USA > Indiana > Howard County > History of Howard County, Indiana, Vol II > Part 15
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John Pickett, grandfather, passed the most of his life in North Carolina. He was probably of English ancestry, was a member of the Society of Friends, and died in the old North state. In his family were seven or eight children. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Pickett. Mr. Maris, was a native of that state, was a Friend and a consistent Christian.
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Mr. Pickett grew to manhood in Parke county, this state, em- ployed on the farm and attending the old-time subscription school. which was two miles distant from his home, but the most of his ed- ucation he received through business habits. At the age of seven- teen, on account of failing health, he quit the farm and obtained employment in a store, but he soon returned to the farm. This was in 1841. Being full of energy, however, he overworked and was compelled to quit the heavy, tedious and protracted duties of agricultural life in the "pioneer West." and he engaged in mer- chandising in the village of Annapolis for a period of fifteen years.
In 1878 he moved to Kokomo, where he was elected president of the Howard National Bank, which was organized and opened for business in January of that year. The charter, however, was dated in the November preceding. The duties and responsibilities of pres- ident of this bank have ever since been faithfully performed by him. who has now reached the age of ninety years and is as vigorous and active as many men at the age of sixty. He still owns the old homestead in Parke county, containing four hundred and ten acres. seven miles from Rockville, the county seat.
November 18, 1841, is the date of Mr. Pickett's union in mat- rimony with Harriet Emily Carter, daughter of Jehu and Lydia Thompson Carter, of Morgan county, Indiana, near Monrovia. They became the parents of two sons and eight daughters, named Louisa, Catherine, Lydia. Sarah, Jehu. Emma, Amanda, Walter. Ella and Ida. Louisa was married three times and has two chil- dren. Foster Branson and Grace Nixon being the children of the first and second husbands, respectively. Her last husband's name was Branson also: she is now a widow. Catherine died at the age of ten years. Lydia became the wife of William A. Moore and was the mother of two children, of whom only Amanda is now living. Mr. Moore was a teacher for a number of years in Earlham College.
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this state, and is now deceased. Sarah is now Mrs. D. T. McNeil at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her children, Walter and Paul, at- tended the university. Jehu, now a traveling man, married Louisa Lindley and they reside in Wichita, Kansas. Their children are Emma and Ella. Emma, his sister, married Louis F. Hornaday and they live in Crawfordsville, this state. Amanda died at the age of twenty years. Walter married Jessie VanSickel, of Craw- fordsville, and has one child named Catherine. He and his brother- in-law are in business together in that city, dealing in groceries. queensware, housefurnishing goods and stoves. Ella, twin sister of Walter. is unmarried. Ida. now deceased, became the wife of Julius Ayers and has one child named Warren.
Mrs. Harriett Emily Pickett, the first wife of the subject and mother of the above named children, departed this life May 30. 1888, in her sixty-sixth year. She was a noble woman and a mem- ber of the Society of Friends. On the 20th day of October. 1804. Mr. Pickett chose for his second wife Mrs. Catherine ( Cox) Over- man, widow of Charles Overman, and formerly a resident of Parke county.
In his political views Mr. Pickett is a Republican, but he has never had any taste for public office.
Now, the subject of the foregoing sketch is an example of ris- ing to a competency by honest methods and a steady aim, perse- verance and intelligent application and fidelity. When his parents settled in this state other settlers were there before him but two years. There were eight children in the family. At one time his father endeavored to buy wheat for them to make into flour, and at length succeeded in finding two bushels, which was ground. bolted by hand, and that was all the wheat flour the family had for a num- ber of months. The staples of their table fare were corn, pork, pump- kin. milk and butter. Now, besides his finely improved farm at the
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old homestead in Parke county, he has a nice property here in Ko- komo, his residence being No. 140 West Sycamore street, where he is enjoying life.
THOMAS HENRY PENN.
The history of England has always been one pervaded with intense interest. especially to America, where a certain kinship is felt. for it has to do with a sterling race of people. possessing admirable qualities of heart and mind and ever vigilant to push the car of civili- zation up the steeps, even if the most sanguinary methods have to be resorted to, and it is of a scion of such praiseworthy people that the biographer now essays to tell in a brief life history.
