USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 52
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duced fo accept the chair of anatomy and clinical -urgery After teaching anatomy in the two college mentioned above for seven years, a special chair was created for him in the College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons, of Fudianapolis, that of abdominal surgery and diseases of women, which he bold continuously until his death. and during the last five years of his life he was president of the : 11 cireles throughout the country, Doctor Eastman was accorded a position of eminence that has been attained by few and he was recognized as an authority on all matters connected with gyne- cology and abdominal surgery. He visited the world-renowned medical institutions and hospitals of London, Birmingham, Paris, Strasburg, Munich, Viena, Leipsic, Dresden, Halle and F. rlin, critically examining the methods of the distinguished operators in the departments of abdominal surgery and diseases of women. He also attended the International Medical Congress at Berlin. Hirst's Obstetrics, Volume 18, pages 267 to 270, inclusive, gives him credit for being the second in the world and the only Ameri- can surgeon who, in operating for extrauterine pregnancy, has dissected out the entire sae which contained a living child and saved the life of both mother and child. His chief success lying in the treatment of diseases of women, he finally made these his specialty, and his practice along these lines so constantly increased that it became necessary for him to give almost his entire atten- tion to the same. He was the first in the state to lay aside general practice, limiting himself to abdominal and pelvie surgery, having taken this step in 1885. The natural ontgrowth of this work was his private sanitarium, which was established in 1881 and which Ind a very rapid growth, the building it occupies being completed in 1893, on architectural lines then contemplated. It is one of the best of its kind in the United States, modern and convenient in every appointment, and the property is now valued at sixty thon- sand dollars. It has about sixty-five rooms and its sanitary ar- rangements are complete and extensive. It is as nearly fireproof as possible and is provided with an elevator and with open fire- places, which add greatly to the facilities for ventilation and en- hance its healthfulness in no small degree. This sanitorium is a credit to Indianapolis and to its originator. In the practice of his specialty De tor Eastman performed some of the most romarka- ble cures and operations on record, and these have been described
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and discussed at length in all the leading American and European medical journals.
The degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon Doctor Eastman by Wabash College, in recognition of his professional merit and worth and of his original methods, the first and only thue in the Instory of this okl and conservative institution that honor has been given to a physician Doctor Wa ficou quenuly called upon to deliver letures before medical conventions in this country, and in Milwaukee in June, 1893, he was elected chairman of the section of diseases of women in the American Medical Association. He was also selected as one of the limited number to contribute papers on gynecology and abdominal sur- gery at the meeting of the Pan-American Congress, which con- vened in Washington, D. C., in September, 1893, he having twice before acceded to a similar demand with distinguished credit to himself and to the unbounded gratification of a large body of emi- nent physicians and surgeons before whom he appeared.
Doctor Eastman's ability as a teacher, speaker and exponent of medical science in its highest and best phases was very marked. The following extract from his opening address before the stu- dents of Central College of Physicians and Surgeons, September, 1891, will serve to show not only his deep insight of this science, but also his superior literary style:
"On entering the medical profession, just as in other pro- fessions and other lines of business, we ask ourselves what we may expeet. Are we to succeed or not ? It is the actual force of character that makes success, rather than an adaptation. There is a certain inherent force in everyone that can make some success in everything he undertakes to follow. There are men with heads large enough to make doctors, but comparatively few with hearts large enough to make great doctors. There is one qualification necessary for a doctor. That is a large, a true, a warm, unselfish and loving heart. The man who goes into a sick room with a gentle step and a tender expression, not only in words but in tone, with a heart filled with loving emotion, has the inborn quali- ties for a physician, without which you cannot succeed and with which you are sure to win. Then when the question comes to your mind, 'Shall I get something out of my profession?' let this be the reply, 'What will I put into my profession?' If we haven't put anything into a bank we cannot expect to cheek anything out. The reason, then, why some of the medical profession haven't
