JAMES V. RAWLINGS, M. D.
James V. Rawlings, M. D., Wirt, Jefferson county, is a native of Jefferson county, and was born on a farm in Lancaster township, January 3, 1859. His parents are James E. and Margaret (Walker) Rawlings, natives of Jefferson county, Ind., and of England. His grandfather Vincent Rawlings was a native of Kentucky, and was one of the early settlers of Clark county, Ind., and afterward came to this county; was a tanner by trade, but became a farmer in Lancaster township, where he lived to a good old age.
The father of Dr. Rawlings lives in Lancaster township, on a farm. Dr. Rawlings was reared on a farm, and was educated at the college in Danville Ind. He studied medicine with Dr. J. W. Flanders, of Dupont, Ind., and graduated in the spring of 1887, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Baltimore, Md. He began the practice of medicine at Wirt, has a large practice thus far, and a fine promise for future work.
EARL T. RECTOR
Earl T. Rector was born in Lancaster township; Jefferson county, January 12, 1842. Daniel Rector, the great-grandfather of E. T. Rector, was the founder of the Rector family in Jefferson county; was a native of Virginia, and came to Jefferson county as early as 1807. Daniel was in the Ranger service in the War of 1812-15, and was killed at a muster near Kent, Jefferson county, Ind. Daniel Rector, son of Hezekiah, was the father of the subject of our sketch; was born and raised in Lancaster township, Jefferson county, Ind. He married Jane E. Farris, daughter of Leonard Farris, a native of New York.. They had ten children, of whom Earl T. Rector was the eldest. Born and reared on a farm, was educated in the common schools of the county. Lived on the farm and learned the plasterer’s trade. At the call of President Lincoln for troops, he enlisted in Co. K, Twenty-second Reg. Ind. Vols., Col. Jeff. C. Davis. He was with his regiment in all of the battles in which the regiment was engaged; the principal ones were Pea Ridge, Ark., Corinth, Miss., and Perrysville, Ky., Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge and others. He was one of the men of his company who came out of all the battles unhurt. During his last months of service he was in the Pioneer Corps. He came home in 1864, and returned and served until 1865, when he was discharged at close of war. On one occasion, while following Price, he was detailed as forager for provisions, and during the raid he lost all of his clothing but boots and shirt; at a store he found a pair of linen pants, a cut-away coat and stove pipe hat, all of which he appropriated as contraband of war; and in this costume fought the Johnies for some time during the spring of 1862. He came home settled down to a farm life, taking unto himself Miss Irene Craft, as a wife, in 1867. She was the daughter of John B. Craft, a native of New York.
They have three children: John B., Daniel P., and Jennie, who are all at home.
Mr. Rector is a member of the I.O.O.F. and is commander of John A. Hendricks Post, G.A.R.; was a Freemason. He spent the four best years of his life in the army. He is a good citizen and farmer.
Hezekiah Rector, grandfather of Earl T., was a captain of a company in our Colonial war, and he was shot by one of the company’s sentinels who refused to be released from duty.
DR. JOHN H. REYNOLDS
Dr. John H. Reynolds was a son of Simeon L. and Charity (Tomlinson) Reynolds, and was born in Jefferson county, Ind., July 17, 1820. His parents were natives of Connecticut and of Irish and England origin.
His father settled in Madison, Ind., in 1815, and was a carpenter by trade. For thirteen years in early life he was a mariner on the ocean. In 1820 he went from Madison to a farm in Jefferson county, and died in 1847.
Dr. Reynolds was raised on the farm, one of thirteen children, educated in the ordinary schools, afterward in a select school. At the age of 24 years he began the study of medicine under Dr. Parley Hill, of New York (who died in Madison, Ind.), and graduated from the university of St. Louis in 1849. He began the practice of medicine in 1844, where he now is, near Wirt, and has continuously practiced medicine since.
