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 II > Part 107
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tice of his profession, with the usual experience of a young lawyer. In 1852 he was elected prosecuting at- torney, and in 1862 he was chosen to the state Senate, where he served four sessions. In 1873, when Plymouth first became a city, he was elected its mayor-receiving for this position the support of both political parties -- and gave excellent satisfaction. His energy and ability in organizing and establishing a city government, and his impartiality in enforcing its laws, won the approba- tion of all classes of citizens. In the spring of 1875 he was tendered by Governor Hendricks the appointment of Judge of the Circuit Court, which he accepted, fill- ing the office, with credit to himself and the satisfac- tion of the district, until the fall of 1876, when he was named by the Democratic party for the same position. The nomination in the convention was unanimous, but his election was prevented by personal enmity, from purely selfish motives, and with a large use of money. Since that time he has continued in practice, which is now quite extensive, and is considered the head of his profession in the city, and is, with all that the term im- plies, a good lawyer. He is also one of the firm of H. Corbin & Co., engaged in the real estate business. He has under his supervision two large farms, and takes great pleasure in his agricultural duties-a taste which he acquired when a boy. Judge Corbin was one of the early secretaries of the Indianapolis, Peru and Chicago Railroad. He has been a member of the Masonic Order for more than twenty-five years, and has taken every degree up to that of the Scottish Rite. When the Plymouth Commandery was organized he was one of its charter members and generalissimo. In the way of business, he has traveled much over the United States. For fifteen years he has been a communicant of the Episcopal Church. In political matters he is a Demo- crat, and takes an active interest in the welfare of his party. He is thoroughly public-spirited; is prominent in all matters of interest to his town or county, especially in the way of public improvements, and is always found on the side of right and of moral reform. His personal appearance is manly and dignified, and he is genial and courteous. The upright of the commu- nity esteem him, and he is beloved by his family. Of the strictest integrity, honor, and uprightness, he has accumulated a competent fortune. He was married, on the 15th of May, 1855, to Catharine Houghton, daugh- ter of John Houghton, one of the earliest settlers, and first county treasurer, of Marshall County, an English- man who came to this country when young, and mar- ried and settled in Rush County, afterwards removing to Marshall County. He was one of the commissioners from Indiana to the London exhibition of 1851. Judge Corbin has five sons, the eldest of whom, Manfred H., has been for the past three years a partner in his father's office; the second is attending Racine College.
Horace Corbin
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UMMINS, STEPHEN M., D. D. S., of Elkhart, was born August 22, 1839, at Elderton, Pennsyl- vania. His father's name was William S. Cum- mins, and the occupation he followed was that of a carpenter. He was of Scotch ancestry, while his wife, whose maiden name was Isabella George, was of Irish descent. Doctor Cummins's early life was spent at home, where he obtained a limited education at the district schools. When he attained the age of seven- teen, he left his birthplace, and commenced the study of dentistry. Owing to his remarkable ability and close application, he became familiar in a very short time with the requirements of the profession, and in 1857 engaged in its practice. This he continued at various places in Pennsylvania and Ohio for a period of two years. In 1859 he removed to Bluffton, Indiana, where he was busily engaged until 1862. He then removed to Elk- hart, where he has since resided, and has built up an extensive practice. He received the degree of D. D. S. from the Ohio Dental College in 1870, and is a mem- ber of the leading dental associations of this country, foremost among which are the Mississippi Valley Dental Association, the American Dental Association, and the Indiana State Dental Society. Doctor Cummins has acquired eminence in the profession, and a high reputa- tion among his patrons. He has brought into use in his practice all the improvements which science has produced, and has constantly labored to effect the results which have placed him among the foremost dentists of the state. He has never interested himself in politics, but has voted with the Republican party. He belongs to the Masonic Fraternity. IIe is a member of the Episcopal Church. April 14, 1861, he married Miss Helen M. Case, a very estimable lady, a native of Bluffton. They have had three children, daughters, two of whom are now living. Socially, Doctor Cum- mins is a favorite, and his genial manners and never- failing courtesy have won for him a number of devoted friends.
