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 94

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 94

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REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

[12th Dist.

of the time, continuing in these occupations for four years. While traveling through the country his busi- ness led him to De Kalb County, Indiana, where, no- ticing the large amount of valuable timber, he con- ceived the plan of engaging in the lumber business. In 1855, with his brother, he commenced the trade, under the name of R. M. & W. C. Lockhart, and the follow- ing year they were joined by their father. The firm were the pioneers in the trade of shipping lumber in the county of De Kalb. They exported the first car-load from the county, hauling it with teams some distance to meet the approaching track then being laid on the Lake Shore Railroad. They constructed the first few frame school-houses in Smithfield Township, and furnished material for the first frame dwelling erected in Water- loo. In connection with their lumber trade they have engaged extensively in agriculture, managing by hired help some of the many farms they owned, while others were rented to parties to work on shares. For enter- prise, push, and activity, Mr. R. M. Lockhart has no superior. During the depression of the times, like all others engaged in extensive business, they suffered heavy losses. Many became hopeless and succumbed to the pressure. But the effect upon Mr. Lockhart was just the reverse, and only served to stimulate still greater energies, and bring out more fully his abilities to meet and overcome all obstacles in the way of success. Now the advent of lively trade and better times finds him in the field of success, with credit and good reputation. Mr. Lockhart in his business transactions is industrious, energetic, and decisive ; his plans are systematic and well arranged. He is a good financier. Mr. Lockhart was brought up in the old Democratic school of pol- itics, and adhered to that organization until 1854, when, in consequence of the repeal of the Missouri Compro- mise, he abandoned the party and united with the Re- publicans, ever since being an active worker in their ranks. An efficient organizer and effective and popular speaker, he exercises a wide influence in the success of party measures. He is not an aspirant for political pre- ferment. In 1857 he was township trustee, and the same year was appointed postmaster at Smithfield, holding the place until 1861. In 1864 Mr. Lockhart was elected by his party to represent his county in the state Legis- lature, being the first Republican elected to that position in the county of De Kalb, and serving in both the reg- ular and special sessions. He was chairman of the Committee on Railroads, and a member of the Commit- tees on Claims and Accounts, and on Education. In the clischarge of his duties as Representative he was indus- trious, energetic, and conscientious, carrying into his official labors that unswerving fidelity which character- ized his private management. In 1866 he was a can- didate for renomination, with a large majority of the delegates in his favor, but, learning that the names of

some of the war veterans were before the convention, Mr. Lockhart declined to interfere with them. In 1874 he was elected a member of the Indiana State Board of Agriculture from the Sixteenth District, and re-elected to the same position in 1876 and in 1878. For his use- fulness and efficiency in the board he was made the superintendent and general manager of the society for 1878 and 1879. His fitness for the position, and the able manner in which his duties were discharged, are well illustrated and acknowledged by a testimonial which he received from many of the principal exhibitors on the ground, which they caused to be published in the Indian- apolis Journal of December 30, 1879. It spoke in warm terms of the skill, fairness, and ability with which the fair had been managed. , Much of the unprecedented success of the exhibition was due to the determined stand taken by Mr. Lockhart in excluding beer and liquor from the fair grounds. Too much credit can not be accorded him for this initial step. In the temper- ance reform Mr. Lockhart is active and earnest, ever ready in advocating its principles. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of Waterloo, to which he has always been a liberal contributor, and we believe was one of its founders, and the leader in building the church now owned by them. He has been generous in aid of all religious organizations of his town, and fore- most in every praiseworthy enterprise. He is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd-fellows, having attained the position of Past Grand. He is a man of extended acquaintance in the business circles of the county ; probably no one is better known through the state, or more favorably regarded in its business centers, than Mr. R. M. Lockhart. His genial intercourse with men commands their respect and confidence. He was married, November 24, 1857, to Miss E., daughter of Joseph and Eleanor Day, of Lexington, Ohio. They were natives of Maryland and emigrated to Ohio in 1813. The father was a man of marked ability and acquirements, and the mother was one of twin sisters, both living to a great age, celebrating their ninetieth birthday on the 17th of June, 1878, in Waterloo. Both are now in possession of their mental and physical fac- ulties. Their posterity, including children, grand and great grand children united, includes two hundred and forty-nine; those of the mother of Mrs. Lockhart num- bering one hundred and seventeen, while her sister counts one hundred and thirty-two. Mrs. Lockhart is the eleventh of a family of twelve children. She is a lady of marked appearance, of strong religious convic- tions, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. The private life of Mr. Lockhart is that of a courteous gentleman. His intelligence and great conversational powers always make him a pleasing and instructive com- panion. He has a never-ending fund of trenchant hu- mor, which serves to gratify and interest his auditors.

