USA > Indiana > Knox County > Vincennes > History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
William J. Nicholson received his education in the public and high schools of Vincennes. After leaving the high school he passed examination as a teacher and taught in the district schools for three years. At the end of this time he began to prepare for the practice of medicine by the study of anatomy and physiology, devoting one year to this task, but in the course of his studies he became interested in the drug business and gave up the idea of pursuing a professional career and for six years was identified with a drug store in Wheatland. We next find him in Vincennes in the same line for three years. Having closed out his drug business, he became city editor of the Vincennes Commercial, and was a member of the staff of this paper when its first daily edition was launched. However, he was again attracted to the business world and he purchased a shoe store in Vin- cennes and at the end of two years acquired another store, consolidating the two into one large establishment and continuing with marked success in the shoe business for a period of sixteen years. He then embarked in
86
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
the wholesale business in Indianapolis, but at the end of two years sold out his interest and in January, 1901, again located in Vincennes and within ten days entered the hardware and implement trade under the firm name of Emison & Nicholson, which is one of the leading firms of the kind in this city and has acquired a wide reputation on account of its practical and pro- gressive methods and the high class of goods carried upon its shelves.
In 1886 Mr. Nicholson was united in marriage to Miss Martha Beckes, a daughter of Thomas P. and Margaret Beckes. Two children were born to this union : Raymond B., a graduate of De Pauw University in 1911 ; and Marguerite, who will graduate from the same university in 1912. Mrs. Nicholson was called from earthly scenes in 1889 and in 1895 Mr. Nichol- son was married to Miss Margaret Pearl Henderson, a daughter of John A. and Hannah Henderson. Four children have come to brighten the home : Waldorf Reed, now in attendance at the high school; William J .; Narcissus ; and Virginia Elizabeth.
Mr. Nicholson has been for many years an active member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and has assisted very materially in its growth in this city. Politically he is in sympathy with the republican party, believing that its principles of protection and centralization of authority are best adapted for the preservation of the republic. Although he has not sought public office he served with general acceptance as postmaster at Wheatland from 1876 to 1881. Socially he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Arcanum. He also holds membership in the Pastime Club and the Country Club. He is a man of wide sympathies and benevolent characteristics and at the present time is treasurer of the board of trustees of the Good Samaritan Hospi- tal, president and treasurer of the board of trustees of the Orphans Home, president of the Board of Charities and Corrections and also of the Board of Children's Guardians. In all the positions he has occupied, extending over a wide range and embracing many interests, Mr. Nicholson has dis- played a discernment and a capability that has won for him the respect of those with whom he has been associated and today no man stands higher in the esteem of the citizens of Vincennes than the one whose name stands at the head of this review.
JOHN B. ZUBER.
John B. Zuber, well known in the business circles of Vincennes, is a na- tive of this city and was born in 1858 and has here passed his entire life. He is of Teutonic ancestry and is a son of John Zuber, who was born on the Rhine, June 27, 1821, and came to America in 1836, locating in Vin- cennes. He attended the public schools in his native land and also after arriving in this country, beginning his active career as an employe in Pol-
87
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
lock's mill and engaging in the transfer business until the beginning of the great Rebellion. Mr. Zuber was of good fighting material and he enlisted in the Fourteenth Indiana Volunteers and went to the front with his regi- ment, where he participated in many engagements among which was the great battle of Antietam. He was severely wounded and taken to a hospital at Philadelphia, but upon partially recovering returned to his regiment where it was soon found that he could not endure the hardships of the camp and field and he was accordingly honorably discharged from the army. On account of injuries which he received in the service he was granted a pen- sion by the government which he continued to draw until his death, in 1872, and it has since been regularly paid to his widow who before her marriage was Minda Minderman. She was born in Germany in 1833 and came to Vincennes fourteen years later, becoming the wife of Mr. Zuber in 1853. Eight children brightened their home, six of whom are now living: Lizzie, the wife of Samuel Buhner, an engineer; John B., our subject; Theodore; Mary, now Mrs. George Judan, and the mother of one child; Joseph, of East St. Louis, who is married and has five children; and William, also married. Politically Mr. Zuber was allied with the democratic party. He was born in the Catholic church and was a stanch adherent of that faith during his entire life. He was an honest, hard-working man who loved his adopted country and as a soldier was brave and true. He died at the age of fifty-two years, but his esteemed partner is still living, at the ad- vanced age of eighty-seven, and is tenderly cared for by her children.
