History of Posey County, Indiana, Part 41

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 41


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William C. Fuhrer, president of the Fuhrer-Ford Milling Company of Mt. Vernon, of which city he has been a resident since 1858, and one of the most prominent men of affairs in Posey county, was born in Pitts- burg, Penn., November 25, 1837, a son of Gregory and Elizabeth (Johns) Fuhrer. Gregory Fuhrer was born in Alsace-Lorraine, France, his parents being of German origin, and about 1830 he came to the United States, lo- cated in Pennsylvania and there met and married Elizabeth Johns, a na- tive of Westmoreland county, who was also of German descent. In 1858 he brought his family to Indiana and settled in Mt. Vernon, where he engaged in farming and market gardening. William C. Fuhrer was reared in Pittsburg, Penn., and acquired his education in the public schools of that city and was graduated from Duff's College. Shortly after the arrival of the family in Mt. Vernon, he secured employment as clerk of a wharf boat and was later bookkeeper for the dry goods firm of Mann, Larkin & Welborn. His initial venture as an owner was in the river trade in which he was a part owner in the steamers Hazel Dell, West Wind, and others of their class. He entered the commer- cial life of Mt. Vernon with Fred and John Decker-Decker, Fuhrer & Co .- and later with Walter L. Sullivan and Richard Sarlls he formed the firm of Sullivan, Fuhrer & Co., and engaged in the retail dry goods business. In 1867 he engaged in the grain business and in 1883 entered the milling business as a member of the firm of Fuhrer, Boyce & Co., his associates being George W. and William L. Boyce. He was the first to establish a cash grain business, paying on delivery of the commodity, a method of transaction which not only was of decisive advantage to him as a buyer, but enabled the growers to avoid possible loss through the failure of any of the grain dealers during the interval between the buying and marketing of cereals, which in those days consumed some little time as the principal market was New Orleans. In 1883 he firm of Fuhrer, Boyce & Co. built the first "Peerless Mill," which was burned in 1899, and on its site the present mill was erected and is now operated by the Fuhrer-Ford Milling Company, who succeeded to the business


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of the original builders. A review of this enterprise is included in the chapter "Manufacturing and Commercial Enterprises." Mr. Fuhrer has also been interested directly and indirectly with many other business enterprises of his home city, and perhaps no one of its citizens has had more to do with the development and building up of Mt. Vernon than he. In truth he has been one of the foremost in every movement which had for its object the city's progress, thrift and substantial growth. His political affiliations have been with the Republican party, his first presi- dential vote having been cast for Apraham Lincoln. In 1876 he sup- ported Tilden and Hendricks, his one deflection from straight party lines. Political office has never appealed to him. He has attained the Knights Templar degree in Masonry, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Fuhrer marrried, in 1860, Miss Ann Phillips, who was born and reared in Lynn township, Posey county. Three children were born of this marriage, viz .: Eugene H. Fuhrer, born March II, 1865, secretary and treasurer of the Fuhrer-Ford Milling Company of Mt. Vernon ; Minnie Fuhrer, born in 1867, wife of Charles E. Peperday of Jacksonville, Fla., who died there in 1905, and a boy who died in infancy.


James L. Keeling, successful merchant and prominent citizen of Oliver, Ind., is a native of Posey county and was born on January 7, 1870, a son of Charles L. and Angeline (Downen) Keeling. The elder Keel- ing was also a native son of Posey county, having been born in Black township on March 7, 1843. His parents were natives of Virginia, who settled in Posey county during the early years of its development. Charles L. Keeling spent his early life in assisting his father to clear and improve land for farming. His after life was passed in agricul- tural pursuits. He died in Mt. Vernon on December 29, 1912. Of the family, which consisted of six children, but one is living, a sister, Martha, the widow of W. C. Allen, who was a farmer in Lynn township. He married, when a young man, Angeline Downen, and of this union seven children were born, viz .: James L. Keeling, the subject of this sketch; Timothy, born June 27, 1873, a farmer of Eldorado, Ill .; Ger- trude, born August 22, 1875, the wife of Ollie Maize, a railway employee of Poplar Bluff, Mo .; Elizabeth, born December 15, 1878, the wife of Henry Overfield, also of Poplar Bluff; Mary, born December 20, 1881, the wife of Walter Compton of Mt. Vernon, Ind .; Otis, born Decem- ber 20, 1884, a railway employee of Mt. Carmel, Ill .; and Martha, who died in infancy. James L. Keeling was reared on his father's farm in Black township, acquired his education in the schools of his native county, and learned the carpenter's trade. He was next employed as a clerk and in 1904 established his present business, that of a general merchant, at Oliver. This enterprise has been successful. Its growth has been continuous, it has been profitable, and Mr. Keeling's business


