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 47
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MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
ing school he worked for a time in his father's saw-mill, and in 1884 rented a farm one mile east of Dunreith, in Henry county, where he farmed two years, and in 1887 returned to Henry county, Indiana, where he farmed rented land four years. He then pur- chased a farm in that county, upon which he made a specialty of fruit raising, but later sold this farm and rented land near Cam- bridge City, in Wayne county. There he devoted himself to gen- eral farming until 1903, when he purchased the farm where he re- sides, in New Garden township. Though never active in the 'arena of practical politics, Mr. Hudelson gives a staunch allegiance to the Republican party, and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church at Fountain City. While living at Spiceland, in Henry county, he served six years as justice of the peace. He is a reliable and progressive farmer and has the esteem and confidence of the community in which he maintains his home and in which his interests naturally center. On Feb. 12, 1884, Mr. Hudelson was united in marriage to Miss Rozilla Jane Oldham, daughter of James and Lovina Oldham, of Rush county, this State, the former of whom was a farmer in Center township, that county, and died in 1905. Four children were born of this union : Herbert Ray, born Feb. 17, 1885, was married on Dec. 24, 1905, to Edna May Frazier, and is farming near Williamsburg, in Green township; Lovina Grace, born Jan. 21, 1888, was mar- ried on June 9, 1908, to Everett Reynolds, who is conducting a grocery at 1518 North E street in Richmond; Ermal Ross, born March 23, 1890, is the yard foreman for the Big Four railroad at Lynn; and Merrell Gilbert, born April 24. 1892, attending business college at Richmond. Herbert Ray and wife have a daughter, Pauline, born Feb. 12, 1909, on the wedding anniversary of the grandfather. Mr. Iludelson.
Barclay Thomas Johnson, a well known farmer of New Gar- den township, is a native of this county, born in Fountain City, Oct. 22. 1848, son of Rev. John Wright and Clarkey II. (Thomas) Johnson. The father was born in Guilford county, North Caro- lina, Oct. 25, 1819, and the mother was a native of Wayne county. first beholding the light of day, April 22, of the same year. The paternal grandparents were William and Deborah (Coffin) John- son, the latter a sister of Levi Coffin, famous because of his con- nection with the "Underground Railroad" affairs. The Coffin name can be traced back to the year 1066, when Sir Richard Coffin ac- companied William the Conqueror from Normandy to England, and the Manor of Alvington, in the county of Devonshire, was assigned to him. The direct genealogy of the Coffins in America can be traced back to Nicholas Coffin, of Butler's parish, in Devon- shire, who died in 1603, and one of his grandsons, the famous Tristram Coffin (Coffyn, as he spelled it) was the ancestor of the numerous families of that name in this country. Nicholas Coffin had five childrren-Peter, Nicholas, Tristram, John, and Anne. Peter married Joanna Thimber and died in 1627, leaving four daughters and two sons, one of whom was Tristram, mentioned as the first American ancestor. Ile was born in Brixton, England,
BIOGRAPITICAL
near Plymouth, in the county of Devonshire, in 1605. Ile married Dionis Stevens and in 1642 emigrated to the colony of Massachu- setts with his wife, five small children, a widowed mother, and two unmarried sisters. He first settled at Salisbury, then at Haver- hill, then at Newberry, and finally, in 1660, at Nantucket Island, which he with nine . associates, about that time, had purchased from the Indians. He and his sons owned one-fourth of that island and the whole of the small island of Tuckermick, containing 1,000 acres, and in the small community there established he was the acknowledged chief. His energy, intelligence, philanthropy, and great public spirit lifted him prominently above the men of his time, and he became the founder of one of the most remarkable families in the I'nited States. His extraordinary physical, men- tal, and moral qualities seem to have been continuously trans- mitted in a wonderful degree to his numerous descendants, who are found in all sections of the country and number over 150,000 souls, many of then prominent in their respective social, business, and religious communities. One cannot examine the voluminous records of the family, covering a long period before its Puritan founder emigrated, and the 270 years since that time, without be- ing confirmed in the belief that there are few, if any, families in the United States that can boast of such a continuous line of distinguished men and women. Among them we find Benjamin Franklin, Lucretia Mott, Maria Mitchell, Charles J. Folger, Levi Coffin, Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, Col. James Vanderburg, com- mended by Washington; Capt. Israel Vail, killed at the battle of White Plains, and Capt. Reuben Coffin, who