Article Concerning Ola and Margaret Amanda Hawkins Inman

Ola N. Inman was born November 20, 1887, in Martin County His parents were Solomon R. and Miranda B. (Ellen Baker) Inman. Ola was one of seven children and had a twin brother, Otis Inman. Otis died during the flu epidemic of 1918-1919.

His wife, Margaret Amanda Inman, was born November 28, 1891. Her parents were John and Jennie Empson Hawkins. The Hawkins family lived and ran a small hotel in Heltonville, Indiana, at one time.

Ola and Amanda were married October 6, 1912, at Shawswick Station. They lived to celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary They had five children; Alice Marie, Juanita, Robert, Marjorie and Eugene. All were graduates of Shawswick High School except Gene who graduated from Bedford High School. Of these five, only Alice Speer now lives in Bedford

Ola worked at many things during his lifetime. As a young boy he helped his father haul stone and lay roads around Burns City, Indiana. He worked in the harvest fields of Indiana and Illinois. After marriage, he and Amanda lived and worked on a farm at Coxton, lndiana; worked in the coal mines at Libertyville, Indiana, and worked for the railroads as a telegrapher in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1918-1919. Moving back to Lawrence County, he worked in the Stone Mills from 1919-1926 as a planerman. He was badly hurt in a stone mill accident and required a long hospital stay and recuperation.

In 1927 the family moved to a farm on Leatherwood Road where they lived until 1943. Ola farmed, worked part time in the Stone Mills, even worked one summer in the canning factory at Brownstown. He then worked for the County running a road grader for a time; was also County Road Superintendent for a period of time. He became County Surveyor in 1944 and held this position until the late 50's. Inman Court (a street in Bedford Heights) is named for Mr. Inman, recorded April 28, 1956. He built a stone home in 1924 doing all the stone work himself. This is located at 22nd and M Streets.

Ola left Bedford and the Surveyor's position to work in Indianapolis for the State Highway Department laying out new highways as a Map Maker. He worked at this until he retired in the early 1960's. He was still working at 70 plus years of age.

The family moved from the farm back to Bedford in 1943. Ola and Amanda moved to Indianapolis in the late 1950's. Ola died in January, 1979, and Amanda died in March, 1980.

The family wanted to pay tribute to Ola's and Amanda's long years of hard work by having them included in the History of Lawrence County.

Historv of Lawrence County. Indiana. 1818-1990, compiled by the Lawrence County Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc., pp. 238-9