USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Indiana > Part 78
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Fraternally, Mr. Owens is a member of the Knights of Pythias, while, religiously, he and his wife were active members of the First Baptist church at Franklin, with which Mr. Owens was long identified. Early in his life he became an ardent advocate of the Democratic party, and for many years has been active in its support. Mr. Owens is a quiet, unassuming man and it is useless to add that he is highly respected by all who know him through- out the locality where he lives and where he has spent practically his entire life, in all the relations of which he has been found faithful to every trust and, because of his sterling worth, uncompromising integrity, courteous man- ners and pleasant disposition, he has won and retained the warm regard of all with whom he associates, the latter including the best people of this lo- cality.
GILBERT HENDERSON.
Fealty to facts in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of Gilbert Henderson, a well known and successful business man in Franklin and a progressive farmer of that neighborhood, is all that is required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community honored by his residence, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs, more than any other considera-
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GILBERT HENDERSON
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tion that gives character and stability to the body politic. While advancing his individual interests, he has never lost sight of his obligations to the com- munity in general, where for many years he has held a high place in popular confidence and esteem.
Gilbert Henderson was born in Johnson county, Indiana, on March II, 1872, and is a son of James and Margaret (Vanarsdall) Henderson. James Henderson was born in Kentucky in 1823, the son of Thomas Henderson. In 1828, when but five years of age, he accompanied the family on their re- moval to Indiana, locating in Johnson county, where they followed agricul- tural pursuits. James Henderson, by a life of earnest and persistent en- deavor, not only gained material prosperity, but, also that which is more desir- able, the respect and good will of all who knew him. His death occurred in 1897 and his widow is now making her home with her children. James Hen- derson was twice married, first to Mary Lagrange, the daughter of P. D. Lagrange and a sister of William Lagrange, president of the First National Bank of Franklin. To that union were born four children, Eva, who died in youth; Robert C., who lives in Colorado; Anna, the wife of J. B. Tracy, and Clara, the wife of D. B. Winchester. of Indianapolis. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Henderson matwied Margaret Vanarsdall, and to this union were born three children,! Gilbert, Filmer and Stella, the wife of J. B. Lemasters.
Gilbert Henderson received his preliminary education in the common schools of his home neighborhood, completing his studies in the high school at Hopewell. Then he became a student in Clark's School of Undertaking, later attending Eckell's School of Embalming, at Louisville, Kentucky, and the Honshue School of Embalming at Richmond, Indiana, from all three of which he received diplomas. In 1910 Mr. Henderson engaged in the undertaking business at Franklin, though prior to that time he had acquired some valuable practical experience with Covert & Covert, undertakers, at Hopewell. He is now a member of the firm of Henderson, Flynn & Johnson, which has earned a reputation as one of the leading firms in its line in the county. Mr. Hen- derson is a man of marked ability, courteous in his relations with his patrons, and absolutely honest and straightforward in his dealings with others. He has been financially successful and is the owner of a splendid farm of sixty- five acres, which he operates together with one hundred and thirty acres of rented land, in the management of which he has been rewarded with very satisfactory returns.
Politically, Mr. Henderson is an earnest supporter of the Republican
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party and has been actively interested in local public affairs. He is the present trustee of Franklin township and is discharging his official duties to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, in which he has attained to the Knight Templar degree, and is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
In 1897 Gilbert Henderson was married to Emma Covert, the daughter of A. N. and Susan (McGill) Covert, and to them have been born five chil- dren, namely: Harold, who died at the age of two years ; Marjorie, Mildred, Marshall and Pauline, who are at home with their parents. Personally, Mr. Henderson possesses to a marked degree those qualities which beget and win . friendships and he is deservedly popular in his home county.
ALBERT N. COVERT.
