USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Memorial record of distinguished men of Indianapolis and Indiana > Part 28
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Irwin Robbins
His remains were taken to the old home of the family at Greensburg and were laid to rest beside those of his father and mother.
At Greensburg, Indiana, on the 19th of April, 1861, was solemnized the mar- riage of General Robbins to Miss Cassandra Cobb, who was born and reared in that vicinity and who is a daughter of R. R. and Amazette (Morgan) Cobb, who were numbered among the honored pioneers of Decatur county, where they continued to reside until their death and where the father owned the farm on which is now located the fine orphans' home maintained by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Indiana. Mr. Cobb was born in Vermont and his wife in Indi- ana, where her parents settled in a very early day. General and Mrs. Robbins became the parents of five children, concerning whom the following brief record is given: Norman died at the age of two years; Walter Scott is identified with the manufacturing business which was founded by his father, as is also E. Guy; Ida M. and Albert Wood are twins, the former being now the wife of Dr. P. F. Campbell, a representative physician of Indianapolis, and Albert W. being one of the executive principals in the business founded by his father.
Mrs. Robbins still resides in the fine old homestead at 12 West North street and has long been prominent in the best social life of the community. The sub- stantial brick house which is her home was erected by her husband forty years ago, and in its perfection of every detail, it bears evidence of the thoroughness and discrimination of General Robbins, who in this, as in all other things, believed that whatever was worth doing was worth doing well. The house is the oldest in this section of the city and the locality was but sparsely built up at the time it was erected, the district being now one of the most attractive residence sections of the beautiful capital city. Mrs. Robbins is a zealous member of the Christian church and in view of her husband's activities in military affairs it is specially interesting to record that she also has found much satisfaction in identifying her- self with such a noteworthy organization as the Woman's Relief Corps of George H. Thomas Post, Grand Army of the Republic. She was the principal factor in effecting the organization of this corps, more than a quarter of a century ago, and the same was the first to be organized in the state. She was its first president and could have retained the office indefinitely had she consented to heed the be- hests of her sister members, but she believed the correct policy was the calling of different members to office from year to year and thus she declined to become a candidate for re-election. She is a woman of most gracious social qualities and is held in affectionate regard by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle influence.
Charles I. Holstein
CAREER that was specially distinguished in many phases was that of the late Charles L. Holstein, who held precedence as A one of the really eminent members of the Indiana bar and who for a time was one of the representative members of his pro- fession in the city of Chicago. He was a valiant and gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war and his life as a whole was marked by large and worthy accomplishment, the while his character was the positive expression of a strong and noble nature. He was possessed of fine intellectual powers and attained to no little reputation in the field of literature. He passed the closing years of his life in Indianapolis, where his death occurred on the 22d of January, 1901. In offering in this publication a tribute to his memory recourse will be taken largely, but without formal marks of quotation, to a most appreciative sketch of his career written by General Fred- erick Knefler was published in the "Bench and Bar of Indiana."
