county and because of his earnest and consistent life in the face of ill health
sufficient to discourage totally one of less optimism and natural hopefulness,
he earned the sincere respect and good opinion of all who knew him.
Franklin Jones was a native of Gibson county, born near Owensville,
in Montgomery township in 1823, and died near where he was born June 16,
1908. He was born in the first one of four houses built on the same site and
died in the last one built. He was a son of Charles and Eleanor (Warrick)
Jones and the parents of Charles were Cadwallader and Martha (Pitt) Jones,
natives of England. Martha (Pitt) Jones was a relative of William Pitt,
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA. 775
England's famous statesman, and came to America before she was married.
Her people located in North Carolina, where also hxated the Jones family
from England and there she and Catlwallader Jones were married. In tlieir
early married life they went to Kentucky to make their home and there their
son, Charles, was born in the vicinity of Hopkinsville. Cadwallader dietl
there and ]\Iartha came to Indiana with her son Charles. She married the
second time after locating in Gibson county, her husband !)eing Jesse Wells,
and they lived on Barren creek, about three and one-half miles west of
Owensville. Charles Jones took as his wife Eleanor Warrick, daughter of
Capt. Jacob Warrick, who made a name for himself during the Indian wars
in the early days of the state, and recei\ed a mortal wound at the hatlle of
Tippecanoe. Charles Jones and wife took up their residence on land south
of Owensville and lived there until their death. Twelve children were born
to Charles Jones and wife, namely: Mrs. Eliza Waters; Jacob W., who
ne\er married and made his home with his brother John near Midland City,
Illinois, and died there at the age of eighty-eight. He had a very retentive
memory and prided himself on his knowledge of the history of his family.
He was also proud of the fact that his first vote was cast for Henry Clay for
President of the United States, and ahva\s recalled with pleasure that he had
heard Abraham Lincoln speak. He was successful financially and acci iiuilated
considerable wealth during his life. The third child was Franklin, the
immediate subject of this sketch: John became quite wealthy also and lived
for many years near Midland Cit}-, Illinois, where he died ; Nancy, a daughter,
became the wife of Abram Mauck: William always lived on his father's place
south of Owensville, Indiana, and died there March 14, 1908; Robert died in
infancy: Martha lived to be about forty years of age and died unmarried;
Thomas Corwin Jones made his home south of Owensville. His wife was
Mary Kesterson and to them were born five children. The mother and three
of the children are dead. Marshall lived for many years at Beatrice.
Nebraska, and died there, while James Snu'th Jones never married and died
on the old homestead in Gibson county.
On December 16, 1847. Franklin Jones was united in marriage to Com-
fort Sharp, born near Cynthiana, Indiana, and a dauiditer of John \\right
and Temperance (Sharp) Sharp. The Sharp family originally came from
Carroll county, near Baltimore, Maryland, and at the close of the eighteenth
century went to Kentucky, later coming to Gibson county about 1833. Benja-
min Sharp, father of John Wright Sharp, secured government land which he
reclaimed from the wilderness, located near the present site of Owensville,
776 GIBSON COUNTYj INDIANA.
and this same tract of land is to-day known as the Frani
Benjamin Sharp and wife were the parents of twehe children, namely:
Thomas, John Wright, Talbott, Micajah, Benjamin, Mary Weaver, Hannah,
Nancy, Cassandra, Mrs. Sally Pollard, Prudence Pollard and Carolina Mont-
gomery. Benjamin Sharp's wife was Elizabeth Wright.
Benjamin Sharp's brother Thomas married Rachael Elliott and settled
in Gibson coimty on the land now owned by William H. Redman. There
were eight children in their family, two sets of triplets and one set of twins.
Their names were: James E., Horatio, George, John, Hugh, Mrs. Elizabeth
Ann Hunter, Mrs. Temperance Sharp and her twin sister Comfort.
John Wright Sharp, son of Benjamin Sharp, married Temperance Sharp,
daughter of his uncle Thomas. They had two daughters. Comfort and a
child who died in infancy. John Wright Sharp and wife died when their
little daughter, Comfort, was only twelve years old, and she came to live with
her aunt Elizabeth Herring on the land where John Wright Jones, mentioned
elsewhere in this volume, now resides, and there she made her home until her
marriage to Franklin Jones. Her mother. Temperance Sharp, daughter of
Thomas Sharp, was born in 1800, and when the baby. Temperance, was but
two weeks old, her father started on a trip back to Maryland. ^Vhile there,
the baby's Aunt Temperance gave her a ring for the little namesake, made of
Guinea gold and that ring is still in existence, being in the possession of the
daughters of Franklin Jones.
