USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Memorial record of distinguished men of Indianapolis and Indiana > Part 32
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
The state school buildings at Cold Water, Michigan, and three of the finest court houses in Indiana, namely, Winchester, Noblesville and Richmond, were erec- ted by him. Among other large contracts he had at Richmond were those for the first group of buildings of the Eastern Indiana Insane Asylum, which numbered eighteen in all. He was the contractor and builder of the first group of buildings of the Soldiers' Home at Lafayette.
In 1900 he removed to Indianapolis, where he spent the remainder of his life. About this time he retired from active life and spent much of his time looking after his fruit farm in Georgia. He died in Indianapolis on the fifth of March, 1906.
The following is an extract from the death notice which appeared in the Indi- anapolis News, March 7, 1906:
"The funeral of A. G. Campfield, who died at his home in North Alabama street,
377
378
Aaron Genung Campfield
was held this afternoon at the home. His death was due to a stroke of apoplexy. He had been a resident of this city for the last six years. He was a contractor and builder for more than thirty-five years."
On the 8th of May, 1859, Mr. Campfield married Miss Caroline Ross, who, like her husband, was born in Morris county, New Jersey. She was a daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Dickerson) Ross. Her paternal grandfather, Hugh Ross, came from Scotland, and was one of the early settlers of New Jersey. Her mother was of German descent.
Mr. Campfield was the father of four children,-Bertha M., who lives with her mother in the residence in Park avenue which Mrs. Campfield built after her hus- band's death; Aaron G., who died in infancy; Alta, who lived to be only twenty- seven; and Arabella, the wife of Charles E. Ozier, of Mansfield, Ohio,-and two grandchildren, Eugene and Helen Ozier.
Talilliam D. Fishback
GREAT soul and a great mind had indwelling in the mortal tene- ment of the late William Pickney Fishback, who was one of A the distinguished representatives of the legal profession in Indi- diana and who left a deep impress upon the history of this state. A man of fine intellectual attainments and most gracious per- sonality, he was distinct in individuality, and that individuality was the positive expression of a noble nature and a sterling character. In offering in this memorial edition a brief review of the career of this honored citizen, recourse will be taken largely, and without formal indications of quotation, to an appreciative estimate given by one who had made a careful study of his life history and who was familiar with the elements and conditions which made him a truly great man.
William P. Fishback was born at Batavia, Clermont county, Ohio, on the 11th of November, 1831, and was a scion of one of the honored pioneer families of the old Buckeye state. As a boy he gained his full quota of experience in connection with the sturdy work of the farm and later he was employed at grinding tanbark in a local tanyard for a period of four years. In the meanwhile he had not been denied the advantages of the pioneer schools of his native county, and the disci- pline thus gained served to quicken his appreciation and ambition, with the result that he determined to secure more liberal education. He was for some time a student in Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, and later continued his studies in Farmers College at College Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio. In this latter institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1852. After due preliminary discipline under the effective preceptorship of his honored father, Judge Owen T. Fishback, one of the leading jurists and lawyers of Clermont county, he was admitted to the bar of his native state and became associated with his father in the practice of his profession at Batavia, the judicial center of Clermont county. His ability and personal popularity soon gained to him definite recognition, as he was elected prose- cuting attorney of the county, an office of which he continued the efficient and val- ued incumbent for two years, within which he added materially to his professional reputation.
