MILFORD-Monroe - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Monroe MILFORD, a prominent attorney and politician of Fountain county, Attica, was born February 17, 1842, in Logan township. His grandfather, Robert MILFORD, was a native of South Carolina, and a soldier of the revolution and of the war of 1812. About 1825 he emigrated, with his wife and two sons, Marshall and Milton, to Fountain county, and settled on the Shawnee prairie, two and a half miles east of Attica. The farm of 450 acres, which he improved, is now owned by the heirs of Marshall MILFORD. During many years, at first, he took a leading part in the transaction of official business; he assisted in organizing the county, designating its boundaries, and fixing the seat of justice and during the earlier days of the county was probate judge, being the first incumbent of that office. After that he devoted himself to the superintendence of his farm and the education of his children, and died in January, 1869 at a ripe age. Milton, the father of our subject, was a lawyer, and lived and practiced in Attica, except during 1844 and 1845, when he resided at Delphi as superintendent of the construction of the Wabash & Erie canal from that place to Covington. He died at his home, November 18, 1847, in the prime of life. His wife, whose maiden name was Maria BANTEE, and whose early home was at Eaton, Ohio, died in 1855. This year Monroe entered Wabash College, and pursued the studies of the classical course some time without interruption. In April, 1861, he enlisted in Co. I, 11th Ind. Vols., Capt. ELSTON, and served six months. He fought at Romney, Virginia, one of the early battles of the war, in which the rebels were defeated. At the expiration of his term of enlistment he returned to college and completed his senior year, and then formed a law partnership with his uncle, Marshall MILFORD, which lasted till 1867. The next year he ran for clerk of Fountain county, but was defeated. In 1871 he was elected mayor of Attica, and reelected in 1873. In 1876 he ran for state elector of the eighth congressional district on the republican ticket. In 1877 he was elected city attorney of Attica, and still holds that office. Recently he was an aspirant for the nomination for congress, his competitors being James T. JOHNSTON, of Parke, and R.B. F. PIERCE, of Montgomery. The latter was successful before the convention at Terre Haute. Mr. MILFORD was married April 4, 1861, to Miss Jennie RAMEY, of Crawfordsville. She died August 6, 1870, and he married Miss Ellie POOLE, of Philadelphia, February 28, 1873. By the first wife he had one son, Charles R., who is a student at Princeton College, in his junior year. He and his step-mother are members of the Episcopal church.