USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > History of Hendricks County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 47
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487
HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
ARTHUR SPEARS.
In touching upon the life history of the subject of this sketch the writer aims to avoid fulsome encomium and extravagant praise; yet he desires to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life-a life characterized by perseverance, energy, broad charity and well-defined purpose. To do this will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who have known him long and well.
Arthur Spears, a progressive farmer of Eel River township, was born February 28, 1865, on the farm where he is now residing, two and one-half miles northeast of North Salem, Hendricks county, Indiana, the son of Rob- ert K. and Jane (Trotter) Spears. Robert Spears was born near Danville, Boyle county, Kentucky, in 1834, and came to this county with his parents, John and Martha Spears, the year following. They located about two miles northeast of North Salem, where John Spears entered a large tract of gov- ernment land and farmed for the remainder of his life. He started in as a pioneer in every sense of the word, built a rude log cabin in the woods, cleared his ground and opened the way to civilization in this part of the county. He was a Whig in politics until the Republican party was formed in 1856, and then voted for the Republican candidates until his death. Rob- ert K. Spears was reared on this farm under these primitive conditions, and upon reaching manhood was married to Jane Trotter, the daughter of Isaac and Lucy (Simms) Trotter, natives of Virginia, who had come to this county in an early day. After his marriage Robert K. Spears followed the vocation of farming the rest of his life on the farm where Arthur now lives. He was a Republican in politics, was a trustee of his township and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died September 15, 1910, while his wife's death occurred January 10, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Spears reared four.children, Adelia, deceased, who was the wife of William Dean, of North Salem; Arthur; Annie, deceased, who was the wife of Nathan Tucker, and Omar, who died at the age of thirty-two years.
Arthur Spears has spent his entire life upon the farm where he is now living, with the exception of about ten years when he was a molder. At the age of twenty-three he went to Indianapolis and learned the molder's trade, and for the next ten years was employed at that trade in that city, Cincin- nati and St. Louis. He has also been in California for two years on a fruit ranch, but has always considered this county his home. He is the owner of
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
one hundred and eighty-seven acres of excellent farming land in this town- ship, two residences on his farm, excellent barn and silo, and all of the mod- ern improvements, machinery and accessories which constitute the success- ful farmer's equipment.
Mr. Spears was married September 13, 1896, to Anna Walton, who was born at Winterset, Iowa, on a farm, the daughter of Amos and Letitia (Gowin) Walton. Mrs. Spears' mother was born in this county and her fa- ther in Ripley county, this state. Her parents were married in Hendricks county and then went to Iowa, where they lived the remainder of their lives. The father is deceased, and her mother is now living at Adel, in that state. Mr. and Mrs. Spears are the parents of two children, Gerald and Mary. Mr. Spears is a man of progressive ideas and tendencies and has made a decided advancement in the location to which his energies have been devoted for so many years. As a citizen he is wide-awake and enterprising and a typical representative of the large and intelligent class of yeomanry which give character and stability to the body politic, and to which Indiana is so largely indebted for the proud position which she today occupies among her sister states.
JOSEPH S. CARTER.
Among the successful, self-made men in Hendricks county whose efforts and influence have contributed to the material upbuilding of the community, Joseph S. Carter occupies a conspicuous place. Being ambitious from the first, but surrounded with none too favorable environment, his early youth was not especially promising, but, resolutely facing the future, he gradually surmounted the difficulties in his way and in due course of time rose to a prominent position in the commercial, agricultural and financial circles of his community, besides winning the confidence and esteem of those with whom he comes in contact, either in a business or a social way, and for years he has stood as one of the representative men of the locality honored by his citizenship.
