|
Alonzo L. Bales,
a member of the firm of Nichols, Goodrich & Bales, one of the best
known legal firms of Winchester, was born September 25, 1864 in West River
township, Randolph county, on the Wayne county line, on a farm. He is a son of
William
D. and Rebecca A. (Jackson) Bales. The father was born in Dalton, Wayne
county, and the mother in West River township, Randolph county. Jacob Bales,
the great grandfather, came to Indiana from near Knoxville, Tennessee, in the
year 1816 when the state was in its infancy and settlers were few and the land
covered by practically a wilderness throughout. He settled with his family
about two miles south west of what is now the village of Economy, Wayne county,
when that section was the home of the red man and many varieties of wild
beasts. There this courageous pioneer erected a log cabin and began life as a
true frontiersman, developing a good farm through hard, persistent work. His
son, John Bales, grandfather of our subject, grew, up in that section,
worked at the carpenter's trade, and remained there until 1862 when he moved to
Randolph county and settled on the land where our subject was born. He
succeeded here as a farmer and his death occurred in 1884, at an advanced age,
his birth having occurred in 1807. His son, William D. Bales, father of
the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, devoted his life successfully
to general agricultural and stock raising pursuits, becoming one of the leading
men of his community. His family consisted of five children, namely: Alonzo
L., of this sketch; Oliver H. died in infancy; Sarah E. is
deceased; Mary J. is deceased; Charles E. is engaged in farming
in West River township. The father is still living on the homestead, but the
mother passed away on July 30, 1913. She was a woman of fine Christian
fortitude and charitable impulse. Alonzo L. Bales grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked when a boy, attending the district schools during the winter months, and for a time the Winchester high school. He then taught successfully in the district schools of his native county for two | 
|
Mr. Bales practices in the state and federal courts and is known to be a painstaking, alert, well-grounded and competent lawyer in every line of legal science. He is an earnest and forceful pleader and is one of the most conspicuous figures in the trial of important cases in the local courts. His success has been pronounced from the start and his practice and influence have steadily grown with advancing years. He is a member of the county and state bar associations. Politically, he is a Republican and has been active in the ranks. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Randolph county in the fall of 1898 and served one term in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He served as a member of the Republican County Central Committee for a number of years and did much for the success of the party in Randolph county.
Mr. Bales was married, first, on September 1, 1892 to Martha E. Foutz, a daughter of Henry and Mary Jane (Boyd) Foutz, of Randolph county. To this union four children were born, namely: Ralph W., whose birth occurred August 7, 1893; William H., born December 9, 1895; Mary R., born June 21, 1898; Ruth A., born February 28, 1901. The wife and mother was called to her eternal rest on April 24, 1901. Mr. Bales' second marriage took place on June 21, 1905 when he espoused Emma G. Engle, daughter of Edmund and Gertrude (Bishop) Engle, of Winchester, and to this union one child has been born, John E., whose birth occurred January 29, 1908.
Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Bales, for a term of seven years successfully taught history and English in the Winchester high school. She was a student at Butler College, Indianapolis, for two years. For many years she has taken an active part in all branches of church work.
Fraternally, Mr. Bales is a member of the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Modern Woodmen of America.
He owns a valuable and well-improved farm in West River township and a commodious home on South Main street. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church as are also his children. Mrs. Bales belongs to the Main Street Christian church. All are active in church and Sunday school work. He is a teacher in the men's Bible class, which was organized under the state Sunday school organization as the A. L. Bales Bible class. He is a man of broad influence and usefulness, both in his profession and public life, and is regarded by all as a liberal, broad-minded, public-spirited citizen.
Past and Present of Randolph County, Indiana, 1914.
Contributed by Gina Richardson
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
One of the most honored and dignified of the jurists of Indiana, Hon.
Alonzo L. Bales, has proved his ability, his sense of justice and
his knowledge of men and the motives which govern him for a number of years,
and is still the incumbent of the circuit bench of the Twenty-fifth Judicial
Circuit, and one of the leading citizens of Winchester. He was born in
Randolph County, Indiana, September 25, 1864, a son of
William D. and
Rebecca A. (Jackson) Bales.
