USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. II > Part 35
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
.
E.a.K. Wo ckett
AETC , L. TILDEN FOUN.
253
FORT WAYNE AND ALLEN COUNTY
and business of the Fort Wayne Sentinel, his successful genius finding in this connection adequate scope for productive action, as shown in the fact that he developed the Sentinel into one of the most prosperous and influential daily papers in this section of the state and made the same potent in the fostering and advancing of community interests along both civic and material lines. He continued as owner of the plant and business of the Sentinel until the time of his death and the property is one of the most valuable of its kind in northern Indiana at the present time. As a writer Mr. Hackett was forceful, sure and circumspect, so that his editorial utterances carried weight not only in local affairs but also in exemplifying the best political thought and polity, his allegiance having been given to the Democratic party. From an editorial published at the time of his demise are taken the following extracts, which give supplemental information concerning his specially successful and broad- gauged business career : "Mr. Hackett started the American Farmer, which for several years was published in the Sentinel office and later sold to a big publishing company. He was also at one time interested in the Indianapolis Sentinel, disposing of his interests several years before it suspended publication. Several years ago he established the Hackett Medical College at Canton, China, placing his eldest daughter, Dr. Martha Hackett, in charge. Mr. Hackett owned the Indianapolis Sentinel at the same time he owned the Fort Wayne Sentinel. The former paper was sold to Belford, Clark & Company, and then Mr. Hackett returned to Fort Wayne and devoted his entire attention to the local publication." The deep Christian faith of Mr. Hackett guided and gov- erned his course in all of the relations of life and was essentially a faith not only of sentiment but also of service. He was earnest in the support of all moral agencies, including the cause of temperance, and was actively identified with the Winona Assembly and Summer Schools Association, at Winona Lake, Indiana. He was one of the most earnest and honored members of the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne, was an elder in the same at the time of his death and had also given characteristically effective service as superintendent of its Sunday school. Concerning him the following appreciative and merited statement has been made: "He took an active part in every movement which tended to the betterment of Fort Wayne, and his death comes as a loss to the entire city." As a young man Mr. Hackett wedded Miss Mary A. Melsheimer, whose father was a representative physician and surgeon engaged in practice at Bluff- ton, Wells county, and she passed to eternal rest in April, 1898. Of the children of this union the first born, Susan, died in infancy; the second child, Martha, is a talented physician and has charge of the hospital that was founded by her father in the city of Canton, China, as pre- viously noted; Helen, the youngest of the children, is the wife of John C. Johnson, of Los Angeles, California, and they have two children- May Alice and John Edward. On October 16, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hackett to Miss Susie Emma Reid, who was born at Greenville, Bond county, Illinois, where she was reared and educated and where she completed a course in Almira College of that city. A woman of culture and gracious personality, she continues to occupy a secure place in connection with the representative social and religious activities of Fort Wayne, where she is a devoted member of the First Presbyterian church. With her in the beautiful home remain her three children-Catherine Reid, Edward A. K., Jr., and Wayne. Mrs. Hackett
254
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
is a daughter of Colonel John B and Emma T. (Holden) Reid, long num- bered among the most honored residents of Greenville, Illinois, her father having gained his military title through gallant service as a soldier and officer on the Union side during the Civil War.