John B. Zuber, the subject of our review, was a member of a large fam- ily and, being obliged to assist in its support, did not possess many advan- tages of education, although he attended in early life the German Catholic school. He began his active career as a teamster, continuing for five years and then became weighmaster in the Baltic & Broadway Mills. He next entered the pork packing establishment of the Bierhaus Company and being ambitious to advance, he entered the meat business on his account. By industry and good management he has developed the business until at the present time he is the owner of two well established meat markets and a slaughter-house and gives employment to ten men.
In 1878 Mr. Zuber was united in marriage to Miss Elvira Lovell, who was born in Kentucky in 1859. She is the daughter of Thomas Lovell who lost his life on account of the explosion of a steamer in the Mississippi river. Mr. and Mrs. Zuber have no children of their own, but they have reared three children at their home and two children whom they were car- ing for died while under their kind protection.
Mr. Zuber is to be always found on the firing line in every battle democracy fights against the common enemy. He is an uncompromising po- litical antagonist, yet it has never been charged by his strongest foes that he would be swerved in the least by politics in the performance of an official act. As a public servant he never hesitated to advocate any measure he believed to be to the best interest of the people, though in so doing he knew
88
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
he would incur the displeasure of influential men and injure himself in private business affairs. Mr. Zuber was always officially alive to the city's welfare and guarded her business with the same jealous care he would his own, in the purchase of supplies, granting franchises, etc. He is respon- sible for the splendid and economical system Vincennes has for the collec- tion of garbage, and was largely instrumental in securing natural gas for the city at such low rates and in reducing the cost of public lighting to a minimum figure.
Socially Mr. Zuber is connected with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Modern Woodmen of America and has many warm friends in those organizations. He is not a member of any religions organization, but is a liberal contributor to all churches and to every worthy cause that aims to assist those less fortunate than himself. Having climbed from the bottom of the financial ladder, he sympathizes with those who are striving upward and no citizen of Vincennes is more ready to extend a hand of encourage- ment. He and his beloved wife have many admirers who esteem them for their generous and humane acts-virtnes which grow brighter with the passage of years and are to their fortunate possessors a blessing beyond price.
JOHN F. MAIL.
John F. Mail, a leading liveryman of Vincennes and also identified with the farming interests of Knox county, was born in this county in 1860. He is a son of John and Margaret (Holmes) Mail, both of whom were born in Knox county in 1827 and are now deceased. The father was a farmer by oc- cupation. There were six children in the family: Louise, now deceased, who was the wife of B. F. Crews and the mother of two children; Isaac, who married Martha Reel and has one son; William, who married Hattie Brown and has three daughters; John F., our subject ; Julia, deceased ; and Elizabeth, now Mrs. Horace Beckes and the mother of three children.
John F. Mail was educated in the public schools of Johnson township and under his father became thoroughly familiar with the operations of the farm, continuing actively engaged in agriculture and stock-raising until after he had passed his fortieth year. In 1901 he leased his farm and came to Vincennes, where he entered the livery business, in which, by close atten- tion to all details and by careful study of the wants of the public, he has built up an extensive patronage and is at the head of one of the largest and best appointed etsablishments of the kind in the city. He also maintains a boarding stable, which is liberally patronized. The success of Mr. Mail in a field where there is much competition is due to his careful supervision of every feature pertaining to his business. He spares no time nor expense in
89
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
making his outfits first class as to appearance and condition and the service prompt and efficient.
