Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 16

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 932

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On the 13th of October, 1894, Dr. Brooks was summoned into eternal rest, full of years and of honors attained, his hav- ing been the faith that makes faithful. The monument erected to his memory and to commemorate his virtues will have become

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dim and tarnished by time ere the remem- brance of his noble example shall cease to exercise an influence upon the community in which he lived and labored to such goodly ends, and of which he was for so many years an honored resident.

ON. JOHN D. SARNIGHAU- SEN .- It is with an eminent de- gree of satisfaction that the biog- raphist turns to a consideration of the more pertinent points in the life history of this well known and honored citizen of Fort Wayne, who is a man of distinctive force of character and notable mentality. For more than three decades he has been identified with the Staats Zeitung, the lead- ing German newspaper of this section of the State, and as the veteran editor of the same he has wielded much influence in the community and is peculiarly deserving of representation in this volume.

Our subject is a native of Germany, where he was born on the last day of Octo- ber, 1818, being the son of Louis C. Sar- nighausen, who was a distinguished civil offi- cer in the former kingdom of Hanover. His educational privileges were of exceptionally excellent order. his studies having been pursued in turn at the colleges in Stade and Luneburg and in the celebrated university at Gottingen, an institution founded at an carly period by George II, and once the foremost of the German universities. On completing his education Mr. Sarnighansen engaged in teaching and also became or- dained to the ministry of the Lutheran Church and labored faithfully in this noble field of endeavor. In 1860 he determined to avail himself of the wider opportunities offered in the New World and accordingly

emigrated to the United States. Within two years after his arrival he took up his abode in Fort Wayne, and here forthwith became connected with the Indiana Staats Zeitung as editor. The paper was at that time a modest weekly publication, owned by Messrs. A. F. Simon and Fred Meyer, and its history had been one of vicissitude and somewhat precarious existence. Mr. Sar- nighausen infused new life into the paper, purchasing the property in the year follow- ing his arrival here and changing the paper to a tri-weekly publication with enlarged sphere and functions and greatly increased merit. His policy was a vigorous and con- servative one, and he placed the enterprise upon a solid financial basis, and in 1877 began the publication of a daily. The Staats Zeitung is now recognized as a worthy representative of the progressive German element in the community and State, and as an honor to its publisher and to the city. The weekly edition is still issued in addi- tion to the daily. From 1866 to 1868 our subject had as an associate in the business Mr. A. C. Campe, and upon the dissolution of the partnership, by mutual consent, Mr. Sarnighausen continued the publication upon his individual responsibility until the Cen- tennial year, 1876, when Mr. L. A. Grieble was admitted to partnership and continued to be identified with the paper until 1882, when he retired, having been elected to the office of Auditor of Allen county. Since that time Mr. Sarnighausen has con- ducted the publication alone, and will con- tinue his active superintendence of the same as long as his health continues to offer him the requisite re-enforcement. His business and executive ability has been clearly dem- onstrated in the success which he has brought to an enterprise which had long

weaken

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struggled to maintain itself. At the time he assumed the editorial charge of the Staats Zeitung he was unable to find a single copy of the paper, -no file having been preserved and no records of any sort as bearing upon its publication prior to that time. It is known, however, that the paper was established in October, 1858, and that up to January, 1862, it had changed ownership time and again, with as frequent changes in editorial direction, while none of the individuals con- cerned seem to have taken any particular interest in its welfare. Its fortunes had consequently come to low ebb at the time our subject began the work of vitalizing and improving. It is the American idea to judge of success in any field from the standpoint of dollars and cents, and establishing a ver- dict upon this standard it is shown that Mr. Sarnighausen has been successful in his efforts, since the enterprise has proved a paying one ever since he assumed control of it in the days long past. In political policy the Staats Zeitung has ever been strongly in line as supporting the Democratic party and its principles. Mr. Sarnighansen is an able editor, a ready writer, and deals in facts and statements. As a political writer he is as- tute and wary, and willing always to advo- cate and defend his Democratic faith; and, while he is a strong partisan, he is not offensive as a party man. He abhors du- plicity and insincerity, and is outspoken in denouncing party trickery and party com- binations for selfish ends. As a citizen he is honorable, and is respected for his integ- rity, enterprise and moral standing.

