USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 88
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Upon leaving the school Mr. Sprague entered upon his chosen life work-that of a civil en- gineer-and for many years was constantly em- ployed in important and responsible places in his profession. From the close of 1854 until 1862 he was most of the time engaged as en- gineer on the enlargement of the Erie canal, with a residence at Rochester; this work was for a time interrupted by his making the preliminary surveys for the Chesapeake and Albemarle canal through a portion of the Dismal swamp. In 1858, representing the board of trade of St. Louis, Mr. Sprague investigated the obstruction to the navigation of the Mississippi river, caused by the piers of the railroad bridge at Rock Island. The subject had already received the attention of some of the most prominent en- gineer experts in the country, who had made careful computations to determine the extent to
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which it affected the current in the channel. Mr. Sprague, though a much younger man than the engineers who had preceded him, pro- nounced all their calculations wide of the mark, and submitted others, which were later fully verified and sustained by a board of engineers appointed by the Government. A series of articles on the subject was afterward published by Mr. Sprague in a scientific journal, he having been at an earlier day, as he was later more ex- tensively, a contributor to current scientific litera- ture.
From 1862 to 1866 Mr. Sprague was em- ployed as a civil engineer on the Ohio & Missis- sippi railroad, residing during two of those years in Cincinnati and two in St. Louis.
In 1866 the Ohio Falls Car and Loco- motive company, of which, as of its successor, a full account is given at another page of this work, located at Jeffersonville, Indiana, was seri- ously embarrassed and Mr. Sprague was engaged at the instance of Eastern stockholders, to exam- ine into its condition. While making this inves- tigation he was requested by the Louisville stock- holders to assume charge of the works, and, as a result of this request, was elected president of the company in September, 1866. At that time the stock of the company was selling at thirty cents on the dollar; under Mr. Sprague's man- agement a slow but steady appreciation of its value began, until, in 1872, it reached par and the business of the company yielded large profits.
During the five years preceding March 20, 1872, the works of the company were materially enlarged; on the latter day they were swept out of existence by fire. The losses being well cov- ered by insurance, the building of the present and splendid system of works, of which it is un- necessary to speak at length in this place, was commenced, carried well to completion and busi- ness was prosperously resumed, when came the panic of September, 1873, which proved so de- structive to the business interests of the world. This compelled the company to go into liquida- tion and to dispose of its assets for the benefit of its creditors.
In 1876 the works were purchased by the Ohio Falls Car company, composed mostly of the stockholders of the old corporation. From the organization of this company Mr. Sprague has been its president and its manager in prac-
tice as well as in theory. The works have been completed, the business rendered largely profita- ble, and so increased as to make the company the largest concern in the United States manu- facturing both freight and passenger cars, and still the increase and improvement go on. Mr. Sprague deserves the success the company has won through his efforts, and is fortunate in see- ing so rich a fruition. From the time of taking charge of the works until 1879 Mr. Sprague re- sided in Jeffersonville; since the latter date he has made Louisville his home.
THE SHELBY FAMILY.
Evan Shelby was among the first settlers of Clark county, and descended from that patriotic family who distinguished themselves in the French and Indian wars, and the Revolutionary war. In giving a history of the Shelby family it is necessary to go back to General Evan Shel- by, who emigrated from Wales one hundred and fifty years ago with his father, General Evan Shelby, the father of Governor Isaac Shelby, and settled near North Mountain, in the prov- ince of Maryland. He possessed a strong mind and an iron constitution. He was a great hun- ter and woodsman. He was appointed captain of a company of rangers in the French and In- dian war, which commenced in 1754. During the same year he made several expeditions into the Alleghany mountains, and was afterwards ap- pointed a captain in the provincial army for the reduction of Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg. He was in many severe battles in what was called Braddock's war. He laid out the old Pennsyl- vania road across the Alleghany mountains, and led the advance of the army under General Forbes, which took possession of Fort Duquesne in 1758. . His gallantry was particularly noticed in the battle fought at Loyal Hanning, now Bed- ford, Pennsylvania. In 1772 he removed to the Western waters, and commanded a company in 1774 in the campaign under General Lewis and Lord Dunmore, against the Indians on the Scioto river ; he was in the battle on the 10th of October, 1774, at the mouth of the Kanawha. Near the close of the action he was the command- ing officer, the other officer being killed or dis- abled. In 1776 he was appointed by Patrick
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Henry, then Governor of Virginia, a major in the army commanded by Colonel Christian, against the Cherokees. In 17.77 he was ap- pointed colonel of sundry garrisons posted on the frontier of Virginia ; and a commissioner to treat with the Cherokees on the Holstin. In 1779 he lead a strong expedition against the Chickamauga Indians, on the Tennessee river, which resulted in the destruction of their towns and provisions, which occurred at the time Gen- eral George Rogers Clark captured Governor Hamilton at Vincennes. By the extension of the boundary line of Virginia and North Carolina in 1779, he was included in the latter State, and was appointed brigadier-general by the Gover- nor.
