USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 3
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The following children blessed the second marriage of Will- iam Fleming: Catherine S., who married Dr. James Dinnen, of Fort Wayne, he being on the state medical board, and they have these children: William Fleming Dinnen, of Cleveland, Ohio; Helen F., Dr. James Frank, Celeste, Josephine, Richard J., George A., Robert, and Charles. Helen G. Fleming, second of the subject's children, who married A. B. Trentman, passed away eight years ago, leaving these children, Helen M., who married Dr. H. O. Bruggeman, he being at this writing in Paris, aceom- panied by his wife, where he is in quest of furthering his pro- fessional knowledge; Stephen A. Trentman, who married Addie Smith, of Hartford City, Indiana, now lives in Chicago, and they have an infant son, Harry Smith Trentman. Georgia F. Fleming, third of William Fleming's children, married William M. Me- Kinnie, of Fort Wayne, and they have five children, Gerald Flem- ing McKinnie, Linda Fleming MeKinnie, Charlotte Fleming Mc- Kinnie, William Fleming MeKinnie, a twin, died in infancy, and W. Fleming McKinnie. M. Celeste Fleming, fourth of the sub- ject's children, is living at home. Stephen B. Fleming, who mar- ried Innis Dougall, of Fort Wayne, and who was a candidate for state senator on the Democratie tieket, in 1912, has these children,
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Mary Josephine and Geraldine Frances Fleming. William A. Fleming, the sixth child in order of birth, who married Celia Caffe, of Fort Wayne, died May 6, 1911. Sadie M. Fleming, the youngest of the family, lives at home. And Sister Mary Helen, of St. Mary's-of-the-Woods.
William Fleming was a devoted member of the Immaculate Cathedral, true and faithful, and rendered that church not only loyal service, but substantial financial support. His family are also loyal Catholies.
llon. William Fleming was summoned to his reward on Janu- ary 13, 1890, at his beautiful residence, No. 1031 West Berry street, Fort Wayne, at the age of sixty-two years, after a pro- tracted period of failing health, all of which he bore with sublime fortitude.
In its account of this event the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette spoke in part, as follows: "It is not saying too much to assert that in the death of William Fleming the city of Fort Wayne has lost one of her best, most enterprising, and representative citi- zens-a man who in his lifetime did as much toward the develop- ment and building up our beautiful city as any other person with- in its confines. Nor was his life a sordid and selfish one. While he cared for his interests and his own as becomes a prudent and worthy man, yet his hand was ever open to anyone in need or in distress. He did not boast of his charities, yet many people in Fort Wayne and elsewhere have abundant reason to be glad and thankful for his kindness and generosity. A large part of the history of Fort Wayne is his history. He has been so closely identified with her many interests that it is absolutely true that much of the rapid advancement of the city has been the product of his efforts, the results of his endeavors. Nor was he a man who sounded his own praises. Quiet and unassuming, he pur- sued the even tenor of his ways, and few outside of the immedi- ate circle in which he moved were aware of the power he exerted over men and measures. Yet such is true, and today on all sides is heard the statement that Fort Wayne has lost a benefactor. His worth was not confined to this city, for all over the state lie was known and honored, and especially was he regarded as a wise ronusellor, and he possessed the esteem and confidence of all. Since his death there has been but one opinion expressed by the people-an honorable, honest, upright and moral citizen, a man of great business capacity and sagacity. One prominent gentle-
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man was heard to say, 'Were I asked to give the distinguishing characteristic of William Fleming, I should say it was fealty and loyalty to his friends at all times and under all circumstances.'"
