USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Richmond > Memoirs of Wayne County and the city of Richmond, Indiana; from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Wayne County, Volume II Pt II > Part 36
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Mr. Crowe was married to Miss Elizabeth M. Smith, born near the village of Boston, in Boston township, Aug. 27, 1862. She is a daughter of William W. and Susannah (Hayhow) Smith, both of English birth and possessing all the substantial and reliable traits of that nationality. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Crowe were born three children: Smith N., born Nov. 1, 1889, is a stu- dent in the Rose polytechnic school at Terre Haute, Ind., fitting himself for a civil engineer ; Herbert W., born Aug. 29, 1891, grad- uated in the high school at Webster with the class of 1910 and is now a student at Earlham ; and Margaret, born April 17, 1905. Mr. Crowe is a member of the United Presbyterian church at Rich- mond and in politics is a Republican. William W. Smith, the father of Mrs. Crowe, was born in Lincolnshire, England, Sept. 14. 1834, and the mother was born in the same place on March 24 of the same year. The father came to America in the spring of 1861 and located in Boston township, Wayne county, and he farmed rented land in Boston and Center townships until 1873, when he purchased the farm where his son-in-law, Mr. Crowe, resides. There his death occurred July 25, 1903, and his widow is a member of the household of Mr. Crowe, aged seventy-seven years. She first came to America with some friends in 1853, but returned to Eng- land in 1860, and in 1861 again came to America.
De Witt Clinton Jay, one of the representative farmers of his native county, is the owner of a fine homestead in Webster town- ship and there follows general farming, in which his operations have been attended with distinctive success. He is a member of one of the honored pioneer families of the county and as a citizen has ever upheld the prestige of the name which he bears. De Witt C. Jay was born near the Ohio State line, in Wayne township, this county, Sept. 22, 1852, a son of Henry and Priscilla (Reed) Jay, the latter born in Wayne township and the former is given ex- tended mention on another page of this volume, in the sketch of Francis D. Jay, a half-brother of DeWitt C. De Witt C. Jay was reared under the influences of the middle pioneer days in Web- ster township, where his preliminary educational discipline was se- cured in what was known as the Dover Friends' School in the vil- lage of Webster. During his boyhood and youth he contributed his quota to the work of the home farm and after reaching the age of maturity took an interest in the farm and its products and continued to be associated in the management of the old homestead until 1884, when he purchased eighty acres of it, which constitutes his present fine farm. He has made the best improvements on the place and has ever been known as a progressive and reliable busi- ness man. His farm is one of the model places of the township and here he is held in much esteem. He takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature, and while he has never desired public office of any order is a staunch advocate and supporter of the cause of the Republican party. He served five years as trus- tee of Webster township, from 1890 to 1895, and as the incumbent of that office concentrated all of the schools in the township at Webster, this being the first movement of that kind successfully
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carried out in the State. He and his wife are valned and active birthright members of the Friends' church. He is affiliated with the Webster Dectective Association, the Dover Cemetery Associa- tion, and with the ancient order of Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge No. 493, in the local organization of which he has served as trustee. On Oct. 16, 1884, Mr. Jay was united in marriage to Miss Adda Bond, born near the village of Webster, Ang. 17, 1854, daughter of Cornelius and Anna Elizabeth ( Eigenbradt ) Bond (see sketch of Charles T. H. Bond).
