USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Indiana > Part 72
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Thomas Dorrell was born May 29, '1872, in White River township, Johnson county, Indiana, and is the son of William and Marcella ( Bristow ) Dorrell, who were the parents of eleven children: Jacob G., who resides on
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the old Jacob Dorrell farm two miles north of Stone's Crossing; Daniel D., who resides a quarter of a mile north of Stone's Crossing; Joseph, who died in infancy ; Mrs. Sarah Matilda Umbarger, who lives a mile west of Stone's Crossing; Pascal E., of Indianapolis; William A., of Morgan county, this state; Thomas, the subject of this sketch; James M., who lives in Missouri; . Robert, who lives two miles northeast of Whiteland, and Mrs. Cena J. Re- pass, of Hamilton county, this state.
The subject of this sketch received a splendid education and prepara- tion for life's duties, having completed his common school education at the Center Grove high school, where he graduated in 1891, and in 1899 he en- tered Indiana State University at Bloomington, graduating there in 1903 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then engaged in the vocation of teaching in the common schools, which he followed for five years. He achieved eminent success in this calling, his ability being recognized through- out the county, and he became principal of the high school and superintendent of the school at Center Grove, where he remained three years. He is now. giving his sole attention to the cultivation of his fine farm in White River township, where he is operating two hundred acres of land, including ninety acres belonging to his mother. Owing to his skilful management and careful attention, the farms are well kept and are under a high state of cultivation, returning abundant harvests for the labor bestowed upon them. He has worked his way up to a position of prominence in his community and com- parative affluence, having ever maintained a high order of living and dealt fairly and honestly with his fellow men until no man in Johnson county today stands higher in general public esteem. While he has never sought public of- fice, he has always been a loyal Democrat and ever assisted in furthering the interests of his community, whether in a political, moral or social way, and no more praiseworthy citizen is to be found in his community.
Religiously, Mr. Dorrell is a faithful and earnest member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, while his lodge memberships are with the Knights of Pythias at Stone's Crossing and the Free and Accepted Masons at Greenwood, in the workings of both of which he takes an appreciative interest.
On May 30, 1911, Mr. Dorrell was united in marriage with Margaret A. Gregg, the daughter of Ira T. and Elizabeth L. (Shera) Gregg. The former died in January, 1913, and she died September 28, 1913. To Mr. and Mrs. Dorrell has been born a daughter, Elizabeth Marcella, whose birthday was April 1, 1912.
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SCOTT CURRY.
Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Johnson coun- ty 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 community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is Scott Curry, one of the leading farmers and stock raisers of Whiteland, Johnson county, Indiana.
Scott Curry, a resident of Whiteland, with which community he is closely identified in a business way, and who is also one of the most successful farm- ers of Pleasant township, is a native of Johnson county, having been born on December 23, 1855, and is the son of John and Matilda (Wise) Curry. Both of these parents were natives of the state of Kentucky, the father having been born in Fayette county and the mother in Louisville. They were married in that state, and in 1883 came to Johnson county, settling in Clark township, where the father followed farming during the remainder of his years. He bought his original tract of land here from Dr. Murphy, well known in his day, and to the improvement and cultivation of that land he gave his attention, developing it into a good farm and achieving for himself a splendid reputation as an agriculturist and business man. To him and his wife were born eight children, namely: Tisdal Eddie, deceased; Laura, deceased; Eliza, who lives at Huntington, Indiana; Thomas, of Southport, Indiana; Henry, deceased; William, of Indianapolis; Isabel, deceased, and Scott, the subject of this sketch. Scott Curry received his education in the common schools of his town- ship, and his boyhood days were spent on the paternal farmstead, where he early learned the secrets of successful agriculture under the intelligent direc- tion of his father. He devoted himself assiduously to the cultivation of the soil until 1911, when he retired from active farm work and moved to White- land, where he has since resided. He has not, however, relinquished his ac- tive operation of the farm, which is carried on under his personal direction. He owns one hundred and twenty acres of the old homestead, on which are raised all the crops common to this locality. and where also considerable atten- tion is given to the raising and feeding of live stock, large numbers of animals being sold from his farm annually. He keeps the farm up to the highest type of modern agricultural methods, and not only financial success has come through his operations, but also an enviable reputation as a successful agri- culturist. Mr. Curry is also interested financially in various enterprises at
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SCOTT CURRY
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS R L
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Whiteland, and is a stockholder, director and vice-president of the Whiteland National Bank.
