USA > Indiana > Encyclopedia of biography of Indiana > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
timation he scarcely had a superior. Few presidents have had the same power of inspiring the minds of the students with confidence. Dr. White was a man of the most severe application and untiring in- dustry. In his estimation every moment possessed a value higher than gold. And here was the secret of his success. This it was that earned him his influence, his power and his reputation. This it was that gave him his scholarly finish and the utmost development of which his mind was capable. He had no latent or unde- veloped power in him. He never entered the pulpit except with the highest pro- duct of the most careful and earnest labor. His style possessed the most per- fect finish that his talent and culture could impart. His delivery was fervent and impassioned, his enunciation clear, distinct and emphatic, his manner digni- fied, solemn and impressive. He was with most a favorite, and with some the beau ideal of a preacher. He produced the conviction of possessing a sincere and high-toned piety. His social manners were courteous and affable; he did not care for large parties, but he had a keen relish for social intercourse and a thor- ough appreciation of a good story. His conversation was distinguished for cheer- fulness, animation and intelligence. He was eminently and uniformly courteous and therefore seldom made a mistake. He gave his opinion only when his mind was thoroughly made up, and then he sel- dom changed. Hence he possessed great decision of character; and the students
176
BIOGRAPHY OF INDELNA.
well understood that when Dr. White's decision came, there could be no appeal. This gave him great success as a college disciplinarian. All who came under his instruction loved and honored him. He so completely disarmed prejudice and in- spired such undoubting confidence in his wisdom and candor, that he easily be- came in the character of the student, one of its most indelible controlling and formative elements. So that, thoughi dead, Dr. White still lives-and for a long time will live, multiplied, translated and illustrated in a greater or less degree in the character of all those who have been educated by him. His influence upon this western country will not soon die. Death came suddenly, but found him ready- his work was done. His character was fully developed and fixed and could not have been changed by additional years. His intellectual stature could not have been increased by a single cubit. He had reached his zenith, and it was fitting that at that elevation he should step into glory. His decease seemed not so much death as a translation. He had once with equal piety and eloquence said, "My high- est ambition will have been reached, if upon my tombstone shall be written the words, 'Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him.'" For many long years he had, like Enoch, walked with God, and at the moment when God took him, he was in a peculiarly near and inti- mate fellowship, for he was writing a description of death as seen by the eye of Faith. . And it sounds like the language of
one who had already passed the Jordan, and was giving vent to his own raptur- ous experiences amid the glories of the better land. We quote but one or two sentences of this sermon, left lying un- finished upon his desk: "The Christian faith assures him that at death he lan- guishes into life, and in joyous exultation exclaims, 'I live! I am released from a community of the dead! This is my birth! I had never lived before! Now I live! " Scarcely was the pen dry that traced these words, when the spirit of the writer was in the midst of the joys he had so vividly described. A few moments after a member of his family, coming into his room, found him lying lifeless. Before him in that last moment was the picture of the one he mourned, and all who en- tered the sacred room felt that Heaven had seen the longing look, and in pity had changed the sadness of bereavement to the joy of an eternal reunion.
DANIEL W. HOWE.
