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 73
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 73
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 73
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father he inherited habits of industry, push and enterprise, which, coupled with honorable busi- ness methods, brought him snecess. His home- stead now consists of two hundred and eighty acres, and is valned at $50 per acre. In all his work he has received the co-operation of his de- voted wife, to whom he attributes not a little of his success. In her girlhood she bore the name of Alvira Adkins, and is a daughter of Granville and Ipsley (Osborne) Adkins, both natives of Ken- tucky. Her father, who was born in 1804, mar- ried Miss Osborne on the 13th of July. 1828, and they became the parents of eight children. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Layton have been born two chil- dren, viz .: Josephine E., whose birth occurred in 1856; and Ida Esther, who was born in 1864. The former married Sylvester Sprange, and they have three children. The latter became the wife of Charles Dochterman, and they reside with her parents on the old homestead.
In the work of the Farmers' Mutual Benefit As- sociation Mr. Layton takes an active interest, being identified with it as an influential member. He is a man of stirring and industrious disposi- tion, interested in all those measures which have for their ultimate object the advancement of his community, and he cheerfully gives his aid to all worthy enterprises. In his political opinion he is a Republican, and never fails to cast his ballot for the principles advocated by that party.
AMES HOFF, residing on his farm on sec- tion 36, Wayne Township, has passed the most of his life in Montgomery County, being a son of one of its early settlers, and has for many years contributed his quota toward the development of its agricultural resources and the maintenance of its prosperity. He was born in Ilamilton County, Ohio, in 1823, and was a son of N. B. Hoff, who was a native of New Jersey and was born in 1789. Jerusha Larison, the mother, was born in 1800, and died in 1879. The father
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died in 1861. Ile followed wagon-making in Ohio, where he resided for several years. In 1832 he brought his family to Indiana, and took up his residence at Crawfordsville. Under Jackson's ad- ministration he filed on wild land owned by the Government, and in the years that followed he improved it into a good farm. His first dwelling was a log cabin built in 1833, He afterward re- placed it by a house of modern construction. His wife was Jerusha Larison, a native of New Jersey, and they were blessed with ten children, five sons and five daughters: Joseph was born in 1818, be- came a farmer and married Rachel Doesenbark; Catherine, who was born in Ohio, married James Ball, a farmer; James is our subject; John T., who was born July 29, 1825, became a farmer in this county, and in early manhood married Lidia Ilaunce; Mary Jane married John Busenbark, a farmer in Union Township; Harriet married Alick Blackford, a resident of Illinois, and is now de- ceased; Benjamin died in this State; Amos, who was born in this county, married Miss Blackford and is a farmer in Illinois; and Nancy married William II. Jackson, a carpenter at Crawfordsville.
Our subject's early years were passed amid pio- neer environments, and his education was ob- tained in one of the primitive schools of the time, that was held in a rude building, which had puncheon floors and split logs tor seats, and was without windows. Mr. Hoff's first teacher was John Roundtree. Ile had nothing but his brain and muscle to depend upon when he began life for himself, but these were sufficient for him to hew his way to a comfortable living and a com- petence. His first purchase of land was a tract of forty acres that was in all its original wildness when it came into his possession. After a while he had gathered together money enough to war- rant him in purchasing the interest of the other heirs in his father's estate. He now has one of the substantially improved and fine-looking farms of Wayne Township. He has it well provided with buildings for every needed purpose, and has a neatly-built dwelling, erected in 1867 at a cost of $1,500.
Mr. Hoff was married to Miss Hannah Barnett in this township in 1846, the marriage ceremony
that made them one being performed by Joseph Vernon. They are warmly esteemed in their neighborhood for their genuine merit and the many and ever oeeurring incidents of kindness that mark their intercourse with those about them. They have four children: Nancy Jane, who was born in 1848, and was married in 1867 to Will- iam Henderson, a farmer in Illinois; Jerusha Ann, who was born in 1850, and was married in 1873 to Ambrose Fruits, a farmer; Mahala B., who was born in 1855, and was married in 1883 to S. H. Nixon, a farmer of this township, by whom she has four children; and Emma Zilla, who was born in 1857, and died in 1882.