As the editor of a Democratic paper Mr. Sarnighausen has all these years naturally taken an active interest in political affairs, and his position has been such as to bring him before the public as one worthy of offi-

cial preferment. In 1870 he was elected as a Democrat, on the independent ticket, to the high office of State Senator from Allen county, but was deprived of his seat through political trickery. Two years later he was the candidate on the Democratic ticket as Senator from the counties of Allen and Ad- ams, and was re-elected by the flattering majority of 6, 184 votes. Under the new apportionment law of 1873 the counties of Allen, Adams and Wells were combined in a Senatorial district, and in 1876 Mr. Sar- nighausen was again the candidate for the Senate from this district, and was elected by a majority of 6,630. In 1877 and 1879 he was chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, a position for which he was pe- culiarly eligible by reason of his advanced scholarship, his practical judgment and his great interest in educational affairs. In the Senate our honored subject made his influ- ence felt in the way of securing wise legisla- tion, and his mature judgment, clear mental grasp and honesty of purpose gained him the respect of his confreres and the endorse- ment of his constituents and of the people of the State.

John D. Sarnighansen stands to-day as one of the most honored citizens of Fort Wayne, and, though attained of venerable age, he is strong and virile in mind and body, and gives himself with unswerving vigor to the work which has so long engaged his attention and which stands to his per- petual credit.

ILLIAM ALLEN KALER, de- ceased, won a place in the front ranks of the medical fraternity. Those who gain eminence in any profession must win it by merit: it must

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come as the reward of earnest labor and diligence. Wisdom cannot be purchased, and he who masters any science until he is recognized as an authority on the subject has given to his work hours of patient and persistent study. Dr. Kaler steadily work- ed his way upward. Like all others he had to build up his own practice and secure his reputation for skill and ability; but though a young man when called from this life he was ranked among the leading physicians of Chicago.

Born in Vernon township, Crawford county, Ohio, on the 30th of June, 1859, he was the second in a family of three sons, whose parents were George and Catherine (Traub) Kaler. His brothers, Samuel P. and James B., both of whom survive him, are prominent business men of Columbia City, Indiana. From his early youth Dr. Kaler displayed exceptional mental ability. In the school-room he was an apt and thorough student. He cared little for the pleasures of society or the company of young people, and was extremely moral in his habits and conversation. His pure and honorable life commanded the respect and won the admiration of all. In his sixteenth year he accompanied his parents on their removal to Whitley county, Indiana, the family locating upon a farm, and from 1875 until 1881 the labor of cultivating the fields and improving the home place devolved largely upon his young shoulders. During this time he attended the public schools of Larwill at such times as he could be spared from the farm and also spent many an eve- ning at home in mastering such studies as would fit him for a useful life. He realized the advantage of securing a good education and was ambitious to learn. In 1877 and 1878, under the instruction of a private

teacher, he pursued the study of Latin at night, after working hard in the fields all day. The following winter and for two suc- cessive years he taught in the district school near his home.

In March, 1881, William Allen Kaler came to Columbia City and entered the law office of Marshall & McNagny, where he pursued his studies with such diligence that he was admitted to the bar the following September. Such were his mental powers and his perseverance and enterprise that, had he undertaken the practice of law, he would have undoubtedly become a promi- nent member of the bar; but his taste and inclination were toward the study of medi- cine, and on the very day of his admission to the bar he abandoned the legal profession and began preparation for entering his pre- ferred calling. With untiring energy he ap- plied himself to the new work, under the tutorage of the family physician at Larwill.

