USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > History of Hendricks County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 68
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William Henry Arnold spent his boyhood days in this county, coming with his parents from Putnam county when fourteen years of age. When a youth he attended the early schools of the township, acquiring the best education the opportunities of that day afforded in this community. On September 22, 1876, he was united in marriage with Sarah Cosner, daugh- ter of John and Louisa ( Rolla) Cosner. She is a native of this county, having been born at Stilesville. John Cosner was a native of North Caro- lina, born there on May 9, 1822, and died at Stilesville on January 31, 1893. He was a farmer all his life, a man of excellent character and ability. He was twice married, his first wife being Eliza Wicker, to whom he was united in marriage in 1846. Her death occurred on November 1, 1848, and she left one child, a son, Alfred. In 1851 John Cosner was again married,
,
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this time to Louisa Rolla, and by this marriage became the father of six children. Besides Sarah. wife of the subject of this sketch, there are Miranda, Elizabeth, Leander, Lafayette and Margaret. Louisa (Rolla) Cosner was a native of Ohio, born February 16, 1834, and died at Stilesville, this state, on October 24, 1883. To the subject and his wife have been born three children, Glenn, Earle and Irvin. All his life Mr. Arnold has been engaged in farming and kindred pursuits. Shortly after his marriage he came to reside on his present farm. containing one hundred and sixty acres. He is one of the best farmers of the county, progressive in all his methods. He is thorough and systematic in his work, makes a careful study of his soil and determines by scientific methods what it is best adapted for and then proceeds to carry out his theories with energy and ability. The soil with which he has to deal is exceptionally fine and for the last five years he has put a great deal of thought and labor on the nursery business, devoting par- ticular attention to fruit trees, etc. He is the originator of an excellent pear known as the "Arnold" pear, which has acquired a wide reputation and is highly advertised by nurserymen. Mr. Arnold has been highly compliment- ed on his success in this line of endeavor by men who have devoted a life of study and experiment to the same line. In addition to this line of work, he has considerable reputation as a raiser and breeder of cattle and at all times feeds considerable stock. He is an eminently successful man and has won his enviable position through tireless endeavor and well directed energy. He is a great reader, a deep thinker, a thoroughly sound and sane man and. as may be expected. is a delightful companion.
Mr. Arnold's political affiliation is with the Democratic party in the affairs of which he takes a quiet, though keen, interest. He is too busy with his own affairs to desire public office of any sort, but at one time was induced to serve as township supervisor, which place he held for four years. Mrs. Arnold is a member of the Missionary Baptist church at Stilesville, and while Mr. Arnold is not connected with any church society, he is interested in the progress of all. The family is one of the best known and most highly respected in the county, with a strong influence for right in all phases of life. Mr. Arnold can honestly claim all the honor accorded him for what he has accomplished, for he started in life with practically nothing, but is now one of the substantial men of his community as a result of his close application to business and his persistency. He has a host of friends, for his life has been honorable in every respect.
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GEORGE W. WISE.
Among the honorable and influential citizens of Hendricks county, Indi- ana, is the subject of this brief review, who has here maintained his home for many years, winning a definite success by means of the agricultural in- dustry, to which he has devoted his attention during the years of an active business life. His career has been without a shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, and thus he has ever commanded the confidence and esteem of his fellow men.
George Washington Wise, the proprietor of a one-hundred-and-fifty-acre farm in Marion township, this county, was born in Granger county, Ten- nessee, in 1845. His parents were William and Patience (Sherrod) Wise, both of whom were natives of Wayne county, North Carolina, where they were reared, married, and spent their earlier married life, later moving to Tennessee, where they remained until their death, which occurred in 1875. George W. Wise lived in Wayne county, North Carolina, until sixteen years of age, and then went to Garrett county, Kentucky, where he had relatives, with whom he lived until he grew to manhood and married.
