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 86

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 86

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period he had gained a lucrative practice. He was elected to the Legislature in 1867, serving one term, and was again elected in 1878. In 1874 he formed a partnership with L. J. Monks, the present Circuit Judge. Judge Cheney was then again with him until the latter retired from business in 1877, and now he has associated with him William E. Monks, cousin of his former partner. While Mr. Watson has been advancing in his chosen profession, he has not been indifferent to the public im- provements of the country around, but has contributed to the building of railroads, turnpikes, etc. He is not a member of any religious organization, but Mrs. Wat- son is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. As a newspaper editor and proprietor, he has recently been active. In February, 1876, he purchased a half interest in the Winchester Herald, and changed it from an independent to a Republican paper, and in July, 1876, he became sole proprietor, and refitted and refur- nished his office, buying a new Taylor steam press, and is now making the business successful. As a member of the Republican party, Mr. Watson has proved him- self a peace-maker, and has had an important agency in causing his adopted county to stand without dissen- sions, and with an overwhelming Republican majority.

HITESELL, JOSEPH M., M. D., was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, October 19, 1804. He is the son of Jacob and Catherine (Markle) Whitesell. The former was a native of Holland, and the latter of Pennsylvania. He is the youngest of nine children, three of whom are yet living, including among them the second son, who was born in 1789, and a sister, born in 1794. Joseph spent his time as a boy on a farm. He was left an orphan, by the death of his father, when but six years old. At the age of seventeen he entered college, and was considered an excellent mathematician for his opportunities. In Latin he was still reading Cæsar when he was obliged to dis- continue his school life. It should be stated that while here he had to work in order to pay for his board and tuition ; but, as in other cases, this had the effect of sharpening his appreciation of knowledge. He then stud- ied medicine under the celebrated Doctor James R. Speer, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who, it is thought, performed the first operation for cataract west of the Alleghany Mountains. After three years of application, he began practice in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, where he continued one year. On August 20, 1829, he reached the village of West Liberty, Henry County, Indiana, near where Knightstown now stands, a village which has crippled and finally annihilated its rival. But at that early day it was headquarters for many whisky-loving citizens of Henry, Rush, and Hancock Counties, and the place

L.WILCOXON

L. Wilcoxon

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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where on Saturdays many disgraceful drunken brawls occurred, in which even justices, judges, and other of- ficers of the law, participated. These scenes were shocking and repugnant to Doctor Whitesell, whose sense of propriety and temperance principles forbade such degrading practices. Men would come out of a bloody fight, and at once both proceed to wash from the same basin of water, and then walk into a doggery and drink together. We are thankful that those scenes have passed away. " Moderation," says Fuller, "is the silken string running through the pearl-chain of all virtues." On reaching his new home, the young physician's property consisted of a horse, bridle and saddle, and five dollars and eighteen cents in cash. In September he was taken sick, and so continued until about Christmas of that year; and during this sickness, when far from his native hills and alone, the five dollars were borrowed, and the borrower ran away, which re- duced his cash to eighteen cents. But nil desperandum was his watchword, and he went boldly forward in the practice of his profession until he now (1878) owns near seven hundred acres of land, besides other valuable property. To practice medicine in those times was no child's play. Long, muddy, and crooked roads, through almost impenetrable forests and swamps, were part of his hardships, year in and year out. And of the suc- ceeding twenty-one years, he believes he was astride of his horse for seven years of the time, riding through an area of country near twenty miles in circumference. He is now in his fiftieth year of active exertion in the medical profession, and is believed to be the oldest practicing physician in the state of Indiana, with one exception. He mentions two instances in which he was riding at midnight. The darkness was so profound that he became bewildered and lost, and finally had to dismount from his horse, and sit or lie on the ground till morning; and that, too, when there were many wolves and other savage animals in the woods. On August 19, 1831, he married Eleanor D. Carey, the daughter of Waitsell M. Carey, who owned the land on which Knightstown was afterwards built. Their family consists of two sons, both of whom are married. One is on a farm near by, and the oldest lives in Knightstown. Doctor Whitesell has long been an active temperance man, and was a member of the Washing- tonians in their day. He joined the Masonic Order in 1840. Both he and his wife are members of the Presby- terian Church. In 1862 Doctor Whitesell was appointed assistant surgeon of the 36th Indiana Regiment. At this time, being near sixty years of age, he had no thought of entering the army ; but as the fires of patri- otism burned in his heart, and as he thought he might make his medical knowledge and experience instru- mental in saving some poor soldier's life, he resolved to accept the position, and went promptly to the field of

