USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Biographical cyclopedia of Vanderburgh County, Indiana : embracing biographies of many of the prominent men and families of the county > Part 8
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He was united in marriage December 8, ISS5, to Miss Lizzie Hauk, of Evans- ville, and three children, two of whom survive, Albert F., Jr., and Edwin F., have blessed their union.
BENJAMIN HOFFMAN,
C ONTRACTOR and builder of Evans- ville, was born in Dubois county, Indiana, July 15, 1857, and is the son of George Jacob and Stephena Hoffman. He received his education from the common schools of Louisville, Ken- tucky. and at the age of twenty-three he learned the carpenters' trade, which he followed as journeyman until 1890, when he began to do a contracting business on his own account. Mr. Hoffman has
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been a valuable factor in the building of Evansville, and a few. structures erected by him might be mentioned, viz .: St. Mary's hospital, St. Anthony's church, the residences of Dr. Laval and Frank Pritchett, the Delaware street school and residence of Mr. Louis Legler. His energy and ability have been the chief agents in building up the business which he now enjoys.
Mr. Hoffman was united in marriage May 6, 1884, to Miss Mary Anna Linden- schmidt, and their union has been blessed with four children. He is a member of the Catholic Knights of America, the Knights of Maccabees Supreme Tent and also of the Grand Tent.
EMIL WILLIAM SAUPERT,
A SUCCESSFUL business man and enter- prising citizen of Evansville, was born in Evansville November 26, 1857, and is the son of Rev. A. Saupert, a native of Bavaria, Germany, who came to America in 1845, was a very earnest and devoted minister of the Gospel and was the founder of Trinity Lutheran church on East Illinois street, where for almost a half century he served as min- ister, and he continued in the good work up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1893. Rev. A. Saupert was a man of the highest integrity and of sterling worth, honored and respected in the community in which he resided. He was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Schultze, a native of Germany, who came to America with her people
in 1837. She still resides in Evansville. Their union was blessed with twelve children, eight of whom survive.
Emil W. Saupert received his early mental training from the private,parochial and public schools of Evansville, and later entered Fort Wayne Concordia . College and afterwards took a course in the Concordia University in St. Louis, from where he was graduated at the age of twenty-four. In ISSI he returned to Evansville and remained for some time, when, on account of ill health, he was compelled to seek a more salubrious clime in the west. He went to Colorado, and for two years taught school and engaged in missionary work for the Lutheran church, and his efforts were crowned with very gratifying success. He returned to Evansville and engaged in the coal business, being elected sec- retary of the Diamond Coal Mining Company in 1884, and has served that institution faithfully ever since. In 1895 Mr. Saupert became interested in the grocery business, and is now a mem- ber of the firm of Koester, Saupert & Korff, proprietors of the "Original " grocery, at the corner of Eighth and Chestnut streets.
Mr. Saupert is still an active and helpful member of the Lutheran church. Politically, he affiliates with the repub- lican party, but has never sought pre- ferment, and has at different times declined the solicitations of his party friends to become a candidate for office. which he could not do without detri- ment to his business interests. In 1895 Mr. Saupert was married to Miss Lottie Koester, daughter of Mr. Louis Koester,
ISHAM TAYLOR.
F. BOCKSTEGE.
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president of the Diamond Coal Mining Company, and partner in the above clients, who firmly believe in him as a named grocery firm. Their union has been blessed with three children, two of whom survive-girls-Flora and Edna.
ISHAM TAYLOR,
PROMINENT lawyer of Evansville, was born in Warrick county, Indiana, June 6, 1867. His father, Mr. Hubbard Taylor, was born in Tennessee in 1813 .. He married (second) Miss Nancy Rob- inette, and to them three children were born, Isham being the second. He attended the common schools and gleaned therefrom such mental training as they afforded. He first attended the State Normal School of Terre Haute, and subsequently went to DePauw University, where he took a three years' course. He entered the Indiana University in 1892 and was graduated from there in 1893 with the degree of A. B. and in 1895 with the degree of LL. B. He was promptly admitted to the bar and began at once the practice of law, under the firm name of Reister, Taylor & Taylor. That partnership was dissolved in March, 1896, and up to January 18, 1897, Mr. Taylor fol- lowed his profession alone, since then he has been in partnership with Mr. William Reister, under the firm name of Reister & Taylor.
