USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > History of Hendricks County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 45
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Frederick Whicker received his common school education in the district schools of his township and worked on his father's farm until the latter's death. which occurred when the son was nineteen years of age. He then went to farming for himself and soon afterward bought a farm of forty acres in Clay township, this county. He was a very successful farmer and in the course of a few years had one hundred and sixty acres of good farming land. In the spring of 1861 he moved to Ben Davis, remaining there until October, 1875, when he returned to Franklin township, Hendricks county, and again resumed farming, and here he continued to reside until twelve years before his death, when he retired from active work and removed to Stilesville, this county, where he died November 22, 1913. In the spring of 1858 Frederick Whicker married Louisa S. Duley, and to this union there were born two children, Clarence C., the subject of this review, and Franz F., of Franklin township. The subject's maternal great-grandparents were Zadock and Su- sanna (White) Duley, whose families had been located in Virginia for two and a half centuries. Eventually they moved to Fleming county, Kentucky,
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where their deaths occurred. Their children were as follows: John, single; Hiram, who married Sophia Northcut; Charley, who also married Sophia Northcut ; Henry married Martha Mershon; Susan, the wife of Henry Sweet; Jane, single ; Ann, the wife of James Wilson; Polley, the wife of Thomas Money. Of these, Henry Duley, the subject's grandfather, was born April 4, 1800, and died July 2, 1846. On January 6, 1825, he married Martha Mershon, who was born January 11, 1804, and died July 16, 1881, and their children were as follows: America, single; John C., born September 7, 1828, who married Heba Hord; Louisa S., the subject's mother; Frances, wife of Philip Pratt ; Henry C., born September 26, 1836, married Athalinda Red- mond; William, born July 14, 1830, married Malinda Wood. Daniel Mer- shon, the father of Mrs. Martha Duley, was of French Huguenot descent, though a resident of Virginia, where he married Effie Hamilton. Their chil- dren were as follows: Susan married Jesse Turner; Martha married Henry Duley ; Sallie married James Jones ; Eliza became Mrs. Allsup; Fannie mar- ried Washington Wills; Benjamin married Miss Gorganay ; Eli married Miss Bell; James married and died young; Cornelius died young. In 1868 Mrs. Louisa Whicker died, and subsequently Mr. Whicker married Martha A. Robinson, the daughter of John and Martha Robinson, and to this union one child was born, Mildred Mary, who died October 10, 1881. Mrs. Martha A. Whicker was a daughter of John and Martha A. (Hughes) Robinson, of Kent county, England. She was born at Covington, Kentucky, September 9, 1844. and died at Stilesville May 10, 1914, in the seventieth year of her age. She joined the Methodist Episcopal church in 1886 and, until her health failed, was a regular attendant of church and Sunday school.
Clarence C. Whicker attended his first school in Marion county, Indiana, near Ben Davis, but his school advantages were very limited. However, he has kept apace with modern improvements in agricultural work and on the current topics of the day, so that he is now able to discuss intelligently the leading current events. He worked on his father's farm until 1897, when he married and began farming on his own account, locating then on his present place, known as the John Grimes farm, on the Amo and Stilesville road. He first bought one hundred and sixty acres in 1892, to which he added one hundred acres in 1896, and all but about thirty-five acres is in a high state of cultivation. In 1910 he built the splendid fifteen-room residence and has made many other permanent and substantial improvements. He carries on general farming operations, also giving proper attention to live stock. In addition to a diversified system of farming he engaged in stock raising and was successful from the first in this line of work.
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Mr. Whicker married Iva Wallace on April 20, 1897, the daughter of Thomas L. and Alamanza (Kirkham) Wallace, of Tipton county, this state, and to this union there have been born two children, Louis and Clarice Crista. Mrs. Whicker's parents are natives of Indiana, her father having been born in Tipton county, and her mother in Morgan county, and they were the parents of three children, Victoria, the wife of Orin L. Osborne, and they have two children, Carodine and Blythe; Cora married Elvin Mc- Clelland, and has two children, Emil and Doris.
