USA > Indiana > A History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922 > Part 6
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The firm of Warner and Setchell in the forties and fifties recalls the personality of Joseph Setchell, the livery man, who was an active and prominent citizen in the community. Setchell & Bowles succeeded Warner & Setchell, a firm in which the late Edward Bowles spent the active portion of his life as a prominent and useful citizen of high character. Later the firm was Forth & Bowles. All of these men, ex- cept Warner, have left descendants in Evansville or southern Indiana.
THE CHANDLER FAMILY
In 1818 Asaph Chandler came to Evansville from New York and died the same year, leaving a widow and three small children, William H., John J., and a daughter who subsequently married Josiah W. Knight, a prominent school teacher at the beginning of the public schools in Evansville.
The inventory and sale bill on file in the Probate Court in which the Chandler's estate was administered show the finest house furnish- ings and equipment of carriages and horses to be found in the records of the county for that decade. These represented silverware and table- ware, curtains, carpets and furniture, and expensive carriages with horses, in which in all probability Chandler came West with his family.
John G. Chandler, the brother of Asaph Chandler, was the guardian of these children, but lived only in Evansville a short time. Harley B. Chandler, a brother of Asaph Chandler, was an active man in the commercial affairs of the early town, and was a partner in the leading firm of Jones, Harrison, Jones & Chandler, elsewhere referred to. Harley B. Chandler was postmaster in 1825, and died soon after.
The widow of Asaph Chandler left Evansville, but later returned. Late in the thirties William H. and John J. Chandler soon afterwards sold his interest in the paper to his brother William H., who conducted that paper until it became established later as a daily. William H. Chandler became postmaster and retired from the newspaper manage- ment, but continued subsequently in the job printing business and in 1858 published the first city directory of Evansville, a few copies of which are still in existence and are of great value as a record of the names of the heads of families in Evansville at that time, and as con- taining succinct statements of the public organizations and institutions of the city, also interesting advertisements which of themselves have historical value.
John J. Chandler devoted himself entirely to the practice of the law. A proper record of both of the Chandler brothers is given in local histories. John J. Chandler is mentioned by Charles Denby in his biographical sketch of John Law, published in the first volume of the state reports of the Indiana Historical Society. John J. Chandler ac- quired a competence outside of the law when late in life he retired wholly from the practice. He was one of the leaders in all public en-
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terprises in the city, was one of the most accomplished men of the Evansville Bar, and one of the most incisive and forceful men in pub- lic address, especially in addresses to juries.
Among the descendants of John J. Chandler, is his son, John J. Chandler, a prominent citizen of Evansville.
JOHN S. HOPKINS A Typical Pioneer
I have sought to appreciate the development of Saxon sense under the tuition of the wilderness and to trace the schooling of the mind, under the auspices of social life, in an application to the needs of self-government. (William Henry Milburn).
To the student of the character of the early settlers of Evansville in Vanderburgh County, some of whom passed away in the first half of the last century, some of whom lived to the time of the active mem- ory of persons now living, there appears a group of men, representa- tives of pioneer life at its best, presenting rugged traits of character developed and seasoned in an early life in the wilderness, and in the building up of the city and county as developed within the period of their active lives.
Life in early Evansville had some advantages over life in the clear- ings of the wilderness, but much the same influences in moulding character existed in both places.
This type of men has passed away with the conditions under which they grew up, but the present generation is under obligations it can- not repay to such men, and may with profit imitate their virtues. Many of the valuable traits of character developed in such a life have been inherited by their descendants who have, however, not been sub- jected to the privations endured by their ancestors.
It is beyond the scope of this sketch to attempt to do justice to, or even mention them all, but one of them, whom the writer knew well after he entered active life, has left an unusual auto-biography which is here published as the life of a typical pioneer. The paper itself illu- minates not only the history of his life, but is evidence first hand of the correctness of many of the statements contained in it which give it more than usual historical value. It should be said of John S. Hop- kins, who came to Vanderburgh County and the hamlet of Evansville in their beginning, and who lived through to see the growth of the city and county near the close of the last century, in which he had him- self been so influential, that no man stood higher than he, that he car- ried into his life the standards so finely. stated by him, that his life was a blameless one and his example as a pioneer and his record as a commonwealth builder belong to the history of this community. This may be said without prejudice to others of the same type which he represented. He was a man of average weight and height with an unusually rapid speech, in which frequently appeared flashes of humor
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and brilliancy, and he was in conversation a fascinating man. He was a man of large means, he had a large family, whose descendants have always been very active and prominent in the city of Evansville.
