USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Memorial record of distinguished men of Indianapolis and Indiana > Part 11
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Frank Attenbach
With a business reputation that constituted in itself a most valuable asset, Mr. Ittenbach began operations under most favorable conditions, and though he was soon called from the stage of his mortal labors his name and the able interposition of his sons have proved factors in the upbuilding of a substantial and prosperous business, the same being still conducted under the original firm name. As a busi- ness man Mr. Ittenbach was diligent, progressive and energetic, and as a citizen he was loyal and public spirited. He was a stockholder in the Consumers' Gas Trust Company, was a member of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, and was identi- fied with the National Stone Contractors' Association, which body adopted appre- ciative resolutions at the time of his death, a copy of the same being forwarded to Mrs. Ittenbach. The text of this testimonial is as follows:
Whereas, It has pleased the all wise Ruler to remove from our midst our friend and associate, Frank Ittenbach, who died May 13, 1911, therefore be it
Resolved, That by such removal the association mourns the departure of a true friend and worthy and active member, and the community in which our friend has dwelt is deprived of a citizen of the highest type. Be it further
Resolved, That we herewith express and tender to his bereaved family and relatives our sincere sympathy, and further attest to the same by causing the spreading of these resolutions upon the minutes of the National Cut Stone Asso- ciation, and further request that a copy of these resolutions be conveyed to the family of our deceased friend and associate.
Sentiments of the highest esteem and of sincere regret for the loss of a valued member were passed by the local body of the Knights of Columbus, with which Mr. Ittenbach was prominently identified. He was well known in his native city and his kindliness, his generosity and his genial personality had won to him a host of staunch friends in the community. In politics he was not constrained by strict partisan lines, but gave his support to the men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment. He was a devout communicant of the Catholic church, as are also his widow and children, and was a member of the cathedral parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, memorial mass having been read in the cathedral on the 6th of July, 1911, under the special auspices of the Knights of Columbus. This organization placed on record the following memorial:
The Knights of Columbus, in union with all who knew him, honor the memory of our late Brother Frank Ittenbach, a man who, by his upright, clean and honora- ble life and sterling Catholic character, compelled the love and respect of all with whom he came in contact, and brought true success, both material and spiritual, into his life. A good citizen, a loving husband and father and a true Christian, the virtues of his life are left as a legacy to his family and an example worthy of emulation to his friends. May his soul rest in peace.
The home life of Mr. Ittenbach was characterized by the most gracious rela- tions of harmony, affection and community of love and devotion, so that to those who were thus nearest and dearest to him came the overflowing cup of loss and bereavement when he was called to the life eternal, but to them also comes the gracious benediction of abiding memory of his noble and generous thoughtfulness and consideration. On the 26th of September, 1883, in St. Mary's church, Indi- anapolis, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ittenbach to Miss Bertha Monninger, who was born and reared in Indianapolis, which has ever been her home and in which her circle of friends is coextensive with that of her acquaintances. She is a daugh-
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Frank Ittenbach
ter of Daniel and Adeline (Schwab) Monninger, who settled in Indianapolis many years ago, the father having long been a representative business man and being still a resident of the city which has been his home for so extended a period. He has attained to the venerable age of eighty years, and his cherished and devoted wife was summoned to the life eternal in August, 1905. Of their children one son and two daughters are living. Mrs. Ittenbach has resided in the immediate vicinity of the corner of St. Clair street and North Capitol avenue since her childhood days, when her father purchased the corner property. Upon her marriage her father gave to her the lot on which her present attractive residence is situated, the building itself having been erected for the young couple by her husband's father, and the location of the property being 733 North Capitol avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Ittenbach became the parents of three children, namely: Lillian M., who is the wife of Dr. John J. Briggs, a representative physician and surgeon of Indianapolis, and who has one child, Mildred C .; Cecelia A., the second daughter, remains with ber widowed mother; and Elmer J., the only son, likewise abides in the family home, the while he has the general supervision of the business established by his father. The business of Frank Ittenbach & Company has been incorporated under this title, and Elmer J. Ittenbach is president and treasurer of the company, in which his mother and younger sister own the remaining stock, his mother being vice-president. He is one of the representative young business men of his native city where he was born on the 25th of December, 1889, and where he is a popular factor in both business and social circles.
