USA > Indiana > Encyclopedia of biography of Indiana > Part 14
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
wood, Illinois, was his next abiding place, and he was made a citizen of the United States at Joliet in 1866. He was em- ployed by the Braidwood Coal Company, and was there married on May 15, 1870, to Miss Mary Valentine, daughter of Isaac and Ann Valentine, of Pennsylvania. Five months after his marriage he went to live in Bloomington, Illinois, working in the coal mines of that place from Oc- tober until February, when he made an- other change, this time locating at Brazil, Indiana. Here he pursued his vocation of mining for a year and a half. In August, 1872, he removed to Rosedale, Indiana, which town has since been his home. Be- coming interested in the Mammoth Coal Company, he bought up this concern in 1876, and directed its operations for about six years. In May, 1882, it was superseded by the Parke County Coal Company, which Mr. Martin organized and has since conducted with most gratifying results. To-day it stands prominently among the most extensive and thriving of western coal enterprises, and this position it owes to the wise and energetic methods em- ployed in its management. If true that "a rolling stone gathers no moss," the human "rolling stone" sometimes gathers experience which may later be turned to much account in securing the coveted "moss." The knowledge of the coal busi- ness gleaned in the many and varied ca- pacities which Mr. Martin filled during his wanderings doubtless contributed greatly to the success which places him among the first coal operators of the
United States. Four sons-Valentine, Joseph, Overton H. and William-blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Martin, their mother, however, being taken from them by death on November 8, 1895. Each of the sons has found a place in the Parke County Coal Company, and under their father's careful guardianship, they may easily rise to positions of influence in the coal industry. The town of Rosedale is largely indebted to Mr. Martin for its advancement, which has been furthered by him both as the head of the Parke County Coal Company and as a progres- sive citizen. He is a man much respected for his vigor and integrity of character, and his genial face and hearty manner are pleasantly familiar to the entire com- munity. Sometimes his cheery smile and greeting are missed for a time in Rose- dale; for Mr. Martin has an inherent fond- ness for travel, and has already crossed the ocean several times, revisiting the fa- miliar scenes of his native England and making continental tours of the places of historical or other special interest. Mr. Martin's second marriage took place on June 20, 1896, the bride being Miss Ber- tha A. Seybold, daughter of John Sey- bold, of Minshall, Indiana. One child was born of this union, which died in infancy.
WILLIAM W. RISHER.
The family of Risher, as the name im- plies, is of German origin, that branch to which belongs the member lierein por-
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BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
trayed inheriting German blood on the maternal side also. John Risher, the father of William W., was a native of Pennsylvania, born near the town of Chambersburg in 1797. When a youth he went to live in Armstrong county, and thence removed to Westmoreland county. In 1819 he was married to Miss Mary Hawk, of Westmoreland birth and two years his junior. Their children num- bered twelve, eight of them sons. Of these, four, including William W., sur- vive, their ages ranging from fifty-six to seventy years. Their four sisters are all deceased, three of them and one of the brothers having died in early youth. The father and mother of this large family died at the ages of eighty-two and eighty- six respectively. William W. Risher was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsyl- vania, December 28, 1831. When a boy of eleven, he put his shoulder to the in- dustrial wheel, his first employment being that of canal-boat driver on the Pennsyl- vania canal between Pittsburg and Phila- delphia, and the monthly compensation for his toil being the pittance of seven dollars. He kept to this work for six years, until August, 1848, when he left home, giving up his employment on the canal, and set out to seek a better for- tune. In this quest he journeyed seventy- five miles on foot, without shoes and with all he possessed of worldly goods slung across his back. He found what he sought, however-the field of industry wherein lay his life work, in which he should gain thorough proficiency through