The following extracts are taken from the Fort Wayne News, under date of January 14, 1890: "Among men of affairs, there was no more conspicuous figure in this city, county or state, than William Fleming. A typical, self-made man, he had won his way from poverty to wealth, from obscurity to prominence, from humble surroundings in youth to the social and political distinction that crowned his mature years. He was peculiarly a sagacious man. He possessed in a remarkable degree that qual- ity which, for want of a better term, we call 'business sense,' and this enabled him readily to grasp all the features of a business proposition; to reject that which promised little, and to secure for himself and his coadjutors the large fruits of speculative in- vestment. He was in no sense a narrow-minded man. Broad and liberal in his views on all questions, he was not often willing to engage in little enterprises, and the only failures he ever knew were the projects of this class. Although he was not a great man, he was emphatically a big man; recognized everywhere as brainy, shrewd and successful. The acknowledgment of his possession of these attributes was not circumscribed by the confines of his own home. He had repute among his peers in other cities and in other states, and whether in Fort Wayne, or Indianapolis, or New York, leading men in financial and political circles were glad to avail themselves of his superior judgment and sound advice. He was a great friend and admirer of Grover Cleveland, President of the United States, in fact was closely allied with the big men of his party in his day. A Democrat of the old school, he was unflinchingly loyal to his party, although he was free to criticise such errors within it as suggested themselves to his mind. He was a good listener, but said little. William Fleming was never ostentatious. He was not a dress-parade citizen. No one ever saw him in any other character than the quiet, unobtrusive, thought- ful man that he was, and no book publisher was ever eloquent enough to win from him an autobiography, or to secure the ma- terials for a biographical sketch. Many of his intimate friends never even saw his photograph. Modest, unassuming, and tire- less in his application to business, he was not often seen in public places. Of indomitable energy and possessing astonishing will power, almost up to the day of his death he held control of his
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"vonsive business affairs. The same tenacity of purpose that haracterized his actions through life, enabled him to fight the derase that for years had held him in its fatal grasp, and that would long ago have won the victory over a less determined vic- tun. William Fleming was a charitable man, but his giving was dways nostentatious, known only to himself and the objects of lis benefactions. His donations to his church and its institutions were numerous and large, and we doubt if any worthy charity wver sought assistance at his hands in vain.
"It is in the home circle that a man's real character is most truly shown. Tried by this standard, William Fleming was a prince among his fellows. No kinder, truer, more devoted hus- band, no fonder, more indulgent parent than he lived in this or nny city. It is the testimony of those who have known him through the years of his domestic life, that no harsh or complain- ing word toward any member of his household ever passed his lips, but, notwithstanding, amid the sufferings and vexations in- cident to everyday life, he maintained a degree of cheerfulness that would have been an honor to anyone less grievously afflicted in point of health than he. Let this, then, be William Fleming's crowning glory, that, although he was a good citizen, a success- ful business man, and a strong and sagacious leader in his party, he was what is nobler and better than all of these, a loving hus- hand and devoted father. Would there were more like him in all respects."
Among the extensive articles on the death of Mr. Fleming, the Indianapolis Sentinel, of which he was a part owner, con- "Inded a first-page column of its issue of January 14, 1890, as fol- low's: "Those who only knew Mr. Fleming in politics or business, did not know the best part of the man. Only the members of his family, or those who had enjoyed the privilege of intimacy with him, could freely appreciate his great worth. Presenting an ex- terior to the outside world sometimes deemed harsh and forbid- ding. his family and intimate friends knew him as the kindest, gentlest. tenderest of men. A more loving and indulgent husband and father, a more faithful and devoted friend, never lived. He was thoroughly wrapped up in his family, and his happiest hours were those passed in their society, while his elicfest pleasure was to contribute to their happiness. Mr. Fleming impressed every- one who came in even casual contact with him as a man of re- markable natural endowments. He carried the impression, even
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to strangers, of great brain power, a strong will, large reserve force. The son of a poor Irish immigrant, his early education was slender. But he had educated himself. He had been a life-long student of books and men and things. He had a remarkably good knowledge of English literature. He had read not only history, and finance and science, and political economy, but polite litera- ture-poetry, fiction, essays, etc. He was especially familiar with -Shakespeare, Addison, Goldsmith, Charles Lever, Dickens and Fielding. His memory was phenomenal. He never forgot anything that he read. He literally devoured newspapers, and almost until the day of his death he kept fully abreast with the march of events all over the world. Few non-specialists were better informed touching inventions and discoveries, the new processes of manufacture, the latest achievements of science. He was indeed a many-sided man, and a most interesting man on every side. Mr. Fleming was a sincere Catholic. He was a generous giver to his church and to other worthy causes. He leaves a fortune estimated at three-quarters of a million dollars. He had been an invalid much of the time for nearly twenty years. A little more than a year ago he had an attack of heart failure, which brought him near death's door. Only his phenome- nal will power.enabled him to rally from this illness, and to add the year that has since elapsed to his life. A braver, more per- sistent fight against death was never made than that which has just ended in the flight of this strong vet tender spirit.
