History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 93

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 93

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Larkin M. Stultz was given a common school education in the district schools of this county and remained at home until his marriage assisting with the work on the farm. After his marriage in 1881, he continued to reside on his father's place for two years and then, in the fall of 1883, moved on to the old Harvey homestead, where he is still residing, he and his wife, being the possessors of a fine farm of one hundred and eighty-three acres, which is well improved in every respect and one of the most attractive farms in the county. He always has engaged in general farming and has been uniformly successful throughout the many years that he has been engaged in this time-honored occupation.

Mr. Stultz was married October 15, 1881, to Ludema Harvey, the daughter of William and Cinderella ( Beeson) Harvey. The reader is re- ferred to the biography of B. O. Harvey, found elsewhere in this volume for details concerning the Harvey family history. Mr. and Mrs. Stultz are the parents of two children, Glenn and Glenna. Glenn was born July 30, 1888, and married on October 24, 1911, to Opal Morris, and they have one child, Eugene R., born August 1, 1912; Glenna, the other child of Mr. and Mrs. Stultz, was born August 7, 1892, and died November 19, 1893.

The Republican party always has claimed the support of Mr. Stultz and he has been the recipient of many favors at the hands of his party, being chairman of the township committee at the present time. He was appointed by Governor J. Frank Hanly, in May, 1905, as a member of the State Board of Forestry and served on this board for four years. Fraternally he is a Mason, having attained to the Thirty-second degree, belonging to the Scottish Rite and the Shrine at Indianapolis. He holds membership in the Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 176, at Sheridan. Mr. Stultz and his wife are mem- bers of the Christian church and contribute generously of their means and time to its support. Mr. Stultz has attained to a definite degree of success in life because he has realized that in this age farming must be done along different lines than it has ever been done before in the history of the world, ·

Digitized by Google

919

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

and he has sought to find out everything possible regarding the most improved methods, being careful to accept those which were applicable to this soil and the climate and just as careful to discard those which were not. While de- voting himself to his own material interests, he has not neglected to take his part in the community life. and accordingly has interested himself in every measure which promised to benefit the community in which he lives.

WILLIAM RUSSELL SHANK.

William Russell Shank has made his home in Hamilton county, Indiana, since his marriage in 1884 and during the past thirty years has farmed with marked success in this county. He is a man of strong character and always has stood for those things which advance the community along moral, ma- terial, religious and educational lines.

William Russell Shank, the son of Benjamin and Margaret ( Hanthorn) Shank, was born at Milton, Wayne county, Indiana, March 11, 1850. His father was born at Walnut Level, in Wayne county, in 1824, and was the son of John Shank and wife. John Shank was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, and came to Indiana in early pioneer times. Benjamin Shank was reared to manhood in Wayne county, and married Margaret Hanthorn, who was born in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1846. She was the daugh- ter of John and Edith ( Pyle) Hanthorn.

The ancestral history of Edith (Pyle) Hanthorn, the maternal grand- mother of William Russell Shank, is very interesting and the family is for- tunate to possess the unbroken record of the family back to the time when the first members came to America from England and Wales. John Hanthorn, the maternal grandfather of William Russell Shank, was born July 6, 1796, and his wife, Edith Pyle, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, April 23, 1803, the daughter of Jacob and Mary ( Mendenhall) Pyle. Jacob Pyle was the son of Caleb Pyle, and was born in Thornbury township, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1775. Caleb Pyle was born in 1741, and was the son of Jacob and Jane (Sharpless) Pyle. Jane Sharpless was born in Middeltown, Pennsylvania, in 1718, and is the daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Lewis) Sharpless. Joseph Sharpless was born at Hatherton, Cheshire, Englind, in 1678, and died in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in 1767. Joseph Sharpless and Lydia Lewis were married in 1704 at the Haver- ford Friends Meeting. Lydia Lewis was born at Glamorganshire, Wales,

Digitized by Google

920

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

in 1683. Joseph Sharpless was the son of John Sharpless, who was de- scended from a family of distinction in England, which has been traced back as far as 1272. John Sharpless received the deed for his estate in Pennsyl- vania direct from William Penn himself, on May 29, 1684, and this estate which was located in Chester county, Pennsylvania, was the original home 'of William Russell Shank's maternal ancestors.

