USA > Indiana > Rush County > History of Rush County, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana territory, and the State of Indiana > Part 80
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JOHN JACKSON was born in Wilkes County, N. C., in 1816. His parents were William and Mary A. (Reddin) Jackson, whose biog- raphy appears in this volume. At an early age John came with his parents to this county. In 1840, he was married to Mahala Hood, daughter of Martin and Rhoda Hood, 'pioneers of Wash- ington Township. This union was blessed with five children, vi.z: Eliza J., now the wife of William T. Lee; Savanah, now
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deceased; John A., now a resident of Grant County; William M., now residing on the old homestead; Caroline, now the wife of Henry Bales, and resides in Raleigh, Indiana. In 1871 his wife died, since which time Mr. Jackson has been living with his children. He began life a poor man and spent sixty years here of hard and earnest toil. He now owns a comfortable home. He is a member of the Regular Baptist Church, and a Democrat in politics.
GEORGE W. LEGG was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, Octo- ber 10, 1829. His parents were Samuel and Catharine (Miller) Legg, the former the son of Thomas and Rebecca Legg, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Maryland. Samuel Legg was born on January 4, 1800, and in 1812 removed to Butler County, Ohio, and thence to Hamil- ton County, where he was married, and resided there until the fall of 1833, when he came to Rush County, locating in Washington Township, entering 160 acres of wild land. Here he built a cabin and moved his family, consisting of a wife and four children. They were: Nancy M. (deceased), Charles C. (deceased), George W. and John M., both residents of Washington Township. He set out to make a home in the forest, and by the assistance of a loving wife and family succeeded in making a comfortable home ere his death which occurred on October 5, 1855. His wife, born De- cember 20, 1798, survived him until May 19, 1880, when she, too, crossed the dark river. In this township they had born to them two children, Christopher C., and Rebecca A., both deceased. Our subject was but four years old when he accompanied his parents to this county, and remembers many incidents of the trip. He was early compelled to assist in the work upon the farm, and owing to the limited school advantages his education was confined to the sub- scription schools. He spent his boyhood and youth on the farm assisting his parents in their home, and afterward a part of the first farm he now owns. In 1853, he was married to Martha T. Gray, daughter of John and Margaret Gray, the former a native of Ken- tucky, and the latter of Ohio. Mrs. Legg was born in Kentucky in 1831, and at the age of two years her parents emigrated from Kentucky to Rush County, or in 1833, and settled in Union Town- ship on the farm now owned by John Gray. They were blessed with six children: Nancy J., Samuel M. and John F., who were twins, Amanda M., Lewis E., and Wilmer L., all of whom are de- ceased, and are interred in the Raleigh Cemetery. Mrs. Legg is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Mr. Legg is a staunch Democrat and firmly believes in the principles of that party, but has always refused political honors.
ALFRED C. LIGHTFOOT, a self-made man, and one of the promi-
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nent citizens of Washington Township, was born in Pendleton County, Ky., June 13, 1824. His parents were William B. and Elizabeth (Colvin) Lightfoot, who were natives of Kentucky. The former was the son of William and Leannah (Colvin) Light- foot, natives of Virginia. The latter was the daughter of Henry and Catharine ( Williams) Colvin, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Maryland. Her father was a prominent ship builder on the Chesapeake. William B. Lightfoot, the father of our subject, rode from Rush County to Indianapolis on a horse in 1830, and entered an eighty-acre tract of wild land in Section 29, Wash- ington Township. He returned and began cutting logs for a cabin, when he was stricken down with the bilious fever, and died on the tenth day of January, 1831. The sorrow and grief of the widowed mother and her two orphan children, can scarcely be portrayed to the reader, for she was left almost penniless in the dead of winter, surrounded with dense forests, and few advantages were offered. She followed the remains of her faithful companion to the Fair- view Cemetery, where she saw them laid to rest. She and Alfred and Lucinda returned their steps with saddened hearts, to their cabin home. Alfred was six years of age and pos- sessed courage and a willing heart. His mother moved into an old log school house until she could have the cabin erected, that her husband had commenced. She was handy with the needle, having