Thomas Henry Penn was born in Birmingham, England, in 1857, and when a lad of seventeen years immigrated to America, first settling in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where he remained one year and where he worked in the drawing department of the Great Western Railroad Company. Ile then engaged in the mercantile business in southern Illinois several years and then spent eight years in Chattanooga as an architect, at which he was eminently success- ful. In 1895 he came to Kokomo to assume the responsible position of superintendent of the Armstrong-Landon factory, in which ca- pacity he is still identified with this company, having shown his un- equaled ability as a manager of men and overseer of factory work. The factory employs twenty men and also operates lumber yards. This company does a general lumber business of a high grade ; also manufactures showcases and does all kinds of interior woodwork. together with various kinds of similar work, all of which is done to order. Mr. Penn draws plans and attends to all details of the work. which is always of a first-class nature. The annual business of this
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firm is about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Owing to the fact that the factory makes a specialty of hardwood products a great amount of lumber is purchased by its agents in various fiekls.
Mr. Penn has devoted himself exclusively to his duties and his wide experience in this line of work renders his skill and good judg- ment unexcelled.
The subject was united in marriage to Sadie Wilkinson, daugh- ter of Judge W. R. Wilkinson, of Friedsville, Illinois, the wedding having occurred while the subject was a resident of the southern part of that state. Three children have been born to this union. namely: Edward, bookkeeper in the office of the Armstrong-Lan- don Company, Kokomo; Thomas Henry, Jr., connected with the Howard County National Bank at Kokomo; Elenor is a graduate of the Kokomo high school. The Penn family subscribes to the Presbyterian church, and no family in Kokomo is held in any higher esteem than that of Mr. Penn.
JOHN McQUISTON.
Among Howard county's representative citizens and most hon- ored agriculturists is the aged gentleman whose name appears above. In outlining the brief life history of this prominent farmer and stock raiser it is believed that the many friends and acquaint- ances of this somewhat remarkable character will be delighted to know more of the elements going into his makeup and causing him to attain ultimate success, for Mr. McQuiston has for thirty-five years occupied a conspicuous place among the leading and influen- tial men of his community, and it is a tribute to genuine worth to number him with the large and eminently respectable class of peo-
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ple who, by deeds rather than by words, do so much to advance the material interests of the country and whose sympathies are always on the side of right and for whatever tends to promote the moral welfare of those with whom they associate.
John McQuiston was born in Decatur county, Indiana, Janu- ary 12, 1835. the son of William and Sarah ( Gullion) McQuiston. William McQuiston was left an orphan. He was brought from Tennessee to Kentucky and later to Decatur county, Indiana. Mem- bers of the Gullion family were reared upon the Ohio river. Grand- father Gullion was one of the first settlers in Switzerland county, In- diana. He married in that county but they spent the latter part of their lives in Decatur county. Grandfather Gullion was a large landowner in Switzerland county. He was a Baptist and church was held at his home for some time.
John McQuiston, our subject, was reared on the farm. He was the youngest of eleven children. He remained at home until both his parents had passed to their reward. Attending the common schools for several years, he received such education as those early times afforded, which he has since added to by home reading and by coming in contact with the world.
The domestic life of Mr. McQuiston dates from January 21. 1858. when he was united in marriage with Susan Julian, who was born in Rush county, Indiana, March 22, 1841. The Julian family is said to have been the first to settle Rush county. Mrs. McQuis- ton's father owned one hundred and sixty acres of good land there at one time and was known to be a man of industry and push.
When the subject and wife were married they had practically nothing in the way of earthly possessions, but they had plenty of grit and persistency, coupled with fortitude and honesty of purpose, which never fail to win when rightly applied. This they evidently did, since today they own one hundred and thirty-nine acres of land
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in Liberty township, constituting one of the best farms in that sec- tion of the county, which is well worth thirteen thousand dollars. He made all of this himself unaided, which certainly shows that he has been a very active and clear-brained man.