AMUEL SKEETERS is engaged as a farmer in Reserve Township, Parke County, and is an agriculturist of enterprise and good business judgment. He was born in Mercer County, Mo., August 30, 1851, and is a son of William and Mary ( Duree) Skeeters. Ilis paternal grandfather, Abram Skeeters, was born in Ken- tucky, whence he migrated to Indiana in 1826. and made settlement in Reserve Township, Parke County. In addition to the occupation of a farmer, he also engaged in running flatboats down the Mississippi to New Orleans, an enterprise in which he met with fair success. Unto him and his wife, Margaret (Gooden) Skeeters, were born six sons and two daughters.
William Skeeters was born in Reserve Township, Parke County, Ind., February 4, 1829, and has passed almost his entire life within the limits of this county, where he is well known and highly regarded as a farmer and stock-trader of energy. His wife, a most estimable woman, was born in Kentucky, the daughter of Peter W. and Rebecca (Gooden) Duree, natives of the Blue Grass State, who reared a family of five sons and three daugh- ters. In the early life of our subject there is little of special interest for the biographer to record.
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He was quite small when his parents brought him from Missouri to their former home in Indiana, and settled near Armiesburgh, Parke County.
At the age of twenty-one, after having acquired a common-school education, our subject commenced in life for himself and rented a farm, which he operated with success. His industry and perse- verance have resulted in the acquirement of con- siderable property. In December, 1882, he pur- chased eighty acres of good land in Wabash Township, and eight years later added to his landed possessions by the purchase of a seventy- acre tract located near Armiesburgh. This, in itself, speaks better than words could do of his energy and thrift. As a tiller of the soil, he endeavors to keep abreast of the latest improvements in ma- chinery, ete., and pays especial attention to the cereals for which the soil on his farm is best adapted.
The wife of our subjeet, to whom much of his success may with justice be attributed, bore the maiden name of Emma Skeeters, and was born in Parke County, Ind., the daughter of James and Ruth (Dixon) Skeeters. In social eireles, Mr. and Mrs. Skeeters are highly regarded and are welcome guests in the best homes of the county. While not a partisan, our subject is nevertheless devoted to the interests of his chosen party, the Democratic, and is prominent in its ranks.
ICHOLAS N. WHITEHALL, the enterpris- ing citizen and pioneer manufacturer of plows and other farming implements, who identified himself with one of the most prominent and rapidly increasing interests of the Western country a full half century ago, eame with his par- ents from far-off North Carolina when but a little boy, and settled upon the broad prairies of Rich- land Township, Fountain County, Ind. Born in the old Tar State in 1822, he early displayed an enger liking for mechanical pursuits and a desire to know the why and wherefore, which in later
life developed into the practical skill that enabled him to improve upon the inventions of others, and adapt them to an easier and more profitable method of use.
Leaving his native State so early in life, it is but natural to suppose that our subject's memory of his birthplace should be somewhat dim and in- distinct, but the events of dawning manhood, the hope, courage and ambition with which he settled upon a small farm and built thereon a modest lit- the shop, and there and then began life's business for himself, seem but as things of yesterday, though fifty years of care and toil and wondrous change have come and gone. A family of seven strong, hardy, merry children came with the parents from North Carolina to the West. The way was long and tedious, traveling by wagon day after day was slow and tiresome, but all things come to an end, and at last they settled upon Indiana soil, whose sod had not been turned.
The pioneer sons and daughters did their share in household work and farming duties, and as cir- cumstances permitted went to the humble neigh- boring school, and there, with limited time, gained a primary education. Mr. Whitehall was reared upon his father's farm, and duly trained in the various labors of agriculture, but he was a born mechanic and desired a trade. Having at last ac- quired one and become skillful in the use of tools, he felt himself ready to make his own way in the world. In 1844, our subject married Miss Amelia Stephens, and with her located on the farm to which his well-remembered shop soon drew the surrounding population. It was not long before the young mechanic turned his attention almost entirely to the manufacturing of plows.
Although Mr. Whitehall was not the inventor, he made the first plows used in the county which would turn the soil over, allowing it to slip off smoothly. In 1854 he began experimenting with a cultivator, which would allow corn and vegeta- bles to be plowed on both sides. Industrious and hard-working, his business prospered, and he was well able to care for the family who came one after another into the home. Our subject and his wife had the following children: Alec, the eldest, is a prominent lawyer at Watseka, Ill., where he has
Rev. Thomas Griffith
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held the position of Judge. He is an able man and highly respected. Eliza is the wife of Samuel Cook; Lizzie died unmarried; Curtis and Colum- bus are twins, the former being a successful mer- chant of Covington; William is deceased; and John is still at home.
