History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 97

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

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Mr. Mallery and his wife have both been members of the Methodist Episcopal church from their youth, and have lived lives consistent with the teachings of their church. They have been active workers in the church and Sunday school and Mr. Mallery has more than a local reputation as a minister in the church. He is an eloquent preacher, and while he has never filled regular charges, has frequently filled pulpits with ability. He is an upright and honorable man and in all the relations of life has so conducted his affairs as to merit the high esteem in which he is universally held. He is kind and considerate, gentle and courteous in manner, and a public-spirited citizen who always stands firmly for the right.

WILLIAM A. JOHNSON.

In 1923 Hamilton county will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of its organization. Since its organization as a county ninety-two years ago it has emerged from an unbroken wilderness to its present prosperous condi- tion. There must have been a certain fascination which brought our fore- fathers to this state and led them to settle amidst the virgin forests which covered the state in every direction. Probably the most energetic, ambitious and strong-minded men and women came to Indiana in its early history. This fact should be borne in mind when thinking of the discouragements

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through which they passed. It needed men strong of heart and sound of body to cope with the forests, the Indians, the swamps and the malaria, and that our forefathers had all of these necessary qualities is shown by the fact that they successfully conquered all of these one by one. The young farmer of today who starts in life has not one of these obstacles to overcome, and yet not infrequently one is heard to complain that he cannot make a living. In justice to the present generation, however, it is not improbable that some farmers of today placed amid the same conditions with which their grand- fathers had to cope in the twenties and thirties would have made a better living at that time than they do at the present time. One of the most valu- able lessons to be learned in a perusal of the many interesting biographical sketches presented in this volume is that presented in the recital of the fierce obstacles and discouragements which our forefathers had to overcome. Will- iam A. Johnson, a resume of whose life's history is presented in the follow- ing paragraphs, is a son of one of the pioneers of this county, and himself has many of those sterling characteristics which made his father such a sturdy citizen of the county.

William A. Johnson, the son of Alfred Johnson, was born in this county, November 9, 1867. His father also was a native of this county, his birth having occurred here in 1844, and he lived the life of a farmer during all his days. Alfred Johnson and wife were the parents of six children, Mrs. Emma Ledbetter, Oliver, Joshua, William, Mrs. Dora McCord and Charles.

William A. Johnson was given a good, common school education and early in life started out to make his own way. At an age when most boys now are in high school, he began to "work out" and being a sturdy youth soon became enabled to command the wages of a man. He continued to work on farms in his home neighborhood until his marriage when he rented a farm of his own in this township and with his good wife began to save money in order that they might have a farm which they could call their own. There is no more commendable trait than that of thrift and the story of the ten talents is as true in the twentieth century as it was in Biblical times. In 1905 Mr. Johnson bought his present farm of fifty-four acres in Jackson township and on this tract he raises as fine crops as any farmer in the county. Prospering, as he deserved to prosper, in March, 1914, Mr. Johnson added to his holdings by the purchase of the Willits farm of one hundred acres in Noblesville township. He keeps his farms in a high state of productivity by a scientific system of crop rotation and thus always is able to secure the best results.

Mr. Johnson was married September 24, 1890, to Miss Emma Hersh-

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man and to this union have been born six children, all of whom are still with their parents, Estelle, Grace, Floyd, Edith, Mildred and Clyde.

Mr. Johnson is a stanch Democrat, but he has been so concerned with his agricultural duties that he never has felt that he had the time to take an active part in the political life of the community. Nevertheless, he identifies himself with all public-spirited measures and is genuinely interested in the welfare of his neighbors. He and his wife are earnest and loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and contribute according to their means to its support, feeling that the value to their community of the church's benefi- cences cannot be overestimated. His township has no worthier or more highly respected citizen, and his years of straightforward and honest dealing have gained for him the confidence of every one with whom he has been associated.

FRANCIS M. MUSSELMAN.