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gotten anything out of the profession by way of reputation or money is because suffering humanity and the profession couldn't get anything out of them. You never could and you never will be able to get blood out of a turnip. Persistent study is the very thing to develop and cultivate what little genius you may have been born with. The men who have the most fortunes in the
carne t and diligent labor. Some will say, a man can go into polities and make a greater name than in medicine. I question that, too. There are some names in medicine that will live forever. 'Shall not the labors of the statesmen sucenmb to the pitiless logie of events, the voice of the orator become fainter with com- ing ages, the achievements of the soldier be found at last only in libraries of military campaigns, while the names of Jenner, Mc- Dowell, Wells and Morton, like the surging waves of the inviolate sea, shall be wafted to the utmost shores of time, hailed alike by all nations and all ages for having 'essened the burden and length- ened the span of human life?' Then I will place my profession by the side of any other profession or business, as far as getting bread and butter is concerned, and will place it far above them in honor on the tablets of time. I love all those devoted to the pro- fession for one reason: because whatever we do, whether we get any money for it or not, we have the consciousness of having done something to serve humanity and lessen the burden of human life. The physician who has the confidence of many happy homes wields a powerful influence for good. How many of us remember the manly form and the intellectual face of the family physician by the side of that other sacred person, our mother. It is the sacred relation in the home that should teach us and make us feel that our service is a service for God, and that he serves God best who serves humanity most."
The high standing of the late Doctor Eastman among his pro- fessional brethren is shown by a perusal of the following extract from the "Medical and Surgical Monitor" of June, 1902, by Sam- nel E. Earp, M. S., M. D .:
"In many respects Dr. Joseph Eastman existed in a sphere of his own. He was ambitions at all times to be a leader in every undertaking in which he was connected and to follow was entirely foreign to his nature. Among Doctor Eastman's friends and ac- quaintanees were many eminent men, yet in them he did not find
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an ideal, but sought the best from all available sources and laid out an avenue of his own.
"In the ordinary affairs of life he always demonstrated a dis- position to be firm in his convictions and when a conclusion was reached, whether it was characterized by haste or methodical ef- forts, if he believed it to be right, he was unwavering in its de- fense. It was characteristic of Doctor Partinan to caund a help- ing hand to the fallen, speak a word of encouragement to those groping darkly in the slough of despond, grant merey to the erring one and throw the mantle of charity over the unfortunate. He despised envy, maliee and vice and held up to the admiration of the world the better and nobler elements of man's character. Doctor Eastman's responsibilities were indeed heavy, including his educational work in medical circles and the duties of a large practice in abdominal surgery. These at times seemed to entirely encompass his mind, surrounded by a fine dignity and reserve which placed him in the false light as if one with a barrier between himself and others. But those who knew him best recognized the geniality of his disposition, the warmth of his heart, and these readily burned the barrier away. For years the younger members of the profession sought his counsel and, in fact, the elder ones relied upon his wisdom and judgment and in every quarter his eminence and greatness received recognition. The unusual suc- cess which crowned his life work, together with his ripe expe- rience and kind heart, enabled him to bring to the sick room com- fort, confidence and hope whose brightness dispelled the shadow of gloom and despair.
Politically, Doctor Eastman was a Republican and he never failed in : ny of his duties as a publie-spirited citizen. He was well fortified in his religious views and was a worthy member of the Central Christian church, of which his widow is also a mem- ber. He was identified with George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, also belonged to the Indiana Commandery of the military order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and the Masonic fraternity, in which he attained the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.
The ideal domestic life of Dr. Joseph Eastman hegan in 1868, when he was united in marriage with Mary Katherine Barker, daughter of Thomas an, Sarah A. (Conarroe) Barker. The father, a prominent citizen of Indianapolis, was born near Raleigh, North . Carolina; his wife was a native of Eaton, Ohio, born in 1821, but
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when six months old her parents brought her to Marion county, Indiana, where she grew to womanhood and here married in 1810. Thomas Barker was fifteen years old when he came to Marion county. He was a prominent merchant in later years, and at one time served as treasurer of the county. Mrs. Eastman was born at Bridgeport, Indiana where her father maintained a general HI gor on ordent Rounblin His death or- eurred when about forty-eight years of age, and his wife when about fifty years old.
