USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Greater Indianapolis : the history, the industries, the institutions, and the people of a city of homes > Part 92
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nent location in the capital city. In 1868 the Republican state convention heartily endorsed his acts and his stalwart character by unani- mously nominating him for the governorship, and he was elected over Thomas A. Hendricks, considered the strongest and most popular man whom the Democrats could present. After serving out his term to the complete satisfac- tion of his constituents Mr. Baker re-entered the practice of law, and succeeded his political opponent but personal friend, Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, as the senior member of the law firm of Baker, Hord and Hendricks, and main- tained his high and dignified standing at the Indianapolis bar from 1873 until his death twelve years later. His remains were taken to Evansville for interment and he rests in the community which watched with such pride and affection his rise to honorable eminence.
As a trustworthy and appreciative estimate of Governor Baker's. character the following extract from the memorial presented by the Indiana Bar Association is an appropriate con- clusion to this biography :
"The death of Governor Baker deprives In- diana of one of its worthiest and most eminent citizens. On its death-roll of soldiers and civilians no name occupies a more honorable or conspicuous place than his. Its history would be grossly incomplete without mention of his life and public services. His name is written in the records of its courts as a lawyer and a judge; it is on the journals of the legisla- ture; it may be found among the archives of ita executive department, and it has an im- portant place in its military annals. Wher- ever it appears the state has reason to be proud of a name that was never stained by a single vice or sullied by one dishonorable act ; whose owner always and everywhere wore upon his breast the white flower of a blameless life. The fierce light which beats upon every candidate for political distinction disclosed no spot upon 'his character; slander was disarmed by his purity and detraction was strieken dumb. Mor- tuary literature abounds in benevolent falsi- fication, but it can be guilty of none in its unstinted praise of him. The most sensitive conscience is not strained in the commemora- tion of his virtues, or by the concealment of any shortcomings. It would be impossible to overrate him, for the highest eulogy is the simple truth. In every act and relation of his long and useful life the simplicity and good- ness of his nature were manifested, as they were revealed in every lineament of his singu- larlv benignant features.
"As a lawyer Governor Baker was conseien- tions, painstaking and industrious : a safe and judicious counselor, faithful to the interests
of his clients, and regardful of his own duties to the court. He had the implicit confidence of the courts, because they knew he would not intentionally mislead them, or suffer them to be misled. His forensic triumphs were due to the sincerity and earnestness, the skill and judgment with which he advocated and man- aged a cause, instead of to the arts and de- vices of the orator, for which he indulged a quiet and humorous contempt. The bar of In- diana may have had more brilliant members, but never one more justly distinguished for the depth and accuracy of his professional learning. His brief period of service on the bench was long enough to demonstrate his peculiar fitness for the discharge of judicial functions; and to afford an unmistakable earn- est of subsequent distinction as a judge had he chosen to continue as one.
"Indiana has never had a wiser and better administration of its affairs than while he was its governor. He gave to the administration of them a dignity and elevation of character which had its source in himself. In the field and at the head of his regiment he displayed a tranquil courage and a calm fortitude which never deserted him under any of the vicissi- tudes of war. A striking illustration of these qualities is afforded by an act of his while he was provost marshal general at Indianapolis. An unruly and belligerent mob of soldiers was threatening with destruction the office of a newspaper which had incurred their hostility. He went among them alone and at great per- sonal risk, and stopped the assault as soon as it began. It was at a time when the Union sentiment was intense and proscriptive, and his interference in behalf of a newspaper that had become the object of its passionate fury was simply heroic. His sense of justice could not be subjugated by popular clamor, and it was broad enough to include those who were regarded by his associates and comrades as the enemies of his country. The patriotism which made him a soldier actuated him as a citizen, and it never degenerated into mere partisan- ship. In his social and domestic life the vir- tues which marked his professional and pub- lic career had their counterpart. The 'honor, love, obedience and troops of friends' which, according to the poet, 'should accompany old age' followed him to the edge of the grave, and attested the universal and heartfelt esteem in which he was held. He left a fragrant mem- ory and the precions legacy of a good example, which, through many years that are yet un- born, still stimulate and encourage the vir- tuous efforts of those who knew and have sur- vived him."
