HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY 113 iel U., of Muncie, Indiana; Corintha E., of Terre Haute; Walter B., the special subject of this sketch; and Lee, of Manatee, Florida. Spending his boyhood days on the home farm, Walter B. Ringo became thoroughly acquainted with the art and science of agriculture while young, and wisely chose farming for his chief occupation. After his marriage he took up his residence in the two-story, eight-room brick house built by his father in 1862 on section twenty, Cass township, and has here been prosperously employed ever since in farming and stock- raising. He has four hundred and forty acres of valuable land lying in sections twenty, twenty-nine and thirty, and in the management of his large estate he has met with much success and very few discouragements. Mr. Ringo has other interests of much value, being a stockholder in the United Coal Company of Chicago, whose mines are in Southern Illinois; in the Indiana Sewer Pipe Company of Mecca, Parke county; and in the Mecca State Bank. On December 29, 1880, Mr. Ringo married Ida M. Herr, who was born in Coesse, Whitley county, Indiana, December 29, i86o, a daughter of Simon and Drucilla (Hurd) Herr, natives, respectively, of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and New York. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Ringo has been blessed by the birth of six children, namely: Mary M., wife of Van H. Wilkinson, of Indianapolis; Joseph H., living at home; Robert S., of Purdue University; Drucilla, wife of Earl Houk, of Terre Ilaute; Walter B., Jr., and John L. Politically Mr. Ringo is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, and for five years rendered excellent service as township trustee. Fraternally he is a member of Center Point Lodge, A. F. and A. M.; and of Poland Lodge, No. 364, K. of P. Religiously he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church of Poland, and is a member of its board of trustees. Mr. Ringo has two deeds of the parchment style, signed by Andrew Jackson. ROSWELL T. DEETER.—In the early days of the history of Clay county there came to reside within its borders one who proved a valued factor in its uphuilding and future development, Jacob Deeter, the grandfather of Roswell T. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and after coming to Clay county, Indiana, he entered eighty acres of land in Perry township, while later he bought and entered from the government to the amount of three quarters of a section, and he also entered one hundred and sixty acres in Posey township, owning in all about six hundred acres or more in Clay county at one time. But he in later life gave most of his land to his sons; giving to each of his five sons eighty acres, and the same amount to his daughter, Mrs. Knighton. He was known and was very prominent throughout Clay county, and in addition to his farming he also did much masonry work for the Vandalia Railroad Company. His politics were Republican, and he was a member of the Christian church and died in its faith in Posey township. Thomas Deeter, a son of this well remembered Clay county pioneer, was born in Ohio, but came with his father to Indiana in his boy- hood, and in 1861 he entered the Civil war and was killed in North Caro- lina. In his early manhood he had married Katherine Barber, who was born in Ohio and came with her parents to Clay county when four.teen years of age, being a daughter of Aaron G. Barber, one of the pioneer farmers of Perry township. In their family were two children, a son and a daughter, and the latter, Sarah E., is the wife of John Q. Gummere,