History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 56

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

USA > Indiana > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions > Part 56

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).

WILLIAM F. WALL.

To write the personal records of men who have raised themselves from humble circumstances to positions of responsibility and trust in a community is no ordinary pleasure. Self-made men, men who have achieved success by reason of their personal qualities and left the impress of their individuality upon the business life and general development of their places of residence and affect for good such institutions as are embraced within their spheres of usefulness, unwittingly, perhaps, build monuments more enduring than marble obelisk or granite shaft. To such a class we have the unquestioned right to say belongs the gentleman whose name appears above.

William F. Wall, the present efficient clerk of the circuit court of Hamil- ton county, Indiana, was born May 18, 1875, on a farm in Noblesville town- ship, this county, and is the son of Jerry and Susanna (Jones) Wall, his father being a native of Indiana and his mother of Ohio. Jerry Wall, who is still living at Noblesville, was a veteran of the Civil War, serving first in Company B, One Hundred First Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and later in the Seventy-fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. During his service of three years he made an enviable record as a soldier and was prompt and courageous in the performance of every duty which fell to his lot. His wife died March 30, 1912.

William F. Wall was reared on his father's farm in Noblesville town- ship, and received a good common-school education in the schools of his home neighborhood. Later he attended the schools of Noblesville, but left before graduating from the high school in order to go to work. For a time he worked at anything which a boy could find to do in a town the size of Noblesville, and within a comparatively short time found employment as a clerk in the dry goods store of Charles F. Johnson. That his service here

Digitized by Google

565

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

were eminently satisfactory is shown by his record of fifteen years of con- tinuous employment by Mr. Johnson and other merchants of Noblesville. Leaving the store of Mr. Johnson he worked with R. G. Caylor, N. D. Levison & Son and J. Joseph & Company successively, and gave each of his employers satisfactory service.

Mr. Wallace always has been interested in the success of the Republican party and has been a precinct committeeman of the party in Noblesville for several years. In the summer of 1911 he was nominated by the Republicans of Hamilton county for the office of clerk of the circuit court and at the November election following he was elected to this office, assuming its duties January 1, 1912, for a term of four years. He had been a candidate for the same office on one previous occasion, but the fortunes of politics then were against him. He is now performing the duties of this important office in a manner which stamps him as a man of more than ordinary ability, and is giv- ing universal satisfaction, not only to the party which elected him, but to all citizens, irrespective of their party affiliations. He is a capable, painstaking and conscientious official and is giving his office service based upon the best of his ability. His deputy is O. Reuben Mann. His first stenographer was Mrs. Ruth (Mosbaugh) Comstock, who resigned in 1913 and was succeeded by Miss Agnes Hull.

Mr. Wall was married January 17, 1900, to Maude C. Harris, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John R. Harris, of Noblesville, both of whom are still liv- ing. John R. Harris was a veteran of the Civil War and is highly honored in the community. Though they are not members of any church, Mr. and Mrs. Wall affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal church and contribute of their means to its support. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and has been active in the work of this fraternal organization in Noblesville for the past fifteen years. It is said that he brought a greater number of applications for membership to this lodge than any other member. In a recent class of twelve, nine of the applications had been secured by Mr. Wall. He has been a member of the Improved Order of Red Men for the' past ten years, is past chief haymaker of the local lodge, and in 1909 was a delegate to the national lodge of this order. He has also held membership in the Fraternal Order of Eagles for the past ten years. Mr. Wall is a type of the man who makes his way in life unaided and his record shows what honesty, industry and grim determination can accomplish when directed along proper channels. He is a man of genuine worth and high character and has long enjoyed a splendid reputation in the community in which he has lived all of his life.

Digitized by Google

566

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

WILLIAM EDWARD LONGLEY.