Mr. Taylor enjoys a lucrative law practice, to which he is very much devoted. He is a young man of prom- ising future, and has established hin-
self in the confidence of his numerous man of honor and a lawyer of marked ability.
He was one of the organizers and is the present secretary of the Jualin Mining Company, a company engaged in gold mining in the territory of Alaska. The company is prosperous, and the outlook for the future is most encouraging.
FRED. BOCKSTEGE,
P RESIDENT of the Karges Furniture Company, was born in Germany, April 16, 1861, and before leaving his native land, learned to be a cabinet- maker, having worked in Germany, where he became skilled among the finest workmen. At the age of twenty he came to America, and for several months followed his trade at Akron, Ohio. From there he went to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was engaged for about six months. In 1882 Mr. Bock- stege came to Evansville and entered the employ of Joseph F. Reitz, who was engaged in the furniture business, and worked for him as cabinet maker for three years. Then he engaged for some time with Mr. George Mutschler in the planing mill business. Was afterwards, for twelve months, with Schnute, Dubber & Co., who had bought out Mr. Mutschler's mill, and later entered the employ of Stoltz & Karges as cabinet maker. This engage- ment continued six months, which brings us up to February 1, 1889,
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when Mr. Bockstege, in connection with Mr. A. F. Karges and John Jourdan, Jr., formed what is known far and wide as the Karges Furniture Company, Mr. Bockstege being chosen president, in which capacity he has served continu- ally ever since. His success has been phenomenal. He started out in life with the odds against him. He came to a new country with no means, no friends and no knowledge of our lan- guage, and did not understand the ways of the American people. He was a mere boy, his only possession being the knowledge of his trade, but he had started out to win. He had ample vim and vigor, which are conducive of vie- tory. By hard work and close applica- tion, he has succeeded in a decade in raising himself to the presidency of one the most important industries in south- ern Indiana. He did not have to con- fine himself alone to his adopted trade, when there was no work in that line, he did something else. Keeping contin- ually at work is the secret of success. Mr. Bockstege is a member of the German Lutheran church of Evansville.
October 30, 1SS4, he was united in marriage to Miss Alwena Langele, of Evansville. Their union was blessed with one child. Mrs. Bockstege died in 1887, and Mr. Bockstege was again married the same year to Miss Mena Seeger, also of Evansville, and four children have issued from their union.
Fred. Bockstege is a gentleman who is held in the very highest esteem by the citizens of Evansville and is regarded by one and all as a man of sterling integ- rity and an enterprising business man.
WILLIAM REISTER,
PROMINENT young attorney of Evans.
ville, was born in Gibson county, Indiana, April 3, 1866. He was schooled in the common schools of Gibson county and entered the State University at Bloomington, Indiana, in 1893, where he took a law course and was graduated from there in 1894. He was admitted to the bar in February, 1889, at Mt. Vernon, Indiana. and began the practice of law immediately.
Christian Reister (father) was born in Germany in 1824, came to America in 1848, enlisted in the regular army as soon as he landed in this country and was a captain in the civil war. After the war he was engaged in manufact- uring brick and did a contracting busi- ness for a number of years. Catherine Reister (mother) was a native of Ger- many, and was married to Christian Reister in 1848. Their union was blessed with seven children, William being the youngest.
William Reister formed a partnership with Isham Taylor January 1, 1897, as Reister & Taylor. He is a member of the K. of P., I. O. O. F., Royal Arca. num and A. O. U. W. He was a can- didate for representative in 1894, but was defeated, like all other democrats at that time. At the age of twenty-four years, he served Smith township, in Posey county, as township trustee.
William Reister was united in mar- riage May 8, 1889, to Miss Mamie Dunn, and to them four children have been born, three of whom survive. In the short time Mr. Reister has been in
WM. REISTER.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.
Evansville, he has, by his ability and close application, placed himself in the front rank of the Vanderburgh county bar.
He was one of the organizers and is a stockholder of the Jaulin Mining Com- pany, a company engaged in gold mining in the territory of Alaska. The company is prosperous, and the outlook for the future is most encouraging.
CHARLES P. BACON, M. D.
PROMINENT and leading physician of
Evansville, was born in Christian county, Kentucky, September 6, 1836, and received his elementary education in the schools and academies of his na- tive state.