In the fall of 1883 Mr. Kaler entered the Chicago Homeopathic College of Medi- cine, at which he was graduated in the spring of 1885, taking second honors in a large class, first honors going to a student who had spent an extra year in college. The members of this class have been unus- ually successful, and several of them have achieved high reputation in the profession. Soon after his graduation Dr. Kaler formed a partnership with Dr. Adam Earnest, of Mansfield, Ohio, and was rapidly building up a reputation there when he was tendered the position of house physician in his alma mater. He remained there until the ist of March, 1886, when Major McClaughry, WVarden of the Illinois State Prison at Joliet, came to the college in search of a compe- tent physician and surgeon to take charge of the prison work during the absence of the

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regular physician, who was forced to leave on account of ill health. Dr. Kaler was recommended, and accepted the office, and at once entered upon the duties of the same. At the end of a month the regular physician, being still in ill health, resigned, and Dr. Kaler was appointed to fill his place. Great pressure was brought to bear upon the Warden and the directors by other appli- cants, and it was urged that Dr. Kaler was a Democrat and not a resident of Illinois. These arguments, potent as they were, did not prevail, for one month had satisfied the officers that they had the right man. For a little more than three years the Doctor held that position, giving eminent satisfac- tion, both as a physician and surgeon. This being the largest prison in the United States, and extensive machinery being used therein, many accidents were liable to happen, and he had ample opportunity to develop his knowledge of surgery, performing some of the most astonishing operations known to the profession, assisted only by his colored servant-a convict. During this time Dr. Kaler lectured before the Medical Society of Chicago, Joliet and Elgin on scientific sub- jects connected with the profession, and wrote many articles for the medical jour- nals that attracted wide attention. He also collected from the records and published vital statistics of the institution from its earliest years, and established a system for the annual reports to State officers that has since been followed. He also prepared the manuscript for a book on the medical treat- ment of the insane. He there had ample opportunity for studying this phase of dis- ease, as real and feigned insanity are very common in prison life. Soon after leaving the prison his attention was directed to dif- ferent channels of the profession, and the

articles that he has given to the medical world have created much favorable com- ment, for they bear the stamp of a master mind. The manuscript for his book, to- gether with a large part of his extensive library, are now in the possession of his brother, Samuel P. Kaler.

The Doctor resigned his position early in the year 1886, to take effect on the 25th of April. That day he left the prison, and in the evening was married to Miss Susie Cor- nelia Jones, the only child of Charles S. Jones, superintendent of telegraph of the Illinois Central Railway system, and after a few brief visits established himself in the practice of his profession in Hyde Park, one of the most aristocratic sections of Chicago. Here he rapidly rose to the front, and was at the very head of his profession, when, on the 2 1st of May, 1892, he died, after a brief illness, from an acute attack of Bright's dis- ease. On the 2d of June his remains were interred in the family lot in the new ceme- tery in Columbia City. Thius at the early age of thirty-three years he passed away, but had already attained a success in life that comes to many only in advanced years. His prominence as a physician was equaled by his honorable career as a private citizen. His true nobleness of character and genuine worth commanded the respect of all, and his loss was deeply mourned by many friends.

EORGE ARNOLD .- The subject of this review is one whose mem- ory links in an indissoluble chain the trend of events from the early pioneer period in the history of this section of the Union to the latter-day epoch where peace, progress and prosperity crown the

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end of the century. This personal and an- cestral identification with the formative period in the Middle West would alone authorize a review of his life in this con- nection, but superadded to this there are circumstances which render such indulgence practically imperative if the publication is to be consistent with itself and is to fill its prescribed province. For more than a half century has Mr. Arnold retained his resi- dence in Wells county, is known through- out the length and breadth of the same as one of its honored pioneers, and has been conspicuous in the promotion and further- ance of all measures which have conserved the progress and material prosperity of the locality. He has been associated with enter- prises which, though of personal concern, have yet been of inestimable value to the community, and his life has been one of signal usefulness and exalted honor. To him, then, should we render a due tribute of respect in this volume, whose purport is to accord consideration to the men who have been or are representative in the affairs of northeastern Indiana.

