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 49
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120
"On the night of March 28, 1864, while in command of his regiment, supported by the 35th (Indiana) Reg- iment, as the advance of General Banks's Red River campaign, he surprised and captured the rebel patrols at Munson Hill, and, obtaining from them the counter- sign, made his way into the camp of the enemy, making prisoners of the entire command-three hundred and fifty men, their horses, arms, and four pieces of artil- lery. This action was regarded at the time as one of the most brilliant achievements of the war. At the battle of Mansfield while in command both of his own regiment and the 6th Missouri, together with a section of artillery, he repulsed a cavalry charge, almost anni- hilating a rebel regiment. The day following, at the battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, his command took the colors of the 19th Texas, an account of which we take from a recent issue of the Indianapolis Journal:
"""The recent discussion in regard to the Texas flag captured by Hoosiers, which the Texans wore demand- ing as a token of reconciliation, has called to mind the capture of a Texan flag by the 16th Indiana at the battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, which was by that regiment presented to Major Charles T. Doxey, of this city, who now has it. The battle was a hot one, and at times the odds seemed against us. The Sixteenth, commanded by Major Doxey, was ordered to the ex- treme left of our line of battle; and when the order came to charge, Major Doxey led the charge in person through the storm of grape and canister, with the ral- lying cry, "Come on, boys." Inspired by this example, our regiment made a gallant and successful charge, driv- ing the enemy before them, and capturing the flag of the 19th Texas, an elegant banner, gorgeously trimmed, on whose sides appear the words, "Texans Can Never be Slaves." Silk streamers in abundance fluttered beside it, and its capture was considered a valuable trophy of a hard-fought battle. In the midst of the charge Major Doxey was wounded in the knee by the explosion of a shell, but, though the wound was a serious one, he con- tinued at his post, until he received a terrible shot through the face, when he was carried off the field to the New Orleans Hospital, where he lingered for a long while, unable to make his wants known, except through the medium of pencil and paper, the bullet having car- ried away his palate. While in the hospital at New Orleans, the captured flag was presented to him by his regiment, as a testimonial of their regard for his bravery.'"
Major Doxey saved from his pay the sum of three thousand dollars, and after the war made it the nucleus of a fortune, by investing it in the 'stave and heading business in Anderson. Success at once attended the en- terprise, and, though twice burned out, he has grad- ually enlarged the business, until it now embraces large
.
Adamz Carl
9th Dist.]
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
shops in Kokomo, as well as in Anderson, with a weekly | pay-roll of about five hundred dollars, an annual ex- pense of about two hundred thousand dollars, and yearly shipments amounting to over one thousand car- loads of staves and heading. Mr. Doxey is a Republi- can, and has been for three terms a member of the city council, though his ward is largely Democratic. In 1876 he was elected state Senator from the counties of Madi- son and Delaware, overcoming in this success a large Democratic majority. This memoir can not fully repre- sent the life of Major Doxey. It can scarcely be more than an index, pointing with exultant finger to years of patient toil and final success, and to war scenes of dar- ing and endurance. His progress from a penniless or- phan to a wealthy manufacturer, and to important offices both civil and military, is due entirely to his force of character. All success is doubtful good if used for self alone; but Major Doxey has shown benevolence to be an element of his nature in seldom or never turn- ing away a man applying for work, and in continuing business through the late panic, though with steady loss, in order to prevent distress among his employés. Besides making his own manufacturing interests so ex- tensive, he has helped others to establish themselves, and done much in various ways to promote the