William D. Bales was born at Dalton, Wayne County, Indiana, in 1843, and his
wife was born in Randolph County, Indiana, August 23, 1846. The paternal
grandparents were John and Nancy (McMullen)
Bales. John Bales was born in Jefferson
County, Tennessee, in 1807. In the spring of 1816 he and his father, Jacob
Bales, came to Indiana and settled in Wayne County, between Economy and
Hagerstown. Jacob Bales and his wife, Sarah Melvaney,
were natives of North Carolina, and charter members of the Society of
Friends, Quakers, in their neighborhood, in 1820. The maternal grandparents
of Judge Bales were John and Susannah (Peacock)
Jackson, he born in Randolph County, Indiana, in 1824. His father
and mother were Samuel and Jemima (Cox) Jackson,
of North Carolina. Judge Bales' paternal grandparents were married in Henry
County, Indiana, January 1, 1832, and the grandfather was a carpenter by
trade. The maternal grandfather was a merchant and farmer, while William
Peacock, the maternal great-grandfather, was associate judge for a number of
years, so that Judge Bales had very solid forebears and upright citizens
behind him from the start. His father for many years was engaged in farming
in West River Township, Randolph County, Indiana, and he died in 1918, the
mother having died in 1918. They belonged to that splendid type of Americans
now passing. Work to them was a duty cheerfully performed without thought of
distinctive reward. They reared their children to respect the laws, to
attend church, and to work for their living, and did not ask of life more
than the satisfaction that comes of faithful performance of what was laid
upon them. Judge Bales attended the common schools, and had a short period
in the Winchester High School, which preparation enabled him to secure a
license to teach at the age of twenty years, and for the following ten
consecutive winters he was engaged in teaching. During this decade he
employed his leisure time in studying law, and in 1891 was admitted to the
Indiana bar. In 1&95 he established his residence at Winchester, and
began the practice of his profession. On September 1, 1892, Judge Bales was
married to Miss Martha Fouts, born in
Wayne County, Indiana, a daughter of Henry and
Mary (Boyd) Fouts, also natives of Wayne County. Judge and Mrs.
Bales became the parents of the following children:
Ralph W., who resides at Indianapolis, Indiana, secretary and
manager of the Indiana Dairy Products Association,
William H., who is an attorney at Muncie, Indiana, and both of
these sons are overseas veterans of the World war; Mary,
who is now at home, has held clerical positions at Winchester, Indiana, and
Cleveland, Ohio; and Ruth A., who
married Prof. Max H. Fisch, of
Cleveland, Ohio, professor of philosophy in the Western Reserve University.
Mrs. Fisch was graduated from Butler University. Both the
sons were graduated from DePauw University, and Mary was
a student of DePauw University and Wayne College. Mrs. Bales died in April,
1901. In June, 1905, Judge Bales married Miss
Emma Eagle, who was born at Winchester, Indiana, a daughter of
Edmund and Gertrude (Bishop) Eagle, he born near Chester,
Pennsylvania, and she at Cincinnati, Ohio. During the War
Between the States Edmund Eagle served, with the rank of captain, in Company
H, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
There is one son, John Eagle Bales, now a student of
DePauw University. Judge Bales is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
of Winchester, and one of its trustees. Since 1904 he has been the teacher
of the Men's Bible Class, and is otherwise active in church work. Very
active in politics, Judge Bales was early called upon to accept public
office, and from 1898 to 1900 was prosecuting attorney of Randolph County.
When he completed his term in office he formed a partnership with
John W. Macy
and
James P. Goodrich, but two years later Mr. Macy became circuit
judge, and Alonzo Nichols
took his place in the firm, which became Nichols, Goodrich &
Bales, and this association continued until 1918, when Mr.
Nichols was elected to the appellate bench, and Mr. Goodrich, governor of
Indiana. In 1920 Judge Bales was elected judge of the Twenty-fifth Judicial
District and reelected in 1926. One of the leading Re publicans, he served
as precinct and county committeeman. His fraternal
affiliations are with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of
Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men. Several years
ago he served for a year as president of the Winchester Kiwanis Club, and
for many years he has been a member of the Indiana State Bar Association.
In 1914 Judge Bales was nominated for circuit judge, but was defeated by
Judge Thomas Shockney, an intimate friend. The
hardships and necessary struggles of his early days developed in Judge Bales
those qualities of mind and character so essential to advancement in his
profession. His life has been one strictly of work. His
fidelity to every trust reposed in him, together with his natural ability
and intelligence, have steadily advanced him, and made of him one with a
statewide character.
Unidentified book.
Typed by Lora Radiches