USA > Indiana > Memorial and genealogical record of Representative Citizens of Indiana > Part 64
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In his political views Mr. Dorner was a Republican, but while he kept well informed on political questions and took a deep interest therein as every true American citizen should do, whether native or foreign born, he never songht or desired public office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his constantly growing business. He became the owner of a valuable property,
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as before intimated, including a fine residence which he erected in 1894. His hopes of benefiting his financial condition in Ameri- ca were fully realized. Starting out in life empty-handed, he steadily advanced on the road to prosperity, and his industry, capable management, enterprise and sound judgment brought to him the large snecess which he rielly merited. He was a charter member of the American Carnation Society, and in his honor the members of the society have by subseription provided for a gold medal, known as the Dorner memorial medal, which will each year be awarded for a new variety of carnation.
Frederick Dorner passed to his reward on December 29, 1910, after a well spent, successful and highly satisfactory life, hon- ored by all who knew him.
HON. HARVEY WESTFALL.
That period of the nineteenth century embracing the decade between 1830 and 1840 was characterized by the immigration of the pioneer element which made the great state of Indiana largely what it is today. These immigrants were sturdy, heroic, sincere and, in the main, upright people, such as constitute the strength of the commonwealth. It is scarcely probable that in the future of the world another such period can occur, or, indeed, any period when such a solid phalanx of strong-minded men and noble, self- sacrificing women will take possession of a new country. The period to which reference is made, therefore, cannot be too much or too well written up, and the only way to do justice to such a subject is to record the lives of those who led the van of civiliza- tion and founded the institutions which today are the pride and boast of a great state and a strong and virile people. Among those who came to Indiana when the country was in its primitive wildness was the Westfall family, one of the most prominent of the pioneers of Tippecanoe and adjoining counties, one of which was Harvey Westfall, who was not only a leading actor in the great drama which witnessed the passing of the old and the intro- duction of the new conditions in this locality, but who enjoyed a reputation that penetrated to all parts of the state, whose inter- ests he ever had at heart and which he sought to promote when- ever occasion offered. He devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and by close application he established those habits of industry and frugality which insured his success in later years. With the able assistance of his estimable life companion, he extended the acres of cultivable land and in due time found himself upon the high road to prosperity with a good farm in his possession and all the comforts and conveniences of life surrounding him. He was regarded as an enterprising and typical farmer of the ad- vanced type. His thorough system of tillage, the good order of his fences, the well-cared-for condition of his fields, the commod- ious and comfortable buildings, all demonstrated his successful
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management and substantial thrift, and his life-long residence in the community won for him a very high place in the confidenee and esteem of his neighbors and friends.
Harvey Westfall was born in Darke county, Ohio, November 11, 1827, being a son of George and Jane (Culbertson) Westfall. He was the oldest member of the family and when a youth did hard work that continued until he reached his eightieth birthday, his inclination to work resulting in a character and physique that was an example to the youth of his community.
George Westfall emigrated with his family to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, some time in 1835, when the subject was eight years old, a farm being purchased in Shelby township, and here the son grew to sturdy manhood, assisting with the general work in developing the home farm. The family experienced many of the privations incident to pioneer life, but by hard work and per- sistency established a comfortable home and had a fine farm. George Westfall was a splendid type of the first settler, honest, hospitable, his latchi-string always out and his kindness became proverbial. He was charitably inclined and was ever lending a helping hand; these many estimable traits were inherited to a very noticeable degree by his son Harvey. The latter received such educational training as the carly schools of the county af- forded, and on March 6, 1851, when twenty-three years of age, he was united in marriage with Sarah A. Shigley, daughter of Sam- uel and Rebecca (Foster) Shigley. Sammel Shigley was one of the pioneers of Tippecanoe county, and a highly respected and industrious citizen, who became well established here through his long years of industry. He came to Indiana from Greene county, Ohio, when he was a young man, and began life in this locality when it was sparsely settled and when the vast forests abounded in all manner of wild animals. His family consisted of six chil- dren, named as follows: Sarah An, James, George, Elizabeth, Martha; Joseph having died in early life. The parents of these children both spout the rest of their lives in Tinporanna county and died here.
