History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana, Part 3

Author: Slocum, Charles Elihu, 1841-1915; Robertson, R. Stoddart, 1839-
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Indianapolis ; Toledo : Bowen & Slocum
Number of Pages: 630


USA > Indiana > Allen County > History of the Maumee River basin, Allen County, Indiana > Part 3


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 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42


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scenes. The Indians were in an ugly mood, owing to their recent defeats, and made life precarious for the early settlers. It naturally followed that educational opportunities here were very meager, and such education as Mr. Peltier had was obtained from private instruc- tion. His playmates were for the most part the young Indian boys and girls, and he learned their language perfectly, becoming from the first their friend, and receiving in return their utmost confidence. Through his earlier years Mr. Peltier found employment as an inter- preter, traveling over the territory with the traders and acting as an intermediary in their transactions with the Indians. While yet in his teens, Mr. Peltier engaged to learn the carpenter and cabinet-making trade with James Wilcox, who had a shop on what is now Calhoun street. Here were made most of the coffins used for the burial of the dead, and this was the first undertaking establishment in Fort Wayne. Upon the death of Mr. Wilcox, four years later, in 1840, Mr. Peltier succeeded to the business. Shortly afterward Mr. Pel- tier went to Cincinnati, and then to New Orleans, remaining about a year, and then returned to Fort Wayne, where the remaining years of his life were spent. At this time he established undertaking as a definite department of the business, the latter line having been con- tinued uninterruptedly ever since, first by the father and later by the son, James C. Peltier, who now conducts it, the former having re- tired from active participation in business in 1882. In his death there passed away the last representative of the earlier residents of the city, and whose life formed a connecting link between the present and the past. The venerable man had been in declining health for several years, though suffering from no definite disease, and at the last mo- ment the weakened body sank so peacefully into the last sleep that those about his bedside were scarcely aware when the end came. Death occurred on the 22d of October, 1904, the subject thus being in his ninety-second year.


Though ever occupying a prominent place in the life of Fort Wayne, Mr. Peltier never held public office. His earliest political affilition was with the Whigs, and in 1852 he cast his ballot for Gen- eral Winfield Scott. In 1856 he became a Democrat, and throughout the remainder of his life he continued faithful in his allegiance to that party. Mr. Peltier was a devoted member of the Catholic church,


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having been one of the first members of the Catholic congregation founded in Fort Wayne by the early missionaries, and when Father Benoit began' the erection of the cathedral here in 1860 Mr. Peltier was one of his strongest supporters and leading assistants.


Louis Peltier was twice married, his first wife having been Miss Laura Cushing, to whom he was wedded in 1833. To this union were born three children, of whom two survive, namely: Mrs. Ellen Meegan, of New York, and James C. Peltier, of this city, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Laura Peltier died in 1844, and six years later the subject married Miss Mary Nettle- horst, a native of Germany, who survives him. Mrs. L. C. Laughlin, of Tipton, Indiana, is the only surviving child of this union.


Louis Peltier was universally recognized as a splendid citizen, of lofty character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honesty. During the pioneer period he shared fully the trials and difficulties of those days. He was one of the sturdy figures upon which the burdens of the new community fell, and he struggled devotedly with others in bringing about the resultant evolution of development. Hand and heart and purse were always open to the necessities of his neighbors, and the record of those years is one of tireless and unselfish devotion.


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MRS. CHARLES B. WOODWORTH.


The lady whose name appears above has long occupied a leading position in the best circles of Fort Wayne, and has taken an active part in movements tending to the advancement of the best interests of her sex. Early recognizing the value and importance of the wom- an's club movement, she at once gave to it her encouragement and active support, and few women of this city have done more than she in securing for the women of Fort Wayne the advantages and bene- fits derived from organizations whose aim and object have been up- lifting and helpful, both socially and educationally. The possessor of charming personal qualities and recognized ability, she is properly considered a leader in the circles in which she moves, and exerts a definite and healthful influence upon all with whom she is brought into contact.


