USA > Indiana > Henry County > Hazzard's history of Henry county, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume II > Part 69
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John William Griffin was reared in the Quaker faith, but he took an early interest in the Union cause during the Civil War and was convinced that the "non-resistance" theory of the Friends was extreme, and if carried into practise must result in destroying all civil government. When the draft brought him and the other young men of the Society face to face with the issue, he refused to avail himself of the exemption extended by law under certain conditions to persons conscientiously opposed to bearing arms, one of which was the registry of an oath or affirmation, averring conscientious scruples in positive terms. Strong church influences were exerted to convince the young men that duty required them to "plead conscientious," as it was called. To this Mr. Griffin replied that he was not conscientiously scrupulous against taking arms in defense of the Union and of political liberty and he denied that either the New Testament or the authority of the early thinkers and writers of the Society of Friends required or sanc- tioned the doctrine of "non-resistance" as then insisted upon.
So many of the young men of the Society were already in the army at that time, so many others were ready to volunteer, and still others were refusing to avail them- selves of exemption, that it was not deemed wise to enforce the letter of the church discipline against its members who had entered the military service of their country,
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
nor against those who refused to secure exemption by making the conscientious plea. The matter thus remained in statu quo until after the close of the war, probably as much for the reason that the leaders of the Society realized that the anti-slavery atti- tude of their church had really had the most potent influence upon the action of its young men, as because of the serious loss to the Society involved in cutting off such a large number of its most active and intelligent members. Either view of the case was sufficient to justify the Society when so many of its members looked upon those who urged the more rigid course as "criers of peace, peace! when there is no peace."
After the war was over, the Society, letting bygone differences rest, sought to renew the adhesion of its members to the doctrines of peace and non-resistance, and the Indiana Yearly Meeting appointed a committee composed of some of its ablest men and women to hold conferences in that interest, as opportunity might offer. Such a conference was held in the Friends' meeting house at Spiceland, Indiana, February 9 and 10, 1868. Among the well known members of the committee were such men as Barnabas C. Hobbs, a learned educator and once Superintendent of Public Instruction for Indiana, and Luke Woodard, a preacher of the denomination and a poet of much local repute. Mr. Griffin, with opinions on the question unchanged, attended the conference as a listener, without thought of taking part in its discussions, but much to his surprise received an urgent invitation to join in the discussion and was given an allotment of the time.
With the general results of the debate he was entirely satisfied and felt that he had maintained his position against a strong but courteous opposition, but he then began to doubt the propriety of continuing his membership in a religious society with the ex- pressed views of which he was at variance.
Acting upon this opinion, he sent in his resignation in 1871 to the Spiceland Monthly Meeting of Friends, which was as follows:
"Spiceland Monthly Meeting of Friends:
"Dear Friends: This is to certify that I hereby discontinue my membership in your Society. Of the numerous reasons for so doing, I will only mention the following:
"1. I believe that the Scripture rule found in Matthew, VII, 12, allows civil government to enforce obedience to good laws, even though death ensues. This is denied by the Society.
"2. That the right to take life for treason or willful murder, claimed by William Penn in his laws, is as applicable and right now as in his day. This is denied by the Society.
"3. At the request of members of The Yearly Meeting's Peace Committee, I, with others, met in discussion, February 9 and 10, 1868, and endeavored to show that our view of The Golden Rule was not only sustained by the teachings of Penn, Jonathan Dymond, and other prominent members, but by the general practise of the Society, not only in early times but to day. For this expression of well-grounded opinions, you chose in your answers to the sixth query to complain of us to the yearly meeting.
