John S. Black
 

JOHN S. BLACK, an enterprising and successful farmer of Harrison township, Boone county, Ind., came of English-Irish stock, and was born in Henry county, Ky., March 11, 1831. His great-grand-father on the paternal side came from Ireland and settled in Culpeper county, Va., in the colonial days, and took an active part in the war for the release of the colonies from the tyranny of British rule, and the establishment of the American union of independent states. James Black, his son, was born in Culpeper county, Va., shortly after the Revolutionary war, and was reared a farmer, and followed this vocation all his life. He was married in Virginia, but at an early day, however, contemporaneously with Daniel Boone, he moved to Bourbon county, Ky., where he reared a family and passed the remainder of his days, dying a devout member of the Christian church. Of his six children, James, the father of John S., our subject, was born in Culpeper county, Va., in 1798, and moved with his father to Kentucky, where he was reared on the home farm and educated in the common schools, such as they were. He was an energetic leader in the Christian church, and was an associate of the renowned Rev. Campbell, the founder of the faith. Mr. James Black moved from Bourbon to Henry county when he was about forty years of age and settled on 140 acres of government land, to which he afterward added ninety acres. He was quite influential in both Bourbon and Henry counties, and died universally respected. John S. Black, the gentleman whose name opens this sketch, was reared a farmer and was educated in one of the old-fashioned log school-houses of his youthful days. He resided on the home farm until the death of his father, when he hired out for a year to superintend the farm of his brother-in-law, and for four years following was engaged in merchandising with his brother's widow in Trimble county. In 1860 he married Sally, daughter of William and Cordelia Foree. The Civil war now breaking out, he joined the Confederate army, and fought until the close of the struggle. He enlisted at Bedford, Trimble county, Ky., September 11, 1862, in company G, Ninth Kentucky cavalry, and went from Lexington to the Cumberland Mountains, to intercept Gen. Morgan, of the Union forces, and then fought for seven days and nights without sleeping or eating. He was then in the raid through Tennessee and back into Kentucky, tearing up the tracks of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, taking 10,000 prisoners and reaching within ten miles of the city of Louisville; he was next ordered to Murfreesboro; but reached that point too late for the fight; was next in the battle at Snow Hill, which extended in a running fight to Milton, where within forty yards of the breast works he was shot through the thigh and left on the field, his companions running out of ammunition. He was made prisoner and confined four weeks in the prison hospital, whence he was removed to Nashville, thence to Louisville, and one week later to Baltimore, Md., where he was exchanged the following week, and rejoined his command at Ringgold, Ga. His next fight was at Missionary Ridge, where the first day the battle lasted from early morn until four o'clock in the afternoon, and the next day four hours. At Taylor's Ridge the struggle was very heavy; Grant charging the works four times without success. Mr. Black next saw service at Atlanta, where he was a courier, an office incurring great risk and a very great responsibility as bearer of dispatches. Here he succeeded in conveying orders to burn the Confederate arsenal and two long trains of railroad cars, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy. After the fall of Atlanta, Mr. Black was sent with a brigade of cavalry to escort Pres. Davis to the trans-Mississippi. Gen. Breckinridge, in command of the escort, accompanied Davis from North Carolina to Washington, Ga., and here they parted. After the close of the war Mr. Black passed a year in Henry county on a farm, and here his wife died, leaving two children, Sammy G. and Lizzie H. Mr. Black then came to Boone county, Ind., and here married, December 2, 1866, Betta Black, widow of his brother William, and daughter of James Henry and Nancy Pinnell. Willie J. Black was a lieutenant in the Confederate army, was a brave officer and beloved by his men, and died of typhoid pneumonia, March 26, 1864, at Talledega, Ala., where he was buried with the honors of war. To this union have been born four children, viz.: John K., a daughter; Henry Utz, daughter; Charles and Custis; the last named died at the age of two years. Mrs. Nancy Pinnell departed this life when her daughter (Mrs. Black) was quite small, and the following obituary notice; taken from the Lebanon Pioneer of April 21, 1892, gives a succinct account of the life of Mrs. Black's father: "James Henry Pinnell was born in Virginia, May 16, 1816, and died at his home in this city on Monday, April 18, 1892. From Virginia the deceased moved to Henry county Ky., here he grew to manhood's estate, and married a Miss Wilhite, who bore him five children: John W. Pinnell, of Somerset, Ky.; R. I. and James E. Pinnell, Mrs. John S. Black and Katy, the first wife of our townsman, Henry C. Ulin. His first wife died in 188_[?}; and Mr. Pinnell came to this county the following year, locating in Harrison township. Here he married Mrs. William Higgins, mother of Borton S. and William Higgins, and, by her last marriage, of Julius W. Pinnell, who still survives. When Mr. Pinnell first came to Boone county, Harrison township was almost a wild waste of untillable swamp land. With that indomitable energy which has always characterized the man, he set about to improve it. It was almost a life work, but he accomplished the task, and recently turned over to his children about 800 acres of the finest farming land in Boone county, retaining for his own use some 200 acres. "Mr. Pinnell, in politics, was an ardent advocate of the principles of democracy, believing that those principles stood for the greatest good to the greatest number of people. He never served the people in public office except as trustee of Harrison township. Religiously he was a member of the Christian church and supported heartily the faith of that denomination. In the death of Mr. Pinnell the community loses a good man--a man of strong principles and noble impulses--an honest and upright citizen. Mr. Pinnell's illness dates back to last Thursday, when he caught a severe cold attending the funeral of his little grandchild, Ruth Pinnell. He was in feeble condition and rapidly grew worse until the end came, Monday forenoon, at 10 o'clock. The funeral was conducted Wednesday A. M., at 10 o'clock, by Elder E. L. Lane, after which the burial took place at Rodafer cemetery [Lebanon]. On Mr. Pinnell's first coming to Boone county, he purchased 240 acres of wild land, which he increased by his own efforts to 1,250 acres. He was a most successful farmer, owing to his profound knowledge of practical agriculture, gaining the respect of his neighbors, not only for this, but for his upright conduct in all his business, transactions and his strictly moral walk through life." Mr. and Mrs. Black are devoted members of the Christian church, whose interests they have always sustained by every means in their power, financially and otherwise. In politics Mr. Black is democratic; he has filled the office of township trustee, but has declined to assume the duties of other civil offices, having already performed his duty in full for his fellow citizens, of Boone county. His first purchase of land in Boone county was a tract of 120 acres, but now, by hard work and the exercise of the sound judgment for which he is noted, he owns 200 acres.

Transcribed and submitted by: Chris Brown
Source: "A Portrait And Biographical Record of Boone and Clinton Counties, Ind.,"
published in 1895 by A. W. Bowen & CO. Chicago, pages 214-216