Nort Whitesides, one of the live, energetic merchants of Franklin, Ind., and proprietor of the leading clothing and gents’ furnishing establishment in the city, was born in Johnson County, three miles northeast from Franklin, on December 22, 1853, and received a fair education in the district schools and Franklin College. He remained on the farm until his eighteenth year, and in 1873, entered a store in Franklin as clerk, at which he continued, with different parties, for a number of years. On December 17, 1877, he engaged in the clothing, hats, caps, and gents’ furnishing business, for himself, in Franklin, beginning on a small scale, investing not to exceed $1,500. His business has prospered, and has been enlarged from year to year, until he now carries an average stock of about $15,000, and does an immense business annually. He carries the largest stock in his city, and has a large and commodious room, and in fact has an establishment equal to those found in large cities. He was married February 14, 1877, to Miss Maggie Slater, daughter of M. R. Slater, of Franklin. Mrs. Whitesides was born in 1858, and died in 1884, leaving one son, Virgil, who was born March 12, 1878. Mr. Whitesides is a member of the K. of P. lodge, and of the uniform rank of same. The father of the subject of this sketch is John Whitesides, one of the leading farmers of Johnson County, who was born in Oldham County, Ky., in 1816, and located in Johnson County, in 1835.