Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 8

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

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October 28, 1841, he married Miss Mar- garet Davison, of Rushville, Indiana, who was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, the daughter of Aaron and Euphemia (Hol- man) Davison. Mr. and Mrs. Hackleman have had five sons and four daughters, namely: Marshall, Martha, Maria, Alice, Leonidas, Constantine, Pauline, Milton and Pleasant. Of these Leonidas, Constantine, Martha and Maria are living. Marshall died when young; Alice died in 1867, at the age 4

of eighteen years; Martha is unmarried and lives at her parental home; Maria inarried Milo Haas, of Wabash, and has two chil- dren: Clara, a student in Butler University, and Alice; Leonidas married Miss Vanda Shawman and resides in Wabash, a carpen- ter, and they have three children, -Edythe, Florence and Hazel; Constantine is at home; and Pauline became the wife of John Myers died in 1879; Milton died young; and Pleas- ant married Miss Myra Fowler, and has one daughter, Erba Louise.

Mrs. Elijah Hackleman died in 1883, a member of the Christian Church, of which religious body Mr. Hackleman is also a member, and in which he has been an Elder for several years. In politics he was a Whig in the days of that party, and is now a Republican.

J OHN COLERICK, deceased. - The subject of this sketch was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on the 20th of September, 1837, and died at Fort Wayne, same State, on the 7th day of March, 1872. He was the son of David

H. and Elizabeth (Walpole) Colerick, who were of Irish extraction, both of whom had possessed unusual educational advan- tages in early life, and were admirably qualified to rear and educate their son. The father was a leading member of the bar of Indiana, and, with hardly an exception, the most graceful and accomplished speaker in the State. He possessed, in an eminent de- gree, all the elements of an orator, -a rich and vigorous imagination, a full, clear and musical voice, a pleasing presence, an easy and ready command of language, quick and

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

refined sensibility, and easy and graceful action. He was always gracious in manner, amiable in disposition and courteous and affable in his bearing toward others. All these qualities his son inherited.

Mrs. Colerick, whose maiden name was Walpole, was a woman of fine culture, of rare good sense and of inflexible will. She soon discovered the promise of her son, who loved her through life to adoration, and took upon herself the management of his educa- tion and the training and discipline of his mind. The affection of the mother and the devotion of the son rendered the task of education not only easy but even a source of great pleasure to both and of incalculable benefit to him. She taught him his letters, and how to read and write, directed his studies at school, and to her he recited his lessons in algebra, in geometry aud in Latin. Though he studied in the school of Alexan- der MeJunkin, a man of much learning, yet he nearly always recited his lesson over to his mother. He told the writer of this no- tice that he had read,-and his reading was varied and extensive, -- but one or two books, outside of the law, which his mother had not read and the merits of which he had not discussed with his parents.

It was in this home of refinement and af- fection, and from this mother, that John Colerick received his early education; and it is doubtful whether any young man ever started in life better prepared and qualified to successfully meet and to overcome the difficulties and hindrances that might lurk in his path than Mr. Colerick. In 1854 he entered Wabash College at Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he remained about one year, when he went to Hanover College, near Madison, Indiana, and in 1856 completed his education there. At nineteen years of

age he began reading law with his father, and studied all the textbooks commonly used by students; talked them over with his father until he became familiar with their contents, and was thoroughly master of the elementary principles of the law. He went with his father to the court'room and lis- tened with filial pride and admiration to his earnest and eloquent addresses to the jury. No young man ever watched with more acute insight the effects made upon the jury of the speeches to which he listened than did Mr. Colerick, and no one ever profited more by such observations than he. The study of the feelings, temper, and disposition of ju- rors was, practically, a part of Mr. Cole- rick's education. He was naturally an ex- cellent judge of human nature, and by care- ful and critical observation he acquired the habit of correctly estimating the men about him. He seemed to perceive, without ef- fort and as if by intuition, the views and feelings of jurors, and to divine the pro- cesses by which they reached their conclu- sions. In this way he made the panel be- lieve thas he felt and saw as they did, when, in fact, he often led them unconsciously away from themselves, and to feel and to see as he did and as he wished them to.

