Samuel J. Jackson born in Delaware County, Indiana, January 4, 1834, settled in Wells County, January 17, 1837. He resides in Liberty township; has filled the office of Post-master from the year 1874 to that of 1877. He served in the late war, a member of the 75th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, enlisting August 1, 1862, serving until June 1865. His parents, James and Elizabeth (Hooker) Jackson, removed to Wells county in 18--. The former died December 8, 1853; the latter in March 1865. Samuel Jackson was married in Huntington county, Indiana, October 29, 1857, to Sarah A. Faust, born in Highland County, Ohio, April 9, 1834. Their children are: James U., October 13, 1858; Jonathan L., August 23, 1860, died October 1, 1860; Anna E., August 29, 1861; Adam L., March 16, 1866, died February 17, 1867; Rachel R., April 4, 1868; Ida E., April 1, 1870; Amos L., February 6, 1872; Samuel A., October 24, 1874; Charles W., March 7, 1877. Mrs. Jackson's parents are Jonathan and Anna (Shafer) Foust, residents of Huntington county, Indiana. S. Jackson's father was a warrior of 1812; was taken prisoner at the time of Hull's surrender at Detroit. His grandfather served five years in the war of 1776. James Jackson was the first white settler of Liberty township. Business, merchant. Address, Liberty Center.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 215.

This is the name of one of the oldest residents of Liberty Township, Wells County. The Jackson family have been here fully eighty years. It would be a difficult matter to estimate and appreciate all the substantial work accomplished by a single family of such industrious people as the Jacksons in four-score years. Many acres of land were cleared of timber and brush. Lowlands were drained, the soil was made to produce the crops which sustained mankind, homes have been built, and innumerable other services have gone into the composite activities which make Wells County what it is today.

The old home of Samuel J. Jackson is a mile north of Liberty Center. He was born three miles east of Muncie in Delaware County, Indiana, January 5, 1834, a son of James and Elizabeth (Hooker) Jackson. James Jackson was born in Stokes county, North Carolina, a son of Samuel and Hannah (Gibson) Jackson, both of whom spent their lives in Stokes county. That interesting section of western North Carolina furnished a large migration to the northwest and particularly to Indiana in the early part of the last century. From his home on the eastern side of the Alleghenies James Jackson came first to Ohio, married near Dayton, and from there moved into Delaware County, and in January, 1837, arrived in Wells County, locating in Liberty township. Here in the wilderness he entered ad half section of land, built a log cabin and undertook all the work and the experiences which were part of pioneer life in this county. James Jackson died in Wells County December 8, 1853, and his wife in 1865. They had nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom Samuel J. is the only one now living, and he had long since passed the age of four-score. He was just three years of age when the family moved to Wells County, and his first recollections are of this region when few people were living here and when it was a strictly pioneer county. Doubtless his recollections extend back over a longer period than any other living resident. There was no transportation except by road through the woods for years after he came, and he was a mature man when the first railroad was built through this county. As a boy his advantages were only those of the subscription schools. In 1856 he made an interesting trip to what was then the far west, to the territory of Nebraska, which then occupied a large place in the public mind because of the struggle over the Kansas-Nebraska bill which was soon to precipitate civil war. He remained in the west only about nine months, and then returned to Wells County and on October 29, 1857, married Miss Sarah Foust. She is a sister of Adam Foust of Warren, Indiana. Mrs. Jackson was born in Highland County, Ohio, April 9, 1834, a daughter of Jonathan and Anna Foust.

In November, 1857, after his marriage, Mr. Jackson settled on a farm in Liberty Township, and then followed many industrious years of toil and enterprise as a farm and also as a merchant and man of affairs in and around Liberty Center. In 1862 he responded to the needs of his country and enlisted in Company E of the Seventy-fifth Indiana Infantry. He remained in service practically three years until the close of the war, and was mustered out at Washington in June, 1865. He and his good wife became the parents of nine children, and five are still living, James N., Amos L., Charles W., Rachel R. and Ida. The family are all members of the Christian Church at Warren, and Samuel J. Jackson has steadily supported republican candidates and principles since the formation of the party back in 1856.

James U. Jackson, his son, is a prominent business man of Liberty Center and for many years has been the leading lumberman of that locality. He was born in Liberty Township October 13, 1858, grew up on a farm until he was past fourteen years of age, at which date his father bought a store at Liberty Center. Mr. Jackson worked in the store while attending school. He finished his education in the Bluffton Normal, and for two terms was a teacher in Liberty Township. For a long period of years he has been a lumber dealer at Liberty Center, but has many other interests. He has a farm of eight acres, and is one of the directors of the Liberty Center Deposit Bank.

