USA > Indiana > Posey County > History of Posey County, Indiana > Part 38
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of a service pension law. Governor Hovey married on November 24, 1844, Miss Mary James, a daughter of Col. E. R. James, a prominent citizen of southern Indiana. She was born at Baton Rouge, La., Feb- ruary 22, 1825, and died at Mt. Vernon, Ind., on November 6, 1863. They were the parents of five children, who are, in order of birth, as follows, viz .: Esther, born January 8, 1846, the wife of Major G. V. Menzies, of Mt. Vernon, personal mention of whom appears elsewhere in this volume; Enoch James, born February 7, 1848, died August 4, 1852 ; Charles James Hovey, a sketch of whom follows this article ; Mary, born January 18, 1854, died March 30, 1855; and Mary Anne, born April 17, 1857, died April 7, 1858. Governor Hovey was married a second time to Mrs. Rosa Valette Smith, the daughter of Caleb B. Smith, Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Lincoln. She died about six months after her marriage. Governor Hovey died in Indianapolis on November 23, 1891. The tributes of respect, and in many cases of affection called forth by the death of Alvin P. Hovey have seldom been equalled in the State in the passing away of a citi- zen. His own standard of life was high and it was apparent through- out his life while in the practice of his profession, during his service in defence of the Union, and in the positions of public trust which he so creditably filled. What may be termed his life work was finished; it had met to a great extent the fullness of his ambition. But in- finitely more precious and of personal consequence to him was the fact that he died rich in the possession of a well earned popularity, in the esteem which comes from honorable living, and in the affection that slowly develops only from unselfish works. In his professional and public life he was the embodiment of honor, as he was in his social and domestic life, the perfection of love and gentleness.
Charles James Hovey, former banker, and postmaster of the city of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in the old Hovey residence, now the property of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and used by them as their club house, on January 8, 1850, the son of General Alvin Peterson and Mary Ann (James) Hovey, a review of whom preceded this article. Charles J. Hovey acquired his education in the schools of the city of Evansville and at the Northwest Christian University at Indianapolis. In 1867 he visited his father, then minister of the United States to Peru, and made an extended tour of South America. He then visited Europe, remaining there three years and attended Polytechnical school at Carlsruher, Baden, Germany. He returned home in 1870 and purchased a one-fourth interest in the Mt. Vernon Banking Company, entering that institution as teller. In 1870 he en- gaged in the retail shoe business and continued in this line of com- mercial activity until 1876, when he journeyed to Europe, sailing via the Straits of Magellan, and remained abroad three years. He was
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obliged to pass through three armies in order to reach the city of Paris, as the Franco-Prussian war was in in progress. He was grad- uated in medicine and chemistry. On completion of his studies he re- turned to Mt. Vernon and engaged in farming. He served as justice of the peace for five years, was a railway mail clerk for one year and has twice been postmaster of Mt. Vernon, having served during the administrations of Presidents Arthur and Harrison. Mr. Hovey re- tired from active business in 1900. Charles J. Hovey married on March 6, 1871, Miss Lillie R. Jaques, a daughter of Jonathan and Parna (Whit- tlesey) Jaques, of Evansville. Mrs. Hovey died on June 5, 1912. They were the parents of five children: Dr. Alvin Jaques Hovey, a prominent dental surgeon of Mt. Vernon, who married Miss Anna Williams, the daughter of S. Jett Williams, a successful agriculturist and influential citizen of Posey county. Dr. and Mrs. Hovey are the parents of four children : Helen, Louise, Florence, Esther and Anna Jaques. Mabel, the second child, born September, 1873, died August 26, 1876. Mary, born August 17, 1875, is the wife of Otto T. Brinkman, of Mt. Vernon. Randolph Jaques Hovey, born March 23, 1879, married Miss Ruth Nep- per, a daughter of Thomas Nepper, St. Louis, Mo. Nina Hovey, the youngest child, was born June 23, 1881. She is the wife of Edwin M. Daniel, of Mt. Vernon, Ind.