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methods have been such as to draw trade from a large district. He is a director in his school district and a member of the Masonic order. Mr. Keeling married, on December 29, 1892, Miss Eva Barton, a daugh- ter of Samuel and Rachel (McKinnier) Barton, each a native of Posey county, where their daughter was born on April 29, 1876. Three chil- dren have been born of this union, viz .: Rachel, born October 28, 1893, who married on February 10, 1912, Thomas Menikheim, and they have one son, Earl James, born April 20, 1913; Earl Keeling, born January 29, 1895, a salesman in his father's store; and Veral, born April 14, 1906.


James C. Jeffries, a farmer of Black township, Posey county, Indiana, was born in that township November 12, 1842, son of James S. and Rosanna (Curtis) Jeffries, the farmer born in Mecklenberg county, Virginia, and the latter a native of North Carolina. Mr. Curtis, grand- father of James Jeffries, removed from North Carolina to Tennessee, and then to Indiana, at a very early date before much of the country was cleared. James S. Jeffries was born in 1799, and he came to Indiana with his parents in 1811, the year of the earthquake at New Madrid, Mo. The grandfather Jeffries was an early-day teacher and farmer, operated the ferry at McFadden's Bluff, now Mt. Vernon, and was the first ferry- man at that place. He removed to the South later, where he died. Grandfather and Grandmother Curtis and James S. Jeffries and his wife died in Black township. James C. Jeffries received his education in the common schools and in the city schools of Mt. Vernon, and after finish- ing the course he began teaching in Posey county. Some of the school buildings were of logs with home-made furniture. In his twenty-seven years of teaching Mr. Jeffries only taught ten and one-half months out- side of Posey county. A part of these twenty-seven years Mr. Jeffries had been farming in the summer time, and in 1889 he discontinued teach- ing and engaged in farming and stock raising. He never had to make a second trial for his certificate, his grades always being good. Mr. Jef- fries can remember when the country was timbered and log rollings were in vogue in the spring, the feast being ham and eggs. He is an active Democrat. His fraternal affiliations are with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. James C. Jeffries married Miss Martha Templeton, daughter of Gilbert and Martha (Hol- land) Templeton, who was educated in the schools of Mt. Vernon. The father of Martha Holland was Hezekiah Holland, a doctor and minister in Posey county, where he died. Mrs. Holland died in Kentucky. Mrs. Jeffries was born in Posey county, and attended school near her father's farm. She is the sister of Worth Templeton, former trustee of Black township. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries became the parents of nine children : George W., William H., Mattie, Ruth and Albert, all deceased ; James G., at home with his parents; Julius W., married Nellie Armstrong, daugh-


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ter of Frank J. and Fannie Armstrong, has one child, Mary, and they live at home on the Jeffries farm; Octavia, married Christian Moritz and lives in Nebraska; and Louis E., lives in Illinois, married Maggie Trafford, daughter of Edward and Dorcas Trafford, has one child, Norma Fern.


Michael Grabert, a retired farmer and merchant of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Wurtenberg, Germany, December 9, 1841. His father died before the birth of George, and his mother afterward married Fred- erick Rupp. He attended school in his native land and after finishing his education worked on a farm for a time, after which he engaged in the teaming business, following this occupation eight years, four of which were spent driving a hack. He came to America in 1866, his mother and stepfather coming the next year. He settled in Posey county and worked for a man by the name of Eberhardt Schenk on a farm in Black township, two and a half miles from Mt. Vernon. At that time the section now comprising the northern part of the town was all woods. In the spring of 1867 he began farming for himself on the old Campbell place near Mt. Vernon. He was a renter until 1869 when he bought a farm of forty acres southwest of town. Here he lived about eleven years, in which time he increased his acreage to 200. In 1881 he sold out and removed to Mt. Vernon where he engaged in a grocery and saloon business on Store street. He sold the store in 1897 and retired from active business life. Two years later he bought a home adjoining Mt. Vernon. It contains twelve and one-half acres of land which has on it one of the most beautiful houses in or about town. The lawns are large and well kept, and it has all the modern improvements, including cement walks. While living on the farm Mr. Grabert was road supervisor of Black township. He was the owner of 1,500 acres of land in Black township, Posey county, 160 in Point township and a section in Carson county, Panhandle of Texas. He is a member of the Luthern church. Mr. Grabert was married the first time in the fall of 1867, to Magdalena Friends, daughter of John Friends and wife, natives of Germany, who came to America and located in Posey county. By this marriage there was one child, Mary, who married Charlie Grabert, and died in October, 1912. Magdalena Grabert died in 1876, and our subject was married again the same year to Margaret Kaufmann, who lived less than a year after her marriage, dying in the fall of 1876. Mr. Grabert was married for the third time in October, 1877, when he took as his wife Louisa Susik, daughter of Frederick Susik and wife, natives of Germany. Her father died in his native country and she came to America with her mother when about six or seven years of age. She was educated in the schools of Posey county. Mr. and Mrs. Grabert had eight children, all boys, one of whom died at birth, and two others, Otto and George, died in childhood. The living are: Andrew G.,