Mr. Wise was married in 1866 to Nancy Jane Mallicoat, the daughter of Joel and Martha (Allen) Mallicoat. George Wise and his wife were playmates when they were children in Tennessee, and the friendship which was established in those early days was broken when he moved to Kentucky, but after Nancy Mallicoat grew to young womanhood she happened to go on a visit with her brothers to Kentucky, and visited in the same neighborhood where George was working, and they again met, and the friendship which was the joy of their childhood days ripened into a deeper affection with the result that they were united in marriage before her return to her native state. Her father was a prosperous farmer in Tennessee and a man of fine charac- ter in every way. He lived to an advanced age, his death occurring in his . ninety-third year on October 20, 1910, and when he passed away it was said that he did not have an enemy in the world. His wife, the mother of Nancy, died when she was only four years of age.
Mr. and Mrs. Wise remained in Kentucky but five years after their mar- riage, and then came to Hendricks county, where they located in the east- ern part of Marion township in July, 1873. In this township they have lived for the past forty years. At first they were not able to purchase a farm, having come here with practically nothing, and as a result they had to rent land, but they were industrious and frugal and managed so that they might
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save and have a home of their own. They first bought sixty acres of land just west of New Winchester, and from time to time added acre by acre to this until they now have one hundred and fifty acres of fine farming land, all of which is clear of encumbrances of any kind. They have done this and yet have played an important part in the material, social and moral wel- fare of their community. They have one son, William Henry, who was born in 1867. He married Ida Lasley, the daughter of Gabriel and Nancy Lasley, and is now living at Gonvick, Minnesota, where he is following the occu- pation of a farmer. He and his wife have nine children living, Clyde, Minnie, Fred, Martha, Willam, Fanny, Gertrude, Kitty V. and Ida May. Paul died when he was three and one-half years old.
Mr. Wise has lived a clean, upright and straightforward life and there is not a man who has ever had cause to question his integrity. His and his wife are loyal members of the Baptist church at Danville and are firm be- lievers in the efficacy of church work. They have always stood for the best ideals and have always endeavored to cultivate that sweetness which is the saving grace of civilization and the benediction of mankind in general.
SAMUEL C. McCOUN.
The subject of this sketch is one of those strong, self-reliant and de- termined characters who are occasionally met with and who are of such a distinct type as to seem to be born leaders of their fellow men. Not that Mr. McCoun courts that distinction, for he is entirely unassuming, but his great force of character and his zeal and energy in whatever he undertakes naturally place him at the head of the crowd, and he has been a potent factor in later years in the development of his community. While still a young man, Mr. McCoun has attained a degree of success which might well be the pride of one of a far greater number of years, and which promises great things for a wider field of influence as the years go on. He is well known to all classes for his honest and industrious life, both in private and public.
Samuel C. McCoun was born on March 25, 1884, on the old home- stead farm, northwest of Danville, Hendricks county, Indiana, and he is the son of John W. and Elizabeth (Carrington) McCoun. John W. McCoun was a native of the state of Kentucky, born in 1821 at Winchester, that state. When but five years of age he was brought to Indiana by his par-
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ents, James and Eliza McCoun. They first settled in Marion township, this county, where they farmed for about fifteen years. They were among the large land owners of the county and it is believed that they had entered from the government the land which they possessed. They went to Putnam county, this state, accompanied by their son, John W., and about the year 1856 moved to Missouri. There John W. remained for about a year, when he returned to Center township, this county, and farmed here until his death, in 1900, on the homestead farm. John W. McCoun was considered one of the successful farmers of his community, being very methodical and thorough in his work. Beside the attention he gave to general farming, he took great interest in his herd of Shorthorn cattle, which was truly a pride. He raised considerable stock at all times. John W. McCoun had no fraternal affiliations whatever, and in his early life had been aligned with the Whig party, later endorsing the platform of the Democratic party. He always took a keen interest in politics, but never aspired to office of any sort. For many years he was a faithful member of the Christian church and ordered his life according to the tenets of that faith. He was twice married, his first wife being Melvina Talbott, of Putnam county, by whom he had a family of seven children, namely: John T., deceased; James L., deceased; Eliza, Mrs. Daugherty; Amelia, Mrs. Williams; Robert; Anne, Mrs. Johnson; and Boone. The first Mrs. McCoun died in 1880 and his second wife was Elizabeth Carrington, by whom he had one child, the sub- ject of this sketch. She is a native of Hendricks county, born in 1839, and makes her home on the old homestead with her son, the subject.
