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 108

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006

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 108

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AINE

daniel Bo Romaine

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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

OMAINE, SAMUEL B., of Bristol, one of the been one of the principal stockholders, and treasurer oldest and most prominent citizens of that place, was a native of the city of New York, where he was born on the 3d of June, 18OS. His father, Jacob Romaine, was a teacher, and kept a private school in the metropolis of America for over forty years. The son was instructed under the supervision of his father, attending school until he was thirteen years old. He then entered a boot and shoe store, owned by Mr. Christopher Sammins, with whom he remained a year,

of the Nonpariel Mills and Bristol Furniture Manufac- turing Company. He was married in the month of September, 1832, to Miss Eliza M. Coffin, of Nantucket, a lady of culture and position, to whom he acknowl- edged himself indebted for those habits of industry so necessary to a successful business man. The result of this union was one child, Alfred, who when he attained his majority became clerk on a steamboat in Matagorda Bay, Texas, where he lost his life by drowning during when he was indentured as an apprentice, to serve for | one of those terrible simoons that sweep that port. His a term of six years in learning the tailor's trade, with wife died in Texas, where she had gone to retrieve her Archibald J. Calhoun. Five years of his term were | health, after having been an invalid for a number of served, but his sixth he purchased from his employer. years. In IS60 he was married to Mrs. Cornelia Lee, a lady of high merits, by whom he had one son. Both remain to deplore his loss. His death occurred on the 19th of April, 1878, after a short illness. He had nearly attained the age of threescore and ten, only lacking about six weeks of reaching the full period. He left, besides his wife and son, a brother and two sisters, one of whom is Mrs. Andrew Aitkin, of Bristol. He was a liberal and indulgent man, always quick to perceive merit and lend a helping hand, and upright and honorable. He was diligent and enterprising, and his mind was one formed in the best school. The com- munity will long mourn his loss. He was at that time twenty years old. He then re- ceived an offer to go to South Carolina, where he be- came the foreman of a clothing store owned by A. & A. Clark, at Cheran, continuing with them six months, and afterwards returning to New York, where he was employed by Isaac Averill, a prominent clothing mer- chant. Soon after attaining his majority he went to the island of Nantucket, engaging there in business as a mer- chant tailor. In 1836 he came back to New York, but was engaged in trade only a few months when he was seized by the passion for emigration, and came West. He arrived in Elkhart County, Indiana, in October of that year, having necessarily consumed two weeks in the passage from New York. He remained in Bristol and Mishawaka until the month of January. 1837, when he returned to New York by stage through Detroit, Can- IMPSON, MAJOR JOHN ECCLES, formerly of Michigan City, Indiana, now of St. Louis, Missouri, was born near Londonderry, in the north of Ireland, November 1, 1839. His ancestors were soldiers, many of them having performed deeds of valor in the various wars which distracted Ireland during the six- teenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. His father was a wealthy farmer of Scotch-Irish extraction. In 1840 the family emigrated to America, and the father engaged in the grocery business in New York City. He lost money, however, and in 1843 turned his attention to the West, and removed to Detroit, Michigan, where he was engaged in building light-houses for the government. Hle afterwards became interested in the Michigan Central Railroad, and removed to Michigan City, Indiana. There John E. Simpson attended school. His mother, whose maiden name was Eccles, was a woman of superior mind, and to her instructions much of his success is due. At the age of eleven years he commenced selling the Chicago papers, and soon after obtained a position as messenger boy in a telegraph office, where he attracted the attention of his employers by his prompt attention to business. He also learned the system of telegraphing ; secured a posi- tion as operator at Detroit, Michigan ; and at the age of thirteen received four hundred dollars per annum. After serving in this capacity five years, he engaged with the ada, Buffalo, and Utica, and thence by railroad to Albany, a distance of ninety-six miles, on one of the three or four roads of that kind then in existence in this country. From Albany he proceeded by stage to his place of destination. He remained in New York and Nantucket among his friends until the next July, when he purchased a stock of goods in Boston, and re- turned with them to Bristol, occupying the building now used by C. F. Johnston, and after that time was closely identified with the growth and prosperity of the town of Bristol and Elkhart County. In 1860 he dis- posed of his mercantile interests, and was engaged in the cotton business in New York for a few months, then taking up the produce trade in Bristol, in which he remained until the time of his death. In 1864 he was active in organizing the First National Bank of Elkhart, holding twenty thousand dollars of its stock, and being chosen one of its directors. From 1864 till his decease his attention was wholly occupied in con- ducting a large and extensive mercantile business, act- ing as insurance agent, wholesale and retail lumber merchant, United States express agent, and having a loan and general collection office. He was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the project to develop a water power on the St. Joseph River at Bristol, having