On January 16, 1892, Mr. Jackson married Sabina W. Smith. They have five children: Cecil W., who is married and lives in Liberty Center, Paul C., unmarried, and now attending an aviation school at Austin, Texas; Ethel, at home; Charles W., in the United States army service at Camp Grant, Illinois, and Ruth, at home. The family are members of the Baptist Church and Mr. Jackson is one of its trustees. Politically he has always supported the principles and policies of the republican party.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 529-530.
Contributed by Nola Rains

WILLIAM JARRETT, of Chester Township, was born in Wayne County, Indiana, October 16, 1827, son of Jonas and Margaret (Blunt) Jarrett. His father was born, reared and married in Virginia, and his first wife died there. He afterward removed to Wayne County, Indiana, married there a second wife, who died in 1834. In February, 1837, he removed to Wells County, with two six-horse teams, where he had previously entered 240 acres of land, near where his son William now lives, on section 28, Chester Township. He had to clear a place to build his log cabin, and in the meantime his family occupied a cabin owned by Goldsmith Baldwin, who came here from Vermont, and who afterward married one of Mr. Jarrett's daughters. Mr. Jarrett was a good hunter, and game was so plentiful that it was not necessary to provide before hand. He could at any time go out in the morning, kill a deer, and get it ready for breakfast. He first went to Henry County to mill, taking four days for the trip. Afterward a horse-mill was started at Camden, and later a water-mill near Warren. Mr. Jarrett's daughter, Lovina, and John McCullick, were the first couple married in the county. The father died March 10, 1855, at the age of sixty-one years, and was buried in the Twibell cemetery, Blackford County. William was reared in Wells County from the age of ten years and has lived here for half a century. He was married March 15, 1845, to Miss Frances West, a native of Kentucky, and a daughter of William West. He is a Democrat in politics, and has served three years as township trustee. His father was a life-long Democrat.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 841-842.

Henry E. Johns is the present trustee of Nottingham Township and a citizen of high standing and of many business relationships with that section of Wells County. Mr. Johns is a farmer and stockman and has spent practically all his life in this county.

He was born in Harrison Township near Vera Cruz July 5, 1870, a son of John S. and Trissa (Haughton) Johns. His father was a native of Ohio and his mother of Adams County, Indiana. John S Johns was brought to Wells County by his parents when he was two years of age. The grandparents located on a farm near Vera Cruz, taking up the land from the Government, and spent the rest of their days there. John S Johns grew up in that locality when everything was comparatively new and rough, and after reaching his majority bought a farm nearby. He did business on an extensive scale as a trader in land, and owned real estate here and elsewhere. His death occurred in Arkansas, while his wife died in Harrison Township of Wells County. The father was a democrat. There were in the family four sons and five daughters, and five are still living: Lenora, a graduate of the common schools and now pursuing her profession as a graduate nurse at Bluffton; Alonzo, a farmer in Arkansas; Roswell, a farmer in Union Township of Wells County; Cora, wife of J D Dyson of Nottingham Township, and Henry E.

Henry E. Johns lived on his father's farm until he was ten years of age, and after that was in the home of his uncle, George Sinnison, for whom he worked and as opportunity afforded attended the district schools of Adams County. At the age of seventeen he started out to make his own living, at first as a wage earner by the month and later for a time he drove a huckster wagon.

On September 17, 1892, Mr. Johns married Miss Clara King. Her parents, Adam and Elizabeth King, are both now deceased. Mrs. Johns received her early education in School District No 3 of Nottingham Township. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Johns lived on the King farm a year, then for four years lived south of Reiffsburg, and then bought their present farm of a little more than sixty-one acres and later acquired 140 acres in section 8 of Nottingham Township. Mr. Johns has come to prosperity through the avenue of hard work and honest dealing, and is now enjoying a liberal prosperity. As a stockman he specializes somewhat in high grade Belgian horses and some of his animals were awarded the first premium at the Bluffton Street Fair. He is also one of the directors of the Bank of Petroleum, of which Amos Williams is president, Samuel Warner, vice president, and Henry Shott, cashier. Mr. Johns is also a stockholder in the Poneto Farmers Elevator Company.

He has taken quite an active interest in democratic politics, but even more in the substantial welfare of his community, and it was a general recognition on the part of his fellow citizens of his qualifications that caused him to be elected trustee of Nottingham Township. He has filled that office since January 1915, and his administrative work in connection with the public schools has been especially credible.

