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 86
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
" Resolved, That this vestry tender to the bereaved family of our departed associate our sincere sympathy and condolence. We know the inadequacy of words to remove the sorrow of wounded hearts, but we are con- scious that, in the example of him whom they have lost, and in the promise of the faith he cherished, those who loved him best will find their surest hope and consolation.
" Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be trans- mitted to the widow and family of the deceased."
RADFORD, CAPTAIN SAMUEL P., clerk of the County of Lagrange, and a prominent citizen of the town of the same name, was born, April II, 1832, on English Prairie, Greenfield Town- ship, and was the first white child born in Lagrange County, then an almost unbroken wilderness. His par- ents were Elder Samuel and Elizabeth (Compton) Brad- ford. They were from New Hampshire and New York states, of English ancestry, and of the old Pilgrim stock. Their name is one of the most honored and noted in New England. Samuel Bradford, father of the Captain, was in his active life a minister of the Freewill Baptist Church, and, in connection with the pursuits of his farm, labored for many years as a servant of the Church. He was an earnest Christian, an exemplary citizen, and a kind and considerate neighbor and friend. He was a man of more than ordinary education and acquirements, possessing many leading traits of charac- ter, and was an influential and representative man in the Church and community in which he lived. His political sentiments were of the old Garrisonian school of Abolitionists, and he was an earnest advocate of the cause of the down-trodden slave. To his precepts he added the force of consistent personal example. He was born in 1800, and died in 1845, in the forty-fifth year of his age. His wife, the mother of Captain Brad- ford, was a woman of marked worth, and was respected for her exemplary life and moral and intellectual excel- lence. She was an earnest and faithful co-worker with her husband in his labors; and to her sympathetic en- couragement was due much of her husband's success. Captain Samuel P. Bradford enjoyed in early boyhood and youth good common and select school advantages until twelve years of age, when his father died, which closed his attendance. In spite of this, he was enabled to acquire a thorough common school education. After the death of his father he assisted his elder brother, William C., in conducting and working the farm; then engaging in school-teaching in winter. He was then only fifteen years old. He also learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade, which he followed during his minor- ity. In 1853 he engaged as clerk in the store of Com- parette, Hubbell & Co., of Fort Wayne, Indiana, re- maining with them about eighteen months. During this time Captain Bradford, with others, participated in the work of removing from a canal-boat and placing on the track the first railroad locomotive brought to Fort Wayne, constituting a memorable event in the history of that city. From Fort Wayne he returned to Lex- ington, Indiana, taking up his residence with his mother, with whom he remained until her death, which occurred in 1858, in the fifty-ninth year of her age. The follow- ing spring he purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Milford Township, Lagrange County. He dis- posed of it in 186t ; and on September 22d of the same
8
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
[12th Dist.
year enlisted as a private in the 44th Regiment, Com- pany H, Indiana Infantry. It rendezvoused at Camp Allen, Fort Wayne. December 25th they arrived under orders at Henderson, Kentucky, and soon after went into camp at Calhoun; thence proceeded to South Carlton, and back to Evansville, where with many com- rades he was left sick. Again he joined his regiment in front of Corinth, two days before its evacuation by the enemy. Three days after this, although a private soldier, he was given charge of the quartermaster's de- partment of the regiment. His forward movements with the army were from Corinth to Battle Creek, Lou- isville, Nashville, and thence to Murfreesboro in 1863, where the regiment was hotly engaged with the enemy, many of its members being killed or wounded; thence to McMinnville, Jasper, Bridgeport, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga, where the regiment was put on post duty. January 19, 1863, Mr. Bradford was commissioned as regimental quartermaster of the 44th Regiment, in which capacity he served until the fall of 1864, when he was detached, and assigned to