In 1885 Mr. Mail was united in marriage to Miss Anna Johnston, who was born in Knox county in 1862, and is a daughter of W. G. and Nancy (Reel) Johnston. Mr. and Mrs. Mail are the parents of an interesting fam- ily of four children: Ethel; Mabel; Frank, who received the appointment from the second congressional district to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis on June, 1910; and Marian. Mabel received a fine education and is a popular teacher in the city schools.
Mr. Mail is allied with the democratic party and is in hearty sympathy with its principles. He finds his religious home in the Presbyterian church, of which he has for many years been a useful member. Socially he is con- nected with the Royal Arcanum, the Order of Ben Hur and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and has many friends in these fraternal or- ganizations. He has in years past been a hard working man, but he now lives in ease and comfort, which no one begrudges him and his estimable wife. A man of intelligence and strong native ability, Mr. Mail recognizes the bene- fits of education and has given to his children opportunities of mental train- ing which were not available for the father in his younger years. He is respected by all who know him because of his upright and honorable career.
THOMAS B. COULTER.
Thomas B. Coulter, a highly respected member of the legal fraternity of Vincennes, was born in this city, September 10, 1874, a son of Thomas F. and Ella ( Harrison) Coulter, the former of whom was born in Daviess county, Indiana, in 1841, and the latter in Vincennes in the same year. The father was for a number of years connected with the wholesale boot and shoe business in St. Louis, but for the last twenty-five years he has engaged in farming in Johnson township, Knox county, this state. The great-grand- father, Nathaniel Coulter, came to America from Dublin, Ireland, some time in the eighteenth century and assisted the patriots in the war with England. He was wounded in the hand by a bayonet and drew a pension of ninety-six dollars a year from the government. John Coulter, the grandfather, was a native of Pennsylvania and came to Knox county in 1853. The great-grand- father on the maternal side was Thomas Harrison, who was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. His son, John H. Harrison, was one of the early Chris- tian preachers of Knox county and a man of great fervor and marked ability. He was drowned near Bloomfield, Indiana, while crossing the White river on his way to fill an appointment. His father was also drowned, meeting his death while on a pleasure trip on board a yacht in the harbor of Baltimore. Three children were born to Thomas F. Coulter and his wife: Grace, now Mrs. John D. Setzer and the mother of four children ; John M .; and Thomas B., our subject.
90
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
Thomas B. Coulter received his preliminary education in the public schools of Vincennes, continuing through the high school, and having shown a strong inclination for a professional career, he next entered the Indianapolis Law School at Indianapolis, Indiana, graduating from this institution in 1898. At the time of the building of the federal postoffice in Vincennes, Mr. Coul- ter acted as dispersing agent for the appropriation. He also filled the office of city judge under appointment of the governor, when the office was first created, serving with great acceptance in that capacity until the regular elec- tion of an officer to that position. At the time of the Spanish-American war Mr. Coulter entered the service of the government and was with his regiment at Camp Alger and Thoroughfare Gap, Virginia, and Camp Meade, Pennsylvania. An uncle of Mr. Coulter was a soldier of the Civil war, en- listing at Washington, Indiana, in the Fifty-sixth Indiana Volunteers. While in the service he was taken with a severe illness which later resulted in his death.
In 1905 Mr. Coulter was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Campbell, who was born in Vincennes in 1878 and is a daughter of Thomas and Lucinda (Matters) Campbell. One child, Ruth, who was born March 3, 1906, has come to brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Coulter. Mr. Coulter is affiliated with the republican party and is a strong advocate of its principles. His wife is an active member of the Methodist church and has at all times been to her husband a loving wife and helpful companion, making their home the abiding place of peace and comfort.
EDWARD C. THEOBALD.
Edward C. Theobald, of Vincennes, a contractor in sand and gravel, has gained an honorable place in the estimation of his fellowmen by his effi- ciency in business and fidelity to every trust. He is a native of Hamilton county, Ohio, and was born in 1867. His father, Charles Theobald, born in Germany in 1838, emigrated to this country in 1847 and became a va- liant defender of the stars and stripes, serving in Company B, Seventeenth Missouri Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war. He was in many of the great battles, among which may be mentioned the engagement at Pea Ridge, Stone River, Chickamauga, Corinth, the siege of Vicksburg and many minor engagements. The mother of our subject, Bernardina Lang, was born in Ohio in 1847 and was the daughter of a contractor. There were five sons in the family: Edward C .; Charles, of Kentucky; Harry, who died leaving a widow and one son, Harry ; William and Robert, at home in Ohio.
