Hester - James Monroe
Source: 1913 History of Montgomery County, Indiana. Indianapolis: AW Bowen, 1913 p 1094
To the people of Scott Township and the southern part of Montgomery county the name of James Monroe HESTER needs no introduction, for here he has spent his long, useful and honorable life and is one of the best known general agriculturists in the locality, where he has lived to see and take part in many momentous changes and where he has been content to labor and take the usual vicissitudes of the years, appreciating the good and not complaining of the bad, and through it all keeping the even tenor of his way and setting a worthy example for his family and the younger generation.
Mr. Hester was born in Scott Twp, this county Aug 13, 1844. He is a son of Adam and Ann M. (VanZANDT) Hester, who came here from Fleming Co, Ky about 1828 or 1830, locating first in Putnam Co, just across the line from Montgomery Co. Three of four years later the elder Hester moved his family across the line into Scott Twp, Montgomery County, buying a farm near the SW corner of the Twp, and there established the permanent home of the family, and there, James M, our subject was born he being one of five sons and four daughters, of which family one son and one dau. died in infancy. Our subject was about 10 when his mother died and after one of his sisters married he made his home iwth her. He received such educational advantages as the schools of his time afforded. In 1875 he marr. Lucy EADS daughter of James Wiley Eads and Elizabeth (MARTIN) Eads. She was born and reared in Brown Twp, this county, where her parents had settled in an early day, having come from Shelbyville, Ky. After his marriage, Mr. Hester rented land and farmed in this way for a period of 13 years, during which he got a good start, having remained in Brown Twp. all the while. He then moved into Scott Twp, where he has since resided and he now owns a finely improved and valuable farm of his own along the Greencastle and Crawfordsville road, a mile north of Parkersburg.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hester: Stella May, the eldest is at home with her parents; Charles Wallace, who is farming near Lapland, marr. Vermelia HAMPTON and they have one daughter, Autumn; Elmer is represented in this work in a separate sketch; Lillie Blanche marr. Arch STILWELL and they live a short distance north of her parents and have two children, Nora D. and Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Hester belong to the Christian Church, and politically, he is a Republican. Adam Hester settled near Parkersburg away back in the days of the first settlers in Montogmery Co. before the day so fpike roads and trains he hauled lime to Crawfordsville with oxen, which lime was used in the building of the first courthouse of the county or more propertly the first after the original log courthouse. He also hauled lime to Lebanon. When he came near the Cornstalk Indians were still living along the creek bearing that name. Ann Mann VanZandt, mother of our subject, was a daughter of Aaron VanZandt and wife. Aaron VanZandt and his two sisters owned an enormous quanity of land, now a part of the city of Philadelphia. He removed to Ky. and they leased the land for a period of 99 years. This land has now been turned over to the heirs who are probably all descendants of Aaron VanZandt, whose children were Mary, who marr. Moses BRIDGES, of Filmore; Mandy who marr. Anthony BOWEN of Maysville, Ind; another daughter probably Jane married a HILLGOSS at Rushville, Ind; also Bennett who is believed to have remained near Shelbyville, Indiana; John lived near Flemingsburg, Ky; Isaiah was a hotel keeper at Elizabethville for many years in the early days. - typed by kbz