In 1857 Mr. Fishback came to Indianapolis, and that he forthwith impressed upon the community his professional ability and his integrity of purpose is shown by the fact that a year later he was elected, on the Republican ticket, to the office of prosecuting attorney of Marion county. His administration was marked by most effective service and the popular appreciation of the same was manifested in his election as his own successor two years later, so that he retained the office four successive years. Soon after establishing his home in Indianapolis Mr. Fish- back formed a professional alliance with Hamilton Conner, with whom he was associated in practice, under the firm name of Conner & Fishback, until 1861, when he was appointed agent for the United States in the payment of
379
380
William P. Fishback
pensions. He retained this position three years and in the meanwhile he formed a law partnership with the late General Benjamin Harrison, former presi- dent of the United States, who had been a fellow student in Miami University. After a short time Albert J. Porter became a member of the firm, and thereafter the large and representative professional business of the firm was continued under the title of Porter, Harrison & Fishback until 1870, when Mr. Fishback retired and purchased an interest in the Indianapolis Journal. He assumed the position of editor-in-chief and continued in tenure of the same until 1872, when he disposed of his interest in this newspaper enterprise and removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he purchased an interest in the St. Louis Democrat, of which he was asso- ciate editor for the ensuing two years. He returned to Indianapolis in 1874, and here resumed the active practice of his profession, in which he again became asso- ciated with Albert J. Porter. This effective alliance was dissolved on the 12th of December, 1877, and Mr. Fishback was appointed clerk and master in chancery of the United States courts for the district of Indiana. In the same year Mr. Porter was appointed, by President Hayes, to the office of comptroller of the United States treasury. Mr. Fishback retained until his death the important federal office of clerk and master in chancery, and his administration of his duties has passed on record as one of exceptional ability and discrimination. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and Thirty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but he was soon afterward appointed a government pension agent, as already noted, and thus did not see much of active military service.
Mr. Fishback was specially influential in effecting the organization of the Indi- ana Law School, which is now the law department of the University of Indianapolis. In connection with his work for this admirable institution he became known to many of the representative members of the bar of the state and many students who later attained to distinction in the legal profession here and elsewhere. His inter- est in the law school was prompted especially by his earnest desire to aid and en- courage young men who were preparing themselves for the profession of which he himself was a member, and many such young men today acknowledge a deep debt of gratitude to him for his kindly counsel and consideration in the days when they were struggling to gain their professional foothold. He was regarded by the mem- bers of his profession in general as a man of profound legal learning, broad intel- lectual ken and keen perceptions, and he was acknowledged to be an important fac- tor in the practical and educational work of his profession in his home city and state, the while his high appreciation of the dignity and responsibility of his profes- sion combined with his sterling attributes of character to gain and retain to him the inviolable esteem and confidence of those with whom he came in contact in the vari- ous relations of life. The late General Benjamin Harrison paid a sincere tribute to Mr. Fishback at the time of the latter's death, and the same is well worthy of perpet- uation in this connection:
I have known Mr. Fishback for a little more than fifty years. We entered Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, together, in 1850, and became inmates of the same boarding house. From that time until his death there was an increasing inti- macy between us, and for some years we were partners in the practice of law. His death takes from me the oldest friend I had in the city, and one of the dearest. He had a remarkably active and acute mind and the faculty of clear and pungent expression. He was a lover of the best books and was a wide and critical reader. He made a center in every company where he was, for he excelled as a conver-
381
William P. Fishback
sationalist of the genial, witty sort. He was never pedantic. When he was caustic in his utterances they were always directed toward something that was mean or that he believed to be mean. The weak were not the targets of his sarcasm. The foibles of good men appealed to his sense of humor, and his wit often played about them, but not vengefully. He was compassionate of heart and was sympathetic. Injustice and oppression could always count him an enemy. He was an alert citizen, with a high sense of responsibility in community affairs, both of business and philanthropic sort. No man is always right in such matters, but Mr. Fishback did what he thought was right,-not languidly but with his might. He gave a spice to things that seemed tasteless and brightened every company of which he was a part. There are loves and duties that remain to cheer and engage us, but we shall miss our old friend sadly.
William H. H. Miller, former attorney general, said: "Indiana has had among her citizens few brighter men. His mind was wonderfully keen and incisive. It was once my privilege to introduce him to the late Senator Ingalls of Kansas, and at the time I said to them that they ought to know each other, for intellectually they were strikingly alike. Mr. Fishback was very witty. He saw the funny side of everything and would find material for a joke in the most unpromising situa- tions. Yet he was a man of serious and decided convictions, and his wit and fun were often methods of argument. He was a good neighbor, a good friend and a good man. His death makes a great gap in the social and intellectual life of Indi- anapolis." From other representative sources came innumerable tributes of equally appreciative order, but the prescribed limitations of this publication render it im- practicable to reproduce further estimates.