Mrs. Johns is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Reiffsburg. They have two sons. Raymond, a graduate of the common schools and the Petroleum High School, was a teacher for two years but is now a soldier in the National Army, having enlisted at Louisville, Kentucky. Fred F, born in April 1898, has also finished the work of the Petroleum High School.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 552-553.
Contributed by Dawn Maddox Montgomery

Rev. Abel Johnson, a minister of Liberty Township, was married in the year 1835, in Concord, Ohio, to Sarah S. Smith. Their children were all born in Ohio, with the exception of David S. and Martha E. Thomas B., born December 10, 1836, is a resident of Kansas; Washington P., October 5, 1838; is also a resident of Kansas; Isaac W., April 9, 1840, died August 11, 1862; Abel S. January 18, 1842, died October 29, 1862; Adoniram J., November 15, 1843, resides in Wells County; Xenon M., August 25, 1845, a resident of Wells County; Benjamin F., October 4, 1847, resides in Oxford, Indiana; Mary R., April 13, 1850, resides in Kansas; Francis W., January 11, 1852, died February 7, 1852; Martha E., May 6, 1851, died August 14, 1873; David S., December 16, 1859, resides in Wells County. Thomas B., Washington P., Adoniram J., Abel and Isaac W., served in the War of the Rebellion. The two latter were killed by sharp-shooters in Mississippi, in the year 1862. Washington P. and Adoniram J. served three years under General Sherman. Neither was wounded or disabled in any way. Rev. Abel Johnson was born in Ohio, in the year 1814. He removed to Wells County in 1853. Mrs. Johnson was born in the year 1812; is a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Gander) Smith. Address, Liberty Center.

Historical Hand-Atlas, With Complete Reference Map of the World, History of Wells Co., IN, Chicago & Toledo: H. H. Hardesty & Co., 1881, p. 215.

ABRAHAM W. JOHNSON, of Harrison Township, was born in the township of Darlington, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1814, son of Robert and Susan (Bradfield) Johnson. The father was a son of Abraham Johnson, of Scotch and Irish ancestry; his wife was formerly Rachel McCammon, a native of Ireland and of Scotch descent. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Edward Bradfield, who was born in Wales, and immigrated to this country when twenty years of age, settling in Philadelphia, where he followed shoemaking. He married Mary Booth, of Norfolk, Virginia, and of English ancestry. Robert Johnson was born and reared in Washington County, Pennsylvania. He removed to Beaver County, where he learned the shoemaker's trade with Edward Bradfield, and married his daughter in New Lisbon, Ohio. He worked at his trade in Beaver County until 1847, when he came to this county to make his home, and died at the advanced age of eighty-five years. His wife died ten years previous, at the age of seventy-five years.

Our subject was reared on a farm, receiving a limited education in the subscription schools of the early day. He remained with his parents until he reached his majority, and September 24, 1837, entered 160 acres of land in Harrison Township. He then went to Huntington County, remaining one year, then returned to Wells County and began to clear and improve his farm. There were but few settlers on the Wabash River at that time. He was married May 7, 1840, to Miss Jane S., daughter of Daniel and Sarah Henderson, who was born in Fayette County, Ohio. Her parents removed from Virginia to Ohio in an early day. She came to this county in 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had ten children, all of whom are living--Isaac N., Rebecca J., Catherine E., Harriet A., Mary M., Louis M., John W., Maggie B., Walter B. and Roscoe C. Isaac N. was wounded while serving his country during the late war, which disabled him for life. In 1840 he sold his farm and removed to Bluffton, where he lived ten years, then purchased his present farm in Harrison Township, which contains 110 acres of land, situated one mile west of Bluffton. Mr. Johnson has served as constable and as deputy sheriff for many years. In 1850 he was appointed appraiser of real estate. He and his wife are active members of the Baptist church, and he is a Republican in politics.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 737-738.

