History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 81

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

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Ambrose Anderson was about six years of age when his parents located in Hamilton county in 1833. consequently he grew to manhood in this county. For several years he assisted his father in operating the com- bination saw and grist mill on Stony Creek near their home, traces of the old race being still discernible. Still later in life Ambrose Anderson en- gaged.in carpenter work and helped to build many of the houses and barns in this and Madison county. About 1857 he gave up carpentering as a regu- lar occupation, bought a farm in White River township, and there made his home until death in 1904. His wife, Micah McClintick, who died in 1906, was the daughter of Andrew McClintick, whose father's name also was An- drew. The first Andrew McClintick came from County Cork, Ireland.

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Mrs. Anderson's father resided in Madison county, settling there early in its history. Later he moved into White River township, Hamilton county, and entered government land. He was active in public affairs here as early as 1824, and continued to be a leading member of his community until his death. Ambrose Anderson and his wife reared a family of seven children, Orville, John, Nannie, Sallie, Florence, Samuel S. and Mrs. May Gentry. Orville, Nannie and Florence are deceased, and the other four children are still living.

John W. Anderson received a good, common school education and for two years taught subscription schools in Wayne township for the benefit of the children of the neighborhood. He remained at home until his marriage, when he began farming for himself on the place where he is now living in section 17, Wayne township, and has so improved his farm as to render it one of the most productive farms of the township. He started in with forty acres and now owns one hundred and five and a half acres, most of which is the fruit of his own hard labor. He has a handsome country home and large and commodious barns so that he is well able to carry on successful farming.

Mr. Anderson was married in February, 1899, to Lydia A. Gibbs, the daughter of Albert and Martha (Riggs) Gibbs. Mrs. Anderson was born in Clermont county, Ohio, and came here with her parents about 1868, and located one mile north of Lapel, in Madison county. During her residence in Madison county she taught subscription schools for two years. In 1869 the Gibbs family moved into Hamilton county and settled in Wayne town- ship, where they lived until 1904, in which year Mr. Gibbs and his wife went to Lovejoy, Georgia, where Mrs. Gibbs died in the spring of 1910, and Mr. Gibbs in the fall of 1911.

Mr. Anderson and his wife are the parents of four children, Oren, Harold, Shirley and Elma, all of whom are being given or have received the best education obtainable in Indiana. Oren attended the home schools and was graduated from the Lapel high school in 1908, after which he taught school in Wayne township for two terms and then entered Purdue Uni- versity, from which institution he was graduated in June, 1914, after having taken the four-year course, and is now a teacher in the university. Harold was graduated from the Lapel high school with the class of 1914 and is now taking the course at Purdue University. Shirley also was graduated from the Lapel high school with the class of 1914 and is now taking the course at DePauw University. Elma, having finished the grade school course in her home township is now attending the Lapel high school. The

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family are all consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and deeply interested in the various phases of its activities. Politically, Mr. Anderson is a Democrat and while interested in good government, has never taken an active part in political affairs. He is a man of kindly disposition, honest and thoroughly trustworthy and held in high esteem by all who know him. He is thoroughly up to date in his agricultural methods and by the use of sound judgment and common sense he has achieved a measure ot success that is creditable to him. He has so conducted his daily life in the community where he has lived so many years as to command the favorable attention of his fellow citizens.

WILLIAM EDGAR FORD.

The first members of the Ford family located in Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1831, at a time when the greater portion of this county was still covered with a dense forest. They entered government land, cleared the primitive forests, drained the swamps and laid the foundation for a fine farm. The father of William Edgar Ford, whose history is here recorded, at one time owned six hundred and eighty acres of land in Hamilton and Madison counties, and for many years was one of the largest farmers of the county. When the family came here in the thirties, deer and bears were to be found roaming the woods, and Mr. Ford's father had no difficulty in supplying the family with fresh meat at all times of the year. The Indians were still here and roaming bands of the red men were frequent visitors at the Ford fireside.

William Edgar Ford, the son of James and Sarah (Busby) Ford, was born in the northeastern part of Wayne township, Hamilton county, In- diana, July 26, 1864. His father was born at Dover, Maryland, in 1827, and was one of ten children born to his parents. When about four years of age James Ford came with his parents from Maryland to Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indiana, and here he lived the remainder of his life.