experience, and better his own condition while contributing to the general good, This field of industry was the dusky one of coal-mining, his work beginning in the mines of Mercer county, Pennsylvania, where the family followed him in October of the same year, 1848. Here William toiled until 1854. From a laborer he be- came an operator of coal mines, and he has since given to this line of work his exclusive attention, with the single ex- ception of a venture in the furnace busi- ness, in 1864. He went into this enter- prise in conjunction with other men, at West Middlesex, Pennsylvania, it result- ing ruinously for all concerned, the loss involved amounting to seventy-eight thou- sand dollars. From 1857 to 1873 Middle- sex was one of the scenes of Mr. Risher's coal operations. In the meantime, how- ever-in the year 1864-he came to Bra- zil, Indiana, prospecting in the coal in- terest; he was, indeed, the first eastern man to enter the coal industry in Clay county, where that industry was as yet in its infancy. Its facilities for produc- tion were limited to a single shaft and a few drifts, and the daily output was bare- ly fifty tons of block coal. In the follow- ing year Mr. Risher went into partnership with three other Pennsylvania men, Sam- uel Strain, A. L. and J. M. Crawford, which firm bought and operated Pollings mine, located at the site of the present Knightsville, shipping to Chicago and Cleveland the first block coal obtained by those cities. It also leased coal lands in Clay county to the extent of eighteen
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thousand acres. Mr. Risher sold his share in this enterprise in the autumn of 1865, and, combining with other coal men, be- gan operations in Warwick county, at a point near Newburg on the Ohio river. This change in his plans was occasioned by the loss of his wife, who had died in that year. The new company, however, being obliged to compete with a superior grade of coal, the undertaking met with total failure. In 1873 Mr. Risher located with his family in Brazil, Indiana, which town has since been his place of residence and the scene of his business operations. In 1888 he was appointed superintendent of the Crawford Coal Company, an enter- prising concern which has, under Mr. Risher's able supervision, operated exten- sively, having worked more than a dozen different mines. Mr. Risher is also the manager of a fine stock farm in the out- skirts of Carbon, Indiana, which is the property of the company he represents. The large, blooded stock of this farm comprises cattle of Galloway, Aberdeen Angus breeds, Tunis sheep and the famous Hamiltonian horses. Mr. Risher has been twice married. The first union took place on February 15, 1853, with Miss Jane Kyle, of Irish birth and twenty- three years of age. Their four children, three sons and one daughter, were: Almed J., William R., Warren W. and Marvin B., of whom the two last men- tioned are deceased. Mrs. Risher died September 27, 1865. The second marriage was with Cordelia Mitchell, consummated on June 19, 1866. Mr. Risher's only child
by the second wife was lost in infancy, and its mother died on May 5, 1880. Mr. Risher's life has been plentifully strewn with business reverses and family sor- rows, but they have not embittered him. He is strictly fair and reliable in his deal- ings with men, while socially he is char- acterized by many a generous impulse and kindly deed. Beginning life wholly without capital or influence, he has been a plucky champion of the "try, try again" maxim, now smiled upon, now frowned at by fickle Fortune, but always gaining valuable experience from his mistakes, and in the long run winning a fair degree of personal success, and a far greater de- gree of that impersonal success which is reflected from the earnest endeavors of one to the lives and fortunes of many. Through abundant practice, he acquired very accurate judgment in the locating of coal fields, and the extracting of their wealth, and through his efficient pioneer- ing he was instrumental in bringing large amounts of eastern capital into the coal industry of Brazil and Clay county, thus conferring a lasting benefit upon the en- tire community.
JAMES SEATH.