learned " tailoring " early in life; this was a great advan- tage to her now, for by sewing she managed to keep her family to- gether and the wolf from the door. Alfred assisted her all he could, by chopping and grubbing and doing such work as he could get to do. She was very anxious to give her children an education, and was careful to send them to school every day she possibly could, in this way Alfred acquired a good common school education. He assisted his mother in developing a home, and denied himself many pleasures other boys of that day indulged in. He has been inured to hard work all his life, beginning in the forest at the age of six, he was compelled to work his way out, and at present, from his pleasant surroundings, it would be fair to assume that he did it suc- cessfully. For a number of years the home consisted of forty acres, and as it was surrounded with large land holders, who wished to hold on to all they had and secure more, the outlook for young Lightfoot was not very bright, under those circumstances he ad- vised his mother to sell out here and remove farther west, but as she had made one very unfortunate move, she was averse to removing from the humble little home that had been the scene of trials and hardships at a time when a less courageous woman would have given up in despair. Thus ended all thoughts of a re-
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moval. Soon afterward Alfred was enabled to secure an adjoining tract of land, going in debt considerable, but always meeting his obligations when they fell due. He soon found himself out of debt, and the old homestead enlarged. Again and again as the old es- tates around him were divided up, he would add a tract, sometimes giving his notes for $4,000 and $5,000, but each time by hard and earnest toil he paid out, and to-day we find him in possession of one of the best improved farms in this locality; it consists of 323 acres, lying in Sections 20 and 21. This monument of an hon- est, industrious life, was begun by the elder Lightfoot in 1830. Fifty-seven years has elapsed since he entered the forest and felled the first tree. What a wonderful change has taken place, what was then a wilderness has been transformed into fine comfortable homes. The old " blazed " by-roads have been replaced by splen- did public highways, churches and schools dot the country, and civilization has come to stay. The privations and hardships of the pioneer can scarcely be realized by the present gen- eration. A great change has also taken place in the family relations of Mr. Lightfoot, death having visited the little home in 1855, and took away Leona, the sister and daughter; the origi- nal happy family of four, then of three, now only consisted of mother and son. They toiled on nineteen years together, when the ever faithful mother was called home, dying on the Sth day of May, 1874. Thus ended the life labors of one of Rush County's noble- hearted women, who died as she had lived, ever faithful to her trust in God, and loved by all who knew her. We now find Alfred the only survivor of the little family of four. He resolved to choose a companion to share the pleasures and hardships of the rest of his days, and his selection was Miss Flora McCrady, a native of Franklin County, Ind., but principally reared in Fayette County; her parents were John and Catharine McCrady, natives of Pennsylvania. This union has been blessed with a son, Alfred, a bright youth of twelve summers, who is now attending school. As Mr. Lightfoot was reared on the farm, he adopted farming as a life occupation, in which he has been eminently successful. He has ac- cumulated what he is now worth by industry and perseverance. He has spent about $3,000 in draining his farm, 200 acres of which are in grass. His portrait appears in this volume.
DAVID MANLOVE was born in Fayette County, Ind., August 24, IS27; he was the son of George and Mary (Caldwell) Manlove, whose biographies appear in this volume. David has spent his entire life on the farm, and is one of the progressive farmers of the county. He came to Rush County in 1857, and located on the farm where he now resides, which had been partly improved. Here
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he has since lived, and has put upon it the fine and substantial im- provements seen at present. On October 10, 1857, he was married to Mary M. Hendricks, daughter of Isaac and Margaret N. (Maple) Hendricks, whose biography appears in this volume. Mrs. Manlove was born and reared on the old Hendricks homestead, near where she now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Manlove are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, he is a Republican. When he began life on his own responsibility he was in limited circumstances. He owns at present about 200 acres of choice farming land in Sec- tion 17, and has assisted in plowing and planting crops every season for fifty years.