AKIN, GEORGE M., M. D., of Laporte, was born in Oakland, Clinton County, Ohio, May 13, 1827. His father, Perry Dakin, was a native of Columbia County, New York, and of Scotch descent. His mother, Phebe McManis, was from Mason County, Ken- tucky. Her ancestry were Irish. Her father, who was one of the early settlers of Clinton County, Ohio, was one of the associate judges of the first court held there. The only education young George received, before reach- ing the age of fifteen, was obtained in the district school and from the books he could borrow from neighbors. The little pocket money he earned at that time was used to purchase stray volumes, and he then began, al- though on a very small scale, the foundation of his
present large library. It must not be forgotten, how- ever, either in this sketch or that of many others whose boyhood was in the first half of the present century, that there was then much more serious talk than boys now hear, and they learned to pay attention to the dis- course of their elders. The principles of all govern- ment, the line of separation between the state and fed- eral authorities, the doctrine of election or free grace, the treatment of the Indians by the nation, were a few of the topics which might then have been heard dis- cussed in many a farmer's house in Ohio. The mind thrives upon strong food, and the boys of that day, with little scholastic knowledge, were the peers of those of this, who have enjoyed schools, colleges, newspapers, and district libraries. He attended for three years the Waynesville Academy, in Warren County, under the tuition of David S. Burson, the principal at that time. There he studied chemistry, natural philosophy, algebra, geometry, elocution, and other branches, giving at the same time, during leisure moments, as much attention as possible to the study of human and comparative physiology. From his early boyhood he had been fond of such investigations, and, in fact, while yet at home upon the farm, he had made an extensive osteologic collection, embracing the skulls and skeletons of all the birds and animals within his reach. In pursuit of these investigations he even dug into the mounds that ex- isted in the vicinity, including old Fort Ancient, on the Miami River. It was in a similar manner that Agassiz began his researches in Switzerland, and Hugh Miller in Scotland-they observed nature. At the age of nine- teen George M. Dakin began the study of medicine at Harveysburg, Ohio; but, losing his father the succeed- ing autumn, he was thrown entirely upon his own re- sources, and compelled to resort to school-teaching. He continued his study of medicine, however, and occa- sionally was employed upon the farm. In the fall of 1850 he entered the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincin- nati, from which, after attending three terms, he gradu- ated, beginning practice at Princeton, Illinois, in the spring of 1853. During his three years of residence in Princeton he was active in remodeling the schools of that place-having previously been elected a member of the board of education-changing them from their an- tiquated style to the character of graded schools, in conformity to the demands of the time. From the foundations then laid the schools of that city have since become among the best in the Union. In 1856 he re- moved to Tonica, Lasalle County, where he engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery, and in the drug business, in conjunction with Doctor Joseph Addison Sewall, a graduate of Yale, and now president of the Colorado State University ; but long, cold rides over the prairies, and the gas and dust of the soft coal so much used there for fuel, combined to bring on a severe
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sickness, and for two years he was a great sufferer from 1852, he was married to Martha W. Allen, daughter of Abraham Allen, one of the earliest and most noted Quaker Abolitionists of Southern Ohio; a man who for many years refused to use, either for himself or his family, any of the products of slave labor. He was the true friend of the poor, weak, and oppressed of all classes or nationalities, and his house was their resort. "Mud Castle," as his house was called, was the most important and most frequented station on the " Under- ground Road" between the Ohio River and the Can- ada line. In this labor, too, he enjoyed the hearty co-operation of his family. Doctor Dakin has two sons, aged respectively fourteen and eighteen. He is a splendid man, physically, mentally, and morally. He is well read, not only in his own profession, in which he stands among the highest in the state, and we may say in the whole country, but also on almost all other subjects, particularly in natural philosophy, natural his- tory, and social science. His society is much sought for, and his conversation abounds in pleasant anec- dotes, thrilling reminiscences, and stories of the time of slavery, in which he had so important a part. He is highly esteemed in the community in which he lives, not being one of those who prove the truth of the proverb that a prophet is "without honor in his own country," for those who know him best esteem him most. Doctor Dakin would reflect honor upon any community. He is strict in his habits, using neither intoxicating drinks nor tobacco, taking his cold bath daily, winter and summer, and enjoying good health, good spirits, and a clear conscience. asthma. In consequence of this and the inducements held out at Laporte, he disposed of his interests, re- signed his position as postmaster-to which he had been appointed by President Lincoln in 