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1
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02408 3443
1
Memorial and Genealogical Record
Representative Citizens of Indiana OF
1
Edition De Luxe
BY JACOB PIATT DUNN
1912 B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
1
1506561
FOREWORD
By words and by actions the personality reveals its quality, its force, its direction of purpose. The invisible spirit embodies it- self in signs of service and in language. Words also are deeds, and actions are symbols of the inner being which we can not see, nor touch, nor weigh. Hence the value of a biography which writes out a life by telling a story of what one has said or done. But since speech is forgotten and actions fade away in the clouds of a distant past, we also listen to those who have been witnesses of the conduct, companions of the journey, sharers of the benefits and benedictions of those whom we have lost a little while to find again. 91056
There come trooping the children and the grandchildren who inherit the results of the good life, but have no image, no memory of the author of the blessings of a worthy soul; and they are ennobled, inspired, sobered by the proud discovery of a family chief whose name was held in honor by men of sagacity and probity; they are enriched by reading the record in which their own names are linked with that of one who illumined the page of domestic annals with honorable fame.
It is with these values of biography in mind that we un- dertake the task, at once so sweet and so full of pain, of recalling a few of the typical, significant and thus revealing words and deeds of a noble and wise friend and give more enduring form to the estimates and appreciations of some who knew him well.
J. S. Dunn.
INDEX
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A
Page
Adams, James M., M. D.
681
Aldag, Charles
355
Alfrey, Henry 529
Alfrey, Moses
530
Allison, Noah S.
385
Armstrong, Addison F.
572
Anrentz, Solomon A.
605
B
Baker, Killlan 169
Ballard, John W., M. D. 202
Barnett, James
628
Binkley, Charles C. 134
Blppus, George J.
452
Blake, William
275
Bliven, Ethan Clark
212
Bolton, Isaac J.
577
Borgmann, William F.
753
Boseker, Christian 590
Bostick, John
281
Brandriff, Alfred D.
165
Brown, J. L.
651
Bunch, Robert A., M. D.
598
C
Carnahan, William L. 244
Cheney, James
769
Clark, Francla
635
Certia, Peter
102
Claypool, Solomon
664
Coburn, Henry
36
Coburn, Henry P. 37
Coburn, Capt. Peter
37
Colerick, Walpole G.
761
Colfax, Schuyler
612
Cox, Prof. Sheridan
741
Cox, Timothy B., M. D. 684
Crawford, Samuel
132
Cummings, Marshall F.
381
D
Davidson, Hon. Thomaa F.
373
Dawson, Major Byron
42
Page
Defenbaugh, George W. 463
De Waid, George 89
DeWald, Mrs. Sophla A. 105
Dorner, Frederick 721
Draper, Fred C. 476
Draper, Harry L.
475
Draper, Isaac P.
472
E
East, David C.
505
Eastman, Joseph, M. D. 580
Ellingham, Lewis G.
614
Emhardt, John
392
Engle, Rev. Willia D.
424
English, William H.
749
F
Fairbank, Carolyn Randall
54
Fatout, Joshua L.
401
Flanner, Francis W.
465
Fleming, William
24
Fletcher, Stoughton A., Sr.
18
Fletcher, Stoughton J.
18
Freiburger, Simon
417
G
Gerard, David W.
295
Ghere, William H, 625
Gilbert, Edward
366
Grande, August
638
Grayston, Frederick S. C., M. D.
705
Groff, John W.
292
H
Hall, John W.
545
Hamilton, Joseph
227
Hanna, John
547
Hanna, James Parks
548
Hanna, Samuel
109
Hanna, Samnel T.
284
Harrison, Benjamin
9
Harrison, Louvisa E. L.
662
Harrison, Gen. Thomas J.
657
Page
Harrison, William Henry 9
Heck, Charles E.
689
Hendricks, Maj. Abram W.
268
Hendricks, Thomas A.
686
Hettier, Capt. Christopher F.
220
Hinton, Samuel
602
Hirschman, Jacob C.
353
Hitt, John W.
594
Hitt, Maj. Wilbur F.
593
Holland, Hon. George
47
Holmes, Lewis W.
695
Honan, Thomas M.
699
Hosbrook, Daniel B.
619
Hovey, Gen. Alvin P.
617
Howard, Lewis N., M. D.