"4. While complaining of the few Friends whose actions corresponded with their professions, you answered that the rest bore a testimony against bearing arms and all military services; while it was well known to you that nearly all the members of the Society heartily participated in the election of officers sworn to execute the law even though death should ensue; that most members engaged in the year 1868 in electing a military hero to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, with the full expectation that they would be faithfully used according to their intent and pur- pose, and it is very well known to many that a prominent member of the Society and the Peace Committee, in February, 1868, in a very public way, pledged the Society to a full vote for General Grant, because of his "well known qualification." It was also well known to you that members of the Society cheerfully paid all military taxes, levies for bounties, for substitutes, and commutation moneys; that the Society employed a police force to protect its sittings and, in short, that its members did everything to support war, except to risk their own lives.
"5. Furthermore, the yearly meeting has been levying a tax upon its members for the purpose of supporting a committee in the advocacy of a peace which they practised not, and I further believe that the teachings of the committee have a tendency to sub-
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vert all civil government and to overturn the power which gives security and protection to the church organization. I further believe that this committee raised and sustained by the church, while enjoying to the fullest extent the security and protection the gov- ernment affords and all the blessings civil government bestows, denies its right to sup- press a wicked rebellion, or maintain its own periled existence, and that the said com- mittee are teaching that a consistent Christian may pray for his government, while it must be left to fight its own battles and take care of itself.
"6. There is a prevailing disposition in the Society, and especially among its pub- lic teachers, to denounce all criticism, both public and private, styling such, however kindly meant or conscientiously made, as 'an attack upon the ministry,' a 'pulling down from within,' as 'the works of the devil,' as 'coming from the unregenerate heart,' as 'being among the various forms of infidelity,' 'a persecution of God's faithful servants, and asserting that such offenders should be 'turned out.' In view of these and many other facts, I prefer to 'go out' where
'There is freedom to him who would read, There is freedom to him who would write. There are none so afraid the truth should he heard As they whom the truth would indict.'
"Yours very truly, "JOHN W. GRIFFIN."
"September 11, 1871."
A committee of the Society thereupon waited upon him and assured him that he. would be welcome to retain his membership with all of its privileges, without recanta- tion. He then said: "Does that mean that I will have entire liberty to express my honest opinions upon all matters of general import to the Society, including that of peace? I can not think so and hence think I had better withdraw." After a moment's consideration, one of the committee responded: "I think thee is in the right of it," to which the committee as well as Mr. Griffin assented. Thus in friendship with and good will for the Society, he surrendered his membership, and after the many years that have passed, he still considers the stand taken and maintained by him during the war to have been the correct one. It was a crucial test of his manhood and integrity of character and he felt it to be far wiser and better to give up his membership than to remain a dissatisfied member, yielding assent to doctrines he could not endorse.
It is not the purpose of this sketch either to affirm or deny the political and reli- gious opinions and actions of Mr. Griffin, as set forth largely in his own language, but simply to give them as having been important factors in his life and character and in the history of the county at a most critical period in its affairs and in the life of the State and of the Nation.
Charles Skemly
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF CHARLES SLATEN HERNLY.
LAWYER, COUNTY OFFICIAL, RAILROAD PROMOTER.
The man who has attained distinction among his fellows is often said to be an "accident," but if an inexorable law of cause and effect orders and governs nature, it must equally apply to the affairs of men, and to the seeker after truth will be revealed the natural causes of human success which are hidden from the unthinking multitude and by them vaguely called "accident."" Ability to see and to grasp opportunities, wis- dom in planning great enterprises, foresight in management, skill in handling men, these are elements of success which remove their possessor from the category of accidents and make him the architect of his own fortune. Charles Slaten Hernly during an extended career has displayed so many of these commanding qualities, united with tireless energy and determination, that he is fairly entitled to be considered one of Henry County's foremost citizens.
To compile an accurate genealogy of this old family would be a voluminous task and for that reason reference to the family in this sketch is confined chiefly to the grand- parents and parents of its subject. They were a hardy people, German in speech, and for the most part tillers of the soil. Self reliance has always been a trait of the family, its several members depending for success in life upon their individual efforts.