The subject came to Howard county in October. 1873, and has made his home here ever since. His farm is well drained and well fenced and his fields are kept in a high state of productivity owing to his skill in rotating crops and other modern methods of farming. He has a modern and comfortable dwelling, which is nicely fur- nished. Many convenient outbuildings also stand on the place, near the tracks of the interurban railway, which gives him access to the outside world and renders his place one of the most desirable in the township.
To Mr. and Mrs. McQuiston five children have been born, as follows: Isaac, a farmer living in Liberty township; Lawrence. who is married and living on a farm in Liberty township; Simeon, a farmer in the same township : Florence is the wife of William Tim- othy, of Templin: Alice is the wife of Ira Gipson, whose residence is in Greentown.
The subject and wife are members of the Christian church. the latter having been an active member of the same for forty years in 1908.
In politics our subject has always been a supporter of the Re- publican party, having been active in local politics for many years, always using his influence to place the best men in the county offices.
Mr. and Mrs. McQuiston are among the most highly respected citizens of Liberty township, where they are well known to all classes and much liked by all who know them, for their lives have been led along even tempered and useful lines, and they are regarded as un- qualifiedly upright and as advocating whatever tends to promote the moral. civic and industrial affairs of the county, and they are known
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to be kind and hospitable to those whom misfortune of any kind has overtaken.
J. W. BLAKELY.
Many years have elapsed since the subject of this resume took up his residence in Howard county, and it is due entirely to his assiduous efforts and undaunted ambition that he has here gained such signal success, having begun life under none too favorable auspices and being now the owner of one of the best farms in the county, while he is held in unqualified esteem as a citizen and as a progressive and prosperous man of business.
John William Blakely was born in Franklin county, Ohio, April 10, 1847, the son of Thomas and Eliza ( Blair) Blakely. Grandfather Blakely was a native of Ireland and he was brought to Ohio by his parents when but two years old. The grandfather of the former came over about 1814. The subject's grandfather died shortly after coming to this country. His widow lived where they first located the balance of her life, dying when about seventy years old. They were the parents of eight children. The early education of the father of our subject was limited, since he was compelled to work out at such work as he could obtain to help sup- port the family. This he continued to do until he was married. He then built a small log cabin on the farm of his father-in-law. Clearing ground near by he made a farm and in time the estate of his father-in-law was divided and the land on which he had built a house, cleared and made a home, fell to one of his wife's brothers, while his wife inherited the old home house and her share of the land thereto. On this place they lived. raised their children and died, the father at the age of fifty-nine. He was a Baptist minister
J. W. BLAKELY.
MRS. J. W. BLAKELY.
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and had one charge for thirty-five years. He was a man of great influence for good in his community and exercised a strong in- fluence for the moral tone of the locality where he lived. The mother of the subject lived until she was seventy-seven years old. They were the parents of twelve children, eight of whom grew to maturity, our subject being the fifth in order of birth.
Mr. Blakely attended the public schools in Ohio when a boy. However, he attended school but ashort time, having been com- pelled to work out by the day, doing anything to make an honest penny, continuing this mode of living until he was twenty-three years old, at the same time assisting his father, who was practi- cally an invalid, wherever his services were needed.
Our subject was married on January 24. 1870, to Mary Frances Teegardin. daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth ( Crume ) Teegardin, natives of Ohio. Mrs. Blakely's grandfather was a captain in the army at the time of the Revolutionary war.
Four children have been born to the subject and wife as fol- lows: Irvin, born September 8, 1872, died in 1902, leaving a widow and one child: Laura, born in October, 1876, is the wife of John W. Miller, a farmer in Howard county, being the mother of two children: Jennie Leotie died in infancy: Homer A., born in 1881. is with his father on the farm, married and has one chikl.
