USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 24
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Mr. Hall gives his adherence to the democratic party and is an active member of the Christian church. In his early manhood he lost no time in making a start toward business success and after he was once on the road he worked hard and made use of a discrimination which assisted him very materially in his operations. He has contributed his part toward the de- velopment of the farming interests of Knox county. No citizen of the county takes greater pride in the progress that has been witnessed during the last three or four decades and no man is more willing to assist a deserv- ing individual or a worthy cause than the gentleman whose name introduces this review.
HARRY JONES VALENTINE.
Harry Jones Valentine, though still young in years, has already won an enviable reputation in the legal profession and now enjoys a lucrative prac- tice at Bicknell. His birth occurred in Rosedale, Indiana, on the 20th of March, 1888, his parents being Isaac H. and Mary A. (Jones) Valentine. He is of Welsh extraction in both the paternal and maternal lines. Isaac H. Valentine was born in Pennsylvania and removed to Ohio about 1880, spending seven years in the Buckeye state. On the expiration of that period he came west to Indiana and at the present time resides in Bicknell. He has been a bank boss since twenty-two years of age and during the past three years has acted as mine foreman for the Tecumseh Mine Company. It was while a resident of Ohio that he wedded Miss Mary A. Jones, a native of that state. Their union was blessed with nine children, namely : Ella, who is deceased; Anna, at home; Queen, the wife of Clifford Con- nerly, of Clinton, Indiana; Harry Jones, of this review; Joseph; Lettie; Ronald; Hershall; and John, who died in infancy.
Harry Jones Valentine obtained his early education in the schools of Rose- dale and Jasonville, Indiana, and then devoted a year to the study of law in
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the law school at Danville, this state. In 1909 he was admitted to practice in Hendricks county and the following year applied for admission to the bar in Knox county. Being successful, he immediately began the practice of his profession in Bicknell and has already won an enviable clientage here. In no profession is there a career more open to talent than in that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful prepara- tion, a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life, or of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privi- leges. Unflagging application, intuitive wisdom and a determination to fully utilize the means at hand, are the concomitants which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as the stern con- servator of justice; and it is one into which none should enter without a rec- ognition of the obstacles to be overcome and the battles to be won, for suc- cess does not perch on the falchion of every person who enters the competi- tive fray, but comes only as the diametrical result of capacity and unmistak- able ability. Possessing all the requisite qualities of the able lawyer, Mr. Valentine has already won a creditable place in the ranks of the profession. He is now serving as city attorney.
FREDERICK E. VOLLMER.
Johnson township, Knox county, contains many well cultivated farms, among which is that of Frederick E. Vollmer, who was born in this county, August 24, 1859, and now owns three hundred and twenty-four acres of as good land as is probably to be found in the state of Indiana. He is a son of Fred and Johanna (Baker) Vollmer, both of whom were natives of Ger- many. The father emigrated to America and located in Knox county, where he became the owner of a farm of two hundred and sixteen acres. At the time of the Civil war he was drafted into the army, but was dis- charged on account of being physically unable to perform the duties of a soldier. He died at the age of seventy-two years. Seven children grew to maturity in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Vollmer: William, Frederick E., Louis H., Henry, Ernest, Edward and Anna.
Frederick E. Vollmer received his education in the district schools of Knox county and from his earliest recollection has been closely connected with its agricultural and stock-raising interests. He has for a number of years engaged also in stock buying and has attained an enviable degree of success, now owning a beautiful place of three hundred and twenty-four acres, which he has greatly improved and which is supplied with all modern conveniences. Here he has built three houses and two large barns. He is an extensive raiser of corn, wheat and oats.
On the 26th of November, 1886, Mr. Vollmer was united in marriage, in Johnson township, to Miss Elizabeth Meyer, who has proven to him a lov-
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ing and helpful companion. Eight children have blessed their union: Frank, Clarence, Nora, Emma, Julia, Gilbert, Lawrence and Elmer. Frank was called away when he was four days old.
