USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume II > Part 30
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dealing, and subsequently in the marble business at Huntington. In 186I he settled at Fort Wayne, and engaged in contracting, and dealing in lime, brick, stone, etc., and continued at contracting until about 1879, when he abandoned that branch of the business, since when he has car- ried on his manufacturing and mercantile business. The lime kilns situated at Huntington were built in 1868, and have a capacity of 2,500 bushels per day. The stone quarries of Mr. Baltes are also located at Huntington, and produce large quantities of all kinds of building stone. Mr. Baltes has figured conspicuously in the politics of Allen county. He has taken a prominent part in city public affairs, has served in the common council, and is at present a trustee of Saint Mary's church. Mr. Baltes was married in 1862 to Miss Margaret Gabele, of Fort Wayne, and to this union one child was born. Mrs. Baltes died in 1863, and her child died a month later. In 1865 Mr. Baltes was married to Caro- line Gabele, and they have had four children, two of whom survive, Clara and Edward.
Walter S. Harrison, sign and ornamental painter, was born at St. Louis, Mo., July 5, 1853, son of Dr. Abram W. Harrison, who was born in Greenville, Tenn., in 1800, graduated at the Indiana medical college at Indianapolis, in 1842. He was the first freight agent at that city for the Bellefontaine railroad, and was appointed postmaster at Laporte, Ind., during the administration of President Jackson. In 1859, he removed to St. Louis, amd there practiced medicine until 1862, when he became a surgeon in the U. S. army, being first stationed at Jeffer- son City, and afterward at the Washington hospital at Memphis, Tenn., where he remained until the close of the war. He was a prominent Mason. . He died at Chillicothe, Mo., April 13, 1867. In 1851 he mar- ried Priscilla C. Bush, born in Rockingham county, Va., in 1832, who came to Indiana with her parents in 1834, and settled in Boone county. She died December 5, 1888, at Indianapolis. Of this marriage Walter S. is the only child living. He learned his trade with George Peisch & Bro., at St. Louis, and in 1877, engaged in the business at Indian- apolis. In 1885 he came to Fort Wayne, where he has been success- ful, and also gained a reputation as an active and public spirited citizen. His business location is at No. 32 East Columbia street, and 134 Broad- way, and he is a member of the firm of Hull & Harrison. He is a mem- ber of the Y. M. C. A., one of the building committee, and one of the members of the first and second board of directors. Of Summit City lodge, No. 36, A. O. U. W., he was the organizer, and is a past master- workman of that order. He is of that lodge, past chancellor, and a member of Fort Wayne lodge, No. 116, K. of P., and past chief of Knights of the Golden Eagle and member of Wayne Castle, No. 2. He and wife are members of the Baptist church, of which he is the clerk, and he is secretary of the Fort Wayne Baptist association, composed of eighteen churches of that denomination. He was married September II, 1879, to Mary L. Moore, who was born at St. Louis in 1859, and they have two children: Edgar J. and Edna L.
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Joseph W. Cromwell, a lumber dealer and prominent citizen of Fort Wayne, Ind., was born at Newburg, Orange county, N. Y., in 1825. When twenty-one years of age he went to Maryland and lived for ten years in Frederick City, being engaged in the lumber business. Going next to West Virginia, he was a citizen of Fairmount, that state, during the war. While at Fairmount he had a government contract for fur- nishing walnut gunstocks for Springfield rifles, and in the year 1863 that section being invaded by Confederate forces, his mills were burned by the rebels, destroying in the neighborhood of 25,000 or 50,000 gun stocks, which with the mill were a total loss to him. He was provost marshal of the district, including Fairmount, and had several narrow es- capes, and was captured at one time but paroled. In 1870 he made his home at Fort Wayne, where he has since resided. After coming here he was interested for five years in the lumber business with Hoffman Bros., and then began for himself. In connection with his son he owns a mill in the Indian territory, handling black walnut timber exclusively. Mr. Cromwell has been treasurer of the Y. M. C. A. since its organiza- tion, and was one of the building committee. He has given a large share of his time and money to that work during the past fifteen years. He is a prominent advocate of temperance, and in all respects a worthy citizen. His church connection is with the First Presbyterian church, of which he is an elder, and for several years he was president of the Allen county Sunday School Union, and also for the district composed of Allen, Huntington and Wells counties. Mr. Cromwell was married in Mary- land, and losing his wife married again in West Virginia. He has three sons: William O. is a student; Clarence W., is in Indian territory, and Joseph C. is in the lumber business in Fort Wayne.