A few months after his admission to the bar he was elected District Attorney for the Twentieth Common Pleas District, composed of the counties of Allen and Adams, a position he held until 1859, when he resigned it to accept the appointment of Prosecuting Attorney for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, embracing ten counties, to fill an existing vacancy, the place be- ing tendered him by Governor Willard. In 1861, after the expiration of his term of office, he moved to Indianapolis, where he practiced until 1864, when he returned

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to Fort Wayne and continued his profes- sion there. In 1868 he was elected by the Democratic State convention as the Democratic candidate for Presidential Elec- tor for the Ninth Congressional District, on the Seymour and Blair ticket, and in it made an active canvass.

While Prosecuting Attorney he obtained a high reputation as an advocate. He was engaged in prosecuting several persons for murder, and in every instance succeeded in convicting the parties accused. In some of the cases some of the oldest and ablest lawyers in the circuit were engaged for the defense, and yet in no instance did the guilty escape. Although from his training and opportunities much was expected from Mr. Colerick, young as he was, yet his efforts as an advocate, while prosecutor, operated as successive surprises, so that when he returned to civil practice, he was, by common consent, admitted to be the ablest and most accomplished advocate in northern Indiana. He at once entered up- on an extensive and lucrative practice. There was hardly a criminal case of import- ance in Allen or adjoining counties in which he was not retained for the defendant. This was not simply because of his brilliant talent and reputation as an advocate but also be- cause he was regarded as a sound lawyer and a man of integrity, honor and influence. He was engaged in many important civil suits as well as in criminal trials.

As a lawyer he seemed to realize the fact that thorough preparation was indis- pensable to success, and no man ever made himself more completely master of the facts of the case than he did. He would not, if it were possible to avoid it, engage in a trial until he made himself familiar with all the facts bearing upon it.

entered upon the ordeal with zeal and con- fidence. No man was ever more devoted to the interests of his clients than he, nor did any defend or advocate their rights with more intense energy, vigor and determina- tion. So eager was his devotion to his cause that he almost lost sight of himself, and he would at any time have sacrificed his personal feelings in the result if thereby he could have promoted in the least thie interests of his client. His practice grew larger every year, so that some time before his death some of his friends thought him overworked, though he seemed almost un- conscious of fatigue.

For some years prior to 1872 the party to which Mr. Colerick belonged began to look to him as their leader, and in 1870 he was unanimously put in nomination as the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Ninth Congressional District. This was hopelessly Republican, yet Mr. Colerick ac- cepted the nomination, and made one of the most brilliant canvasses ever known there. He reduced the Republican majority very largely, and many who upon principle were restrained to vote against him seemed to regret his defeat almost as much as did his political friends. Mr. Colerick had much taste as well as capacity for public affairs. He was fond of the excitement of the can- vass, and loved to meet the people, for whom he entertained a most profound re- gard and genuine sympathy, and to speak to them, face to face, upon the public questions involving, as he thought, their highest interests. It was the consciousness, doubtless, of his capacity to please, to in- terest and to fascinate the masses, that made the labor of the canvass a pleasure to him. Could he have lived he would have

1 That being done he attained high and deserved distinction as a

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

politician and party leader. It would be almost impossible to do Mr. Colerick justice by any attempted description of his powers as a speaker. To appreciate his powers fully, his manner, his intense earnestness and impetuosity must have been seen, heard and felt.

Mr. Colerick was not above the medium size, but the symmetry of his form was perfect. His temperament was warm and ardent, his feeling deep and intense. He had a rich and vigorous imagination, a clear head and a strong will. In some respects, like John Randolph, he was singular, possi- bly because he was too sensitive, and, like the Virginian, he loved almost to idolatry all connected to him by blood. The warmth and intensity of his feelings, unconsciously to himself, drew to his support an unusual number of active personal friends, upon whom, under all circumstances, he could rely. His sympathies were strong and act- ive. He loved the masses and loved to be with them, and here he justly felt and was conscious of his power. He was a student of human nature, and comprehended, with- out effort aud with certainty, the feelings, motives and purposes of men. One so organized and endowed could not fail as a public speaker. As such he aspired to, and with ease attained, superior excel- lence and success. Full of apt illustra- tion, gifted with a rich and vigorous im- agination, he was able to throw around the driest subject a pleasing imagery that interested and captivated his hearers. There was no mannerism of studied artifice apparent in his speaking; no pretense of emotion. He relied on his perception of the truth, the discovery of facts, his com- prehension of their true relations and his power to grasp their entire meaning. Add

to this his intense earnestness and burning enthusiasm, and we are not surprised in his unusual success. He analyzed facts with accuracy and facility, and without apparent labor arranged and grouped them together so as to enable all to see their true relations and dependence. His mind had been dis- ciplined in the most practical methods, which enabled him to see his subject just as it presented itself to others. This enabled him to carry causes which should, perhaps, have been decided the other way. He knew better than others, the triers, and, therefore, he won when perhaps others should.

