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 59

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 59

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simple. On his second, third, and fourth appearances the elderly lady occupied the same seat, listened in- tently, and at the close of the fourth sermon seemed de- sirous of speaking to the young preacher. He shook her hand, and remarked: "I am unable to call your name." "Oh," was the reply, "you know nothing of me; but that 's no matter. I want to shake hands with the man who preached that sermon." "I am glad if it was acceptable to you," replied the preacher. "I do like to hear you preach," said the old lady, "for you preach the Bible; and I must say a word to you. You are young yet, and may be vain. They say you are mighty smart. I know nothing about that; but you preach the Bible, and I want to say to you, Stick to it ! Preach the Bible, and nothing else. It is God's word to perishing sinners." This advice fell from the lips of Mrs. Catharine Gillespy, now a saint in heaven. Doc- tor Fisk says he never sits down to write a sermon with- out recalling her advice and profiting by it. Doctor Fisk belongs to a family well known as having furnished to the country some powerful and leading minds in the va- rious walks of life. His father, Jonathan Fisk, served with distinction as a captain in the War of 1812, with England; and his brothers were highly distinguished in their professions. The Rev. Ezra Fisk, D. D., for whom the immediate subject of this sketch was named, was regarded as one of the most learned and profound theo- logians, as well as one of the most eloquent preachers, of his day. He was for twenty years pastor of the Pres- byterian Church in Goshen, Orange County, New York. He received in 1830 the high honor of being elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. In 1833, by act of the General Assembly, he was placed at the head of the Alleghany Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, and, while preparing to enter upon his duties there, died in Philadelphia, December 3, 1833, deeply lamented throughout the Church. It was fre- quently said, that, as preachers and theological writers, Doctor Alexander, of Princeton; Doctor J. H. Rice, of Virginia; and Doctor Ezra Fisk, of New York, stood at the head in America. The other brother, Peter Fisk, was a physician and surgeon of celebrity in Northamp- ton and Greenfield, Massachusetts, and in the prosecution of his profession was led to Havana, Cuba, where he died of an epidemic in 1824. Simeon Fisk, Governor of Vermont; Rev. Pliny Fisk, the first missionary to Pal- estine ; Rev. Wilbur Fisk, D. D., founder of the Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut, who was twice elected, but never ordained, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church; Jonathan Fisk, of Newburg, an emi- nent lawyer, the compeer and rival of Alexander Ham- ilton, Aaron Burr, and Martin Van Buren; Rev. Joel Fisk, an eminent Congregational clergyman of Canada and Vermont, and the father of Harvey Fisk, of the banking firm of Fisk & Hatch, New York City; Rev.

Inman Ast fowler

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Harvey Fisk, who was the pioneer, the very first person | to Spencer and entered upon the practice of law, in to commence the publication of our Sabbath-school liter- ature, now grown to such amazing proportions and im- portance-all these were the cousins of Jonathan Fisk, father of the subject of this biography. Doctor Fisk has himself been twice a member of the General Assem- bly on occasions of momentous interest to the Church, and at one time, as chairman of one of the most impor- tant committees, was enabled to so control certain dis- turbing elements as to ward off what might have been a prolific source of dissension. He impresses all who approach him as a man of superior intellectual force, which is under complete control of his will. He is not only an earnest Christian worker, but a sincere friend, a kind neighbor, and a good citizen. He was married, May 22, 1855, to Miss Mary Van Dyke, niece by mar- riage of the then president of Princeton (New Jersey) College, James Carnahan, D. D., LL. D., and a near relation of Henry J. Van Dyke, D. D., of Brooklyn, New York.