He left three sons : Isaac, James, and John. Isaac, who was justly termed the hero of Kings Mountain, and the first Governor of Kentucky, was born on the rith day of December, 1750, near the North Mountain, in the province of Maryland, where his father and grandfather set- tled after their arrival from Wales. In that early day the country was annoyed during the period of his youth by Indian wars. He obtained only the elements of a plain English education. Born with a strong constitution, capable of enduring great privations and fatigue, he was brought up to the use of arms and the pursuit of game. He was lieutenant in his father's company in the battle on the Ioth of October, 1774, at the Kanawha, and at the close of that campaign was appointed by Lord Dunmore to command a fort that was built where this battle was fought. He continued in the garrison until it was dis- banded in 1775, and served in different capacities during the Revolution ; never shirking from danger. When acting as commissary he furnished commissary stores on his own reputation. The Legislature of North Carolina voted him a sword for his heroic conduct at the battle of Kings Mountain, in the campaign of the fall of 1781. He served under General Marion in 1782, and was elected a member of the North Carolina Legislature ; was appointed one of the commis- sioners to settle the preemption claims upon the Cumberland river, and to lay off the lands allotted to the officers and soldiers of the North Carolina line. He performed this service in the winter of 1782-83, and returned to Boones- borough, Kentucky, in April following, and was
married to the second daughter of Captain Na- thaniel Hart, one of the first settlers of Ken- tucky. He was a member of the early conven- tions of Kentucky, held at Danville, for the pur- pose of obtaining a separation from the State of Virginia ; was a member of that convention which formed the first constitution of Kentucky in April, 1791, and in the following year was elected the first Governor and was inaugurated at Danville in a log-house, which was the first State house for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
He was several times elected a presidential elector ; was again elected to the executive chair of Kentucky in 1812. His second administra- tion commenced at the time that the Western frontier was menaced by savage foes and by British intrigues. The surrender of Hull and the defeat of Dudley left the Michigan Terri- tory in possession of the enemy. At this period it required all the energies of his character, and at the request of the Legislature of Kentucky he organized a body of four hundred cavalry volunteers, which he led in person at the age of sixty-three, under General Harrison, into Canada in the fall of 1813, and but for the unauthorized, though judicious step which he assumed upon his own responsibility, of calling out mounted volunteers, the favorable moment for operation at this crisis of the campaign would have been lost and the Nation deprived of the important results of the victory of the Thames. His gal- lantry and patriotism on that occasion was ac- knowledged by the commanding general and President Madison, and in resolutions by the Legislature of Kentucky, which recognized his plans and the execution of them as splendid realities, which exact our gratitude and that of his country, and justly entitle him to the ap- plause of posterity. His conduct was also ap- proved by a vote of thanks from the Congress of the United States, awarding a gold medal as a testimony of its sense of his illustrious services. In March, 1817, he was selected by President Monroe to fill the office of Secretary of War, but his advanced age and his desire to remain in private life induced him to decline the appoint- ment. In 1818 he was commissioned by the President to act in conjunction with General Jackson in holding a treaty with the Chickasaw tribe of Indians, for the purchase of their land west of Tennessee river. This was his last pub-
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lic act. In February, 1820, he was attacked with a paralytic affection, which affected his right side; he died on the 18th of July, 1826, of apoplexy. His mind remained unimpaired to his death. He was not unprepared, for in the vigor of life he professed it to be his duty to dedicate himself to God, and to seek an interest in the merits of the Redeemer. He had been for many years a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church, and in his latter days he was instrumental in erecting a church on his own farm. He died at the advanced age of eighty-six years.