James Seath was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 1, 1827. His parents were both natives of Edinburgh and of Scottish ancestry. His father was James Seath, a miller by trade, and his mother was Ann (Ross) Seath. Her father,
Gas Sesth
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James Ross, was a man of wealth and po- sition in Edinburgh. They were the pa- rents of thirteen children, the subject of this sketch being third in order of birthi. In 1883 the family emigrated to America and located in Albany, New York, where the son James, then six years old, en- tered the common schools and obtained a fair English education; afterwards learning the machinist's trade. In 1848 he went to New York City, and found em- ployment in the shops of the Hudson River railroad. After two years he took a position as engineer on the railroad and later on became master mechanic of the Hudson & Berkshire railroad, locating in Hudson, New York. In 1858 he re- signed his position and moved to Bloom- ington, Illinois, where he was employed by the Chicago & Alton railroad as ma- chinist and engineer. He was shortly af- terwards employed as master mechanie in the railroad shops at Litchfield, Illi- nois, on the Terre Haute & Alton rail- road. A change in the administration of the road caused him to resign, and he re- turned to his former position at Bloom- ington. From there he removed to St. Charles, Missouri, where he served as en- gineer, fireman, and later on master me- chanie of the North Missouri railroad. While at St. Charles he was offered and accepted his former position as master mechanie for the Terre Haute & Alton railroad at Litchfield. He remained there until 1867, when he resigned and moved to Terre Haute, where he made his per- manent home. His extensive experience
in the management of the mechanical de- partment of railroads, and in the con- struction and operating of locomotive en- gines, had well qualified him to engage in the manufacture of railroad machinery of all kinds. Upon loeating in Terre Haute, he at once founded the shops that grew in a few years to be the extensive Terre Haute Car & Manufacturing Co., of which he was the head. The original firm was Seath, Smith & Co. After six months the firm was changed to Seath & Hager, which commenced in a small way the manufacture of freight cars for the Vandalia railroad. In 1875 the company was changed to a joint stock corporation, of which Mr. Seath was president. His practical knowledge of mechanics, and his familiarity with the wants of railroad service, gained by practical experience, fitted him for this responsible position, and his wise management and close at- tention to details are evidenced by the vastness of the plant and the extent of the business which developed under his regime. In personal appearance James Seath was one of the plainest and most unassuming of men. Day after day and year after year, he worked among his army of employes at the car shops, and there was none among the thousands who gave him his toil iu return for his sus- tenance, more faithful in the discharge of his duty; none who crowded into the hours of the day's work more well-applied energy and conscientious work. He had the keenest appreciation of the rights and dues, the aspirations and the limitations
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of the employed. He exacted no service that under similar conditions he himself would not have cheerfully rendered; con- sequently he was loved and honored by his employes, and few men held a higher place in the estimation of those who knew him, and none more deserving of their regard. He was quiet and domestic in his habits and a great lover of his home and family. He was very fond of reading and was always well posted on the current events of the day. He had an inventive mind, and was the patentee of several useful improvements in railroad machin- ery and equipment. In politics he was a Republican; in religion, a Universalist. He was a Master Mason, and a member of the Terre Haute Club. He was a man of broad enterprise and public spirit; he gave liberally of his means to all charit- able purposes. A worthy object found in him a ready and present help. He was a cheerful and sympathetic friend, a kindly and helpful companion, an indulgent and loving father. The many noble qualities in James Seath were known only to the few people who were intimately acquaint- ed with him. He was a great lover of lit- tle children; his chief delight was in play- ing with his grandchildren, little Charley Conant and Jessie Blood. Mr. Seath was married October 4, 1852, in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Christine H. Kilmer, a daughter of John G. and Catherine (Her- ron) Kilmer, natives of New York. To them were born four children, Mary D. and Jessie (deceased), James R. of Terre Haute, architect and draughtsman, and
Jessie S., the wife of Ossian A. Conant of Terre Haute. Mary D. Seath, the eldest child, married Chester E. Blood of Terre Haute. She died in 1885, leaving one child, Jessie, who has been reared in the home of her grandparents. Mr. Seath died October 5, 1895.
WILSON D. WALLACE.