Mr. Whicker has allied himself with the new Progressive party because he feels that it offers the best solution for all those evils which beset our na- tion today. He and his wife take an active interest in the various affairs of the neighborhood in which they live which seek the public welfare. Mrs. Whicker is a loyal and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Stilesville. As a farmer Mr. Whicker has been very successful, having devoted all his energies to agricultural pursuits and has met with the suc- cess which he merits. He is a practical and methodical farmer and has al- ways given his personal attention to the various details of his farm work with the result that he has an enviable standing in the community because of his ability and success in his chosen vocation. He has been successful in the accumulation of material wealth. being the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of fine farming land in Franklin and Clay townships in this county.
JOHN J. DUGAN.
It has been often said that the versatility and virility of the American people have been brought about largely by the continual introduction of new elements through the assimilation of the better class of our immigrant popula- tion. One small country beyond the seas has furnished its full quota of desirable citizens, and the brilliant thought and quick wit of these gentlemen are proverbial. Not a few of our most brilliant statesmen and men of affairs have been either natives of "Ireland, the Beautiful Isle of the Sea," or were descended from sturdy Hibernian stock. One of the conspicuous successes of this character in Hendricks county is John J. Dugan, the son of Michael and Margaret (Hughes ) Dugan.
In some respects a true son of Erin, he is none the less a loyal American and a Hoosier, being widely known and generally respected in the community in which he was born and bred. He, himself, is a nati e of Hendricks
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county, having first seen the light of day upon his father's farm in Middle township, on the 4th day of March, 1882, and since that day he has lived in and worked loyally for the interests of this county. His father, Michael, and his mother, Margaret Dugan, were both natives of Galway, Ireland. They came to America in their youth, Michael being but nineteen years of age when he reached this country. He immediately found an abiding place on a farm near Brownsburg, Lincoln township, this county. Later he came to Middle township and, by hard work as a farmer and frugal habits, came into possession of a large tract of land about four miles north of Pittsboro. Here the remainder of his life was spent, toiling diligently and intelligently for the sustenance of himself and his family, and also looking forward to his later years when he need no longer toil for necessities, but could enjoy the fruits of his labor. His faithful wife was an unfailing source of help and strength and to her efforts, in no small measure, his success is due. To them were born eight children, seven of whom are still living to carry out into the world, for generations to come perhaps, the name and teachings of their father. These children are Martin, Katherine (Collins), Ellen, Delia, Mary, Patrick, John J., and Anna, whom death called. The devoted mother still enjoys the home of her youth, ably assisted in its management by her children. Michael Dugan was a firm adherent of the tenets of Jefferson, always voting the Democratic ticket. Though very progressive in his ideas and active in affairs touching the public welfare in his community, he aspired to no political office, finding ample field for his abundant energy in his immediate sur- roundings.
His son, John J. Dugan, is one of the thoroughly progressive, repre- sentative men of the county. Abreast of the times and thoroughly informed on all questions pertaining to the public welfare, his judgment is largely re- lied upon by many of the neighboring citizens. His education was received in the schools of the township, but he has never ceased to study. Like his father, he is a stanch Democrat, and was elected to the Legislature on this ticket at the election in 1912, which office he has filled with great credit, de- voting his energies to the service of the people as conscientiously as he has always worked for his own success.
Mr. Dugan is one of the very successful farmers of the locality, caring for the homestead of his childhood, a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, which by its appearance shows the intelligent care it has received. Here he engages in general farming, devoting considerable attention to the breeding of live stock, particularly hogs, a large number of which are marketed by him yearly.
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Mr. Dugan is unmarried and has taken no interest in fraternal affairs. He is a prominent member of the Indiana Democratic Club, and also a mem- ber of the St. Malachy Catholic church at Brownsburg. A man of wide acquaintance, sound judgment, decisive and straightforward in all his deal- ings, he stands as an exemplary citizen, one of the truly representative men of the county.
VIRGIL S. WATSON.