Mrs. Woodworth is a native of the Lone Star state, having been born in Victoria, Texas, on the 28th day of December, 1852, the only child of Joel T. and Loly Arvilla (Cook) Case: Her ancestors for several generations have been American, while her parents were natives of Connecticut. The latter were, in their youth, brought to Ohio by their respective parents, this having been in the closing years of the eighteenth century, when the tide of emigration flowed toward the western states from the colonies of the east. Joel T. Case re- ceived a good education and took a degree in theology at Yale Col -. lege, with the intention of entering the ministry of the Presbyterian church, but before becoming ordained he pursued other callings for a time, having, some time in the early '40s, established the Mobile Advertiser. In 1845 he joined the celebrated Santa Fe expedition, during the course of which he had a narrow escape from death. He with a number of his companions were captured by the Mexicans,


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and were drawn up in line to be shot, but his life was saved by his drawing a black bean, seventeen of which had been placed in a jar, in which one hundred and fifty-three white beans had also been placed, to correspond to the number of prisoners. Mr. Case subsequently followed his original intentions and entered the ministry at Victoria, Texas. In a young ladies' seminary at this place the subject of this sketch secured a good education. On the 30th of January, 1873, she was united in marriage to Mr. Charles B. Woodworth, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was born in the latter city on December 3, 1848, the son of Dr. Benjamin S. Woodworth. This union has been a most congenial and happy one, and has been blessed in the birth of two children, Benjamin S. and Carl B.


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HERMAN W. TAPP.


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As a contractor for stone and concrete masonry, Mr. Tapp occu- pies a prominent position in Fort Wayne, being a representative busi- ness man of the "Summit City," and one who is upholding the high reputation gained by his honored father in the same important field of industrial enterprise. He controls a large business, has executed contracts of great magnitude and his reliabilty and his fidelity to contracts are recognized wherever he is known.


Herman W. Tapp was born in the beautiful old capital city of Berlin, Germany, on the 14th of December, 1856, and is a son of Ferdinand and Wilhelmina (Siedschlag) Tapp, who immigrated thence to America in 1860, making the city of Chicago their destina- tion and there remaining until 1865, when they located in Fort Wayne, where the father attained to a position of prominence as a bridge contractor, especially in the construction of high-grade rail- road bridges, and other stone and concrete work. During the latter portion of his active business career he was associated with his son, Herman W., subject of this review, the operations being carried for- ward under the firm name of F. Tapp & Son, while of this firm Her- man W. is the direct successor. Ferdinand Tapp died on the 29th of April, 1903, honored as one of Fort Wayne's representative citizens and business men, and his devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest on the 24th of January, 1905, both having been lifelong members of the Lutheran church.


Herman W. Tapp secured his early educational training in the parochial schools of the Lutheran church, and in the Fort Wayne public schools, while later he took a course in the Fort Wayne Com- mercial College. In the meanwhile, at the age of fifteen years, he be- gan his practical apprenticeship at the trade of stonemason, under the


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direction of his father, who was a skilled artisan in the line. He followed the work of his trade about six years, and then engaged in contracting, as a coadjutor and partner of his father. He has ever since continued to give his attention to contracting for stone and con- crete masonry, and his success has been practically unqualified from the start, while he has control of a large and important enterprise in his line, making a specialty of railroad work. His executed contracts in 1904 represented one hundred thousand dollars, at a conservative estimate.


In his political allegiance Mr. Tapp is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and while he takes a lively interest in the suprem- acy of the party cause he has never permitted his name to be con- sidered in connection with public office. He has contributed liberally to the party work and his friends in the Republican ranks have urged him to accept nomination for the office of mayor of Fort Wayne, but he has felt no inclination to enter the political arena in this way, and has considered his business affairs worthy of his undivided time and attention. Mr. Tapp is an appreciative affiliate of the time-honored order of Freemasonry, being identified with the following named bodies : Wayne Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master ; Fort Wayne Chapter, No. 19, Royal Arch Masons; Fort Wayne Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar, and Fort Wayne Grand Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which body of the fraternity he had attained to the fourteenth de- gree. He is also a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 19, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Fort Wayne Lodge, No. 116, Knights of Pythias. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tapp are active members of the Luth- eran church.


