the oldest business man on the public square. He prides himself on the fact that all the harness sold in his shop is his own manufacture. There is no better harness maker in the country today than John Thom. His product finds ready sale with the men who want the best and he has a large trade in Noblesville and the surround- ing country. His watchword is "Quality." During his long career as a manufacturer of harness in this county he has never let his output fall below standard in any way. It is a pleasure in these days of cheap goods to find a man who prides himself upon the superior excellence of his output and for this reason John Thom, the honest harness maker of Noblesville, deserves special mention in this volume.

Mr. Thom has been twice married, the first marriage occurring Decem- ber 24, 1878, to Louise H. Walker, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Walker, of Warren county, Ohio. To this first union were born two chil- dren : Leah, who lost her life in a railroad wreck near Lebanon, Missouri, September 14, 1914, and Charles, of Portland, Oregon. His first wife died in October, 1883, and Mr. Thom's second marriage occurred April 5, 1885, to Genira Walker, a sister of his first wife. To this second union have been born three children: Fayeola. the wife of Oscar Godby, of Noblesville; William, who is married and associated with his father in the business, and

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John, who is married and is associated with his father and brother in the business.

The Republican party has always claimed the loyal support of Mr. Thom, and no man in Noblesville has been more deeply interested in every- thing that pertains to the advancement of this community. He served for three years as a member of the board of education and for eight years as a member of the city council. In both positions he was faithful to every public trust, and no official in the city ever had a better record than he. Religiously, he and his family are earnest members of the Presbyterian church, the con- gregation of which he has served as an elder for many years. He is faithful in his church obligations and active in everything which pertains to the church and Sunday school life. It is interesting to note in this connection that the husbands of his two sisters, who are now both widows, were also elders in the Presbyterian church and men of clean and wholesome lives.

In 1875 Mr. Thom made the trip back to his old home in Aberdeen, Scotland, in order to visit his relatives and renew old acquaintances. In 1895, in company with his two brothers, William and Charles, he again visited his old home. Mr. Thom has always stood for everything which he felt would advance the welfare of his fellow men. Because of the honest and upright life which he has always lived, he has commanded the universal confidence of his friends and neighbors. He is a man of kindly impulses and high ideals, who has always been ready to assist his neighbors in time of trouble or distress. The whole tenor of his life has been such that the com- munity in which he has lived has been the better because of his having lived in it.

ELMER Q. THAYER.

In examining the life records of self-made men, it will invariably be found that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True, there are other elements which enter into and conserve the advance- ment of personal interests-perseverance, discrimination and the mastery of expedients-but the foundation of all achievement is earnest, persistent labor. At the outset of his career, Elmer Q. Thayer recognized this fact, and he did not seek any royal road to the goal of prosperity and independence, but began to work earnestly and diligently in order to advance himself, with the result that he is now numbered among the progressive, successful and in- Auential business men of Hamilton county. In his chosen profession of

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photography Mr. Thayer has achieved a reputation which places him in the front rank of the photographers of the state.

Elmer Q. Thayer, the son of Samuel A. and Sarah (Orth) Thayer, was born in Hamilton county, Indiana, August 26, 1869. His father was born near Hope, Bartholomew county, this state, while his mother was born in this county, in White River township. Samuel Thayer was a farmer, but retired from active work some years ago and is now living with his wife in Arcadia, this county. He and his wife were the parents of six children, Elmer Q., whose life history forms the theme of this narrative; Charles D., a farmer of White River township; Jessie, the wife of Harry Ball, of Nobles- ville; Grace, who is still living with her parents; Clyde, deceased, and Joseph, who is now a student at the State University at Bloomington, Indiana.

Elmer Q. Thayer was reared on his father's farm and attended the country schools of his home township. Being naturally of a studious turn of mind he continued his education by attending the Central Normal College at Danville, Indiana, for three years, after which he engaged in teaching school for two winters in the country near his home. He was a successful teacher, but the work did not appeal to him in such a way as to lead him to make it his chosen work for life. He had an opportunity to study photo- graphy with Charles C. Pike, of Noblesville, and he started to learn the trade in the latter's studio. He worked with Mr. Pike in Noblesville and Muncie for about two and one-half years and then located in Noblesville, where he has followed his vocation down to the present time. He does all kinds of photographic work and makes a specialty of scenic work for magazines and publications of all kinds. His studio is equipped with the latest cameras and photographic accessories and is thoroughly modern in every respect. He is a man of artistic temperament and has won high praise for the sincerity and naturalness of his pictures. He keeps fully abreast of the latest ad- vances in his professon and takes an active part in the deliberations of the State and National Photographic Associations.

