USA > Indiana > An illustrated history of the state of Indiana: being a full and authentic civil and political history of the state from its first exploration down to 1875 > Part 50
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He was born in Virginia in 1803. He moved to La Fayette, Indiana, in 1824, where he has been an active
and useful citizen up to the present time. He is now retired from busi- ness.
WALTER R. HOUGHTON.
He is a native of Daviess county, Indiana. He has risen by his own industry to a prominent educator.
He is now principal of the prepara- tory department of the Indiana State University.
E. B. MARTINDALE.
He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, on the twenty-second of August, 1828. His parents moved to Henry county in 1832, and settled on a farm four miles east of New Castle, where he was brought up to farm life, until the age of sixteen, when he was apprenticed to the sad- dler's trade. In attending school during the winter months, and after- wards working at his trade on Sat- urdays, and attending the county seminaries during the week, he ob- tained at twenty a fair English edu- cation. He studied law and prac- ticed that profession in New Castle from 1850 to 1862, during which time he held one term the office of district attorney, and one term the office of prosecuting attorney for the counties of Wayne, Henry, Ran- dolph and Delaware. He was, in 1861, appointed judge of the com- mon pleas court for the district composed of the counties of Henry, Madison, Hancock, Rush and Deca- tur. In May, 1862, he moved to Indianapolis and engaged in the practice of law, and has from that time to the present been connected with many leading enterprises which have contributed to the growth and prosperity of the city. We have more than once heard it remarked " that to no one man is
the city more indebted for her rapid growth and unprecedented prosper- ity than to Judge Martindale." He is a man of quick perception and sound judgment. Is a thorough believer in the great commercial future of the city of Indianapolis, and his full faith in this for the past ten years with a sufficient caution has made his business career one of unprecedented prosperity. There are plenty of men in the State who possess greater wealth, but no man can be found who has acquired the same amount in the past ten years unaided by office or inheritance. He has little taste or inclination to political life, but devotes his ten hours per day to business with as much energy and tenacity as if he was dependent on it for the support of himself and family. He has been connected with nearly every work of christian benevolence, contribu- ting liberally of his means every year to this end. He was brought up in the christian church in which his father was a pioneer preacher in this State, but some ten years ago he connected himself with the First Presbyterian church of this city, to which his wife belonged, and has been active in every good word and work since.
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LEWIS T. ROGERS, A. M.
He was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, May nineteenth, 1835. He was in school from his boyhood. At about eighteen years of age he began his collegiate preparation, pursuing his studies at Centre Col- lege, Danville, Kentucky, until ad- mitted to standing in the junior class. Then removing to Indiana, he completed his course at Asbury University, from which institution he graduated in June, 1859, with the first class under Bishop Bowman's administration. After his grad- uation he taught a select school in Greencastle for two years; and in 1861 he was made tutor in the preparatory department of the uni- versity from which he had grad-
uated. Two years afterwards (1863) he was elected adjunct professor in the Latin department, which posi- tion he held, doing its duties with strength and efficiency, until the year 1869, when he was promoted to the professorship of the depart- ment, having full control of its in- terests, under the title, professor of Latin language and literature, which position he still honors. Professor Rogers is thoroughly versed in the classic languages, and in the liter- ature of those languages he is par- ticularly versatile. He is acquaint- ed also with the Spanish language, and with the literature and the his- tories of that people.
GEORGE W. ROBBINS.
He was born in Wayne county, Indiana, February first, 1829. He moved with his parents to Fulton county, Indiana, at an early age, and endured, in his youth, all the pri- vations of pioneer life. He settled on eighty acres of land and worked earnestly for several years, and in
1864 had accumulated a little money. He sold his land, and in the spring of 1865 moved to Clinton county, In- diana, where he now resides. He has engaged in mercantile pursuits for several years, in which he was successful.
JOHN E. EARP, A. M.