Mr. Whitehall lost his wife in 1859, and by her death was left with the care of the six children, all yet young. In 1863 he was again united in the bonds of matrimony, marrying Miss Melissa Cook, by whom he had two children. Amelia died young; Ossa resides at home. Our subject eomes of a strong and sturdy race, and six of the seven children born nnto his parents still survive. His own sons and daughters have pleasant homes, and occupy excellent positions in life, secure in the esteem and confidence of all their friends and neighbors. Mr. Whitehall is fraternally connected with the Farm- ers' Mutual Benefit Association, and both he and Ins estimable wife are active in all good work. Our subject is the owner of a finely cultivated farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and there upon his homestead, serene in the consciousness of a well-spent life, he is now enjoying the evening of his days.
R EV. THOMAS GRIFFITH, the subject of this sketch, was born May 16, 1816, in the parish of Llanarth, Cardiganshire, South Wales. He is the son of John and Jane (Evans) Griffith, and is one of a family of five children, all boys, whose names as they occur in succession in age are Thomas, David, Griffith, Evan and Jenkin, Thomas being the only mem- ber of his family who came to America.
Our subject received a collegiate education at Neuddlewyd College, in his native town, graduat- ing with honor in 1839. Shortly after his gradua- tion he migrated to the United States, land- ing in New York City May 16 (his birthday), 1840, his worldly possessions being $50 in cash.
Thanks to the correct training and careful man- agement of his parents, his cash account was the minor portion of his wealth; for, in addition to his mental culture, they had instilled into his character attributes and habits of honesty, integ- rity, industry and frugality. These qualities he soon found to be of greater intrinsic value than dollars and cents, even in a new country. Hav- ing been prepared for the ministry, he soon re- moved from New York to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was given charge of a Welsh Congregational Church.
In 1841 Mr. Griffith entered the Lane Semi- nary at that place, and was graduated from it in 1844. In the interim he preached at various places. Subsequently he removed to Dayton, remaining two years, and on October 24, 1850, he was married at Cincinnati to Miss Martha M., a daughter of Conklin Miller, of Montgomery County, Ohio, who was a farmer and wheelwright by occupation.
After marriage our subject removed with his bride to West Newton, Allen County, Ohio, where they lived seven years, moving thence to Bremen, Fairfield County, remaining but one year, when, in March, 1858, he came to Montezuma, Ind., and took charge of the Presbyterian Church, preaching to this congregation for two years before the be- ginning of the late war, during the second year of which he enlisted in the Sixth Indiana Cavalry as its chaplain.
The Rev. Mr. Griffith was with his regiment in all its battles from Richmond, Ky., to Atlanta, Ga. After this battle he was left with the sick and wounded, the regiment going on to Nashville, Tenn., where he joined them after the engage- ment at that place. His services were in as great demand by the sick and wounded "flower of the country" as were those of the surgeons. Theirs was but the menial duty of ministering to the needs of the physical man, while his was the duty of minis- tering to the spiritual man by offering to the sin- sick and hungry soul the bread of life, cheering on the foremost in the ranks of death, setting forth the promises, praying with the faltering, telling them of Jesus, encouraging the less afflicted ones to make a stronger fight for life, and point- ing all to the cross of Christ and His salvation.
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Mr. Griffith was captured by the enemy at Rich- mond, Ky., in September, 1862, and was paroled and recaptured at Marietta, Ga. In September, 1865, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., he was honorably discharged from the service and returned to his home at Montezuma.
Our subject was again given charge of the Presbyterian Church, where he preached for three years more, making a total of five years in this church. Fle is now on the retired list, having preached the Gospel of Christ for fifty-three years. He and his good wife are still valued citizens of Montezuma, honored and esteemed by all.
In politics, he is a Republican, and prior to Cleveland's first administration he served two and a-half years as Postmaster at Montezuma, the working of which office he greatly improved. He was made a member of the Ancient Free & Ac- cepted Masons in 1853, at Lima, Ohio, and still affiliates with that body.
To Mr. Griffith and wife were born but two chil- dren: Lizzie, who died at the age of twelve years, and Horace B., who is a prosperous merchant in Montezuma.