duty on the staff of General J. B. Steadman, as chief quartermaster of the district of Etowah. January II, 1865, he was commis- sioned captain of Company H, of his regiment, still remaining on duty in General Steadman's staff while he commanded the district ; and when, July 4, 1865, General Steadman assumed command of the district of Georgia, Captain Bradford was retained as the quartermaster at the headquarters of the department until October Ist, when he was relieved from duty to be mustered out of service. But not receiving the order sent, he remained in busi- ness in Augusta until the spring of 1867. During his long and varied service in the commissary department of the army, he was efficient, correct, and conscientious. His accounts gave evidence of care, method, and integ- rity. On leaving Augusta, he went to Greenville, Ten- nessee, where he engaged as superintendent of a blast furnace until the following year, when the pressure of the times closed the business. From there he went to Litchfield, Illinois, and accepted the situation of assist- ant superintendent of bridges and buildings on the western division of the Indianapolis and St. Louis Rail- road, remaining until the spring of 1870, when he re- turned to Lagrange, Indiana, and settled on a farm on Pretty Prairie, being a farmer until 1877, when, having been elected to the office of county clerk, he removed to Lagrange, where he has since resided, that he might give it more thorough personal attention. His adminis- tration of that position is regarded by all as being able, prompt, and courteous, and so conducted as to be com- mended alike by his political friends and opponents. His legal education, which he attained by reading and practicing law in the office of Hendry & Gale, of Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, in 1861, and his sub- sequent successful practice of the profession, at Lima,
Indiana, from 1875 to 1877, is perhaps the key to his ready efficiency as clerk of the court. When the county authorities decided to build a new court-house at La- grange, Captain Bradford was selected by the commis- sioners as the superintendent of construction. It is the model county building in Northern Indiana, and is complete in all its appointments, magnificent in its architectural beauty and perfection of finish, and it stands as a monument of pride and honor to the enter- prise of the people of Lagrange County. The part he took in securing its successful completion is a source of gratification and satisfaction to Captain Bradford. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and an active and influential member of his party. His intelligent and judicious management secures the confidence and respect of his own party friends, giving no occasion for bitter feelings on the other side. In religion he is conserva- tive. As a citizen, he is public spirited and liberal, and is foremost in advocating any enterprise calculated to promote the interests of the community in which he lives. He is a member of the Odd-fellows' Fraternity, and of the Order of the Knights of Honor. He was married, September 3, 1858, to Miss Sue E., only daugh- ter of William Hern. She is also a native of Lagrange County, and a lady of education, personal attractions, and native endowments.
ROWN, ELI W., editor and proprietor of the Columbia City Post, was born in Stark County, Ohio, September 19, 1836. His parents, Henry and Sarah (Wise) Brown, were descendants of Hollanders who settled in Pennsylvania. They were all members of the religious sect of Dunkards. His mother was a descendant of the Wise family, now well known in Virginia. The subject of this sketch is the oldest of ten children. He removed with his parents, in 1847, to Holmes County, Ohio, and, in 1852, to Whitley County, Indiana, settling on a new farm within one mile of Columbia City. He received his schooling, as did most farmers' sons in those days, by working on the farm in summer and attending the district school in winter, until he was seventeen years of age. From that time until he was twenty-two he taught school during the winter seasons. In 1858 he was elected county sur- veyor for Whitley County, and November 4th, of the same year, was married to Miss Nancy Douglas, sister of A. J. Douglas, present county superintendent of schools. He served in the capacity of surveyor until 1863, being twice re-elected, and resigning before his third term expired. He then engaged in the woolen manufacturing business about six months; and, in April, 1865, started to Montana to hunt gold; but injuries re- ceived at the mouth of the Yellow Stone River obliged
9
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
12th Dist.]