The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members. If its moral and intellectual status be good, if in a social way it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation as to the integrity of its citizens has extended into other local- ities, it will be found that the standards set by the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mould the characters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. One of the most prominent citizens of Noblesville, Hamilton county, Indiana, who has attained to a position of prominence not only in his own county but in the affairs of the state, is William Edward Longley, who is now the efficient state fire marshal of the state of Indiana. He is a man who has proved true to every trust reposed in him. Whether in his private life or his public life he has never shirked his duty. He has contributed very materially to the civic, moral and com- mercial advancement of his community, and his straightforward course of daily life has won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he moves.

William Edward Longley, the son of Edward and Mary Ellen (Donna- von) Longley, was born in Noblesville, September 26, 1854. His father was born in Kentucky while his mother was a native of Maryland, being born on the Atlantic coast. Edward Longley was the son of John Longley, a pioneer Christian minister who labored in the southern part of Indiana from 1838 to 1848. In the latter year Rev. John Longley came to Noblesville with his family and became the first regular pastor of the Christian church at that place. After a few years' sojourn in Noblesville he went to Lafayette and founded a sanitarium which he conducted until his death about 1863. He was a practicing physician as well as a minister of the gospel and his sanitarium at Lafayette gained more than a local reputation for the effective character of its service. Edward Longley came to Noblesville when his father moved here to take charge of the church and upon reaching his majority became engaged in the harness and saddlery business. He was taken ill and went to Lafayette where he took treatment in his father's sani- tarium, but subsequently died in March, 1855. He and Mary Ellen Donavon had only been married about two years when he died, their marriage occur- ing in December, 1853. and William Edward, whose history is here presented. was only a few months old when his father passed away in 1855. The widow married Ephraim Barks later and lived to a ripe old age, passing away May 2, 1898.

Digitized by Google

567

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

William E. Longley was reared in Noblesville and attended the public schools of that city. Later he attended the Ladoga Academy, a famous school in its day. After leaving school he became an apprentice in the office of the Hamilton County Register at Noblesville, and during a three-years' service with this newspaper added not a little to his store of knowledge. After this service in the newspaper office he became a clerk in a furniture store for two and one-half years. In 1875 he went to Indianapolis and clerked in a tea store for the next three years.

While living in Indianapolis, Mr. Longley was married on February 21, 1877, to Clara V. Wright, the daughter of Amos P. and Lucetta (Bodine) Wright, of Indianapolis. To this union have been born four children, one son and three daughters. The son, William R., is a graduate of Chicago University and is now professor of mathematics in Yale University. He is a man of superior attainments and is making a name for himself in his chosen field. The daughters are Edith, the wife of Guernsey Van Riper, of In- dianapolis; Alice, the wife of Emmett Fertig, an attorney of Noblesville, and Ruth, who is now a student at the University of Illinois at Champaign. The mother of these children died September 4, 1910.

After his marriage, in 1877, Mr. Longley moved to Noblesville and engaged in the hardware business. His business prospered from the start and he gradually expanded it until he handled not only general hardware but farming implements and furniture and later opened an undertaking es- tablishment. He continued in business for thirty years and built up the · largest and most successful establishment of its kind in Hamilton county. A few years ago he disposed of all of his business. Few men in central In- diana are more widely or more favorably known than Mr. Longley. He is alert and progressive in all his undertakings and as a business man has been identified with numerous enterprises in his county. He is a director of the Indiana Loan Association and has been president of the American National Bank of Noblesville since its organization, in 1910, and for fifteen years was president of the Crown Land Cemetery Association.

In politics. Mr. Longley has been a prominent factor in the history of the Democratic party in Indiana for many years. He has taken an active part in the county. district, state and national conventions, and has served his party in practically every capacity. For many years he was chairman of the ninth congressional district Democratic committee and vice-chairman of the Democratic state central committee. He was a delegate from the ninth congressional district to the Democratic national convention at St.

Digitized by Google

568

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

Louis in 1904. His greatest service to his party was given in 1912, when he was the campaign manager for Samuel M. Ralston in his race for governor. of the state. In recognition of his faithful and efficient service to the party as well as sterling integrity as a citizen of the state Governor Ralston ap- pointed him fire marshal of the state in March, 1913. This office was created by the 1913 Legislature and is one of great importance.

