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 77
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On July 17, 1902, Mr. Yule was married to Miss Georgina Lemon, who was also born in Canada, a daughter of George and Sophia (Meek) Lemon. They have no children. Mr. Yule is a member of the Chris- tian church and Mrs. Yule of the Episcopal church, and they have numer- ous friends in their congregations. The family home is located at Alexandria.
JOSEPH DRAPER. In the eighty-fifth year of his life, Joseph Draper, whose home is in what is known as Scotts addition, and who is the owner of a section of land in Monroe township, is one of the venerable old men of Madison county, has been a farmer, has grown many thousands of bushels of corn and wheat and other grain crops during his career, and his record is one of which his family and fellow citizens may well be proud. Joseph Draper was born December 17, 1828, in South Hamp- ton, Virginia, the old Dominion state, a son of Thomas and Mary (Turner) Draper. Thomas Draper was also born in that section of Virginia, but his father, Ephraim Draper, came from England in colo- nial days, and located in Virginia. Thomas Draper, after all his chil- dren had been born in Virginia, moved out to Ohio, settling near Can- ton, and later moved to Rush county, Indiana, which was his home until his death. His ten children are mentioned as follows: Loren E., Ephraim W., John E., Thomas J., deceased ; Joseph ; Martha, Edna, Mary and Marcella, deceased ; and Margaret, who lives in Hancock county, Indiana.
Joseph Draper when a boy came to Indiana, and had his education in the common schools during the days before the modern free school system was adopted in Indiana. He worked on the farm and remained with his father up to the age of thirty-one. He then farmed his father's place for a while, was a renter and worked at wages, beginning at the Vol 11-16
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lowest rung of the ladder of life, and finally got the start which enabled him in later years to acquire a generous prosperity.
In 1855 he married Nancy Ewing, now deceased and buried in Knightstown, Indiana. He came from Kentucky and lived in Rush county up to the time of his marriage. In 1858 Mr. Draper married Elizabeth Stephens, who was born in Rush county and is buried in the Baptist cemetery of that vicinity. She was the mother of one child, Isaac S. Draper, who died at the age of fourteen. On June 15, 1862, Joseph Draper married for his third wife Annie Siler, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Reddick) Siler, and her parents were among the early settlers of Indiana. The four children of Joseph Draper and his third wife, are as follows: Mary E., who married Grant Stephenson, and has four children whose names are Effie, the wife of Roy Ladd; Lela, wife of Walter Jackson; Edith; and Mattie. Mrs. Effie Ladd has a child, Anna Kathlene, who is a great-grandchild of Joseph Draper. Martha, the second of the children, married William Blake, and is the mother of six children, Estel, Earl, Ernest, Anna, Minnie and "Little Joe." Peter T. married Elizabeth Thurston, and their two children are Arthur and Joe. John Wesley married Minnie Fuller, and they have one child, Zoe. Mr. Draper and family worship in the Christian church. "Uncle Joe" and his dear old wife live in a comfortable resi- dence in East Alexandria, enjoying the association of legions of friends. They are a peaceful and happy couple and are honored by all who know them.
ANDREW BERG. One of the prosperous farmers of Monroe township, a man who has been the architect of his own fortunes, and from a begin- ning without capital has become the possessor of a good home, Mr. Berg has spent most of the years of his active life in Madison county, and is one of the highly respected citizens of his home township.
Andrew Berg was born November 1, 1860, in Hamilton county, In- diana, a son of David and Elizabeth (Kauffman) Berg. The father come from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, locating in Wayne county, Indiana, where he spent his life as a farmer. The brothers and sis- ters of Mr. Berg are as follows: Christian; Mary, deceased; John; Levi; Samuel; David; Benjamin, deceased ; and Elizabeth, also deceased.
Mr. Andrew Berg attended school in Hamilton county, and while going to school worked on the home farm, and was well equipped for his life work by the time he had completed his education and attained his majority. At the age of twenty-one he began as a renter and con- tinued in that way until he bought the forty-acre farm on which he now lives in Monroe township of Madison county. He raises good crops, and is especially interested in hogs, and he has some of the best exam- ples of the Duroc swine in Madison county. Mr. Berg is also a carpenter by trade and has built several houses and barns in Madison county, and has erected his own buildings.
