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 90

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 90

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E-II

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Abigail B. Woodworth, June 5, 1829. In 1832 he re- moved to Logansport, Indiana, where he became emi- nent as a lawyer, and was several years Judge of the Circuit Court. He afterwards resumed his calling at Peru, Indiana, and in 1835 returned to Fort Wayne, where he continued to rise in his profession, being the leading lawyer of the Fort Wayne bar, and several years President - Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the state of Indiana. He died the 9th of January, 1843. In his private deportment and social intercourse he was an accomplished gentleman. He was eminently success- ful as a lawyer. He was a safe counselor and an eloquent advocate. In either branch he had few equals, and fewer superiors. As a Judge, he was prompt in his decisions. His opinions were learned, clear, and perspicuous, and generally in accordance with the principles of law and equity. He was a warm and devoted friend, and prompted by the most liberal and generous feelings in his intercourse with his friends and acquaintances. He will long be regretted, and his memory will be cherished until the last of his friends and acquaintances shall pass away. The following proceedings were entered on the records of the Cass County Circuit Court, at a meeting of the court and members of the bar, held at the court- house in Logansport, Indiana, February 21, 1843 :

"Whereas, During vacation we have heard with deep regret the melancholy death of the Hon. Charles W. Ewing, who for many years presided over this court, and who had long been known as a distinguished mem- ber of its bar; therefore, be it

" Resolved, That in the Hon. Charles W. Ewing, late deceased, we recognized the firm, dignified, and inde- pendent Judge, the learned counsel, eloquent advocate, the accomplished gentleman, and the noble friend.

" Resolved, That by his death we have buried a brother, that the bench and bar have been deprived of one of their brightest ornaments, and that the public has sustained an irreparable loss.

" Resolved, That although no outward badge can testify the heart's feeling for the dead, yet as a token of memory each member of the court and bar wear black crape upon the left arm during the present session, and that we mingle our sympathies with the relatives and friends of the deceased.

" Resolved, That, as a lasting memorial to worth, tal- ent, and genius, these proceedings be written among the records of this court ; that they also be published in the respective newspapers of Logansport, and a copy thereof be sent to the bereaved widow of the deceased.

"JNO. W. WRIGHT, Chairman.

" JNO. S. PATTERSON, Secretary."

{ WING, COLONEL GEORGE WASHINGTON, departed this life at the residence of Doctor Charles E. Sturgis, in Fort Wayne, on the 29th Out of May, 1866, in the sixty-third year of his age. As the Ewing family, of whom he was the surviving male member, have been identified with the early set-

tlement of Indiana, it is proper that a historical record should be perpetuated of them, and a few extracts from a history of the family, written by the deceased, will not be out of place. His father, Colonel Alexander Ewing, was of Irish parentage, and born in Pennsylva- nia in 1763. At the age of sixteen years, actuated by the spirit of patriotism, he repaired to Philadelphia, where he enlisted in the Continental army, and served during the Revolutionary struggle. In 1787 he was en- gaged in a trading expedition in what was then called the far North-west, and erected a trading post on Buffalo Creek, where now stands the city of Buffalo. A few years later he purchased lands on the Genesee Flats, near a small village called Big Tree, and in the neigh- borhood of Geneseo, Livingston County, New York. In 1802 he removed to the River Raisin, and settled where the city of Monroe is now standing. In 1807 he moved to Ohio, and settled in the town of Washington, now called Piqua, remaining there and at Troy until 1822, when he made his final removal to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where, on the 27th of January, 1827, he de- parted this life, and was buried on a spot selected by himself near the corner of Pearl and Cass Streets. The mother, Charlotte Griffith, was of Welsh parentage, and a lady of great excellence and moral worth. She sur- vived her husband until the 13th of March, 1843, when she died at Peru, Indiana. The issue of this marriage was, Sophie C., relict of Smallwood Noel, Esq. ; Charles W., formerly President - Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the state of Indiana, born at the village of Big Tree, above referred to; William G., formerly Judge of the Probate Court of Allen County, Indiana; Alex- ander H., a successful merchant of Cincinnati, Ohio; and George W., the subject of this memoir, born at Monroe, Michigan; Lavinia, deceased, married to the Hon. George B. Walker, of Logansport, born at Piqua, Ohio; and Louisa, widow of the late Doctor Charles E. Sturgis, of Fort Wayne, born at Troy, Ohio. In the year 1827 the two brothers, William G. and George W., formed the widely known firm of W. G. & G. W. Ewing. By their articles of copartnership all the estate became and continued to be the common property of the firm, until the 11th of July, 1854, when the copartnership ceased by the death of William. During all that time the brothers reposed in each other the utmost confi- dence, and no settlement of accounts ever took place between them. After the death of William G. Ewing, George W. Ewing devoted his whole energies to the work of winding up the immense business of the old partnership; and with the assistance of his former con- fidential agents, Messrs. Miner and Lytle, succeeded on the 10th of October, 1865, in making a full and com- plete settlement, to the satisfaction of the administrators and the legatees of his brother's estate. Colonel George W. Ewing began his business career by establishing a

