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 24

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 24

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hours a july Willis S. Well

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he happily illustrated his ability to control his voice and person. As a presiding officer, he has had in this state no equal in grace, and no superior in promptness, clear- ness, and facility to do business. No one who ever saw him presiding over the Senate of Indiana, from 1831 to 1837, can forget the impression left by his brilliant ap- pearance in the chair. And yet, with all his ability to preside with dignity and propriety, his was the most jocular and merry temper. No severity was mingled with his decorum; no harshness coupled with the en- forcement of order. The last words of his life were those of pleasant jesting with his wife. The political and official history of the deceased would lead one, in the absence of knowledge of his personal character, to expect that he had become more or less imbued with the spirit of the times. But those who have known him the longest and the most intimately can unite their voices in calling for proof or allegation that he ever knowingly wronged a fellow-creature or pocketed a sin- gle cent in dishonesty or corruption. Few persons born at the close of the last century, and flourishing through more than half the present one, prominently, in both private and political station, can present such a record as this. Verily, the absence of evil is the best evidence of the presence of good-far better than all the monu- ments ever erected by either real or Pharisaic piety."

ARRUM, NOBLE, Hancock County, Indiana, was born July 8, 1819, in Wayne County, Indi- ana. His father, Harmon Warrum, emigrated to this county from Kentucky about the year 1807. He married, in 1809, Miss Edith Butler, a native of Georgia, who had recently emigrated to the same county. Both were of English descent. When Noble Warrum was about six years of age his father removed to Hancock (then included in Madison) County. The country now embraced in the limits of Hancock County was then a wilderness. Mr. Warrum's father settled in the southern part of this section, on the Blue River. At the age of thirteen Mr. Warrum lost his mother, and in about two years his father married a lady named Catharine Crumm. At the early age of fourteen, Noble Warrum left home and embarked in the business of life, having nothing to rely upon but undaunted energy, a spirit of enterprise-which he possessed by nature- and a resolution to practice industry and frugality. He selected agriculture as his pursuit, to which vocation he still adheres. His success as a farmer shows that he must have exercised a discriminating judgment in di- recting his operations and practiced habitual promptness in executing them. Mr. Warrum's educational advan- tages were very limited. He attended only the old- fashioned log school-houses, and even that assistance

was afforded him only for the space of nine months. Having from an early age an ardent desire for knowl- edge, he seized all opportunities, and improved every means of mental development, and thus, by reading, by reflection, and by the study of human nature, has been enabled to do much for the culture of a mind by nature strong and active. In the strictest sense he may be said to be a self-made man. Eminently of a practi- cal turn of mind, he has never made any department of literature or science a special study. During his whole life Mr. Warrum has been a resident of Hancock County. In 1839 he was appointed county collector, an office now substituted by that of county treasurer. He received this appointment from the county commis- sioners before he was of age, and entered upon its du- ties in 1840, when barely eligible. At the expiration of the four years' term he was elected county assessor by a large majority. In 1860 he received the unanimous nomination of his party for Representative of the county in the state Legislature, and was elected by about one hundred over the party vote. Since then he has served two terms in the same responsible position. As a Rep- resentative, he was not only watchful and attentive to the interests of his own constituents, but always evinced an earnest desire to promote those of the state at large. He won the confidence and esteem of his constituents by his fidelity ; and his sound judgment, conservative views, and independent disposition made him a valu- able Representative. Since 1856 Mr. Warrum has been connected with the Masonic Fraternity. His religious belief is in universal salvation. In politics he has always been a Democrat, of the Jefferson and Jackson school. Mr. Warrum has married three times-first, on February 16, 1842, Miss Rosa Ann, daughter of Richard Williams, of Hancock County, Indiana. Mrs. Warrum died August 27, 1862, leaving one son, Rich- ard H. Warrum. In April, 1863, he married Miss Maria A. Wood, daughter of Wythel A. Wood, of Hancock County, Indiana. She died December 27, 1873, leaving three sons, Noble, Henry, and Mack, and one daughter, Rosa Ann. He married, December 19, 1877, Miss Mary Jane Cory, daughter of Abner Cory, of Madison County. In stature Mr. Warrum is a little above medium size ; he possesses a strong constitution, cheerful and vivacious spirits, and a kind and hospitable disposition.