Edward C. Theobald was educated in the public schools of Ohio and began his business career in Tennessee as assistant in the survey for the Tennessee
91
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
& Midland Railroad crossing the Cumberland mountains. After this he en- gaged in the construction of railways and bridges, operating in the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, northern New York, Penn- sylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana and continuing for quite a number of years. In 1903 he came to Knox county and built twenty-five miles of gravel road in Palmyra township. He is now extensively engaged as a con- trator with Aras Anderson in the sand and gravel business and operates a gravel pit five miles west of Vincennes, at Allison Lake.
In 1900 Mr. Theobald was united in marriage in Montgomery county, Iowa, to Miss Mary Carlson, who was born in that state in 1871, a daugh- ter of Jacob and Louisa Carlson. They have one son, Edward C., who was born March 24, 1904.
Mr. Theobald is affiliated with the Lutheran church, of which he is a consistent member, and has been for a number of years identified with the Masonic order, whose principles of brotherhood find in his heart and mind a ready response. Intelligent, active, enterprising and conscientious in all he does, he well deserves the success that has crowned his efforts in the business world.
ARAS ANDERSON.
Among the self-made men of Vincennes may be named Aras Anderson. He began in a humble capacity in an honorable occupation and has dis- charged his duties and responsibilities in the various positions that he has since filled in such a way as to become an employer and he is now in a large degree practically independent. He attended the common schools in Vir- ginia and going west with his parents, completed his school training in the state of Kansas. After four years' experience in agricultural pursuits he came to the conclusion that the railroad business would be more in accord with his inclination and he began his railroad career at the bottom of the ladder by driving a team. Later he was placed in charge of a freight wagon and by application and diligence, having shown his capability, he was made foreman of a railroad construction gang and for seventeen years was iden- tified with the building of railroads in various states of the south and west. About twenty years ago he became associated with Edward C. Theobald, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this work, and has ever since been con- nected with that gentleman and was his partner for a number of years in rail- road building and also in the construction of gravel roads in Palmyra town- ship, this county.
In 1904 Mr. Anderson with his family located in Vincennes and he and his partner have ever since been operating a sand and gravel bed on Allison Lake, five miles west of Vincennes, where they handle a large number of carloads of gravel and sand each year and give employment to fifteen men.
92
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
The large patronage that has been built up is evidence of the good manage- ment of the business.
One son, Hugh, has blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. He was graduated from the Vincennes high school in the class of 1910 and, having shown promising ability for scientific training, he entered Purdue University and is specializing as a civil engineer.
Mr. Anderson has seen a great deal of life and is a man of many ex- periences, in the course of which he gained valuable lessons that he has practically applied. He has always been active, industrious and efficient in whatever he attempted and he has demonstrated in his own successful ca- reer what can be accomplished provided the individual possesses true courage and continues to persevere in any worthy undertaking regardless of obstacles that lie in the way.
JOSEPH L. BAYARD.
No man in Vincennes occupies a more honorable position in the esti- mation of his fellow citizens than Joseph L. Bayard. Born in this city, where his entire career has been an open book, known and read of all men, his spotless character and habits of industry and self-reliance have endeared him to many friends not only in Vincennes but throughout southwestern Indiana, where the name of Bayard is the open sesame to all doors. The family gained an enviable reputation before the subject of this review was born and the principles of truth and justice inculcated by his father have been the important elements in shaping a long life in a community fully alive to the worth of an honorable career. In financial circles Mr. Bayard has long been an acknowledged leader and his advice and assistance have smoothed the path where many obstacles seemed insurmountable. He is one of the most modest and unassuming of men but the weight of established character has made itself felt in many directions where he has never at- tempted personally to exert any influence. Such is the effect of a simple, unaffected honesty, which has been declared by sound thinkers to be the greatest power for good that is to be found in all the world.