Samuel C. McCoun spent his boyhood days on the home farm in Center township, this county, attending the township schools, and later took a two- year agricultural course at Purdue University, at Lafayette, this state. In addition to general farming, he makes a specialty of raising and breeding Berkshire hogs, and has raised and sold many animals of value. His farm is known as the Locust Grove farm and consists of two hundred and eighty- eight acres of excellent land, having the advantage of being located close to the city of Danville. Every bit of this land is under careful cultivation and observation and in addition there are many large and substantial buildings, one large building being devoted exclusively to the raising of hogs. The farm residence is a handsome brick structure of modern design, considered one of the finest homes in the county. Mr. McCoun is a most progressive farmer and an indefatigable worker. He is considerable of a student along the line of his vocation and uses his technical knowledge to the best possible
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advantage. He is generous in this respect, not retaining the results of his studies for his own use alone, but being glad to be of assistance to others, and in that way he is making for himself an enviable name throughout the county.
On November 15, 1905, Mr. McCoun was united in marriage with Mabel McCoun, a native of Hendricks county, and a daughter of Edward and Alice (Steward) McCoun. To their union has been born one child, Alice.
Mr. McCoun's fraternal affiliation is with the ancient order of Free- masonry, being identified with Lodge No. 26 at Danville, and he is also a chapter member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Since attaining his majority, Mr. McCoun has been identified with the Democratic party and of later years takes the more progressive view of the leaders of that party. While not a member of any church, Mr. McCoun's religious sympathies are with the Christian church, of which his wife is a member and to whose sup- port he contributes of his means. Mr. McCoun is a man of sterling char- acter, quiet and unassuming in his manner, with a kindly word for his neigh- bors, of excellent personal habits and undoubted veracity. Needless to say, such a broad-minded and helpful man stands high in public estimation and has won to himself many who hold him in high regard.
MELVILLE C. ENSMINGER.
A community is judged largely by the lives of comparatively few of its members. Few residents of Hendricks county were as widely and favorably known as the late Melville C. Ensminger, whose life's record was finished November 11, 1901. No man stood higher in the esteem and confidence of the community in which he resided than he, and his whole life was of such a nature as to justify the statements that he was man "whom to know was to love."
Melville C. Ensminger, son of Samuel J. and Mary ( McGee) Ensmin- ger, was born November 19, 1842, on what is known as the old Ensminger homestead, northeast of Danville, Hendricks county, Indiana, and died No- vember II. 1901, the result of injuries received in a railroad accident, which occurred between Danville and his home. He was descended from one of the pioneer families of the county, a history of which is given in the sketch
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of his brother, Samuel B. Ensminger, elsewhere in this volume. He grew to inanhood on the farm where he was born and reared, receiving his edu- cation in the old Danville Academy. After leaving school he taught for twelve years, and in the meantime read law for three years with Col. Chris- tian Nave, of Danville, and was admitted to the bar, but never engaged in the active practice of the profession, spending his entire life upon the farm.
Mr. Ensminger was married December 31, 1874, to Samantha A. Linein- ger, the daughter of Aaron and Margaret (Duzan) Lineinger. A sketch of the Lineinger family is given in the biographical mention of Alfred S. Lineinger, elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Ensminger was born and reared a short distance east of Danville and has lived in that neighborhood all her life. To this marriage have been born four children, three sons and one daughter, Mary, who died at the age of three months. The three sons are Julian, Aaron M. and Chesley Bailey. Julian married Esta May Smith, the daughter of William and Viola Smith, and they live four miles northeast of Danville on one of the farms which was owned by his father. The other two sons and Mrs. Ensminger live on the old home farm east of Danville. For two years after his marriage Mr. Ensminger continued to reside on the farm where he was born, at which time he moved to a farm which he inherited from his mother. From time to time he purchased more land and at the time of his death he was owner of two hundred and eighty-five acres of fine farming land. He built a fine, attractive home and had good barns and other outbuildings and all his farms were in first class shape in every par- ticular. He carried on extensive farming and stock raising and was con- sidered one of the most substantial farmers of the county, having farmed for many years about four hundred acres.