Hon. William De Witt Wallace, Judge of the Superior Court of Lafayette, is a native of Indiana and has always lived in the same city. He was born November 19, 1838, the son of James Wallace and Sarah A. Marquam. The name indicates Scotch ancestry and his father was a na- tive of County Tyrone, Ireland, having in his veins a mixture of Scotch and Irish blood. In 1808, at the age of four years, James Wallace was brought to this country by his parents, who settled on a farm in the Tuscarora valley, Pennsyl- vania. There he grew to manhood and learned the trade of cabinetmaker. On gaining his liberty at the age of twenty- one he came West and located for a time in the city of Cincinnati. His personal habits were exemplary, and his wants were few and simple. He indulged in no luxuries or excesses, and, although a journeyman's wages at that time were low, he was able to save a portion of his small earnings. This habit of living within his means, of saving and invest- ing, characterized his whole life. Fru- gality is always followed by thrift, and
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so Mr. Wallace, while yet a young man, began to accumulate property whose valne increased with the growth of the town of Lafayette, in which he settled as early as 1829. Here he opened a cab- inet shop and carried on business for himself, which was prosecuted diligently and with increasing success until about 1854, when he retired to enjoy the com- petence which his frugality and prudence had accumulated. De Witt's boyhood was passed in the city of his birth and on a neighboring farm, assisting his fa- ther in the cabinet shop and in general farm work. His early education was ac- quired in the common schools and at the age of seventeen he entered the academy at Waveland, in which he was prepared for college. In 1858 he matriculated in Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, having been admitted to the sophomore class on examination. He was graduated from this institution with the class of 1861. Like thousands of young college gradu- ates, he was moved by an impulse of pa- triotism to enter the Union army imme- diately after leaving college, as the war of the Rebellion had just opened. The quota of Indiana volunteers under the first call of the President having been filled before he returned home, his aspi- ration could not be satisfied immediately. and during the interval he took up the study of law at La Fayette in the office of Huff & Jones. The first opportunity of gratifying his military ambition was improved by enlisting as a private in Company C, Fortieth Regiment, Indiana
Volunteers, and when the company was organized he was elected second lieu- tenant. His superior qualifications for command thus recognized by his com- rades secured his promotion to the cap- taincy of his company very soon, when the captain was appointed major of the regiment. Captain Wallace was a true soldier, brave and gallant on the field of battle, obedient and trustworthy in the discharge of all the duties of the camp and the march. Always ready to face danger or to assume any responsibility which legitimately belonged to him, he won the love of subordinates, the respect and confidence of superior officers. In the battle of Stone river he was wounded so severely by the bursting of a shell, while leading his company, as to compel his retirement from the army. His serv- ice was comparatively short and entirely honorable. His resignation having been accepted, he returned home and resumed his legal study in the office and under the instruction of Hon. John A. Stein. Ad- mitted to the bar in 1864, he soon gained a standing in the profession and acquired a valnable clientage. His keen percep- tion and deep penetration, guided by the integrity of his mind and a thorough knowledge of the books, made him a safe counselor. He continned in the practice until 1894, when he was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Tippecanoe county. He bronght to the bench a maturity of judgment, broad and practical views of men and affairs and a very comprehen- sive knowledge of the law. Favored by
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nature with that mental equipoise which weighs accurately and decides impartial- ly, he is eminently qualified for the duties of judge of a trial court. He has that breadth of view which is obtained only by occupying a high plane. He is en- tirely free from the petty jealousy and envy which sometimes disturb the peace of narrow men. While at all times a pro- found student, he has never been a recluse, and his knowledge of the world, acquired by social contact with the best men of the State, is quite as serviceable as the broad scholarship to which he has attained. He ranks high as an orator and had great power before a jury while in practice. While Judge Wallace has been concerned chiefly with the law he has also given much time and attention to the study of literature. His reading has covered a wide range and he has acquired a polished and forcible style of writing. He is an author of consider- able reputation and his published works embrace both prose and poetry. His publishers are Putnam's Sons, New York, and his popular volumes are "Love's Ladder," a work of fiction, and "Idle Hours," a volume of poems. In 1861, just before going to the front, and clad in uniform, he was married to Miss Anna M. Shields, daughter of Dr. P. S. Shields, of New Albany, Indiana. The marriage took place on the twenty-third anniversary of his birthday, and has been a very happy one. Seven children blessed his home, four of whom, all cultured women, are still living.
ROBERT S. COX.
