USA > Indiana > Fountain County > Portrait and biographical record of Montgomery, Parke and Fountain counties, Indiana : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens : together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 11
USA > Indiana > Montgomery County > Portrait and biographical record of Montgomery, Parke and Fountain counties, Indiana : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens : together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 11
USA > Indiana > Parke County > Portrait and biographical record of Montgomery, Parke and Fountain counties, Indiana : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens : together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 11
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S AMUEL FORGEY, in early days a success- ful agriculturist of Montgomery County, Ind., was a man of courage, energy and resolution. An upright and useful citizen, he was always firm in his defense of right and se- vere in his condemnation of wrong. lle was an ardent advocate of temperance, and was opposed to the traffic of liquor, deeming the sale of intoxicants one of the most debasing evils of this generation. Our subject was always ready to lend a helping hand to the down-trodden and oppressed, and in his death his family were not alone bereaved-hu- manity lost a friend and the entire community mourned the death of a good and faithful citizen.
The grandfather of our subject was a native of Ireland, but emigrated to America when a young man and located in Virginia. Soon came the cry, "To arms!" The Old Dominion early took meas- ures for enrolling companies of volunteers, and Michael Forgey, full of ardent enthusiasm, enlisted in the service of his adopted country and fought bravely for independence. The war ended, and the soldier, once more a private citizen, re- moved to Kentucky, and there was born to him the father of our subject, James Forgey. One of a numerous family, this son grew to man's estate and married Miss Jane Vanseoye, also a native of Kentucky. Remaining in their early home, this worthy couple became the parents of eight children.
These children, in the order of their birth, are Samuel (the subject of our sketeli), Minerva, Sarah, John, Lucinda, George, Elizabeth and Narcissa,
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Samuel, born in 1819, was bred and received the ed- ucation of the common schools in Kentucky, where he married Miss Mahala McGill, and with his wife left his native State and located in Montgomery County, Ind. Six children blessed their home. James S. A. resides in Wellsville, Kan .; Elizabetlı married George Mills, and lives in Crawfordsville; John is a citizen of Ottawa, Kan .; Frank is dead; George is located in Roper, Kan .; and Henry C. is settled upon the old homestead. One son of Samuel Forgey served in the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. Inheriting the courage and brav- ery of his great-grandfather, who fought on the battlefields of 1776, this Union soldier engaged in eleven of the fiercest and most deadly battles of the Rebellion, and passed through many perilous skirmishes.
Henry C., the youngest son of our subject, is an excellent citizen, an honest, industrious and enter- prising man, a good friend and kind neighbor. Ile was born in Montgomery County and has spent his life within the boundaries of the State. From carly boyhood he was skilled in the neces- sary duties of the farm, and was a willing and efficient worker, sowing, planting, reaping and at- tending to the stock. Tilling the soil cheerfully, and with willing hands doing his share of daily toil, he yet found time to attend the public school of his neighborhood and well improved the ad- vantages there pursued. In 1883 Mr. Forgey was united in marriage with Miss Stella McCarty, daughter of Cornelius McCarty, a well-known and highly respected resident of the county where he was reared to manhood. Mr. and Mrs. Forgey have two bright and promising young children, Irva and Iva. The family live upon the old homestead, of which Mr. Forgey now owns, indi- vidually, sixty-three acres, pleasantly located and under a line state of cultivation. As Samuel Forgey was a strong advocate of temperance, so is his son, and never in all his life has he been inside of a saloon. The father and son were also united in political belief and afliliations. Both were stanch Republicans, and to-day the son defends the platform of the party to which his father gave his hearty support so many years. The family are all attendants at the Methodist Episcopal
yours Truly
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Church, and are among the active members in all good work. Mr. and Mrs. Forgey are in the prime of early usefulness and enjoy the confidence and regard of a large circle of true friends.
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ONATHAN M. NICHOLS, President of the National Bank of Rockville, was born in Monroe County, Ind., April 6, 1824, and is the son of Jonathan and Eliza (Hamilton) Nichols. His father was a native of Tennessee, but in a very early day removed to Indiana and estab- lished himself in Monroe County, when the im- provements in that section of the State were very meagre. His profession was that of a teacher, for which he was peculiarly adapted, both by nature and education. He always maintained a deep in- terest in educational matters, and for a long time served as a Trustee of the State University at Bloomington, Ind. He was also a business man of judgment and energy, and engaged in mer- chandising for a number of years.