An interesting event in Mr. Fishback's life was one that led up to the publi- cation of his book entitled "Recollections of Lord Coleridge." In May, 1891, he visited England, carrying with him a letter from Justice John M. Harlan, of the United States supreme court, to Lord Coleridge, the chief justice of England. The two became great friends and Mr. Fishback accompanied Lord Coleridge on the assizes, in which connection he obtained a wide knowledge of the mode of legal procedure under the English laws. He met during his visit Matthew Arnold, who later visited Indianapolis and who was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Fishback during his sojourn in this city. The volume written by Mr. Fishback contains, among other things, a discussion of the custom of the United States in the election of judges, and this dissertation was prompted by the criticism made by Lord Cole- ridge, who deplored the fact that judges of the various courts in the United States hold office for a short period and only at the pleasure of one or the other of the leading political parties. The book is replete with anecdotes of English life and embraces a very interesting account of Mr. Fishback's experiences and observa- tions during his sojourn in Europe.
In his career as a newspaper man, both in Indianapolis and St. Louis, Mr. Fishback was noted for the virile strength of his editorials, which were written with a picturesque regard of those whom they might strike, providing the person attacked was engaged in something that to the writer seemed wrong. Mr. Fish- back was prominent in the organization of the Consumers' Gas Trust Company of Indianapolis and gave material assistance both in securing stock subscriptions and in connection with the construction and equipment of the company's plant. He was in deep sympathy with the employes of the Citizens' Street Railway Company during their strike in 1892. He gave his sympathy and support in this connection
382
William P. Fishback
because he believed an injustice was being done the men in refusing them a con- sideration of their demands. Mr. Fishback continued until his death to give a staunch allegiance to the Republican party, and he was a most effective exponent of its principles and policies. Mr. Fishback was one of the most honored and influential members of the Indianapolis Bar Association, and this body met in special session to take appropriate action when he was summoned to the life eternal. He passed away on the 15th of January, 1901, and a community mourned his loss. The estimate placed upon the man by this community was effectively voiced in an editorial appearing in an Indianapolis newspaper at the time of his death, and there is all of consistency in perpetuating the utterances in this more unduring form:
The death of this prominent citizen was not unexpected, but none the less comes as a shock to the community in which he had been so active for nearly half a century. He came to this town when it had only a few thousand inhabitants, and at once his talent and force of character impressed themselves upon the community, with the result that he became an active factor in it. He had a mind of remarkable acuteness and strength, his perceptions were clear and his logic unfaltering. His moral courage was great,-at times extraordinary. If he feared a foe he never hesitated to meet him. This courage he has shown many times in his participation in public affairs, and public affairs have always had his intense interest. As a young man he took his stand and uplifted his voice for Republican principles be- fore the war. During that struggle no man used his opportunities more thoroughly in its support, even going to the front for a time, although at great personal sacri- fice and at risk of harm to a body never robust. Afterward he was heard in all important issues, either from the rostrum or the editorial chair. Especially dear to him was this city, and he never failed to take a side on whatever concerned its welfare. He never hesitated to assume responsibility, and his voice rose like a clarion in advocacy of his opinions, whether well received or not. He was a most valuable citizen in this respect. Would that we had more like him! If every man of ability were as quick to speak out and to act, regardless of personal consequences, there would be fewer public evils to contend with.
Of Mr. Fishback's professional career it is not necessary to speak,-his asso- ciates of the bar will do that better. It is enough to say that he had a deserved reputation for legal learning and acumen and that he attained to high rank. In his social intercourse he was a delightful companion. His mind was keenly recep- tive; in fact, we have never known a man who retained his interest in things so long. His bump of curiosity was large. He wanted to know about everything. Naturally he was an omnivorous reader, as well as a close observer, and he remem- bered what he read and saw. As a conversationalist he had no superior here. His range of topics was wide; he had met many great and unusual men; his viewpoint was original in many instances; his sense of humor was large; his language was chaste, accurate and forcible. With such a combination it might well be that his conversation sparkled with brilliancy and that no one's words were heard with more interest. The same rare combination of qualities made him effective as advocate and orator, while his power of denunciation and sarcasm made him feared by those whom he attacked. It was his good fortune to retain his faculties unimpaired to old age. There was no sign of age or weakening as the years brought him nearly to the allotted span. Even when disease had stricken him his mind was clear and strong as ever,-just as he would have wished it. His work is done, and in the main
383
William P. Fishback
it has been good work, entitling him to a place not the least among the makers of Indianapolis,-the men who have striven to build a city here, where life shall be freer and better because of their efforts. In his public spirit and unfailing cour- age he has left a monument for himself and an example for others.