Mr. William Warren, whose first wife was a granddaughter of Robert Parrett whose daughter married Hopkins, remembers when the National Bank act became a law Jobn S. Hopkins was in Washing- ton with papers to organize the First National Bank of Evansville, which would have been the first bank organized as No. 1 by the United States but for the fact the papers were not in form required, and he returned to Evansville, corrected them, returned immediately to Wash- ington, and his bank number was 7.
Warren remembers when a dry goods merchant making out an order for goods, Hopkins remarked as he wrote the word, some people think sox don't spell socks, but I don't see why it don't.
The late Judge Dyer narrated to the writer an incident of which he had personal knowledge, showing one phase of the character of the man. He was purchasing a piece of property in the residence quarter, upon which he built residences for some of his children, and the seller, who was an old citizen remarked with some regret when the money was finally paid that he lacked a given sum, several hundred dollars. of the amount necessary to pay his debts, upon which Mr. Hopkins had him make out a list of all his debts and gave him a check sufficient to pay them all. When he settled his fees with Judge Dyer, he gave him a check for double the amount which he asked.
The brilliance in conversation of John S. Hopkins, indeed much the same peculiarity of rapid speech, was inherited particularly by his youngest son, Edward O. Hopkins, who was for many years vice- president and general manager of the system of railroads centering in Evansville, under the presidency of David J. Mackey. The system later was broken up and the various railroads absorbed into the great trunk railway lines now in Evansville.
It is narrated of Mr. Hopkins, who was a brilliant story teller, that on one occasion he measured with Senator Mason, of Illinois, in Washington City, a man celebrated in the particular mentioned, when the latter in amazement and admiration conceded Hopkins' superior- ity, and inquired of him where he obtained his brand of stories.
It was also stated by a financier, well known in Wall Street, where E. O. Hopkins was well acquainted, that the latter was the most bril- liant man he knew among the railroad men coming from the West to New York.
The present John S. Hopkins, only son of Edward O. Hopkins, better known as Stuart to distinguish him from his uncle of the same name, is a well-known successful manufacturer of Evansville, who in like manner inherits much of the traits of his father mentioned.
,
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A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JOHN S. HOPKINS
Evansville, Ind. Oct. 22nd, 1881.
Was born in Truxton, Courtland County, New York, Oct. 28, 1811. My father, Edward Hopkins, I believe was born in Bennington, Vermont, January 17th, 1785.
My mother, Mary Steuart, was born in Massachusetts, Franklin County, Colraine, February 14th, 1791.
My parents were married in Truxton, Courtland County, New York, where I was born in the year of 1811, October 28th.
My father kept the first dry goods store in Truxton.
We then moved to Swanton, Vermont, where my oldest brother Norman Hopkins, died with the scarlet fever.
My father then moved to Bennington, Vermont, where we re- mained about two years then we moved to a place called Ginder Land about eleven miles west of Albany, New York.
Then my father moved to Burlington, Otsego County, New York, where we remained until the fall of 1819.
My father, with a lawyer by the name of Leothrop Elderkin, went out west on horseback to see the west; it took them thirty days to get to Evansville. My father selected Saundersville, Scott Township, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, and Mr. Elderkin selected New Albany where he settled and died. I called to see him about the year 1832.
When my father returned we left Burlington and went to Olean Point on the Alleghany River where my father and his brother, Steph- en Hopkins, built a flat boat and took their families with John M. Dun- ham's family for Evansville. The water was very low and we would sometimes get on the rocks and were pulled off by the Indians with their oxen. When we got to Cincinnati the river froze over and we had to move out of our boat until the river opened ; then we went back to our boat and passed on our journey. We arrived at Evansville February 22nd, 1820. We took our boat around Pigeon creek up to David Neglie's mill, where we got Mr. John Weatherow with his four horse team and take us out to Saundersville, where my father and oth- ers had laid out the town; then they supposed it would be the main town in the county, but it did not take long to convince them of the mistake, although there were several log houses and small woolen mill there. My little brother, Lothrop Elderkin Hopkins, died and was buried there ; he died in my arms. I was alone with him at the time. We did not suppose he was so near his end or we would not have been alone. My mother was with us in a few minutes. He died with the consumption.