His excessive and unremitting labor be- gan at last to undermine his health and con- stitution. His natural buoyancy and elas- ticity of spirit prevented him from realizing the fact that he was overworking himself, and led his friends to believe that there was no limit to his power of endurance. Yet undue exposure in the interest of a client, in the win- ter of 1871, brought on the disease, which, on the 7th of March, 1872, terminated his brilliant career upon earth. Never were the people of Fort Wayne so shocked by any event as they were by the announcement of the death of John Colerick. Gloom and sorrow brooded over the whole city. The bar of Fort Wayne met and adopted the resolutions customary on such occasions, and every member expressed his earnest love and affection for the deceased, and his great admiration for his superior ability, and his high and honorable conduct and example as a lawyer. The people of the city and surrounding country attended en masse his funeral, thereby attesting their apprecia- tion of the moral and intellectual excel- lencies of one who had grown up among them and whom they proudly regarded as one of

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

themselves. In purity of life and character, John Colerick, had no superior.

The writer of this sketch trusts that hereafter some one may write more deserv- ingly and at large of his deceased friend.

[The foregoing memoir was prepared by Judge John Morris .- The Publishers. ]

J ACOB JEFFERSON TODD .- It is not an easy task to describe ade- quately a man who has led an emi- nently active and busy life and who has attained to a position of high relative distinction in the more important and ex- acting fields of human endeavor. But bi- ography finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a full appreciation of all that is demanded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be ac- corded each statement, and yet with a feel- ing of significant satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon the details of such a record as has been the voice of the character of the honored subject whose life now comes under review.

In tracing the genealogy of our subject we find that he is descended from a long line of intelligent, sturdy and honorable ances- tors, and that both in the lineal and collat- eral branches representatives have been prominent in the history of the nation, the family identification with the American colo- nies dating back, in one or more instances, to a period far antecedent to the war of the Revolution. Jacob Jefferson Todd stands as one of the well known attorneys of Indi- ana, retaining his residence at Bluffton, Wells county, and being known as one of the representative men of the State, having

advanced to position of marked distinction in public, professional and fraternal life.

Mr. Todd is a native of the old Keystone State, and by birthright he is to be associ- ated with the sturdy yeomanry which has ever constituted the bulwarks of our national independence and prosperity,-for he was born on the parental farmstead, in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on the 12th of March, 1843, being the seventh child of Jacob and Jane (Thomas) Todd, who became pioneers of Wells county, Indiana, as will be duly noted later on. Jacob Todd was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1805, being the youngest son of Samuel and Lucy (Shivers) Todd, who became the par- ents of seven sons and seven daughters. Samuel Todd was the son of Alexander Todd, one of the early settlers in Baltimore county, Maryland. Jane (Thomas) Todd, mother of our subject, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 2d of January, 1807, and was the eldest of the twelve children-three sons and nine daughters-of Enos and Margaret (Cameron) Thomas, the former of whom was a native of Chester county, Pennsyl- vania, and the son of Seth and Martha (Kirk) Thomas, and the latter having been the daughter of Lewis and Frances (Sutter) Cameron. The origin of the several ele- ments in the genealogical line may be briefly stated as follows: The Todd family is of Scotch-Irish extraction; the Shivers of Scotch ancestry; Seth Thomas was a native of Wales; the Kirk family was of Quaker or- igin, its first American representatives hav- ing come from England in 1682 with Will- iam Penn; Frances Sutter was a native of Lincolnshire, England; and Lewis Cameron was born in the highlands of Scotland.

