The Bales Families of Randolph County, Indiana

JAMES A. BALES, farmer, P. O. Bnow Hill, was born in this county January 23, 1831. He is the son of Pleasant Bales, who was born in Ohio September 21, 1810. Ills mother, Mary (Abshire) Bales, was a native of Virginia, born September 27, 180!l. Mr, Bales was educated in the district schools of the county. He was married November 20, 1863, to Ann Thornburgh, who was born in this county May 11, 1837. They had born to them two children- Marion S. and Edward W., but death entered the home circle and carried from it both mother and children. Mr. Bales then battle with the hardships of life alone until April 14, 18<;5, when ha was married to Mary J. Lamm, born in this county April 11, 1841. She is the daughter of Josiah and Elizabeth (Vork) Lamm, who were natives of North Carolina. This union has been blessed with Rebecca A., born September 30, 1866. Mr. Bales is a consistent member of the Christian Church. He owns a fine farm of 100 acres. He is a thorough gentleman, and one who has the confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ISAAC N. BALES.

This gentleman, one of Randolph County's honored and respected citizens, is the son of Pleasant and Mary (Abshire) Bales, and was born in this county March 6, 1837; he is the fifth of a family of eight children, of whom six are now living; his father was born in Clinton County, Ohio,.September 21,1810; his mother was born in Virginia September 27, 180!t; his grandfather, Curtis Bales, was one of the pioneers of this county, having become a resident about the year 1824; his gramifalher on his mother's side, James Abshire, was among the very first settlers of the county; he was also a soldier of the war of 1812.

Isaac's parents entered ciglily acres of land in Washington Township, this county, about the year 183H. This tract lies adjoining the farm upon which Isaac now lives. They remained upon this farm, enduring all of the toils, hardships and deprivations of pioneer life, until the year 1864, when they temporarily removed to Merom, Sullivan County. They did not remain here long; on account of Mrs. Bales' failing health, they relumed to their home in this county, where she died December 31. 18ii4. Mr. Bales very soon returned to Merom, where he died February 8, imh; his remains were brought to this county, and deposited by those of his wife in New Liberty Cemetery. They were accepuble and honored members of the Christian Church, and were among the first organizers of that church in the county.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Mr. and Mrs. Bales are the parents of thre children

William IL, born September 11. lh.-,7; 5Iary E.. b.

sed November 7, 1881; Magnolia M., born January 2 ekl Mary A. Fisher, daughter of An.o:; and Ann Fisher, of Ih are the parents of one child, Newton A.

Isaac enlisted in the army August.O, 1862, in Company H, S d gallant skirmishes. They were then transferred to the disastrous and fatal Red River expedition, in which the Sixty-ninth suffered greatly, marching for thirteen days and nights without rest. From this expedition, they returned to Morganza's Bend; thence to Baton Rouge, East Pascagoula, Pensacola Bay and Pollard. They then arrived at Blakely, Ala., the defense of Mobile. This place was besieged for six or seven days, and then carried by storm, which they captured with a large number of prisoners. They then took possession of Mobile without further resistance. After the capture of Blakely and Mobile, the Sixty-ninth was deployed to convoy the prisoners to Ship Island; after which Mr. Bales' company accompanied Maj. Gen. C. C. Andrews as body guard to Selma, Ala. They then returned to Mobile, where they were placed on provost duty, where they remained until mustered out of service, July 6, 1866. Mr. Bales reached home July 20.

He opened a stock of goods at his home in Washington Township in th spring of 1874. In the fall of the same year, he moved his stock to Wood's Station, taking as his partner in a general mercantile business his brother. Pleasant W. Bales. They kept a large and well selected stock of goods and did a thriving business. While at Wood's Station, Mr. Bales acted as Postmaster and ticket agent. He remained here until the fall of 1876, when he sold out to Lewis Norton and returned to the farm.