Of the many influential families of Wells county, few have resided there longer, made a deeper or more lasting impression on the history of the county or wielded more influence for good than has the Johnson family of Harrison township. It is now more than sixty-five years since the progenitors of the family came to Wells county. On the 24th day of September, 1837, Abraham W. Johnson located in the upper valley of the Wabash, entering one hundred and sixty acres of government land. He was then twenty-three years old, having been born in Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1814. Settler in this locality were not numerous and if the land he selected was not all that he could desire, it must have been his own fault, for he had many thousands of acres to choose from. For one year thereafter he vibrated between his claim and Huntington, the nearest approach to a town in that part of Indiana. After clearing and improving his claim for two or more years, he, on the 7th of May, 1840, was married to Miss Jennie S. Henderson, daughter of Daniel and Sarah Henderson, who were natives of Fayette county, Ohio. One of the children born to this union was Lewis M. Johnson. Abraham Johnson, the great-grandfather of Lewis, was Scotch-Irish, as was his wife, Rachael McCammon. Their son, Robert Johnson, was born and reared in Washington county, Pennsylvania, but was married in Beaver county to the daughter of Edward Bradford, a native of Wales, and Mary Bartly, of English parentage, who was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Robert resided in that county until 1847 when he came to Wells county that he might be near his son. Here he resided, surrounded by his children and children's children, until death, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, having survived his companion by about ten years. To Abraham W. Johnson and wife ten children were born, viz: Isaac N., Rebecca J., Catherine E., Harriet A., Mary M., Lewis M., John W., Maggie B., Walter B. and Roscoe C. Isaac entered the service of his country during the Civil war and participated in many of the hottest engagements, receiving a wound that has rendered him a criple (sic) for life.

In 1840 the Johnson family moved to Bluffton, but three years later secured a tract of one hundred and ten acres just outside the city limits. In 1850 Abraham W. Johnson was appointed real estate appraiser for the county, serving as such with fidelity and honor. For many years Mr. And Mrs. Johnson were consistent members of the Baptist church, remaining true to the faith until the close of life. He died July 6, 1899, and his wife July 25, 1900.

Lewis M. Johnson is the second son and tenth child of Abraham W. and Jennie Bradford Johnson and was born January 30, 1858. He was reared upon the old farm and was trained in the honorable calling of an agriculturist. At an early age, in addition to doing much of the work on the farm, he worked for neighbors, often using his father's team. On April 10, 1883, he was united in marriage to Miss Rachael Shimp, a native of Ohio. She died of consumption September 10, 1890, and he then married Miss Dora Ratliff on September 17, 1893. She also died from the same disease May 24, 1895, and July 13, 1896, Mr. Johnson married his present wife, her name being Nancy E. Summers, of Jefferson township, this county, who was born April 14, 1867, and the daughter of Joseph and Victoria Summers. One child was born to this union, Garth A., born July 9, 1899, and died September 12th of the same year.

Starting in life poor and depending chiefly upon his own exertions for advancement, with limited opportunities, Mr. Johnson has achieved well merited success, being the owner of ninety-four acres of good land adjoining the city limits of Bluffton, as well as several valuable residence properties in the city, all of which materially contribute toward a handsome income. He is a member of Lodge No. 92, K. P., of Bluffton, and politically he is a Republican. His genial personality has won and retained for him a host of warm and true friends.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 519-521.

This gallant ex-soldier and at present a resident of Union township, Wells county, Indiana, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1826, a son of James and Rebecca (Baxter) Johnson, also natives of the Keystone state. Solomon Johnson, grandfather of Noah, was a native of Wales and, with two brothers, came while young to America and settled in Pennsylvania, where he married Fannie Warren, and where he and his wife passed the remainder of life. Solomon, who was born January 3, 1765, died July 24, 1843, and Fannie (Warren) Johnson, who was of German descent, was born August 1, 1772, and died June 15, 1838. They were the parents of fourteen children, namely: Pattie, born December 23, 1791; Joseph, born February 15, 1793; Jacob, born July 17, 1794; Rebecca, born June 3, 1796; Dorcas, born February 28, 1798; Eliza, born February 27, 1800; James, born January 18, 1802; Abram, born January 8, 1804; Eliza, born December 7, 1805; Anna, born September 29, 18--; J. B., born April 18, 1810; Sarah B., born October 28, 1812, and William, born November 22, 1820. James Johnson was reared a farmer in Pennsylvania, was married in that state, then removed to Ohio and in 1853 came to Indiana and settled in Allen county, where his death took place. To James and Rebecca Johnson were born fourteen children, of whom Noah was the first born and of whom eleven still survive.

