The Indiana branch of the Francis family came from the Colonial settlement of Wethersfield, Connecticut. The town of Wethersfield was organized as a colony January 7, 1633. Among its residents were Robert and Richard Francis, the latter losing his life in one of the early Indian wars. Robert Francis, of the first American generation, was born in 1629, probably in England, and died January 2, 1712. He had a farm at Wethersfield and was a member of the First Congregational Church there. The second generation was represented by John Francis, who was born at Wethersfield September 4, 1658, and died December 28, 1711. He was a sergeant in the Colonial troops. His second wife and the mother of all his children was Mercy Chittenden. John Francis, of the third generation, was born at Wethersfield October 13, 1684, and died September 19, 1749. He was the owner and landlord of the old Wethersfield Inn, and was a man of great muscular strength, many stories being related of his athletic feats. His first wife and mother of his son John was Mary Hatch, who died July 15, 1718.
John Francis, son of John and Mary (Hatch) Francis, was born September 28, 1710, at Wethersfield, and died May 15, 1738. He married in 1730 May Todd, who died in 1778. Their son, Charles Francis, of the fifth generation, was born at Wethersfield in 1736. The sixth generation was represented by Simeon Francis, who was born at Wethersfield in 1770 and died September 7, 1823. He married, May 26, 1793, Mary Ann Adams, who. died September 17, 1822. Their children were Charles, Simeon, Mary Ann, Calvin, Josiah, Edwin, Hulda, Allen and John.
Seven of these children, after the death of their parents, decided to leave their old home in Wethersfield and come west, following the example of the two older brothers, Charles and Simeon. They left Hartford September 17, 1829, traveling down the Connecticut River, through Long Island Sound, up the Hudson River, across New York by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, by sailing vessel to Sandusky, and thence by wagons across Ohio to Cincinnati. From there a steamboat took them to St. Louis. Among other articles they brought with them from Connecticut was a little printing press. In 1831 Simeon, Josiah and John took this press to Springfield, Illinois, and on it brought out the first issue of the Sangamon Journal, on November 10, 1831. The Sangamon Journal is now the Illinois State Journal. Simeon and Allen Francis fostered the youthful ambitions of Abraham Lincoln by loaning him a copy of Blackstone and all the other books possible, and they also introduced Mr. Lincoln to the leading social and professional figures of Springfield. It was at the home of Allen Francis that Mr. Lincoln met Miss Todd, whom he subsequently married. After Lincoln became president, Simeon Francis was appointed paymaster of all the troops in the Northwest, with the rank of colonel, while Allen Francis was appointed first consul to Victoria, British Columbia.
The pioneer of this family in Northern Indiana was Charles Francis. He was born at Wethersfield, Connecticut, March 19, 1794. December 14, 1820, he married Elizabeth Haskell, who died August 9, 1856. They left their Connecticut home in 1829, moved to Cherry Valley, New York, and two years later traveled the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and by sailing vessel to Cleveland. In the early autumn of 1834 they started for Chicago. As a family, of eight, their furniture and necessities were easily stored in one wagon. After about six weeks they reached LaPorte, where winter overtook them. After leaving LaPorte they met a party returning from Chicago who reported that there were no provisions in that settlement or work of any kind. This news, together with the sickness of the youngest child, turned them back and they settled for the winter in a log cabin near the present site of Fail's schoolhouse in LaPorte County. During the winter Charles Francis took up land and built a cabin in Galena Township. Five families had located in the township during the preceding year. Nearby was a settlement of friendly Indians. Charles Francis worked hard to establish a home for his family and survived the pioneer hardships, passing away in 1870.
Simeon Francis, one of the seven children 6f Charles and Elizabeth (Haskell) Francis, and representing the eighth generation of the American family, was born at Wethersfield, Connecticut, April 22, 1827. From the age of seven he grew up in LaPorte County, contributed his labors to the tasks of clearing the timber and starting a home in Galena Township, and in that community he spent practically all his long and eventful life. The first school he attended was held in a two-room log cabin, one room being occupied by the John Morrow family. That was in 1835. Simeon Francis had as his playmates Indian boys. After reaching manhood he learned the carpenter's trade, and worked at his trade in addition to farming. He lived on a farm until 1871, when he moved to Three Oaks, Michigan, and for six years was in business there as a merchant. He then returned to his LaPorte County farm and on October 5, 1899, moved into the City of LaPorte. He died February 23, 1914, and his wife passed away February 4, 1918. They are buried in the Pine Lake Cemetery near LaPorte.
