USA > Indiana > Madison County > History of Madison County, Indiana ; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 100
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E. G. Vernon retired from active business in August, 1895, and thebusiness has since been owned and managed by his son Charles W., and conducted under the old firm name. Charles W. Vernon was born at Anderson February 2, 1872, was educated in the Anderson public schools and the Bryant and Stratton business college at St. Louis, Missouri, and after graduating from the latter in 1891 took up his present business. Charles W. Vernon affiliates with the Blue Lodge and Chapter degrees of the Masonic Order, the Woodmen of the World, and is one of the prominent younger business men of the city. In October, 1910, he married Miss Esther Boston of Pendleton, daughter of Benjamin Boston.
JUDGE JOHN F. MCCLURE. Since he began his practice at Anderson. more than thirty years ago, Judge McClure has enjoyed many of the better distinctions of the law and public life, and has accepted numer- ous opportunities to upbuild his community and uplift its civic stand- ards. In the history of the city itself he will perhaps always be best remembered as mayor of Anderson at the beginning of the period of development following the discovery of natural gas. Then if ever the city needed a firm and progressive head, and it was a matter of special good fortune that Judge MeClure was mayor during the four years following 1886. In his profession and in the larger public service of the state, greater honors came to him in the. office of circuit judge, which he held for twelve years, and at the present time he is a mem- ber of the public service commission of Indiana.
Judge McClure represents one of the oldest families of Indiana, one which has been established in this state lacking only six years of a century. The historical town of Brookville was the birthplace of John F. McClure on December 24, 1852. It might be mentioned that Brookville, though a small town of not more than two thousand popu- lation, has probably furnished as many men to the useful and dis- tinguished offices of state and nation as any other city in Indiana. Two of the early governors of Indiana, two United States senators, General Hackleman, who fell at the battle of Shiloh, General Lew Wallace, Hiram Powers, the sculptor, several governors of other states, supreme judges and state officials and college presidents have honored Brookville as their early home, and through their accomplishments in politics, law, literature and art, have reflected honor on that old town at the extreme southern end of the state. The MeClure family, which left Ireland in the early years of the nineteenth century in order to escape the economic and civic conditions under which they were living, not only found prosperity in the New World, but have added many useful citizens to various communities. While none of the family have perhaps attained the very highest distinctions, they have all been worthy of their Scotch-Irish ancestry, and several others besides Judge MeClure have attained some of the valued honors of public life and have all left worthy names.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
The founder of the family in this country was James McClure, grandfather of Judge MeClure. With his wife and two sons, William and James, he emigrated from County Sligo, Ireland, and settled near Brookville, Indiana, in 1820. He was one of the pioneer farmers in that part of the state. He was a well-read man, particularly on religious subjects, and was a member of the Methodist church for more than sixty years and took much interest in church affairs from the time of his arrival in this country until his death in 1869. James McClure married Catherine Likely, who was born in County Sligo, where she was married, and lived to the advanced age of ninety-nine years. Her membership in the Methodist church continued for nearly three-quar- ters of a century. When she came with her husband to America she was accompanied by her brother William, who located near Brookville and became a successful farmer. The five children, all sons, of James and Catherine MeClure were: Richard, William and James, who were born in Ireland, and John W. and Henry C., born at Brookville. When the family emigrated the son Richard remained with an uncle in Ire- land, but subsequently came to America aud became a farmer on an extensive scale at Olney, Illinois. He was a veteran of the Civil war, and was mustered out with the rank of major of the Sixty-first Illinois Volunteers. The son William was a stock dealer, and never married. John W., another uncle of Judge McClure, was born in Brookville. Indiana, in 1822, and at one time held the rank of lieutenant in the National Guards. The youngest son, Henry C., was born in Brookville in 1825. All these sons are now deceased, and all of them reached manhood and reared families except William.
