USA > Indiana > Porter County > History of Porter County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests > Part 22
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
When Dr. Hayes C. Coates los ded at Valparare en 1866 he was forty years of age, having been born in Marlboro, Ohio, June 8, 1826. He be- gan the study of medicine at an early age, attended the American Medi- cal College at Cincinnati, Ohio, and during the Civil war was a contract surgeon under the United States government at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1864 he graduated at the Western Reserve Medical College, of Cleveland, and two years later came to Valparaiso, where he remained in active prac- tice until a short time before his death on October 6, 1894. For a num- ber of years he was the resident surgeon for the fittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, and he also served as county physician.
Dr. Henry M. Beer, son of Rev. Thomas Beur was born in Wayne county, Ohio, March 20, 1838. Hlv received an endemic education and upon attaining his majority began the study of medicine under Dr. P. 11. Clark. During the Civil war he served as assist. a surgeon in the Twen- ty-third Ohio infantry. After the close of the way he practiced in Mary- land and Ohio, meantime attending medical college at Cleveland, where he was graduated in 1868. Immediately upon receiving his degree, Dr. Beer eame to Valparaiso, and from that time until the spring of 1903 was never absent from his practice for more than a day or two at a time. On May 17, 1903, he went to Chicago, where he had a surgical operation performed, and died on the 26th.
Dr. W. C. Paramore was born at Barlestone, Leicestershire, England, April 14, 1809. He was educated in his native country and practiced there before coming to America. In the spring of 1855 he came to Porter county and continued in practi - there until his death on March 15, 1882. Two years before he came to the county, Dr. Henry J. Ellis located at Wheeler. After many years of successful practice he died in 1986. Dr. Marr and Dr. Moriele were along the pionee doctors in the northern part of the county. The former brought on a partial paralysis by riding
244
HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
in a gig while visiting his patients, and the latter gave up his practice to engage in the real estate business, which he followed for several years prior to his death.
Dr. L'Mander Lewis, the son of a Revolutionary soldier who fought. with Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, came to Porter county in 1849. 1Ie had previously studied medieine at Cineinnati, Ohio, and had been as- sociated with General William Henry Harrison in bringing the Ohio val ley under the influence of civilization. He married Mary Dodge in Hamilton county, Ohio, May 29, 1823, and after coming to Porter county continued to practice his profession until a short time before his death. which occurred on September 3, 1880.
The first homeopathie physician to locate in the county was probably Dr. Kendall. Dr. M. F. Sayles studied under him in 1864, and after- ward attended the Hahnemann Medical College at Chicago. Dr. Sayles Jater located in Hebron, where he practiced until 1876, when he removed to Valparaiso and there resided until his death. Dr. W. O. Catron was another early homeopathie physician. At the present time there are but two known physicians of that school in the county-Dr. George R. Douglas, of Valparaiso, and Dr. E. A. Edmunds, of Hebron.
Other early or eminent physicians who were engaged in practice in Porter county at some period of her history, were Drs. Robbins, Kersey, Salisbury and Hankinson, who came so far back and who have been dead so long that little ean be learned regarding them; Dr. J. V. Herriott, a Pennsylvanian, first president of the county medieal society, who was paralyzed for about two years before his death ; R. A. Cameron and J. F. McCarthy, who were also well known as soldiers and newspaper men; W. A. Yolın, a veteran practitioner of Hebron; Dr. Orpheus Everts, who was at one time superintendent of the Indiana asylum for the insane at Indianapolis; Dr.George H. Riley, associated with Dr. Green at Ches- terton ; Dr. George W. Arnold, who located at Wheeler in 1871; and Dr. Oliver S. Wood, a native of Lake county, who practiced for several years at Hebron.
The names of twenty-five physicians appear in the last issue of the
2.15
HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
county directory, to wit: Valparaiso- R. D. Blount, J. C. Carson, I. E. Gowland, G. R. Douglas, A. P'. Letherman, I. F. I.cwis, D. J. Loring, F. W. Mitchell, O. B. Nesoit, J. A. Ryan, G. H. Stoner, J. F. Take, E. H. Powell, S. J. Young. Chesterton -R. . I. Axe, Joseph von Osinski, C. O. Wiltfong . Hebrex- E. Fermi S. A. , munds, E. G. Rawson, J. R. Wilson, R. P. Blood; Kouts-P. D. Nowland, C. P. Hockett; Porter- J. J. Theorell; Wheeler-A. O. Dobbins.
