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 45
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Mr. and Mrs. Norris are the parents of six children: Herbert; Clarence, who is married and lives in Adams township; George, a mem- ber of the cavalry service in the United States army, stationed at a fort in Wyoming, Nebraska; Alva, single and living at home; and Ada and Ģladys.
JOHN T. STARR. Adams township can boast of some of the best- regulated farms in Madison county, and here are also to be found some of the most progressive agriculturists of this part of the state. Many of these men have been the architects of their own fortunes, and, ap- preciating their success because it has been self-gained, take a par- donable degree of pride in their own achievements and those of their community, and are striving earnestly in behalf of the public welfare. Prominent among this class stands John . Thomas Starr, who has not only won an enviable position in agriculture, but has also rendered his county signal service in the capacity of sheriff. Mr. Starr was born in Henry county, Indiana, November 5, 1852, and is a son of Wiley and Dorcas (Vickery) Starr. His father, a native of South Carolina, migrated to Henry county, here established himself as a farmer, and passed away when John T. was a child. Mrs. Starr was remarried in 1860, but her second husband died four years later. Three children were born to Wiley and Dorcas Starr, namely : John T .; Joel D., who served in the Union army throughout the Civil War, t .bsequently be- coming a farmer of Anderson township, where he died in April, 1912, one of his community's most highly respected citizens; and Elizabeth,
Jeg hattenville
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who is the wife of Richard Graham, who was also a soldier in the Union ranks
John T. Starr was educated in the district schools of Henry county, and was there reared to manhood, continuing to reside in the vicinity of his native place until March, 1882, when he came to Madison county and located in Fall Creek township, near Pendleton. Here he com- menced to feed and ship stock, and his operations, commenced in a humble manner, soon grew to large proportions, and he was recognized as one of the substantial men of his community. Since 1898 he has devoted the greater part of his attention to general farming in Adams township, and is now the owner of a valuable, well-cultivated property. He has always been ready to adopt modern methods and ideas in his work, understands his business thoroughly, and because of persever- ance, far-sightedness and good management has been uniformly suc- cessful in all of his ventures. In his political views he is a Republican with progressive tendencies. He was three times nominated in conven- tion without opposition for the office of sheriff and became his party's nominee on another occasion, and served in that capacity from 1894 to 1898, giving the people of Madison county an excellent administration and bringing to the discharge of his official duties the same enthusiasm and well-directed effort that have made him successful in his business affairs. He belongs to Sicilian Lodge, No. 234, Knights of Pythias; has been connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1872, and has twice been noble grand of Mechanicsburg Lodge; and is also prominent in Masonry, being a member of Madison Lodge No. 44, F. & A. M., Pendleton Chapter No. 51, R. A. M., Pendleton Council, R. & S. M., and Anderson Commandery. In all of these he has a wide acquaintance and numerous sincere friends.
Mr. Starr was married to Miss Mary Ann Pring, wno was born and educated in Henry county, Indiana, and three children were born to this union, of whom two are living in 1913: James M., born April 21, 1875, in Henry county, who served four years as deputy sheriff under his father, and is now engaged in the manufacturing business at Ander- son ; and J. Ward, born in Madison county, who is a graduate of the common and high schools of Anderson and an Indiana University stu- dent now teaching in Madison county; James M., was married to Miss Maude Aiman, a daughter of Benj. Aiman of Pendleton, and they have two children, Frances and Morris.
JAMES J. NETTERVILLE. It is highly probable that there are few residents of Madison county who are unfamiliar with the name of James J. Netterville. His is the name of a man, essentially self-made and the term in this instance is used in the broadest application possible, being that of one who in early life determined to win success if industry and good management might be held as factors in the ultimate realization of his ambition. With neither the prestige of family nor the open sesame of money to aid him, he has made his way to the front ranks in the citizenship of Anderson, and is today foremost among business and political circles of the city.
