REV. ELKANAH BEARD , the father of the Friends' society in Winchester, Indiana, was born in Greensfork Township, Randolph County, October 28, 1833. His parents, William and Lydia (Cox) Beard, were both from North Carolina, but were married in Randolph county, December 9, 2829, and settled ten miles south of Winchester, near Lynn, where the father engaged in farming. There the mother died August 11, 1847; the mother of six children, viz.: Two that died in infancy; Elkanah, with whom we have most to do; Sylvania, deceased wife of C. Benson, by whom she was the mother of three children: Addison (deceased); William (of Jay county), and Lydia G. who is the wife of George Thomas, of Wayne county; Benjamin, a retired farmer of Lynn, and Cynthia, wife of Joel Mills, a farmer of Lynn.
The second marriage of William Beard took place December 20, 1848, to Mary Huff, a native of North Carolina, and to this union was born one child, Lydia, now the wife of E. Kelley, of Oklahoma territory. Mrs. Mary (Huff) Beard died November 6, 1855, and was joined in the better land by William, her husband, October 26, 1857. William amassed considerable wealth in his days of early labor, owning 400 acres of well-improved land at his death. He was devotedly attached to the Society of Friends, was strictly upright, and his word was never violated. In politics, he was an old-line Whig until the disintegration of that party, and was a stanch abolitionist. He was naturally of a social disposition, was kindly in his manners to all, and very generous, being particularly liberal in the support of his society.
Elkanah Beard was reared to hard work on the home farm, going to the district school during the winter months until he was eighteen years of age, when he, himself felt qualified for teaching, and for four years alternated the winters and summers in teaching and farming. He then engaged in general merchandising at Lynn for four years, when the war of the rebellion' came on, and he was employed by sundry charitable associations at, the north as an agent for supplying sanitary goods to refugees up and down the Mississippi river, and, in fact; in rendering aid to all who were in need. About this time, also, he was ordained a minister in his society. For three years, he preached in the city hall, or until the meetinghouse was built. He exercised his function as such at home until r 869, when .he was sent to Central India as a missionary under the auspices of the London Foreign Mission of Friends, and there passed three years, with his wife, working in the cause of Christ.
During this period he was stricken with Asiatic cholera, but was nursed through the dread disease by his faithful and devoted wife, who, through her constant attendance upon him, was herself broken down and one side paralyzed, which affliction necessitated their return home. In 1873, he accepted an invitation from his friends in Winchester, to come to this city and organize a society, there being, none here at that time. He accepted the invitation, succeeding in the undertaking, and after, two years of hard labor, went to California to recuperate his health. After having passed seven months in California, he set sail for lower California, and on the voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles was shipwrecked off. Point Sur, about 136 miles from the port of embarkation, and another vessel had to be secured, and after the rescue went to Oregon, where he spent two months and returned to Winchester. In 1877, at the solicitation of New York and Philadelphia Friends, he and wife went to the Indian Territory, where they passed four years in Christianizing and, civilizing the wilder and ruder tribes. After returning home, they were content to remain until 1884, when then they crossed the Atlantic and passed a year in England. Returning home they, in 1886, at the solicitation of the Missionary Board of Indiana, took charge of a Southland Normal college in Arkansas for four years, and then returned and re-engaged in homework, which embraces considerable stretch of territory. Mr. Beard was united in matrimony November 28, 1852, with Irene S. Johnson, who was born in Randolph county, December 29, 1835, a daughter of Silas and Betsy (Cook) Johnson. Comment on the extended work of Mr. and Mrs. Beard, half of which is not here narrated, would be superfluous.
The second marriage of William Beard took place December 20, 1848, to Mary Huff, a native of North Carolina, and to this union was born one child, Lydia, now the wife of E. Kelley, of Oklahoma territory. Mrs. Mary (Huff) Beard died November 6, 1855, and was joined in the better land by William, her husband, October 26, 1857. William amassed considerable wealth in his days of early labor, owning 400 acres of well-improved land at his death. He was devotedly attached to the Society of Friends, was strictly upright, and his word was never violated. In politics, he was an old-line Whig until the disintegration of that party, and was a stanch abolitionist. He was naturally of a social disposition, was kindly in his manners to all, and very generous, being particularly liberal in the support of his society.
