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Memorial record of
distinguished men of l Indianapolis g< Indiana
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Memorial Record
of
Distinguished Men
of
Indianapolis and Indiana
Edition de Luxe
JACOB PIATT DUNN
Associate Editor
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO NEW YORK
1912
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jfranklin lanbera;
^HE late Franklin Landers, by his worthy life and admirable ■ services, lent new dignity and prestige to a family that has been honorably linked with thi- histoiy of Indiana for nearly ninety years. He was a native sou of tip " '? ■■ ,; r common-
wealth and here found ample oppor- m'nining of
success along nonnai lines of husinehs ie «'»od
exponent of that strong, ioyiil and Roi>\t- .; ^i in
invariably accorded objective oonfidenf ind f«»Hi>ect. Hr 'was i.*i-
of the repre.sentative figures in llu ■ ■ iiiere«ntiie t:\rcU- ,' in<i>-'m-^n*\kn
sind was one of the city's infloenti.ii . 'tircn*, — one »o whom the woUmj-
of the community was a matUr of , , id one who did well his part in
the furtberadce of civic am^ tnateriaJ d<-i'fjoptut;iit sud progrcks in the stat« that ever represented his home. His c.ireer was one of coni>ecutiTe industry and be made of success not an accident but a logical resuit. Mr. Landers, venerable in years, bad been in impaired health for xeveral months prior to his death, which occurred suddenly on the 10th of September, 1901, at his home on North Pennsyl- vania street, and the community was c<^lled upon to deplore the loss of one of its moat honored and valuable citieens, a scion of one of Uie best known pioneer fami- lies of the state.
At Landersdale, Morgan county, Indiana, a place named in honor of the family of which he was a member, Franklin Landers was born oh the 22nd of March, 1S25, and was a son of William and Delilah (Stone) Landers, both of whom were natives of Virginia, and both of whom passed the closing years of their lives in Morgan county, Indiana, which was their place of abode during the entire period of their residence in this state. The writer of this memoir had occasion at a recent date to prepare brief data concerning the Landers family, and from the context thus formulated are made, without formal quotation, the pertinent extracts wliich are properly reproduced in this connection.
William Landers was born in Virginia in the year 1788, and was a sou of Jono- Uian Landers, who was a native of England and of Scotch-Irish hne«g»>. Jonothan L'lndcrs figures as the founder of the family in America, whither he cantf when twenty-one years of .age. He settled in the Old Dominion, that gracious cradle of so much of our national history, and was one of the valiant pittriots .'!cnt out by ^'irginia to battle for tlie cause of Independence in *he war of the Revolu- ti;>n. He was married in Virginia and there his death occurred. Jonothan Lan- ders was a man of superior intellectual force aud sterling character, and he ever h(?Jd secure place in the esteem of tlie community to the development of which he i-otitribut«d in large and gener.ms measure. Hik children were William, James, Jolin and Lucy.
William Landor.,. the father of Frspklin Lenders of this review, came to In- diana and numK'-ed himself among tite pioneer settlers of Morgan couuty, where
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jTranfelin lanbersi
^HE late Franklin Landers, by his worthy life and admirable services, lent new dignity and prestige to a family that has been honorably linked with the history of Indiana for nearly ninety years. He was a native son of the fine old Hoosier common- wealth and here found ample opportunities for the gaining of success along normal lines of business enterprise, while he stood exponent of that strong, loyal and noble manhood to which is invariably accorded objective confidence and respect. He was for many years one of the representative figures in the industrial and mercantile circles of Indianapolis and was one of the city's influential and honored citizens, — one to whom the welfare of the community was a matter of deep concern and one who did well his part in the furtherance of civic and material development and progress in the state that ever represented his home. His career was one of consecutive industry and he made of success not an accident but a logical result. Mr. Landers, venerable in years, had been in impaired health for several months prior to his death, which occurred suddenly on the 10th of September, 1901, at his home on North Pennsyl- vania street, and the community was called upon to deplore the loss of one of its most honored and valuable citizens, a scion of one of the best known pioneer fami- lies of the state.
At Landersdale, Morgan county, Indiana, a place named in honor of the family of which he was a member, Franklin Landers was born on the 22nd of March, 1825, and was a son of William and Delilah (Stone) Landers, both of whom were natives of Virginia, and both of whom passed the closing years of their lives in Morgan county, Indiana, which was their place of abode during the entire period of their residence in this state. The writer of this memoir had occasion at a recent date to prepare brief data concerning the Landers family, and from the context thus formulated are made, without formal quotation, the pertinent extracts which are properly reproduced in this connection.
William Landers was born in Virginia in the year 1788, and was a son of Jono- than Landers, who was a native of England and of Scotch-Irish lineage. Jonothan Landers figures as the founder of the family in America, whither he came when twenty-one years of age. He settled in the Old Dominion, that gracious cradle of so much of our national history, and was one of the valiant patriots sent out by Virginia to battle for the cause of Independence in the war of the Revolu- tion. He was married in Virginia and there his death occurred. Jonothan Lan- ders was a man of superior intellectual force and sterling character, and he ever held secure place in the esteem of the community to the development of which he contributed in large and generous measure. His children were William, James, John and Lucy.
William Landers, the father of Franklin Landers of this review, came to In- diana and numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Morgan county, where
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he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. He was a man of wealth and wielded much influence in public affairs and progressive movements in Morgan county, where he became the owner of a large tract of land, much of which he reclaimed. The old homestead, comprising one thousand acres, is still owned by Mrs. Franklin Landers.
It was in 1815 that William Landers came to Indiana, his age at that time hav- ing been thirty-one years. He became one of the prominent agriculturists of Morgan county, served in various local offices of public trust, and well upheld the honors of the name which he bore. His life was guided and governed by the high- est principles and his influence was potent in connection with the social and material development of the county of which he was a pioneer. His first marriage was to Miss Eva Stone, a daughter of Nimrod Stone, who was a native of Virginia and a loyal soldier in the Continental line in the War of the Revolution. After the death of his first wife William Landers married her sister Delilah, who survived him by many years and died in 1893 at the home of her son Jackson Landers, in Indianapolis. The honored husband and father continued to reside on the old homestead farm until his death, which occurred about the year 1861, and his son Franklin purchased the place in 1887. The children of the first marriage of Wil- liam Landers were Jonothan, Joshua, Jeremiah, William and Willis, all now de- ceased, Willis having enlisted for service in the Mexican war and all trace of him having been lost from that time by other members of the family. The eight chil- dren of the second marriage are all now deceased with the exception of John, who is a resident of Indianapolis, and the names of the children are here entered in respective order of birth : Washington, Franklin, Columbus, Sarah, John, Har- riett, Henry and Jackson.
On the old parental farmstead in Morgan county and twelve miles distant from Indianapolis, Franklin Landers was reared to maturity, and with the work and management of the home place he continued to be actively identified until he had attained his legal majority. There he learned the lessons of thrift and indus- try which served him well in later years of his successful career. He was fully appreciative of such advantages as were afforded in the pioneer schools, but the major part of his educational discipline was gained through self-application. The results of this were shown when he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors, and for several years he was a successful teacher during the winter terms, in the district schools, his services being given to the work of the farm during the sum- mer seasons. At the age of twenty-one years he became associated with his brother Washington in the opening of a country store at Waverly, a village near his birth- place, and his brother died about a year later. He prospered as a merchant, and also purchased the Lyons farm where Brooklyn, Indiana, now stands. He moved his store to that place and there founded the village of Brooklyn, about twenty miles distant from Indianapolis, on the Martinsville turnpike. He owned an entire section of land and gave his attention to diversified farming and stock- growing in connection with the mercantile business, which became one of most pros- perous order. To the little village which he platted were drawn other lines of en- terprise, and with the passing of the years was developed the thriving and attrac- tive village which remains as a worthy monument to his memory. His progressive policies and fine initiative energy were brought to bear in the upbuilding of the town and he was the acknowledged leader in all public affairs. It was due to his efforts that Brooklyn secured its railroad facilities. An appreciative estimate of
jFranfelm Hanbcrg 7
his life and services was published in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death, and from the same the following extracts are made: "Mr. Landers' varied enterprises proved very profitable, and before he had reached middle life was one of the wealthiest men in Morgan county. He was generous and philanthropic by nature, opening his purse to all good causes. He established five churches, of dif- ferent denominations, on his land and contributed largely to their support. Dur- ing the Civil war he was active in procuring substitutes for such of his neighbors as were drafted and were unable to leave their homes, and he gave freely of his means to the support of the families of volunteers. He was at this time, and for many years, the most popular man in Morgan county. In 1860 he was nominated by the Democrats of his district for the office of state senator. His opponent was Samuel P. Ogler, of Johnson county, whom he defeated by three hundred and seventy-four votes. In the senate, while favoring all measures intended to uphold the authority of the federal government and to suppress the rebellion, he stood with his party in opposing the substitution of military law for the civil law."
In 1861 Mr. Landers removed to Indianapolis, where he passed the remainder of his long and worthy life and where he ever retained inviolable popular confidence and esteem. Here he engaged in the wholesale dry-goods trade in the old Snell block, where he became a member of the firm of Webb, Patterson & Landers. After the death of Mr. Webb, A. B. Conduitt became a member of the firm, and the estab- lishment was removed to the corner of Georgia and Meridian streets. Mr. Landers continued his financial and executive association with the wholesale dry-goods busi- ness for many years, within which various changes were made in the personnel of the other interested principals, and the present wholesale concern of Hibben, Holweg & Company is the direct successor of that with which he was so long identified. While still engaged in the wholesale dry-goods business Mr. Landers had become asso- ciated with his brothers, John and Jackson, and Alexander Given in the pork pack- ing business, the firm of Landers & Company having for many years been one of the important concerns in this line of enterprise and one of the important factors in the industrial and commercial activities in the Indiana metropolis. In the mean- while Mr. Landers continued to give a general supervision to his extensive landed estate, in connection with which he was an extensive raiser of and dealer in live stock. He retired from active business about the year 1892 and passed the remain- der of his life in that gracious comfort and repose which are the just rewards for years of earnest toil and endeavor. For many years Mr. Landers was one of the most influential figures in the councils of the Democratic party in Indiana, and he was well qualified for leadership in public thought and action, — a fact which his party did not fail to recognize. In 1864 he was presidential elector from Indiana on the McClellan ticket. In 1874 he was Democratic candidate for Congress from the First District of Indiana, and although his party was in the minority by fully two thousand he was elected. Concerning his career in this high office the following record was given in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death: "In Congress he was noted for his persistent advocacy of the greenback as full legal tender for all public dues and for the remonetization of silver. His course in Congress brought him, in the winter of 1875-6, the nomination of the National Greenback party of Indiana for governor. Soon after this time the name of Mr. Landers was sub- mitted to the Democratic state convention for the nomination for governor. Wil- liam S. Holman was his rival and the feeling among their partisans became so warm that it was necessary, in the interests of party harmony, to withdraw both names.
8 :f ranfelin lUnberg
This was done, and James D. Williams, of Knox county, was nominated without opposition. In 1880, in a memorable state campaign, Mr. Landers was the Demo- cratic candidate for governor, the result insuring the state to Garfield at the presi- dential election in November of that year."
The great, generous heart of Mr. Landers ever pulsated in sympathy with afflic- tion and distress, and he exemplified in all the relations of life the deep Christian faith which was inherent in his nature. After coming to Indianapolis he identified himself with the old Third Presbyterian church and for a number of years prior to his demise he was one of the most zealous and honored members of the Tabernacle Presbyterian church, with which his widow is still actively identified as one of its most devoted and earnest members. Mr. Landers was for many years actively aflfiliated with the Masonic fraternity and was the organizer of the lodge of that order in Brooklyn, the village which he founded. Concerning him the following appreciative words have been written: "He was noted for his liberal giving to all charitable objects, and much was given so quietly that the world did not know the extent of it. His kind heart made him an easy prey to beggars, and even the most undeserving was seldom turned away empty-handed."
Mr. Landers was twice married, his first union having been with Miss Mary Shaffelbarger, of Brooklyn, Morgan county. She died in 1864, and the six children of their union are all deceased. On August 2, 1865, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Landers to Mrs. Martha E. Conduitt, widow of Washington Conduitt, and she still survives him. Washington Conduitt, her first husband, was a Kentuckian, born and educated in that state. He came to Mooresville, Indiana, with Mr. Moore, who is yet remembered in that section of the state, and engaged in the mer- chandise business, in which he was especially successful. Their marriage occurred in 1859 and Mr. Conduitt died in 1862. Mrs. Landers stUl resides in Indianapolis, and her beautiful home, at 804 North Pennsylvania street, is known for its gen- erous and gracious hospitality. Mrs. Landers was born at Wheeling, West Vir- ginia, and is a daughter of Rev. William and Julia (Huston) Turner. Rev. Wil- liam Turner was bom in Charleston, South Carolina, a scion of one of the old and patrician families of that commonwealth, and he was educated at Nashville, Ten- nessee, Oxford, Ohio, and at the Theological Seminary of Miami University, at Allegheny, Pennsylvania, at which latter place he met the lady who became his wife. He was ordained a clergyman of the Presbyterian church and his first pas- toral charge was at Chillicothe, Ohio. Later he held a pastorate at Springfield, Ohio, and then removed to Bloomington, Indiana, the site of the state imiversity, where he served for many years as pastor of the Presbyterian church. Near that city he became the owner of a fine country estate, "The Pines," and on this farm, to which he had given his active supervision for many years, he died at the venerable age of seventy-four years, secure in the reverent regard of all who had come within the sphere of his influence. His wife, a noble and gracious woman, survived him by four years, and concerning their children the following brief record is entered: Martha E. is the widow of the subject of this memoir; Harriet is the wife of Dr. Robert Weir; Emma is the wife of Judge James McCullough; another daughter became the wife of Rev. J. W. Foster, a clergyman of the Presbyterian church and is now a resident of Boston, Massachusetts ; Clara is the wife of Samuel Strong, of Grant, Washington; Ella is the widow of David Lively and resides on the old homestead of her parents; and Anna, who is unmarried.
Mr. and Mrs. Landers became the parents of five children, concerning whom
:franfcUn ILandcrg 9
the following data is incorporated: D wight C. is a resident of Indianapolis; Julia Ethel has been engaged in educational work since she completed her studies in Bryn Mawr College and the University of Chicago; for some time she was prin- cipal of Knickerbocker Hall, a popular school for girls in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is now engaged in plans for a new school for girls, located at 2049 North Meridian street, Indianapolis, which will open in the autumn of 1912. It is thoroughly modern and sanitary in its equipment, and its curriculum all that could be desired in a school for young girls. Its certificate is accepted at the University of Chicago, Vassar, Smith, Wellesley and Mount Holyoke colleges. Miss Landers has proven her splendid ability in her chosen line of work, and the success of the new school under her supervision is already assured. Pearl Landers married Timothy Harrison of Kokomo, this state; Thomas Ewing resides at the old family home, Landersdale, in Morgan county, and is extensively engaged in the breeding of and dealing in live stock ; Martha is the wife of Professor James W. Thompson, who is at the head of the department of English in the great University of Chi- cago. Mrs. Landers has long been an active and popular factor in the represen- tative social, religious and benevolent activities of her home city, where she served for four years as president of the Old Ladies' Home and where she has been actively identified with the aflfairs of the Orphans' Home for twenty-seven consecu- tive years. In this connection it has been in large measure due to her earnest efforts that the home has been provided with an adequate school building. She is a zealous member of the Tabernacle Presbyterian church and is a woman whose influence is given in the support of all worthy charities and benevolences in the community that has so long represented her home, and in which she has a wide circle of friends.
AllkKD I I, \l
mitth Clark
LARGE portion of the state of Indian.a was settled by pioneers from older communities, and many of the men who contributed to the best citizenship of Marion county for a long period of time were natives of Ohio, a section of the Union that has produced the highest type of reliable, industrious, intelligent and enterprising settler. This was notably true away back in 1853, when the late Alfred Clark moved from his farm in Butler county, Ohio, and purchased one in Marion county, Indiana, on which he passed many busy and productive years. Alfred Clark was born November 1, 1819, in Butler county, Ohio, and was a son of Isaac and Catherine (Miller) Clark. The father was also a native of Ohio but the mother had been born in western Pennsylvania. They died on their farm in Hendricks county, Indiana. In Mr. Clark's boyhood the educational opportunities that a farmer boy was afforded were meager but then, as now, there were plenty of tasks to perform where agriculture is carried on to any extent, and until he reached manhood his time was fully occupied with farm duties. He taught school for a time and then embarked in a general store business, which he continued until his health failed, when he returned to farming in order to regain it. About this time he became interested in what he learned concerning the richness of the soil and the desirable lay of the land in Marion county, Indiana, and this resulted in his selling his Ohio land and purchasing one hundred acres in Marion county, coming overland with his wife and one child in a wagon packed with household necessities. He found everything satisfactory in Wayne township, where his land lay, except a lack of improvements, an old tavern on the place being utilized as the first residence. After clearing his first purchase Mr. Clark increased his acreage until he owned four hundred acres of very fine land, the larger part of his estate being in Marion county, but a por- tion also being situated in Hendricks county. In 1862 he erected a commodious residence on the place and later other buildings as necessity for them arose. He enjoyed almost forty years of agricultural life and then, in 1890, retired from the farm and moved to Indianapolis. He never forgot his old neighbors, however, always keeping up his old acquaintanceship, and it was while attending the annual meeting of the old settlers of Wayne township, held at Carter's Grove, and while on a visit to his son's home, that he was stricken with apoplexy, which proved fatal without his ever entirely regaining consciousness, his death occurring August 23, 1900, at the home of his son, F. Marion Clark, near Bridgeport. Mr. Clark was widely known, especially among the people of Wayne township, and was a highly respected and much esteemed man. All his life he was more or less active in Democratic politics. In 1854 he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and was a conscientious. Christian man.
In Butler county, Ohio, Alfred Clark was united in marriage, on August 19, 1849, with Sarah E. Eaker, and was permitted to celebrate his Golden Wedding anniversary. Mrs. Clark was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of Joseph and Mary M. (Sterrett) Eaker, the former of whom was born in eastern Pennsylvania and the latter in Virginia. The maternal grandparents
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of Mrs. Clark moved from Virginia to Pennsylvania and after the death of the grandfather, the grandmother, who, in maiden life bore the name of Nancy Dun- widdie, lived with Mr. and Mrs. Eaker for' forty years. When Mrs. Clark was eight years old her parents came from Pennsylvania, by wagon, to Butler county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Clark eight children were born, two of whom died in infancy, and Mary died when two years; Joseph died at the age of thirty years. The survivors are: William P., Isaac G., Francis Marion and Emma Louise. William P. is a farmer of Hendricks county. He married Elma Anderson and they have one child living, Alfred, who married Merlie Starkie. Isaac G. married Carrie Reagan (deceased), and they had three children, one living, Pauline. The two deceased children are LeRoy, who married Catherine Mulqueen, by whom he had one child, Mary Elizabeth; and Roscoe. Francis Marion of Marion county, resides on the old homestead. He married Ida Martin, and they have two sons, Alfred and Carlisle. Emma Louise, is the widow of Henry Gordon McKenzie, who for a quarter of a century was a resident of Indianapolis. He was born August 11, 1871, in Nova Scotia, and died at Indianapolis, August 25, 1909. His parents were Daniel and Isabella McKenzie, one of a family of seven children, two of whom survive: Mortimer, who is a resident of California; and Robert, who lives with Mrs. Clark and her daughter. Henry Gordon McKenzie was a clerk in his uncle's store in his native country and also in the local postoffice, both before he was nineteen years of age, when he came to Indianapolis. For a time afterward he was employed in business houses here and then followed farming for five years, east of Irvington, Indiana, in which town he then went into the undertaking busi- ness, conducting the business until he died, after which Sherley & Sherley bought out Mrs. McKenzie's interest. He was a Republican in politics and fraternally was identified with the Odd Fellows.
On August 8, 1895, Henry G. McKenzie was married to Miss Emma Louise Clark, and to this union three children were born, two of whom died in infancy. The one survivor, Mary Isabella, a dainty little maiden of nine years, is as a ray of sunshine in her grandmother's home, where she and her mother live. Although her appearance scarcely justifies this fact, Mrs. Clark has had thirteen grandchil- dren, five of these surviving, with one great-grandchild, Mary Elizabeth, who lives in Pennsylvania. She can recall in a very entertaining way many interesting events in regard to the settlement of Wayne township, and is still very kindly re- membered by her old neighbors. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and has always been much interested in its benevolent work.
3facton Uanberss
^T HAS been the privilege of the writer of the present article to re- view the career of Mr. Landers and to prepare a memoir from the data thus gained. From this tribute, which has been previously published, is largely drawn the memorial here presented, and under existing conditions formal indications of quotation are not demanded. A man of sterling character and one who left a definite impress upon the civic and industrial annals of his native state was the late Jackson Landers, whose life and services proved of value to the world and lent dignity and honor to the state in which he lived from his birth until the time of his death, which occurred in the city of Chicago, on the 17th of February, 1908. His was a strong and noble individuality, marked by sincerity and by an intrinsic honesty of purpose that manifested itself in his every thought, word and deed. His name and personality are held in grateful memory by all who knew him and had ap- preciation of his worthy life and generous attributes.
At Landersdale, Morgan county, Indiana, a place named in honor of the sterling pioneer family of which he was a representative, Jackson Landers was bom on the 4th of August, 1842, and, as already noted, his death occurred in the city of Chicago, whither he had gone for medical treatment and where he succumbed soon after his arrival at St. Luke's Hospital, his death being the result of acute uremia. He was a son of William and Delila (Stone) Landers, both of whom continued their residence in Morgan county until their death. William Landers was born in the state of Vir- ginia, in 1788, and was a son of Jonathan Landers, who was a native of England and of Scotch-Irish lineage. Jonathan Landers figures as the founder of the family in America, whither he came when twenty-one years of age. He settled in the Old Dominion and was one of the valiant patriots sent forth by Virginia to battle for the cause of independence in the war of the Revolution. His marriage was solemnized in Virginia, where he continued to reside until 1798, when he removed with his family to Kentucky, where he died. His sons went to different parts of the United States. William Landers, father of the subject of this memoir, was ten years of age at the time of the family removal from the Old Dominion commonwealth to Kentucky, where he was reared to maturity and where he received such educational advantages as were afforded in the common schools of the period. In 1820 he came to Indiana with other members of the family, and he was thirty-two years of age at the time. He became one of the prominent agriculturists of Morgan county, served in various local offices of public trust, and well upheld the honors and prestige of the name which he bore. His life was guided and governed by the highest principles and his influence was potent in connection with the civic and material progress of the county in which he was an honored pioneer. At the time of the laying out of Indianapolis the commissioners appointed for this purpose were entertained en route at the home of William Landers. He was a man of wealth and influence, as gauged by the standards of the day, and became seized of a large landed estate in Morgan county, where, through the reclamation of the same, he contributed much to the initial stages of the
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16 STacfegon Xatttierg
development of that now favored section of the state. His fine estate of one thousand acres is still owned by members of his family. William Landers was active and influ- ential in public affairs of a local order, and was a man of superior intellectual force and exalted integrity, and he ever held a secure place in the esteem of the community to whose development and progress he contributed in most liberal measure. He was twice married. He first wedded Miss Eva Stone, a daughter of Nimrod Stone, who was a native of Virginia and a valiant soldier in the Continental line in the war of the Revolution. After the death of his first wife Mr. Landers married her sister Delila, who survived him by a number of years. He became the father of eleven sons and three daughters, of whom only one is now living, — John Landers of Indianapolis. Of the children the youngest was Jackson Landers, to whom this memoir is dedicated. Another of the sons, the late Franklin Landers, represented Indiana in Congress and was the Democratic candidate for governor of the state in 1880, when he was defeated by Albert G. Porter.
Jackson Landers was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm in Morgan county, and there he learned the lessons of thrift and industry which served him so well in later years. He was fully appreciative of such educational advantages as were accorded him in the common schools of his native county, and the discipline thus received was rounded out and made symmetrical by self-application and by the active and varied experiences of a most successful career. Following the death of his father he lived for many years with his mother on the old homestead, and about 1870, while still a young man, he came to Marion county, where he eventually became the owner of a large and valuable farm in Center township, — a property on which he made the best of improvements and in possession of which he continued for many years. Throughout his entire active career he paid staimch allegiance to the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing, and at the time of his death he owned one hundred and four acres of the old home farm on which he was reared and an adjoining tract of five hundred acres, this fine property being situated six miles east of Mooresville, the judicial center of Morgan county, and twelve miles southwest of Indianapolis. His was considered the most highly improved farm in Morgan county, and he took great delight in keeping it well equipped in all modern farm accessories and conveniences. He was a most successful stock-raiser and in later years made a specialty of dealing in mules, which he handled on an extensive scale.
As a staunch and admirably fortified advocate of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, Mr. Landers early assumed measurable leadership in the councils of his party in Marion county, and such was the character of the man, such his partisan loyalty, that he became marked as a most eligible candidate for official preferment. In 1876 he was elected to the responsible office of treasurer of Marion county, in which position he served two years. At the expiration of his term he refused to become a candidate for re-election. The respect and confidence in which he was held in the county was significantly shown in his election to tliis office, for he succeeded in overcoming the large and normal Republican majority. His administra- tion of the fiscal affairs of the county amply justify the popular trust reposed in him and so definitely indicated by the suffrages of the voters of the county.
At the time of his election to the office of county treasurer Mr. Landers removed from his farm to the city of Indianapolis, where he ever afterward maintained his home and where his popularity was of most unequivocal order. He ever continued to take a lively interest in public affairs and in the activities of the political party with which he was identified. He served as delegate to the county and state con-
facfegon jLanberg 17
ventions of his party on various occasions but never consented to become a candidate for office save in the one instance to which reference has already been made. In 1886 Mr. Landers became one of the interested principals in the organization of the United States Encaustic Tile Works, of which corporation he was elected treasurer. He gave much of his time to the promotion of the interests of this concern, now one of the most extensive of its kind in the Union, and he continued to serve as its treasurer until the death of John J. Cooper, in 1906, when he succeeded the latter in the presi- dency of the company, an office of which he continued the incumbent until his death.
As a business man Mr. Landers was far-sighted, enterprising and progressive, and his administrative ability was of a high order. He had naught of ostentation, and gave every man a fair and just estimate, having no regard for the mere fictitious phases of pomp and power. Plain, direct and forceful in his conversation, he was sometimes considered brusque or abrupt, but there was naught of austerity in his nature and his heart was attuned to sympathy, tolerance and generous impulses. Of him it has con- sistently been said that "he numbered all who knew him as friends." As may well be understood, he was man of positive character, and there was nothing vacillating in his attitude in either business or social relations. He was ever ready to extend co-operation in the promotion of measures for the general good of the community and to lend aid to those in affliction or distress. He was a consistent member of the Central Christian church of Indianapolis and exemplified his faith in his daily life. He was a Master Mason, and in the time honored fraternity he was affiliated with Oriental Lodge, No. 319, Free & Accepted Masons, in his home city. In his death Indiana lost one of her valued and honored citizens, and his life itself constitutes his most worthy and enduring memorial.
As a young man Mr. Landers was united in marriage to Miss Georgiana Knox, who likewise was born and reared in Morgan county, this state, where her parents were pioneer settlers. She was summoned to the life eternal in 1876, having been a devout member of the Christian church. Concerning the children of this marriage the following brief data are given: John B., who became a successful stock-grower in the state of Kansas, is now deceased; Lily is the wife of Winfield Miller, a repre- sentative of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and a resident of Indianapolis; William F. is treasurer of the United States Encaustic Tile Works and in the capital city of his native state is well upholding the prestige of the honored name which he bears; and Arthur died at the age of twenty-two years.
On the ISth of June, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Landers to Mrs. Laura (Hayes) Laycock, of Gosport, Indiana. Mrs. Landers still resides in Indian- apolis, and has a wide circle of friends in the community, in the social affairs of which she has taken a prominent part. She holds membership in the Central Christian church. Mrs. Landers was born at Gosport, Indiana, and is a daughter of Lewis M. and Melinda (Alexander) Hayes, the former of whom was born at Greenville, Tennessee, and the latter of whom was the second white child born in Owen county, Indiana. Abner Alexander, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Landers, was one of the first white settlers of Owen county, Indiana, and was the founder of the town of Gosport. He came with his family from South Carolina and was one of the influ- ential pioneers of his section of Indiana. The lineage of both the Hayes and Alex- ander families is traced back to staunch Scotch origin. Mrs. Landers has one daughter by her first marriage, Maude Laycock, who is now Mrs. Robert McOuat, of Indianapolis. The one child of the second marriage was Eudora, who became the
18
STatfeson lanbert
wife of William F. Harbison, of Indianapolis, and who died in this city on the 15th of July, 1909. Mr. Landers is also survived by three grandsons. He lived a life of signal honor and usefulness and his character and achievement were such as to render most consonant this brief review of his career, presented in a memo- rial edition whose value is certain to be cumulative, by reason of the representative character of those citizens to whom tribute is paid within its pages.
3I^eberenb S^htvt l^htxt^.
BUILD monuments to our soldiers, and make memorials for men who in pioneer times gave of their time and energy to the building of this or that town, we laud and praise the names of those who have brought material prosperity to this com- monwealth and to the city of Indianapolis, but we are often in danger of forgetting that brave little group of men who dared the blinding blizzards, the dangers of the forests, long and lonely journeys through scantily populated regions, and all the privations and suffering of the people to whom they ministered. This body of men were the circuit riders and the ministers of the pioneer days. No guest was more welcome at the hut of the settler than was the minister, and he was often called upon to perform duties entirely out of his sphere. He was the minister, teacher and doctor, and was expected to sympathize, encourage, advise, or lend material assistance. One of the noblest of this group of men was the Reverend Doctor Robert Roberts. He was one of the oldest and best known men in the Methodist ministry in the state of Indiana. He was in active ministerial work for forty-three years, all of this time being spent in Indiana. No man in the ministry was held in higher esteem than was Dr. Roberts. He was possessed of much tact, vrith executive ability and enthusiasm, therefore he was of great value in organizing and building up churches that were weak and lacking in spirit. He was truly spiritual minded and was a man of wide influence. His death was one of the greatest losses the Methodist church has ever been called upon to sustain.
Dr. Roberts was born in Caroline county, Maryland, on the 22d of August, 1835. He was the son of William and Henrietta (Pratt) Roberts, both of whom were born in Maryland. Dr. Roberts was only a child when he was made an orphan by the death of both of his parents, and he then went to live with an elder brother. He was of a family consisting of five boys and two girls, and he was next to the youngest son. Before his father's death he had lived the life of a farmer's son, but now when his elder brother William talked of going out west, he was eager to accompany him. His brother located near Brookville, Indiana, and here young Robert continued the studies he had dropped to come with his brother. After his education in the public schools was completed he worked for a short time as a cabinet-maker, and then coming to Indianapolis, he took up the tinner's trade with the old firm of Munson & Johnson. He was so faithful, and showed such skill in management, that the firm put him in charge of a branch house at Martinsville. In Indianapolis he had been a member of the old Asbury church, having been a member of the Methodist church since the age of twelve. When the late Dr. Cotton took charge of the Asbury church in 1856, he was much impressed by the personality of young Roberts. One day he ven- tured to suggest to him that perhaps the Lord had special work for him as a minister of the gospel. Dr. Roberts answered that he felt called to the work,
19
20 l^Efacrenb Robert ^Roberts. 53. M.
and from that time he was a student of theology under the direction of Dr. Cotton. With his keen mind he made rapid progress and was admitted to the ministry in 1857. He entered the old Southeast Indiana Conference, and his first charge was the Columbia circuit in Fayette county.
He remained at the above post for two years and then went to the Carthage circuit, Carthage, Indiana, where he stayed one year. The next two years were spent on the Palestine circuit near Indianapolis and thence he went to the Acton circuit, which was also near Indianapolis. After two years here he went to Fair- land, where he spent one year, and thence he was transferred to the St. Paul circuit, where he worked for two years. He was now assigned to the Manchester circuit, and while he was supplying this charge he studied at Moore's Hill College. He combined the dual calling of pastor and student for three years, making a splendid record in scholarship, and at the same time filling his appointments to the satisfaction of those to whom he ministered. He was made pastor of the church at Greensburg, Indiana, at the end of this time. This was his first station, and he remained here for three years. He then was sent to Edinburg church for two years, and from there went to Shelbyville, Indiana, for two years. He was called back to Edinburg, and spent the nest year there, then he was sent to Madison, Indiana, for three years. His next charge was Moore's Hill, where he was made presiding elder of the district. The limit of time was then four years and Dr. Roberts remained at Moores Hill the full time. He then went to Jeffersonville for three years, and thence to Connorsville, where the time limit was five years. While there he built a great church, costing $40,000, a monument to his untiring efforts. After five years in Connorsville he was sent to Fletcher Place church in Indianapolis. This was in 1893, and he remained for five years. A metropolitan church taxes the ability of a man to the utmost, but Dr. Roberts was equal to the problems that he had to face, and he will long be remembered for the efficiency of liis term of service. It is interesting to note that Fletcher Place church, where he held his last pastorate, was originally Asbury church, where he had received his authority to preach.
At the close of his pastorate in the above church he was made secretary and general agent of the Preachers' Aid and Veterans' Home Societies, in which capacity he served for two years. The following clipping is given as an example of the earnest and sincere work that Dr. Roberts did in this capacity: "Dr. Roberts, of Indianapolis, preached an able and eloquent sermon at Centenary Sunday morning, and presented the interests of the Preacher's Aid and Veteran's Home. It was pronounced by all to be the clearest and ablest presentation of the subject they had ever heard. The amount contributed was over one hundred and thirty dollars, with more promised." He resigned his position in connection with the above societies on account of ill health, and his health steadily failed for the two years preceding his death. He was treasurer of the old Southeastern Indiana Conference, and for fifteen years was treasurer of the Indiana Conference Corpor- ation. For twenty years he was a member of the board of trustees of Moores Hill College. Had he been a business man he would have been a success, and it was this business sense of his that made him so successful in managing the financial affairs of the different institutions of which he had charge. Nearly every church of which he was pastor had a heavy debt burden- ing her shoulders at the beginning of his ministry. At the close the church was either freed from this burden or it had been so lightened as to be no longer a
jRcbercnb jRofacrt jiaoliertg, 3B. B. 21
burden. During the hard-working life of this man he took only one vacation, and that consisted of one month during the Centennial year of 1876. He was a member of the Masonic order and of manj' Temperance organizations.
The following is quoted from a memoir of Dr. Roberts written by Reverend M. B. Hyde and published in the minutes of the Indiana Conference for 1905: "Nature made Dr. Roberts of the finest fibre. He was chaste in every expression, never forgetting for a moment that he was a Christian, and that means a gentleman of the first order. He excelled in the management of his private business. Every- thing was turned to good account. There was no waste. This gave him the ability, and he had the willingness, to use his means liberally for the various benevolent enterprises of the Church, particularly to the cause of Christian edu- cation. He made a liberal donation to DePauw University, but. Moores Hill College was the object of his greatest care, and shared more largely in his benefi- cence. He had a warm heart and an open hand for the poor, especially for the struggling minister. When a Presiding Elder many of the ministers were helped by him personally, and he stimulated the people to greater liberality and thus blessed many an itinerant's home.
"As a minister of the gospel he was strong. He preached thoughtful and hence helpful sermons. He did not regard himself as a revivalist, but often great revivals came to the churches he served and the converts were so taught that they came to the church well equipped to bear the burdens and knowing the full meaning of personal obligations. The chief attractiveness was the clean person- ality of the man. He gave to every church he served a strong administration. The people followed him because they believed in him. He was strong because he believed in himself and in the divinity of his mission; when assigned to a church, he was the "sent" by order of the church, under the province of God. As a reader he knew modern thought, but true to the traditions of the fathers and large in the faith of the Scriptures no task was too great for him to undertake, and rarely did he fail. He was a diligent student. As a recognition of this DePauw University conferred upon him the Master's degree and later on Moores Hill College gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity." His loyalty to his old college was touching. Almost his last words were, "Tell the brethren at Moores Hill to stand by the old college. It is a good place."
The winter before his death Dr. Roberts spent in Florida in the hopes of bettering his condition, but to no avail, for a few months after his return, on the 16th of June, 1905, he died at his home, 164 East Twenty-fourth street. The immediate cause of his death was Bright's disease. His funeral was held from the Central Avenue church, the services being conducted by Dr. C. E. Bacon, the presiding elder. The ministers attended in a body and the pall bearers were selected from among them. He was buried in Crown Hill cemetery.
Dr. Roberts was married on the 11th of September, 1860, to Miss Emily E. Ball. Mrs. Roberts comes of a family noted in the history of our country for their staimch loyalty and service. Her great-great-great-grandfather. Colonel Joseph Ball, was born in England in 1660. He came to this country after he had grown to manhood, and settled in Virginia on the east bank of the Rappahannock river. On his death, which occurred in 1711, he left one daughter and five sons. This daughter, Mary Ball, who was bom in 1706, though not an ancestor of Mrs. Roberts in a direct line, is of unusual interest, because she married Augustine Washington, and became the mother of George Washington. It was the third
22 jReberenb iRabert 3Ro<iertg, B. B.
son, Joseph, who was the direct ancestor of Mrs. Roberts. He was born in 1698, and lived in Frederick county, Virginia, where he spent all of his life, dying in 1771. Of his family of four sons and three daughters, Zopher Ball, born in 1724, was Mrs. Roberts' great-grandfather. He was born in Frederick county, and about the beginning of the Revolutionary war moved to Washington county, Pennsyl- vania. He served in this war, being an ensign in Captain Rosses' company. The third son of Zopher Ball was Caleb, born in 1755. He also was e. soldier, like his father, serving not only in the Revolution, but in the war of 1812. He was an officer of the secret service, and for his services received a grant of land, amount- ing to two hundred acres. One of the most thrilling episodes of his military service happened when he was on board the Gray Hound, which was under the command of Captain Arnold. She was a privateer, with letters of marque and reprisal, and with authority to burn, sink or destroy. This ship was captured, and young Ball was taken prisoner. He was afterwards exchanged at New York. He enlisted in the war of 1812, under Captain Lawrence, in the Twenty-second Regi- ment. Before the war he was married to Phoebe Walton, on the 5th of April, 1792. He afterwards moved to Georgia, and took up the- study of law. He became a practicing lawyer, and was sent to congress in 1776. He thus became one of the Immortals who signed the Declaration of Independence. He was twice governor of Georgia, where he died in 1804. The Virginia members of this historic family are buried at White Chapel on the east bank of the Rappa- hannock river, and others are buried in Mercer, Pennsylvania, in the old BaU cemetery. Four generations lie here, in the beautiful park watched over by old, old trees, some of wliieh are weeping willows, which were brought to this country by LaFayette, and planted at Mount Vernon, and transplanted to Mercer by cuttings. Others are Powhattan oaks brought from Jamestown, and others have equally as intimate associations with the history of our country. The father of Mrs. Roberts was Jonathan Ball, who was a native of Pennsylvania. He after- wards migrated to Indiana, and settled as a fanner in Rush county. Here his daughter was bom.
Dr. and Mrs. Roberts were the parents of four children, the eldest of whom, Otto Roberts, is living in Sonora, Mexico. Alta M. Roberts, and Grace Greenwood, who is Mrs. C. M. Griffin, reside in Indianapolis. Maude, who married B. H. Scranton, lives in Rising Sun, Indiana. Another son, Arthur W., the third child, died at the age of two years.
|ITH the death of Doctor Willard N. Short, of IndianapoUs, one of the finest gentlemen, using the word with its full signi- ficance, passed from among us. He was a man who was gen- erous to a fault, he knew not how to refuse a man anything, and he was ever anxious to help the poor and suffering. When a man was out of a job he had only to enlist Doctor Short's sympathy, which was easily done and he was pretty sure to have work in a few days. The early life of Doctor Short contained numerous ups and downs, and the steady success which came to him in his later years was no more than his just reward. Although he had studied medicine he was primarily a druggist, and his title was given him by those to whom he had indeed been a physician, perhaps not of their bodily ills, but of their mental and spiritual ones. With such a proof of the high esteem and affection in which he was held by the community one can easily realize how widespread was the grief when he died.
Willard N. Short was born on the 26th of July, 1853, at Clifton Springs, New York. He was the son of Leonard and Amanda Short, who were old resi- dents of Clifton Springs. He lost his father at an early age, being just three when he died. The latter was a man of great culture and refinement, being a school teacher by profession. After the death of his father the little boy was taken to the home of his grandfather Short and there grew to manhood. His grand- father was a prominent resident of that part of the state, having lived there for many years. The town of Shortville, New York, was named for him, and he is still remembered for his fine character and strength of will. As a boy Willard Short attended the public schools and later he was sent to the college at Rochester, New York. His grandfather came of a long line of educated men and women, and he wished his grandson to have as good an education as the times provided.
He worked at various things when he was through with his college course and in a short time had saved a thousand dollars. He went into partnership with an experienced laundryman, and established a laundry business at Clifton Springs. Mr. Short furnished the money and the other man the experience. In a short time the money had vanished and Dr. Short was the man with the experience. He con- cluded then to have nothing more to do with either the laundry business or with men whose sole capital was experience. He had always been fond of travel, and he thought he might as well gratify this taste and at the same time make his living by going on the road for a New York drug house. It was while traveling for this company that he came west. Just here the romance of his life might be said to have begun. While traveling through Indiana with a team of horses he was under the necessity of wintering them somewhere, and he chose Greens- burg, Indiana. This town was the birthplace of his future wife, and this was ihe very winter during which she was born. He often remarked in his joking way, after she had become his wife, that he had just patiently waited for her.
23
24 Br. miaarb ^. ^fjort
He, however, left Greensburg little knowing that his most valuable possession was left behind in the little town.
Mr. Short was twenty-one when he came to Indianapolis, and went into the employ of the Stewart Wholesale Drug House. He remained with them for five 3'ears, gaining a valuable knowledge of drugs and of the business. While he was with this firm he took up the study of medicine, and no man was naturally better fitted to be a healer of the sick than was he. At the end of these five years he bought his own store, in old Doctor Allen's Surgical Instrument building, and opened up a drug business herein. He was well known and very popular among the men of his profession and his drug store became a speedy success. After two years he sold this property and bought a drug store at the corner of Maryland and Illinois streets, and here he remained for twenty-three years. In small towns everyone knows how the comer drug store is the social center of the town. The exciting discussions of politics, religion and kindred subjects that are tabooed by the feminine portion of society as creative of too much excitement are here threshed out by their husbands and brothers without very many blows being exchanged. The drug store of Dr. Short's was something like these, that is, in so far as it is possible for anything in a city to resemble anything in a small town. The men of the neighborhood knew the worth of the genial Doctor. The older men enjoyed his wisdom and keen insight into human nature, the younger ones liked his sym- pathy and valued the advice which he could give them. He felt, however, that he had been in active business long enough and so retired. But he was too active to be satisfied to do nothing, so two years later he organized the American Hat Company, located at No. 31 South Illinois street. He was president of this con- cern, but sold out the business one week before his death.
He was a firm believer in the great future of Indianapolis, and aided in its material development by the erection of the Willard apartment at 36 West St. Joseph street. This modern apartment building was erected in 1902 and he and Mrs. Short made their home here for some time. Mrs. Short was the sister of a number of men who were interested in the gas industry, and so she induced her husband to go into this business. He took up leases in Decatur county, Indiana, and they have proved to be a paying proposition. Dr. Short had never seen a gas well before this time and he had the pleasure of knowing that the first well he ever saw was his own. There are three wells on the lease, supplying gas to thirty-six families, but Dr. Short just lived to see the successful consummation of his enterprise, for the gas was turned on the day of his death.
Doctor Short was devoted to his home. He had lived in hotels for so many years of his life that he could scarcely be dragged away from his fireside even for a few hours of pleasure. He was a great lover of animals, being especially fond of fine horses. The one he drove was always pointed out to strangers as one of the finest in the city. As a young man he traveled extensively, but as he grew older he was glad to remain at home. He was a member of the Masonic order, as would be imagined, for the love of his fellow man, which was so strong in the heart of the Doctor, would inspire him to join an order which practices the doc- trine of brotherly love.
Dr. Short was twice married first to Miss Gertrude Rudolph of an old Nobles- ville family, their union occurring in February, 1881, and she died in September, 1884.
The marriage of Willard N. Short and Mattie Bird Caster took place on tiie
3Br. imiMvii ^. Mott 25
30th of October, 1907, and his honeymoon lasted during the few short months of the remainder of his life. He died on the 4th of November, 1910. The following is an extract from the News of the 5th of November: "Willard N. Short, for many years a well-known druggist at Maryland and Illinois streets, died suddenly at ten-thirty p. m. yesterday at his home in the Willard Flats, 36-38 West St. Joseph street. Immediate cause of his death was heart disease. During the day he had been at Greensburg, where he was interested in natural gas wells. He returned at seven p. m., complaining of severe pains, from which he was tempo- rarily relieved, after which he retired for the night. Three hours later the suffer- ing again set in and he died.
Dr. Short was born in Clifton Springs, New York, on the 26th of July, 1853. He came to this city in 1876 and entered the wholesale drug house of the Daniel Stewart Company. Five years later he opened a retail drug store and continued in that business until five years ago, when he organized the American Hat Com- pany, in South Illinois street, of which he was president. He recently sold his interest in the hat company and intended to remove to Greensburg. He was a member of the Masonic order, of the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and of the Elks."
Mrs. Mattie Bird (Caster) Short is a daughter of Ditmore and Matilda (Barnes) Caster. She is a niece of old Turner Barnes, who was well known in this section, and who for many years was connected with the Allen Institute. This venerable old man lived to be over ninety years of age. Mrs. Short's father is living, but her mother died in 1893. Mrs. Short is one of seven children, two of whom are dead. The three older brothers, Thomas, James and Frank are still living. Omar died at the age of twenty-one, and Olive died as the wife of T. J. Marshall. Mary is the widow of James Bacon, and Mattie is the youngest.
Sfoljn 3amt9i Cooper
j^VN^HEN John James Cooper died in 1906, Indianapolis lost one of ^^M her most valuable citizens. He was not only active in the busi-
W^jK! ness world but took a very prominent part in politics. He was ^ well known throughout the state, through his office as state J^^ treasurer. He was particularly well adapted to fill such a posi- ^^^ tion of public trust as this, because he had risen to its high position from the simple rank of a farmer's boy, and he had never lost his sympathy and understanding of the masses that form the largest part of our great American nation. In a state like Indiana, where the greater portion of the state is given over to agriculture, his comprehension of the problems and difficulties that the farmer has to face was of great value.
John James Cooper was born on a farm near the county line in Ripley county, on the 20th of January, 1830. His ancestry on both sides of his house is of the best in the country. The combination of French and English, which is noted for its production of keen, brilliant men, is to be found in the persons of his father and mother. His father was James Cooper, of an old Virginia family, whose father, Robert Cooper, was an officer in the Revolutionary war. James Cooper married Virginia Duduit, who was of French descent, her parents having come to America as members of a colony that accompanied General LaFayette when he came to visit the country in whose independence he had taken so large a share. James Cooper and his wife lived for a time in Scioto county, Ohio, moving to Ripley county, Indiana, in 1827. This was a little over ten years since the admission of Indiana as a state, and the privations and hardships which these brave pioneers had to endure can easily be imagined. The virgin soil of the farm which Mr. Cooper soon had under cultivation began to yield him an ever increasing income, and at the time of his death he was reckoned one of the most successful farmers in Ripley county. A large family of children were born to him, and he and his wife sacrificed much to give them what advantages the condition of the country at that time permitted.
John Cooper knew no life but that of the farm until he grew to manhood. The country schools afforded him an education, which consequently was rather meager, for the three "R's" were about all the country schoolmaster of that date had any knowledge of himself. In the year 1852 Mr. Cooper was married to Sarah Frances Myers, who is the daughter of James Myers, Esquire, who lived in Jen- nings county, Indiana. Mr. Cooper moved to Kokomo, Howard county, Indiana, in 1858, where he remained for six years, and at the close of the war, in 186'i, he came to live in Indianapolis. He became extensively engaged in the stock raising business after moving to the city, and during the remainder of his life, when other affairs claimed a large part of his time, his greatest pleasure was in his farm. This large farm was quite near the city, and so it was possible for him to give his per- sonal supervision not only to the blooded stock in the barns but to the growing of
30 ;^of)n STameg Cooper
the crops in his fields. He was exceedingly successful as a trader, and was known far and wide for his quickness and keenness in judging the points of a horse. This reputation of being the best judge of horse flesh in the state added largely to his success as a buyer and seller of stock. His devotion to his business and the un- tiring energy which he seemed to possess really had more to do with his success than the above mentioned fact. He was a man of wonderful physique, and could get through with an amoimt of work in a day that would put an average man in bed.
From his youth he had always been deeply interested in politics, and had taken an active part in all of the political campaigns. As a young man he had done this partly for the excitement and love of battle, but as he grew older he saw how greatly men were needed in the political world who were true to fine principles, and really believed that they were servants of the people and not in oflSce merely for the per- sonal advantage they could get out of it. When he realized this, politics was no longer a game but a serious business, in which he enlisted himself on the side of the people. He was a strong Democrat, and in 1876 ran for sheriff of Marion county, but was defeated, as was the whole Democratic ticket. In 1882 he was nominated at the state convention for the office of treasurer of the state, and was elected in the following campaign, assuming office on the 10th of February, 1883.
Mr. Cooper was a liberal supporter of the Third Presbyterian church in Indi- anapolis, and his widow is a devoted member of the congregation. He had a large acquaintance, not only throughout the state, but among the prominent men of his party all over the country. His geniality and frankness made him popular wher- ever he went, and his firmness and steadfastness of purpose made him a man with whom no one cared to trifle. He stood six feet two in height, and his physical size and power were very typical of the size of his heart and the power of his mind. The death of Mr. Cooper occurred on the 18th of January, 1906, and he was buried at Crown Hill.
Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were the parents of three children. Charles M. lives in Indianapolis and is married to Nellie Johnson. They have two children, Sarah Frances and John James. Virginia Emiline married John M. Wiley, and lives at Buf- falo, New York. They have one son, John Cooper. Caroline married Earl M. Ogle, and they live in the old home place, on the corner of St. Clair and Meridian streets. In 1900 Mr. Cooper built the St. Clair Flats, which are on West St. Clair street, near Illinois street, and were the first modern apartments in the city. The old home is one of the most beautiful of the older places in Indianapolis and is closely asso- ciated in the minds of all who knew him with the late owner.
Utt la, ^ajjn
|EW of the business men of Indianapolis, Indiana, were better or more widely known than was the late Lee R. Kahn, presi- dent of the Atlas Paper Company, who, as it were, started at the bottom of the industrial ladder when his school days ended at the age of fifteen years, and who, through quiet, persistent, honorable effort reached a very responsible position in the com- mercial world. Lee R. Kahn was born at Bloomington, Indiana, January 19, 1857, and died at Indianapolis, Indiana, October 28, 1910. When he was eight years old his parents moved to Indianapolis and the lad was sent to school in a building that then occupied the present court-house site. After seven years of school attendance he was deemed old enough to become self-supporting, and accepted a clerical posi- tion in the dry goods store of his brother-in-law, who was a member of the firm of R. Kirshbaum & Son, at Union City, Indiana. After a beneficial mercantile experience of six years he returned to Indianapolis and shortly afterward went into the cigar line of business on his own account, subsequently becoming a part- ner with his brother, the late David Kalin, in the manufacture of trunks, under the firm style of the David Kahn Trunk Company, which operated a large fac- tory in this city. He was largely responsible for the years of prosperous business that this firm enjoyed but some years later became interested in the paper busi- ness and assisted in the organization of the wholesale paper concern known as the Capital Paper Company, of which he was elected secretary and treasurer and to the interests of which he devoted his entire attention until 1906, when he sold his stock but only in order to attend to the demands made on his time and effort by a new wholesale paper company, the Atlas, which he assisted in organizing and of which he continued president until the close of his busy life. As an expert accountant he had a reputation that extended over the entire state and in this line, as in others, his services were exceedingly valuable to every business concern with which he was identified. Business capacity came to him in part as an inheritance, his father, Samuel Kahn, having prospered in his undertakings.
In 1885 Mr. Kahn was married to Miss Clara Kahn, who was born at Green- castle, Indiana, and two children were born to them, Gertrude and Samuel, the latter being now deceased. The daughter resides with her mother, who retains her husband's interest in the Atlas Paper Company.
Mr. Kahn was a member of the Hebrew congregation of the Delaware Street Temple and for years was a member of its board of trustees. His burial was in the cemetery belonging to the Hebrew congregation, and a touching feature was that almost all the pall bearers were his brothers-in-law, with whom the bonds of affection had been as close as real kindred. He was identified with several wholesale paper organizations of the country and belonged also to the Indianapolis Club. In the quiet enjoyment of home and in the society of congenial friends, Mr. Kahn seemed to find about all the relaxation he desired, together with a few weeks
31
32
lee 3R. Haljn
of fishing in some remote lake region of the north, from which he returned to the cares of business apparently refreshed and invigorated. He impressed both his friends and his business associates as a man of high ideals, a loyer of all that was honorable, upright and true, optimistic in the face of possible danger and loyal to the extent of his power in matters of conscience. With him, also, charity was but a name for a true and acknowledged responsibility for the welfare and better- ment of those less fortunate than himself.
^tlh]^ barker Jfrajser
I HE lumber interests of Indianapolis have long been of great importance, associated as they are with building and contract- ing, and a leading firm of this line for many years was that of Fraser Brothers & Van Hoff, of which the late Selby Parker Fraser was an active member until his retirement in 1908. He was bom at LaPorte, Indiana, April 17, 1841, and was a son of Joseph and Rebecca (Parker) Fraser. The father, Joseph Fraser, was born in Virginia, and learned the wagon making trade and later became a carriage manufacturer. At Washington, D. C, he married Rebecca Parker, who was born in Massachusetts. They both died at LaPorte, Indiana, Joseph Fraser surviving his wife for ten years. They had three sons and two daughters: Joshua, who was commissioned a lieutenant during service in the Civil war; Dwight, who also served in the Civil war and won promotion; Selby Parker; Elizabeth; and Annie F., who is the widow of H. L. Van Hoff.
Selby Parker Fraser obtained his education in the schools of LaPorte, Indi- ana, and learned the carpenter and associated trades with his father. In the course of time he became a building contractor and later, in partnership with his brother Joshua, engaged in the retail lumber business. The brothers then came to Indianapolis and went into the lumber business here, an extensive lumber dealer of Michigan City, Mr. Colburn, becoming a partner, and the third brother, Dwight Fraser, also entering the firm, the latter having been formerly postmaster at LaPorte, with his brother Joshua as assistant. Some years afterward Mr. Col- burn retired and then Henry Lewis Van Hoff, a brother-in-law, entered the firm and the business was continued under the firm style of Fraser Brothers & Van Hoff until 1909. As mentioned, Selby Parker Fraser had retired and remained prac- tically disconnected with business affairs until his death, which occurred October 17, 1911. He had been considered an able business man and was an active and reputable citizen. He belonged to the Marion Club, and was a Republican in his political affiliation.
On July 5, 1881, Mr. Fraser was united in marriage with Mrs. Delia (Marston) Leonard, who was born at Pason, Illinois, and is a daughter of James and Eliza- beth Marston. James Marston was born in Maine and in his younger days was a seafaring man and commanded a vessel. He married Elizabeth Shipman, who was born in New York City, a daughter of Captain Shipman. When Mr. and Mrs. Marston decided to seek a home in what was then the far west, viewed from a New England standpoint, they started in a wagon with the one son and family possess- ions. They located first in Illinois, where Mr. Marston was a photographer until 1865, when he moved to LaPorte, Indiana, and there continued in the business for many years, his death occurring in 1902, at Portland, Oregon, he being then in his eighty-third year. His widow survived until 1906, passing away at the home of Mrs. Fraser. The latter was the third bom in a family of six children, the
33
34 ^tlbp barker jFragcr
others being: James, who is deceased; Alonzo; May, who is the wife of Edwin H. Lee, residing at St. Louis, Missouri; Charles Edward, who died in 1910; and William, who is a resident of Huron, South Dakota.
Mrs. Eraser has one daughter, Helen Mabel who was born to her first marriage. She married Charles E. Judson and they have two daughters: Helen Janet and Josephine Voorhes, both of whom are students at Tudor Hall, an exclusive girls' school at Indianapolis.
JPftillip dmin ittutcijner
M^^PCJ^IM^HE life of Phillip Edwin Mutchner is a story of a struggle under Fn ^ " C'^ difficulties, and a courageous fight with suffering and defeat
r T '^ I ' ^ ^ that wrings the heart to tell, for he was struck down in the -^4 I ^ ^ midst of a business career, when he was in the prime of life M/U ^ti and when each day saw a broader field in business and in
^I^^^^^J^^ public life opening out before him. He had asked a fair fight and no favors and now when it seemed as though the day had been won, when he had everything to live for, he was forced to content himself with an invalid's chair. No one can possibly realize how a strong, active man suffers when forced to give up his place in a world of men and step back into what is by comparison a world of shadows. It would not have been so bad if Mr. Mutchner had been the subject of a nervous attack, or something that made him feel unlike work, but it was paralysis, and his brain was even keener than ever. He could not let his work go, so with almost superhuman courage he dragged him- self to his ofiice each day, and when that became no longer possible he had an office fitted up at his home, and carried on his business, as well as he was able, from his chair in his own library. Of course he was a success as a business man, what else could be expected from one of his temperament, but it is not his business success that should be emphasized, it is his unconquerable spirit that kept up the battle of life long after the weak flesh would have succumbed.
Phillip Edwin Mutchner was the son of Phillip and Mary (Mitchel) Mutchner. He was born on the 4th of March, 1853, at Eaton, Ohio, and was named after an old friend of the family's the Reverend Phillip. His father was a Methodist minister, who died when Phillip was quite a little fellow. After his father's death his mother moved to Muncie, and here he grew up. His education was received partly at Eaton and partly at Muncie, and since he was an ambitious lad, eager to surpass his playmates in his studies, his health suffered, and when he was through school it was found necessary that he should rest for a time. He therefore went to Columbus, Ohio, to visit and while he was there had the good fortune to be offered a position in General Charles Walcutt's office. This was the revenue office, and after accepting the position, he found the work congenial enough to hold him for eight years. At the end of this time he returned to Indianapolis and entered the offices of Brown & Boyd, grain shippers, and remained with them several years, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the business. He now went into partnership with William L. Higgins, and buying a grain elevator on Virginia avenue, went into the grain business. The firm was known as Mutchner & Higgins, and until 1888 did a very successful business, the energy and close application to business which Mr. Mutchner showed being of supreme importance in this success. In 1888 misfortune first overtook him in the shape of fire which destroyed the elevator, and Mr. Mutchner gave up the grain business and went into the broker- age business. He first had offices in the Board of Trade building and a few years 35
36 Igfttatp Clitpm ittutctiittr
later moved to the Lemcke building. As a broker he was very successful; he had studied the markets for many years, and he added to the knowledge thus gained a keen judgment of men. His reputation for honesty made him a man to be trusted, and his character was such that no man could know him without feeling the underlying firmness of his character. It was at this time, when people were beginning to point to him on the street as one of the coming men, when the big men of the day in the world of finance were watching him, that the blow came. It was in 1893 that he suffered the paralytic stroke from which he never recovered. He and his wife went to New York, and there he was under the care of specialists and everything was done to assist his recovery. They remained there for some time, but at last he saw that they could do nothing more for him, and he announced one morning that he was going back to work. Everyone was sure it was impossible but nothing was said, and he was allowed to return to Indianapolis. On his arrival he had himself driven to his ofiices and notified his patrons that he was ready for work again. For several years he courageously faced the difficult task of getting down to his office every morning, and of returning in the evening, but at last he had to give it up. He then had a telephc le installed in his home, fitted up an office and conducted his business by telephone. One would think that as a business man he would not be very successful by this method, but so much confi- dence was felt in him that people preferred to trust his manipulation of their money over the 'phone, rather than a man who had the use of his two legs and could run all over the town. He was a patient and courageous invalid for seventeen years before his death, and for five years before he died he could not take a step. H<e died on the 9th of June, 1910, and is buried at Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. Mutchner was a member of the Board of Trade, and of the Commercial Club. He was also a charter member of the Columbia Club. In politics he was a Republican, and to the end of his life he took a deep interest in politics and made political conditions the subject of much study. He was the only child of his father, but his mother was twice married, so he is survived by three half-brothers; William Marsh of Virginia, Commander C. C. Marsh of the United States Navy and J. R. Marsh, of Muncie. He also has a half-sister living, Mrs. Harriet M. Johnston, of Muncie.
Mr. Mutchner was married at Columbus, Ohio, on the 4th of December, 1889, to Louise Piersche, a daughter of John and Charlotte (Schwede) Piersche. Her father was born in Paris, France, and her mother, although she was born in Newark, New Jersey, was of German descent. They lived in Columbus, Ohio, for many years, where Mr. Piersche was a furniture dealer. They both died in their home city and are buried in the family lot. Mrs. Mutchner has lived in this city since 1889. Soon after she and Mr. Mutchner were married they bought a home at 1537 Broad- way, and here the widow still lives, alone, for they had no children.
^annitial ^. Wntktv
JVERY genuine and worthy life has a distinct didactic value, nd thus the lessons of biography are not to be held in light
Elfyl esteem. Such a career as that of the late Hannibal Smith r6/1 Tucker offers incentive and inspiration and thus record con- cerning the same cannot fail of enduring worth. He came to Indianapolis in 1865, as a young man recently retired from valiant service as a soldier of the Union in the war between the north and south, and he became one of the leading retail merchants of the capital city, where he was engaged in the glove business for nearly thirty years. He was a man whose integrity of purpose was inviolable; he was a citizen who gave his influence in support of all that tended to advance the general welfare of the community ; and he held by virtue of his sterling character and attractive per- sonality, a high place in the esteem of the community in which he so long main- tained his home.
Mr. Tucker was a scion of the staunchest of New England colonial stock in both the paternal and maternal lines and claimed the old Pine Tree State as the place of his nativity. He received his personal name in honor of his father's most intimate and valued friend, Hannibal Smith, who was a representative citi- zen of Maine. Mr. Tucker was born at West Peru, Oxford county, Maine, on the 13th of November, 1844, and at his home in Indianapolis he was summoned to the life eternal on the 26th of June, 1904; his remains being laid to rest in beau- tiful Crown Hill cemetery. William Tucker, father of the subject of this memoir, was bom in Massachusetts, where the family was founded in the early colonial days, and there he was reared and educated. His wife, whose maiden name was Lydia Ludden, was a daughter of Judge Ludden, a prominent and influential citi- zen and jurist of Maine and a descendent of Joseph Ludden, who was a member of the historic "Boston tea party." Levi Ludden, another representative of the family, was captain of militia in the war of 1812, and Hon. Timothy Ludden, who was a distinguished citizen of Maine, served as captain in the militia of that state in 1841, when the troops were called into action in defending the northeast boundary of the United States. He later served as probate judge and as a reporter of the supreme court decisions of his state. His wife was a direct descendent of George Soule, one of the Pilgrim Fathers. The parents of Mr. Tucker continued to reside in Maine until their death and well upheld the prestige of the honored names which they bore.
To the schools of his native village Hannibal S. Tucker was indebted for his early education, which was supplemented by a course of study in Hebron Academy, at Hebron, Maine. His birthplace. West Peru, is located in the county of Oxford, in the southwestern part of Maine, and the section early developed into one of the most prosperous in that commonwealth. As a boy Mr. Tucker found a full quota of pleasurable experiences in his fishing trips to the Rangely lakes and
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38 j^annibal ^. tCucfecr
Androscoggin river, on whose banks West Peru is located, and in later years he often referred with deep appreciation to the scenes and episodes of his youth. He was not yet seventeen years of age at the inception of the Civil war, and his youthful patriotism was not long to be curbed. In 1862, when about eighteen years old, he tendered his services in defense of the Union by enlisting as a private in the Twenty-third Maine Volunteer Infantry. He proceeded mth his command to the front and while his regiment did not take part in any of the great battles it had the full quota of arduous service. He continued in the ranks until the close of his term of enlistment and duly received his honorable discharge. In later years he perpetuated the more gracious memories of his army life through his affiliation with George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in Indian- apolis, and his popularity in the same was of the most unqualified order, his com- rades of the post according to him the highest regard.
After the close of his military career Mr. Tucker continued his studies for some time in Hebron Academy, and in 1865, shortly after the close of the war, he came to Indianapolis, in company with liis brother Oscar M., who had been called here to assume a position in the public schools and who has long been one of the representative factors in educational circles in Pennsylvania, his home being at the present time in the city of Pittsburgh. Soon after his arrival in the Indiana capital Mr. Tucker secured a position with Gruesendorflf's large mercantile establish- ment in West Washington street, and later he became associated with N. R. Smith & Company. About the year 1868 he initiated his independent career by opening a select dry goods establishment at 9 North Pennsylvania street.
In 1878 he decided to specialize in gloves and was the first in the west at least to fit gloves to the hand, clean, repair and issue merchandise certificates. These innovations were soon copied by his business rivals. He built up the largest glove business in the middle west, and was known as liberal and progressive, ready to co-operate in the furtherance of any measure for the benefit of the community. Soon after his death the business which he had founded and brought to a thriving status at No. 10 East Washington street, was removed to 42 North Pennsylvania street, where it is still conducted. It was incorporated in 1910, under the title of the Tucker Glove Company, and Mrs. Tucker retains her husband's interest in the company, of which she is president.
Essentially a business man, Mr. Tucker had no desire to identify himself with the activities of so-called practical politics, though he was loyal to all civic duties and responsibilities and accorded a staunch allegiance to the Republican party. He was a valued member of the Commercial Club and also held membership in other local societies. His religious convictions and faith were dominating elements of his makeup and were shown forth in quiet sincerity and earnest zeal. He was a deacon in the Second Presbj'terian church for thirty-one years and was most zealous in all departments of church activity and especially in mission Sunday- school work. He was one of those primarily instrumental in organizing the Sun- day-school from which the Memorial Presbyterian church was developed and also that which formed the nucleus for the Fourth Presbyterian church. Mindful of the pleasures enjoyed in his youthful days, Mr. Tucker never lost his fondness and predilection for wholesome outdoor sports, including baseball. He was spec- ially a devotee of fishing and few men have had a more thorough knowledge con- cerning the many beautiful lakes and rivers of his native state. Nearly every sum- mer found him enjoying the piscatorial lures of Maine, Wisconsin or Indiana and
jiannilial g). gTucfeer 39
this attractive sport constituted his chief diversion. He had to his credit the draw- ing forth of two of the largest trout ever caught in the Rangely lakes so far as record is available, and these two trophies he had finely mounted, as tangible evi- dences of his prowess as a disciple of Isaak Walton. Mrs. Tucker still retains the two souvenirs, which invariably attract the admiring attention of observers.
The intrinsic strength and beauty of the character of Mr. Tucker were shown in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds. He always had time to respond to the needs of those in affliction or distress and his private charities and benevolences were proffered without ostentation. He had no desire to accumulate a great fortune, but realized that it is the duty of every man to achieve such success as lies within his powers, so that he was diligent in business, the while he found time and oppor- tunity to cultivate those things which represent the higher ideals of life.
On the 17th of August, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Tucker to Miss Robina Henry Sharpe, who was born near and reared in Indianapolis and who is a daughter of Amos Howard and Mary Eggleston (Bush) Sharpe, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Marion county, Indiana, where her parents established their home in the early pioneer days. Amos Howard Sharpe came to Indianapolis from Kentucky when a youth, later dying in Missouri. He passed away in 1861, at the age of forty-five years, and his wife was summoned to the life eternal in 1856, at the age of thirty-seven years. Ebenezer Sharpe, grandfather of Mrs. Tucker, was born in Cecil county, Maryland, in 1777, and was of staunch Scotch-Irish lineage, the authentic genealogy being traced back to Donald Thane of Cawdor, counties of Nairn and Inverness, Scotland, in the year 1295. Ebenezer was the early educator in the first classical school in Indiana. Representatives of the Sharpe family were prominently identified with the development and religious activi- ties of Maryland, where four brothers of the original progenitors settled upon their immigration to this country. Four brothers of Ebenezer Sharpe were valiant sol- diers in the Continental line in the war of the Revolution, and one of the number was a member of the military staff of General Washington.
Mr. and Mrs. Tucker became the parents of four children, concerning whom the following brief data are given: William Frederick Tucker, born January 27, 1873, died March 18, 1898; Charles Spann Tucker, born January 19, 1875, died January 2, 1899; Rena Estelle is the wife of Albert R. Kohmann, who has prac- tical charge of the business of the Tucker Glove Company, of which he is secretary and treasurer, and Eleanor Eggleston is the wife of Elliott Durand, engaged in mer- cantile business in the city of Chicago, and they have one child, Elliott III. Mrs. Tucker and her daughters are members of the Presbyterian church. Mrs. Tucker has long been a factor in the best social life of her home city and has been influential in educational, benevolent and charitable affairs. She is specially interested in the work of the Indianapolis Kindergarten Society and Indiana Library School, to the furtherance of whose interests she has contributed much time and energy.
^^r^ ^ /^z^t.^^
Soijn €. JBurfe
?T IS the glory of the American social and industrial system that it affords opportunities for winning success through indi- vidual effort, no matter how humble the beginning. The ster- ling citizen whose name initiates this review was one who made an admirable record as one of the world's productive workers, and he gained precedence as a representative business man of West Indianapolis, of which section of the Indiana metropolis he may be said to have been a pioneer merchant, as he was among the first to be- come identified with the development and upbuilding of that now attractive dis- trict, where he was engaged in the shoe business at the time of his death. He was well known in Indianapolis and commanded the confidence of the community. He lived an upright, kindly and useful life, and it is but consistent that a tribute be paid to him in this publication. His death was most pitiable in its circumstances, as he was called suddenly and in the very height of his strong and useful manhood. He succumbed to an attack of heart disease while on a hunting trip in Hendricks county. He died on the 13th of January, 1909, and the circumstances attending his demise were noted at the time in the Indianapolis News, which gave the following record: "John Burk, a shoe dealer, whose place of business was in West Indianapolis, was seized with an attack of heart disease while hunting near Amo yesterday afternoon, and died within a short time. He had just eaten his luncheon, which he had carried with him, and his companions went around a hill to scare up some rabbits. Burk waited, expecting to get a shot. After a time his companions, hearing nothing of him, returned and found him lying on the ground dead. Mr. Burk was one of the best known citizens of Indianapolis, where he was engaged in business in one loca- tion for more than twenty-five years."
John Ernest Burk was born at St. Peters, Franklin county, Indiana, on the 8th of June, 1861, and was a son of John E. and Caroline (Stemhauser) Burk, both of whom were born and reared in Germany and both of whom passed the closing years of their lives in St. Peters, Franklin county, Indiana. Mr. Burk was reared ac- cording to the honest and benignant German system, so far as home associations were concerned, and he received such advantages as were afforded in the schools of his native place. As a youth he served a thorough apprenticeship to the shoe- maker's trade, in which he became a highly skilled workman, and he continued to be actively concerned with this line of enterprise until his death, though in later years his activities were more particularly in the conducting of a well equipped shoe store. He learned his trade at Harrison, Ohio, and later was employed as a journeyman in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mr. Burk came to Indianapolis in the year 1881, when he was twenty years of age, and he opened a small shop on Virginia avenue. His excellent work and sterling integrity forthwith gained to him popular confidence and supporting pat- ronage, and within a short time he was enabled to purchase a lot on South Reisner
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44 foftn €. Purb
street, in what was then known as Belmont, but is now West Indianapolis. On this lot he erected a small building of three rooms, two of which were utilized for his residence and the third for his shop. There were very few houses in that section of the city at the time and wheat fields were more in evidence than were metropol- itan conditions. Mr. Burk secured a good trade, even in this somewhat isolated location, and with the upbuilding of the district his success became more pronounced. He was one of the first business men of West Indianapolis and in about 1885 he ex- panded the scope of his enterprise by putting in a small stock of boots and shoes. He gradually increased his facilities to keep in pace with his expanding and sub- stantial trade, and in 1900 he erected on the site of his first primitive building a substantial store and residence structure, in which he continued his business until his death. This building is located at 1352 South Reisner street, in the center of a thriving business district, and since the death of Mr. Burk his widow has successfully conducted the splendid business founded by him many years ago and brought to prosperity through his able, honest and effective endeavors. As a fine workman at his trade, Mr. Burk early secured a representative patronage, and his customers came from distant parts of the city to award their trade during the many years in which he conducted his establishment in the western division of the capital city. His circle of friends was exceptionally large and his intelligence, integrity and loy- alty well entitled him to the high esteem in which he was so uniformly held. He took a lively interest in all that concerned the general welfare of the community and was especially public-spirited in connection with furthering the progress and prosperity of the section in which he maintained his home and business.
Though he never cared to take an active part in political affairs, Mr. Burk had strong convictions regarding governmental policies and accorded an unswerving al- legiance to the Democratic party. He was a charter member of the Knights of Pythias, lodge No. 244, with which he was affiliated at the time of his demise, and was also a popular member of the Masonic fraternity, lodge No. 669, the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, lodge No. 658, and the Improved Order of Red Men, lodge No. 120. His religious faith was sincere and zealous and he was a prominent and influential member of St. John's Second Reformed church, with which church his widow and children also are closely identified. The most gracious con- ditions and influences marked the home life of Mr. Burk, and his devotion to his wife and children was reciprocated by the utmost love and consideration on their part, so that his sudden death proved a bereavement whose poignancy was lessened only by the memories of his gentle and kindly life and his loving sympathy and care. He was a good man, a loyal citizen, and he performed well his part in life, though his career furnishes no dramatic phases. His remains were laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery, where a fine monument has been erected to his memory.
In Indianapolis, on the 19th of November, 1885, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Burk to Miss Louisa Roth, who was born and reared in this city, where her father was for many years a successful carpenter and builder. She is a daughter of Jacob and Pauline (Engler) Roth, both of whom were born in Germany, whence the former came to America in 1868 and the latter in 1865, their marriage having been solemnized at Terre Haute, Indiana, from which point they came to Indian- apolis many years ago. Mr. Roth gained secure place as a representative con- tractor and builder and held the unqualified esteem of all who knew him. He died in this city in 1903, and his widow now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Burk. Mr.
5o(m C. J&utk
45
and Mrs. Burk became the parents of three children, who survive their honored father: Edward J., who was bom October 23, 1886, is engaged in the machinist's business; John E. Jr., who was born November 14, 1888, and who married Miss Martha Baker, is also a machinist by trade. He managed the shoe business which his father left for two and a half years, and it was later handled by Edward J., but is now being closed out. William H., born June 27, 1891, still remains in the ma- ternal home, and is an expert machinist, in common with his brothers.
^^fev<^^ v^^.v^^
®r. OTiUiam Jlolman BejMotte
[N THE death of Dr. William H. DeMotte, a great man passed from among us. He was one of those whose places may be taken by others but never filled. It would be best, perhaps, be- fore telling the story of this man's life of self sacrifice to give some idea of his personality by quoting the words of some who knew him best. In an address upon the life of Dr. DeMotte that H. H. Hornbrook made before the Sunday-school of Mer- idian Street Methodist Episcopal church, he said, "Some men walk in darkness; others in the dusk; others in shifting shadow and light. He walked in the brilliant light of God's truth at all times. If I were asked to name his most striking char- acteristics, I would first think of these, — his sympathy, his faithfulness and devo- tion, his sweetness and fervency of spirit, his open mindedness, coupled with a firm conviction as to fundamental things. How broad his sympathy, his life given to the unfortunate, his joy in aiding those who were not blessed as we with the full measure of normal human faculties. To the deaf, with whom he spent most of his days from his young manhood, he was the teacher, leader and inspirer. Of his faithfulness — who can say enough? So many times when it has seemed a burden to come out to some meeting we have found him there, coming miles to our squares, and always cheerful, happy and content. And who does not recall with gladness his sweet and fervent spirit? How glad and joyous he was, how kind, how lovable. He drew you to himself by the very lovableness of the man." Dr. Joshua Stans- field says of him, "Dr. DeMotte had a fine native endowment, which, enriched by Divine grace, made his life one of exceptional beauty and strength. Added to a liberal education of the schools, there was in him the ever-widening culture of a close observation, and a true sympathy with and love for others. His sympathy with and appreciation of individuals was a marked feature of his character, and of the hundreds of pupils who have been under his care, many cherish, as a precious mem- ory, his' personal interest in and love for them." Dr. DeMotte's life was given al- most in its entirety to the cause of education and in particular is he remembered in his connection with the State School for the Deaf at Indianapolis. The Wisconsin Times in speaking of Dr. DeMotte as a teacher, says, "In the death of Dr. W. H. DeMotte the cause of education has lost one of its strongest and most earnest workers. Dr. DeMotte's liberal education, well-stored mind, and kindly nature made his work in the schoolroom especially effective. He stood in the front rank as an educator. His long and useful life has been brought to a close — his work is laid aside, but the influence which he has exerted will live after he has passed away, and recollection of him will be cherished and revered by the many whom he taught and helped. In his death the deaf of the nation lose a staunch friend and advocate, the Indiana school loses a sterling and highly successful instructor, and the world loses a manly man of God."
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50 3Br. TOiaiam ^olman Beitlotte
The DeMotte family are of that race noted for their courageous devotion to their ideals^ the French Huguenots. The founders of the family in America fled from France at the time of the religious persecutions that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1585. They sought that haven of refuge, Holland, and after a short stay there, sailed for America, where they settled on Long Island and in the New Jersey colony. After the Revolutionary war several members of the family, having decided that they wished to go west, formed a company and bought a tract of land in Kentucky, near Cove Spring, between Danville and Harrodsburg. It was in this vicinity, on a farm between Harrodsburg and Perryville, that William Holman DeMotte was born on the 17th of July, 1830. When he was about a year old his parents moved to Indiana, and settled near Rockville, Parke county. His father, Daniel DeMotte, who followed the tailoring trade, had become so convinced of his duty to his fellow men that he now gave up his trade and oflEered himself to the conference of the Methodist church, to which he was admitted as a circuit rider in 1836.
This move of his father had considerable effect on the life of William DeMotte. In the first place, since his father could be at home only five days in the month, his rearing fell to the hands of his mother. She was a woman of "great sweetness of temper and quietness of behaviour," and was a powerful influence for good in the community. She must have been a strong element in molding William DeMotte's character. His father was looked upon as a good organizer, and he was conse- quently in demand in many places. The moves therefore were frequent, and this in itself, while a great hardship to the patient mother, was not only fine fim for the boys but was really beneficial. The variety of their life served as an education and there was little about the woods, with their trees and flowers and animal life, that they did not know. The opportunities for education in this pioneer country were very meager, and so when at last the family settled in a good sized town there was much rejoicing.
This town was Greencastle, and they moved there in 1844. William was en- tered in the preparatory departmen of Asbury University, now DePauw, a few months before he reached the age of fourteen. Five years later, in 1849, he was graduated, being salutatorian, and delivering his address in Latin. His career as a teacher began the following winter, when he taught the school at Lewisville, a small town near the home of his parents, which was then at New Castle. On the 1st of June, 1850, he was elected to the faculty of the State Institution for the Deaf in Indianapolis. This was the beginning of the work that was ever afterwards to hold first place in his heart.
In 1864 he was appointed Indiana state military and sanitary agent at Wash- ington. His duties consisted in looking after the sick and wounded soldiers of the Indiana regiments, and through him soldiers could get into communication with their loved ones at home. Dr. Joshua Stansfield says of this work: "For some time dur- ing the Civil war, under the appointment of Governor Morton, he filled the position of Indiana state military and sanitary agent at Washington, D. C, and, while there, he was in numerous instances the living link between families at home and loved ones at the front. Many were the cases where he sought out and restored to In- diana households loved ones of whom all trace had been lost, and he will be held in lasting remembrance by families in our city for his characteristic work in those dark days."
3Br. OTtniam ^olman Mt0attt 51
He next became president of the Indiana Female College at Indianapolis, and remained here from 1865 to 1868. It, however, was deemed best to meet changing school conditions by merging this school and its property with that of Asbury Uni- versity at Greencastle, and so Dr. DeMotte resigned his position and accepted the presidency of a similar school, which has since become the Illinois Woman's College at Jacksonville, Illinois. He remained here seven years, from 1868 to 1875, and they were years filled with many difficulties. Dr. Joseph R. Harker, of the above institution, in making the address that was there delivered at the funeral of Dr. DeMotte, said, "Here was performed in seven heroic years his greatest public ser- vice; about these halls clung many of his most cherished and sacred memories. Dr. DeMotte's relation to the college and to myself has been especially intimate and helpful. I do not think he ever failed whenever an important announcement was made to write a letter expressing his special interest and pleasure. It has seemed to me that above everything else Dr. DeMotte was a teacher, and that in teaching he found his chief happiness and success. As college president his greatest delight was in the classroom work, and his students remember him more vividly as a teacher, for his class work and his chapel talks, than as an executive or as president. He had the peculiar ability of the born teacher to live in the atmosphere of the student and to partake of his life. His knowledge was always accurate and full, and he could let himself down to the plane of the pupil, walk along with him, and grad- ually lift the pupil to his own higher level. It is the greatest of all professions, and Dr. DeMotte held high rank in it."
During all these years Dr. DeMotte had been anxious to return to his work with the deaf, and in 1875 he received his opportunity in his appointment as superin- tendent of the Wisconsin State School for the Deaf at Delavan. His service there lasted for five years, from 1875 to 1880, and he was then called to accept the same position in the Kansas State School for the Deaf at Olathe, remaining here until 1882. From 1882 until 1887 he acted as president of the Female College at Xenia, Ohio. His service there was productive of many good results, as was also that of the next two years, when he was secretary of the Y. M. C. A. at Jacksonville, Illinois. How- ever, these years were only waiting years during which he hoped that he might be given an opportunity to go back to his beloved work among his deaf pupils. In 1889 the appointment came from the Indiana State School, and in addition to his joy at returning to his work it was a satisfaction to come back to the place where as a young man he had begun that work. His first school was thus to prove his last, for he remained in this institution until his death, having served it in all thirty-four years. Of his work among the deaf the Wisconsin Times has the following; "A kind-hearted and sympathetic man, he found his work among the deaf peculiarly interesting and self-satisfying. In that work he felt there was large opportunity, not alone in mental training and the imparting of knowledge to the pupils, but there was a grand opportunity to unfold the moral nature and to awaken and develop the spiritual vision of the child. He considered the work as true missionary work — im- parting the knowledge of a Supreme Being and of spiritual truth to those who from physical disability were unable to attain such knowledge in the ordinary way. And it was in this latter department of educating the deaf that Dr. DeMotte was es- pecially strong and helpful. He was a clear, distinct and forceful sign-maker, and his lectures to the pupils and his Sunday services in the chapel were always given
52 Br. (gaHiHiam ^olman jBejflotte
in such a simple, earnest manner, and in such graceful and forceful signs, that thej made a deep and abiding impression."
For nearly twenty years Dr. DeMotte conducted a Bible class for the adult deaf of Indianapolis, which met in the Meridian Street church. He derived much satis- faction from this work and each member of the class had a special place in his heart. He often spoke of them during the last days of his life and was anxious that arrangements should be made for continuing the class after he was gone. How deeply this class has missed him can not be put into words. In addition to this work he did considerable writing, especially for the Advocate and similar papers. He was as clear a writer as he was a thinker and speaker and it is to be greatly regretted that he did not leave us more of his wisdom on paper. When he was graduated from Asbury University he received the degree of A. B., and in 1852 he took the M. A. degree from the same university. In 1877 Lawrence University, at Appleton, Wisconsin, conferred on him the degree of LL. D., in recognition of the great work he was doing for education.
On the 15th of September, 1852, Dr. DeMotte was married to Catherine Hoover at Darlington, Indiana. The marriage proved to be a fortunate one, and the couple became the parents of six children, all of whom are living: Ellen, the wife of W. F. Brown ; Frances, who married A. R. Archibald ; Catherine, who became the wife of R. A. Gates; Marshall, the only son; Mary, who is Mrs. J. G. Doering; and Eliza- beth, the wife of T. P. Carter. It was while the family was living in Jacksonville that the beloved wife and mother was taken from them. On the 23rd of December, 1873, Dr. DeMotte was married to Anna A. Graves, of Jacksonville, Illinois. It was an usually happy union, and it was Mrs. DeMotte's privilege to be with her husband during the most beautiful years of his life. Their daughter, Amelia, was a source of great joy to him, and was his constant companion both at home and in school.
Dr. DeMotte was seventy-nine years of age at the time of his death, but was in good health and was unusually vigorous for a man of his years. He was ill only a little over a week, and it was not thought until two days before his death that his condition was serious. His last two days were quiet and peaceful, and the words which he spoke at this time will forever be treasured in the hearts of his family and friends. His death occurred on the 2nd of January, 1910. Services were conducted in the chapel of the school that he loved so well on the third of January and on the follow- ing day a short service was held at the home. According to the wish of Dr. De- Motte he was carried from his home by the six deaf teachers of the school, who had been so intimately associated with him. The body was taken to Jacksonville, and there the final services were held.
Dr. DeMotte was a member of the Masonic order and was a life-long member of the Methodist church, in which he had always done much active work. He was de- voted to his home, and cared most to spend his leisure hours with his family, read- ing being his great recreation. Geology was a favorite study, the result of which is a fine collection of geological specimens. He died in the fullness of years, with the consciousness that he had lived a long life of service to others. He died as he would have wished, when he was in full possession of his powers and was living a life of usefulness. The following beautiful prayer which he wrote on the occasion of his seventy-ninth birthday is a fitting close to the account of this beautiful life of ser-
■Bv. WJiUmm l>oIman Bcittottc 53
vice, and is quoted especially in the hope that others of his age may read it and make it theirs:
"I thank Thee for all old people who have grown younger with their years — for all who are bringing forth fruit in their old age. Endow me with the Heavenly secret, and may I be a child of eternal life. I want still to have sympathy with the young and with those who are bearing the burden and heat of the day. Help me to bear my own infirmities with cheerful patience. Keep me from narrow pride in out-grown ways — blind eyes that refuse to see the good of change — impatient judg- ments of the methods and experiments of others. Take from me all fear of death, and both undue love and contempt of life. And may I wait, active and effective, as far as possible. Thy call."
f osepi) #. iWcBotuell
jN THE vigorous and noble attributes of character which denote the late Joseph Gabby McDowell is given evidence of the in- trinsic worth of the race from which he sprung, and his lineage is traced back on his paternal side to the strongest of Scottish origin. He was long and prominently identified with the busi- ness interests of Indianapolis, and was a citizen who ever held prominent place in popular confidence and esteem. His intel- lectual powers were of the most symmetrical order, and his sagacity and mature judgment made him a powerful factor in the direction of thought and action in the city which so long represented his home, and in which in a quiet way he won a suc- cess worthy of the name. It is important to enter record, though necessarily brief, concerning the history of the subject of this memoir. Authentic records indicate clearly that William McDowell, to whom the lineage is traced, was among those sturdy Scotsmen who left Scotland and sought refuge in the north of Ireland at a time when religious persecution rendered their residence in their native land unten- able. John McDowell, LL. D., was one of the most distinguished representatives of this family in America. He became president of St. Johns College at Annapolis, Maryland, and later was provost of the University of Pennsylvania. Among those to whom he gave instruction was young Custis, a stepson of General George Wash- ington, and the General was a warm personal friend of Dr. McDowell. Letters from Washington to the Doctor are still preserved in the Historical Museum in Philadelphia. William McDowell, son of Dr. John McDowell, was a valiant sol- dier in the War of the Revolution, in which he served as captain of a company in the Continental army, and he was complimented for his gallant service at Stony Point and other places. He also took part in the Indian wars of his day and gave further valuable service to his country in the campaigns against the Redskins.
Dr. Andrew McDowell, of the fifth generation of this family in America, moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and at Titusville, in that state, Alexander McDowell founded another branch of the family, the while Patrick McDowell established a home in Peoria, Illinois. Family tradition gives no little authority for the statement that the history of the McDowell family may be traced back to "Dowell of Gallo- way" who lived 230 B. C.
Joseph Gabby McDowell was born near Waynesboro, Franklin county, Penn- sylvania, on July 30, 1836. The place of his nativity was the well ordered farm of his father, Nathan McDowell, who was one of the stalwart and valuable citizens of that section of the old Keystone state. Mrs. Emily Gabby McDowell, the mother of Joseph G., was of Scotch-Irish extraction, and both families have been uncom- promising in their allegiance to the Presbyterian church for many generations. Many of the McDowells of America have been foremost in the work of this denom- ination and the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of Joseph G. McDowell have been elders in the church. This family precedent he himself well supported,
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as he was a staunch, zealous and valued worker in the Memorial Presbyterian church of Indianapolis and was an elder and a member of the Second Presbyterian church when he was summoned to the life eternal.
Reared in the sturdy discipline of the farm, Joseph G. McDowell waxed strong in mind and body, and, in the meanwhile he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of his native county. His ambition for further education was realized when he was permitted to continue his studies in Jefferson College, one of the old and substantial institutions of his native state. At the age of twenty-two years he became associated with his father in the foundry business at Hagerstown, Maryland, where he continued to be identified with this line of business until the close of the Civil war. In June, 1865, Mr. McDowell came to Indianapolis, then a city of less than fifty thousand inhabitants. Soon after establishing his home in the capital city of Indiana, Mr. McDowell associated himself with Bowen & Stewart, dealers in books and stationery, and with this well known concern he continued to be identified for twelve years, in which time he gained a wide acquaintanceship and most unequivocal publicity in the city of his choice. At the expiration of the period named, he resumed his connection with the line of enterprise to which he had for- merly given his attention by identifying himself with the old Atlas Works, with which he continued until the business was closed up. He then became actively connected with the re-organization of the business, and with the new firm, the Atlas Engine Works, he was prominently identified and held the important position of traffic manager for the company for the long period of thirty years, and his ser- vices were terminated only by his death, which occurred on the 26th day of July, 1910. After his health had become seriously impaired he returned to the old home at Hagerstown, Maryland, in the hope of recuperating his energies, and his death occurred at that city.
Mr. McDowell was a citizen of the most liberal and progressive type and ever took a broad minded interest in all that touched upon the welfare of his home city. He was an appreciative student of the history and teachings of the time honored Masonic fraternity, with which he was most actively affiliated for many years, and in which he attained to the thirty-third and maximum degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. Mr. McDowell's zeal in the work of his church and his abiding and up- lifting interest in his fellow men were of the most insistent order. He was a close student of the Bible, and his familiarity with ecclesiastical literature was extensive. He was for many years a successful and popular teacher in the Sunday-school and he gave the greatest care and circumspection to the Bible and general theological studies. His private library of rare and extensive works along this line is treasured by his family. He was known as a man of fine literary appreciation and most stu- dious habits. Genial and kindly in all the relations of life, honest in his judgment of others, he won and retained the greatest of friendships. Singularly free from os- tentation, the very strength and nobility of the man could not but give further in- fluence of benignant order and of ever widening angle, so that he still lives in the lives of those whom he aided and guided.
It might be noted that Charles McDowell, a brother of him to whom this memoir is dedicated, ran away from home at the time of the Civil war and tendered his services in defense of the cause of the Confederacy. He was a soldier in the ranks of the Southern army, and encountered many thrilling experiences and participated in many hot engagements. On one occasion he was captured as a spy and was sen-
STofiiepf) &. ilHc|9otuea
59
tenced to be hanged, but fortunately escaped. A gun which he carried at the time of the great conflict now hangs upon the walls of the late home of his brother, Joseph McDowell, and constitutes a valued relic. There is also a bayonet which was left at the home of Mrs. McDowell's parents by a Union soldier who had been given food and other provisions.
For a short period Joseph McDowell devoted his attention to newspaper work, being connected with the Indianapolis Sentinel, and, while he was a strong and vig- orous writer, the work did not appeal to him sufficiently to keep him in the service. Mr. McDowell provided for his family in a home on North Meridian street, and here his wife and two daughters still reside, the place being known for its generous hos- pitality, and being the center of representative social activity.
On the 25th of July, 1862, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. McDowell to Miss Lucretia McCardle, who was born at Hagerstown, Maryland. Mr. McDowell is survived by his widow and three children: the Misses Emily and Josephine, who live with their widowed mother in the old home which has been the family residence for a score of years, and a son, Charles, who is engaged in business in Indianapolis, and who married Miss OUa Boyle, of this city.
fosiepl) E» €bang
|EASURED by its beneficence, its rectitude, its productiveness, its unconscious altruism and its material success, the life of the late Joseph R. Evans counted for much, and in this publication, which has to do with those strong and representative characters that have wielded influence in connection with civic and busi- ness activities in the Indiana capital, it is most consonant that a review of his career be incorporated. His character was the positive expression of a singularly true, constant and loyal nature, and, ever modest and unassuming, his devotion to principle, his adherence to high ideals and his fine ability along constructive lines, made his influence one of potent and benignant order in the city that so long represented his home. His life was gentle and kindly and concerning him it may consistently be said that, in the midst of thronging busi- ness exactions he "went about doing good." It is hoped that this brief memoir may reveal somewhat of the character and achievement of the man, so that a tribute of honor may be perpetuated where honor is well due.
A representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the old Buckeye state, Joseph R. Evans, was born on a farm near Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio, on the 16th of November, 1840. He was a scion of staunch old Southern stock, his father, Thomas Evans, bom in South Carolina, and his mother, Elizabeth M. Evans, in North Carolina, who early established their home in that section of Ohio, where the father continued to be identified with the great basic industry of agriculture until his death, which occurred when the subject of this memoir was a lad of eleven years. The mother survived her honored husband by many years and both were earnest and zeal- ous members of that noble religious organization, the Society of Friends. The condi- tions and influences of what may be termed the middle-pioneer epoch in the history of Ohio compassed the childhood and youth of Joseph R. Evans, and on the home farm he early gained fellowship with earnest toil and endeavor, the while he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period. He began attendance at the Friends Boarding School (now Earlham College) at Richmond, Indiana, when eleven years old, and later he again resumed his studies in this admirable institution long maintained under the auspices of the Society of Friends. After leaving college Mr. Evans helped on the farm with his brother until 1861, when he returned to Richmond, Indiana, where he studied law under ef- fective preceptorship and where he became virtually eligible for admission to the bar. The impaired condition of his eyes, however, rendered it impracticable for him to take up the work of the profession of law, which demands so much of reading and study, and consequently Mr. Evans felt constrained to seek some other field of endeavor. In 186S, therefore, he removed to Indianapolis, a city with whose indus- trial and civic affairs he was destined to be long, worthily and prominently identified. Here he was concerned with the operation of a flouring mill for some time, but the major part of his active career was one of close and successful identification with the pianufacturing of linseed oil. In association with his brothers he built up a
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large and important enterprise in this line and the same contributed materially to the commercial prestige of Indianapolis. He became one of the essentially pro- gressive and representative business men of Indiana's capital city and here con- tinued his productive activities in the manufacturing of linseed oil until 1900, when impaired health compelled his retirement. For nearly thirty years Mr. Evans was thus identified with business activities in Indianapolis, and he entered fully into the progressive spirit that has compassed the upbuilding of a beautiful industrial and residence city, his public spirit and civic loyalty having ever been of insistent order and his co-operation having been given to those measures and enter- prises that contributed to the moral, social and material wellbeing of the community. He never sought notoriety of any kind and never consented to become a candidate for public office, but he was well known in the city that so long continued to be his home and here he held the staunchest vantage ground in popular confidence and esteem, for his integrity of purpose was impregnable and he ever manifested a high sense of stewardship as a man among men. He was ever a staunch and appreqiative supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and while he gave every possible aid to its cause he was, as already stated, entirely without ambition for public office. Through well directed reading and through his long association with men and affairs he became a man of broad information and distinctive cul- ture, and he was specially interested in history, to the reading of which he devoted much time, the while he covered a wide range of historical literature.
Mr. Evans was a birthright member of the Society of Friends and few have more effectively stood exponent of its simple and noble teachings. His zeal and earnest- ness in connection with the various interests of this religious body were of the deep- est and most solicitious order and he was one of the influential factors in the coun- cils of the society. He was treasurer of the Western Yearly Meeting of the So- ciety of Friends for twenty-one years, and for twenty-six years prior to his death he was a member of the board of trustees of Earlham College, at Richmond, In- diana, and he was treasurer of the financial board of this institution for nearly a score of years prior to his demise. He was in ill health for a long period before he was summoned to the life eternal and he bore his affliction with character- istic patience and cheerfulness. He had passed nine winters at Long Beach, Cali- fornia, to which state he had gone in the hope of recuperating his health, and at Long Beach his death occurred on the 2'lth of May, 1908, his remains being brought back to Indianapolis for interment in Crown Hill cemetery. From a letter written by the Rev. Andrew Mitchell, pastor of the church of the Society of Friends at Long Beach, California, are taken the following appreciative statements: "Joseph R. Evans was a citizen of broad views and many influences. The devotion bestowed upon him by his family was evidence of his appreciation in the home. His business integrity made him a trusted counsel in the church and its educational institutions. As a citizen of the state he was zealous in the promotion of what he believed to be right. In his ill health he manifested remarkable patience through all his protracted sufferings, and as he realized the hour of dissolution approaching he not only expressed his vrillingness to go but was also eager for the hour to come. He freely
STogcpt 3^. Cbang 65
expressed his gratitude for the comforting Presence in helping him through his illness."
There is all of consistency in perpetuating in this memoir the following quota- tion from the address delivered by Rev. M. C. Pierson on the occasion of the funeral services of Mr. Evans in Indianapolis:
"Joseph R. Evans was a man of many excellent qualities. I believe the elements so blended in his life and character that he was one of those of whom we say, when we have known and tried them, that 'he was a good man, or she was a good woman.' I believe that the best thing that can be said of any one. He inherited from his an- cestors a very rich legacy, — a legacy of more value than silver or gold; a legacy which had to do with the elements of character. Like many of us who gather here today, he, with us, inherited such things from the Quaker ancestry before him, and it seems to me in an unusual way he inherited these things. His senses were all exceedingly keen; he had broad, conservative views of life; he was a student who thought out deep and grave questions ; and of all the traits of character, his sense of right and justice predominated. Of all things Joseph Evans desired to see was that which was right, and to see it meant to do it. To do a wrong thing never en- tered his mind ; he never did a wrong knowingly. He was a man of deep conviction ; he thought deeply on every question and after he had thought his way through he always stood for that which he believed to be right.
"While a man of large business interests all these years, his most prominent and abiding interest was that connected with the church, and I should like to stop long enough to express that thought. Joseph R. Evans was distinctly a business leader in the church, — a man who thought deeply on large questions. He went ahead of the church and thought out its problems, and he met them as the days and years came on. His official position in the church is evidence of the church's appreciation of his great worth. As previously stated, twenty-one years treasurer of the Western Yearly Meeting, twenty-six years a trustee of Earlham College, — all these things attest the fact that our brother was held in the most high esteem as q counsel and leader. So, as we think of him to-day and as we gather in memory of him, we shall all feel keenly the loss that will be ours when we separate from him, — a loss in the councils of the church ; a loss in Indianapolis, where he has been with us a leader for forty-five years ; one who has had much to do in the erection of the present building in which we meet ; one who in the Yearly Meeting has taken such active part.
"One of the traits of character which impresses me more than another is this great devotion of spirit and soul to the church. Never too busy to give time; never too busy to give money; never too busy to give himself for the church, or the col- lege, or the work of God in the field where he felt He had called him. And now, as we come to the closing of this life, it seems to have been in many respects a ripening, a preparing for the harvest. These last years have been fiUed with suffering and illness ; shut away from the church, deprived of the meetings, it seems to me that through all he was ripening for the garner, preparing for the entering into the Presence later. And as he came nearer the end, his confidence in God increased, and there was a great manifestation of patience and of willingness to go when God saw fit to call, — a resting in God and trusting in him for direction and for the out- come, whatever it might be. How precious, indeed, and how beautiful, indeed, comes the end when life's battles are fought and when the end comes to pass out of this world through the doorway of death to the palace of God, on the other side."
66 STogept aa. Cbang
At the June meeting of the board of trustees of Earlham College, and of the trustees of its endowment and trust funds held at Indianapolis on the morning of June 1, 1908, the following memorial was adopted:
It is with a deep sense of loss that we record the death of our dearly beloved brother, Joseph R. Evans, who was appointed a member of the board of trustees in 1881 and served continuously until the fall of 1907, when, on account of failing health, he offered his resignation. For fifteen years of this time — from 1885 to ]900 — he acted efficiently as president of the board. He was a member and treas- urer of the financial board of the college from the time of its creation, in 1890, until the time of his death. During this long term of years he served Earlham College with great fidelity; he gave freely not only of his time and valued counsel but of his means for the advancement of the best interests of the college, and he has figured largely in placing the college on its present high standard of efficiency.
Wc believe that not only has the college lost a splendid friend but each of the members of the board has suffered a personal loss in his death, but we know that his good work will follow him.
We extend to the bereaved family our profound sympathy and commend them to the care of the Heavenly Father, who sustains his children in such a sorrow.
It may well be understood that in the sacred precincts of his ideal home the nobility and tenderness of Mr. Evans found their apotheosis, and there can be no de- sire to lift the gracious veil save to enter brief data concerning the family relations. On the 3d of May, 1865, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Evans to Miss Caro- line E. Brown, of Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio, where she was born and reared. She is a daughter of Asher and Esther J. (Jones) Brown, the former of whom was bom in Ohio, as a member of one of the sterling pioneer families of that state, and the latter of whom was born in New Jersey, whence she accompanied her parents to Ohio when a child. Asher Brown was long one of the honored and representa- tive citizens of Warren county, where he devoted the major part of his active career to farming and where both he and his wife continued to reside untQ their death. They were members of the Society of Friends, of which Mrs. Evans thus became a birthright member, and she, like her honored husband, has been earnest and instant in good works in connection with this religious organization. Mrs. Evans passes a portion of each year at her old home in Indianapolis, where she has a wide circle of friends, and the winter seasons she passes at the home in Long Beach, California. In conclusion of this brief memoir is entered the following record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Evans: Willard A., who resides at Sierra Madre, CaU- fomia, married Miss Clara Baldwin, of Marion, Indiana; they have three children, — Arthur T., Joseph R. and E. Florence. Asher B., the younger of the two sons of the subject of this memoir, resides at 2044' Central avenue, Indianapolis. He married Miss Angeline S. Woody, of this city, and they have two children, Thomas W. and Elizabeth F., Miss Anna M. Evans remains with her widowed mother; and Josephine A., the younger daughter, is the wife of Frank E. Wall, of Long Beach, California, but formerly of Noblesville, Indiana.
mtvth P, i^ateg
I VERY worthy life yields not only its golden harvest in season but also the gracious aftermath of objective lesson and inspira- tion and of memories to be cherished by those touched by its be- nign influence. The late Alfred Bennett Gates, who contributed materially to the commercial prestige of Indianapolis, was a man who accounted well to the world as a constructive worker and loyal citizen, and his personality, marked by integrity and kindli- ness, could not but beget popular confidence and unqualified esteem. He established his home in the capital city of his native state soon after the close of the Civil war, and here he brought his splendid powers into requisition in the upbuilding of an exten- sive and substantial wholesale business in the handling of groceries, coffees and spices. He was a man ever diligent in business and ever alive to the demands and obligations of citizenship, as shown by his lively interest in all that concerned the welfare of the community. He retired from active business several years prior to his death and, surrounded by a host of warm friends, he continued to reside in Indianapolis until he was summoned to the life eternal, on the 30th of June, 1902.