Charles A. Bacon (father) was a na- tive of Virginia, and at an early day located in Kentucky. For a number of years he was engaged in the mer- cantile business, but the latter part of his life was spent in farming. He pos- sessed a high standard of integrity and both mentally and physically was a man of great natural endowments. He was a man of intelligence, excellent judgment and remarkable industry, and was greatly respected in the community in which he lived. He married Susan Roulette, also a native of Virginia, and a member of one of the best families in that state. Four children issued from their marriage, the subject of this sketch being the third.
Charles P. Bacon began the study of medicine in 185S under the preceptor- 9
ship of his brother, Dr. Thomas L. Bacon, an eminent practitioner of Hen- derson county, Ky., now of Hopkins- ville, Ky., and entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1859, was graduated in 1861. For twelve years following he did a successful practice at Cadiz, Ky., and in 1873 he moved to Evans- ville to make it his permanent abode.
During the existence of the Evansville Medical College Dr. Bacon filled at different times the chairs of anatomy, surgery, gynecology, which he did with dignity and credit both to himself and the institution. He is still a student and a careful reader of medical literature, keeping pace with the rapid progress of medical science, and is a member of the Vanderburgh County Medical Society, Indiana State Medical Society, Ameri- can Medical Association, and is also consulting surgeon at St. Mary's Hos- pital and at the Protestant Deaconess Home.
He is a member of the Masonic order in which he takes a deep interest. He is a Past Master, Past High Priest and Past Eminent Commander and is also a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason.
Politically Dr. Bacon affiliates with the democratic party, and although he takes an active interest in the welfare of his party, he is not a politician in the strict sense of the term and never sought political preferment, but a man of his intelligence could hardly keep out of politics, and in 1896 he was in- duced to accept the position of elector on the national democratic ticket.
Dr. Bacon is a man of means and
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affairs, and is vice-president of the Citi- zens National Bank of Evansville.
His literary pursuits have been sys- tematic and thorough and he has grown in the knowledge of men and affairs as he has grown in years; he has contributed his share of work to med- ical literature and he has taken an active interest in the Methodist church, of which he has been a consistent member for a number of years. Dr. Bacon's practice is not confined alone to Evansville, nor Indiana for that mat- ter, but extends largely into adjoining states.
Dr. Bacon was united in marriage January 23, 1866, to Miss Emma C. Mayes, daughter of Judge Matthew Mayes, one of the leading lawyers of Kentucky. Their union has been blessed with one child, a daughter, Miss Mayes Bacon, who married Mr. Clarence L. Hinkle in November, 1895.
DR. S. B. LEWIS,
SURGEON.DENTIST, was born in Chau- tauqua county, New York, April 3. 1846. His father, John F. Lewis, and his mother, Mary E. ( Brigham ) Lewis, were natives of New York, the father born in 1816 and the mother in 1818. When Dr. Lewis was still a boy his parents moved to Clermont county, Ohio, and subsequently settled at Greenville, Ohio. John F. Lewis was a dealer in stock. a prominent and suc cessful man in the community in which he resided.
S. B. Lewis received his education in the common schools of Clermont county. He was only a boy when the war broke out, but when the dogs of war began to bay, he threw down his school books to pick up his musket in the defense of his flag and joined the ranks of the Federal army, enlisting in the 100-day service at Greenville, Ohio, where he joined Company G, One Hun- dred and Fifty-second regiment O. N. G. He served faithfully from 1864 as regi- mental musician in the One Hundred and Eighty-seventh regiment Ohio In- fantry Volunteers until the close of the war. He studied dentistry after the war under his brother, Dr. Walter F. Lewis. He came to Evansville then and studied under Dr. Isaiah Haas. He returned to Greenville in 1 S6S and began the practice of his profession. In 1873 he returned to Evansville and has prac- ticed his profession here continually ever since. Dr. Lewis is a member of the G. A. R. and the Royal Arcanum, and in the latter was grand regent one year and represented the grand council at the supreme council two years. He is prominent in the I. O. O. F., hav- ing passed various chairs. He is also a useful and helpful member of the Masonic order, having been past master and past high priest, and in 1896 was eminent commander of La Valette Com- mandery, and has done much to promote the interest of the order.
He was married in 1869 to Miss Emma C. Dorman, of Greenville, Ohio, and two children have blessed their union. The eldest, Ernest Lewis, has been a close literary student for a num-
DR. S. B. LEWIS.
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C. L. WEDDING.
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ber of years, and recently received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Har- vard University. He is one of the brightest and most promising young men in this community, and, if we are to judge the future by the past, some flat- tering predictions might be made.
