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 84

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 84

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LEETH, GEORGE B., lawyer, of Rushville, was born in New York City, July 4, 1838, six weeks after the arrival from Ireland of his parents, whose names were John B. and Eleanor Sleeth. Both died before George reached his eleventh year, leaving him an orphan. He worked on a farm and supported himself until his seventeenth year, when he drifted into the state of Indiana, and found a home with Mr. Joseph Winship, a prominent farmer of Rush County. Up to this time he had received a very limited education, but was now sent to the district schools by his new-found

friend, and a strong attachment was formed between the two. Subsequent to this he was adopted by Mr. Winship, and made one of the family. Mr. Sleeth still expresses in the strongest terms his feelings of gratitude and affection for every member of that household. He was sent to the common schools during the winter months, and in summer was employed on the farm. He qualified himself to teach by attending the Rich- land Academy for two terms, an institution of learning located in the same county. Having a desire to advance still farther, he was encouraged by his benefactor, from whom he borrowed the necessary money, and entered Farmers' College, College Hill, Ohio. Here he com- menced the study of the law, which had been his choice of professions from early youth. In 1862 he entered the office of Hon. L. Sexton, at Rushville, and com- pleted his studies with Hon. George C. Clark, of the same place. In 1864 he entered upon the practice of his profession, and soon was in command of a lucrative income, the first receipts of which went to pay the debt he had contracted to finish his education. He served as state Senator four years, from 1872 to 1876, and was elected Representative in 1878, and served on impor- tant committees. The following article, published in the Indianapolis Sentinel, of recent date, shows how highly he is esteemed by his friends as a lawyer and legislator :

" ' I am a lawyer myself,' said a Senator to us the other day, 'and I give it as my judgment that Judge George B. Sleeth, of Rush, is the ablest lawyer in either House.' In legal knowledge he is evidently at home, as his speeches fully demonstrate, and as a legislator he certainly ranks among the foremost. He has in him the elements of a marked future usefulness, if he will watch well the outer door. Success in life, in some sense, must exist in the man, and where one guards well the citadel of his own prowess he may look with hope on the future for the reward of his virtues. Judge Sleeth is a strong man and an able jurist, and worthy of any position in the gift of the people."

He is plain and unassuming in his manners, of a very sociable disposition, and loves well the rod and gun. He makes no attempt at oratory, but seems to approach a subject in an easy, quiet way; but, before he is done with it, it will be found that he has most thoroughly accomplished his task. In his preparation of cases for trial he is a most untiring student and worker, and it is generally found that his thoughts have crept into every cranny and loop-hole on each side of the case. He is an honest man, and despises meanness or trickery in lawyer or client as thoroughly as any man living. In 1863 he was made a Mason, and is now a Knight Templar. In politics he is an ardent Republican, and was a great admirer of Governor Morton, as he now is of " honest John Sherman," as he calls him. He was happily mar- ried, in July, 1869, to Miss Charlotte, daughter of the late Doctor William Frame, of Rushville. This union is blessed with a family of three daughters.

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

[6th Dist.

PILKER, GEORGE W., of Muncie, was born De- cember 10, 1828, at Nienburg, on the river Weser, in the kingdom of Hanover. His father, George A. Spilker, came to America when the son was ten years of age, and located first at Germantown, Mont- gomery County, Ohio, removing thence to Muncie, Del- aware County, Indiana, in April, 1842. His father died at Muncie in the year 1851. Mr. Spilker has at differ- ent times been occupied in mercantile business. In April, 1852, he went to California, engaging in mining for gold in Yuba and Nevada Counties in that state, and, having been reasonably successful, returned to Muncie in February, 1854. Again embarking in mer- cantile pursuits, in 1858 he was persuaded by his friends to offer himself as a candidate for the office of clerk of the Circuit Court of the county, on the Repub- lican ticket, and was elected to that position by a large majority in October of that year. He was re-elected in 1862, thus serving for two full terms of four years each. From the close of his official term, in 1867, until 1875, he was engaged in the management of his property, as a private banker and broker, and as insurance agent. In 1875, in connection with others, he aided in the organ- ization of the Citizens' Bank of Muncie, under the state law, being one of its principal stockholders and its president. After a short time the charter under which it was acting was surrendered, and the Citizens' National Bank of Muncie, was substituted for it. Mr. Spilker retained his interest in the new institution, and was elected its first president, which position he still holds. Mr. Spilker deserves the name of a successful business man, and his good luck has been due to his own perse- verance, energy, and industry. He is a man of positive opinions and convictions, formed more from impulse than from connected thought; but his hasty views are as trustworthy in their results as the thoughtful conclu- sions of other men ordinarily, and he seldom finds cause to regret having submitted to their guidance. In his business relations he has earned the reputation of a man of strict integrity, and is unwilling to make allowance for a lack of that quality in others. Politically, his affiliations are, and have always been, with the Republi- can party, but he has little of the partisan about him ; and his one experiment in office-holding seems to have fully satisfied all his aspirations toward the life of a pol- itician. The city and county of his residence are in- debted to his counsel and aid, conjointly with others, for several of their public improvements, and his own home shows evidences of his taste and skill in the erec- tion and adornment of private residences. Possessing a fair English education, his knowledge of his mother- tongue has proved advantageous to him in life. His features show but few of the traits of the nationality from which he sprang. His wife is a daughter of the late Job Swain, Esq., long a prominent and highly es-