Politically, Mr. Curry is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, to which he has given his vote at every election since attaining his majority. He is not a seeker after personal office for himself, but wields a definite influence in the party campaigns. Fraternally, he is a member of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, belonging to the local lodge at Franklin and taking a deep interest in the workings of the order. Religiously, he is a member of the Christian church and gives this society his liberal support. Mr. Curry has never married. He is a man of large views and broad sympathies, and no movement for the advancement of his community has ever solicited his aid in vain, for he believes in progress all along the line of material effort and his interests are always in full harmony with the highest and best interests of his fellow citizens. Genial and unassuming in manner, he has won a large and loyal circle of friends throughout Johnson county, who esteem him highly because of his genuine worth and high personal character. Because of the success which he has attained, he is eminently entitled to representation in a history of his county.
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JOHN OLIVER:
It was once remarked by a celebrated moralist, and biographer that "There has scarcely passed a life of which ar findichby's and faithful narrative would not have been useful." Believing in the teatr of this opinion, expressed by one of the greatest and best men, the writer of this memoir takes pleasure in presenting a few of the leading facts in the commendable career of a gentle- man who, by industry, perseverance, temperance and integrity, worked him- self from an humble station to a successful agriculturist and won an honorable position among the well known and highly esteemed men of a former gen- eration in Johnson county. For it is always pleasant as well as 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 citi- zens. Such, in brief, was the record of the late John Oliver, than whom a more whole-souled or popular man it would have been difficult to have found within the borders of Johnson county, where he long maintained his home and where he labored not only for his own individual advancement and that of his immediate family, but also for the improvement of the entire community whose interests he ever had at heart.
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John Oliver was born on May 30, 1831, in county Derry, Ireland, and was of Scotch descent, his parents having fled from Scotland to Ireland dur- ing the Scotch Rebellion. These parents, John and Margaret Oliver, were strict Presbyterians in their religious belief of the branch known as Covenant- ers and they were staunch defenders of their faith, willing to suffer for their honest convictions. John Oliver, Jr., was born in Ireland and at the age of eighteen years he came to America with his widowed mother, who located in Philadelphia. There he was employed by his brother-in-law, John McCauley, grain merchant. Before the war he and his brother-in-law came to Johnson county, Indiana, and acquired a farmstead, and in 1866 Mr. Oliver brought his wife, whom he had married earlier the same year, to his new home and located on the Dr. Donald farm, which he rented for five years. In 1867 he rented the Banta farm and, by dint of the most indefatigable effort and the most rigid economy, saved money and in 1872 was enabled to buy his pres- ent farm. His first home was in a good log cabin for a year, but in May, 1873, a more substantial and attractive residence was built. Mr. Oliver was a hardworking and progressive man, enterprising in his methods, and his keen- est delight was in the thought that he was creating a good home. He was domestic in his tastes, his greatest enjoyment being found in the family circle with his loved ones. Among his fellow citizens he was courteous and genial and to a notable degree he enjoyed their respect and good will. As a business man he was shrewd and sagacious and carried forward his plans with energy and ability. Broad-hearted and charitable, he was a man among men and no worthy cause ever appealed to him in vain. His death removed from Johnson county one of the most substantial and highly esteemed citizens and the many beautiful tributes to his character as a man and citizen attested to the abiding place he had in the hearts and affections of his friends.
On August 14, 1866, Mr. Oliver married Mary F. B. McFall, who was born on March 23, 1843. in Ballymoney, Ireland, the daughter of Daniel M. and Mary McFall, natives of Scotland and Covenanters who fled to Ireland to escape persecution because of their religious belief. They were members of the Douglas clan who had opposed King James and were therefore forced to flee the country. To Mr. and Mrs. Oliver were born eight children. of whom six were reared, namely: John, who died in infancy; Elizabeth Adelaide, who married a Mr. Graham, of Franklin; John Van Nuys, who died in 1901. was attorney of the city of Franklin, and a partner of Gabriel Overstreet; William, who is the present mayor of the city of Franklin, is a graduate of the Indiana Law School: Gertrude is the wife of Mr. Shufflebarger, who is a bank
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cashier at Martinsville, this state; Llewelyn is a farmer and makes his home with his mother; Daniel Arthur is also at home. These children have all been well educated, completing their studies in Franklin College. Mrs. Oliver comes from a long and sterling line of ancestry, her family having had a coat of arms which is now used by Mrs. Oliver. The arms bear the inscription "Make Sure," with a figure of a hand and dagger. Mrs. Oliver also pos- sesses an old heirloom in the shape of a seal many years old.
John Oliver, who was one of the most respected members of his com- munity, was a rigid churchman, giving special observance to the Sabbath. He and his wife united with the Hopewell Presbyterian church in September, 1866, and thereafter he gave that society his staunch support. His death oc- curred on September 23, 1909, and throughout the community it was felt as a personal loss, for his character was such that he had endeared himself to all who knew him. Mrs. Oliver is a lady of many charming qualities and in the circles in which she moves she is held in high regard because of her high per- sonal character and pleasing disposition. She has reared her family to hon- orable manhood and womanhood and now is numbered among the citizens of her community who are giving honor and dignity to the society to which they belong.
