By PAULINE HOOVER, Brown County Historical Society
Today, we want to talk about Joshua — not Joshua of Jericho, but Joshua of Helmsburg and Nashville, Indiana.
Joshua J. Bond was born Nov. 12, 1874, one of seven children of James and Sarah Bond, in Jackson Township, Brown County.
James Bond, born in Ohio, married Sarah L. Patton on Nov. 5, 1865. She had been born in Pennsylvania. They settled in Jackson Township near Helmsburg where they raised their children on the farm. All the children received a good practical education in the public schools. The children were George, James, William, Joshua, Clyde, Ellen and John.
Weston Goodspeed tells us that James was on the pension rolls in January 1883.
Joshua got married on March 26, 1899, to Myrtle I. Yoder, daughter of James M. Yoder and Jane Baughman Yoder of Owl Creek, in Brown County. Myrtle passed away in December 1945. Joshua then married again on Sept. 21, 1947, to Nora Kain, daughter of August and Amelia Kain.
Joshua and his wife Myrtle, had three children: Ivan Bond, Ruth Bond Faulkner and Earl Bond.
Josh, as he was lovingly referred to by his family and friends, was a man of versatile talents. In addition to being a farmer, he ran a livery stable and hack service. He would meet the train when it came into the Helmsburg train station and shuttle people all over the county. He would take salesmen out through the county and hotel guests into Nashville for their stay. He also operated a grocery store in Helmsburg.
He was the first licensed embalmer in Brown County. He received his license in 1912 and started his first funeral home in Helmsburg, coming to Nashville in 1927. He also had a funeral home in Morgantown for two years during the 1940s. He later turned the business in Nashville over to his son, Earl, and his grandson, Jack, who operated the funeral home until 1981.
The Bond Funeral Home was sold April 1, 1981, to David and Etta Lee Mitchell, according to the Brown County Democrat. David Mitchell was a funeral director at the Ferguson-Lee Funeral Home in Bedford for 16 years.
Mr. Bond had a real estate office for some time and owned the Rustic Inn for many years until it burned down in 1940. When he was a young man, he taught school for a time.
Joshua was a charter member of the Nashville Lions Club and was active until his illness forced his retirement. He was a member of the Nashville Christian Church. Joshua J. Bond passed away July 26, 1962.