teemed citizen of Muncie, of which city for a time he was mayor. They have but one child, a son, Carl A. Spilker, who has lately attained to manhood, and is now fairly entering business life, who promises fairly to reflect the merits and virtues of his parents. This sketch was written by a disinterested person who has known Mr. Spilker for nearly forty years.

TEPHENSON, GEORGE W., an enterprising and successful business man of Muncie, was born in Mason County, West Virginia, June 15, 1838. His parents were James and Mary ( Barnett) Stephenson, both of whom were natives of West Virginia. His pa- ternal ancestors came from Scotland, while his mother's were of Irish extraction. Mr. Stephenson is the twelfth in a family of thirteen children. He was allowed the privileges of a common school education, attending dur- ing the winter months. There was generally no school during the summer. After he had become strong enough, he assisted in the general labors of his father's farm. In his fifteenth year he became clerk of a small store in Leon, Mason County, at a salary of five dollars per month during the first year. Here he remained five years, his compensation being increased each year. Hav- ing reached his majority, he felt the need of a better education, and accordingly entered the academy at. Point Pleasant, the county seat of Mason County, where he remained one term. After leaving this institution of learning, he went to Gallipolis, Ohio, and engaged as clerk in one of the largest dry-goods establishments of that city. Here he was employed until the breaking out of the Civil War. In August, 1861, he removed to Delaware County, Indiana, and for two winters was em- ployed as a teacher in one of the common schools. During the summer months he was engaged in working on a farm. In 1863, with a borrowed capital, he opened a small store in Wheeling, Delaware County, and after one year's successful operations he removed to New Cumberland, Grant County, where he opened a larger establishment. Here he continued three years. In 1868 he removed to Muncie, Delaware County, and in copartnership with Mr. S. A. Haines engaged in business, with an increased capital and on a much larger scale. This partnership lasted about eighteen months, when it was dissolved. Mr. Stephenson then opened his present store, which is to-day the finest in the county. He has a very extensive wholesale and retail trade in dry-goods. Every detail of his business is conducted under his per- sonal superintendence. He has been a decided and ac- tive politician. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and was a strong supporter of the Republican party until 1872. In the Horace Greeley campaign he associated himself with the Liberal party. Since that

Groft Stephenson

A. millervant

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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time he has generally voted the Democratic ticket, al- though often casting his vote for the man whom he considers most eligible for the office, without reference to party. He is at present a member and president of the board of school trustees of the city of Muncie, and takes a great interest in educational matters. As a business man, he is careful, industrious, and prudent. His present position and influence he has attained en- tirely by his own exertions, and he is essentially a self- made man. He is a Master Mason. His religious con- victions are in accordance with the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he and his fam- ily are members. Mr. Stephenson married, February 7, 1864, Amanda, daughter of David and Malinda Thomp- son, of Delaware County. Four children have been born to them-Florence May, Frank Julian, Walter Thompson, and Wilfred Vigus.

