USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 11
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EX, CHARLES E., Lawyer, was born in Phila- delphia in 1812. After receiving a first-class school education he became a student in the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with high honors. Choosing the law as his profession, he entered the office of Hon. Joseph R. Ingersoll as a student, and, in 1834, was admit. ted to the bar of Philadelphia. His great natural talents and indefatigable application enabled him to rise rapidly,
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and before many years to reach the front rank in a profes- sion for which his nice discrimination and accurate attain- ments so eminently fitted him. This prominent position he maintained to the close of his life. He made the law of banking a specialty, and in all matters pertaining to this branch became an acknowledged authority. The reputation thus acquired gained him the position of solicitor to many of the principal city banks, as also to the Fire Association. He was a man of large public spirit, and his character for strict integrity caused his election to many positions of trust and honor. For many years he was a member of the Board of Trustees in the University of Pennsylvania, where he was distinguished for his energy and business talent. Ile was, before that institution passed into the control of the Board of City Trusts, President of the Board of Directors of Girard College ; contributing materially to the wise management of its affairs. For several years he repre- sented the Tenth Ward in Select Council, and for one term, with credit to himself and benefit to the city, he held the office of City Solicitor. As a lawyer he stood forth a man faithful to the best interests of his clients, and at the same time careful that no injustice should be done to his opponents. When he made a statement in Court, every Judge on the bench and every bystander at the bar felt assured of its truth, while his excellent memory and legal crudition give his name a conspicuous place in the list of those departed ones who secured to our bar whatever of fair fame it possesses. As a philanthropist his record is a brilliant one, comprising labors in various capacities for the advancement of many benevolent and charitable institu- tions, as well as private benefactions to an extent that will never be fully known. He was especially prominent as Vice-President-of the Lincoln Institution, and as one of the Managers of the Institution for the Blind, bringing to these offices the warm interest of his generous spirit. To young men struggling to make their way in the world he was a kind and judicious friend, extending to them not only advice, but practical assistance. Many young and rising members of the bar are indebted to him for opportunities of free study in his office, for guidance and counsel both before and after being called, his experience and knowledge always being at their disposal in all cases which their inexperience found difficult. In the Episcopal Church he for many years held the position of Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and was re- peatedly a delegate to the Diocesan Convention, in which capacity he was serving at the time of his death. But his principal work in the church was performed as a Bible- class teacher. He founded his class in early life, and always continued to give it his most devoted care, wielding through it a great power for good among young men. Indeed, his success in this direction has seldom been equalled. It is estimated that over two thousand persons came under his influence, who are now distributed through the length and breadth of the land, many of them in their
turn having become centres of usefulness. Noted for his researches in antiquarian lore, and into the history of ancient religious rites, his learning always secured the interests of his bearers, more especially as he possessed the happy faculty of imparting the treasures of his well- stored mind in an attractive manner ; his teaching being argu- mentative rather than dry or dogmatic, and rich with illustrations. He died at his residence in Philadelphia on May 16th, 1872.
OOD, RICHARD D., Merchant and Manufac turer (cotton and iron), was born in Greenwich, Cumberland county, New Jersey, March 29th, 1799. Ilis ancestors, who came'from Glouces- tershire, England, were among the original settlers of Philadelphia ; one of them, Richard Wood, arriving in this country with some of the earliest Quaker emigrants, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, here located, while his grandson, also named Richard, moved to Cumberland county, New Jersey, of which he became one of the Judges and a Justice of the Peace in the reign of George II. He also represented his county in the Legislature of the State, as did also some of his descendants, who were men of marked intelligence and influence. Passing through the limited course of instruction of the country schools of that period, he acquired a fair degree of elementary education. For some years after leaving school he was employed as an assistant in his father's store, where the town library was kept, and this being placed under his care, gave him the opportunity of indulging in reading of a varied character. Of the advan- tage here afforded him he diligently availed himself, thus gratifying his taste and fostering the habit of continually adding to his store of information by constant and judicious reading, which, even in the press and manifold occupations of his after life, he always preserved. A little before attaining his- legal majority he left his native place to begin the battle of life at Salem, New Jersey. A