Albert N. Covert, retired farmer and deputy assessor of Johnson county, and who is numbered among the representative citizens of his section of the state, was born in October, 1837, in Franklin township, and has therefore been a resident of Johnson county for the long period of more than three-quarters of a century. He has been an eye witness and a participant in the wonderful growth which has characterized this locality and no man in the county is today held in higher regard. He is a son of John and Rachel ( Banta) Covert, na- tives, respectively, of New Jersey and Kentucky. John Covert was born in 1784 and died in 1864, and was the son of Isaac and Ann Covert, the former of whom died in Kentucky and the latter in Indiana. The family is descended from three brothers from Holland, who emigrated to New Jersey. Isaac Co- vert disposed of his material effects in Kentucky, but died there before leav- ing the state and his widow subsequently came to Indiana with the family, John at that time being but a young man. A brother, Simon Covert, also lo- cated at Hopewell, while another brother, Cornelius, located in that neigh- borhood. John was a charter member of the Hopewell Presbyterian church, which was established in 1841. He was three times married, and to his first union were born the following children: Barney, Calvin, Cornelius, William and Ann (Mrs. Walker) ; to the second union was born one son, Robert : while to the last union were born George L., A. N. and Mrs. Emma Cozine, of Kansas.
A. N. Covert secured his education in the schools of the Hopewell neigh- borhood and in Hopewell Academy. He was reared to the vocation of farm-
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ing, which he followed throughout his active life. For several years he lived on the home farm and cared for his father and mother in their last years. He was the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of splendid land, on which he resided until 1869, when he bought a farm in the Hopewell neighborhood, residing there until 1889, when he located on his present attractive little place of four acres. He is practically retired from active labor, but for the past twelve years he has rendered efficient service as deputy county assessor, and in 1900 he served as census enumerator for this district.
In 1862 Mr. Covert was married to Susan Magill, the daughter of Sam- uel and Julia Magill, to which union have been born six children, three sons and three daughters, namely : William C., who is pastor of the First Pres- byterian church in Chicago, a congregation of sixteen hundred members ; Mrs. Luetta Lockwood, who resides near Southport, Indiana ; James G., a dairyman and farmer in Franklin township, this county; Mrs. Lella Eudora McCaslin; Mrs. Emma Henderson; Omar, of Valparaiso, Indiana, a member of the Lyric Quartet, a company of famous singers. His birth occurred in 1876.
In politics Mr. Covert is a member of the Progressive party, to which he gives his staunch support, while his religious membership is with the Pres- byterian church, of which he and his wife have been members since their childhood. In every phase of life's activities in which he has engaged Mr. Covert has been true to every trust and because of the genuine worth of his character he has earned and retains the sincere regard of all who know him.
WILLIAM FLINN.
One of the conspicuous names on the list of Johnson county agriculturists is William Flinn, proprietor of Hickory Grove farm in Nineveh township, a gentleman of high standing to whom has not been denied a full measure of success. Long recognized as a factor of importance in connection with the farming and stock-raising industries here, he has been prominently identified with the material growth and prosperity of this part of the state, his life hav- ing been closely interwoven with the history of the county where he has been content to live and follow his chosen vocation for over a quarter of a century.
William Flinn, whose fine farm of one hundred and ninety-six acres is located partly in Franklin and partly in Nineveh township, this county, was born on August 8, 1871, about one and one-half miles west of his present home. His parents were Thomas and Elizabeth (Jones) Flinn, both of whom
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were natives of the state of Indiana. The father, who is now retired and living in the town of Franklin, was born in 1843, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is of Irish ancestry, his parents having been natives of the Emerald isle. Thomas Flinn was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion and was confined six months in Libby prison. To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom six are living, namely : Mrs. Gertrude Caywood, of Franklin; Charles, of Indianapolis; William, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Ellen Mulligan, of Miami county, Indiana; Emma, who died in 1893; Caroline, at home; Austin, of Franklin, and Opal and Etta, who are deceased.
