USA > Indiana > Lawrence County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 51
USA > Indiana > Monroe County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 51
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PHILIP KEARNEY BUSKIRK.
The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members. If its moral and intellectual status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation as to the integrity of its citizens has extended into other locali- ties, it will be found that the standards set by the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mould the characters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle In placing the late Philip K. Buskirk in the front rank of such men, justice is rendered a biographical fact universally recognized throughout the locality long honored by his citizenship by those at all familiar with his history. Although a quiet and unassuming man, with no ambition for public position or leadership, he contributed much to the
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material, civic and moral advancement of his community, while his admirable qualities of head and heart and the straightforward, upright course of his daily life won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moved, and, although he is now sleeping the "sleep of the just," his influence still lives and his memory is greatly revered.
Philip K. Buskirk was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on the IIth of Sep- tember, 1860, and he was the son of George A. and Martha Buskirk, pioneer residents and honored citizens of the city of Bloomington, now deceased. He received his education in the common schools of his native city and the State University, graduating from the latter institution in 1884, having attended an Episcopalian school in Michigan early in life. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar. His first active connection with local busi- ness affairs in a commercial way was with the lumber industry, in which he engaged for a number of years, but later in life became prominently identified with the stone business, in which he held large interests. In this connection the following little story is reprinted from the Bedford Mail of about the date of Mr. Buskirk's death, and throws light on the character of the man whose career was so closely identified with the great stone industry: "The death of Philip Kearney Buskirk at Bloomington yesterday removes the third of four men who formed a partnership under the firm name of Perry, Matthews & Buskirk and opened at Horseshoe quarry what, as development progressed, proved to be the most valuable stone property in the oolitic belt. The men were Captain Gilbert K. Perry, deceased, of Ellettsville; P. K. Buskirk, of Bloomington; Fred Matthews, of Bloomington, and W. N. Matthews, de- ceased, of Bedford. Fred Matthews is the surviving member of that old firm who, according to their own story, risked every cent of wealth they could scrape together to develop the Horseshoe property. It has often been their boast that had the stone in this quarry been of an inferior quality they would have gone broke. Fortune smiled on the undertaking and they each realized fortunes on their investments, later selling it for six hundred thou- sand dollars to a company that the Monon was interested in." Mr. Buskirk was interested in a number of other business enterprises, in all of which he was an influential factor, and at the time of his death he was president of the First National Bank of Bloomington, president of the Empire Stone Com- pany, and he was a heavy stockholder in a gold dredging company at Oro- ville, California. Of his standing in the community in which he lived, the Bloomington Daily Telephone had the following to say : "It is almost an im- possibility to find words to do justice to the memory of a man like P. K. Bus- kirk. He was easily one of the most prominent of a score of prominent men who have made Bloomington and the stone belt what it is today. He was
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identified with every public movement and most of the private concerns which have built up the community. He was one of the wealthiest of Bloomington's citizens, being interested in many different business ventures."
Philip K. Buskirk died very suddenly on August 22, 1907, his death resulting from a stroke of heart trouble, from which he suffered only a few minutes. The funeral services, which were held at the family home on North Walnut street, were attended by a large concourse of citizens who desired to thus pay their last tribute of respect to one who had during his life endeared himself to all. Religious serices were conducted by Rev. Horace A. Collins, pastor of the College Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, while the services at Rose Hill cemetery were in charge of the Masonic fraternity.
In 1892, Philip K. Buskirk was united in marriage with Tunie Hays, the daughter of James McDonald Hays and Ella (James ) Hays. James Hays, who was born near Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, was a merchant tailor during the early years of his active life, but later became a successful shoe merchant. He was an early settler of Putnam county, Indiana, where he is still residing, his home being at Greencastle. To Mr. and Mrs. Buskirk was born one son, Hays, who is now a student in the State University, where he is taking a special course in economics. Mr. Buskirk and his son traveled a great deal, their trips covering the greater portion of this country. The family home on North Walnut street, which was built by Mr. Buskirk, is generally considered to be the most beautiful residence in Bloomington, being built of stone and elegantly finished and furnished.
Politically, Mr. Buskirk gave his support to the Republican party and took an active and intelligent interest in public affairs, though never an aspi- rant for public office. Fraternally, he was a member of the Masonic order, in which he had taken the degrees of the Scottish rite, and was also a member of the Mystic Shrine and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He belonged to the Phi Kappa Psi college fraternity. Religiously, Mr. Buskirk held his membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, to the support of which he was a liberal contributor and in the prosperity of which he was deeply interested.
Philip K. Buskirk gave to the world the best of an essentially virile, loyal and noble nature and his standard of integrity and honor was inflexible. He was a man of high civic ideals and was a warm supporter of all measures and enterprises tending to advance the general welfare of the community. Ile was the architect of his own fortune and upon his entire career there rests no blemish, for he was true to the highest ideals and principles in business, civic and social life and was one of the world's noble army of workers, having lived and labored to worthy ends.