He was married to Miss Maria Hall, of Jefferson county, daughter of Robert M. Hall, of Kentucky, but formerly of North Carolina, and has six living children: Lou, wife of D. Morris, of Kentucky; Sallie C., wife of L. C. Holmes, a Kentucky merchant; Allie, wife of Louis Levey, publisher, Indianapolis; Blanche, wife of John Ross, teller in the First National Bank of Madison; Geo. E., M.D., at Kent, Jefferson county, graduate of Indiana Medical College, and Scott H., M.D., at Scipio, Ind., graduate of Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, O. Dr. Reynolds owns 85 acres of land. He is a fine physician, a good citizen, honored of his neighbors and the public generally.
JOSEPH T. REYNOLDS
Joseph T. Reynolds, farmer, Lancaster township, is a native of Lancaster township, Jefferson county; was born Feb. 13, 1846, on a farm, and reared on a farm. He attended the common and high schools of the county.
He was married in 1864 to Miss Harriet E. Bonnell, a native of Ohio, but a resident of this county at the time of the marriage. They have four living children, three boys and one girl: George W., Ruth C., Andrew F. and William L.
Mr. Reynolds was elected Justice of the Peace in this township, in 1886, on the Republican ticket. He lives on a farm of 160 acres of good land, which is in a fine state of cultivation, lying at the edge of Dupont. His parents were William L. and Delilah (Johnson) Reynolds; mother a native of Kentucky; father a native of Vermont. He came to Indiana and located at Madison in 1813; when he first came there were only log cabins in the town.
He drove the first dray in Madison. He entered one-half of the farm where his son now resides. He died in 1876, at the age of 73. His widow died in May, 1882.
JOHN RICHERT
John Richert, firm of Fischer & Richert, carriage and wagon manufacturers, 315 East Main street, opposite Court House.
John Richert was born on the 16th day of July, 1835, in Baden, South Germany. Came to the United States in 1857, and located in Johnstown, Pa., where he remained about twenty-one months, working in a rolling mill; but, with the desire to better his condition, he left Pennsylvania in 1859, and came to Madison, Ind. Here he applied himself to the trade of carriage and wagon making, and worked at it for about two years with Mr. J. B. Miller. At the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained about thirteen months working on Government wagons; while there he enlisted to help build the pontoon bridge, that was constructed with coal barges over the Ohio river, from Cincinnati to Covington, to expedite military forces and supplies. Soon after his return to Madison on board the boat, it was necessary for the boat officials to arm the passengers with muskets to fight their way, should they be attacked by Confederates; they however reached Madison unmolested and in safety. Here he began work to lay the foundation for his present business. He enlisted with the Home Guards, and during the exciting period when Gen. Morgan was expected to cross the Ohio river and make a raid on Madison, he was one of the troops who stood guard on the river front.
He joined partnership with Mr. V. Fischer, and started in the manufacture of wagons upon a small scale. By doing good work and giving their business close attention they have established a large and growing business. They commenced their business where they now are, in an old two-story frame building, but having enlarged their shops as their business increased, in the year 1874 they built the large two-story brick warerooms at present occupied by them, and commenced the manufacture of carriages also. They employ from eighteen to twenty skilled workmen.
Mr. Richert is a member of the German Lutheran Church, and for many years was one of the presiding elders; many of the improvements made are due to his good judgment, of which the congregation can be proud. He is also a member of the I.O.O.F. He was married in 1865 to Miss Elisabeth Keller, of Tell City, Ind.; born in the village of Ruedlinzen, Canton Shaffhausen, Switzerland. Eight children were born to them, six girls and two boys. Their names are--Anna, Elisabeth, Catharine, Magdalene, George, Caroline, Julia and Lemuel. Mr. Richert is a good citizen; upright and honest in his business, his success is deserved, and his integrity has won him the esteem of his friends and the respect of all who know him. He is a good example of what may be attained in the way of competency by any who will employ the same means, honesty and perseverance.
WILLIAM ROBBINS
William Robbins (deceased), the subject of this sketch, was born in Kentucky in 1784. He was brought up in perilous times from the wild beast of the country and the still wilder and more cruel men, the Indians. His first visit to Indiana Territory was in 1804, when he came to visit his mother's brother, John Ryker, who had a claim in Eagle Creek Valley, about three miles east of where Madison now is.