growth of Anderson and the welfare of its people. Deservedly popular, and possessing the requisite ability, he may yet serve the public in a wider and still more honor- able sphere. Major Doxey was married, July 16, 1864, to Miss Clara Craycraft, who died in 1876; he was again wedded April 11, 1878, to Miss Minnie W. Stillwell, daughter of the late Hon. T. N. Stillwell, member of Congress from the Sixth District. sale grocery trade. In this he has been continuously engaged up to the present time. In 1853, in company with Henry Jacobs, of Rainsville, Warren County, In- diana, Mr. Earl conducted a general merchandise store at that place, having a large and prosperous trade for several years. At the end of the year 1853 he formed a partnership with Mr. Moses Fowler in the wholesale grocery trade, under the name of Fowler & Earl. In 1857 this firm also opened a banking office, known as the Indiana Bank. Afterwards this was merged into the branch at Lafayette of the Bank of the State of Indiana, and at the expiration of the charter of that corporation, became, and still is, the National State Bank of Lafayette. During this time Mr. Earl had continued as the active manager of the grocery house, and in 1857 Mr. Henry C. Bruce, of Kentucky, was admitted as partner, under the style of Fowler, Earl & Bruce, which firm continued until 1860, when Mr. Earl purchased the other interests, and associated with himself Mr. W. H. Hatcher, of Lafayette, the firm being Earl & Hatcher. The business in groceries had up to this time been conducted in rooms in the Purdue Block, on Second Street, but had now become so large and constantly increasing that these quarters were found to be inadequate; and in 1865 the large stone-front building on the corner of South and Third Streets, known as Earl & Hatcher's Block, was com- pleted by them, and their stock in trade was moved into it early in 1866. In February, 1869, Mr. Hatcher died, and in April of that year Mr. C. W. Bangs, of Lafayette, was admitted as partner in the grocery house, the firm being Adams Earl & Company. In 1876 Mr. Morell J. Earl, the only son of Adams Earl, was admitted into the house, and continued an active member until his death, in June, 1879. The present members of the firm are Adams Earl and Charles W. ARL, ADAMS, the son of Nehemiah and Rebecca Earl, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1820, and was the youngest but one of fifteen children. His parents emigrated from New England in 1788, and located where the city of Syracuse, New York, now stands, and in 1814 they moved still farther West, settling in Fairfield County, Ohio. Mr. Earl passed his younger days with his parents on the farm in Ohio, and when, in 1837, they came to the Wea Plains, in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, he came with them. From 1837 to Bangs, and the title remains unchanged. Their busi- ness throughout this state and Illinois has grown to be of large proportions, and this is one of the oldest as well as one of the largest and most prosperous grocery establishments in the state. In 1860 Mr. Earl engaged with others as I. H. Telford & Co., in pork and beef packing, and built a spacious packing house in Lafay- ette. They continued for six years, and did a large and prosperous trade. In 1862 Mr. Earl, as a partner in Cul- bertson, Blair & Co., of Chicago, engaged in a general 1841 he was engaged in farming, and in 1841, 1842, ' commission business and in packing pork and beef. and 1843 he constructed flat-boats on the Wabash River, They built a large packing house in that city, and car- and, loading them with products of the Wea Plains, took ried on an extensive and profitable trade until the disso- lution of the partnership in 1867. In 1862 the firm of Carnahan, Earl & Co. (consisting of Mr. A. G. Carna- them to New Orleans. In 1845 and 1846 he engaged in distilling, and feeding stock. In 1848 he moved to Lafayette, and started in a general merchandise busi- | han, and Earl & Hatcher) was formed, and transacted ness with Mr. J. G. Carnahan, under the firm name a wholesale boot and shoe trade for three years ; and in the same year Mr. Earl became a member of the whole- of Carnahan & Earl, until 1853, when he disposed of his interest to his partner, and embarked in the whole- | sale dry-goods house of Curtis, Earl & Co., continuing in
12
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
[9th Dist.
