A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume I, Part 27

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > Indiana > A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume I > Part 27

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thrown upon his own resources for acquiring an educa tion, and was obliged to assist in the support of his father and family. Ile afterward read law with W. J. Thomas, of Troy, Ohio, and was admitted to the bar. He immediately came to Indiana, settled in New Albany, Floyd County, in the year 1836, where shortly after his arrival he commenced the practice of law. As a coun- selor and jurist few men can claim a higher record; he has been constantly engaged in the profession for a period of forty-two years, and has never prosecuted a man, nor allowed himself to be engaged to prosecute. Ile has probably defended more men for high crimes and misdemeanors than any other man in the state, and has been almost invariably successful. IIe was the first city clerk of New Albany, having been elected in 1839, and was chosen city attorney in 1846. In 1841 he was elected to the state Legislature for the first time, and has since served his county repeatedly in both branches-about twenty years in all. He was elected, without opposition, in 1876, Judge of the Criminal and Civil Courts of Floyd and Clarke Counties, an office he did not seek, and only accepted at the earnest solicitation of friends. Judge Davis was an ardent Whig until that party ceased to exist. He was violently opposed to " Know-Nothingism," and for a long time stood aloof from parties, but finally united with the Democracy. In 1843 he was the Whig candidate for Congress against Thomas J. Henley, Democrat, and, in a district over- whelmingly Democratic, was defeated by only thirty- seven votes. Ile was presidential elector for General Taylor; and in 1852 was a member of the National Convention that nominated General Scott for Presi- dent. In 1860 Judge Davis was Independent candi- date for Congress against James A. Cravens, Democratic nominee; and, although at the previous election the Democrats had a majority of four thousand five hun- dred, Judge Davis was defeated by a very small major- ity. He was a warm supporter of the war for the Union, and had two sons in the army. The younger, John S. Davis, junior, rose to the rank of captain and assistant quartermaster by appointment of President Lincoln; he was with General Burnside in the Cumber- land Mountains in the severe campaign of 1863-64, and died of disease contracted at that time. The other son, William P. Davis, rose to the rank of lieutenant- colonel in the 23d Indiana Volunteers; he took part in all the well-earned victories of Shiloh, Vicksburg, and the campaign in Georgia. Judge Davis has been twice married, first to Elizabeth Stone, a native of Virginia, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. Mrs. Davis died in 1852, and Judge Davis afterward married Annie S., daughter of George Davis, of Dayton, Ohio, by whom he has one son. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows and of the Episcopal Church.

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

Lsd Dist.

AVIS, WILLIAM P., of New Albany, was born in Troy, Ohio, January 24, 1835, and is the son of John S. and Elizabeth (Stone) Davis. His father is at present Judge of the Circuit Court of the Twenty-seventh District. When William Davis was one year old the family moved to Indiana. He was edu- cated in the city of New Albany, and for a short time attended Wabash College. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in the manufacture of hydraulic cement, at the Falls of the Ohio, and of woolen goods for the Southern market, at the Indiana state-prison. Believing, in the fall of 1860, that civil war was imminent, and his business relations being entirely with the South, he thought best to sell his factories. A short time afterward the war broke out. He raised a company for the three years' service, and just before being mustered in was appointed, by President Lincoln, agent for the Seminole Indians. He declined the appointment, however, and was mus- tered in with his company as captain, in the 23d Indi- ana Volunteers, but before leaving camp at New Albany he was commissioned major of the regiment. Ile com- manded the 23d during two of its three years' service, and with it participated prominently in all the battles around Vicksburg, occupying, in the forty-seven days' siege of that place, Fort Hill, the most important posi- tion in the line. He was also in the campaign in Georgia; and was mustered out of the service at At- lanta, having served already beyond the term of his en- listment. Just previous to his discharge he received a flattering written testimonial of his services and those of the regiment, signed by Generals McPherson, Logan, Blair, and Gresham. He was appointed by President Johnson assessor of internal revenue for the district in which he resides. For three years he was president of the board of education of the city of New Albany, was deputy auditor of Floyd County four years, and is now trustee of New Albany Township. He married, in Oc- tober, 1857, Lucy M. Hale, daughter of Wicome and Catherine A. (Moore) Hale. The Hale family were among the first settlers of Maine and Massachusetts. Colonel Davis belongs to the Masonic Fraternity, and is one of the Knights of Honor. His family are all mem- bers of the Episcopal Church.

