from The History of Hendricks County (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914)----pages 250-252
The following is a brief sketch of the life of one who, by close attention to business, has achieved marked success in the world's affairs and risen to an honorable position among the enterprising men of the county with which his interests are identified. It is a plain record, rendered remarkably by no strange or mysterious adventure, no wonderful and lucky accident and no tragic situation. Mr. Benbow is one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never seeks, who command the respect of their contemporaries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they live.
Charles Franklin Benbow, of Clay Township, was born in the county in which he has spent his entire life on November 2, 1867. He is the son of Harvey R. and Lydia (Atkins) Benbow, his father being a native of this county, and his mother of Kentucky. Harvey R. Benbow served his country nobly and well in the dark days of the Civil war and after returning home worked for his father on the home farm for about two years. He then married and engaged in farming on forty acres which his father gave him. To Mr. and Mrs. Harvey R. Benbow were born two children, Charles Franklin and Oscar, who married Daisy Blunk of Clay Township.
Charles F. Benbow was given the best common school education which his home township afforded, attending school in the Dover school district. He spent his summer vacations working on his father's farm, and after finishing his educational training he continued to work with his father until his marriage. About three years after he purchased seventy acres of land, part of which is now included in the present farm where he is living. He has been uniformly successful in all of his transactions and has improved his place in the way of buildings, fencing, drainage, etc., until it presents a very attractive appearance. He has inaugurated a scientific system of crop rotation which keeps the soil of his farm up to the highest point of productivity.
On December 18, 1894, Mr. Benbow was married to Nora Whicker, the daughter of Allen and Amanda J. (West) Whicker, and to this union there has been born one child, Leland W., who is still under the parental roof. Allen Whicker, the father of Mrs. Benbow, was a native of North Carolina and came to this state when a small lad with his parents. They located in Franklin Township, this county, and in that township he received his education. He followed the occupation of a farmer all his life, and to him and his wife were born eleven children: Mary, who became the wife of John Bundy; George, deceased; Sinia, the wife of Louis Beasley; Simon, who married Nora Wright; Dennis married Gertrude Mason; Otto, who married Martha Schneider; Effie, deceased; Perman, deceased; Nora, the wife of Mr. Benbow and two who died in infancy. Mrs. Benbow's grandparents were Frederick and Elizabeth (Cosmer) Whicker. Mrs. Benbow's mother died April 1, 1910.
The grandparents of Mr. Benbow were Elam and Lydia (Harvey) Benbow. Elam Benbow was a native of North Carolina and came to Hendricks County, Indiana, when a young man and here he married. To this union were born five children: Thirza, Nancy, Sarah, Rhoda and Harvey, the father of Charles F. Benbow. Thirza, deceased, married Woodson Bryant, also deceased; Nancy married Eli Duffey; Sarah married William Hunt, who is mentioned specifically elsewhere in this volume; Rhoda married George Tincher.
Mr. Benbow has been a life-long Republican, but has never felt any inclination to take an active part in politics, his agricultural interests having required his attention to such an extent that he has left the political game to others. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, at Amo, and are firm believers in the efficacy of church life in its relation to the good of this community. Mr. Benbow was treasurer of the church for a period of ten years. He is a man who is vitally interested in the educational, moral and civic advancement of his community and takes every opportunity to further every movement looking toward its welfare.