Of Irish birth and parentage, Mr. Netterville was born in Ireland, en February 7, 1849. He comes of a family whose paternal ancestors were born in that country. The paternal grandfather, Mr. Netterville, was a well-to-do farmer and landlord in County Mayo, Ireland, and the father was also engaged in the same vocation while he remained on the island,
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but he migrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania, where he died in 1851. Following his death, his widow, who was Margaret Murphy in her maiden days, took her two children to Canada in the fall of 1851, and there made her home with her brother, who was living some sixty miles distant from Toronto. She came to Anderson in 1887, where she resided until her death. Besides James J., of this review, Mrs. Netterville had one other son, Frank, who died at the age of four years.
Young Netterville continued to live in Canada until Le was twelve years old, and at that early age he launched out in independent life. His first stop was at Detroit, Michigan, and there he was employed as check boy at the American Exchange Hotel. After two years he went to Chicago, and from thence to Milwaukee where he enlisted in the regular army, serving three years in the reconstruction days fol- lowing the Civil war. At the expiration of his term of service he re- turned to Chicago. In that city Mr. Netterville received employment as time keeper in the North Chicago Rolling Mills, but when the works were destroyed by fire in 1871, he went to Cincinnati, there accepting a position in the wholesale and retail dry goods house of H. B. Claflin & Company, of New York City. It was while thus employed that he met and married Miss Amanda, the daughter of James and Emily (Ross) Smith. She was born in Boone township, Madison county, Indi- ana, where her parents, who were well known farming people, were pioneer settlers. Until 1875 Mr. Netterville continued in Cincinnati, and in that year with his wife he located in Anderson, and engaged in the grocery business, investing his entire savings and available capital in the business.
For two years he continued in that enterprise, but it failed to meet his expectations in any way, so that he decided to dispose of it and for some time engaged in farming. This, too, was not satisfactory to Mr. Netterville, and he felt a strong inclination to yield to a latent desire to study law. His indecision resulted in his beginning the study under the tutelage of C. D. Thompson, long since deceased, and within a year after he began his studies he was appointed deputy county clerk under R. H. Hannah, then officiating, and continued in the office through the administration of Mr. Hannah's successor, Jesse L. Henry. After three years of service in the office of deputy clerk, he was appointed Deputy County Treasurer under George Ross. In these departments of public service he was afforded the best possible opportunity to be- come acquainted with the people, and so well did he utilize that oppor- tunity that the Democratic convention of 1885 nominated him for county clerk, and he was elected with a majority of 350, despite the fact that certain of his fellow candidates for various other offices were ingloriously defeated, some of them by majorities of four hundred,-a simple state- ment, but highly indicative of the position of the man in the esteem of his fellows. Mr. Netterville assumed the duties of his office in 1886, and three years later he was renominated without serious opposition, being elected by a pleasing majority. When he was first the incum- bent of a public office in Anderson the population of the city was 4,520, and during the years of his service the city grew to something like 25,000, three deputies being required to carry on the work of the office of county clerk.
· In 1887 Mr. Netterville bought the interests of Mr. Myers, then Secretary of State, in the Weekly Democrat and became associated in its publication with Dale J. Crittenden. In 1891 a daily edition of the
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Democrat was launched, and when Mr. Crittenden was appointed post- master of Anderson by Mr. Cleveland, the paper was sold to the Demo- crat Company in 1893.
Mr. Netterville has been identified with the organization and opera- tion of a number of the more important enterprises that are now in operation in the city, and his relation to many of them today is a highly influential one. He was a leader in the organization of the Anderson Fuel Company, of which he became secretary, and which was organized with a capital stock of $250,000, and owned twenty-five natural gas wells. In 1896 he established the Netterville Insurance Agency, a con- cern that rapidly assumed generous proportions and carried on a large and lucrative business in the city. This was afterwards merged with the Farmers' Trust Company, one of the leading banking institutions of the city, and Mr. Netterville is now president of the concern, with George E. Nichol as secretary and treasurer, and A. T. Dye assistant secretary-treasurer.
