Audubon Road House in the Winter of 1910

      Newspaper accounts reported heavy snows throughout the state of Indiana in January of 1910. Some local officials had to deal with ice jams on various rivers. Cold temperatures forced many residents to remain inside for better weather. In Irvington, a photographer snapped an image for a postcard of the Reverend John H. and Martha Starks Ketcham's home at 23 North Audubon Road. The Ketchams likely purchased duplicates of the photos and sent them out to various family members. Martha or "Mattie" mailed one image to her nephew, Charles E. Anderson in Lathrop, California on January 18, 1910, and included an amusing note. Some words have been added to help with the context although you can read the original unedited note on the card pictured below.

     This is none of your Calif. make-believe snows. Just look at the ice cycles and the depths of the white stuff on my steps. It has been better (deeper) than this(.) It is melting some (as) you (can) see at this time. I am warm enough indoors but venture out very little. I hope you received my Christmas greeting. This is the house that we built. Aunt Mat.

     The Ketchams, who were both in their 70s, purchased the land for their home from Robert C. Browning in the spring of 1907. A blurb in the Indianapolis Star on October 13, 1907, noted that the retired minister and his wife moved from their Martinsville, Indiana house and into their newly-built Irvington home in that month. The Ketchams also sold part of their lot to their daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ketcham Piercy and Joseph W. Piercy, in that same year. In the fall of 1908, the Piercys relocated next door in their newly-built residence at 19 North Audubon Road. You can read more about the Piercy family by clicking on the link below. 

     Mattie Ketcham, the author of the note, had been very busy the previous month as she hosted the Women's Home Missionary Society of the Irvington Methodist Church on December 29, 1909. Each member of the committee answered the roll call with a "bit of Christmas cheer." Mrs. Walter Jenney read "The Christmas Story," while others provided the music. Her husband, the Reverend John H. Ketcham, who although retired, frequently substituted for vacationing or ill Indianapolis ministers. 

     In 1911, the elderly couple said goodbye to their daughter's family next door. The Piercys moved to Bloomington, Indiana due to Joseph Piercy's employment as a professor at Indiana University. They also had to say farewell to their talented granddaughter, Josephine Piercy, who would go on to earn many degrees including a Master's degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from Yale University. She followed in her father's footsteps and taught at Indiana University. Newspaper accounts revealed that the Piercys came back to stay with the Ketchams for the holidays for numerous years. 

     The couple lived out the rest of their lives in the Audubon Road residence. Both of them lived into their 90s. Mr. Ketcham died in 1922 followed by Mrs. Ketcham in 1933.

Snow fell upon the Ketcham home during the winter of 1910. You can somewhat see the side of 25 North Audubon Road as well as a barn or carriage house.  (courtesy of Kyle Kingen)

Rear of the photo-postcard sent by Martha Ketcham on January 18, 1910 to her nephew, Charles E. Anderson; (courtesy of Kyle Kingen)

Indianapolis Star, March 10, 1933, p. 3

Indianapolis Star, March 2, 1922, p. 9

23 North Audubon Road on November 27, 2024

Thank you: I am particularly indebted to Kyle Kingen, whose keen eye realized that he likely found a photo of an Indianapolis residence. With the aid of super history-sleuth, Deedee Davis, the pair realized that they had uncovered a photograph of a house in Irvington. I thank them both. 

Sources--Rev. J.H. Ketcham--"Dr. J.H. Ketcham, Methodist Pastor 68 Years, Is Dead," Indianapolis Star, March 2, 1922, p. 9; "The Reverend J. B.  (sic) Ketcham Dead at the Age of 90," Indianapolis News, March 2, 1922, p. 7. Martha "Mattie" Stark Ketcham--"Early State Settler Dies at Home Here," Indianapolis Times, March 10, 1933, p. 12; "Mrs. Martha M. Ketcham, Widow of Pioneer M.E. Minister, Succumbs," Indianapolis Star, March 10, 1933, p. 3; Granddaughter, Dr. Josephine Piercy--"Josephine K. Piercy Had Taught English at Indiana University," Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1995, p. 41; 23 North Audubon--"News of the Churches," Indianapolis Star, December 29, 1909, p. 3; Xmas, 1921--"Personal Mention," Indianapolis Star, December 24, 1921, p.44.