Hon. Daniel Wait Howe is descended from New England stock, his ancestry running back for seven generations to John Howe, who, about 1638, was num- bered among the pioneer settlers of Sud- bury, Massachusetts, and twenty years later earned the distinction of being the first to settle in Marlborough, Massa- chusetts. Here was born his son, Thomas Howe, who became a conspicu- ous figure as colonel in King Philip's
The Century Publishing & Engraving to Chicago
Janice Mais- Hours
177
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
War. Jonathan Howe, also born in Marl- borough, was the son of Colonel Thomas Howe and father of Captain Eliakim Howe, one of the first settlers of Henni- ker, New Hampshire. The next genea- logical step brings us to Revolutionary times and to Otis Howe, of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, who belonged to the militia of his native State; and, serving in the War of 1812 we find his son, Cap- tain Nathan Howe, of Cattarangus coun- ty, New York. This Captain Nathan Howe was the father of Daniel Haven Howe and grandfather of Daniel Wait Howe. Dan- iel Haven Howe married Lucy Hicks, and to them was born, on October 24, 1839, at Patriot, Switzerland county, Indiana, the subject of our sketch. In 1850 Daniel Wait Howe moved from Patriot to Frank- lin, Indiana. He attended the Franklin College, graduating from that institution in 1857. Four years later, when our Civil War broke out, be was among the first to enlist, in Company H, Seventh Indiana Volunteers. With this company he was engaged in the battle of Carrick's Ford; and subsequently, as lieutenant and then as captain of Company I, Seventy-ninth Indiana Volunteers, he was in the battles of Stone River, Chickamauga and Mis- sionary Ridge. He also, during the At- lanta campaign, fought in several battles under General Sherman. On June 23, 1864, while in active service at Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, he received a serious wound, in consequence of which he ob- tained an honorable discharge on Novem- ber 10, following. Shortly afterward he
entered upon the study of law, and grad- uated from the Law School of Albany, New York, in 1867. He then returned to Franklin, Indiana, and opened an office for the practice of his profession. In 1873 he removed to Indianapolis, continuing his practice in his new location, and three years later he was elected one of the judges of the Superior Court. To this honorable position he was repeatedly re- elected. In November, 1890, however, le retired from the bench and resumed his duties as a lawyer. While in practice at Franklin he held the positions of city at- torney and circuit prosecuting attorney; and his residence there was signalized also by his marriage to Inez Hamilton, daughter of Robert A. and Susan Hamil- ton, of Decatur county, Indiana, three children resulting from their union,- Ruth, Lney and Susan. Judge Howe is one of the vice-presidents of the Indiana Historical Society, and the various pub- lications of that society contain papers contributed by him. The following trib- ute to Judge Howe, in both his private and professional characters, is quoted from one of the leading lawyers of In- dianapolis, who has had a long-standing acquaintance with him, having often met him, now as ally, now as adversary, in the legal arena, and having tried cases before him when on the bench of the Marion Superior Court :
"Judge Howe is one of the most genial and kindly of men, very strongly attached to his friends and helpful to them on every opportunity. He is a devoted son, husband and father, and his private life
178
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
in all relations is admirable. As a law- yer he is laborious and exhaustive in the preparation of his cases. He never en- ters the trial of a case without knowing all that could be said or done in favor of his client, and without having carefully considered all that might be said or done against his client. As a result, his life at the bar has been signally success- ful. His briefs on cases in the Supreme Court are learned and lawyer-like, and, as shown by reports, were convincing to the Court. During the fourteen years in which he served as Judge of the Superior Court, he showed that he had the judicial faculty in the highest degree. He was calm, firm and deliberate, and without shadow of bias toward either party. He required attorneys practising before him to be courteous to the Court, to oppos- ing counsel and to witnesses. It is doubt- ful if any judge ever sat at nisi prins during so long a period and had so few of his rulings reversed by the Supreme Court. The retirement from the bench was very greatly regretted by the bar, as it is not often that a lawyer of his ability can be induced to accept a judicial posi- tion at the unsatisfactory salary attached to the office. Since his return to the bar, with his professional life enriched by his experience on the bench, he has had a large and satisfactory clientele. A liti- gant whose interests are intrusted to his care is safe in the feeling that he will prevail if his case is one worthy of suc- cess under the law and the facts."
JEFFERSON H. CLAYPOOL.
Jefferson H. Claypool was born at Connersville, Indiana, August 15, 1856, and is the only son of Hon. B. F. Claypool, of whom an extended sketch appears in this work. He is of the third generation of the Claypool family to attain promi- nence in his native State. His mother was the daughter of Dr. Jefferson Helm,
of Rushville, Indiana, who was one of the early physicians of the State and a mem- ber of the Constitutional Convention of 1852, and later State Senator from Rush county. She was a woman of unusual refinement and culture, and contributed much to the intellectual development of her family. He spent four years at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and one year at the University of Virginia at Charlottes- ville. AAt the age of twenty he began the study of the law in his father's office, and after two years of careful prepara- tion, began the practice of his profession at Connersville in partnership with his father, and continued that association until the death of the latter in 1888. The firm did a large and Incrative business in eastern Indiana, and became favorably known throughout the State. Mr. Clay- pool was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1888 and again in 1890 as a Republican, from Fayette and Henry counties. In the Legislature he served on the Ways and Means Committee and at the close of his second term was con- sidered one of the most valuable and use- ful members of the House. In 1893 he married Mary Buckner Ross, only child of Major J. W. Ross of Connersville, and immediately moved to Indianapolis. They have one child, a son, Benjamin F. Clay- pool, born in 1894. Since his removal to the State Capital, Mr. Claypool has not been active in his profession, devoting his time largely to his extensive farming in- terests and other business connections. He is a director in the First National
The Century Publishing & Engraving to Chicago
Samuele P Chyler
179
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
Bank of Connersville, and stockholder in a number of other corporations, to all of which he gives personal attention. Like his father, Mr. Claypool has always been active in Republican politics, and on account of his conservatism and ex- cellent judgment, is frequently called into the highest councils of his party in State politics when important matters of policy are to be determined. In 1898 he was a member of the State Board of Elec- tion Commissioners. He is a fluent talker and a particularly clear and forceful writer on political and economic ques- tions, having contributed many articles to the public press during the past ten years. He is a member of the Delta Kap- pa Epsilon college fraternity, but is not a member of any other secret order.
