USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana > Part 16
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has at all times taken a deep interest in the welfare of the party in his home county. Every movement looking to the moral, social, educational or material advancement of Fort Wayne and Allen county receives his hearty endorsement and earnest support.
Although a busy man in his professional lines, Mr. Louttit has found time to devote to literary pursuits, and has won a well founded reputation as a writer. Among the productions of his pen in the line of fiction may be mentioned "A Maid of the Wildwood," "The Gentleman from Jay," "A Prince of the Church," and several other volumes which have met with a pleasing reception on the part of the public and favorable criticism from those best qualified to judge in such matters.
On the 26th of December, 1888, George W. Louttit was united in marriage with Miss Gertrude Leila Britton, who was born at Marion, Ohio, on February 16, 1870, the daughter of Nealand B. and Anna (Severance) Britton. This union has been a most happy and felicitous one, and has been blessed in the birth of the following children : James Evans, Beatrice L., Marian G. and Katharine. Clearness of vision to see, alertness of action to seize and tenacity of purpose to hold onto and make the most of opportunity, have been the elements which have largely contributed to his success, and among his professional colleagues the subject is held in high esteem because of his many estimable personal qualities.
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SAMUEL WOLF.
It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who has led an eminently active and busy life, and who has attained a position of relative distinction in the community with which his interests are allied. But biography finds its most perfect justification, neverthe- less, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a feeling of satisfaction that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon such a record as has been that of the honored subject whose life now comes under this review, Mr. Samuel Wolf, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Samuel Wolf is a native of Allen county, Indiana, having been born in the city of Fort Wayne on the 25th day of January, 1868, and is the son of A. and Helena Wolf, natives of Germany. The subject was educated in the public schools of this city, and remained under the parental rooftree until attaining his majority. Thereafter he was variously employed, serving efficiently as deputy city clerk for two years, stamp clerk at the postoffice one and a half years and with the Louis Wolf & Company dry goods store ten and a half years. In 1896 Mr. Wolf formed a business association with Myron E. Des- sauer, and they opened a dry goods and notions store at Nos. 70-72 Calhoun street, an enterprise which speedily met with public favor and approved the judgment of the projectors. The firm has from the beginning occupied a splendid position among the commercial enterprises of the city, and is considered one of the leading stores of its kind in the community. Both partners in the enterprise are men of sound judgment and wise discrimination in business mat- ters, and being also possessors of those personal qualities which win and retain friends, they have received a large share of the public patronage, being successful to a very satisfactory degree.
On the 12th day of February, 1902, Mr. Wolf was united in
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marriage with Miss Mayme Wertheimer, of Ligonier, Indiana, and the daughter of N. Wertheimer. This union has been a most felici- tous one, and their home has been brightened by the advent of one child, Dorothy. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Wolf are of the Jewish faith, and they give their support to every moral and benevolent movement which looks to the betterment of their community. In his fraternal relations Mr. Wolf is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Because of his courteous manners, genial disposition and genuine worth, Mr. Wolf has won, and retains, the friendship and regard of all who are acquainted with him.
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EMMETT V. HARRIS.
The conscientious and painstaking lawyer is a blessing to society at large, artificially constituted as it now is. What plain men would do when it becomes necessary for them to resort to litigation for the adjustment of their different views as to their rights and wrongs in personal matters, or where property tenures are concerned, when the quips and quibbles of the pettifogger are introduced to hood- wink judge, witness and jury, and to mystify legal proceedings, it would be difficult to say were it not for the truly honest attorney who steps in to care for the said plain man's legitimate rights. Of this latter class of the legal profession the subject of this sketch is one of the foremost at the Allen county bar.
