James A. Gadbury

    James A. Gadbury, a progressive farmer of Licking Township, was born on the farm where he now resides, the date of his birth being April 25, 1835. His parents settled on this farm in 1834, when the territory now embraced in Blackford County contained more wolves and other wild animals that it now has domestic live-stock

    Our subject was reared amid the scenes attending the clearing up of the wilderness, and his youth was spent in assisting his father in the laborious work of making a farm out of a forest. In his younger days the facilities for obtaining an education were fully as limited as any of the other blessings of an older settled community, but he received such educational advantages as the schools of his neighborhood afforded, and he now looks back with feelings not unmixed with pleasure at the days spent in the old log school-house, with its puncheon floor and rough hewed benches. He remained on the home farm with his parents until reaching manhood, and when twenty-three years of age he went to Illinois, locating in La Clede County, but one year later found him again in Blackford County, and with the exception of this interval spent in La Clede County he has always lived in Blackford County.

    Mr. Gadbury was united in marriage March 4, 1857, to Miss Mary Ann McVicker, who was also born in Blackford County, and reared within a short distance of the Gadbury homestead. Her father, Aaron McVicker, was also one of the pioneers of the county, coming here about the same time as died Mr. Gadbury's parents, whom he met on the way when they were coming to the county.

    Mr. and Mrs. Gadbury have five children living -Clara, Emma, Riley R., John Anderson and Arthur E. In his political views Mr. Gadbury is a Democrat, and takes an active interest in the public affairs of his township or county, although he has never been an office seeker. He has on his place a fine gravel pit, which apparently contains an inexhaustible supply of that material now such a potent factor in the improvement of this region. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gadbury live within sight of the places where they were born, and have seen the many wonderful changes which have taken place in the county, transforming it from a wilderness to its present prosperous condition.

Source: Biographical and Historical Record of Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana by The Lewis Publishing Company, 1887.