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 116

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 116

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July Jours

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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Christian, highly esteemed by all who know her. They | silver coin left, he conceived the idea of starting out have had five children-three sons and two daughters- three of whom are living. Robert M., born August 17, 1828, entered the late war as captain of Company I, Ioth Iowa Infantry, and was in active service about two years, when, on October 30, 1863, he died from a disease contracted while in the service. Among the engage- ments in which he participated were those of Iuka and Parker's Cross Roads. He procured as part of the tro- phy of these battles a portion of General Beauregard's captured flag-staff, from which he manufactured a cane, that is now in the possession of his father, by whom it is greatly prized. The children have received much as- sistance from their father in entering upon their careers, having been treated by him with marked liberality. As a citizen, Mr. Rippey, by his fair dealing with men, commands great esteem as well as confidence. He is well-preserved, both physically and mentally, and at the age of seventy-seven he seems to possess nearly the same vigor of mind which characterized him twenty-five years ago. Being one of the pioneers, he has witnessed the growth of Elkhart County from an almost unbroken forest to a fine, well-cultivated county, and the increase of its population from a few scores of white people- outnumbered ten to one by the Indians-to thirty-four thousand, representing much wealth and prosperity; while Goshen has been converted from a mere hamlet to a fine city of forty-five hundred inhabitants, her log- cabins having been replaced by buildings of such im- posing appearance as would do credit to any city in the country.

OPER, JAMES ALBERT, president of the St. Jo- seph Valley Furniture Company, Mishawaka, was born in St. Joseph County, Michigan, December 15, 1846. His father, John Roper, was born in Bristol, England, and came to this country in 1838. His mother, Cornelia Youngs, was born in Onondaga County, New York. They were married in 1840, and removed to Michigan in 1842, purchased a farm and remained there until the spring of 1847, when they sold out and removed to Mishawaka. The father was an iron worker, and Mish- awaka at the time was famous for its extensive iron foundries. In 1852 his father died, and the support of the three boys devolved on the mother. Until the age of eleven he attended school quite regularly, but after that only during the winter terms, as he was obliged to work during the summer to assist in the support of the family. The winter he was eleven he earned his first pair of boots by sawing wood for a Mr. Simpkins mornings, evenings, and Saturdays. The next summer he worked on a farm for seven dollars per month. At the close of the season he divided his net earnings with his mother; and, having sixteen dollars in

alone in the world. The first day he walked and rode by turns about twenty-four miles. Boyish tears were shed the first night he was away from his kind mother and good home. The next morning he took an early start and soon was overtaken by a kind-hearted old farmer, who asked him to ride ; learning that the boy had no par- ticular destination in view, he insisted upon his going home with him, to which the boy consented, remaining with him that winter and attending school. The next summer he worked by the month on the farm, but get- ting tired of country life he returned to Mishawaka in the winter. He immediately obtained employment in Mr. Taylor's blacksmith shop, expecting to learn that trade. He assisted in making the first lot of government wagons made there, in 1861. His elder brother having enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry, he felt that he too must join the army, and October 19, 1861, he enlisted with Newton Bingham, against his mother's wishes. Having waited impatiently for the 148th to organize, and being persuaded it was a failure, and to get him away from the excitement, his mother sent him back to Michigan, to go to school and stay with his old benefac- tor. But in January he learned the regiment had or- ganized at Goshen, and so the next morning he bade adieu to his adopted parents and friends and started on foot for Mishawaka. The snow being deep and the weather very cold, he made slow progress, but the thought of wearing a soldier's uniform and the pride of carrying a musket made the hardship of the march a second- ary affair. He reached home at eight o'clock in the evening, and next morning went to camp with his friend Newton Bingham, being then only fifteen years of age. It was therefore with some difficulty that he succeeded in getting mustered in. He never saw his mother after leaving camp, as she died soon after. Thus he was left an orphan when but a boy, with noth- ing to guide his future but his own boyish inclinations. He was at the battle of Iuka, September 19, and two weeks later at Corinth. Then commenced the endless marching, following General Price as far as Oxford, Mississippi, when they were obliged to retreat to Mem- phis, Tennessee. He himself marched from Oxford to Memphis, through cold rains and mud-a distance of one hundred and seventeen miles-barefooted ; and when shoes could be had he could not wear them, his feet being so sore. He was then down the Yazoo River with Grant, then back across Louisiana and the Mississippi River to Raymond and Jackson. He helped put up the pontoon bridge across Black River the night after the bat- tle of Champion Hill. He was all through the siege of Vicksburg, was at the assault on the 23d of May, and was poisoned that night by lying in the wet weeds. He was at the surrender, and marched in on the 4th of July, 1863. He was then transferred to the Army of the Ten-

