USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 48
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Politically, Mr. Alfrey is a Republican, but he has never been especially active in public affairs, preferring to devote his attention to his individual business interests and to his home; however, he has always stood ready to assist in the furtherance of any laudable undertaking having as its object the general up- building of the city of his choice, his financial and moral support having gone far towards civic improvements. He is a much in- terested member of MePherson Post No. 7, Grand Army of the Republic, at Crawfordsville, and, while never identified with any particular church, it has been his aim through life to follow the
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teachings of his favorite book, the Bible, and he is a true Christian in every sense of the word, believing not so much in man-made creeds as in the carrying of one's religion into one's everyday life, in living up to the Golden Rule and in right thinking and honest actions in all the relations of life. He is a man of chari- table impulses, and many have been made happier and more sue- consful by having bowa bing; bet, whiik k i Charitable, his gir ing has always been unostentatious. Personally, he is a pleasant man to meet, genial, obliging, entirely unassuming, hospitable, and always a courteous, genteel gentleman, who merits in every respect the high esteem in which he is universally held.
AUGUST GRANDE.
The sturdy German element in our national commonwealth has been one of the most important in furthering the substantial and normal advancement of the country, for this is an element signally appreciative of practical values and also of the higher intellectuality which transcends all provincial confines. Well may any person take pride in tracing his lineage to such a source. A native of the fatherland, the late August Grande, for many years well known in commercial circles in Indianapolis, possessed many of the characteristics which have given strength and stand- ing to the German nation, and he was a representative of the best type of German-American citizenship. His life was a busy and successful one, and the record is eminently worthy of perusal by the student who would learn the intrinsic essence of individuality and its influence in moulding a successful career in the face of adverse circumstances. That the career of such a person, besides being treasured in the hearts of relatives and friends, should have its public record also, is peculiarly proper because a knowl- edge of men whose substantial reputation rests upon their attain- ments and character must exert a wholesome influence upon the rising generation, inspiring courage, fortitude and straightfor- ward and honorable dealings with the world in all the various relations of life in whatever enviroment.
August Grande was born in the upper part of Silesea, Ger- many, April 29, 1862, and he was the son of August and Rose (Hoheisel) Grande, old, substantial and highly respected citizens of that province. The fatlier was a carpenter by trade in the old country, and while he had the same love for the fatherland as have all loyal Germans, he saw a greater opportunity for the com- ing generation in America, and, laying by a little of his earnings monthly, he was able to help his children, August and Josephine, defray their expenses in voyaging to the new world. Subsequent- ly they both departed in 1881, Angust then being eighteen years of age, and after seventeen days on the ocean landed on the Ameri- can shores. They at once proceeded to Indianapolis, Indiana, where August, the subject of this memoir, found employment
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with old Mr. Scheneman, a fellow countryman and one of the well known gardeners of this state, with whom he remained for four years. During this time the great ambition of the brothers was to repay their parents what money they had loaned them to pay the sons' passage to the United States, and in one year's time the old couple joined their two children here in the land of the
In Germany, August Grande had the advantage of the very best of common schooling and also when a young man learned the weaver's trade. This trade, however, was not of much ad- vantage to him after he left the old country, but his schooling and what outside education he was able to pick up himself proved very valuable to him in after years. After leaving the employ of Mr. Scheneman he rented five acres of land on which he con- ducted a garden for about five years; but being a thrifty farmer and having that desire which is natural to all Germans of owning their own place, he accordingly began looking around for a farm on which to locate permanently. Being able to secure the present Grande farm at what he considered a reasonable figure he and his father made the first payment on the place and in a short time not only cleared the place of all stumps and underbrush and got the entire farm under cultivation, Managing it skillfully and working hard, they were adequately repaid by Mother Nature for their toil and soon had lifted the debt on it and erected a sub- stantial and comfortable residence. They made gardening a specialty. When the road was put through past their farm, the name Grande avenue was given the thoroughfare, since the Grande family was the best known in that vicinity. This beautiful sec- tion will soon be city lots.