Mr. Griffith, Sr., is very energetic, enterprising and progressive. He has been identified with most of the enterprises of importance since he became a citizen of the town, yet withal he is generous to a fault, giving much of his time and means to the needy.
OHIN RATCLIFF, a wealthy retired farmer of Sugar Creek Township, l'arke County, is one of the most energetic and enterpris- ing men who have advanced its interests. He is the son of Thomas and Mary (Cashatt) Rat- cliff. and was born in Chatham County, N. C., Jannary 4, 1810. The former parent was reared in North Carolina among strangers, his father having died when he was very young. Being thrown on his own resources, Thomas learned the
hatter's trade when a mere lad, which he continued to follow for a number of years. On reaching his maturity, he married Miss Mary, a daughter of John and Margaret Cashatt. To our subject and wife were born the following children: William, deceased; John; Hannah, deceased, the wife of Robert Tunning; Dorcas, deceased, the wife of Jesse Cashatt; Elizabeth, who married John King; Margaret, wife of John McPherson; Miles; and James. Soon after his marriage Thomas Rateliff abandoned his trade and gave his attention to farming. He emigrated to Ohio about 1813, and settled in Highland County, where he farmed suc- cessfully until coming to Indiana. He came here in 1829 and entered land from the Government in Fountain County, near Kingman, where he resided until his death. He was a veteran of Revolution- ary fame, distinguishing himself in several engage- ments, and was an influential member of the United Brethren Church of this township.
The original of this notice remained with his parents until his first marriage, which was cele- brated in the year 1830. The lady of his choice was Mary, the daughter of Walter and Elizabeth (Bowman ) Clark. Mrs. Ratcliff was the mother of six children, namely: William, Walter, Elizabeth, Mary, Thomas and Marshall. After the death of his first wife he married Miss Anna Marshall, who survived but a short time. After her decease he was married to Mrs. Martha J. Walden, a daughter of Asa and Elizabeth (Slaughter) Wilson. This lady was formerly the wife of Sanford Brent.
At the beginning of his career our subject en- tered eighty acres of Government land where he now lives. It was then far different from the prairies of the present day, and he had all the work he could do to bring it to anything like a right condition. Having a fine practical knowledge, and being naturally a business manager, from time to time he was enabled to purchase more land, and after he entered another forty acres of timber land he set about clearing a place where he could erect a house. For a time, in connection with his farm pursuits, he operated a small distillery, which helped him somewhat financially, and he is now the proud possessor of two hundred acres of attrac- tive and well-tilled land, Besides being an indul-
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gent father, he is also a liberal supporter of his family, and has given a portion of his estate to his children.
Mr. and Mrs. Ratcliff are much esteemed, both on account of the sterling qualities of their char- acter and their social position. Their family is among the best in the county, and in all that means true home life they are in the front rank: As a citizen, man and friend, our subject is uni- versally regarded by those who know him worthy of their respect. His political sympathies are with the Republican party and have been since he came to understand the political institutions and prin- ciples of his country. He is a member of the Christian Church of this place.
ELSON G. NEBEKER, Superintendent of the Poor Farm of Fountain County, Ind., has been a resident of this section from his birth, which occurred in 1842. he being a son of Lucas and Abigail (Gilbert) Nebeker, the former of whom was born in Ohio in 1819, and the latter in 1821, in Connecticut, she being a daughter of Asa Gilbert, who was born in the State of Con- necticut. Lucas Nebeker, Sr., took up his abode in Fountain County, Ind., in 1824, and settled on a farm on section 12, Troy Township, entering some Government land. He eventually became the owner of five hundred and eighty acres of land, which he tilled in a very successful manner and on which he resided until his death in 1839.
