USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 17
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURG COUNTY
Shortly after being mustered out, Major Mattison entered the Albany Law School and was graduated with the degree of LL. B. in 1866. He be- gan practice in connection with Hon. Marinus Fairchild, at Salem, New York, and in 1868 came to Evansville. This was the year of the presi- dential election and in the campaign he took active part in support of General Grant. In 1870 he was appointed county attorney and in 1871 ap- pointed prosecuting attorney in the county criminal court to fill a vacancy. The following year he was elected to the office for a two years' term and was soon afterward appointed register in bankruptcy by Chief Justice Waite, which position he held until the office was abolished. In 1887 he was appointed city attorney and served two terms, retiring from that office to become a member of the law firm of Mattison, Posey & Clark, which later became Mattison, Posey & Chappell. In 1896 he was elected judge of the circuit court for a term of six years, being the first republican ever elected to that office from the first judicial circuit. On his retirement from the bench he resumed the private practice of law in 1903 under the firm name of Mattison & Curry, and is now senior partner of the well known and prominent law firm of Mattison & Gore, with offices at 404 Furniture build- ing. He is recognized as a man of wide general information and in this is found one of the strong elements of his power and ability as a lawyer and jurist. This broad knowledge, enabling him to understand life in its varied phases, the motive springs of human conduct and the complexity of business interests, combined with a comprehensive familiarity with statutory law and with precedent, made him one of the ablest judges who have sat on the circuit bench. To an understanding of uncommon acuteness and vigor he added a thorough and comprehensive preparatory training, while in his practice he exemplifies all the higher elements of the truly great lawyer. He is constantly inspired by an innate and inflexible love of justice and a delicate sense of personal honor which controls him in all of his personal relations. His fidelity to the interests of his clients is proverbial, yet he never forgets that he owes a higher allegiance to the majesty of the law. His diligence and energy in the preparation of his cases as well as the earn- estness, tenacity and courage with which he defends the right as he un- derstands it challenges the highest admiration of his associates. He in- variably seeks to present his argument in the storng, clear light of common reason and sound logical principle.
In 1866 Mr. Mattison was married to the daughter of his first law part- ner, Marinus Fairchild. She died in 1873, leaving a daughter, who died in 1892. On the 7th of February, 1878, Major Mattison married Miss Hen- rietta M. Bennett of Evansville.
Since 1862 Mr. Mattison has been a member of the Masonic fraternity and he is a past master of Reed lodge; past high priest of Evansville Chapter, R. A. M .; past illustrious master of Simpson council, R. & S. M .; and past eminent commander of La Valette Commandery, K. T. Such in
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brief is the life history of Judge Mattison, whose military experience, whose service on the bench and whose connection with the legal profession constitute important chapters in his life record, all characterized by an honor and fidelity that none question.
JAMES L. KING.
James L. King, who is known in Union township, Vanderburg county, as one of its successful farmers, owning a well improved place of one hun- dred and seventy-eight acres, which he has operated for many years, has at the same time assisted according to his opportunities in the upbuilding of the community. He is a native of Union township, born February 17, 1844. At that time a large part of the country north of the Ohio river was thinly settled and many of the advantages possessed today were lacking. Means of communication were uncertain and transportation was by wagon or boat and educational facilities were limited to the little schoolhouse where a teacher had charge of pupils ranging in age from six years to twenty and the birch rod was largely depended upon to maintain interest and discipline. The boys and girls grew up, however, in closer contact with nature than is possible under the conditions of today and they developed strong constitu- tions and a spirit of independence and self-reliance which are now often sadly lacking.
The father of our subject was John F. King and the mother before her marriage was Judith B. Neal, of Virginia. They were married about 1832. Mr. King was a pilot with headquarters in 1830 at Parkersburg, West Virginia, and he operated on the Ohio and Mississippi as far south as New Orleans. After his marriage he opened a store at Henderson Ferry in this county and later brought a farm, which he conducted until his death in October, 1879. There were six children in his family.
The subject of this review was educated in the district schools and trained under his father in the operation of the farm. Before he reached manhood the great Rebellion aroused the patriotic instinct of young men throughout the northern states and he offered his services to the Union, enlisting in Company H, Eighth Kentucky Volunteers, serving for one year in that command, at the end of which time he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twentieth Indiana Volunteers, continuing until the close of the war, when he was mustered out at Raleigh, North Carolina. He was a good soldier and his honorable discharge is one of the valuable possessions of the family. After leaving the army he returned to his native county and to the farm, which he conducted with a goodly measure of success, carefully culti- vating the soil which year after year has yielded its wealth, so that he attained a position of comparative independence-a position to which all should aspire and one attained more generally by the farmer than perhaps by followers of any other occupation.