Alva O. Hadley .- A model farm is, in the opinion of those who have seen the Hadley farm in Section 30, Marion township, one that conforms to the standards of that place. Mr. Hadley has one of the finest and best-kept stock farms in Allen county, and he is known widely among the breeders of blooded Belgian horses, Holstein cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs as one of the most progressive and successful men in the business. The buildings on the farm are the last word in point of convenience and sanitation, and reflect the progressiveness and capability of the owner of the place. Alva O. Hadley was born June 30, 1862, in Clermont county, Ohio, and is the son of Parley P. and Martha H. (Snell) Hadley. The father was of English parentage and the mother came of Pennsylvania Dutch blood. In 1869, Parley Hadley went to Crawford county, Kansas, and settled on a tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres. He applied himself to farming operations, adding another quarter-section in time, and conducted a very successful cattle business for a good many years. He was a carpenter by trade, but spent more time in agricultural pursuits than in devotion to his trade, and was considered a very success- ful man, well-to-do for his day. He was a veteran of the Civil War and his service covered the entire period of hostilities. He enlisted when the first call for troops came and was discharged after the surrender, in the spring of 1865. He was with Sherman on the March to the Sea and participated in many of the bloodiest battles of the war. He arose during his service from the rank of private to that of Captain. Mrs. Hadley died in March, 1882, and in 1890 Mr. Hadley returned to Ohio, where he spent the remaining years of his life in quiet retirement. He died in September, 1908. After the death of the subject's mother, Mr. Hadley married again, Martha Engle becoming his wife, and two children were born to them. Mabel married Joseph Carr and Harrison died in April, 1909. The children of the first marriage were six in number and mention of them is made briefly as follows: Elizah Ann is the wife of George Cunningham, of Kansas. Alva O., the subject of this review, was the second child. Amanda Bell died when she was eighteen years of age. George died in childhood. Ida passed away in 1909. John is living in Fort Wayne, and is connected prominently with the Fort Wayne Dairy Company. Alva Hadley was a small boy when the family moved to Kansas and he had his early education in the schools of the Sunflower State. He lived on his father's farm to the age of twenty-one, when he branched out for himself on a rented farm. In 1894 he bought his first land. It was a small farm of seventy-two acres, which he sold some time later and bought his present farm of eighty acres in Section 30, Marion township, Allen county. All his life he has given his attention to the production of blooded stock, and his Belgian mares and stallions are among the finest to be found in the state. Mr. Hadley is Repub- lican in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masons and he and his wife are affil- iated with the Eastern Star. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He was married on July 1, 1883, to Miss Euphemia Davidson, daughter of Anderson Davidson, of Scotland, and Anna B. (Miller) Davidson. The father was of Scotch parentage. He died young
255
FORT WAYNE AND ALLEN COUNTY
in years and his widow moved from Ohio to Wells county, Indiana, bring- ing her five children with her. They were: Rosa, wife of J. W. Snider, living in Fort Wayne at this writing; Elizabeth, the wife of L. Springer, of Fort Wayne; Simon, who died in Fort Wayne February 12, 1916; Ella, who died in Kansas; and Euphemia, the wife of Mr. Hadley. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley are the parents of four children-Guy, Gladys, May, Ray and Adoniram W. Guy is located in Marion township, and the two younger children are at home with the parents. Ray P. married Ermal, daughter of William Comer, of Pleasant township.
Arthur L. Hadley .- Among the men who have given long service with the Fort Wayne plant of the General Electric Company and who have contributed of their intelligent efforts toward the advancement of electrical knowledge and the practical application of their studies, is Arthur L. Hadley, chief engineer of the great institution in Fort Wayne. Mr. Hadley has been connected with the works in this city since 1889 and has contributed much to the development of the big plant and its output-which have made the name of Fort Wayne known in all quarters of the civilized world. Mr. Hadley was born in Templeton, Massachu- setts, October 19, 1867, and is a son of Lucien N. and Jeanette (Bourn) Hadley, the former a native of Canaan, New Hampshire, and the latter of Templeton, Massachusetts. Lucien N. Hadley was a successful furni- ture manufacturer and lumber dealer. Arthur L. Hadley continued to attend the public schools of Templeton until his graduation in