The records of the Hernly family carry it back to the German cantons of Switzer- land whence in 1759 Ulrich Hoernli, as the name appears in the early records, immigrated to America where he settled on a farm near what is now Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The house there erected by him is still standing, weather beaten but sound, and is still owned in the family, the property never having passed out of the Hernly name. There is hardly a fairer section of country in this broad land than the fertile and marvel- ously cultivated fields of Lancaster County and they present to the passing traveler a scene of rare agricultural beauty. Ulrich Hoernli (Hernly) purchased the lands upon which he settled of Thomas and Richard Penn, brothers of the more famous William Penn, the friend of a king and the founder of the colony of Pennsylvania. A copy of the original deed of conveyance from the Penn brothers to his ancestor is now in the possession of Charles S. Hernly.
Ulrich Hoernli (Hernly) had four sons, named Christian, Isaac, Abram and John. The last named died young and unmarried. Christian was the great grandfather of Amos B. and Henry B. Hernly, the former of whom is now a resident of New Castle, Indiana, aged eighty one years, and the latter of whom is a resident of Prairie Township, Henry County, four miles north of New Castle, on the Muncie pike. Their father, John, son of Abram Hernly, came to Henry County in 1844 and at one time was the owner of more than thirteen hundred acres of land in the northern part of the county.
John Hernly, son of Isaac Hernly, was the father of Henry Hernly, the last named being the father of Charles Slaten Hernly. The mother of Henry was Barbara .(Lichty) Hernly. Both John and Barbara, his wife, lived in Henry County. Upon his death he was buried in the Reiman Cemetery, on Symons Creek, two miles north of Cambridge City, Wayne County, Indiana, and she returned to the family home in Pennsylvania, where she died and is buried.
Henry, father of Charles S., and Maria ( Reiman ) Hernly, his wife, were both natives of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and came to Wayne County, Indiana, in 1844 and settled on Symons Creek, two miles north of Cambridge City, at the Keplinger Mills, where for about ten years he operated a flour mill and distillery combined. In 1855 he purchased the water flour mill, known far and wide as the "Blue River Mills," two and a half miles north of New Castle, Henry County, and to the right of the Muncie pike. He also purchased the farm attached to the mill. He operated this mill, farmed the land and raised fine cattle and hogs, the combined businesses proving both pleasing and profit- able. Henry Hernly was a quiet, unassuming man, exceedingly industrious and honest. He was also a man of firm convictions, a good neighbor and a good friend. He believed in Divine Providence and lived a righteous life. He died November 29, 1872, aged fifty- six years, and his remains are interred in South Mound Cemetery.
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
After the death of his first wife, Maria (Reiman) Hernly, who died in 1853, and whose remains are buried in the Reiman Cemetery, above mentioned, Henry Hernly mar- ried Mary Hoffacker, a native of Maryland, of German descent. She is still living and resides in New Castle where she receives the constant and tender attention of her son, Charles S. Hernly. The children of Henry Hernly by his first wife were: one daughter who died in infancy; John R. and Henry L., both of New Castle; and William, deceased. The children of Henry Hernly by his second wife were: Kate, Rebecca and Homer, all deceased; Frank, who resides at Jonesboro, Indiana, where he is connected with the Indiana Rubber Company; and Charles Slaten Hernly. the subject of this sketch.
The flouring mill heretofore mentioned in this article is no longer known. The race that furnished the water, that gave the power, that turned the wheels, has run dry and the old mill has been moved to another spot, a half mile away, where it stands a melan- choly ruin. Not far from the original site of this famous mill are now located the house and grounds of the Country Club of New Castle. The tender memories clinging around the old mill have been embalmed in the sentiment so happily expressed by Charles S. Hernly who called it "the home of the honey bee and the wild flower." It is a romantic spot, set amid rural scenes where youth can disport in plentitude of pleasures and where old age can find relief and rest from the hum of the busy world. The little Blue, fed by innumerable springs of pure, sparkling, invigorating waters, meanders with musical cadence through the valley, which is here circled in a veritable amphitheatre of green and gold, the whole presenting a panoramic, pastoral scene of natural beauty and quiet charm.