To Mr. Nichols' parents ten children were born, three of whom are now (1893) living. Our sub- ject was the recipient of good educational advan- tages, and in his childhood was a pupil in the Bloomington schools. To state that he availed himself to the utmost of every advantage offered him in his youth, is but to record what actually occurred. After his schooling ceased he learned the trade of a tinner, and at the expiration of his apprenticeship came to Rockville, where he fol- lowed his trade for four years. IIe then accepted a clerkship in a mercantile establishment, where he remained for a number of years.
with fair success. It was not, however, his inten- tion to establish a permanent home in California, and at the expiration of two years he returned as far east as Kentucky, where he remained for a short time. Later he clerked for a while in his former home at Rockville, and then formed a partnership in the mercantile business with Isaac J. Silliman, which continued for ten years. When Mr. Silliman severed his connection with the busi- ness, his interest was purchased by Messrs. Thomp- son and McCune, and the establishment was con- ducted under the firm name of Nichols, Thompson & McCune until 1864, when the entire concern was sold out.
The above-named firm, on selling out their mercantile establishment, erected a woollen-mill, which they operated for ten years, and then the partnership was dissolved. In 1873 Mr. Nichols was called to the Presidency of the First National Bank of Rockville, and continued at the helm of that financial institution until its affairs were closed out, four years afterward. At the inception of the National Bank of Rockville, in 1877, he accepted the position of President, and he still occupies that responsible office. The bank is the largest institution of the kind in the county and has a capital of 8100,000. The policy of its offi- cers and directors has been such as to win and re- tain the confidence of the business men of the community, and the high rank held by the bank among other corporations of the State is undoubt- edly due to the indefatigable efforts and excellent judgment of the President.
In 1855 Mr. Nichols married Miss Lucinda Free- man, who died in 1858. His second marriage united him with Miss Martha McCune, and they be- came the parents of two children, viz .: Frank, who is employed in the iron and nail works at Green- field, Ind .; and Maude S., who is deceased. Dur- ing the lute war Mr. Nichols was one of the valiant men who offered his services to the country in its time of direst need. In 1862 he enlisted as a member of Company C, Seventy-eighth Indiana Infantry, and served as First Lieutenant. Among the engagements in which he participated was that of Uniontown, where Capt. Howard was killed
During the great gold excitement of 1849, Mr. Nichols was one of the number who sought a for- tune in the far West. With a party of men he made the overland trip, leaving Rockville on the 19th of March and arriving at the Golden State about the 1st of October. His destination reached, he at once engaged in mining, and for two years continued in this occupation, meanwhile meeting ; and the entire company captured as prisoners.
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When released from imprisonment, their term of enlistment having expired, they returned to their homes. Socially, Mr. Nichols is connected with the Masonic order. He is a man who ever feels a deep interest in the welfare of the city, and is constantly in the front whenever any improve- ment is contemplated. Ilis position is among those public-spirited citizens whose highest aim in life is not the achievement of personal success, but the doing of that which will in the highest degree enhance the progress of the community.
AMES MORGAN. It is with special pleas- ure that we reserve a place in this BIOGRAPHI- ICAL RECORD of the worthy pioneers and early settlers of Parke County for the brave defenders of our Flag and Union. The gentle- man whose name heads this sketch is a veteran of the late war, and was born on the farm where he now resides on section 31, Reserve Township, the date of the occurrence being May 10, 1840. His parents were William and Mary (Bateman) Morgan, the former born in Piqna County, Ohio, January 16, 1807. In the year 1825 he removed to Parke County with a brother, James, settling upon sec- tion 31, this township. An uncle had entered three tracts of land as guardian, one in Wabash Township (this being a place of one hundred and sixty acres), one of one hundred and eleven acres on section 32, and one of one hundred and thirty- two aeres on seetion 31, Reserve Township. They cleared and improved these farms, in addition to others. Our subject's father owned two farms in Reserve Township, to which he added seventy-two acres where James Morgan now resides. He also cleared and improved two hundred and twenty- three acres in Wabash Township. In his political faith he was formerly a Whig and later a Repub- lican, being strong and decisive in his views. His wife, who was also born in Ohio, was a daughter of Thomas Bateman, a cooper by trade, who came to Indiana about the year 1851. She became the
mother of twelve children, eight of whom lived to adult years. Jane is the wife of Benjamin Phillips; William and Louisa are deceased, and the others in order of birth are as follows: James, John, Re- becca. George W. (deceased), Thomas and Sarah (deceased). Three others died in infancy. The parents of these children were formerly members of the United Brethren Church, but later became connected with the Methodist Episcopal denomi- nation.