Joseph S. Carter, the son of William K. and Mary (Crouch) Carter, was born in Davidson county, North Carolina, August 30, 1851. His grand- father was Richard Carter, a native of Scotland, who married Sarah Tigg. His maternal grandfather was Richard Crouch, a native of Germany. Rich- ard Carter came to America from Scotland when he was a lad of sixteen and
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
settled in North Carolina. He was one of four brothers, and was a pioneer school teacher in North Carolina, dividing his time between farming and teaching. He was in the War of 1812 and also in the Black Hawk War in 1832, and lived to be over eighty years of age. The school building in the county in which he taught for so many years is still known as the Carter school, although there have been several buildings erected on the same ground, the present building being a structure of four rooms. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Carter were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daugh- ters. At the time of the discovery of gold in California three of the brothers removed to that state, where they have since made their homes. They have married, reared families in that state and have been very successful. Some of them have made visits back to the old home. William K. Carter, the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, took part in the Mexican War, after which he returned to his home in North Carolina, where he followed the occupation of a farmer. He was for a number of years the overseer for a large plantation owner by the name of Joseph Spurgeon, and had seventy- five negroes under his charge. He did not marry until after he came back from the Mexican War, and after a number of years as overseer he engaged in farming on his own account. At the opening of the Civil War he enlisted in the Confederate army in Company I, Forty-second Regiment North Caro- lina Infantry, and served throughout the war. He took part in scores of battles in many states, having fought in the West at the battle of Vicksburg and in the East in the battle of the Wilderness. He was severely wounded in one of the last engagements of the war and never fully recovered from the effects of this disabiity. After the close of the war he returned to his home in North Carolina and lived there until he was about fifty years of age, a highly respected farmer. Mr. and Mrs. William Carter were the parents of nine children, only two of whom are now living, Joseph S., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Mrs. Margaret Everhardt, of Thomasville, North Carolina.
Joseph S. Carter was reared in North Carolina and received his education at the Carter school, which has been mentioned, and Piney Grove and Wau- town, a suburb of Old Salem, North Carolina. At the age of nineteen he started out to seek his fortune and came to Hendricks county, Indiana, arriv- ing at Amo on the 24th day of November, 1869. He took employment with the farmers of the neighborhood and worked in this line for about three years, after which he bought forty acres of land south of Stilesville, this county,
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
but did not move onto this farm. Later he purchased forty acres one and one-half miles south of Amo, and to this small beginning he has added acreage from time to time until he is now the owner of four hundred and fifty-five acres of fine farming land in the county. He has made a remark- able success as an agriculturist, and has gained a reputation as a feeder of stock which cannot be excelled in the county. He nas made a specialty of raising corn and hay and then feeding all of it on his farms. At one time he, in partnership with Jacob Phillips, had seven hundred hogs, which they were fattening for the market. This was in the year 1874, at the time of the famous grasshopper plague in Kansas, when they were able to buy hogs in that state at their own price. Mr. Carter has exercised wonderful judgment in all his financial transactions, with the result that he is now recognized as one of the most substantial farmers of Hendricks county.
Mr. Carter was married on January 26, 1873, to Sarah J. Masten, of this county, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Masten, and to this union there have been born four children: Arthur L. married Maude Underwood, and now lives on a farm of one hundred sixty acres west of Amo; Charles Burton married Nellie Hazlett and resides on a farm one-half mile south of Amo; Lewis, who died in infancy, and Ada, who married William Everett Atkins, and they have one son, Howard Carter, four years old, who is the delight of his grandfather's heart.
Mr. Carter now resides on the Masten property adjoining Amo on the south, where he has a fine modern home, with all the conveniences of the city. He was unanimously elected as a member of the town council of Amo and has taken a very active interest in the affairs of the town. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. In his church relations he is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church of Amo and contributes liberally of his means to its support.
Mr. Carter is a fine type of the self-made man, and although he only had twenty-five dollars when he landed in this county, in 1869, he has, by thrift and economy, accumulated a very comfortable fortune. In addition to his heavy landed interests, he has a large amount of money loaned on mortgages. Mr. Carter is a genial man, pleasant to meet and has a host of friends throughout the county. He helped organize the First National Bank at Amo, Indiana, being a charter member and was a director.
