USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 51
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"Few men in Fort Wayne were more widely known and none more universally esteemed than 'Dick' Meyer, as he was famil- iarly known to his acquaintances, and his residence of nearly fifty years in Fort Wayne had made him a familiar figure here. * * HIe was a man of fine integrity, frugal habits and marked industry which enabled him to amass a comfortable com- petence and to live in quiet retirement during the later years of his life, though he kept in close touch with affairs and was a familiar figure about the city."
Mr. Meyer's funeral, which occurred at Trinity English Lutheran church, where he had long been a pillar, was very large- ly attended, and it was impressively conducted by Rev. Dr. Sam- uel Wagenhals. The pall bearers were William A. Bohn, George Becker, C. F. Pfeiffer, P. A. Randall, A. E. Melching and G. H. Loesch.
HON. ADDISON F. ARMSTRONG.
That life is the most commendable that results in the greatest. good to the greatest number, and through all do not reach the brights to which they aspire, yet in some measure each can win success and make life a blessing to his fellow men. It is not necessary for one to occupy eminent publie positions to do so, for in the humbler walks of life there remains much good to be ac- complished and many opportunities for the exercise of influence that in some way will touch the lives of those with whom we come into contact, making them better and brighter. In the list of Indiana's successful citizens, IIon. Addison F. Armstrong long occupied a prominent place. In his record there was much that was commendable and his character forcibly illustrates what a life of energy can accomplish when plans are wisely laid and actions are governed by right principles, noble aims and high ideals. In his business carcer as well as his private life, no word of suspicion was ever breathed against him. His action were always the re- sult of careful and conscientious thought, and when once con- vinced that he was right, no suggestion of policy or personal profit could swerve him from the course he had decided upon. His career was rounded in its beautiful simplicity, for he did his full duty in all the relations of life, and it is safe to say that no man in the county in which he lived enjoyed to a greater extent the affection and confidence of the people than did Mr. Armstrong. His death removed from Howard county one of her most substan- tial and highly esteemed citizens and the many beautiful tributes to his high standing in the world of affairs and as a man and citi- zen attested to the abiding place he had in the hearts and affec- tions of his myriad of friends. His life was beautifully epiton- ized by a life-long friend in the following words: "A devoted husband and father, loved by all who knew him, a successful man of affairs, of spotless integrity, a clear-headed optimist, a Chris- tian gentleman and citizen."
Addison F. Armstrong was born in Clinton county, Ohio, on April 1, 1833. His father, Thomas A. Armstrong, was a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania and for several years was engaged
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in the practice of law in Philadelphia. He was a remarkable man in many respects and lived to the age of ninety-three years. The subject's mother, who bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Grant, was a native of Virginia, and by her union with Mr. Armstrong she became the mother of eight children, seven sons and a daughter.
Addican Ammetwane pronivad his adnational training which was somewhat limited, in the district schools, and in 1819, at the age of fourteen years, he came to Kokomo, Indiana, which from that time on was his home for over half a century and in the growth and development of which he was closely identified. He was for a short time engaged in teaching school, and then read law. In 1856, with a brother, H. A. Armstrong, and J. A. James, he began the hardware business in Kokomo. The place was then but a little Western village, but aad a large contributory field and its growth was steady and permanent. The enterprise of which the subject was the head grew with the growth of the village, leaping from a business of four thousand dollars a year to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It became one of the soundest con- mercial conceros in the state and one of the largest of its kind in Indiana. The name of the firm underwent a number of changes, until now it is known as Armstrong. Landon & Company, Mrs. Armstrong being the successor of her husband in the business, which is under the active management of George W. Landon. Sound, legitimate business principles, fair dealing and courteous treatment of customers were the contributing elements to the remarkable success which characterize the operations of this firm.