Mr. Longley is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is treasurer of the board of directors of the State Odd Fellows' Home at Greensburg. He is also a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men. He and his family are earnest members of the Christian church and he is a member of the board of deacons and one of the trustees of this congregation. For seven years Mr. Longley was the efficient superintendent of the Sunday school of this church. He has a beautiful home in Noblesville at ninety-four East Maple street.

GEORGE C. RICHWINE.

In every community are to be found individuals who, by reason of pronounced ability and forceful personality, rise superior to the majority and command the homage of their fellows; who, by revealing to the world the two resplendent virtues, perseverance and effort and directing purpose, never fail to attain positions of honor and trust and become in the full sense of the term leaders of men. Of this class is the well-known gentleman and successful farmer and stockman whose name appears above, a man who ranks among the leading citizens of Noblesville and who for a number of years has borne an influential part in the affairs of Hamilton county, in which he resides.

George C. Richwine, the son of Abraham and Sarah E. (Crim) Rich- wine, was born September 14. 1852. in Hamilton county, Indiana. His par- ents were both natives of Virginia and came to Indiana early in the history of the state. Abraham Richwine was a farmer and came to Hamilton from Madison county soon after his marriage. He was a successful farmer, a progressive citizen and a man who always took a deep interest in all public matters. He died in 1896, his wife having passed away in 1892. They were the parents of four children, three of whom are living: Mary Elizabeth, the widow of M. W. Essington; George C., whose history is here set forth, and Martha E., the wife of B. E. Pardue, of Noblesville.

Digitized by Google

: 569

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

George E. Richwine was reared on the farm in this county, attended the country schools and assisted his father on the farm during the summer time. After completing the common school course he entered the high school at Noblesville, where he completed his education. He then taught school for two years in Noblesville and Fall Creek townships. He was a young man of energy and ambition and before he reached his majority opened a boot and shoe store in Noblesville. He opened this store in the fall of 1872, at a time when this country was experiencing the depressing effects of one of the worst business periods it has ever known. It was a most unfortunate time to start a business venture and within nine months the panic which struck over this country caught him and disposed of his store. He then returned to the farm, where he worked until 1879, in which year he engaged in the sale of vehicles in Noblesville, handling buggies, wagons and harness, at the same time en- gaging in the buying and selling of horses. He has continued this line of business down to the present time, and has made a notable success of the work. He lived upon his farm, one mile north of Noblesville, up to 1879, when he moved to Noblesville, where he remained until 1899, in which year he again moved to the farm, where he remained until February 3, 1915, when he returned to Noblesville, where he now makes .his home. He has been an extensive breeder of Duroc Jersey hogs, having introduced this par- ticular breed into the county. He has shipped his stock for breeding purposes to every state in the Union and has exhibited at state and district fairs for many years. He has always carried away his share of the blue ribbons wherever he has chosen to exhibit. His farm is one of the finest in this section of the state and is a model of attractiveness and convenience. No device which a farmer needs is found lacking on his farm and for this reason he is classed among the most progressive farmers, not only of his county, but of this section of the state. Mr. Richwine is one of the most aggressive business forces in the city of Noblesville and has done much for the city. the Richwine block, which was erected by him in 1914, being one of the notable examples of his enterprise. This building, constructed of Bedford stone and yellow brick, is three stories in height. extending south from the Indiana Loan Association Building, to the corner of South Ninth street and Maple avenue, and contains six business rooms on the lower floor and four five- room flats on each of the upper floors. He also occupies a building on Maple avenue, which he uses as a show room for carriages, buggies, harness, etc.

Mr. Richwine was married May 27, 1874, to Sarah E. Whitesell. the daughter of Philip P. and Elizabeth (Heiny) Whitesell, of Clarksville, in this county. To this union have been born three children: Wally W., who is

Digitized by Google

570

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

in business with his father; Louis K., deceased, and Fred A., who is married and also associated with his father in business.

