USA > Indiana > Tipton County > History of Tipton County Indiana > Part 46
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Mr. Hilligoss and wife moved to Boone county, Indiana, March 4, 1872, where all their children, except one, were born. They lived in this county for sixteen years and then, on September 3, 1888, they left Boone county and came to Tipton county, where they located on a farm about two miles north of Normanda, where they now reside.
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Solomon, the parents of Mrs. Hilligoss, reared a family of five children: Esther, who became the wife of James Wood- ward; Smith S. married Nettie Miller; Alexander, who married Florence Hamilton; Daniel W., who married Mary Rader, and Mary, who became the wife of Mr. Hilligoss. Mr. Hilligoss also has an interesting history on his own mother's side of the family. Adam Thomas, the great-grand- father of Mr. Hilligoss, came from Germany to Maryland, where he was married to Jane Wilson, the daughter of a wealthy planter and slave owner. Her mother was Eva Heart, whose father, Doctor Heart, removed from Seville, Spain, to Germany, and became a wealthy German baron and lived in a castle on the Rhine. While Eva was yet young, she, with five of her friends, were at the seashore watching a ship land and were kidnapped by some pirates and brought to the new world and sold into slavery for three years to pay for their passage across the waters. Afterwards Eva married a Mr. Wilson and again she became rich. Her daughter, Jane, ran away from home and married a poor boy, Adam Thomas, the great-grandfather of D. W. Hilligoss. His grandfather, Daniel Thomas, fought in the Indian wars. His grandmother's ancestors came from Scotland.
Politically, Mr. Hilligoss has allied himself with the new Progressive party, because he feels that in the principles advocated by this party there is chance for the improvement of general conditions in this country. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Goldsmith and has passed through the various offices of that lodge, being a past grand of the lodge. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Tipton and takes an interest in the annual meetings of the post. He and the mem- bers of his family have been life-long adherents of the Christian church at Normanda and he has been an elder in that denomination, and at the present time is a deacon in the church. Mr. Hilligoss has had one unfortunate ex- perience, having lost his right hand in a sham battle at Danville, Indiana, on September 26, 1879. He is a highly respected gentleman and is always found right in the front in all church and social affairs and contributes lib- erally to everything which has for its object the advancement of his fellow men.
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TIPTON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ROBINSON A. ROMACK.
Specific mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Tipton county within the pages of this book, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality and whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each contributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community in which he resides and to the advance- ment of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is the gen- tleman whose name forms the caption of this article, for many years one of the enterprising and leading farmers of Prairie township, Tipton county, Indiana.
Robinson A. Romack was born in Hancock county, Indiana, on Septem- ber 6, 1858, the son of Robert L. and Amanda (Tyner) Romack, both natives of the Hoosier state. Robert L. Romack was born in Shelby county and on September 6, 1864, he arrived in Tipton county with the intention of making this his future home. He purchased a farm of eighty acres in Cicero township and remained there nine years, when he removed to Prairie township, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying there in 1881. He was a veteran of the Mexican war and was regarded as one of the lead- ing citizens of his community. He married Amanda Tyner, daughter of James and Lucinda (Colwell) Tyner, and to their union were born nine children, among them being Robinson A., the immediate subject of this sketch; James L., who married Rebecca Davenport; Train C., whose wife was Erie Tyner ; George T., whose wife was Artie Nash; Elbert L., who mar- ried Lillian Ruggle; Jesse, who married Mary Gushaw; Emma M., wife of Samuel Berry ; Selenia A., wife of O. P. Ressler, and Lucinda, who is Mrs. Wyatt Shook.
Robinson A. Romack received his schooling in the rural schools of their community in Prairie township, and after leaving school he hired out his services to neighborhood farmers by the month. In this way he passed six years of his life, when he purchased a farm of twenty-nine acres, where he has for many years resided. This first purchase formed the nucleus of his present extensive farm of two hundred and forty-five acres. He car- ries on general farming after modern methods and is considered one of the representative agriculturists of his township.
