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 109

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 109

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engaging in mining with gratifying success, when they

broke camp. His father then returned home, and Mr.

Davis went to Placerville where, in connection with a partner, he opened a restaurant. The business proved

gings. He secured a large and valuable claim, and in he went to the Yuba River and again entered the dig- very unremunerative, and, after sinking all of his money,

April, 1851, began working his mine and sending mules

loaded with supplies over the mountains, continuing until the spring of 1853, with good success. He then sold his claim and, removing to San Jose, purchased

way of New York, and, after a journey of two months, was very prosperous. In 1863 he returned home, by a ranch and engaged in stock trading, and, for a time,

and then removed to Bourbon, Marshall County, and resumed manufacturing and selling lumber in connection with farming, which he carried on extensively. Subse- quently, in 1868, he increased his already large business by dealing in merchandise. In 1873 he sold his interest in the lumber business and purchased the flour-mill near the depot, which he still carries on, together with his agricultural pursuits. Some time after his return from California, having completed his legal studies in spite of the opposition of his father, and obtained admission to the bar, Mr. Davis entered upon the practice of law. For this profession he is eminently fitted by his strength and independence of char- acter, and his active, well-balanced mind. Of quick perception, he readily comprehends the merits and demerits of the case in hand. He is a safe coun- selor, and a wise adjuster and conciliator of conflicting elements, a work in which he takes great satisfaction. It is as an advocate, however, that he appears to the best advantage; ever watchful of the interests of his clients, and conscientious in the discharge of his duties. Owing to the increase of his business, he has for some

years been desirous of giving up professional practice, realizing the difficulty of doing full justice to his clients with the limited time which he can devote to study. Mr. Davis has achieved great financial success, and as a

man and a citizen stands high in the community in which he resides. He is a pronounced Democrat, strong and earnest in the advocacy of his political con- victions, a liberal and generous contributor to its sup- port, but in no sense a professed politician or an aspirant

the solicitation of personal and political friends. Mr. trust, it has been due less to his own seeking than to for office. Although he has filled positions of public

Davis, when in California, was elected to the state Con-

stitutional Convention, in which he served with distinc- tion. He has also held several township offices in

of Marshall-in the Legislature, serving on the Com- Bourbon. In 1876 he represented his district-the county

mittee on Drains and Dykes, and also on that of State- prisons. He took an active interest in the passage of

what is known as the Michigan City harbor bill, which

them as not to obstruct the passage of vessels; also struct swinging bridges across the river, and so locate compelled the railroad companies at that place to con-

giving the company the power to condemn land neces- sary for that purpose. He drew and introduced the act compelling the hanging of out-swinging doors to all public buildings and halls within the state. In the dis-

for industry, ability, and integrity, winning for himself charge of his official duties he has always been noted the confidence and commendation alike of his political friends and opponents. Mr. Davis is not allied to any religious organization, yet is a contributor to various

arrived at Laporte August 12. There he engaged in the saw-mill and general lumber business for one year, | Churches. He believes in the orthodox faith, but is

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skeptical in regard to many of the Church creeds and dogmas. He is a member of the Order of Odd-fellows, and has represented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of the state. He also belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men ; has held all the offices in the order, is Great Sachem of the state, and representative to the Great Council of the United States. He married, December 14, 1856, Miss Mary Jane Garrison, daughter of Will- iam Garrison, of Bourbon. She is an exemplary lady, and for her kindness of heart and many virtues is highly esteemed by all who know her. Her trusts, as wife and mother, have been cheerfully met and faith- fully discharged. They have six children-three sons and three daughters.