1861-and im- mediately removed to the latter place, succeeding Doc- tor Teegarden. From the beginning his practice was large, and it has since greatly extended, even reaching some of the north-western states by correspondence. lle has also again engaged in the drug business. These occupations have combined to give him a handsome competence, and they have enabled him to indulge his tastes for rare and instructive books, a love for which has never left him. Desirous, however, of giving others the opportunity for increasing their store of knowledge, he has devoted both time and means to the establishment and successful continuance of the Laporte Library and Natural History Association, over which he presided for twelve years, and which has done much to develop a sound literary taste in that community. He has been a Master Mason since 1856. He became a Royal Arch Mason in 1871, a Knight Templar and a Knight of Malta in 1871, a Royal and Select Mas- ter in 1873, and is now Eminent Commander of La- porte Commandery, No. 12. He became a Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret, Thirty-second Degree, in 1866, and is regularly affiliated in the Consistory at Indianapolis. He was brought up in the tenets of the Christian (sometimes called Campbellite) Church, but afterwards, entertaining more liberal views than those of that Church, he joined with others of like belief and established the First Unitarian Church of Laporte, their motto being, "Love to God and Love to Man." The Doctor has a class of adults in the Sabbath-school, whom he lectures each Sunday afternoon, his chief AVENPORT, BENJAMIN L., late Senator from Elkhart County, Indiana, and president of the First National Bank of Elkhart, was born in Shelby County, Ohio, July 2, 1824. His father, Abraham Davenport, a native of Virginia, was a farmer. His mother, Penelope (Griffith) Davenport, was from Mary- land. Their family consisted of three daughters and eight sons. Benjamin L. Davenport, the tenth child and seventh son, remained on his father's farm until he was fifteen years old, during which time he attended district school. Then he went to Piqua, Ohio, and en- gaged in mercantile business as clerk, remaining until the winter of 1842-43, when he removed to Elkhart, Indiana. He was engaged as a clerk there for about two years. In 1846, in partnership with his older brother, John, he engaged in the dry-goods trade. They remained together about five years. For one year after- wards Benjamin L. Davenport continued the business, and then formed a partnership with J. R. Beardsley, which existed until his death. The two were equal partners subject being sociology, following the lead of such men as Herbert Spencer, Tyndall, and Draper ; his great point being to impress upon the class that every thing in social science and social policy is governed by fixed and immutable laws. At a very early age his sympa- thies were enlisted in behalf of the African slave; he became an active Abolitionist, and when but ten years old accompanied his father on his first trip on the " Underground Railroad." For fifteen years of his after life he was a conductor on that route, in active service, guiding many hundreds of flying fugitives from Southern slavery to the land of freedom, Canada; and he strove earnestly to ameliorate their condition, as well as to effect their liberation. The thrilling incidents, narrow escapes, and races for life and liberty, would fill a large volume. The first vote cast by Doctor Dakin was for Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams in 1848, on the Free-soil ticket. He entered the ranks of the Republican party on its organization in 1856, and has been identified with it ever since. In September, | in the mercantile business, which they discontinued in
Very Truly Mours HEN Il Lakin M D
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1863, and the flouring-mill, which is still going. When the First National Bank of Elkhart was organized they were stockholders, and in 1868 Benjamin L. Dav- enport was chosen president. In 1868 they bought the paper-mill of Charles Beardsley, which has since been improved for the production of print and wrap- ping paper. They also built some of the handsomest blocks in Elkhart, among which is the Clifton Block, which was burned, but soon rebuilt. In 1873 they erected the large paper-mill on the St. Joseph Hy- draulic Works, that produces print paper exclusively. Mr. Davenport had the most elegant residence in Elk- hart, which he built on one of the most pleasant sites on the north bank of the St. Joseph River. He was married, in Elkhart, in 1850, to Miss Sarah Frances Beardsley, the only daughter of the late Dr. Beardsley, the original proprietor and earliest settler of Elkhart; and they had five daughters. Carrie, the oldest, is the wife of William S. Howland, a wholesale merchant of Denver, Colorado. Mr. Davenport was a member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, being the first to join the order in Elkhart. He was initiated by Hon. Schuyler Colfax, in 1848. He was a stanch Re- publican and always acted with that party. He was several times called upon to fill offices of trust for the community in which he lived, and in the fall of 1878 was elected to represent the county of Elkhart in the Indiana state Senate by a most flattering majority, showing a popularity, which had grown from his up- rightness, that was to him a gratification and surprise. He was always highly esteemed. His death occurred on the 23d of April, 1880. It was a cause of deep sorrow and regret to those who knew him. He was a man of high character and noble impulses.