CHARLES SLATEN HERNLY.
It was in the rural home, a log cabin with clapboard roof, set almost in the center of the spot above described and not far from the old mill, that Charles Slaten Hernly was born September 23, 1856, and his own description of the place, poetically expressed, is here appropriately inserted. It is entitled "The Old Water Mill" and is as follows:
"I remember the days that have long gone by And my thoughts turn back to the place Where I was born and lived, as a child, To the farm and fields by the long mill race And that log cabin which stood by the rill, Just across the road from the Old Water Mill.
"If I had my choice, I would live there now, With father and mother and the girls and the boys,
And listen to the song birds singing sweet In the big tall trees by that home full of joys,
I say, if I could, I would live there still, In that log cabin by the Old Water Mill.
"I have seen the city with its glaring lights That shut out the stars and the moon's soft rays, And my thoughts turn to better things, Where I lived as a boy in other days, With never a care to stagger nor frill The mind, in the cabin by the Old Water Mill.
"Life's burdens and sorrows come to us with age, And that grim monster, which destroys everything, Never stops working, but gets in the way Of ambition, and strikes with his sting, I'll be ready to go, if I can rest on the hill Where I played as a boy, by the Old Water Mill.
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
When hut a youth of ten or twelve years of age, Charles S. Hernly met with physical misfortune which necessitated the amputation of his left leg, near the hip joint. This naturally more or less affected his career and he became an earnest student, at- tending with regularity the district or country school and later the schools at New Castle. He also spent a year or more at the Spiceland Academy, under the care of that able teacher, Clarkson Davis. He in time became a teacher himself and followed that pro- fession until 1876, when he entered the office of Brown and Polk, New Castle, and com- menced to read law. He was admitted to the bar of the Henry Circuit Court in 1879, Robert I .. Polk, who had in the meantime been elected judge of the court, presiding. Mr. Hernly at once entered into partnership with S. Hadley Brown, and during a period of ten or twelve years this firm did a large and lucrative legal business. During this period Mr. Hernly served for four years as clerk of the Board of Trustees of New Castle.
Like the rest of his family, Mr. Hernly is a Republican and his versatile and energetic character soon drew him into the open field of politics. He was for a number of years the committeeman for his precinct and by his activity added greatly to the Repub- lican strength. From precinct committeeman he was advanced to the chairmanship of the Republican County Central Committee and his personality soon recommended him to the party and he became a power in the political affairs of the county, the district and the State. In 1890 his political activity was rewarded by nomination and election to the clerkship of the Henry Circuit Court, a position which he filled acceptably to the people of the county and creditably to himself.
He was now in line for higher political distinction and in 1898 became chairman of the Republican State Central Committee. Mr. Hernly took up the work of this respon- sible and powerful position with characteristic energy and carried his party triumphantly through the exciting campaigns of 1898 and 1900. No campaigns were ever more syste- matically fought than these under the leadership of Chairman Hernly and the party success is largely ascribed to his individual efforts. No man could have done more to bring about that unity of action so essential to winning the battle of the ballots. He placed great reliance on precinct organization and with that work well done considered the battle more than half won. His large personal acquaintance was also of great im- portance. He probably knew more voters by sight and could call more by their full names and locate them hy precinct or district than any other person in the State. Cool, calculating and diplomatic, his large grasp of affairs was amply demonstrated in these campaigns and his political reputation greatly increased. He believed in carrying out the pledges of his party and appointed the commission that drafted the present county and township laws of Indiana.
Since that time the qualities shown hy him in politics have been turned with equal success to the industrial field. He was an important factor in the organization of the New Castle Industrial Company in 1902 and much of its success may be attributed to his foresight and ability as an organizer. This association was the cause of the subsequent rapid growth of New Castle in population, manufactures and general business. To its activity may be ascribed the location at New Castle of the Krell-French Piano Company, one of the largest concerns of its kind in the world; the Shovel Factory; the Rolling Mill; the Pan-American Bridge Company, and many lesser business interests, almost all of which had their inception after the incorporation of the Industrial Company.