William Flinn secured his education in the country schools of his home neighborhood and spent his youthful years in farm labor under the direction of his father. Shortly after his marriage, which occurred when he was twen- ty-two years of age, he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land in Nine- veh township, to which he has made additions from time to time, his last purchase having been in 1903. He is the owner of sixty-seven acres in Franklin township, and one hundred and twenty-nine acres in Nineveh town- ship, all of this comprising one of the best farms in this section of the county. . Aside from his agricultural interests, Mr. Flinn has for many years been an active dealer in live stock, in which he has met with eminent success. He feeds the grain grown on the farm to hogs, cattle and mules and annually handles about one hundred and fifty head of hogs, two car loads of cattle and . has handled as high as three hundred head of mules annually. He is a good judge of all kinds of live stock and has made an eminent success of this line of effort. He has given proper attention to the rotation of crops and has gov- erned his operations on the farm by the most conservative and yet progressive ideas as to scientific farming, he being willing at all times to adopt new methods when their practicability has been demonstrated. He now has forty- five acres planted to corn, thirty acres to wheat and will cut about sixty tons of clover and hay. He has a magnificent home surrounded by forest trees and, all in all, Hickory Grove farm is numbered among the inviting and at- tractive homes of the community.
In October, 1893, Mr. Flinn was united in marriage to Ollie Mullendore, a daughter of Lewis Mullendore, one of the prominent and well known pioneer citizens of this county. To this union have been born five children, Lee, Mil- dred, Glen, Paul and Alice Jeane.
Politically, the subject is a Progressive and, religiously, is a member of the Christian church, in which he takes an active interest. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. In addition to his long and creditable
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career in one of the most useful of call member of the body politic; rising in in every relation of life, he has never hood nor in any way resorted to metl sure. As a citizen he has easily ranke peers and is ever looking toward the be has ever been above suspicion and tho him are profuse in their praise of his i qualities.
WILLIAM S.
It is a well authenticated fact that mate and well applied energy, unflaggi: a course of action when once decided upon the idler or dreamer and she n men who have diligently sought her f: In tracing the history of the influential Franklin township, Johnson county, Ir tion of this review, it is plainly seen the been won by commendable qualities an has gained for him the high esteem of t
William S. Ditmars, who is gener successful agriculturists of Johnson cou tober 4, 1857, and is a son of Corneliu He was reared under the paternal roof, of the home farm, and during the wi schools. He received a good practical a three years' course in the high school hundred and twenty acres of splendid a: and is also operating two hundred acres of the two tracts requiring his undivid the operation of which have been rewal man of sound judgment and wide exper tions have always been characterized by spirit, so that he has been enabled to ac mum of effort. He gives due attention modern ideas in relation to agriculture,
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the soil he also gives a proper share of his attention to the raising of live stock, which is an important and necessary adjunct to successful farming.
On December 16, 1885, Mr. Ditmars was united in the holy bonds of wedlock with Minnie R. Graham, the daughter of David and Caroline (Adams) Graham. Her father was a native of Ohio, of which his family were early settlers, but later they came to Johnson county, Indiana. To Mr. .and Mrs. Ditmars have been born two children, James, born in July, 1888, and Cort C., born in 1889. Politically, Mr. Ditmars has always given his support to the Republican party and in the civic life of the community he has borne his full share of the burden, giving his support at all times to those movements and measures which have promised to be of material benefit to the people generally. He is a man of upright character and progressive spirit and is unalterably opposed to all forms of vice or lawlessness. Per- sonally, he is genial and unassuming, easily makes friends and always retains them, so that in the community in which he has spent his entire life he is one of the popular residents.
CHESTER T. DEVORE.
The gentleman to whom the reader's attention is now directed was not favored by inherited wealth or the assistance of influential friends, but in spite of these, by perseverance, industry and a wise economy, he has attained a comfortable station in life, and is well and favorably known throughout Johnson county as a result of the industrious life he has lived here for many years, being regarded by all who know him as a man of sound business prin- ciples, thoroughly up to date in all phases of agriculture and stock raising and as a man who, while advancing his individual interests, does not neglect his general duties as a citizen.