129
J
Jackson, Andrew
214
Johnson, Grafton
561
Johnson, Grafton, Sr.
561
Johnson, Sylvester
84
K
Kemper, Gen. William H., M. D.
481
Kerchevsi, Edward R.
596
King, David
310
Kirkpatrick, Thomas M.
487
Knight, Charies S.
776
Kramer, James T.
622
L
Laboyteaux, James M.
525
Lane, Henry Smith
95
Leonard, John
208
Levering, William H.
249
Lilly, Col. Eli
729
Linsday, Nathaniel R.
713
Luick, George
332
Lyle, William B.
412
M
McAfee, John R.
217
McCaskey, George W., M. D.
342
MacDougall, John
430
Marsee, Rev. Joseph
427
Meyer, Diederich
569
Miller, Hiram W.
57
Page
Morrison, Henry Y. 673
Hartley, John J.
542
Morton, Oliver P.
746
Haugh, Benjamin F.
273
Muhler, Charles F.
234
Haugh, Benjamin O.
273
Murray, Thomas
478
N
Nelligan, John
123
Nelson, Isaac D. G.
438
Noble, Gen. Charles H.
404
·
0
O'Brien, William H.
409
Oliver, Dandridge H., M. D.
125
Overstreet, Gabriel M.
642
Overstreet, Hon. Jesse
641
Owen, Robert Dale
671
P
Paris, Walter S.
634
Piepenbrink, Albert J.
335
Pixiey, George W.
445
Poik, Ralph B.
764
Pritchard, William T.
654
1
Purviance, James M.
702
R
Rabus, George
767
Randall, Franklin P.
188
Rastetter, Louis
493
Reagan, Jesse, M. D.
497
Remmert, Herman J.
552
Ried, Samuel M., M. D.
519
Riedmiller, John M.
257
Riedmiller, John M., Sr.
209
Rudisili, Henry
737
S
Schlssel, Otto
449
Seidel, Edward
253
Sibert, William F. 398
Sloan, William G.
206
Sloane, Edward W.
736
Smith, Henry B.
637
Snider, George W.
158
Somers, Orlando Allen
513
Somerville, Theodore E.
369
Sommers, Henry G.
185
Marsee, John L.
428
Spann, John M.
260
Stevenson, John
433
Sturgis, Charles E., M. D.
358
Summers, James
122
Hayden, Frederick J.
151
T
Page
Tarkington, John S.
66
Tarkington, Newton Booth
66
Taylor, David H. 161
Thomas, Mason B.
313
Tibbles, John Henry
181
Traugott, Jacob
395
Trentman, August C. 176
Trentman, Bernard
236
Wilson, Dr. William N. 377
Winans, Mrs. Arrabella 73
Winana, Dr. Henry Clay 74
Woodworth, Benjamin S., M. D. 349
Woolery, Freeman R. 666
Woolery, William
666
Vollmer, William H.
609
Voorhees, Danlel W.
679
W
Wallace, David
361
Yandes, Simon
711
1
Wallace, Gen. Lew
Page 361
Webb, Marlon A. 71
Webater, George C. 337
Weatfall, George 726
Westfall, Harvey 725
Wiegel, William 345
Wilding, James 555
Williams, Jamea D. 511
Y
Velsey, Seth M. 277
Y
on
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BENJAMIN HARRISON.