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Michigan Central, at a salary of sixty dollars per month. Two years later he received from Colonel R. G. Ricker, general superintendent of the Louisville and New Al- bany Railroad, the appointment of assistant train dis- patcher, with charge of all the trains running between Michigan City and Lafayette. In Michigan City Mr. Simpson was chosen captain of a military company of Zouaves, and was made president of a library society. At the commencement of the late Civil War he entered the army as a private, and was soon commissioned cap- tain of Company H, of the 59th Indiana Volunteers. Soon after the battle of Pittsburg Landing he joined the Army of the Tennessee, in which he remained four years. He participated in all its engagements, including the siege of Vicksburg and the memorable march to the sea. During the last two years of his service he was on the staff of Major-general John E. Smith, commander of the Third Division of the Fifteenth Army Corps of the Army of the Tennessee. In August, 1865, he was mus- tered out of service at Indianapolis, and immediately accepted a position as train dispatcher and superintend- ent of telegraph for the Terre Haute and Richmond Railway, under Colonel Ricker, to whom he is indebted for much of his railway knowledge. In 1867 he was ap- pointed assistant superintendent of the Terre Haute and Indianapolis Railway. In June, 1870, he was promoted to division superintendent, in charge from Indianapolis to Terre Haute. In July, 1871, he was made general superintendent of the entire line from Indianapolis to St. Louis. He continued to act in that capacity until November, 1875, when the Vandalia, St. Louis, and In- dianapolis lines having been combined under one man- agement, he was made general manager of the combina- tion, with headquarters at St. Louis. Major Simpson married, December 20, 1866, Hattie L. Sherman, second daughter of Dr. M. G. Sherman, of Michigan City, In- diana. Major Simpson is essentially a self-made man. In every position in life, whether as newsboy or as gen- eral manager of one of the most important railways in the West, strict attention to duty has marked his career. He was a devoted patriot and soldier, who laid aside his sword only when the honor of his country's flag was vindicated.

ARNABY, HOWARD, lumber dealer, and prom- inent citizen of Bourbon, was born March 14, 1833. He is the eldest son of Stephen and Cath- erine (Pennington) Barnaby, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and were respectively of English and Irish descent. His father was a carriage-maker, and later in life engaged in farming. Howard Barnaby was born in Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When he was three years old his father removed to Wash- ington Township, Stark County, Ohio, where he pur-

chased a small tract of wild timber land, which he began to improve and cultivate. Owing to the primitive con- dition of the country, school facilities were limited ; but, such as they were, the young lad eagerly availed him- self of them. He attended the district school until he was eighteen, when, having mastered the elementary studies, he entered, as an apprentice, the machine-shop of Sharp, Davice & Bonsall, of Salem, Ohio. He worked there three years, and continued as a journeyman for two years longer. At the end of this time he rented power, and began the construction of saw-mills, and other ma- chinery, on his own account, relying upon his skill, ability, and good name for success. He subsequently entered into partnership with the firm with whom he had learned his trade, and continued for one year. The partnership was then dissolved, and Mr. Barnaby associated with him Amos Ronk and J. F. Brooks, the latter being president of the Farmers' Bank, of Salem, Ohio. They carried on the business for two years, when, on account of failing health, Mr. Barnaby sold to his partners, and retired. In 1859, with a saw-mill of his own construction, he went to Marion County, in the southern part of Illinois, where he set it up, and operated it. until the summer of 1861, when owing to the war, sectional feeling and prejudice became so intense that he sold his mill and property, and returned to Stark County, Ohio. There he bought a farm, which he tilled for about one year. In the fall of 1866 he came to Indiana, and settled at Bourbon, Marshall County, where, in company with J. B. Arnold, he built the saw-mill south-east of the depot, under the firm name of Barnaby & Arnold. Sub- sequently, in February, 1871, they organized, under the state law, a stock company, the principal stockholders being Messrs. Barnaby, Arnold, and J. W. Fawcett, of Salem, Ohio, with J. B. Arnold as president, and How- ard Barnaby secretary, treasurer, and business director. This position he has filled for the past eight years. In 1872 the company purchased a valuable tract of timber land near Etna Green, in Kosciusko County, where they constructed a saw-mill for the purpose of manufacturing the timber into lumber. In capacity and experience, Mr. Barnaby stands in the front rank among the busi- ness men of his community. In 1874 he was elected county commissioner for Marshall County, for a term of three years, and was re-elected in 1876, for a second term. Mr. Barnaby is a terse, forcible, and comprehensive writer. He married, in April, 1858, Miss Rachel Botaw, fifth daughter of Isaac Botaw, who was a pioneer of Salem, Ohio, whither he emigrated from Pennsylvania. They have had nine children, eight of whom are living, three sons and five daughters. Mr. Barnaby is tall and erect. His countenance is intelligent, and he is self- possessed in manner. Like all men of positive charac- ter, he holds opinions of his own, expressing them freely, and yet is tolerant of others.

