SENECA CHAMBERS. Madison County is essentially an agricultural community, and is noted no less for the excellence of its farms than for the public spirit and enterprise of the agriculturists who till them, One of these successful farmers, a resident of the County for more than half a century, and still engaged in active pursuits, is Seneca Chambers, the owner of sixty-three acres of excellent land located on the Alexandria pike, in Richland Township, Mr. Chambers was born on the farm which he now occupies, February 24, 1861, and is a son of John H. and Julia A. (Drybread) Chambers. The family is an old and honored one of this section, having been founded in Madison County by the grandfather of Mr. Chambers, There were five children in the family of Mr. Chamber’s parents: William, who is deceased”; Sarah, who is the wife of Mr. Eshelman; Joseph, deceased; Seneca, and Clarissa, who is deceased. Both Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were members of the Christian church.
The childhood home of Seneca Chambers was a little log house, which had been erected by his father some years prior to his birth, and he was reared amid pioneer surroundings, As was expected of all Indiana farmers’ sons of his day, he began to assist his father and brothers in clearing the home place as soon as he was able to do his share, his educational advantages being secured in the short winter terms in the district schools of Richland Township and College Corners, Reared thus to agricultural pursuits, it was but natural that he should adopt farming as a vocation upon reaching years of maturity, and his subsequent success in his calling is ample evidence that he made no mistake in his choice, His operations, commenced in a modest manner, have assumed large proportions, and he now occupies a substantial and firmly-established place among the agriculturists of his community, where he is known as a skilled and intelligent farmer and excellent judge of cattle, Mr. Chambers has used modern methods exclusively, taking advantage of the various discoveries and inventions which have made farming assume a position on a par with the professions, and showing good business “judgment in disposing of his products and cattle; which have always brought top-notch prices in the markets, His comfortable home, situated on Anderson Route No, 1, is surrounded by buildings of handsome architectural design and substantial character, and the whole appearance of the property denotes the presence of prosperity, thrift and able management.
Mr. Chambers was married to Miss Callie Burke, now deceased, who was a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Mahoney) Burke, old and prominent settlers of Madison County who are now deceased. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. .Chambers, namely: Clara; who is deceased; Ward, who married Millie Scott and resides in Richland Township; and Earl, who married Ethel Scott, and has two children- Mildred and Calvin.
Mr. Chambers attained distinction as a member of the famous Federal jury chosen on the noted Los Angeles Times dynamite case, which opened October 1, 1912, before Federal Judge A. B. Anderson, in Indianapolis, when forty-six men, most of them union labor officials and agents, were placed on trial on the charge of complicity in more than 100 dynamite explosions, including that which destroyed the Los Angeles Times building, Of these two pleaded guilty, the charges against three were dismissed at the opening of the trial, and thirty-eight were given various sentences in the Federal prison, although some of the latter have since been released on bail, This has been Mr. Chambers’ only public service, as he has not sought preferment in public or political life, preferring to devote his whole attention to his home and his farm. He has been a life-long member of the Christian church, and has been liberal in his support of its movements.