James McClure, Jr., father of Judge MeClure, was born in County Sligo, Ireland, April 2, 1818, was two years of age when the family emigrated to the United States and settled at Brookville, and his edu- cation was a product of the primitive country schools that were found in Southern Indiana before a real system of public education was intro- duced. He became a farmer and stock raiser, followed those voca- tions all his life, and acquired more than ordinary prosperity. He owned nine hundred and sixty acres of land situated in Franklin and Madison counties, and this land included the one hundred and thirty- three acres which had been bought by his father on settling near Brook- ville. He was always interested in public affairs but never sought any official place, and his public service was limited to work on behalf of the schools in his community and in connection with the improvement of the highways. James McClure married Ann McCaw, who was the old- est child of David and Jane (Shera) MeCaw, the father being a native of Ireland, and the mother a native of Ohio. David McCaw was for many years a prosperous farmer living in the eastern part of Franklin county, Indiana. James McCaw, brother of Ann McCaw, gave three years of service as a private soldier in Company G of the Thirty-seventh Indiana Infantry.
John F. McClure had the usual experiences of a farmer's son until finishing his college course and entering upon his profession. His education was the result of attendance at country schools, at Brookville College one year, that being followed by the classical course in the Old Asbury (now DePauw) University, where he graduated salutatorian of his class in 1879. In the meantime he had pursued the study of law for two years and following his graduation from college was for one year principal of the high school at Anderson. In 1880 Judge
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McClure began the practice of law at Brookville, being associated with Thomas H. Smith under the firm name of Smith & McClure. Locating in Anderson in 1881, he has since made that city his permanent home, and began practice as a member of the firm of Carter & MeClure. With a growing success as a lawyer, he was soon drawn into public affairs, and in 1886 was elected mayor and re-elected in 1888. He began his services as mayor in May, 1886, and with the discovery of natural gas in the following year took up real estate business, and had an active part in developing and extending the limits of the older city, at the same time giving his public spirited cooperation to every movement which might enable Anderson to make the most of the great opportu- nities which began with the natural gas era. Both to his office as mayor and to his professional and business relations he was one of the leaders in the industrial development of those early years. In association with Thomas B. Orr, now president of the Building & Loan Associa- tion of Anderson, he laid out what was known as the Avenue Addition, consisting of some six aeres in what is now a prominent part of Ander- son, and on the organization of the Irondale Real Estate Company became its secretary. This company has some of the largest real estate holdings in the vicinity of the city, and did much to develop its properties and add to the permanent resources of the city by locating several industries.
An active Republican sinee casting his first vote, Judge MeClure was chairman of the Madison county Republican committee for four terms from 1888 to 1894, and in 1896 a member of the Republican State Advisory committee. His service as mayor of the city covered the years from 1886 to 1890, and he also served a year in the city council and two years as city attorney. In 1896 he was elected judge of the circuit court, and by his re-election in 1902 served twelve years. His record on the bench was one of impartial, systematic and efficient performance, and of the great number of cases tried before him few appeals were taken and there was an exceedingly small proportion of reversals. His long serviees as a lawyer, man of affairs and judge, brought him recognition over the state at large, and his appointment as a railroad commissioner in 1908 brought him to an office for which his experience and attainments well fitted him. He was re-appointed in 1912, and on the creation of the public service commission of Indiana in May, 1913, was made a member of that larger body, and his term expires in 1916.
Judge MeClure attends the Methodist church, with which his family has so long been identified, and is active in fraternal affairs, having passed all the ehairs in the Knights of Pythias, served as representative in the Grand Lodge, and in 1892 was Captain of the Uniform Rank; and also has affiliations with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose and the Camels of the World.
On December 14, 1888, Judge McClure married Mary Falknor of Anderson. She was born in Ohio in 1865, a daughter of Elias and Julia Falknor, both natives of that state, and who located in Anderson after the Civil war. Mr. Falknor is a veteran of the Union Army, and both he and his wife are still living, having enjoyed a married com- panionship of sixty-five years. Mr. Falknor is now eighty-eight and his wife eighty-seven years of age. Through his active career he was engaged in the mercantile business, but has lived retired for some years, and has never sought any of the honors of public office. Judge
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W. 76.26. Quick
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MeClure and wife became the parents of three sons: James C., who was born December 16, 1889, and died October 25, 1891; Horace, born September 17, 1893, and now a junior in DePauw University, and Mark F., born February 6, 1898, and a member of the junior class of the Anderson high school.
