USA > Indiana > A History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922 > Part 28
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JOHN INGLE
One of the names most illustrious in the annals of Evansville is John Ingle. It has been borne with honor by representatives of a family there for more than three score and ten years, passing down through three generations. John Ingle (the first) arrived at Evans- ville direct from England, the first of August, 1818, only two years after Indiana had taken the vows of statehood. He had led a pastoral life beyond the sea during the thirty years of his existence, having been born at Somersham, Huntingdon county, in 1788. He had been thrifty in his farming and surrounded himself with the comforts of
INGLE'S LOG HOUSE
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life, which were swept away by the fortunes of war with the great Napoleon. With faith in the United States of America, and love for her free institutions, he came to begin life anew in a land where all have an equal chance of contesting for the prizes of life. He soon bought a farm in Vanderburgh county and settled down to the quiet, peaceful life of a farmer, establishing a country seat which for many years has been locally celebrated as Inglefield. The latchstring of his humble cabin hung out for the wayfaring, and the genuine hospitality of the pioneer was dispensed within. It was the home of the itinerant and the abode of peace. Forty-five years he kept the country post- office, after his appointment under President Monroe, without moles- tation by the spoilsman or demand for his resignation on account of offensive partisanship. At the ripe age of eighty-six he was gathered to his fathers, leaving to his heirs the priceless heritage of a good name and to the community the impress of an upright life, guided by a firm purpose. He brought with him from the mother country a son, a lad only six and a half years old, born at the place of his own birth, January 12, 1812, who before coming over the ocean had not enjoyed the advantages of a modern kindergarten, but had spent a year in a "Dame School" of England . This lad was John Ingle, Jr., eldest son of John Ingle. He attended the public schools and read the care- fully selected books in his father's little library, by firelight, while the wolves howled a requiem in the woods adjoining the cabin. He learned the cabinet-maker's trade and made his way south as a jour- ney-man, working at Vicksburg and New Orleans; thence shipped to Philadelphia as a steerage passenger. While seeking work of the Quakers he attracted attention, in his suit of Kentucky jeans and hog- skin cap. Having secured employment he worked ten hours a day at manual labor and read law the rest of the time in the office of the great lawyer, Thomas Armstrong, with George R. Graham, subsequently editor of Graham's Magazine, and Charles J. Peterson, founder of Peterson's Magazine, as fellow students. In the debating society which he joined while reading law, presided over by his preceptor, he became noted for his skill in defense of the unpopular side of questions dis- cussed. In March, 1838, after three years of preparation, he was ad- mitted to practice and opened an office in Evansville, in partnership with Hon. James Lockhart, which was dissolved at the end of one year. Subsequently he was associated in partnership with Charles L. Battell. He soon took a leading position at the bar and became a partner of H. E. Wheeler in 1846, Asa Iglehart being admitted to the firm three years later. In 1850 Mr. Ingle abandoned the practice of law for large commercial enterprises. He became connected with the Evans- ville and Terre Haute railroad when it was only a weak undertaking, breathed into it the spirit of his energy and ambition, and it became a living success. The country was comparatively new and the citizens poor ; railroad building was in its infancy in the west and the wisest financiering was required to secure funds. Mr. Ingle possessed in an eminent degree the qualities essential to build, establish, equip and manage an enterprise of such magnitude, under such unpromising
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conditions. His shrewdness as a financier secured the funds neces- sary to carry the construction forward to completion. His capacity as superintendent, and ability as president, of the company, elevated the road to the plan of dividend-paying property. He continued in the presidency of the company until 1873, when he resigned on account of failing health, and died two years later. With rare foresight and good judgment he organized the firm of John Ingle & Co., in 1866, for the purpose of mining and dealing in coal. It was the beginning of the mining industry in the state of Indiana, which in a few years grew to prodigious proportions. The business of this firm under the capable management of the third John Ingle, son of the man who or- ganized it, as head of the firm has become extensive, and the limit has not been reached. The company owns several hundred acres of coal lands adjoining the city of Evansville, on which the Ingleside mine is situated-a mine that produces fifteen hundred thousand bushels of coal annually and pays the miners $55,000 in wages. John Ingle, Jr., married at Madison, Indiana, in 1842, Miss Isabella C. Davidson, whose father, William Davidson, was a native of Scotland, and she be- came the mother of his seven children. To enumerate his virtues and refer by name to all the enterprises to which his name gave prestige and success would fill a pretentious volume, requiring a space which far exceeds the limits available for this sketch. He was the first presi- dent of the Evansville library association, organized in 1855, and served as president and director for twenty years. His patriotism dur- ing the war was active, earnest, intense. He was one of the men who held up the hands of the war governor ; one of the few in whose coun- sel the governor implicitly trusted and on whom he relied in times of greatest peril to the state. During his residence of nearly sixty years in Evansville his life was interwoven with the corporate existence of the city and worn out in promoting the welfare of the people, by de- veloping the resources of the country and improving the conditions of commerce. His career is a worthy example for the young. It empha- sizes these attributes of character which command universal respect and secure the highest success. He had small opportunity in boyhood for acquiring education, and yet he was broadly educated. He applied himself assiduously to the study of men and conditions; to gaining a knowledge of things and their relations to one another. His industry was unremitting. He was faithful in every relation, true to himself, to society and to official obligations. It is a maxim that he is most successful in life who makes the best use of his opportunities. Accord- ing to that standard, John Ingle, Jr., achieved the highest possible measure of success. He came to the rescue of a struggling enterprise, when the city was poor and the resources of the men who had begun the undertaking were exhausted; by his energy, persistence and fidel- ity he completed the railroad and managed its affairs with superior skill during all the years of his executive control. No other road in the country enjoyed such immunity from accident. He received the loyal support and sincere affection of his subordinates. He carried his conscience and religion into his administration and gave to employes