JUCERTOI

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'DGERTON, ALFRED P., of Fort Wayne, was born in Plattsburg, Clinton County, New York, on the 11th of January, 1813, and is the eldest son of Bela Edgerton and Phebe Ketchum, who were married in Plattsburg on the 24th of March, 1811. His father was born in New London, Connecticut, Sep- tember 28, 1787, and was descended from Richard Ed- gerton, one of the original proprietors of Norwich. Bela Edgerton graduated at Middlebury College, and early removed to New York state. He was a lawyer by profession, and after taking up his residence there was several times elected a member of the Assembly. He died at Fort Wayne September 10, 1874, aged eighty-seven years. Mrs. Edgerton was born on the Livingston Manor, Dutchess County, New York, March 27, 1790, and died at Hicksville, Ohio, August 24, 1844. Alfred P. Edgerton, the son, was a graduate of the academy at Plattsburg, and became the editor of a newspaper in his native county in 1833; but in the fall of that year removed to the city of New York, where he engaged in commercial pursuits. In the spring of 1837 he came to Ohio, and assumed the management of the extensive landed interests of the American Land Company, and those of the Messrs. Hicks. At this office over 140,000 acres of land were sold. In 1852 Mr. Ed- gerton was the owner of nearly 40,000 acres in Northwest Ohio, a large part since disposed of to actual settlers, to- wards whom a liberal policy was shown. During his resi- dence there he was actively engaged in developing and improving the town and its neighborhood. In 1845 he was elected to the state Senate, then comprising many able men, where he took an active part. Mr. Edger- ton being a new member, little was known or expected of him, but when Alfred Kelly, then the leader of the Whig party in the Senate, introduced the financial policy then favored by them, with kindred issues, he was opposed by Mr. Edgerton with force and ability. His speeches electrified the Senate by their accurate knowledge of the finances of the state. Kelly met a redoubtable foeman, and the Democrats were all de- lighted with the success that their speaker had gained in the debate, and thenceforward he was recognized as their leader. The next year he was proposed and strongly supported by many leading Democrats as their candidate for Governor. In 1850, after the close of a brilliant career in the state Senate, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the United States, and was re-elected in 1852. During his first term he was the second on the Committee on Claims, but in the next Congress was chairman. This was a very import- ant committee, and involved much arduous labor. His services in the committee-room were of great value to the country, but he did not neglect his position on the floor of the House. In debate he was forcible, logical, i

search, and being filled with information, practical good sense, and discrimination. In 1853 he was selected by the Board of Fund Commissioners of Ohio to represent the state as its financial agent in New York City. This was the inauguration of a new policy by Ohio, of hav- ing its funds kept by its own agents and within its own control. In 1856 he was chairman of the Committee on Organization of the National Democratic Conven- tion, held that year in Cincinnati. In 1859 he was one of a committee appointed by the Legislature of Ohio to investigate the frauds in the state treasury. He made an elaborate report, which was accepted by the public as a full exposition of the frauds and their authors. In 1857 he removed to Fort Wayne, but retained his citi- zenship in Ohio till 1862. In 1859, in conjunction with Hugh McCulloch, since Secretary of the Treasury, and Pliny Hoagland, he became a lessee of the Indiana Canal, from the Ohio state line to Terre Haute, assum- ing the position of general manager, and controlled the business until 1868. In 1868 he was nominated by the Democratic State Convention as their candidate for Lieutenant-governor, on the same ticket as Thomas A. Hendricks as Governor, but was defeated by less than a thousand votes. In 1872 he was nominated for Gover- nor by the O'Conor Democrats, but declined in an able and dignified letter addressed to the chairman of the convention. He concluded by saying : "I therefore shall vote the ticket with Mr. Hendricks at its head, and I earnestly hope that all Democrats in the state will do likewise." He has been called by his friends to fill many minor positions. He was a delegate from Ohio to the Baltimore Convention in 1848, and from Indiana to the Chicago Convention in 1864. He has been an active and efficient member and president of the school board in Fort Wayne for many years, and whatever places he has occupied he has filled with complete sat- isfaction to those who have conferred them upon him, and with honor to himself. In private life he is an ex- cellent, accomplished, and genial gentleman. He is one of the best and most successful business men of the state, and is a prominent favorite, and respected citizen. He was married to Charlotte Dixon in 1841, and now has six living children.