ILLON, REV. PATRICK, late president of the University of Notre Dame, St. Joseph County, was born in the county of Galway, Ireland, January I, 1832. Immediately after his birth he was ded- icated in a special manner by his mother to the service of God, and entered upon his studies for the sacred ministry while yet a mere boy. After the removal of his family to America he continued his studies at St. Mary's College, Chicago. He entered the University of Notre Dame in 1856, completed his studies and was or- dained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church in 1858. Before his ordination as priest he was appointed steward of the university, and gained the respect, confidence, and admiration of all with whom he came in con- tact. He was subsequently appointed president of St. Mary's College, Chicago, and gave still further proof of his administrative talent. From St. Mary's College he was recalled to Notre Dame, where he discharged the important duties of vice-president of the university, and principal of the commercial department, for nearly three years. In May, 1865, he was duly appointed president of the university and local superior at Notre Dame. During his presidency the college buildings were entirely remodeled and enlarged, and improvements made to the value of nearly one hundred thousand dollars. In August, 1866, he was summoned to France to attend a General Chapter of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and as his fame had preceded him he was appointed secretary and assistant to the Superior General, the best evidence that could have been given of the es- teem in which he was held by his religious associates. In August, 1868, he returned with Very Rev. Father Sarin, who had just been appointed Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Cross of the world. Filial duty, which at first appeared to require but a temporary absence, eventually rendered it necessary for him to seek a dispensation from his obligations as a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in order to attend more

freely to the sacred duties which nature imposed upon him. The dispensation was given, though with much regret, by the Very Rev. Superior General, and Father Dillon immediately assumed the responsibilities of pas- tor of St. Patrick's Church, at Chicago. But a disease which had several times previously threatened his life Fe- turned with renewed violence, and on the 15th of Novem- ber, 1868, he breathed his last, regretted by all who knew him, and sincerely mourned by a wide circle of personal friends-among them the students of Notre Dame, who had learned to respect and admire him.

LLIS, JOHN WOOD, a prominent citizen of Elk- hart, was born in Pulaski, Oswego County, New York, August 12, 1825. His father, Jacob Ellis, was born in New Hampshire, April 25, 1786. He was a man of great native energy, and, as a farmer, acquired a marked success. He died December 25, 1860. In 1831 John Ellis's parents removed to Elkhart, Indiana; and owing to this circumstance his educa- tion in early life was limited. His inclinations were for a mercantile and mechanical business, his first choice being that of a merchant, at Elkhart, where he opened a general store in 1846. In 1848 he closed the business and removed to Waukegan, Illinois, where he opened a sim- ilar store, continuing there until 1850, when he sold out his stock and started overland to California. He made the journey in fifty-six days from Council Bluffs to Sac- ramento City; and remained in California, occupied in mining, and at the same time keeping a supply store in the mining district, until 1852. He then disposed of his interest and returned to Waukegan, where he again engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1856 he removed to Elkhart, continuing his business, in connection with farming, until 1873. In that year he sold out his store and became interested, as a stockholder, in the organ- ization of the Excelsior Starch Manufacturing Company, of Elkhart. He was elected one of the directors and vice-president of the company, serving for three years, when he was elected to the office of secretary. His success in all his business pursuits has been financially satisfactory, and he is now possessed of large means. He has been assessor of Elkhart for a term of twelve successive years, and was a member of the common coun- cil for four years. He is a member of the Masonic Fra- ternity, having been through the Blue Lodge, Chapter, and the Commandery; he now holds the office of gen- eralissimo in the South Bend Commandery, and has filled all the official positions in the Blue Lodge and Chap- ter, as well as all subordinate positions in the Order of Sir Knights. He is a member of the Congregational Church ; has held the office of deacon for the past ten years, and has been a liberal contributor to all the

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Church needs. He is a member of the Republican | 1850. His further labors in this direction were as editor party. July 26, 1849, he married Miss Clarissa W. Green, daughter of Isaiah Green, of Ware, New Hamp- shire. They have five children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are now living. They are, respectively : Mary C., born in Waukegan, Illinois, June 13, 1850, married February, 1876, to R. F. McGregor, of Dayton, Ohio; Jay Bartlett, machinist and telegraph operator, born in Waukegan, Illinois, May 13, 1852, married Nettie Hall; Colonel John F., born in Elkhart July 16, 1856, a graduate of the New York Homce- opathic Medical College, and practicing his profession in Ligonier ; James S., born in Elkhart February 15, 1860; Lulu Bell, born in Elkhart May 24, 1866. Mr. Ellis is a distinguished man in the community in which he has resided so many years; he is greatly respected by his neighbors, and is much beloved by his family.