it until 1869, when he disposed of his interest to his part- ners. In 1869 an enterprise was inaugurated by Lafay- ette citizens to secure an east and west railroad, run- ning from Muncie, Indiana, through Lafayette, to Bloomington, illinois, to be called the Lafayette, Mun- cie and Bloomington Railroad. From its first inception Mr. Earl took an active interest in the project, and at the first meeting was elected a director of the company, and by the directors president of the railroad. He served in this capacity for three years, during which time the western division of the road was completed and put in operation. In 1870 the Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Railroad Company was organized, to con- struct and operate a railroad from Lafayette to Kanka- kee, Illinois, connecting at the latter place with the Illinois Central Railroad, and thus forming the connect- ing link in the through line from Cincinnati to Chicago. This road was built and owned by Adams Earl, Moses Fowler, and Gustavus Ricker; Mr. Earl being presi- dent, general manager, and builder. In 1877, by purchasing Mr. Fowler's bonds and stock, he secured a controlling interest in the property, and to its management and development gave his careful and constant attention. The road has done a very large and profitable business, and is one of the few roads in the state which have not, during the last ten years, passed into the hands of a receiver. In No- vember, 1879, Mr. Earl disposed of his controlling interest in this property to a party of Boston capitalists, and retired from its management. This road crosses the Kankakee River at Waldron, Illinois, where, in 1874, Mr. Earl, in company with others, constructed large and complete buildings for the storage of thirty- five thousand tons of ice. This is a joint-stock com- pany, called the Kankakee Crystal Ice Company, of which Mr. Earl is president. The taste acquired by Mr. Earl in early life for the farming and stock business has never ceased or diminished. In connection with his other duties he has been engaged in farming on a very large scale, and in the stock and grain business; and this has always been, and is now, one of his largest property interests. In 1862, in company with Mr. M. Fowler, he purchased about thirty-six thousand acres of land in Benton County, and improved it with buildings, fences, grain fields, and pastures. Upon this tract of land grazed annually from two thousand to four thou- sand head of cattle. The rapid development of Benton County, and large interests of Messrs. Earl & Fowler in the county, induced them to take steps towards the removal of the county seat from Oxford, in the southern part, to the town of Fowler, located on the line of the Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Road, and in the geographical center of the county. By a vote of the citizens of the county it was decided to make the change; and Messrs. Earl & Fowler donated and paid
to the county forty thousand dollars for the erection of a new court-house. In 1874 Messrs. Earl & Fowler di- vided their Benton County land, Mr. Fowler taking that portion lying south and west of the town of Fowler, and Mr. Earl the portion lying north and west, and ad- joining a large body of land owned by Mr. Earl and Mr. A. D. Raub. In 1876 Mr. Joseph Hixson and Mr. A. D. Raub became partners of Mr. Earl in the firm of Hixson, Raub & Earl, in farming and handling stock; and in the same year Mr. Earl and Mr. Raub engaged in the general merchandise and grain business at Earl Park, in Benton County, where they built a large elevator, store-room, and cribs for the storage of corn. Earl Park is located on the Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chicago Railroad, near the north part of Mr. Earl's farm, and was laid out and owned jointly by Messrs. Earl & Raub. Midway between the towns of Fowler and Earl Park, on the Cincinnati, Lafayette and Chi- cago Railroad, and near the center of his farm, Mr. Earl has built a large number of cribs and other build- ings for the storage and handling of grain; and at this point has ample side-track and facilities for loading and unloading cars. This Benton County farm is well im- proved, and all under cultivation, in pasturage, mead- ows, and grain fields, and is worked by fifty-five tenants. Mr. Earl also has a large farm on the Wea Plains, in Tippecanoe County, four miles from Lafayette. His handsome residence in the city of Lafayette is in a ten- acre grove, and is known as Fountain Grove. The grounds are covered with natural forest trees, and also inclose a deer park. Mr. Earl's wife is the daughter of Mr. James Hawkins, of Tippecanoe County, to whom he was married in 1848; and he has two children, a daughter and son. The daughter is the wife of Charles B. Stuart, Esq., of Lafayette (son of the late Judge Stuart, of Logansport). The son was married, in 1878, to a daughter of Hon. A. B. Claypool, of Connersville. He died, as before stated, in June, 1879, and at the time of his death was a partner in the house of Adams Earl & Co. In height, Mr. Earl is six feet and one inch, and his weight varies from one hundred and sixty- five to one hundred seventy-five pounds. He has led a remarkably industrious life, full of energy, and of great force of character; and succeeded in all his business undertakings, accumulating property in each and every year of his business life.
INCH, HIRAM G., deceased, of Noblesville, In- diana, was born in Genesee County, New York, in 1807. He was the eldest son of Judge John and Mehitable (Brown) Finch. He emigrated with his father's family to Fayette County, Indiana, in 1813; removed to Hamilton County, September, 1819,
-
13
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
9th Dist.]
