DAVID LOVETT, Banker, Geeensburg.
This old and well-known citizen of Decatur County is a descendant of one of the early American families, which settled in Virginia before the beginning of the present century; the English and German nationalities were combined in the blood of his parents, Elias and Sarah (Chenoweth) Lovett, who came from Virginia to Ohio in 1806, and settled on the Miami Purchase (or, as it is sometimes called, the Symmes Purchase), near Dayton, Ohio, where, November 22, 1809, David Lovett was born. When he was but six months old, his father died, and, about five years later, his mother moved to Pendleton County, Ky, and was married to Henry Wicoff; David remained at home, with few advantages for culture, and was employed upon the farm until he was eighteen years of age, when, with his mother's consent, be commenced life for himself.
His first engagement was with a neighboring farmer, where he worked as a common farm-hand, in company with the slaves, for $6.25 a month. At the age of twenty-one years, he entered forty acres of land in Marion County, Ind, and soon after brought his mother and step-father from Kentucky and settled them upon the land, to which he soon added eighty acres more. After improving this, he sold it and bought a quarter section, which was also disposed of, after living upon it two years. He then bought a farm in Shelby County, where he remained until 1837, when he sold his land and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Middletown, in that county. From this time until 1865, he was in business of various kinds, including the wholesale grocer's trade, at Cincinnati, the dry goods trade at Greensburg, etc., in all of which he was very successful. In 1865, he associated with other well-known commercial men of the city of Greensburg, and organized the Citizens' Bank, which became the Citizens' National Bank in 1870, with David Lovett as President; this institution is an excellent monument to his ability as a financier, as it has lost less than $1,000 since its business begun.
Mr. Lovett married to Matilda Conner, of Shelby County, January 10, 1833; they were the parents of three children
- Sarah E. (deceased),
- Margaret (deceased) and
- Eliza, now the widow of the late Levi P. Lathrop.
Mrs. Lovett died September 1, 1839, and, in the following year, he was united in marriage with Hannah Wood, of Rush County; she is a lady of great excellence and is every way worthy of the respect of the wide circle of social friends which surround her. By this present wife, Mr. Lovett is the father of three children
- David (deceased),
- Daniel W., now Vice President of Citizens' National Bank of Greensburg, and
- John W., now a prominent attorney at Anderson, Ind.
At the age of twenty-four years, he united with the Baptist Church in Shelby County, and remained an active member until his second marriage, when he, with his wife, joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has been an official member to the present time. The career of David Lovett may well be referred to as a model for any one in humble life to contemplate; with nothing to start with except strong faith, willing hands and a good and righteous purpose, he has "spanned the course," from obscurity and the companionship of menials, to the highest position of influence and personal integrity; and this is not the result of quick and dashing strokes of speculation, nor the sudden acquisition of "wind-falls," but has been accomplished by a steady, every-day application of the true principles of manhood in the counting-house as well as in the church. He is a kind and indulgent parent, and a man who delights in the blessings of a true home, nothing that will add to the comfort of his household or the well-being of its inmates is too good for his adoption. As a supporter of the Gospel and a friend of the church he has few equals, in fact, no scheme for the maintenance of order and justice was ever known to be discouraged or repudiated by David Lovett.
