USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > History of Hendricks County, Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 79
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taken an interest in the affairs of his vicinity and county and identifies himself with all worthy measures of a public nature. For the exercise of grit, economy, perseverance and honesty, Mr. Cook has not only won material suc- cess. but, what is still better, he has the esteem of all with whom he has come into contact.
ALFRED COX.
He whose career now comes up for review has for many years been a citizen of this county and a brief sketch of his life will show what any young man can hope to accomplish who has in his mind a definite aim and stead- fastly pushes toward that goal. His career has been a most commendable one in every respect. Beginning life under none too favorable auspices, he allowed nothing to deter him, and by persistent industry and the exercise of sound sense in his operations, he has gained the rewards for which he labored and is today numbered among the substantial and influential men of his community.
Alfred Cox is a native of the Buckeye state, born on February 27, 1853, in the suburbs of Cincinnati. He is the son of William and Ann (Reeves) Cox, the former born in Londonshire, near the city of London, England, and there grew to manhood. He was twice married, his first wife being a native of his county and when they came to America they had a family of two daughters and one son. The wife died while they resided near Cincin- nati, and there some time later he was united in marriage with Ann Reeves. She, too, was a native of England, having been born in Yorkshire, and was brought by her parents to America when a small child of three years. To this union were born three children, among them being the immediate subject of this sketch. All the children were born while the family lived in Cincinnati, where the father was a gardener and florist and also interested in fruit grow- ing. He was also a landscape gardener of no mean ability and it was he who laid out Spring Grove cemetery on the north side of Cincinnati. Later he removed to a place near Chicago, but only stayed there three years when he came to Marion county, this state, and located his family about three miles south of the city of Indianapolis. There his death occurred in 1866, at the time the subject of this sketch was fourteen years old. Young as he was, Alfred Cox assumed his position as "man of the family" and, under the guidance of a wise mother, carried on the business his father had left. The mother lived a widow for a good many years, passing away in 1892. In Oc-
MR. AND MRS. ALFRED COX
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tober, 1882, the subject, together with his mother and her brothers and sis- ters, purchased an eighty-acre tract in the southeast portion of Lincoln town- ship, Hendricks county, and there resided for some time. Later on, however, the subject purchased the interests of the others and held the land under his own title. When the family purchased the tract in question, there were but twelve acres cleared of timber and fit for cultivation. The subject has cleared the balance of it and set out a large orchard numbering some two thousand trees. These are mostly apple, but there are a few specimens of pears and cherries. He also carries on general farming on a tract of one hundred and sixty acres which he owns and which lays partly in Lincoln and partly in Washington townships. He also owns a farm of two hundred and five acres north of Clermont, Marion county. In his earlier days he did considerable gardening and has attended the city market of Indianapolis from the time he was eight years old and has the distinction of being the oldest attendant on market in point of years of service. At one time he handled cut and potted flowers, also live and dressed poultry, but now confines his efforts mostly to fruits, having made for himself an enviable reputation among the patrons of the market.
In June, 1888, Alfred Cox was united in marriage with Anna Anderson, who was born at Milk Creek in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Abner and Catherine ( Householder) Anderson, the former of whom was of excellent Scotch-English ancestry and the latter of sterling German strain. They came to Indiana in the year 1870 and located at Knightstown, where they remained for a year and then moved to Indianapolis where the father passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring about 1873. In early life he had been a farmer, but later took up carpentry. His widow still resides in Indianapolis on Beville avenue and is enjoying good health and clear faculties at the advanced age of seventy-eight.