Simeon Francis married, March 12, 1859, Mary Elizabeth Martin. She was a member of the prominent Martin family, pioneers of Northern Indiana and early members of the Massachusetts colony in 1664. She was born near Dover, New Jersey, November 12, 1835, and was four years of age when her parents came to LaPorte County in 1839. Her father was William Adams Martin, who in 1828 married Mary Apgar. As the brothers of William Adams Martin came west they were welcomed to the hospitality of this cabin, and at one time there were thirteen persons in the log house about eighteen by twenty feet. Mary Elizabeth Martin was the third one of the Martin sisters to marry one of three Francis brothers. Simeon and Mary Elizabeth Francis had two children, Charles William and Jessie Gertrude. Jessie Gertrude was born in LaPorte County November 12, 1866, and was married in 1895 to Wendall Paddock, who was professor of horticulture in Ohio State University at Columbus.
Charles William Francis, who is one of the two living representatives bearing the name of Francis in Indiana, was born in LaPorte County October 8, 1860. He was reared on a farm, attended country schools, high school at Three Oaks, Michigan, and Central University at Pella, Iowa. He has given practically all of his active life to some form of public service. For ten years he taught school. From November 1, 1897, until October 8, 1929, he was connected with the LaPorte postoffice. He was the compiler and publisher of a history and genealogy of the Martin family. In the fall of 1912, in company with Dr. H. H. Martin, of LaPorte, he made a trip through Germany, Switzerland, Holland, England and Scotland. On the return trip the news of President Wilson's election was received by wireless while the boat was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Mr. Francis enjoys fishing. He has compiled a book of the beauty spots in Indiana. He has also gathered pictures of the relics and souvenirs and early pictures of the Francis family, many of which are in the Warren Foundation Museum.
Charles William Francis married, March 12, 1884, Eva Holcomb. She was born in LaPorte County July 12, 1864. Their two children, Ethel Gertrude and Maree Holcomb, represent the tenth generation of the Francis family. Ethel Gertrude was born July 8, 1886, was married June 27, 1906, to Frederick W. Steigely, of LaPorte, and their five children represent the eleventh generation of the Frances family, their names being Frederick W., Catherine Evelyn, Francis H., Rose Ethel and Ethel Evelyn. Maree Francis, the second daughter, was born at LaPorte May 15, 1894, and was married June 30, 1917, to Clyde G. Chaney, former city editor of the LaPorte Argus, and who served in France as captain of Company B of the One Hundred and Fifty- first Infantry. Captain and Mrs. Chaney have one son, Robert Galen Chaney.
As the preceding records indicate; the Francis family, while seldom producing men of great distinction in the ordinary sense of that word, has in fact been conspicuous for those virtues which are fundamental in the welfare and security of the human race. Charles Francis, of the seventh generation, was a carpenter and three of his sons learned the same trade. They helped build the first railroad stations in LaPorte and Michigan City, and many residences in the county still stand as monuments to their handiwork. At an early date they built and owned three sawmills and two flour mills, in addition to the management of their farms. The five sons of Charles Francis all grew to manhood, married and reared families, and their descendants are now widely scattered from coast to coast. The five brothers though going their separate ways always managed to work together and maintained for years the intimate ties of a family relationship that made them in all essential respects one family. The three brothers who were carpenters followed that trade when the carpenter made and fitted every part of the house. Many of the tools used at that time, even as far back as 1790, are carefully preserved by Charles W. Francis of LaPorte. In matters of religion these families were Methodists, Baptists and Christians, but in politics they were almost without exception ardent Republicans from the formation of that party.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
HARVEY H. MARTIN, M. D., has achieved honor and distinction through his professional work in LaPorte. Doctor Martin was born in LaPorte County, in 1871, and is a member of one of the notable families of Northern Indiana.
The Martins of Northern Indiana are descendants of Isaac Webb and Alice (Adams) Martin, who in 1800 began housekeeping in what is known as the old Martin Homestead at Succasunna in Morris County, New Jersey. But the Martin family goes back for many generations before that. There was a Norman named Martin De Toure, who made a conquest of the territory of Kerneys in County Pembroke, Somersetshire, England, about 1077, only eleven years after the Norman Conquest. He had a sister, the wife of Calfurnias Presbyter Bratannus. She was the mother of Saint Patrick of Ireland. There are many spellings of the Martin name, such as Martyn, Martinn, Marteen, Martain and Martine. The coat-of-arms shows two red bars on a white or silver shield, surmounted by a helmet with wreath, upon which rests the crest, a-red star of six points. The motto is "Populus Deum Verens," which freely translated means a God fearing people. Through all the generations the Martins have lived up to this motto, being a people strong and sturdy and fearing God.
