USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Biographical cyclopedia of Vanderburgh County, Indiana : embracing biographies of many of the prominent men and families of the county > Part 1
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Gc 977.201 V28b 1588436
M. L.
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02308 5431
Gc
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPEDIA
OF
VANDERBURGH COUNTY.
INDIANA.
EMBRACING BIOGRAPHIES OF MANY OF THE PROMINENT MEN AND FAMILIES OF THE COUNTY.
PRESS OP THE KELLER PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO EVANSVILLE IND
1897.
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
http://www.archive.org/details/biographicalcycl00evan
1561
PREFACE.
1588436
"A book! O rare one! Be not, as is our fangled world, a garment Nobler than that it covers."
O RECORD the lives of its people is the best history of a country. So said Macauley, the greatest of English historians; and one of America's most brilliant writers of this century has given expression to the same thought. This Biographical Cyclopedia of Vanderburgh County has been prepared in conformity with this idea. Rather than gather dry statistical matter from old and musty records that none would appreciate, I have gone direct to the people, the men and women who have, by their force of char- acter, brought Vanderburgh County to a rank, in many respects, second to none among those comprising the great Hoosier State; and gleaned from them the story of the struggles and vicissitudes of their lives. No more interesting and instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public Complete sketches of many whose lives are worthy of imitation by generations yet to come will be found herein. It relates how many with meagre means and limited advantages, the environments of whom were of the simplest kind, have become great men and women, their influence extending throughout the land. It tells of men who have risen Phoenix-like from the humbler walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have been written in letters of shining gold and their forms lighted up by the sunshine of merited fame. It tells of those in every walk of life who have striven to succeed and records how success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells of many also who, seeking not the applause of the world, are satisfied with-they have done their best. It tells of how many in the pride of strength of young manhood, left the plow and anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die" for the land which gave them birth, and to which, next to their God, their highest homage was due. This book will be loved and appreciated by generations yet to come. preserved as a sacred and precious treasure, and a priceless souvenir of those who contributed their lives and means in the interest of humanity, civilization and progress.
THE AUTHOR.
F. W. COOK.
BIOGRAPHICAL CYCLOPEDIA
OF
VANDERBURGH COUNTY, INDIANA.
HON. F. W. COOK.
F REDERICK WASHINGTON COOK was born at Washington. District of Columbia, February 1, 1832, and when yet quite young he removed with his parents to Port Deposit, Cecil county, Maryland. After a residence of about three years at that place, they removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1836 to Evansville. In 1837 the stepfather of Mr. Cook, Jacob Rice, and Fred. Kroener bought property in Lamasco, near the terminus of the Wabash and Erie canal, which was then in course of construc- tion, and in the same year built what was later known as the "Old Brewery" -the first brewery built in Southern Indiana.
Mr. Cook was educated in Evansville, also attending the Anderson Collegiate
Institute at New Albany, Indiana. His first business engagement was with Mr. L. W. Heberd, who was in the dry goods business on Main street, with whom Mr. Cook remained for two years, until the death of his brother, when he was taken home by his parents to learn the brewing business. In 1853 Mr. Cook, in conjunction with Louis Rice, a brother of his stepfather. built the City Brewery- where the F. W. Cook Brewing Co., of to-day stands -the premises then being a corn field. When they began business the cash cap- ital of the firm was $330.00, Louis Rice having accumulated $165.00, and Mr. Cook's father advancing him an equal amount. Louis Rice attended to the brewing department and Mr. Cook to business and financial department. In 1857 Louis Rice sold his interest in the
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
brewery to Jacob Rice for $3, 500. The Rice until 1885, when it was incorpor- new firm commenced at once the erec- tion of a lager beer cellar and in 1858 made the first lager beer in Southern Indiana; also in that year an extensive malt house was added to the brewery property.