August Grande, Sr., and his wife spent the remainder of their days with their son on this place, the father being sum- moned to his eternal rest in 1906, at the advanced age of seventy- nine years, after suffering from paralysis for a period of fifteen years; his faithful life companion, Rose Grande, followed him to the Silent Land two years later, at the age of seventy-five years.
After the death of his father, August Grande, Jr., the im- mediate subject of this review, built a splendid green house on the farm and from time to time added many hotheds, maintaining three green houses at the time of his death. Ilis specialties were bulbs and bedding plants, which he sold at his stand in the In-
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dianapolis market place, and it was in this business that the edu- cation which he received in the old country proved so valuable to him. He was often called upon to settle questions and unravel business entanglements for his less fortunate countrymen, his advice and counsel, always sound and reliable, being frequently sought by them, and always cheerfully given.
Avgust Grande we! : a jetal, Miging, gell ert! German, and many young immigrants are indebted to him for timely assistance and advice and words of good cheer and en- couragement which he was always ready to extend.
On November 22, 1893, Angust Grande was united in mar- riage with Anna Rolley, a native of the same part of Germany as was the subject. Although she was acquainted with August Grande, Sr., and the other members of the family before leaving her native land, the one that Fate destined to be her husband she had not met there, he having emigrated to America, and he did not know of the existence of his future wife until after he had taken up his abode in the Republic of the West. And it was with great satisfaction that the parents of Mrs. Grande, August and Mary (Schmidt) Rolley, learned of the marriage, uniting thus the two old neighboring families. To the subject and wife three chil- dren were born, namely: Anna Marie, John August and Freda Rose.
As before indicated, August Grande, Jr., was truly a self- made man, having started life in this country when but a young man with practically no capital, no knowledge of the customs of the land-not even being able to speak the English language when he arrived in Indianapolis, and with no friends or acquaintances. But he possessed ambition, energy, tact and was a willing and close student, and by hard work and honest efforts he was able, little by little, to forge ahead until a large degree of material suc- cess attended his efforts, and at the time of his death, November 29, 1909, he had accumulated a comfortable competency and com- manded the love and respect of all who knew him.
Politically, Mr. Grande was a staunch Democrat, but he made no efforts to become a politieian or to obtain public office. He was an active and influential member of the Gardeners' Association. Religiously, he was a faithful member of St. Anthony's Roman Catholic church, and was a Christian in every sense of the word, his religion clearly manifesting itself in his every-day life.
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August Grande was one of a family of seven children, named as follows: Pauline, who married Frank Shubert, is deceased; August, subject of this memoir; Josephine, who married Joseph Rosner; John was next in order of birth; Mary married Lewis Hoeger; Anna married Charles Mock, and Amelia married Will- iam Kempe.
Mrs. August Grande is a daughter of August and Mary (Schmidt) Rolley, as before stated, and her parents were both na- tives of Germany, in which country the father followed the trade of a weaver, and it was not until 1904 that he and his wife came to America, and about six years later August Rolley passed away while still a comparatively young man; he was survived by his widow and the following children: Anna, who became the wife of August Grande; Mary, who married August Elsner; August was next in order of birth.
Mrs. Anna Grande came to America alone in 1893, the trip requiring ten days, and she was married to Mr. Grande shortly after arriving in Indianapolis. She received a good education and is a lady of pleasing personality. Since the death of her hus- band she has continued to conduct the business along the lines which he inaugurated. In this she is ably assisted by her children, especially by her son, John August, who has taken his father's place at the market stand, and who has made many friends among the buyers as well as men of the trade.
JOHN J. HARTLEY.
