USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 24
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was ordered spread upon the minutes of the board and a copy to be sent to the bereaved family. A committee was appointed to secure a floral tribute of suitable design, and it was also voted to attend the funeral in a body. The following is the memorial adopted:
"We are called without warning to mourn the death of our beloved secretary and associate, John M. Spann. Stricken down in the prime of manhood and at the height of usefulness, the blow comes with a severity that can be realized only when time has elapsed in which to measure its force. Only yesterday he was at his post, zealously discharging the duties imposed upon him until the last moment. Today his place among us is vacant forever, und this company, which he did so much to establish, and in which he took such pride, is bereft indeed. In this hour of blinding grief we pause to pay to his memory the tribute due him for his many sterling qualities and valuable service and to recognize in some measure the loss we have suffered.
"Mr. Spann was a man who lived up to his principles. His standard was a high one and he maintained it faithfully. His name was synonymous with integrity, fair dealing and right methods. He tolerated no meannesses or wrongs. He walked uprightly in his business as well as his private life. In the active mangement of this company from the foundation, he manifested kren intelligence, unfailing interest and far-seeing ability. He worked not only for the present, but for the future, having an ardent ambition that the company should, in due time, stand in the first rank of insurance corporations. Building upon a solid foundation, he had the pleasure of seeing his work develop into a sureres that proved the accuracy of his judgment and reflected great credit upon his excentive ability. This company will miss los presence and guiding hand, but the work he has done will re- mam as a monument to his name. He has the esteem of all per- want connected with the company. In all his relations with his fellow men he was kindly, affable and tactful, his unfailing courtesy being often remarked by those doing business with him.
"But he was more than an officer of this company. He was a man who set an example by his conduct and manners; a man of publie spirit, ever ready to advance the interests of the community med the state; a man delightful in intercourse and active in his church relations; a true-hearted and refined gentleman. What he
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was in his own household and amid the sacred precincts of family life we can well imagine. To his bereaved family we tender our earnest sympathy and the hope that God, whom he trusted and served, will afford them the consolations of His divine peace."
The board of directors of the Commercial Club took the fol- lowing action on the death of Mr. Spann:
"Once again the hand of death, smiting suddenly, has brought to us sorrow and loss. John M. Spann, president of the club, and one of the foremost citizens of our city and state, has closed a long and faithful service. For seven years he had been a director of the club's affairs, and for the last year he has filled the office of president with conspicuous ability and fidelity. His death takes from us a life devoted to the best interests of the community.
"Besides his official relations to the club, he was trustee and treasurer of the Indiana School for the Feeble-Minded Youth, was one of the founders and secretary of the Indianapolis Fire Insur- ance Company, was president of the local Fire Insurance Associa- tion, was a trustee of the Second Presbyterian church, and was, a factor in many other business, social and charitable interests.
"He was attentive to every obligation that was laid upon him, and gave freely of his time, labor and means for the public good. In the performance of duty he endeared himself to all with whom he was brought into contact by his lovable, kindly and ever con- siderate disposition. The honesty and uprightness of his char- acter and the cordiality of his relations with his fellow men can never be forgotten by those who knew him.
"The good name which he received from his father was main- tained, not only unsullied, but with added luster. We have tears for his death, and sympathy, deep and abiding, for his loved ones, but we glory in his life and work and in the exalted example of the highest and best type of American manhood which he represented.
"It is directed that this expression as a memorial of our love and esteem for our late president, be spread on the record of the club and that it be presented to the annual meeting of the club."
Mr. Spann was also president of the Indianapolis Fire Asso- ciation, as intimated above, and at a meeting held at the associa- tion rooms, February 6, 1902, the following resolutions were adopted:
"It is with profound regret that we, the insurance agents of Indianapolis, members of the Indianapolis Fire Insurance As- sociation, have heard of the sad and unexpected death of our
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president, Mr. John M. Spann, who, since the beginning of the association, has been one of the most loyal and honored members.
"As a token of our esteem and regard, be it
"Resolved, that in the death of John M. Spann this associa- tion has lost a valued member and adviser and each individual member a true friend, honest and upright in his dealings with every one, always kind and considerate, yet firm in his convictions and with the courage to stand for all things which he believed right and just; his example may well be emulated by us all.