My father moved back to Evansville in the fall of 1820 and kept tavern on Lot 8, Old Plan, a short time, then my father rented the tavern stand of Alanson Warner and kept tavern there a short time, then my father bought a farm at the cross roads in Armstrong Town- ship where we lived about three years then we moved back to Evans- ville about the year 1827; we first moved in a frame house on Main Street belonging to Samuel Mansel, then we moved in a brick building
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belonging to Mr. John Tompson, afterwards the Apollo Hall. My father and mother died here and we have all resided here ever since our arrival in 1820.
The first business of a commercial character I went into was going to cane brakes and getting cane and splitting them up and barreling them and shipping them to Pittsburgh, where they were made into weaver's reeds. After that I started a factory and made the weaver's reeds here where I made several thousand. We sold them to the farm- ers to weave their jeans and linsies ; those were domestic times.
The next business I went into was keeping a wood yard and boat stores and added to it a saloon as was called then, but I soon ascer- tained it was a man-trap or dead-fall and I did not like the business, as I believe it is the worst business and most destructive of life, property and good morals in the world at this time, or any business that is licensed to destroy life and property.
The first thousand dollars I ever made was selling groceries ; that is liquors and other groceries. I thought I was in the wrong business and would try something else if I should make less I would have a better opinion of myself and stand higher in the estimate of my Maker.
All you had to have then to start groceries was a barrel of whiskey, 1 doz. ginger cakes, 1 box herring, some molasses, 1 keg nails, 1 kit mackerel, crackers, tobacco, and one bladder of snuff.
The next adventure I made was with William Lockhart we bought a canal boat that came out of the Ohio canal. Lockhart had a stack of dry goods and I had some groceries, so we fitted the boat out for a coasting trip and was about six months making the trip as far as Natches, Mississippi.
We employed Thomas Stinson to run the boat for us and he re- mained with us all of the trip and we had a very pleasant time with one exception and that was I had only been married about three months before we started and I did not think store-boating and getting married worked well together at the same time. I afterwards ran several flat boats to New Orleans loaded with produce and would sometimes come back on deck with our crews. Deck passage and wood $3.00, not wood $5.00, cabin passage would vary according to boats say $35.00 to $50.00. Twelve days then was considered a good trip. A dollar in those days meant something as you could buy good Congress land in this and adjoining counties for $1.25 and some would not enter the land as they would have to pay taxes after five years and they pre- ferred squatting on the land to paying taxes, but as the British and Yankees came in so thick the natives became alarmed and entered the lands and paid taxes.
The business I went into before store-boating was the matrimonial business. I was married December 9th, 1834, by Reverend Joseph Wheeler to Mary A. Parrett, daughter of Reverend Robert Parrett. Her parents came from England about the year 1816. They came in a sailing vessel and they landed at Jersey City in New Jersey. The name of the vessel was the Maryant, and Mary Ann Parrett was born on her on their voyage to this country, and they said they would call
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her Mary Ann. I thought they might have called her a mermaid as the ocean was her native land.
I had up to this time resolved never to go in partnership with any one.
But as I read it in the Bible that it was not well for man to be alone in this world I thought I would make this the exception and I am very glad I did so, as it has paid very well. We have had eleven chil- dren and seventeen grandchildren. The only change I would make if I had to live my life over again is I would marry three or four years younger as life is too short to be going around alone in this world seeking artificial amusements.
As to my education I am sorry to say that I had not the advantage of a common education. I went to school about six months altogether in New York and Evansville. When we came to Evansville there were no schools here and when there were, I could not go as we had all to work and raise everything we consumed, and that was the only way anything could be procured. I never learned a single rule in arithme- tic correctly, but adopted rules of my own to assist me in business, but I frequently found difficulties in my plan although I bought my own goods and kept my own books (and I managed to do the business correctly, or I suppose I did as my customers never complained of the business being wrong.
I always managed my business to enable me to pay one hundred cents on the dollar, and I never was sued for debt and had but little litigation with any one. My education would not allow me to be sci- entific ; my rules compelled me to deal in plain facts.)
Now the condition of things have changed; any one that will can get a good common education if they will and a college education if they will try. My advice to all is to educate yourselves as the mind makes the man and you distinguish men according to their education, business qualifications and refinement.
