HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                          369

December 22, 1809; her grandfather, Thomas Deupree, June 12, 1786;
and her great-grandfather, William Deupree, July 7, 1759. The latter,
who was of French Huguenot descent, was a soldier in the Revolutionary
war and a life-long resident of his native state, dying there June 16, 1854.
His wife, whose maiden name was Amy Pettes, was born in August,
1761, in Virginia. Thomas Deupree, also a life-long resident of Virginia,
died June 15, 1825. He married Martha Hatchitt, who was born March
15, 1790, and who survived him, after his death coming to Indiana to live
with her children and dying in Johnson county December 20, 1865.
Joseph W. Deupree settled in Johnson county, Indiana, in 1833, and from
the heavily timbered tract of land which he bought hewed the farm on
which he resided several years. Going then to Davis county, Iowa, he
carried on farming until ready to retire from active pursuits, when he
settled in Bloomfield, that county, where his death occurred January 21,
1878. He first married Sally Ann Nichel, who was born September 29,
1816, and died August 26, 1834, when her daughter Martha Malissa was
an infant. He married second Mary J. McAlpine, by whom he had seven
children. The wife of John Lewis Webster died February 18, 1895.
    Having completed his early studies in the district schools of Brazil
William F. Webster attended the public schools of Indianapolis for awhile.
He was but sixteen years old when his parents returned to Dick Johnson
township, and he has been a resident of the township since that time and
of the place he now owns since 1889. He has in his possession the parch-
ment deed of his farm given by the government to Simon Archer, the
original owner, and also has Mr. Archer’s tax receipt, bearing the date
1828, Samuel Rigley, collector. As an agriculturist, Mr. Webster has met
with excellent success, and has made improvements of much value. Very
soon after moving on to the farm he erected a good frame house, which
in 1904 he remodeled, putting in all modern equipments.
    On August 4, 1887, Mr. Webster married Frances Alice Alma Har-
desty, who was born in this township, a daughter of William Hardesty.
Born in Kentucky, William Hardesty came when a young man to Indiana,
and for awhile lived in Putnam county. Subsequently taking up his resi-
dence in Dick Johnson township, he was here employed in tilling the soil
until his death, in 1884. He married Charlotte Akers, whose father, Luke
Akers, left his native place, Franklin county, Virginia, in 1828, and with
his wife and two children came across the country with a pair of horses
and a wagon to Indiana. Taking up land in Dick Johnson township, on
section fifteen, he built from round logs a cabin in which the family lived
for some time. Later he built a double house of hewed logs, and to this
he subsequently put on a frame addition, and in it spent his remaining
days, dying February 7, 1858, aged fifty-seven years. He married Jane
Webster, a daughter of Daniel and Rhoda (Arthur) Webster, and she
survived him, passing away March 16, 1872, aged seventy years. Mrs.
Charlotte (Akers) Hardesty survived her husband many years, dying
March 27, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Webster are the parents of three chil-
dren, namely: Edwin Arthur, born October 4, 1896; Marcus Harold,
born September 3, 1895; and Virgil Milton, born December 27, 1899. In
May, 1908, Mr. Webster received the Prohibition nomination for sheriff
of Clay county.

    SIMON F. GONTER. The name of Gonter has figured in connection
with the grocery trade of Brazil for many years and has always been a