Elkanah Beard was reared to hard work on the home farm, going to the district school during the winter months until he was eighteen years of age, when he, himself felt qualified for teaching, and for four years alternated the winters and summers in teaching and farming. He then engaged in general merchandising at Lynn for four years, when the war of the rebellion' came on, and he was employed by sundry charitable associations at, the north as an agent for supplying sanitary goods to refugees up and down the Mississippi river, and, in fact; in rendering aid to all who were in need. About this time, also, he was ordained a minister in his society. For three years, he preached in the city hall, or until the meetinghouse was built. He exercised his function as such at home until r 869, when .he was sent to Central India as a missionary under the auspices of the London Foreign Mission of Friends, and there passed three years, with his wife, working in the cause of Christ.
During this period he was stricken with Asiatic cholera, but was nursed through the dread disease by his faithful and devoted wife, who, through her constant attendance upon him, was herself broken down and one side paralyzed, which affliction necessitated their return home. In 1873, he accepted an invitation from his friends in Winchester, to come to this city and organize a society, there being, none here at that time. He accepted the invitation, succeeding in the undertaking, and after, two years of hard labor, went to California to recuperate his health. After having passed seven months in California, he set sail for lower California, and on the voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles was shipwrecked off. Point Sur, about 136 miles from the port of embarkation, and another vessel had to be secured, and after the rescue went to Oregon, where he spent two months and returned to Winchester. In 1877, at the solicitation of New York and Philadelphia Friends, he and wife went to the Indian Territory, where they passed four years in Christianizing and, civilizing the wilder and ruder tribes. After returning home, they were content to remain until 1884, when then they crossed the Atlantic and passed a year in England. Returning home they, in 1886, at the solicitation of the Missionary Board of Indiana, took charge of a Southland Normal college in Arkansas for four years, and then returned and re-engaged in homework, which embraces considerable stretch of territory. Mr. Beard was united in matrimony November 28, 1852, with Irene S. Johnson, who was born in Randolph county, December 29, 1835, a daughter of Silas and Betsy (Cook) Johnson. Comment on the extended work of Mr. and Mrs. Beard, half of which is not here narrated, would be superfluous.
REV. ELKANAH BEARD , the father of the Friends' society in Winchester, Indiana, was born in Greensfork Township, Randolph County, October 28, 1833. His parents, William and Lydia (Cox) Beard, were both from North Carolina, but were married in Randolph county, December 9, 2829, and settled ten miles south of Winchester, near Lynn, where the father engaged in farming. There the mother died August 11, 1847; the mother of six children, viz.: Two that died in infancy; Elkanah, with whom we have most to do; Sylvania, deceased wife of C. Benson, by whom she was the mother of three children: Addison (deceased); William (of Jay county), and Lydia G. who is the wife of George Thomas, of Wayne county; Benjamin, a retired farmer of Lynn, and Cynthia, wife of Joel Mills, a farmer of Lynn.
The second marriage of William Beard took place December 20, 1848, to Mary Huff, a native of North Carolina, and to this union was born one child, Lydia, now the wife of E. Kelley, of Oklahoma territory. Mrs. Mary (Huff) Beard died November 6, 1855, and was joined in the better land by William, her husband, October 26, 1857. William amassed considerable wealth in his days of early labor, owning 400 acres of well-improved land at his death. He was devotedly attached to the Society of Friends, was strictly upright, and his word was never violated. In politics, he was an old-line Whig until the disintegration of that party, and was a stanch abolitionist. He was naturally of a social disposition, was kindly in his manners to all, and very generous, being particularly liberal in the support of his society.
Elkanah Beard was reared to hard work on the home farm, going to the district school during the winter months until he was eighteen years of age, when he, himself felt qualified for teaching, and for four years alternated the winters and summers in teaching and farming. He then engaged in general merchandising at Lynn for four years, when the war of the rebellion' came on, and he was employed by sundry charitable associations at, the north as an agent for supplying sanitary goods to refugees up and down the Mississippi river, and, in fact; in rendering aid to all who were in need. About this time, also, he was ordained a minister in his society. For three years, he preached in the city hall, or until the meetinghouse was built. He exercised his function as such at home until r 869, when .he was sent to Central India as a missionary under the auspices of the London Foreign Mission of Friends, and there passed three years, with his wife, working in the cause of Christ.