Charles Louis Holstein was born at Madison, the judicial center of Jefferson county, Indiana, on the 26th of January, 1843, and was a son of C. Louis and Emily Holstein. His father was born and reared in Germany and was a scion of one of the old and honored families of that great empire. In 1837 he immi- grated to America, and he became one of the pioneer business men and influential citizens of Madison, Indiana, in which state he and his wife passed the residue of their lives, the latter having been born at Madison, this state, of French parent- age. After availing himself of the advantages of the common schools of his nat- ive town, Mr. Holstein entered Hanover College, in his home county, and there continued his studies for two years. He then, in September, 1858, was matricu- lated in the Kentucky Military Institute, at Frankfort, and in this institution he distinguished himself for diligence in all of his studies, with the result that he ranked first as a star cadet in a class of fifty members. He had entered his junior year in this institute at the time when the Civil war was precipitated upon the nation, and soon afterward the institution was closed, in order that its cadets might follow their inclinations and enter military service in the armies of either the north or the south. The majority of the students were of southern birth and thus naturally, and with very few exceptions, they enlisted in defense of the cause of the Confederacy. Mr. Holstein, then a lad of seventeen years, was thoroughly imbued with Union sentiments, and he hurried to his home in Madison, and, contrary to the advice of his parents and friends and against their earnest protests, made on account of his youth, he was one of the first to enlist at Madison for service in the Union ranks. The company of which he thus became a member was formally attached soon afterward to the Sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel T. T. Crittenden. Notwithstanding the extreme youth of Mr. Holstein, Colonel Crittenden recognized the advantage of his military education and appointed him sergeant major of the regiment, which at once set
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Charles L. Dolstein
forth for Virginia, where it participated in the movements of the opening cam- paign of the war. Here Mr. Holstein was distinguished by his untiring zeal in the scouting service, which was organized of volunteers, in the absence of cavalry. Upon the expiration of the term for which the Sixth Indiana had been enlisted Mr. Holstein, in recognition of his meritorious service in the same, was appointed first lieutenant and adjutant of the Twenty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel Jefferson C. Davis. In this position he discharged his duties in such satisfactory manner that when Colonel Davis, known as one of the most exacting of officers, was promoted to brigadier general he appointed Lieu- tenant Holstein his acting adjutant general, a position in which the latter was retained when General Davis assumed command of a division. As the incumbent of the office noted, Mr. Holstein participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and was mentioned in official reports for conspicuous gallantry on the field and for other meritorious and distinguished services. After the battle mentioned he was re- commended for promotion to the office of lieutenant colonel of the Twenty-second Indiana, in place of Lieutenant Colonel Hendricks, deceased, but owing to his youth and other influences he was not appointed. After this he participated, as acting assistant adjutant general in General Davis' division, in the campaigns in Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. In October, 1862, he was tendered the commission of major of the Twenty-second Indiana Infantry, but he declined and continued his service with General Davis, upon whose recommendation President Lincoln appointed him assistant adjutant gen- eral of volunteers, with the rank of captain, and assigned him to duty with the division commanded by General Davis. He thus continued in service until the latter part of the year 1863. After he had been recommended by General Davis and other officers of rank in the division for the command of a regiment, Gover- nor Morton, of Indiana, declined to make this appointment, on account of the extreme youth of Mr. Holstein. Having now seen nearly three years of active service and discerning no prospect of promotion, Mr. Holstein, whose health had become much impaired, resigned from the service and returned to his home at Madison, the while he bore the assurance of sincere good will and wishes for his success on the part of all with whom he had come in contact during his career as a gallant and faithful soldier of the Union. General Davis told General Knefler, who contributed the sketch of the career of Mr. Holstein to the "Bench & Bar of In- diana," that he knew of no young man who entered the army from civil life who adapted himself better to all the exigencies of a military career in time of war than Mr. Holstein, whose retirement from the service he greatly regretted, as he was em- inently qualified for the same. General Davis also took occasion to deprecate the idea that important commands should be withheld from young officers on account of their youth when they were possessed of other qualifications eminently fitting them for such responsibilities in the field.