commanded the Seth Low while towing the Monitor from New York to the James river in 1862, bravely hurrying it over a dangerous sea, against the pro- test of naval officers, and so providentially arriving in time to save a fleet of our best war ships from destruction. Tristram Coffin died Oct. 2, 1681. His children were: Peter, Tristram, Eliza- beth, James, John, and Stephen. John married Deborah Austin; their son Samuel married Miriam Gardner ; their son William mar- ried Priscilla Paddock : their son Levi married Prudence Williams, and this last named couple were the parents of Deborah (Coffin) Johnson, placing her in the fifth generation from the immigrant, Tristram Coffin, of Nantucket, and Barclay T. Johnson is of the seventh generation. Deborah (Coffin) Johnson came to Indiana in 1825, having previously lived in Ohio, where her husband died and where her first four children were born, the youngest being born in North Carolina. Her husband, William Johnson, was the son of Jacob Johnson, who was killed in a runaway at Xenia, Ohio. Some years after his marriage William removed with his family to North Carolina, where the Rev. John W. was born, but becom- ing dissatisfied there started back to Ohio on horseback, and after the second day was never heard of again. Thereupon his widow emigrated with her family to Wayne county, Indiana, in 1825, and joined the large settlement of Friends, most of whom were natives of and had emigrated from Guilford county. North Carolina. She Jater established her home in Fountain City, where she died in 1829,
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and of her family of five children, all are deceased. During the lifetime of Rev. John Wright Johnson he was engaged in various pursuits, having learned and worked at the carpenter's trade for fifteen years, much of the time 'as a contractor. He was engaged in farming in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, from 1854 to 1869, and in 1881 engaged with his son, Dr. Levi C. Johnson, in the drug business ; but during these years he was a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist church, having been licensed in 1847 and ordained in 1852. After forty years' service as a minister in that church he withdrew and joined the Friends' church, of which his mother had been a member. He was a strong worker for the causes of aboli- tion and temperance and his fame came through his ante-bellum connection with the "Underground Railroad," of which he and Rev. Levi Coffin were the founders. Of all their adventures in aiding the escaping slaves, that connected with the escape of Eliza Har- ris, heroine of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," furnished the greatest inter- est. The authoress, Harriet (Beecher) Stowe, practically moulded her story from the incidents related to her by Mr. Johnson and his uncle, she having come to Fountain City purposely to gather in- formation. Of Rev. John Wright Johnson's brothers and sisters the following data are supplied: Cyrena, the eldest, married John Girton, of Boston, Ind., and died in Jo Daviess county, Illinois; Jacob, the second, died at the age of nineteen ; Levi was long recog- nized as the most prominent minister in Southwestern Indiana and belonged to the Indiana conference of the Methodist Episcopal church ; and Eliza became the wife of Manlove Way, of Foun- tain City, and in 1848 removed to Jo Daviess county, Illinois, where she died. On Dec. 31, 1840, occurred Rev. John W. John- son's marriage to Naomi W. Morgan, born Feb. 26, 1820, daugh- ter of Micajah and Hannah Morgan, and of this union were born two children-Micajah M. and Adeline. The first named was born Feb. 17, 1842, and now (1911) resides in Neligh, Neb .; and Adeline, born July 27, 1844, died July 19, 1845. The wife died March 7, 1845, and on July 2, 1846, Mr. Johnson was united in mar- riage to Clarkey H. Thomas, born April 22, 1819, daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Moorman) Thomas. Benjamin Thomas was the youngest son of John and Mollie (Clark) Thomas, natives of Maryland and Virginia, respectively, and was born in Richmond county, North Carolina, Jan. 9, 1793. On Oct. 22, 1816, he married Anna, daughter of Zachariah and Mary (Mathews) Moorman, born Feb. 26, 1788. For forty years Rev. John Wright Johnson and Clarkey H. (Thomas) Johnson lived together most happily and were separated by the death of the wife, April 12, 1887. Of their union were born six children: Emeline, born July 30, 1847, died Aug. 29, of the same year; Barclay Thomas is the second in order of birth; Luther Lee, born March 31, 1850, is a brick contractor and resides in Marion, Ind .; Levi Coffin, born Sept. 23, 1852, has long been a practicing physician in Neligh, Neb., where he now resides (1911) ; Anna Belle, born June 9, 1858, married Rev. Charles Hunt, formerly president of the Collegiate Institute at Vernon, Ky., but now resides in New Mexico; Emma Dell, born Jan. 7,
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