Noah Johnson was also reared to agriculture, and educated in the district schools and married Miss Sarah Thomas, a daughter of Enos and Margaret (Cameron) Thomas. Sarah Thomas was educated in Ohio and came from Columbiana county, Ohio, to Wells county, Indiana, with her husband in a wagon. Here Mr. Johnson purchased the farm he still continues to occupy and cultivate and which he wrought out from a dense forest. Although Mr. Johnson went in debt for the greater part of his purchase, he eventually succeeded in liquidating the incumbrance and is now in good circumstances. The marriage of Mr. And Mrs. Johnson has been crowned with eight children, namely: Emmett, born in 1847; Amizet, born May 13, 1850; Rebecca, born August 14, 1852, and now the widow of Zeph Babcock; Margaret, born December 5, 1855, and now the wife of Frank Detier; Elizabeth, born April 23, 1860, and now the widow of W. W. Greek; Bethena, born July 14, 1858, is still at home; Albert L., born October 17, 1862, and Ella, born July 7, 1866.

After his marriage and when he was well settled on his farm the great Civil war broke out, and Mr. Johnson, filled with patriotism and indignation, tendered his services, and his life if necessary, to the government, enlisting in Company E, Thirty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, October 17, 1862, under Capt. Harry Deam, at Bluffton. He took part in the Vicksburg campaign, the battle at Port Gibson, the fight at Champion Hill, back of Vicksburg and at Jackson, all in Mississippi, and after the last campaign he was transferred to New Orleans, Lousiana (sic), where he did garrison duty until December, 1863. He also took part in the Red River expedition, and the fight at Brownsville, Texas, and was honorably mustered out after the close of the war in 1865, but with partial loss of eyesight, for which catastrophe the government allows him a pension of one dollar per day. In politics Noah Johnson was first a Whig, but on the founding of the Republican party joined its ranks. Mrs. Johnson is a devout member of the United Brethren church, in the radical branch of which she is an ardent worker.

Enos Thomas, the father of Mrs. Johnson, was one of the earliest justices of Columbiana county, having been appointed to his office by President George Washington. Seth Thomas, Mrs. Johnson's grandfather, was a native of England, married Martha Kirk, also a daughter of Albion's isle, and this couple were the progenitors of the present family bearing their names in the state of Indiana. The Johnson family are among the most respected residents of Union township, Wells county, and, having been married for more than half a century, may be well considered as among the patriarchs of the county to which they have contributed so much of their labor and enterprises in redeeming it from the wilderness and in making it the pleasant abode that it is today.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 556-557.

WILLIAM C. JOHNSON, farmer and stock-raiser, Nottingham Township, was born in Jackson County, Ohio, December 7, 1850, son of Robert and Nancy (Buckley) Johnson, the former a native of Greenbrier County, Virginia, and the latter of Jackson County, Ohio. When Robert was two years of age his parents removed to Jackson County, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood, where he was married, and where he and his wife now reside. William was next to the youngest of six children. He was reared to farm life in Jackson County, made that county his home until his twenty-fourth year, when he came to this county and located on a farm of 153 acres he had previously purchased. Of this land only fourteen acres were cleared and no ditching or draining had been done. Since Mr. Johnson came the timber has gradually disappeared until he has ninety-five acres cleared, and he has spent $700 on tile draining, and the land that was entirely unfit for cultivation, is now dry and productive. He was married September 14, 1876, to Miss Charity J. Shigley, who was born in Nottingham Township, daughter of John and Maria (Reed) Shigley, the former a native of Greene County, Ohio, and the latter of Ross County, same State. They were early settlers of this county, the father having come here with his parents when a young boy. The mother died in 1876, and the father is still a resident of this township. After the death of his wife he married Mrs. Mary Rose, neé Gottschalk. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of five children-John R., Lullu Viola, Mollie Elizabeth, Melvin Monroe and Hugh M. R. O. Mr. Johnson was reared a Democrat, but is now independent in politics.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 971-972.

WILLIAM JOHNSTON was born in Wayne County, Ohio, January 8, 1825. He read medicine with Dr. Pardee, of Wadsworth, Medina County, Ohio, and attended lectures at Cleveland, Ohio, in the winter of 1848—’49. He came to Ossian, Wells County, Indiana, in the spring of 1849 and began the practice of medicine, and remained there until August, 1855, when he removed to Black Hawk County, Iowa, and engaged in his profession until the spring of 1857, when he returned to Wells County, Indiana, and settled at Murray. In the winter of 1864 he again attended lectures at Cleveland, Ohio. In November, 1866, he moved to Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana, where he practiced until his death, which occurred January 20, 1879.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, p. 693.