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JOHN G. HARRIS.
The gentleman whose name forms the caption to this sketch belongs to that class of men who win in life's battles by sheer force of personality and determination, coupled with soundness of judgment and keen discrim- ination, and in whatever he has undertaken he has shown himself to be a man of ability and honor, always ready to lend his aid in defending principles affecting the public good, having ably and conscientiously served his county in the capacity of legislator and his city as mayor, while in other phases of civic life he has so ordered his life as to earn the unqualified endorsement and support of his fellow citizens.
John G. Harris was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on the 12th of October, 1869, and is a son of Dr. John E. and Katherine A. (Robbins) Harris, both of whom were natives of the old Blue Grass state. These parents came to Monroe county, Indiana, in 1876, locating in Bloomington, where for a num- ber of years the Doctor was prominent in his profession. He and his wife are now both deceased. They became the parents of three children, Mrs. Ella Niceley, John G. and Edward.
John G. Harris attended the public schools of Bloomington and then became a student in the State University, where he was graduated in 1896 from the law department. He then engaged in the practice of law, which demanded his attention for a time, then, because of failing health, he went West, where he remained about ten years. During a part of this time he resided at Hobart, Oklahoma, and during his residence there he was three times elected to the office of police judge. Some time after his return to Blooming- ton, Mr. Harris was elected to the Indiana Legislature, serving during the session of 1909-10 and representing his constituency in such a manner as to win their commendation. In 1909 Mr. Harris was also elected mayor of the city of Bloomington and is the present incumbent of that office, having been re-elected in 1913 for a term of four years. Possessing good business ability, sound judgment and rare discretion, he has conducted the office for the benefit of the people of his city, looking carefully after the public welfare in every respect and thereby winning the approval of his fellow citizens. Pos- sessing a genial personality and entirely unassuming in manner, Mr. Harris enjoys a wide acquaintance, including a large circle of warm and loyal per- sonal friends.
In 1890 Mr. Harris was married to Florence Barnes, the daughter of Stephen Barnes, one of the early settlers of Monroe county, and to the union
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have been born three children, namely: Ella, the wife of Dr. Melvin Ross Edward, of Indianapolis, and Claude, who remains at home.
Politically, Mr. Harris has ever given his support to the policies and candidates of the Democratic party, while his religious membership is with the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, being affiliated with the blue lodge, the chapter of Royal Arch Masons, the council of Royal and Select Masters, the command- ery of Knights Templar, while he is also a member of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Knights of the Maccabees. Mr. Harris is, first of all, distinctively a man of the people, whose interests he has at heart and for whom he would not hesitate to make any reasonable sacrifice. He recognizes no aristocracy except that of true and noble man- hood, based upon genuine worth and merit, for, although American and with faith in the ultimate glorious destiny of our free institutions, he believes the best way to realize that destiny is for each member of the body politic to live up to his highest ideas of right, which, to the best of his ability, he has en- deavored to do.
WILLIAM A. BROWN.
The history of a county or state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dig- nity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by those of its representative citizens and yields its tribute of admiration and respect to those whose works and actions constitute the record of a community's prosperity and pride. Among the prominent citizens of Lawrence county who are well known because of their success in business affairs and the part they have taken in the civic affairs of the locality is he whose name appears at the head of this article and who is now the efficient and popular cashier of the Bedford National Bank.
William A. Brown was born in Orange county, Indiana, on the 24th of September, 1860. He is the son of Jonathan L. and Sarah A. (Davis) Brown, the father a native of North Carolina and the mother of Orange county, this state. They are both now deceased, the father dying in 1884 and the mother in 1901. They were the parents of eleven children, of which number nine are still living, namely: Louis P., who lives on a farm nea: Orangeville, Orange county, Indiana; Jennie, of French Lick, Indiana; Mrs.
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Mary A. Burton, also of French Lick: Thomas L., assistant city detective, Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Helen Newland, of Bogard, Carroll county, Missouri ; Mrs. Emma Murphy, of Cotton, California ; H. S., who is buyer for the W. H. Block Company, of Indianapolis, and William A., the immediate subject of this sketch.
William A. Brown was reared on the home farm in Orange county until he was nineteen years old, and is indebted to the common schools of that locality for his education. His first employment away from the farm was as a clerk in a country store, where he remained for seven years. In 1887 he came to Bedford and engaged in the grocery business, in which, by strict attention to business and the wants of his customers, he built up a large and profitable trade. In 1898 he was nominated on the Democratic ticket for the office of county treasurer, and was elected, serving two years in that office and performing his duties to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He was the first Democrat to hold the office of county treasurer in twenty-five years. On the expiration of his official term, Mr. Brown, on January 1, 1901, entered the Bedford National Bank in the capacity of assistant cashier, and eight months later he was elected cashier, which position he has retained to the present time. The Bedford National Bank is one of the strong and influ- ential financial institutions of Lawrence county, and much of the prosperity which it enjoys is due to the sound business judgment and personal efforts of Mr. Brown, who has devoted himself assiduously to its interests.