1860, died Sept. 18, of the same year. The third marriage of Mr. Johnson was solemnized Sept. 24, 1889, when he took as his com- panion Elizabeth Woodruff, born Oct. 20, 1823. She was the widow of Israel Woodruff, by whom she had one son, Joseph Israel Woodruff, now of Chicago. Her maiden name was Coffin, and her great-grandfather, Joseph Coffin, was a cousin of Levi Coffin, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Johnson and the father of Levi Coffin, of Underground Railway fame. She held the prominent position of governess and matron at Earlham College from 1855 to 1885. This, in brief, is the life history of Rev. John Wright Johnson, one of Indiana's honored pioneers. As a business man he was upright, reliable and honorable. He was ever thrifty and enterprising, and as a husband and father was always gen- erous and considerate. In all places and under all circumstances he was loyal to truth, honor and right, and he justly regarded his self-respect and the deserved esteem of his fellow men as of in- finitely more value than wealth, fame or position. In those finer traits which attract and endear man to his fellow man in ties of friendship he was royally endowed, and his example is indeed one worthy of emulation. He was ever tolerant of the desires and opinions of others, and though willing to yield in minor matters, never compromised with that which he knew to be wrong. This honorable and well spent life came to a close, May 17, 1910, at the ripe old age of ninety-one years. His widow and four children survive him. Barclay T. Johnson was reared and educated in his native township and was associated with his father in his various business enterprises. His educational training was received in the district schools of New Garden township and his principal voca- tion has been that of a farmer. He resides one-half mile east of Fountain City, where he owns the farm that his grandfather, Ben- jamin Thomas, entered in 1811, and under his careful management and up-to-date methods of farming it is still a most productive tract, after 100 years of use. In politics he is a Republican, but is a profound believer in voting for "the best man," regardless of his political affiliations. On Feb. 6, 1877, Mr. Johnson was united in holy wedlock to Miss Agnes Vista Shook, born July 13, 1860, daughter of William and Eliza Shook. She died Oct. 15, 1878, leaving a son, Frank Leslie, born Dec. 20, 1877, who died April 4, 1880. Mr. Johnson's marriage to Lydia Anna Stidham occurred March 26, 1884. She was born Sept. 2, 1861, daughter of David and Susan (Venard) Stidham, natives of Wayne county, and now deceased. Of this union there are two daughters-Susan Belle, born July 3, 1886, and Clarkey Muriel, born Aug. 13, 1887. The former is attending a business college in Richmond and the latter is employed in Keilhorn's millinery establishment in the same city.
Lemuel Hiatt Jackson, an industrious and prosperous farmer of New Garden, has passed his entire career in Indiana and is universally held in high esteem. He first beheld the light of day on the old Jackson homestead, one and one-half miles north of Spartanburg, in Randolph county, Indiana, June 9, 1836, a son
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MEMOIRS OF WAYNE COUNTY
of Edward and Polly ( Bright) Jackson, natives of Guilford county, North Carolina. Edward Jackson was born in 1799 and received his educational training in the common schools of his native State. lle migrated to the Hoosier State in the year remembered because of the phenomena of many falling stars, purchased a tract of land in Randolph county immediately upon his arrival in Indiana, and successfully followed agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his career. When he came west, this section of the country was little more than a wilderness waste and his land was covered with the native timber, but through hard work he, reclaimed many of his acres to cultivation. The first buildings erected by him were of the primitive type, later being replaced with better ones, and finally the latter gave way to the modern structures, which added greatly to the value and attractiveness of the well cultivated farmstead. He was ever a progressive and public spirited citizen, though he did not cherish ambition for public office. His beloved wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1794, and migrated west to this State with her husband and children in that early day, the marriage of Mr. Jackson having occurred in North Carolina. She went to her reward, loved and respected by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She and her husband were both consistent members of the Methodist church, and he was a Republican in his political views. To them were born six children, concerning whom the following brief record is given : John W. served in the Fifth United States cavalry during the Civil war and died in Wisconsin ; Matilda married Wilson Davis and is deceased ; Elizabeth is deceased; James resides in Grand Rapids, Mich .; and Lemuel H. is the youngest and the only one born in Indiana, the others having been born in North Carolina. Lemuel H. Jackson was reared on