from The History of Hendricks County (Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1914)----pages 411-413
It is one of the beauties of our government that it acknowledges no hereditary rank or title, no patent of nobility save that of nature's, leaving every man to establish his own rank by becoming the artificer of his own fortune. Places of honor and trust, rank and preferment thus happily placed before every individual, high or low, rich or poor, to be striven for by all, but earned alone by perseverance and sterling worth, are most always sure to be filled with deserving men, or at least by those possessing the energy and talent essential to success in contests where public position is the prize. A. Emmett Bly, the subject of this review, affords a conspicuous example of the successful, self-made American, who is not only eminently deserving of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens, but also possesses the necessary energy and talent that fits him to discharge worthily the duties of the responsible place with which he has been honored by the people of his county. A man of vigorous mentality and strong mental fiber, he finds those qualities the chief factor in the carving out of a career that has been above the suspicion of reproach and of honor to the county which he so ably and acceptably serves.
Emmett Bly, one of the most successful business men of Plainfield, Indiana, was born three miles southeast of Danville, Indiana, on November 24, 1878, the son of Joseph and Lydia (Morgan) Bly, who were both natives of this county also. His father is a farmer and lives north of the depot in the same house where Judge John V. Hadley, the editor of this work, was born. He was a huckster by trade for eighteen years, but within the last few years he has been operating a farm, which is owned jointly by himself and son, A.E. Bly. The grandfather of Mr. Bly was Joseph Bly, a native of Crab Orchard, Kentucky, who came to this county when a young man and settled at North Belleville, where he followed the occupation of a farmer all his life. He was married to Mary Powers, and to them were born several children, Joshua, Joseph, William, John, Jane, Lizzie and one child who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bly reared a very interesting family of eight children: Alta, the wife of Frank Stout, of Indianapolis; John Dott, who died November 29, 1905, at Phoenix, Arizona, had been associated with A. Emmett in the dry goods business for some years. They started in business together in August, 1896. The two brothers had been agents for the Indianapolis News, Sun and Journal, and their mercantile success was formed upon the pennies earned and saved in the sale of newspapers. They won the state prize from the Indianapolis News for the largest number of sales. John Dott Bly was born July 22, 1877, and was cut off in early manhood when he was giving great promise of a brilliant career. He was superintendent of the Sunday School, very active the fraternal order of the Knights of Pythias, and an exceptionally bright young man. The third child of Joseph Bly is A. Emmett, the immediate subject of this sketch; Daisy, the wife of Robert Copeland, of Plainfield; Ralph, assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Plainfield; Robert, who is employed in the Boys' Reform School at Plainfield; Okal, wife of Frank Waggoner, and an infant child who died at the age of three weeks.
Emmett Bly was born on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of his home county and attended the Central Academy at Plainfield. At an early age he engaged in the mercantile business, purchasing the small stock of dry goods owned by W.E. Phillips, when he was only seventeen years of age. A few days later his brother, John Dott, eighteen years old, who had been mentioned before, came into the business as an equal partner and the store was a money maker from the beginning. The two youthful merchants seemed to have the innate ability which characterizes successful business men and their success was assured from the start. No more popular young men ever started in business in Plainfield than the two Bly brothers, and their business transactions were such as to win for them the confidence of their rapidly increasing patronage. Mr. Bly now carries a large and well selected stock of goods, valued at fifteen thousand dollars, and enjoys his full share of the patronage of the people of his vicinity in the lines which he handles. He is splendidly qualified in every respect for a business career, and by his unfailing courtesy and untiring and persistent industry, systematic and honorable methods, he has gained the confidence and respect of all with whom he has come in contact.
Emmett Bly was married on June 25, 1905, to Louisa Juanita Lowry, the daughter of Orville and Frances (Utterback) Lowry, and to this happy union there have been born two children, Karl Dott, born February 26, 1910, and Melba, born March 4, 1912. The family residence is one of the most attractive and comfortable modern homes in Plainfield, and here the many friends of the family are delighted to gather, where they are always assured of a hearty welcome and an enjoyable hour. Mrs. Bly is a woman of many gracious qualities of character and possesses intellectual ability of a high order. She is an ideal wife and mother, and her husband attributes no small amount of his success to the comfort and counsel of his wife.
Mr. Bly's remarkable success in business has brought him into close connection with the financial life of his community. He is now a director in the Citizens State Bank of Plainfield, has landed interests in Texas, Georgia, and in his home county, where he and his father own one hundred and four acres. His interest in education and the intellectual advancement of his community is shown in the fact of his live interest in the public library of his town. He is now a member of the library board. Officially, he is connected with the township advisory board of Guilford Township as its secretary. His father was trustee of this township in 1904, and made an excellent record in that important office. When he took charge of the office, the township was in debt, and he not only repaired the roads of the township and made many improvements, but cleared off the indebtedness of the township and left a large surplus at the end of his term of office. Mr. Bly is a member of the Friends Church and contributes generously of his means to its support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Free and Accepted Masons. His political party has recognized his influence and ability by selecting him as a delegate to the state convention, and he has for many years been a delegate to the Republican conventions, both county and state.
The success of A. Emmett Bly is a real story and needs no flattering statements to show what may be accomplished by a genuine lover of good, honest work. His rise from a country newsboy to a leading merchant and substantial citizen while yet a young man is a story of fact rarely equaled even in this day of phenomenal successes, and yet through it all he has maintained that sympathy with his fellow citizens which endears him to everyone with whom he comes in contact. Personally, he is a pleasant gentleman and is not only held in high esteem for his abilities, but for his public-spirited nature, his wholesome private and social life and his position is secure as one of Hendricks County's most influential citizens.