History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 90

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 90

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Harry E. King, a prosperous tailor of Carmel. Indiana, was born in Noblesville, July 29, 1874, the son of Joseph E. and Francis J. (Rooker) King. Joseph E. King was born in Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, and came to Indiana with his parents when he was about fourteen years of age. Joseph E. King was the son of Elijah and Harriett ( Holmes) King. Mr. King owned the first store in Carmel and continued in the mercantile business until his death, after which his son Frank continued in the management of the store. When Joseph E. King was twenty-one years of age, he also started a store in Carmel and was in the mercantile business until his death in 1882. Elijah King was born in London. of mixed Scotch and Jewish parentage. He came to the United States about 1818, when a small child, with his parents.

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The mother of Harry E. King, Frances J. Rooker, was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Stipp) Rooker. She is at present the oldest continu- ous resident of Carmel. Samuel Rooker was the son of William D. Rooker and Phoebe (Iddins) Rooker, who were both natives of London, England. but married in this country. William Rooker came to Hamilton county in 1830, and built a small grist mill on Cool creek and later erected a saw mill there which he operated for many years. He entered six hundred and forty acres of land in Delaware township near where White Chapel now stands. He was a sincere and devoted Christian and for many years labored as a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church, preaching in houses or in the open air wherever the people would .congregate. He was the founder of the White Chapel church, which has had a continuous existence of nearly seventy-five years. He was a colonel in the Revolutionary . War under Gen- eral Lafayette, and made a proud record in that conflict.

Joseph E. King, the father of Harry E. King whose history is here re- lated, was one of four children born to Elijah and Harriett ( Holmes) King. He attended the common schools and assisted his father in the store at Carmel. Upon his marriage he started into the business for himself at Carmel, and was a successful merchant there all of his life. Joseph E. and Francis J. (Rooker) King were the parents of four children : Charles, Fan- nie, Nora and Harry E. with whom this narrative deals.

Harry E. King was only eight years of age when his father died. He attended the public schools of Carmel and after leaving school went to Indi- anapolis to learn the tailor's trade. After serving his apprenticeship he became a journeyman tailor and for eight years worked in various cities throughout the eastern and central states. In 1900, when he was twenty-six years of age he came to Carmel and opened a tailor shop and has continued to follow his vocation in this town since that time. During the months of January and February, and July and August he travels for a large manu- facturing concern in Philadelphia. He covers all the large cities south of the Mason and Dixon line and has proved remarkably successful as a salesman. He has built up a large business for a town the size of Carmel and by the excellence of his work has won the confidence of a high class of patrons.

Mr. King was married September 3, 1898 to Rilla Ballard, daughter of Charles and Josephine ( Rayle) Ballard, who was born in Thorntown, Boone county, Indiana. To this union was born one daughter, Helen, who is now in the school of her home town. Mrs. King died August 29, 1905, and since her death Mr. King and his daughter Helen have lived with his mother, Mrs. Joseph F. King.

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Mr. King is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and has the distinction of being the first of the King family to belong to a lodge of any kind. He is a man of upright character, a kind neighbor and a true Amer- ican citizen. His life has been full of diligence which has brought success.

ISAAC NEWTON BEESON.

The following is a brief sketch of the life of one who, by close attention to business, has achieved marked success in business and risen to an honor- able position among the enterprising men of the county with which his in- terests are identified. It is a plain record, rendered remarkable by no strange or mysterious adventure, no wonderful and lucky accident and no tragic sit- uation. Mr. Beeson is one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personaliy must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never would seek, who command the respect of their contem- poraries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they live.