The Maplewood Cemetery Association was another enterprise with which Mr. Netterville has been conspicuously identified, and as one of the promoters of the Association has done excellent work for it since the organization was effected. A purchase was made of 300 acres of land north of White river and just opposite the city, where is platted and maintained one of the most beautiful cemeteries of the state. Mr. Netter- ville is an active member of the executive committee, now serving as its chairman.
In the line.of public service, his name has long been a prominent one. In 1895, when Congress enacted a national income tax law, lie was appointed by President Cleveland collector of that tax in Indiana, and he served in that capacity until the Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional and therefore void. He was chairman of the Board of Public Works of the City of Anderson from 1902 to 1906 and while serving in that position he planned and constructed the water system that now furnishes pure and healthful water to the city. He also made such other improvements in the public utilities. of the city as to transform them from a revenue consuming to a revenue producing basis. In 1910 Mr. Netterville was elected to the state legislature as joint senator from the counties of Henry and Madison, and was ap- pointed by Governor Marshall a member of the legislative visiting com- mittee of 1911 to visit the various penal, benevolent, and correctional and educational institutions of the state, and make recommendations as to their financial needs for the biennial period of 1912 and 1913. And it is gratifying to add that these duties were so well performed that Mr. Netterville was reappointed by the Governor to serve on the same committee for the legislature of 1913. He was appointed by the Lieutenant-governor to a membership on the Penal Farm Commission, of which he was afterward made chairman, and as such visited and investigated the work farms and similar correctional institutions in the United States and Canada. As a result of this investigation work he cansed a law to be enacted providing for a Penal Farm for the state of Indiana, for the detention of short term jail prisoners, and this law is regarded in the state as the most advanced prison reform measure undertaken in Indiana in many years, and it is believed will go far towards relieving the state of the odium of the present disgraceful jail and prison system. In the sessions of 1911 and 1913 Mr. Netter- ville was an especially active and influential member, and he served Vol. 11-2
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on many important committees in the senate, as well as serving as chairman of the joint committees on Ways and Means of the House and Finances of the Senate.
Mr. Netterville is a man who has ever displayed the utmost interest in the securing of industrial establishments for the city of Anderson, and has been influential in that good work to a large extent. With Colonel Storer he platted Grandview addition of four hundred lots, which has been long built up and is surrounded by such factories as the Anderson Paper Company and the American Wire and Nail Company. He is the owner of two fine business blocks on Meridian street and . it is undeniable that his enterprise along many lines has materially aided in the splendid growth of his home city.
Mr. Netterville is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the Masonic orders, in which he is well advanced, and he is well known for his advanced ideas of fraternalism and brotherhood. Politically, he is a Democrat, as has been stated, and has been active in the party ranks for years, serving as Chairman of the County Central Committee on a number of occasions and on the State Committee. He is known for a systematic and effective organizer, as well as a worker of the utmost energy, and has represented his party in many state and county con- ventions.
Mr. Netterville was married July 15th, 1874, and five children have come to them, three of whom are yet living. Their names, in the order of their birth, are as follows: Lorena May, George F .; Victor Hugo, James J. Jr., and Emily Ross. George and Victor are deceased, the former dying at the age of seven and the latter when four years old.
The family home, which is one of the finest in the city, is located on West Eleventh street.
ERNEST M. CONRAD, M. D. One of the old and honored families of Madison county, members of which have been prominently identified with agricultural pursuits, commercial and industrial activities, and the various learned professions since the advent of the first pioneer is that of Conrad. Among the worthy representatives of the name is Ernest M. Conrad, M. D., physician and surgeon of Anderson, whose native ability and devotion to his calling have won him high distinction in his profession.
