USA > Indiana > Tippecanoe County > Past and present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Volume II > Part 6
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In 1908 Mr. Jamison built a new home on North Ninth street which is worthy of brief mention. There are larger and costlier dwellings in Lafayette, but few calculated to be the source of more genuine home comforts in the fullest sense. It stands on high ground in an excellent neighborhood; the rooms are all well lighted and exceptionally well ventilated; the upstairs is finished in light wood of high grade, many parts showing a beautiful velvety grain. It is equipped with the latest and best system of plumbing, the linen closets and kitchen being especially convenient. Steam heat is generated in the large cemented basement which underlies the whole house. The large front room, reception hall and another room are all connected by broad open doorways, on either side of which are columns of golden oak. A large open fireplace, with attractive finishings, greets the visitor, who is delighted with both the symmetry and convenience of the interior. The house is lighted by both gas and electricity. Here genuine hospitality and good cheer ever prevail, for Mr. and Mrs. Jamison are generous, frank, kind and courteous, making all feel at home who cross their threshold. By good management and economy they have accumulated a comfortable fortune, and they are in every way deserving of the high esteem in which they are held by all who know them.
THOMAS JEFFERSON BARNES.
A worthy scion of distinguished and sterling ancestors is Thomas Jef- ferson Barnes, son of Samuel Barnes and grandson of John Barnes. Samuel lived on a farm in Tippecanoe township, this county, all his life from the time he came here in November, 1848, until his death, March 14, 1863, having developed an excellent farm. He married Nancy Rice, who survived him until May 31, 1885. Samuel Barnes was the son of John and Elizabeth (Boydston) Barnes, the former a native of Virginia. and the latter of one of the Carolinas. When John Barnes was eight years old he rode on a steam- boat invented by his uncle twenty years before Robert Fulton, the supposed first inventor of the steamboat, got his patent. This uncle, Joseph Barnes, died in London, where he was detained for life by the British government because he was apprehended trying to deport mechanics to work on his boat, then building in America.
John Barnes, mentioned above, the grandfather of Thomas J. Barnes, was a son of John Barnes, who came from England when a young man and settled in Virginia near Harper's Ferry. He enlisted at the beginning of the
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Revolutionary war, was promoted to captain, and served as such until the close of the war. The Boydstons were also of Revolutionary stock.
Thomas J. Barnes was born in Pike county, Ohio, August 21, 1847. In November of the following year the Barnes family moved to Tippecanoe county locating on a farm in Tippecanoe township, two and three-fourths miles north- east of Battle Ground in the north end of Burnett's Reserve. The farm con- sisted of four hundred and sixty-five acres. It was on this place that Thomas J. grew to maturity, on which he worked during the summer months, attend- ing the subscription schools in the winter, also went to the collegiate insti- tute at Battle Ground, receiving a good education and remaining upon the home farm until 1882. In November of that year he was elected county auditor, serving very creditably for four years, in fact, so faithfully did he discharge the duties of this office that he was re-elected for a term of four more years in 1886. In 1891 he started in the hardware business, having entered into partnership with Cyrenius Johnson, who had been in business a number of years previously, the firm name being then changed to The John- son-Barnes Hardware Company. Mr. Barnes continued in that line until March, 1898, when he formed a partnership with Charles W. Bone in the real estate business, in which Mr. Barnes has been engaged ever since, having built up an extensive business by reason of close application to individual affairs. For several years he has devoted considerable attention to emigration to the irrigated lands of the Denver-Greeley district in Colorado. In March. 1909, Mr. Barnes was appointed president of the board of police commis- sioners in Lafayette for a term of three years, which position he is holding in a manner that is winning the hearty approval of all concerned.