He brought flour, sugar and coffee to his uncle, luxuries which were not to be had at that time in the little settlement of Indiana. During this journey he saw deer, bears, panthers and various kinds of smaller game. He crossed the Ohio in a pirogue, his horse swimming by the side of the boat.
In 1809 Mr. Robbins settled permanently in Jefferson county, or what was afterward so named, making his home with his uncle, Mason Watts, who had built a log cabin two miles north of the present site of Canaan. The Indians were troublesome about this time, and he enlisted as a ranger, and was several months in that service, headquarters at Buchanan's Station. The company in which he served was along Indian Kentucky creek, and was commanded by James McCoy as captain; this was in 1811-12.
He was with Gen. W. H. Harrison when Detroit was taken, and at the battle of the River Thames where Tecumseh was killed; but just who fired that fatal shot he could never tell. After the war he settled on a tract of land, two and one-half miles north of Canaan, which he bought of the Government.
He was married on the 21st of January, 1816, to Elizabeth Wildman, who was the daughter of James Wildman, an early settler. He was married by Elder Jesse Vawter.
Mr. Robbins was a great hunter, and kept his family fully supplied with meat by the use of his gun. Game of all kinds was plenty in the forest at that time--beasts and birds. He was in Madison at the first sale of lots by John Paul and Jonathan Lyons; the lots were about where the court-house now stands; they sold for about fifteen dollars apiece.
The result of his marriage was eight children, who lived to the age of maturity, viz: Eliza, Mary A., James, Aaron, Elizabeth, Martha, Ryker, and John W., of these, two girls and four boys are now living (in 1888).
Mr. Wm. Robbins died in 1884, at his son Aaron's; he had been blind for some years. He was a centenarian, and the last of his compeers to pass away to the Spirit Land. His wife died in 1856. He was a member of the Baptist Church for many years before his death.
His youngest daughter, Martha, was married to James Christie, February 24, 1846, and to them were born two children: John W. and Mary Elizabeth. Her husband died July 11, 1850, and she re-married in October, 1855, to William B. East, and to them were born five children, viz: George O., Ryker A., Minerva A., Fannie D. and Bailey S. Her second husband died January 26, 1865, and she married a third time, in 1884, to Enos Miles, who died in 1887. She still lives in the village of Bryantsburgh. Her eldest son enlisted in the Tenth Reg. Ind. Vols., and served through the war.
Mrs. Miles has raised her family almost unaided, and has been successful in giving all of them a good common-school education. She has lived to see all of her children grown and married.
She has been an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for some twenty years.
JAMES ROBINSON
James Robinson (deceased) was born in 1822, in Alleghany county, Pa. His father was Andrew Robinson, a native of the same State, of Irish descent. His mother’s maiden names was Stilly. He was raised on a farm and had a common-school education.
In 1845 he married Miss Mary Barnum, of Jefferson county, Ind., where he resided during the rest of his life. He died in 1858. He was a good citizen.
By this marriage there were six children, viz: John, Levi B., Elizabeth O., George L., James F. and Mary F. Of these, two live in Jefferson county and the rest in Kansas. Capt. Daniel Barnum, the father of Mrs. Robinson, was a man of considerable note. He was born in the State of New York, in 1786. He was a soldier in the War of 1812-15.
He came to Indiana in 1823 and settled in Lancaster township--now Monroe--in Jefferson county, where he lived a good, orderly citizen for many years. He came down the Ohio river on a raft of lumber, starting from the region of Olean, N.Y., on the Alleghany river. With this lumber he erected the house and barn on his farm. In 1837 he removed to Missouri and remained some years, returning again to Indiana; later he went to Oregon, and after some ten years returned again to Jefferson county, Ind., where he died.