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nessee, and, after the campaign against Chattanooga, went into winter-quarters at Huntsville, Alabama. He re-enlisted December 31, 1863, and then went home on a thirty days' furlough, at the end of which time he returned. At Etawah River, Georgia, he was court-martialed for desertion, pleaded guilty, and was fined one month's pay; the facts of the case being (as it had become known to the officers composing the court-martial) that he had gone to see his brother, in another command, and was unable to return for two weeks, owing to engagements, in which he narrowly escaped capture, and the burning of bridges by the Confederate army. He saw the reduction of Atlanta, and was with Sherman to the sea. During the march he was counted a good forager, and had many narrow and exciting escapes. After leaving Savannah he went to Beaufort, South Carolina, and was there detailed at General Clark's headquarters as guard. He was on the whole march through the pine forests of the two Carolinas, and was in Columbia when the flames had just commenced their work of destruction, where he re- mained nearly the whole of that awful night. He was on the whole campaign to Goldsboro, North Carolina, Raleigh, and after Johnston's surrender marched to Washington. At Richmond he was made corporal of the general's guard, and was soon after promoted as ser- geant, and put in charge of the general's headquarters. He was at the grand review at Washington in May, and was mustered out of the service July 15, 1865, having served three years and eight months. Having at that time about one thousand dollars saved from his pay, and feeling the need of further education, he on the Ist of September started for Asbury University, at Greencastle, Indiana. After being there two years, and having spent nearly all of his money, he returned to Mishawaka, where his old friend, Colonel N. Bingham, who was then postmaster, gave him employment for about two years. He was married, in 1868, to Ella M. Dowling, of Mishawaka, a young lady admired equally for her beauty and her excellent qualities of heart and mind. In 1870, being desirous of engaging in business on his own account, he bought a saw-mill in Cass County, Michigan, with one hundred dollars of his own money and two hundred dollars borrowed. The first year he bought out his partners, paid his debts, and had money left. The next year he did still better; he bought a farm adjacent to the railroad, moved his mill, built a siding, opened a general store, improved his farm, and made considerable money up to 1874; but in 1876, owing to shrinkage in values, and having lost considerably by the failure of some manufacturers to whom he sold lumber, he found that in those two years he did not get much ahead ; so he resolved to close up his business and turn his attention to farming. It was frequently remarked that he was the only man who

had made any thing by saw-milling in the county, and as such he was willing to retire. After some vicissitudes in this branch of business he became identified with Mr. Perkins in the furniture manufactory, which has proved a financial success, and has assumed such large dimensions that it has been formed into a joint-stock company, of which Mr. Roper is president and general manager. He has made his own way in life until he stands at the head of one of the largest manufactories in the state, and enjoys the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens. Mr. Roper is a stanch Republican.

UNYAN, JOHN N., postmaster of Warsaw, is the son of Peter L. Runyan and Mary (Ervin) Runyan. He was born in Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana, April 26, 1846. His boyhood was spent in his native town, where he attended school and assisted his father as opportunity offered. At the commencement of the war, although but a boy of fif- teen and a half years of age, he was seized with a desire to be a soldier, so much so that his parents were, for a time, compelled to exercise their restraining au- thority. Their consent was finally obtained, however, but here the intrepid boy encountered a more formidable difficulty-he was too short! But "where there is a will there is a way," and with the aid of very high-heeled boots, well stuffed, he secured the minimum height, and was mustered. He left Warsaw in December, 1861, with a number of recruits for Company E, Twelfth In- diana Infantry. Arriving at Hagerstown, Maryland, he was, contrary to expectations, assigned to Company H, in which he found no acquaintances, and, by division of the regiment, he was twenty-five miles from the com- pany in which he had expected to serve. This arrange- ment somewhat staggered the young soldier. His com- pany marched to Antietam, where they made their quarters. His youth and genial disposition soon made him a favorite with the company, while the faithful dis- charge of every duty won for him the special regard of his captain and first lieutenant. He entertains the strongest feelings of gratitude for the first lieutenant- now the Hon. George W. Steele. He was mustered out with his regiment in Washington City, District of Columbia, 'May 19, 1862, and returned directly home. He was still thrilling with patriotic zeal; and, as the war was not over, he took an active part in recruit- ing Company A, of the 74th Indiana Volunteer In- fantry, and was, notwithstanding his youth, mustered in as second sergeant. This regiment became part of the Fourteenth Army Corps, under General George H. Thomas. In a short time he was promoted to first ser- geant, and with the regiment took part in the movements preceding the battles of Perryville, Stone River, and Tul-

