Compendium of Biography Of Henry County, Indiana                                                  B. F. Bowen1920                                                    NATHAN H. STARR.             Nathan Hollingsworth Starr, a scion of the old ante-Revolutionary family of Pennsylvania, was born December 29, 1835, on the homestead of his parents in Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, and was named in honor of Nathan Hollingsworth, of that city, whose son, born on the same day, was named Charles West Hollingsworth as a return compliment, which will be better understood by the reader when this biographical notice shall have been further perused.  The parents of Nathan H. Starr were Charles West and Elizabeth (“Wilson)Starr, the former of whom was born in Philadelphia February 28, 1793, and as a boy played with his mates tinder the elm tree made famous by William Penn as the site of his treaty with the Indians when he made his purchase of the state.Elizabeth (Wilson) Starr was born near Wilmington, Delaware, February 14, 1798, was married at the East Nottingham meeting house, in Cecil County. Maryland,November 4 1819, both families being members of the Society of Friends. Charles Starr was a son of John and Mary (West) Starr, the mother being a daughter of John and Catherine Wilson West, it will be remembered, was the family name of John. Lord De La Ware, after whom the state, bay and river Delaware were named as well as West Point, New York, the site of the United States Military Academy on the Hudson River.  In 1825 Charles and Elizabeth Starr came to Indiana and settled in Wayne County on a farm, which is now, but a square south of the railroad depot at Richmond.  Here the father died May 1, 1858, and the mother July10, 1884. Their remains were  interred in Ridge cemetery, three miles east of the city. The original Starr homestead in Wayne county is now overlapped by the city, and this growth made Charles and his          family wealthy. The homestead comprised three hundred acres and was bounded on the south by Main Street, by Nineteenth Street on the east and on the north and west by the river. In the early days Mr. Starr was the proprietor of the Starr hotel on   Main Street, but later devoted his time to the promotion of the growth of the city; a     portion of his old homestead still remains unsold.  To Charles and Elizabeth Starr were born ten children, of whom two sons and one daughter still survive, viz: Benjamin, a  piano manufacturer at Richmond; Joseph W., a farmer in Nebraska, and Hannah A. Leeds, of New York City, her sons being at the head of the American TinPlate Company. When their son Nathan H. was but nine years of age he was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be educated, but grew homesick, ran away from school and returned to his home and received a whipping from his father. He then entered the  Gaar, Scott& Company factory and was employed eight years, during which period he learned all the details in the manufacture of threshing machines and even of steam engines. He next went to work as fireman on the Chicago & Great Eastern railroad         (new the Panhandle) and later became its wood-buying agent on theCincinnati route.           While thus engaged he visited Middletown. Indiana, in 1860 and purchased the land which is still the homestead of his widow. At the time he located on this land it was covered by a thick growth of timber, but he cleared off ten acres, sold the wood to the railroad company, there being only a log cabin on the land, and in 1866 erected a comfortable modern dwelling. September 1868, Mr. Starr married Miss Clara Gustin, a most amiable young lady and a daughter of Amos and Margaret (Eyer) Gustin, both of whom were natives of Warren County, Ohio, and came to Indiana in 1839 where they were at once classed among the best people of Madison County, in which they made their home.  Mrs. Clara Starr was then aninfant of, two years, having been born in Warren County, Ohio, March 1, 1837.Mr. Starr was a birth-right member of the Society of Friends and at his marriage was cited to appear before a meeting of the elders of the class towhich he belonged and was reprimanded for marrying outside of the pale, but he was  willing to bear there primand and more for the sake of the sweet society of his chosen bride.  When Mr. Starr first settled down to farming he bought one hundred and sixty acres of woodland, to which he added from time to time, until he owned three hundred          and seventy-seven acres in one body, of which he placed two hundred and seventy   seven under cultivation. The land wassubmerged by water each spring and a great    deal of drainage had to be done. A company was therefore formed, known as the      Rhoberta Franklin Ditch Company, which laid many miles of eighteen-inch tile, thousandsof rods being sunk under the surface of the Starr land at a cost of five thousand dollars, but the fields in the neighborhood are now well drained and are remarkably productive. Mr. Starr was also amember of the company that constructed the pike to Middletown. As a farmer he grew the general crops of the latitude and also bred high-grade stock for his own use and fattened cattle andswine for marketing. Mr. Starr was called from earth July 21, 1896, by a strokeof apoplexy. He had been in poor health for about a year, but although confined to the house the winter prior to his death, had been able to superintend and direct the affairs of his farm. He was a kind and loving husband and anindulgent father and his departure was deeply mourned by his hundreds of friends among whom he had so long lived and whom lie had benefited in a hundred ways through his public spirit, good advice and charitable acts, while his widow and surviving children were prostrated with grief. He had long been a member of the Masonic fraternity and his body was borne by Masonic bearers.  In politics he was a Republican, but, though he never aspired to public office,his influence was widespread and effective in behalf of  the party.  To Nathan H. and Clara (Gustin) Starr were born three children,namely: Benjamin, who died at the age of three years, eight months and twenty-nine days; Amos          Charles who was born July 13, 1872, graduated from Perdue University in the dairy   department, after reaching his twentieth year, was employed in a butter and cheese factory in Middletown and then returned to the home farm, which he managed until    his father’s death and which still stands in the mother’s name; Margaret C., born September 30, 1877, was educated in the common school sand December 18, 1901, married Joseph F. McCorniack. The latter is anagriculturist, is a graduate of Middle town high school, and now resides on the Stover homestead. Mrs. Starr is a devout member of the Christian (New Light)church, which Mr. Starr had also attended and to the support of which he was a most liberal contributor financially and in the teachings of which he had implicit faith.  Mrs. Starr has in her possession an old parchment sheep skin deed dated October 15, 1825, and bearing the signature of President Andrew Jackson.