USA > Indiana > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery county, Indiana; with personal sketches of representative citizens, Volume II > Part 31
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Mr. Howell was married on September 25, 1879, to Louise A. Harthan, of Selma, Alabama, a lady of culture and refinement, who died July 4, 1891, at Piqua, Ohio, her birthplace. To this union were born three children, namely : Edith A., wife of Alfred P. McClellan, of Crawfordsville; Lloyd B., who is assistant professor in chemistry in Wabash College; Blanche A., who married Walter Troemel, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They were all well educated and received every advantage.
Mr. Howell was again married, May 20, 1896, to Rebecca .1. Snyder, of Piqua, Ohio, but to this union no children have been born.
Personally, Mr. Howell is a pleasant man to meet, genial, obliging and a man of never-failing courtesy.
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WILLIAM JARVIS.
Ninety years have dissolved in the mists of time, embracing the major part of the most remarkable century in all the history of the race of man- kind, since the honored and venerable subject of this sketch first saw the light of day. Heaven has bounteously lengthened out his life until he has seen the crowning glory of this, the most wonderful, epoch of all the aeons, of time, rewarding him with an unusual span of years as a result of virtuous and consistent living in his youth and years of his active manhood, until now, in the golden Indian summer of his life, surrounded by comfort and plenty as a result of his earlier years of industry and frugality, Mr. Jarvis can take a retrospective glance down the corridors of the relentless and irrevocable past and feel that his has been an eminently useful, successful and happy life, a life which has not been devoid of obstacles and whose rose has held many a thorn, but with indomitable courage he pressed onward with his face set in determination toward the distant goal which he has so grandly won; a life of sunshine and shadow, of victory and defeat, according to the common lot of humanity since the world began, but nobly lived and worthily rewarded, as such lives always are by the Giver of all good and precious gifts, who has given Mr. Jarvis the longest span of years of any of his contemporaries, a great gift, indeed, of which he is duly grateful. Although a native of the fair Blue Grass state, the major portion of his life has been spent in the Wabash Valley country, and he has always been deeply interested in what- ever tended to promote the prosperity of his chosen locality and to him as much as to any other man is the community indebted for the material de- velopment for which it has long been noted, and his long residence in Brown township has won for him a very high place in the confidence and esteem of his many acquaintances and friends. He has used his influence for all moral and benevolent enterprises, being a friend and liberal patron of the church, which he believes to be the most potential factor for substantial good the world has ever known or ever will know ; he has also been an earnest advo- cate of the cause of temperance. In short, he has sought to fulfill his duties as an honest, public-spirited citizen at all times. .
William Jarvis, of Waveland, Montgomery county, was born at Cle- mentsville, Kentucky, October 21, 1823. He is a son of Reason and Betsey (Heath) Jarvis. The father was a native of the state of Maryland, and his death occurred in Kentucky in 1838, he having located in the "dark and bloody ground" country in a very early day. The mother of our subject was
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also a native of Maryland. These parents devoted their lives to general farm- ing, were hard-working, honest, hospitable people of the good old-fashioed type. They became the parents of seven children, all now deceased but William, subject of this sketch. They were named as follows: Nathan, Joe, John, William, Martha, Henry and Fleming.
William Jarvis grew to manhood on the home farm, where he found plenty of hard work to do when a boy, being the son of a pioneer and reared amid pioneer conditions. He received a very limited education in the old log school house of his community, with its puncheon floor and seats, its wide fire-place in one end, and its greased paper window. However, he has been a wide reader of newspapers and good books and is a well informed man.
On June 8, 1858, Mr. Jarvis married Mary V. Switzer, who was born in Ohio on October 10, 1840. She was a daughter of Jonathan and Nancy (Dooley) Switzer. Her father was born on May 18, 1808. Mrs. Jarvis re- ceived a good common school deucation.
To our subject and wife one child was born, Emma Blanche Jarvis, who was born in Parke county, Indiana, April 17, 1860. She received a good common school education and married Edward Oldshue, a farmer of Parke county, and there they still reside: they are the parents of three chil- dren, namely : Vivian, Grace and Mary.