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lahoma campaign, and those prior to Chickamauga. He | band and immediate friends, but by all who knew her. was promoted second lieutenant March 25, 1863. At the As an officer Lieutenant Runyan was upright, prompt, exact, yet accommodating. As a gentleman he is above reproach. battle of Chickamauga the captain and first lieutenant be- ing wounded early in the action, the command of his com- pany devolved upon Lieutenant Runyan. The boy offi- cer became the hero-he was equal to the emergency ; and his company, under the youngest commissioned offi- HERMAN, MASON G., physician and surgeon, of Michigan City, Indiana, was born in Barre, Wash- ington County, Vermont, January 15, 1805. IIe attended school and worked on his father's farm until he was seventeen years of age. He then taught school during four years, and from 1826 to 1828 engaged in the manufacture of furniture in Ogdensburg, New York. He then spent two years at sea, visiting all the principal ports of South America. After being shipwrecked on the coast of Brazil, he embarked on a small vessel and returned home. In 1830 he engaged as mate on a mer- chant ship trading with the West Indies, but was dis- suaded by his mother from making the voyage. Ile then studied medicine with his brother, and graduated from the Fairfield Medical College, New York, in 1836, having attended two courses of lectures. He began to practice at the lead mines, in St. Lawrence County, New York. From 1840 to 1844 he practiced his profes- sion at Ogdensburg, New York. He then removed to Johnstown district, Canada West, and in 1845 returned to St. Lawrence County, where he remained until 1850. In that year he went to California, but after two years' practice there returned to New York. In 1853 he re- moved to Indiana, and, in company with Fred Haskell and H. Aldredge, contracted with the New Albany and Salem Railway Company to supply their road with cars. He then set up car works at Michigan City, and did a successful business. In 1856 Doctor Sherman relin- quished this enterprise, and again devoted himself to his profession. He has the reputation of being thor- oughly familiar with all branches of its practice, and is very careful in the treatment of his cases. In 1858 he was elected to the state Legislature, by a majority of four hundred and forty-six votes, on the Republican ticket. In 1860 he was again elected, by the unusual majority of nine hundred and eighty-seven, his opponent being Hon. Judge Bradley. In 1861 he entered the army as assistant surgeon in the 9th Indiana Regiment, pre- ferring the position of assistant in that regiment to that of first surgeon in another. He was soon promoted to surgeon, brigade surgeon, and finally to chief surgeon of division. After three months' service he enlisted for three years. At the expiration of that time, being sixty years of age, he enlisted as a veteran. He was in the army four years and six months, and was not once absent from duty. In 1865 he accompanied General Kimball to Texas, and in the fall returned to Indianapolis, where he was mustered out of service, He then returned home to Michigan City. In 1872 he was a candidate on cer ever known on duty, distinguished itself upon that memorable battle-field. The company went into the fight with forty-four men, twenty-five of whom were killed. Lieutenant Runyan was struck by a spent ball, but remained at his post. He was promoted first lieu- tenant December 17, 1863. His regiment was soon after in the battle of Mission Ridge, forming a part of the first grand line that marched "from valley to summit," and planted the stars and stripes on the ram- parts of the routed rebel foe. During the winter of 1863-64 he was sent home as a recruiting officer to fill up his decimated ranks, which he did successfully, and, returning to his regiment in April, 1864, was in the At- lanta campaign. As a drill master he was one of the best. It was while engaged in a sharp skirmish, June 15, 1864, at the foot of Kenesaw Mountain, in which Lieu- tenant Runyan displayed remarkable bravery, that a minie ball struck him in the upper part of his right knee, passing through the bone, and was buried in an oak tree some distance in the rear. This ended his ca- reer as a soldier. He was taken to the field hospital, near " Big Shanty," and his leg amputated about ten o'clock the same night. In thirty days after his misfor- tune he returned home. When able to do so, he pro- ceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was honorably dis- charged. He subsequently entered the college at Fort Wayne and applied himself to study for six months, when his wound became so troublesome that it was necessary for him to abandon his books and return to his home. He subsequently entered Wesleyan College, Delaware, Ohio, and remained one year. Meantime his friends had secured his appointment as postmaster at Warsaw-a position in which he has been retained by reappointments, and which he now holds with the ap- probation of all. In 1876 he had his limb re-amputated, on account of improper treatment when first operated upon, since which his health has been good. For some years he has devoted his spare time to preparing for the legal profession. He was a member of the Good Tem- plars and the Temple of Honor during the life of those organizations, and for a number of years has been a worthy member of Kosciusko Lodge, No. 62, and Hackleman Encampment, No. 37, Independent Order of Odd-fellows. He has filled the highest offices in each and is now a member of the Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment of the state of Indiana. Decem- ber 29, 1873, he married Miss Carrie McCorkle. She died April 1, following, mourned not only by her hus- !