Isaac Newton Beeson, the proprietor of a prosperous meat market in Carmel, Indiana, was born in this county three and one-half miles northwest of Carmel, April 15, 1853. He is the son of Isaac N. and Sarah (Gibson) Beeson, both of whom were natives of this state. Isaac N. Beeson was born near Winchester, Randolph county, while his wife was a native of Clay township in this county. The early ancestoral history of the Beeson family has been traced back to the eighteenth century, when four brothers came to this country from England. It is said that these brothers agreed to name the first son born to each Isaac Newton, which accounts for there being so many men of this name in the family. The first Isaac Newton was born in North Carolina, and was a member of the Society of Friends. He was greatly opposed to the institution of human slavery and when a young man sold out everything he had at a great loss and started for a state where the institution was not lawful. Accordingly he came to Indiana, where he made his home for the remainder of his life. The father of . Isaac Newton, whose history is here presented, lived at home until he was about seventeen years of age and then came from his home in Hancock county to this county, where he helped to build the sawmill in the community at that time called Soccum. He was a carpenter by trade and helped to build a great many houses and barns in and around Carmel. He built the first covered bridge

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across White river at Broad Ripple, and he and .John Rayle built the old Masonic hall at Carmel, the first hall in the village.

Isaac N. Beeson, the father of Isaac N. Beeson, Jr., whose history is related subsequently in this connection, was married shortly after he came · to Hamilton county to Sarah Gibson. She died when Isaac Newton, Jr., was about one year old, leaving him and his sister Rachael Elma, who was only a few days old at the time of her mother's death. About six months later, Isaac Newton, Sr., married Phoebe Ann Harrold. To this union six children were born. His second wife died in April, 1867, and in the fall after her death Isaac Newton, Sr., married Eliza Sleeth, and to this mar- riage one child was born. This child was born after the death of Isaac New- ton, Sr., who died in the spring of 1871. Isaac N. Beeson, Sr., had a gal- lant Civil War record, having served more than four years in the conflict between the states. He was one of the seventeen men from Carmel who en- listed in the Fifth Regiment, Indiana Cavalry. In one battle he was taken prisoner after a hard fight, but would not have been captured then if his horse had not been killed under him.

Isaac Newton Beeson, the fourth of that name, and whose history is now presented, lived at home until his father's death in 1871. At that time he was seventeen years of age and was a young man with a good common- school education, a rugged constitution and a hearty willingness to work. His first work was in a tile factory. Here he worked for nine years, learning the business from every angle. He began contracting ditch work throughout the county and followed this occupation for about three years, after which he began the manufacture of tile, supervising tile factories for other parties. In the meantime he married and teamed and farmed for two years. He had a half interest in a tile factory at Bucktown, in Marion county, and main- tained his connection with this factory for about a year. During the next two years he made several changes, going to Hancock county, where he lived for a year. and to Spiceland, in Henry county. for two years. In 1885 Mr. Beeson returned to Carmel and engaged in the tile manufacturing business. In 1887 he bought an interest in the retail meat market in Carmel and shortly afterward bought the sole interest in the shop. He has had the active management of this meat market for the past twenty-seven years and has been very successful in business. In addition to his business in Carmel. Mr. Beeson has been largely identified with the stock-raising industry in this county. For twenty years he has been a trader of thoroughbred Perch- erons. Belgian and road horses. He is a frequent exhibitor at county and state fairs. In 1913 he won the grand champion prize at the Hamilton county fair with his Belgian horse, and in 1914 he won the grand champion

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prize over all breeds. At this latter event, we are informed, without dispute, that one of his competitors was a horse that had won a hundred and fifty first prizes at state fairs.

Mr. Beeson was married November 10, 1878, to Ida Bell Graves, daugh- ter of Edmund and Phoebe (Byres) Graves, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana. Edmund Graves was a native of New York state and his wife was a native of Wayne county in this state. Mrs. Beeson came to this county with her parents when she was six years of age. Edmund Graves settled in Carmel and bought an interest in the sawmill which Isaac N. Beeson, Sr., helped to build. Later Mr. Graves purchased forty acres of land near Car- mel and within a few years traded it for seventy acres in another location. Mr. Graves purchased property at Carmel, November 10, 1898, and lived there until his death, December 19, 1912. He was eighty-six years of age at the time of his death.

Mr. and Mrs. Beeson are the parents of three daughters: Mary Eliza- beth, Phoebe Maude and Claudia. Mary Elizabeth married Mervin Stanton, who works for the Monon railroad, and lives at Lafayette, Indiana. They have one daughter, Ida Alice. Phoebe Maude is the wife of Frank Sink, a farmer living near Findlay, Ohio. Claudia, the youngest daughter, married Bernie Mills and lives at Noblesville.