After the close of his military career Mr. Holstein again entered Hanover Col- lege, in which he completed the prescribed academic course and was graduated. To further his education and fit himself for the profession of law, for which he ex- hibited much aptitude, he then entered the law school of Harvard University, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1866, after completing the reg- ular curriculum. In the latter part of the same year he came to Indianapolis and entered the offices of the representative law firm of Hendricks, Hord & Hendricks,
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Charles I. Holstein
of which the late Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, former vice-president of the United States, was the leading member. In the autumn of 1868 he formed a professional partnership with Hon. Byron K. Elliott, who later became one of the most dis- tinguished judges of the Indiana supreme court, and this alliance continued until Judge Elliott was elected to the bench of the Marion criminal court. Thereafter Mr. Holstein continued in individual practice of a general order, and with marked suc- cess, until August, 1871, when the attorney general of the United States appointed him assistant to General Thomas M. Browne, the United States district attorney of Indiana. His official duties did not demand his entire time, and in January, 1874, Mr. Holstein became a member of the law firm of Hanna & Knefler, the title of which was thereupon changed to Hanna, Knefler & Holstein. The junior member of the original firm was General Knefler, who later wrote the appreciative tribute from which many of the data for this memoir are taken. With this firm Mr. Hol- stein continued in active practice until compelled to sever his connection with the same in order to devote, in his official capacity, his entire attention to the prosecu- tion of celebrated whiskey-conspiracy cases, in which he made a most admirable record as a representative of the legal department of the government. His untiring and able efforts contributed greatly to the successful results in convicting the of- fenders and elicited the well merited commendation of the governmental depart- ment of justice, with the further and incidental result of placing Mr. Holstein in the front ranks of his profession in Indiana, his achievement in this connection hav- ing been rare indeed for so young a member of the bar. So well did Mr. Holstein perform his duties in these prosecutions of the conspiracy cases in Indiana that upon their conclusion the attorney general of the United States, in recognition of the valuable services rendered, complimented him by the appointment as principal counsel for the government in similar prosecutions at New Orleans,-a gratifying distinction which Mr. Holstein was compelled to decline, by reason of the fact that his arduous labors in connection with the prosecution of the Indiana cases had made severe inroads on his health. He continued with marked success his duties as assistant district attorney in the prosecution of numerous counterfeiting, revenue and national-bank cases in the district court until the death of Colonel Nelson Trus- sler, the district attorney, in February, 1880, when, in well merited recognition of his ability and previous effective services, he was appointed United States attorney for the district of Indiana, this preferment being given by President Hayes, upon the recommendaton of the national department of justice. He was continued in this important office by President Arthur and remained the incumbent until the change of national administration by the election of President Cleveland. He discharged the duties of his office with conspicuous ability and retired from office in 1885. He then resumed the general practice of his profession in Indianapolis, where he re- mained until 1887, when he removed to the city of Chicago and entered the promi- nent law firm of Flower, & Remey, which by his accession became the firm of Flower, Remy & Holstein. This representative firm thereafter enjoyed a large and Incra- tive practice and Mr. Holstein appeared in connection with a large amount of im- portant litigation in the state and federal courts in the great western metropolis. In 1890 he retired from the firm and returned to Indianapolis, where he entered into a professional alliance with Charles Barrett, under the firm name of Holstein & Barrett. Here he continued in practice, with ever increasing success and honors, until the close of his life, his death having occurred on the 22d of January, 1901,
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Charles I. Holstein
as has previously been noted in this review. In the appreciative estimate pre- pared by his former partner and valued friend, General Knefler, appear the follow- ing statements, which touch another phase of the character of Mr. Holstein: "He was much esteemed by his friends as a poet of more than ordinary talent. In his leisure moments, when not absorbed by professional business, he found time to cul- tivate the muses, and some of his productions are gems of poetical genius. Among them are those entitled "Richard W. Thompson" and "The Drums."
In politics Mr. Holstein was ever a staunch and effective advocate of the prin- ciples and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, but he had no desire for public office save that in direct line with the profession in which he achieved such marked distinction and precedence. He was a member of the Pres- byterian church, as is also his widow, who still resides in Indianapolis, and was iden- tified with the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the Republic.
On the 17th of December, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Holstein to Miss Magdalene V. Nickum, daughter of the late John R. Nickum. Mrs. Hol- stein has long been a popular factor in the social life of Indianapolis and resides in the fine old homestead of her parents, at 528 Lockerbie street, one of the most quiet and beautiful residence thoroughfares in the heart of Indiana's capital city.
John R. Rickum
HERE is no need of conjecture or uncertainty in determining as to the value of the life and labors of the late John R. Nickum, T who maintained his home in Indianapolis for forty years and who long held prestige as one of the city's representative busi- ness men. He was a pioneer in the establishing of high-grade bakery facilities in the capital city and was for many years actively identified with this line of enterprise, the while his sterling character gained and retained to him secure place in the confidence and re- gard of the community. Succumbing to the inroads of Bright's disease, he was sum- moned to the life eternal on the 16th of December, 1902, at the venerable age of eighty-one years, his death occurring at the fine old homestead, at 528 Lockerbie street, where now resides his only surviving child, Mrs. Charles L. Holstein.