Whether the elements of success in life are innate attributes of the individual or whether they are aniekomed be a proces of circumstantial development, it is impossible to clearly determine. Yet the study of a successful life, whatever the field of endeavor, is none the less interesting and profitable by reason of existence of this same uncertainty. So much in excess of those of success are the records of failures or semi-failures, that one is constrained to attempt an analysis in either case and to determine the measure of causation in an approximate way. But in studying the life his- tory of the late John J. Hartley, for many years one of the best known business men and influential citizens of Muncie, Indiana, we find many qualities in his makeup that always gain definite success in any career if properly directed, as his was evidently done, which resulted in a life of good to others as well as in a com- fortable competency to his family. His marked success in the world's affairs was achieved by close attention to business, and by an honorable and consistent course he rose to a worthy posi- tion among the enterprising men of the city with which his in- terests were so long identified. It is a plain record, rendered re- markable by no strange or mysterious adventure, no wonderful or lucky accident and tragic situation, no epic breadthı of ex- pedients. For Mr. Hartley was one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality must force them into an admirable notoriety, which their modesty never seeks, who com- mand the respect of their contemporaries and their posterity and leave the impress of their individuality upon the age in which they lived.
John J. Hartley was born in Freedom, Beaver county, Penn- sylvania, September 21, 1856. He was the scion of a prominent old family of the Keystone state, and was the son of Charles Al- bert and Margaret Barbara Hartley. His father, who for many years served as president of Trevalin College at Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, was a noted mathematician, and met a tragic death in a railway accident in 1861.
John J. Hartley was thus thrown upon his own resources
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early in life and his early struggles, hard though they were, nev- ertheless fitted him for his subsequent career, having taught him fortitude, courage and self-reliance. His early education was in- terfered with, but he remained a close student and was a keen ob- server all his life, thus making up for his early lack of text-book training. At the age of twelve he was working as a newsboy on trine, and being ambitions and industrious he later engaged in the business for himself. Before he had reached his majority he went to Mansfield and, with others, engaged in the manufacture of crackers, making a success of his initial business, but seeing a more lucrative proposition, he assumed the management of the Tremont house at Mansfield, Ohio, where he remained from 1877 to 1883. In the meantime he had engaged in the cigar business and his eracker business continued until 1884 under the firm name of Pertell, Hartley & Black. In that year Mr. Hartley began dealing in real estate and insurance business in Mansfield. IIc had secured an excellent foothold in the business circles of that city, but when natural gas was discovered in Indiana in 1886 he was attracted to the fields here and was soon a resident of Muncie, where he became extensively engaged in real estate, and from the very first he was prominently identified with every enterprise promulgated for the good of his adopted city. When he first came to Muncie he formed a partnership with James A. Boyce in the real estate business, but after the burning of the Boyce block, Mr. Hartley continued in business alone until in June, 1906, when the firm was incorporated under the name of The John J. Hartley Ageney, which it still retains. Mr. Hartley laid out what was known as the Hartley-Lowenstein addition to the city, and on this tract of ground he erected and caused to be erected many beautiful residences which now form one of the attractive sec- tions of the city. Besides being president of The John J. Hartley Agency, the subject was also vice-president and director of the Peoples' Home and Savings Association, making all of their ap- praisements up to the time of his death.
Mr. Hartley was a Republican, and while he took a good citi- zen's interest in the affairs of his locality he had no ambition to hold publie office, preferring to devote his attention to his indi- vidual affairs and to his home. He was never happier than when he was by his own fireside, with his devoted family and his books. He was prominent in Masonic circles, having attained the thirty-
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second degree in that time-honored order. He was one of the prime movers in building the Masonic Temple in Muncie. He was affiliated with the blue lodge, the chapter and the commandery, of Muncie, and with the Indiana Consistory. He was also an active member of Grace Episcopal church, in which he was a ves- tryman.
In June, 1877, Mr. Hartley was united m marriage with Anna A. MeSherry, who died Angust 10, 1896. Two years later he married Sarah A. Heinsohn, the oldest of a family of four chil- dren born to Julius A. and Elizabeth ( Kirby) Heinsohn, the latter being the daughter of one of our pioneer families, her father, Thomas Kirby, being well known here in the early history of this section of the state. He gave Mrs. Heinsohn the Kirby house and she is now residing there. Mrs. Hartley is a lady of many estimable traits and has long been a favorite with a wide cirele of friends.