Mr. Cox's religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a consistent member, giving of his time and means to further its good works. His fraternal affiliation is with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has been a member for a number of years in the local lodge at Brownsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have an attractive and comfortable home in Lincoln township, the excellent condition of the farm land attesting the thoroughness of the owner, while the air of the home is that of genuine hospitality. Throughout his life, Mr. Cox has shown himself entirely worthy of the high esteem in which he is held. His life has been filled with activity and usefulness, while his untiring energy and ability have secured him a
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conspicuous place among the citizens of his community. In 1911 Mr. Cox agitated the proposition of good roads in Lincoln township and secured a suc- cessful petition for an improved road running two and a half miles south from Brownsburg, thence two and a half miles east; also three miles on the county line, running north from the Crawfordsville road. When it was decided to build the roads, he was made superintendent of the work. His strict integrity and unpretending bearing have elevated him in the confidence of his fellow citizens and his influence has always been exerted in the interests of those things which help to elevate his fellowmen in any way.
MELVIN AND MELVINA HARPER.
Descendants from an old and honorable pioneer family of this county, Melvin Harper and his sister Eva are among the most highly honored and respected citizens of Eel River township. Their father was a gallant veteran of the Civil War, who died in the service of his country during that terrible conflict. The Harper family came originally from Virginia in the early his- tory of the state and have numbered many worthy descendants since crossing the Alleghanies. William Forrest Harper, the first one of the family to be born in this county, was born near New Winchester, March 4, 1836, and died July 22, 1865, in Pulaski, Tennessee. The father of W. F. Harper was a native of Virginia, who came to Kentucky and married a girl by the name of Harper, but no relation to his parents or the family. The young couple came from Kentucky to this county on horseback and about eight years after settling in this county the father of W. F. Harper died, leaving his widow and seven sons. The widow never remarried, but remained on the farm with her chil- dren, where all seven of whom grew to manhood. In 1878 the mother of W. F. Harper went to Mitchell, Indiana, to live with one of her sons.
William F. Harper was reared to manhood at New Winchester, although he spent a year or two in Kansas before the war. He was married February 3, 1858, to Sarah E. Christy, a native of Putnam county and the daughter of William and Julian (Buntain) Christy. William Christy was born in Mon- roe county, Virginia, August 7, 1816, and died in Putnam county, Indiana, March 27. 1889. He came to Indiana when a small boy with his parents, James and Elizabeth Christy, and lived for a short time in Hancock county. Later his parents moved to the eastern part of Putnam county, where he spent most of his life. William Christy was married January 13, 1835. to Julian
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Buntain, the daughter of William and Leannah Buntain. Julian Buntain was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, December 8, 1814, and came to Indiana with her parents when a child. She was an earnest Christian from the age of eighteen, when she united with the Cumberland and Presbyterian church near New Winchester. Afterward she became a member of the Baptist church at Bethel. She died June 13, 1905, at the advanced age of ninety. William Christy was reared by pious parents and early in life joined the Methodist Episcopal church and in 1848 united with the Missionary Baptist church at Bethel in Putnam county, after which he decided to enter the ministry and was ordained in 1870 and continued to be an active minister until his death.
After William F. Harper married in 1858, he started farming on his wife's father's farm southwest of Coatesville, and remained there until he enlisted in the Civil War in 1865 except two years on a farm that he owned just north of New Winchester. He enlisted in Company K. One Hundred and Forty-eighth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, on February 15, 1865. and died in Pulaski, Tennessee, July 22, 1865. He was endeared to all who knew him and a man who led an upright Christian life in every way. He left a widow and two children, Melvin Carey and Melvina Eva, whose careers are set forth in this connection.
After the death of William F. Harper, his widow married Hiram T. Storm on December 25. 1867, and made their home four miles northeast of North Salem, the place now occupied by Melvin C. and his sister Eva. To this second marriage have been born four children, only one of whom is living. Orville Storm. Mrs. Storm, the mother of Melvin C. Harper and his sister, died April 28, 1912, at the age of seventy-three. Some years after her mar- riage to Mr. Storm, she left the Baptist church, since there was none near her home, and united with the Christian church and remained an earnest member of that denomination until her death.