Franklin Jones and wife were the parents of eight children, all of whom
lived past maturity. There were Eleanor W., Maria, John Wright, Martha
Temperance, Eliza Jane, Mary Elizabeth, Sarah Alice, and William Franklin.
All are now living but Sarah Alice, who was the wife of W. O. Jones, and
died leaving five children. Her husband is still living near Owensville.
Eleanor W., Maria, Martha Temperance and Eliza Jane still live on the old
homestead left them by their parents. They proved themselves worthy chil-
dren of such excellent parents, and remained with their father and mother,
caring for them through their old age. Mary, one of the daughters of the
family, is the wife of Theodore Crawford and lives not far from the old
home and William F. also lives in the neighborhood.
Franklin Jones was a farmer all his life, but for many years was unable
to engage in the active work required about the homestead owing to con-
tinued illness which incapacitated him, and the management of the home fell
very largely upon his efficient and faithful wife and the older children of the
family. Notwithstanding this, however, they reared their large family.
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA. . T/J
caring for them properly, and accumulated considerable property besides.
\\'hile not a member of any church society, Franklin Jones gave his religious
sympathies to the Baptist church and lived in strict accordance with the rules
of same. Throughout his life, his manner of living was such as to win for
him many warm friends, and considering the disadvantage under wiiich lie
labored, he was able to accomplish a surprising amount, l-roni hcncath iiis
roof, sons and daughters have gone forth to take their places in the world,
bearins: with them the consciousness of earlv and correct training.
ZADOK M. McCLEARY
To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is always honored and re-
spected, even from childhood, deserves more than mere mention. It is no
easy task to resist the many temptations of youth and early manhood and
plant a character in the minds and hearts of associates that will remain an
unstained figure for all time. One ma\ take his place in public life through
some vigorous stroke of public policy, and even remain in the hearts of
friends and neighbors, but to take the same position b\- dint of the practice
of an upright life and without a craving for exaltation merely for selfish
ends, whose chief desires seem to be to serve others and lead a life of use-
fulness and honor, is worthy of the highest praise and commendation. Such
'a man is Zadok ]\I. McCleary, a man who has discharged his public and pri-
vate duties as they appeared to him, honestly and in a spirit of candor and
fairness. He is always ready to assist when he sees that aid is needed
and he certainly deserves the high esteem in which he is held.
Zadok M. McCleary was born in Barton townsjiip. Gibson county, In-
diana, December i, 1844, the son of James L. and Maria (Martin) Mc-
Cleary, he a son of William, of Ohio, and he a son of Robert, of Ireland.
The McCleary family were early settlers in Barton township, Gibson county,
arriving in that community about the same time as the Skelton family.
They settled on wild land and the family has always lived in that locality.
Subject's father was a farmer and died in 1878. at the age of sixty-five,
and his wife passed away in 1877, in her sixty-fifth year. They were mem-
bers of the Baptist church. To them were born eight children: ( i ) William
H. is deceased. He married Jane C. Kirkpatrick and they had three children,
James. John K. and Thomas W. William H. was a soldier in Company F,
Fortv-second Indiana Volunteer Infantrv. (2) James W. was a member
778 . GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
of Company F, Fortj^-second Indiana Volunteers, and was killed at Stone's
River. (3) Jacob died young. (4) The subject. (5) Mary married James
C. McGregor and both are deceased. (6) Anna is the wife of Miles Mc-
Kane, of Chandler, Indiana. (8) Dicey D. married Neamiah Wallace and
died in Essex, Missouri.
Zadok M. McCleary received little schooling and worked on the home
place until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he, his father and two
brothers all enlisted in Company F, Forty-second Regiment Indiana Volun-
teer Infantry, his father and brothers enlisting on October 9, 1861, and the
subject in December of that year, he joining the company at Chattanooga,
Tennessee. He was in Sherman's command on the march to the sea, and
was engaged in all the battles and skrimishes incident to that memorable
campaign, finally taking part in the grand review at Washington, D. C. Mr.
McCleary was discharged from the army July 21, 1865, at Louisville, Ken-
tucky, and returned home.