Four children survived John J. Hartley, born of his second union, namely: John Kirby, who is at this writing attending HIowe Military Academy; Julins Andreas, Margaret Elizabeth and Robert Heinsohn. Mr. Hartley's two brothers, Will A., who is retired, and George F., a member of the firm of The Pioneer Pole & Shaft Company, both reside in Muncie.
From 1891 until 1893 the subject was a member of the city council, and among other things which he did for the permanent good of Muncie was his activity in establishing the city's electric light plant.
Mr. Hartley traveled extensively and, being a keen observer, he gained much knowledge first hand in this way, which rendered him apt and entertaining in conversation, which, coupled with his pleasing manners and obliging nature, rendered him a most agree- ble companion. In 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Hartley made a tour of Europe, also visited Egypt and the Holy Land.
The useful and successful life of John J. Hartley came to a sudden close on August 22, 1910, at Carp Lake, northern Michi- gan, while on an onting and fishing trip with his family, he being drowned during a terrible storm. His body was brought to Mun- cie and was laid to rest in Beech Grove cemetery. The Episcopal service was used at the funeral, which was simple and brief and held from the family residence, No. 339 East Adams street, and at the grave the Knights Templar conducted their ceremony.
JOHN W. HALL
JOHN W. HALL.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the sur- roundings of individuals differing but slightly, and when one man passes another on the highway of life and reaches the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompassed his fellows. Among the prominent citizens and suc- cessful business men who were identified with Kokomo, Indiana, stood Jolmn W. Hall. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and executive ability entered very largely into his make-up and were contributing elements to the material success which came to him.
John W. Hall was a native son of the Hoosier state, having been born at Brookville, Indiana, on the 12th day of December, 1822. His early boyhood days were spent in his native place, and there he received his education, which was somewhat limited. In young manhood he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and there learned the trade of a carpenter. He worked hard, and his spare moments were devoted to earnest study. He practiced a wise economy, saved his money and at length was enabled to enter the field of business as a contractor. In this line he was successful and he soon found himself in command of a large business. He was a Demoerat in politics and, under the administration of President Buchanan, he secured the contract for building the Marine Hos- pital at Cincinnati. This contract he completed to the entire sat- isfaction of the government, and the building is still standing, one of the landmarks of Cincinnati. Mr. Hall also erected many of the most costly and beautiful homes in the Queen City and his rise in the business world was rapid, so that in 1886, when he re- moved to Kokomo, Indiana, at the time of the gas boom there, he was rated a very wealthy man. He continued, by successful con- tracts and judicious investments, to add to his wealth until about
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fifteen years before his death, when he retired from active busi- ness pursuits and most of the remainder of his life was spent in traveling in the United States. During the last eight years be- fore his death he was an invalid and his nicee, Miss Laura Kes- ler, was his companion most of the time. His death occurred on May 11, 1889.
Mr. Hall was an attendant of the Methodist Episcopal church and gore Hbsally of his means m support of that society, being charitably inelined and very liberal in his benefactions. Ilis fra- ternal relations were with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. However, his chief hobby was making money, in the pursuit of which he found his greatest pleasure. Ile was essentially a busi- ness man, but every transaction with which he was connected was absolutely on the square. ITis integrity was without a flaw and among those with whom he had business dealings there was never breathed a suspicion of deceit on his part. Mr. Hall was a man of wide and varied information, being an inveterate reader, a deep thinker and a close observer of men and events. He was a Democrat in his political faith and he kept in close touch with the passing events of the day, but he was too busy a man to take an active part in public affairs. He loved good horses and dogs and those who knew him best found in him a heart that was as tender as a woman's. On his death he left a large portion of his possessions to his niece, Miss Kesler, including the beautiful home he erected at No. 204 East Mulberry street, Kokomo, where he made his home during his last years.