Aside from his banking interests Mr. Brown has been in various ways identified with things which have had to do with the prosperity of the com- munity. He was elected a member of the city school board in 1911 and is now treasurer of that body. In 1904 he assisted in the organization of the Bedford Telephone Company, of which he served as a member of the board of directors and treasurer until the plant was sold to the Central Union Com- pany in 1911. In other ways he has shown a commendable desire to contrib- ute in every possible way to the general welfare of the community, an attitude that has been duly appreciated by his fellow citizens.
On September 29, 1887, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Addie Trueblood, the daughter of W. F. Trueblood, of Salem, Washington county, Indiana, and they have one child, Alleyne.
Politically, Mr. Brown is an earnest advocate of Democratic principles. while religiously, he is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a steward. He is a wide reader and close observer, taking broad and intelligent views of men and affairs, while personally, he enjoys a high degree of popularity in the community, possessing as he does the quali- ties that win and retain warm friendships.
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C. H. MARXSON.
In the history of Bloomington, as applying to the business interests, the name of C. H. Marxson occupies a conspicuous place, for through a number of years he has been one of the representatives of the city's commercial life, progressive, enterprising and persevering. Such qualities always win success sooner or later and to Mr. Marxson they have brought a satisfactory reward for his well directed effort, and while he has benefited himself and the com- munity in a material way, he has also been an influential factor in the moral, education and social progress of the community.
C. H. Marxson was born in Unionville, Monroe county, Indiana, on the 12th of October, 1871, and is a son of John F. and Augusta (Uhl) Marxson. The father, who was a native of Germany, came to Indiana in young man- hood, located at Unionville, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, which have engaged his attention to the present time and in the prosecution of which he has been fairly successful, being the owner of a fine farm of sixty acres. To him and his wife were born eight children, of whom five are still living. Politically, he gives his support to the Democratic party and holds a high position in the community where he has lived and labored for so many years.
C. H. Marxson secured his education in the common schools of his home community, and on attaining mature years he entered the Showers factory, where he was employed for five years. He then accepted a clerkship in a shoe and clothing store, where he remained for ten years, and at the end of that period he entered into a partnership with William N. Graham, under the name of the Eagle Clothing Store. The business was prosperous from the start and in 1900 Mr. Marxson bought his partner's interest in the con- cern and has since conducted the business on his own account. He carries a large and well selected stock of goods, valued at from fifteen to twenty thou- sand dollars, and enjoys his full share of the patronage in his line, due to his earnest effort to satisfy and please all who enter his store. He has been prospered in his financial affairs, being numbered among the substantial busi- ness men of Bloomington, and he owns a comfortable and attractive resi- dence at No. 528 North Washington street, where the spirit of true hospital- ity is ever in evidence.
Fraternally, Mr. Marxson is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, while his religious membership is with the Christian church, to which he gives his earnest support.
In 1898 Mr. Marxson was united in marriage with Maggie Cathcart, the daughter of Samuel and Jennie (Payne) Cathcart, and they are the parents
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of three children, Ernest R., Robert C. and Mary Frances. By a straight- forward and commendable course Mr. Marxson has made his way to a respectable position in the business world, winning the admiration of the people of his city and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs, and a broad-minded and public-spirited citizen who has not been backward is giving his support to every movement for the upbuilding and development of the community. Personally. he is a most companionable man and is an appreciated member of the various circles in which he moves
THOMAS MILLIGAN.
The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men of a past generation who were successful in their life work and at the same time left the impress of their strong personalities upon the community, men who won honor and recogni- tion for themselves, and at the same time conferred honor on the locality in which they resided, would be incomplete were there failure to make specific mention of the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, for, although Thomas Milligan has long been sleeping the sleep of the just, his influence still pervades the lives of those who were so fortunate as to enjoy his acquaintance and his name is deeply engraved on the pages of Lawrence county's history. His life was a busy one, but he never allowed anything to interfere with his Christian obligations or the faithful performance of his church duties, so that his entire Christian life was a steady effort for the worth of Christian doc- trine, the purity and grandeur of Christian principles and the beauty and elevation of Christian character. Pure, constant and noble was the spiritual flame that burned in and illumined the mortal tenement of the subject of this memoir, and to the superficial observer can come but small appreciation of his intrinsic spirituality, his faith being fortified by the deepest study, and the Christian verities were with him the matters of most concern among the changes and chances of this mortal life.