EPAUW, WASHINGTON CHARLES, of New Albany, was born at Salem, Washington County, Indiana, on the 4th of January, 1822. As the name indicates, Mr. DePauw is a descendant from a noble French family; his great-grandfather, Cornelius, having been private reader to Frederick II of Prussia, and author of several works of note. Charles Del'auw, the grandfather of W. C. DePauw, was born at the city of Ghent, in French Flanders. When he arrived at a

proper age he was sent to Paris to complete his educa- tion, and there became acquainted with Lafayette. At that time the struggle for American independence was just beginning. He became infatuated with the Ameri- can cause, joined his fortunes to those of Lafayette, and sailed with that renowned commander to this country. He served throughout the war, and by the close be- came so thoroughly imbued with a love for America that he sought a wife in Virginia; thence he removed with the first tide of emigration to the blue-grass regions of Kentucky. In that state General John DePauw, the father of W. C. DePauw, was born. On arriving at man's estate he moved from Kentucky to Washington County, Indiana. As agent for the county he surveyed, platted, and sold the lots in Salem, and purchased four acres of the high ground on the west side, upon which the family mansion was erected. He was by profession an attorney-at-law, and became a judge. He was also a general of militia. No man in his day enjoyed more of the confidence and good-will of his fellow-men than General John DePauw. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Batist (the mother of W. C. DePauw), was a woman of superior mind and a strong and vigorous constitution. She died in 1878, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. At the age of sixteen Mr. DePauw was thrown upon his own resources by the death of his father. He had only the meager education which that period and the surrounding circumstances would allow his parents to give ; but, though young, he desired to be independent of friends and relatives, and accordingly set to work. He worked for two dollars a week, and when that was wanting he worked for nothing rather than be idle. That energy and industry allied with character and ability bring friends proved true in his case. Major Eli W. Malott, the leading merchant of Salem, became interested in the young man. At the age of nineteen he entered the office of the county clerk, and by his energy and faithfulness he gained con- fidence and soon had virtual control of the office. When he attained his majority he was elected clerk of Washington County without opposition; to this office was joined, by the action of the state Legislature, that of auditor. Mr. DePauw filled both of these positions until close application and the consequent severe mental strain impaired his health; after several prostra- tions and through fear of apoplexy, he acted on the ad- vice of his physicians and gave up his sedentary pursuits. His extraordinary memory, quick but accurate judgment, and clear mental faculties fitted him for a successful life. His early business career was like his political one; he was true and faithful, and constantly gained friends. His first investment was in a saw and grist mill, and this proving successful he added mill after mill. With this . business he combined farming, mer- chandising, and banking, at the same time investing

W C. De PAUW.

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

3d Dist.]

largely in the grain trade. It is hardly necessary to | state that he was fortunate in each investment, and his means rapidly increased until, at the breaking out of the war, he had a large mercantile interest and a well es- tablished bank. He was at the same time one of the largest grain dealers in the state of Indiana, and his knowledge of this trade and his command of means ren- «lered him able to materially assist in furnishing the government with supplies. His patriotism and confidence in the success of the Union armies were such that he also invested a large amount in government securities. Here again he was successful, and at the close of the war had materially augmented his already large fortune. Mr. DePauw has used his wealth freely to encourage manufactures and to build up the city of New Albany ; he has made many improvements, and is largely interested in the rolling mills and iron foundries in that city. He is now proprietor of DePauw's Ameri- can Plate-glass Works. This is a new and valuable in- dustry, and the interests of our country require that it should be carried to success; it is a matter of national concern that American glass should surpass in quality and take the place of the French article in the markets of the world. Mr. DePauw is now doing all in his power to promote this great end, and at present every thing points to the success of the undertaking. He has about two millions of dollars invested in manufacturing enterprises in the city of New Albany. Mr. DePauw has taken but a small part in state affairs for many years, having devoted his time to his business and home interests, to the advancement of education and religion. He has been often forced to decline positions which his party were ready to give him, and in 1872 he was as- sured by many prominent Democrats that the nomina- tion for Governor was at his disposal. In the convention he was nominated for Lieutenant-governor. In order to show the purposes and character of the man, let us quote a few words from his letter declining the nomina- tion : "My early business life was spent in an intensely earnest struggle for success as a manufacturer, grain clealer, and banker. Since then I have found full work in endeavoring to assist in promoting the religious, benevolent, and educational interests of Indiana, and in helping to extend those advantages to the South and West. Hence I have neither the time nor inclination for politics. In these chosen fields of labor I find con- genial spirits, whom I love and understand. My long experience gives me hope that I may accomplish some- thing, perhaps much, for religion and humanity." These are noble words, and a true index of Mr. DePauw's character. He has expended thousands of dollars in building churches and endowing benevolent institutions throughout this and the neighboring states; he has as- sisted many worthy young men to obtain an education, and has founded and kept in operation DePauw College,