BANKING HOUSES.
The sound financial basis on which business is conducted in Fort Wayne, is due no doubt in a considerable degree, to the general confi - dence in the safe management of the banks. There has never been a bank failure in this city, and there has never been a time of financial depression when there was any alarm for their perfect solvency or any demand for deposits that was not fully and promptly met.
The first bank and for a long time the only one in the city, was the Fort Wayne branch of the State Bank of Indiana, which was established here in August, 1835. Its president was Allen Hamilton, known and respected everywhere for his integrity, who was succeeded in 1841 by Samuel Hanna; the cashier was Hugh McCulloch, late secretary of the treasury. These men were the founders of the banking system of Fort Wayne, which was built upon the strong foundation stones of integrity, fair dealing and thorough and exact knowledge of finance. The charter of this bank expired January 1, 1856, when it was re-organized as the branch of the Bank of the State of Indiana, with Hugh McCulloch, pres-
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ident, and Charles D. Bond, cashier. In 1865 it was merged in the Fort Wayne National bank, with Jesse L. Williams president, and Jared D. Bond, cashier. The Old National bank is the successor of the Fort Wayne National bank, and although the name is changed the busi- ness has continued from as far back as 1835. The First National bank was organized in 1863, by J. D. Nuttman. In 1883, at a meeting of the directors, Mr. O. A. Simons was elected president. Mr. Simon's sudden death in 1887, demanded another election of officers, and J. H. Bass was chosen president; Hon. William Fleming, vice president; Lem R. Hart- man, cashier; W. L. Pettit, assistant cashier.
Upon the retirement of Mr. Nuttman from the presidency of the First National bank, he immediately opened a private bank under the name of Nuttman & Co. Mr. Oliver S. Hanna is cashier. The bank enjoys a splendid reputation.
Stephen B. Bond was admitted to partnership in the banking house of Allen, Hamilton & Co. in 1855, and in 1860 Charles McCulloch was also admitted as a partner.
The firm was dissolved on July 1, 1874, and the Hamilton National bank was immediately organized to succeed to its business. Charles McCulloch was elected president; John Mohr, jr., cashier, and Joseph D. Mohr, assistant cashier. The first board of directors which has remained almost unchanged, was Charles McCulloch, Jesse L. Williams, Montgomery Hamilton, William Fleming, Frederick Eckert, August Trentman and Edward P. Williams.
The officers of the Old National bank are S. B. Bond, president; O. P. Morgan, vice president; J. D. Bond, cashier, and James C. Wood- worth, assistant cashier.
The combined capital of the three National banks is about one mil- lion two hundred thousand dollars, and the deposits in round numbers two million of dollars. The paid in capital stock of the Hamilton National bank is $200,000, of the First National bank, $300,000, and of the Old National bank, $350,000. The stockholders of these banks are the active business men of the city, and they will see that there is no suffering from lack of bank accommodation.
The Merchants' National bank was organized on March 15, 1865, and was chartered on May 1, 1865. The first location was on the north- west corner of Berry and Calhoun streets. It was afterward removed to the northwest corner of Main and Calhoun streets, where it re- mained until discontinued. Peter P. Bailey was the first president, and Dwight Klinck, cashier. In July, 1868, S. C. Evans was elected presi- dent, and Dr. John S. Irwin was elected to succeed Dwight Klinck, who had resigned. In February, 1873, Dr. Irwin resigned and C. M. Daw- son was elected to succeed. The bank had an authorized capital of $300,000, and a paid up capital of $100,000.
For many years Isaac Lauferty has been engaged as a private banker in the Aveline House block, but discontinued business in the spring of 1889 because of ill-health.
