GEARHEARD, Arthur G., Montgomery County, IN.
 then St. James Parish, Louisiana

Submitted by Mike Miller <mike_m@deq.state.la.us>
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Gearheard, Arthur G., of Lutcher, St. James parish, La., was born at
Darlington, Montgomery county, Ind., June 20, 1872, and is a son of J. M.
and Lucindy A. (French) Gearheard, both of whom were born in the vicinity
of Kokomo, Ind., as was the paternal grandfather, Samuel A. Gearheard.  His
wife, Miss Chitwood, was a native of Kentucky.  The maternal grandfather,
A. French, and his wife, Miss Royalty, were Indians.  Both the paternal and
maternal grandfathers devoted their abilities to the vocation of farming.
The ancestors of the Gearheard family in this country came originally from
Germany, and those of the French family from England.  J. M. Gearheard
devoted his active years to the cultivation of the soil at the Indiana home
of the family.  He has now reached the age of 66 years, and he and the
mother are living in retirement with their son at Lutcher.  Fourteen
children were born to the parents of the father, and 10 to those of the
mother.  Seven of the former family are now living, and five of the latter.
Arthur G. Gearheard was the third of 10 children born to his parents, and
seven of these are now living, as follow:  O. E. married to Ada Rhodes, of
Jackson, La., and the father of 3 children, is living at Donner, La., where
he occcupies the position of sales manager for the Dibert, Stark & Brown
Cypress Co. of that place;  A.J., married to Grace Nevinger, of the state
of Kansas, and father of 2 children, is an ordained minister of the M. E.
church, and now has a charge at McDonoghville, La.;  Arthur G., the subject
of this sketch;  Mabel, wife of T. W. Jones, who is connected with lumber
business at White Castle, La., where they reside, has 2 children;  Frank,
now living at Seattle, Wash., 1 child; Frona, married and living at Omaha;
Neb., 1 child;  Sadie, married and living at Oberlin, O., 5 children.
Arthur G. Gearheard received his early education at the public schools in
the vicinity of his birthplace.  Later he also attended public schools in
Missouri, and thereafter attended the University of Missouri, at Columbia,
afterward teaching in the public schools of Missouri for 4 years.  He then
took a business course at Janesville, Wis., including bookkeeping,
stenography and typewriting, and after completing this, at the age of 23
years, he found employment as stenographer for the D. K. Jeffries Lumber
Co., at Jeffries, Wis.  After about 6 months, however, he came south and
took a position at Lutcher, as stenographer for the Lutcher & Moore Cypress
Lumber Co., but after passing about 6 months in this place, he went to New

Orleans and became connected with the insurance business as stenographer in
the office of Marshall J. Smith & Co.  Half a year later he returned to
Lutcher as general office man for the last-named lumber company, so
remaining about 3 years, when he was promoted to the position of general
sales manager, which he occupied about 12 years, at the expiration of which
time he was advanced to the office of manager, was again promoted Jan. 1,
1914, to vice-president and manager, and has so continued to this time,
handling the business of one of the largest and most important enterprises
in Louisiana.  Mr. Gearheard is a man of large and varied interests.  In
addition to being an important stockholder in the great business of which
he is manager, he is a stockholder and secretary-treasurer of the Delta
Lumber Co. of New Orleans; a stockholder and director in the Bank of St.
James, and a stockholder in each of the following institutions:  The
Whitney-Central National bank, Canal Bank & Trust Co., Louisiana Red
Cypress Co., New Orleans; the American Cities Co., and various other
substantial corporations.  Also, he has valuable real estate holdings at
Lutcher and elsewhere.  Mr. Gearheard affiliates with the republican party
in national affairs, and with the democratic party in state affairs.  He is
united with the Methodist Episcopal church, is a Master Mason, a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine and a member of the Knights of Pythias and Woodmen of the
World.  Dec. 31, 1898, Mr. Gearheard was married to Emma Rhodes, daughter
of N. G. Rhodes, of East Feliciana parish, near Jackson, La.  Two children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gearheard:  Gladys M. and A. G., Jr., both
of whom are attending the public schools at Lutcher, the first-named being
at high school.  Mr. Gearheard is a man of sterling character and
unimpeachable integrity, and no man within the bounds of Louisiana enjoys a
larger measure of the good opinion of the people with whom his lot has been
cast.

Louisiana:  Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions,
and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 615-617.  Edited
by Alc e Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.