Jarvis - William
Source: A.W. Bowen History of Montgomery County, Indiana p 1062
William JARVIS 90 years have dissolved in the mists of time, embracing the major part of the most remarkable century in all the history of the race of mankind, since the honored and venerable subjecdt of this sketch first sawy the light of day. heaven has bounteously lengthened out his life until he has seen the crowning glory of this, the most wonderful, epoch of all the aeons, of time, rewarding him with an unusual span of years as a result of viruous and consistent living in his youth and years of his acctive manhood, until now, in the golden Indian summer of his life, surrounded by comfort and plenty as a result of his earlier years of industry and frugality, Mr. Jarvis can take a retrospective glance down the corridors of the relentless and irrevocable past and feel that his has been an eminently useful successfull and happy life, a life which has not been devoid of obstacles and whose rose has held many a thorn, but with indomitable courage he pressed onward with his face set in determination toward the distant goal which he has so grandly won; a life of humanity since the world began but nobly lived and worthily rewarded as such lives always are by the Giver of all good and precious gifts, who has given Mr. Jarvis the longest span of years of any of his ceontemporaries, a great gift, indeed of which he is duly grateful. Although a native of the fair Blue Grass state, the major portion of his life has ben spent in the Wabash Valley country and he has always been deeply interested in whatever tended to promote the prosperity of his chosen locality and to him as much as to any other man in the community indebted for the material development for which it has long since been noted, and his long residence in Brown Township has won for him a very high place in the confidence and esteem of his many acquaintances and friends. He has used his influence for all moral and benevolent enterprises, being a friend and liberal patron of the church, which he believes to be the most potential factor for substantial good the world has ever known or ever will know; he has also been an earnest advocate of the cause of temperance. In short, he has sought to fulfill his duties as an honest, public spirited citizen at all times.
William Jarvis, of Waveland, Montgomery County was born at Clementsville, Ky. Oct 21, 1823. He is a son of Reason and Betsey HEATH Jarvis. The father was a native of the stat eof Maryland and his death occurred in Ky in 1838 , he having located int he "dark and bloody ground" country in a very early day. The mother of our subject was also a nativ eof Maryland. These parents devoted their lives to general farming, were hard working, honest, hospitable people of the good old-fashioned type. They became the parents of 7 children, all no wdeceased but WIlliam, subject of this sketch. They were: Nathan; Joe; John; WIlliam; Martha; Henry and Fleming. William Jarvis grew to manhood on the home farm, where he found plenty of hard work to do when a boy, being the son of a pioneer and reared amid pioneer conditions. He received a very limited education in the old log schoolhouse of his community, with its puncheon floor and seats, its wide fireplac ein one end and its greased paper window. However, he has been a wide reader of newspapers and good books and is a well informed man. On June 8, 1858, Mr. Jarvis married Mary V. SWITZER who was born in Ohio Oct 10 1840. She was a daugther of Jonathan and Nancy DOOLEY Switzer. Her father was born May 18, 1808. Mrs. Jarvis received a good common school education. To our subject and wife one child was born, Emma Blanche Jarvis, who was born i n Parke County April 17, 1860. She received a good common school education and married Edward Oldshue, a farmer of Parke County and there they still reside; they are the parents of 3 children: Vivian, Grace and Mary. William Jarvis began life for himself as a farmer when a young man and he has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising with a greater degree of success than befalls the average farmer. He has worked hard, managed well and each year has found him further advanced than the precededing. He spent two years engaged in the general merchandise business at Placerville, California, having crossed the great plains to the Pacific Coast before the days of railroads. After spending two years there he returned to Indiana and resumed farming. He is the owner of over 1000 acrs of valuable land, 925 of which lie in Parke Co, promvement and cultivation and he has farmed on a large scale and raised large numbers of livestock of all varieties. he resides in the town of Waveland, where he has a commodious, attractive and moderly furnished home, which is known to his many friends a sa place of oldtime hospitality. He is one of the substantial and well to do men of this part of the country. Politically, Mr. Jarvis is a republican, but he has never been much of a politician; however, he has taken an abiding intrest in the afairs of his township and county, and he was at one time county commissioner, which position he held with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. In religious matters he belongs to the Christian Church and was formerly a trustee in the same, and has long been one of its most active members.