the home farm and at an early age com- menced to contribute his quota to its work, in the meanwhile availing himself of the educational advantages afforded in the local schools. Accordingly, he was reared to the sturdy discipline of farm life and has been continuously identified with agricultural pursuits from his youth to the present day. In 1862 he enlisted in Company F, Sixty-ninth Indiana infantry, which regiment was organized at Richmond and was mustered in Aug. 19, of that year. It left the State the next day for Richmond, Ky., and was engaged in the battle near that place on the 30th, where Kirby Smith's forces captured it almost to a man. Following the battle, and while a prisoner at Franklin, Ky., Mr. Jackson and two soldier companions were given poisoned buttermilk to drink by a woman, the result of which was the death of the two companions, but Mr. Jackson recovered. The regiment was paroled and in November exchanged, leaving Nov. 27 for Memphis. ' It was with Sheldon's brigade of Morgan's division on the Vicksburg expedition in De- cember, and participated in the assault at Chicasaw Bluffs. It was engaged at Arkansas Post, and after the capture of that place proceeded to Young's Point. It moved to Milliken's Bend in the latter part of February, and on March 30 was the advance regiment in the movement of Grant's army against Vicksburg. It dislodged
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
a force at Roundaway Bayou and aided in building bridges at Richmond, La., 2,000 feet being constructed in three days, thus completing a military road across the Peninsula from the river above Vicksburg to the river forty miles below. It was engaged at Port Gibson, at Champion's Hill, and in the assault at Black River Bridge. It moved to the rear of Vicksburg, was engaged in the siege and in the assault of May 22, and was stationed at the Black River Bridge, holding Johnston's forces in check until Vicks- burg's fall. The regiment was in Osterhaus' division, which opened all the engagements prior to the investment of Vicksburg. It was in constant skirmish in the advance on Jackson and was ac- tively engaged during the six days' siege. It was sent to Port Iludson in August; was in the Teche expedition with General Franklin; moved to Texas in November, landing at Matagorda Bay ; sailed for Indianola Feb. 13, 1864, and returned to Matagorda Island on March 13. It returned to Louisiana in April; joined Banks' retreating army near Alexandria; participated in the fight near that place, and in the retreat supported Lucas' cavalry in covering the rear of the army. It was in camp at Morganza until December and engaged in several minor expeditions. It moved for Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, on Dec. 7, and on the 14th joined the Pascagoula expedition. The regiment was consolidated into a battalion of four companies, Jan. 23, 1865, and embarked a few days later for Barrancas, Fla., whence it moved to Pensacola on March 14, and on the 20th accompanied Steele through Florida and Southern Alabama. It engaged in the assault at Fort Blakely and guarded prisoners to Ship Island. It then moved to Selma, Ala., where it remained until May 3, when it returned to Mobile and was mustered out July 5, 1865. In 1858, Mr. Jackson was umited in marriage to Esther Masterson, who died in 1863, while her husband was giving loyal and faithful service in behalf of the Union. To them was born one child, L. Oscar Jackson, a mer- chant in Indianapolis. In 1868, he was united in holy wedlock to Anna J. Hampton, daughter of Jehiel and Sarah ( Palmer) Hamp- ton, of which union were born four children: Ora II., born Dec. 17, 1869, resides in Indianapolis; Clara B., born Oct. 24, 1872; Bertha M. died in infancy ; and Elizabeth E., born May 30, 1878, is the wife of Lafayette A. Jackson, a prominent grocer of In- dianapolis. Jehiel Hampton, the father of Mrs. Jackson, was born in Virginia, Dec. 23, 1793, and died in Wayne county, Jan. 16, 1859. Her mother was born in North Carolina, Oct. 26, 1808, and died in Wayne county in 1852. Jehiel Hampton was the son of Jacob and Eunice (Dunham) Hampton, the former born Feb. 5, 1759, in Essex county, New Jersey, and the latter July 28, 1765, daughter of Elisha and Elizabeth Dunham. Jacob Hampton en- tered 1,600 acres of land and gave each one of his ten children 160 acres. Jacob Hampton, the father of Jacob Hampton and great- grandfather of Mrs. Jackson, was born Aug. 9, 1731, and Mary Hampton, the great-grandmother, was born in Essex county, New Jersey, in 1734, daughter of John and Anna Terrill. Her husband, Jacob Hampton, was the son of John Hampton, who was in turn
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the son of John Hampton, but the birth dates of the last two named have not been preserved. The Hampton family is of Eng- lish descent, came to America in a very early day, and Wade Hampton, the Confederate general and South Carolina statesman, was descended from this same family. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson are members of the Society of Friends.
