USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Memorial record of distinguished men of Indianapolis and Indiana > Part 1
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M. L. GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01714 6579
Gc 977.202 In3me Dunn, Jacob Piatt, 1855-1924 Memorial record of distinguished men of Indianapolis & 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
82 8280
2
Allen County Public Library 900 Acoster Street i PO Box 2270 Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270
Ohio BK. . 35
JUL 18 1941
476593
Franken Landers
Franklin Landers
HE late Franklin Landers, by his worthy life and admirable T 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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Franklin Landers
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
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Franklin Landers
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 1864 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.
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Franklin Landers
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 affiliated 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 still 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 born 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 university, 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
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Franklin Landers
the following data is incorporated: Dwight 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 affairs 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.
ALFRED CLARK
Alfred Clark
LARGE portion of the state of Indiana was settled by pioneers A 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.
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Jackson Landers
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 I 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 born 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.
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