John R. Nickum was born at Middletown, Frederick county, Maryland, on the 29th of September, 1821, and was a son of Peter and Elizabeth (Young) Nickum, representatives of sterling old families of that state. The subject of this memoir gained his rudimentary education in his native place and was a lad of eleven years at the time of the family removal to Dayton, Ohio, where he was reared to adult age and where he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the period, his parents continuing as residents of the Buckeye state until their death. In his boyhood and early youth Mr. Nickum found employment in connection with various lines of activity and thus early learned the lessons of practical industry. He was energetic, ambitious and economical and finally was enabled to engage in the manufacturing of and wholesale dealing in crackers at Dayton, where he continued to reside until 1862, when he came to Indianapolis and associated himself with Horace Parrott in the opening of a bakery and confectionery store on Pennsylvania street, between Washington and Market streets, in the old Aetna Building. Concerning this initial enterprise of Mr. Nickum in Indianapols the followng statements were made in the Indianapolis News at the time of his death: "While in Dayton he con- ducted one of the largest bakeries in the city, and when he came here he saw at once the financial possibilities of a bakery in supplying the soldiers of the Civil war as well as the people of the city. This was the first 'reel-oven' bakery in the state and was conducted under the firm name of Nickum & Parrott. They supplied the government with hard-tack and other provisions and made considerable money. After a few years the firm dissolved partnership but soon reunited under the name of Parrott & Nickum. Until 1885 the firm continued in business, then Mr. Nickum sold his interest and the enterprise was continued as the Parrott-Taggart bakery." It may further be said that during the progress of the war Nickum & Parrott had a contract with the government to furnish bread and hard-tack to the troops at Camp Morton, and that when the war closed they disposed of their retail store and re- moved to East Washington street, where they developed a large and prosperous wholesale business in the manufacturing and sale of crackers, the firm name at this
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John R. Rickum
time having been changed to Parrott & Nickum, as Mr. Parrott was the elder of the two principals. After he disposed of his interest in the substantial business which he had so materially assisted in building up, Mr. Nickum lived virtually retired until his death, as he had accumulated a competency.
Mr. Nickum was known as a loyal and progressive citizen and as a man whose course was ordered upon the highest plane of integrity and honor. He was kindly and charitable, tolerant in his judgment and ever ready to aid those in affliction or distress. Though he was not formally identified with any religious organization, he was a firm believer in the tenets of the Christian faith and was one who observed at all times the admonition of the Golden Rule. In the Masonic fraternity he was an appreciative and valued member of the various York and Scottish Rite bodies in his home city and in the latter branch of the great fraternity he attained to the thirty-second degree. He was identified with Raper Commandery, Knights Temp- lars, and also with Murat Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, besides which he was a charter member of the first lodge of Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Dayton, Ohio. In politics, though never mani- festing any desire for public office, he was aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. In 1872 he erected the attractive residence now oc- cupied by his daughter, at 528 Lockerbie street, and there both he and his cherished and devoted wife continued to maintain their home until their death. His funeral was held on the fifty-ninth anniversary of his marriage and his remains rest beside those of his wife in Crown Hill cemetery, his loved companion and helpmeet having survived him by less than two years, as she was summoned to eternal rest on the 5th of July, 1904.
In the year 1843, at Dayton, Ohio, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nickum to Miss Charlotte Spangler Davis, who was born at Zanesville, that state, on the 1st of May, 1822, and whose parents, John and Nancy (Lane) Davis, were numbered among the sterling pioneers of Ohio, where they continued to reside until their death. Mrs. Nickum was a genuine Daughter of the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Nickum became the parents of two children, the first of whom, Caroline, died in infancy. The surviving child, Magdalene, is the widow of Charles L. Holstein, and she still resides in the old homestead, as has already been noted, while she has long been a gracious factor in the representative social activities of the city that has been her home from her childhood days. She is a member of the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and holds membership in the Second Presbyterian church.