Chester T. Devore, among whom none of the up-to-date agriculturists of Johnson county enjoys a higher reputation, was born in Clark township on February 3, 1876, the son of John and Sarah (Chambers) Devore, the father a native of Johnson county and the mother born in Decatur, Indiana. The subject's paternal grandfather, Thurrett Devore, was a native of Ken- tucky, who came to Johnson county among the early settlers and located near Shiloh, where he spent the remainder of his life. To the subject's parents were born the following children: One who died in infancy, Alice, Chester T., Otis and Merle, the two last named being deceased. John Devore followed
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practical farming during his entire life and was successful in this calling to a gratifying degree, being numbered among the enterprising and highly re- spected residents of this section. of the county.
The subject of this sketch was reared by his parents and secured his elementary education in the common schools of Clark township, completing his scholastic training at Franklin College, which he attended two years. Im- mediately after completing his education, Mr. Devore applied himself vigor- ously to the vocation of farming, in which he has been eminently successful and achieved gratifying financial remuneration for his efforts. In addition to the raising of all the crops common to this section of the country, including the breeding and feeding of live stock, in which he has also been successful, Mr. Devore has given a good deal of attention to the raising of pure bred poultry, operating what is known as Glenbrook Poultry Farm, where he raises the finest bred Barred Plymouth Rock chickens to be found in this sec- tion of the state, and also Black Cochin Bantams. He keeps none but the best breeds, and through them has won seven silver trophies as medals and in- numerable ribbons at exhibitions. He also makes a specialty of seed corn, the two varieties which meet his approval being the Johnson County White and the Yellow Dent. He is careful in his selection of this corn and sells at a fancy price all that he can raise.
Politically, Mr. Devore is an ardent advocate of the policies of the Pro- gressive party and took an active interest in the last campaign. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of the Maccabees, and his church membership is with the Baptist, to which society he contributes liberally.
On May 12, 1898, Mr. Devore married Bertha May Kelly, the daughter of Andrew Taylor and Phoebe Jane (Lowe) Kelly. The father was a native of Johnson county, as well as his wife, their people having come from Ken- tucky to this state in an early day, locating in Clark township. To Andrew and Phoebe Kelly were born five children, namely: Samuel L., Robert E., Clara M., Bertha May and Ossie Ethel. The mother of these children is still living, the father being deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Devore have been born two children, Chester H., deceased, and Freda May, who is at home with her parents. In the public life of the community where he lives, Mr. Devore has long taken a prominent part and intelligent interest, and is now serving as a member of the advisory board of Clark township, where he is rendering ef- ficient service in the interests of the people. He is a man of strong character and acknowledged ability and, because of these elements and his genuine per- sonal worth, he enjoys a marked popularity in the locality where he lives.
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ALVIN GILBERT HICKS.
The best title one can establish to the high and generous esteem of an intelligent community is a protracted and honorable residence therein. The subject of this sketch, who has spent the major portion of his life in Franklin, has, because of his earnest and consistent life and his high attainments in his special line of endeavor, earned the sincere respect and good opinion of all who know him.
Alvin G. Hicks was born in Franklin, Indiana, on February 23, 1851, and is a son of Royal S. and Mary G. (Keen) Hicks. His father, who was a native of Switzerland county, Indiana, was a lawyer by vocation, but also de- voted considerable attention to the newspaper business, having for many years published the Weekly Democrat at Rockport, Indiana. He served efficiently as deputy state auditor under Major Dunn, and also was clerk of Spencer county for eight years, performing all of his public and official duties to the entire satisfaction of all concerned and earning a high reputation as a man of ability and honor. In the profession of law he was successful and con- tinued in the active practice until his death, which occurred in 1884.