June 26, 1882, he married Miss Maggie Stephenson, a daughter of William R. and Lucinda Stephenson. They are the parents of four children, namely : Eva, deceased; Grace, who married Bert Bertram, and has one daughter, Geneva; Alvie, who married Jessie Hammond; and Raymond, at home. All the children have been through school, and Mr. and Mrs. Berg have taken pains to educate them and fit them as well as possible for their individual careers. The family worship
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in the Methodist church. The pretty homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Berg is known as "Cottage Lawn Farm."
WILLIAM F. WILSON. One of the largest land owners in Monroe township, William F. Wilson, has accumulated his vast holdings by steady industry and hard, unremitting labor, and his career furnishes an excellent example of the self-made manhood which has proved such an important factor in the development of this prosperous section of the Hoosier State. His farm at present consists of 426 acres, lying on the Muncie and Alexandria pike, about two and one-half miles east of Alexandria, and this he devotes mainly to the raising of stock, with the dairy business as.a side line. Mr. Wilson was born on his father's farm in Monroe township, Madison county, Indiana, July 5, 1868, and is a son of James L. and Margaret (Busby) Wilson.
After attending the public schools of Monroe township, Mr. Wilson took a course in an Iowa college, in which his brother, a well-known educator, was at that time one of the tutors. As a lad he began his agricultural training, and during his entire school period spent his vacations and other spare time in working on the homestead, and when he had reached his majority became his father's partner in farming ventures, continuing with the elder man for fourteen years. In com- pany with him he purchased forty acres in the vicinity in which he now lives, and Mr. Wilson subsequently bought his father's interest in this property, and following that was engaged in various land transactions, constantly adding to his property. As his finances permitted, he erected buildings of a substantial character and bought new machinery, and his stock raising operations assumed large proportions. Untiring industry and close application to every detail of his vocation have been the price paid by Mr. Wilson for his success, and in the meantime he has firmly established himself in the confidence of the community as a man of strict integrity and honorable dealing.
On March 16, 1893, Mr. Wilson was united in marriage with Miss Vienna Carver, daughter of William Carver, whose family came to Madison county from Fayette county, Indiana. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson: An infant, deceased; Everett, Orval, Morris, Angeline and Cassie. The children have all been given good educational advantages and have wide social connections in Alexandria. With his wife and family, Mr. Wilson attends the Christian church, and has been liberal in his support of its movements. Essentially a farmer, with wide and varied interests, he has never found time to enter actively into public affairs, although he endeavors to support good men and movements and to advance the cause of education and good citizenship. Republican candidates and principles have always received his vote.
HOMER B. JONES. On the Anderson road, just outside the village of Florida, in Lafayette township, there is situated a fine rural home- stead of Homer B. Jones. This is a place of two hundred acres, of fine land, and with such improvements as are familiarly associated with modern high-class agriculture. The owner is a progressive young farmer citizen of Madison county, and a representative of the second generation of a family which had been identified with this county for many years.
Homer B. Jones was born on the farm which he now occupies on
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November 6, 1882, a son of John L. and Sallie (Lowman) Jones. His father, John L. Jones, was a large land owner and an extensive farmer of this county. His family of four children were as follows: Minnie Ragan; Bertha, deceased; Homer B .; and Dale. The father moved from his farm to Anderson about seven years ago and died about three years ago. Since then the mother has returned to the country and now resides with her son Dale at Florida. Her son, Dale, who is also a student of Purdue University, has a little place of ten acres, adjoining Florida, and operates that as a small farm.
Homer B. Jones attended the country schools and was engaged in the activities of the farm throughout his school period. He was mar- ried November 21, 1905, to Nell Thornberg, of Anderson, a daughter of Richard and Arabelle (Thomas) Thornberg. Their two children are Richard L., age about six years, and Ralph, age about three. Mr. Jones is a public spirited citizen so far as local affairs are concerned. but otherwise takes little interest in politics. He and his wife are both young people and find their society in the city of Anderson. Both are members of the Methodist church, and activelv interested in church work.