November 21, 1872. Mr. Barnes was united in marriage with Mary H. Mason, the daughter of E. P. Mason, of Brookston, White county, Indiana. Mr. Mason was one of the old and highly respected pioneers of Tippecanoe county, having come here fom Vermont, in which state he was born. He lived for a short time near Romney, this county, then moved to Lafayette where he conducted the Mason House. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Barnes five children have been born, namely: Gertrude Mason, Mary Grace, Thomas J., Jr., Lois Christine and Helen Virginia. These children are receiving all the advantages possible in the way of education, etc. The Barnes residence is a comfortable and pleasantly located one.
Mr. Barnes, in his fraternal relations, belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, having taken the Knight Templar degrees. A criterion of his high standing in Tippecanoe county is found in the fact that he is the first Demo- crat ever elected county auditor, and he was the first one to hold the office
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two terms consecutively, and only one other man has done so since then. He has been several times president of the Jackson Club, and is a charter member of the Lafayette Club. He is a well read man, keeping well abreast of the times in current events and the best literary topics, having a large and care- fully selected library. His daughters and son, who are all favorites in the younger social set of the city, are also of studious dispositions. Owing to Mr. Barnes's ancestors having fought in the Revolutionary war, his daughter, Giace, is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Thomas J. Barnes, Jr., is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. No citizen in the county is better or more favorably known that Mr. Barnes.
WILLIAM A. ROBERTS.
A man deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished in the world of business, considering his early environments, is William A. Roberts, whose name needs no introduction to the people of Tippecanoe county where his active and useful life has been spent, having been born in the city of Lafayette, September 26, 1854, the son of James and Philinda ( Packard) Roberts. The former was a native of Pennsylvania who came to Lafayette, Indiana, as early as 1834. He was a cabinetmaker by trade and conducted the first cabinetmaker's shop of any consequence in this part of the state. A very skilled workman, he found a ready sale for what he produced in this line. He became well known here, and he was a man of such high integrity that after his death his son was accepted without question by a judge of the court when told that he was the son of James Roberts. Philinda Pickard, before her marriage to James Roberts, came from the state of New York about 1845, and went into the millinery business for herself in Lafayette, being a leader here in her line.
When William A. Roberts was about ten years old his mother died, and he was thus deprived of her loving care, forced to stand against the world without her to champion his rights, but this he did right bravely, thus fostering that independence of spirit, that ability to "go it alone" which has contributed much to his subsequent success. His father was ever solicitous of his welfare, however, and gave him an education. He attended the old Central school at Sixth and Brown streets in Lafayette, now called the Centennial school. After leaving that school he attended a private school for some time, then went to Stockwell Collegiate Institute, which, at that time, was a noted insti-
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tution with four hundred pupils. In later years the school lost its prestige and, in 1895, Mr. Roberts became the owner of the building and grounds where he had spent the latter days of his school life. He demolished the old building and platted the grounds into town lots. After he had finished his course at Stockwell he went to Thorntown, where he was employed in the drug business for a period of six years. Although he prospered at this, he returned to Lafayette believing that better opportunities existed for him in his native city than elsewhere, and he was then employed in the grocery business for about two years. Then seeing an opening at Zionsville, Indiana, he spent the next seven years in that town where he and his brother-in-law conducted a general store, building up an extensive trade in the meantime. Here his health failed and he took up railroad work, having studied civil engineering at Stockwell College, and he began running levels in railroad construction work in this locality. In a short time, however, he went to Pennsylvania where he was with a corps of engineers on a preliminary survey for a proposed narrow gauge railroad from Pittsburg to Philadelphia. This work lasted for about a year and six months. Upon returning to Tippecanoe county Mr. Roberts bought a farm at Stockwell and lived there until 1897. In that year he was appointed superintendent of the county asylum, in which position he remained for a period of nine years, rendering entire satisfaction to all concerned, leaving the institution in the fall of 1905 when he moved to Lafayette and took a position as superintendent for the Western Con- struction Company. In February, 1906, he was appointed police commissioner in this city. Soon after taking office he found that the salaries and condi- tions regulating the employment of policemen were inadequate, and that the service would necessarily be unsatisfactory unless a change was instituted. He appealed to Governor Hanly and secured a raise in salaries to a fair basis, and also got other conditions changed tending to the betterment of the depart- ment. In recognition of his services in this connection the local police force presented Mr. Roberts a beautiful gold badge. In 1908 Mr. Roberts was chairman of the Republican county central committee, and largely due to his efficient management of the local affairs of the party the whole county ticket was elected and there was also a gain of two township trustees to his credit for the party.