JAMES L. KING
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On January 28, 1869, Mr. King was happily united in marriage to Miss Louise L. Long, a daughter of Simeon and Mary (Harrington) Long, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Tennessee. Her father came to Vanderburg county in 1830 and here he took up land which he cleared and cultivated for many years. He attained a position of prominence in this county and served as a member of the board of county commissioners. To Mr. and Mrs. King were born the following children: Ida Mary, now Mrs. Richard Ely; Nettie A., who married William H. Watson; Ora, who died at the age of three years; and Amy L., the wife of Charles Long.
Mr. King has been a lifelong republican and is an earnest supporter of the principles of that party. While he has not sought public office, he was chosen county commissioner in the fall of 1886 and served with great credit for three years during the time that the new courthouse was being erected. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. In his private life Mr. King has adhered to the principles of patient diligence and conscientious discharge of every obligation and as the result he has the confidence and respect of the entire community.
GUILD C. FOSTER.
Guild C. Foster, clerk of the circuit and superior courts of Vander- burg county at Evansville, receiving the compliment in 1908 of the largest vote cast for any candidate on the ticket, was born in this city September II, 1870, and is a son of James H. and Henrietta R. Foster. The father, also a native of Indiana, was born in Pike county, attended the Evansville high school and later continued his studies in the university of Blooming- ton, Indiana, from which he was graduated.
Guild C. Foster pursued his education in the Evansville schools until completing the grade work. At the age of sixteen he entered the employ of the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad Company in a clerical capacity but later business interests took him to the far west, when he accepted a position in the office of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at San Francisco, California, there remaining until 1891. In that year he located at Chicago, accepting a position in the freight department of the Wabash Railroad Company, with which he was connected until 1894. Returning to Evansville, he was for one year in the freight department of the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad Company, at the end of which time he was called to public office in his appointment to the position of deputy clerk of the circuit and superior courts in 1896. Eight years of service in that capacity, bringing him intimate knowledge and experience in the duties of the office, well qualified him for the work which is now his and to which he has devoted his attention since 1904. It was in that year that he was
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elected clerk of the circuit and superior courts for a four years' term, and in 1908 he received indorsement of his service in his reelection, his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him being indicated at that time by the largest vote given to any candidate on the county tickets. He has always been a stanch advocate of the republican party, holding closely to its platform and doing all in his power to secure the adoption of its prin- ciples.
Mr. Foster was married in Evansville to Miss Emma Heberer on the 14th of January, 1896, and they have two children, Henrietta and Edward, aged thirteen and ten years respectively. The daughter is now a high school student while the son is still doing the work of the grades. The family attend the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. and Mrs. Foster are members. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, his membership being in Evansville lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Evansville chapter; Knights Templar commandery; and Indianapolis consistory, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is likewise a member of the Mystic Shrine at Evansville, and belongs to the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. In more strictly social lines, which do not empha- size the fraternal spirit, he is connected with the Country, the Crescent and the Press Clubs. Much of his life has been spent in Evansville, his native city, and that his salient qualities commend him to the good will of those with whom he comes in contact is evidenced by the fact that many of his warmest friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood.
WILLIAM A. CARSON.
Thorough technical training and broad experience qualify William A. Carson for his present prominent position in the business world-that of general manager of the Evansville Railways Company, to which he was elected on the 6th of July, 1908. He was born in Shelby county, Indiana, October 4, 1881, and is a son of Lafayette and Laura Carson. The father, who was born in Franklin, Indiana, in: 1854, spent his early youth there and in 1864 became a resident of Shelby county, Indiana, where he was identified with farming interests for many years, removing to Indianapolis, in 1888.
William A. Carson was a lad of about seven years when his parents went to Indianapolis, where he pursued his education in the public schools, eventu- ally becoming a pupil in the manual training high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1901. Soon afterward he secured a position as bill clerk and timekeeper with the National Automobile Company of that city, being thus employed until 1903, when he went to the Indianapolis & Cincinnati Traction Company as chief clerk to the general superintendent, serving in that capacity until 1906. He was then assistant general manager
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of the Indianapolis, Columbus & Southern Traction Company until July, 1908, when he came to Evansville and was made general manager of the Evans- ville Railways Company, a position for which his previous experience had well qualified him. On the Ist of July, 1910, he was appointed general man- ager of the Owensboro City Railroad Company and of the Henderson Trac- tion Company, which properties were acquired by the principal stockholders of the Evansville Railways Company with a view of bridging the Ohio River and connecting Owensboro and Henderson with Evansville by electric line. The Evansville Railways Company comprises the Evansville & Mount Ver- non Electric Railway, the Evansville Terminal Railway and the Evansville & Eastern Railway. In his position as general manager he has supervision of all of these interests and keeps abreast with the times in all that concerns electric railway transportation. He is sufficiently familiar with the work of the electrician and of the mechanic to know what is demanded along those lines and, moreover, possesses keen executive ability and administrative power. The combination of these qualities render him particularly well adapted for the work which engages his attention, and thus he has forged steadily ahead to a prominent place in the business circles of southwestern Indiana.