Alfred Bennett Gates was born on a farm near Connersville, Fayette county, Indi- ana, on the 13th of November, 1823, and was a son of Austin and Mary Gates, both of whom were representatives of staunch New England stock, the respective families having been founded in America in the colonial era of our national history. Austin Gates and his wife made the long overland journey from Connecticut to Indiana by means of team and wagon, and they numbered themselves among the pioneer settlers of Fayette county, where they passed the residue of their lives, secure in the high re- gard of all who knew them. Austin Gates was prominently identified with the devel- opment of the resources of that section of the state and in the early days owned and operated a saw mill near Connersville. He whose name initiates this article was reared under the conditions and influences of the pioneer days, but was favored to a greater degree than the average youth of the locality and period, in that his educa- tional advantages were of superior order, including the facilities afforded in an excel- lent academy at Connersville. On the foundation thus placed was erected the fine su- perstructure which in later years marked him as a man of broad information and ma- ture judgment. As a boy he gained practical experience through being employed in a general store conducted by his brother-in-law, a Scotsman, and finally, after careful training in mercantile lines, he engaged in the dry-goods and merchant-tailoring busi- ness at Connersville, where he built up a prosperous enterprise and established a high reputation. That he held unequivocal esteem in his native county is shown by the fact that during the last two years of the Civil war he served as its treasurer, — an office whose affairs he administered with characteristic ability and integrity and with the utmost acceptability. At the time of the war he sold his store and business, and his in- sistent loyalty to the Union was shown by his service as captain of a company of home
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guards during the period when General Morgan was making his historic raids in Ohio and Indiana.
In 1866 Mr. Gates went to the city of Philadelphia, after having secured a con- cession to sell in Pennsylvania the looms manufactured by a large establishment in Cincinnati, Ohio. All domestic fabrics commanded high prices at that time, and thus there was a great demand for these hand looms, which were utilized in the private manufacturing of cloth. The German citizens of Pennsylvania and other eastern states were specially avidious in availing themselves of the mechanisms, which would now appear primitive in the extreme, and Mr. Gates developed a most successful busi- ness in selling the looms in Pennsylvania and other eastern states. He continued to maintain his residence and business headquarters in Philadelphia until 1869, when he disposed of his business, as the same had begun to wane, owing to the lowering of the prices of regularly manufactured cloths.
In 1 869 Mr. Gates returned to Indiana and established his home in Indianapolis, where he engaged in the retail grocery trade, at the corner of Illinois and Market streets, as a member of the firm of Ripley & Gates. He thus employed his energies in an incidental way and as a means to an end, as he was desirous of looking over the field and properly determining conditions before engaging in other and wider busi- ness enterprise. Thus he continued in the retail grocery business about one year, at the expiration of which he disposed of his interest in the same. In 1871 he initiated the wholesale coffee and spice business, by the purchase of the mill and business which had been conducted by a man named McCune, and he soon amplified the enterprise to include dealing in groceries at wholesale, with a well equipped establishment at 31-33 East Maryland street. Under the firm name of A. B. Gates & Company he built up a substantial and prosperous business, and the trade of the houses was ex- tended throughout the territory for which Indianapolis is the normal distributing center. His sons, Harry B. and William N., finally became his coadjutors in the firm- and he continued to be actively identified with the business for more than thirty years, and through his earnest application, careful and honorable methods and progressive policies he built up an enterprise that contributed much to the commercial advance- ment and precedence of the capital city. A specialty was made of the coffee and spice business during all these years, and he retired from active association with the concern a few years prior to his demise by turning the business over to his sons. Somewhat later the sons sold the grocery department of the business, in order to devote their entire attention to the manufacturing of and wholesale dealing in coffee, spices and baking powder, in which they have built up an enterprise which is one of the largest and most important of the kind in the entire United States. The business is conducted under the title of the Climax Coffee & Baking Powder Company, with a fine and modern plant at 33 South Division street, and the trade extends into the most diverse sections of the Union. As progressive and reliable business men the sons have added new laurels to the family name and are numbered among the representa- tive factors in the commercial activities of the Indiana metropolis. Harry B. Gates is president of the company and William N. Gates is secretary and treasurer.
Alfred B. Gates was a man of strong convictions, fine intellectuality and broad information. He was an appreciative and constant reader of the best in literature and also kept in close touch with the questions and issues of the hour, the while his civic loyalty and public spirit prompted him to active and helpful interest in those agencies which tend to further the general wellbeing of the commnnity. He was a
gmrcb jB. ^atcg 69
charter member of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, and was also a valued member of the Commercial Club, the Columbia Club and other representative local organiza- tions. In the Masonic fraternity he manifested a specially deep interest and he was a close student of the teachings and history of this time-honored order. In the same he received the thirty-third and maximum degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and he was also active in the various York Rite bodies with which he was aflSli- ated. The principles and policies of the Republican party received the uncomprom- ising support of Mr. Gates and he was well fortified in his opinions touching political and economic affairs. He never consented to become a candidate for public office after he had established his home in Indianapolis, though at one time he was insis- tently importuned to become a candidate for the office of mayor of the city. He was a man who stood "four square to every wind that blows," and upon his escutcheon appears no blemish. He was strong and true and generous, and he not only compelled but deserved the confidence and respect of his fellow men, to whom his genial nature drew him by indissoluble bonds of mutually appreciative friendship. He was not only one of the essentially representative business men of Indianapolis but was also one of its best known and most popular citizens. He was sincere in his Christian faith, which he showed forth in thought, word and deed. He was a member of the Christian church, as is also his widow, whose father was one of the early clergyman of this faith in Indiana. Mr. Gates' parents were members of the Baptist church and his second personal name was given in honor of Mr. Bennett, who was one of the pioneer clergymen of this church in Indiana and an intimate friend of the family. Mr. Gates was one of a family of seven children, and of the number the only one now living is Mrs. Caroline Robinson, who is nearly ninety years of age and who resides ia Indianapolis, she being a widow.
On the 1st of January, 1856, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Gates to Miss Elizabeth Murdock, who was born at New Albany, Indiana, but who was reared and educated in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a daughter of Rev. Thomas J. and Julia A. (Ross) Murdock, the former of whom was born in Virginia, and the latter of whom was born in Cincinnati. Rev. Thomas J. Murdock was an honored and dis- tinguished member of the clergy of the Christian church and his life was one of signal consecration and ideality, the while he was known for his fine intellectual attainments and his fervor and zeal in the work of the divine Master. For some time he was, in the early days, a member of the faculty of old Lane University, in the city of Cincin- nati, and he also achieved success as a business man in that Ohio city, where he also held an important pastoral charge for a number of years. He finally came to Indi- ana, where he served in various pastoral incumbencies, and he passed the closing years of his life in Indianapolis. He died in July, 1894, at the age of eighty-four years, and his cherished and devoted wife was here summoned to eternal rest at the age of fifty-six years. Of their children two sons and two daughters are now living. Mrs. Gates is a woman of most gracious personality and distinctive culture. She became a resident of Connersville, Indiana, in 1856; living there until 1866, was then at Phila- delphia for three years, after which she came to Indianapolis. In the past few years she has passed a considerable part of her time at Minneapolis, Minnesota, but still holds the capital city of Indiana close to her heart, as the place is endeared to her by the hallowed memories and associations of the past. Her old homestead in Indian- apolis was at 1712 North Meridan street, and while in the city at the present time she resides at 1903 North Delaware street. Mrs. Gates was for many years one of the
70 aUrcb jBg. <gateg
most active and influential factors in the social, literary, benevolent and reformative movements of the Indiana metropolis, and here her circle of friends is coincident with that of her acquaintances. She was a prominent member of the local council of women which was organized by Mrs. May Wright Sewell for the purpose of fostering needed reforms in the city, and by this council she was appointed a member of the committee which effected the passing of the city ordinance against spitting on the streets and in other public places. She did most excellent work in this connection, against formidable opposition and official apathy, and the movement was finally suc- cessful, the while it proved an object lesson and led to the adoption of similar or- dinances in innumerable other cities of the Union. Mrs. Gates was also a member of the Indianapolis Flower Mission and a charter member of the Matinee Musicale, of which latter she served as president. She also held membership in the Indianapolis Art Association, was active and influential in behalf of the Boys' Club, and identified herself with various other charitable and benevolent organizations. She has always been an active member of the Home for the Friendless, now the Old Ladies' Home. She is a devoted member of the Christian church, in whose faith she was reared. Mr. and Mrs. Gates became the parents of five children, and in conclusion of this brief memorial are entered the following data concerning them :
Charles M., who died in January, 1882, at the age of twenty-three years, wedded Miss Maria Frazee, who survives him and who is a representative of an old and prominent Indianapolis family; Harry B., who is president of the Climax Coffee & Baking Powder Company, as has been already noted, married Miss Carolina Patrick, of Evansville, this state, and their only child, Alfred B., married Miss Lena Henning- wad, who has borne him a daughter, Cynthia; William N., secretary and treasurer of the Climax Coffee & Baking Powder Company, married Miss Alberta Byram, a mem- ber of another representative family of Indianapolis, and they have three children, — Isabella G., who is the wife of Kelly Jacoby, of Middletown, Ohio, and William B. and Alfred Gerald, who remain at the parental home; Mary is the wife of William H. Lee, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in her home her widowed mother now passes much of her time; Edward E., the youngest child of the honored subject of this me- moir, is engaged in the practice of law in Indianapolis and is one of the representa- tive members of the local bar. He has three children by a former marriage, — Vir- ginia, Edward E., Jr., and Elizabeth M., and the maiden name of the present wife was Dorothy Odoms.
^enrj> motf)e
HE value of a human life is not gauged by years but by character and achievement, and when Henry Kothe was summoned to eternal rest, in the very prime of his strong and useful manhood, he left the heritage not only of a good name but also the record of large and generous accomplishment in connection with the practical and productive activities of life. He was recognized as one of the most enterprising, resourceful and influential business men of his native city, and here the most effective voucher for his sterling character was that af- forded by the unqualified popular confidence and approbation accorded to him. His life and labors were such as eminently to entitle him to consideration in this memorial edition, in which is given record concerning men who have been representative forces in the civic and material affairs of Indiana's beautiful metropolis and capital city. He won advancement through his own ability and efforts, and he honored not only his native city but also the family name, which has been identified with the history of Indianapolis for more than half a century.
Henry Kothe was born in the parental homestead on Davidson street, Indian- apolis, on the 28th of November, 1861, and thus he was nearly forty-six years of age when he was summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors, on the 18th of Oc- tober, 1907. He was a son of William and Christine (Meyer) Kothe, both of whom were born and reared in Germany. William Kothe came to America when a young man and located in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, whence he came, a few years later, to Indiana and established his home in Tipton county. There his marriage was solemnized and there the first of his children was born. In 1856 he came with his family to Indianapolis, where he assumed the position of bookkeeper in the retail hardware establishment of Clements Vonnegut. Later he became head bookkeeper for the Schmidt Brewing Company, and upon the death of Mr. Schmidt, the head of this concern, he was made administrator of the latter's estate. For some time he conducted a small retail grocery on Davidson street. He and his wife continued to maintain their home in Indianapolis until their death and the remains of both rest in Crown Hill cemetery, as do also those of their sons George and Henry, the former of whom was a prominent wholesale grocer of Indianapolis at the time of his death. William, the elder, of the two surviving sons, is engaged in the wholesale grocery trade in this city, and Gustave is a valued city employe. Mrs. Christine (Meyer) Kothe was a child at the time of the family immigration from Germany to America. Her father, who has been a school teacher in his native land, became one of the early settlers of Tipton county, Indiana, where he reclaimed a farm from the forest wilds and where he became a citizen of prominence and influence. The old homestead has remained in the possession of the family and is now owned by one of his grand- sons.
Henry Kothe received his early educational discipline in the German-English school, which was long one of the excellent institutions of Indianapolis, and this train-
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72 U^tnty lUttfie
ing was supplemented by an effective course in the Shortridge high school. His busi- ness career was initiated by his obtaining a position in the insurance office of John Spann, and later he was employed in the fancy grocery establishment of Henry Schwinge. In 1883 he went to the city of Chicago, where he was employed about two years in the extensive wholesale grocery house of Sprague, Warner & Company, but he returned to Indianapolis at the request of his mother, to whom his devotion was ever of the deepest order. In 1885 he here engaged in the retail grocery business at the corner of Ohio and Illinois street, but he disposed of the business after a short interval and assumed the position of city salesman for the local wholesale grocery house of Schnull & Krag. Shortly after his marriage his father-in-law, the late Herman Lieber, prevailed upon him to assume the supervision of the photographic- supply department in the extensive Lieber establishment. Mr. Kothe remained as a valued executive with H. Lieber & Company until the year 1895 when he became one of the organizers of the Marion Trust Company, of which he became second vice- president and treasurer. He continued the incumbent of these executive offices until 1898, when he retired from the same and turned his attention to the real-estate busi- ness. In 1902 he became associated in this line of business with Benjamin A. Rich- ardson, who had previously been a partner of George Kothe, eldest brother of the subject of this memoir. The enterprise was conducted for some time under the firm name of Richardson & Kothe, and after the admission to the firm of Albert E. Uhl the title of Richardson, Kothe & Uhl was adopted. This became one of the leading con- cerns in the real-estate, insurance and loan business in Indianapolis, and Mr. Kothe continued his active association with the same until his death.
A man of distinctive initiative and constructive ability and of progressive ideas, Mr. Kothe identified himself with other important business activities in his native city, and his interposition was invariably an augury of success. At the time of his death he was a member of the directorate of the Marion Title & Guaranty Company, of which he was one of the organizers ; was president of the board of directors of the American Miners' Accident Association ; was a director of the German Home Build- ing & Loan Association; and was treasurer of the Commercial Life Insurance Com- pany, another thriving concern of Indianapolis. His loyalty to his home city was one of the most intense order and he was zealous in the support of measures and enterprises tending to advance its civic and material welfare. He was an active and valued member of the Commercial Club and was identified with the German House, the Marion Club, the Socialer Turnverein and the Lyra Casino Club. The various organizations, both business and social, with which he was identified passed resolu- tions of respect and sorrow at the time of his death, and his wide circle of friends mourned the loss of one whose kindness, buoyancy of spirit, sterling integrity and un- failing generosity had made his friendship and companionship things to be valued.
Mr. Kothe was distinctively ambitious and progressive, as his advancement in life well showed, and his diligence in business was equaled only by his devotion to his home and family, in the ideal relationships of which his fine and noble characteristics found their greatest manifestation. Though he never had any political predilection for the honors or emoluments of political office, Mr. Kothe accorded a staunch alle- giance to the Republican party, and he was signally alert and public-spirited in his civic attitude. He was a strong man and true, and he accounted well to the world in all the relations of life, the while he was dear to the hearts of his many friends, whom he had veritably grappled to his soul "with hoops of steel."
^ettrp l^otiit
73
On the 28th of April, 1887, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kothe to Miss Ida Lieber, elder daughter of that honored and influential citizen, the late Herman Lieber. Mrs. Kothe was born and reared in Indianapolis and has long been a popular figure in its leading social activities, — with a circle of friends that is coincident with that of her acquaintances. She continued to live in the homestead which was erected by her husband in 1888 until the summer of 1912, when she removed to her present attractive home at 1409 Central avenue. In conclusion is entered brief record con- cerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Kothe: Herman W., who was graduated in the Indianapolis manual-training high school, later entered the celebrated University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1910, and he is now engaged in the practice of law in Indianapolis, as one of the representa- tive younger members of the bar of his native city; Elsa C, who remains at the ma- ternal home, was graduated in the Shortridge high school, as a member of the class of 1909, and finished her education at Miss Moxley's school for American girls in the city of Rome, Italy, she being a popular factor in the social life of her home city; Henriette I., is a member of the class of 1913 in the Shortridge high school; and Wil- liam J. is attending the public schools, — all of the other children remaining with their widowed mother, whose interests are centered in them.
?|erman %ithtv
)HE late Herman Lieber was one of the best known and most hon- ored of the many sterling German citizens who have been influen- tial factors in connection with the civic and material activities of the capital city of Indiana, and he was the founder of the larger and important business enterprise still conducted under the title of the H. Lieber Company, — a concern that continues to bear the definite impress of his character and ideals. The company conducts an admirably appointed retail art store in Indianapolis, and in the manu- facturing of mouldings and picture frames the concern controls an industrial enter- prise of broad scope and importance, its trade extending into the diverse sections of the United States as well as into foreign countries. Born in the city of Diisseldorf, long one of the recognized art centers of Germany, Mr. Lieber early absorbed much of the atmosphere of appreciation, and after coming to Indianapolis, which was then a city of about twelve thousand population, he had the seeming temerity to establish here an art store, — a venture that was viewed with no little skepticism by the business community. The enterprise had a most modest inception, but the good judgment of Mr. Lieber has been fully proved by results, as he developed a splendid metropolitan art establishment and also a manufacturing industry which has constituted a valuable contribution to the commercial precedence of the Indiana capital and metropolis. His endeavor from the beginning was to keep as close to best art standards as condi- tions would permit and to lead in the art development of the community. His success made him an influential factor in this line and also in the commercial advancement of the city, the while his genial personality and sterling character gained to him the unqualified esteem of the community which represented his home for more than half a century.
Herman Lieber was born in the city of Diisseldorf, Rhenish Prussia, on the 23d of August, 1832, and his father was one of the influential citizens and prominent business men of that city, where he was a manufacturer of brushes. Herman Lieber was afforded the advantages of the excellent schools of his native city, and there also he served a thorough apprenticeship at the trade of book-binding, so that he was well fortified for productive endeavor when, in 1853, shortly after attaining to his legal majority, he set forth to seek his fortunes in the United States. After a short stay in New York City he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he secured work at his trade, though his salary was but seven dollars a week. Business of all kinds was depressed, and under these conditions he found it expedient to make financial requisition upon his father. In due time he received from home the sum of six hundred dollars, and with this capitalistic reinforcement he came to Indianapolis in 1854, for the purpose of engaging in business upon his own responsibility. He rented a small room on the south side of Washington street, just east of Meridian street, for fourteen dollars a month and here he opened a modest stock of stationery, besides providing facilities for the binding of books, a work in which he was specially skillful. He was followed
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to America by his brother Peter, and they were associated in the brewery business for a few years, having been the founders of what is now the Indianapolis Brewing Com- pany. Herman Lieber finally withdrew from this enterprise to devote his entire time and attention to his original business. As the latter increased in scope under his careful and energetic management he provided new facilities and extended its func- tions. He developed a retail art business that has continued the leading enterprise of the kind in the city to the present day, and finally he established a factory for the manufacture of frames and mouldings. In 1902 the business was incorporated under its present title — the H. Lieber Company, and Mr. Lieber continued as president of the company until his death. The scope of the business at the time of his demise is measurably indicated by the fact that in the factory and store were then employed fully two hundred and fifty persons. For many years the concern has sold frames and mouldings in every large city in the United States and Canada and its trade is also well established in England, Germany, Holland and other European countries, as well as in Australia.
Mr. Lieber found time to devote much attention to civic affairs and social relaxa- tions of a generous order. He was one of the founders of the German-English school, which for a long period was an important agency in local educational work. He was one of the most valued and influential members of the North American Gym- nastic Union, of which he was president from 1900 until his death, which occurred on the 22d of March, 1908. In 1882 he was president of the Anti-Prohibition League of Indiana, and in this connection he took an active part in the state cam- paign of that year. In 1889 he initiated the movement that resulted in the erection of the German House, and it was largely due to his zealous efforts that the present beautiful building was completed, the same being now the home of one of the es- sentially representative civic organizations of Indianapolis. He was also one of the original corporators of the beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. When the Consumers' Gas Trust Company was organized Mr. Lieber gave to the promotion of its interests almost his entire time and attention, and he was one of the staunchest supporters of its successor, the Citizens' Gas Company.
At the time of the Civil war Mr. Lieber contributed to the extent of his power and means in upholding the cause of the Union, for he was an uncompromising abolitionist.
He became identified with the Republican party at the time of its organization and continued with the same until the nomination of Grover Cleveland as Democratic candidate for the presidency. He then transferred his support to the Democratic ticket and thereafter continued an adherent of this party until his antipathy to the free-silver policy led him to sever his allegiance upon the nomination of William J. Bryan as the party's standard-bearer. In local politics he maintained an inde- pendent attitude. While showing a deep reverence for spiritual verities, Mr. Lieber was practically agnostic in his religious views, though ever tolerant of the opinions of others. His sincerity and integrity of purpose were beyond cavil, and he was liberal and broad-minded as a man and loyal and public-spirited as a citizen. The following appreciative words are those of an editorial appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of Mr. Lieber 's death :
While he never had any desire to serve the city or state in an official capacity, he was long recognized as a force in this community in all that tended to build up and strengthen good citizenship. His ideals of civic righteousness were high but always practical, and he was ever ready to give his best efforts in any cause that appealed to
German Hicfacr 77
him on the score of community interest. Though a quiet man, cool and collected in manner, he had deep sensibilities, and when these were stirred he was at his best. He delighted in a good fight. When the sixty-cent gas movement began he was again at the front, and to no one man was the success of that movement due as much as to Herman Lieber. He was perhaps best known, especially among the German citi- zens of Indianapolis, by the name that had been lovingly given him by his associates, "The Father of the German House." Mr. Lieber died while on a pleasure trip to California, having expired, as the result of heart failure, while on a train near Flag- staff, Arizona, on the 22d of March, 1908, and the tidings of his sudden death caused a feeling of uniform sorrow and personal bereavement in the city that was his home for so many years and to whose progress he contributed in no small measure.
In the year 1857 Mr. Lieber married Miss Mary Metzger, who was born at Freusburg, Germany, and who was a sister of those well known and highly honored citizens of Indianapolis, Alexander, Jacob and Engelbert Metzger. Mrs. Lieber was summoned to eternal rest, and of the children four sons and two daughters are living. The sons, Otto R., Carl H., Robert and Herman P., are members of the H. Lieber Company and are well upholding the prestige of the family name. Ida, the elder daughter, is the widow of Henry Kothe, of Indianapolis, and Anna is the wife of Theodore Stempfel, assistant cashier of the American National Bank of Indianapolis.
ROXARD S. SARl.EXT
leonarb ^. g>argent
I HE late Leonard S. Sargent gained through his own powers a place of prominence in the industrial activities of Indianapolis
T^KJ and was long numbered among its prominent and successful WA manufacturers. Whole-souled, sincere and generous, he used ' his splendid forces admirably, not waiting for circumstance to mold or change his fate, and thus he did not miss the true pur- pose of life. He made for himself a representative place in that city that had so long held his home and in which his fine personal characteris- tics gained to him the utmost popular esteem. He thought little of self and much of others, and there can be no doubt that his life was shortened by his insistent de- votion to business, against the advice of his physicians. He was summoned to eter- nal rest on the 22nd of August, 1910, and there were hosts of friends to mourn his loss, while the Indiana metropolis was deprived of one of its substantial, progres- sive and loyal citizens and influential business men. Mr. Sargent was a recognized authority in the manufacturing of paints and was identified with this line of in- dustry during virtually his entire active career. At the time of his death he was president and general manager of the Sargent Paint & Color Company, in which his interests are still retained by his widow and son.
Leonard Smith Sargent was born at Worcester, Massachusetts, on the 22nd of September, 1857, and was a scion of staunch New England stock, the respective families having been founded in that section of the Union, where was cradled so much of our national history. He was a son of Granville and Elizabeth (Smith) Sargent. The father was born in West Andover, Massachusetts, in 1837 and died January 9, 1905. The mother, who was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, born there in 1838, passed away on November 12, 1910.
When Leonard Sargent was twelve years of age the family removed from the old Bay state to St. Louis, Missouri, where his father engaged in the manufacturing of paints and colors and gained a reputation as a most skillful representative of his chosen line of industrial enterprise.
The public schools of his native state afforded Leonard S. Sargent his rudimen- tary educational advantages and he continued his studies after the removal of the family to St. Louis, where he also gained a thorough knowledge of all details of paint manufacturing, which he learned under the able direction of his father. After being employed for a time as traveling representative of an extensive paint concern in St. Louis, he came to Indianapolis and associated himself with the paint house of Alfred Burdsal. He thus established his home in this city when he was about twen- ty-eight years of age, and when a young man of thirty-three he showed his self- reliance and initiative by engaging in business in an independent way, under the title of the Indianapolis Paint & Color Company. He organized this corporation and became its president and general manager, as did he also of the Indianapolis
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Printing Ink Company. Through his fine technical ability and progressive policies he brought these concerns to the front rank and for each he was instnunental in building up a large and far-reaching trade, the -while the passing years brought to him definite precedence as one of the alert and representative business men of the city and state. He disposed of his interests in the two companies mentioned about the year 1902 and then founded the Sargent Paint & Color Company, with head- quarters at 502-12 Massachusetts avenue, where the enterprise is stiU continued. His reputation as an expert in color mixing and other technical details, as well as a reliable and straightforward business man proved the best asset of the new enter- prise, and its success was assured from the start. He continued as president and general manager of the company until his death, and to his efforts is due the splendid status of the business as representing one of the important industrial enterprises of Indianapolis. The career of Mr. Sargent offers a fine illustration of worthy suc- cess gained through personal effort and he was essentially and emphatically deserv- ing of the title of self-made man. He was indefatigable in his attention to business and refused to abate his devotion to the same when his health became impaired and he was urged by medical advisers to conserve his energies. His characteristic self- abnegation in this respect probably hastened his death, as has already been stated in this context, his death being the result of Bright's disease, from which dreaded malady he had suffered for more than a year, though he was confined to his home only five months before his death.
In those things which make for richness of spirit, opulence of human sympathy and kindliness and earnest helpfulness, Mr. Sargent was generously endowed, and his life well exemplified the truth of the statements of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher: "No man can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to his ledger. It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich or poor according to what he is, — not according to what he has." Many there are who can recall with reverent thankfulness the consideration and aid given to them by Mr. Sargent, who was never too busy to as- sist those in affliction or distress ; never too intolerant to succor the man who was "down and out." His heart overflowed with kindness; he saw the bright side of life ; and he did all in his power to brighten the lives of others. His geniality and good spirit had ample physical realm, as his weight was about two hundred and forty-five pounds, — a fleshly substance that his strength and vigor caused him to carry easily, so that it never appeared an incubus but as a sign of virile power. He was well known in his home city and in the same was manifested a deep sense of personal loss and bereavement when he was called from the scene of his mortal endeavors.
As may readily be inferred from statements made in preceding paragraphs, Mr. Sargent was a man of fine social instincts and marked congeniality. He was an ap- preciative member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he was affiliated with various York and Scottish Rite bodies in Indianapolis, including the consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which he had received the thirty-second degree. His funeral services were held under Masonic auspices and interment was made in Crown Hill cemetery. He also held membership in the Marion Club, the Canoe Club, the German House, the Independent Turnverein, and other representative or- ganizations of Indianapolis, and in each his popularity was of the most unequivocal order, these various bodies giving appreciative tributes to his memory at the time of his death. Though he never cared to subordinate his business affairs to the point
Hconarb g>. Sargent 83
of taking an active part in political manoeuvers, Mr. Sargent was liberal and public- spirited as a citizen, and was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party.
On the 4th of October, 1898, was solemnized the second marriage of Mr. L. S. Sargent, when Mrs. Annie N. (Wagonmacher) Neubling, of Indianapolis, Indiana, became his wife. Mrs. Sargent was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Hessel) Wagonmacher. The father was born in 1800, in Konigract, Hanover, Germany, and the mother was born September 24, 1824, in Haspen Konigract, Hanover, Amsterdam, Germany. They were wedded in the Fatherland, after which they immigrated to America, establishing their home in Cincinnati, where Mr. Wagonmacher was for years identified with the hotel busi- ness. Mrs. Sargent has one son by her first marriage, John F. Neubling, who was born and educated in Indianapolis, Indiana, and who is now identified with the Sargent Paint & Color Company. He married Miss Elnora M. Pflum, the daughter of John B. Pflum, a representative German citizen of Indianapolis, and the children of their union are Anne E., J. Lewis, John F., Jr., and Lillian Juanita. Mr. Sar- gent had one son by a former marriage.
Mrs. Sargent has maintained, her home in Indianapolis for more than forty-six years and is now vice-president of the Sargent Paint & Color Company, in the man- agement of which she takes an active part. She is a popular factor in the social life of her home city, where she holds membership in the German House, the Inde- pendent Turnverein, the Social Turnverein and other social organizations. Own- ing and occupying a fine residence at 1956 Central avenue, Mrs. Sargent has proved herself a most gracious chatelaine of the same, and made it a favored resort for her wide circle of friends.
CfjadesJ OT. Cicijrobt
|ANGIBLE results of no uncertain character amply testified to the ability and honorable methods of Charles William Eichrodt as a business man, for he achieved large success through the concen- tration and proper utilization of his powers and stood forth as the artificer of his own fortunes. Initiating his independent career in Indianapolis with most limited capitalistic resources, he here gained precedence as one of the city's leading retail druggists, and he so ordered his course as to merit and receive the unequivocal con- fidence and esteem of his fellow men. He was a popular and representative busi- ness man of the Indiana metropolis, where he maintained his home for nearly twenty years prior to his death, and so earnest, successful and worthy a life merits definite consideration in a publication of the province assigned to the one at hand.
Of staunch German lineage, Charles William Eichrodt was a son of Louis and Margaretta Eichrodt, both of whom are now deceased. He was born in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, on the 8th of August, 1 862, and thus was in the very prime of his useful manhood at the time of his sudden death, which occurred on the 20th of November, 1905, in New York City. He had gone to the national metropolis for consultation with leading medical specialists, but was there suddenly stricken, his death occurring within a brief interval. The news of his untimely demise was re- ceived with unmitigated sorrow in his home city, where he had endeared himself to a wide circle of friends, and his remains were brought back to Indianapolis for in- terment in Crown Hill cemetery. Mr. Eichrodt was indebted to the public schools of his native city for his early educational discipline and there also he gained his initial experience in the drug business through his work in the store conducted by his father. Later he amplified and perfected his technical knowledge by a thorough course of study in a Louisville school of pharmacy. On the 10th of June, 1877, shortly before his fifteenth birthday anniversary, Mr. Eichrodt first came to In- dianapolis, where he secured employment in the drug store of S. Muehl, at the cor- ner of Illinois and Tenth streets. There he remained until December 24th of the same year, when he returned to Louisville to assist in his father's drug store. He continued to be thus engaged until 1882, when, accompanied by his father, he came again to Indianapolis, in which city the father passed the residue of his life. Mr. Eichrodt now entered the employ of the A. Kieffer Drug Company, one of the old and popular establishments of the city, and with this concern he continued to be identi- fied until 1886, when he withdrew to engage in business on his own responsibility. As previously stated, his financial resources were small, and he accordingly began operations on a most modest scale, by opening a drug store at the corner of West and Tenth streets. Against such ability, energy and honesty of purpose as were brought to bear by Mr. Eichrodt the mere talk of appreciable capital could not serve as a bar to success, and his business prospered from the start. As success at
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tended his well directed efforts, Mr. Eichrodt sought ways and means for ampli- fying his business, and finally he purchased a second store, at the corner of Senate avenue and Thirteenth street, in 1890. At this location likewise he built up a sub- stantial and profitable trade and he conducted the two stores successfully until 1892, when he sold the one which he had last secured. In 1899 he disposed of the other store at an appreciable profit and then purchased a large drug store opposite the Union passenger station. He brought this up to the highest modern standard in stock, management and appointments and its central location further added to the distinctive success which attended him in the new venture. He was ever an inde- fatigable worker, was conservative and careful in his business policies, and he won for himself secure vantage ground as one of the thoroughly representative retail drug- gists of the fair capital city of Indiana. Scrupulous integrity characterized Mr. Eich- rodt in every exigency and relation of life, and he found in his home and his busi- ness his absorbing interests, his devotion to his family being of the deepest order and the home associations being of ideal order. Though he had no predilection for the activities of practical politics, in the sense of desiring public office, he was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and was identified with the German-American Democratic Club of Indianapolis, the while he was ever ready to do his part in fostering those interests which made for the civic and material benefit of the community. He was affiliated with the Second Christian Science church, as is also his widow, and his generous and kindly nature found exemplification in good deeds of a most unassuming order.
Mr. Eichrodt was united in wedlock to Miss Mary Elizabeth Clinton, daughter of Wharton R. and Mary Frances (Smither) Clinton, of Indianapolis, in which city Mrs. Eichrodt was born and reared. Charles Wharton Eichrodt, the only child of the honored subject of this memoir, was - graduated in the University of Indiana, at Bloomington, as a member of the class of 1911. He is now a student of mining and engineering in Columbia University, New York City, in which celebrated institution he is a member of the class of 1914.
Wharton R. Clinton, who resides in the home of his daughter, Mrs. Eichrodt, is one of the most venerable and honored pioneer citizens of Indianapolis, which has represented his home for eighty-three years. He was bom near Georgetown, Ken- tucky, and was but three years of age at the time of his parents' removal to India- apolis, which was then a mere village. Here he was reared to years of maturity and here he has maintained his home during the long intervening period. As a youth he here enlisted for service as a soldier in the Mexican war. He became a private in Company D, Fourteenth Indiana Infantry, and served with signal gallantry with this command in its Mexican campaign. He was in active service for more than a year and received his honorable discharge in 1848. He was promoted ser- geant of his company and is now the only surviving member of this company, as well as one of the few remaining Indiana veterans of the Mexican war. When the in- tegrity of the Union was menaced by armed rebellion the intrinsic loyalty and patriot- ism of Mr. Clinton were again promptly manifested. Soon after the inception of the Civil war, in response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, he enlisted in Company H, Thirteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was made captain of his company and with his command proceeded to the front in July, 1861. He took part in many sanguinary engagements and continued with his regiment until February, 1863, when he received injuries which incapacitated him for further
Cfjarles Wi. CicftroW
service and he was granted his honorable discharge. He is a venerated member of the Grand Army of the Republic and still takes a lively interest in his old comrades of both the Mexican and Civil wars. Now eighty-sis years of age (1912), this honored patriarch and patriot has the distinction of being one of the oldest citizens of Indiana's capital city, and his reminiscences concerning the pioneer days are most graphic and interesting, as are also his tales concerning his experi- ences in the two wars in which he served with such fidelity and distinction. He is well preserved in his mental and physical powers and has in years past been actively and prominently identified with business activities in his home city, where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. His cherished and devoted wife was summoned to the life eternal January 24, 1885, at the age of fifty-five years, and of their children, one son and two daughters are living.
NH
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Soj)n (§. ^enbergagt
^N ENJOYING the material benefits of a city like Indianapolis, which is noted for its architectural beauty, its efficient public utilities and its able municipal management, the fact should not be lost sight of that these are not the growth of a day but are the results of the earnest efforts and persistent energy of many who have now passed from the scene of life. They worked planned and wrought for the future, and those who have suc- with their paths made easier thereby, may well pause at times to ith regard and gratitude. For many years the late John G. Pender- gast was a useful and valued citizen of Indianapolis. He was born at Reading, Pennsylvania, March 19, 1835, and was a son of John and Barbara Pendergast. When John G. Pendergast was ten years old the family packed their belongings in their solid old Conestoga wagon and started for Indiana, and he recalled the long overland journey and its many interesting adventures as they appealed to his boyish tastes. For a short time the family lived in what was then the somewhat straggling town of the now handsome capital city and then moved on into Illinois, where all remained except John G., who returned to Indianapolis when he reached his nineteenth year, and when his brother, Enos Pendergast, engaged in business as a builder he served an apprenticeship under him, and for a number of years afterward worked at the building trade and subsequently became a contractor on his own ac- count. He was careful, exact and conscientious and rapidly made headway, and in 1868, was appointed to superintend the building of the north wing of the old Cen- tral Hospital for the insane, this contract occupying three years of his time. Still later he was appointed to superintend the construction of the Marion county court- house, which engaged him for seven years and afterward to superintend the con- struction of the beautiful State House at Indianapolis. For many years he was a very busy man in this line and had charge of the erection of such important build- ings as the First Presbyterian church, the Tucker & Dorsey factory, both at Indian- apolis, and the Indianapolis Paving Brick Company's factory at Brazil, Indiana, and also had charge of the work of extending the Broad Ripple Natural Gas Com- pany's pipes to the gas fields in Hamilton county. For four years he served the city as chief fire engineer. In the fall of 1 893 he was appointed building inspector by Mayor Denny and continued in that office during that administration, his methods eliciting great praise from architects and builders who thoroughly comprehended the value of such honest and thorough methods as Mr. Pendergast introduced.
Just prior to his prostration by the illness which resulted fatally, he was appointed to superintend the work of constructing the Shortridge high school building, but others had to assume this responsibility, Mr. Pendergast no longer being able to carry on the work physically which his active brain still planned. A painful illness followed and his death occurred at his home in Indianapolis, January 23, 1905. For more than fifty years he had been a resident and had witnessed the founding of
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many of the city's greatest enterprises and had assisted in the development of its importance in many directions.
On May 28, 1863, Mr. Pendergast was married to Miss Margaret Donnan, who is a daughter of David and Barbara (Pressel) Donnan. David Donnan was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, and was brought to America in childhood, lived through boyhood in Ohio and then came to Indianapolis, where he became prominent in the building trade. He married Barbara Pressel, who was born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, whose parents were of German birth. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Donnan, namely: Margaret, Carolina, Wallace, Theodore, Emma and Laura. Wallace and Theodore are both deceased. The two younger daughters are public school teachers. For forty-five years Mr. Pendergast was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, being identified first with the old Wesleyan chapel, which later became the Meridian Street Methodist church. He was a member of Center Lodge, Odd Fellows and a thirty-second degree Mason and at one time was commander of Raper Commandery, which has long been famous for its drill corps. Mrs. Pendergast still resides in the beautiful family residence at No. 815 Capitol street, Indianapolis.
Slt^^t C. ^otoer
jE LIVED ; he died" may be the epitome of a life, but to the broader, surer vision how much may be compassed between the two ele- mental occurrences over which man himself has no control. The life of Captain Power was such as to justify itself and he left to the world a heritage of worthy thoughts and worthy deeds. All honor was his for the gallant and loyal service which he rendered as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war, and later it was his to gain those decisive victories which peace ever has in store for valiant souls. He maintained his home in Indianapolis for nearly forty years, and here rose to prom- inence and success as one of the representative retail merchants of the city. His was a character that expressed itself in productive effort and impregnable integrity of purpose, and thus he gained and retained the high regard of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life. He developed from a modest nucleus one of the finest retail grocery enterprises in the capital city, and with the management of the same he continued to be closely identified until impaired health compelled his virtual retirement, about ten years prior to his death. He was summoned to the life eternal on the 14th of November, 1910, and his name and personality will be honored in the capital city as long as there remain those who were familiar with his character and services. Captain Jesse Taylor Power was born at Brownsville, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on the 17th of April, 1847, and was about three years old at the time of his mother's death. He was reared in the home of his maternal uncle. Dr. James H. Taylor, of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received his early educational train- ing. His father and uncle provided him with further educational advantages by sending him to a college in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but his youthful patriotism finally led him to run away from this institution and tender his services in defense of the Union. Soon after the outbreak of the war between the north and south he enlisted as a private in the One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania Volun- teer Infantry. When his father learned of his action he was greatly vexed, as the boy had not sought his advice and was practically under age for military service. Just before transport started forth with the volunteer forces of which Captain Power's regiment was a part his father came to the docks to bid him farewell and to offer assurance of his forgiveness and continued solicitude. The future officer re- ceived from his father a sum of money at this meeting, which proved to be their last, though he was granted a furlough at the time of his father's final illness, which terminated fatally before he could reach the bedside of his honored sire. In later years Captain Power often expressed his deep regret that he had not consulted his father before entering the service of the Union, as his action had been one of essential disobedience. He proved a faithful and ambitious soldier, was soon promoted corporal and later color sergeant, and finally, when only eighteen years of age, was commis- sioned captain of Company E of his regiment. He thus became one of if not the youngest officer of that rank in the entire northern army, and his commission came
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as a recognition of a special act of valor in the battle of the Wilderness, — one of the last in which his regiment took part. In that memorable engagement he was the youngest member of the color guard, and one after another of his associates of the guard had been shot down, until eight had thus fallen. He held his post, a boy of seventeen years, and picked up the colors, which he carried forward under terrific fire, though he received two severe wounds before the close of the battle. His regi- ment formed a part of the Third Army Corps, commanded by General Hancock, and took part in nineteen of the principal battles in which the Army of the Potomac was involved. The regiment was in the thick of the fray and suffered severe losses in killed and wounded. Out of eleven hundred and thirty-two men enlisted in this gal- lant command only two hundred and ninety-five responded at the time when the regi- ment was mustered in its reunion of 1910. The few surviving members of the regi- ment held a reunion in September, 1910, shortly before the death of Captain Power, and it was a matter of deep regret to him that he was too ill to meet his old comrades once more. The affection they had for him was significantly shown at this time, as they sent to him a beautiful badge, on which appears the following inscription:
Beaver, Pa., September 10, 1910.
As the guests of, Mrs. Emma Roberts Harter.
Thirty-sixth Annual Reunion One Hundred and Fortieth Pennsylvania Regiment Association. Hancock-lNIiles-Barlow. Battles: Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bris- tow Station, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, Reams' Station, Hatcher's Run, Boydton Road, Sutherland Station, Sailor's Creek, Farmville, Appomattox.
Total enrollment, 1132; killed, 198; wounded, 539; died, 128; muster at present, 295.
During his last days Captain Power kept this badge on his pillow and manifested great pride in the same, as well as touching appreciation of the incidental tribute paid by his comrades. His service in the army continued until the close of the war and he was incapacitated for active duty from wounds for only a brief interval. He was captured at Gettysburg but his exchange was soon afterward effected, so that he was not long absent from his command. He gained high reputation and popularity as a soldier of the Union and in the later years showed an abiding interest in all that con- cerned his comrades in the great conflict through which the integrity of the nation was perpetuated. He was a valued member of George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in Indianapolis.
After the close of the war Captain Power, in company with his cousin, likewise a young man, went to Tennessee, where they secured government land, but the rancor and enmity engendered by the war made him person-a non grata in that section of the south and both he and his cousin found conditions so unpleasant, not to say hazardous, that they were virtually compelled to return to the north. With a little patrimony of five hundred dollars received from his grandfather. Captain Power determined to make a home for himself in Indiana. He first located at Muncie, where he conducted a general merchandise business for a time, upon a modest scale, and in 1874 he came to Indianapolis, which city continued to be his home during the residue of his life. Soon after his arrival in the capital city Captain Power opened a commission store on East Washington street, near Alabama street, and about a year later he disposed of
the same and purchased an interest in a retail grocery business, which was thereafter conducted under the title of Kelley & Power until he sold his interest to his partner and engaged in the same line of enterprise in an individual way. For several years he conducted business on Pennsylvania street, near the corner of Washington street, and he then removed to a store on what has long been locally known as "The Circle," — surrounding the magnificent soldiers' and sailors' monument, one of the finest in the Union. There he conducted a large and representative business for a number of years, and finally more extensive and eligible quarters were secured on North Pennsyl- vania street, where the enterprises continued to be conducted until his death, — one of the largest and finest grocery establishments in the city. The Captain had been in ill health during virtually the last decade of his life and had given over the active man- agement of his business to his elder son, who still continues the same. Prior to his death he had seen and approved the plans for the erection of the fine block built by his estate after his death, at the corner of North Delaware and Michigan streets, and in this building the business founded by him so many years ago is still carried forward under the title of J. T. Power & Son, — a title which will be retained as long as the family interests are preserved in the same. Captain Power was a thorough, enter- prising and conscientious business man, and made of success not an accident but a logical result, the same having its basis on his invulnerable reputation for fair and honest dealings and unfailing courtesy. Aside from the exactions of business his dominating interests were sequestered in his home, and his devotion to his family was of the most insistent order, so that the home life was ideal. Aside from his member- ship in the Grand Army of the Republic he manifested no desire for identification with social or fraternal organizations. He was broad-gauged and liberal in his civic attitude and at all times ready to support measures and enterprises tending to advance the best interests of the community. In a generic sense he gave stalwart allegiance to the Republican party, but in local affairs he gave his support to the means and meas- ures meeting the approval of his judgment. The spiritual verities made strong ap- peal to him and, with his family, he attended the First Presbyterian church, of which his widow is a zealous member. At the time of his death the following appreciative statements concerning Captain Power appeared in the Indianapolis News: "Captain Power was a modest man, and seldom spoke of his war record, enviable as it was. He was of deeply sympathetic nature and was bound by ties of comradeship to the soldiers of the Civil war." It may be noted in this connection that he was mustered out at Harrisburg, the capital city of Pennsylvania, on the 3rd of February, 1865, — only a short time before the close of the war.
On the 20th of May, 1875, was solemnized the marriage of Captain Power to Miss Carrie S. Todd, the officiating clergyman having been the bride's father. Rev. O. M. Todd, who was at that time pastor of the Presbyterian church in Muncie, Indi- ana, and who passed the closing years of his long and noble life at Richmond, Indiana. Mrs. Almira (Clark) Todd, mother of Mrs. Power, was a member of the old and in- fluential Clark family whose name has been prominently linked with the history of Cincinnati, Ohio. She died at Muncie, Indiana. Mrs. Power was born on the old Clark homestead, on the Reading road, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and she has lived con- tinuously in Indianapolis from the time of her marriage. Her beautiful home, at 2046 North Alabama street, was bought by Captain Power in 1893, and was one of the first to be built in this attractive section of the city, — the district formerly used by the old state fair grounds. Mrs. Power and all members of her family are en-
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rolled as members of the First Presbyterian church, and she has long been active in various departments of its work, as she is identified with the different church societies for which women are eligible. She is a woman of culture and most gracious person- ality, has been long identified with the leading social activities of the capital city, and prior to her marriage had been a successful and popular teacher in the public schools. In conclusion of this brief memoir is entered brief record concerning the children of Captain and Mrs. Power: Taylor C, who is executive head of the firm of J. T. Power & Company, has successfully continued the business established by his honored father and is held in high esteem in his native city. He married Miss Mayne Lee, and they have one son, Allan. Percival O., who is individually engaged in the retail grocery business in Indianapolis, married Miss Beatrice Williams, and they have one daughter, Marian. Claire E., is the wife of McDonald Nixon, of Indianapolis ; and Marguerite is the wife of Irwin C. DeHaven, of this city. Mrs. Power is favored in having all of her children about her and it may well be understood that the fair cap- ital city of Indiana is dear to her through the many hallowed associations and mem- ories of the past.
George p, Hoomi^
[N DETERMINING th^ value and success of the life of the late Professor George B. Loomis there is no need for conjecture or uncertainty, for his career exemplified in the most significant way that the true success is not that gained through commercial pre-em- inence or personal aggrandizement but is rather that which lies in the eternal verities of human sympathy and helpfulness. He did much to promote the higher ideals of life, was for years super- intendent of music in the public schools of Indianapolis, and, as a specially cultured musician, his influence in his chosen sphere of effort made him one of its most prom- inent representatives in Indiana. He left left the gracious heritage of noble thoughts and noble deeds. In the furtherance of his art he did a straightforward, honest work, showing his earnest desire to do his best, to scatter flowers instead of thorns, to make other persons a little better off and a little happier because of his influence, and he was not only a leader in musical affairs in the state of Indiana but his person- ality was such as to gain and retain to him the affectionate regard of those who came within the compass of his super-refined and kindly influence. When he was sum- moned to the life eternal, on the 27th of November, 1887, at his home in Indianapolis. a community mourned his loss with a deep sense of personal bereavement. A loved and honored figure in the best social life of Indianapolis, it is well that in this pub- lication be entered a tribute to his memory and a brief record concerning his services. George Brace Loomis was born at Bennington, Wyoming county. New York, on the 10th of Maj', 1833, and thus was fifty-four years of age at the time of his death. His academic education was of liberal order and his natural musical talent was de- veloped undermost admirable influences, his studies covering a wide range of tech- nical work and musical history, so that he became skilled in interpretation, in com- position and in teaching of the art which engrossed his attention during practically his entire active career. He was afforded the advantages of an excellent academy in his native town and later secured the best of musical training under the direction of the distinguished Dr. Lowell Mason, of New York City. After the completion of his studies in the national metropolis he removed to Providence, Rhode Island, where he was a teacher of music for several years. He then removed with his family to Woos- ter, Ohio, where he continued his successful work in the same vocation until 1866, when, at the suggestion of his former instructor and valued friend. Dr. Lowell Mason, who had accorded him most flattering recommendations, he came to Indian- apolis, where he accepted the position of superintendent of music in the public schools, — an incumbency which he retained for seventeen and one-half consecutive years, at the expiration of which his resignation was accepted with unqualified regret. He was enthusiastic and indefatigable in his efforts and it may be said without fear of legitimate contradiction that he did more to promote the development of musical taste and talent in Indiana's capital city than has any other man. This statement is made without reservation and on ample authority. After his retirement from the
100 George jB. Hoomtg
position of superintendent of music in the public schools he did not abate his work, and at the time of his death he had charge of music in the Indianapolis high school, now known as the Shortridge high school, and also of a class for the teachers. He Was a most versatile and talented musician, and his voice was a fine lyric tenor of marked sympathy and exceptional timbre. He was a composer of marked ability and was the author of a number of musical text-books which found wide favor and utilization. During his period of service as superintendent of music in the Indian- apolis schools he composed his progressive series of music books, the demand for which he realized, and these were used for years in the local schools, the while they were also adopted in many schools in other states. After his retirement from the position of superintendent he prepared a more advanced musical text-book for use in high schools.
Professor Loomis was closely identified with all musical interests in Indianapolis and was a member of the city's leading musical organizations, including the Choral Union and the Harmonic Society, of which latter he was musical director. He was the first president of the Indiana Music Teachers' Association and served for a num- ber of years as chorister of the First Baptist church, of which he was a zealous mem- ber. In this church he held the oflSce of deacon and he also served as superintendent of its Sunday-school for some time. He was well known in musical circles through- out the state and did much to elevate musical taste in this commonwealth, the while his services were much in demand in connection with representative social activities in which music played a part. His was a most gracious and winning personality and his popularity was of the most unqualified order. He was specially fond of children and while identified with the public schools he could virtually call all of the children in the same by name, the while he had their aflfectionate regard, as did he also that of the teachers, to the latter of whom he was ever ready to give instruction, without regard to their ability to pay for his services in a monetary way. It may well be understood that in the home such a man represented all that was ideal as husband and father, and there his interests ever centered. As a citizen he was loyal and public- spirited and while he never had any desire to identify himself with so-called practical politics he gave a staunch support to the cause of the Republican party. He retired from the ofiice of director of music in the public schools in the year 1882 and there- after he gave his attention principally to private musical work until the close of his gentle and noble life.
At Bennington, New York, Professor Loomis was united in marriage, when a young man, to Miss Harriet Amelia Case, who was there born in the year 1831, and who died in Indianapolis in 1881. Of the three children of this union the first, George B., died in infancy; Frederic M., who likewise is a talented musician, is chief clerk in the offices of the Indianapolis Gas Company; and Mary Esther, who became the wife of Henry C. Rodgers, of Indianapolis, died in this city in 1900. On the 31st of December, 1883, was solemnized the marriage of Professor Loomis to Miss Sallie Burns, who was born in Wirt, Jefferson county, Indiana, and who is a daughter of Maxa and Maria (Vawter) Burns, who were pioneers of Jefferson county, this state. The mother died at Wirt, when Mrs. Loomis was but six months old, and the father died in Indianapolis. The major part of the father's active career was devoted to building. Mrs. Loomis has long been a popular figure in the social life of the city and is specially zealous as a member of the First Baptist church, in which she is iden- tified with all of the organizations for women and in which she has served for many
(George ji. Eoomtg loi
years as church missionary, a position of which she became the incumbent prior to her marriage. Of the two children of the second marriage it may be recorded that Miss Grace B. remains with her widowed mother in Indianapolis and that George D. died at the age of one year.
At the time of the death of Professor Loomis a most beautiful tribute was given by the public school teachers of Indianapolis, under date of December 3, 1887, and there is all of consistency in preserving the memorial through reproduction in this volume :
"The long and intimate connection of Professor George B. Loomis with the pub- lic schools of Indianapolis calls for a tribute of respect to his memory from the teachers of this city.
"Professor Loomis assumed the position of superintendent of musical instruc- tion in the year 1866, in the infancy of the present public-school system. His long term of service, extending over a period of seventeen and one-half consecutive years, is sufficient evidence of the faithfulness and success of his work. Musical culture and musical taste in this city probably owe more to him than to any other one person, — perhaps than to all others, for he prepared the soil and sowed the seed in the minds of the young. While in no sense a great musician in the professional meaning of that term, he apprehended clearly the best methods necessary to make the art of singing and reading music an effective part of school instruction, from the primary up to the high school. With little to guide him, he worked out these methods by his own genius, — the genius of industry and good common sense. At the time that he entered upon his work here no well recognized system of teaching music so as to rank with other subjects in educational value had been developed, either here or else- where. Movements in this direction had been but tentative and desultory. Pro- fessor Loomis worked out his methods experimentally in the school room and then embodied them in a graded series of musical text books whose excellence and fine adaptation to the end in view have been fully demonstrated by long use both in this and in other cities.
"It is not, however, merely in his professional character that he has left a lasting impression upon the minds and hearts of all who have been either directly or remotely connected with our city schools for the past twenty years. He possessed many qualities rare in any man, and especially so in any musician. His life was an exemplification of the ideal musician. He was always in tune. No harshness or discord ever emanated from lips or his presence. His entrance into a school room brought not only a concord of sweet sounds but it brought the sunshine of a cheerful countenance and the soothing influence of an imperturbable temper. No teacher or pupil ever had reason to dread his arrival. His memory of persons was remarkable. Hundreds of children in all parts of the city were accustomed to his cheery greeting as he addressed them by name on the street or wherever he hap- pened to meet them. Of the thousands of pupils and the hundreds, almost thousands, of teachers who during his long service received instruction from him, it is not probable that one has a disagreeable memory connected with Professor Loomis.
"With all this, and above all, he was universally recognized as a modest and sincere Christian. The influence of such a character upon character in the sus- ceptible period of school life is like a perpetual benediction, and its value outweighs even the high worth of his professional work.
"We, the assembled teachers of the Indianapolis schools, conscious of the great
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debt which so many of us owe to him as our faithful instructor in the days gone by, desire to place upon record this glad tribute to his high qualities as a teacher and also to testify our great respect and reverence for him as a man. Being desti- tute of aggressive or showy characteristics, his value was little known outside the circle of his personal friends or of those who were associated with him in his oflBcial relations. The current of his influence flowed gently, but it ran deep. The good effects of his life and work may not be in all cases readily traced, but it is not flattery or exaggeration to say that were it possible to eradicate from our schools and from the social life of the city all that has been contributed by our departed friend, the loss would be deeply and universally felt."
In conclusion are given excerpts from a most appreciative memorial prepared by Miss Grace N. Cropsey, who was long a loved and valued figure in the public- school work of Indianapolis, and read by her before the teachers of the Indianapolis school on the 3d of December, 1887:
"Mr. Loomis himself might be said to represent the 'strain of temperance.' He never used his art to awaken intemperate desires and the merely sensuous in the soul. The whole influence of his style was pure and healthy. Our superintendent often said: 'It is not every city that is so fortunate as to have found a man as well as a teacher of music' His nature was genial and his method with little children particularly happy. He would often teach by a bright remark what others might labor through days of drudgery to accomplish. He had a deeply religious nature, but his teachings in the schools never appeared in a sectarian form. He endeavored in his selections of music to present those thoughts and sentiments which should have universal application. * * * Mr. Loomis was a man who had time to live. Many of us seem to be waiting to get time to begin. He felt that living was no indi- vidual matter; that it is in co-operating with other personalities than our own that character is formed. To give and to receive is life. How many of us remember his deep sympathy and its ready expression to this body of teachers when the loss of one of our number made us feel the pain in the limitations of this short life. He never placed the machine above the person, but, in all his relations with teachers and pupils, regarded the individual as filling a place which could be fiUed by no other. His life was based upon principle. The caprice element in music and in life — that element which says that a man is not responsible for his deed — never seemed to have any hold upon him. He seemed to be grounded in the belief that 'Our wills are ours, we know not how ; . our wills are ours to make them Thine.' The external incidents of his life — where he was born, how long he lived, what he knew — will pass from our minds. This 'will,' striving to come into harmony with the divine will, is eternal. Its influence remains with us now and forever."
Jofjn ^, Jfurgasfon
THE time of his death, which occurred at his home in Indian- apolis on the 1st of September, 1907, Mr. Furgason was one of the oldest native residents of Marion comity and he was a scion of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the county, with whose annals the name has been identified from the time when this section of the state was little more than a forest wilderness. Mr. Furgason passed his entire life in Marion county, became one of the prominent and influential business men of Indianapolis, and was a citizen whose sterling character and fine ability made him a power for good in the varied relations of life. He acquitted himself well as a man of affairs and lived a godly and righteous life, so that he ever retained the respect and confidence of his fellow men, his standing in his native county being such as to render impossible any appli- cation of the scriptural aphorism that "a prophet is not without honor save in his own country." He was an influential factor in furthering the industrial advance- ment of the capital city of Indiana, to which his loyalty was of the most intense and appreciative type, and he did all in his power to foster those things which conserve the best interests of the community. In perpetuating records of such worthy lives as that of John Anderson Furgason does a publication of this nature prove its legitimacy and value, and such epitomes should offer inspiration and incentive.
On the old family homestead six miles east of Meridian street, Indianapolis, John A. Furgason was born on the 10th of November, 1830, the fine old farmstead having been located on the old National road, of which Washington street in the capital city of Indiana is a part. The place of his nativity was an old-time inn or tavern kept by his father and the same was known as the "Halfway House," as it was approximately midway between Indianapolis and Cumberland, — a popular stopping place for the early travelers over the national highway, which was one of the few im- proved roads of the state at that time. The old tavern is stiU standing and is in an excellent state of preservation, as it was built in the honest and substantial way common to the pioneer days. James and Nancy Furgason, parents of him whose name initiates this memoir, were numbered among pioneer settlers of Marion county, where their marriage was solemnized. James Furgason and his bride proceeded on horseback to their new home, which was a log cabin of the primitive type common to the locality and period, and they lived up the full tension of the pioneer epoch in the history of this now opulent section of a great commonwealth. James Furgason reclaimed a farm from the wilderness and prosperity attended his earnest and ardu- ous efforts. The original home was finally supplanted by the tavern mentioned, and the latter was a pretentious building at that time, becoming one of the land- marks of this section of the state. Of the eight children in the family the subject of this memoir was the eldest and all are now deceased. The parents continued to reside on their old homestead until their death and their names merit enduring place on the roster of the sterling pioneers of the county and state. The sons and
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daughters well upheld the prestige of the family name, and one of the sons, F. M. Furgason, became a prominent and successful figure in educational circles, having been for some time a member of the faculty of Franklin College in this state. All of the brothers except John A. and Professor F. M., loyally rep- resented Indiana as valiant soldiers of the Union in the Civil war.
John A. Furgason was reared to adult age on the old homestead farm and early began to contribute his quota to its work, the while he duly availed himself of the advantages of the pioneer schools of the locality, a discipline which was supplemented by high academic study in Franklin College, in which his brother became an instruc- tor, as already noted. As a young man Mr. Furgason came to Indianapolis and secured a position as clerk in the Dunlap dry-goods store. He later entered the employ of the firm of Hasselman & Vinton, who conducted the old Eagle foundry and machine shops, at the southeast corner of Meridian street and the Union Rail- way tracks. He was bookkeeper for this firm for some time and then accepted a position with Murphy & Holliday, who conducted a wholesale iron business. This concern was eventually reorganized under the title of W. J. Holliday & Company, and Mr. Furgason became one of the members of the firm, which developed a large and important wholesale trade in hardware, iron, sheet metals, etc., becoming one of the most extensive concerns of the kind in the state. With this enterprise Mr. Furgason continued to be actively identified as an interested principal and execu- tive officer until about four years prior to his death, impaired health having virtu- ally rendered his retirement imperative. He was a potent force in the upbuilding of the great industrial enterprise of his firm and was long numbered among the most prominent and influential business men of the capital city. His administrative ability was on a parity with his alert and progressive policies, and his influence was significant in the furtherance of those interests which have made Indianapolis an important industrial and commercial center. He won advancement and success through his own ability and well directed efforts, and upon his record in business and in private life there rests no shadow now that he has passed from the stage of mortal endeavors. He commanded inviolable place in the confidence and esteem of all who knew him and was in every sense a model citizen. The world moves on and its actors strut their brief hour upon its stage and then are seen no more, bvrt each of these who plays a worthy part has given influence whose angle is ever widening in its beneficence. The lives of such men as Mr. Furgason still count for good after death has worked its transition, and character and services constitute a lasting and valuable heritage.
Though never desirous of entering the turbulence of practical politics, Mr. Furgason was essentially liberal and public-spirited as a citizen and he gave definite and loyal allegiance to the Republican party. For more than half a century he was actively affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he was one of its prominent and popular representatives in Indianapolis, where he held membership in Philoxenian Lodge, No. -14, Metropolitan Encampment; and the canton of Patriarchs Militant. He was also affiliated with Star Lodge, No. 7, Knights of Pythias, and his funeral services were held under the auspices of these two fraternities, interment being made in Crown Hill cemetery. Mr. Furgason served in the various official chairs in the fraternities with which he was thus identified and took deep interest in the affairs of each. He was a man of fine spirituality and was a most devoted member of the Baptist church, with which he identified
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himself in his youth. As a boy he gave effective service in ringing the bell for the little Baptist church that stood near the present Union station in Indianapolis, and at the time of his death he was one of the oldest members of the First Baptist church of this city and had also been clerk and treasurer of the church many years. He was most zealous and faithful as a churchman and his earnest observance of the teachings of the divine Master was shown in his kindliness and generosity in the every-day life. He was ever ready to aid those in affliction and distress and his private benevolences were many and unostentatious. It may be noted that Mr. Furgason had much musical ability and that he had the distinction of being the first person to play a violin in the Baptist Sunday-school in Indianapolis, the inno- vation in thus using a "profane" instrument in the church having been deplored by certain rigid members for a time.
As a young man Mr. Furgason was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Hol- brook, who died and who is survived by three sons, — William C, Frank L. and Leslie P. On the 21st of December, 1881, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Furgason to Mrs. Rebecca (Garsuch) HoUoway, widow of Captain John Marshall HoUoway. Mrs. Furgason was born at Middlebury, Wayne county, Indiana, and is a daughter of William and Sarah A. (Garsuch) Garsuch, who were natives of Maryland and who became pioneer settlers of Wayne county, Indiana, the father having been for many years a successful merchant and influential citizen of Middle- bury. No children have been born of the second marriage of Mrs. Furgason. She has been a resident of Indiana from the time of her birth and she now resides at 2354 Ashland avenue, Indianapolis. Her old home was at 510 North Capitol avenue, — a residence property purchased by Mr. Furgason, who there maintained his home for about forty-five years prior to his death. Mrs. Furgason and her family are prominent members of the First Baptist church and are zealous and liberal in the support of its various activities. She is a member of the Ladies' Social Circle and has been associate superintendent of the Sunday-school for nearly thirty y'ears, being the only woman to receive such distinction in the history of this important church. She has a wide circle of friends in the capital city and her home has ever been known for its gracious and refined hospitality.
f ol)n M HoUobjap
[NATIVE son of Indiana who honored the state by his loyal and gallant services as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war and who was a member of one of the staunch pioneer families of this commonwealth, First Lieutenant John Marshall Holloway is well entitled to a tribute in this publication. His death was the direct result of disease contracted while in the army and for a number of years prior to his demise he had been an efficient and valued clerical employe in the postoffice at Indianapolis, in which city his circle of friends was limited only by that of his acquaintances. He was summoned to the life eternal on the morning of April 27, 1874, in his thirty-ninth year, and his remains were laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery.
First Lieutenant Holloway was born at Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, on the 20th of September, 1835, and was a son of Hon. David P. and Jane Ann Hollo- way, who came from Virginia and established their home at Richmond, Indiana, in the early pioneer days. David Holloway became one of the most influential citi- zens of that section of the state and was one of the prominent factors in political affairs in Indiana. He was for a number of years editor and publisher of a paper at Richmond, was called upon to serve in various positions of public trust, and finally assumed the post of United States commissioner of patents under the admin- istration of President Lincoln. He was a man of much ability, and through his character and services greatly honored the state of his adoption. He was a most ardent and effective advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party and did much to support the cause of the Union during the climacteric period of the Civil war. His son. Colonel William R. Holloway, was an officer in an Indiana regiment in the Civil war and later served as postmaster in Indianapolis, where he was a citizen of prominence and influence.
Lieutenant John Marshall Holloway was reared to maturity in his native place and there received good educational advantages. As a youth he became identified with his father's newspaper at Richmond, and when about twenty-eight years of age he went to the city of Washington, where he became chief messenger in the office of his father, who had assumed the position of commissioner of patents. In this capacity he continued to serve until his intrinsic patriotism prompted him to decis- ive action and he enlisted in the Seventy-first Indiana Volimteer Infantry, com- manded by Colonel Biddle. He became captain of Company M of this regiment and saw arduous survice in various campaigns, in connection with which he took part in a number of important battles. He was finally captured by the enemy and was held as a prisoner of war in the odious Libby prison for several months. There he contracted the dread disease, consumption, which eventually terminated his life. His military career covered a period of about two and one-half years and his health became so impaired as to necessitate his retirement. After receiving his honorable discharge he was again tendered his position in the patent office at Washington,
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but his health was such as to render out-door employment imperative. He accord- ingly came to Indianapolis and secured the position of city mail carrier, being one of the first appointed in this city and having previously gained experience as rail- way mail clerk. At the time of assuming the position of carrier his brother, Colonel William P. Holloway, was postmaster of Indianapolis, and he was soon appointed general delivery clerk in the postoffice, a position which he retained imtil his death. From an article appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of his demise are taken the following extracts: "For six months he has been able to attend to his business as general delivery clerk of the postoffice but a few days at a time, and for some weeks he has been entirely prostrated. He had held his place at the general delivery since about the close of the war and was universally esteemed for his genial temper and generous feeling."
Lieutenant Holloway was a man of quiet and reserved manners, but his ster- ling character and genial ways gained to him the high regard of all who knew him. He was a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.
At Richmond, this state, on the 28th of September, 1859, was solemnized the marriage of Lieutenant Holloway to Miss Rebecca Garsuch, daughter of William Garsuch, a representative citizen and honored pioneer of Middlebury, Wayne county. Of this union were born three children, — Frank E., who resides in Indianapolis and is actively identified with railroad interests ; Miss Jennie A., who is a popular business woman of this city; and Miss Emma J., who is a talented musician of Indianapolis, both daughters remaining with their mother in an attractive home at 2354 Ashland avenue. In 1881 Mrs. Holloway became the wife of John A. Fur- gason, now deceased, a former representative business man of Indianapolis.
i^ranbiUe <§, aOen
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LIFE that justified its being in full measure was that of the late Granville Grant Allen, who died at his home in Indianapolis on the 29th of January, 1911. Such a life and such a character constitute an abiding beatitude, and when it comes to such an one to pass through the valley of the shadow of death there must remain to those who are left behind the veil the greater mead of consolation and reconciliation in having known and touched such a noble individuality. The silver cord of love need not be loosed by death when faith and hope have their perfect way, and to those nearest and dearest need not be denied the gracious memory-fruits of compensation, even when they must quafi deeply from the chalice of sorrow. He whose name initiates this memoir was not great, as the world commonly views greatness, but in high aspirations, in nobili- ity of character and worthiness of achievement he showed true elements of greatness, for he was true to himself and to others and he made the best use of the talents that were committed to his charge. He long occupied a prominent place in the busi- ness circles of Indianapolis and was called from the scene of his mortal endeavors in the full flush of his strong and useful manhood. Yet he had played a man's part in the world and his work was not unfinished. He won advancement through ability and honest worth and at the time of his demise he was vice-president of the A. Burd- sal Company, manufacturers of and wholesale dealers in paints and brushes, a con- cern with which he had long been identified and which is one of the oldest and largest of the kind in Indiana. He stood as the best type of business man and citizen and secure was the vantage place which he held in the confidence and esteem of the city in which he so long maintained his home, this memorial edition properly giving place to a tribute to the man, the friend.
At Tipton, Indiana, the judicial center of the county of the same name, Granville Grant Allen was born on the 8th of June, 1865. He was a son of Thomas L. and Margaret (Thornburg) Allen, the former a native of Wayne county and the latter of Randolph county, this state, within whose gracious borders the respective fami- lies were founded in the early pioneer days. The parents of Granville G. Allen now reside in Indianapolis, where they have an attractive home at 2333 Ashland avenue. The father was long and actively identified with business interests, and is now living virtually retired. He whose name initiates this memoir passed his childhood and youth at Hagerstown, Wayne county, this state, and there he completed the curricu- lum of the public schools. After his graduation in the high school he found employ- ment in the drug store conducted by his father at Hagerstown, and later he was similarly employed in the Davenport drug store at Bluffton. In 1885 he came to Indianapolis and assumed the position of clerk and pharmacist in the retail drug establishment of Harry Pomeroy, at the corner of Michigan and Pennsylvania streets.
On the 19th of May, 1887, Mr. Allen formed a partnership with his uncle,
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Thomas R. Thornburg, and effected the purchase of a drug store on Fort Wayne avenue. As a member of the firm of Thornburg & Allen he gave close attention to his business affairs and the enterprise became one of large and substantial order. Finally he sold his interest to Mr. T. R. Thornburg, and in July, 1891, associated himself with and became a stockholder in the A. Burdsal Company, ■wholesale paint and brush manufacturers, and a few years thereafter came emphatic recognition of his fidelity and pronounced ability, in that he was elected general manager of the business and also vice-president, of which latter office he continued the honored and valued incumbent until his death, since which time his widow has retained his interest in the business. Ambition, close application, fine executive powers and impregnable integrity of purpose thus won for Mr. Allen consecutive advancement and a final place as one of the popular and essentially representative business men of the Indiana metropolis, and none could have had more secure place in popular confidence and esteem. He was the soul of sincerity, and his buoyant, generous and optimistic nature won for him firm friends in all classes, while he was ever ready to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate or "in any ways afficted or distressed, in mind, body or estate."
Though devoted to home and business, Mr. Allen was a man of fine social instincts and was duly appreciative of social amenities. He was actively identified with vari- ous Masonic bodies in Indianapolis, including the Oriental lodge, the Knights Templar, the Consistory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which he has received the thirty-second degree, and the order of the Mystic Shrine. He was an appreciative student of the history and teachings of Masonry and was one of the zealous and valued representatives of the fraternity in his home city. His splendid ability as a business man gave him a position of prominence and influence in connec- tion with the industrial and commercial activities of Indianapolis, and no citizen took greater interest and pride in the upbuilding of the greater city. He was well fortified in his political convictions and was an ardent advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party, in which connection it may be consistently noted that he was a close personal friend of Senator Beveridge, one of the acknowledged leaders of the party in Indiana. He held membership in the Columbia Club and other local organizations of representative order and his religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church. His private charities and benevolences were many and inva- riably unostentatious, for his was a nature that had naught of self-seeking; naught of liking for the indiscriminate public plaudits. He had made his own way in the world and thus was appreciative alike of his stewardship as a successful man and of the dignity and value of honest toil and endeavor, no matter how humble. The world moves on in the even tenor of its way, but the memories and works of such men as Granville G. Allen live after them to offer both lesson and incentive.
On the 17th of September, 1890, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Allen to Miss Libbie T. Nicholson, of Indianapolis, and she continues to reside in the beau- tiful home at 1663 Broadway. Mrs. Allen was born at Indianapolis and is a daugh- ter of William T. and Jessie Nicholson, the former of whom was born on one of the Shetland islands of Scotland. Mr. Nicholson passed the closing years of his life in Indianapolis, where he died in 1872, and his widow now resides in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Allen. Mr. and Mrs. Allen had no children.
In speaking of the death of Mr. Allen, in a letter written to the latter's business associate. Senator Beveridge gave the following appreciative tribute: "I simply
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cannot express my grief for the death of our mutual good friend, Granville Allen, — 'Gran.' as I called him, was one of my very first friends in Indianapolis. We knew one another almost from the beginning, and never did his ardent friendship for and steady faith in me falter. I came to love him with a deep and abiding affection."
The funeral services of Mr. Allen were held from his late home and were con- ducted by the Rev. M. L. Haines, pastor of the First Presbyterian church. Inter- ment was made at Crown Hill cemetery, on February 1, 1911, and the services at the cemetery were conducted by the Scottish Rite Masons. From the address delivered by the pastor are taken the following extracts, which are well worthy of perpetuation, and but slight change is made in the subject matter, either by elimination or by other paraphrase :
"I am permitted to speak only in a brief and simple way regarding him whom God has called from us, and many words are not necessary to those who knew him so well as those present here, — whose very presence is evidence of that esteem in which he was held by so many. Any fulsome setting forth of his excellence would be contrary to his own spirit, for he was not a man who yielded to the weakness of a desire for self-display. Straightforward, unassuming, earnest, diligent in busi- ness, fervent in spirit, he won the confidence of his fellow men, and by his life of fidelity and integrity justified the exceptional esteem in which he was held.
"Forty-five years ago he was born in one of the towns of our commonwealth, and he came to this city, as all of you know, when just a young man; indeed, hardly having reached the age of manhood, but with all the ambition and purpose to make a man of himself. One who was called into close relations with him when first he came to our capital city said to me today: 'That young man, or boy, rather, was the best clerk I ever had, — thoroughly posted, active, trustworthy.' He was marked by a spirit of courtesy that was shown to even the smallest child as well as the older men and women, and those qualities he maintained during all the years. Certainly it is an honorable record that he has made in that relationship he has sustained now for more than twenty years to one of the larger firms of our state. From the time he entered that establishment, during all these years, he has joined with his great executive ability that kindly courtesy and genial spirit that made him liked by all who came into close relationship with him; that won for him that confidence and friendship of his associates. By his untiring energy and efficiency in business life he was advanced further and further into higher positions and larger responsibilities until he reached that office which he filled at the time God called him.
"In the fraternal relations in life, where, as you all know better than I can tell you, how many men open their hearts to one another, he won great confidence and affection. The representatives here today of that fraternal order of which he was a member held in honor, bear witness to the uplifting influence of his life as a friend and brother.
"I dare not attempt to tear away the veil and speak of the sacred relationships of this home where all the best of his life, as a faithful and loving and devoted husband, centered for twenty years. All the memories of what God enabled him to be and to do during these twenty years of happily wedded life will be for you who remain in the home an abiding and precious benediction."
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Sfoijn a, ^cl)utnac!)er
|ERMAN immigration has been of incalculable value to American progress, not only because of the German virtues but also be- cause the German has been, by race, character and history, in sympathy with the ideals upon which American institutions were founded. The Germanic strain in America has been one of its greatest sources of strength, and fortunate is that com- munity which gains its quota of representatives from this stanch and worthy race. Among the many citizens of German birth whose lives and ser- vices have contributed to the social and material progress and wellbeing of the beautiful capital city of Indiana was the late John A. Schumacher, who here fol- lowed the vocation of contractor and builder for nearly forty years and who became one of the leading representatives of this important line of enterprise in the state. As may be inferred, he was a man of marked business acumen, but, further than this, he was a man of impregnable integrity, of great civic loyalty and of most generous and kindly spirit. Sincerity and truth denoted him in all the relations of life and he left the priceless heritage of a good name. His memory is revered by all who came within the compass of his genial influence. He did much to further the material upbuilding of Indianapolis and other cities in Indiana, and in all things his name was a synonym for integrity and honor. His loyalty to his home city was of the most insistent order and such was his standing as a citizen and as a man among men that there is all of consistency in according to him a dis- tinct tribute in this Indianapolis memorial edition.
John A. Schumacher was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, on the 12th of December, 1847, and was summoned to the life eternal at his home in Indianapolis on the morning of August 22, 1910. He was a son of Henry and Catherine Schumacher and was fourteen years of age at the time of the death of his father, who left a widow and nine children, John A. having been the second oldest of this number. The father had been a shipbuilder by trade and vocation and at the time of his death he had several vessels in process of construction. In the meantime John A. Schumacher had availed himself of the advantages of the excellent schools of his native place and when the devoted husband and father was called from the scene of life's mortal endeavors the son, though only a boy, bravely assumed much of the burden of providing for the other members of the family. He determined to supervise the completion of his father's ships and to learn the trade of shipbuilder. This he accomplished under the kindly direction of an old and blind friend of his father, and after a time he went to sea with his uncle. Captain Albert Schumacher, who had command of a German sailing vessel. He continued to follow a seafaring life about one year, within which he visited many foreign ports and gained wide and valuable experience. Upon his return home he found that his mother had been compelled to draw all his wages except his pay for the last month of service, in order to provide for the needs of her family.
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Under these conditions he felt constrained to seek a more profitable field of en- deavor, and so long as his mother needed his aid he accorded the same with utmost filial devotion.
In 1866, when about twenty-one years of age, Mr. Schumacher determined to come to America and so minimal were his financial resources that he paid for his passage by work on the vessel. He had also been promised small wages, but upon his arrival in the port of New York City the dishonest captain of the ship defrauded him of his money, with the result that he found himself a veritable "stranger in a strange land" and with his available capital reduced to a single dollar. Soon afterward the ambitious and self-reliant young man secured employment with the New York firm of Trippert & Hawley, house-builders, and in this connection he learned the trade of carpenter and builder most effectively. He remained in the national metropolis until the great labor strike of 1873, when he came to Indiana and located in Indianapolis, where he formed a partnership with his sister's hus- band, William P. Jungclaus, who was likewise a carpenter and builder and who had located here some time previously. Under the firm name of Jungclaus & Schumacher they began operations on a modest scale, with headquarters on Hill- side avenue, and by effective service and honorable methods they built up a large and prosperous business, in which they continued to be associated about a quarter of a century. The dissolution of partnership was made in 1895, and this action was taken by reason of the fact that each of the interested principals had sons whom they wished to take into business. Accordingly Mr. Jungclaus engaged in business in company with his sons, and, following the same plan, Mr. Schumacher organized the John A. Schumacher Company, of which he continued as president until his death. Since that time the large and representative enterprise has been ably and successfully conducted by his sons, who are well upholding the high pres- tige of the family name and who are numbered among the substantial and popular business men of their native city.
As a contractor and builder Mr. Schumacher was ever known for the scrupu- lous honesty of his work, and he invariably observed all details of plans and speci- fications, so that his reputation became his best business asset. He was a most skillful and discriminating artisan, a good executive and a tireless worker, and thus he made of success not an accident but a logical result. His name was c»n- nected with the erection of many important public and business buildings in Indi- anapolis and other parts of the state, the while many fine private dwellings in the capital city remain as monuments to his skill and fidelity. He was one of the leading contractors in connection with the erection of the magnificent capitol of Indiana and among other important buildings erected by him may be mentioned the Indianapolis public library, the old St. Vincent Hospital, several buildings at St. Mary's of the Woods, the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal church and other fine church edifices, the Maennerchor Hall, the Shortridge high school, the Methodist Hospital, and the police station, besides many other buildings in Indi- anapolis. He was the contractor for the laying of the foundations of the new Ma- sonic Temple, one of the finest structures in this city, and he also erected a number of buildings in Terre Haute and other cities of Indiana.
Though his health had been impaired for more than three years, Mr. Schu- macher continued to give personal attention to his business affairs until within a short time before his death, which was superinduced by an ulceration of the stomach.
3roftn gl. ^tfiumacficr ii7
His remains rest in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. Though his home, with its ideal relations, was his sanctuary and to him the "best of all places," Mr. Schu- macher did not confine himself within the narrow environs of thought and action. He was one of the best known and most popular factors in the leading Germaa circles of the city, was progressive and liberal as a citizen, and was earnest and devoted in his work as a consistent member of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran church on Ohio street, with wliich his widow and children are also actively identi- fied. Broad in his sympathies and tolerant in his views, he was at all times ready to give timely aid to those in affliction and to support worthy charitable and philan- thropic agencies. He was a director of the Deaconesses' Hospital of the Methodist Episcopal church in Indianapolis, the buildings of which were erected by him, as has already been stated, and he was also one of the interested principals and liberal supporters of the German Orphans' Home. Though a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Republican party, he would never consent to become a candi- date for public oflace of any kind, but he was always loyal and progressive as a citizen. In the time-honored Masonic fraternity he received the thirty-second de- gree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and he was also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Indianapolis Commercial Club, the Maen- nerchor, the German House, the Independent Turnverein, and the Two-and-Twenty German Union. He was held in high esteem by all classes of citizens and was well known in the city that so long represented his home.
In New York City, on the 29th of May, 1871, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Schumacher to Miss Augusta J. Viena, who was bom in Germany and who was a child at the time of her mother's death. Her father, Charles Viena, was engaged in the livery business in Germany until 1867, when he came with his daughter to America, and he passed the closing years of his life in Indianapolis. One in sympathy and aspiration, Mr. and Mrs. Schumacher found their wedded life compassed by the most gracious influences and the silver cord of mutual love and helpfulness was loosened only when the husband and father was called to eternal rest. Mrs. Schumacher resides in a beautiful home at the comer of Belle- fontaine and Eleventh streets, Indianapolis, — a house erected by her husband nearly a quarter of a century ago and one that has found itself the center of much and generous hospitality during the long intervening period. Mrs. Schumacher has been active in the social and religious life of the community and has a wide circle of friends in the city that has so long been her home. She is a devoted member of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran church and holds membership in the German Orphans' Home Association, the Independent Turnverein and the German Old People's Society.
Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Schumacher three died when young and the three surviving sons are all actively concerned with the extensive business enter- prise of which their honored father was the founder. The headqiiarters of the business, which includes general contracting and building and the operation of a planing mill and well equipped lumber yard, are located at 814-20 East St. Clair street, and the enterprise is one of the largest and most important of the kind in the capital city of Indiana. William M., the eldest of the surviving children, married Miss Sophia Batcher, of Chicago, and they have four children, — William, George, Arthur and Margaret. Max M. married Miss Anna Batcher, and they have one son, John A. Alexander J. married Miss Lillie Kottlowski, who had pre- viously been a successful and popular teacher of German.
''<S^-J-i>t.yCy e/pV^-^'-'^-^^'A^
ENEROUS and big of heart, the late Liberty Howard was one ^(^jv.-<^v^wi^j^ of those men whose very presence is like genial sunshine, and 2^ /^^ ^^ he was widely known and enjoyed unqualified popularity in ^ 4 Ij A ^ Indianapolis. He came here as a youth and here he won his ^'/^ ^'^ way to a position of success and prominence in a business way,
^j^^^^^^^j^ the while his course was marked by impregnable integrity and by consideration for others. He was large of physique and large of soul; his temperament was buoyant and optimistic, and his very nature gained to him the appreciative regard of those who came within the sphere of his influence. There were no dramatic scenes or episodes in the story of his career, but he lived a calm, purposeful and kindly life ; he directed his efforts along pro- ductive lines and thus proved a valuable citizen; he took a loyal interest in all that concerned his home city; and "gladness and goodness designated the man." These preliminary statements indicate how thoroughly worthy of a tribute in this publi- cation is the memory of Liberty Howard, who maintained his home in Indiana's capital city for nearly half a century and who retired from active business only a short time before his death, which here occurred on the lith of November, 1911, his remains being laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery, while manifold were the expressions of sorrow on the part of the friends whom he had indeed grappled to his soul with hoops of steel.
Liberty Howard was born in the little village of Etna, Tompkins county, New York, on the 4th of July, 1847, and by reason of his having thus made his advent in the world on the day marking the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, his father consistently gave him the name of Liberty. He was a son of Pliny and Sophronia (Whipple) Howard, who were numbered among the pioneers of Tompkins county and who continued to reside in the old Empire state until their death. The schools of his native village afforded Liberty Howard an opportunity to gain a good fundamental education, which he later broadened in the schools of practical experience and self-discipline. At the age of sixteen years he began learning the art of telegraphy, in which he soon perfected himself, his ap- prenticeship having been served in the city of Syracuse, New York. When about seventeen years of age he came to Indianapolis, where his elder brother, Azel B., was employed as a telegraphist, and he himself here found employment as opera- tor in a railroad telegraph office. He continued to be engaged in the work of his trade until about 1870, when he made a radical change of vocation by establishing himself in the grocery business at the corner of Virginia avenue and New Jersey street. About one year later he disposed of his stock and business and established, on a very modest scale, the Howard Steam Cleaning Works, at the northwest cor- ner of St. Clair and Canal streets. He was the pioneer in this line of enterprise in the city and by his energy, good management and honorable dealings he soon built up a profitable business, the same continuing to expand in scope and import-
121
122 Xifaertp Hotoarb
ance with the passing years and eventually reaching extensive proportions. Though doing a general class of work, he made a specialty of the cleaning of carpets and rugs, and the facilities of the establishment were maintained at the highest stand- ard at all times. Under the able administration of Mr. Howard the enterprise which he thus founded became the largest of its kind in the city and controlled a supporting patronage of representative character. When he opened his plant it was considered far removed from the central business district and the locality was still known as Blake's Woods, with but few houses in the vicinity. This is now one of the closely settled and active business sections of the city. In the establish- ment during the later years of his control of the same Mr. Howard gave employ- ment to a force of about fifteen operatives, and he continued in the active super- vision of the business until August, 1911, when he sold the same, together with the property. He was not long permitted to enjoy his well earned retirement, as he was siunmoned to the life eternal on the 14th of the following November.
Mr. Howard was a man of fine physique and attractive presence, his average weight being about two hundred and fifty pounds. He was well known throughout the city in which he had so long maintained his home and it may well be said, without fear of contradiction, that his circle of friends was coincident with that of his acquaintances, as his cheery nature, unfailing good humor and cordial thought- fulness for others could not fail to insure this result. Like Abou Ben Ahdem, he "loved his fellow men," and this was shown in instant sympathy and kindly en- couragement and helpfulness.
Mr. Howard was diligent in business and his very character was such as to make him love and appreciate his home, every relation of which was of ideal order. He had no desire for the activities of practical politics but gave a stalwart support to the cause of the Republican party. Though he had reverence for spiritual verities, as shown in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds, he never identified himself with any formal religious organization and was broad and tolerant in his views. He was a charter member of the Commercial Club and never failed to show inter- est in those things which made for the wellbeing of the community.
On the 5th of September, 1869, Mr. Howard was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary J. (Martin) Wood, who was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, but who has been a resident of Indianapolis since she was fifteen weeks old. She is a daughter of Robert and Margaret Martin, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter of Lexington, Kentucky. They came to Indianapolis when Mrs. Howard was a baby, as already stated, and here they passed the residue of their lives, the principal vocation of the father having been that of a foundryman and machinist. At the age of sixteen years Miss Mary J. Martin became the wife of James Wood, who was born in Scotland, in the year 1831, and who was five years of age at the time when his parents established their home in Indianapolis, where he was reared and educated and where he followed his profession of civil engineering until his death, which occurred on the 19th of July, 1866, his mortal remains being interred at Crown Hill cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Wood became the parents of one son, Henry M., who was born in Indianapolis, on the 28th of February, 1864, and who was afforded the advantages of the public schools of his native city. He became associated with his step-father, Mr. Howard, in the business described in preceding paragraphs, and became a partner in the same, with which he continued to be actively concerned until his death, on the 8th of April, 1911. He married
Xihtvtp HofcDarb
123
Miss Mary Handley, who survives him and who still resides in Indianapolis, her only child being Kathryn, who was born on the 22d of February, 1898, and who remains with the widowed mother. Henry M. Wood, was one of the progressive business men and popular citizens of his native city, was a staunch Republican in politics, and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias. His widow and daughter reside in the beautiful home he provided for them on North New Jersey street. Mr. and Mrs. Howard had no children, and it may well be understood that the burden of sorrow lay heavily upon Mrs. Howard when she lost her only son, Henry M. Wood, and her loved and devoted husband within the same year. The pleasant old homestead which she owns and occupies, at 418 East Pratt street, has been her place of abode since 1864 and is endeared to her by the gracious memories and associations of the past, the while its hospitality continues to be greatly enjoyed by the many friends whom she has drawn about her in the city that has been her home from her girlhood days.
Jfraitfe ittffitiaffi
TMONCi those who ha>f ■
ne.si* and oiTic loy It >'
to the jmlaitiTiRl :< '■
Frank lUetibach, v.i.
trm:t«ts oi th.? Iii liaii,
which bt,-e -occurred on
native fnii itt the city in «u. ,. :.. -..:■. his chosen sphere of en:.it>»va»' and was a raembci >f i>fi' families of this state. fCt well upheld, both as i citiitu prestige of a name that bat Urr.v significantly honored in
■jf marked progi:ef»*i»e- J who haTC coiitributcd >f ihe. city was the late
prosi^ntative stoat com- ->i« of hiB death, •i 51. He waa s
.; ,ii-U':i;iivi: 3i<wx«S in t ' tht honorcri jjionrot
. »il Naonf^ai!! man, the
(»ait«4.tioo with indus-
trial activities and civic affniw him higli vantage ground in th ■ represented his home and in « ' :■ prise iilong the line that had beet
Indian&polis, and his Dterlinc cbaraeter gave to
.tideuce and esteem of *' ■ ' ■ ver
li'^ found ample oppor, er-
J'j>-!-ed bv his honored ' (lie
I'ioueer stone contractors of Indiftaiiiiolis. In this city Fr-siik i.lteui'ni.M wtv> worn on 'e 7th of April, 185D, and he wa* n son of Gerhard and Frani.i>s ltte«b>»ch, both of
■ K')m were born in Germany. Tl't pircnts were u^' " " ' r"e- ::itatives of the valued German eJnent in the pop fe
father founded the jtonc-coiifr u iLng business i ■ -d
his sons Frank and John B.
Frank Ittenbach gained hi.s earlv fducatiou in a jiriv i : his native city, and as a boy hv. heg.in to assist in tjie
i iher. Under these favorable conditions he learned the 'id
i iii-iiliarized himself with all details of the contracting _j io
'iiat he became a valued coadjutor of his father, as did abe iiic younger twother, Ji)hn B. The father, then venerable in years, retired from acfire bosiiu^ss about t ;i year 1893, and the two sons vaotinued the l.-»rgc and substar.fial entcrpri««. Her the title of G. Ittenbach & Cnmpany, until Jaatijry 1, i»SI. ^iicn the part- .; rship was dissolved and Frank Ittenbach engaged m business in a.'i sudepi^mlent , ly, at the corner of Twenty-nrst and Monleniin streets, where he as»!viated .( ith himself in the enterprise his only son, Elmer J., who now has eulire charge
■ f the business, as bis father's death occurred witliin a few months after the Ttcw • rra began active operations. In thus initiating the new enterpri-w* the fir;a inMacd
• attractive aonounccnirnt, from which the foUowirg qaott^ ■ kt-n:
i rank Ittenbach having sold his interest in the firti of G. Itt«? ■ ny,
t which he was the striior m.^nsber, has opened up a plant with tf , --td
stone-working machir.' ry. cri\tr of Montcalm and Twenty-first jii.ierib, wlv.ivi b^.s son will be assix-iitid uiith biro in coadacting a cut-stoue contractincr buiiiness, :nder the firai -. . Itt.nbsch & Son. With !:.■ ' in-
tailed, lliey ,.- ,U work promptly am' so,:. nst
■f service, cow.- ft,, combined with excelli t ■ the
very* best of material and priCes ai> lo» as consi.'itent with u;gb-grade servue
127
Jfranfe Sttenbacf)
A
IMONG those who have stood exponent of marked progressive- ness and civic loyalty in Indianapolis and who have contributed to the industrial and civic advancement of the city was the late Frank Ittenbach, who was one of the representative stone con- tractors of the Indiana metropolis at the time of his death, which here occurred on the 13th of May, 1911. He was a native son of the city in which he won so distinctive success in his chosen sphere of endeavor and was a member of one of the honored pioneer families of this state. He well upheld, both as a citizen and business man, the prestige of a name that has been significantly honored in connection with indus- trial activities and civic affairs in Indianapolis, and his sterling character gave to him high vantage ground in the confidence and esteem of the community which ever represented his home and in which he found ample opportunity for productive enter- prise along the line that had been followed by his honored father, who was one of the pioneer stone contractors of Indianapolis. In this city Frank Ittenbach was born on the 7th of April, 1859, and he was a son of Gerhard and Frances Ittenbach, both of whom were born in Germany. The parents were numbered among the early repre- sentatives of the valued German element in the population of Indianapolis, and here the father founded the stone-contracting business in which he was later succeeded by his sons Frank and John B.
Frank Ittenbach gained his early education in a private German-English school in his native city, and as a boy he began to assist in the business conducted by his father. Under these favorable conditions he learned the trade of stone mason and familiarized himself with all details of the contracting business in this line, so that he became a valued coadjutor of his father, as did also his younger brother, John B. The father, then venerable in years, retired from active business about the year 1893, and the two sons continued the large and substantial enterprise, under the title of G. Ittenbach & Company, until January 1, 1911, when the part- nership was dissolved and Frank Ittenbach engaged in business in an independent way, at the corner of Twenty-first and Montcalm streets, where he associated with himself in the enterprise his only son, Elmer J., who now has entire charge of the business, as his father's death occurred within a few months after the new firm began active operations. In thus initiating the new enterprise the firm issued an attractive announcement, from which the following quotations are taken: "Frank Ittenbach having sold his interest in the firm of G. Ittenbach & Company, of which he was the senior member, has opened up a plant with the latest improved stone-working machinery, corner of Montcalm and Twenty-first streets, where his son will be associated with him in conducting a cut-stone contracting business, under the firm name of Frank Ittenbach & Son. With these modern facilities in- stalled, they are able to execute work promptly and assure their patrons the best of service, courteous treatment, combined with excellence of workmanship, the very best of material and prices as low as consistent with high-grade service."
127
128 Jfranfe Sttcnbac^
With a business reputation that constituted in itself a most valuable asset, Mr. Ittenbach began operations under most favorable conditions, and though he was soon called from the stage of his mortal labors his name and the able interposition of his sons have proved factors in the upbuilding of a substantial and prosperous business, the same being still conducted under the original firm name. As a busi- ness man Mr. Ittenbach was diligent, progressive and energetic, and as a citizen he was loyal and public spirited. He was a stockholder in the Consumers' Gas Trust Company, was a member of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, and was identi- fied with the National Stone Contractors' Association, which body adopted appre- ciative resolutions at the time of his death, a copy of the same being forwarded to Mrs. Ittenbach. The text of this testimonial is as follows:
Whereas, It has pleased the all wise Ruler to remove from our midst our friend and associate, Frank Ittenbach, who died May 13, 1911, therefore be it
Resolved, That by such removal the association mourns the departure of a true friend and worthy and active member, and the community in which our friend has dwelt is deprived of a citizen of the highest type. Be it further
Resolved, That we herewith express and tender to his bereaved family and relatives our sincere sympathy, and further attest to the same by causing the spreading of these resolutions upon the minutes of the National Cut Stone Asso- ciation, and further request that a copy of these resolutions be conveyed to the family of our deceased friend and associate.
Sentiments of the highest esteem and of sincere regret for the loss of a valued member were passed by the local body of the Knights of Columbus, with which Mr. Ittenbach was prominently identified. He was well known in his native city and his kindliness, his generosity and his genial personality had won to him a host of staunch friends in the community. In politics he was not constrained by strict partisan lines, but gave his support to the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. He was a devout communicant of the Catholic church, as are also his widow and children, and was a member of the cathedral parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, memorial mass having been read in the cathedral on the 6th of July, 1911, under the special auspices of the Knights of Columbus. This organization placed on record the following memorial:
The Knights of Columbus, in union with all who knew him, honor the memory of our late Brother Frank Ittenbach, a man who, by his upright, clean and honora- ble life and sterling Catholic character, compelled the love and respect of all with whom he came in contact, and brought true success, both material and spiritual, into his life. A good citizen, a loving husband and father and a true Christian, the virtues of his life are left as a legacy to his family and an example worthy of emulation to his friends. May his soul rest in peace.
The home life of Mr. Ittenbach was characterized by the most gracious rela- tions of harmony, affection and community of love and devotion, so that to those who were thus nearest and dearest to him came the overflowing cup of loss and bereavement when he was called to the life eternal, but to them also comes the gracious benediction of abiding memory of his noble and generous thoughtfulness and consideration. On the 26th of September, 1883, in St. Mary's church, Indi- anapolis, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ittenbach to Miss Bertha Monninger, who was born and reared in Indianapolis, which has ever been her home and in which her circle of friends is coextensive with that of her acquaintances. She is a daugh-
jFranfe Menbatfi 129
ter of Daniel and Adeline (Schwab) Monninger, who settled in Indianapolis many years ago, the father having long been a representative business man and being still a resident of the city which has been his home for so extended a period. He has attained to the venerable age of eighty years, and his cherished and devoted wife was summoned to the life eternal in August, 1905. Of their children one son and two daughters are living. Mrs. Ittenbach has resided in the immediate vicinity of the corner of St. Clair street and North Capitol avenue since her childhood days, when her father purchased the corner property. Upon her marriage her father gave to her the lot on which her present attractive residence is situated, the building itself having been erected for the young couple by her husband's father, and the location of the property being 733 North Capitol avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Ittenbach became the parents of three children, namely: Lillian M., who is the wife of Dr. John J. Briggs, a representative physician and surgeon of Indianapolis, and who has one child, Mildred C. ; Cecelia A., the second daughter, remains with her widowed mother; and Elmer J., the only son, likewise abides in the family home, the while he has the general supervision of the business established by his father. The business of Frank Ittenbach & Company has been incorporated under this title, and Elmer J. Ittenbach is president and treasurer of the company, in which his mother and younger sister own the remaining stock, his mother being vice-president. He is one of the representative young business men of his native city where he was born on the 25th of December, 1889, and where he is a popular factor in both business and social circles.
Daniel Monninger, deceased, was born at Alberswiler, Germany, August 14, 1836. He was educated in Germany, and came to the United States when about eighteen years of age, locating at Terre Haute, Indiana, where he had a brother. Soon afterward he came to Indianapolis and engaged in the piano business, having the agency for the Sohmer piano for a few years. Later he went into the saloon business on Kentucky avenue, where he continued for about forty years and with much success, conducting the cleanest place of its kind in the city. He was affec- tionately known as "Uncle Dan." He retired from business about eighteen years ago and his death occurred February 16, 1912. He lies buried at Crown Hill- Mr. Monninger was very well known among the Germans. He bought property at the corner of St. Clair and North Capitol avenue; but North Capitol was then known as Tennessee street. He lived there over fifty years and there his death occurred. He married Adeline Schwab, who was born in Germany. She died at the age of sixty-eight and lies buried at Crown Hill. They had three children who are now living: Albert D. of Indianapolis; Mrs. Frank Ittenbach; Tillie, who married Edward J. Neumeyer, lives in Indianapolis.
/f^*^^
ELIZABETH R. DICKIXSOX
I< illX C. DICKIXSOX
3fof)n C. Bitfeinsion
I BOUT three-quarters of a century ago John Cook Dickinson established his home in Indianapolis, and as a young man at the virtual initiation of his business career he showed that he was not one who "despised the day of small things." He here began business on a modest scale, by opening and conducting a meat market, but he later turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in connection with which he developed a fine farm property near Indianapolis and gained through his well directed endeavors sub- stantial prosperity. A man who was in all things pure and upright, he never lacked the fullest measure of popular confidence and esteem. He continued to main- tain his residence in Indiana's capital city during the greater part of his life, and here he was summoned to eternal rest on the 4th of February, 1888. Concerning his life and service it may well be said, in the words of scriptural injunction: "And though thy beginnings be small, thy latter end shall greatly increase." Mr. Dickinson was known and honored in this section of the state which so long represented his home and to the development and upbuilding of which he contribu- ted his quota. His heart was attuned to sympathy, he had a high appreciation of his stewardship, and he was mindful of those "in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body or estate," though his intrinsic modest and unselfish spirit caused him to avoid sedulously all praise or parade of kindly acts performed by him. He obeyed the admirable behest, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." It is a matter for sincere gratification that in this memorial record con- cerning those who have honored and been honored by the city of Indianapolis it is possible to pay tribute to the sterling citizen whose name initiates this review.
John Cook Dickinson was of staunch English lineage and his ancestors in both the paternal and maternal lines came from England to America in the early colo- nial days, the names of both families having been closely linked with the history of New Jersey. Mr. Dickinson was bom at Sharptown, Salem county, that state, on the 8th of November, 1806, and thus at the time of his death he had attained to the age of eighty-one years and nearly three months. He was the only child of Philemon and Abigail (Cook) Dickinson, both of whom were likewise natives of New Jersey, and he was but five years of age at the time of the death of both ofi his parents. He was reared in the home of his uncle, who was a farmer near Sharptown, New Jersey, and such were the exigencies of the time and place that his formal educational advantages were most limited in scope, being confined to a desultory attendance in the common schools, which were of somewhat primitive order. It was his, however, so to profit by the lessons gained through self-applica- tion and through discipline under that wise head-master, experience, that he be- ciame a man of broad and exact information, fine mentality and mature judgment.