Mr. Vollmer is an earnest adherent of the democratic party and has served as township trustee. He is a member of the German Evangelical church. He is a man of strong force of character and also possesses good business discernment and the ability to take advantage of opportunities that many fail to perceive. He has achieved success as a farmer and is a valued citizen of a county which is noted for the intelligence and progressiveness of its people.
CHARLES A. WEISERT.
In the field of finance are to be found many of the most promising minds of America. While it is one of the most attractive avocations for an ambi- tious man, it entails heavy responsibilities which only men of a high order of intellect, of keen discernment and sound judgment, can hope successfully to assume. Here, in the eager pursuit of wealth one meets with a competi- tion so sharp that only comparatively a few survive the ordeal and attain a secure position where the occupant is regarded with respect and confidence by an entire community. Charles A. Weisert, secretary and manager of the Citizens Trust Company of Vincennes, is one of the fortunate men of the financial world who has demonstrated his fitness for the responsibility he fills. For twenty years he has been actively connected with public or private financial affairs, and in every position he has occupied he proved his ability and faithfulness in an eminent degree. Having been endowed with special qualifications which have been developed in the school of experi- ence, he has in many instances easily accomplished what to others may have been impossible.
Mr. Weisert first saw the light of day at Vincennes, January 7, 1860. His father, Charles A. Weisert, was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany. Seeking to improve liis fortune he emigrated to Philadelphia and later came to Vincennes. The California gold excitement of 1849 caused a great awakening in Indiana and states along the Ohio valley, and Mr. Weisert made the long and painful journey to the pacific coast in search of the yellow metal. He was one of the "Argonauts" but, like many of his com- panions, arrived at the conclusion that everyday business presented more attractions than seeking the elusive metal in the placers of the Sierras. He then returned to Vincennes, where he engaged with success in the whole- sale grocery and packing business. He departed this life in 1880. The mother of our subject was Eleanor Bayard, a sister of J. L. Bayard, presi- den of the First National Bank of Vincennes. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weisert, seven of whom are now living.
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Charles A. Weisert possessed the inestimable advantages of a happy home and parents who were devoted to the welfare of their children. He attended the parochial school and Vincennes University and later was a stu- dent for two years at the St. Louis University from which he was gradu- ated in 1878. Returning to Vincennes he assisted his father in the packing business for two years. Being an expert accountant and bookkeeper, he became ambitious of a more congenial field and for nine months filled the position of rodman for the United States geological survey. In Novem- ber, 1891, he was appointed deputy county auditor of Knox county and ac- ceptably occupied the office for five years. The county democratic central committee desiring his services during the campaign of 1896, he assisted at the headquarters and in December of the same year was appointed deputy county treasurer under W. H. Vollmer, continuing in that position for four years, at the end of which time he became county treasurer and held the office two terms, from 1900 to 1904. Having by years of experience be- come thoroughly acquainted with all the details of the position, he proved one of the most popular and efficient county treasurers that Knox county has known. The Citizens Trust Company was organized in 1902 and upon retiring from public office Mr. Weisert accepted the position of manager and secretary of the company, which he has since filled. Under his charge the deposits of the company have been steadily increasing and the insti- tution has become recognized as a substantial and permanent instrumental- ity in the prosperity of Vincennes and the surrounding country.
Mr. Weisert was married October 17, 1893, to Miss Julia I. O'Daniel of Kentucky, and to them has been born one son, Maurice E. Mr. Weisert has always taken an active interest in the success of the democratic party and is a leader in its counsels in Knox county. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a trustee of the Vincennes Lodge of Elks. Popular with friends, associates and the public generally and having good business discrimination and a rare judgment as to the possibilities of investments, he is regarded as one of the best informed men in his specialty to be found in southwestern Indiana. He has in an important sense been successful and is a living example of the result of a life of integrity and consistent adherence, in public and private affairs, to principles of the highest good.
