Linn - Asbury
Source: Bowen, A.W. History of Montgomery County, Indiana. Indianapolis: Bowen, p 1176
Asbury
LINN -- Success has come to Asbury Linn, one of the best known and substantial
citizens of Linnsburg, Montgomery Co, in a number of different ways and he is a
man of many parts, capable of directing to a sucessful termination many things.
He has in his long, varied and interesting career been farmer, merchant,
lumberman, doing a large and successful business in all these lines. He has
always sought to do well whatever was worth doing at all, and this and other
equally praiseworthy ideas have no doubt been responsible in a large measure
for his large material reward. He has dealt honestly with his fellow men and
has as a result gained and retained the good will and esteem of all with whom
he has come into contact, whether in a business or scoial way. Mr. Linn was
born in Walnut Twp, this county on Feb 23, 1849. He is a son of John and
Susanna (Fender) Linn. The father was born in Ohio on Aug 4, 1800 and his
father was born November 28, 1771, in Pa from which state he removed to Ohio
when young and there spent the rest of his life, dying in 1846, at the age of
75 years. After his death the father of our subject came to Indiana and settled
in Montgomery County where Linnsburg now stands. He was a brick mason by trade
and he spent the rest of his life in this county. He married Anna Slaback in
1822. She died in 1843 at the age of 38 years. To this union 3 children were
born. John Linn then married in 1843, Susanna Fender to which two children were
born, namely: Mrs. Emmaline Peterson; and Asbury of this sketch. The mother of
these children was called to her eternal rest at an advanced age on July 11,
1900 having survived her husband, our subject's father over a half century, he
having died in September 1858, when young in years. Thus deprived of his
father's guidance when a mere child, Asbury Linn found responsibilities resting
on him when quite young, but this proved to be of value in forming his
character for the after battles of life and he accepted the discouraging
situation without a murmur. He had little chance to obtain an eduction, but
later in life made up for this lack by actual contact with the business world
and wide reading. On January 23, 1868, Mr. Linn began a new chapter in his life
by marrying Martha J. Rasher, daughter of a pioneer family of Montgomery
County, in which Mrs. Linn grew to womanhood and was educated. To the union of
our subject and wife the following children have been born: Charles F, born
April 9, 1869; Edwin T, born Nov 28, 1870; Everett N., born Oct 5, 1872; Grace
D, born Jan 5, 1874, married John O. Peck, and had one child, Clayton; Grace
died July 1904; Nela Fern, born Dec 21, 1886 and married Wilbert Chambers, and
they have two children, Doris and Max. Martha J. Linn, the wife of our subject,
died in July 1904, the same month as her daughter, Grace. Mr. Linn was married
a second time on May 6, 1906 to Tolitha E Patterson, nee Brown, the daughter of
William H., and Nancy J. (Routh) Brown. James W. Patterson, the first husband
of Mr. Linn's second wife, was born Jan 11, 1859 in Rockbridge Co, Va and at
the age of 8 came to Montgomery County with his parents, Jamestown and Polly
Patterson, who located in Walnut Twp and followed farming all of their lives.
Mr. Patterson suffered an unfortunate accident and his spinal cord was broken.
Contrary to medical knowledge and experience, he lived and, although paralyzed,
he kept the breath of life many years. The accident happened while driving a
double crib of granary, the wagon being loaded with sacks of wheat protruding
over the front end of the wagon box. He was sitting on the front sacks with his
feet and legs hanging over the front, supposing that by bending over there was
plenty of space above the door for him to pass under. But there was not. His
body was bent over and wedged in so tightly between the wagon and the top of
the door that it stopped the team. He heard his back crack and felt it break
and from that time there was never any feeling or movement from the middle of
the back downward. He had presence of mind all the time and directed the men
about him to deliver him from his terrible position. Many eminent surgeons saw
Mr. Peterson and one of the best of Chicago performed (in the presence of many
surgeons) an operation, cutting into the spinal column and dissecting quite a
number of pieces of bone. After this it was hoped he would have the use of his
limbs, but this was denied to him. He laid upon his bed all those years, with
the exception of one trip to Crawfordsville; one to Ladoga and one to
Jamestown. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, Pearly, Ernest
and Charles. Mr. Patterson had four sisters and two brothers, namely: John B,
Thomas, and one sister in Va and one in Missouri, Mrs. James Walker and Mrs.
Finch. Mr. Patterson was a member of the Presbyterian Church. To return to the
subject of this sketch, Mr. Linn began farming when a young man and got a good
start in life. Later he turned his attention to merchandising at Linnsburg,
which place was named for the Linn family. The town was formerly known as Mace.
Linnsburg is laid out on the old John Linn homestead. In this place Asbury Linn
built up an extensive trade with the surrounding country, and was finally
appointed postmaster, which position he held with credit to himself and to the
satisfaction of all concerned for a period of 17 years, during which time he
was actively engaged in the stock business with good success, in partnership
with M.E. Edwards. Later he entered the lumber business, and in due time was
carrying on an extensive trade with the surrounding country, continuing the
same for a period of three years, then retired from active life and is now
serenly spending his declining years at Linnsburg. Politically, Mr. Linn is a
Republican, but he has never been ambitious to be a public man. For a period of
7 years he was a member of the advisory board of his township, filling the
office in a highly commendable manner. Fraternally, he is a charter member of
the kNights of Pythias Lodge at Mace, which he joined Oct 19, 1874.
Religiously, he was reared in the faith of the Methodists, from which he has not
departed.- kbz