USA > Indiana > Howard County > History of Howard County, Indiana, Vol II > Part 7
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On February 5, 1854. Mr. Saxon was united in marriage to Nancy T. King, of Russiaville, Indiana, who bore him one child, and departed this life February 27, 1893. The offspring of the union was a daughter by the name of Martha A., whose birth oc- curred on the 30th day of September, 1856, in Tipton county, and who is the widow of Harvey D. Ross and the mother of two chil- dren, namely. Moses D. Ross, of Kokomo, and Nira B., who mar- ried Clarence B. Kyle March 26, 1902, and is the mother of a daugh- ter named Helen. Moses D. Ross was married May 25, 1892, to Stena A. Cole, to whom four children have been born-Hazel.
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Martha, Mary and Harvey. Since the death of his wife Mr. Saxon has made his home with his daughter, who with her children and grandchildren, are untiring in their attentions to him, contributing to his pleasure and ministering to his comforts by every means at their command. He has two grandchildren and five great-grand- children with whom he holds frequent happy reunions, the occasions being anticipated as seasons of much pleasure and mirth in which he takes as much interest as the younger and more lively of his de- scendants.
Mr. Saxon cast his first presidential ballot for John C. Fre- mont and from that time to the present ( 1908), a period of fifty- two years, he has been a loyal and unswerving supporter of the Re- publican party and deeply interested in the success of its policies and candidates. He keeps well informed on the issues which divide men and parties, has the courage of his convictions on these and other public questions and though somewhat conservative expresses himself freely and pointedly when occasions demand his opinion. . 1 number of years ago he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and entered upon the earnest and consistent Christian life which he has since lived and in which he finds much of comfort and solace as the shadows lengthen and the journey nears its end. Mrs. Saxon was also a Methodist in belief and a deeply religious and con- scientious woman of many beautiful traits of character, having al- ways been consistent in her church work and a living example of the faith to which she yielded allegiance.
Mr. Saxon is prominent in Masonic circles of Kokomo, being an active and faithful attendant upon its various lines of duty and work. In closing this brief and rather cursory sketch of one of Kokomo's old and highly esteemed citizens, it is only sufficient to state that since his removal to Kokomo, in the winter of 1874. he has enjoyed the confidence of all with whom he has come into con-
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tact and his relations with his fellow men have ever been character- ized by honor and a profound regard for all that makes life worth the living. Throughout a long and eminently useful career he has pursued the even tenor of his way in the quiet and unostentatious manner which never courts publicity, attending strictly to his own affairs, doing the right as he understands it and keeping his con- science void of offense toward God and man. He has outlived the majority of his companions and associates of former days and reached a happy and contented old age which his numerous friends in Kokomo wish may be prolonged for many years to come.
DAVID P. DAVIS.
Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record. By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the high standing of David P. Davis as a business man and public benefactor, although now retired and spending the closing years of a strenuous and eminently useful life in the enjoyment of the peace and quietude to which he is so justly entitled and which he has so nobly earned. United in his composi- tion are so many elements of a solid and practical nature which dur- ing a series of years have brought him into prominent notice, and earned for him a conspicuous place among the enterprising men of the city of his residence, that it is but just recognition of his worth to speak at some length of his life and achievements.
Mr. Davis is an American by adoption, being a native of Wales, where his birth occurred on the fourth day of October, 1830. When five years of age he was brought to the United States and after spending a year in New York was taken to Columbus, Ohio, where
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he remained until his tenth year, at which time he came to Indiana. and during the ensuing seven years worked on a farm in Delaware county. He had been informed that he was bound to the man for whom he was working, but learning the true facts of the case he left his employer after a little over seven years of service and re- turned to Columbus, where he labored for some time at any thing he could find to do, later learning the cutter's trade, in that city. After becoming a proficient workman, he went to Indianapolis. where he followed his vocation until 1857, when he brought a stock of material to Kokomo and engaging in the business upon his own responsibility, continuing the same with indifferent results for a period of five years. Owing to stringent times, his enterprise did not prove remunerative, accordingly at the expiration of the period indicated, he entered the employment of T. J. Russell & Company, grain dealers, and for some time thereafter had charge of the firms elevators on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad.