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trading-post among the Shawnee Indians, at the place where now stands the village of Wapakoneta, Ohio. In 1828 he married Miss Harriet Bourie; and in 1830, with other citizens of Fort Wayne, he removed to the junction of the Wabash and Eel Rivers, and there founded the prosperous city of Logansport. In 1839 he went to Peru, Indiana, where he resided until October, 1846, when he removed to St. Louis, where his wife died, January 24, 1847. In July, 1854, on account of his brother's death, he returned to Fort Wayne, to take charge of the office of the late firm. December 27, 1865, he was stricken down by an attack of bilious pneumo- nia, from which he partially recovered, when heart- disease intervened, and he lingered along for five months, having suffered intense agony of body and mind, when death put an end to his existence. As far as he could, he arranged his worldly affairs to his satisfaction; and, after many long and earnest consultations with the Right Rev. Bishop Luers, he was baptized, and partook of the holy sacrament, and put his trust in the Dispenser of all good. From that time he appeared to lose his usual sternness of manner, to become entirely resigned and composed, and finally seemed to fall asleep, quietly passing away. At his particular request, made on his death - bed, he was buried in conformity with the rites of the Catholic Church, his body being deposited in Lindenwood Cemetery, near Fort Wayne. The mon- ument in Lindenwood, although the finest that adorns that beautiful resting - place of the dead, was scarcely necessary to perpetuate Colonel Ewing's memory with the present generation of Fort Wayne, who will never forget one whose genius, enterprise, and liberality con- tributed so much to place the business of the city upon the solid foundations it now occupies.

ARRINGTON, ALMOND S., M. D., of Waterloo, De Kalb County, Indiana, was born December 4, 1832, in Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York. He is a son of Keeler and Assenath (Southwick) Farrington, who were of Scotch descent. Their ancestors came here some time prior to the Rev- olutionary War. Keeler Farrington was for many years engaged in the saw milling and lumber business, both in Chautauqua, New York, and Portage, Ohio. He was a soldier, and served in the war with England in 1812. The Doctor enjoyed in youth but limited educational advantages. At the age of five years his father's family moved to Portage, Huron County, Ohio, where he re- mained about twelve years. The country being new, and schools receiving the support of no public fund, private subscriptions were the principal dependence. This was obtained with much difficulty in amounts suf- ficient to insure one for the winter. Almond attended

irregularly until he arrived at the age of seventeen years, when, in 1849, his family removed to Indiana, and located near Sedan, De Kalb County, where his father purchased a new and and timbered farm, which they began clearing and improving. Here the young man remained, assisting, for about a year and a half; but this new country not offering the school facilities he de- sired, he returned to Norwalk, Ohio, where he again began attending the district school during the winter for two years, working the remainder of the time to earn means with which to continue his studies. In 1852 he entered Hiram College, at Portage, Ohio, remaining for five years. In 1857 he began reading medicine under the instruction of Doctor Elisha Hall, of Portage, con- tinuing one year, when he entered the Eclectic Medical College, at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he was grad- uated at the end of two years, receiving his diploma as physician and surgeon March 1, 1860. The following month he located at Norwalk, where he began practice with satisfactory success. In 1862 he removed to Sedan, De Kalb County, Indiana, and stayed until 1869, when he sold his property there, with a view of removing to Waterloo; but, being unable to suit himself in the pur- chase of property in the village, he bought a farm out- side of its limits, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, hiring his work done, while his own time was devoted to the practice of medicine. In 1871 Doctor Farrington purchased his present home on Maple Street, which his good taste has made among the most valuable and desi- rable residences of the town. He has been engaged in the healing art in this county for the past eighteen years, and with constantly increasing popularity, and is now in the enjoyment of an extensive and lucrative business. Doctor Farrington is devoted to the Æscula- pian art, acquiring his efficiency by close application. He has an energy and push which have served him well, and which have made him a constant student and seeker after knowledge, and has a determination to excel, which places him in the front rank of his compeers. As a surgeon, Doctor Farrington has always met with good success. Although well read in the science, and a skill- ful operator, his greater merit lies in the practice of medicine. His visiting list is large and extensive, and is a more flattering eulogy than any thing we might say. He is a typical family physician, and enjoys in a marked degree that love and confidence which belong to such a relation. Of strong character, a cheerful presence, and a sympathetic heart, he is always calm in the sick-room, impressing anxious friends unconsciously with his ability and fidelity. Doctor Farrington is a worthy and earnest member of the Christian Church of Waterloo, and a man of deep religious convictions, and in his extensive prac- tice is well qualified to administer to the heart and mind as well as the body. While his well-directed efforts in the pursuits of his profession have placed him among