Mr. Cook was elected councilman for the Fifth ward in April, 1856, and for the Eighth ward in April, 1863, being re-elected in April, 1864, but re- signed in the fall of that year, having been elected as representative from Vanderburgh county to the legislature of Indiana. In this capacity he served during the called session of 1864, and also during the regular session of 1864- 65. After his return home, in 1867, the people again showed their appreci- ation by electing him to the city council from the Fourth ward, and it may be said of him that both in the city council and legislature his public services have been satisfactory to his constituents and have been performed with great credit to himself. In 1856 Mr. Cook was married to Miss Louise Hild, of Louis- ville, Kentucky, who died in February, 1877. He was again married to Miss Jennie Himeline, of Kelley's Island, Ohio, in November, 1879, who died in January, ISS5.
Mr. Rice, the step-father and partner of Mr. Cook, met with an accident in April, 1872, and died on the 3d of May following from the injuries received, and Mrs. Rice, his mother, died on the 6th day of November, 1878, leaving Mr. Cook the sole heir to the City Brewery. The business was continued under the old firm name of Cook &
ated, with F. W. Cook as president, under the laws of the State of Indiana as the F. W. Cook Brewing Co., which name is not only identified with the growth of Evansville, but known far and wide in the southern and eastern states. On December 3, 1891, the brew house and offices of the F. W. Cook Brewing Co., were destroyed by fire. Hardly had the smoke cleared away and the ashes cooled before ar- rangements for a modern building were being perfected. The offices of the Brewing Company were temporarily removed to 706 Main street. In March, 1893, the new brew house- one of the most modern and perfectly arranged brew houses in the United States-was completed and the offices were again moved to their commodious quarters in the new building. The construction of this magnificent and imposing brew house, with a capacity of 300,000 barrels annually, is an evidence on the part of Mr. Cook of his confidence in the future of Evansville.
It is safe to say that there is no more energetic or ambitious man engaged in the manufacturing business than Mr. Cook. Few names are as well known as his, synonymous with advancement, only waiting an opportunity to meet any exigency. A prominent figure up to the last two years at the meetings of the National Brewers' Association, the wealthiest co-operative body in the world, his suggestions have always been listened to by that august body with the profoundest respect. Mr. Cook cer- tainly deserves the great credit he has
.
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
achieved, ranking as one of the wealth- iest men in Indiana. He is the architect of his own fortune and is to-day one of the representative citizens of Evansville. Ilis pleasant face and his sympathetic nature are characteristic of the man. While devoting strict attention to busi- ness. Mr. Cook finds time to attend to the duties devolving upon him as pres- ident of the Evansville, Newburgh & Suburban Railway, also of the District Telegraph Co., and also of the F. W. Cook Investment Co. The latter con- cern has among its property Cook's Park, one of the finest summer resorts in the country, consisting of sixteen acres in the city limits and a club house. Mr. Cook is a director in the Citizen's National Bank, also in the Bank of Commerce, and in the Evansville In- surance Co. He is also interested in numerous other enterprises. From the above it is evident that Mr. Cook ranks as a citizen of great influence. Al- though sixty-five years of age. Mr. Cook possesses a splendid physical structure, and has before him a business career, which by its lustre and bril- liancy, must eclipse and dim by its brightness that which in the past has been so remarkable and pre-eminent His acts of charity and benevolence have been bestowed upon thousands. Equally liberal has he shown himself in all enterprises tending to benefit the general public and the welfare of the city of Evansville.
F. W. Cook belongs to that class of men to whom is chiefly due the creation of our industries and the building up of our cities. They are the churches.
