288	HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

in homespun which she carded, spun and wove with her own hands. He
succeeded well as a farmer, and on the homestead which he reclaimed from
the wilderness resided until his death in April, 1861.
	Jacob Luther, Sr., was three times married. By his first wife, Rachel
Harris, he had three children, Silas, Sally Ann and Narcissa. He married
for his second wife a Miss Church, who at her death left one son, Joel.
The maiden name of his third wife was Annie Patton, and by her he had
two children, namely: Jacob, the special subject of this brief biographical
sketch, and Eliza, who died in childhood She survived him, and subse-
quently married Miles Jessup, who was born on Fort Harrison prairie,
Vigo county, Indiana, and died in 1877. She was born near Cataract,
Owen county,. Indiana, in 1834, a daughter of Christopher Patton, and died
in 1884. Mr. Patton was born in Ireland, of Scotch ancestry, and after
his emigration to this country lived for awhile in North Carolina. He
subsequently spent a short time in Kentucky, from there coming on
horseback, with his wife and two children, to Owen county, Indiana. He
was there a resident for many years, but both he and his wife spent their
last days in Harrison township.
	Brought up on the home farm, Jacob Luther received his early educa-
tion in the district school and commenced when quite young to assist on
the farm, living with his mother and step-father until 1882. In that year,
taking unto himself a companion to share his pleasures and his troubles, he
moved into a little old log cabin standing on the site of his present com-
fortable home, and has since been here profitably engaged in general
farming and stock raising. In his undertakings Mr. Luther has met with
very satisfactory results, his rich’and fertile land yielding abundant har-
vests. He has made improvements of an excellent character on his prop-
erty, including among others the erection of a good set of frame build-
ings, the house in which he lives being very pleasantly located on the bank
of the Eel river.
	On ‘August 18, 1882, Mr. Luther married Henrietta Huffman, who
was born in Sugar Ridge township, which was also the birthplace of her
father, Albert Huffman. Her paternal grandfather, John Huffman, emi-
grated from Randolph county, North Carolina, his native place, to In-
diana, making the entire journey with teams, and bringing not only his
household goods, but his farm implements, he and his family camping and
cooking by the way. One of the original householders of Sugar Ridge
township, Clay county, he took up wild land from the government, and
on the farm which he cleared and improved spent the remainder of his
life. Albert Huffman was a natural mechanic, and for a number of years
worked at the carpenter’s trade. He was afterwards employed at a foun-
dry in Brazil, and subsequently settled in Harrison township, where he
spent his last years. He married Olive Bolin, who was born in Owen
county, where her parents were pioneer settlers, and died in Harrison
township. She reared three children, Henrietta, now Mrs. Luther, Edna
and Leota. Mr. and Mrs. Luther are the parents. of four children, namely:
Alexander, Grover Cleveland, John Jacob and Mamie. Grover ‘C. mar-
ried Margaret Dunham. Mr. Luther has been an active worker in the
Democratic party for many years, and in 1901 was elected county commis-
sioner, an office to which he was subsequently re-elected, serving in that
capacity for six years. Fraternally he is a member of Saline City Lodge,
No. 220, Knights of Pythias. Mr. Luther has two of the parchment deeds,
the oldest executed by President Andrew Jackson, October 7, 1835, and