Randolph County, Indiana
Henry Good
By words and by actions the personality reveals its quality, its force, its direction of purpose. The invisible spirit embodies itself in signs of service and in language. Words also are deeds, and actions are symbols of the inner being which we cannot see, nor touch, nor weigh. Hence the value of a biography, which writes out a life by telling a story of what one has said and done. But since speech is forgotten and actions fade away in the clouds of a distant past, we hasten to record the happenings in the lives of men who do things well and set forth the observations on the momentous transformations from the old to the new by present-day witnesses. With such values of biography in mind, we here write briefly the salient features in the career of Henry D. Good, formerly a well-known educator and later a progressive business man who is now the able and popular treasurer of Randolph county.
Mr. Good was born in Wayne county, Indiana, December 22, 1853. He is a son of Rudolph and Sarah (Moore) Good. The father was born January 21, 1825, in York county, Pennsylvania, and the mother was born September 11, 1828, in Perry county, Pennsylvania. Rudolph Good was left an orphan in early life. He grew to manhood in his native state and came west in 1848, locating in Wayne county, Indiana. The Moore family located in that county in the year 1848. In that county the parents of our subject were married in 1850, and to them nine children were born, namely: John M. is a millwright and resides at Parker, Randolph county; Elizabeth is the wife of Joseph Ellis, of Albany, Delaware county, Indiana; Henry D., of this sketch; Mariah is the wife of Thomas L. Painter, a retired farmer of Farmland; Jacob W. is deceased; Alice is deceased; Milton is deceased; Charles A. is a contractor and lives in Arkansas; Edith May married, Josiah Mills and they live at Maxville, Indiana.
The father of the above named children was a miller, and in 1869 he moved to Macon county, Illinois, where he remained about eighteen months, then returned to Randolph county and engaged in farming near Parker, later moving to the village of Maxville, this county, where he bought a mill, which he operated from 1873 to 1890, doing a large business with the surrounding country. He then retired from that line of endeavor and now he is making his home with his son, Henry D. His wife died December 25, 1900. In early life Rudolph Good was a Whig, then a Republican after that party was organized, in the middle of the fifties. He and his family are members of the Methodist church. He is now advanced in years and is an interesting talker on the pioneer times.
Henry D. Good lived with the home folks in the various localities to which they moved, and he received his education in the public schools. His parents gave their children the best advantages in schooling possible. Henry D. attended high school at Farmland for a while and was a diligent student at home. He began life for himself by teaching school in 1874, in the district schools of Randolph county, which he continued until 1888, when he was chosen principal of the Farmland high school, a position he filled with much credit for a period of four years. Later he taught four years in the Windsor graded schools, teaching in all twenty-two years, during which time his services were in great demand and he was regarded as one of the most thorough and progressive educators of the county. In 1895 he became deputy county treasurer under Joseph C. DeVoss, serving two years and four months. He then began in the grocery business in Farmland, which he continued for two years, retiring from the same in 1902, after building up a large and remunerative business. He then organized the First National Bank of Farmland and became its cashier, in which capacity he served until January 1, 1913, with eminent satisfaction to the directors and stockholders, when he resigned to become county treasurer, to which office he had been elected in the fall of 1912. However, he still retains his banking interests.
Mr. Good was married August 18, 1881, to Ida B. Branson, a daughter of Joseph B. and Catherine (Miller) Branson, of Randolph county. The father was born in North Carolina and the mother was a native of Pennsylvania. The union of our subject and wife has been without issue.
Politically, Mr. Good has been a Republican ever since he reached his majority, having been active and influential in the ranks, He was trustee of the Farmland town schools for a period of twelve years following his career as a teacher. He has served as a member of the Republican County Central Committee at various times and has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions. He served as a member of the Farmland town council and was clerk of that body for six years. He has filled all positions of trust with rare fidelity and satisfaction, giving his best attention to the public interests. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Encampment and Rebekahs, is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife belong to the Methodist church, and have always been active in church and Sunday school work. Mr. Good still retains his home in Farmland.
Past and Present of Randolph County, Indiana, 1914.
Contributed by Gina Richardson