Ilorby, es. notre Dame Red.

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ORBY, REV. WILLIAM, president of the Univer- sity of Notre Dame, is a native of Detroit, Michi- gan, where he was born on the 2d of October, 1833. He attended the public schools in that city until his sixteenth year, when he withdrew, and began to assist his father in business. He continued in this occupation from 1848 to 1853, and gained a compre- hensive knowledge of the methods needful in its con- duct, which has since been of much advantage to him. In 1853, in accordance with his long expressed desire, William Corby was sent by his father to Notre Dame, together with two brothers, who were younger, in order to continue his education. In this he was highly suc- cessful, for he imbibed learning very easily. In IS54, wishing to lead a more religious life, he entered the Congregation of Holy Cross, still studying intently, under the guidance of experienced teachers, until IS58, when he made his religious profession as a member of the congregation, and was appointed prefect of disci- pline. His acquirements in theology were steadily added to, and in 1860 he was deemed to be qualified for admission to the priesthood, becoming a professor in the university. He was made director of the manual labor school, a duty which was coupled with the charge of the mission at South Bend, then too small to have a resident pastor. In this he manifested zeal and earnest- ness; but the war soon after breaking out he offered himself as a candidate for the position of chaplain. In December, 1861, he was appointed by Edwin D. Mor- gan, Governor of the state of New York, chaplain of a cavalry regiment raised in that state, and immediately left for the Army of the Potomac, where for four years, in rain and shine, summer and winter, he faithfully ministered to the spiritual necessities of his men. He was through Mcclellan's campaign on the peninsula, and was afterwards commanded by Burnside, Hooker, Meade, and Grant. When the war closed he returned to his congregation in South Bend, and began laboring assiduously for them. They were in debt, as they had recently built a new church; but Mr. Corby put his shoulder vigorously to the wheel, and in a few months extricated the society from its former position, and had enough money left to erect a pastoral residence. This had scarcely been done when he was elected vice-presi- dent and director of studies in the university. IIe dis- charged these duties acceptably, and in August, 1866, was made president and local superior at Notre Dame. In 1872 he was appointed the pastor at Watertown, Wisconsin, holding this place until 1877, when he was chosen president of Notre Dame for a second time. The three years have been marked by a great extension of the work of the institution, and it now stands in the front rank of all the Catholic colleges of the United States. A sad incident of his presidency was the burn- ing of the old university building. It was endeared by

many memories, and to rebuild it was a serious tax upon the finances of the institution. The new edifice, however, is much finer than the old, and its pleasant walks and beautiful lakes lend a beauty to its surround- ings not often found near scholastic halls. President Corby is a man of generous impulses and kindly heart. Hle wins the confidence and respect of his pupils at once, and retains them to the end. He has fine execu- tive capacity. His judgment shows him the surest way of accomplishing an end to be desired, and he holds fast until the result is gained. He is not easily dis- couraged, and his voice and actions point the way for others. His mind is strongly religious, and the conduct of the institution since he has been in charge has been in every way satisfactory to the devout and learned of his faith.