Benjamin Shank, the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, moved from Wayne county, Indiana, to Marion county, in the early fifties, and farmed there until about 188.4. In that year Benjamin Shank removed to Noblesville township, in Hamilton county, Indiana, and finally died in that township in May, 1889. He lived a part of the time in Wayne township after moving to this county, but spent most of his five years in Hamilton county in Noblesville township. The wife of Benjamin Shank died August 31, 1912. Benjamin Shank was a stanch Republican in politics, a loyal Methodist in religious belief, and a man who was highly respected in the com- munity where he lived. His wife was a member of the Baptist church. They were the parents of eight children: John, William Russell, Lewis, Charles, Edward, Nathan, Mrs. Olive Stahl and Missouri. The last named child died in infancy.

William Russell Shank remained at home until he was married in 1884. and then began farming in Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indiana, but two years later he moved to the farm where he is now living, and on which he has placed many improvements. He and his wife own eighty-seven and one-third acres, and their farm is one of the most attractive in the township. They have a large country home, a handsome lawn surrounding the house, and everything about the farm indicates the taste of the owner. Mr. Shank has devoted his attention to farming exclusively since his marriage. although he followed the butcher trade for a time in his younger days.

Mr. Shank was married March 5, 1884, to Mary C. Passwater. She was born on the old Passwater homestead in the western part of Wayne township in Hamilton county and is the sister of Enoch M. Passwater. whose biography is presented elsewhere in this volume. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shank: Margaret, who married Arthur Hosmer and has one child, Catherine, born in August. 1910, and Jacob.

Mr. Shank is a loyal member of the Progressive party, having left the Republican party in the summer of 1912 to cast his lot with the new party. While not a member of any church, he contributes liberally to the support of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which denomination his wife is a member.

Digitized by Google

921

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

JAMES D. CORBIN.

The farmer of the twentieth century faces conditions which his fore- fathers never dreamed of, and, if he is successful, must employ very differ- ent means to get results. The soil has lost its pristine fertility and crop ro- tation and fertilizing agents must be used to get good returns. The farmer of the forties did not need to know anything about the soil, but the same ignorance today would send a farmer to the poorhouse. And the farmers of today are keeping up with the times; they are sending their sons to Purdue; they are taking the best agricultural papers; they have the county agent; they have corn shows, exhibits at the county fairs and in a great variety of ways are keeping in close touch with modern tendencies in everything per- taining to their needs. Hamilton county is one of the most progressive counties in the state and her farmers are in as prosperous a condition as any in the state. Among the successful farmers who are helping to keep this county in the lead there is none more deserving of mention than James D. Corbin, of Washington township.

James D. Corbin, the son of John M. and Martha' ( Beaver ) Corbin, was born January 26, 1863, in the township where he has always made his home. His parents were natives of Kentucky and came to this county shortly after their marriage. They were the parents of seven children : Lucinda, the wife of William Smith; John, a resident of Noblesville; Mrs. Mattie Harvey, whose husband is a farmer in Boone county, Indiana; James D., whose life history is here presented; Mrs. Nancy Estil, Danville, Illinois ; Mrs. Sarah Mills, Boone county, Indiana, and Alfred, of Oklahoma. John M. Corbin died March 6, 1890, and his wife passed away February 5, 1900.

James 1). Corbin received a good common-school education, and, in ac- cordance with the custom of that day, spent his summer vacations on his father's farm. In this way he became thoroughly acquainted with every phase of farming, so that when he began to farm for himself he was a well trained, practical farmer. Early in life he determined to follow the occupa- tion of farming and his whole life has been spent in agricultural pursuits. He has been more than ordinarily successful, and now has a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he raises all of the crops adapted to the soil of this locality. He also keeps a high grade of live stock and has found this a profitable adjunct to his regular farming.

Mr. Corbin was married December 29, 1887, to Allie Smith, the daugh- ter of James M. and Sarah A. (Mower) Smith, natives of South Carolina and Hamilton county, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents

Digitized by Google

922

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

of five children : Mrs. Laura Dryer, Indianapolis; Sarah, the wife of Mr. Corbin; Mrs. Nettie Knox, Zionsville, Indiana; Charles, of Westfield, In- diana, and Walter, the manager of the elevator at Jollett, in this county. To Mr. and Mrs. Corbin have been born five children: Claude and Clare. twins, born September 5, 1892; Lucile, born December 21, 1894; Doyle, born February 28, 1897: Ina, born December 3, 1905. The three eldest children are in the high school at Westfield, while the other two are in the grade school. The father of Mrs. Corbin died February 11, 1875, and her mother is still living at the age of seventy-eight.

