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 93
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On the 14th of April, 1881, Mr. Oswalt was married to Miss Mary Morgan, of Brazil, Indiana, and their four children are: Mrs. H. G. Wilcox, Mrs. Harry W. Crull, and Ernest and Ben Oswalt, both sons living in Anderson.
ERNEST M. OSWALT, the manager of the Oswalt Printing & Paper Box Company, is recognized as one of the enterprising and capable young business men of Anderson. He has been the manager of the enterprise since the death of his father, the founder. He was born at Brazil, Indiana, October 2, 1887, and he has lived in Anderson since 1893, receiving his education in the grammar and high school of this city. From the Anderson High School he entered the Winona Technical Insti- tute at Indianapolis, where he was graduated in 1907. In leaving that school of learning he joined his father in the printing business, and is an expert not only in business management but in the technical details of all departments.
Mr. Oswalt is also the owner of "The Springhouse," a modern con- fectionery store, and incidentally one of the finest stores of its kind in the Central States. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Liberal Life Assurance Company and while not actively engaged in the management of the Farmers Trust Company, it is understood he is one of the prominent stock-holders.
On November 4, 1910, Mr. Oswalt was married to Miss Hazel Beck, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Beck. Mrs. Oswalt is one of the accomplished younger members of the Anderson social circles, and both she and her husband are very popular in the county seat. Mr. Oswalt is one of the best known Masons in eastern Indiana. His various con- nections with the order include Fellowship Lodge, No. 681, F. & A. M .; Anderson Chapter, No. 52, R. A. M .; Anderson Commandery, No. 32, K. T .; Murat Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Indianapolis. He has also attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, belongs to the Valley of Indianapolis, and is a widely read and thoroughly informed member of the ancient craft. His other fraternal affiliations are with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose.
HARRY D. MARIS. Madison county has a creditable number of sub- stantial business men who began their careers at the bottom and by force of individual ability and studious application have become num- bered among the group of business leaders and foremost merchants. Mr. Harry D. Maris, president of the R. L. Leeson Company at Alexandria, is an example of such a man. He is at the head of one of the largest and hest equipped department stores in the county.
Harry D. Maris was born in Orange county, at Paoli, Indiana, on October 3, 1872. He was one of the children in the family of Thomas and Anna (White) Maris, both of whom were natives of Indiana. The paternal grandfather was Aaron Maris, who married Mary Farlow. They were both born in North Carolina, and were among the pioneer farmers in Orange county, Indiana, where they died when comparatively young. Their large family of children were as follows: Mary White of Billings, Montana; Thomas; Sarah Hubbard of Muskogee, Oklahoma; Ruth Montgomery of Paoli; Aaron of Paoli. On the mot er's side the grandfather was Abraham White, whose wife was Mary (Lindley) White. They were also natives of South Carolina, and pioneers in
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Orange county, Indiana, where they died, the father when passed middle age and the mother at seventy-nine years. Their five children were Thomas L .; Robert; Eliza; Anna, and Amy. Abraham White was for many years a merchant at Paoli.
Thomas Maris, the father, was reared in Orange county, was a farmer by occupation, and now lives in Paoli. His wife died in January, 1913, at the age of seventy-five. The religious affiliations of both parents was with the Quaker church. Their family consisted of ten children, four of whom lived to adult life, namely : Oliver L., of DuFrost, Canada; Samuel L., who died in 1897; Harry D., of Alexander; and Robert, of Paoli.