The Porter County Medical Society was organized on June 27, 1883, with thirteen charter members and f' following officers : Dr. J. V. Her- riott, president ; Dr. J. F. MeCarth. ; vier president; Dr. D. J. Loring, secretary ; Dr. J. H. Letherman, tre o wer; Dr . A. P. Letherman, W. A. Yohn and J. C. Ca sou, censors constitution was adopted at that meeting, in which it was declared ah ! the society should be "auxiliary to and under the control of the Indiana State Medieal Society." The constitution also set forth that "The object, of this society shall be the advancement of med al knowledge, the elevation of professional char- acter; the protection of the interest of its mer hers; the extension of the bounds of medical science; the promotion of all means adopted for the re- lief of the suffering; to improve the health and protect the lives of the community."
At one time in its history the Porter County Medieal Society had a permanent home in the shape of club rooms, which were always open, the objeet being to enable the doctors of the county to become better ae- quainted in a social .. . ell as a prof imal way. Any regular physician of good moral character and professional standing residing in the county was chigible for membership upon payment of a fee of two dollars, but. even on the liberal to us, quit . number of physicians in the county have never joined fh society. In 1012 there were bnt fifteen active members. The officers at that the were, Di. O. B. Nesbit, president; Dr. A. P. Letherman, vice-president; Dr. II. E. Gowland, secretary and treasurer; Drs. D. J. boring, J. C. f .son an 1 3e. D. Blount, censors. The regular meetings of the society are held upon the first Monday in each month, when paper ating to phase of medical practice are read
246
HISTOR OF PORTER COUNTY
and discussed, cases in actual practice of the members reviewed, and other features of the program al end to increase the knowledge and elevat: the character of the physicians of the county.
On April 2, 1901, the Kankakee Valley Medical Society held one of its regular meetings in Valporaiso, where the members were entertabre by the resident physicians. This society is composed of the leading , physicians of Cass, Fulton, Marshall. St. Joseph, Laporte, Lake, Porto, Jasper, Newton, White and Carroll counties.
Prior to 1891 Porter county had no hospital of any kind for the treatment of sojourners or pres us who con I not be properly treat 1 : their homes. In that year Dr. D. J. boring opened a private hospital or sanitarium on East Jefferson treet. Valparaiso, with accommodations for twelve patients. While Dr. Foring expected to receive some finance ! benefit from the establishment of this institution, he was actuated by the knowledge that there was need of such a hospital to relieve human sa: ing. In 1905 the Indiana legislature passed an aet which made liberal provisions for the ereetion and maintenance of a public hospital in each county of the state. On July 17, 1905, a meeting was held in the council chamber at Valparaiso for the purpose of forming a hospital association. William E. Pinney was elect .. I president, and Dr. H. M. Evans, seore- tary. , A committee was also appointed at the same time to report a plan of action. This committee consisted of O. P. Kinsey, Dr. R. D. Blount, George Dodge and Rev. L. W. Applegate.
About this time, and before the association had taken any definite steps for the founding of a l. spital, the Christian church at Valparaiso became interested in the subject. Dr. Simon J. Young went to St. Louis to secure, if possible, the cooperation of the National Benevolent Associa- tion of that denomination. The result was that an agent of the associa- tion, J. P. Davis, was sent + Valparaiso to look over the field. He was ? a favorable report and Dr. Young again went to St. Louis, this time with a proposition to purchase the Gate hospit of Dr. Loring, which " for sale. F. R. Ayres and (I. Snively, two representatives of the association came to Valparaisoen December, 1906. and reported in favor
247
HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
of the purchase. The property was valned at $13,000, of which the church at Valparaiso assumed the payment of one-half and the central board the other half. In this way the Christian Hospital and Training School for Nurses was called into existence. Since the institution passed into the hands of the church a number of new beds have been added. In 1912 the officers of the hospital association were as follows : H. B. Brown, . president ; Dr. S. J. Young, vice-president; E. W. Agar, secretary ; N. R. MeNeice, treasurer; John E. Roessier, manager; Mrs. Nora Woodruff, superintendent.