him to return, which he did by the same boat that had ' to Indiana, and purchased lands in Hendricks County, carried him up the Missouri. The following winter, in company with E. Zimmerman, now of the Valparaiso Messenger, and former proprietor of the Columbia City Post, he purchased the Fort Wayne Daily Sentinel, the Democratic paper of that place, and conducted it from January 1, 1866, until the following July, at which time he sold his interest to Hon. William Fleming, present state Treasurer of Indiana. November 1, 1866, he bought the Columbia City Post, the leading Democratic ' journal of Whitley County, which he has since published in a creditable manner. Mr. Brown has always been a member of the Democratic party, and, since entering upon journalistic life, has been very active in state and county politics. From 1870 until 1876 he was a mem- ber of the State Central Democratic Committee from the Twelfth Congressional District, and for the last ten years has been Chairman of the Whitley County Dem- ocratic Committee. He held the office of county clerk from 1871 till 1875, and during that time made many necessary improvements, which add much to the comfort, convenience, and beauty of the place. In 1874 he re- ceived the unanimous nomination, but, on account of the Granger movement, which was then at its height, the entire Democratic ticket was defeated. He built one-fourth of the Central Block, in Columbia City, in which he has his printing-office, having constructed it expressly for that purpose. It is one of the finest and most convenient offices in any place of three thousand inhabitants in the state ; and indeed, though some may be larger, none are neater or more convenient. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, and the Independent Order of Red Men at Columbia City. His family consists of three daughters. In all public improvements he takes a prominent part ; and to any thing that will help the prosperity or add to the beauty of Columbia City he gives favorable influence through the columns of the Post, as well as liberal contributions of his means.
near Indianapolis. He died in 1825. His wife, Esther (Wallace) Borden, was of Scotch descent. James W. Borden was next to the youngest of seven sons, and the fifth of eight children. His guardian, Benjamin Borden, sent him to Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York, to attend an academy, under charge of Rev. David Chas- sell, D. D. Among his classmates who have since be- come prominent were, General Halleck, of the United States Army ; Professor Gray, author of "Gray's Botany;" and James Hadley, LL. D. He subsequently attended the Fellenberg school, in Connecticut. Governor Mor- gan, of New York, was one of his classmates. He read law with Hon. Abijah Mann, junior, of Herkimer, New York, and in 1834 was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of New York. Afterwards, in the fall, he removed to Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana. In 1837 he was elected mayor of the city of Richmond ; and in 1839 was appointed to take charge of the land- office at Fort Wayne, and at once removed to that city. He held the position of register of the land-office until 1841, when he resigned, and the same year was elected, by the Indiana Legislature, Judge of the Twelfth Judi- cial Circuit. In 1850, when the state Constitution was revised, he was elected a delegate from the Senatorial District of Allen, Adams, and Wells Counties. He in- troduced a resolution providing for a reformation of practice in the courts; and was appointed chairman of the Committee on the Practice of Law and Law Reform. He drew the article, and reported it, providing for the appointment of three commissioners to reform the practice of the courts. The convention on the banking question was divided into two parties, one in favor of the state bank system, and the other preferring free banks. Mr. Borden participated in the debate, taking the ground that the subject of banking belonged to the state gov- ernments and the currency, or circulating medium, was a subject belonging to the general government. This, at the time, was thought a new and peculiar idea. After the organization of the judiciary, by the new Constitution, he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, which office he held until 1857; when he was appointed minister resident to the Sandwich Islands, being absent until January, 1863, making a trip entirely around the world, seeing China, India, Egypt, Italy, Switzerland, France, England, and Scotland, and visiting the native country of his ancestors. Upon his return to Fort Wayne he was again chosen Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and before his term of office expired he was elected Judge of the Allen Criminal Court, which office he now holds. He has uniformly supported the political views of Jefferson and Jackson, and has always
ORDEN, JAMES WALLACE, Judge of the Allen Criminal Court, of Indiana, was born Feb- ruary 5, 1810, on Newport River, about five miles from Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina. His paternal ancestors were from the County of Kent, England, and located at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Richard Borden was the emigrant from England, and arrived in America in 1635. The grandfather of Judge Borden, William, was born at Newport, Rhode Island, and while a boy, about the year 1732, removed with his parents to North Carolina. The father, Joseph Borden, | admired the principles and character of Nathaniel Ma- was born May 5, 1769, and was a wealthy planter, con, of his native state (North Carolina), and of Silas Wright, junior, of New York. He believes that the belonging to the society of Quakers. In 1823 he came E-10
10
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
112th Dist.