The comment has often been truthfully made that deserved appreciation of really great men is too frequently withheld until death awakens society, or a nation, to a sense of its loss. This is less true of Benjamin Harrison than of most distinguished per- sonages. There was never a period in his illustrious career when his mental equipment was not recognized by friend and foe alike as of a superior order. None ever failed to credit him with high moral purpose, true nobility of character, sterling sense of justice, able and comprehensive statesmanship and firm adherence to the loftiest of political, social and business ideals. This unanimous concession to his worth and greatness wholly disarmed the tem- porary determination due to partisan exigency, and entirely shamed those few of his pretended political friends who could not debauch his integrity nor swerve his independence. The ruinous results of defeat for a second term of the Presidency but served to confirm the sober and general judgment that he had been too soon and too hastily deprived of the helm of state. Nor did he disappoint any intelligent opinion of his exceptional qualities of head and heart by retirement from public life, but, on the con- trary, continued to add to acquired esteem by a constant display of ability and usefulness which were recognized and appreciated almost as much abroad as at home. In this respect he stood almost alone in American history as an exception to the rule that Presidential honors were a sufficient crown, and that all after-life could afford to bask in idle serenity, with its inevitable entail of rust and obscurity. As the one chief executive who measured up to the stature of any predecessor in all that concerned purity and strength of administration, and contributed to the progress, sta- bility and general welfare of the country, so he remained the one all-around statesman and jurist of his day, whose primacy was without dispute, and whose judgments found respect without reference to party predilections. 'At his death his place was as easily that of the first American as when he enjoyed the distinc- tion and attracted the homage due to the chief executive. This universal estimate of his exalted character became more pro- nounced after his sudden departure. The restraints of politics
10
were removed. Sentiment assumed free and open expression. He was deliberately re-weighed in all his attributes of character, in all his accomplishments, in all his relations to public and civic affairs, and what had been the common verdict was only rendered the more emphatic. Honors, no matter how profuse, were all too insufficient for the distinguished dead. Mourning, however sin- cere and general, was but a feeble expression of the deep-seated sense of the bereavement. It was Benjamin Harrison who had been gathered to his fathers. The model man and statesman, through critical, yet most kind, analysis, through sympathetic eulogium, and through touching dirge, was assigned his de- servedly exalted, and, no doubt, permanent, niche in the hall of fame, there to stand as an encouragement to noble, statesmanlike endeavor, and an inspiration to the youth of our land.
Benjamin Harrison, the twenty-third President of the United States, was the descendant of one of the historical families of this country. The head of the family was a Major-General Harrison, one of Oliver Cromwell's trusted followers and fighters. In the zenith of Cromwell's power it became the duty of this Harrison to participate in the trial of Charles I, and afterward to sign the death warrant of the King. He subsequently paid for this with his life, being hung October 13, 1660. His descendants came to America, and the next of the family that appears in history is Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and after whom he was named. Benjamin Har- rison was a member of the Continental Congress during the years 1774-5-6, and was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was three times elected governor of Virginia.
Gen. William Henry Harrison, the son of the distinguished patriot of the Revolution, and who became the first (territorial) governor of Indiana, and ninth President of the United States, was a native of Virginia, born in the town of Berkeley, Charles City county, February 9, 1773. He was the grandfather of the subject. The former's father, Benjamin Harrison, was in com- paratively opulent circumstances, and was one of the most dis- tinguished men of his day. He was an intimate friend of George Washington, and was conspicuous among the patriots of Virginia in resisting the encroachments of the British crown. In the cele- brated Congress of 1775, Benjamin Harrison and John Hancock were both candidates for the office of speaker.
11
Having received a thorough common-school education, Will- iam Henry Harrison entered Hampden Sidney College, from which he was graduated with highest honors after the death of his father. He then went to Philadelphia to study medicine. But upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles he abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, having obtained a commis- sion of ensign from President Washington. He was then but nineteen years old. From that time he passed gradually upward in rank until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose death he resigned his commission. He was then appointed secretary of the Northwestern territory. This territory was then entitled to but one member in Congress and Captain Harrison was chosen to fill that position. In the spring of 1800 the Northwestern terri- tory was divided by Congress into two portions. The eastern portion embraced what is now the state of Ohio, and the western portion included the present states of Illinois, Indiana and Wis- consin and was called Indiana territory. William Henry Har- rison, then twenty-seven years old, was appointed by John Adams governor of this territory, and immediately after also governor of upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He was superintendent of Indian affairs, and was invested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now rapidly-increasing white population. The ability and fidelity with which he discharged these responsible duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four times appointed to this office, first by John Adams, twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterward by President Madison. When he began his adminis- tration there were but three white settlements in that almost boundless region, now crowded with millions.