Mr. Armstrong w: an important factor in the early and subsequent growth of Kokomo. He was a member of the first common council, aiding in the organization of the city, and repre- sented the first ward in that body for eight consecutive years. In politics he was always aligned with the Democratic party. He was elected to the state Senate from his district in 1870, overcom- ing a large adverse party majority, and he served through three terms of the General Assembly, his re-elections attesting his popu- larity among his constituents and the efficient service he had ren- dered in the law-making body. In 1876 he was a candidate for Congress in his district, and, though the normal Republican ma- jority in the district was over three thousand, he was defeated by
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less than fourteen hundred votes. He also made a fine race for the Democratic nomination for auditor of state, being defeated by General Manson.
Addison F. Armstrong possessed a deep religious nature and at the age of sixteen years he united with the Christian church, of which he was throughout the remainder of his life an active and faithful member. He tool on om that in the organiza- uon of the Main Street Christian church, Kokomo, and for many Years was a member of the official board, first as a deacon, and for a few months preceding his death, as an elder, and during most of this time he was one of its chief pillars of support. In 1876 a new house of worship was commenced, costing thirty thou- sand dollars, and Mr. Armstrong was largely instrumental in clearing off the indebtedness, being at all times a heavy con- tributor and ready to further the church's interests both with his time and his money. His love for the church was not, however, confined wholly to the local body, but his unselfishness and broad sympathy extended beyond local fields. The divine injunction, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea- ture," came to him as a personal demand and, though he could not go himself, he did what he could in obedience to the command and gave largely of his means to assist the missionary enterprises of the church. Ile became deeply interested in Butler College, at Indianapolis, which he believed had a great mission among the disciples and for the general educational interests of Indiana, feeling that its endowment and strategie position at the state capitol offered an exceptional opportunity. He became a mem- ber of the board of trustees fifteen years prior to his death, and for the last nine years of his life he was president of that board, refusing re-election the last year of his membership because of his ill health. He showed his faith in the college by endowing the chair of Germanic languages with twenty thousand dollars. His service to the college was always gratuitous and he made many supplementary contributions to it after his gift of the pro- fessorship. Few, outside of his own immediate family, knew how much his heart was in the affairs of Butler College.
In June, 1863, Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage with Mary S. Brandon, who survives him and who had shared equally with him all his interest and activity in city, church and college. Mrs. Armstrong is the daughter of Montgomery and Martha
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Brandon, of Kentucky, and the granddaughter of Hon. Benjamin Brandon, who with his wife were of the first families of Vir- ginia. They removed to Bourbon county, Kentucky, about 1790, where he was largely engaged in manufacturing and agricultural pursuits in both Bourbon and Harrison counties. He employed teachers from the South and East for his family, who were thus afforded superior educational advantage His son Montgomery Brandon, father of Mrs. Armstrong, came to Indiana in 1834 and for many years was numbered among the leading citizens of the state. He died in Kokomo in Jannary, 1880, surviving his wife a few months. To Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong were born two chil- dren, namely: Sherman, who died in infancy, and Jennie, who became the wife of Thomas C. Howe, of Indianapolis, president of Butler College. Mr. and Mrs. Howe have four children, Mary Elizabeth, Charlotte B., Thomas C., Jr., and Addison Armstrong.
Addison F. Armstrong was happily blessed in the po session of a worthy helpmate. During all the years of their companion- ship he ever found in her an earnest supporter of the interests which were dearest to his own heart. She is foremost in all good works, giving much of her attention and executive ability, as well as of her means when needed, to public and charitable ork. She has rendered most efficient and appreciated service as president of the Howard County Orphans' Home Association for twenty- two years, president of the Suffrage Club and the Ladies' Lecture Association, manager for Indiana for the Woman's Board of Missions of the Christian church, 1 sides taking an active in- terest in the temperance cause and movements which have for their object the betterment of the community of the world at large. She is still prominent in club, charity anl church work. She is an active member of the Kokomo Hospital Association, and was for years a member of the state board of the Young Women's Christian Association, being an ammal contributor to this and many other worthy causes. She was also active in fur- thering the erection of the Y. M. C. A. building . t. Kokomo. In her home, Mrs. Armstrong is a ch: "ming hostess, entertaining at many functions, and in her home the spirit of real old-time hospitality is evident to a noticcable degree. The family resi- dence (since 1874) is at No. 406 East Sycamore street, Kokomo, Mrs. Armstrong's present companion being her Sister, M'ss Ruth Brandon.