EBB, WILLIS S., banker, of Indianapolis, is an Indianian by birth, and may justly bear the title of self-made, having worked his way unaided, from the humblest ranks of toil, through the vicissitudes and adversities of life, to an honorable and influential position among men. Mr. Webb was born in Clarke County, Indiana, November 10, 1819. His

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father, John Webb, was born August 29, 1781, in Vir- ginia. His mother, Nancy Webb, daughter of Richard and Peggy Davis, was born October 24, 1788, and was own cousin to the noted Jefferson Davis. With the early pioneers his father came to Kentucky, and engaged in many conflicts and stirring adventures with the In- dians, being one of the volunteers who pursued the savages who were raiding the country and killing the people of Southern Indiana. In August, 1821, or when the subject of this sketch was but two years of age, his father removed to Shelby County. At this time Indiana was in such a primitive state that the track of the bear and deer, the howl of the wolf or cry of the panther, were more frequent sights and sounds than the imprint of the foot of man or the sound of the human voice. Here, on the banks of Sugar Creek, on the farm cleared by his father, was Willis reared to manhood. In addi- tion to farm work he learned the art of tanning leather and making shoes, the sparsity of settlement rendering it necessary for them to depend upon their own in- genuity and resources for comfort. He learned, also, carpentering and blacksmithing. At the age of eleven years he was sent to the old log school-house to obtain an education. Mr. Webb retains a vivid recollection of the scene of his first effort in obtaining the rudi- ments of an education. Attending school three months, he learned to read and spell, his list of studies being comprised in Webster's spelling-book. At home he learned the multiplication table, and soon began to comprehend the use of figures, working up in arithmetic to what was called the single rule of three, and into prac- tice, when his school education was ended, and he again went to work upon the farm. On September 15, 1839, he was married to Miss Frances M. White, daughter of James and Mary White, of Shelby County, and on the 3d of October ensuing was ready, with his bride and his father's family, to remove to Greene County, Missouri. This trip, although tedious, and of forty days' duration, was full of adventures and pleasant incidents. Near Springfield they halted, purchased a farm, and were soon comfortably housed in a log-cabin, twelve by four- teen feet in size, with a rude stone chimney and rustic couch, constructed of rails covered with rough-hewn boards. Occupied in tilling the ground, hewing logs, and splitting rails, his life was a contented and happy one until a year later, when he was stricken down with fever. Discouraged by this misfortune, upon his re- covery he determined to return to Indiana, which he did, in company with his married brothers and sisters, moving in a Dearborn wagon, working one horse in line before the other. This might be termed the "log-cabin and hard cider " campaign year, and Mr. Webb cast his first vote for Van Buren for President. Reaching his destination in November, 1841, he built a hewed log -. cabin, and commenced clearing the ground for a farm.

In February, 1842, word was received that his father was lying at the point of death, and, with two brothers, he started for Missouri. Arriving there after a month's journey, he found his father still alive but very low. On the 7th of March, 1842, he departed this life, and was buried in Springfield, Missouri, the return trip also requiring a month. Mr. Webb remained on his place five years, also using his skill in blacksmithing, but in 1847 moved with his brother, John G. Webb, to Frank- lin, Indiana, where they built a smithy, and began man- ufacturing wagons, plows, and buggies, besides doing horse-shoeing, and all kinds of smith work. By hard labor, however, he injured his spine, and was obliged to quit the business. Returning to the farm, he found his health too much impaired for manual labor, and, conse- quently, turned his attention to other pursuits, entering into mercantile business, in company with Hon. John W. Keightly, in 1850, remaining in that business until 1856, when he sold out to his partner, and for the two years following was engaged in carpentering and building. In 1856 Mr. Webb also entered into the banking busi- ness, issuing bills of one and two dollar denominations ; but the next Legislature prohibited the issuing of notes by individuals as money, and he was obliged to retire. In 1858 he formed a copartnership with Doctor T. A. Pink- ney, W. W. Woollen, and William Needham, and com- menced banking under the firm name of Willis S. Webb & Co. This connection continued until after the out- break of the war, when, by act of Congress, private banks were placed in such a position that they could no longer compete on equal terms with those chartered by the United States. On January I, 1860, Mr. Webb lost his mother by death, which was a sad blow to one of his affectionate nature. While continuing the banking business Mr. Webb also turned his attention to mercantile pursuits, and was solicited by W. W. Johnston, of Murphy, Johnston & Co., of Cincinnati, to open a wholesale dry-goods house in Indianapolis, which he did, in company with John W. Murphy, R. Frank Kennedy, and Jackson Holliday, under the firm name of Webb, Kennedy & Co. After eight months Mr. Webb sold out to his partners and devoted his time to the First National Bank of Frank- lin, in the organization of which he took an active in- terest, the stockholders being his former partners and some substantial farmers. This bank was chartered in 1863, Mr. Webb was elected president, being the prin- cipal stockholder, and served as such for a period of six years. He then resigned his position, through be- coming interested in the organization of the Indiana Banking Company, at Indianapolis, with W. W. Woollen, J. P. Banta, W. Needham, F. A. W. Davis, John L. Ketchum, and Samuel C. Vance, the partner- ship to continue for five years from March, 1865. Dur- ing this period he was also actively engaged in the