Our subject was educated at the district school until reaching his twenty-first year, when he began the serious business of life for himself. In August,. 1861, when he was but little over twenty-one, he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-first Indiana In- fantry, and took part in the following battles: Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Stone River, Chick- amauga, Ft. Ringgold, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Trec Creek, Resaca (Ga.), and both battles of Atlanta. Few men have taken part or been act- ively engaged in as many important battles of the late war. At Jonesville, our subject was relieved from duty and sent back to Atlanta, being mus- tered out September 13, 1864, as Sergeant. Con- sidering the number of engagements in which he took part, he was remarkably fortunate in escaping injury, but he was wounded in the hip at Shiloh.
On his return home Mr. Morgan engaged in farming, locating in the fall of 1864 where he now resides. This place then comprised seventy-three acres, the farm now being one of one hundred acres, exclusive of a strip which was taken by the railroad. He has greatly improved and developed the property, which is now a model farm in every respect. He is engaged in general farming and has good buildings upon the place. On February 2, 1865, Miss Turzah A. Hise became the sharer of our subject's heart and home, as on that day their marriage was celebrated at the home of the bride's mother. Mrs. Morgan was born in Parke County and is the daughter of Solomon and Catherine (Millison) Hise, who came from Highland County, Ohio, in 1826, settling on Sugar Creek, and later re- moving to Vermillion County, Ind., in 1852. The father, who was a Republican, died in 1862, aged fifty-three years, his wife surviving him until 1880. They were both devoted members of the
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United Brethren Church. In their family of twelve children, five sons and five daughters lived to mature years. George is a resident of Iowa; Jesse died after the war; Aaron served in the Eighteenth Indiana Regiment, and lives in Vigo County; Moses, who was in the Eleventh Indiana Regiment, took part in the siege of Vicksburg and has never since been heard from; Cornelius was a member of the Fourteenth Indiana Regiment, in which State his death occurred. The daughters are all married and have pleasant homes. Mrs. Mor- gan's grandfather, John Hise, was of Dutch origin, and lived his entire life in Ohio, while her ma- ternal grandfather, Jesse Millison, came to Indi- ana in 1826, returned to Ohio later, but finally made a permanent location in Vermillion County, Ind. As Mr. and Mrs. Morgan have no children of their own, they adopted two boys and one girl, to whom they have been kind and considerate parents. Politically, Mr. Morgan is a Republican, and in this county where he has spent his entire life and is consequently thoroughly known, he has a host of the warmest and stanchest friends. He is a man who is ever actuated by the highest prin- ciples of right and honor, being upright in his dealings with all.
h ON. WILLIAM CASS CARR, ex-Mayor of the city of Crawfordsville, Ind., is a wide- awake, conservative business man, and one of the best executive officers that the city has ever had. His election dates from the year 1890, and already he has shown great ability.
The subject of this sketch was born in Lawrence County, Ind., September 8, 1848, being a son of George W. and Elizabeth (Brown) Carr. The former was born in 1807, at Charlestown, Ind., and his father, Thomas Carr, was one of those who came from Kentucky with the first band of settlers to this place in 1804, and later settled at the old trading-post of Vallonia. He was among the first pioneers of Carr Township, Jackson County, where
he resided until his death. This old homestead he entered, and the parchment deeds thereof were signed by James Monroe. Our subject's father lived there and carried on the farm until about one year ago, when he sold the place, this being the only transfer which had been made since the land was taken up.