the high school, as a member of the class of 1885, and then, following a natural inclination, he entered upon a period of study in the Worcester Poly- technical Institute at Worcester, Massachusetts. There he took a course in mechanical engineering that opened a way for special attention to matters electrical-a field of study and experimentation that particularly appealed to him. He was graduated in the institute as a member of the class of 1889 and with the degree of Bachelor of Science. After leaving school there was afforded to him the opportunity of spending a few months in the electric-lighting plant at Gardner, Massachusetts, and there his privileges for the further study of electrical matters devel- oped in him the determination to devote his future studies to this line. In Fort Wayne at that time was established the Fort Wayne Electric Light Company, the forerunner of the present immense plant of the General Electric Company. Men of the type of Mr. Hadley were required for the development of the business, and he came to Fort Wayne Novem- ber 11, 1889, to take charge of the transformer-testing department. He gave his attention to development work, ever seeking new and improved ways of applying principles which the electrical field constantly pro- vides for men of peculiar ability. These efforts were begun on electric storage batteries, under the general supervision of M. M. M. Slattery. Then, in the departments headed by C. S. Bradley and F. S. Hunting, he engaged in experimental work on three-phase motors, with marked success. He served for a period as the assistant to James J. Wood, in designing transformers and alternating-current and direct-current ma- chines. In many lines of experimental and development work Mr. Hadley has added much to the success of the products of the General Electric plant in Fort Wayne. He now has charge of the apparatus-engineering department, which includes the designing of all alternating-current and direct-current generators and also all direct-current motors except those of the small-motor department of the works. Mr. Hadley is an active
-
256
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He is a mem- ber of the Fort Wayne Electro-Technic Club, the Mutual Benefit Relief Association of the great electric works, the Fort Wayne Commercial Club and the University Club. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is a loyal member of Plymouth Con- gregational church. In 1895 Mr. Hadley wedded Miss Nellie M. Richey, daughter of Amos Richey, of Fort Wayne, and the three children of this union are Gladys, Norman and Elizabeth, all of whom are members of the family circle at the parental home, on South Hoagland avenue.
Robert Hadley .- Though he died within about three years after estab- lishing his residence in the city of Fort Wayne the late Robert Hadley made a definite impression on this community both through his sterling personality and distinctive business ability. He was the founder of the prosperous retail furniture business that is still conducted under the title of Hadley & Company and in which his interests are now held by his widow. Mr. Hadley was born in the fine old city of Lexington, Kentucky, on July 4, 1870, and was a scion of fine old southern ancestry. He acquired his youthful education in the schools of his native city and after completing the curriculum of the high school he there became actively identified with the retail furniture business. Later he was connected with similar enterprise in St. Louis, Missouri, and Indianapolis, Indiana, from which latter city he removed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. His next change of residence was made in his removal to Toledo, Ohio, and from that city he came to Fort Wayne in 1912, in which year he became the organizer of the firm of Hadley & Company and opened one of the really metropolitan furniture stores of this part of the Hoosier state. To the management of this business he continued to give his close attention until his untimely death, May 1, 1915, about two months prior to the forty-fifth anniversary of his birth. Mr. Hadley was an alert and progressive business man and his genial personality gained to him the staunch friendship of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life. His political allegiance was given to the Repub- lican party and he was affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose. On February 6, 1902, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hadley to Miss Kate Opergfell, who was born and reared in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, the younger in a family of two children, her brother, George, being still a resident of St. Louis. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley became the parents of four children, all of whom survive the honored father and remain with their widowed mother in Fort Wayne, their names being here entered in the respective order of their birth: Edwin Charles, Adele Helen, Robert Harold, and Virginia Jane.