Alvin G. Hicks received his education mainly in the public schools of Spencer county, attending the Rockport schools until seventeen years of age, when, ambitious to take up life's battle on his own account, he engaged in the business of photography, to the pursuit of which he has devoted himself ever since, a period of forty-five years. His apprenticeship was served under John Nicholson, one of the most expert and artistic photographers of his day, and the high ideals gained by Mr. Hicks at that period have never been laid aside, he having made at all times a faithful and conscientious effort to turn out nothing but the very best work. His reputation as an original and painstaking artist in photography has long been firmly established throughout this section of the state, and his patrons come from many of the neighboring counties. Many of the engravings in this work have been reproduced from photographs made by Mr. Hicks, who has thus in a large measure contributed to the success of this department of the work.
Mr. Hicks has been married twice, first, in 1870, to Betty Burton, and in 1875 to Sarah C. Jackson.
Politically, Mr. Hicks is an earnest supporter of the Democratic party, and takes a commendable interest in public affairs, though in no sense a seeker after public office. Fraternally, he is a member of Hesperian Lodge No. 12, Knights of Pythias. Socially. he is a man of pleasing address and, because
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of his sterling qualities of character, in the esteem of his fellow citizens.
IRA E. V
One of Nineveh township's agric of a place in this book is Ira E. Vandi of the utmost integrity of purpose, : entire life, stood high in the estimati interests he has sought to promote wh
Ira E. Vandivier, who is a repre and representative families of Johnson Ist day of December, 1863, and is a Vandivier, the father a native also o Vandivier family appears elsewhere ir taken for a repetition of the same her dren: Ina E., John, Edward, Lorie a Charles Feaster.
The subject of this sketch receive his home community and then became desiring to better prepare himself:for } ing in the old Bryant and Stratton Bi completion of which he took up the voc given his undivided attention. He has culture, raising all the crops common in addition given considerable attentic mules and cattle, in which also he ha of four hundred and forty acres of possesses, and in the cultivation of thi sound judgment and excellent taste, great credit on the owner.
In 1888 Mr. Vandivier was unite the daughter of James P. and Mary J a native of Johnson county and a mem came here from Kentucky. To the st children, Fred F., Hugh E., Orris A., I Politically, the subject of this sket
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is now giving his support to the Progressive wing of the party. He takes an intelligent interest in all public affairs and on the current issues of the day he holds decided opinions. He is a man who gives his support to all movements which have for their object the advancement of the public welfare. As a member of the Christian church, he takes a commendable interest in spiritual affairs and gives his liberal support to the material advancement of the society to which he belongs. Personally, Mr. Vandivier is well liked by all who know him. His home farm is one of the best improved in the township, for he has been most vigilant in keeping it up to a high standard in every respect. Success has attended his efforts because he has worked for it along legitimate lines and has not permitted discouraging situations to thwart him and has been honest and fearless in pursuing a course when he knew he was in the right.
GEORGE I. WHITE.
In every community are to be found individuals who, by reason of pro- nounced ability and forceful personality, rise superior to the majority and command the homage of their fellows; who, by revealing to the world the two resplendent virtues, perseverance in effort and directing purpose, never fail to attain positions of honor and trust and become in the full sense of the term leaders of men. Of this class is the well known gentleman and success- ful lawyer whose name appears above, a man who ranks among the leading citizens of Johnson county and who for a number of years has borne an in- fluential part in the affairs of the city and county in which he resides.
George I. White is descended from sterling old Hoosier ancestry, and was born in Nineveh township, Johnson county, Indiana, on the 14th of October, 1870. He is the son of George Boyd and Rachel I. (Lane) White, the father a native of Shelby county, Kentucky, and the mother of Bartholo- mew county, Indiana. The father, who was a farmer by vocation, came to Johnson county in young manhood and spent the remainder of his life in Nineveh township except four years in Franklin, when he was performing the duties of county commissioner, to which office he had been elected in 1870. He was born on July 16, 1816, and died on December 29, 1885, while his wife, who was born November 29, 1827, died on March 22, 1910. To him and his wife were born eleven children, of whom six are living, three having died in infancy. Jacob White, who died on May 13, 1889, was the prosecuting attorney of Johnson county for two terms and a member of
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