Frank Deig, a prosperous farmer and land proprietor of Black town- ship, Posey county, Indiana, was born in the same township where he now lives June 29, 1873, son of John S. Deig and Mary (Miller) Deig, the former a native of Germany who came to this country when quite small, and the latter a native of Posey county. (See sketch of John A. Deig for history of the family.) Frank Deig was reared in Black township, attended common school, and two years of high school in Mt. Vernon. He then went to St. Mary's Institute in Dayton, Ohio, two years, from 1889 to 1891. After leaving college he secured a posi- tion as clerk with E. B. Schenk, later working for Alles Bros. and for Stinson Bros. He left the latter concern to engage in farming and stock raising in Black township. This was about 1899 and he has remained on the farm ever since except for one year when he lived in Mt. Vernon with his mother. Mr. Deig has a very large farm contain- ing 4041/2 acres, on which there are two tenants. The crops are chiefly wheat, corn and clover. On May 28, 1901, occurred the marriage of Frank Deig to Mary A. Muth, daughter of Clements and Elizabeth (Niehhause) Muth, natives of Dubois county, Indiana, where the fa- ther engaged in farming and stock raising. Mrs. Deig was born in Spencer county, Indiana, in August 18, 1880. After finishing the com- mon schools she came to Mt. Vernon, where she lived with E. B. Schenk and family. Mr. and Mrs. Deig became the parents of three children: John Stephen and Elizabeth J., both now attending school
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in Mt. Vernon, and Frank J., who is deceased. The family are mem- bers of the St. Matthew's Catholic Church of Mt. Vernon and Mr. Deig is a Democrat and belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 277, of Mt. Vernon, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Muth, parents of Mrs. Deig, are still living in Spencer county.
John F. Ehrhardt, a prominent farmer of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born at St. Philip in the same State August 14, 1870, son of Jacob Ehrhardt (see sketch). He was reared at the place of his birth, where he was educated at the public and parochial schools. After leaving school he began farming at home for his mother, his father having died when he was quite young. At the age of twenty-two he started out in life for himself, first renting the place where he now lives, and after four years buying the property. He has a farm of eighty acres under cultivation and well improved. His specialty is wheat and he has been very suc- cessful with it. On April 23, 1893, Mr. Ehrhardt married Miss Carolina Appel, daughter of John and Louisa (Krittenstein) Appel, her father a native of Germany who came to this country when a small boy with his parents, who took government land. A part of this land is now in possession of George Ehrhardt, brother of our subject. Mrs. Ehrhardt was born in Marrs township and attended school at the Hartman school house. They have two children, John J., born January 29, 1894, and Edward G., born August 18, 1899. John J. is a graduate of the country schools, the Mt. Vernon High School, class of 1912, and of Draughan's Business College, Evansville, Ind., where he took bookkeeping and stenography. Edward G. is a graduate of the common schools. Mr. Ehrhardt is a member of the Christian Science church, in which he is a trustee, and is independent in politics. He is a stockholder in the St. Philip Telephone Company and in the Home Insurance Company.
John Oscar Dixon, a popular and influential citizen of Posey county and one of its most successful farmers, was born on the Dixon farm in Point township, July 21, 1870, the son of John and Angeline (Wel- born) Dixon. The founder of the family in Indiana was John Dixon, a native of Kentucky, who came to Posey county previous to the year 1820 and entered upon land in Point township. He was the great-grand- father of the subject of this article, who is descended from him as fol- lows: John Dixon, Junior, the son of John, and his son, John Dixon, who married Angeline Welborn, and they were the parents of John Oscar Dixon. The family have been prominent in the affairs of Point township since its organization. In the first township election, held on May 30, 1835, John, David and James Dixon were among the reg- istered voters. The members of the family were extensive land owners, which when purchased by them was virgin forest, and the township owes much to their pluck and energy in clearing tlie large acreage which they owned and in bringing their lands up to a high state of cultivation.
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John Dixon, the father of our subject, was one of the successful men of his time, influential in the civil and religious life of his district, and well and favorably known throughout the county. He was a Republican and active in the work of that organization, but without inclination for public office. He was born in Point township on January 28, 1840, and died on April 7, 1888. His wife, who survives him, was the daughter of John Welborn, a native of North Carolina, and one of the successful farm- ers of Black township, of which he was a pioneer settler. They were the parents of one child, the subject of this sketch. John Oscar Dixon was reared on the Dixon farm in Point township and educated in its public schools. His father died when he was aged eighteen and his large farming interests were placed under the management of his widow. He was called upon to take the active management, under his mother's guidance, and his success in the working of the property was such as to persuade his mother to give him full charge upon reaching his ma- jority. He is an untiring worker, progressive in his methods, and is recognized as one of the foremost agriculturists in the county. The Dixon farms comprise over 500 acres, are well improved and stocked. Mr. Dixon has always been found among the supporters of those meas- ures which have had for their object the development and betterment of his township, while the schools have received from him liberal support. He has been an earnest advocate of better school buildings and an extended school term, and has served as school director for several years. He is a Republican in his political affiliations, but, like his fa- ther, has no inclination for public office. He is a member of the Ma- sonic order, Mt. Vernon Lodge, No. 277, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Posey Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles, and Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Dixon married on August 8, 1898, Miss Mary Elizabeth Winston, the daughter of Allen Winston, of Tennessee. They are the parents of three children: Douglas Dixon, born May 31, 1901; James Grover Dixon, born January 6, 1906; and Ola Elizabeth Dixon, born May 31, 1913.