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Charlie, Otto, Fred and William. Charlie and Otto are living in Evans- ville, the former engaged in the saloon business. Andrew G. is a paper- hanger and painter in Mt. Vernon. Fred is working for the Electric Light Company, and William is attending school at Mt. Vernon.


Elliott W. LaDuke, one of the older residents of Posey county, In- diana, whose memory harks back to the days of diamond plows, grub- bing stumps and raising wool for clothing, was born in Harrison county, Indiana, October 23, 1858, son of Harrison and Mary (Johnson) LaDuke, natives of the same county where the grandfather of the subject settled upon coming from France. Harrison LaDuke was a farmer and also engaged in brick making, in which he used the old method by hand. Mr. LaDuke, our subject, was raised in Harrison county, attending the country schools of those times. He worked at farming, first as a hired hand, saving money enough to start for himself at the time of his mar- riage. Oxen were used in hauling timbers in those days, and the old- fashioned farm implements were still in vogue. His first farm had to be grubbed of stumps. Fourteen years ago he bought his present farm, which is one of the best in this section of the country. He has always been successful in his farming and stock raising. Percheron horses, Poland China hogs and cattle have been his specialties. Upon one occasion he sold in Mt. Vernon a Short Horn from his herd which weighed 1,960 pounds. His entire farm of 128 acres is under cultivation and he also farms eighty acres near his home. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party, but public office has never appealed to him. He was one of the active factors in the organization of the Farm- ers' Elevator Company of Mt. Vernon. On November 13, 1883, Mr. LaDuke married Miss Mary Alldredge, daughter of Jefferson and Isa- belle Alldredge, natives of Indiana, mother born in Lawrenceburg, Ind. She was born in Posey county, Indiana, February 20, 1868, on the farm where her parents still reside. Here she was raised and attended the country schools. As a girl she carded cotton to make quilts, picking the seeds out by hand. She has helped plant corn by dropping it by hand into the hill, someone following with a hoe to cover the grains. Those were the days when wheat was cut with a cradle, and Mr. LaDuke used to do his harvesting in this manner. Clover was cut with a scythe, and raking was done by hand. Threshing was done in the same way that it was done in Biblical times, by tramping out the grain. Mrs. La- Duke remembers the first threshing machine. It was horse power, and was purchased by her brother. It is well within the memory of both our subject and his wife when their parents raised sheep for wool with which they made clothing, using the old spindle and hand loom. They became the parents of seven children: Elmer, born March 12, 1885; Edith, born September 18, 1886, married S. W. Frease, and lives in Black township ; Mabel, born February 25, 1889, graduated from the Mt. Ver-


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non High School, and is now teaching school at Stewartsville, Ind .; Nora, born May 13, 1892, married Earl Miller, and lives in Black town- ship; Vivian, born December 17, 1897, graduated from the common schools; Malcolm, born January 1, 1899, and Floyd, born October 7, 1902, are now attending school. The LaDuke family are members of the Methodist church, in which Mr. LaDuke is a trustee.