EFREES, JOSEPH H., ex-Congressman, of Go- shen, Elkhart County, Indiana, was born May 13, 1812, in Sparta, White County, Tennessee. He is the second son of a family of nine children, of James and Margaret (Dougherty) Defrees. The former was born in Philadelphia, where, in youth, he learned the hatter's trade. The ancestor of the family in this country was one of three brothers, who, during one of the numerous persecutions of the Huguenots, fled from France to Holland, thence to America, just before the beginning of the eighteenth century. One brother established himself in New York, another in Virginia, and the third in North Carolina. Joseph H. Defrees's grandfather was born in America, and participated in the struggle for our national independence. He was a ship carpenter, and at one time, when in the employ- ment of the government, was taken prisoner, with several others, by a British cruiser. They were trans-
ferred to the enemy's vessel, and at first were ironed and kept in close confinement. They were subse- quently released from their fetters, however, and allowed to go above and lounge about the deck. One day, while the crew and marines were at their meals, and their arms stacked, the prisoners seized the guns, secured and put their captors in irons, and, taking command of the ship, ran her into port as a prize. The exploit was heralded all over the country, and excited great enthusiasm and admiration. After the close of the war Mr. Defrees settled in Philadelphia, where he married Miss Mary Start, an English lady, by whom he had several children. He subsequently re- moved to Miami County, Ohio, and engaged in agri- culture. He died at an advanced age, an honored member of the Methodist Church, and highly esteemed in the community. His second son, James Defrees, father of the subject of this sketch, after learning his trade, left Philadelphia, and went to Nashville, Ten- nessee. He afterwards removed to Sparta, where he married. After residing there some years, he went to Miami County, Ohio, and engaged in business. Mrs. Defrees having died, leaving nine children, he married Mrs. Mary (Frost) Rollin, by whom he had four chil- dren. He was appointed postmaster by John Quincy Adams, at Piqua, Ohio, and held the position several years. In 1835 he removed to Elkhart County, near Goshen, Indiana, where he carried on a farm. He died in 1848, in Syracuse, Kosciusko County. He was an exemplary man, and although not a member of any Church possessed strong religious convictions. The im- mediate subject of this sketch enjoyed in early boyhood only such educational advantages as were then to be obtained by an irregular attendance at a common school for about three months of each year. When he was seven years old he moved with his parents to Piqua, Ohio, and at fourteen engaged with an uncle as an apprentice to the blacksmith's trade, serving for three years. At the end of that time he abandoned the trade, and entered the printing-office of the Piqua Gasette, where he remained until 1831. He then, at the solicitation of an uncle, left Ohio with his brother, J. D. Defrees, and established the Northwestern Pioncer, at South Bend, Indiana. This paper advocated the principles of the Whig party, and was the first published north of Indianapolis or west of Detroit. In IS33 Mr. Defrees sold his interest in the paper to his brother and came to Goshen, where he opened a store of general supplies. Goshen then consisted of about forty log cabins, three stores, a log hotel, and about two hundred white inhabitants, the entire population of the county consisting of but a few hundred white people. Goods were carted from Dayton, Ohio, and subsequently shipped by the lakes to the mouth of the St. Joseph River, where they were reshipped in small boats and
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taken up the river as far as practicable. Shortly after the arrival of Mr. Defrees at Goshen he was appointed county agent by the county commissioners, to sell town lots, and to settle with the contractors who had erected the first court-house in Elkhart County. In 1835, the office of sheriff being vacant, he was appointed by the Governor to fill that position until the next election, when he was elected for the ensuing term, and was re- clected for the one following. Although his party at that time was in the minority by about four hundred,