Emmett V. Harris was born in Seneca county, Ohio, in 1860, May 8th having been his natal day. His parents were William L. and Amanda Harris, the father a native of Ulster county, New York, while the mother was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. The subject received his preliminary education in the public schools, supplementing this by attendance at the Ohio Normal University, at Ada. He then engaged in teaching school, in which he was suc- cessfully engaged for several years, holding the principalship of the schools of Mooresville, Indiana, from 1887 to 1890. In the mean- time he had occupied his leisure hours in earnest study of the law, with the intention of eventually making that his life work. He was formally admitted to the bar in 1889, and in 1891 he commenced the active practice of his profession. His preparation for this work had been conscientious and complete, so that he was at once able to successfully handle all cases that came to him, and he has from the beginning enjoyed a representative clientage, being connected with some of the most important cases that have been tried in the local courts. His years of conscientious work have brought with
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them not only increase of practice and reputation, but also that growth of legal knowledge and that wide and accurate judgment the possession of which constitutes marked excellence in the pro- fession. In discussions of the principles of law he is noted for clear- ness of statement and candor; he seeks faithfully for firm ground, and having found it, nothing can drive him from his position. Be- cause of his ability and many fine personal qualities he has gained a large circle of warm and admiring friends.
In August, 1887, Mr. Harris was united in marriage with Miss Laura B. Chalfant, a native of Perry county, Ohio, and the daughter of Samuel and Mary Chalfant. To them have been born the follow- ing children : William L., Zama V., Howard E., Edith C., Stephen D., Robert B., Wendell O. and Emmett V., Jr., all of whom are liv- ing excepting Edith C., whose death occurred in 1897. Mr. Har- ris is not a member of any religious denomination, though he usually attends the Methodist Episcopal church, but his support and influ- ence are always found on the right side of every movement looking to the moral, social or educational advancement of the community. In politics he is a stanch Republican in national affairs, but in matters local he believes that politics should yield to the more important con- sideration of the public welfare. In 1896 Mr. Harris received the Republican nomination for prosecuting attorney of Allen county, but, together with the rest of the ticket, was defeated. In 1902 he was appointed a referee in bankruptcy, for a term of two years, during which time he had charge of the administration of several large pri- vate banking institutions and business concerns. Upon the expira- tion of his term he resumed the active practice of his profession, which he prefers to the life of a public official.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON McCASKEY, M. D.
Dr. McCaskey, professor of clinical medicine in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, is the son of John S. and Catherine Davis Mc- Caskey, and was born November 9, 1853, in Delta, Ohio. He is descended from Scotch-Irish ancestors, and has inherited to a marked degree many of the sterling virtues and sturdy character- istics for which his antecedents have long been distinguished. The Doctor obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Wausean, Ohio, and in 1875 entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which institution he was graduated two years later, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Subsequently he took a non-resident course at De Pauw University, Greencastle, In- diana, from which he received, in 1881, the degree of Bachelor of Science, and during the three years next ensuing practiced his pro- fession at Cecil, Ohio, where in due time he built up a lucrative business and took high rank among the leading medical men of the place. Closing his office at the expiration of the period noted, the Doctor went abroad and devoted one year to professional study in the city of London, after which he returned to the United States and settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where for fifteen years he was engaged in the general practice of his profession. At the end of that time he became a consultant rather than a general practitioner, and such has since continued, his reputation in the meanwhile becom- ing widely extended throughout Indiana and other states.
Dr. McCaskey holds the professorship of clinical medicine in the Fort Wayne College of Medicine, and is also connected with the hospitals of the state and city. He belongs to the Upper Maumee Valley Medical Association, the Northern Tri-State Association, the Indiana State Medical Society and the Fort Wayne Medical Society, having served each of these organizations in the capacity of presi-
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dent, besides being a leading and influential participant in their de- liberations. In addition to the above he holds membership with the American Medical Association, the American Gastro-Enterological Society, and the American Academy of Medicine and fraternally belongs to the order of Free and Accepted Masons.