Daniel Jones, farmer, Nottingham Township, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, June 12, 1831, son of John and Mary (Foster) Jones. His father was a native of Maryland, and a farmer by occupation; the mother was a native of New York. The family removed from Wayne County to that part of Medina County that afterward became Summit County. After the close of the civil war the parents came to this county, where the father died in March, 1868. The mother afterward returned to Summit County, Ohio, where she now resides at the advanced age of eighty-one years. Daniel was but a year old when the family removed to Summit County, and there he was raised to manhood. In 1852 he came to Wells County and commenced working at the carpenter and joiner's trade, an occupation he followed until 1877, since which time he has given his entire attention to farming. He purchased his present farm of seventy-five acres in 1865.

February 5, 1857, he was married to Miss Nancy Jane Gracy, a native of Fayette County, Ohio, and daughter of Samuel and Rachel (Shively) Gracy, who are now deceased. To this union were born four children, of whom two are deceased - Mary Ellen and John Preston; the living are Harvey A. and Daniel. December 20, 1863, Mr. Jones volunteered in the service of the Union, and at Kokomo, Indiana, was assigned to Company F, One Hundred and Thirtieth Indiana Infantry, under Colonel Parish. From Kokomo they went to Louisville, Kentucky, where they camped out two weeks, where his regiment became a part of General Hovey's division of the Twenty-Third Army Corps under General Schofield, Corps Commander, Army of the Ohio. From Louisville he went to Nashville, thence to Charleston, Tennessee, then marched to the front and joined the main army at Buzzard's Roost, near Dalton, Georgia, on the 5th of May, 1864, in time to take part in the campaign which commenced the next day. He was with Sherman through to Jonesboro, Tennessee, and after the fall of Atlanta his command was sent, under Thomas, after Hood. Mr. Jones was with his regiment all through that chase. He was in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Georgia, Allatoona, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Franklin, and at the two-days battle of Nashville. He was honorably discharged June 20, 1865. After the pursuit of Hood he was taken sick with typhoid fever, and went to the hospital at Jeffersonville, Indiana. Previous to the war he was a Democrat, but since that time he has been a Republican. His first presidential vote was cast for Franklin Pierce. He is a member of Lew, Dally Post, G. A. R., at Bluffton. At Allatoona he was promoted to Second Duty Sergeant, for meritorious conduct, his commission dating June 1, 1864.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 954-955.
Contributed by Tammy Rable

John Jones. Among the oldest settlers of Union township, Wells county, Indiana, is John Jones, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, May 9, 1831, a son of Samuel and Nancy (Walker) Jones, who came to Indiana from North Carolina, in which last named state Samuel Jones was born and reared.

John Jones was but five years of age when death deprived him of his father, at which time he went to live with an uncle, John Felts, with whom he remained until he had attained his majority. In the meantime, however, in 1847, Mr. Felts came to Wells county and settled on the farm on which young Jones was reared to manhood and assisted in developing. Owing to the constant demand for his labor in accomplishing the task of clearing up this place, the opportunities of attending school were but few, and at the age of twenty-one he found himself to be not only without an education, but without cash. But at his majority Mr. Jones was possessed of a robust constitution and his general health was all that could be desired. Moreover he was filled with ambition and determination, and he worked hard to earn the money he knew he needed when the time for his marriage should come about. This happy event took place January 29, 1857, when he led to the altar Miss Sarah J. Kohr, a native of Ohio. This union has resulted in the following named children: Rosa, now the wife of Stephen D. Caley; Mary J., who is married to Ephraim Nicholson; William, who married a daughter of John M. Waters; Frank, who is married to Elma Lawrence; John A., who married Minta Hill; E.S., unmarried, and Della, who is the wife of Waldo Salter. The family of Mr. Jones have been reared in the faith of the Christian church, of which he has himself been a member ever since childhood and to the support of which he and his children have been and still are liberal contributors financially. All are sincere in their profession of the faith and live strictly up to its teachings.

In politics Mr. Jones is an enthusiastic Democrat and is one of the most active workers for his party in Union township. Notwithstanding the fact that he has never been habitually an office-seeker, he has, on account of his personal merits and undeniable qualifications, been selected by his fellow citizens to fill the office of supervisor for Union township, the duties of which position he performed in a most satisfactory manner, and he has also served as school director and on the election board.

Having been a resident of Wells county since childhood, or for more than half a century, Mr. Jones is fully acquainted with the needs, wishes and desires of the people of his township and county and is therefore well qualified for aiding in framing and administering such measures as redound to the benefit of the community. His life has been one without reproach, and in all his business transactions he has been straightforward and upright. Without being parsimonious or niggardly, he has succeeded in acquiring a fair share of this world’s goods as a reward for his industry and judicious manner of living, has an open hand to those in need or who have been less fortunate than himself and was never known to turn away from his door unassisted any person who applied to him for relief. He has reared his children in respectability and is himself one of the most honored citizens of Union township.