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the Republican ticket for the state Senate, but was de- feated by fifty votes. His friends attributed his defeat to the whisky influence brought to bear on the other side. Doctor Sherman retired from active practice at the close of the war. He is sometimes called in con- sultation upon difficult cases, and to perform important surgical operations. In 1877 a nephew of Doctor Sher- man, a late graduate of Bellevue Hospital, New York, sought the appointment of physician and surgeon to the Northern Indiana State Hospital. He was a stranger, and the directors declined to give him the appointment, but tendered it to Doctor Sherman, who accepted, on condition that his nephew, Doctor Frank Sherman, should perform the medical services, he himself taking the responsibility. Doctor Sherman has seen much of the world. He went to South America in 1829; during the year 1830 he resided on the Falkland Islands; in 1831 he visited the Islands of St. Catherine, Brazil, and thence went to Rio Janeiro, from there to Pernambuco, and, in 1833, returned to Massachusetts. Doctor Sher- man is widely known as a political speaker. He has frequently been a delegate to Republican conventions, in which he has uniformly taken a prominent part. He was particularly active in securing to Michigan City the lo- cation of the Northern State-prison. The city is also indebted to him for the improvement of its harbor. In all his labors, private and official, he has displayed signal tact and unquestioned integrity. Although far beyond the meridian of life, he is still in the possession of vig- orous physical and mental faculties, and gives promise of still further usefulness to the community. In 1843 Doctor Sherman married the daughter of Colonel J. K. Hartwell, commander of provincial forces in Canada. In 1858 Mrs. Sherman was killed by a sky-rocket. Of their three children, the only son died at the age of five years. The eldest daughter is the wife of E. A. Jarenagan, editor of the Mishawaka Enterprise. The younger is the wife of Major John E. Simpson, general manager of the Terre Haute and Indianapolis, and In- dianapolis and St. Louis Railroads.

MITH, MARQUIS LINDZY, farmer, and proprie- tor of the "Smith House," Argos, Marshall County, one of the first settlers of Argos, and at present writing the oldest one there, was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky, July 25, 1817. He is the youngest son of a family of eleven, many of whom have become illustrious in American history, and who have all passed away excepting himself, one brother, and a sister. His mother's name was Mary Ann ; and that of his father, Hezekiah. Mr. Smith was a farmer, and a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who removed to the vicinity of Indianapolis in 1822, and died April 26,