and located on what was then called Horseshoe Prai- rie, about two miles south of Noblesville. He chopped the logs for the first cabin in Noblesville, for his brother, Doctor John Finch. Thus it will be seen that Mr. Finch became a boy citizen of the territory of Indiana three years before the organization of the state govern- ment, and a boy citizen of Central Indiana for years before the organization of the county of Hamilton. Thus in truth it may be said that in the life of the deceased is the history of Indiana clearly typified. As a child, his playmates were the rude Indian boys of the forest; as a youth, his associates were the young and vigorous youths of forest homes. Mr. Finch was elected assessor for the county of Hamilton in 1842, filling the position until 1844, when he was chosen treasurer, and served until 1850, a period of six years, embracing two terms. His duties were well and faith- fully performed. He was also during this time exten- sively engaged in the manufacturing of fanning-mills
and harness, besides having money invested in mercan- tile enterprises. At the breaking out of the war, owing to his superior judgment of horses, he was appointed general inspector of horses for the government, with headquarters at St. Louis, receiving also a commission as captain in the United States cavalry. In 1865 he returned to Indiana and engaged in farming. Farm life, however, to a man of his active business habits, becoming at last irksome, induced him to engage in making woolen goods. This business he sold in 1869, and opened a boot and shoe store. In 1874 he re- tired from business, and died May 10, 1879, his death being considered a great public loss. Mr. Finch was a stockholder in the Indianapolis, Peoria and Chicago Railroad, and a director in that corporation for many years during its carly life; served repeatedly as a mem- ber of the city council; was one of the first county officers, and, in short, a man by whose liberality and enterprise the town of Noblesville has been greatly ben- efited. He was a Republican in politics, and a mem-
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was mar- ried, September 10, 1840, to Miss Maria A. Passwater, of Connersville, by whom he had four children, two of whom, Horatio and Frank, are still living. The latter, with whom his mother resides, is an artist, in business in Noblesville. Alice was the wife of the late Hon. John C. Conner, ex-member of Congress from Texas.
LOWLER, MOSES, banker, of Lafayette, Indiana. Among the older residents of Wabash Valley, few have been as successful, or are as widely known, and none more sincerely esteemed for their public spirit and private worth, than the subject of this sketch. Mr. Fowler was born in Circleville, Ohio, April 30,
1815, and, though past the age of sixty-five, is appar- ently just in the prime of life, and bids fair to add yet many years of usefulness and honor to his past success- ful career. His parents, Samuel and Mary (Rogers) Fowler were of the old Revolutionary stock, and were born and reared in Virginia, inheriting the patriotic pride of that grand old commonwealth. The father was a soldier of the Revolution, and both parents re- moved to Ohio before the birth of the son. His in- clinations and ambition were toward a mercantile life, and in this he has been uniformly and singularly suc- cessful, having never met with any serious financial re- verses. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the tanning business for about two years. In the winter of 1839 he came to Lafayette with Hon. John Purdue, the generous founder and donor of Purdue University. With Mr. Purdue he engaged in the dry-goods business for some four or five years. The next mercantile un- dertaking was with two other successful business men, Mr. William F. Reynolds and Mr. Robert Stockwell, in the wholesale grocery trade. For seven years they car- ried on one of the largest and most successful trades in this line in Indiana. Although Lafayette was at that time but a small village, yet, being the terminus of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and the head of navigation on the Wabash River, their trade was immense, extending over a radius of more than a hundred miles. The magnitude of the business may be judged by the fact that they frequently chartered a fleet of steamboats to bring their stock of Southern merchandise, sugar, coffee. molasses, etc., from New Orleans to Lafayette. At that time the Wabash to Lafayette was navigable for large first-class steamers, and often six or eight of these would be at one time unloading their merchandise at that point. The firm of Fowler, Reynolds & Stockwell was succeeded by Mr. Fowler and Mr. Adams Earl, who continued it for about two years. Having met with great success in his mercantile pursuits, Mr. Fowler turned his attention to the business of banking, and with his former partner, Adams Earl, opened a private bank, and continued it as such for about one year, when the Bank of the State was originated by Mr. Fowler, in connection with that distinguished financier, Hon. Hugh McCulloch, late Secretary of the Treasury, and others. The Lafayette branch, of which Mr. Fowler was made president, proved to be the strongest branch (save one) in the state. This flourishing institution was afterwards merged into the present National State Bank. Its capital and available resources amount to over a million of dollars. Besides the prominent positions which Mr. Fowler has held in mercantile and financial circles, he has also de- voted much time and means to railroad and agri- cultural enterprises. With two other gentlemen he formed a company and constructed the Cincinnati,
14
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
[9th Dist.
of his fellow-citizens of all classes, not only for his suc- cessful business career, but for the possession of a warm heart, a genial and sympathetic nature, and an irre- proachable public and private life.