Daniel Monninger, deceased, was born at Alberswiler, Germany, August 14, 1836. He was educated in Germany, and came to the United States when about eighteen years of age, locating at Terre Haute, Indiana, where he had a brother. Soon afterward he came to Indianapolis and engaged in the piano business, having the agency for the Sohmer piano for a few years. Later he went into the saloon business on Kentucky avenue, where he continued for about forty years and with much success, conducting the cleanest place of its kind in the city. He was affec- tionately known as "Uncle Dan." He retired from business about eighteen years ago and his death occurred February 16, 1912. He lies buried at Crown Hill.
Mr. Monninger was very well known among the Germans. He bought property at the corner of St. Clair and North Capitol avenue; but North Capitol was then known as Tennessee street. He lived there over fifty years and there his death occurred. He married Adeline Schwab, who was born in Germany. She died at the age of sixty-eight and lies buried at Crown Hill. They had three children who are now living: Albert D. of Indianapolis; Mrs. Frank Ittenbach; Tillie, who married Edward J. Neumeyer, lives in Indianapolis.
ELIZABETH R. DICKINSON
JOHN C. DICKINSON
John C. Dickinson
BOUT three-quarters of a century ago John Cook Dickinson A established his home in Indianapolis, and as a young man at the virtual initiation of his business career he showed that he was not one who "despised the day of small things." He here began business on a modest scale, by opening and conducting a meat market, but he later turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in connection with which he developed a fine farm property near Indianapolis and gained through his well directed endeavors sub- stantial prosperity. A man who was in all things pure and upright, he never lacked the fullest measure of popular confidence and esteem. He continued to main- tain his residence in Indiana's capital city during the greater part of his life, and here he was summoned to eternal rest on the 4th of February, 1888. Concerning his life and service it may well be said, in the words of scriptural injunction: "And though thy beginnings be small, thy latter end shall greatly increase." Mr. Dickinson was known and honored in this section of the state which so long represented his home and to the development and upbuilding of which he contribu- ted his quota. His heart was attuned to sympathy, he had a high appreciation of his stewardship, and he was mindful of those "in any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body or estate," though his intrinsic modest and unselfish spirit caused him to avoid sedulously all praise or parade of kindly acts performed by him. He obeyed the admirable behest, "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." It is a matter for sincere gratification that in this memorial record con- cerning those who have honored and been honored by the city of Indianapolis it is possible to pay tribute to the sterling citizen whose name initiates this review.
John Cook Dickinson was of staunch English lineage and his ancestors in both the paternal and maternal lines came from England to America in the early colo- nial days, the names of both families having been closely linked with the history of New Jersey. Mr. Dickinson was born at Sharptown, Salem county, that state, on the 8th of November, 1806, and thus at the time of his death he had attained to the age of eighty-one years and nearly three months. He was the only child of Philemon and Abigail (Cook) Dickinson, both of whom were likewise natives of New Jersey, and he was but five years of age at the time of the death of both of his parents. He was reared in the home of his uncle, who was a farmer near Sharptown, New Jersey, and such were the exigencies of the time and place that his formal educational advantages were most limited in scope, being confined to a desultory attendance in the common schools, which were of somewhat primitive order. It was his, however, so to profit by the lessons gained through self-applica- tion and through discipline under that wise head-master, experience, that he be- came a man of broad and exact information, fine mentality and mature judgment.