Mr. Corbin is affiliated with the Democratic party, but has never been active in its deliberations. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and his wife belongs to the Royal Neighbors of America. He and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are liberal supporters of its various activities. Mr. Corbin has a beautiful home, where he and his family dispense genuine hospitality to their many friends and acquaintances.

SIMEON E. CARPENTER.

The Carpenter family of Hamilton county, Indiana, represented by Simeon E. Carpenter, are of German ancestry, and have lived in America for several generations. The family name was originally "Zimmerman," but some branches of the family have Anglicized the old German name and call themselves "Carpenter." The difficulty in tracing the history of the various members of the original "Zimmerman" family is rendered more difficult for the reason that some of the family now resident in Hamilton county spell their name "Simmermon." The result is that there are three distinct names -"Zimmerman," "Simmermon," and "Carpenter," and all descended from a common parent stock. As a matter of fact these three separate branches are represented in this volume by the biographies of three members of this family.

Simeon E. Carpenter, the son of Abel and Phoebe ( Ridenour) Car- penter, was born May 30. 1862, in Hocking county, Ohio. His parents were both natives of the same county, and Abel Carpenter's parents, Sampson and Catherine ( Walters) Carpenter, were natives of Berkes county, Pennsylvania Sampson Carpenter and his family settled in Hocking county, Ohio, and were life-long farmers. Phoebe Ridenour was the daughter of William and Rachel ( Engle ) Ridenour. Sampson Carpenter. the grandfather of Simeon. retaining the old German name, "Zimmerman," and his brother. John, was

Digitized by Google

923

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

one of the early settlers of Wayne township, in Hamilton county, Indiana. His descendants spelled the name "Simmermon."

Abel Carpenter was a prominent man in Hocking county. Ohio, where he served as county commissioner for four terms, and there are many sub- stantial iron bridges still standing in that county which bear his name as a member of the board of county commissioners. He was a large land owner and at the time of his death owned three hundred and eighty acres of excel- lent land in Hocking county. Abel Carpenter and wife reared a family of eight children, and it is a tribute to their robust parents that all of the eight are still living and have families of their own. Simeon E., Eliza, Ellen, William, Christina, Edward, Emma and Ferdinand. Abel Carpenter died in 1904, and his widow passed away in 1908. At the time of the Paris Exposition Abel Carpenter took a trip to Europe and visited Germany, France, Italy, England and other European countries, in addition to spending some time at the exposition itself.

Simeon E. Carpenter was reared to manhood in Hocking county. Ohio, and attended a normal school in his home county after finishing the course in the common schools, after which he taught for three years in the district schools near his home. In 1884 he came to Wayne township, Hamilton county, Indiana, and rented a farm in the northeastern part of Wayne town- ship, from Marion Aldred. He married in 1887 and continued farming on the Aldred farm until about 1898, when he bought forty acres of the farm on which he is now living, one and one-half miles west of Lapel. He im- proved this farm in many ways and has added substantially to its acreage. In 1909 he bought fifty-two acres north of the Central Indiana Railroad, and in January, 1914, bought fourteen acres more, he now owning one hundred and six acres of land with two complete sets of farm buildings. He is a progressive farmer and whatever he does is done conscientiously. He has won many prizes at the county horse show at Noblesville and at Lapel for the best exhibits of farm products. In the fall of 1914 he exhibited one hundred and eighty-seven different products grown on his own farm, mak- ing a showing which it is probable has never been excelled by any one farmer in the state of Indiana. He is one of the most expert corn raisers in his county and has originated a new variety of corn which has been a prize winner wherever it is shown. He has made a thorough study of scientific corn raising and has carried on extensive experiments in the way of collect- ing seed and trying to find the best method for preserving the seed corn throughout the winter. The special variety of corn which he originated through careful seed selection and cross breeding is now extensively grown in Hamilton and Madison counties.