Later he assisted in erecting the present large elevator and for a period of thirty-three years operated the same, during the greater part of which time he was employed by the firm composed of Wil- liam Jay. Mr. Russell and R. A. Dalman, who, in addition to han- dling grain also did a thriving business in the packing of pork. These were business men of high standing, and during his long period of service with them, Mr. Davis cannot recall the memory of an unkind word or single act inconsistent with the conduct of gentlemen. The business of the firm grew to very large propor- tions and the farmers within a radius of twenty miles brought their grain to the elevator, at times there being as many as sixty wagons waiting their respective turns to unload.
Mr. Davis was a valuable employe, and although he never asked for a raise in wages he was advanced from time to time until, as already stated. the management of the elevator was left almost en-
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tirely in his hands. When the above firm disposed of their interests to Paddock, Hodge & Company he continued with the latter firm until retiring from business, meanwhile becoming widely and fa- vorably known among the farmers of Howard county, besides tak- ing an active part in promoting the material advancement of Kokomo.
Almost from the time of his arrival in the city he became in- terested in public affairs, and it was not long until his abilities were recognized by his fellow citizens, who in due time elected him a mem- ber of the town board, in addition to which he also served one term as township trustee. While a member of the board he was instru- mental in organizing the first fire company, which originally con- sisted of a "bucket brigade," but later a number of ladders were added, thus greatly enhancing its efficiency. Mr. Davis devoted con- siderable attention to this department, sparing no pains to make it answer the purpose for which organized, and subsequently he was made its chief, in which capacity he rendered eight years of efficient and acceptable service.
Mr. Davis was also one of the leading spirits in organizing the Howard County Agricultural Society, and as secretary of the same had personal charge of the successful fair held during his incum- bency. When Kokomo took upon herself the dignity of a city gov- ernment he was elected a member of the common council, in which he served six years, being instrumental during that time in bringing about much important municipal legislation, and proving indefatiga- ble in looking after the public welfare. He also served one year as member of the board of public works, and for a period of nine years was on the park board, during which time he devoted much time to the beautifying of the parks of the city and rendering them attract- ive places of resort, to this end making a special study of landscape gardening, in which he soon became quite an expert. His services
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in the planning and beautifying of parks were not only utilized in his own city but various other places, among which was Grand Rapids, where he rendered valuable service in making the city park system one of the finest in the country.
After a long, strenuous and in every respect useful life. filled to repletion with goed to the public, Mr. Davis finally retired from active duties to spend the remainder of his days in honorable retire- ment. Having been successful in his business affairs, he is now the possessor of a competency which makes him independent and his fu- ture free from care. Though no longer an active participant in pub- lic matters, he still keeps in touch with the times and not infre- quently is his counsel and advice sought in affairs concerning the best interests of the community. In politics he was originally a Whig, but when that old historic party had fulfilled its mission and passed out of existence he became a Republican, and as such has since remained.
Mr. Davis was married in Columbus, Ohio, in February, 1857. to Elizabeth Davis, a lady of intelligence, much more than ordinary culture and ambition, with whom he trod the pathway of life in a mutually happy wedded experience for a period of forty-eight years. the union being terminated by the death of Mrs. Davis, on the 20th of March, 1905. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis. the oldest of whom. Rev. Leonidus H. Davis, a learned and popular Presbyterian divine, is pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Jacksonville, Illinois, having previously held pastorates in New York City, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, and other important cities. He was graduated from the Union Theological Seminary in New York and in addition to his various charges he has traveled quite exten- sively in the United States and Europe.
William, the second son, is a well known attorney of Kokomo, who has won a conspicuous place among the leaders of the Howard
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county bar. Charles, the youngest of the family, is a business man and proprietor of a mill at Greentown. All of these sons were early taught the dignity and value of honest toil and received their first practical experience in the grain elevator, where each served his time under his father's direction.