He was twice married, and raised eight children: Samuel, Elizabeth, Eli, Sylvina, Thomas, Noah, Mary and Emmeline, all of whom are still living but Thomas, Noah and Samuel. He was one of the early Democratic Abolitionists of early times in this county, and was a worker on the Underground Railroad, between slavery on the south and Canada on the north; the trains ran principally in the night time and on foot.
JOHN T. ROYCE
John T. Royce (deceased), Mr. Royce was born near Rochester, N.Y., in the year 1817. His father, Sardius Royce, and two brothers came from Pittsburgh, with their families, on a raft. Sardius and family stopped at Madison; the other brothers continued their journey, one of them stopping at or near New Albany, the other one went farther down the river. Madison was at this time almost an unbroken forest. There was scarcely any work to be had, so the subject of our sketch left his father’s settlement--near the site of the old chain mill at Clifty Hollow--and went some twelve miles, near the present village of Brooksburgh, to work at chopping cordwood for Mr. Noah Brooks. He was married in 1837 to Jennette Brooks, daughter and eldest child of Noah Brooks. He has lived in Jefferson county pretty nearly all his life. For four or five years he lived in Ripley and Decatur counties. In Ripley he built a saw-mill (about the first in the county), and sawed the plank to make the plank road from Madison to Greensburg. Along this plank road was the first telegraph line that was put up in the State, and he put up the poles along the route. Some time after this he bought a farm in Madison township, Jefferson county, where he lived to raise most of his family, which consisted of eleven sons and two daughters.
Three of his sons died when young; the others lived to maturity. From him the Royce family of Jefferson and Scott counties was descended. One of the daughters lives in Louisville; two of the sons in Minnesota, one in Washington Territory. In about 1881, he removed to Minnesota, where he died September 9, 1883. He was a member of the M.E. Church, and had been from boyhood.
JARED D. RYKER
Jared D. Ryker, a representative of one of the earliest and first families of Jefferson county, and also one of the most prominent and successful farmers of the county, was born January 8, 1821, at the old Ryker homestead, Jefferson county, Ind. His parents were John G. and Sarah Ryker (Nee Jones), who were respectively born in Shelby and Boone counties, Ky. John G. Ryker was born august 9, 1793, and removed with his father, before he became of age, to Jefferson county. His father was Geradus Ryker, a native of the State of New Jersey, born in 1769, who emigrated in the latter part of the last century to Shelby county, Ky., and subsequently to Jefferson county, Ind., in about 1811.
He brought with him, to Indiana, six sons, and three daughters: His eldest son, Samuel, born in Shelby county, 1799; John G., Jacob S., Jared, Abram and William C., born respectively 1793. 1796. 1799, 1804, 1807; Polly S., 1809; Peter V., 1816; Leah, 1818.
John G. Ryker was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was known as one of the “Ranger,” and for his meritorious services drew a pension from the Government until the day of his death, in 1875. Jared D.’s maternal grandfather, David Jones, a Revolutionary soldier, emigrated from Kentucky and settled in an early day within two miles of what in now the village of Canaan.
His mother, Sarah Jones Ryker, was born in Kentucky, in 1798.
He has three times been married; first in 1841, to Miss Eliza, granddaughter of Col. John Ryker, and of this union three children survive--Sarah, Jane and Mary Ann. His second wife was Miss Mary Howard, a native of Jefferson county, and two children of this union are also living--John and Permelius. His present wife, a very estimable and clever lady, was Miss Anna Harris, who is still living, and a native of England; this marriage occurred in 1857. The children by this marriage are Benjamin H., Walter H., Thaddeus H., Herbert H., Jared H. and Edgar H.
Mr. Ryker has a farm of 361 acres of well-improved land, and is nearly the sole owner of the Madison, Ryker’s Ridge and Wolf Run Turnpike. He has long been one of the leading members of the Ryker’s Ridge Baptist Church, and is one of its deacons. While Mr. Ryker did not receive any of the advantages of a collegiate education, he is nevertheless a man of fine sense, liberal in his views as to both politics and religion, and affable and courteous in his dealings with his fellow-men.