Governor Baker married Matilda Eacon
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Sommers, of Gettysburg, whose father, Aaron Sommers, was lost at sea while serving as the captain of one of the Patterson ships out of Baltimore. They were married by Rev. Charles McLean, who afterwards established the In- dianapolis Young Ladies' Seminary. Mrs. Baker's bridesmaid was Mary Ann McLean, who with her sister, Mrs. Margaret M. Todd, conducted that school, it having been located at the southwest corner of New York and Meridian streets. Mrs. Baker died in 1855 and in 1858 Conrad Baker was again married, his second wife being Charlotte Frances Chute, a daughter of Daniel and Rachael Chute, of Evansville. Her death occurred in Indian- apolis on the 11th day of November, 1902.
ALBERT BAKER, one of the older members of the Indiana bar, senior of the well known firm of Baker and Daniels, is a son of the late Hon. Conrad Baker, ex-governor of the state and eminent as a brigade commander, provost marshal of the commonwealth in the Civil War who, with such men as the intrepid Oliver P. Morton, was one of the grand upholders of the Union cause and the general dignity of In- diana. His services were so many and so great and his character so worthy of delinea- tion in detail that other pages are reserved for a fitting memorial. The son, Albert Baker, was born in Evansville, Indiana, on the 22nd of November, 1851, remaining in that city and obtaining his early education there until the removal of the family to Indianapolis in Feb- ruary, 1867. The youth continued his pre- paratory training at the City Academy, a private school of the latter city, and in 1868 became a sub-freshman at Wabash College, from which institution he was graduated in 1874. In the year 1871-1872 he was out of college on a ranch in Kansas for the benefit of his health.
Mr. Baker prosecuted his law studies in the office of Baker, Hord and Hendricks, and was admitted to the bar in 1876. In 1881 he formed a partnership with Edward Daniels, who is still his partner, and in January, 1883, the firm was merged into that of Baker, Hord and Hendricks, which was later succeeded by Baker and Daniels. The firm is known as one of the strongest and most reliable in the city, and its large general practice carries its mem- bers into all the courts, state and federal. Mr. Baker is an active Republican and an earnest worker in the First Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. On October 19, 1876, at Craw- fordsville, Indiana. he married Miss Anna S. Campbell, daughter of Professor John L. Camp- bell. who for a period of fifty-four years was an honored member of the Wabash College faculty. Mr. Baker's family consists of his
three daughters, Mrs. John Chandler Dallam, of Schenectady, New York; Miss Gertrude Johnston Baker and Miss Rosemary Campbell Baker, Mrs. Baker having died at Indianapolis March 1, 1910.
JOHN F. BARNHILL, M. D. A distinguished representative of the medical profession in Greater Indianapolis is Dr. John F. Barn- hill, who has been engaged in practice in this city for nearly a quarter of a century and who, appreciating the vastness of the domain of his profession, has first realized the value of concentration in its work, with the result that he has gained a high reputation as a specialist in the treatment of the diseases of the ear, nose and throat. Though not a na- tive son of Indiana, the doctor is a scion in the fourth generation of the family in this commonwealth, with whose annals the name has been identified since the early pioneer epoch.
The lineage of the Barnhill family is traced back to ancient and patrician Irish stock and, more remotely, to Scottish origin. The only authentic family records, extending from 1691 to 1863, were retained long after the establishing of the line in America and were finally and, unfortunately, destroyed through the capricious enmity of the second wife of John Barnhill, who was the founder of the family in America. From him the next in line of descent to Dr. Barnhill was John Barnhill (II), who removed to North Carolina after his marriage and whose sons, Samuel and. Robert, eventually removed to Kentucky. Robert Barnhill, the younger of these sons, married Sarah Morrison and they resided in Georgetown, Kentucky, for some time, finally removing thence to Butler Coun- ty, Ohio, and later took up their residence in Indianapolis, Indiana, and their son, Robert, grandfather of Dr. John F. Barnhill, was born in Kentucky and came with his father to Indianapolis in 1820. Here they purchased government lands and had the distinction of assisting in the erection of the first log cabin in the future capital of Indiana. The land which he purchased at that early date is now in the very heart of the city. He married Jane Stoops, whose family was related by in- termarriage with that of ex-president Roose- velt. They became the parents of eight chil- dren and both continued to reside in Marion County, Indiana. until their death, Robert Barnhill, living to the age of ninety-two years.
