USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Indiana > Part 62
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On July 16, 1873, Oren C. Dunn was married to Alice Wheat, daughter of the late William C. Wheat, of Johnson county, whose death occurred in 1884.
Politically, Mr. Dunn is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, being aligned with the conservative, or old-school, wing of the party. Fra- ternally, he is a Free and Accepted Mason, in which he has attained to the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. His religious membership is with the Presbyterian church, of which he is a liberal supporter and in which he holds the office of elder. He takes an intelligent interest in the affairs of the community as affecting the educational, moral and material welfare of the people and gives his support to every worthy benevolent or charitable object. He has lived and labored to worthy ends and is one of the sterling citizens and representative men of his community.
HENRY R. PRITCHARD.
It is always pleasant and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has won a definite goal in life, whose career has been such as to command the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such, in brief, is the record of the well-known agriculturist whose name heads this sketch, than whom a more whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find within the limits of Johnson county, where he has long maintained his home and where he has labored not only for his own individual advancement and that of his
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immediate family, but also for the improvement of the entire community, whose interests he has ever had at heart.
Henry R. Pritchard was born in Johnson county on August 6, 1856, and is a son of Loven G. and Nancy (Keeton) Pritchard, both of whom are na- tives of this county also. The subject's paternal grandfather, Daniel Pritch- ard, settled in Johnson county in 1823. He was a native of Maryland, born in 1781, and came to Kentucky when but two years old, where he remained until he came to the state of Indiana. His first settlement here was in Blue River township, where he lived a year, then moved to Nineveh township, where he made his future home. He had entered land in many places over Johnson county, including a part of the land where the city of Franklin now stands. The Keeton family came from Kentucky in 1826, and also settled in Nineveh township, where they became prominent and well known among the early settlers. To Loven and Nancy Pritchard were born nine children, namely : William, deceased; Melissa; Sarah; Henry R .; Susan, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased; Ollie, and Charles and Nellie, the last two being de- ceased. Loven Pritchard was a man of strong mentality and progressive make-up, and took an active interest in the affairs of the community. Though he was a farmer throughout his active years, he also served two terms as justice of the peace with eminent satisfaction and in other ways took an active part in the administration of the local affairs o& The township. The subject's maternal grandfather, William Keeton, who was born in Spotsylvania county, Virginia, in 1794, came .sto, Kentucky when but thirteen years of age. He there married a Miss Johnson, a native of Kentucky, in which state they continued to reside until 1826;' when they came to Johnson county, In- diana, settling in Nineveh township. They were the parents of eleven chil- dren, namely : Benjamin, born in 1820, died in 1913; James, born in 1821 ; one unnamed, born in 1823; William, born in 1826; John, born in 1829; sub- ject's mother, Nancy, born on December 25, 1830; Mildred, born in 1833; Lucy, born in 1836, died in 1913; Susan, born in 1838; Elizabeth, born in 1840, and George, born in 1842. Of these children, those living are William, Mildred and Elizabeth. William Keeton was a prominent man in his com- munity during the early days, having served as probate judge of Johnson county for a number of years. Politically, he was a Democrat until 1854, when he changed his support to the Republican party, with which he was aft- erward allied.
The subject of this sketch received his education in the common schools, after which he was in Williamsburg for three years. He then took up farm- ing and has remained actively engaged in this vocation throughout the sub-
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sequent years, though he now makes his home in Franklin. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of splendid land. in Blue River township, where he carries on general farming, raising all the crops common to this section of the county and carrying on stock raising with marked success. His farm is splendidly improved, some features of which are a pleasant and attractive residence, large and substantial barns and other necessary farm out- buildings, while the general appearance of the entire place gives credit to the owner as a man of good taste and wise discrimination.
Politically, Mr. Pritchard is a stanch advocate of the policies of the Pro- gressive party as enunciated by Theodore Roosevelt, and since the organiza- tion of that party he has been active in its support. Fraternally, he is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Franklin, while his church membership is with the Christian church at Franklin, to which society he gives a liberal support.
Mr. Pritchard has been twice married. The first time in 1883 to Ada May Garrison, the daughter of William Garrison. She died in 1886, and in 1887 Mr. Pritchard married Ida Belle Hamner, the daughter of George and Eliza (Thomas) Hamner, natives of Johnson county and early settlers of this immediate locality. Mrs. Pritchard died in 1909, aged forty-one years. To Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard were born five children, namely: Charles, born in 1888; William, born in 1890; Ruth and Ralph, twins. born in 1892, and Doris, born in 1903.
