Bartholomew-Perry-Jennings County IN Archives Biographies.....Springer, Edward 1823 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com January 27, 2007, 6:42 pm

Author: B. F. Bowen (1904)

EDWARD SPRINGER.

   Edward Springer was born in Perry county, Indiana, January 2, 1823, his
parents being George and Ellen (Mattingly) Springer, the former a native of
Maryland, the latter of Kentucky. His father dying when Edward was but two years
old, he found a home with his sister Frances. Two or three years later his
mother married Ezekiel Cambron and he made his home with them until he was
fourteen years old, when he set out to make his own way in the world. Going to
Kentucky, he worked on a farm four years for a Mr. Legg, receiving fifty dollars
the first year and seventy-five the second. He was enabled to attend a
subscription school three months during the winters, doing chores in exchange
for his board, and saving nearly all his money. During the next three years he
was employed as a clerk on a river store boat, which started from Flint Island
and stopped at the various landings until it reached the mouth of the river. He
then invested his capital in hoop-poles, which he loaded on a flat-boat and
floated down to New Orleans. The trip was a profitable one, but he did not
repeat the experiment. In 1841 he came to Vernon, Jennings county, Indiana, with
E. M. Sharp, with whom he had made his home for a time. He brought Sharp's
household goods to Madison and from there traveled over the first twenty-two
miles of railroad in the state, which at that time extended only to Vernon, but
which was well laid with T-rails. Mr. Sharp purchased a mill at Vernon and young
Springer started to learn the carpenter's trade. He carefully husbanded his
income and, in company with Jesse V. Branham, his brother-in-law, built a steam
sawmill. Subsequently he disposed of this and, in company with George N. Urich
and James Branham, took a contract to construct eight miles of railroad between
Rock Creek and Clifty, supplying the ties and preparing for the track. Timbers
were laid lengthwise, being twelve inches square, across which ties were laid,
and on these were laid string pieces, six by eight inches, the latter being
finished with bar iron, two inches wide by one-half inch thicks It required
about two years to complete this contract and from fifty to sixty men were
employed on the work. The contractors received pay for this work in what was
known as railroad script, which was redeemable in land, but which they were
compelled to use for goods at a heavy discount. Upon the completion of this
contract, George N. Branham in 1845 bought a tract of land on the line of the
railroad and laid out a town-site, naming it Elizabethtown, in honor of his
wife. Mr. Branham conducted a store at this point for many years. Mr. Springer
also settled there in 1847, and for two years was busily employed at his trade
of carpenter. In company with Mr. Branham, he also erected a sawmill, and soon
thereafter became a partner in the store. They shipped large quantities of pork
and flour to the south, but the venture proved disastrous and Mr. Springer lost
all he had invested in the store. He soon sold the sawmill and, in company with
another brother-in-law, Danville Branham, erected a flour-mill. The Branham
brothers later went to Missouri to engage in the building of plank roads, but
shortly afterward Danville Branham returned and purchased Springer's interest in
the mill. Mr. Springer had made some money, in his various transactions, and
after disposing of the mill purchased one hundred and forty acres of land
adjoining the village, of which ore hundred acres were cleared, and on this
tract he engaged in farming. The growing of hay was his specialty and by careful
management he made money. This was in 1854 and Mr. Springer has ever since lived
on part of this land. In 1861 he engaged in selling agricultural implements and
so energetically did he push the sales that the first year he sold forty-one
McCormack harvesting machines. He soon added other lines and as there was at
that time no dealer in agricultural implements in Columbus he soon built up a
large and prosperous business. He invested in land and also added to his stock
until he at length carried a full line of hardware, subsequently adding several
other departments, including groceries, boots and shoes, dry goods, etc., which
necessitated more room until at length he occupied, five store rooms, each sixty
feet long. The annual sales grew to forty thousand dollars and necessitated the
employment of eight or ten men. Mr. Springer had loaned five thousand dollars on
the old flour mill, taking a mortgage for security, which he finally had to
foreclose. He sold it four or five times, but had to take it back each time,
until finally he succeeded in trading it for one hundred and twenty acres of
land. His son William was for ten years a partner in the store and, largely upon
the latter's solicitation, they organized the Farmers and Merchants Bank, in
1892, of which William became the cashier. The bank has a capital of twelve
thousand dollars and has prospered from the beginning, being considered one of
the solid financial institutions of the county. Mr. Springer has invested in
real estate from time to time and now owns about nine hundred acres, all being
located in this immediate locality. A Republican in politics and keenly alive to
all the leading questions of the day, Mr. Springer has, however, no ambition to
hold public office, feeling that his business interests require all his time and
attention.

   At Vernon, Indiana, in 1842, Mr. Springer was married to Sarah Branham, who
died in 1851, and he subsequently married Nancy Collier, of near Elizabethtown,
with whom he lived for forty-four years and who became the mother of all his
children now living. She died May 20, 1896, and in June, 1897, he married Mrs.
Indiana (Hill) Elliott, the widow of John Elliott. To the first union was born
one child, now deceased, who became the wife of John Griffith and the mother of
three children. To the second marriage were born six children, namely: George E.
was killed at the age of four years; Clara is the wife of William Moffat,
vice-president of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Elizabethtown; William is
cashier of the same bank; Jerome is a farmer; Nettie is the wife of Mack
Branham, of Elizabethtown; Maggie died in childhood.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY
INDIANA

INCLUDING BIOGRAPHIES OF THE GOVERNORS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS OF INDIANA

ILLUSTRATED

1904

B. F. Bowen PUBLISHER


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