WILLIAM R. MORRIS. Among the substantial citizens of Madison county who are contributing to the progress and development of their localities by their activities in various lines of endeavor, William R. Morris, of Anderson City, has attained deservedly high rank. A truck farmer by vocation, he has achieved success through the medium of his own efforts, and his career has been one of steady advancement, marked by close application and persistent effort. Mr. Morris was born on his father's farm in Anderson township, Madison county, Indiana, November 6, 1854, and is a son of John and Sarah Ann (Cather) Morris.
John Morris was a native of Darke county, Ohio, where he received the greater part of his education, and as a youth came to Madison county, settling on a farm of 120 acres. There he continued to follow agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his active career. He and his wife were the parents of six children : Serepta, Charles, Mary, Electa, Jasper N. and William R.
William R. Morris secured his education in the public schools of Anderson township and Anderson High School and grew to manhood on his father's farm, the greater part of which is now city property. As a young man he adopted the vocation of farmer, teaching school dur- ing the winter term, and this he followed until several years ago when he commenced devoting his attention to trucking. His operations along this line have met with decided success, and he has established a repu- tation for business acnmen and strict integrity in his dealings. A Democrat in his political views, he has taken an active interest in the success of his party, but his only public office has been that of truant officer, a capacity in which he is acting at the present time. With his family, he attends the United Brethren church.
Mr. Morris married Miss Nevada Moss, and they have had six chil- dren : Earl, who married a Miss White; Myrtle, now Mrs. Ervin; Anna, who married a Mr. Beacom, and Bessie, Esther and Charles F., who are single. The Morris home is situated 2324 West Eighth street, Anderson.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON QUICK. The really useful men of a community are those in whom their .fellow-citizens can rely in affairs of public importance; to whom they can come for assistance in sea- sons of financial distress; men who by the wisdom of their own invest- ments and by the honorable lives they have led on every field of effort, and as neighbors and friends, have won the implicit faith of their fellows. Very often, in prosperons towns and cities, these men are retired farmers; frequently they are bankers, and in not a few cases it will be found that they are veterans of that great struggle which makes the memory of the Civil war yet fresh, even after the passage of half a century. Such a man in every particular is William Henry Harrison Quick, of Anderson, than whom no citizen has been more closely identified with the financial interests of the city during the past several decades.
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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY
Mr. Quick was born in Henry county, Indiana, February 18, 1841, a son of John and Nancy (Clary) Quick. His grandparents were Cornelius and Hannah (Cox) Quick, natives of Virginia and New Jersey respectively. Cornelius Quick was a gallant soldier in the American army during the war of 1812. The maternal grandfather was Vachel Clary, a native of Kentucky. John Quick, who was a native of Ohio. while his wife was born in Kentucky, in 1816 moved to Henry county, Indiana, entering land two miles east of Middletown, and becoming one of the pioneers in that section. His home was there until about 1858, when having sold his farm he moved to Pipe Creek township in Madison county, where his pur- chase of five hundred acres of land included a portion of the present site of the town of Frankton. A prosperous farmer, he became known not only for his prominenee in the affairs of his locality, but for his many sterling qualities of mind and heart. For many years he was closely identified with the Christian church, in which his membership was more than that of an attendant at worship, and he exemplified the christian virtues in his daily life. His death occurred in 1879 at the advanced age of eighty-one years, his wife having passed away previously.