Not well could be omitted from this memoir the earnest tribute paid to the memory of Mr. Fishhack by Indiana's loved and distinguished poet, James Whit- comb Riley, whose words are as follows:
Say first he loved the dear home-hearts and then He loved his honest fellow citizen He loved and honored him in any post Of duty where he served mankind the most.
All that he asked of him in humblest need Was but to find him striving to succeed; All that he asked of him in highest place Was justice to the lowliest of his race.
When found he these conditions, proved and tried, He owned he marveled, but was satisfied; Relaxed in vigilance enough to smile, And, with his own wit, flay himself a while.
Often he liked real anger,-as perchance The summer skies like storm-clouds and the glance Of lightning,-for the clearer, purer blue Of heaven, and the greener old earth, too.
All easy things to do, he did with care, Knowing the very common danger there; In noblest conquest of supreme debate The facts are simple as the victory great.
That which had been a task to hardiest minds To him was as a pleasure, such as finds The captive-truant, doomed to read throughout The one lone book he really cares about.
Study revived him; howsoever dim And deep the problem, 'twas a joy to him To solve it wholly,-and he seemed as one Refreshed and rested as the work was done.
And he had gathered, from all wealth of love That time had written, such a treasure-store His mind held opulence, his speech the rare, Fair grace of sharing all his riches there.
-
384
Talilliam P. Fishback
Sharing with all, hut with the greatest zest Sharing with those who seemed the neediest; The young he ever favored, and through these Shall he live longest in men's memories.
Contributed by another friend, "Lewis Howland," was the following memorial:
Dead is our friend? Ah, let us rather say That he now lives in heaven's eternal morn, Redeemed from pain, to endless glories born. Bathed in the radiance of celestial day.
Such souls as his not even death can slay,- Souls that now melt with love, now flame with scorn, And that with anguish for men's woes are torn. Ah, these it is that faith in thee doth stay.
Oh, two great worlds; and yet how small the one In which we toil to eat the bread of care, And only seem to live that we may die; Yet through its gray beams God's eternal sun, And lights the path o'er which we humbly fare To God's great city, flashing in the sky.
Mr. Fishback was married at Cincinnati, Ohio, February 14, 1855, to Miss Mary L. McMains. The children of this union are: Mrs. Harry J. Milligan, Mrs. Wil- liam P. Kappes and Robert M. Fishback.
-
Alexander McCleese Crawford
IDELY known in his business relations and personally held in W high esteem as a man of character and integrity, the late Alex- ander McCleese Crawford is entitled to honorable mention among those whose interests were centered in Indiana for many useful years. His birth took place at Mckeesport, Pennsylvania, on October 22, 1856, and his parents were Eli and Henrietta (McCleese) Crawford. They also were natives of Pennsyl- vania, grew up and married there and then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, from which city they came to Indianapolis in 1861. Subsequently they located at Terre Haute, where both died. They had two children: Isabella Rachel, who is the wife of W. W. Way, of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Alexander McCleese.
The parents of Alexander M. Crawford came to Indianapolis when he was five years old and he was educated in the city schools and was a pupil in the second year in high school when he became a clerk in the employ of the Van Camp Hardware Company. He was then sixteen years of age and continued with the Van Camp people until 1886, at the age of twenty-one years going out on the road for this com- pany, covering the state of Indiana. Mr. Crawford subsequently was connected with the Simons Hardware Company, of St. Louis, Missouri, for eighteen years, covering also the state of Illinois, and for years enjoyed the confidence of both well known business houses. Mr. Crawford then tired of the road but was not willing to be idle and bought a hardware store on the corner of West Washington and West streets, which he conducted for eighteen months, when his health failed and his death occurred February 2, 1906. For seventeen years he had made his home at Terre Haute, while on the road, as it was more convenient in regard to the territory he visited, but later resided on East Twenty-third street, Indianapolis, which was his home at time of death.