." ."His life was gentle; and the elements So mixed in him that nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man.' "
Under the caption of "Hon. William Fleming," the Fort Wayne Sentinel printed these lines editorially :
" 'I have been dying for years; Now I shall begin to live!'
" As we were about going to press last evening we received the sad announcement of the death of our sincere and steadfast friend, companion and counsellor, Hon. William Fleming. To know him was to love and respect him. Throughout his whole public carcer he bore a spotless reputation for honesty, truthful-
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news and sincerity. He was what he professed to be and was uever known to turn his back upon a friend in whom he had confi- deure and faith. He was large-hearted, high-toned and honor- able, and in all the relations of life so bore himself as to command the confidence and respect of all with whom he was associated. He was an able and consistent advocate of the principles of the Democratie party and occupied a high position in its county, state and national councils. He was a natural-born leader and always led by keeping himself in the background. He was truly loved by those who knew him best. The rich sought his society, the poor his eounsel and advice in their day of trouble, and the de- serving never appealed in vain. Over the river, dear friend. May it be well with thee."
We quote verbatim the following account of William Flem- ing's funeral, the article occurring in a Fort Wayne paper, under Ante of January 18, 1890:
"The remains of the honored and lamented William Fleming lie in the silent home of the dead. His funeral yesterday morn- ing was a fitting tribute to his memory, for never in the history of Fort Wayne did the personal worth of any of its dead attraet so many prominent men to the graveside. In keeping with the charming modesty of the deceased, every evidence of pomp was banished from the obsequies. The mountain of flowers-tender of- ferings of relatives and friends-were hidden inside the altar rail- ing, and a profound grief permeated the vast multitude that occu- pied almost every seat in the great cathedral, and the tears of the family at the final leavetaking were not shed alone. The scenes when the remains were removed from the home eircle are shad- owed from deseription, but long after the elosing honors did the sympathetic fountain liberate its flood of tears. The serviees at the church consisted of requiem high mass with the impressive prayers for the dead, and viewed with the altar drapery and ob- sequions garments of the officiating elergymen, the picture was inspiring. To Catholics it was not new, but the large number of non-Catholics present witnessed the ritual with the greatest in- terest. At the elose of the mass and during the final prayers, Vienr-General Brammer ascended the pulpit, and rarely, if ever, did he look upon such a diversified assemblage. The distin- gnished priest was at his best, however, and at no time in his
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career did he excel his effort yesterday. He quoted his text from the book of Job, chapter xix:23, 27. In substance he said:
"'My dear friends: On occasions of this kind I always speak to and for the living, so I shall say a few words this morn- ing. The death of those near and dear to us reminds us of the emptiness of life. The object of life is to acquire the possession of God. There is misery whence hope has fled, and faith in God and our future state is the only thing which makes life worth itself. Hearts must ache, but God will give consolation. There are the blackness and gloom of death before me-there is grief in that coffin, but mercy and comfort come from heaven. "Dust thou art, O man, and unto dust shall thou return." The mighty potentate before whose nod nations tremble; the powerful king and conqueror in whose path follow destruction and desolation; whose banner has blazoned upon it the record of ruined homes and broken hearts; the philosopher, whose brain is busied with mighty truths and great investigations; the laborer, the merchant -all these must bow, when the harshness of death comes, and acknowledge a higher power and a greater glory than their own or earth's. But what becomes of the soul of the Christian? Is death the beginning of an everlasting sleep, as the votary of pleas- ure would have it? Is it the end of all? There is everlasting happiness where God dwells, where eternal glory looks upon the soul and sorrow is no more, because sin is unknown, and men's lives and souls belong to God. This life is a state of probation for a better and holier. Men's passions, which make life dreary and heavy, fade like the mist of the morning before the sunrise of God's presence. Therefore, there is consolation for the Christian even in the pall of death.
