HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY                          447

of years. Selling out, he moved to Van Buren township, Clay county,
where both he and his wife, Susanna (Easter) Crabb, spent their remain-
ing years. A native of Highland county, Ohio, Silas Blunt Crabb was in
his twelfth year when he came with his parents to Indiana, and since that
time he has been a resident of Clay county, for the past forty years occu-
pying his present homestead. He has watched with pride and pleasure
Clay county’s transformation from a wilderness to a well settled, wealthy
county, rich in its many industrial resources. He married Eliza Wallace,
who was born in Ohio, a daughter of Thomas and Susanna Wallace, na-
tives of Scotland. Mrs. Crabb died March 9, 1896.
Mr, and Mrs. Cutshall are the parents of four children, namely:
James, Clay, Anna and Lucy. James married Adelaide McGranahan.
Mr. Cutshall is a stanch Republican in politics, active in public affairs,
and has filled various offices of trust. In 1884 he was elected township
trustee, in 1894 county treasurer, and in 1902 county commissioner, in
each position performing the duties devolving upon him with the utmost
fidelity. Fraternally he is a member of Brazil Lodge, -No. 264, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons; of Brazil Camp, No. 3418, Modern Woodmen
of America, and of Lodge No. 336, Knights and Ladies of Security. Both
Mr, and Mrs. Cutshall are members of the Christian church.

    CHARLES CUTLER FESLER.—Widely and favorably known as the post-
master at Clay City, Charles C. Fesler takes a genuine interest in every-
thing pertaining to his adopted township and county, and is among the
foremost to forward all enterprises of a beneficial nature, He was born
May 13, 1852, in Hutsonville, Crawford county, Illinois, a son of Nicholas
Fesler, and is of excellent German ancestry.

    A native of North Carolina, Nicholas Fesler was but a boy when he
accompanied his parents on their overland journey to Illinois. He sub-
sequently grew to manhood in Crawford county, that state, and after
beginning life for himself was employed at different trades, including
those of a wool carder, a shoemaker and a carpenter. He spent his clos-
ing years in Bellair, Crawford county, dyingin 1891 at the venerable age
of seventy-nine years. He married Mrs. Lucinda (Sweeney) Dorothy,
a widow with one child, Francis M. Dorothy, who passed the last years
of his life in Clay City, Indiana, Of this union the following named
children were born: James 0.; Emily; Kate S.; William; and Margaret
M. and Charles C., twins.
    Brought up in his native county, Charles C. Fesler began the battle
of life very young, having been but eleven years old when he commenced.
to be self supporting. For three years he worked as a farm laborer, and
at the age of fourteen entered a general store at Bellair, Illinois, as a clerk,
and remained thus employed until 1870. Going then to Effingham, Illi-
nois, he there worked in a lunch room two summers. In 1872 he located
at Terre Haute, Indiana, where for seven years he- was employed as clerk
and bookkeeper in a grocery store. Coming to Clay City in October, 1879,
Mr. Fesler was here engaged in- mercantile pursuits with his half-brother,
the late Francis M. Dorothy, until 1885, when the partnership was dis-
solved. Opening then a grocery in this city, he operated it alone until
1894. For a few years thereafter he was employed in various ways, in
1897 superintending the building of the first gravel road made in Harri-
son township. In 1899 Mr. Fesler was appointed by President McKinley
postmaster at Clay City, and at the- expiration of his term, four years
vol. 11—29