Mr. Dickinson continued to be associated in the work and management of his uncle's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-nine years, when, in the
133
134 5oi)n C 3Bicfetngon
year 1835, he severed the ties that bound him to his native state and the friends of his youth and set forth to seek his fortunes in the west. The greater part of the long journey was made by stage-coach and Dayton, Ohio, which was then a mere village, figured as his destination. He remained in that place, however, only a short interval, at the expiration of which he came to Indiana and located in Indianapolis, the isolated capital city, which then had a population of less than two thousand. The settlement in this period was chiefly within a square or two of Washington street. Forest trees were still standing within this belt, though the greater portion of the timber had been cut from the mile square, the outlets being still forest. To the ambitious and self-reliant young easterner conditions must have seemed strange indeed, but it is certain that he was impressed with the possibilities and that he prepared to throw himself vigorously into the activities of the embryonic metropolis. He engaged in business by opening a meat market, but the lure of the great fundamental industry under whose influence he had been reared soon caused him to give his renewed allegiance thereto in a practical way but under pioneer conditions. He secured land near Indianapolis and developed the same from the wild state, — his contribution to the material advancement of this section having thus been one of no insignificant order. He eventually accumulated a large and valuable landed estate, principally in Marion county, and he continued to be actively identified with agricultural pursuits and allied enterprises imtil 1870, when impaired health compelled his retirement.
During the last decade and a half of his life Mr. Dickinson lived in serene and prosperous retirement in the city of Indianapolis, and here his death occurred on the 4th of February, 1888, as has already been noted. At the time of his demise he was known and honored as one of the most venerable pioneer citizens of the capital city, and in the community which he had long known and loved his circle of friends was limited only by that of his acquaintances. His was the strength of a loyal and noble nature, and his gentleness and kindliness were proverbial, the while he was marked by the unassuming way in which he bore himself and by his deep ia- terest in all that tended to further the moral, civic and material welfare of the community. In politics Mr. Dickinson was originally aligned as an adherent of the Whig party, but he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued an ardent and intelligent supporter of its principles and policies. He gave his support to measures and en- terprises projected for the general good but never consented to permit the use of his name in connection with candidacy for public oflSce of any kind. His character and life were dominated by the deepest Christian faith and fortitude, and he was one of the founders of what is now Fletcher Place Methodist Episcopal church. At the suggestion of his noble and gracious wife the original name of this church was adopted, — Asbury chapel, the title being given in honor of Bishop Asbury. Concerning this interesting matter further mention will be made in another para- graph. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson continued to be numbered among the most devo- ted and zealous members of this religious body for many years and their connec- tion therewith ceased only when the silver cord of their lives was loosened by death. He held many oflicial positions in the church, including that of trustee, and was ever instant in good works in the various departments of church activity. He was affiliated with a local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but, as even the slight revelation here given of his nature and character must imply, he found
SToftn C Bitfemgon 135
his greatest pleasure and happiness in the sanctuary of his home, whose solidarity was ever of ideal order.
On the 5th of November, 184'4, in IndianapoliSj was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Dickinson to Miss Elizabeth R. TuUy, and during the long years of their wedded life their devoted companionship and mutual sympathy were never marred, as their hopes and ambitions and love were in common and of sublimated order. The gracious relations were severed after a period of forty-four years by the death of Mr. Dickinson, and his companion and helpmeet, thus called upon to drink from the chalice of bitter sorrow, was sustained and comforted to her life's end by abiding Christian faith and by the hallowed memories of the past. She was bom near Cyn- thiana, Kentucky, on the 7th of April, 1814, and was a child at the time of the fam- ily removal to Cincinnati, Ohio, whence her parents later came to Indiana and lo- cated in Fayette county, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Dick- inson was thus reared in Ohio and Indiana and she came to Indianapolis in 1833, in company with her sister, Mrs. Samuel Beck. She was the youngest of the three children of James and Lucy (Robinson) Tully, the former a native of Delaware and the latter of Virginia. Mrs. Dickinson was a woman of marked intellectuality, fine literary attainments and most gentle and gracious personality, so that she naturally assumed a prominent place in the representative social activities of the little town which she was destined to see develop into the metropolis of a great state. This status she long maintained and after she had attained to remarkably venerable age there were many, both old and young, who delighted in her company and in paying her honor. She was ninety-six years of age at the time of her death, which occurred at the fine old family homestead, at 619 North Pennsylvania street, on the 18th of April, 1910. Thus passed away one of the most noble and venerable of the pioneer women of Indiana, and her memory is revered by all who had come within the sphere of her gracious influence. From an appreciative article which appeared in the In- dianapolis News at the time of the death of Mrs. Dickinson are taken the following extracts: "She has belonged to the Methodist church for seventy-six years, was a charter member of the Meridian Street church, and went with the members of that congregation to become a charter member of Roberts Park church. Later she was a charter member of what is now Fletcher Place church. She named the latter church Asbury Chapel, after Bishop Asbury, but when the Fletcher family gave a large sum of money and also ground to the chapel the name was changed to the Fletcher Place church. She was a woman of many individual charities. While she had outlived her contemporaries, she had a wide circle of devoted friends, and maintained her mental activities until the last, taking an interest in the general subjects of the day." In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson: Misses Jennie and Alice E. remain in the old home- stead on Pennsylvania street ; Kate is the wife of George T. Carr, who is engaged in the manufacturing business at Wabash, Indiana, and they have three children, Morris, Harry and Louise, the latter two of whom remain at the parental home and Morris, who is married, being now a resident of Peru, this state.
t^^^is^-^K^^
OTilli.nit ^unron iEi^ebcs (ITavEinjiici!
A ^ !■ '•» tike j.i> ai : .... > -},^i knowWi%« v> s.11
■• !!..•> ht: «»<>t in his He. was a pHrv^eyor
. i>jn-? and ti and sympatbv that
<->•:■* u;-( :.,.'r...:.. .. ...a ;»*dit;ua8-- *ll life. He
«•■'■ -'i r I M.ujod liifr grc«t. word — broU^
it.'.i'-o i( ' ,inc WHO knew And
Icvc t !i > iii* . igton paid n tribute'
after he had passed tr.>;r -.t found ao f<4»i> in
hundreds of hearts wiiv •, . „ ii,««riv cuwrndc *nd loyal friu»d. bw»
an ♦■xample of good ciIm frt- iu f^uMie. thincs which g<> lo makr tiw
world brighter and I :t I,)berty, Jodiai^it.
and died at his hou iji,- ijtth in order of
birth in a family '. L«tph And Mari«
(Slauson) Tarkington.
Htv. Joseph TarkinjH. r>.,.,«j».^ his parents
being North Carolir n ul church in
early raanh<>o<i and ; . Indiana and
was the organizer , t the city. In
185J he retired to a largv tarm m the eimrona oi \ ij; previously
lived at Liberty, Indiana, nnd spent the closing yf^r' ■ , it farm. He
married Maria Slauson, who was bom in New ' rg natives of
Connecticut. They had luwr sons and three d? ■ sons served
in the Civil war and bii' m»o mrvives. Hon. J. ! ^K-.ry, the
eldest daughter, is the. wifi- -f John Alexander, of Gi na Martha
A. is the wife of the Jate Daiacl Stewart, of Indi«t> ..cph A. and
Simpson M. are deceasird
William S. B. Tarkxri^on was ten years old when hi» parent* moved to aear Greensburg and there bit stt^mded the pnblic school*. Being musical be joined' « local band and thus, when the Civil war broke out aud his reljitivi^s and comrades went into the army, he enlisted in the Seventh Jndiann Volunteer Infantry as a drummer boy, the Utc William C Tarkington, bis uncle and lat<r his father-in- law, being commissury of the regioiont. It wbs throiudv the influence of hi» uimsU. that the youth wt.s transferred to th>' t« • • ' ' ' . .
until 1 S63, when h( retired from the arir to Greensbnrg. After a period iii n-cu-
again and came to Indian.'ipolis, who-' lit ^s-i triwiunnco' i«r «! reai'* wjth «diieui) railroad affairs and thtn wm ,«f i<i.iii-t«) hy Pirc»ident Grant ais in«o«M'tnT nf V. S. Congers. After r.t:', ington beearot coiin Mr. Stewart btiiij; conntry, particularly ' jrfujjfb ri.e superiotendeney ot the gUs» s.'epart-
1S9
OTiUiam Simeon ^ttbt& tKarkington
\E KNEW the joy of living and imparted that knowledge to all
H^^ whom he met in his journey through life. He was a purveyor k!g of sunshine and that kind of helpfulness and sympathy that ll^ touched and understood all ages and traditions — all life. He was a lover of humanity and understood the great word — broth- erhood." In the above significant words one who knew and loved the late William Simeon Reeves Tarkington paid a tribute after he had passed from the scene of life and this sentiment found an echo in hundreds of hearts who mourned not only a hearty comrade and loyal friend, buit an example of good citizenship and a leader in those things which go to make the world brighter and happier. He was bom November 5, 1841, at Liberty, Indiana, and died at his home in Indianapolis, July 20, 1904. He was the fifth in order of birth in a family of seven children, his parents being Rev. Joseph and Maria (Slauson) Tarkington.
Rev. Joseph Tarkington was born in Williamson county, Tennessee, his parents being North Carolina people. He united with the Methodist Episcopal church in early manhood and became one of the pioneer ministers in that faith in Indiana and was the organizer of the Ames Methodist church on the south side of the city. In 1851 he retired to a large farm in the environs of Greensburg, having previously lived at Liberty, Indiana, and spent the closing years of bis life on that farm. He married Maria Slauson, who was born in New York, her parents being natives of Connecticut. They had four sons and three daughters, and all of the sons served in the Civil war and but one survives, Hon. John S., of Indianapolis. Mary, the eldest daughter, is the wife of John Alexander, of Greensburg, Indiana. Martha A. is the wife of the late Daniel Stewart, of Indianapolis. Dr. Joseph A. and Simpson M. are deceased.
William S. R. Tarkington was ten years old when his parents moved to near Greensburg and there he attended the public schools. Being musical he joined a local band and thus, when the Civil war broke out and his relatives and comrades went into the army, he enlisted in the Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a drummer boy, the late William C. Tarkington, his uncle and later his father-in- law, being commissary of the regiment. It was through the influence of his uncle that the youth was transferred to the commissary department, in which he served until 1863, when he retired from the army on account of failing health and returned to Greensburg. After a period of recuperation he was ready for active business again and came to Indianapolis, where he was connected for six years with official railroad affairs and then was appointed by President Grant an inspector of U. S. Gangers. After eighteen years in the employ of the government, in 1887 Mr. Tark- ington became connected with the Daniel Stewart Drug Company, of Indianapolis, Mr. Stewart being his brother-in-law. He became widely known throughout the country, particularly in the west, through his superintendency of the glass depart-
140 ?lKatIIiam Simeon JRccbeg tlterfeington
ment of the company. Although this branch of business was a new one to him, he brought his energy and ability to assist him, mastered it and soon brought the glass department of the business to the front and continued with the firm until the close of his life. Without doubt his personality was a large factor in his business success. Men admire ruggedness and emulate courage, but they love sincerity, kindness, unfailing sympathy and friendliness, and Colonel Tarkington possessed all the qualities that go to make up the finest type of man.
On June 2, 1870, William S. R. Tarkington was married to Miss Helena S. Tarkington, his cousin and a daughter of William C. and Eliza K. (Foster) Tark- ington. Captain William C. Tarkington was born at Edwardsport, Knox county, Indiana, and died at Indianapolis, July 19, 1895, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was the youngest born in a family of eleven sons and one daughter. He en- gaged in the banking business at Bloomington, Indiana, and resided there at the period of his daughter Helena's birth, and became one of the large wholesale dry goods merchants of Indianapolis. At the time that the Civil war was declared he was a member of the Indiana legislature and he was appointed commissary of the Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry by Governor Morton and served in that office for three and one-half years. Other offices of responsibility were tendered him and he served as secretary to the Governor and also as county clerk and county recorder, in 1882 receiving the largest vote cast on that ticket. He was the first president of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, when it combined all mercantile interests. From early manhood he had been identified with the Masons, for some years was an official in the Knights of Pythias organization, and was a member of the G. A. R. and of the Union Veteran League. For a number of years he was one of the regents of the Indiana State University at Bloomington and it was largely through his efforts that it was made a permanent and successful institution. He was a consistent member of St. Paul's Episcopal church.
Captain William C. Tarkington married Eliza K. Foster, who was born in Som- erset county, Maryland, and was thirteen years old when she accompanied her parents to Indiana. Her father. Dr. W. C. Foster, was a graduate of JeflFerson Medical College, Philadelphia, in which city he was born. He established himself at Bloomington, Indiana, and became a prominent man and physician and in 1850 was chosen as one of the framers of the state constitution. His death occurred at Bloomington, in 1866, the father of nine children, namely: Mary J., who is deceased, was the wife of O. F. Baker; Helena S., who is the widow of W. S. R. Tarkington; William W., who is deceased; Cornelia, who is deceased, was the wife of Robert H. Crum; Eliza M., who is the widow of Arthur C. Brigham, residing at Indianapolis; Joseph E., who has been connected with the postoffice in this city for twenty-three years ; Robert F., who is a resident of Seattle, Washington ; Jesse C, deceased, and Ranson A.
No children were born to Colonel Tarkington and wife, but following the death of Mrs. Tarkington's two sisters their two daughters and one son found in the uncle and aunt the love and care that circumstances deprived them in the course of nature, and all three survived the uncle, who had been a real father to them. Helena T. Crum, the eldest, is the wife of Edward P. Lawrence and resides at Lincoln, Illi- nois. Frances T. Crum occupies a responsible position as the head of the reference department in the Indianapolis Public Library. The nephew, Tarkington Baker, resides in this city and married Myla J. Closser. Mrs. Tarkington is a member
?!Baiatam Simeon jRccbcs! ^Carfeington
141
of the Daughters of the American Revolution through her ancestor, Silas Foster, who was a captain in the Continental navy.
Colonel Tarkington, by which title he was generally known, was a prominent Scottish Rite Mason, a member of the G. A. R. and of the Sons of the Revolution. His burial was conducted by the Scottish Rite Masons at Crown Hill.
On account of its country-wide reputation and because of Colonel Tarkington's prominent association with it and pleasure in this connection, some mention seems fitting concerning a musical club with which he was identified for a number of years, an illusion to which will stir the memories of many of this city's leading men. This was the Bald Headed Glee Club, of which he was one of the original members. It grew out of a campaign club organized in 1884 and was reorganized in 1888 as the Baldheaded Club and it is still in existence. The club visited many sections and created interest all over the country by its singing and particularly its connection with the G. A. R. encampment at Washington, D. C, in 1892 was a source of pleasure to Mr. Tarkington as long as he lived.
o^^;^^^^^^
I^eb, 5of)n ?^. Eanget
URE constant and noble was the spiritual flame that burned in and illumined the mortal tenement of Rev. John Hilliard Ranger, who was rector of Christ church, Protestant Episcopal, Indian- apolis, for nearly a decade prior to his death and who, in a quiet and gentle way left a deep impress upon this community, where his memory is revered by all who came within the sphere of his gracious and helpful influence. His life was one of signal con- secration to the work of the divine Master, and his splendid intellectual powers, his exalted character, his abiding human sympathy found expression in his zeal and de- votion in the aiding and uplifting of his fellow men. He fought the good fight; he kept the faith, and the angle of influence continues to widen in benignancy now that he has passed from the scene of his mortal endeavors, — a true soldier of the church militant, a worthy victor in the church triumphant. Mr. Ranger was summoned to the life eternal on the 24th of October, 1895, in St. Barnabas Hospital, a church institution in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was in attendance at the triennial convention of his church and where he succumbed after a brief illness, the cause of his death having been pneumonia. In this memorial edition it is most con- sonant that a tribute be paid to this strong and noble man, who. will not soon be forgotten in the city of Indianapolis, where he lived and labored earnestly in his high calling and where he showed forth the healthful spirit of divine grace.
The Rev. John Hilliard Ranger was born at Lyme, New London county, Con- necticutj on the 25th of September, 1848, and was a son of Richard and Margery E. (Hilliard) Ranger, the former of whom was born in England, whence he came to America when a youth, and the latter of whom was bom in Connecticut, a daughter of Rev. Jonathan Hilliard, a representative clergyman of the Baptist church in that state. The marriage of the parents was solemnized at Lyme and they continued to reside in New England until their death, the mother having passed away when the subject of this memoir was a child of four years. One other child was born of this union — Anna, who is the widow of George H. Bruce and who now resides at Norwich, Connecticut.
Rev. John H. Ranger gained his preliminary educational discipline in the public schools of Norwich, Connecticut, and thereafter completed a course in the Sheffield Scientific School. His classical or academic training was secured in Yale University. A youth of deep spirituality and earnestness, he early determined to prepare himself for the priesthood of the Protestant Episcopal church, and thus, in 1880, he entered the General Theological Seminary, in New York City, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1884, receiving the degree of S. T. B. In June; of that year, in Grace church. New York City, he received the order of the diaconate by Bishop Potter, by whom, on the 21st of December of the same year, he was ordained to the priesthood. After thus receiving holy orders Mr. Ranger at once was assigned to the position of rector of St. Barnabas
145
146 3Reb. STotn 1^. 3^mqtx
chapel, in the national metropolis, and a few months later he was called to the rectorship of Christ church, at Bay Ridge, Long Island. There he continued his ministrations until 1888, when, upon the resignation of Rev. Edward A. Brad- ley, of Christ church, in Indianapolis, he was called by the vestry to become rector of this important parish. He assumed this position in June, 1888, and shortly afterward he was elected a member of the standing committee of the diocese, in which capacity he continued to serve until the close of his life. He twice represen- ted his diocese in the general conventions of the church, -was an influential factor in the councils of the diocesan conventions and was a valued friend and counselor of Bishop Kickerbacker, as was he later of the latter's successor, Bishop White. He was particularly active in the special convention called to elect a successor to Bishop Kickerbacker upon the latter's death, and nominated and urged the elec- tion of Rev. John Hazen White, who was duly advanced to the high oflSce in which he has since continued to serve. In June, 1895, Mr. Ranger was elected one of the four clerical delegates from the diocese of Indiana to attend the triennial con- vention of the church in Minneapolis, and while there he contracted a severe cold, which was followed by pneumonia and resulted in his death. The grief of his devoted wife when this bitter chalice was pressed to her lips was the greater by reason of the fact that she had been unable to reach his side before the final sum- mons came. From an appreciative tribute which appeared in the Indianapolis Journal at the time of his death are taken the following extracts, which are well worthy of perpetuation in this more enduring vehicle:
"Mr. Ranger was one of the best known ministers of this city, although he made no effort to make himself known. He was of a kind and retiring nature and people came to like and love him by association with him. He was not a man who pushed himself forward, but since he assumed the rectorship of Christ church people have become acquainted with him and have learned to appreciate his good qualities. He was largely instrumental in having John Hazen White elected bishop of the diocese of Indiana, and the bishop and Mr. Ranger were the best of friends." Bishop White proceeded to Minneapolis immediately upon learning of the death of Mr. Ranger and accompanied the remains of the loved rector on the sad return journey to Indianapolis. The funeral services were held at Christ church, and the capacity of the edifice was more than taxed to accommodate the citizens who assem- bled, regardless of denominational affiliations, to pay a last tribute of respect to the deceased rector and honored citizen. The Indianapolis Neu-s spoke as follows concerning him to whom this memoir is dedicated: "Mr Ranger was a gentleman of polished address and scholarly attainments. He was a member of the Indian- apolis Literary Club, and was known and esteemed in connection with the literary, art and religious influences of the city. His long residence here had extended his acquaintance and influence beyond his own denomination. He was of catholic spirit, devoid of petty feeling and devoted to his friends and the truth."
With naught of intellectual bigotry or ecclesiastical intolerance. Mr. Ranger showed forth in his church activities and in all other relations of life the true and gentle spirit of a lover of mankind; the abiding faith that makes faithful in all things. He was a man of well fortified convictions concerning economic and gov- ernmental affairs and was firm and outspoken in defense of the principles and policies in which he believed. He was one of the first clergymen to speak from the pulpit on the subject of organized labor, and he received many encouraging
JRcb. SToftn ^. 3Siamtr 147
and appreciative letters from Morris Ross, the well known leader in labor circles. As indicatory of the high regard in which Mr. Ranger was held in the community in which he lived and labored until his death, it is deemed but consistent to repro- duce in this review the memorial tribute given by a representative local organiza- tion of which he was a valued member:
"The Indianapolis Literary Club has not often been called upon to lament the death of one of its members, and never has it lost one who will be more pleasantly and affectionately remembered than will the Rev. John Hilliard Ranger, who died in St. Barnabas Hbspital, Minneapolis, on Thursday, the twenty-fourth day of October, 1895. Almost from the beginning of his ministry in this city, more than seven years ago, he commanded the respect and won the love of the people of this community. It is not surprising that this should be so, for the most casual ac- quaintance with him was enough to impress one with his singularly beautiful character, while those who were privileged to know something of his inner life and to enjoy an intimate association with him, could not but marvel at the complete subordination of the man to the principles of that Gospel of which he was so noble a representative. He possessed all the distinctively Christian graces in large measure. He was the soul of sincerity. Cant and hypocrisy were as hateful to him as were sensationalism and self-seeking. He took his profession very seri- ously, and so it was impossible for him to exploit his own personality. The ambas- sador merged himself in his mission. He believed in the inspiration of the min- istry, and his ambition was that the Word which was made Flesh might speak through him. With such a conception of the office of the preacher, it was mani- festly impossible for him to resort to any of the tricks of oratory by which it is sometimes sought to attach men to the church.
"Like all deeply earnest and serious characters, Mr. Ranger was a man of genuine humility. One who believes that he has a great work to do has little time for thought of self. To such a one personal ambition is impossible. Nothing is of consequence except that he may fulfill the law of his being and accomplish the task set before him. Our dead brother was pledged to the service of God and his fellowmen. He was faithful to his pledge. Hi could not have been faithful to it had he not had a profound love and respect for humanity. His democracy was deep-seated and radical. He made no distinctions among men, for he recognized in the lowest and most depraved a spark of the divine nature in the image of which all men, as he believed, were created. With Mr. Ranger's humility were combined a courage which could not be shaken and a hopefulness which nothing could cloud. He feared nothing except sin, and he did not believe that there was anything which could not be accomplished with the help of God. He was always cheerful and kindly. Even in the midst of physical weakness and weariness he maintained a serenity which kept his mind clear and his soul calm. His gentleness and ten- derness will be testified to by everyone who knew him, especially by those to whom he ministered in their affliction.
" 'His strength was as the strength of ten, because his heart was pure.' Mr. Ranger was a thoughtful, forcible and helpful preacher. The simplicity and real- ity of the man were most impressive. His supreme desire was to feed the flock committed to his care. He was the sympathetic and loving friend and counselor of his people, and the faithful steward of the mysteries of the kingdom of which he and all God's people are citizens. To hear him once was to know that he was
148 jEleb. 5of)n ^. JSvanger
a good man, wholly sincere and thoroughly in earnest. He had no narrow theory of Christianity. He believed that it was for all men, and he laid much emphasis upon its catholic character. He never sought to refine away or to soften its hard sayings. He did not believe that the morality of the Sermon on the Mount was impracticable merely because unregenerate human nature revolted at it. It was this morality which he preached without equivocation and which he tried to live.
"Mr. Ranger was a man of scholarly tastes and wide reading. He kept abreast of the best thought of the day, and was familiar with the best thought of the past. His mental processes were direct and his judgments were the result of sound reasoning. Here, as in his spiritual life, he was honest with the world and with himself. He wanted to be taken for what he was. He never played a part. He was always natural. His reserve was the reserve not of moroseness or secretive- ness but of modesty. Kindly and frank in his intercourse with his fellows, he won friends easily and held them firmly. He loved the world because God made it, and he longed to do whatever he could to redeem it from the bondage of sin. While not an ascetic or recluse, his life was nevertheless one of self-sacrifice. All true men loved him because they knew that he was a true man striving to help forward the cause of righteousness. He appealed to all that was best in humanity. His patience was of the heroic type. He never spoke or thought evil of anyone. He was wholly without malice. It was his invariable habit to try to account for a base or low action in some way that would consist with a belief in the good character of the man who perpetrated it. He was fertile in apologies for the sins of others, always taking the kind and charitable view. His friendship was something to be depended on. He scorned littleness and meanness, and yet he was loth to believe that men and women could be little and mean.
"Such was our friend as we knew him. It is a happy case in which nothing but good can be said of the dead. We do not intend a vain and perfunctory eulogy, for this would be to insult the memory of a man who had no illusions about himself. He had weaknesses common to all men, but he had fewer of them than most men. Those who knew him best will rank him highest. In his death his church has lost a faithful pastor, this club a valued and beloved member, and the city a noble and true citizen. We would close this tribute of loving respect to our friend with an expression of the tenderest sympathy to his bereaved wife and children, and would commend them to the comforting mercy of Him of whom their husband and father was so devoted and true a servant, and who, as they have been taught to believe, is 'a very present help in time of trouble.' "
On the 3d of June, 1885, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ranger to Miss Emily A. Gillet, who was born at New York City and who is a daughter of N. Halleck Gillet and Eliza (Winter) Gillet. Mrs. Ranger still resides in Indian- apolis, a city endeared to her by many gracious memories and one in which she is a popular factor in church and social activities. Her home is at 19 West Tenth street, and with her remain the four children who survive the honored husband and father, namely : Halleck Gillet, Richard Howland, Margery Hilliard and Catherine. There can be no more fitting conclusion to this memoir than that offered in the tribute paid to Mr. Ranger by Indiana's well known author, Meredith Nicholson, under the title of "Lighten Our Darkness."
I know not why this thing should be That oftenest winter's twilight dim
Should with insistence bring to me The thought of him:
The thought of one who would not stand Safe with successful men aligned,
But chose to do with willing hand. What God assigned.
His priestly vestments ne'er were shields Of falsity. In his veins ran
Cordial that Nature only yields To make a man.
Yet guUtless of her showier charms, With kingly calm was he endowed.
Fearlessly standing 'midst alarms, Serene, high-browed.
Though braving not a desert's heat Nor yet the trackless polar waste,
He, with devotion more complete, Himself effaced.
At Christmas, ere the red dawn flamed, While the loved city yet lay still.
From the white altar he proclaimed Peace and good will.
Then through the Lenten gloom he made Bright with hope the days forlorn; "Lighten our darkness," thus he prayed Till Easter morn.
"Lighten our darkness" — toward the light With steadfastness he set his aim, — He whose soul was as lilies white. And pure, like flame.
"Lighten our darkness !" This sweet prayer Comes with the winter's twilight dim, Bringing, with hope and rest from care, The thought of him. Advent, 1897.
(^y--^ -^^-i^^?^*^' -£>-«/
Sofjn 09itttman
»^3y^\J^^IKE many other American cities, Indianapolis has owed much ^^\^, of its civic and industrial progress to sterling citizens of Ger-
LHq) man birth or lineage, and the personnel of its German-Ameri- /QJ can population has ever been one of which the city could well ^^SN be proud. Of this worthy and valued element of citizenship /(G)aS)s5^V one of the best known and most honored representatives was the late John Osterman, who maintained his home in the capi- tal city for half a century and who rose through his own ability and well directed efforts to a position of prominence and influence in business activities, besides which he gained such strong hold upon popular confidence and esteem that he was called upon to serve in the important office of treasurer of Marion county. He was a man of fine mentality and distinctive business acumen and he was also guided and governed by those high principles of integrity and honor which ever beget objective esteem and which make for strong and useful manhood. His strength was as the number of his days and he accounted well to the world as one of its sterling and productive workers, — one who was in the most significant sense the architect of his own fortunes. He showed marked facility in overcoming the opposing forces which confront every person dependent upon his own resources, and for many years he was numbered among the essentially representative operators in the grain-commission trade in the capital and metropolis of Indiana. When he was summoned to the life eternal, on the 22d of May, the city lost one of its most hon- ored citizens and one whose civic loyalty had been of the most ardent type, as shown in constant and lively interest in all that touched the progress and general welfare of the community.
John Osterman was born in the beautiful Palatinate or Rhine province of the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, and the date of his nativity was November 29, 1843. He was a son of Herman and Margaret Osterman, both representatives of staunch old families of that section of the great empire of Germany, and his father was a substantial grain and provision dealer in that part of Bavaria, — one of the most fertile and picturesque districts in Europe. Herman Osterman died in his native land, when comparatively a young man, and when the subject of this memoir was a lad of fourteen years he came with his widowed mother and other members of the family to America, where the mother soon afterward died, the family having located near Cumberland, Marion county, Indiana. John Osterman gained his rudimentary education in the schools of his native land and after coming to the United States his educational advantages were very limited, as he was soon thrown upon his own resources and compelled to apply himself diligently to such work as would provide for his necessities. His native intelligence enabled him to learn the English language with remarkable facility and through self-discipline and long and active association with men and affairs he effectually overcame the educational handicap of earlier years, with the result that he became a man of broad and prac-
153
154 3Sohn (i^gtcrman
tical information and mature judgment. For several years he was employed on the farm of his elder brother, near Cumberland, and about the year 1858 he came to Indianapolis and sought opportunity for advancing himself in life. He finally ob- tained a position in the grain store of Fred P. Rush, one of the early business men of the capital city, and he became one of the valued and confidential assistants of Mr. Rush, with whom he remained until about the time of his marriage, which oc- curred in 1866. In this connection he gained his initial experience in the line of enterprise to which he devoted virtually his entire active life and through the medium of which he gained large and substantial success, with incidental and secure pres- tige as one of the leading representatives of the grain trade in Indianapolis.
On the 1st of January, 1866, Mr. Osterman engaged in the grain and seed business in the old Metropolitan theater building, at the northwest corner of Wash- ington street and Capitol avenue, the site of the present Park theater. In this enterprise he was for some time associated with Messrs. Emerick & Faught, but he eventually gained full control of the business, in which he continued at the original location for nearly a quarter of a century, and slowly and surely by careful and honorable operations, accumulated a substantial competency, no shadow resting on any part of his long and successful business career nor upon his record as a loyal citizen and noble and generous man. He finally became associated with William H. Cooper in the grain-commission trade, with offices in the old Chamber of Commerce building, and in this connection the firm of Osterman & Cooper gained large and definite success and precedence. Mr. Osterman retired from active business about seven years prior to his death, and thereafter he found his chief diversion and active interest in supervising the affairs of his fine farm, about ten miles distant from Indianapolis. He made other judicious investments in real estate and in all his business activities he manifested marked discretion and fore- sight, with the result that he left to his family a very substantial competency. He made of success not an accident but a logical result; he never resorted to equivocal expedients and was exceptionally conservative in his methods and policies. He enjoyed life and had deep appreciation of its higher ideals, so that his busi- ness interests did not prevent him from gaining and giving much in connection with the affairs of the home and family, to which his devotion was supreme, the while he also enjoyed social intercourse with his wide circle of friends in the city that so long represented his home and the stage of his productive endeavors. He was for many years one of the most active and valued members of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, with which he was identified for fully twenty-five years, during fifteen of which he served as its treasurer, — an incumbency indicating the unqualified confidence reposed in -him by the local business community.
In politics Mr. Osterman gave an unqualified allegiance to the Democratic party and, well fortified in his opinion, he aided much in the furtherance of the principles and policies of the party of his choice. Though he had no definite ambi- tion for public office, his sterling character, party fealty and unqualified popularity marked him as eligible for such preferment, and in the autumn of 1888, as candi- date on the Democratic ticket, he was elected to the responsible and exacting office of treasurer of Marion comity. He gave a characteristically careful, faithful and businesslike administration of the fiscal affairs of this county, which is of course the most populous and important of all in the state, and his course met with un- equivocal and popular approval, as he put forth every effort to conserve the best
SToftn d^gtcrman 155
interests of the county and its people. He retired from the oflSce of county treas- urer on the 4th of September, 1891, and his administration of the office was passed on to record as one of the best ever given in Marion county. After his retirement from this position Mr. Osterman was appointed, by the governor of the state, as a member of the board of trustees of the Indiana Central Hospital for the Insane, located in this city, and in this position he manifested the same fidelity that marked his course in all other relations of life, his incumbency of the office continuing for a period of twelve years. During the year of 1895 he served on the board of public works. Mr. Osterman was a member of the Hendricks Club, a semi-political or- ganization, and also held membership in the German-American Association and other local organizations of civic order. He was a man of most genial and gracious personality, — sincere, outspoken and generous, — and his very bearing indicated his sterling character, the while he won to himself the most inviolable friendships. He was fond of travel and indulged in several most gratifying trips to Europe, where he found special pleasure in visiting the scenes of his boyhood. He was a good man and true, and his memory will long be cherished in the city which he aided in upbuilding along both civic and industrial lines and in which his interests was ever of the deepest order.
On the 15th of October, 1866, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Osterman to Miss Josephine Coon, and in conclusion of this memoir are entered brief data concerning the three daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Osterman : Lulu May is the wife of Walter Goodall, of Indianapolis, and they have one child, Eleanor; Anna is the wife of Edward Harman, of Indianapolis, and their one child is Josephine; and Miss Mary Josephine, the youngest daughter, a teacher, resides with her mother at 1827 North Penn street.
^\}omm 0. itoftfliftt
RECALLING the bosioMt* ibo} •
piUiSed from the Accne of l-fc ro i
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county, Rhode Island, on tiif. 17lh .1 ,' house in which he was born stood on tlie state Uni^ wfa/ from MassachusettB, the place of his nativitv beJn^ n<-a Massachusetts. He was <i son of Eben a- ' of the two children, the other of whom m young the family renjoTe<l to New Bedfor! years of Thomas M. Bassett's youth and early manhood wi rr i died when the children were not yet of adult -tge hrtd theii (an devolved entirely upon the widowed mother, who aceord^'d tt> l'<- 'ages possible, as gauged by her limited financial rosouroes. ■' for his own support as f>ir as possible while he was attending L -. ar.'d until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he obtained lu> nent employment, — in tht dry-goods store of Samuel Southgate, of ^ Four years later Mr. Sontl<gate transferred his busiociis to Tavt.i' and was accompanied bj Mr. Bassctt, who continned in his emp!' and who finally availed himself of an opportumty to become djiy goods house of George W. Warren, in the <;it\ ol Bo.ston having been eventually d'^VfJIoped into Ih*.- present grei»t dry-go<j<; Marsh & Company, the largest of its kind in New England Mr, B;.- wcrc retpincd by Jord.'o Marsh & Company and ao favorable an i» he make that the firm pivc him charge of n wh); ' - '
with this representativt '»iccrn fur twelve year cept a very flatterinir <-'~'T from the firm of W*! Albany, New York, ww the firm of Nea! & C-jf- become joint buyt-r for the two houses. This *!> : with his famil' > ■ ' ' '" '- '
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IN RECALLING the business men of Indianapolis who have passed from the scene of life no name comes more quickly to mind than that of Thomas Manchester Bassett, who for more than nineteen years was closely identified with the mercantile interests of the city.
Mr. Bassett was born in the town of Tiverton, Newport county, Rhode Island, on the 17th of June, 1832, and the house in which he was born stood on the state line which separates Rhode Island from Massachusetts, the place of his nativity being near Westport, Bristol county, Massachusetts. He was a son of Eben and Salome Bassett and was the younger of the two children, the other of whom was Mary. When the chUdren were very young the family removed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and in that place the years of Thomas M. Bassett's youth and early manhood were passed. The father died when the children were not yet of adult age and their care and education thus devolved entirely upon the widowed mother, who accorded to them the best advan- tages possible, as gauged by her limited financial resources. Mr. Bassett worked for his own support as far as possible while he was attending the district school and until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he obtained his first perma- nent employment, — in the dry-goods store of Samuel Southgate, of New Bedford. Four years later Mr. Southgate transferred his business to Taunton, Massachusetts, and was accompanied by Mr. Bassett, who continued in his employ for several years, and who finally availed himself of an opportunity to become connected with the dry-goods house of George W. Warren, in the city of Boston, this establishment having been eventually developed into the present great dry-goods house of Jordan Marsh & Company, the largest of its kind in New England. Mr. Bassett's services were retained by Jordan Marsh & Company and so favorable an impression did he make that the firm gave him charge of a wholesale department. He remained with this representative concern for twelve years and resigned his position to ac- cept a very flattering offer from the firm of William M. Whitney & Company, of Albany, New York, and the firm of Neal & Company, of Baltimore, Maryland, to become joint buyer for the two houses. This engagement necessitated his removal with his family to Stamford, Connecticut.
Mr. Bassett's good judgment, persistent effort and fidelity to business asso- ciates were matter of general recognition, as was also his high reputation among the trade as being an excellent merchant. None were more appreciative of his abil- ity and sterling character than A. P. Pettis, the head of the firm of Pettis, Ivers & Company, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Pettis seized the first opportunity to se- cure Mr. Bassett as a partner, and this partnership alliance was formed in 1877, the house of Pettis, Ivers & Company having become widely known throughout Indiana under the title of the New York Store. On accoimt of ill health Mr. Ivers retired from the firm, and the title was then changed to Pettis, Bassett &
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160 (Tfjomag M. pasigett
Company. Mr. Ivers died soon afterward and the business was continued by the firm of Pettis, Bassett & Company until 1890. Impaired health then made Mr. Bassett's retirement absolutely unavoidable and the affairs of the firm were ad- justed to meet the new conditions and exigencies.
Mr. Bassett's domestic life offers a record no less interesting than that of his business career. He was married on the 11th of July, 1852, to Miss Sarah Mar- garet Townsend, a daughter of Almond and Clarissa (Baker) Townsend. After many years a son was bom to them and was named Edwin S. Bassett. He was an unusually bright, promising lad and lived to be nearly eight years of age. His death was a very severe affliction to Mr. Bassett, who, no doubt, had pictured in his mind something of the future of his son, whose death crushed all his hopes and anticipations, so that his grief and disappointment were great. It may be noted as a singular coincidence that Mr. Bassett's son was bom on the birthday anniversary of the former's mother and died on the birthday anniversary of Mr. Bassett himself. After a few years Mr. Bassett's niece, Mrs. Salome A. Frost, of Boston, Massachusetts, gave birth to a son, to whom was given the name of Edwin B. Frost, in honor of the deceased son of Mr. Bassett. Mr. Bassett looked upon this boy as a representative of his own son but the child lived only a few years, and thus again sorrow and disappointment were brought into the life of Mr. Bas- sett, who said that never again could he consent to have a child named for his son. These afflictions and disappointments he carried with him until his death. In mem- ory of his son Mr. Bassett, by his will, remembered the Indianapolis Orphan Asy- lum with a very generous fund, which is known as the Edwin S. Bassett fund. He otherwise showed his generous disposition in many ways but always without the least ostentation or display.
In politics Mr. Bassett called himself a Democrat, but he was never a strict partisan and always reserved the right to cast his vote for the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. His religious views were in harmony with the Unitarian tenets but upon taking up his residence in Indianapolis he and his family became regularly identified with Plymouth church, which at that time was thought to be the most liberal in the city. He was a member of the Indianapolis Board of Trade and also of the Commercial Club. In Boston, Massachusetts, he was affiliated with the Blue Lodge of the Masonic fraternity and he was also a member of the old Massachusetts Historical Society. He was one of the founders of the New England Society of Indianapolis and ever took a deep interest in its affairs. He was very strong in his attachment to those whom he called his friends.
Mr. Bassett died on the 8th of May, 1896, and would have been sixty- four years of age had he survived until the 17th of the following month. His remains rest in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery, Indianapolis, and his widow still resides in this city.
jIGNIFICANT not only in its publicity and service, but also in that success which is the tangible metewand of usefulness, waa the life of the late Dr. P. H. Wright, who was one of the prominent and honored representatives of his profession in Indi- ana, and whose loyal character and brilliant career made him a distinctive power for good, — a unit whose value to the world can be properly estimated, now that he has passed to his reward. His life was singularly consecrated to high orders and these blossomed through his everyday compound life.
Peter Harmon Wright was born in Greene county, Tennessee, on the 27th day of November, 1840, and was a son of Dr. Jesse and Charity (Reese) Wright, both of whom were likewise natives of Tennessee, and representatives of staunch old southern families. The conditions and influences which attended the childhood and youth of Dr. Wright were not of especially advantageous order, but were such as to develop and render symmetrical his naturally strong and self-reliant nature. He gained his rudimentary education in the district schools of his native state, and was about fourteen years of age at the time of the family removal from Tennessee to Grant county, Indiana. His father secured a tract of land and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, becoming one of the prosperous farmers and representative and honored citizens of that section of the country, where both he and his wife continued to reside for many years. Jesse Wright was a physician of mature judg- ment and excellent ability as gauged by the standards of his day, and he continued to follow the work of his profession to a greater or less extent after his removal to Indiana.
He whose name introduces this memoir was anxious to secure a liberal education, and after the family removed to Indiana he was enabled to attend, at varying inter- vals, the schools of Marion and Newcastle, besides which he prosecuted higher stu- dies in Spiceland Academy, a well-ordered institution located near Newcastle. Hav- ing determined to prepare himself for the medical profession, which had been hon- ored by the career and service of his father, he finally began reading medicine in the office of Dr. E. P. Jones of Marion, and through close application and effective preceptorship he made rapid advancement, so that he was soon established in the study of his chosen profession. He entered the Eclectic Medical College in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, from which institution he was graduated, with honors, in 1867, duly receiving his well-earned medical degree. In initiating the active work of his pro- fession Dr. Wright located at Jonesboro, Grant county, where he remained two years, and where his success amply demonstrated his ability and the consistence of his choice of a vocation. At the expiration of the period named he moved to Fairmount, Grant county, near to the old homestead of his parents, and where he continued in active general practice until he was summoned from the stage of life's mortal activi- ties, his death having occurred on the 27th of September, 1886.
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162 ^cter jlarmon aSHrigtt, jH. 3B.
Dr. Wright brought to bear the dependable forces of a strong and noble nature and was unfaltering in his devotion to his exacting calling, the while his admirable human simplicity and gentleness made his a welcome figure in every home within which he ministered. He was energetic, conscientious and a close student, so that he ever kept in touch with the advances made in medicine and surgery, and no one could have a greater appreciation of the dignity and responsibility of the profession in which he labored with so much zeal. He gained reputation as one of the essen- tially representative physicians and surgeons in Indiana, and his stirring attri- butes of character won and retained to him the inviolable confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact.
Dr. Wright was a most valuable and devoted member of the Society of Friends, and both he and his wife were especially active in the affairs of the church of this denomination in Fairmount. There also they became associated with others in establishing Fairmount Academy, an institution which has gained wide repute for its high order of advantages and its effective administration. Dr. Wright served on the board of trustees of this academy until the time of his death and none of those connected with the institution was more loyal and liberal in the support of its work than he. At the time of the death of Dr. Wright there appeared in a Fairmount newspaper an appreciation from which the following extract is made: "Dr. Wright will be greatly missed by the academy. During its first years he stood by it and labored with zeal for its prosperity. We know not upon whose shoulders his mantle will fall, but, while we believe it will have many warm supporters. Dr. Wright will be remembered as one of its benefactors." Apropos of the foregoing statement it is proper to record that the services which had fallen to the portion of Dr. Wright were assumed after his death by his eldest brother, Joel B. Wright of Fairmount, who was appointed secretary of the board of trus- tees of the academy as the successor of his deceased brother and he continued the incumbent of this position until his death, a quirter of a century later.
Professor Lewis Jones, a step-brother of Dr. Wright, was his classmate at Spiceland Academy, and notwithstanding the fact that their parents were in com- fortable financial circumstances, the young men depended upon their own resources in making their way through this institution, a matter of grave importance. Pro- fessor Jones eventually attained to high reputation in the domain of practical peda- gogy, and was for a number of years superintendent of the public schools of Indianapolis, and he also served in a similar capacity in the city of Cleveland.
Another kindly and appreciative estimate of the character and labors of Dr. Wright is contained in the following statement: "He has been a useful member of society, admirably filling positions of trust to which he was appointed. Espe- cially in the cause of education did he prove himself an efficient and valuable servant. This resulted from the hearty interest he felt in seeing young persons well equipped for the duties of life. He was frequently heard to express a desire for the higher education of his own children, and with this in view he labored dil- gently as secretary of the board of trustees for the upbuilding of Fairmount Academy." Still another newspaper report says: "Dr. P. H. Wright of Fair- mount, one of the most widely known physicians in this section, died Monday morning of consumption of the bowels, after a lingering illness. His age was forty-seven years. Dr. Wright was well and favorably known throughout the county. He had a large practice and was a man of wide jjopularity. He was a
$etcr Harmon OTrigfit, jtt. B. 163
popular candidate before the last Republican county convention, and had a fol- lowing that made him formidable." It has already been noted that the father of Dr. Wright was an earlier representative of the medical profession, and the third of the family to represent the same profession was a younger brother. Dr. John M. Wright, who practiced successfully in Michigan and Texas, and whose death occurred in the latter state.
Dr. Wright accorded unwavering allegiance to the cause of the Republican party, and was always active in matters pertaining to the public polity. He was indefatigable in the work of his church, in which he taught a Sunday-school class for a long period, and he exemplified in his daily life the simple and noble faith which he thus professed. The Doctor was in the very prime of his strength and manhood when he was summoned to the last rest, but it had been given to him to accomplish in the world a work worthy of a lifetime of service, so that there remains both reconciliation and recompense in contemplating the perspective of his life, now that he has passed away. The home of Dr. Wright was one whose every detail was of idyllic order, and to this home there came the maximum of bereavement when he passed forward to that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns."
On the first of January, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Wright to Miss Martha Pearson, of Richmond, Indiana. Mrs. Wright was born at Tippe- canoe City, Ohio, and is the daughter of Isaac and Rachel Pearson, who removed from Tippecanoe City, Ohio, to Spiceland, Indiana, in 1853. Mrs. Wright was the youngest of a family of eleven children, and was but nine months of age when her mother died, her father passing away seven years later. The father devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Wright attended the Spiceland public schools, and there she also attended the Academy ; she later entered Earlham College, a noted institution conducted under the direction of the Society of Friends at Richmond, Indiana. In the same institution was graduated her brother, Pro- fessor Calvin W. Pearson, Ph. D., who has attained an enviable position in the educational world. He was for some time a member of the faculty of Earlham College, and is now principal emeritus of Beloit College, of Beloit, Wisconsin, in which institution he held the chair of German and French languages for the long period of twenty years. He received the degree of Ph. D. in the University of Dresden, Germany, and he now resides with his daughter, Mrs. David G. Yarnell, in the city of Philadelphia.
Dedicated to Professor C. W. Pearson is the following appreciation: At the end of a college course, one is often surprised to find how little concrete knowl- edge he has really gained. The facts which he learned about each subject seem to have faded away entirely and he has only a general impression of the whole. Each one seems to be possessed of a certain individual tone and flavor, due partly to the character of the study itself but in a large measure due to the personality of the instructor in that particular branch. Any one who has taken German in Beloit College cannot look back upon his course without many associations of this kind. The days of "Ekkehard" ond "Der Trompeter" are times when one imagines himself sitting in a long dingy room, lighted by windows at the back and at either end. One remembers the feeling of annoyance that he had because the big antiquated iron stove was so located that it shut off the best view of the shady avenue. On a table was a large German dictionary much worn on the
164 ^etcr jlamton Wirigfyt, 01. B.
outside. The blackboards were covered with cabalistic signs purporting to be German script, and the desk was of the telescopic kind, which it was your delight to operate in Freshman days. But these things all become matters of unimportant detail as one becomes impressed with the personality of the man who for twenty- eight years has ruled this little kingdom. To many generations of college students Professor Pearson has with infinite patience and unfailing geniality interpreted and represented the spirit of the German race — its altitude of mind, its methods of thought and terms of expression — summed up in his favorite expression "des Deutche Sprach-Gefiihl."
Calvin W. Pearson entered Earlham College in 1859. Two years after he became principal of the Academy at Picton, Ontario, but later returned to Earl- ham and was graduated, taking his degree of B. A. in 1865. After one year's service as assistant principal in the College Academy he entered the University of Gottingen. Here he received the degree of M. A. and Ph. D., having spent one year in study at Berlin in the meantime. He was called to the chair of mod- ern languages in Earlham College in 1870. Seven years later he entered upon his present duties at Beloit. Since then Professor Pearson has spent three vacations abroad for the purpose of study. There is one thing that interests Professor Pearson more than German, and that is the life of the students. He knows each one of his students personally and is interested in his welfare. He is loyal to all college interests, especially athletics. He has a generous fund of humor and his cheery cordiality is unfailing as he greets each student with the hearty greeting: "Guten Morgen, Wie Gehts?" Small wonder then the term 'Professor Pearson' is only a form of direct address and a convenient reference in the College catalogue for he is known by a pseudonym which to the students means the place he occupies in their hearts and in the lite of the College.
Mrs. Wright has made her home with the exception of three years while in the west, in Indianapolis since 1905 and is a popular factor in club circles and literary and social activities. She is a member of the Clio Club, one of the oldest and most prominent literary clubs in the city, and is also identified with the Thursday Afternoon Club and other organizations. She resided for a time at Wichita, Kansas, and while there was an active member of the Hypatia Club, and during the years of her residence in Fairmount, Indiana, she, like her honored husband, was most deeply interested in the Fairmount Academy, as well as in the general work of the church in which she was a birth-right member. Her interest in the academy which received such solicitous attention from her husband has been shown in many significant ways, and she has recently given to that institution a valuable collection of books. Mrs. Wright is a woman of fine literary and social attainments and is an important factor in the representative circles in which she moves. Dr. and Mrs. Wright became the parents of two children, of whom the younger, Frank Leslie, died at the age of sis years. Ella Leona, who remains with her mother, is an especially talented musician. She was graduated in the musical department of Earlham College in piano and in the Metropolitan School of Music in Indianapolis in voice. For several years she was director of the musical department of Fairmount Academy at Fairmount, and for three years she was director of the music department of the Friends University at Wichita, Kansas.
Calbin jFletcfjer, g>r.
)ALVIN FLETCHER, SR., father of the subject of this memoir, was numbered among the earliest and most distinguished pion- eers of Indiana and its capital city and he was one of the most prominent and influential members of the bar of Indianapolis and was engaged in practice throughout the state. He wielded great influence in the civic and material development and up- building of central Indiana and concerning his character and services adequate data have been published in various historical works, so that further review of his career is not demanded in the present connection. It may be noted, however, that he established his home in Indianapolis in the year 1820, when the future metropolis of the state was represented by a mere cluster of small houses, with the surrounding territory virtually unreclaimed from the forest wilds. He was a native of Vermont and his first wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Hill, was born in Kentucky. Of the eleven children of this union Calvin Fletcher, to whom this tribute is dedicated, was the third in order of birth, there being nine sons and two daughters.
Calvin Fletcher was one of the oldest native residents of Indianapolis at the time of his death, which occurred at his home, at 707 East Thirteenth street, on the afternoon of January 27, 190S, and through his noble character and worthy accomplishment he added new laurels and prestige to the honored name which he bore. He was born September, 30, 1826 in a small one-story frame house that stood at the corner of Washington and Illinois streets, Indianapolis. He was nearly four score years of age when he was summoned to the life eternal. For a number of years Mr. Fletcher was in delicate health and it was largely due to this fact that he early identified himself with the great fundamental industry of agriculture, of which he became one of the most enthusiastic and successful iexpo- nents in the central part of his native state. The name of no one family has been more prominently and worthily linked with the history of Indianapolis than that of Fletcher and he whose career is here briefly outlined was one of the most honored representatives of this sterling family. Mr. Fletcher was favored in his child- hood and youth in having the influences and associations of a home of distinctive culture and refinement, though the household provisions were of the simple order common to the pioneer days. He was afforded the advantages of the common schools of Indianapolis and supplemented this by effective study in the Marion County Seminary, a university in this city, taught by Mr. Kemper, a fine educator and at Brown University, taught by Dr. Wayland. He was class-mate of James B. Angel. After leaving school he worked as clerk in the general merchandise store of Harrison & Fletcher, and in compensation for his services he received the noteworthy stipend of five dollars a month. In 1846, after spending some time in this modest position, Mr. Fletcher resumed his studies. He entered Brown University, at Providence, Rhode Island, and upon returning to his native state,
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166 Calbm Jflctcfter, fer.
he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He was noted as being the first fish commissioner of the state.
On September 18, 1849, he married Miss Emily Beeler, and the young couple, ■whose devoted companionship was destined to cover a period of more than half a century, established their home on a large farm of his father's east of Indianapolis, where Brightwood is now situated. After a few years of devotion to the work and management of his farm. Mr. Fletcher's health became seriously impaired and under these conditions he returned to Indianapolis, where he was a resident during the period of the Civil war. His physical condition was such that he was ineligible for service as a soldier of the Union, but he did all in his power to support the cause and his noble wife went to the front as a hospital nurse, as will be more fully noted in a later paragraph.
As soon as his health justified such action, Mr. Fletcher resumed an active outdoor life, as a stock-farmer and nurseryman. Vigorous and enthusiastic in everything he undertook, he became a leader and successful exponent of these important lines of industrial enterprise; and he was one of the most influential factors in the organization and control of various agricultural and horticultural societies, both county and state. His energy and progressiveness were proverbial and he took the initiative in furthering many movements for the general good of the community. Thus it may be noted that to him was due the construction of the first turnpike roads in Marion county, the introduction of threshing, reaping and mowing machines into this section of the state, and other equally progressive enter- prises. In 1866 Mr. Fletcher became associated with Judge Franklin and others in the building of the Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad, and as managing agent of the same he devoted three years to bringing the line to completion. In the mean- while he removed with his family to the immediate vicinity of the village of Spen- cer, Owen county, where he developed a fine farm and erected an ideal country residence, — one widely known for its gracious hospitality.
In 1873 Mr. Fletcher visited southern California, where, in the interest of the Indiana Colony, with which he had become identified, he effected the platting and subdivision of the site of the present beautiful city of Pasadena, Los Angeles county. He became so favorably impressed with the future of that section of the Golden state that he made large personal investments in the Pasadena tract. His stay in California, however, was of brief duration, and he returned to his home near Spencer, Indiana. In 1874 he made with his family an extended European tour, and incidentally he gave to his two sons and two daughters the advantages of for- eign study. The children attended school for some time in the city of Naples, Italy, and later passed two years in study in Lausanne, Switzerland and in Wei- mar, Germany. After his return from Europe Mr. Fletcher continued to live on his farm near Spencer for some years, and after this time his home was in Indian- apolis, where he lived virtually retired until his death. He was a man of broad mental ken and mature judgment. He was generous, sympathetic and courteous, — a true gentleman of the fine old-school, and he made life count for good in its every relation. In politics Mr. Fletcher accorded unswerving allegiance to the cause of the Republican party and he took a broad-minded interest in the questions and issues of the hour, though he never showed any desire for the honors or emoluments of public office. It was only in early life that he gave attention to fraternal organizations, when he was a member of the Masonic order. He was a
Calbin Jflctcfier. ^r. 167
member of the Fourth Presbyterian church in Indianapolis until his removal to Spencer, at which place he helped organize and establish a Presbyterian church, in which he held membership all his later life.
The most inspiring and ideal phase of the life history of Calvin Fletcher is that pertaining to his home and its gracious associations. On the 18th of Sep- tember, 1849, he was married to Miss Emily Beeler, and she survived him by about seven years, as she was called to eternal rest on the 27th of November, 1910, secure in the loving regard of all who had come within the sphere of her gentle and gracious influence. At the time of her death she was one of the oldest native-born residents of Marion county. Mrs. Emily (Beeler) Fletcher was born in Decatur township, this county, on the 20th of November, 1828, and was a member of one of the first families to settle in that township. She was a daughter of Joseph and Han- nah (Matthews) Beeler, who established their home in Decatur township in 1819, to the southwest of Indianapolis, when it was a mere forest hamlet. An interest- ing sketch touching the life of Mrs. Fletcher appeared in the Indianapolis News at the time of her death, and from the article are made the following quotations, with measurable paraphrastic latitude:
In an interview about three years ago Mrs. Fletcher was asked if there were Indians hereabouts in her childhood. She said, "They used to come through the woods past our house in small parties of three or four and ask for something to eat, and we always fed them. Once I saw a band of about one hundred Miami Indians moving north, preparatory to leaving the state, after some treaty had been made." Recalling her girlhood, she said: "When I was a girl I used to spin yarn on a spin- ning wheel and my mother would weave the yarn into cloth. There was a woolen mill at Mooresville, and this was operated by a tread-mill worked by oxen. At that time there was not a mill or factory of any kind in Indianapolis. When I was old enough to go to school I went to the first country school about three miles from our house. I walked to and from the school house every day, and while I knew the way very well I always had something of the childish fear of Indians, though they had all left our part of the country by that time. At one time Caleb Mills, though not the Caleb Mills who became president of Wabash College and state superintendent of public instruction, taught a school at Union, near Valley Mills. One day my little sister Melissa attended the school with an older person, just as a visitor. She was so sweet and well behaved that when she came home Mr. Mills sent a note by her, which read:
"Melissa Beeler came to see The school at Union taught by me ; Her behavior, as all have seen. Truly commendable has been. Her manners, affable and mild, — She is a lovely little child."
I kept this note for many years and have never forgotten its contents. My sis- ter Melissa afterward became the first wife of John C. New and mother of Harry S. New, prominent in the political life of today."
Mrs. Fletcher completed her education in Indianapolis, for three years attending the Seminary where Christ church still stands. In 1849 she was married to Calvin
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Calbin jFUtcijcr, g>r.
Fletcher, Jr., and in 1899 they celebrated their golden wedding. Her brother, Field- ing Beeler, was one of the most prominent citizens of the county. He served as secre- tary of the state. Mrs. Fletcher was noted for her fine intelligence and cheerful dis- position, and she retained these qualities to the last. She was one of the women whom Governor Morton asked to go to the front and care for the wounded soldiers during the Civil war, and she worked in the Nashville and Murfreesboro hospitals for some time. She was one of the founders of the Home for Aged and Friendless Women in Indianapolis, and was a well known worker in charity.
An interesting account of the golden wedding celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher was given at the time in an Indianapolis newspaper and is worthy of per- petuation in this connection:
Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Fletcher yesterday celebrated their golden wedding and received congratulations at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Theodore Wagner. Dr. and Mrs. Wagner were married on the thirtieth anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher, and thus yesterday was their twentieth anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher were married on a farm about four miles south of what is now Maywood, on the Mooresville pike. The house is still standing and is one of the oldest in the neighborhood. The marriage ceremony was performed by the Rev. L. H. Jameson, whose widow was present yesterday.
Of the seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher four are living, two sons and two daughters: Horace Hines Fletcher, Dr. Calvin Ingram Fletcher, Sarah Hill, (wife of Dr. T. F. Wagoner, deceased) and Emily Fletcher, all of whom live in this city.
^ ^ AA ^ ^ the time of his N/C AK 1895, he was <
jFielbing peeler
NATIVE son of Marion county, Indiana, and a member of one ?; ill" ""^'^iT ni of the state's honored pioneer families, the late Fielding Beeler «l2 A SKT i;„=j „ Mt^ ^t productive industry and signal integrity, and at death, which occurred on the 19th of November, jne of the oldest native citizens of the county ^i^ii^il^ijli!^ which represented his home throughout his entire life and in which he held commanding place in popular confidence and esteem. He was a man of broad mental ken and mature judgment and his benig- nant influence extended in ever widening angle of usefulness. He placed true valuations on men and things and he did much to further civic and material devel- opment and progress in his home state. He represented Marion county in the state legislature, was a leading member of the state board of agriculture for a long period and no citizen took a more lively interest in the furtherance of the develop- ment of agricultural industry in the Hoosier commonwealth. He was summoned to the life eternal in the fulness of years and well earned honors, and as a man, a pioneer and representative citizen his standing was such that he well merits consid- eration and a place of honor in this memorial edition.
Fielding Beeler was born on the homestead farm of his father in Decatur town- ship, Marion county, Indiana, a place now just outside the city limits of Indian- apolis, and the date of his nativity was March 30, 1823. At that time this section of the state was little more than a forest wilderness and the subject of this memoir, the first born in a family of six sons and four daughters, was thus reared under the conditions and influences of the early pioneer epoch. He was a son of Joseph and Hannah (Matthews) Beeler, the former a native of what is now West Virginia and the latter of North Carolina. Joseph Beeler was bom in a block house situated about twelve miles from the present city of Wheeling, West Virginia, in Ohio county, and the year of his birth was 1797. The block house mentioned had been erected for the protection against attack on the part of the Indians and the primi- tive fort, a place of refuge for the settlers of the locality, was in charge of Joseph Beeler's fathei, the place being designated by the name of Beeler's Station and this title being retained for the place to the present day. Joseph Beeler was reared to maturity in his native state and in 1818 or 1819, in company with liis widowed mother and other members of the family, he made the trip down the Ohio river, by means of pirogues, — canoes hollowed out from tree trunks. In 1819 he visited the site of Indiana's beautiful capital city, and here he found not even a single cabin or a white settler. His brother George Helm Beeler was the first clerk of Morgan county and the first marriage license issued by this pioneer official was given to Joseph Beeler, on the 10th of May, 1822, when was solemnized the latter's marriage to Miss Hannah Matthews. The young couple settled on a tract of wild land seven miles southwest of Indianapolis, in Decatur township and on the west side of White river. Here Joseph Beeler reclaimed a productive farm and lived up to the full tension of the pioneer days. He was one of the prominent and influen-
170 Jfieltiing jieclcr
tial citizens of Marion count}' and served for thirty years as justice of the peace in Decatur township. He continued to reside on his old homestead until his death, which occurred July 12, 1851, and his devoted wife, who had been a true companion and helpmeet, survived him by several years.
The memory of Fielding Beeler compassed the period during which Marion county was developed from a wilderness into the most opulent and prosperous or- ganic division of the great state of Indiana, and he witnessed the upbuilding of the capital city from a forest hamlet to a great metropolitan center. His reminis- cences concerning the pioneer days were most graphic and interesting, and he was ever ready to relate the tales of the early days. His rudimentary education was secured in a primitive log building, with puncheon floor, slab benches and yawning fireplace, and to attend this "temple of learning" he walked from his home a distance of three miles, during the winter terms, when his services were not in demand in connection with the work of the home farm. On his way through the woods he frequently saw deer, flocks of wild turkeys and other game, while Indians were still in evidence and often passed near his pioneer home. The howling of wolves frequently made the night hideous, and Mr. Beeler stated that on one occasion the wolves killed the little flock of about twelve sheep owned by his father, this being considered a genuine calamity by the devoted wife and mother, whose perturbation was caused by the fact that she thus saw disappear the source of supply for the winter clothing she dem mded for the mem- bers of her family. The spinning of wool and flax and the weaving of cloth were a part of her routine work, and it may well be understood that she was as diligent in her household economies as was her husband in felling the forest and developing his land to cultivation.
Thus reared to the sturdy and invigorating disciphne of the home farm. Fielding Beeler early began to contribute his quota to the material and social development of his native county, and with the passing of years his alert mentality enabled him to overcome most effectually the educational handicap of his youth. Soon after attaining to his legal majority he took unto himself a wife and initiated his independent career as one of the world's productive workers. He settled on a farm just west of Eagle creek, on the Mooresville road, and three and one-half miles distant from Indian- apolis, whose corporate limits are now only a short distance removed from this old homestead of his early married life. From the wilds Mr. Beeler reclaimed a fine farm and he became one of the extensive landholders and representative farmers and stock- growers of his native county, where he continued to reside on his homestead until the close of his long and useful life.
Progressive spirit and deep civic loyalty characterized the entire career of Mr. Beeler and in a quiet and unostentatious way he exercised much influence in connection with public affairs. In politics he was originally a Whig, and his first presidential vote was cast for Henry Clay, in I844'. In 1850 he was made the candidate of his party for representative of Marion county in the state legislature, and though he re- ceived the full support of his party he was unable to overcome the normal Democratic majority in the county and was thus defeated. He transferred his allegiance to the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued a staunch advocate of its principles and policies. In 1868 he was again nominated for representative in the legislature, and at the election in the autumn of that year he was victorious by a most gratifying majority. He served through the regular and special sessions of the general assembly, proved a substantial, discriminating and valued
jFielbing Peeler 171
working member of the house and was assigned to various representative committees. He was chairman of the committee on agriculture and introduced a bill for the appoint- ment of a state geologist and the making of a geological survey of the state. He ably championed this measure, which was carried forward to enactment.
Long and successfully identified with the great basic industry of agriculture, Mr, Beeler was one of its progressive and influential representatives in his native state. He was identified actively with the Marion county Agricultural Society from 1852 to 1860, served five years as a director of the same and two years as its president. After the death of the regular incumbent, Andrew J. Holmes, Mr. Beeler was appointed to succeed the latter in the office of secretary of the state board of agriculture, and in this position he accomplished most valuable results through his earnest and well di- rected executive policies. He was regarded an authority in all things pertaining to practical agriculture and stock-growing and he retained the position of secretary of the state board of agriculture for years. A man of recognized probity and judgment, he was frequently called upon to arbitrate and settle differences and disputes, and all who knew him reposed implicit trust in his ability and his integrity of purpose. Mr. Beeler was an appreciative student of the history and teachings of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, with which he was long and prominently affiliated. From an ar- ticle appearing in an Indianapolis paper at the time of the death of Mr. Beeler are made the following appreciative extracts :
Fielding Beeler was one among the best known residents of Marion county, and by all his friends and acquaintances he was held in the highest esteem. A modest, unas- suming man, he always manifested the interest of a good citizen in public affairs, yet never aspired to office, and his official services were limited to one term in the lower house of the legislature. In all relations of life he was a gentleman in the best sense of the word, — amiable, kind and considerate. No harsh word ever escaped his lips to any members of his family, nor did he speak harshly of those who in the affairs of life came in contact with him or with whom, on public or business questions, there may have been difference of opinion. He conceded to others that which everyone who knew him granted to him, — honesty of purpose. Happy, prosperous and content must be the community that has for its citizens such men as was Fielding Beeler.
On the 18th of September, 1844, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Beeler to Miss Eliza Ann Mars, who was born on a farm where the court house at Greensburg, Decatur county, Indiana, now stands and the date of whose nativity was July 15, 1823. She was a daughter of John and Martha (Doak) Mars, who removed to Marion county about 1837 and located on a farm southwest of Indianapohs, where they passed the residue of their lives. Mrs. Beeler was thus a resident of Marion county from child- hood until her death, which occurred on the 9th of September, 1895. Concerning her the following well merited words have been written: "She was a most devoted wife and mother, an unselfish, generous. Christian woman. She was a member of the Marion County Agricultural and Horticultural Society." Mr. and Mrs. Beeler became the parents of seven children, of whom four are living, — Misses Emma and Ida and Mr. Fielding Beeler, all of whom still reside on the old homestead, one of the beautiful suburban places of Indianapolis, and Laura who married John V. Carter and lives in Marion county, Indiana, on the Crawfordsville road.
There can be no impropriety in perpetuating in this memorial article the following record of a pleasing event, that the statements may be preserved in more enduring
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jFiclbing Peeler
form than the files of the newspaper in which they originally appeared, — the Indian- apolis News of September 22, 1894:
An enjoyable reception was given by Mr. and Mrs. Fielding Beeler Tuesday at their home southwest of the city. The day was the fiftieth anniversary of their mar- riage. Over two hundred persons called, many of them having been schoolmates of the host and hostess. Mr. and Mrs. Beeler were assisted by their daughters, Ida, Emma and Laura and their son. Fielding Beeler, Jr., by Mr. Beeler's sisters, Mrs. Calvin Fletcher and Mrs. Harriet Hall; and by their nieces, Mrs. Georgia Mars Thompson, Mrs. Horace Fletcher and Miss Emily Fletcher. Mrs. Calvin Fletcher, Mrs. Ann Duzan and Miss McFarland, who were present, attended the original wed- ding fifty years ago. There were four couples present who were married the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Beeler received many valuable and beautiful tokens of remem- brance.
(George OT, plisJs;
' O LOOK into the fine face of the late George W. Bliss was to gain the distinct impression of strong, noble and vigorous manhood. His lineaments indicated self-poise, power and determination, even as they gave evidence of the great soul and kindly heart of the man. Through his own efforts he made for himself a large place as a successful and constructive business man and as a citi- zen of great loyalty and public spirit. For nearly twenty years prior to his death he was numbered among the essentially representative business men of Indiana's capital city, and here, as elsewhere, to know him was to admire and honor him. Not in an ephemeral way is his name associated with the word progress, for his was the ambition that knew not satiety. He exemplified in the truest sense the ideal of all that is represented in the oft-misused term of self-made man, and the record of such accomplishment as was his is the record which the true American holds in the highest honor. The business career of George W. Bliss was characterized by courage, confidence, progressiveness and impregnable integrity of purpose, and none had a more secure place as a representative citizen and business man of Indianapolis, where he was executive head of the well known and extensive mercantile house of Bliss, Swain & Company. Of symmetrical and rugged physique, Mr. Bliss had for many years slight fellowship with the ills to which human flesh is heir, and the indisposi- tion which resulted in his death had been of about three months' duration. He suf- fered from rheumatism and in search of relief from the same he went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he died suddenly, while seated at breakfast, on the morning of March 12, 1910, the rheumatism having finally affected his heart. His summons, in the very fulness of strong and useful manhood, was a great shock to his family and wide circle of devoted friends, who could scarce believe that the end had come for one whose strength and activity had been so pronounced. Mr. Bliss was for nearly a score of years one of the leading business men of Indianapolis, and his labors, his character and his high standing in the community render most consonant the memorial tribute incorporated in this publication.
George W. Bliss was born at Concord, Fleming county, Kentucky, on July 12, 1849, and was a son of Martin and Harriet Bliss, representatives of sterling old families of the Blue Grass state. His father was a merchant tailor by vocation and the family were in moderate financial circumstances during the boyhood and youth of him to whom this review is dedicated. The parents finally removed to Indiana and they passed the closing years of their lives at Rushville, this state. Even as he was the architect of his own fortunes, so also was George W. Bliss educated largely through self-discipline, as his early advantages were exceedingly meager. When a lad of thir- teen years Mr. Bliss showed his youthful patriotism by running away from home and tendering his services in defense of the Union, whose integrity was in jeopardy through armed rebellion. He represented himself to the Union ofiicers as being eighteen years of age and he secured a position as drummer boy. He gained a due
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174 (george WEi. gliajg
quota of experience through his service in the ranks, and after the war he came to Indiana and located in Rushville, where he secured a position as clerk in the clothing store of Jacob Block. Concerning his career as a business man an appreciative estimate appeared in the Indianapolis Star at the time of his death, and from the article quotation is here consistently made, with but slight paraphrase:
Mr. Bliss was looked upon as one of the important factors in the clothing business in Indiana. His experience in that line extended from the time that, as a boy, he started in as clerk in the store of Jacob Block, at Rushville, Indiana, until his death. He had been engaged in active business in Indianapolis for nineteen years, at Shel- byville, where he and Mr. Swain had owned a business together for four years, al- though Mr. Bliss never lived there. After leaving the store of Mr. Block in Rush- ville Mr. Bliss went into business for himself in that place, in association with Frank Wilson, and later his brother William was admitted to the firm, which then became known as Bliss Brothers & Wilson. Mr. Wilson later retired and the firm title of Bliss Brothers was then adopted. After a successful business career at Rushville Mr. Bliss became associated again with T. A. Swain, who continued as one of his partners until the relation was severed by the death of Mr. Bliss.
The business of Bliss, Swain & Company was opened in Indianapolis September 2, 1891, in the east end of the Wasson building, on Washington street, and under the title of the Progress Clothing Company. This name was later abandoned, as Mr. Bliss did not approve of the title. When the State Life building was erected, eleven years ago. Bliss, Swain & Company moved into it and there the business has since been continued, the enterprise being one of the largest and best conducted of the kind in the state.
Besides his Indianapolis interests Mr. Bliss traveled a part of each year, through- out Indiana and in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan, besides which he also visited some of the cities of New York state. He was well acquainted with the clothing trade, having been on the road thirty-two years. For twenty-nine years of that time he traveled for Stern, Lauer, Shoal & Company, of Cincinnati, and the last two years he had been representing the Joseph Feiss Company, of Cleveland, Ohio.
As a business man Mr. Bliss was known for his fine initiative powers and progres- sive policies, and as a citizen his loyalty and public spirit were of the most insistent order, as shown in his zealous co-operation in the furtherance of all measures and enterprises tending to advance the material and civic prosperity of liis home city and state. He was a stockholder and director in the Marrott department store, one of the leading mercantile concerns of Indianapolis, and was a popular and influential member of the Indianapolis Merchants' Association, to the furtherance of whose high civic ideals he contributed much. This representative body gave a special tribute of respect and honor at the time of his demise and a copy of its resolutions was sent to the bereaved family. Mrs. Bliss also received at the time innumerable letters and telegrams of sympathy from friends of her husband in most diverse sections of the Union. As a traveling commercial salesman he had gained a particularly wide acquaintanceship and to know him was to be his friend and admirer, so that such tributes of respect were the more appreciated by the wife and children, to whom Mr. Bliss had been the soul of devotion.
Though never desirous of entering the turbulent stream of practical politics, Mr. Bliss was firm in his convictions as to matters of public polity and was broad and liberal in his views. He gave unqualified allegiance to the cause of the Republican
party, was a prominent and influential member of the Columbia Club of Indianapolis, was identified with the Indiana Commercial Travelers' Association, was affiliated with the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias, and in the time-honored Masonic fraternity he had attained to the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.
In the Indianapolis Star of March 15, 1910, appeared an article which is well worthy of perpetuation in this memoir, as indicating the high regard in which Mr. Bliss was held as a man and a citizen:
Tribute of eloquence to his lifelong friend was paid by the Rev. J. A. Sargent at the funeral services for the late George W. Bliss, held yesterday afternoon, at the family home, 2302 North Meridan street. The services were attended by practically all of the members of the Merchants' Association in a body and by representatives of the various fraternal and social orders to which Mr. Bliss belonged. Employes from the store of Bliss, Swain & Company were present without exception. The di- rectors of the Merchants' Association met in special session yesterday to pay respect to the memory of Mr. Bliss. A letter of condolence was addressed to the widow and children.
The Rev. Mr. Sargent, a friend of Mr. Bliss for twenty-five years, in the funeral address spoke of the sterling qualities of the man, his tenderness and spirit of willing- ness to aid those in need of help, and the great esteem which all who knew him had for his friendship. "My one great tribute," said the minister, "is that in all our years of friendship I never heard him use a harsh word to anyone or of anyone. He was a friend worth having, a man of men."
The remains of Mr. Bliss were taken to his old home at Rushville for interment and were there laid to rest in East Hill cemetery, near those of his father, mother and other members of the immediate family.
At Rushville, this state, on the 22d of April, 1880, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bliss to Miss Harriet Denning, who was there born and reared and who is a daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Frances) Denning, both natives of New England and representatives of staunch old colonial families. The parents of Mrs. Bliss established their home at Rushville, Indiana, in an early day and there passed the residue of their lives, secure in the high esteem of all who knew them. Mrs. Bliss retains her home in Indianapolis and has long been a popular factor in the representa- tive social activities of the capital city. Of the two children Mary is the wife of John C. Sage, of Indianapolis, and George VV. (II), who is now filling his father's former position and is a traveling representative for Joseph Feiss & Company, of Cleveland, Ohio. He married Miss Eleanor Bookwalter, daughter of Charles A. Bookwalter, former mayor of Indianapolis.
%0^^^
?|arrj> 0. tE^fjubium
jN THE domain of newspaper enterprise in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana, Mr. Thudium attained to a position of special prominence and influence, and as president of the Gutenberg Company, publishers of the Indianapolis Telegraph-Tribune, he made this paper one of the leading and model American representatives of journalism in the German language. He was a man of fine intellectual attainments and broad and posi- tive views ; his personality was such as to win to him the high regard of those with whom he came in contact; his loyalty and public spirit as a citizen were of the highest type; and he made a splendid record of achievement in his chosen field of endeavor. His death was a distinct loss to Indianapolis and to Indiana jour- nalism, and at the time of his death, which occurred on the 10th of October, 1907, he was, in point of consecutive identification with this line of enterprise, one of the oldest newspaper men in the capital city. His circle of friends was coincident with that of his acquaintances and he was specially prominent in the social activities of the representative German-American citizens of Indianapolis.
Harry O. Thudium was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 16th day of May, 1854, and there he was reared and educated, his advantages having included the curriculum of the public schools and also those of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania. His parents were natives of Germany,- — his father having been born in Wiirtemberg and his mother, whose family name was Seidensticker, having been born in Gottingen. The father was long and prominently identified with business activities in the Pennsylvania metropolis and there both he and his wife continued to reside until their death, — folk of sterling attributes of character and of superior mentality. In his native city Harry O. Thudium learned the prac- tical details of the printing business, and there he finally opened a small job- printing office. He conducted this enterprise somewhat more than one year, at the expiration of which he disposed of the same, in order to avail himself of an oppor- tunity offered him in connection with newspaper activities in Indianapolis. He came to this city in the year IS?* and though he was but twenty years of age at the time, his thorough education and excellent poise and judgment well qualified him for the position tendered him. His uncle, the late Adolph Seidensticker, was at the time proprietor of the daily German paper known as the Indianapolis Tele- graph, and of this representative journal Mr. Thudium became editor, through the consideration and at the request of his uncle, who was long one of the honored and prominent citizens of Indianapolis. Within a short period Mr. Thudium assumed the practical management of the newspaper business, and he developed great strength and versatility in this field of enterprise. After the death of his honored uncle, Mr. Seidensticker, he not only assumed entire control of the business but also effected the organization and incorporation of the Gutenberg Company, which purchased the other leading German daily, the Indianapolis Tribune, and consoli-
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dated the same with the Telegraph, under the title which has since been retained, — the Indianapolis Telegraph-Tribune. Under the progressive and energetic regime of Mr. Thudium, who was president of the company from its organization until his death, the business of the paper was brought to the maximum of prosperity; the journal was made a most effective exponent of local interests and a conser- vator of the best in governmental economics, with the result that its influence be- came most emphatic and benignant. Mr. Thudium continued to give his active supervision to the large and important business controlled by his company untU. his health became so precarious that he was compelled to lay aside his heavy and exacting responsibilities. This action, however, he consented to take only when absolutely imperative, as is evidenced by the fact that his death occurred about two months later.
Mr. Thudium was loyal and enthusiastic in furthering the claims of Indianapolis as a commercial and industrial center and as one of the most attractive residence cities in the Union. He advocated in his paper and in a more personal or private way the carrying forward of such enterprises and measures as tended to advance the material and civic welfare of the city and his influence in public affairs of a local nature was of no uncertain order. He was a stalwart Democrat in his poli- tical proclivities and did much to foster the interests of the party. From an appre- ciative article appearing in the Indianapolis Telegraph-Tribune at the time of his demise are taken, with but minor paraphrase, the following statements:
"It was with great sorrow and regret that the German population of Indianapolis heard of the death of Harry O. Thudium, president of the Gutenberg Company. He was a member of the Indianapolis Maennerchor, the Indianapolis Song Circle, the German House, and the Independent Turnverein. His funeral was held from the family home, 810 North New Jersey street, and his remains were interred in Crown Hill cemetery. Mr. Thudium was treasurer of the Federation of German Societies of Indiana. He worked heart and soul in everything pertaining to the best interests of the community at large and especially in affairs for the betterment of the German citizens. Rev. I. C. Peters, pastor of the German Zion's church, conducted the funeral services, and Mr. Joseph Keller, president of the Federation of German Societies of Indiana and vice-president of the Federation of German- American Societies of the United States, made 9 short but appreciative address at the cemetery."
Mr. Thudium had the genial nature, the abiding sympathy and the kindliness that denote the true gentleman, and he valued his fellow men for their true worth rather than for their wealth and influence. He was specially considerate in his association with his employes, a number of whom had been with him for twenty years, and this was repaid him in loyalty, confidence and affectionate regard. He ever manifested his appreciation of faithful service, and his employes knew that he was their true friend when such friendship was merited.
On the 5th of June, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Thudium to Miss Julia Mueller, who was bom and reared in Indianapolis and who is a repre- sentative of one of the oldest and most honored German families in this city. She is a daughter of Edward and Louisa (Stieglitz) Mueller, both natives of Ger- many. The marriage of the parents was celebrated in the city of Philadelphia, both having come to America when young. Soon after their marriage they came to Indianapolis, where they passed the residue of their lives and where Mr. Mueller
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was long and actively identified with the grocery business. They were numbered among the pioneer German citizens of the Indiana capital and both were held in high esteem in the community which so long represented their home. They became the parents of four children, of whom two sons and one daughter are living. Mr. and Mrs. Thudium became the parents of two children, — Harry O., who was born on the 10th of January, 1881, and who died on the 10th of October, 1888, and Miss Hattie, who remains with her widowed mother. Mrs. and Miss Thudium are popular factors in the best social life of the German circles of Indianapolis and here their friends are in number as their acquaintances.
^^^yy4^^^^
iilarcus; %. J|are
jATIVE born to the state of Indiana and for fifty years a resident of the capital city of the state, Marcus Lafayette Hare was one of the most widely known men in his section. Among his many interests chief of them all was his well-known stock farm known as Grasslands, consisting of 800 acres in Hamilton county, where he devoted his time to the breeding of a fine strain of horses. Previous to his more active connection with the live-stock business Mr. Hare was prominent in the mercantile business, being widely interested in the establishment which his son, Clinton L., opened up in Indianapolis, and which is still in existence imder the name of the J. C. Perry Company, the original promoter of the company being deceased. These interests claimed the major part of his time and attention until the time of his death, which occurred in 1911, August 29th.
Marcus Lafayette Hare was born at Noblesville, Indiana, in Hamilton county, on December 7, 1838. He was the son of Daniel and Sarah (Wise) Hare, and a grandson of Jacob Hare, a native Pennsylvanian who migrated to Indiana in early life, making the journey by wagon, as was the approved mode of travel in that primi- tive time. He was a pioneer farmer of Hamilton county, and there he spent the closing years of his sturdy and vigorous life. Daniel Hare was born in Ohio and with his parents he came to Indiana, Hamilton county, as a young child. His early life was passed in like manner with the average country youth, and as a lad he was sent to the country schools and supplemented the labors of his father on the new and unbroken farm with his own boyish but willing endeavors. As a young man he prospered sufficiently to permit him to open up a general store in Nobles- ville, and in that place he built up a reputation for integrity and fair dealing that was an index to the splendid character of the young merchant. His promising life was cut short in the thirty-seventh year of his career by the same blow which took his wife and one son, leaving the subject of this review orphaned indeed. The father was the owner of three farms at the time of his death, together with some other property. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. When the sad occurrence of the death of Marcus L. Hare's parents occurred he was but a lad of twelve years. He went to live with an uncle, Wesley Hare, a carriage maker of Noblesville, and when he was eighteen years old he went in business for himself, choosing the hardware line. He conducted that business in Noblesville until he was twenty-three years of age, when he sold out and moved to Indianapolis, and he was engaged throughout the Civil war period in rearing and furnishing mules and horses to the government. He was so successful in that venture that with the close of the war he devoted his entire time to that business, gradually acquiring a valuable property of eight hundred acres where he carried on an extensive breeding business. When Mr. Hare passed away on August 29, 1911, he was the owner of a considerable estate, which he left in trust to his grand-
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childreiij to be divided among them when they shall have reached the age of thirty yearsj his widow retaining a life interest in the property.
Mr. Hare was a man of kindly instincts and the possessor of many worthy qualities which marked him among his fellow men. He never manifested any en- thusiasm in the matter of clubs or fraternities of any kind, but was deeply inter- ested in the welfare of the Republican party, to which political faith he adhered. Of his death the Indianapolis News of August 30, 1911, says: "Marcus L. Hare, for many years among the best known and most noted breeders of fine horses, died at his home at noon yesterday after a long period of invalidism. His ill health followed an accident in 1903, when he was struck and severely injured by a run- away horse. For the last six months he has been confined to his home. He was born at Noblesville, Indiana, December 7, 1838, but for many years made his home in this city, where he had large property interests. He owned the well- known stock farm. Grasslands, consisting of eight hundred acres in the southern part of Hamilton county, and there he bred many fine horses, the most famous of which was the noted Hambletonian Mambrino, the sire of a long line of speedy animals."
On September 13, 1859, Mr. Hare married Miss Julie A. Haines, a daughter of the well known Dr. Israel and Lydie (Wren) Haines. Dr. Haines was a na- tive of Stark county, Ohio, while the mother was bom in Virginia. The doctor was a Quaker in his religious faith. He located in Westfield, Indiana, in early life, and after a few years of practice there removed to Noblesville, where he passed the remainder of his life. The mother passed away when her daughter Julia was but a small child. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hare: A daughter, Sarah Helen, who died in July, 1870, and one son, Clinton L., who was born on November 7, 1864, at Noblesville, Indiana. His active business career was de- voted to the carrying on of a successful wholesale grocery business which he es- tablished, and which is now conducted under another name than his. He married Marea Fletcher Ritzinger in his young manhood and six children were born to them. They are Helen, John M., Clinton L., Robert R., Myla and Laura. The father died on June 4, 1909, leaving his young family to the care of their widowed mother.
Mrs. M. L. Hare still occupies the handsome residence built by her husband on the corner of St. Joseph and Penn avenues. She is a member of the Tabernacle Presbyterian church, in whose cause she is earnest and active. Mrs. Hare was born in Westfield, Indiana, and has been a resident of Indianapolis since 1863, possessing as a result of her continued residence here an ever widening circle of friends and acquaintances.
Clinton I, 5|are
JNE of the best known and loved men in Indianapolis wais CUu tern L. Hare, a nativf ' la resident of the ca|Mtai
c'liv of the tit»U.: from ' .mi until the hour of hU
untiow-lv fltMlh, which ^is honn? on North Pcnn
:iv<iDar on June 4, 190i>. ilrt)ii«nt, accomplished and KocceRS" ful ifi ev^ry venture he undertook. Mr Hare was a worthy fton of w.irthy part tits, and the ^r/;ii Mty is that he whs not spare*! to ussist in the reurcnjt I'f i--,s young family, left fatlKriess bj his passing.
Clinton L. Hare w is '.(!'■ son of Marcus Lafayctt* aud Julia (Haines) Hare, both nntives of IndittnA. Thf mother still resides in the family home in Indianapotia. Born in Noblesville, M-sii !>-?fr ^n\mty, Indiana, on November 7. 1864, Mr. Hare attended the schooL- i as a small boy. When the family moved to
Indianapolis he wm ••.i in tin- public sr.hools of that city and foUow-
ingr his graduation f< .. ,.. i .luol of Indianapolu he entered Yale University
in 1883, graduating froaa th** litf;rftry department in 1887, with the highest honors in his class, being knowr *« « "bone's' raan at Yale. Not only did ht win distinc- tiou in the class room, but hr won honors in the athletic field. He was a noted oars- man, and he was offered a jT^'n^e on the regular crtw of the university, but declined on the score that he otMi'd r,i?* afford the. time from his classes. A little later, however, he organised a »crvh cr^w, and with them defeated the regular crew in a matched race.
On his return to Indi»n;;t>">Ui after his graduation Mr. Hare, entered the law office of Harrison, Miller & 111»!.»j -in a student, the firm being composi-d of Benjamin Harrison, W. H. H. Miliror ^.:\*^ .'ohn B. Elam, and ir, 1S90 he was admitted to the bar of Marion county, -iitf^r « hich he beg.in the practice of law. When James W. Fesler was elected county rl, rk in 1894, he ajipointed Mr. Hare as hi.s chief deputy, and he remained H<. actimbent of that responsible position throughout the term of Mr. Fesler 's rf.'u-i which covered a four years period. Georgi- H. Eliot, who succeeded Mr. Fit!.!* /^ !•> the office of county clerk, retained Mr. Hare aa chief clerk, and he retired t'f i f ; tn.tt office in ltf*)2. Very soon thereafter Mr. Har* Ih- wlioles.ale gro»*rr firm of J. C. Perry & Com b ■ management of its bus!oe>*s, continuing therein t necessary for btia lo withdraw from the exac- vvas a member of the txtard of trade, the Commer- .'.n Club, Gtrman Hott»c and a number of cither ., . ,.f „, » , , .,,.,1 .t!.»ont Indianapolis, while he vr»« ur a number of vears. He was
l>eca!ne fin.incially interrvst<d pany, .ind he became activ<
until his physical conditi">n tions of business life. Mr cial Club, Columbia Cluii, social and commercial "- ■ president of the Wh • {lopnlar and promii)<-'ii Indianapolis had a widf- : While pursuing bis sfiiti married Miss Marcn ' " npolis. Of their nrr ton L., Robert R.. N'
■ < »«y. and perhaps no man in
H rhau did Clinton HaM-
: ri«ou, Miller & EUm^ Mr. Hart'
of Mr^ '■ • j.y Qf Indisn-
They h.-l M., <'li,i-
u. with ';. survive him.
1^
4,6-M^
Clinton H, ^att
[NE of the best known and loved men in Indianapolis was Clin- ton L. Hare, a native of Indiana and a resident of the capital O/W^ city of the state from his young boyhood until the hour of his r6/ untimely death, which occurred at his home on North Penn avenue on June 4, 1909. Brilliant, accomplished and success- ful in every venture he undertook, Mr. Hare was a worthy son of worthy parents, and the great pity is that he was not spared to assist in the rearing of his young family, left fatherless by his passing.
Clinton L. Hare was the son of Marcus Lafayette and Julia (Haines) Hare, both natives of Indiana. The mother still resides in the family home in Indianapolis. Born in Noblesville, Hamilton county, Indiana, on November 7, 1864, Mr. Hare attended the schools of Noblesville as a small boy. When the family moved to Indianapolis he was a regular student in the public schools of that city and follow- ing his graduation from the high school of Indianapolis he entered Yale University in 1883, graduating from the literary department in 1887, with the highest honors in his class, being known as a "bones" man at Yale. Not only did he win distinc- tion in the class room, but he won honors in the athletic field. He was a noted oars- man, and he was offered a place on the regular crew of the university, but declined on the score that he could not afford the time from his classes. A little later, however, he organized a scrub crew, and with them defeated the regular crew in a matched race.
On his return to Indianapolis after his graduation Mr. Hare entered the law office of Harrison, Miller & Elam as a student, the firm being composed of Benjamin Harrison, W. H. H. Miller and John B. Elam, and in 1890 he was admitted to the bar of Marion county, after which he began the practice of law. When James W. Fesler was elected county clerk in 1894, he appointed Mr. Hare as his chief deputy, and he remained the incumbent of that responsible position throughout the term of Mr. Fesler's regime, which covered a four years' period. George B. Eliot, who succeeded Mr. Fesler to the office of county clerk, retained Mr. Hare as chief clerk, and he retired from that office in 1902. Very soon thereafter Mr. Hare became financially interested in the wholesale grocery firm of J. C. Perry & Com- pany, and he became active in the management of its business, continuing therein until his physical condition made it necessary for him to withdraw from the exac- tions of business life. Mr. Hare was a member of the board of trade, the Commer- cial Club, Columbia Club, Marion Club, German House and a number of other social and commercial organizations of note in and about Indianapolis, while he was president of the Wholesale Grocers' Association for a number of years. He was popular and prominent socially and in a business way, and perhaps no man in Indianapolis had a wider circle of admiring friends than did Clinton Hare.
While pursuing his studies in the offices of Harrison, Miller & Elam, Mr. Hare married Miss Marea F. Ritzinger, the daughter of Mrs. Myla Ritzinger of Indian- apolis. Of their union six children were bom. They are: Helen, John M., Clin- ton L., Robert R., Myla and Laura, all of whom, with his widow, still survive him.
189
OTiUiam 0i* ^erriott, JB, ». ^,
NDER the cloak of kindly charity it is not difficult to make prac- tical application of the ancient aphorism, "De mortuis nil nisi bonum," but there is all satisfaction and consistency when such good words may be uttered legitimately and honestly concerning one who has passed away and has left the heritage of worthy thoughts and worthy deeds. The late Dr. William McCluskey Herriott was a distinguished representative of the dental profes- sion, and in Indianapolis he built up a substantial business as a dealer in dental sup- plies. He was one of the early representatives of this important line of enterprise in this city and was ever active in advancing the profession. Particularly praise- worthy were his labors in bringing the Indianapolis Dental College into existence, an institution to which he gave much of his time and attention. The demands of the profession calling for the maximum share of his effort until the close of his life, his retirement from active work having been thus a matter of expediency. Dr. Herriott gained worthy success through his well directed endeavors in business, but his more enduring reputation rests upon his services as a philanthropist, — as the friend and helper of his fellow men and as an earnest and zealous factor in promoting religious advancement. He was a member of the Second Presbyterian church of Indianapolis and none could be more devoted to self-imposed service in the vineyard of the divine Master than was he. Both in precept and example his life was an inspiration, and he will be long remembered for his kindly and generous eflforts in aiding and guiding young folk, — especially boys in need of direction and counsel. His was a sincere, genuine and fruitful life, and it is most consonant that in this memorial edition there be entered a tribute to one who thus proved himself worthy of the greatest of com- mendatory words: "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Dr. William McCluskey Herriott was a native of the old Keystone state, was reared in Ohio and won prestige as a representative citizen and business man of In- diana. In the paternal line he was a scion of distinguished Scottish ancestry, and on the distaff side was of Irish lineage. He was a lineal descendant of George Heriot, a distinguished Scotch philanthropist, and he himself nobly upheld the prestige of the family name (which was originally spelled Heriot, as noted), as his benevolences and abiding humane spirit were practically exemplified in good works. There can be no inconsistency in entering in this article extracts concerning George Heriot, the honored ancestor of the subject of this memoir, and quotation is thus made, with cer-^ tain latitude in interpretation, from a sketch prepared by Rev. William Steven, D. D., of Edinburgh, Scotland.
"George Heriot, the benevolent founder of the magnificent hospital at Edinburgh which bears his name, was bom in that city in June, 1563. The family from which he sprung, though not opulent, was very ancient and one of acknowledged considera- tion in the county of Haddington. 'Trabonne,' his patrimonial estate, a small prop- erty not exceeding four hundred acres, had been acquired by John Heriot for mili-
191
192 WJiUiam M- ^crriott, M. 3B. ^.
tary service. King James I of Scotland confirmed the charter in the nineteenth year of his reign. Several members of the house of Trabonne were connected by marriage ■with the nobility and landed gentry of the country, while Agnes Heriot, one of the family, was honored in being the mother of George Buchanan, the historian and poet.
"George Heriot, the founder of Heriot's Hospital, was a goldsmith by trade, and on July 17, 1597, he was declared goldsmith to Anne of Denmark, the gay consort of James XI, who was extravagant in the matter of bestowing diamond rings and other valuable ornaments upon favorites. His Majesty, on the 4th of April, 1601, was pleased to appoint George Heriot as his own jeweler. So entirely did the royal household seem to require Heriot, in his double capacity of goldsmith and cashier, that an apartment in the palace of Holyrood was prepared in which he might reg- ularly transact business. When the Scottish monarch, on the death of Queen Eliza- beth, had been called by hereditary right to fill the vacant throne. King James com- menced his journey to England on April 5, 1603. Two months intervened before Queen Anne followed, and this period she spent in giving extensive orders to Heriot. It was not long until Heriot was called to his post in London by the King and Queen. It was about this time that Christian Marjoribanks, wife of George Heriot, died.
"After a lapse of five years, Heriot, abounding in wealth and high reputation, returned to Scotland and formed a matrimonial alliance with Alison Primrose, eldest daughter of James Primrose, grandfather of the first Earl of Roseberry. This mar- riage took place in Edinburgh. The bride was sixteen and the groom forty-five. In 1612 Heriot for a second time had the misfortune to find himself a widower. Alison Primrose, his beloved wife, was cut off in the flower of her days, April 16, 1612, at the age of twenty.
"Sir Walter Scott, in his well known work, 'The Fortunes of Nigel,' awakened a deep interest in the public mind in favor of George Heriot. In the introduction to this historical romance he says : 'As worth of character, goodness of heart and rec- titude of principle were necessary to one who laid no claim to high birth, I made free with the name of the person who has left the most magnificent proofs of his benevo- lence and charity that the capital of Scotland has to display. Something, I hoped, might be done not altogether unworthy the fame which George Heriot has secured by the lasting benefits he has bestowed upon his country. Heriot's Hospital is one of the proudest ornaments of Edinburgh, and is equally distinguished for the purposes of the institution and the excellence of the administration.'
"In June, 1659, the Heriot Hospital was dedicated to the original purpose of its foundation, namely, for the education of boys of the poorer classes. The hospital is still in existence and continues to exercise most admirably its benignant functions."
In the nineteenth century Dr. William M. Herriott achieved a work that may be compared in its lesser beneficence with that of his honored ancestor of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and in view of this fact the foregoing quotations are of special interest in this connection.
Dr. Herriott was born on a farm in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on the 19th of April, 1832, and his death occurred in his home in Indianapolis on the 4th of November, 1884. He was a son of George and Mary Ann (MeCluskey) Herriott, both of whom were likewise natives of Pennsylvania and representatives of honored pioneer families of that commonwealth. There David Herriott, grandfather of the Doctor continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits until his death, and there his father, George Herriott, likewise devoted his attention to the same fundamental
WBLiUmm iW. jlcrrtott, M. B. ^. 193
industry until about 1 833, when he removed with his family to Ohio and located on a farm near New Concord, Muskingum county. He became one of the influential citi- zens of the community, the while he lived up to the full tension of the middle-pioneer period in the history of the Buckeye state, within whose borders both he and his wife passed the remainder of their worthy lives, secure in the high regard of all who knew them.
The early associations and influences of Dr. Herriott were those of the home farm of the family in Ohio, as he was about one year old at the time of the family removal to that place. He soon gained fellowship with the arduous and prosaic work of the farm and in the meantime made use of the advantages afforded in the district schools of the locality and period. This is evidenced by the fact that he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors, in which connection he did effective work as a teacher in the country schools of his home county, meanwhile continuing to be associated with the work and management of the farm until he was about twenty years of age. Finally ambition and desire for a broader field for his labors, coupled with distaste for farm work, caused definite decision to make a change. He accordingly went to a neighboring town in that section of Ohio and there began the study of dentistry, under the able perceptorship of Dr. Robert Burlan. He applied himself with dil- igence, and soon became an able exemplar of dentistry, as gauged by the standards of the time. He finally established his home in Zanesville, Ohio, where he continued in the successful practice of his profession until 1874, in which year he came to Indian- apolis, where he purchased the dental supply business of Strong, Smith & Company, an enterprise that had been founded in 1867. Here he brought to bear his fine technical and administrative powers in the upbuilding of a business which became, under his supervision, one of the most important of its kind in the state. He origi- nally maintained his business headquarters in the Henry D. Pierce building, from which he later removed to the old Rink building on North Pennsylvania street, where the Federal building now stands, and in that building he successfully continued oper- ations until his death, when his remains were taken back to Ohio for interment in the family lot in the cemetery at New Concord.
Dr. Herriott was a man of high ideals and his life was marked in all its relations by integrity and honor, the while his sense of stewardship prompted him not only to deep Christian faith, but also to good works. He was in a significant sense a friend of humanity and the Golden Rule found in him a consistent exemplar at all times. He early identified himself with the Presbyterian church, and while he was secure in his convictions as to religious tenets, he was liberal and tolerant to all in his judg- ment and found good in all religious denominations. His activity in church work was unremitting and valuable. He was one of the trustees of the Second Presbyterian church of Indianapolis, one of the strong and prosperous churches of the capital city. For some time he was superintendent of a Sunday-school which he organized and which became known as "The Feed Store Sunday-school," owing to the place in which its original assemblages were held. Through his earnestness and indefatigable efforts he infused vitality and inspiration into the work which he had thus undertaken, and from the same finally came the organization of the East Washington Street Presby- terian church, which he did not live to see completed. He devoted much of his time and means to the support of religious work in general, the while his abiding interest in his fellow men, and particularly in the boys who were dependent upon their own efforts, never flagged or grew discouraged. He was deeply interested in the affairs
194 lagiaiam JB. ^erriott, 3B. B. ^. ^
of the State Reform School of Ohio and did much to foster the spirit of manliness and self-reliance in the boys, who were its wards, and to whom he gave personal atten- tion and counsel. His private benevolences and charities were invariably unostenta- tious, his evident desire having been to observe the instruction to let not the right hand know what the left was doing. "He remembered those who were forgotten," and many there were who realized that they had lost their best friend when this gentle man was summoned to eternal rest.
Never desirous of entering the turbulent stream of practical polities, or of becom- ing an incumbent of political office. Dr. Herriott was yet a liberal and public- spirited citizen and did all in his power to further the moral, religious, educational and civic interests of the community, his political allegiance being given to the Repub- lican party. Clubs and fraternal organizations had slight attraction for him, for his was the broader humanity which held "all sorts and conditions of men" in the light of friends, and his church and his home afforded him ample scope for the exercise of these consecrated functions.
After the death of Dr. Herriott his business was continued under the personal and effective supervision of his widow, who was ably assisted by her younger son, who now has entire control of the same, the mother having retired from active association with the enterprise a few years ago. The business, which holds precedence as one of broad scope and importance, with a trade extending throughout Indiana and neigh- boring states, is now established in the Newton Claypool building, where it is con- ducted under the title of the Indiana Dental Depot.
At Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 1st of November, 1859, was solem- nized the marriage of Dr. Herriott to Miss Juliatte Irene DeVelling, who was bom at Athens, that state, where her father was for many years a leading merchant and influential citizen. She is a daughter of Henry and Adeline H. (Townsend) DeVel- ling, the former of whom was born in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and the latter in the state of Connecticut. Mrs. Herriott is a representative on the paternal and maternal lines of families notable for longevity, and it may be noted that her father was ninety-two years of age at the time of her death, and her mother was summoned to the life eternal at the age of eighty-five years. Mrs. Herriott has been a resident of Indianapolis since 1875, and has been active in religious and social affairs, the while she has gathered about her a wide circle of valued friends. She is known for her gracious and gentle personality, and her home city is dear to her through the hallowed memories and associations of the past, as well as the varied interests which she here maintains at the present time.
