USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 27
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The principles of the democratic party receive his support as those prin- ciples most conducive to the permanent welfare of a republican form of government. His religious faith is in harmony with the Evangelical church, whose teachings early appealed to his heart and mind. Mr. Meyer is un- married and makes his home with his parents. His friends and associates at law are confident that in the years to come he will be able "to give a good account of himself" and that by word and example he will always represent what he feels to be just and true.
H. F. RIECHMANN.
One of the young men who has won a place among the financiers of Evansville is H. F. Riechmann, cashier of the West Side Bank, and a growing factor in financial and business circles of one of the principal cities in the Ohio valley. He is a native of Evansville, born February 18, 1877. His father, Frederick Riechmann, was born in Germany but was married in Evansville to Anna Harmeyer. Eight children were born to them, five of whom are living, namely: Anna, now Mrs. Benjamin Bosse; Mayme; H. F., the subject of this review; August, of Evansville; and George, also of Evansville.
Frederick Riechmann entered the grocery business upon taking up his residence at Evansville and continued in that line of trade during all of his active life, investing also in real estate. He was a highly respected and public-spirited citizen. In politics he adhered to the principles of the democratic party and was a candidate for the city council but was not elected. He was a consistent member of the German Lutheran church and his death, in 1899, at the age of fifty-five years, when he was in the prime of life, was greatly deplored by many friends and well-wishers. He was
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a man of high ideals and one who deserved the esteem of a community that recognized in him a citizen whose work and character appealed to their highest regard. The father of Mrs. Riechmann was a pioneer of Indiana and settled in Dubois county. Mr. and Mrs. Riechmann reared their children under the protection of a kindly home whose influence has continued as a benediction through after years.
The subject of this review received his education in the public schools of Evansville and gained his first experience in business under his father. He continued for a number of years in the grocery business and then for two years acted as traveling salesman for furniture houses of Evansville. Wider acquaintance with the world broadened his views and prepared him to discharge acceptably the responsibility to which he was invited as assist- ant cashier of the West Side Bank. Three years ago he was advanced to cashier, succeeding H. H. Ogden. He filled that position to the satis- faction of officers and directors of the bank and has assisted materially in increasing the scope and popularity of the institution. He is treasurer of the West Side Building, Loan & Savings Association and also director of the Globe-Bosse-World Furniture Company, the West Side Real Estate & Insurance Company, and is a stockholder in several banks and corpor- ations of the city.
Mr. Riechmann is a democrat but has devoted his attention to business rather than politics and has gained a reputation as a conservative young business man of good judgment and high character, giving every assurance of a successful and helpful career. There is no better illustration of the effect of right training and correct principles in the development of a use- ful life than is presented in this record.
ARTHUR C. KARGES.
Among the young men of Evansville who have demonstrated their ability to manage large interests may be named Arthur C. Karges, general manager of the Evansville Sash & Door Company. He was born at Blue Grass, Iowa, on the 5th of May, 1881, where his parents resided for some years, later returning to Evansville. He is a son of Henry Karges, who came to the United States from Germany previous to the Civil war and engaged in the grocery business at Evansville. The mother of our subject before her marriage was Miss Gleichman, a native of Evansville and of German descent. Henry Karges did not confine his attention entirely to the grocery trade, but was one of the projectors of the old Hedrich Hotel and was a very active and energetic man in the earlier days of Evans- ville. He was called away from earthly duties and responsibilities as also was his wife when the son was about sixteen years of age, and from that time Arthur C. Karges has depended upon his own exertions for ad-
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vancement. However, even as a boy he was the fortunate possessor of a stout heart and a desire to lead a life that would be a credit not only to himself but to his friends and associates. Any young man starting with this determination is almost absolutely certain to win. For a number of years he was in the employ of the Indiana Stove Works.