On December 22, 1865, Mr. McCleary was united in marriage to Nancy
L. Kirkpatrick, of Barton township, the daughter of John and Nancy (Wil-
son) Kirkpatrick, who were early pioneers in Barton township, having come
here from the Chester district of South Carolina, their native state. They
spent their lives in Barton township, the father being a farmer. To John
and Nancy Kirkpatrick were born ten children, namely : Letitia, deceased
wife of James C. Minnis ; Jane, widow of William H. McCleary, of Mackey,
Barton township; Robert and William, deceased; Mary, deceased, married
James M. Hunter, who died in Andersonville prison; John, deceased; Nancy,
the wife of Mr. McCleary; Sarah, deceased; one died in infancy; James, of
Bentonville, iVrkansas.
To Mr. and Mrs. McCleary have been born eight children : Hettie died
at the age of fifteen years; Laura Ann married W. D. Farris, of Barton
township, and is the mother of the following children: Charles (deceased),
Ella (deceased), Alva, Lillie, Floyd (deceased). Lula, John, Hazel, Josie,
Earl, one died in infancy, and William; Cora married James W. Farris, of
Barton township, and is the mother of five children, Harley, Mahala, Blanche,
Clyde and FIar\e}- ; Clara married L. L. Bell, of Evansville, Indiana, and has
five children, Russell, Fred, John, Edward and Esther; John enlisted in the
regular army of the United States June 16, 1898, and was honorably dis-
charged April 15, 1899, by general order number forty-four, from head-
quarters at San Juan, Porto Rico. He served all through the Spanish-
American war. Previous to his army service he was with the Tutor Iron
GIBSON COrXTY, INDIANA. 779
Works at East St. Louis and was also a member of the East St. Louis police
force. He died September 4, 1906. He was a splendid young man. a Mason
and an Odd Fellow; Mary is the widow of David Fields, of Mt. Vernon.
Illinois, and has one daughter. Edith; Emma is the widow of Crawford
Martin, of Mt. Vernon, Illinois; Dora is the wife of George F. Seats, a mill
man of Houlka, Mississippi. They have two children, Thelma and Golden.
After the war Mr. AlcCleary lived in Barton township and followed agri-
culture until 189::, when he removed to Summerville, Indiana, remaining
there until igof). wlien he located in Oakland City, where he has since re-
mained.
Mr. ]\IcCleary is an honored memlier of tiie (jrand Army of the Re-
public, being a member of A. H. Cockrum Post No. 520, at Oakland City,
and is now serving his eighth term as commander. The suliject is a faithful
and earnest member of the General Baptist church at Oakland City.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN JOHNSON.
A career marked by earnest and indefatigable application has been that
of the honored and substantial citizen of Gibson county, Indiana, whose name
appears at the head of this sketch. In this county he has had a continuous
residence of nearly four score years, in all of which time his life has been an
open book and read by his fellowmen. He was a valiant soldier of the Ci\il
war. where his fidelity was of the type which has characterized his actions
in all relations and gained for him the confidence and esteem of the public,
and the unbounded respect of all with whom he has been brought into con-
tact. As a farmer looking out for everything which would advance the
farming interests of his communit\- : as n ])u1)lic oflicial endeavoring to put
into his office the best judgment which he possessed; as a soldier in the late
Rebellion, we find him in all of these various walks a man in whom his fellow
men could place unbounded confidence. The old soldiers are fast passing
away and the few who are left should be honored by every citizen who loves
his country. These were the men who proved their love and loyalty to the
government along the path of marches, on the lonely picket line, on the
tented field and amid the flame and smoke of battle and then returning to civil
life, again took up manfully the struggle of industrial and commercial life,
but whether in war or in peace, the record of Mr. Johnson has been signalized
by honesty of purpose and integrity of thought and action so that he has fully
78o
)N COUNTY,
deserved the position which has heen granted to him by the people with whom
he has mingled for so many years.
Benjamin Franklin Johnson was born April 23, 1834, in Pike county,
Indiana. His i3arents were Benjamin and Polly (Almon) Johson, the father
a native of Virginia, and a son of Arthur Johnson, who was bom in 1757 in
Virginia and served through the Revolutionary war. At the close of that
struggle he returned to civil pursuits and married Lucy Harmon and moved
to Kentucky, and from thence he went to Gibson county, Indiana, settling in
Montgomery township. After remaining there a few years he went west-
ward and settled in White county, Illinois, where his death occurred. About
twenty years after his death his grandsons, Levi and Benjamin Franklin,
moved his body to a cemetery seven miles north of Carmi and erected a sub-
stantial monument over his grave. Polly Almon. the mother of the subject,
was born in Kentucky and while she was still a young girl, moved to this state
and settled in Montgomery township, this county. She was a daughter of
Arnot Almon and wife. She had a brother, Thomas, who was wounded in
the battle of Tippecanoe in 181 1, and another brother, Buckner, who was
killed in the same battle. Benjamin Johnson and wife, parents of the subject,
settled in ]\Iontgomery township, this county, after their marriage, while B. J.