On the 16th of February, 1878, Mr. Tapp was united in mar- riage to Miss Elizabeth M. Winter, a daughter of Philip Winter, of Allen county, and they have had six children : Ruth died August 25, 1894; Frederick, Bessie, Elsie, Emma H. and Roscoe H. Bessie is the wife of Harry A. Ross, of Fort Wayne, and the family is one of prominence in the social life of the city, their magnificent home being one of the most attractive in Fort Wayne, which is recognized as a city of beautiful homes.


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JAMES CHENEY.


James Cheney was the son of Roswell and Abigail (Williard) Cheney. His father, Roswell Cheney, was a native of Keene, New Hampshire, and his mother, Abigail Williard, was born in Vermont. Abigail Williard's father, James Williard, was born in England and came to America during the latter part of the eighteenth cen- tury. During the war of 1812 he remained a stanch Tory and after the termination of the war he went to Canada for a number of years. Roswell Cheney left his Vermont farm and came over- land with his family to Toledo (or Port Lawrence, as it was then called) in 1834. Here he took up large tracts of land and also established himself in a general merchandise business. And here he died in 1846, at the early age of fifty-six years. His wife sur- vived him, dying at Logansport, Indiana, in June, 1861. They were the parents of three children, Roswell Williard, who died in Toledo in 1844, at the age of twenty-six years; James, the subject of this sketch, and Cornelia M., the wife of George Knickerbocker, of Hills- dale, Michigan.


On the 15th of December, 1817, James Cheney was born at Sutton, Caledonia county, Vermont. At that early day the educa- tional opportunities of a Vermont farmer's son were meagre. But here, as everywhere and at all times, the mettle of the scholar meant more than his educational system, and when James Cheney, at eleven years of age, left school and began clerking in a general store in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, he had made the most of his opportunities and, leaving school, had but begun his real education, which continued through life. After three years he went into busi- ness for himself in Genesee county, New York, and later came with his parents to the village of Toledo. Here he was soon employed by S. & M. Collins at their Indian trading post, three miles from


James Cheney-


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town. Soon he was sent to establish a branch store at Adrian, Michigan, and in a year was taken in as half owner. Upon the bankruptcy, soon afterward, of Mr. Collins, the firm became Cheney & Wilson and so continued until 1839, when Mr. Cheney bought out his junior partner and the firm became R. & J. Cheney, so continu- ing for three years. During this partnership the firm took a con- tract for the construction of three miles of the Wabash and Erie canal.


In 1842 Mr. Cheney went to Defiance, Ohio, where he held the state appointment as collector of tolls until 1845. At this time he built the Pavilion, a large hotel for the day, but sold it in 1847 and removed to a farm on the Maumee river, two miles from Defiance. In 1853 he sold this farm and in the following year established a banking house in Defiance, and later came to Fort Wayne, where he at once became identified with banking operations and other important business interests. In 1855 he removed to New York city, where he continued operations on Wall street with much success, also forming the acquaintanceship of many of the leading financiers of the day. In the spring of 1857 Mr. Cheney located in Logansport, Indiana, being one of the twenty distinguished gentle- men who organized the Bank of the State of Indiana. Of that score of brilliant men, headed by Hugh McCulloch, he was the last survivor. When the institution was finally merged into a national bank he became a member of its directorate, while he also served for a time as cashier, remaining in control of the most of the stock until his death. He also became a heavy stockholder in the National City Bank of New York. His activities were so far-reaching and varied in the great domain of financial and industrial operations that it is impossible to enter into details concerning them in an article of this nature. We may offer a brief resume, however. He was interested in the construction of the Atlantic cable, being associated with other leading financiers, and for many years he was an active operator in the great stock market of the national metropolis. In 1858, in partnership with J. Uhl, he erected a flouring mill in Logansport, Indiana, and a few years later he sold his interest to his partner's sons. He maintained his home and business headquarters in New York from 1872 until 1878, when he returned to Fort


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Wayne. Here he remained as president of the Fort Wayne Gas Light Company from 1878 until 1894, when the gas company sold its stock to the Dietrich syndicate. Mr. Cheney was associated with Jay Gould in the reorganization of the Wabash Railroad Company, of which he was a stockholder until its final sale, in 1885, while he was appointed a trustee on the mortgage in connection with the Central Trust Company at the time of this sale. He was actively identified with the Masonic fraternity for many years, taking his dimit only when the infirmities of advanced age rendered it im- possible for him to attend the lodge meetings.