Mr. Roberts was married, in 1877, to Ella J. Rash, whose home was near Linden, Montgomery county, and to this union four children have been born, namely : Laura A., James L., Harriett E. and W. Albert. They constitute a happy and mutually helpful household at the pleasant home which Mr. Roberts purchased in 1906 in Highland Park section of the city. It is a
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modern and attractive dwelling surrounded by well kept lawns. Mr. Roberts is the owner of a very valuable and highly improved farm of two hundred acres, located a mile west of Stockwell. The soil is rich and yields abundant harvests, the place is kept well stocked and on it stand substantial and com- fortable buildings.
Mr. Roberts is a Mason of high standing, having passed through both the York rite and Scottish rite; he also belongs to the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; also the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed through all the chairs, attended the grand lodge in 1879 and the grand encampment in 1883, and in 1896 he was a member of the sovereign lodge of the world. And in all these great orders Mr. Roberts has become well known and one would judge from his daily walk among his fellowmen that he makes an effort to exemplify their sublime teachings. He is also a member of the Christian church. Personally, he is a man of genial but positive character, straightforward, generous, self-reliant and reliable, conse- quently no man in Tippecanoe county holds higher rank as a citizen.
WILLIAM WALLACE.
The career of the honored subject of this sketch indicates the clear-cut, sane and distinct character and in reviewing the same, consistency demands that he be given distinctive precedence as a captain of industry and a con- spicuous place among the men of action whose labors and influence permeate the industrial and civic life not only of the city for whose growth and prog- ress he has done so much, but of a number of other populous centers in various parts of the state of his adoption.
William Wallace is a native of Scotland, born near the old historic city of Edinburgh, January 19, 1841. In 1852 the family, consisting of the par- ents, Adam and Rose (Bee) Wallace, and several children, emigrated to the United States and went direct to Cincinnati, Ohio, where two of the subject's brothers and a sister had previously located, he being about eleven years old at the time. During the ensuing three or four years, young William attended the schools of that city and on laying aside his books entered upon an appren- ticeship with the old firm of John B. & T. Gibson to learn the plumbing business, to which he devoted the five years following. The Civil war break- ing out about the time he completed his apprenticeship, he enlisted in the Benton Cadets, an independent organization under General Fremont, selected
William Wallace
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for his body-guard and which during the General's operations in Missouri rendered valuable service in helping rid the state of the Confederate forces. When Halleck superseded Fremont the company disbanded, quite a number of the men joining other commands, while others returned to their homes, among the latter being Mr. Wallace, who shortly after his discharge entered the employ of Mr. Hattersley, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who kept the only plumbing establishment in that city at that time. The Aveline Hotel (since burned) was then in the process of construction, also the Allen county court house. The plumbing of both buildings falling to Mr. Hattersley, Mr. Wal- lace was intrusted with the task of installing the same, and it is needless to state that the work was performed per contract to the satisfaction of all con- cerned.