Digitized by Google

924

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

Mr. Carpenter was married in 1887 to Melissa Fisher, who was born in Wayne township, near Fishersburg, the daughter of Samuel H. and Mary E. (Wiseman) Fisher. Samuel H. Fisher's family was one of the first to locate in the county. It was one of the Fisher family who was killed by the Indians in this county in pioneer times. Mrs. Carpenter's mother was born near Frederickstown, Maryland. Mr. Carpenter and his wife have two sons, Ferdinand F. and Winfield Scott. Ferdinand E. married Gertrude E. Gee, and they have one son, William Woodrow, Ferdinand lives in Anderson and is connected with the Sefton Manufacturing Company. Winfield Scott Car- penter was born April 27, 1890, and married Merle McDonald, the daughter of Homer McDonald. Winfield has one daughter, Catherine Louise, and lives in one of his father's houses, assisting his father on the home farm.

Mr. Carpenter is a Democrat and is one of the leaders in his party, al- though he has never had any desire to hold a political office. He is intensely devoted to his chosen line of work and if anyone were to choose six of the most progressive farmers in Hamilton county he would be sure to be found in the list. Such men as Mr. Carpenter are a most valuable asset, not only to the community in which they live, but to their county and to the state hon- ored by their residence. .

JOHN CALVIN HENLEY.

The institution of slavery is responsible for the migration from North Carolina of many of the best citizens of early Indiana. Hamilton county was fortunate to receive many of these sterling people in the period of its early settlement and hundreds of the citizens of Hamilton county today are descendants from the early emigrants from that state .. Many of the older persons now living in Hamilton county were born in North Carolina and among these John Calvin Henley occupies a prominent place.

John C. Henley, the son of John and Mary ( Allen) Henley, was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, October 30. 1848. His parents were both natives of the same county and state, being descended from English ancestry on both sides. The Henley family, as well as the Allen family, were both vitally opposed to slavery, and in company with thousands of others left their native state in order to locate in free territory in the north. In the spring of 1856 John Henley. Sr .. and his family left North Carolina and made the long overland trip in wagons to Grant county, Indiana, and a

Digitized by Google

925

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

year later settled in Hamilton county, in Jackson township, near Hinkle's Creek church. At the opening of the Civil War John Henley, Sr., sold out his farm in Jackson township, and bought a farm in Clay township, near Clay Center, and lived there until the fall of 1864. At that time he sold his farm and moved to Douglas county, Kansas, locating near Lawrence. They reached that place on November 5. On the following Tuesday came the election and Mr. Henley went out to electioneer for the re-election of Lincoln. He visited all of his German neighbors in the neighborhood and persuaded them to cast their votes for Lincoln, being largely responsible for the Repub- lican majority of that year in his township.

John Henley, Sr., and wife lived for a number of years in Douglas county, Kansas, and spent some years in a village in that county. Mrs. Hen- ley died in Oklahoma while on a visit to that state in 1892, and after that Mr. Henley came to Westfield, Hamilton county, Indiana, to live with his son, John Calvin. and died here in July. 1896. He had been a blacksmith in North Carolina before the war, but after coming to Indiana, he engaged in farming and followed that occupation after his removal to Kansas. John Henley, Sr., and wife were the parents of eight children: Martha, who died in Hamilton county at the age of seventeen : Daniel, who lives at Joplin, Mis- souri : John Calvin, whose history is here presented; Clarkson, who died at the home of his brother. John C., in November, 1889, leaving two daughters, Edna and Nora: Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Horner, whom she met while teaching school in Indian Territory: Gulia, the wife of Samuel Moore, of Lawrence. Kansas, a former county treasurer of Douglas county: Hezekiah, of Blue Jacket, Oklahoma: Samuel Taylor, a grocer in Kansas City, Mis- souri. Elizabeth, who was the wife of Jacob Horner, is deceased. as is also her husband.

John Calvin Henley was eight years of age when his parents moved from North Carolina to Indiana. and about sixteen when his parents located in Douglas county, Kansas. His education was received in the schools of North Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas, and he remained with his parents in the latter state until 1872. He learned the carpenter trade while a young man and in that year returned east and located in Hamilton county, Indiana. where he made his home with his uncle. Samuel Allen. near Eagletown, in Washington township.

After his marriage in 1874. John C. Henley began keeping house in a little house which he had built as a temporary home at Eagletown, for at that time Mr. Henley was building a fine home for his father-in-law. Mr. Roberts.