a seminary of a high order for young ladies, at New Al- bany. Mr. DePauw was for years a trustee of the State University at Bloomington, Indiana, and is at present a trustee of the Indiana Asbury University, the leading Methodist college of the West. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and has served as a delegate of the Indiana Conference at the General Conferences of that Church in 1872 and 1876. He is a member of the Ma- sonic and Odd-fellows' Orders, and is beloved and re- spected by both. The part of his life most satisfactory to himself is that spent in his work for Christ in the Church, in the Sunday-school, in the prayer-meeting, and in the every-day walks of life. He has been through- out life a thorough business man, full of honesty and in- tegrity. He sought a fortune within himself and found it in an earnest will and vast industry. He is eminently a self-made man, and stands out prominent to-day as one who, amid the cares of business, has ever preserved his reputation for honesty, integrity, and morality ; who has never neglected the cause of religion, but has val- ued it, and still values it, above all others.

OUGLASS, JUDGE BENJAMIN P., attorney-at- law, Corydon, Harrison County, was born at New- market, Shenandoah County, Virginia, July 22, 1820. He is the son of Adam and Nancy (Penny- backer) Douglass. His ancestors on his father's side were Scotch, from the north of Ireland. His grand- ·father was a captain in the Irish rebellion of 1798, and on the quelling of the insurrection was compelled to flee to this country. On his mother's side they came from Pennsylvania, her people having settled there at the time of William Penn. Isaac Pennybacker, his mother's brother, was United States Senator from Vir- ginia, and also Judge of the Circuit Court. Benjamin P. attended the common school in Virginia when a small boy, and removed with his parents to Harrison County, Indiana, in 1834, where they settled on a farm. His father, being a fine classical scholar, himself un- dertook the education of his son, thereby affording him an excellent education, an advantage of which he availed himself to the fullest extent. He made rapid progress in his studies, and has derived much benefit from them in after life. On finishing his course he continued for a time with his father, working on the farm, studying law, and teaching school, for which his education had so thoroughly qualified him. He continued in these oc- cupations until 1849, when he was chosen county audi- tor. This election was somewhat remarkable, he being a Democrat, and the district at that time being strongly Whig, a convincing proof of the esteem in which he was personally held by those who knew him. He was then strongly solicited to become clerk of the county,

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

[3d Dist.

which, however, he declined. In 1857 he was elected as Representative to the state Legislature from Harrison County, where he served one session. In 1858 he em- barked in mercantile business, in which he continued until 1867, when he was appointed by a board of com- missioners to fill an unexpired term in the auditor's office, for the purpose of placing its accounts in better order. In 1868 he was elected clerk of the Circuit Court. After the expiration of his term of office he en- tered regularly upon the profession of law at Corydon, where he still continues, in the enjoyment of a large and lucrative practice, his law partner being Captain S. M. Stockslager, this being the prominent law firm of Harrison County. He has several times served, by special appointment, on the bench. He was one of the directors and president of the pike road from Corydon to New Albany, of which he was one of the projectors. This was one of the finest and most useful turnpikes in the state. He also acted as the engineer during its construction. When the Air-line railroad from Louis- ville to St. Louis, now partly finished, was begun, he was appointed one of the directors, and assisted as en- gineer in the preliminary survey. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a most active worker in the party. In fact he is one of the leaders of the Democracy in the county. He was brought up as a Baptist, but is an at- tendant of the Presbyterian Church, of which his wife is a member. He was married at Louisville, July, 1835, to Annie Pope, daughter of Edmund Pendleton Pope, a prominent lawyer of Louisville. They have had two children -- one daughter, who is now dead; and one son, born July, 1859, now in Colorado. The death of his mother occurred a few days after his birth. She was a granddaughter of Colonel Edward Johnson, a brother of Colonel R. M. Johnson, who fought at the battle of the Thames. The Judge married again, May, 1863, Victoria Boone, daughter of Colonel Hiram Boone, of Meade County, Kentucky. The result of that marriage has been three children, one of whom is dead, one son and one daughter living. The Judge himself is a man of commanding appearance. His habits are those of a scholar and a gentleman.