Robert S. Cox was born at Zanesville, Ohio, February 7, 1833. His father was Robert S. Cox, Sr., a native of Yatton, Somersetshire, England, who came to the United States in 1830 and finally set- tled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he resided until the time of his death in 1864. His mother was Laura (Powell) Cox, a na- tive of Abergaverny, Wales. She died in Terre Haute in 1885. The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools of Cincinnati, Ohio. He came to Terre Haute in 1855, when twenty-two years of age, and went into the whole- sale grocery business in partnership with his father, the firm name being R. S. Cox & Son. This company became widely and favorably known through all the terri- tory tributary to Terre Haute. After his father's death Robert's mother retained her interest in the business and the firm name was changed to Cox & Son. In 1869 he became a partner with Mr. H. Hulman, under the firm name of Hulman & Cox, in the wholesale grocery business. Here his great executive ability and his sound views on business matters were conspicuously manifested. This partner- ship continued until 1879, when he be- came part owner of the Terre Haute Distillery, under the firm name of Cox & Fairbanks. He sold his interest in the distillery in 1881, and in March, 1882, became part owner of the Terre Haute Car Works, and was made vice-president of that company; he was afterwards
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elected president, which office he retained up to the time of his death. Robert Cox was one of the pushing, thorough-going business men of Terre Haute. He was a hard worker, always doing something to advance the interests of the city. He had broad and liberal views of education and progress, was an earnest advocate of practical education in technology, and as a member of the board of trustees of Rose Polytechnic, the result of his wis- dom and thoroughness will long survive him. The Rose Orphan's Home, on whose board he was a most useful member, was an especial object of his care and solici- tude. He was a public-spirited man, and from the days when he was chief of the fire department to the hour of his death he was untiring in his efforts to promote the interests of Terre Haute and had the growth and prosperity of the city con- stantly in view. He was a man of un- doubted integrity, whose word was as good as his bond and whose honor could not be impeached. Truthful, straight- forward, manly, broad and generous in all his ideas and business transactions, he was a kind and indulgent father, a loving husband and brother, a true and sincere friend. Mr. Cox was twice married. His first wife was Hannah F. Schell of Cincinnati, who died in 1860, leaving two sons, Lewis J. and Rob- ert S. In 1861 he was married to Miss Francis Strain, who died July 29, 1881, leaving five children. The family of seven children, five sons and two daughters, are all living. Four of the
sons now own and operate the Terre Haute Car & Manufacturing Company, Lewis J. being president, Robert S. vice- president and general manager, George S. a director, and John superintendent. Frank P. is chief engineer of the General Electric Company of Linn, Massachu- setts. The daughters are Mary, wife of Richard Ralph of St. Louis, and Cedelia Cox of Terre Haute.
JOHN H. GOULD. -
One of the best-known and most high- ly esteemed citizens of Carroll county to- day is the Hon. John H. Gould. He set- tled in the county a short time before attaining his majority and has been a continuous resident more than forty years. His immediate ancestors were plain, independent, undistinguished peo- ple who made their way by hard work and asked no special favors. He was born in Ballston Spa, Saratoga county, New York, December 17, 1836, the second son of Daniel Gould and Adaline Wil- kins. While he was yet an infant under six months old the family moved to Ohio and settled in the dense woods of Union county near the post office of Richwood. To the laborious task of clearing a farm and establishing a home the elder Gould set himself with energy and resolute de- termination. He was familiar with toil and became acquainted with privation in the pioneer settlement, where poverty was common and the ordinary comforts
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of life were appreciated as luxuries. To build a comfortable home required the combined labor of all the members of the family for many years and John shared the common lot as soon as he was old enough to work. His early instruction in the elementary branches of learning was intrusted to a private tutor before the establishment of the district school in his neighborhood, and when the latter was opened he was one of the pupils. Later on he pursued an academic course until his acquirements amounted to a lib- eral education, including a considerable knowledge of the classics. While draw- ing on the farm for the expenses in- curred by attendance at the academy he furnished a quid pro quo by working on the farm during the season of harvest and all the vacations. He studied law in the office and under the instruction of Hon. Samuel Galloway, of Columbus, one of the eminent men and very able lawyers of Ohio. Under this capable and pains- taking preceptor he gained a very thor- ough knowledge of the science of law as taught by the old masters. Meanwhile he paid his expenses with the wages earned at teaching school. He came to Indiana and to Carroll county in the fall of 1857, bashful but self-reliant, and en- gaged to teach the winter term of school at Camden. Upon the completion of this term in the spring of 1858 he located in Delphi and took up the practice of law. He was well qualified by reading and study. He was strong in mental grasp and physical energy. He was ambitious
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