Mr. Romack was united in marriage to Amy J. Lee, daughter of Will- iam P. and Naomi (Wilkerson) Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Lee had a family of seven children,, one of whom died in infancy, the others being Mary, wife
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of W. S. Kelley ; Belle, wife of Samuel Biddinger; Clora D., who became the wife of Wilson Tyner; Clifford, who married Jennie Grishaw; Amy, wife of the subject of this sketch; McClain remains unmarried. To Mr. and Mrs. Romack have been born four children, namely : Lulu, who became the wife of Bennett Rockey; Ethel E. is the wife of Clyde Harlow and they have one child, George Alveris; Otho G., who remains at home unmarried, and a babe, Leo Paul, which died on July 29, 1895, aged twenty days.
Politically, Mr. Romack is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, to which he has given every vote since attaining his majority. He has never been a seeker after office for himself, but his influence is reckoned with in the campaigns. Fraternally, he is a member of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, being a member of Lodge No. 363 at Reserve. He is also a member of the Knights and. Ladies of the Maccabees.
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Mr. Romack is a man of large views and broad sympathies and no movement for the advancement of his community has ever solicited his as- sistance in vain, for he believes in progress all along the line of material effort and his interests are always in full harmony with the highest and best interests of his fellow citizens. Through his years of residence here he has won a large and loyal circle of friends throughout Tipton county, who esteem him highly because of his genuine worth and high personal char- acter. Because of the success he has attained, he is eminently entitled to representation in the history of his county.
WILLIAM A. PARKS.
Among the strong and influential citizens of Tipton county, Indiana. the record of whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, the gentleman whose name appears above occupies a prominent place and for years he has exerted a beneficial influence in the locality where he resides. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, a tireless energy, honesty of purpose and motive, and every-day common sense, which have enabled him not only to advance his own interests, but also largely contribute to the moral and material advancement of the community.
William A. Parks, well known citizen, who resides on his excellent farm of two hundred and thirty-four acres in Prairie township. Tipton county, Indiana, is a native of that same township, having first seen the
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TIPTON COUNTY, INDIANA. . light of day on January 14, 1869, the son of Jonas A. and Catherine ( Purvis) Parks, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter a Hoosier by birth. Jonas A. Parks was a little child of but two years when his parents came to Indiana, settling in Decatur county, and there he grew to manhood, receiv- ing his education in the district schools of his vicinity. In 1856 he came to Tipton county, where he purchased a tract of some forty acres. Here he carried on general farming so wisely and successfully that he added other acres to his original tract until his aggregate holdings amounted to three . hundred and twenty-six acres. He was considered one of the leading citi- zens of his day and did much to advance the material and moral welfare of his community. He served as township trustee of Prairie township for some time and won the esteem of all by his conscientious discharge of these duties. He passed the remainder of his life on his farm in Prairie town- ship, where his death occurred April 26, 1900. His wife was Catherine Purvis, daughter of James and ( White) Purvis, and to their union were born seven children, namely: Mary, who is the wife of William Brockus; John, whose wife was Ida Nash; Mattie, who is Mrs. Benjamin West; three children deceased, being Sarah, who died in infancy, Levi, who passed away at the age of fourteen years, and Robert, who died at the age of eleven. The other remaining child is William A., the immediate subject of this sketch.
William A. Parks in his youth attended the district schools of Prairie township and after leaving school he assisted his father in the discharge of his labors on the home place, remaining with him until he came of age. After attaining his majority he rented a tract of land from his father, where he carried on farming for himself and his since made his home on the same place, adding more ground to his first possessions from time to time.
On November 20, 1893, Mr. Parks married Katie Terrell, daughter of James and Barbara (Schaefer ) Terrell, and one of a family of five chil- dren, the others being Charles, who married Ella Sharpe; John, whose wife was Emma Dawson; Mary. the wife of Edwin M. Boles, and Margaret, who died unmarried at the age of eighteen years. To Mr. and Mrs. Parks have been born four children, namely: Blanche, the only one who is mar- ried, being the wife of Arthur Snow and they have one child. Bernard Les- lie. The other children of Mr. Parks are Edrite, Ralph and Lucy, who remain under the parental roof, and Marjorie, deceased.