A man who has been an intelligent tiller of the soil and a public-spirited citizen of Hamilton county, Indiana, is Francis M. Musselman, who has lived within the limits of this county for the past fifty years. Such has been his diligence and good management that he has accumulated a fine farm of three hundred and eighty acres, the general appearance of which place indi- cates that he has been very successful in its management. He is a man of quiet and unassuming demeanor and while attending primarily to his own interests, has not neglected to take his part in the civic life of the community about him.

Francis M. Musselman, the son of John and Mary ( Kaufman) Mussel- man, was born December 14, 1863, in Owen county, Indiana. His parents moved from Owen county to Hamilton county, Indiana, in 1864, and located in the northern part of Wayne township. John Musselman was a carpenter and contractor as well as a farmer, and was a man of high influence in his community, where he lived until 1894. He was an active member of the Lutheran church, as was his wife, and both took a prominent part in the various activities connected with their church. The wife of John Mussel- man died in 1898. There were born to this worthy couple seven children, two of whom died in infancy. The five living children are David, Oscar, George, Francis M. and Mrs. Della Wiles.

Francis M. Musselman was about eight months old when his parents

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moved from Owen county, Indiana, to Hamilton county. He has lived on the same farm since coming to this county. He received a good common- school education in the district schools of his home neighborhood and re- mained with his parents until the time of his marriage. As a farmer he has been very successful, as is shown by his fine farm of three hundred and eighty acres, all of which lies in one tract in the northern part of Wayne township. He has never specialized in his farming, but raises all of the crops common to this section of the state and feeds for the market a con- siderable annual production of hogs and cattle. He has a beautiful home and a large and commodious barn and other outbuildings. His house is sur- rounded by a well-kept lawn and everything about it speaks well for the taste of its owner. Concrete walks and a concrete wall in front of the house and a porte-cochere at the side of the house add to the general attractiveness . of the place.

Mr. Musselman was married in 1891 to Minnie A. Stubbs, who was born in Shelby county, Indiana, the daughter of Leonidas and Charlotte (Cushing) Stubbs. Mrs. Musselman lived in Shelby county with her parents until ten years of age and then came with them to this county. To Mr. Musselman and wife have been born seven children, all of whom are still living: Orvis, Carey, Clarence, Muriel, Pearl, Roy and Ralph. Orvis mar- ried Julia Kinder and lives on the home farm.

Leonidas Stubbs, the father of Mrs. Musselman, was born in Shelby county, Indiana, April 22, 1847, the son of Elza and Zephaniah (King) Stubbs. He was reared to manhood in his native county, and was married October 6, 1868, to Charlotte W. Cushing, who was born at Scott Plains, New Jersey, August 4, 1850, the daughter of John and Hannah (Wattson) Stubbs. She came to Shelby county, from New Jersey, with her parents when she was a child. Mr. Stubbs died June 3, 1908, and his widow is still living in Noblesville. The reader is referred to the biography of Leonidas Stubbs, which appears elsewhere in this volume for further details of the history of this family in Hamilton county.

Mr. Musselman and his wife are loyal members of the Christian church. Politically, he is a Democrat, but has never been active in political matters, his extensive agricultural interests having demanded all of his time and attention, and he has never cared to become a candidate for any political office. . Mr. Musselman is an industrious and prudent farmer and gives his personal supervision to his large estate. He takes a deep interest in the affairs of his community and lends his hearty support to all public-spirited measures.

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CLINTON E. CASTOR.

For the past eighty years the Castor family has been represented in Hamilton county, Indiana, and during these four-score years, members of that family always have taken a prominent part in the history of the county. One of the many members of this sterling family who is now living in Wayne township is Clinton E. Castor, an enterprising and progressive farmer.

Clinton E. Castor, the son of John Marion and Sarah (McDonald) Castor, was born September 29, 1868, on the farm where he is now living in the northeastern part of Wayne township. His father was born Novem- ber 28, 1844, on the Wade Castor farm two miles west of where his son is now living. John M. Castor was the son of John and Sarah (Beatty) Castor, whose biographies appear elsewhere in this volume. John M. Castor grew to manhood on his father's farm, and in 1863 enlisted in Company E. . Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. This regiment was afterwards mounted and changed to the Eighth Cavalry and incorporated as a part of Kilpatrick's Brigade. This brigade saw hard service and fought almost daily on the campaigns from Tennessee through Georgia, with Gen- eral Sherman on his march to the sea. It also was with General Sherman on his march through the Carolinas, was present at the final surrender of General Johnson on April 22, 1865. and participated in the Grand Review at Washington. John M. Castor had many narrow escapes, but came through the terrible struggle with only one slight bullet wound in his leg.