"Be it further resolved, that we extend to the bereaved fam- ily our sincere sympathy in this, their time of sorrow, and that a copy of these resolutions be furnished to the family and placed upon the records of the association."
By the death of John M. Spann the insurance fraternity of Indianapolis lost one of its chief ornaments and the association to which he belonged a most useful member. His love of home and strength of family ties made him a most devoted husband, a fond and indulgent parent, while his sympathy with his fellow men made his friendship of great value to all on whom it was bestowed. He won his way quietly into the hearts of men and he was as widely beloved as he was known.
The domestic life of John M. Spann began when, on June 13, 1872, he led to the altar a lady of culture and refinement, known in her maidenhood as Sarah L. Lawrence, a daughter of a prominent and influential family of Malone, New York, daughter of Hon. D. W. and Lois W. (Stephens) Lawrence, the father born at Moira, New York, and the mother in Vermont. They were married at Moira and there Mrs. Spann was born. Mr. Lawrence is presi- dent of the Farmers National Bank, of Malone, New York, having held this position for the past forty-five years. He and his wife recently celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
Four children graced the union of Mr. and Mrs. Spann, namely: John Lawrence died when seven years of age and is buried in Crown Hill cemetery; Benjamin Lawrence lives at Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Gertrude Lawrence and Marguerite Lawrence, twins, the latter dying when one year old, and the former married Justin Raymond Lynn, of Indianapolis, November 4, 1908. Mr. Lynn is a broker with offices in the Commercial Club building, a member of the firm of Wingate & Lynn, well known in Indian- apolis business circles.
Mrs. Spann has made her home in this city since 1872. She
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is very active in charitable work and she and her family belong to the Second Presbyterian church. She is a member of the Indi- anapolis Woman's Club and served as its treasurer for a period of seven years. They live in a beautiful home on West Drive, Woodruff Place, which is known as a place of hospitality to the many friends of the family.
The death of John M. Spann occurred suddenly on the even- ing of February 5, 1902, from supposed apoplexy, in his fifty- second year. While apparently in the best of health, he became instantly unconscious at the Union depot, Indianapolis, whither he had gone to board a train for Ft. Wayne, and in five minutes life was extinct. Just before leaving his office a short time previ- ous, he uttered these words, which were significant, but of which no one then took special notice, "My work is finished, and I'm going away."
It was a sad blow to his family, the firm of John S. Spann & Company, his mother, Mrs. Hester A. Spann, his sister, Mrs. Henry S. Hanckel, and two brothers, Thomas H. and Henry J. Spann, and his wife and children, to the numerous relations and friends of the family, and a shock to the entire community. The funeral was held from the Second Presbyterian church, in charge of Rev. Joseph A. Milburn, of Chicago, former pastor of that church, and a close personal friend of Mr. Spann. The mini'ster referred touchingly to the many good qualities of the deceased, mentioning his personal magnetism, his readiness in making friends, his honest business methods and his family life, which was ideal. The funeral was largely attended and many representa- tives of the various clubs and business concerns with which he was identified were present. The interment was at Crown Hill ceme- tery.
The building up of a strong fire insurance company in Indi- anapolis was for years a cherished object of Mr. Spann's business life, and he devoted much thought to this enterprise, which pros- pered rapidly under his management. He believed that no com- pany should offer to indemnify the public against loss without assuming the initial risk by providing sufficient capital to prompt- ly meet every emergency incident to the business. The firm with which he was connected during most of his business career has long been eminently successful as local underwriters and it was the height of his ambition to win like success with a company under his own management, engaged in general business. He was
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not a timid underwriter, but studious, cautious and persevering. Without a flaw in his integrity, he commanded the respect and confidence of both his associates and competitors. In business, social and church life, his even temper, pleasing address and firm faith in righteousness made him a power in all circles he essayed to enter. His worth was only equaled by his modesty. He was never the herald of his own achievements and it was with the greatest reluctance that he spoke disparagingly of any man, and never in a manner that displayed bitterness.
