USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 5
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LEE HARRY MORGAN.
Among the younger coterie of business men of Lafayette and one who is rapidly pushing his way to the front by means of fidelity to his chosen work and by a determined energy that knows no flagging until whatever task he has in hand is finished, is Lee H. Morgan, the scion of as worthy ancestors as any- one can claim. He was born in Farmington, Fulton county, Illinois, May 25, 1879, the son of George W. and Martha E. (Warner) Morgan. When Lee was five years old the family moved to Sidney, Champaign county, Illinois, where they remained for eight years, then moved to Salem, Illinois, the former home of William Jennings Bryan, Mr. Bryan having been a schoolmate of Mrs. George W. Morgan. After three years spent at Salem, the Morgan family moved to Champaign, Illinois. At this place Lee H. left school, having secured a fairly good text-book training, for the purpose of entering the grocery business, in which he remained for two years. Then he, together
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with his father and brother, started a mattress factory at Champaign, which they successfully conducted for three years, when the family moved to Lafay- ette, Indiana. This was in 1900. Lee H. and his brother William F. started a mattress factory and carpet cleaning business soon after they came to Lafay- ette on South Sixteenth street, for which they were well equipped, consequently were able to do first-class work. Their carpet cleaning is done in a large cylinder, fifteen feet in diameter, which revolves slowly; it is made of slats, and is so constructed that the carpet will roll and fall from top to bottom, thus beating it mechanically, airing it and removing the dirt. All the machinery is up-to-date and the very best work is turned out here quickly and at reason- able prices. The name of the firm was Morgan & Morgan after they came here. After operating their original business for about a year they added furniture upholstering and repairing. In 1905 William F. withdrew from the business and Lee H. Morgan still continues the business under his own name. He not only makes new upholstered furniture, but refinishes antique furniture of the highest quality. When this business was first started by the Morgan brothers in Lafayette they occupied a room only twenty-two by fifty feet. About three years later they erected a large addition, which they again en- larged in 1906, the business having grown until this became a necessity. Two floors are now required, thirty-three by ninety-six feet throughout. A number of employes are kept busy turning out the work, the business now covering a wide territory and constantly growing.
Lee H. Morgan was married, June 30, 1903, to Rosa Fluck, of Cham- paign, Illinois, a very affable woman, the representative of an excellent family.
In his fraternal relations, Mr. Morgan is a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge; he also belongs to Trinity Methodist Episcopal church. In 1905 he erected a new dwelling just south of the factory, which is modern, con- venient and attractive. He is a hard worker, plans well and has succeeded. He always takes a summer vacation on the northern lakes where he regales himself hunting and fishing, being something of a sportsman. He likes good horses and does considerable driving. He is obliging and friendly and a man who makes and retains friends easily.
WILLIAM MONHOLAN JACKSON.
He whose career is now taken under consideration and to whom the reader's attention is respectfully directed, is numbered among the progressive citizens of Lafayette and one of the representative men of Tippecanoe county,
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of which he has been a resident all his life, having been born here, and he has gained prosperity through his own honest efforts in connection with the de- velopment of the natural resources and the subsequent business prosperity. William M. Jackson first saw the light of day near Quaker Grove, this county, not far from the Montgomery county line, January 23,. 1869, the son of James M. and Elizabeth R. (Campbell) Jackson, the parents having come to Tippe- canoe county in 1865 from Gallia county, Ohio. Their son, William M., grew up on the home farm, which he worked and attended the district schools in the meantime. He remained on the farm until he was twenty-three years old, although his parents moved to Lafayette when he was eighteen, William M. desiring to farm with his brother-in-law. Farming, however, soon lost its charm for him and in 1892 and 1893 he went into the grocery business in Lafayette. Later he conducted a retail feed store for two years. Then he worked one year for the Western Construction Company on street con- tracts. In 1900 he began cement contracting for himself, starting in a small way with very limited capital, but a good credit. He made bids for city work and got contracts thereby. He began building sidewalks, then street construction and sewers and bridges, making a success in all and gradually extending his business until he had a large force of men employed and was constantly engaged on some large and important work. In 1907 he built South Eighteenth street from Kossuth street to the city limits. In 1906 the Lafayette Fuel and Builders' Supply Company was organized with a capital stock of ten thousand dollars, and Mr. Jackson was elected president of the same, which position he still holds, managing the affairs of the company in a manner as to insure abundant success and to stamp him as a business man of no mean ability and sagacity. In 1903 Mr. Jackson put down cement side- walks and curb and gutters from Main street bridge to Purdue University. In that year he erected his commodious, modern and beautiful home on East Kossuth street where he now resides. He works now principally on private construction work, having become one of the most popular contractors in the county, owing to the fact that he guarantees all his work and is quick to make good any defect. He does not go into debt except as an investment, and he always meets his obligations promptly. He believes that hard work and good management will always win, and this has been the secret of his large success. He deserves a great deal of credit for what he has done, but he is unpretentious, plain, kind and generous.
