Notes |
- "Montgomery County, Indiana USGenWeb Project;http://ingenweb.org/inmontgomery/
Atlas of Montgomery Co IN (Chicago: Beers, 1878) p 52
COONS, John R, PO Crawfordsville; Mayor; native of Overton Co TN;settled in this co. in 1829.
History of Montgomery County, Indiana. Indianapolis: AW Bowen, 19131913 p 1266
COONS, John R.
In the early days the state of Indiana was often a tempting field tothe energetic, ambitious, strong-minded men and her various countieswere filled with them during the time she was struggling up to arespectable position in the sisterhood of states. There was afascination in the broad field and great promise which the new regionof the northwest presented to activity and originality that attractedmany men from all over the East and even part of the South, andinduced them to brave all the privations and discomforts of frontierlife for the pleasure and gratification of constructing their fortunesin their own way and after their own methods. It is this class of menmore than any other who give shape, direction and character to thebusiness of a community, County or state. Of the class just mentionedwas the Coons family, one of the earliest to locate within the bordersof Montgomery Co. and here the various members of the family havecontinued to play an important part in her affairs from that remotepioneer period to the present day, one of the best known membershaving been the late John R. COONS who was a man of talent and finepersonal traits of character and for a long lapse of years one of thebest known and popular educators of the Wabash Valley country, andalso an honored public official. It was a renowned Roman who oncesaid, "Pale death strikes with equal force at the turrets of the richand the hovels of the poor, and distinction, whether of talents ofwealth, philosophy, literature or invention, becomes neutral and fadesin thepresence of death. Naked we come from the invisible world, nakedwe return thither. Before the final assize, prince and beggar are ofthe same stature and God is not a respecter of persons." So the lifeof the subject of this memoir goes on in fairer realms than ours,while his memory continues to be cherished by the host of warm friendswhom he left behind, for the influence of such a man is "Not interredwith their bones," as Shakspere (sic) said in his tragedy of JuliusCaesar. Mr. Coons was the scion of a sterling old Southern family andhe was born in the state of Tennessee, on Sept. 28, 1820 on a farm. Hewas a son of George and Julia Coons, who removed from Tenn to Indianain the early 20s when their son, John R was a small child. Theylocated in the wilds of Montgomery Co, where, after hard work andclose application they established a good home, cleared their land andhad a productive farm, enduring the privations and hardships incidentto the lives of all frontier settlers, and they were influential amongtheir neighbors and did much for the early development of thecommunity. They continued to reside on the farm here until theirchildren were grown, then moved into the city of Crawfordsville wherethey spent the rest of their lives, both now having been deceased manyyears. John R. Coons received the customary pioneer schooling, havingattended the rural schools during the brief winter months, when hebecame of proper age, and in the crop season he worked hard on thehome farm. He was of a literary turn of mind and when a boy showed agreat ambition to become educated, and so he did by his own efforts,having remained all his life a close student of miscellaneous works,and was one of the best informed men on general topics in the Countyand an interesting and pleasing conversationalist. For many years hetaught in the country schools of this locality and did a great work instrengthening the schools, winning the hearty commendation of bothpatrons and pupils. He also took an abiding interest in public affairsand was one of the leaders in Republican politics in Montgomery Co,having ever remained faithful to its principles. He was Deputy Co.Treasurer for two terms, during which he familiarized himself sothoroughly with the work of the same and was so prompt and courteousin discharging the work of the office that the people elected him co.treas. and he held the office with ability and much credit to himselfand to the eminent satisfaction of all concerned. He later was honoredby being elected mayor of Crawfordsville and during his administrationhe did much for the permanent good of the city, proving to be one ofthe best mayors the city has ever had, according to a consensus ofopinion. He held this important office a number of years. After hisofficial career Mr. Coons returned to school teaching, which hecontinued to follow with his usual success until his death on July 23,1891. Mr. Coons was twice married, first to Nancy THOMPSON. TO thisunion 3 children were born: Albert, who lives in Waynetown; ElizaJane, wife of Austin D. SUMNER of Hillsboro; and George W. ofCrawfordsville. Mr. Coons was married to Mrs. Nancy Carolina GRAHAM onMarch 29, 1859. She was born on July 18, 1831 and was a daughter ofNoble and Lydia Ann WELCH of Greencastle who later moved to a farmnear Parkersburg. Noble W. Welch was born Jun 6, 1791 and died in1872. Lydia Ann Welch was b. March 30, 1788 and died in 1873. Mr.Coons second wife had previously married Noble B. Graham in 1847. Hisdeath occurred on Jan 2, 1853. To this last union 4 children: Martha,a teacher in the Tuttle Building in Crawfordsville; Julia the wife ofGeorge M. HENDERSON now living in Indianapolis; Flora, who married SolTANNENBAUM now deceased; and Wallace, who is foreman of theCrawfordsville Journal. Fraternally, Mr. Coons was a member of theIndependent Order of Odd Fellows and in religious matters belonged tothe Christian Church and was faithful in his support of the same andwas known to all as a man of integrity and scrupulous honesty.USGenWeb Project for Montgomery County, Indiana, Karen Zach.
Last Modified on ? Sunday, 16-Nov-2008 11:04:14 MST Karen Zach"
|