Mr. Dickinson continued to be associated in the work and management of his uncle's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-nine years, when, in the
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John C. Dickinson
year 1835, he severed the ties that bound him to his native state and the friends of his youth and set forth to seek his fortunes in the west. The greater part of the long journey was made by stage-coach and Dayton, Ohio, which was then a mere village, figured as his destination. He remained in that place, however, only a short interval, at the expiration of which he came to Indiana and located in Indianapolis, the isolated capital city, which then had a population of less than two thousand. The settlement in this period was chiefly within a square or two of Washington street. Forest trees were still standing within this belt, though the greater portion of the timber had been cut from the mile square, the outlets being still forest. To the ambitious and self-reliant young easterner conditions must have seemed strange indeed, but it is certain that he was impressed with the possibilities and that he prepared to throw himself vigorously into the activities of the embryonic metropolis. He engaged in business by opening a meat market, but the lure of the great fundamental industry under whose influence he had been reared soon caused him to give his renewed allegiance thereto in a practical way but under pioneer conditions. He secured land near Indianapolis and developed the same from the wild state,-his contribution to the material advancement of this section having thus been one of no insignificant order. He eventually accumulated a large and valuable landed estate, principally in Marion county, and he continued to be actively identified with agricultural pursuits and allied enterprises until 1870, when impaired health compelled his retirement.
During the last decade and a half of his life Mr. Dickinson lived in serene and prosperous retirement in the city of Indianapolis, and here his death occurred on the 4th of February, 1888, as has already been noted. At the time of his demise he was known and honored as one of the most venerable pioneer citizens of the capital city, and in the community which he had long known and loved his circle of friends was limited only by that of his acquaintances. His was the strength of a loyal and noble nature, and his gentleness and kindliness were proverbial, the while he was marked by the unassuming way in which he bore himself and by his deep in- terest in all that tended to further the moral, civic and material welfare of the community. In politics Mr. Dickinson was originally aligned as an adherent of the Whig party, but he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued an ardent and intelligent supporter of its principles and policies. He gave his support to measures and en- terprises projected for the general good but never consented to permit the use of his name in connection with candidacy for public office of any kind. His character and life were dominated by the deepest Christian faith and fortitude, and he was one of the founders of what is now Fletcher Place Methodist Episcopal church. At the suggestion of his noble and gracious wife the original name of this church was adopted,-Asbury chapel, the title being given in honor of Bishop Asbury. Concerning this interesting matter further mention will be made in another para- graph. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson continued to be numbered among the most devo- ted and zealous members of this religious body for many years and their connec- tion therewith ceased only when the silver cord of their lives was loosened by death. He held many official positions in the church, including that of trustee, and was ever instant in good works in the various departments of church activity. He was affiliated with a local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but, as even the slight revelation here given of his nature and character must imply, he found
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John C. Dickinson
his greatest pleasure and happiness in the sanctuary of his home, whose solidarity was ever of ideal order.
On the 5th of November, 1844, in Indianapolis, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Dickinson to Miss Elizabeth R. Tully, and during the long years of their wedded life their devoted companionship and mutual sympathy were never marred, as their hopes and ambitions and love were in common and of sublimated order. The gracious relations were severed after a period of forty-four years by the death of Mr. Dickinson, and his companion and helpmeet, thus called upon to drink from the chalice of bitter sorrow, was sustained and comforted to her life's end by abiding Christian faith and by the hallowed memories of the past. She was born near Cyn- thiana, Kentucky, on the 7th of April, 1814, and was a child at the time of the fam- ily removal to Cincinnati, Ohio, whence her parents later came to Indiana and lo- cated in Fayette county, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Dick- inson was thus reared in Ohio and Indiana and she came to Indianapolis in 1833, in company with her sister, Mrs. Samuel Beck. She was the youngest of the three children of James and Lucy (Robinson) Tully, the former a native of Delaware and the latter of Virginia. Mrs. Dickinson was a woman of marked intellectuality, fine literary attainments and most gentle and gracious personality, so that she naturally assumed a prominent place in the representative social activities