Mr. Jackson was married July 19, 1899, to Nellie G. Baker, of Lafayette, and to this union two sons have been born, namely: Earl Linden and Law-
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rence M. The Jackson household is a mutually happy and hospitable one, popular among a wide circle of friends.
In politics, Mr. Jackson is a Republican and is a member of the town- ship advisory board. In 1906 he was nominated by his party for township trustee, but by reason of unusual circumstances, he was defeated after a very spirited contest. In his fraternal relations he is a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 123, Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Woodmen of the World.
FREDERICK DORNER.
The German element in America's national life has contributed much to the country's material prosperity, being felt as a potential force along in- dustrial, commercial and agricultural lines, to say nothing of the important place it occupies in the arts and sciences and its influence in the military, edu- cational and religious circles, as well as in the domain of politics. A fine representative of this nationality is found in Frederick Dorner, whose name is known nationally, having built up a lucrative and extensive business in the pleasant science of floriculture in which he seems to have much more than ordinary ability, both natural and cultivated, as we shall see by a perusal of the following paragraphs.
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Mr. Dorner's birth occurred in Baden, Germany, November 29, 1837, the son of Frederick and Christine Dorner, who are remembered as honest and industrious people, of the better class of Germans. When eighteen years of age, Frederick decided that the great republic across the sea held greater possibilities for a lad of his temperament than his home land, consequently he set sail for the United States, coming directly to Lafayette, Indiana, where a brother, Philip, had previously settled. Since his arrival here in 1855 Fred- erick Dorner has noted many extensive changes and played well his part in the subsequent business expansion. Very early in life he was a lover of nature, having something of the poetic temperament in that he loved flowers, herbs, shrubs, etc., liked to see them grow and to cultivate them, but, unlike the poet, he also saw the great commercial side of this prodigal beauty of plant life and sought to turn it into account, with the result that he began working for the florist Lloyd, with whom he remained for a time, then worked at other things until he had a start.
On March 2, 1861, Mr. Dorner chose a life partner in the person of Marguerita Eihl, daughter of Lawrence Eihl, of Lafayette. Her father after-
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wards bought and operated the Peters mill on Wild Cat creek. The Eihl family is an old and highly respected one.
After following farming for a time, Mr. Dorner, in 1865, went to Wis- consin where he followed farming until 1870, in which year he returned to Lafayette and started a florist business at Gaasch's Garden on Underwood street, where there were already greenhouses, which he rented. About 1875 he moved to the south side of Indiana avenue, renting ground at Nineteenth street of Moses Fowler in what is now known at the Echo addition. Here he built a greenhouse and carried on his business in a very successful manner, but upon the death of Mr. Fowler he moved, buying land of Martin L. Peirce, consisting of nine acres on Indiana avenue. This was in 1900, and since that time he has added to his original purchase from year to year until his holdings at present are not only extensive but very valuable. In 1905, Mr. Dorner purchased twenty-four acres at Twenty-fourth street and Indiana avenue and built greenhouses there. Mrs. John Heath was the former owner of this property. When Mr. Dorner started in business at Nineteenth street and the north side of Indiana avenue he had three houses and about seven thousand square feet of glass. This was in 1890. The growth of his busi- ness since that date has been phenomenal and is gradually increasing. He now has one hundred thousand square feet of glass, and his residence at Nineteenth street and Indiana avenue is one of the attractive homes of Lafay- ette, being modern, commodious and in the midst of the most attractive grounds in this locality, surrounded by broad lawns, with winding walks, many kinds of rare and beautiful shade trees surrounding the home, which in every way is an ideal one. Mr. Dorner has a down-town office and retail establish- ment at No. 640 Main street, which is usually a busy place. Since 1890 he has made a specialty of growing carnations, and no finer specimens than those produced in his greenhouses are to be found anywhere; their beauty and quality have become so widely known that his shipments extend from the Great Lakes to the Gulf and from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. He has been quite successful in the culture of new varieties of this favorite flower.
Thirteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dorner, four sons and three daughters of which number are now living, six having died in early life, three in infancy. Frederick died when two years old; Margaret died when seven years of age; Christine reached the age of twenty-one before summoned to the silent land; those living are: Fred E., Jr., married Ida Prass and they are the parents of two children. Dorothy and Fred. Theodore A. married Lillian Harrington, of Lafayette, and they are the parents of two children, Catherine and Lucile. Herman B .: William Philip; Emily is at
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home; Anna married Fred E. Hudson, who assists Mr. Dorner in the green- house, and he and his wife are the parents of one child, James Frederick ; Emma married Claude Riddle and lives in Los Angeles, California; they are the parents of three children, George, Margaret and Claude. Fred, Theodore, Emily, Anna and Emma, also Fred Hudson are stockholders in the business conducted by Mr. Dorner. Herman Dorner is professor of floriculture at Urbana, Illinois, in the horticultural department of the college there. William Dorner is living at home and is attending Purdue University.
Mr. Dorner's business was incorporated in 1896 under the laws of the state, the officers being as follows: Frederick Dorner, Sr., president; Theo- dore Dorner, vice-president ; Fred E. Dorner, Jr., secretary and treasurer.
No family in Lafayette is better known or bears a better reputation than that of the Dorners, each member of which holds high rank, both in business and social circles.
JOHN SCHNAIBLE.
A well-known and influential business man in Lafayette, Indiana, is John Schnaible, a man who is deserving of great credit for what he has accomplished owing to the fact that he has been compelled to overcome in- numerable obstacles that have thwarted his pathway from early childhood, but being possessed of those innate characteristics that always make for success despite adversity, he has pushed aside all hindering causes that would have a tendency to deflect his course from the true goal he has sought, and he is today president of a large and constantly growing manufacturing concern, built up very largely through his untiring efforts-the M. & J. Schnaible Company, soap manufacturers.
John Schnaible was born July 30, 1837, in Wurttemberg, Germany, the son of Michael and Dorothea Schnaible, who, in 1853, started from their old home in the Fatherland to the newer republic of the west, and after a disastrous voyage of forty-seven days, Mrs. Schnaible and her five children landed in the harbor of New York, the father and one child, Jacob, having died on the way over of cholera which invaded the ship, taking forty-seven of its passengers. Also a brother of Michael, Sr., fell a victim to the dread scourge. The children who survived were Margaret. John, George, Michael and Matt. John had the cholera but recovered. Three other members of this family of Schnaible children had died before the family left Germany.
In February, 1854, Mrs. Dorothea Schnaible and her young children
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penetrated into the interior, coming to Lafayette, Indiana. Their means hav- ing been nearly exhausted, the children that were old enough to work sought employment at whatever they could get to do. Michael found em- ployment in a little soap factory and this was the beginning of the interesting and successful career of the Schnaible brothers in this line of business. His brother, John, found employment in the same factory in 1858. These brothers worked hard and saved their money until ten years later. In 1868 they were enabled to purchase the plant and went into business for themselves under the name of M. & J. Schnaible, and by judicious management the plant has grad- ually grown until today its products are well known and eagerly sought after in a wide territory, their plant being equipped with all modern appliances and managed with a superb system. It became necessary for them to build a brick building in which to house their factory. Later they found it necessary to add on a large addition. In the spring of 1899 the business had been incor- porated under the name of M. & J. Schnaible Company and other members of the family were taken in. The firm manufactures laundry soaps exclusively, among their best known brands being "Star City," "Daylight" and "Does-it- Easy Naptha." Their trade extends over all Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, Alabama ; also a part of West Virginia and other states.