Dr. Conrad was born near Lapel, Madison county, Indiana, February 20, 1870, the younger of the two sons of Zachriah and Emma (Wood- ward) Conrad. His father, who was born in this county, in 1845, became one of the prosperous farmers of the vicinity of Lapel, and later in life turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, in which he achieved an equal success. His death occurred in 1894, when the community lost one of its most energetic and progressive citizens.
Ernest M. Conrad secured his early education in the country schools near Lapel, and the high school at Anderson. In 1889, he became a student in Depauw University at Greencastle, where his studies were continued for three years. On leaving college and before preparing himself definitely for his profession, he had one year of experience in teaching school at Fishersburg. Then began his medical studies in the Indianapolis Medical College. From that institution in 1897 he was graduated M. D. and practiced at Maxwell until March, 1898, when, desiring a wider field for his activities, he moved to Anderson. The
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E. M. Comrad.
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success that has attended Dr. Conrad's efforts demonstrates his excel- lent choiee of a profession. He is a close student of his calling, keeps fully abreast of the advancements that are continually being made in the science of medicine, his knowledge is comprehensive and accurate, and his skill is demonstrated in the excellent success which has attended his efforts in the sick room. He possesses marked judgment and dis- cernment in the diagnosing of disease, and is peculiarly successful in anticipating the issue of complications. Along professional lines he is connected with the Madison County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association, also having membership with the Delta Upsilon College Fraternity. To no small degree the success of Dr. Conrad has been due to his constant study and ambition to keep abreast with the advance in medical knowledge. Hardly a day passes in which he does not add something to his knowl- edge and experience by personal observation and study, and he has also taken three post-graduate courses, one in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City, and one in the New York Post-graduate school, and another in the Harvard Medical College. At the present timne Dr. Conrad is giving special attention to internal medicine and diseases of children. For seven years his professional services were also directed to the public welfare as a member of the board of health and for four years he served as coroner of Madison county, having been elected on the Republican ticket.
Dr. Conrad has long been one of the Republican leaders in Madison county. From 1902 to 1906 he was chairman and secretary of the Republican County Central Committee, and in 1908 again became chair- man. Fraternally his relations are with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the local lodge of the Woodmen of the World, in both of which orders, he has numerous friends, as he has in all social circles of Anderson. The doctor, besides his professional activities, has interested himself in agriculture, being owner of a fine farm of one hun- dred and twenty acres in Anderson township.
In 1897 Dr. Conrad married Miss Charity L. Gwinn of Madison county, a daughter of Harvey Gwinn, an old resident and highly esteemed citizen. To Dr. and Mrs. Conrad has been born one daughter; Bernice E. Conrad. The present family residence is located at 2124 Meridian Street.
SILAS R. MAUZY. The career of Silas R. Mauzy, of Adams township, is illustrative of what may be accomplished by the man of energy and industry, for from small beginnings he has built up a business that has grown to such proportions as to give him the distinction of being the largest shipper of livestock in Madison county. Not only has he gained prestige in the business world, but in public life and social circles he has won equal prominence, and no man in his section stands higher in general public esteem. Mr. Mauzy was born on a farm in Rush county, Indiana, May 30, 1846, and is a son of Cornelius C. and Sarah (Gar- retson) Mauzy.
Silas V. Mauzy, the grandfather of Silas R. of this sketch, was born in Kentucky, and in young manhood came to Indiana with his first wife, Rebecca Mauzy. After her death he returned to his native state and there married a Miss Barnes, and once more came to Indiana, settling in Rush county, where both passed away. Cornelius C. Mauzy was born in Kentucky, and was eight years of age when his mother died, he
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being reared by his step-mother in Rush county. After his marriage, which occurred in Rush county, he came to Madison county in 1852,- and settled on a farm in. Adams township, there spending the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits. He became one of the substantial men of his community, engaged in general farming and stock dealing, and at the time of his death was the owner of 192 acres of good land.
