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 30

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 30

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Very Truly yours, Geo. I. Howk.

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ical, clear, and to the point; and earnestness and sin- cerity mark all his oratorical efforts. He has always taken a lively interest in local politics, but has generally declined the cares of official position. November 23, 1854, Mr. Howard married Miss Martha J. Roswell, daughter of James and Drusilla Roswell, of Clarke County, Indiana. She died February 19, 1872, leaving three children. September 8, 1873, Mr. Howard mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Roswell, sister of his former wife, by whom he has one child. He is particularly fortu- nate in his social and domestic relations, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

OWK, GEORGE VAIL, of New Albany, was born in Charlestown, Clarke County, Indiana, September 21, 1824, and is the only surviving son of Isaac Howk, one of the pioneer lawyers of the state. The Howk family are of German origin, but settled in Massachusetts early in the last century, and engaged chiefly in agriculture. Isaac Howk, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born on a farm in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in July, 1793, and was educated at Williams College, in that county. In 1817 he settled in Charlestown, Indiana, and engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1820 he married Miss Elvira Vail, a daughter of Doctor Gamaliel Vail, who had emigrated from Vermont to Indiana Territory in 1806. Their son, George V. Howk, grew to manhood in Charlestown, In- diana. His father died in 1833, but his mother devoted the remainder of a long life to the education, comfort, and happiness of her children. She died in New Al- bany, Indiana, September 15, 1869. Judge Howk grad- uated from Indiana Asbury University in the class of 1846, under the presidency of Matthew Simpson, widely known as one of the bishops of the Methodist Church. Some of his classmates were, Newton Booth, United States Senator from California; James P. Luce, James M. Reynolds, and Joseph Tingley, now one of the professors of the college. He studied law with Judge Charles Dewey, who was for ten years a Judge of the Supreme Court of Indiana, and one of the ablest jurists the state has produced. He was admitted to the bar in 1847, and settled in New Albany. December 21, 1848, he mar- ried Miss Eleanor Dewey, the eldest daughter of Judge Charles Dewey, late of Charlestown. Mrs. Howk died April 12, 1853, leaving two young children. September 5, 1854, he married Miss Jane Simonson, eldest daughter of General John S. Simonson, United States army, who still survives. They have two children, John S. and George V. Howk, junior; and one daughter, Jane S., the child of Judge Howk's first wife, is also living. In 1852 and 1853 Judge Howk was city judge of New Al- bany; and from 1850 to 1864, during most of the time, A-10

was a member of the city council. In 1857 he was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Floyd County; in 1863 he represented that county in the House, and from 1866 to 1870 he represented Floyd and Clarke Counties in the Senate of Indiana. He was chosen one of the Supreme Judges of Indiana at the general state election in October, 1876. Soon after taking his posi- tion on the bench, he gave promise of the great ability he has since displayed. His decisions are clear, concise, and conclusive, taking rank with those of the ablest jurists of the state; and his suavity of manner toward all with whom he comes in contact officially makes him very popular with the attorneys practicing at the bar of the Supreme Court. In politics Judge Howk is a Dem- ocrat. His mother was a Methodist, and he was edu- cated in a Methodist college, but is not a member of any religious denomination. His wife and children are Presbyterians.

AY, ANDREW J., M. D., Charlestown, Clarke County, was born in the place of his residence April 8, 1822. His father, Andrew P. Hay, who was also a physician, was a native of Harrisburg, Kentucky, studied medicine at Lexington and was surgeon in the Tippecanoe campaign, having been appointed by General Harrison. He settled in Indiana in 1815. His mother was a daughter of Doctor Isaac Gano, of Frank- fort, Kentucky. The Doctor himself comes from a line of physicians, a family noted for its number of great men in the medical profession. He received his early education in the common schools of the county, then at Clarke County Seminary, Hanover College, and Charles- town Academy, where he went through a full course under Professor James A. Nelson. On leaving school he entered upon the study of medicine at Charlestown with his father, at that time the leading practitioner of the county, and a man whose practice extended through no less than five counties. After studying for three years he attended his first course of lectures at Louis- ville Medical College, and in 1844 he took his second course at the same college. He then formed a partner- ship with his father at Charlestown, where he has re- mained ever since, and now enjoys the largest practice and is considered the leading physician of the county. While with Dr. Andrew P. Hay he spent at different times some three years in various places for the purpose of gain- ing information and experience, but since his father's death he has been confined to his native town. During the war he received a commission as first lieutenant of cav- alry in the provost-marshal's office, and was appointed commissary. In the session of 1847-48 he was elected clerk of the House of Representatives of the Indiana Legislature. In 1850 he was chosen a member of the House of Representatives from Clarke County, and in