successful career of two years in that place enabled him to establish himself in Philadelphia, where his capacities for business and untiring energy found a more fitting scope. To this city he removed in 1823, and uniting with Mr. William L. A bott and S. C. Wood, under the firm of Wood, Abbott & Wood, he started in life as a city merchant at what is now No. 309 Market street. With this house, under all its various changes of title. he remained connected to the day of his death. Commencing with but limited means, in competition with established houses of large capital and unlimited credit, who had been accustomed to extend long credits to their `customers, with correspondingly large profits, the firm of Wood & Abbott inaugurated a system of selling for cash and at only five per cent. advance on cost, under which, by rapidity of sales and a frequent turning of the capital they possessed, the new house
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succeeded in equalizing profits with their more powerful competitors. From that time forward the labors and influence of Mr. Wood were felt in almost every under- taking having for its object the advancement of the material prosperity of Philadelphia. He was the first to introduce the bleaching and dyeing of cotton goods on a large scale for this market, in competition with the established and powerful corporations of New England. Even while carrying on this extensive business he found time to embark in other enterprises. The advance of the town of Millville, in New Jersey, is due to his far-sighted sagacity ; about the year 1851, he became actively interested in that place, and establishing there a large cotton factory, bleaching and dye works, as also extensive iron works, he gradually built up the town to a manufacturing depot of importance. The first to appreciate the fact that southern New Jersey would bear the extension of railroad improvement, he built the Millville and Glassboro' Railroad, and afterwards exerted a powerful influence in the building of the Cape May Road, with the various branches that contribute to the usefulness of that line and the convenience of its passengers and freight patrons. About 1851, he also started the manufac- ture of cast-iron gas and water pipe, under the firm of R. D. Wood & Co., whose products have entered a large proportion of the cities of the Union. He was the owner of the original tract upon which is built the town of Vine- land, New Jersey, and it is owing to the generons and liberal terms with which he treated the founder of that thriving place, that the project was carried out. About 1867, he erected large factories at May's Landing, New Jersey, and also constructed' a mammoth dam on the Maurice River, at Millville. He was also, at critical periods in their history, a powerful supporter, at one time, of the Schuylkill Navigation Company, promoting confi- dence in it by liberal subscriptions to its stock and loans when they were looked upon with suspicion and doubt ; and, at another time, of the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, when it was of the most critical importance that its then President (Samuel V. Merrick) should be seconded, as he was, in his efforts to carry forward to completion that great undertaking, by men in its directorship of just such per- sonal influence, fertility of resource and force of character as Mr. Wood. In fact, he was one of the projectors of this great railroad, as well as one of the reorganizers and largest owners of the Cambria Iron Works, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He was long a Director of the Philadelphia Bank; was one of the founders of the Union Benevolent Association of Philadelphia, and held directorships in numerous other railroads, corporations and public institu- tions. Mr. Wood's talent and goodness of heart alike were proved by his conspicuous ability in the power of moulding persons who at different times joined his enter- prises as assistants. He rarely separated from those men, but developed and applied their powers until they became useful members of his different firms, or sometimes left
him, upon the completion of their business education, for the creation of individual fortunes. From the laboring man to the possessor of business talent, he perceived the qualification of every applicant, and constituted himself the life-long friend of all who were suited to aid him; so powerful was his influence and disposition to promote the advancement of enterprising and deserving young men, that possibly a hundred of Philadelphia's wealthy and honored citizens owe their first success in business to a partnership in one of the various enterprises inaugurated and prosecuted by Mr. Wood. His agreeable relations in society depended largely upon his even and pleasant tem- per, conversational powers, ready and well-stored memory, and natural urbanity. Educated with the Society of Friends, of which he was a life-long, though not active member, he ever displayed the sobriety and justice of apprehension common to that seet. Of his religious character, it may be said that he felt far more than he showed, having a dislike to formality and bigotry quite equal to his love for true heartfelt Christianity. He died April Ist, 1869. Out of his fortune of several millions, he devised numerous bequests to charitable objects and public institutions, among which were $5oco to Haverford College, $500 to the Union Benevolent Association of Philadelphia, and $500 to the Shelter for Colored Orphans. He was a benefactor not only to the community in which he lived, but to the entire country ; and benefits of his enterprise and example will be strong in their influence for good in generations yet to come.