In 1851, George W. Carr was made Receiver of Public Money at Jeffersonville, and remained in that office until it was discontinued, about the year 1855, when he returned to his agricultural pursuits. At Madison he organized the old Ninety-third In- diana Regiment, and was made its Lieutenant- Colonel, until he was obliged to resign on account of ill-health, just previous to the surrender of Vicksburg. His life was very active, and his ability and intelligence were recognized by his fel- low-citizens, as in the year 1842 he was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Legislature, being re- turned for nine years, and in 1850 was one of the Constitutional Committee who made the present Constitution. He stumped the State for Stephen A. Douglas, but after that campaign took no such active part in political canvasses.
Our subject's father was twice married, his first union being celebrated December 14, 1828, with Miss Elizabeth Brown, who was born in Tennessee, though her parents were from Maryland. Her fa- ther, James Brown, was an early settler of Indiana, in which State Mrs. Carr grew to womanhood. By her marriage she became the mother of six chil- dren. Sarah became the wife of James Brown, and died in 1891; Jane Ann is Mrs. Uriah M. Coulson, and resides at Sullivan, Ind .; Matilda is Mrs. Simcon Smith, of Newberry, Ind .; Mary, who re- sides in Erie, of this State, is the wife of William Speer; George, who died March 16, 1893, was onc of the Reviewing Commissioners of the Pension Department appointed by President Garfield; and the last of the family is our subject. George W. Carr, the father of this family, died May 27, 1892.
William Carr was reared on the old homestead in Jackson County, attended the Iligh School of Woodville, and took a commercial course at In- dianapolis in 1870. There he learned telegraphy, and spent two or three years as an operator. Hav- ing a natural turn of mind for mechanics, he then
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entered the employ of the Vandalia Railroad, and was with them for about two years as bridge-builder. For a like period of time he was Superintendent of the telegraph line, with headquarters at Craw- fordsville. Leaving the railroad company in 1876, he became connected with the planing-mill belong- ing to R. M. & W. C. Lockhart. After a few years, in company with H. T. Craig, he engaged in con- tracting and building until 1880, when he took charge of a lumber-yard. When the Marks & Cohoon Planing Mill Company was organized, our subject became the Superintendent, erected their mill, and ran it until 1886, when they made an assignment to Mr. Carr, who continued to run the mill until 1890, when he was elected Mayor, after which time he attended to the people's in- terests rather than to Ins own up to 1892.
In the Mayoralty contest Mr. Carr's opponent was Sidney Speed, a son of ex-Mayor John Speed. During the administration of our subject, an elec- tric-light plant was erected by the city at a cost of $55,000. It was at Crawfordsville that the question was settled whether a city had the right to operate a light plant supplying stores and pri- vate houses with the illuminating power. October 27, the Supreme Court of the State handed down au elaborate decision, reversing the decision of the lower court and settling the question in the affirmative. This was of interest and a matter of concern to all the inhabitants, Mayor Carr deser- ving much credit for the position he took and the persistency with which he contested the case.
Mayor Carr is a man of liberal mind, and is one who recognizes in every transaction the people's rights. The Council passed an appropriation for $25,000, when some of the members commenced opposing the measure. Our subject and three of the Council, however, carried the day, and now that the heat of discussion is over Mayor Carr is more popular than ever. Every department of the city government had his personal attention. The elec- tric fire-alarm system has been adopted, and the fire department greatly increased in capacity and efficiency. It is now well equipped with modern apparatus, and has an enthusiastic force of twelve men, thoroughly taught in every manœuvre.
The marriage of William Carr took place on
November 26, 1873, with Agnes E., daughter of Harvey Prewitt, deceased, a former well-known farmer and stock-man. This union has been blessed with one child, a son, Lucien W., aged sixteen years. The pleasant home of the family is situated on Maine Street. Mr. Carr is a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed all the chairs. He also belongs to the Or- der of Red Men.
ANIEL DUREE. Few citizens of Bridge- ton enjoy the popularity which has fallen to the fortunate lot of the Postmaster and successful merchant of the village. He was born within a quarter of a mile of the present town of Bridgeton, the date of his birth being August 17, 1831. Ile was the third in a family of seven children. The Durees trace their ancestry to Germany, whence the great-grandfather of Daniel came to this country and first settled in Virginia. Later he removed to Hardin County, Ky., where he married and resided until he was killed by the Indians. From behind the door of their cabin the mother fought the savage foes un- til assistance came, and in this way she saved her own life and that of her only child, Samuel.