491
HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
ROBERT BELL.
That the plenitude of satiety is seldom attained in the affairs of life is to be considered a most beneficial privation, for where ambition is satisfied and every ultimate end realized, if such be possible, apathy must follow. Effort would cease, accomplishment be prostrate and creative talent waste its energies in inactivity. The men who have pushed forward the wheels of progress have been those to whom satisfaction lies ever in the future, who have labored continuously, always finding in each transition stage an in- centive for further effort. Mr. Bell is one whose well directed efforts have gained for him a position of desirable prominence in the agricultural circles of Hendricks county, and his energy and enterprise have been erowned by a gratifying degree of success.
Robert Bell is a native of this county, born on February 28, 1845, in what is now Lincoln township, being the son of Moses and Jane ( Harbison ) Bell, both of whom were natives of Ireland, coming to the United States from county Down about 1832. They entered eighty acres of government land about one mile south of Brownsburg, and after a few years they purchased from a Mr. Dunn forty acres which joined their farm on the east. Later on they purchased another eighty-acre tract about two miles south of the land they first owned, where Moses Bell passed the remainder of his life. Moses Bell was the son of John Bell, who died in Ireland, and it is thought his mother's maiden name was Jane Troutman, but this is not known positively. Moses Bell was one of the leading citizens of his day and community and deserved much credit for the station to which he attained. He arrived in Hendricks county a stranger from another land, without means, and at the time of his death he occupied an enviable place in the regard of those who knew him and had amassed considerable of this world's goods. He ever conducted himself so as to win the confidence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact, and throughout his life in this section he was always glad to endorse any movement having for its ultimate aim the betterment of the moral or material good of the community. He was a stanch supporter of the Republican party and took an active interest in the administration of that party's affairs. He filled one or two minor offices at different times, discharging his duties in a manner satisfactory to all.
Robert Bell was one of a family of five children, himself being the only one remaining out of the family. John died in infancy and Isabelle, Eliza J. and Mary A. died later in life. Robert Bell's mother died when he was
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
but nine years of age, when the eldest sister assumed the duties of the home- keeper and acted in this role until her death. After that, the father made his home with the subject. Mr. Bell remained at home until the time of his marriage, on September 26, 1868, receiving under the careful guidance of his father instruction in the labor of husbandry. After marriage, he con- tinued to live on the home farm until the father's death, when he purchased property in Brownsburg and has since divided his time between the home in town and the farm.
Mrs. Robert Bell was Miss Mary A. Barlow before her marriage, a daughter of Theophilus and Susan A. (Moberly) Barlow. The Barlow family were originally from Kentucky, but came to Indiana at a very early date in the state's history and settled in Hendricks county. They at one time owned a very large tract of land about three miles south of Browns- burg. Mrs. Bell was one of a family of nine or ten children and remained under her father's roof until the time of her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Bell have been born ten children, three of whom died in infancy. Clyde W. married Mary Cook and died February 7, 1905, leaving one child, a boy, Faye. A little daughter, Melvina, had preceded him into the life beyond. Lloyd S. went to Canada when a young man and there married a young lady who died when their child Robert was a year or two old. Lloyd and his son Robert are living on a homestead in British Columbia. Grace J. and Ernest E. were twins; the latter never married and lives in Brownsburg. Grace J. met her death when her father's home was destroyed by a fire caused by ex- ploding gasoline. She left a young son Vance, who lives with his grand- father and is a promising boy, attending high school in Brownsburg. Charles H. married Ida Phillips, daughter of James and Melvina (Gray) Phillips. They reside in Brownsburg and have a family of three children, namely : Mabel Elizabeth, Horace and Thomas Grant. Nellie S. has been twice mar- ried. Her first husband was Thomas Anderson and when a widow she mar- ried Walter Roach. She was the mother of four children, one only by the first husband, and all have passed away except one son, Lawrence Roach. Myrtle Z., another daughter of Mr. Bell, died when twenty-one years of age, and Estella C. and Clara P. were the names of two little daughters who died in infancy.
