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Subject: Bales, Hasket, Hoskins, Hiatt, Jessup, Murdoch, Cook, Macy, Hill, Charles, Tayl
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 21:50:54 EST

Compendium Of Biography Of Henry County Indiana
B.F. Bowen


Typed By Lora Radiches

I do not know anymore about this family or any of the surnames, just thought
I would share the biography that was in a book that I have.  Nothing more is
mentioned.

Surnames in this biography are: Bales, Hasket, Hoskins, Hiatt, Jessup,
Murdoch, Cook, Macy, Hill, Charles, Taylor, Davis, Hunt, Gause


BIOGRAPHY OF OLIVER H. BALES


Pages, 647,648,649,650, 651

Clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will
result in the attaining of a due measure of success, but in following out the
career of one who has attained success by his own efforts there comes into
view the intrinsic individuality which made such accomplishment possible, and
thus there is granted to others an
Incentive and inspiration, while at the same time there is enkindled a
feeling of respect and admiration. The qualities which have secured success
to Mr. Bales have also brought him the esteem of his fellow Citizens, for his
career has been one of well-directed energy, strong determination and
honorable methods. The immediate subject of this review, Oliver H. Bales, is
a successful agriculturist, residing in the northern part of Wayne Township,
Henry County, Indiana, about four miles from Knightstown. He is a native of
this county, having first seen the light of day at Knightstown on the 3rd of
January, 1837. He is the son of John H. and Ann (Hasket) Bales. John H. Bales
was the only son of Jesse and Ann (Hoskins) Bales and was a native of
Guilford County, North Carolina, born on the 16th of August, 1810. When less
than one year old he had the misfortune to lose his father by death, and in
1826, when about sixteen years old, he accompanied his mother to Indiana,
locating in Wayne County. He was soon apprenticed to learn the trade of
saddle making with Benajah Hiatt, at Milton and in 1830 started a shop of his
own at Knightstown. Subsequent to her emigration to Indiana the mother had
remarried this time to Elias Jessup, who had settled near where Oliver H.
Bales now lives. She owned that place until her death, though her last days
were passed with her son Jesse Jessup at Spiceland where she passed away at
an advanced age. In 1832 John H. Bales was united in marriage with Miss Ann
Hasket. She was the youngest daughter of Thomas and Ann (Murdoch) Hasket and
was born in Warren County, Ohio, on the 2d of April, 1810. When about
fourteen years old she was brought to Indiana by her stepfather, Levi Cook,
who settled in Greensboro Township. John H. Bales and Ann Hasket were both
birthright members of the Friends society, and their marriage was celebrated
at the Duck Creek meeting. He belonged to the Raysville meeting and sometime
subsequent to his marriage he incurred the displeasure of the society because
of his not adhering strictly to the plainness of dress and the formality of
speech prescribed by that society and he was disowned. He never rejoined the
Friends society, though he always lived in close accordance with its
essential principles and contributed liberally to its support. He usually
accompanied his wife to the meeting of the society but when the select part
of the meeting was held he would withdraw. This feature of allowing members
of the society at the select meetings was afterwards dispensed with. Mrs.
Bales maintained active membership in the society. She was an intelligent,
well-read woman and kept thoroughly informed on the leading questions of the
day. On slavery question she was a strong abolitionist. Her husband, while of
anti slavery sentiments at heart. Voted with the Whigs. He afterwards became
a free soiler and a supporter of Van Buren for the presidency. Being a
thorough abolitionist he lent his sympathies to the famous underground
railroad.” He was not a conduct or on the railroad, though a number of his
neighbors, namely: Tidemon Jessup, William Macy, Enoch Macy and Elias Jessup,
who belonged to the original anti-slavery branch of the Friends society, were
actively engaged in securing the passage to freedom of many colored refuges
from the South. In 1840 John H. and Ann Bales came to the farm now owned by
the subject until which time the former had found ready employment at his
trade. This tract was new and but partially improved. However, it was the
beginning of a farm, which, through his energy and thrift, became the premium
farm of the county. On it was a hewed-log house, which he weather boarded and
made into a fairly comfortable home. This house was built probably as early
as 1830 and is still standing, being generally considered one of the oldest
buildings in Henry County. Later in about 1853 Mr. Bales erected the house,
which is now the home of the subject. He directed the farm work and was also
a hog drover for several years. He drove his stock to Cincinnati, Ohio; and
one of these trips proved very disastrous. In company with another man he
bought a large number of hogs his partner agreeing to pay later for his
share. At the time of the disastrous trip to Cincinnati the latter failed to
carry out his part of the agreement, thus throwing the entire indebtedness
upon Mr. Bales. However, he did not attempt to evade the responsibility but
with his characteristic honesty and promptness he at once gave his own notes
for the full amount. His friends accepted his straightforward efforts at
their true worth, though it took him several years and an expenditure of
about eleven thousand dollars to clear up the account. He was encouraged in
this effort also by the willing and zealous manner in which his wife and
children labored in their efforts to help tilt the burden. He continued to
actively engage in business affairs until his death. He held the full
