Dr. Benjamin A. Penn

    Dr. Benjamin A. Penn was born in Shelby Township, Jefferson County, July 22, 1824. He was the son of Ephraim and Mary Ann (Warfield) Penn.

    His father was a native of Pennsylvania and a descendant of William Penn, the found of that State.

    Benjamin Penn, grandfather of Dr. Penn, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The father of Dr. Penn was born in 1784, and came to Kentucky about the year 1800; he first stopped at Maysville a short time, and removed there to Frankfort, where he located.

    He bought or entered three different tracts of land, which he lost by priority of title in other names. He married in Kentucky, and removed to Indiana about the year 1816, so that part of his children were born in Kentucky and the younger part in Indiana.

    He settled in Shelby Township, about two miles west of where the town of Canaan now is, and built the first brick house in that township.

    Dr. Penn was born on this farm, and spent his life here until thirteenth year. He attended school, first going to John Gillespie, one of the pioneer teachers of the county. Among other teachers to whom he went were Thomas Hicklin, Wm. H. Phillipps, and Henry Mavity, who all became prominent men. The school house was built by his father and two or three other settlers.

    Dr. Penn studied in these schools, besides the elementary branches, Latin, Chemistry and Natural Philosophy.  At the age of sixteen he spent one year in the office of Dr. Thomas Watson, of Shelby County, Kentucky, in the study of medicine. Then he returned home and read in the office of Dr. Howard Watts, of Madison, for two years. Then he read the library of Dr. Hyel Morrison, also of Madison. About this time he went to Lewis County, Kentucky, and read and practiced one year with Dr. T. O. Mershon. Then he put up his shingle independently, or on his own hook, September 20, 1846, at Oldtown, Kentucky, and practice for three years, and then removed to a point near Camden, Carroll County, Indiana. In 1853 he removed to Miami, and remained there until February, 1857, from whence he removed to Jefferson County, Indiana, where he has since resided, first at Canaan for two years, an since then at Bryantsburgh.

    After coming to this county he attended lectures at Cincinnati, and graduated in the class of 1864-65.

    On the 4th of November, 1856, at Miami, he was married to Miss Rebecca E. Guest, and they have five children: Luke, born July 23, 1857; Mary, June 8, 1860; Ben F., April 5, 1866; John S., September 10, 1867, and Silas, September 22, 1872. The eldest son is a practicing physician in Aurora, Indiana; he read medicine with his father and attended lectures at the Louisville School of Medicine. Mary married J. G. Butt, of Illinois, and has three sons. Ben F. is traveling in Montana; John is in Janesville, Wisconsin, attending a school of telegraphy, and Silas is still at home with his parents.

    Dr. Penn's parents both died in the 73d year of their age, his father in 1856, and his mother in 1860.

    At the age of 17 Dr. Penn joined the Baptist Church, but left that church at Miami, Indiana, because there no Baptist Church there, and united with the Christian Church; he then withdrew from that church on account of peace principles had established a church called the Church of the Prince of Peace; but owing to a difficulty in procuring a room for meeting, it was discontinued, and he became a member of the Hebron Baptist Church, and has remained a member in that church to the present.

    Dr. Penn owns and resides on a very nice little farm of fifty acres of good land.

    Since his graduation at Miami Medical College he has studied the German and Greek languages, so as to speak, read and write the German and to read and teach the Greek.

    Dr. Penn was ordained a minister of the Christian Church, and has devoted a large portion of time, study and hard service in teaching and preaching the pure and unadulterated word of God as given to the world by Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace, and His Apostles, and in opposition to human creeds, human churches and war under all shapes and forms.

Source: Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. By John M. Gresham & Co., 1889.