Mr. Bell's religious affiliation is· with the Presbyterian church, of which he is an active and consistent member. He is a man of generous impulses and genial disposition, who readily makes friends and retains them. He has been a stalwart Republican ever since attaining his majority and for his
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
party has served as road superintendent and road supervisor at different times. His conscientious discharge of the duties thus devolving upon him met the approval of all concerned. In addition to the general farming con- ducted by Mr. Bell, he has given particular attention to the breeding of short- horn cattle, and has been the most active stock buyer and shipper in the township for the past twelve years. For seven years he was in the farm implement business in Brownsburg and prides himself on the fact that his sales for one season have never been equalled in that town. Among other implements, sold that season, he disposed of thirty-eight binders and twenty- eight mowers, an enviable record truly. In common with all men of affairs, Mr. Bell has met with reverses at different times, but he has not permitted himself to be permanently handicapped by them, but has with renewed effort set himself to repair the breach. At the time of the death of his daughter, Grace, his town house was destroyed, at a loss of eighteen hundred dollars, and the same spring the house on the farm was also destroyed by fire. These material losses were small indeed to him when compared with the great loss which could not be replaced. Mr. Bell is a man of sterling qualities of character, patient and scrupulously honest in all the relations of life, hospitable and charitable, and he has gained the approval and high esteem of his fel- low citizens because of his upright life. Because of his earnest character and business success he is eminently entitled to representation in a work of the character of the one at hand.
THOMAS KINNEY.
A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of na- ture have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to the controlling influence of others or wields an influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the way along which others may follow with like success. The reputation of Thomas Kinney, one of the leading citizens of Brown township, Hendricks county, Indiana, having been unassailable all along the highways of life, according to those who have known him best, it is believed that a sketch of his career will be of benefit to the reader, for it has not only been one of honor but of usefulness also.
Thomas Kinney, one of the most successful farmers of the county, was
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
born not far from his present home on April 4, 1869, the son of John and Bridget (Mullin) Kinney, both of whom were natives of county Galway, Ireland. They emigrated to America early in their married life and came directly to Indiana, where for a short time they lived in the city of Indian- apolis. John Kinney then secured work on a farm in Marion county and in this way passed about seven years. By judicious saving he was able, at that time, to invest in a farm and found a tract of forty acres on the Hendricks- Boone county line that was what he desired, the farm being located in Hen- dricks county. The family lived there for two years, and it was during that period that the subject of this sketch was born. That tract was then dis- posed of and a farm of one hundred and ten acres in Brown township, Hen- dricks county, was then purchased, being the land on which subject now re- sides. John Kinney was a man eminently deserving of a great amount of credit, for through his own perseverance and untiring energy he was able to accumulate a considerable property, at the same time making a good living for his family, and so ordering his life as to win the confidence and respect of his fellow men. His death occurred in 1909, his wife having pre- ceded him by ten years. They reared a family of three children, only one of whom married. Thomas Kinney has remained unmarried, and so has his sister Delia, the two of them making their home in the old homestead. Owing to the ill health of Miss Delia Kinney, her brother has a man and his wife to assist them about the place, the wife looking after the housework and the husband doing the duties about the farm, Mr. Kinney acting merely as an overseer.
Mr. Kinney conducts his business in such a manner as to attest his ex- cellent business ability and in addition to the general farming carried on, he also gives particular attention to his stock, believing that care and attention to this phase of farm work greatly repays the time and labor expended. He also takes great pride in the quality of grain produced and to this end is a student of proper methods of agriculture along modern scientific lines and the proper rotation of crops. His farm shows the thought and care put into it and is one of the up-to-date farms of the county.
