History of Posey County, Indiana, Part 30

Author: Leffel, John C., b. 1850. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Standard Publ. Co.
Number of Pages: 456


USA > Indiana > Posey County > History of Posey County, Indiana > Part 30


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C., Virginia, John H. and Elias W. Enoch Beal Bixler was reared on the home farm in Vanderburg county and acquired his education in its district schools and in Cynthiana, being a pupil in the first school house erected in that town. Subsequently he engaged in teaching. He was engaged in this profession for eight years, six in Armstrong township, Vanderburg county, and two in Smith township, Posey county. He next engaged in farming and stock raising, an occupation in which he has been signally successful. His eight years as a teacher has had much to do with his desire to keep in touch with the advancement in agricul- tural methods, and the result of his studies along this line is seen in the results obtained in the management of his farm properties. As a stock raiser he ranks among the first in his section. His farm of 200 acres in Vanderburg county is one of the most valuable in that section of the State, its improvements are modern, it is well stocked, and under his management is a profitable enterprise. He is president of the Mu- tual Telephone Company of Cynthiana and a director in the Evansville, Mt. Carmel & Olney Railroad Company, an organization chartered to build an electric line from Olney, Ill., through Mt. Carmel to Evans- ville, a distance of about sixty miles. A portion of the road has been completed and it is the expectation that it will be in operation from terminal to terminal within two years. It traverses a highly productive country, having an average population of 700 per square mile, and will stimulate development of the territory through which it runs. Mr. Bix- ler has been an active factor in the enterprise, not only in the organiza- tion of the company, but in the affairs of the company since incorpora- tion. He has other investments of importance. His political affiliation has been with the Republican party and he is a consistent supporter of its principles and policies. Political office has never appealed to him. He is a member of the town council of Cynthiana, however, a case of the office seeking the man. He became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1883 and has been an active worker in his lodge. He is a member of the Christian church and served as moderator of the congregation at New Liberty for five years. In 1907 he built one of the most beautiful residences in Cynthiana, having seven acres of grounds, and the family have since resided in that city. Mr. Bixler married on September 26, 1885, Miss Nettie Newman, a daughter of William and Jane (Rutter) Newman, personal mention of whom will be found in the sketch of Schuyler C. Newman. Mrs. Bixler was born on the Newman farm in Armstrong township, Vanderburg county, and was educated in the schools of her home township and in Cynthiana. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bixler: Ivey Florence, deceased, and Edna E., born May 12, 1888. She is the wife of Ransom Ewing, a farmer of Cynthiana. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing are the parents of two children: Arvin K., born July 5, 1909, and Millage W., born Feb- ruary 13, 1913.


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Ira L. Turman, a physician and surgeon of Cynthiana, Ind., belongs to an old established Indiana family rich in historical lore. His great- grandfather, Benjamin Turman, was of English descent and was born in Virginia, residing for a number of years in Bedford county, of that State, where all of his children were born. He removed to Champaign county, Ohio, remaining there four years, thence to Sullivan county, Indiana, in the year 1810. In the year 1806 Mr. Benjamin Turman had, with a small party, explored the country on the Wabash near the mouth of what afterwards was called Turman's creek, but at that time a set- tlement seemed too hazardous an undertaking. Four years later, on returning to the Wabash valley, he left his family at Carlisle, where a settlement had been made, while he, with his sons and a few soldiers, built a fort on the prairie where he had decided to locate his home. From that time the prairie, the creek, which joins the Wabash at that point, and the township took his name. He brought with him from Ohio his farm implements, furniture and a considerable number of horses, cattle and hogs. These were the first hogs in this section of the country and they were capable of subsisting on the natural products of the soil. The Indians still frequented the locality and sometimes were cross and im- pudent. This did not deter Mr. Turman from the purchase of a large tract of land from the government in 1816. He had the first dairy and first fruit tree nursery in that part of the State, and some of the trees planted nearly 100 years ago are still standing, one apple tree meas- uring three feet and three inches in diameter. He lived to see peace restored between the United States and England and the Indians driven from the Wabash Valley. His death occurred in his spacious dwelling, built of hewed logs, in 1818. Thomas Turman, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Bedford county, Virginia, August 18, 1796, and his wife, Susannah Lavina (White) Turman, was born in Roane county, Tennessee, November 1, 1801. They were married January 27, 1818, her grandfather, the Rev. Hezekiah James Balch, performing the ceremony. Rev. Balch was appointed on May 20, 1775, on a committee of three to draft and revise what was known as the Mecklenberg Declaration, which was the first Declaration of Independence made in America, and which was sent to the President of Congress in Philadelphia by Capt. James Jack. The Turmans produced large quantities of corn, for which there was no market nearer than New Orleans, and it is said that they were the first to propose transportation to that point by means of flat boats of home construction. Thomas Turman was one of the first to make the perilous journey, and opened up a trade that meant so much to the set- tlers all along the rivers and streams leading to the Mississippi from that time until the coming of railroads. The Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi rivers had many hidden rocks, dangerous sand bars and imbedded logs of immense size, which added greatly to the perils of the voyage, which


