USA > Indiana > Indiana and Indianans : a history of aboriginal and territorial Indiana and the century of statehood, Volume V > Part 12
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Second in the family, John Rau had but little opportuunity to secure an education. He was only nine years of age when he began working in a glass factory at Louis- ville. At eighteen he could scarcely read or write. He and his oldest brother, Fred, had in the meantime assumed the respon- sibilities of assisting their father in rear- ing the younger children. Reaching the age of eighteen, Mr. Rau realized the ne- cessity of an education as a preliminary to a successful career. That education he ac- quired largely by study alone, in the silent watches of the night and in the intervals of hard labor. During 1884-85 he was em- ployed in a glass factory at Milwaukee. His Milwaukee employer then started a factory at Denver, Colorado, and Mr. Rau was one of the men selected to open the new plant. He was at Denver and Golden,
John Rall
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Colorado, for two years, and spent another year blowing glass at Massillon, Ohio.
This was the experience which preceded his pioneer efforts in Indiana. In 1889, with three other men, forming an equal copartnership, he established a glass fac- tory at Fairmount. For eighteen years Mr. Rau was one of the men who held up the hands of industry in that typical Quaker settlement, and from there in 1904 he removed to Indianapolis and built, with several associates, a large plant for the manufacture of bottle ware. The present output is exclusively bottles, and of all sizes and colors. At the present time the entire plant is owned by John and Fred Rau. It represents an investment of over $500,000, and on the average more than 400 hands are employed.
While Mr. Rau's activities have been associated so largely with the executive end of the glass industry, his contributions to the business are also represented by be- tween fifteen and twenty. patents in his own name, involving various phases of glass manufacturing. Mr. Rau has the distinction of building the first continuous tank in Indiana. It was an experiment, and he took big chances in erecting it, but demonstrated its utility and six years later others began following his example. Some of the machines now used by his company are also his individual invention, and it is said that John Rau has made more im- ' provements in the glass business than any other one man.
Having come up from the lowest walks of industry himself, Mr. Rau has always shown a sympathetic understanding and appreciation of the laboring man's posi- tion. As a workman he stood high in the councils of union labor, and his establish- ment has always been conducted as a union shop. Politically he is a republican. In 1883 he married Miss Alice Marsh, a na- tive of Louisville, Kentucky. They have three children: John Hite; Charles' Dil- lard; and Marie, Mrs. Kenneth C. Wool- ling.
MRS. MARY MCCRAE CULTER. One of the well known names in literary circles is that of Mrs. Mary McCrae Culter, an educator and author. She was born in New Al- bany, Indiana, April 12, 1858, a daughter of the Rev. John and Catherine H ..
(Shields) On . her maternal grandfather's side she is a direct descend- ant from the French Huguenots, and on the side of his wife is in the ninth gener- ation from John and Priscilla Alden. Her grandfather, Henry B. Shields, was a mem- ber of one of the pioneer families to settle in New Albany, Indiana, and a large num- ber of relatives still live in that part of In- diana. On the paternal side Mrs. Culter is descended from the McCrae clan of west- ern Scotland, people who were staunch Covenanters in the troublous days of early Scotland.
The Rev. John McCrae, a native of Scot- land, was educated in Nashville, Tennes- see, and in the New Albany Theological Seminary, and he afterwards served as a home missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Texas, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Kansas. In 1863 he joined the Fed- eral army, going into the service as chap- lain for the Third Kentucky Cavalry, and was sent home with over $30,000 to be dis- tributed among families of the soldiers, this being just at the time Sherman started on his march to the sea. Every dollar of that money reached those from whom it was intended in spite of the efforts of guer- rillas to capture it. From that time until the close of the war Reverend McCrae served as chaplain in the military prisons at Louisville, Kentucky. He died at Ness City, Kansas, in 1890.
Mary McCrae Culter was educated in the Western College for Women at Oxford, Ohio, where she graduated in 1877, and she afterward taught school in Indiana, teach- ing in Clark County and at Salem in Wash- ington County, and after removing to Kan- sas she taught in Wichita. Her literary work, begun in 1895, has been continued to the present time, and she is the author of manv well known works, including: "What the Railroad Brought to Timken," "Ships That Pass in the Day," "Four Roads to Happiness," "Girl Who Kept Up," "Prodigal Daughter." "Jolly Half Dozen," "Gates of Brass," "A Real Aristocrat," also many serial stories and songs and poems.