RODRICK, NEHEMIAH F., of the city of Elk- hart, belongs to a family of Irish origin. His grandfather, Anthony Brodrick, was a patriot in the American Revolution, holding the rank of colonel, and served in the battle of Ticonderoga, in the French and English War. After living many years in New Jersey, he accompanied his son, Robert Brodrick, the father of the subject of this sketch, on his emigra- tion to the West, but died on the way, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1807. The family, continuing their journey to Ohio, settled in Montgomery County, near Dayton, and two years afterwards removed to Butler County, in the vicinity of Hamilton. Nehe- miah F. was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, April 30, 1805, near the site of the present town of Lafayette. His early schooling, of a very limited character, was obtained in the public schools, near Hamilton, Ohio ; and at the age of eleven years he went to Piqua, Ohio, and entered the store of William Johnson. His stay here was brief, for he soon accompanied his father to Allen County, at Wapakoneta, where he was em- ployed by Colonel Johnson, Indian agent, as blacksmith for the Shawnee Indians, in which position the father remained for twelve years, being, with ample ceremony, adopted into the Wolf tribe, and christened No-sau- tuck-au, or the guardian. In 1817, Nehemiah returned to Piqua, and engaged as clerk for Nicholas Greenham, but at the age of eighteen, went again to Wapako- neta, and commenced the traffic in goods on his own account with the Indians, acquiring the Shawnee lan- guage so as to speak it fluently. In IS29 he was selected by the Indians, and confirmed by the government, as one of the appraisers to value their improvements and distribute the proceeds, amounting to thirteen thousand dollars, among the tribe. Here he remained for twelve years, when he removed to Shelby County, Ohio, and sold goods till 1835, in Hardin, near Sidney, filling also

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the position of surveyor of that county for five years. He | litical affairs. He represented St. Joseph County in the was married in 1831 to Margaret Henry, sister of the late state Legislature from 1870 to 1874, serving in this capacity with more than average distinction. Mr. But- terworth has grown somewhat independent of his prac- tice of late years, and is now greatly interested in the care of his farm. He has been twice married. His second wife, two sons, and a daughter share his home Dr. John H. Henry, by whom he has had five children, all of whom, with the parents, are still living. The sons, John H., Charles B., and Justus L., are all en- gaged in trading and manufacturing in Elkhart. Me- lissa, the eldest daughter, is unmarried, and resides with her parents; and the remaining daughter, Louisa J., is | in Mishawaka. the wife of Joseph D. Arnold, now of Wisconsin. In September, 1835, he came to Elkhart, then a small vil- lage of about two hundred inhabitants, and found em- ployment as clerk in the store of Elijah Beardsley, the only merchant, as well as postmaster of the place. In the winter he taught a three months' school. In 1840, he commenced selling goods on his own account with Dr. J. H. Henry, and continued in it, sometimes with a partner and sometimes without, for nine years, after which he devoted his time to the duties of justice of the peace, an office held by him for twenty-one and a half years. He acted occasionally as a surveyor, and, as such, surveyed several additions to the town of Elk- hart, and transacted a large amount of business as sur- veyor and conveyancer for his neighbors. His work was always noted for the care bestowed upon it, and its accu- racy. Through a long life the breath of calumny had found upon him no resting place, and all who knew him entertained for him the highest feelings of friendship and respect. He was not a member of any Church or of any secret society. In politics he was an earnest Whig during the existence of that organization, and a Republican since the formation of that party. He sus- tained the government in its struggle to put down the late Rebellion, and sent two sons to the army. He died May 13, 1879, of heart disease. His father died in Elk- hart on the fifteenth day of March, 1848, at the age of seventy-two.