George M. Haffner is now the executive head and general manager of one of the important pioneer business enterprises in the city of Fort Wayne, and as president of the Haffner Star Bakery he is the virtual successor of his honored father, who founded the business more than half a century ago. In all the years that have passed since the enter- prise was initiated in a comparatively modest way, the Haffner estab- lishment has been maintained at the highest standard consonant with conditions and demands, and the Haffner Star Bakery of the present day is thoroughly metropolitan in all of its facilities, in the grade of its products and in careful and progressive management. Christian Haff- ner, whose portrait appears herewith, was the founder of the extensive
.... C , TILDEN F
257
FORT WAYNE AND ALLEN COUNTY
business now controlled by the Haffner Star Bakery and the father of the present president of the company conducting the enterprise. He was born at Marbach, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, on August 19, 1835, and his death occurred at his home in Fort Wayne, April 29, 1893, so that he was fifty-seven years of age when he was summoned from the stage of life's mortal endeavors. He was afforded the advantages of the schools of his native land and was twenty years of age when he came to the United States, in 1855. After tarrying a few weeks in the city of Philadelphia he made his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he found employment at his trade, that of baker. When the Civil War was pre- cipitated he promptly showed his loyalty to the land of his adoption, as he was among the first to enlist in response to President Lincoln's call for volunteers. He enrolled himself as a private in the Ninth Ohio Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front and with which he con- tinued in active service three months. Severe illness then incapacitated him for further active service in the field, but it was a matter of deep satisfaction to him that he was able to bring his trade into play and to continue his service to the nation by acting as baker for his Government. In 1865, about the time of the close of the war, Christian Haffner came to Fort Wayne and purchased a half interest in the Wolroff bakery, which was situated on East Main street, opposite the present No. 1 fire- department station. Finally he purchased Mr. Wolroff's interest in the business and later admitted C. W. Jacobs to partnership in the same. This alliance continued until 1869, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Haffner built a new bakery plant at the corner of Harrison and Berry streets. There he continued successful operations about twenty years, and, in 1890, about three years prior to his death, he found the establishment inadequate to meet the demands placed upon it by the constantly expanding trade, and accordingly showed his enterprise and good judgment by removing to the building now occupied by the Haffner Star Bakery, at 333-5 East Lewis street, where he was able to install a larger and more improved equipment and where he continued at the head of the more prosperous business until his death. Thereafter his widow continued the business, which was placed under the direct and effective management of their son, George M., and under these conditions the enterprise was conducted until June 1, 1900, when George M. assumed a definite partnership relation. On September 1, 1914, as a matter of commercial expediency, the business was incorporated under the title of the Haffner Star Bakery, and with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, all of which is retained by members of the Haffner family, the widow of the honored founder being vice-president of the company. George M., the eldest son, is president, treasurer and manager, Clarence M. and Frederick C., younger sons, are stockholders and directors of the company, and the former holds the office of secretary of the same. The finely equipped plant has the best of facilities in both the bread and cake departments, and the fullest assortment of modern bakery goods is at all times available in supplying the large wholesale and retail trade of the concern, they being the pioneer leaders of the famous ten-cent "Hol-Tayto-Loaf" bread. The progressive policies of the company are indicated in preparations to double the capacity of the plant within the near future. In the establishment employment is given to about thirty persons, an appreciable trade is controlled in the wholesale line in the territory normally tributary to Fort Wayne, and the business of the
258
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
company, in 1916, aggregated over one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The establishment maintains and supplies six distinct city routes in Fort Wayne, with automobile delivery facilities, including an electric truck. Christian Haffner was known and honored as a man of sterling character, of marked business energy and capacity and of utmost civic loyalty. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party, he was a member of the Lutheran church, and he was affiliated with Con- cordia Lodge No. 228, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In December, 1867, Mr. Haffner wedded Miss Mary Feist, of Columbia City, Indiana, and concerning the children of this union the following brief record is entered : Herman died in childhood; Emma died at the age of forty-six years on November 10, 1914; George M. is the immediate subject of this review ; Frederick C. is a director of the Haffner Star Bakery ; Edward J. is deceased; Rose M. is the wife of John F. Wagner, of Fort Wayne; Arthur C. L. is a resident of the city of Chicago; and Clarence M. is secretary of the corporation. George M. Haffner was born in Fort Wayne on March 7, 1870, and he acquired his early education in the public, Reformed Lutheran and Catholic parochial schools of his native city. As a boy he began to assist in his father's bakery, and his experi- ence continued until he had served a most thorough apprenticeship under the discriminating and careful direction of his father. That he has been dominated by ambition to learn the baking business in every detail and to fortify himself in scientific knowledge pertinent thereto is shown by his having taken a course in a well-conducted technical baking institute in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and also a course of pertinent lectures delivered by members of the faculty of Purdue College, at Lafayette, Indiana, where also he attended the conference called for th purpose of founding a technical baking school in connection with the institution. In the administration of the affairs of the company of which he is president Mr. Haffner has shown not only a thorough tech- nical knowledge of the business but also much initiative and executive ability, as well as the progressiveness that makes for the achievement of large and better results. He takes loyal interest in all things touching the welfare and advancement of his native city, is a Democrat in his political proclivities, is a member of the board of directors of the Fort Wayne Commercial Club, has served as president of the Fort Wayne Retail Merchants' Association, is a prominent member of the Indiana Master Bakers' Association, of which he has been president two terms, and is identified also with the national association of master bakers, of which he also served one year as president. He holds membership in the Rotary Club, has given service as president of St. Aloysius Young Men's Society and was for three years president of St. Charles-Baromeo Relief Society. He is an active member of St. Mary's Athletic Club and is captain of the bowling team of the same. Both he and his wife are earnest communicants of St. Mary's parish of the Catholic church. On October 12, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Haffner to Miss Helen Catherine Noll, daughter of Benedict R. Noll, of Fort Wayne, and of the seven children of this union all are living except the fourth, Helen, who died in infancy. The surviving children of the ideal home circle are Rozella, Bernadette, Herman G., Eugene, Alma and Florence.
