USA > Indiana > Howard County > History of Howard County, Indiana, Vol II > Part 27
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WILLIAM HI. MILLER.
The record of the subject of this sketch is that of a man who. by his own unaided efforts, has worked his way from a modest be- ginning to a position of influence and comparative affluence in his community. His life has been one of unceasing industry and per- severance, and the systematic and honorable methods he has followed have won him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Clay township, Howard county, whose interests he has ever had at heart and which he has always labored to promote.
William H. Miller was born in Rush county, Indiana, March 31. 1875. His father was Henry C. Miller, and his mother was Caroline Stewart in her maidenhood, both people of sterling worth and influence in the community. They were the parents of six chil- dren, of which our subject was the second in order of birth. He came with his parents to Howard county when ten years of age. living at home with his parents, working on their farm and attend- ing the public schools until he was married, soon afterward settling on the farm where he now resides and where his life labors have been so effectively applied. Although his life work has been largely de-
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voted to agricultural pursuits, our subject engaged in teaching for four years in Clay township, during which time he became well known as an able educator, having taught very successfully. His well improved and highly productive farm consists of eighty acres which yields the subject a comfortable living owing to its excellent management.
The date of Mr. Miller's marriage was March 21, 1900, and the ceremony was performed in Kokomo. His wife was Bettie Stewart, a native of Clay township and the daughter of John and Caroline (Townsend ) Stewart, the former now deceased. Two bright and interesting children have been born into the happy home of Mr. and Mrs. Miller. They are Miriam C. and Earl S.
Owing to the fact that the subject has long been a public- spirited man and known to be well versed in political matters and well up on current topics, together with his record of honor behind him, it is no wonder that he has been called upon by his fellow citi- zens of Clay township to fill positions of public trust. He is at pres- ent ( 1908) a member of the county council where his advice and influence has great weight in shaping the affairs of this important body. Mr. Miller has always been deeply interested in the affairs of the township and county, and he has lent his time and influence from election to election in assisting to place the best men in the offices which control local affairs. He has always been a loyal Re- publican.
Mr. and Mrs. Miller are consistent members of the Christian church where they are held in high favor and to which they are lib- eral subscribers.
Mr. Miller takes a deep interest in every movement having for its object the moral, educational or material advancement of his community. A man of many sterling traits of character, he is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him.
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EMMET E. SWAFFORD.
At this point we enter brief record concerning another of the representative farmers of Clay township, Howard county, and aside from the positions which the subject occupies as a leading and highly esteemed citizen of the county, there is added interest attached to the resume of his career from the fact that he came here early in life and has seen the wonderful advancement of this section, having located here as one of the advanced guard of progress and material advance- ment and while he has benefited himself in a very material way in this locality, he has been of much value to the surrounding country owing to his public spirit and his loyality to the support of any movements which have as their ultimate aim the bettering of the community in which he maintained his home.
Emmet E. Swafford was born in Union county, Indiana. Sep- tember 21, 1861, the son of Archibald A. and Sarah ( Burroughs ) Swafford, both natives of Union county, this state, where they lived their useful and prosperous lives and where they both passed to their rest, after becoming the parents of eleven children, of whom our subject was the youngest.
Mr. Swafford was reared in Union county on his father's farm where he was taught the valuable lessons of agriculture, and also re- ceived the moral training at the hands of his worthy parents, which have done so much in successfully shaping his later life and render- ing him a valuable citizen to the community where he makes his home. He received a good education in the common schools and at the Liberty high school, having remained at his parental fireside until he was twenty-six years old, at which time he came to Cass county, Indiana, where he remained one year, then settled in Clay township, Howard county, in the spring of 1889, where he has since resided, having always followed farming and agricultural pur-
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suits which, needless to say, he has made a pronounced success, be- ing regarded as one of the best farmers in his community and having one of the best improved farms in the township. It consists of one hundred and twenty acres, all very productive and of an excellent quality of soil.
Mr. Swafford was first married in Union county, Indiana. Feb- ruary 14. 1886, to Margaret Bicknell, who was called to her reward in Clay township. Howard county, February 28, 1804, and the sub- ject was again married in Cass county, this state, January 1, 1896. to Flora A. Stanley. Two children were born to this union, both dying in infancy.
The subject has long taken an active part in political affairs. being a stanch Republican, and his influence is always felt at local elections, assisting as best he can to place good men in township and county offices.
Fraternally Mr. Swafford is a member of the Knights of Pyth- ias, taking much interest in this lodge and endeavoring to live up to its worthy precepts in his daily life which has always been above reproach, standing as he does for honesty in business, politics and private life, which has gained for him the universal respect and es- teem of a host of friends and acquaintances.
REUBEN PRESLEY ALEXANDER.
Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Howard county within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress. each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the com-
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munity in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is he whose name ap pears above, peculiar interest attaching to his career from the fact that his entire useful and busy life has been spent within the borders of this county.
Reuben Presley Alexander was born in Ervin township. How- ard county, Indiana, October 2. 1859, the son of Joseph and Louisa ( Fouch ) Alexander, both natives of Kentucky, who settled in How- ard county, Indiana, in 1852, where they lived useful and pros- perous lives until their life records were brought to a close by the "grim reaper." the former dying March 20, 1885, and the latter September 3. 1902, in her eightieth year. They were the parents of nine children, of whom the subject was the seventh in order of birth. He was reared in Ervin township, where he received a liberal educa- tion in the common schools and at the New London high school. later attending the Danville Central Normal College, where he made a splendid record both for scholarship and deportment, gaining a fine education which has been of such great aid to him in his later life.
Mr. Alexander was united in the bonds of wedlock in Ervin township, February 25, 1903, to Louisa R. Crume, who was born in this township April 4. 1875, the accomplished daughter of George W. and Mahala M. (Norris) Crume, natives of Howard and Carroll counties, Indiana, respectively. They were people of much influence in their community and were the parents of seven children. of whom the wife of the subject was the youngest in order of birth.
Mr. Alexander settled on the farm where he now resides soon after his marriage. His farm consists of eighty acres of well im- proved and highly productive land, well fenced and drained, in short. one of the most desirable of the smaller farms of the county. On it
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stand many convenient and substantial buildings which are kept in an excellent state of repair.
Being an educated man and consequently of much influence in the township, owing to his known interest in all movements having as their object the betterment of the locality where he resides, it is not at all strange that his friends and neighbors should call upon him to serve them in a public capacity, consequently he was a jus- tice of the peace for two terms, serving in this role with the greatest alacrity and success, using rare soundness of judgment in his de- cisions which were never reversed by a higher tribunal.
Mr. Alexander has always taken a lively interest in the town- ship offices, and he is a conspicuous figure at local conventions and elections. He has always been identified with and a loyal supporter of the Democratic party.
Although Mr. Alexander has always been identified with agri- cultural pursuits, he has found time in connection with this line of endeavor to teach school for a period of twenty-two terms. all but two of which were taught in Ervin township, where he is regarded as one of the ablest educators to be found within the borders of this county, having established a firm reputation for excellent discipline. thorough training and an affable disposition. No man in Ervin township is more popular or held in any higher regard for his many manly attributes and sterling uprightness than the subject.
JOHN E. TARKINGTON.
It is an agreeable task for the biographer, and pleasant and profitable for the reader, to contemplate the life record of a person who has made a success of life and won the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens. Such is the record, briefly stated, of the
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well known agriculturist of Howard county, whose name appears above, than whom a more highly respected or popular man it would be difficult to find within the limits of Clay township where he has his home and where he has long been held in the highest esteem by a large circle of friends and admirers.
John E. Tarkington was born in Monroe county, Indiana. October 30, 1837. His father was Eli P. Tarkington and his mother bore the name of Martha Gay in her maidenhood. The former was a native of Tennessee and the latter of North Carolina. They came to Howard county in 1851 and settled in Harrison town- ship where they led well regulated and fairly successful lives, dying there several years ago, after becoming the parents of eleven chil- dren, of whom our subject was the second in order of birth. He lived at home until 1861 when he came to Clay township, where he has resided continuously to the present time, having made a pro- nounced success at farming and gained a reputation for industry and honesty. He now owns one hundred and ninety acres of well improved land and he has given two hundred and eighty acres away to his children. Thus we see that the life of our subject has been a very busy and well directed one, else he could not have secured such valuable property and so handsome a competence as he can claim. He has caused to be erected numerous convenient and substantial buildings on his farm. He is a believer in modern twentieth cen- tury methods in farming, consequently his skillful rotation of crops and other well known methods to our best agriculturists have made his farm productive and one of the richest in the township. Mr. Tarkington also has large numbers of excellent cattle, hogs and other stock on his farm, having always been a good judge of live stock and delighted to handle the same.
The subject was united in marriage in Harrison township. June 30. 1861. to Amelia A. Honey, who was born in Kentucky.
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They were the parents of six children as follows: Mary Belle died at the age of eighteen months; Electa A., who became the wife of S. F. Wilson, died May 17, 1808. The third child was William E .. living in Ervin township; Minnie C. is the wife of Ira F. Keisling of Clay township: Ernest P. lives in Clay township: Amelia M. died in infancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Tarkington are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church, where they are held in much esteem in the congre- gation. Mr. Tarkington is a Democrat in politics, but has never held nor aspired to official honors.