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wholesale dry-goods business, with Captain W. C. the state. The building is owned by the firm and is a handsome structure, worthy of the Hoosier capital. At intervals during the six years past, Mr. Webb has made trips to Texas, visiting all the principal cities. He was charmed with the country and its resources, and pur- chased large tracts of land in different portions of the state. Traveling through Tennessee, he also invested largely in real estate in that state, as well as in In- diana, where he has several fine farms, and may be ranked as a large landed proprietor, spending a great portion of his time on the different tracts, to see that proper improvements are made. In the fall of 1878 the public-spirited enterprise of Mr. Webb attracted the notice of Colonel William Bailey, president of the Iron Mountain and Helena Railroad, who so- licited his aid in that undertaking ; and Mr. Webb has since proved an indefatigable adjunct to its pro- gress toward completion, contributing time and money to that end, and acting as one of the directors and vice-president. Although the principal occu- pations of Mr. Webb's life are herein enumerated, he has engaged in many other enterprises and labors. From 1862 he for seven years owned and operated a flouring-mill at Franklin, Indiana. In 1872 Mr. Webb built another large mill, at Mooresville, for his son, which he afterward exchanged for a farm in Morgan County. In 1864 he engaged in the wholesale grocery business in Indianapolis, which proved very profitable, as seems to have been characteristic of all enterprises in which he invested. His religious views are liberal as to denominations and creeds, but having been brought up a Baptist he adheres to that form of worship, his parents as well as the parents of his wife being of that persuasion. In 1863 Mr. Webb was initiated into the order of Free and Accepted Masons, and is now a mem- ber of the lodge of Ancient Landmarks. The wife of his youth still lives to cheer and bless his life. Nine children have been born to them, four of whom, three sons and one daughter, have passed beyond the portal of death. Two daughters and three sons are living, Tarkington, Hon. Franklin Landers, and A. B. Con- duil, under the firm name of Webb, Tarkington & Co. Selling out to C. B. Pattison in a year, Mr. Webb founded another wholesale house, with L. M. Fitzhugh, W. Needham, and A. E. Pattison, the firm name being Webb, Pattison & Co. His health failing, Mr. Webb soon gave up active management of the business, and in a year the house was consolidated with that of Landers, Conduil & Co. Meanwhile still other interests engaged his attention, which make his wonderful executive ability and skill as a successful financier more apparent. In 1867, or while engaged in the wholesale grocery business, Mr. Webb, with Mr. James S. Hibben, pur- chased an interest in the Hydraulic Woolen Mill of Columbus, Indiana, which was then operated under a copartnership. He immediately took steps to organize a joint-stock company, which was soon effected, with a capital stock. The business was prosecuted, under the new organization, with Willis S. Webb as president and J. S. Hibben as secretary, B. F. Jones and William Carter being selected for the active management. This arrangement continued for about two years, when cir- cumstances and a heavy debt necessitated a change in management, and Mr. Webb assumed control and the entire management of the business, assisted only by his sons, John C. Webb and William H. Webb. To bring order out of chaos, success out of threatened failure, was a difficult task, but one to which Mr. Webb was equal. Although the business was new to him, he soon mas- tered the situation, and managed the enterprise with strict economy, and reduced expenses the first year six- teen thousand dollars, and in two years paid off the en- tire indebtedness, amounting to over sixty thousand dollars, after which he sold the property. In 1874 Mr. Webb sold out his interest and retired permanently from mercantile pursuits. Upon the expiration, by terms of contract in five years, of the banking partner- ship, Messrs. Webb and Woollen retired from the In- diana Banking Company and entered upon a private banking business, under the name of Woollen, Webb & ! honest, upright, and valuable citizens. The eldest son, Co., Mr. Webb supplying the largest part of the capi- tal. This house did a large and lucrative business. The firm had a large class of customers who required accommodations and discounts. These favors were ex-