I was in the dry goods business about twenty-eight years, when I first commenced business we had to cross the mountains in stages and wagon our goods back over the mountains then down the river from Pittsburgh or Wheeling. It would take about three months to get our goods from the time we would leave home we would sometimes ship around by New Orleans and up the river. Sometimes goods would be out three or four months. I bought goods in Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and few in Cincinnati during the time I was in the dry goods business. I was elected to serve on the City Council several times and was elected Mayor of the City of Evansville in the year 1851 to serve three years. I was elected to the Legislature of this state in 1861-1867 and 1878, making three terms.
I was president of the First National Bank of Evansville, president of the Evansville Insurance Co., president of the Evansville and Cairo Steam Packet Co., was director in the Evansville and Crawfordsville R. R., and I am the only one now living that originated the road. I was a director for about twenty-eight years.
As to my religious beliefs, I believe there is one God and his laws
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are perpetual, unchangeable and never vary, and his laws are based on justice and humanity, and I believe any one that violates them will have to suffer and pay the penalty. And after that I cannot see any reason why all will not eventually be saved as God created us without our knowledge and according to his own will. I believe he will take better care of us than our earthly parents. And I do not believe our earthly parents would punish their children to a greater extent than justice and humanity would require. If they should they would be considered insane or bad citizens.
As to my belief in Jesus Christ, I believe he was the greatest me- dium or meditator between God and man that ever lived. And his teachings the best ever proclaimed by any one.
The reasons I have for not believing he was verily God is his own sayings. We all understand that a man's dying declarations are the best evidence that can be produced. Just before he was put to death he went out to pray to his Heavenly Father that if it was possible for this cup to pass from him he wished it done, but if not possible thy will be done not mine. He recognized a greater power than his. As to where God is or what God is we have no knowledge except men's opinions, and they are usually the result of their early education. My desire all my life was to know the truth and be governed strictly by it.
As to my politics, I was an orriginal pro-slavery Henry Clay Whig, but now I am a wolley horse Republican. The reason I am not a Dem- ocrat is I am in favor of the known will of the people being the su- preme law of the land. I am in favor of the Union, in favor of main- taining the Government cost what it may, in favor of honest money and no repudiation with state or the general Government. I am op- posed to men being prescribed for their political opinions. I am in fa- vor of the freest government on the face of the earth. And our laws made so we may live as free as the air we breathe and every man to produce what he consumes. I am in favor of the free schools, and no distinction as to race or color. I believe all being educated is the best guarantee that our free government will always be maintained.
I am in favor of a National Congress and we should have uniform weights, measures and one currency the world over for the good of all mankind. But that would be opposed by shilocks, brokers and op- pressors of men.
I believe any one attempting to take the life of the President, Vice- President, any member of the Supreme Court or any one of the Sen- ators of the United States should be put to death and treated as a criminal as though he committed the act.
Included among the men of the first decade who are particularly mentioned in the various portions of this history of the early city and county may be given the following valuable list, though not complete, of persons furnished in John M. Lockwood's personal reminiscences as of the date of 1831, viz :*
*History of Vanderburgh County (1889), Brant & Fuller, p. 116.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY
Men of the Second Decade
Of the early inhabitants, the men having families in 1831, were : Gen. Robert M. Evans, Dr. William Trafton, John Mitchell, Amos Clark, Thomas Johnson, Silas Stephens, John M. Dunham, Mr. Ruark, Capt. James Newman, Maj. Alanson Warner, William McNitt, Wil- liam Lewis, Joseph Hughey, Alpheus Fairchild, John W. Lilliston, William Scates, Camillus Evans, Edward Hopkins, Robert Barnes, Alex Johnson, William Dougherty, Daniel Tool, Alex McCallister, Henry Greek, Levi Price, L. J. Stinson, Dr. Phillips, James Lewis, Samuel Mansel, Abel Sullivan, Daniel Sullivan, Clark Lewis. The unmarried men in Evansville in 1831 were: John Shanklin, John S. Hopkins, John M. Lockwood, William Caldwell, William Campbell, John Mansel, Horace Dunham, Henry Carrington, George Thompson, James Johnson, Joseph Leonard, John Young, Marcus Sherwood, John Newman, William T. T. Jones, James Johnson, William Johnson, Capt. Barber, Nathan Rowley, David McArthur, John Ross, George Leonard, Richard Leonard, Stephen Woodrow. Allowing six for each family, the population of Evansville at that time was about 216. The following are the names of farmers living in the vicinity in 1831: Robert Parrett, Emanuel Hall, Charles Dunk, John Duncan, James Neal, George W. Lindsey, Luke Wood, John B. Stinson, Benoni Stin- son and Daniel Miller.