On March 20, 1635,. a colony from Somersetshire set sail from Weymouth, Dorset County, England, and arrived at Weymouth, New England, May 6 of the same year. Among the passengers were Robert Martin and wife, Johanna, each aged forty-four. They were therefore born in 1591. Robert Martin was one of the early settlers at Rehoboth, Massachusetts. In the records of the Massachusetts colony also appear the names of Isaac and Abraham Martin. Abraham Martin was a weaver and one of the first of free holders in the Massachusetts colony. The ancestor of the Indiana family was Isaac Martin, who lived at Rehoboth.
Passing over the intermediate generations, the record comes down to Isaac Webb Martin, named above, as the patriarch of the Indiana branch of the family. Isaac Webb Martin and Alice Adams were married in 1799. Alice Adams was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, July 11, 1780. Her father, Mathew Adams, was a soldier under General Washington in the Revolutionary war. In the old homestead in Morris County, New Jersey, eleven children were born to Isaac Webb Martin and wife, and nine of these grew up, and their descendants are found throughout the Middle West.
The fourth of the children of Isaac Webb and Alice (Adams) Martin was William Adams Martin, who was born January 1, 1806, and died February 16, 1857. He came west to Northern Indiana in 1839. He and his wife, Mary A. Martin, were both born in New Jersey.
A son of William A. Martin and wife was Isaac F. Martin, who was born in LaPorte County, Indiana, February 10, 1843, and during his early boyhood attended the old Weed log cabin schools, where Miss Catherine Cutler was teacher. Later he attended a few summer sessions at the Francis School. He was only fourteen when his father died, and he then took charge of the home farm and managed it successfully. Isaac F. Martin married, January 25, 1865, Hester A. Easton. She was born at Pulaski, New York, May 29, 1845. After their marriage they lived at the old Martin homestead until 1904, when the farm was sold. Leaving Indiana, they moved out to Jackson, Montana, living on a stock ranch there until 1912. They then returned to LaPorte and made their home at the corner of First and Eleventh streets until their death.
Isaac Martin died in 1928 and his wife in 1925, and they are buried in Posey Chapel Cemetery in LaPorte County. Isaac Martin several years before his death assisted in compiling the history of the Martin family in America.
The oldest of the nine children of Isaac F. Martin and wife was Dr. Francis V. Martin, who was born in LaPorte County September 1,1866. He was reared on a farm, attended the common schools and the Valparaiso Normal School, after which he completed his professional education in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He practiced medicine for a few years at Westville and then moved to Michigan City, where for many years he has been a man of highest distinction in his calling. He married, August 16, 1893, Miss Nettie B. Harrold, who was born near Westville, April 8, 1874. Dr. Francis V. Martin is a member of the County, Indiana State and American Medical Associations. He has been president of the Martin Family Association, which annually since July 11, 1864, has held yearly reunions. The sixty-eighth reunion of the family was celebrated at Hudson Lake in August, 1931. Dr. Francis Martin and wife have the following children: Ramona, Francis, Dorothy, Hester and Harold Bruce.
The other children of Isaac F. and Hester A. Martin were: Eugenie, wife of Frank D. Lewis, of Everett, Washington, and mother of one child, Kinsey Isaac Lewis; Dr. Harvey H. Martin; Mary Emily, who was married, February 28, 1898, to William Stanchfield, who died in 1904, leaving two children, Harvey and Verne M., and in June, 1907, she was married to Frank Husted, and they live at Jackson, Montana; Theodosia is the wife of Frank Smith, a farmer at Smith's Station, LaPorte County; June died when one year old; Isabella is the wife of Albert Fargher, of Smith's Station, Indiana, and they have a son, Francis; George Olga is the wife of Charles Bernard, a farmer near Westville; and William Wade, born January 4, 1887, died May 8, 1890.