OWLER, INMAN H., attorney-at-law, Spencer, was born in Eaton, Ohio, on the 7th of June, 1834. He is the son of John and Sarah Fowler, the former of Scotch-Irish lineage and a native of Virginia; while the latter was a native of Ohio and of German ancestry. His father came to Indiana in 1836, settling in Tippecanoe County, where he remained only a short time, and then removed to Louisa County, Iowa, where, in 1839, he died. After the death of his father his mother returned to Indiana, and settled on a farm in Clinton County. So well did Mr. Fowler avail himself of his educational advantages that, meager as they were, at the age of twenty he was enabled to enter Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana. After taking a literary course in that institution, he engaged in teaching. Although he began in the district schools, his success was so great that he was placed in charge of the schools at Martinsville, Indiana, and later was principal of those at Spencer. In 1858 he removed to Owen County, where he has ever since resided. In the fall of 1859 Mr. Fowler entered the clerk's office of the Owen Circuit Court as deputy, under Basil Meek, where he remained two years. While thus employed he ap- plied himself zealously to the studying of law. Feb- ruary 20, 1862, he entered upon the discharge of his duties as clerk of the Owen Circuit Court, to which he had been elected the previous year. In 1865 he was re-elected to the same office, serving in all nine con- secutive years, retiring therefrom on the 28th of Oc- tober, 1870. Immediately on leaving the clerk's office, he entered the Law Department of the Indiana State University at Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated in the spring of 1871. After his graduation he returned

partnership with Hon. John C. Robinson. This part- nership continued until Mr. Robinson's election as Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, in the autumn of 1876, since which time Mr. Fowler has practiced alone. In October, 1876, he was elected to the state Senate from the district composed of the counties of Owen and Clay, serving in the regular and special ses- sions of 1877 and 1879. During the sessions of 1877 he was an efficient member of the Committee on Fees and Salaries, and chairman of the Committee on State- prisons; and, in the regular and special sessions of 1879, he was placed at the head of the Committee on Benevolent and Reformatory Institutions, and was also a member of the Committee on Education and Rail- roads. Senator Fowler's course in the Senate has been most praiseworthy and efficient. With scrupulous vigi- lance he has guarded the interests of the laboring masses in the state, and has been instrumental in secur- ing the passage of several important measures for their relief and protection. Among the more important bills introduced by him, and made laws in 1877, are Senate bill No. 13, "An act requiring surviving partners to give bond, file inventory and appraisement, and report liabilities of the firm ;" and Senate bill No. 36, " An act to authorize the signing and filing of bills of excep- tion beyond the term of criminal prosecution." Several important resolutions were also introduced by Senator Fowler during the sessions of 1877, and he warmly sup- ported the following House resolution :

" Resolved, That the Committee on Education be requested to examine into the propriety of requiring county superintendents of public instruction to obtain certificates of qualification from the state superintend- ent of public instruction, before such county superin- tendents shall be eligible to such office; and that said committee report by bill or otherwise."

Through his instrumentality it passed the Senate, where it had been defeated for four consecutive sessions, but finally became a law, and is now to be found on the statute-books. During the sessions of 1879, Senator Fowler was none the less active and vigilant. He intro- duced the following, which is now a law of the state: " An act regulating the working of coal mines, and declaring a lien upon the works and machinery for work and labor in mining coal, and providing penalty for violation thereof, and providing for the appointment and qualification of a mine inspector, prescribing his duties and declaring an emergency." Also a bill on com- pulsory education, " requiring children between the ages of eight and fourteen to attend school, or receive instruc- tion at home, for at least fourteen weeks in each year, and providing penalties for violation thereof." This bill was referred to the Committee on Education, which reported recommending its passage; but, in the order of busi- ness, it was never after reached. Another bill, which,

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upon reaching the Senate, was taken in charge by Sen- ator Fowler, as chairman of the Committee on Benev- olent and Reformatory Institutions, and which passed that body, and upon the signature of the Governor be- came a law, read as follows: "An act providing for the entire reorganization of all benevolent and reformatory institutions of the state." In addition to his member- ship of the committees heretofore mentioned, Senator Fowler was a member of a committee of thirteen from his congressional district, the purpose of which was to re-apportion the state into congressional districts. His marked decision of character, and able advocacy of bills of importance and benefit to the public, render him already a leader in the Senate. Senator Fowler is wholly self- educated, and thoroughly independent in thought and action ; he possesses an analytical turn of mind, and is a close student and observer of human nature. In 1879 he was appointed president of the school board of Spencer, an office which he still retains. Among the local enter- prises with which he has been connected is the Ex- change Bank, which was organized in 1875. Soon after its organization he was elected vice-president and attor- ney of this corporation, and still holds the same posi- tion. Senator Fowler joined the Free and Accepted Masons in 1859, and is an honored member of that soci- ety, having occupied at different times all the offices of the order, and having been for many years Wor- shipful Master. He is also a charter member of Royal Arch Masons, in Spencer, of which he was High-priest for many years; a member of Raper Commandery, No. I, Indianapolis, and of the order of High-priest- hood. He is a consistent member of the Presbyte- rian Church, and a Democrat of the Jefferson school. On the 20th of September, 1866, Senator Fowler was married to Miss Vina H., daughter of A. A. Hollembeak, of Spring, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. They have had four children, only two of whom are living. Per- sonally, he is kind and affable, dignified and refined, always presenting the characteristics of a gentleman of honor and true culture.