Mr. Ensminger was a Republican in politics all his life and actively interested in the welfare of his party. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, his father having been a Methodist minister, and he was reared in the faith of that denomination and was a liberal contributor to its support. He was a man of strong convictions, earnest, fearless and frank in his denunciation of what he considered was wrong. He was a man of strong domestic tastes, loving his family and home, and took great enjoy- ment in providing for his family. He was a close student and great reader, and a man whom it was a pleasure to meet. His life was well spent and affords a good example for the coming generation of the county. Aaron M. Ensminger, the son who remains on the home farm, is actively engaged in the buying and raising of shorthorn cattle and graded stock.
HENDRICKS COUNTY, INDIANA.
CHARLES P. DUNCAN.
Among the younger farmers of Hendricks county, Indiana, who have built up a comfortable home by their own efforts is Charles P. Duncan, of Liberty township, who was born June 12, 1880, on the farm where he is now living. His parents were William G. and Matilda ( Barnes) Duncan. William Duncan was a native of this county, his birth having occurred on June 21, 1843, and his death occurred June 17. 1911. William Duncan was the son of Charles and Delilah (Blunk) Duncan, and he spent his entire life in this county, with the exception of four years, when he was in the Civil War. He enlisted in 1861 in Company A, Thirty-third Regiment Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry, for the three-year service. His regiment was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, and after serving two and one-half years he re-enlisted and served until the end of the war, being mustered out in July, 1865, at Indianapolis. He was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea and took part in all those hard-fought battles and skirmishes which characterized that campaign. He was disabled and sent to the hospital on account of injuries, but recovered sufficiently to rejoin his regiment and be with them when they were mustered out. Immediately upon the close of the war William Duncan returned to this county and resumed farming. He was a prominent citizen of his township and served on the advisory board for some years. He was a member of the Christian church and a deacon in that denomination on all occasions. He was a strong believer in righteous living and upright conduct in all business affairs.
The wife of William Duncan, Matilda Barnes, was a member of one of the pioneer families of this county. Her family history appears else- where in this volume in the sketch of W. D. Barnes, who is a brother of Mrs. Duncan. She is still living in Hazelwood, this county.
Charles P. Duncan spent his boyhood days on the home farm south- west of Hazelwood and received his education in the district schools of his township. He has spent his whole life on the farm where he is now living with the exception of ten years he spent on a rented farm of one hundred and eight acres in Franklin township, this county. He now owns eighty acres, which includes the old farm, and is bringing the farm to a high state of cultivation by his skillful system of crop rotation. After leaving Franklin township, this county, he bought sixteen acres north of his present farm, but sold this in the fall of 1913 before moving to where he now resides.
Mr. Duncan was married March 31, 1902, to Nida Skaggs, a daughter
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of Lee and Anna (Kavanus) Skaggs. Lee Skaggs was born in Tennessee, and his wife was a native of Liberty township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Skaggs are now living at Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Duncan are the parents of five children, Ollan, who died at the age of five years, Lloyd, Chrystine, Pauline and Kathryn Dee.
Mr. Duncan is an active Republican, but has never been identified as an aspirant for any public office. He and his wife are members of the Church of Christ at Hazelwood, and both take an active part in the affairs of their church. Mr. Duncan is a quiet, unassuming man, with a friendly disposition. Because of his high character he is respected by every one with whom he has been associated. He and his wife are the owners of a beautiful home, where they entertan their many friends with genuine hospitality.
WILLIAM S. ELMORE.