On October 19, 1882, Mary McCrae was married at Peotone, Kansas, to Bradford M. Culter, a native of Illinois, and their children are Edith M., Mabel M., Arthur E., and Leila E.
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CHARLES F. ROESENER. A city like In- dianapolis could never have been built up to its present importance without the earnest efforts of stable and substantial business men to which class belongs Charles F. Roesener, who is proprietor of the Central Transfer and Storage Company and a well known and trustworthy citizen of Indianapolis, his native place. Mr. Roesener was born December 27, 1864, in the homestead at No. 905 Union Street which had been erected by his father. His parents were William F. and Christina Roesener.
William F. Roesener was born in Ger- many and was a young man when he ac- companied his three brothers to the United States. Although his lack of knowledge of the English language prevented his em- ployment in any higher place than as a section hand when he first went into rail- road work with the old Bee line, that im- pediment was soon removed because he applied himself diligently and shortly afterward proved his ability to read, write and converse in the English language, and he was then made railroad yard clerk, a position he filled with fidelity and efficiency for many years. In the meanwhile he was married at Indianapolis and built the resi- dence in which his widow still resides. She also was born in Germany and came to the United States in youth. Their four chil- dren were all born in the home on Union Street.
When the old Bee line was merged with the Big Four Railroad William F. Roesener went into the transfer business with his brother Anthony, who was already so en- gaged, and they continued together until 1885, when William F. retired on account of failing health, and his death occurred in 1897, at the age of sixty-four years. He was a man of sterling character and of high standing both in business and church affairs. He was a faithful and generous member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and at one time was a member of its board of trustees. His children all survive, namely : William F., who is general cashier of the Chicago, Indiana & Western Railroad at Indianapolis; Louisa, the wife of Charles Shoke, who is in a nursery business in this city ; Charles F .; and Marie, the wife of George Fahrbach, who is connected with the New York Store.
Charles F. Roesener attended the
. Lutheran School on East and Georgia streets, Indianapolis, until he was twelve years of age and then decided to look for some business opening. As he was robust and large for his age, he turned to railroad work, and served two years faithfully in the capacity of messenger. Since then, however, he has been continu- ously identified with the transfer business. He began as a driver for the Indiana Transfer Company, and remained three years, and then went with the Central Transfer Company and later was a driver for the Vonnegut Hardware Company. In 1887 he started into the transfer business on his own account, beginning with one horse and a wagon, a courageous proceed- ing as he had to contend in a business way with the better equipped and older com- panies. He had made many friends, how- ever, in this business field and worked hard and long and found himself, in January, 1902, able to buy the Central Transfer Company's entire interests. His son is as- sociated with him and they handle the bulk of the transfer business here, being well equipped with a number of men and teams and with twenty-two motor trneks. Mr. Roesener was the pioneer in the use of mo- tor trucks in the transfer business here. The Central Transfer Company was started here by Henry Frazier, of the Big Four, and Oran Perry, of the Pennsylvania Rail- road. In 1901 Mr. Frazier retired and later Mr. Perry sold out to Mr. Roesener. In addition to transfer the company makes an important feature of the storage busi- ness, and they have warehouses from Nos. 118 to 144 South Alabama Street.
Mr. Roesner was married in 1886 to Miss Christina Steinmetz, who is a daughter of John F. Steinmetz of Indianapolis, and they have one son, Elmer, who is associated with his father and has charge of the mo- tor trucks. The family belongs to the Lutheran Church. . Mr. Roesener is a staunch democrat politically and heartily supports the present administration at Washington and faithfully does his duty as a citizen at home. He was a member of the rather notable grand jury at In- dianapolis in 1914 that indicted so many individuals here for alleged election frauds, and on many other occasions has proved his fearlessness in maintaining his convic- tions when he believes he is in the right. He is identified with the Order of Elks.