When the Schnaible family landed in America John Schnaible, of this review, was sixteen years old. He had attended school in Germany and spent his early boyhood on the farm. On August 18, 1869, he was united in marriage with Mary Mertz, of Baden, and this union has resulted in the birth of three children, two of whom died in infancy, and the other, a boy named Willie, died in childhood.
Mr. and Mrs. Schnaible are members of the German Lutheran church, in which the former has been an elder for many years. In politics he is a Demo- crat. Mr. and Mrs. Schnaible have a neat and comfortable home. They are kind, hospitable, hard workers. In the summer of 1909 they took an enjoy- able trip to the Pacific coast, visiting California and Washington.
SAMUEL PROBASCO BAIRD.
Samuel Probasco Baird is a son of Zebulon and Martha M. ( Probasco) Baird. He was born in Lafayette and has lived there continuously except during the period of his engagement abroad in the service of his country. He was educated in the common and private schools of Lafayette until 1861, when he entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland,
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remaining there four years. In 1865 he was graduated with honor and became a full-fledged midshipman in the navy of the United States. The following year he was ordered for duty as a midshipman on board the United States ship "Pensacola," commanded by Capt. John L. Worden, of "Monitor" fame. The "Pensacola" sailed from New York for the North Pacific station, and, after visiting the most important seaports on both coasts of South America, arrived at San Francisco in 1867. Here Mr. Baird received his commission as ensign and was detached from the "Pensacola" and ordered for duty as an officer of the deck, on board the United States ship "Resaca." Within a few months he became navigating officer of this ship and in less than a year its executive officer, and while on duty aboard the "Resaca" he was promoted from ensign to master and from master to lieutenant. During this period the "Resaca" was employed in cruising along the west coast of Mexico, and, hav- ing seen much hard service, she was ordered to Mare Island navy yard, San Francisco, for repairs. The executive officer of a man-of-war is always held responsible for the general condition of his ship and the discipline and efficiency of its officers and crew. Although Lieutenant Baird was the youngest among all the executive officers of the fleet, both in years and length of service, yet his ship and crew were always considered in every respect equal to the best. In July, 1869, Lieutenant Baird was ordered East, and, after a short leave of absence, was assigned to duty at the Boston navy yard. Subsequently he served at Mound City, New Orleans and Key West. on iron-clad duty. In 1871 he was ordered to the United States Naval Academy as instructor in seamanship and naval tactics at the request of Admiral Worden, who was then superintendent of the academy and had been captain of the "Pensacola" when Mr. Baird served on her as midshipman. After filling the position one year, he obtained a leave of absence and soon afterward resigned his com- mission as lieutenant in the navy in order to take up the practice of law in Lafayette. Mr. Baird had long contemplated this step, and for several years before resigning devoted to the study of law all of his time not required for the performance of his official duties, and in this way qualified himself for admission to the bar. He had become convinced that the active pur- suits of civil life, in a congenial profession, would be preferable to the duties of an officer of the navy in time of peace. He entered upon the practice of the law as a partner and under the guidance of his father and to the instruc- tion thus received at the threshold of his career as a practitioner, Mr. Baird ascribes a large measure of his success at the bar. After the death of his father, in 1877, he practiced alone for ten years and then formed a partner- ship with W. DeWitt Wallace, which continued until the latter was elected
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judge of the superior court in 1894. Since that time he has carried on his practice alone. Mr. Baird has devoted himself to the law without reserve and has neither held nor sought political office. His practice has been principally in the courts of Tippecanoe and adjoining counties and in the supreme court. In the management and trial of cases he has been associated with or pitted against the leading lawyers of Indiana and adjacent states, and he has been engaged as counsel in most of the important litigation in his section of the state during the last twenty years. His personal character is irreproachable.