action. Here he continued for six months, sharing with his comrades the hardships and privations of camp life. But it was too much. He was reduced almost to a skeleton, having lost fifty-four pounds in weight. With this unmistakable warning before him, he retired from the army to save his own life. He afterwards re- covered his tone of health, and is now sprightly and active for his age, is a good member of society, and is highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens.

ILCOXON, LLOYD, miller, grain and coal dealer, of Muncie, was born in Scioto County, Ohio, May 11, 1821. He inherits an industrious, frugal, and thrifty disposition. His paternal grandfather was an Englishman, a very extensive land- owner in Scioto County. His mother's father was also a native of England, and a farmer in the same county. His father, Lloyd Wilcoxon, was born in Maryland, carried on farming and carpentry in Ohio, served in the War of 1812, and died at the age of seventy-five in Muncie. His mother, Elizabeth Truitt, was of English descent and a native of Pennsylvania. They were both persons of good sense, quiet demeanor, and per- severing industry. Lloyd Wilcoxon came to Indiana with his parents in 1832, and settled in Delaware County. He had only the limited advantages of far- mers' sons in those days-one term of school per year. Hard labor on the farm, though it prevented attendance at school, kept him from idleness and vice, and was the means of laying the foundations of an excellent charac- ter. Though fond of mechanism, he worked chiefly at agriculture, and before long was the owner of a farm. On this he was employed until 1852, with so much suc- cess that he was able then to engage in buying and selling grain. After five years of prosperity he added, in 1858, the milling business. This was begun on a small scale, but has been enlarged until it embraces all the late improvements. In 1870 he entered into part- nership with his son-in-law, Mr. J. M. Long, in the sale of farm implements, but abandoned it four years later, as the mill required much of his attention. In 1874 he established a coal-yard, of which the business is now flourishing. The demands of his business have made Mr. Wilcoxon fully alive to the importance of having good means of transportation; and therefore he has become a stockholder in every road, either railway or turnpike, entering Muncie. These are eight in num- ber. He is treasurer of the Walnut Street and the Middletown Turnpike Companies. The cares of a large business have not engrossed his mind to the exclusion of the needs of his fellow-men, or the re- quirements of religion. He has ever sought, through various organizations, to benefit the needy and reform

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the erring. This is especially true in the cause of tem- perance. He is an active worker in several societies, and sets before his workmen the example of perfect sobriety, making it an imperative rule that no one shall remain in his employment who drinks intoxicating liquor. Mr. Wilcoxon has been a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church since the age of sixteen, and has been a trustee for twenty-five years, besides holding other offices. In 1854 he joined the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, and at the close of that year had taken all the degrees of the subordinate lodge and of the Encampment. Two years later he was sent to the Grand Lodge of the state as a representative of the subordinate lodge and the Encampment. Although brought up a Democrat, he was one of the first to unite with the Republican party. He has always held de- cided political views, but has never sought office, believ- ing that business duties are more important and more profitable. Mr. Wilcoxon is one of that class to whom, in great measure, is committed the welfare of the na- tion; for upon the enterprising, upright business men depend the vital interests of the people. He has been untiring in his efforts to develop the resources of the country and provide outlets for its products ; while, by example and substantial aid, he has labored to confer upon his fellows the benefits of moral and religious culture. Decision, judgment, executive force, and hon- esty are the qualities that appear prominent in his business ; and they have made him successful in every undertaking. He has accumulated considerable prop- erty. Generous, sympathetic, and just, Mr. Wilcoxon wins many friends, and exerts a salutary influence. He married, March 28, 1842, Miss Rhoda Moore, a native of Ohio, daughter of Lewis and Patience (Truitt) Moore. They have had nine children, seven of whom are living.