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EDGAR AUGUSTUS SIMMONS is president of the Farmers Trust and Savings Bank of Kokomo. This bank, established in 1902 as the Kokomo National Bank, has enjoyed a career of great and marked prosperity, and has been steadily increasing its re- sources until it is now considered one of the strongest banks in Northern Indiana. It has a capital of $150,000, surplus and un- divided profits of approximately $80,000, and total resources of $1,187,609. One especially interesting feature of its condi- tion is that its volume of deposits has al- most doubled in three years. The deposits in 1918 are over $1,000,000. They conduct a general banking business, including sav- ings, trust, real estate, rental, insurance, investment, and loan departments, and thus have all those branches of service found in the largest metropolitan banks. Its offi- cers and directors include some of the best known business men and citizens of How- ard County. Besides Mr. Simmons as president the vice president is George W. Duke, E. B. Seaward is cashier, W. W. Drinkwater is treasurer and secretary, and other directors are Lex J. Kirkpatrick, J. W. Learner, Thomas C. McReynolds, E. L. Danner, A. G. Seiberling, and C. W. Me- Reynolds.
Edgar Augustus Simmons was born at Shelby County, Indiana, November 6, 1859, son of Augustus and Catherine (Giles) Simmons. Catherine Giles was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, July 16, 1819. As a girl she accompanied her parents to Shelby County, Indiana, when fifteen years of age, and a few years later married James Thompson. The Thompson family removed to Howard County in 1844, locating about five miles west of Kokomo. A year later James Thompson took a claim a mile nearer the county seat, but died the following year without having had much opportunity to improve his land. After the death of her husband Mrs. Thompson returned to Shelby County and there married Augustu- Simmons. They lived in Shelby County until she became a second time a widow, in the year 1865, when their son Edgar A. was only five years old. In 1872 she brought her family to Howard County, and contin- ued to reside here until her death at Ko- komo April 7, 1908, at the ripe old age of eighty-nine. Of her family three children survive : Leonidas ; America, wife of Frank Todhunter; and Edgar A.
Edgar A. Simmons was thirteen years old when his mother came to Howard County and located on the farm known as the old Indian Spring Farm about five miles west of Kokomo. In the meantime he had attended district school in Shelby County, and afterwards had the advantages of the public schools of Kokomo. He lived at home with his mother and handled many of the responsibilities of the farm until his twenty-fourth year.
In 1883 Mr. Simmons married Miss Belle George, daughter of W. W. George, who came from Fayette County, Indiana, in 1873 and settled three miles west of Ko- komo, on the Pike. For three years after his marriage Mr. Simmons farmed in Er- win Township, and was then appointed deputy sheriff under Isaac Wright. He was deputy sheriff four years, and in 1890 was nominated by his party for the office of sheriff and was elected by a handsome majority, being one of the leaders on the republican ticket that year. At the end of one term the people of Howard County were so well satisfied with his conduct of office that they elected him by an even larger majority.
On retiring from the sheriff's office Mr. Simmons became associated with W. S. Armstrong, former mayor of Kokomo, and ex-County Clerk V. D. Ellis in the hard- ware business. Two years later he sold ont his interest and entered real estate. Mr. Simmons was in the real estate business at Kokomo from 1898 to 1906. In the latter year he was appointed postmaster of Kokomo and held that office one term. From 1900 to 1904, for two terms, he was chairman of the Howard County Repub- lican Committee. Mr. Simmons was elected president of the Kokomo National Bank, now the Farmers Trust & Savings Bank, in 1910, and has since devoted practically all his time and energies to this institution, which in its growth and prosperity reflects to a large extent the wisdom of its manage- ment.
FREDOLIN RUSSELL BORTON is one of the younger business men and merchants of Richmond, member of the firm Thompson & Borton, dealers in men's and boy's clothing and furnishings.
Mr. Borton was born at Webster in Wayne County, Indiana, November 9, 1889, son of Alfred E. and Lydia (Russell) Bor-
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ton. He attended the public schools at Webster, graduating from high school in 1907, and took two years in the normal course at Earlham College. Having qual- ified as a teacher he followed that occupa- tion in New Garden Township of Wayne County for two years. He left the school room to identify himself with merchandis- ing as a salesman with the clothing house of Krone & Kennedy. He remained with that firm nine years and accepted every opportunity to improve his ability and benefit by his increasing experience. For a short time he was in a similar business at South Bend, and in 1917 returned to Richmond and bought a partnership with Mr. Thompson. They now have one of the leading stores of the kind in Eastern In- diana.
In 1913 Mr. Borton married Lucile Pitts, daughter of George and Minnie (Steddon) Pitts of Webster. Their one son, George Russell, was born in 1916. Mr. Borton has taken an active interest in local affairs and during the progress of the war he served as a private in Company K of the Indiana State Militia. He is independent in poli- tics and a member of the Friends Church. His only fraternal affiliation is the Im- proved Order of Red Men.
