S. A. ROBE Compendium of Biography Of Henry County, Indiana B.F. Bowen. 1920. Surnames in this biography are: ROBE, Cleggish, Butler, Shaw, Houser, Hartley Among the young men who have achieved eminence and distinction in Henry County because of their high personal qualities and eminent fitness for their profession, none have achieved a more pronounced success than the gentleman whose name appears above. He was born March 23, 1871, at Luray, Prairie township. Henry county, Indiana, and is the son of Solomon A. and Eliza (Cleggish) Robe. The former was born in Virginia in December, 1828, and his wife was born in Ireland September 29, 1832. Solomon A. Robe was the son of David and Sarah Robe both of Irish descent. They were reared in Virginia and located in Henry County, this state, when the father of the subject was about two years old. They settled on the farm now owned by T. C. Robe and made that place their home until their deaths. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom are yet living, as follows: Solomon A., the father of the subject whose death occurred November 24, 1891; Thornton C.; Mary A., deceased; Naomi; Robert, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased; John A., a resident of Delaware county. Solomon A. was united in marriage June 4, 1862, to Eliza A. Butler, of Prairie township, this county, and they settled at Luray where he worked at the carpenter's trade, later in life retiring onto his farm north of Luray. He and his wife were the parents of five children, of whom one is deceased, as follows: Sarah E born June 5, 1863 is the wife of W. R. Shaw, a farmer near Luray, and they have seven children. Clay, Emma, Elmer, Lucy, Clifford, Leland and Vergie, Anna, born November 24, 1864, died in infancy; Emma M., born April 18, 1867, is the wife of Daniel B. Houser, of Luray, and they have one child, Robert R., born October 1, 1891; Thornton C., born April 10, 1869, married Orpha Hartley; S. A., the subject. The subject of this sketch attended the schools of his township and also the high school at Springport. At the age of about eighteen years he entered Purdue University, taking the civil engineering course, and was there during the years 1889-90-91. He was then called home because of the illness of his father and was not enabled to finish the course. He remained upon, the home farm until 1893, when he went to Marniette, Wisconsin. After remaining there about three years, he came home and in the fall of 1896 he accepted the position of deputy surveyor of Rush County under County Surveyor Harkless, holding this position until the spring of 1898. In the spring of the latter year he was nominated for the position of surveyor of Henry County and in the ensuing fall was elected to the office. In 1900 he was elected to succeed himself and so eminently satisfactory were his services that in the spring of 1902 he was for the third consecutive time nominated for that office. His political affiliations have always been with the Republican Party and ever since attaining his majority he has taken an active part in the political campaigns of his party in Henry county. Fraternally he is a member of Lodge No. 410, K. P., at Oakville, and Lodge No. 377 I. 0. 0. F., at Springport. He is also a member of the encampment and Lodge No. 383 of the Rebekahs. Religiously he is a member of the Methodist Protestant church at Luray. Of pleasing personality and easily approachable, he is a most agreeable companion, popular in the best society circles of the city, and numbers his warm personal friends by the score. His many worthy personal traits of character have won him a high position in the estimation of the public and his future is looked forward to with high hopes by his friends.