Five children were born to Dr. Joseph Eastman and wife, namely: Two who died in infancy; the surviving are: Dr. Thomas B. Eastman, who was born at Brownsburg, Hendricks county, In- diana, April 8, 1869. He was edneated in the public schools in In- dianapolis and Wabash College, from which he was graduated in 1890, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered the Central College of Physicians and Surgeons, in Indianapolis, and here he was graduated with the class of 1893, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Ile has been very successful as a general practitioner in Indianapolis. Ile is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Association of Obstetrics and Ge weology, the Indiana State Medical Society and the Marion County Medical Society. N' is a Republican, and a member of the Masonic fraternity, have g attained the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which connection he is affiliated with Indiana Sovereign Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, and he also holds membership in Murat Temple, Ancient Arabie Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi, a literary college fraternity, and of the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity. By reason of his father's military service in the Civil war, he is eligible for and holds mem- bership in the military order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Dr. Thomas B. Eastman was married on March 22, 1893, to Ota Beal Nicholson, who was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the daughter of William L. and Jennie (Beal) Nicholson, a prom- inent family . that city. The father, for many years a leading merchant there, died in 1903. Mrs. Eastman's death occurred in 1910, leaving one child, Nicholson Joseph.
The second of the living children of Dr. Joseph Eastman is Dr. Joseph R. Eastman, who is identified with the management of the Joseph Eastman Hospital, and also incumbent of the chair of surgery in the Indiana University School of Medicine. He was
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also born at Brownshing Indiana, on April 18, 1871. He moved with the family to Ladianapolis when he was a child and here re- ecived his education in the public schools and Butler University, at Irvington, a suburb of the capital city; in 1878 he entered Wa- bash College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and he was graduated with fiest honors with the class of 1891, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science, and an honor ve , Master of Arts m 1005, ronowing in the footsteps of his honored father in a pro- fessional way, it was his privilege to study in the great universi- ties of Heidelberg, Gottingen and Leipsie. In 1897 he was grad- uated from the University of Berlin, "magnum cum laude." His graduating thesis, entitled, "The Origin of Corpora Amylacea in the Prostate," was printed in full in American, German and French medical magazines. After his graduation Doctor East- man returned to Indianapolis, where he has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession and where his success has been of the most equivocal order. He has been professor of surgery in the Indiana School of Medicine since 1908 and also surgeon of the Indianapolis city hospital and city dispensary. He is a member of the Amepean Medical Association, Western Sur- gical Association, the Indiana State Medical Society and the Marion County Medical Society. He is also identified with the Mississippi Valley Medical Association, of which he was formerly vice-president, and he is a member of the executive committee of the American Urological Association. Doctor Eastman has been a frequent contributor to medical and surgical literature. Ile has originated and perfected a member of surgical instruments that have gained recognition as valable contributions to the surgical department of his profession. He has at various times dropped his regular work to study and investigate in the leading hospitals and medical colleges of Europe, where he has studied the work of many of the most eminent surgeons of the world. Politically, he is a Republican, and his religions faith is that of the Protestant church, and he is a member of a number of civic and social or- ganizations. He married Violetta Grumpelt.
Mary Eastman, daughter of Dr. Joseph Eastman, is a lady of culture and refinement and has long been prominent in the social life of Indianapolis. She is now the wife of Frank T. Day, for- merly of New York. They live with the former's mother in the attractive Eastman homestead on Washington Boulevard, known as the Jipson Place, named after the mother of Doctor Joseph
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Eastman. Surrounding this splendid home are eight acres of beautiful and well kept grounds. The senior Doctor's widow has been a consistent member of the Central Christian church for over fifty years. She is a woman of gracious personality, beautiful Christian character, and the international fame of her lamented husband was due in no small measure to her sympathy and en- couragement. Mrs. Day is a prominent member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in which she takes an active part.