" 'Is there any comfort in that coffin before me? Is this all that is left of William Fleming? No; there are his memory and his soul. One will always be dear to his family and friends; I hope the other is now looking into the face of God, as a reward of an honest life well spent by the promptings of a noble soul. We speak of him as a Christian with a faith which was as simple and quiet as the features of his honest face-a faith which felt that he was God's and God would be his; a faith which listened to the Catholic church and its dictates with the confidence that "here is my God and hopes for eternity."
" 'He was born in Ireland, the Gethsemane of Christianity, where persecution and grief made hope stronger and charity more
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aident. A young boy in Fort Wayne, he had the keenness of mellett and the bravery of a manly heart. He was an example a4 a young man to this congregation. Earnest and sincere, few words and all honesty to those about this church make his record. As a citizen, and one holding office of trust, he was as energetic in 1 14 fidelity in discharge of his duties in one, as he was conscien- tions in his accounting to the public for the responsibilities of the other: lle was a keen-minded, quiet, but ambitious citizen of at Wayne; always alert in the advancement of the city's inter- , sts, ns the numerous improvements for the city's benefit, trace- able to his ingenuity and grit, will attest-but always ambitious " be quiet and thoroughly honest in his work. 91050
"'Ilis wife's great grief and children's aching hearts are silent but mysteriously awful, pain-laden manifestations of the void in the Fleming homestead. There he lived and ruled and loved with the devotion of a faithful husband, with the anxious solicitude of n fond father. This grief is sacred because the love was earnest- ly nmutual. His life for many past years was full of martyrdom, watched kindly by a devoted wife. The anxious, dragged look of wearing pain which always characterized his face never disap- peared until death and God bade him sleep peacefully beneath the coffin's cold lid. Death to him, while ravaging and restless, had no pain except in thought of separation from wife and children; he had, however, the consolation and cheer of Catholic faith, which "mourns not as those without hope." Of his charities to the poor, and especially the orphan, we might say that the left hand never knew the worth of the goodly right hand. His heart ached when pity cried, and children's voices, orphans' voices werc angels' demands. He gave freely because heaven begged, and I am sure the souls of the orphans of this diocese have swelled in grateful prayer-songs pure and sweet in the car of God, and I trust that heaven's best benedictions will come on his soul like the refreshing dew of the morn.
"'Ile was an honest, manly man, and Christian peace to his soll, rest to his ashes! Amen.' "
After the sermon the cortege left the church, and a long line of carriages followed the remains to their last resting place in the family lot in the Catholic cemetery.
HENRY COBURN.
To offer in a work of this province an adequate resume of the strenuous and useful career of the late Henry Coburn would be impossible, but, with others of those who have conserved the civic and commercial progress of Indianapolis, he may well find consideration in the noting of the more salient points that have marked his life and labors. He was long a dominating power in connection with the retail business interests of Indiana's capital city, where he was engaged in the lumber business for a period of forty years, and after his retirement from this field of enterprise he here conducted other extensive operations, achieving a position as one of the substantial capitalists of his native state, gaining his success through normal and worthy means, and he stood for three quarters of a century as a singularly admirable type of the progressive, honorable and broad-minded man of affairs. His record is too familiar to the readers of this work to require any fulsome encomium here, his life speaking for itself in stronger terms than the biographer could employ in polished periods. It left its imprint upon those who came in contact with him, and the youth, hesitating at the parting of the ways, could do no better than to follow the example he set. He reached the advanced age of seventy-four years, heaven having lengthened out his life be- yond the Psalmist's allotted three score and ten until he was per- mitted to witness the vicissitudes of the most remarkable epoch in the world's business and inventive history, in all of which he was an interested spectator, and, indeed, played no inconspicuous part in pushing forward the wheels of civilization in his own locality. There is no doubt but that his long life was due to his sterling character, his conservative habits and his pure thinking. He was even-tempered, patient, scrupulously honest in all the re- lations of life, hospitable and charitable, and his many kindly deeds were actuated solely from his largeness of heart, rather than from any desire to gain the approval or plaudits of his fellow men.