Dr. Lewis has been signally success- ful as a dentist, being greatly devoted to his profession, and always faithful to the interests of his patrons. He is a man of fine personal bearing, dignified in appearance and .genial and cordial in his intercourse with others. He is an exceedingly popular citizen.
CHARLES L. WEDDING,
A TTORNEY at law, prominent member of the Evansville bar, was born in Ohio county, Kentucky, October 17, 1845, and belongs to that large class of men of sterling worth and usefulness, who was born to the soil. While it is undoubtedly true, according to that great state paper, the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, yet all men do not make equal use of the opportunities afforded them in this country, pre-eminent above all others as the land of opportunities. All lives are full of struggles, and each has its vicissitudes. Some are misdirected and fail of success-others, with no better chances, win the goal. The suc- cessful man always has marked charac- teristics obtained by him in his wrestle with the fates. Either his popularity or his appreciation of his energy has won
the battle, and these leave upon him the characteristics which make his indi- viduality. The subject of this sketch has evinced all these elements-popularity. for his geniality, a place in success as the result of energetic action.
Charles L. Wedding started out in life with the odds against him, courted fortune under adverse circumstances, and has achieved far greater success than falls to the lot of most men. His early boyhood days were spent on his father's farm, where he worked in the summer, attending the common schools in winter. The advantages to be de- rived from such schools as were then taught in Ohio county were meagre in the extreme. He was not content to remain on a farm and live a monotonous life, but had higher aims, and at the age of sixteen, although equipped with a very limited knowledge of the element- ary branches of education, he began to study law. He had an exalted idea of the character of a lawyer. The desire and determination to become a lawyer, in the same sense that implies character, culture, learning and love of country. Although there were difficulties to sur- mount and many chasms to bridge, he pressed on with determination, elimi- nating from his vocabulary the word, "can't," and substituting in its place " will." He bought some elementary law books, and it was not an uncommon thing for him to devote sixteen hours a day in gleaning knowledge from their pages. In 1864 he was admitted to the bar. after having passed a successful examination before two eminent and distinguished judges of Kentucky, viz. :
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James Stuart, then of Brandenburg, and P. B. Muir, of Louisville and for a while he was engaged in the practice of his profession at Cloverport, Kentucky. At that time Kentucky was very much disturbed and distressed from the effects of the civil war, and Mr. Wedding, therefore, moved to Rockport, Indiana. He arrived at Rockport an inexperi- enced and penniless boy, with no knowl. edge of the world nor friends to aid him. At that time the Rockport bar consisted of Judges DeBruler, Laird, Barkwell, Gen. J. C. Veatch, Hon. Thomas S. DeBruler, C. A. DeBruler and others of considerable note. Not- withstanding the weight of this strong competition, Mr. Wedding engaged himself diligently and succeeded in building up for himself a lucrative prac- tice. Before he had reached his majority he had attained considerable reputation as a lawyer and orator. In ISSo. seeking a more extended field, Mr. Wedding moved to Evansville, where his career has been marked with continued success. He is in love with and sticks to his pro- fession. He has accumulated a consid- erable fortune, acquired it all in the practice of law, has built himself a beautiful home on Water street in his adopted city, where he and his family are surrounded with the comforts of life.
In politics Mr. Wedding is and has always been independent, voting as he felt he could best serve his country, but is not a politician in the usual accept- ance of that term, yet he has attained some prominence in public affairs as a citizen. He is an able advocate, ener-
getic in taking care of his clients, is a sincere and eloquent speaker. He is a man endowed with fine judgment of men, business and business principles, and enjoys the highest confidence of all who know him.
Mr. wedding was united in marriage, December 1, 1866, to Miss Mary C. English, a well known young lady of Rockport, Indiana, and a most worthy and popular woman of this city. They have two children, Webster and Charles Sterling, both now young men.
LOUIS ICHENHAUSER,
A NATIVE of Bavaria, Germany, born at the town of Ichenhausen (which place was named in honor of his grand- parents) on September 30, 1832. He came to America in 1850 and located in Hardinsburg, Kentucky, and engaged in merchandising. He removed to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1864, and con- tinned merchandising for one year. Coming to Evansville in 1866, he formed a co-partnership with Charles Lichten. and engaged in the wholesale glass and queensware business, under the firm name of Lichten & Ichenhauser. This firm was dissolved in ISSo, by the retirement of Mr. Lichten. Mr. Ichen- hauser continued the business, adding thereto the importation of china and queensware in 1883. The business has grown from year to year, until it is one of the leading houses of the kind in the west.