In politics, Mr. Parks is aligned with the old-time Republican party and evinces a keen interest in its affairs. His fraternal affiliation is with the
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JOHN T. WOOD.
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time-honored body of Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of Lodge No. 363, and he is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Parks has made his influence felt for good in his community in Prairie township, being a man of sterling worth, whose life has been closely inter- woven with the history of the community in which he resides and whose efforts have always been for the material advancement of same, as well as for the social and moral welfare of his fellow men. The well regulated life he has led, thereby gaining the respect of his fellow citizens, entitles him to representation in a biographical work of the scope intended in the present one.
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JOHN T. WOOD.
More than two million men were engaged in the great Civil war who wore the blue and of these Indiana furnished more than two hundred thou- sand. Of the thousands who answered the call to arms from this state the living are now numbered by the hundreds; the boys in blue are fast answer- ing the last roll call and within a very few years they will all be gone. Among Tipton county's brave boys who went to the front, fought the good fight, returned to their county and lived a life of eminent usefulness for many years, but who have answered the final muster, is the late lamented John T. Wood, the subject of this sketch.
John T. Wood, the oldest of eight children born to Caleb and Letitia McDole (Carr) Wood, was born April 25, 1841, in Nicholas county, Ken- tucky. Two years after his birth his parents moved to Rush county, In- diana, making the entire trip on horseback. They lived on rented farms in Rush and Decatur counties until the fall of 1856, when they permanently settled in Prairie township, Tipton county, Indiana. They at once pur- chased a farm of their own and started in to make it ready for cultivation. At that early period in the history of Tipton county there were only a few settlers in the county, and their diminutive log cabins, like niches in the dense forest, served as landmarks to those who came later to the county for the purpose of making settlement. Here, in a primitive wilderness, Caleb Wood and his family built a log cabin and a log barn, cleared the land and lived the backwoods life peculiar to that period. John T. attended the short- term schools which were then the best to be had, and spent all the rest of his time on his father's farm, undergoing all the arduous toil which fell to the
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lot of the stanch pioneers of that period. He was brought to manhood with a complete understanding of all those vicissitudes and hardships which were common to the early settlers of Indiana and which have furnished the theme for many a story. The present generation can little realize how much was implied in laying the foundation and building the superstructure of civilization and progress which in the fulness of time has made this one of the most enterprising and progressive farming regions of the Hoosier state.
With the opening of the Civil war the whole nation was stirred from one end to the other and there was not a single township in this state which did not see her best young men go to the front. There was no more patriotic youth than John T. Wood and from the time of enlistment, July 21, 1863, until his final muster, March 3, 1864, he served his country faithfully and well. He was a member of Company H, One Hundred and Eighteenth In- diana Volunteer Infantry, and served under Capt. W. G. Scott during his whole time at the front.
Upon his return from the army he worked on his father's farm until his marriage. His first marriage was to Sarah J. Chapman on January 4, 1866, and this union there were born two children, Mrs. Ida E. Ramseyer, of Poneto, Indiana, and George Ray, who died in infancy. His second marriage was to Louisa Gosnell, of Decatur county, and occurred on Octo- ber 28, 1875. There were five children by the second marriage, Claribel A., Omer F., Roscoe T., Walter C. and Ernest C. Since his death, November 7, 1891, Claribel and Omer have also passed away.
Mr. Wood was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and always took an active interest in the affairs of the lodge. He was initiated at Alto, Indiana, but later had his membership transferred to Sharpsville, Indiana, where he maintained it until his death. Mr. Wood was essentially a self-made man and the farm of one hundred and twenty acres which he owned at his death was gained by hard work and by dint of industry, good management and close attention to business. His widow is still living and now owns the farm.