W. L. NEIBLE.
Success in this life comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The individual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune can not be called a successful man. He that falls heir to a large fortune and increases its value is successful in proportion to the amount he adds to his possession. But the man who starts in the world unaided and by sheer force of will, controlled by correct princi- ples, forges ahead and at length reaches a position of honor among his fellow citizens achieves success such as representatives of the two former classes can neither understand nor appreciate. To a considerable extent the subject of this sketch is a creditable representative of the class last named, a class which has furnished much of the bone and sinew of the country and added to the stability of our government and its institutions.
W. L. Neible, a successful attorney and the efficient postmaster at Edin- burg, Johnson county, Indiana, is a native of the old Hoosier state, having
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been born in Shelby county on March 5, 1870. The family is originally of Holland origin, the first representatives of the name having come to this country in an early day, locating in New Amsterdam, New York. Later members of this family moved to Virginia and afterwards to Ohio. They became prominent in the life of the communities where they resided. The subject's parents were Lewis and Catherine (Gephart) Neible, the father a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, and the mother of Reading, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Lewis Neible was an energetic farmer and active lumberman and was successful in his vocations, attaining a prominent and in- fluential place in his locality. The subject's parents are both now deceased, the mother dying in 1899 and the father in 1893.
The subject of this sketch received his education first in the common schools and later in the normal school at Danville, Indiana, and the Valparaiso University. Having decided to make the practice of law his life work, he then became a student in the Indianapolis Law School, where he graduated in 1899. His early years were not characterized by hours of ease or in- fluential assistance from outside sources, for he was practically compelled to work his own way through school. In 1899 Mr. Neible entered upon the active practice of his profession in partnership with Harry M. Scholler, under the firm name of Scholler & Neible, an association which continued with mutually satisfactory results until 1907, when Mr. Scholler retired from the practice, since which time Mr. Neible has continued alone.
Careful preparation, painstaking effort and sterling integrity of character are the concomitants which contributed to the success of Mr. Neible in the practice and among his professional colleagues, as well as the general public. he attained high distinction because of his ability and genuine worth. In 1906 Mr. Neible was appointed postmaster at Edinburg, a position which he still holds, and he is discharging his official duties to the entire satisfaction of the department and the patrons of the office. For a number of years he rendered efficient service as city attorney of Edinburg. He is also interested in the newspaper business, owning a one-third interest in the Edinburg Courier. In the civic life of the community he takes a live interest and is now the efficient and energetic president of the Commercial Club of his city, one of the important factors in the commercial and civic life of the community.
In October, 1910, Mr. Neible was married to Cornelia, the daughter of Judge Nelson R. Keyes and Elizabeth ( Mooney) Keyes. Mr. Keyes, who was a prominent and well known attorney of Columbus, ranking high as one of the successful lawyers of Indiana, was judge of the circuit court of Bartholomew county at the time of his death. He was a man of marked
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ability, wise judgment and wide experience, and few cases of prominence were conducted in his and adjoining counties with which he was not engaged on one side or the other.
Politically, the subject of this sketch has been a life-long Republican, and has taken an active interest in the success of his party. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, having attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, and is also a member of Murat Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Indianapolis. Personally, Mr. Neible is a man of strong personal qualities, easily makes friends and always retains them. United in his composition are so many elements of a provident, practical nature, which ' during a series of years have brought him into prominence and earned for him a first place among the enterprising men of his county, that it is but just recognition of his worthiness that he receive specific mention in this work.
MATHEW J. TRACY.
In the respect that is accorded to men who have fought their own way to success through unfavorable environment we find an unconscious recognition of the intrinsic worth of a character which can not only endure so rough a test, but gain new strength through the discipline. The gentleman to whom the biographer now calls the reader's attention was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of influential friends, but in spite of this, by perse- verance, industry and wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life, making his influence felt for good in his community in Pleasant town- ship, Johnson county, where he has long maintained his home, and because of the honorable career he has known here and also because of the fact that he is numbered among those patriotic sons of the North who assisted in saving the Union's integrity in the dark days of the sixties, he is eminently worthy of a place in this book.