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Hon. Hugh McCulloch .- In the latter part of May, 1833, Hugh McCulloch was examined by the judges of the supreme court of Indi- ana and licensed to practice law in all the courts of the state. He had chosen his profession but had not decided where he would locate. Alhough northern Indiana was mostly a wilderness, he was advised to go north, and in a few weeks afterward he began the practice of law at Fort Wayne. For a short time he filled the position of judge of the common pleas court, but fate had decreed that he was not to continue a lawyer. In the winter of 1833 and 1834 the State Bank of Indiana was chartered, and when the branch of that institution was established at Fort Wayne, he was appointed cashier and manager. Although he had no practical experience in banking, and had not yet decided to abandon the profession which he had chosen, he went to work with a determination to establish the bank upon a good financial basis and then resign. 'l'his resolution, however, was overcome by circumstances. He became interested in the business in which he had made a temporary venture, and was soon made one of the active directors of the bank, and meeting four times a year with the managers of the other branches, at Indianapolis, he formed acquaintances that materially assisted him toward future promotions in life. The State Bank of Indiana, although established in a new state, and committed to the charge of inexperi- enced men, was a very successful institution, and in addition to helping materially in the improvement of the state, it secured to the common- wealth a net profit of nearly three millions of dollars, which became the basis of her large and well-managed school fund. The Bank of the State of Indiana commenced business January 1, 1857, as a successor to the State bank, and Hugh McCulloch was chosen president of all the branches, with headquarters at Indianapolis. The business of this in- stitution was equally successful until the national banking system was established, when, congress having passed a law taxing the circulation of all state banks, it went into liquidation. In 1863, Salmon P. Chase, then secretary of the treasury, offered to Mr. McCulloch the position of comptroller of the currency, and being appointed by President Lincoln, he assumed the organization of the national bank bureau of the treasury department, and the management of the national banking system. Within less than two years the state banks throughout the country were superceded by the national, and all was accomplished without any dis- turbance to the current business of the people. The labors of the first comptroller of the currency were severe and incessant, but in later days he could well feel rewarded in the knowledge that he was instrumental in establishing the best system of banking that this country or any other has ever seen. When Mr. Lincoln's second cabinet was formed Mr. McCulloch was the leading name mentioned in business and financial circles for the position of secretary of the treasury, on account of his recognized ability and success as a financier, and in March, 1865, he became the chief of the treasury department. He immediately announced his policy to be: First, to raise money by loans to pay the
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soldiers of the great Union army, and all other demands upon the treas- ury; second, to fund and put in proper shape all obligations of the government; third, to take the first steps toward an improvement of the value of the paper currency, with the ultimate view of a return to specie payment. The war had just ended, vast sums were due from the government and the responsibiity of the management of the treasury department was enormous, and the work to to be done greater than that of any secretary from that time to the present day. The work was well done, and the policy adopted by Mr. McCulloch was steadily pursued by succeeding secretaries until gold, silver and paper currency became of equal value, in conducting the busi- ness of the country. For twenty-five years Mr. McCulloch did not lose a day from rigorous attention to business. His health being good, his body robust, his active mind was always at work upon the problems and financial questions of the day, even when he was not at his desk. During his administration over one thousand millions of short-time debts of the United States were funded into long-time bonds and therefore required no attention for twenty years, except in payment of the annual interest. In 1870 Mr. McCulloch went to London as the resident and managing partner of the banking house of Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co. Immediately (it could almost be said) did the business of this firm grow into large proportions, so that in a year's time no foreign firm was doing a larger or more profitable business with this country. Mr. McCullough was a partner in the London house only, and therefore could give no advice concerning the management of busi- ness in America. Had he been consulted he certainly would have ad- vised the firm of Jay Cooke & Co. against attempting to furnish means for building so great a.railroad system as the Northern Pacific. This was a project that would have tested the resources of a government, and the natural result was the failure of Jay Cooke & Co., and the financial panic of 1873. Having established good credit abroad, Mr. McCulloch kept the London firm from going down in the general wreck. As the interests of the American partners had to be withdrawn, the banking firm of McCulloch & Co. was established, which continued for a number of years, until on account of advancing age, Mr. McCul- loch determined to retire from active business, and return to his home in the United States. He owned a farm about eight miles from the city of Washington, and as no part of his varied life had been so thoroughly enjoyed as the small part of it which had been spent on the farm; he hoped to spend his remaining years in the cultivation and improvement of his land. The resignation of Walter Q. Gresham, then secretary of the treasury, in. 1884, to become circuit judge of the United States, induced President Arthur to request Mr. McCulloch to accept the man- agement of the treasury department a second time, and help him close up his administration. When Mr. Cleveland became president, March 4, 1885, Mr. McCulloch again retired to private life, but he takes a deep interest in public affairs and political and economic questions of the day.
