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| By Ben H. Sink, 1958 Revised by Max E. Griffith, 2000 |
| By Dick McDonnell, member of 1958 Centennial Committee BEN SINK is one of those rare individuals whose interests in people and places is complimented by a fine sense of humor and a rare talent for telling a good story. Born in Hymera, Indiana, on Christmas Day, 1888, Ben opened a tailor shop in Jasonville in January 1908. He became Jasonville’s last town clerk, first City Clerk, mayor and served an eleven-year tenure as postmaster, during later years. A close friend of Indiana’s governors during the twenties and early thirties, Mr. Sink was one of the individuals responsible for securing Shakamak State Park for Jasonville and the Tri-County area. Known for his sharp sense of humor and practical jokes, Ben excited the countryside numerous times with his escapades. One of his best feats was jumping off the top rung of a twenty-foot ladder into a bucket of water. Simply turning the ladder upside down, then mounting the first rung, he calmly stepped into the water before an overflow crowd in Jasonville. He also scared away “peddlers” by having fits, planted a garden in the middle of Main Street and when one of his best friends was about to be married, he ran the friends suit through a sewing machine until it was useless. Mr. Sink also served as promoter and manager for several of Jasonville’s top semi-pro baseball teams in the early 1900’s and was a veteran of the famous “Battle of the Bogle Corner” war. He was married in 1911 to Emma Benham, who passed away on August 15, 1956. The Sinks had two sons, Ben, Jr. and Bob and a daughter, Mary. Today (1958), after 50 years on Main Street, Ben H. Sink is a lawyer with law offices in the K. of P. building. Over six months of visiting early settlers, reading old court records, and recalling past memories have gone into the preparation of Jasonville’s history, THE JASONVILLE STORY. |
| ABOUT BEN SINK |
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| Ben Sink Author, Tailor, Town Clerk, Postmaster, City Clerk, Mayor, Historian |
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| MAX GRIFFITH Writer, Postmaster, Electrician, Teacher, Historian, National Association Postmasters United States National Past Vice President, Past State President, Past District President, Past Chamber of Commerce President & Secretary, Alumni Association Past President, Sagamore of the Wabash, Kentucky Colonel |
| ABOUT MAX GRIFFITH |
| By Ramona (Griffith) Phipps, daughter It is very difficult to write about one's father, especially when I know that he will read my finished work. As a member of his family, I know, more than most, of his great fascination with history in general. He is very proud of his roots as a Griffith, and also the roots of Jasonville, and has spent many hours tracking as much information as possible about both. Knowing I share his enthusiasm, we have shared many of these projects together, as we are this one. I feel a great need to gather all of his great knowledge and organize it into the written word. My father was born March 31, 1937, to William and Maude (Wheeler) Griffith, in an apartment that stood very near where the post office stands today. He was the youngest child born to aging parents that already had 7 children, some old enough to be his parents with children older than him. His father was a coal miner, then later ran the local family gas and electric business -- Griffith's Electric. The family later moved to 210 Neal Street, in a house that had been owned by John Griffiths, his grandfather. His parents, William and Maude, lived there until their deaths, his mother on October 18, 1968 and his father on February 2, 1979. Dad has told me stories of wandering the city of Jasonville on his own at a very young age -- I think as young as 3. His favorite places to go were to visit elderly people and sit and listen to them tell stories -- which is maybe where his respect for the past began. He has a talent for retaining information, which is something I don't have. My Dad married my mother, Patricia Roudebush, from Switz City, on June 1, 1958 and and I came a year later, on May 27. They also have 2 sons, Steve, born September 6, 1962, and Brent, born May 31, 1966. They have lived in the same house on 224 Hickory Street, since my 3rd birthday. One of Dad's favorite sayings is "I've never made it very far in life", because he lives and works within a block of where he was born. When I was very little, Dad worked at the family business -- Griffith's Electric, and I remember going with him many times and keeping the old ladies company while he climbed in their attics and rewired their houses. Later, he got hired on at the post office as a janitor. Even when he was hired full-time as a postal employee, he still doubled as a janitor, and my brothers and I would help clean the post office after closing for many years. I am proud to say that he is now the postmaster of the same post office. Mom and Dad have always been active in the community and in the churches. Dad has been a Sunday School teacher, church deacon, president on several committees, and held high office in the National Association of Postmasters of the United States. Dad also announced the Homecoming parade for years. Now that I've gotten started, I could go on forever. I want to close by saying thank you Dad, for being there when I needed you -- for scraped knees, homework, with broken heart, swimming lessons and all the other lessons in life you have taught me or just offered love when the lesson was learned the hard way. As each year goes by, I respect and appreciate you and Mom even more. You have brought to me a stable and loving home, which is very rare these days, and taught me to respect our family past, our hometown, our Saviour Jesus Christ, and most of all, our fellow man. I love you, Dad. My efforts in the websites we do together, are for you. |
| MAIN STREET, JASONVILLE 1950s At the time of Ben Sink's writing, the year of the Centennial, Jasonville was a thriving city, as the picture clearly shows. The block between South Lawton and South Meridian Streets will be completely destroyed by fire just a few year's later, in 1967. |
| THE HISTORY OF JASONVILLE GREENE COUNTY, INDIANA ESTABLISHED 1858 BY JASON ROGERS |
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| PRESENT DAY JASONVILLE This photo was taken by Max Griffith approximately 1998. |
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