Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead, Part 98

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers
Number of Pages: 786

USA > Indiana > Elkhart County > Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead > Part 98
USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead > Part 98

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EDWIN W. KINNISON. In tracing back the ancestors of the Kinnison family we find that the great-grandfather of our subject, Charles Kinnison, came originally from England and settled in Pocahontas county, W. Va., where he became an ex- tensive land owner. He was married in this country to Miss Mattie Day and seven children were born to this union as follows: David, Amos, Nathaniel, Mark, Mattie and two not remembered. Mr. Kinnison followed agricultural pursuits in West Virginia, cleared a farm, and became the owner of 2,000 acres of land. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was engaged in the secret service in a battle with the Indians at West Point. His sons cleared up tracks from the 2,000 acres owned by Mr. Kinnison, and became prosperous citizens. Mr. Kinnison lived to be seventy- eight years of age and was one of the old-time pioneers of West Virginia, and an early member of the Masonic fraternity. His son, Mark Kinnison, the grandfather of our subject, was born in West Virginia, and there secured but a limited education. He was married to Miss Nancy Davis, daughter of William Davis (who was a nesr relative to Jefferson Davis) and Priscilla (Grimes) Davis. Tie Davis family is of Welsh ancestry. To Mark Kinnison and wife were born eight children: Davis. Charles, Mark, Archibald, Hiram, Ruth, Elizabeth and Nancy. Mr. Kinnison settled

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on a part of his father's farm in Pocahontas county, W. Va., cleared this and made a good farm. In November, 1833, he came to the Hoosier State; settled at Haw- patch, La Grange county, where he remained one year. aud then came to the farm now occupied by our subject. This was all wild land at that time, and Mr. Kinnison cleared up a good farm of eighty acres, assisted by his sons especially Hiram. He lived to be seventy-seven years of age and was a member of the Meth- odist Church. In politics he was a Democrat and an Abolitionist. He was a hard- working, pioneer citizen and was universally esteemed. His son, Archibald Kinnison, father of subject, was born in West Virginia and was but a boy when he came to Benton township, Elkhart county with his father. The pioneer schools of those days afforded him a limited education, reading, writing and spelling, but most of his time was spent in assisting his father on the farm. After reaching man's estate, he married Miss Charlotta Wood, daughter of Niah Wood, one of the pioneers of Noble county Ind., and a descendant of one of the colonial families. His father was colonel in the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Kiunison settled on land now owned and occupied by our subject soon after their marriage, and to the original tract added from time to time until they became the owners of 160 acres. Mr. Kinnison cleared this farm and became one of the most substanitial farmers and stockraisers of his section, all the result of industry and good manage- ment on his part. He and John D. Elsea introduced the first herd of Durham Short Horn cattle in the county and in other ways he has contributed to the advance- ment of the county. He visited Europe in 1878, traveled through the countries of France, Germany, Switzerland and England. He ever attended strictly to business and never cared to hold office of any kind. The first church built in the township received liberal contributions at his hands and he was ever active in all good work. He died on his farm when sixty-seven years of age, and gave each of his sons $4,000 in cash. He was a man whose uprightness and honesty were above reproach and whose career would serve as an example to all. He was the father of four children: George, James, Edwin and Willis. The third in order of birth of these children, Edwin W. Kionison, is a native of this county, born April 25, 1852, and like the average farmer's boy, his time in youth was divided between attending the common school and in learning to work on the farm. In selecting a companion for life he chose Miss Tillie F. Brown, daughter of William and Mary (Bean) Brown, and one child, Edith, who was born May 11, 1881, has blessed this union. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kinnison settled on the home farm, where our subject was born and which has been in the hands of the family for nearly forty years, and they are now the owners of 230 acres of land. Mr. Kinnison is a practical farmer and stock- raiser and is one of the prosperous young tillers of the soil in the county. In politics he supports the Republican party. His brother George was in the Civil war and served in an Indiana regiment. Our subject is a genial, well-posted man, is deservedly popular, and capable of hoildng any office in the gift of the people of his countv. In the year 1892 he was elected county commissioner of his county.