Mr. Beeson is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and takes a deep interest in the work of these fra- ternal organizations. Being very much interested in the raising of thorough- bred horses, he is a member of the State and Hamilton County Horse Breed- ers' Association. He enjoys a high reputation for uprightness and strength of character such as distinguishes the sons of this state. Not alone for these admirable qualities is he known, but also for those deeds which go to make him a genial and loyal companion wherever he goes.

GEORGE W. HINSHAW.

The history of the Hoosier state dates from December 11, 1816. It is the record of the steady growth of a community planted in the wilderness in the last century and reaching its magnitude of today without aids other than those of industry. Each county has its share in the story, and every county can lay claim to some incident or transaction which goes to make up the history of the commonwealth. After all, the history of a state is but a rec- ord of the doings of its people, among whom pioneers and the sturdy de-

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scendants thereof occupy places of no secondary importance. The story of the plain common people who constitute the moral bone and sinew of the state ever should attract the attention and prove of interest to all true lovers of their kind. In the life story of George W. Hinshaw, there are no strik- ing chapters or startling incidents, it being merely the record of a life true to its highest ideals and fraught with much that should stimulate the youth just starting in the world as an independent factor.

George W. Hinshaw, the son of Enos and Martha (Haines) Hinshaw, was born three and one-half miles northwest of Carmel January 10, 1861. Enos Hinshaw was born in Hamliton county June 12, 1834, and his wife was born in Kentucky December 6, 1834. She came to Indiana with her parents, James F. and Margaret (Ruddell) Haines, when she was about one year of age. The Haines (or Hinshaw) family purchased a farm where George W. Hinshaw now lives, two miles west of Carmel.

Enos Hinshaw, the father of George W. Hinshaw, whose history is recorded here, was the son of Stephen and Elma ( Hoover) Hinshaw. They were natives of North Carolina, coming to Indiana in 1830. They first set- tled at Richmond, in Wayne county, and three years later came to Hamilton county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They entered one hundred and sixty acres of land northwest of Carmel. Stephen Hinshaw was the son of Thomas and Rebecca (Holliday) Hinshaw. Thomas Hin- shaw was born August 21, 1764, in Ireland, and on coming to the United States settled in North Carolina, where he followed the occupation of weav- ing. His wife, Rebecca Holliday, was born in North Carolina, of Irish parentage. Enos Hinshaw lived on the old home place in this county until he was married, January 25, 1859, when he moved to another farm about three-fourths of a mile northwest of the home place. On this farm all of his children were born. Enos Hinshaw and wife were the parents of eight children : George W., the immediate subject of this review : Clara A., Ettie M., Jennie M., James T., Mary E. and Albert W. and Willard A., twins. Mary and Albert died in infancy. James F. Haines, the maternal grandfather of George W. Hinshaw, was born in Virginia October 1, 1808, the son of Henry and Hannah ( Blankenbigger) Haines. Henry Haines and his wife were both born in Germany and came to this country, settling in Virginia. James F. Haines moved to Kentucky from Virginia, where he lived a few years, and then, about 1836, moved to Hamilton county, Indiana. The wife of James F. Haines, Margaret Ruddell, was born November 5, 1796. in Tennessee. They were married in 1833 in Kentucky and in that state Martha, the wife of Enos Hinshaw, was born.

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George W. Hinshaw received a good common-school education in the schools of his neighborhood and continued to reside at home until 1886, when he went to live with his grandfather, James F. Haines. Following his grandfather's death, March 25, 1889, he managed the farm for his aunt until her death, December 24, 1911, at which time he came into possession of the farm. Mr. Hinshaw had previously purchased forty acres and with the one hundred and twenty acres which were left him by his aunt he now has one hundred and sixty acres of fine farming land in Clay township. He is making a specialty of the dairy business and raises enough grain to feed his stock. He is a progressive farmer and takes great pleasure in keeping his farm in attractive condition.