Biographical Memoirs of Wells County, Indiana. B.F. Bowen, Logansport, Indiana, 1903, pp. 515-516.
Transcribed by Kathy Davis

John T. Jones has for many years been an important factor in the life and affairs of Jackson Township. Besides managing a farm he has furnished facilities to a large territory as a merchant, mill man and competent mechanic, and throughout that section of Wells County his name is spoken with respect and esteem that it deserves.

Mr. Jones was born in Salamonie Township of Huntington County, Indiana, February 21, 1844, a son of Ezekiel and Esther (Taylor) Jones, and a grandson of Daniel Jones. This branch of the Jones family has been known since earliest pioneer times, not only in Huntington but also in Wells counties. Daniel Jones was a native of Pennsylvania, lived in Ohio, and from there moved to Jackson Township in Wells County. Ezekiel Jones spent his active years as a farmer in Salamonie Township of Hunting County. The family has always been identified either with the Methodist Episcopal or the Methodist Protestant church. Ezekiel Jones and wife had the following children: Susan, Daniel, Esther E., Nancy, John T., Emily, Oma, Eurilla, Henry and Morris O.

Mr. John T. Jones spent his early life on a farm a mile and a half east of Warren. He had limited advantages in school, and lived at home until he was twenty-one since which time he has spent most of his years in Wells County. In July, 1866, Mr. Jones married Miss Susan Tomlinson. She was born near Muncie, Indiana, and came to Jackson Township of Wells County during the Civil war. After his marriage Mr. Jones located in Wells County, but subsequently lived for eight years in Huntington county. His permanent home has been in Jackson Township, where he now owns 105 acres, constituting an excellent farm, and in connection with its management conducts a store, feed mill and blacksmith shop.

Mr. Jones' first wife died leaving four children, Vinton, Jefferson, Ella, and Pearl. On March 22, 1885, he married Mrs. Amanda M. (Duckwall) Williamson, widow of Aaron Williamson. She had two children by her first marriage, Amy, deceased, and Charles, living in Dillman, Indiana. Mr. And Mrs. Jones has two children, Carrie and Ira. The family are members of the Methodist Protestant Church, and Mr. Jones has served it as trustee and has always been active in church affairs. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Warren, and is a democratic voter. For a time he filled the office of justice of the peace in Blackford County.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918,, pp. 784-785.
Contributed by Nola Rains

OLIVER P. JONES, one of the old and respected settlers of Wells County, residing on section 10, Jackson Township, was born in Clinton County, Ohio, February 27, 1821, a son of John and Eliza (Hendrickson) Jones. His parents were natives of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and were married in Clinton County, Ohio, December 27, 1819, the father having been brought to that county when a boy of eleven years. He was a son of John Jones, who was a soldier during the Revolutionary war. The latter was born August 10, 1754, and was a son of Daniel Jones, the great-grandfather of our subject, who was born in 1715. Of his father's brothers, Isaac, Oliver P., Daniel and Samuel were soldiers in the war of 1812. Samuel Jones was the first white settler on the Salamonie River between the mouth of that river and the Godfrey reservation, and the town of Warren was laid out by him.

Oliver P., our subject, grew to manhood in his native county, remaining there until February, 1845, when he came to Jackson Township, Wells County, Indiana, to make improvements on a farm which his father had previously bought. This land consisted of 365 acres of heavy timber, and was entirely unimproved. He rafted logs down the river to Warren, where he had them sawed at the mill, and with the lumber be built a house. He then boarded with a family which had come with him from Ohio, and that season they cleared and planted ten acres. The same fall he went back to Ohio, returning in November with his father's family, they arriving at their new home in Indiana December 4, 1845. Game was very plentiful in those days, and Mr. Jones has shot deer while standing by his own house. Wolves were very troublesome, and would frequently kill their sheep. Mr. Jones made his home with his parents until their death. The mother died August 21, 1863, the father surviving until September 6, 1883, dying at the advanced age of eighty six years. They were the parents of two children-Oliver P. and a daughter, Elizabeth.