Lannie Gilbert Morrow, manager of the Wadesville branch of the Home Mill and Elevator Company of Mt. Vernon, was born in Posey- ville, Ind., July 15, 1888, son of Anderson and Mary Louise (Reeves) Morrow. The father was born in Ohio and came to Posey county in 1882, locating at Poseyville, where for ten years he was a building con- tractor. He retired in 1910 and now lives at Wadesville. Anderson Morrow and Mary Louise Reeves were married in 1884 and had seven children : Lannie G., of this record; Minnie, born September 21, 1891, now the wife of Julius Gambrel, of Caborns Station, Ind .; Lawrence Earl, born September 27, 1893; Nettie, born August 14, 1897; Harry, born March 28, 1902; and two of whom died in infancy. Lannie Morrow was educated in the public schools of Poseyville and Wadesville, gradu-
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ating from the Wadesville High School in 1905. He was employed in clerking, farming and was a teacher in the district schools of Harmony township. In June, 1912, he became manager of the Wadesville branch of the Home Mill and Elevator Company, of Mt. Vernon. Mr. Morrow was married January 18, 1913, to Miss Myrtle Oliver, daughter of Sam- uel Oliver, of Center township. She was born December 23, 1887, at Oliver. Her parents are natives of Posey county. Mr. Morrow is a Democrat.
Dr. Charles Arburn, a leading physician of Wadesville, Ind., was born on a farm near Haubstadt, Johnson township, Gibson county, that State, October 13, 1858, son of John and Angeline (Henson) Arburn. John Arburn was born in England July 13, 1824, and came to America with his parents in 1831, locating in Gibson county at an early date. He was a farmer all his life and died at Fort Branch in 1883. In 1840 he married Miss Angeline Henson, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1826. She died in July, 1899. Four sons and six daughters were born to these parents : John M., born March 22, 1844, now a retired merchant of Oak- land City, Ind .; Frances, born September 29, 1843, who married Charles Loper, of Francisco, Ind .; Rebecca, born June 3, 1846, died May 27, 1849; Nancy Jane, born March 6, 1848, died March 6, 1849; David F., born February 14, 1850, died August 4, 1909; Joel H., who became a physician, born February 20, 1852, died in September, 1883; Parthenia, born February 7, 1854, now the wife of Jonathan E. Douglass, a farmer, of Fort Branch, Ind .; Mary Elizabeth, born February 16, 1856, now the wife of James T. Dorsey, a farmer of Fort Branch, Ind .; Martha Belle, born October 17, 1860, died December 10, 1861; Angeline, born September 8, 1862, now Mrs. Patterson, of Durango, Colo .; Charles, our subject. Charles Arburn attended the public schools of Gibson county and began teaching at the age of twenty. He taught for four years in that county and then engaged in farming. At the age of twenty-eight he entered the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, from which institution he graduated with the class of 1889. He located for practice at Carmi, Ill., where he remained two years. In 1892 he removed to East Lynn, Ill. After practicing in that town four years he located in 1896 in Wadesville, where he has an extensive practice and where he has since lived. Dr. Arburn is a student, keeps abreast of the advance- ment made in medicine and surgery and in 1896 completed a thirty- days course in Chicago Post-Graduate School. He is a member of Posey County and Indiana State Medical Societies, and the American Medical Association. He is a Democrat, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Court of Honor, Modern Woodmen of America and has occupied all the chairs in his various lodges. Dr. Arburn was married May 1, 1884, to Miss Martha Florence Smith, daughter of George W. and Mary Jane (Calvert) Smith, farmers of Smith town-
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ship, Posey county. She was born November 27, 1861, in Smith town- ship, where her parents were also born. Her grandfather, Daniel Smith, came from North Carolina at an early date and when Posey county was organized in 1814, Smith township was named in his honor. Mrs. Arburn has a sister and brother, both younger than herself, Lizzie, now the wife of Dr. James E. Gudgel, of Cynthiana, Ind., and J. W. Smith, a merchant, of Champaign, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Arburn have two sons and two daughters: Will Smith Arburn, born January 10, 1886, now in the bond brokerage business at Terre Haute, Ind .; James E. Arburn, born March 27, 1892, an employe of the Adams Express Company in Indianapolis ; Mary Ruth, born June 6, 1894, and Agnes Dorothy, born December 9, 1900. Dr. and Mrs. Auburn are members of the Primitive Baptist church.