Immediately after the close of the war John M. Castor returned to his home in Wayne township and married Sarah McDonald, who was born April 25, 1845, on the farm where Homer McDonald is now living. She was a daughter of Thomas and Ann ( Hamilton) McDonald. Her father was born near Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster county, in 1818, the son of Jacob and Sarah ( Scherer) McDonald. Jacob McDonald's grandfather was one of two brothers who came to America from Scotland. The history of the McDonald family appears in the biographical sketch of Thomas Mc- Donald elsewhere in this volume.

When Thomas McDonald was about six years of age the family moved to Holmes county, Ohio, and later came to the northeastern part of Wayne township. in Hamilton county, Indiana, arriving here about 1839. Jacob McDonald bought one hundred and sixty acres of land here and spent the remainder of his life in this county, and is buried in the acre lot on the farm which he donated for a cemetery. He was active in the Missionary Baptist church and helped organize the Prairie Baptist church, furnishing the timber

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to build the old log church. In this county Thomas McDonald married Ann Hamilton, who was a native of Holmes county, Ohio, a daughter of John Hamilton and wife. The Hamilton family came to this county about 1837, and located just south of the McDonald farm. The Hamilton family also was active in the organization of the Prairie Baptist church. Shortly after Thomas McDonald married he bought an interest in the farm where Homer McDonald is now living and moved there and rented from the other heirs, finally purchasing the whole farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He was a township trustee for about twenty years, a strong Democrat, and one of the leaders of his party. He was a man of earnest convictions, quick to acknowledge an error and quick to forgive.

After John Marion Castor's marriage he located on the farm where Clinton E. Castor is now living. His father gave him one hundred and five acres and he added to this until he owned four hundred and twenty acres at the time of his death. He was an exceptionally good manager and a man diligent in every way. When not busy with his farm work, he was out trad- ing and bought and sold a great deal of lumber. He was an active Demo- crat, a leader in his party and helped to organize his party for local cam- paigns, giving both of his time and money generously. He was very sym- . pathetically inclined toward those who were less fortunate than himself and gave away nearly half of what he made, with the result that he had a host of friends in his community. He was an active member of the Methodist church from 1866 until about twenty years ago, when he joined the Wesleyan church, where he labored earnestly until his death. He was a faithful Christian and practiced what he preached. During his earlier life he was active in the work of the Improved Order of Red Men, the Free and Ac- cepted Masons and other lodges, but retired from active lodge work in order to devote more of his time to his church. He died July 30, 1897, at the age of fifty-two, and his wife survived until February 11, 1914. She made her home after her husband's death on the farm where she had begun her mar- ried life. She, too, was a faithful member of the church with her husband and was a wife and mother who was devoted to her husband and children. Six children were born to John Marion Castor and wife: Ona, Clinton, Hat- tie, Osie, Sarah and Floyd. Ona is the wife of Asa Fisher, and lives in the northern part of Wayne township. Clinton E. is the immediate subject of this review. Hattie is the wife of Robert Presser, of Madison county, Indi- ana: Osie, who was the wife of Charles Huffman, died in 1902, leaving two children. Sarah is the wife of Owen Huffman and lives in Madison county,

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Indiana. Floyd, the youngest of the six children of John M. Castor and wife, died at the age of fifteen.

Clinton E. Castor was reared on his father's farm, the same on which he is now residing. He inherited eighty acres from his father and has since added ninety acres, so that he now has a fine farm of one hundred and seventy acres. He has been an active worker in the Democratic party from the time that he reached his majority. In 1914 he served as committeeman of his precinct.