ROBERT OLIVER PERRY THURSTON. The wise and vigorous applica- tion of practical industry never fails of success. It is the medium through which an individual is carried onward and upward, developing his personal character and acting as a powerful stimulus to the efforts of others. The exercise of the ordinary qualities of perseverance and common sense may form the means through which the greatest results in life are attained, the every-day life, with its necessities, cares and duties, affording ample opportunities for acquiring experience of the best kind, and its most beaten paths providing a true worker with abun- dant scope for effort and self-improvement. In the field of daily activity in his chosen vocation, Robert Oliver Perry Thurston has won success, an enviable reputation and a place among the representative agricul- turists of Madison county, where he is the owner of a well-cultivated farm of eighty acres on the township road between Monroe and Richland. Mr. Thurston is a native of Madison county, having been born near the town of Summitville, March 19, 1861, a son of John F. and Margaret (Morris) Thurston. His father, a successful farmer, was the owner of several valuable farms, and spent his entire life in the cultivation of the soil. He was county commissioner of the county for two terms. He and his wife were the parents of six children: Mary E., who became the wife of James Woolen; Enoch P .; Nannie B., who is now Mrs. Joseph Howard, deceased ; Robert Oliver Perry ; George F. and Ora W.
Robert O. P. Thurston received his education in Boone township, where he attended what was known as the Dead Dog school during the winter terms, and, like other farmers' sons of his days and locality, spent the rest of the year in working on the homestead farm. His father gave him a thorough and comprehensive training in the various subjects desirable for the successful farmer to know, and by the time he had reached his majority he was prepared to enter upon a career of his own. Accordingly, he left the parental roof and rented a small prop- erty in Boone township, and there, in addition to carrying on general farming he engaged in trading in stock of all kinds, thus cumulating the means with which to buy his present farm in Monroe township. Here he has erected buildings of a modern and substantial character and has made numerous other improvements, his property being one of the
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most valuable of its size in this section. He is a firm believer in modern methods and machinery and keeps fully abreast of the inventions and discoveries of his calling, giving each innovation a thorough trial before its acceptance or dismissal. As one of his community's energetic and public-spirited citizens, he has joined others in their efforts to advance their locality's interests. Personally, Mr. Thurston is popular with his neighbors and acquaintances and has a wide circle of friends.
On March 8, 1884, Mr. Thurston was married to Miss Mary L. Stan- ley, daughter of Isaac E. and Elizabeth (Fear) Stanley, and seven children have been born to this union, as follows: Chester H., of Monroe township, who married Miss Mary Ferguson; Edgar F., also of this township, who married Miss May Stevenson; Samuel S .; Clifford H .; Cletis and Earl, all residing at home with their parents; and Nellie, who became the wife of Samuel Washburn. Mr. Thurston's parents were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mrs. Thurs- ton is a member of the Christian church. In his political views, Mr. Thurston supports Democratie candidates and policies.
JOHN H. SIGLER. As a farmer and stock raiser, Mr. Sigler is one of the most prominent in Boone township of Madison county, and is a suc- cessful representative of a family which has been identified with sim- ilar interests in this county since the era of early settlement. In Pipe Creek township, and other sections of the county, the Siglers have been noted as skillful managers of the resources of the soil and have maintained high standards in the local society and citizenship. John H. Sigler operates and is owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land on the Shiloh road, about six and a half miles northeast of Elwood, and his daily mail facilities lie along that road from Elwood, his rural route being No. 28.
John H. Sigler was born in 1869 in Pipe Creek township near Frank- ton, a son of Andrew Jackson and Mina (Pierce) Sigler. Andrew Jackson Sigler, who is still living, was born in Pipe Creek township, and is one of the oldest living native sons of that township. The two children in his family are: John H. and a daughter, Josie, who mar- ried Mr. Waymire. Mr. and Mrs. Waymire have five children named Vernice, Howard, Vesta, Mina and Louis.