HISTORY OF POSEY COUNTY 28I


often required months to make. However, Mr. Turman carried on a successful freighting business for many years, always accompanying his boats personally and superintending the sales of goods. In his ab- sence his wife conducted the farming operations with such energy and good judgment that an ample crop was always awaiting transportation. On one of these trips he was gone so long that he was given up for lost, but returned just after the birth of a son, who was named Return Jon- athan, and who was the father of Dr. Ira L. Turman, of this record. Thomas Turman died June 30, 1863, and his wife died March 28, 1875. Return Jonathan Turman was born July 6, 1837, attended the common schools and when old enough to do so he farmed and raised stock on Turman's prairie, where he still resides. He was married April 3, 1864, to Perlina A. Wible, and to them were born twelve children, our subject, Ira L., being the third. The family are distinguished for great natural musical ability. The wife and mother died February 2, 1890. Dr. Ira L. Turman was born at Graysville, Ind., February 13, 1869, and was raised a farmer boy. After finishing the common schools he attended the Union Christian College at Merom, Ind., after which he taught school for one year and then began the study of medicine under Dr. J. L. Durham, of Graysville. He entered the medical department of the University of Louisville, Ky., graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1894. In May of that year he located for the practice of his profes- sion at Cynthiana, where he has since remained and enjoys a lucrative practice. Dr. Turman belongs to the Posey County and Indiana State societies, and the American Medical Association. He was president for one year and secretary for two years, 1910-1911, of the Posey County Medical Society. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. The first marriage of Dr. Turman was on August 22, 1895, to Miss Agnes Bixler, daughter of Benedict R. and Martha (Boren) Bixler, natives of Vanderburg county, where they were engaged in farming and stock rais- ing. Agnes Bixler was born and raised in Vanderburg county. She at- tended common and high schools and graduated from the normal school at Princeton, after which she taught several terms in the rural schools prior to her marriage. They had one child, Claud Kenneth, born Decem- ber 14, 1896, a graduate of the Cynthiana High School, class of 1913, and now a teacher. The first wife died on October 26, 1904. On March 15, 1906, Dr. Turman married Grace Bixler (nee Emerson), daughter of John W. and Ellen (Yeager) Emerson, natives of Gibson county, where Grace Emerson was born and reared. She was a student of the Union Christian College at Merom, Ind. Mrs. Turman had one child by her first mar- riage, David Clair Bixler, born July 16, 1904. Dr. and Mrs. Turman have two children, Robert E., born February 2, 1908, and Agnes Lucile, born February 4, 1912. The Turman family are members of the Chris- tian church.