Willson's ancestors were industrious, "frugal, and re- markable for their longevity. He was the oldest of twelve children, eleven of whom have been teachers. He was instructed in a district school until he was twelve years old, and then attended during the summer months of the next four years a seminary in Union vil- lage. After that he taught winter schools at from ten to fourteen dollars per month, with board, and worked on his father's farm. At the age of twenty-one he came West to Muncie, Indiana, and again engaged in teaching, at a higher salary of twenty-two dollars per month, without board. At the end of two years he be- came a grocer, in partnership with John A. Gilbert, but two years later resumed teaching. He was occu- pied in this manner for several years, and also in per- forming the duties of deputy county treasurer, and in superintending a farm of about five hundred acres which he had purchased. In 1844 Mr. Willson was elected county treasurer, and held that office by re-elec- tion three terms, discharging his duties with faithfulness and ability. He has increased his landed possessions from time to time, until they now comprise nine hun- dred acres. Since 1853 his 'time has been spent chiefly in farming, stock-raising, buying and selling wool and cattle, and in brokerage. He is deemed one of the principal farmers in Indiana, and has been connected officially with most of the state fairs. For eight years Mr. Willson was a director of the Muncie branch of the State Bank of Indiana. He has taken stock in most of the turnpikes leading to the city ; he was director and treasurer of the Muncie and Granville Turnpike from its beginning to its completion, and held the same posi- tions in the Muncie and Yorktown Turnpike Company. He has also been a stockholder in the Cincinnati and Chicago, the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington, and the Bee-line Railroads. Mr. Willson has been a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows since 1852, and has passed all the chairs in the subordinate lodges. He is independent in his religious views, yet he contributes largely to all the Churches of Muncie. Strongly attached to the cause of education, he has served as a school examiner and director; he is an ar- dent advocate of free schools. In politics Mr. Willson was formerly a Whig, and now is a Republican. He has been a delegate to several political state conventions, and has attended all of them during the last twenty-five

ILLSON, VOLNEY, farmer and capitalist, of Muncie, was born in Easton, Washington County, New York, April 12, 1816. His father's ancestors were Scotch-Irish in the paternal line and Scotch on the mother's side; the McCrackens, to which family she belonged, having come from Scotland and settled in New England. Her grandfather, Colonel David Mc- Cracken, sacrificed an arm in the cause of American in- dependence ; her father, Isaac Clapp, and his brother years. He was chosen one of the delegates to the Re- publican National Convention that met in Philadelphia in 1876, but declined to serve. Shrewdness, sagacity, financial ability, and integrity mark Mr. Willson's busi- ness transactions, and have enabled him, with industry, to accumulate a large property. In all his affairs he is governed by a high sense of honor and justice, one evi- dence of which is seen in the fact that during the forty- also served in the Revolutionary army. Volney Willson's father, Osborne Willson, was a native of Vermont, and he is still living, at the age of eighty-seven, at Green- wich, Washington County, New York, which has been his home for sixty years. His mother, whose maiden name was Susan Clapp, was a native of Salem, Washing- ton County, New York, and was of Welsh descent. She died in August, 1875, in her seventy-sixth year. Mr. | one years of his residence in Muncie he has never been

Adam Wolfe

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sued on his own account. He is very decided in all his views and fearless in their expression. He is public- spirited, very benevolent, and is regarded as one of the worthiest citizens of Delaware County. Mr. Willson married, in February, 1843, Miss Elizabeth Gilbert. They have had six children, two daughters and four sons ; three of the latter are still living.