After his marriage Harvey Westfall remained on the farm at Montmorenei, improving his property as the years progressed. He relied upon no one for his material progress, but believed in fighting his own battles, and, starting at the bottom of the ladder,
he scaled to the topmost rung through his own exertions, Hle finally became the owner of one of the choice farms of the county, consisting of three hundred and seventy-five acres, which he kept under a high grade of improvement and cultivation, and on which he kept an excellent variety of live stock, of which he was one of the best judges in the county and which was the source of no small part of his comfortable competency. Everything about his place denoted thrift, prosperity and that a gentleman of good judgment and excellent tastes had its management in hand.
Mr. Westfall's family consisted of the following children: W. Mark, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who married Ellen Mar- shall, has two children, Paul and Leslie; Jennie married Ed Mar- shall; Wilbur died when seven years old; Enna, Frank and Min- nie are all deceased; Lyda married G. W. Switzer, of Lafayette, Indiana, and they have two children, Nellie and Vincent; Harvey Clark, of Wolcott, Indiana, married Mary Miller, and they have two children, Mary Shigley and Robert Clark; Mabel lives with her mother at their attractive and cozy home, No. 632 Ferry street, Lafayette, whither the family moved after the death of the father, Harvey Westfall. The widow still owns the farm, which she rents.
Mr. Westfall had been in good health most all of his life. About the first of January, 1897, he began feeling ill and two weeks later submitted to an operation at St. Elizabeth hospital, Lafayette. He apparently recovered, but was forced to the in- stitution on March 5th following for a second operation, and there his death occurred of a complication of diseases. The funer- al, which was very largely attended, was held at the. Methodist Episcopal church at Montmorenci, and burial was made in the family cemetery adjoining the church.
We quote the following paragraph, taken from an extended account of Mr. Westfall's life, death and public service, which was printed in one of the daily papers of Lafayette, shortly after the subject's demise:
"Mr. Westfall was a life-long Republican and attained prom- inence over the state as a leading member of the state Legislature for two terms. In 1880 he was elected by his party to represent his district in the Indiana Legislature and was re-elected in 1882, thereby serving two terms. His record was faultless and no one
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ever aceused him of unfairness. For more than fifty years he was a member of the Methodist church at Montmorenci, and served for more than twenty-five years as superintendent of the Sunday school, which position he held when he died. At Mont- morenei his familiar figure will be missed for years to come and everybody in Shelby township will have occasion to revere his memory. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Tip- pecanoe County Agricultural Association and he was always alive to its interests. He was a member of the Masonie frater- nity, with which organization he was closely allied, attending all of its meetings and taking active part. Mr. Westfall was consis- tent, frank and congenial, his sterling character and integrity making him an ideal citizen and friend."
COL. ELI LILLY.
Specifie mention is made of many of the worthy citizens of Indiana within the pages of this work, citizens who have figured in the growth and development of this favored commonwealth and whose interests have been identified with its every phase of progress, cach contributing in his sphere of action to the well- being of the community in which he resides and to the advance- ment of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this number is Eli Lilly,-distinguished soldier, successful business man and publie benefactor,-whose name needs no introduction to the reader. Ilis death removed from Indiana one of her most sub- stantial and highly esteemed citizens and the many beautiful trib- utes to his high standing in the world of affairs and as a man and citizen attested to the abiding place he had in the hearts and affections of those who knew him and of his work and accomplish- ments. ITis eminently honorable and successful career was not a path of roses, for he fought against and conquered adverse condi- tions which would have utterly discouraged one of less sterling mettle. Ilis military record was marked by courage and ability of a high order, his business record showed that he possessed sa- gacity, energy and integrity to a pronounced degree, while his philanthropy was of that practical kind that is of real permanent value to the common weal. As the founder of the great drug manufacturing house of Eli Lilly & Company he gave to the city of Indianapolis one of its most valuable business institutions and built for himself a monument that perpetuates his name among those who come after.