men that, having climbed to a higher level than the great majority of their fellow men, they become objects of universal interest, and the history of their business career becomes of espec- ial interest to young men who have yet to make their fortune. To one strug- gling to gain a foothold in the business world there is no such incentive to effort as the knowledge that another with whom he is brought into daily contact has met and triumphed over obstacles greater than those with which he him- self has to contend. There is some- thing to challenge admiration in the combination of faculties forming the character of a man who starts in life without the great advantages of wealth and literally carves out his own fortune, makes for himself a position and a name respected and honored in his commun- ity. He is the great man who has gained a mastery over himself and learned to rely upon himself, finding in his own person the qualities and charac- teristics essential to great achievements; who possesses ambition to succeed by honorable means, courage to undertake what may be unpromising, will and pertinacity to overcome obstacles and
surmount difficulties. These are nature's powers for conquest. Such a man entrenches and fortifies himself. At the same time his labors and enterprises are contributed to the prosperity of the community. He who builds and oper- ates railroads honestly, who plants in- dustries and operates them without oppression, is not less deserving of praise than the man who ministers unto
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
H TENRY EDWARD COOK, vice pres ident of the F. W. Cook Brew- ing Co., and secretary and treasurer of the F. W. Cook Investment Co., was born in Evansville, February 20, 1864. Ilis early mental training was obtained from the public schools of Evansville, and when sixteen years of age he en- tered the Bloomington State University, being the youngest member of the class of ISS4. He went abroad in the fall of 1884 to complete his education, taking a course of four semesters-two years --- at the famous Heidelberg University in Germany, applying himself particu- larly to the study of modern languages. He returned home in 1886 and for a year was engaged in familiarizing him- self with the financial department of his father's brewery business. In the early part of 1887 he again crossed the At- lantic, spending twelve months in travel- ing through Germany, Austria, Switzer- land, Bohemia, Italy, France and En- gland. He returned to Evansville in IS88 and immediately assumed active duties in the office of the F. W. Cook Brewing Co., and in 1890 was chosen vice president of that institution. This was rather an important position for as young a man as Mr. Cook to fill, but he did it with grace and dignity. It was a tribute to his worth and ability, as a bright and competent business man. Further attestation of the confidence imposed in him was his selection as secretary and treasurer of the F. W. Cook Investment Co., in 1891. So far his career has been a brilliant one, and if we are to judge the future by the of Vincennes. past, some flattering predictions might
be made. Henry E. Cook possesses many of the traits and characteristics of his father; although quite a young man, he has the qualifications for his position in an eminent degree. and the record he is making will certainly prepare him for other trusts, that are sure to come to a man of his ability. Ile is popular with all classes, refined and courteous. Being a man of fine mind as well as appearance he natur- ally has clothed his position with a dig- nity, commanding the respect of all with whom he deals. Henry E. Cook is a warm friend and generous in his oppo- sition ; he is painstaking, conscientious and determined, thoroughly conversant with the duties and details of the inter- ests in which he is engaged, with that quick comprehension to rely upon his own judgment in the disposition of affairs generally.
SAMUEL BAYARD,
PRESIDENT of the Old National Bank of Evansville, was born in Vin- cennes, Indiana.
John F. Bayard, the father, was a native of France. and came to America at an early day. He was a French soldier, and served with the first Napo- leon at Waterloo. He married Miss Mary Ann Boneau, of Vincennes, and nine children issued from their union, the subject of this sketch being the first. Samuel Bayard received his mental training in the public and private schools After graduating he started out to fight life's battles alone,
SAMUEL BAYARD.
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
and secured a position as deputy in the office of the clerk of the circuit court at Vincennes, where he remained for three years In 1851 he resigned that posi- tion, and, coming to Evansville, entered the Evansville branch of the State Bank of Indiana, in the capacity of clerk. He was promoted to the position of teller two months later, and remained in that ยก osition until 1857, when, by a change in the banking system of the state, the affairs of the State Bank of Indiana were closed. Upon the organization of the Bank of the State of Indiana, Mr. Bayard was chosen cashier of the Evansville branch, and occupied that position until the advent of national banking, which was ushered in by congress during the war. The State Bank was then suc- ceeded by the Evansville National Bank, and Mr. Bayard was appointed cashier. In 1867 he was elected vice president of that institution, and in that capacity, virtually had the management of the entire affairs of the bank. In 1876 he was elected president, and held the pres- idency of that bank and its successor, the "Old National Bank," which he organized, down to the present time. He has done more to strengthen the financial institutions of this section than has any other influence, and the reputa- tion that the Old National Bank holds in the financial world, has done more to advertise Evansville, in the way it should be advertised, than any other thing in it. Its capital and surplus exceeds a million dollars. Samuel Bayard is a man of means and affairs, and his oper- ations have not been confined alone to banking. In 1864 he assisted in organ-