ILLARD, CHARLES F., one of the earliest and most successful business men of Muncie, was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, September 27, 1812, and died in Painesville, Ohio, November 23, 1871. He was of pure Anglo-Saxon origin, as his parents, Roswell and Elizabeth .(Taylor) Willard, were born in New Hampshire, of English ancestors. His grandfather, Major Simon Willard, came from Kent County, England, and settled in Massachusetts in 1649. During his boyhood, Mr. Willard attended a common school in his native town, and subsequently an academy at Plainfield, Vermont. After leaving school he became a clerk in a store at Lewiston, New York, and remained there one year. He then obtained a similar situation in Rochester in that state, and was there employed two years, at the end of which time he went to Dayton, Ohio, but after six months he proceeded to Muncie, In- diana, arriving there on the sixth day of February, 1831. The village had been laid out only four years prior to this, and was yet a mere hamlet of log huts, isolated from older towns by wide, almost trackless forests, in- habited only by Indians and wild beasts. In partner- ship with Thomas Kirby, Mr. Willard engaged in the fur trade with the Indians and the squatters, and kept a store of general merchandise. This he continued very successfully until 1847, then sold out to Moses L. Neely, and retired from active business. In 1866, after a res- idence of thirty-five years in Muncie, he removed to Painesville, Ohio, where he died suddenly of rheuma- tism of the heart. Mr. Willard was liberal in religious views, and never was connected with any Church or secret society. He was a member first of the Whig, then of the Republican party; but, though very influ- ential, and urgently solicited at times to accept certain political offices, he always declined the honor. It re- quired no little enterprise and fortitude, as well as other sterling qualities, to penetrate the wilds of Indiana in those early days, and build up a large and prosperous trade; but Mr. Willard seemed specially adapted to the work, and accumulated a handsome fortune. He led a worthy life, and was widely known and respected. Mr. Willard was united in marriage, October 9, 1834, to Miss Mary Adams Putnam, of Quincy, Massachusetts, who still survives him. They had eight children, of whom only two are now living: Charles A., and Mary A-26

C., wife of Frederick A. Preston, of Evansville. Mr. Charles A. Willard, a prominent lumber merchant and manufacturer of Muncie, was born in that city February 20, 1842. After acquiring a knowledge of the English branches in his native place, he went in 1860 to Vevay, Switzerland County, and there learned the art of watch- making. At the end of three years he removed to Cincinnati, and worked at his trade until 1866, when he established himself in the jewelry business in Paines- ville, Ohio. Remaining there till 1871 he then returned to Muncie and engaged in the lumber trade. He mar- ried, June 24, 1874, Miss Georgia Warren, of Union- ville, Lake County, Ohio, who died February 16, 1877. Mr. Willard has inherited fine business capacity, and, though a young man, has already done much to advance the growth of Muncie, having erected within its limits a considerable number of buildings. Personally, he is unassuming, courteous, considerate of the feelings of others, and somewhat reticent, except when among con- genial friends, with whom he is agreeably social. No man of his age in that county has been more useful than he or is regarded with higher appreciation.

OLFE, ADAM, merchant, of Muncie, was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, December 9, 1807. His paternal grandfather came from Germany before the American Revolution, and settled in Little York, Pennsylvania, where he married a German lady, and afterward removed to Washington County, of that state. His father was John Wolfe; and his mother, Catherine Devore, of Irish descent. Adam Wolfe was the seventh of eleven children, all of whom have reached adult age, and have reared large families. During his infancy his parents removed to Coshocton County, Ohio. Reading, writing, spelling, and arith- metic were the extent of his early acquisitions. Ilis time was mostly employed on the farm until he reached the age of twenty-one, at which time his father died. Having always had an inclination to trade, he engaged in 1829 in the mercantile business at New Guilford, Coshocton County. There he remained until May, 1830, when, having entered into a partnership, he lost all his capital through his partner's dishonesty. He then removed to Westfield, Delaware County, and there established another store. In this he was engaged till 1841, when he went into the pork-packing business. He soon lost all he had accumulated, and became in- volved in debt to the amount of two thousand dollars. From 1842 until 1855 he engaged in the manufacture and sale of fanning-mills in connection with the mercan- tile business, and during this period amassed over one hundred thousand dollars. Having debtors in Indi- ana, and having opened three stores in that state, Mr.