Mr. Carson was married in Indianapolis to Miss Vesta Ruth Hann in June, 1906. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Reed lodge. His study of the political issues and questions of the day has led him to give earnest support to the republican party, while his religious opinions are manifest in his membership in Grace Memorial Presbyterian church. He has attained an enviable position for one of his years, and the powers that he has displayed augur well for further success in the future.
HARVEY L. MEADOWS.
Perhaps no other country has contributed so much to the colonization and civilization of the new world as has England. Therefore her language became the tongue of the American people and her manners, customs and modes of thought have left their impress for all time upon the American nation. Among those who in the middle of the nineteenth century came to the United States from the mother country was Harvey L. Meadows, who was born on the merrie isle in 1823, acquired his education there and re- mained a resident of that land until 1854, when he crossed the Atlantic to the United States. Immediately afterward he continued his journey into the interior of the continent until he reached Evansville and in this city he was afterward identified with banking interests until his death. He was first connected with the old National Bank as bookkeeper for a few years and when Mr. Bement organized a bank he became the first bookkeeper in the new institution and later was cashier, filling that position until his demise in 1881.
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Ere leaving England Mr. Meadows was united in marriage to Miss Jemima Peters, and unto them were born two children, Willis J. and Emily S. Following the death of the mother Mr. Meadows married again, Miss Cornelia Hatchett, of Henderson, Kentucky, becoming his wife in 1871. They had one son, Harvey H., now living in Atlanta, Georgia, who is mar- ried and has a son, Harvey H., Jr. Mrs. Meadows was a daughter of John A. Hatchett, a farmer residing at Henderson, Kentucky, and a sister of Dr. J. G. Hatchett, who was a very prominent physician of Evansville for many years, associated in practice with Dr. Walker. He died, however, in July, 1896.
Mr. Meadows possessed marked artistic taste and talent. His was a natural gift and although he never studied art, he devoted his leisure mo- ments to painting and displayed such proficiency that when he sent some of his canvases to England the art judges of that country considered them worthy of a place in the National Gallery in London. He had the highest ap- preciation for beauty of coloring and symmetry in form and the effects of light and shade were to him a constant delight. Moreover he possessed the ability of transferring his impressions to canvas, his paintings certainly pos- sessing high merit. During his residence in Evansville he took keen interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the city. In England he had been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He joined the Home Guards during the period of the Civil war, being ready to defend the inter- ests of this state if military strength was thus needed .. He belonged to the Presbyterian church and was one of the founders of the first library in Evansville. His public spirit was manifest in many tangible ways and his cooperation proved a valuable factor where projects of public moment were involved. The honor and respect which his fellowmen accorded him were a freewill and spontaneous offering-given in recognition of his personal ability and worth.
DR. ISAIAH HAAS.
No history of Vanderburg county would be complete without mention of Dr. Isaiah Haas from the fact that he was one of the earliest superinten- dents of the Western Union Telegraph Company in the Mississippi valley and afterward one of the successful dental practitioners of Evansville. He is justly classed with those whose labors have been an element in pro- moting the civilization and development of this section of the country.
Ohio claimed him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Newark on the 22d of February, 1829. His father, Adam Haas, was born in Virginia on Christmas day of 1798 and in early manhood removed to Newark, Ohio, where he met and married Miss Christina La Pert, of New York. Later he went with his wife to Delaware county, Ohio, where he
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began merchandising and in the year 1845 he crossed the boundary line into Indiana, settling at Wabash, the county seat of Wabash county, where he conducted a store until 1860.
In his youthful days Dr. Isaiah Haas acquired a fair education, after which he assisted his father in the store as bookkeeper and salesman. His identification with telegraphic interests was the result of chance rather than carefully formulated plans. In 1849, when the Morse electric tele- graph line was being extended west, an office was opened at Wabash above his father's store and a teacher was sent to instruct a young lawyer of that place how to use the instrument. The lawyer being slow to learn, Dr. Haas was solicited by friends to go upstairs and learn to manipulate the key. To this he consented and in ten days he was able to receive and send messages. The next three or four years were devoted to his new posi- tion as operator. Soon, by sense of hearing, he read the faintest murmur- ings of the telegraph and became one of the expert operators of the west. About this time Ezra Cornell, of Ithaca, New York, the founder of Cornell University, had become lessee of nearly one thousand miles of telegraph line in the states of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana and made Dr. Haas superin- tendent of the line and all of the offices connected therewith. In this posi- tion he displayed excellent administrative ability and executive force, care- fully managing the interests of a newly developing enterprise, which was to have immeasurable effect upon the history of the world.