SAMUEL P. OYLER.
Col. Samuel Petitt Oyler, son of Samuel and Sophia (Rabson) Oyler, was born August 26, 1819, in Hawkhurst, Sussex county, England. His father was a farm- er and freeholder. Colonel Oyler's early life was passed principally in London. He attended school there and in Westmin- ster. In 1834 he came with his father to the United States, locating first at Roch- ester, New York, and afterwards, in 1841, in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. He stnd- ied theology and for several years was a minister of the Universalist denomina- tion. In 1850 he moved to Franklin, In- diana, and began the study of law with
Hon. Gilderoy Hicks, and was subsequent- ly admitted to the bar of the Supreme and Federal courts of Indiana. Imme- diately after the commencement of the War of the Rebellion he entered the Federal service, serving as major of the Seventh Indiana Volunteers in the three months' service of that regiment, during which time he participated in the battles of Philippi and Carrieks Ford. He again entered the service as lieutenant-colonel of the Seventy-ninth Indiana Volunteers -serving in that capacity from August, 1862, to October, 1864, and participating in the battles of Chickamauga, Mission- ary Ridge, and the battles of Sherman's Atlanta campaign. He resigned on ac- count of physical disability in October, 1864, and returning home resumed the practice of his profession. He was prom- inent in politics in Indiana, being one of the delegates to the National Republican Convention in 1860, and a delegate and member of the platform committee of the Soldiers' Convention in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1866, and was a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1864 to 1868. He was also prominent in civil life, having held the offices of prosecuting at- torney, mayor of the city of Franklin, and Circuit Judge. He was also promi- nent in the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias organizations of Indiana, hold- ing at different periods the highest offi- ces in each. In 1873 he was elected Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and afterwards represented the order as rep- resented in the Supreme Lodge of the
180
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
World. He was Grand Master of the Odd Fellows in 1882-3, and Grand Rep- resentative in 1884-5. Colonel Oyler was emphatically a self-made man-laboring as a plasterer to support his family while he was acquiring a legal education, and building almost entirely with his own hands the house which he first owned in Franklin. He was fearless and outspo- ken, a fluent speaker and ready debater, and of great power as an advocate. He was respected by all who knew him as a man of unflinching integrity, who could neither be awed nor tempted to yield his convictions of right. He was esteemed by the younger men of the community, and especially by the younger members of the bar, for his readiness to help them, and by the poor he was universally loved for his many acts of charity. Colonel Oyler was twice married; first in 1845 to widow Julia (Harris) Wooding, who died in 1847. In 1848 he married widow Lucy `(Hicks) Howe, who survives him. He died at Franklin, Indiana, September 6, 1898. His tombstone is strikingly indicative of the plain and simple but strong and sturdy character of the man. It is a rough square stone upon which is carved a cross with only this inscription: "In hoc signo vinces."
HENRY SCHNULL.