RANKLIN, WILLIAM M., attorney, Spencer, In- diana, is a collateral descendant of Benjamin Frank- lin, the illustrious statesman and philosopher. In the year 1816 his parents emigrated from North Carolina and located in Monroe County, where, on the 13th of February, 1820, the gentleman whose life forms the subject of this sketch was born. Indiana at that time was literally a howling wilderness, infested with wild beasts and wilder men. At the age of eighteen he entered Asbury University, where for three years he took a literary course. As a boy he was studious and thoughtful, caring less for the frivolous amusements of

his companions than for the society of older and wiser people. He applied himself industriously to his books, and speedily gleaned from them all that was valuable or noteworthy. On leaving college he began the study of law, supporting himself meanwhile by school-teaching and farm labor. At the age of twenty-four he was ad- mitted to the bar, and, locating in Spencer, began at once the practice of his profession. Unlike the majority of young aspirants for legal honors, who starve as brief- less barristers for a certain number of years, he was successful from the outset in a marked degree. Five years from the period which marked his entry into Spencer found him representing his county in the Leg- islature. In that body his services were of such a nature as would have been creditable to an older and more experienced member. This was the beginning of a public career that extended over a quarter of a cen- tury. On his retirement from the Legislature he was elected prosecutor of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. Two years later he was elected Judge of the Common Pleas Court for the district composed of the counties of Greene, Owen, Sullivan, and Clay, serving four years. In 1860 he was again elected to the same position, and in 1870 elected Circuit Judge, his district-the Fifteenth- comprising the counties of Greene, Owen, Clay, Put- nam, Morgan, and Monroe. This term lasted six years. In addition to aiding all the local enterprises of his town and county, Judge Franklin was one of the pro- jectors of the Indianapolis and Vincennes Railroad, and gave material aid in securing donations and the right of way for that purpose. He superintended its con- struction, and for several years was its president. He has never been a member of any secret organization. He has at different times visited nearly all the Atlantic States, and has made one trip to California. He united with the Christian Church in 1841, and is still a devoted and zealous member. He is a life-long Democrat, of the Jeffersonian school, and in 1856 was a delegate to the national convention that nominated James Buchanan. He was married, May 6, 1844, to Miss Mary D. Ritter, of Jessamine County, Kentucky. Four daughters and two sons, with their parents, constitute the family. As a jurist, Judge Franklin ranks with the ablest men of Indiana. But it is not alone in law that he excels. His labors in behalf of his party as a public speaker have been earnest and successful. On the stump he is eloquent and logical, and is exceedingly popular with the masses. He is a man of high honor and untarnished reputation. It is his boast, he never has been intoxicated nor has used a profane oath. He is now the senior member of the law firm of Franklin & Pickens. The latter-gentleman is his son-in-law, and the present pros- ecuting attorney of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and is also the attorney of the Indianapolis and Vincennes Railroad, and a young man of great promise.