We find it apropos to quote from the appreciative estimate pub- lished in a Fort Wayne paper at the time of Judge Cheney's death, which occurred at his beautiful home on Spy Run avenue, where his declining years were passed in practical retirement, though he continued to exercise a general supervision of his financial interests until his summons came, his death occurring on the 13th of Decem- ber, 1903. "Judge Cheney's career was a remarkable one in many ways. He fought his way by his inherent ability to a place among the foremost financiers of America. Quiet and unobtrusive always, he was better known in the financial circles of Wall street than in the affairs of his own city. Though a leading factor in some of the greatest movements of modern times, his was an unassuming nature. A man of few words, he acted rather than talked, and even his most intimate friends hardly appreciated the tremendous part played by this modest gentleman in the financial world. Mr. Cheney was a man of keen business insight and was a born financier, yet he never departed from the path of absolute rectitude and honesty. In all his long and useful life two qualities-integrity and love of justice-were especially noticeable." His success in life was such as would command respect and admiration anywhere. His results were not accidents, as all his operations were managed with far- seeing shrewdness. He had the genius of hard work and the in- stinctive knowledge of men which guided him so safely in his choice of business associates. Most orderly, exact and just in all his busi- ness dealings, he required the same methods in others. He managed to make money as dry goods merchant, contractor, miller, banker


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and as stockholder in many industrial enterprises. Absolutely in- dependent in thought and action, he would charge no usurious rate of interest, yet neither would he give except to a cause which com- mended itself to his best judgment. Firm and unbending in his duty, his strict integrity made him always just and honorable in all his dealings. His own diligence and his fidelity in the many posi- tions of trust he held made him quick to appreciate these qualities in others. In private life he was the most companionable of men. Whatever the subject of conversation, his comments were never shal- low, but always thoughtful and keen. His long, busy life gave him many opportunities of observing state and national affairs. His pleasant narration of these experiences made him a most entertaining talker, while he was noted for the dignity and polish of his man- ners. Although he had been reared a Congregationalist, he leaned to the Quaker belief, especially admiring the absence of display in their manner of life and their simplicity of thought. Mrs. Cheney was a Presbyterian and Mr. Cheney was one of the chief benefactors of the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne.


That a man of so broad a nature should feel a deep interest in matters of public polity was a foregone conclusion, and in his earlier years Mr. Cheney took an active part in political affairs in Ohio, while he never wavered in his allegiance and fealty to the Democratic party.


On the 2d of May, 1842, Judge Cheney was united in marriage to Miss Nancy B. Evans, who was born in Defiance, Ohio, on the 2Ist of February, 1824, and whose death occurred on the 27th of June, 1895, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Knight, of Fort Wayne. She was a daughter of Pierce Evans, one of the representa- tive citizens of Defiance county, where she was reared and educated. She was a woman of gentle and gracious personality and for many years was prominent in the social life of Fort Wayne, while her earnest Christian character was a source of inspiration to those who came within the sphere of her influence. In Mount Hope cemetery, at Logansport, Indiana, are laid to rest the remains of Judge Cheney and his devoted wife. They became the parents of four children, Helen, who is the wife of John A. Kimberly, of Neenah, Wisconsin;


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Roswell W., who is engaged in business in California, and who served during the Civil war as a member of the Ninth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry; Mary Cornelia, who is the wife of Hon. John C. Nelson, of Logansport, Indiana; and Alice, who is the wife of Charles S. Knight, of Fort Wayne.