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1860 he was elected county clerk. He is a man of much public spirit, and is active in working for the benefit of his town and county. He was one of the leading spirits in building the pike between Charlestown and Jefferson- ville, a road that has proved a great boon, and of which he is secretary. He is a member of the county medical society, and has been a delegate to the state association. He has been a member of the Masonic Order for twenty- five years, and has been Grand Master of the state; he has held all offices in the Grand Lodge, and has taken all degrees up to Knight Templar. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he has been an elder for several years. In politics he is an active Republi- can. Born and brought up a Whig, he joined the Re- publican ranks on the formation of the party, and has been a member of the state central committee several times, always taking an active interest in each canvass. In 1848 he married Rebecca C. Garnett, of Washington, Pennsylvania, who died in 1866, leaving two daughters and one son, who is now a lawyer practicing at Madi- son. In 1868 he married Virginia L. Naylor, daughter of Judge Naylor, of Crawfordsville, Indiana, who has now two young daughters attending school. Dr. Ilay is a man of splendid physique, in the enjoyment of fine mental and physical powers, and is an educated and courteous gentleman.

ILL, JAMES WOODS, merchant, of Vernon, was born in Jennings County November 26, 1820. c His father, Thomas, who emigrated from Ken- ¿ tucky to Jennings County in 1817, was a Baptist minister, continuing his ministry until his death, which took place in 1877. He was a man widely known and highly esteemed and beloved, and was one of the pio- neer ministers of the southern part of the state. His mother, Susan Beester, a most worthy and estimable woman, who devoted her time to the careful training and education of her family, departed this life in 1870. James W. received an ordinary school education, such as the country at the time afforded, and as a boy made the most of his opportunities. On leaving school, at the age of nineteen, he for some six years occupied his win- ters in teaching school, and worked on a farm during the summer months. In 1850 he embarked in general mer- cantile business in the town of Paris, in the southern part of Jennings County, where he enjoyed a successful career until January, 1861, when he removed to Vernon, engaging in the same occupation, in which he long con- tinued, meeting with uniform success. Having gained for himself a competency, in January, 1880, he sold his stock and business interest to his son, who succeeds him. When a young man he for some time held the rank of captain of militia, receiving his appointment from Governor Whitcomb. He has held office for many

years. He has been township trustee, a member of the board of county commissioners, and also served on the school board. He became a Republican on the organiza- tion of that party, with which he has ever since affiliated. Mr. Hill joined the Baptist Church in 1843, and has been its clerk for some years. He is superintendent of the Sunday-school, with which he has been connected some nineteen years, and is also president of the County Sunday-school Convention. He was married, in August, IS41, to Sarah J. Brandon, the daughter of John Brandon, a farmer of Jennings County, now deceased. They have two sons living, both of whom are married. Mr. Hill is a man of good personal appearance, and is in the enjoyment of full health and vigor of mind and body. He is a man of honor, integrity, and uprightness, be- loved by his family, and respected by the community of which he has been so long a member.

ENNINGS, JONATHAN, Governor of Indiana, was born near Hunterdon, New Jersey. He re- ceived an academic education, and removed to the North-west Territory late in the last century. When the territory was organized he became the first delegate, taking his seat after some opposition. He was three times elected, and when Indiana became a state he was the first Governor. In this office he served for six years, also acting as Indian commissioner in 1818, by appointment of President Monroe. At the conclusion of his term as Governor he was elected Representative in Congress, and was re-chosen for four terms in succession. He was nearly all his life in public office, and filled his places acceptably. He was a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and was elected Grand Master of the state in 1824. He died near Charlestown, July 26, 1834.