In public affairs the subject takes a deep interest. He un- questionably possesses the qualities which typify the gentleman and because of his upright life he has won and retained the friendship and respect of all who know him.
JOSEPH SHEWMON.
Agriculture has been the true source of man's dominion on earth ever since the primal existence of labor and been the pivotal industry that has controlled, for the most part, all the fields of ac- tion to which his intelligence and energy have been devoted. Among this sturdy element of Howard county whose labors have profited alike themselves and the community in which they live is the gentle- man whose name appears at the head of this sketch, and in view of the consistent life record lived by the subject since coming to this section of the country, it is particularly fitting that the following short record of his career be incorporated in a book of this nature.
Joseph Shewmon was born in Preble county. Ohio, May 3.
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1843. llis father was Christian Shewmon and his mother was Anna Fall in her maidenhood, both natives of Preble county, Ohio, where the former passed away. The latter was called to her rest from Galveston, Cass county, this state. They became the parents of seven children, of whom our subject was the sixth in order of birth. They are remembered as people of much sterling worth who fought the obstacles of life courageously, and won, teaching their children the valuable lessons of persistency, economy and honesty, which principles have been dominating factors in their subsequent lives.
Joseph Shewmon, our subject, was reared in Preble county, Ohio, attending the neighboring schools in the winter months and assisting his father with the farm work on the old homestead until the tocsin of war sounded, which our subject could not hear with- out heeding, consequently, feeling that it was his duty to sever home ties, give up the prospects of business and defend his country's honor, enlisted May 2. 1862. in Company H. Ninety-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and rendered gallant service with his regiment for three years, not caring to return from the front until the war was over. Among the more noted engagemnets in which he was involved were that sanguineous battle of Chickamauga and Stone River. At the former our subject was taken prisoner September 18. 1863, and was held a year and a half. during which time he was confined at Richmond, Virginia, Andersonville and Florence, South Carolina, also Danville, Virginia, where he was afflicted with the smallpox, which caused the loss of his left eye : but notwithstanding this sore affliction, Mr. Shewmon does not regret his service to his country.
After the war our subject returned to Indiana, locating in Cass county, where he engaged in the saw mill business until 1883. when he settled in Clay township. Howard county, buying eighty acres of swamp land which he improved by years of patient labor, transform-
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ing it into a valuable farm on which he has erected numerous con- venient and substantial buildings.
Mr. Shewmon was united in marriage in Cass county, Decem- ber 25, 1867, to Mary M. Shaffer, who was a native of Clinton county, Indiana. Four children have been born to this union as follows: Charles, Hattie, who is the wife of Archie Vint : Daniel, Mary B. is the wife of Joseph Mills.
The subject is well versed in political subjects and has held the office of township trustee for two terms, having been elected on the Republican ticket which he has always supported. This office was filled to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, for it was looked after as carefully by Mr. Shewmon as if it had been his own pri- vate business. He has always taken an active interest in all town- ship offices.
The subject is a prominent member of the Dan Pratt Post, No. 50, Grand Army of the Republican, at Galveston, having been com- mander of the organization for some time. By virtue of these hon- orary offices at the hands of his fellow countrymen in his township, we must conclude that our subject holds a high position of honor and trust among them else he would not have been called upon to fill such places, which usually go to men of sound moral and busi- ness principles.
THOMAS B. WEEKS.
.An enumeration of the representative citizen of Howard county. Indiana, would be imcomplete without specific mention of the well known and popular gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. A member of one of the old and highly esteemed families of the eastern part of the state and for many years a public-spirited man of
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
affairs, he has stamped the impress of his individuality upon the community and added luster to the honorable name which he bears, having always been scrupulously honest in all his relations with his fellow men and leaving no stone unturned whereby he might benefit his own condition as well as that of his neighbors and friends, con- sequently he has long ago won the favor of a great number of people of Jackson township where he maintains his home.
Thomas B. Weeks was born in Dublin, Wayne county, Indiana, September 9, 1843, the son of Thomas and Lydia ( Griffin ) Weeks, both natives of North Carolina. They were married before coming to Wayne county, Indiana. Thomas B. Weeks was eight years old when his father died and seventeen when his mother passed away. He went to live with B. J. Gentry, with whom he made his home for many years, attending school and working on the farm in the mean- time until he secured a fairly good common school education, not- withstanding the fact that his school days were more limited than other boys of his time, yet he was a close student and took advan- tage of his opportunity.