Eli Lilly was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on the 8th of July, 1839, and his death occurred in Indianapolis on June 6, 1898. He the the cap of Anstaying and Father B. Lilly, who, when the sub- jeet was but a year old, moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and in 1818 to Gallatin county, that state. When the subject was aboni thirteen years of age the family moved to Greencastle, Indiana. Hitherto his educational privileges had been somewhat limited, but he was now given the benefit of attendance at a private school and also entered the preparatory department of old Asbury (now
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De Pauw) University. There he gained his first actual business experience as publisher of the Asbury Notes, the college paper of that time. Soon afterwards he became a drug clerk, thus be- ginning his identification with the business in which he was later to achieve so eminent a success. At the age of seventeen years Mr. Lilly went to Lafayette, Indiana, and became clerk to Henry Lawrence, an English chemist and pharmacist, under whom he gained both a theoretical and practical knowledge of the business. Subsequently he returned to Greencastle and was in the drug business there at the inception of the Civil war.
On the slavery question young Lilly held decided and In- questioned views, being conservative in his attitude towards slav- ery and having voted for Breckenridge in 1860, though his father was an ardent abolitionist and had even assisted in the operations of the "underground railroad." However, the young man was a loyal supporter of the national union and when secession became a fact he became one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Union and thenceforth supported Lincoln and the war with all the ardor of his being.
Eli Lilly was one of the first to enlist in what subsequently became the First Indiana Heavy Artillery, which was organized at Indianapolis in July, 1861. While living at Lafayette he had been a member of the local company of Guards, and this training and his efficiency as a soldier soon brought him more responsible duties. As captain, he was assigned the task of recruiting a bat- tery, which subsequently became the famous Eighteenth Indiana Battery. In two weeks the full battery was recruited, the officers selected, and it was mustered into service on the 20th of August, 1862. Although a boy in age and appearance, he soon displayed his eminent fitness and ability as a commander, and served with great distinction throughout the war. Colonel Lilly's military career was one of unusual interest, he having been a participant in some of the most strenuous and important campaigns of that great struggle, in all of which he and his men acquitted them- selves gallantly and with the greatest honor. Space forbids a detailed account of this military record, but the following ex- cerpts from a published account of the battery's career, by Lieu- tenant Campbell, of Crawfordsville, will be sufficient to show that its record was an exceptional one:
"The first day of active service in which the battery partici-
pated dispelled all doubts as to the ability and qualifications of the youthful captain. * * The rapid advance of the rebel army under Bragg and the retreat of Buell to Louisville, during the latter part of the summer of 1862, required all the raw troops to be hurried down to the Ohio river. In this hurried movement all his admirable qualities as an organizer and disciplinarian were developed. In the space of twenty-four hours he transferred a green lot of men who had never seen a piece of artillery, and harnessed and hitched a new lot of unbroken horses together for the first time into an effective battery ready for action. * * During the winter Colonel Lilly's battery was changed into a mounted battery. Four more guns were added, making it a ton- gun battery, and the entire connoand was attached to the famous Wilder's brigade of mounted infantry, and made a part of the Fourteenth Army Corps, under Gen. George Il. Thomas. The first severe engagement in which the Lilly battery participated was at Hoover's Gap, Tennessee, July 24, 1863, the first day of Rose- crans' strategie advance on Chattanooga. For four hours Colonel Lilly stubbornly held his battery on the brow of a hill and poured a triple charge of grape and canister into successive charges of two brigades of Clairborne's division, which vainly attempted to drive the Union troops out of the Gap. All the while the battery received the shot and shell from two batteries of six guns be- longing to the brigade opposing it. By deftly retiring the guns below the erest of the hill so the muzzles just cleared the greens- ward of the hill, he deceived the aim of the rebel batteries and greatly shielded his men from slaughter, as the rain of shot and shell tore up the earthwork on the erest of the slope. Colonel Lilly dismounted from his horse and was everywhere through the battery, directing the aim of his men and encouraging them, his presence inspiring confidence and courage. He frequently helped a tired powder boy carry np ammunition from the caisson. * *