ARLY, SAMUEL S., non-practicing attorney, Brownstown, Indiana, was born in Blount County, East Tennessee, November 3, 1824. Ilis father was a farmer, and was a minute-man in the War of 1812. His maternal grandfather, being an Orangeman, was forced to leave Ireland. Samuel S. Early never attended school, but by diligent study acquired a fine English education. He was a great reader, and, after he had exhausted the books which he could find at home, he laid contributions on the stock of his neigh-

bors. This, with careful study of the various branches of knowledge in later years, formed the basis of his in- struction. In 1836-7, in the panic of that time, a ca- lamity which was as widely extended as that of 1873, but to encounter which the people had less wealth, his father became deeply involved, sold out his business, and started for Missouri. Owing to sickness he stopped in Illinois, where he lost his wife and one son. He then sold out his outfit, consisting of an interest in a boat and some stock, wrote to his brother to come to him, and after the brother's arrival, in the early part of 1840, removed, with the family, to Wal- nut Ridge, Washington County, Indiana. For seven years after the death of his mother, Samuel S. Early, being the oldest of the family of three boys, acted as cook and housekeeper for his father, who died in 1847. After that event the boys worked on the farm in the summer, and Mr. Samuel S. Early taught in the winter, while his brothers attended school. He married, March 4, 1849, Bernette Beem, daughter of a wealthy farmer of Jackson County, Indiana. In April of the same year he settled in the southern part of Jackson County, contin- uing to farm in the summer and teach in the winter, until the fall of 1852. In that year he was elected sheriff of Jackson County, and, upon taking charge of the office, removed to Brownstown. In 1854 he was re- elected sheriff, which office he filled for four years. In the fall of 1856 he represented Jackson County in the Legislature, and in 1858 again served in the same position. In 1860 he became treasurer of Jackson County, and in 1862 was re-elected. On the expiration of his term of office he entered the mercantile business, which he fol- lowed until the year 1866. He then retired; spent some time traveling in the interest of a life insurance com- pany ; taught in the Brownstown high school; and assisted in the various county offices. In 1874 he again filled the office of sheriff, and again in 1876, thus completing four terms. In July, 1860, his wife died of puerperal fever, leaving four children, three sons and one daugh- ter. The oldest son, Sylvester N., is now deputy sheriff of the county. The second, Vincent L., is keeping a drug-store in Greenfield, Indiana. The others are with their father. Mr. Early married, February 24, 1862, Mary E. Boyd, the daughter of a farmer and miller. They have had two children, neither of whom is living. Mr. Early was reared a Presbyterian, and is now an ac- tive member of that Church. Recollecting the difficul- ties he himself was obliged to meet in the pursuit of an education, he has been a warm friend of the common school, as well as of academies and colleges. He is a leading Democrat of Jackson County, and the citizens speak of him with great pride, as a man who has filled many important public positions with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the people. Ilis abilities have been equal to any test that has been given them.

Engl by R. O'EMAIL

JAMES A. EKIN, DEPUTY QUARTERMASTER GENERAL U S.A

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

3d Dist.]