Mr. Richwine is a Republican in his politics and while he has always been actively interested in the success of his party, has never been an aspirant for any public office. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Tribe of Ben-Hur and the Modern Woodmen of America. In addition to his other interests he is a stockholder in the Citizens State Bank and. the Wainwright Trust Company of Noblesville. He is a man of splendid business ability and has so conducted his financial affairs as to win the commendation of everyone with whom he has been associated. He and his wife are genuinely hospitable and have a large circle of friends and acquaintances throughout the county. Mrs. Richwine is a woman of culture and refinement and traces her ancestry back to the Revolutionary period. Some of her forefathers were in the Revolutionary War and she takes a great deal of pride in being allied with the Daughters of the Revolution.

ALBERT R. TUCKER, M. D.

There is no class to whom greater gratitude is due from the world at - large than the. self-sacrificing, sympathetic, noble-minded men whose life work is the alleviation of suffering and the ministering of comfort to the afflicted. to the end that the span of human existence may be lengthened and a greater degree of satisfaction enjoyed during the remainder of the earthly sojourn of those to whom these ministrations are extended. There is no standard by which the beneficent influence of the able physician can be measured; their helpfulness is limited only by the extent of their knowledge and skill, while their power goes hand in hand with the wonderful laws of nature that spring from the very source of life itself. Some one aptly has said, "He serves God best who serves humanity most." Among the physicians and surgeons of Hamilton county of the past generation. who rose to eminence in their chosen field of endeavor was Dr. Albert R. Tucker, whose career was that of a broad- minded, conscientious worker in the sphere to which his life and energies were devoted and whose profound knowledge of his profession won for him a leading place among the most distinguished medical men of his day and generation in the city of his residence.

The late Albert R. Tucker was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 24, 1844. and died at his home in Noblesville, Indiana, July 12. 1913. . His whole

Digitized by Google

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA. 571

career, with the exception of the time he spent in the Civil War was spent in the state of his birth. He was the son of Robert and Elizabeth C. ( Reed) Tucker, the father being a native of Kentucky and one of the first pioneers of Marion county. He went to Indianapolis in 1821, that being the year the city was laid out, and followed his trade of a cabinet maker. He had the honor of being the first cabinet maker in the city of Indianapolis and conse- quently he had plenty of work to do in the rising capital city. His wife, Elizabeth C. Reed, was the daughter of Archibald Reed, who also was one of the first settlers of Indianapolis. Robert Tucker served as a colonel in the War of 1812 and after settling in this state, he became a member of the Indiana legislature. The father of Robert Tucker was a native of Virginia and a captain in the Revolutionary War, also serving in the War of 1812. Robert Tucker died in 1872, his wife passing away in 1848.

Doctor Tucker was the youngest of five children born to his parents. He was reared to manhood in Marion county and attended the public schools until he was sixteen years of age. In 1861 he enlisted as a member of Com- pany B, in the Seventeenth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. This company was first commanded by Colonel John Haskell and later by Colonel John T. Wilder and was attached at first to the army of Virginia. After see- ing eleven months of service, Doctor Tucker was discharged because of dis- ability. However, he quickly recovered after coming home and again enlisted in the summer of 1862 in Company D, Seventy-second Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, the regiment being under the command of Colonel A. O. Miller and assigned to the Army of the Cumberland. In the winter of 1862 the regiment was mounted, and Doctor Tucker was detailed as a scout in Wilder's brigade, serving in that capacity until the close of the Chickamauga campaign. He was then promoted to division scout under General Gerrard and saw hard service in the Atlanta campaign, during the summer of 1864. He was then promoted to corps scout under General George H. Thomas. After Hood's retreat from Georgia to Tennessee in the winter of 1864, he participated in a large number of battles, among which may be mentioned the battles of Greenbrier. Hoovers Gap, Manchester, Chattanooga, Harrison Landing, Buzzards Roost, Rock Springs, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Resaca, Oak Church, Dalton, Altonna Pass, Big Shanty. Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Rome City, Franklin. Nashville, Ebenezer Church, Selma and many other minor engagements. He was present at the capture of Andersonville prison and also assisted in the capture of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Southern confederacy in the spring of 1865. He

Digitized by Google

572

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

was also in the campaign after John Morgan, the famous cavalry leader who made the raid through southern Indiana and Ohio. Doctor Tucker was wounded at Chickamauga but never was taken prisoner and was mustered out in July, 1865, having served almost continuously from the beginning to the close of the war. His record indeed was a very distinguished one and too much honor cannot be paid his memory for the service he rendered his country.