William Henry Harrison Quick spent his boyhood on a farm in Henry county, and was about nineteen years old' when the family came to Madison county. His education was acquired by a more or less regular attendance at the country schools, the summer months being spent in assisting his father in the duties of the home place. When he was twenty years old the Civil war broke out, and with many other youthful patriots he enlisted in 1861 for service in the Union army. Entering as a private, he subsequently became sergeant in Company E of the Thirty-Fourth Regiment of Indiana Infantry, a regiment commanded by Colonel Asbury Steel. IIis command was sent to Ken- tucky, thence to New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi river, and participated in the campaigns about that town and at Island No. 10 and the reduction of Port Pillow, concluding with the fall of the city of Memphis. His regiment was among the first troops to enter the latter city. His service as a Union soldier lasted for two years, and finally on account of illness he was granted an honorable discharge. His record in helping to preserve the Union was one of which his descendants may properly be proud. When he returned to the pursuits of peace he settled on a farm near Frankton in Madison county, and began a career of general farming and dealing in live stock, princi- pally cattle and hogs, shipping from Frankton. He also became inter- ested in general merchandising and the grain trade with his brother, under the firm name of Quick Bros., a partnership which continued until 1887. Mr. Quick continued in the grain trade until 1895. He transferred his home and business headquarters to Anderson in 1899. At the county seat he became one of the principal organizers of the Anderson Banking Company, of which he is vice-president and one of the leading stockholders. For more than a quarter of a century Mr. Quick has been one of the important factors in financial eircles of Madison county. He was one of the organizers of the Continental Na- tional Bank of Indianapolis, of which he is still a director and stock- holder, is a stockholder in the Anderson Trust Company at Anderson, and one of the largest individual stockholders in the People's National State Bank. He is interested in the Hoosier Fence Company of Frank-
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ton, and his varied investments include a large amount of Madison county farm lands, three excellent properties being owned by him and farmed on lease.
In 1870 Mr. Quick married Miss Clara M. Douglas, daughter of R. R. Douglas. The one daughter of this marriage is now Mrs. Sewell A. Nebeker, a resident of Indianapolis. Mr. Quick subsequently mar- ried Miss Rosa Grass, of Hancock county, Indiana, whose father, Dr. Grass, formerly of Pennsylvania, was a prominent physician of Char- lottesville, Indiana. In the Masonie order Mr. Quick has been a mem- ber for more than forty years, and has taken the principal degrees in both branches, his affiliations being with Frankton Lodge No. 77, A. F. & A. M., of Frankton; Anderson Chapter No. 52, R. A. M .; Anderson Commandery No. 32, K. T .; and he was made a Scottish Rite thirty- second degree Mason in 1899. Although he has reached the time of life when most men lay aside their business cares, content to retire and leave the helm to younger men, Mr. Quick continues to carry on his daily routine of duty and to take a keen interest in all that affects his city. For a man past seventy, and who saw service in the Civil war, he is exceedingly well preserved, and in his healthy and con- tented age can look back over a life of industry and useful endeavor.
SHERMAN H. MAKEPEACE. Among Madison county's sons who have attained distinction in fields of active usefulness is Sherman H. Make- peace, attorney at law and dealer in real estate, with offices in the Union Building. Anderson. Mr. Makepeace has been connected with varied lines of activity, and has shown his versatility by making a success of each of his ventures, and since coming to Anderson, in 1901, has stead- ily advanced in his profession and in realty circles, until today he is recognized as one of his adopted city's foremost citizens. Like many of the men of influence and prominence in Anderson, Mr. Makepeace is a product of the farm, having been born on the family homestead at Chesterfield, Madison county, Indiana, August 23, 1864, a son of Wil- lard and Melvina (Godwin) Makepeace, the former born near York- town. Delaware county in 1836, and the latter in Chesterfield in 1839. Mrs. Makepeace was a daughter of Dr. G. W. Godwin, one of the pio- neer physicians of Madison county, who became widely and favorably known. Willard Makepeace was a miller by trade, a vocation which he followed for a number of years, but in later life removed to his farm near Chesterfield. There he was engaged in the various branches of agricultural work until his retirement, when he removed to Anderson, and in this city his death occurred July 5, 1891. His widow survived him for a long period, passing to her final rest April 7, 1911.
