JOHN W. PAYNE was born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., February 17, 1837, and is the third of the eight children born to Philip and Hester (Wilkins) Payne, both natives of Chillicothe, Ohio, and of German descent. Philip Payne was married in his native county, and soon afterward, in 1832 or 1833, moved to Tippecanoe County, Ind., where he bought 120 acres of wild land, which he redeemed from its natural state, and on which he resided until his death in 1856, after having increased his farm to 210 acres. John W. Payne, until twenty-three years old, assisted on the home farm, and then, in the spring of 1861, came to this township, where be farmed on shares six years. In 1867, he bought eighty acres, on which he still lives. He married, March 22, 1857, Sarah Hedrick, a native of Clinton County, Ind., and to this union there have been born six children, of whom five are yet living. In politics, Mr. Payne is a Republican, and both he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Back to the White County Biographies Main Page