To Dr. McCaskey belongs the credit of giving to Fort Wayne its first medical journal, which was founded in July, 1881, under the name of the Fort Wayne Journal of the Medical Sciences. In the publication of this paper he was associated with Dr. W. H. Gobrecht, an eminent anatomist and editor of Sir E. Rasmus Wil- son's "Anatomy." The paper established by Dr. McCaskey is now called the Fort Wayne Medical Journal, and has an extensive cir- culation in Indiana and other states. Dr. McCaskey has been a voluminous writer on medical subjects, and among his contribu- tions to professional literature, the following are deserving of espe- cial mention: Geographical Pathology of Consumption; Disinfec- tion During and After the Acute Infectious Diseases; Bio-Chem- istry in its Relation to Nervous Diseases; The Diagnosis and Treat- ment of Cerebral Meningeal Hemorrhage; Case of Brain Trauma- tism with Focal Symptoms; Trephining and Death; Clinical Exam- inations of Blood; The Diagnosis of Stomach Diseases; Physical Therapeutics; Electricity; Hydrotherapeutics; Massage; Schott Treatment of Heart Disease; Neurasthenia: Some Points in Its Pathology and Treatment; A New Method for the Clinical Deter- mination of the Cardiac; The Neurasthenic Symptoms of Gastro- Intestinal Disease; Simple and Ethereal Sulphates: A Simple and Rapid Method for Their Separate Determination; Thirty Minutes' Report of a Case of Tumor of the Cerebellum with Drainage of Fluid Through the Nose; Hysterical Dissociation of Temperature Senses With Reversal of Sensibility to Cold; Physiology the Basis of Clinical Medicine, a Plea for Scientific Methods; A Case of Com- bined Gastric and Aural Vertigo, with a Discussion of the Pathology of Such Cases; The Clinical Laboratory as an Aid to Diagnosis; A Case of Leukemia Preceded by Mucosanguinolent Colitis and Physiological Leucocytes; Anemias Secondary to Gastro-intestinal Disease, with Report of Two Cases; Electrical Reactions of the Gas- tro-intestinal Musculature and Their Therapeutic Value; The Clinical
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Association of Cancer and Tuberculosis, with Report of a Case; Alexia from Cyst Caused by Bullet Wound, Operation, Death; Brain Abscess and Tumor; Localization in Heart Disease; Tuberculosis of Bronchial Glands; Heart Weakness; Toxaemic Factor in Diabetes Mellitus; Toxic Origin of Certain Neuroses and Psychoses; Hys- teric Lethargy, with Report of a Case; Six Hundred Cases of Chronic Gastritis.
Dr. McCaskey married Louise, daughter of Dr. Charles E. Sturgis, one of the pioneer physicians of Indiana, and they have one son, George Edward. Dr. McCaskey's home is at 407 West Main street, Fort Wayne.
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FRANCIS D. LASSELLE.
In the death of the honored subject of this memoir, February 4, 1864, at his home in Fort Wayne, there passed away another member of that group of early pioneers and representative citizens who laid the foundations upon which has been builded the industrial and commercial prosperity of the present day so characteristic of Allen county, Indiana. His name is familiar, not alone to the residents of the city to whose development he contributed so conspicuously, but to all who have been informed in regard to the history of this section of Indiana. He was identified with the growth of Allen county for several decades. He early had the sagacity and pre- science to discern the eminence which the future had in store for this great and growing section of the commonwealth, and, acting in accordance with the dictates of faith and judgment, he reaped, in the fulness of time, the generous benefits wihch are the just recom- pense of indomitable industry, spotless integrity and persevering en- terprise.
Francis D. Lasselle was the son of Francis and Agelique Las- selle, who were French by either nativity or descent. The subject was born in Monroe, Michigan, on the 10th of July, 1807, and when about eighteen years of age came to Fort Wayne, Allen county, Indi- ana, which at that time gave little indication or promise of the future wonderful growth and prosperity to which it has attained. His first employment was as a clerk for Ewing Brothers, who extensively en- gaged in trading with the Indians. Young Lasselle readily acquired the Indian language, which, together with his knowledge of the French and English lauguages, gave him many advantages and made him of great value to his employers. He was energetic in business and very shrewd in dealings, and his employers soon placed unlimited confidence in him, so that he rose to the position of cashier and trav-
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eling paymaster among the red men of the forest. There is but slight knowledge of many events of Mr. Lasselle's early career, but, from old memorandum books, it is learned that about 1836 he went into business for himself, engaging in the grocery and provision trade, in which venture his fortune seems to have varied. For some years he was in business in the far west, but returned to Fort Wayne and settled on a farm adjoining the city. He acquired considerable real estate, and so wise was he in the selection of these tracts that the investments have subsequently proved exceedingly valuable to his heirs.