In October, 1864, Mr. Wallace came to Lafayette with the view of locating, but after spending two or three months in the city he went to Terre Haute, which he supposed presented a more favorable opening for his line of work. After looking over the field there and carefully considering conditions, he finally decided to choose the former place and accordingly returned to La- fayette and in due time established a small plumbing business. For lack of necessary capital this was conducted on rather a modest scale until the close of the war, when his brother James, who had served in the army, became his partner. The two served apprenticeships at the same time and with the same Cincinnati firm, both being skillful mechanics and well qualified for the duties which now devolved upon them. About that time the Lafayette Gas Company began a series of improvements and, requiring the services of a competent man, the subject was induced to enter their employ. Soon after engaging with the company he was tendered the superintendency of the works in the city, which position he accepted on condition that he be allowed to continue his plumbing business and carry it along with his other under- takings. He had done considerable work for the gas company at Ft. Wayne prior to his removal to Lafayette, hence was no novice when he accepted the superintendency and entered upon the duties of the position. In 1874, when the city of Lafayette began operations for a system of water works, he became the successful bidder and secured the contract for laying the mains in the city, and constructing the reservoir, which was carried on under very discour- aging circumstances, owing to an almost unprecedented rainfall which inter- fered materially with the work, but which was carried to completion in due time. In the month of August the river rose to such a height that the water on the levee was six feet deep, while other parts of the city through which the mains extended were also submerged, causing much delay in the matter of
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excavating and rendering work on the reservoir exceedingly difficult. Not- withstanding these hindrances, Mr. Wallace addressed himself resolutely to the task in hand, and ere the close of the season finished the undertaking according to the terms of the contract, with a liberal margin for his profits.
When work began on Purdue University, Mr. Wallace was employed to superintend the construction of the sewerage and water supply systems, in ad- dition to which he was also awarded the contract for heating several of the buildings. He carried the work forward as rapidly as circumstances would admit and after its successful completion he located and laid out the gas plant for the institution. The university has since grown so rapidly as to render much of the work at the time indicated obsolete, the gas plant having been abandoned a number of years ago, since which time the institution's gas sup- ply has been provided by the Lafayette company.
The gas works, which Mr. Wallace still superintends, has enjoyed a rapid and substantial growth, its patronage increasing from three hundred con- sumers to more than four thousand, to supply whom sixty miles of mains are required, the plant being a model of its kind and of sufficient capacity to meet much more than the present demand. The company also operates plants in about a dozen other cities in northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio, all fully up-to-date and equipped with the latest results of inventive genius for the manufacture and distribution of gas, these as well as the principal estab- lishment at Lafayette being subject to the oversight of Mr. Wallace, who visits them when necessary and suggests such additions and improvements as are needful.
The Wallace Machine and Foundry Company of Lafayette, with which the subject is identified, was established about 1888 or 1889 by William Wal- lace and his son, Robert B. Wallace, who began operations in a buildingerected for the purpose on Second street, but meeting with a severe loss by fire a little later, they purchased a part of the old car works on Third street which they refitted and equipped with first-class machinery and other appliances. this plant with two or three acres of ground surrounding affording ample facilities for the successful prosecution of their large and rapidly growing business. The company has an extensive trade in structural and architectural iron, which they manufacture in large quantities and ship to various parts of Indiana. Illinois, Ohio and other states, besides doing general foundry and machine shop work. The company is in a flourishing condition and under the presidency of William Wallace bids fair to grow to still larger propor- tions and continue in the future as in the past one of the leading industrial enterprises of the city.
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The plumbing establishment of Wallace Brothers Company, which he and his brother James started in Lafayette when he first came to the city, does a large and lucrative business in that line. He continues as president of the company, while George B. Wallace is secretary and acting manager. This company employs none but skillful artisans and its reputation for the high standard of all work has brought a patronage which from the beginning has steadily increased.
Aside from his manufacturing and industrial interests Mr. Wallace is actively identified with various other lines of enterprise which have tended greatly to the advancement and welfare of Lafayette. Durng the last quarter of a century he has been connected with the First National Bank of this city, and since 1891 has been the efficient and honored vice-president of the same, also one of its heavy stockholders. In the year 1899 he assisted in estab- lishing the Lafayette Loan and Trust Company, and was elected president of the organization, which position he still worthily holds. He is also a director of the Sterling Electric Company, of his home city, and, with a nephew, is interested in the milling business at the town of Dale, in Spencer county, this state, being half owner of the plant and president of the com- pany by which it is operated. For some years he has been quite extensively interested in street railway and interurban traction lines, in which, with the Murdocks, he has large holdings in Evansville and South Bend, to say notli- ing of various other enterprises of less but by no means negative importance.