OODMAN, REUBEN SMITH, A. M., pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Kendallville, was born April 30, 1818, in Bolton, Warren County, New York, and is a son of Allen and Clarissa (Smith) Goodman, both being natives of South Hadley, Mass. His father was born May 1, 1783, and his mother November 6, 1788, marrying in Bolton, New York, December 4, 1807. They were both members of the Presbyterian Church of

pungent, and refined, his speeches showing great re- , that place until their death. Major Eleazor Goodman,

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grandfather of our subject, was a major in the Revolu- tionary War, and, with Mr. R. S. Goodman's other grand- father, Reuben Smith, who was a musician, participated in that memorable conflict for our national existence and independence. With their wives, they were both na- tives of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The Rev. Reu- ben S. Goodman received the education of his boyhood and early youth, until seventeen, in the common district schools of Bolton, New York. At that age he became a member of the Presbyterian Church there (then under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Courtney Smith). From early life he felt a desire to become a minister of the gospel, and began a course of studies with that end in view, at Granville Academy, Washington County, New York, October 6, 1836. After spending one term there, he entered the academy at Waterford, New York, the classical department of which was under the instruction of Tayler Lewis, a most eminent Biblical scholar, who subsequently was called to the professorship of Greek and Latin in the University of the City of New York, and later to the same chair in Union College. At the expiration of two years of study at Waterford, Mr. Goodman entered the sophomore class of the University of the City of New York, where he again came under the instructions of Professor Lewis, and graduated July 20, 1842. He spent the following winter in teaching at Brainard's Bridge, Rensselaer County, New York. The following fall he entered, as a student, the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, from which he graduated May 18, 1846, having been, on the previous April 23d, licensed to preach by the First Presbytery of New York, in the lecture-room of the church at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Nineteenth Street. He spent the months between his graduation and the fol- lowing October in preparatory study for the work with Rev. Reuben Smith, who was then pastor of the Pres. byterian Church at Waterford. He was ordained by the same presbytery that granted him his license, at its meeting at Astoria, May 28, 1847. He preached as stated supply for the Presbyterian Church at Lodi (now Gowanda), New York, from October, 1846, till June, 1848; then for the Congregational Church of Clarkson, New York, until May, 1853, when he accepted a call from the Presbyterian Church of Coldwater, Michigan, remaining there until October, 1854, at which time he was established pastor of the same Church, and contin- ued as such until October 17, 1860, then accepting a call from the First Presbyterian Church of Laporte, In- diana, where he remained as pastor until October 12, 1865. During his residence there his people built a new church, which was burned and rebuilt soon after Mr. Goodman left the charge. From Laporte he went to the Westminster Presbyterian Church (now the Second Presbyterian Church) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he continued until May 17, 1868, when he was estab-

lished as the pastor, remaining so until December 4, 1871. From November 25, 1871, until June 15, 1875, he preached as stated supply for the First Presbyterian Church of Kendallville, Indiana, then becoming its pastor, a position he has held ever since, and still occu- pies, with credit and honor to himself and to the satis- faction and profit of his people. During the more than thirty-four years Mr. Goodman has spent in the labor of his sacred profession, numbering many different charges, his heart has many times been rejoiced at the generous outpouring of the power of divine grace and the health- ful and substantial spiritual and social growth of his several pastoral charges. While he was pastor at La- porte he served as delegate of the Christian commission from August 15, 1864, to the following October, his work being at Louisville, Kentucky, Nashville, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the pursuit of his profes- sion Rev. Mr. Goodman has ever occupied a distin- guished position among his professional brethren, who, for his native ability, long experience, and scholarly at- tainments, accord him a prominent place with the rep- resentative ministers of the Presbyterian Church. In 1868 he represented the Young Men's Christian Associ- tion of Grand Rapids in the International Convention at Detroit ; and again at the International Convention held at Washington, D. C., in 1871. He has also six times represented his presbytery in the General Assem- bly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States.