William H. Webb, occupies the position of teller in the bank of Woollen, Webb & Co. John C., the second son, is a farmer, residing in Morgan County, Indiana. The eldest daughter, Pinkie Pattison, married A. E. tended by the house to their own misfortune, for the ! Pattison, son of Nelson Pattison, her husband being a evil days of the panic drew on apace and created a scarcity of currency in their vaults. Having sustained severe losses, they were obliged to ask an extension of time from their creditors, which was readily granted, and in a short time the house was enabled to satisfy all demands and opened its doors to business again. Since that time which " tried men's souls " in Indiana, the firm has enjoyed the fullest confidence of the community, and stands upon as firm a basis as any banking house in wholesale merchant connected with Murphy, Johnston & Co., a firm of Indianapolis. The second daughter, Mary A., married Elisha E. Jones, a son of Aquila Jones, and with her husband resides on a farm in Hen- dricks County, Courtland District. The youngest child is a promising youth of seventeen years, now attending the cadet school or college at Farmdale, near Frankfort, Kentucky. All of the children of Mr. Webb have received the benefit-denied their parents-of an excel-

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lent education ; the two elder sons having graduated from Franklin College, Indiana. Mr. Webb has always been a stanch Democrat, though never an office-seeker. A man of earnest convictions and of pronounced opin- ions, his political friends always know where to find him, and as a consequence his opinions have weight. On more than one occasion the fate of the Indianapolis Sentinel has been in his hands. At the close of the cam- paign of 1876 the Sentinel company was bankrupt, and a reorganization was demanded. At this juncture Mr. Webb stepped forth and brought order out of chaos. His great powers of organization were never more con- spicuous, and at once the new company had matters under control, and the Sentinel entered upon a career of prosperity and influence. Since that time, when business in every department became depressed and journalism experienced embarrassments, Mr. Webb's counsel and great financial credit were brought into requisition to the advantage of the Sentinel, and it may be said to the credit of Mr. Webb that these kind offices were performed without pay and without reward, ex- cept such as is realized by those who are ready in word and deed to aid their friends when in need, and help on enterprises which have for their purpose the advance- ment of the public welfare. There are few men in Indiana more entirely self-made than the subject of this sketch. With a mind unusually fertile in resources, Mr. Webb sees success when others confess defeat. Confident and self-poised, ordinary obstacles do not deter him. Indefatigable and indomitable, he goes for- ward when others hesitate, and is confident when others doubt. His life may be studied with profit by those who may bewail their poverty in youth, for, on every page the lesson may be learned, that "where there is a will there is a way," and that fortune's favorites are those who woo her by rugged advances as well as by the blandishments of wealth and station. Farms, shops, factories, banks, and stately buildings, scattered along the highway of life that Mr. Webb has traveled, are the monuments of his success, gratifying alike to himself, to his family, and his friends. Such men deserve a place in a volume dedicated to eminent self-made men.

