Francis M. Dugger, an honored and beloved citizen, whose name has long been associated with all the best interests of this community and county, died Sunday night at his home on Mechanic Street. He had been in declining health for the past few years and at various times had been confined to his home. While he had practically retired from active business life, he still made daily trips to his office until the beginning of his last illness a few weeks ago. No citizen of Bloomfield had ever done more for the community as a whole or for individuals than had Mr. Dugger. His generosity, kindness, uprightness and clean Christian life is so well known in this section of the state as to need no eulogy. The family of which he is a representative is traceable through several generations to Mark Dugger who came to this county in a very early day, but of whose life and antecedent little is known. A biographical sketch published in the
Greene County History gives the following account concerning the ancestry of Mr. Dugger and his own career:
"The Duggers have long been noted for splendid and symmetrically developed physique, the men being unusually tall and erect, of fine presence and vigorous constitutions, while their mental and moral characteristics appear to have harmonized with their bodily powers-honorable and upright in their relations with their fellow men, scrupulously honest in all their dealings, and possessing in a marked degree the qualities of head and heart that insure good citizenship. They have ever exercised a wholesome moral influence and always stood high in the esteem of the people with whom they mingled. Thomas DUGGER, father of Francis M., was born in this state in 1817. He was an honest hardworking man, having cleared a farm from the primitive forest and devoted his life to the pursuit of agriculture, in which he was more than ordinarily successful. He accumulated a handsome competency and became one of the well-to-do men of the community in which he lived. Originally a Whig in politics, he afterwards became a Republican, and for many years was an active and influential member of the Christian church. Sabra Floyd, wife of Thomas Dugger, was born in 1816, in Tennessee. She bore her husband nine children, and departed this life in Bloomfield, August 26, 1903. Mr. Dugger dying at Jonesboro [now Hobbieville] on June 6, 1874. Of their nine children, four are living at the present time [in 1923], namely: William R. Dugger, of Dugger, Hettie Meredith, widow of Ambrose Meredith, of Dugger; Elizabeth Martha, wife of O. B. Richeson, and Nancy E. Lamb, wife of J.E. Lamb. The four other members of the family deceased were twin sisters, Mary and Susan, the former dying in childhood, the later when a young woman, Sarah, widow of J. L. Oliphant, and Thaddeous H. Dugger."
Francis M. Dugger was born June 6, 1841, in Greene County, Indiana, and spent his childhood and youth on the home farm in Jackson township, remaining under the parental roof until his twentieth year. In the meantime he attended the district schools during the winter months, devoting the rest of the year to labor on the farm, and in this way he passed the time until the breaking out of the Civil war. On July 28, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, Eighteenth Indiana Infantry, and immediately thereafter accompanied his command to the front, seeing his first service in Missouri under General Jefferson C. Davis. Later his regiment served in the commands of Fremont and Curtis, and while under the latter general Mr. Dugger participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and he was also in the engagement at Helena, that state. Subsequently his regiment joined Grant's army and took part in the siege and capture of Vicksburg, going thence to Texas, where he re-enlisted December 31, 1863, the entire regiment veteranizing, after which he returned home on a furlough, where he cast his fist presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln. Rejoining his command, which had been transferred to the arm under General Sheridan, he was with that intrepid leader in all the battles of the Shenandoah Valley, and afterwards went to southwestern Georgia, where his military service terminated, with an honorable discharge, bearing date of August 28, 1865. He entered the army as a private, but later rose to the rank of brevet captain, in which capacity he continued a little over one year, but was never mustered in as captain, and was mustered out of the service as first sergeant.