Dr. and Mrs. Herriott became the parents of three children, of whom the eldest, Alfred Louis, died on the 26th of April, 1895, at the age of thirty-five years, his mortal remains being laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery. William Morton, the second son, became associated with his father's business when nineteen years of age, and after the latter's death assumed charge of the sales department. Since his mother's retirement from the management he has had the entire administrative con- trol of the enterprise and is numbered among the progressive and representative young business men of this city. He married Miss Mary M. White, of Greencastle, Indiana, and they reside at 4170 Washington Boulevard, Indianapolis. Stella, the only daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Herriott, became the wife of Frederick M. Burke and has one son, Roland H. She resides in the city of Seattle, Washington. Mrs. Heriott continues to reside at^94'0 Middle Drive, Woodruff Place, Indianapolis.
Jameg ^. ilibben
jUCCESS in any line of occupation, in any avenue of business, is not a matter of spontaneity, but is the legitimate offspring of subjective effort, the improvement of opportunity and the exer- cise of the highest functions made possible by the specific ability. To trace the history of a successful and worthy life must ever prove profitable and satisfying indulgence, for the history of the individual person foreshadows all history of generic order. He who figures as the subject of this brief memoir attained to a high degree of success in material affairs and gained prestige as one of the representative factors in the commercial affairs of Indianapolis, where he was one of the founders of a wholesale dry-goods business which has become one of broad scope and importance and in which his name is perpetuated by the interposition of his two sons, who are admirably upholding its honors and are numbered among the influential and repre- sentative citizens of the city. Mr. Hibben was not only a singularly able and pro- gressive business man and a loyal and public spirited citizen, but, over all and above all, his private life was pure and noble, — altogether worthy of emulation. His was a deep appreciation of those things which represent the higher ideals of human thought and action ; his was a mentality broadened by distinctive culture ; and in all the relations of life he bore without reproach the just title of gentleman, — patrician in his instincts, his ideas and his actions. He distinguished himself by his ability to master opposing forces and bend them to his will, by which means he wrested from fate a large measure of success, the while he won an honorable name as one of the world's noble army of constructive and produc- tive workers. So benignant and emphatic was his influence as one of the leaders in the commercial enterprise and progress of Indianapolis and so certain his worth as a man, that it is most consonant that in this edition be entered a definite trib- ute to his memory.
James S. Hibben was born at Wilmington, Clinton county, Ohio, on the 20th of October, 1822, and more than thirty years have elapsed since he was sum- moned from the stage of life's mortal endeavors. He was a son of Thomas and Ruth (Entriken) Hibben, the former of whom was born in the city of Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania, and the latter in Wales, whence she came with her parents to America when a child. Thomas Hibben was numbered among the sterling pioneers and influential citizens of Ohio, where he established his home in the early part of the nineteenth century, and where he became a prominent merchant, with residence and business headquarters at Wilmington, which was then an im- portant distributing point. As a merchant he dealt principally in dry goods and allied lines, and it is interesting to note in this connection that four successive generations have been identified with this important line of enterprise. Thomas Hibben and his wife continued to reside in the old Buckeye state until their death. Both were earnest members of the Presbyterian church, and both were persons
195
196 Jameg ^. ^ibbm
of a high order of mentality, so that they exerted much influence in the pioneer community in which they established their home.
Reared under the beneficent influences of a home of distinctive culture and refinement, James S. Hibben also received the best of educational advantages along academic lines. His earlier training was obtained in the schools of his native town, and, with the ultimate view of entering the ministry of the Presy- terian church, he completed a thorough course in Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, which was founded by the state in 182-1. In this excellent institution he was graduated as a member of the same class as was the late General Benjamin Har- rison, former president of the United States and one of Indiana's most distinguished representatives. Receiving a thorough classical education and the degree of Bach- elor of Arts, Mr. Hibben continued throughout his life to take great interest in the best literature and also in general educational advancement, and he was known as an especially fine linguist, with facile command of several languages.
His tastes and inclinations leading him to abandon his purpose of entering the ministry, Mr. Hibben as a young man came to Indiana and established his home at Rushville, the judicial center of Rush county, where he became associated with his brother George in the retail dry-goods business. The enterprise was attended with gratifying success and he continued to be actively identified with the same imtil 1865, when, with a view to obtaining a broader field of action and affording more ample scope for the exercise of his well matured administrative ability, he came to Indianapolis. Here he became associated with his wife's brother, the late Coleman Bates Patison, in founding a wholesale dry goods business, the same becoming the nucleus of that now conducted by the extensive dry goods house of Hibben, Hollweg & Company, in which his two sons are interested principals and which is one of the oldest and most important wholesale concerns in the state, with a trade extending throughout the wide territory normally tributary to Indianapolis as a distributing center. In initiating operations in the new field the firm adopted the title of Hibben, Patison & Company, and this was retained until the death of Mr. Hibben, who soon gained precedence as one of the city's most alert, progressive and substantial business men, and as a citizen whose interest in the furtherance of its material and civic pros- perity and advancement was of the most intense and lielpful order. His gracious personality won to him the confidence and high regard of all with whom he came in contact and he was a most popular factor in the business and social activities of the capital city. He was one of the organizers of the Indianapolis Business Men's Association and had the distinction of being chosen its first president. He otherwise identified himself closely with progressive movements and found great satsfaction in noting the advancement of his home city, to which his loyalty was unswerving. Not a long period of years may be recorded to him in connection with important business enterprise in Indianapolis, but his influence far outstretched these years and left an impress that time has not yet been able to eliminate. He was one of the foremost in the early development of Indianapolis as a commercial center and had remarkable prescience of its growth and future importance, as later years have amply demon- strated. He was called to eternal rest about fourteen years after he had established his home in this city, and his name and memory arc honored by all who in any way came within the sphere of his influence. He stood "four-square to every wind that blows" and exemplified those traits that ever indicate strong and noble command. His devotion to business was close and his capacity along executive lines seemed un-
famcg ^. ^ibbtn 197
limited. While a resident of Rushville he was president of the leading banking insti- tution of the town, and in Indianapolis likewise he became an influential figure in financial circles. Mr. Hibben ever gave a staunch allegiance to the Republican party, and while he never had any desire for the honors or emoluments of political office, he never neglected civic duties or responsibilities, took a lively interest in the dominant questions and issues of the hour, was strong in his convictions as to matters of public polity, and ever exerted his influence in behalf of good government, general and local. He was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church, but after coming to Indianapolis he united with the Unitarian church, the tenets and teachings of which commanded his approval and coincided with his opinions, which were fortified by close and extensive study. He held membership in the First Unitarian church of Indianapolis at the time of his death. In his fraternal affiliations he was an appreciative member of the Masonic order.
At Rushville, this state, on the 29th of August, 1854, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Hibben to Miss Sarah A. Patison, who was bom at Salem, Rush county, Indiana, and who is a daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Mauzy) Patison, the former of whom was born in Augusta, Bracken county, Kentucky, and the latter at Lexington, Bourbon county, that state, within whose borders both families were founded in an early day. Joseph Patison was a son of Edward Patison, also a native born Kentuckian. He migrated to Rush county and was a well known pioneer of that section of the state. He was a clergyman of the Methodist faith, and while he farmed through the week, he was always to be found on Sunday ex- pounding the scriptures according to his faith. His wife was Hester Day, a native of Virginia, where her family were well known and prosperous in early days. At one time Mr. Day owned as many as one hundred slaves. They migrated to Indiana, and both died and lie buried in Rush county. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Hibben, Peter Mauzy, was born in Kentucky. He was a planter and slave-holder, but on coming to Indiana he freed his slaves as a matter of principle. He was an old and well known and highly respected citizen of Rush county, and he passed the remainder of his life on his farm near Salem. His wife was Sarah Gooding, and their granddaughter, Sarah Patison Hibben, was named after her. When Mrs. Hibben was a child her parents removed from Salem, Indiana, to Harrison, Hamil- ton county, Ohio, but they later returned to Indiana and established their home at Rushville, in which locality the father became an extensive landholder and engaged in the raising of live stock on a large scale. He was one of the prominent and influ- ential citizens of that section and was honored for his ability and sterling character. Both he and his wife continued to reside in Rush county until their death and the names of both merit enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers of Indiana. Of their three children, Mrs. Hibben was the first born and she is now the only survivor. Her sister, Elizabeth, became the wife of Earl Reid and was among those who perished in the ever memorable San Francisco earthquake and fire. The third child, Coleman Bates Patison, is also deceased.
The home life of Mr. Hibben was one which had the most ideal relations and in this sanctuary was his death the cause of deep bereavement, but there remained both consolation and compensation in the memories of his devotion and his nobility of character. There can be no wish to touch the esoteric phases of this chapter of his life history, and a fitting close to this memoir will be a brief record concerning his children. Mrs. Hibben, now venerable in years, has the love and solicitude of all
198 STamcsi ^. ^ibbtn
who come within the pale of her gentle influence and she still resides in Indianapolis, where she has a pleasant home at 1455 North Delaware street. She is a member of the Methodist church, in which faith she was reared, and in which her honored grandfather. Rev. Edward Patison, was a clergyman.
Concerning the two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Hibben it may be briefly stated that both are interested principals in the extensive wholesale dry goods house of Hibben, Hollweg & Company, and that they are numbered among the most honored and influential business men of Indianapolis. The fine enterprise which they control is the outgrowth of that established by their honored father, as has been previously noted in this context.
Harold Barcroft Hibben was born at Rushville, Indiana, on the 3d of December, 1855, and his educational training was obtained principally in Butler University. He early identified himself with the business interests of his father, and, with his brothers finally succeeded the latter in the wholesale dry goods business in Indian- apolis. He married Miss Louise Freeman, of Terre Haute, this state, and they maintain their home on North Delaware street. They have four children: Louise, who is the wife of Richard Fairbanks, the son of Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks, former vice-president of the United States ; Dr. Freeman Hibben, who married Miss Evdena Hayward, of Indianapolis, and who is now engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in the city of Boston; and Catherine and James Harold, who remain in the parental home. The younger son, James, is associated in the business with his father.
Thomas Entriken Hibben was born at Rushville, Indiana, on the 19th day of October, 1860, and is associated with his brother in business as previously stated. He has a pleasant home in Irvington Place, Indianapolis, and his wife, whose maiden name was Jane Ketcham, was born in Indianapolis. Concerning their children the following brief data is given: Paxton, who has been attache of the United States Consulates in Mexico, St. Petersburg, Bogota and The Hague and is at present in South America; and Helen, Thomas E., Jr., James and Hazen who are still in the parental home.
Louise Hibben, the only daughter of the subject of this memoir, became the wife of Ernest Wiles, of Cincinnati, and they now reside in Indianapolis, where Mr. Wiles is identified with the business of Hibben, Hollweg & Company.
mtxth ?Burbs;al
CONCERNING Alfred Burdsal, who was for nearly forty years a prominent and influential citizen and factor in the industrial
C^^ and civic activities of Indiana's capital city, the following signi- ^^ ficant words have been written: "He coveted success but scorned to gain it except through industry and honest means. He ac- quired wealth without fraud or deceit and the results of his life offer lessons and incentive to the rising generation." Mr. Burd- sal was an influential factor in furthering the material development and progress of Indianapolis, and no shadow rests upon any portion of his career now that he has been called from the scenes and labors of this mortal life, his death having occurred on the 2d of April, 1911. His success, and it was great, was principally gained through his identification with the paint industry, and he was essentially the architect of his own fortune. He was reserved and reticent, never courting or desir- ing public notice and evading the same by every legitimate and courteous means. In manners he was somewhat abrupt and brusque, but those who knew the man as he was, realized that underneath this temperamental attitude were the intrinsic qualities of a fine mind and a fine heart. Self repression he had in marked degree, and though there was this touch of austerity his nature was strong and true. He was a man whose value to the world was assured, and he long held precedence as one of the liberal and essentially representative business men and progressive citizens ol the Indiana metropolis. He so revealed himself above minor eccentricities as to gain and retain the unqualified confidence and esteem of his fellow men, and his death involved a great loss to the community in which he had so long maintained his home and directed his energies.
A scion of one of the pioneer families of the old Buckeye state and of one that was founded in America about the time of the war of the Revolution, Mr. Burdsal was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 20th of October, 1839, a son of Thomas C. and Hulda (Howell) Burdsal, both likewise natives of Cincinnati, where the former was born in 1815 and the latter in 1820. The original progenitors of the Burdsal family came from England about the time of the Revolution, for the purpose of manufacturing ammunition for the British troops, as they were skilled in this line of industry, in connection with which they maintained a manufactory in New Jersey, where representatives of the name later removed to New England. The maternal great-grandfather of Alfred Burdsal served as lord-mayor of Dublin, Ireland, and the family was one of prominence and influence in the Emerald Isle. The parents of Mr. Burdsal continued to reside in Cincinnati during the major part of their lives and when they were of venerable age they joined him in Indianapolis, passing the residue of their lives in his home, where they eventually passed away. The only sister. Miss Ollie Burdsal, likewise died at the home of the subject of this memoir. Thomas C. Burdsal was a son of Reverend Aaron Burdsal, who was a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church and was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio, by the New Jersey conference of this church early in the nineteenth century. Uriah Burdsal,
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father of Reverend Aaron, likewise migrated to Ohio in an early day and he passed the closing years of his life in Hamilton county, that state, as did also his wife, whose maiden name was Charleton.
To the common schools of his native city Alfred Burdsal was indebted for his early educational discipline, which included a course in what is known as the Wood- ward high school. A youth of alert and receptive mind and definite ambition, he soon exemplified those traits of character which brought to him so marked advance- ment and success in later years, and for three years after leaving school he was identified with various lines of business enterprise in Cincinnati, the while seeking the best opportunity for initiating a definite career. In 1858 he entered the employ of William Wood & Company, manufacturers of white lead, and he remained with this concern for many years. Beginning as a clerk, he later became bookkeeper, from which position he was advanced to that of traveling salesman, and finally, when the compan}'- was reincorporated in 1867, as the Eagle White Lead Works, he became one of its stockholders and also its secretary. In the meanwhile he had not failed to manifest his patriotism when the Civil war threatened the life of the Union. On the 10th of May, 1864, at the age of twenty-four years, he enlisted as a member of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued to serve in the office of commissary sergeant until the expiration of his term of enlistment, when he received his honorable discharge on the 19th of August, 1864. He proceeded with his command to the front and the more import- ant engagements in which he participated were those of Fort McHenry, Fort Car- roll, Fort Marshall and Monocacy, the titles of these engagements having been placed on a beautiful badge which was sent by the members of his old regiment to be placed on his casket at the time of his funeral, and to be removed prior to interment for retention by his tvidow, who holds the same as a valuable token of the regard in which he was held by his old comrades in arms. With them he perpetu- ated the more gracious associations of his military career by retaining membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. Concerning his army experience Mr. Burdsal once said: "I didn't kill any one that I can remember, and no one killed me, so I guess my military career was about the same as that of a great many other privates in the war."
Two years after assuming the position of secretary to the Eagle White Lead Works of Cincinnati Mr. Burdsal was virtuall.v compelled to resign the same on ac- count of impaired health, and he sought relief in travel, in connection with which ht visited Indianapolis, in response to the importunities of an old friend residing in this city, and who was at that time in affliction. It is deemed but consistent to inter polate at this point somewhat liberal and slightly paraphrastic quotations from an appreciative article appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of the death of Mr. Burdsal, as the estimate offered gives adequate data concerning his business career :
"While Mr. Burdsal was best known as a manufacturer of and dealer in paints, his personalit}' was such that many who met him in business and other channels remembered him for his brusque and abrupt ways, and his liberal, yet conservative charities. His time was devoted almost exclusively to his business, but he gave money and attention to many public enterprises for the benefit of the city and its people. He was never affiliated with any church, but frequently attended the Taber- nacle Presbyterian and manifested a great deal of interest in its affairs.
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"The call of an army comrade, who appealed to him in a moment of trouble, brought him to Indianapolis on a mission of friendship and charity, and was respon- sible for his connection with the industrial growth of the city. Speaking of the matter one time, Mr. Burdsal said: 'I was astonished at the growth of the dty, which I had not visited for five years. I liad been in close touch with the drug trade of Indianapolis prior to my visit in the fall of 1874, but before that time I did not realize the opportunities of the city and had determined to settle in Chicago. I made up my mind quickly that this was the spot for a great city, and determined to start in business here at once, even though the country was in the midst of a great panic. I leased the building at 32 South Meridian street on the 1st of Janu- ary, 1875, and commenced grinding paint in a small way on the third floor of 34 the block. In 1879 I bought the old Ferguson port-house of the Citizens' National South Meridian street, getting power from Col. Eli Lilly, who was then occupying the Bank and built my factory at 423-7 South Pennsylvania street. After that I bought adjoining properties until I held two hundred and twenty-five feet frontage on Penn- sylvania street. I established my present business January 1, 1875, at 32 South Meridian street, and remained there one year, at the expiration of which I removed into the next door south. Ten years later I extended my store to include the next room. In 1900 we moved into quarters at Meridian and Maryland streets.
"He served as director of the Technical Institute and was deeply interested in its success. This was one of the few things outside of his business to which he gave his time. In the conduct of his manufacturing and wholesale business he was in- clined to devote a great deal of personal attention to details, and while he was always surrounded by loyal men, he never allowed any branch to go long without his personal supervision. His employes regarded him as 'one of them,' and it is said of him that in his factory he had a faculty of appearing on the same footing with them and impressing them with the idea that all were members of the firm.
"Mr. Burdsal met with few reverses in his business career. From a small industry, supplying a small trade, he developed his business as the field increased, and his careful, conservative projects were too well planned to go far astray. One misfortune which his company weathered was the destruction by fire of the retail business rooms in the spring of 1910. The damage was immediately repaired and the firm continued in the same location.
"In more recent years the business which Mr. Burdsal founded has been con- ducted under the name of A. Burdsal Company. It was so incorporated in order that the older members of the retail and manufacturing forces could become finan- cially interested in it. Among those who were associated with him was Granville G. Allen, whose death in January, 1911, was a severe blow to the veteran manufac- turer and indirectly hastened the end of his own life. Mr. Burdsal was in impaired health for several years prior to his death, and sought relief at Carlsbad, Germany. He received temporary benefit and was planning a return to the German springs when Mr. Allen died. He insisted on attending the funeral of his friend and partner, and in his weakened condition contracted pneumonia, which left him so weak that he was forced to abandon his contemplated trip to Europe. Thereafter he was confined to his home most of the time until his death.
"While Mr. Burdsal was known as a man deeply devoted to business, his most intimate friends saw another side of his life that made him even more respected. Over twenty years ago he married Miss Emma Bryan, of Indianapolis and his devo-
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tion to his wife was the secret of a home life which afforded him the greatest com- fort. He was always just and considerate in his dealings with those about him, and in his home at his death was an employe who entered his serWce when the couple went housekeeping, shortly after their marriage. His employes as well as his business associates profited by his prosperity, and in the sickness that preceded his death he had the sympathy and kindly ministrations of those who knew and appre- ciated him. Among those to whom he was devoted was Miss Laura Bryan, sister of his wife. Every day during his last sickness she assisted him in handling a great deal of correspondence, to which he gave his personal attention even when ill. and which was remarkable for its optimistic tone while its writer was fighting for his life.
"The death of Mr. Burdsal removes from the business life of Indianapolis a man who appreciated the city's possibilities, staked his future on its growth, and became a prominent figure in its prosperity and expansion."
Though he was invariably insistent in his demand that his benefactions should not be made a matter of public knowledge, Mr. Burdsal contributed liberally to many benevolent and charitable objects as well as to the support of other institutions whose influence conserved the general good of the community. Thus it may be noted that he contributed five thousand dollars to the building fund of the local Young Men's Christian Association and seven thousand to the fund of the Indianapolis Technical Institute. His private benevolences were known only to himself and the recipients, and were given with kindness and discrimination. Prior to his failing health he became actively identified with representative clubs in his home city, and he was a most appreciative member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He was also a valued member of George H. Thomas Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and both this organi- zation and representative of the various Masonic bodies with which he was affiliated took part in his funeral services, his remains being taken to Cincinnati for interment beside those of his father and mother.
Alfred Burdsal was a man of energy and resourcefulness, sturdy in the recti- tude of character, sincere and outspoken and with naught of vacillation in pur- pose. One always knew where he stood and knew that he took a certain position because he believed it to be right. He knew men at their real value and had no toleration of deceit or meanness in any of the relations of life. He did not come so largely to the attention of the public eye as did many of his contemporaries who accomplished less and did less for the world, but he felt the responsibilities which success imposes and ever endeavored to live up to those responsibilities in the straightforward, undemonstrative way characteristic of the man. His name merits an enduring place on the roster of the honored and valued citizens who have contri- buted to the well being of the city of Indianapolis. Mr. Burdsal never sought political preferment or other partisan prominence, and while he was in the main an adherent to the principles of the Republican party, his vote was always cast for the better man, regardless of party sentiment or influences. He was all that is progressive and public spirited in citizenship. Especially interested in the work and affairs of the Masonic fraternity, he was virtually the founder of the fine Masonic library in his native city, — Cincinnati. The nucleus of this library was a fine lot of books which he secured from an old and cultured German citizen of Cincinnati, and by personal solicitation among his fraternal associates he obtained the money
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to pay for the books. At the time of his death resolutions of sympathy and respect were passed by the various lodges and clubs with which he had been identified, and the city realized the loss of one of its leading business men and sterling citizens. Mrs. Burdsal still resides in the beautiful home at 1015 North Meridian street, and is a leader in the social activities of the community, where she has passed the greater part of her life and where she has a wide circle of friends.
On the 8th of December, 1891, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Burdsal to Miss Emma Bryan, of Indianapolis, and their home life was ideal in its mutual affec- tion and sympathy. No children were born of their union. Mrs. Burdsal was born at Louisville, Kentucky, and is a daughter of Dr. Albert H. and Nancy (Murdock) Bryan.
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Cfjarlesf ®H. IBribges;
kELL known in his native state for his honesty of purpose, faith- ful adherence to his convictions and energetic performance of W(2J his duty as conscience dictated, Charles Wesley Bridges was j2t born of Methodist parents, as his name implies, on June 5, 1844. His father was Moses Thomas Bridges, a country mer- chant of English descent. His mother was before her marriage Mary Keith Vansant — a name variously spelled by the descend- ants of him who immigrated from Holland. Both parents were pioneers from Ken- tucky and Charles W. was the tenth of eleven children, all of whom were well known in their later lives as steadfast friends and honorable business men and lovable mothers.
He received his early education in the country school at Fillmore, Putnam county, Indiana, where he was born, later studying at an academy at Bainbridge, a nearby town, and finally entered Asbury College, now DePauw University, at Greencastle, the county seat of Putnam county. He was a student there when he heard the call of the Civil war when he was barely seventeen years of age. Being too young to carry a musket he was enlisted as a drummer boy in the One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana Volunteers, having received his inspiration and education in beating the drum from his older brother Thomas, who was a drummer boy in the earlier war with Mexico. His enlistment having expired, he re-enlisted and served until the end of the war.
In later years he signified his interest in his soldier comrades by retaining until he died his membership in the George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in Indianapolis. In this connection it is interesting to note that because he joined the army he was deprived of his membership in the Methodist church in his native town, the main leaders in the church being members of the Golden Circle and opposed to the Union cause. On returning home he joined, therefore, the Christian Union church at Bainbridge and was a supporter of it when needed until he died, although he had removed his church letter to the Tabernacle Presby- terian church of Indianapolis about 1875.
After the close of the war Mr. Bridges entered the employ of Ludorf & Company, wholesale men's furnishers of Indianapolis, retaining the position of traveling salesman until this firm quit business eleven years later, when he secured a position with Landers & Company, pork packers. During this period he met and married Lavina, the oldest daughter of Franklin Landers, who was the mother of his chil- dren; Mary Eliza, who died when sixteen years of age, Franklin Landers, Charles Winstead and William Lucian. His wife, Lavina Landers, died of pneumonia, April, 1883, and Mr. Bridges was married the second time, June 24, 1884, to Miss Florence Alice McHaffie, whom he had known in earlier years. She was the oldest child of Melville F. McHaffie, a prominent stock raiser of Putnam county, Indiana. There were no children by this marriage.
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Mr. Bridges had previous to this time entered the wholesale dry goods house of Landers, Conduit & Company, which is now the Hibben, Hollweg & Company, and represented them as a traveling salesman. During this time he became a charter member of the Commercial Travelers' Association of Indiana, a fraternal life in- surance organization still engaged in business. He was also interested in the Indi- anapolis Commercial Club. He was a staunch Democrat in politics, being chairman of the Democratic City Committee which elected Thomas L. Sullivan mayor, and later he was chairman of the State Silver League in Indiana in William Jennings Bryan's first campaign in 1896.
Mr. Bridges had a large acquaintance in his own city, county and state and had no difficulty in securing a clientele in his real estate business organized about 1895, under the name of The C. W. Bridges Investment Company. He was very success- ful in this business and in promoting two or three manufacturing companies, one of which he organized and started just a few years prior to his death; viz: The American Computing Company for the manufacture of a then new method of sell- ing cheese by computing its weight in money value.
The last three years of his life were spent in seeking health but he was finally overcome April 21, 1906. Two of his brothers died within eight months of his own death. These three had been very closely associated all their lives. One of them, Moses Dillon, was vice-president of the Central National Bank of Green- castle, Indiana, and the other, James W. Bridges, had owned and managed the gen- eral store left by his father in Fillmore until his death. The store had been owned by this family for over fifty years, and was known for miles as a place where all were treated fairly and where many needy families had found relief.
The Greencastle Star, whose owner and editor had known these brothers for many years, thus commented on the death of Charles W. Bridges: "In his death the last of three brothers, natives of Putnam county, well known and highly re- spected for their personal worth, closed his earthly career, and the other two brothers, Moses D., and James W., passed away within the eight months preceding."
Mr. Bridges was always interested in the public welfare and was a substantial and progressive citizen and business man. His home life was that of a loyal and Christian character and his ambition was to leave a family of education and re- finement.
tlTjjomag €. Cijanbler
M^PCj^CM^HE primary purpose of this publication is to give proper "* Cr? record concerning those men who have marked with large ^«2 achievement, in various lines of activity, distinct and honorable
. _ - places in connection with civic, professional and business affairs
^'^ !^^ J^ in the capital city of Indiana. In determining upon those de-
^iv4v>&vJ>l>^wC ceased citizens whose lives and labors entitle them emphatically to representation within these pages there is found emphatic and unequivocal consistency in according such tribute to the late Thomas Evans Chandler, who was long one of the prominent figures in the field of industrial enterprise in Indianapolis; who was a power in the local councils of the Republican party, in which connection he was at one time the nominee of his party for representative of the old Seventh district of Indiana in the United States Congress ; he was a citizen whose loyalty and progressiveness were shown in many helpful ways; and, above all, he was a man whose sterling attributes of character well entitle him to the high esteem in which he was held in the city that was his home for more than forty years prior to his death, which here occurred on the 10th of September, 1902, as the result of septicaemia, of the fatal nature of which he had become fully aware several months before the close of his strong and useful life.
Thomas Evans Chandler was most loyal to the commonwealth of his adoption but he ever manifested a due pride in reverting to the old Keystone state of the Union as the place of his nativity. He was born on a farm in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of September, 1831, and was a son of William G. and Sarah (Taylor) Chandler, who continued to reside in that state until their death, the father having been a patternmaker by trade but having devoted much of his active life to agricultural pursuits. It is worthy of note that the house in which the subject of this memoir was born was that in which the distinguished Thaddeus Stephens was ushered into the world. The common schools of his native state afforded Mr. Chandler his early educational advantages, and as a youth he left the farm and went to Safe Harbor, a town in his native county, where he served a thorough apprenticeship at the machinist's trade, in which he became a specially skillful artisan and in connection with which he developed his marked natural mechanical and inventive genius. In 1857 he went from Pennsylvania to Burling- ton, Iowa, to assume charge of a newly established steel-rolUng mill, but conditions there did not satisfy him and he resigned his place and started for St. Louis. He deflected his course, however, and came to Indianapolis in October, 1858, at the request of his friend, George Merritt, who had previously established a home in this city. Mr. Chandler was a young man of much circumspection and foresight and was so favorably impressed with the capital city of Indiana that he decided to remain here, — a decision which he never had cause to regret. He accepted the position of superintendent of the Indianapolis rolling mills, but his ambition soon
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led him to initiate an independent business enterprise, while still retaining the in- cumbency noted. He formed a partnership with Charles R. Wiggins and, under the title of Wiggins & Chandler, they established a machine shop. From this modest nucleus was eventually built up a large and prosperous industrial enter- prise, the present extensive Chandler & Taylor plants, in West Washington streets and in Rosedale, a suburb of the city, being the outcome of the well directed efforts of these two young men in the early days of their strenuous efforts to develop an industry of prosperous order. In noting other salient points in the career of Mr. Chandler it is deemed but consistent to quote from an appreciative estimate which appeared in the Indianapolis News at the time of his demise and which is worthy of perpetuation in this more enduring form:
Wiggins & Chandler opened a water-power plant and manufactured agricultural machinery. Mr. Chandler continued to serve as superintendent of the rolling mills, and after filling out his day at that work he would spend a great part of his night laying out work for his own foreman to do the next day. He would also operate part of the machinery at night. He bought out his partner's interest in 1864, and upon the admission of Franklin Taylor to partnership the present title was adopted, William M. Taylor, a son of the junior member of the firm of Chandler & Taylor, being now executive head of the enterprise. In 1888 the business was incorporated and the sons of the original members of the firm were taken into the business.
During his incumbency of the position of superintendent of the old Indianapolis rolling mills Mr. Chandler invented a process of rolling and re-rolling iron rails at one heating. He did not receive the financial benefits from this invention which, in a measure, revolutionized old processes and made several men wealthy.
Mr. Chandler was always a political power in the west part of the city, and especially in the old Fourth ward. During the '70s he was a member of the city council and was president of the hospital board. In 1888 — the first Harrison campaign — he defeated Sid Conger for the Republican nomination for congress in the old Seventh district, which was then composed of Marion, Hancock and Shelby counties. Though he ran ahead of his ticket he was defeated by W. D. Bynum. As General Harrison was elected to the presidency of the United States, Mr. Chandler was in a position to wield a great deal of influence in patronage distribution, but he chose not to do this. Mr. Chandler retired from political ac- tivities in 1890 and from business life in 1897. Thereafter he devoted most of his time to the supervision of two fine farms which he owned and upon which he spent many pleasant hours, the one being situated in Marion county and the other in Hendricks county.
The love which Mr. Chandler had for his home, a center of affection and soli- darity of interests, was such that he there found his greatest happiness and solace, and only those who were thus near and dear to him in this ideal home could fully appreciate the great, loving tenderness which expressed itself in his words and actions as well as in the more esoteric sentiments. His was the second death in the immediate family circle, and his memory remains as a benediction to those who survive him and who remember him as the unselfish and devoted husband and father. Mr. Chandler was a birthright member of the Society of Friends and never faltered in his allegiance to its simple and noble faith, his wife also being a birthright member.
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In Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, on the 13th of October, 1852, was solem- nized the marriage of Mr. Chandler to Miss Lucetta B. Hogentogler, who was born in the state of New York, on the 30th of March, 1831, and whose parents, John and Mary Hogentogler, were natives of Pennsylvania, of staunch old German stock. Mrs. Chandler did not long survive her honored husband, as she was summoned to the life eternal on the 14.th of April, 1905, at the age of seventy-four years. The remains of both rest in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery at Indianapolis. Their old home was on West Vermont street, where they resided for thirty-two years, but after the death of her husband Mrs. Chandler found it expedient to dispose of this property, as a site for the Indianapolis day nursery, and she then purchased the fine home at 1640 North Delaware street where she passed the residue of her life, secure in the affectionate regard of all who had come within the sphere of her gentle and gracious influence. Her solicitude for those in affliction and distress was shown in many unostentatious deeds of charity and in ministrations of tender sym- pathy, while she was active in the work of the religious organization to which both she and her husband belongs. All but one of the children survived the father, and concerning them the following brief record is given: Anna M., whose death occurred September 28, 1904, became the wife of Henry G. Werbe, of Indianapolis, who survives her, as do also two children — Helen (wife of Arthur M. Wellington) and Thomas C; Miss Sarah Evans Chandler remains in the attractive homestead on North Delaware street and has a wide circle of friends in the city that has been her home from the time of her birth; Elizabeth M. is the wife of Martin T. Ohr, of Indianapolis, and they have one child, Lucetta ; Josephine is the wife of Albert G. Owens, and they reside in the city of Columbus, Ohio; Caroline B. became the wife of Lewis M. Cooper, of Indianapolis, and died in this city on the 2d of April, 1902; and George M., who is engaged in the machinery business in Indianapolis, wedded Miss Kate Cooper, of this city, and they have one child, — William.
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'N STUDYING a clean-cut and distinct character like that of the late Alonzo Greene Smith, former attorney general of the state of Indiana, interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation and there is small need for indirection or puzzling. His character was the positive expression of a rugged and reso- lute nature and his strength was as the number of his days. His career was marked by splendid achievement and was guided and governed by the highest personal integrity and honor. Sincere, courageous and broad-minded, he was ever able to give a reason for the faith that was in him and to defend his honest convictions. Compromise for the sake of personal expe- diency was an impossibility with Mr. Smith and none could ever ascribe to him vacil- lation or uncertainty of purpose. He made much of his life and held positions of high public trust. He lived up to the full measure of the responsibilities and duties thus assigned to him and he left a definite and benignant impress upon the political and civic annals of Indiana. Great of heart and mind, genial, generous and buoyant, he held to himself the most loyal of friendships, while his political adversaries could but admire his ability and sterling honesty. He attained pres- tige as one of the representative members of the bar of his state and was engaged in the practice of his profession in its capital city for several years prior to his death, which here occurred on the 5th of August, 1907. The man himself and the honors which he worthily won render most consonant the memorial tribute accorded to him in this publication.
Alonzo Greene Smith was born on a farm in Meigs covmty, Ohio, on the 6th of September, 1848, and was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of that sec- tion of the Buckeye state, though the family record may well be said to have been, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "the short and simple annals of the poor." In his youth Mr. Smith had fellowship with hard work and many deprivations, but who can doubt that his self-reliance and ambition were quickened and matured by these very conditions and circumstances.' He had no wish to flinch from the responsibilities early imposed upon him and as a youth he assisted materially in the support of the family, as his parents were in most modest circumstances. As has been well said in this connection: "These years were filled with hard manual labor and much self denial ; but such experiences served only to develop that rugged* character, both physically and mentally, which he afterward exhibited."
The early educational advantages of Mr. Smith were those afforded in a some- what desultory and irregular attendance in the common schools of his native state, but he made good use of these opportunities and widened his mental ken through effective self-discipline. He was finally enabled to partially complete a course in Franklin College, Ohio. From an appreciative memoir appearing in the published report of the eleventh annual meeting of the State Bar Association of Indiana are taken the following extracts, with but slight paraphrase: "In his young manhood,
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even before Le attained his majority, Mr. Smith determined to enter the legal pro- fession, and thenceforward he bent all his energies to fit himself for a place at the bar. He qualified himself to teach school, and thus occupied himself during the months when the district schools were maintained, and in the intervals between terms he performed such manual labor as his surroundings furnished, in the mean- while giving every spare moment to the study of the law. He was admitted to prac- tice at the bar of Jennings county, Indiana, in 1869. He was of fine physical pres- ence, large and well proportioned, and possessed of great vigor of both mind and body. Self-reliant and aggressive, he soon acquired his full share of the business of his own bar, and his field of professional labor quickly extended not only to the ad- joining counties, but also throughout the southern portion of the state. He was ever a fearless advocate of his clients' causes and never hesitated to perform any duty in their behalf. He had come to Indiana when nineteen years of age and established his home at North Vernon, Jennings county."
Distinctively a man of action and well qualified for leadership in public affairs, Mr. Smith early began to take part in county politics and his influence in this line soon penetrated state politics. He gained precedence as the recognized leader of the Democratic party in Jennings county, and in 1884 he was elected to represent his district, comprising the counties of Jennings and Jackson, in the state senate, in which he served during the sessions of 1885 and 1887, — the latter being recorded as one of no inconsiderable turbulence. Upon the resignation of General Manson from the office of lieutenant governor Mr. Smith was elected president of the senate, in which position he served during the session of 1887. In the fifty-sixth session of the general assembly, in 1889, he was elected and served as secretary of the senate. It is needless to say that in the deliberative body of the state legislature Senator Smith was not an inconspicuous figure. His very individuality implied this, and he proved zealous, resourceful and influential as a legislator of broad economic views and indubitable civic loyalty, so that he was naturally marked as eligible for positions of even higher public trust.
In 1890 Mr. Smith was elected attorney general of Indiana, and the estimate placed upon his services in tliis important office was shown in his election as his own successor in 1894. Concerning his administration as attorney general during the fol- lowing record is given in the article from which quotation has already been made: "During his incumbency of office many important causes arose, particularly those af- fecting questions of corporate taxation, and these he conducted with great vigor and skill to a successful termination in the supreme court of the United States. It may truthfully be said that until that time the attorney general of the state had never been called upon to perform such important and laborious duties as fell to his lot, all of which were brought to completion, to the approval of the executive department of the state and of the people at large."
At the close of his second term as attorney general Mr. Smith entered upon the general practice of law in Indianapolis, where he formed a professional part- nership with his old-time friend, Charles A. Korbly, of Madison, this state. This alliance continued until the death of Mr. Korbly, in 1900, and thereafter Mr. Smith was associated in practice with Bernard Korbly, a son of his deceased partner, until impaired health compelled him to resign the active work of the profession in which he had gained so much success and precedence. During his term of practice in the Indiana capital Mr. Smith was identified with much important litigation in
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both the state and federal courts and his firm controlled a large and representative law business, touching important questions, both public and private.
The estimate offered by the committee of the State Bar Association of Indiana at the time of the death of Mr. Smith concluded with the following statements:
"He neither fawned nor flattered, and from his brusque bearing and his abrupt and sometimes blunt speech he stood in great danger of being misunderstood and misinterpreted by the casual auditor or observer. But to those who came in close contact or relation with him he revcciled himself in a different aspect. They knew him as he really was, — that he had an innate love for fair play and honest dealing; a great hatred of shams, pretenses and make believes of every character and nature, and of all lack of fidelity and all littleness and meanness of spirit. A partisan among partisans, he had broad toleration for those who openly espoused the oppo- site of the controversy, but he had no patience with a faint-heart or laggard in his own ranks. He never failed a friend, betrayed a trust or proved a coward in any adventure."
The above are significant words and emphatically denote Mr. Smith, the man of strength, truth and honor, — one who lived up to the full meaning of the aphorism: "To thine own self be true; and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." The record of Mr. Smith in public station is an integral part of the history of Indiana, and in this memoir it is therefore not required to give more than the brief data already incorporated concerning this phase of his signally earnest and useful life. There is all consistency in perpetuating in this review, however, the following estimate which appeared in an Indianapolis paper at the time of his death :
"He had a wide circle of devoted friends. His was one of those elemental na- tures that win warm friends. He had fine abilities, direct, not subtle, he was full of the simplest courage, — childlike courage that drives straight at the point in utter absence of fear or consequences. He came into unique notice when, as president of the senate, he 'held the fort' against the attempt to seat Colonel Robertson as lieu- tenant governor. Amid the excitement of the time he was looked on by his polit- ical opponents as a ruflSan. To himself the whole thing was more like a frolic. He said afterward to a friend, referring to that time: 'Why, I never had a fight in my life.' The good reason may have been that he was so manifestly ready to fight in any way at any time for any thing. He was ever brave, outspoken, facing to the end in everything. He showed his ability as a lawyer and man in his successful conduct of the state tax cases through the federal courts to final judgment. He was warm-hearted to an unusual degree. 'The friends he had, and their adoption tried, he grappled to his soul with hoops of steel.' The others were not friends, — he was inclined to divide mankind into two classes. He was a born Democrat, a man of the people, and in the people he had the utmost faith, with a strong tendency to think that that faith was correctly declared by his party, for he was a strong par- tisan. He had deep affection for his intimate circle; he was a good neighbor and a good citizen."
That the "greater love" animated this man is a matter known to those who were near to him in affection and interests. It was said of him that no man had a higher sense of the obligations of family and friendship. It cannot be wished to lift the gracious veil that secluded his ideal home life, and in conclusion of this memoir is entered therefore only brief record concerning his domestic affairs.
218
^lon^o #. ^mttf)
On the 18th of January, 1879, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Ida Jane Shellenberger, of North Vernon, Jennings county, Indiana. Mrs. Smith still resides in the beautiful family home in Indianapolis and is a popular factor in the social activities of the city. She is the daughter of George W. and Eliza Shellenberger, who established their home in Jennings county, this state, in an early day, and both of whom died when Mrs. Smith was a child. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and was of staunch German ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Smith became the parents of two children,— Florence, who remains with her widowed mother, and David Turpie Smith. He married Orrin, daughter of Milton A. Woolen, of this city, and they reside at 1828 Talbott avenue, the home of Mrs. Smith and her daughter being at 1602 North Pennsylvania street and the same being a center of gracious hospitality.
Cijomag $, €gan
I HERE are lines of business that can be carried on with some measure of success without any especial preparation, but mer- chant tailoring is not one of these, on the other hand, a long period of training must be undergone before any skill can be expected or recognition come from a discriminating public. A tailor must have an accurate eye, a deft hand, a quick movement and also must have a large amount of taste and good judgment. All these qualities and many more were possessed by the late Thomas P. Egan, who was recognized during many years of business at Indianapolis to be a leader in the line of merchant tailoring. Mr. Egan was born in Ireland, on Christmas day of 1848, and died at his home in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 28, 1909. He was one of thirteen children, and his parents were Patrick and Ellen (Rush) Egan They were natives of Ireland, and although they came to America and remained for some years, during which the father conducted a tailoring establishment in the city of New York they never could forget the old home and returned there to die.
Thomas P. Egan was quite young when the family reached New York and after his school days were over he, with all his brothers, learned the tailor's trade under the father, who was a practical man and demanded perfect work from his sons just as he would have done from strangers. Thus they gained a thorough training and all became expert workmen. Thomas P. remained with his father until he was nine- teen years of age and then went to Connecticut and from there to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was engaged as cutter for Eli Hall, who was the leading man in his line in this city at that time. At a later date Mr. Egan, with his brother, Ed- ward C. Egan, opened a merchant tailoring establishment, shortly afterward ad- mitting A. J. Treat as a partner, but subsequently sold his interests and went to St. Louis, Missouri, where he conducted a merchant tailoring business of his own for two years. From there he returned to Ireland, but after a visit to his birth- place and a season spent with relatives and enjoying himself thoroughly, he felt ready to come back to Indianapolis, and he became an employe of the firm of Egan & Treat and remained until that partnership was dissolved. Mr. Egan again went into business for himself and conducted his establishment on South Meridian street until failing health made it necessary for him to retire from business effort. Al- though he survived for some eleven years, he was never able to resume his former activities.
On December IS, 1877, Thomas P. Egan was married to Mrs. Mary S. Bigelow, who was born in Delaware, and is a daughter of Delaware people. Her parents were Joseph S. and Hetty (Newcomb) Brittingham, the former of whom died when Mrs. Egan was three years old. After the death of her husband Mrs. Brittingham brought her family to Indiana, and she died at Indianapolis when aged seventy- five years. To Mr. and Mrs. Egan one child was born: Mary, who married H. J. Dillon, and they have one son, Thomas Finley.
Thomas P. Egan was a man of engaging personality, genial, kind hearted and companionable, and he numbered warm friends wherever he was known. As a busi- ness man he was held in high regard by the trade and by the public.
219
-'^u. . (j". /3ci^M^
Cjjarlej; 3^. JSalfee
NATIVE son of Indianapolis and a representative of one of its honored pioneer families of German stocky the late Charles
A^) Rudolph Balke well upheld the prestige of a name that has been /gj most worthily linked with the annals of the capital city of ^""^ Indiana, and he marked by distinctive personal accomplish- ment a place of his own in connection with commercial, indus- trial and social affairs in his native city, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred on the 15th of December, 1908, his remains being laid to rest in beautiful Crown HiU cemetery. He was a man of impreg- nable integrity, of genial and buoyant nature, of marked business acumen, and of utmost civic loyalty and public spirit, so that he wielded no little influence in con- nection with the civic and material affairs of Indianapolis, the while he commanded the most secure vantage ground in popular confidence and esteem. Kindly and tolerant in his judgment of others, democratic and unassuming in manner, he won friends among all classes, and his character was the positive expression of a strong and earnest nature. Such are the men whose lives and labors as here recorded justify the publication of a work of the province assigned to the one at hand.
Charles Rudolph Balke was born in the old family homestead on East Washing- ton street, Indianapolis, on the 8th of March, 1856, and on the site of his birthplace now stands a brick business block which is still in possession of the family. He was a son of Carl Heinrich Balke and Louisa Christina (Schneider) Balke, both of whom were born and reared in Baden, Germany, whence they came to America and numbered themselves among the early German settlers of Indianapolis, where the father passed the residue of his life. Charles R. was the only child, but he had half-brothers and half-sisters born of a previous marriage of his father's. Of the same family line was Julius Balke, a member of the well-known Bninswick-Balke Collender Company, the extensive manufacturers of billiard tables and other appli- ances, in Cincinnati.
Charles R. Balke received excellent educational advantages, including those afforded in a private school conducted in Indianapolis by teachers from Boston and other eastern centers, as well as several from across the seas, this being a German school that held the highest reputation. It was known as the German-English School. He also prosecuted his studies in the high school in his home city and there- after he attended for some time an excellent private school conducted by his half- brother, Professor Herman, in the city of Philadelphia. After his return to Indianapolis Mr. Balke passed about three years as an employe in the office of Alex- ander Metzger, one of the influential business men of the city, and later he was con- nected for several years with the old firm of Butch, Dickson & Dell, coal dealers. This concern was later merged into the Frank Dell Coal Company.
In 1884 Mr. Balke went into the coal and lime business with William Krauss, who had been a life long friend of his. They had grown up together, had attended
223
r/^ ^.™ /'m:^'..„,
(jI^U^UU / iAxt-^O'-i/^v^
Jotn ©iJttatt
IN TKK death of John O Brian.
;it hi- h'«ai" in Indiar':" '
V, 1. r>; alrotid men >
was .,••*■ f.!U»ire with th
(]uainta<j<H:«hip. _ He was a i.
ber of OTi.- of the sterling } i
was a railway conductor for the service of the Lake Rr\*- & Western RaHroaU great-hearted man he gaini'^i h remarkably wii? long service as a passenger (awtdtictor on the line betwrtn indi%:; gan City, as well as through his varied other associations in eovn of signal integrity and uscfulri-ss, Through well directed ende>i' investments he accumulated i -lihsf-tntial fortune and at'tP.r mam he made numerous attempts to r.Vire from active railway work, bi, resist the importunities of the tH(Bi>iaU of the company in which he bnc employed, for these execntivea realized how valuable had been his refused to consider his resignation, as they considered him practics^' sible in the position of which he itad been a most valued and popui 'or almost a half century. Impaired health finally caused his reti'< five years prior to his death, and the termination of his hfe was due to li from which he had long suffered and to which he succumbed with hu' monition. His standing in the city which had so long represented his hrjxi. i-;,iid. J^s altogether consistent the memorial tribute incorporated in this publicalion.
John O'Brian was born at I'era, the judicial center of Miami county, IndiaitA, on tlie 19th of October, 1840, and thus he was sixty-five years of age when he was suuimoned from the scene of lifr ■> mortal endeavors. He was a son of Patrick snd Anna Margaret O'Brian, bor.h natives of Ireland. Soon after his birth his parents established their hom«r on a farm near Peru, .and his father thereafter continued to be identified with 'i^rieultural pursuits during virtually the remainder of an active and useful c;.re, i , .^'-.th parents having continued their residenc<? in Indiana until their death. K'ar.v! to the .sturdy discipline of the farm and thus early learning the lessons o) pr.Hftical industry. John O'Brian remained with his parents on the old homestead farm until he had attained to his legal majority, and in the meanwhile he ^ah- ivailed himself of the adv.mtages of the district schools, in which he laid ta- i-.vjndation for the strong suiierstxuctnre of practical information which he lat'f .•»• ^uiret! through active association with men and affairs. Soon after reaching his majority Mr. O'Brian initiated his career as a railroad man by securing a position as locomotive fireman, and the fine physical powers which he had developed on the farm now came info excellent play Hr won pro- motion to the position of train bagg«ge-master and finally w»s advanerd to that of passenger c-' '•• ^ • 'r ■.«!.!<h 'i> Id of activity hi'; '•.tt.;?.,. Kvhr),i,.,? .-.v. » t r fi.^i^
229
3foljn (I^'prian
|N THE death of John O'Brian, on the 29th of November, 1905, at his home in Indianapolis, there passed away one of the veteran railroad men of Indiana and one whose popularity was coextensive with the exceptionally wide range of his ac- quaintanceship. He was a native son of Indiana and a mem- ber of one of the sterling pioneer families of this state. He was a railway conductor for more than forty-three years, in the service of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and as a genial, considerate and great-hearted man he gained a remarkably wide circle of friends through his long service as a passenger conductor on the line between Indianapolis and Michi- gan City, as well as through his varied other associations in connection with a life of signal integrity and usefulness. Through well directed endeavor and fortunate investments he accumulated a substantial fortune and after many years of service he made numerous attempts to retire from active railway work, but was unable to resist the importunities of the officials of the company in which he had been so long employed, for these executives realized how valuable had been his services and refused to consider his resignation, as they considered him practicably indispen- sible in the position of which he had been a most valued and popular incumbent for almost a half century. Impaired health finally caused his retirement about five years prior to his death, and the termination of his life was due to heart disease, from which he had long suffered and to which he succumbed with but slight pre- monition. His standing in the city which had so long represented his home renders altogether consistent the memorial tribute incorporated in this publication.
John O'Brian was born at Peru, the judicial center of Miami county, Indiana, on the 19th of October, 1840, and thus he was sixty-five years of age when he was summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors. He was a son of Patrick and Anna Margaret O'Brian, both natives of Ireland. Soon after his birth his parents established their home on a farm near Peru, and his father thereafter continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits during virtually the remainder of an active and useful career, both parents having continued their residence in Indiana until their death. Reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and thus early learning the lessons of practical industry, John O'Brian remained with his parents on the old homestead farm until he had attained to his legal majority, and in the meanwhile he duly availed himself of the advantages of the district schools, in which he laid the foundation for the strong superstructure of practical information which he later acquired through active association with men and affairs. Soon after reaching his majority Mr. O'Brian initiated his career as a railroad man by securing a position as locomotive fireman, and the fine physical powers which he had developed on the farm now came into excellent play. He won pro- motion to the position of train baggage-master and finally was advanced to that of passenger conductor, in which field of activity his service extended over a period
229
230 5oftn #'jirian
of virtually forty-three years. He won in this incumbency a high reputation for careful, honorable and efficient service, as was well attested by the previously mentioned official refusal to permit him to retire, and his buoyant spirits and un- failing good humor gained to him a notably wide circle of friends among the trav- eling public. During his entire period of service as a passenger conductor he had only one train accident. He was originally in the employ of the old Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railroad, which later became a part of the Wabash Railroad sys- tem, and finally he became a passenger-train conductor on the line of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad between Indianapolis and Michigan City, — a "run" which he retained for thirty-five consecutive years. He died on the 29th of November, 1905, and thus Thanksgiving day far from justified its title in the home in which he had been the soul of affectionate devotion and in which his interests centered at all times, with the result that he had no desire to ally himself with fraternal or other social organizations. His mortal remains were interred in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery, where he had previously erected a fine mausoleum.
In politics Mr. O'Brian was generically a Republican, and he gave to the party his support in matters where national and state issues were involved, while in local affairs he did not recognize partisan restraints but cast his vote for men and meas- ures meeting the approval of his judgment. While he had deep respect for spirit- ual verities, and was tolerant of the opinions of others, Mr. O'Brian was essen- tially an agnostic in religious views and was a great admirer of Robert G. Ingersoll. His heart was attuned to the utmost sympathy and kindliness and the great soul of the man could not but win to him the most enduring friendships, of all of which he was deeply appreciative. His love for children was one of his dominating characteristics and he was specially fond of little girls. All such youngsters knew him familiarly as "Uncle John," and he could entertain and be entertained by children for hours at a time. The children of his home neighborhood were by him remembered with birthday gifts and for those in poor circumstances he purchased shoes and other necessaries. When he gave them money he also advised them to buy good books or something to wear instead of frittering the sum away for candy or other dainties. His generous attentions in this direction were particularly given to little girls and upon his death he left a sum of money to assist in the education of a number of such children whose parents were not able to do much for them. Mrs. O'Brian has carefully dispensed this benefaction in harmony with his wishes and through his generosity the children are receiving excellent educational advan- tages. He was the friend of dumb animals and invariably won their affection. When he erected the family mausoleum he had provision made therein for the inter- ment of his favorite dog, which died six months after the loved master had passed away, and the remains of which Mrs. O'Brian had embalmed and duly deposited in the tomb, in accordance with the wishes of her husband.
On the 2d of April, 1879, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. O'Brian to Mrs. Amanda M. (Terrell) Fish, widow of John S. Fish, who had been a successful dry-goods merchant at Madison, Indiana, and who died at Peru, this state, in 1871, leaving one son, George Terrill Fish, who now devotes the greater part of his time and attention to the supervision of his mother's various capitalistic and property interests in Indianapolis.
Mrs. O'Brian was born at Columbus, the capital of Bartholomew county, Indi- ana, and is a daughter of the late Dr. John H. Terrell. Though eligible for mem-
BTotin (J^'iBnan
231
bership in the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the War of 1812, Mrs. O'Brian has not identified herself with these or other women's organizations, but she has been a popular figure in the social circles in which she has moved. She has maintained her home in Indianapolis for many years but since the death of her honored husband she has passed much time in travel, in connection with which she has visited many sections of the United States. Her Indianapolis home at the present time is at 2301 Central avenue. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian had no children.
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HK .- :m.- cfaariiUr and cxaJt' ;
rniiu- .■••r-it iicmtc «s » public p«!' ;
oti. ' /'(I nf the liitrhf-nt i(l«>»i« ♦.
of I Uieir manifestatiot I. •ireful sclf-disciplinf „
Few citizens of Indiana ant more to torUscr the welfare «J cflinacteric period of the Cfvil war, in which tic prov?^ ^ ~i.-«' coadjutor of Governor Morton. OUier fields of j. effective service, through wk'ii-h ht- houoi-ed U»e s
of one of the sterling piontff families of Indiana, v
r-ade of its stjitrhooci
been identified since the sei>"! lege to be able to present in '. ous, noble and useful citizen. > who exemplified the finest yU- William H. H. Terrell v. November, ]8sJ7, and was rii. Harrison Terrell and Salty f aiiJies of the old Bluegrfiiw
edition a brief rrvii- <•
^." life was one -i! ■ us of stronct aur ^ .rn in Heury <
.i in order of bi
Te) Terrell, iv> Ic. The original.
ia America was William Terreli, who was born
and who came to America wIi'M? a young man. }, .
continued to reside until hii ''.•.ib. which occurred in 17
wife having been Susannah ''V„!crs. The next in iine ^,:
this mtmoir was Henry Ter^rli, concerning whom litlJt .iutu- .
be gained, save that he irai twice married, — first to Anna (. i
d'^.ith to Sarah Wood ..: " ' st marriage was born Htnr-
date of nativity was -r death otumrred in 181:;
Tyler, daughter of C i Tyler, who was a pit.T".-.
officer in the war of the Krroiution. John Terrell, son of Henry ,uni y
Terrell, was bom in i77S «md died in 1810. Ht married Albs AUab ..
John H., who was bom in 1801 and died in 1807. was the. fsUvsr of hv
this review is dedicAtrd.
Genpral William <{. H. Terrell w»s an infant ■." imx u l: r •;; • ■■- removal from Keritucit* to IndianH, to the spn : was fin.illy c.stal'".'f:-!i *f r,.}n««ihT"< B.":'t*>^icmo« in the practic- section of tht
OTilliam ^. J|, WmtU
(HE noble character and exalted services of the late General William Henry Harrison Terrell should give to his memory enduring honor in the state of Indiana, in which he passed virtually his entire life and in which it was given to him to render great service as a public oflBcial and as a loyal, patri- otic citizen of the highest ideals. General Terrell was a man of distinctive ability and his intellectual powers, symmetrical in their manifestation in all the relations of life, represented the outgrowth of careful self-discipline and the maturing of an intrinsically alert and receptive mind. Few citizens of Indiana did more to further the welfare of its soldiers in the climacteric period of the Civil war, in which he proved a most earnest and valued coadjutor of Governor Morton. Other fields of public activity later found in him effective service, through which he honored the state and nation. He was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Indiana, with whose annals the name has been identified since the second decade of its statehood, and it is deemed a privi- lege to be able to present in this edition a brief review of the career of this vigor- ous, noble and useful citizen, whose life was one of signal consecration to duty and who exemplified the finest attributes of strong and useful manhood.
William H. H. Terrell was born in Henry county, Kentucky, on the 13th of November, 1827, and was the third in order of birth of the six sons of Doctor John Harrison Terrell and Sally (Moore) Terrell, members of the well known pioneer families of the old Bluegrass state. The original progenitor of the Terrell family in America was William Terrell, who was born in England, about the year 1635, and who came to America when a young man. He settled in Virginia and there continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1727, the maiden name of his wife having been Susannah Waters. The next in line of descent to the subject of this memoir was Henry Terrell, concerning whom little authentic information can be gained, save that he was twice married, — first to Anna Chiles and after her death to Sarah Woodson. Of the first marriage was born Henry Terrell (II), whose date of nativity was 1735 and whose death occurred in 1812. He married Mary Tyler, daughter of Captain William Tyler, who was a patriot soldier and gallant officer in the war of the Revolution. John Terrell, son of Henry and Mary (Tyler) Terrell, was bom in 1773 and died in 1810. He married Alba Allan and their son John H., who was bom in 1801 and died in 1867, was the father of him to whom this review is dedicated.
General William H. H. Terrell was an infant in arms at the time of the family removal from Kentucky to Indiana, in the spring of 1828, and the family home was finally established at Columbus, Bartholomew county, where the father engaged in the practice of medicine, as one of the pioneer physicians and surgeons of that section of the state. In the early '40s Dr. Terrell purchased a farm in Bartholomew county, about three miles north of Columbus, where he turned his attention to
235 .
?^. H. WttvtR
agricultural pursuits, practically abandoning the practice of his profession. He was one of the influential and honored pioneers of that section of the state and contributed his quota to its civic and industrial development. Both he and his wife continued to reside in Bartholomew county until their death. The early educational discipline of General TerreU was acquired in the common schools of the pioneer days and was limited in scope, as may well be understood. An alert and ambitious mind, however, enabled him to gain through self-application and well directed reading the equivalent of a liberal education, and he became known as a man of broad intellectual ken and mature judgment. He was fourteen years of age at the time of the family removal to the farm, and concerning this period in his career the following pertinent statements have been made: "On the farm, after the day's work was done, he could be found reading until the late hours of the night. He cared nothing for works of fiction but devoted his reading to histories of the United States and other coimtries and to the New York Tribune and other newspapers. Solid information was what he was looking for, and by close application to his studies he fitted himself well for the life before him."
The arduous and prosaic life of the pioneer farm did not satisfy the ambition of young Terrell, and in 1846 he secured a position as clerk in the office of the Madi- son & Indianapolis Railroad at Edinburg, Johnson county, which place was the northern terminus of the line. This was at that time the only railroad in the state, and thus the name of General Terrell merits place on the roll of the pioneer railroad representatives of Indiana, though his position in this connection was one of subordinate order. In 1847 he initiated his career as a public official, by assuming the position of deputy auditor of Bartholomew county, but later in the same year he became editor and co-publisher of the Columbus Gazette, which was a staunch supporter of the principles and policies of the Whig party. Apropos of this asso- ciation with journalistic enterprise the following statements are of interest: "He had some little previous newspaper experience, as he had served as roller-boy and carrier of the Columbus Advocate in 1838-9, and at a later date had written a num- ber of contributions for the Columbus Gazette and for the Western Literary Spec- tator, of Indianapolis."
In 1849 General Terrell was appointed deputy county clerk and recorder of Bartholomew county and was given virtually entire charge of the two offices; in the same year he was appointed county school commissioner, an important trust, and these official preferments well indicate the confidence and esteem in which he was held in his home county. He also served as county librarian and three years as treasurer of the town of Columbus. Upon the adoption of the present state con- stitution, by which many new offices were created. General Terrell became the Whig candidate for the office of county recorder of Bartholomew county, and his former eflective service in public office, combined with his personal popularity, enabled him to overcome the normal Democratic majority of about eight hundred votes, his election being compassed by a majority of two hundred and fourteen He gave an able administration during his term of office and in the meanwhile he continued to serve as deputy county clerk. After the expiration of his term as re- corder he was made the candidate of his party for the office of county clerk, but as this was a general election, party lines were closely drawn, and he was defeated by such political exigencies. He had in the meanwhile carefully prosecuted the study of law and was admitted to the bar. After his retirement from the office of recorder
?KBtaiam j|. j^. ^ttvtH 237
he entered into a professional partnership with William F. Pidgeon, under whom he had previously served as deputy coimty auditor, and he gained no slight pres- tige and success as a representative of the legal profession, with which he continued to be allied in an active way for several years.
In December, 1857, General Terrell removed to the historic old Indiana city of Vincennes, where he became cashier of a bank and also assumed the manage- ment of the office of a large manufacturing establishment. He was one of the three citizens who showed their progressiveness and public spirit by securing a charter for and installing the first gas plant at Vincennes, and this private enter- prise proved successful.
Concerning the advancement of General Terrell to an important public post an effective record has been given by one familiar with his entire career, and from the same quotation is made at this point, with slight paraphrase: "About this time the war of the Rebellion commenced. Governor Morton, while talking with some friends one day, said he was in great need of a suitable man to perform a certain work in his office and was at a loss to know where to find the man. Allison C. Remey, a warm friend of Terrell, was among those present, and he said: 'I know the very man you want, and I will guarantee that he can fill any place you may assign him. He is William H. H. Terrell, of Vincennes.' The governor sent Terrell a telegram asking him to come to the capital for a conference, and the latter responded by coming on the next train. Governor Morton explained the work he wanted done and Terrell responded briefly with the statement: 'I can per- form the service to your satisfaction.' The governor was pleased with the answer and also with the personality of Terrell, who was a man of commanding presence, six feet tall and weighing about one hundred and eighty-five pounds. General Terrell was forthwith employed and in addition to other work he made a list of all the Indiana companies in service, their location and information concerning the next probable battles in which they would be involved. This proved of great value in making proper provision for the Indiana troops in the field. The state legislature refused to make an appropriation of money to feed, uniform and arm the soldiers, and Governor Morton would have been helpless had not such men as Stoughton J. Fletcher, J. F. Lanier and others come to the rescue. These men provided the necessary funds and the governor established a finance department, of which he made Terrell secretary. Here General Terrell again showed his executive ability, for he so managed the fund that he was able to meet all demands upon it and also to create a surplus."
Further data concerning the services of General Terrell during and following the Civil war are here given, as they well merit perpetuation:
"Upon the breaking out of the war, in 1861, Mr. Terrell entered the military service as secretary of the auditing board appointed by the legislature to audit the military expenditures of the state. In January, 1862, he was appointed by Governor Morton to the position of military secretary of the executive department. In 186S, the legislature having failed and refused to appropriate funds to carry on the military and civil affairs of the state, Governor Morton established a bureau of finance, to assume the duties which should have been discharged by the auditor and treasurer of the state, and from private sources effected a loan of a total of nearly one million dollars. The governor appointed Mr. Terrell a member of his staff, with rank of colonel, and placed the administration and management of the
238 MHUiam ^. j|. gCerrett
bureau under his charge. The manner in which the responsible and laborious duties of this position were performed was warmly approved, after a thorough examina- tion by a joint committee of the legislature, without distinction of party. The amount borrowed by the governor was allowed by the legislature and was paid back in full to the lenders, with a highly complimentary recognition by the legislature of the service rendered by General Terrell.
In November, 1864, General Terrell was appointed adjutant general of the state, with the rank of colonel. In the following March his rank was raised by special legislative enactment — the only one of the kind on record — to that of brigadier general, with the pay and allowances of that rank as allowed in the regular army of the United States. In addition to General Terrell's duties as adjutant general the offices of state paymaster and chief of ordnance were transferred to him. As adjutant general he adjusted several million dollars of state military claims against the general government and also prepared and published, by legis- lative authority and at a cost of about one hundred thousand dollars, a report of the part taken by Indiana in the Civil war. This publication, entitled "Indiana in the War," comprises eight large octavo volumes of seven hundred pages each, and in- cludes, among many other features, the names and military history of 208,367 offi- cers and soldiers who served as United States volunteers from the state of Indiana during the Civil war.
In May, 1869, General Terrell resigned his office of adjutant general to accept from President Grant the position of third assistant postmaster general of which important post, representing the financial branch of the postoffice department, he continued in tenure for four years. In May, 1873, President Grant appointed him United States pension agent at Indianapolis, and in this important office he con- tinued to serve, with characteristic efficiency, until July 4, 1877, when he perma- nently retired from public office. Within his incumbency of the position of pension agent he disbursed more than five million dollars, without the loss of a penny to pensioners or the government. After his retirement he devoted himself to his pri- vate affairs and to the preparation of a series of papers relating principally to special subjects of Indiana history. These papers constitute a most valuable con- tribution to the historical literature pertaining to the state.
The following testimonial given by Governor Morton in thanking General Terrell for his services to the state should certainly be given place in this memoir: "I owe to you whatever success I have had in doing my full duty to Indiana and my country in assisting to put down the rebellion and establishing peace once more. No person has assisted me as much as you have by your highly appreciated, faith- ful service, and now, as we are about to take official leave of each other, I wish to assure you that should you ever ask me to do anything for you, I will do it."
The foregoing paragraphs have given evidence of the ability and distinguished services of General Terrell but the true strength and nobility of his character were shown forth more luminously in his every-day life, — in his association with family, friends and social activities. He was companionable, genial and kindly; his nature was buoyant and optimistic, and his sterling traits of character won and retained to him the confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. A more intimate and significant tribute could not be asked than in the following sentiments uttered by the youngest brother of General Terrell after the latter had been summoned to the life eternal: "To him I owe all I am. He was the most generous and unselfish man I ever knew. He was always befriending others and
WHHiam j|. ^. ZttvtVi 239
neglecting himself. Our father, while on his death-bed, referred to him as the 'noblest of earth.' Indeed, he was most noble, — greatly admired by a host of friends throughout the country, by reason of his bright intellect, his goodness of heart, and his sterling manhood. He was beloved and idolized by his kinsfolk everywhere."
The death of General Terrell occurred at his home in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 16th of May, 1884, as the result of pulmonary tuberculosis. His health had been excellent until about three years prior to his demise, and he had passed about a year in the home of his youngest brother, Lynch M. Terrell, of Atlanta, Georgia, whither he had gone in the hope that the change of climate would prove of benefit to his health. His death occurred only a few weeks after his return to Indianapolis, and his remains were laid to rest with full military honors, in Crown Hill cemetery. His name merits enduring place as that of one of the really great and representative citizens of Indiana, a state which he dignified and honored by his exalted character and services.
General Terrell was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party from the time of its organization until his death, and he was an able exponent of its principles and policies as well as an active worker in its ranks. He was secre- tary of the Republican state central committee of Indiana during the spirited cam- paign of 1880, and to his discrimination in the handling of the forces at his com- mand was attributed to a large degree the success of the party ticket in Indiana in that year. He was a member of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity.
The home life of General Terrell was one of ideal order and to him home was ever a sanctuary; in it his affections and interests centered. At Columbus, Bar- tholomew county, this state, on the 19th of November, 1850, was solemnized the marriage of General Terrell to Miss Sarah Eliza Church, daughter of Alfred B. Church, a representative citizen of Bartholomew county. Mrs. Terrell was born at Rochester, New York, on the 13th of November, 1830, and, surviving her hon- ored husband, she continued to maintain her home in Indianapolis until she too was summoned to eternal rest, in July, 1902. She was a woman of most gentle and gracious personality and her memory is revered by all who came within the sphere of her influence. General and Mrs. Terrell became the parents of two children, — Emma, who was born November 20, 1851, and who still resides in Indianapolis; and George Fisher, who was bom on the 22d of March, 1854. Miss Emma Terrell has passed the major part of her life in Indiana's capital city, where she has a wide circle of friends and where she has been a popular factor in social and other civic activities. George Fisher Terrell died on the 12th of July, 1897, in Indianapolis. He married Miss Emma Dale, daughter of the late John Dale, of this city, and she preceded him into the life eternal, her death having occurred in 1893. Their marriage was solemnized on the 30th of August, 1876, and Mrs. Terrell was born in New York City, August 5, 1858. The two children of this union still reside in Indianapolis, — Gertrude Eliza, who was born in this city on the 28th of December, 1877, and who is the wife of Samuel Montgomery; and Harrison Lynch, who was born August 29, 1881, and who is now an electrician in Indianapolis. General Terrell was survived by three brothers and one sister, and of the number those now living are: J. A. Terrell, of Bloomfield, Indiana, age eighty-eight years; C. A. Terrell, of Indianapolis; L. M. Terrell, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Mrs. O'Brian, of Indianapolis.
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Samesi praben, 0i* ©.
^nA^IGH intellectual and professional attainments and distinctive ^Mp. business ability gave Dr. Braden a place of prominence in
H^^ the city and state which so long represented his home, and he ^^ was long numbered among the prominent and influential citi- _^^ zens of Indianapolis, where his capitalistic interests were wide ^^§ and varied, and whence he ever stood exponent of ideal civic loyalty and public spirit. His character was the positive ex- pression of a strong and noble nature and his long and useful life was benignant in its every aspect. He was a resident of Indiana's capital city for nearly half a century and such was his status in the community, such the honors that he worthily achieved, that this memorial edition gains in consistency and value through according a tribute to so worthy a citizen. Strong in mental and physical powers until the close of his life, — a life that was prolonged to more than four score years, — Dr. Braden was summoned to the life eternal on the 12th of May, 1907, being the last survivor of a family of thirteen children. He had gone to the state of Oregon to devote a few months to the supervision of his important business inter- ests there, and his illness was of very brief duration. His death occurred at Gold HiU, that state, and the end came so suddenly that his devoted wife was unable to reach his side before his death, though she had been promptly summoned. His sterling character and genial personality had gained and retained to him the high regard of all who knew him, and his death was a source of personal bereave- ment to his wide circle of appreciative friends in Indiana and other sections of the Union.
Dr. James Braden, the seventh son of James and Elizabeth (Boyd) Braden, was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of January, 1825, and was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of the southwestern part of the old Keystone state. On the maternal side he was the grandson of Colonel Robert Boyd, an Irish patriot whose perfervid zeal in behalf of his native land made him persona non grata to the governmental authorities, with the result that he was compelled to flee to America to save his life, bringing with him his bride of a few months, Mary Robb Boyd, and locating in Philadelphia, where her brother, James Robb, was a jeweler. His grandfather, Jacob Braden, served through the Revo- lution and bore a glowing record. He was with Washington at Valley Forge and Brandywine and many other important engagements of the war period.
Dr. Braden continued to attend the common schools of his native state until he had attained the age of sixteen years. The discipline thus gained was supple- mented by a course in the excellent academy at Martinsburg, Ohio, where he con- tinued his studies for three years. From there he went to Kentucky and taught in a private school for a year near Frankfort, and this was the beginning of a loyal friendship with the Freeman family which continued through life. He then returned to his native state and was matriculated in Jefferson College at Canons-
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244 Jameg ^raben, jtt. 13.
burg, Pennsylvania, not far distant from his old home, in an adjoining comity. This college later was united with Washington College. In this institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1847, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The late Hon. James G. Blaine was also graduated in the same year at Washing- ton College, and the two were close friends, their intimacy continuing until the death of Mr. Blaine. It is interesting to note in this connection that after their graduation Dr. Braden and Mr. Blaine were both instructors. — Dr. Braden in Georgetown College, a Baptist institution at Georgetown, Kentucky, where he was engaged for two years, and Mr. Blaine in the Military school. In preparing for his chosen profession Dr. Braden returned to Washington, Pennsylvania, where he began reading medicine under the effective preceptorship of Dr. LeMoyne, who, it will be recalled, established the first crematory in the United States. Dr. Braden finally entered the medical department of the historic old University of Virginia at Charlottesville, where he completed the prescribed course and was graduated in 1850, with the well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. In the same year he initiated the active practice of his profession in the vicinity of Wash- ington, Pennsylvania, where he soon built up a substantial and representative business and gained reputation for broad and practical knowledge of medicine and surgery. He continued in practice until 1863 near Washington, in which year he came to Indiana, where his brothers. Captain David Braden and William Braden, were already located, and established his home in Indianapolis, where he became one of the founders of the firm of William & James Braden, engaged in the book and stationery business. He virtually retired from the practice of his profession and gave his attention to the upbuilding of this business enterprise, which even- tually developed into one of broad scope and importance, and which is now con- ducted by the W. B. Burford Company.
Dr. Braden continued to be actively identified with business interests until 1876, when he removed to southern Indiana, and in 1883 bought an interest in the mineral springs at West Baden. In 1883 he was appointed receiver of public moneys of the United States lend office at Walla Walla, Washington, this prefer- ment having come under the administration of President Arthur. Though the Doctor was a Republican, he was not removed from office after the election of Cleveland, and he continued to retain his post at Walla Walla for five years. He then returned with his family to Indiana in 1888 and sold his interest in the mineral springs and hotel property at West Baden, and resumed residence in Indianapolis. He was actively concerned with the development of this famous health resort at West Baden, and through his connection therewith received large financial returns. In later years Dr. Braden acquired extensive mining interests in the Rogue River Valley of Oregon, and it was while he was visiting his prop- erties at Gold Hill that his death occurred, as has already been stated in a pre- vious paragraph. These valuable mining interests are still retained by his widow and children.
In politics Dr. Braden was admirably fortified in his convictions, and although brought up a Democrat, after hearing two of the Lincoln-Douglas debates he was ever aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, in whose ranks he rendered effective service. At the time when General Garfield was the party's presidential candidate. Dr. Braden was nominated to represent his dis- trict in Congress, but while he ran far ahead of his ticket, he was unable to overcome
Sfameg ^vabtn, jtl. 13. 245
the overwhelming Democratic majority of the district. As a citizen he was vigor- ously loyal and progressive and his aid was freely given in the promotion of those measures which tended to advance the general welfare of the community where he happened to reside. He was a member of the Presbyterian church from child- hood and was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, though his deepest interests ever centered in his home, in which he represented the ideal of the devoted husband and father. His remains were brought from the west to his old home in Indianapolis and interment was made in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. Dr. Braden was large of heart and large of mind, and his charity and benevolence were exemplified in countless and invari- ably unostentatious ways. He was humanity's friend and his very bearing and character begot objective confidence, esteem and affection, so that when, venerable in years, he was summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors there were many outside the immediate family circle who felt a personal sense of loss and bereavement.
At Springville, Lawrence county, Indiana, on the 4th of September, 1866, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Braden to Miss Lydia E. Short. She was bom at Springville, and is the daughter of Milton and Mary (Tate) Short. She was graduated from the old Northwestern Christian University, now known as the Butler College of Indianapolis, in 1860. Her great-grandfather, John Short, was a patriot in the Continental army during the Revolution, as was also her maternal great-grandfather, William Owens. John Short was a resident of Virginia, and he was one of the early abolitionists of his time. He and his sons moved from Virginia to Kentucky in 1802, and it was in 1817 that the family, freeing their slaves, removed from that state to Lawrence county, Indiana. Milton Short, who was the grandson of John Short and the father of Mrs. Braden, later returned to Kentucky, where he married Mary Tate in 1829. They became the parents of eight children, of which number five are yet living. Four were born in Kentucky and four in Indiana. He was a physician, as were also his two eldest sons, Rob- ert and Wesley. Luther Short and Burnet M. Short are graduates of the Indiana State University and the law department of the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor. Luther Short was at one time United States consul general to Turkey, and he is a thirty-third degree Mason. Milton Sliort was one of the first members of the Christian church and a great friend of Alexander Campbell.
In conclusion of this brief memoir is entered epitomized record concerning the children of Dr. and Mrs. Braden: Norman Short Braden resides at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and is Canadian sales manager for the Westinghouse Manufactur- ing Company. He married Miss Mabel Greening, a member of one of Hamilton's representative families, and they have one daughter, Eleanore. Stella Braden be- came the wife of Jesse Lincoln Brady, and they reside at Tlensselaer, Jasper county, Indiana, where Mr. Brady conducts an extensive grain and coal business. Miss Romaine Braden resides with her widowed mother in their beautiful suburban home, at 56 Downey avenue, in Irvington, one of the most attractive residence sub- urbs of Indianapolis. Laura, the youngest child died at the age of ten years.
Dr. Braden, warmly seconded by his wife, was an exponent of education and liberally educated his children. The son was a student at Whitman College at Walla Walla, Washington, and a business college of Indianapolis, until he became identified with electrical interests, which have since claimed bis attention. The
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3amt& praticn, iW. B.
daughters are both graduates of Butler College, Indianapolis. Mrs. Braden is also an accomplished musician. Miss Romaine Braden is a graduate of the Uni- versity of California, with the degree of Master of Arts, in addition to being a graduate of Butler College.
Mrs. Braden and her daughters are members of the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and take deep interest in the affairs of this noble aad patriotic order, besides which they are popular and representative factors in the social life of Indiana's beautiful capital city.
Cbtoarti #, Cornelius!
STRONG and noble character was that of the late Edward Graves Cornelius, who died at his home, 1005 North Meridian street, in
A^^ the city of Indianapolis on the 1st day of March, 1901, as the [6/ result of a second stroke of paralysis. He maintained his home in Indiana's capital city for nearly forty years and exerted an emphatic and benignant influence in connection with its business and civic affairs. Though he was significantly quiet and re- served, the elements of strength in his nature were matured and symmetrical, as represented in sterling manhood and in large and worthy achievement. He gained success through his individual ability and application, and he ever stood exemplar of that integrity of purpose which figures as the plumb of character and makes for objective appreciation in connection with the varied relations of life. He won a large and definite success as one of the world's great army of workers, and this suc- cess was gained through industry and honest means. He acquired wealth without fraud or deceit and the results of his life are full of inspiration. He was long num- bered among the essentially representative business men of Indianapolis and every interest of the city lay close to his heart. No shadow rests on any portion of his career and he was essentially the architect of his own fortune. He never courted or desired public notice and evaded the same by every legitimate and courteous means, but such a man could not obscure himself, nor could his character and labors fail of distinct and valuable influence in both a general and specific way. Now that a per- spective view of his career may be gained, it is but consistent that at least a brief record of his life history be entered in a publication of the province assigned to the one here presented.
Edward Graves Cornelius was born at Petersburg, Boone county, Kentucky, on the 29th of September, 1832, and was a scion of a family founded in America in the early colonial epoch. His father, George Cornelius, was born in Virginia in 1787, and was a grandson of the founder of the American branch of the family. This original progenitor immigrated from Wales and settled in Virginia in the seven- teenth century. Elizabeth Willis, the wife of George Cornelius, was a member of the distinguished Willis family of Virginia, and they continued to reside in the Old Dominion commonwealth until their removal to Boone county, Kentucky, where they were pioneer settlers, and where George Cornelius followed his trade of tanner in connection with agricultural pursuits. There he continued to maintain his home until 1834, when he came with his family to Indiana and settled on a farm in Dear- born county, where he became a citizen of prominence and influence in that pioneer community. In 1844 he was elected to represent his county in the state legislature, and as candidate on the Whig ticket he received a large majority. In 1865 he re- moved to Shelbyville, this state, and two years later he established his home in Fair- mount, Vermillion county, Illinois, where he passed the remainder of his life, his death having occurred in the village of Fairmount, that county, in 1868, his devoted
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248 Cbtoarb 0. Comelittg
wife surviving him by several years. Of their large family of children Edward G., subject of this memoir, was the tenth in order of birth.
Edward Graves Cornelius gained his early experience in connection with the work of the farm, and he attended the district schools of Shelby county, Indiana, where he made good use of the advantages thus afforded him. In 1853, shortly after attaining his legal majority, he entered Franklin College, at Franklin, this state, where he pursued higher academic studies for two years. After leaving this institution he was employed for four years as salesman in a general store at Shelby- ville, and he then became associated with his brother-in-law, Henry T. Gaines, in the dry-goods business in the same town. He devoted himself to his business in- terests with characteristic vigor and circumspection, and the success of the enter- prise was of unequivocal order. Through this medium Mr. Cornelius finally found his capitalistic resources sufficiently secure to justify his seeking a broader field of business activity, and in 1865 he came to Indianapolis, where he purchased an in- terest in the retail dry-goods business of Tousey & Bryam, in which his associates were Oliver Tousey and Norman S. Bryam, both now deceased. Concerning the business enterprise with which Mr. Cornelius thus identified himself, the following record appeared in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death, and the same is worthy of reproduction in this article, as it gives adequate description concerning his progress and success in his chosen sphere of endeavors. Speaking in an initia- tory way of the original establishment in which Mr. Cornelius was concerned, the article mentioned thus proceeds: "This store was in its time one of the foremost dry- goods houses in the city. It was located in East Washington street, on the site of the present house of the Vonnegut Hardware Company. It enjoyed a specially large country trade and was noted for its integrity and straightforward business methods. In 1867 the firm quit the retail trade and opened a wholesale dry-goods house at the southwest corner of Meridan and Georgia streets, later removing to the opposite corner, now occupied by the Keifer Drug Company, in a building especially erected to meet their needs. After the death of Mr. Tousey the firm was re-organized and the business was thereafter successfullj' continued under the title of Bryam, Cornelius & Company until 1888, when the business was sold to D. P. Irwin & Company, which was succeeded by the present Haven-Geddes Company. Mr. Cornelius and Mr. Bryam continued their business relations, finding investment for their capital in real estate, business properties and various commercial interests. In 1888 Mr. Cornelius bought a large interest in the Indianapolis Chair Company, which increased largely in the ca- pacity of its output imder his management, and he was president of this corporation at the time of his death, besides which he was first vice-president of the Indiana Trust Company, which he assisted in organizing. During his long residence in this city he was a prominent and active member of the Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal church, and by his fine business methods he aided greatly in the final obliteration of the great debt of forty thousand dollars which had hung over that church."
It may consistently be said that Mr. Cornelius was the dominating force in the up- building of the splendid enterprise now controlled by the Indianapolis Chair Company, which represents one of the most important of the manj' fine manufacturing industries of the capital city. The concern gives employment to a large force of operatives and its trade extends into all sections of the Union. Mr. Cornelius' interest in this exten- sive business is retained by his widow, and the other and varied interests of the estate make it one of wide and substantial scope. It has already been stated that Mr. Cor-
Cbbiarb <g. Corncliug 249
nelius had no desire for publicity of any order, but as a citizen he was essentially loyal, progressive and public-spirited, taking a lively interest in all that touched the moral, social and material welfare of his home city, and being aligned as a staunch supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party. His religious faith was a very part of his character and shone forth in all the associations of his life, though never with intolerance or ostentation. His abiding human sympathy was one of helpfulness and of him it may well be said that "he remembered those who were forgotten." His interests centered in his home, whose every association was ideal, but he found ample time to devote to church work and to maintain kindly solicitude for those in affliction and distress. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and held membership in the IndianapoUs Commercial Club. No citizea had a more secure place in the confidence and esteem of the leading business men of Indianapolis, and all who knew Mr. Cornelius were necessarily impressed with his quiet dignity, his sincerity and his noble attributes of character. There can be no impropriety in making at this point somewhat liberal quotation from the apprecia- tive estimate given by Rev. E. C. Bacon, D. D., then pastor of the Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal church, on the occasion of the funeral of Mr. Cornelius. In offering this reproduction it is not deemed necessary to indicate eliminations or other slight modifications :
"Edward G. Cornelius was a man who lived in deeds, not in words. He was ol few words, but he has left the marks of his activity all about us. His life recalls the statement of Christ, 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' In commercial life, in church life, in his home life, his strong personality was felt, and in all these lines of activity his life was successful. Some lives cannot be properly measured until you gather all the results together. The proper proportions of the life of Mr. Cor- nelius are not realized until you consider it from all the lines of activity, and it grows before you into grandly worthy proportions. Mr. Cornelius was not a one sided man. He who would consider him from the commercial side alone would not know him. He who would consider him from even the sacred precincts of the home- side alone would not know him. He must be seen from the viewpoint of all.
"Mr. Cornelius was a man of persistent purpose, and his childhood, like that of many others who have been successful and illustrious, was passed on the farm. The persistency of purpose was marked from the clerk in the country store to the latei years of his business life. Those most intimately associated with Mr. Cornelius comment on the system of his business methods. He was very systematic and in- dustrious. He kept his counsels to himself, and his success must be largely at- tributed to his own ideas and efforts. He had a clear business head. His judg- ment was good. His commercial life stands as an illustration of persistence, in- dustry and that clear financial perception which is difficult to define. His life illus- trated that men may be successful in business and yet be truly devoted to his church, the contrary of which some vainly assert.
"Mr. Cornelius' life was not all taken up with his business career. He was a church man from his early manhood, and was one of the most loyal and helpful mem- bers of the congregation of his chosen church. His church career has been char- acterized by quiet and reliable devotion to its interests. He was converted and united with the Methodist Episcopal church at Shelbyville, Indiana, under Rev. Asbury Wilkinson. He became a member of Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal church in July, 1865, and has occupied different official positions on its board. At
250 (Ebtoarb (g. Corneliug
the time of his death, and for four years previously, he had been a trustee of this church. He had under the load of its great debt during all the years of its exis- tence, and during all this period he gave to every subscription for its liquidation. He has bravely borne a share of this burden. His contributions during all this period probably sum up more than those of any other one man of the church now living, — possibly more than any one living or dead, — and there has been a noble company of givers to this grand old church. But this was not the sum total of Mr. Cornelius' rehgious life. His place in the church on Sunday morning and also evening, until his recent illnesses, was seldom vacant. Also he, with his good wife or daughter, was a regular attendant at the mid-week prayer meeting, and while a man upon who rested many heavy and burdensome financial interests, yet an official meeting of the church board usually found him in his place. He was a man upon whom the church might lean, knowing that in the critical moment he would not fail them."
After speaking of the religious phase of the home life of Mr. Cornelius, Dr. Bacon continued with the following statements :
"Brother and Sister Cornelius were much together. In their travel, at their home, in the church they were together. They understood each other. He lived in his quiet, undemonstrative way, knowing his wife would help him. He bore his business interests alone. He did not bring his business home. It might have been weU had he done so, but he knew that home had its cares; the family knew he was perfectly capable of conducting his business. His interest in his children and grandchildren was intense. He was solicitious for their welfare and interest and expressed it more by deeds than by words. He was of emphatic purity of char- acter and abhorred everything vile, — it was revolting to him. Thus has passed away one whose energy and ability have enabled him to fill a large place in the com- munity. There has passed away one whose devotion to the church will leave a large and vacant place in our hearts. As his wife said yesterday, life's joys are not measured by possessions. When one dies, men ask what he has left behind him, but angels as they bend over his tomb ask what he has sent before him. The place to lay up treasures is where 'moth and rust do not corrupt, nor thieves break in and steal.' Heaven seems nearer to us today. Heaven not only truly gives definition to the best of earth, but oilers reunions, companionship, bliss, and the final word of approval spoken by our Lord, which is better than all other words, — 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' "
In viewing the life of Mr. Cornelius it may well be said that it realized the ful- fillment of its consecration to lofty ideals, and it offers both lesson and incentive, while to those nearest and dearest to him must come and remain the greatest meas- ure of reconciliation and compensation in the thought that it was permitted them to be thus closely associated with one who measured up to the full stature of strong and noble manhood, and who well exemplified the truth of the statement: "The bravest are the tenderest; the loving are the daring."
In the close comunion of love, sympathy and interests was defined the ideal domestic life of Mr. Cornelius, and there can be no desire to invade the home sanct- uary in offering further words concerning its intimate relations. Therefore, the concluding paragraph of this memoir will touch only upon the esoteric phases of this chapter in the career of the honored subject to whom tribute is paid.
On the 7th of February, 1860, at Shelby ville, Indiana, was solemnized the mar-
Cbtoarb <g. Corncliug 251
riage of Mr. Cornelius to Miss Melissa Jeffras, who survives him and who now re- sides at 2028 North Meridian street, the stately and hospitable old family homestead having been sold to Charles Williams, editor of the Indianapolis News.
Mrs. Cornelius was born at Tylersville, Butler county, Ohio, on the 13th of September, 1838, and is a daughter of Asbury and Sarah (Thompson) Jeffras, the former of whom was born in Butler county, Ohio, and the latter near the city of Dublin, Ireland, their marriage having been solemnized at Piqua, Ohio, in the home of the bride's parents, on March 6, 1834'. Mrs. Jeflfras' parents came to America when she was a child of ten years, and she was but twenty-eight years of age at the time of her husband's death, which occurred in his thirty-second year of life. The young widow was left almost penniless and upon her devolved the care and mainte- nance of her four little children. She bravely faced the problems confronting her and her maternal devotion was of the most intense order. She engaged in the mil- linery business and was successful in her earnest endeavors, as is evidenced by the fact that she was able to give to each of her children the advantages of college education. A gentle, noble and gracious character was hers, and her memory is revered by all who came within the sphere of her influence, her death having oc- curred in 1883. Mrs. Cornelius gained her early educational discipline in the schools of Ohio, where she was for two years a student at Ohio Female College at College Hill, Hamilton county. She left this institution in her sixteenth year and accompanied her mother on her removal to Shelbyville, Indiana, in 1855. She was reared to maturity in this state and continued her residence at Shelbyville until she came to Indianapolis with her husband in 1865. In that year both she and her husband imited with Roberts' Park Methodist Episcopal church and she likewise has been earnest and zealous in the work of this church, the while she has given co- operation in the various benevolent and philanthropic undertakings in her home city and has been a gracious factor in the social life of the community. She has the affectionate regard of all who knew her and her home and the city itself are endeared to her through the hallowed memories and associations of many years.
Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius, the following brief data is here incorporated: Jessie Dell is the wife of Judge Quincy Alden-Myers, one of the associate judges of the supreme court of Indiana, and they reside in the capital city of the state. Their marriage was solemnized on the 3d of March, 1886, and they became the parents of two children, — Marie Rosanna, who died on the 6th of March, 1910, at the age of twenty-one years, after having been graduated in Belmont Col- lege, and Melissa Jeffras, who is the wife of Dr. Joel Whitaker, a representative physician and surgeon of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Sarah Willis Cornelius is the wife of James A. Allison, of Indianapolis, presi- dent of the Prest-O-Lite Company, and they reside in the attractive suburb of River- side. They have one daughter, Cornelia Willis Allison.
Mary C. Cornelius, the third of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius, is de- ceased. She married Frank Edward Helwig, of Indianapolis, who is a representa- tive of the prominent German family of that name in Indianapolis, his father being the founder of the Indianapolis Chair Factory. Edward Cornelius Helwig, the only child of this union, was united in marriage on the 16th of October, 1911, to Miss Hester Thompson, of Indianapolis.
One son of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius died in early infancy, as did also Francis Asbury Cornelius, while George Edward Cornelius died at the age of two years.
L%ij /^'^<^uC<^^
3fotin iHcjTabpen
JBOUT five years represented the period during which Mr. Mc- Fadyen maintained his home in Indianapolis, but this interval
Aliyli was sufficient to enable him to make a deep and favorable r6^ impression upon the industrial activities of the city and state and for him to show forth those high qualities of loyal and progressive citizenship which indicates his strong and loyal character. He was a man of marked ability and resourceful- ness, made good account of himself in all the relations of life and at the time of his death he held prestige as one of the representative business men of Indiana's capital city. Concerning him the writer of this article had previously given the following estimate, which is reproduced without conventional marks of quotation.
In enlisting the efforts and energies of men of distinctive initiative and exe- cutive ability has Indianapolis made so great advancement along industrial and commercial lines within the last decade, and a typical representative of this class was John McFadyen, who at the time of his death was vice-president and general manager of the Vandalia Coal Company, one of the most important concerns oper- ating in the Indiana coal fields. He was one of the prominent factors in effecting the organization of this corporation, and its advancement to its present status was largely due to his untiring and discriminating efforts. He was sum- moned to the life eternal on the 7th of May, 1910, at Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was at the time in the very prime of his strong and useful manhood. In Feb- ruary, 1910, he suffered an attack of quinsy, and resultant septicaemia was the immediate cause of his death.
Depending upon his own energies and powers for his advancement, Mr. Mc- Fadyen had been prominently identified with the coal, iron and steel industries, and in connection therewith he won his way from positions of obscurity to those of high executive and administrative order, so that he merited consideration not only as the architect of his own fortunes but also as a veritable "captain of industry."
A scion of the staunchest of Scottish stock in both the paternal and maternal lines, John McFadyen was born at Kilburnie, Ayrshire, Scotland, on the 18th of October, 1849. He was the youngest child of Michael and Margaret (Craig) McFadyen, the former of whom was a skilled and successful mining engineer and who devoted his attention to the work of his profession in his native land until his death. John McFadyen gained his rudimentary education in Scotland and was about seven years of age at the time when his widowed mother came with her five children to America. The family settled in Maryland, where they remained until after the close of the Civil war, when removal was made to Pennsylvania, where the noble and devoted mother passed the remainder of her life. She passed away at the age of sixty-five years and her memory was ever revered by her son John, who accorded to her the utmost filial solicitude, as did also the other chil-
255
256 3^of)n ittcjfabpen
drenj of whom only two are now living, — James, who is a resident of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Kate Duckworth, of Connellsville, that state.
The public schools of Maryland afforded John McFadyen proper educational advantages after the family removal to the United States, and at the age of eighteen years he entered Johns Hopkins University, in which celebrated insti- tution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science. His father had been a mining engineer, as has already been noted, and this fact undoubtedly had much to do in influencing the son when he formulated plans for his future career. After leaving the university Mr. McFadyen identified himself with practical opera- tions in connection with the coal and coke industry in Pennsylvania, where he begun at the foot of the ladder and worked himself up through the various grades of promotion. He thus gained a thorough knowledge of all technical and practical details of the industry, and his keen business acumen soon marked him as eligible for positions of distinctive trust and responsibility.
In 1875, when twenty-five years of age, Mr. McFadyen became manager of the fuel department of the business of the Cambria Iron Company, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and later he was promoted to the office of general agent for this company, with which he continued to be identified about fourteen years. He then assumed the position of general manager of the Keystone Manganese Iron Com- pany, an incumbency which he retained for two years, during which he maintained his residence in Pittsburgh. At the expiration of the period noted he became one of the organizers and incorporators of the Hostetter Coke Company and the Puritan Coke Company, both of which were incorporated under the laws of Pennsylvania and in connection with which he did a large amount of important development work in Westmoreland county, that state, where the great coke plants of Hostetter, Whitney, Baggaley & Dorothy stand as evidence of his business sagacity and energy. Later Mr. McFadyen became an influential factor in connection with the organization of the American Steel & Wire Company, which gained control of large and important interests, and he was vice-president of three of the subsidiary com- panies represented in this syndicate, which eventually became a part of the great United Steel Company, with which latter he continued in a responsible executive ca- pacity until his impaired health rendered it practically imperative for him to make a change, as his incidental responsibilities placed exacting demands upon his time and attention. He was also instrumental in the building of the Ligonier Coal Company's plant in Derry township, Westmoreland county, which is regarded today as one of the best in that district. In 1904. Mr. McFadyen removed from Latrobe, Penn- sylvania, to Pittsburgh, where he effected the organization of the Fort Pitt Coke & Coal Company, of which he served as president until the following year and of which his second son. Rush, is now secretary and treasurer. In 1905 Mr. Mc- Fadyen removed from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis, where he organized the Van- dalia Coal Company, and where he continued to be prominently identified with industrial and civic interests until the close of his life. He was interested also in the development of several coal fields in Ohio, and few men have had a broader and more intimate knowledge of and connection with the important coal-mining developments and operations of the country.
As vice-president and general manager of the Vandalia Coal Company Mr. Mc- Fadyen had active supervision of the large and important business controlled by this corporation. The offices of the company are located in the State Life build-
3foJ)n iWcJfabpen 257
ingj in Indianapolis, but moved recently to Terra Haute, and its business com- prises the handling of coal at wholesale and upon a most extensive scale. His interest in Indiana and its capital city was not one of tentative or desultory order, and he manifested deep concern in all that touched the material and civic welfare of both. In evidence of this stood his published protest against the discrimina- tion directed against Indiana coal in the capital city of the state, and his senten- tious statements (taken from the "Fuel" a paper published in 1906) are worthy of reproduction in this connection.
"Indiana coal is being discriminated against by Indianapolis to such an extent that it seems that these markets are to be given over to the West Virginia opera- tors, to the detriment of the Indiana coal industry. The use of West Virginia coal has increased from twenty-five to thirty-three per cent, in Indianapolis this year. This increase is due to three causes. The first is that this city has the strictest anti-smoke ordinance of any city I know. The second is that the smoke inspector and the city government are most aggressive against those who try to use Indiana coal. The third is that men who fire the furnaces in Indianapolis are not told or instructed how they can fire their furnaces without creating the smoke. Instead of this, the owners of the plants are advised to use so-called 'smokeless' West Virginia coal. As a matter of fact there is no 'smokeless coal,' though it is true that some West Virginia coal does not throw off as dark a smoke as some Indiana coal. If the smoke inspector were as active in giving information on how to fire furnaces and prevent smoke as he is in discriminating against Indiana coal, it would mean a great saving of money for Indianapolis coal con- sumers and also give a fair deal to the Indiana coal industry, which certainly counts for something to the welfare and prosperity of this state and its capital city. Indiana coal is burned in Indianapolis furnaces which throw off practically no smoke, — less than that thrown off by the furnaces in which the West Virginia coal is burned. * * * The Indiana coal men are not advocating that Indian- apolis should take on the smoke of Pittsburgh ; are not advocating that there be no restrictions against producing clouds of smoke, but they do advocate a chance for Indiana coal in the Indiana market, and wish some slight modifications in the strictest smoke ordinance of which I have knowledge, and some attention paid to the education of the man who stokes the fires of Indianapolis."
The business career of Mr. McFadyen was marked by cumulative success, untiring energy and close application. He was a promoter in the true sense of the word and not as commonly interpreted, — he was a maker of wealth for others and a conservator of that prosperity which touches the entire community. He had great capacity for the conducting of large business activities and in the vari- ous communities in which he lived at different times he stood exponent of the highest type of citizenship, — commanding, by the very strength and nobility of his personality, the unequivocal confidence and esteem of his fellow men. Loyal to all civic responsibilities and genuinely public spirited, he never consented to be- come a candidate for public office, though he was a stalwart and well fortified advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party. At Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the year 1876, Mr. McFadyen was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, and he continued to be actively identified with the time-honored fraternity until his death. In the same he passed forward through the various grades in the York and Scottish Kites until he had attained to the thirty-second
258 3foi)n jtlcjFatipcn
degree of the latter. He retained from the beginning his aflSliation with the follow- ing York Rite bodies at Johnstown, Pennsylvania: Cambria Lodge, No. 278, Free & Accepted Masons; Portage Chapter, No. 195, Royal Arch Masons; and Orien- tal Commandery, No. 61, Knights Templar. In Indianapolis he became a val- ued and popular member of the Commercial, Columbia and Country Clubs, all of which passed appreciative resolutions at the time of his death. His remains were taken to Pittsburgh for interment. Mr. McFadyen had naught of pretentiousness but was essentially democratic, sincere and congenial, with a respect for all men who merited it, irrespective of their various stations in life. His kindliness was shown in deeds as well as words, and he was a strong and genuine character, a, constructive worker and a loyal citizen.
In the year 1875 Mr. McFadyen was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Rush, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania. Concerning the children of this union the following brief record is entered: John W. resides at Latrobe, Penn- sylvania, and is one of the representative members of the bar of Westmoreland county; Rush resides in the city of Pittsburgh, where he is secretary and treasurer of the Fort Pitt Coke & Coal Company, of which his father was the originator and first president, as already noted in this context; Craig is one of the executive prin- cipals of the Allen Exchange Insurance Company, of Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Rev. Bertrand is a member of the priesthood of the Catholic church. Order of St. Benedict, and is connected with St. Vincent's archabbey at Beatty, Pennsylvania; and the Misses Louise and Regina remain with their widowed mother in Indian- apolis where they have a beautiful home at 1920 North Meridian street. On the 18th of October, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. McFadyen to Miss Anna R. Walsh, who was born and reared in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania, and who is a daughter of Michael and Mary (Dixon) Walsh. Michael Walsh, who was a merchant of Pittsburgh died in 1890. The mother still resides in Pitts- burgh. Mrs. McFadyen has found her social associations in Indianapolis of the most pleasing order and has won distinctive popularity in the community, where her activities touch closely the representative social and religious lines. She is a com- municant of St. Peter and Paul cathedral church. No children were born of the sec- ond marriage of Mr. McFadyen.
In consonant conclusion of this memoir are reproduced the resolutions adopted at a meeting of the board of directors of the Vandalia Coal Company, held in its general office in Indianapolis on the 17th of May, 1910:
"Whereas, John McFadyen, a director of this company and its vice-president, departed this life at Atlantic City, state of New Jersey, on Saturday, May 7, 1910; and
"Whereas, The said John McFadyen has been a faithful member of the board of directors, and an efficient officer of the company, Therefore
"Resolved, That we regret the untimely death of our associate on the board, and in his death this company has lost a valuable and efficient officer.
"Resolved Further. That we extend the widow and family of Mr. McFadyen our sympathy in their bereavement.
"Resolved Further, That this resolution be spread upon the minute book of the company as a part of the proceedings, and a copy be transmitted the widow of the deceased."
