COON-William S. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Among the well-to-do and reputable agriculturists of Montgomery County none occupy a more honorable position in the regard of hs colleagues than the gentleman whose name heads this article, William S. COON. He is a studen tof everything that pertains to his vocation and has always adopted the best of improved methods of cultivating the soil and in raising live stock. He is well regarded in his community not only because of his industry but also because of his readiness to lend whatever aid that is demanded of him in furthering movements calculated to further the material, civin and moral affairs of Coal Creek Twp, Montgomery Co. William S. Coon was born Feb 20, 1856 in Fountain Co, Indiana. He is a son of Isaac and Ruth Stephens Coon. The father was born in Ohio 1823, mother in Indiana 1826. here she grew to womanhood, received a common school education and spent her life, dying Sept 29, 1859. The father of our subject spent his earlier years in his native state and there received a public school education but removed from Ohio to Indiana when a boy and here he spent the residue of his years, devoting his life to general farming, becoming well established in Fountain Co. he reached the advanced age of 80, being called to his reward Jan 5, 1893. Isaac Coon became the father of 16 children, 9 of whom are still living. He was twice married and there was an equal number of children born to each marriage - 8. William S. Coon grew to manhood on the home farm and there in Fountain Co. he received a good common school education. On Sept 4, 1878 he was united in marriage to Mary C. KOON, no relation. Mrs. Coon was born Sept 4, 1859 in Coal Creek Twp, Montgomery Co., and hence she grew to womanhood and received a common school education. She is a daughter of John and Mary Temple Koon, the father a native of Kentucky, mother of Ohio. They received the usual education advantages of their time and spent their mature years in Indiana, becoming well established in Coal Creek Twp, Montgomery County. Two children were born to them, Mary C., wife of our subject and a son, deceased. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. William S. Coon, namely: Calving, born July 2, 1879, married and lives at Wingate; Christopher, born July 11, 180, married and lives on the county line; Clarence, born August 31, 1881, married and lives on the county line; Clifford, born June 4, 1883, married and lives in Coal Creek Township; Clyde, born May 27, 1892, lives at home, assisting his father with the general work on the farm; Cora, born Oct 24, 1901, attending the home schools. William S. Coon has always devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, with ever increasing success, until hhe is today owner of one of the choice and finely improved farms of Coal Creek Township, consisting of 284 acres. it is all tillable and is under a high state of cultivation and is well tilled. Our subject has always handled a good grade of live stock. He built the residence which he and his family still occupy when he first took possession of the place. Politically, he is a loyal Democrat and was for two years a member of our advisory board.

William S. COON, farmer and stock raiser, Newtown, was born in Montgomery County Ohio March 8, 1817. In 1833 he settled with his parents, Isaac and Mary Stephens Coon, in Fountain County. They improved a home on the land owned at this time by Mr. Coon's son, Isaac. He was married March 19, 1837 to Elizabeth Garland by whom he had 4 children: Perry G, born Jan 1, 1838 died Sept 3, 1868; Mary Ann Sept 26, 1843; Isaac W, June 5, 1845 and another die din infancy. Mrs. Coon died Nov 5, 1848 and on July 29 following he was married to Huldah Stephens. She died Jan 17, 1875 and he was married a third time, Aug 22, same year to Rebecca Selby. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church and he has been a deacon since his earliest connecdtion with it, 20 years ago. He owns a well improved and valuable farm of 443 acres, lying aobut 3 miles NW of Newtown. He was a whig until the dissolution of that party, when he attached himself to the democratic party in whose ranks lie stands today. He was county commissioner one term and was elected to that office in 1870. His service in this position was not without the excitement of factitious clamor and opposition. The building of the county jail was a measure which has been industriously and captiously animadverted upon, and the voice of unsparing criticism has not yet abated its energy or shown that there is any delight for it in a "flash of silence." The facts are substantially as follows: the contract was let for $50,000. When the structure was about half completed and pretty nearly all the material on the ground, some persons at Attica and Veedersburg, who were interesting themselves in theremoval of the county seat, procured an injunction to restrain the further prosecution of the work; this was trie din the circuit court and sustained. The commissioners then hired the contractors to finish the work. In the agreement the former understood that the architect was to determine the value of any change from the original contract. If more work should be done and material furnished than was stipulated for in the contract, the architect should fix the price ont he extra work and material, and the commissioners be bound to pay both the original and extra amounts. If less work should be done and less material furnished than was stipulated for in the contract, the architect should ascertain the deducation to be made from the contract price, and the contractors should be bound to accept the original contract price less the said deducation. By an oversight of the commissioners the second article of agreement was so drawn that the architect was empowered to fix the price of the whole work. He fixed it. The jail cost $115,000. The difference between the original contract price and the actual cost was $65,000. This was the price of interference; not an interference on behalf of the public welfare, but of a private scheme for personal and local aggrandizement. The commissioners cannot escape responsibility for their acts, neither for their omissions; but it is perfectly apparent that had not their plans been interfredw ith and thwarted, Fountain county would not have 'paid the fiddler' $65,000 for the special gratification of a few of her citizens. Another public act for which this board has never been give proper credit was the defeating of the railroad tax. A county donation of $137,000 had been illegally voted by the peopel to aid in the construction of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad, and another which was to be built from Attica to Covington. The tax was extended one year but after that the commissioners refused to make the levy. Suit was brought in the circuit court against the county and judgment obtained for the plaintiff; the comissioners appealed to the supreme court and the judgment was reversed.