A native of the Buckeye State, Mr. Arnold was born at Greenville, on the 28th of September, 1818. His father, William Arnold, was born in South Carolina, where he lived until he attained to man's es- tate, and was there married to Miss Eliza- beth Townsend, who also was a native of that State and a representative of a promi- nent Southern family. At an early date in the present century William Arnold emi- grated with his wife from Newberry district, South Carolina, to Warren county, Ohio, locating on a tract of wild land on Cæsar's creek, where they continued to reside for a time, after which they settled at Greenville, in the same State, where the father of our

subject again identified himself with agri- cultual pursuits, in which line of operations he continued during the remainder of his life, his efforts being attended with a due quota of success. He became a man of considerable prominence and influence in the county and State, having served for a num- ber of years as County Commissioner and having gained the confidence and high es- teem of the community which sincerely mourned his death, which occurred after he had attained the venerable age of eighty- six years.

The youthful days of our subject were passed upon the parental homestead in Ohio, and it is needless to say that he early be- came familiar with the manifold details which entered into the reclamation and cul- tivation of a pioneer farm, this formative period in his life being one that has had its influence upon his entire subsequent career, since he then learned the value of consecu- tive endeavor and to appreciate that sturdy independence which is ever begotten under such circumstances and environments. His initial scholastic discipline was received in the district schools, and he continued his ef- forts in this line until he had acquired a thorough common-school education, supple- menting this by a course of study in certain special branches, including surveying, in which line he became a practical operative and followed the same as a vocation for some time. As a means to an end, and yet with a full appreciation of the responsibility and duty implied, he engaged in teaching school for several years, principally in Darke and Miami counties, being successful in his peda- gogic work and wielding a strong and valua- ble influence over those who came to him for instruction. Just when budding ambition gave itself a definite aiin it is difficult to say,

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but certain it is that our subject looked out and beyond the narrowed mental horizon of the farm home, which was one in which culture and refinement were not absent, and one in which aspirations for a wider sphere of usefulness were readily enkin- dled. Mr. Arnold's determination was of that sort that only waited a suitable opportunity before exercising its functions, and, as will be shown in succeeding paragraphs, he had sufficient wisdom to take advantage of an opportunity at its first presentation.

While still residing in Ohio our subject was united in marriage to Miss Ann Maria Welty, the date of this ceremony having been November 10, 1840. The offspring of this union was three children: Henry Clay, Sarah L. and Charles A .- all of whom are still living. About three years after his marriage Mr. Arnold removed to Whitley county, Indiana, and he there located on a farm, if such it might be called, in a section which as yet had been but slightly opened to settlement and which had shown but lit- tle metamorphosis from the primitive, syl- van wilds. The Indians still disputed do- minion with the white settlers and with the beasts of the field, and they were frequent visitors at the little cabin home of our sub- ject, a fact which is difficult to realize on the part of one who is permitted to meet him in these later days, when that section of the State has to its credit fields that have long been furroughed and refurroughed by the plowshare and which show the unmistaka- ble evidences of the enlightened spirit of the nineteenth century. On this farm Mr. Ar- nold continued to reside about five years, devoting himself to its improvement and cultivation, and incidentally putting his knowledge of surveying to practical use, as 8