He was born at Marion, Illinois, April twelfth, 1846. His parents were of an English family, tracea- ble back to the time of Oliver Crom- well. His father was presiding el- der in the Southern Illinois Confer- ence, and has been a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church for twenty years. Prof. Earp was pre- pared for college in the Alton High School ; entered McKendree College in 1862, and graduated in 1865, at
the age of nineteen. Soon after graduation he was elected professor of mathematics and ancient lan- guages in the Central Wesleyan College, Warrenton, Missouri. At the end of two years he resigned this position and went to Europe to attend for two years the Universi- ties of Tuebingen and Berlin. Du- ring this time he traveled through Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1869 he returned and was elected
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professor of modern languages and Hebrew in the Indiana Asbury Uni- versity, which position he at present occupies. He entered the Northern Indiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1872. He trav- eled in Scotland, England, and
France during the summer of 1874 He has made the study of languages a specialty, and is acquainted, be- side his mother tongue, with Ger- man, French, Swedish, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, An- glo-Saxon, Sanskrit and Gothic.
JOHN BROWNFIELD.
He was born in Uniontown, Fay- ette county, Pennsylvania, Decem- ber twenty-fourth, 1808. He receiv- ed an education such as the common schools at that day afforded. When twenty-one years of age, he com- menced business in connection with an elder brother, Col. Ewing Brown- field, in his native town; was mar- ried February fourteenth, 1832. In 1833 he visited friends in Niles, Michigan. While there visited sev- eral points with the view of locating in the West. In June, 1834, emi- grated to South Bend, St. Joseph county, Indiana, where he has ever since lived, continuing the mercan- tile business, passing successfully through the financial panics of '37, '40, '57, etc. On the location of the Branch Bank of the State of Indiana at this place, he was appointed di- rector on the part of the State; was president of the Branch Bank of the
State for twelve years. Has been president of the South Bend Na- tional Bank since its organization. For some years president of the South Bend Iron Works, which this year expects to realize a business of half a million dollars. He has been an honored member of the Methodist Episcopal Church forty- five years; a class-leader forty-four ; superintendent of South Bend Sab- bath School thirty-five consecutive years; a trustee of Asbury Univer- sity seventeen years. At one time contributed one thousand dollars towards its endowments. He was elected by a convention of laymen a delegate to the General Confer- ence, which met in Brooklyn, May, 1872. In politics he is a staunch democrat; in other years regarded as the " wheel-horse " of the democ- racy in St. Joseph county.
HENRY A. PEED.
He was born in Johnson, Indiana, November ninth, 1845, on a farm, and continued to live on a farm un- til seventeen years old, attending school in a log school-house. He enlisted in the army in 1862, and served until the close of the war. After the close of the war, he re- turned home and removed to Colum- bus, Indiana; worked on the Co-
lumbus Union as journeyman print- er, and read law at intervals in the law office of Hill & Richardson of that place, for about one year ; then moved to Edinburgh, Indiana, and became proprietor of the Edinburgh Journal, and published it for one year. At the close of which time he moved to Dover Hill and com- menced the publication of the Mar-
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tin County Herald, in connection with the practice of the law, and has continued to reside in that coun- ty since that date, continuing the publication of the same up to this time, and has succeeded to a good practice of law. He was married in 1866, to Miss Jennie Trichett, of Edinburgh. In 1872 Mr. Peed was elected to the lower house of the In-
diana legislature, and served during the special and regular sessions. He was elected to the State senate in October, 1874, by the democrats of Martin, Dubois and Orange coun- ties, after a thorough canvas of Mar- tin and Dubois, by a majority of two thousand two hundred and twenty-five from the district.
REUBEN ANDRUS, LL.D.
He was born in Watertown, Jef- ferson county, New York, in 1824. He spent his early life upon a farm. At an early age he moved to Ful- ton county, Illinois, where he spent a portion of his youth improving a new farm. At the age of twenty-one he was admitted to the preparatory class of the Illinois college at Jack- sonville. He had no means, and for five years he attended college earn- ing his own board. Thus he worked his way to graduation, and to the ministry in which he has distin- guished himself. He organized the
Quincy (Ill.) college in 1866, but after laboring at the head of that institution one year, he resigned to return again to the ministry. He was then transferred from Illinois to Indiana and took charge of the Trinity M. E. church of Evansville. Remained three years at that post, and afterwards took charge of the Meridian street church, at India- nopolis. In 1862 he was elected president of the Asbury university at Greencastle, which important office he still holds.