"At noon, on the 21st day of Angust, 1863, Colonel Lilly's guns opened on the Confederate stronghold of Chattanooga right in the face of the whole of Bragg's army, and to the consternation and surprise of that great general himself, as the hasty removal of his headquarters afterwards testified. *
* * No shells were fired into the town, but the skill of the commander was de- voted to sinking two steamboats, the 'Dimbar' and the 'Paint- rock,' which were lying by the shore. This was successfully done
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after a half hour's firing, and the men of the brigade breathed easier as they saw the boats sink. * *
"In the battle of Chickamauga, which began about noon, Friday, September 18, at Alexander's bridge, Colonel Lilly's bat- tery fired the first shell on the advaneing army of Bragg, which was really the opening of the great battle known in history as Chickamauga. On the Saturday of the great battle Wilder's bri- gade and Colonel Lilly's battery formed part of the main line of battle on the right of the Fourteenth Corps. About three o'clock on the afternoon of that awful day Colonel Lilly did as daring a deed as ever took place in the history of the Army of the Cumber- land. In front of a part of Wilder's brigade and midway between the lines of the two contending armies ran a ditch parallel to the line of battle. The rebels would charge our lines, get as far as this ditch and then drop into it out of range of our fire, and our men could not dislodge them. Just after a very heavy fire of the enemy's lines and while this ditch was full of rebel soldiers, Colo- nel Lilly limbered two guns of his battery, galloped out to a point at the head of the ditch, where the guns could rake it from end to end, and opened out with triple charges of grape and canister down that ditch, dealing death and carnage with every shot. There stands today, on the battlefield of Chiekamanga, ou the identical spot occupied by this brave man, two cannon placed in position, to commemorate this act of bravery on that eventful day.
* * During the pursuit of Wheeler Colonel Lilly constantly pushed his command on the skirmish line, and when- ever the rebels made a stand his guns were always in position, and the boom of his cannon was the signal for a spontaneous charge. So much faith did the troops have in the effectiveness of his bat- tery that when the horses of the guns would give out by the road- side, the troopers of the brigade would dismount from their own horses and give them up for the use of the artillery in order to have the battery along with them."
At the battle of Massy Creek Colonel Tille performed a dar ing feat by recapturing one of his guns which had fallen into the enemy's hands. Through the winter of 1863 Captain Lilly oper- ated with General MeCook in Tennessee, doing splendid service for the Union eanse. Continuing his account, Lieutenant Camp- bell says: "During the two and a half years he (Lilly) was in command of the battery he was forty-one times under fire and
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was twice struck by bullets, but escaped with only slight wounds. During the spring of 1864 % * Colonel Lilly came home on a short leave of absence, when Governor Morton, recognizing the ability and dash of the young officer, tendered him the posi- tion of major of the Ninth Indiana Cavalry. This commission was accepted and he resigned his position as captain of the Eigh- teenth Indiana Battery and was mastered major of the Ninth Cavalry, April 1, 1864. December 24th of the same year he was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel. Colonel Lilly left his battery with profound regret, but under the then existing organization of the Indiana Batteries no promotion above a captain could be made, and he justly deserved a higher command and made the change on that account only. The battery reluctantly gave him up. His courage, ability and his devotion to his men had so en- deared him to their hearts that to the day of his death the love they then bore him lived in memory too deep to ever die out."
By the overwhelming forces of General Forrest and because of lack of ammunition, Major Lilly surrendered at Elk River, Tennessee, September 22, 1864, and for some months, until ex- changed, he and his men were held prisoners in Mississippi. At the close of the war he was in command at Port Gibson, that state.
