USGenWeb Project- Montgomery County Indiana

BIOGRAPHY

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 subject of this sketch first saw 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 active 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 byt he 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.

The father was a native of the stat eof Maryland and his death occurred in Ky in 1838, he having located in the"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 now deceased 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.

To our subject and wife one child was born, Emma Blanche Jarvis, who was borni n Parke Co 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 whena 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.

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.

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.

William JARVIS was born in Clementsville, Ky Oct 21, 1823 and died Sunday morning at 8 o'clock at his home here. He was 92 four months and 28 days and was one of the oldest as well as one of the wealthiest men in the community. In young manhood he moved to Indiana and spent most of his life in this section in Clark County. He lived near this city, on one of his farms, until his health began to fail, then he moved to his late residence on west Main Street. He was married June 8, 1852 to Mary Virginia Switzer to which union was born one child Mrs. Edward Oldshue. Besides his wife and daughter three grandchildren survive the deceased, Miss Vivian and Virginia Oldshue of this place and Mrs. Edward Hancock of Montezuma. He was a member of the Christian Church a number of years and lately one of its trustees. He has been in failing health for some time and has been under the care of a nurse for the past 15 months. His death was due to old age and dropsy. The funeral will be conducted Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock by the Rev DE Morman of the Englewood Christian Church, Indianapolis.

William Jarvis, the oldest citizen of our community died at his home on West Main Street at about 8 on Sunday morning. Funeral services at the home on Tuesday afternoon were conducted by Rev. EE Moorman of the Englewood Christian Church, Indianapolis. Interment in Maple Ridge Cemetery. Mr. Jarvis was the son of Reason and Elizabeth Jarvis, and was born near Maysville, Fleming County, KY Oct 21, 1823. His parents moved to Parke County when he was six years old, so that he has lived here over 86 years. The home place was the farm occupied by John Jarvis at the time of his death. When the gold rush to California came he joined the fortune seekers and in 1850 made the overland trip by way of Great Salt Lake - there being no city there at that time. On the way he fractured one of his limbs below the knee, but the expedition could not stop, so the fracture was patched up as well as possible and a bed arranged for him in one of the wagons . In California he had the usual experiences of the emigrant, but after 3 years returned home, going by steamer to Panama, overland by mule train to the Chagres River, down which they traveled by flatboat to Colon. After a wait of several weeks they got passage on a steamer to New Orleans and traveled by boat to Madison. The new railroad had just been completed to Columbus, from which place he rode on horseback to his home in Parke County. He brought no great fortune home with home only about $1200. It was his intention to return to the gold fields, but soon after coming home his father died and he had to take charge of his affairs. He was married to Miss Mary Virginia Switzer Jun 8, 1858. Their one daughter, Mrs. J.E. Oldshue with the wife, and three granddaughters survive him. Granddaughters are: Mrs. JE Hancock of Montezuma and Misses Vivian and Virginia Oldshue. Mr. Jarvis was very successful as a farmer and lived on the farm southwest of town until failing health obliged him to give up active work. He then moved to Waveland and built the present residence. He joined the Christian Church in 1890, and has been a faithful member serving for many years on the Official Board. Five years ago last October he was taken seriously ill and for many weeks his life was despaired of. He rallied but did not recover any measure of health, and nearly all the time since has bee under care of a nurse. He retained the use of his faculties, however and took great interest in reading. When Stewart Edward Whites' book, Gold was published, Messrs. Doubleday & Page sent him a copy because he had made the overland trip. It gave him great pleasure to read of the events in which he had taken part in his early manhood. Only a few days before his death he expressed a wish to be back in his California cabin. Mr. Jarvis was the fourth of a family of 7 children: six brothers, Joseph, Henry, Fleming, Nathan, William and John and one sister, Mrs. Martha McAlister. all of these passed before him. Amongst those present from a distance were: Mrs. Jerome Dooley and Mrs. Dollie Ensminger of Terre Haute; Mrs. I.M. Donnell of St. Louis and Mrs. Joseph Hoekin of Hillsboro, Mo; Mrs. Eliza Sturgeon of Arcola, Ill; Rufus Dooley, Rockville; Barton Dooley, Marshall; Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hancock, Montezuma; George Myers, Miss Minnie Myers and Mrs. Foster Fudge of Crawfordsville; Mr. and mrs. Carl Fletcher, Darlington; Miss Virginia Jarvis, Oxford, O.

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Montgomery County, Indiana USGenWeb Project

Montgomery County, Indiana USGenWeb Project

BIOGRAPHY