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Addison F. Armstrong died on September 26, 1903, at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Thomas (. Howe, at Irvington, Indianapolis. He had for a number of years been in all health, having retired from active management of his business interests, and had sought relief in various places. In 1899 he made a trip to Karlsbad, Austria, in hope of improvement, and in 1903 he, with Mrs. Armstrong and his daughter's family, had been swon't. mg the summer months by the lake shore near Harbor Springs, Michigan. The family returned to Irvington, where Mr. Arm- strong passed away a week later, his last hours being peaceful and without pain. Thus passed away a good man and rightcons. Ile was a man whom to know was to respect and admire, for he was a genteel, kind-hearted, straightforward man of affairs in all the relations of life, one of those estimable characters who live for others-unselfish and solicitous of the welfare of his friends. As a business man, fully in touch with the progress of the times, Mr. Armstrong easily stood in the front rank among his compeers, being broad-minded and liberal in his relations with the public and possessing a genh . for successfully conducting large business enterprises. His judgment was ever sound and seldom at fault, his foresight clear and accurate. As a citizen he was publi spirited, always ready to lend a helping hand in promoting the public good, and, being a man of unquestioned integrity and im- hned with the highest principles of honor, he was popular with all classes and had the friendship of all. As a public servant he rendered faithful service and his record in that connection is without a blemish. He was always identified with the growth of his home city, but was conservative and neve sought the lime- light of publicity. He was a rare man. He was clean in thought and life; of even temper, quiet speech and deliberate action. IIe loved books and travel, but, above all, he loved his fellow man. While he was in high degree successful in his business ventures, he carried into realization in his life the old proverb, "A good name is rather to be desired than great riches." Wealth acquired hy nnworthy means he fairly scorned with all the ardor of his carnest soul. He believed in the goodness of his fellow men, and if, now and then, he knew he had been deceived, he thought he was the gainer in those where his faith was not misplaced. His death brought a sore loss to his family, his city, his church, his college, but the world is better for his having lived and striven.
ISAAC J. BOLTON
ISAAC J. BOLTON.
While Virginia has been aptly termed the "Mother of Presi- 1 prising and successful people in minor capacities and thousands of the humble sphere of private citizenship trace their ancestry back to the Old Dominion. This was true of the late Isaac JJ. Bolton. Just when the original progenitor of the Bolton family became a resident of Virginia is not known, but it is supposed to have been at a time antedating the colonial struggle for independence and from that remote period to the present members of this fine old family have been influential in the affairs of the various com- munities where they have resided. This may also be said of the subject's maternal ancestry, who also settled in that state at an early date, so he was justly proud of the fact that he belonged to the well known yet unorganized class denominating themselves as the "First Families of Virginia." Mr. Bolton carried through a successful and honorable life many of the commendable charac- teristies of the true Virginian- gallantry, generosity, hospitality and loyalty to friends and right principles; consequently he was a man who was inch admired and esteemed by all with whom he came into contact. He held to the theory that godliness or piety, moral cleanliness or integrity, activity or industry in the work of the church, all tended toward true happiness in this world and a hopeful confidence in the life to come that is assured to the pos- sessor of these individual virtues. He was one of the gallant de- fenders of the Union during the great war between the states, making a record of which his descendant ; may well be proud, he having proved a brave and efficient member of the famous "Per- simmon Brigade."
Isaac J. Bolton was born near Sanford, Vigo county, Indiana, December 8, 1817. He was the son of Philip and Sallie (Smith) Bolton, both born in Virginia, from which state they came to In- diana in pioneer days and, through their industry and close ap- plication, became well established on a farm in Vigo county, and there they were influential in the early affairs of the commmity.
Isaac J. Bolton spent his boyhood on the home farm, assisting
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with the general work on the cane during the summer months, and he attended the common . chools in his district in the winter time, receiving a good practical education. Early in life he learn- ed the carpenter's trade, at which he became quite proficient and his services were in great demand. Later in life be built a very desirable and commodious residence for himself and family.