Sherman H. Makepeace received his education in the public and high schools of Anderson, and for some years was engaged in assisting his father in his agricultural operations. IIe next turned his attention to journalistic work, identifying himself with the Anderson Weekly Herald, of which he was local editor from 1888 to 1890. On severing his connection with that newspaper, he embarked in the manufacture of brooms, as one of the principal stock-holders of what is known as the Anderson Broom Factory, but disposed of his interests two years after- wards. After his marriage, in 1894, to Miss Ida Charles of Wabash county, Mr. Makepeace settled in Chesterfield, where he engaged in business, and was elected justice of the peace, an office which he filled faithfully and capably for some eight years. In 1901 he came to Ander-
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son, where he opened an office in the Union Building and engaged in the real estate business, and also handles collections and rentals, as well as giving some attention to a law practice. He handles both city and farm property, has built up an excellent trade, and bears a high reputa- tion among realty men in Anderson. He is the owner of a farm of one hundred and twenty-nine acres, which is included within the city limits of Chesterfield, and the land has been put in a good state of culti- vation, the soil is rich, and the fine complement of substantial buildings makes it one of the model properties of the section. He has also made numerous profitable investments in city property, including his modern residence. Mr. Makepeace is a stalwart Republican in politics, but his only interest in political matters is in the election of his friends as he has never personally aspired to public office, and his service in the capacity of justice of the peace has been the only position of prefer- ment he has held.
In 1894, Mr. Makepeace was united in marriage with Miss Ida Charles, of Wabash county, Indiana, whose parents, Samuel B. and Jane Charles, both died in that county in 1900. One son has been born to this union: Charles Willard, a bright, interesting lad, who is now attending school.
TILLMAN FULLER. Among the younger generation of men of Madi- son county who are ably maintaining the high standard set by their fathers in agricultural matters, Tillman Fuller, of Richland township, holds deservedly high place. He is at present the owner of a well- cultivated tract of forty acres, located on Alexandria Rural Route No. 19, and the general confidence in which he is held by his fellow-citizens has been manifested by his election to the office of township trustee, a position which he is ably filling at this time. Mr. Fuller was born on the old Fuller homestead in Monroe township, Madison county, Indiana, September 2, 1876, and is a son of William H. and Ella (Millspaugh) Fuller.
William Fuller is also a native of Madison county, and has spent his entire career on the farm which he is now cultivating. He is essentially an agriculturist, but has also been active in other lines of endeavor, and has interested himself in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his community. By his marriage with Ella Millspaugh he became the father of two children: Rena, who is now deceased, and Tillman. He married for his second wife Anna Shockey, and they had a family of nine children, of whom seven are now living: Frank M., Grover, Raymond, Pauline, who married Mr. L. C. Johnson; Hazel, who married Mr. E. T. Moehler; Muriel and William.
Tillman Fuller received his education in the schools of Monroe township and the village of Alexandria, and in the latter took high school work. During the summer months he assisted his father in the work of the home farm, being thoroughly trained in all things neces- sary for a good agriculturist to be familiar with, and at the age of twenty-two years rented a tract of land from his father and embarked upon a career of his own. As time has passed and his finances have permitted, he has added to his buildings, his stock and his improve- ments, and the property is now considered one of the best of its size in the township. He is a stanch advocate of the use of modern meth- ods and improved machinery, and has made a careful and comprehen- sive study of agricultural conditions here. Although the greater part
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of his attention has been devoted to general farming, he has also made a success of his stock-breeding ventures.
On June 28, 1897, Mr. Fuller was united in marriage with Martha Fosnot, who was born in Madison county, Indiana, daughter of Fred and Nola (Jones) Fosnot. Mr. Fosnot has long been prominent in county affairs and is the owner of a large property here. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, namely : Mildred, Clifton, Delmas, Cletis and Audrey, the last named being deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller are members of the Christian church, and have been liberal in their support of its movements. He is a valued member of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has a number of warm friends.
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