An instance of the efficieney of the Porter county medical profession was seen in the smallpox epidemie of 1899. On March 28, of that year," a man named Cooper came to Valparaiso as a student in the Valparaiso University. On April 10th he developed a well defined case of smallpox. Other students contracted the disease and went to their homes, thus spreading the infection before the true nature of the original case was fully determined. The college authorities established a temporary hospital, in which some twenty cases were treated as chicken pox, the disease appearing only in a mild form. Newspapers outside the county created some excitement by the publication of sensational articles, some of them clamoring for a general quarantine against the city. About June 1, 1899, smallpox made its appearance at several points in northern and central Indiana, and it was claimed that many of these cases were traceable to Valparaiso. On June 22nd Dr. A. W. Brayton, of Indian- apolis, came to Valparaiso as a representative of the state board of health to investigate the situation. County and city boards of health had been established some time before this, and Dr. Brayton found their secre- taries-Dr. A. P. Letherman and Dr. H. M. Beer-ready and willing to assist him in every possible way to get at the truth. Several persons were found to be afflicted with smallpox and the three physicians selected a house at the corner of Union and Morgan streets to be used as a tempo- rary detention hospital. To this house, which became known as the "pink house," seven patients were taken on the 23d and priced under
218
HISTOUROF TEATER COUNTY
quarantiac. Oo the 2411 the board of health issued "Health Order No 1." which was as follow :
"We are commanded b . the -1 1e Board of Health, today to ord, every citizen of Valparaiso vaccinated. Otherwise our city will l. quarantined by the Star Wars valth. Tl. order must be stri th complied with within osnext te . four hour "
The order was siga c b. A. F Woodhull, navor; Dr. A. P. Leth " man, secretary of the equity bon! i'wealth; and Dr. H. M. Beer, seere- tary of the city board of length. Dr. J. N. Hurry, secretary of the state board of health, upor ing . sort of 1) Brayton, sent word to the local boards of he worth, mal: .
House to hou. . canvass and to resu ve "all suspected perso. ptive dia e hospital, which must Dr. Hurty also or- be well removed fr dered the thorough .; ction " horse 2. which such person's . promptly, and assu der to the effect tht
should be found. Tl. aid to the board of i . failure to report cast freti . .cases in ut "prosecution to the fullest extent of the On 1 29th th ity council adopted a resolution "That in the p dence o. currence of any con-
tagious or infectious in 11. its of !' ·ity, the mayor of ":" city shall have the author, if he .. fit, to le . occupy or take poses- sion of any proper ly dome for the purpose . flicted with such disp. I shaf wd. the rig separating persons af- to remove, or cause to · h bui! , provided the mayor with the City Board of
be removed, such afflic. act in such matter in Health."
action . harmo ?.
Every physician in 1 cooperate with the bo te out all orders issues were vaccinated frce 6 60 way the epidemie was
vity are county 1. healt .. the cis Authorities in carrying
usted a disposition to
aptly orted, many pe: : o
they har of money, and in this
A history of the Ben.
terially from that of an
Al Bar . Portel co. v could not differ min. the state. The stat
HISTORY OF POTER COONEY 249
constitution adopted in 1316 provided ( Artick \' S ction 1), that "The judiciary power of this state, both as to natte ; chiw and equity, shall be vested in one supreme court, in credit courts, and in such other in- ferior courts as the general assembly may from fune to time direct and establish."
This provision remained a part of the orgy w of the state until the adoption of the constitution of 1 51, and imn'es it the first courts in Porter county were established. At the time of the adoption of that con- stitution provision was made for the division of the state into three cir- cuits, in each of which should be established a es it court consisting of a presiding judge and two associate judges, eler: d For a term of seven years. By the act of February 10, 1831, ih made to consist of the counties of Vermillion. ..
· judicial cirenit was , Montgomery, Foun- tain, Warren, Tippecanoe, Clinton, Carroll. Ca .. and St. Joseph. All the territory north and west of this cireuit 1. A then been organized into counties, and the court of the first circun sas given jurisdiction over the unorganized territory, which inchis Porter.
he present county of
When the county was organized it was att hed to the eighth dis- trict for judicial purposes, but on Februa:
9, 1838, the governor approved an act dividing the state into a large : member of judicial dis- triets, such legislation having become necessary on account of the rapidly growing population. By this aet the Ninth district was composed of the counties of Fulton, Marshall, Kosciusko, Ell.1 .. t. St. Joseph, Laporte, Porter and Lake. In Porter county, the term of court were to begin on "the second Monday after the corimencene. of the regular terms in Laporte county," the act fixing the time of sich commencement in La- porte county as "the fourth Monday in Apta and the third Monday in October of each year." The leg lature . . '8 also provided for the establishment of a probate court in each counts of the state, but the office of probate judge was abolished to the cur on of 1851, which also did away with three judges in ca h . ircuit .
and place! the court in
250
HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
the hands of one judge, though the state was divided into a larger num- ber of judicial districts.