In politics Mr. Lasselle was a firm and uncompromising Democrat and took much interest in public events. The only local office he ever held was that of township trustee, in which he is said to have exhib- ited rare qualities of good management and sound principle. In 1849 he was selected, along with James T. Miller, George Washington Ewing and Rev. J. Benoit, to accompany the Miami Indians to their new reservation in Kansas, the tribe numbering about eight hun- dred and being under the leadership of Chief La Fontain. The trip was made overland, and was a long and very tedious one, but was successfully accomplished. In 1853 Mr. Lasselle was elected a mem- ber of the Indiana legislature, and also held other public offices of trust and responsibility, in all of which he acquitted himself with great credit and to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents. He was a man of very pronounced views, dauntless in his personal cour- age, of a very firm and decided character and shrewd and far-sighted in his business dealings, his features being very expressive of his character. In his dress he was neat and tasty, and in his manner he was true to the French code of a respectful and graceful attitude toward others. Mr. Lasselle was known as a charitable man to the poor and needy, for whom he always had a kind and substantial syn- pathy. He was, in the fullest and broadest sense of the word, a self- made man, and, his opportunities considered, was a very well informed man on general topics. His death occurred, as before stated, on the 4th of February, 1864, in Fort Wayne, at the age of fifty-six years and six months.
In 1833, at the age of twenty-six years, Francis D. Lasselle was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Hubbard Henderson, aged eight-
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een years, who was an accomplished young lady, of great personal beauty, and who, throughout her life, exhibited an amiable disposi- tion and great firmness of character. She was a native of Ohio, while her parents were born in Massachusetts. Two children were born to this union, of whom but one survives, Mrs. George DeWald, now a resident of Fort Wayne, and who is the mother of the following children : Mrs. John Mohr, Jr., Robert, Mary E., Caroline, Las- selle, Elizabeth and George. Her husband, George DeWald, and two sons, Robert and George, are proprietors of a large dry goods store in Fort Wayne, controlling an extensive wholesale trade throughout northern Indiana. Mrs. Lasselle died on January 5, 1845, and Mr. Lasselle subsequently married again, a daughter of this later union now residing near LaPorte, this state.
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THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
MADISON SWEETSER.
In the death of Madison Sweetser, which took place at his home in Fort Wayne, on February 22, 1875, the community lost one of its honorable and conspicuous citizens. He had held a prominent place in both public and private life for many years, and probably the community has never been called upon to mourn a more respected or highly esteemed citizen. A devoted husband, a loving father, a patriotic citizen and keen and sagacious business man, he is emi- nently entitled to particular mention in a volume of this character. In his death there was removed from life a man who had in a large measure honored his race. Strong, true men are always benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate and specific labors they perform can be in a certain degree defined. The good they do through the forces they put in motion, and through the inspiration of their pres- ence and example, is immeasurable by any finite gauge or standard of value. The death of such a man is a public calamity, because by it the country loses not only his active energy, but the stimulus of his personal presence and influence. There is, however, some compensation for this loss in the memory of his service, the effect of his example and the continued fruitfulness of the activities he quick- ened into life. The late Madison Sweetser was such a man. To epitomize his life and character within the limits which this work allows is impossible. The force and power of his living presence are realized by the void his death has made. Great as he was in all things else, he was also great in generosity. If every one for whom he did a kindness were to throw a blossom on his grave he would sleep beneath a pyramid of flowers.