Dan Williams, banker and farmer of Wadesville, Ind., is a native of Posey county, a member of one of its oldest pioneer families and was born on his father's farm in Harmony township on September 3, 1868, the son of Jonathan and Mary Ellen (Cox) Williams. The family was founded in Indiana in March, 1828, when Urbane Williams, a native of Virginia, came from Nelson county, Kentucky, and located on land near Stewartsville, Posey county. About two years later he bought a tract of land in Harmony township, which he cleared and improved, and on which he resided until his death, June 25, 1848. He had married, while a resident of Kentucky, Nancy Johnson, a native of that State, who died in February, 1845. Their son, Asa C. Williams, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Nelson county, Kentucky, October 20, 1818. He was reared on his father's farm in Harmony township and was educated in the schools of that early day. On reaching his majority he engaged in farming, purchasing a tract of forty acres in what is now Center town- ship. He was not only a successful farmer, but a man of exceptional financial ability, and accumulated a large fortune for his time. In 1867 he removed to Mt. Vernon and was elected vice-president of the First National Bank, an institution which he had helped to organize. He was elected president of the bank in 1873 and remained at its head until his death, which occurred in 1896. As a banker he was known as a discriminating financier, one who brought the administrative policy of his bank up to the point of highest efficiency, and whose efforts in fostering the development of the manufacturing and commercial inter- ests of Mt. Vernon were second to none. He was a generous supporter of the Baptist church and his charities were many and varied. As a cit- izen he was greatly esteemed and he exerted a potent influence for good throughout the county. He was married twice-first on January 28, 1840, to Dicy Cox, a native of Posey county, who died on August 29, 1844. Three children were born of this union: Jonathan, the father of our subject ; Martha, who married Charles Hays; and Asa, all of whom
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are deceased. On July 17, 1845, he married Anna Gwaltney, a daughter of Benjamin Gwaltney, a pioneer citizen of the county. Through his second marriage three children were born: John T., a farmer of Har- mony township; Stephen Jett, personal mention of whom appears else- where in this work; and Dicy, deceased. Jonathan Williams became a successful farmer in Harmony township. He took an active part in the political life of his section and wielded an influence for good. He did not possess the commercial genius of his father, preferring to remain on the home farm, where he was at home in the fields, in the woods and with his stock. He married in 1861, Mary Ellen Cox, a daughter of John Cox, a native of South Carolina, who came to Posey county with his parents in the early days of its settlement. The death of Mr. Wil- liams occurred in January, 1873, and that of his wife in April, 1887. They were the parents of seven children, who are as follows: John C., born September 4, 1862, died February 28, 1869; Laura Isabel, born August 12, 1865, who became the wife of David Hutchinson, who resides near Carmi, Ill. She died January 31, 1885; William Henry, born No- vember 22, 1863, died October 15, 1883; Dan, our subject; Leona, born November 26, 1870, the wife of Stephen Hancock, a farmer of Robb township ; Alden L., born June 29, 1879, died April, 1900; and Mary Ellen, born April 22, 1867, died August 21, 1870. Dan Williams was reared on the old home farm in Harmony township and received his education in the public schools of Posey county. On reaching his majority he bought a farm in Lynn township and operated it with such success that his profits equaled the purchase price during the seven years he farmed there. His next venture was in Center township, where he bought 145 acres where he duplicated his former success. He now owns one of the large farms of the county, 320 acres, situated about three miles from Wade- sville. The land is exceptionally good, is in a high state of cultivation, and in the matter of improvements is not excelled in southwestern Indiana. He became a resident of Wadesville in 1905 and in 1907 he promoted the organization of the Farmers National Bank. He was elected cashier of the institution upon incorporation and has since served in that ca- pacity. As a banker he is demonstrating the possession of the sound financial judgment, executive and initiative ability, and progressiveness which made Asa C. Williams a power in the financial circles of his sec- tion of the State. In the administration of the business of the insti- tution he has been the controlling executive and to him is due the highly favorable showing made during its six years of business life. The bank has an earned surplus of $4,750, undivided profits of $750, and its de- posits average about $120,000, a very creditable showing, considering the population of Wadesville and the strong competition of nearby towns which have long established institutions. His political affilia- tions have been with the Democratic party. He was elected trustee of
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Center township in 1904 and served during a term of four years. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Williams married on January I, 1891, Miss Eurie M. Willis, a daughter of Rob- ert M. and Jane (Downen) Willis, the father a farmer of Center town- ship, where she was born on December 31, 1869. Mrs. Williams died on December 7, 1903. They were the parents of five children: Mildred, born October 15, 1891, died October 6, 1898; Harold, born November 8, 1893; and Asa Dan, born January 31, 1896, died September 2, 1896; Anna Jane, born August 10, 1897; and Eurie May, born May 15, 1900. On December 6, 1904, Mr. Williams married Miss Amy Anna Stallings, the daughter of John W. and Martha Stallings, both of whom were born in Posey county, but now reside in Omaha, Gallatin county, Illinois. Mrs. Williams is also a native of Posey county and was born on No- vember 6, 1881. Three children have been born of this union, viz .: Amy Marie, born December 12, 1905; Mary Corine, born June 18, 1908;' and Fannie Jauna, born December 5, 1910.