. As a business man, Mr. Bales was industrious, economical and successful. He and his family are acceptable members of the Christian Church at New Liberty, Mr. and Mrs. Bales being charter members. Mr, B, has been Treasurer of this church ever since its organization. Ha is a stanch Republican, and is an industrious worker in the party. His father was a Free Soiler.

Isaac is strictly temperate in his habits, an honest, moral, upright citizen, a kind husband, an affectionate father and a true friend.

Martha Jane (Platt) Bales, wife of Isaac N. Bales and daughter of Abram C. and Eliza (Horner) Piatt, was born in Wayne County, Ind,, March 16, 1838. She is the eldest of a family of three children, two of whom are. living. Her father was born in New Jersey and her mother in Ohio. Her parents came to this State in early times, and settled in Wayne County, Her father died when she was but three years of age, and her mother followed in the year 1862. She lived with her grandfather until she was eight years old. when she found a home with David and Martha Taylor, who were members of the Society of Friends. She lived with them until she was eighteen, when she was married to Isaac N. Bales. Mrs. Bales is a most estimable woman, and has been of great assistance to her husband in his business. During the time Isaac was in the army, she took upon herself the entire management of the farm, and did it well. She is a consistent member of the church, a devoted wife, an affectionate mother and a valuable member of society.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM H. BALES.

Since coming to Randolph county three-quarters of a century ago the Bales family has witnessed wide-sweeping and very important changes in this locality, in many of which they have taken a conspicuous part. But change is constant and general, generations rise and pass unmarked away, and it is the duty of posterity as well as a present gratification to place upon the printed page a true record of the lives of those who have preceded us on the stage of action and left to their descendants the memory of their struggles and achievements. The history of this honored family is a part of an indissoluble chain, which links the annals of the past to those of the latter-day progress and prosperity and the history of Randolph county would be incomplete without due reference to them, the various members of the family having lived useful and successful lives, among the best known of the present generation being William H. Bales, long a leading business man of Winchester. Like his father before him, generous and big-hearted, kindly in disposition, he has never lacked for friends, and many of them will pursue his life record, as written here, with deep interest although brief and fragmentary.

William H. Bales was born in Randolph county, September 11, 1857. He is a son of Isaac X. and Martha J. (Piatt) Bales, and is one of a family of three children, the eldest, Mary E., dying in infancy; and the youngest. Magnolia M. married W O. Bales, a farmer living south of Winchester, and they have two children, Stella M. and Burley N.

Isaac X. Bales was born also in this county, and here he grew to manhood, received his education in the old-time schools and devoted his life to general farming. He lived ona farm adjoining the land which our subject's paternal grandfather took up from the government, cleared and developed. Isaac X. Bales was a soldier in the Sixty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry for three years, seeing much hard service and proving to be a gallant soldier for the Union. He was in the last charge of the war, which took place at Mobile, Alabama. He was in the battles at Richmond, Kentucky, in the siege of Vicksburg and was with General Banks on the Red River Expedition, and other general actions. He enlisted August 5, 1862, and was honorably discharged in July 1865. He was never wounded but bullets pierced his hat and clothing.

William H. Bales grew to manhood on the home farm and there worked hard when a boy. He received a common school education. At the age of thirty-seven he moved to Winchester where he has conducted a paint and wall paper store during the past ten years, building up a large and rapidly growing business and carrying at all times a large and carefully selected stock of modern paints and wall paper. His store is one of the best of its kind in this section of the state and would do credit to a city much larger than Winchester. His prices are always right, and, dealing uniformly with his hundreds of customers in an honest and courteous manner, he has become one of our most popular and substantial business men.

Mr. Bales was first married on February 9, 1878, to Mary A. Fisher, whose death occurred march 5, 1905. To this union three children were born, namely: Newton A., who died in early life; Charles E. C., a farmer, lives at Muncie; he married Pearl Powell and they have two children; Russell H. is bookkeeper for the Western Drop Forge Company of Marion; he has remained single. William H. Bales was married again, espousing on October 29, 1908, Minnie Burnside, of Albany, Indiana, a daughter of James F. Burnside, and she is one of a family of eight children, an equal number of sons and daughters. To this second union one child has been born, Esther, the date of whose birth was October 3, 1910.