Herman Frederick Wlilliam Brandes
URING his life time one of the best known and most popular mer- D chants in Indianapolis was Herman F. W. Brandes, a type of the sort of which we possess only too few. He was a man who never allowed personal advantage to militate against what he consid- ered his duty. He was entirely independent in both thought and speech, inheriting from his German ancestry the ability to reason calmly, and not to be easily stirred by the enthusiasm of others. He never made hasty decisions, and was not of vacillating turn of mind; in short, he possessed to an extreme degree that stability which won him the trust of so many peo- ple. He was a successful business man, but he cared much more for the fact that he was considered a valuable friend.
Herman Brandes was born in Hanover, Germany, in January, 1861. His father was Conrad Brandes and his mother was Mary Catherine Brandes. His father had a large general store in the bustling city, and here the boy learned the mercantile business. Everything was sold in this store, which might be likened to a modern department store, and it took a master merchant to make such a business successful. Herman Brandes, therefore, owed his success in part not only to the training that he received from his father, but to the inherited ability to conduct this kind of a business that came to him from this same father. He received his educa- tion in Hanover and he was well taught, for the schools of Hanover were good even at that early date.
When Herman was about nineteen the event which was to change his whole future life occurred. His aunt, Mrs. Frederick Ruskaup, came to visit her family in Germany from the strange country across the seas, whose newness had not yet worn off to these German cities centuries old. She persuaded her nephew to return with her, so he came to Indianapolis. His parents both remained in Germany and there died. Mr. Ruskaup, his aunt's husband, had a store in Indianapolis, and the boy, with his fine training, became a valuable assistant in this store. After working here for a few years he had saved enough money to go into business for himself. His first venture was a grocery store, which was located on Shelby street, and here he remained for several years. Patronage came to him rapidly, not because he adver- tised, for at first this was impossible, but because of the intrinsic merit of the ar- ticles he put on sale. He built up a reputation that followed him when he moved a few years later to a store on Prospect street. This store, which consisted of rooms for stores and living rooms, he erected himself, and here he continued in business until his death, on the 17th of June, 1901. He was scarcely yet in his prime, and had not been given a fair chance to show what he could do, so it is not possible to say how great a measure of success would have been his had he lived. Had he gone on and increased his business in the ratio at which it was growing when he died he would have soon outgrown the place of business which he then occupied. His burial, which took place at Crown Hill, was largely attended, showing how high he
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Derman Frederick William Brandes
stood in the estimation of his fellowmen. During the eight years of Cleveland's administration he had charge of the branch post office, located in his store.
He was a member of the Democratic party, and, though not caring for the emol- uments of office, was quietly enthusiastic in the cause of the party. He did not care for lodges or clubs, preferring to find his recreation with his family. He was a member and supporter of Zion church.
He was married on the 23d of October, 1889, to Miss Lena Kattau. She is the daughter of Frederick and Catherina Kattau, who were both natives of Germany, and both spent all of their lives there. Mrs. Brandes was born in Germany, but came to United States when she was a young girl of seventeen. It is not only the men who come to this country without a penny in their pockets and started life on practically nothing who are heroes. Many of our finest housewives and mothers came to this country with only a vague idea of what they would do on their arrival. They are heroines as well as the brothers and husbands are heroes. Mrs. Brandes came to Cincinnati, and there she lived until ber marriage. After her husband's death she sold the stock but retained the property, which she rents very profitably. She and Mr. Brandes became the parents of three children, two of whom died in infancy. The remaining son, Raymond, was born on the 16th of April, 1894. He lives with his mother in their handsome home at the corner of Thirteenth and Broadway streets. A few years ago Mrs. Brandes took her son back to her old home in Germany, and now he is a student at the Manual Training high school. Mrs. Brandes is a member of Zion church.
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