The earthly carcer of Dr. Joseph Eastman was closed by the common fate of mankind on June 5, 1902. His name will go down in the history of the state as one of the most distinguished repre- sentatives of the medical profession in the middle West, and one whose fame in his chosen calling transcended the borders of In- diana and pervaded the nation and foreign countries, and his name will be held in lasting honor as one of the ablest physicians and surgeons that ever gave loyal service in behalf of suffering hu- manity and whose life was characterized by the deepest human sympathy, standing for a number of decades in his profession al- most without a peer.
CHRISTIAN BOSEKER.
In holding up for consideration to the readers of this work those faets which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life, a life characterized by perseverance, energy and well defined nurnoen such as was fived by the late Christian Boseker, long a well known business man of Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be but to reiterate the dictum pronounced upon the man by the people who knew him so long and well, for the subject of this memoir presented in his career an interesting study of the manner in which adherence to principle and sturdy endeavor may win worthy distinction in pursuits diverse and ennobling. Through- out an interesting and active career duty was ever his motive of action, and usefulness to his fellow nien not by any means a sec- ondary consideration. Ile achieved much in an individual way not dependent upon hereditary prestige, but proving himself worthy as a factor in public affairs, as a patriotic soldier and as a citizen and business man of the utmost loyalty and progressive- ness. Thus as a representative of a family whose name has been identified with the history of Allen county, this state, from the pio- neer epoch to the present and whose prominence reached its apo- theosis in the labors and services of Christian Boseker, he is well worthy of consideration in this volume, the province of which is to touch upon the generic and memorial history of the state which was honored by his residence for a period of over half a century or practically all his life, he having been but a child when brought here from an alien clime.
Christian Boseker was born in Saxony, Germany, May 8, 1841, and he was five years old when he came with his parents, Peter Boseker and wife, to Fort Wayne, in June, 1846, the voyage from the fatherland, made in an old-time sailing vessel, having been a tedious one, occupying several weeks. The father was a miller and followed this occupation in a number of the early mill- ing establishments in Fort Wayne, and was said to have been one of the most skillful in his vocation during the early days here. He was an honest, hard-working man, respected by all who knew him. His death occurred in 1857, but the mother of the subject survived until 1865.
Christian Boseker grew to manhood in Fort Wayne and re-
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ceived his early education in the schools of this city, most of his text-book training having been obtained at night school, it having been necessary for him to work out when he became old enough. HIe was a fine type of the self-made man.
Christian Boseker was the second youngest of a family of eight children, of whom one brother, Henry Boseker, survives at Cho willing. In 1050 the subject look at the trade of a carpenter, in the employ of A. C. Beaver, and he followed the same until the breaking out of the Civil war. In the summer of 1861 he respond- ed to the call of his adopted country for troops to suppress the rebellion, enlisting in Company E, Thirtieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in which he served as a gallant and faithful soldier until March 28, 1863, when he was discharged on account of physical disability. He saw considerable hard service and participated in a number of important battles, including Shiloh, where his brother was shot and killed while fighting by his side in the ranks.
Returning home after the war, Mr. Boseker resumed his trade as a carpenter, and in 1864, while in the employ of J. D. Silver, was foreman in the construction of the DeKalb county court house. In 1865 Mr. Boseker entered the business of con- tracting, forming a partnership with Jacob Forbing, which ex- isted until 186S and they were very successful, handling many im- portant contracts during those years.
The years that followed were busy ones for Mr. Boseker, and many publie buildings were constructed by him. Among the ear- lier structures were court houses for Defiance county, Ohio, and Adams county, Indiana, and the Allen county jail, and many other handsome and substantial structures which will long stand as monuments to his skill as a builder. For a time he abandoned contracting, and in 1875 formed a partnership with the late Hon. James B. White for the manufacture of wheels, which continued successfully for eight years. His next public work was the com- pletion of the Masonic Temple in Fort Wayne, which had been commenced in 1881, but on account of lack of funds had not been completed. A year later he completed the crection of the First Presbyterian church. Under appointment from President Cleve- land, Mr. Boseker superintended the construction of the govern- ment building in Fort Wayne, which was completed in April, 1889. In 1890 he completed the Wells county court house, and later built the Fort Wayne city hall. Some years later his son, Harry C. Boseker, became a partner with his father, and they constructed a number of other important public buildings. The
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court house at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, was under construction by the firm at the time of the subject's death.