TEWART, REV. DAVID M., A. M., pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Homer, Rush County, was born in Warren County, Ohio, May 16, 1809. He is one of the few survivors of that bold army of Christian soldiers who carried the blessings of the Bible and religious teachings into the state of Indiana. They struggled under disadvantages that those of the present generation can never feel, even if stationed on the frontiers as pioneer preachers. There were then no aids to them. They fought the whole battle themselves. He is the eldest of three sons of Samuel and Rhoda (Mills) Stewart. The father was one of the pioneer settlers of that county, and lived there until March, 1831, when he removed to Delaware County, Indiana, where he died in the spring of 1839. The mother died in 1814, a victim of what was known as the "cold plague," which prevailed and was very fatal through- out that region. While a boy, David Stewart was a lover of books, but, in the straitened circumstances of the family, these could not be obtained. His desire for reading matter, and its scarcity, are seen in the fact that he made weekly trips on foot to Lebanon, eight miles distant, to get and carry back to a subscriber the Western Star, their only source of news, that he might have the coveted privilege of perusing its contents. The school-houses of those days were of the most prim- itive kind, built of unhewn logs, with glazed paper windows, and rough blocks for desks. Feeling that he must have better advantages than were there afforded, Mr. Stewart obtained his father's consent-soon after the latter's second marriage-to attend a so-called acad- emy in the village of Montgomery, fourteen miles from Cincinnati. Accordingly, in the month of December, 1826, he set out on foot, with his wardrobe tied up in an old handkerchief, and on reaching his destination

secured board with a kind family, whom he was to pay by doing chores. The school building formed a great contrast to that at his country home, and with the change in his situation all seemed, as he says, a new world to him. He studied there three winters, paying his board in the manner above stated, and clothing him- self by doing farm work at low wages in summer. At length he took charge of a common school. In the previous year, 1828, however, he had become interested in a great religious awakening and joined the Presby- terian Church. Shortly after this his attention was called to the ministry as a life work ; and, upon the ad- vice of friends, he resigned his school in May, 1829, and entered Miami University, then under the presi- dency of Rev. R. H. Bishop, D. D. He graduated in 1833, receiving the second honor in a large class, in which were Hon. Samuel Galloway, Rev. D. McDonald, Rev. J. F. Sawyer, B. W. Chidlaw, and Hon. W. Wright. Mr. Stewart's college life was a period of self-denial. He was compelled, most of the time, to board himself in his room, which he did at a cost of

about fifty cents per week. His college course com- pleted, years of hard study must elapse before he could begin the work of the ministry. For nearly a year he taught a school in Elizabethtown, Ohio, and, subse- quently, one year and a half in the seminary at Brook- ville, Indiana. During this time he was reading the- ology, and in October, 1835, was licensed by the Presbytery of Oxford, in their meeting at Somerville, and requested to enter the pulpit at once. The school board, however, insisted on his completing the year, and he remained until the following spring. During the winter he twice preached at Rushville, and in April, 1836, accepted an invitation to supply the pulpit at that Church. In the following No- .vember he was ordained, and installed as its pas- tor. In that relation he remained about eighteen years, during which the Church greatly increased in numbers and influence. At the end of that time the members who resided in the country west of the town, desiring a division, formed an organization by them- selves; Mr. Stewart went with them, and continues to minister to his flock, some of whom have listened to his preaching for half a century. During this long period he has been closely connected with the courts of the Church, and familiar with her history. In the Civil War, Mr. Stewart was identified with the various meas- ures for the support and comfort of the soldiers. While he was on a mission of that kind to the army at Vicks- burg, the citizens of Rush County nominated him, without his knowledge, to represent them in the Legis- lature. Thus pressed into the political field, he made the canvass, was elected in 1864, and re-elected in 1866 and 1868. While he held this office there were two called sessions, during which were passed important

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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acts of legislation, among them bills for founding the Soldiers' and Orphans' Home, the House of Refuge, the Women's Prison, and the Girls' Reformatory. The last bill, appropriating fifty thousand dollars, was intro- duced and carried through by Mr. Stewart. At the close of the last session he retired from politics. In 1834 he married Miss Fannie, daughter of Isaac and Laura Stone, of Franklin County, Indiana, and sister of Rev. J. M. Stone, D. D., and of Judge E. S. Stone. She died in 1839, leaving one son, Major J. S. Stewart, now of Washington, District of Columbia. In Septem- ber, 1840, Mr. Stewart was united in marriage to Mrs. C. A. Pugh, of Rushville, whose father, Isaac Arnold, came from the Isle of Wight, England, and settled in Indiana in 1821. She is still living ; her only surviving children are Doctor W. A. Pugh, and Sophia S., wife of Rev. W. W. Sickles, of Indianapolis. About ten years ago, Mr. Stewart took an active part in organiz- ing the Old Settlers' Society, became its first president, and has been the statistician during its entire existence. He is president of the Cemetery Board and of the Building Association, is the owner of several residences, and has put up more buildings than any other citizen of the place. A poor man when he came to Rushville, he is now the possessor of a competence, and is regarded as a good financier. He is president of the reading club; and has had intimate relations with the schools and literary interests of the county for more than forty years, having witnessed, in his special work in the field of morals, great improvement. Mr. Stewart is a man of extended knowledge. He preaches in a conversational style, and endeavors to convince by the logic of facts rather than to move by the power of imagination. Though unassuming in all his intercourse, he is strong and persistent in purpose, and seldom fails in an under- taking. He is greatly attached to home, and has a fondness for the young, in whose society he often mingles. As a clergyman, a legislator, and a citizen, he has sought the moral and intellectual good of the peo- ple, and filled his days with usefulness.