Returning to his home at the close of the war, Mr. Dugger turned his attention to the pursuits of civil life, and in 1866 was elected sheriff of Greene county, which office he held two terms of two years each, or four years. At the expiration of his term he removed to Jonesboro, this county, where he was again elected to the office of sheriff, the duties of which he discharged for a period of four years more, in all eight years, proving an able and fearless as well as a very popular public servant, as is amply indicated by his long term of office. In the year 1876 Mr. Dugger engaged in the grain and milling business, which from the beginning proved remunerative, and later, in 1882, he began developing the coal industry, which he conducted in connection with his other interests, producing coal principally from his own lands in Sullivan and Greene counties, associated with the late Henry T. Neal, opening what was known as the old Dugger mine, establishing the town of Dugger, which was so named in honor of Mr. Dugger. In 1885 they opened a mine named Champion in that locality, and in 1888 purchased on-half interest in the Summit mine, located just west of Linton, which they successfully operated for several years, and opened what is known as the New Summit mine, which was sold upon the death of Henry T. Neal. Mr. Dugger then associated with his brother, William R. Dugger, opened the Sunflower mine near Dugger, and of this company our subject is the president and a heavy stockholder, with the home offices at Bloomfield. After opening the first shafts in the Greene-Sullivan coal fields he sold a portion of his grain and milling interests and for some time thereafter conducted the coal industry upon quite an extensive scale, opening mines at Midland, Lattas Creek and Letsinger, near Jasonville, and the Clover Leaf at Cass, all of which proved very productive and added greatly to the liberal income of which he was then the recipient. After some years he disposed of all his mining interests except the one at Dugger.
In the meantime, Mr. Dugger became interested in banking at Dugger and Bloomfield, being instrumental in organizing the Citizens' State Bank of this city, besides doing a general banking business at the former town in connection with merchandising. He was also interested in various other business enterprises, including the Farmers and Mechanics Building Loan and Savings Association, which he helped organize and was its first president, and the Linton Water Works Company, which he, together with D. J. Terhune and Joe Moss, OF Linton, organized making it possible for the city of Linton to enjoy the benefits of a city water works system. In this enterprise he was interested up until about a year ago, when the plant was taken over by the city. He was also president of the Worthing Cement Products Company. He also helped to organize the Bloomfield Trust Company and was president of that institution until a year ago. In the management of the various lines of business in which he was engaged Mr. Dugger displayed executive ability of a high order, sound judgment and sagacity, which enable him to foresee with remarkable accuracy the outcome of his various ventures.
In his undertakings he had not been content to follow the dictates of others, but invariably took the initiative, his ability to plan and lead being recognized and appreciated by his associates, who were every ready to defer to his judgment and act in harmony with his directions. Few men of Greene County have risen to the commanding position he occupied and none exceeded him in the ability to turn apparent defeat into decided success.
He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, Lodge 84, including the Royal Arch degree, and also held membership in the Independent Ord of Odd Fellows of Bloomfield. In politics he was pronounced in his allegiance to the Republican party and in religion was identified with the Christian church, for the organization which in 1874 Mr. Dugger was largely responsible and of which he has been an elder continuously since and contributing largely to the construction of their present church home, as well as in its support.
On November 2, 1865, Mr. Dugger and Abbie Lamb, daughter of John W. and Patsy LAMB were united in the bonds of wedlock, Mrs. Dugger dying March 26, 1904. November 2, 1906 he married his present wife whose maiden name was Nora Hatfield, a native of Greene County, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Hatfield, for many years prominent residents of Jackson Township and of this place.
Funeral services will be held at the home here Wednesday afternoon at 1:30, in charge of Rev. T. A. COX, county evangelist of the Christian church, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Marshall, of Orleans, and the Rev. John W. Moody, Pastor of the Bloomfield Christian church. A special train will be run from Sullivan to Bloomfield tomorrow for the convenience of those from Sullivan county and the western part of Greene who desire to attend the funeral of Mr. Dugger. This is done as a recognition of his long identification with the coal interest of that section and a token of the high esteem in which the was held. Only on one other occasion in the history of the county was a like plan carried out, that being at the death of Henry T. Neal, who was Mr. Dugger's partner.