Melvin Carey Harper, the son of William F. Harper and Sarah Eliza- beth Christy, was born August 14, 1862, near New Winchester in this county. When he was five years of age his mother remarried and she and her family then moved to his present farm. At the age of eleven his stepfather was elected treasurer of Hendricks county and for the next five years Melvin C. and his sister lived in Danville, where they attended school. After finishing the high school at Danville, Melvin entered DePauw University at Green- castle. At the age of twenty-two he went to Kansas and entered a govern- ment claim in Comanche county, forty-five miles from a railroad, and started in to improve his claim .. When he went to Kansas, his sister Eva went with him and they lived there together on his claim for seven and one-half years.
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They then came back to North Salem and lived upon the farm where they are now residing. Neither brother or sister has ever married, but have lived for each other through all these years, since the death of their father in the Civil WVar.
Melvina Eva, the sister of Melvin, is a finely educated woman. She attended the State Normal School at Terre Haute for two years and has spent several years in teaching. She taught five years before going to Kansas with her brother and taught seven years while they were living in Kansas. When they returned to this county she taught three years more, but several years ago retired from teaching and is now living with her brother on the farm. They have one hundred and fifty-five acres of fine farming land and Mr. Harper owns eighty acres in Marion township. He was a Republican up until the fall of 1912, when he allied himself with the new Progressive party. Mr. Harper is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at North Salem and he and his sister both belong to the Daughters of Rebekah and the Christian church. She is also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps at Lizton. She is also a member of the "Lawrence School Girls," an organiza- tion of ladies who attended the Danville public school during the years of 1873- 1875. This worthy couple have lived lives of usefulness in this county and their influence has always been found on the right side of all public questions which affected the welfare of their community in any way. They have many warm friends in the township, who esteem them for their many good qualities.
CHARLES F. MARTIN.
Realizing that every day is a fresh beginning and that every morning the world is made new, Charles F. Martin, of Jamestown and Eel River township, is too well known to the people of Hendricks and surrounding counties as a financier and farmer to need any formal introduction here. He forged his way to the front, from a beginning none too auspicious, by courage- ously removing, one by one, the obstacles he found in life's pathway, for he was well aware that clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will inevitably result in the attainment of a due measure of success. In following out the career of one who has achieved the coveted goal by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which made such accomplishment possible, and thus there is gained an in- centive and inspiration, while at the same time there is enkindled a feeling of
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respect and admiration. The qualities which have made Mr. Martin one of the prominent and successful men of this locality have also brought him the esteem of his fellow men, for his career has been one of well-directed energy. strong determination and honorable methods.
Charles F. Martin, president of the Citizens State Bank of Jamestown, and prosperous farmer of Eel River township, was born on August 20, 1851, in this township, on the farm where he is now residing. His parents were Levi and Emmeline (Fullen) Martin. Levi Martin was born in Union county, Indiana, on March 10, 1826, and was the son of James and Mary (Hendricks) Martin. Levi Martin came to Hendricks county in 1833 with his parents, who purchased land near where Charles F. is now living and remained there until their deaths, James Martin's death occurring in 1849. Levi Martin grew to manhood on the home farm and married Emmeline Fullen, who was born in this county and was the daughter of Charles and Sarah (Lawson) Fullen, early settlers in this locality.
Charles F. Martin grew up on the farm and enjoyed such educational advantages as were afforded by his home schools and later was given an academic and commercial course at Indianapolis. Returning to this county, he taught school for three years and then engaged in farming, and has lived the life of a farmer ever since. He has been very successful as an agricul- turist and is now the owner of three hundred and fifty acres of land which he has improved and brought to a high state of productivity. In addition to his landed interests, he is one of the stockholders and organizers of the Citizens State Bank of Jamestown, which bank was organized in June, 1903. with a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. In 1913 the net profits of the bank were ten thousand dollars, with deposits amounting to nearly two hun- dred thousand dollars. Mr. Martin has been president of the bank from the time of its organization and has had the satisfaction of seeing it grow in strength and enlarge its usefulness to the community. While Mr. Martin has been busy with his financial and agricultural interests he has not neglected his duty as a citizen of the township. In 1888 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of trustee of his home township and filled this responsible office to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens, irrespective of party.