Under a constitutional provision that the legislature should have power to establish inferior courts, the courts of common pleas wer created by the act of May 14. 1832, the counties of Laporte, Porter and Lake being designat & bae umen pleas district. The court of common pleas was given jurisdiction m matters of probate, against heirs, devi. and sureties, and was practically a continuation of the old county pro- bate court, established in 1838, though with rather more extended juris. diction, which applied to a district instead of to a single county. The court of common tas was a wlished in 1872 and the jurisdiction former- ly exercised by it so freshon. I to the circuit and superior court of the state. Since In, fre Ce counties of Late and Porter have consti tuted the circuit dawas to known as the Thirty-first judicial district. Terms of five weeks in each county are held, except for ten weeks in the warm weather rach somme.
The legislature of 1893 established a superior court, including the counties of Porter and Laport: and Governo Matthews appointed John E. Cass, of Valparaiso, the fry judge. The superior court holds terms of five weeks in cach county. those in Porter county alternating with the terms of the circuit court, with a ten weeks vacation in the summer months. The superior and circuit courts have concurrent jurisdiction in all causes, both civil and criminal.
A city court was established in Valparaiso about 1896, with F. B. l'arks as city jud. The ju. ischiction of this court was about the same as that of a justice of the peace and the cases tried before the city judge were contined mhkdy to violations of the city ordinances. In 1905 the office of city jod .1, mayors In cities of the fifth class being at that time made juli . I. fcers. Since then the duties of city judge in Valpara o dave devolved upon the mayor.
The judges of the circuit court prior to 1872, in the order of their vice, wert : ". outh Benq, E. M. Chamberlin, of Cashen ; Robert Love of God 4; Thomas Stanfield, of South Bend;
251
JHISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
Andrew Osborn, of Laporte; JIiram A. Gillett, of Valparaiso. Judge Gillett continued on the bench until 1878, when he was succeeded by Elisha C. Field. Judge Field was succeeded by William Johnston in 1890, who served until 1892, when John HI. Gillett was elected. In 1898 Judge Gillett was appointed by Governor Durbin to a place on the In- diana supreme bench, to fill the vacaney caused by the resignation of Judge Francis E. Baker, and at the same time appointed Willis C. Me- Mahan to the position of circuit judge to fill out the unexpired term of Judge Gillett. Judge MeMahan was elected to the office in 1902 and reëlceted in 1908.
The judges of the probate court of Porter county while the court was in existence were Jesse Johnston, Seneca Ball, George W. Turner, Na- thaniel Campbell, William Taleott and Jolm Jones, the last named hav- ing been appointed upon the resignation of Judge Taleott.
During the twenty years that the court of common pleas was in exist- enee the district of which Porter county was a part had but three judges, viz: H. Lawson, William C. Talcott and Hiram A. Gillett.
Mention has been made of the appointment of Jolin E. Cass as judge of the superior court when that tribunal was establihsed in 1893. Ile was succeeded in 1896 by Harry B. Tuthill, who has been reelected af each succeeding elcetion up to 1908.
Michael L. Esseek was prosecuting attorney of the circuit composed of Lake and Porter counties at the time the court of common pleas was abolished in 1872. Since that time the prosecuting attorneys, with the year in which each was elected, have been as follows: Thomas J. Wood, 1872; J. W. Youche, 1876; J. G. Smith, 1880; Charles F. Griffin, 1882; Edgar D. Crumpacker, 1884; Charles N. Morton, 1888; Willis C. Me- Mahan, 1890; Thomas H. Heard, 1894; Stanley T. Sutton, 1898; William J. MeAleer, 1900; David E. Boone, 1904; Charles E. Greenwald, 1908. reelected in 1910.
In a new country where the population is sparse, there is not much litigation and the practice of law is a rather precarious calling Several years must elapse before a sufficient number of cases will be filed in the
252
HISTORY OF DAPTER COUNTY
courts to justify the establishment of a local bay of any considerable porpertin, Who Portera ant vas organize I am the Ninth judicial mariet a Miked that litriet va. composed of eight counties. The les ling attorn ys of those counties Frequently rode on horseback from one conuty Lint to . Their law lib! in their old fash-
git those handling lange of that day were Joseph L. Jernegar. Jonu B. Nile, Robert Merrifield, W. C. Hanna, Joseph W. Chapman, Joha IL. and L,mes Bradley. 't is generally con- ceded that Josiah S. Masters, who came from the state of New York about the time the county was organiz & was the fire' sident Jawy.o. of Porter county Now ending sofrida practice to or py his time, le en- gaged in tea bine ! ing : .. the first DL in Porter ville (now Valpara mi did much 'ness in tl la ;v. Harłowe S. Ortor om try in 183' d was one of the most prominent and best in a of .... ply attori Later he went to
M di-on. W. .... to esident o law department of the University of Wiseon m. Bevor behind It Orton came Sam nel 1. Anthony who was ad united I Factice in Perl county in Octo-
ber, 1839. He was for mina years of the let. Ing lawyers of the
county and served in both brancher of the state legislature. Jesse
Johnston, who came to the Unity a ing the first efilers, was elected justice of the peace in JSH but de and the office. judge from 1838 to 1810, and his son. William John-
He was probate . is still practic- rk of the court, ing law in Valparaiso fire . W. 'Lever, the first
entered upon > prac. „w ahot 1845 and con qued in the pro- fession until he left the court in 1856 Mark L. D fte and Thomas