THE HAWKS FAMILY. The name of Hawks is well and favorably known all over northern ladiana, for it has been intimately associated with the commercial interests of that section for more than sixty years, and is the synonym of honesty, industry and business integrity. Sturdy Scotch blood flows in the veins of these worthy people, who were early colonial settlers of this country. Cephas and Chloe (Case) Hawks were of Scotch ancestry, and were worthy and exemplary people. The occu- pation of the former was mainly that of milling, although he was a farmer, trader and speculator. In 1827 many settlers of western New York were attracted to the central portion of Michigan, and in that year Mr. Hawks moved to that State, locating at Ypsilanti, Washtenaw county, which then gave promise of being an im- portant city, as it was a thriving village. Here Mr. Hawks acquired consider- able means in buying and selling cattle, in fact, he was a wealthy man when he and his son Cephas visited Indiana on a prospecting tour in 1835, and in the vicinity of

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Middlebury be purchased a 200-acre tract of land. He was so favorably impressed with Indiana that he moved thither in 1836, and having much faith in the eventnal prosperity of Waterford, he invested his means in several lines of business calculated to make that place a prosperous towu. He purchased a mill at that point in 1837, and continued the business of milling for some years under the firm name of C. Hawks & Sons, the latter of whom inherited, as well as his grandsons, many of his ex- cellent business characteristics. Mr. and Mrs. Hawks reared six sons and two daughters to manhood and womanhood, only three of whom are living: Cephas, Joel P. and Mrs. Hitchcock. The family was born in the following order: Frank, Albert, Dwight, Cephas, Eleazar, Joel P., Eliza, Calista, Sarab and Mary. Cephas Hawks who was named in honor of his worthy father, was born in Phelps, Ontario Co., N. Y., December 8, 1812, and consequently is now over eighty years of age. Soon after the settlement of the family in the county, Cephas and his brother Eles- zar became associated with their father in the milling business, the name of the firm being C. Hawks & Co., and abont 1840 they purchased their father's interest in the same, which they successfully operated for many years. His education was acquired in the common schools of New York and Michigan, and was of a practical and use- ful order. He was trained to a business life by his father, and as he and his broth- ers were full of life and vim in their young manhood, they were successful in their business affairs, and were among the leaders in the popular sports of those days. In 1855 Cephas and Eleszar opened a hardware business in Gosheu, and in 1865 the hardware and dry goods business were joined together, to which a grocery business was added. Three years later the milling business was moved from Waterford to Goshen, and in addition to this, the firm in 1873, began the manufacture of furniture which has since grown to be one of the leading industries in northern Indiana. Their milling business has also increased very much, and is the leading industry of that kind for miles around. They do a custom and general merchant milling busi- ness, and their different brands of flour are favorably known to all the merchants and consumers in many counties in northern Indiana. In 1865 P. C. Messick was taken into the firm, its style then heing Hawks Bros. & Co. In 1854 Joel P. Hawks, who had just returned from a trip to the then new gold fields of California, was admitted as 8 partner in the business, and in 1859 the large three-story block on Lincoln avenue, then Market street, was built, and there the Hawkses have done an extensive mercan- tile business ever since. From the beginning of the Waterford enterprises to the present time the Hawkses have been extensively engaged in the purchase of grain, a great portion of that time being the principal buyers in the county, and at least since the advent in Goshen, until within the last few years, Cephas has been at the head of that branch of the business, and owing to their large transactions, Goshen has held a high position as a grain market. Mr. Hawks was always of a practical turn of mind, was the first to propose the hydraulic canal, and during the early period of its inception advocated it earnestly and persistently; in reality was its chief promoter. After it was finally decided upon and a company organized, he re- ceived the contract for its construction, and although it met with some natural oppo- sition, it has withont doubt been of incalculable benefit to Goshen. The youthful days of Cephas Hawks were spent in hard labor, and although he had decided to ob- tain a thorough classical education, he was prevented from so doing by being affected with inflammation of the eyes for several years. The practical education he had previously acquired was increased and broadened by much desultory reading, and by close observation of men and events, and he became one of the best informed busi- ness men of the northern part of the State. January 28, 1841, he was united in marriage with Miss Dalinda B. Bliss, who was born in Vermont, March 17, 1817, a daughter of Dr. Ezra Bliss, of Middlebury, Ind., and to their union the following children were given: Calista C., wife of John Gortner of Goshen; Frank E. C., who lives in Goshen and has charge of the grist-mills; Eveline N., who died in childhood; Mary E., married C. N. Hatch and is deceased; Edwin W., who has charge of the