After the subject's marriage he rented a log cabin in Franklin county, Ohio, and cultivated seven acres of ground as a market garden. paying as rental ten dollars per acre in advance, working this for two years. He also worked twenty acres of grain on the shares. He afterward rented a farm in Allen county, Ohio, which farm belonged to his father-in-law. Here he farmed successfully for ten years, then came to Howard county, Indiana, in 1881 and went onto his wife's father's farm, where he has lived for twenty- seven years. At that time the farm consisted of one hundred and 14
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seventy acres, twenty-five of which were cleared by our subject, and he had added one hundred and forty-five acres to this, expending five thousand dollars for drainage, the farm now being under a suberb system of drainage. The fencing is well kept, being partly of wire and partly of wood in about equal parts. The productiveness of the soil is in fine condition as the result of the subject's skillful manipulation of the fields. He understands well the rotation of crops so as to pre- vent the soil becoming thin or washing. Clover is used after small grains and home fertilizers are also employed to enrich the soil. He feeds all the grain on the place that he raises and also buys other grain.
Mr. Blakely has an attractive and beautiful home, surrounded by a well kept and an artistically arranged lawn and orchard and groves, so that his place is one of the most attractive and one of the most comfortable in this part of the country. He lives four and one-half miles from Kokomo, and an interurban station is near his door. He graveled at his own expense in teams and labor, one-half mile of road leading from his home to the pike which leads to Ko- komo.
Fraternally the subject is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having been a faithful member for thirty years from the time of this writing. While he is a loyal Democrat and ever vigilant in his efforts to assist in placing the right men in local offices, he has himself never sought public office. preferring to de- vote his time exclusively to the work of his farm, which he has made a great success, being regarded as a model farmer by his neighbors. Mrs. Blakely is a member of the Baptist church and they are both highly respected by all who know them for their up- rightness, kindness and hospitality.
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HON. NATHANIEL RICHMOND LINSDAY.
"Human life." says a distinguished writer. "is like the waves of the sea. They flash a few brief moments in the sunlight, mar- vels of power and beauty, and then are dashed upon the remorse- less shores of death and disappear forever. As the mighty deep has rolled for ages past and chanted its sublime requiem and will con- tinue to roll during the coming ages until time shall be no more, so will the waves of human life follow each other in countless succes- sion until they mingle at last with the billows of eternity's bound- less sea."
The passing of any human life, however humble and unknown. is sure to give rise to a pang of anguish to some heart, but when the fell destroyer knocks audibly at the door of the useful and great and removes from earthly scenes the man of honor and influence and the benefactor of his kind, it not only means bereavement to kindred and friends, but a public calamity as well. In the largest and best sense of the term the late Nathaniel Richmond Linsday. of Kokomo, was distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation, and as such is entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of his city, county and state. As a citizen he was public- spirited and enterprising to an unwonted degree, as a friend and neighbor combined the qualities of head and heart that won confi- (lence and commanded respect, and as a lawyer and jurist who had a comprehensive grasp upon the philosophy of jurisprudence and brought honor and dignity to the position he filled with such dis- tinguished success he was easily the peer of his professional brethren of the Indiana bar. It is scarce less than a superpurgation in out- lining the leading facts in his life to refer to him as a lawyer in the ordinary phraseology which meets requirements when dealing with the average member of the legal profession. He was indeed
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much more than eminently successful in his legal career, as was in- «licated by his long, praiseworthy career at the bar and honorable course on the bench. He was a master of his profession, a leader among men distinguished for the high order of their legal ability. and his eminent attainments and ripe judgment made him an au- thority on all matters involving a profound knowledge of jurispru- dence and vexed and intricate questions growing out of its inter- pretation.
Judge Linsday was a native of Canadagua county. New York. where his birth occurred on the 4th day of March, 1815. When a small child his parents moved to the wilds of Madison county, In- diana, where his father died soon after arriving in the new home of the wilderness, leaving a widow and five children to the cold charities of the world. the subject being but seven years old at the time. With no visible means of support and nothing but a decidedly unfavorable outlook Mrs. Linsday soon returned to her relatives in the East, but young Nathaniel, who was elected to remain, made his home for some time with an uncle, and during the ensuing seven or eight years endured all the hardships, privations and vicissitudes incident to life in the backwoods in those early days. Until his fif- teenth year he was reared. as he said. "God only knows how." His relative being in indifferent circumstances, with a family of his own to provide for, gave scant attention to the lad and his needs. and for some time the future jurist had barely sufficient clothing to cover his body, no books, for which he early manifested a decided taste, and no advantages in the way of obtaining the education for which he so ardently longed. Later he attended for a limited period such indifferent schools as the county afforded, making up for the deficiency in proper instruction by devoting his hours of leisure to study and by eagerly pursuing what books and papers he was able to procure. He grew up strong and rugged. however, and being
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naturally optimistic made the most of such opportunities as pre- sented themselves, and in due time became not only well read and widely informed, but a leader among his young friends and asso- ciates.