There is no more important factor in the history of a town than the newspapers, and it is often true that it is the newspapers of a town which are largely responsible for its prosperity. The influence of a good newspaper cannot be over estimated. In it the people read from week to week not only of the happenings of their own county and state, but news from all over our country and the world as well. Every weekly newspaper in every town of Indiana gives the main facts of the world's history from week to week. It places in the hands of the readers the most important events which happen any place in the world. No great invention is made which is not exploited in the newspapers. Every newspaper now which depends upon the rural dis- tricts for much of its support prints from week to week a special page for the farmer. Among the newspapers of Hendricks county which are doing their full share in advancing the interest of the state, there is no paper doing more brilliant work for the good of the county than the Brownsburg Record, which is now owned and edited by Virgil S. Watson.
Mr. Watson, the son of Thomas J. and Amanda (Wright) Watson, was born November 4, 1869. in Camden, Preble county, Ohio. His parents were both natives of Hendricks county, Indiana. The parents of both families came directly from Kentucky and were among the earliest settlers of this county. Thomas J. Watson was a successful farmer in this county and was largely interested in the buying and selling of stock. He and his wife were the parents of three children, Virgil S. being the only one of the children now living.
Virgil S. Watson was educated in the common school of Middle town- ship, in this county, and being a young man of intellectual ability it was natural that he should take up school teaching. He taught school in this county for three years and in the meantime he attended the Central Normal College, at Danville, in order to equip himself for more successful work in the school room. However, in compliance with the wishes of his parents, he
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abandoned the school room, and remained at home to assist in looking after the business of his father's farm, where he remained until he was forty years of age, when he went to Lebanon, Indiana, where he became engaged in newspaper work, for the Indianapolis News. A year later he bought the Brownsburg Record, assuming the management of the newspaper on June 10, 1912. In politics he is a Republican. He runs a modern job printing plant in connection with his newspaper, and adds not a little to his annual income by his job work. He is prepared to do all sorts of job printing on short notice, and the excellence of his work brings him a continually increas- ing amount of business.
Mr. Watson was married, June 29, 1904, to Angie Belle Herring, daughter of Phillip B. and America (Walker) Herring, and they are the par- ents of two children, Hazel Bernice and one son who died in infancy. They are members of the Methodist Protestant church and contribute liberally of their substance to its support.
Mr. Watson is a man of high character and is giving the people of his community a paper which stands for the best interest of Brownsburg in every respect. He advocates all measures and movements which he feels will redound to the credit of his home town and be of benefit in any way to the citizens of the community.
ALLEN WHICKER.
Among the citizens of Hendricks county who have built up comfortable homes and surrounded themselves with large landed and personal property, none have attained a higher degree of success than Allen Whicker. With few opportunities except what his own efforts were capable of mastering and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made an exceptional success of life and in his old age has the gratification of knowing he has the respect of the community in which he has resided all his life, and that it has been benefited by his presence and counsel. He is a link between the old days and the new, for his boyhood days were spent in truly pioneer conditions. Settling in a virgin wilderness, he helped his father to clear the forests, drain the fields and raise the first crops on some of the best land in Hendricks county.
Allen Whicker, the son of Fred K. and Elizabeth (Kosmer) Whicker, was born two miles southeast of Amo, Hendricks county, Indiana, March 20,
ALLEN WHICKER
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1837. His grandfather, James Whicker, was in the Revolutionary War. His grandmother, on his mother's side, was Abigail Pike, who lived to he ninety- six years of age. She was a great patriot during the Revolutionary days, and when the subject of this sketch was a small boy she told him many stories of the dark days of the Revolution. Her husband was a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. James Whicker, the grandparents of Allen Whicker, lived all their lives in North Carolina, and it was in that state that Fred K. Whicker was reared and married. Mr. and Mrs. Fred K. Whicker reared a large family of twelve children, six of whom were born in North Carolina and six in Indiana. They moved from North Carolina to Indiana shortly before Allen Whicker, the subject of this sketch, was born and located in the virgin wilderness south of Amo. Here they built a cabin of logs, with a puncheon floor and riven door, the entire building being erected without a nail. Wild game of all kinds was abundant in the woods, turkeys, squirrels, deer and all kinds of fur-bearing animals. In order to prepare the land for cultivation they cut down the magnificent oak, walnut and hickory trees and piled them in big heaps and burned them. Timber which was burned in those early days would now be worth several hundred dollars per acre at the present price of lumber. Fred K. Whicker died at the age of sixty-one and his wife at the age of seventy-eight.