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ALLEN COUNTY, INDIANA.


JAMES M. ROBINSON.


The history of a county or state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have con- ferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the char- acter of a community by those of its representative citizens and yields its tributes of admiration and respect to those whose works and ac- tions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride. Among the prominent citizens of Fort Wayne, Allen county, Indiana, who are well and favorably known because of the part they have taken in public affairs is James M. Robinson.


Mr. Robinson was born in 1861, the place of his nativity having been on a farm in Pleasant township, this county. His parents were David A. and Isabella (Bowen) Robinson, both of whom were na- tives of the state of Ohio, the former having been born in 1834 and the latter in 1833. In the year 1855 they came to Allen county, In- diana, and took up their abode on a frontier farm. On this pioneer homestead they reared their three children, of whom James M., the immediate subject of this sketch, was the youngest. The subject is of Scotch-Irish descent, his ancestors having come to this country in its early history and settled in Virginia and New Jersey. They were of sturdy, patriotic stock, and at least one of these ancestors served in the defense of the colonies during the Revolutionary war. The subject's father served in the Union army during the Civil war as a member of the Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and in the battle of Chickamauga he was wounded and captured and sent to Libby prison, returning to Indiana at the close of the war. However, because of the lack of proper care, his wound eventually resulted in total disability.


The subject's boyhood days were passed on the parental farmstead,


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where he acquired that vigor of body, clearness of mind and firmness of character which contributed in so large a degree to his subsequent success. His educational advantages were limited to the common schools of Allen county and the city of Fort Wayne. The family were poor, and before completing his common school course he found it necessary to employ his leisure hours in earning money with which to pay for his books and clothing. He was employed as a newspaper carrier for the Daily News, and at the age of fourteen years was pro- moted to the position of collector for this paper. At the age of fifteen years he secured employment as a machine hand in the wheelworks of N. G. Olds, at a wage of seventy-five cents per day, and which en- abled him to contribute to the support of his mother, of whose com- fort and welfare he has ever been tenderly solicitous. Early deciding to make the legal profession his life work, young Robinson employed all his leisure moments to the earnest study of such legal authorities as he could gain possession of, and in 1881 he entered the law office of Colerick Brothers, distinguished members of their profession, mak- ing such advancement in his studies that in 1882 he was admitted to practice in the United States and state courts. Thereafter his rise in the profession and success in securing a representative clientage was pronounced and certain. His qualifications as a lawyer were soon recognized, and in 1886 he was unanimously nominated for the office of prosecuting attorney of Allen county and overwhelmingly elected, being again nominated and elected in 1888. In 1892 he made the race for the Democratic nomination for congress, but was defeated in the convention by five delegate votes by Hon. W. F. McNagny, who was elected. However, in 1896, Mr. Robinson was the recipient of a unanimous nomination for congress, the first time this high com- pliment was ever paid a candidate in the twelfth district. Mr. Rob- inson was triumphant at the ensuing election, running about eight hundred votes ahead of the presidential ticket. In 1898 he was again unanimously nominated for congress and elected, leading the state ticket in his district eleven hundred votes. In 1900 the same story was repeated, he again leading his ticket by several hundred votes, and in 1902, for the fourth consecutive time, he was elected to repre- sent the twelfth district in the national congress, thus breaking the two-term rule that had for so many years prevailed in this district.


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In 1904 he was still again the candidate of his party for this high position, but in the landslide of that year he went down to defeat with the rest of his party ticket, being defeated by Hon. Newton W. Gilbert. Early in his mature life Mr. Robinson displayed rare ability as a public speaker, and to this, as well as his personal popularity, may be attributed his success as a politician. He is a stanch Democrat in a partisan sense, and also a democrat in the broader sense of the word, his interests and sympathies being ever with those from whom he sprung-the laboring man and the masses ; and herein lies his strength with the people. Such pronounced success as he attained with a mini- mum of time certainly bears emphatic evidence of the honest worth and unmistakable capacity of the man, and that it has been richly merited none can doubt who have watched his efforts and advance- ment.




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