science of government has been considered too much a | year of his age, lamented by his family and friends. mystery; that this idea should be dispelled, and, when done, government will be found to be a very simple thing. All just rule, according to his theory, consists in protecting man against wrong from his neighbor; or, in other words, governments are instituted to protect persons and property ; and every step beyond this is apt to lead to tyranny; therefore, that administration of affairs is best which is merely sufficient to insure safety to life and property, and all attempts to do more than to guard the rights of those over whom its power ex- tends must result in the enactment of partial and unequal laws. He is a State Rights man, and believes in decen- tralization of power, and home rule. He particularly admires the wisdom and foresight of Jefferson and Jack- son in their efforts to preserve the public lands for the use of actual settlers. Mr. Borden has been twice mar- ried. February 21, 1831, he was united to Emeline Griswold, daughter of William Griswold, of Middleville, Herkimer County, New York; and by her had five children, two sons and three daughters, both sons being officers in the Federal army during the Rebellion. The youngest is still in the 5th Infantry, under General Miles. August 15, 1848, he was again married to Jane Conkling, daughter of Brewster Conkling, Esq., of Springfield, Otsego County, New York, and by her has one son, Henry D. Mr. Borden was reared a Quaker, but is now a regular attendant of the Episcopal Church. His speeches on the question of Law Reform, and his views on a Constitutional Currency, were considered able and effective. While a law student, he compiled a very valuable and complete work, entitled, " The History of the Federal and Democratic Parties, from their Origin till the Present Time."
UNYAN, WILLIAM, druggist, and leading citizen of Kendallville, Noble County, Indiana, was born October 20, 1833, in West Charlton, Saratoga County, New York, and is a son of Robert and Helen (Russel) Bunyan, who were farmers by occupa- tion. The maternal parent was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and emigrated with her parents to America when a child of five years of age. She was born in 1811, and lived an exemplary Christian life as an ac- ceptable member of the Presbyterian Church. She was an honored wife, and an indulgent and self-sacrificing mother. She died, December, 1856, in the forty-fifth year of her age. Ilis father was a native of the state of New York. His ancestors emigrated from Scotland in the early history of this country. He was born in 1803, and was in life a sincere Christian and consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and lived a pure and honorable life. He died in 1864, in the sixty-first
William Bunyan enjoyed in boyhood and youth limited educational advantages, his opportunities being confined to the common district school. At the age of twenty he removed with his father's family to Indiana, and located on a farm near Lima, Lagrange County, where he remained until 1859, when he came to- Kendallville, and in company with his younger brother, James R., engaged in the drug business under the firm name of W. & J. R. Bunyan. They have ever since continued the same line of trade. Commencing trade with extremely limited means, their capital consisted chiefly of a liberal stock of pluck, energy, and ability, with unquestioned integrity, and a determination to make business and life a success among men. For twenty-one years their busi- ness has been uninterrupted by change, except in its extension and magnitude ; and with their constant growth of favor and confidence with the public, and a contin- ued volume and variety of sales, they are to-day re- garded as the oldest firm, and among the substantial ones in trade at this time in Noble County. Their suc- cess is due to their trust and confidence in each other, their joint fidelity to the interests of the company, and their industry and knowledge of the business, combined with their ability as financiers. Their judgment seldom is wrong in matters of financial policy. William Bun- yan, with his brother, is an active and useful member of the First Presbyterian Church of Kendallville, to which he is a liberal and generous contributor, and by his example adds much to its spiritual advancement, and is strenuous in advocating temperance and other moral reforms tending to ameliorate and better the con- dition of the community. In politics Mr. Bunyan is an uncompromising Republican, ready and earnest in the support and defense of his political convictions, in which he is actuated purely by a conscientious sense of principle. He is not a candidate for political prefer- ment. Although he has held positions of honor and trust, it was more through the desire of his friends than from his own seeking. In 1872 he was elected by his party to represent his district, comprising the counties of Noble and Lagrange, in the state Senate, serving four years. In the discharge of his duties he was industrious, efficient, and conscientious, and took a high position among the useful members of the Senate. He won for himself the esteem and commendations alike of his political friends and opponents. During this time he was chair- man of the Committee on Roads; and among the various committees on which he served was that of Banks and Banking, County and Townships. He was also United States deputy collector of revenue for Noble County from 1869 till 1872, in which his administration was marked for its ability, courtesy, and correctness. Mr. Bunyan was, August 24, 1870, united in marriage with Miss Cornelia R. Hudson, of Lagrange County, Indiana.
