Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Irish, J. Floyd 1867 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/in/infiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 26, 2006, 7:04 pm Author: T. H. Ball (1904) J. FLOYD IRISH. J. Floyd Irish; engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Hammond, with office over the First National Bank, has been connected with various departments of business activity in Lake county for the past twenty years, and has made a commendable record for reliability, integrity and ability in all his dealings. He takes much interest in the progress and welfare of his city and county, and is a citizen who can be depended upon to carry out his obligations in every department of life. Mr. Irish was born in Brunswick, Lake county, Indiana, June 19, 1867, a son of Josephus Hull and Mary Ellen (Vinnedge) Irish. His paternal grandfather, Joab Irish, was a native of Vermont, a farmer by occupation, and died well advanced in years, having been the father of twelve children, six sons and six daughters. Josephus H. Irish was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, and trained himself for the profession of veterinary surgeon. He came west to Brunswick, Indiana, in 1850, and lived there until 1888, when he moved to Hammond, where he died January 20, 1902, at the age of seventy-five years. He held the office of justice of the peace for thirty-four years. His wife still survives him, and now resides in Zion City, Illinois. He was married three times. His first wife died about a year after their marriage, and her child died in infancy. His second wife was Clarissa Bidwell, by whom he had four children, three now living, as follows: Cornelius E., of Hammond; Martha M., wife of Elliott J. Jarrard, of Hammond; and Arvilla, wife of Walter Bowes, of Crown Point, Indiana. His third wife was Mary Ellen Vinnedge, who was born near Plymouth, Indiana, and they were the parents of six children: Ida May; deceased, who was the wife of Adolphus E. Crowell; Clara A., the deceased wife of Ernest W. Sohl; Iva E., deceased, who also was the wife of Ernest W. Sohl; George Edward, deceased; J. Floyd Irish, of Hammond; and Charles Hull Irish, of Zion City, Illinois, assistant cashier in a bank. Mr. J. Floyd Irish was born and reared and has lived all his life in Lake county. He attended the public schools at Brunswick and Crown Point, after which he engaged in teaching school for six terms. He clerked in a furniture and undertaking establishment in Crown Point for some time, and in 1888 came to Hammond. He taught school and later clerked in a confectionery store, after which he returned to Crown Point, and was in the employ of Peter Geisen for two years. He went back to Hammond and was circulator and reporter for the Hammond Tribune until January, 1898, when he entered the real estate and insurance business in connection with his father. In 1899 ^e bought his father's interest, and has since conducted the business alone, dealing in city and country property on an extensive scale and annually writing large amounts of insurance for the standard companies. In politics Mr. Irish is a Republican, and is one of the city commissioners. He affiliates with Hammond Lodge No. 210, Knights of Pythias, and with Pioneer Council No. 38, Royal League. He and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian church of the city, and he is an elder. He purchased his present good home at 628 May street in 1897. He was married, September 30, 1891, to Miss Eva A. Pierce, and their family circle now contains two daughters, Zella Gertrude and Blanche Marie. Mrs. Irish is a daughter of Israel R. and Mary C. (Atkin) Pierce, the former a native of Ontario, Canada, and the latter of Ohio. Her paternal grandfather was James Pierce, who came from Canada to the United States, and lived at Valparaiso, Indiana, many years. He died in advanced years. By his wife, Jane (Lane) Pierce, he had three sons and three daughters. Mrs. Irish's maternal grandparents were Major B. and Betsey (Banks) Atkin, five of whose children are still living; he was a farmer and lived in Crown Point during the last fifteen years of his life, which ended in 1897; he was a Republican. Mrs. Irish's father was a farmer and an early settler in Indiana, having left Canada when he was eight years old. He lived on a farm near Merrillville from before the war until his death, on April 23, 1885, when forty-nine years old. He served as a private in the Civil war for three years, being in many important battles and in Sherman's campaign to the sea. He was a Republican, and he and his wife, who survives him, were both Methodists. They had five children, four of whom are now living: Jennie, wife of Alva Saxton, of Merrillville, Indiana; Carrie, wife of Robert Saxton, of Merrillville; Eva A., wife of Mr. Irish; Ernest L. Pierce, of Crown Point; and one that died in infancy. Additional Comments: Extracted from: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Genealogy and Biography OF LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA, WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 1834—1904 A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. REV. T. H. BALL OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO NEW YORK THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1904 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/lake/bios/irish618gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/infiles/ File size: 5.6 Kb