HARVEY BATES.
Harvey Bates, one of the oldest pioneers of Indianapolis now liv- ing, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1795. When but four years of age his mother died leaving a fam- ily of four children all in tender years. The children were " put out " among friends. The parties with whom the subject of this sketch was intrusted moved to Leb- anon, Warren county, Ohio, where he remained doing general farm work until he was fifteen years of age. At this age he went into a' store in that place, owned by the postmaster. He had the full care
of the postoffice until he was about twenty-one years of age. During his youth his educational advan- tages were limited. In other words he received only the education afforded in the pioneer country schools. At this age Mr. Bates bought out his employer and com- menced merchandizing on his own account. In 1816 he moved to Brookville, Ind., and opened a store there. Soon after he cast his first vote for delegates to the constitu- tional convention of 1816. He re- mained only a short time in Brook. ville, when he moved to Conners-
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ville, where he erected a carding mill and fulling mill, in which he carried on a successful business for about ten years. He sold out his interest in this mill, and in 1822 came to what is now Indianapolis, then a wilderness, commissioned by
Gov. Jennings as sheriff to assist in organizing the county of Marion. From that date he has resided con- tinually in Indianapolis, and has been one of its most useful and suc- cessful citizens.
JOHN C. KNOBLOCK.
He was born in Canton, Stark county, Ohio, November third, 1830. In 1843 he moved with his father to Marshall county, Ind., with an ox team. He helped to clear up a farm. In 1848 he commenced working for A. R. & I. H. Harper for ten dollars a month. He was soon promoted to a position in their large mills. In 1852 he engaged with M. DeCamp as clerk in the grocery trade, and in 1853 he commenced in the same business on his own account. In
1864 he went into the milling and flouring business, and in 1871 he, with others, engaged in the manu- facture of furniture with a capital stock of $750,000, and in 1873, with others, he commenced the manufac- ture of reapers, saw mills, lathes, etc., with a capital stock of $100,000. He is now forty-four years of age, and has been a successful business man. He is a resident of South Bend, Ind.
DR. NATHANIEL FIELD,
Is one of the oldest physicians of the State, is a graduate of the old Transylvania medical school found- ed at Lexington, Kentucky, in the early part of the present century. He was born in Jefferson county, Kentucky, on the seventh day of November, 1805, and located in Jef- fersonville in the autumn of 1829, where he has since resided. He is in some respects a remarkable man. Whatever he believes to be right and just he advocates boldly and fear- lessly, regardless of popular opinion or consequences to himself. Though born in a slave state, and in a slave- holding family, at the age of eigh- teen he became intensely anti-slav- ery. In 1830 he wrote and published , a tract against American slavery, entitled " Oresimus." He was one of the first vice-presidents of the
American anti-slavery society, was president of the first anti-slavery convention ever held in Indiana, and was also president of the free soil convention held at Indianapolis in 1850.
As an illustration of his unswerv- ing devotion to the principles of right and justice, in June, 1834, he voted against the whole township of Jeffersonville on the enforcement at that time of one of the black laws of the State. The case was this: At a township election in the month of June, 1834, every voter was re- quested to sign a paper asking the following question : " Shall the law requiring free negroes, now in the township, and those who may here- after come into it, to give bond and security for their good behavior, and that they will not become a public
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charge, be enforced ?" The law re- ferred to had, since its enactment, been a dead letter on the statute book. But this new-born zeal for its enforcement was prompted by the pro-slavery mob spirit then prevail- ing in the Northern States, which culminated in the murder of Elijah Lovejoy, at Alton, Ill. Hatred of the negro had become an epidemic, and it was dangerous to oppose it. After scanning the paper, and as it hap- pened near the close of the polls, he noticed that it was all one-sided. Every voter in the township, both saint and sinner, had recorded his name in favor of enforcing the law. When the paper was presented for his signature, he found himself sur- rounded by a crowd of sinister look- ing loafers and roughs anxious to see whether or not the doctor would dare take the part of the negroes. Knowing that in the then existing feeling of hostility to them, it would be impossible to give the required security, and the result would be that they would be driven from their homes, lose their crops, and be sub- jected to much suffering, he rea- soned with the excited crowd, and advised a postponement until the end of the year. But all was in vain. After giving his reasons for asking delay, he put his name down in the negative- the only man who voted for mercy. As might have been foreseen the negroes could not give the required bond, and were forcibly expelled from the town and neighborhood by a mob of the very lowest class of men. They fled in consternation, pursued and abused by the mob, who ruled the town for three weeks. No magistrate or con- stable interfered with them. The doctor was notified that he would
have to share the fortune of the negroes whose cause he had espous- ed. Without a moments delay he laid in a good stock of fire arms, fortified his house, and with the aid of one brave friend, prepared for defense, resolved to sell his life as dear as possible, rather than suc- cumb to a mob composed of the most despicable wretches that ever disgraced humanity. All things being ready for a seige, defiance was hurled at the mob, and they were denounced as not being half as res- pectable as the negroes they were persecuting. It is sufficient to say that the mob never attacked his house.