The marriage of Jacob Todd and Jane Thomas was solemnized on the 14th of Jan-

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

uary, 1830, and they became the parents of eleven children, concerning whom we are enabled to offer the following brief record: (1) Samuel Thomas was born October 24, 1830; he was married to his wife, Rebecca Isabelle, May 11, 1853, and she bore to him three children, namely: Lizzie J., the wife of John C. Anderson, who re- sides near East Liverpool, Ohio; and two sons died in infancy. Samuel T. Todd died on the 1 1th of January, 1859. (2) John Wes- ley, the second son, was born April 19, 1832, and on the 13th of September, 1855, he married Abigail Glass, who died August 24, 1859, leaving a daughter, Mary Jane, who is now a resident of Jasonville, Indiana; the only son by this marriage died in in- fancy. John W. consummated a second mar- riage, March 11, 1862, when he wedded Angeline Biddle, and they became the parents of three sons and five daughters. death of Mrs. Bowman occurred April 24, During the war of the Rebellion he was Sec- ond Lieutenant of Company G, One Hun- dred and First Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He is now a resident of Jasonville, this State. 3/ Lucy was born February 11, 1834, and on the 21st of September, 1854, she became the wife of Asa McDaniel, who died July 15, 1855, leaving one son, John T. December 6, 1859, Mrs. McDaniel was united in marriage to Nathan Tobey, and they are the parents of three sons and two daughters; another son was born to them, but is now deceased. Mr. Tobey served in the late war, as a member of Company E, One Hundred and Fifty-third Indiana Vol- unteer Infantry. (4) Margaret Ann was born June 28, 1836, and her marriage to Calvin Biddle, of Wauseon, Ohio, occurred on the 9th of August, 1860; they have two sons and two daughters. 5|Uriah was born August 5, 1838, and on the 26th of Novem-

ber, 1867, he married Lois Smitley; he died April 14, 1880, leaving two sons and two daughters, three children having died in infancy. He had also rendered valiant service to the Union during the Civil war. He was a member of Captain Barber's company,- the Fourteenth Ohio Infantry, -having en- listed in April, 1861, in the three-months service; later he became Second Lieutenant of Company K, Seventy-fifth Indiana Infan- try, and was afterward First Lieutenant of Company H, First United States Veteran Volunteer Engineers. It is pertinent to note the fact that he was the first citizen of Wells county, Indiana, to enlist for service in the Union army. (6) Mary Jane was born Sep- tember 26, 1840, and her marriage to Sam- uel B. Bowman was celebrated December 9, 1858; they became the parents of nine chil- dren, three of whom died in infancy. The 1878. (7) Jacob Jefferson is the immediate subject of this review. (8) Nancy was born October 9, 1845, and on the 24th of Sep- tember, 1867, she became the wife of John V. Allen, who served in the Rebellion as a member of Company A, Thirty-fourth Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry; they became the parents of a son and a daughter, the former being deceased. (9) Elizabeth Ellen was born December 22, 1847, and her marriage to Ransom Allen was consummated February 15, 1866, the offspring of this union being two daughters and two sons, one of the lat- ter being deceased. Mr. Allen was a mem- ber of Company A, Thirtieth Indiana Infan- try. (10) Simpson was born August 5, 1851, and on the 23d of January, 1873, he led to the hymeneal altar Harriet E. Hoover, by whom he has one son and one daughter; he retains his residence upon the old home- stead in Wells county, and has charge of its

NORTHEASTERN INDIANA.

cultivation. (11) Bathsheba Isodene was born September 18, 1855, and her marriage to John Adam Glass was consummated Oc- tober 24, 1872. They became the parents of five children, of whom two sons and one daughter are living.

After their marriage the parents of our subject took up their abode upon a farm in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where they continued to reside until 1851, when they disposed of the old homestead and joined the throng of emigrants who were making their way to the section which then repre- sented the Western frontier. Their desti- nation was Indiana, and the long overland journey to the new home was made in the primitive style which obtained at that period, their equipment consisting of a covered wagon and a buggy, and in this way were transferred to the pioneer abode in the prac- tically unbroken forest the modest effects which should figure as the furnishings of the new home. On the 12th day of October, 1851, the little party drew up before the place which was to represent the scene of their earnest endeavors and of the vicsissi- tudes which ever attend pioneer life, their homestead being located on the northwest quarter of section 19, township 28 north, range 12 east, in the now favored and pros- perous county of Wells. To those of the present end-of-the-century period the tales touching the old pioneer days read like a romance. Time has placed its softening hand on the records which told of privations, hardships and "ceaseless toil and endea- vor," leaving a picture, strongly limned, but with an obscurity of detail like that of the mellowed tones and misty atmosphere of one of the Old Masters. Those who can give reminiscent glances into the remote past which marked the formative epoch of our