Robert Barnhill (III), son of Robert and Jane (Stoops) Barnhill, was a native of In- dianapolis and the major portion of his ac- tive career was devoted to agriculture. His
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HISTORY OF GREATER INDIANAPOLIS.
wife, whose maiden name was Angeline Shirts, was a native of Noblesville, Indiana, and her parents were numbered among the first settlers of that place. Robert and An- geline Barnhill became the parents of eight children, namely: Henry, George, James, Nancy, Melissa, John F., Sarah and Charles. Robert Barnhill (III), finally removed from Indiana to Flora, Illinois, but he later re- turned to Indiana and lived at Nora, this state, where he died, in 1881. His wife died in 1907. They were folk of sterling charac- ter and their lives counted for good in all re- lations, while they ever commanded the re- spect of all who knew them. Both were mem- bers of the Christian Church and the father was a stanch Republican.
Dr. John F. Barnhill was born at Flora, Illinois, on the 2nd of January, 1865, and was about two years of age at the time of the family removal to Indiana. He received his educational training in the public schools of Marion County and thereafter continued his academic studies in the Central Normal College, at Danville, Indiana. In 1885 he was graduated at the Union High School, located at Westfield, and the president of the school was Professor Absolom Rosenberger, who waa an able and prominent educator of the state at the time and who was an in- fluential member of the Society of Friends. Dr. Barnhill's preliminary education at the several institutions mentioned was inter- rupted by the necessity of himself teaching in the public schools for a period of six years. After graduation from the Union High School he began the study of medicine with Dr. H. S. Herr, of Cleveland, Ohio, and later it was his privilege to continue under the preceptorship of the late' Dr. Joseph East- man, of Indianapolis, with whose finely equipped hospital he was identified for three years, during which he assisted in many operations and gained much valuable clinical and technical experience. It may be said, incidentally. that on other pages of this work is dedicated a memoir to Dr. Eastman. In 1888 Dr. Barnhill was graduated in the Cen- tral College of Physicians and Surgeons, in Indianapolis, and had the distinction of win- ning the faculty gold medal for the highest average scholarship. In the same year he passed a competitive examination for the po- sition of interne in the Indianapolis city hospital and so excellent was his standing in this examination that he was given the choice of places. His first year of active profes- sional work was in connection with the In- dianapolis city dispensary after which he located in Irvington, the college section of
Indianapolis, where he continued in success- ful practice for eight years. In 1895 Dr. Barnhill decided to withdraw from the gen- eral practice of medicine, in order to devote attention to the branches in which he had become especially interested. He passed the subsequent year in New York City and Lon- don in study, having passed six months in the New York Polyclinic, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Manhattan Eye and Ear Infirmary, and six months in the Central London Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital. His devotion to the study and work of the special branches to which he had decided to give himself in the active work of his profession fortified him for a time in the technical knowledge of said branches, but after prac -. ticing his specialties for three years in In- dianapolis, his ambition led him to make fur- ther research and to broaden his study. Ac- cordingly, in 1899, he made a second trip abroad, where he took a course in operative ear diseases, under Dr. Jansen, a celebrated specialist of Berlin. He then went to Vienna, where he took a special course in ear diseases under Professor Doctor Adam Politzer. At various times since Dr. Barnhill has studied in London, under Drs. Lennox, Browne and Dundas Grant. He also witnessed the work of many other eminent specialists but his in- vestigations were carried on principally with those mentioned. In 1900, he returned to Indianapolis, where he has since been en- gaged in the practice of his profession, as specialist in affections of the ear, throat and nose, in which he is a recognized authority, being called upon for consultation by repre- sentative practitioners of the Central West. He has also accomplished much as a teacher and writer on medical subjects. Concerning his professional career, the following state- ments are worthy of reproduction :
