EASTERDAY, ORVILLE R.

Orville R. EASTERDAY, manager of the local branch of the R. L. Dollings Investment
Company at Portland, secretary treasurer of the Jay Garment Company, former cashier of
the First National Bank and in other ways interested in the general commercial life of the
city and county, is a native son of Jay county, a member of one of the pioneer families
here, and has lived here all his life. Mr. EASTERDAY was born on a farm in Wabash
township on September 8, 1884, and is the son and only child of John G. and Elizabeth
(SCHNEIDER) EASTERDAY, who for years have been residents of Portland. John G.
EASTERDAY was born in Fayette county, Illinois, and was but a child when his parents,
Christian and Barbara EASTERDAY, moved from that state to Ohio. Not long afterward
Christian EASTERDAY left Ohio with his family and about the year 1878 came to Indiana,
settling on a small farm in Noble township, this county, where he established his home
and where he remained until his retirement and removal to Portland, where his last days
were spent. After the marriage of John G. EASTERDAY he established himself on a farm in
Wabash township, but in 1885 disposed of his interests there and moved to Portland,
where, in 1890, he became engaged in the grocery business and has since been thus
engaged, proprietor of an excellent store on North Meridian street. Orville R. EASTERDAY
was but a babe in arms when his parents moved to Portland, and he grew to manhood in
that city. He supplemented the course in the high school by a course in a business
college at Indianapolis, and in 1904, he then being twenty years of age, entered the
employ of the First National Bank of Portland. By successive stages Mr. EASTERDAY was
advanced in the bank until in 1911 he was elected cashier of this institution, a position
he occupied until in 1918, when he transferred his connection to the R. L. Dollings
Investment Company, and was made manager of that concern's Jay county district, with
offices at Portland, and has since then been thus engaged. In October, 1921, Mr.
EASTERDAY was made secretary-treasurer of the Jay Garment Company, manufacturers
of work garments, at Portland. He has ever taken an. interested part in the general
commercial and industrial life of the community and has long been recognized as one of
the city's "live wires" in a business sense. During the time of America's participation in
the World war, Mr. EASTERDAY rendered valuable service in promoting the sale of Liberty
Loan bonds in this county and was chairman of the first two "drives" in that behalf, doing
much in this connection toward systematizing the local community effort. On June 10,
1908, Orville R. EASTERDAY was united in marriage to Esther GRIFFITH, also a member of
one of the pioneer families of Jay county, and to this union one child has been born, a
daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. EASTERDAY are members of the Presbyterian
church, and Mr. EASTERDAYis a Scottish Rite 32 deg. Mason and a noble of the Ancient
Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Mrs. EASTERDAY is the daughter of Isaac A.
and Helen (HAWKINS) GRIFFITH, the latter of who was a daughter of Judge Nathan B.
HAWKINS, of whom further and fitting mention is made elsewhere. Isaac A. GRIFFITH was
formerly and for years one of the leading merchants of Jay county, as also is set out
elsewhere. He was a Pennsylvanian by birth, became a school teacher in Ohio and in
1860 became a resident of Jay county, not long afterward becoming engaged in the
mercantile business at Westchester, where for years he carried on an extensive business.

SOURCE: Milton T. Jay, M.D., History of Jay County Indiana, Historical Publishing

Co., Indpls. 1922, Vol. II, pp.340-341. Transcribed by Eloine Chesnut