Respectfully Hours N.M. Franklin

yours truly

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ENT, THOMAS, miller, of Columbus, was born February 15, 1815, in Baltimore County, Maryland, and is the son of William C. and Mary (Gousouch)

Gent. His father was a farmer. His means of

education were limited, but by energy in later years he has become a good English scholar. In 1833 he left home and went to Ohio, where he worked in a flour- mill, and has followed this business all his life. In 1836 he rented the Baldwin Mills at Youngstown, Ohio. In 1839 he purchased a flour-mill in Belmont County, Ohio, which he ran until 1852, when he sold out, moved to Columbus, Indiana, and purchased an interest in the Lowell Mills, four miles from Columbus. In 1856 he and his partner, Amos C. Crane, built the Railroad Mills at Columbus. The following year he sold the Co- lumbus Mills, and, with Moore and Larkin, bought Crane's interest in the Lowell Mills ; soon after he sold his share to his partners, and moved on to his farm. In the winter of 1859 he repurchased the Railroad Mills in Columbus, which he ran until 1865, when he again sold, and spent the next two years in traveling and visit- ing. He then purchased an interest in the McEwen, Gaff & Company Mills, located in Bartholomew County, of which he became superintendent and manager. In 1874 he retired from the firm, and immediately erected a new mill in Columbus, and also remodeled one in In- dianapolis. In 1877 he disposed of them and erected that which he now owns. October 16, 1834, he mar- ried Martha Wilduson, of Baltimore County, Maryland. They have had six children, of whom two sons and three daughters are living. Joseph F., the eldest son, acquired a good English education in the public schools of Columbus, and has always been closely connected with mills. He is considered the most successful mill builder and remodeler in the United States, and has been invited to visit Europe and remodel the largest mills on the Continent. He has invented many useful appliances in mill machinery, and his papers on milling are read and highly appreciated by all the milling associations in this country and Europe; while the peo- ple of Columbus claim him to be the best known miller in the world. John R., the second son, obtained a fine English education at the schools here, and at the State University at Bloomington. He also is identified in the milling business, and is his father's partner, under the firm name of John R. Gent & Company. Indiana is greatly indebted to Mr. Gent and his sons for the vast improvement made in mill machinery and the modeling of mill buildings. The progress made in this industry has been very great in the last twenty years. The old and unscientific methods have been abandoned, and the changing of grain into flour has become a fine art. Mr. Gent and his son, John R. Gent, are Republicans; Joseph F. Gent is a Democrat. They are highly re- spected as citizens of this community.

ROVE, JOHN B., of Columbus, was born in Au- gusta County, Virginia, on the 2d of August, 1829, and is the son of Adam and Anna S. (Rankin) Grove, well-to-do farmers of that state. He re- ceived an academic education at Shemariah Academy, in Virginia, and at the age of seventeen began the study of medicine under a private tutor. In 1846 he entered the University of Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1849, receiving a premature examination, to enable him to remove to California. He took his departure on the third day of May, acting as surgeon of the vessel, and sailed around Cape Horn, visiting several of the South American states, and arriving at San Francisco November 6, 1849. Here he immediately entered upon the practice of his profession, which he continued until the next spring. He then accepted the position of in- spector in the custom-house at San Francisco; but this proving less lucrative than he had anticipated, he re- signed the office in 1850. Allured by the "gold fever " into the interior, he removed to Long Bar, on the Yuba River, in Yuba County, where he engaged in the prac- tice of medicine and in mining operations. In 1851 he was made the Whig candidate for the Lower House of the state Legislature, and, although his party was in the minority by six hundred, his personal popularity was such that he came within eighteen votes of receiving the election. In 1854, the Whig party having attained the majority, its nomination became equivalent to an election, and his friends urged his name for the office of county treasurer. In the convention they were uni- versally admitted to be largely in the majority, but so corrupt were political affairs in those primitive days that one of his opponents, in open market, shamelessly pur- chased enough delegates to secure the nomination. In the spring of 1856 he received the appointment as res- ident physician of the Yuba County Hospital, a position of honor and trust, which he held for a period of eight- een months. At the end of that time he resumed the practice of medicine at Marysville, and continued it until the spring of 1858, when he returned to the States, and in the fall of that year settled at Marshall, Saline County, Missouri, where he married his first wife, Miss Kate Wilson, daughter of Judge William A. Wilson. In the spring of 1862 he received the important appoint- ment of post surgeon for the Union army at Marshall, the duties of which position he discharged with skill, and to the entire satisfaction of all who came under his care. That part of the state, becoming the field of operation for both the contending armies, was neither safe nor pleasant as a residence, and in 1864, when Gen- eral Price overran the country with his devastating army, Dr. Grove determined to seek a more peaceful locality. He accordingly removed to Columbus, Indiana, where he still resides, and where he soon acquired a large and remunerative practice. On the 25th of January, 1866,