of the little town which she was destined to see develop into the metropolis of a great state. This status she long maintained and after she had attained to remarkably venerable age there were many, both old and young, who delighted in her company and in paying her honor. She was ninety-six years of age at the time of her death, which occurred at the fine old family homestead, at 619 North Pennsylvania street, on the 18th of April, 1910. Thus passed away one of the most noble and venerable of the pioneer women of Indiana, and her memory is revered by all who had come within the sphere of her gracious influence. From an appreciative article which appeared in the In- dianapolis News at the time of the death of Mrs. Dickinson are taken the following extracts: "She has belonged to the Methodist church for seventy-six years, was a charter member of the Meridian Street church, and went with the members of that congregation to become a charter member of Roberts Park church. Later she was a charter member of what is now Fletcher Place church. She named the latter church Asbury Chapel, after Bishop Asbury, but when the Fletcher family gave a large sum of money and also ground to the chapel the name was changed to the Fletcher Place church. She was a woman of many individual charities. While she had outlived her contemporaries, she had a wide circle of devoted friends, and maintained her mental activities until the last, taking an interest in the general subjects of the day." In conclusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson: Misses Jennie and Alice E. remain in the old home- stead on Pennsylvania street; Kate is the wife of George T. Carr, who is engaged in the manufacturing business at Wabash, Indiana, and they have three children, Morris, Harry and Louise, the latter two of whom remain at the parental home and Morris, who is married, being now a resident of Peru, this state.
If I Markington
Talilliam Simeon Reeves Tarkington
E KNEW the joy of living and imparted that knowledge to all H whom he met in his journey through life. He was a purveyor of sunshine and that kind of helpfulness and sympathy that touched and understood all ages and traditions-all life. He was a lover of humanity and understood the great word-broth- erhood." In the above significant words one who knew and loved the late William Simeon Reeves Tarkington paid a tribute after he had passed from the scene of life and this sentiment found an echo in hundreds of hearts who mourned not only a hearty comrade and loyal friend, but an example of good citizenship and a leader in those things which go to make the world brighter and happier. He was born November 5, 1841, at Liberty, Indiana, and died at his home in Indianapolis, July 20, 1904. He was the fifth in order of birth in a family of seven children, his parents being Rev. Joseph and Maria (Slauson) Tarkington.
Rev. Joseph Tarkington was born in Williamson county, Tennessee, his parents being North Carolina people. He united with the Methodist Episcopal church in early manhood and became one of the pioneer ministers in that faith in Indiana and was the organizer of the Ames Methodist church on the south side of the city. In 1851 he retired to a large farm in the environs of Greensburg, having previously lived at Liberty, Indiana, and spent the closing years of his life on that farm. He married Maria Slauson, who was born in New York, her parents being natives of Connecticut. They had four sons and three daughters, and all of the sons served in the Civil war and but one survives, Hon. John S., of Indianapolis. Mary, the eldest daughter, is the wife of John Alexander, of Greensburg, Indiana. Martha A. is the wife of the late Daniel Stewart, of Indianapolis. Dr. Joseph A. and Simpson M. are deceased.
William S. R. Tarkington was ten years old when his parents moved to near Greensburg and there he attended the public schools. Being musical he joined a local band and thus, when the Civil war broke out and his relatives and comrades went into the army, he enlisted in the Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a drummer boy, the late William C. Tarkington, his uncle and later his father-in- law, being commissary of the regiment. It was through the influence of his uncle that the youth was transferred to the commissary department, in which he served until 1863, when he retired from the army on account of failing health and returned to Greensburg. After a period of recuperation he was ready for active business again and came to Indianapolis, where he was connected for six years with official railroad affairs and then was appointed by President Grant an inspector of U. S. Gaugers. After eighteen years in the employ of the government, in 1887 Mr. Tark- ington became connected with the Daniel Stewart Drug Company, of Indianapolis, Mr. Stewart being his brother-in-law. He became widely known throughout the country, particularly in the west, through his superintendency of the glass depart-
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William Simeon Reebes Tarkington
ment of the company. Although this branch of business was a new one to him, he brought his energy and ability to assist him, mastered it and soon brought the glass department of the business to the front and continued with the firm until the close of his life. Without doubt his personality was a large factor in his business success. Men admire ruggedness and emulate courage, but they love sincerity, kindness, unfailing sympathy and friendliness, and Colonel Tarkington possessed all the qualities that go to make up the finest type of man.