The Indianapolis News, speaking editorially of Mr. Spann's death, voiced the popular sentiment in the following lines:
"The death of Jolin M. Spann will be widely felt, for he was well known and held in affection and esteem wherever known. In the prime of life and apparently without a menace of ill health, the end without warning was a veritable shock. Man and boy, he had lived here all his life, and he had lived a life of comfort to his friends and of value to the com- munity. He was of an uncommonly sweet disposition, and to those who knew him well revealed a jovial and genial nature that was a help and inspiration. He stood high in the general esteem and near in the particular love of those who were admitted to his intimacy. He had made up for the absence of a number of years by an activity and earnestness in the discharge of his duty that made him prominent in the affairs of the community. He was a good man. He endeavored to live a life of duty to which he had been brought up, and at his untimely death, just turned fifty, he was in the midst of affairs and surrounded with promises of the greatest usefulness. As president of the Commercial Club, Mr. Spann had shown a wise discrimination in discussing and handling public affairs. He was most zealous for the interests of the whole city and held himself receptive to all suggestions that promised useful results. He commanded the respect and the affection of his associates in the club and grew constantly in their high appreciation of his personality and his judgment. He showed clearly in this connection one strong trait of character and that was absolute devotion to a trust. The same thing appeared con- xpienonsly in his relation to the state's institution at Ft. Wayne, of which he was director. His responsibilities in these public re- lations he regarded as obligations not to be shifted nor avoided. There was a cheerfulness and a good will that characterized him also and that enabled him to bring to his support the hearty co- operation of his fellow workers."
MAJOR ABRAM W. HENDRICKS.
Although a quarter of a century has elapsed since the angel of death closed the interesting life chapter of Major Abram W. Hendricks, long one of Indiana's distinguished citizens, his influ- ence still pervades the lives of many who had the privilege of knowing him; for he wielded a potent influence in civic affairs, was a leader in one of the most exacting of the professions, and was looked upon as a wise adviser in public matters. Although straightforward and unostentatious, and a man who delighted in keeping the even tenor of his way so far as was consistent with good citizenship, he made his influence felt among those with whom he mingled. Owing to his probity of character, his genuine worth, and his kindly and genial disposition, he gained a position in the capital city of his state as one of the earnest men whose' depth of character and strict adherence to principle called forth admiration from his contemporaries. His long life was spent prin- cipally as an attorney-at-law in Indianapolis, which city he lived to see develop from an insignificant country town to one of the foremost metropolises of the middle West, taking no small part in its upbuilding. While engaged in the prosecution of his own chosen work, he was never neglectful of the general welfare of the city and state of his choice, and he won and retained the esteem of all who knew him.
Major Hendricks was born near the village of Ligonier, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on October 12, 1822. His father, Abram Hendricks, was an uncle of the distinguished gov- ernor, Thomas A. Hendricks, Vice-President of the United States during Cleveland's administration. He was one of the contractors who built the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, the first railway in Indiana. The mother of Major Hendricks was known in her maidenhood as Eliza Henderson. Both parents represented sterling old families and were prominent in their communities.
In the spring of 1836 Abram W. Hendricks left Pennsylvania and moved to Madison, Indiana, and for two years he was there
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MAJOR ABRAM W. HENDRICKS
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employed in the store of his brother Joseph. He then entered the preparatory department of Hanover College, Indiana, at that time known as South Hanover. In the fall of 1840 he left Hanover and entered the sophomore class of Jefferson College, at Wash- ington, Pennsylvania. He was graduated from there in 1843, when he returned to Madison. In November of that year he be- gan the study of law in the office of his uncle, William Hendricks, who was an able lawyer and a man widely known in public life. William Hendricks had been the sceond governor of Indiana, and had served three terms in the United States House of Representa- tives and two in the United States Senate. He had had the fur- ther distinction of founding the second newspaper published in Indiana, and in 1824 had compiled and printed the first revised statutes of the state.