HAPIN, AUGUSTUS A., a lawyer and a leading citizen of Kendallville, was born August 15, 1837, in Wardsboro, Windham County, Vermont. He received a limited education in the common schools, attending regularly during the winter until he was thir- teen, when he was employed in his father's flouring- mill. In 1849 his father died, and he devoted his atten- tion to aiding his mother in the settlement of the estate. At twenty-three years of age he entered the State Uni- versity at Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating there in 1859. He then began studying law at Angola. In 1860 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the Tenth Ju- dicial District. He removed to Angola in 1865, where he is now practicing law with great success. He was married, November 1, 1865, to Miss Almira Emerson, and has four daughters and one son. Mr. Chapin comes of an old and very respectable New England family, his ancestors settling in Massachusetts in 1635. His great-grandfather was an officer in the Revolution- ary War, and served during that struggle with distinc- tion. His father was an energetic and successful farmer and miller, and emigrated to Indiana in 1836, where he took up a farm in Steuben County, continuing its culti- vation until the time of his death.

12th Dist.]

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

cBRIDE, R. WES., a lawyer and prominent cit- The winter following his return to Ohio he taught school in Richland, and the next spring came to Indi- ana and located at Waterloo, engaging as clerk for R. M. & W. C. Lockhart. The autumn following he again returned to Ohio, and made an arrangement to· teach school the following winter, but before the expiration of the term he received the appointment of enrolling clerk in the state Senate of Indiana. He closed his school and accepted the position. After the adjourn- ment of the Legislature he returned to De Kalb County, and in April, 1867, was admitted to the bar, at Auburn. The following September he made a partnership in the law with J. I. Best, with whom he remained until the following July, when the connection was dissolved. Mr. McBride continued his practice on his own account until December 15, 1870, when he associated with him Joseph L. Morlan, an arrangement terminated by the death of Mr. Morlan, August 23, 1878. In 1876 Will- iam H. Leas became a member of the firm, his con- nection ending with the death of Mr. Morlan. Since that time Mr. McBride has conducted his business alone. In his achievements as a lawyer he is wholly indebted to personal efforts, having pursued his preparatory studies in the field of adversity, and during the spare hours gained from the time usually employed in regular occupation. In his profession he may be regarded as standing in the front rank, having the entire respect of his legal brethren. In fact, as a successful practitioner, he has no superior and few equals of his age and ex- perience in the bar of Northern Indiana. He is a man of pronounced individuality and untiring industry, and his opponent often finds, when the case comes to trial, the questions involved are entirely different from what he has previously thought, and a total discomfiture fol- lows. In the trial of suits he is usually successful. His careful arrangement, his watchfulness, his earnest eloquence, his ability to see and lay hold of the strong points of his cause, and, above all, his acknowledged honesty of purpose, make him an advocate of power be- fore a court or jury. He is no less distinguished for his ability as a counselor. His familiarity with the principles of law, his ability to see that all questions have two sides, his quick perceptions, sound sense, and good judgment, often enable him to close a litigation in izen of Waterloo, De Kalb County, was born January 25, 1842, in Richland County, Ohio. His parents, Augustus and Martha A. (Barnes) McBride, were also natives of Ohio, of Scotch and En- glish descent respectively. The ancestor of the family in this country was the great grandfather of R. Wes. McBride. But little is known of his history more than that he came to the United States before the War of 1812. Augustus, the father of R. Wes., was a volunteer soldier in the American army in the War with Mexico, in 1846, and died in the City of Mexico, while in the service. R. Wes. McBride attended the common district school until the age of fourteen years, when he entered as a student the Kirkville Academy, Iowa, re- maining there for two years. In 1859, when in his eighteenth year of age, having passed the teachers' ex- amination, he engaged in keeping school, which he con- tinued for about three years, with success and with the approval of his employers. Subsequently, in the fall of 1862, he returned to Mansfield, Ohio, where he engaged as clerk in the store of B. S. Runyan, remaining until November 27, 1863, when he entered the Union service, enlisting and mustering in the service at Columbus, Ohio, as a member of the Union Light Guards, an in- dependent squadron of cavalry organized by Governor David Tod, entirely composed of picked men, selected by the various county military committees of the state. He represented Richland County in the organization, which was designed as an escort and body-guard to President Lincoln, but after reaching Washington a portion of it was assigned to that service and the re- mainder ordered to duty in Virginia. After remaining with his company about six months, he was injured by his horse, and permanently disabled for active operations. The lameness occasioned by this accident has ever since seriously affected him. He was soon after assigned to detached duty as a clerk to a military commission, and then at the central guard-house, Washington, District of Columbia. He was subsequently, in January, 1865, transferred to the War Department, where he served, under Lieutenant-colonel Breck, in the adjutant-gen- cral's office, until his company was mustered out of the service and honorably discharged, September 14, 1865. When Mr. McBride returned from the army, its beginning by a few calm and well-considered words. he was immediately appointed to a position in the of- It is said of Mr. McBride that the right never appeals to him in vain for a defender, and wrong never finds in him an advocate. In politics he is an uncompromising Republican. He knows the grounds of his belief and has intelligently studied the differences between the two parties, and his support is therefore that of an intelli- gent man. He is a popular and effective speaker, and his services during the campaigns are always in demand. Mr. McBride is an acceptable and influential member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Waterloo. He is a fice of the quartermaster-general, but, as he had no inclination for the life of a government clerk, he re- signed the place in about. two months, and then re- turned to Mansfield, Ohio. Having in early life con- ceived an inclination for the profession of law as a busi- ness, at the age of sixteen years he began reading in such books as were obtainable, and as opportunity offered during his spare time, both while a civilian and while on duty in the government offices at Washington.

REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF INDIANA.

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member of its board of trustees, and was the first lay delegate to the North Indiana Electoral Conference. He is liberal in his contributions to its material inter- ests, and by his example sets a shining light for the community. He is an earnest total abstainer, and loses no opportunity to impress his views upon others. He is a member of the Commandery of Knights Templar, attaining the eighteenth degree in the Scottish Rite. He is a worthy member of the Order of Odd-fellows. As a citizen Mr. McBride is liberal and public-spirited, lending a helping hand to every thing which is good. He was married, September 27, 1868, to Miss Ida S., daughter of Doctor Chamberlin, of Waterloo, Indiana, a lady of personal attractions and endowments. They have four children: Daisy I., born September 25, 1869 ; Charles H., born November 11, 1871; Herbert W., born October 5, 1873; and Martha C., born February 13, 1876. Mr. McBride is highly respected and es- teemed, an honest lawyer, an exemplary citizen, and a kind and considerate neighbor and friend.

cCLELLAN, JAMES, a farmer, and a prominent citizen of Auburn, De Kalb County, Indiana, was born October 23, 1826, in Wayne County, Ohio. His parents, James and Elizabeth (Knap) Mc- Clellan, were farmers by occupation, and natives, re- spectively, of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The ancestors on the paternal side were Scotch, having emigrated to America in the early days of its history. On the ma- ternal side they were Irish and Welsh, coming to this country many years prior to the Revolution. Joshua Knap, grandfather of James McClellan, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and fought through the entire conflict for our national independence, serving in the army and under the leadership of General Washington. James McClellan enjoyed in boyhood and early man- hood limited educational advantages, those being gained during the winter terms at the common schools. He was employed at farm labor the remainder of the time until he had attained his majority. He had acquired a good education in the English branches, which enabled him to understand the principles of commercial life, and how to transact business successfully. By his applica- tion to farm work he established those habits of indus- try and frugality which have insured his success in after life. In the spring of 1850, in company with others, he went by the overland route to California, driving his own team. Leaving St. Joseph, Missouri, May I, after a tedious journey of seventy-six days, they arrived safely at Placerville, July 15, where they disposed of their outfits and engaged in mining, but, hoping for better paying ground, only remained there three days, although meeting with some success, when they went to the

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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 94

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