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he met a sad misfortune in the death of his estimable wife, who left two children -- Ada and Florence. June 6, 1868, he married Louise Westfall, by whom he has two sons-Albert Sidney and John Clifford. In 1872 he was elected a member of the city council, a position which he so ably filled that, in the spring of 1874, he was nominated as state Senator for the counties of Bartholomew and Brown, by the Democrats of the dis- trict. After a hot contest against a combination of Re- publicans, Grangers, Temperance men, and Green- backers, in which nearly the entire Democratic ticket was defeated by heavy majorities, he was triumphantly elected. The three sessions of which he was a member were the most important and exciting that had been held for years. At this time the temperance question, which had been an exciting issue among the people, was pacifically adjusted by the repeal of the so-called " Baxter law," and the enactment, in its stead, of the present well devised, closely guarded, and satisfactory license law. In bringing about this result, none were more active and influential than Senator Grove, whose effective speeches were largely commented upon by the press. At this time, also, the gravel road question was attracting considerable attention, and many important measures in regard to it were brought before the Legis- lature. So conflicting and intense were these interests that the clearest judgment was required to insure just and proper legislation. The responsibilities resting upon Senator Grove were delicate and arduous, and yet, with tact of no ordinary kind, he discharged this duty to his constituents in so able a manner as to receive the warmest commendation of all. Through his instrumen- tality some meritorious laws were enacted upon this subject, and some very bad measures were effectually defeated. No legislator can do all that he hopes. The selfishness of mankind, the greed of corporations, the sluggishness with which new impressions are received, are so many barriers in the way of a really painstaking law-maker. At the close of his term, his constituents in Bartholomew County were unanimous for his return ; but party usages had alternated the office between the two counties composing the district, and, with a mag- nanimity truly commendable, he refused to break in upon this custom, and peremptorily declined the nom- ination. Doctor Grove sympathized with the old na- tional Whig party in his earlier days, and up to its abandonment ; afterward he supported Fillmore, and, at the next election, Bell and Everett. In 1863 he be- came identified with the Democratic organization, of which he has since been an earnest and consistent mem- ber, taking a deep interest in its welfare, and contribut- ing largely to its successful management. As a physi- cian he stands at the head of the profession. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian, and gives that denomination his aid and support.

ALL, WESLEY C., physician and surgeon, of Franklin, Indiana, was born in New York state, September 1I, 1830, and is the third son of Jus- tice and Rachael (Gibbs) Hall. His ancestors were of sturdy colonial stock. His father was a soldier in the War of 1812, his grandfather a soldier in the American Revolution, while one of his great-uncles was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His ma- ternal grandfather was a very prominent physician. At the age of fifteen years, Wesley Hall entered Alleghany College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he spent three years, completing a scientific course of study. In the year 1849 he entered the office of Doctor I. H. D. Rodgers, of Madison, Indiana, and began the study of medicine. He subsequently studied at the Louisville Medical College, and in 1855 attended his last course of lectures, in the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, Ohio. Removing to Jefferson County, Indiana, he be- gan medical practice, remaining until 1862, when he enlisted as a private in the 82d Regiment Indiana Volun- teer Infantry. He was shortly afterward transferred to the 17th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and com- missioned a surgeon. Returning from the field, he established himself in Franklin, where he has since re- sided. He has devoted all his time and energies to his profession, and has succeeded in building up a larger practice than any physician in the county. Doctor Hall, although repeatedly solicited by his friends to be- come a candidate for various political offices, has always refused the honor, preferring to confine his attention to professional duties. He was, however, president of the board of health of Franklin County during 1875 and 1876. March, 1858, he was married to Malvina C. Til- ford, Hanover, Indiana, the daughter of a well-known farmer of that place, and niece of the owner of the In- dianapolis Journal. Doctor Hall attends the Christian Church, of which his wife is a member. In politics, he is a Democrat. He is one of the class of enterprising, energetic citizens who, having the public interest always . in view, exert a marked influence for good in the com- munity.

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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 59

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