Mr. Davis has been a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity for many years and is one of the leading workers in the lodge at Kokomo.
BENJAMIN F. BLAZER.
Among those persons who have by virtue of their strong indi- vidual qualities earned their way to a high standing in the estima- tion of their fellow citizens, having by sheer force of character and persistency won their way from an humble beginning to a place of influence and prominence in the community where they are ac- tive in industrial affairs. the subject of this sketch is entitled to spe- cial mention in a volume of this character.
Benjamin F. Blazer is a native of Tennessee, where he was born August 24. 1854, and for thirty-eight years, from 1870 to 1908, he has been in the meat business in Kokomo, having, during that time gained a wide reputation for his honest methods and excellent busi- ness principles, at the same time gaining and holding a large circle of friends as a result of his many likable traits of character. Mr. Blazer is the son of John and Magdalena ( Neice) Blazer. the father having left Tennessee before the war between the states broke out and he en- listed in the Union army, having been a gallant soldier in a company of the Fifty-Fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry and was killed near where he was born in Tennessee, thus, like thousands of his noble comrades, rendering his life a sacrifice for his country, which is one
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of the greatest privileges given to man. He left a widow and six small children, who moved to Boone county, Indiana. Not being able to properly care for her large family, she sent her children to live with various relatives, our subject going to live with one of his cousins. He was sent to school while working for this family until he was old enough to do for himself, when he went to work for a dairyman in Boone county. He worked with a German butcher and learned the business in a thorough manner, remaining with him three years, after which he worked by the day. Owing to the fact that he came to Kokomo in 1870 he is therefore the oldest butcher in this city, now located at 920 South Main street, where he owns the fixtures of a modern and model shop. He also owns a modern. commodious and nicely furnished residence on Washington street, and he owns three splendid residence properties which he rents.
He has mastered the details of his line until he has successfully managed his affairs, which has resulted in the accumulation of a substantial competency. all due to his unaided efforts.
Mr. Blazer was united in the bonds of wedlock with Alice Crone in 1870, who was born and reared in Frankfort. Clinton county, Indiana, having attended school there and received a fairly good education. At the time of their marriage they had only five dollars with which to begin the battle of life, but possessing indom- itable courage and grit. they set to work with a will and have suc- ceeded admirably well. Four children have been born to this union. all bright and promising. One son and one daughter live in Cali- fornia, and one son and one daughter are yet members of the home circle, the youngest son being associated with his father in business.
The members of the Blazer family subscribe to the Grace Meth- odist church, having been consistent members of the same for years.
Fraternally Mr. Blazer is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekah lodge of Kokomo. The subject
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has found time to travel some, having made a trip to California, and being a close observer he has thus become widened in his general views: besides, he keeps abreast of the times by home reading. He is a pleasant and affable business man and he has built up an excel- lent trade, having many loyal customers from all parts of the city and community in which he lives, having friends by the score, but no enemies, owing to his upright life and honest principles, which he has always maintained during his long residence in Kokomo.
THOMAS J. DYE.
An honored resident of Howard county and a business man of wide repute, respected and esteemed by his fellow citizens, Thomas J. Dye occupies no small place in the public gaze, and it is with much gratification that the chronicler is permitted to place before the reader in this connection a brief outline of his life and a just tribute to his worth. In tracing the history of the subject's paternal an- cestors it is learned that they were among the large and eminently God fearing and worthy body of people who, by reason of religious bigotry and intolerance, were obliged to flee from France between the years 1650 and 1670 and seek asylum in various other countries, the antecedents of Mr. Dye finding their way to America about 1660 and settling on the southeastern coast of what is now the state of Maine. Subsequently representatives of the family left the sterile shores of New England for New York, where in due time their descendants multiplied and became widely known, and from whence still later certain of the name migrated to Pennsylvania, where they founded several flourishing settlements. In the course of time the family gradually spread over various parts of Ohio and Kentucky.