Henry Yunker, merchant and farmer of Grafton, is a native of Ger- many, having been born in the Valley of the Rhine September 3, 1835, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Haas) Yunker, natives of the Rhine valley. He remained on the farm with his parents until seventeen years of age, and in 1852 set sail for America, the trip taking fifty-six days, the ship landing at New Orleans December 22, 1852. The ship was a sailing ves- sel and while on board news was received of the election of Pierce as president of the United States. Mr. Yunker came to Indiana from New Orleans, reaching Evansville January 5, 1853. He began life in America by working as a farm hand for one month for $5.00. He then began learning the cooper's trade, working for one year for his board. After finishing apprenticeship he borrowed $7.00 to buy tools and came to Mt. Vernon to work in a shop. Later he walked back to Evansville to pay the $7.00. He has an adz that was bought at that time as a relic. After working at his trade in Mt. Vernon, Uniontown and Vanderburg county five years he went into business for himself at McKeetown, Black township, Posey county, and after remaining there one year he went into business in partnership with Conrad Mutz at Grafton. They had a store and some rented land and during the five years that they were together under the firm name of Mutz and Yunker, Mr. Yunker attended to the store and Mutz farmed the land. In 1864 Mr. Yunker bought out Mutz and the next year he sold the store and removed to Mt. Vernon, where he bought a building at the corner of Main and Water streets and embarked in the grocery and saloon business with his former partner. Mr. Mutz had kept the lands and Mr. Yunker bought an equal share in them. They continued doing business as partners for fifteen years. In the meantime, their building was destroyed by fire and they removed to the middle of the block where the colored barber shop is now located and later to the corner where Brinkman now is. At the end of fifteen years they sold out to Kalbfusz, who had acquired an in- terest in the firm, and Mr. Yunker returned to Grafton, his share in the division being 208 acres of land at that place beside the corner lot at Mt. Vernon. He at once opened a store and became postmaster. In all he has served as postmaster twenty-one years, including the time he served before going to Mt. Vernon. When the Grafton postoffice was first opened only two people took newspapers. Mr. Yunker had to drive to Mt. Vernon twice a week after the mail. He continued as postmaster until the office was discontinued and the rural delivery installed in its


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place. Mr. Yunker returned to Grafton in 1881 and since that time has added 200 more acres of land to his holdings of that time. When in Mt. Vernon he served the city three times as councilman from the Third ward, defeating a Republican in a Republican ward. He was on the board of county supervisors for one term and a member of the public highway viewers. Mr. Yunker has also been administrator of several estates and has been bondsman for a number of his friends to the amount of thousands of dollars. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in politics is a Democrat. Mr. Yunker was married Sep- tember 3, 1858, to Miss Caroline V. Schuck, daughter of Godlif Schuck, her parents natives of Germany. Four children were born to this union : Charles H., who operates the Yunker farm at Grafton ; Anna L., married J. J. Boszkirk, and lives in Wichita, Kan .; Emily O., married Charles Walz and lives in Wichita ; Clara, also living in Wichita. The first Mrs. Yunker died August 15, 1874. Mr. Yunker remarried December 24, 1874, taking as his wife Miss Caroline Seib, daughter of Frank Seib, na- tive of Germany, who came to this country from Ellsasz and engaged in the butcher business. Caroline Seib was born in Mt. Vernon, Ind., where she attended the common schools. They have four children, all living : Albert R., farmer ; Henrietta E., Margaret M., Frank P., farmer. When Mr. Yunker first came to Indiana this section was a wilderness and when he and Mr. Mutz were farming during the Civil war they had to cut wheat with a cradle, and in the summer of 1873 Mr. Yunker cradled seventy-four acres of wheat himself. He was a member of the Home Guards during the Civil war.


Alonzo J. Alldredge, one of the oldest natives of Posey county, was born October 9, 1846, son of Anderson and Sarah Mariah Alldredge, also natives of Indiana. In his boyhood much of the land now under cultiva- tion was forest and there were no railroads in the county. Mt. Vernon was but a small village and where the hominy mill now stands a Mr. Brinkman had a blacksmith shop and there was a saloon on the location of Rosenbaum's store. There were a great many wild turkeys and Mr. Alldredge can remember of one occasion when his dog was chasing a flock of these birds and one of them jumped up on the fence where he caught it with his hands. At that time there was an old grist mill on the creek near Grafton, where the farmers had their grain ground by water power. Alonzo attended the common schools and remained at home with his parents until the age of twenty-one. At the age of seventeen he enlisted in Brown's company of Mt. Vernon. They made a trip to Morgantown, thence to Henderson and back to Mt. Vernon. He was also in Johnson's raid across the Kentucky border. At the age of twenty- one he began farming for himself, taking charge of his father's place of 200 acres. As only fifty acres of this tract were cleared, he had to subdue the forest before he could gain any benefit of the ground. These were