TONE, GENERAL ASAHEL, of Winchester, was born in Washington County, Ohio, June 29, 1817. His parents, Ezra and Elizabeth (Dye) Stone, were married in New York State, and removed soon after to the vicinity of Marietta, Ohio. Remaining there but a short time, they proceeded to Cincinnati, where they resided many years, with the exception of a short time spent in Aurora, Indiana. Ezra Stone was a first- class mechanic; and in the spring and summer pre- pared wooden buildings, which he shipped to New Orleans on flat-boats during the winter, disposing of them after erection and completion, General Stone ob-

tained his education in the public schools of Cincinnati, which were excellent, even at that early day. He also attended Sunday-school regularly, and made commend- able progress in all his studies. His natural fondness for mechanics led him to adopt the business of his father, and he became an extensive contractor and builder. He removed to Winchester, Indiana, in June, 1839, and by exercising those habits of industry acquired in boyhood he arose to prominence in his profession and accumulated a fortune. His skill, taste, and judg- ment as a builder are beautifully illustrated in his palatial residence, which, for size and beauty of design, has few equals in the state. October 15, 1862, he was appointed quartermaster-general of the state, and was stationed at Indianapolis. Prior to this he had served as commissary-general, and, in the language of the adjutant-general's report, "had already proved him- self a most capable and faithful officer, and his appoint- ment to this new position was a fitting and deserved tribute to his usefulness and efficiency." Again the above-named authority says: "The demands on the quartermaster-general during the time General Stone served in that capacity were of a very miscellaneous character ; in fact, he came nearer being an officer of all work than any other officer connected with the state military service." His duties, which were so incongru- ous, manifold, and often vexatious, were discharged with promptness and scrupulous fidelity. Under the wise and economical management of General Stone, the state bakery during his term of service yielded a profit of nearly one hundred and fifty-seven thousand dollars. The important business of the quartermaster-general having been closed, General Stone resigned, March II, 1867. In 1847 he was elected a member of the Legisla- ture on the Whig ticket, defeating the Democratic and anti-slavery candidate. He was an efficient and influen- tial member of the House of Representatives, and was instrumental in changing the proposed route of the Belle- fontaine Railroad, so that it should pass through Win- chester. In 1860 he was elected to the state Senate by a large majority, and also served as Senator during the extra sessions called by Governor Morton in 1861. He was a member of the House in 1873. He has been prominently connected with the development of his county and vicinity, such as the projection and comple- tion of railroads, turnpikes, and other internal improve- ments. General Stone has served in the Grand Lodge of the Order of Odd-fellows, and is highly esteemed by its members. He has always been a strong advocate of temperance, both in theory and practice, having taken the Washingtonian Pledge and organized many divisions of the Sons of Temperance. He was the second Chief Tem- plar of the Grand Lodge of Grand Worthy Good Templars of the state. His fine physique and robust health show the blessings of a temperate life. In September, 1837,

A.STONE

Yours Truly A. Sime

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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General Stone married Lydia B. Preston, of whom, after a union of more than forty years, it may truly be said that "her price is far above rubies; she stretcheth out her hand to the poor, yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." General Stone has never associ- ated himself with any religious body, but has con- tributed liberally to many, without regard to denomi- national lines. His wife is an estimable member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is now president of the Randolph County Bank, of Winchester, and is a suc- cessful financier, an esteemed citizen, and an influential member of society. Since the above was in type we have received the Winchester Heral :? , and copy from it the following extract from a long article on the subject :