At Vincennes, on the 21st of January, 1840, Mr. Bayard first saw the light of day. His father was John F. Bayard, a native of sunny France and a worthy representative of a people whose many admirable characteristics have made them the admiration of the world. His mother was also of French lin- eage. She bore the maiden name of Mary A. Boneau, her parents being among the old pioneer families of Knox county. John F. Bayard was a soldier of the French army under the great Napoleon and saw service as an officer in the peninsular campaign when Napoleon was pitted against Wellington and later participated in the fight on the memorable field of Waterloo, when the banner of the great commander went down never again by him to be raised. After
JOSEPH L. BAYARD
95
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
this disastrous engagement many of the surviving officers relinquished mili- tary service and turned their attention to the cultivation of the arts of peace. John F. Bayard had seen enough of the devastation of war and in America he sought to find fortune and establish a home, far beyond the march of armies and the disturbances of military maneuvers. After a short stay in various cities he arrived at Vincennes, then a village near the border line of civilization. This town had been founded by settlers coming by boat up the Wabash river and from the start was a favorite center for the gather- ing of sons and daughters of France, whose descendants have been among the most patriotic and public-spirited citizens of their adopted republic. Mr. Bayard engaged in the mercantile business and became recognized as a successful and highly respected citizen. He died in 1853 when his son Joseph L. was thirteen years of age. His wife survived her husband for thirty-five years, departing this life in 1888, sincerely mourned by many friends on account of her sterling qualities. The remains of the brave Napoleonic officer and his faithful wife lie side by side in the cemetery at Vincennes.
Joseph L. Bayard received his preliminary education in the parochial and public schools of Vincennes and later attended Bardstown College, Kentucky, a well known institution in earlier days. In 1858, when eighteen years of age, he entered the Vincennes branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana as a clerk and with the exception of a few years has ever since been actively connected with the banking business. Few men of affairs in the state have witnessed greater changes and few have been more devoted to their business. After five years in the bank, Mr. Bayard turned his at- tention to merchandising. In 1869 he became one of the organizers of a private bank conducted under the name of the German Banking Company, of which he was cashier. The business developing, in 1871 the German Bank- ing Company took out a charter from the government and became the First National Bank. Mr. Bayard has been continuously identified with the in- stitution from its incipiency, as cashier until 1889, since which time he has been its president. The first president of the bank was the late J. H. Rabb, a man of high standing and one who gained and held the confidence of the people. The bank represents in an important degree the life work of Mr. Bayard and is a monument to his business sagacity and his rare ability in the circles of finance. He has always devoted his best thought to its ad- vancement and no labors have appeared too heavy when the interests of the institution or its depositors were at stake. His example has been by many younger men regarded as a standard to which they should aspire. His in- terest in the growth of the city and country has been unabated and he has shown it in a practical way. He was one of the originators of the Citizens Gas Company and for some years its president. He has been treasurer of the Board of Trade since its organization and trustee of many concerns aiming to develop the commercial welfare of the city. While he has always
96
HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY
avoided active participation in politics, he has turned his energies along lines that contribute toward the upbuilding of the city.
Mr. Bayard was married on the 21st of August, 1871, to Miss Nellie Burke, a native of Marietta, Ohio. Six children blessed this union, five of whom are now living. Margaret is at home. All of the sons are in the banking business. Joseph L., Jr., and John are connected with the First National Bank of which their father is president. Maurice F. is assistant cashier of the Commonwealth Trust Company of St. Louis. Paul W. is cashier of the First National Bank of Lawrenceburg, Illinois. Samuel M., who died in 1901, at the age of twenty-two years, was teller in the Bankers National Bank of Chicago. This record is not equalled by any other family in the state and is additional evidence of the beneficent effect of a worthy example in the head of the family, for nothing in all the world so appeals to the hearts and minds of old or young as an upright life.
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.