EDWARD A. STUCKMEYER. While his work and service as a business man have made Mr. Stuckmeyer well known in In- dianapolis for many years, his wider recog- nition over the state is due to the fact that he is now president of the State Board of Pharmacy, through which all candidates for licenses as registered pharmacists are examined and approved. Mr. Stuckmeyer was formerly secretary of this board, and much of the efficiency associated with the administration of the state law on phar- macy is the result of his painstaking efforts and professional standards and ideals.
Mr. Stuckmeyer was born in Indianap- olis, a son of John Henry Stuckmeyer. The Stuckmeyer family has been a well known one in Indianapolis for over half a century. His father was a well known carpenter and contractor in Indianapolis. Edward A. Stuckmeyer obtained his early education in the Indianapolis public schools, but was only fifteen years old when he went to work in the drug store of Dr. D. G. Reid, with whom he acquired much of his early training. The Reid store was
at Fletcher Avenue and Shelby Street. Later for some time Mr. Stuckmeyer was in the store of Charles G. Traub and C. W. Ichrod. About the time he turned his ma- jority he entered business for himself in partnership with his brother, J. H. Stuck- meyer, and for the past quarter of a cen- tury the firm has been J. H. and E. A. Stuckmeyer. They own and operate two of the high class drug stores of the city, one at 1853 Madison Avenue and the other at 1415 Prospect Street. Mr. E. A. Stuck- meyer has active charge and management of the latter store.
In politics he is a democrat, and for years has lent his interest and co-operation to all civic and welfare projects. Mr. Stuckmeyer is married, and his son, Edwin J. Stuckmeyer, is a graduate of the Indiana College of Pharmacy and is a registered pharmacist.
OSCAR RAYMOND LUHRING, present repre- sentative of the First Congressional Dis- trict of Indiana, is a lawyer by profession and has had a busy practice and many public responsibilities at Evansville since 1900.
He was born in Gibson County, Indiana, February 11, 1879. His early advantages in the public schools were supplemented by a literary and law course in the Uni- versity of Virginia, where he graduated LL. B. on June 13, 1900. He was admit- ted to the bar of Indiana in August of the same year at Evansville, and forthwith entered upon an active practice. His first important public honor came in 1902, with his election to the Sixty-Third General As- sembly of Indiana. He served one term in the House and in 1904 was appointed dep- uty prosecuting attorney for the First Ju- dicial Circuit, and held that office until 1908. He was then regularly elected pros- ecuting attorney, and served two terms, 1908 to 1912, and was renominated for a third term but declined the honor. He has for many years been one of the leading republicans of the First District, and at the election in November, 1918, was chosen a member of the Sixty-Sixth Congress by 20,440 votes against 18,837 votes given to George K. Denton, his democratic rival.
Mr. Luhring married June 16, 1902, Mar- garet Graham Evans of Minneapolis, daughter of the late Robert G. Evans.
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FRANK M. GREATHOUSE came to Elwood about twenty-five years ago and made him- self popular with the community as sales- man for some of the clothing and dry goods concerns of that city. Popularity followed him when he entered business on his own account, and today as head of the firm Greathouse & Harris he is head of the larg- est store of its kind in Elwood and is one of the leading merchants of that section of Indiana. What he has he has worked for and earned, and every step of his career may be closely scrutinized and has meas- ured up to the most exacting standards of commercial honor.
Mr. Greathouse was born on a farm at Hillsboro in Highland County, Ohio, in 1859, son of John and Caroline (Van- Winkle) Greathouse. The first generation of the Greathouse family lived in Virginia. One of Mr. Greathouse's great-grandfath- ers served in the Revolutionary war. Most of the family during the different genera- tions have been farmers and traders, and have always been especially successful in raising and handling horses.
John Greathouse, father of Frank M., came to Indiana in 1865 and settled on a farm near Noblesville. In 1870 he moved out to Lincoln, Nebraska, and died there. He was buried under the auspices of the Masonic Order, of which he had long been a member. His wife died in 1888.