In 1906 Mr. Karges became connected with the Evansville Sash & Door Company as bookkeeper and was advanced until in January, 1910, he was made general manager for the company in this city. The Evans- ville Sash & Door Company is a branch of the Anson & Hixon Sash & Door Company of Merrill, Wisconsin, one of the largest concerns of the kind in the country. While only a limited amount of manufacturing is carried on at the Evansville plant, a very extensive supply of the finished product is here accumulated for distribution over a wide territory in Illi- nois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Three salesmen represent the house upon the road and the growth of the business from this point has fully kept pace with that in other lines since the plant was established at Evansville.
Mr. Karges has a sister, Lillian, and two brothers, Henry and Albert, who are also living in this city. Although his experience has been limited to a few years in the business to which he is devoting his attention, he has gained the confidence of his associates and in the responsible position he occupies has shown an ability which gives promise of a capacity to meet any emergency that may arise. His career has shown steady advance- ment and he is the possessor of the characteristics that command honor and respect wherever they are known.
JOSEPH A. SCHENK, SR.
Among the native residents of Vanderburg county who have attained prosperity and well earned independence as a farmer is Joseph A. Schenk, Sr. Mr. Schenk has engaged in general farming ever since his early man- hood and by his industry and good management he has acquired a property that year by year increases in value and produces an annual revenue that is the result of skill and well applied labor.
He was born in German township January 4, 1850, and is a son of Adam and Susanna (Gonz) Schenk. The father was a native of West Farland, Germany, and served in the German army, but being ambitious of advancing and perceiving that there was little opportunity for a young man without financial resources, in the old country, he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere and early in the '4os he came to America and located in this county. Here his early dreams of independence were realized. He became a successful farmer and instilled into his children those principles of energy and perseverance that are so important in the accomplishment of any worthy aim.
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The subject of this review was reared under favorable conditions and early became inbued with the idea that success is gained through self- reliance. He was educated in the common schools and as a young man was one of the most energetic farmers in the neighborhood. He is the fortunate owner of a farm of two hundred and fifty acres, part of which he has cleared and brought to a high state of cultivation. His farm is provided with a commodious and confortable residence, good barns and outbuildings, and is one of the most desirable in this region.
On August 13, 1878, Mr. Schenk was united in marriage to Miss Cath- erine Schoentrup, a daughter of John and Adeline Schoentrup. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Schenk eleven children have been born: Rosa, wife of Anthony Gerard ; John ; Lulu ; Columbus ; and Cecilia, who are now living ; and Annie, Mary, Henry, Joseph, Albert and Adolph, who are deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Schenk are both active members of the German Catholic church and are conscientious in the discharge of the duties which they owe to their neighbors and the community where they have so long made their home. Mr. Schenk votes with the democratic party. He has in- herited many of the sturdy characteristics of his father, among them his fidelity to his family, which is one of the important elements in establish- ing a home and thus forming a basis for civilized society.
ROBERT A. BRENNAN.
Success has usually attended the pathway of Robert A. Brennan, a well known real-estate man of Evansville, who is a native of Cincinnati. His parents, Michael and Elizabeth Brennan, were both born and reared in Dublin, Ireland, and on emigrating to the new world settled in Cincin- nati about 1830. The father died when their son Robert was an infant and the mother afterward married James Tyrrell. They removed with the family to Kentucky, settling on a farm near Lexington. At the usual age Robert A. Brennan was sent to the country schools near his home but when a lad of twelve years he ran away. The Civil war was then in progress and, stirred by the events which were so rapidly shaping history in those days, he joined the Seventh Ohio Cavalry and was given a posi- tion in the quartermaster's department at Camp Nelson, Kentucky, serving from the fall of 1863 until the fall of 1865. After leaving Camp Nelson Mr. Brennan returned home and resumed work upon the farm but in 1868 came to Evansville and has since been identified with commercial in- terests. He first entered the employ of Sweetser, Caldwell & Company, wholesale dry goods merchants, whom he represented upon the road as a traveling salesman for fifteen years. He devoted the succeeding four years to the conduct of a country store at Poseyville, Indiana, after which he came to Evansville and opened a department store. When he closed out
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that business he turned his attention to real estate and in this, as in all of his other ventures, has been successful. He is a believer in the old adage that honesty is the best policy and he also believes in the religion of hard work and close application if success would be attained.