Mathew J. Tracy, a respected citizen and retired farmer of Pleasant township, Johnson county, Indiana, than whom no man in his locality is more deserving of mention in a work of this character, was born on January 6, 1832, in Pleasant township, the son of James and Mary (Tanner) Tracy, na- tives respectively of North Carolina and South Carolina. In the paternal line the subject traces his ancestry back to Nathaniel Tracy, who was born in 1743 and died in 1818, and who married Mary Tidwell. Nathaniel Tracy was a native of Maryland, who later emigrated to North Carolina. He was a sol-
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dier in the Revolutionary war, as was Josiah Tanner, the subject's maternal grand father, who was wounded in the right arm in the battle of King's Moun- tain, being crippled for life. Both of these men moved from the Carolinas to Kentucky, where they spent the remainder of their lives and died. Their children became scattered, but many of them are still living in Indiana. James Tracy was born May 14, 1785, and died on February 14, 1883. On Septem- ber 27, 1804, he married Mary Tanner, who was born on December 16, 1789, and died on May 28, 1848. Their children were John, Keziah, Nathaniel, Thomas, Elinor M., Margaret, James, Elizabeth A., Mahala, William, Josiah H., Martha W., Mary Jane, and Mathew J., the immediate subject of this sketch. James Tracy, on coming to Johnson county in 1828, entered land and brought his family here the following year. He made permanent and substantial improvements on his land, and at his death left a splendid estate.
Mathew J. Tracy was reared under the parental roof and has followed the vocation of carpentering and also farming throughout his life. He has been a practical man in every sense of the word and, aside from the tilling of the soil, has held other interests, having served for a number of years as vice- president of the Whiteland Bank, which position he relinquished, however, upon his retirement from active business a few years ago. During the Civil war he gave practical evidence of his loyalty by enlisting as a private in Com- pany F, Third Indiana Cavalry, which command was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. Mr. Tracy took part in seventy-one battles and engage- ments, and was slightly wounded. Among the principal battles in which he took part were South Mountain, second Bull Run, Antietam, Culpeper Court House, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg and Richmond. He had his horse killed under him at Culpeper, Virginia, and in one engagement was twice wounded. After the war he gave his attention to his private interests, and accumulated an estate of nearly seven hundred acres. He has deeded to his children over five hundred and three acres, and is the owner himself of one hundred and sixty acres near Whiteland. Staunch integrity, persistent industry and an in- domitable spirit that would brook no obstacle have been the elements that have contributed to his success, and no man in his community occupies a higher standing in the esteem of his fellow citizens than he. He has given his support to all worthy enterprises of the community, particularly churches, all of which he has donated liberal sums to, but he is not identified by mem- bership with any. Fraternally, he was for a number of years an active mem- ber of the Masonic order. Politically, since the opening of the Civil war he has been an ardent supporter of the Republican party.
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On December 2, 1852, Mathew J. Tracy was married to Susan Margaret Smith, who was born on May 21, 1836, and died on April 10, 1857. Their children were Louis Franklin, born November 9, 1853, and James Buchanan, born April 20, 1856. For his second wife Mr. Tracy choose Mary K. Var- ner, who was born January 2, 1842. Their children were Richard Marion, deceased; Mathew Varner, deceased, and Clarence Allen, deceased. Mr. Tracy's third marriage was to Sarah E. Zwires Boulden on October 23, 1890.
SAMUEL, J. MCCLELLAN.
This well known old family, whose name appears above, has been so long identified with the history of Franklin that the history of one is pretty much the history of both. The family also bears an unique distinction in the fact that from 1861 to the present time, a period of over a half century, the posi- tion of station agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Franklin has been held by two members of the family, the subject of this sketch and his father. This record, while a very unusual one, is more worthy of note from the evidence which it conveys of the absolute trustworthiness with which the company's business has been attended to and stands in unmistakable evidence of the capability and honesty of the McClellans, father and son.
Samuel J. McClellan was born on September 14, 1849, in the city of Franklin, Johnson county, Indiana, and is the son of James H. and Isabella ( Bryan) McClellan, both of whom were natives of Kentucky, the father hav- ing been born in Trimble county. James H. McClellan came from his native state to Johnson county in an early day, settling first eight miles north of Franklin, where he maintained his home until 1848, when he removed to Franklin. In 1853 he was appointed postmaster of this city, serving in that position eight years, or until 1861, when he became the agent of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company at Franklin. He served in that capacity up to the time of his death, which occurred on February 28; 1881. Soon after coming to Indiana, he had for a short time taught school in Marion county, being a man of intellectual attainments and high character. In his religious faith he was a Methodist. To him and his wife were born three children, namely : Mrs. Betty Riley, of Franklin; Mrs. Mary Whedon, deceased, formerly of Louisville, Kentucky, and Samuel J., the immediate subject of this sketch. The mother of these children survived her husband many years, her death occurring on December 23, 1903.
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Samuel J. McClellan received a fair education in the public schools of Franklin, and on October 1, 1866, he began to learn telegraphy in the office of the Pennsylvania Company, under his father's direction. He has since that time been in that office continuously, having been appointed agent on March 4, 1881, on the death of his father. The Pennsylvania Company is one of the most exacting corporations and to retain so responsible a position for so many years is a record of which Mr. McClellan is deservedly proud. Among the patrons of the road he enjoys a merited popularity, for his courtesy and evident desire to please and care for the patrons of the road have been duly appreciated by the public, who esteem him for his effective work as agent.
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