Samuel iWerdll
^T ALMOST seems a sacrilege to attempt to record the memoirs of some men, for the nobility and beauty of their lives can not be done justice to in words and no true idea of their splendid man- hood may be given. Among these princes of the earth was Samuel Merrill. He has been dead now for many years but the memory of him still lingers, not only in the hearts of his descendants but also in the memories of many who did not even know him when he was alive but whose parents held him up as an example to their young eyes. We have grown accustomed to think of our forefathers as being men of mightier stature, intellectually and morally speaking, than the men of our own time. While this is very likely a false idea, yet we have few men of the present day who could present as fine a character or live up to the high ideals of Mr. Merrill. In the "Discourse" which was preached at the time of his death by his pastor, the Reverend George M. Maxwell, some of the excellencies in his character are enumerated as follows: "His large and liberal spirit in all things pertaining to the public good. Every public interest, con- nected with our city and state, in him has lost a most efficient promoter. His time, his talents, his money were devoted freely to the public good. Not less constant and active was his private charity. His richest record is written on the hearts of the poor and in God's book of remembrance. Almost his last plans were to aid a distressed woman to return to her distant friends. Almost his last words were directions to send some re- freshing drink to a poor, sick Irish woman in his neighborhood. His uprightness in business was remarkable. No ill-gotten wealth rested as a load on his con- science in his dying hour; for red-hot balls would have been as tolerable to his palm as the smallest coin he believed belonged to another. From offices from which others have reaped golden harvests, he came forth comparatively poor. And in this day when so many temptations to dishonesty strew the path of the business man, such an example should be held up high before us. In every enterprise he brought an energy and a decision that naturally impelled him into the front rank as a leader. His executive powers seemed fully under the control of the precept, 'Do vrith thy might whatsoever thy hand findeth to do.' He felt that the day was given to man for work, and he acted up to his conviction, and wasted no sympathy on those who shrunk from their task because they were too indolent to perform it. It was in keeping with this trait that when president of the railroad company and a very lazy man reproved him for suffering some cars loaded with live stock, the animals in pain from their confinement, to pass over the road on a Sabbath (in a very busy season), he replied that he recognized his obligation to obey the command 'Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy;' but that the command said also, 'Six days shalt thou labor,' — and the man who didn't work the six days was not the proper person to re- prove him for working on the seventh. In his constant mental culture he was an example to us all. He manifested a genial and hopeful spirit. His very keen sensibility made him quick to feel troubles, but cheerfulness and good humor usually
260 Samuel jWerria
prevailed." These remarks were not intended as a eulogy and in the opinion of Mr. Merrill's friends and fellow citizens gave him no more than his just due. There- fore with such a character is it any wonder that the life of the man was full of in- terest and of great benefit to the community. He should be especially revered in Indianapolis, for he gave the city its name. He^ with two other men, was ap- pointed to select a name for the little town, and he it was who suggested the name of "Indianapolis."
Samuel Merrill came of a fine race, on looking over the history of his forefathers one is able to see where some of his salient characteristics had their origin. His father and mother were both unusual beings. To his mother Mr. Merrill often paid the tribute, "That she was superior to any woman he ever saw, not only in moral qualities but in intellectual." His father was a man of great dignity, and the strength of his character, which showed itself in a rather stern manner, was also evident in his wife, though her manner was one of great gentleness and sweetness. These two, Jesse and Priscilla Merrill, lived in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and were quite comfortably settled, having strength and' health and a comfortable amount of this world's goods, but they were instinctive pioneers, and could not be content with what would seem to us an existence far from tame. They felt that they must go further west, where there was more space and fewer people, so in 1789 they came to the little settlement of Peacham, way up in the Vermont mountain wilderness. They could not have found a more beautiful spot than this little cluster of huts in the foot-hills of the Green Mountains. Nature had gainsaid this country nothing,' from rolling meadows and densely wooded forests, brooks and silvery ponds, to great hills through whose thin crust of earth jagged rocks thrust out their brown shoulders. The view was wonderful, bounded on one side by the White Mountains distant eighty miles and on the other by the green clad slopes of the Green Mountains. The little settlement was made up largely of Scotch who had settled here shortly after the war, and who were industriously endeavoring to win a livelihood from the rocky soil. The large church was the dominant object in the landscape and a little to one side nestled the school house. The minister was both learned and good, and had considerable influence over the thoughts and life of young Samuel Merrill, for it was in these surroundings that he was born, and" here, attending the little village school on week days and sitting stiffly in a straight backed pew through the long, long sermons, with not a bit of fire in the church, on Sundays, he spent his childhood and boyhood.
The 29th of October, 1792, was the birthday of Samuel Merrill. He did not remain a boy many years, for in the struggle to wring bread and butter and clothes from the reluctant earth of his little farm the father was in desperate need of assist- ance, and as soon as the lad could handle a hoe he was at work in the fields. Samuel was one of six boys and as these all grew older and more able to render assistance life on the farm became a little easier and comforts for the mother began to appear. The chief joy of Samuel and his brothers were the few books that their father had brought with him from Massachusetts. Among these were the Bible and Josephus, and these proved most interesting to them. The Merrill family was a happy one, the brothers were devoted both to their parents and to each other, and throughout their lives they kept in close touch with one another, a letter or visit from one of them being a great joy. Loyalty to his schoolmates and friends was another char- acteristic that remained with Mr. Merrill from his boyhood. A visitor to Washing-
Samuel jlWerrill 261
ton at the time of the Civil war, knowing that Thaddeus Stevens was a native of Peacham, took occasion to mention the name of Samuel Merrill to him. This was during the winter when Congress was torn asunder by dissensions, when the army was meeting daily defeat, when the whole country was turning a critical and doubt- ing face on that little group of leaders in Washington, and when the keen satire of Mr. Stevens struck here and there with lightning-like keenness, but the face of the fierce old fighter grew tender, and he exclaimed, "Ah, why should heaven, already thronged with such beings, snatch him away? The Lord may want him in another field but we need him here."
The great events in Samuel Merrill's boyhood were when once a week at the end of the day he was sent through the lonely forest to the postoffice to get the weekly mail. This was at the time of the French Revolution, when the whole country was athrill with sympathy for her brethren who were at last roused to demand their freedom from tyranny, and at the same time was horrified at the terrible scenes which were being enacted by them in their frenzy. A little later Napoleon's star rose on the horizon and people watched with bated breath while he swept Europe with his seemingly invincible power. One can easily imagine how the people, gathered from far and near for the mail, would discuss these great events, and how the mind of an impressionable boy would eagerly drink in everything that was said. He was deeply impressed by the causes of all these events, by their foundation in the corrupt state of society, and by the injustice that seemed to be the root of the trouble.
Jesse Merrill would have sent all of his boys to college had they so desired it, for tliough it meant untold sacrifice and redoubled efi'ort on his part, he believed that an education was the only foundation upon which to build. Four of his sons did attend college and three of them were graduated. Samuel Merrill was the one who did-not graduate, being persuaded by his elder brother, James, to leave Dartmouth College, where he was part way through his junior year, and join himself and John Blanchard and Thaddeus Stevens in teaching school in York, Pennsylvania. The chief object of these young men was not to teach school but to study law, and after three years spent together, teaching and studying, being prepared for the practice of their profession, they separated and went to different parts of the country. All of them became famous men, James Merrill, becoming a distinguished lawyer. The other three remained in Pennsylvania, but Samuel, with the pioneer instinct inherited from his parents, came west to Indiana. This state had recently been re- ceived into the Union as a state, the year of his coming being 1816, when he was twenty-three years old. Mr. Merrill decided that the towns on the Ohio offered the best chance for a young lawyer, so when he arrived at New Albany he bought a boat, loaded it with his clothes and his law books, and proceeded to row himself up the river to Vevay, seventy-five miles away. This little town was the home of a very cultured group of people, and nowhere could he have found persons better fitted to influence him. Here is where he gained the friendship which was to last a life- time, that of the two families of Dumonts. John Dumont was one of the finest lawyers in the west, and was able to be not only a friend but to give good advice to Mr. jMerrill in a professional way. His wife was a woman of fine intellect, and her mother was gifted with the grace of social charm. Abram Dumont, who was a young merchant, "was the wittiest, cheeriest and best of men."
Mr. Merrill immediately entered into the life of this community, and gave roy-
232 Samuel jWerrifl
ally of himself. He was soon elected to the legislature, and the energy which he showed during his campaign could not be surpassed today, even by that remarkable exponent of the strenuous life, Theodore Roosevelt. He represented Switzerland county, and to secure his nomination he walked over the entire county, and when he came to a house he would drop in and explain his views on the political questions oi the day to his host. So simple was he, and so in earnest, that he was elected by a huge majority. He was representative for two years and during this time was elected treasurer of state. On this election, which took place in 1821, he removed to Corydon, which was then the state capital. When news of the honor given to his son reached the father back in Vermont he sat down and wrote him a letter, from which the following is a quotation: "If you don't honor the office the office will not honor you. Remember that he that rises must fall. While you are going up, pre- pare for retreat, not as the unjust steward did, but by being honest to your trust." The father had himself held office and he well knew that his son would have to face many temptations, therefore he was much concerned for the moral state of the young man than over the fact that he had received a great honor. How deeply the son took his father's words to heart was evidenced by the whole of his later career. In his professional capacity he received little money, for the people could not afford to pay their lawyer any more than their doctor, and as for the salaries they were mere pittances, but the honor of holding public offices was much greater than in the present day. In 1824. the capital was moved to Indianapolis, and hither Mr. Mer- rill came. This was not as easy a task as it sounded, for all the money in the treas- ury was brought by him, and as this was in solid coin, it was a somewhat bulky load. He made the trip in eleven days, during the month of October, the distance being one hundred and twenty-five miles.
He held the position of treasurer until 1834, and then resigned to take the po- sition of president of the newly formed state bank. He was chosen because of his "spotless reputation, his incorruptible integrity and his eminent financial ability. He held the office of president of the State Bank for ten years, and retired from office comparatively poor." He not only had to be an expert accountant, but he had to possess an enormous amount of physical endurance, for he had to be in the saddle, traveling from one bank to another, a large share of the time. He visited each bank in the state once or twice a year, and went over the books and consulted with the officials. Once when he was bringing a quantity of money from New York to Indianapolis he had an experience which might have been the end of his career. The currency, which was all silver, for nothing else was in use throughout the west, was packed in great chests and these were placed on the inside of the coach which he had chartered. Knowing nothing of the driver, and fully expecting an attack from robbers somewhere in the wilds of the Alleghanies, Mr. Merrill climbed up on the seat beside the driver and with a brace of cocked pistols in his hand sat through the long days' journeys on guard against danger or treachery. One night as they were passing through a narrow defile, where the road dropped abruptly, the coach struck an obstruction and was overturned. Mr. Merrill was thrown to the ground and his leg broken, but the money chests, which were his first thought, re- mained intact. The rest of the journey was made with considerable pain on Mr. Merrill's part, but he was too thankful for his narrow escape to complain. His bank was one of the three that withstood the stormy days of 1837-1842, and this was due to his ability and foresight, without any doubt. He was defeated for the
Samuel JHcrriH 263
presidency in 1844, for he was a Whig and the legislature was Democratic, and since party feeling was very high, they did not re-elect him. He now entered another field of work.
He was chosen president of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad in 1844, and with his characteristic energy took up the task of building the road, for it had been built only as far as Vernon, and no one seemed very enthusiastic or interested in seeing it built any further. In two years he accomplished more than had been done during the previous ten years. He saw the road constructed as far as Indian- apolis, and put the railway in running order. He was chief official of the road foi four years and some of his most characteristic work was done during this time. His close attention to details is shown by the following incident. A sudden spring flood, bringing with it quantities of driftwood, was endangering the abutments of a bridge. The storm was violent, and the task of standing in an exposed position and protect- ing these structures from being torn away by the hammering driftwood was a dangerous one, but Mr. Merrill did not hesitate, and calling none of his subordinates, went alone down to the dangerous point, where he spent the night and saved the bridge. Another instance of his charity and his sense of responsibility is shown by an incident that happened while he was president of the railroad. No accident had ever occurred for which the road could be held responsible, nor in fact did one occur while he was chief executive, but an Englishman, who was bringing his family from London to Indianapolis, was killed through a blunder of his own. Mr. Merrill was greatly troubled over this, and went to Cincinnati, where the man's wife had been left, found her and brought her with her little children back to his own home. She lived there for some time and he took care of her until his death. Sometime after the road was completed a plan was devised by the principal bondholders of "watering the stock," but Mr. Merrill protested earnestly against any such scheme. The matter proved so distasteful to him that he felt compelled to tell the men, all of whom were his friends, he would not look at the matter in their light and must resign. This step, however, meant the severing of his connection with an institu- tion in which he had taken so much pride and achieved such splendid success, but his fine sense of duty never faltered when honor was at stake.
During one of his periods of so-called rest he compiled the Indiana Gazetteer, a third edition of which, consisting of ten thousand copies, was published in 1850. Mr. Merrill was not satisfied with this and intended to revise it, including a history of the railroads and of the State Bank. In 1850 he bought Hood and Noble's bookstore and turned it into a publishing house, which later became the Bobbs-Mer- rill Publishing Company. It was in 1855 that the end came, the strength which had so many times withstood the severest tests at last gave way. He made a journey on horseback to the northern part of the state and contracted a fever. A week after he returned home he died, on the 24th of August, 1855.
His value to the public welfare of the communities in which he lived cannot be estimated- In Indianapolis, in the early days, he taught the school when there was no teacher to be had, and when a teacher was at hand, but there was no place to shelter the school, he gave room in his own house for the purpose. He was a leader in endeavoring to instill culture into the rather rude state of frontier society, one of his first attempts in this direction being towards the formation of a young men's literary society. The Indianapolis Athenaeum. He delivered the first lecture to this society, on the 29th of November, 1830, in which he asserted his belief that
264 Samuel jWerrifl
women should be placed on the same intellectual plane as men. Such a statement as this would have been considered radical even in the centers of learning on the continent. He was one of the first trustees of that old institution of learning, Wa- bash College.
He helped to form agricultural and temperance societies and was determined that law and order should exist throughout the state. He was captain of the First Military Company of Indianapolis, and in this capacity was the leader in suppress- ing a band of lynchers who had sworn to exterminate the negro race. He was promi- nent in the Indiana Colonization Society, being one of its organizers as well as one of the managers. In his religion he was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church. He was an elder in the church and superintendent of the Sunday-school. He had a large amount of tact, and was thus a valuable member of the church, for narrow-mindedness was more prevalent in religious circles than it is today. He had the honor of bringing Henry Ward Beecher to the Second Presbyterian church and it was in his house that the eminent divine ate his first supper and his last breakfast during his stay in Indianapolis. From the year that Mr. Merrill was twelve he never failed to read the Bible through once a year, and in addition to this he read every book he could lay his hands upon. "Nor was it surface sweep- ing with him; he read through perpendicularly as well as horizontally. Perhaps at a single glance he could bring all the wine of the cluster into his cup ; or if it was the well compacted thought of the master thinkers, his quick penetration and capacious understanding readily put him in possession of the whole. With such a mind it was a pleasure to commune."
Mr. Merrill was twice married, his first wife being Lydia Jane Anderson, the daughter of Captain Robert Anderson and Catherine Dumont. She was the mother of his children, ten in number. After her death he married Elizabeth Douglas Young, who was a daughter of General James Young and Mary Irwin. One of his friends at the time of his death made a remark which perhaps gives us a picture that is more easily remembered than any other. He said: "He was made of heroic stufif, and was more like our Revolutionary fathers than any other man I ever met." Another said of him: "He maintained in sublime combination the sternest ideas of justice with the most beautiful simplicity and childlike sweet- ness of manners."
Catharine jlerriU
)NE loves to linger over the name of Catharine Merrill after becom- ing acquainted with her life and character. The name itself brings nobler thoughts, the memory of her beautiful, helpful life, of her simple and sincere nature, helps us to strive to attain the summit upon which she stood. One thinks of her as resem- bling that brilliant woman, Margaret Fuller, who exerted such a powerful influence over the minds of some of our greatest writers. Not that they are particularly alike in character, for Catharine Merrill was not of that quick, brilliant intellectuality as was Margaret Fuller; hers was of the calmer, more restful type. But both of these women possessed to a large degree that indefinable something which someone has called the "gloss on a woman," which we call charm. They both exerted an influence which was uplifting, and both possessed the great gift of true sympathy. Had Catharine Merrill been placed in the environment of Margaret Fuller she would undoubtedly have been the center of a group of intel- lectual and brilliant men and women. Although she did not live in one of the centers of culture, for Indianapolis during her life time could not be compared with Boston during the time of Emerson, yet she acted as a magnet, drawing to her all who were interesting or interested. She is known chiefly as a teacher and lover of English literature, but she was also something of an author, and above all a noble woman. John Muir in speaking of her says: "Those who knew her best loved her best, and almost worshiped her. Everywhere she was welcomed like light — in social gatherings, clubs and camps, homes and schools, asylums, hospitals, churches and jails; for she was a natural teacher and helper, a bearer of others' burdens, brightener of others' joys. None could be near her without being better. One was lifted and strengthened simply by seeing her. The weary and troubled went to her as the thirsty to a well. Her home was a center of heart sunshine. Like a stream with deep fountains she was a friend on whom we could depend, always the same, steady as a star." Melville H. Anderson says of her, "Acquaintance with such a character tends to build up the most help- ful kind of faith. Nothing can be more reassuring. Those who had the good for- tune to know a human being so large and excellent should take pious care that her memory does not fade with the passing of the lives of those she immediately touched. Certainly none who knew her can ever forget her; but, as she chose to be a teacher rather than a writer, her influence, though intense, was comparatively restricted."
Catharine Merrill was a native of the state in which she spent her life, having been born in Corydon, Indiana, on the 24th of January, 1824. Her father, Sam- uel Merrill, was as unusual a man as his daughter was a woman. At the time of her birth he was treasurer of state, and a few months later, when the seat of government was removed to the new town of Indianapolis, he moved to the new capital, bringing with him his baby daughter. Samuel MerriU. was the leader of
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Indianapolis in these early days. His strong character, his honesty and sincerity, and above all his love of books and the scholarly cast of his mind were all trans- mitted to his daughter Catharine. He, in addition to his many other duties, took upon himself the task of village school master, and his library, which was large and well selected, and about the only one in Indianapolis, was thrown open to the use of his pupils and friends. Their first home in this wilderness capital was on the southwest comer of Washington street and Capitol avenue, near the site of the present State Capitol, and later he bought an eighty-acre farm, extending from what is today Tenth street, near the City Hospital, along the Michigan road to North Indianapolis. The famous old Merrill home was built on Merrill street and here the family lived for forty years. Here Catharine Merrill became ac- customed to meeting the men who have left names famous in the history of our country, such as Henry Ward Beecher and Frederick Douglass. Now a public school, known as the Catharine Merrill school, stands on the spot.
The childhood of Catharine Merrill must have been delightful, for her father devoted all of the Ume that he could spare from his public duties to his family, and she was his favorite pupil and the comrade of his studies and of his pleasures. As she grew older and as her father was forced to give more time to his business affairs, she began to take his place as a teacher of the younger generation. Her regime must have been ideal. The girls were strictly on their honor, and an un- truth was the most abhorred of all misdeeds. Her pupils loved, respected and trusted her. She had their full confidence and they went to her with aU. their pleasures as well as troubles, confident of her understanding and sympathy. A close friend has said of her teaching, "She had a rare gift of teaching, and most of her life was devoted to it. An enthusiastic student and lover of literature, she kept inspiringly close to the minds of her scholars and easily led them to do their best, while her downright, steadfast, glowing goodness gained their hearts. Above all she was a builder of character, teaching the great art of right-living, holding up by word and example the loftiest ideals of conduct, fidelity to conscience and duty, and plain unchanging foundational righteousness as the law of life under whatever circumstances. And these noble lessons went home to the hearts of her pupils."
Before the war she taught her children in the basement of the Fourth Presby- terian church, at the southwest corner of Market and Delaware streets, but later the school was moved to a building near the present site of the Commercial Club building. Near the latter location was a hospital for Confederate prisoners, and the sight of the sick, lonesome faces drew her into the hospital, where she spent many hours nursing and reading to these men who had been fighting against her country. Her sympathy with the sorrows of others was often a great strain on her own strength. It was once said of her, "What personal griefs were to others, such vicarious griefs were to her. Wherever sorrow came to her notice, she needed no command to impel her to 'weep with them that weep.' In her sympathy there was no alloy of wordy exhortation ; it was the throbbing of a bruised and bleeding heart." In one of her own letters she says, "That lacerating pity we have for others is the most grievous thing in life — 'All for pity I coiild die.' — How many times I have said that little line of Spenser's to myself, because it seemed to express the last anguish of pity. One comes out of sorrow a changed being, with fewer small interests, and wider, deeper sympathies. So it elevates and enriches.
Cattarine jHerrm 267
or so it should. We are certainly the better for disappointment and trouble, unless we are wilful and rebellious."
Her brother and other members of the family were in the Union army, and she presently followed them to the South, where she entered the hospital service. Two years before this she had spent in study in Germany, where she learned to know and love German literature, though Goethe never appealed to her as did many of the English authors. However, this residence gave her a broad culture, her contact with German intellectuality deepened and enriched her own knowledge. On her return from Germany in 1861, she took up the school work where she had left it, her friend Ellen Cathcart, having been the able preceptress during her absence. With the active part which she took in the Civil war came an ardent interest and sympathy with the deeds and sufferings of the soldiers. She was so impressed by the sights which she saw that immediately after the war she began to write a history of the work of Indiana in the great conflict. This history was published in 1866, under the title of "The Soldier of Indiana in the War for the Union." She wrote this not as a piece of literature that was to bring her renown, but simply that the sacrifices and heroic deeds of the men of her native state might be preserved to posterity. The book is for the most part the story of individuals, and is full of stirring anecdotes, which Miss Merrill made certain were authentic before she transcribed them. The book will grow in value with time, and should be a mine of interest to historians as time passes.
After the war her school was again moved, this time to Alabama and Market streets, and it was while going to and from her work here that she noticed the women peering forth from the bars of the near-by jail. She was a busy woman and her life was apparently full to the brim, but she could not resist the appeal of their pitiful faces. It was undoubtedly hard for her to come in contact with the hardened souls and debased minds of many of these women, but she never showed it. She visited them day after day, and taught them to sew. What a ray of hope she must have been to them ! Her labor was not without splendid fruit, for she succeeded in interesting others in these outcasts, and thus was started the Home for Friendless Women. For a time she taught in Cleveland, Ohio, and evidence of the strong hold she had over her pupils is seen in the fact that many of them followed her there. Here she met Miss Guilford, who was her close friend through- out the rest of her life, and here Constance Fennimore Woolson received some of the inspiration that made her adopt the literary career as a profession, for she was one of Miss Merrill's devoted pupils.
In 1869 a great honor came to her in the invitation to fill the chair of English literature in the Northwestern Christian University. This chair had been endowed by Ovid Butler, who was the chief benefactor of the above university, now Butler College, as the Demia Butler chair of English literature, and it was upon his invitation that she accepted the position. She remained on the faculty of the university and later of the college until 1885. For some time past her old pupils and many others had urged her to give up her college work and to resume her pri- vate classes, so at last she yielded, and until April, 1900, she met these classes daily. She was a splendid influence in her college life, for she placed as much importance on the training of the moral nature as upon the training of the intel- lect. Melville Anderson remarks, "In her teaching she emphasized the truth that wifehood and motherhood are the normal conditions of a woman's life. Possibly
268 Catharine ittcrritl
such a life might have narrowed her influence. It was marvelous how entirely she transcended the limitations that commonly hedge about immarried women as they advance in years. So far from involving impairment of sympathy, the life she led made her sympathies wider, if not deeper than they could otherwise well have been. Conservative, believing in hard work, following Heaven's ever old, ever new, love-lighted ways, placing no dependence on plans for getting something for nothing, she nevertheless welcomed new ideas with hospitality, eager to dis- cover something useful in new plans however little they promised, humbly hoping and groping through life's cloudy places as best she could, holding fast the good as she was able to see it, under whatever garb, steadied by a rare sanity, and robust common sense applicable to every situation." These words from John Muir make us understand why her pupils were so devoted to her. During the later years of her life she was in great demand as a lecturer, and she often taxed herself too much in the preparation of these papers. Her last illness was short, and she died at her home on Capital avenue on the 30th of May, 1900. Miss Merrill would not have wished to be known as a literary woman, for such was not her aim. She only desired to implant a love of good literature in the hearts of her pupils, and to live a life in which helpfulness was the dominant note. Life interested her far more than books, and perhaps this is the reason that Shakespeare appealed to her as the greatest of all writers. She was more deeply interested in English literature than in the literature of other countries, and her own liberal culture is a fine example of the breadth and educative power of the literature of the Anglo-Saxon tongue. As Mr. Anderson says, however, "One felt that she spoke of what she had seen and known rather than of what she had heard and read. Her reading was a fuel perfectly consumed ; it did not go in as coal and come out as smoke. Books were not so much the tools with which she worked as the food wherewith she satisfied her hunger. A collection of essays which she wrote from time to time has been published by the Catharine Merrill Club of Indianapolis, and these essays, while she could undoubtedly have added much to their literary merit could they have undergone revision at her hands, nevertheless give us glimpses of the beauty of her character and the nobility of her thoughts.
She passed through life serenely, far above the scramble that men know as life, yet one with all the world, for she did the thing that was nearest and was thus brought into helpful relations with every species of humanity. She was like an angel of light to John Muir when he lay in a darkened room, in great danger of losing his eyesight, and perhaps the best summary of her character may be given in his words. "I soon learned to admire her scholarship, keen, sane, kindly criti- cism, the wonderful range of her sympathies, her kindness in always caUing attention to the best in the character of any one under discussion, living or dead, and her weariless, unostentatious, practical benevolence in smoothing as she was able the pathways of others and helping them up into wider, brighter, purer living."
It is with regret that this memoir must be brought to a close, for the tempta- ■ tion to attempt to impress the strength and beauty of the life of this woman upon the minds of those who may read this is strong. In closing, John Muir must be quoted once again: "She never grew old. To her last day her mind was clear, and her warm heart glowed with the beauty and enthusiasm of youth. In loving hearts she still lives, and loving hearts are her monument."
Cbtoin ^, Jfotom
W^TC^t|MHERE is nothing so fascinating in American history as the ro- r T r ;) mance of achievement under difficulties, — the story of obscure
^^ ' I ' r^ beginnings and triumphant ends; the stories of men and women « ^ I r ^ ^^° have seized common situations and conditions and have J^/^ y.'/i succeeded by indomitable will and inflexible purpose. One of
Jlu'^<>^U^>l>^^ ^^^ honored citizens of Indianapolis who marked the passing years with large and worthy accomplishments and who was in the most significant sense the architect of his own fortunes was Edwin Slocum Folsom, who here maintained his home for over forty years, and whose entire active career was virtually one of consecutive identification with the life insurance business, in connection with which he became a recognized authority. He was a man of noble attributes of character and made his life count for good in all its relations, so that the record thereof constitutes his most worthy and enduring monument. He was summoned to the life eternal on Christmas eve of the year 1903, at the age of sixty-five years, his death resulting from an attack of pneu- monia. He had been for a long period general agent for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Hartford, Connecticut, and at the time of his demise he was the Indiana manager of the real-estate and loan department of the Travelers' Insurance Company, of Hartford, Connecticut.
Edwin Slocum Folsom was born near the little village of Boston, Erie county, New York, on the 17th of March, 1838, a son of Daniel and Lydia (Slocum) Fol- som, who removed to New York state from Vermont, the respective families having been founded in New England in the early colonial epoch of our national history. Daniel Folsom was a carpenter by trade and he followed the same in Erie county. New York, until 1842, when he removed with his family to the west and became numbered among the pioneers of Wisconsin. He first located at Whitewater and later established his home at Waterloo, this being prior to the admission of Wisconsin as one of the sovereign states of the Union. Daniel Folsom secured from the government a large tract of wild land and instituted the reclamation work of the same, — a work largely devolving upon his sons, as he gave his attention principally to the woi¥ of his trade, in which he found much requisition for his services and erected many of the important buildings in the pioneer community. He was a man of great sternness and austerity and his children endured many vicissitudes on the farm where all were required to work in season and out, the while their educational advantages were limited to a very desultory attendance in the pioneer schools. Of the five children, the subject of this memoir was the second in order of birth, and he early assumed heavy responsibilities and labors in connection with the development of the home farm. He and other of the children were compelled to pay their father for their time when they made for themselves an opportunity to attend an academy at Albion, Wisconsin, in order to gain better education. Albion had as its early settlers prin-
270 ggbtpin ^. Jfolgom
cipally those of the Seventh Day Baptist faith, and Edwin S. Folsom was thus enabled to make every day count, as he worked Sunday as well as week days. To pay for his books and certain other incidental expenses he worked as janitor at the academy, and finally he was enabled to put his acquirements to practical use by teaching in the country schools. He also turned his attention to such other work as he could secure, and from the funds thus gained he paid the wages of a man who took his place on the home farm during the summer months. He made the best possible use of his time and of the advantages afforded him in the academy, and from his youth onward he was dependent upon his own resources, besides which he had for some time the added burden of recompensing his father for the time he was absent from the farm, his independence coming into effect only when he attained his legal majority.
After his graduation from the Academy Mr. Folsom secured a position as agent for the Milwaukee JNIutual Fire Insurance Company, in the interests of which he traveled through various parts of the state of Wisconsin. He also continued to teach school at intervals, and his course was thus marked by earnest and con- secutive application, the while he was ever alert to seize opportunities for ad- vancement. In 1863 Mr. Folsom came to Indiana and established his residence at Madison, the judicial center of Jefferson county, where he became a representa- tive for the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford. In his assigned field he made a most admirable record and a year later transferred his residence to Indianapolis, where he was advanced to the responsible position of general agent for the same company. In 1867 he became general agent for the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company, also of Hartford, Connecticut, with a territory covering Indiana and a portion of southern Michigan. He continued with this important insurance corporation as general agent for thirty-one years, his services terminating only with his retirement in 1898. He was a close student of insurance systems and methods and his knowledge of the business was especially comprehensive and authoritative, in support of which statement is offered evidence in the fact that he was chosen the first president of the Indiana Association of Life Underwriters. He gained high reputation and distinctive success in his chosen vocation and found it well worthy of his unqualified allegiance and best efforts. For about a decade he also had the management of the real estate and loan department of the Travelers' Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, in the Indiana field. He devoted much of his time and attention to the raising of high-grade and short-horn cattle, in which line of enterprise he was most success- ful. He kept imported and registered stock and was known as one of the pro- gressive cattle breeders of the state. He had several fine farms and found great satisfaction in the improvement and management of them. Two farms of eighty acres each were located near Bridgeport, Marion county ; one of eighty acres near Augusta, Marion county ; and near Greencastle, Putnam county, he had a fine landed estate of about four hundred acres. He gave his personal supervision to his farms and took great interest in the breeding of fine live stock, an industry to the advancement of which in Indiana he contributed in no small degree. He was also the owner of city property and erected several buildings in Indianapolis. When he first came to this city he established his home in a modest cottage on Broadway, and four years later he erected a fine brick residence on Park avenue, near Fifteenth street. At that time the street last mentioned had not been opened
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and the district had but few houses. He was compelled to fell the native trees in order to make room for his new dwelling, and for a number of years he found in the locality ample pasturage for his horses and cattle. He continued to reside in this home until his death, after which Mrs. Folsom disposed of the property, as the house was too large for her needs.
Mr. Folsom was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and held membership in the Commercial Club and the Country Club, two of the representative organiza- tions of his home city. Shortly before his death he was appointed chairman of the committee of stock-holders to whom was assigned the examination of the ac- counts and business of the Consumers' Gas Company, whose interests were involved by the failure of the natural gas resources. In politics Mr. Folsom accorded unfaltering allegiance to the Republican party, and while he would never con- sent to become a candidate for public office, he gave yeoman service in behalf of the principles and policies of his party and was essentially loyal and progressive as a citizen. He was a zealous member of the Second Presbyterian church, as is also his widow, and he was instant in kindly deeds and generous sympathy. Those in affliction or distress found in him a true friend, and he gave aid and counsel without any parade or ostentation. He was a man of fine intellectual attainments and tastes and found his chief pleasure in the sanctuary of his home, — ^the com- panionship of his wife and children and in communion with his favorite authors, his library being comprehensive and select and covering a wide range of literature. His earnest, sincere and genial personality gained to him the confidence and high regard of those with whom he came in contact in the varied relations of life and his death was deeply mourned in the city that so long represented his home and in which he made good account of himself as one of the world's workers.
At Lake Mills, Wisconsin, on the 15th of June, 1869, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Folsom to Miss Mary E. Rice, who survives him and continues to reside in Indianapolis. She has a wide circle of friends in Indianapolis and has long been active in church and social affairs. She is a member of the Women's Missionary Society of the Second Presbyterian Church, in the various depart- ments of whose work she has long been a zealous factor. Mrs. Folsom was bom in Portage county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Amory and Jane (Partridge) Rice, who were born and reared in Worcester county, Massachusetts, where their mar- riage was solemnized. Upon their removal to the west they first located in Por- tage county, Ohio, whence they later removed to Wisconsin, where Mr. Rice secured a tract of land turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. The life of the farm did not prove attractive to him, however, and he removed to Lake Mills, Jefferson county, that state, in which village he became a successful mer- chant and an honored and useful citizen. He served as justice of the peace and also as postmaster of the town and represented his district in the state legislature. He was a Whig in politics and both he and his wife were identified with the Con- gregational church. They passed the closing years of their lives at Lake Mills, Wisconsin, and their names merit enduring place on the roll of the sterling pion- eers of that state. Of their children five lived to adult age and of that number two sons and two daughters are yet living. In conclusion of this brief memoir is given record concerning the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Folsom: Edson F., who is general agent for the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Massa-
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chusetts, with headquarters in Indianapolis, married Miss Mary Coyner and they have four children: Mary L., Edwin, Margaret and Jane. Mabel is the wife of Henry W. Buttolph of Indianapolis, and they have one son, — Richard Folsom Buttolph.
OTiUiam ^. JIugfjes;
|OMING to Indianapolis as a young man of seventeen years, the late William Addison Hughes brought to bear, with the pass- ing years, his splendid abilities in connection with important business and civic activities in the capital city and became an influential force in the community, where his progressiveness, his loyalty and his sterling character gained to him command- ing place in popular confidence and esteem. Here he prepared himself for the legal profession, of which he became an able and successful repre- sentative, but his powers were soon enlisted in connection with financial and other business enterprises of broad scope and importance, with the result that he found it expedient to retire to a large degree from the active practice of his profession. He held offices of public trust and was ever alert in the support of measures and enterprises tending to advance the general welfare of the community, the while his fine initiative and administrative powers made him figure most prominently in connection with the various channels along which he directed his admirable energies. He was essentially one of the valued business men and representative citizens when his earnest and prolific career was brought to an untimely close, his death having occurred in a hospital in the city of Chicago on the 26th of Janu- ary, 1911, shortly after he had endured an operation for appendicitis. His health had been much impaired for nearly a year preceding his demise and such was his nervous condition that he was unable to rally from the effects of disease and the attendant operation. With uniform sorrow was the news of his death received in Indianapolis, where all who knew him gave to him the fullest measure of esteem, confidence and loyal friendship, — all of which he. eminently deserved.
William Addison Hughes was born on a farm near Wilmington, Clinton county, Ohio, on the 17th of May, 1859, and thus he was in the very prime of his strong and useful manhood when he was called from the scene of life's mortal endeavors, though his achievement was worthy a man many years his senior and constituted a full and symmetrical life work. He was a son of Judge Jesse Hughes, one of the honored pioneers and influential citizens of that section of the Buckeye state, where he served in various public oflSces of trust, including that of judge of the circuit court. The maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Murdock, who moved to Indianapolis soon after the son's arrival here and who died in this city. Judge Hughes became the owner of a valuable landed estate in Clinton covmty and the major part of his active career was one of close identification with the great basic industry of agriculture.
William A. Hughes was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and was afforded the advantages of the excellent public schools of Wilmington, the judicial center of his native county. Soon after completing the curriculum of the high school he came to Indianapolis, and he was about seventeen years of age when he thus established his home in the city in which he was destined to achieve
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so marked success and prestige. His initial employment in the capital city of Indiana was that of clerk in the dry-goods store of Davis & Cole, but such occu- pation could not long satisfy his ambition, and he soon began the study of law in the offices and under the preceptorship of the well known firm of Herod & Winter. With this firm he remained about seven years and with the same he was engaged in active practice after his admission to the bar, in 1880. Later he became asso- ciated with the representative firm of Wallace & Wallace, the members of which were William Wallace and his son Lew Wallace. He later married a daughter of William Wallace, who was long one of the most loved and honored citizens of Indianapolis. Mr. Hughes was finally admitted to partnership in the firm, the title of which was then changed to Wallace, Hughes & Wallace. Under these conditions Mr. Hughes continued to devote his attention to the active and success- ful practice of his profession for several years, and he then removed with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he identified himself with a business venture. The success of this enterprise proved of a distinctly negative order and a few months later he returned to Indianapohs. Under the regime of Thomas Taggart as auditor of Marion county, Mr. Hughes assumed the executive charge of the assessment bureau of the auditor's ofiBce, and when Mr. Taggart was elected mayor of Indianapolis Mr. Hughes was appointed to serve out the unexpired term in the ofiice of county auditor. He continued to be identified with executive work in the county court house for several years and in 1889 he was elected to represent the county in the state legislature, in which he served one term with marked efficiency and acceptability. His services were retained at the court house for some time after his retirement from the legislature.
Early in his career in Indianapolis Mr. Hughes gained the friendship and high esteem of the late Stoughton J. Fletcher, who was long a dominating power in local financial circles. When Mr. Hughes retired from his services in the county offices he secured through Mr. Fletcher the position of assistant manager, under Judge Tarkington, of the safety-deposit vaults in the Fletcher National Bank, with which he became thus associated in 1898. Later he became manager of the department mentioned and finally he became Mr. Fletcher's confidential man in the latter's banking office. He eventually advanced to the office of vice-president of the Fletcher National Bank, and he retained this position until the consolidation of the institution with the American National Bank, under the title of the Fletcher- American National Bank, and on the 1st of September, 1910, he was elected vice- president of the consolidated institution, one of the most substantial and popular banking houses in the state. This executive office he held until his death and he had much influence in the administration of its afifairs. He not only held mem- bership in the board of directors of this institution but was also a valued member of the directorates of the Marion Trust Company, the American Creosoting Com- pany, the Federal Creosoting Company and the Indiana Creosoting Company. After the death of Stoughton J. Fletcher, Mr. Hughes continued as the close friend and valued advisor of the latter's son and successor, Stoughton A. Fletcher, and their relation continued to be most intimate until the death of Mr. Fletcher.
Mr. Hughes was a man of most attractive personality and fine social quali- ties, but his interests ever centered in his home and business, so that he had no predilection for identifying himself with fraternal or other civic organizations.
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He was aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party until the financial heresies were introduced in its platform at the time of the first nomination of William Jennings Bryan, and, opposed to the doctrines inculcated in this plank, Mr. Hughes then gave his support to the so-called Gold Democratic ticket. After that campaign he did not formally ally himself with any political party, but gave his support to the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, without reference to partisan dictates. He was a liberal and consistent member of the Central Christian church, and with the same his wife and surviving children are actively identified as zealous members. His funeral services were held from the family home at 1427 Park avenue, and were conducted by Rev. Allan B. Philputt, pastor of the Central Christian church, interment being made in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery.
On the 5th of October, 1881, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hughes to Miss Annie Wallace, daughter of the late William Wallace. Mrs. Hughes was born at Indianapolis and has passed the major part of her life thus far in this city, where she has been a prominent and popular figure in the representative social activities of the community. She still occupies the fine homestead on Park avenue, the property having been purchased by her husband about the year 1889. In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Hughes: Cordelia is the wife of Howard T. Griffith, of Indianapolis, and they have two children, Jane and Hilda; Thornley died at the age of one year; Regi- nald W., who remains with his widowed mother in the fine old home, was gradu- ated in Purdue University and is now in business in Indianapolis. Robert Thorn- ley was graduated from the Law School of the celebrated University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and is now one of the representative younger members of the Indian- apolis bar Elizabeth, who graduated at Knickerbocker Hall in 1908, and Anne W. remain with their mother.
immmm OTiaUace
Mi^yO!f>gt^ HF. name of no family has been more honored and distinguished ^:»0(L>cr(:^ .^ ^^^ history of Indiana than that of the one of which the sub- ject of this memoir was a worthy representative. He himself gained high standing as an able member of the bar of his native state and as a citizen of influence and great public spirit. He served for a number of years as postmaster of Indianapolis, an office of which he was the incumbent at the time of his death, which occurred on the 9th of April, 1891. He was a brother of General Lew Wallace, soldier and author of worldwide celebrity, and was a son of Hon. David Wallace, who gave able service as governor of the state of which he was a most distinguished pioneer.
David Wallace was one of those strong, true and loyal citizens whose memory Indiana delights to honor. He was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of April, 1799, and was a child at the time of his parents' removal to Ohio, the family home being established near Cincinnati. At the age of fifteen he was sent to New Orleans to engage in business, but at the end of one year his father and other interested friends procured for him appointment to a cadetship in the United States Military Academy at West Point, this preferment being obtained through the favorable overtures of General William Henry Harrison, who was then con- gressman from the Cincinnati district of Ohio, and who withdrew the claims of his own son for the appointment. The future governor of Indiana was successful as a student and held his rank in his class. He was graduated in the academy in 1821 and was there retained as a tutor for some time. After one year's service in the United States army he studied law and in due time gained admission to the bar. In 1823 he engaged in the practice of his profession at Brookville, the capital of Franklin, Indiana, where he continued his work successfully until 1831, when he removed to Covington, the judicial center of Fountain county. Here he gained recognition as one of the representative members of the bar of the state and also became a prominent figure in political and other public activities. In 1837 he was elected governor of the state, whereupon he removed to Indianapolis, in which city he passed the residue of his life. While a resident of Franklin county he represented the county in the state legislature, — from 1828 to 1830, inclusive. In 1831 he was chosen lieutenant governor and in 1834 he was elected his own successor in that office, of which he continued the valued incumbent until the higher office of governor was conferred upon him. His administration as chief executive of this commonwealth has passed onto record as one admirable in its con- servative wisdom and yet progressive policies, and after his retirement from office he continued in the practice of his profession in Indianapolis during the remainder of his active career. He died in September, 1859, at the age of sixty-one years, and his memory rests secure in the honor of the people of the state which he served so well.
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TOtaiam WlaHatt 277
Governor Wallace was twice married, his first union having been with Esther Test, a daughter of Hon. John Test, likewise a distinguished pioneer of Indiana. William Wallace, subject of this memoir, was the eldest of the three children of this union; General Wallace was the second; and Edward, the youngest, was a representative citizen of Crawfordsville, this state, at the time of his death. After the death of his first wife. Governor Wallace married a daughter of Dr. John H. Sanders, and they became the parents of one son and two daughters, all of whom are now deceased. One daughter, Agnes, widow of John Steiner, lives on a large farm which she owns near Cataract, Indiana.
William Wallace was born at Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, on the 16th of October, 1825, and he gained his rudimentary education in the common schools of Covington, to which place his parents removed when he was about six years old. He was about twelve years of age at the time of the family removal to Indianapolis, in 1837, and here he was afforded advantages which enabled him to gain a liberal education, according to the standards of the locality and period. Here he attended school in the old seminary, which was then a prosperous insti- tution, but which is now only a memory. No more consistent tribute, perhaps, can be given than the following appreciative memorial adopted by the Marion County Bar Association at the time of his death, and in the reproduction but slight change is made in the context, either by elimination or addition.
"The subject of this memorial came to this city with his father and thereafter resided here continuously. He received, for those days, a liberal education. He pursued the study of law while acting as deputy clerk of the courts of the county, and in the year 1850 was formally admitted to the bar. He had a manly bearing which attracted attention and won confidence; a gentle dignity which was at all times felt, and yet which never repelled. He exhibited such uniform deference to the court and courtesy to his associates in the profession that he was always a favorite with both the bench and the bar. He from the first had, and always main- tained, a high conception of the character of a lawyer, and his whole life was an exemplification of that conception. He rightly held that a lawyer's integrity and honor should be without spot or blemish; that his duty toward his clients and the court required the utmost fairness and frankness, without attempt at dissimula- tion, either as to the law or fact, and his conduct in his office and in the court was regulated on these principles.
"He was possessed of a lofty spirit, which was instantly aflame at the exhibi- tion of any dishonest, dishonorable or unmanly conduct; and on such occasions he was ever ready to condone and forget any repented fault and was at all times charitable in his judgments of the conduct and motives of others. If in the momentary heat or excitement of a contest he ever said anything which, upon re- flection, he considered beneath the conduct of a Christian gentleman, or that might be construed as an approach to rudeness, he was prompt to make such explanation or apology as the occasion demanded.
"He inherited from his father those rare qualities of eloquence and persuasion, and, actuated by such principles and exercising such qualities, he speedily took high position at this bar. In the year 1854 he formed a co-partnership for the practice of law with the Hon. Benjamin Harrison, under the title of Wallace & Harrison. Though young, the firm soon came to the forefront in the profession. This partnership continued until dissolved by the election of Mr. Wallace as
278 ?!SSifltam WEiafiatt
clerk of the county in 1860. After his term as clerk expired, he resumed the prac- tice of the law, and his business at once became very large and profitable.
"Many years ago, in the trial of a protracted and exciting case, he received a. clear warning as to his physical condition, and that he must be extremely careful in exposing himself to the excitement and the exhausing labors incident to such contests. He had, however, by his qualities of heart and mind and his well eatned and thoroughly established reputation for integrity and sagacity, so drawn about him a clientage for purposes of advice and consultation that financially he was the better rather than the worse for the change in the character of his business. He had, by his clients and his fellow citizens aside from them and by the courts, been selected many times to manage and settle delicate and important trusts, the last of which, the receivership of the banking house of Fletcher & Sharpe, involving vast labor, care and responsibility, was not yet wholly completed at the time of his death. Every trust confided to him was loyally and conscientiously executed to the entire satisfaction of those whose rights and interests he held in his hands.
"Although holding earnest political convictions, which he announced with all the force and enthusiasm of his nature, yet so kindly was his disposition, so gentle his bearing, that among his warmest and closest friends vrill be found many hold- ing, and in like manner expressing, opinions directly opposed to his own. And al- though for many years one of the leading advisers and active supporters of one of the great political parties of the country, in times when party spirits ran high, yet no one has ever accused or even suspected him of advising or consenting to any act or method not consistent with the most pure and lofty standard of an American citizen.
"With his acts in other relations of life, his position in the great fraternal soci- eties of the country; of his manifold and well performed duties to the church and the state, and of the sacred family relation, it is not the province of this memorial to speak; and, wheresoever considered, language will not be found to give adequate expression to the sentiments sought to be conveyed.
"Thus William Wallace lived among us; thus he won and held our esteem and affections ; and thus he died. But the memory of his manly and generous nature, his high sense of honor, and the many 'Kindly deeds kindly done,' shall long live in our hearts. He has gone to his rest, leaving a name unsullied, as an inheritance to his children and the pride of his associates in his profession."
As may readily be inferred, Mr. Wallace was staunch in his allegiance to the Republican party, but he did not seek many favors at the hands of his party. From 1861 to 1865 he was clerk of Marion county, and in 1889, his lifelong friend, President Harrison, appointed him postmaster of Indianapolis, an office in which he continued to serve with characteristic ability and faithfulness until the close of his life. From an appreciative article appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death, are taken the following pertinent statements: "His career genius and out of touch and sympathy with the world. He was a man with sym- pathy for every affliction. His voice and influence were always for the right side. Genial and fond of friendships, he was a delightful character. The much abused title of 'gentleman' in its truest and highest meaning was applicable to him. He was at the head of every movement which had for its aim the welfare of the people and the good of Indianapolis. His friendly hand-clasp and kindly word are a famil-
Miaiam WJaHatt 279
iar memory to thousands." At a later point in the same article are other statements well worthy of reproduction in this article:
"When the Civil war began Benjamin Harrison, his former law partner was organizing the Seventh Regiment, and Mr. Wallace was very anxious to go to the front, but as he had just been elected county clerk and it was feared that his resignation might result in a change of the political complexion of the office, which might prove disastrous at that critical time, at the solicitation of Governor Morton, he determined to continue in the office, though his sympathies were vrith the army in the field. He was very active in the recruiting and enlisting of the troops and gave of his time and means unreservedly to that work. He went to the front with the Seventh Regiment and remained for several months, and again in 1864 he was in the field with the Indiana armies, doing what he could to add to their comfort and success.
"Mr. Wallace was one of the prominent figures in the organization of the Re- publican party in Indiana and was active in politics all his life. For many years he was treasurer of the Republican state central committee, and his counsel in politics, as in business, was much sought. One thing which added to the respect- ing of his opinions in politics was the absence of any self-interest. Time and again he was importuned by friends to accept office, but he uniformly refused ex- cept in the single instance when he was elected county clerk. His private life was without flaw, and he has been for many years a member of the Central Christian church. He has been for years high in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, occupying some of its most honorable positions. He was for a long time attorney for Butler University and at one time a trustee of that institution. Mr. Wallace was a member of the Crown Hill corporation from its organization and served for many years as a member of the executive board of seven, which had the entire management of the cemetery."
Mr. Wallace was the intimate friend of both Governor Morton and President Harrison, and of both he was the valued and confidential adviser during the cli- macteric period of the Civil war, when grave responsibilities rested on the chief executive of the state and upon General Harrison as a leader in military opera- tions.
Mr. Wallace was twice married. In 1846 he wedded Miss Cordelia Butler, a daughter of the late Ovid Butler, the generous benefactor in whose honor Butler University was named. Mrs. Wallace passed from this life in 1865, and was sur- vived by six children: Esther, who married John S. Duncan and died in 1902, sur- vived by her husband and two children in Indianapolis ; Zerelda married Louis C. Haughey and both are living in Wilmington, Delaware; Lew Wallace, a lawyer in Indianapolis; Ovid who died in Denver, Colorado in 1906; Anne, who is the widow of William A. Hughes and William, who is captain in the Seventh Infantry of the Regular Army.
On the 23d of April, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Wallace to Miss Sarah Jameson, daughter of Rev. Love H. Jameson, a representative member of the clergy of the Christian church and a resident of Indianapolis at the time of his death. Mrs. Wallace is stiill living in Indianapolis.
The children of William and Sarah Wallace were: David, a lawyer in New York City, and Helen, who died at the age of sixteen in 1892 in Indianapolis.
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illargfiaU C. OTloobg
JOR somewhat more than twenty years prior to his death Mar- shall C. Woods had maintained his home in Indianapolis and here he held that high personal popularity to which his fine character and ability justly entitled him. He was a man of splendid intellectual powers and attained to more than local repute in connection with journalistic work and other lines of literary production. His broad mental ken and mature judg- ment well fitted him for leadership in public thought and action and he wielded marked influence in political affairs in Indiana, both as a writer and as a zealous worker in behalf of the principles and policies which he believed to represent the best in practical governmental economics. He was a man of strong individuality and well fortified opinions; his sincerity and loyalty were of the firmest type; his integrity was impregnable ; and his personality was such as to win to him strong and enduring friendships, so that in his death, which occurred on the 29th of Jan- uary, 1895, the capital city of Indiana lost one of its sterling, talented and honored citizens.
Marshall G. Woods was born at Newark, the judicial center of Licking county, Ohio, and the date of his nativity was October 2, 1838, so that he was fifty-six years of age at the time of his demise. His parents Uriah and Mary (Smucker) Woods, were numbered among the sterling pioneers of the old Buckeye state and were representatives of families founded in America in the colonial era. They con- tinued to reside in Ohio until their death. Mr. Woods gained his preliminary educa- tion in the schools of his native town and thereafter availed himself of the advantages of one of the leading colleges of Ohio. Throughout his entire life he continued a close and appreciative student and reader, and thus his education was of most liberal and symmetrical order, the while he developed literary powers of special excellence. After leaving college he initiated his work in the newspaper field, and he eventually contributed many short stories of distinctive originality and charm to the Chicago Inter Ocean and other leading papers of the country.
Mr. Woods was about twenty-three years of age at the inception of the Civil war and he promptly gave evidence of his youthful loyalty and patriotism by ten- dering his services in defence of the Union. Early in 1861, in response to Presi- dent Lincoln's first call for volunteers, he enlisted in the Sixty-third Illinois Infantry, at Hutsonville, Illinois, and with the command he went to the front as a private. He participated with this regiment in a number of engagements and later he became identified with the navy arm of the government service. In this connection he was assigned to duty on the gunboat "Switzerland," of the ram fleet on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Impaired health finally necessitated his retirement, and he received his honorable discharge from the navy in February, 1863. In February, 1865, however, he again entered the service, as second lieu- tenant in the One Himdred and Fifty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which
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284 jflargfiall C. Wtoota
he served until the close of the war. He took part in many of the important engagements incidental to the great conflict between the north and the south and proved a faithful and valiant soldier, his record in both the army and navy re- dounding to his lasting honor. He ever retained a deep interest in his old com- rades and signified the same by his membership in the Grand Army of the Repub- lic, of which he was an active and appreciative adherent.
Mr. Woods established his home in Indianapolis in the year 1873, and here he passed the residue of his life, secure in the high esteem of all who knew him. His first service in this city was in association with Enos B. Reed in the publication of a weekly paper known as The People, and he gave to the same a high editorial prestige. Later he was a writer on the Indianapolis Sentinel and also on the Indianapolis News. Impaired health finally compelled his retirement from routine newspaper work, and for two years prior to his death he held a clerical position in the Indianapolis postoffice.
In political activities Mr. Woods was long a prominent and influential factor, and with the varying policies of the dominant parties he showed his independence and his fidelity to his convictions by one or more changes in partisan allegiance. In this connection the following statements, which appeared in an Indianapolis paper at the time of his death, are worthy of perpetuation: "He organized the Knights of Columbia, a strong Republican campaign club, in the Garfield cam- paign, and in 1884. he organized the Autocrats, in the support of Cleveland against Blaine. In 1888 he organized a large club of Democrats pledged to support Har- rison, the Republican presidential nominee. In 1892 he took no active part in the campaign but supported Harrison and was in the councils of the Republicans."
Apropos of his fine talent along literary lines, the same article gives the fol- lowing statements: "Under the nom de plumes of 'The White Hand' and 'Paul Pickett' Mr. Woods has been a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines, not infrequently turning his attention to poetry. A number of years ago he was as- sociated with Enos B. Reed in the publication of The People." Mr. Woods was actively afiiliated with the Knights of Honor and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His religious faith, sincere and gentle in its manifestations, was that of the Christian church, of which he was a zealous member and with which his widow has long been actively identified.
At Hutsonville, Crawford county, Illinois, on the 9th of April, 1863, was sol- emnized the marriage of Mr. Woods to Miss Katherine S. Fesler, this important incident in his career having occurred while he was on furlough from service on the Mississippi river gunboat previously mentioned in this context. Mrs. Woods was born and reared at Hutsonville and is a daughter of Nicholas and Lucinda (Sweeney) Fesler, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Lex- ington, Kentucky. Mrs. Fesler was cousin of Rev. Zachariah Sweeney, who was one of the prominent and distinguished clergymen in Indiana and who maintained his home at Columbus, this state, for a number of years. The parents of Mrs. Woods passed the closing years of their lives at Bellair, Illinois, and her fatlier was for a long period in charge of woolen mills at Hutsonville, Illinois. Of the seven children, of whom Mrs. Woods was the third in order of birth, there are living besides herself three sons and one daughter. Mrs. Woods, as a woman of distinctive culture, proved the closer companion of her honored husband, as their tastes and aspirations were thoroughly in harmony and their married life thus one
JWargtaa C. WBLoatm 285
of ideal order. She was aflforded excellent educational advantages in her youth, including those of the Terre Haute Female Seminary, at Terre Haute, Indiana, in which site was a student and in which she completed her course in 1861. She has a wide circle of friends in Indianapolis and has been active in the representa- tive social life of the community. She has an attractive home at 1718 North Delaware street and the same is known for its gracious hospitality. In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Woods: Elliott W. Woods, who married Miss Emma Brock, of Washington, D. C, has held gov- ernmental office in the national capital for more than twenty years and is now superintendent of the capitol building, in charge of the buildings and grounds. Frances Emma, the younger of the two children, is now the wife of William P. Johnston, who is engaged in the real estate business in Indianapolis, and they maintain their home at 2115 North Delaware street. They have two sons, — Winant Pullis, who is now a student in the University of Pennsylvania, in the city of Philadelphia, and Russell Woods Johnston, who lives at home, having attended Wabash College.
aiexantrer ||eron
ACCORDING to the measure of a man's usefulness does he justify the purposes of life and give reason for his being. The late Alexander Heron, whose character was the positive expression of a strong and noble nature, accounted well to the world as a member of its army of productive workers, and in his individuality he showed forth those sterling attributes which invariably gain the altogether desirable reward of pop- ular trust and approbation. Mr. Heron was a boy at the time of the family re- moval to Indiana, in the pioneer days, and here it was given him to become a prominent and influential force in the development and advancement of the agri- cultural resources of the state, in evidence of which was his long and effective service in the office of secretary of the state board of agriculture. Upon assuming this important position, in 1872, he established his home in Indianapolis, where he passed the residue of his long and worthy life, though he continued to give his supervision to his extensive landed estate. Quiet and unassuming, Mr. Heron was a man of splendid ability and his character and services were such as to justify most fully the brief memorial which it is possible to incorporate in this publica- tion. On the 29th of May, 1900, death set its seal upon his mortal lips and he passed forward to the life eternal, — a man who had done well his part in the world and who left the gracious heritage of a good name.
Alexander Heron was born in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, on the 2nd of May, 1827, and thus he had attained to the age of seventy-two years when, after a prolonged illness, he was summoned to that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns." He was a son of James and Barbara (Keven) Heron, both of whom were born and reared in Scotland, where their marriage was solemnized. Upon immigrating to America James Heron established his home in Baltimore, where he engaged in the wholesale and retail dry goods business, but impaired health finally compelled his retirement and rendered imperative a radical change of occupation. Accordingly, in 1837, he came with his family to Indiana, whither the journey was made by stage coach, and secured a tract of land within a mile of Cornersville, the judicial center of Fayette county. He instituted the reclamation and development of his land, but did not recuperate his health, his death occurring about two years after the removal to Indiana. It is interesting to note that the old homestead, now one of the valuable farms of Fayette county. Is still in the possession of the family. The devoted wife and mother survived her husband by a number of years and continued to reside in Fayette county until her death. Of the children two sons and one daughter are still living, — Nathan and William, who own and still reside upon the old homestead near Connersville, and Mrs. George Hibben, of Chicago.
Alexander Heron gained his rudimentary education in his native city and was
290 aiexanbcr Jetton
ten years of age at the time of the family I'emoval to Indiana. The death of his father, soon afterward, threw heavy responsibilities upon him, in connection with the improvement and other work of the home farm and in assisting in providing for his widowed mother and the younger children. Though these conditions and exigencies naturally made it impossible for him to pursue higher educational work, he showed forth, even at that early age, the self-reliance, loyalty and devo- tion to duty which so significantly characterized his entire life. Endowed with excellent mental powers, the educational handicap of his youth was effectually overcome through self-discipline and through long and active association with men and affairs in later years, so that he became a man of broad intellectual grasp and mature judgment. With all of ambitious zeal and excellent methods Mr. Heron continued to devote his attention to the great basic industry of agriculture until large and definite success had crowned his efforts. He became an extensive landholder and his farms at the time of his death were veritable models, the same being still owned by his widow and being very valuable properties. His advance- ment to independence and prosperity represented the tangible results of his own ability and efforts, and in civic loyalty, progressiveness and deep public spirit he ever stood exponent of the highest type of citizenship, the while to know him was to admire his sterling qualities and to accord to him unqualified confidence and esteem.
From an appreciative estimate appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of the death of Mr. Heron are taken the following significant statements: "Mr. Heron grew up on the farm and became known as an intelligent and progressive farmer. He took great interest in all that tended to the advancement of agri- culture, and in 1872, while in attendance as a delegate to the meeting of the state board of agriculture in this city, he was, without any solicitation on his part, made secretary of the board, an office to which he was annually elected for nineteen years. He was the only person who had held office in both the old state house, of the Parthenon pattern, and in the new state house. He was secretary of the state board of agriculture in 1873, when the exposition was held in what is now Morton Place, at the head of Alabama street. During the construction of the new state house Mr. Heron occupied quarters in an upper room of what is now the Consum- ers' Gas Trust building. Since retiring from the secretaryship, in 1891, he has not been actively engaged in business, though his interest in agricultural matters continued and he made frequent visits to three large farms which he owned, two in Tipton county and one in Madison county. He was of quiet demeanor, strong in his convictions as to right and wrong, and greatly esteemed by all who knew him. Rev. Dr. W. A. Quayle conducted the funeral services and burial was made at Crown Hill cemetery."
It may consistently be said that Indiana will ever owe a debt to Mr. Heron for the effective service which he gave in the promotion of agricultural interests within its borders, for he was indefatigable in his efforts while incumbent of the office of secretary of the state board of agriculture during the long period of twenty consecutive years and brought to bear great discrimination alid most pro- gressive policies in the administration of his office, as well as in giving advice and counsel to the farmers and stock-growers throughout the state. By virtue of his ofiicial position he had the active supervision of the erection of the old state expo- sition building, situated on the present Morton Place, in the capital city, and it
aiexanber j^cron 291
will be recalled that in this building were given most admirable displays of the agricultural and other resources of the state. In politics Mr. Heron gave a stavmch allegiance to the Democratic party, and he attended the Presbyterian church. His widow has long been a devoted member of the Meridian Street Metho- dist Episcopal church. She and her only daughter still reside in the attractive and hospitable old homestead at 1827 North Meridian street, and both figure promi- nently in the representative social activities of the capital city.
At Brookville, the judicial center of Franklin county, Indiana, on the 14th of January, 1861, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Heron to Miss Helen M. Roberts, who was born at Brookville, on the 26th of June, 1839, and who is a daughter of John and Mary M. (Tempelton) Roberts, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Franklin county, Indiana. Mr. Roberts was one of the early settlers of Franklin county and became one of its prominent and influential citizens, the major portion of his active career having been closely identified with agricultural pursuits. Both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Indianapolis. The four children now living of John and Mary M. Rob- erts are: Mrs. Caroline Peck, widow of William J. Peck, lives at 1010 North Capi- tol avenue, Indianapolis; Mrs. Heron; Mrs. Nanie R. Shirk, of Tipton, Indiana, widow of Elbert H. Shirk; and James E. Roberts, retired, living at 1038 North Meridian street, Indianapolis. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Heron it may be stated that Mary R., who is the widow of Dr. John James Garver. re- sides with her widowed mother, and Charles Alexander Heron, who resides at 1860 North Pennsylvania street, Indianapolis, is assistant electrical engineer in the establishment of the Traction Terminal Company. He married Miss Mary Forgy, of New Carlisle, Ohio.
Softn 5. barber, M* ffi.
[NE of the able physicians and surgeons who have lent dignity and honor to the medical profession in Indiana was the late Dr. John James Garver, who was engaged in active practice in Indianapolis for nearly a quarter of a century prior to his death which here occurred on the 13th of December, 1900. He ever exemplified the highest ethical code of his chosen vocation and his technical knowledge and skill were such as to give him place among the essentially distinguished representatives of his profession in the state. His character was cast in a generous and noble mould and he made his life count for good in its every relation. Aside from the insistent demands of his profession he found time and opportunity to render service of value as a loyal and progressive citizen, and as the incumbent of the office of com- missioner of the Indianapolis public school he did much to advance educational interests in the capital city. He was enrolled as a valiant soldier of the Union in the Civil war and in the "piping times of peace" he manifested the same intrin- sic loyalty and patriotism in the gaining of other and most benignant victories. Dr. Garver was of staunch Scotch lineage and claimed the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity. He was bom at Silver Lake, Logan county, Ohio, on the 14th of February, 1845, his parents having been early settlers of that county, where his father was a prosperous farmer and a citizen of no little influence in public affairs of a local order. The parents continued to reside in Ohio until their death and their names merit enduring place on the roll of the honored pion- eers of that commonwealth. The early educational discipline of Dr. Garver was secured in the public schools of his native state and after completing the curriculum of the high school at Fairview, Fayette county, he there availed himself also of the advantages of a well ordered business college.
Sixteen years of age at the inception of the great conflict between the north and south. Dr. Garver soon found his youthful patriotism quickened to responsive protest and definite action. Early in the second year of the war he tendered his services in defense of the Union by enlisting as a private in the Seventy-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he continued in active service four years, or until victory had crowned the Union arms. He participated in many of the important engage- ments marking the progress of the long and sanguinary warfare, including the battle of Shiloh, the various engagements of the Atlanta campaign, and the bat- tles of Franklin, Columbia and Nashville, Tennessee. At the close of the war he refused the tender of the office of lieutenant colonel of the Sixteenth United States Colored Troops and after duly receiving his honorable discharge he formulated plans for his future career. For several years he was engaged in the drug busi- ness in Ohio, and in 1870, at Dayton, that state, he initiated the study of medicine under the effective preceptorship of Dr. Oliver Cook, a brother of General George
296 3Foftn 3. barber, jfl. B.
Cook, of the United States army. He finally entered the Ohio Medical College, in the city of Cincinnati, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1877 and from which he received his well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine.
In the Centennial year, 1876, soon after his graduation. Dr. Carver came to Indianapolis, and in this excellent field he found ample scope for professional advancement and for the gaining of large and substantial success. His devotion to his profession was of the most intense and appreciative order and with the passing years he kept in close touch with the advances made in both medicine and surgery, so that he was at all times able to avail himself of the most approved methods, agencies and facilities relevant thereto. He gained recognition as a man of specially high intellectual and professional attainments, contributed liberally to the periodical literature of medicine and surgery and also presented numerous papers of marked value before the various medical societies with which he was identified.
In the year 1888 Dr. Garver was elected a commissioner of the public schools of Indianapolis, and his service in this ofiice was far from being tentative or desul- tory, as he put forth his splendid energies in advancing the cause of education in his home city and was specially influential in the purchase of the site for and the construction of the city's fine public library building, the library having con- tinuously remained under the control of the public school authorities of the city. He retained the position of commissioner four years and after his retirement con- tinued to manifest a lively interest in educational matters. In 1881 he had been elected superintendent of the city dispensary, and of this position he continued the efficient and popular incumbent for a period of five years. In the early '90s Dr. Garver was appointed a member of the board of United States pension-exam- ining surgeons for Marion county, and he retained this position until his death, his services having been the more ardent and earnest by reason of his own career as a soldier, — an association that made him specially mindful of his old comrades in arms. The Doctor held membership in the American Medical Association, the Indiana State Medical Society and the Marion County Medical Society, which last mentioned organization gave a notably appreciative tribute and memorial at the time of his death, as he was one of its most honored and valued members. He was prominently affiliated with various local bodies of the Masonic fraternity and was actively identified with George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which passed appropriate resolutions when he was summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors. The funeral survices of Dr. Garver were held at the family home and interment was made in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. Dr. Garver was the soul of generosity and his abiding human sympathy made him a welcome figure in the homes of the many families to whom he ministered with all of zeal and ability during the long years of his active practice in Indianapolis. In these homes his death was a source of unequivocal personal bereavement, and many thus sorrowed with his own family, to which his devotion had at all times been intense and self-abnegating. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party and his religious affiliation was with the Second Presbyterian church. Mrs. Garver is a member of the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal church.
In Indianapolis, on the 30th of April, 1895, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Garver to Miss Mary Roberts Heron, who was born near Connersville, Fay- ette county, this state, and who is a daughter of the late Alexander Heron. Mrs.
3Foi)n 3. barber, iW. 3i.
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Garver now resides with her widowed mother in their attractive home at 1827 North Meridian street, and the same is brightened also by the presence of her only child, Heron James Garver, who was born in this city on the 15th of April, 1896, and who is a member of the class of 1915 in the Shortridge high school.
(O^^ <:wt^^p^€^^^^^
€lmer C. laugftlin
NATIVE son of Indiana who honored the state by his worthy life and services and whose character was the positive ex- pression of a strong, true and noble nature, was the late Elmer Clement Laughlin, who died at his home in the village of Boswell, Benton county, on the 26th of September, 1903, only an half hour after his honored father had passed to the life eternal. His death was the result of a stroke of paralysis, and he had endured a third of the same before he succumbed. His widow and two daughters now maintain their home at 1101 North Alabama street, Indianapolis. Mr. Laughlin was successful in connection with the practical and productive ac- tivities of life and he was a man of fine intellectuality and distinctive business acumen. He was for several years a successful and popular teacher in the public schools of Boswell and he then engaged in the grain business, in connection with which he was manager of the elevator and business of the Farmers' Co-operative Grain Association at Boswell during the last eight years of his life, his well di- rected endeavors in this position having been the most potent force in conserving the success of the enterprise. He was a man whose very personality gained to him unqualified confidence and esteem, and his sincerity, kindliness and abiding human sympathy were attributes that won to him the affectionate regard of those whom his influence touched more closely. He accounted well to the world as one of its workers and his life story offers much of lesson and inspiration.
Elmer Clement Laughlin was born in Warren county, Indiana, on the 19th of May, 1864, and thus his age at the time of his death was thirty-nine years and four months. He was a son of David and Adaline (Brady) Laughlin, the former of whom was born in Brown county, Ohio, on the 8th of January, 1836. The mother passed to eternal rest on the 13th of July, 1881, and the death of the father occurred at Talbot, Benton county, Indiana, on the 26th of September, 1903, about an half hour prior to the demise of the subject of this memoir. David Laughlin was a son of Robert and Isabel Laughlin, who were numbered among the sterling pioneers of the old Buckeye state, and who removed from Brown county to Shelby county, that state, in 1839, when he was about three years of age. In the latter county David Laughlin was reared to manhood and received a common- school education, which he amplified by self-application. In 1855 he came to Warren county, Indiana, but he returned to Ohio and taught school during the winter of the following year. In 1857 he again came to Warren county, Indiana, 'and for many years thereafter he devoted his attention to the pedagogic profession, in which he attained to high reputation and popularity. He continued to teach school in that section of Indiana from 1858 to 1885, and in 1887 he engaged in the mercantile business at Talbot, Brown county, where he continued in this line of enterprise until his death and where he was a citizen of prominence and influ- ence, and a man esteemed for his sterling character. In 1858 was solemnized his
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marriage to Miss Adaline Brady, daughter of Rev. John Brady, who was an hon- ored clergyman of the Christian church and who held at that time a pastoral charge in Warren county, this state. Of this union were born five sons and two daughters, and of the number three sons are living. About five years after the death of his first wife Mr. Laughlin returned to Shelby county, Ohio, where, in 1836, was solemnized his marriage to Mrs. Amanda Stephenson, who survives him.
Elmer C. Laughlin gained his early educational discipline in the public schools of Benton county, Indiana, and later he availed himself of the advantages of the Northern Indiana Normal School & Business University, now known as Valparaiso University, where he admirably fitted himself for work as a teacher. His initial experience in the pedagogic profession was gained in the vicinity of Sidney, Shelby county, Ohio, and he finally assumed a position in the public schools of BosweU, Indiana, where he continued as a successful and popular instructor for a period of seven years, during the greater part of which time he was principal of the schools, which he brought up to a specially high standard. After his retirement from this field of endeavor Mr. Laughlin became one of the organizers of the Farmers' Co-operative Grain Association, and as manager of its business at Bos- well he made a splendid record, continuing the incumbency of this oflSce until he was summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors. From an appreciative memorial published in the BosweU Enterprise at the time of his death are taken the following extracts :
"Elmer C. Laughlin was a man of exceptional qualities, and his loss to the community will be felt in many ways. Upright in all his dealings with his fellow men, sympathetic and kind-hearted, he endeared himself to those with whom he came in contact. In his relations to his church and fraternities he was always consistent, — always espoused the right against the wrong, and was fearless in fighting evil. He was as nearly a Christian as any man. Socially he was a pleas- ant companion and was popular. Having faults himself, he did not magnify those of others; neither did he draw down his face nor look sanctimonious. He loved life, as every other big, full-blooded man does. He was good to look upon, and in his physique there seemed enough of vitality to carry him through the struggles and storms for fifty years to come. But the wear on his brain was too much,' and the fatal stroke came. The greatest loss falls on his wife and two little daughters. They were first with him, and by him was left undone nothing that would add to their happiness, — and he was to them their all. The funeral was conducted from the home on the Monday following his death, and in the services the Rev. John J. Claypool, pastor of the Methodist church of Stockwell, was as- sisted by the Rev. Messrs. McCloud and Leonard."
In politics Mr. Laughlin was aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, but he never had aught of desire for the honors or emolu- ments of public office. He was a most zealous worker in behalf of measures tend- ing to advance the moral and general social welfare of the community, and, as a de- vout and consistent member of the Christian church, his abiding faith was shown forth in thought, word and deed, with no semblance of pharisaical intolerance. He was an elder in the Christian church of BosweU at the time of his death, was also superintendent of its Sunday-school, and held the office of vice-president of the Sunday-school Association of Benton county, and president of the local Anti- saloon League. His interest in educational affairs never waned and he was a
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valued member of the board of education in his home village at the time of his sudden summons to the life eternal. He was actively affiliated with Boswell Lodge, No. 486, Free & Accepted Masons; Boswell Lodge, No. 4,63, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which latter fraternity he was also identified with the Encampment body; and with the Woodmen of the World. Each of these organi- zations, as well as a committee from his church, passed appreciative resolutions of sorrow and respect when he was summoned to the better world. From the tribute given by his Masonic lodge are taken the following well justified state- ments :
" 'Death loves a shining mark.' Truly do we see this exemplified in the death of our friend and brother, Elmer C. Laughlin, whose loss we deeply deplore and whose memory we shall ever revere. We realize that in his death our lodge has lost one of its most worthy members and our community one of its most worthy citizens. In every station of life, whether as a business man charged with re- sponsible duties, as a Christian, as a husband and father, as a citizen, neighbor and friend, as a man and a Mason, he fearlessly and faithfully executed every trust and discharged every duty, and, passing away, left no stain upon his name, Cut down in the full vigor of his manhood, his life's work is ended, but he did not live in vain, for his good works still survive to bless the community in which he lived, and he has left to his family the rich heritage of a good name."
The following extracts are from the tribute given by the church of which he was so prominent and zealous a member:
"We all know of his increasing work of love and kindness among us; of his earnest endeavors to uplift his fellow men and bring about a higher moral con- dition in every community. His friends were legion. To know him was to love and esteem him. His work was not alone in a general way. As a member of the Church of Christ at Boswell, and one of its elders and the superintendent of its Sunday-school, and also in the Endeavor society, he was especially and ear- nestly engaged in the work of his Master and Lord. But the Great Ruler of all has seen fit to call him up higher, and we must bow in humble submission to His supreme will, knowing that He doeth all things well."
The gentle beatitudes exemplified in the life of Mr. Laughlin found their greatest glory in the sanctuary of his home, and to his wife and daughters there must remain the consolation and recompense granted by the gracious memories of all that he was to them and to the world in which he lived. At Boswell, on the 20th of June, 1889, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Laughlin to Miss Clara Christley, who was bom and reared in that place and who, with her daughters, now resides in Indianapolis, as has been previously noted in this context. Mrs. Laughlin is a daughter of Dr. Joel B. and Mary E. (Borders) Christley, who still reside on their old homestead near Boswell, and both of whom are octogena- rians. They are held in reverent affection by all who know them. Dr. Christley was one of the early physicians and surgeons in the community which is still his home and for many years he ministered with much of ability and devotion to those in affliction, so that it is but natural that he should retain the high regard of the community in which he has so long maintained his abode and in which he and his cherished wife are now numbered among the most venerable pioneers. Dr. Christ- ley was born in Pennsylvania and is a man of fine intellectual and professional attainments, though he has not been engaged in the active practice of medicine
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for the past thirty years. Mrs. Christley was born near Lafayette, Tippecanoe county, this state, and is a representative of one of the prominent and influential pioneer families of that section of the Hoosier commonwealth. Of the children of Dr. and Mrs. Christley, four sons and two daughters are now living. Mrs. Laughlin established her home in Indianapolis in 1907 and here finds pleasing so- cial environments and the best of educational advantages for her two daughters, Ermil L., and Vera H.
(iottlieti »acf)ts;tetter
I HE sterling citizen to whom this memoir is dedicated was a rep- resentative of one of the influential and prominent German families of Indiana and in his character and services he exem- plified the sturdy characteristics and best traditions of his native land and thus made himself the more worthy and useful as a citizen of the country of his adoption. He was long iden- tified with business interests in Indianapolis and achieved sub- stantial prosperity through his own endeavors. He was well known and highly esteemed in the capital city of Indiana and here his death occurred on the 13th of October, 1893, his widow still maintaining her residence in the fine old homestead at 1902 Park avenue.
Gottlieb Wachtstetter was born in the kingdom of Wiirtemburg, Germany, on the 21st of January, 1835, and thus he was nearly sixty years of age at the time of his death. He was a son of Matthew and Christina Wachtstetter, who immigrated to America in 1851 and established their home on a farm in Pulaski county, Indi- ana, where the father became a successful agriculturist and a valued citizen. When well advanced in years the parents removed to Indianapolis, where they continued to reside until their death and where they commanded the high esteem of all who knew them. Gottlieb Wachtstetter was indebted to the excellent schools of his Fatherland for his early educational training and was a youth of twenty years at the time of the family immigration to the United States. He remained for a time on the farm secured by his father and then came to Indianapolis, where his first employment was that of teamster for the state asylum for the deaf and dumb. He carefully conserved his resources and was finally enabled to initiate his inde- pendent business career by opening a restaurant in the Sherman House block, near the Union passenger station. He there began operations in 1862 and about five years later, after having built up a prosperous enterprise, he disposed of his restau- rant and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on the Hamilton county line. This property was partly improved, and he erected on the place a substan- tial brick house, to supplant the old log house which had been erected many years previously. He made other excellent improvements on the farm and there con- tinued to reside about four years, at the expiration of which he rented the place and returned to Indianapolis. In 1875 he sold the farm and, incidental to this transaction, received in exchange the valuable residence property now occupied by his widow. A few years after his return to the capital city Mr. Wachtstetter engaged in the retail liquor trade by opening a buffet and cafe at the corner of Sixteenth street and Senate avenue. He conducted this place in the careful and orderly manner characteristic of the sturdy German system and built up a most prosperous enterprise, to the management of which he continued to devote his attention until his death. His widow eventually disposed of the business and fur- nishings of the place but she still owns the property, besides which she also owns
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much other valuable realty in the city, her husband having made judicious invest- ments in such property from time to time. While living on his farm Mr. Wacht- stetter began buying and selling live stock, and he continued in this line of enter- prise upon a somewhat extensive scale after he had returned to Indianapolis. He was a great lover of horses, and at various times was the owner of many fine animals in this line, including a number of standard bred horses of the best type. He was well known in his home city and had a wide circle of friends, especially among the German citizens. He gave his time to his home and business and thus had no predilection for identifying himself with clubs and other social organiza- tions, though he was for some time actively affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Loyal and progressive as a citizen, he never took an active part in political affairs, though he accorded a staunch allegiance to the Democratic party. He held membership in the German Lutheran church. He was a man of strong mentality, and good literature, and instructive lectures had much attraction for him. The substantial brick residence which he purchased in 1876, and which his widow still occupies, was erected in 1873, and when he there established his home there but few other houses in that section of the city, — the old state fair grounds, — and of the houses on these grounds at the time he purchased his prop- erty his old homestead is now the only one standing.
On the 13th of April, 1861, Mr. Wachtstetter was united in marriage to Miss Anna Thorn, who was born at Aberdeenshire, Scotland, within a mile of Castle Forbes, and who is a daughter of James and Helen (Kesson) Thorn, who passed their entire lives in the "land of hills and heather." Mrs. Wachtstetter received good educational advantages in her native land and came to the United States in 1854, in company with her elder sister, Mrs. Elsie Emslie, wife of James Emslie, of New London, Ohio. The sisters maintained their home at New London, Huron county, Ohio, for several years after coming to America. Mrs. Wachtstetter holds membership in Plymouth church and has many friends in the social circles of the city which has so long represented her home. Concerning the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Wachtstetter, the following data are given in conclusion of this memoir: Jessie A., who was reared and educated in Indianapolis, was united in marriage, on the ISth of April, 1884, to William J. Miles, who was born at Wabash, this state, and who is now a successful business man of Indianapolis. They became the parents of eight children, Willa C, Bessie V., Hazel B., Jessie L., James A., Shirley A., Beulah M., and William W. All of the children are living with the exception of Willa C, who died at the age of nine years. Josephine, the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wachtstetter, became the wife of Walter B. Silver, and she died in Indianapolis, on the 31st of January, 1898; she is survived by one son, Dwight W.
James; OT, JSrpan
[NATIVE of Kentucky and a scion of one of the old and patrician families of Virginia, it was given to Mr. Bryan to gain a po- sition of prominence as one of the representative business men and honored citizens of Indianapolis, where he was engaged in the retail drug trade for many years and where he was one of the pioneer representatives of this line of enterprise at the time of his death, which occurred on the 16th of March, 1902. He was a man of sterling character and distinctive business ability, while his fine intellectual powers and social qualities made him an effective exponent of the higher ideals of life and gained to him a place in popular confidence and esteem. His position as one of the representative citizens of Indianapolis during the course of a long and successful business career render the recognition accorded to him in this memorial edition.
James William Bryan was born at Yelvington, Daviess county, Kentucky, on the 25th of August, 1836, and thus was nearly sixty-six years of age when he was summoned to eternal rest. He was a son of Dr. Albert H. Bryan, a representative of a family early founded in Fairfax county, Virginia, and long a leading physician and surgeon of the state of Kentucky. Dr. Bryan accompanied his son, James W., to Indianapolis in 1863, and here passed the remainder of his life, a man of fine character and marked professional ability. For many years prior to his removal to the Indiana capital he had been engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. The subject of this memoir was a child at the time of the family removal to Louisville and in the schools of that city he gained his early educational training. There, in 1851, when about fifteen years of age, he acted as an apprentice in the drug store of Dr. J. A. Krack, and thoroughly familiarized himself with all details of the business, in connection with which he became a specially skillful pharmacist. At the time of the Civil war he was unswerving in his alle- giance to the cause of the Union and served for a time as a member of the home guard in the city of Louisville, — a military organization that proved of much value in supplementing the activities of the regular troops.
In 1863 Mr. Bryan came to Indianapolis and established a drug store in the old Spencer house, on Illinois street, a hotel whose site is still occupied by one of the same name. It is worthy of special mention that his was the thirteenth drug store in the city at that time, while now there are several hundred. He later removed his store to a building situated diagonally across the street, on the site of the present Union passenger station. When the new station was erected he removed one block north on Illinois street, where he conducted the Union station drug store until 1898, when, after many years of close and successful application to business, he sold his stock and business. A life of inactivity was repugnant to him after these long years of consecutive application, and after living retired about one year he estab-
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lished a drug store at 1752 East Tenth street, where he continued in business until the close of his long and useful life. His death took from the community a pioneer druggist and a citizen whose character and services had made him a valued and honored figure. He was loyal and progressive in his civic attitude and took deep interest in all that tended to advance the social and material welfare of the com- munity. Though never an aspirant for public office, he gave a staunch allegiance to the Democratic party and he was long one of the valued and influential members of the Central Christian church, to the various departments of whose work he con- tributed liberally and appreciatively, his widow having also been a member of this church for many years and being still active in its work. The funeral services of Mr. Bryan were conducted from his home, at 18 East Pratt street, and the pastor of his church. Rev. Allan B. Philputt, was assisted by the Rev. J. Cumming Smith, pastor of the Tabernacle Presbyterian church, interment being made in the beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. Mr. Bryan was survived by five sisters and three brothers, all residents of Indianapolis, — Misses Anna, Maxie and Laura Bryan, Mrs. A. Burdsal, Mrs. Mary E. Dreyer, and John, Felix and Robert Bryan.
In the city of Louisville, Kentucky, on the 17th of July, 1873, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bryan to Miss Jennie Hughes, who survives him, as do also two children. Mrs. Bryan was born at Simpsonville, Kentucky, and was the youngest of four daughters of James and Charlotte (Hundley) Hughes, both of whom were born in Virginia and both of whom were members of sterling families of the historic Old Dominion commonwealth. The parents of Mrs. Bryan continued to reside in Louisville until their death, and her father devoted the major part of his active career to the lumber business. Mrs. Bryan now resides at 136 East St. Joseph street and finds her associations most grateful and pleasing in the city that has so long represented her home and in the social life of which she has played a prominent part. Albert Hughes Bryan, the elder of the two children, was graduated in the Indianapolis high school and in Purdue University, at Lafayette, Indiana. He is an expert sugar chemist and as such he has held for several years the chiefship of the Sugar Laboratory in the department of agriculture at Washington, D. C. He mar- ried Miss Alma Cole Hayworth of Lafayette, Indiana, and they have one child, Albert Hughes Bryan, Jr. Miss Juillette Wharton Bryan remains with her widowed mother.
Cfjarleg Jf , Jf aulfener
L^Pq^tW HE life of Charles F. Faulkner is a typical example of the lives ■ ^ " ^^'^ of many of the successful American business men of to-day, who
have started with practically nothing and have ended with a con- siderable portion of this world's goods. Mr. Faulkner was struck down in his prime, and one can not say just how high he would have climbed up the ladder that the world calls success, but from the progress which he made during his life time it is safe to prophesy that he would have gone far. He was a thorough business man, and was one of the first to champion the pure food law, his business being one in which adulteration was largely practiced. He did not live, however, to see it carried into effect.
Charles F. Faulkner was born in Franklin, Indiana, on the 15th of March, 1858. He was a son of Greshem Faulkner, who was a farmer of Scott county, Indiana. Greshem Faulkner was born on the 13th of December, 1829, and spent practically all of his life in agricultural pursuits, dying on the 29th of May, 1885. The mother of Charles Faulkner was Eliza Jane Faulkner, who was born on the 25th of March, 1838, and died on the 4th of March, 1874. Charles F. Faulkner was brought up on the farm and expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become a farmer. In 1866 he moved with his mother to a farm in Marion county, about twelve miles south of Indianapolis, and as he grew to manhood much of the farm work fell to his lot. Finally he determined to try his hand at something else, and following the lure of the city he came to Indianapolis and entered the employ of the William Arch- drakon Company. This firm was a large dealer in pickles and vinegar, and young Faulkner soon became city salesman. This was a very good position for a man who had had as little experience as he had in the business, and he secured it simply by his alertness and his readiness to do whatever he was told to do. Later his ability as a salesman was recognized by his employers and he was given the whole state as his territory. He was always a welcome figure in every town, and made life long friends throughout the state. His geniality and tact as well as his straight- forward business methods made money for his firm and won many patrons that it would not have had otherwise. He was with Mr. Archdrakon for thirteen years, and no one could have been better fitted to start out for himself than was Mr. Faulkner at the end of this time. It was now apparent how large a circle of friends he had made, for when, in the spring of 1893, Mr. Faulkner went into partnership with Homer C. Webb, and established a preserving business, they found a large patronage ready at hand. The firm was located on North Delaware street, under the name of Faulkner- Webb Company. For ten years a very successful business was carried on, and then the firm was dissolved. Shortly afterwards Mr. Faulkner established the Faulkner Preserving Company on South Madison street. This company gave em- ployment to thirty-five men and forty girls, and soon became widely known for the purity of its products. Mr. Faulkner was president and to him was due the success of the new venture. The products of the factory, — pickles, kraut, ketchup and
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kindred products — were shipped all over the country, the "Fa. We." brand, in par- ticular, having a national reputation. The trade grew at a remarkable rate, and at one time the firm owned four canning factories in the city. When Mr. Faulkner was at the height of his career, when the factories were running overtime to supply the demand, and it seemed as though the founder of this lucrative concern could take a much needed rest, his death occurred. This was caused by the bursting of one of the large kraut cutting machines in his own factory. He died on the 20th of September, 1907. His wife was a very capable business woman, having been trained in the methods of business from her childhood. She closed up the business and settled the estate, fully as well as any man could have done, thus refuting the now almost obselete cry that woman has no business sense.
Charles F. Faulkner was a member of the Capital City Lodge of the Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, No. 312, and was a loyal believer in the teachings of Masonry. He was a Republican but never ran for office believing others better fitted for that sort of work, though he was always well posted on the political ques- tions of the day, and was what we now need so badly, an intelligent voter. He was married on the 9th of November, 1887, to Cora A. Gilbert. She is a daughter of John W. and Sarah (Hearn) Gilbert. Mrs. Faulkner lost her mother when she was quite young, the latter dying in Ohio at the age of thirty-six. Her father was bom in England but came to this country in his youth and became one of the pioneer piano dealers in Loraine county, Ohio. He later came to Indianapolis, bringing his little daughter with him, and continuing in the same line of business. Mrs. Faulkner was only nine when she was introduced to the world of affairs through the medium of her father's office, and from that time until she married she was a thorough-going business woman. After her marriage although she had the cares of a family, her interest and activity in her old field of work did not wane. It has been seen how very fortunate this was for her on the death of her husband. She was born in Loraine county, Ohio, in the town of Amherst, and was one of a family of four children. George, the eldest of these, lives in Cleveland, Ohio; Edgar A. died at the age of twenty-nine; Charles lives in Cleveland; and Cora A. is the youngest.
Mr. Faulkner had a number of brothers and sisters. Emma, who is now Mrs. Joseph Shannon, and lives in Glenns Valley, Marion county, Indiana ; Charles F., the eldest son; Edgar, living in Indianapolis; Ida, who married E. E. Hartman, of Indianapolis; Lewis A., who resides in New York City; and William, living in In- dianapolis.
Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner became the parents of one son, who married Ethel M. Dunlap. They live on East Pratt street, in this city. A niece of Mr. Faulkner's was also reared by them from her childhood. She is now the wife of John Chan- delier. She is now living in Indianapolis, on Bellfountaine street. Mrs. Faulk- ner lives in the comfortable home that she and her husband built together, at 2118 Park avenne.
Josiepf) ILm^tin
lOR many many years America and her business opportunities hare been exploited in other lands, and to her shores have come people of every country to take advantage of these. While a welcome has been extended to all, and a large degree of personal freedom assured to them, it has been the solid, thrifty German who haa been most acceptable, for in a large majority of cases he has come already prepared for self support and with aspirations that in- clude the founding of a home, the rearing and educating of his children, and the as- suming of the responsibilities of citizenship. Such a man was Joseph Langbein, who for many years of a busy life was a representative business man of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born in Hessen, Germany, in 1820, and died in Indiana, May 31, 1879. He was the only one of a family of three daughters and four sons born to his parents, Frantz Langbein and his wife, to come to America. The father conducted a hotel in Germany and was in easy financial circumstances.
Joseph Langbein learned the bakery and confectionery trade after his school period was over and then, as a journeyman, visited France, where he followed his trade for seven years. He was thirty years of age when he came to the United States and after landing at New York, went to Cincinnati, Ohio, but shortly afterward be- came a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana. There are many of the older people of this city who can recall the old Warner bakery and there Mr. Langbein found employ- ment and remained until about 1850, when he established a bakery of his own, on the corner of North Jersey and Washington streets. He proved a good business man and prospered and within a few years was able to erect a brick business block, on the opposite corner from his first store, and after moving into the new quarters went into the general notion business and continued in that line until within a short period of his death. While he never lost his love for his native land, in 1870, with his wife and eldest son making a visit to the old country, he became in all essentials, an American citizen and took pride in his adopted country and her institutions. He was one of the charter members of the Indianapolis Maennorchor Society and be- longed also to the Masons, having become identified with the fraternity while living in France.
On November 25, 1850, Joseph Langbein was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Enrick, who was born April 10, 1833, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, not far distant from the capital, Harrisburg, in Dauphin county. Her parents, Lawrence and Catherine (Webber) Enrick, were both born at Frankfort-on-the- Main, Germany, the former on May 15, 1785, and the latter on December 11, 1803. In 1831 they came to America accompanied by their one child, and during the long voyage of forty-two days the little daughter learned to walk, although it may be supposed that the uncertain deck of a sailing vessel on the sea could not have been an easy floor for the little one to have essayed her first steps on., The
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voyagers landed at Baltimore, Maryland, -where they were met by a brother, John Enrick, who had already secured a farm in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. They all made the overland trip to Lancaster county in the relative's farm wagon. After a time spent in looking for a desirable location, Lawrence Enrick rented a farm for seven years and while the family lived there three more children were bom into the family.
Mr. Enrick was not altogether satisfied, however, with Lancaster county and kept informing himself concerning sections of the covmtry where it might be possible for him to acquire land, having owned a property in Germany and not desiring to continue a renter. Finally he decided to venture into Indiana and soon the family were on the way, in one of the big farm wagons of well known pattern of that time, and after six weeks of slow journeying reached the log cabin set- tlement which is now the capital city of Indiana on July 4, 1838. A few preten- tious houses had been erected and the old State House had just been completed, but along Washington street the wealthiest people still were contented with their log cabins. Indians were no unusual visitors in the place and the wooden stock- ade had not yet been removed from around the Circle. At first Mr. Enrick found employment in doing odd jobs, but later established a small grocery business on South Madison street, where he continued for a time, and he also assisted in dig- ging a canal. In memory of the customs of his native land, some time later Mr. and Mrs. Enrick opened a German Garden, and there are many of the German citizens of Indianapolis who recall with sentiments of affection and kind recol- lection this early German institution. The people were exceedingly neighborly and called each other by their first names and when they gathered in the Gardein after the day's work was over, surrounded and accompanied by their wives and children, they enjoyed preserving old-time German customs. They drank the cider that Mr. Enrick manufactured and ate the delicious "caffee-kuchen" baked by Mrs. Enrick, washing it down sometimes with native German wines or milk or buttermilk. They were as one big family, a happy, frugal people, who knew how to find enjoyment in simple things and smoked their German pipes and sang their German songs with that capacity of contentment that rested and refreshed them for the work of the following day. Lawrence Enrick died in 1857 and was mourned by the whole German community. For some years afterward his widow continued to carry on the Garden but finally retired to the home of her daughter Mrs. Langbein, where her death occurred in 1890.
Mrs. Langbein was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, as mentioned above, and was the second in the family of seven children and is the only survivor. The others were : Julia, who died many years ago, was the wife of Henry Ben- denz; Elizabeth, who was the wife of G. Waltner; and John, Fred, Joseph and Susan. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Langbein: Bertha, who died April 23, 1911, was the wife of J. B. Lizins, the architect with R. P. Daggert & Company for the soldiers' monument at Indianapolis, had two children, — J. Bernard, who died at the age of twenty-three years, a violinist of great talent, and Charles G., residing at Indianapolis, married Mary Owings and they have one daughter, Mary Josephine; Joseph, who is deceased, is survived by his widow, Mrs. Louise (Hurley) Langbein; Charles E., who is deceased, married Mary Crane and is survived by one son, Charles E., who married Myrtle Hiddings; Lena, who is deceased, married Valentine Dell, and they had one son, Frank;
^oscpt) Hangfacin
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and Theodore, who is deceased, married Mary R. Reitzel. They had two children: Thelma Amelia and Lawrence Robert. Mr. Langbein during his life was a con- sistent member of the Roman Catholic church, to which his family also belonged. Mrs. Langbein disposed of the brick block that her husband had erected in 1889, but still owns city property, including a double house on College avenue and her handsome residence at No. 1911 College avenue, Indianapolis.
)\ ATM W M. SI'.oEK
f onatfjan iWl. ^eger
RESIDENT of Indianapolis for nearly forty years prior to his death, the late Jonathan M. Seger was for many years one of the prominent and influential citizens. He was a man of exceptional business acumen and circumspection and his char- acter was the positive expression of a strong, upright and loyal nature. His reputation in business and private life was ever unassailable and popular confidence and respect were vouchsafed to him as his honest due. He had a wide circle of friends in his home city and to them his loyalty was one of deep appreciation. He left the record of a worthy and useful life and his standing in the community in which he so long lived and labored was such as to render most consonant the memorial tribute and record entered in this edition.
Jonathan Millett Seger was a native of the old Pine Tree state and was a scion of families founded in New England in the colonial days. He was bom on a farm in Oxford county, Maine, on the 11th of March, 1836, and his death occurred at his home in Indianapolis on the 8th of March, 1902. His funeral services were held three days later, on his sixty-sixth birthday anniversary, and his remains were laid to rest in that beautiful "God's Acre," Crown Hill cemetery. He was a son of Jon and Lydia (Farnum) Seger, both of whom passed their entire lives in Maine, where the father devoted practically his entire active career to agri- cultural pursuits. The Seger family was founded in the Pine Tree state in the early pioneer days, as is evident when it is stated that the paternal grandfather of the subject of this memoir was a native of that commonwealth and was a child at the time the family home was established in Oxford county. As a lad he was captured by the Indians, by whom he was held for five years, when his release was effected, his parents having been unable to gain trace of him for the interven- ing period.
He whose name initiates this sketch was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and after availing himself of the advantages of the country schools near the old homestead he was enabled to continue his studies for some time in a well ordered academy at North Rumford, in his native county. After leaving the farm he served an apprenticeship at the trade of carriage-maker and in the same he be- came a skilled artisan. In 1859 he was one of the adventurous spirits who went to California, where the seach for gold was still at its zenith. He made the jour- ney to San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama and after remaining for an interval in the city mentioned he joined the ranks of gold seekers. He be- came associated with two other men in the ownership of a claim at Dutch Flats, and they worked the same night and day, as their water supply for sluicing pur- poses was secured at a cost of twenty-four dollars a day and no time was to be lost save at appreciable financial sacrifice. He was measurably successful in his quest for, the golden treasure, and it was by accident that he was induced to come
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to Indiana, where he was destined to achieve prosperity through his well directed endeavors. While in California Mr. Seger formed the acquaintance of a young German named Affanstranger, and they became intimate friends and associates. Mr. Affanstranger, who was a blacksmith by trade, had made three trips across the plains to the Pacific coast and in the meanwhile his mother had purchased property in Indianapolis. It was her wish that he should take charge of the same, and when he decided to come to Indianapolis he endeavored to pursuade Mr. Seger to accompany him. The latter did not view the suggestion with favor but after his friend had arrived in Indianapolis, and had written him several urgent letters, he consented to join Mr. Affanstranger in the Indiana capital city, their intention being to engage in the manufacturing of carriages and other ve- hicles, as each was a skilled workman, — one a carriage-maker and the other a blacksmith, as has already been noted. Soon after his arrival in Indi- anapolis, however, Mr. Seger contracted typhoid fever, from which he did not recover for four months. In the meanwhile he decided to remain in the city which had in one sense accorded him a sorry welcome, in that his initial experience was that of illness. He came here in the year 1863 and in starting his business enterprise as a carriage builder he began operations alone instead of in partnership with his friend, as had been originally intended. He conducted a carriage shop on Indiana avenue for four years and in the meantime his business foresight and sagacity had led him to realize the advantages offered in the handling of local realty. He accordingly disposed of his carriage factory and turned his attention to the buying and improving of city real estate. He eventually purchased large amounts of vacant property, which he improved with excellent buildings. He re- tained until his death much valuable property in Indianapolis.
Mr. Seger won large and definite success through normal lines of enterprise and in all his transactions his integrity and honesty of purpose were never ques- tioned, so that his reputation came to constitute his best business asset. He was a man of broad views and marked civic loyalty, and while he never identified him- self actively with partisan politics he gave his support in public affairs to the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. His unvarying courtesy, genial nature and ready sympathy gained to him a wide circle of friends in the capital city, where he enjoyed unqualified popularity and approbation. His inter- ests centered in his business and his home, and of the latter, with its ideal ass<v- ciations, he was most deeply appreciative, as is shown by the fact that he often ex- pressed the sentiment that he had been so long without a home that when he did establish one and had the companionship of a devoted and cherished wife he had no desire to go forth for social pleasures in the line of clubs or fraternal organi- zations. His home at the time of his death was at 629 North Illinois street, a property which was sold by Mrs. Seger, who now resides in the fine apartment building known as the "Meridian," at 26 West Michigan street.
On the 9th of September, 1869, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Seger to Miss Anna Wood, who was born and reared in Indianapolis and who has here maintained her home from the time of her nativity. She is a daughter of Reason H. and Mercy (Wyncoop) Wood, the former of whom was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, and the latter in Boone county, Indiana. Reason H. Wood was a child of three years at the time of his parents' removal from Ohio to Indiana, in 1836, and the family home was established in what is now the city of Indianapolis
STonattan 0. ^cger 319
in the early pioneer days, before the completion of the old state house and before any railroad entered the future metropolis. The father of Mrs. Seger was a son of George Knight Wood and Phoebe T. (Hardesty) Wood, whose names merit enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers of Indiana's capital city, where they continued to reside until their death. George K. Wood was a cooper by trade and upon coming to Indianapolis he purchased land on the west side of White river. He there conducted a cooperage and he was well known and highly es- teemed in the pioneer community. He died in 1855 and his widow, who attained to the venerable age of eighty-four years, passed the closing days of her life in the home of her granddaughter, Mrs. Seger, her death occurring in 1891. Reason H. Wood learned the trade of cooper and when the war with Mexico was pre- cipitated he managed to enlist, though he was only eighteen years old and small for his age. He proved that corporeal ponderance was not a prerequisite of effective service and he was a faithful and valiant soldier, — one who continued in the ranks until the close of the war. The mother of Mrs. Seger died when she was but six years old, and she was reared by her grandparents.
Mr. and Mrs. Seger became the parents of two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Seger has long been active in the social affairs of her native city and takes distinctive pride and satisfaction in claiming the fair capital of the state as the place of her nativity and of her home. She is a zealous member of the Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal church and of its Home Missionary Society, and also is an appreciative and valued member of the Thursday Afternoon Club, a literary organization of representative women of the city.
AT.r.F.RT S. COM STOCK
Albert g>. Comsitocfe
|MONG those who have stood as distinguished types of the world's productive workers was the late Albert S. Comstock, who in- delibly impressed his influence upon the civic and industrial history of Indiana's capital city, who was deeply appreciative of all that represents the higher values of human existence who proved a force in the commercial world, who realized the responsibilities which success imposes, and who ordered his course upon a lofty plane of integrity and honor. He was actively and prominently identified with business interests in Indianapolis for more than a quarter of a cen- tury and long held precedence as one of the city's representative manufacturers. He continued as executive head of the Comstock & Coons Company, extensive manufacturers of pumps, imtil his death, which occurred on the 23d of May, 1901. His career was marked by large and worthy accomplishment and he made his life count for good in its every relation, so that he ever held secure place in the con- fidence and high regard of his fellow men. He attained to the psalmist's span of three score years and ten and thus passed to his reward in the fullness of years and well earned honors.