Politically, Mr. Boseker had always been a Democrat, and his first vote was cast for Gen. George B. MeClellan for President in 1864. He was elected in 1881 water works trustee for one year and in 1882 was re-elected for three years. In 1888 he was chosen to All the morning Man of d. I. W. Mayer, and in 1660 was again elected for three years. Mr. Boseker was twice a candidate for the Democratie nomination for mayor of Fort Wayne. In 1888 he purchased the Fort Wayne Journal, retaining that newspaper eighteen months, disposing of it to give his attention to other mat- ters.
Mr. Boseker was united in marriage September 22, 1863, to Cornelia Hinton, who was born in Fort Wayne in 1843, the daugh- ter of Samuel and Johanna (Smith) Hinton. Her father, who died in this city in 1892 at the advanced age of eighty-six years, came to Fort Wayne among the earliest settlers in 1833, and here spent the rest of his life, engaged for the most part in farming, and was known to be a man of blameless character. There were nine children in his family, named as follows: Cornelia, who mar- ried the immediate subject of this memoir; Sarah, who married William Henderson, both now deceased; William is deceased; John, who married Anna Welton, lives in Fort Wayne; Catharine, who married Warren Carpenter, both being now deceased; Har- riet, who married Charles Scott, lives in Joliet, Illinois; Samuel is deceased; Alice lives in Fort Wayne; Laura, who married F. Kring, lives in Fort Wayne.
To Christian Boseker and wife were born the following chil- dren: Lida E., who married G. F. Wheeler, lives in Erie, Pennsyl- vania; Harry C. is a well known business man of Fort Wayne; Ella and Charles Boseker arc deccased.
Mr. Boseker was actively identified with the Masonic frater- nity, being a member of Home Lodge, of Fort Wayne Chapter and of Fort Wayne Commandery. Religiously, he was a worthy member of the First Baptist church, in the affairs of which he was very active, as was also Mrs. Boscker, who long stood high in the local congregation.
The death of Christian Boseker occurred at Hope hospital after an illness extending over a year on Friday, March 30, 1900, when lacking less than two months of his fifty-ninth birthday. He lived a true and useful life, one fraught with much good to humanity. His widow died January 8, 1900.
MAJOR WILBUR F. HITT.
The suspect that che !!! absentes he recorded the brave sons of the North who left their peaceful homes and remunerative vo- cations, unhesitatingly giving up the serene pursuits of civic life to give their services and their lives, if need be, to preserve the integrity of the American Union, is certainly due the gentle- man to a brief review of whose life and characteristics the follow- ing lines are devoted. Major Wilbur F. Hitt, a well known citizen of Indianapolis, now living in honorable retirement after a life of unusual activity and usefulness, proved his love and loyalty to the goverment on the long and tiresome marches in all kinds of situations, exposed to summer's withering heat and winter's freezing cold, on the lonely picket line, a target for the missile of the unseen foe, on the tented field and amid the flame and shock of battle, where the rattle of musketry, mingled with the terrible concussion of bursting shells and the deep diapason of the can- non's roar, made up the sublime and awful chorus of death. All honor to the heroes of the early sixties. To them the country is under a debt of gratitude which it cannot repay, and in centuries yet to be posterity will commemorate their chivalry in fitting eulogy and tell their knightly deeds in song and story. To the once large but now rapidly diminishing army that followed the old flag on many sanguinary fields of the sunny South, crushed the armed hosts of treason and re-established upon a firm and en- during foundation the beloved government of our fathers, the sub- ject of this sketch belonged. Like thousands of comrades equally as brave and patriotic as himself, Major Hitt did his duty nobly and well and retired from the service with a record unspotted by a single unsoldierly act.
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