Short Biography of Charles M. Orr

Charles M. Orr, formerly and for many years engaged in the railway mail service and now engaged in the mercantile business at Selma, member of the firm of Orr & Murray, dealers in hardware, implements and coal, is a member of one of the pioneer families of Delaware County, the Orrs having been represented here since in the 1830s when James Orr came over here from Greene County, Ohio, with his family and settled along Campbell Creek in the lower part of Delaware Township a mile or two east of the present village of Desoto. Charles M. Orr was born on the old home farm in Delaware Township on August 23, 1850, and is a son of James and Julia Ann (Hopping) Orr, the latter of whom was born in Greene County, Ohio, a member of the pioneer Hopping family of that county. James Orr, who represented this district in the State Legislature during the time of the Civil War, was later State Senator from this district and who also served the county for years as a member of the Board of County Commissioners, was a native of Ireland, born in the town of Omagh, County Tyrone, February 25, 1815, and was six years old when in 1821 he came to this country with his parents, James and Elizabeth (Jamison) Orr, the family locating in the white Sulfur Springs neighborhood in Greenbriar County, Virginia, later moving into Monroe County, same state, now included in West Virginia. There the Orr family remained until in 1836 when they moved to Greene County, Ohio, and two years later, in 1838, came over here into the New Purchase and settled in Delaware Township, this county. The senior James Orr bought 320 acres of land here and put up his home in Section 27, near the south boarder of Delaware Township. His children, Joseph, Margaret, Samuel, Martha and James, accompanied him here. The junior James Orr was twenty-three years of age when he came over here in 1838. In January of that same year, in Greene County, he had married Julia Ann Hopping and he and his bride settled down to the serious task of creating a home in a woodland wilderness. He was a good farmer and it was not long until he became recognized as one of the representative farmers of the new county, as well as one of the leaders in the Whig Party in this part of the state. In 1844 he was elected to represent his district on the Board of the County Commissioners and for five or six years he served in that important public capacity. In 1853 he was elected to represent this district in the Lower House of the Indiana General Assembly and in 1861 was sent back to the House, thus representing this district in the Legislature during the stressful times of the Civil War. In 1871 he was elected to represent this senatorial district (Delaware and Madison counties) in the Senate. In other ways, in various local capacities, he also rendered public service and was accounted one of the strong men of his generation in this county. James Orr died in 1895. He was twice married. His first wife (Julia Ann Hopping) died on April 30, 1869 and in June 1870, he married Martha J. Campbell, of Selma. To James and Julia Ann (Hopping) Orr were born eight children, those besides the subject of this sketch (the sixth in order of birth) being William, James David, Margaret J., Samuel, Joseph N., Elizabeth Matilda and Mary Rebecca. The eldest son, William Orr, was Colonel of the 20th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. On July 14, 1875, Charles M. Orr was united, secondly, in marriage to Kate A. Sayre, daughter of William and Margaret (Scott) Sayre. Mrs. Orr died on June 30, 1913. Charles M. Orr grew up on the home farm in Delaware Township, completed his schooling at old Asbury University (now DePauw) at Greencastle, Indiana, and for some more than ten years was engaged in teaching school during the winters, meanwhile continuing his attention to the farm, and was thus engaged until in 1879 he entered the railway mail service, a service in which he was engaged for something more than forty years, or until his retirement in 1920. During all these years of postal service Mr. Orr had but two "runs," that between Pittsburgh and St. Louis and between Cleveland and St. Louis, and he was retired with honor. Upon his retirement form the railway mail service Mr. Orr settled down in his old home town of Selma and became engaged in the hardware and coal business in association with his nephew, James Orr Murray, of whom further mention is made elsewhere, and has since been thus engaged, doing business under the firm name of Orr & Murray. Mr. Orr is a Republican. From the days of his youth until a few years ago he had been a member of the United Presbyterian Church, in the faith of which communion he had been reared. He then united with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Selma.

Source: "History of Delaware County, Indiana" ⁶⁵⁷