In 1873 Mr. Brennan was married, in Evansville, to Miss Cora A. Messick, a daughter of Captain J. W. and Sarah Messick. Her father won his title in command of Company A, Forty-second Indiana Volunteer In- fantry. He was captured at the battle of Chickamauga and held as a prisoner of war for seventeen months. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Brennan were born two children but they lost their son, Harry S., at the age of sixteen years. Their daughter, Bessie, became the wife of Ernest Bishop and died a few years after her marriage, leaving a son, Bobbie Brennan Bishop, who was reared by and is now with Mr. and Mrs. Brennan.
In politics Mr. Brennan has always been a democrat and without de- sire for office. He is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias lodge, past master in the Woodmen lodge, a past grand in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a member of Elks Lodge No. 116, of Evansville. His official preferment in fraternal organizations indicates his popularity with his fellow members and his loyalty to the principles for which they stand. He is a believer in the golden rule and thinks it much better policy to laugh that the world may laugh with you rather than to weep alone. His disposition is jovial, his manner cordial and genial and the circle of his friends is almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintances.
WILLIAM G. DOWNS, D. D. S.
Dr. William G. Downs, successfully practicing dentistry in Evansville since 1896, was born in Boonville, Indiana, August 1, 1871, a son of Thomas and Lydia M. (Williams) Downs. His father was born in Liver- more, Kentucky, in the year 1834, and the mother, a native of Boonville, Indiana, was born in 1840. Mr. Downs engaged in the milling business and in general merchandising in Boonville for a number of years, becom- ing a prominent and influential citizen there. He died in 1893 but the mother still lives in her native city.
William G. Downs attended the public schools of Boonville and Evans- ville, and the University of Ohio at Cincinnati, and is a graduate of Van- derbilt University, of Nashville, Tennessee. Preparing for the practice of dentistry he completed his course there in 1893 and through the follow- ing year was associated with Dr. E. C. Bailey, of this city. He then en- gaged in the practice of his profession independently at Huntingburg, Indiana, from 1894 until 1896, returning in the latter year to Evansville, where he opened and has since conducted an office. In the intervening period of fourteen years he has built up a good practice, keeping in touch
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at all times with modern methods and the most advanced ideas of the pro- fession. He has the mechanical skill, the scientific knowledge and the busi- ness discernment without which success in the dental profession is never attained.
In 1894 Dr. Downs was united in marriage to Miss Anna Wilson, of Louisville, a daughter of John T. Wilson, a prominent horse man of that city. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Downs has been born a son, William G., whose birth occurred in 1897. The parents are members of Grace Presbyterian church and in his political views the Doctor is a republican. He has served as deputy state oil inspector for four years, but otherwise has held no public office. He is well known in fraternal circles, serving now as mas- ter of Evansville Lodge, No. 64, F. & A. M., of Evansville, and also as deputy grand chancellor of the Knights of Pythias. In strictly professional lines he is connected with the State Dental Society and the Tri-State Dental Society, and his conscientious service in the field of his chosen profession has gained him recognition as one of its prominent representatives.
FRANZ R. CADEN.
Franz R. Caden, deceased, will long be remembered as one of the public-spirited men of Evansville and also as one of the largest stone con- tractors of the country. He was born in Saxony, Germany, February 29, 1836, and received his education in the public schools of his native land. He was a son of William Caden, who came with his family to America in 1850. The father was a quarryman in Germany and after arriving in the United States he bought quarries at Buena Vista, Ohio, which he operated with the assistance of his sons.