Mr. Ichenhauser is a member of the
LOUIS ICHENHAUSER.
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Evansville Business Men's Association. (Triton). A storm drove them to shore He was for five years treasurer of the below Ilickman, Kentucky, where they took possession of a cabin. For so do- ing, were set upon by the planter and his hounds. They were thought to be hard characters and roundly abused and ordered out and told to be gone. Germania Building and Loan Associa- tion, and is a member of the Sixth Street Jewish temple, in which he has held various official positions. Mr. Ichenhauser was married in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1859, to Therese Ober- dorfer, who was born in Germany, in 1842, and eleven children have blessed their union, nine of whom survive. Three sons, Silas, Nathan and Sidney L., are engaged with their father in his business, the firm being known as L. Ichenhauser & Sons.
CAPT. CHARLES W. MYERHOFF,
W AS born at Cincinnati, Ohio, March 10. 1842, his mother dying, when he was but six years old. He was sent to live with an uncle, residing on a farm in Jackson county, Indiana, with whom, and John J. Cummins, a lawyer of the same county, he remained there until 1855, when he returned to live with his father, who had again married. His father's death occuring two years later. He hired to a gardner near Newport, Kentucky, but soon thereafter followed his only sister to Grandview, Indiana, where he worked on a farm and in a ship yard. He made a trip to Vicks- burg, Mississippi, on a flat boat, and in 1858 started out in a sail boat, with three others, to seek adventure and em- ployment. When landing at Evansville a salesman from Robert Barnes' store offered to trade or buy their boat
As he approached, young Myerhoff stepped out of the door and bowing, said, "good evening." The planter be- ing surprised at his appearance and manner, said, "I beg your pardon, sir, I thought you were river rats." He was profuse in his apologies and offered them all employment in his wood yard. Next day all went to work in the woods and while absent the cabin burned to the ground, by which mishap their clothes and stores were all lost. Two of the men went to the planter for as- sistance, he told them to go back and send Charley to him. He rendered assistance generously, declining to take their note, considering the young man's verbal promise to pay sufficient.
He was afterwards employed on a store-boat. His refusal to traffic with persons for stolen goods from the plan- ters caused the young man to retrace his steps to Evansville, Indiana, carry- ing all his possessions in a small ban- dana. When passing the corner of Main and Second streets, Mr. Krone, the grocer, remarked, "young man, you look as if you have had a hard time."
His brother, John H. Myerhoff, was foreman in the Armstrong furniture factory and here he obtained employ- ment until the tocsin of war was sounded in 1861. He attended the meeting in the old Crescent City Hall when the
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first two home guard companies were the duty of dividing rations. Myer. hoff was selected, which duty he per- formed for the company until commis- sioned first lieutenant. He was cap- tured at Anteitam and performed the same duty for his mess of thirty-two in Libby prison, where he found the pris- oners of a certain regiment were favored by an ex-officer of their regiment, then one of the principal officers of the prison. Myerhoff called a meeting in his divis- ion; the change following was appre- ciated by the men.
organized. His name was entered on General Blythe's company roll, but when Blythe Hynes moved down the aisle, rapidly vaulted upon the plat- form, and announced that Dr. Noah S. Thompson had received a commission as captain and orders to organize a volunteer company to start for Wash- ington, D. C. at once to defend the capitol. Young Myerhoff arose from his seat and asked that his name be taken from the roll, then immediately called on Captain Thompson offering to enlist, but was refused, being too young and frail, and that his parents would object. When informed he was an orphan and was determined to go, was examined and accepted as the first enlisted man in the first organized com- pany in Evansville for the war. He was the first man detailed for guard at Klurman's hall. His sternness was long remembered by the boys as being the man that kept them from seeing the first company drill. When Captain Thompson got up his list of non-com- missioned officers, he submitted the list to Myerhoff and asked him how he liked the selection. His answer was, "Captain, you have selected the most popular men, but pardon me, when I call your attention to an element in your company you ignore; one half your company are Germans, and not one in the list." The list was changed and Ger- mans recognized. At Terre Haute complaint was made to the captain by the company of unfairness in division of rations. After some parley the men were instructed to elect a member for
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