It was while connected with telegraphic interests that Dr. Haas was married to Miss Adaline McHenry, of Vincennes, Indiana, who a few years later died of tuberculosis. Two children were born unto them but within three years mother and children had passed away.
Before severing his connection with telegraphic interests Dr. Haas' at- tention had been called to dentistry and he felt that it offered him a wider field and scope. He began studying with Professor A. M. Morse, of La Fayette, Indiana, as his first preceptor and later under Dr. Samuel Wardle, of Cincinnati. He learned dentistry prior to coming to Evansville and for seven years followed the profession in La Fayette before establishing his home in this city.
In 1857 Dr. Haas married Miss Sarah K. McHenry, a sister of his first wife, and to them were born eight children, six yet living. Two years after this marriage he started southward but on account of low water was unable to get a boat and was detained for two days in Evansville, where he unexpectedly met some old-time friends who insisted that he make this city his future home. A few weeks later and he had become a per- manent resident here. He not only successfully practiced dentistry but also assisted Dr. Bray, from whom he rented his office, in his surgical oper- ations and it was said that Dr. Haas had no superior in the state as an assistant in surgical work. Moreover, he was recognized as the most promi- nent dentist in the state because of his comprehensive knowledge of the
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science and his practical workmanship, his high ideals in his profession be- ing equaled only by his achievements.
Dr. Haas was also prominent in Masonry, serving as district deputy master for four years and as lecturer of the district for four years, and in his life he exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft. He was one of those whose labors were an important element in the early development of Evansville and this section of the state and his close following of high ideals was an influence that worked for good among others. He departed this life in 1900.
J. J. GROENINGER.
Within recent years Evansville has become an important manufacturing center with large productive industries that not only constitute a source of gratifying revenue to stockholders but are also elements in the city's growth and progress, as they furnish employment to many workmen. Mr. Groen- inger is connected with the industrial interests of the city, being now sole proprietor of tin and galvanized iron works. He was born in Evansville, February 5, 1864, and is a son of Fred and Justina (Holzhauer) Groen- inger, both of whom were natives of Germany, whence they came to Amer- ica in early life. They were married in Evansville, where the mother is still living. The father was a carpenter and contractor and did much building in and around Evansville, many structures in this district still standing as monuments to his skill and handiwork. In the family were two sons and two daughters, the brother of our subject being Henry F. Groeninger, also of Evansville. The sisters are: Mrs. Christiana Wolf, a widow; and Mrs. Lizzie Dennis, both living in Evansville.
At the usual age J. J. Groeninger entered the public schools but when thirteen years of age began working in a furniture factory, covering chairs. Two years were spent in that way, after which he secured a position in a cooper shop, where he was employed for about three years. He afterward began working for G. Puder & Company, proprietors of tin and galvanized iron works. Twelve years were spent with that firm, during which time he became familiar with the business in every department, thoroughly master- ing every task and gaining therefrom a knowledge and experience which have well qualified him for his present undertaking. On the expiration of that period he started in business on his own account with capital which he had saved from his earnings, his careful expenditure enabling him to gather a sum sufficient to start out independently in business. It was on the 16th of June, 1892, that he opened his present establishment. For a time he had two partners but later purchased their interests and is now sole owner of the business, which is constantly growing in volume and im- portance. He owns the building which he occupies and employs from eight
J. J. GROENINGER
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to twelve men. He belongs to the Masters Sheet Metal Workers Asso- ciation and to the Builders Exchange, in which he was a director for some time. He is a stockholder in the Mercantile Trust & Savings Bank and has made for himself a creditable position and an honored name in the trade and financial circles of the city.
On the Ist of October, 1889, Mr. Groeninger was married to Miss Millie E. Brown, of Orange county, Indiana, and they now have two sons and two daughters: Fred H. and William E., who work with their father; and Eloise E. and Margaret J., at home. The family belong to St. John's Evangelical church and Mr. Groeninger is also connected with the Red Men and with the Haymakers. In politics he is an unfaltering advocate of democracy, and he takes an active interest in all public affairs, cooper- ating in the movements and measures which he deems of value to Evans- ville or regards as of vital significance to the country at large.
ALBERT J. VENEMAN.
Albert J. Veneman, engaged in the practice of law since 1898, a keen analytical mind enabling him to correctly determine the relative value of the points of his cases, is regarded as both a strong advocate and safe counselor and is accorded a liberal clientage. He was born in Evansville, December 31, 1870, a son of August and Julia (Reitz) Veneman. The father was born in Germany while the parents were temporarily sojourning there. Following their return to America he pursued his education in the schools of Evans- ville and after attaining his majority entered business circles in connection with his brother-in-law, conducting a mercantile establishment under the firm name of Reitz & Veneman. Later he became connected with the Ullmer & Hoedt Brewery and was associated with that enterprise until his death, which occurred in 1880.
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