KIN, GENERAL JAMES ADAMS, deputy quar- termaster-general, United States army, the subject of this brief sketch, was born August 31, 1819, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His ancestry were of the highest respectability. His father, James Ekin, was a native of the county of Tyrone, Ireland, but came to this country at an early age, and was for many years a successful merchant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His mother was born in Elizabeth, Allegheny County, Penn- sylvania, and was a daughter of Colonel Stephen Bay- ard, of the Revolutionary army, and granddaughter of Æneas Mackay, colonel of the 8th Regiment Pennsyl- vania Continental forces. After having received a lib- eral education, first at the academy of the Rev. Joseph Stockton, D. D., in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and subsequently under the enlightened instruction of Will- iam Moody, Esq., at Columbiana, Ohio, young Ekin, on reaching the years of manhood, entered into mercantile pursuits, and was afterward, for a long time, extensively engaged in steamboat and ship-building at Elizabeth. While in this business, he built some of the finest steamers on the Western waters, continually giving employment to a large number of skilled mechanics and other workmen, all of whom were deeply attached to him on account of the uniformly just and kind manner in which he treated them, and many of whom, yet living, cherish his name with profound esteem and gratitude. While a citizen of Elizabeth, and actively engaged in business, although personally very popular with the people among whom he lived, Mr. Ekin held but one public office, and that the honorable one of school director, the duties of which he performed, as he guarded other business interests confided to him, with signal ability and fidelity. In his earlier man- hood, Mr. Ekin was identified with the Democratic party, and continued to support its measures and pol- icy until the repeal, in 1846, of the tariff act of 1842. After that event he acted with the Whigs, and subse- quently with the Republicans. Of the latter party he has been an earnest and efficient supporter since its organization. He was a member of the Free-soil Na- tional Convention of 1848, and of the Republican Na- tional Conventions of 1856 and 1865. At the outbreak of the great rebellion, in 1861, Mr. Ekin was among the first to tender his services in defense of the imperiled Union of the states; and on the 25th of April of that year he was commissioned by the Governor of Pennsyl- vania as regimental quartermaster of the 12th Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, and entered the service of the United States in that capacity at that date. In this regiment he served for three months (the term for which it was mustered), its duty being to guard the line of the Northern Central Railway from Baltimore to the Penn- sylvania border, a distance of forty-five miles. The reg- iment having been mustered out of service at the city

of Pittsburgh on the 5th of August, 1861, Lieutenant Ekin was, on the 7th of the same month and year, appointed, by the President of the United States, captain and assistant quartermaster United States Volunteers, and assigned to duty at Pittsburgh, relieving Lieutenant B. F. Hutchins, Sixth United States Cavalry, acting assistant quartermaster and acting assistant commissary of subsistence. After rendering faithful and efficient service at this important center of military operations, Captain Ekin was, on the 16th of October, 1861, directed to proceed at once to Indianapolis, Indiana, and relieve Major A. Montgomery, quartermaster United States army. Indianapolis was at that time one of the great depots for the receipt and transfer of all kinds of military stores and munitions of war, as well as a large recruiting station for the gallant troops of the Western armies. The great " War Governor" of Indiana, Mor- ton, was then moving, guiding, and directing, with a masterly skill all his own, the masses of patriotic men who, at the call of his clarion voice, flocked around the standard of the Republic, and offered their lives in its defense. It was at this trying and perilous time in the history of the country that Captain Ekin was brought into intimate personal and official relations with Gov- ernor Morton ; and the close and cordial friendship then commenced was uninterruptedly continued until death closed the brilliant career of Indiana's great and patri- otic statesman. On the 13th of March, 1863, Captain Ekin vacated his commission as captain and assistant quartermaster of volunteers, and was commissioned cap- tain and assistant quartermaster in the regular army, in recognition of the valuable and efficient services he had rendered in the quartermaster's department. Having served for over two years, with marked distinction, at Indianapolis, he was, on the 21st of December, 1863, ordered to duty at Washington, District of Columbia, as chief quartermaster of the cavalry bureau, reliev- ing Lieutenant-colonel C. G. Sawtelle. In this impor- tant and enlarged sphere of duty the fine executive and administrative abilities of Captain Ekin were more fully called into requisition, and he conducted with con- summate skill and unswerving fidelity the great inter- ests confided to his care. His position in this impor- tant branch of the military service gave him control not only of the extensive purchases of cavalry and artillery horses and mules for large portions of the great armies then in the field, but also the personal direction and supervision of the immense cavalry depot located at Giesboro', District of Columbia, on the northern bank of the Potomac, and within view of the Capitol at Washington. This was, indeed, during the war, known in the army as the model depot, and it was made so, in a great degree, by the remarkable administrative ability of Captain Ekin, and his keen sagacity in the selection of subordinate officers and agents to co-operate in the

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A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume I, Part 27

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1038

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1038