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the first in reputation in his county, he has been no less successful financially, having acquired a handsome competence. In politics the Doctor is a stalwart Repub- lican, firm and uncompromising in the support and de- fense of his political convictions, yet generous and tol- erant of the views and sentiments of others not in accord with him. He is in no sense a politician or an office- seeker. He is an earnest and consistent advocate of the temperance reform, and adds the force of example. He is in sympathy with all reforms in the people's interest. Doctor Farrington is in private life the genial, courteous Christian gentleman. He was married, October 19, 1861, to Miss Elizabeth Link, of Union Township, De Kalb County, Indiana, an exemplary member of the Christian Church, a considerate neighbor, and a mother who has the strong affection of her children. They have seven children, four sons and three daughters. Doctor Far- rington is now in the prime of manhood, possessing a robust constitution and good health. Notwithstanding he now carries in his body seven pieces of lead, which he received from a gun aimed by a maniac, while in the discharge of his professional duty in 1871, from the effects of which he for some time lay in a critical con- dition, thanks to an iron constitution, aided by a correct life, he still lives in the enjoyment of health.

ERRALL, JOSEPH D., a leading lawyer of La- grange, Lagrange County, Indiana, was born, Jan- uary 23, 1840, in Fairfield, Columbiana County, Ohio. His parents, Jonathan B. and Mary (Dil- dine) Ferrall, were natives of Virginia and Ohio, and were engaged in agriculture. The grandfather, W. C. Ferrall, was a native of Germany, and was one of an army of insurgents engaged in rebellion in that country. He was captured by the government troops, tried, con- victed of treason, and condemned to be shot, but escaped through' the aid of his confederates, fleeing to America and settling in Loudoun County, Virginia, where his son Jonathan was born in 1793. In 1801 he with his family was part of a colony of emigrants who removed to Ohio and settled in Fairfield, and were pioneers of Colum- biana County. Jonathan B., the father of our subject, still resides in Fairfield and is now eighty-seven years of age, and, with the exception of failing eyesight, retains his faculties to a wonderful degree. His mind and memory seem to possess that freshness and force which characterized him many years ago, while his physical health is good and constitution strong. His wife was a descendant of Jesse P. Phillips, the founder of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of whom she was a grand- daughter. Joseph D. Ferrall in early boyhood attended school in the winter and worked on the farm the remain- der of the year, until the age of fourteen, when a dif-