Of his brothers and sisters John, who was born in Ohio in 1806, married Margaret Bishop, and until his death resided on the old Shelby place, where he reared a family of nine children, and took for his second wife Delila Morris; Mary, born in Ohio in 1808, was never married and died in 1869; Richard M., born in Ohio in 1810, married Lucinda Long, and is a resident of Fountain County; Nancy, born in Ohio in 1816, married Johan Adam- son, a farmer residing in the vicinity of Coving-
ton; Charlotte, born in Ohio, married John Mc- Kinney, and is deceased; George, a native of the Buckeye State, born in 1813, married Mary Steeley, and for some time resided on a farm in the vicin- ity of Covington. One of his sons, E. II. Nebeker, was United States Treasurer under Gen. Harri- son. Lucas, a native of Ohio, was born in 1819, as above stated, and took for his second wife Miss Margaret Leach, his third wife being a Miss Insley. He became the father of fifteen children, of whom the following may be mentioned: Charlotte was born in 1844, and died in 1852: Charles, born in Fountain County in 1846, died in 1851; Edna I., also a native of this county, born in 1848, died in 1851; Almira, born in 1850, died in 1851; Clara J., born in 1852, married Will Crapp, a minister, and resides in Illinois; Asbury C., born in 1856, is a stenographer of Decatur, Ill .; Martha J. was born in this county in 1858, married Anderson Brugh, and resides in La Fayette, Ind .; J. L. first saw the light of day in 1860, and is a resident of Chicago; Anna R., born in 1870, yet single; and Nelson, the subject of this sketch.
Our subject's youth was spent in assisting his father on the home farm, and during this time he fortunately secured a fair common-school educa- tion, which he has since found of great service to him in conducting his affairs. In 1885 be was united in marriage to Miss Knapper, who was born in 1855, in the county in which they are at pres- ent residing, a daughter of N. F. Knapper, her mother's maiden name having been Morris. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Nebeker has resulted in the birth of one child, II. F., who was born in this county in 1886. In addition to attending the common schools, he entered Greencastle College at the age of fifteen years, where he remained from the fall of 1858 to 1861, when he dropped his books to become a votary of Mars, enlisting in the Sixty-third Indiana Infantry. During his three years' service he was in many engagements, among which may be mentioned the second battle of Bull Run, and was with Sherman all through the At- lanta campaign in 1864. Since that time he has devoted bis attention to farming in Fountain County, Ind., with the exception of some time spent in Kansas, whither he went in 1870 and en-
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tered one hundred and sixty acres of Government land. After remaining on this farm for five years he returned to Indiana and here has since made his abiding-place.
Ilis first purchase of land amounted to for- ty-five acres, on which he erected a substantial residence and other good farm buildings. His good judgment is well known, and in 1890 he was elected Superintendent of the County Poor Farm, which he has since conducted in a very satisfae- tory and praiseworthy manner. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and both are teachers in the Sunday-school. Mr. Nebeker is a member of the Knights of Pythias, of which organization he has been a member since 1882, and, politically, he is a stanch Republican, although he has never aspired to public office. His grandfather was Associate Judge of the county and was on the Bench when the first man in the county was sentenced to be hanged. The Nebeker family is of German descent, but for a number of generations back have been natives and loyal citi- zens of America.
C OL. ABEL MITCHELL. In our attempt to give the genealogy of the Mitchell fam- ily and their immediate descendants, we will take the gentleman whose name heads this sketeli as a representative. Abel Mitchell was born in Raccoon Township, Parke County, December 18, 1835. llis great-grandfather was an Irishman, but his name nor the date of his birth cannot be ascertained; he settled in Virginia in an early day and married a French lady, who became the ino- ther of four sous: William, Edward, Barzil and Amos. The parents of these boys died when they were small and they were forced to rely on their own responsibility. They were all brave soldiers during the times of the Revolutionary War, and served a full period. They distinguished them- selves in the battles of Bunker Hill, Trenton, Mon- mouth, and also at the surrender of Cornwallis.
After the war closed these brothers were scattered in different parts of the country. Of these we have not been able to trace any but William, who was the grandfather of the present generation of Mitchells and was born in Pittsylvama County, Va., in 1747. For a time he lived at llobb's Hale, a place in that State that we are not able to locate. He was by occupation a carpenter, a farmer and tobacco-raiser. He married an Irish lady, who was born in 1754, and died in 1842. Ilis marriage was celebrated in his native county and resulted in the birth of eleven children, namely: Frederick N., who was the eldest, and was a large planter and slave-owner near Nashville, Tenn., also reputed to be very wealthy. Olive, the second child, mar- ried John Bullington, of Virginia, and to thiem were born ten children. They went from Virginia to Kentucky, and in 1823 removed to Parke County and settled at New Discovery, where they died. Their children were Jane, William Robert, Mary, Elizabeth, James, John, Martha, Josiali and Chloe Ann.
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