Mr. Wood was a man of exceptional judgment and strong convictions and when he was convinced that a thing was right nothing could swerve him from the path of duty as he saw it. He was a quiet and unassuming man, who cared little for the plaudits of the populace and always preferred to serve his friends and neighbors in as unostentatious a manner as possible. He was a man of exalted integrity and high ideals and he left a name to his posterity without a single stain to mar its purity. His whole life was fraught
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with good to his fellow men and his influence was always for the best in- terests of the community honored by his residence. As a citizen his life was an open book in which no pages were marred by any conduct unbecoming a Christian, and when his time came to pass away he could set his face toward the setting sun and look into that land from which no traveler returns with- out a fear to trouble him.
WALTER CLEVELAND WOOD.
Walter Cleveland Wood, who resides on the home farm in Prairie township, Tipton county, with his mother, for whom he has operated the farm since a quite young man, was born on January 6, 1885, on the farm where his entire life has been passed. He is the son of John T. and Louisa (Gosnell) Wood. When a boy he attended the schools of his native town- ship and after leaving school he assisted his mother in the operation of their farm, she being a widow by that time. He took as his wife Ina Ethel Honeas, daughter of Daniel and Adaline (Wisner ) Honeas, to whom he was united in marriage on December 24, 1908. She is one of a family of three chil- dren, the other two being Iva, the wife of Frank Spears, and Verne, who re- mains unmarried. Mrs. Honeas died in June, 1896. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood has been born one child. Frances Ollene.
Politically, Walter C. Wood is aligned with the Democratic party, to which he gives his earnest support. Fraternally, he is a member of the time- honored order of Freemasonry, holding his membership in Lodge No. 363 at Reserve. He is also a member of the tribe of Red Men and his religious sympathies are with the society of Friends, of which he is a consistent mem- ber. earnestly interested in the advancement of the interests of that society. Though still a young man, Walter C. Wood is of that character which early impresses its individuality upon the community honored by his residence. Honest and straightforward in all his dealings, he early made for himself an enviable reputation and bids fair to become a man of great influence for good in his community as the years pass. He is a worthy son of his father, John T. Wood, who during the many years of his residence here drew to himself a great number of friends by whom he was highly esteemed. He, too, was a member of the society of Friends, politically a Democrat, and his fraternal affiliation was with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His death was considered a distinct loss to the community, for he had been a man of sterling
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character, whose support was ever given to the best things and whose in- fluence was always exerted for the highest ideals. Quiet and unassuming in disposition, his kindly nature endeared him to those who knew him best.
WILLIAM S. KELLEY.
Some men, because of their natural ability, are leaders in whatever enterprises they enter and become so by virtue of their abilities being recog- nized by their fellow citizens. William S. Kelley has been a leader in many of the various activities of his township. As a member of the township advisory board, as a county commissioner, as president of the Farmers In- stitute of Tipton county, as president of the Farmers Insurance Company of Tipton county, as president of the Tipton County Sunday School Insti- tute, as Sunday school superintendent-as the head of these various organi- zations he has become prominent as one of the leaders of his community. In every organization with which he has been connected he has shown his capacity for leadership and without any effort on his own part it has come to him .. He is the type of American citizen who proves himself equal to every emergency, and in all of his dealings, whether of a private nature or in a public capacity, he has shown that ability which always characterizes leaders.
William S. Kelley, who is proprietor of two hundred and forty acres of land in Prairie township, Tipton county, was born in Shelby county, In- diana, April 30, 1852, the son of Cyrus and Margaret (Shirley ) Kelley. who were both natives of Kentucky. Cyrus Kelley was reared in Kentucky, as was his wife, and thence moved to Shelby county, Indiana, where he worked at day labor for different farmers in the community. As soon as he was married he moved to Tipton county and purchased forty acres of land in Liberty township, and resided here until his death, which occurred in 1880. Cyrus Kelley and wife were the parents of three children, Mary, the wife of Jesse Ault; Quintella, wife of Francis Mills, and William S., the immediate subject of this sketch.
William S. Kelley was accorded such educational privileges as were afforded by the schools of his township, and all of his time when not in the school room was spent in working on his father's farm. Early in life he decided to follow the occupation of a farmer and bent every energy in that direction. Upon his marriage to Mary C. Lee, daughter of William and
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WILLIAM S. KELLY AND FAMILY.