Major Hendricks was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1844, but, desiring further training in his profession, he entered the senior class in the law department of Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, and there received his diploma in February, 1845. His parents, meanwhile, had moved to Rising Sun, Indi- ana, and in that town in the following April, he opened a law office. In January, 1847, he returned to Madison, at that time the most important city of the state, where he entered into partnership with George S. Sheets. A few months later he became the part- ner of the Hon. William MeKee Dunn, afterward member of Con- gress for the Madison district, and subsequently judge advocate- general of the United States army. This partnership was not dis- solved until the breaking out of the Civil war.
On the opening of hostilities Mr. Hendricks took an active part in organizing the Jefferson County Cavalry Company, of which he was chosen captain. This company became Company E of the Third Indiana Cavalry. It was mustered in and sent to Camp Noble at Indianapolis; but before it took the field Mr. Hen- dricks was appointed a paymaster of the volunteer force, and served in that capacity until he was mustered out in November, 1865, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
On his return to Madison he was invited to become a mem- ber of the law firm at Indianapolis then composed of his cousin, Thomas A. Hendricks, and Osear B. Hord, and in January, 1866, he moved to Indianapolis to enter that firm. In 1872 Thomas A. Hendricks took his seat as governor of Indiana, and ex-Governor
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Conrad Baker became a member of the firm, under the firm style of Baker, Hord & Hendricks, and, though the personnel varied during succeeding years, that firm name was maintained until February 1, 1888, after the death of Mr. Hord, the last of the orig- inal members. Within four years all the senior members of this well known law firm passed away, the death of Major Hendricks occurring on the 25th of November, 1887, exactly two years after that of the Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, both dying very suddenly. At the time of his death Major Hendricks was president of the Indiana State Bar Association, which immediately met and passed resolutions on his death, and the federal court was adjourned on the day of his funeral out of respect for his memory.
Major Hendricks' active life was devoted almost wholly to the law, and he was entrusted with some of the most important litigation that has received the consideration of the federal and state courts of Indiana. He held but one political office, that of representative in the State Legislature of 1852-3. In 1858 he was nominated by the Republicans as judge of the supreme court of Indiana, but was defeated with the remainder of the ticket. Dur- ing the great railroad strike of 1877 he served as the secretary of the committee of safety appointed to aid in protecting life and property in Indianapolis. Major Hendricks was a man of wide reading and broad culture, and though engrossed with a heavy law practice, he found time to deliver many addresses of a literary as well as a legal character.
Abram W. Hendricks was one of nine children: Mary A., Joseph M., Sarah D., Abram W. (the subject of this memoir), John T., William C., Eliza S., Victor K. and Thomas P. When a young man Major Hendricks married Virginia Fitch, daughter of Jonathan Fitch, a well known man of southern Indiana; she and their only child died two years after the marriage. On December 2, 1856, Major Hendricks married Sarah Butler, of Madison, In- diana, the daughter of Ezra R. and Rebecca P. Meldrum Butler. Her father was for a number of years engaged in mercantile pur- suits in Madison, and later in life he entered the banking business. Mrs. Hendricks began her education in a private school of Madi- son, completing it at the Spingler Institute in New York city, a finishing school for young ladies under the auspices of Gorham D. Abbott, an uncle of Dr. Lyman Abbott.
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The following memorial of Major Hendricks was adopted by the Bar Association:
"The Bar of Indiana has long regarded Abram W. Hendricks as a type and expression of its best aspirations. Its noblest im- pulses were personified in him. He was the ideal lawyer-the exemplar of professional learning and accomplishments for its younger members. In him were united thorough intellectual equipment and absolute purity of character. He had a strong, alert and penetrative intellect, whose native vigor was increased by his training at the bar and researches in the library. In forensic argument he had not only the power of compact and logical state- ment, but he exhibited a wise insight, beyond and above the mere skill in the dialeetie fence, which illuminated the most intricate and abstruse subjects and brought them within the comprehen- sion of every mind. With an aptitude for the details of practice he had a broad and firm grasp of the general principles of legisla- tion and judicature which lie at their base. With a rugged hon- esty which entered into and controlled every act of his life, he had a nice and discriminative ethical sense which was unerring in its judgments. He had the highest intellectual, as well as moral in- tegrity, and the courage of both, and he refused to accept the opinions that were prescribed by political or ecclesiastical bodies unless they obtained the full approval of his own conscience and judgment. His demeanor was marked by a sensitive considera- tion for the rights and feelings of others, and is inadequately de- seribed as chivalrous or courtly, because it was more sincere and less pretentious than that to which these terms are ordinarily ap- plied. He was deferential without being obsequious, and his politeness was never extended to the sacrifice of lis convictions, nor was it ever a device for the promotion of personal ends. It was the emanation of a noble and generous spirit-its natural and appropriate manifestation and investure, and it entitled him to wear
"Without abuse, The grand old name of gentleman, Defamed by every charlatan, And soiled with all ignoble use."