Mr. Martin was married in 1880 to Miranda Frances Tucker, of Eel River township, the daughter of Dandridge Tucker and a sister to Nathan and David Tucker, whose biographies are given elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are the parents of five children, Paul, Levi Lawson, Charles Russell, Maude and Emma Catherine. Paul, Maude and Emma have been students of Butler College at Indianapolis and Emma graduated in 191I.
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Lawson graduated from Purdue University in 1910, and Russell graduated from the agricultural department of that institution in 1914. Paul is now assisting his father on the farm. Lawson is principal of the schools at Darlington, Indiana. Maude has charge of the musical department of Hazel Green Academy, at Hazel Green, Kentucky; Emma is principal of the public schools at Mace, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are justly proud of their children, who have been given the advantages of the best educational institu- tions of the state and are filling useful places in society.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin have a beautiful country home one mile east of Jamestown, on the interurban line between Indianapolis and Crawfordsville. Mr. Martin is equally at home on the farm, in the bank and in all the. activities of his community. He is an obliging, courteous, public-spirited and progressive man, who has performed useful service to his community and is rightly regarded as one of the most progressive men of his township.
REV. WALTER M. BENSON.
Among the men of Hendricks county who have been potent factors for good, there is no one who occupies a more prominent position than Rev. W. M. Benson. For more than a score of years he was a public school teacher in various counties in the state and for the past thirty-five years has been in charge of the Baptist church of North Salem and other Baptist churches in this section of the state. In addition to his teaching and ministerial work, he has also found time to engage in farming. It would be impossible to esti- mate the beneficent influence which has followed his work in all of these lines of activity. For more than forty years he has been a resident of this county and in all that time he has never neglected an opportunity to serve his fellow men.
Rev. Walter M. Benson, the son of John Harley and Mary Ellen ( Minor) Benson, was born in 1833 in Pendleton county, Kentucky. He was two years of age when his parents moved to this state, where his father entered land in Rush county and lived there the remainder of his life. Walter Benson lived on the home farm until he was twenty years of age and then taught school in Rush county for three years. He secured his education in the subscrip- tion schools and then attended Fairview College, an institution of learning on the line of Rush and Fayette counties, which was presided over by A. R. Benton and Rev. Van Buskirk, the two famous educators of early Indiana.
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In 1856 Walter Benson moved to the southern part of Marion county, near the Johnson county line, and for the next twelve years taught in Marion county, and followed this with six years of teaching in Johnson county. Five years of the time he was teaching in Marion county he had to teach in a log school house and only recently Rev. Benson had the pleasure of giving a lec- ture in that locality and met a number of the old people of the neighborhood who were his pupils fifty years ago. While teaching in Marion county, he also served as county trustee for two terms, while at the same time he man- aged a farm of his own.
Rev. Benson came to Hendricks county in October, 1869, and bought a farm a short distance southeast of North Salem in Eel River township. He finished clearing the land, ditched, fenced and otherwise improved it. Up to the time that Rev. Benson came to Hendricks county, he had been preaching and farming, although he had for years been taking an active inter- est in church work. A year after coming to this county, he definitely decided to enter the ministry and was ordained as a regular minister in the Baptist church. For the next thirty-five years he was in charge of the Baptist church at North Salem, and for twenty-five years had charge of three other churches at the same time. He has the gift of natural oratory and is a man of great fluency of speech. During the thirty-five years in which he was in the active ministry, he not only served his charges faithfully and well, but also found time to take part in public affairs, was twice elected trustee of Eel River town- ship and served both terms to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He has also been able to keep his farm in operation and, due to the fact that he is a man of wonderful physique, he has never shirked manual labor, but has always been able to do his part in the field. He is proud of the fact that he is one of the best corn huskers in the county and from the age of sixteen has been able. until a few years ago, to husk three rows while the ordinary man was husking two.