GEORGE W. MANLOVE .- The first knowledge obtainable of the Manloves in America, is an account of William Manlove, a Quaker, who left "North-Wales," Old England, in the sixteenth century, and immigrated to America, locating in New England. He was blessed with a son, whom he named William, and during the persecution of the Quakers between 1656 and 1660, William re- moved to the southern part of Maryland and located near the mouth of the Pokomoke River, where he was blessed with a son whom he named William, who married and moved into the town of Somerset, Md., where he reared several sons, who removed to the State of Delaware. The name of one of his sons was Mark, whose lineage will be followed as near as the records at hand will serve the purpose. Mark Manlove was married to Margaret Hunt in 1699, by whom he had a son, William, born April 22, 1700. At maturity, or in May, 1725, he married Elizabeth Brown, by whom he had three children: Margaret, Keziah, and William, the latter born July 25, 1730, and on April IS, 1753, he married Hannah Robertson, by whom he had three children: George, Elizabeth, and Sarah. On the 10th day of June, 1765, the mother died. George, the oldest, married Rachel Dunning, and settled in North Carolina, where he had born to him four sons and one daughter; they were: William, born May 16, 1782; John, born May 25, 1784; George,
born October 25, 1786; Mark, and Hannah. He ended life's jour- ney at his son Mark's in Highland County, Ohio, Novemher 5, 1827; George, who was his third son, departed from Guilford County, N. C., September 17, ISI0, en route to Indiana Territory. He accompanied a party of emigrants, who landed at their destina- tion on October 27, 1810. On July 23, 1811, he was married to Mary Caldwell, daughter of Joseph and Miriam Caldwell, of Preble County, Ohio. Soon after this marriage, he and the Caldwells at- tempted a settlement on the headwaters of Lick Creek, in Fayette County, Ind. The hostilities of the Indians compelled them to return to Ohio until 1814, when they came back to their forest 36
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homes, and continued residents of Fayette County, Ind., until long after the Red man had disappeared. This union was blessed with nine children: John, William, Joseph (died in infancy), Joseph C., Lydia, Hannah, James, David, and George W. George was born July 15, 1831, in Fayette County, Ind. There he was reared on the farm and received a fair common school education for that day. At the age of twenty-one years, he began life on his own respon- sibility. His circumstances were limited, for his father died when George was about one year old or on October 14, 1832, leaving a large family, none of whom had yet arrived at their majority. On arriving at his majority he engaged in farming, and by industry and perseverance, he was very successful. November 15, 1860, he chose for his life companion, Olive Knipe, daughter of Edward and Irena (Beeson) Knipe. She was born August 12, 1841, in Posey Township, Fayette County, Ind., where she was reared. This union is blessed with a daughter, Ida E., born August 7, 1864. On the 8th of April, 1861, he moved upon the farm where he now resides, which he purchased in June, 1855. All improve- ments have been added by Mr. Manlove, as well as some additions to his farm, which now consists of 160 acres, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. He also owns 180 acres of fine farm land in Fayette County, and also a farm in the State of Mis- souri. Mr. Manlove is one of the progressive farmers of Wash- ington Township, and farming has been his life occupation. In politics, he is a staunch Republican, and cast his first vote for Gen. Winfield Scott in 1852. He is now actively engaged in managing his farms, which requires most of his time.
JAMES H. MAPLE was born on the farm where he now resides June 16, 1833. His parents were John and Elizabeth (Hillis) Maple, natives of Bourborn County, Ky., where they were married June 26, 1823. They emigrated from Kentucky to Rush County on November 3, 1829, locating on the northwest quarter of Section 9, Washington Township, which he entered, and here he began to make a home. His first habitation was a rude domicile made by putting four forks in the ground, and over which were placed blankets for protecting the inmates from the cold and inclement weather. He soon removed to a cabin hastily built through the assistance of a few of his neighbor pioneers. They were Peter Vorhees, Elijah Hodges, Thomas Oliver and Ely Oliver .: Here the father and mother resided until their respective deaths; that of the latter February 9, 1871, and the former passed away May 14, 1872. They were members of the Presbyterian Church, and were blessed with two sons and four daughters, of whom five are living at present. They are: Amanda T., now the wife of Cyrus M.
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Coffin; George L., Margaret R., now the wife of John W. Vick- ery; James H., and Mary A., now the widow of Bemjamin F. Freeman (deceased). James H. Maple resides on the old Maple homestead. Here he has spent his entire life, and witnessed the great change this country has undergone in the past fifty years. Farming has been his life occupation, and he can be classed among the successful farmers of Rush County. On November 29, 1860, he was married to Mary F. Houston, daughter of William L. and Frances ( Lybrook) Houston, the former a native of Mason County, Ky., and the latter of Preble County, Ohio. They were married in Preble County, Ohio, October 7, 1834, and the same year moved to Lewisville, Ind. Mrs. Maple was born and reared in Lewisville, Ind. This union was blessed with four children: At- tie R., Orvel H., George M. and William A., all of whom are liv- ing. Mr. and Mrs. Maple are church members. Politically, he is a Republican. He owns a fine improved farm, and has a comfort- able home.