izing the firm of W. J. Lowry & Co., for the purpose of doing a banking business. Ile was one of the stockholders and mainly instrumental in organizing the German National Bank, which was suc- ceeded by the German Bank of Evans- ville, and was a stockholder and member of the board of directors. In 1870 he was chosen a director of the Evansville, Carmi and Paducah R. R. Co., after- wards consolidated with the St. Louis and Southeastern, and finally became part of the Louisville and Nashville sys- tem. He was a director and also a mem- ber of the executive committee, which had charge of and controlled the man- agement of the company's business. He served the Evansville and Terre Haute R. R. Co. as director, and was one of the six stockholders controlling an inter- est therein. He contributed liberally to the Evansville library association, being one of the citizens that formed that association. He served as its treasurer and afterwards as president. He was entrusted with the important commis- sion of making the first selection of books for the library, and went to Cincinnati in person to purchase the books. For a quarter of a century Mr. Bayard has been a stockholder of the Evansville Gas Co., now the Evansville Gas and Electric Light Co., of which he is treasurer and the largest stockholder. He is an inde- fatigable worker in all the enterprises in which he is interested. His judgment is regarded as superior, and his advice sought by his colleagues. His prudence and conservatism lend unusual weight to his counsel in all monetary affairs. Mr. Bayard is one of the foremost finan-
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
ciers of this country, and his name has been prominently mentioned for secre- tary of the treasury of the United States. Ile is not a politician in the usual accept- ance of the term, but by sheer force of character, has obtained a leading posi- tion in the ranks of the republican party, with which he affiliates. Although Mr. Bayard works as hard as he did three or four decades ago, giving many hours of his time cach day to the various enter- prises in which he is engaged, he still finds time to devote to his books in his magnificent library, and there finds de- lightful recreation. IIe has, perhaps, the largest library in the state, contain- ing a large number of rare and valuable books, the systematic and careful collec- tion of which has occupied many years. Samuel Bayard was united in marriage March 6, 1867, to Miss Mattie J. Orr, daughter of that prominent and influen- tial citizen of Evansville, the late Samuel Orr.
Mrs. Bayard is an active and helpful member of the presbyterian church, prominent in charity work, and loved by all who know her. Mr. Bayard is not a member of the church. but attends upon the services of the Presbyterian church, and is very much interested in the organized efforts for the maintenance and propagation of Christianity. He is one of the most public spirited men in Evansville, and is identified with all public measures looking to the improve- ment of the city, and the advancement of society. It is known, moreover, among his neighbors, although he has sacredly guarded the fact as a secret, that he and his estimable wife are most
generous in their donations to the cause of charity, and their liberality toward benevolent institutions is very great, having given something over $20,000 to the Young Men's Christian Association building fund alone, while their liberality to the worthy poor, in the way of private charity, approaches extravagance.
CAPT. JOHN GILBERT,
F EVANSVILLE has for many years been one of the substantial and suc- cessful business men of the Ohio Valley. A native of Pennsylvania, he came west in 1836, at the age of eighteen years, and located in southern Illinois. For twenty-five years he was a country mer- chant, bartering the articles kept in a general store for all the products of a new country and selling comparatively few goods for cash. It required skil!, tact, patience and sagacity to carry on a business of exchange safely and profit. ably at such a time, under such condi- tions. The man who was able to build up and hold a trade, and reach the markets with produce taken as the price of merchandise, was qualified for business on a large scale. He began at a time when it was necessary to float the products of the western settlements down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers on flat boats, to the markets of the south, of which New Orleans was chief. He continued to carry on commerce successfully. by steamboat, in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers during the period of the rebellion. At the present time
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CAPT. JOHN GILBERT.