G. B. FLEMING.
G. B. Fleming, an energetic, enterprising and prosperous young resi- dent of Bicknell, has for the past four years been prominently identified with the business interests of the town as manager of the Greer-Wilkinson Lumber Company. His birth occurred near Bruceville, Knox county, Indiana, on the 27th of March, 1878, his parents being G. W. and Susan E. (Brenlinger) Fleming. The father, a native of Wythe county, Virginia,
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removed to Mississippi in early life and when a youth of seventeen came to Knox county, Indiana. Becoming identified with general agricultural pursuits, he was actively engaged in the work of the fields for a number of years but is now living retired. He enjoys an extensive and favorable acquaintance throughout the community, having won the warm regard and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact. His wife, a native of this county, spent her entire life within its borders. Her demise, which occurred on the 26th of March, 1907, was the occasion of deep and widespread re- gret. By her marriage she had become the mother of four children, namely : H. E., a banker of Nickerson, Kansas; D. R., a resident of Fillmore, Cali- fornia, who is foreman of a railroad construction gang; Jennie, the wife, of C. O. Cox, who is engaged in farming near Bicknell; and G. B., of this review.
The last named obtained his education in the common schools in and near Bruceville and after putting aside his text-books followed the pro- fession of teaching for three years. On the 21st of April, 1898, he enlisted for two years' service in the Spanish-American war but was discharged on the 27th of November of the same year because of the cessation of hostilities. He saw active service at Alger and Camp Mead. After re- turning home he spent two years in travel, journeying from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and also-visiting Canada and Mexico. On once more coming back to Knox county he became identified with industrial interests as a carpenter, working at that trade for six years. During the last three years of that time he was also engaged in business as a contractor, erecting the first three-story building in Bicknell-the Masonic block. For the past four years he has been manager of the Greer-Wilkinson Lumber Company of Bicknell and his excellent executive ability has been a potent factor in the continued growth and success of the enterprise. He owns five houses and lots in Bicknell and also has considerable stock in the Building and Loan Association of that town. His property holdings indicate the financial success which has rewarded his efforts and he now enjoys an enviable repu- tation as one of the substantial and representative citizens and business men of his native county.
On the 9th of March, 1904, Mr. Fleming was united in marriage to Miss Elva Z. Craig, a daughter of A. D. Craig, then a resident of Bicknell and editor of the News-Herald. Unto our subject and his wife was born one child, Mary Elizabeth, whose natal day was August 13, 1909. The mother was called to her final rest on the 21st of October, 1909, passing away in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Politically Mr. Fleming is a stalwart advocate of the democracy and quite an active worker in the local ranks of the party. He is a worthy ex- emplar of the Masonic fraternity at Elnora, Indiana, at which place he be- came a Master Mason. On coming to Bicknell he planned to transfer his membership to the lodge here, but his wife died in the meantime and, as she had been identified with the Eastern Star at Elnora, he decided to al-
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ways remain connected with the fraternity there in loving remembrance of her. He served as senior deacon for a number of years and has held almost every office in the blue lodge except that of master. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Vincennes, Indiana, and to the United Spanish War Veterans. He has gained many friends through- out the community and has won for himself favorable regard in business circles in recognition of his enterprise, his alert and energetic spirit and his successful accomplishment.
WILLIAM B. PURCELL.
Knox county has produced many sons who have attained honorable posi- tions not only in the state of Indiana but in far distant portions of the coun- try among strangers and in competition with the keenest minds. Many of them have exhibited the same spirit of independence and self-reliance that characterized their fathers-a spirit which carries with it an earnestness and force which seldom fail their possessor in times of emergency. Among the sons of Knox county who have fairly won not only an honorable reputation but success in the course of a long and active business career is William B. Purcell.
He was born October 27, 1846, a son of William and Sophia (Beckes) Purcell. His father was also a native of Knox county and a member of a family of pioneers. He was born in 1811 and died in 1850, having spent his life upon a farm. The mother was born in Knox county in 1817 and sur- vived her husband fifty-two years. - She was a typical daughter of a pioneer, a woman of good judgment and unusual strength of character and a mother who thought no sacrifice too great if it enhanced the happiness or permanent prosperity of the other members of her family. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Purcell: John, who died in 1860; Hannah, now Mrs. John Beckes ; William B., the subject of this review ; and Royal E., of Vincennes. The mother was married a second time and by that union had one daughter, Anna, who is now the wife of Robert McCord, of Indianapolis.