Albert Sheldon Comstock was born on a farm near Westford, Otsego county, New York, on the 18th of November, 1839, and was a son of Sheldon Comstock, who was numbered among the sterling pioneers of that section of the old Empire state and whose five sons were reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm, with the work and management of which each continued to be identified until he had attained to his legal majority. The parents finally removed to Sylvania, Lucas county, Ohio, not far distant from the city of Toledo, and they passed the remainder of their lives in the Buckeye state. The subject of this memoir early learned, in connection with the work of the home farm, the lessons of practical industry, and the discipline was such as to promote physical strength and inspire definite ambition. In the meanwhile he availed himself of the advantages of the common schools in the vicinity of the old homestead, and later supplemented this training by attending night schools. An alert and receptive mind enabled him to make the best use of such educational opportunities as were afforded him and he became a man of broad mental ken and wide information, as he was fully alive to the value of the lessons to be gained under the direction of that wisest of headmasters, experience.
At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Comstock went to Utica, New York, where he found employment as clerk in a clothing store. Later he was identified with the same line of enterprise in the city of Buffalo, but eventually his health became much impaired and he found recuperation through returning to the home of his parents, who had in the meanwhile removed to Ohio, and with whom he remained about two years. After recovering his health Mr. Comstock cast about for an in- viting field of endeavor, and about the year 1864 he came to Indiana and located
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at Lafayette, the capital and metropolis of Tippecanoe county, where he engaged in the produce business. Within a short period he became associated with Mr. Dur- bin in the manufacturing of pumps, and they continued in this line of enterprise at Lafayette for some time. Upon the removal of Mr. Durbin to Indianapolis Mr. Comstock purchased the former's interest in the business, which he sold a few years later. He then came to Indianapolis, and here he again entered into part- nership with Mr. Durbin and resumed the manufacturing of pumps, upon a larger scale and with better facilities, the well equipped plant of the firm having been located at the corner of South Meridian and South streets. Upon the death of Mr. Durbin, Mr. Comstock admitted to partnership in the business his valued friend, Mr. Coons, who had held the position of bookkeeper in his establishment in Lafayette. Under the title of the Comstock & Coons Company they built up a large and important industrial enterprise in the manufacturing of pumps. They kept pace with the march of commercial progress and through their well directed enterprise contributed materially to the industrial and commercial prestige of the Indiana capital. They also conducted a plumbing business and became extensive dealers in carriages. Careful and conservative policies enabled them to achieve substantial success in their enterprises and their relations were ever of the closest and most appreciative order, the alliance continuing until it was severed by the death of Mr. Comstock. Deprived of the companionship and co-operation of his honored friend and long-time associate, Mr. Coons soon closed out the business, as he stated that he had no desire to continue the same in an individual way and that he was assured that he could never find another partner like Mr. Comstock. Mr. Coons finally removed to the state of California, where he is living retired from active business.
In his private and business life Mr. Comstock exemplified the finest attributes of character, and thus he won and retained warm friends in all classes. As a citizen he was liberal and public-spirited and he took a specially deep interest in all that touched the advancement and prosperity of his beautiful home city. Though he would never consent to become a candidate for public office, he accorded a staunch allegiance to the Republican party and was well fortified in his convic- tions concerning matters of public import. He was prominently affiliated with the various bodies of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, in which he received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, and his funeral ser- vices were conducted under the impressive rites of the great fraternity. Aside from his business, in which he was ever diligent and progressive the interests of Mr. Comstock centered in his home, which was to him a sanctuary and in which his noble characteristics found their apothesis. Kindliness and consideration marked his course at all times and his spirit was as gentle as were his mind and heart large. Strong and true in all the relations of life, Mr. Comstock was a man who honored and was honored by the city and state of his adoption, and altogether consistent is the according to his memory this brief tribute. He had a deep rever- ence for the spiritual verities and attended and gave liberal support to the Prot- estant Episcopal church, of which his widow is a zealous communicant. The remains of Mr. Comstock were taken back to his native state and interred in the family lot in a beautiful cemetery, Forest Hill, at Utica. The beautiful residence which Mr. Comstock erected on North Meridian street, Indianapolis, continued to be his home until he was summoned to the life eternal. His widow finallv sold the
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property to Hon. Charles W. Fairbanks, former vice-president of the United States, who there resides at the present time. Mrs. Comstock still remains in Indian- apolis during the winter months and has attractive quarters in the fine apartment building known as the Blacherne. She retains the deepest afifection for Indian- apolis, which is endeared to her by many hallowed associations and memories and in which she has a wide circle of friends.
At Utica, New York, on the 22d of February, 1864, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Comstock to Miss Hannah M. Brown, who was born and reared in that city and who is a daughter of James and Mary Brown, both natives of Eng- land. The parents of Mrs. Comstock continued to reside at Utica until their death.
iHlalrs; 1^. anber^on
UR Scandinavian citizens have vied with the English, Scotch and German in the completeness and rapidity with which they have assimilated with the American body politic. By as much as they have cherished the best heritages they brought with them from their native lands and have woven them into the fabric of their citizenship, by so much have they added strong and fine fiber to the fabric of American citizenship. Such a worthy and valiant personality was that of the late Mads P. Anderson, who died at his home in Indianapolis on the 8th of October, 1906. He came to America as a youth and upon his arrival his tangible financial resources were represented in the sum of three cents, so that he did not have even the five cents necessary to pay postage on a letter to his mother. From such a status to that of one of the successful and rep- resentative business men of Indianapolis is a marked transition and bears evi- dence of the sterling powers of the youth and the man. Mr. Anderson was dis- tinctively the architect of his own fortunes and he made his life count for good in its every relation, so that he well merited the unqualified confidence and esteem reposed in him by his fellow men. His mind and heart were large and he was ever ready to aid those less fortunate, though in this connection his innate modesty was such that he would "do good by stealth and blush to find it fame." He was firm in his convictions and his course was directed on a high plane of integrity and honor, so that compromise with injustice was to him a matter of impossibility. His life and services as a loyal and public-spirited citizen and substantial and progressive business man of the Indiana capital render most consonant the consideration of his career in this publication.
Mads Anderson was born at Hee Sognt Ringkjobing, Denmark, on the 29th of October, 1849, and was a son of Pedre and Cecil Anderson, who passed their entire lives in their native land, the subject of this memoir having been the only member of the immediate family to establish a home in America. Mr. Anderson was indebted to the schools of his native land for his early educational discipline and there also he learned the trade of brick making. Upon attaining to his legal majority he severed the home ties and set forth to seek his fortune in the United States, whither he came without other equipment than a staunch heart, a strong physique, industrous habits and a determination and ambition of insistent type. This was adequate fortification, as time well proved, and his ambition was not only one of action but also one of inflexible integrity, — an ambition that makes of suc- cess not an accident but a logical result. Soon after his arrival in America, vir- tually penniless and dependent entirely upon his own resources, Mr. Anderson came to Indiana and secured employment on a farm near Lafayette, where he re- mained about one year. He then came to Indianapolis, where he gave his atten- tion to any honest work that he could secure, and in the meanwhile he attended night school, in order to gain better knowledge of the English language. About
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a year after his arrival in the capital city he became associated with a man named Petersen and engaged in the manufacturing of brick. The new firm established its brick yard a short distance south of the city and the partnership continued for several years, at the expiration of which Mr. Anderson sold his interest in the busi- ness to his associate, Mr. Petersen. He then engaged in the teaming business and finally began to deal somewhat extensively in cord-wood, then ;he principal fuel utilized in this locality. He purchased wood by the carload and sold the same to different retail dealers. He developed a prosperous transfer business, and his energy was ever seeking new outlets in productive industry. In connection with his transfer business Mr. Anderson also developed a successful enterprise in the handling and storing of household goods. He eventually became one of the leading coal dealers of the city. In 1888 he erected his business place at the corner of Hosbrook and Cedar streets, and in 1903 he purchased another place, on New Jersey street. At these two locations he continued successfully in the wholesale and retail coal business until his death, and he ever maintained the highest repu- tation for fair and honorable dealings, so that his personal popularity in his home city had a solid foundation, his integrity in business being of the same high order as that shown in all other relations of life. When natural gas was introduced in Indianapolis Mr. Anderson added to his business activities the dealing in stoves and other fixtures utilized in connection with gas consumption, and after the failure of the natural gas he gave his attention almost exclusively to the coal trade, in which his operations were of extensive order. After his death his widow continued the business until July 8, 1911, when she disposed of the same.
A man of broad views and well fortified convictions, Mr. Anderson was loyal and liberal in his attitude as a citizen and though he had no desire to participate in the activities of practical politics he gave a stalwart support to the cause of the Republican party. His interests centered in his home and his business, and thus he had no desire to identify himself with fraternal organizations, clubs, etc. He was essentially honest, sincere and fair, and thus he had a distinct antipathy to trusts and other combinations that preyed upon the people. For a short time he held membership in the Indianapolis Coal Exchange, but after attending a few of its meetings he found its methods and policies to be at variance with his own opin- ions as to right and justice in business dealings, as he objected to the combina- tion's plan of holding up the price of coal beyond a figure which was justified. He accordingly withdrew from the Exchange and courageously started to fight the combination of coal dealers. The battle raged fiercely for a time and, though he met with incidental losses, he would not withdraw from his independent position, even in the face of boycott policies, and it is creditable to his name that he even- tually became victor in the conflict, in which he came out with flying colors.
Mr. Anderson was a consistent member of the Lutheran church and was lib- eral in his support of the various departments of its work, as was he also in his contributions to charitable and benevolent objects and institutions. His private benefactions also were many and unostentatious, and his heart ever responded to the call of suffering and distress. Such was his modesty, however, that he in- variably attempted to conceal his charitable activities, many of which will never be known save to those who were the recipients of his largeness. Even his loved and devoted wife w.as not informed of his donations to charitable and benevolent causes and learned of the same only after he had passed away. Mr. Anderson's
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character was the positive expression of a strong and noble nature, and his influ- ence was ever cast in favor of the good and true in the scheme of human existence. His remains were laid at rest in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery, and his name will be held in lasting honor by all who knew him and had appreciation of his sterling attributes of character.
On the 14th of June, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Anderson to Miss Eleanor H. Loomis, who was born at Hillsdale, Michigan, whence the family removed to Indiana in 185S. Mrs. Anderson is a daughter of Captain Ruel B. Loomis and Eleanor (Haven) Loomis, both of whom were born in the state of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson became the parents of one daughter, Eleanor Theresa, who died on the 18th of August, 1909, at the age of nineteen years. She survived her father only a year and a few months, and thus the loved and devoted wife and mother was called upon to drink most deeply from the chalice of sorrow when both the loved ones were called from the scene of life's mortal endeavors. The daughter was in the very flower of gracious young womanhood. She was a graduate of the Shortridge high school and was a student in Butler College at the time of the illness which terminated in her death. Mrs. Anderson owns a beautiful home at 805 Fletcher avenue, and the same is known for its generous hospitality. The property was purchased by Mr. Anderson a short time before his death and he lived only a few days after the removal to the new home. Mrs. Anderson is a zealous member of the Fletcher Place Methodist Episcopal church of Indianapolis, in which she is secretary of the missionary corps. She is also afiiliated with the Joseph R. Gordon Woman's Relief Corps, an adjunct of the Grand Army of the Republic, her eligibility for membership in the organization being based on the valiant service rendered by her father as a soldier in the Civil war. She is a woman of the most gracious social qualities and distinctive culture, and prior to her marriage she had been a success- ful and popular teacher in the public schools of Indiana. She taught five years here and about twelve years in Indiana, outside of Indianapolis.
Captain Ruel B. Loomis, father of Mrs. Anderson, was reared and educated in his native state of New York, and there was solemnized his marriage to Miss Eleanor Haven, who survived him by forty years. In the '40s Captain Loomis removed to Michigan, in company with his wife and their two children, and located at Hillsdale, the judicial center of the county of the same name. There the other five children were born and there the family remained until 1853, when Captain Loomis removed to Indiana and established the family home in the village of Greenwood, about ten miles south of Indianapolis. There he established and con- ducted a foundry, to which he was giving his attention at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He was desirous of enlisting at once in defense of the Union, but was prevented from doing so on account of the death of his son John, who was killed by a fragment of a cannon which burst while being utilized in firing a salute in honor of the first troops to pass over the old Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianap- olis Railroad, in 1861. In 1862 Captain Loomis organized a company of recruits and with the same he enlisted as first lieutenant, but before the regiment left In- dianapolis he was made captain of Company F, Fifth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. He enlisted in the Fifth Indiana Cavalry, Ninetieth Regiment, of his own free will, thinking that it was the duty of every American citizen so to do. He was then over fifty years of age and not eligible to be drafted. He boarded up the win-
0Laii6 ^. anbcrson
dows and went to war, and returning later on a furlough, he sold out the business. He lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the north and south and proved a vahant soldier and efficient officer, the record of his military career being virtually that of the gallant regiment in which he served and with which he par- ticipated in many important battles as well as innumerable minor engagements. He was killed in the siege of Atlanta, on the 18th of July, 1864., and his remains now rest in the national military cemetery at Marietta, Georgia. His widow passed the closing years of her life in Indianapolis and was summoned to eternal rest on the 5th of February, 1905, at the venerable age of eighty-five years, her death having occurred in the home of her daughter, Mrs. Anderson, who had accorded to her the deepest filial solicitude in her declining years. Concerning the children of Captain and Mrs. Loomis the following brief data are given: Emerete is the widow of Dr. Shadrick L. Ferree and resides in Indianapolis; John was twenty years of age when he met accidental death, as already noted; William was a resident of Greenwood at the time of his demise; Miss Amy J. resides with her sis- ter, Mrs. Anderson, widow of the subject of this memoir; EUy is a resident of Kansas City, Missouri; and Eleanor H., Mrs. Anderson, is the youngest of the number.
WtUtam Webb %ot)£;on
\MONG the young men of fine initiative and administrative ability who have contributed their quota to the commercial progress of Indianapolis, is the late William Webb Hobson, who here maintained his home for an appreciable period of years and who left a definite and worthy impress upon the civic and busi- ness annals of the city. His was a most genial and generous personality, and he did not permit the demands of business to hedge him in, but was loyal and progressive as a citizen and was a valued and popu- lar character in fraternal, club and other representative circles of a social order in Indianapolis. Until within a few months prior to his death, Mr. Hobson was president of the Dynes, Hobson & Jennings Company, extensive manufacturers of sash and doors, and he retired from his active association with this importanlt Indianapolis concern only when his depleted health rendered this action neces- sary. His standing as a business man and as a citizen was such that it is entirely consonant that in this Indianapolis memorial edition be incorporated a brief trib- ute to him as a representative citizen of this city.
William Webb Hobson was born in the city of Mobile, Alabama, on the 14th day of November, 1869, and is the scion of an old and patrician southern family. He was the youngest in a family of three children, of whom the sole survivor is now a sister, Mrs. Gertrude Dudley, of Arrville, Indiana. The subject of this memoir was a cousin of Richmond Pearson Hobson, who achieved distinction in the naval service during the Spanish-American war. In his city Mr. Hobson was afforded excellent educational advantages, as was he also at Greensboro, Alabama, where he completed the curriculum of the high school and was duly graduated. He early demonstrated distinctive ability for business achievement, and his initial service in the business world was as a salesman for a retail hardware store in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, where he gained valuable experience and prepared himself for further responsibilities. He eventually came to the north and for three years he maintained his headquarters in the city of Chicago, where he became a traveling salesman for one of the leading concerns engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds in the great western metropolis. He continued to be thus engaged with the Foster-Munger Company for a period of twelve years, but, as already intimated, he maintained his home in Chicago only three years. After he established his residence in Indianapolis his loyalty and allegiance thereto were ever afterwards of the most insistent and enduring order. Here he continued to reside until his death. In 1903 Mr. Hobson was one of those who were instru- mental in directing the organization of the Dynes, Hobson & Jennings Company, and in the building up of its substantial and prosperous business he wielded great influence, and brought to bear a fine executive ability, as well as his thorough fam- iliarity with the line of enterprise which the new company represented, that of the manufacture of sash and doors. Mr. Hobson continued as president of the
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company until the 20th of October, 1910, when the condition of his health ren- dered it imperative for him to retire from active business, when he resigned his position as chief executive of the firm. He then returned south for the purpose of supervising his extensive estate in Greensboro, Alabama, and where he was subsequently stricken with heart disease which caused his death in thirty minutes. He was thus summoned to eternal life on the 9th of April, 1911, and in Indian- apolis the news of his demise was received with uniform expressions of regret, as he had here endeared himself to a wide circle of friends in both business and social life. Mr. Hobson was an enthusiastic member of the time honored Masonic fraternity, in which he had taken the thirty-second degree of the Scottish-Rite, besides which he was identified with the adjunct of the order, the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was identified with various Ma- sonic bodies of Indianapolis, and showed a deep interest in the work of each of them. He was a valued and popular member of the Marion Club, one of the rep- resentative organizations of the city. He was known as a man of exceptionally fine business ability, and through his well directed endeavors he achieved a suc- cess worthy of the name, the while his course was ever guided and governed by the highest principles of integrity, so that he well merited the unqualified esteem in which he was so uniformly held. Liberal and progressive in his attitude as a citizen, but manifesting no penchant for public oflBce of any order, he always gave a hearty support to the principles for which the Democratic party stands sponsor in a basic way.
On the first day of August, 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hobson to Miss Letha Josephine Benette, of Lexington, Kentucky. Mrs. Hobson was born in the fine old Blue Grass state, and is a daughter of John T. and Sarah (Beech) Benette, who now reside in Indiana, their beautiful home being located at No. 10 Highland Place. Since the death of her honored husband Mrs. Hobson passes much of her time in traveling, and while in Indianapolis she makes her home with her parents. She retains her husband's business interests in this city, as -well as his valuable estate in Alabama.
Srtuin l^oljtiins;
JHERE are many interesting phases in the history of the career of the late General Irwin Bobbins, who died at his home in
Tlful Indianapolis on the afternoon of February 9, 1911, after an \^A illness of very brief duration. The immediate cause of his death was heart syncopation. General Robbins had played a prominent part in the industrial and civic activities of the Indiana capital, and served in public offices of no little dis- tinction, was one of the representative manufacturers of the city, and in his native state was one of the best known and most honored veterans of the Civil war. He was a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Indiana and never found it in his heart to sever his allegiance to his native heath. Here he found ample opportunity for the exercise of his splendid business ability and civic functions, and by very reason of his steadfast integrity and gracious personality he gained and retained the unequivocal esteem of his fellow men. His life and labors well entitle him to recognition in every publication whose province is the consideration of those men who have stood as representative citizens of the fair metropolis and capital of Indiana.
As preliminary to somewhat more ample data to be incorporated in this memoir, is reproduced the following extract published in the Indianapolis News on the day of General Robbin's death, and slight latitude is given in the reproduction:
"Irwin Robbins, one of the best known of the city's veterans of the Civil war, died, of heart trouble, at one o'clock this afternoon, at his home, 12 West .North street. He had been in failing health about three weeks but was not considered in a serious condition until he was suddenly stricken, shortly after noon. General Robbins was seventy-one years of age and was engaged in the manufacture of automobile bodies, having his sons as partners, in the Laycock Power building, in West Tenth street. Formerly he was a carriage manufacturer. He was promi- nently connected with the Grand Army of the Republic and took a specially active part in its national encampment held in Indianapolis. He was one of the oldest Scottish Rite Masons in the state.
"When the Civil war broke out Mr. Robbins enlisted in the Seventh Indiana Regiment as a private. During the course of the war he was promoted to com- mand of a battalion in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Indiana Regiment, and was a major when the war ended. During the administration of Governor Mat- thews he served as adjutant general of the state, and in 1882 he was superinten- dent of the police department of Indianapolis.
"General Robbins, who was commonly known by the military title gained through his service as adjutant general of his native state, was born in the little village of Milroy, Rush county, Indiana, on the 30th of March, 1838, and was a son of Dr. Richard and Sarah Ann (Wood) Robbins. Dr. Robbins was one of the pioneer physicians and surgeons of Rush county and was a man of fine pro-
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fessional and intellectual attainments. He finally prepared himself for the pro- fession of law and engaged in active general practice at Greensburg, Decatur county. He became one of the representative members of the bar of that county and was a prominent and influential citizen, commanding the high regard of all who knew him. He died in 1861 and his widow passed the closing years of her life in Indianapolis. She died in the home now occupied by the widow of her son, General Bobbins, of this review.
The common schools of his native county afiforded General Robbins his early educational advantages and he had also the benignant influences of a home of dis- tinctive culture and refinement. In pursuance of higher academic studies he en- tered Northwestern Christian University, now known as Butler University and located at Irvington, a suburb of Indianapolis. In this excellent institution he was graduated and he was also a student for a time in old Asbury University, now known as DePauw University, at Greencastle.
General Robbins was twenty-three years of age at the time when the dark cloud of civil war cast its pall over the national horizon, and he was among the first of the loyal sons of Indiana to tender his services in defence of the Union. In response to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers he enlisted as a private in the Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, one of the very first regiments to go to the front from this state. At the expiration of his original term he re-enlisted, in the Fifty- fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and later he organized and became captain of a company in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he served imtil the close of the war. He lived up to the full tension of the great and prolonged conflict between the states of the north and south and proved himself a faithful and gallant soldier of the republic. He par- ticipated in many important battles, including those of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain, and on several occasions he had command of his regiment, — in the ca- pacity of colonel at certain times and at others in that of major. His war record is one that will ever give honor to his name and memory and he continued in ser- vice until victory had crowned the Union arms, when he was mustered out and re- ceived his honorable discharge.
Prior to entering the army General Robbins had begun the study of law, but his long and arduous service in the war had so impaired his health that he found it impracticable to continue his studies, as he demanded for his wellbeing an out- door life. He accordingly went to Boone county, Iowa, where his father owned a large tract of land, and his prime object in making this trip was to sell the land to veteran soldiers who were seeking homes in that state. He remained in Iowa about three years, within which time he not only recuperated his health but also succeeded in disposing of his father's land to good advantage. At the expiration of the period noted he returned to Indiana and after remaining for a brief inter- val at Greensburg he came to Indianapolis, where he became jissociated with one of his old army friends. Colonel Shaw, in the manufacturing of carriages, under the title of the Shaw Manufacturing Company. The headquarters of the concern were at 32 East Georgia street and the business soon became one of substantial and profitable order. When, after several years. Colonel Shaw was elected a state official, General Robbins purchased his interest in the manufacturing business, which was thereafter conducted under the title of the Irwin Robbins Company. He gave close attention to this enterprise and developed the same to large pro-
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portions. With the incoming of the automobile as an agency for commercial enter- prise, the manufacturing of automobile bodies was made one of the principal features of the business, the special functions of which had been for a number of years the manufacturing of carriages and hearses of the finest grade. The busi- ness was incorporated under the title noted and General Robbins continued as president of the company until his death. His two sons were associated with liim and since he passed away they have successfully continued the business which has long been one of broad scope and importance. The major portion of the stock of the company is retained by the widow of the General and the executive head of the company is E. Guy Robbins, who had been its secretary and treasurer prior to the death of his honored father. The elder son, Walter Scott Robbins, is also actively identified with the business, and both are well upholding the pres- tige and honors of the name which they bear and which has been one of prominence in the industrial history of the capital city.
The loyalty of General Robbins in all matters touching the public welfare was of the same insistent order as that shown by him during the dark period of the Civil war, when he gave himself unreservedly to the defense of the nation's integrity. In politics he originally gave his allegiance to the Republican party but he finally became a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, with which he aligned himself as a matter of conviction. He never sought public office, but in 1882 he was made chief of the police department of Indianapolis, a position in which he gave an admirable administration, though he did not consent to retain the oflice for any considerable period. When Hon. Claude Matthews was elected governor of the state he gave evidence of his appreciation of the mili- tary ability and zeal of General Robbins by appointing the latter adjutant general of the state militia, and in this position the General did much to bring the troops of Indiana up to their present high standard of efficiency. He had become a thorough tactician and disciplinarian during his long service in the Civil war and had continued to take a specially deep interest in military affairs. His old comrades gave to him the fullest measure of confidence and esteem and he was one of the prominent and valued members of George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in his home city, — an organization in which he was called upon to serve in various official positions. He also held membership in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Union Veteran Legion, for which latter only those were or are eligible who served two or more consecutive years in the Union ranks in the Civil war. The General served as commander of George H. Thomas Post, and was specially influential in connection with the enter- taining of the old comrades and veterans at the time when the national encamp- ment was held in Indianapolis. He was an appreciative student of the history and teachings of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, in which he completed the circle of each the York and Scottish Rites, and at the time of his death he was one of the oldest representatives of the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in his native state. General Robbins was a man whose mind and heart were large, and he was the soul of kindliness and generosity, — one who was ever ready with good words and deeds of consideration and sympathy. He was known and honored in the city and state which was his home throughout a long and useful life, and his name merits enduring place in the annals of its history.
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His remains were taken to the old home of the family at Greensburg and were laid to rest beside those of his father and mother. '
At Greensburg, Indiana, on the 19th of April, 1861, was solemnized the mar- riage of General Robbins to Miss Cassandra Cobb, who was born and reared in that vicinity and who is a daughter of R. R. and Amazette (Morgan) Cobb, who were numbered among the honored pioneers of Decatur county, where they continued to reside until their death and where the father owned the farm on which is now located the fine orphans' home maintained by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Indiana. Mr. Cobb was born in Vermont and his wife in Indi- ana, where her parents settled in a very early day. General and Mrs. Robbins became the parents of five children, concerning whom the following brief record is given: Norman died at the age of two years; Walter Scott is identified with the manufacturing business which was founded by his father, as is also E. Guy; Ida j\I. and Albert Wood are twins, the former being now the wife of Dr. P. F. Campbell, a representative physician of Indianapolis, and Albert W. being one of the executive principals in the business founded by his father.
Mrs. Robbins still resides in the fine old homestead at 12 West North street and has long been prominent in the best social life of the community. The sub- stantial brick house which is her home was erected by her husband forty years ago, and in its perfection of every detail, it bears evidence of the thoroughness and discrimination of General Robbins, who in this, as in all other things, believed that whatever was worth doing was worth doing well. The house is the oldest in this section of the city and the locality was but sparsely built up at the time it was erected, the district being now one of the most attractive residence sections of the beautiful capital city. Mrs. Robbins is a zealous member of the Christian church and in view of her husband's activities in military affairs it is specially interesting to record that she also has found much satisfaction in identifying her- self with such a noteworthy organization as the Woman's Relief Corps of George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic. She was the principal factor in effecting the organization of this corps, more than a quarter of a century ago, and the same was the first to be organized in the state. She was its first president and could have retained the office indefinitely had she consented to heed the be- hests of her sister members, but she believed the correct policy was the calling of different members to office from year to year and thus she declined to become a candidate for re-election. She is a woman of most gracious social qualities and is held in affectionate regard by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle influence.
Cljatleg 1, Jlolgtein
CAREER that was specially distinguished in many phases was that of the late Charles L. Holstein, who held precedence as one of the really eminent members of the Indiana bar and who for a time was one of the representative members of his pro- fession in the city of Chicago. He was a valiant and gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war and his life as a whole was marked by large and worthy accomplishment, the while his character was the positive expression of a strong and noble nature. He was possessed of fine intellectual powers and attained to no little reputation in the field of literature. He passed the closing years of his life in Indianapolis, where his death occurred on the 22d of January, 1901. In offering in this publication a tribute to his memory recourse will be taken largely, but without formal marks of quotation, to a most appreciative sketch of his career written by General Fred- erick Knefler was published in the "Bench and Bar of Indiana."
Charles Louis Holstein was born at Madison, the judicial center of Jefferson county, Indiana, on the 26th of January, 1843, and was a son of C. Louis and Emily Holstein. His father was born and reared in Germany and was a scion of one of the old and honored families of that great empire. In 1837 he immi- grated to America, and he became one of the pioneer business men and influential citizens of Madison, Indiana, in which state he and his wife passed the residue of their lives, the latter having been born at Madison, this state, of French parent- age. After availing himself of the advantages of the common schools of his nat- ive town, Mr. Holstein entered Hanover College, in his home county, and there continued his studies for two years. He then, in September, 1858, was matricu- lated in the Kentucky Military Institute, at Frankfort, and in this institution he distinguished himself for diligence in all of his studies, with the result that he ranked first as a star cadet in a class of fifty members. He had entered his junior year in this institute at the time when the Civil war was precipitated upon the nation, and soon afterward the institution was closed, in order that its cadets might follow their inclinations and enter military service in the armies of either the north or the south. The majority of the students were of southern birth and thus naturally, and with very few exceptions, they enlisted in defense of the cause of the Confederacy. Mr. Holstein, then a lad of seventeen years, was thoroughly imbued with Union sentiments, and he hurried to his home in Madison, and, contrary to the advice of his parents and friends and against their earnest protests, made on account of his youth, he was one of the first to enlist at Madison for service in the Union ranks. The company of which he thus became a member was formally attached soon afterward to the Sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel T. T. Crittenden. Notwithstanding the extreme youth of Mr. Holstein, Colonel Crittenden recognized the advantage of his military education and appointed him sergeant major of the regiment, which at once set
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forth for Virginia, where it participated in the movements of the opening cam- paign of the war. Here Mr. Holstein was distinguished by his untiring zeal in the scouting service, which was organized of volunteers, in the absence of cavalry. Upon the expiration of the term for which the Sixth Indiana had been enlisted Mr. Holstein, in recognition of his meritorious service in the same, was appointed first lieutenant and adjutant of the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel Jefferson C. Davis. In this position he discharged his duties in such satisfactory manner that when Colonel Davis, known as one of the most exacting of officers, was promoted to brigadier general he appointed Lieu- tenant Holstein his acting adjutant general, a position in which the latter was retained when General Davis assumed command of a division. As the incumbent of the office noted, Mr. Holstein participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and was mentioned in official reports for conspicuous gallantry on the field and for other meritorious and distinguished services. After the battle mentioned he was re- commended for promotion to the office of lieutenant colonel of the Twenty-second Indiana, in place of Lieutenant Colonel Hendricks, deceased, but owing to his youth and other influences he was not appointed. After this he participated, as acting assistant adjutant general in General Davis' division, in the campaigns in Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. In October, 1862, he was tendered the commission of major of the Twenty-second Indiana Infantry, but he decUned and continued his service with General Davis, upon whose recommendation President Lincoln appointed him assistant adjutant gen- eral of volunteers, with the rank of captain, and assigned him to duty with the division commanded by General Davis. He thus continued in service until the latter part of the year 1863. After he had been recommended by General Davis and other officers of rank in the division for the command of a regiment, Gover- nor Morton, of Indiana, declined to make this appointment, on account of the extreme youth of Mr. Holstein. Hanng now seen nearly three years of active service and discerning no prospect of promotion, Mr. Holstein, whose health had become much impaired, resigned from the service and returned to his home at Madison, the while he bore the assurance of sincere good will and wishes for his success on the part of all with whom he had come in contact during his career as a gallant and faithful soldier of the Union. General Davis told General Knefler, who contributed the sketch of the career of Mr. Holstein to the "Bench & Bar of In- diana," that he knew of no young man who entered the army from civil life who adapted himself better to all the exigencies of a military career in time of war than Mr. Holstein, whose retirement from the service he greatly regretted, as he was em- inently qualified for the same. General Davis also took occasion to deprecate the idea that important commands should be withheld from young officers on account of their youth when they were possessed of other qualifications eminently fitting them for such responsibilities in the field.
After the close of his military career Mr. Holstein again entered Hanover Col- lege, in which he completed the prescribed academic course and was graduated. To further his education and fit himself for the profession of law, for which he ex- hibited much aptitude, he then entered the law school of Harvard LTniversity, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1866, after completing the reg- ular curriculum. In the latter part of the same year he came to Indianapolis and entered the offices of the representative law firm of Hendricks, Hord & Hendricks,
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of which the late Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, former vice-president of the United States, was the leading member. In the autumn of 1868 he formed a professional partnership with Hon. Byron K. Elliott, who later became one of the most dis- tinguished judges of the Indiana supreme court, and this alliance continued until Judge Elliott was elected to the bench of the Marion criminal court. Thereafter Mr. Holstein continued in individual practice of a general order, and with marked suc- cess, until August, 1871, when the attorney general of the United States appointed him assistant to General Thomas M. Browne, the United States district attorney of Indiana. His official duties did not demand his entire time, and in January, 1874, Mr. Holstein became a member of the law firm of Hanna & Knefler, the title of which was thereupon changed to Hanna, Knefler & Holstein. The junior member of the original firm was General Knefler, who later wrote the appreciative tribute from which many of the data for this memoir are taken. With this firm Mr. Hol- stein continued in active practice until compelled to sever his connection with the same in order to devote, in his ofiicial capacity, his entire attention to the prosecu- tion of celebrated whiskey-conspiracy cases, in which he made a most admirable record as a representative of the legal department of the government. His untiring and able efforts contributed greatly to the successful results in convicting the of- fenders and elicited the well merited commendation of the governmental depart- ment of justice, with the further and incidental result of placing Mr. Holstein in the front ranks of his profession in Indiana, his achievement in this connection hav- ing been rare indeed for so young a member of the bar. So well did Mr. Holstein perform his duties in these prosecutions of the conspiracy cases in Indiana that upon their conclusion the attorney general of the United States, in recognition of the valuable services rendered, complimented him by the appointment as principal counsel for the government in similar prosecutions at New Orleans, — a gratifying distinction which Mr. Holstein was compelled to decline, by reason of the fact that his arduous labors in connection with the prosecution of the Indiana cases had made severe inroads on his health. He continued with marked success his duties as assistant district attorney in the prosecution of numerous counterfeiting, revenue and national-bank cases in the district court until the death of Colonel Nelson Trus- sler, the district attorney, in February, 1880, when, in well merited recognition of his ability and previous effective services, he was appointed United States attorney for the district of Indiana, this preferment being given by President Hayes, upon the recommendaton of the national department of justice. He was continued in this important ofiice by President Arthur and remained the incumbent until the change of national administration by the election of President Cleveland. He discharged the duties of his ofiice with conspicuous ability and retired from office in 1885. He then resumed the general practice of his profession in Indianapolis, where he re- mained until 1887, when he removed to the city of Chicago and entered the promi- nent law firm of Flower, & Remey, which by his accession became the firm of Flower, Remy & Holstein. This representative firm thereafter enjoyed a large and lucra- tive practice and Mr. Holstein appeared in connection with a large amount of im- portant litigation in the state and federal courts in the great western metropolis. In 1890 he retired from the firm and returned to Indianapolis, where he entered into a professional alliance with Charles Barrett, under the firm name of Holstein & Barrett. Here he continued in practice, with ever increasing success and honors, until the close of his life, his death having occurred on the 22d of January, 1901,
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as has previously been noted in this review. In the appreciative estimate pre- pared by his former partner and valued friend, General Knefler, appear the follow- ing statements, which touch another phase of the character of Mr. Holstein: "He was much esteemed by his friends as a poet of more than ordinary talent. In his leisure moments, when not absorbed by professional business, he found time to cul- tivate the muses, and some of his productions are gems of poetical genius. Among them are those entitled "Richard W. Thompson" and "The Drums."
In politics Mr. Holstein was ever a staunch and effective advocate of the prin- ciples and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, but he had no desire for public office save that in direct line with the profession in which he achieved such marked distinction and precedence. He was a member of the Pres- byterian church, as is also his widow, who still resides in Indianapolis, and was iden- tified with the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the Republic.
On the 17th of December, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Holstein to Miss Magdalene V. Nickum, daughter of the late John R. Nickum. Mrs. Hol- stein has long been a popular factor in the social life of Indianapolis and resides in the fine old homestead of her parents, at 528 Lockerbie street, one of the most quiet and beautiful residence thoroughfares in the heart of Indiana's capital city.
^JSJTQStM^ HERE is no need of conjecture or uncertainty in determining as pSsJCxCC^ to the value of the life and labors of the late John R. Nickum,
T2^ who maintained his home in Indianapolis for forty years and r^ ^ who long held prestige as one of the city's representative busi- Vj ^ ness men. He was a pioneer in the establishing of high-grade [SgO^S?!!^ bakery facilities in the capital city and was for many years actively identified with this line of enterprise, the while his sterling character gained and retained to him secure place in the confidence and re- gard of the community. Succumbing to the inroads of Bright's disease, he was sum- moned to the life eternal on the 16th of December, 1902, at the venerable age of eighty-one years, his death occurring at the fine old homestead, at 528 Lockerbie street, where now resides his only surviving child, Mrs. Charles L. Holstein.
John R. Nickum was born at Middletown, Frederick county, Maryland, on the 29th of September, 1821, and was a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Young) Nickum, representatives of sterling old families of that state. The subject of this memoir gained his rudimentary education in his native place and was a lad of eleven years at the time of the family removal to Dayton, Ohio, where he was reared to adult age and where he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the period, his parents continuing as residents of the Buckeye state until their death. In his boyhood and early youth Mr. Nickum found employment in connection with various lines of activity and thus early learned the lessons of practical industry. He was energetic, ambitious and economical and finally was enabled to engage in the manufacturing of and wholesale dealing in crackers at Dayton, where he continued to reside until 1862, when he came to Indianapolis and associated himself with Horace Parrott in the opening of a bakery and confectionery store on Pennsylvania street, between Washington and Market streets, in the old Aetna Building. Concerning this initial enterprise of Mr. Nickum in Indianapols the followng statements were made in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death : "While in Dayton he con- ducted one of the largest bakeries in the city, and when he came here he saw at once the financial possibilities of a bakery in supplying the soldiers of the Civil war as well as the people of the city. This was the first 'reel-oven' bakery in the state and was conducted under the firm name of Nickum & Parrott. They supplied the government with hard-tack and other provisions and made considerable money. After a few years the firm dissolved partnership but soon reunited under the name of Parrott & Nickum. Until 1885 the firm continued in business, then Mr. Nickum sold his interest and the enterprise was continued as the Parrott-Taggart bakery." It may further be said that during the progress of the war Nickum & Parrott had a contract with the government to furnish bread and hard-tack to the troops at Camp Morton, and that when the war closed they disposed of their retail store and re- moved to East Washington street, where they developed a large and prosperous wholesale business in the manufacturing and sale of crackers, the firm name at this
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time having been changed to Parrott & Nickum, as Mr. Parrott was the elder of the two principals. After he disposed of his interest in the substantial business which he had so materially assisted in building up, Mr. Nickum lived virtually retired until his death, as he had accumulated a competency.
Mr. Nickum was known as a loyal and progressive citizen and as a man whose course was ordered upon the highest plane of integrity and honor. He was kindly and charitable, tolerant in his judgment and ever ready to aid those in affliction or distress. Though he was not formally identified with any religious organization, he was a firm believer in the tenets of the Christian faith and was one who observed at all times the admonition of the Golden Rule. In the Masonic fraternity he was an appreciative and valued member of the various York and Scottish Rite bodies in his home city and in the latter branch of the great fraternity he attained to the thirty-second degree. He was identified with Raper Commandery, Knights Temp- lars, and also with Murat Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, besides which he was a charter member of the first lodge of Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Dayton, Ohio. In politics, though never mani- festing any desire for public office, he was aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. In 1872 he erected the attractive residence now oc- cupied by his daughter, at 528 Lockerbie street, and there both he and his cherished and devoted wife continued to maintain their home until their death. His funeral was held on the fifty-ninth anniversary of his marriage and his remains rest beside those of his wife in Crown Hill cemetery, his loved companion and helpmeet having survived him by less than two years, as she was summoned to eternal rest on the 5th of July, 1904.
In the year 1843, at Dayton, Ohio, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nickum to Miss Charlotte Spangler Davis, who was born at Zanesville, that state, on the 1st of May, 1822, and whose parents, John and Nancy (Lane) Davis, were numbered among the sterling pioneers of Ohio, where they continued to reside until their death. Mrs. Nickum was a genuine Daughter of the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Nickiun became the parents of two children, the first of whom, Caroline, died in infancy. The surviving child, Magdalene, is the widow of Charles L. Holstein, and she still resides in the old homestead, as has already been noted, while she has long been a gracious factor in the representative social activities of the city that has been her home from her childhood days. She is a member of the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and holds membership in the Second Presbyterian church.
^ttmm Jfrebericfe OTiUiam JBrantiesJ
JURING his life time one of the best known and most popular mer- chants in Indianapolis was Herman F. W. Brandes, a type of the sort of which we possess only too few. He was a man who never allowed personal advantage to militate against what he consid- ered his duty. He was entirely independent in both thought and speech, inheriting from his German ancestry the ability to reason calmly, and not to be easily stirred by the enthusiasm of others. He never made hasty decisions, and was not of vacillating turn of mind ; in short, he possessed to an extreme degree that stability which won him the trust of so many peo- ple. He was a successful business man, but he cared much more for the fact that he was considered a valuable friend.
Herman Brandes was born in Hanover, Germany, in January, 1861. His father was Conrad Brandes and his mother was Mary Catherine Brandes. Hfs father had a large general store in the bustling city, and here the boy learned the mercantile business. Everything was sold in this store, which might be likened to a modern department store, and it took a master merchant to make such a business successful. Herman Brandes, therefore, owed his success in part not only to the training that he received from his father, but to the inherited ability to conduct this kind of a business that came to him from this same father. He received his educa- tion in Hanover and he was well taught, for the schools of Hanover were good even at that early date.
When Herman was about nineteen the event which was to change his whole future life occurred. His aunt, Mrs. Frederick Ruskaup, came to visit her family in Germany from the strange country across the seas, whose newness had not yet worn off to these German cities centuries old. She persuaded her nephew to return with her, so he came to Indianapolis. His parents both remained in Germany and there died. Mr. Ruskaup, his aunt's husband, had a store in Indianapolis, and the boy, with his fine training, became a valuable assistant in this store. After working here for a few years he had saved enough money to go into business for himself. His first venture was a grocery store, which was located on Shelby street, and here he remained for several years. Patronage came to him rapidly, not because he adver- tised, for at first this was impossible, but because of the intrinsic merit of the ar- ticles he put on sale. He built up a reputation that followed him when he moved a few years later to a store on Prospect street. This store, which consisted of rooms for stores and living rooms, he erected himself, and here he continued in business until his death, on the 17th of June, 1901. He was scarcely yet in his prime, and had not been given a fair chance to show what he could do, so it is not possible to say how great a measure of success would have been his had he lived. Had he gone on and increased his business in the ratio at which it was growing when he died he would have soon outgrown the place of business which he then occupied. His burial, which took place at Crown Hill, was largely attended, showing how high he
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stood in the estimation of his fellowmen. During the eight years of Cleveland's administration he had charge of the branch post office, located in his store.
He was a member of the Democratic party, and, though not caring for the emol- uments of office, was quietly enthusiastic in the cause of the party. He did not care for lodges or clubs, preferring to find his recreation with his family. He was a member and supporter of Zion church.
He was married on the 23d of October, 1889, to Miss Lena Kattau. She is the daughter of Frederick and Catherina Kattau, who were both natives of Germany, and both spent all of their lives there. Mrs. Brandes was bom in Germany, but came to United States when she was a young girl of seventeen. It is not only the men who come to this country without a penny in their pockets and started life on practically nothing who are heroes. Many of our finest housewives and mothers came to this country with only a vague idea of what they would do on their arrival. They are heroines as well as the brothers and husbands are heroes. Mrs. Brandes came to Cincinnati, and there she lived until her marriage. After her husband's death she sold the stock but retained the property, which she rents very profitably. She and Mr. Brandes became the parents of three children, two of whom died in infancy. The remaining son, Raymond, was born on the 16th of April, ISQ*. He lives with his mother in their handsome home at the comer of Thirteenth and Broadway streets. A few years ago Mrs. Brandes took her son back to her old home in Germany, and now he is a student at the Manual Training high school. Mrs. Brandes is a member of Zion church.
Mmt 3^, (irap
DISTINGUISHED and honored figure of dominating force in the history of Indiana was the late Isaac Pusey Gray, who gave to the service of the state and its people the best of an essentially strong, noble and loyal nature and whose administration during his incumbency of the oflSce of governor of Indiana was such as to lend enduring honor to his name. He was a man of splendid attain- ments as a lawyer and long held precedence as one of the repre- sentative members of the Indiana bar, the while he stood at all times exponent of the most loyal and progressive civic spirit. He was one of the leaders in the ranks of the Democratic party in this state and he lent dignity and distinction to his chosen profession and to the commonwealth in which he long exerted a potent and benignant influence. Such are the men whose character and services justify the compilation of editions like the one here presented, and it is gratifying to be able to incorporate in this memorial volume an epitome of the life history of Governor Gray.
Isaac Pusey Gray was born at Downington, Chester county, Pennsylvania, on the 18th of October, 1828, and was a scion of one of the prominent pioneer families of the old Keystone state, in which he was a representative of the fourth generation. His great-grandfather, a zealous member of the Society of Friends, came from England with William Penn in the seventeenth century, and established his home in Pennsylvania, where, during the regime of Penn as governor of the province, he served eight years as a member of its general assembly. The parents of Governor Gray were likewise natives of Chester county, and when he was eight years of age they removed thence to Urbana, Champaign county, Ohio. In 1839 the family re- moved to Montgomery county, that state, and in 1842 the home was established in Darke county. The family record during these pioneer experiences constituted, in the words of Lincoln, "the short and simple annals of the poor," and thus the ad- vantages accorded to the future governor of Indiana were meager, save as he made opportunities for himself. From his work in a mercantile establishment he provided the means for supplementing in an effective way his more rudimentary education, and in November, 1855, he came to Indiana and established his home at Union City, Ran- dolph county, where he engaged in the mercantile business and where he also devoted close attention to the study of law, with the result that he gained admission to the bar of the state shortly before the inception of the Civil war. His loyalty to the cause of the Union was intense and was shown forth in earnest effort in its behalf. On the 4th of September, 1862, Governor Morton appointed him colonel of the Fourth Ju- liana Cavalry, and with this command he continued in service until February 11, 1863, when impaired health compelled his retirement. He later served for a short period as colonel of the One Hundred and Sixth Indiana Minute Men, and he was the organizer of the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was mustered in March 13, 1865, and of which he was tendered the colonelcy, an office which ill health prevented him from accepting.
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Soon after the close of the great conflict by which the integrity of the Union was preserved. Colonel Gray became associated with Hon. N. Cadwallader in the or- ganization of the Citizens' Bank of Union City, of which he continued vice-presi- dent and one of the principal stockholders for many years. He engaged also in the practice of law, in which he gained distinctive success and high reputation, and it was but natural that he should be drawn into the field of political activity, as he was eminently qualified for leadership in public thought and civic economics. He was originally an old-line Whig but he espoused the cause of the Republican party at the time of its organization. In 1868 he was elected a member of the state senate, and in the general assembly of the following year, while serving as president pro tempore of the senate, he secured the passage of the fifteenth, or anti-slavery, amend- ment to the constitution of the United States. Indiana was the last state to vote upon the amendment, and its success or defeat hung upon the Indiana verdict. Concerning this incident in the political career an excellent record has been given in a previous publication, together with other pertinent data touching the further public activities of Colonel Gray, and from said record liberal quotation is here made, with but slight paraphrase and elimination:
The Democrats, although a minority in the Indiana senate, were strong in their antagonism to the amendment. Among its most violent opponents was "Blue Jeans" WiUiams, afterward governor of Indiana. The opposing faction was quitting the chamber one by one, and the needful quorum was in jeopardy. But Colonel Gray rose to the occasion, giving to the assembly a practical illustration of his courage and de- cision of character. Stepping into the lobby, he locked the door and pocketed the key. "Who dares lock in senators," was flung at the chair. "I do," was the calm reply. President Gray then ordered the secretary to call the roll, and although the hostile Democrats had crowded about the locked door and declined to vote, they were re- corded as present, but not voting. The quorum thus secured, the majority in favor of the amendment proceeded with their ballot. In 1870 President Grant appointed Colonel Gray consul to St. Thomas, West Indies, and this appointment was confirmed by the United States senate, but he declined the post on the plea of lack of harmony between himself and the existing government. Upon the expiration of his term in the state senate he espoused the cause of the Liberal Republican party and was ap- pointed delegate at large from Indiana to its national convention, held in Cincinnati. In this convention he was made a member of the national executive committee of the new party, and he zealously followed the fortunes of Horace Greeley to their unfor- tunate end. Then, feeling the isolation of the independent in politics, and having grown, in his maturity, into closer touch with the principles of the Democratic party, he allied himself therewith, thus showing the courage of his convictions and the sin- cerity that ever characterized him in all the relations of life. He continued a staunch and effective advocate of the basic principles and policies of the Democratic party until his death and became a most influential figure in its councils. In 1872 his name was mentioned before the Indiana Democratic state convention in connection with nomination for congressman at large, but he withdrew his name. In the state con- vention of 1874 he refused to permit the use of his name in connection with nomina- tion for the office of attorney general of the state. In 1 876 he was nominated by ac- clamation for lieutenant governor, and was elected to this office in October of that year. In 1880 he was a Democratic candidate for governor and was defeated by four votes in the state convention, but he was again nominated in like manner for the
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same office, with the result that he shared the defeat of his party in the ensuing fall election. In November of that year, however, upon the death of Governor Williams, Lieutenant Governor Gray became governor of Indiana. His popularity is shown by the fact that after the conclusion of his services as chief executive of the state he was elected by the Democratic members of the legislature as their candidate for United States senator. The Republicans were in the majority in the legislature, so that this nomination had slight significance save that it indicated the full confidence reposed by Colonel Gray's friends in his wisdom, fine ability and sterling character.
In 1884 Colonel Gray was again candidate of his party for the office of governor, to which he was duly elected by a majority nearly one thousand greater ^han that of any other candidate on the ticket. He made a brilliant campaign, to which and his resulting popularity has been accredited the saving of the state to the national Democratic ticket, headed by Cleveland and Hendricks. He gained high reputa- tion as an advocate of tariff reform, and as a public speaker and debater he had no superior in the state. He was thoroughly at home on the stump, and many times his rostrum was a plank supported by two barrels. During his tenure of the guber- natorial office he rendered excellent service to his state and inaugurated and carried to success many reforms. His executive ability was of the highest order and he gave special care to finance, which was his strong point. During two years in which the legislature failed to pass the appropriation bill necessary for the proper main- tenance of state institutions he kept them running without legislation.
In 1892 Governor Gray really appeared in the field of national politics, when he was suggested as a candidate for president of the United States. His state was enthusiastic for him as against Cleveland, but upon the arrival in Chicago of the Indiana delegates to the Democratic national convention they found the air charged with Cleveland sentiment. The friends of Governor Gray labored loyally for him until the eve of the convention, when they decided that it would not be advisable to present his name to the convention. It is certain that he stood very near to President Cleve- land, and the first diplomatic appointment made by the latter upon entering his second term as president was that conferring upon Colonel Gray the post of min- ister to Mexico, at an annual salary of seventeen thousand, five hundred dollars, the mission having at this time been raised to the first rank. Colonel Gray was ad- mirably fitted for the duties of a diplomatic post, into which he carried his character- istic zeal, and he performed his duties with credit to himself and fidelity to the inter- ests of his country. A short time before his death he was called to his home in In- diana, on account of the serious illness of his son Pierre S., and upon his return trip to the City of Mexico he contracted a severe cold, which developed into pneu- monia. He arrived at his destination in an unconscious state, on the 14th of Feb- ruary, 1895, and died at seven o'clock the same evening. His loss was deeply felt by his hosts of friends in Indiana and called forth many eulogistic testimonials. The Mexican government, headed by President Diaz, paid to his memory the high- est respects. His business and political associates honored and loved him for his abilities and virtues, revealed through the twenty-five years of his prominent ac- tivity in their midst ; but his family alone knew the real gentleness and tenderness of his heart. Colonel Gray was not a rich man, but by constant thrift he had ac- cumulated a comfortable competency. He was a friend of young men and was al- ways ready to extend encouragement and substantial aid to such as needed and de- served such offices. The most severe charge that could be made against him was
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that of being ambitious. He abhorred dishonesty and equivocation in public as in private life and was never known to make a questionable compromise for the sake of personal expediency. He was a man of distinctive culture and of courtly manners, and his life record is one of marked symmetry.
In Bedford's Monthly of October, 1891, several years prior to the death of Colonel Gray, appeared an appreciative estimate of his character and services, and from the article the following brief extract is made: "He is all that he seems to be, — a statesman in the best American sense and a great party leader and defender, promoted from the ranks to the head colunm because of unfaltering service and con- spicuous success."
In the midst of the insistent demands placed upon his time and attention in con- nection with his manifold business and public activities. Colonel Gray ever looked upon his home as his sanctuary, and there his gentle and noble nature shone forth in its most gracious refulgence, — a home life that was ideal in its every relation.
On the 8th of September, 1850, was solemnized the marriage of Colonel Gray to Miss Eliza Jaqua, daughter of Judson Jaqua, a representative citizen and pioneer of Ohio, and of the four children of this union two survived the honored father, — Pierre S., and Bayard S., but both are now deceased. Bayard S. died in June, 1908, and is buried at Union City.
Pierre B>. #rap
M 1 §g
'T HAS been said that the sons of great men seldom attain to dis- tinction, an implication that more or less of a handicap is en- tailed through standing in the filial shadow of such greatness. This may be in many instances true; in fact the annals of our own as well as other nations show such to be the fact, but in con- tradistinction are found so many exceptions, where sons have added laurels to honored names of fathers, that there can be naught but perversity of spirit and obliquity of view when it is maintained that the above premise is invariably well taken. An instance is afforded in the career of the subject of this memoir, who was numbered among the representative members in In- diana of a profession dignified and honored by the exalted character and services of his father, Hon. Isaac P. Gray, former governor of the state and later United States minister to Mexico, and he achieved precedence through his own powers and abil- ities, not depending upon hereditary prestige in winning success in his profession and as a man of affairs. He marked the passing years with large and definite ac- complishment and by reason of his sterling attributes of character, as well as his splendid talents, he was honored of men. Pierre Gray was one of the leading mem- bers of the Indianapolis bar at the time of his death, which occurred at his home, 1309 North Pennsylvania street, on Monday afternoon, November 25, 1907, and he had also been an influential factor in the promotion of various business enterprises of important order, especially those in the line of public-service utilities. As one of the honored, loyal and progressive citizens of Indiana and its capital city, he is emi- nently entitled to consideration through the memoir here presented.
Pierre Soule Gray was born at New Madison, Darke county, Ohio, on the 2d of May, 1853, and thus he was fifty-four years of age at the time of his death, which re- sulted from pneumonia, the same dread malady which had caused the death of his father about twelve years previously. In November, 1855, the family removed to Union City, Randolph county, Indiana, and this continued to be their home for thirty years. The subject of this memoir was about two and one-half years of age at the time when the home was established in Union City, and there he was reared to adult age, in the meanwhile duly availing himself of the advantages of the public schools, which afforded him adequate basis for the broad and liberal education which he was destined to gain through direct academic sources and self-discipline. In October, 1870, at the age of seventeen years, he was matriculated in the Univer- sity of Indiana, Bloomington, and in this noble state institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1874, with high honors and with the well earned degree of Bachelor of Science. While an undergraduate he served as associate editor of the university paper, the Indiana Student, and during his senior year he was editor in chief of tlie same. He was also a valued member of the Athenian Literary So- ciety, one of the leading student organizations of the university.
After his graduation Mr. Gray returned to Union City, where he began the
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study of law under the able and punctilious preceptorship of his loved and honored father, who ever continued his devoted guide and counselor. He made rapid and substantial progress in his absorption and assimilation of the involved science of jurisprudence and was admitted to the bar in the Randolph circuit court on the 6th of November, 1875. On October 26th of the following year he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of the state, and in 1889 to the United States dis- trict and circuit courts. Further prestige was later given him through admission to practice before the supreme court of the United States. Soon after his admission to the bar Mr. Gray was appointed his father's assistant in the oflSce of city attorney of Union City, and thus he gained specially valuable experience at the outset of his professional career, as he assumed much of the incidental work of the office, under the direction of his father. His effective service in this capacity led to his being elected to succeed his father as city attorney, and he retained the office two years. Prior to his admission to the bar he had given effective service as city engineer, though he retained the incumbency only a short time, as he wished to give his un- divided attention to his law studies.
When Hon. Isaac P. Gray was elected governor of Indiana, in 1884, his son Pierre became his private secretary, and the family then removed to the capital city. Mr. Gray continued as his father's private secretary during the latter's admirable administration as chief executive of the state, and then resumed the active practice of his profession in the broader field offered in Indianapolis, where he continued to maintain his home until he was summoned from the stage of life's mortal en- deavors, in the very prime of his strong and useful manhood. Though his splendid ability as a trial lawyer and his well fortied powers as a counselor, Mr. Gray gained a prominent place at the bar of the capital city, — a bar noted for the high standard maintained by its representatives. Concerning his career in Indianapolis a most gracious estimate was given in the Indianapolis Star at the time of his death, and the following quotations from this source eminently merit preservation in this more enduring vehicle:
Mr. Gray was one of the best known lawyers of this city. Aside from his law practice he was at different times engaged in business enterprises which were usually successful. He was one of the men who promoted the building of the Indianapolis & Northwestern traction line and he assisted in the establishing of the Indianapolis Telephone System formerly conducted under the title of the New Telephone Com- pany; of the plant of this company he was manager for five years. For some time he had been associated with his brother-in-law, George M. Snyder, in the banking business at Noblesville. At his death he was one of the directors of the First National Bank of Noblesville, of which Mr. Snyder is vice-president. By success in business and in the practice of law Mr. Gray had been able to accumulate large property interests.
Pierre S. Gray was in closest sympathy with his father. He absorbed many of the excellent qualities of that Democratic statesman. In politics he was always a Democrat, as he shared his father's views regarding the old Jeffersonian doctrines. The son never sought a political office, although he had on one or two occasions al- ' lowed his name to be placed on the county ticket for Democratic judicial honors. He was a member of the Indiana Democratic Club and had always taken an active interest in the work of the local and state Democracy.
Mr. Gray was a valued and popular member of the Marion County Bar Asso-
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ciation, and this body met to take action of appropriate order at the time of his death. Hon. John W. Kern was chairman and Harvey Elam secretary, and brief addresses of respect and appreciation for the deceased were made by Mr. Kern, Lewis C. Walker, Charles E. Cox and Frank E. Gavin, all representative members of the bar of the capital city. A committee was appointed to draft a proper memo- rial, and from this testimonial, which was duly adopted by the association, the following excerpts are made: "His idea of the profession was honesty and integ- rity. Any one having dealings with him could rely on any statement he would make ; any agreement made by him was always kept. He was a man of exemplary habits, and in addition to his legal training he was an exceptional business man. To the younger members of the bar we recommend the career of our departed brother as that of an honest, painstaking and upright lawyer, — an example to be followed by them in laying out their careers." It was ordered that the memorial be spread on the records of the superior court and that a copy be delivered to the widow of Mr. Gray.
A man of high ideals and one who could not be other than deeply appreciative of the environments and manifold attractions of such a home life as was vouch- safed him through his marriage, Mr. Gray ever turned from business and profes- sional cares to find solace and happiness in his home, so that he had no marked predilection for club or other civic organizations, though he was a most promi- nent and influential member of the Knights of Pythias. He was a charter member of Invincible Lodge, No. 84, of this order in Indianapolis, and served as its first chancellor commander. In 1879 he was representative of this lodge in the Grand Lodge of the state, and in the latter body he held various offices during his connec- tion with the same. Mr. Gray was a man whose very personality begot objective confidence and esteem, and his tolerance, his courtesy, his unfailing kindliness and sympathy won to him stanch friends in business, professional and social circles, as well as in those of representative public and political order.
In his old home town of Union City, on the 12th of October, 1881, was solemn- ized the marriage of Pierre Gray to Miss Katharine A. McDonald, no children being born of their union. Mrs. Gray was born at Urbana, Ohio, and is the younger of the two children of David L. and Sarah (Johnson) McDonald, the sister being the wife of George M. Snyder, one of the representative citizens and business men of Noblesville, Indiana. Both David L. McDonald and his wife were born and reared in Champaign county, Ohio, where the respective families were founded in the early pioneer days. In their native county was celebrated, on the 10th of January, 1858, the marriage of David L. McDonald and Sarah Johnson, and there they continued to reside until 1877, when they came to Indiana and es- tablished their home at Union City, Randolph county, where they have maintained their home during the long intervening years and where they hold the unqualified esteem of all who know them, their Golden Wedding anniversary having been celebrated by them in 1908, when many kinsfolk and other friends assembled to do them honor. Mr. McDonald devoted his entire active career to the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing and he is still the owner of a large and valuable landed estate in Randolph county. Now venerable in years he is living retired in his attractive home at Union City, secure in the affectionate companion- ship of his cherished and devoted wife and in the friendship of the entire commu- nity in which he has so long resided and to the furtherance of whose best interests
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he has contributed in large and generous measure. Mrs. McDonald was graduated in Antioch College, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and is a woman of most gracious personality, — one who is held in affectionate regard by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle and kindly influence. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Gray has continued to reside in Indianapolis, where her attractive home, 1852 North Talbott avenue is known for its generous hospitality. She is active in the representative social life of the city and attends the Presbyterian church.
OTilliam ^. Cobert
(HE intrinsic elements of the character of William Thomas Cov- ert constituted an effective augury for his usefulness in the world, and he became one of the successful business men of the capital city of his native state, where he gained and retained secure hold upon popular approbation and proved himself worthy in all the relations of life. He was a native of Johnson county, Indiana, and a scion of one of the honored and influential pion- eer families of that section of the state, where his father, Cornelius Covert, estab- lished a home more than eighty years ago. Cornelius Covert was born in Ken- tucky, with whose history the family name became identified at an early period, and upon coming to Indiana he located in Hopewell township, Johnson county, where he secured a tract of wild land and where he became prominently connected with the development of agricultural and other resources, as well as a power in public affairs of a local order. He there continued to reside until his death, as did also his devoted wife, who shared with him the vicissitudes of pioneer days and the prosperity of later years.
William Thomas Covert was born in Indiana, in August, 1832, and died at his home in Indianapolis on the 25th of October, 1899. The home of his childhood and youth was not one of affluence but one that represented the golden mean of neither poverty nor great riches, the while its influences and associations were of benignant order. He gained his early education in the common schools of Hope- well, Johnson county, and this discipline was effectively supplemented by a course of study in Hanover College, at Madison, Indiana. Mr. Covert early learned the lessons of practical industry and for many years he was actively identified with lumbering operations at various points in the state. He was successful in the operation of sawmills and in kindred lines of enterprises, in connection with which he continued to maintain his home at Hopewell, Johnson county, until about 1860, when he removed with his family to Indianapolis, where he found ample opportu- nities for successful endeavor and where he continued to reside until he was sum- moned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors. In the capital city he became a successful contractor and builder, and as such he completed many important con- tracts. He had distinctive mechanical and inventive ability and among his practi- cal inventions was a fire-truck, which he manufactured and successfully placed on the market. During the latter years of his active career he was engaged in the bakery business, and with this line of enterprise he continued to be identified until his death.
The patriotism and insistent loyalty of Mr. Covert were significantly shown at the time of the Civil war, when he made several attempts to enlist in defense of the Union, being rejected on each occasion as ineligible on account of his physical condition. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party and he did not neglect his civic duties, though he had no desire to enter the turbulence of prac-
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tical politics or to gain the honors or emoluments of public ofiSce. The attractions of an ideal home absorbed his attention when not demanded in connection with busi- ness, and thus he had no desire to identify himself with fraternal or other social organizations. His Christian faith was of the deepest and most fervent order and was exemplified in his daily life as well as in his zeal and earnestness in the work of the church. He served for a number of years as a deacon of the Fifth Presby- terian church of Indianapolis, and later transferred his membership to the Fourth Presbyterian church, of which he was a trustee. His was a simple, unassuming and righteous life, and he acquitted himself well in all things, with a due sense of his stewardship and with an earnest desire to "do good to all men."
On the 3d of October, 1881, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Covert to Mrs. Margaret (Dickert) Fromm, widow of Christopher Fromm. Mrs. Covert was born and reared in Indianapolis, where she has ever maintained her home and where she has a wide circle of friends. She is a representative of one of the best known and most honored of the pioneer German families of Indianapolis, as she is a daughter of Jacob and Rose (Bauer) Dickert, both of whom are now deceased. They were born in Germany and their marriage was solemnized in Indianapolis, where Mr. Dickert was for many years engaged in the cabinet business. Mr. Covert is survived by five children, — Walter M., George H., Nellie K., Jennie and William E. William E., who married a Miss Lee, and Jennie are children of a for- mer marriage; to Miss Kohrn, who died in 1874. Miss Nellie K. remains with her widowed mother in their attractive home at 2342 North Delaware street; and Jennie is the wife of Frank Jackson, of California.
3fogepl) Jenkins; Jiingfjam
[NDIANAPOLIS recognized in Joseph Jenkins Bingham, for many years one of its most brilliant men, and one who left an indelible mark upon the pages of the history of that city in the years of his lifetime. Possessed of a strong and forceful mind with the combined ability to express himself well in writing, he found an outlet for his talent in the journalistic field, and for many years was numbered among the most prominent edi- torial writers of the state of Indiana. He was a power in the political arena of his state, and was regarded as the leading political writer of Indiana. When he retired from active newspaper work in about 1874 and devoted himself exclusively to the compilation and publication of a series of comprehensive works on the Laws and Statutes of Indiana, the journalistic field felt his loss keenly. This latter occu- pation held his attention until he retired in 1888, his death occurring on December 12, 1897.
Joseph Jenkins Bingham was born in New York City, January 6, 1815. As a lad he attended the schools of New York City, but his education was limited to a few brief years of training owing to the death of his father when the boy was twelve years of age. Such education as he eventually received was largely the result of his own unaided efforts, and the accomplishments of his worthy life are eloquent testimony of the popular, if inelegant, expression, "You can't keep a good man down." His first work was performed as a shoe salesman in New York City, and when he was eighteen years old he came west to Maumee City, now Toledo, in the interests of his brother-in-law, Mr. Mumford, who had extensive lumber possessions in that section of the country. His duties as representative required that he travel almost continuously, and he frequently made the trip from Maumee City to Fort Wayne on horseback, coming that distance to reach a bank, and on numerous occasions carrying as much as $20,000 in currency in his saddle bags. He also on certain occasions traveled from Chicago to St. Louis on horseback, a long and difficult trip, but almost the only mode of travel at that early day. The next occupation of the young man was that of captain on a steamboat on the Wabash river, between Lafayette, Indiana, and the Ohio river. In 1844 Mr. Bingham en- gaged in the manufacture of candles and soap, the factory being situated in Lafay- ette, where he carried on extensive operations in that line of business for some time. It was while in Lafayette that he first became interested in newspaper work, and he became identified with the Lafayette Journal as editor. A natural writer, forceful and brilliant, he soon came to have a reputation throughout the state as one of the most brilliant editors in the field. With the increase of his popularity came a corresponding increase in opportunity, and in 1856 Mr. Bingham came to Indianapolis as editor-in-chief of the Indianapolis Sentinel, and for seventeen years he continued to officiate in that capacity, the while his power as a writer brought him into prominence in the political arena, making him one of the most
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important men of the state in the interests of the Democratic party, of which he was an enthusiastic adherent. With the passing of time his interests became ab- sorbed in other work of a somewhat similar nature, and he gave over his connection with the Sentinel and entered a partnership with one Doughty, for the compilation and publication of the laws of Indiana. They also compiled and published a work on the "Statutes of Indiana," as well as various works of a like character. Mr. Bingham was deputy auditor of state for two years under James H. Rice, and was prominent in many of the state campaigns for his party in his early days, his managerial ability being of especially high order. He was one of the very first members of the school board and took a great interest in the schools. He served as chairman of the Library Commission and as secretary of that board.
On June 15, 1852, Mr. Bingham married Miss Sophia Upfold at Lafayette, Indiana. She was his third wife, and is the daughter of Bishop Upfold, the first Episcopal bishop of Indiana, and who came to this country from England as a boy of six years. He first studied medicine, but later went into the church in New York City. He was rector of Trinity church in Pittsburg for nineteen years, and came to Lafayette, Indiana, in 1849, as bishop of Indiana. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bingham: Fanny Rebecca, Joseph West and Emily Sophia are all deceased. Sarah Elizabeth became the wife of Richard C. Dean, a medical direc- tor in the navy at Washington, now deceased; his widow is a resident of Wash- ington, D. C. George Upfold Bingham married Gertrude Hendricks and later Bertha Hendricks, both of whom are deceased; they were nieces of Governor Thomas Hendricks. He was employed for a number of years in the oflSce of the state auditor, but is now in the banking business at South Bend, Indiana. Laura M., married W. H. Woodward, of St. Louis ; he is now deceased and she makes her home with her widowed sister in Washington, D. C. William Luther is also dead. Francis L. married Grace Spencer of Vermont. They live in Richmond, Virginia, where he is the southern representative of the Evans-Acme Milling Com- pany; they have one daughter, Dorothy. Edward H. married Nora O'Malley, of Detroit. He is a newspaper man of repute, but at present is engaged in the amuse- ment business in Indianapolis, where they live at 2256 North Meridian street. They have three children: Edward H., Jr., Mary Emily and Joseph John.
The widow of Joseph J. Bingham and the mother of his children now resides with her son, Edward H., on North Meridian street. She is eighty- four years old, and has the appearance of a woman of perhaps sixty-five years. She was born in New York City witliin three blocks of the place where her honored husband was born, although they met in Lafayette for the first time. Mrs. Bingham is the oldest living member of the St. Paul Episcopal church in Indianapolis, a distinction which her husband shared with her during his life, and during the thirty-three years of her membership at St. Paul's she has been ever active and prominent in the work of the church. She has held the presidency and other important ofiices of the various auxiliaries of the church, and has wielded an important influence in church circles throughout her life. Eighty years ago she crossed the Alleghanies with her parents by stage coach, and she still remembers the occurrence. Her life has been replete with interesting experiences, and as an old resident of Indianapolis she can tell of important happenings in the growth of the city and state which are now to be found in the pages of history. An unusually brilliant woman, she still retains much of her early youthful zest in life, and is in every respect a truly admirable character.
Efjomas; aibp Conlee
IT IS no wonder that the English look upon our business men of America with amazement and, possibly, a little horror, for they cannot understand how it is possible for men to work day in and day out with no rest, and at a speed that seems nothing short of marvelous to them. This is the "pace that kills" and Thomas Conlee was a victim. He possessed all the qualities that go to make up a fine business man. He was quick to dis- cern the weak points in the armor of his adversaries, and knew just when to attack. He was tactful and considerate of others, always endeavoring to give everyone their just dues. He had that enormous capacity for work and rapidity of thought that makes it possible for business to be conducted as it is, to the wonder of the slower moving Britisher. His acquaintance was a very wide one, for he traveled over the greater part of the middle west, and wherever he went he was sure of a welcome. Business men liked to meet him in a professional way, but still better they liked to carry him off to their homes for a quiet visit. With such a wide circle of friends it is evident that he must have had a broad sphere of influence, and this influence was always exerted on the side of progress, of uplifting social conditions, of a furtherance of the belief in the innate goodness of men and things.
Thomas Alvy Conlee might have traced some of his most salient character- istics, for instance, his keen sense of justice and of the right thing to do, from his ancestors, for they were Presbyterian ministers. The Conlee family was founded in this country by three brothers, all of whom were Presbyterian ministers. They came to this country from the fountainhead of Presbyterianism, Scotland, but later one or perhaps two of them went into the Methodist church. Of these brothers, Alexander was the grandfather of Thomas Conlee, and he settled in Virginia. Later in life he came to southern Illinois and here his son John was born. John H. Conlee spent his boyhood days near the spot where he was born, and when he came to man's estate he went into the mercantile business. For some years he kept a general merchandise store at Galena, and afterwards he was made sheriff of the county. At that time the position was no sinecure and he became well known for his personal bravery, his fine qualities of mind and heart making him one of the most popular men throughout the county. During the war he went to his farm in Iowa, and thence to Beatrice, Nebraska. Here he retired from active life and lived quietly at the home of his children until he died at the age of eighty-four. His wife had passed away previously, at the age of seventy-seven. She was of Dutch parentage, her parents having settled in Kentucky when they came from Holland. John H. Conlee and his wife had a large number of children. Alex- ander, who is now dead, served in the Civil war as a member of the Ninety-sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. After the war he was for many years a pension officer at Washington, D. C. The eldest daughter, Lieuan, is the wife of Lewis Achenback, and lives in California. Elizabeth is the widow of John Hawkings,
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and makes her home in Nebraska. William is now dead, but he had the distinc- tion of having been one of the hundred day men, that is, he answered the first call for volunteers that was sent out before the Civil war. Thomas A. was the fifth child, and the next younger was Jane, who married James Stocks and lives in California. Ellen is the widow of Edward Hurlburt, and also lives in California. Andrew Jackson lives in Florida ; Sylvester in Indianapolis, Indiana ; and James, in California. Mary is the wife of James Whitehurst, living in Missouri, and Virginia is the wife of Jefferson Ross, of Wisconsin. Mrs. Conlee had a daughter by a former marriage, Mariah Davis, who died as the wife of Daniel Wood.
Thomas Alvy Conlee was born on the 23d day of March, 1845, at Galena, Illinois, in Jo Daviess county. All of his boyhood was spent within the confines of this county, where his time was spent either in school or at work in his father's store. He was spoken of by the men who came in to buy goods or discuss politics with his father as a clever boy, and they would often pat him on the head in a fatherly way, little realizing that the boy was studying them closely and observing just how they managed their business affairs and often deciding that he could have done better. This early training was to stand him in good stead later on. His attendance at the public schools was rudely interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil war. Inspired by a truly patriotic love for the Union which seemed to be in danger of being disrupted, he was eager to go to her defense. The only drawback was his youth, but he easily overcame that by giving his age as over seventeen. He therefore enlisted in Company K, of the Ninety-sixth Illinois Infantry, in 1862, and served till the close of the war. The general commanding his division of the army was General Thomas, and he took part in some of the fiercest battles of the war. He carried the flag up the hill at Chickamauga, and thus being a special target for the sharp-shooting "Johnnies," it is not surprising that he received a wound in the shoulder. He fell on the field and some one else caught up "Old Glory" and passed on, leaving him for dead. There he lay all night, watching the lanterns of the searching parties, and listening to the moans of the wounded all about him. He was finally discovered by a Confederate search- ing party, and was taken prisoner. It was not long, however, before his exchange was effected, and then he spent many weary months in the hospital, fretting be- cause he could not be with his comrades. He at least had the satisfaction of having participated in what was perhaps the greatest and most courageous fighting of the war. Had it not been for General Thomas and the wing under his command, the army of General Rosecrans might have suffered a defeat equally as disastrous as the one of the Confederates at Gettysburg. Later in the war Mr. Conlee was again wounded, this time in the side. He was doing picket duty, and received the wound from a bayonet thrust in the dark. After the war was over the veteran of twenty returned to his father, who was then living on his Iowa farm. He remained here for three years, and during this time was married.
The spirit of restlessness, which had been fostered by his years of army life, forced him from the quiet of farm life into something that had more movement in it. His uncle offered to take him into his implement business at Warren, Illinois, and he gladly accepted. He remained in this work for four years, but even this did not suit his active disposition, and he finally decided that the life of the road was that for which he was searching. His first position of this kind was with D. M. Osborn, a Chicago implement firm. He made his home in Warren, and for two years trav-
^fiomag gflbp Conlce 361
eled over Illinois, covering the state very thoroughly. He then went into the em- ploy of the Grand Detour Plough Company of Dixson, Illinois. He moved his family to this town and lived there for thirteen years, while he traveled for his firm through Iowa and Illinois. He came to Indianapolis, Indiana, in February, 1890, with the John Deere Plough Company. The territory which he covered for them was Ohio and Indiana. After a time his firm established a branch here and Mr. Conlee was put in charge, with several salesmen under him. He was thoroughly competent to handle the sales end of the business and he soon had worked up a big business for his firm. It should be remembered that at first the company only had an office here, and that no matter how good the product of its factories were it took a salesman with brains and energy and a thorough knowledge of the art of organi- zation to build up so large a business in the face of the competition that Mr. Conlee was forced to contend with. He worked incessantly, and the result was that he had a nervous breakdown, from which he never recovered, dying three years later, on the 19th of October, 1910. His death occurred at his home, 229 West Twenty-first street, where he had lived since 1894. He owned this house and also the adjoining property on the corner.
The following is quoted from the News of the 21st of October, 1910: "The funeral of Thomas A. Conlee, who died at his home, 229 West Twenty-first street, Wednesday night (October 19) was held this afternoon. He was born in Galena, Illinois, in 1845. He served in the Civil war, enlisting in the Ninety-sixth Illinois Regiment. He was a member of Anderson Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and a member of the First Presbyterian church, a Scottish Rite Mason and a Knight Templar. The services were conducted by the Reverend M. L. Haines. Burial in Crown Hill."
Mr. Conlee joined the Masonic order in Illinois, and had reached the degree of the Scottish Rite. In politics he was strongly Republican. As was mentioned in the News he was a member of Anderson Post, G. A. R., and one of his chief joys was to talk over the thrilling days of '64 with his old comrades.
Mr. Conlee was married on the 18th of June, 1867, to Amy Eaton, a daughter of Lafayette and Oleviaette (De Land) Eaton . Mrs. Conlee is the eldest of three sisters. The second sister, Adda, is now dead. She lived in Iowa and was married to W. Crosby. Ida, the youngest, is the wife of George Watson, and lives in the old home place in Mason City, Iowa. She did not marry until after the death of the parents. Of the five children of Mr. and Mrs. Conlee, Nettie C. is a widow and lives with Mrs. Conlee, and her son Alvey C, is a great comfort to his grandmother. Edward Bruce married Willnetta Tucker, and they live on North Delaware street in Indianapolis. He is a member of the firm of Royer & Conlee, merchant tailors, with offices in the Terminal building. The deceased children are: Aidie La, a daughter, who died at the age of twenty-nine; Earl C, who died at the age of five years and Charles E., who died at the age of two years.
OTiUiam C. #riffiti)
I HE temporal success of a life is to be determined not alone by the individual advancement and prosperity of the individual person concerned but also by his usefulness to the world, his stability and integrity of character and his observance of those things which represent the higher values of human existence. In this broader and worthier sense was the life of the late William Chenoweth Griffith, of Indianapolis, essentially and significantly successful. His was a strong and positive nature and his devo- tion to principle was manifest in every relation of life, the while he was ani- mated by that buoyant hopefulness, generosity and kindliness that beget the fullest measure of objective confidence and esteem. Mr. Griffith was for many years a prominent and influential figure in financial and general business circles in the capital city of Indiana, where he was a member of the firm of Thomas C. Day & Company, long known as one of the leading stock and bond concerns of the city. He continued his active identification with this well known firm until his death and had been a potent force in the upbuilding of its extensive and substantial business. While he was essentially a man of affairs and one of great business discrimination and acumen, the nobility of his character was shown not alone in his deep and fer- vent Christian faith, in kindness and good will to his fellow men, in rare and ideal devotion to home and family, but also in the practical affairs of business. Just and true, there was no element of uncertainty in his position at any time or under any conditions, and such were his services and character that there is eminent propriety in according in this edition a tribute to his memory and a brief record of his career as one of the representative business men and citizens of Indianapolis, which was his home for about sixteen years prior to his death. Here he was summoned to eternal rest on the 13th of January, 1892, and here his name is held in lasting honor by all who came within the sphere of his influence.
William Chenoweth Griffith was of staunch Welsh genealogy in the agnatic line and a scion of a family that was founded in America in the early colonial days. Though he himself was not born in Indiana, he was a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of this state. His grandfather, Major William C. Grif- fith, was born in Center county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th of November, 1797, and was a son of Nathan Grifiith, who was the fourth son of John Griffith, the founder of the family in America. John Griffith immigrated from Wales to America about the year 1700. Nathan Griffith removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1798 and lo- cated at Fort Washington, the nucleus of the present city of Cincinnati, whence he soon afterward removed across the Ohio river to the present site of Newport, Ken- tucky. Major William C. Griffith was reared under the conditions of the early pio- neer epoch in the middle west and his educational advantages were somewhat above the average, including those of a school in which he studied architecture, the while he was also serving an apprenticeship at the trade of stone mason. On February
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16, 1817, he married Miss Fannie McGrew, and in 1819 he removed with his family to Lost River, Orange county, Indiana, where he resided until 1827. He then re- moved to Sullivan, the county seat of Sullivan county, to supervise the erection of a number of public and private buildings, and there he continued to maintain his home until his death, in February, 1 892, at the patriarchal age of ninety-four years. He was long one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Sullivan county where he served in various offices of public trust and where he was invariably known as Major Griffith, his military title having been conferred upon him at the time of the war of 1812 when he served as major of a local battalion. He was superintend- ent of masonry in the construction of the old National road, was a staunch Democrat in politics and was a member of the Baptist church, as was also his wife, whom he survived by many years. They became the parents of twelve children, of whom four survived the honored father. At the time of the death of Major Griffith a member of the family received from the late Senator Daniel W. Voorhees, at that time United States senator from Indiana, a message whose words are worthy of perpetuation in this connection: "In the death of Major Griffith there passed away from earth one of the noblest and truest men ever known in our state or nation."
Warden H. Griffith, son of Major William C. Griffith and father of him to whom this memoir is dedicated, was an infant at the time of the family removal to Indiana, and in this state he was reared and educated. He removed in an early day to Illinois and became one of the pioneers of Clark county, where he reclaimed a farm and became a citizen of influence. He married Miss Elizabeth Black and they became the parents of thirteen children, of whom William C. was the second in order of birth, and of the number three sons and three daughters are now living. The parents continued to reside in Clark county, Illinois, until their death, their home having been for a number of years in Marshall, the judicial center of the county.
William Chenoweth Griffith was born on the old homestead farm near Marshall, Clark county, Illinois, and the date of his nativity was May 5, 1845. His early experience in connection with the practical affairs of life was that gained in con- nection with the work of the home farm, which was not large and which afforded to the large family few luxuries and little fortuitous influence. Young William duly availed himself of the advantages of the local schools, and his ambition for securing a more symmetrical education was not to be thwarted, as he himself pro- vided the means for continuing his studies. He attended school at Marshall, about one and one-half miles distant from the home farm, and through his own arduous work he saved the money which enabled him to complete a course in the Illinois State Norman School at Normal, in which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1871. Thereafter he devoted five years to successful work in the pedagogic profession, and during the greater part of this time he was superintendent of the public schools at Taylorville, Illinois.
In 1876 Mr. Griffith came to Indianapolis, where he assumed supervision of the accident department in the local offices of the Aetna Insurance Company. He continued to be associated with this company about three years and he then entered into partnership with Thomas C. Day, in the stock, bond and loan business, with which he continued to be actively identified during the remainder of his life, the firm of Tliomas C. Day & Company building up a large and substantial enterprise in the handling of high-grade securities and the extending of financial loans. Mr.
?Bagiatam C- ^riffitli 367
Griffith brought to bear in this connection his fine executive and initiative ability, was concerned with financial afifairs of broad scope and importance and gained large and worthy success. In all matters of business he set to himself the highest standard and his record in this connection constitutes an ethical lesson. He more than won success; he deserved it. The firm gave special attention to the extending of loans on farm properties and Mr. Griffith, who had charge of the incidental investigations, gained a broad and exact knowledge of land values in this section of the state, his dictum concerning the same being regarded as authoritative. His course in business affairs was marked by absolute justice and fairness, and he was ever ready to extend every possible aid to those whose financial affairs were involved and who were earnestly and honestly working to retrieve themselves. His deep human sympathy was manifest in his business as well as in other relations of life and he showed conclusively that sentiment and business may be made to work to- gether for good. As a citizen he was liberal, broad-minded and public-spirited and he never denied his influence and co-operation to enterprises and measures projected for the general welfare of the community. He held membership in the Board of Trade and the Commercial Club, and was fully in sympathy with the high civic ideals of these representative organizations. In the time-honored Masonic fraternity he became actively affiliated with various local bodies and attained to the thirty- second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.
In politics Mr. Griffith was an ardent and effective exponent of the principles and policies of the Democratic party and he took a lively interest in public affairs. Though he was an influential factor in the local ranks of his party, he had naught of predilection for public office, as was shown in his refusal to become a candidate when specially strong pressure was brought to bear upon him to accept nomination for the position of mayor of Indianapolis. He was a man of fine intellectual at- tainments and tastes, was a most pleasing public speaker and was frequently called upon to deliver addresses before educational and other public assemblages. He was an appreciative student and his reading covered a wide range of the best in litera- ture, the while he was a specially fine Shakespearian scholar.
The religious faith of Mr. Griffith was a very part of his being and was shown in kindly thoughts and kindly deeds as well as in earnest effort for the aiding and uplifting of his fellow men and the furtherance of the work of the church militant. He was one of the valued and influential members of the First Baptist church in his home city and his services were freely given in connection with the various depart- ments of its work especially the Sunday-school, in which he was teacher of the Bible class for a long period. He was a member of the board of trustees of his church for many years prior to his death. From an estimate published in an Indian- apolis paper at the time of the death of Mr. Griffith are taken the following extracts:
"He came to this citj' in June, 1876, from Marshall, Illinois, and since that time has enthusiastically identified himself with the state of Indiana and considered himself a thorough Hoosier. He took great interest in the progress of Indianapolis and contributed liberally to all its benevolent enterprises. He was especially tender- hearted toward the poor. No needy person ever appealed to him in vain. During his last illness, covering some nine weeks that he was confined to his bed, letters have come from persons living in different parts of the state, thanking him for kindness shown to them. Mr. Griffith was a man of excellent principles. He was always found on the right side of every moral question. A sincere Christian he held
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that his obligation was first to his God, but he loved his fellow men and, with his genial nature, won many friends. Of pure and elevated tastes, he loved what was noble and refined. A good citizen, a steadfast friend, the city and state have met a loss in his death."
Thomas C. Day, who was so long the business associate and close friend of Mr. Griffith, spoke of him in the following appreciative words: "Mr. Griffith was a successful business man, upright in all his dealings. He combined unusual energy with great force of character. He was deeply interested in all the benevolent enter- prises of the city and contributed liberally to their support. Of a warm, sympathetic nature, he found great delight in doing for others. The needy never appealed to him in vain. Mr. Griffith's strong social qualities made for him hosts of friends both in this city and throughout the state of Indiana." Rev. F. W. Taylor, who was pastor of the church with which Mr. Griffith was connected and who was a mem- ber of the latter's household for several months, made the following statements: "He loved his home. Between the inmates of this home the tenderest intimacy existed. The boys were acquainted with their father; he was their friend and com- panion. Into this home he never brought a cloud. He was always unselfish. Strangers thought him a man of vitality and abundant health. His friends knew that at times he suffered great physical agony. But he made it a point to conceal this pain, lest his family should be alarmed."
On the 26th of December, 1871, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Griffith to Miss Elnora Libbey, who was born in LaSalle county, Illinois, and who is a daughter of Francis and Jane S. (Brown) Libbey, the former of whom was born in the state of Maine and the latter in New York state. Francis Libbey went to Illinois when a young man and became one of the successful farmers and business men of Lasalle county, where he had accumulated a landed estate of twelve hundred acres and where he became a citizen of prominence and influence. His progressive ideas were shown in his earnest advocacy of educational and civic enterprises and he commanded the unqualified confidence and esteem of the community in which he established his home and in which his death occurred when he was about forty-two years of age. His widow long survived him and attained to the venerable age of more than eighty years. She passed the closing years of her life in the home of her daughter Elnora, wife of the subject of this memoir, and there her death occurred on the 29th of December, 1908, her remains being taken to the old home at Ottawa, Illinois, for interment. She was a member of one of the sterling pioneer families of northern Illinois, where her father established his home in 1830. Concerning this noble woman the following statements were made in the Indianapolis Star at the time of her death: "In the death of her husband a crushing blow fell upon Mrs. Libbey, and, at the age of thirty-seven years, she found herself with five young children and, for that day, a large estate to manage. While painstaking and energetic, she was distinguished by a serenity of mind unusual in persons charged with such grave responsibilities. Early in life she became a member of the Baptist church at Deer Park, and in this she maintained her membership until her death, although when living in this city she attended the First Baptist church with her daughter's family. Five children survive, — Mrs. Elnora L. Griffith, of this city; Mrs. Lucy A. Riale, of Ottawa, Illinois ; Mrs. Josephine Kendall, of Kewanee, that state; Wallace Libbey, of Ottawa, Illinois; and Howard Libbey, of Columbia, Missouri.
TOtPiam C <griffirt)t 369
Mrs. Griffith still resides in the fine old homestead at 1611 Broadway, Indian- apolis, the building having been erected by her honored husband about thirty years ago. The place is endeared to her by many gracious memories and associations and has long been known for its generous but unostentatious hospitality. The high re- gard in which her husband was held was significantly attested at the time of his death, as she received many letters and telegrams of condolence from widely varied sources, Mr. Griffith's business activities having been of such wide scope as to gain to him acquaintanceship and warm friends in many parts of Indiana and adjoining states. Mrs. Griffith has been an active and valued factor in the social, benevolent and religious activities of her home city and has been specially zealous in connection with the affairs of the First Baptist church, of which she has been a devoted mem- ber during the entire period of her residence in Indiana's capital city. She is now (1912) serving her fourth term, of two years each, as president of the Ladies' Social Circle of this church, and the same has a membership of about three hundred. She was a charter member and served as the first vice president of the Y. W. C. A. several years. In company with Mrs. F. F. McCrea she was instrumental in main- taining the order when it seemed on the verge of failure, and they devoted one sum- mer to the raising of funds for its maintenance.
In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Griffith: Frank L., who is a graduate of Yale University and who is engaged in the stock-brokerage business in the city of Columbus, Ohio, married Miss Flora Snyder, of that city, and they have two children, — Robert and Marion. Harry W., who likewise was graduated in Yale University, is now manager of the Remy Electrical Company, at Anderson, Indiana. He married Miss Jessie Bird, of Indianapolis, and they have two children,— Richard G., and Nancy B. Howard T., the third son, was graduated in the Indianapolis high school and in a local business college, and he is now associated with the Udell Company, of Indianapolis. He married Miss Cordelia Hughes, of this city, and they have two children, — Jane and Hilda. William C, Jr., the youngest son, was graduated in the high school and is a member of the class of 1914 in the University of Pennsylvania.
GEORGE E. KUHL.\rAN
CHARLES L. KUHLMAN
€tnt^t genrp i^uljlman
iiOR more than a half century a resident and business man of Indi- anapolis, Ernest Henry Kuhlman was privileged to watch his adopted city develop from a small town of a few thousand inhab- itants to a splendid city of more than two hundred thousand souls, and as a practical business man he contributed his full quota towards that splendid development. He was always deeply interested in all movements tending to the general wel- fare of the city, and from his earliest life in Indianapolis was up and doing for the civic good. As a member of the city council from the Fifth ward at the commence- ment of the Civil war, at a time when the city had only five wards, Mr. Kuhlman gave worthy service to his city, and his entire life was marked by the same hearty interest in its affairs which characterized his early days.
Ernest Henry Kuhlman was born on November 29, 1823, near Bickerburg, Ger- many, under the Prussian government. Such education as he possessed he received in his native land, and he was twenty years of age when he immigrated to America with his parents and one brother. The family located in Indianapolis, and Ernest secured work as a hotel porter. His German inheritance of thrift and industry enabled him after a few years to buy a lot on the corner of Washington and West streets, upon which he erected a store building and opened up a grocery store. This was in 1856, and he and his wife conducted a thriving business there for many years. His worthy wife, who still survives him, is deserving of no little credit for the success of her husband, as she was unswerving in her allegiance to him and gave imreservedly of her strength and ability in aiding him in the management of the grocery business. A capable manager, her husband placed much dependence upon her ability and tact, and together they made worthy progress in the business. After twelve years they sold their stock of goods, retaining the property, and bought five acres of land on what is now Shelby street. At that time the spot was a wilder- ness and a farming district, and in that place they erected a fine and substantial home, wherein the family lived, and where death came to the husband and two splen- did sons. Mr. Kuhlman conducted a truck-gardening business and had a stand on the market place which he managed with the help of his two sons, until such time as the growing commission business of the city made the stand unprofitable. From that time he devoted himself to the care of his home and lived a quiet life, passing away on October 23, 1897. Mr. Kuhlman was a man of quiet tastes and instincts, and he was happy in the seclusion of his country home and in the good he was able to do in a quiet, unostentatious manner. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of Zion church, in which he was always a devoted worker. On July 16, 1854, Mr. Kuhlman married Miss Eleanor M. Hansing, a daughter of Charles and Louisa Hansing, both of whom came to the United States from Ger- many in their young married life, when their daughter, Eleanor, was twelve years of age. The father located on a farm in Marion county, where they passed the re-
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mainder of their days. Two sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kuhlman. George E. was born October 28, 1856. He was educated in Indianapolis and was his father's valued assistant for a number of years. Later he was employed as a checkman at the Panhandle depot. He married Eleanor Hansing, a cousin, and she died two years later. He passed away February 13, 1906. The second son, Charles Louis, was born November 19, 1859. He also was trained in the Indianapolis public schools, and like his brother, helped his father with the work of the market place for some years, after which he learned the trade of a carriage maker. He died on June 30, 1895. Father and sons passed away in the fine old home on Shelby street, and all three are resting in the family lot at Crown Hill cemetery. After the loss of her family Mrs. Kuhlman unable to bear the loneliness of the home where she had lived for so many years, sold the place for $8,000, a conservative figure for so attractive a home, and also the property on Washington and West streets, for which latter place she received $17,000. She is now living at the Blacherne. Mrs. Kuhlman has lived in Indianapolis for sixty-eight years and is well and favorably known by all the oldest and best families of the city. She was confirmed and edu- cated at the old Lutheran school in Indianapolis and is the last surviving member of her family.
anbreixi 1^. Cranor
MAN who was well known throughout the city of IndianapoliSj of which metropolis he had been a resident for many years was Andrew P. Cranor who took an active part in its business and po- litical life. He began his business career as a manufacturer of old-fashioned hominy, and at the time of his death owned one of the finest stands in the Indianapolis market house. As a merchant he was well known for his honesty and for the relia- bility of whatever commodity he put on sale. He carried this characteristic of un- assailable sincerity into the political world, and his party, knowing his reputation, made him judge of elections on more than one occasion. Since his death his widow has been bravely carrying on the work he was forced to lay down and the success that has attended her efforts has been due not only to her business ability, but also to the respect in which her husband was held and to the high status he had estab- lished for his stand in the opinion of patrons and co-workers.
Andrew P. Cranor was born at Williamsburg, in Wayne county, on the 14th of February, 1847. He was the second son of Joseph Cranor, who was a farmer. In his father's family were six children, three sons and three daughters. Andrew Cranor attended the country schools until he had learned as much as could be gained from them, and as he was then needed at home to assist with the work of the farm, he received no further education. He remained at home for several years, but de- cided, on reaching the age of twenty-five, that he could accomplish more in the city. So, with a plan in his head and a slender store of money in his pocket, he came to Indianapolis. His plan, which was to manufacture and sell old-fashioned hominy, proved successful. After a few years spent in making and disposing of this article to individual customers, he earned and saved enough to set up a grocery store on Indiana avenue. A few years later he removed to the eastern section of Indianapolis, where he opened a second and larger store of the same kind. In 1892 he made his last change of location, buying ground and building a house and store on West Eighteenth street. For ten years he conducted a very lucrative business here, but presently determined to sell out this business in order to devote his entire time to another business which he had been successfully developing. This enterprise was the stand at the Market House, which he had established about five years previously. He thereafter conducted the business connected with this stand until his death on the 24th of August, 1910, and his patronage grew with each day.
When Mr. Cranor moved to Eighteenth street there were very few houses in that section and his family are now about the oldest residents in that part of the city. Mr. Cranor was very proud of the rapid growth of this district, being in fact a lover both of his country and his city ; yet he was devoted particularly to his own fireside, preferring the society of his family and friends to the life of the clubs. Mr. Cranor was known as an active worker for the Republican party and in
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addition to being judge of elections he was assessor for his ward, which was the Fourth. He had no church affiliations, believing in a broad Christianity requiring no creed in which to find expression, but revealing itself in an upright life and in kindly deeds. Fraternally he was a member of the Knights of Pjrthias and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
At Decatur, Adams county, Indiana, on the 20th of September, 1877, the mar- riage ceremony was performed that made Andrew P. Cranor and Mary F. Darwin man and wife. Mrs. Cranor was a native of Monmouth, Adams county, in this state, and was the daughter of Calvin Darwin, who was a saddler and an early citi- zen of that part of the state. Although her parents died when she was quite young, she grew up in this section.
To Mr. and Mrs. Cranor six children have been born: Clyde M., who married Eva Morris, lives in Indianapolis and has no children. The second child of Andrew Cranor died in infancy. Guy H. was educated in the Indianapolis public and high schools, worked with his father for a time and then entered the service of the United States navy. One year was spent in making a trip around the world and three in the Philippines, after which he returned home. Here he married, settling down in Indianapolis. To him and his wife, who was Fannie Johns, was born a son, Harold. Guy H. died on the 28th of January, 1911, and is buried beside his father at Crown Hill. The fourth child. Lulu, is at home. Earl lives at home and is associated with the National City Bank. Effie E., the youngest, is at home. All the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cranor were born and educated in Indianapolis. The latter is a member of the Methodist church and the members of her family are all faithful attendants at the services. Her exceptional ability in practical affairs is evidenced by the fact — referred to above — that after her husband's death she took charge of his stand at the Market House and has, with the help of her chUdren, managed it ever since.
The following is clipped from the Indianapolis News of the issue of August 25th, 1910. "Andrew P. Cranor, 1216 West Eighteenth street, died last night about eight o'clock. He was born in Williamsburg, Indiana, 1848. Coming to Indianapolis in 1875, he engaged in the grocery business. He was active in poli- tics and was a member of the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias lodges. Andrew P. Cranor was for nearly twenty years a familiar figure to every regular patron of the Indianapolis city market. The stand holders on the market yester- day made a purse to provide flowers as a token of their esteem of their former associate. In point of association with the market, Mr. Cranor was one of the oldest men there, having sold his wares before the present market house was built. For years he had been known about the market as 'Judge' Cranor, and though he was one of the most familiar figures on the market, few people knew him by any other name. Every spring for years. Judge Cranor supplied many of those faith- ful to the old traditions with their sweet scented sassafras root, and they depended on him to get it as early as it could be obtained. His faithfulness to business dur- ing the long years of his association with the market enabled him to accumulate some property, though he was not a wealthy man."
^aron #enuns Campfielb
]N THE death of Aaron Genung Campfield, a contractor and builder, there passed away a man who had spent a long life life in the service of his fellow men. Some of the most sub- stantial buildings in the middle west were erected by him. He was a man independent in thought and act, and his earnest, upright life was an inspiration to those who knew him. That he was a thorough and conscientious workman is evidenced by the excellent condition of the structures that he built. His work took him to differ- ent parts of the country, and this naturally broadened his view of life and increased his innate adaptability. He was a man popular alike with young and old. In politics he was a Republican, but never took an active part in the work of the party.
Mr. Campfield was born in Morris county. New Jersey, on the 1st of June, 1834. He was the son of Matthew Edwin Campfield, a farmer, and Fannie Mariah (Gen- ung) Campfield, both natives of New Jersey. The former was a descendant of a Connecticut family who had settled in that state early in the seventeenth century. He was the father of eight children. He died at the age of forty-nine, leaving the responsibility of the family to the subject of this sketch, who was then twenty- two years old.
Aaron Campfield was brought up on the home farm, and was the first of the children to leave it to make his way in the world. When quite a young man he learned the carpenter trade in Newark, New Jersey, and later took up contracting. He remained there for several years, coming west during the Civil war and locating at Decatur, Illinois. Later he went to Chicago, where he followed his trade for a short time. After a stay of nearly three years in Illinois he returned to the east. Eighteen months later he started for the west a second time, feeling that the west was the place for him. He located at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and from there went to Springfield, Illinois. His first big contract, the Charlton school house at Charl- ton, Illinois, marked the beginning of his busy and successful career.
The state school buildings at Cold Water, Micliigan, and three of the finest court houses in Indiana, namely, Winchester, Noblesville and Richmond, were erec- ted by him. Among other large contracts he had at Richmond were those for the first group of buildings of the Eastern Indiana Insane Asylum, which numbered eighteen in all. He was the contractor and builder of the first group of buildings of the Soldiers' Home at Lafayette.
In 1900 he removed to Indianapolis, where he spent the remainder of his life. About this time he retired from active life and spent much of his time looking after his fruit farm in Georgia. He died in Indianapolis on the fifth of March, 1906.
The following is an extract from the death notice which appeared in the Indi- anapolis News, March 7, 1906:
"The funeral of A. G. Campfield, who died at his home in North Alabama street,
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^ron #enung Campfielb
was held this afternoon at the home. His death was due to a stroke of apoplexy. He had been a resident of this city for the last six years. He was a contracitor and builder for more than thirty-five years."
On the 8th of May, 1859, Mr. Campfield married Miss Caroline Ross, who, like her husband, was born in Morris county. New Jersey. She was a daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Dickerson) Ross. Her paternal grandfather, Hugh Ross, came from Scotland, and was one of the early settlers of New Jersey. Her mother was of German descent.
Mr. Campfield was the father of four children, — Bertha M., who lives with her mother in the residence in Park avenue which Mrs. Campfield built after her hus- band's death; Aaron G., who died in infancy; Alta, who lived to be only twenty- seven; and Arabella, the wife of Charles E. Ozier, of Mansfield, Ohio, — and two grandchildren, Eugene and Helen Ozier.
OTiiUiam ^, Jfigfitiacfe
GREAT soul and a great mind had indwelling in the mortal tene- ment of the late William Pickney Fishback, who was one of the distinguished representatives of the legal profession in Indi- diana and who left a deep impress upon the history of this state. A man of fine intellectual attainments and most gracious per- sonality, he was distinct in individuality, and that individuality was the positive expression of a noble nature and a sterling character. In offering in this memorial edition a brief review of the career of this honored citizen, recourse will be taken largely, and without formal indications of quotation, to an appreciative estimate given by one who had made a careful study of his life history and who was familiar with the elements and conditions which made him a truly great man.