. John W. Hall enjoyed a wide acquaintance and had a large circle of warm friends. He held to a high standard of ethics in his business life and his efforts were rewarded with a success com- mensurate with his carnestness and perseverance.
HON. JOHN HANNA.
It has often been said that the dead are soon forgotten and, according to one of our moment ant wants, " All that hunnthe will share thy : stiny; the gay will langh when thou art gone, the solemn brood of care plod ou, and each one as before will chase his favorite phantom." Whether this be true or not, it is safe to say that few men of a past generation in the vicinity of Indiana's capital city will linger longer in the memory of the citizens who were contemporaneous with him than John Hanna, who has long since departed on "the journey we all must go." This is due to the fact that he had the qualities that impress men. Prominent and prosperous in business, h · established a character for integ- rity, public spirit and the social amenities of life, and he became one of the noted public men of his day and generation, serving faithfully and well in positions of honor and trust within the gift of the people. Ile was a man of great force of character and usually found in the lead when any movement was on foot for the betterment of his city and state. Tenacions of his own rights, he respected the rights of others, and in the best sense of the term he was always a gentleman in social intercourse, as well as a model citizen in affairs affecting the public. The record he left will long be an inspiration to his descendants and those who knew and were associated with him and Marion county has never had a worthier name on her roll of honorable citizenship.
Mr. Hanna was born on September 3, 1827, on a farm which is at present embraced in the fashionable residence district of the northern part of Indianapolis. He was the son of James Parks Hanna and Lydia (Hurard) Hanna. The Hanna family have for a number of generations been prominently identified with the state of Indiana. Jolin Hanna, the paternal grandfather of the subject of this memoir, and for whom he was named, came to In- diana from North Carolina in pioneer days. Ile had served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war, having been but a boy during that conflict, and he was a brother of Gen. Robert Hanna, a prom- inent man in the carly settlement of Indianapolis and the first
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man elected to the United States Senate from the great common- wealth of Indiana.
Upon coming to Indiana, Jolm Hanna first located in Brook- field, but subsequently moved to Indianapolis. He was for many years one of the foremost members of the bar of Indiana and was serving as judge at the time of his death.
James Parks Hanna, father of the subject of this memoir was one of a large family. He devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and came into possession of the fine farm mentioned above, where part of the capital city has since been built and on that farm he spent the remainder of his life, his widow surviving four years; they both passed away when comparativly young in years, and they were buried at the old farm, but have since been disinterred and their dust now rests in the cemetery at Green- castle, Indiana. They were the parents of the following children: John, subject of this memoir; Catherine, who is deceased; Sarah, widow of Anson Hornaday, lives at Plainfield; James Parks is now Washington correspondent for the Indianapolis News and W. B., the second son, is a prominent newspaper man of Texas; Rufus is deceased; and Mary Elizabeth, widow of Alpheus Birch, who lives at Galesburg, Illinois.
Hon. John Ilanna, to whom this sketch is dedicated, spent his boyhood on the home farm and when of proper age he did his full share of the hard work required in getting the raw land under cultivation. Being the eldest of the family, much of the strenu- ous work fell to him. During the winter months he attended the common schools, but most of his preparation for college was obtained by home reading and careful observation. When six- teen years old he was left an orphan: four years prior to that he had been made the practical head of the family, at the death of the father. The young mau continued to look after the farm and the interests of the other children for about a year, after which his uncle, Robert Hanna, assumed this responsibility and enabled the boy to gratify his ambition to go to college, matrienlating in Asbury (now Depauw) University, Greencastle, Indiana, from which institution he was graduated in the year 1850. He had been studying law for some time and after leaving college he began the practice of his profession with Judge Eckles at Greencastle, with whom he remained one year, then opened a law office of his own, later taking in Robert Smith as a partner, and soon these gentle-
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