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their Sunday for rest and the privileges of the church, while other railroads were operating as on other days. As a citizen he was always liberal and public-spirited, favoring and promoting every undertaking for the betterment of society. He was a man capable of accomplishing great achievements, and yet he was as faithful in the little things of life as in the larger responsibilities. He was steadfast to conviction a stranger to duplicity. As a lawyer he displayed great ability, indus- try and integrity. He was courteous to his associates, true to his clients, just to all. As a Christian he exemplified in his life the prin- ciples which he professed; he was an active, liberal member of the church, a zealous superintendent of the Sunday school. He was an aggressive Christian, as ready to lead an assault on the fortresses of wickedness as to stand for the defense of truth. In his home life the lovable qualities of his character were exhibited. It was there he dis- played a gentleness and tenderness, a cheerfulness and buoyancy that made him the idol of the family circle. It was there he ruled by love. The cares of business were left in his office, and his energy was re- newed by the inspiring confidences and genuine affection in a home characterized by the most gracious Christian hospitality. The charm of his life was its faith, purity and trustfulness. Following is a tribute to his memory, written by his early and constant friend, George R. Graham, editor of Graham's Magazine :
"Our friendship was of forty years standing, and although I was prepared to hear of his death at any time, the fact comes to me as a shock, for still I had hopes that his vigorous constitution would re- sist the assault of disease, and that I might yet see him in the flesh and receive once more the grasp of his hand. The testimonials to his worth were well deserved. His was a nature to attach men to him, and to justify the most perfect trust and the fondest regard. His friendships were as true as steel, and his constancy never swerved in sunshine or in storm. When such men are struck down by death, we realize the truth of the poet's line: " 'Tis the survivor dies.' I feel that a great gap has been made in the circle of my affection by his depart- ure, and throw a flower upon his grave fragrant with many sweet memories. My intimacy with him in his younger days, when he studied law in Philadelphia, was of the closest and tenderest kind, and the friendship then commenced never lost its holding. Of all the students in the office, Mr. Ingle was the best read in law ; to a conscientious devotion to that study he owed his rise in the world, and to its teach- ing something of his life, which, adorned by the highest Christian graces, made his friendship honest, sincere and reliable. I placed the most secure trust in his honor, in his manliness and truthfulness of character, and I feel in his departure that life has less to live for and enjoy."
JOHN GILBERT (A; Contemporary Sketch)
Captain John Gilbert, of Evansville, has for many years been one of the substantial and successful 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
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a country merchant, 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 skill and tact and patience and sagacity to carry on a business of exchange safely and profitably at such a time, under such conditions. 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 river commerce successfully, by steamboat, in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers during the period of the rebellion. At the present time 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 presi- dent of the John Gilbert dry goods company, one of the largest houses of its class in the Ohio valley. His financial and commercial instinct and ability are further evidenced by his career as a banker. For many years he has been the senior partner in the firm of John Gilber, Jr. & Co., a banking house at Golconda, Illinois, which has enjoyed the pub- lic confidence, and a very profitable business patronage. In 1874 he became a director of the Merchant'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 prosperous that the final dividends exceeded the expectations of its shareholders and were therefore very gratifying. When the af- fairs of the Merchant's 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 relations with this bank have continued unbroken to the present time. The young man of to-day im- perfectly apprehends the broad and varied experiences of a business life in the west extending over a period of sixty years. Captain Gil- bert 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 con- stantly progressive. His experience covers the frontier country store, which bartered calico, bullets and molasses for eggs, furs and beeswax ; and it has covered all the intermediate period to the great department store of the present. It began before the chartering and equipment of common carriers, when every successful merchant 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 establishment of manufactories and the opening up of varied industries has enlarged the home market, and the fast freight lines send their cars on side-tracks to every man's ware- house for his surplus. Captain Gilbert in his varied business experi- ence and unbroken line of successes, is a conspicuous example of the best type of the pioneer merchant-one who has the capacity for ex-
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pansion and growth equal to the development of the country and the progressive methods of business. He had the courage to manage a line of steamboats for commercial purposes, in time of war, in the en- emy's country, when danger from land batteries multiplied the ordi- nary risk of river navigation. He advanced continuously in merchan- dising 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 institutions. His wide influ- ence as a citizen is the natural outgrowth of confidence in his ability, integrity and sound judgment, a confidence that is well founded and has never been abused.