James Shelby was also an officer of the Revo- lutionary war. He was with his brother Isaac at the battle of Kings Mountain. He was a brave soldier. He never was married, and was killed by the Indians near Crab Orchard, Kentucky, while emigrating to Kentucky with a company of emigrants. Atter the company had arrived at Crab Orchard, the first place of safety, at the ter- minus of the old wilderness road, some stock was found missing, and James Shelby being a brave, resolute man, returned for the purpose of finding the missing stock, when he was killed.
John Shelby, also a brother of Isaac and James, settled in Kentucky at an early day; was the father of Evan Shelby, who was mentioned in the first of this sketch.
Isaac Shelby, a brother of Evan Shelby, came to Clark county about 1800, and settled on the farm now owned by Joseph McComb's widow, near what was then called Springville; was elected the first clerk of the Clark circuit court in 1816. He served as clerk previous to the adoption of the State constitution, having pur- chased the time of Samuel Gwathmey, who was then clerk of the court, giving in exchange for the clerk's office five hundred acres of land. He was appointed inspector and muster master of the Clark County Territorial Militia. He aided materially in building up Charlestown. He was the owner of considerable property, and was one of the early merchants. He moved to Lafayette, Missouri, in 1845, where he purchased a large tract of land, and spent the remainder of his days. He left several children, who now reside in Missouri.
Evan Shelby came to Clark county at a very early day; was one of the first settlers, and set- tled near Springville, one mile south of Charles- town, then a trading post. He came down the
Ohio river with Colonel Blue, who was moving to the lower part of Kentucky. When he ar- rived at Jeffersonville he was married on the boat to Margaret, daughter of Colonel Blue, by Gen- eral Marston G. Clark, then a justice of the peace for Clarksville township. He was a man of fine business capacity, and was the owner of several fine tracts of land in Clark and Floyd counties. Part of the city of New Albany is on the Shelby land. He contributed largely toward improving Charlestown; was one of the first surveyors of Clark county ; was one of the early judges of the court for Clark county, and one of the first mer- chants of Charlestown, having the reputation of being strictly honest in all his transactions. He left four children-William, John, Uriah, and Margaret.
The sons were all business men, engaged in merchandise in Charlestown. John moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1842, and engaged in merchandise there. Margaret, his only daughter, was married to Newton Laughery, a nephew of Colonel Laughery, who was killed on the Ken- tucky shore of the Ohio, opposite to Laughery creek on the Indiana side of the river. The creek derived its name from what was called Laughery's defeat. Evan Shelby has no children now living. Evan Shelby, his grandson, and the son of Uriah Shelby, is the present recorder of Clark county. The widow of William Shelby now resides on the farm that Evan Shelby first settled on, and is known as the old Shelby home- stead. The widow of Uriah Shelby resides in Charlestown. William Shelby was in Captain Lemuel Ford's company of rangers that was raised for the Black Hawk war in 1832.
LUTHER FAIRFAX WARDER,
mayor of Jeffersonville, is among the most prom- inent citizens of that place, and the remarkable life here presented should be read as a lesson of encouragement to the youth of the county.
Mr. Warder, although as yet but a young man, represents to an eminent degree the true type of a self-made man ; is an original thinker and pos- sesses a versatility of talent no less remarkable than his zeal, energy, enterprise, and persever- ance, manifested in all his undertakings.
We find him beginning life under difficulties,
Warder
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when a mere youth, embarking in commercial pursuits, and before attaining to the age of ma- jority, although having an interest in slaves, rais- ing a company for the Union army, which he afterwards commands in person, and since the war rising step by step, filling so many and varied positions of honor and trust that to-day he is regarded as the recognized representative citizen of this portion of the State.