William P. Fishback was born at Batavia, Clermont county, Ohio, on the 11th of November, 1831, and was a scion of one of the honored pioneer . families of the old Buckeye state. As a boy he gained his full quota of experience in connection with the sturdy work of the farm and later he was employed at grinding tanbark in a local tanyard for a period of four years. In the meanwhile he had not been denied the advantages of the pioneer schools of his native county, and the disci- pline thus gained served to quicken his appreciation and ambition, with the result that he determined to secure more liberal education. He was for some time a student in Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, and later continued his studies in Farmers College at College Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio. In this latter institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1852. After due preliminary discipline under the effective preceptorship of his honored father. Judge Owen T. Fishback, one of the leading jurists and lawyers of Clermont county, he was admitted to the bar of his native state and became associated with his father in the practice of his profession at Batavia, the judicial center of Clermont county. His ability and personal popularity soon gained to him definite recognition, as he was elected prose- cuting attorney of the county, an office of which he continued the efficient and val- ued incumbent for two years, within which he added materially to his professional reputation.
In 1857 Mr. Fishback came to Indianapolis, and that he forthwith impressed upon the community his professional ability and his integrity of purpose is shown by the fact that a year later he was elected, on the Republican ticket, to the office of prosecuting attorney of Marion county. His administration was marked by most effective service and the popular appreciation of the same was manifested in his election as his own successor two years later, so that he retained the office four successive years. Soon after establishing his home in Indianapolis Mr. Fish- back formed a professional alliance with Hamilton Conner, with whom he was associated in practice, under the firm name of Conner & Fishback, until 1861, when he was appointed agent for the United States in the payment of
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pensions. He retained this position three years and in the meanwhile he formed a law partnership with the late General Benjamin Harrison, former presi- dent of the United States, who had been a fellow student in Miami University. After a short time Albert J. Porter became a member of the firm, and thereafter the large and representative professional business of the firm was continued under the title of Porter, Harrison & Fishback until 1870, when Mr. Fishback retired and purchased an interest in the Indianapolis Journal. He assumed the position of editor-in-chief and continued in tenure of the same until 1872, when he disposed of his interest in this newspaper enterprise and removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he purchased an interest in the St. Louis Democrat, of which he was asso- ciate editor for the ensuing two years. He returned to Indianapolis in 1874, and here resumed the active practice of his profession, in which he again became asso- ciated with Albert J. Porter. This effective alliance was dissolved on the 12th of December, 1877, and Mr. Fishback was appointed clerk and master in chancery of the United States courts for the district of Indiana. In the same year Mr. Porter was appointed, by President Hayes, to the office of comptroller of the United States treasury. Mr. Fishback retained until his death the important federal office of clerk and master in chancery, and his administration of his duties has passed on record as one of exceptional ability and discrimination. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but he was soon afterward appointed a government pension agent, as already noted, and thus did not see much of active military service.
Mr. Fishback was specially influential in effecting the organization of the Indi- ana Law School, which is now the law department of the University of Indianapolis. In connection with his work for this admirable institution he became known to many of the representative members of the bar of the state and many students who later attained to distinction in the legal profession here and elsewhere. His inter- est in the law school was prompted especially by his earnest desire to aid and en- courage young men who were preparing themselves for the profession of which he himself was a member, and many such young men today acknowledge a deep debt of gratitude to him for his kindly counsel and consideration in the days when they were struggling to gain their professional foothold. He was regarded by the mem- bers of his profession in general as a man of profound legal learning, broad intel- lectual ken and keen perceptions, and he was acknowledged to be an important fac- tor in the practical and educational work of his profession in his home city and state, the while his high appreciation of the dignity and responsibility of his profes- sion combined with his sterling attributes of character to gain and retain to him the inviolable esteem and confidence of those with whom he came in contact in the vari- ous relations of life. The late General Benjamin Harrison paid a sincere tribute to Mr. Ushback at the time of the latter's death, and the same is well wortliy of perpet- uation in this connection:
I have known Mr. Fishback for a little more than fifty years. We entered Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, together, in 1850, and became inmates of the same boarding house. From that time until his death there was an increasing inti- macy between us, and for some years we were partners in the practice of law. His death takes from me the oldest friend I had in the city, and one of the dearest. He had a remarkably active and acute mind and the faculty of clear and pungent expression. He was a lover of the best books and was a wide and critical reader. He made a center in every company where he was, for he excelled as a conver-
Wamam p. Jfigfibacfe 381
sationalist of the genial, witty sort. He was never pedantic. When he was caustic in his utterances they were always directed toward something that was mean or that he believed to be mean. The weak were not the targets of his sarcasm. The foibles of good men appealed to his sense of humor, and his wit often played about them, but not vengefuUy. He was compassionate of heart and was sympathetic. Injustice and oppression could always count him an enemy. He was an alert citizen, with a high sense of responsibility in community affairs, both of business and philanthropic sort. No man is always right in such matters, but Mr. Fishback did what he thought was right, — not languidly but with his might. He gave a spice to things that seemed tasteless and brightened every company of which he was a part. There are loves and duties that remain to cheer and engage us, but we shall miss our old friend sadly.
William H. H. Miller, former attorney general, said: "Indiana has had among her citizens few brighter men. His mind was wonderfully keen and incisive. It was once my privilege to introduce him to the late Senator Ingalls of Kansas, and at the time I said to them that they ought to know each other, for intellectually they were strikingly alike. Mr. Fishback was very witty. He saw the funny side of everything and would find material for a joke in the most unpromising situa- tions. Yet he was a man of serious and decided convictions, and his wit and fun were often methods of argument. He was a good neighbor, a good friend and aJ good man. His death makes a great gap in the social and intellectual life of Indi- anapolis." From other representative sources came innumerable tributes of equally appreciative order, but the prescribed limitations of this publication render it im- practicable to reproduce further estimates.
An interesting event in Mr. Fishback's life was one that led up to the publi- cation of his book entitled "Recollections of Lord Coleridge." In May, 1891, he visited England, carrying with him a letter from Justice John M. Harlan, of the United States supreme court, to Lord Coleridge, the chief justice of England. The two became great friends and Mr. Fishback accompanied Lord Coleridge on the assizes, in which connection he obtained a wide knowledge of the mode of legal procedure under the English laws. He met during his visit Matthew Arnold, who later visited Indianapolis and who was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Fishback during his sojourn in this city. The volume written by Mr. Fishback contains, among other things, a discussion of the custom of the United States in the election of judges, and this dissertation was prompted by the criticism made by Lord Cole- ridge, who deplored the fact that judges of the various courts in the United States hold office for a short period and only at the pleasure of one or the other of the leading political parties. The book is replete with anecdotes of English life and embraces a very interesting account of Mr. Fishback's experiences and observa- tions during his sojourn in Europe.
In his career as a newspaper man, both in Indianapolis and St. Louis, Mr. Fishback was noted for the virile strength of his editorials, which were written with a picturesque regard of those whom they might strike, providing the person attacked was engaged in something that to the writer seemed wrong. Mr. Fish- back was prominent in the organization of the Consumers' Gas Trust Company of Indianapolis and gave material assistance both in securing stock subscriptions and in connection with the construction and equipment of the company's plant. He was in deep sympathy with the employes of the Citizens' Street Railway Company during their strike in 1892. He gave his sympathy and support in this connection
382 WJiUiam 3^. Jfistfjtiatfe
because he believed an injustice was being done the men in refusing them a con- sideration of their demands. Mr. Fishback continued until his death to give a staunch allegiance to the Republican party, and he was a most effective exponent of its principles and policies. Mr. Fishback was one of the most honored and influential members of the Indianapolis Bar Association, and this body met in special session to take appropriate action when he was summoned to the life eternal. He passed away on the 15th of January, 1901, and a community mourned his loss. The estimate placed upon the man by this community was effectively voiced in an editorial appearing in an Indianapolis newspaper at the time of his death, and there is all of consistency in perpetuating the utterances in this more unduring form:
The death of this prominent citizen was not unexpected, but none the less comes as a shock to the community in which he had been so active for nearly half a century. He came to this town when it had only a few thousand inhabitants, and at once his talent and force of character impressed themselves upon the community, with the result that he became an active factor in it. He had a mind of remarkable acuteness and strength, his perceptions were clear and his logic unfaltering. His moral courage was great, — at times extraordinary. If he feared a foe he never hesitated to meet him. This courage he has shown many times in his participation in public affairs, and public affairs have always had his intense interest. As a young man he took his stand and uplifted his voice for Republican principles be- fore the war. During that struggle no man used his opportunities more thoroughly in its support, even going to the front for a time, although at great personal sacri- fice and at risk of harm to a body never robust. Afterward he was heard in all important issues, either from the rostrum or the editorial chair. Especially dear to him was this city, and he never faUed to take a side on whatever concerned its welfare. He never hesitated to assume responsibility, and his voice rose like a clarion in advocacy of his opinions, whether well received or not. He was a most valuable citizen in this respect. Would that we had more like him! If every man of ability were as quick to speak out and to act, regardless of personal consequences, there would be fewer public evils to contend with.
Of Mr. Fishback's professional career it is not necessary to speak, — his asso- cfates of the bar will do that better. It is enough to say that he had a deserved reputation for legal learning and acumen and that he attained to high rank. In his social intercourse he was a delightful companion. His mind was keenly recep- tive ; in fact, we have never known a man who retained his interest in things so long. His bump of curiosity was large. He wanted to know about everything. Naturally he was an omnivorous reader, as well as a close observer, and he remem- bered what he read and saw. As a conversationalist he had no superior here. His range of topics was wide ; he had met many great and unusual men ; his viewpoint was original in many instances ; his sense of humor was large ; his language was chaste, accurate and forcible. With such a combination it might well be that his conversation sparkled with brilliancy and that no one's words were heard with more interest. The same rare combination of qualities made him effective as advocate and orator, while his power of denunciation and sarcasm made him feared by those whom he attacked. It was his good fortune to retain his faculties unimpaired to old age. There was no sign of age or weakening as the years brought him nearly to the allotted span. Even when disease had stricken him his mind was clear and strong as ever, — just as he would have wished it. His work is done, and in the main
(BJHtniam ^. jFigftftacfe 383
it has been good work, entitling him to a place not the least among the makers of Indianapolis, — the men who have striven to build a city here, where life shall be freer and better because of their efforts. In his public spirit and unfailing cour- age he has left a monument for himself and an example for others.
Not well could be omitted from this memoir the earnest tribute paid to the memory of Mr. Fishback by Indiana's loved and distinguished poet, James Whit- comb Riley, whose words are as follows:
Say first he loved the dear home-hearts and then
He loved his honest fellow citizen
He loved and honored him in any post
Of duty where he served mankind the most.
All that he asked of him in humblest need Was but to find him striving to succeed ; All that he asked of him in highest place Was justice to the lowliest of his race.
When found he these conditions, proved and tried, He owned he marveled, but was satisfied; Relaxed in vigilance enough to smile. And, with his own wit, flay himself a while.
Often he liked real anger, — as perchance
The summer skies like storm-clouds and the glance
Of lightning, — for the clearer, purer blue
Of heaven, and the greener old earth, too.
All easy things to do, he did with care. Knowing the very common danger there; In noblest conquest of supreme debate The facts are simple as the victory great.
That which had been a task to hardiest minds To him was as a pleasure, such as finds The captive-truant, doomed to read throughout The one lone book he really cares about.
Study revived him; howsoever dim And deep the problem, 'twas a joy to him To solve it wholly, — and he seemed as one Refreshed and rested as the work was done.
And he had gathered, from all wealth of love That time had written, such a treasure-store His mind held opulence, his speech the rare. Fair grace of sharing all his riches there.
384 WBiUiam ^. Jfigpacfe
Sharing with all, but with the greatest zest Sharing with those who seemed the neediest; The young he ever favored, and through these Shall he live longest in men's memories.
Contributed by another friend, "Lewis Howland," was the following memorial:
Dead is our friend? Ah, let us rather say That he now lives in heaven's eternal morn, Redeemed from pain, to endless glories born. Bathed in the radiance of celestial day.
Such souls as his not even death can slay, — Souls that now melt with love, now flame with scorn. And that with anguish for men's woes are torn. Ah, these it is that faith in thee doth stay.
Oh, two great worlds ; and yet how small the one In which we toil to eat the bread of care, And only seem to live that we may die; Yet through its gray beams God's eternal sun, And lights the path o'er which we humbly fare To God's great city, flashing in the sky.
Mr. Fishback was married at Cincinnati, Ohio, February 14, 1855, to Miss Mary L. McMains. The children of this union are: Mrs. Harry J. Milligan, Mrs. Wil- liam P. Kappes and Robert M. Fishback.
aiexanber ilcCleege Cratofortr
klDELY known in his business relations and personally held in liigh esteem as a man of character and integrity, the late Alex-
W(2J ander McCleese Crawford is entitled to honorable mention among ^3^ those whose interests were centered in Indiana for many useful years. His birth took place at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on October 22, 1856, and his parents were Eli and Henrietta (McCleese) Crawford. They also were natives of Pennsyl- vania, grew up and married there and then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, from which city they came to Indianapolis in 1861. Subsequently they located at Terre Haute, where both died. They had two children: Isabella Rachel, who is the wife of W. W. Way, of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Alexander McCleese.
The parents of Alexander M. Crawford came to Indianapolis when he was five years old and he was educated in the city schools and was a pupil in the second year in high school when he became a clerk in the employ of the Van Camp Hardware Company. He was then sixteen years of age and continued with the Van Camp people until 1886, at the age of twenty-one years going out on the road for this com- pany, covering the state of Indiana. Mr. Crawford subsequently was connected with the Simons Hardware Company, of St. Louis, Missouri, for eighteen years, covering also the state of Illinois, and for years enjoyed the confidence of both well known business houses. Mr. Crawford then tired of the road but was not willing to be idle and bought a hardware store on the corner of West Washington and West streets, which he conducted for eighteen months, when his health failed and his death occurred February 2, 1906. For seventeen years he had made his home at Terre Haute, while on the road, as it was more convenient in regard to the territory he visited, but later resided on East Twenty-third street, Indianapolis, which was his home at time of death.
On January 31, 1899, Mr. Crawford was married to Miss Carrie Taylor, who is a daughter of William H. and Susan (Johnson) Taylor, the former of whom was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, coming of an old Pennsylvania family, of Irish extraction. At Alleghany, Pennsylvania, he was married to Susan Johnson, January II, 1850. She was born near Pittsburg, May 10, 1831, and still survives, residing with her daughter, Mrs. Crawford. Her parents were Alexander and Margaret (McClain) Johnson, the former of whom was of Irish descent, while the latter was a daughter of James McClain, who was born in Scotland.
In 1860 William H. Taylor moved with his family to Indianapolis, having pre- viously resided at Wooster, Ohio, at Rock Island, Illinois, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and for seven years at Crawfordsville, Indiana. William H. Taylor died in March, 1897, at the age of seventy-one years. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, namely: William, who is a resident of Indianapolis; Robert P., who lives at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Mary M., who resides with her next younger sister, Mrs. Crawford; Fannie Soderstrom, who lives at Riverside, California, is the widow of John Soder-
386 gflExanber jWcCleegc Cratnforb
Strom; Lillian, who is the widow of Luther Acre, has one daughter, Marda, and they reside with Mrs. Crawford ; and Belle, who is the wife of Simon Tinder, and they live at New Marion, Indiana. Mrs. Crawford is a member of the First Pres- byterian church.
In his political views Mr. Crawford was a Republican and, had his business inter- ests permitted, would have made a capable and eflBcient office holder, possessing the broadened mind and first-hand information as to public wants and needs that would have enabled him to satisfactorily settle many a vexed question. In the organiza- tions especially relating to his own line of business he was very popular, belonging to the Travelers' Protective Association, and also to the Commercial Travelers, and for many years he had been identified with the Masonic lodge at Terre Haute. His knowledge of hardware was complete and his methods of presenting his goods pleasant and agreeable and he inspired confidence that subsequent contracts never disturbed. In the pursuit of his chosen line of business he acquired a competency.
fofjn C. Conner
JEW names have been more prominently and worthUy linked with the history of Indiana than that of Conner, and of the represent- atives of the name in the various generations none has accorded to the same greater distinction than the subject of this memoir. He represented his native state as a valiant soldier of the Civil war, in which he was one of the youngest men to hold the rank of cap- tain ; he became a lawyer of exceptional ability and as such at- tained to precedence as one of the leading members of the bar of Texas, which state he represented in Congress while still a young man. He was but thirty-one years of age at the time of his death and was preparing to return to his native state for the purpose of engaging in the practice of his profession in its capital city when came the sudden summons that terminated his life in the very flower of his strong and noble manhood. His daughter maintains her home in Indianapolis, and in the state there still remain numerous representatives of the Conner family, which was founded within its borders in the early pioneer days, — prior to the admission of the state to the Union. John Conner, grandfather of him to whom this memoir is dedi- cated, was the founder of Connersville, Fayette county, and was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Indiana in the early period of its statehood. He was one of the commissioners appointed in 1820 to select the site for the perma- nent capital of the state, and from a history of Indiana are taken the following statements apropos of the meeting of the commissioners "at the house of William Conner, on the west fork of White river," for the purpose of selecting a site for the permanent seat of government: "The house of William Conner was at what was known as Conner's Prairie, or Conner's Station, some four miles below Noblesville. Conner and his brother John, who founded Connersville, had been captured by the Indians when children and had been brought up by them. William Conner had served as an interpreter and as Indian agent for a number of years, and had es- tablished his trading station at this point in 1802." This commission it was that selected the site of the present beautiful capital city of Indiana. Captain Conner, of this review, was named in honor of his grandfather, who was one of the sterling pioneers who aided in laying broad and deep the foundations for this great common- wealth of the Union. John Conner was not only the founder of Connersville but was also the prime mover in effecting the survey of the section of the territory in which he early established his home, the result of his efforts in this direction being the division of the district into counties.
As touching the family genealogy it may further be stated that representatives of the name settled in America in the early colonial epoch, the original family home having been established at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1635. The lineage is authentically traced in England back to the time of William the Conqueror, and the family has been one of distinction in Great Britian history.
Captain John C. Conner was born at Noblesville, the judicial center of HamUton
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county, Indiana, and his death occurred in the city of Washington, D. C, in No- vember, 1873. He was the eldest of the six children of William W. and Amanda (Coggswell) Conner, the former of whom was born at Connersville, Fayette county, this state, and the latter in the province of Ontario, Canada, she having been a sister of General Milton Coggswell, who was a distinguished officer of the Union forces in the Civil war. William W. Conner was an honored and Influential citizen of his native state and served eight terms as a member of its legislature, besides which he was otherwise prominent in public aflfairs. He studied law and was admitted to the bar, but the major portion of his active career was given to industrial and commercial interests. At Noblesville he operated flour and woolen mills and be- came one of the leaders in the developing of manufacturing industries in the state. He held numerous offices of public trust and commanded the unqualified esteem of all who knew him. He was a man of fine intellectuality and great business ability, and left to the state of his nativity a heritage of worthy character and large and valuable achievement. Both he and his wife continued to reside at Noblesville until their death. Their home was one of distinctive culture and refinement and their children were accorded the best of educational advantages. Of the children John C. was the eldest, as has already been noted. William W. Conner is one of the repre- sentative business men and influential citizens of Pendleton, Madison county, this state. Ada C. is the wife of C. F. Woerner, who is now living virtually retired in Indianapolis, where he was for many years one of the foremost figures in business affairs, especially through his connection with the Central Chair Company. He and his wife reside at 1802 North Illinois street, and their attractive home is known for its gracious hospitality. Concerning their children the following brief data are entered: William C. who married Miss Ina Burnett, of Laurel, Mississippi, is one of the representative farmers of Brown county, Indiana, and he and his wife find their home brightened by the presence of their five children, — Charles F., VV'illiam C, Paul R., Ina May, and Philip Edgar ; Frances W. Woerner is the wife of John F. Engleky, who is city attorney of Indianapolis at the time of this writing, in 1912; Miss Frieda L. Woerner remains at the parental home; and Caroline is the wife of Charles Tinsley Smith, who is engaged in the milling business at Greenfield, In- diana. Lavina Conner, who is now deceased, became the wife of Mr. Conner, and the one surviving child of this union is Charles E., who is engaged in the real-estate business in the city of Los Angeles, California. Another of the sisters of the subject of this memoir is the wife of J. R. Christian, of Noblesville, Indiana, and they have one son, John Connor Christian, who is engaged in the oil business in Texas. Mary E., the youngest of the sisters is Mrs. Bond, of San Francisco, Cali- fornia.
Captain John C. Conner gained his preliminary educational training in the schools of his native place and supplemented this by higher academic studies in Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana. He later entered the United States Military Academy, at West Point, and in this institution he was graduated. He was but sixteen years of age at the outbreak of the Civil war, and he gave prompt evi- dence of his youthful loyalty and patriotism by responding to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers. In his home town of Noblesville he enlisted as a member of the Indiana volunteer infantry, in Which he was made captain of his company, — one of the youngest officers of this rank in the entire history of the Union forces in the war. He was with his regiment in the hardest of service, took part in many of the important engagements of the great internecine conflict, was ever found at the
3rofin C. Conner 389
post of duty and made an admirable record as one of the gallant soldiers and officers of the Federal armies. He continued in active service until the close of the war and his record is one that will ever redound to his honor, ever lend luster to his name.
After the close of his long and arduous military career Captain Conner studied law under effective preceptorship and subsequently went to Sherman, Texas, where he engaged in the active practice of his profession and where he gained prestige as one of the ablest and most successful members of the bar of the Lone Star state, besides which he became conspicuously influential in public affairs in that common- wealth. He represented the state in the United States Congress for two terms and in the national legislature he made a most enviable record, being one of its youngest members and showing rare powers as a leader in thought and action. He was a stalwart and effective exponent of the principles and policies for which the Demo- cratic party stands sponsor, and after the completion of his second term in Congress Captain Conner had perfected all arrangements for removal to Indianapolis, with the purpose of engaging in the practice of his profession in this city, but while still at the national capital he was suddenly stricken and passed from the stage of life's mortal endeavors. Though he was in the very flower of his manhood he had made a record of achievement that would have been a credit to one twice his age. His life was guided and governed by the highest principles and his buoyant, genial and kindly nature gained to him the friendship of those with whom he came in contact, the while his fine talents and sterling character brought to him popular confidence and admiration. He was a most active and efficient worker during his two terms in Congress and his speeches on the floor of the house attracted wide and favorable at- tention, besides which his work in the committee rooms was known for its fidelity and efficiency. The elements of true greatness were his, and his life record offers both lesson and inspiration.
Captain Conner married Miss Alice Finch, of Noblesville, Indiana, in which place she was born and reared. She was one of the four children born to Hiram G. and Maria (Passwater) Finch, who continued their residence in Noblesville until their death, the father having there been engaged in the milling business and having been a citizen who was a prominent factor in civic and industrial activities in that section of the state. Captain and Mrs. Conner became the parents of two children, — Julia, who is the wife of Charles N. Thompson, residing at 1824 North Penn- sylvania street, Indianapolis, and Miss Helen Finch Conner, who maintains her home at 1626 North Alabama street, this city.
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(General J^ntesi 3^. Carnal)an
|N THE long line of distinguished men of Indiana, now passed from the scene of life, there are many who will be recalled with veneration for the value of their public services, and others who, additionally, will he remembered with admiration and affection for their personal qualities, which endeared them to those who were admitted to close companionship. Among these will be numbered the late General James R. Carnahan, — a brave sol- dier, and able lawyer, a model citizen, a loyal friend, a kind and loving husband and careful father and a Christian gentleman.
James R. Carnahan was born at Dayton, Indiana, November 18, 1841, and died at the beautiful family home at Woodruff Place, Indianapolis, Indiana, August 3, 1905. He was descended from Scotch-Irish stock and his pronounced military instinct may have been a heritage. His people were concerned in the early struggles for independence in thought and action in Scotland and Ireland, while his American ancestors bore a part in the War of the Revolution and the peaceable settlement of Kentucky. His father, Rev. James A. Carnahan, was born in Kentucky and was a pioneer preacher of the Presbyterian church, at a time when the teaching of the Word in the Kentucky mountains was almost as great a test of courage as the de- fending of a fortress with muskets. After becoming a resident of Indiana he preached for many years at Dayton, and was one of the three founders of Wabash College, at Crawfordsville. His wife died when their son, James R., was a child. Until he was fifteen years of age the youth attended school as his father directed, but the latter 's means were too limited to ensure a college course for the son and as the latter was ambitious he decided to earn for himself the funds necessary to carry him to his proposed goal. He secured a position as bookkeeper and with great self-denial put aside a part of his small salary and watched it grow with increasing hope, but the panic of 1857 brought disaster to the institution in which his hardly earned money had been deposited and the college course appeared to be an impos- sibility. Not for long, however, for he was in earnest and with his sole capital of six dollars he enrolled as a student in Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana. He had no idea that any other magic than his own efforts would keep him there, but had determined to work his way as opportunity offered while carrying on his studies and, taking this practical view of the situation, sawed wood, swept floors, made fires and worked at gardening in order to honestly acquire the necessary capi- tal. He was a credit to his teachers and the institution and was already in his junior year when the first call came, in 1861, for soldiers to put down rebellion. Considering the efforts he had made to reach the proficiency in his studies that his standing displayed and with his graduation almost in view, it was something more to him to lay aside his books than for hundreds of others who did the same and endanger his whole future by becoming a soldier.
James R. Carnahan was but twenty years of age when he enlisted as a private
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in the Eleventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, at Dayton. For two years prior to the breaking out of the Civil war he had been a member of a military company under the command of Captain, afterward Major-General, Lew Wallace, and had profited by the thorough drill and discipline, and this company became the Wallace Zouaves of the Eleventh infantry, which was immediately sent to the front and took part in one of the first battles of the war, at Romney, Virginia. His subse- quent military career was both honorable and brilliant. After the expiration of his first term of enlistment he re-enlisted, in 1862, and was commissioned in the Eighty-sixth Indiana and saw his first service with this regiment in the defense of Cincinnati, at the time of the threatened invasion of Ohio by General Kirby Smith, after which his regiment joined General Buell's army and took part in the battle of Perry ville, Kentucky. In December, 1862, he was commissioned second lieu- tenant of Company K, and on September 4, 1863, was commissioned captain of Company I, Eighty-sixth Regiment, which was assigned to General Van Cleve's Division, Chittenden's (Twenty-first) Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland. He participated in the battle of Stone River and that of Chickamauga, and during the winter of 1863-4 was in the Atlanta campaign. During the campaign prior to and including the battle of Nashville, he was serving as aid-de-camp on the staff of Major- General T. J. Wood, then commanding the Fourth Army Corps, and received high commendation from the commanding general, and also from Major General Thomas, the commander of the Army of the Cumberland, for faithful and efficient service. Following the battle of Nashville, after Spring Hill, Columbia and Franklin, in East Tennessee, he took part in the final grand review of the troops of the Army of the Cumberland at Nashville, hostilities having ceased. During his army service he participated in thirty-three regular engagements and through well earned pro- motion became colonel of his regiment. At the close of the war he was tendered a colonel's commission in the regular army, which was a signal honor for so young a man, but this he declined and immediately returned to the walks of quiet life.
In 1866 Colonel Carnahan re-entered Wabash College and completed his inter- rupted course and in the same year was admitted to the bar and for a short time engaged in the practice of law at Indianapolis, later removing to Lafayette. In 1867 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Tippecanoe county, which position he filled for six years, and in 1874 was elected judge of the Tippecanoe criminal circuit court. His whole period of judicial life reflected credit on him as a jurist and emphasized his possession of the qualities which should mark every occupant of the bench. In 1881 he was appointed by Governor Porter adjutant-general of Indiana, a position he was especially well qualified to fill and in which his ample stores of knowledge of military routine and detail enabled him to perfect the military records of the state and to place its militia on a basis of efficiency and excellence unexcelled by any other commonwealth. With the above appointment he was com- missioned brigadier-general of the Indiana State Guard and it was then that he removed to Indianapolis, where he maintained his subsequent home. During his five years of service as adjutant-general he brought order out of chaos and he planned and directed the first state militia encampment ever held in Indiana.
Although his military and judicial activities had already brought him distinction, the real life work of General Carnahan lay in another direction. In 1874 Judge Carnalian became a member of the Lafayette Lodge of Knights of Pythias, and the interest he took in the organization grew into enthusiasm and became the leading
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force in his life. After filling successively the chairs of Lafayette Lodge, he entered the Grand Lodge as representative and in January, 1880, he was elected grand chancellor of Indiana. He was looked on as the founder of the Uniform Rank, the distinctly military organization of the order. In the winter of 1876-77 he organ- ized what was then known as the Lafayette Knight of Pythias Drill Corps and the code of laws regulating this important branch of the order is his work. In 1884 he was commissioned first major general and placed in command of the Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias of the World. At the Supreme Lodge meetings he had charge and led the parades of the Uniform Rank, commanding from 8,000 to 15,000 men. In 1885 he wrote a history of the order and this is one of the standard works of the fraternity.
General Carnahan was also actively identified with the Grand Army of the Republic from the time of its organization. He served two successive terms as department commander; was a leader in the work that resulted in the buUding of the Soldiers' Monument at Indianapolis; was largely instrumental in securing, through the Grand Army and by favorable action of the legislature, the establish- ment of the State Soldiers' Home at Lafayette and was one of the commissioners selected to choose its site and for eight years served as president of its board of trustees ; and was a member of the Indiana Chickamauga commission and in his office as its secretary prepared a report giving an accurate history of the part that Indi- ana took in that disastrous battle. General Carnahan was also identified with the Masonic fraternity, transferring his membership from Lafayette to Mystic Tie Lodge at Indianapolis. He subsequently was advanced to the thirty-second degree and was a member of the Scottish Rite.
General Carnahan was united in marriage with Miss Sue E. Patterson, who is a daughter of John P. and Amanda (Harrington) Patterson. The father of Mrs. Carnahan was born and educated at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, later came to Nobles- ville, Indiana, where he married and embarked there in the dry goods business. Later he continued in this line at Indianapolis, first with a Mr. Russell, and after- ward engaged with William H. Morrison, in the wholesale grocery line, under the firm style of W. H. Morrison & Company. For many years this firm was vridely known in Indiana and the partnership continued until Mr. Patterson retired. His death occurred when he was eighty-one years of age and his burial was at Crown Hill cemetery. Politically he was a Republican and fraternally a Mason. At the time of his decease he was one of the oldest members of the Roberts Park Presby- terian church. The mother of Mrs. Carnahan was born at Mt. Clemens, Michigan, and died at Indianapolis at the age of seventy years. Two daughters of the family survive: Mrs. Carnahan and Nellie, who is the widow of Daniel Winnings and a resident of Indianapolis. Mrs. Carnahan was born at Noblesville, Indiana, and has always lived in her native state. She still owns the old family home in Woodruff Place, one bf the stately old mansions of the beautiful city of Indianapolis. Mrs. Carnahan is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through her great-grandfather, Elisha Clayton, who served with bravery in the Revolutionary war. The three daughters born to General and Mrs. Carnahan survive and all have domestic circles of their own. The eldest, Lorene, is the wife of Michael Steel Bright and they have one son, Michael Carnahan, and reside at Superior, Wisconsin. The second daughter, Lida, is the wife of Herbert A. Ashbrook and has one daugh- ter by a previous marriage, Elizabeth. They reside at Cleveland, Ohio. Nellie A.,
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the youngest daughter, is the wife of Professor R. H. Hess, of the Wisconsin University. General Carnahan was a deacon in the Second Presbyterian church at Indianapolis for many years and Mrs. Carnahan has been active in its charitable and benevolent work.
In summing up the life and services of such a man as General Carnahan, no necessity is found for flowery fiction or glittering generalities. His work stands for itself and proclaims him to have been worthy of the great esteem in which he will ever be held. Whether as soldier or civilian, whether before the public eye or in the quiet home circle he was a dependable man, one of poise who was never swayed by prejudice or led from performing what he deemed his duty by any temptation. In his life there rests much to think over and his example may well be brought before the youth of the day, its lessons being the teaching of industry, persistence, integrity and a deep and abiding patriotism.
CaUjin JF. Sarnell
JONG a resident of Indianapolis and a native son of Marion county, the late Calvin Fletcher Darnell was a scion of one of the
L^ honored pioneer families of this section of Indiana and here he ^0 passed his entire life. His individuality was pronounced and hia character was the positive expression of a strong and noble na- ture. His personality was not one to be obscured, and he is re- membered with sentiments of gracious appreciation by all who knew him, for his genial and buoyant disposition, his ready wit and humor, his alert mentality and his unfailing kindliness of spirit made him always a delightful companion, the while his sterling character entitled him to the unqualified confidence and respect in which he was held in the community. Few men not in public life in Indianapolis were better known, and to know him was to admire and esteem him. He was an ever welcome figure in and about the city and it may consistently be said that he added to the goodness and gladness of life. The major part of his active career was devoted to successful operations as a contractor and builder, and as a citizen he was essentially loyal and public-spirited. He died in the attractive old homestead at 1422 North Illinois street on the 11th of October, 1902, and his vener- able widow passed the residue of her life in this home, in which they had main- tained their ideal companionship for nearly a half century.
Calvin Fletcher Darnell, named in honor of Calvin Fletcher, one of the most dis- tinguished of the early settlers of Indianapolis, was born on a farm six miles west of this city, near the old National road, on the 22d of December, 1832. His father, Lewis Darnell, was one of the pioneer farmers of that locality and was a man who ever commanded secure place in popular confidence and esteem, both he and his wife having continued their residence in Marion county until their death and the names of both meriting enduring place on the roster of the sterling pioneers of the county to whose social and material development they contributed their quota. Cal- vin F. Darnell was reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, and in later years he frequently reverted in appreciative reminiscence to the time when, as a youth, he had been accustomed to drawing cord wood from the home farm to the embryonic metropolis of the state by means of an ox team, with a horse as leader: he received seventy-five cents a cord for his fuel. He continued to be actively iden- tified with agricultural operations until 1846, when, at the age of fourteen years, he was thrown from a horse and so injured that he became a cripple for life, one of his legs being much shorter than the other, owing to the improper manipulations of the attending physician, who was intoxicated at the time. He had previously attended the pioneer school in the vicinity of his home and after the accident noted he con- tinued his studies in a primitive log school-house on Eagle creek. He became a specially skillful penman and for several years he devoted more or less attention to the teaching of penmanship, a work in which he was most successful. Taking into account his physical infirmity, Mr. Darnell determined to turn his attention to some
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vocation in which the same would not constitute a special handicap. Accordingly, in 1851, he entered upon an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, and during his apprenticeship he received the liberal stipend of fifty cents a day, from which he provided for his own board. In 1853 he purchased, for a consideraticc of two hundred dollars, the lot on which his old homestead still stands, on North Illinois street, and at that time the locality was hardly considered as a part of the city of Indianapolis, as the district still was literally in the woods. In 1854 he erected on this lot a small house of one room, and in the following year he married and brought his bride to this modest domicile. Their marriage was one of romantic order, as they eloped and thus disregarded the wishes of the bride's parents, who had entered objection on account of her youth, her age at the time having been but seventeen years. The yoiuig couple bravely faced the problem of life and, sustained by mutual aifection and common interests, they made their modest little home justify the name. The present attractive old homestead was erected by Mr. Darnell about the year 1877 and is now occupied by his foster-daughter, Mrs. Wilmer H. Cast.
In 1856 Mr. Darnell engaged in independent business as a contractor and builder, and to this line of enterprise he continued to devote his attention with ex- cellent success for a term of years, but he lived virtually retired for many years prior to his death. He is credited with having devised the Australian ballot system now so uniformly used in political elections throughout the United States. Mr. Darnell knew Indianapolis in its infancy and none took deeper interest in its de- velopment and progress, his loyalty being shown in both words and works. He was elected to the city council in 1873, from the old Eleventh ward, and was chosen as his own successor in the election of 1875, notwithstanding he had as opponents some of the most prominent and influential citizens of the ward. Then, as ever, he showed his strong hold upon popular confidence and esteem. As a member of the council he took advanced ground and was zealous in the support of all progressive measures. His indefatigable efforts in securing the opening of new streets gained to him the title of the "Great American Street-opener." In 1878 Mr. Darnell was elected county recorder and at the expiration of his term he was re-elected, so that he continued the incumbent of this office for four consecutive years, during which he gave a most admirable administration and proved one of the most valued and popu- lar of the county officials. He cast in his lot with the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued a stalwart and uncompromising advo- cate of its principles and policies, as an influential factor in its local councils. From an article appearing in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death are taken the following extracts, which are well worthy of reproduction in this more enduring vehicle: "Mr. Darnell was one of the best known characters of the city coimcil during his two terms, 1873-5. He lived in and around Indianapolis all his life. * * * Fond of argument, 'Cal,' as he was generally known, was a familiar fig- ure about all the public offices during the last few years. He was a jovial soul and had many friends. Nothing pleased him better than a political argument, and his especial loafing place was the mayor's office, where he was always welcome." His genial presence was sorely missed in the city which had so long been his home and in which he had hosts of loyal friends. In a reminiscent way it may be noted that the father of Mr. Darnell was one of the most prosperous farmers of Marion county. He came here with his father from North Carolina in 1823, and it Is a matter of record that he molded some of the brick that were utilized in the erection of the old court house about that time. His brother Samuel filled in the yard about the old and
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the present capitol, the land having originally been a low and marshy piece of ground.
In the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 23d of February, 1855, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Darnell to Miss Catherine Wilcox, who was born in Virginia, on the 27th of February, 1838, and who was a daughter of Timothy Wilcox, the family having removed to Indianapolis when she was a child. The performance of the marriage in Cincinnati was incidental to the elopement previously mentioned in this sketch. Mrs. Darnell survived her honored husband by about eight years and was summoned to the life eternal on the 27th of June, 1910. She had been a resident of Indianapolis for sixty-five years and had occupied the home in which she died for more than half a century. She was a charter member of the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal church and continued to be identified with the same until her death, — a period of forty years. She was a gentle and gracious woman and her memory is revered by all who came within the sphere of her influence. Mr. and Mrs. Darnell had one child, a daughter Emma C, who married William H. Har- rison. She died at the age of twenty-four years. In their home was also reared, from the age of three years, Bessie E. Wilcox, daughter of John C. Wilcox, a brother of Mrs. Darnell. This foster daughter was accorded the utmost love and devotion by Mr. and Mrs. Darnell, and for them her filial solicitude was ever of the deepest order. She was taken into their home upon the death of her mother and it is pleasing to record that she now, as the only representative of the family, owns and occupies the pleasant old homestead, which is endeared to her by the gracious memories and associations of many years. She is the wife of Wilmer H. Cast, who is engaged in the wholesale vending machine business in Indianapolis. Mrs. Cast is the mother of one daughter, Catharine Elizabeth, named for Mrs. Dar- nell, born April 22, 1912.
George 3^. Eoot
jRUE success means more than the mere making of money; it means Iso spiritual success and the fulfillment of duty to the world
TmM which affords a stage of action. The late George Randolph Root iM may well be said to have achieved success in the true sense of the term, for he accounted well in the various relations of life, was resourceful and won advancement along normal lines of productive industry; was stalwart in personal integrity and honor, was loyal and broad-minded as a citizen, and through his worthy character and services merited and received the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. Mr. Root was prominntly concerned in representative industrial enterprises in Indian- apolis, where he maintained his home for many years, and a point of special sig- nificance is that he was the prime factor in introducing the use of natural gas in Indianapolis. His success as one of the world's workers was of no equivocal order and represented the tangible results of the application of his own energies and abil- ity. As one of the representative business men and honored citizens of the Indiana capital he is well entitled to recognition and a tribute of respect in this publi- cation.
George Randolph Root was born at Mercer, the judicial center of the county of the same name in the fine old state of Pennsylvania, and the date of his nativity was January 28, 1844. He was a son of Renselaer and Anna Root, who removed to Pennsylvania from the state of New York, in which latter commonwealth the respec- tive families were founded in an early day. Renselaer Root engaged in the coal business at Mercer, Pennsylvania, where he also conducted a general store. He was one of the influential citizens of the community and ever commanded a secure place in popular esteem. Both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Indianapolis. He whose name initiates this review was afforded the advantages of the common schools of his native place and his initial business experience was ob- tained in the mercantile establishment of his father. As a young man he came to Indiana and assumed the position of bookkeeper in the iron works at Brazil, the county seat of Clay county, the plant having been established by his cousin, Deloss Root, and his father also having an interest in the same. George R. Root finally became secretary of the Brazil Iron Company, a position which he retained imtil 1872, when he resigned the same and came to Indianapolis, where he became senior member of the firm of Root & McCoy and engaged in the retail coal business, at the corner of Market and Delaware streets. His valued coadjutor, Hamilton McCoy, died a few years later and he then admitted to partnership his younger brother, Oliver H. Root. The enterprise, under their energetic and progressive management, be- came one of most prosperous order and was conducted under the firm name of Root Brothers until the subject of this memoir retired from this line of business to give his time and attention to the introducing of natural gas in Indianapolis, he having been the leading promoter of this important enterprise, with which he continued
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to be identified in an active way for some time after he and his brother had dis- posed of their coal business.
About 1897 Mr. Root went to Buckingham county, Virginia, where he became prominently and successfully concerned in the slate-quarrying industry, through which he realized large financial returns and to which he gave the major part of his time until the close of his life. His health became much impaired and he sought re- lief in College Hill Sanitarium, in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where his death oc- curred in September, 1894, his remains being brought to Indianapolis and interred in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. He ever retained a deep affection for Indiana's capital city and was active in support of measures and enterprises tending to ad- vance its material and civic progress. He continued to look upon this city as his home until he was summoned to the life eternal, and here he is remembered with honor as a man of fine attributes of character and as a citizen of the utmost liber- ality and loyalty. Though he never had aught of predilection for public office, he was aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and while his interests centered in his home and his business, he found a due measure of satisfaction in his affiliation with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Arcanum. He attended and gave consistent support to the Methodist Episco- pal church.
On the 30th of April, 1872, Mr. Root gave patent evidence of the consistency of the statement that in the gracious spring "a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love," and offered further assurance of the abiding nature of his appre- ciation of this sentiment by his marriage to Miss Amelia Richardson, who was born at York, Clark county, Illinois, and who is a daughter of John B. and Mary (Parker) Richardson, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Maine. The parents of Mrs. Root were early settlers in the village of York, Illinois, where the father became a leading merchant and honored and influential citizen. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Root the following brief record is entered in conclusion of this memoir: William Renselaer, who was born on the 28th of August, 1873, in Indianapolis, is at the head of the slate industry developed by his father in Virginia and maintains his home at Penlan. He married Miss Erna Eiler, of Munsey and they have one daughter, Margaret A. Humphrey Parker, who was born in Indianapolis on the 11th of July, 1875, died in this city in June, 1906. John Richardson, who was born here on the 8th of February, 1878, is now engaged in the Vitrified Brick Works at Terre Haute, Indiana, and is secretary of the works. Ralph Chandler, who was born on the 11th of July, 1882, is associated with his eldest brother in the management of the extensive slate-quarrying enterprise in Virginia. He married Miss Maude Graves, of Indianapolis, and they reside at Penlan, Virginia. Harry Evans, who was born in Indiana's capital city, on the 5th of July, 1884, remains here with his widowed mother and is engaged at the Stock yards. Mrs. Root has been a resident of Indianapolis from the year of her marriage, 1872, and has here found her social and other relations of the most pleasing order, the while she has a wide circle of friends in the community. In 1909 she sold the old family homestead in North Meridian street and purchased her present modern and attractive residence property, at 137 West Nineteenth street.
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Joljn JIarknegs;
JOMING to Indianapolis in 1838, the late John Harkness was for a number of years prominently identified with the news- paper business in this city and at the time of his death he was one of the veteran representatives of the journalistic profes- sion in the state. He accumulated a competency and for many years lived a retired life, — a man of singular reserve and con- centration and one whose intellectual attainments were of high order. He was lacking in those superficial qualities which make for social popular- ity, but those who knew him as he was found abundant reason to accord to him un- qualified respect and much admiration. He attained to the patriarchal age of eighty- seven years and was summoned to the life eternal on the 19th of March, 1901. He was well known to the younger generation in the capital city, for he was a great lover of children. During the many years of his retirement he veritably made his home his castle, having withdrawn from active association with the affairs of the day, but those of the older generation honored him as a man who had been a factor in the business and public life of the city and who, notwithstanding certain eccentricities, was a sterling character and a man of distinctive ability. In his attractive home, at 2018 North Illinois street, he lived in generous comfort and com- placent ease for many years, and kept himself far aloof from "the madding crowd's ignoble strife," content to occupy his time in reading and study and finding solace in the devoted companionship of his wife, who, venerable in years, still resides in the old homestead. As one of the pioneer newspaper men of the state and as a citizen who filled at one time a prominent place in the civic and business life of Indianapolis, there is all of consistency in according in this memorial volume a tribute to Mr. Harkness.
John Harkness was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 13th of October, 1815, and was the son of William and Ann (Niblock) Harkness, who came to this country in 1821 from County Monaghan, Ireland, where all their chil- dren were born. These children were as follows : Elizabeth, born August 2, 1803; Jane, December 27, 1804; James, October 7, 1806; William, January 25, 1808; Agnes, in April, 1810; Thomas, May 13, 1812; John, October 13, 1815; Samuel, October 13, 1817; and Rachel, in March, 1820. All of the children lived to be over eighty, with the exception of Rachel, who died young from the effects of a fall.
Mr. Harkness was afforded good educational advantages in his native city and there served a most thorough apprenticeship to the printer's trade, in which he be- came a specially skilled workman. He continued to be employed at his trade in the Pennsylvania metropolis until 1838, when he came to Indianapolis, his age at the time having been twenty-three years. Concerning his career in connection with business activities in this city an article published in a local paper at the time of his death spoke substantially as follows: "He had gained a reputation for excel-
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lent work as a printer and got employment at once with Chamberlain & Morris, printers. The quality of his work as a pressman was such that Judge Blackford and Judge Porter would permit no one but him to handle their law reports. They requested particularly that Mr. Harkness and no other be put in charge of the print- ing of their reports. In 1849 he went into partnership with John R. Elder, of this city, and the firm published a little paper called the Locomotive, very popular at that time and until the beginning of the Civil war. The Locomotive was a paper of general local news, and Mr. Harkness attended to its mechanical department while Mr. Elder presided over its editorial department. In 1861, the partnership having prospered, the firm of Elder & Harkness bought the Indianapolis Sentinel, the publication of which they continued during the Civil war." Another newspaper ar- ticle gives further data apropos of the newspaper career of Mr. Harkness, and ex- tracts from the same are here interpolated: "In 1861 the Locomotive was consoli- dated with the Sentinel, under the ownership of Elder, Harkness & Bingham, who published the latter paper until October, 1865, when they sold the property and business to Tilford & Locke, who purposed to make the paper a Republican organ. This idea was given over and the paper reverted to Democratic hands in a few days, being published by an organization of politicians. During the war the attitude of the Sentinel gave rise to considerable bitter feeling toward it, and this hostility Mr. Harkness shared with his partners, Messrs. Bingham and Elder, though his author- ity and responsibility were confined to the mechanical department.
"Mr. Harkness had amassed some property and soon after the sale of the paper he retired from active business life. For many years he had lived in his comfort- able home on Illinois street, with his devoted wife as his companion. He seldom conversed with his neighbors and was seldom seen on the streets. To the outer world he was a man of reserve and brevity of speech. He was widely read, and to the end of his life retained a lively interest in current topics. His chUdren are dead and in this city there are no surviving relatives except his wife. A brother, Samuel Harkness, of Philadelphia, eighty-three years of age, was in the city to at- tend the funeral, which was conducted from the family residence, by the Rev. Lewis Brown, rector of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church, of which Mr. Harkness was one of the oldest members and communicants."
Though to the world in general Mr. Harkness may have seemed a man of much austerity, it was given to those who knew him to realize that underneath his reserve lay a heart that was attuned to sympathy, a mind that maintained high ideals. One of his dominant characteristics was his love for animals, and in view of this fact there is certain irony in the circumstance that his death was superinduced by the shock of an injury inflicted by the kick of his pet horse. Mr. Harkness was a man of broad and well fortified opinions and was ever a staunch supporter of the basic principles of the Democratic party, though he never manifested any desire for political office of any description. As a churchman he was earnest, sincere and faithful, and he was a devout communicant of St. Paul's church, Protestant Epis- copal, for many years prior to his demise, his venerable widow still being an active communicant of this church and having been closely identified with all the various departments of parochial work, with abiding and patient sympathy for "all those in any ways afflicted, or distressed, in mind, body or estate." Mr. Harkness was twice married, but all the children of the first marriage are deceased. One daugh- ter married a brother of former Governor Durbin, of Indiana, and George Hark-
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ness Durbin, the son of this marriage, is the only surviving grandchild of Mr. Harkness. This grandson resides at Anderson, Indiana.
On the 8th of September, 1881, at Hoopstown, Illinois, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Harkness to Miss Mariana Clarke, who proved his devoted com- panion and helpmeet and upon whom he lavished the affection of his reserved nature during the long years of their wedded life. Mrs. Harkness still resides in the old homestead, as has been already stated, and though she is nearly eighty years of age her years rest lightly upon her and she is known and loved as one of the gracious gentlewomen of the city in which she has so long maintained her home. She was born on the 18th of October, 1833, and is the only child of James and Lydia Clarke, the former a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Allentown, New Jersey. Both families are of distinguished lineage and both were founded in Amer- ica in the colonial days. Edward C. Clarke, uncle of Mrs. Harkness, gained dis- tinction as an architect and was prominently identified with the designing and con- struction of the national capitol. He was a resident of the city of Washington at the time of his death. Of the second marriage of Mr. Harkness no children were bom.
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Cijarlesi Cbtoarb Cesit
rj^OMN THE fierce competition which involves every large business *-^^f^!i^ undertaking of the day, the men who succeed in overcoming this handicap and successfully establish enterprises of volume and importance are those who possess courage, together with the power of concentrating their energies, and far-seeing judg- ment that can see the end from the beginning. Such a man was the late Charles Edward Test, president of the National Motor Vehicle Company, of Indianapolis, Indiana, of which city he had been a resident for thirty years.
Charles Edward Test was born at Richmond, Indiana, December 25, 1856, and was a son of Alpheas and Elizabeth (Mo£fett) Test, natives of New Jersey, both of whom came to Richmond, Indiana, with their parents. His parents, from prominent families in the Society of Friends, both came from New Jersey at an early age, bringing with them that strict Quaker idea of right and wrong which was manifest not only in the home but in all business dealings. Alpheus Test was a man who early engaged in manufacturing and followed branches of the same throughout his life, in the latter part of his life acquiring extensive interests in the flour milling business. Alpheus Test ruled his home according to the Quaker idea of that time.
Among these excellent home surroundings Charles Edward was born and reared. At an early age he manifested a great love for outdoor life and animals and it seemed as if the happiest moments of his youth were spent in roaming through the woods in the neighborhood of Richmond. He completed his early education under private tutors and in private schools. He at that time manifested no more interest in books that the average boy, although he always seemed to possess a natural in- clination and love for mathematics. In later life Mr. Test often said that he must have inherited his love for machinery and shops from his father. As a young man he became an employe of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a telegraph operator at Knightstown, Henry county, Indiana. In 1880 he became buyer or purchasing agent for the Nordyke Marmon Company, mill manufacturers, at Indianapolis, where he continued until 1891, when he associated himself with A. C. Newby and Edward Fletcher in the organization of the Indianapolis Chain Works, becoming president of the company. In 1900 he sold his interest in the above enterprise and in the same year assisted in forming the National Motor Vehicle Company, of which he was president at the time of his death, June 22, 1910. He had been in ill health for several months and death occurred at a sanitarium at Waukesha, Wis- consin, where he had been a patient for several weeks, suffering from a form of Bright's disease.
On November 7, 1888, Mr. Test was married to Mary Elizabeth Skiles, who was born at Richmond, Indiana, and is a daughter of Thomas and Mary Adaline (Strickland) Skiles. The father of Mrs. Test died when she was one year old He
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418 Cfiarlcg Cbtoartr tgegt
came to Richmond from Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the banking business. At Dayton, Ohio, he was married to Mary Adaline Strickland, who was born in Maine. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Test: Skiles Edward, Donald Newby and Dorothy Elizabeth. The family home is a beautiful mansion, situated at No. 795 Middle Drive, Woodruff Place, Indianapolis, which Mr. Test erected in 1892. Mr. Test was widely known, not alone in business circles but also in a number of organizations of a more or less social character. He belonged to the Commercial club, where he was regarded as a man of well poised character and finely balanced judgment, also to the Columbia, Canoe and Woodruff clubs. In his political views he was in no way bigoted, ever being willing to accord freedom of thought to others while he cast his vote with the Republican party. The mem- bers of his family attend the Presbyterian church, but he always claimed connection with the Society of Friends, in which he had a birthright membership. Person- ally he was a man of unselfish nature, of hearty and genial manner and the circle of his friends spread far. On the occasion of his death press notices appeared in all the leading journals of the country and many of those near home testified to his ability as a business man and his superiority as a citizen. He was not a man who preferred social recognition, but rather loved the quietness of his own home. His first and greatest thought was always for his family, although he was a man widely known in business circles and to a lesser extent in some social organizations.
louis; JMurr
jHE German element of citizenship has played a large and im- portant part in the development and upbuilding of the beautiful capital city of Indiana, for those of German birth or extraction have been forceful factors in the industrial, commercial and civic advancement of the city, the while they have, from an early day, constituted a valued and honored contribution to the representa- tive citizenship of the state's metropolis. Among the best known and most popular active sons of Indianapolis who have claimed German lineage was Louis Murr, who passed the major part of his life in this city, who was actively iden- tified with business interests of wide scope and importance, and who stood exponent of the most loyal and appreciative citizenship, with an unfailing love and admiration for the city of his birth. Here he died on the 29th of July, 1905, and many there were in the community to mourn his loss with a sense of deep personal bereavement. His friends could be counted by the number of his acquaintances and he was specially prominent in the social activities of the German-American citizens of Indianapolis, as is indicated by the fact that he was president of the Indianapolis Maennerchor at the time of his death. His life and services in this community well entitle him to a tribute in this publication.
Louis Murr was born in Indianapolis on the 18th of August, 1856, and was a son of August and Amalie Murr, both of whom were natives of Germany. He gained his preliminary educational training in the schools of his native city and as a boy he accompanied his mother to Germany, where he continued to attend school under most favorable auspices until he had attained to the age of sixteen years. He then returned to Indianapolis, where he secured employment in the toy store of Charles Mayer, who was one of the well known German merchants of the city. Through earnest application, ability and faithful service Mr. Murr won advance- ment through the various grades of promotion until he became buyer and had charge of the wholesale department of the business, in which he eventually secured an interest, the concern being one of extensive order. He continued to be iden- tified with this enterprise until the wholesale department of the same was abol- ished, when he sold his interest and associated himself with the Byram Foundry Company, in which he became a 'large stockholder and of which he served as secretary and treasurer until his death. He was a man of fine business ability and made for himself a secure place as one of the representative factors in the com- mercial activities of his native city. He commanded unqualified popular esteem in the community, where his circle of friends was coincident with that of his ac- quaintances and where he was a valued factor in social affairs, both in a general way and especially in the German circles. He was one of the most zealous and active members of the Indianapolis Maennerchor and did much to promote the interests of this fine organization. He also held membership in the German House, another of the representative social organizations of the city, and was identified with other
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leading German societies. As a member of the Indianapolis Commercial Club, as well as through exerting his influence in other channels, he manifested his con- stant interest in all that tended to enhance the progress and prosperity of the Indiana capital, and he was known as an advocate of municipal progress along all normal and legitimate lines. He was specially zealous in his eflForts to secure the establishing of public bath houses in Indianapolis. He traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, having made several trips abroad as buyer for the Meyer establishment, in which he secured a partnership interest about the year 1885. Though he was well fortified in his opinions as to matters of civic and economic import, he never had aught of predilection for public office. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party and he took a lively interest in the furtherance of its principles and policies. He was a man of distinct culture and of refined tastes and manners, — a gentleman in all that the term implies and one whose kindliness, deep human sympathies and sterling character commended him to and gained for him the unequivocal confidence and high regard of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations in life. His death consti- tuted a definite loss in the business and social activities of Indianapolis, and his memory is revered by all who had come within the sphere of his influence.
It has already been stated that Mr. Murr was president of the Indianapolis Maennerchor at the time of his death, and the members of this organization held a special meeting the day following his death, for the purpose of expressing in a formal way their sense of loss and bereavement. Several of the officers and other members made appreciative testimonials in this meeting and the memorial adopted on the occasion is consistently reproduced in this sketch. The members of the Maennerchor attended his funeral in a body and the remains of the honored citizen to whom they thus showed mark of appreciation were laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery. The memorial, as translated from the German text, was substantially as follows:
"With deep regret we realize our loss in the death of our beloved president, Mr. Louis Murr, who died July 29, 1905, after a long illness. Mr. Murr succeeded Gottfried Recker, whose memory is cherished with great love and who will never be forgotten. During the four years Mr. Murr was president he endeared himself to all who came in contact with him. The Maennerchor realize their loss with Borrow. He was president during the jubilee celebration of the Maennerchor last year, and no one thought that he who worked so hard for all that pertained to the good of the cause and one who was so well adapted for the leadership of the same, in the advancing of sociability and unity, would so soon be called from his post. Appreciation and thankfulness insure him a place in the memories of the members of the Indianapolis Maennerchor, who also extend their heartfelt sym- pathies to the loved ones of his family."
In a home whose every relation was ideal, Mr. Murr found his sanctuary and his greatest solace from the "cares that infest the day." It would be incongruous to touch this phase of his career to a more intimate extent than to offer a brief outline concerning his marriage, his loved companion and their children. On the 2d of August, 1882, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Murr to Miss Amalie Dieta, who was born and reared in Indianapolis and who has ever maintained her home in this city, in whose social life she has taken an active part, the while her popularity is of unqualified order. She is a daughter of Frederick and Frederica (Schmid) Dietz, both natives of Saxony, Germany, where the former was born
Xouig iflunr 421
November 2, 1829, and the latter on the 28th of September, 1842. Mr. Dietz came to America at the age of twenty-two years and he made an extended itinerary of the country in search of a desirable location. Most of this journeying was peri- patetic, and after a period of about six months he came to Indianapolis and decided to make this city his permanent home. In his native land he had learned the tan- ner's trade and soon after coming to Indianapolis he purchased a tannery on East Market street. He improved this property and there conducted operations for several years, at the expiration of which he sold the tannery and turned his atten- tion to the hide and leather business, in which he became associated with the late Frank Reisner, with headquarters in South Delaware street. Mr. Reisner finally became a candidate for sheriff of Marion county and Mr. Dietz then purchased his interest in the business, which he thereafter conducted individually imtil his death, which occurred on the 11th of October, 1889. He was long numbered among the representative business men of Indianapolis and was honored for his sterling attributes of character as well as for his public spirit and civic loyaltiy. He was a Republican in politics, a member of the Masonic fraternity, and identi- fied with the Maennerchor and other leading German societies. His widow now resides with her elder daughter, Mrs. Murr, in a beautiful home at 3208 Ruckol street. Mrs. Murr is identified with the Indianapolis Maennerchor, the German House, the German Aid Society and other representative bodies, and she attends the German Zion church, as did also her husband. She is the elder of two children and her sister, Pauline, is the wife of Charles F. Meyer, a coal merchant in Indi- anapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have one son, Charles F., Jr. Emma, the elder of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Murr, was born on the 2d of July, 1883, and was summoned to the life eternal on the 30th of October, 1889. Frederick L., who was graduated in Purdue University, as a member of the class of 1907, is now engaged in the retail drug business at the corner of Eleventh street and College avenue and is one of the popular young business men of his native city, where he was born on the 9th of February, 1887. He remains with his widowed mother in their attractive home, which is known for its gracious hospitality.
.MAin- A. MOUUY
LORENZO D. AIOODY
s?
T
2^^2£^^S!#HE life of the late Lorenzo Dow Moody was one of great use- ■ ^ "^ "' ^ fulness to the community, and full of honor to himself. In
the story of his life the fine part which he played as one of the world's workers is clearly shown. His character was the posi- )^'^ >; ^ five expression of a strong and loyal nature and he made the
S^^^SHi^ ^^^* °^ himself and of his opportunities. He was long one of the most prominent and influential figures in the field of fire- insurance in Indiana, and in his chosen sphere of endeavor he became a recognized authority, while his individual success was of unequivocal order. High principles and ideal ethics guided him in all the relations of life, and thus it was a natural result that he should command the unqualified respect and confidence of his fellow men. Of fine intellectuality and well fortified convictions, he had naught of big- otry or intolerance. He had depended upon his own resources in making his way in the world, and thus he ever had a deep respect for the dignity of honest toil and endeavor and valued the man for himself rather than for his fortuitous circum- stances. In short he was one of the representative business men of Indianapolis, where he lived for more than thirty years, and where his death occurred on the 28th of February, 1909.
Mr. Moody was born in the vicinity of the village of Carthage, Moore county, North Carolina, on the 18th of March, 1839, and was a scion of one of the sterling families of the commonwealth. He was a boy at the time of his father's death and such were the financial circumstances of the family that he was early compelled to assume his own support and to aid in the maintenance of his widowed mother, to whom his filial devotion ever remained most intense. Such were the exigencies of time and place that his early educational advantages were most meager — in fact he had the opportunity of attending school only six weeks when he was a boy. An alert and receptive mind and a definite ambition proved adequate to the overcoming of this early handicap, and through application and the lessons gained in the school of experience he became a man of really scholarly attainments. As a youth he studied at night and in his leisure moments, and he was most earnest and assiduous in this study, as is shown in that he carried in his pockets an arithmetic and a gram- mar, so that when a spare moment came along he might be able to make the most of it. That this elementary training which he gave himself was thorough is shown by the fact that he proved himself eligible for pedagogic honors when he was a mere youth and became a successful teacher in the public schools of Indiana. He was eighteen years old at the inception of the Civil war, and was loyal to the cause of his native land. He enlisted in a North Carolina regiment, but his service only lasted three months, when he suffered an attack of typhoid fever which so affected him that he was thereafter incapacitated for military service.
On the 10th of August, 1862, Mr. Moody was married and shortly afterwards he set forth with his wife for Kansas, for the purpose of looking after large real estate interests which were a part of her deceased father's estate. The young
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couple made the journey northward with a horse and carriage, and upon arriving in Indiana they found it inexpedient to continue their trip westward, as the war was then in progress and had disrupted affairs throughout the country, and espe- cially in Kansas, which was the scene of the bitterest factional disturbances. After the war was over and the country was once more in a settled condition, Mr. and Mrs. Moody had become so acclimated that they decided not to return. They were also influenced by the fact that their old home had been laid waste by the war and they felt that they could not bear to face the devastation, so they deeded their landed possessions in North Carolina to the government to pay the accumulated taxes, and bravely set to work to earn their livelihood imder new conditions.
The first home of Mr. and Mrs. Moody in Indiana was in Rush county, where they remained for some time. Mr. Moody later completed a course of study in the Bryan Business College in Indianapolis, and then for a time was engaged in selling books in an itinerant way. He afterwards taught in a district school near South- port, six miles south of Indianapolis, and was later a popular teacher in the dis- trict schools of Hancock county. In the meanwhile he utilized his spare time and added to his rather meager income by selling sewing machines through the sur- rounding districts. He lived in Southport until 1872, when he removed to Indian- apolis, where he continued to reside until his death.
Soon after his removal to the capital city Mr. Moody became associated with William Henderson in the fire-insurance business, a line of enterprise to which he continued to be devoted during the residue of his long and successful business career. The greater part of his work was that of adjuster of insurance, and in this capacity he represented the Franklin Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia, for a number of years, and later the Aetna Fire Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut. Concerning his work in his chosen field of endeavor. Rough Notes, an insurance paper published in Indianapolis, spoke as follows at the time of his death : "News of the death of Mr. L. D. Moody is certain to be received with sincere sorrow, as he was one of the most popular men that ever labored in this field, be- cause of his unfailing good humor and genial sociability. The advice of no mem- ber (of the Indiana Association of Underwriters) was more earnestly sought on important questions, and his opinions always carried weight. In the passing of Mr. Moody there is removed one typical of the 'old school' of field men — one of the old guard and one whose memory will long remain in the hearts of those who were privileged to know him."
Mr. Moody was associated with Charles E. Coffin in the organization of the Central Trust Company, and he was vice-president of the same at the time of his death, as was he also of the Indiana Savings and Investment Company and of the Universal Nozzle Company. In his own field he was not only a member of the Indiana Association of Underwriters, but served as a member of many important committees and was president of the organization. He had a deep affection for his home city and was always alert in supporting measures and enterprises tend- ing to advance its material and civic welfare. His political allegiance was given to the Democratic party and his religious faith was that of the Unitarian church, in which he was an influential member of Friends church in Indianapolis for many years prior to his decease. He was afliliated with the Masonic fraternity, held membership in the Indiana Democratic Club, and was identified with the Indian- apolis Commercial Club and the Indianapolis Whist Club. He read a number of papers before the Fire Underwriters' Association of the Northwest and was one of
1Lorcn?o M. itioobp 427
its most valued members, his active identification with insurance affairs continuing until about five years before his death, when ill health and advancing years caused him to retire. At the forty-first annual meeting of the Fire Underwriters' Asso- ciation of the Northwest, held in the city of Chicago, October 5-6, 1910, the follow- ing tribute was paid to the memory of Mr. Moody and was unanimously adopted by the association, upon whose records the same was spread. Inasmuch as a por- tion of it is a virtual repetition of what has already been given in this memoir the same will not be reproduced and minor paraphrase will be made: "Lorenzo Dow Moody engaged in the fire-insurance business first as a solicitor and local agent, and then as a field man. He represented the Franklin of Philadelphia as special agent and adjuster for Indiana, with parts of Illinois and Kentucky added to his field at different times. His efficiency and loyalty were appreciated and recognized by his company retaining his services in an advisory capacity for several years after he voluntarily resigned from field work. He was one of the charter members and a most active worker in the Indiana Association of Underwriters, an organization of field men, the purpose of which was mutual advancement in the personal mem- bership and general advancement of the principles and conditions of fire under- writing in the state of Indiana, the spirit of which appealed to his broad and gener- ous nature in a singular manner. Many of the field men of today can recall the encouraging words, the little kindnesses, that led up to their advancement in eflB- ciency, and sincerely mourn him as a friend.
"Mr. Moody was a man of bright intellect, a lover of good books and a fine conversationalist, ready at wit and quick at repartee. He was candid and open in the extreme, — nothing to conceal and disdainful of deceit. In his prime he took a deep interest in politics, especially relating to state affairs, and was the personal friend of such leaders as Senator McDonald and Turpie, Vice-President Hen- dricks and Auditors Rice and Henderson, to whose counsel and homes he was al- ways a welcome guest. No man in the insurance business had more influence for the good laws and legislation that prevailed at that time than our deceased friend. In so short a space we can only call attention to the characteristics, to which chap- ters could be given, of this man, who so fully contributed to the welfare and the work of others. In the passing of Mr. Moody there is removed one who made the highway of life brighter, the sunshine more real." In conclusion of the tribute from which the quotation has been taken appears the beautiful poem of Tennyson, "Crossing the Bar." this being a favorite of Mr. Moody's
In Randolph county, North Carolina, on the 10th of August, 1862, was solemn- ized the marriage of Mr. Moody to Miss Mary A. Nixon, who still maintains her home in Indianapolis, her residence being at 219 East Tenth street. For many years she has been a gracious factor in the social life of the capital city and has been specially prominent in connection with religious, temperance and charitable activi- ties. Now venerable in years, this noble woman is held in deep affection by those who have come within the compass of her gentle influence and have felt the stimulation of her keen intellect.
Mrs. Moody was born in Randolph county. North Carolina, and is the daughter of Dr. Barnabas and Flora Gardner (Worth) Nixon. Her father, the son of a. physician, became one of the leading physicians and surgeons of North Carolina and was a valued contributor to the important medical publications of his day, besides being the author of a number of technical works on medicine and surgery, and a lecturer of wide reputation. His practice extended throughout the whole
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state of North Carolina, and he died at the age of sixty-six, as the result of a fall which injured his spine. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Moody was a promi- nent jeweler in North Carolina, who met his death in a tragic way, for while he was making one of his periodical trips to Philadelphia, on horseback, he was murdered and robbed of a large sum of money. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Gardner became the wife of John Long, who was a prominent figure in public affairs in North Carolina, being the representative in Congress from this state. Dr. Nixon was a member of the Society of Friends, and was one of its leading representatives in North Carolina. His wife was from the historic town of Nan- tucket, Massachusetts, and was a kinswoman of the Folgers, the Maceys and the Coffins — prominent families of the place. She was thus related to Benjamin Franklin, whose mother was a Folger, and to Lucretia Mott, whose father was a Coffin. The distinguished Dr. Channing was also a kinsman. From an article published in 1900 is taken the following interesting data concerning Mrs. Moody, a liberal interpretation being indulged in at certain points to make the text consonant with the character of the sketch: "Mrs. Moody was graduated at Jamestown Protest- ant Methodist Female College and afterward studied medicine with her father, Dr. Nixon, whose two sons were also physicians. The death of her father pre- vented her plans being consummated, as no one else in all that country believed in a woman studying for a profession, and Mrs. Moody allowed herself to be in- fluenced by the opinions of others, believing that the relinquishment of her plans was the mistake of her life, — an opinion in which those who know the trend of her mind concur.
"Having traveled for a year prior to her marriage, Mrs. Moody's mind was still further broadened in its views of life and its true purposes; and that her inheritance from such a vigorous and intellectual and moral type of ancestry, to- gether with her faith in God, fitted her for the circumstances and surroundings of subsequent years. It was the earnest determined stand taken by her grand- father on the slavery question which effected the incorporation of anti-slavery principles into the discipline of the Society of Friends, thereby causing many slaves to be freed many years before the war. In recognition of this work the Society of Friends published a biography of her grandfather. Her father's family, true to these same principles of right and justice, freed their slaves and on the day on which the first gun was fired on Fort Sumter a second lot of fifty slaves was started for Ohio and freedom.
"While she is proud of the anti-slavery record of her family, Mrs. Moody is equally proud of their anti-war record, only one member of the family. Colonel John Nixon, ever having worn a military title. He had the honor of reading the Declaration of Independence the first time it was ever read in public.
"Mrs. Moody joined the Woman's Christian Temperance Union when her chil- dren were small but did not do active work therein until they had reached the age that they went away to school. For some years she has held the vice-presidency in Indiana of the National Household Economic Association, and has the same depart- ment of work in the Indiana Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She is also superintendent of public baths and physical economics in the International Woman's Protective League, and her labors in local affairs on similar lines of work have been untiring and productive of beneficial results. She is a broadminded, up-to-date woman, reaching out in the various lines which look to the betterment of humanity and the elevation of her sex. With a marked ability to reach people
loren^o B. illoobp
429
of influence and good judgment, she has been successful in enlisting the sympathy and aid of those who have it in their power to crystalize her opinions and purposes into such local laws and ordinances as are beneficial to the home, the schools and the general public."
Although more than a decade has passed since the foregoing article was pub- lished, Mrs. Moody is still active in such noble work and her powers have shown no appreciable diminution for hers are the mind and heart which age can not impair.
Mr. and Mrs. Moody became the parents of two children. The daughter is Mrs. Henry W. Palmer of New York City, and the son, Arthur G. Moody, who is engaged in the photography supply business in the city of Manila, Philippine Islands.
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fN.IAMIN III '„K/%dy conncc WIS born in \'-
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■wbt J-., he met and ui ■ ■■ and prominent resident of H.-it coiinty.
As a small child, Biii^unm Roberts > grew up on his fath(r» 'i.u viii recti Jiis native community VVh, -i i;t' was s. - endure the sight of othcrji iiwrthing off U> xia Ohio Heavy Artillery, »nd »i rved till the c'o, stored he returawJ hom*?, sni .n order to pr- which he fo»i-s.-?w for hif!iH< ii' V.f attended » Upon leaving that irs'iv:> ' settled down to fr!"- was not suited t<. i and camr t. ' ' as a ship}; then took cl' :
years established iiiuiscii t>i i-i,f, in which he enjoyed tnori ttifu'i
Mr. Roberts was a .Sti^l.ti of Odd Fellows, a memlxT ■.' Men, of Ben Hur Chanter <' tho Eastern Sf^ he took great pleasure in iki« Kfuibership in ti) politics he was a Repnblk-An
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J. Davis, who was a dii. Davis was born in Kenf county, Indiana, whrr* Mtb. Iiui.civa and Mrs. Roberts, Fa;unt- Ortuninab. where she took her ' to graduate from Roberts died on tl
The following rebwiut.ioti» wc/t: p»»o<xi uj- ifc«; memiivrg of the degree oi Piwa- hontas of the Improved Order of Red Men, Mid serve to show in a mr«aure the. high esteem in which Mr. and Mrs. R(^)ert* wtrt held by this on' . '" ' are assembled tojfeiher and our hearts are midc ^lad by the warm ; ings of lirothers and Sisters* in this our beloved Tepee, we are yi ♦ i Death 8talk« abroad in lh« land. This time he has cros-sed the ti i*<-.si>i.lo -t tin-
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hr entered tJ.
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i his life in Morp.u
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She is a 'graduate' of Purdue University,
nc of the c<>B3p«r.<itiv«-ly few women
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Penjamin Eotierte
' ENJAMIN ROBERTS, now deceased, was for many years ^ i^^v-wwi^'wi.i^j^ closely connected with the business life of Indianapolis. He S^ r) ^ was born in Warren county, Ohio, on the 19th of July, 1846, ^ ^ I J ^^ a son of Joseph and Oraminah (Compton) Roberts. His >l L ^L father, Joseph Roberts, a Baptist minister, was born in Virginia,
^llCS^^^S^i^ ^^^ moved to Warren county in the days of his young manhood, where he met and married his wife, the daughter of a well-to-do and prominent resident of that county.
As a small child, Benjamin Roberts was deprived of his mother by death. He grew up on his father's farm and received his education in the public schools of his native community. When he was seventeen he found it impossible to longer endure the sight of others marching off to the front, and he enlisted in the Second Ohio Heavy Artillery, and served till the close of the war. When peace was re- stored he returned home, and in order to prepare himself for the business career which he foresaw for himself, he attended a business college at Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon leaving that institution he went to Ilhnois, where he bought a farm and settled down to farm life, but he found after a matter of two years that the life was not suited to his talents or inclinations, and he disposed of his interests there and came to Indianapolis, where he entered the employ of the Atlas Engine Works as a shipping clerk. He continued with that concern for a number of years and then took charge of a branch of the Kingan packing house business, and in later years established himself in the coal and feed business in Indianapolis, a business in which he enjoyed more than a modicum of success and prosperity.
Mr. Roberts was a Scottish Rite Mason, a member of the Capital City Lodge of Odd Fellows, a member of the Knights of Pythias, Chapter No. 56, of the Red Men, of Ben Hur Chapter, of the Eastern Star and the Rebekahs. As a veteran he took great pleasure in his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic. In politics he was a Republican.
On the 27th day of October, I88i, Mr. Roberts was married to Miss Martha J. Davis, who was a daughter of John D. and Fanny (Jones) Davis. John D. Davis was born in Kentucky, but lived the greater part of his life in Morgan county, Indiana, where Mrs. Roberts was born. One daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, Fannie Oraminah. She is a graduate of Purdue University, where she took her degree in pharmacy, being one of the comparatively few women to graduate from that department. Slie lives at present with her mother. Mr. Roberts died on the fifth day of January, 1912.
The following resolutions were passed by the members of the degree of Poca- hontas of the Improved Order of Red Men, and serve to show in a measure the high esteem in which Mr. and Mrs. Roberts were held by this order: "While we are assembled together and our hearts are made glad by the warm and kind greet- ings of Brothers and Sisters in this our beloved Tepee, we are yet reminded that Death stalks abroad in the land. This time he has crossed the threshold of the
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home of our beloved sister, Martha Roberts, and the aged companion who has walked by her side these many years now sleeps in the silent city of the dead. Sister Martha Roberts has been a member of this council several years, and al- though ill health has prevented her attendance at the Kindling of our Council Brand, yet we have always kxiown that she loved the order and is a firm supporter of its noble principles. How small in the long years of eternity seems this little speck which we call vital life! How brief the span between the budding and the falling leaf, and after all, how brief the span of Memory which it can accord to us ! And yet we would have our bereaved sister know that our heartfelt sympathy goes out to her in this, her great sorrow that has come into her life. We realize that it is doubly hard to bear, coming upon her when she has already reached the western hills of life, where with lengthening shadows stretching behind us we look upon life's sunset, and there comes an over-powering desire to all of us that we may not be forgotten. Words seem empty and meaningless at a time like this, but we would ask Sister Roberts to look not at the vacant chair, but rather look out upon this old world all wrapped in snow, and believe that they who have gone on before have not missed much except cares and trials in passing out of this life.
"Be it resolved that a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the records of this council and a copy of the same be given to the bereaved sister. "Fraternally submitted in F. F. and C.
"Sarah E. Hoffbauer, K. of R.
The tribute offered by the members of the Grand Army Post to which Mr. Roberts belonged is added, because any tribute paid by as brave and noble a band of men as these is sure to be sincere: "To the officers and comrades of George H. Thomas Post No. 17, Department of Indiana, Grand Army of the Republic: Your committee appointed to prepare a memorial on the lift of our late comrade, Benjamin Roberts, would respectfully make the following report
"Benjamin Roberts was the son of Joseph and Oraminah (Compton) Roberts and was born on a farm near Mason, Warren county, Ohio, on the 19th of July, 1846, and died at his home, No. 2635 Roosevelt avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana. He enlisted in the military service of the United States at the age of seventeen as a private soldier in the Second Ohio Battery of Heavy Artillery in 1863 and served with that organization until the close of the war.
"Following his discharge from the army, he engaged in independent business, and thereafter until his death he was connected with affairs of a business nature.
"Our comrade was a member of the Capital City Lodge A. F. and A. M., also of Keystone Chapter, the Council, the Commandery and the Order of the Scottish Rite. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Independent Order of Red Men. He joined this Grand Army Post on the 16th of January, 1883, and was a member of the same in good standing at the time of his death, and was buried with the ritualistic service of the order.
"Comrade Roberts was a brave and faithful soldier and was ever proud of his army service, and that he had done something for his country. As a citizen he lived a busy and earnest life, devoted to hard work and the care of his family. He was a man of positive and earnest convictions, and never fearful of giving them ex- pression. His views were his own and he never left his friends in doubt as to where he stood upon all questions that came up in his presence. He was a faith- ful member of this post and performed his duties as such. His life was one of use-
^Benjamin l^obcrts!
fulness and we do ourselves honor in honoring his memory by placing upon onr record this Memorial of his life.
"We recommend that a copy be placed upon our records and that a copy be for- warded to Comrade Roberts' widow."
W. N. PlCKERELL
Lew Nicoll Henry Nicolai
Committee
CHARLES II. ATUIKTT
HE late Doctor Charles Harrison Abbett was one of the most prominent men in Indianapolis, not only in his professional
T]^/ capacity as a physician, but as a man and a citizen. He ^^ was always active in any work that was conducive to the up- lifting of humanity, socially, morally or intellectually. He lived in Indianapolis for more than sixty years and built up a practical and a reputation that would be hard to excel. The tendency of the medical profession seems to be to-day to make its practitioners cynics or misanthropes or to make them lose their faith in mankind, for they are constantly seeing the worst and weakest side of humanity. Doctor Abbett was none of these; his heart was too full of human sympathy, he was too close to the eternal verities, and he had too deep and true an understanding of men to ever become a shallow cynic and scoffer. He gathered the sweetness from the scenes of sorrow and suffering of which he was a daily witness, and left the bitterness to those who possessed less noble characters. Can not young physicians, who think they have learned all there is to learn about life take a page from the life of this man, and realize that if he who had had years of experience to their months, and had practiced among all sorts and conditions of men, was able to keep his whole- some faith in the ultimate good of all things, then they might at least make the effort. During his service as a surgeon in the Civil war, he was not content to merely do his duty, he was always as near to the firing line as he was permitted to go, and the soldiers knew that not a man among them had more courage than this strpng man whom they almost worshiped. He gave his services with a glad heart, and many a night when he was almost exhausted for want of sleep he would sit for hours by the side of some fever-racked Southern lad and hold his hand, be- cause his quiet touch calmed the boy as nothing else could. His four years of service are one continuous story of self-sacrifice, and these years were but the fore- shadowing of what his future life was to be. It is safe to say that no man was ever more truly mourned than was Doctor Abbett.
Charles Harrison Abbett was the son of Doctor Lawson Abbett and Abigail (Chase) Abbett. The father was born and bred in Kentucky, where his father owned a large plantation and many slaves. As Lawson Abbett grew up he became firmly convinced that slave-holding was wrong, and at last he left his father's home in the Blue Grass state because he disagreed with his father on this subject. He became an ardent abolitionist and a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. Hav- ing an uncle in Bartholmew county, Indiana, he came to this county and began to practice medicine. This was in pioneer days, and he traveled all over this section of the state on horseback, with saddle bags slung across the back of his beast. He and the circuit-rider were co-laborers, and one was often called upon to do the work of the other. He was an enthusiastic blue ribbon man and a strict prohibitionist. His wife was born in New York state, near Cornell University, and she was married to Dr. Abbett after coming out to Indiana. They went to house-keeping in a log
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cabin and since the Doctor did not make very much money in those days, the young wife did not find the life an easy one. The cow helped with the matter of food, but the horse which the doctor had to keep offset this economy. Seven children were born to them, of whom Doctor Abbett was the third.
Dr. Harrison Abbett was named for ex-president Harrison of Tippecanoe fame. He was only a lad of twelve when his parents moved to Indianapolis, so he spent practically his entire life in the city. The family made the trip to the city in a covered wagon, for there was only one railroad through their section in those days. Charles Harrison Abbett was bom at LaFayette, on the 10th of March, 1838, and it is a little hard to imagine him as a little boy peering timidly around the corner of a wagon of the prairie schooner type as it passed through the streets of Indianapolis. He attended the public schools of this city, and then concluded to take up the study of medicine. He studied first under his father, who was then practicing in the old Abbett homestead on Virginia avenue. Later he attended the Cincinnati Medical College from which he was graduated just before the Civil war. With the outbreak of the war he was among the first to offer his services and he enlisted in the Eleventh Indiana, which was a Zouave regiment. He served in this regiment for three months, and was then appointed a surgeon of the Thirty- sixth Indiana Regiment, with which he served to the end of the war. He was among the youngest surgeons in the service, and his record for courage, cool-head- ness and skilful surgery was certainly not surpassed. He was a very modest man, and could not be persuaded to speak about his war record, but from his old com- rades his friends were able to glean the story of these years which he gave to his country and to his fellow men. He was in the most terrible battles of the war, Gettysburg, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga and many others. Possibly he abstained from telling of these experiences because they brought up such terrible pictures to his mind's eye. No local anaesthetics, no antiseptic surg- ery, scarcely enough bandages, and the constant necessity of performing the most terrible operations under such conditions, small wonder that Dr. Abbett did not care to tell stories of those days. He could not send thrills through his audience by tales of night raids and swift dashes up the hillside in to the ranks of the gray coated regiments. All of his stories would tell of agony courageously endured, of sickness and suffering and death. Dr. Abbett came out from that four years' ex- perience, a boy almost in years, but an old man in knowledge. He was commis- sioned captain by Governor Oliver P. Morton, and as assistant surgeon held the rank of captain. After the war was over he returned to Indianapolis, and began to practice in his father's office. He had won fame and distinction in the war, and when he was mustered out it was with high honors, so people were eager to secure him as their physician. Had he not been a fine practitioner, this first suc- cess would not have lasted, but his practice was constantly on the increase. He remained in practice with his father until the death of the latter, at the age of seventy-seven. His devotion to the memory of this fine old man was so great that he left his father's name over the door until his son was ready to enter the office as his partner. Then he put his son's name in place of the one that had had the place of honor for so long. He continued to practice in the old Abbett building until the 1 0th of January, 1912, when the office was moved to the Hume-Mansur Building. The elder doctor appeared to be in his usual health, though rather tired, but the following morning at about five o'clock he had a cerebral hemorrhage, and at 12:30 he died. The following brief account of the funeral is quoted from the
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News: "The funeral of the late Dr. Charles H. Abbett, who died Thursday after- noon at his home, 142 West Vermont street, was held at two o'clock yesterday after- noon at St. Paul's Episcopal church. The Scottish Rite service was conducted by John Milnor and the Reverend Lewis Brown spoke briefly, praising Dr. Abbett's life. The veterans of the Eleventh and Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteers, in which Dr. Abbett served during the Civil war, braved the cold weather to pay their res- pects to their former comrade." Dr. Abbett was buried at Crown Hill cemetery.
Dr. Abbett was devoted to his work, and while he took a great interest in his lodge and in public affairs he would never accept an office. He gave his entire time to his work and his family. He was a very loyal Republican, and was deeply interested in the election of 1912, but in which he did not live to take part. He was a sincere believer in the principles of the Masonic order, and was a member of the Marion lodge of the Scottish Rite and the Mystic Shrine. He was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the George H. Thomas Post. In religious matters he was of the Episcopal faith, being a communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal church, where his family have worshiped ever since they came to Indianapolis.
On the 28th of April, 1870, Dr. Abbett was married to Georgia Burrows, a daughter of George W. and Christian (Watterson) Burrows. Mrs. Abbett's father was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and her mother was a native of the Isle of Man. The marriage took place in Mrs. Abbett's native city, Cleveland, Ohio, and the officiating minister was Reverend Doctor Henry Day. Mr. Burrows was a carriage manufacturer, well known for the fine vehicles he built. He had a large factory and the business was a' prosperous one. When Mrs. Abbett was ten years old her parents moved to Indianapolis, and her father here went into the livery and sales business. Both of her parents died in this city and are buried at Crown Hill. Mrs. Abbett became the mother of six children, two of whom died in infancy. Walter Angus died when he was five and a half years old. The first child to grow to maturity was Earnest Lawrence. He is a railroad man in Indianapolis, and is married. His wife was Rosemund M. Budd, and they have two children, Dora- thy R. and Ernest L. The second son. Dr. Frank E., is the successor to his father and grandfather. He was in business with his father for six years preceding his death. In addition to this valuable experience he is the possessor of a fine pro- fessional education. He is a graduate of Shortridge high school and of the Indiana Medical College. He took the state examination. He married Kathleen Bannon, of St. Paul, and they have one child, Grace Warren. The youngest son, Ralph Watterson, lives at home. He has charge of the administration of the estate, which is no light task. He is a graduate of the Shortridge high school and attended the Ohio State University.
^f'^x
Bennisi ^. JBoix^m
HE careers of innumerable representative men of America show that the potency of personal achievement lies in the individual, and that success is an evolution, an unfolding, and an ex- pression of selfhood. There is a disadvantage in too many ad- vantages and the full strength of the individual must be brought out by struggle for advancement. The career of the late Dennis P. Downs, who arose from the ranks to a position of distinctive trust and importance in the railway service, shows what is possible of accomplishment on the part of one who is willing to bend his powers and energies along a prescribed course to a definite end. He won advancement through his own ability and effective service and for more than a quarter of a century he was in the employ of the Vandalia Railroad Company, with which he held the responsible office of claim agent for several years, and with the freight department of which he was identified until his death, which occurred at his home in Terre Haute on the 25th of June, 1908. He was a man of alert and well matured mentality, of dis- tinctive executive ability, and of broad and liberal views. His integrity of purpose was as certain as were his sincerity, his geniality and sympathy, and his unswerv- ing personal demand to make the best use of his powers in all relations of life. He was well equipped for leadership, and by virtue of his very nature, that leader- ship could not be other than wise and true, buoyant and optimistic, he looked upon the bright side of life and endeavored to infuse the same sentiment into those with whom he came in contact. He won staunch friends in all classes and his noble character gained to him unlimited confidence and esteem of unqualified order.
Dennis Patrick Downs was born in the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, and was a son of James and Mary (McCarthy) Downs, both of whom were born and reared in fine old county Clare, Ireland, and both of whom were descended from the staunchest of Irish stock.
The father of James Downs was Patrick Downs, who again was the son of Patrick. His father was Michael Downs, who was associated with Oliver Crom- well during his lieutenantship of Ireland in 1649. At this time when the posses- sions of the Catholics were confiscated and about 20,000 Irish were sold as slaves in America, Michael left his original home in Trumond and settled in the west of county Clare, where he took up farming. This is the farm Dennis P. Downs visited. When Dennis P. Downs was five years of age his parents removed to Green- castle, this state, where he received his early educational discipline in the parochial and public schools. The parents were folk of sterling character and both were devout communicants of the Catholic church. Of their children five sons and two daughters are living at the time of this writing, 1912. After leaving school, Dennis P. Downs passed a year in European travel and found special satisfaction in visit- in the ancestral home of his father in Kilard, County Clare and that of his mother in Water Park, in the fair Emerald Isle. There his uncle oflfered him an interest in
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a lucrative business, but his love for America was such that he could not be pre- vailed upon to remain in Ireland. Upon his arrival in Indiana on his return, Mr. Downs secured employment in the oflSces of the roadmaster of the Vandalia Rail- road at Brazil, and through faithful and effective service he made rapid advancement. He was transferred to Terre Haute, where he was finally promoted to the position of stock and claim agent, in which he made a most enviable record. Perhaps no better epitome of his career as a representative of railroad interests can be given than the appreciative estimate given by Richards, a well known Indiana newspaper man, in the columns of an Indianapolis newspaper at the time of his death, and the same is well worthy of perpetuation in this connection:
"The life story of Dennis P. Downs, former claim agent for the Vandalia, who died Thursday, June 25, 1908, at his home in this city, is typically that of a railroad man. Beginning at the very foot, as a messenger boy, when a lad, as many otliers who have reached the top in railroad circles have done, Dovras continued to follow his chosen profession until his death, at the age of forty-eight years. His parents removed to Greencastle when he was still young, and in 1882 he returned to Terre Haute and entered the roadmaster's department of the Vandalia, while it was under the management of the McKeen interests. After working in this department for a short time, his ability was recognized and he was appointed claim agent for the road, which position he held until 1896.
"While acting as claim agent for the road under the old regime, Mr. Downs reported to John G. Williams, who was then general manager of the Vandalia lines. As claim agent he is declared to have been one of the most successful in the country. Many serious damage suits which were threatened against the Vandalia during this time were turned over to him for adjustment outside the courts. His natural wit and effective argument were employed in their fullest capacity in doing this work and many thousands of dollars are said to have been saved for the road through his efforts. No attorney ever argued more strongly for his client than Mr. Downs for the Vandalia while he was negotiating with claimants.
"The most signal victory of Mr. Downs in adjusting claims was in the case of the Coatsville wreck, which occurred on the Vandalia, January 28, 1895. So suc- cessful were his efforts in reducing the amount of damages asked by parties bring- ing suit in this case that but a comparatively small amount of money was ex- pended in satisfying the claims of the injured and the executors of the estates of the dead. He always attempted a compromise, but once learning that such was impossible, he procured evidence of the strongest nature for the defense and assisted in fighting the cases to the end.
- "With the purchase of the Vandalia by the Pennsylvania interests in 1895, and the reorganization of the road, Mr. Downs resumed his position, but he was later offered a desk with the local freight department — a position which he ac- cepted and which he held at the time he was stricken down with the illness that caused his death, nine months later."
"Mr. Downs was a remarkable man in many ways," said Superintendent W. S. Downing of the St. Louis division of the Vandalia-Pennsylvania. "He was a competent man and held the highest respect of his fellow workers. His mind was extraordinarily developed in many directions, and he did not spare himself for the interests of the road."
Aside from his activities in railroad affairs, Mr.* Downs brought his fine powers to bear in divers other lines. He built up a successful real-estate business
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in Terre Haute, and he also owned and operated a stone quarry. In politics he was a zealous advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party and was an active and effective worker in its cause. In 1892 he was made the candidate of his party for representative of the Terre Haute district in the state senate, but in a close race, in which he drew heavily from the normal majority of the opposition, he was defeated by Colonel William E. McLean. As president of the Harrison Railroad Club, which was organized by a number of railroad officials during the campaign of Benjamin Harrison, Mr. Downs became a personal friend of the president and had in his possession many interesting letters from him. He was a communicant of the Catholic church and showed characteristic zeal and energy in the support of parochial and diocesan activities. He was a charter member of the Terre Haute Knights of Columbus and was also affiliated in a most prominent way with the Catholic Knights of America, of which he was the state treasurer of Indiana for twenty years prior to his death. Ever an avowed adversary of the liquor traffic, Mr. Downs labored earnestly in the cause of temperance, and he was state president of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union of Indiana for eight years. His father was also a strong advocate of temperance and took the total abstinence pledge from Father Mathew, the founder of the Knights of Father Mathew, in county Clare, Ireland, in 18S9. D. P. Downs served as a trustee for the Society of Organized Charities in Terre Haute, where he also held membership in the Fra- ternal Aid Association. His character was positive and his nature was strong, true and loyal, so that he well merited the unequivocal esteem accorded to him by all who came within the sphere of his kindly and inspiring influence. Few citizens of Terre Haute were better known, and none had had more secure place in popular confidence and affection. True to every trust reposed in him, ever ready to give aid to those in affliction or distress, tolerant in his judgment, and sure in his stew- ardship as one of the world's workers, Dennis P. Downs lived a life that was worthy and fruitful, so that its angle of influence must continue to widen in benign- acy now that he has passed forward to the "land of the leal."
On the 29th of January, 1890, was solemized the marriage of Mr. Downs to Miss Ella M. Sullivan, of Indianapolis, who was born and reared in this city, and who is a daughter of Michael N. and Ellen (O'Connor) Sullivan, the former of whom was born on the Island of Valentia, or Kenmare, off the west coast of Ireland, in county Kerry, and the latter of whom was a native of the same county their marriage having been solemnized in Indianapolis, Indiana. Michael N. Sul- livan was a man of sterling character and fine business ability, and he won large and worthy success in the land of his adoption, having been one of the most promi- nent railroad and street contractors in Indiana at the time of his death, which oc- curred in 1874. Of the nine children of this union Mrs. Downs was the fourth in order of birth, and of the number two others are now living — John M. and Miss Nora M. From an article appearing in the Indianapolis Star, with slight para- phrase,- the following interesting extracts are taken :
"From the results of a severe attack of chronic rheumatism which, with other complications, had made her an invalid for nearly ten years, Mrs. Ellen Sullivan Keating, wife of John Keating, passed away at her home, 1109 Dawson street, Mon- day morning, January 27, 1908, aged sixty-nine years. As a resident of Indianapolis since 1847, Mrs. Keating saw the city grow from a small village, which only sparsely settled the origi*al "mile square," to a city of more than two hundred thousand population. She saw the last of the Indians who visited the city and
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was in the crowd that assembled to welcome the first railroad train into "town." From the time when all traffic was done by canal and all traveling was overland, she kept pace with the advancing town to the day of street cars and electric lines, she saw the little frame stores of Washington street, which represented the busi- ness section of the town when she came here, supplanted by great modern structures, the while the business district expanded in every direction.
"Born in county Kerry, Ireland, in 1839, Mrs. Keating came to America in company with her parents and a brother and sister when she was eight years of age. After a very brief residence in Quebec, Canada, the family came to Indianapolis, and she had lived here ever since.
"It was at the age of fifteen years that Ellen O'Connor became the bride of Michael N. Sullivan. Four years after the death of Mr. Sullivan, in 1874, she was married to John Keating, who survives her. Mrs. Keating was the daughter of exceptionally long lived parents, Mr. O'Connor having died in 1878, at the age of ninety-eight years, and her mother passing away in 1891, at the age of one hundred and four years. Mrs. Keating was a woman of retiring disposition, liv- ing almost wholly for her home and her children, but she always maintained an interest in the affairs of the city. Funeral services were held at St. Patrick's church, of which she was a devout communicant."
In June, 1909, about one year after the death of her honored husband, Mrs. Downs returned with her children to Indianapolis, her native city, and here she now has a pleasant home at 2114 North Talbot street. She has a wide circle of friends in the capital city and she and her children are communicants of the Catho- lic church, her membership being in SS. Peter and Paul parish, in which she was reared.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Downs are here given in conclusion of this memoir, which is dedicated to a husband and father whose devotion made his home life one of ideal order: Marie, Madeline, Katherine, James and Genevieve.
Jf rank Jf ertig
|N THE life history of Frank Fertig the young may see what indus- try and temperance can accomplish; the farmer, the mechanic, the professional man — all may learn the results of energy, and the possibility of the combination of a great success with an active benevolence ; while the rich may find that a wise benefi- cence brings the largest revenue of happiness. An early settler and prominent citizen of Indianapolis, Mr. Fertig was for many years a well known figure in business circles of the city, and when death removed him there was no man more sincerely missed nor more deeply mourned.
Mr. Fertig was born in Buchen Baden, Germany, May 16, 1827, he was there educated and learned the trade of painter and decorator, but, like many others of his worthy countrymen, could only see ahead of him a long life of hard work with little chance of attaining an independent position. Accordingly, in 1849, he de- cided to try his fortune in the United States, and on August 27th of that year reached New York City, being practically penniless. There he joined an old friend, Charles Soehner, who had preceded him to New York, and they came to Indianapolis, where his first venture was in the decorating and painting business, Mr. Fertig having the distinction of being the first sign painter in the city. Loca- ting first at No. 65 West South street, a number of years later he removed to the center of the business district, and tliereafter maintained an establishment at No. 6 East Washington street, the firm style being Fertig & Kebers. One of his earliest contracts was the painting of all the stage coaches then running out of Indian- apolis, and when the state capitol was first erected, Mr. Fertig was given full charge of all the interior decorating. The business of the firm advanced com- mensurately with the growth of the city and under Mr. Fertig's able management assumed large proportions. It was not his object to accumulate great wealth, however, and when he had firmly established himself and his family, he turned his business affairs over to his son, and retired to the quiet of his home. Mr. Fertig's home was his church. He was an omnivorous reader, having a large and valuable library in both English and German, was a great lover of music, and an enthusiastic member of the German Maennerchor, also holding membership in the Odd Fellows. More especially was he interested in anything that pertained to the welfare of the Germans of his adopted city, and the German-English school benefited greatly by his liberal financial and moral support. His death occurred February 16, 1911, and burial was made at Crown Hill.
On October 21, 1851, Mr. Fertig was married at Indianapolis to Miss Catherine Werner, who was born in Buchen Baden, Germany, September 1, 1824, and died April 26, 1895. They had seven children, as follows: Charles, born August 26, 1852, who died May 11, 1866; Louis, of Philadeljihia, who married May Brinker and has one daughter, Mrs. Kelly Lewis, of New Orleans; Emil, the successor of his father in the firm of Fertig & Kevers, who married Lizzie Pfeffer and has three
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jFranfe Jpcrttg
children, Katrina, Alma and Leona, all living at home; Louise, a talented musician, who died January 17, 1902, the wife of George Richards, who passed away May 16, 1904, their children being, Mrs. Dr. Walter Cleveland, of Evansville, with one daughter, Helen Frances Cleveland, and Frank and Helen Richards, living with Miss Lena Fertig, of 2245 North Illinois street; Robert, who died December 13, 1891, and who married Amelia Cramer, of Adrian, Michigan, and now a resident of Detroit; Mrs. Bertha Balke, whose husband is deceased, and Miss Lena Fertig, of North Illinois street.
Honest and upright in all his business dealings, a public-spirited and patriotic citizen of his adopted country, a friend of all that tended to advance the interests of Indianapolis and a genial, whole-souled man who, having succeeded himself, delighted in the success of others, Frank Fertig, was one of Indianapolis' finest citizens, and the memory of his kindly and useful life will long remain green in the hearts of his many friends in the city.
?|enrj> ^c^nuU
NDIANAPOLIS has among her citizens many representatives of that sturdy race which has become a basic element of the popula- tion of the United States during the past century. This race is the German, and of its members in Indianapolis none could be mentioned as a better example of the racial characteristics of industry, determination to succeed, sincerity of character and honesty of purpose than the late Henry Schnull. For over fifty years he was actively identified with the business and commercial world of the thriving Indiana metropolis, and many of her leading enterprises were fostered and developed by him. He landed in America with not more than a few dollara in his pocket, and the story of his gradual rise to the position of one of Indian- apolis' most influential and prosperous citizens reads like a fairy tale, but the fairy godmother in this case was hard work and shrewdness and the courage of initiative.
Henry Schnull was born on the 26th of December, 1833, at the little village of Hausberge, in the province of Westphalia, Germany. His father was a prosperous grain merchant, but his mill burned and thus his fortune was swept away. He died soon after this misfortune, when Henry was only six, leaving a widow and two sons and a daughter. His wife, from grief and privation only lived seven years after her husband's death. The boy Henry had an attack of smallpox when he was quite young, which injured his eyesight, and on this account he did not attend the village school regularly. He was, however, clever and ambitious, and managed to pick up quite an education. When he was eleven years old he was sent to live with an uncle, who had a grocery store in the town, and here his troubles really began. The uncle was severe and unsympathetic, and the lad had to work like a little slave from morning till night. His sole recreation was had on Sunday after- noons, when he was allowed a vacation. His uncle usually went with him, and as they walked along the roadside Henry was forced to keep his eyes on the road, in order to pick up any horseshoes or nails that might have been dropped. These were pocketed by the uncle who sold them for old iron. When Henry swept out the store in the morning he had to keep his eyes open for stray coffee beans, and woe betide him if any missed his eye. These practices were to teach the lad economy, but the uncle pocketed the proceeds.
By the time Henry was eighteen he decided that he could stand this life no longer, so he determined to go to America, where his older brother, August had gone two years before. His uncle paid him for his services of seven years by giving him enough money for his voyage, and Henry gaily set forth for Bremen. On his arrival he found that he had just missed the monthly steamer and he was in des- pair, for he had not money enough to wait for another. He at last determined to venture the voyage in an old fashioned sailing vessel. For seventy-three days he remained on board this vessel, a long and weary voyage, which seemed as though
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it were going to be endless, but Henry had his reward, for by a lucky chance his brother August was in New Orleans on the very day that he disembarked from his ship. August SchnuU and Mr. Hahn were carrying on a trading business, whereby they took such products as poultry, eggs and butter to New Orleans from Indiana, selling them in exchange for Louisiana products. They had a long trip, traveling by wagon to Madison or Louisville, and then taking the boat to New Orleans. The profit, however, was compensation for the long journey. Henry was a veritable exclamation point, as they traveled up the broad Mississippi by steamer to Louis- ville. From this city they came to Madison by railroad, thence to Indianapolis by the JeffersonvUle, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, which had just reached completion.