Joseph W. Jordan, a popular citizen of Webster township, has been a resident of Wayne county nearly a score of years and is one of the representative citizens and progressive farmers of the township mentioned. The improved homestead which he occupies is located on rural mail route No. 6 from Richmond and comprises about seventy-eight acres of land. Joseph W. Jordan was born in Darke county, Ohio, May 4, 1875, a son of Jerome and Margaret (Baker) Jordan. Jerome Jordan was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm, and that at a time when farming was not conducted under the favorable conditions that obtain in this Twentieth cen- tury. His life has been one of consecutive industry and such measure of success as came to him has been the result of his ability and efforts. llis integrity is inviolable and thus he merits and receives the implicit confidence and esteem of his fellow men. He continued to reside in Ohio until after his marriage, when he located in Randolph county, Indiana, but after a residence there of six or eight years went back to Ohio. About 1894 he again came to Indiana, locating in Franklin township, Wayne county, where he and his good wife are living practically retired on a small farm. He served in an Ohio regiment as a soldier in the Civil war and was twice wounded in battle. He and his wife are the parents of eight children: Lilly is the wife of Fremont McClure, of Day- ton, Ohio; Asa resides in Darke county, Ohio, where he owns a farm; Dellah and Mattie are deceased; Joseph W. is the next in order of birth ; Myrtle and Mettie were twins, the former of whom is the wife of James M. Boswell, a grocer, of Richmond, and the latter is deceased; and Harry is a farmer in Franklin township. Joseph W. Jordan has reason to know and appreciate the dignity of honest toil and endeaver, for with the same he has been familiar from his boyhood days. Even as he has been the architect of his own fortunes as one of the world's workers, so has his educational training been largely one of self-discipline and experience, for in his youth his schooling was limited to the common schools of his native State and one term at the school in Whitewater. Through reading and through association with men and affairs he has, how- ever, made good the handicap of his youth. At an early age he left school and thereafter found ample demand upon his time and at- tention in connection with the work of the home farm, and from the age of nineteen until twenty-two worked as a farm hand for others. He then rented a farm one year, after which he worked for his brother a year, and then operated a rented farm for two' years. Ile then came to the place where he now resides and where
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he has since been engaged in general farming, giving his atten- tion to its improvement and cultivation until it now ranks as one of the best places of Webster township. His advancement upon the up-grade of independence and definite prosperity has been gained by earnest and well directed effort, and he has so ordered his course as to command at all times the high regard of those with whom he has come in contact in the various relations of life. In politics Mr. Jordan is a staunch advocate of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, and he is a man of broad and liberal views and is tolerant in his judgment. On April 3, 1902, Mr. Jordan was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Pemberton, born in Wayne township, June 14, 1883, daughter of David and Mollie (Fisher) Pemberton.
Jonathan Seward Beard, whose residence is located at the west end of Main street in the village of Economy, is one of the pro- gressive and highly esteemed citizens of the county and has resided in Perry township during all of his life. Ile was born on his grand- mother's farm, one-half mile northwest of Economy, at a cross- roads then known as "Nantucket," Nov. 5, 1864, a son of Henry and Lucinda (Macy) Beard, the former born near Hagerstown, Md., and the latter at "Nantucket." Henry Beard came to Indiana when a mere child with his father, John Beard, who located two and one-fourth miles east of Economy, where he purchased a farm. upon which he spent the greater part of the residue of his life and later moved to Williamsburg, where he died. Henry Beard grew to the age of maturity on that homestead and, being a natural stu- dent, attended a high school in Economy, taught by Thomas Charles. Ile continued to work on the farm in summer and taught school in winter for some time, but being of a mechanical turn of mind he served an apprenticeship with George W. Scantland at the carpen- ter's trade, and in 1859 he and his fellow-workman, Elam Osborn, formed a partnership as carpenters and builders, their first contract being the erection of the barn now owned by Oran P. Farmer, in Randolph county. They enlarged their business from time to time, adding that of undertaking, making coffins, and pump making. Later they built a saw mill and a large machine-room for the manu- facture of sash, doors, furniture and all kinds of finished woodwork. They bought thousands of feet of timber, especially walnut and lynn, which they sawed and shipped, continuing their contracting business, and in the early 'zos put up a large building for the finish- ing and storing of furniture, with a salesroom and a grocery for the convenience of their large force of employes. Henry Beard continued thus engaged until his death, secure in the esteem of all who knew him and numbered among the sterling citizens of the county. He died in September, 1877, and his widow is a resident of Economy. They became the parents of six children : Lenora C is the wife of Thomas P. Hadley, a farmer in Perry township; the second child died in infancy; Jonathan S. is the third in order of birth ; John G. Whittier is a farmer and resides in Perry township ; Charles Sumner is also a farmer and resides in Perry township ; and Fred resides in Southern Alberta, Canada. Jonathan S. Beard