John H. Sigler as a boy was reared in Pipe Creek township, attended the Salem schools, and other local educational institutions. While a school boy he was also learning his practical lessons as a practical agri- culturist, and when his school days were over he applied himself to the work of the home farm until he was twenty-three years of age. He then began his independent career by renting his uncle's farm. Later he moved to Boone township, where he bought his present estate. Mr. Sigler raises most of the crops which can be profitably grown in this county, and concentrates his attention on hogs and horses, being most successful as a stock raiser. On October 20, 1892, Mr. Sigler married Miss Nelia Kimmerling, a daughter of Abe and Mary (Legg) Kimmer- ling. Mr. and Mrs. Sigler are the parents of six children, namely : Russell, Lester, Roliff, Kenneth, Vernon and Mildred. The two oldest sons have both finished their high school courses in Elwood, while the others are still attending the various grades of school. The family worship in the Christian church, and Mr. Sigler is a Democrat in poli- tics, as has been his family throughout their residence in Madison county.
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WILLIAM EMMETT CARTWRIGHT. Young men of character and abil- ity are bound to be recognized in their community and to such a class William E. Cartwright belongs. Mr. Cartwright comes from sterling parentage and ancestry in the county of Madison, as well as of the nation, for he dates his ancestry back to grandfather of the famous Peter Cartwright, well known in the history of our country. Mr. Cart- wright is the choice of the citizens of Summitville and vicinity as the coming postmaster of the thriving village, and his honesty of character has been a factor that entered largely into his appointment to this office under the Wilson administration.
William E. Cartwright, more generally known as Emmett, has been a resident of Madison county, Indiana, all his life, for he was born here September 17, 1884, and he is a son of T. E. and Lily M. (Kaufman) Cartwright. The Kaufman family emigrated from Mason county, West Virginia, to Madison county, Indiana, in 1853, and here maintained their residence to the end of their days. Mr. Cartwright's father, T. E. Cart- wright, is one of the leading citizens and business men of Summit- ville, and is a gentleman of more than average intellect. He is one of the best posted men in the county in the matter of Indian lore and in the history of pioneer days in Indiana.
Mr. Cartwright was reared in his native county and had his educa- tion in the graded and high schools, after which he pursued a course in the Indiana Business College. On the home farm he had an especially good training under the tutelage of his father, and he not only was taught the business of farming, but he had inculcated in him principles of integrity and honor that fitted him for the worthy career of his life.
He was in the employ of the Indiana Union Traction Co. for two years and was with the Muncie & Portland Traction Co. for one year, besides which he spent about one year as a commercial salesman in Indiana and Ohio. He has always been a great admirer of William J. Bryan, or since he was a boy of twelve, and he is an advocate of Demo- cratic policies.
Fraternally he is an honored member of the B. P. O. E., Lodge No. 478, at Alexandria. He has taken great pleasure in the profound study of modern psychology, and his library includes the works of the most erudite writer on the subject. Mr. Cartwright is among the social leaders in Summitville, and he enjoys the high regard of all.
ROBERT MCLAIN. The record of Robert McLain, of Summitville, is one distinguished by progressive rise from small things to ever increas- ing responsibilities and success. A native son of Madison county, where he was reared, and where he has been known throughout his career, Mr. MeLain has gone from one position to another, always forward, and formerly a teacher he graduated from that work into merchandising, has been a factor in local financial circles, and is well known in politics and in the law, being a member of the Madison county bar.
Robert Mclain was born on a farm in Madison county March 26, 1869. His parents were Harrison and Emeline (Thurston) MeLain. His father, who was born in Brown county, Ohio, in 1837, came to Madi- son county in 1865 at the close of the Civil war, and bought the old Peter Eaton farm, which for upwards of half a century has been known as the McLain homestead. Of the six children in the family, three are deceased-William, Charles and Ellen, and the three still living are: Mrs. Clara Swaim; Walter, a resident of Missouri; and Robert.
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In the country schools of Madison county, Robert McLain received his first preparation for practical life, and finally qualified himself for school teaching, a profession which he followed four years. This gave him a start in the world, and in 1893, with a limited capital of one hundred and fifty dollars, he bought a stock of hardware and eventually built up an excellent business in Summitville. Mr. Mcbain takes special pride in having assisted at the merging of the Summitville bank, the Farmers and Merchants bank and the Summitville Realty Company into one institution. The new establishment is styled the Summitville Bank and Trust Company, and Mr. MeLain was placed in charge of the trust department. A few years ago he was made a member of the Madison County Bar Association, and this qualification particularly fitted him for this line of work in the Bank and Trust company.