WILLIAM MAZE was born in Union Township, October 7, 1831. His parents were Thomas and Margaret ( Carson ) Maze, the former a native of Bourbon County, Ky., born November 3, 1808, the latter a native of Adams County, Ohio, born December 4, ISII. They were married in Washington Township, this county; the former died in Marion County, Ind., February 5, 1864, the latter still survives him, in her seventy-sixth year. Our subject spent his boyhood days on the farm, and in 1850, began learning the black- smith's trade. After working at various places for some time he went to Ging's Corners and began business for himself. On October 20, 1853, he was married to Amelia Hall, daughter of Daniel and Amelia (Yelton) Hall, the former a native of Virginia, who removed to Kentucky when about nine years of age, and came to Union Township, Rush County, about 1825, where he died July 31, 1879. The latter was a native of Bourbon County, Ky., and died in this county, January 8, 1871. Mr. and Mrs. Maze were blessed with eight children, of whom three are living at present; they are: Sarah A., Alice A., Alma A. The wife and mother was called away November 26, 1885. She was a member of the Christian Church for over thirty years. In 1865 he pur- chased the farm he now owns. It consists of 125 acres, of which seventy acres are under a high state of cultivation. Besides giving his attention to farming he has dealt considerably in fine stock. He owns at present two horses, one, Prince Von Bismarck, a fine Clydesdale five years old, sired by old Prince Von Bismarck, an imported horse from Scotland. The other is Black Frank, a Per- cheran Norman, sired by old Black Cicero, a Norman horse im-
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ported. In addition to these he owns several other valuable horses and some thorougbred cattle and hogs. He is one of the pro- gressive farmers and stock-raisers of the county, and has expended considerable money in advancing its breeding interests. He is a , genial, sociable man, a member of the Christian Church and of the Masonic order.
RICHARD S. MILES was born in Steuben County, N. Y., Janu- ary 31, 1830. His parents were Lorenzo and Phebe (Wass) Miles, the former a native of Massachusetts, and the latter of New Jersey. They removed to Fayette County, Ind., in 1837, and thence to Grant County, Ind., in the spring of 1840, where they ended their lives. There Richard grew to manhood, and adopted farming as a life vocation. In 1847, he made Rush County his home, and located in Washington Township. In 1858, he was married to Phebe Par- ish, daughter of Jacob and Maria Parish, and a native of Rush County. This union was blessed with two sons: Willard P., and Adelbert. Mrs. Miles was called away in 1866, and in August, 1869, Mr. Miles was again married, this time to Jennie Spencer, the daughter of Ralzel and Mary A. Spencer, old and respected residents of Fayette County, where Mrs. Miles was born and reared. By this union there were born five children: Phebe, Ola, Charles, Elzie and Richard, all of whom are living. Mr. Miles began life a poor man, and by hard and industrious toil has accumulated consid- erable property. He located on the farm where he now resides, in 1870, and has added by the way of improvement, one of the finest residences in the township. Besides being actively engaged in farming, he has given some attention to the breeding of Norman draft horses. He owns an interest in the noted draft stallions, Fa- vory and Coco, and has some very fine Norman two year olds and colts; he firmly believes in the development of one grade of horses, and is one of a few men who have expended together several thous- and dollars in imported horses. Politically, he is a Democrat, and is a member of the Board of Agriculture, of Rush County.