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and in 1832 George Dye, the subject's grandfather, of Pennsylvania, moved from Ohio to Indiana and settled in Boone county, where he engaged in a number of operations against the Indians and was a soldier under General Wayne when that daring commander crushed and humiliated the savage tribes of the northwest, receiving a gun- shot wound in the thigh in one of the several skirmishes in which he was engaged.
William Dye. son of George and father of the subject, accom- panied his parents upon their removal to Indiana, and settled in Boone county. He purchased land from which he cleared and de- veloped a fine farm, and in addition to being one of the leading agri- culturists of that community did a thriving business in the buying and shipping of live stock, so managing his affairs as to accumulate a handsome property and become quite wealthy. A man of gen- erous impulses, upon whose credulity the unscrupulous could easily impose, he never refused to go surety for such as requested the fa- vor, with the result that many allowed him to redeem their obliga- tions when they became due. By this means he lost much of his property, and though never reduced to poverty he was enabled to leave but a modest portion of his former holdings to his family. Margaret Miller. the wife of William Dye, was of Irish descent and belonged to an old North Carolina family whose representatives were also among the pioneer settlers of Indiana. She bore her hus- band nine children, four sons and five daughters, of whom the fol- lowing survive, namely: W. W. Dye, of Indianapolis : Thomas J .. of this review : Calvin F., of Hendricks county. this state : and Mrs. Melissa F. Byers, of Indianapolis.
Thomas J. Dye was born December 8. 1842, in Hamilton county, Indiana, but when quite young was brought to the county of Boone, with the subsequent history and development of which his career was closely interwoven. Reared amid the quiet scenes of rural
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life and the strenuous usages of the farm, he early developed rugged strength and a sturdy character, which, under the wise care and prut- dent direction of his experienced father, enabled him to combine habits of industry with the progress of thought so as to exercise a very decided and happy influence in begetting a spirit of self-re- liance and fixing definitely his future course of action and conduct.
In the best schools the country afforded he acquired an edu- cation which, though by no means complete, has served well as a foundation for his subsequent mental growth. The greater part of his training, however, was received in the school of experience, which imparts the valuable practical knowledge not found in the curriculum of the college or the course of the university. His father being an experienced stock dealer, young Thomas early became fa- miliar with the business, and it may truthfully be said that he lit- erally grew up a buyer and seller, for while still a youth in his teens he was intrusted with a number of important transactions, including large purchases and extensive shipments, in all of which his judg- ment was seldom if ever at fault. His steady habits and discreet common sense rendering him absolutely reliable, his father reposed such implicit confidence in his judgment and integrity that it was under his direction and management it continued to grow until in time he became the leading live stock dealer in the county of Boone, his operations extending over Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
Mr. Dye met with financial success commensurate with the en- ergy and judgment displayed in his business transactions, and in the course of years his earnings amount to a handsome competency, which, judiciously invested from time to time, has made him one of the solid and well-to-do men of this city, where he has resided since 1882. Some time prior to the nineties he gradually withdrew from the live stock trade, and since 1801 has devoted his attention chiefly to the manufacture and sale of fence posts, a business of large and
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OF HOWARD COUNTY.
rapid growth in the northern counties of Indiana and which has numerous representatives in the majority of cities throughout the state. Since Mr. Dye embarked in this enterprise he has built up an extensive and lucrative patronage, owning in addition to his large yard in Kokomo similar yards at Westfield, Bennett Switch, Russia- ville, Eagletown, Greentown. Jeffersonville, Old Augusta and at ser- eral other points.employing at each place a live,energetic agent, who spares no pains in looking after the business and who makes the firm's interests his own. Associated with him is his son, Willis B. Dye, under the name of Thomas J. Dye & Son, the firm thus con- stituted owning and operating a number of mills in various parts of the South, where there is a plenteous growth of post timber, red cedar being the variety most in use and for which there is a con- stantly increasing demand. By manufacturing their own product the firm is at a great advantage over dealers not thus situated, and the extent to which the business has grown indicates the honorable methods that have ever been pursued by the proprietors and the strong hold they have upon the confidence of their numerous patrons. Mr. Dye is essentially a business man and as such occupies a com- manding position among his fellow citizens of Kokomo. His career presents a series of successes and advancements, while his unswery- ing rectitude has made his life count for good in all of its relations, as is attested by the unreserved esteem of the people of a community in which he has lived for so many years and in which such signal success has crowned his different lines of endeavor.