EVANSVILLE-LAMASCO By Dr. Wm. A. Fritsch
American cities grow from the surrounding country, as in our present time Independence was taken in by Evansville and Howell now is a part of our city. In the morning of our centennial city, it was somewhat different, then Evansville had a twin brother Lamasco by name and the two united, thus eliminating the dividing line, which now is Division Street. S
Law, McCall and Scott laid out Lamasco, which derived its name from them, taking the first two or three letters of the names, belong- ing to these pioneers. Judge John Law was a well known lawyer, he come to Vincennes from the East in 1819 and later moved to La- masco, where he lived in a substantial frame house on the corner of Franklin Street and Second Avenue. John Law was congressman of the first Indiana district during the troublesome times of our civil war ; he is also a pioneer historian of this section of the state, having written a pamphlet on the early times of Vincennes. These three men took a great interest in Lamasco and in 1838 they gave three lots on Illinois street south side, between 3d and 4th Avenue to the Trinity Lutheran church, with the understanding, that the congregation within a year build a church thereon. This church was built for 300 dollars by Gott- lieb Bippus a successful carpenter from Holtzhausen, Germany, who had a house and work shop on E. 4th Avenue near Illinois Street. Around this church many new comers from the old country settled, among them a few may be named. With Gottlieb Bippus came his brother George, children of the old pioneer carpenter are still living on the corner of 4th avenue and Illinois St., near the home of their parents and grandchildren are building houses in Evansville and Lamasco at the present time; then there were the Umbachs, Beyers, Kochs, Hens, Bauers, Schneiders. Their first preacher being Rev. Grashof, then came Rev. Saupert, who for many years was pastor and teacher of the congregation until the present venerable Rev. Chas. A. Frank, was installed as pastor. The congregation is a flourishing one, now having a splendid brick church, a fine parsonage and also a good school where beside the English language, the mother tongue is also taught. Since the civil war this church has received many new mem-
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bers, from the German settlement in Scott township there came to the city Congressman J. W. Boehne and Mayor Benjamin Bosse with rela- tives. On the corner of Fulton Ave. and Ohio street lived John A. Reitz, who came 1836 to Lamasco from Dorlar in Westphalia, Ger- many and in 1845 established with his brother Clemens the first saw mill on Pigeon Creek, 7th Avenue. Later on John A. bought out Clemens and after his death, the mill came in possession of his son Francis, who was born in Lamasco 1841 and is still owner of this property and President of the City National Bank.
On the corner of Fulton Avenue and Illinois street William Rahm senior built a store and dwelling; he came to Evansville-Lamasco March 1, 1849 from Huekeswagen, a manufacturing town in Rhein- preussen with his wife and their seven children. An active and able man, he established a store of general merchandise and was successful in business. He was the first importer of woolen goods and hardware in Evansville from the old country and the people in the city, the farm- ers in the country were glad to get the articles, to which they had been accustomed. The trustees of Lamasco at this time built on Franklin street in Law's park a two story brickhouse, which had a councilroom and school rooms; the boys studied in a room on the lower floor and the girls studied upstairs. Brownson and Mr. Avoy were the teachers ; they kept order and educated the children, some of them are still living and they speak well of their teachers. William Rahm, later a state senator. Ed Law, son of Judge Law, Hulda Rahm, the well known teacher in our public schools, John Decker Bauer and many others went to school here. A man, good to Lamasco's immigrants was Willard Carpenter, who built Willard Library and when he was prospecting building the Straight Line R. R. to Indianapolis, the Lamasco people subscribed a good sum, toward it. The writer re- members, when he settled in Lamasco and built a house, Evansville once taxed her citizens for the subscription to the Straight Line R. R. but the Treasurer had to pay back part of the money, when it was proven that Lamasco had paid the promised obligation before joining Evansville.