commonwealth are fast passing, with bowed forms and silvered heads, through the gates of eternity, and with scrupulous care should their utterances be treasured by those who hear or can recall them, for in their words lies the deeper history of the pioneer days, -- the individual history which is the veritable nucleus of all. The farm upon which Jacob Todd and his family located was yet a por- tion of the almost unbroken forest; but nothing daunted, they set valiantly to work to improve the same and to reclaim from nature's hand the benifices she had in store. Coming here a poor man, Mr. Todd was enabled, by industry, frugality and good management, to develop a fine farm and to attain a high degree of incidental success. He was a man of broad intelligence, and in a sense was one far abreast of his time, for while the average farmer of the locality and period was content to follow the drudge-like work so essential, and to give no thought to the ultimate conditions which would main- tain, Mr. Todd's ken far transcended this narrow and sordid limitation, and his aim was not only to keep pace with improve- ment and progress, but to anticipate them. He became distinctively prominent in the community, and was honored for his inflex- ible integrity in thought, word and deed; for his vigorous and forceful individuality and for his eminent spirit of justice and charity, as shown in his daily intercourse with his fellowmen. He was a man of fine physique, being six feet and one and one-half inches in height, and weighing about 200 pounds. His life was one of signal honor and conse- cutive endeavor, and in his death, which occurred November 3, 1861, the community lost one of its noble pioneers, while to pos- terity was bestowed that priceless heritage, a good name. He was a devout member of

MEMORIAL RECORD OF

the Methodist Episcopal Church, and exem- plified in his daily walk the faith which he professed. He and his wife had identified themselves with this religious denomination soon after their marriage, their respective parents having also been members of the Methodist Church. The venerable mother of our subject died June 5, 1888, at the old homestead, so hallowed by associations with the past. To her were accorded the filial solicitude and the veneration of her children and her children's children. She was a woman of slight stature and at all times during life maintained a notable men- tal and physical vigor and activity and pos- sessed a remarkable memory. Her life was one of signal purity and beauty and her gen- erosity and sympathetic character endeared her to all who came within the sphere of her gentle influence.

We now turn in detail to the more salient points in the career of our honored subject, Jacob J. Todd. He was reared on the pioneer farm in Jefferson township, this county, and in his youth lent effective assist- ance in the clearing and improving of the parental homestead of eighty acres. His preliminary educational advantages were such as were afforded in the common or district schools of Wells county, after which he was enabled to continue his stud- ies for a time in Roanoke Seminary and later in the Fort Wayne College. His was not a nature that would tolerate subjective inactivity or supine ease, and he forthwith put his acquirements to practical test and use by engaging in the work of teaching school, -a vocation to which he devoted his attention during the winter months from 1861 until 1866, being retained in charge of the school in the Glass district for three winter terms, and in the Ossian district

for two, showing that his efforts were suc- cessful and that he gave satisfaction to the patrons of the little institutions.

Essentially loyal and patriotic, Mr. Todd was not one who could refuse to an- swer the calls made by his country for brave men and true to assist in defending the national honor. The thundering of rebel guns against Fort Sumter struck a respon- sive protest in his heart, and his courage was that of his conviction, for we find that, in August, 1861, he enlisted as a member of Company A, Thirty-fourth Indiana Volun- teer Infantry, but was rejected by reason of his impaired health. Thus forced to limit his efforts to such assistance as he could render the cause aside from the scene of action, he fretted at the fetters which bound him and yet was constrained to bide the time until he should have sufficiently recovered his health to enable him to go the front. In April, 1864, he again enlisted, becoming a mem- ber of Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Indiana Infantry, with which he served during the summer of that year, at Tullahoma and Duck River Bridge, Tennessee, under the command of General Robert Milroy, to whom had been assigned charge of the railroad defense in that de- partment. He returned home in October, having been honorably discharged from the service, and in the connection it is interest- ing to recall the fact that at this time he was first enabled to exercise the right of franchise, casting his first vote for O. P. Morton, the war Governor of Indiana. In November following he deposited his ballot in support of Lincoln, who was then re- elected to the presidency.

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Memorial record of northeastern Indiana, Part 8

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