Lafayette and Chicago Railroad, the short line to | Chicago, now known as the Kankakee Line. He has also for many years been a director of the In- dianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad. His agricultural investments, like all others in which he has been engaged, have been on a most extended scale, and proved equally successful. In the adjoining county of Benton he has owned for many years several thou- ULTON, JOSEPH, of Anderson, was born in the county of Tyrone, Ireland, September 12, 1811. His father, Alexander Fulton, was an Englishman, and a relative of the celebrated Robert Fulton. His mother, Margaret Fergus, was of Scotch descent. Joseph acquired a knowledge of the common English branches, and then engaged in mechanical pursuits, for which he had a natural fondness. He had cherished from boyhood a desire to see foreign lands, and at length found means to gratify it in some degree by a voyage to the United States. At the age of twenty-five he embarked at Londonderry, and after a passage of forty-five days arrived in Philadelphia. There he re- mained, variously occupied, for nine years, or until 1845, when, longing to look once more upon the faces of loved ones and breathe the air of his native land, he sailed for Liverpool, and thence passed over to the place of his birth. The following year he returned to his adopted country, and received the first news of Ameri- can affairs from the pilot, as the ship entered New York harbor, condensed into the expressive and exciting sen- tence, " Hot war with Mexico!" Mr. Fulton remained in Philadelphia until the fall of 1851, when he removed to Anderson, Indiana, and entered into the dry-goods and clothing business. In 1853 he was appointed post- master by President Pierce, and held that position eight years, or until the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln. He then became cashier of the Exchange Bank of William Crim & Co., and, after remaining in that situation twelve years, retired from active business. Mr. Fulton has had no connection with public enterprises except by con- tributing pecuniary aid to such as he deemed worthy. Though he has been no politician, in the common ac- ceptation of the term, he is attached to the principles of the Democratic party, and in 1864 was elected on that ticket city treasurer, an office he held until 1876. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd- fellows, having been connected with Anderson Lodge since its organization in 1852, and been its treasurer for sixteen years without change. He has attained the highest degree conferred in a subordinate lodge, and is also a member of the Encampment. Joseph Fulton was married, May 11, 1856, to Miss M. Jane Myers, by whom he has three children, now living. Mr. and Mrs. Fulton are connected with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Ful- ing upon our shores a young man and a stranger, he has wrought steadily on, doing well whatever he engaged in, sand acres of the finest farming lands, and, after selling large portions in small tracts to actual settlers, he has still left a magnificent landed estate of twenty thousand acres, about one-half of which he cultivates in grass, and on the remainder he pastures twenty-five hundred head of cattle. It has long been the ambition of Mr. Fowler to have a magnificent model farm on the fertile prairies, and he must feel no small degree of satisfac- tion in having so nearly realized his long-cherished de- sire in being the possessor of one, which in its extent, beauty, and completeness, has few if any equals in this county. The sales from grain and stock on this farm amount to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per annum. In 1874 the county seat of Benton County was removed from Oxford to Fowler, a town laid out by Messrs. Fowler and Earl. To aid in the cost of removal and to construct a court-house, Mr. Fowler donated forty thousand dollars. Benton County, in its marvelous de- velopment, is a monument to his enterprise more endur- ing than marble. The impulse of his wonderful energy, liberality, and capacity, has been felt in every pulsation of its healthful blood. From an isolated county, rich in undeveloped resources, with no railroads, and but a single town, it has grown within seven years to a well earned recognition among the best counties in Indiana, and now has two lines of railway and eleven flourishing towns. This is Mr. Fowler's work and will keep his memory green. In 1844 he was married to Miss Eliza Hawkins. Of his children two daughters and one son are living. Politically, he was formerly a Whig, but is now a Republican. Though not a professional politi- cian, he takes great interest in all public measures, and contributes largely to advance the interests of his polit- ical faith. Hle has never held an office. He is an active member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Lafayette, of which he has been a trustee for twenty-eight years. Mr. Fowler is emphatically a self-made man, and a man of remarkable executive ability. Beginning life with no advantages of influence or education, and with no cap- ital save his industry and integrity, he has met with a success such as few men attain in a much longer life. Not only has he been successful in the acquisition of wealth, but he has manifested a commendable purpose in the use of it, which does not always accompany the talent for gaining it. Every movement of public en- | ton has led an active and somewhat eventful life. Land- terprise or private benevolence finds in him a ready assistant. He enjoys, to an enviable degreee, the esteem
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.