Mr. Pritchard's life work has been one of unceasing industry and per- severance, and the systematic and honorable methods which he has ever fol- lowed have resulted not only in gaining the confidence of those with whom he has had dealings, but also in the building up of a large landed estate. He is a public-spirited man and is well and favorably known throughout the town- ship where he resides for his honesty and uprightness in all his business deal- ings. He is a man of pleasing address and is noted for his hospitality and kindness to the poor.
FREMONT MILLER.
A lawyer by profession and for a number of years the efficient prosecut- ing attorney of the eighth judicial district, Fremont Miller has made his presence felt in the legal circles of his locality, and as a public-spirited citizen, interested in whatever tends to promote the material progress of the com- munity and the social and moral advancement of his fellow men, his influence has been salutary and his example worthy of imitation.
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Fremont Miller is a native son of the old Hoosier state, having been born in Hamilton county on September 11, 1868. He is a son of Richard J. and Nancy M. (McAnally) Miller, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of North Carolina. To the subject's mother belongs the dis- tinction of having been a direct descendant of John and Charles Wesley, two of the greatest religious reformers the world has known. Richard Miller came with his father, John L. Miller, from Pennsylvania to Clinton county, Indiana, in an early day and there they lived and there Richard Miller married Miss McAnally. The father followed mechanical pursuits and in 1872 they moved to Brown county, where he lived for a number of years, eventually locating in Bloomington, Indiana, in order to give his chil- dren the advantages of the State University at that place. He died in Decem- ber. 1907, at Bloomington, where his widow is now living at the advanced age of eighty-two years. They were the parents of ten children, seven of whom are living, but none of whom live in Johnson county excepting the subject of this sketch.
Fremont Miller attended the public schools of Bloomington, and on completing the public school course, he entered the State University, where he graduated in 1897 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He also took the law course there, in which he graduated in 1898. Prior to this time he had taken several courses of study at the Indiana State Normal School at Terre Haute, and was engaged in teaching school for four terms in Brown county, Indiana, in which vocation he achieved a splendid reputation as a successful educator. Immediately after his graduation in law he entered upon the active practice of his profession at Nashville, Brown county, Indiana, and soon afterwards was nominated for the office of prosecuting attorney of the eighth judicial circuit, which then embraced Brown and Bartholomew coun- ties, and he was elected in 1898. However, before he entered upon the duties of his office the circuit was changed by legislative enactment to comprise the counties of Brown and Johnson. Mr. Miller discharged his official duties so efficiently and satisfactorily that in 1900 and again in 1902 he was elected to succeed himself. In the fall of the latter year he removed to Franklin and has since been engaged in the practice of his profession here. He formed a law partnership with Henry E. White, under the firm name of Miller & White, and together they form one of the strongest legal firms in Johnson county. Mr. Miller is now serving as county attorney, having been appointed by the board of county commissioners in January, 1913. Mr. Miller's pro- fessional career has been above reproach and in every respect honorable. He is recognized as a safe counsellor, judicious practitioner, and his ability to cope
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with the strongest of his professional brethren in a field long noted for its high order of legal talent bears evidence of the close and careful consideration that he gives to any matter entrusted to him and the ample preparation he makes to meet his adversary in the trial of cases. His practice, already large, is steadily growing in volume and importance and he now commands an ex- tensive clientele, not altogether in his own county, as is evidenced by his fre- quent calls to other courts.
Mr. Miller has been active in political affairs ever since attaining his majority. From 1908 until 1912 he served as chairman of the Democratic county committee and did valiant service for his party. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America and the Free and Accepted Masons. In the latter order he has attained to the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite and the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite. His religious membership is with the Presbyterian church, in which he takes an active interest and of which he is a member of the board of trustees.
In January, 1902, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Dorval Turner, of Nashville, Indiana. the daughter of George N. and Rebecca J. Turner, and to them have been born three children, Mary Belle, Richard and Georgia. Though very busy in the practice of his profession, Mr. Miller does not evade his ordinary duties as a citizen and in all the affairs of the community, affecting the educational, moral, social or material welfare of his fellow citi- zens, he takes an intelligent interest, giving his support to all movements for the upbuilding of the best interests of the community. He is a man of genial temperament and makes friends readily. his relations with his acquaintances being of the most congenial order. He is well known in Johnson county and enjoys a well deserved popularity among his fellow citizens.
J. H. KELLY.
This honored veteran of the Civil war is to be designated as one of the progressive and influential citizens of Johnson county, where for more than three-quarters of a century he has maintained his home, figuring as one of the builders of the community and especially worthy of consideration in this work. He has, by his industry and sound judgment, not only improved a fine farm and gained a fairly large competency for his old age, but he has mate- rially assisted in the general welfare of the community, in many ways lend- ing his valuable time and influence in the promulgation of various uplift- ing movements.