PoHtically Mr. Bales is a Progressive. He has been a member of the Christian church for a period of thirty-eight years, and is faithful in his support of the same. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and is a member of the Sons of Veterans.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

ALONZO L. BALES.

Alonzo L. Bales, a member of the firm of Nichols, Goodrich & Bales, one of the best known legal firms of Winchester, was born September 25, 1864 in West River township, Randolph county, on the Wayne county line, on farm. He is a son of William D. and Rebecca A. (Jackson) Bales. The father was born in Dalton, Wayne county, and the mother in West River township, Randolph county. Jacob Bales, the great grandfather, came to Indiana from near Knoxville, Tennessee, in the year 1816 when the state was in its infancy and settlers were few and the land covered by practically a wilderness throughout. He settled with his family about two miles southwest of what is now the village of Economy, Wayne county, when that section was the home of the red man and man)' varieties of wild beasts. There this courageous pioneer erected a log cabin and began life as a true frontiers man, developing a good farm through hard, persistent work. His son, John Bales, grandfather of our subject, grew up in that section, worked at the carpenter's trade, and remained there until 1862 when he moved to Randolph county and settled on the land where our subject was born. He succeeded here as a farmer and his death occurred in 1884, at an advanced age, his birth having occurred in 1807. His son, William D. Bales, father of the gentleman whose name initiated this sketch, devoted his life successfully to general agricultural and stock raising pursuits, becoming one of the leading men of his community. His family consisted of five children, namely: Alonzo L., of this sketch; Oliver H. died in infancy; Sarah E. is deceased; Alary J. is deceased; Charles E. is engaged in farming in West River township. The father is still living on the homestead, but the mother passed away on July 10, 1913. She was a woman of fine Christian fortitude and charitable impulse.

Alonzo L. Bales grew to manhood on the home farm where he worked when a boy, attending the district schools during the winter months, and for a time the Winchester high school. He then taught successfully in the district schools of his native county for two consecutive winters, beginning in the fall of 1884. During this period he read law with A. O. Marsh and J. W. Thompson and was admitted to practice in 189 1. He moved to Winchester in September, 1895 and began practicing in partnership in December of that year with William S. Diggs under the firm name of Diggs & Bales which continued with ever increasing prestige until 1900 when Mr. Bales formed a partnership with John W. Macy and J. P. Goodrich, under the firm name of Macy, Goodrich & Bales which lasted until Mr. Macy went on the bench in 1902, when A. L. Nichols came into the firm as Nichols, Goodrich & Bales, and thus the firm stands at this writing. Judge Macy came back to the firm upon leaving the bench and after his death in 1912 his son, John W. Macy, Jr., succeeded him as a member of the firm.

Mr. Bales practices in the state and federal courts and is known to be a painstaking, alert, well-grounded and competent lawyer in every line of legal science. He is an earnest and forceful leader and is one of the most conspicuous figures in the trial of important cases in the local courts. His success has been pronounced from the start and his practice and influence have steadily grown with advancing years. He is a member of the county and. state bar associations. Politically, he is a Republican and has been active in the ranks. He was elected prosecuting attorney of Randolph county in the fall of 1898 and served one term in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He served as a member of the Republican County Central Committee for a number of years and did much for the success of the party in Randolph county.

Mr. Bales was married, first, on September 1, 1892 to Martha E. Foutz, a daughter of Henry and ?ilar Jane (Boyd) Foutz, of Randolph county. To this union four children were born, namely: Ralph W., whose birth occurred August 7, 1893; William H., born December 9, 1895; Mary R., born June 21, 1898; Ruth A., born February 28, 1901. Fhe wife and mother was called to her eternal rest on April 24, 1901. Mr. Bales' second marriage took place on Jime 21, 1905 when he espoused Emma G. Engle, daughter of Edmund and Gertrude (Bishop) Engle, of Winchester, and to this union one child has been born, John E., whose birth occurred January 29, 1908.

Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Bales, for a term of seven years successfully taught history and English in the Winchester high school. She was a student at Butler College, Indianapolis, for two years. For many- years she has taken an active part in all branches of church work.

Fraternally, Mr. Bales is a member of the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Modern Woodmen of America.

He owns a valuable and well-improved farm in West River township and a commodious home on South Main street. He is a member of the ]Methodist Episcopal church as are also his children. Mrs. Bales belongs to the Main Street Christian church. All are active in church and Sunday school work. He is a teacher in the men's Bible class, which was organized under the state Sunday school organization as the A. L. Bales Bible class. He is a man of broad influence and usefulness, both in his profession and public life, and is regarded by all as a liberal, broad-minded, public-spirited citizen.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

CLIFF G. BALES.

Randolph county was especially fortunate in the character of licr pioneers, who, save in rare instances, possessed the pluck, fortitude and courage of the true Anglo-Saxon — that race which appears to delight in difficulties, because thereby opportunities are afforded to conquer them. The founders of this country were brave, strong-armed, far-seeing, God-fearing, law-abiding citizens, patriotic and true to their native or adopted land, and conscientious in the discharge of their every duty toward their fellow men. From such a people sprang Cliff G. Bales, a successful young real estate, loan and insurance man of the town of Farmland, Randolph county; for we note the fact that his great grandfather braved the wilds in this locality in pioneer days and established the family home in the face of obstacles that would no doubt have appalled us of the present generation, and he and the rest of the Baleses have ever shown themselves to be public-spirited, honorable minded, helpful people in all relations of life.

Mr. Bales was born on his grandfather's old farm in Washington township, Randolph county, October 25, 1880. He is a son of Henry S. and Louie C. (Stout) Bales, whose family consisted of three children, namely: Clifif G., of this sketch; Mabel, born February 7, 1891, resides with her parents in Traverse City; Charlotte, born December 16, 1895, is also a member of the home circle. Henry S. Bales, the father, was also born on the old Bales homestead in Washington township, this county, this having been also the birthplace of our subject's grandfather. The founder of the Bales family in this county emigrated from England with the famous historical character, William Penn. Mr. Bales first settled in Xorth Carolina, later came to Ohio, and from there to Indiana, locating in Randolph county when white settlers were indeed few and the wilderness was the home of Indians and wild beasts. This family has done much for the general upbuilding of the county in many ways. They have, most of them, followed general farming for a livelihood, and have been known for their thrift, honesty and neighborliness. The mother of the subject of this sketch came from Ohio where she was born. The father spent his life engaged in farming in his native county.

Cliff G. Bales grew up on the home farm, and he had the advantages of a good education, having attended the local public schools, later graduating from the 'winchester high school and the Indianapolis Business College.

On June 3, 1895 he married Colona Owens, daughter of William X. Owens, a successful farmer in Randolph county. !Mrs. Bales is one of four children, and she grew to womanhood in her native community and received a good education in the public schools. She is the eldest of the family, the other children being named Pearl, wife of Ernest Fetters, a farmer of Randolph county, and they have two children; Robert, a mechanical engineer, was graduated from Purdue University, and now a member of the faculty of that college; he married Edith Hormell; Anna, the youngest child, was born February 17, 1893.

Mr. Bales after leaving school was for some time assistant cashier of the Farmland State Bank, in fact held that responsible position for a period of nine years, discharging his duties in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and to the eminent satisfaction of the stockholders and patrons. Since severing his connection with the above named institution he has been engaged in the real estate, loan and insurance business in which he was successful from the start and now has a large, lucrative and rapidly growing business.

Politically, he is a Progressive. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he attends the Christian church. Owing to his natural ability, his honesty, and courtesy, he has an especially bright future as a business man.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.