Two years after coming to Wells County Oliver P. Jones returned to Ohio, where he was married November 25, 1847, to Miss Nancy Smithson, a native of Clinton County, Ohio, and daughter of Campbell and Sarah (Tyrell) Smithson, who were both born in the State of Virginia. Both of her grandfathers fought in the Revolutionary war. Her parents were married in their native State, and subsequently moved to Ohio and lived in Clinton and Highland counties, that State. They died in Clinton County, the mother in August, 1866, and the father in September, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have provided a comfortable home for no less than fifteen children, and of these the most of them they have reared from childhood. They are worthy members of Pleasant Hill Christian Church, and among the highly esteemed citizens of Jackson Township. In politics Mr. Jones is a Democrat as was also his father. Mr. Jones was one of the original stockholders in the Fort Wayne & Muncie Railroad, and in every enterprise for the advancement of his township or county he takes an active interest.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 952-953.

Among the highly respected members of the agricultural fraternity in Chester Township none stands higher in public esteem than William L. Jones. With the exception of several short periods he has made his home here all his life and his name is inseparably connected with its agricultural interests, for he has made farming his life work, and today is the owner of a property consisting of eighty acres, his home being located on Poneto Rural Route No. 1.

Mr. Jones was born on a farm in Jackson County, Ohio, May 14, 1853, and is a son of Robert F. and Lavina (Tripp) Jones, who were both born and reared in Ohio and there married. After the birth of three of their children, they came to Wells County, in September, 1853, and settled on the farm which is now owned by their son William L. They were honest and honorable people who won the confidence and respect of the people of their neighborhood, large of hears and generous of hand. Both rounded out well filled lives amid the surroundings of an agricultural atmosphere, and here passed away. Mr. Jones the elder was somewhat active in local politic, although principally as a supporter of others and seldom as a candidate. However, he served acceptably for three years in the capacity of township assessor. He belonged to the Masonic Lodge. Of the eight children born to him and Mrs. Jones, four are now living: James A., a resident of Illinois; William L; Theodore, whose home is in the state of Washington; and Oliver, who lives in Alaska.

William L. Jones was still a babe in arms when brought by his parents to Wells County, and his earliest recollections are connected with the home farm and the primitive conditions which still existed. During his boyhood he assisted in the cultivation of the family acres and in the meantime secured his education by attending the district school in the neighborhood of the Jones place. Upon several occasions he went away from home to work, but dutifully sent his wages to his parents, and it was not until he was twenty-one years old that he had money of his own to spend as he wished. Farming up to and after that time was his principal occupation, but he also worked for a short period in a sawmill at Bluffton and put in quite a good deal of time as a ditch contractor, of both of which employments he made a success. He was careful with his earnings, saving them thriftily, and when his parents died he bought the home place, taking over by purchase the interest of the other heirs to the estate. At the present time he is the owner of eighty acres of well-cultivated and productive land, lying in section 5, Chester Township, where he had modern improvements and good buildings. He has made a decided success of his operations as a general farmer, being thoroughly informed as to every department of his vocation, while in the estimation of the community he has shown his worth and usefulness as a public-spirited citizen. Personally he is big-hearted and generous and willing to help worthy movements. Fraternally, Mr. Jones is identified with Mount Zion Lodge No. 684, independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is past noble grand, and a member of the Grand Lodge of the state. He is a democrat and has always been active in local affairs, although he has not cared for office. Mr. Jones is unmarried.

Standard History of Adams and Wells Counties Indiana. John W Tyndall for Adams Co and O. E. Lesh for Wells County. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1918, pp. 602-603.
Contributed by Nola Rains

MARCELLUS M. JUSTUS, member of the hardware firm of Clark, Justus & Beil, Bluffton, Indiana, was born in Tamarack, Noble County, Indiana, a son of Lewis and Elizabeth (Kiser) Justus. When he was about one year old his parents moved to Fort Wayne, and when he was six years old to Murray, Wells County, where his mother died when he was eight years old. After the death of his mother he lived with relatives in Tippecanoe County two years, when his father was again married, and he returned to Murray. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Thirtieth Indiana Infantry, but when the company was mustered in he was rejected on account of his age. He then worked on his father's farm a year, and in 1862 again enlisted as a private in Company F, Eighty-eighth Indiana Infantry. He was with his regiment until after the battle of Chickamauga, when he was detailed at division headquarters as mounted orderly to General Richard W. Johnson, and was with him until after the battle of Nashville, when he was released and accompanied his regiment to Washington, and took part in the grand review at the close of the war. He participated in the battles at Perryville, Ringgold and Tunnel Hill. He was discharged June 20, 1865, and returned to his father's farm in Allen County.

Biographical and historical record of Adams and Wells counties, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1887, pp. 992-993.