William B. Purcell was educated in the common schools of Knox county and grew up upon the home farm, assisting in its work and later teaching school. He was successful as a farmer and also as a teacher. In 1886 he accepted the position of business manager of the Vincennes Sun and soon demonstrated his ability in a field where mediocrity can have little hope for success. For twenty years he was in charge of the business department of the paper, daily and weekly, and infused into it a life and energy, which made the Sun a leading newspaper whose merits received recognition over a wide region in the states of Indiana and Illinois. In 1907 he retired from the newspaper field and has since engaged in the general real-estate business, having offices in the Hellert building. He has always been interested in
W. B. PURCELL
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farming and as an agriculturist has been highly successful. Theoretically and practically he is known as one of the best farmers in Knox county.
In 1874 Mr. Purcell was united in marriage to Miss Mary D. McCord, who was born in Knox County, September 23, 1852, and was called to rest in 1894 after an estimable and useful life. She was a daughter of Robert and Martha ( McClure) McCord, the former of whom came from North Car- olina to Knox county about 1820. Mr. and Mrs. Purcell became the par- ents of six children, four of whom are living : Mabel, now Mrs. A. Brandon Clarke of Vincennes ; Martha Robertine, now Mrs. William H. De Bolt, also of Vincennes ; Della Eloise, now Mrs. Richard T. F. Harding, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Mary Ellis, who is living at home and is a teacher of English in Vincennes University.
Politically Mr. Purcell is a democrat and religiously is a member of the Presbyterian church. As he approaches the evening of an active career he possesses the confidence and respect of a wide circle of friends and acquaint- ances and has been a witness of many great changes of which he himself has been an important factor. Starting in life largely upon his own resources and early learning the value of self-reliance, he is essentially the type of a self-made man. By patient industry, straightforward dealing, careful in- vestment and constant persistence even in the face of discouragement, he has built up a comfortable estate and is recognized as one of the substantial citizens of Knox county, the main object of whose life has not been personal aggrandizement but rather that advancement which carries with it the happi- ness and prosperity of the entire community.
G. W. DONALDSON.
Among the prominent business men of Vincennes none stands higher than the one whose name is at the head of this review. Nor have his abilities been restricted, as is often the case with men of large affairs, to any one field. As a banker and a farmer he has in each instance attained a dis- tinct success and in the field of theoretical finance he has for years ranked in the estimation of his friends as the equal of many who have a reputation almost as wide as the nation. He has given a great deal of attention to the study and his views always command attention, compelling respect even from those who may not agree with his solution of one of the funda- mental problems of government. In this as in all other vital questions in which he is interested Mr. Donaldson goes to no extremes, as his long business experience has taught the value of conservatism and of broad comprehension on all intricate subjects.
Mr. Donaldson is a native of the county where he now resides, born at Wheatland, February II, 1856, and is the son of F. W. and Jinsey Ann (Goodman) Donaldson. The father was born at Bedford, Indiana, and on
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coming to Knox county in 1840 settled near Wheatland. He lived upon the farm until 1876, when he was called away at the age of forty-nine years. Many of his sturdy characteristics have been inherited by his son. The mother of our subject was a native of this county. In the family were four children: William, Mary, Amanda and G. W.
