Pleasant Pruitt, Sr.—Among the successful self-made men, of Johnson County, men who have been foremost in the laudable work of developing the material resources of the country as well as adding character to the community, the name of Pleasant Pruitt is deserving of especial mention. The ancestors of Mr. Pruitt were among the sturdy yeomenry of South Carolina, in which state the family was represented in colonial times by a number of worthy members. Moses Pruitt, father of the subject, was a Carolinian by birth, and an early settler of Franklin County, Ind., moving to this state about the year 1815, and later to Fayette and Shelby Counties, in the latter of which his death subsequently occurred, at the age of forty-seven years. He was essentially a self-made man, and during his live accumulated a valuable property, all of which represented the fruits of his unaided efforts. His wife, whom he married in South Carolina, was Elizabeth Hawkins, a woman of sterling worth, whose virtues and characteristics are largely reproduced in the subject of this biography. Moses and Elizabeth Pruitt were the parents of seven children, Pleasant being the second born of the family. His birth occurred in the district of Abbeyville, S. C., on the 6th day of January, 1811, and at the age of four years, he was brought by his parents, to Franklin county, Ind. He afterward accompanied the family to Fayette and Shelby counties, and it may be truly said that the best years of his life were passed amid the rugged duties and stirring scenes of pioneer times. Being the eldest son, he was early compelled to bear his share of the family burden, consequently his educational training was of a meager character. His practical knowledge, however, gained through a long series of years in the school of experience, is more thorough and complete, and by means of it, he has been enabled to transact successfully, the duties of a very active life, and turn, what to many would have proved misfortune, to his own advantage. November 11, 1833, he took to himself a helpmate, in the person of Miss Nancy Breeding, who proved a true and faithful wife, and valuable assistant until her death, which occurred on the 28th day of March, 1887. Mrs. Pruitt was born in Kentucky County, this state, in the year 1817, and was a woman honored and respected for her many admirable traits of character, having been an earnest member of the Christian Church for a number of years. To Mr. And Mrs. Pruitt were born a family of eleven children, four of whom are living, namely: Alexander, Jackson, Milton and Elizabeth, (Mrs. Drake), with the latter of whom Mr. Pruitt, now makes his home. Mr. Pruitt’s life work has been that of a farmer, in which he has been more than ordinarily successful. To each of his children he recently gave a fine farm, besides assisting them in various other ways. In all this business transactions, Mr. Pruitt has made it a point to meet promptly his every obligation, and today he is proud of the fact that he owes no man. His life has been a long and useful one, and during a residence of sixty-six years in Johnson County, the people have learned to revere him for his sterling manhood, and have profited by his advice and counsel. He is now in the seventy-eighth year of his age, a well-preserved old gentleman, retaining in a remarkable degree, his mental and physical faculties. He is an earnest member of the Christian Church, and a true type of the old-time gentleman.