12th Dist.]
REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.
She is a direct descendant of the celebrated navigator, | ized the Indiana State Bank, of Lima, in which he was a stockholder and director. It was afterward chartered as the First National Bank, of Lima, and subsequently converted into a private institution with Mr. Burnell, John and James Howe, and S. P. Williams as sole own- ers and proprietors. It is regarded as one of the most substantial and best conducted banks in Northern Indi- ana, and represents more wealth than any other financial agency in Lagrange County. It commands the confi- dence of the public, from whom it receives a liberal pat- ronage. In 1862 Mr. Burnell rented his place on English Prairie and removed to Lima, where he located on one of Henry Hudson, who in 1609 discovered and sailed up the waters of the Hudson River as far as the point now occupied by the city of Albany, and from whom the river derived its name. Mrs. Bunyan is a lady of per- sonal attractions and native endowments, a sincere and conscientious Christian, and a worthy and consistent member, with her husband, of the First Presbyterian Church. They have had one daughter, Mabel, who was born October 18, 1874. She died November 21, 1879. Mr. Bunyan is a true type of the successful self-made men of Indiana. Beginning life's battle in a field of adversity, with the aid of only a meager capital and less mercan- ; his numerous farms. He is regarded, with perhaps one tile and commercial experience, wholly dependent upon personal effort, his good sense, sound judgment, and discreet management have forced success out of what to many others would have been certain defeat, and at the same time secured him a prominent position among the leading merchants of Noble and surrounding counties. The house of W. & J. R. Bunyan is extensively and favorably known, not only in the business circles of their own state, but at the commercial centers of other parts of the country ; and none better merit the envia- ble position they have won for themselves among their fellow-men. William Bunyan is conspicuous among the representative men of Kendallville, and is respected and trusted by all. He is now hale and hearty, and is still young. We may expect from him still greater achievements in the future.
exception, as the wealthiest man in the county. His suc- cess in life has been marked, and to him satisfactory. Landing in New York in 1829 with only twenty-six dol- lars in his possession, but stocked with a large amount of courage and determination to succeed, he pushed forward. Since that time every business enterprise in which he has embarked has, through his far-seeing judgment, been favored with financial success. In all the business transactions of life Mr. Burnell is regarded as the soul of honor. He is a stock owner and director of the First National Bank, of Sturgis, Michigan. He is also engaged extensively as a dealer in farming real estate, and in loaning money on secured obligation. In politics Mr. Burnell is a pronounced Republican. He was married, April 4, 1839, to Miss Mary Ann Mason, of English Prairie, a warm-hearted and benevolent lady, full of generous sympathies. They have three children, two daughters and one son : Ella, born May 8, 1840 ; John, born April 20, 1842, and Jennie, September I, 1849. Notwithstanding his varied business interests, Mr. Burnell has found time for much pleasure travel, both in this country and in England and France, hav- ing visited Paris and his native country during the I summer of 1878. He is one of the very first settlers of Lagrange County, having located there fifty years ago; is one of the early pioneers of North-aestern In- diana, and has lived to see the forest primeval trans- formed into rich and well-cultivated farms, and the log cabins and pole sheds give way to spacious dwellings, barns and out-buildings, and the few white settlers sur- rounded by numerous savages and wild beasts, a part of the empire of civilization. The population of the county has increased to nearly twenty thousand souls. In this magical change Mr. Burnell has been an impor- tant factor. And now in his abundance of means, sur- rounded with comforts and luxuries, he looks back with pride and satisfaction upon the share he has taken in the work. He was one of the number who supplied themselves with meal and flour by the use of the coffee
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.