Mr. Harry D. Maris spent his youth on his father's farm in Orange county, and in the meantime attended the district school. At home up to the age of eighteen, he then began clerking in a store at Paoli, and during the next three years learned the fundamentals of mercantile business. Elwood, in Madison county, was the scene of his most impor- tant advance in business life, and there he entered the employ of R. L. Leeson. By his industry and attention to the work in hand he advanced himself rapidly in the confidence of his employer, and when Mr. Leeson established a branch store in Alexandria in 1903, Mr. Maris was selected as manager. He continued in that capacity until the first of Janu- ary, 1913, at which time a reorganization was effected and Mr. Maris became president of what is generally known as the Alexandria Store Company. This is a department store handling a large stock of dry- goods, carpets, shoes, groceries and novelties, and employs about forty people in all its branches. On June 17, 1903, Mr. Maris married Miss Noravine Stafford, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Sims) Stafford. Mrs. Maris is a native of Lebanon, Indiana, and her parents were also natives of this state and now living in Alexandria. Of the four chil- dren Mrs. Maris was the second and the others are Charles; John Staf- ford, of Fort Wayne; and Martha Reed, of Indianapolis. The three chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Maris are Robert, Roger, and Martha Ruth. Mr. Maris is a member of the Christian church. Fraternally he is affiliated with Alexandria Lodge No. 255, A. F. & A. M., Alexandria Chapter No. 99, R. A. M., Alexandria Council No. 85, R. & S. M., and also with the Lodge of Elks No. 478 at Alexandria. In politics he is a Republican.
W. H. FULLER. In Monroe township, Madison county, resides one of the long-time residents and highly-respected citizens of the county whose name should stand among those at the head of any list of honored pioneers. who have done their duty, and more, in the develop- ment of the institutions of civilization in the state of Indiana. A native of Madison county, he has spent his entire career within its limits, and has not only won material success, being the owner of three hundred acres of valuable land, but has also gained what is far more worthy of attainment, the respect and esteem of his fellow-men. W. H. Fuller was born on the old Fuller homestead place in Richland township, Madison county.
The Fuller family was founded in Madison county by the grand- father of W. H. Fuller. John Henry Fuller, who brought his family to this county at an early day and settled on an uncleared farm in the woods in Richland township. There he removed the timber, broke his land, developed a farm, and experienced the various hardships which fall to the lot of the early settler in any undeveloped region, and
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eventually became a substantial agriculturist. Jacob Fuller was a lad of ten years when he accompanied his parents from Pike county, Ken- tucky, to Madison county, Indiana, and here he grew to manhood and was reared to' agricultural pursuits. Educated in the hard school of practical experience to a realization of the value of thrift, industry and economy, he was able to make a success of his ventures and to attain a place among the substantial men of Richland township. He married Eliza Noble, and they became the parents of the following children: Tillman, W. H., Willard, Randolph, John and Catherine, of whom W. H., Randolph and John still survive.
Like other farmers' sons of his day and locality, W. H. Fuller divided his boyhood and youth between attendance at the district schools during the winter terms and work on the homestead in the summer months, thus receiving a good mental training and at the same time being taught the duties of the successful agriculturist. On reaching his majority, he embarked upon a career of his own, beginning agricultural pursuits in Richland township and subsequently moving to Monroe township, where he is now located. His first tract of land here was almost wholly un- cultivated, but by industry and perseverance he cleared it, doing most of the work with his own hands-grubbing, logging, fencing, ditching, etc. Subsequently he added to his original purchase, and as each piece of land has been bought it has been cleared and improved, and suitable buildings have been erected. The high rewards to be attained by a life of industry and integrity are shown in Mr. Fuller's career, this fact being evidenced by his valuable modern homestead.
Mr. Fuller was married first to Miss Ella Millspaugh, and to this union there were born two children, Tillman and Rena, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr. Fuller's second marriage was to Miss Cynthiana Schocy, by whom he had these children : Ollie, who is deceased ; Frank; Grover; Ray Rex ; Pauline; Muriel; William; Garnett, who is deceased. Mr. Fuller is a Democrat in his political views, but has not been par- ticularly active in public affairs. The members of his family are con- nected with the Methodist Episcopal and Baptist churches.
ELMER E. HOEL. Many of the most successful agriculturists of Madi- son county are carrying on operations on farms on which they were born, their long association with which has made them thoroughly familiar with soil and climatic conditions and thus has enabled them to gain a full measure of success from their operations. Prominent among this class of representative men is Elmer E. Hoel, of Adams township, the owner of 146 acres of well-cultivated land on section 15, who is known in his community as a public-spirited citizen and able man of business. Mr. Hoel was born on his present farm in Adams township, Madison county, Indiana, August 6, 1863, and is a son of Martin W. and Sarah (Richwine) Hoel, both now deceased. His parents were natives of Ohio and on first coming to Indiana located on land in Rush county, from whence they subsequently removed to Madison county. Here they spent the remainder of their lives, making a comfortable home for their family and developing a good farm. They were highly esteemed in their community as law-abiding Christian people, who were known for their charity and hospitality. To them there were born four children, namely : Elmer E., of this review; Mazie, who became the wife of George Zukle; William, an agriculturist of Adams township; and Thomas, who resides in Oklahoma.