Among other facts that might be noted concerning the Martin family something should be said of their military record. Besides those who served in the Colonial and Revolutionary wars, there were several of them enrolled in the Union army during the Civil war, also in the Spanish-American war, and the World war honor toll contains the names of twenty-two members of this clan.
Dr. Harvey H. Martin was educated in the public schools in LaPorte County and completed his professional training in the University of Michigan and the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College, where he received his diploma in 1895. For two years he practiced at Three Oaks, Michigan, and since then for over thirty years has given the benefit of his skill to the old home community at LaPorte. He has always regarded his work as a profession and not as a vocation and has lived up to the highest ethics of his calling. He is a member of the LaPorte County, Indiana State and American Medical Associations and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, belonging also to a number of fraternal and civic societies. He was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps before America declared war on Germany, and on April 16, 1918, was called to the colors and was with the Twenty-ninth Division at Camp McClellan, Alabama. He is a member of the American Legion.
Doctor Martin married at Three Oaks, Michigan, June 2, 1896, Miss Edith Blanche Valentine. They have had three children: Robert V., who died when four years old; Harold E., born January 6, 1904; and Bo W. Martin, born February 10, 1908.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
FRANK L. OLIPHANT, a native son of Indiana, has found in his home state the opportunities for a very successful business career. Mr. Oliphant was one of the three men who founded the Vincennes Bridge Company, Incorporated. Because of its nation-wide character of service this company has probably done as much as any other institution to spread abroad a knowledge of historic Vincennes as a progressive industrial center.
The business had its inception in 1898. Frank L. Oliphant had been teaching school in Colorado. During vacation he visited the Omaha Exposition. There he met his brother, J .T. Oliphant. J. T. Oliphant had been with a factory at Newcastle, Indiana, manufacturing the iron and steel work for culvert construction. The two brothers talked over plans for establishing themselves in some line of permanent business. Another man was brought into consultation, a friend from early boyhood, Mr. J. L. Riddle, who at that tin\e was conducting a general store in Greene County, Indiana. The three partners decided to set up a plant for bridge construction. J. T. Oliphant was ready to start to Texas in search of a location. Just then Edward Watson, president of the Vincennes Board of Trade, proposed to give them a site in Vincennes and a $1,500 bonus if they would put up their plant in the city. The three partners formulated their business organization in 1898 and erected a small building on the site of the present large plant of the Vincennes Bridge Company, Incorporated. Second-hand machinery was secured and the first contract was for a bridge across a creek near Arcola, Illinois. The erecting work was done in the winter of 1899. The bolt holes in the steel girders were made with a hand punch. The entire resources of the company were made use of in this first contract, J. T. and F. L. Oliphant and J. L. Riddle all taking a part in the actual labor of construction. It was due to this happy faculty of cooperation on the part of the original members of the firm that the subsequent success of the Vincennes Bridge Company was assured. At the beginning J. T. Oliphant was president of the company. He sold out to other stockholders in 1912. Mr. Frank L. Oliphant was treasurer and general manager from 1898 to 1912 and then succeeded his brother as president and general manager, the office he holds today. For over thirty years the company has continued its work of constructing bridges and structural steel work of various kinds. The business has extended over forty states, and thousands of substantial structures have stood the strain and stress of modern traffic and do honor to the name plate of the Vincennes Bridge Company affixed to such structures.
During the past thirty-one years this company has handled over 25,000 contracts, and obviously only a few can be individually mentioned. One of them is the bridge over the Illinois River at Pekin, Illinois. It has a lift span 260 feet long, weighing 450 tons. This span involved a great deal of careful engineering detail. A span was erected on barges and then floated into position. Another piece of construction by this company is the West Pearl River bridge near New Orleans, Louisiana. It is 640 feet long, including the draw span. Other examples of the company's work taken at random from different parts of the country include: The C oosa River bridge near Childersburg, Alabama; twin bridges built across the Cape Fear and North East River at Wilmington, North Carolina; the White River bridge near Petersburg, Indiana; Big Clifty bridge in Grayson County, Kentucky; St. Francis River bridge near Cody, Arkansas; Potomac River bridge at Paw Paw, West Virginia; Interstate bridge over the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma; Mount Carmel bridge across the Wabash River; Tennessee River bridge near Paducah, Kentucky.
During the World war the plant of the company was used for the fabrication of ship steel. It was one of fifty or more plants in different parts of the country, all coordinated under Government supervision, and each plant supplying a certain part of the steel parts for ships. All the material was eventually assembled at Newark, New Jersey, by the Submarine Boat Corporation.