He was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, December 2, 1840. His parents, Hiram K. and Mary Wallingford Warder, were both natives of Fleming county, that State, their father and mother having emigrated from old Virginia, and were among the early settlers of Fleming county, in the pioneer days of Kentucky.
Mr. Warder's boyhood days and early life were spent in the usual monotony and labor of a farm life, on his father's farm, attending school during the winter months. Kentucky at that time was as famous for her imperfect school sys- tem as she was for the chivalry of her sons and loveliness of her daughters. The tedium of a farm life with the poor advantages of an educa- tion and opportunities for securing fame or for- tune, grew irksome and he longed to leap into the arena amid the conflicts of life and take his chances in the intellectual and business world, trusting to his own energy, perseverance and judgment for success.
He, therefore, at the age of eighteen years, left home and embarked in the dry goods busi- ness with his uncle, George C. Richardson, at McCarmel, in his native county, where he re- mained but eighteen months. In 1860 he opened a branch store at West Liberty, Morgan county, Kentucky, and ran it until 1861, at which time the excitement incident to the war of the Rebellion was at its climax. West Liberty was a hot-bed of secession, and had quarters for re- cruiting soldiers for the Confederate army. Mr. Warder's convictions were strongly in favor of the maintenance of the Union, and finding this community uncongenial he closed his store and returned to his home, and being thoroughly im- pressed with the necessity of prompt action, he at once actively engaged in recruiting and organ- izing company B, Sixteenth Kentucky infantry, the first company of Union troops mustered in from Fleming county. Captain Warder entered the ranks without stripes or shoulder-straps-
a private not yet of age, but being vigorous, pat- riotic, and full of enthusiasm for the old flag, was soon promoted to the first lieutenancy of the company and as such took part in the battle of Ivy Mountain, on the Big Sandy, under the command of the late lamented General William Nelson, in whom he always entertained great confidence and admiration. He was soon after promoted to the captaincy of the company, and was the youngest man in that company, and com- manded it in person through all the campaigns of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and until the winter of 1863, when, on account of a loss of his health he was forced to resign. He re- turned home and not recover until the close of the war.
On the 16th day of November, 1865, Mr. Warder was married to Elizabeth A. Lewis, daughter of Felix R. Lewis, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, a member of one of the oldest families, connected with the early settlement and history of Jeffersonville.
Her grandfather, Major William R. Lewis, was register of the land office at Jeffersonville, for many years. Her mother, Patience Wood Robinson, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, and removed with her father, Ira Robinson, to Jeffersonville at an early day. Mr. Warder re- turned to his native county after his marriage, and settled in Mt. Carmel, where he had first commenced life on his own account, and carried on the business of stock-raising and trading until he received the appointment of assistant assessor of internal revenue, appointed by An- drew Johnson for the Ninth district of Ken- tucky, which position he held until the district was consolidated, leaving his district vacant; he then removed to Flemingsburg, the county- seat of the county, and engaged in the hotel business, and in 1868 he received the appoint- ment of internal revenue store-keeper, and was placed in charge of an extensive bonded ware- house, located at Flemingsburg, for the bond- ing and safe-keeping of all the spirits manu- factured by a large distillery there, and also of the spirits made from the peach and apple product of that region. This position he held until all the goods were removed from bond during the spring of 1870, when he was induced to enter the political arena in the canvass for county offices of that year. He received the
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nomination of the Republican party for the office of county clerk, and made the race against M. M. Teager, the nominee of the Democratic party, and an ex-Confederate soldier. The issue being squarely made, both as to politics and the Blue and the Gray, together with the prejudice against the negro, who was then for the first time exercis- ing the right of suffrage, combined to make it a very exciting contest. The county being largely Democratic, Mr. Warder was of course defeated. He then concluded to take the advice of Horace Greeley and "Go West," and having settled up his business, he left his native heath in February, 1871, but changed his first determination, and located in Jeffersonville, where he engaged in the railway service of the Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis railroad for two years. In 1872 he was elected to the common council of that city, and re-elected in 1874.