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Like other farmers' sons of his day and locality, Elmer E. Hoel divided his boyhood between attending the district schools of his locality during the winter months and assisting his father in the work of the home farm during the summer seasons, and thus grew to manhood, receiving a liberal mental training, while his physical welfare was not neglected. He was thoroughly instructed by his father in the numerous subjects upon which the successful farmer and stock raiser should be informed, and on reaching manhood embarked upon an agricultural career of his own, and his industry, perseverance and energetic effort has resulted in a well merited success. He has his tract of 146 acres under a high state of cultivation, and upon it may be found a full set of farm buildings, substantial in character and modern in architecture. He raises large crops which find a ready sale in the adjacent markets, where his fine cattle bring top-notch prices. For a number of years Mr. Hoel has operated a threshing machine during the seasons and in this as in other lines he has achieved satisfactory results. He is progressive and energetic in all things, and to the possession of these qualities may be attributed much of his success.
On February 16, 1890, Mr. Hoel was married to Miss Lydia Bowers, who was born, reared and educated in Henry connty, Indiana, and to this union there have been born two children: Thamer, born September 22, 1891, who received his education in the public schools of Adams township, and is now assisting his father in the cultivation of the home- stead; and Chrystal, horn February 3, 1897, who is still attending the public schools. In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Hoel are rearing two nieces, Elizabeth B. Bowers and Ruby Garnett. Mr. and Mrs. Hoel are honest, hospitable people, whose home is ever open to their hosts of friends. They are consistent members of the Christian church and have been active in religious and charitable movements. Mr. Hoel's political affiliations are with the Democratic party, but outside of taking a good citizen's interest in matters that pertain to the welfare of his section, he has not been active in political matters.
HENRY V. BECK. An industrions and well-to-do agriculturist of Van Buren township, Henry V. Beck holds an assured position among its respected citizens, his industry, uprightness, and neighborly dealing hav- ing gained for him the confidence and esteem of the community in which he has so long lived. A native of Madison county, he was born in 1846, in Monroe township, of pioneer ancestry.
His father, John Beck, came from North Carolina to Indiana, settling in Madison county while a large part of the country roundabout was in its pristine wildness. Taking up a tract of land from the Government, he erected a log cabin for the use of himself and family, and labored with true pioneer grit and courage to redeem a farm from the wilder- ness. He married Mary E. Shelton, who was likewise a native of North Carolina, and she ably assisted him in his efforts to establish a home, doing her full share of the pioneer work, which included the carding, spinning and weaving of the homespun material in which she clothed her little family, which consisted, beside herself and husband, of two chil- dren, namely : Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Woods; and Henry V., the special subject of this brief biographical sketch.
As a boy and youth Henry V. Beck attended the Whitehall school, a pioneer institution of learning in which he obtained a practical knowl- edge of the common branches of study. When out of school he assisted
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his father in clearing and improving a homestead, gaining wisdom and experience in regard to agriculture. When ready to start in life as a farmer, Mr. Beck rented land in Van Buren township, and managed it so efficiently and well that he saved money, and when he had accumulated a sufficient sum to warrant him in becoming a landholder he bought his present farm of seventy-nine acres, which is finely located on the Ander- son and Marion road, or pike, about two miles north of Summitville.
Mr. Beck married, in 1866, Nancy Hoppes, daughter of Samuel and Lavina Hoppes, and of the nine children born of their union seven are living, namely : Cornelia, wife of a Mr. Johnson; Alma, wife of Mr. Simmons; John; Oley; Mert; Fleet; and Burrel. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Beck are members of the Christian church, and have reared their children in the same faith.