Clinton E. Castor was married in 1891 to Emma Lehr, the daughter of Henry and Jane Lehr, who was born in the northwestern part of Wayne township, in this county. To this union have been born five children : Sarah Jane, who died at the age of two years and one month; Henry Marion, who died at the age of three years, and three children who are still single, Nessie, Ruth and Clifford. Nessie and Ruth are graduates of the high school, while Clifford is a small lad of six years.

Mr. Castor is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. His wife belongs to the Lutheran church at Cicero, and Ruth and Nessie belong to the Prairie Baptist church. The family live in a fine home and every- thing about the farm indicates that the owner is a man of enterprise and in- dustry. He always has taken a prominent part in advocating all public- . spirited measures and is righly regarded as one of the representative men of his community.

JOHN H. CASTOR.

For more than eighty years the Castor family has been prominently identified with the history of Hamilton county, Indiana. Coming here in 1824, John H. Castor, the first member of the family to locate in the county, filled an important place in the history of his community. He was one of the pioneers who started the county on the way to prosperity and advance- ment along every line.

John H. Castor was born in Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, October 22, 1810, and died in Hamilton county, Indiana, January 1, 1883. He was the son of Nathan and Freelove Castor, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania in 1786, the son of Noah Castor. Noah Castor was one of thirty children born to Conrad Castor, who lived at Brock's Gap, Virginia. Of these thirty children of Conrad Castor, twenty-seven were boys and every one of the number served in the Revolutionary War. It is doubtful whether

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any family in the United States can show such a record. Noah Castor was born at Brock's Gap, Virginia, and moved to Pennsylvania, where most of the members of the family lived until the forepart of the nineteenth century.

John H. Castor was reared to manhood in Armstrong county, Pennsyl- vania, and came to Hamilton county, Indiana, on horseback in 1834, arriving here on the Ist day of February. He came here with the intention of mak- ing a home for himself and on the 11th of the same month, he was married to Sarah Beatty, who was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Cascadden) Beatty. The Beattys came from Ire- land to Pennsylvania, and after Sarah was born, moved to Holmes county, in that state. It was in Holmes county that John H. Castor met Sarah Beatty and became engaged to her. After they were betrothed he made his long overland trip on horseback to Hamilton county, Indiana, in order to enter land where he and his future wife might make their home. The Beatty family came to Hamilton county in 1833 and settled on the Gascho farm at the northern edge of Noblesville. Undoubtedly the young couple had their plans already made to get married before either of them came. to' Indiana. At least, they were married ten days after Mr. Castor arrived in this county.

John H. Castor and his young wife began life under truly pioneer condi- tions. The timber was so dense where they decided to locate their little cabin that it was hard to fell the trees. Game was so abundant that Mr. Castor could stand in the doorway and shoot deer by the light of his own fireplace. Turkeys, rabbits, squirrels and all kinds of small game could be shot from his doorstep. They prospered and reared a large family of children: Will- iam H., Nathan, Samuel Beatty, Margaret Jane, John Marion, Freelove M., Nancy E., Sarah Ruth and Wade P. Three other children died in infancy, and only three of those who grew to maturity, are now living, Wade P., Mrs. Sylvester and Freelove. At the time of his death John H. Castor was the owner of six hundred and twenty-five acres of land in this county, and was considered one of the most substantial men of the county. He and his wife' reared their children to lives of usefulness and honor, and had the satisfaction of seeing them married and rearing families of their own.

John H. Castor was a good man in every respect. He and his wife, as well as their children, were loyal members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Castor was very active in church work and contributed liberally to the building and support of numerous churches in the county. No good cause ever appealed to him in vain and he always stood ready to share his worldly possessions with those less fortunate. Such men are responsible for Hamil- ton county as it is today, and to these sterling old pioneers the present genera-

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tion should be forever grateful. They builded better than they knew. and this volume which contains a brief account of the lives of many of these pioneers, as well as their descendants, will be handed down to future genera- tions as a book to be preserved as the record of their unselfish lives, a priceless heritage descending from one generation to another.

WILLIAM FRANCIS McSHANE.