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In politics Mr. McCulloch has always been conservative. He never sought office, nor was elected to one. His experence in public life has led him to conclude that a protective tariff is detrimental rather than beneficial to the best interests of the country. To quote his own words, he believes that what is needed by our manufacturers (to say nothing about our farmers, whose wants are becoming powerfully pressing) and will become more and more needed as their productive power increases, was wider markets for their manufactured goods, the very markets of which they have to a large extent been deprived by the measures that have been thought necessary to secure for them the control of the mar- kets at home. Combinations to limit supplies and maintain high prices are the necessary outgrowth of our protective tariff. In his opinion a tariff for revenue only, and as largely as may be practicable upon luxu- ries, is the only protection this country needs. Mr. McCulloch, in the winter of 1887 and IS88, wrote a book entitled, "Men and Measures of Half a Century," which contains brief sketches of the prominent men that he became acquainted with, the political events and measures of the country, with his views upon them from a non-partisan standpoint. He is at the time that this article is written eighty years old, but in good health and enjoying the reward of a well spent life. He was married March 15, 1838, to Susan Man, of Plattsburgh, N. Y., and on March 15, 1888, they celebrated their golden wedding, surrounded by their four children, their grandchildren, and a large number of relatives and friends. Charles McCulloch, their oldest son, was born September 3, 1840, at Fort Wayne. He went into the bank of the State of Indiana, at an early age, afterward became a member of the banking house of Allen Hamilton & Co., and later was elected president of the Hamilton National bank.
In the group of strong and enterprising men who are prominent in the history of Fort Wayne, a notable one was Allen Hamilton. He was a native of Ireland, born in the county of Tyrone, in the year 1798, the son of Andrew Hamilton, an attorney, and his wife, Elizabeth Allen, a woman of noble qualities of mind and heart. Young Hamilton, at the age of eighteen, while listening to the recountal of the experiences during a visit to America, by a gentleman of some talent, determined to seek a new home in the western world. Accordingly, in July, 1817, having acquired sufficient means, he set sail for Quebec. A few days after ar- rival he was taken with ship fever, and for six weeks was confined to ped with this malady. When convalescent he sought a milder climate, but before he could go further than Montreal he was taken with a re- lapse, and upon his recovery found himself with very little money left. He was compelled to sell part of his wardrobe to obtain funds to make the journey to Philadelphia, which, however, he found it necessary to make in large measure on foot. Arriving there without means and friends, pale and weak from illness, he wandered about the streets in search of employment. He was finally attracted by a notice of laborers wanted, posted on the door of a store, and though he had already been
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refused a position as porter, he applied at this place, and by good fortune found a good Quaker, who promised his assistance. A few days later young Hamilton found himself in possession of a clerkship, with a sal- ary of $100 a year and board. With an increased salary he remained there until the spring of 1820. He had a cousin, James Dill, previously a general in the army, and learning that Dill resided at Lawrenceburgh, Ind., Hamilton journeyed to that place, and found his cousin holding the office of clerk of the circuit court. An arrangement was soon made whereby the young man entered that office, writing six hours a day for his board and the use of the library as a student of law. There he formed the acquaintance of many men of note, among them Jesse L. Holman, one of the first judges of the supreme court of Indiana, and later associate justice of the United States district court, to the oldest daughter of whom Mr. Hamilton was subsequently married. In 1823 Mr. Hamilton was induced by Capt. Samuel C. Vance to visit Fort Wayne, at which the latter was appointed register of the land of- fice, and the young law student concluded to remain here and perform the duties of deputy register while he pursued his reading. But per- ceiving that the country was thinly populated and that the law therefore was not a profitable occupation, he turned his attention to commerce, and purchased a small stock of goods on credit. His trade, which was principally with the Indians, was prosperous, and he soon enlarged his stock, and becoming associated with Cyrus Taber, he advanced rapidly in wealth and influence. Mr. Hamilton was largely