Mr. Hinshaw was married September 4, 1895, to Nellie Moore, the daughter of Samuel and Phoebe Moore, natives of Hamilton county. Mrs. Hinshaw died November 11, 1898, leaving one son, Glenn R., who was born March 8, 1898. Mr. Hinshaw was married a second time on November 28, 1901, to Hannah Head, the daughter of James and Nancy J. (White) Head, who was born August 11, 1877, three and one-half miles southeast of West- field. James Head was born in North Carolina on April 18, 1844, and his wife was born in Hamilton county, the daughter of Samuel Stevenson and Ida (Farley) White. Samuel White was a native of Ohio and his wife, the daughter of James F. Farley and wife, was born in Hamilton county. James Head was the son of Anthony and Nancy ( Johnson) Head. He spent three years in the Civil War, in Company B, Second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. He was taken prisoner once, but was exchanged instead of being thrown into prison. He also had two brothers who fought through the war.

Mr. and Mrs. Hinshaw have five children, three of whom are living: Blanche, born December 31, 1902; Raymond, born March 8, 1910; Clifford K., born September 16, 1911. There were two, Mark and Ralph, who died in their infancy. Ralph was born August 27, 1907, and Mark was born July 13, 1908. Glenn, the son of Mr. Hinshaw by his first marriage, is now in the high school at Carmel.

Mr. Hinshaw is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his wife is a member of the Friends church and is very deeply interested in the activities of her denomination. Mr. Hinshaw's particular hobby is the camera, and he takes a great deal of delight in making frequent pictures of his children. He is a man of domestic tastes and is never happier than when he is sitting by his fireside surrounded by his family. He is a man who has a host of friends throughout this section of the country, who admire him for his clean and wholesome life.

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PROF. JOHN F. HAINES.

After one has been born in a community and has spent most of his life in that community ; after he has participated in political affairs and the public has had a fair chance to measure his worth, it is a splendid tribute to be honored again and again by the same, ever observing public. Prof. John F. Haines. having risen to a position of large responsibility in the Nobles- ville schools is just now completing fourteen years as superintendent of the Hamilton county schools. In his long tenure as superintendent of the Ham- ilton county schools, Professor Haines has worked untiringly to raise the standard of these schools. His efforts have been crowned with a large meas- ure of success. The reputation of Professor Haines extends far beyond the boundaries of Hamilton county. He is widely known throughout the state of Indiana as one of its leading educators and for many years has been a prominent figure in the educational associations, not only in Indiana but in other states and in the country as a whole. His private and personal success in business is scarcely less recognized than his success as a pro- fessional man and educator.

Professor Haines has lived in Hamilton county practically all of his life, having been born here a quarter of a mile from Gray, December I, 1856, the son of Levi A. and Rebecca C. (Puckett) Haines, natives of Columbiana county, Ohio, and of Terre Haute, Indiana, respectively. They were early settlers in Hamilton county, where Levi Haines worked as a car- penter. He owned a farm near Gray, where he reared his family of five children.

Levi Haines comes from a long line of Quaker ancestors. Richard Haines and Margaret. his wife, were converted under the preaching of George Fox. They sailed from England on the 23d of April, 1682, for America. Their second son, Richard. married Mary Carlisle, an Indian maiden. Their eldest son, Carlisle, married Sarah Matlock. Their eleventh son. Levi, married Elizabeth Andris, and their eighth son, Levi, was the father of Levi A. Haines, his mother being Sarah ( Hatcher) Haines.

Levi A. Haines was born January 16. 1826. He was one of the self- made men of Hamilton county, where he spent most of his life. His father, Levi Haines, Sr., removed to northern Iowa in 1858 and lived on a farm until his death, in 1868, at the age of seventy-five years. Levi Haines, Jr .. the father of Prof. John F., was married to Rebecca Puckett, the daughter of Daniel and Rebecca (Cook) Puckett. Their five children, who grew to

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JOIIN F. HAINES AND FAMILY

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BIRTHPLACE OF JOHN F. HAINES, NEAR GRAY. IND.