Digitized by Google

926

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

As soon as he had finished his father-in-law's house, he moved two miles north of Eagletown. Some time afterward, Mr. Henley bought forty acres of land where William C. Kendall is now living, and four years after his marriage moved on this farm. He erected all of the buildings there, the house. barn and other outbuildings, and lived on this farm for four years. He then traded it for a farm located between Lamong and Horton, and on this farm of eighty acres he has lived the most of his life. In 1888 Mr. Henley moved to Horton and operated a general store there for one year, after which he bought an interest in a hardware store at Westfield and dis- posed if his interests at Horton. He was in the hardware business at West- field for about three years, after which he sold out and engaged in the meat business there, continuing in this business at Westfield until 1901, at which time he again engaged in the carpentering and contracting business, and in April, 1909, he went to the western part of Saskatchewan, Canada, about seventy-five miles northwest of Battleford, on the Saskatchewan river. Here he entered one hundred and sixty acres and lived on it for three years, and then received his deed and returned to Indiana. Since his return to Hamil- ton county. Indiana, in June, 1913, he has made his home one and one-half miles northwest of Westfield, where he owns ninety acres of land. He also has eight acres at Westfield in this county.

Mr. Henley was married in 1874 to Elizabeth Roberts, who was born April 7, 1853. on her father's farm near Westfield, and lived there until her marriage to Mr. Henley. Mr. and Mrs. Henley have no children of their own, but they have adopted two children, Ethel Moore and Aaron Troutman. Ethel's mother died when she was a small girl, and Mr. and Mrs. Henley have reared her since she was four years of age. She married Murray Hen- derson and died January 17, 1912, leaving two children, Henley Kenneth and Jacquith. Aaron Troutman was born at Noblesville, and his mother died soon after he was born. He is now seventeen years of age and is at- tending the high school at Westfield. The biography of Lewis Roberts, the father of Mrs. Henley, is given elsewhere in this volume.

Mr. Henley always has taken a prominent part in Republican politics, and has served his party on several occasions in an official capacity. He was elected trustee of Washington township in 1886, and re-elected in 1888. In 1890 his term was extended by an act of the Legislature, so that he was in this office from 1886 to 1891. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias, and is interested in the work of both of these fraternal organizations. He is a man of upright character and has so conducted his affairs as to win and retain the esteem of his fellow citizens.

Digitized by Google

927

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

LEWIS ROBERTS.

The Roberts family who are represented by many sturdy citizens in Hamilton county, Indiana, trace their ancestry back to Wales. The first member of the family to come to America was Abraham, who was born in Wales in 1730. He was married in his native land and in 1774, just before the opening of the Revolutionary War, he started with his wife and nine children for America. On the way across the wife and mother died, and ' was buried at sea. Abraham brought his four sons and five daughters to Pennsylvania and bound out the sons to learn trades, as was the custom at that time. He married again and kept his youngest daughter, Abigail, with him. The children by his first marriage were: Levi, Judah, Isaiah, Priscilla, Penina, Eleanor, Thomas, Catherine and Abigail. All of these children but Judah married and most of them had large families and lived to ripe old ages.

Of the nine children of Abraham Roberts who married, the following summary is here given. Levi went to the southern part of the United States, and left no record. Judah was a real estate man and after the American Revolution bought up land warrants from the soldiers for Ohio lands and became possessed of large land holdings in that state. He never married. Isaiah married Elizabeth Lewis, and in 1810 moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he followed the trade of a brick mason. In 1813 Isaiah moved to Highland county, Ohio, and built the first brick house in that county. He bought three hundred acres of land and on part of this land his son, Isaiah, Jr., platted the town of Taylorsville in 1843. Isaiah Roberts, Sr., was the father of several children by his first marriage: James, Mary, Abraham, Nancy and Isaiah. All of these children remained in Ohio. Priscilla, the fourth child of Abraham Roberts, married Robert Field, about 1795, and moved to Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. She died in 1800, leaving two daughters. Of Penina, the next daughter of Abraham Roberts, there is no record. Eleanor, familiarly called "Aunt Nellie," was a woman of most excellent character and held in high affection and esteem by her kinsfolk. She was born in 1768, and at the age of ten years, heard the cannon at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. She went to Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, with her sister, Priscilla, and there married Abel Roh- erts, who had come from Wales. In 1812 Eleanor moved to Belmont county, Ohio, with her husband and children, and lived there four years. She then traded her part of her father's estate in Pennsylvania to her brother,

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 93

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

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