" FOUNTAIN PARK CEMETERY-A Magnificent Dona- tion- T'he Grounds and their Adornment as Contemplated- General Asahel Stone, who has been eminently successful in financial operations, has for some time contemplated the purchase of a tract of ground suitable for a ceme- tery and donating it to the corporation of Winchester. Forty acres of ground were recently purchased, immedi- ately south of the corporation limits, for that purpose, and a survey and draft has been made after the most approved style, with convenient drives and walks per- meating the grounds. The whole is a most beautiful and novel arrangement, rendering every lot readily ac- cessible and admirably arranged for taste and conve- nience in adorning and beautifying the grounds.

"At a regular meeting of the town board last night a formal presentation of the premises was made and the title passed. The following resolution was unanimously adopted by the board :

""' Whereas, Asahel Stone and his wife have this day donated by deed to the town of Winchester a tract of land lying south of said town, for the purpose of mak- ing a burying-ground and park, to be called Fountain Park Cemetery,

"'Resolved, therefore, That we, the trustees of the town of Winchester, on behalf of the people of said town, tender our most sincere thanks to said Asahel Stone and wife for said donation, and accept the same with gratitude, and assure them that the gift is highly appreciated by the citizens of said town, and that they will ever be remembered by a grateful community.'"

URFACE, DANIEL, editor of the Richmond Tele- gram, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Redman) Surface, was born in Preble County, Ohio, May 19, 1836. He graduated at Otterbein University in 1862, and immediately became principal of the Michi- gan Collegiate Institute, at Leoni. At the close of that school year he entered a wider and far different field of labor, as army correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette. He was first sent to West Virginia, and three months afterward to Chattanooga, with Hooker, when that gen- eral joined the Army of the Cumberland. The duties of a war correspondent were very difficult, for he was obliged to encounter not only hardship and danger, but

also the jealousy and opposition of officers, because of the greater liberties granted him, and the fact that some corre- spondents had unwittingly given information to the en- emy. Yet Mr. Surface won the confidence of the authori- ties, especially of General Grant, who gave him a privilege allowed only two other correspondents in the West :

" HEADQUARTERS MIL. DIS. OF THE MISS., - NASHVILLE, TENN., December 26, 1863. -

"Guards, pickets, and military authorities will pass the bearer, Mr. D. Surface, correspondent Cincinnati Gazette, throughout the entire command without hin- drance; and government steamers and military railroads will furnish him free transportation to and from any point within this military division until further orders. By order of Major-general U. S. GRANT. .

"GEO. K. LEET, Assistant Adjutant-general."

Mr. Surface witnessed all that series of battles that began with Mission Ridge and culminated with the cap- ture of Atlanta. The Cincinnati Gazette of that period contains many interesting letters from his pen, among which is one in particular that attracted much attention. It is a clear and comprehensive account of Sherman's great flank movement, which compelled IIood to evacu- ate Atlanta, and severed and demoralized his army, to- gether with a description of the captured city. He remained a few months at Washington with Whitelaw Reid on the Gazette bureau of correspondence, and also as correspondent of the Chicago Tribune. He accom- panied Grant through the battles of the Wilderness, and then went by ship to Savannah to meet Sherman at the close of his famous march to the sea. He stayed there, contributing to the Gazette and the Philadelphia Inquirer, until the war had nearly ended. On his return from the South he bought an interest in the Toledo Commer- cial, and became its editor. At the end of one year he sold his share, and resumed connection with the Gazette. From July to October of 1866 he traveled through the South, attending the state conventions held there for the purpose of reconstruction. His communications at that time are replete with information concerning, not only the proceedings of those conventions, but also the spirit of the Southern people, the condition of the country, etc. In 1870 he purchased an interest in the Richmond Tele- gram, editing that journal ever since. Under his manage- ment it has been placed on a firm foundation, and has attained a larger weekly circulation than any paper in the city. The Telegram is Republican, as Mr. Surface has been a zealous member of that party from its organization. It requires a rare combination of abilities to make the successful war correspondent. The stirring scenes that Mr. Surface witnessed he has described with an able pen. He does not always confine himself to prose, but has written a number of poems, of which "An Ad- dress to the Alumni of Otterbein University " is espe- cially worthy of mention; and another, entitled " Sym- posiac," won an encomium from Charles G. Leland,

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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 84

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