J. Merrifield located in Mde. iso in :- 55.
Mark I. De Mott . . be a .an attorney ' Porter county, was born near Rocken! . co . Indiana, I mber 28, 1-32 a son f Rev. D. M. .... " noted ercuit rider is his day. He was graduated at Asbury (Hors D. Pauw) University at reneastle, Indi ana. withouth . then .. I two years for received from the same institu. mon on of L. L. | It was in the t year he began
253
HISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
practice in Valparaiso, and from 'hat time until his death was elosely identified with the Porter county bar. During the Civil war he served as senior first lieutenant of the Fourth Indiana battery and as assistant quartermaster with the rank of captain. After the war he went to Lex- ington, Missouri, where he became the owner and editor of the Lexington Register, and was a delegate to the Republican national conventions of 1868 and 1876. In 1877 he returned to Valparaiso and three years later was one of the founders of the law department of the Valparaiso University. He was elected to Congress in 1880; was defeated for re- election in 1882; was elected to the state senate in 1886; and served as postmaster at Valparaiso during the administration of President Harri- son. He died at his home in Valparaiso, September 28, 1908.
Judge Hiram A. Gillett was born near Richmond, Vermont, March 19, 1831. After graduating at the Burlington (Vt.) University in 1853, he went to Buffalo, New York, where he studied law, and in 1856 was admitted to the bar. In 1861 he came to Valparaiso. He was elected judge of the common pleas court until it was abolished, when Governor Hendricks appointed him judge of the circuit court for the cirenit com- posed of Lake, Porter and Starke counties, which office he held for six years. He then practiced law in Valparaiso until a short time before his death on December 16, 1903. His son, John H. Gillett, also served for several years as judge of the circuit court .
Other attorneys who located in Porter county prior to the Civil war were M. M. Fassett, John W. Murphy and C. I. Thompson. After the war the profession was well represented by Thomas J. Merriefild, J. M. Howard, Thomas MeLoughlin, John E. Cass, W. HI. Calkins, J. H. Skin- ner, Nathan L. Agnew, A. L. JJones and others, most of whom have died or removed to other fields of labor.
A. Lytle Jones was one of the first members of the Porter county bar to study law in the county. He was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in Angust, 1835, and came with His parents to Porter county in 1847, set- tling on Horse prairie. In 1855 he graduated at the Indiana State Uni- versity, then studied law with Samuel I. Anthony, and in 1856 was ad-
254
IIISTORY OF PORTER COUNTY
mitted to practice. For several years he was the senior member of the law firm of Jones, De Motte & Jones. During the war he served in the Seventh Indiana cavalry. He was a member of Chaplain Brown Pos .. Grand Army of the Republic, and was connected with the Northern in diana Law School. Ile died at Valparaiso, March 17, 1902.
On Friday, December 21, 1906, a number of members of the Porter county bar met in the library room of the court-house for the purpose of organizing a bar association. The meeting was called to order by H. IT. Loring. Nathan L. Agnew was chosen chairman, and Mark B. Rockwell was elected secretary. After some discussion HI. HI. Loring, E. W. Agar and R. J. Kitchen were appointed a committee to draft a consti- intion and by-laws, which were to be reported at another meeting on December 26th. At the adjourned meeting on that date the constituticu and by-laws were adopted and the following officers elected: H. H. Loring, president ; Grant Crumpacker, vice-president; Mark B. Rockwell. secretary ; A. D. Bartholomew, treasurer. The association started off with every indication of success, but when an effort was made to adopt a certain schedule of fees for certain legal services, some of the lawyers asserted that they were capable of judging what their services were worth and withdrew their support from the organization. The last meet- ing, of which any record can be found, was held on January 11, 1908, when the same officers were reelected, with the exception of viee-presi- dent, R. J. Kitchen taking the place of Grant Crumpacker. After the election of officers, the members of the association and the invited guests adjourned to the El Erding Cafe, where a banquet was served and Nathan L. Agnew read a paper upon "The Ethics of the Legal Pro- fession." Sixteen persons were present at the banquet.
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.