Johnson was a small child, and soon after coming here the wife and mother
died. Benjamin Johnson lived a widower the rest of his life, his death oc-
curring at the age of sixty-three, having spent his whole life on the farm.
To Benjamin Johnson and wife were born eight children, of whom three of
the sons are living: Thomas Almon, of Owensville; Marion, of Oakland
Cit}-, and Benjamin Franklin, the immediate subject of this sketch. Three
of the brothers, Thomas, B. F. and A\'illiam R., deceased, were .soldiers of
the Civil war.
Benjamin Franklin Johnson enlisted on September 3, 1863, in Company
D, One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and
was assigned to duty in the Twenty-third Army Corps under General Scho-
field in the Army of the West. He participated in many battles and
skirmishes, among which were the battles of Resaca, Kingston, North Caro-
lina, the second battle of Nashville, and others in the northwest part of
Georgia and Tennessee. He was at Raleigh, North Carolina, in the spring of
1865 when Johnson surrendered to General Sherman. He was then kept
on guard duty until January 6, 1866, at which time he was finally mustered
out. He immediately returned to Montgomery townshi]^, and resumed his
farming operations.
GIBSON COUXTV. INIHANA. 78I
Mr. Johnson has been married three limes, iiis first marriajie Dceurriny
on September 4, 1859, to Laura A. Davis, the daughter of W'iiHam and Sally
(Johnson) Davis. Her father was a native of North Carolina and came to
this state in an early day. liis family settling along Black river in AFontgomcry
township, near the Posey ci>unt\- line. To Air. Jolinson's first union were
born five children: Emma, the widow of William TTenry Shar]ie. who now
lives in Vincennes, and is the mother of six children, fi\'e living and one
dead: Ida Ross, deceased y\iic of Julius Martin, was the mother of three
children, two Jiving and one dead: Sally D.. the wil'e of R. M. Johnson, lives
in Hamilton county, Illinois, and has si.x children : Charles, deceased, was the
father of three children, one of whom is also deceased: ^^'i1liam \V., who
lives at Vincennes, is a practicing attorney in that city.
In 1876 Mr. Johnson married Henrietta (Williams) Mounts, who died
two years later, January 22, 1S78, lea\ing two sons, James Burgess, who
died in infancy, and Francis Alexis, who li\-es at Centralia, Illinois. Francis
A. married Margaret Benson, and they have one son. On November 3,
1881, Air. Johnson married Mary Ann Parkhill, the daughter of John and
Martha (Patterson) Parkhill. She was b(^rn in Clays\ille, Guernsey county,
Ohio, and to this union four children were born: Lena, the wife of Bert
Dodd, who lives in Vincennes, and has one son. Benjamin Franklin Dodds,
born December 7, 1906; Dr. Morris H. C, a physician at Vincennes; Benja-
min Ernest, a telegraph operator, of Floren, California, who married Flor-
ence Towes, and Martin Harrison, of Chicago Heights, who is an emiiloye
of the United States Steel Corporation at that place.
Fraternally. Mr. Johnson belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and has been a life-long member of that fraternity. Lie has always
taken a prominent part in public afifairs and has served as a member of the
Gibson county council for four years, failing of re-election only b\- a mistake
in the printing of the ballots. He served as constable for eight years upon
his return from the war, and made a most excellent official in the capacity.
As a member of the county council he took an active part in all the aflfairs of
that important body. He has been a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic for more than forty years, and has always been found a true friend
of the soldier. He and his wife are loyal members of the Christian church,
and have always contributed liberally to the support of that denomination.
In all his relations with his fellow men he has so conducted himself that he
has won the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has come in contact.
782 GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
THOMAS COYNE.
The history of every man is an account of what he does, and the hfe
history of some men is as interesting as a novel. A novehst could take the
life history of Thomas Coyne, of Princeton, and around it weave a romance
which would make a novel of first rank. The incidents in his life, the strug-
gles through which he has gone and the fine type of character which is illu-
strated in the man would make a story which would grasp the hearts of its
readers. His story begins in Ireland, where he was born March 24, 1846,
and after thousands and thousands of miles of wandering he is now living at
Princeton, Indiana, a peaceful, quiet life, surrounded by his family and
friends and highly respected and honored by everyone in the community.