August Schieber .- History is the preserved record of events, as biog- raphy is the personal record of those who have been actively concerned in the moulding and action of the events from which history is made. A publication of this nature exercises its most important function when it takes cognizance of the life and labors of those citizens who have been of material value in furthering the advancement and development of a community. The late August Schieber, a resident of Mt. Vernon for nearly fifty years, its most extensive owner of business and resi- dence property, and one of Posey county's most successful men of af- fairs, is entitled to distinctive recognition in this volume. August Schieber was born in Wittenberg, Germany, February 7, 1841, a son of Frederick and Magdalena Schieber, residents of the town of Stuggart, where the father died when August was seven years of age. His mother married a second time, her husband being Frederick Richert, and in 1848 he brought his family to the United States and located in Evans- ville, Ind., where he established a brewery. August Schieber was reared in Evansville, was educated in its schools, was variously employed in the brewery of his step-father and also learned the cooper's trade. He completed a course in Buchanan's Commercial College at Evansville, attending this school at night. On the breaking out of the war in 1861 he enlisted in defense of the Union and served throughout the conflict, being a member of the Twenty-fourth Indiana volunteer infantry, of which General Alvin P. Hovey, then colonel, was in command. Fred- erick Rickert erected, shortly after the war, a hotel on Water street in Mt. Vernon, named the Flower House, in which young Schieber managed the cafe. In 1871 the hotel was sold and August Schieber initiated his first commercial enterprise. He established a retail grocery and liquor store on Water street. In the conduct of this business he
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demonstrated the possession of those qualities necessary to success as a merchant and built up an exceedingly profitable enterprise. About 1890 he disposed of the store and removed to a more central location at Mulberry and Water streets, where he continued as a merchant until his realty interests became so important that he retired from com- mercial life, giving his entire attention to the management of his busi- ness, residence and farm properties. From the time he entered com- mercial life he was a consistent buyer, with the profits derived from his business, of farm and city property, until his holdings were the largest of any individual in Mt. Vernon, and required not only his entire time in their supervision, but necessitated the employment of assistants. He was the owner of a number of improved business properties, including the Masonic Hall building, forty-one residences, farm lands totaling over 2,000 acres, the Posey county fair grounds of about forty acres, and had been interested directly or indirectly with many other business enter- prises of his home city. He was one of the organizers, the largest stockholder and president of the Consumers Ice and Cold Storage Com- pany, of Mt. Vernon, which is reviewed at length in the chapter on "Manufacturing and Commercial Enterprises," and president of the Lee Lumber Company of Memphis, Tenn., of which his son was general manager, one of the most important concerns in the lumber industry in the South. Essentially a business man, Mr. Schieber had neither time nor inclination for political office, although he served for several terms as a member of the council of Mt. Vernon, believing that a citizen of large property interests should devote a portion of his time and business experience in the management of civic affairs. He was a Republican. Mr. Schieber married on June 18, 1870, Miss Mary Anna Schutte, a daughter of Frank and Clara (Knair) Schutte, both of whom were born in Pricen, Germany. Frank Schutte was a farmer and came to the United States in 1856, locating on land in Marrs township, Posey county, Indiana, which he operated until his death. Mrs. Schieber was born in Pricen, Germany, on June 22, 1851, and was reared in Marrs township. She acquired her education in the St. Philip parochial school and attended the church there. She is a woman who has de- veloped a talent for business affairs, has a comprehensive knowledge of the responsibilities of property ownership, and since the death of Mr. Schieber, which occurred on February 8, 1910, has supervised the management of the large and varied interests left her by her husband. She has been, to some extent, a student, is well read on a variety of subjects, and is the reader of the Christian Science church of Mt. Vernon, of which she is a member. August Frank Schieber, the only child of August and Mary Anna Schieber, was born in Mt. Vernon on March 17, 1871. He received his early educational discipline in the public schools of his native city and through a course of study in St.
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