James Ford was twice married, his first wife being Miss McAnaly, and to this first union three children were born, two of whom died in infancy. A daughter, Mollie, now deceased, grew to womanhood and married Marion Aldred, of Noblesville. The second wife of James Ford was Sarah Busby, who was born near Lowell. West Virginia, the daughter of Thomas Busby. The Busbys came to Hamilton county about 1830, and located near Lapel,

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where they lived the remainder of their lives. After James Ford's second marriage he went to Homestead county, Minnesota, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land and bought an additional one hundred and twenty acres. He lived in that state for about four years, and then returned to Hamilton county, Indiana, and bought out the rest of the heirs of the old home place, and lived there the rest of his life. He made one or two trips back to his old home in Maryland, the last trip being about 1878, and also made several trips to his land in Minnesota. He was an extensive land owner, but had given his children considerable land before his death, although he still owned three hundred and sixty acres in this county and Madison county, when he died. In addition to his large farming interests Mr. Ford for several years owned and operated the flour mill at Lapel, which he bought in 1893. After several years of successful operation of this mill he leased the same and then after several years sold it. This mill was de- stroyed by fire in 1904.

James Ford and his wife first belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, but when the United Brethren built a church at Lapel, they joined that denomination, and gave it their enthusiastic support. Four children were born to James Ford and wife: Addie, who died in 1871, at the age of twenty-one; Ella, the wife of L. L. King, of Lapel; James Thomas, of Pen- dleton, and William Edgar.

The education of William E. Ford was received in the district schools of Wayne township and Fishersburg, and his early boyhood was spent on the home farm. After his marriage in 1894 he began to farm where he is now living and has spent all of his married life on the same farm. He has a well improved farm of ninety-six acres and has all of the modern ma- chinery necessary for successful farming.

William E. Ford has been twice married. He was first married in 1894 to Sarah White, who was born near Mt. Comfort, Hancock county, In- diana, the daughter of William and Delilah White, and to this union two children were born, James William and Frances Ellen, both of whom are still living with their father. The first wife of Mr. Ford died in May, 1904, and in July, 1905, he was married to Miss Mary Lee Montgomery, who was born and reared near Westfield, this county, the daughter of Richard and Matilda (Wright) Montgomery. Richard Montgomery came from Guil- ford county, North Carolina, when he was six years of age with his parents, Joab and Mary Montgomery, and located near Carmel. Matilda Wright was born in Howard county. Indiana. the daughter of Jonathan and Jane Wright. who had come from North Carolina to Randolph county, Indiana,

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and later to Howard county. Both Mrs. Ford's parents are now living at Lapel. Her father was formerly a carpenter, but for the past fifteen years has followed the painter's trade. Mr. Ford and his wife have one son, Richard, who was born October 7, 1906. The family are members of the Friends church at Lapel and Mr. Ford is a supporter of the Republican party.

OLIVER MORTON STUBBS.

The Stubbs family have been prominently connected with the history of Hamilton county, Indiana, for more than thirty years, and during that time have been interested in every phase of the county's development. Oliver Morton Stubbs, one of the sterling representatives of this family, is now a substantial farmer in Wayne township. He is a quiet and unassum- ing man who attends strictly to his own affairs, and by diligence and good management has accumulated a comfortable competence for himself and family.

Oliver Morton Stubbs, the son of Leonidas and Charlotte (Cushing) Stubbs, was born March 10, 1870, in Shelby county, Indiana. His father was born April 22, 1847, in the same county, the son of Elza and Zephaniah (King) Stubbs. Leonidas Stubbs was married October 6, 1868, to Char- lotte W. Cushing, the daughter of John and Hannah (Watson) Cushing. The wife of Mr. Stubbs was born at Scotch Plains, New Jersey, August 4, 1850, and came to Shelby county, Indiana, with her parents when a small girl. Leonidas Stubbs farmed in Shelby county until 1883, when he came to Hamilton county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in part- nership with his brother in Wayne township. In 1899 he bought out his brother's interest in this farm and continued to farm the one hundred and sixty acres until his death June 3, 1908. His widow lived on the farm until November, 1913, when she moved to Noblesville, where she is now living.