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passed his boyhood and youth at the parental home and, after com- pleting the curriculum of the school in Economy, remained with his widowed mother, tending the garden, truck patches, and having gen- eral care of his mother's home, and also worked for the neighbors at intervals. When about twenty years old he worked for a season at the carpenter's trade, but this work proving too heavy for his physique he secured employment in a fence machine factory, owned by George Williams, where he worked two years. Believing that every man should follow some one special line, he worked for a season in a tin-shop in Farmland, Ind., and then came to Economy and engaged in the sheet-metal work for himself. He did metal roofing, spouting, and builder's tin-work generally, but paid espe- cial attention to the making of tinware and repair work, repairing almost everything, from jewelry and spectacles, clocks, and gasoline stoves, to the smoke-stack of a threshing engine or a water tank -it being a frequent saying, if what was wanted could not be found in the market, that "Seward Beard will make it." His business grew, developing into quite a general store, consisting of hardware, chinaware, stoves, furniture, farm implements, and a variety of . notions. Ile has applied himself very closely to business for more than twenty years and now feels that he can best serve his com- munity by engaging in a less strenuous avocation. He served as secretary and treasurer of the Economy Creamery four years, as local treasurer of the Modoc Telephone Company for some time. and is now president of the Northern Wayne Bank at Economy. He has also been a notary public for many years, doing considerable business in that line. Mr. Beard is a Prohibitionist in his political views, is a strong believer in the dignity of honest labor, deeming a wood-cutter, minister, or president, simply servants of all those who need them. He and his wife are members of the Friends' church, he having been superintendent of the Sunday school nine years and a teacher therein for twenty years. On March 2, 1899. Mr. Beard was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Cooper, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and whose parents died in a cholera scourge which ravaged that city. She was the youngest of six children, who were taken to the Friends' Children's Home in Cincinnati. Later, twen- ty-two orphaned children were brought from this home to Wayne county and placed in private homes, Mrs. Beard being taken into the family of Henry Charles, where she was reared. Mr. Charles afterward removed from Green township, where he had resided, to Spiceland, Ind., and there Mrs. Beard grew to womanhood and fin- ished her education in the academy at that place.
Jonathan B. Clark, one of the successful physicians and sur- geons of Wayne county, where he has also served as pension ex- aminer the past sixteen years, is a representative of one of the hon- ored families of the county, and as a citizen and professional man has added to the prestige of the name which he bears. He was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, June 26, 1836, a son of Wil- liam and Louisa (Worth) Clark, born in Randolph county, North, Carolina, the father about 1808 and the mother a few years later. William Clark was reared to the life of the farm and received his
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education in the schools of his native State. Later he became a merchant and also engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods, also operating a tannery and manufacturing saddles, harness, etc., and he remained in North Carolina until 1860, when he removed his family to Indiana. He came direct to Economy, purchasing a tract of land in Perry township, and there initiated the work of reclaim- ing and otherwise improving the property. He also engaged in the mercantile business about ten years and then devoted his atten- tion exclusively to agricultural pursuits. He developed a produc- tive farm and was one of the influential and popular citizens of Wayne county. A few years before his demise he suffered a stroke of apoplexy, which eventually caused his death, about 1873, secure in the esteem and good will of all who knew him and leaving a rec- ord untarnished in every respect. His widow died some years later. about 1883. They were the parents of twelve children: Thomas Elwood became a land owner in Wayne county and spent his last years in Philadelphia, where he died; Jonathan B. is the second in order of birth; Joseph A. became a resident of Idaho and is de- ceased ; Nancy J. is the widow of John Charles and resides in In- dianapolis; Brazilla W. is a retired merchant and farmer and re- sides in Economy ; Rhoda R. became the wife of Henry Cain and is deceased ; George Edmund is deceased ; John M. became a prac- ticing physician and is deceased; Asceneth resides in Winchester, as do also Mary M. and William D., the latter of whom is a farmer and banker; and Ennice became the wife of William Mendenhall and is deceased. Dr. Clark secured the major portion of his earlier educational training at the New Garden Boarding School in Guil- ford county, North Carolina. When about twenty-one years old he began the study of medicine in his native State, teaching school and carrying on his studies at the same time. Ile attended his first course of lectures at Jefferson College in Philadelphia, then took a summer course at the University of the City of New York, after which he returned to Philadelphia and graduated at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine with the class of 1860. After leaving this institution he came to Economy and began the prac- tice of his profession, to which he has since given his attention, and has practically devoted his entire life to his practice, having