Franz R. Caden was thus inducted into a vocation to which he devoted his life and in which he became eminently successful. After President Lincoln's call for troops in 1861 he enlisted in the Indiana Volunteers and served one and one-half years in the army, receiving his discharge on ac- count of wounds. In the meantime he had become interested in quarries at Hadley, Kentucky, and, locating at Evansville, he became junior member of the firm of Albecker & Caden, which in the course of years gained a wide reputation on account of the large contracts taken in many parts of the country. The business at Evansville was originally located at the corner of Second Avenue and Division street, but later the yards were moved to the spot where the Manufacturers building now stands. The partners continued together until the death of Mr. Albecker, after which Mr. Caden assumed complete charge. A few years ago the firm was in- corporated as the Caden Stone Company and continues on the same broad lines that were followed by its founders. They supplied the stone for many public and private buildings in Evansville and in principal cities of
FRANZ R. CADEN
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the Union. Among its large contracts was the capitol of the state of Pennsylvania at Harrisburg and there appeared to be no contract that was too large for this firm.
On the 7th of March, 1864, Mr. Caden was married in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Miss Nancy Boldman, who is still living at the age of sixty-nine years of age. She spent the winter of 1909-10 in California, but continues to make her home in Evansville. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Caden eight children were born, of whom five are still living : Laura; Albert, vice president of the Caden Stone Company, who is married and has a daughter, Frances R., now five years of age; Dora, now Mrs. Edward Greiner; Anna, now Mrs. Edward Beck, formerly the wife of William Winstroth, who died leaving a daughter Mary then two years old but now thirteen; and Walter, who is also associated with the Caden Stone Company.
Mr. Caden was a man of large business capacity and always proved equal to any emergency which appeared in a business that grew to large proportions. He was a good judge of human nature and an able manager of men. While he did not possess the advantages of collegiate training, he readily acquired knowledge by contact with others. Some one has said that intelligent men of business are the most sensible men in the world, and this saying was exemplified in the life of Mr. Caden. He was coura- geous, self-reliant and energetic in a high degree, and he had few equals and probably no superiors in the country in his special line of work.
He was always ready to lend a willing hand to assist any movement that had for its object the advancement of the welfare of his adopted city. He was a strong believer in the platform of the republican party and for two terms he occupied a seat in the city council. While his business in- terests absorbed most of his time, he devoted considerable attention to, Masonry and was a member of the blue lodge, chapter and commandery and at the time of his death was the oldest Mason in years of member- ship in the city. Mr. Caden was in many respects built upon a larger scale than we ordinarily meet with in men and if, as has been claimed, the object of our earthly existence is the development of upright character it may truly be said that in an important degree his was a successful life.
EDWIN WALKER, M. D., PH. D.
Dr. Edwin Walker, a distinguished representative of the medical pro- fession in Evansville, and a successful medical educator, was born in this city, which is still his place of residence, May 6, 1853, and is a repre- sentative of one of its oldest and most prominent families. His paternal grandfather, William Walker, was in early life a resident of Salem, New Jersey, and near the town there still stands what is known as the Walker tree, under which he is said to have had his camp with a company of
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soldiers who took part in the war of 1812 against England. Removing westward with his family, he lived for a short time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then came to Evansville in 1835. When war with Mexico was de- clared he raised a company of volunteers and was killed at the battle of Buena Vista, in a charge at the Mexican lancers. He fell with many wounds. His wife bore the maiden name of Catherine Tyler and was in early life a resident of Philadelphia. Their four sons, James T., George B., John T., and William H., also spent the greater part of their lives in Evansville.