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Samuel Benson Montgomery, physician and surgeon of Cynthiana, Ind., is a member of a family which has figured prominently in the his- tory of the world since 944, the death of Yves de Bellesme, Count of Alencon, in Normandy, the first person recorded as bearing the name of Montgomery, occurring in that year. Since that time the Montgomerys have been heard of in France, England, Holland, Scotland, Ireland and America, his descendants having located in all those countries. It is from those that lived in Scotland and Ireland that we have the American line, and the antecedents of our subject. In 1605 Hugh Montgomery, of Braidstane, Scotland, was given title to one-third of the Con Oneil estate of Ireland for services rendered in Oneil's behalf in securing his pardon from King James. Mr. Montgomery at once set about to place a desirable class of emigrants on the large possessions he had secured. Of the first fifty-one families he brought there six families bore the name Montgomery, and within five years his colonization was so successful that he was able to report 1,000 men at his Majesty's service. Out of the amalgamation of the thousands of Scotch emigrants brought into Ire- land by Hugh Montgomery and other knights, with the native Irish, came the Scotch-Irish family, many of whom have come to America, settling at first in Virginia and finally scattering in every State in the Union. Samuel Montgomery, Sr., a direct descendant of Hugh Montgomery, was born in Virginia about 1740, and served in the Revolutionary war. He was quiet, peace-loving, industrious and religious, and was highly es- teemed by his neighbors. He was an elder in the old Presbyterian church in Kentucky, and in 1814, three years after coming to Indiana, he con- sented to assist in the organization of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. This he did at the earliest solicitation of Rev. William Barnett, and with them in the project was James Knowles, an elder in the Old School Presbyterian church. These three men formed the basis for the first Cumberland Presbyterian church of Indiana, and they formed the new organization without reordination or relinquishing any part of their former faith, and for the sole purpose of advancing the cause of Christ. Samuel Montgomery, Sr., married Polly McFarland, in Virginia, and later removed to Perryville, Ky. In 1811 he came with most of his fam- ily to Indiana and settled in Gibson county. The father of Samuel Montgomery, Sr., had slaves, and the son, being a religious man, did not believe it was right, and for that reason left home with his belongings and came to Indiana, where he set his negroes free at Evansville, which at that time consisted of two log houses and a cornfield. He bought his land at $1.50 per acre. It is now worth $200 per acre. Samuel Mont- gomery, Jr., was born in Kentucky in 1794, the ninth and youngest child of Samuel Montgomery, Sr. At the age of seventeen years he belonged to the State militia, and at the time of the call of General Harrison for help at the battle of Tippecanoe, he was absent on a visit. Upon return-


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ing and learning that his company had joined General Harrison, he hastily followed on horseback, but met his company at Vincennes, on their re- turn. He married Sarah Montgomery on November 15, 1814. She was born in 1793, and died in August, 1829. This was the thirty-eighth mar- riage license issued in Gibson county. Five children were born to this union. He was married the second time in 1833, when Nancy Robb, nee Davis, became his wife. Five children were born to this second marriage. Mr. Montgomery was drawn on the first jury in the county. Court was held in a small log cabin southwest of Princeton, on the McCurdy farm. Jesse M. Montgomery, the tenth and youngest child of Samuel . Montgomery, Jr., was born May 5, 1845, in Gibson county, Indiana. He is a farmer by occupation, and a staunch Republican in politics, having represented Gibson county in the legislature in 1887. He now lives one mile north of Cynthiana, where he has one of the finest farms in the county. On November 22, 1866, he married Lemira Benson, a daughter of William Benson, of Montgomery township, Gibson county, and they ' became the parents of three children all of whom received college educa- tions. Samuel B. Montgomery, the youngest child of Jesse M. and Le- mira (Benson) Montgomery, was born on his father's farm in Gibson county, one mile north of Cynthiana, July 6, 1874. He was raised on the farm, completed the common schools and graduated from the Owensville High School in 1892. He attended Wabash College one year and then entered the medical department of the University of Louisville, where he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1898. He lo- cated at Poseyville, Ind., for practice, remaining there one year. He then went to St. Wendel, where he remained three years, and although successful in both these places he decided to locate in Cynthiana, and came here in 1902. He enjoys a large and lucrative practice, and is a member of the Posey County and Indiana State Medical societies, and the American Medical Association. He belongs to the Christian church, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Court of Honor. Politically, he is a Progressive. On September 15, 1898, Dr. Montgomery married Miss Eva L. Boyle, daughter of Henry and Matilda (McReynolds) Boyle, both natives of Indiana, the father of Vanderburg county, and the mother of Posey county. Her parents are now retired, living in Cynthiana in the summer and in Florida in the winter. Mrs. Montgomery was born in Vanderburg county, July 17, 1879, and was educated in the common and high schools of Cynthiana, and at Owensboro College, Owensboro, Ky. They are the parents of two children: Mary Leona, born March 5, 1901, and Dorothy Mae, born March 16, 1905. Mrs. Montgomery is a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, and active in its charities.