Judge Linsday began the struggle of life for himself as a tiller of the soil on a rented farm in Madison county, and it was while prosecuting his agricultural labors that he was chosen justice of the peace for his township in the year 1839. three years after his marriage and setting up of a domestic establishment. He appears to have been peculiarly fitted for this minor judicial position, and it was not long until his business grew to considerable magnitude. his reputation as a man of sound judgment and eminent fairness, to- gether with the wisdom displayed in his rulings and decisions, at- tracted to his court quite a few cases of more than ordinary import and interest. While holding the office of justice of the peace he con- ceived a strong liking for the law and the few hours he could save from his labors were devoted to a careful reading of Blackstone. His evenings also were spent in the perusal of his favorite author. and not infrequently the small hours of the morning found him eagerly poring over the pages of his much prized volume. He pur- chased his first copy of Blackstone with wheat which he sold at seventy-five cents a bushel in Cincinnati, and later bought such other legal works as he was able to procure, until in the course of four or five years he had accumulated quite a respectable law library. . \ll the leisure he could possibly command was spent in the company of these books, and in due time he obtained a sound, practical knowl- edge of the principles of law, which, with his recognized judgment. sound common sense and eminent fairness, made him a valuable man in the community, being frequently consulted by his neighbors on vexed questions, and by his judicious advice saving not a few of them from expensive litigation.
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After five years as justice of the peace and acquiring a credit- able reputation in the discharge of his official duties, Mr. Linsday decided to discontinue his other pursuits and devote his entire at- tention to the law. Accordingly in 1841 he opened an office in Pendleton, and it was not long until his abilities were recognized and he obtained his proportionate share of business. In 1843 he was the Whig candidate for the legislature, but by reason of the overwhelming strength of the opposing party failed of election. This canvass, which brought him prominently before the public, was the means of making him a political power among the people, and from that time on he took an active part in every campaign and was largely instrumental in formulating and directing the policies of his party in the county of Madison, besides wiekdling a wide influ- ence in district and state affairs. In the winter of 1844 Judge Lins- day had the honor of attending and taking no small part in the first court held in Howard county, then the county of Richardsville. In company with Dr. Corydon Richmond, a cousin, Dr. James Barrett and Mr. Louis Snell he rode to the place where the court convened, and the first night camped on the present site of Ko- komo, then a dense woods in which but a single log cabin had been erected. Having faith in the future of the town and its possi- bilities, each of the above gentlemen purchased a lot, and before the close of the year they had their respective cabins built and ready for occupancy. By May of the following year ( 1845) the men had their families domiciled. and from that time on the lives of two of them were very closely identi- fied with the history of the town and county, one as a leading law- ver and jurist, the other as a distinguished physician, each in due season becoming prominent in the local affairs and earning a state- wide reputation in his profession. Judge Linsday soon rose to prominent position in legal matters, and for a number of years was
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the recognized head of the Howard county bar. From the time of taking up his residence in the backwoods seat of justice in 1845 until his death he never missed attending a term of court, and such was his reputation during the early years of his practice that it was fre- quently a race between litigants as to who should reach his office first and retain his services. In 1851 he was elected joint represent- ative from Cass, Tipton and Howard counties, and his course in the legislature fully justified the people in the wisdom of their choice. as he became one of the leaders of his party in the house, serving on a number of important committees and taking an active and in- fluential part in the general deliberations and debates on the floor. In conjunction with Hon. Robert Dale Owen, chairman of the com- mittee, and others, he assisted in drafting the measure by which the interests of the women in Indiana were advanced and their prop- erty rights safeguarded, and he was also influential in bringing about needed legislation concerning the liquor traffic, which he had previously agitated and of which he was to the end of his days a bitter and unrelenting foe.
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