Henry Schnull was born in Westphalia, Germany, December 26, 1833, and is a son of Frederick W. and Wilhelma (Bier-
mann) Schnull. F. W. Schnull, who was a merchant and agriculturist, inherited a grocery, provision and grain business, with considerable real estate, from his father, Anton W. Schnull. For more than one hundred years the firm of Frederick W. Schnull was in existence, and did an extensive business in exporting Westpha- lia hams to America, and also had a good local trade in grain. Frederick W. was only nineteen years old when his father died, and not having completed his col- lege education, he was entirely inexperi- enced in business affairs and consequently met with heavy losses during his short business career. He died at the age of twenty-nine, and when the estate was finally settled the sons found that hence- forth they would be obliged to depend upon their own resources. When their mother died in 1848 they determined to seek their fortunes in America. The elder brother, Augustus, came to America first, and located in Indiana in 1849. Henry attended the common schools of his native town until he was seventeen years of age, when he also came to Am- erica, and soon found employment at Indianapolis. At this time his brother Angustus had become established in a fair business, buying produce from farm. ers and shipping from Madison, Indiana, to the New Orleans market by steamboat. Henry was employed in a grocery store in Indianapolis, and in the course of three years he went into business for himself. HIe formed a partnership with Mr. F. P. Rush, to engage in the retail grocery bus-
181
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
iness, the firm name being Sehnull & Rush. Their first location was on East Washington street, between East and Liberty streets. This small business es- tablished in 1855 was the foundation of the present extensive wholesale grocery house of Sehnull and Company. In 1856 Augustus Sehnull bought Mr. Rush's in- terest in the business and the firm name was changed to A. and H. Schnull. The trade of this concern increased steadily and besides retailing groceries, they bought produce, poultry and eggs for shipment to New Orleans and other mar- kets. In 1858 their business had in- creased so that they were warranted in removing to more extensive quarters at the corner of Washington and Delaware streets, after which they discontinued the retail department, confining them- selves to the wholesale grocery trade. In 1862 they erected a large building at the corner of Meridian and Maryland streets, which they occupied until January 1, 1865. The brothers then sold their busi- ness to a firm which was organized under the name of Crossland, MeGuire & Co. Augustus Sehnull returned to Germany soon after on a pleasure trip, and upon visiting his native place he became so at- tached to the home of his childhood, that the following year he settled there per- manently with his family. In the spring of 1866 Mr. Henry Schnull joined with the late David Maey and Volney T. Malott in organizing the Merchants' Na- tional Bank of Indianapolis, and Mr. Sehnull was elected the first president of
this institution. He served in this eapa- city for three years, but not finding bank- ing as congenial to his tastes as the gro- eery business, he then joined Mr. Henry Severin in the organization of the whole- sale grocery house of Severin, Schnull & Company. He sold his stoek in the Mer- chant's National Bank to Messrs. New- man and Carey, and he then became in- terested in various other commercial and manufacturing enterprises, among which were the Eagle Machine Works and the Indianapolis Cotton Manufacturing Com- pany. January 1, 1872, Mr. Schnull's health failing, as the result of overwork, he sold his interest in the grocery busi- ness to Mr. Frederick Ostermeyer, the firm becoming Severin, Ostermeyer & Company, which still continues. Mr. Schnull gradually disposed of all his in- terests in mercantile lines, and made in- vestments in valuable real estate in the city of Indianapolis, among his purchases being the Occidental Hotel property, which he acquired in 1872. His health having in the meantime improved, in 1877 he resumed the wholesale grocery busi- ness, first on his own account under the firm name of Schnull & Company. 1 year later Mr. William A. Krag acquired an interest in the business, and the firm name was changed to Schnull & Krag, and so continued until 1887. When Mr. Henry Schnull retired and went to Eu- rope for rest and recreation, his son Gus tave 1., who had been in the employ of the concern several years, took charge of his father's interests. This continued for
182
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
