In a small, rural community of southeastern Indiana lived a pioneer farmer – William Warder Hamilton. “Warder” migrated to Decatur County from Kentucky in the fall of 1842, where he purchased a hundred-acre farm in Clinton Township. Uncle Warder, as the local citizens lovingly referred to him, was a consummate businessman and farmer throughout his life. When he died in 1907 at the ripe old age of eighty-five, he still owned the first land he bought in 1842, and he had accumulated 1,600 acres in three large tracts in Washington, Clinton, and Fugit Townships in Decatur County.

“The Boss” M.B. & S.

Warder had his hand in many business ventures in the Greensburg area. He was well-known as a “boss” MB&S (mule buyer and seller). He bought and sold hundreds, if not thousands, of mules. In addition to mules, he bought and sold cattle and raised crops on his multiple farms. He was very active in the local Agricultural and Livestock Breeder’s Association. Members frequently noted his sage advice in meeting notes. He purchased an entire row of buildings on the downtown square in Greensburg, where he owned Hamilton, Cunningham, and Company – a hardware, implement, carriage, and farm wagon business.

Innovator

Warder paved the way with innovations of the time. He advocated for gas wells and wind pumps by installing them at his residence and main farm. He was a director for the Vernon, Greensburg, and Rushville Railroad (V.G.& R) and consulted for the Big Four Railroad.

In the News

Warder was very active at the state level, too. In 1891, he was elected as the Director of the State Board of Agriculture. He would go on to be President and Vice President of the State Fair Board, advocating for fair interests around the state. He was a member of the Indiana Tile Makers and is mentioned in the Drainage and Farm Journal as far back as 1878.

Warder Hamilton devoted his life to family, community, and farming, as evident in the more than 450 newspaper articles mentioning this incredible pioneer of Decatur County. And I am proud to call him my third great-grandfather.