LLIS, ERASTUS W. H., M. D., deceased, of Goshen, was born April 29, 1815, in Penfield, Monroe County, New York. His parents, Will- iam and Elizabeth (Robinson) Ellis, were natives of New England. His father was of Welsh descent, his ancestors having emigrated from Wales some time previous to the Revolutionary. War, in which the grand- father of Doctor Ellis served as a soldier. His son, William R. Ellis, a practicing physician for over forty years, died in Elkhart, September 23, 1839, in the fif- ty-fifth year of his age. Of his four children, Doctor Ellis, the immediate subject of this sketch, was the old- est. In 1849 he entered the office of Doctor John B. Elliott, of Brockport, New York, as a medical student. He subsequently attended lectures at Jefferson College, Philadelphia, from which he graduated with high honors in April, 1834, receiving his diploma as a phy- sician and surgeon when scarcely nineteen years of age. In 1837 he engaged in practice with his father at South Bend, Indiana, and in 1838 they removed to Elkhart. Their reputation as successful practitioners had pre- ceded them, and, the season being unusually sickly, they at once secured a successful and extensive practice. The partnership continued eight months, with a con- stantly increasing business, when, at the solicitation of the managers of the Goshen Democrat, Doctor E. W. H. Ellis took the editorial charge-a congenial duty, and one for which he was well fitted. It was arranged that he should receive for his services two hundred dollars per annum and board, reserving the privilege of contin- ning the practice of his profession. Finding this im- practicable, he subsequently abandoned his medical practice and devoted his energies exclusively to his edi- torial work. Commencing with its second volume, he continued the publication of the Democrat until January,

of the Indiana Statesman, at Indianapolis, with John S. Spann as publisher; editor of We People, a Republican campaign paper, published at Indianapolis in 1856; and he closed his newspaper career as editor of the Goshen Times. In 1841, he was elected the first auditor of Elkhart County, and continued to hold the office, by re-elections, until 1850, when he resigned, to accept the position of auditor of state, to which he had been elected by the Legislature. In 1852 he was a candidate for re-election, but was defeated. The causes which led to his defeat grew out of his opposition to the policy of his party in attempting to make slave states of the territories, and in tacitly, if not positively, concurring in the border ruffian outrages. The repeal of the Missouri Compromise, in 1854, so effectually widened the breach that Doctor Ellis, from that time and until the day of his death, allied himself with the Republican party, in whose ranks he became a faithful and earnest worker. In 1856 he was the candidate on the Republican ticket for state auditor, but was defeated. He returned to Goshen the year following, where he was elected county auditor, holding the office through successive elec- tions until 1861, having served in that capacity over sixteen years. He served four years as commis- sioner and secretary of the board of the Institute for the Education of the Blind; was state director of the Bank of the State of Indiana; member of the Sinking Fund Investigating Committee, appointed by the Legislature ; a member of the Peace Congress of 1861, appointed by Governor Morton ; trustee of the State Normal School, appointed by Governor Baker; presidential elector for the Thirteenth District of Indiana in 1872 ; and was made postmaster of the city of Goshen in 1874. He also served two years as president of the Peru and Indiana Railroad Company, during which time fifty miles of the road were constructed. He was also president two and one-half years of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company, and at the time of his death was a director and secretary of the Cincinnati, Wabash and Michigan Railroad Company. During the Civil War he devoted most of his time and much money in aid of the recruit- ing service and in caring for the interests of the volun- teers and their families. His office was general head- quarters of all in his district who were engaged in the service, as well as those desiring information on matters connected with the war. When a draft became neces- sary, he was appointed enrolling officer of the county, , and subsequently deputy provost-marshal. He conducted the first draft in the county ; and delivered the drafted men -- one hundred and twenty-eight . at Indianapolis. He was appointed commandant of Camp Ellis, at Go- shen, named in his honor, for recruiting and organizing the 48th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. In the serv- ices of his country, and in his care for the welfare of