Mr. Frank L. Oliphant was born at Buena Vista, Indiana, son of William L. and Susan (Bowen) Oliphant. William L. Oliphant was a farmer in Monroe County. The grandfather, Thomas Oliphant, was born in North Carolina and was brought to Indiana by his father and family about 1820. Frank L. Oliphant is one of six children.
He grew up on a farm and attended school in Monroe County. After completing his education in the Central Normal College at Danville, Indiana, he spent fourteen years in educational work, leaving that in the manner above noted to join his brother and Mr. Riddle in the Vincennes Bridge Company.
During his long residence at Vincennes he has been a constructive factor not only in business and industry, but in civic affairs. Since 1907 he has been a director of the American National Bank. He is a former president of the Vincennes Board of Education and a director of the Chamber of Commerce, is affiliated with Vincennes Lodge No.1, A. F. and A. M., and is a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner. He is a member of the Harmony Society, the First Christian Church, and has been a generous benefactor of the Vincennes Y. M. C. A. Politically he grew up a Democrat, but has shown a tendency to vote for the man best fitted for office. During the World war, in addition to his heavy duties in supervising the operation of his plant under Government supervision, he was a leader in the Liberty Loan drives.
Mr. Oliphant's first wife was Mahala Elma Martindale, who died in 1898, leaving one son, J. Earl.. His second wife was Hattie Martindale, sister of the first Mrs. Oliphant. She died in 1918, mother of one daughter, Leona Kathleen. Subsequently Mr. Oliphant married Estelle Griggs.
His son, J. Earl Oliphant, is another Vincennes business man. He is treasurer of the Vincennes Bridge Company and is treasurer and general manager of the Standard Coal Company; which is one of the most successful cooperative mining organizations in Knox County, Indiana. J. Earl Oliphant is married and has four children, named Elma, Frank, Julian and Elizabeth.
Leona Kathleen Oliphant, Mr. Oliphant's only daughter, is the wife of Hugh Q. Stevens. Mr. Stevens is a graduate of the University of Florida, is a World war veteran, and is now secretary of the Vincennes Bridge Company. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens have two children, Stewart Oliphant Stevens and Elise Stevens.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
JOHN EDWARD MAGNUSON, D. D. S., one of the prominent professional men of the City of LaPorte, represents a family that has been in this section of Northern Indiana for three generations.
His grandfather was Peter Magnuson, who came to America on May 3, 1858, from Sweden. He was one of the first of his fellow countrymen to locate in that section of LaPorte County, which by subsequent additions became known as the Swedish settlement.
Dr. John Edward Magnuson was born at Kansas City, Missouri, November 8, 1906, but has lived most of his life in LaPorte County. His parents were Edward Carl and Mary Frances (Schweder) Magnuson. His father was born and reared at Durham in LaPorte County, and his mother was born near Lambs Chapel in the same county. Both attended public schools in this county. The father of Doctor Magnuson has for many years been associated with the LaPorte Foundry & Furnace Company. Both parents are members of the Bethany Lutheran Church of LaPorte. Their three children were Dr. John Edward, Ethel Marie and Margaret May.
John Edward Magnuson was graduated from the LaPorte High School in 1925. He completed his course in the School of Dentistry of Indiana University in 1929, and then returned to LaPorte, where he has enjoyed a rapidly growing practice as a doctor of dental surgery, with offices in the Forgher Building, at 811 Jefferson Street.
Doctor Magnuson is a Republican, a member of the LaPorte County, Indiana State and American Dental Associations. He is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, the Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He teaches a class of men in the Sunday School of the Lutheran Church. His recreation is hunting.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
FORREST EVERLAND FREEMAN, Doctor of Dental Surgery, has been a resident of LaPorte and prominent in the work of his profession there for a quarter of a century.
Doctor Freeman was born at Dunlapsville, Union County, Indiana, August 17, 1878. His people on both sides were Indiana pioneers. His grandfather, Israel Freeman, was a New Jersey man. Coming west, he located in Indiana, where he married Jane Ward, who was born near Pickaway, Ohio. After their marriage they rode horseback over the country to Union County, Indiana. Israel Freeman was a member of the Indiana Home Guard during the Civil war and was called out with his company at the time of Morgan's raid. He was a farmer by occupation. Israel Freeman died in 1892, at the age of seventy-six, and his wife three years later. They are buried in West Point Cemetery in Union County.
