Nebeker - Enos Hook
Enos Hook Nebeker was a fine-looking, fine-acting kind of man. Born right here in Fountain County on a farm near Covington June 26, 1836 he was the second of four sons. He was the son of George and Mary Steeley and were among some of the first settlers in our county coming from Pickaway County, Ohio.
George was quite the man of education, always making sure his children had a good one and for the times, he did too even tallying a year at Asbury (DePauw) in Greencastle. He was a farmer, banker and quite cultured, thus this reflected upon his children. Enosh kept an eye on the banking business and finances, so much so that he was appointed the Treasurer of the US in 1891 by President Harrison.
In October 1865, he married Mary E. Sewell and they were parents of two children. Grace, their daughter was highly accomplished for the times and Sewell was Enos' private secretary not only while he was in Washington DC but also in business at Indianapolis. He trusted him.
A tall man, 6' or more, he had wide shoulders "and a great laugh which awakes the echoes of the Potomac," according to the Crawfordsville Weekly Argus News 25 April 1891 upon his appointment to the trasurery. At that time, Covington was a small town with approximately 2,000 people and this article noted that "he owns the race track, the bank, the little gas works about about 1,000 acres of land surrounding the little village." Tally up some nice race horses and stock, and that fairly rounded him out.
Enos owned the toll bridge that connected Fountain County with Vermillion crossing over the Wabash River. It was torched in 1914 and made for hard travels for quite some time.
He passed away 6 January 1913 at the age of 76 years old after being sick for some time with a complication of diseases.
Much more can be gleaned about this fine man in the biography section as well as his father, grandfather and other relatives.
