The Shelby Democrat
February 20, 1879
VOL. 1; No. 37
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from the article, SMILING SHELBYVILLE! ---------- The Shelbyville Distillery.
Was built in the year 1857. It has been owned and run by a number of
persons since its erection, and in October, 1872, passed into the hands of
John Beggs, the present proprietor. This institution, under his
management, has been very successful. A great many improvements have been
made since his ownership. He has had built a new brick malt house,
warehouse, corn dump and elevator, fermenting room with the necessary fermenting
tubs, entirely new cattle pens, stables, out-houses, etc. Few people in
this county have any idea of the magnitude of the business done by this
establishment. It is immense, as the facts given below will abundantly
prove. It consumes from three thousand to three thousand six hundred
bushels of corn per week, making for the year, about one hundred and fifty-six
thousand bushels. It turns out from twelve to fourteen thousand gallons of
high-wines every week making near seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand
gallons for the year. It pays from $10,000 to $13,000 revenue tax per
week. It has paid $1,531,436.25 tax on 26,820 barrels of high-wines
from October 15, 1874 to January 1, 1879, with an interval of six
months when work was stopped for repairs, etc. It has paid, for grain,
coopers, salaries of employes[sic], etc from October 15, 1874, to January
1, 1879, the large sum of $335,000 over $250,000 which was paid for grain
alone. The business of the distillery is conducted on a large scale, and
that it is a great benefit to the people of Shelby county a thinking man will
doubt. The importance to the people of keeping, in active operation an
institution of this kind is very great. To the farmer is affords a
convenient advantage in the disposition of his corn. Mr. Beggs pays from one to
two cents more on the bushel than any other buyer in this county, and all
wagons passing through the city of Shelbyville are charged no toll from that
place.
Next biography in the "Smiling Shelbyville" newspaper article,
Julius Joseph.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
Hon. John
Beggs, President of the Shelby Distilling Company,
is a native of Ireland, and son of Edward and Elizabeth (Gibson) Beggs; parrents both born in the same country, about the year
1798. Edward Beggs was for many years a merchant in the town
of Ballinamallord, Ireland, where his death occurred in the year
1872. John Beggs is the second of a family of seven children and
dates his birth from the 6th day of April, 1830, having tirst seen
the light in the town where his father carried on the mercantile
business. He received his primary education in his native country,
and at the age of ten years, came to America, locating at Cincin-
nati, where for some time he pursued his studies under competent
instructors in a select school. Having completed liis preparatory
course he subsequently became a student of Woodward College,
which institution he attended for a period of three years, making
substantial progress during that time. In the spring of 1845, he
began to learn the distillery business, at New Richmond, Ohio, un-
der David Gibson, and after becoming proficient in the same, put
his knowledge into practice by taking charge of a distillery in the
city of Troy, thence to Ashville, Ohio, where he was similarly en-
gaged for more than four years. In 1852, he engaged in distillery
business at Metamora, Franklin County, Ind., and after remaining
there for a period of twenty years sold out in 1872, and removed
to Shelbyville, in which cit}' he operated a distillery, until 1883. In
that year he suffered severely by fire, his loss aggregating about
$25,000. Immediately after this disaster, Mr. Beggs founded the
Shelby Distilling Company, of which he has since served as Presi-
dent. This company under the efficient management of Mr.
Beggs, has succeeded in building up a very prosperous business,
and is one of the largest and most successful corporations of the
kind in southern Indiana. In addition to his business enterprises,
Mr. Beggs has given a great deal of attention to public and
political affairs, having been elected to the State Senate in
1876. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat, and as
such has rendered valuable service to his party in this county.
He married in 1853, Miss Rebecca Lewis, who was born in Frank-
lin County, Indiana, in the vear 183 1. To this marriage were born
eight children, seven of whom are living, viz. : Elizabeth C, Belle,
Clara, John E., Kate, Harr}- and Thomas.
John E. Beggs, Superintendent of the works of the Shelby Dis-
tilling Company, and also one of the stockholders, was born at
Metamora, Franklin County, Indiana, July 28, 1861, and is the son
of John and Rebecca (Lewis) Beggs. He is the eldest son of
seven children. The greatest part of his education was obtained
in the public schools of Laurel, Ind., but his father moved to Shel-
472 SHELBY COUNTY.
byville in 1879, and John E. had the benefit of attending the Shel-
bYville High School a year or so.- After having learned the trade
of veast maker at Cincinnati, he entered his father's distillery at
Shelby ville in 1881, and having applied himself with great care,
was made superintendent of that institution during the year follow-
ing. It was while holding this position, that Mr. Beggs made
some rare and valuable discoveries in the art of yeast making,
which greatly increased the amount of alcohol a given (quantity of
grain will produce. Not long after he became superintendent of
his father's distillery, a serious fire broke out which entirely de-
stroyed that establishment. A fine new building was immediately
erected in its stead, by the Shelby Distilling Compan}', in which
company, the subject of this sketch is now a stockholder, and is
also superintendent of the distilling department. In politics, Mr.
Beggs is an uncompromising Democrat, and cast his first vote for
Cleveland for President. He is a member of one secret order, the
Knights of Pythias, which he joined in 1886. He was married
February 13,' 1887, to Miss Kate C. Webb, of this city. Mrs.
Beggs is the daughter of Robert and Clara (Mason) Webb, who
are natives of Virginia.The History of Shelby County, Indiana, "Shelbyville Sketches", Chicago: Brant & Fuller, 1887, page
471-472..
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