In the year 1882 occurred the marriage of Thomas J. Dye and Marinda Blanche, daughter of Colonel Willis and Anna Blanche. the former for many years one of Howard county's leading men and influential citizens, and whose name is known to history as one of the bravest and most distinguished of the many gallant soldiers that Indiana sent to the front during the dark and troublous period of the
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Civil war. Mrs. Dye was born February 28, 1849. on what is known as the North hill, overlooking the City park of Kokomo, and has always lived near the place where she first saw the light of day. being a lady of strong mentality and beautiful character and moving in the best social circles of the city in which she resides. For some time after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Dye lived on a farm near Kokomo, but subsequently removed to the city, where they now oc- cupy a comfortable home, made doubly attractive by the spirit of hospitality that reigns within. Their union has been blessed with three children, the oldest of whom, Willis B., his father's partner, was born on the 6th day of July, 1885, and is today one of the en- terprising young business men of the city. He was given the advan- tage of a liberal education, has been actively interested in the growth of Kokomo and the development of its various lines of industry and socially occupies a conspicuous place among his fellow citizens, be- ing a member of the Pythian order, in the Uniform Rank of which he holds the position of vice chancellor, and is also a Mason of high degree, besides being prominent in religious circles, holding mem- bership with the Main Street Christian church, one of the most in- fluential organizations of the kind in the city, his wife, too, belong- ing to this congregation. Mary A., the second of the family, whose birth occurred on April Ist of the year 1888, is still a member of the home circle, as is also Annabel, the youngest, who was born on the 21st day of June, 1893.
Like the majority of enterprising public-spirited men of Ko- komo, Mr. Dye has faith in the city and believes that the past is but an earnest of still greater growth and more extensive business de- velopment in the future. To make this possible he has contributed his influence and material assistance to the encouragement of all laudable enterprises, at the same time endeavoring to realize within himself his highest idea of earnest manhood and progressive citi-
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zenship. An unswerving Republican, and not only deeply but ac- tively enlisted in his party's success, he has never been an aspirant for office or public honors of any kind, though frequently importuned by his friends to stand for the same, being amply qualified by nature and business experience to discharge worthily the duties of any trust within the power of his fellow citizens to bestow. A member of the Masonic fraternity, he has ever squared his life according to the beautiful and sublime precepts of the ancient and honorable order. and from time to time has held important official positions in the Zionsville lodge, to which he formerly belonged.
In this connection it is deemed proper to make some incidental reference to Colonel Willis Blanche, although his career will be found at greater length in another part of the volume. As already indicated. the Blanche family was among the early settlers of How- ard county. It is stated as a matter of local interest that he assisted in the construction of the first house on the present site of Kokomo. and from that time until his lamented death he never ceased to man- ifest a lively interest in the welfare of the town or failed to put forth his best efforts for its advancement. He became not only one of the representative farmers and stock raisers of Howard county, but also a leader of thought and moulder of opinion among the people, being as one born to command and in whom his fellow men always reposed the most implicit confidence. At the breaking out of the Civil war he entered the service as captain of Company G. Fifty-seventh Indiana Infantry, and for brave and meritorious conduct was subsequently made major of the regiment, later becom- ing colonel, in which capacity he rendered gallant service for the National Union, participating in a number of campaigns and nu- merous bloody battles and receiving two severe wounds while lead- ing his men into the midst of conflict. He raised and organized the company and in the absence of financial means to move the same he
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