Politically, Mr. Kinney is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party and ever since attaining his majority he has taken a deep interest in public affairs. While not desiring offce for himself, his influence has ever been considered by those seeking that honor, as he has ever been desirous of see- ing the right party in the right place. Both he and Miss Delia are com- municants of the Roman Catholic church and their lives are consistent with
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HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
its teachings. Mr. Kinney is quiet and unassuming in his manner and be- cause of his success in the material affairs of life, his influence in local mat- ters and the unblemished character which he bears, there is accorded to him the fullest measure of popular confidence and esteem throughout the com- munity.
JOHN WALSH.
Though several years have passed since the subject of this sketch was transferred from the life militant to the life triumphant, his personality is still fresh in the memory of many of the citizens of Hendricks county, and especially Brownsburg, where the latter years of his life were spent. Be- cause of his many excellent personal qualities and the splendid and definite influence which his life shed over the various communities in which he lived and which he labored so earnestly to upbuild in any way within his power, it is particularly consonant that specific mention should be made of him in a work containing mention of the representative citizens of the county. A man of high moral character, unimpeachable integrity, persistent energy and excellent business judgment, he stood "four square to every wind that blew" and throughout the locality where he lived he occupied an enviable position among his fellow men, by whom he was universally esteemed.
John Walsh was born in county Galway, Ireland, in March, 1835, being the son of John and Hannorah Walsh, both of whom were natives of that county and passed their lives therein. The subject came to America in 1863, coming direct to Hendricks county and locating at Plainfield, which he considered his home for many years, while hiring out at farm work. He later purchased eighty acres of land three miles north of Brownsburg, where he lived for ten years. He then disposed of that tract and rented a farm two miles south of Brownsburg, where he made his home for two years, later purchasing property in the town of Brownsburg, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring September 7, 1910. After lo- cating in Brownsburg, he engaged in the grocery business and later in the saloon business for some time, continuing therein until his retirement from active business pursuits.
On February 14, 1874, Mr. Walsh was united in marriage with Mary Ann Fahy, who was born March 17, 1862, in Franklin county, Ohio, being a daughter of Edward and Margaret (Hart) Fahy, both of whom were born in county Galway, Ireland. Edward Fahy first came to America about the
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year 1853, and after living here for a while he returned to his native land, where he remained for six years. He then returned to the United States and located in Brown township, this county, where he purchased a farm and pass- ed the remainder of his life. Mary Ann Fahy was one of a family of eight children, the others being Martin, Thomas, Margaret, Kate, Edward, Pat- rick and Bridget.
To John Walsh and wife were born a family of seven children, namely : Nora, who is employed as saleswoman in a store in Brownsburg; Margaret, who is Mrs. James Tarpey and lives on a farm in Brown township, this county. She is the mother of three daughters, Fanchon, Mary and Martha. The third child of the family was Mary, who died when small. Catherine is a teacher in the public schools of Hendricks county, being stationed at present in Brownsburg. John is an undertaker and is associated with the Evans undertaking establishment in Brownsburg. Two children out of this family, Edward and Vina, remain at home with the mother. The entire family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, and stand high in public estimation by reason of their sterling worth and many excellent qualities. While John Walsh's life on earth has closed, he still lives through the lives of the children he sought in every way to rear to perfect manhood and womanhood.
JACOB LOCKHART.
The gentleman to a review of whose life the reader's attention is here respectfully directed is recognized as one of the energetic, well-known farm- ers of Hendricks county, who by his enterprise and progressive methods has contributed in a material way to the advancement of the locality where he lives. As a mere lad of sixteen he joined the army during the Civil War and served his country gallantly and faithfully for two years. In the course of an honorable career he has been successful in the manifold lines to which his efforts have been directed and, enjoying distinctive prestige among the rep- resentative men of his community, it is eminently proper that attention be called to his achievements and due credit be accorded to his worth as an en- terprising citizen.
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