In 1857 Rev. Benson was married to Mary Jane Vandever, who was born and reared in Marion county, the daughter of James and Sarah (Tucker) Vandever. She was one of his pupils when he taught in the old log school house in Marion county, and the romance which begun in that rude building continued through more than fifty years. She lived to celebrate her golden wedding anniversary in 1907 and did not pass away until three years later, dying March 16, 1910. She was a wonderful woman in many ways, well versed in the Scriptures, clear and keen of intellect and helpful to her husband in his understanding of the Bible. Four children were born to bless this union : Homer A., a life insurance man of Indianapolis, who married Jennie
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Miller, of Fayette county, and has one son, Neal: Mary E., the wife of J. S. Davis, of Gosport, has two children, Minor and Clarence; Hattie E., the wife of A. B. Davenport, a farmer of this county, has eight children, Herschel, Alberta, Edith, Maurice, Mary, Thelma, Frank and Beatrice; Eva Gertrude, the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Benson, is the wife of Everett Gregory, of Gosport, and has two children, Honor and Marion.
This biography is but a feeble tribute to the wonderful amount of good which has been accomplished by Rev. Benson. He is a typical man of wonderful strength and energy, who can do many things, and do them all well. As a teacher, as a minister of the gospel, as a public official and as a private citizen, he has taken his share of the burdens of the community. He is a man who has always been trying to serve his fellow men. As a student of the Bible, he has few equals, has a wonderful :memory and knows a large part of the Bible by heart and can repeat chapter after chapter without the slightest hesitation. He is a man of imposing appearance, tall, well built and with a personality which endears him to all who come in touch with him.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN PAGE.
There is no more up-to-date farmer or public-spirited citizen in Eel River township, Hendricks county, Indiana, than William Franklin Page, a man who has won success in his chosen line of endeavor, because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has dealt fairly with his fellow men.
William Franklin Page, the son of Jeremiah J. Page and wife, was born September 29, 1865, in Putnam county near the Hendricks county line. The Page family history is recorded in the biography of Jeremiah J. Page, else- where in this volume.
William F. Page remained on the home farm until his marriage. He received a good common school education, and from his father learned all the finer points in agriculture. On October 10, 1893, Mr. Page married Ora Carpenter, the daughter of Fielding J. and Eline ( Smith) Carpenter. Field- ing J. Carpenter was born February 1, 1854, in Morgan county, Indiana, the son of Felden and Sally (Leathers) Carpenter. Felden Carpenter came to Indiana in boyhood and settled in Morgan county among the first settlers of the county. Sally Leathers also came from the same part of Kentucky and settled with her parents in Morgan county. Felden Carpenter farmed all of his life as did his father, Daniel. before him. Fielding J. Carpenter grew up
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on the home farm in Morgan county and in 1875 married Eline Smith, who was born and reared in Wabash county, Indiana, the daughter of Benjamin and Sally Smith. In 1876 Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter moved to Hendricks county and lived here ever since except two years' residence in Montgomery county. Mr. Carpenter's first wife died January 21, 1891, leaving six chil- dren, Cora. Ora. Edgar, Cleveland, Alta Opal and an infant, deceased. Mr. Carpenter was married on October 18, 1891, to Ella Soots, daughter of John and Mary Adeline (Newman) Soots, of Eel River township. Her parents were both reared in this county. To this second marriage of Mr. Carpenter have been born six children: Verley Esther, deceased; Hazel Fern; Edith Marie ; Cecil Dewey, deceased ; Herndon and Victor Hugo.
Before his marriage Mr. Page had been farming the land where he now lives and after his marriage he built a home and has since resided there. He has one hundred and twenty-five acres of excellent farming land which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. While he carries on a general farm- ing, he has made a specialty of raising Poland China hogs and has been very successful on this line.
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