confidence of his fellow citizens and was elected to the office of township
trustee. He was not a seeker after office but at one time received the
nomination of his party for the office of representative to the legislature,
but was defeated. During all his life, after attaining his majority, he was a
leader in political matters. Back in the “free-soil” days he was a wheel
horse in his party and always stood manfully for those principles and
policies, which he believed to be for the greatest good for the greatest
number. He was early an earnest advocate of the system of primary election.
During and preceding the campaigns he would ride over the county for weeks to
forward the candidacy of his friends. He was a forceful pleader for the
person or cause he believed to be the most deserving and through his intimate
knowledge of local political matters and his extensive acquaintance with the
electors of his county he exerted a telling influence in the campaigns. He
passed away on the 20th of October 1886 and his wife preceded him several
years dying on the 21st of August, 1880, at the present home of Oilver H.
Bales. Their remains now lie side by side in the cemetery at Greensboro.
Their long wedded life was a most happy one and eight children were born to
them. Four of this number have passed away, as follows: Malissa B., who
married Owen Hill, of Carthage, Indiana died at the age of forty-five years;
Mira, who was born in May, 1849, died at the home of her brother, Oliver H.,
near Wabash, Indiana, on the 16th of July, 1849; she had remained faithfully
at home, acting as housekeeper for her father until his death, and afterwards
up to within a few weeks of her death had acted as a clerk for her brother
in-law, John T. Charles; two children died in infancy. Those living are as
follows: Oliver H., the subject; Mary B., who is the wife of John T. Charles,
of Knightstown; Louise B., the wife of Prof. Edward Taylor, superintendent of
the city schools at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and Jesse F., of Wayne township,
this county. Oliver H. Bales, the immediate subject of this review, received
his elementary mental training in the public schools of his neighborhood and
at the age of nineteen years entered Antioch College, where he spent two
terms. However, the close confinement necessitated by his studies interfered
with his health, so he left college and began teaching school, but for the
same reason he was soon compelled to abandon this work also. Subsequent to
his marriage, 1862-3, he and his wife taught in the Spiceland high school for
one year. They were succeeded by Clarkson Davis, who afterward developed the
school into the famous Spiceland Academy. Mr. Bales then went to
Indianapolis, Indiana, where he took a course of study in a commercial
college, and became for a time instructor in the same institution. Afterwards
in Spiceland he dealt in grain and dry goods until 1867, when he removed to
the vicinity of Buckly, Iroquois County, Illinois and engaged in farming. In
connection with the operation of the farm the subject and his wife engaged
somewhat in teaching school. In the fall of 1874 Mr. Bales and wife removed
to Wabash, Indiana, upon the solicitation of the board of trustees of White’s
Institute, to take charge of that school, and retained that position
twenty-one years lacking one month. Josiah White, of Philadelphia, a member
of the Friends society, had endowed this institution with twenty-thousand
dollars, the name to be White’s Indian Manual Labor Institute, and to be
devoted to the education of white Indian and colored youths. For the first
eight and a half years after Mr. Bales and wife took charge no Indians were
in attendance, but the school was afterwards devoted exclusively to that
race, and from sixty to seventy-five Indian youths were in attendance here
from the western reservations, principally the Sioux of South Dakota and
other tribes from the Indian Territory. Mr. Bales was general superintendent,
while Mrs. Bales, besides being matron, also acted as teacher for two years
and had charge of the manual training department for the girls. These
positions they filled to the satisfaction of the trustees of the institution
until its close as an Indian school, when they resigned and returned to the
old farm in ‘Henry County, and have since devoted their attention to
agricultural interests. Since moving onto the place they have secured the
interests of the other heirs to the property. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Bales was solemnized on the 26th of September, 1860 at Spiceland in a public
meeting of the Friends society. The maiden name of Mrs. Bales was Martha
Hunt, and she was the daughter of Joseph B. and Ann (Gause) Hunt, residents
of Spiceland, Henry County, to which locality they had removed from Ohio in
1834. At the early age of sixteen years she commenced to teach school and
continued along with her pedagogical labors, to attend institutions of
learning as opportunity afforded. She attended the Friends Boarding School
and also after it was transformed into Earlham College She later was engaged
as a teacher in the Spiceland School before it became an academy, though it
was even then a good school with a high school department. Her marriage with
Oliver H. Bales was blessed in the birth of one son. Edward R. Bales, who is
employed as a locomotive engineer on the Illinois Central railroad and makes
his home at Centralia, Illinois. The biographer has thus feebly attempted to
set forth the salient points in the life record of this estimable gentleman.
He is a man of sterling rectitude of character, and his life record is
unclouded by wrong or suspicion of evil. He has always citing to whatever is
of “good repute and his name is a synonym for all that is honorable and
straightforward.   

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