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furniture mannfactory, and Harriet G., who died in childhood. Cephas Hawks was first a Whig, but is now a Republican. Although a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in early life, he has been & Presbyterian since he came to Goshen, of which his wife, who died October 30, 1892, was also a member. She was well born, of sturdy, godly New England blood. She had & good mind, well trained in the schools of Vermont and Massachusetts. A child of the covenant, she was early converted, and at the age of eighteen years, consecrating her life to God's service, she united with the Presbyterian Church. As a woman, she was modest of her abilities and self-depreciating. She loved flowers and all things beautiful, as well as good books and good people. As a neighbor she was kind and obliging, and very helpful, a friend of the poor and the sick, visiting them in their affliction, bringing always a bright face, cheering words and a helping band. She was a warm- hearted, faithful and sympathizing friend, full of charity, and was active in the serv- ices of the church, the prayer meetings, the ladies' prayer circle, and the missionary work with which she maintained an active connection to the end of her life. Eleazar Hawks, brother of Cephas, was born in Phelps, Ontario Co., N. Y., Decem- ber 24, 1818, and in 1862 was married to Jennie L. Goff, who was born in New York, February 13, 1832. The following children were born to them: Frank W., born October 16, 1864; Grace L., born March 30, 1868, and died May 19, 1891, and a child that died in infancy. Eleazar Hawks died May 26, 1891. Frank W., his eldest son, attended the public schools of Goshen, and in the fall of 1884, entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated in 1889, taking the degree of Ph. B. Since his father's death he has taken his place in business, and manages a hardware stock of about $18,000. Joel P. Hawks, another brotber of Cephas, was born in Ontario county, N. Y., February 9, 1822, and in 1852 went overland with an ox train to California via the North Pass. He had been in poor health for a number of years, and during hie stay of three years on the coast his health was restored, but like the mass who went to that Eldorado he did not make a fortune. He returned home in 1855, vis the Isthmus and New Orleans, and soon afterward became associated with his brothers Cephas and Eleazar, the firm being known as C., E. & J. P. Hawks. Since then he has been connected with his broth- ers in many of their business ventures, and also manages in a successful manner some independent ones. He was married Angust 8, 1844 to Miss Sarah J. Brown, who was born in Genesse county, N. Y., June 9, 1844. There were born to them two sons: Dwight and Joel P., Jr., and four daughters: Alice and Minnie, deceased; Emma, wife of D. Mayberry, and Mabel. Frank E. C. Hawks, son of Cephas Hawks, was born in the village of Waterford, Ind., in November, 1847, and the rudiments of his education was acquired in a log school house which is still standing, although it has been boarded over so as not to be recognizable, it being replaced by a sub- stantial brick edifice. After & thorough preparation in the common schools, he en- tered Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill., where he remained until 1864, when he enlisted in the army at the call of President Lincoln for one hundred-day volunteers, and was mustered into the One-Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment Illinois Infantry, and after seeing a good deal of camp life without any hard fighting, he was mustered out in the fall of that year. At the age of nineteen he entered the counting room of Hawks Bros. & Co. as head book-keeper, and this very responsible position he filled ably and faithfully for seventeen years. In 1883 he became one of the incorporators of the Goshen Milling Company, and at present he fills the position of secretary and treasurer, and is fourth owner of the plant and business. By vir- tue of his office he is the business manager of the establishment, and it is in a great measure owing to bis push and business tactics that it has attained the rank of the leading grain buying and flouring concern in Indinua. Edwin W. Hawks, second son of Cephas Hawks, was born in Waterford, Ind., November 9, 1851. After a course in the high schools of Goshen, he went to Evanston, for a time to the univer- sity there, returned, and was in the Hawks hardware store for a short time. This

