Joshua B. Carney
Joshua B. Carney was born at
Morristown, Ind., Nov. 14, 1881; son of William T. and
Christina (Ballebaugh) [Bollibaugh] Carney.
William T. Carney
was born in Shelby Co. (?), Ind., in 1852. His father, Joshua Carney,
who was a farmer and mcht., was born in Penn., and later moved to Shelby Co.,
Ind., where he operated a gen. store. William T. Carney was reared on a
farm, and later engaged in farming. He also taught sch. several
years. He died at Morristown, Ind., in 1927. His wife, Christina
(Ballebaugh) Carney, who was born in Morristown, Ind., in 1855, also is
dead. William T. and Christina (Ballebaugh) Carney are buried at Hanover,
Shelby Co., Ind. They were the parents of 4 children: (1) Gertrude,
who resides in Shelbyville, Ind. She is the widow of Dr. H. E.
Phares, who was a physician. (2) Maude, who married Henry
Herther. His is a retired farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Herther reside at
Morristown, Ind. (3) Joshua B. (4) Edward O., who
resides in Greensburg, Ind., where he has been a mem. of the Sch Bd. since 1936.
Joshua B. Carney,
the subject of this sketch, attended high sch. at Morristown, Ind. He took
a teachers' training course at Valparaiso (Ind.) Univ., and later was a student
of the East Business Coll., in Indianapolis, Ind. In 1907 he took a short
course in agriculture at Purdue Univ. He taught rural grade schs. in
Shelby Co., Ind. 2 years, teaching in a 2-room bldg., after which he was mgr of
the Eagle Range Co., in Shelbyville, 3 years (1902-05). He then was
employed as a bookkeeper and gen. office worker by Graft & Johnson, Inc., a
canning company at Greenwood, Ind., where he contd. from 1905 to 1907.
After attending Purdue Univ. he retd. to his father's farm at Morristown, and
entered the dairy and poultry business. In the meantime he was active in
al community work. For 15 years he conducted experiments, and engaged in
special work pertaining to dairying and poultry raising. During that time
he bred purebred Jersey and Holstein cattle, and shipped milk to
Indianapolis. He served as pres. of the Ind. State Dairy Assn. 4
years. Mr. Carney made the first public lecture in the state of Ind.,
regarding milking machines, which he was the first person to adopt for
use. His wife later became interested in poultry breeding, and with Mr.
Carney entered the poultry business, their original stock having consisted of 10
hens and a rooster, all White Leghorns. During the winter of 1925 Mr.
Carney moved from his farm to Shelbyville, where on Dec. 15th of that year, he
estab. at 24 West Broadway what became known as the Carney Hatcheries,
Inc. In 1926 he moved to larger quarters at 220 South Harrison St., and in
1932 Mr. Carney had estab. 12 hatcheries and feed-supply stores, all of which
were within a 60-mile radius of Shelbyville, one store having been estab. in
Indianapolis. He also began handling poultry supplies and
equipment. He later estab. the Carney Grocery, which is located on the
Public Square, in Shelbyville, where it is one of the leading grocery
stores. In 1932 Mr. Carney sold several of his 12 stores, retaining those
in Shelbyville, Franklin, Greensburg, Carthage, Greenwood, and Osgood. The
same year he purchased in Shelbyville, a feed-mfg. plant, covering approx. 2 and
a fourth acres of land. The business was operated in connection with the
Carney Hatcheries, Inc., with Joshua B. Carney as pres., his brother, E. O.
Carney, vice-pres., and William E. Carney (son of Joshua B.),
sec.-treas. Products of the firm consisted of poultry supplies and
equipment, feed supplies, pet stock supplies, farm and garden seeds, and paint
supplies. Joshua B. Carney now is pres. of Carney's Inc., dealers in
groceries, feed, and farm supplies. For many years Mr. Carney was a dir.
of the Morristown State Bank, and the Union State Bank, both of Morristown,
Ind. He served as a representative from Shelby County in the Ind. State
Legislature, 1925-26. He is a Republican, and is a mem. of the
following: K. of P.; Kiwanis Club (past pres.); Shelby County Chapter,
Citizens Hist. Assn.; and First Christian Church (pres. and chmn. of the church
bd.). His chief interest is organization and experimental work.
In May 1907, Joshua B.
Carney married Ada Lisher, of Shelbyville. Their only child, William
E. Carney, was born May 5, 1908. He was graduated from high sch., and
later was a student of DePauw Univ. 2 years. In 1932 he was graduated from
the Univ of Wis. Sch. of Commerce, in Madison, with an A. B. deg. He is
mgr. of his father's grocery store in Shelbyville, and is also sec.-treas. of
Carney's, Inc. In 1935 he married Naomi William, of
Shelbyville. They are the parents of 2 children, William E., Jr.,
born in Jan. 1936, and John, born Dec. 19, 1938.
Citizens Historical Association, Indianapolis. May
23, 1942. No. 2 D12 E73 F24 JCC/DLH.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
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