ASSON, WILLIAM GRAHAM, city treasurer, Indianapolis, was born at North East, Cecil County, Maryland, June 15, 1836. His parents were William P. and Anna M. Wasson, her maiden name being Graham. On both sides Mr. Was- son is of Scotch descent; the name Graham especially will be familiar to all readers of Scotch history or liter- ature. His father was engaged in agricultural pursuits ; but farm life had no special charms for William G., whose parents were in such circumstances as compelled

him to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow in early life. In his younger days he had only the meager edu- cational advantages offered by the primitive schools of that part of the country, and it was in the workshop that he was destined to receive his diploma of gradua- tion. At the age of fourteen, with his parents, he re- moved to Safe Harbor, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and obtained employment in a rolling mill at such light work around the rolls as a boy of his age could accom- plish. Here he wrought, picking up considerable infor- mation about the business, until 'he was seventeen years old, when he was apprenticed to learn the trade of ma- chinist and roll-turner. At the age of twenty-one he had completed his apprenticeship, but continued in the same employment as a journeyman until the spring of 1861. After the flag of the nation had gone down at Sumter, and grim-visaged war brooded over the land, he threw down his tools, and joined the army as private in Company D, Ist Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, which was organized by Governor Curtin. He was soon after promoted to be sergeant, and in succession to orderly sergeant, first lieutenant, and captain, and was breveted major for meritorious conduct. The regiment was attached to the Third Di- vision, First Army Corps, of the Army of the Potomac, under General McDowell, and afterwards transferred to the Fifth Army Corps, under General John F. Reynolds. Captain Wasson participated with his regiment in all the battles and skirmishes of the historic Army of the Potomac, and still bears upon his body the scars inflicted by rebel bullets. He was wounded at the second battle of Bull Run, at Antietam, and at Spottsylvania Court House, but remained in active service with his corps until he was mustered out at the expiration of his term of service, June 1, 1864. He returned to Lancaster City at the close of the war, but soon went to Buffalo, New York, and obtained employment at his old busi- ness of machinist and roll-turner in the Union Iron Works of that city. He soon became well known as an able and expert workman in his line, and always secured the fullest confidence of his employers. He continued to reside at Buffalo until August, 1867, when he removed to Indianapolis, and at once entered the establishment of the Indianapolis Rolling Mills Company, taking charge of the department of roll-turning, in which he was an expert. His strict attention to his duties, and unflinching devotion to the interests of his employers, won their esteem and respect, which were afterwards shown in a most substantial manner. Captain Wasson had always been a pronounced Republican, and, though not aggressive in his manner, took an active interest in questions of local polity, so that his name became very familiar to the workers of his own party, while his per- sonal popularity was unquestioned, irrespective of party, and he had made many and warm attachments in the

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city of his adoption. In 1879 he was induced by his | and married Lemuel Wells in Jefferson County, Indiana. friends to make the race for the important office of city treasurer of Indianapolis, and on May 6 of that year he was triumphantly elected. It was no small compliment to his worth and character to be made the custodian of the funds of a city of the importance and size of Indianapolis, and which requires a bond of a million and a half of dollars. He received the warm support of many personal friends outside his own party, and the sureties on his bond were by no means confined to the Republican ranks. His employers were loath to dispense with his services, but rewarded his fidelity by their enthusiastic support in the canvass. Mr. Wasson's first vote was cast for Thaddeus Stevens, who was long a resident of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. Since his assumption of the duties of his office, of which he took charge September 1, 1879, his administration has been in the highest degree satisfactory to all classes of cit- izens, and he is daily adding to the number of his friends. He is an enthusiastic worker in the interests of his party, with a clear conception of the responsibil- ities of his position. In his social life he is blessed with a happy disposition, and his surroundings are of the pleasantest character. On the 20th of May, 1860, he was married to Miss Lizzie Doersh, a native of Lan- caster City, Pennsylvania. Their four surviving chil- dren are named, respectively, Ella, Bertha, Maggie, and Emma. Both Mr. Wasson's parents are still living, and reside in Indianapolis, surrounded by children and grandchildren. One who has known Mr. Wasson inti- mately from boyhood, under whose instructions he took his first steps in business, says that from a child he pos- sessed personal magnetism of a strong type, making friends with all with whom he came in contact. As an evidence of his popularity with his associates, it may be mentioned that, after his accession to the office of treasurer his good offices were sought for, and were mainly instrumental, in healing a serious strife that had arisen between the employés of the rolling mill and the company. He is a genial, pleasant companion, of a most cheerful and lively disposition, and in his domes- tic relations is as happily situated as he is popular as an official, and respected by all classes of citizens as a gen- tleman of integrity and honor. He is a man of strong will, energetic and determined, with that control of himself under all circumstances which is the surest evi- dence of power.

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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 24

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