Although but a more boy when the goout war of the Me- beton was in progress, Mr. Bolton enlisted on the 3d of August, 1863, in Company K, One Hundred and Fifteenth Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, for six months' service, a member of the "Persim- mon Brigade," in which he served with such gallantry and faith- fulness that he was promoted to the rank of corporal, and was a participant in a number of important campaigns and botly con- tested engagements, and while in the service he spent his sixteenth birthday near Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was honorably dis- charged on February 25, 1861, and soon afterwards returned to Sanford. Indiana, and, after spending the sinnmer on the home fam, he re-enlisted on October 7, 1864, in Capt. Moses Pock's Battery. Eighteenth Indiana Artillery, and in this he became very proficient and won the admiration of his superior officers and his comrades as well. He was discharged on June 30, 1865, after a most commendable record.
Mr. Bolton visited the battlefield of Chattanooga in 1888 and there obtained a hickory log in which was embedded eighteen canister shot. He had also collected other mementos and inter- esting relies and he presented all to the Indiana State Historical Society. After his second discharge he returned home and be- came a miller and mechanical engineer at Terre Haute, which lines he followed with much success until about sixteen years prior to his death. IJe then entered the grain brokerage business in Marion county, in which he acemulated a competency. He was a business man of keen discernment and honorable methods so that he had the confidence of all with whom he had dealings. He took a great deal of interest in politics and his counsel was frequently songht by local party leaders and aspirants to public offices.
On May 31, 1867, Mr. Bolton was united in marriage with Catherine Johnson, three and one-half miles northeast of Rose- dale, Vigo county, this state, and the union proved to be a most happy and fortunate one. She is the daughter of Alexander F. and Rebecca (Taylor) Johnson, natives of Virginia and North
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Carolina, respectively, each representatives of five old Southern families. Mrs. Bolton received a good education and is a lady of many pleasing traits. She still resides in Indianapolis, which has been the family home for many years.
the union of the subject and wife was blocked by the birth of four children, two of whom died in infancy: Jennie married Dr.
Indianapolis, and is a young business man of much promise.
Politically, Isaac J. Bolton was a loyal Republican, and was always active in the ranks, as before intimated. He was a most consistent member of the United Brethren church. His death oc- eurred on March 9, 1911, and burial was made at Terre Haute, Indiana. He will long be greatly missed by a wide circle of friends.
JOS:"PHIA' TMAN, M. D., LL. D.
The man who devotes his talents and energies to the noble work of administering to the ill and all tintin. d. humanity pursues a calling which, in dignity, importance and beneficial results is second to no other. If true to his profession and earnest in his efforts to enlarge his sphere of usefulness, hc is indeed a benefactor his kind, for to him more than any other man are entrusted the safety, the comfort and in many instances the lives of those who place themselves under his care and profit by his services. Of this class of professional men was the late Dr. Joseph Eastman, founder of the famous hospital at Indian- apolis, Indiana, bearing hi uame, and who stood for many years with few peers and no superiors among the physicians and sur- geons of the middle West, during which time he not only gained wide notoriety in his chosen vocation but also established a sound reputation for uprightness and oble character in all the rela- tions of life. He realized that to those who attain determinate success in the medical profession there must be not only given technical ability, but also a broad human sympathy which must pass from mere sentiment to be an actnating motive for helpful- ness. So he dignified and onored the profession by his able and self-abnegating services in which, through long years of close application, he attained notable distinction and unqualified suc- cess. His long and useful life as one of the world's workers was one of devotion, almost consecration, to his calling, and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the aiding and betterment of their kind. Ile was in the most signifie: o sense humanity's friend, and to those familiar with his life there must come a feeling of reverence in contemplat- ing his services and their beneficial results.