William Jarvis began life for himself as a farmer when a young man and he has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising with a greater degree of success than befalls the average farmer. He has worked hard, managed well and each year has found him further advanced than the preceding. He spent two years engaged in the general merchandise business at Placerville, California, having crossed the great plains to the Pacific coast before the days of railroads. After spending two years there he returned to Indiana and resumed farming. He is the owner of over one thousand acres of valuable land, nine hundred and twenty-five of which lie in Parke county, and eighty-five in Montgomery county. His land is under a high state of im- provement and cultivation, and he has farmed on a large scale and raised large numbers of live stock of all varieties. He resides in the town of Wave- land, Brown township, where he has a commodious, attractive and modernly furnished home, which is known to his many friends as a place of old-time hospitality. He is one of the substantial and well-to-do men of this part of the county.
Politically, Mr. Jarvis is a Republican, but he has never been much of a politician; however, he has taken an abiding interest in the affairs of his
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township and county, and he was at one time county commissioner, which position he held with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. In religious matters he belongs to the Christian church, and was formerly a trustee in the same, and has long been one of its most active members.
SAMUEL A. DYKES.
Sugar Creek township, Montgomery county, is the home of many suc- cessful farmers. Among those who have prospered by their energy, perse- verance and good management, is Samuel A. Dykes, who owns and operates a fine estate, which has been acquired through his excellent planning and characteristic industry. A visitor to his home will see that he has not only erected good buildings and kept his farm well supplied with modern ma- chinery, but also that he keeps excellent grades of live stock.
Mr. Dykes was born on October 23, 1869 in the township and county where he still resides, and here he grew to manhood and received a common school education. For a sketch of his parents and the Dykes ancestry the reader is directed to the life history of J. E. Dykes, appearing in another part of this volume.
Samuel A. Dykes was married on June 7, 1896 to Anna Maguire, who was born in Shelby county, Indiana, January 14, 1868. She is a daughter of Charles and Harriet (Yearion) Maguire. The father was a native of Ire- land, born on November 14, 1835, and he is now living at Darlington, this county. The mother of Mrs. Dykes was born on December 16, 1844, in Hamilton county, Ohio, and she and Mr. Maguire were married in that state. She, too, is still living. These parents are now advanced in age. They are well known in this section of the county and are held in high esteem by all. We quote the following from the Crawfordsville Review under date of July 8, 1910, bearing the caption, "Celebrate Their Golden Wedding Anniversary Today."
"Today at their beautiful country home near Darlington, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Maguire are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary and with them are their eleven children as well as a number of friends and other rela- tives. Mr. and Mrs. Maguire have reached the half century mark of wedded bliss, in excellent health and happiness and they are permitted to enjoy an event so few persons ever know.
"Mr. Maguire was born near Fintina, County Tyrone, Ireland, and spent
SAMUEL A. DYKES
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his boyhood there, coming to this country when he was about eighteen years of age. Ile landed in Philadelphia after a stormy voyage of six weeks and . three days. From the Quaker city he went to Pittsburgh and then to Cin- cinnati. It was while living in Ohio that he met and wooed Miss Harriet Yearion and was married to her fifty years ago today. To them two chil- dren were born in the Buckeye state, and soon afterwards they came to Indi- ana. The Maguires settled first near London, in Shelby county, in the fall of 1865, and they lived there several years, making many warm and loving friends in that section who have come today to assist in the festivities of the occasion.
"Mr. and Mrs. Maguire have lived in their present home many years and have gathered about them a wide circle of acquaintances who hold their friendship lovingly. Mr. Maguire has always been a staunch Democrat, but he has always been keenly awake to the best interests of his party and has been a strong advocate of right principles and party reforms that make for better citizenship and better government. He has been a member of Glenn Lodge No. 149, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Darlington for many years and at this time has the honor of holding the highest office within the gift of the lodge, that of noble grand.