James Edward Gudgel, physician and surgeon of Cynthiana, Ind., be- longs to a family which figures prominently in the history of Indiana. His great grandfather was named Andrew Gudgel, his grandfather, Wil-


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liam Gudgel, and his father, Andrew Gudgel. We quote from the history of Gibson county, Indiana, published by James T. Tarlt & Company, con- cerning the Gudgel family: Andrew Gudgel, the grandfather of the present Andrew Gudgel, of Columbia township, was a man whose mem- ory is worthy of record in this work. He was of German origin, and settled in Pennsylvania. He was married three times, and the father of seventeen children. The maiden name of the last wife was Elizabeth, and she was the grandmother of Andrew Gudgel, of Columbia township. After the Revolutionary war was over and peace declared, Mr. Gudgel, like many of that day, concluded to emigrate to the then far West, be- yond the Alleghany mountains. In the year 1785 he set out with his family for Kentucky, a region then being wrested from the savages by Boone and his heroic companions. After a tedious and toilsome jour- ney they arrived at their destination, and located on Silver creek, a strip of country which lies between the present cities of Lexington and Frank- ford, where he erected a cabin and subsequently built a grist mill on the creek. He operated this water mill for a number of years, to the great advantage of the settlers. Mills at that time were not numerous in the then wild West. Gudgel's mill was considered the best one in Kentucky. Owing to a defect in the title of his land, a farm of 600 acres, on which the mill was located, and which involved him in three law suits, he con- cluded in order to avoid further annoyance to leave that locality. He disposed of some of his property and removed to the Territory of In- diana, arriving here early in 1811. He settled in the timber on a tract of land about two miles east of where Owensville is now situated. Here, with the energy characteristic of the old settler, he cleared a small patch of ground, erected a log cabin, and subsequently made a farm, upon which he continued to reside until his death. Prior to his coming to Indiana, in consequence of exposure, he had practically lost the use of his legs ; but he was a man of determined energy, and he would chop and clear up brush around his cabin for hours while sitting in a chair. The following incident will show the pluck of the old veteran. During the Indian troubles, which occurred about this time, his family all went to Fort Branch, which was a strong block house, erected as a rendezvous for the settlers of that locality. This plucky old pioneer would not go to the fort, but insisted on remaining at home in his cabin to take care of things. The Indians frequently come to his place, and while the old man was sitting in his chair, fearless of danger, the wily savages walked around him, frequently patting him on the head, and in their rude fashion complimented him on his bravery. It is one of the peculiarities of Indian character to admire bravery in those they regard as their foes. His third and last wife survived him a few years. By his last marriage he had a family of three children: Nancy, who married William Teel, and Hettie, who became the wife of Harrison McGary, a relative of whom


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was the first settler of what is now Evansville. Both Teel and McGary were old and prominent settlers in that part of the country and many of their descendants still live in and around the neighborhood of Owens- ville. The only son by the last marriage was William Gudgel, who was the father of Andrew Gudgel, of Columbia township, and he was the father of James Edward, our subject. The history continues about Wil- liam Gudgel, the grandparent of our subject. He was born in the State of Kentucky in the year 1802, and came here with his parents in 1811. As will be observed, he was then a lad of ten years of age, and he, like most of the boys of the pioneers, was handy in assisting to clear away the bush and timber around the cabin home. As he grew to manhood he became quite a noted hunter, and by his skill he succeeded in killing a great deal of game. It is related of him by his son, Andrew, that it was no uncommon thing for him to sally out and on a single trip kill three or four deer and several turkeys, which were then very plentiful in the densely timbered districts of that neighborhood. The pecularity of his fire arms is worthy of description. His rifle was what was then known as a sixty-bullet gun to the pound. It was a hammered barrel made by hand, flint lock, horn trigger, and very effective in doing its work. In the year 1824 William Gudgel married Lucy Thurman. They had born to them a family of twelve children, who grew to man and womanhood. Eleven are yet living (1884) and ten are residents of Gibson county and one of the State of Illinois. Five of the gallant sons of this old pioneer did service in the Union army during the late Rebellion. The names of the children of William and Lucy Gudgel in the order of their birth were : Andrew, the father of our subject; Henry T., who was a soldier in an Illinois regiment during the late war, died at Pine Bluff, Ark .; Martha, who became the wife of Henderson Pritchett; Nancy, wife of Lorenzo S. Douglas; Jacob; Edward; Sarah, wife of Rice Redman, now residing in White county, Illinois; Nicholas; John; Caroline, the wife of Leroy Martin, and they reside in Fort Branch; Abraham, and Harriett, the wife of Henry Yeager. The last named are living on a farm a short distance from Owensville. William Gudgel was a farmer and was an industrious and enterprising man. He reared a large family. who are among the best citizens of the county. For many years he was an invalid. In poli- tics he was identified with the Whig and Republican parties. His death took place in February, 1877. His widow survived him until 1888, and resided at the old homestead with her sons, John and Abraham. Andrew Gudgel, the father of our subject, was born in Gibson county, Indiana, February 19, 1825, the son of William and Lucy (Thurman) Gudgel, the grandson of Andrew and Elizabeth (Pane) Gudgel. His early education was such as could be obtained in the district schools of that period. He remained with his parents, working on the farm until September 3, 1846, when he was married to Elvira Wallace, the daughter of John Wallace.