The married life of Mr. Wallace dates from the year 1867, when Miss Catherine Wilson became his wife, the ceremony having been solemnized in the city of Cincinnati, where the parents of the bride settled when they immigrated to the United States from their native country, Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace have had six children, one of whom died in infancy; those living are Mrs. Henry Brockenbrough; Robert B .; Mrs. Rose Van Natta; Roy W. and Belle, the two sons being interested with their father in the foundry and machine shop business. Robert B. Wallace was educated at Purdue University, of which he was an early student and one of the first of that institution to take a mechanical course. He is now manager of the Wallace Machine and Foundry Company, of Lafayette, and one of the most thorough mechanics in the city. Roy is a well educated and accomplished young man and as a mechanical engineer has few equals and no superiors in the city of his residence. He was graduated from Purdue and Cornell Uni- versities and since becoming interested in the above company with his father and brother has been the mechanical engineer of the enterprise.
In his political proclivities, Mr. Wallace has ever been a Republican, but
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not a politician in the sense the term is usually understood, much less a seeker after the honors and emoluments of office. He was reared a Presbyterian, but of recent years has attended the Baptist church with his family, the latter being members of the First Church of that body at Lafayette. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and from time to time has been honored with important official positions in the local Blue lodge to which he belongs.
In the midst of the thronging cares of an exceptionally active and suc- cessful career in the industrial and business world, Mr. Wallace has never been else than the genial true-hearted friend and sincere straightforward man, appreciative of the welfare of those with whom his lot has been cast, regardless of the stations in life they hold. He has mingled much with men in an executive capacity, and possesses the subtle yet readily understood power of begetting loyalty on the part of those in his employ or working under his direction, while his relations with those and others have ever been of the most friendly and trustful character. No man in Lafayette is held in higher regard as a citizen and few have done as much as he for the general welfare of the city. In person he is above the average size, of a large, compact frame, unas- suming in manner, easily approachable, and affable and kindly in conversation. Frank, honest, industrious and by nature and training fitted to inaugurate and carry to successful conclusion large and important enterprises, he has stamped the impress of his individuality upon the community and is essentially one of the representative men of the city in which he resides.
HUGH FLACK.
Hugh Flack is a native of Ireland and dates his birth from December 7, 1846, having first seen the light of day in county Cavan, which, for a number of years, had been the home of his ancestors. His parents, Samuel and Mary (Bell) Flack, came to the United States some time prior to the Civil war and settled in New York, but about the year 1866 they migrated westward as far as Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. The following year they were joined by their two sons, Hugh and John, who, landing at New York on the first day of July, lost no time in proceeding on their way to the new home in Indiana.
Shortly after his arrival in Tippecanoe county, Hugh Flack entered the service of Samuel Meharry, a well-to-do farmer of the neighborhood of Shaw- nee Mound, and a local minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, in whose employ he continued for a period of eight years, during which time he hus-
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banded his earnings with scrupulous care with the object in view of ultimately becoming a tiller of the soil upon his own responsibility. Mr. Meharry, being not only one of the leading farmers and representative citizens of the com- munity but a man of large heart and generous impulses as well, took great interest in the young gentleman, giving him the benefit of his counsel and advice, which in after years resulted greatly to his advantage. While in the employ of this excellent man, Mr. Flack made the acquaintance of an estimable young lady by the name of Sarah Laugheed, a native of the same part of Ireland in which he was born, but who had come to America some years previous and at the time referred to was living with the family of G. N. Meharry, a nephew of his employer. This acquaintance ripening into love, finally resulted in a marriage, which was duly solemnized on the 15th day of April, 1877, immediately after which Mr. Flack set up his domestic establish- ment on the Meharry farm where he continued to reside as a renter during the eight years ensuing.
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