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Naomi (Wilkerson) Lee, in 1874, he immediately went onto a farm of his own, and has gradually added to his possessions until he is now the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in Prairie township. Mr. and Mrs. Kelley are the parents of one son, Floyd, who married Maude Wood. Mrs. Kelley was one of a family of seven children, the others being Belle, Amy, Clora, McClain, Clifford and one who died in infancy. Bell is the wife of Samuel Biddinger; Annie married R. A. Romack; Clora is the wife of W. T. Tyner; Clifford married Jennie Grishaw, while McClain is still unmarried.
Mr. Kelley has been a life-long Democrat and his party has recognized his abilities in various ways. As a member of the advisory board of his township he performed efficient service for the community. He was then elected county commissioner and here again he demonstrated his peculiar fitness for official work. Not every man is gifted for work of this sort, but Mr. Kelley has shown an aptitude for administrative work, and his fellow citizens have not been slow to take advantage of this. As president of the Farmers Insurance Company of Tipton County and president of the Far- mers Institute of his home county, he has rendered good service for both organizations. The fact that the farmers of the county so honored him shows that he is recognized by them as one of the most progressive and wide-awake farmers of the county. He keeps well read on all the latest developments in modern scientific farming and is qualified to speak as one with authority on all subjects pertaining to scientific agriculture. As presi- dent of the Farmers Insurance Company of Tipton County, he has made a special study of insurance problems and brings to this company the result of his experience and education along this particular line, thereby making him a valuable servant of the company. However, all of his interests have not been of a material sort, for he has been president of the Tipton County Sunday School Union for two years. His interest in church and Sunday school work dates back to his boyhood. As a lifelong member of the Society of Friends, he has always taken a very sympathetic interest in all the activ- ities not only of his own church, but of every other church as well. He has served as trustee of his own church, as well as Sunday school superin- tendent, and, in fact, there is hardly an office within his church which he has not filled at some time. It is easy to see that his life has been well spent and his history is one which neither seeks nor requires disguise. In all of his transactions, whether of a public nature or of a private nature. whether
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secular or sacred, he has been straightforward and loyal in his duties of citizenship, devoted to the interests of his home, of his church, of his state and of the nation. Such qualities command respect everywhere, and are particularly commended in this land of ours, where family connections count for little and the individual counts for everything. A study of the life of such a man should be an inspiration to the coming generation and as an example of a man who embodies the highest type of American citizen- ship.
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WILLIAM MONROE BENNETT.
A review of the life of the subject of this sketch must of necessity be brief and general in its character. To enter fully into the interesting details in the life of William M. Bennett, touching the struggles of his early man- hood and the successes of his later years, would far transcend the limits of this article. Peculiar honor attaches to that individual who, beginning the great struggle of life alone and unaided, gradually overcomes unfavorable environment, removes one by one the obstacles from the pathway of suc- cess and, by the master strokes of his own force and vitality, succeeds in winning for himself a competency and a position of esteem and influence among his fellow men.
William Monroe Bennett, well known farmer of Prairie township, Tip- ton county, Indiana, is a native of the state of North Carolina, having been born in Guilford county, that state, on May 12, 1842, the son of Major and Catherine Malinda (Hege) Bennett, both natives of that state. There they grew to maturity, receiving the best educations their locality afforded, and early in their married life they came westward into Indiana, locating in Morgan county. Here Major Bennett rented a farm and remained for about eight years, when he removed to Tipton county and located on a farm in Prairie township. On that farm he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1895. He was a member of the Home Guards and was considered one of the leading farmers of his community in his day. Cath- erine Malinda Hege, his wife, was a daughter of David Hege, a native of North Carolina, and she was the mother of eleven children, namely: Eliza- beth; William, the immediate subject of this sketch; John N., Eliza Ann. Mary Ann, Washington C., Ellen, Frank, Emily, Agnes and Joseph. Of this large family, Joseph was the only one who died in infancy. Elizabeth
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