Elijah G. King, who maintains his home in the township of Webster, is engaged in agricultural pursuits and has long been known as an able and progressive farmer. He enjoys marked popu- larity in his home township. Mr. King was born in Webster town- ship, Jan. 8, 1862, a son of William and Jemima (Jackson) King, given extended mention on other pages of this volume, in the sketches of Dr. James E. and Thomas L. King. Elijah G. King gained his rudimentary education in the Olive Hill district school. He continued to be associated with the work and management of his father's farm until he reached his maturity, when he began his independent career by renting land and finally purchased the place where he resides, in Webster township. Mr. King is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 371, at Web- ster, in which local organization he has served as Noble Grand, and is also affiliated with the Modern Woodmen at Richmond. He gives an unqualified allegiance to the Republican party and takes much interest in the promotion of its interests. As a citizen he is loyal and public spirited and is a supporter of the Christian church. He was maried to Miss Caroline Peacock, daughter of Levi P. And Sarah Peacock, of Webster township, and the seven children of this union are: Herbert R., born July 13, 1887; Wil- liam J., born July 4, 1891 ; Paul L., born Jan. 10, 1893; Ernest C., born Feb. 15, 1894; Mabel Jemima, born Dec. 27, 1897; Theodore R., born May 28, 1900; and William Kenneth, born Aug. 7, 1909. Mrs. King was born April 12, 1867, and died Sept. 5, 1909.
John L. Kempton, a prominent farmer of Center township, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 22, 1851, son of John and Jane (Mar- shall) Kempton, both born in Ireland of Scotch-Irish descent, the father on Dec. 25, 1812, and the mother about 1814. They came to America about 1833, first locating in New York City, where the father engaged in contract construction work. From New York they removed to Cincinnati, where the father followed contracting until about 1856, and then moved to a farm, five miles south of Springfield, Ohio, where the family resided until after the close of the Civil war. They then came to Indiana and the father pur- chased a farm three miles northwest of Centerville, where he ie- sided until his death, in 1899, and the mother died the same year. They were the parents of nine children: Sarah resides in Rich- mond; Elizabeth is deceased; William resides in Center township, near the old homestead; Margaret is the wife of Elton V. Elliott, of Indianapolis; Joseph resides in Richmond; Mary is the wife of Isaac Russell, of Indianapolis ; John L. is the next in order of birth ; Alice resides in Richmond ; and the first child died in infancy. John L. Kempton received his preliminary educational advantages in the school at West Grove, and at twenty years of age began life for
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himself by operating his father's farm. He continued in this way about twenty years, and then having married moved to a farm which he purchased two miles north of Centerville. Nine years later he purchased the place known as the "Vinnage Russell Farm," where he now resides, and which consists of 150 acres, the other farm, which he also owns, comprising eighty acres. He follows general farming and stock-raising and makes a specialty of the very finest Short-Ilorn cattle and Poland-China hogs, having about forty head of cattle on hand at this time. He devotes his entire time to. his farms. In his political views he is allied with the Republican party, but has never sought public preferment for himself. Fra- ternally he was a charter member of the Centerville Lodge, No. 154, Knights of Pythias, but for a number of years has not attended its meetings. On June 5, 1890, occurred his marriage to Miss Clara J. Russell, born in Wayne township, March 19, 1865, daughter of John S. and Jane Russell. Mr. and Mrs. Russell were natives of Wayne county and passed their entire lives within its precincts. To Mr. and Mrs. Kempton were born four children: Elmira, born Aug. 9, 1891 ; Russell, born June 19, 1893; Whitney, born March 30, 1897; and Glenn. born Feb. 21, 1902. The father of Mrs. Kempton was a farmer by occupation and also engaged in the lumber busi- ness for a time, but his principal occupation was farming. He served with the home guards during the Morgan Raid. and his oldest son served with an Ohio regiment several months during the Civil war. Mrs. Kempton is one of four children born to her parents.
August A. Knoll, an industrious and prosperous farmer of Franklin, has passed his entire life career in that township, where he is universally held in high esteem. lle first beheld the light of day on the old Knoll homestead there, Ang. 7, 1872, a son of Isaac and Lena ( Wiechman) Knoll, natives of Germany. Isaac Knoll was born in 1816 and received his educational training in the schools of his native land. He migrated to America in 1838, and after residing in New York two years came to Richmond, where he secured employment at Earlham College. Later he was employed in the Spring Foundry at Richmond, four years, and then pur- chased the farm in Franklin township and successfully followed agricultural pursuits the remainder of his career. He was ever a progressive and public-spirited citizen, though he did not cherish ambition for public office. He was twice married, his second wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, born in Germany, in 1826, migrated to America in 1848, and married Mr. Knoll in Richmond. She had previously been married to Fred Beekman, of which union there were born two children-Minnie and Anna. Of her union with Mr. Knoll there were born five children: Rosa, who died in infancy ; Frank J. ; August A. is the third in order of birth ; Emma married Ilarry 11. Steinbrink, of Richmond, has five children- Raymond, Richard, Ruby, Harry, and Ralph; and Charles H. (See sketch of John H. Knoll for the first marriage of Isaac Knoll.) August A. Knoll was reared on the home farm and at an early age commenced to contribute his quota to its work, in the meanwhile
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