John J. Howard
As President of the Van Buren Bank, organized in 1901, John J. Howard occupies a position of no small importance in his community, and his achievements in this and other lines of enterprise have own him a reputation for business perspicacity that is well merited. Many and varied are the lines of activity that have claims his attention and in all he has made good in a material way. His identity with the Van Buren Bank dates from the time of the organization of the concern in 1901, and bids fair to continue indefinitely.
John J. Howard was born March 8, 1868, in Delaware County, on the farm home of his parents, who were Isaiah J. and Sophie A. (Moomaw) Howard, of Ross County, Ohio. The parents are living today in Hartford City, Indiana, aged respectively eighty-two and seventy-eight years. For the first few years of the life of the Van Buren Bank the father was associated with his son, but has since discontinued all active business interests. He was a minister of the German Baptist church, who migrated from Ohio to Washington Township, in Delaware County, in April, 1865, there buying a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. He later added another tract of similar acreage, and he is today the owner of the entire lot, of two hundred and forty acres, as well as his comfortable home in Hartford City. Mr. Howard has filled various ministerial posts in the yeas of his service, and in former days supplied the pulpits by riding horseback over the woodland trails. He was a pioneer preacher in the truest sense of the term, and gave his best to the service of the church in his earlier years. Although he has been virtually retired from the ministry for many years, he yet preaches on occasions. It is characteristic of the man that he gave his services without recompense or earthly reward, being content to devote himself to his farm during he week and on Sunday would preach to gatherings wherever they might be conveniently located. These worthy people reared a fine family of nine children, concerning whom brief mention is here entered: Mrs. Alice White is a resident of Hartford City, Indiana; Mrs. Ella Jane Allen lived in Huntington; Sarah Elizabeth died in Summitville in 1895; William D. is a merchant at Cadiz, Indiana; peter S. is a Van Buren farmer and stockman of some prominence; John J., of this review; McCrylus F. is a resident of Hartford City; Joseph R. is a lumber merchant at Bridgeport, Illinois, but prior to his becoming associated with that business was connected with the Van Buren Bank for some years. Edward S. is cashier of the bank. It should be mentioned here that William D. taught school for nineteen years, having secured his education in the Normal School and the State University at Bloomington, and that the two daughters whoa re now married, also gave several of their younger years to teaching, they also having given excellent educational advantages.
John Howard was educated in the common schools of Delaware County, and he continued at home until he was twenty-two years of age. He was trained in the business of farming, and would have doubtless made a real success of that enterprise had he elected to continue in it. But he early engaged in the timber, grain and see business as a merchant at Summitville, Indiana, continuing there from 1890 to 1901, and during four years of this period he was successfully engaged in the manufacture of brick, and the remainder of the time was devoted to grain, lumber, seeds, and live stock, with a three year period at the end when he was interested actively in real estate, loans and insurance. He gradually disposed of his various holdings, and in 1901 came to Van Buren, where he associated himself with his father, brother and others in establishing the Van Buren Bank.
The building in which the bank is housed was built by the Howards, and in August, 1901, the bank was organized, with a capital stock of $25,000. Edward S. Howard is Cashier, and the Board of Directors is composed of John H. Howard, Edward S. and P. S. Howard. The annual deposits of the bank vary between $200,000 and $225,000, and as one of the well conducted and conservative financial institutions of the county, it has an excellent standing. the bank handles fire insurance also, and represent some of the best old companies. P. S. Howard, who is a stockholder in the bank and a member of its directorate as mentioned above, is a farmer and stockman of Van Buren, and he operates successfully a farm of one hundred and twenty-eight acres.
John Howard was married in 1898 to Mrs. Ann V. Thornton, a daughter of Peter Daugherty, of Somers, Wisconsin.
Mr. Howard is a member of the Pythian Knights, with which he first became affiliated in 1898 in Summitville, and in 1902 he became a charter member of Van Buren Lodge No. 496 Knights of Pythias. He has filled a number of offices in the lodge and was manager of the exchequer for several years.
A man of splendid qualities, Mr. Howard is one who enjoys the undivided confidence and regard of all who share in his acquaintance, and he has played well his part in the duties of citizenship since he came to be a resident of Van Buren.
Centennial History of Grant County Indiana 1812-1912. The Lewis Publishing Co., 1914.