He was admitted to the bar at Charlestown, Indiana, in January, 1873, and is now a practic- ing attorney in Jeffersonville. In May, 1875, he was elected mayor of the city of Jeffersonville, and has been re-elected in May every two years for the fourth time, making eight years in all.
Here it becomes necessary seemingly to refer personally to the history of Mayor Warder's ca- reer, as the present thriving, prosperous condition of the city of Jeffersonville owes its existence of prosperity to a great extent to the untiring indus- try and energy he put forth in matters of public concern. To better understand this we need to say that Mayor Warder is a man of strong con- victions and an original thinker, forming his opinions entirely independent of popular senti- ment. He never was known to truckle to opin- ions contrary to his own judgment. Whatever he believes to be right and just, or whatever policy he believes to be best for the public interest he advances boldly, regardless of consequences to himself, and his bold, honest, and fearless devo- tion to his own opinions gives him an influence in the city of Jeffersonville that few men ever possessed. To his great enterprise, vim, energy, brains, will-power, and perseverance, is due the present growth and prosperity of the city.
One of his first official acts after being elected mayor of the city in May, 1875, when there was only about six thousand of a population and so many of the citizens out of employment, was to offer and advance to the car works $20,000 out
of the city treasury to encourage them to again start up, and it is a fact that but for that $20,000 given by the city, the present car works would have been abandoned, whereas to-day it is the most important manufacturing institution around the Falls of the Ohio, and gives employment to two thousand men.
He next conceived the idea of establishing a plate-glass manufactory in Jeffersonville. There were at that time but three works of the kind in the United States. One at New Albany, one at Louisville, and one at St. Louis. And upon his suggestion the city donated real estate costing $20,000 to encourage the building of the Jeffer- sonville Plate-glass works, and again when that institution failed, after running two years, Mayor Warder was bold and fearless enough to have the city advance them $25,000 more on their bonds, which saved them from bankruptcy, and to-day it is a prosperous institution, employing two hun- dred men and women.
So also when Captain B. S. Barmore's ship- yard burned, leaving him so crippled he could not rebuild without assistance, and Madison, New Albany, and other points were offering him inducements to go to them, Mayor Warder stepped forward and made an offer of $10,000 for ten years without interest to rebuild in Jef- fersonville. The proposition was strongly op- posed by certain dyspeptic elements (which are found in every large community) and the loan was very bitterly opposed, but Mayor Warder's positive character so strongly impressed the peo- ple that it was eventually triumphant, and its rapid growth and prosperity vindicates his ad- ministration of affairs, his clear foresight, and broad views in all municipal affairs of public moment.
No previous administration of any mayor of of this city has been marked by such boldness of enterprise and breadth of view, and it is not likely that any successor will make a more bril- liant record or erect so many lasting monuments to his memory.
Says a prominent man of his city: " Mayor Warder understands the magnitude of his office, the scope of his influence, and the future welfare of the city, and has handled none of its interests with littleness or pigmy ideas." He further says : "As long as the Ohio Falls Car works, the ship- yard, and the glass works remain in the city of
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Jeffersonville they will stand as a public monu- ment to the sagacity, foresight, and judgment of his administration of municipal affairs."
He was also the advocate and prime mover, and took an active part in the erection of the present and first city hall built in Jeffersonville, and it is due to Mayor Warder to state that he was in favor of, and strongly urged and advocated its location on Market square, corner of Court avenue and Spring street, and also wanted to build a $40,000 or $50,000 hall, which would have answered for many years to come, and been a credit and an ornament to the city. He was, however, defeated in both the style and location of the structure. He then set about at once to establish, endow, and beautify Market square for a public park, and like all other enterprises re- quiring the expenditure of money for public development, comfort, and beauty, he encoun- tered opposition, but only to overcome and be successful, and Market square was duly and for- ever dedicated as a public park, with sufficient appropriation placed in the hands of a regular committee of the council, of which the mayor is chairman, to carry out and perpetuate the de- sign, and in honor of Mayor Warder, his public services and public enterprises, the common council adopted as a suitable and proper testi- monial to him the name of Warder Park.
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