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VANDERBURGHI COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
he is president and managing owner of a daily packet line carrying the United States mail between Evansville, Indiana, Paducah, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois, a route two hundred miles in length. He is president of the John Gilbert Dry Goods Co .. one of the largest houses of its class in the Ohio Valley. His finan- ancial and commercial instinct and abil- ity are further evidenced by his career as a banker. For many years he has been the senior partner in the firm of John Gilbert, Jr. & Co., a banking house at Golconda, Illinois, which has enjoyed the public confidence and a very profitable business patronage. In 1874 he became a director of the Mer- chant's National Bank of Evansville, and subsequently was appointed its vice president and manager, continuing in that relation until the expiration of the bank's charter in 1885, when it went into liquidation. Under his judicious management the bank was so prosper- ous that the final dividends exceeded the expectations of its shareholders and were therefore very gratifying. When the affairs of the Merchant's Bank had been satisfactorily closed he was elected a director of the Old National Bank of Evansville, and at the same time was chosen vice president. His official re- lations with this bank have continued unbroken to the present time. The young man of to-day imperfectly appre- hends the broad and varied experience of a business life in the west, extending over a period of sixty years. Captain Gilbert is one of the remnant of old merchants that connect the ginseng and coonskin age of traffic with the cash
and discount system of the present, by continuity in the mercantile pursuit, which has been constantly progressive. His experience covers the frontier coun- try store, which bartered calico, bullets and molasses for eggs, furs and bees- wax; and it has covered all the inter- mediate period to the great department store of the present. It began before the chartering and equipment of com- mon carriers, when every successful mer- chant in the new west provided his own means of transportation on the natural waterways to the commercial cities and the sea. It has continued until the con- sumption occasioned by the establish- ment of manufactories and the opening up of varied industries has enlarged the home maker, and the fast freight lines send their cars on side-tracks to every man's warehouse for his surplus. Cap- tain Gilbert in his varied business ex- perience and unbroken line of successes, is a conspicuous example of the best type of the pioneer merchant-one who has the capacity for expansion and growth equal to the development of the country and the progressive methods of business. He had the courage to man- age a line of steamboats for commercial purposes. in the time of war, in the enemy's country, when danger from land batteries multiplied the ordinary risk of river navigation. He advanced continuously in merchandising from the small country store to the head and control of the largest dry goods house in the state of Indiana. He has achieved prominence as a banker by familiarity with the principles of finance and the prudential management of fiscal institu-
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VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
tions. His wide influence as a citizen is the natural outgrowth of confidence in his ability, integrity and sound judge- ment, a confidence that is well-founded and has never been abused. A man of high moral character, beloved and high- ly respected by all who know him. He is a trustee of the "Home of the Friend- less" and also of the "Orphan Asylum," two institutions whose good work can- not be overestimated. Captain Gilbert in dire need of aid and by his liberal assistance placed the institution on a solid financial footing. He has been liberal in his support to the cause of religion and there is not an Evangelical denomination in Evansville that has not been benefitted by his subscriptions. By these and kindred actions he has endcared himself to the people of Evans- ville and made for him a name which will survive him many years, and his work and exemplary life will be held up as an example to future generations. A life history told plainly and simply need not be classed as uneventful. To be born, to marry, to become a parent and to die is but the common lot of man; but to start like the trickling rivulet from mountain mosses on the cliffside, to form misty cataracts and limpid pools in the descent, to broaden like a meandering brook and fertilize the fruitful fields, to become part of the broad breasted river which turns the whirling wheels of factories and great industries, and bears its white-winged commerce to the sea and yet retain the purity and gentleness of the mountain dew is not the heritage of every man.
To this man such a life has been-a life of usefulness, of gentleness, of grace and peace.
ABRAHAM M. OWEN, M. D.,
took charge of the former when it was successful surgeon in Southern Indiana,
T 11E acknowledged leader in the active practice of his profession in the city of Evansville, and the most eminent and is the son of Abraham B. Owen, M. D., a Virginian by birth, and in his day one of the most prominent and successful physicians in Kentucky. The elder Owen practiced his profession for several years in Louisville, but about 1843 removed to Madisonville, Hopkins county, Kentucky, where Dr. A. M. Owen was born March 19, 1849. The mantel of the father fell upon the son, for while a mere boy he evidenced a decided love for medical knowledge and an especial fondness for surgical science. Ile received his education in the acade- mies of his native state and the univer- sity of Virginia, and began his prepar- atory course in medicine in the office of his father. It soon became evident to the father that his son needed advant- ages in the prosecution of his medical studies, not obtainable in his native town, and in 1865 he entered the office of that eminent physician and surgeon. Dr. Frank II. Hamilton, of New York. Completing his preparatory course he entered the Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1866, from which he was graduated with honor in the class of 1870. His graduating thesis,
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