Three children were born to Leonidas Stubbs and wife: Oliver Mor- ton, Minnie A. and John Z. Minnie A. is the wife of Francis M. Mussel- man, whose biography is presented elsewhere in this volume. John married Gertrude Ware, and has two children, Leonidas J. and George Gerald.

Oliver Morton Stubbs received his early education in the schools of his native county and completed it in Hamilton county. He was thirteen years of age when his parents moved to this county and settled in Wayne township, and he has lived all of his life since that time within the limits

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of this county. After his marriage Mr. Stubbs worked by the month for his uncle, Judge George W. Stubbs, who owned a farm in Noblesville and Wayne townships. After working for his uncle for one year he moved to the Peter Glosser farm north of Noblesville, where he lived for a year and a half, and then moved back to the home place, where he remained a year, after which he rented a farm of Francis Musselman for two years. Then Leonidas Stubbs bought a forty-acre farm a' short distance south of the old home place and Oliver M. Stubbs lived on this place for two years, after which he moved back to the old home farm, where he has since resided. He has a cider mill which gives him employment for a month or two every fall.

Mr. Stubbs was married in 1892 to Louisiana Johnson, who was a native of Decatur county, Indiana, and is the daughter of John T. and Mahala A. (Wheeldon) Johnson. Her parents were born in Decatur county, and moved to Tipton county, this state, in 1873, when Mrs. Stubbs was about six months old. They lived there until she was about two years old and then located in Hamilton county, about two and one-half miles from Nobles- ville. On this farm Mrs. Stubbs grew to womanhood and here her mother died November 19, 1899. Her father later married Mrs. Mary Roberts, the widow of Henry Roberts, and now lives in Noblesville. Mr. Stubbs and his wife are the parents of three sons: Leslie Morton, born October 27, 1892; Walter Mahlon, born July 2, 1895, and Leonard, born July 26, 1897. Mr. and Mrs. Stubbs are devoted members of the Christian church and Mr. Stubbs is a stanch Republican.

WILLIAM MALES.

A prominent farmer of Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indiana, is William Males, who is a native of Madison county, but has lived in this county since 1867. Mr. Males is a fine type of the American citizen and while attending primarily to his own interests, has not been neglectful of his duties as a member of the commonwealth, and has never failed to give his support to all public-spirited measures.

William Males, the son of Joel and Mary (Sloan) Males, was born in Madison county. Indiana, two and one-half miles north of Lapel, January 26, 1863. His father, who was the son of Joseph and Frances (White) Males, was born in the same neighborhood in 1837. Joseph Males was a native of Kentucky, who came to Indiana when a young man and, accord-

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ing to the best evidence the family has, was married in Fayette county, In- diana. He and his family were early settlers in Madison county, and he started to work in that county at six dollars a month. He and his wife were very economical and were soon able to purchase a farm of goodly propor- tions in Madison county about two and one-half miles from Lapel, and on this farm Joseph Males and his wife spent the remainder of their days.

Joel Males was reared in the pioneer days when hard work was the lot of every country lad. He grew to manhood and married Mary Sloan, who was born in his neighborhood. She was the daughter of John and Miriam (Busby) Sloan. Her father was reared by Billy Busby, and grew to man- hood in Indiana. John Sloan died when Mary, the wife of Joel Males, was six years of age. This was about the year 1845, and his widow survived him many years, not passing away until in April, 1893. Mary Sloan grew to womanhood on the farm where she was born and lived there until her mar- riage to Joel Males.

After their marriage Joel Males and his wife farmed on the Sloan home- stead until his death in October, 1865. His widow then sold the farm and lived for a year at Fisherburg. In September, 1867, she came to Hamilton county, and bought a farm of eighty acres in the northern part of Wayne township, and moved there in the fall of that year with her son, William, the immediate subject of this review, and daughter, Avaline, the latter of whom died at the age of seventeen. In the fall of 1893, Mrs. Males, the mother of William, bought eighty additional acres of land and in 1902 she erected two substantial houses on her farm, one for herself and one for her son, William, and each of them moved into their respective homes on the same day.