After the conclusion of hostilities, Colonel Lilly remained in the South about a year, having leased a plantation and attempting the raising of cotton. His erop was practically a failure and at the same time his health failed, so that he was compelled to make a change. With seareely a dollar in his pocket, he came to In- dianapolis and became an employe of the wholesale drug house of H. Dailey & Company. Later he went to Paris, Illinois, and engaged in the drug business with a partner, his share of the capital being his skill and experience. In 1873 he returned to Indianapolis and, in a small room at the rear of the site now occu- pied by the Commercial Club building, he commenced, in a modest way, the manufacturing of medicines, using only the purest of drugs. Their high quality and the way they were put up proved pleasing to the trade and his business soon grew to large propor- tions, and continued growing until today the plant of the Eli Lilly & Company at Indianapolis is one of the largest of its kind in the world and the reputation of which has long since passed the bounds of the United States. One incident illustrates Colonel Lilly's quick comprehension and alertness in turning an idea to
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business advantage. Dr. J. Marion Sims told him of the rare medical qualities of a formula which Doctor MeDade, of Alabama, had discovered among the Indians. Hle at once sought out Doctor MeDade in Alabama, investigated the properties of the plant, and made a contract for a supply. A short time later Doctor MeDade, to his surprise, received an order for several thousand pounds of the plants. The medicine, through general prescription by physi- cians, has become a standard remedy and the success of the Lilly Company is dne more to that one preparation than to anything else. No one did as much as Colonel Lilly to revolutionize the methods of taking medicine, as he was among the first to perfect and introduce the capsule and the tablet, and thus removing the disagreeable features of taking medicine.
Colonel Lilly ever took a deep interest in the commercial and moral advancement of Indianapolis and was closely identified with many movements which made for its betterment along these lines. Thus, about the time of the discovery of natural gas in this state, he took a leading part in the creation of the Consumers Gas Trust and much of the success of that enterprise was directly due to his foresight and business tact, especially in the acquiring of gas territory. In 1890 he was instrumental in the organization of the Commercial CIub, the principal purpose of which was to push a campaign for a new city charter, improvement of the streets and the construction of a scientific system of drainage, which really marked the initiation of the modern era in Indianapolis. It was also largely due to Colonel Lilly's forethought and efforts that the Commercial Club erected its splendid building and thus be- came a permanent organization for the city's welfare.
In 1893 Colonel Lilly was general director in making ar- rangements for the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic at Indianapolis, and this was successfully conducted and without the usual deficit in the treasury, though in a bad panic year. From the time his means permitted him to do so, Colonel Lilly was a liberal donor to all charitable and benevolent objects, though very unostentatious in his benefactions. Several years prior to his death he and his wife established the Eleanor Hospital, in remembrance of an only daughter who died in child- hood.
Politically, Colonel Lilly was on national issues, after the war, aligned with the Republican party, but in local elections he
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was independent, supporting the men and measures that in his judgment the public interest demanded. Socially, he was a mem- ber of the George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Indiana division of the Loval Legion, also of the Com- mercial Club, and the Columbia Club. His religions affiliation was with Christ Episcopal church, of which he was a liberal sup- porter.
In 1860, at Greeucastle, Indiana, Eli Lilly was married to Emily Lemon, whose death ocenrred in 1865 during his unfor- tunate experience as a cotton planter in Mississippi. She was born in Greencastle in 1843 and was the daughter of Ineien and Margaret (Owen) Lemon. Lucien Lemon was a native of south- ern Indiana and became an early settler of Putnam county, be- coming a successful merchant at Greencastle. He was a man of considerable natural mental ability and was a great friend of George D. Prentice, of the Lonisville Journal. They frequently engaged in debates on the leading questions of the day, which were always very interesting and largely attended. Mr. Lemon died soon after the close of the Civil war, having been actively engaged in business up to the time of his death. His wife, who also was a native of southern Indiana, lived to an advanced age, her death occurring on a ranch where she resided in Modoe county, California. To Eli and Emily Lilly was born a son, Josiah K., on November 18, 1861. As soon as his education was completed he entered his father's business, but soon afterwards, in order to equip himself for his business specialty, he entered the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, where he graduated in 1882. ILe then took active charge of the Lilly laboratories and upon the death of his father he became the president of the company and its active manager. He was married at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1882, to Lilly M. Ridgely and they have two children, Eli and Josiah.
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