The vast wilderness over which General Harrison reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About the year 1806 two extraordinary men, twin brothers, of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or the "Crouch- ing Panther"; the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." Tecum- seh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomitable perseverance in any enter- prise in which he might engage. He was inspired with the high- est enthusiasm, and had long regarded with dread the encroach- ment of the whites upon the hunting grounds of his fathers. His brother, The Prophet, was an orator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored Indian as the gale tossed the tree tops beneath
12
which they dwelt. Governor Harrison made many attempts to conciliate the Indians, but at last the war came, and at the famous battle of Tippecanoe, on November 7, 1811, the Indians were routed with great slaughter. When near the Prophet's Town three Indians of rank made their appearance and inquired why Governor Harrison was approaching them in so hostile an atti- tude. After a short conference arrangements were made for a meeting the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. But Gov- ernor Harrison was too well acquainted with the Indian character to be deceived by such protestations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's encampment, he took every precaution against sur- prise. The wakeful governor between three and four o'clock in the morning had risen, when the Indians made a sudden attack, but the General soon had his troops in order and saved the day. He now had all his energies tasked to the utmost. The British, descending from Canada, were of themselves a very formidable force; but with their savage allies, who burned, plundered and searched every remote farm house, scalping and torturing the scattered settlers, the wide frontier was plunged into a state of consternation. Governor Hull had made the ignominious sur- render of his forces at Detroit. Under these despairing circum- stances, Governor Harrison was appointed by President Madison commander-in-chief of the Northwestern army, with orders to re- take Detroit and to protect the frontiers. Harrison won the love of his soldiers by always sharing with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while pursuing the foe up the Thames, during the war of 1812, was carried in a valise, and his bedding consisted of a single blanket lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers, his prisoners of war, supped with him after the great bat- tle of the Thames, in which his old Indian foe, Tecumseh, was killed. The only fare he could give them was beef roasted before the fire, without bread or salt.
In 1816, General Harrison was chosen a member of the national House of Representatives, to represent the district of Ohio. In Congress he proved an active member, and whenever he spoke it was with force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested the attention of all members. In 1819 he was elected to the Senate of Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presiden- tial electors of that state, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The same year he was chosen to the United States Senate. In 1836 the friends of General Harrison brought him forward as a candi-
13
date for the Presidency against Martin Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re- nominated by his party, and Harrison was unanimously nomi- nated by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the vice-presidency. The contest was very animated. General Jackson gave all his influence to prevent Harrison's election; but his triumph was signal. The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster at its head as secretary of state, was one of the most brilliant with which any President had ever been surrounded. In the midst of these bright and joyous prospects, General Harrison became suddenly ill and died a few days later, on April 4, 1841, just one month after his inauguration as President.
Gen. William Henry Harrison's son, John Scott Harrison, fell heir to his father's farm at North Bend, on the Ohio river, a few miles below Cincinnati. He had already acquired political promi- nence, having served as governor of Northwestern territory and subsequently as a member of Congress in the lower house, from 1853 to 1857. He died in 1859 at Cincinnati.
Benjamin Harrison, the immediate subject of this memoir, and the son of John Scott Harrison and wife, was born at North Bend, August 20, 1833. He was a slender, wiry stripling of seven years when the notable campaign in which his grandfather was elected President was going on. Its spectacular appeals and scenic wonders made a vivid impression on the boy's mind. The life of young Benjamin was quite like that of the average farm boy of those times. His father was not a man of large means and was able to give him a good education, but nothing more. When fourteen years of age he was sent to Cary's Academy, Walnut Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati, where he remained for two years, and where one of his classmates was the famous writer, Murat Halstead. In the fall of 1850 he entered Miami University, Ox- ford, Ohio, and in June, 1852, he was graduated from there with high honors. After graduating he determined to enter upon the study of the law. He went to Cincinnati and there read law for two years. At the expiration of that time young Harrison re- ceived the only inheritance of his life; his aunt dying, left him a lot valued at eight hundred dollars. Hc regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to get married at onee, take this money and go to some Eastern town and begin the practice of law. He sold his lot and, with the money in his pocket, started out with his young wife to fight for a place in the world, having married, in
14
1853, Caroline Lavina Scott, the daughter of the principal of a female seliool at Oxford. Of the two children born of this union, the eldest, Russell B. Harrison, became a mining engineer, after- wards gained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Spanish-Amer- ican war, and is at this writing engaged in business in Indian- apolis. The youngest, Mary, married James R. McKee, formerly an Indianapolis merchant, but later a resident of New York. Mrs. Harrison died a few years before the Presidential election in 1892. Mr. Harrison married, in 1896, Mrs. Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, a niece of his first wife. Of this union, one child, Elizabeth, was born, who lives with her mother in the picturesque Harrison homestead in Indianapolis.
It was in the year 1853 that Benjamin Harrison left his na- tive community in Hamilton county, Ohio, and took up his perma- nent residence in Indianapolis, which was even at that time a town of promise. He met with slight encouragement at first, making scarcely anything the first year. He worked diligently, applying himself closely to his calling, and in due course of time had built up an extensive practice and took a leading rank in the legal profession, in fact, became one of the leading lawyers of the state.