"All but one of the eleven children, Mrs. Ella Crowder, who died March 23, 1903, live within a few miles of the parental home and all of them are here to help in the observing in this rounding out of half a century of beauti- ful and inspiring married life. The children are as follows :
"Mrs. R. M. Little, Darlington; Mrs. S. A. Dykes, Darlington; Mrs. Charles Custer, Darlington ; Mrs. C. E. Faust, Chicago; Mrs. Marion Clouser, Darlington : Mrs. R. H. Hiatt, Darlington : Mrs. Earl Peterson, Darlington ; Miss Fairy Maguire, at home : Edward Maguire, Darlington ; James Maguire, Clark's Hill; and Stewart Maguire, Colfax.
"Handsome invitations to the celebration were sent out to many friends and relatives and many guests will be entertained at the Maguire home today. The hours will be from 10 to 4 o'clock."
Samuel A. Dykes and wife have one adopted child, Irma C., born on July 5, 1902, the daughter of J. E. Dykes and Estelle ( Ollinger) Dykes, the latter the eldest daughter of Dr. Ollinger of Newmarket. She is attending school.
Mr. Dykes has always followed farming in Sugar Creek township. He owns one hundred and sixty acres, all tillable and well improved, with the exception of twenty acres. He is living east of his farm about a mile.
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Fraternally, Mr. Dykes belongs to the Masonic Order at Colfax, and the Improved Order of Odd Fellows at Darlington; religiously he is a member of the Potato Creek Methodist church, of which he was a steward for eight or nine years. Politically, he is a Republican, and he served his township as constable, also justice of the peace for several years, giving eminent satisfac- tion to all concerned.
WILLIAM DAVIDSON MYERS.
It cannot be other than interesting to note in this series of personal sketches appearing in this volume the varying conditions that have com- passed those whose careers are outlined, and the effort has been made in each case to throw well-focused light onto the individuality and to bring into proper perspective the scheme of each respective character. Each man who strives to fulfill his part in connection with human life and human acti- vity is deserving of recognition, whatever may or have been the field of his endeavor, and it is the function of works of this nature to perpetuate for future generations an authentic record concerning those represented in its pages, and the value of such publications is certain to be cumulative for all time to come, showing forth the individual and specific accomplishments of which generic history is ever engendered. The career of William Davidson Myers, the present efficient and popular superintendent of the county farm of Montgomery county, has been characterized by hard work and conscien- tious endeavor, and he owes his rise to no train of fortunate incidents of for- tuitous circumstances. It was the reward of application of mental qualifica- tions of a high order to the affairs of business, the combining with keen perceptions mental activity that has enabled him to grasp the opportunities that presented themselves. This he has done with success, and, what is more important, with honor. His integrity has ever been unassailable, his honor unimpeachable, and he stands high with all who know him.
Mr. Myers was born in Monroe county, Indiana, August 13, 1858, and is a son of Jacob and Anna Myers. The father was a native of Tennessee and he came to Indiana with his parents in the early thirties, and spent the rest of his life on a farm in Monroe county, becoming well known among the pioneers there, and well established as a result of his life of hard work as a general farmer and stock man. His wife was a native of Virginia.
William D. Myers grew to manhood on the home farm, and there as- sisted with the general work when a boy. He took naturally to husbandry
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and had a valuable instructor in his father, hence it is no wonder that he is eminently successful with the superintendency of the county farm. He had little chance to obtain an education, but made the best use possible with what he did have. He farmed successfully in Monroe county until March 25, 1889, when he removed to Montgomery county, where he continued general agricultural pursuits. On June 8, 1909, he was appointed superintendent of the county farm, by the county commissioners, and soon thereafter, on Sep- tember 1, 1909, took charge of the same, which position he has since held in a manner that reflects much credit to himself and to the eminent satisfaction of the commissioners and all concerned, keeping the place well improved and under a high state of cultivation, making it produce abundant crops and he has built up the soil, so that it has retained its fertility. He seems to be, in every respect, the right man in the right place. One June 7, 1911, he was appointed for a second term of two years, with a substantial increase in salary.
Mr. Myers is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is past grand of the Subordinate of Crawfordsville Lodge No. 223; he is also a past chief patriarch of Bethesda Encampment No. 15, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has attended the Soverin Grand Lodge. Politically, he is a Democrat.