It was during the month of September, 1852, that the two brothers arrived in Indianapolis. It was at that time a city of eight or nine thousand inhabitants, and the contributions of the rich farm lands about it were causing it to grow rapidly. Henry had seventy dollars left, but this sum which had seemed so large to his eyes, vanished into nothingness as he spent the next few months seeking for work. In after years he often recalled these days to his friend, Charles Mayer. It seems that Charles Mayer at that time conducted a small grocery and toy store on the site where his sons now carry on the large establishment of Charles Mayer & Company. To him Henry SchnuU applied for a job, and Mr. Mayer replied half jokingly, "No, young man, I can't use any young, green Germans in my business." Mr. SchnuU went away with liis feelings much bruised, little thinking that his only son would marry Mr. Mayer's only daughter. At last he did find work in Phillip Woerner's bakery, where he earned the munificent salary of six dollars a month and board. He had to rise at one o'clock in the morning, curry and feed the horses and then deliver the bread all over town. This would not have been so bad had he been able to snatch a few hours of sleep in the afternoons, but this time was spent in chopping wood for the bakery ovens. After five months of this work he found even his strength would not stand the strain, so he left Woerner's and accepted a clerkship in Volmer & Vonnegut's hardware and grocery store. Two of Mr. Vonnegut's sons afterwards married two of Mr. Schnull's daughters.
This business was located on Washington street, where the large drug store of Robert Browning was afterwards established. It was then a two-story brick building and Mr. Vonnegut and Mr. SchnuU slept in a small room over the store. Mr. Schnull's salary was ten doUars per month, and he remained here for eight months, when he was offered the position of clerk in a hotel at twenty dollars a month. This hotel was the Farmer's Hotel, owned by Mr. Buerig, and it was located at the corner of Illinois and Maryland streets. Mr. Buerig had just opened the place to the public, and it was in reality more of a boarding house than a hotel, and in connection with the establishment was a saloon. In addition to his duties as clerk, Mr. SchnuU was also assistant manager, but when Mr. Buerig demanded his help in the saloon he resigned. He went to the Lahr House in Lafayette, but Mr. Buerig fully appreciated his value after he had lost him, and he offered him fifty dollars a month and immunity from work in the saloon if he would return. This was too good an offer to be refused, but it was only a short time afterwards that Mr. Buerig disappeared, leaving $13,000 in debts. He wrote that he was on his way to California, and as soon as the news got abroad his creditors appeared from every direction. Mrs. Buerig pled with them to wait a little longer, and to
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accept Mr. Schnull's proposition to pay off the debt on weekly instaUments. This was a heavy responsibility for the young man to assume, but he had confidence in himself and in the latent possibilities in the business. He was now in sole command and his first move was to abolish the saloon. He then dismissed the boarders and made the place into a regular hotel, with the rate of $1.50 a day. He realized the need of advertising, and so hired porters to meet the trains and solicit patron- age. This proved to be a wise move, and he soon had a flourishing business. The hotel was at times so crowded that it wa§ necessary to place cots in the halls and Mr. Schnull never knew when he was going to have to sleep on the counter.
He worked night and day, doing everything about the hotel, and it was not long before he had Mr. Buerig's debts paid in full with interest. He often found him- self unable to make his weekly payments, and then he would borrow enough to keep his agreement. Men soon found that he kept his word and he soon had the confidence of all whojn he knew in a business way. Soon after the skies were clear and there was no longer any indebtedness Mr. Buerig came from his retirement, took possession and soon had the hotel running on the old saloon and boarding house plan. When this occurred Mr. Schnull resigned, although he was offered a half interest. He decided that he would accompany his brother August to New Orleans and when he returned he had formulated the scheme of selling "fever pills." He had earned about six hundred dollars and fifty of this he invested in a stock of pills, expecting to make a big profit, for Indiana was then in the throes of malarial fever. He selected Grant and Madison counties as his territories, and although he was making money all right, he did not stay in the business very long. An old farmer was the cause of his abandoning it. He was attempting to sell him some of his pills, and the old man asked, "Young man, do you personally know that those pills of yours will cure the ague?" Mr. Schnull answered that he did not, but that he believed they were all they pretended to be. The older man then said, "How would you feel if these pills should prove to be harmful, or would poison some one?" Mr. Schnull had never thought of the matter in this light before, and his conscience was so affected that he threw the case and all the pills into the river, determining to have nothing to do with a business that might hurt other people.
He came back to Indianapolis and started a retail grocery store in company with Fred P. Rusch, under the firm name of Henry Schnull and Rusch. This was in 1855 and the store was located in Washington street, between Liberty and Noble streets. The partners roomed over the store and the funds with which they started out in business consisted of five hundred dollars belonging to Mr. Schnull and two hundred that belonged to Mr. Rusch. The two yoimg men soon became known as the "two Dutch boys," and this title of affection and admiration was given them because they showed that they were not only shrewd and far-seeing merchants but honest and lovable young men. They soon saw a way in which they could gain a point over their competitors and were not slow in taking advantage of it. It seems that at this time the Indiana markets were overstocked with butter, poultry and eggs, and the farmers were often unable to sell their produce at any price. When they could sell their products they received such prices as five or six cents a poimd for butter. Schnull and Rusch not only bought all they would sell but paid them higher prices. The reason they were able to do this was that all the surplus prod- uce was carefully selected and then repacked and shipped to New Orleans, in charge of August Schnull and Hahn. There they bought sugar and molasses for the boys. The latter getting these products so much cheaper than their competitors
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were able to do, could underbid them and soon had a fine trade with the farmers of the surrounding country.
It was about this time that Mr. Schnull married Miss Matilda Schramm, daugh- ter of a well-to-do farmer of Hancock coimty — the date of their marriage being the 11th of December, 1856. During this year Mr. Rusch retired from the firm, selling his interest to August Schnull and Mr. Hahn, the firm becoming Hahn, Schnull & Company. The firm now enlarged its business, adding clothing to their stock of groceries and queensware, and taking another room further west on Wash- ington street, where the W. H. Block store is today located. The clothing depart- ment was given into the charge of August Schnull, and Henry Schnull had the grocery department, while C. F. Hahn continued the peddling business. Eighteen months later Mr. Hahn sold his interest and the firm became A. and H. Schnull. Their profits for this one year and a half were fifteen thousand dollars, and their business was steadily on the increase. They now discontinued the clothing trade and devoted themselves to groceries and to a little wholesale business. They moved into a new building, which is now occupied by W. H. Messenger Company, and soon their business had grown so as to necessitate renting the large room ad- joining their store. At this time they were not compelled to employ traveling men for their wholesale trade, as the hucksters came to town and bought what they required at first hand. On the return of August Schnull, from a trip to Ger- many in 1860, it was decided that the retail business should be given up and all the time of the brothers would then be free for the rapidly growing wholesale trade. This move is what entitles Henry Schnull to the title of "father of the wholesale district."
In 1861 the First Baptist church, a large building at the corner of Meridian and Maryland streets, was destroyed by fire, and the Schnull brothers purchased this property. The lot had a fifty-five foot frontage on Meridian street and was ninety-four feet deep. The purchase price was ninety dollars per front foot. The brothers had accumulated about $40,000 apiece, but they were forced to bor- row a large sum in order to build the fine four-story building, still known as SchnuU's Block. The cost of this enterprise was fifty-five thousand dollars. This was the first business block on South Meridian street, and when, in 1862, Henry Schnull bought the next lot to the south on which the fine stone front residence of Lewis Hasselman stood, tore down the house and erected another four-story busi- ness block, many of the Indianapolis business men thought he was in danger of losing his mind, for this was in the heart of the fashionable residence portion of the city. Mr. Schnull, however, knew perfectly well just what he was doing, and he intended to make this street the wholesale business street of Indianapolis. Therefore, against the advice of his friends he bought many other lots, some of which he sold at cost, and others on which he built business houses, after tearing down the residences. The money to do this was often borrowed, and when he sold a lot the purchaser had to sign an agreement to build business blocks in place of the dwellings. At this rate it did not take long for Mr. Schnull to realize his plan, and, just as he had expected, the wholesale business was centered on INIeridian street. It wqs for this that Mr. Schnull was often referred to by his friends as "the father of Meridian street."
About this time the Civil war broke out, and during this period the brothers made very large profits. One steamer carrying a large cargo of sugar, coflFee and molasses, consigned to them was the last to pass Fort Sumter, and with the imme-
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diate advance in prices the Schnulls made great profits on this cargo. Mr. SchnuU •was drafted for service in the army, but on account of his defective eyesight was not accepted. He felt that he was thus prevented from performing the duty of a loyal citizen, so he hired a substitute, which was not expected from any one who was himself physically incapacitated for service. In 1865 the firm which had weathered so many storms, sold out to Crossland, McGuire & Company, for the brothers had decided that now had come the time when they might enjoy the fruits of their labors. August Schnull, therefore, returned with his family to the Father- land, and Henry expected to take his rest in the land which had made his fortune. He was not of the type who can rest, however, so in 1866 he is again before the public eye as the founder of the Merchants National Bank. He was the first president of the bank, and Volney T. Malott was the cashier. He also was inter- ested at this time in the Eagle Machine Works, with Hasselman and Vinton, and was a partner in the iron business of Ewald Over & Company. In 1867 Mr. Schnull retired from the banking business and Mr. Malott became president. The follow- ing year Mr. Schnull founded the Indianapolis Cotton Mills, but they proved to be a failure, but since out of all his numerous ventures this was the only one in which back into the wholesale grocery business as a partner of Henry Severin and Ber- gen Applegate, the firm being known as Severin, Schnull & Company. In 1872 he sold his grocery interests and purchased the Palmer House, now the Occidental Hotel, for which he paid one hundred thousand dollars. In 1877 he again returned to the grocery business, buying out the interest of Mr. Over of the firm of Over & Krag. In 1889 Mr. Krag retired from the firm and Mr. Schnull took into part- nership his son Gustave and two trusted employes, William J. and George G. GriflSn. Since this time the firm has been conducted under the firm name of Schnull & Company.
This is the story of the life of a hard working man, but it must not be thought that he devoted himself exclusively to his business. He found time to visit his old home in Germany frequently, and his family all received the advantages of a liberal education and of foreign travel. When he was first married he took his bride to live in the rooms above his store, and the first home they really had was on North East street. In 1857 he built a two-story brick house on North Alabama street, and after moving twice more he settled down for a period of over twenty years in a house at 124 North Alabama street. About fifteen years ago he built the beautiful residence on Central avenue at the corner of Thirteenth street. The house, with its dignified style of German architecture, surrounded by trees, with its broad stretches of greensward, is one of the most beautiful places in Indian- apolis. Here this fine old German, who had become so truly an American while clinging to all that was best in his race, passed away on the 4th of November, 1906. His death was not only a great grief to his family, but his loss was keenly felt throughout the business world. He was seventy-three years of age, or would have been the following month, and scarcely a day of his whole life had been given up to idleness. He was one of the most charitable of men and at his death finan- cially remembered every charitable organization in the city, regardless of creed or color. In losing him the community felt as though one of. the landmarks had been swept away, and that there was no one could ever take his place.
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JT HAS always been the custom to be proud of our Puritan an- cestry, we who can trace our lineage back to the Pilgrim Fathers, and Marion county, Indiana, can rank among her citizens a family that is strong proof of the old saying, "Blood will tell." We have become accustomed to the fact that great men are continually appearing among us, who have no fam- ily and no ancestors, and we are in danger of forgetting that some of our greatest men have ranged back of them a long line of men prominent in the his- tory of our country. The fact of heredity is indisputable, and a man who has inherited the sturdy qualities of the first settlers in America, and the culture that came from a residence in the intellectual atmosphere of Massachusetts after she became a com- monwealth, might well be proud of his ancestry. He is much more strongly armed for his battle with life than the man who has back of him poverty, degeneracy and physical weakness. Therefore, when a man with a fine heritage is not alive to the fact that he has a natural advantage over other less well equipped men, he is more to be condemned than the man who fails, knowing that he has to contend with the cumulative effect of centuries of weakness and perhaps crime that went before him. Charles Abraham Howland and all of his family, while proud of their descent, consider that in itself it is valueless unless they at least tried to live up to the standard set for them through the preceding years. That they have been successful in their attempt will be shown by the story of their lives.
When the Mayflower touched the shores of Massachusetts on that bleak day in December, among her passengers was Pilgrim John Howland. He was the founder of the Howland family in this country, and, according to an old history, was a "lad of noble lineage" who would have ranked as Baron had his religious beliefs not forced him to come to America. In the old Plymouth cemetery stands the oldest monument of the Pilgrim Fathers, bearing this inscription :
John Howland. Died 1641.
The stone, which is of slate, has become much weather worn, and the rest of the inscription has been effaced. he great-grandson of Pilgrim John Howland was Consider Howland, whose house stood on Howland street. Most of the land on the northern side of this old house belonged to Pilgrim John's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, for they were lovers of land and owned large amounts of it. There is still a street in Plymouth known as Howland street. During the lifetime of Consider Howland the descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers formed themselves into a club to be known as Forefathers Club, and it fell to the lot of Consider Howland to entertain them for the first time. He was the owner of the old John Howland table, which was at that time about one hundred and fifty years old,
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and it is very likely that the dinner, which was typical of the food that the Pilgrim Fathers ate, was served from this old relic. Coming down to a time nearer the present the brief obituary notice that follows may serve to show the bravery and self-sacrificing spirit that lived in the Howland family through the years: "Spring- field, Massachusetts, August 28 — A cablegram announces the death Friday in Jaffna, Ceylon, of Reverend William Ware Howland, for nearly fifty years mis- sionary of the American Board on that island." The paper continues: "Mr. Howland was born at West Brookfield, Massachusetts, in 1817, graduating from Amherst College in 1841, and was ordained in 1845, after completing a course in Union Theological Seminary. Three of his children became missionaries, the eldest, William M. Howland, at Madeira, dying while in this country in 1877. The second, Reverend Samuel Howland, is president of Jaffna College. The only daughter, Miss Susan Reed Howland, is principal of a young woman's seminary in Jaffna, while Reverend John Howland is missionary of the American Board in Mexico. Mr. Howland was the oldest missionary in his field, and had not visited his native country since 1861. He lived to see the Jaffna mission grow imtil it has nine self- supporting churches and 2,000 members, while there are 135 mission schools and 8,500 pupils." For one who can read between the lines what a story of unselfishness and true nobiUty this tells.
Powell Howland, who established the Howland familj' in Indiana, was the son of Elisha Howland, of Saratoga, New York. Powell Howland was born in the Empire state, on the 16th of October, 1799. He was born in the old town of Sara- toga, within four miles of Burgoyne's defeat, and as a child listened with bated breath to the story of that glorious American victory. He remained in New York as a farmer until the 18th of October, 1839, when he set out on the journey he had decided to take to the west. He came to Marion county, and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres from Benjamin Purcell, about four miles north of what was then the city, on the Noblesville road. Here he settled and watching his oppor- tunities, added to his holdings until the farm aggregated three hundred and fifteen acres. He took a keen interest in fruit growing as well as in agriculture, and was widely known for the fine quality of his grapes and pears. His farm and the buildings upon it were the picture of thrift and industry and comfort. Mr. How- land never sought office but he was elected one of the county commissioners and was also sent to the house of representatives from his county. He felt the necessity of schools in this new country and to encourage the erection of one he donated a half an acre of his own land for a site. The schoolhouse was built, and most of his children received their education therein. He was a personal friend of the late Governor Joseph A. Wright, who resided with his family for some time under the hospitable roof of Mr. Howland. He was married in the county of his na- tivity on the 2d of September, 1823, to Miss Mahala Thurber. He lived to see many presidential administrations, casting his first vote for General Jackson in 1824. He is spoken of by one of his children at one of the reunions of the family as being a "noble peer of mickle trust and might, and where he dwelt all were benefited, his was a truly grand character." The tribute which follows to both father and mother is too long to quote, but the writer concludes, in terms show- ing the spirit of the family: "Let us emulate their example and indeed strive to shed lustre on the name, for whilst it is pleasant to know that you come of noble ancestry, it is as naught if we ourselves are lacking."
Charles Abraham Howland was the son of Powell Howland, and was born in
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Saratoga county, New York, on the 24th of February, 1830. He came to Marion county with his parents in 1839, and spent his boyhood on his father's farm. This farm, which was then several miles from the city, is now within throwing distance of the corporate limits. Charles Howland was the youngest of nine children and in these pioneer days he early learned to work. He received his education in the schoolhouse built on his father's farm, where his brother, Elisha J. was one of the first teachers. He did not have time for much study of books, for the work of the farm was strenuous in those days and even his boyish strength was needed. He was essentially a self-made man, but here the years of culture in the family history proved the truth of the doctrine of inherited characteristics, for he by his own efforts acquired a good education, his mind seeming to be particularly able to absorb learning of any sort. When Charles Howland reached maturity he bought land from his father and with the assistance of his wife started bravely into the struggle for existence. He was of those men of great determination who when they set their minds on a thing seldom fail to obtain it.
As a farmer he inherited the ability of his father and in addition to the land which he bought from him he also acquired a fine piece of property, consisting of three hundred acres northeast of Broad Ripple. He was an active member of the State Agricultural Association, and after he had become prosperous and when his time was very fully occupied with the care of his big place, he served as one of the officials of the association and was a prominent member of the board of di- rectors. He was an enthusiastic member of the Republican party, and received the honor of being elected to the county board of commissioners. His keen and far- sighted brain saw an opportunity not only of benefiting himself, but of assisting the growth of the city, when the electric line from Indianapolis to Anderson and Mun- cie was under construction. He refused the builders the right of way through his farm unless a five cent fare clause was granted. He demanded that one fare only should be paid from the farther end of his farm to the city, and although every means was resorted to in order to persuade him to give up his idea, he was obdu- rate. Seeing that he was immovable, the railroad company, notwithstanding the fact that the Keystone station is considerably beyond the city limits, charge only one fare. The result of this astute move of Mr. Howland is that many Indian- apolis people are building residences in what is now the Howland addition. Mr. Howland died on the 12th of April, 1910, in the old homestead, which was a part of the property he bought from his father.
Charles Howland was very active in church circles, first in the Robert Parks church, and later in the Ebenezer Lutheran church, which is located near the homestead. He had the gift of organization, highly developed, and was very suc- cessful as superintendent of this Sunday-school and of that of the Sugar Grove Methodist church Mapleton. He was married to Helen Bacon, a daughter of Hiram Bacon and Alice (Clair) Bacon, both of whom were born in Marion county, Indiana. The Bacon homestead was what is now Malott Park. Mrs. Howland was the oldest of eleven children, and was a most worthy helpmeet throughout the years of her married life. Her father, Squire Bacon, assisted in the building of the First Presbyterian church in Indianapolis, consequently Mrs. Howland was a member of this church. Although she assisted her husband in his church work, she never withdrew from the church to which she was bound by such strong ties. The How- land family holds an annual reunion on the 17th of October, the date of the coming of Powell Howland to Indiana, and these reunions are great events in the history
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of the family. They serve to keep the family together, and to inspire them with a determination to live up to the example set them by their illustrious forebears.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Howland were four, of whom the two sons are dead. The eldest, Mahala Alice Howland, married William D. Seaton, of Indianapolis, on the 21st of February, 1872. For forty years Mr. Seaton con- ducted the William D. Seaton hat store, at No. 29 Pennsylvania street. He is one of the best known business men in Indianapolis; a man upon whom all men rely, known for his fine character as well as for his business ability. He has recently sold his business, to good advantage, Burkhardt Brothers, of Cincinnati, being the purchasers. Mr. and Mrs. Seaton live in the old homestead, and are living again in the lives of their children. Mr. Seaton never knew what it was to take a real rest until he sold his business, and he is thoroughly enjoying the luxury which so few Americans ever have. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Seaton numbered four, but death has carried one of these into the Great Beyond. It will not do to pass over the life of Doctor William Howland Seaton, the eldest of these children, with a mere mention, for he was a man of great prominence in the community and was not only a skillful practitioner but a fine type of American manhood.
William Howland Seaton was graduated from the Indiana Medical College and then took post graduate courses at two of the finest colleges in New York City. He finished this work in 1894, and then came back to the city of his birth. He was a specialist, and he had not been in practice long before his ability was recog- nized. For a young man his success was most unusual, and his confreres often wondered how he managed to secure as large a practice so quickly. They did not doubt his ability, nevertheless they wondered. The secret lay in the very fact that made him so popular with his own profession, that is he was so intensely human. He treated a patient as a friend, and one felt the warm human sympathy with which he was overflowing. He had the power of drawing men to him, and once a man became a friend of his he never turned from him. The power to win and keep friends ; how many of his gifted brethren would give all of their fame and fortune for this gift ! It lay not in any peculiar magnetic power but in his creed of brotherly love. He thought little of self and much of others. Dr. Seaton was a member of the Marion and other social clubs and was a Mason. He was married on the 2d of June, 1897, to Miss Blanche Brown, a daughter of Mrs. Katherine Wright Brown, of the Blacherne. He was ill for a long time, having a severe attack of meningitis. For nine weeks he was in a very dangerous condition, but his splendid physical strength and the firm deter- mination which he had to get well carried him through the crisis, and he recovered. He was apparently completely cured and was once more devoting himself to his profession when he suffered a fatal relapse. It was discovered that medicine was useless and an operation was necessary. There was no hope of Dr. Seaton's re- covery without the operation, and it was very doubtful whether he would be able to recover from the shock, but there was nothing to do but to operate. The finest surgeons in the city conducted the operation, which was one of the most perfectly performed ones in the history of the local medical profession. Dr. Seaton recov- ered from the effects of the anaesthetic, and it was believed that his remarkable vitality would bring him through, but he slowly sank and died about ten hours after the operation. The members of the Marion County Medical Society as a mark of respect attended the funeral of Dr. Seaton in a body and the following resolutions were passed by the above society: "The Marion County Medical So-
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ciety has learned with deep regret of the death of Dr. William H. Seaton. With marked natural ability he combined industry and executive ability, and unusually early gained a liberal practice. In his death we recognize the end of a promising career. The sympathy of the society is hereby extended to his sorely tried and bereaved wife and to his family so long identified in an honorable way with this community."
The second son of Mr. and Mrs. Seaton is also a physician, who is now living at home. He is a graduate of the Indianapolis Medical College, and is medical director of the Meridian Life Insurance Company of Indianapolis. He is rapidly winning prominence in his profession, and as a young physician of great promise is well known in medical circles throughout the city. Mary Seaton, the daughter, is the wife of George Crozier Moore. He is identified with the Federal Surety Company, one of the most reliable firms in Indianapolis, and he and his wife make their home at Keystone and Southerland avenues. Another daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Seaton is Helen, who married Guy E. Hawkins and lives with Mr. and Mrs. Seaton. The characteristics which made of the Howlands of old makers and moulders of the nation crop forth again in the Seaton family. They are charac- terized by their independence of thought, their high ideals, their true refinement, their strength in time of trial, and their charity and kindness to all men.
The first child of Charles A. Howland and his wife was Powell Howland, who died. The next son was Hiram Bacon.
Hiram Bacon Howland was a very prominent farmer and stock raiser. He was a member of the State Board of Agriculture and was consequently one of the best known men in Indiana. He was born on the old Howland Homestead, and was given by his father the farm at Broad Ripple of 300 acres. For two terms before his death he was general superintendent of the Fair Grounds and he was exceedingly active and interested in the success of the exhibitions. He lived near the grounds and consequently took a personal interest in seeing that they were kept in good condition. He made frequent visits to see that the property was not being injured, and during Fair time he was always to be found attending to the wants of the visitors to the exhibition. A few weeks before his death he had acted as starter in the races at the Shelby county fair, and up until a short time before his death had been busy about the Fair Grounds. He was a member of the Governor's staff, and the number of his friends throughout the state could scarcely be reckoned. He had served on the State Board of Agriculture for eight years and his sudden death was a great shock to his friends. He was a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, an Elk, and a member of the Columbia Club. He was a prominent figure on the staff of Governor Mount. He was only forty-six at the time of his death, and his widow, who was Carrie Green, of Easton, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Judge Samuel Green, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, is now living at her old home in Easton. Five children were born to them, of whom all are living. Alice (Howland) Bond, has three children, and Anna (Howland) Whitesell, has two children.
The youngest of the Howland family is Mary Ellen Howland. She married Benjamin C. Bancroft and now lives in Denver, Colorado. Her husband is quite well known in literary circles, being a man of brilliant intellectual attainments. He is identified with the Curtis Publishing Company. Their daughter, who is Helen Thomas, lives in St. Louis, Missouri. The son, Howland Bancroft, is a mining engineer of considerable prominence. He is at present in the employ of the government at Washington, D. C, having recently returned from South Amer-
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ica, where he had been on government business. His is another that the University of Michigan may add to the long list of illustrious names on the honor roll of her alumni. Alice Bancroft lives at home and the youngest son, George Bancroft, is deceased.
With this record of fine men and noble women the history of the Rowland family comes to a close, and it is only just to prophesy that the younger generation will follow in the steps of the elder and remember that they have in their veins the blood of men and women who have lived to the glory of God and their country. It is a wonderful heritage, and should spur them on to attempt the highest deeds and live the noblest lives.
George C &am
[T HAS been well said that discontent is the daughter of ambition and the mother of endeavor and progress. Such wise discon- tent could not have been absent in the makeup of the late George Thomas Evans, who was for half a century one of the honored citizens of Indianapolis and who here achieved distinctive suc- cess through well directed effort, — an effort prompted by this same discontent or dissatisfaction with any stage of progress which offered possibilities for still further advancement. He marked the passing years with vigorous and intelligent endeavor, and the results inured not only to his own prosperity but also to the industrial and civic development of the city which was so long his home and in which his interests ever centered. Mr. Evans was large of mind and large of heart; he placed just valuations upon all things; he was animated by a tolerant sympathy for those less endowed or less fortunate than him- self, and his very presence was cheering and invigorating. His great genial soul endeared him to those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life and when his sudden death came, as the result of a most distressing accident, the sense of personal loss and bereavement manifested by the people of his home city was unqualified. He had the strength and freedom to pursue the purposes of hope, and in making life good for himself, he also made it good for others. Indianapolis figured as the stage of his achievement, which was large, and here, where he was best known, he was most loved. Thus there is all of consistency in according to him — the man, the citizen, the friend — a definite tribute and memoir in this edition, dedi- cated to those who have been factors in the social and material activities of the In- diana capital and who have now passed from the scene of their mortal endeavors.
George Thomas Evans was born at Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio, on the 17th of September, 1838, and his death occurred in the city of Chicago, on the 12th of November, 1909, as the result of injuries received by being struck by a street car a few hours previously. He and his wife had gone for a visit and were on their way to their hotel when he was thus stricken down. Mr. Evans was the third of four sons, all of whom are now deceased, the family including in addition, two half brothers and five half sisters by a previous marriage of his father. His parents were numbered among the honored pioneers of the old Buckeye state — persons of sterling worth of character and known as devoted members of the Society of Friends, the teachings and simple faith of which they exemplified in their daily lives.
To the schools of his native place Mr. Evans was indebted for his early educa- tion, which was supplemented by academic studies in Earlham College, the noble institution which has long been conducted at Richmond, Indiana, under the auspices of the Society of Friends. His intellectual powers were excellent and his ambition was one of definite action. Such a man could not remain in obscurity. In 1861, as a young man of twenty-three years, Mr. Evans came to Indianapolis, where he engaged in the manufacture of linseed oil. He was the pioneer in this line of
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industry in the Indiana metropolis and was the founder of the business conducted under the title of the Evans Linseed Oil Company, in which enterprise his two brothers, William and Joseph were later identified for some time. He finally dis- posed of his interest in this enterprise, which had become one of substantial order under his aggressive and able supervision, and became associated with his father- in-law, James E. Robertson, in the wholesale grocery trade.
The ambitious young man, however, missed the inspiriting hum and whir of machinery and he soon withdrew from the wholesale grocery business and turned his attention to the flour milling industry, with which he continued to be actively and successfully identified during the residue of his long and successful life. A part- nership was formed in 1881 under the name of Richardson & Evans for the owner- ship and operation of the old Hoosier mill on West Washington street. This con- cern soon felt the impetus of his dominating energy and progressive policies, and it gained precedence in the scope and importance of its operations. Twelve years later the firm became Geo. T. Evans & Son, which partnership continued imtil March, 1909, when the business was consolidated with that of the Acme Milling Company, under the title of Acme-Evans Company, one of the largest milling con- cerns in the Central West. Of this corporation he was president and a stockholder until his death.
Mr. Evans was not alone interested in making his business enterprise a large and worthy success, but he also had due appreciation of its incidental value in furthering the industrial prestige of the city. Under these conditions he never abated his progressiveness and he had the satisfaction of being the prime force in the upbuilding of one of the large and important industrial and commercial enter- prises of Indianapolis. In many other directions he showed, in a characteristic- ally quiet and unostentatious way, his abiding interest in all that touched the welfare of his home city, and his public spirit was one of constant and well directed help- fulness. The honors or emoluments of political office had naught of allurement for him, but he was firm in his convictions concerning matters of public import and accorded a staunch allegiance to the Republican party. He was a valued member of the Indianapolis Board of Trade and also of the Columbia Club, one of the representative social organizations of the city. He was a birth-right member of the Society of Friends, the teachings of whose simple and noble faith developed his intrinsic sympathy and kindliness and prompted him to extend a helping hand to those in affliction and distress, ever without parade or ostentation, and to give his cooperation in the furtherance of all worthy philanthropic and benevolent objects.
On the 24th of January, 1865, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Evans to Miss Mary Robertson, daughter of James E. and Eliza Thompson Robertson, of Indianapolis. Mr. Robertson was long numbered among the representative business men of Indianapolis and is now one of its most venerable and honored pioneer cit- izens, his age at the time of this writing, in 1912, being ninety-three years. He is well preserved in mental and physical faculties, notwithstanding his advanced age.
To Mr. and Mrs. Evans was born one son Freddie, a child of great promise, who died at the age of three years. Shortly afterwards they adopted under the name of Edgar H. Evans one of the children of a widow in ill health and reduced circum- stances, a member of an old New England family noted for its high intellectual and moral standing.
Mrs. Evans and her son Edgar H. Evans hold a more than controlling interest in Acme-Evans Company, of which the son is now president. He is also president
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of the Indianapolis Board of Trade. As a business man and loyal and progres- sive citizen, he is well upholding the prestige of the honored name which he bears and is an aggressive factor in the industrial and civic activities of the "Greater Indianapolis." Mrs. Evans still resides in her beautiful homestead, at 1018 North Meridian street, in the most exclusive residence section of the city. This has been her abiding place from the time of her marriage, nearly half a century ago, when the property was located just outside the then city limits. The handsome home has been a center of most gracious hospitality which has endeared it to a large circle of friends.
Edgar H. Evans was born at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., July 18, 1870. On the 18th of April, 1899, he wedded Miss Ella Laura Malott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Volney T. Malott, of one of the oldest and most substantial families of Indian- apolis. There were three children of this union — Eleanor, Mary and Caroline (the last now deceased).
In conclusion of this brief memoir it is gratifying to offer the following estimate which appeared in the editorial columns of one of the leading Indianapolis daily papers at the time of the death of Mr. Evans:
"The death, by accident, in Chicago, of George T. Evans will be a shock indeed to his large circle of friends and acquaintances. He had been for many years one of the city's foremost manufacturers. From small beginnings he had come to the front rank, where his force of character made him known and marked. But with his business he kept alive the social side of life and there were few more attractive men in the hour of relaxation. He had a wide fund of information, a kindly feeling and the social instinct that seeks to draw out and make the best of the e^pellencies of others. He was, in short an 'all-round' character- — a man who had given a good account of himself in life; who made the world a better and worthier place as far as his efforts reached."
The following taken from the "Northwestern Miller" of Minneapolis shows the high regard of the milling business for Mr. Evans:
"It takes but a short paragraph or two to relate the bare facts of a milling ex- perience of nearly half a century ; the business biography of a miller may be told in a few words, yet to those who stop to consider the story of steady and consistent ef- fort, the years of doubt and struggle, the various problems met and solved, the changing conditions of all these years which such a career implies, a life such as this means a very busy and useful existence. Measured by good deeds, done with- out ostentation, by an influence always exerted manfully and frankly for those things which he believed to be right and by a consistent adherence to true and sound principles, the career of Mr. Evans was a notable one. Determined and aggres- sive in his assertion of his beliefs, outspoken and uncompromising, Mr. Evans was forceful and stanch. There was never the slightest doubt where he stood upon any public question, and it made little difference to him whether he was in the minority or otherwise. He yielded to no one in his sturdy support of those things he believed to be just and right, and seemed to relish nothing better than to fight against great odds. A fine strong character has passed away from among us, and the Northwestern Miller, in company with the trade it represents, mourns the death of this steadfast and high-principled gentleman."
CIIAkl.i'lS II. MiDOWKI
Cfjarleg ft. JHcBotoeU
(HOUGH summoned from the scene of life's mortal endeavors in the very flower of his young manhood, the late Charles Hamilton McDowell had admirably proved his powers of accomplishment and had achieved definite success through his own energies and well directed endeavors, the while his rectitude, his genial per- sonality and his usefulness as one of the world's productive workers gained and retained to him the unqualified confidence and regard of his fellow men. He built up in Indianapolis a most prosperous business as an interior decorator and as a dealer in wall paper, picture mouldings, etc., and the enterprise established by him is still successfully conducted by his widow, who had been his valued coadjutor in the same.
Charles Hamilton McDowell was born in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, on the 25th of December, 1880, and he thus became a welcome Christmas guest in the home of his parents, John and Flora E. (Davage) McDowell, both of whom are now de- ceased, the father having been a decorator and paper-hanger during the greater part of his active business career. The subject of this memoir was a child at the time of the family removal from his native city to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was reared to adult age and where he availed himself of the advantages of the public schools and a business college. His first employment was in the capacity of clerk in a drug store in Louisville, where he also was employed for some time as a book- keeper. He finally learned the trade of decorator and paper-hanger under the di- rection of his father, and with this line of work he thereafter continued to be ac- tively identified until his death. In 1900 he decided to locate in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and en route to his destination he came to Indianapolis. He was in- duced to remain in this city at the solicitation of his uncle, Henry Clay McDowell, who was here engaged in business as a decorator. He worked with his uncle for two years and then engaged in the same line of enterprise in an independent way, by opening an establishment at 915 South Illinois street. There he built up a prosperous business in the handling of wall paper and picture mouldings. In con- nection with which he did general interior decorating. After about six months he removed to more eligible quarters, at 933 South Meridian street, where he continued operations until the autumn of 1908, when he purchased the property adjoining, at 935 South Meridian street. The house on this lot he removed to the rear and then erected on the street front a substantial two-story building, for store and factory. At this location the business is still continued by his widow. Energy, progressive policies, the best of service and fair and honorable dealings brought to Mr. McDowell a large and appreciative patronage, and he gained prestige as one of the representa- tive men in his line of enterprise in the capital city. He devoted himself closely to his business and also became a stockholder in the Capital City Brewing Company and the Citizens' Gas Company. His advancement represented the direct results
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of his own efforts and he was honored as a reliable and substantial business man, as well as a progressive and public-spirited citizen.
In politics Mr. McDowell was not constrained by strict partisan lines but gave his support to the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. He was affiliated with various Masonic bodies in his home city and in this time-honored fraternity he received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He held membership in the Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal church and was zealous and liberal in the support of the various departments of its work, his widow likewise being a devoted member of this church. Mr. McDowell was but thirty years of age when he was summoned to the life eternal, his death having oc- curred on the 31st of January, 1911. He had a wide circle of friends in Indian- apolis and his death was deeply lamented in the community. His fine attributes of character were exemplified most beautifully in his home life, which was ideal in its relations, and his devotion to his family was of the most intense order. His wife was indeed his companion and helpmeet, and through her assistance in the management of his business she gained an intimate knowledge of the same, this having proved most fortunate, in that she has been able to carry forward the enter- prise with uninterrupted success since he passed away.
On the 10th of January, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. McDowell to Miss Frances Mclntyre, daughter of James and Keziah (Glover) Mclntyre, of Franklin, Johnson county, Indiana, where she was born and reared and where her father still maintains his home, — a surveyor and contractor by vocation. The mother is deceased and of the children two daughters are living, Jennie Jones, of this city, and Mrs. McDowell. Mr. and Mrs. McDowell became the parents of one son, Charles H., Jr., who was born on the 15th of February, 1903, and who is a fine little lad, the chief comfort and pride of his devoted mother.
OTiUiam Mtlp^ Eansifortr
)HE life and work of William Phelps Ransford, from 1869 a resi- dent of Indianapolis^ until the time of his death, which occurred T^j^ on March 18, 1902, was one of varying interests, and a brief ^^ review of his career discloses many and divers experiences which throw considerable light upon the versatile character of the man. In the fullest sense, he was the architect of his own fortunes, depending as he did entirely upon his own resources from his early youth. As clerk, then proprietor of a number of stores throughout the country, back to a position of traveling salesman as a result of heavy financial losses, pioneer in the laying out and establishing of a Nebraska town, real estate dealer, gold miner, — all these various occupations took his time and attention up to 1869, when he came to Indianapolis and engaged in the insurance business, and this line of endeavor proved so successful a venture with him that he continued with it until just prior to his demise.
William Phelps Ransford was born at Norwich, New York, on September 7, 1821. He was the son of William and Emily (Phelps) Ransford, natives of Con- necticut, and among the pioneer settlers of Norwich. They were the parents of one other child, — Martha Louise, who married Henry Crouse. The son was an at- tendant of the Norwich schools in his boyhood, and as a lad in his 'teens secured work as a clerk in a local store. When he was about twenty-two years of age he came to Indiana, locating first at Michigan City, where he worked as a clerk in the general store of Mr. Blair, and there he remained for three years, after which time Mr. Blair took him into the business as a partner. After a number of years in that capacity he, together with a clerk of the Blair store, entered into a partnership and went to La Porte, Indiana, where they opened a general store. Like most general stores of that day, they carried a widely varying stock to meet the demands of the trade, and meeting with a fair degree of success the young men established branch stores in various smaller towns in their vicinity and kept a number of wagoru! on the road in the country districts, for the accommodation of those who found trav- eling to market a difficult matter. They sold out their interests in La Porte even- tually and located in Toledo, entering the same business, but there they met with heavy financial reverses due to the untimely failing of a bank. They next entered into similar business in Des Moines, there meeting with indifferent success. The death of Mr. Ransford's wife disheartened him for further business ventures, and he sold out his interests in the then existing business and took a position as traveling representative for Seamans & Company of New York City. After two years de- voted to that work Mr. Ransford went to Nebraska, and he was one of those who as- sisted in the laying out of the new town called Fort Calhoun, situated about fifteen miles from Omaha. There he engaged in the real estate business, and he accumu- lated a considerable property in that section of the country. In 1858, when gold was discovered in the west, he with a party of others went to Denver and became
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engaged in gold mining. They had one of the first water power plants to be used in gold mining, and their efforts were attended by a fair degree of success at times. Mrs. Ransford now wears a ring made from some of the gold he washed out, and which she cherishes as a valued memento of the life of her husband in the days be- fore she became his wife. He remained in that part of the country for about three years, when the breaking out of the Civil war brought about such a depreciation in the value of properties there that he disposed of his interests and returned to La- Porte, and there he again engaged in his old time mercantile business. His interests were retained until 1869, when he became associated with the Hartford Life Insur- ance Company of Hartford, Connecticut, and came to Indianapolis as state agent for that company. He remained thus connected until the failure of the company just previous to his death, which occurred on March 18, 1902.
Mr. Ransford was a Mason, and was a member of that fraternity for more than fifty years. At the time of his death he was a member of Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 319, F. & A. M. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a strong Republican, and was deeply interested in the welfare of that party, being always active in its behalf.
On April 25, 1858, Mr. Ransford married Nettie Campbell, the daughter of Robert and Grace (Mclntyre) Campbell, both of whom were born in Scotland and who came to America in early life, settling in Herkimer county. New York, in which county Mrs. Ransford was born. Two children were born to them, both of whom are deceased. Nettie L. died at the age of twenty-two months and Ida G. lived to reach the age of fourteen years and eight months before she was taken from them by death. Both are buried in Crown Hill cemetery, as is also the father, Mr. Ransford. By a previous marriage Mr. Ransford was the father of two children, William H. and Ella, both of whom are also deceased.
Mrs. Ransford has always taken a particularly prominent place in the social life of Indianapolis, as well as in fraternal circles, in which she is particularly inter- ested. She is the publisher of The Eastern Star, a stirring little magazine of six- teen pages devoted to the work of the order. The magazine was founded by Mrs. Ransford in 1888, and was the first paper of its kind to be published. It has an enormous circulation, finding its way to every hamlet and city in America where the Order of the Eastern Star is represented, and even as far distant as South Africa, and the success of the magazine is a high tribute to the executive ability of its publisher. Mrs. Ransford has been a member of the Eastern Star for more than forty years, and was present at the meeting in which the order was organized in Indianapolis. She attended every meeting of the order since organization in the old Masonic hall in 1876, and has ever been foremost in the good works of the society. She has held many offices during the years of her affiliation with the society. She was most worthy grand matron of the General Grant Chapter from 1889 to 1892; grand matron of Indiana from 1879 to 1883; grand secretary for Indiana from 1894 to 1912 and still retains that oflSce; worthy matron of Queen Esther chapter for 1875, 1876, 1877 and 1885; secretary of Queen Esther chapter. No. 3, in 1887; president of Eastern Star Home Board, all of the Order of Eastern Star. In all of these offices, which carry with them much of honor, as well as mul- titudinous duties calling for ability of a high order, Mrs. Ransford has acquitted herself with distinction, winning high encomiums from all who are connected with the work of the order, and being retained in the various offices for several years of consecutive service, a fact which is eloquent of the character and intrinsic value of
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Mrs. Ransford as a woman and as an executive. In addition to her interest in the Eastern Star, she has been prominent in the work of the Woman's Relief Corps of Indiana, and has held many important offices in that worthy organization, and has also been president of the Local Council of Women of Indianapolis.
Mrs. Ransford is a woman of about seventy-three years of age, but has the ac- tivity of a woman of not more than fifty. The fact that she has full charge of the magazine of which she is the publisher amply indicates her splendid vitality of mind and body for a woman of her age. Previous to her connection with the Eastern Star, Mrs. Ransford was manager of the Women's News, published in Indianapolis, in which work she was particularly successful. She is a member of Christ church of the Episcopal faith, and is active and prominent in the work of that denomination. Mrs. Ransford has been a resident of Indianapolis since 1869, and is recognized as one of the most prominent women of her city. By reason of her many admirable traits as a woman of character, education and refinement she has won and retains in the hearts of a large circle of people a secure place which will endure through all time.
MiUiam JF- Henlep
5S A wholesale dealer in men's hats the late William Fluke Henley long held prestige as one of the representative figures in the
A/«W( commercial activities of Indiana's capital city and metropolis, lo/j and here he stood exponent of those progressive policies and that high civic loyalty through the medium of which the city has been advanced to its present important status as an indus- trial and commercial center. He was a man of distinctive abil- ity and his character was cast in a noble mould, so that he eminently merited the confidence and high regard in which he was held in the community that so long figured as his home and the stage of his successful business activities. He came to Indiana as a youth and it was his to represent this state as a loyal and valiant sol- dier of the Union in the Civil war, in which he made an admirable record and one that well lend enduring honor to his name. His career was prolific in worthy achievement and in his death, which occurred on the 30th of March, 1910, Indian- apolis lost one of its representative business men and one of its most loyal and popu- lar citizens.
William Fluke Henley was born on a plantation in Randolph county. North Carolina, on the 3d of July, 1840, and was the only son of John and Elizabeth (Coffin) Henley, who also had two daughters, both of whom are now deceased. The lineage of the Henley family is traced back to staunch English origin and the orig- inal progenitors in America landed at Nantucket, Rhode Island, in the colonial era of our national history. William F. Henley was a child at the time of his mother's death and he was taken into the home of his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Elitha Coffin, a most noble and gracious woman, under whose earnest and loving care he was reared. With her he came to Indiana when a lad of sixteen years and the home was established on a farm near Amo, Hendricks county, where he was reared to adult age and where he supplemented in the public schools the educational dis- cipline which he had received in his native state. He also availed himself of the advantages of Earlham College, at Richmond, this state, an admirable institution which has long been cohducted under the auspices of the Society of Friends, of which his loved and devoted grandmother was a member.
Though a native son of the southland, the sympathies of Mr. Henley were en- tirely with the Union when the war between the states was precipitated, and in July, 1862, he gave patent evidence of his loyalty by enlisting as a private in Company I, Fifty-fourth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, his age at the time having been twenty- two years. He proceeded with his regiment to the front and at the expiration of his three months' term of enlistment the regiment was reorganized and he re-en- listed, as a member of Company B. He took part in the various battles and minor engagements in which his command was involved and was ever found at the post of duty, a valiant and faithful soldier and one who gained the high regard of his com- rades and officers. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg, the engagements at
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Black River and Champion Hills, and numerous other conflicts with the enemy, and he was mustered out on the 15th of December, 1863, duly receiving his honorable discharge. He then returned to the homestead farm of his grandmother, and it may well be stated that his devotion and solicitude attended this gracious and loved kinswoman until she was summoned to eternal rest, at a venerable age.
Mr. Henley remained on the farm one summer, during which he recuperated from the debilitating effects of his army life, and he then came to Indianapolis, where he entered the employ of the Conduett & Cook Company, wholesale grocers, with which concern he continued to be connected in the capacity of traveling sales- man for many years thereafter. He severed his association with this company on the 1st of January, 1881, when he effected the organization of the firm of Henley, Hen- derson & Lefler and engaged in the wholesale dealing in hats, caps, gloves, etc. He was senior partner in the firm and held the greater part of its capitalistic stock. The headquarters of the business was established in the wholesale district in South Meridian street and after being identified with the enterprise about three years Mr. Henley disposed of his interest in the same and removed to Omaha, Nebraska, where he was identified with the same line of enterprise about one year. He then returned to Indianapolis and organized the Henley & Eaton Company, with which he was engaged in the same field of enterprise for several years, with headquarters in South Meridian street. The business was finally closed out by the interested principals, and thereafter Mr. Henley lived virtually retired until his death, though he found ample demand upon his time and attention in connection with his official position in the Commercial Travelers' Association, of which he was long one of the most prominent and popular members. He was elected president of this organiza- tion in 1882 and served in this office one year. In 1891 he was elected its secretary and treasurer, and of this dual oflice he continued the able and popular incumbent for the long period of eighteen years, his retirement coming only when death ended his labors. He was a most careful and discriminating executive and handled the large and important interests of the association with punctilious fidelity, his posi- tion demanding his control of the large financial affairs of the organization, whose every member delighted to call him a friend, while those of the association who knew him personally gave to him a most loyal and affectionate regard.
Although Mr. Henley was essentially liberal, progressive and public-spirited as a citizen, he never sought or desired the honors or emoluments of poUtical office. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and his interest in his old comrades of the Civil war was one of the most insistent and appreciative order. He was a valued and honored member of George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Re- public, in Indianapolis, and it is worthy of special note that he had the distinction of being the contributor of the first dollar to the fund which eventually made pos- sible the erection of the magnificent Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Indian- apolis,— one of the finest in the world and one that gives to the city a peculiar dis- tinction. The religious faith of Mr. Henley was that of the Methodist Episcopal church and he was most earnest and zealous in the furtherance of the various depart- ments of its work. He held membership in the Central Avenue church of that de- nomination for more than a quarter of a century and was one of the oldest adherents at the time of his death. He was a class leader in the same for many years and also served as one of its stewards. The associations of his home constituted the main solace and interest of Mr. Henley, and concerning the ideal relations of the domestic chapter in his career there can be no desire to enter into details other
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than those of simple statement. In the city of Indianapolis, on the 9th of May, 1878, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Henley to Miss Eva L. Coffin, who was born in North Carolina, and who was a child of three years when she accompanied her widowed mother to Indiana, her father having died in North Carolina. She is a daughter of Cyrus and Martha (Cook) Coffin, both likewise natives of South Carolina. On coming to Indiana the mother established her home at Knights- town, Henry county. Mrs. Henley has been a resident of Indiana's capital city for thirty-five years and is a popular factor in its social activities, as well as those of religious, charitable and benevolent order. She has long been a member of the Central Avenue Methodist Episcopal church, and in the same has been active in the work of the various women's societies. She now resides in the fine Victoria apartment building. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Henley brief record is given in conclusion of this memoir: May W. is the wife of Stoughton A. Fletcher, president of the Fletcher American Bank, and a representative of one of the oldest and most important families of Indianapolis, and they have two children, — Louisa and Stoughton A., III. Martha is the younger of the two children of Mrs. Henley.
Cljrisitian Jf, Seintiti)
MAN of no little prominence in German circles of Indianapolis and one who by his inherent traits of thrift, honesty and pro- gressiveness achieved a pleasureable degree of success in a busi- ness way, and who by his many worthy qualities of citizenship left an undeniable imprint upon the annals of that city, was Christian F. Heinrich, a citizen of Indianapolis from 1866 up to the hour of his death, which occurred on March 21, 1910. Christian F. Heinrich was bom in Wurtemberg, Germany, on November 6, 1847. He was reared and educated in the town of his birth, coming to America at the age of nineteen years and locating directly in Indianapolis. He was the only child of his parents, and was the only one of his family to immigrate to America; thus he was practically alone in this country until he assumed marriage ties and became the head of a family. On settling in Indianapolis the young man secured employment in the butcher business, and in a comparatively short time was able to enter into business on his own responsibility. His efforts in that line were attended by suc- cess and he was soon the proprietor of a thriving retail meat business, which he maintained throughout his life-time, although he gradually took over other interests and became known as one of the prominent business men of the city. He became interested in real estate, and with the passing of years was able to accumulate a goodly estate, his holdings at the time of his death assuming splendid proportions, and representing a lifetime of worthy endeavor in the interests of his family. He was one of the best known men of his class, and was among the oldest men in his line of business in point of number of years in continuous devotion to the work, and was for twenty-two years located in one place, between Eleventh and Twelfth streets. From the beginning Mr. Heinrich was a dealer of splendid repute, and much of the success of his life was due to the unerring instinct for fair dealing which was in him so marked a characteristic.
Death came to Mr. Heinrich in a most unexpected manner. While working about the home premises he fell from a step-ladder, breaking an arm and leg and receiving serious internal injuries. Peritonitis conditions developed two days fol- lowing the accident, and he passed away on Good Friday of the same week in which the accident occurred. His death was wholly unexpected and was a pitiful shock to his family and to the many friends who continue to mourn his loss. Of his un- timely passing, the News of Indianapolis, under date of March 26, 1910, has to say: "Christian F. Heinrich, well known among the Germans of this city, died yes- terday evening as the result of a fall of several days ago. Mr. Heinrich was sixty- two years old, and lived on North Capital avenue. At the time of the accident he was trimming his grape vines and to reach the topmost vines he climbed to the top of the arbor. The farmework gave way and in the fall to the ground he broke his arm, hip and leg, all on the left side. He was born in Germany and came to America in 1866, settling in this city. He was engaged in the meat business for
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Christian JF. ?|cmric()
many years and at the time of his death he was treasurer of the German Butchers' Society. He was also interested in the furniture business." Mr. Heinrich was a member of the Independent Order of Turners, and of the Indianapolis Butchers' Association, of which he was president and treasurer for a number of years. He was a member of Druid Lodge, No. 8, and was always active and prominent in the work of the society. He, with his family, was associated with St. Peter's German Lutheran church on Ohio street, one of the oldest houses of worship in the city.
On September 18, 1872, was solemnized the marriage in Indianapolis of Mr. Heinrich to Miss Elizabeth Schell, the daughter of Joseph and Christina (Schmidt) Schell, both of whom were born in Germany. Her parents were for years engaged in the gardening industry and were among the oldest and most prominent families of the capital city. Mrs. Heinrich was one of three children. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich. They are Carl, who married May Dehner of In- dianapolis; Dena, who married Edward Spreng, and they live in Buffalo, New York, and have two children, Dorothy and Elizabeth; Miss Elizabeth Heinrich who makes her home with her sister in Buffalo; Fritz, who married Jennie Weston, of Indianapolis, where they now reside, and they have two children, — Hazen and Weston; Gustave Heinrich, who married Lillian Mack, of South Illinois street, Indianapolis, Indiana, and in which city they make their home.
Herman jFrommeper
50 MAN in the business world of Indianapolis probably num- bered his friends in greater numbers than did Herman From- Ntw^ meyer at the time of his death. Had he not made a success of Wm^ his business, had he been a failure, the ability which he pos- sessed of making and holding friends would have made him a marked man. Money and fame do not make a man happy, if he has to enjoy them alone. Man is a social being, and is mis- erable without the companionship of others. Therefore the gift of making friends is the most valuable in the world. Mr. Frommeyer piled up during his business career something like a quarter of a million dollars, but he was no mere money maker. He was devoted to his business, and his keen business sense made him greatly ad- mired by his associates, but his business did not occupy him to the exclusion of everything else. His home and family, his friends and their affairs, came first. It is needless to say that those who mourned his death were many.
Herman Frommeyer was the son of Henry Frommeyer, who was born in Han- over, Germany, in 1828. At this time the King of England and the King of Han- over were one and the same person and Hanover was a thriving commercial city. Henry Frommeyer, therefore, had many opportunities to learn the ways of the business world as he grew up, and when he came to America in 1849 it was quite natural that he should become a merchant. He located in Indianapolis when the site of the present Union depot was a corn field. When he stepped off the boat in New York he had only twenty-five cents in his pocket, and he was accompanied by his wife, so he did not remain idle more than an hour or so after landing on these American shores. For several years he worked for $2.75 a day, but he and his wife were of that sturdy race that knows how to save intelligently, and so in a few years he was able to start his store. For forty years Mr. Frommeyer conducted this wholesale queensware store, on Meridian street, just south of Washington. The present spacious structure, measuring twenty by sixty-seven feet, came into his possession in 1872. It is located on one of the most important thoroughfares in the heart of the business district. He possessed all the qualities that make us wel- come with open arms our brethren from the land that gave us Goethe and Schiller. By industry and perseverance in the business practices that he had learned in the shops of Hanover and through his experience in this country he built up a large fortune, amassing over a quarter of a million dollars. He married in Germany before coming to this country. His wife was Clara Glaw, and she was also a na- tive of Germany. They became the parents of three children, of whom Herman was the youngest. The others were Henry and Mrs. Mamie Councilman, both of whom are yet living. Mr. Frommeyer died on the 28th of February, 1901, having been preceded by his wife, who died on the 11th of May, 1899. He had turned his business over to his sons a number of years before his death and spent his last years in a peaceful retirement.
Herman Frommeyer was born in Indianapolis, in 1866. He was born after
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his father had become comparatively prosperous and consequently he received every advantage in the way of education, for the Germans as a race believe most strongly in the power of a thorough education. He first attended the grammar and high schools of his home city and on completing this preparatory work, entered Harvard University. From this old institution, that has lived long enough to have become enshrined in tradition, and claims as sons many of the greatest in our land, Herman Frommeyer was graduated. After his college life was over the young man entered his father's store and learned the business from its very foundations, under the careful eye of his father. When the latter retired he and his brother shared the responsibility and the proceeds equally, and the firm became Frommeyer Brothers, under which name it is still doing business. As a business man he inherited his father's keen insight, and it is safe to say that Frommeyer Brothers, both as a wholesale and as a retail house, did about the largest business in china, glass and queensware of any firm in the city.
He was a man who was very fond of an out of doors existence. Nothing suited him better than camping, somewhere in the real wilds, where he might tramp all day without seeing a soul, or fish for hours with nothing but his dog for company. In this way he gathered strength for the exactions of the business and social life of the city. He was a member of the Elks Club and was very prominent in the Knights of Columbus. In a professional way he was a member of the State Wholesalers' Association and of the Commercial Club of Indianapolis, being active in some of the progressive movements instituted by the latter organization. He was a devout com- municant of St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, and in a quiet way did much to aid in her charities.
Mr. Frommeyer married Josephine Doherty, the daughter of John Doherty. The latter was bom in Dublin, Ireland, and came to America with his parents as a boy of ten. They located in Columbus, Indiana, and here he married his wife, Catherine O'Brien, who was also a native of Ireland, and had come to Columbus with her parents as a child. Mrs. Frommeyer is one of four daughters, two of whom are deceased. Her remaining sister is Mrs. Marie Beard, who lives with her two children, Bryan and Fred, at 909 North Capitol street. Mr. and Mrs. From- meyer became the parents of two daughters, Catherine, who is now seventeen, and Frances, who is fourteen. Both of these girls are in the high school at present.
Mr. Frommeyer is what is called a man's man, that is, he had the traits that ap- peal to men, and when a man is popular with men then a woman should give him her complete trust, for it takes a man to judge a man. He was particularly rich in friends in the business world, for there he showed his strongest characteristics of frankness, honesty and upright dealing. His parents had represented one of the finest families in the city, and had stood for the highest ideals, and the son did not fall short of these. They also were charitable to a very great degree, never losing an opportunity to relieve the sick and needy, but often doing it in so quiet a way that no one knew of it. Mr. Frommeyer carried his charity almost too far ; he could never refuse an appeal and was often imposed upon. He, however, could spare the money, for in addition to the fortune that his business brought him he had in- vested in a large amount of real estate and the value of this property had almost doubled before his death. The latter event took place on the l-lth of January, ]903, and not until then did the familj' realize his wide popularity. He was in the prime of life and at the very acme of his usefulness, but in his premature death his widow has at least the consolation of knowing that he accomplished more than most men who live to twice his age.
JBoctor MiUmm OTanbs(
kHEN we lose one of our great surgeons, we bitterly regret his loss and think of the many lives he has saved and the marvelous
W(2J surgical feats he has performed, but perhaps the truest grief (31 comes when we lose the old family physician, a man who has doctored all of the children from the baby to the eldest, who has been with the families at births and deaths, who has shared their joys and sorrows, and in truth is not regarded as a physician but as a very close friend. Such a man was Doctor William Wands. He was one of the most prominent as well as one of the oldest physicians in In- dianapolis, and although he did much charity work and was county physician, a large part of his practice was in families where he had been physician for years, and where "the Doctor" was a person of great authority. He was exceedingly successful, and this was due to some extent to the charm of his personality and the strength of his will. He was greatly beloved by all who knew him and exerted a powerful influence over a wide sphere.
Doctor Wands was born at Denny, Scotland, on the 24th of December, 1836. Denny was near historic old Stirling, and the romantic scenes surrounding his birthplace had considerable effect on the mind of the boy as he grew up. He was encouraged to read, especially history, to learn more about his interesting country, and he always remained loyal to the land of his birth. He came to this country while he was yet a lad, in 1848. His parents located in Indianapolis, and their first home was near the northwest corner of Capitol avenue (then Tennessee street) and North street. From their house they looked out across corn fields and orchards. They later moved to McCarty and Greer streets, and there they remained for many years. The Doctor was the eldest of fourteen children, and the old house was gay with children's voices. Fortunate is he who is a member of a large family, for he learns the lessons of independence and unselfishness, as Doctor Wands could have told you. Of all this family only one sister is now living, Mrs. Charles D. Bushong, of Indianapolis.
Dr. Wands was graduated a short time before the outbreak of the Civil war from a New York medical college. During the war he served as assistant surgeon in the Nineteenth Indiana Regiment, most the time being stationed in the eastern part of Tennessee. This practice, while hard on the sensibilities of a man not as yet inured to the suffering which he met every day, was yet of great benefit to him, especially in giving him self confidence and teaching him to rely on himself. He served through the whole four years, and at the close of the war returned to Indian- apolis and went into general practice. For eight years he was county physician, and at the time of the Clem murder, forty-four years ago, he was a witness in that celebrated case, having heard the shots fired while he was on his way to the county poor house. He ofiiciated as superintendent of the county infirmary.
He was distinguished by his quiet, unostentatious manners and refinement of
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bearing. He was extremely courteous, and was a perfect type of the gentleman of the old school, always wearing a silk hat and a black broadcloth suit. He was especially kind to the poor, and was known all over the city among the poorer class as their friend. He died very suddenly, on the 25th of August, 1908, after a few hours' illness. He had been in his office attending to his patients as usual, although he did not feel well, and after a sudden attack of heart disease which came upon him at midnight he only lasted seven hours. At the time of the funeral the house was a mass of flowers, sent from every part of the country, by rich and poor, showing in what high esteem he was held.
Doctor Wands was associated with Doctor Sutcliffe, as far as their use of the same office was concerned, and although not business partners their friendship was very close. Perhaps no one suffered from the loss of Doctor Wands as did Doctor Sutcliffe, for although not brothers by blood, they had for so long borne one an- other's burdens and shared each other's joys as to have become brothers in heart. The following is quoted from the Indianapolis Medical Journal of September, 1910, showing how highly he was thought of by the men of his own fraternity: "Dr. Wands was a man in whom there was no evidence of deception. He was frank and open hearted and always loyal to his friends. When the fault of a friend was suggested to him he would cover it with a mantle of charity and would often say, 'perhaps he was misunderstood.' He was prone to look for the good traits of char- acter and overlook those which had defects.
"Although not a teacher in any of the medical institutions, he was interested in the modern methods of education. About a year ago when visiting the bedside clinic of the City Hospital he said, 'The instruction I have heard today is superior to that I heard in Europe and I now see that the work of the Indiana school of Medi- cine should have the undivided support of the medical profession.'
"Dr. Wands never advertised for friendship yet he was receptive to it, while perhaps he was cautious in the formation of a friendship, yet it made it a still more valuable asset. It was substantial, enduring and true. The world is made better by the lives of such men."
He was a Republican in his political beliefs, and was active in the work of this party. In his religious faith he was a member of the Presbyterian church, and he was affiliated with the Masonic fraternal order, being a member of the Ancient Landmarks lodge. He was also a member of the Marion County Medical Society, and was a charter member of the old Indianapolis Light Artillery Company.
Dr. Wands was married on the 28th of April, 1881, to Mrs. Ebenezer Smith, and he took her to Scotland for the wedding trip. While there they visited his old home, and he spent considerable time in study in the hospitals of Glasgow and Lon- don, and he also attended clinics in Paris. Two children were born of this union and he also had a daughter by a previous marriage. This daughter is Miss Dora Wands, who is now living in Indianapolis.
Mrs. Wands' former husband, Ebenezer Smith, was a man of so fine a character and splendid principles that special mention must be made of him. He was born in Middlebury, Connecticut, on the 2nd of January, 1845, and died before he reached the age of thirty. He felt the call of the west with its freedom and splendid op- portunities and left his eastern home in 1866 in response to this feeling. He located in Indianapolis and in connection with Melville Strong established a house for the sale of dental goods. He was a man of tremendous energy. He did not seem to know what fatigue meant, and the work which he accomplished was enough to have
Bottor ?il(gilltam OTanbg 483
killed most men. He was also possessed of that gift of youth, enthusiasm, and hav- ing a daring spirit he introduced new life into the business world.. It was not long before the house of which he was one of the founders had gained a large trade and no house of its kind in the west and south had a finer reputation for fairness and squareness in all of its dealings.
On the 10th of December, 1867, he was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Miller. This marriage was a most happy one, and in the few short years that remained to him the beautiful home life which was his was his greatest joy. In September of 1871, he went into the real estate business. He was peculiarly well fitted for this business, having a keen judgment, and a wide knowledge of real estate values, and the reputation which he had already gained for honesty stood him in good stead in this new field. Carried away by his enthusiasm and interest in his work he began to overtax his strength, and about this time he was considerably worried over business affairs. In January of 1873 he became worse and his wife urged him to see a physician, but he had always been so full of health and vigor that he could not be- lieve that anything serious was the matter. He therefore put off seeing the doctor until April, and he then learned that he was a sufferer from Bright's disease. From then until the end of his life each day was a brave struggle with suffering and slowly approaching death. He sought health at the mineral springs in Wisconsin and spent the winter of 187S in Florida for the same purpose. To no avail, for he steadily failed. As he became weaker, his mind seemed to become all the clearer, and the real strength and beauty of his character became all the more evident. He returned from the south on the 2nd of April, and lingered until the first week in June, when he passed away. The following is a tribute paid to him by his fellow citizens: "As citizens we rejoiced in the accession to our midst of a noble man. In a much greater degree should we be filled with sadness when we lose such a man. In the death today of our fellow citizen, Eben Smith, a man who as a friend was stead- fast; as an adviser, reliable; as a worker, indefatigable, and exemplifying in its fullness the great command 'Whatsoever thy hands find to do, do it with thy might/ this city has lost one of its best business men, the church a consistent member and society an ornament and we hereby tender to his afflicted family, in this their great bereavement, our warmest sympathy."
By her first marriage Mrs. Wands became the mother of Winnefred E. Smith, who is one of the most prominent business men in Indianapolis. He is the efficient head of the Anti-Trust Coal and Ice Company, and has apparently inherited many of the fine qualities of his father. He married Miss Bianca Sibert, of Rochester, In- diana, and they have three children : Lawrence, who lives •with his grandmother, Russell and Kenneth.
Jframis; 3^. pailep
LIFE of significant rectitude and usefulness was that of the late Francis Patrick Bailey, whose influence was ever cast in the maintenance of those things which make for the best in the scheme of human activities and whose success was on a parity with his sterling integrity of purpose, from which there was no deviation. He was a boy of fourteen years at the time of the family removal to Indianapolis and through his own ability and efforts he rose to a place of prominence as one of the representative business men of the capital city, the while his character was such as to gain and retain to him the inviolable confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact in the varied relations of life. Strong and vigorous of physique and in the full maturity of his powers, he seemed not the one upon whose lips death would thus set its seal, but, after a brief illness, he was summoned to the life eternal on the the 17th of January, 1910, secure in the high regard of the oom- munity which had so long represented his home and been the center of his interests. For thirty years prior to his death he was actively identified with the L. W. Ott Manufacturing Company, representing one of the important industrial enterprises of Indianapolis, and of this corporation he was vice-president for a score of years prior to his demise.
Mr. Bailey was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 11th of March, 1857, and was a son of Michael and Marcella (Dailey) Bailey, both natives of the fair old Emerald Isle. Michael Bailey was born at No. 2 Duke street in the city of Dublin, one of the picturesque, interesting and historical thoroughfares of that fine old city. The old Bailey house is one of the most famous hotels of Dublin and is still maintained with excellent accommodations for its appreciative patrons. Michael Bailey was reared and educated in his native city and there his marriage was solemnized. Soon after this important event in his career he came with his wife to the United States, and after residing in the city of Boston about three years they removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they maintained their home until 1871, when they came to Indianapolis. Folk of sterling character, devout communicants of the Catholic church, kindly and generous in their association with others, they gained the high regard of the people of Indianapolis and here they passed the residue of their lives, both having died in the old family homestead at 2040 North Capitol avenue.
Francis Patrick Bailey gained his early educational discipline in the parochial and public schools of Cincinnati and Indianapolis, and in the latter city his first employment was in the real-estate office of the late James Frank, with whom he re- mained several years, during which he gained valuable business experience. Upon the organization of the L. W. Ott Manufacturing Company, more than thirty years ago, Mr. Bailey secured a position with this concern, and with this company, by faithful and effective service, he won successive promotions and became influential
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in the upbuilding of the fine enterprise which has now important bearing upon the industrial precedence of the Indiana metropolis. Mr. Bailey was long one of the leading traveling representatives of this extensive furniture manufacturing com- pany, had also served as an office executive and foreman, and had learned all de- tails of the business, so that he was eminently qualified for the important admin- istrative office of which he was the incumbent at the time of his death. The busi- ness was founded in 1850, by John Ott, who was a pioneer in the manufacturing of furniture in Indiana and upon whose death his son, Lewis W. Ott, became head of the concern. Upon the death of the latter, in 1885, the business was incorpor- ated under the title of L. W. Ott Manufacturing Company and W. F. Kuhn has since served continuously as president of the corporation, in which his principal and most valued coadjutor was Mr. Bailey, who assumed the office of vice-president at the time of incorporation and who retained the same until he was summoned from the scene of his mortal endeavors. Of late years the company has given special attention to the manufacturing of high-grade upholstered furniture, and its trade extends throughout the United States, as well as into many foreign countries.
A careful and aggressive business man, Mr. Bailey won definite and worthy suc- cess in his chosen field of endeavor, and in the midst of the exactions of business he found time and opportunity to identify himself with those agencies which represent the best in civic and social life, the while he was known for his genial and kindly spirit, his tolerance and his unassuming charities and benevolences. Progressive and loyal as a citizen, he was ever ready to do his part in conserving the best in- terests of his home city, and he was influential in the local councils and activities of the Democratic party, being its candidate for representative of the Third ward in the city council in 1900, but meeting defeat with the rest of the party ticket. His religious faith was one of good works and by it he regulated his life. He was a devout and zealous communicant of the Catholic church, in which he was identified with the cathedral parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, and it is worthy of special men- tion that he was an uncompromising adversary of the liquor traffic, — earnest not only in the cause of temperance but also that of total abstinence. He was affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Knights of America, the Knights of Father Matthew, the Ancient Order of Hiberians, the Modern Woodmen of Ameri- ica, and the Knights of Pythias. He was one of the prominent members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, in which admirable organization he had a wide acquaintanceship throughout the United States, and he was chairman of the reception committee which provided for the entertainment of the members of the national organization when they convened in Indianapolis, in July, 1908. Cherishing the noble history and tradition of the land of his forefathers, he was an enthusiast in the movement for the revival of the Gaelic language and Irish industrial development. He was long and prominently identified with the Traveling Men's Protective Association, of which he was an in- fluential and popular member.
The domestic chapter in the life history of Mr. Bailey was one of ideal order, and in a memorial of this character it is necessary to touch only briefly upon the same, as the full appreciation of his gentle and noble character must remain as a continuous benediction upon those nearest and dearest to him, — an influence not to be profaned by mere words of adulation. In 1883 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bailey to Miss Emma Ott, who was born in the old family homestead on West Washington street, between Senate and Capitol avenues, Indianapolis, and who is
Jfranttg ^. ?Bailep 487
a daughter of the late John Ott, founder of the business now conducted by the L. W. Ott Manufacturing Company and long known as one of the sterling citizens and leading business men of Indianapolis. Mr. Ott was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, as was also his wife, whose maiden name was Julia Reproth. They came to Indianapolis more than sixty years ago and were numbered among the repre- sentative German pioneers of the city, where both passed the residue of their lives and where both commanded uniform esteem. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey became the parents of five children, all of whom are living, namely: Francis Patrick, Jr., John J., August L., Julia M., and Emma. The sons are associated in business in the manufacturing of metal and furniture polish, under the title of the Crown Manu- facturing Company, and are known as progressive and substantial business men of the younger generation in their native city. The daughters remain with their widowed mother in the attractive family home, at 2040 North Capitol avenue. Mrs. Bailey and her children are all communicants of Sts. Peter and Paul cathedral, of this Catholic diocese, and all are popular in the social life of their native city.
In conclusion is reproduced the text of an appreciative memorial tribute issued by Indianapolis Council, Knights of Columbus.
Knights of Columbus honor the memory of Francis P. Bailey, — died January 17, 1910. He is gone— our own ideal knight. We love to think of him, — kindly, generous, loyal man! It was a pleasure to know him. "Long may we seek his likeness, long in vain." Lilie the knights of old, he was bold in the cause of right. "His failings leaned to virtue's side." He was proud, yes, proud of birthright. A good name, a noble spirit, a graceful character, with all the traits of nature's gentleman. He began life's work a poor boy, was faithful to every duty, and attained a distinguished position in the business world. We shall miss his kind smile of approval and the stimulus of his friendly grip, but the light of his good deeds will shine on our path as we journey through life. All hail and farewell, dear friend. May the wings of peace spread over your beautiful soul, and angels and ministers of grace defend you. Adieu! We shall remember you in our prayers.
Jf rank JF, Mtt}
NATIVE son of Indianapolis and a scion of one of its well known and highly honored German families, the late Frank Frederick Dietz well upheld the prestige of the name which he bore and which has been long and prominently identified with civic and industrial interests in Indiana's capital city. Here he himself was an influential factor in business circles, actively concerned in a manufacturing industry that had been founded by his father and in the control of which he was associated with his brother Theodore at the time of his death, which occurred on the 18th of May, 1898. From a modest incep- tion the enterprise was developed into one of substantial scope and importance and it is still continued under the original title.
In a home erected by his father at the corner of Gray and East Washington streets, Indianapolis, Frank Frederick Dietz was born, and it is interesting to record that the site of this old homestead was that on which he erected the fine residence in which he passed the closing years of his life and in which his widow still resides. Both of his parents were born in Germany. Frederick Dietz, his father, was one of the pioneer German settlers of Indianapolis and in his char- acter and services exemplified that fine type of citizenship which has made the German element one of so much prominence and influence in the Indiana metropo- lis and capital. Frederick Dietz secured a considerable tract of land on East Washington street and the same was eventually platted under the title of Dietz' addition to the city of Indianapolis. On this tract, at the corner of Gray and East Washington streets, he erected a brick house, and in this fine old homestead was born his son Frank F., to whom this memoir is dedicated. Frederick Dietz was a man of vigor, ability and most progressive spirit, and he early established a box factory on Madison avenue, where he developed a prosperous business, with which he continued to be identified during the remainder of his active career. He lived retired for a number of years prior to his death, and his widow survived him by several years, the names of both meriting enduring place on the rolls of the ster- ling German citizens who early established homes in Indianapolis.
The early educational discipline of Frank F. Dietz was secured in an excellent German-English school on Market street, and as a youth he entered his father's box factory, in which he learned all details of the business and made himself an indispensable factor. After the retirement of his father he became associated with his brother Theodore in continuing the business, and under their regime it greatly expanded in scope and importance, the while he gained recognition as one of the staunch and progressive business men and representative citizens of his na- tive city. Diligent and conservative in business, loyal and public spirited in his civic attitude, and devoted to home and family, Mr. Dietz was a model citizen and one whose life offers both lesson and incentive. His active association with busi-
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ness affairs continued until his death, and his remains were laid to rest in Crown Hill cemetery.
Mr. Dietz was a man of buoyant and optimistic nature and most attractive social qualities, his circle of friends in his home city being coincident with that of his acquaintances. He was affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Im- proved Order of Red Men, and was active in both of these fraternities, in each of which he held official positions. In politics he was not constrained by strict parti- san dictates but gave his support to the man and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, the while he gave his co-operation in support of measures pro- jected for the general good of the community. He was a consistent communicant of the Catholic church, in which he held membership in the parish of St. Peter's church, on Ohio street. About the year 1894 Mr. Dietz completed the erection of a fine modem residence on East Washington street, in close proximity to the old homestead in which he was born, and here he passed the residue of his life. His widow still maintains the home and as the gracious chatelaine of the same she has made it a center of generous and refined hospitality.
On the 4th of October, 1885, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Dietz to Miss Louisa B. Mueler, who was born and reared in Indianapolis and who has been h popular factor in its social activities. She is a daughter of John A. and Barbara (Lichtenfeld) Mueler, who likewise were numbered among the early German settlers of this city, where the father conducted a meat market, on South Alabama street, for many years. Both he and his wife were natives of Germany and upon coming to America they located in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where they remained a brief period, at the expiration of which they came to Indianapolis, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Dietz became the parents of five children, concerning whom the following record is given: Emil A., who resides in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, where he holds a responsible position in a rail- road office, married Miss Florence O'Donnell, who had been a successful and popu- lar teacher in the public schools of Indianapolis, and they have one child, Dorothy ; Emma is the wife of Alfred Hollingsworth of Indianapolis; Marie is the wife of Ray Tindall, of this city, and they have one child, Mary; Frank Frederick (II) is identified with business interests in his native city, where was solemnized his mar- riage to Miss Margaret Mohs ; and Louisa B. is the wife of Otis Owen, of Indian- apolis, their one child being Frank.
Mrs. Dietz has long been active in social affairs in her native city, where she has a wide circle of friends. She is a valued member of the ladies* auxiliary of the Knights of Pythias, Cosmos Lodge, and is also identified with the Independent Turnverein and the ladies' adjunct of the fraternity known as the Tribe of Ben Hur. She is a zealous communicant of St. Peter's church and is liberal in support of the various departments of work. A woman of most gracious personality she is most popular in her home city and her attractive home is pervaded by an air of cordial hospitality.
Litton ^cfiilbmeier
%2 j-^ |2
ine old homestead farm, thirteen miles southeast of Indian- apolis, in Hancock county, resides Anton Schildmeier, who is SK /''^ xZ one of the patriarchs and honored pioneers of this section of ^ ^ ^ J A ^ the state, and in the gracious evening of his long and useful > /^ Nj J^ life he has "that which should accompany old age, as honor,
K^S^^^S^i^ ^°^^' obedience, troops of friends." Through his earnest and well directed efforts the earth has been made to bring forth her increase, and he has long stood as one of the representative agriculturists of the county which has been his home from his childhood days. Honest, sincere, kindly and generous, he has shown a high sense of stewardship and has made his life count for good in a quiet, serene and unassuming way. His memory covers the period which has compassed the development of central Indiana from a virtual wilderness into one of the most opulent and progressive sections of a great common- wealth, and he has assisted in this advancement, the while he has stood exponent of the most loyal citizenship. All these things indicate why this venerable pioneer has the confidence and esteem of the entire community in which he has lived and labored to goodly ends, and it is pleasing to be able to enter in this publication a brief review of his career.
Anton Schildmeier was born in Germany, October 12, 1828, and thus is eighty- three years of age at the time of this writing, in 1912. The years rest lightly upon him and he has the mental and physical vigor of a man many years his junior. He is a son of Christian Schildmeier and was seven years of age at the time of the family immigration to America. Soon after his arrival in the United States Chris- tian Schildmeier came to Indiana, in 1837, and established his home in Hancock county, where he purchased eighty acres of heavily timbered land, — the present homestead of the subject of this review. There he gave himself vigorously to the reclaiming and development of his land and his efforts, marked by diligence, energy and thrift, were attended with unequivocal success. He was one of the sterling pioneers of Hancock county and both he and his devoted wife continued to reside on the old homestead until they were summoned to the life eternal, secure in the high regard of all who knew them.
Anton Schildmeier received his rudimentary education in his Fatherland and after the family removal to Indiana he availed himself of the advantages of the pioneer schools of Hancock county. He early began to contribute an appreciable quota to the arduous work of reclaiming and otherwise improving the home farm and finally assumed virtual management of the same as his father waxed venerable in years. His parents finally gave to him the homestead and they remained with him, the objects of deep filial solicitude until their death. Consecutive industry marked the career of Anton Schildmeier during his youth and mature manhood, and he made of success not an accident but a logical result. He eventually accu- mulated a large and valuable landed estate, arid his holding at the present time
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comprise about five hundred acres of as fine and well improved land as can be found in this favored section of the state. He has done all in his power to further those interests which have made for the general advancement and prosperity of the community and while he has never consented to permit the use of his name in connection with cadidacy for public office he is aligned as a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and still takes a lively and intelligent interest in the questions and issues of the hour, although always voting for the man he con- sidered best suited for office.
As a young man Mr. Schildmeier was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Rich- mann, who was about one year old at the time of her parents' immigration from Germany to America, the family settling in the same section of Hancock county, Indiana, as did the Schildmeier family. The supreme loss and bereavement in the life of Mr. Schildmeier came when the loved and devoted wife of his youth and old age was called to eternal rest, her death occurring on the 30th of May, 1910. Of the nine children five died before attaining to years of maturity, and concern- ing the others the following brief record is given: Carrie, who became the wife of William H. Benedict, of Indianapolis, died on the 17th of October, 1899, and is survived by one child, Lillian May, who is a student in Tudor Hall, Indianapolis, and who is the only grandchild of him whose name initiates this review; Emma is the widow of George William Hoffman, of Indianapolis; Miss Louisa remains with her father on the old homestead; and William G., who is a representative farmer of Hancock, residing near the home place of his father, nwrried Miss Mar- garet Hack. In conclusion of this article it is pleasing to be able to enter quota- tion from an interesting sketch which appeared in the Indianapolis News of May 20, 1911:
On the farm of Anton Schildmeier, thirteen miles southeast of tlie city, is a dense grove covering seventy-five acres. This woodland is the summer home of a flock of not less than fifty sandhill cranes, and these are guarded by Mr. Schild- meier with as much care as if they were children. For five years these huge birds have made their homes in the lofty boughs of the white oaks, and it is an unbreak- able rule with the owner of their tree-top homes that they must not be in any way disturbed. Mr. Schildmeier, the friend of the cranes, is an interesting patriarch. When October 12th again arrives he will have registered his eighty-third birthday, and then will have been a dweller seventy-four years in the place he now calls home. He loves every inch of the ground in his domain. He has a fondness for every tree on the land and for each bird and animal that calls his trees home. Mr. Schildmeier is wealthy, the result of long years of successful farming. Now, in his old age, he is living happily, at peace with all the world. One of his chief pleasures is his guardianship of the birds and little animals that inhabit his woods.
"I sleep well, I eat well, — what else should I desire?" is the remark that always follows when the question is put to him why he doesn't sell the timber from the forest. "I have all the money I need, and I have no wish to be a Carnegie or a Rockefeller, and to worry over how I am to spend my money. My family will have plenty, too." Not long ago a timber dealer visited Mr. Schildmeier and wished to buy the large white-oak trees that are in his forest tract. "We stood over there under those poplars," said Mr. Schildmeier, in telling of the interview with the timber man, "and he thought he would paralyze me with an offer of fifteen thousand dollars for the white oaks in my woods. And he nearly fell dead when I told him they couldn't be bought for fifteen times fifteen thousand dollars.
anton ^ctittmeter 493
I just told him that, wealthy as Indianapolis was, there wasn't enough money in the town to buy one of my old friends over there. You see, those trees and I have been brought up together. Oh, yes, the white oaks are some older than I am, but I've known them since I was a little boy. My father brought me here from Germany in 1837." He then pointed to a cottonwood tree a short distance down the road. "That tree was about the size of my cane when I came here, nearly three-quarters of a century ago," he said. "Look at it now." The tree is fully five feet in diameter and spreads its boughs over the highway.
"How did you come to get acquainted with the cranes" he was asked. "Well, they came here about five years ago," he answered. "They saw it was friendly territory, because the big trees had not fallen before the lumberman's axe. No, we never cut any trees down over there unless they go to decay. The big white oaks looked good to the cranes, so they built their nests there, and I certainly would make things warm for anybody who disturbed them. Those white oaks are their property, not mine. I'm only their guardian." How proudly the old man points to the graceful flight of the cranes as they circle into the clouds and then speed away on foraging expeditions ! Sometimes forty or fifty may be seen in a long proces- sion, as they go round and round in upward flights, and then, striking a favorable air current, start on a journey to favorite feeding grounds.
The Schildmeier woods are filled with squirrels, rabbits and birds of every description. They are never molested. Doe creek, which runs through the forest, is filled with fish. Mr. Schildmeier goes fishing now and then, or visits with the inhabitants of the grove. But for anybody even to hint at taking a firearm into the forest would arouse him to stern opposition. He does not allow general visits, because of the fright that would come to the timorous inhabitants of his woods.
(ieorge OTiUiam ?|ottman
RESIDENT of Indianapolis from childhood until the close of his life, it was given the late George W. Hoffman to make for himself, through energy and well directed endeavor, a secure place as one of the representative business men of the capital city, to whose commercial precedence he contributed materially through his successful efforts as a manufacturer of metal pol- ishes. In this line he built up an industrial enterprise of magnificent proportions, the same having been virtually unexcelled in scope and importance by any other in the United States. In the upbuilding and prosecution of his business activities Mr. Hoffman brought to bear his splendid energies and administrative ability, and when it is stated that upon the record of his career there rests no shadow or other blemish, it becomes patent that his course was guided and governed by those high principles of integrity and honor which invari- ably beget popular confidence and esteem. His residence in Indianapolis covered a period of nearly sixty years, and in his death, which occurred on Friday, Octo- ber 22, 1909, the city lost a business man of ability and value and a citizen whose place in the esteem of the community was impregnable.
George William Hoffman was born at Hamilton, the judicial center of Butler county, Ohio, on the 7th of March, 1849, and was a son of Henry and Catherine (Lang) Hoffman, both natives of Germany. When the subject of this memoir was a child of two years his parents removed from the old Buckeye state to Indi- ana and established their home in Indianapolis, where the father engaged in the tanning business, with a well equipped tannery located on East Washington street, between East and Liberty streets. In the same locality he erected a comfortable residence, and in this home he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1872. His widow survived him by more than thirty years and passed the closing years of her life in the home of her son George W., of this review, where she died in September, 1908, at a venerable age. All of the five children are now deceased. Coming with his parents to Indianapolis in 1851, George W. Hoffman was here reared to manhood under auspicious circumstances, and, with characteristic German thrift, he early learned the lessons of practical industry, the while he was duly afforded the advantages of the public schools. As a boy he found employment as a newspaper carrier, and he was thus engaged at the time of the Civil war, when every issue from the press was looked for with avidity. As a youth be also
served an apprenticeship to the trade of harness-maker, though he never followed the same as a vocation. When still a boy he entered the drug store of his brother- in-law, Colonel Frank Erdelmeyer, and there he learned the detail* of the business and became a skilled pharmacist. After thorough training in this line he was finally enabled to engage in the retail drug business on his own responsibility. He formed a partnership with John Stiltz and they were thus associated, under the firm name of Stiltz & Hoffman, for a period of eighteen years. They main-
495
496 (gcorgc WBiViiam jlotfman
tabled a well appointed drug establishment in the old Vance building, at the cor- ner of Washington street and Virginia avenue, and abandoned these quarters only when the building was remodeled for the use of the Indiana Trust Company. Mr. Hoffman then disposed of his interest in the business to his partner, and in the meanwhile he had initiated in a modest way the enterprise which he was destined to develop into one of wide scope and importance. He had conducted a series of careful experiments in the effort to produce a satisfactory and improved metal polish, and many nights of study and investigation had been given to this prelimi- nary work. Upon his retirement from the drug business Mr. Hoffman began the manufacturing of his metal polish. He purchased the building now designated as 557 East Washington street, and there continued his manufacturing enterprise until his death. The superiority of his products caused the demand for the same to be cumulative and substantial wherever they were introduced, and the business rapidly expanded. With energy and progressiveness Mr. Hoffman kept pace with the demands upon his establishment, and the business now represents one of the ex- tensive and important industrial enterprises of the capital city of Indiana, with a trade that extends throughout the United States and with an export business that is large and constantly increasing. Specially noteworthy is the trade controlled in Australia and New Zealand, to which countries large annual shipments are made. The polishes manufactured are in powder, paste and liquid forms, adapted to various uses, and the title adopted and used for some time, "United States Metal Polish," was a synonym of reliability and efficiency as well as one that became fa- miliar in all sections of the Union. But the business has since been incorporated under Mr. Hoffman's name, and will thus remain for at least fifty years.
In the upbuilding of this splendid enterprise Mr. Hoffman showed marked initiative and executive ability, and his policies were of the most progressive order. He won success through normal and worthy means and his business has been a material factor in fostering the fame of Indianapolis as a manufacturing and com- mercial center. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Hoffman has continued the business, of which she maintains an active personal supervision, and she has shown much ability and circumspection as a business woman, as she has proved equal to the adjustment of every emergency and contingency and has kept the enterprise up to the high standard established by her honored husband.
Though he was loyal and liberal as a citizen, Mr. Hoffman never had any desire for public office or to take part in political affairs in an active way. He gave his allegiance to the Republican party but in local affairs, where no state or nat- ional issues were involved, he gave his support to the mean and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, irrespective of partisan lines. His interests were centralized in his home and his business and thus clubs and fraternal organizations had no attraction for him. He was genial, tolerant and generous, ever ready to do a kind act and to aid those in affliction, and while he was essentially quiet and unassuming in manners his sterling qualities of mind and heart gained to him a wide circle of loyal and valued friends in his home city. He was not formally identified with any religious organization but had a deep reverence for the spiritual verities. His close application while in the drug business precluded his attending church for many years, but he was always solicitous that his wife should avail herself of such opportunities, and she holds membership in the First German Methodist church. The old homestead of Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman was situated at 618 North Alabama street, and on this site Mrs. Hoffman has recently erected a
George liSilltatn Hoffman
497
modern apartment building, known as the Hoflfman Flats. In 1898 Mr. Hoffman erected a fine residence at 2238 North Meridian street, in one of the most attract- ive and exclusive residence sections of the city, and here his widow still maintains her home, finding marked satisfaction in extending a generous hospitality to her many friends. Mr. Hoffman's health had been impaired for about six years prior to his death, though he was confined to his home only two weeks before his life's labors were closed, his remains being laid to rest in beautiful Crown Hill cemetery. On the 28th of October, 1880, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hoffman to Miss Emma Schildmeier, daughter of Anton Schildmeier, who is one of the venera- ble pioneer citizens of H.ancock county, Indiana, and who there resides on his old homestead, which is about thirteen miles distant from Indianapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have no children.
?|enrj> ^ebedn
|ORE enduring than the temporal span of a worthy and fruitful life is the benignant influence which it exerts, and in publica-
M(^ tions of this nature it is well to take under review the careers (3< of those who have played well their parts on the stage of human activities and have left to the world the heritage of large and definite achievement, earnest and prolific application and names untarnished by the slightest personal lapse from the highest standards of integrity and honor. The late Henry Severin maintained his home in Indianapolis for nearly a half a century and through his own ability and well directed endeavors attained to marked success and prominence in connection with local business enterprise of broad scope and importance. Coming here as a young man, he became the founder of one of the most prominent and honored German families of the capital city, with whose civic and industrial development and prog- ress the name has been most closely and worthily identified. He was a man of strong and noble character, sincere, generous and kindly in his association with his fellow men, careful and conservative, yet essentially progressive in business and loyal in all that pertains to ideal citizenship. His was a commanding place in the confidence and esteem of the people of Indianapolis, and it is most consistent that in this edition he entered a tribute to his memory and a brief review of his career, as one of the representative citizens and business men of the Indiana metro- polis.
Henry Severin was born in the province of Westphalia, Germany, on the 19th of January, 1827, and was summoned to the life eternal on the 2d of February, 1899, after having reached the psalmist's span of three score years and ten and after having accounted well to the world through sterling character and distinc- tive achievement along normal lines of productive enterprise. He bore the full patronymic of his father, Henry Severin, and was a child at the time of the latter's death, his mother surviving for many years and continuing to reside in Germany until her death. Both families were of representative order in the fine old province of Westphalia, where they had been established for many generations. In the excellent schools of the fatherland Henry Severin gained his early educa- tional discipline, which proved an adequate formation for the broad and exact knowledge that in later years marked him as a man of fine mental ken and mature judgment.
In 1849, at the age of twenty-two years, Mr. Severin severed the gracious ties that bound him to home and fatherland and set forth to win for himself in America such measure of success and prosperity as lay within his powers of ac- complishment. He made the voyage on a sailing vessel of the type common to the period and disembarked in the port of New York city. From the national metropolis, he soon made his way westward, and for two years he was employed in a wholesale grocery establishment in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, a position for
499
500 ^enrp g>cbErin
Tvhich he was qualified through previous experience in this line of enterprise in his native land. At the expiration of the period noted he returned to Germany, where he remained about one year, and he then came again to the United States, of whose advantages and opportunities he had become deeply appreciative. After a brief interval passed in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, he came to Indianapolis, in 1853, and here established his present home.
On Fort Wayne avenue he soon afterward engaged in the retail grocery busi- ness, and it is interesting to recall the fact that his was the only grocery store north of Washington street. North street having then represented the city limits on the north. There he continued operations until 1866, when he placed his business in charge of two trusted and valued friends, William Buschmann and William Broun, and in company with his wife, returned to the old home in Germany, where they remained two years, during which time they renewed the gracious memories and associations of their childhood and youth. Upon his return to Indianapolis, in 1868, Mr. Severin broadened the scope of his business operations and showed his abiding faith in Indianapolis as a distributing center by engaging in the wholesale grocery trade, in which he became associated with Henry Schnull and Bergen Applegate, under the firm name of Severin, Schnull & Company. In 1872 Mr. Schnull retired from this firm and was succeeded by Frederick Ostermeyer. Mr. Severin continued to be identified with the business until his death and the same expanded into an enterprise of broad scope, with a trade extending throughout the wide territory normally tributary to Indianapolis. The firm name was changed to Severin & Company and he was the largest stockholder and the dominating force in the enterprise until his death in 1899. In 1901 the firm discontinued business.
In the retail grocery business Mr. Severin had as his valued and honored asso- ciate for a number of years the late William Buschmann, who likewise became one of the representative figures in the commercial activities of Indianapolis, and in this connection it is gratifying to record that the sons of these honored pioneer business men are now associated in the extensive enterprise now conducted in this city under the title of Lewis Meier & Company,- — Henry Severin, Jr., only sur- viving child of the subject of this memoir, being president of the company, and Charles L. Buschmann its vice president and general manager.
Henry Severin was known as a man of impregnable integrity, fine business ability and genial and kindly personality. He filled a large place in the business and civic life of Indianapolis for many years, was loyal and liberal in the support of all measures tending to advance the general welfare of the community and held as his own the unqualified confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party, was a charter member of that representative organization, the German House, and also held membership in the original Maennerchor Society organized in Indianapolis.
About the year 1883 Mr. Severin purchased the fine residence property in which his widow still maintains her home, at 1039 North Meridian street, and here he found his greatest happiness in associations that were of ideal order, mu- tual love and sympathy having brightened the entire married life of him and his devoted wife and the gracious ties having been severed by his death, after a period of nearly forty years of companionship. In the death of Henry Severin Indian- apolis lost one of its valued and honored citizens and business men, and his passing was a source of especially deep regret among the German citizens, who loved him
l^tnvy ^ebcrin 50i
for his sterling character, his unfailing consideration and kindliness and his genial qualities in social intercourse.
On the 6th of June, 1860, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Severin to Miss Augusta Rentsch, who was born and reared in the province of Westphalia, Germany, and who is the daughter of Henry and Charlotte (Albrecht) Rentsch. Mrs. Severin came to the United States when eighteen years of age and joined two of her brothers who had established their home in Indianapolis, where she met and married Mr. Severin. .They became the parents of four children, the first of whom. Otto, died at the age of six years, while the parents were visiting in Germany; Bertha died at the age of ten years and her remains were laid to rest in Crown Hill ceme- tery, where also repose those of her father and her sister Laura, who became the wife of Dr. Carl L. Fletcher of Indianapolis, and who died January 18, 1896, at the age of twenty-eight years; Henry, Jr., the only surviving child, is one of the representative business men of Indianapolis, where he is well upholding the pres- tige of the honored name he bears. From a review of his career previously pre- pared by the writer of this memoir are taken the extracts which follow, slight paraphrase being made in their reproduction.
Henry Severin, Jr., was born in Indianapolis on the 9th of April, 1870, and is indebted to the public schools of his native city for his early educational train- ing, which included the curriculum of the high school. At the age of twenty years he initiated his association with the wholesale grocery business in which his father was an interested principal, and soon afterward he was admitted to partnership in the business, with which he continued to be actively identified until 1901, when he disposed of his interest in the same and purchased the interest of the late Lewis Meier in the firm of Lewis Meier & Company, manufacturers of working men's garments. A reorganization of the business took place under the new regime and the same was incorporated as a stock company and under the original title. Of this corporation Mr. Severin has since been president, and he has proved an aggressive and versatile executive officer. Grovrth, progress and success have been the con- comitants of the industrial enterprise of which Mr. Severin is the head, and the advanced policies maintained, together with the reliability of the products, insure a consecutive expansion of the business as the goods turned out constitute their own best advertising. The concern manufactures the "Auto Brand" of working men's garments and is one of the largest of the kind in the Union, with a trade extending into thirty different states. At the present time a corps of twelve traveling sales- men is retained and through an agency established in the City of San Francisco the trade of the company has been widely extended through the northwest, the while an excellent trade is also being built up in the Canadian provinces. Mr. Severin is also a stockholder and director of the Fletcher American National Bank of Indianapolis, with which he has been thus identified from the founding of the institution.
Taking a lively interest in all that concerns the advancement and general welfare of his native city, Mr. Severin stands as one of the representative business men of the "Greater Indianapolis," and in the community which has ever been his home he is accorded unqualified popular esteem. He is a staunch Republican in his political allegiance, and is identified with the Columbia and Commercial Clubs and the Ger- man House.
On the 15th of September, 1898, Mr. Severin led to the hymeneal altar Miss Edna Smither, who was bom and reared in Indianapolis and who is a daughter of
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Theodore and Elizabeth (Weaver) Smither. Mr. Smither became one of the repre- sentative contractors of Indianapolis, where he was also a dealer in building sup- plies ; he was a prominent member of local bodies of the Masonic fraternity, in which he received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite ; he was a stanch Republican in politics, and was one of the honored citizens of the capital city of his native state, in which the family was founded in the early pioneer days. His death occurred in 1908 and his widow still resides in Indianapolis, Mrs. Severin being the younger of their two children, and Ida being the wife of Fred J. Wright, of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Severin have three children, — Henry (III), Theodore and Rudolph.
INDEX
Abbett, Charles H 439
Abbett, Georgia 441
Allen, Granville G 109
Anderson, Eleanor H 331
Anderson, Mads P 329
Bailey, Emma 0 486
Bailey, Francis P 485
Balke, Bertha 225
Balke, Charles R 223
Sarah M 160
Thomas M 159
Beeler, Fielding 169
Beeler, Ida 171
Bingham, Joseph J 357
Bingham, Sophia U 358
Bliss, George W 173
Bliss, Harriet 175
Braden, James 243
Braden, Lydia E 245
Brandes, Herman F. W 345
Brandes, Lena 346
Bridges, Charles W 207
Bryan, James W 307
Burdsal, Alfred 199
Burdsal, Emma 203
Burk, John E 43
Burk, Louisa 44
Campfield, Aaron G 377
Campfield, Caroline R 378
Carnahan, James R 393
Carnahan, Sue E 395
Cast, Mrs. Wilmer H 398
Chandler, Sarah 211
Chandler, Thomas E 209
Clark, Sarah E 13
Clark, Alfred 13
Comstock, Albert S 323
Comstock, Hannah M 325
Conlee, Amy E 361
Conlee, Thomas A 359
Conner, John C 387
Cooper, John J 29
Cornelius, Edward G 247
Covert, Margaret 356
Covert, William T 355
Cranor, Andrew P 375
Cranor, Mary ; 376
Crawford, Alexander McC 385
Crawford, Carrie 385
Darnell, Calvin F 397
DeMotte, Anna G 52
DeMotte, William H 49
Dickinson, Alice E 135
Dickinson, John C 133
Dietz, Frank F 489
Dietz, Louisa B 490
Downs, Dennis P 445
Egan, Mary S 219
Egan, Thomas P 219
Eichrodt, Charles W 87
Evans, George T 463
Evans, Joseph R 63
Faulkner, Charles F 309
Faulkner, Cora A 310
Fertig, Frank 449
Fertig, Leona 450
Fishback, William P 379
Fishback, Mary L 384
Fletcher, Calvin, Sr 165
Fletcher, Emily 166
Folsom, Edwin S 269
Folsom, Mary E 271
Eraser, Delia M 33
Eraser, Selby P 33
Frommeyer, Herman 479
Frommeyer, Josephine 480
Furgason, John A 103
Furgason, Rebecca G 105
Garver, John J 295
Gates, Alfred B 67
Gates, Elizabeth M 69
Gray, Isaac P 347
503
504
Gray, Pierre S 351
Griffith, Elnora L 368
Griffith, William C 365
Hare, Clinton L 189
Hare, Julie H 186
Hare, Marcus L 185
Harkneas, John 411
Heinrich, Christian F 477
Heinrich, Elizabeth 478
Henley, Eva L 475
Henley, Wimam F 473
Heron, Alexander 289
Heron, Helen M 291
Herriott, Juliaette D 194
Herriott, William M 191
Hibben, James S 195
Hibben, Sarah A 197
Hobson, Letha J 334
Hobson, William W 333
Hoffman, George W 495
HoUoway, John M 107
Holstein, Charles L 339
Howard, Liberty 121
Howard, Mary J 132
Howland, Charles A 457
Hughes, William A 273
Ittenbacb, Frank 127
Kahn, Lee R 31
Kohmann, Rena E 39
Kothe, Henry 71
Kuhlman, Eleanor M 373
Kuhlman, Ernest H 373
Landers, Franklin 5
Landers, Jackson 15
Landers, Laura 17
Landers, Martha E 8
Langbein, Amelia 311
Langbein, Joseph 311
Laughlin, Clara 303
Laughbn, Elmer C 301
Lieber, Herman 75
Loomis, George B 99
Loomis, Sallie B 100
McDowell, Charles H 467
McDowell, Joseph G 57
McDowell, Lucretia 59
McFadyen, John 255
Merrill, Catharine 265
Merrill, Samuel 259
Monninger, Daniel 129
Moody, Lorenzo D 425
Murr, Amalie 420
Murr, Louis 419
Mutchner, Phillip E 35
Nickum, John R 343
O'Brian, Amanda M 230
O'Brian, John 229
Osterman, John 153
Osterman, Josephine 155
Pendergast, John G 93
Power, Carrie S 97
Power, Jesse T 95
Ranger, John H 145
Ransford, Nettie 470
Ransford. William P 469
Robbing, Cassandra 338
Robbins, Irwin 335
Roberts, Benjamin 433
Roberts, Emily E 21
Roberts, Martha J 433
Roberts, Robert 19
Root, George R 403
Sargent, Annie M 83
Sargent, Leonard S 81
Schildmeier, Anton 491
Sehnull, Henry 451
Schumacher, John A 115
Seaton, Mahala H 460
Seger, Jonathan M 317
Severin, Augusta R 501
Severin, Henry 499
Short, Mattie 24
Short, Willard N 23
Smith, Alonzo G 215
Smith, Charles H 405
Smith, Clara D 407
Smith, Ida Jane 218
Tarkington, Helena 140
Tarkington, William S. R 139
Terrell, William H. H 235
Test, Charles E 417
Test, Mary E 417
Thudium, Harry 0 179
Thudium, Julia 180
Tucker, Hannibal S 37
Waehtstetter, Anna 306
Wachtstetter, Gottlieb 305
Wallace, William 276
Wands, Minnie 483
Wands, William 481
Woerner, Ada C 388
Woods, Katherine 284
Woods. Marshall C 283
Wright, Martha P 163
Wright, Peter H 161
i