When Evansville and Lamasco had prospered together and become one city, more churches were built by German-Americans near La- masco city, where most of them were living. Zions church on lower 5th street with school house became the house of God for the. Evan- gelic-Lutherans ; Wm. Rahm and family, Christian Decker and sons, Hinspeter and son Louis, who came to Evansville by way of the Wa- bash-Erie canal, Stahlschmidt and others listened to the venerable Christian Schrenck and other teachers of the present time. Another church built at this time was St. Johns Evangelic church on lower 3d Street. William Heilman, a manufacturer and congressman of the first Indiana district, N. Bennighof of the banker, Carl Wilde the den- tist. John Laval the druggist, Carl and Fred Lauenstein, editors of the Democrat, Phillip Klein, Henry Schminke our present county commis- sioner were among them, to attend this church and listened to Rev. Christian Runck a very able pastor. On third street not far from St.
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John's is also the Trinity catholic church; it was served in the first years by Father Kutassy from Austria-Hungaria, a good, tolerant old pastor. Out of the large congregation a few may be mentioned here : John A. Reitz and his many relatives belonged to it, Francis Reitz and our old honest county commissioner, Alexander Hoing and family, J. Hermann, Jos. Schaeffer and many others. The German Methodist Church is on the same square, it would be a pleasure to write the his- tories of these and other newer churches, for in an article like this it is impossible to do justice to all.
The old pioneers saw hard times ; the cutting of trees, uprooting of the ground, standing water on the undrained farms, all this brought on much sickness; it seems, whenever the people destroy nature, ven- geance is brought upon them. There prevailed in those times intermit- tent fevers, dumb ague and milk sickness, a dangerous and somewhat unknown disease. Among the physicians, who administered to the sick were some from the old country, one of the oldest doctors was Francis Muehlhausen, who came 1839 to America from Hessen-Darm- stadt ; soon after his arrival he moved to Lamasco and had his office on E. Fulton Avenue, between Ohio and Pennsylvania streets, where he was very busy in his practice. Dr. Louis Fritsch from Paderborn, Westphalia came to America in the forties and settled down in Evans- ville in 1849, a well educated physician he opened an office corner 7th and Division streets acquiring a good practice. Dr. Wulkopand De- kress came soon after, they with their American college, Drs. Walker, Casselberry, Bray, Byford had at that time already organized a medi- cal association, and soon after a medical college was started. The ques- tion has often been raised, where did these new settlers all come from and why did they come here to Lamasco-Evansville. The reader will remember, that in the year 1814 the Harmonites under father George Rapp founded a flourishing colony on the Wabash river and called it New Harmony ; writers and papers published glowing reports about this village and it became known all over the world. Others were not so satisfied and they wandered away, some of these settling in Vander- burgh Co. and Evansville. We became well acquainted with one of them John Christofer Stoesser, who afterward called himself Staser. He was a real estate agent spoke English and German and helped the immigrants and new comers, to get land and farms. Staser as he was known here had several children, boys and girls; one Staser is living near Newburg, Clinton Staser a lawyer in the state of Washington, one daughter widow of Lauer a former postmaster of Evansville now liv- ing 1004 Powell Avenue. Another man, who brought many Germans to this section of the state, was pastor Toelke ; he preached in Evans- ville and was the founder of Bethlehem in Knox County, near Vin- cennes. When he returned to his native country he spoke in Elber- feld-Barmen and the Wapperta in praising language about this new country and he wrote a pamphlet "Die Morgenrothe des Westens" (Aurora of the West), which was much read at that time and brought many people to our shores. Some of these coming from New Orleans to Evansville, went to Bethlehem in Knox county to look around, as
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did Wm. Rahm Sen. but not being satisfied returned to Evansville and made this their home and the home of their children. They loved this city ; in good and hard times they worked for the best of Evansville, the birthplace of their children and the living rejoice in being able to help celebrate the 100th mile stone in the history of Evansville on the Ohio.
LATER EVANSVILLE
Prior to the year 1850, Evansville had a population of over 3,000 people, was the largest city in Southwestern Indiana and continued to give evidence as it had from its beginning that it was to become the metropolis of a large territory.
From the decade 1850-60, the city's history is interesting in that it shows the achievements of the community as a unified whole, rather than a collection of individuals. In that decade, preceding which the villege of Lamasco was taken into the city, and Evansville received its city charter, the population made an unprecedented increase, the num- ber of its inhabitants growing from 3,235 in 1850 to 11,484 ten years later. The next ten years saw an even greater increase, the population in 1870 having been 21,830. In 1880, the government census showed 29,280 population, and in 1890 the city had swelled its total to 50,- 756, an increase of nearly seventy per cent. in ten years. In 1900 the population stood at 59,007, in 1910 at 69,647, in 1920 at 85,255, and it is estimated that now (1923) there are approximately 95,000 people living in the city of Evansville. It will be noticed from the foregoing figures that the growth has been steady and rapid. Evansville has never been known as a boom town, and its growth has consequently been safe and healthy, business men having been always warranted in investing capital in Evansville enterprises.
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