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He held the office of justice of the peace for several years, and was a strong Republican, although never a man of political aspirations. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted in Company A, Fifty-eighth regiment, Indiana volunteers, and participated in many battles, was severely wounded at the battle of Stone River, but he would not go to the hos- pital, and never was absent a day during his service of three years and three months. He had eight children, four boys and four girls. The four boys were all professional men, two lawyers and two doctors. James Edward Gudgel, our subject, was born in Gibson county, on the farm of his parents, on the tenth of March, 1858. His parents are of German descent, while his grandmother, Lucy (Thurman) Gudgel, was of Scotch- Irish extraction. A relic of the voyage they made across the ocean is still in Cynthiana. It is a pot, in which they cooked potatoes on the vessel during the voyage. The name was originally spelled Goodgell, but the Kentucky family spelled it Gudgell, and the Indiana family Gud- gel. Parents on both sides were farmers and stick raisers, and his fore- fathers made their livelihood out of the wilderness of Indiana. Dr. Gud- gel attended the district schools until he was about fifteen years old, when he entered the high school at Oakland City, Ind., and graduated with the class of 1879. At this time there was a normal school at Oak- land City, which he attended, making about nine years in school at that place. He afterwards taught school four years in rural districts, and one year in the grammar grade at Booneville, Ind. After teaching school he attended Evansville Medical College, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine as a member of the class of 1883, and during his last year was interne in the Evansville City Hospital. In 1883 he located at Cynthiana, Ind., where he has since remained in the practice of his pro- fession, and is one of the three oldest men, in point of continuous service, in Posey county. He is a student, possesses a comprehensive library, and keeps in touch with the advancement in medicine and surgery. In 1888 he spent three months in post-graduate work in the College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons at St. Louis. Dr. Gudgel has always taken an active part in the political life of his township, and is a consistent advocate of the principals and policies of the Republican party. He served one term as a trustee of the city of Cynthiana, and as health officer for two years. He is a director of the Cynthiana Banking Company. He is a member of the Posey County Medical Association, of which he was president in 1910. He is also a member of the Indiana State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He is a member of the Modern Wood- men of America. He was married September 3, 1886, to Lizzie T. Smith, a daughter of George W. and Mary J. (Calvert) Smith, natives of Smith township, Posey county. The grandfather of Dr. Gudgel's wife, Daniel Smith, was also a pioneer resident of Posey county, and lived near Posey- ville. The family came to Indiana from Kentucky, but originally from


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North Carolina, coming to Posey county during the early days of the Eighteenth century. Dr. Gudgel's wife is the daughter of a farmer and stock raiser, and she was born and educated in Posey county, graduating from the Cynthiana High School in 1880. After her graduation she taught school one term in Owensville, two terms in Gibson county, and one term in Posey county. The family are members of the Presbyterian church. Four children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. Gudgel: Harold Owen, born July 12, 1887, who completed a three-years course in the Indiana State University in 1908, subsequently was a teacher in the Cyn- thiana schools, and is now superintendent of the Maxwell Garage, Law- renceville, Ill. ; Helen, born December 28, 1897. Eva and Marjorie died in infancy.




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