Mr. Weeks was united in marriage in 1866 to Martha A. De- bored, who was born in September, 1848. in Tennessee. Her par- ents were natives of Virginia, who came to Tennessee and later to Henry county, Indiana. Mrs. Weeks first attended the country schools and then the graded schools at Spiceland. They had noth- ing when they were married and were compelled to borrow money on which to go to housekeeping, but being industrious and thrifty they soon had a good start and have always made a comfortable living at the same time laying by for their old age which promises to be one of ease and pleasure to both. They lived eight years in Rush county where they rented land and farmed. In 1874 they moved to Howard county and purchased eighty acres, the east half of the southeast quarter of section 35. township 24 north, range 6
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east, for which they paid twelve hundred dollars. The land was wet and was not well drained, but Mr. Weeks soon had it well improved ; it now has about fifteen hundred rods of drainage ditch, and all the old buildings have been replaced by modern and substantial ones. The place is very productive and is worth, conservatively estimated, one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre. The fact that he paid only forty-five dollars per acre shows that Mr. Weeks has been a good manager and exercised rare soundness of judgment in build- ing up the place to a modern farm. He has looked well to the rota- tion of crops, alternating his crops of corn and wheat with clover and grass. His entire farm shows thrift and close attention and is equal in every respect to any in Jackson township.
Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weeks, four of whom are living in 1908. They are Emery O., Deborah May. Ber- tha J. and Thomas O. All are married and none are living near their parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Weeks are members of the Christian church at Jerome, having first joined the Buck Creek church in Henry county, this state. Mr. Weeks is a member of the Red Men's lodge at Greentown. In politics he is a Probitionist, but at one time was a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Weeks are quiet unassuming people, up- right and pleasant in their home life, and they have the undivided respect and friendship of all who know them.
JOHN W. CROUSSORE.
It is with pleasure that the biographer has an opportunity to place before the readers of this work the life record of the honor- able gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, for he is deemed eminently worthy of representation along with the best and
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
most industrious citizens of Howard county, owing to the fact that he belongs to the energetic and enterprising class that has made this favored section one of the most noted and richest in the great Hoosier state. Enjoying distinctive prestige as a farmer and con- tractor, he has achieved marked success, while his practical intelli- gence, mature judgment and sound business principles have had much to do in moukling public sentiment in the community where he has long maintained his home.
John W. Croussore is a native of Center township. Howard county, Indiana. where he was born October 23. 1848. the son of Stephen and Ruth ( Langley ) Croussore. Believing that better opportunities were to be found right at his door than in other states. our subject preferred to spend his life on his native heath, and judg- ing from the manner in which his successful business career has been spent, he was wise in making such a decision. Stephen Crous- sore, father of the subject, was born in Ohio and came to Howard county, Indiana, in 1843. entering land in Center township. build- ing a log cabin on his place. He afterward improved two farms in Center township and built two brick residences there in which he lived until he came to Liberty township in 1881. He became com- paratively wealthy later in life and was a man of considerable in- fluence in his community. He died in Liberty township. He was a member of the Christian church, having been faithful in his re- lations to the same until his death. There were six sons and two daughters in this family who reached maturity, of whom five are living in 1908. four sons and one daughter.
John W. Croussore was raised on the farm, working in the crops in season and attending the country schools in winter. re- ceiving a fairly good education.
When twenty-one years old he began renting land which he continued to do for some time. He was always successful at farm-
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ing and he now owns a valuable and highly improved farm of seventy acres, being part of the old farm owned by his father. It has been well tilled, crops have been rotated and the soil kept up to a high state of productiveness. On this farm stands a substantial frame dwelling and many convenient out buildings. He carries on general farming and stock raising and is regarded as an extra- ordinarily good judge of stock, especially horses and cattle.
When a young man Mr. Croussore began contracting and many of the excellent streets of Kokomo and Tipton were built by him, besides many gravel roads. He moved to Liberty township many years ago where he now lives and besides his farming, he still con- tinues to do considerable contracting.
Our subject was married in Howard county, February 25, 1872. His wife was Rebecca Lang, daughter of James and Susan (Austin) Lang, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among the pio- neers of Indiana and Howard county and where they passed the balance of their lives.
In politics Mr. Croussore is a Democrat, and although he is loyal to his party principles, he has never taken an active part in local politics or aspired to public office. He is known to all as an honest, upright, industrious man and is a highly respected citizen of the county where he has always resided and where he has been eminently successful.
JOSEPH HINKLE.
The record of the subject of this review is that of an enter- prising gentleman who worthily upholds an honorable family name and whose life has been very intimately associated with the ma- terial prosperity and moral advancement of Liberty township, How-
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ard county. Indiana, during the most progressive period of its history, and he has always been found on the right side of questions looking to the development of his community in any way, and while he has been prominent in the industrial affairs of the county, he has at the same time won an enviable reputation for honesty and whole- some living. He is one of the patriotic sons of the North who served in saving the national government in the troublous sixties.
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