EWETT, CHARLES L., attorney, Scottsburg, was born October 6, 1848, in Hanover, Indiana, being the only son of Jonathan and Mary (Wells) Reid. His father died when the boy was an infant, and his mother married Judge P. H. Jewett, who adopted him as a son, and by legal process had his name changed to Jewett. At the age of fifteen he entered the State Uni- versity at Bloomington, where he remained until 1866, when he was admitted to the college at Hanover, and studied for one year. His health failing, he left school and removed to Montana Territory, where he was suc- cessively prospector, gold miner, and government sur- veyor. In the latter capacity he surveyed all the lands lying near the head waters of the Missouri River. These two years of pioneer life restored his health, and secured for him a physical stamina and development, as

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well as a fund of experience, which will no doubt be of great benefit to him throughout his life. Returning to his native state in 1869, he prepared to enter upon the profession to which he had directed all his studies, and toward which all his efforts were now bent. He was ad- mitted to the bar at New Albany, October 6 of the same year, and immediately commenced practice. Oc- tober 16, 1869, he was chosen Justice of the Peace, but he resigned within one year. In 1871 he was appointed deputy prosecuting attorney of Scott County, and in 1872 was elected district attorney for the district com- posed of Scott, Clarke, Floyd, Washington, and Harri- son Counties. In March, 1873, he was appointed by Governor Hendricks prosecutor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, and in October of that year was elected to the same office for a full term. He was re-elected in 1874, and continued to hold the position until October 22, 1877. In 1878 he was the Democratic candidate for Judge of the Fifth Circuit. Though a young man, Mr. Jewett is one of the acknowledged leaders of the Dem- ocratic party in his district, having been a member of the state central committee in 1876, and is at present chairman of the county central committee. He is an organizer of rare ability and tact, and an able lawyer. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and is re- garded by all who know him as a gentleman of culture, enterprise, and influence. With youth and ability to aid him, he will no doubt make his mark in the world so plainly that those yet to come shall not fail to see the record.

ERR, MICHAEL C., was born at Titusville, Pennsylvania, March 15, 1827. "He received an academic education, and graduated with the de- gree of Bachelor of Laws at the Louisville Uni- versity in 1851. He was an ardent and indefatigable student from an early age until the close of his life. His attainments in the broad fields of general knowledge were more than ordinary, while in the branches more directly allied to his public duties, such as political economy, the science of government, parliamentary law, etc., his acquirements were extensive and duly acknowl- edged by his contemporaries. He taught school for some time in Kentucky, and settled in New Albany, Indiana, where he afterwards permanently resided. He began the practice of law in New Albany in 1852, was elected city attorney in 1854, and prosecuting attorney of Floyd County in 1855; was a member of the state Legislature in 1856 and 1857; was elected reporter of the Supreme Court of Indiana in 1862, and during his term of office edited five volumes of reports; was elected a Representa- tive to the Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, Forty-first, and Forty- second Congresses; was the Democratic candidate at large for Representative to the Forty-third Congress, but

was defeated by the small majority of one hundred and sixty-two votes; he was elected in 1874 to the Forty- fourth Congress by a majority of thirteen hundred and nine. But the crowning honor of his public career was his election to the speakership of the House of Repre- sentatives, at its organization in 1875. Mr. Kerr made an able and impartial presiding officer, and commanded the undivided respect of all parties. For some time pre- vious to his election to the speakership his health had begun to fail, from the insidious progress of a serious pulmonary affection, which was quickened to action by the arduous duties of his office, forcing him, before the close of the first session, to seek relief from his toils and sufferings by a sojourn among the mountains of Virginia. But the disease had gained too much headway, and his death took place on the 19th of August, 1876, at the Alum Springs, in Rockbridge County, Virginia. His noble qualities of heart and mind endeared him to a large circle of acquaintances and friends. His death was regretted by the whole country.