Who Lived Here? Prominent Families Dwelled in Audubon Road Home

The first two families to reside at 19 North Audubon Road played an important role in the history of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. The beautiful American Four Square located along the north circle was built in 1908 for Joseph and Mary Ketcham Piercy. Mr. Piercy was a respected journalist who worked for a variety of newspapers including the Indianapolis Sentinel and the Indianapolis News. He was also a published writer and poet. Some of his short stories appeared in the Atlantic and Century magazines.  His wife, Mary, also appears to have been a writer and journalist. Their only child, Josephine, who was 17 years old when they moved into their newly built home, later became a writer and professor of English at Indiana University. The Piercys did not remain in their new residence for long as Mr. Piercy received an appointment in 1910 to head up the journalism department at the University of Washington.  In 1911, he returned to Bloomington where he took the same position at Indiana University. Mr. Piercy helped to train thousands of budding journalists at I.U. until his retirement in 1938.  Mrs. Piercy passed away in 1940 and Mr. Piercy followed her in 1943. Their daughter, Josephine, never married and lived in their Bloomington home for the rest of her life. She died in 1995 at the age of 99.

Joseph and Mary Piercy built 19 North Audubon in 1908. They sold it to the Jeffries family in 1911. (Pictured in 2017)

Joseph William "Will" Piercy was a journalist for the several newspapers including the Indianapolis Sentinel and the Indianapolis News where he served on the editorial board. He likely worked with another nearby resident, Hilton U. Brown, the publisher of the Indianapolis News. (Undated photo courtesy of Jeffries relatives via Ancestry.com) 

Joseph Piercy is shown in this photo a few years before he moved into his home at 19 North Audubon Road in 1908. He would later serve as the first chair of Indiana University's journalism department. (Undated photo courtesy of Jeffries relatives via Ancestry,com) 

Josephine Piercy, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Piercy, was a brilliant student. She earned her Bachelors's and Master's degrees from Indiana University. She later completed a second Master's degree from Columbia University and a Ph. D in philosophy from Yale University. She taught English at Indiana University for many years before retiring in 1966. (Photo of Josephine Piercy taken in 1918 and appeared in an Indiana University Yearbook)

On November 4, 1911, the Indianapolis Star recorded the sale of the Piercy home to Guy and Augustine Routiers Jeffries. The Jeffries family would remain in the house for over thirty years. Guy Jeffries had a storied career in the rail industry as he worked his way up from telegraph boy to becoming the General Superintendent of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis, & Eastern Traction Company. Thousands of local residents traveled in and out of the city of Indianapolis via traction lines and Mr. Jeffries managed those day-to-day operations. Like the Piercys, the Jeffries had one daughter, who never married. Lorene Jeffries attended nearby Butler University and remained close to her parents. Mrs. Jeffries did not work and was an active member of the Irvington Presbyterian Church. Newspaper articles from the 1920s reveal that Mr. Jeffries dined with Governors and Mayors and was a well-known figure in the city. He also joined the Hoosier Motor Club where he served as an officer. He must have known that automobiles would seal the doom of the traction companies because in 1931 he told a journalist for the Greenfield Daily Reporter, "People want individual transportation. They can run an automobile whether they have the money or not. If they can't buy gasoline and oil, they can borrow it." His prophesy eventually came true and the traction lines closed down in the mid-twentieth century.

Mrs. Jeffries died suddenly of stroke in their home in 1930. Mr. Jeffries passed away in 1941 leaving their only daughter, Lorene, in charge of the pretty home across the street from the Irvington Methodist Church. Diagnosed with heart disease in 1941, Miss Jeffries was advised to live with a friend for two weeks after a spell she experienced at home. Guinevere Ostrander, a neighbor at 323 North Audubon Road, invited her to convalesce at her residence until she felt better. Two weeks turned into thirty years as Miss Jeffries sold the home at 19 North Audubon Road and rented a room from the Ostrander family for the rest of her life until her passing in 1974.

Guy Jeffries, of 19 North Audubon Road, submitted this photo of himself for a publication titled Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis in 1926

Lorene Jeffries, the only child of Guy and Augustine Jeffries, moved into the Ostrander home at 323 North Audubon Road in 1941 to convalesce from heart problems. She came for two weeks and stayed over thirty years with the family. She died in 1974. (Photo taken in 2015)

Sources for the Piercy Family:  "Joseph W. Piercy, Former Professor of Journalism at Indiana U., Succumbs," Indianapolis Star, November 24, 1943, 12; "Miss Piercy, I.U. Author, Will Retire," Indianapolis Star, May 25, 1966, 14; Obituary for Josephine Piercy, Indianapolis Star, February 16, 1995, 41.

Sources for Jeffries Family:  "Guy K. Jeffries Resigns," Hancock Democrat, July 2, 1931, 4; Obituary for Guy Jeffries, Indianapolis Star, March 28, 1941, 16; Obituary for Mrs. Jeffries, Indianapolis Star, September 29, 1930, 12.  Information about Lorene Jeffries, Interview with Nancy Ostrander, February 9, 2017.