PONG, E. V., Judge of the Judicial Circuit composed of Kosciusko and Whitley Counties, was born in Old Salsbury, Wayne County, Indiana, March 7, 1837. His father, Hon. Elisha Long, was a man of much prominence, being a member of the State Board of Internal Improvements during the time the state was trying to develop its resources by a system of canals and roads, from 1836 to 1840. Railroads were hardly thought of then, and gravel roads or turnpikes were almost as little known. What a contrast between then and now! The subject of this sketch had good oppor- tunities for storing his mind with knowledge, and be- ing naturally of a studious disposition, eagerly improved them. He came to Kosciusko County, his father having died long before, in 1846, and in 1850 and 1851 attended an academy at New Castle, in Henry County, in this state. In 1854, 1855, and 1856 he taught school for three months each year, at New Paris in Elkhart County, or Leesburg, Kosciusko County, and with his earnings paid his expenses for a term at Fort Wayne. College. In 1856 he began the study of law in the office of Stanfield & Anderson, of South Bend, and was admitted to practice in 1857. In the fall of 1858 he commenced his profession in earnest in Warsaw, in partnership with his brother, Moses J. Long, continuing until 1862, when he formed a connection with Edgar Haymond, Esq., which lasted until 1865. In addition to his law practice, which had become extensive, he also edited the Warsaw Union from 1860 to 1865. In the latter year he sold out, and went to Anderson, where he practiced law and edited the Anderson Standard for one year, then returning to Warsaw. The Legislature of 1872-73 abolished the Common Pleas Courts, and in- creased the number of Circuit Courts. In that way the Thirty-third Judicial Circuit, composed of the counties of Kosciusko, Marshall, and Fulton, was formed, and Mr. Long was commissioned as its judge by Governor Hendricks; the succeeding fall, he was chosen by an overwhelming majority for six years. The Legislature changed the circuit, so that it is now composed of Kosci- usko and Whitley, the Judge being re-elected, in Oc- tober, 1878, for six years from October, 1879. He was married on the 20th of April, 1873, to Alice R. Walton, daughter of Boaz Walton, Esq., by whom he has had

UTTERWORTH, W. W., M. D., was born in Warren County, Ohio, June 15, 1824, His par- ents, Benjamin and Judith Butterworth, were natives of Virginia. They moved from Ohio to Laporte County, Indiana, in January, 1835, and settled on a farm, where their son grew to manhood. He attended the common and select schools of the county, and spent a year in Asbury University, at Greencastle. In 1841 he commenced the study of medicine in the office of Professor Meeker, at Laporte, and graduated in 1847. He then settled in Mishawaka, St. Joseph County, In- diana, where he soon obtained a lucrative practice, ranking high both as a physician and surgeon. In August, 1862, he was commissioned surgeon of the 99th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, and served both in field and hospital until the close of the war. He is a Re- publican, and has always taken a lively interest in po- . two boys. The Judge is in the prime of life.

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AVIS, JOSEPH W., lawyer, of Bourbon, was born June 22, 1829, in Ulysses, Tompkins County, New York. His parents, Joseph and Catharine ( Davis)

Davis, were natives, respectively, of Pennsyl- vania and New York-the former being of Welsh extraction. The pioneer of the family in this country

was Samuel Davis, one of three brothers who emigrated from Wales in 1764, and settled in Pennsylvania, where he engaged in farming and milling. Joseph W. Davis, the subject of this sketch, removed with his father's family to Laporte, Indiana, in 1834, when only five years of age. In the absence of public school advan-

tages, his father, determined to facilitate the education of his children, employed a teacher in his family, and, with the aid of a few neighbors, organized a school, which they sustained, during six months of each year, for some time. He subsequently built a school-house, in which Joseph Davis continued his education until the age of sixteen, devoting his time, when not pursu- ing his studies, to hard work on the farm and in the

grist-mill. Having acquired a thorough knowledge of the common English branches, he entered the high school at Michigan City, where he remained for about one year. Returning home, the next four years were spent in his father's employment. In addition to these duties he began the study of law, under the instruction

of Judges A. L. Osborn and J. B. Miles, of Laporte,

who kindly lent him the necessary hooks. He pur-

sued his studies with great eagerness, when an event oc- curred that led him to give them up. This was none other than the wave of excitement that swept the entire country, carrying, by the force of its enthusiasm, thou-

sands of people to the gold-mines of California. With a company of seven men, including his father, he started

dangers of a journey of ninety-four days, they arrived at 1850. After experiencing the hardships, privations, and by the overland route, leaving Council Bluffs May 4,

Placerville, California, August 16, where they disposed of

their outfits. They remained there about three months,

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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 II, Part 108

Author: Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1006

Author:
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Cincinnati, Ohio : Western Biographical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1006