attend- ed 4,000 cases of confinement. For twenty-five years he was the only physician at Economy. He has also become the owner of a fine farm in Perry township, upon which he has made many im- provements. In 1896 he erected a fine modern residence and office building, and his farm, which is located only. a short distance from the village of Economy, is one of the model places of this section of the county, as thrift and prosperity are in evidence on every side. Dr. Clark's political allegiance is given to the Republican party, to whose faith he has been loyal since the birth of that organization, and he is a potent factor in local affairs of a public order. He was formerly a member of the Masonic order. but is not so affiliated at the present time, and he is a member of the Friends' church at Economy, Mrs. Clark being a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their beautiful home is a center of generous and refined
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hospitality and their circle of friends is circumscribed only by that of their acquaintances. In 1865 Dr. Clark was imited in marriage to Miss Matilda J. Conley, boru at the village of Boston, in Wayne county, in 1847, daughter of Isaac and Luzena ( Williams) Conley, and of this union were born four children : Eva is the wife of Mor- ton Edwards, of Indianapolis, and they have one child, Esther; Ed- mund D. is a physician at Indianapolis, being president of the city board of health, and his practice as a specialist extends into many States-he is married and has one child. Helen ; Maude is the wife of Charles Williams, of Muncie, and they have a son, Thomas J .; and Myrtle is the wife of Dr. John 11. Eberwein, a practicing physi- cian and surgeon in Indianapolis. The parents of Mrs. Clark were born in Pennsylvania. The father came to Wayne county very early and became a land-owner in Boston township, where he cultivated a farm a number of years and then removed to Kansas, locating near Wichita, where he engaged in farming until his death, his wife also dying in Kansas.
A. Grant Mendenhall is an able and popular representative of the agricultural element in Wayne county and is living in practical retirement in the village of Economy, where he has resided since 1906. While engaged in active pursuits he was specially well forti- fied in all departments of his occupation, was a close student, and kept constantly in touch with the advances made in the science of agriculture. Mr. Mendenhall was born near Green's Fork, in Clay township, this county. Ang. 3. 1839, a son of Solomon and Cecilia ( Brooks) Mendenhall. His father was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, Jan. 12, 1814, and came to Indiana with his parents in 1825. The mother was likewise born in North Carolina, the place of her birth being in Stokes county and the date July 18, 1810. The paternal grandfather was Isaiah Mendenhall, who removed with his family to Wayne county, in 1825, and settled in Clay township, where he continued to reside the residue of his life. The mother of A. Grant Mendenhall came to Wayne county with a brother, about 1828, and her parents came in 1836, making the journey in a wagon. Her parents were Jesse and Judith (Johnson) Brooks, of Stokes county, North Carolina, and they reared a family of nine children-Polly, David, John, Matthew, Cecilia, Elizabeth, Warren, Alpha, and Charity. The marriage of Solomon and Cecilia ( Brooks) Mendenhall was solemnized at Green's Fork and they took up their abode in the township of Clay, where the husband established him- self as a successful farmer and land-owner, contributing largely to the npbuilding of the community through his operations. He there continued to maintain his home umtil about 1852, when he purchased a farm in Perry township, where he continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits until his death, June 14, 1883. He was a man of unswerving probity and honor and ever commended the confi- dence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact in the va- rious relations of life. His widow died Dec. 10, 1893. They were the parents of two children : A. Grant is the elder and John Milton is a resident of Jefferson township. A. Grant Mendenhall was reared to maturity in Perry township, in whose district schools he
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secured his preliminary educational discipline, after which he con- tinned his studies in the Friends' Boarding School (now Earlham College) about five months. After reaching the age of twenty-one years he worked for his father one year and then rented land and worked for others until twenty-six years old. He then rented land of his father a number of years and finally became the owner of a farm in Perry township, upon which tract he continued to reside until the fall of 1906, when he moved to Economy and purchased the comfortable home where he resides. He owns 360 acres of land in Perry township and rents the different tracts to others. His po- litical proclivities are indicated in the fact that he gives his support to the cause of the Republican party, but he has never been active in the field of practical politics. He and his wife hold membership in the Liberal United Brethren church. On March 26, 1866, Mr. Mendenhall was united in marriage to Miss Phoebe A. Oler, born in Perry township, May 10, 1845, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Ballenger) Oler, and the children of this union are: Newman S .. born July 31, 1873, a farmer in Perry township, married Luella Marshall and they have three children-Hazel, Mary, and Mildred ; Clara, born July 29, 1875, is the wife of Edgar I. Manning, a farmer of Perry township, and they have two daughters-Elizabeth and Christine ; and Charles A., born Sept. 27, 1878, married India Fenni- more, is a railway mail clerk and resides in the village of Economy. Mrs. Mendenhall is amember of the Ladies' Aid Society.