HARRY SAVAGE. Some of the most successful of Madison county's farmers are men of the younger generation, who are applying modern methods to their work with very satisfactory results. In this class is Harry Savage, the owner of a well-cultivated and valuable property of eighty acres, located on the Gillman road, in Monroe township. Mr. Savage has been the architect of his own fortunes, in that the success he has achieved has come as a direct result of his own efforts, for when he embarked upon his career he was given neither financial assistance nor the support of influential friends. He is a native of Madison county, having been born in the vicinity of Perkinsville, in Jackson township, in 1883, and. is a son of Walter and Nancy (Welchom) Savage. His father, a native- of the state of Iowa, migrated to Indiana as a young man, and here has passed his subsequent career, being one of the sub- stantial citizens of Jackson township, where he owns a large tract of land. He and his wife have been the parents of seven children, namely : Gertrude, who became the wife of Mr. Brown; Harry; Glenn; Warren, who married Myrtle Hancock; Ray ; Everett; and Orval, who is deceased.
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Harry Savage received his education in the graded schools of the city of Anderson, and during his vacation periods assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm. At the time of his marriage he gave up his employment in the mills of that city and turned his atten- tion to agricultural pursuits, starting in a modest manner and gradu- ally increasing the extent of his operations. Mr. Savage is now the owner of a well-developed tract of eighty acres, which repays him for the intelligent and industrious labor he has expended upon it, and the success which has come to him is but the just reward therefor. In addi- tion to general farming, he has engaged in stock raising, and he now has a large herd of well-fed, sleek cattle, his stock at all times commanding top-notch prices in the markets.
In January, 1909, Mr. Savage was married to Mrs. Fannie (Hood) Duffy, widow of Ed. Duffy, by whom she had one son-Harold. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Savage: Paul and Nancy. Richard Hood, the father of Mrs. Savage, was born in Rush county, Indiana, and as a young man came to Madison county, Indiana, purchas- ing a farm about one mile west of Alexandria, on which he carried on operations during the remainder of his active career. He married Mary Ellsworth, whose father was a Scotchman by birth, and who removed to Ireland and thence to the United States, settling at an early time in Madison county. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hood are now deceased. They
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were the parents of two children: Fannie, who married Mr. Savage; and Bella, who was married September 29, 1910, and has one child.
Mr. Savage is a member of. Prible Lodge of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has numerous friends. He has devoted his entire atten- tion to the cultivation of the soil and to his home, and has had neither time nor inclination to enter public life.
W. EDWARD TERWILLIGER. Four miles east of Elwood on the Dundee pike is situated one of the finest rural homes of Madison county, excel- lent not alone in the fertility of its soil and the value of its crops, but also for its many exceptional improvements. The Terwilliger farm com- prises two hundred and thirty-three and a half acres of rolling and well drained land, and Mr. Terwilliger is devoting its acreage to general farm- ing and stock raising. He has shown much enterprise in his business career, and enjoys the respect and admiration always paid to a success- ful man.
W. Edward Terwilliger was born September 8, 1885, in Allen county, Ohio, near the city of Lima. His parents are D. F. and Flora (Crider) Terwilliger. His father is a well known farmer and land owner and is county commissioner of Madison county. The children in the family of the parents are named as follows: Oscar; W. Edward; Harvey ; Bertha ; Lilly; Ethel; Arthur, and Alton.
W. Edward Terwilliger was a child when the family left Allen county, Ohio, and moved to Tipton county, Indiana, his father locating in what was then a swamp, but is now considered among the best land in Indiana. Mr. Terwilliger was married October 3, 1906, to Miss Nora Glass, daughter of J. H. and Otilda (Meyer) Glass. Mrs. Terwilliger was the only child of her parents, and she had the advantages of a good home and was well educated. Mr. and Mrs. Terwilliger have one child, Jean, born December 12, 1907. The family worship in the Presbyterian church.
JOHN D. HAYS. In the vicinity of Frankton is the old Wise home- stead, familiarly known throughout this region, and now occupied by Mr. John D. Hays, one of the progressive agriculturists and publie spir- ited citizens of this part of the county. Mr. Hays operates one hundred and sixty acres of land, raises grain and stock, and each year turns over a good amount of business to the credit side of his ledger.