ference of opinion as to his future calling arose between his father and himself. His inclination was for the pur- suit of the law, but his father, who belonged to the soci- ety of Friends, declined to educate him for that purpose. The result was that the boy at the above age left home to seek his fortune on his own account. Having acquired a good common school education, he at once entered the New Lisbon Academy, which he attended for six months, walking four miles each way daily, after which, in order to be enabled to pursue his studies, he went to Hancock County, Virginia, where he taught a select school for about six months, giving all his spare time to study. He attended the academy at Lisbon, as reg- ularly as his means would permit, until nineteen years of age, when he began his favorite study, the law, read- ing in the office and under the instructions of Judge L. P. Potter, with whom he remained until 1861, teach- ing school winters. In August he was commissioned first lieutenant in the army, and assigned to the recruit- ing service. He was active and efficient in enlisting and organizing the 32d Ohio Regiment of Infantry, and continued in the recruiting service until the following winter, during which time he did remarkable work in that way, enlisting the most of five regiments, includ- ing the 32d. From overwork and exposure in outdoor speaking, his health became impaired, disqualifying him for the labor. After recovery he resumed his studies, and was admitted to the bar April 25, 1863. He en- gaged in the practice of his profession until April, 1864, when he enlisted as a private in Company I, 163d Reg- iment Ohio Infantry, which was assigned to duty in the Tenth Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He participated in the battles of the Wilderness and all the intervening engagements of General Grant's army down to the capture of Richmond. After the close of the war he returned to Ohio, and in June, 1865, he removed to Indiana and located at Lagrange, resuming the practice of the law, which he has since continued with a rapidly increasing business and a steadily growing reputation in his profession, and being now in the enjoyment of a large and lucrative patronage. Mr. Ferrall occupies a distinguished position among his brother lawyers. Mr. Ferrall is thoroughly devoted to his profession, and has never ceased to be an earnest student and an extensive reader, of general and broad culture. His legal learning is not confined to reported cases, but embraces as well the elements and principles upon which the science of law is based. In politics Mr. Ferrall is a determined Re- publican. A ready, forcible, and popular public speaker, his services during campaigns are always in demand. He was prosecuting attorney of Lagrange County from 1866 to 1868. In religion he is orthodox in belief, not accepting, however, all the usages and dogmas of the local Churches. He holds himself aloof from member- ship with all, but is a liberal contributor to different

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religious organizations, and a regular attendant of the | Presbyterian Church of Lagrange. He is one of those foremost in advocating all projects calculated to promote the interests of his county and town. He was married, October 29, 1867, to Miss Verba A. Selby, of Bronson, Michigan. She died November 1, 1871, leaving one son, John, who was born January 5, 1870. He died June 27, 1872.

IRESTONE, JOHN B., of Larwill, Whitley County, Indiana, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, March 30, 1828. His father, John, was born in Maryland. His mother, Rachel Rol- ler, was born in Pennsylvania. They were parents of twelve children, six of whom are living. John was the second son and eleventh child. When twenty years of age he commenced the study of medicine with his cousin, Professor L. Firestone, at Wooster, Ohio; remained with him three years, and in 1851 located at Cannonsburg, Hancock County, Ohio, and commenced the practice of medicine. In 1855 he re- moved to Columbia City, Indiana; remained there four years; then removed to Larwill, where he now resides, having built up a very large and successful practice. He is a member of the Democratic party and repre- sented Whitley County in the state Legislature of 1858 and 1859; was candidate for state Senator in 1876, for Whitley and Kosciusko Counties, but was defeated by twenty-six votes. He is a Freemason and a member of the Warsaw Commandery and Scottish Rites. Ile has been twice married. His first wife was Sarah A. Orr, of Ashland County, Ohio, to whom he was mar- ried October 17, 1848. She died December 25, 1855, at Columbia City. They had four children, of whom one son, a merchant of Pierceton, survives. December 4, 1856, the Doctor married in Van Wert, Ohio, Miss Re- becca H. McHenry, and by her has one son.

OUST, FRANKLIN HENRY, banker, of Colum- bia City, was born, January 10, 1825, in Delaware County, Ohio. His father, Henry Foust, of Ger- man descent, was a well-to-do farmer, and during the most of his life, a local preacher of the Methodist Church. His mother, Mary Olds, is of English descent and connected with the Olds family, whose descendants have become prominent in Ohio politics. Their family consisted of nine children, four sons and five daughters, three sons and three daughters surviving. Mr. Foust was reared on his father's farm, and in February, 1848, went to Miami County, Indiana, where he entered the employment of Adam Wolfe, now a prominent citizen of Muncie, Indiana, and engaged in peddling fanning-mills.