Briefly, Mr. Sweetser's life history is as follows: He was born in Windham county, Vermont, on the 2d day of November, 1809, ยท and in 1815, at the age of six years, he accompanied his father and
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brothers to Delaware, Ohio. The journey, which was made in wag- ons, was a long and tedious one and was filled with striking and novel incidents and adventures, the memory of which was indelibly impressed upon his memory. He received his education in the public schools of Delaware and remained there until 1831, when he located in a small village near Anderson, Indiana, where for several years he was engaged successfully in mercantile pursuits. From there he went to the northern part of Indiana, where for some time he was engaged as a contractor in the construction of the Wabash and Erie canal. In 1838 he located permanently in Fort Wayne and went into the mercantile business on Columbia street, where he was so engaged for several years, establishing a reputation for honesty, in- tegrity and business ability of a high order. Soon after making this location he was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Bearss, and immediately erected a brick residence, the first brick building on Main street. Mr. Sweetser early evinced a deep interest in the wel- fare of his adopted city and took a prominent part in all measures looking to its advancement. In 1840 he served efficiently as a mem- ber of the first common council that ever sat in this city. Retiring from active mercantile pursuits in this city, he was for a number of years extensively engaged in real-estate operations in the western states, during which time he was at home very little. During the California gold excitement of 1849 Mr. Sweetser, in company with a number of other Fort Wayne gentlemen, went to that state, but re- mained there but a short time, and, returning to Fort Wayne, made this city his subsequent home. Having been prospered in his busi- ness ventures, he was enabled during the years immediately preceding his death to live at ease, enjoying that rest which he had so richly earned.
Mr. Sweetser's death was quite sudden, being due to a stroke of apoplexy, and was a distinct shock to the community, as he had been apparently in his usual health the evening previous. The fu- neral services were held at the family residence, No. 88 West Main street, at ten o'clock on the morning of February 25, 1875, and were conducted by Rev. Colin C. Tate, rector of Trinity Episcopal church, of which the deceased had long been an honored and consist- ent member. The pall bearers were Hon. I. D. G. Nelson, W. S. Ed-
I5
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sall, Hon. O. Bird, Hon. A. P. Edgerton, Judge John Morris, George L. Little and S. B. Bond.
As showing the regard in which Mr. Sweetser was held in the community, we here quote in part the resolutions adopted by the Square Table Club, of which he was the president at the time of his death :
"Mr. Sweetser was a man in many respects without a peer in our city. One of the small and rapidly diminishing band of pio- neers still among us, who came here when the country was still an unbroken wilderness, during his long and active career in our midst he had made hosts of friends and few, if any, enemies. Of a splen- did physique and robust constitution, he retained to the end all the fire and vigor of early manhood, and goes to the grave with all his faculties unimpaired, his intellect clear and vigorous and his mem- ory alert and active; and even now his erect, manly figure, his broad, intellectual forehead, his undimmed eye, his cheerful voice, seem to be with us, as so often in times that are past. * *
"Mr. Sweetser was a man of far more than ordinary ability, and, considering the many disadvantages under which he labored, of a remarkable degree of culture. Although his life was largely passed on the frontier, far removed from the refining influences of civilization and wealth, he had acquired and by the aid of a wonder- fully retentive memory had retained a fund of valuable information on a wide range of topics possessed by few. Especially was he strong in the political history of the country, for the study of which he exhibited a rare taste. Notwithstanding his active business life, he acquired a fair knowledge of general literature. * *
"During his long and varied career he had enjoyed the acquaint- ance of many celebrated men, had traveled extensively, passing through numerous adventures, and gaining thereby a knowledge of and insight into human nature, which, coupled with his remarkable memory and exceptionally brilliant conversational powers, made him the most agreeable and delightful of companions and the life of every social circle. His fund of anecdote seemed inexhaustible and his supply of wit and humor never failing. In manners, he was a model of courtly dignity, polish and good breeding; in short, a fine representative of a gentleman of the olden school.
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"But although the qualities mentioned were generally recognized and admired, it was his uniform kindness and generosity of heart, and his strict adherence and fidelity to his friends, which so en- deared him to his associates that all now feel a deep sense of per- sonal bereavement, such as the death of few men occasions beyond the limits of their immediate families.
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