Allen Whicker is the eleventh child in order of birth and the only one living of the twelve born to his parents. He has spent his whole life in this county. He attended the subscription schools in his boyhood days and re- ceived a limited education at the three-months terms, which was the length of the school year in his time. He continued to live and work on the home- stead farm until he was twenty-five years of age, when he married and bought forty acres of land of his own adjoining the homestead farm. He has been remarkably successful as a farmer and from time to time has added to his possessions until he is now the owner of five hundred and fifty acres of as fine land as can be found in the county. He has for many years made a specialty of cattle feeding and is recognized as one of the largest cattle feeders of the county. He has, in addition to his raising of cattle, also raised large numbers of horses and hogs for the market.
Mr. Whicker was married October 30, 1861, to Amanda West, of near Amo, and to this marriage there have been born six children: Mary, the wife of John Bunny, of Amo; Lina, the wife of William Lewis Beasley; Nora, the wife of Frank Bersbow; Simon, a merchant at Amo; Dennis, who lives near Indianapolis, and Otto, who now operates the home place. Mr.
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Whicker retired in 1913 from active farm life and divided his land among his children and now lives in Amo. His first wife died in 1901, and on May 25, 1903, he was married to Mrs. Ruth ( Masten) Shirley, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Masten. Mrs. Whicker had a son, Walter Hodson, by a former marriage, who resides in Clay township, west of Mr. Wicker's place.
Mr. Whicker is a loyal member of the Baptist church of Amo and is a liberal supporter of its various activities. He is a man of sound judgment and sterling integrity and has made his success in life by strict attention to business, starting out with small capital, but a stout heart and willing hands, and he has risen to a place of prominence among the representative citizens of his county. Although he has been very successful in accumulating a goodly share of this world's goods, he has not neglected those finer and higher things in life, but has always identified himself with all movements which tend to elevate the general welfare of the locality in which he has. lived for so many years.
FRANZ F. WHICKER.
The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors, friends and fellow citizens. The life of the honorable sub- ject of this review has been such as to elicit just praise from those who know him best. This has been brought about because he has always been loyal to all trusts imposed upon him and has been upright in all of his dealings with his fellow citizens, at the same time lending his support to the advance- ment of any cause looking toward the welfare of his community.
Franz F. Whicker, the son of Frederick and Louisa (Duley) Whicker, was born in Marion county, Indiana, January 15, 1866. The Whicker family has a very interesting history, but inasmuch as it is given in detail in the sketch of Clarence C. Whicker, elsewhere in this volume, it is not repeated here.
Frank F. Whicker attended the common schools in Franklin township, this county, and the ncompleted his education by taking a course in the Central Normal College at Danville. After finishing his college work he returned to his father's farm, where he continued to reside until his marriage. He then began farming for himself, first starting out as a renter. He has
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been a successful farmer and stock raiser and today has one hundred and sixty acres of as fine farming land as can be found in the county. He keeps his farm in a high state of cultivation and every thing in good repair at all times, thus making his farm one of the most attractive in the county.
Mr. Whicker married Anna Stark, the daughter of W. J. and Amanda (Adams) Stark, and to this union there have been born three children, Fred J., Floyd L. and Mildred A. All of the children are still at home. Mrs. Whicker's parents were both natives of Missouri, her father being deceased (September 2, 1905) and her mother still living. Mr. and Mrs. Stark reared a family of ten children, Ella, Joseph, Anna, Samuel, Arthur, Everett, Floyd, Nora, Leslie and Jane.