On December 23, 1880, Charles Slaten Hernly was united in marriage with Elizabeth Thornburgh, daughter of the late Hiram and Lydia (Creek) Thornburgh. This has been a happy union and with equal step they have trod the path of life together. To them have been born two children, Frost B. and Mary Victoria. The former is now a young man grown. He is engaged in the activities of life and with added years gives promise of a successful business career. Mary Victoria is now in the heyday of young girlhood. and is the flower of the household. She is fond of music, happy in her studies, quick to learn and a favorite with her many girl friends and associates.
The crowning work of Mr. Hernly's life has so far been the successful promotion in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and the financing of one of the most important public enterprises ever projected for the benefit of that section of Indiana which embraces the territory extending from Indianapolis to New Castle, to Muncie and
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to Richmond, and finally terminates in the city of Toledo, Ohio, known as the Indianapolis, New Castle and Toledo Electric Railway. His success in this matter assures to Eastern Indiana a system of interurban railways second in magnitude to that of no other State, and will make New Castle a point of entry and exit next in importance to Indianapolis. His fearless energy and determination have horne down all opposition to this great enter- prise and as benefits begin to accrue from it, the importance of his labors will be more and more appreciated in the community in which he lives. He is still a young man, as years are counted, and he may be confidently expected to accomplish still greater things.
Charles S. Hernly is not a member of any religious body but through his wife, who is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, he gives that denomination his cordial support and in language not to be misunderstood expresses his firm belief in the Christian religion. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and has taken all the de- grees of ancient Craft Masonry including that of Knight Templar, and all of the degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry including the Thirty-Second degree. He is a Knight of Pythias, a member of the order of Elks and of the Improved Order of Red Men. Socially, he is a hail fellow, well met. As host, he is unequaled; he is liberal to a fault and sympathizes with those who are in trouble and, so far as he is able, cheerfully aids the needy. He believes that bread cast upon the waters will return after many days.
ANCESTRY OF MRS. CHARLES S. (THORNBURGH ) HERNLY.
Mrs. Hernly on the paternal side is a great granddaughter of David Hoover, who settled two miles north of Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, in 1806. Her father, Hiram Thornhurgh, was the eldest son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Hoover) Thornburgh. He was born in New Castle, April 14, 1827. No man was probably better known during his life of sixty years in his native town. Everybody was his friend and he was the friend of everyhody.
On the maternal side, Mrs. Hernly is a descendant of John Creek, her mother's father, who was horn September 13, 1774, and died October 12, 1851. The family came originally from Germany and settled first in Greenbrier County, Virginia, but prior to 1800 moved to Union County, Indiana. The remains of John Creek are buried in the private cemetery on the home farm in Union County. John Creek was married three times and was the father of seventeen children. His third wife was Ann (Collet) Creek, born December 22, 1795. They were married at Brookville, Indiana. The children by his last wife were: Lydia (Creek) Thornburgh, born July 19, 1832, the mother of Mrs. Hernly; Charles C .; John; Margaret; and one child which died in infancy. John Creek farmed on a large scale and also gave great attention to the raising of live stock, horses being his specialty. His son, Charles C., uncle of Mrs. Hernly, is also a farmer and stock raiser. He is the only surviving son of this family of seventeen children and is one of the most prominent agriculturists in Union County, near Liberty, where he has lived all his life. He is the father of Raymond Creek, who now resides with his family in New Castle, where he is engaged with Charles S. Hernly in promoting and building what is known as the Indi- anapolis, New Castle and Toledo electric railway, which has heen poetically, if not appro- priately, described as the "Honey Bee and Wild Flower Route." In this enterprise Mr. Hernly's son, Frost B., is also actively engaged and has done much to bring the matter to its present successful stage.
Holderdelsom
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HAZZARD'S HISTORY OF HENRY COUNTY.
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