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its brave defenders and their families, he was industri- ous, energetic, and conscientious, discharging his trusts with marked ability. Doctor Ellis was a man of great benevolence, but his charities were known to the recip- ients alone more frequently than in the ostentatious dis- play of acts of liberality. Scores of grateful hearts live to-day to bless his memory for his many unsolicited deeds of benevolence and his sympathetic kindness. In his death the poor mourned the loss of a tried and trusted counselor and a valued and generous friend. Notwithstanding Doctor Ellis's long term of polit- ical life, he was never a professed politician, never stooping to intrigue or bargain to secure political pre- ferment. He occupied for many years places of honor and trust, but they seemed to come to him almost un- sought, through the confidence reposed in him by the people ; and his ability and integrity appear by common consent to have marked him for the right man for the many important official positions, both public and pri- vate, that he so often and acceptably filled. As a pub- lic speaker he was eloquent, earnest, and convincing ; as a writer, forcible and comprehensive. His literary productions consisted of addresses, lectures, sketches, and contributions to the newspapers and periodicals of the day. As a Mason, he served several terms as Wor- shipful Master, also as High-priest of Goshen Chapter, and one term as Grand High-priest of the Grand Chap- ter of the State. He was a Scottish Rite Mason, of the Thirty-third Degree, and Master of Bashor Council, of Royal and Select Masons. The following extract from an obituary address delivered by William A. Woods before the members of the Masonic Fraternity illustrates better than any thing we can say his stand- ing among his brother Masons: "Dr. Ellis's Masonic songs, anthems, sketches, and essays were many and ex- cellent. The order has conferred on him many honors- no less honor has he reflected on the order. I believe it no exaggeration to say that, measured by Masonic rule, no better man ever belonged to our order in the state. Our annals furnish no more complete exemplar of all Masonic and manly virtues ; no words can meas- ure his merits. With thanks to the Almighty Father for giving us the companionship of so good and great a man, I exhort you to preserve his memory and to emu- late his example." Doctor Ellis married, in 1842, Miss Maria Crozier, who died in 1846. IIe was again mar- ried in 1848, to Miss Jeannette M. Brown, daughter of Ebenezer Brown. She died in 1856, and two years later he married Miss Rosalie Harris, daughter of Samuel HIarris. Two children were born of the first marriage : Nettie S., wife of William II. Hawks; and W. R., now postmaster of Goshen ; these, with a daughter, Emma Maria, born of the second union, and his widow, com- prise his family. In private life he was a cultivated, genial gentleman, and his home was the center of re-

fined hospitality. His friendships were firm, self-sacri- ficing, and enduring ; the friends of his youth were the friends of his more mature years. He died October 10, 1876, in the sixty-second year of his age.

RWIN, FRANKLIN B. AND JOHN CLAYTON, members of the firm of Erwin, Lane & Co., writing paper manufacturers, of Elkhart, and pro- prietors of the St. Joseph Valley Mills. The forefathers of these well known business men were Quakers, and the first account of the Erwins in this country is that of the arrival of four brothers with William Penn. From one of them, who settled in New Jersey, probably came that branch of the family of which the subjects of this sketch are members; for their paternal great-grandfather, Samuel Erwin, was a resident of that state. Notwithstanding his Quaker principles, he was a Revolutionary soldier; and at the battle of Trenton, where the British were surprised at breakfast, he took from the table a punch-bowl, which is still retained in the family as a souvenir, and is now in the possession of his grandson, Edwin Erwin, of Missouri. John Erwin, the grandfather of Franklin B. and John C. Erwin, was born in New Jersey, and afterward settled near Wil- mington, Delaware. In 1827 he removed to Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, where he died November 28, 1850. Of his twelve children, five sons and five daugh- ters attained maturity, and four sons and two daughters are still living. George W. was the fifth child and second son. He was born September 25, 1810, near Wilmington, Delaware, and in 1827 removed with his father to Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana. In 1833 he married Catharine Ann John, who was reared near Springfield, Ohio. Her ancestors on her father's side were Huguenots, and on her mother's Dutch. After his marriage, George W. Erwin followed farming until about 1852, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. He then went to Middletown, Ohio, and engaged in paper man- ufacturing, first in company with his brother, John W. Erwin, the present state engineer of Ohio. They built two mills, which they subsequently sold. In 1865 George W. Erwin, in connection with some other par- ties, built the first mill in the West for manufacturing loft-dried writing paper. In this mill John C. Erwin, the youngest son of George W., and one of the imme- diate subjects of this sketch, was a partner. About the same time Franklin B. Erwin became a partner with his father in a mill which he built in Mid- dletown for the manufacture of manilla paper. In 1873 the father and his two sons sold their busi- ness interests in Middletown, and built their mill in Elkhart, to which place the sons removed. Their father died very suddenly, May, 1878, while visiting his