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maturity, were: Sarah, the wife of William Starn, of Gray; Oliver M., of Carmel ; John F., of Noblesville; Edwin A., deceased, and Frank A., a drug- gist in Noblesville. Levi was a life-long Republican, having named his first son for Oliver P. Morton and his second son for John C. Fremont. Levi and Rebecca were married according to the custom of the Friends, he writing his own marriage certificate. They were the second couple married in the old Richland Meeting house. They always remained true to the Friends church and all their children are members to this day.

Rebecca C. Haines was born at Terre Haute, Indiana, February 28, 1829. Her mother died soon after the birth of her child. When Rebecca was eight days old the father started on horseback to Carmel, Indiana, carry- ing the infant Rebecca in a large silk handkerchief swung under his arm. On the way the horse fell, breaking its neck, but the father and child escaped injury. She died March 14, 1909. at the age of eighty years- the first death that had occurred in the family for fifty-seven years. Her husband died the roth of the following July. aged eighty-three.

Prof. John F. Haines was reared on his father's farm near Gray and attended the public schools. Still later he attended the high school at Car- mel, and was graduated from the Valparaiso, Indiana, Normal School with the class of 1880 and from Indiana University in 1896. He began teaching as long ago as 1876. He taught during the winter and attended school in the meantime, paying his way through college. Later he was principal of the public school at Carmel and superintendent of the Sheridan schools. He then came to Noblesville as principal of the Noblesville high school, which position he held for two years. Later he was elected superintendent of the Noblesville city schools and held this position fourteen years. He is now serving his fourteenth year as county superintendent of the Hamilton county schools. His record in this office has been one of the most conspicuous and brilliant in the whole history of Hamilton county.

On June 22, 1898, Professor Haines was married to Jennie Elliott, the daughter of Rev. Charles K. and Persis (Barter) Elliott. Two children have been born to this union, Dorothy P. and John Elliott. Mrs. Haines was born at Ballinasloe, Ireland, July 24. 1877, and her parents were also natives of Ireland. but were of English descent. Their ancestors came to Ireland from Cornwall in the time of Cromwell. The family of Mrs. Haines removed to America when she was five years old.

Professor Haines owns the old home farm which formerly belonged to his father. It is situated near Gray and contains eighty acres of well-im-

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proved land. He is vice-president and a director of the First National Bank of Noblesville and also treasurer and a director of the Noblesville Water Company.

Professor Haines and wife belong to the Friends church. In politics, he is a Republican. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and is also a charter member of the Shakespeare Club.

Not only has Professor Haines been a leader in educational, political and financial movements in Noblesville and Hamilton county, but he and his wife are extremely popular socially. Both are ardently devoted to the big things in life and are universally admired and respected.

GILBERT GRAY.

The history of the loyal sons and representative citizens of Hamilton county would not be complete if the name that heads this review were omitted. When the fierce fire of rebellion was raging throughout the south- land threatening to destroy the Union, he responded with patriotic fervor to the call for volunteers and in some of the bloodiest battles for which that great war was noted, proved his loyalty to the government he loved so well. Dur- ing a useful life in the region where he lives he has labored diligently to promote the interests of the people, working earnestly and with little regard for his personal advancement or ease. He has been devoted to the public welfare and in all of his relations his highest ambitions have been to benefit the community and advance its standard of citizenship.

Gilbert Gray, son of Joseph C. and Mary Jane (Wicker) Gray, was born in North Carolina, February 22, 1844. His parents were both natives of North Carolina and came to Indiana in 1856. Joseph C. Gray was a saw- mill operator and at times followed the trade of a brick-maker. Upon arriving in Indiana, from his native state, he rented land until his wife's death in 1862. He then went to Minnesota where he entered eighty acres of land and lived there about seven years. He then disposed of his farm in Minnesota and returned to Carmel in this county where he bought prop- erty and lived until his death in April, 1877. Although he maintained his home in Carmel until his death he spent four years in Missouri after return- ing from Minnesota. Joseph Gray and wife were the parents of twelve children, two of whom died in infancy. The other children in the order of

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 90

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

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