"For three years Dr. Barnhill was a lec- turer in the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons. was then for several years Professor of Physiology, and from 1898 to 1905 held the chair of diseases of the ear. He was also secretary of the college. In 1906 the State College of Physicians and Sur- geons was organized and affiliated with In- diana University, and in this, the Indiana University School of Medicine, he accepted and still fills the chair of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology. He is a member and vice- president (1903) of the Indianapolis Medical Society; a member of the American Medical Association : a member of the Indiana State Medical Society; for two years, 1901 to 1903, secretary of the Section on Laryngology and Otology, American Medical Association, and
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in, 1903 was elected chairman of the same, acting as such at the Atlantic City meeting, 1904; a fellow of the American Society of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology; a fel- low of the American Otological Society; fel- low of the American Laryngological Society; a fellow of the Academy of Ophthalmology and Oto-Laryngology, and of the Mississippi Valley Medical Association. Dr. Barnhill is the principal author of a complete text book on Diseases of the Ear, as well as of many papers pertaining to diseases of the ear, nose and throat. He is consultant in diseases of the ear, nose and throat at the various hospi- tals of Indianapolis and has appeared before many county societies to lecture and exhibit specimens and drawings in order to further his plan of disseminating special knowledge of those organs among the members of the profession. His reputation and standing rest upon his work, which is recognized by those who have had an opportunity of observing his devotion and the practical value of his methods."
Dr. Barnhill is essentially progressive and public-spirited as a citizen and while all other interests have been subordinated to his devotion to his profession, he has not failed in any civic duties. Though never caring to enter practical politics, he is a stanch Re- publican. Both he and his wife hold mem- bership in the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The doctor is a thirty- second degree Mason.
On the 13th of February, 1889, he was married to Miss Celeste Terrell, of Lynch- burg, Ohio. They have no children. Mrs. Barnhill was born at Lynchburg, Ohio, and is a daughter of Benjamin West and Asenath (Johnson) Terrell, the former of whom is now deceased. Her father was a relative of the famous artist, Benjamin West. Mrs. Barnhill is a descendant of three of the dis- tinguished patrician families of North Caro- lina and Virginia, the Wests, Stanleys and Terrells.
ROSCOE O. HAWKINS. It has been well said that there is no honor not founded on worth and no respect not founded on accomplish- ment. Further than this it is significantly true that there is but one end in life that is worth while, and that is to conquer adversity, pain, envy, regrets, ambitions and the varied obstacles that are put in our path to develop our fortitude, our courage and our brains. Among those who have gained honor, respect and success stands Roscoe O. Hawkins, who is a distinguished member of the bar of In- diana and who has long been a dominating force in the political affairs of the state. In
his youth he felt the lash of necessity, but this but spurred him on to definite and worthy accomplishment through his own ef- forts. Like many another, he has known fellowship with adversity, and thus to him is due the more of honor for what he has made of himself and what he has done for the world in which he lives. The lesson of strug- gle and advancement is of great value and there can be naught of inconsistency in re- verting to the career of any worthy worker in such terms as have been utilized in this initial paragraph of a brief sketch which shall tell its own story by inference as much as by direct statement of facts.