Reared on his father's farm and educated in the district school, G. W. Donaldson grew up a bright country boy with a laudable ambition to make the best of life and attain an honorable name in the world. At the age of sixteen he began teaching school and for twelve years he taught during the winter months and worked on the farm or attended school during the remainder of the year. In the meantime he was on the lookout for a wider field for his energies and the latent unrest began to be manifest. At the age of twenty-eight years he took charge of a store at Bicknell, which he conducted successfully for four years until the fall of 1888. Having become acquainted with the leading politicians in various parts of the county, his name was presented as county treasurer and he was elected to that office upon the democratic ticket. His administration gave general satisfaction and he was reelected in 1890, serving four years with great acceptance to his party and large credit to himself. He now found himself in a field which was to his liking and which gave opportunity for his talents. In 1893 he organized the Second National Bank of Vincennes, of which he served first as cashier and later as president. The bank became one of the leading financial institutions of the county but on acount of ill health, brought on by over-application, Mr. Donaldson in 1906 retired from active work in connection with the bank, since serving as a member of the board of direc- tors and a stockholder. He also organized the Citizens Bank of Bicknell, associating in this venture with his brother and R. M. Robinson, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. This bank soon built up a good patronage and is now one of the flourishing banks of the county.
Other fields invited and in May, 1901, Mr. Donaldson in connection with R. M. Robinson bought out the McJimsey Buggy Company, the agency for automobiles having also since been added. The name of the company was changed to the Robinson & Donaldson Buggy Company and under able management has grown to be a very extensive enterprise and one of the largest vehicle concerns of Vincennes. Mr. Donaldson is the owner of a highly improved farm of five hundred acres three miles from Bicknell, where modern methods and the most improved appliances have effected most gratifying results. His attention has for some time been divided be- tween the farm and the vehicle concern, both of which are very creditable monuments to his business sagacity, sound judgment and energetic admin- istration.
Although he still takes an active interest in political affairs, it has prin- cipally in recent years been in behalf of his friends and not through any de- sire for personal advancement. As his friends say, he is one of the men of
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Knox county who has "made good" and the remainder of the voyage upon which he started as a farmer boy appears to be easy sailing.
Mr. Donaldson was united in marriage in October, 1878, to Miss Sarah A. Gilmore of Knox county. Four children have been born to them: Myrtle H., now Mrs. R. N. Foulk; Bess, now Mrs. Dr. Blair of Lynn, Indiana ; Madie and George, living at home.
Mr. Donaldson's social proclivities have found an agreeable field in the Masonic order, being a member of the Bicknell blue lodge; Vincennes Chap- ter No. 7, R. A. M .; Council No. 9, R. & S. M., and Commandery No. 20, K. T., of Vincennes; and of the Scottish Rite Consistory at Indianapolis. He has taken great interest in an order which embraces in its membership the leading men of America and Europe and for three years served as eminent commander of the Vincennes commandery, the highest office in the gift of that body. The benevolent principles of Masonry have always made a strong appeal to a man of humane tendencies and all his work has felt the kindly influence of its teachings. He is also a member of the Benev- olent and Protective Order of Elks and of other organizations seeking to ameliorate the ills of mankind. For many years his name has been upon the membership roll of the Christian church, a church in which he was reared and whose principles embrace all of the human race, wherever found.
In his numerous business dealings Mr. Donaldson has been broad enough to view the situation from the other man's standpoint and he is known as one who under all circumstances aims to be fair and just. He is the happy owner of a large and carefully selected library, from which he draws much inspira- tion that has softened the hard places in life and from the great writers, living and dead, he has caught glimpses of a wisdom not born of books but inherent in the human heart. His study of finances has been one of his favorite diversions and perhaps some day he will express his ideas, many of them entirely original, in book form.
LE ROY M. WADE.
Carlisle says of the orator, "He is God's own annointed king whose single word melts all wills into one." Persons who have been so fortu- nate as to listen to great speakers, inspired by a lofty theme and in the height of their powers, will agree to the truth of this remark. This beau -. tiful quotation from one of the greatest of English writers is suggested by the career of Le Roy M. Wade, a lawyer of Vincennes, whose reputa- tion is not confined within the borders of his native state, and whose com- manding ability in swaying the minds and emotions of men in the court room, amid the exciting scenes of the political campaign or in the more thoughtful and scholarly realm of the platform, is by no one questioned. For many years prominent as an attorney in criminal cases, he gained a
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