Mr. Myers was married on September 27, 1879, to Sarah J. Pittman, a native of Brown county, Indiana. To this union five children have been born, namely: Mary Ann, wife of Frank Steele, of Montgomery county ; Elmer U. is deceased; Bertha Sophia is the wife of Bert Knight, lives in Montgomery county ; Junie Mabel is the wife of Belie VanHook, also of this county ; and Merle H., who is attending high school, this being his second year.
CECIL C. CLICK.
One of the young farmers of Clark township, Montgomery county who gives unusual promise is Cecil C. Click. He combines enterprise with sound judgment and persistent effort so that a large degree of success is attending his efforts from year to year as a tiller of the soil.
Mr. Click was born in this township and county, September 24, 1882. He is a son of Joseph and Jessie (Owens) Click. The father was born in Virginia and when eight years old came west with his parents who settled in Putnam county, later moving across the line into Montgomery county and
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established the future home of the family in Clark township, and here these parents developed a good farm through their industry and spent the rest of their lives, and on that place their son Joseph, grew to manhood, assisted with the general farm work, and in this district he received a common school edu- cation, and there married Jessie Owens, who was born in Clark township. and was a daughter of John Owens and wife. Mr. Owens ran a threshing machine, also a saw mill and later in life followed farming. He moved into Ladoga about 1905 where he now resides in a pleasant home, living a life of quiet.
Cecil C. Click grew to manhood in Clark township and there did the usual work of a farm boy, and in the winter months attended comon schools. On February 6, 1902, he married May Hulett, daughter of Nathan Hulett.
After his marriage, Mr. Click began farming for himself. He has a neat little farm of sixty acres in section 27, Clark township, on which he is getting a good start as a general farmer. He and his wife are members of the Christian church.
THOMAS W. GRAY.
Farming is a delight to such men as Thomas W. Gray, of Sugar Creek township, Montgomery county, for he never goes about his work in an apathetic way and half-heartedly, but on the contrary is always very much in earnest and never lacks enthusiasm, so his tasks therefore seem lighter than they otherwise would and he gets better results than others who seem to have formed a distaste for their vocation. He makes it a point to keep his fields clear of weeds, sprouts, and rocks, his fences and buildings carefully repaired and everything in ship shape order, and we are glad to give him a conspicu- ous place in the list of present day progressive tillers of the soil in this county.
Mr. Gray was born on February 23, 1860, in Sugar Creek township, this county. He is a son of Thomas and Phoebe ( Peterson) Gray. The father and mother were natives of Ohio, the birth of the former having occurred in 1818, and died in 1868. The mother of our subject was born in 1826 and her death occurred in September, 1876. They devoted their lives to general farming, and were the parents of ten children, five of whom are living, namely : . Robert F., Thomas W., James B., Martin B., and Perry G.
Thomas W. Gray grew to manhood on the farm and he did his share of the general work about the place. He received his education in the common schools. On December 23, 1884, he was married to Vena Mahoy, who was
Vena Gray
ZOLA F. DEC .
Thomas W. Ley
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born December 27, 1861 in this county. She is a daughter of George Lydia Daugherty Mahoy. Here she grew to womanhood and received a common school education.
One child was born to our subject and wife, Zola, who died in 1899. In 1900 our subject took a child, Lois, to raise when she was but a few months old. She is now attending school.
Mr. Gray has devoted his life to farming and has met with a large measure of success, and he has raised cattle, including a few short horns. He has a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres, all tillable but about twenty acres, which is in groves and good pasture and some timber. The place is fairly well tiled and otherwise well improved, and a good set of build- ings is to be seen on the land. He has made these improvements himself and has one of the best farms in the northeastern part of the county.
Politically, he is a Republican and elected a member of the advisory board in 1910 and he has held the office to the present time, and has been very successful in discharging the duties of the place in a manner that has won the high esteem and trust of all concerned. He is a man who, while laboring for his own advancement delights to see the condition of his neighbors improve and the general upbuilding of the county.
JOHN O. ROSEBAUM.