Notwithstanding the perils of those days that tried men's souls, the doctor has lived, with a few other pioneers in the anti-slavery cause, to see the downfall of slavery, and the enfranchisement of the African race in the United States.
In 1854, by the death of his moth- er, he came into possession of sev- eral slaves, whom he immediately emancipated, thereby proving the sincerity of the anti-slavery faith.
In July, 1836, Dr. Field was a delegate from Jeffersonville to the great Southern railroad convention, which assembled at Knoxville, Tenn., the object of which was to devise ways and means to construct a railroad from Charleston, S. C., to Cincinnati and Louisville. It was to bifurcate somewhere this side of Cumberland Gap.
He represented Clark county in the legislature in the session of 1838-9. Was chairman of a select committee to inquire into certain charges at that time alleged against the president of the State univer- sity, the late Dr. Andrew Wylie. He
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made an able report completely and honorably acquiting him of blame. Dr. Field was surgeon of the sixty- sixth regiment of Indiana volunteer infantry in the late civil war, and rendered valuable service-for three successive weeks at each place- on the battle-fields of Richmond and Perryville, in the State of Kentucky, during which time he performed every operation common to military surgery. He proved himself to be one of the best operators in the army.
In 1868 he was president of the Indiana State medical society. Wrote several valuable essays for its transactions, and deservedly stands high in his profession. He is now far advanced in life, but still retains much of the fire and ardor of his youthful days. He has practiced medicine and surgery for nearly fifty years, and still continues to perform an incredible amount of labor for one of his age.
TOWNSEND RYAN.
.
Townsend Ryan was born in Lan- caster City, Pa., in 1813, and in early manhood removed to Hamil- ton, Butler county, Ohio, where he engaged in the mercantile business, and in the management of a line of canal packets, of which he was principal owner, running from that city to Cincinnati. Prostrated by the great financial wave which swept the country from 1836 to 1839, he removed to Indiana, where, after graduation at the medical colleges of Cincinnati, and Jefferson, of Philadelphia, he engaged actively in the practice of medicine, and achieved a reputation and success unexcelled by that of any physician in the west. Locating in Anderson, in Madison county, in 1843, he at once became identified with the best interests of his new location and the people among whom he lived. A democrat in politics, he took a vigorous part in the cam- paign of 1844, and became the can- didate of his party in 1846 for the State legislature, to which he was elected, defeating the whig candi- date, R. A. Williams, and being the first democrat sent from that county.
In 1850, when the Bellefontaine railroad, now the C. C. C. and I. was in contemplation, the people know- ing but little of such enterprises, opposed the project strongly, on the ground that its construction would supersede the use of horses, oxen, etc., and thereby entail great loss. This, and similar ideas had to be combatted. The subject of this sketch, together with Judge Davis, of that county, took hold of the en- terprise, and not only secured, finally, a subscription from the county, but sufficient general aid to secure Anderson a railroad.
Engaging, about this time, in the mercantile business, he continued in that until 1854, when, together with other parties, contracted with the company to build the junction railroad from Rushville to Indiana- polis, embarking an ample fortune in that enterprise, all of which was swallowed up in the collapse of the corrupt concern, commencing anew the practice of his profession. The newly projected Richmond, New- castle and Logansport railroad re- ceived his aid ; with that he labored until the cars run into Anderson.