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the days of split rail fences, some of those made at that time remaining to this day. When he started farming he had to cradle his own wheat, mow clover and other grass with a scythe and use oxen for farm work. One year Mr. Alldredge threshed wheat by tramping it out with four horses under a big shade tree. He was able to tramp out 200 bushels in a week's time. He continued clearing his land and now has 240 acres under cultivation, having added to the original holding. Mr. Alldredge married Victoria Bishop, the marriage occurring in 1867. She was born in Posey county, where she was raised and educated. They had four children : Lemuel, January 20, 1872, now living on the home place ; Laura, May 4, 1874 ; Otis, January 5, 1870, and Minnie, December 3, 1876, now deceased. His first wife died February 7, 1877, and he married Miss Martha S. Pierman, daughter of James Pierman of Indiana. She was born in Posey county, where she was raised, educated and married. They had five children : Marsh, February 23, 1880; Fred, August 13, 1881 ; Elijah, July 4, 1884; Julius, November 13, 1887, and Eva, November 15, 1890. Eva is deceased and the other four are all living in the county. Mrs. Martha Alldredge died January 26, 1891. He married as his third wife Sarah Pierman, a sister of his second wife.


John S. Alldredge, county commissioner, farmer and former merchant of Mt. Vernon, Ind., was born in Posey county December 9, 1860, son of Samuel S. Alldredge and Louisa (Allbright) Alldredge, natives of Posey county, where the family on both sides was engaged in farming and stock raising. John Alldredge was reared in Black township and after finishing the common schools he worked on the farm with his parents until twenty years of age, when he started out for himself, his father presenting him with a farm to begin on. He still lives on this same farm, but in the meantime he has branched out into other business. For two years Mr. Alldredge had an implement and buggy store in Mt. Vernon, firm style of Alldredge & Son, and previous to this, about 1895, opened a general merchandise store in Upton, and after opening the store in Mt. Vernon he managed the two, besides overseeing his three farms in Black township. He also bought grain for Fuhrer & Co. for two years and then for the hominy mill, and at present is buyer for the American Hominy Co. He has 300 acres of well-improved land, besides a fine home in Mt. Vernon. In 1910 Mr. Alldredge was elected county com- missioner on the Democratic ticket. He is active in the Methodist Epis- copal church and is a member of the Lion's association. On March 13, 1880, Mr. Alldredge married Miss Sallie Wilborn, daughter of William and Elizabeth Wilborn, natives of Posey county, where subject's wife was born and attended common school. They had three children: Her- man, August 3, 1881; William J., November, 1885, and Della, 1883. The first wife died in 1886. On September 18, 1887, Mr. Alldredge mar- ried Miss Mary L. Redman, daughter of George and Ann Redman, na-


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tives of Posey county, where their daughter was born and reared. Three children were born to this union, Elsie, 1888, who married Raymond Bray and lives in Posey county ; Ethel, 1890, married Herbert Redman and lives in Mt. Vernon, where he is a barber in the Deitz shop, and Edith, deceased in infancy.


William D. Erwin, a representative of one of the earliest families of Black township, Posey county, Indiana, was born in that township Feb- ruary 15, 1859, son of Jefferson and Hannah (Howard) Erwin, both na- tives of Tennessee. Hannah Howard was the daughter of Baldwin and Susan (Racier) Howard, also natives of Tennessee. The mother of our subject came to Posey county from Davis county, Indiana, and the father came here from Tennessee. He was born in 1814 and she on No- vember 16, 1828. Jefferson Erwin was engaged in farming and stock raising and ran a carding machine to which the settlers brought their wool for many miles. This was the "hangout" for the settlers at certain seasons of the year. He also had a store at Farmersville for seven or eight years. He died December 20, 1875, and his wife November 13, 1888. William Erwin attended school for a short time at Crab Orchard school, but received most of his education at Farmersville. After finishing his course he began farming and has continued in this occupation, making a specialty of Jersey cattle and Poland China hogs at one time. He is a Democrat in politics and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Encampment, the Rebekahs and the Ben Hur lodge. On March 14, 1882, Mr. Erwin married Mattie A. Redman, daughter of David and Johanna (Johnson) Redman, the former a native of England and the latter of Ireland, both coming to this country in childhood. Mrs. Erwin was born in Mt. Vernon on April 17, 1859, and attended common, school at Farmersville and at Mt. Vernon. They have two children : Carrie, born August 23, 1884, and Dalton, April 15, 1883. Carrie at- tended the schools of Crab Orchard, Farmersville and graduated from high school, 1902, at Mt. Vernon and taught school for one term of eight months. Dalton received his education in the Crab Orchard and Mt. Vernon schools and is a graduate of the Evansville Commercial College. On January 24, 1906, he married Mary E. Ashworth, daughter of David and Frances Ashworth, of Mt. Vernon, and lives in Mt. Vernon, where he is employed by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad. They have two children, Agnes Ellen, born January 19, 1907, and William D., born February 20, 1909. Agnes E. is attending school in Mt. Vernon.




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