During the period from 1830 to 1840 and later many of the leading men who were active in the beginning of Evansville history remained in Evansville, some of them, Asaph Chandler, Elisha Harrison, Eli Sherwood, and others, died; some, including Joshua V. Robinson, moved away ; many of them continued longer, and some of them lived through until after the period of the Civil war. It is beyond the scope of this history to attempt to furnish a complete list of these names. The following list of names has been given as representing the mer- cantile interests of Evansville in the year 1840 :*
Shanklin & Johnson, Rowley & Sherwood, Henry D. Allis, John Mitchell, John M. Stockwell & Co., Burbank & Co., Jones & Royston, Jerome B. Lawphear, John R. Wilcox, F. C. Gwathney, Alexander Price, S. W. Townsend, Edward Hopkins, John H. Maghee, William Caldwell, Fred Wetsell, Martin Schovel, A. B. Carpenter & Co., Charles L. Rhomann, C. M. Griffith, Robert Barnes, Thomas Gedney, Charles Folmen, Bittrolff & Geissler, Joseph Raim, P. Wise & Co., G. A. Meyers, G. Venneman & Co., J. E. Wood, B. Jacobs & Co., Dan- iel Wolsey, John Greek, Edward Jewell, W. & C. Bell, Decker & Kra- mer, L. & P. Hornbrook, A. M. Klein, C. Newburgher & Co., T. G. Thurston, Peter Vaughn, John S. Hopkins, A. Laughlin, J. Farquher, G. W. Miller, Harrison & Walker, C. D. Bourne, C. Levy & Co., and J. W. Tileston & Son.
In addition to these names might be mentioned, without attempt- ing to give a complete list, one of the Laughlins, iron merchant of Pittsburgh, who established a branch in Evansville with Samuel Orr in charge, who later became the leader in the iron industry of Evans-
*Gilbert's History of Evansville, vol. 1, p. 46.
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ville ; Francis Amory, Jr., and George W. Armory, men of wealth and social position who came from Boston and later returned there ; John J. Marlett (1805-1876) who came to Evansville in 1837, to whom just- ice has been done in the early histories. The writer is under obliga- tions for interesting reminiscences by his son John J. Marlett, who succeeded his father in business, and has for a generation been one of the prominent, well-known citizens of Evansville. Mr. Marlett's mem- ory of the early times is very accurate. He remembers having been lost in the woods near the corner of what is now Main and Franklin Streets on the old Longworth tract in the year 1847. The list of the individuals and firms and families of Evansville from 1840 down to date is covered with the exception of the years 1840 and 1841 by the files of the Evansville Journal with occasionally other files for shorter periods.
The reminiscences of Joseph P. Elliott are invaluable in the de- scription of the men and families from 1837 to the time of the Civil war and even later. From the time he came to Evansville in 1837 practically to the time of his death he led an active and industrious life, was much of the time in the public service, elected to various offi- ces, was prominent, and was active in charitable and religious work. His first wife was a daughter of Elisha Harrison, his second wife, mother of his children, was a daughter of Reverend Joseph Wheeler, a man of great influence in the moral and religious world from 1818, for a period of nearly forty years, and concerning whom ample just- ice has been done in the local histories. Elliott described Robert M. Evans, whom he met on his first coming to Evansville ; he describes the Negley mill center, the leading steam grist mill in a large territory, located on the south side of Pigeon Creek, established by James An- thony at the very beginning of Vanderburgh County. This location was near the State Road, about three miles from Evansville, where a small village had grown up on the north side of the creek opposite where the high land of the creek abruptly terminated in a very steep hill. In a business and social way to some extent Negley's center also connected the English Settlement with the Evansville settlement. El- liott's book is in the nature of reminiscences. It contains a number of biographies of persons whom Elliott knew personally, much of which is of real value. In his estimates of character of individuals of whom he speaks, he sometimes writes with too great bluntness and crudeness, which are not only a blemish to the style, but in some cases affect the value of his judgment. The McGary fiction in Elliott's book reaches the high water mark, and is elsewhere referred to in the mention of the confusion of identity of Hugh McGary the elder, and Hugh Mc- Gary the younger. It is however impossible that the reminiscences of a man who had been a part of the life of the city from 1837 to almost the time of his death if they were honestly written as Elliott's were, should not have much real historical value, for they deal with a number of subjects nowhere found in any other history, and are based on per- sonal knowledge.
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