The eldest son, James T. Walker, arrived in this city in 1835. He was a lawyer by profession and served in the state legislature in 1844. He married Ann Charlotte Burtis, a daughter of Jesse Burtis, who was born in Vanderburg county, where she spent her entire life. George B. Walker, the second son, became a physician and a prominent member of a num- ber of medical societies. He was one of the most active of the founders of the medical college of Evansville which flourished for several years, was dean of the institution and professor of obstetrics. He obtained his professional training in the Ohio Medical College, while extensive reading and research constantly broadened his knowledge in the field of his chosen profession. During the Civil war he served for three years as surgeon in various hospitals and was afterward president of the city board of health of Evansville for several years. His success, however, was not meas- ured alone in the terms of his profession, as his activity extended to other fields. He became a director of the Evansville & Crawfordsville Railroad and was a director of the Evansville Branch State Bank. That he was not without influence in political circles is indicated by the fact that he was a delegate to the convention which nominated Franklin Pierce. He mar- ried Elizabeth Clark, and died September 6. 1887. John T. Walker, the third son, became a member of the medical profession and acted as surgeon of the Twenty-fifth Indiana Infantry in the Civil war. His son, William H. Walker, was adjutant and another son, Jesse W. Walker, was major in the same regiment. His children are all deceased now. William H. Walker, the fourth son, was also prominent in city affairs and did not a little toward shaping the public policy and molding the destiny of Evans- ville. He acted as mayor of the city at one time and for a number of years was county auditor. Through his connection with public interests he left and indelible impression upon the history of the county. His children have all removed from Evansville; a daughter of William Walker was Mrs. Hannah Welborn, the grandmother of Dr. James York Welborn.
In the family of James T. Walker, the elder son of William Walker, there were two sons, James T. Walker, Jr., and Edwin Walker, whose name introduces this review. The former is an attorney at law of the firm of Walker & Walker, his partner being Henry B. Walker. He, too, has figured in connection with public affairs, serving for about ten years as
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school trustee while at the present writing, in 1910, he is a member of the board of safety.
Dr. Edwin Walker, pursuing his studies through consecutive grades, was graduated from the high school of Evansville with the class of 1869, and afterward devoted two years to a classical course in Hanover College at Hanover, Indiana. He began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. George B. Walker in this city in 1871, and at the same time attended three courses of lectures in the Evansville Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1874. Following his graduation he at once opened an office in Evansville and in the same year was appointed pro- fessor of anatomy by his alma mater. In 1877 he attended a course of lectures in New York and two years later again entered the university in that city, from which he was graduated with honors, being awarded the prize for the greatest proficiency in diseases of the nervous system. Re- turning to Evansville he was appointed professor of diseases of women and diseases of the nervous system in the medical college here. In 1883 he attended a course of lectures at the New York Polyclinic and pursued a special course of study in diseases of women and diseases of the throat under the direction of Professor Bosworth. Two years later he spent two months in attending hospital clinics and in the fall went to Europe, where he remained until August, 1886, devoting his time when abroad to the study of diseases of women and surgery, receiving instruction from eminent mem- bers of the profession in Berlin, Vienna, London and Edinburgh. Since determining to make the practice of medicine his life work he has spent much time in studying in further preparation for the onerous duties which de- volve upon the physician. His success is marked because his knowledge is comprehensive, his power of analysis keen and his diagnosis therefore correct. Moreover, he is most conscientious in the discharge of his pro- fessional duties and his ability has won him place in the foremost ranks of the medical profession in Indiana. From 1876 until 1878 he served as county physician and with others was active in establishing the City Hos- pital, in 1882; the Walker Sanitarium, in 1884, which he has since con- ducted; and the first training school for nurses in Evansville in 1887. Hanover College recognized his ability in 1888 by conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He keeps in touch with the advance- ment of the medical fraternity through his membership in the Vander- burg County Medical Society, the Indiana State Medical Society, of which he has been president, also president of the Mississippi Valley Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
Dr. Walker was married in Evansville, in 1880, to Miss Capitola Hud- speth, who was born in Boonville, Indiana, in 1859, and is a daughter of George and Margaret (Smith) Hudspeth, for many years prominent residents of this city. The record which Dr. Walker has made in the field of professional service is one which reflects credit upon a name that has
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