Frank M. Greathouse received his first schooling at Noblesville, Indiana, but after the age of twelve he lived on his uncle's farm at New Vienna, Ohio, and attended school there until he was about seventeen. Leaving the farm he found his first oppor- tunity to enter commercial life at Alexan- dria, Indiana, where for a year and a half he was employed as a clerk in the Baum Brothers general merchandise store. He went with the firm on its removal to El- wood, and continued with them there for a year and a half. For another two years he was clerk and salesman with Jacob Kraus, clothier, and from 1889 to 1891 a salesman for B. L. Bing of Anderson.
In 1891 Mr. Greathouse married Roxie Brown, daughter of Rudolph and Martha (Dwiggins) Brown of Madison County.
After his marriage he was clerk for Emanuel Levy, clothing merchant of El- wood, until 1894 was with D. G. Evans & Company of Elwood, and later with F. W. Simmons until 1902.
He and I. B. Bietman then formed the partnership of Bietman & Greathouse, and bought out the Simmons store at Elwood. The partnership continued until 1906, when Mr. Bietman retired, leaving the entire business to Mr. Greathouse. In 1907 the latter took in as partner James W. Harris, and for the past ten years the firm of Greathouse & Harris has conducted the largest stock of clothing and dry goods in the city. They have a trade in the sur- rounding country for a distance of fifteen miles.
Mr. Greathouse is a republican in poli- tics, and has always been exceedingly pub- lic spirited and helpful in every movement where the community welfare is concerned.
GOTTFRIED MONNINGER, a resident of Indianapolis since December 21, 1876, and one of its best known business men, is a member of a family that has furnished more than one honored name to Indiana. The Monningers came to Indiana about the time of the great German migration of the early '50s, and their homes for the most part have been in Terre Haute and Indianapolis. One of the best remem- bered of the family in an earlier genera- tion was Capt. P. H. Monninger, who commanded a company in the famous German regiment in the Civil war. Sev- eral of the Monninger name are now commissioned as officers in the National Army ..
Mr. Gottfried Monninger was born at Albersweiler, Rheinpfalz, Germany, Feb- ruary 5, 1858. He is a son of Peter and Margaret (Schwab) Monninger. Peter Monninger came with a party of about twenty young people to the United States in the early '50s. He joined his brother, Daniel Monninger, at Indianapolis, where Daniel had located about 1854. Daniel Monninger for a great many years con- ducted an establishment at No. 20 Ken- tucky Avenue, where the new Lincoln Hotel is now erected, for the sale of the family product of wines, the Monningers being a family of wine growers and vin- tagers in the hills of southern Germany. Another brother of Peter Monninger was the Capt. P. H. Monninger already men- tioned, who besides his service as a cap- tain in the Thirty-Second Indiana Infan- try was for many years engaged in the hotel business at Terre Haute. It is a
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matter of interest to record here that Gerhard Monninger, a son of Capt. Philip H., is now a major in the National Army, and his station at this writing is in France. To return now to Peter Mon- ninger. In the same party with which he came to this country was Margaret Schwab. Peter and Margaret were mar- ried at Terre Haute, and while they re- mained in that city they assisted his brother Philip in running a hotel. Peter Monninger suffered a great deal of trou- ble on account of his eyes, and on the ad- vice of his physician he and his young wife returned to their native land and thereafter made their permanent resi- dence and home there, though they were great lovers of America and her institu- tions and several times returned to visit their family and other relatives in In- diana. In Bavaria Peter Monninger be- came an extensive wine grower, and also operated a stone quarry, and continued making Rhine wines the rest of his active life. In 1860 he came to the United States for a brief visit of a few months. In 1893 he and his wife, then in advanced years, made a trip to the United States and were' visitors at the World's Fair in Chicago. Peter Monninger died in Ger- many in 1896, and the following year his widow again visited this country, and she died at the age of seventy-three. Peter Monninger was sixty-three when he passed away. Peter Monninger was a successful business man and stood high in the es- teem of his community in Germany. He was urged again and again to accept the post of mayor. He was a member of the council and was president of the church choir. Many of the older citizens of In- dianapolis will recall the enthusiastic re- ception given these old time people when they visited the city in 1893. The recep- tion was held at Independent Turner Hall. Peter Monninger and wife had a large family of children, six of whom became citizens of the United States and five are still living. Margaret is de- ceased. Charles, who was born in Terre Haute before his parents went back to Germany, is now living in Indianapolis, and is one of the leading business men of this city, being a member and officer of a corporation that supplies ice to Terre Haute, Peoria, Illinois and Logansport, Indiana. Charles Monninger has a son
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