"Ile was not a mere lawyer. His active and inquisitive mind was not fully satisfied by the petty details of courts and cases.
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While deeply occupied with the drudgery of a laborious and ex- aeting profession, he found time to gratify his love of its litera- ture and philosophy. Even in these upper realms of his vocation his eager and catholic intellectuality was not content to rest. His conversation and public addresses furnished ample evidence of a wide and liberal eulture, for 'he took all knowledge for his pro- vinee,' and was not confined to any single department of it.
"We tender to the inmates of the home, where his affections centered and had their root and sustenance, who were always the objeets of his most affectionate solicitude, our sympathy and eon- dolence in their present bereavement. We are partakers in their loss and deplore it with them."
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Jums truly_ yum Bo Haugh.
BENJAMIN ORION HAUGH.
In presenting the biographical memoir of this well-remem- bered gentleman, whose life was that of a high-grade man, of noble ideals and laudable ambitions, it is believed that the youth- ful reader, whose destinies are yet matters for future years to determine, will be much benefited and encouraged, for his was a life that made for success because of the honorable principles he employed in dealing with his fellow men and because of the many admirable attributes lie possessed which made his daily walk one worthy to be emulated. The late Benjamin Orion Haugh afforded in his life and its success another evidence that industry, economy and integrity constitute the keynote to honorable competency. Pre-eminence is a goal most men strive to attain. No matter in what field, whether it be literature, art, science or commerce, the ambition of the true man will push him to such endeavor that his success shall stand out with glaring distinctness and his position shall be above all others. To reach a high mark of success in al- most any calling is in these days of rush and activity no easy mat- ter, and when a man reaches a high degree of success in several lines of endeavor, as did Mr. Haugh, or at least proved beyond a doubt that he was capable of doing so, he is regarded with respect and admiration by all.
Mr. Haugh was born in Indianapolis on August 21, 1860. He was a son of Benjamin F. Haugh, a native of Maryland, who came to Indianapolis about seventy-five years ago, when but seven years of age and when the future metropolis of Hoosierdom was a mere hamlet of log houses. His father, Adam Haugh, was an ex- pert blacksmith and was one of the pioneer mechanics of Indi- anapolis and here he spent the rest of his life.
Benjamin F. Haugh, father of the subject, learned the black- smith's trade under his father. In his boyhood days he was a chum of the great Lew Wallace and to this day carries a tattoo mark on his arm, put there by young Wallace many years prior to the conceiving of "Ben Hur." After learning his trade Ben- jamin F. Haugh embarked in business for himself and in due ยท course of time he became noted in the iron industry, having been the founder of the extensive Haugh-Ketcham plant at Haugh-
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ville, near Indianapolis, which place was named in his honor, he being the first to establish an industry of any importance at that place. The Haugh-Ketcham Company was succeeded by Brown & Ketcham, and Mr. Haugh, having retired from active business, is at this writing making his home with his son, Harry Haugh, at Anderson, Indiana. He is a very estimable old gentleman, and he relates many interesting incidents of the carly days in this part of the country. His wife, Silsena Kersey, a native of Lebanon, Indiana, died at Indianapolis, in May, 1886, at the old Haugh homestead on Pennsylvania street. They were the parents of five children, namely: John A. E. lives in Anderson; Lulu died when young; Benjamin Orion, the immediate subject of this sketch; Harry, who lives in Anderson; Ida married E. S. Jackson, of Baltimore, Maryland.
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