Thomas Milligan was born near Dublin, Ireland, about the year 1769. Early in life he came to America with his sister Martha and brother Gilbert, making their first settlement in Buncombe county, North Carolina. Thomas Milligan became an earnest and active Christian, joining the Methodist church, in which he was ordained to the ministry. As a preacher he became a figure of considerable prominence in the early church and exerted a tremendous influence wherever he labored. His activity and prominence are noted in the
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annals of early Tennessee history and in the old records of the Methodist conferences of that period, while he is also specifically mentioned in the rec- ords of the general conference of his church which was held at Chillicothe, Ohio, September 14, 1807, he having been one of the eleven delegates which composed that notable body. He went to that meeting on horseback from New River, Virginia, where he was at that time located. He had been admitted to the itinerant ministry in 1798 and during the period from then until 1809 he successively served at Holston Valley, Clinch Valley, Powell's Valley, Carter's Valley, New River district and Wautauga.
On February 18, 1809. Thomas Milligan and Margaret Christian were united in marriage and located near Long Island of the Holston river, where Kingston, Tennessee, is now located. Margaret Christian was the daughter of Colonel Gilbert Christian, who was a veteran of the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. Subsequently Thomas Milligan and his family moved from their home on the Holston river to what was then known as Indiana territory, locating near Bono in 1815, where he entered a tract of land, upon part of which now stands the town of Tunnelton, Lawrence county. In some important respects his coming to Lawrence county was an event of vital import to the community, for his coming marked the first establishment here of a minister of the gospel as a permanent resident. Thus to Guthrie town- ship belongs the distinction and honor of having entertained the first minister in Lawrence county. Thomas Milligan held religious services at his home and the homes of his friends, these being probably the first services of the kind in the county. He was a man of great strength of character, of intense ear- nestness and consecration to the service of God. and with a broad-hearted sympathy for his fellow men that impelled him to devote himself to the spir- itual uplifting and the aid and encouragement of all with whom he came in contact. He was widely known throughout this section of Indiana and exerted a tremendous influence on the lives of the early settlers here.
To Thomas and Margaret Milligan were born six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom the eldest, Caroline, became the wife of George Roberts, a nephew of Bishop Roberts, of the Methodist Episcopal church. The youngest child of the family, Elizabeth Jane, became the wife of Capt. Isaac Newkirk. The latter, who was for many years an honored and re- spected resident of Lawrence county, was captain of Company G, Fourth Indiana Cavalry, during the Rebellion and performed valuable service for his county after his return to civic pursuits. His fellow citizens honored him by electing him twice to the office of sheriff of Lawrence county. Captain Newkirk became owner of the Thomas Milligan tract of land and when the
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Ohio & Mississippi Railroad was built through this county he laid out and named the town of Tunnelton, it having been located between two tunnels on that road. To Capt. Isaac and Elizabeth Jane Newkirk were born two daugh- ters, Mary E. and Louisa C. Mary E. became the wife of Isaac H. Crim on October 25, 1866, and to this union were born two daughters, Carrie and Lulu. The first named was married to Jesse M. Winstandley on Jan- uary 16, 1889, and Lulu became the wife of Charles E. Francis on Decem- ber 14, 1898. Louisa C. Newkirk was married on September 23. 1875. to George R. Green, and they became the parents of a son, George R., Jr. George R. Green. Sr., died on December 6, 1875, and the son. George R., Jr., passed away on July 28, 1895.
MCHENRY OWEN.
This biographical sketch has to do with a character of unusual force and eminence, for McHenry Owen has for a number of years been recognized as one of the able and successful lawyers and prominent citizens of southern Indiana. As a citizen he is public-spirited and enterprising ; as a friend and neighbor, he combines the qualities of head and heart that have won confi- dence and commanded respect ; as an attorney, who has a comprehensive grasp upon the philosophy of jurisprudence, he is easily the peer of his pro- fessional brethren at the Lawrence county bar, and as a servant of the people in places of responsibility he served in a manner that won for him the com- mendation of his superiors. Yet his entire accomplishment but represents the result of the fit utilization of the innate talent which is his and the direct- ing of his effort along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrim- ination have led the way.
McHenry Owen was born near Clear Spring, Owen township, Jackson county, Indiana, on the Ist day of July, 1851, and is the son of James W. and Martha A. (Wells) Owen, both of whom were natives also of Owen town- ship, Jackson county. James W. Owen, who was a farmer by vocation, was a prominent citizen of his county and acceptably filled the office of county commissioner for two terms, and also rendered appreciated service as justice of the peace. His death occurred on March 25. 1887, on his old homestead, and he was survived a number of years by his widow, who died on May 10, 1913, at Brownstown, Jackson county, at the age of over eighty-eight years. The father was an active member of the Masonic order, being a past master
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