Silas R. Mauzy was six years of age when he accompanied his par- ents to Adams township, and here he secured his education in the dis- trict schools during the short winter months, his summers being given to the work on the home farm. Thus he became a thoroughly practical agriculturist and expert stock dealer, and the latter occupation he has made his life work. When he commenced his operations were carried on on a modest scale, but gradually his business expanded, each year seeing him widen the scope of his dealings, until he is now justly acknowledged to be the largest handler of stock in Madison county, buying cattle in St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago, feeding them, and shipping them to the various markets all over the country. An idea of the extent of this enterprise may be gained from the fact that his business has run as high as $384,000 per annum. Mr Mauzy is known as a skillful man of business, quick to grasp an opportunity, ever ready and alert, but always fair and above-board in all his dealings. He has won the confidence of his associates and those who have had trans- actions with him, and his reputation is that of a man of business integ- rity and personal probity. He has invested his means wisely in land, owning 300 acres in Adams township, 140 acres being in the home farm. This has been developed into one of the valuable properties of Adams township and shows the care and good management which are expended upon it.
Mr. Manzy was married first to Miss Lou Ann Gilmore, who died leaving one child : Fay, who became the wife of Woody Cooper, and is a graduate of the township schools. On July 3, 1892, Mr. Mauzy was married to Jerusha Biddle, who was born in Adams township, Madison county, Indiana, and is a sister of the Hon. Charles Biddle. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mauzy; Cophine, who is a graduate of the township schools and is now in her third year in the Pendleton High school.
Mr. Mauzy has taken a prominent part in fraternal work, and at this time is a popular member of Mechanicsburg Lodge Free and Accepted Masons, Pendleton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, No. 51, and Pendleton Council, R. & S. M. He also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, the Haymakers' Lodge, Active Lodge No. 746, Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is past noble grand, Banner Lodge No. 416, Knights of Pythias, at Anderson, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he carries an insurance policy of $2,000. In his political belief he was a Republican until the campaign, when he cast his fortunes with the new Progressive party. His interest in polities, however, is only that taken by every good citizen, as he has been too busy with his private affairs to enter the public arena. Good men and measures receive his hearty support, and he is justly consid- ered one of his section's representative, public-spirited citizens.
LEWIS JOHNSON. Prominent among the highly estee ed agricul- turists of Madison county who have won success through the medium of energy, industry and well-applied exertion, Lewis Johnson, of Adams
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township is deserving of more than passing mention in a work of this nature. He has been a lifelong resident of this township, and has witnessed and participated in the remarkable growth and development of its interests, which have changed it during this time from what was little more than a wilderness into one of the most flourishing and pros- perous sections of the Hoosier State. Mr. Johnson was born in Adams township, Madison county, Indiana. July 30, 1846, and is a son of James and Amanda (Johnson) Johnson.
James Johnson was born in Jackson county, Kentucky, and as a young man came to Madison county and located in Adams township, having a farm on Fall Creek, where he spent his entire life. Here he was married to Jane Johnson, who was born in Greenbrier county, Vir- ginia, and came to Madison county in 1835, and she died when Lewis Johnson was still a babe. Mr. Johnson, being thus deprived of mater- nal care, was reared to manhood by his maternal grandmother, and received his education in the district schools, although the greater part of his schooling in his youth was in the school of hard work. He was taught the numerous duties necessary for the good farmer to know, and when about twenty-one years embarked upon a career of his own, renting land, carrying on general farming, and engaging to some extent in cattle trading, which later occupation he has followed off and on during his entire career. Being sober, honest and industrious, he man- aged to accumulate enough money with which to purchase his first piece of property, and as the years have passed he has added to this from time to time, as his finances have permitted, and has erected new buildings and made other improvements on this land. This has resulted in the development of a handsome farm, the appearance of which shows its owner to be a man of intelligence and thrift, an able agriculturist and an experienced manager, while his sleek, well-fed cattle give evidence of his ability and good judgment in the line of stock raising. He has always been ready to embrace new ideas and methods, believes firmly in the use of modern machinery, and is justly considered one of the most progressive men of his section.
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