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Wolfe removed in 1855 to Muncie. He also entered the banking business at Marion and at Columbus City. Prosperity still attended his enterprise; and now, be- sides two banks, he owns five stores, all in thriving con- dition-one in each of the counties of Delaware, Madi- son, Grant, Huntington, and Blackford. Mr. Wolfe is a member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows; has passed all the chairs of the subordinate lodges, and is now connected with the Encampment. Politically, he has always been a Democrat, having cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson. His large business has prevented his engaging in politics, and, though often urged, he has always refused to accept office. He is a member of the Universalist Church. Mr. Wolfe married, April 26, 1832, Miss Elizabeth Elliott, daughter of Samuel Elliott, of New York. By this marriage he has had seven children, four of whom are now living: Sobrina, wife of Jason Willson, banker, of Marion; Emeline, married to General Thomas J. Brady, second assistant postmaster-general ; Frances Amelia, who lives at home; and Clara, wife of Robert C. Bell, a prominent lawyer of Fort Wayne. Mr. Wolfe has been steadily engaged in business for forty-eight years ; and the large fortune he has accumulated proves him to be possessed of superior abilities. His wealth has been gained honor- ably, and is used worthily. He is engaged in both public and private charities, and has assisted in building schools, colleges, and churches. He attributes his suc- cess, in no small degree, to the precepts and example of his parents, whom he holds in affectionate remem- brance. Though now seventy-one years of age, he is still hale and strong, and manages his extensive busi- ness with systematic care. He has many admirable traits of character, being so kind, forbearing, and con- scientious that his home is always peaceful, and his re- lations with others have never been broken by a quar- rel. It is said that he has no enemy; and the entire community regard him as an excellent man and a model merchant.

INTON, ROBERT, M. D., of Muncie, was born in Rossville, Butler County, Ohio, November 14, 1820, and has devoted most of his life to the study and practice of medicine. He removed to Craw- fordsville, Indiana, in 1831, where, four years later, he entered Wabash College, with the intention of taking the full course, but, on account of the death of his father, which occurred in 1832, he was unable, through lack of means, to remain in the institution more than two years. After leaving school he became a clerk in the store of his brother, Matthew H., in Lafayette, and stayed there till the fall of 1838. During the succeed- ing winter he read medicine in the office of his brother- in-law at Dayton, Indiana. The next year he accepted

a place as salesman in the general mercantile establish- ment of Bloomfield, Russey & Jack, Muncie, with whom he remained one year, and then entered the employ of Willard & Putnam, merchants, and held that situation the same length of time. Then he went to Crawfords- ville, and for one year spent all his leisure in the study of medicine, under the direction of his brother, William R. Winton, M. D., after which he returned to Muncie and entered the office of Doctor W. C. Willard. His previous medical studies had prepared him for a ready comprehension of the science, and he now made very satisfactory progress. Two years later he married Elmira, daughter of Stephen Long, former treasurer of Delaware County. In October of that year he removed to Wheel- ing, Delaware County, and commenced the practice of medicine. Hitherto the force of circumstances had made Mr. Winton apparently capricious, but now he had secured a vantage ground from which he could not be easily moved. Here he remained eleven years, steadily engaged in the duties of his profession. Through his experience and study thus far he had attained a de- gree of proficiency with which many are content; but, aspiring to a more extended knowledge, he entered Rush Medical College, at Chicago, in 1855, and gradu- ated in the following February. In the fall of 1856 he returned to Muncie, and in January, 1857, formed a partnership with his old preceptor, Doctor W. C. Wil- lard, but, because of that gentleman's ill-health, this relation was dissolved in the fall of 1858. During the four subsequent years he was associated, first, with Doc- tor W. J. Andrews, and then with his nephew, Doctor Horace Winton. In June, 1872, he entered into his present partnership with Doctor G. W. H. Kemper. While in Wheeling, Doctor Winton was connected with the Grant County Medical Society, and, after locating in Muncie, he helped organize the Delaware County Med- ical Society, and was for some time its president. In March, 1866, he was a member of the convention that reorganized the old State Medical Society into a dele- gated body, and has ever since been associated with it, and he is also a member of the American Medical As- sociation. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, and has taken all the degrees of the Encampment, and been a representative to the Grand Lodge of the state. In politics the Doctor has been content to remain in the rank and file of his party-the Republican-never having sought political favors, nor held any office except that of member of the city council. Educational and religious interests have been to him a more congenial field, and in this he has acted officially as a school trustee and an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Doctor Winton has had five children, four of whom are living: Emma J., wife of A. S. Haines, commission merchant, of Kansas City; Mary L., married to J. W. Perkins, of the Muncie Times; George W. Winton,

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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 86

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