Mr. Thayer has been twice married, his first marriage occurring Decem- ber 24, 1895, when he was united to Lena R. Myers, daughter of George W. and Sarah (Cluckner) Myers, of White River township, this county, and to this union five children were born, Wallace, deceased; Kathleen; Rudyard; Donald and Albert, the last two named being twins. The wife and mother of these children died February 4, 1907. Mr. Thayer was married a second time on October 28, 1913, to Sera D. Wells, daughter of Dudley Wells and wife, of Jennings county, Indiana.

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Politically, Mr. Thayer is identified with the Republican party and, al- though he is interested in the current issues of the day, he has never taken a very active part in public affairs, the nature of his profession being such that he could not absent himself from it for any length of time. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Wood- men of America and the Improved Order of Red Men. He and his family have been members of the Christian church for many years and give to it their earnest support at all times. In many ways Mr. Thayer has lent his influence for good in his community. He is a man of sterling worth and his life has been closely interwoven with the community in which he has re- sided for so many years.

THOMAS E. BEALS.

The history of the Beals family has been traced back to the seventeenth century, when the first member of the family, John Beals, accompanied William Penn from England to Pennsylvania in 1682. At that time the Quakers were being persecuted in England, and in order that they might have more freedom and at the same time bring their children up in new sur- roundings the family came to America. John Beals settled in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and shortly afterwards married Mary Clayton, daughter of William Clayton, who had settled at the same time in Pennsylvania. John Beals and wife were the parents of three sons, John, William and Jacob.

John Beals, the son of John and Mary (Clayton) Beals, was reared in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and was married in 1711, to Sarah Bowater, whose parents had come from England. To this marriage were born seven children, Prudence, the wife of Richard Williams; Sarah, the wife of John Milles; Mary, who was first the wife of Thomas Hunt, and after his death, of William Baldwin, or according to another spelling, Ballard; Phoebe, who married Robert Sumner; John, who married Esther Hunt; Bowater, who married Ann Cookmyre, and Thomas, who married Sarah Antrim at Mona- cacy, Maryland, September 12, 1741.

Thomas Beals, the son of John Beals, Jr., moved to near Winchester, Virginia, shortly after his marriage and in 1748 went to Cane Creek, North Carolina. Some time later Thomas Beals, with two companions, removed to New Garden, now Guilford College, North Carolina, and were the first people to settle at that place. They were soon followed by the four brothers- in-law of Thomas Beals, Richard Williams, Thomas Hunt, John Mills,

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Robert Sumner, and John, a brother of Thomas. When Thomas Beals was thirty-four years of age he became a minister in the Friends church, and had the honor of founding the Quaker church at Guilford. Later he removed to Westfield, Stokes county, North Carolina, where he organized a church, and from this place he traveled widely in the interests of his church. He made several visits to what was then known as the Northwest Territory, even going as far north as Fort Wayne, Indiana. He took his nephews, Bowater Sumner, William Hiatt and David Ballard, on a missionary visit to the Shawnee and Delaware Indian tribes, which were then located in the Clinch mountains in Virginia. In passing near a fort, unfortunately, the British did not appreciate their peaceful mission and arrested them, accusing them of being confederates of the hostile Indians with whom the British were at war at that time. Just before they were to be put on trial for their lives, Thomas Beals asked permission to talk to the officers and soldiers in the fort and explain the cause of their visit, and shortly afterwards he preached so powerful a sermon that the officers allowed him and his party to proceed on their way without trial. A soldier in the fort near the Indian reservation was converted and attached himself to the Society of Friends, with which he remained until his old age. Before the missionaries proceeded on their jour- ney the attitude of the soldiers toward them had entirely changed and the officers did everything in their power to speed them on their way.