The grandfather of our subject, Samuel Duree, grew to manhood in Kentucky, where he married and reared a large family of children. Ile was greatly opposed to slavery, and in 1818, to get away from the influence of that institution, he came with his family to Indiana, where he settled near Portland Mills, in Parke County. Later, he went to Keokuk County, Iowa, where he died early in the '50s. Of his seven children, two are living, one in Mercer County, Mo., and the other in Ohio. George, the father of our subject, was born in Hardin County, Ky., in 1801, and was the third in a family of seven children.
George Duree was twice married. The mother of our subject was Elizabeth, a daughter of Jolin Bullington, who was born in Virginia of Irish an-
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cestry, and married a daughter of William Mitchell, a Revolutionary soldier, who died in Parke County at the age of ninety years. The mother of our subject died in Parke County in 1844, when Daniel was fourteen years old. His father also died in Parke County, although for some time prior to his death he had lived in his native plaec, Kentucky. There were seven children in the parental family, five of whom survive, three sisters in Indiana and one sister in Iowa, besides our subject. The other son, Cornelius S., enlisted during the late war as a member of the Thirteenth Indiana Infantry, in response to the first call of President Lincoln for seventy-five thousand volunteers. Soon afterward he joined the Fourth United States Artillery and served until the close of the war, participating in many of the leading battles of that great conflict, and being present at the fall of Richmond. At the close of the war he joined the regular army and served as Quartermaster-Sergeant. His health being delicate, he was obliged to retire from the army after three years spent in the regular ser- vice, eight years in all. In 1871, while at Bridge- ton, he was seized with heart failure on the banks of the Big Raccoon, into which he fell and was drowned. He had been married, but his wife died three months after their union.
On his father's farm our subject passed his boy- hood days. He received a fair education, but like most boys he was inclined to drift away from home, and at sixteen we find him sailing the Mis- sissippi and Ohio Rivers on flatboats. After fol- lowing this occupation for about five years he tried his hand at farming for three years, but his experience convinced him that he was not fitted for agricultural pursuits, so he entered upon the trade of a carpenter, which he followed until the breaking out of the Civil War. At the first call for troops he responded promptly and enlisted in Company A, Fourteenth Indiana Infantry, as a private in the three-months service. However, he afterward entered the service for three years, and was at once sent to the front.
Early in July of 1861, our subject received his first baptism of rebel fire at the battle of Rich Mountains. Afterward he participated in the en- gagements of Green Brier, Huntsville, Ramley(Va.),
Columbus (Md.), Winchester (Va.), and Straus- burg, after which he was in camp at Winchester. Here his wife joined him and was most helpful in administering to the wants of the sick and wounded soldiers, and here she had some experience in real warfare. The rebels drove the Union soldiers out of their quarters and they were compelled to re- treat to Williamsport, a distance of thirty-six miles. All this distance she was exposed to the murder- ous fire from the rebel guns, but she was as brave as any soldier in the ranks. She afterward re- mained for some time as nurse in the hospital at Hagerstown, and August 1, 1862, returned to her home at Bridgeton.
Among other engagements in which our subject participated may be mentioned the battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. In the last-named engagement he was wounded in the right hand and was obliged to go to the hospi- tal at Washington. Being unfit for further ser- vice he was discharged February 13, 1863. He was appointed Postmaster during the administra- tion of Andrew Johnson, and has held this posi- tion through all the years that have intervened until the present time, except during the former Cleveland administration. He was again appointed Postmaster when Benjamin Harrison became Presi- dent, and holds the office at this writing (1893). In 1871 he embarked in the mercantile business, but was soon after burned out, and for one year afterward engaged in merchandising at Elizabeth- town, Ky. Later, he returned to Bridgeton, where he has ever since been in business as a general merchant.
Socially, Mr. Duree is a prominent worker in the Grand Army of the Republic, and is a char- ter member of Kalley Post No. 572, at Bridgeton, of which he has served as Commander from the date of its organization. Ile was initiated into the Masonic order at Bridgeton in 1859, and has filled the principal offices in the lodge, except that of Master. He served for four years as Justice of the Peace and has filled other posts of trust and honor. Formerly a Whig, he afterward became one of the charter members of the Republican party, and believes that his faith is well founded.
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