ERKINS, SAMUEL C., Lawyer, was born in Philadelphia, November 14th, 1828. His father, Samuel II. Perkins, was a native of Windham, Connecticut, and his mother, formerly Mary F. Donnell, of Woodbury, New Jersey. Ilis pri- mary education he received at the best schools in Philadelphia ; subsequently he became a student at Vale College, and graduated in the class of 1848; three years later, he received his A. M. degree, and in the following year that of I.L. B., from the University of Pennsylvania. He studied law in the office of his father, in Philadelphia, and was admitted to the bar in July, 1851. Hle has con- tinued in practice ever since, and his great ability and attention to the interests of his clients have won him a high position and reputation. He was married on April 12th, 1855, to Mary H., daughter of Frederick A. Packard, of Philadelphia. He has no children living. . In April, 1861, in consequence of the outbreak of the war, he joined Com- pany A, First, Regiment of Artillery, Home Guard. He was promoted to be First Sergeant in March, 1862, and served in that capacity until September, 1862, when he was elected First Lieutenant. He was in service with the Company at Harrisburg and Chambersburg, when called out for the emergency in September, 1862. On June 24th,
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1863, he was mustered into the United States service for | the emergency with the Company, which became known as Captain Landis' Light Battery, and proceeded to Harris- burg. There he was on duty on the fortifications on the west side of the Susquehanna till June 30th, when, in command of a section of the battery, he proceeded to Sporting Hill, about three miles west, and participated in an affair with an attacking force of rebels, which was repulsed with loss. On July Ist, he marched, with the remainder of the battery and the division of infantry under the command of General Crouch, to Carlisle. The same night the town was attacked and shelled by a rebel force, and the battery lost several horses, besides having a num- ber of men wounded. He remained in camp at Carlisle till July 4th, when the division moved southward, and the battery marched for some three weeks through Waynes- burg, Boonsboro', and Hagerstown, returning through Greencastle to Chambersburg. After being in camp about a week, they received transportation by rail to Philadel phia, and were mustered out of the service July 30th, 1863. From an early period of his life, he has manifested a warm interest in public affairs ; and his proved ability, in connec- tion with his unquestioned integrity, has led to his selection for several positions of trust and honor. In 1857, he was elected to Common Council from the Seventh Ward, and served one term. On December 14th, 1868, he was chosen Director of the Union League, and Chairman of the Library Committee, positions which he still hokls. Hc was named as one of the Commissioners for the erection of new public buildings in Philadelphia, by the act of the Legislature, approved August 5th, 1870, and was elected President of the Commissioners April 17th, 1872. This responsible- office, the duties of which he has discharged with signal ability and fidelity, he still occupies. He has for many years held very prominent positions in the Masonic Fraternity. He was Grand Seribe of the Grand Il. R. A., Chapter of Pennsylvania, from December, 1861, to the close of 1863; Grand King from December, 1863, to the close of 1865; Grand High Priest from December, 1865, until the end of 1867. For one year, from Decem- ber, 1866, he served as Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania; for two years, from December, 1867, as Senior Grand Warden; for two years, from December, 1869, as Deputy Grand Master. In December, 1871, he was elected Grand Master; was re-elected in December, 1872, and still discharges the duty of the high and honorable office. On June 27th, 1868, he was elected Chairman of the Building Committee of the new Masonic Temple, and still continues to have charge of the important work, at this writing so nearly completed, and that already is the noblest architectural pile in the city. Ile is a man of decided religious views. At an early age he became a member of the Presbyterian Church, and has been honored with many marks of the confidence and esteem of its supporters. From May, 1856,
to May, 1870, he was Trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. He has been Elder of the same church from March 21st, 1870, until the present time. He served as a member of the Presbyterian Publication Com- . mittee from September 20th, 1858, until June 30th, 1870. From May, 1870, he has been a member of the Presbyterian Board of Publication, and from June of the same year President of the Trustees of the same body. In 1871, he was sent as a delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. In May, 1873, he was elected a manager of the American Sunday School Union. Learned and reliable as a lawyer, upright and public-spirited as a citizen, a kindly and courteous gentleman, he is one of the most deservedly prominent men of Philadelphia.