he was elected by a handsome majority. In 1840 he was the Whig candidate for Representative to the state Legislature, and was defeated by only about forty votes. This defeat was partly due to his illness, which com- pelled him to withdraw from the canvass some days be- fore the election, thus giving his opponent great advan- tage. In 1849 he was elected as Representative to the Lower House, and served for one term, local issues hav- ing contributed to his success. In 1850 he was elected a member of the state Senate for a term of four years. While in the Legislature, Mr. Defrees originated and introduced the bill providing for the free-banking sys- tem of the state. It was based upon principles securing the bill-holder against loss, and was very popular for a time, but, through the maladministration of state of- ficials, it afterwards fell into disrepute. Mr. Defrees was educated in the Whig school of politics, but on the dissolution of that party allied himself with the Repub- licans, and in 1864 received the nomination on that ticket for Congress, from the district comprising the counties of Steuben, De Kalb, Noble, Lagrange, Allen, Kosciusko, Elkhart, and Whitley. His competitor was the Democratic incumbent. After a warmly contested canvass, his election was secured by a gratifying majority, and he took his seat in December, 1865, during the re- construction of the South. Mr. Defrees introduced a bill in the House of Representatives providing that all persons who had borne arms against the government, and who had been educated at the nation's expense, or had held public office under the government, should be forever afterwards disqualified from hold- ing any official position under the government. This bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee, who referred it to the Committee on Reconstruction, and its principles, after some modifications, were incorporated in the Reconstruction Act. The importance of this meas- ure was at once recognized by other members of Con- gress, and was heartily approved by the people of the loyal states, and subsequent events have proved its wis- dom. In 1872 Mr. Defrees was again returned to the Legislature. While a member of this body he was industrious, energetic, and watchful of the public inter- ests. His party was in the minority, hence his oppor- tunities for distinction were limited. He was a mem- ber of the Committee for the Organization of the State
Courts, and that of Ways and Means. Not possessing great rhetorical powers, his labor in Congress was con- fined more to acts than speech-making, although, when he did speak, his thorough understanding of the sub- ject, his candid and logical manner of presenting his views, secured for him the respectful attention of the House. Mr. Defrees continued in the mercantile trade in Goshen for forty years, in connection with which he carried on a mill at Syracuse, Kosciusko County, for twenty-one years, closing it in 1868. He, with others, established a bank, under the state law, in 1854; this was merged into the First National Bank in 1863, Mr. De- frees filling the position of cashier for some time. He assisted in the organization of the City National Bank, of which he is a stockholder and director, and was one year president. He was active in the construc- tion of the Goshen Hydraulic Works, in which he still holds an interest. In 1868 he built a mill for the manufacture of linseed oil, which he managed, in partnership with his son, F. B. Defrees, more to occupy his mind than to increase his income; his long and active business life having established habits of industry that would render idleness insupportable. He is a director of the Cincinnati, Wabash and Michi- gan Railroad, and was its first president. Mr. Defrees's business career is a noticeable illustration of those sound and correct principles that insure success, and of those genial and kindly traits of character that retain the re- spect and confidence of the public. He was married, in 1832, to Mary A. Mckinney, daughter of John R. and sister of Frank B. Mckinney, ex-member of Con- gress, by whom he had six children. James M. mar- ried Victoria Holton and has one child, Joseph H. He graduated at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, and subsequently attended the Cambridge Law School, Massachusetts, and commenced practice at Goshen. Mr. Defrees has a full and robust frame, and a constitution seemingly unbroken by his many years of mental and physical toil. In the sixty-eighth year of his life, scarcely a wrinkle lines his face, and the almost total absence of gray hairs would indicate his age at nearer forty-five. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, a commu- nicant and an active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is always foremost in advocating any re- forms contributing to the material and moral benefit of the community in which he dwells. He has lived to see Goshen grow from a small village to a city of five thousand inhabitants, with fine business blocks and magnificent dwellings; and the almost unbroken wilderness, with but a few hundred scattered settlers, become a county rich in beautiful farms and improve- ments. In his partial retirement from the active busi- ness of life he now views with pride and satisfaction the prosperity of the city and county, and the part he has taken in this wondrous change.
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