FA FOLLETTE, D. W., of New Albany, ex-Judge of Floyd County Court of Common Pleas, is one of eleven children of Robert La Follette, who emigrated to the then territory of Indiana No- vember 5, 1804. The preceding day he had married Miss Martha Sampson, and together they had crossed the Ohio River and pitched their tent about three- fourths of a mile east of Knob Creek, which loca- tion he had previously selected. Here, in the unbroken wilderness, surrounded by the dusky forms of the friendly Indians, they resolved to make their future home and commence the battle of life. They remained in camp until Mr. La Follette had made a clearing, cut logs, and built a cabin. This was the first house built in Floyd County, and the young wife was the first white woman who settled there. Their nearest white neigh- bors were ten miles below them, in Harrison County, and the next twelve miles above, in Clarsville, opposite the falls. The Shawnee Indians were their immediate neighbors, and with them they lived on the most peace- able terms. When marauding tribes from other sections made their appearance in the vicinity, Mrs. La Follette was warned by her Indian friends, and sent across the river to her people, while her husband joined the expe- ditions to drive them back. They underwent all the hardships of pioneer life; a rude cabin, with a floor of split logs, sheltered them, and a table, bed, and other furniture, of split boards, were the household equip- ments of the young settlers. Game and fish were abun- dant, but they had besides only corn, either parched or ground, and broken into coarse meal. Mr. La Follette continued to reside where he first settled, and when the

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division line between Clarke and Harrison Counties was drawn he was thrown into Clarke County, and paid his share towards building the first court-house, at Charles- town, the county seat. A few years afterward he moved into Harrison County, and helped to build, by special tax, the court-house at Corydon; and, later, when Floyd County was organized, he found himself in that county, and paid his proportion of the levy to build the · first court-house at New Albany. He remained on the farm to which he had removed from the vicin- ity of Knob Creek, until his death, which occurred in January, 1867, when he was eighty-nine years old. He had resided in the limits of what is now Floyd County for sixty-two years, and his wife sixty-one years. She died a year before her husband, at seventy- nine years of age. Robert La Follette was, in all his re- lations, an eminently good man and a conscientious Christian. His house was, for many years, used for meetings by the regular Baptist minister, and pioneer preachers of all denominations were cordially welcomed. While he was conscientiously religious, he was also re- ligiously conscious of his duty to kill hostile Indians, and never missed an opportunity of joining in the chase. From the preceding short sketch of his father it will be seen that the early opportunities of D. W. La Follette must have been very limited; but the early instructions of a pioneer mother took root like seed fallen on good ground. He was born the thirteenth day of September, 1825, and early in life learned that honest toil is the surest road to prosperity. By his own labor he acquired the means to defray his expenses at the state university, and graduated from the law department. He afterwards studied law with Hon. W. A. Porter, at Corydon, Indi- ana, was admitted to the bar in 1849, in the twenty- fourth year of his age, and immediately commenced the practice of his profession at Corydon. In 1852 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the Court of Common Pleas by a large majority. In 1855 he removed to New Albany and formed a partnership with Hon. James Col- lins. In 1858 he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Floyd County. In 1872 he was ap- pointed Judge of the Criminal Circuit Court of Floyd and Clarke Counties, but declined, and became prosecut- ing attorney of the district. In 1873 he was appointed one of the law professors in the state university, and filled the chair one year, with credit to himself and the institution. Since then he has devoted his time to the practice of his profession, and is now city attorney of New Albany, Indiana. He has been twice married. His second wife is still living, and they have a family of three children, two sons and one daughter-Mattie M., Marian G., and Harry C. Judge La Follette is a mem- ber of the Christian Church, and takes an active part in all benevolent enterprises. He is an active member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows and Knights of

Pythias, having filled the highest official positions in both orders in the jurisdiction of Indiana. He is en- tirely a self-made man, and is a respected and influen- tial citizen.