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farm in Kosciusko County, Indiana. He left three ' of Judge Oliver J. Glessner, of Shelbyville, Indiana ; children, two sons and one daughter -- Franklin B., after which he returned to Ann Arbor, and graduated from the law school in 1875. He immediately began the practice of his profession at Indianapolis, forming a partnership with F. M. Trissal, and did a most suc- cessful business. January 1, 1878, he removed to Mich- igan City, his old home, and began his attendance upon the courts, with flattering success. In September, 1879, he founded the Michigan City Dispatch, of which The is editor and sole proprietor. It is the leading pa- per in the city, and although in its infancy is already recognized as one of the prominent Democratic journals of the state. The father of Mr. Francis was a Republican, and in this school of politics the son was reared; but, on arriving at maturity, his convictions were so strong that he joined the Democratic ranks. He has taken an active and prominent part both in local and state politics. He has been a delegate to each state convention since 1874. and is at present a member of the Democratic state cen- tral committee, and is recognized as one of the rising pol- iticians of the state. He is still a bachelor. He is a mem- ber of the Episcopal Church. A man of fine personal appearance, intelligent and courteous, well informed and liberal, Mr. Francis is widely popular. John C., and Elizabeth Ann. Franklin B. Erwin was born September 5, 1836, in Randolph County, Indiana. He received a good English education and attended Antioch College, Ohio, then under the charge of Hor- ace Mann, two years. He married, at Middletown, Ohio, January 26, 1858, Miss Rachel McQuiety, whose father and mother were of Irish and English ancestry respectively. They have had five sons, of whom two are living : Horace Clayton, born March 18, 1863; and Albert, born September 7, 1865. John Clayton Erwin was born November 28, 1838, near Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana. He was a pupil of Rev. J. B. Morton, in Middletown, Ohio, and acquired a thorough commercial training. He married, November 28, 1867, at Middletown, Ohio, Mary Hagaman, of Dutch origin, whose ancestors emigrated from New Jersey in 1817 and settled in Butler County, Ohio. They have three children, two daughters and one son: Comelia, boin April 11, 1869; Catherine, born July 25, 1871 ; and George H., born November 28, 1874. The Erwin broth- ers are both energetic business men, and have built up a large trade during the six years of hard times that they have been engaged in business in Elkhart. Their mill is one of the largest buildings in the place, and the largest paper-mill of the kind west of the Alleghany Mount- ains. The only other mill of this description in the West is the one at Middletown, Ohio, which their father was instrumental in building. In 1875 they associated with them Mr. Jacob C. Lane, a reliable and careful young business man, and since then have conducted their business under the firm name of Erwin, Lane & Co. Their mill has a capacity of two tons per day, and gives employment to about one hundred and thirty hands. Every department has the latest approved appliances, enabling them to produce the best quality of goods at

RAZER, JAMES S., of Warsaw, ex-Judge of the Supreme Court of Indiana, was born in Hollidays- burg, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1824. His parents, who were of Scotch descent, were thrifty people, in comfortable circumstances, and gratified to the fullest extent their son's ambition to acquire a good education. In 1837 his father emigrated to Wayne County, Indiana. Three years later James entered the office of Moorman Way, Esq., at Winchester, and commenced the study of law. He taught school during each winter, to aid in the lowest possible expense. The success of this firm is ; defraying his expenses, and in March, 1845, was ad- owing to the thorough knowledge of all details of the work possessed by the Erwin brothers, and to the busi- ness ability of all its members.

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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 109

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