1. Kewell

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position he left, to take charge of the Hawks Furniture Company, in which he was interested. Under his careful management, this has grown to be one of the largest of the kind in the State. Dwight H. Hawks, son of Joel P. Hawks, is one of the most progressive business men of Goshen, and is prominently connected with the drug trade of the county. He is a gentleman in all that the word implies, of integ- rity unimpeachable, and a pharmacist of wide repnte. His establishment is largely patronized and is a popular place of resort. George D., son of an elder brother of Cephas, Frank Hawks, is connected with the milling interests of the Hawkses at Go- shen, and is a shrewd man of affairs. William Hawks, son of another brother, Al- bert, is in the extensive dry goods house of the Hawkses in Goshen, and like all the members of the family, is a practical and successful business man.

MRS. LAURA A. KINDIG, widow of Joseph L. Kindig, is a lady of far more than ordinary executive ability, has become widely known for the push and enterprise she has shown, for her interest in the building up of the town of Goshen, for the deep interest she manifests in the welfare of the Baptist Church, of which she has long been & worthy member and to which she is a most liberal contributor, and for her natural kindness of heart and numerous noble impulses. She is a daughter of Joseph Dickson Knox, one of the earliest settlers of Elkhart county, who was born in Monroe county, W. Va., October 18, 1807, his parents being John L. and Nancy (Dickson) Knox. The remote ancestors were Irish, were United Presbyterians in religious belief, and on account of their religion left their native country and founded a colony in West Virginia. The Knoxes and Dicksons possessed all the sterling qualities that distinguished the Protestant people of North Ireland and Scotland. John L. Knox always pursued the calling of a farmer, and to him and his wife were born a good old-fashioned family of fifteen children, Joseph D. being the second child, and he and a sister are the only members of the family now living. The former was brought up to hard work, and the only education that he secured was obtained by a few weeks' attendance during the winter months in the old-time subscription schools. He began serving an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade at the age of nineteen years, and, being a natural mechanic, became an expert in the business, but low wages and slave labor led him to seek a permanent location elsewhere. In the summer of 1831 he started for the North on horseback, and in October of the same year landed at Goshen, Ind., where he decided to locate. Here he opened a blacksmith shop and continued to work at his trade for nearly half a century. The ground on which his shop was erected is still in his possession and cost him, originally, $16, and as it was the first piece of real estate which he ever owned, he expects to keep it in his possession during his lifetime. He was a live business man, and by hard work and close economy has become possessed of & well- improved farm of 240 acres, near Goshen, besides other valuable property. He was married to Miss Margaret Walker, a native of Ross county, Ohio, and to them were born the following children: Henry (who died in 1845), Laura A. (Mrs. Kindig), Mary F. (Mrs. Hale, an amiable, intelligent and kind-hearted lady, residing in Goshen), and John G. John G. Knox was born in Goshen November 3, 1847, and was reared and educated in the town of his birth. He began life for himself by working in a jewelry store, which he followed in connection with the hat and cap trade for twelve years. At the end of that time he took an interest in his present business-the manufacture of furniture-making a specialty of elegant extension tables, the firm being known as Nash, Knox & Hubbell. He is a progressive and worthy citizen, and in conducting his business affairs has been very successful. He was married to Miss Mary P. Widner, on September 6, 1870, and to their union fonr children have been given: Edwin L., Joseph W., Florence M. and an infant. John G. Knox is a Republican and a member of the Presbyterian Church. His mother died on November 9, 1878, having been a most estimable and exemplary lady, a devoted wife and mother, and an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Knox, the father, has never identified himself with any of the 30