On January 31, 1899, Mr. Crawford was married to Miss Carrie Taylor, who is a daughter of William H. and Susan (Johnson) Taylor, the former of whom was born in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, coming of an old Pennsylvania family, of Irish extraction. At Alleghany, Pennsylvania, he was married to Susan Johnson, January 11, 1850. She was born near Pittsburg, May 10, 1831, and still survives, residing with her daughter, Mrs. Crawford. Her parents were Alexander and Margaret (McClain) Johnson, the former of whom was of Irish descent, while the latter was a daughter of James McClain, who was born in Scotland.
In 1860 William H. Taylor moved with his family to Indianapolis, having pre- viously resided at Wooster, Ohio, at Rock Island, Illinois, at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and for seven years at Crawfordsville, Indiana. William H. Taylor died in March, 1897, at the age of seventy-one years. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, namely: William, who is a resident of Indianapolis; Robert P., who lives at Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Mary M., who resides with her next younger sister, Mrs. Crawford; Fannie Soderstrom, who lives at Riverside, California, is the widow of John Soder-
385
386
Alexander AcCleese Crawford
strom; Lillian, who is the widow of Luther Acre, has one daughter, Marcia, and they reside with Mrs. Crawford; and Belle, who is the wife of Simon Tinder, and they live at New Marion, Indiana. Mrs. Crawford is a member of the First Pres- byterian church.
In his political views Mr. Crawford was a Republican and, had his business inter- ests permitted, would have made a capable and efficient office holder, possessing the broadened mind and first-hand information as to public wants and needs that would have enabled him to satisfactorily settle many a vexed question. In the organiza- tions especially relating to his own line of business he was very popular, belonging to the Travelers' Protective Association, and also to the Commercial Travelers, and for many years he had been identified with the Masonic lodge at Terre Haute. His knowledge of hardware was complete and his methods of presenting his goods pleasant and agreeable and he inspired confidence that subsequent contracts never disturbed. In the pursuit of his chosen line of business he acquired a competeney.
John C. Conner
'EW names have been more prominently and worthily linked with F the history of Indiana than that of Conner, and of the represent- atives of the name in the various generations none has accorded to the same greater distinction than the subject of this memoir. He represented his native state as a valiant soldier of the Civil war, in which he was one of the youngest men to hold the rank of cap- tain; he became a lawyer of exceptional ability and as such at- tained to precedence as one of the leading members of the bar of Texas, which state he represented in Congress while still a young man. He was but thirty-one years of age at the time of his death and was preparing to return to his native state for the purpose of engaging in the practice of his profession in its capital city when came the sudden summons that terminated his life in the very flower of his strong and noble manhood. His daughter maintains her home in Indianapolis, and in the state there still remain numerous representatives of the Conner family, which was founded within its borders in the early pioneer days,-prior to the admission of the state to the Union. John Conner, grandfather of him to whom this memoir is dedi- cated, was the founder of Connersville, Fayette county, and was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Indiana in the early period of its statehood. He was one of the commissioners appointed in 1820 to select the site for the perma- nent capital of the state, and from a history of Indiana are taken the following statements apropos of the meeting of the commissioners "at the house of William Conner, on the west fork of White river," for the purpose of selecting a site for the permanent seat of government: "The house of William Conner was at what was known as Conner's Prairie, or Conner's Station, some four miles below Noblesville. Conner and his brother John, who founded Connersville, had been captured by the Indians when children and had been brought up by them. William Conner had served as an interpreter and as Indian agent for a number of years, and had es- tablished his trading station at this point in 1802." This commission it was that selected the site of the present beautiful capital city of Indiana. Captain Conner, of this review, was named in honor of his grandfather, who was one of the sterling pioneers who aided in laying broad and deep the foundations for this great common- wealth of the Union. John Conner was not only the founder of Connersville but was also the prime mover in effecting the survey of the section of the territory in which he early established his home, the result of his efforts in this direction being the division of the district into counties.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.