Henry Coburn was born at the old picturesque family home- stead in Indianapolis, September 17, 1834. He was the son of Henry P. and Sarah (Malott) Coburn. Owing to the prominence
HENRY COBURN
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of the father in this state in pioneer times, we here deem it advis- able to give a brief outline of his life before proceeding with that of the immediate subject of this memoir.
Henry P. Coburn was born at Dracut, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, in 1790. There the family settled during the old colonial days, having emigrated there from England, the first of the name emigrating with the Puritans in the latter part of the seventeenth century, settling on the east bank of the Merrimac river, in Middlesex county, Massachusetts. Descendants of the original settlers still own and occupy the land there purchased from the Indians over two centuries ago, and the recorded title is given as being received from "John Thomas, a Sagamore of Natie." Capt. Peter Coburn, the paternal grandfather of Henry l'. Coburn, was born in 1737, at Dracut, where he spent his entire life, dying in 1813. He served in the patriot army during the Revolutionary war, in which he held commission of captain of his company. He commanded a company of minute-men at the Lex- ington aların and was in command of his company in the battle of Bunker Hill, where his company was a part of the regiment of Col. Ebinezer Bridge. He married Dollie Varnum, who was born in 1739 and whose death occurred in 1765. Peter Coburn, Jr., son of Capt. Peter Coburn, was also a native of Middlesex county, Massachusetts. He engaged in farming all his life. He was but a boy during the war for independence, but he fought at Bunker Ifill and continued in the ranks until the close of the war. He married Elizabeth Poor, who was born in 1766 and whose death occurred in 1841. They reared a large family.
Henry P. Coburn, father of the subject of this sketch, and the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Poor) Coburn, was reared on the old home farm in New England, and there received a good education, having been graduated from Harvard University in 1812, receiv- ing the arts degree, later beginning the study of law and soon gained admission to the bar in his native state. Not long after- ward he came to Indiana, in 1816, first locating at Corydon, then capital of the newly admitted state. Soon he purchased a tract of land near Mount Vernon. In a few years he ranked as one of the leading members of the bar in Indiana, and he continued to prae- tice in Corydon until after Indianapolis had been made the state capital, but in 1824 he removed to the little village which repre- sented the new seat of government. During the remainder of his life he followed the work of his profession in Indianapolis, and he
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was one of the busiest lawyers in the central part of the state, being called to various counties.
Mr. Coburn was a stanch advocate of educational privileges, and he was perhaps the first to advocate the adoption of the free public school system in this locality. For many years he was a trustee of the Marion County Seminary. He was one of the first promoters of the county library, was a member of its first board of trustees and also served as its treasurer, and in that connection he had much to do with the early financing of the library. He held various offices of trust. He was the earliest and most active advocate for temperance. He took an active interest in the work of the Presbyterian church, of which he was long a faithful member.
While residing at Corydon, Henry P. Coburn was united in marriage with Sarah Malott, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a daughter of Hiram Malott, an excellent old pioneer family. Mr. Coburn's death occurred in 1854, about two years after leav- ing the office of clerk of the supreme court, his widow surviving until 1866. Four sons and one daughter were born to them, all now deceased. The daughter, Caroline, married Dr. Robert F. Bence, of Indianapolis, whom she survived, and her death oc- curred in 1903. The eldest son, Augustus, was drowned in Lake Superior at the age of forty-two years and his body was never re- covered; he had amassed a fortune in copper. The second son, John, died in 1908, at the age of eighty-two years. He was a judge, a general in the Union army, a member of Congress for eight years, and typified everything that belongs to a first class city. One son died young, and the other, Henry, is the immediate subject of this sketch.
Henry Coburn's childhood and youth gave to him lasting memories of the conditions and associations of the pioneer capital village which then gave slight evidence of becoming one of the leading cities of the Union. He received a good common school education, attended the old Marion County Seminary, and he also had the advantages of a home training of superior quality. In 1859, when twenty-five years old, he became identified with the lumber industry, being successful from the start as a retail dealer, and soon his close application, persistence, sound judgment and good management made him an important factor in the local com- mercial world, and it is worthy of remark that he was for a longer period engaged in this line of endeavor than any other person in
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