indebted to the In- dians for his start in business as he often averred, but his dealing with them was such that he always had their confidence and esteem, and he was especially liked by the Miamis, who confided their business to him. Chief Richardville, during his later years, entrusted his affairs to Mr. Hamilton, and never ventured upon any matter for himself or his tribe, without first consulting with his friend. Immense sums of money were frequently placed in his charge by the Indians, and large amounts were often disbursed by him to them. During the administration of Gen. Harrison, he was appointed agent for the Miamis, a position he held from 1841 to 1844, and during this period he dis- bursed $300,000 to $400,000 to the red men, to the satisfaction of both them and the government. His association with Richardville was marked by many a jocular contest. On one occasion Mr. Hamilton, riding a fine horse, passed the chief in front of the store of Hamilton & Taber, when the Indian exclaimed, " I strike on that horse, Mr. Ham- ilton," using a phrase common with the Indians when they wished to intimate their desire for anything as a gift of friendship. Mr. Hamilton at once turned the horse over to the chief, and waited for his revenge, which came while riding with Richardville along the Wabash, in sight of Indian reservations. Then he "struck" for a section of beautiful land, the deed for which the chief made without a murmur. In 1824 Mr. Hamilton received the appointment as sheriff, for the purpose of organizing Allen county, an office he subsequently held two years by
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election. In 1830 he was chosen county clerk, and held the office seven years. He was appointed as secretary of the commissioners to nego- tiate a treaty with the Miamis, and was tendered the same place in 1838, but declined the office. In 1840, though politically opposed to the administration of Van Buren, he was appointed one of the commission- ers to treat with the Miamis for the extinguishment of their land titles in Indiana, and their removal to Kansas, and in that position he rendered the government valuable service. Of the important constitutional con- vention of 1850, Mr. Hamilton was a member, being elected by a large majority over a very popular democratic competitor, and as chairman of the committee on currency and banking, he was an important and valued member of that famous body. In the summer of 1857 he visited his old home and other places in Europe, and soon after his return in 1858 he was elected to the state senate, and was a member for four years, worthily representing the people of northeastern Indiana. He had been for several years president of the branch bank of Indiana at Fort Wayne, and the name of Allen Hamilton is still perpetuated by the Hamilton National bank, of which he was president until his death. He continued to devote himself to his large business interests until 1864, when he died at Saratoga, N. Y., August 23rd. His widow, a sister of Congressman W. S. Holman, was spared for many years, to witness the wonderful development of the city she was so long associated with, and died August 16, ISS9, at the age of seventy-nine years. Mrs. Hamil- ton was born in ISI0, and she was married to Mr. Hamilton at Aurora, in 1827. In the same year her residence at Fort Wayne began, first at the old fort, and subsequently in the Hamilton mansion, which was erected in 1838, and with its beautiful grounds, occupied an entire square. In religious and social affairs Mrs. Hamilton took a leading part, and the narration of the virtues and many acts of kindness and benevolence of this noble woman would tax the narrow limits of this sketch. Her elder son, Andrew Holman Hamilton, was a member of the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth congresses, and now manages the estate. The other surviving children are Montgomery Hamilton, Mrs. Samuel Wagenhals, Mrs. H. M. Williams, and Miss Margaret V. Hamilton.
Charles D. Bond, formerly one of the foremost bankers of Indiana, was also prominent as a citizen of Fort Wayne. He was born at Lock- port, N. Y., October 13, 1831, the eldest son of Stephen B. and Adelia L. (Darrow) Bond. The father, at one time prosperous, incurred finan- cial disaster through indorsements made for others, and brought his family to the west in 1842. They settled first at Fort Wayne, but after remaining here two years went to Wisconsin. In 1846 the family again made their home at Fort Wayne, and in the following year the father died, leaving Charles D. Bond at the age of sixteen the main support of his mother and three younger brothers, without friends or means. On the return to the city Mr. Bond obtained employment with Hon. Peter F. Bailey, then engaged in merchandise in Fort Wayne, but a short time afterward he accepted a position in the postoffice under Postmaster
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