ARDING, WILLIAM W., Newspaper Proprietor, Publisher, and Manufacturer, was born in Phila- delphia, November Ist, 1830. His father was the late Jesper Harding, who, for many years, occupied the foremost rank among the publishers of Philadelphia, and conducted, with marked ability, during a period of thirty years, the Pennsylvania Inquirer. William White Harding is a namesake of the eminent divine Bishop William White, who was an intimate personal friend of his father. He attended the Northwest Grammar School, where he proved to be an apt and indus- trious scholar, but he only laid the foundations broad and deep here, and left school to complete his education amid the realities and practical duties of business life. He be- came a clerk and salesman in the store of George S. Appleton, a book publisher, located at the corner of Seventh and Chestnut streets, and now a member of the extensive book firm of D. Appleton & Co., of New York. He spent several years in this store, and acquired, by the strictest attention to his duties, and close observation of what was going on around him, a complete knowledge of all the branches of the book publishing business. After careful preliminary training, he became associated with his father, in the publication of the Inquirer, and of Bibles, in the fall of 1855. The firm of Jesper Harding & Son con- tinued until October, 1859, when the partnership was dis- solved, by the withdrawal of Jesper Harding, and his son became the sole publisher. As soon as he became inter- ested in the publication of the paper and Bibles, the influ- ence of his activity and energy began to be felt in the rapidly increasing circulation of both. About this time the subject of City Passenger Railways began to attract atten- tion ; and although the popular sentiment did not seem to be in favor of superseding the old omnibus, he, with a keen foresight, saw that if they could once be introduced, these railways would be immensely popular, and a great public benefit .. Ile at once threw his weight and influence Tinto the scale in their faver, and soon found himself a
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prominent leader in the movement. The project proved | former upon his triumph over President Johnson, in the successful in a high degree; and having been identified War Department Struggle in 1868 : with several of the leading railways of the city, he did not WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, January 14th, 1868. fail to reap the rich pecuniary reward due to his enterprise and sagacity. Ile then turned his attention to the im- Please accept my thanks for your friendly telegram just received. I appreciate your kindness highly. From no one have I received, in my official labors, more disinterested and highly prized support than from yourself. Its remen- brance will always be cherished with pleasure. Wishing you every success in life, I am, and shall ever be, provement of his paper. Up to the time that he assumed the control, the Inquirer had been conducted on the old time business principles. The subscription price was eight dollars per annum, and the paper, though an excel- lent one, being slow and undemonstrative, was very little Truly yours, read except by the yearly subscribers. Incited by the EDWIN M. STANTON. To William W. Harding, Esq. marked success of the cheap newspapers that were spring- ing up, and were being conducted on a cash basis, instead of the old credit system, he determined upon a radical change in the form and character of his journal, with a localization of its title. On the 20 of April, 1860, there appeared, instead of the old " blanket sheet " of the Penn- sylvania Inquirer, the neat and convenient Philadelphia Inquirer, with its eight pages of six columns each, making the first quarto newspaper in successful operation in Phila- delphia. The old system of yearly subscriptions was aban- doned, the price reduced to two cents per copy, and canvassers sent out to establish routes for its daily delivery. It was also placed in the hands of the newsboys, and found a ready sale upon the street. Local matters received much greater attention; the editorials were written in a more attractive style, and generally devoted exclusively to passing events. Advantage was taken of the increased facilities for obtaining telegraphic news, and general litera- ture found a prominent place in its columns. Supplements were frequently issued; and on the occasion of the visit of the Japanese Embassy to Philadelphia, in May, 1860, two were issued, of four pages each, containing elaborate illus- trations. Thus energetically managed, the paper rapidly acquired a large circulation. During the war especial enterprise was manifested by the Inquirer, and no expense was spared in obtaining the news from the armies and the Seat of Government. Immense sums were expended for special correspondence, and it became the journal most sought after, not only among the citizens of Philadelphia and vicinity, but in the army, where it outsold all the other newspapers. So considerable indeed was the demand from all quarters, that it became necessary to engage, for a time, the presses of its contemporaries, to assist in printing the large editions required. The Government evidenced its appre- ciation of this popularity by frequently ordering a special edition for gratuitous distribution by the proprietor's agents, when it was desired that the steps being taken in the con- duct of the war should become widely known in both armies. It warmly supported the Administration through- out the war, and its services were gracefully acknowledged by Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, at that trying period.