about two years, when the business not having proved successful, Mr. Schnull senior, having returned from Europe, joined his son, taking Mr. Krag's place in the firm and the original name, Schnull & Company, was resumed. About two years later, two valued employees, Will- iam J. Griffin and his brother, George G. Griffin, were given an interest in the busi- ness, the firm name remaining the same. In 1856 Mr. Schnull was married to Miss Matilda Schramm, a native of Hancock county, Indiana. Her father, Jacob Schramm, was one of the pioneers of that county, having come from Germany and settled there in 1835, where he followed farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Schnull have been born four children, three daughters and one son. The eldest daughter, Emma, is the wife of Clemens Vonnegut, Jr., who is a member of the hardware firm of Cle- mens Vonnegut, and president of the Indianapolis Coffin Company. The second daughter married Bernard Vonnegut, a brother of Clemens, who is a well-known architect of Indianapolis. The third daughter is the wife of J. George Mueller, who is the senior partner in the Indian- apolis Drug Company. The son, Gustave A. Schnull, now takes the active manage- ment of the large and increasing business of Schnull & Company. Henry Schnull is one of the originators of the German House, one of the leading German clubs of the West, organized in 1892. This beautiful building is the home of the three leading German societies of Indian- apolis: the Socialer Turn Verein, the Mu-
sik Verein, and the Deutsche Club. The building was erected and is owned by the stockholders of the Deutsche Turn Verein Stock Association, of which Mr. Herman Lieber is president. The Association of the German House, as it is called, has now a membership of over eight hundred, which is still increasing, and more than half the members are of American birth Mr. Schnull is a Republican of the type who have been called Mugwumps. He is a friend and great admirer of Carl Schurz. Mr. Schnull is not a member of any church or of any secret society. One of the leading business men of Indianapo- lis, who has known him intimately for many years, says: "Henry Schnull is re- garded in this community as one of the substantial citizens of Indianapolis, not only for the success that he has attained in business, but for his sterling qualities as an upright citizen. Although he has never been active in any political party, and has never been a candidate for office, vet he takes a lively interest in all public affairs. Whenever his fellow citizens need a man for any public service, not as a figure head, but as a worker in the ranks, Henry Schnull can always be de- pended upon to do his duty faithfully and to the utmost."
WILLIS C. VAJEN.
Something of the family history of Wil- lis C. Vajen is given in the biography of his father, John Henry Vajen, which may
.
.
183
BIOGRAPHY OF INDIANA.
be found in another part of this volume. This sketch, therefore, will devote itself exclusively to the history of its subject's life, which, although probably incomplete by many years of productive activity, fur- nishes for present record abundant and creditable data. Willis C. Vajen was born at Indianapolis, October 28, 1851. l'assing through the grammar and high schools of his native city, he, at the age of seventeen, entered Earlham College, at Richmond, Indiana. His two years' course at this institution was followed by two years of study at Wittenburgh Col- lege, Springfield, Ohio. His health being delicate, foreign travel was then deemed desirable for him. He, accordingly, went abroad, and completed his educa- tion in the Herr Poppy's Seminary, at Hamburg, Germany. Upon his return, he entered into business, choosing the hardware trade, in which he had in his boyhood been thoroughly drilled by his father and developed great proficiency. He organized the firm of Vajen & New Company, Incorporated, of which he was the president. In 1885 he purchased the entire associate interest, and as sole pro- prietor continued the business for two years. In 1887, finding his health too strongly taxed by the commercial life, he disposed of his establishment to Lilly & Stalnaker and went to California. Re- cuperating in the soft clime of the Pacific, he was able to return within a year, and in 1888 resumed business, organizing the Vajen Real Estate Exchange. This he operated successfully for a time, then
abandoned it to associate himself with Mr. P. H. Fitzgerald, constituting the firm of Fitzgerald & Vajen, who were recognized as the leading pension attor- neys in the West. They were also pub- lishers of the American Tribune, the great western soldiers' organ. Mr. Vajen had charge of the financial side of the enterprise, together with the manage- ment of the paper. Mr. Vajen retired from the pension business in 1893, and has since yielded to his genius for inven- tion, which is of no common order. He has obtained patents on many practical devices, but his greatest invention, the idea of which he has cherished since he was a mere boy of ten years, the one which has given renown to his name in nearly every part of the civilized world, is that of his smoke protector or helmet, manufactured by the Vajen-Bader Com- pany, of Indianapolis, of which he is president and manager. This device is simple, but very complete, at once form- ing a shield from bruises or burns and supplying the fire-fighter with a fresh, cool atmosphere from its reservoir of com- pressed air, thus enabling him to work in comfort in the midst of dense smoke, noxious gases and bad airs usually found in mines. In view of the awful devas- tation wrought by fire when uncontrolled, one cannot overestimate the value of an invention which comprehends the redemp- tion of human life and property from the grasp of the destroying fiend. Mr. Vajen was married August 29, 1876, to Anna B. Claypool, only daughter of Mr. E. F.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.