William Males was five years of age when his widowed mother came to Hamilton county and settled in Wayne township, and consequently all of his education was received in the schools of this county. He grew to man- hood and when twenty years of age was married and continued to live on his mother's farm. He is now farming the one hundred and sixty acres which his mother purchased in this county, in Wayne township, and has placed many improvements upon it.

William Males was married in October, 1882, to Sophia Sinders, who is a native of Hamilton county, the daughter of Andrew and Mary (Kashner) Sinders. Although she was born in this county she was reared in Owen county, Indiana. returning to this county upon reaching womanhood. The first wife of Mr. Males died in September, 1891, leaving her husband with four children, Harvey, Stephen, Jessie and Stella. Harvey married Maude

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McDonald. and lives with his grandmother, Mrs. Joel Males, and has three children, John Francis, Catherine and Esther. Stephen married Elsie Walker, and lives in the northern part of Wayne township, and has three children, Lorrain, Edgar and Robert. Jessie is the wife of Ollie Mussel- man, and lives in the southern part of Wayne township. They have four children, Alma, Harry, Eva and Ruth. Stella, the youngest of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. William Males, married Walter Conant, and lives in Noblesville, and has two children, Pauline and Lewis.

In March, 1893, Mr. Males was married a second time to Mrs. Artlissa (Reddick ) Teeters, the widow of Luther Teeters. She was born in Wayne township, and was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Reddick. She had two children by her first marriage, Charles and Della, and to her union .with Mr. Males were born six children, Lonnie, Mary, Lucy, William, Fred and Russell. The second wife of Mr. Males died October 24, 1913.

Mr. Males was a Democrat until 1896, since which time he has been affiliated with the Republican party. He has never been inclined to take an active part in political affairs, although he gives his hearty support to all measures which have for their purpose the bettering of his community. He is a member of the Baptist church. Personally, he is a genial, whole-souled man, whose actions have commended him to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.

JOHN B. SIMMERMON.

A highly respected family of Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indi- ana, is that of John B. Simmermon, who resides in that township with his wife and five interesting children. He has spent his entire life in this town- ship, where he was born, and is universally recognized as a good citizen and a man who measures up to the highest type of American manhood. He and his wife are both well educated people and have taken a great deal of inter- est in the rearing of their children.

John B. Simmermon, the son of John Sullivan and Margaret J. (Castor) Simmermon, was born April 3. 1875, in Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indiana. The interesting biography of his father is given elsewhere in this volume, and the reader is referred to it for further information regarding the Simmermon family.

John B. Simmermon attended the district schools of his township and graduated from the common school June 17. 1893, with a class of seventeen

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graduates. Later he entered high school, but before graduating was com- pelled to leave school and start to work. After his marriage in 1898, Mr. Simmermon started farming for himself on the farm where he is now living in Wayne township. He has one hundred and thirty-seven and one-half acres of excellent farming land and is one of the most progressive farm- ers of his township. He raises hogs and cattle and usually feeds about one hundred and fifty hogs for the market annually, together with a car load of cattle. In addition to raising cattle, he also buys and ships cattle from the neighborhood in which he lives. He is a good business man and has the foresight and judgment to make a success of any venture to which he turns his attention.

Mr. Simmermon was married November 17, 1898, to Clemma A. Hast- ings, who was born in Hancock county, Indiana, February 1, 1877, and is the daughter of David and Mary Elma ( Reece ). Hastings: Her father was born and reared in Rush county, Indiana, near the Hancock county line, the son of Daniel and Keziah (Brown) Hastings. Mary Elma Reece, the mother of Mrs. Simmermon, was born in Hancock county, near where David Hast- ings was reared. She was the daughter of John and Gulielma (Dennis) Reece. Gulielma Dennis was born near Newcastle, in Henry county, Indi- ana, was married there and after her marriage she and her husband, John Reece, bought wild land in Hancock county. Daniel Hastings, who was born in Indiana when it was yet a territory, and his wife Keziah, who was a native of Preble county, Ohio, made their home in Rush county until old age, and spent their last years near Newberg, Oregon, where Mr. Hastings was interested in a bank. The Hastings family were all Quakers and during the ante-bellum days in Indiana, helped in the operation of the famous "Under- ground Railway."