In the latter part of 1861, the greatly increased cir- culation compelled the purchase of a six cylinder Hoe Rotary Press, and on the 26th of April, 1862, the In- quirer was first printed from stereotype plates - being one of the first newspapers in the United States to adopt this process. In December, 1862, the Inquirer was re- duced in size to six pages, on account of the increase in the cost of paper ; but after three months it resumed, on the 25th of March, 1863, its eight pages, but reduced its size to five columns. He introduced paper folders at an early date; and soon after his removal to his present location, in April, 1863, he introduced a Bullock Press-the first ever put into successful operation. To this he subsequently added two others-one of double size-but these have since been replaced by two of Hoe's six cylinder Rotary Presses, at a cost of over fifty thousand dollars. Beside all these improvements to the Inquirer, he increased his facili- ties for publishing Harding's editions of the Bible, and added to his establishment the necessary fixtures for the manufacture of Photograph Albums, of which he has produced some of the finest specimens. In 1864, hie established a paper mill at Manayunk, which has since supplied the paper for his different publications; and he has more recently entered into the manufacture of wood paper, having purchased for a large amount the right from its inventors. His mills are now capable of pro- ducing eight thousand pounds a day, wood and straw both being employed in its manufacture. On the 29th of August, 1864, the price of the Inquirer was increased to three cents a copy, or fifteen cents a week, but this was reduced to two cents on the 2d of January following. In December, 1869, the present size was re-adopted, of forty-eight columns, double sheet. He is above the medium height, of attractive appearance, and pleasant manners. In his habits he is simple and unostentatious. Tobacco and spirits he has always eschewed. Each day he spends from twelve to fifteen hours in persistent atten- tion to business, for which he seems to possess an un- limited capacity of endurance. In the intricate details of his numerous undertakings he is never embarrassed even for a moment. To this casy command of minutiæe, scarcely less than to his energy and enterprise, is his great success
The following letter was written by Mr. Stanton, ini reply to a telegram from Mr. Harding, congratulating the lin life to be attributed.
POST 0000
€
Dill Nobleth
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OBLIT, DELL, Jr., Merchant, Manufacturer, and Bank President, was born September 21st, 1825, in Wilmington, Delaware, of which place his father is an old, well-known and influential citizen. At an early age he evinced a preference for mercantile life, and was placed as a clerk in a dry goods store in his native place, where he remained a year and a half, preparing himself practically for business on a larger scale. When he had attained his nineteenth year, and the expiration of his novitiate, he found himself ready to enter a wider field of enterprise, which he sought in Philadelphia, where the extensive business connection of his father procured for him an advantageous position with the firm of Finley & Co. Here he became thoroughly conversant with the business of Furnishing, his income steadily increasing until it attained a respectable figure, and his position in the trade becoming assured. In 1849,, he engaged in business on his own account, at No. 83 South Second street, where he embarked on a most .pros- perous career, receiving among his first orders one from the well-known and highly respected Captain Loper, for the complete equipment, with all essentiais in his line, of several ocean steamers, then in process of construction. This order he carried out to the entire satisfaction of the owners, and from that time onward his, success as a mer- chant was assured. His business increased almost from the beginning with a rapidity which compelled him to seek a partner, whom he found in his brother, John Noblit, their' association proving for both a judicious measure, and peculiarly fortunate in its results. Soon after the forma- tion of the partnership, their attention was called to the weaving of Hair Cloth as a branch of their business, which promised to become of the first importance. At that time, although an immense quantity of Hair Cloth was used in America, very little of it was of home production, the market being supplied chiefly from Germany and England. D. & J. Noblit, for such was the firm name, believing that it could be made in Philadelphia, commenced its manufac- ture by hand ; but their resources were soon drawn upon to so great an extent by the rapidly increasing demand, that they began to consider the necessity of having recourse to steam. In 1856, a site for a factory was secured, and. their building, at Jefferson and Randolph streets, erected; Fifty looms were put into the new building, and the manu- facture of Hair Cloth was begun, and conducted on an extensive scale-a manufacture that has ever since held its place in the American market. In the management of their large store on Second street, south of Dock, they found it necessary to have a partner, and associated with them in that portion of their business Willard S. Brown, under the firm name of Noblit, Brown & Noblit, the factory remaining as before, under the control of D. & J. Noblit. The senior partner's well earned reputation for integrity and ability among the merchants of Philadelphia, combined with itis high personal character, qualified bim peculiarly
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