No family of Hamilton county has a more distinguished ancestry than that of William Francis McShane, an honored veteran of the Civil War and a resident of this county since his birth, three score and ten years ago. The McShane family are of Scotch descent and played an important part in the American Revolution. The first members of the family to come to America from Scotland were two brothers, Edward and Robert, who came to this country before the Revolution. Several of the sons of Edward fought in the Revolutionary War and he ( Edward), on one occasion, while taking pro- visions to the soldiers in camp, reached there just before a battle and, shouldering a musket, took part himself, and helped to defeat the British. Edward McShane appears to have been living in New Jersey during the Revolution, and to have removed to Virginia after the war. He subse- quently removed to Kentucky, where he lived until his death. Robert, the other brother who came to this country, was a sea captain, and was captured by the Algerian pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.

It is not known how many children Edward McShane had, but Francis who was born in New Jersey in 1782, is the grandfather of William F. Mc- Shane of this county. After his father's death, Francis McShane went to live with an uncle in Pennsylvania and remained with him until he reached · his majority. He then returned to Kentucky and married Theodocia Gray, the daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Pogue) Gray. He then rented a farm in Kentucky for a few years, and in 1826 he brought his family to Hamilton county. Indiana. locating on the farm now occupied by his grand- son, William Francis McShane. He built a log cabin sixteen by eighteen feet and began to clear the land for cultivation. Later he entered one hun- dred and sixty acres in Boone county, and at the time of his death still owned the three hundred and twenty acres which he had entered from the govern- ment. Early in life he was a Baptist, but later in life he became a Presby- terian. He died in 1842. while his wife lived until she was eighty-four, not passing away until 1866. Francis McShane and wife were the parents of

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three children : James G. the father of the present head of the family in this county ; Edward, deceased; and Sarah, who married Riley Bond. Sarah was the first white child born north of White river.

James G. McShane was born in Harrison county, Kentucky and came to this county with his parents in 1826 when he was seven years of age. At the age of twenty-two he married Martha J. Silvy, the daughter of William and Nancy ( Mosley) Silvy, natives of Virginia and Kentucky, respectively. The Silvys came to Indiana early in its history and settled on the outskirts of Indianapolis, and there, Martha, the wife of James G. McShane was born in 1824. The children of. Mr. and Mrs. James McShane are four in num- ber : Nancy E., William Francis, Dr. John T. and Jennie.

William Francis McShane, the oldest member of the family now living in Hamilton county, was born on the present farm in 1844, in a small log cabin which is still standing on the home farm. He received the limited com- mon school education which was afforded by the subscription schools of his days, and when a youth of only seventeen, enlisted in Company F, the Fourth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. His first enlistment was for three months and at the end of that time he re-enlisted in Company B, One Hun- dred Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry for a period of four months. At the end of this second re-enlistment he returned to his home in this county where he has lived ever since. After his marriage in 1868, he moved to a farm one and one-half miles south of Jolliet and lived there for several years, and then moved back to the farm which his father owned, which joined the home place on the east. On this farm he lived for the next seven years, and then built his present home on his father's farm where he was born, his father having built a new home on the other farm across the road. Mr. Mc- Shane has been a prosperous farmer in this county for fifty years and has carried on general farming and stock raising all of his life. On his farm of one hundred and fifty-five acres he has raised excellent crops and has had uniform success with his hogs and cattle. He has found by experience that it pays to own only the best stock, so he has made a specialty of handling thoroughbred Chester White hogs, and Shorthorn cattle.

William F. McShane was married February 26. 1868 to Sarah A. Foulke, the daughter of Jessie and Mary ( Baker) Foulke, who was born in Ohio. November 20. 1846. The Foulke family moved to Hamilton county when Sarah was a small child and bought land at Baker's Corner. Mr. and Mrs. McShane are the parents of five children: Eva, Nona, Alma, James and Lena. James W. McShane married Edna C. Owen, who was born in Fremont, Nebraska, and lived there until her marriage. They have two chlidren. James Owen and Sarah Elizabeth. Eva, the eldest.child of Mr.

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History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 97

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

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