J. Nixon Elliott

    Among his many Quaker friends and all classes of people, Mr. Elliott of Fairmount long enjoyed an esteem of the quality such as is only paid to persons of fine character and noble lives. He belongs to the good old pioneer stock of Indiana, and Grant County, as did also his wife; and in their own careers they have exemplified many of the finest attributes of the substantial Quaker people.

    The history of the Elliott family, to which Mr. J. Nixon Elliott  belongs goes back to great-grandfather James Elliott who was born in Perquimans County, North Carolina, in 1730. He married Mary Nixon, and they lived and died in their native county, farmers by occupation, and of the orthodox Fox Quaker sect. All the Elliott family were rigid adherents of the Quaker religion, and though they were settled in the Carolinas from the colonial days their principles of peaceful living prevented them from taking any part in the military history of the wars through which the family record runs.

    Nixon Elliott, the grandfather, was born in Perquimans County, March 12, 1764. He married Rhoda, a daughter of Joseph and Anna Parker Scott, who was born November 10, 1773. Her father Joseph Scott was born about 1725, was a farmer, and Quaker in religion and lived and died in North Carolina. Nixon Elliott and wife had the following children:

  1. Job S., born October 7, 1795, was married in North Carolina to Mary Dillon, afterwards came to Indiana, and both died in Henry County.

  2. James, born September 4, 1800, was a soldier through the Seminole war, and afterwards lived and died in Florida, raised a family there and one of his sons, Nixon Elliott, now lives in Pueblo, Colorado.

  3. Elias, father of J. Nixon Elliott, was born January 12, 1803.

  4. Mary Elliott, born January 20, 1807, first married a Mr. Alberson, who died early in life, leaving one child, and then she married James Stelling, and came north and died near Greentown, Indiana, leaving no children by her second marriage.

    Elias Elliott, the father of J. Nixon Elliott, grew up on a farm, and when a young man moved to Guilford County, in North Carolina. There he married Martha Saunders, of deep River, where she was born in 1797, being six years older than her husband. After their marriage they began life as farmers in Guilford County, and all their children were born in that locality. In 1849 the family came north to Indiana, and after a few months in Wayne County, moved near to Ogden in Henry County, where they bought a farm, and in the following autumn the mother died. Elias Elliott married for his second wife Jane Cane, a Quakeress of North Carolina. They continued to live in Henry County for seven years, and afterwards moved to Dublin, Indiana, where Elias Elliott died in 1884. He was survived some years by his wife, who died at Richmond, Indiana, at the age of seventy-five. Both were lifelong members of the Friends Church. By the second marriage of Elias Elliott, the following children are noted:

  1. John B., who lives in Richmond, Indiana, contractor and builder, and has one son and one daughter.

  2. Martha, who died early in life.

  3. Emma, who died in childhood.

    By his first marriage Elias Elliott had the following children:

  1. William S., died recently near Greentown, in Howard County, at the age of eighty-four. He was for many years a substantial farmer. He married Sarah Havenridge, and they had a large family, two of whom are yet living; after death of his first wife William S., married Avis Irish. One of their children died in infancy, to two living are Mrs. Mary Golding and Charles Elliott of Oregon.

  2. Patrick H. lived and died in Henry County, was a farmer by occupation, and attained the age of seventy-eight years. His first wife was Sarah Applegate, and his second was Levina Reeves. They had a family of children.

  3. Dr. David S. died at the age of thirty-three years. He was a graduate of the medical department of Michigan University at Ann Arbor, and was President of the County Medical Society at the time of his death. Dr. Elliott married Hanna Cobb and had two children, both girls, one, Delphina, died aged 16, Hettie is still living, a teacher in the public schools of Richmond, Indiana.

  4. James Nixon Elliott.

  5. Mary Jane, is the wife of J. W. Griffin, a farmer of Spiceland, Indiana. She was first married to Alfred Hall.

    J. Nixon Elliott was born at Deep River, Guilford County, North Carolina, October 28, 1837. When he was eleven years old the family moved to Henry County, Indiana, and there he grew up and received a practical training on a farm, and also some early educational advantages in the pioneer schools. AT the close of the war he went south to Macon, Mississippi, and for one year was engaged in teaching the children of the Freedmen. In 1864 his brother David had moved to Grant County, and on J. Nixon Elliott's return from Mississippi he located in Fairmount. He bought a drug store at that place and continued actively in the drug business for fourteen years. Afterwards he changed his line for dry goods and was an active merchant for a number of years. For a long time  he ahs been retired, and now lives in his fine home at 127 E. Washington Street in Fairmount.

    In 1872 in Fairmount Township, Mr. Elliott married Ruth Winslow, who was born in Fairmount Township, July 1, 1839. Her home was always in Grant County, and she represented old pioneer stock. Her parents were Seth and Mary (Hill) Winslow, both natives of Randolph County, North Carolina, her father born August 23, 1807, and her mother March 2, 1802. They were married in Wayne County, Indiana. Seth Winslow's father was Joseph Winslow, who married Pauline Pritchard, and came north to Indiana in 1830, entering government land in Section Twenty-three of Fairmount Township. On part of that land is now located the Back Creek Quaker Cemetery. There Joseph Winslow and wife spent the remainder of their years. Mary (Hill) Winslow was the daughter of Jesse and Mary Hill, who were pioneer settlers of Grant County, entering land in Fairmount Township, and living there until their death at a good old age. The Hill family came to Grant County about 1830, and like the Winslows were prominent early members of the Quaker Church. All the various members of these early families are buried in Back Creek Cemetery. Seth Winslow was married in Wayne County, and then moved to Fairmount Township, entering one hundred and sixty acres of government land. It was on that pioneer farm that he and his wife reared their family, and lived and died. Twelve acres of the old Winslow farm is now the present beautiful Park Cemetery of Fairmount. Seth Winslow died at the age of eighty-one years and his wife was seventy-seven at the time of her death. In their family were the following children: Sarah, Elizabeth, Caroline, Jesse and Ruth, who became Mrs. Elliott. She fell heir to most of her father's large estate and the value of the property has been donated to Earlham College at Richmond, the property to pass to that institution when Mr. and Mrs. Elliott die. Mr. Elliott is an active member of the local Quaker Church, as was also his wife, and in which he has been a member for many years. In church and civic affairs he has always borne his full share of responsibilities. He has given service as township trustee, and in politics has been active in the Prohibition cause. To the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott was born on child, Metella, who lived less than one year and was buried on her first anniversary. Mrs. J. Nixon Elliott died August 19, 1913, and is buried in Park Cemetery, Fairmount.

Centennial History of Grant County Indiana 1812-1912. The Lewis Publishing Co., 1914