On June 2, 1870, William S. R. Tarkington was married to Miss Helena S. Tarkington, his cousin and a daughter of William C. and Eliza K. (Foster) Tark- ington. Captain William C. Tarkington was born at Edwardsport, Knox county, Indiana, and died at Indianapolis, July 19, 1895, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was the youngest born in a family of eleven sons and one daughter. He en- gaged in the banking business at Bloomington, Indiana, and resided there at the period of his daughter Helena's birth, and became one of the large wholesale dry goods merchants of Indianapolis. At the time that the Civil war was declared he was a member of the Indiana legislature and he was appointed commissary of the Seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry by Governor Morton and served in that office for three and one-half years. Other offices of responsibility were tendered him and he served as secretary to the Governor and also as county clerk and county recorder, in 1882 receiving the largest vote cast on that ticket. He was the first president of the Indianapolis Board of Trade, when it combined all mercantile interests. From early manhood he had been identified with the Masons, for some years was an official in the Knights of Pythias organization, and was a member of the G. A. R. and of the Union Veteran League. For a number of years he was one of the regents of the Indiana State University at Bloomington and it was largely through his efforts that it was made a permanent and successful institution. He was a consistent member of St. Paul's Episcopal church.
Captain William C. Tarkington married Eliza K. Foster, who was born in Som- erset county, Maryland, and was thirteen years old when she accompanied her parents to Indiana. Her father, Dr. W. C. Foster, was a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in which city he was born. He established himself at Bloomington, Indiana, and became a prominent man and physician and in 1850 was chosen as one of the framers of the state constitution. His death occurred at Bloomington, in 1866, the father of nine children, namely: Mary J., who is deceased, was the wife of O. F. Baker; Helena S., who is the widow of W. S. R. Tarkington; William W., who is deceased; Cornelia, who is deceased, was the wife of Robert H. Crum; Eliza M., who is the widow of Arthur C. Brigham, residing at Indianapolis; Joseph E., who has been connected with the postoffice in this city for twenty-three years; Robert F., who is a resident of Seattle, Washington; Jesse C., deceased, and Ranson A.
No children were born to Colonel Tarkington and wife, but following the death of Mrs. Tarkington's two sisters their two daughters and one son found in the uncle and aunt the love and care that circumstances deprived them in the course of nature, and all three survived the uncle, who had been a real father to them. Helena T. Crum, the eldest, is the wife of Edward P. Lawrence and resides at Lincoln, Illi- nois. Frances T. Crum occupies a responsible position as the head of the reference department in the Indianapolis Public Library. The nephew, Tarkington Baker, resides in this city and married Myla J. Closser. Mrs. Tarkington is a member
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William Simeon Reebes Tarkington
of the Daughters of the American Revolution through her ancestor, Silas Foster, who was a captain in the Continental navy.
Colonel Tarkington, by which title he was generally known, was a prominent Scottish Rite Mason, a member of the G. A. R. and of the Sons of the Revolution. His burial was conducted by the Scottish Rite Masons at Crown Hill.
On account of its country-wide reputation and because of Colonel Tarkington's prominent association with it and pleasure in this connection, some mention seems fitting concerning a musical club with which he was identified for a number of years, an illusion to which will stir the memories of many of this city's leading men. This was the Bald Headed Glee Club, of which he was one of the original members. It grew out of a campaign club organized in 1884 and was reorganized in 1888 as the Baldheaded Club and it is still in existence. The club visited many sections and created interest all over the country by its singing and particularly its connection with the G. A. R. encampment at Washington, D. C., in 1892 was a source of pleasure to Mr. Tarkington as long as he lived.
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