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religious or secret societies, but has always led a moral and exemplary life. He is remarkably well preserved, both mentally and physically, and shows but little the ravages of time. Prior to 1856 he was a Democrat, but since that time he has acted and voted with the Republican party. In all his actions in life he has been noted for his honesty, integrity, freedom from vanity, and for his opposition to ostentation. He is one of the oldest and best known of Elkhart county's early set- tlers, and in the love and respect of his children and a large circle of friends he is passing a serene old age. His daughter, Laura A., was married in 1857 to Joseph L. Kindig, who was born in York county, Penn., September 21, 1830, his parents being Joseph and Salime Kindig, native Pennsylvanians, who spent their lives on the old homestead in the "Keystone" State. Joseph L. was brought up to a knowledge of farm life, but received a better education than the average youth of his day, for he not only attended the common schools, but was also a student in Litez Academy and York County Academy. He became a resident of Goshen, Ind., in 1854, and the same year engaged in the mercantile business. Being a man of far more than average ability, and possessing keen commercial instincts, his worldly possessions continued to increase, and at the date of his untimely death he left a fine property to his widow. At that time he was engaged quite extensively in the erection of business buildings in the town, and after his death his widow bravely stepped to the helm and began carrying out the work he had so substantially inaugn- rated. He was public spirited and progressive, keenly alive to his own interests and the good of his section, and, in all probability, did as much as any one citizen to build up and make the town of Goshen what it is to-day. His loss was deeply felt in the community as well as by his sorrowing widow, who found some solace in car- rying out his last wishes. She is a woman of rare executive ability, is far-seeing, prudent and cautions, and in her charities has been the soul of generosity, her con- tributions to her church being liberal in the extreme and at all times bestowed in a proper and intelligent manner and where they will readily accomplish the desired object. She is interested in all enterprises tending to build np the moral, religious and social condition of her section, and her good works will live long after she has passed away. She bore her husband two children, both of whom are deceased.

DR. JULIUS E. BARBOUR. There are men, and the number is by no means small, who drift into what we are accustomed to look upon as the learned profession in the same way that thousands of men in the lower walks of life drift into the ordi- nary bread-winning occupations. Having no special preference for any calling, and without feeling that they have any particular fitness for a certain profession, they find themselves drifting in that direction as a result of associations or environment, and in the course of time they find themselves shouldering responsibilities for which they have scant liking, carrying burdens which rest heavily upon them, and laboring in a field which has for them no attraction other than what it yields in the way of annual incomes. The prominent physician whose name heads this sketch impresses even those who meet him in a casual way as a man who has drifted easily and naturally into the medical profession, who realizes he has made no mistake in the choice of his vocation, and feels thoroughly at home in the position which he occupies. This first impression deepens with a more intimate acquaintance, and familiarity with his life leads to the unbiased and impartial view that the unusual success he has achieved is the logical sequence of talent rightly used. together with energy and in- dustry never misapplied. The Doctor has practiced his profession in Elkhart county, and has been a resident of the town of Bristol for the past sixteen years. He owes his nativity to Michigan, his birth occurring October 26. 1849, and is one in a family of six children, three sons and three daughters (there being two sets of twins in this number), born to the marriage of Loren A. and Elizabeth (Arnold) Barbour, natives of New York State. When young the father and mother emigrated with their respective families to Michigan, and were among the very first settlers. The grandfather of Loren A. Barbour was a native of England. The great-grandfather