Elam Osborn, former trustee of Perry township and recog- nized as one of the representative business men and most public spirited citizens of the attractive little village of Economy, is liv- ing practically retired in that village. Energy and progressive methods have brought to him a large measure of success in his chosen fields of endeavor and he holds the unqualified esteem of the people of his home village and county. Mr. Osborn was born in Economy, Dec. 16, 1838, a son of John and Rachel (Johnson) Os- born, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Indiana. John Osborn was born at Lost Creek, Tenn., Nov. 28, 1801, and at the age of about fourteen removed with his parents to Mount Pleas- ant, Ohio. The paternal grandfather, Charles Osborn, was a noted Friends preacher and in 1819 removed his family to Economy. where he platted the first and second additions of the village, in 1825 and 1828, respectively. He traveled a great deal, crossing the ocean three times to preach in England. His first wife, the grand- mother of Elam Osborn, died in Tennessee, and before leaving that State the grandfather married Hannah Swain, in 1810. Later in life he removed to Michigan and resided at Niles, that State, until his death. John Osborn, the father of Elam, came to Economy with his father, in 1819, but when he attained his majority went to Bel- mont county, Ohio, where he taught school and pursued the study of medicine. When he had completed his studies he became dis- satisfied with the medical profession and decided to engage in the nursery business. He collected seeds in Ohio, had them taken down the river on a flat-boat and then freighted over the country from Cincinnati to Economy, where he established a nursery and 'con-
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tinned in the business, selling all kinds of seeds, sprouts, etc., until about 1855. After that time he lived practically retired, attending to his fruit and frequently selling pears, apples, etc., for ten cents per bushel, and died in Economy, May 2, 1874. Beginning on Aug. 1, 1833, he kept a daily record of the temperature of the weather, taking an observation at sunrise, another in the warmest part of the day, and still another at sunset. He continued this practice throughout his life and requested his sons to continue the observa- tions at least ten years after his death. After his demise his son Josiah continued the practice until his death, in 1892, and since that time Elam Osborn has kept the record faithfully, making his observations three times daily, and expects to continue to do so the. residne of his life. The mother of Elam Osborn was born in Rich- mond, Ind., March 22, 1816, and died Feb. 15, 1895, having become the mother of sixteen children, but six of whom reached the age of maturity, and but two of these are now living-Elam and his sister. Martha, wife of Allison Thorp, of Delaware county, Indiana. John Osborn, the father, was a man of fine intellectuality and generous attributes of character. His integrity was inviolable and he ever merited and received the unqualified esteem of his fellow men. Elam Oshorn was reared in a home of culture and refinement and this influence proved potent in results during the formative period of his character. Ile gained his rudimentary education in the schools of his native village and later attended a private school taught by a Mr. Moore, who taught a six-weeks term in Economy. While he had a natural dislike for the schoolroom he completed the course under Mr. Moore and became very proficient in mathematics. When about nine years old he worked for others for his board and clothes, later receiving small wages for his labor, and in 1856 turned his attention to the carpenter trade. He worked at this trade for others until 1858, when he worked as a partner with Nicholas Ben- nett, and in 1859 formed a partnership with Henry Beard (see sketch of Jonathan S. Beard). This partnership existed until the time of Mr. Beard's death, first as contractors and builders, then in the saw-mill business, and later in the manufacture of furniture and the handling of all kinds of building materials. After Mr. Beard's death the partnership property was appraised at $11,000. while the indebtedness of the firm amounted to $8,000. Mr. Osborn assumed the indebtedness of the firm and took over the business, which he continued until it was closed ont, in 1801. He then pur- chased a small farm near Economy and constructed an artificial lake, known as the Osborn Lake, and conducted this place as a summer resort a number of years, finally selling it to his son-in- law. He now lives in the village of Economy, in retirement. Ile owns a twenty-acre tract of land, located one and one-halt miles south of the village, a fine tract of wood land two miles south, and several lots in the village, in addition to his residence property, which includes about eighteen acres adjoining the town. For about forty years, in addition to his other affairs, he was engaged in the undertaking business. As a citizen Mr. Osborn has long been prominent by reason of his progressive ideas and his interest in all
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