During this period he was stricken with Asiatic cholera, but was nursed through the dread disease by his faithful and devoted wife, who, through her constant attendance upon him, was herself broken down and one side paralyzed, which affliction necessitated their return home. In 1873, he accepted an invitation from his friends in Winchester, to come to this city and organize a society, there being, none here at that time. He accepted the invitation, succeeding in the undertaking, and after, two years of hard labor, went to California to recuperate his health. After having passed seven months in California, he set sail for lower California, and on the voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles was shipwrecked off. Point Sur, about 136 miles from the port of embarkation, and another vessel had to be secured, and after the rescue went to Oregon, where he spent two months and returned to Winchester. In 1877, at the solicitation of New York and Philadelphia Friends, he and wife went to the Indian Territory, where they passed four years in Christianizing and, civilizing the wilder and ruder tribes. After returning home, they were content to remain until 1884, when then they crossed the Atlantic and passed a year in England. Returning home they, in 1886, at the solicitation of the Missionary Board of Indiana, took charge of a Southland Normal college in Arkansas for four years, and then returned and re-engaged in homework, which embraces considerable stretch of territory. Mr. Beard was united in matrimony November 28, 1852, with Irene S. Johnson, who was born in Randolph county, December 29, 1835, a daughter of Silas and Betsy (Cook) Johnson. Comment on the extended work of Mr. and Mrs. Beard, half of which is not here narrated, would be superfluous.
The second marriage of William Beard took place December 20, 1848, to Mary Huff, a native of North Carolina, and to this union was born one child, Lydia, now the wife of E. Kelley, of Oklahoma territory. Mrs. Mary (Huff) Beard died November 6, 1855, and was joined in the better land by William, her husband, October 26, 1857. William amassed considerable wealth in his days of early labor, owning 400 acres of well-improved land at his death. He was devotedly attached to the Society of Friends, was strictly upright, and his word was never violated. In politics, he was an old-line Whig until the disintegration of that party, and was a stanch abolitionist. He was naturally of a social disposition, was kindly in his manners to all, and very generous, being particularly liberal in the support of his society.
Elkanah Beard was reared to hard work on the home farm, going to the district school during the winter months until he was eighteen years of age, when he, himself felt qualified for teaching, and for four years alternated the winters and summers in teaching and farming. He then engaged in general merchandising at Lynn for four years, when the war of the rebellion' came on, and he was employed by sundry charitable associations at, the north as an agent for supplying sanitary goods to refugees up and down the Mississippi river, and, in fact; in rendering aid to all who were in need. About this time, also, he was ordained a minister in his society. For three years, he preached in the city hall, or until the meetinghouse was built. He exercised his function as such at home until r 869, when .he was sent to Central India as a missionary under the auspices of the London Foreign Mission of Friends, and there passed three years, with his wife, working in the cause of Christ.
During this period he was stricken with Asiatic cholera, but was nursed through the dread disease by his faithful and devoted wife, who, through her constant attendance upon him, was herself broken down and one side paralyzed, which affliction necessitated their return home. In 1873, he accepted an invitation from his friends in Winchester, to come to this city and organize a society, there being, none here at that time. He accepted the invitation, succeeding in the undertaking, and after, two years of hard labor, went to California to recuperate his health. After having passed seven months in California, he set sail for lower California, and on the voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles was shipwrecked off. Point Sur, about 136 miles from the port of embarkation, and another vessel had to be secured, and after the rescue went to Oregon, where he spent two months and returned to Winchester. In 1877, at the solicitation of New York and Philadelphia Friends, he and wife went to the Indian Territory, where they passed four years in Christianizing and, civilizing the wilder and ruder tribes. After returning home, they were content to remain until 1884, when then they crossed the Atlantic and passed a year in England. Returning home they, in 1886, at the solicitation of the Missionary Board of Indiana, took charge of a Southland Normal college in Arkansas for four years, and then returned and re-engaged in homework, which embraces considerable stretch of territory. Mr. Beard was united in matrimony November 28, 1852, with Irene S. Johnson, who was born in Randolph county, December 29, 1835, a daughter of Silas and Betsy (Cook) Johnson. Comment on the extended work of Mr. and Mrs. Beard, half of which is not here narrated, would be superfluous.
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