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In 1860, when the menace of war went abroad through the North, he declared at once for the Union, and was the first democrat in 1861, in the county, to declare in favor of the Union and the war policy of Lincoln. Being one of the finest and most effective public speakers in the State, he gave his time and did valiant service in raising troops to answer the various calls of the President, and although past mid- dle age, and broken down in health, he took the post of Lieutenant- Colonel of the 34th Indiana infantry and went with it into active service, and was promoted, in 1862, to the colonelcy of the regiment on the resignation of Asbery Steele. He continued with the regiment until
after the capture of New Madrid and Island No. 10, when his health becoming feeble compelled him to resign. Not content to be out of service, however, he soon after again went into the service as sur- geon of the 52d Indiana, and served with the regiment in the terrible fights in the Yazoo above Vicks- burg, and in the battles of Fort Gib- son, Raymond, Champion Hills, and Black river, previous to the invest- ment of Vicksburg, taking part with the regiment in that event. From thence with the regiment he went to western Louisiana, and was finally mustered out of service with the regiment at New Orleans, by reason of expiration of the term of service.
JOSEPH S. BUCKLES,
Was born near Springfield, Clark county, Ohio, July twenty-ninth, 1819; came to Munice, Indiana, with his father, October, 1833, where he has since resided; was educated in log school houses, upon the for- cible theory "that to spare the rod spoils the boy;" studied the legal profession, and commenced the practice in 1841. In 1846, was elec- ted prosecuting attorney in a circuit opposed to him in politics, and composed of eight counties ; served two years. In 1848, was elected State senator by the district com- posed of the counties of Grant and Delaware; served three sessions, the last two as chairman of the judi- ciary committee. In 1854, was the democratic nominee for Congress in the old burnt district, and was beaten by Hon. D. P. Hollaway, the fusion candidate. In 1858, was elec- ted judge of the seventh judicial circuit, remained on the circuit bench twelve years, since which
time he has been engaged in agri- culture and horticulture, he says, as a means of morals, health, and amusement, and the practice of his profession for a livelihood. In poli- tics, up to 1860, he was a democrat, and voted the ticket unscratched ; supported Lincoln's administration during the rebellion, and has since voted the republican ticket. In 1872, he was one of the republican senatorial electors, and as such can- vassed the major part of the State, and has, since retiring from the bench, taken an active part in the political contests of the State. He has always taken a deep interest in all measures the tendency of which were to develop the resources of his county and State, consequently has been closely identified with the railroad and turnpike interests of western Indiana. He says, "he commenced the world poor, and has held his own remarkably well."
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JUDGE THOMAS B. LONG.
Judge Thomas B. Long was born near the city of Mansfield, in Rich- land county, Ohio, on the twenty- fifth day of October, 1836. His father's family subsequently lived in Mansfield, Bucyrus, and Spring- field, in that State, and in 1846 re- moved to the city of Terre Haute, where they have since continuously resided. Here the subject of this sketch received an academical edu- cation, embracing the studies usu- ally pursued in the colleges of the land. In 1854, he entered the law office of Hon. R. W. Thompson, as a student, where he remained for sev- eral years, during which he attend- ed lectures in the law department of the Cincinnati college, and grad- uated in the spring of 1856. In the fall of this year he was elected dis- trict attorney for the court of com- mon pleas, and about the same time was engaged as editor of one of the daily papers of the city, which po- sition he filled for about two years, when he withdrew for the purpose of devoting his entire attention to
the practice of his profession. In 1860, he was placed upon the presi- dential ticket of the Union party as a candidate for elector, in which capacity he canvassed his district wherever his services were called for; but, seeing the hopelessness of the success of his party, he urged all wavering voters to support Stephen A. Douglas for president. From this time he applied himself dili- gently to his professional pursuits and literary studies until the fall of 1870, when he was elected by the democratic party as judge of the criminal circuit court, which posi- tion he filled so acceptably that, in 1874-although political feeling ran high-he received the nomination of both parties, and was re-elected without opposition.
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