Nathan C. Binford, former president and since 1908 cashier of the Capital State Bank of Greenfield, is a native son of Hancock county, having been born on a farm in Blue River township, November 30, 1859, son of Robert and Martha (Hill) Binford, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Indiana, both of whom spent their last days in the neighboring county of Rush.

Robert Binford was about thirteen yeas old when he came to Indiana with his parents, the family settling in Blue River township, this county, being among the pioneers of that part of the county, and there he grew to manhood on the quarter-section claim entered by the father from the government. After his marriage to Martha Hill who was a member of one of the pioneer families of Rush county, Robert Binford engaged in farming on his own account in Blue River township and remained there until 1879, in which year he moved to Rush county, buying a farm in the Carthage neighborhood, where he spent the remainder of his life, being past seventy years of age at the time of his death. He was an extensive landowner and substantial citizen, an earnest Republican in his political views, ever devoted to the cause of good government. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the eighth in order of birth.

Nathan C. Binford was reared on the paternal farm, receiving his elementary education in the district schools in the neighborhood of his home and supplemented the same by a course in Earlham College at Richmond, his parents having been devout Quakers and earnest supporters of that sterling old Quaker institution of learning. He then entered the Indianapolis Business College, from which he presently was graduated and was for some time thereafter employed in the office of his brother, John H Binford, banker, at Greenfield. Following his marriage in the fall of 1890, Mr. Binford moved to Carthage, this state, the home of his wife, where he built a home and engaged in the mercantile business and farming and was thus engaged for eight years, or until the time of the organization of the Capital State Bank at Greenfield, in 1898, in which year he returned to that city and was elected president of the bank, a position he held until 1908, when he became cashier of the bank and has ever since occupied that position, retaining his position as one of the directors of the bank. Mr. Binford is the owner of a valuable farm, to which he gave considerable attention while living at Carthage, and he still is actively interested in the operation of the same. He is an "independent" Republican and gives a good citizen's attention to political affairs, but has never been an aspirant for public office.

On October 16, 1890, Nathan C. Binford was united in marriage to Lucy H. Hill, of Carthage, Rush county, this state, and to this union one child has been born, a son, Donald, who was graduated from the high school at Westtown, Pennsylvania, and is now a student in Chicago University. Mr. and Mrs. Binford are earnest members of the Friends church and take a warm interest in all community good works, Mr. Binford long having been one of the office bearers in the church

Transcribed from History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman, B. L., Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916. Pages 857-858.

Submitted by Sylvia (Rose) Duda, Laingsburg, MI September 12, 2001.

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