Immediately after the close of the war, Doctor Tucker returned to his home in Clinton county. For a short time then he worked at Colfax in Clin- ton county, but at the age of twenty-one entered the Bryant and Stratton Commercial College, of Indianapolis, and was graduated in the spring of 1866. However, he decided that he wished to study medicine and with this in mind he entered the office of Dr. Joseph E. Milburn of Colfax, where he "read medicine" for a time as was the custom in those days. In 1867 he entered Rush Medical College of Chicago and was graduated in the spring of 1869. He opened an office for practice in Colfax, in Clinton county, immediately after his graduation, but two years later moved to Cicero in Hamilton county where he practiced for the next twenty-two years. He built up a large and lucrative practice in Cicero and was known as one of the most successful physicians and surgeons of that section of the state.

Doctor Tucker was a stanch Republican and always took a prominent part in the politics of his party. He was a frequent delegate to local and state conventions and was a popular campaign speaker for many years. Recog- nizing his worth as a citizen and his excellent campaign qualities, his party nominated him in November, 1892 for the office of auditor of Hamilton county. He was subsequently elected and took his office in March, 1893, and from that time until his death, remained an influential citizen of the county seat of Hamilton county. This was the only office which he held during his life time, but in the administration of this office he performed faithful and efficient service for the citizens of his county.

Doctor Tucker was married in 1866 to Anna C. Benjamin, who was born at Rockaway, Morris county, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Benjamin, early settlers of Colfax, Clinton county, Indi- ana. Doctor Tucker and wife were the parents of three sons: Harry B., Frank W. and Doctor Frederick A. whose history is presented elsewhere in this volume. The Tucker family are actively identified with all the interests of the Christian church and prominent in the church life of their community. For more than forty years Doctor Tucker was a prominent figure in the social,

Digitized by Google

573

HAMILTON COUNTY, INDIANA.

political, material and intellectual life of his county and never wearied of doing good.

Doctor Tucker always kept fully abreast of the advance in medical science and took an active interest in the various medical associations to which he be- longed. He was a member of the Hamilton county, Indiana and American Medical Associations and served one term as president of the Hamilton County Association. For fourteen years he was a member and president of the County Board of United States Pension Examiners for this county, while for four terms he was medical director of the Grand Army of the Republic for Indiana. He was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order. of United Workmen, while he took an active interest in the Grand Army of the Republic at Noblesville. Doctor Tucker lived a long and useful life and no action of his ever brought upon him the censure of condemnation of his fellow citizens. He left a name which is untarnished before the world, a name which will be always honored by his friends and cherished by his children.

FREDERICK A. TUCKER, M. D.

No other profession has accomplished, during the last half century, the progress and development that have been made by the medical profession. The man of original thought and action, whose text book forms but the basis of future work, has ever moved forward, taking advantage of and utilizing new discoveries in the science and looking always for better methods, surer means to the desired end. Such a man is Dr. Frederick A. Tucker, of Nobles- ville, Indiana. In considering the character and career of this eminent mem- ber of the medical fraternity, the impartial observer will not only be disposed to rank him among the leading members of his profession in his locality, but also as one of those men of broad culture and mental ken who have honored mankind in general. Through a long and busy life, replete with honor and success, he has been actuated by the highest motives and to the practice of his profession he has brought rare skill and resource, his quick perception and almost intuitive judgment enabling him to make a correct diagnosis, always an essential preliminary to proper treatment. He has always been a close student of medical science, keeping in close touch with the latest advances along that line, and he has been uniformly successful in the practice. Be-

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.

History of Hamilton County Indiana, her people, industries and institutions, Part 56

Author: John F. Haines Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: John F. Haines
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051