Fraternally, Mr. Whicker is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In politics he is allied with the Republican party and has been a firm follower of the great leaders of that party. He has, however, never been a candidate of his party for any office, preferring to serve in the ranks. He and his excellent wife are both people of broad sympathies and take an intelligent interest in the welfare of those about them, and, because of their genial dispositions and high character, they enjoy a large popularity in the community where they have spent so many years.
ELBERT M. MURPHY.
The prosperous farmer whose history is here portrayed is a man who, by his own efforts, has worked his way from a modest beginning to a posi- tion of influence in his community. His life has been one of unceasing in- dustry and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have won for him the confidence of his fellow citizens in Hen- dricks county, whose interests he has ever had at heart and which he has always labored to promote. As township trustee and as county commissioner for many years, he rendered faithful and efficient service to the citizens of the county. As a farmer he has shown by example what can be accom- plished by scientific agriculture, and his farm today may fairly stand as one of the best farms in every way in the county.
Elbert M. Murphy, a fine type of the modern farmer, was born Febru- ary 6, 1863, in Franklin county, Indiana. His parents were Henry W. and Elizabeth (Howell) Murphy, his father being a native of Franklin county, his birth having occurred there in 1833. Henry W. Murphy married Eliza-
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beth Howell, who was also a native of Franklin county, and they continued to live in that county until 1864, when they moved to Decatur county, this state. After a residence of sixteen years in that county, they moved to Marion county and settled on a farm south of Indianapolis, where they have since continued to reside.
Elbert M. Murphy was reared in Marion county, Indiana, and married there in 1884 to Mary J. Miles, the daughter of John and Rosanna (Fowler) Miles. Her father was a farmer of Marion county and died there when she was about six years of age. Her mother continued to reside on the farm until Mary, the wife of Mr. Murphy, grew to womanhood, and then moved to Indianapolis, where she now lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Murphy was born one child, Gladys E., in 1892, who died in 1893, at the age of ten months.
After his marriage Mr. Murphy bought ninety-one acres of land near North Salem in this county and from time to time added to his holdings un- til he is now the owner of three hundred and sixty-eight acres in this county. When he first started farming in the county there were few improvements on his farm and they were of small value. He gradually improved his farm, built a fine, large barn and other outbuildings and has made a scientific study of farming efficiency, in order to accomplish the most with the least amount of labor. In other words, he uses his brains as well as his muscle, and the result has been very gratifying to him. He now has a fine home which com- pares very favorably with the best country homes in the state and adds greatly to the appearance as well as to the value of his farm. While he carries on a general system of farming, he makes a specialty of feeding live stock and has found this a very lucrative diversion from his regular farming.
Mr. Murphy has been a life-long Republican, taking an intelligent in- terest in all political matters and an indication of his popularity in his town- ship is shown by his election, in the fall of 1894, to the office of township trustee, an office which he held for five years five months. In 1901 he was nominated by his party for commissioner of his district and was elected without any trouble whatever. Following his election, he was appointed on November 1, 1901, to fill out the unexpired term of his predecessor, and then held office until the end of his term. He gave such excellent satisfaction that he was twice re-elected and held the office of county commissioner con- tinuously for ten years, his last term expiring January 1, 1912. For this long period of ten years he advocated every movement which would benefit his county and fought against any measure which he thought would be detri- mental to the best interests of his county. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are mem-
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bers of the Methodist Episcopal church of North Salem and take an active interest in all kinds of church work. Mr. Murphy is a trustee of the church and of the Methodist Episcopal Hospital of Indianapolis, and has been no small factor in the erection of that memorial to the Methodists of the state. Fraternally he is a member of North Salem Lodge No. 142, Free and Ac- cepted Masons. He is universally regarded as one of the most prominent and progressive farmers of the county and, judging by his achievements of the past, he promises to maintain his reputation for many years yet to come. He is well informed on all the current topics of the day and is a broad- minded genteel, highly respected man who has always stood high in the com- munity of his residence.
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