In 1881, Mr. Baird married Elizabeth D. Rochester, daughter of the late William K. Rochester, Esq., of Lafayette. They had one child, a son, Rochester Baird. Mrs. Baird died on May 27, 1903.
In 1906, Rochester Baird graduated from the Indiana University, receiv- ing the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar by the supreme court and the United States district court for the state of Indiana. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, he commenced and is now engaged in the practice of his chosen profession at Lafayette.
HUGH SEABAUGH JAMISON.
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One of Lafayette's honored and well-known business men is Hugh S. Jamison, a descendant of sterling pioneer ancestry, he himself having come down to the present generation from pioneer days and has played well his part in the subsequent development of this favored section of the great Hoosier state from its wildernesses to present-day opulent prosperity. He was born November 21, 1837, at Greensburg, Indiana, the son of Martin and Margaret (Freeman) Jamison. The former's father was also named Martin, his wife having borne the name of Barbara. They came from Greens- burg, Pennsylvania, about 1820, and settled near the present city of Greens- burg, Indiana. Martin Jamison, Jr., was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, in 1806, in which county his wife, Margaret Freeman, was also born, in 1812. They made a toilsome journey across the mountains to Indiana and settled on the present public square of Greensburg, the surround- ings then being decidedly wild and primitive, but they lived to see its wondrous improvements, doing their just share of the work of development. Martin Jamison, Jr., is remembered as a man of unusual natural ability. He had a good education and was an able lawyer for those days, becoming prominent in political affairs, having ably represented Decatur county in the sessions
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of the legislature from 1839 to 1842, inclusive, during which time he wrought a great influence for the good of his constituents. He was a staunch Whig and an admirer and supporter of Henry Clay. Before he began practicing law he followed merchandising for a time, bringing his goods from New York or Philadelphia by stage, and he sent back produce to pay for the same. After he began the practice of law he filled his appointments at various courts, however remote, riding thereto on horseback. He was a forceful speaker, well versed in the tenets of the law, and was very popular over his district.
To Mr. and Mrs. Martin Jamison, Jr., the following children were born : John, Cynthia A. (who married John P. Hittle), Sarah, Hugh S. and Wil- liam. Of these only Hugh S., of this review, survives. Up to 1884 the latter lived in Greensburg most of the time and engaged in the clothing and dry goods business in that city from 1865 for several years. In 1877 he entered the music business in that place and continued in the same until 1880, when for two years he was manager of a large clothing store. He made a success of all these lines, owing to his innate business qualifications, but the confinement in the clothing store was bad for his health and he returned to the music business, which he continued until 1884, in which year he disposed of his interests at Greensburg and came to Lafayette. He was salesman for two years for one music store in this city and eleven years for another, then, after spending two years as salesman for a third music store, he went into business for himself, in 1897. He has been successfully engaged in the music business on North Ninth street for more than ten years, during which time he has enjoyed a large and extensive patronage. He has a neat, well-kept and at- tractive store, stocked with various grades and types of musical instruments, his stock always being carefully selected.
Mr. Jamison was united in marriage, December 13, 1866, with Ella Nora Barnes, of Greensburg, Indiana, the daughter of Turner and Miriam Barnes. Mr. Barnes, who was a soldier in the Civil war, is still living at the advanced age of eighty-five years. He was a member of the famous Wilder's Brigade. He is a man of exceptionally clean character, and he is in possession of all his faculties, possesses a steady hand, a clear brain and an excellent memory. To Mr. and Mrs. Jamison four children have been born, three of whom are living, namely : Lafayette Freeman, of New York, engaged in the broker- age business; James Blaine, who graduated in pharmacy at Purdue Univer- sity in 1903, is now in Boston, Massachusetts, also engaged in the brokerage business: Genevieve is now the wife of William E. Kurtz, a well-known business man in Indianapolis; Cynthia Elbert, who died February 12, 1889, was the wife of Harry P. Dodd, a traveling auditor on the Lake Erie railroad.
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