ANN, JOHN, merchant, of New Albany, was born May 28, 1814, in Ontario County, New York. His parents, Peter and Sarah (Lyons) Mann, emigrated to Indiana in 1817, and settled in Utica, Clarke County. They had twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, all of whom became hon- ored members of society. At this date (1879), six of the sons and one daughter are living. Mr. Mann's paternal grandfather was descended from Protestant ancestors, and emigrated to this country from Ireland; his grand- mother, whose maiden name was Chandler, was of German descent. His grand-parents on his mother's side were both of English ancestry, and were among the earliest settlers in the colonies. Peter Mann was born in the state of New York in 1780, and died in 1847, in Clarke County, Indiana, aged sixty-eight. His wife, born in New Jersey in 1785, died in 1860. They both united with the religious denomination known as the New Light, under the preaching of Judge Clem Nantz, in Clarke County, and were zealous, pious, and consist- ent Christians. The early teachings of the mother afterward proved to have been seed sown in good ground. In 1832 John Mann engaged on a fleet of steamboats in the government service, to clear out the drift in the channel of the Red River, and was thus occupied five months. These were the first steamboats that ever penetrated as far as Shreveport, Louisiana, and it took them thirty days to make the trip from Red River to New Albany, now accomplished in from five to seven days. The next two years he assisted his brother Lewis, and then, procuring a team and outfit, worked in his own interest two years more. At the end of that time, being twenty-two years of age, and feeling that his education was insufficient, he studied one term under Mr. Brownlee, and another under Mr. Kennedy, at Mt. Tabor. The next four years he spent as traveling salesman ; the first for Mr. E. R. Day ; the second for Kellogg & Co., both book and stationery merchants ; the third for Dr. Maginness, in the sale of drugs; and the fourth on his own ac- count, with a general assortment of light goods and notions. He then, in company with Mr. Louis Web- ber, fitted up a trading boat for the sale of dry-goods, groceries, and hardware, between New Albany and Memphis. He was clerk one year for Connor & Co., and for Connor & Reineking the same length of time, after which, mn 1847, at the age of thirty-three-having accumulated a few hundred dollars-he engaged in an enterprise the success of which proved his good judg- ment. He opened a small retail grocery on Main Street,

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between Bank and Pearl Streets, in a room fourteen feet front by sixty deep. Here, with no help but a young boy, he continued seven years, his untiring devotion to business winning many friends. By degrees he increased his capital until, about 1860, he removed to State Street, renting a store, which he afterwards purchased. Upon this removal he restricted his business to the wholesale trade, thus dealing only with merchants, and the value of his four years' experience and wide acquaintance as traveling salesman began to be realized. In 1874, hav- ing been in business alone for twenty-seven years, Mr. Mann admitted to partnership two young men who had been in his store from boyhood, the firm name being J. Mann & Co. Five years later the name was changed to Mann & Fawcette, the junior, Mr. Elwood Fawcette, having been also in the former partnership. In 1836, under the preaching of Rev. Samuel K. Sneed, of Mt. Tabor, Mr. Mann joined the Second Presbyterian Church, and has served as deacon for several years. He is a worthy citizen, and is highly honored by all. He has been married three times : first, on the 4th of January, 1849, to Miss Amanda A. Graham, daughter of John K. and Elizabeth (Weach) Graham. She died April 14, 1851. A year later he married Miss Angeline Graham, sister of his former wife, who died May 5, 1872. Both of these sisters left the memory of lives lovely for their domestic and Christian graces; and their many excel- lencies have exercised a lasting influence for good. June 25, 1873, he married Miss Mary L. Very, daughter of Martin and Eliza Very, and granddaughter of John K. Graham. April 13, 1874, his first child, John Horace Mann, was born; Mary Angeline was born December 27, 1876; Robert was born January 19, 1880. John K. Graham, whose daughters Mr. Mann married, was of Scotch-Irish descent. He came from Pennsylvania to New Albany when the latter contained but a few log houses, becoming one of the earliest settlers of South- ern Indiana. He surveyed and platted the city, in the employ of the Scribners, and was employed by the state in surveying and locating the Wabash Canal. He was one of the members of the Convention that framed the old state Constitution at Corydon in 1816. He was several times elected to the state Legislature, and served with fidelity in every position to which he was called. He died in 1841. Martin Very, father of Mr. Mann's third wife, was also one of the early set- tlers of Floyd County. His father, Francis Very, was of French descent; and his mother, whose maiden name was Rhoda Lawrence, was of English parentage. His parents died when he was quite young; and, though in a new country, he met life's vicissitudes with an indom- itable will and a stout heart. At an early day, in part- nership with his brother, Lawson Very, he carried on a saw-mill on Silver Creek, about three miles from New Albany. They were among the first in the West to in-

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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 30

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