On April 15, 1896, Mr. MeLain married Miss Mary Hannon, a daugh- ter of James Hannon. They are the parents of two children, Harry and Wilber. Mr. MeLain has not only been successful in business but has taken an active part in public affairs. For four years he held the office of township trustee of Van Buren township, was chairman of the Demo- cratic County Central Committee in 1908, and in the campaign of that year had the honor of leading his party to a decisive victory after years of defeat. He is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. McLain has ever stood an advocate of improvement and . advancement, always aligning himself with those working for a better moral community, and he has had much influence in educational work and in the establishment of a better citizenship.
WALTER W. VESTAL. On a finely improved estate of two hundred acres in Adams township, Walter W. Vestal is most successfully engaged in diversified agriculture and the raising of high grade stock. He was born on a farm adjoining his present estate, has lived here during the entire period of his life, and he commands the confidence and esteem of all who have known him from earliest youth. Mr. Vestal is in fact a man of self-achievements. He-began his career without capital, married when he was still a young man and has not only established and main- tained a good home, but has gained his share of prosperity which makes him an enviable figure in the local citizenship.
Walter W. Vestal was born in Adams township February 18, 1868, a son of L. C. and Sophia (Poke) Vestal. Both parents were natives of North Carolina, where they were reared, educated and married, and came to Indiana in 1866, locating in Adams township of Madison county. During the Civil war the father spent four years in the Confederate army. It was not from belief in the principles for which the South fought that he entered the army, since he was personally opposed to Secession, and his service was the result of a draft. He had one brother who fought on the Union side, so that the matter was equalized to a large degree. Mr. L. C. Vestal is now retired from farming, and makes his home in Anderson. In politics he is a Republican and supported that party from its early organization up to the campaign of 1912, at which time he voted with the Progressives. The six children in the family are named as follows: Walter W .; Edgar N. and I. L., both residents of Anderson township; Forest, on the old home farm in Adams town- ship; Esther, who is unmarried and makes her home in Anderson, and
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Myrtle, wife of John Clark. All the children own farms of their own and all have prospered during their individual careers.
Walter W. Vestal was reared on the home farm and in the meantime attended the district school in that neighborhood. When he was twenty- three he began life for himself, and his valued possessions at that time were a horse and buggy. On February 24, 1891, he married Miss Maggie Stanley, who was born in Anderson township of this county, and a daughter of Meridith Stanley. She attained her education in the dis- trict schools. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Vestal spent five years as renters and with the thrifty accumulations from their hard labor as tenant farmers, they got their first substantial start. Buying land and paying for it afterwards and then adding bit by bit in quantity and constantly improving the estate, they now have one of the finest homesteads in Adams township, two hundred acres, and with numerous handsome improvements. In 1908 they built a modern residence, which is heated with a hot water plant and there is also an individual light plant which furnishes lighting for both the house and the outbuildings. The most profitable part of Mr. Vestal's farming enterprise has been in the raising of hogs and cattle, and his successful management in this branch of husbandry has been responsible for his steady increase in prosperity.
Mr. and Mrs. Vestal have one daughter, Elsie, who is a graduate of the Anderson high school, and is now the wife of Forest Ryan. Mr. Ryan is also a graduate of the Anderson high school, and he and his wife now live on the estate of Mr. Vestal. They have one child, Mary Ryan, age one year. The family worship in the Christian church at Ovid, in Adams township. In politics Mr. Vestal is a Progressive, but during all the years previous to 1912 was a Republican.
JAMES M. DONNELLY. Prominent among those who have wielded much influence in connection with the improving and advancing of the live stock industry in Madison county stands Mr. Donnelly, who is one of the largest importers and breeders of high grade stock in this part of the state and who is known as a progressive, liberal and public spir- ited citizen, as well as one who is entitled to the unqualified popular esteem in which he is held in the community.
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