Hendricks county is widely known for its beautiful homes, rich, fertile farms, the high state of cultivation to which its land has been brought, and, above all, for the very active, progressive farmers who reside within her borders. These are business men in the best sense of the word-men who work with their hands to produce sustenance for their fellow men, as well as their own immediate families, yet guided by an active intelligence which lifts their toil above drudgery and places them in the front rank of our in- dependent, prominent citizens. In this admirable class of clean-cut, broad- minded men, few are better known throughout the county than the subject of our present sketch. Born in Franklin township, he has been ready to grasp the opportunities which lay nearest him, and by his unremitting energy has given to the world a large family of useful citizens and amassed for himself a competence.
William S. Elmore, son of John and Mary (Wood) Elmore, was born October 23, 1864, and received his education in the schools of Franklin township. Here his youth was spent, living near to nature and learning from his father many of the principles of the science of agriculture; and that he has continued to study and put into practice these principles and theories is evidenced by his success as a farmer.
On the 20th day of March, 1887, he was married to Ollie Tharp, a native of Center township, this county, a daughter of Joshua Tharp and wife; and after seven years of residence in the environment of his youth,
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he brought his family to Middle township and there purchased his present home, a beautiful, productive, well-kept farm of eighty acres. Nine chil- dren have been born to them, as follows: Mabel (Mrs. Sparks), Cecil (who died in infancy), Roy, Gladys, Ova, Jesse, Byron, Charles and Robert.
The father of the subject, John Elmore, is also one of the well known citizens of the county. One of the early pioneers, he has watched with pleasure the changes and improvements which have come to the surround- ing country, and now, in his declining years, after a long and fruitful life, he is spending his days "beneath his own vine and fig tree," the homestead where his family has been reared. Finding his greatest happiness in the independent life of the farm, he has spent his days tilling the soil, living near to the heart of Mother Nature and rearing a large family to perpetuate his name and principles, and revere his memory in the future.
John Elmore was born March 11, 1832, in Monroe county, coming to Hendricks county with his parents, Samuel and Elizabeth Elmore, in 1834, while he was yet a child. They made their permanent home in Franklin township. where they entered land from the government. There John El- more grew up amid pioneer surroundings, later, however, purchasing a tract of land in Union township, where he has since remained. In the year 1853 he was married to Mary Wood, who was also a native of this state. Six children were born to them, Jerry, Moses, William S., Martha (Warren), Minnie (Montgomery) and Emaline (Foxworthy). In the year 1877 the faithful wife and mother passed away. About two years later he was mar- ried to Fanny Elmore, of Kentucky, and to them one child was born, a daughter, Elizabeth, now Mrs. Woodward. Mrs. Elmore died in July, 1912. Mr. Elmore has been a home-loving man, devoting his time to the family, which has carried his influence abroad; but he has also been interested in the various movements for the good of the community which have taken place during his long residence. A stanch Democrat, he has adhered strictly to the principles of his party, active in promulgating the principles of true Democracy at all times, and now happy in its supremacy. His son William,. like his father, is a firm believer in the teachings of Jefferson, and has con- sistently voted the Democratic ticket. Fraternally, William is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Pittsboro, and, with his wife and four of his children, is a member of the Christian church of that place.
Personally, the subject of this sketch is genial, broad minded and well informed, a man who holds the confidence of the community at large. Mrs. Elmore, who has been his best friend and most helpful ally in all his un-
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dertakings, has a charming personality and is widely known and greatly admired among the young people of the community, many of whom have enjoyed her hospitality. Taking a deep interest in the social, as well as the spiritual life of the church to which she is devoted, she is indeed a worthy helpmate for a prominent citizen.
ROBERT E. PARKER.
Middle township, Hendricks county, has been especially honored in the character and career of Robert E. Parker, who, in the face of obstacles that would have discouraged and defeated many another, has forged his way to the front by a strong inherent force and well directed intelligence and judgment and who for many years has ranked among the substantial and prominent men of this locality, few having occupied a more honored place in the estimation of his fellow citizens than he. He is a man of pub- lic spirit, who, while laboring for his individual advancement, has never neglected his broader duties to the public in general, and his character has been exemplary in all the relations of life.
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