Thomas Beals and his party then crossed the Ohio river and held many meetings among the Indians in Ohio, and had the satisfaction of feeling that they did much good in softening the hearts of the savages. Thomas Beals had a prophetic vision that the spiritual truth eventually would be scattered all over that goodly land, and that the greatest gathering of Friends in the world would take place in this country, a prophecy which his descend- ants have lived to see fulfilled. This visit to the Indians in the Northwest was made in the year 1775, and two years later Thomas Beals attempted to make another visit to the same tribe, but was arrested at the point where Pittsburg now stands by the authorities at Fort Duquesne and sent back. Later in the same year he made a second attempt, but was again forced to return home, although he was permitted to hold a meeting for the soldiers. In 1781 Thomas Beals moved with his family to Blue Stone, Virginia, and while living there they suffered greatly from lack of the necessities of life. The Indians captured his son-in-law, James Horton, and took him to old Chillicothe, Ohio, now Frankfort, Ohio, where he was put to death. While living at Blue Stone, Virginia, Thomas Beals gathered about him some twenty or thirty families of Friends, enough to constitute a Friends Meet-

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ing, but this meeting was broken up when he returned to Westfield, North Carolina. In 1785 he took his family to Lost Creek, Tennessee, and lived in that place for the next eight years. He then removed to Grayson county, Virginia, where he set up several Meetings of Friends, and did everything in his power to further the interests of his church. In 1799, with his sons, John and Daniel, and his grandson, Abel Thornburg, he moved to Quaker Bottoms, now Ross county, Ohio, and there he died August 29, 1801, and now lies buried near Richmondale, in that county. He was buried in a coffin of regular shape hewn out of the solid white walnut tree which had been selected by him for that purpose before his death. The coffin was prepared by his ever faithful friend, Jesse Ballard, assisted by Enoch Cox and others.

In the autumn of 1802 Sarah Beals, the widow of Thomas, with her sons, John and Daniel, and their families, moved to Lee's Creek, in High- land county, Ohio, where she eventually died, on July 7, 1813, at the ad- vanced age of eighty-nine years. She was buried at Fairfield, Ohio. To Thomas and Sarah ( Antrim) Beals were born five sons and eight daughters, as follows: Mary, born June 15, 1742; Mary and Sarah, twins, born August 30, 1743 (Mary became the wife of Thomas Jessup); Thomas, born October 29, 1745; Patience, born December 9, 1747; William, born June 13, 1750; Daniel, born February 15, 1753; Elizabeth, born April 25, 1755; Margaret, born October 12, 1757; Hannah, born December 13, 1759; Rachel and John, twins, born March 9, 1763; and Jacob, born October 28, 1768. Many of the most prominent ministers of the Quaker church have descended from Thomas and Sarah Beals. In remembrance and recogni- tion of these pious people the Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends at Rich- mond, Indiana, in 1868 and 1870, ordered an appropriation made and had a stone wall built around the grave of Thomas Beals. There are still some people living who remember this great missionary, one of these being Levi Coffin, the venerable philanthropist, who was a blood descendant of the Beals family.

John Beals, the son of Thomas, was born March 9, 1763, and was the great-grandfather of Thomas Elwood Beals, the present representative of the family living in Noblesville. He was a brickmaker as well as a wheel- wright, miller and general mechanic, and was skilled in each trade. He was married in 1788 to Mary Carter, who was born in North Carolina, not far from Westfield, and he accompanied his father to Lost Creek, Tennessee, and from there to Grayson county, Virginia. At the latter place his wife died, October 11, 1799. In the latter part of the same year John Beals ac- . companied the other members of the family to Quaker Bottom, Ross county,

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Ohio, crossing the Ohio river on Christmas Day, 1799. The second wife of John Beals was Mary Johnson Hiatt, the widow of his cousin, William Hiatt. Later John Beals and his family accompanied his widowed mother to Lee's Creek, Highland county, Ohio, and there John, assisted by his son, Thomas, made brick and built the Quaker meeting house at Fairfield, Ohio. In 1834 he moved to. Hamilton county, Indiana, and settled one mile west and one-half south of Deming, in section 7, Jackson township. Here he entered between three and four hundred acres of land in the woods, build- ing a log cabin for his first home. He also built a rude grist mill, which at that time was called a corn cracker. He fashioned the grindstone him- self out of a granite boulder, and these same stones are now used as door- steps by his granddaughter, Candice Beals Barker. John Beals was one of the first Friends to settle in this county and became one of the founders - of the Friends church at Westfield, and always took an active interest in the church. He died on the farm which he had entered August 5, 1848, his second wife having died in 1846. To the first marriage of John Beals were born the following children: Nathan C., born September 3, 1789, at Lost Creek, Tennessee, married Elizabeth Chew, November 11, 1820; Thomas.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 69

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

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