Joseph Eastman was born in the picturesque Bleceker moun- tain country, Fulton county, New York, January 29, 1842, and was the son of Rilus and Catherine (Jipson) Eastman. The East- man family has been more or less prominent in New England history from the first settlement, and the Jipsons were among the
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early German settlers of the Mohawk Valley, New York. The former family were pioneer residents of Hadley, Massachusetts. Dr. Joseph Eastman's great-grandfather's sister, Abigail East- man, was the mother of Daniel Webster. Many of the Doctor's progenitors fought in the early wars of America, one, Joseph Fast- man, serving in King Phillip's war; another, Joseph Eastman, John Lastman and Reuben Jipson, the matter the great-grand- father of the subject of this sketch, also Lieut. Noah Dickinson. all fought in the Revolutionary war.
Doetor Eastman grew to manhood in his native community and he received a meager primary education, having attended the public school about three months and studied at night when a boy at home, but he was ambitious and later in life made up for his early deficieney by close application to general literature, the sciences and materia medica. He was one of the finest examples of the proud American title of self-made man, for during his boy- hood he was compelled to earn his own living, performing such tasks as he could find that were remunerative. He carly realized that his only means of winning success was by work, persistent and unremitting. Taking up the blacksmith's trade, he had con- pleted his three years' apprenticeship before he was eighteen years old and had become a proficient worker in iron, ranking among the skilled workmen in this line in his community, But his career was now interrupted by the breaking out of the great war between the states, and this sturdy, patriotic son of the North unhesitatingly offered his services to the Union, enlisting in the Seventy-seventh New York Volunteer Infantry. He made a faithful and gallant soldier, taking part in many of the trying campaigns and sanguinary engagements of the war, participating in four of the greatest battles of that titanic contest. HIe little dreamed when he laid down his tools and walked away from his forge and stopped the clang of his anvil that his entire future course was to be altered and that his iron-working days were over. After the battle of Williamsburg, Virginia, he suffered an attack of typho-malaria I fever and was sent to Mt. Pleasant hos- pital, Washington, D. C. During his days of convalescence, Dr. Charles A. MeCall and Dr. Harrison Allen placed him on light medical dnty in that hospital, and later secured his discharge from his regiment and appointed him hospital steward in the United States army. His work in this connection fostered in him an ambition to become a medical practitioner, accordingly he bent
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every effort in this direction and there, among the sick and wound- ed Federal soldiers he laid a most practical foundation for an ex- ceptionally successful career in this calling, remaining in the hos- pital service in Washington City for a period of three years, and through the courtesy of Doctors MeCall and Allen Jie was per- mitted to attend three courses of lectures given at the University of Georgetown, from which institution h SAmuatea, willh the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1865. He kept his books at the bedside of the sick, and thereby became familiar with gram- mar, arithmetic, Latin and Greek in connection with his medical studies. He then passed the army examination and was connis- sioned assistant surgeon of United States volunteers, in which capacity he served with much credit until mustered out of the army, at Nashville, Tennessee, in May, 1866.
After his career in the army, Doctor Eastman devoted him- self to the general practice of his profession and his progress was steady and continuons, choosing the West as the field of his en- deavors, excellent opportunities for ambitious and talented young men being furnished there, that part of the Union being then in the first stages of a great development. On his way home from the front he stopped in Indianapolis, finally locating at Browns- burg, a few miles west of the city, where he followed general prac- tice for a period of nine years with ever-growing success, having continued his studies the meanwhile, also attended Bellevue Hospi- tal Medical College, in New York City, at which institution he received his second degree of Doctor of Medicine, in 1871. His abilities by this time had become known beyond the limits of his resident community, and he was offered the chair of demonstrator of anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Indian- apolis by Doctors Parvin and Walker. Accepting the offer, he moved to Indianapolis in 1875 and continued to reside there the rest of his life, ranking as one of the leading physicians of the state for more than a quarter of a century, the circle of his fame ever broadening until he became a distinguished representative of the nation in medical science. He served as consulting surgeon to the City hospital in a most creditable manner, and during that time delivered courses of lectures on clinical surgery to the stu- dents. He was also for eight years the assistant of Doctor Par- vin, the distinguished obstetrician and gynecologist. In 1879 Doctor Eastman became one of the organizers of the Central Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, at Indianapolis, and was in-
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