DAVID D. REA was born in Fayette County, Ind., May 6, 1830. His parents were David and Anna (Larue) Rea, natives of Rock- bridge County, Va., and they came to Fayette County, Ind., in 18IS, where they developed a home and ended their days. Our subject was reared on the farm and farming has been his occupa- tion all through life. In his youth he received a fair education. At the age of twenty-two or on August 24, 1852, he was married to Susan McCrary, daughter of Samuel and Elsie (Parish ) Mccrary, the former was a native of Ireland, and came to America at the age of nine, the latter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were among the pioneers of Rush County, the former is deceased but the latter
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is still enjoying good health at the age of seventy-seven. Mr. and Mrs. Rea have been blessed with five children: Samuel, Daniel, Elsie A., Mary J. and Albert, of whom Mary Jane is deceased. Mrs. Rea is a member of the Christian Church. Politically, he is a Democrat. In 1870, they moved upon the farm where he now re- sides. He has added by way of improvements a fine residence, which was completed in 1886. He has been successful as a farmer, and owns 200 acres of fine land.
A. B. VICKERY was born on the farm where he now resides Feb- ruary 16, 1839. His parents were Salathiel and Sarah (Long) Vick- ery, the former a native of Guilford County, N. C., born in 1812, and son of Jehu and Lydia ( Levenwood) Vickery, natives of North Car- olina. In 1816, they removed to Chilton County, Ohio, and removed to Fayette County, Ind., in 1820; this was then a wilderness. In 1826, they came to Section 4, Washington Township, when it was all woods, and purchased eighty acres of a man by the name of Griffin, who had entered it. Here Jehu and Lydia ended their days, the former in his ninety-fifth year, and the latter in her seventy-third year. Salathiel, the father of our subject, died in 1868, in his fifty- sixth year. The mother of A. B. Vickery is still living, and is in her seventieth year. Our subject has spent his entire life here on a farm; in his early days his education was received in the com- mon schools. He is now residing, in company with his mother, on the old homestead, and is surrounded with the comforts of this life. In politics he is a Democrat, and believes in the principles of his party. He is one of the substantial farmers of Washington Town- ship.
JOHN A. WANEE, a prominent farmer and lumber dealer of Washington Township, is a native of Butler County, Ohio, his birth occurring October 16, 1836. Warren and Margaret (Ogle) Wanee, natives of Pennsylvania, were his parents. Our subject received a good education in his youth, and in 1862, he located in Connersville, Indiana, in the manufacturing business, establishing the " White Water Valley Coffin Co.," being the first man to intro- duce woodworking machinery in that city, and for fifteen years was one of its most successful manufacturers, known far beyond the boundaries of the State as an honest, reliable business man. Hav- ing disposed of his manufacturing interest in Connersville he re- solved to seek a rural home, and accordingly, in 1877, he purchased the fine improved farm we find him located upon at present in Washington Township. Soon after his arrival here he erected a large saw mill, and in connection with the management of the farm has given considerable attention to the manufacturing of hardwood lumber. In 1857, he was united in marriage with Miss Ree C.
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McDonald, a native of Butler County, Ohio. This union has been blessed with seven children, four sons and three daughters, as fol- lows: Charles H., Lucy E., Stanley C., Katie L., Robert L., John L. and Maude C., of whom John L. and Maude C. are de- ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wanee are united with the Christian Church. In politics, he adheres to the principles of the Republi- can party. He is a self-made man, commencing life on his own responsibility as a laborer, but by industry and perseverance has been very successful financially.
SAMUEL WERKING was born in Lancaster County, Penn., Jan- uary 2, 1818. His parents were John and Catharine (Moyer) Werking. Samuel was about nine years old when his parents re- moved to Frederick County, Md. There he remained until his nineteenth year, when he came with his parents to Wayne County, Ind. About 1840 he removed to Fayette County, and on Septem- ber 9, 1847, he was married to Malinda Irven, daughter of Elam and Sarah (Munger) Irven. This union was blessed with five children: Frances HI., Eva S., Otto E., Ortes M. and Ida, all liv- ing. Mrs. Werking was called away January 12, 1887. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1851, Mr. Werk- ing came to Rush County, and located on the farm where he is at present located; but the first four years of his married life he ran a blacksmith shop in Bentonville, Ind. Since he came here he has done nothing but farm, and is one of the successful farmers of the county. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, he was a Republican, until about seven years ago, when he began to advocate the doctrines of the Greenback party, also the Prohibition principles. When he began life on his own respon- sibility he had but one suit of clothes, and was in debt $30 for a set of blacksmith's tools. By close application he has made a com-, fortable home.
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