County, Indiana, and a daughter of John B. Martin, and they are the parents of three children named -- Maggie B., Nellie C. and Wilfred P. Mr. Davis has been a resident of Newport since 1878, in which year he was elected to the office of county recorder, to succeed J. A. Sanders. He filled that office satisfactorily some eight years and in the fall of 1886 was succeeded by M. B. Carter, the present incumbent. In politics Mr. Davis is a Republican, casting his first presidential vote in 1868 for Ulysses S. Grant.
MOSES BOWMAN a representative farmer of Highland Township, resides on section 30, range 10, township 19. His father, Thomas Bowman, was born on the south branch of the Potomac River in Virginia in 1769, and was there married to Jane Rhoads a native of the same neighborhood. In 1828 he came to Indiana and settled on the land now owned by their son Moses, the farm having been in the possession of the family nearly sixty years. Their nearest neighbor at that time was Henry Goudy, three miles distant. Mr. Bowman was nearly sixty years old when he came to Indiana and had voted for President Washington in his native State. He died in September, 1853, his wife surviving him about four years. They had two children when they came to Indiana -- Maria and Moses. Maria married Stephen Bainbridge and died many years ago. Moses Bowman, the only surviving member of his father's family, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, July 11, 1812, and was about sixteen years old when his father came to Indiana. His early life was thus inured to the hardships of a pioneer, and he has many recollections of the trials and pleasures of that early day. Game of all kind was abundant, deer were seen in large numbers every day, bears were plentiful and Indians still used the forests and prairies for a hunting ground. He has been a hard working man and has succeeded his father in the ownership of valuable land, and is now one of the highly esteemed old settlers of Highland Township. Mr. Bowman has been twice married. His first wife was Nancy Miller, a daughter of Cornelius Miller, who settled in Highland Township about 1830. Mrs. Bowman died December 25, 1874, aged fifty-nine years. They had a family of eight children, five of whom are living -- Thomas, Alice, Ellen, Catherine and George. John, Mary and Cornelius are deceased. The present Mrs. Bowman was formerly Mrs. Sally (Gadbury) Warner, widow of Joseph Warner. In his political views Mr. Bowman is a Democrat and in religion is independent.
WILLIAM Y. RICE, farmer and stock-raiser, section 9, Vermillion Township, is one of the prosperous farmers of the county. He has a valuable farm of 160 acres all well improved with a pleasant residence, his surroundings denoting thrift and enterprise, and in addition to his homestead has a farm of 160 acres on another section. Mr. Rice was born in Floyd County, Indiana, September 28, 1822, a son of Jehu and Catherine (Smith) Rice, natives of Kentucky, his father being of German descent. His parents came to Indiana in 1818 and located in Floyd Township the remainder of their lives. They reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living. William Y. Rice remained on the farm with his parents during his youth and on leaving home went to learn the shoemaker's trade, serving an apprentice-
ship of four years. He worked at his trade twenty years, and thus got his start on the road to affluence. He invested his savings in land, and now has two of the best farms in Vermillion Township. He has made his property by economy and hard work, and can now look back over a life of industry and can enjoy the fruits of his own labors. Mr. Rice was married in Floyd County in 1850, to Mary E. Baker, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1828. They have three children -- Carrie A., Charles L. and Mary F. Carrie is the wife of David Russell and has two children -- Alice and Clarence. Mr. Rice has held the office of supervisor of his township. He and his wife are members of the Christian church.
WILLIAM H. CATES, of the firm of Nixon & Cates, dealers in lumber, grain and agricultural implements, Cayuga, is a native of Indiana, born in Fountain County, August 25, 1851, a son of David Cates, who is still a resident of Fountain County. He was reared on the home farm in his native county, and his education was received principally in the Northern Indiana Normal School and the Business College at Valparaiso, Indiana, graduating from the commercial department of the latter institution in 1875. For three years he taught during the winter terms in Fountain County, and in the summer months worked on a farm. He was then engaged as station agent at Cates, Fountain County, for the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad Company until September, 1886, when he came to Cayuga, Vermillion County, and established his present business. The firm carries a full line of pine and poplar lumber and all kinds of building material, and agricultural implements, and also deals extensively in grain, having between July 23 and October 19 of 1887 shipped forty-three car loads of wheat. Mr. Cates was united in marriage September 17 1879, to Miss Harriet E. Lindley, a native of Parke County, Indiana, and a daughter of Nathan Lindley, who is now deceased. Of the four children born to them, three are living -- Minnie S., Anna L. and Lizzie M. Mr. Cates is a member of the Knights of Labor. His wife belongs to the Society of Friends.
DAVID SMITH, one of the old and respected pioneers of Vermillion County, who is now deceased, was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1793, a son of John Frederick and Elizabeth (Paul) Smith, the father being a native of Germany. John Frederick Smith came to America when twelve years of age, the rest of his father's family dying at sea. He grew to manhood in Philadelphia, where he was married. He was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and at one time was a member of General Washington's body guard. David Smith, our subject was reared to manhood in Virginia, where he was married to Miss Susan Hunsicker, and to them were born thirteen children, of whom eight are still living -- John F., William P., Thomas H., David, Walton C., Mrs. Susan A. Fleshman, Mrs. Mary J. Leseur and Joseph M. He left Virginia with his family, then consisting of wife and eleven children, September 17, 1833, coming to Indiana by wagon. The family lived on rented land in Highland Township, Vermillion County, about two years, and in the spring of 1836 made a permanent settlement about two and a half miles southwest of Perrysville, the original farm being still in