Mrs. Simmermon lived in Rush county until she was sixteen years of age, and then moved with her parents to Hancock county. She attended the schools at Knightstown, Indiana, for a time and finally graduated from the high school at Greenfield, Indiana, May 31, 1898. Mr. Simmermon and his wife are the parents of five children, Neva M., born February 18, 1900; Alma I ... born December 18, 1901 ; Sewell D., born January 29, 1904; John Elbert, born September 2, 1906, and Mary Elma, born July 8, 1909. The oldest daughter, Neva M., is now a sophomore in the high school at Nobles- ville.

Mr. Simmermon is an active worker in the Republican party, but has never been an aspirant for public office. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. while his wife is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist

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church. Mrs. Simmermon was a Quaker by birthright, but became a mem- ber of the Methodist church after her marriage. She is a woman of refine- ment and social graces, and is deeply devoted to her home duties. Mr. Simmermon is a man of strong character and deep convictions and is emi- nently worthy of a mention among the representative men of his county.

CHRISTIAN D. ZIMMER.

Conspicious among the representative men and public-spirited citizens of Hamilton county is Christian D. Zimmer, a prosperous farmer of Nobles- ville township. He has made his influence felt for good in his community, being a man of sterling worth, whose life has been closely interwoven with the history of his township and county. He has ever been interested in all efforts to advance the material, moral, intellectual and social welfare of his community, and has thereby gained the respect and admiration of all his fellow citizens.

Christian D. Zimmer, the son of Christian H. and Mary K. (Deitrich) Zimmer, was born July 17, 1853, in the state of Pennslyvania. His parents were both born in the same state and came to Indiana and settled in Wayne county in 1857. A few years later they moved to Hamilton county and lo- cated in Noblesville, where the mother died April 9, 1879, and the father passed away July 15, 1908. Mr. Zimmer has fine pictures of his parents, which were taken in 1857 and which are highly valued by him. To Chris- tian H. Zimmer and wife were born six children: Christian D., with whom this narrative deals; Henry D., deceased; George D., a harness maker of Indianapolis; Mrs. Alvina Coffin, of Indianapolis; Mrs. Mattie Judd, whose husband is a farmer in this county, and Mrs. Mary Slater, of Indianapolis.

Christian D. Zimmer was only three years old when his parents moved from Pennsylvania to Wayne county, Indiana, and was just of school age when they permanently located in this county. He received all of his school- ing in the district school, which was about half a mile from his father's house. In accordance with the custom of those days, he spent all of his summer vaca- tions upon his father's farm, and in that way acquired an intimate knowledge of all phases of agriculture before he left the parental roof. He now has eighty acres, all of which he has acquired by his individual efforts with the exception of twenty acres which his wife received from her father's estate. He has carried on general farming and kept as much stock as he could feed from his own farm. He keeps well informed on the latest methods of scien-

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tific agriculture, and does not hestitate to adopt the most approved ideas when convinced that they are superior to the ones he has been using.

Mr. Zimmer married, January 25, 1874, Margaret Roquey, the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Bengl) Roquey, both of whom were natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Zimmer have been born five children: Lora, the wife of M. H. Davis, a farmer of this county ; Mrs. Katie Bell, of Nobles- ville township, who married secondly C. H. Scarce; Frederick R., who mar- ried Elsie Smith, and lives in Noblesville; Gerald P., who married Lora Fisher, and lives in Indianapolis; Harlan F., who is now a junior in the high school at Noblesville.

In politics, Mr. Zimmer is a stanch Prohibitionist, having cast his for- tunes with the new party upon its organization in the summer of 1886. Re- ligiously, he and his family are loyal members of the English Lutheran church, and contribute freely of their means to its support. Mr. Zimmer is a stockholder and director in the Hamilton County Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. During his whole life in this county he has so conducted himself as to win the hearty approval of all with whom he is associated in any way.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 81

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

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