John D. Hays was born September 30, 1866, in Rush county, Indiana, a son of Alexander and Margaret (Duncan) Hays. By occupation his father was also a farmer, and during the period of the Civil war served as a Union soldier, enduring the hardships of many campaigns during that great war. There were two other children in the family, namely, Lindy, the wife of E. Harold, and the mother of twelve children; and Pearl, who married a Mr. Fowler.
John D. Hays spent his youth in Rush county, was reared on a farm and attended common schools, and had a practical training in the occu- pation which he has made his vocation in life. Mr. Hays married Miss Cora Reason, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Morris) Reason. Her father was born and reared in Rush county, was a farmer who owned a large amount of land in that section and is still living there. In the Reason family were eighteen children, most of whom grew up and acquired an honorable and substantial position in life. The five chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Hays are Fay, Raymond, Ivan, Gurma and Gerald.
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The last three are now attending school. Mr. Hays is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men, votes the Republican ticket and he and his family worship in the Christian church.
WILLIAM PENN CUNNINGHAM. The history of the business achieve- ment of William Penn Cunningham is one that is well worthy of men- tion in this work, and is one that shows forth the sturdy qualities of the man better than mere words of praise could ever do. From a small beginning, one bit of advancement has steadily and consistently followed another, year by year, until he has long since been reckoned among the more successful and prosperous farming men of the community or of the county. His property, indeed, extends into Delaware county, a fine place of one hundred acres lying just across the line between Madison and Delaware counties. His Madison county farm comprises a forty- acre tract, and other property also figures significantly upon his tax list. He has long taken a leading part in the community that holds his abid- ing place, and shares in the esteem and regard of the best people of the town.
William Penn Cunningham was born in 1860, the first day of Febrn- ary being his natal day, and West Virginia the place of his birth. He is a son of Benjamin and Nancy (Thompson) Cunningham, the father a man of Scotch parentage, but of Virginia birth and breeding. He was the son of Thomas Cunningham, who came to these shores from his native Scotland in young manhood, and in West Virginia established the family. Benjamin Cunningham entered upon a farming life and was fairly prosperous in his ambitions. He reared a family of ten children, named as follows: Anna; Alice, deceased; George; David, deceased ; William Penn; Samuel, deceased; Joseph; Kate; Ida; Sarah, and Mary.
In common with his brothers and sisters, William Cunningham attended the district schools of his day in West Virginia, and he was twenty years old when he left his Virginia home and came to Henry county, Indiana. In his boyhood home, he had been proficiently trained in the work of the farm, and he hired ont to a farmer in Henry county, with whom he worked for four consecutive years. He later took up rail- road work and was employed as foreman of a crew for some time, but gave up the work to identify himself once more with farm life. It was his wish, however, to reach a degree of independence in his work, and instead of hiring his services to some farmer, he rented a farm which he pro- ceeded to operate on his own responsibility. He had soon realized a profit sufficient to permit his purchase of a piece of land comprising twenty-seven acres, which he was able to add to from time to time, by the exercise of his best judgment and by practicing a rigid economy in everything. He lived on his original purchase of twenty-seven acres for three years, then moved to another farm in the vicinity of Sulphur Springs, and for eight years the home of the family was located there. It was then that the truck farming idea seized Mr. Cunningham, and he bought fifteen acres of fine land which he devoted to truck gardening exclusively, and was rewarded for his foresight by a tidy snm that he realized from a few seasons of work. The next purchase that Mr. Cun. ningham made was that of a 160 acre tract near Delaville, Indiana, which he later sold and bought the Moffett farm. This also proved to be a good "buy" and he sold it in turn, realizing quite a sum from the transaction. He later bought another hundred acres and upon this place he located his son. His next purchase was a Middletown property and
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some two years ago he bought his present place, which he put in fine shape, making a number of splendid improvements, and bringing it up to a high standard of excellence.
In 1884 Mr. Cunningham was married to Emma Lovett, the daughter of David and Vashti Lovett, the father a West Virginian by birth, and an early settler of Adams county, Ohio. Both parents are now deceased. One son has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, Laurell L., who married Ollie Bronnenberg. They have one child, Merrill.
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