Montgomery county is fortunate in having within her borders a large number of professional men of a high order, among whom consistently ap- pears the name of John O. Rosebaum, one of the younger leaders of the bar, who maintains an office in the town of Waveland. in connection with his ex- tensive business life, fire and accident insurance, and in which part of the county he is a leader in political affairs. He is widely known throughout this section and is rapidly forging to the front, being a man of energy, strong mental, honorable impulses and a pleasant personality. He enjoys the good will and respect of all who know him and we predict a bright future in his special fields of endeavor.
Mr. Rosebaum was born on June 2, 1874, in Boone county, Indiana, and he is a son of B. F. and Sarah E. Osborne) Rosebaum. The father was born on March 9. 1835. in Ohio, in which state he grew to manhood and received his educational training, and from there he removed to Indiana after his marriage. The mother of our subject was also a native of Ohio,
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her birth having occurred there on February 6, 1842, and there he grew to womanhood and attended the common schools in her community. Her death occurred on March 13, 1912, in Waveland, Indiana. B. F. Rosebaum is still living, making his home at Waveland, being now advanced in years. He devoted his active life to agricultural pursuits and stock raising and was successful beyond the average tiller of the soil. He has always been known as a man of great enterprise, neighborly, public spirited and scrupulous hon- esty. He is well known over the county.
Eight children were born to B. F. and Sarah E. Rosebaum, namely : Nora and Joseph are both deceased; Hattie, who married V. E. Heart, is living in Chicago; William C. lives in Cleveland, Ohio; Albert is deceased ; John O., of this review; Franklin L. is married and lives in Detroit, Michi- gan; Homer G. is married and lives in Chicago.
John O. Rosebaum grew to manhood on the home farm and there as- sisted with the general work. He received a good common school education, later spending three years in Wabash College at Crawfordsville, then, having determined upon a legal career he entered the Indiana Law School, from which he was graduated in the year 1898, having made an excellent record in that institution. He was admitted to the Montgomery County Bar in 1897, and on March 18th of that year he was united in marriage to Laila D. Acker, who was born on February 21, 1878, in Parke county, Indiana, and from there she removed to Montgomery county with her parents when a child, the family locating in the vicinity of Waveland, where she grew to womanhood and received her education. She is a daughter of L. E. and Serena (Van- diver) Acker, a well known and highly respected family, who became well established here through their industry.
Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rosebaum, namely : Dwight, Lois S., Ruth E., Edith L., Loren Lucille; John Franklin, and Maxine Frances.
John O. Rosebaum began life for himself by teaching school in his native county, which he followed for a period of three years with success, but he had a natural bent for the law and abandoned the school room for Blackstone and Kent. He began the practice of his profession in Waveland and here he has remained to the present time, building up meanwhile a very satisfactory and constantly growing clientele, figuring prominently in the local courts and he has met with pronounced success. In connection with his large legal practice he does an excellent business in life, fire and accident insurance, representing a number of the best companies in the United States. He is kept very busy
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attending to his manifold duties. He has accumulated valuable property in Waveland, including a substantial, cozy home and an attractive rental prop- erty.
Fraternally, Mr. Rosebaum is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to the order at Indianapolis, and he is prominent in the work of the same. He had the honor of serving as Master for two years, and is Past Master of Waveland Lodge No. 300. IIe is also Past Chancellor of Rathbone Lodge. Knights of Pythias, Keeper of Records and Seals of the Knights of Pythias. and secretary of Waveland Lodge, No. 300, Free and Accepted Masons. Religiously, he is a Republican, and has long been active in the ranks, being a power in local affairs of his party, and doing much for its success. In 1906 he was a candidate for state senator.
Mr. and Mrs. Rosebaum were in the well-remembered fire of the Iro- quois theater in Chicago in 1903 and were very lucky to escape uninjured.
ARTHUR R. SHOTTS.
Only too frequently is it the case that people do not see beyond the nar- row limits of their own surroundings, and items of public and private interest are allowed to drift into the channel of the forgotten past. Many important facts connected with the lives of the early settlers of Montgomery county are irrevocably lost, but a few have been found by careful research and will be appropriately mentioned in this and other sketches in this volume. One of the actors in this early history and development of this section of the Hoosier state was the honored father of the gentleman whose name intro- duces this paragraph, and from the early day in which he took up his resi- dence here to the present time the name Shotts has been well known and highly respected.
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