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James H. Kelly is a native son of Johnson county, having been born in Franklin township on September 12, 1838, and is a son of Madison and Eliza (Patterson) Kelly, the father a native of Fleming county, Kentucky, and the mother born in Fayette county, that state. Madison Kelly came to Indiana with his grandfather in early days and followed farming during all his active life, his death occurring near Franklin in March, 1857. His wife died in 1850. James H. Kelly received a good, practical common school education, and at the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the defense of his country as a private in Company I, Seventieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Capt. William H. Fisher. The command was assigned to the armies of the Cumberland and Tennessee, and practically all of his enlisted time was spent in the Southland, where he took part in some of the most hotly contested battles of that great struggle, among which were the engagement at Russellville, Kentucky, and the several skir- mishes incident thereto; the battle of Resaca and the following engagements up to the battle of New Hope Church; then followed the sanguinary conflicts at Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Averasboro, South Caro- lina, and Bentonville, besides many minor skirmishes and hard campaigns. After his discharge from military service and participation in the Grand Review at Washington, Mr. Kelly returned to his home in Johnson county and during the following seven years was engaged in farming on the pater- nal farmstead. He then bought a farm located about one and one-half miles south of Greenwood, to which he gave his attention until April, 1905. when he retired from active labor and is now living in comfort in his home in Greenwood. His farm comprises one hundred and fifty acres, which he rents. During his active life no farmer in his community enjoyed a higher reputa- tion because of the up-to-date methods he employed and the success he gained through his efforts. He has been during all the years a prominent figure in his community and has been numbered among the influential men who have always labored for the upbuilding and advancement of his fellow citizens' best interests. In return for this zeal and interest he has received to a definite degree the esteem and confidence of all who know him and today he is re- spected by the community where he makes his home.
Mr. Kelly has been twice married, first, in 1865, to Mary A. Henderson, the daughter of John P. Henderson, one of the old settlers and successful farmers of Johnson county. In 1887, Mr. Kelly married Nancy Beatty, the daughter of John and Sallie (Patterson) Beatty. John Beatty, who was a farmer by vocation, in connection with which he also followed blacksmith-
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ing, was born, lived and died in Kentucky. To Mr. Kelly's first union were born seven children: Alice, Luella, Walter S., Sarah G., Laura M., one who died in infancy and one not named.
Politically, Mr. Kelly has given a life-long support to the Republican party and, though not a seeker after public office, he served for six years efficiently and satisfactorily as justice of the peace of Pleasant township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, in the work- ings of which he has long taken a deep interest. His pleasant and attractive home, on East Pearl street in Greenwood, is a favorite stopping place for Mr. Kelly's old friends, who always find there the spirit of old-time hospitality that makes them feel at home. Personally, Mr. Kelly is a most pleasant, affable gentleman of honest convictions and sincere purposes. His upright career and wholesome moral influence makes him popular throughout the community in which he is widely known and in which his entire life has been spent.
IVORY J. DRYBREAD.
In no profession is there a career more open to talent than is that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful prepara- tion, a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life or of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Unflagging application and intuitive wisdom and determination fully to utilize the means at hand, are the concomitants which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as the stern conservator of justice, and it is one into which none should enter without a recognition of the obstacles to be encountered and overcome and the battles to be won, for success does not perch on the banner of every person who enters the competi- tive fray, but comes only as the result of capability. Possessing all the req- uisites of the able lawyer, Ivory J. Drybread, of Franklin, stands today among the eminent practitioners of Johnson county, Indiana.
Ivory J. Drybread, who for a number of years has been numbered among the active and successful lawyers and progressive and public-spirited citizens of Johnson county, was born in Nineveh township, this county, on December 18, 1875, and is the son of James C. and Martha A. (Wheatley) Drybread. His father, who was a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, was the son of William Drybread, who was born in Dearborn county, this state, in 1799, and at the time of his death, which occurred in 1886, was one
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of the oldest native-born residents of the state of Indiana. The subject's ancestors on the paternal side were from Ohio, where the family had been established in an early day, while the Wheatley family came from Maryland: James C. Drybread, who was a farmer by vocation, came to Johnson county to make his permanent home at about the time of his marriage, and here he spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring in May, 1900. He was survived several years by his widow, who died in 1907. Mr. Drybread was an active and energetic man and, by persistent industry and good manage- ment, accumulated a splendid estate, comprising seven hundred acres of good land at the time of his death. To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom five are still living, namely : Mrs. Clara A. Dixon, of Trafalgar, Johnson county, Indiana; Charles H., of Franklin; Mrs. Nannie Chambers, who lives on the old home farm in Nineveh township, this county; Ivory J., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Martha J. Lacey, of Vincennes, this state.