the country was yet new and its boundary lines not well established-thus necessitating the services of a practical surveyor. But the ambition of Mr. Arnold still transcended the scope of the farm, and accordingly, in 1848, he removed to Columbia City, the county seat of Whitley county, and there secured employment in the mercantile es- tablishment of Henry Swihart, with whom he remained for one year, at the expiration of which time he purchased the stock and business and continued the enterprise upon his own responsibility. The business meth- ods at that time were radically different from those now in vogue, and the principal field of operations opened to the country merchant was that of selling merchandise to the farmers and accepting in delayed pay- ment a requisite quantity of pork in the packing season. Thus the business con- ducted by our subject was not upon the cash basis, since he accepted his pay in the com- modity mentioned, in the majority of cases, and then shipped the produce to the East- ern markets as it was delivered in the winter season, and thus realized his profits. He was eminently successful in his mercantile business under these circumstances, which would be considered somewhat extraordinary at the present time, and he continued oper- ations in Columbia City until 1856 when he disposed of his interests and removed to Bluffton, where he has ever since maintained his residence. Here he purchased the es- tablishment of John Studabaker, who was one of the pioneers of the county, and who had been engaged in the mercantile business at this point for nearly a score of years. Mr. Arnold had proved his adaptability for this line of enterprise, and he continued to conduct a mercantile trade here, with but slight intermission, for nearly two decades,

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after which he was succeeded by his son, Henry C. Arnold. So long an association with the business interests of any com- munity can not fail to bring either reward or obloquy, and the sterling integrity and correct methods of our subject could not fail to insure to him the confidence and es- teem of those with whom he had dealings. Not only this, but his was the native talent of a leader and a promoter, and his efforts were not confined within narrow personal confines, but he took initiative ground and was able to soon exercise an influence upon the public thought and action.

In 1878 Mr. Arnold entered upon a diametrically different field of endeavor, but one in which his practical ability and his broad intellectuality had a wider sphere of action. He purchased the Bluffton Chron- iele, the approved organ of the Republican party in Wells county, and was thereafter identified with its publication and its edi- torial policy until the spring of 1889, when he disposed of the property and retired from active business. In January, 1880, Mr. Arnold was appointed, by President Hayes, as Postmaster of Bluffton, and during the period of his incumbency in this office, over four years, his newspaper interests were placed in charge of his son, Charles, whose able management was such as to maintain the high standard which our subject had es- tablished in the publication of the Chronicle. Mr. Arnold made his paper a decided power in the political affairs of northeastern In- diana, and his ability as a writer, his crit- ical acumen and his cogency in argument gave distinctive weight to his editorial utter- ances, while his practical business ideas were brought to bear in the conducting of the enterprise, which was made a successful one, the Chronicle being a genuine repre-

sentative of the best interests of the county and city of its publication.

In his political adhereney Mr. Arnold was originally a Whig, having been an ardent admirer of that distinguished statesman, Henry Clay. While yet occupying a cleri- cal position in Whitley county he became the nominee of his party for the office of County Auditor, but was defeated by ten votes, running thirty-two votes ahead of the ticket, a fact that he has always considered as a blessing in disguise, since had he then been installed in office he might never have directed his efforts in those commercial lines where he has gained so distinctive success. He continued his allegiance to the Whig party until its dissolution and then identified himself with its normal successor, the Re- publican party, whose principles and poli- cies he has ever since supported, having been a valuable worker in the cause. From 1844 to 1846 he served as County Surveyor of Whitley county, and Notary Public. In 1870 Mr. Arnold was the Republican nomi- nee for Senator of his district in the State Senate, but as the normal Democratic ma- jority in the district was very large he was defeated, though he ran far ahead of his ticket at the polls. In 1872 he yielded to the solicitations of his party friends and consented to allow his name to be presented in the convention as a candidate for Secre- tary of State, and in said convention he was second on the list of four candidates, but was defeated. In 1877 Mr. Arnold was a dele- gate to the National Republican Convention, in which, with the remainder of the delega- tion from Indiana, he gave his support to Oliver P. Morton until it became evident that Mr. Morton could not receive the nomi- nation, and he then cast his vote for Ruth- erford B. Hayes for President.

John Audabaku.

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In religion our subject is a devoted mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1872 he was appointed a lay delegate to the annual conference of the church. He has ever taken a lively interest in the work of the church and has given aid and in- fluence to many of its collateral charities and benevolences, not confining his efforts to the one denomination alone, but having manifested a marked liberality in all lines where good was to be accomplished.

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 16

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 932

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 932