He received for his services the first year eight dollars a month. At the end of two years he and Mr. Wolfe became partners, under the firm name of F. H. Foust & Co. In the winter of 1850 Mr. Foust removed to Columbia City, built a factory, and for three years car- ried on the business of manufacturing wheat fanning mills. After closing that up they engaged in mercan- tile life, and although Mr. Foust was a novice in that line he made it a success. He conducted it eight years, at the expiration of which the Columbia City Bank was opened by F. H. Foust & Co., and for the last twelve years has been successfully managed by Mr. Foust. It is situated in a handsome brick block, constructed by the firm, and contains one of the finest, if not the finest, vaults and safes in Northern Indiana. Mr. Foust is a member of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, and of the Republican party. Before its organization he was a Whig, but during the short life of the Know- Nothing party, declined to join its ranks. He has held offices of local trust, but does not aspire to political fame. He was once elected Justice of the Peace, but as the duties of that position interfered with business, he resigned before his term expired. He was married, December 12, 1850, in Columbia City, to Miss Maxie A. Jones.

ALE, JESSE M., a lawyer and prominent citizen, of Angola, Steuben County, Indiana, was born June 18, 1828, in Crawford (now Wyandot) County, Ohio, and is the seventh and youngest born of Jesse and Jane (Brown) Gale. They were natives re- spectively of Orange County, New York, and Franklin County, Ohio, and farmers by occupation. The father was of German descent, and his grandfather, Richard, emigrated to America about the year 1766. He was a man of marked intelligence and influence in the neigh- borhood in which he lived, and left a numerous poster- ity. His son Jesse located with his family in Ohio, and there died a few weeks prior to the birth of Jesse M., leaving his widow with seven small children to support upon a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. And well did this noble woman discharge the obligations thus laid upon her. In 1837 she with her family removed to Indiana and located at Angola, Steuben County, pur- chasing eighty acres of wild timbered land, one mile south of what is now the city of Angola, and with the aid of her larger sons set about clearing and improving it, remaining there until after the settlement of her chil- dren, after which she took up her home with her son Jesse, with whom she lived the remainder of her life. She was a lady of much more than ordinary ability, strength of character, and purity of purpose. She died in the sev- enty-seventh year of her age. Mr. Gale's ancestry on the maternal side was English. Morris Brown, his grand-

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father, was a captain in the American army during the Revolutionary War, and served in that memorable con- flict for the independence of his country. While in the service and absent from home, his neighborhood was invaded by the British and Indians, and many were cap- tured, including women and children, as well as the old and decrepit, and placed in line of march for a distant part of the country. When the aged and enfeebled could keep pace no longer with the procession, they were killed by the murderous savages. Mr. Brown's mother, then an old lady, was of the number of those slain dur- ing that terrible march. Our subject attended common schools only in the winter, working on the farm of his mother the rest of the time, during his boyhood, a part of the time acting as clerk in the store of his uncle, Thomas Gale, at Angola, a reference to whose life will be found in the sketch of A. W. Hendry, in this work. Mr. Gale at the age of nineteen entered as a student at Ontario, Indiana, the Lagrange County Collegiate Insti- tute, where he remained for three years, during which time he perfected his studies in the English branches, and attained some knowledge of Latin, after which he entered the law office of A. W. Hendry, of Angola, where he remained for one year. He subsequently attended the law department, at Bloomington, Indiana, during the term of 1851-52, his preceptors being Profess- ors David McDonnell and William Otto, the latter now reporter of the United States Supreme Court, after- ward entering the law college at Ballston Springs, Sar- atoga County, New York, for one term of four months, his diploma bearing the date of August 12, 1852. Upon returning to Angola he formed a business connection with A. W. Hendry for the practice of his profession, and as dealers in real estate, continuing until 1864, when Mr. Hendry retired. Mr. Gale continued the business on his own account for a year, when he asso- ciated with himself E. B. Glasgow, a dissolution taking place in 1867. Mr. Glasgow then withdrew, leaving Mr. Gale alone until 1876, when Mr. L. H. Stocker was received as a partner, under the firm name of Gale & Stocker. In 1878 Doke R. Best was also admitted to the firm. They rank with the best lawyers in North- castern Indiana. For promptness, method, and probity, they perhaps have no superior in this part of the state. In connection with the practice of law, Mr. Gale in 1856 engaged in agricultural pursuits, owning and working at different times several farms, of which he now has three, one, adjoining the city of Angola on the south, of four hundred acres, and two small ones a little further from town, comprising all together about five hundred and sixty acres, all supplied with modern farm imple- ments and well stocked with a superior grade of cattle, hogs, and sheep. The farms indicate substantial thrift. As a lawyer Mr. Gale occupies a distinguished position among his professional brethren. In the trial of suits .

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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 90

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