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was an English gentleman and was a manufacturer of cloth goods. His son, settling early in New York, was the progenitor of this family. He died in New York State, leaving a large family of children. Among them was Harry Barbour, who married Miss Polly Gillespie, of Irish descent. About the year 1821 this young couple emigrated to Michigan, and as that State was then almost a complete wilderness, they experienced all the hardships and privations of pioneer settlers. Mr. Barbour bought a large tract of land near and on the present site of Romeo, which he farmed the greater part of his life, and here reared a large family of children. He and wife lived to be quite aged people, nearly one hundred years old, and were univer- sally esteemed. The wife of Loren A. Barbour was a sister of the Rev. J. M. Arnold, who founded the " Michigan Christian Advocate, " of Detroit, and also a sister of William Arnold. This family is well. known throughout Michigan. In 1855 Loren A. Barbour passed away. He was one of the first daguerreotype artists in Michigan, which he followed to a considerable extent. He was also a storekeeper, and early in life tilled the soil. His death left a widow and six children. The former survived him until 1889, when she died at Minneapolis. She lies buried with her people and by the side of her husband at Mt. Vernon, Mich. The names of the children born to this worthy couple are as follows: Joseph H. and Josephine (twins), Mary A., Jnlins E. and Julia P. (twins), and Loren A. The first named ie a banker at San Diego, Cal., and is a prominent man in that State; the second is the wife of F. H. Revell, a publisher of Chicago; the third named is single and resides at San Jose, Cal., and is a well-known writer and lecturer on the subject of temperance; Julia P. is the wife of Dr. H. W. Brazie, of Minneapolis, who formerly practiced medicine at Bristol; Loren A., a chemist of Chicago. At the early age of six years Dr. J. E. Barbour was left without a father. With his uncle, William Arnold, he went to La Peer county, Mich., at that age. The country was then an almost unbroken wilderness, and there he finished his growth amid his rude sur- roundings and experienced the trials incident to early settlers. Indians were more plentiful than whites, and schools and churches were unknown. After remaining there until twelve years of age he returned to Romeo and worked at farming until the breaking ont of the Rebellion. Just at the age when children should be in the school-room and under the protecting care of parents, young Barbour's patriotism manifested itself. In November, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company A. Ninth Michigan Volunteer Infantry at Coldwater. They were ordered to Louis- ville, Ky., and from there to re-enforce Gen. Thomas at Nashville. Their first actual war experience was at the battle of Stone River, where Company A lost nearly one half of its number as prisoners. Young Barbour was not among the number. He continned on with his regiment to Chattanooga, participating in all its encounters, and at last took part in the great battle of Missionary Ridge. After remaining cooped up at Chattanooga aud beiug nearly starved to death they were finally re-enforced, and then continned on that world-famed campaign to Atlanta, during which the battles of Buzzard Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, etc., and the siege of Atlanta occurred. Upon the reduction of Atlanta. Mr. Barbour's regiment was ordered back to check Hood's threatened invasion of the North. Participating in the battles of Franklin and Nashville, the military career of the boys in blue closed. Mr. Barbour was honorably discharged at Jackson, Mich., in the fall of 1865. Immediately after this he took a preparatory course of schooling at Pontiac. to fit himself for the higher school of medicine. Then taking a conrse of lectures in the Homoeopathic School (Detroit Homoeopathic College), he took his second term of lectures in the regular school of medicine of the University of Michigan. The fol- lowing year he entered the Cleveland, Ohio, Homoeopathic Hospital College, from which he graduated February 14. 1874. Coming direct to Bristol he located and has ever since lived and practiced medicine here. His first six years' practice was in partnership with his brother-in-law. Dr. Brazie, but since then he has practiced alone. Dr. Barbour was married in 1879 to Miss Emma A. Rheinehart, who was

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Pictorial and biographical memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph counties, Indiana, together with biographies of many prominent men of northern Indiana and of the whole state, both living and dead, Part 98

Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers Number of Pages: 786

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Goodspeed Brothers
Number of Pages: 786