1824, leaving his wife and eleven children to mourn his loss. The mother died in 1837. Of the sons, two have become eminent physicians, one a judge, and one a min- ister. One of the doctors, Peter, built the first hospital in San Francisco at his own expense, costing one hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars. It was destroyed by "fire in 1853. Marquis received his education in a com- mon school near Indianapolis, the family residing some six miles from town. Here he made the most of his opportunities to acquire an education, which at that early date were not many. On leaving school at the age of eighteen, he made a study of farming, working on the farm belonging to the family. After his mother's death he left home, and removed to Clinton County, In- diana, where he worked on a farm until 1843, when he emigrated to Marshall County, where he settled and married, August 6, of the same year, Cynthia Bliven, daughter of Edward Bliven, a farmer of Laporte County. They have one bright little boy of thirteen years, now attending school. Mr. Smith still resides in the same place, the old log house in which he was married being replaced by a pleasant modern building. He has a farm of one hundred acres, about eighty of which are under cultivation. In 1863 he was appointed by Abraham Lin- coln quartermaster, and assigned to duty in the Depart- ment of the Gulf. He served three terms, of four years each, as Justice of the Peace, from 1845 to 1857. He has been a member of the Masonic Order over twenty years, in which order he has taken all the de- grees of the " Blue Lodge," and has had the honor of assisting to initiate many of the now prominent men of the state. Brought up a Methodist, he has always affiliated with that Church, and has been an active member for some twenty-five years. He has twice been a lay delegate to the annual conference of the state, and for several years a trustee. In politics he is a Re- publican, coming from the old Whig party. He cast his first vote for Harrison, and has always been an ac- tive worker in the ranks, taking part in the canvass of the county, etc. He is a man of good personal appear- ance, pleasing manners, and is full of pleasant reminis- cences. He has a noble record for integrity, honor, and uprightness, enjoying in his advanced years the benefits derived from a well spent, industrious, and useful life.

ORIN, THE VERY REVEREND EDWARD, of South Bend, Indiana, founder of the University of Notre Dame, was born in Ahuille, near Laval, France, in the year 1814. In 1840 he attached himself to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, a re- ligious society then recently formed in Mans, near Paris, designed for the instruction of youth and the preaching of missions to the people. To both these

EJoin CSC Notre Dame

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labors Father Sorin has devoted his life. In August, 1841, on the invitation of the Bishop of Vincennes, he sailed from France to the new world, with six brothers of St. Joseph, for the purpose of establishing a branch society there. After their arrival at New York, Father Sorin wrote, "Our good God permitted me to land yesterday evening-the eve of the exaltation of the Holy Cross. With what happiness did I salute this dear land of America! What joy for a poor priest of the Holy Cross to be able to say his first mass in America on the eve of the exaltation of that sacred symbol ! What a delightful day, and how beautiful the American sky!" In this enthusiasm-this living faith in the favor of Heaven-we catch the key-note of the noble life of Father Sorin. About the middle of Octo- ber, the little colony established themselves at St. Peter's, thirty miles distant from Vincennes, Indiana. In 1842 the Bishop of Vincennes offered to put them into pos- session of a tract of wild land near the banks of the St. Joseph River, on condition that a college should be built there. The land consisted of six hundred acres, purchased from the government in 1830 by Father Badin, the first Catholic priest ordained in the United States, a missionary whose field embraced the whole north-western territory. This part of the country, aside from its natural loveliness, was sanctified, in the eyes of the new-comers, as the home of two illustrious mission- aries, Rev. L. Desielle and Rev. B. Petit, who were in- strumental in converting hundreds of the Pottawatomie Indiana, and whose bodies now rest under a marble slab in the present church. They changed the name of the place from St Mary's to Notre Dame du Lac, and it was afterward abbreviated to Notre Dame. In Feb- ruary, 1843, the little colony was strengthened by the advent of the venerable Brother Vincent, one of the first to join the society in France, and a member of the com- munity who had remained at St. Peter's. As the college could not be commenced at once, a small building for temporary use was erected, which is at present oc- cupied as a farm house. In July of the same year the colony received another addition, in the arrival from France of the saintly Father Cointet, two other priests, a brother, and two sisters. On the 28th of August, 1843, with proper ceremonies, the corner-stone of the first edifice of Notre Dame was laid; before winter the building was under roof, and the following spring it was completed. In August, 1844, the first commence- ment occurred. Through the kindness of Hon. John D. Defrees, then a member of the Legislature from St. Joseph County, the college had already its charter, with the title and privileges of a university. During the same year the manual labor department was organized. Father Sorin was the first president, and continued in office until 1865. Father Granger, who arrived in 1844, was the first viee-president, and Father Cointet

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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 116

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