Arthur Fletcher Hall .- Few men who have come to Fort Wayne within the period of recent years have entered so enthusiastically and effectively into the varied activities of the city as has Arthur Fletcher
CHRISTIAN HAFFNER
259
FORT WAYNE AND ALLEN COUNTY
Hall, vice-president and general manager of the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. Without a suggestion of selfish interest and with the enthusiasm of one who finds his highest enjoyment in true service, Mr. Hall has given much to Fort Wayne that is of permanent good, for he is interested actively in every project which suggests true municipal and social progress. He was born in Baxter Springs, Kansas, on May 11, 1872, the son of Truman and Harriet (Beeler) Hall. The father died there and the family returned to the mother's home, Indianapolis, Indiana. Here, Arthur F. Hall received his educational training in the common and high schools. At the age of seventeen, upon the completion of his high school course, he entered the employment of the Indianapolis Journal, then one of the leading newspapers of the middle west, and continued with the institution for a period of fifteen years, during which time, through his keenness of perception of the possibilities of the work entrusted to him, he occupied every position in the business department of the publication. The training he received here, and which continued at the time he was serving as assistant business manager in 1904, when the property was purchased by new interests, laid the foundation upon which was built his later success. Leaving the business department of the Journal, Mr. Hall entered the agency ranks of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of New York. In 1905 Mr. Hall determined to make a greater place for himself in the insurance world. He came to Fort Wayne and, through his ability to convince men of his thorough equip- ment to organize a great life insurance company, he at once entered upon the plans which resulted in making Fort Wayne the home of the widely-known Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, now grown to a proud place in the insurance world. Early in its history the "Insur- ance Press" said, "The future of the Lincoln Life is in the hands of men who know how." The years have proven the wisdom of the state- ment-and Arthur F. Hall has been the guiding spirit of the great institution's upward progress. From the beginning, Mr. Hall has served as the general manager, as well as the vice-president of the institution. His important work with the Lincoln Life, however, has not absorbed all his energies. His well-ordered mind fits him to give attention not only to the important activities of the city but to its pleasures as well. He is busy in Masonic circles. As a member of the Blue Lodge, the Scottish Rite and the York Rite, he has helped to make the order a greater power for good. While serving as potentate of Mizpalı Temple, A. A. O. N. Mystic Shrine, he added greatly to the popularity of the order in Fort Wayne. His interests are suggested also in his membership in the Rotary Club, the Commercial Club and the Quest Club, of Fort Wayne, and the Columbia Club, of Indianapolis. He is an active member of the Fort Wayne Country Club, of which organization he has served as president. He is a member of the Trinity Episcopal church, of which body he has served as vestryman. His interest in financial affairs is suggested by his connection with the German-American National bank and the Morris Plan bank as a director. In politics he is a Republican. During the memorable campaign to raise a fund of $300,000 for the erection of a building for the Young Men's Christian Association, Mr. Hall served as the captain of one of two sections which succeeded in raising forty thousand dollars in excess of the designated goal. In June, 1898, Mr. Hall was united in marriage with Miss Una Fletcher, daughter of Dr. William B. and Agnes (O'Brien) Fletcher, of Indianapolis. To
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.