Roscoe O. Hawkins is a native of the his- toric old Western Reserve, as he was born at Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on the 21st of February, 1848. He is a son of Rev. Gaylord B. and Eunice E. Hawkins, the former of whom was a representative of stanch old Vermont lineage and the latter a member of a family carly settled in Con- necticut. The genealogy in the agnatic line is traced back to English origin and the Hawkins family was founded in New Eng- land in the colonial era of our national his- tory. Rev. Gaylord B. Hawkins was a clergy- man of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was one of its early ministers in the Western Reserve of Ohio, where he labored with all of zeal until the inception of the Civil War. when he went to the front as chaplain of the second regiment of Ohio volunteer cav- alry. He died while thus serving, in 1862, and thus it was that the subject of this re- view was carly thrown upon his own re- sources: Of him and the conditions he thus faced, the following has been written: "The young man was educated at Warren, Ohio, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. During these years of study his path was full of difficulties. His father died in the army and thereafter the boy was com- pelled to shift for himself. He worked at any honorable employment he could find, while still pursuing his studies, and his am- bition and self-reliance enabled him to over- come the many adverse agencies against which he had to contend."
In the spring of 1870, when twenty-two years of age, Mr. Hawkins took up his resi- dence in Indianapolis, which city has since represented his home and the scene of his well directed endeavors in his chosen profes- sion. Here he engaged in the practice of law, and his ability and persistent application made his novitiate of somewhat shorter dura- tion than is common in such cases. He has attained unquestioned prestige as one of the
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able trial lawyers of the state and as one ably fortified in the science of jurisprudence, so that his powers as a counselor are on a parity with those as an advocate at the bar. An intrinsically logical mind enables him to reach the fundamental principles involved in the presentation of any cause and to skill- fully marshal his facts with due relation to equity and the law governing the case. He has been identified with much important liti- gation in both the state and federal courts and has given his attention more particularly to the civil branch of practice, though recog- nized as an able factor in the trial of crimi- nal cases.
From the time when he began to formulate definite opinions in regard to matters of public polity Mr. Hawkins has been unfalter- ing in his support of the principles and poli- cies of the Republican party, in which it has been his to attain much of leadership and to exert a splendid force in furthering the cause of the "grand old party". He has been an effective campaign worker, and his facility in the organizing and manoeuvering of political forces has caused him to devote more of his attention to such work than to mere cam- paign oratory. In 1874 he was secretary of the Republican county committee of Marion County, and in 1876 he held a similar posi- tion, besides which he was simultaneously chairman of the Republican executive com- mittee of Marion County. In 1880 he was chairman of the county committee, and it will be recalled that in the campaign of that year Marion County was the storm center of one of the most memorable political contests known in the history of the state. His work was done with so much of discrimination and facility that he gained a wide reputation as an effective political manager. From that time onward he has served as a member of the county executive committee in each suc- cessive campaign, and in 1896 he was a valued member of the state executive com- mittee of his party. He was elected city at- torney in 1876 and gave a most able admin- istration of this office, of which he continued incumbent for three years. Though he has given unreservedly of his time and splendid energies to the promotion of the cause of the Republican party this is the only official position of an emolumental order that he has consented to fill, save that of state senator. In 1896, responding to the insistent over- tures of the leaders of his party in the state, he accepted the nomination for joint senator from the district consisting of Marion, Han- cock and Shelby counties, and he was elected by an appreciable majority, in the face of
a normal and very material Democratic plur- ality in the district. As a member of the senate Mr. Hawkins showed again his loyalty to the people of the state and to the party through whose suffrages he was chosen. He was an efficient worker both on the floor and in the committee room and did much to pro- mote wise legislation during his term of serv- ice. In 1880 he was a delegate to the Repub- lican national convention.
Mr. Hawkins is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Indianapolis Bar Association, besides which he has long been actively identified with the Indianapolis Board of Trade, of whose board of governors he was a member for about two decades. He is a member of the Columbia and Marion Clubs and served one term as president of the former. In the time-honored fraternity he has completed the circle of both the York and Scottish Rite, in which latter he has attained the final, or thirty-third, degree, a fact that indicates the high esteem in which he is held by members of the fraternity in the state. By virtue of his father's service in the Civil War he is eligible for and holds membership in the Indiana Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
On the 19th of February, 1873, Mr. Haw- kins was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Harmon, of Cleveland, Ohio, and they have two children, namely : Gaylord R., who is associated with his father in the practice of law; and Clara, who is married to Henry C. Brubaker, of Indianapolis.
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