Thomas Coyne was born in Ireland, the son of John and Nora (Welsh)
Coyne. His father died when he was a small boy and he came with his
mother and the rest of the family to America when he was thirteen years of
age and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, at which place the mother shortly after-
wards died. The children of Mr. and Mrs. John Coyne were Nora, de-
ceased : Martin, of Manchester, Ohio, who served the government during the
Civil war and is now a furniture dealer in that place ; Anna, of Germantown,
Ohio; Mary, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Thomas, the immediate subject of this
sketch.
Thomas Coyne never went to school and what education he has gained
has been actually picked up in the tramp life which he passed through in his
experiences in the Civil war and in the regular army afterwards. He is surely
a self-taught man. As a small boy he ran away from his home in Cincinnati
and never stopped until he found himself in the camp of the Union soldiers
in West Virginia in the summer of 1861. One of the officers asked him
what he wanted to do, and he told him that he wanted to become a soldier.
Accordingly he was taken into the camp, given food and set to work feeding
and caring for the army mules. He proved to be a very efficient boy and
when the army changed camp he was taken along and went with the army
from place to place until he reached Washington, D. C. He was then sent
to Warrington, Virginia, and carried the mail from Culpeper to Siegel's
division in eastern West Virginia. While on duty he was taken sick and
had to return to his home in Cincinnati. Just as soon as he recovered he en-
listed, on December 2, 1862, as a second-class boy in the United States navy
and served on a boat which did patrol duty on the Mississippi, Ohio, Ten-
nessee and Cumberland rivers. He was promoted to quartermaster the sum-
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA. jS^
iiier he was sixteen years of age and served as long as this boat was on duty,
being discharged on July ii, 1864. From 1864 to 1866 he was in the gov-
ernment employ at Nashville, Tennessee, as a teamster. On March 8, 1866,
he enlisted in the United States Regular Army, Company G, Fourth Light
Artillery, and was stationed at Detroit, Michigan. After his enli.stmenl iiad
expired he went to Wyandotte, Ohio, and there took emploxnient as a
puddler in the steel works. While here he was married to Mary Fllen Kelly,
of Wyandotte, Ohio. Owing to the nature of his occupation he made fre-
quent changes during the next few years. In 1871 he left Wyandotte, Ohio,
and went to CIe\ eland, that state, where he remained for about nine months.
From here he went to Niles, Ohio, and in 1872 to Erie, Pennsylvania, and
the following year returned to Ohio and worked fur a time at Ashtabula,
where his wife died. There were two children b\' this marriage, Mary, de-
ceased, and fames, of Princeton, Indiana. In 1873 the panic came on and
all of the factories shut down, and for this reason Mr. Coyne cimld not find
an\- work at all. For the next two }-ears he was nicrcl\- a wanderer over the
face of the earth and tra\eled thousands of miles, Irving to tind something to
do. In 1875 he found a position in the stone quarry at Greencastle, In-
diana, where he worked for about a year, and then, in 1876, came to Owcns-
\ille, Indiana, where he found employment in a saw mill.
Mr. Coyne was married a second time in 1879, to Julia Ellen Nolan,
of Gallatin county, Illinois, and to this union there ha\e been born four chil-
dren : Thomas E., who married Mabel Dauglierty and is now with the
Stonnburg Electric Company, of Chicago, Illinois; Nina, the wife of Levi
Welsh, of Decatur, Illinois, who has two children, John and Mary Ellen;
John Martin, the third child, is now with Brooks &• Company, an auditing
company, of Chicago. For four 3-ears he was trafiic manager of the Carson,
Perrin & Scott Company, of Chicago. He married Mary L. Gales; Gladys
Dale, the youngest child, is still under the parental roof, and is now a senior
in the high school at Princeton. The children have all been remarkablv suc-
cessful and reflect great honor upon their parents.
He went from Owensville to Oakland City. Tnfliana, where he \\(jrke(l
in a flouring mill for a short time. From Oakland e'ity he went to Prince-
ton, where he remained for two years. In 1889 he went to Kingfisher
county, Oklahoma, with his family and entered one hundred and sixtv acres
of government land on which he li\ed for six years. Howe\er. the crops
were so poor that he decided to give up his claim and return to this countv.