Manifesting an abiding interest in public affairs, Mr. Har- rison was nominated for the position of supreme court reporter, and then began his experience as a stump speaker. He canvassed the state thoroughly, and was elected by a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the Seventieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry for the Union army and was chosen its colonel. His regiment was composed of the rawest of material, but Colonel Harrison em- ployed all his time at first mastering military tactics and drilling his men; when he therefore came to move toward the east with Sherman his regiment was one of the best drilled and organized in the army. At the battle of Resaca, Georgia, he especially dis- tinguished himself, and for his bravery at Peach Tree Creek he was made a brigadier-general, General Hooker speaking of him in the most complimentary terms.
During the absence of General Harrison in the field the su- preme court declared the office of the supreme court reporter vacant and another person was elected to the position. From the time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 he had taken no leave of absence, but having been nominated that year for the same office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and
15
during that time made a brilliant canvass of the state, and was elected for another term. He then started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most trying siege made his way to the front in time to participate in the closing incidents of the war.
In 1868 General Harrison declined a re-election as reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 he was a candidate for governor. Although defeated, the brilliant campaign he made wou for him a national reputation and he became one of the lead- ers of the Republican party, and was much sought, especially in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the campaign, and was elected to the United States Sen- ate. Here he served six years, and was known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and strongest debaters in that body. With the expiration of his senatorial term he returned to the practice of his profession, becoming the head of one of the strong- est firms in the state of Indiana.
The political campaign of 1888 was one of the most memor- able in the history of our country. The convention, which as- sembled in Chicago in June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer of the Republican party, was great in every par- ticular, and on this account, and the attitude it assumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest in the campaign throughout the nation. Shortly after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This movement became popular, and from all sections of the country societies, clubs and delegations journeyed thither to pay their respects to the distinguished statesman. The popularity of these was greatly increased on account of the remarkable speeches made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all through the summer and autumn to these visiting delegations, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were his speeches that they at once placed him in the foremost rank of American orators and statesmen. On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his power as a debater he had been called upon at an uncommonly early age to take part in the discussions of the great questions that then began to agitate the country. He was an uncompromising anti-slavery man, and was matched against some of the most eminent Democratic speakers of his state. No man who felt the touch of his blade desired to be pitted with him again. With all his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for
16
oratorieal effect, but his words always went like bullets to the mark. He was purely American in his ideals and was a splendid type of the American statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, he was one of the most distin- guished impromptu speakers in the nation. Original in thought, precise in logie, terse in statement, yet withial faultless in elo- quence, he was universally recognized as the sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. His term of office as President of the United States expired on March 4, 1893. He evineed his ability to govern wisely by the selection of his cabinet, fitness being the prime object, seeking a working as well as an advisory body, with the great James G. Blaine as the head, as secretary of state. His administration is too well known to review in detail here. It was an administration in which duty was met honestly, courage- ously, promptly and with ability, one which filled the letter of the platform of principles, one in which the President daily grew and strengthened in the public mind, and won the implicit faith of the country, one which typified American honor in all its foreign rela- tions; it stood for Ameriean industry, the home wage-earner, domestic manufacturers, expanded eommeree, enlarged markets; an administration of good judgment, liberality and public spirit, in its efforts to re-create a navy and establish coast-defenses com- mensurate with the power, dignity and necessities of a great nation. It was an administration whose President saw new mar- kets opened for American products in nearly all the American republics to the south of us and in most of the continental states of Europe. He saw for the first time in our history the exports of our manufactures in iron exceed our imports, and the triumph- ant establishment of our iron and steel utensils, tools, etc., in the best markets of the globe. No administration ever negotiated so many treaties looking to reciprocal trade relations and com- mercial expansion. Immigration laws were rigidly enforced, cost of collecting internal revenues was reduced, men made of Indians by enlisting them as soldiers, for the first time in our history; the railway postal service was applied to trans-Atlantic mails, the free delivery system extended to small towns and lottery adver- · tisements through the mails were broken up. A system of pork and beef inspection was established, which seeured the entry of pork and beef products into foreign ports. Our credit was strengthened both at home and abroad, the burden of debt made lighter on the people and millions of dollars were released which
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