Ivory J. Drybread was reared on the paternal homestead, where he re- mained until past sixteen years of age. After completing the course in the common schools of his home neighborhood, he entered the preparatory de- partment of Franklin College, where he graduated in 1897. In the following year he began the reading of law in the office of Judge Johnson, at Franklin, and the following year was spent in the office of Col. Simeon Stansifer, at Columbus, Indiana, who was at that time district attorney for the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company. In 1900 Mr. Drybread entered the law department of the University of Wisconsin, at Madison, and in the fall of that year he was admitted to the bar of Johnson county and entered at once on the active practice of his profession. He was at first in partnership with Edward L. Middleton, a relation which existed until the fall of 1905, when Mr. Middle- ton retired from the active practice, since which time Mr. Drybread has been alone in the practice. Natural aptitude, thorough discipline and thoroughness in the handling of all matters entrusted to him have combined to gain for Mr. Drybread a distinctive success in his profession and he is numbered among the leaders of the local bar, having been connected with some of the most important litigation tried in the Johnson county courts. During a period of seven months in 1906 he was deputy clerk of the supreme court of the state, where he gained much valuable experience. During 1904-5 he served effi- ciently as city attorney of Franklin. He has been successful in his financial affairs and is the owner of some valuable farming land in Nineveh township. this county, to the operation of which he gives the proper amount of atten- tion.
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Politically, Mr. Drybread is an ardent supporter of the Republican party and even since attaining his majority he has taken a deep interest in public affairs, having been secretary of the Republican county central committee for the past ten years and doing efficient work in the interest of the party during campaigns. He has not, however, been a candidate for official preferment for himself. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, in the York Rite of which he has received the degrees up to the order of the Temple, being a member of Franklin Commandery No. 23, while in the Scottish Rite he has received the thirty-second degree of the consistory. Socially, he is a member of the Phi Delta college fraternity and is president of the Alumni Chapter House Association. Religiously, he is an earnest member of the Baptist church, to the support of which he contributes liberally.
On June 24, 1908, Mr. Drybread was united in marriage to Cora K. . Ragsdale, the daughter of William S. Ragsdale, of Franklin. Mr. and Mrs. Drybread move in the best social circles of Franklin and because of their fine social qualities and their genuine worth they are popular in the locality where they live. Mr. Drybread has, through merit, close application and com- mendable conduct, risen steadily to a high rank in his profession, and his is the story of a life which is measured by its usefulness-a life that has made for good in all its relations with the world.
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FRANK R. MULLENDORE.
The office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest opinion of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave upon the record the verdict establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his neighbors and fellow citizens. In touching upon the life history of the subject of this sketch the writer aims to avoid fulsome encomium and extrava- gant praise; yet he desires to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life-a life char- acterized by perseverance, energy, broad charity and well-defined purpose. To do this will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who have known him long and well.
Frank R. Mullendore, who is one of the most successful farmers and cattle breeders in Johnson county, and who owns a splendid farm of three hundred and forty acres in Nineveh township, was born in a log cabin upon the farm where he now lives, his birthday having been November 27, 1866.
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He is the son of Lewis and Harriet ( Records) Mullendore, the father a native of Pennsylvania, of which state his parents also were natives. Lewis Mullen- dore came to Indiana in an early day, settling in Jackson township, Shelby county, where he became one of the most prominent citizens of the county: His rise in material affairs bordered somewhat on the spectacular, for when he was married his sole cash capital was but forty cents. Coming to Johnson county in 1844, after having spent eleven years in Shelby county as a tanner, he here engaged in farming and manufacturing tile, and to him belongs the distinction of having manufactured the first tile ever made and laid in Johnson county or the state of Indiana. He successfully operated his tile factory for many years, and by strict attention to business and wise economy he was enabled to accumulate over nine hundred acres of splendid land. He made what is generally called the horse-shoe tile, and he and a brother-in-law were partners in the business. As a sample of the enterprise exercised in his busi- ness affairs it is related that at one time they heard of a bottom tile that was made in the state of New York, and he at once sent his brother to learn the secret of its manufacture, but they found it was not a very intricate matter and easily learned. In all his business affairs he was a man of the strictest honor and integrity and among those, with: ichhai he dealt he sustained the very highest standing and enjoyed universUlgoods0 in the community. As stated before, he prospered in his financial affairs and gave to each of his children practically six thousand dollars, and at his death each inherited from his estate five thousand dollars. . In the life of the community he took an interested part, and was one of the builders of the Union Christian church. To him and his wife were born thirteen children, ten of whom were reared to maturity, and nine are still living. namely : Joseph H., Rev. William, Frank R., the subject of this sketch ; Mrs. Hulda Mulliken, Mrs. Elizabeth McQuinn, Mrs. Elsie Saunders, Mrs. Minnie Robinson, Mrs. Jennie White and Mrs. Olive Flynn.
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