The father of Doctor Freeman was James M. Freeman, who was born and reared in Union County, attended school there, and during his active life was a farmer and blacksmith. He and his wife now reside at Liberty. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for over fifty-five years. His wife is now a Presbyterian, but was a birthright Friend.
James M. Freeman married Eunice Stanton. The Stanton family originated in Germany, were transplanted to England, and one of the family came across the ocean with the early immigrations of Quakers. He first settled on the Island of Nantucket. The founder of the family in Indiana was Zacceus Stanton, who was a pioneer settler in Northern Indiana. He was in Indiana before any wagon roads were broken through the woods and across the prairies. Zacceus Stanton was the grandfather of Eunice Stanton. The latter's parents were Eli and Elizabeth (Gardner) Stanton. Eli Stanton was born in Indiana, was a miller by trade, and both he and his wife were devout Friends. They are buried in the Salem Cemetery. Eunice Stanton was born and reared in Union County. Her five children were: Dr. Forrest E.; Dr. Karl, of Battle Creek, Michigan; Nellie, wife of Jesse Stevens, of Lansing, Michigan; Carrie; wife of Chester Ferries, living near Camden, Ohio; and Martha, Mrs. Claire Jobe, of Connersville, Indiana.
Forrest E. Freeman attended school at Liberty, Indiana, and after graduating from high school entered the dental department of Indiana University, where he was graduated Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1899. For one year he practiced at Indianapolis, six years at Gas City, and in 1906 came to LaPorte, where he has found his skill and abilities appreciated by a large clientage. His offices are in the First National Bank Building. Doctor Freeman is a member of the LaPorte County, the Thirteenth District and the American Dental Associations. He is a Knight Templar Mason, being affiliated with Excelsior Lodge at LaPorte, the LaPorte Chapter and Council. He is a member of the B. P. O. Elks, is a Republican and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. His favorite recreations are fishing and hunting.
Doctor Freeman married at Glen View, Illinois, July 22, 1914, Miss Jessie R. Reed, daughter of Joseph and Matilda Reed. Her father is a retired farmer at Glen View, and her parents are members of the Congregational Church. Mrs. Freeman attended the uublic schools of Glen View, graduated from high school in Chicago, and was in LaPorte as a teacher in the public schools prior to her marriage. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church, the Eastern Star Chapter and the Woman's Club. Doctor and Mrs. Freeman have two children, Elizabeth Jane, a pupil in high school, and James Monroe, in grammar school.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
LOUIS I. SHRADER, veteran business man and prominent citizen of New Albany, is a native son of the Hoosier State and descended from a family that was established in Indiana nearly a century ago. Mr. Shrader has spent fully half a century in the responsibilities of an active business career at New Albany. He is president of the L. I. Shrader Lumber Company, Incorporated, dealers in lumber, builders hardware and general building supplies. He founded the business forty-two years ago. He has been continuously at one location, 1415-1421 East Elm Street. The plant provides 29,000 square feet of floor and storage space, and the company employs ten persons in its different departments.
Louis I. Shrader was born at Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, March 28, 1859, and was about six years of age when the family home was established at New Albany. He was the seventh in order of birth of the thirteen children of Col. Daniel and Elizabeth (Ill) Shrader. Both parents were born in Germany. The founder of the Shrader family in Indiana was his grandfather, Balaher Shrader, who came from Germany to Indiana about 1832. At that time Daniel Shrader was six years old. He grew up and received his early educational advantages in Indiana, served an apprenticeship and became a skillful shoemaker. He was one of the old- time artisans of his trade, making custom- made shoes. Later he conducted a leading retail business in New Albany. The Shrader family for generations have been distinguished by a strong gift and talent for music. Col. Daniel Shrader taught music for a number of years, this being in the nature of an avocation and a contribution to the cultural life of his community. During the Civil war he organized a company of volunteers at Bloomington. This company was inducted into service with the Fifty-fourth Indiana Infantry. Later he rose to colonel of the regiment. His active service as a soldier covered practically the entire period of the war. He was in many battles and skirmishes, and after the war he was very loyal to his old comrades at arms and associated with them in the reunions of the Grand Army of the Republic. At one time Col. Daniel Shrader occupied the position of wharf master at New Albany.
Louis I. Shrader attended his first school at New Albany. After completing the work of the public schools he had a course in a business college, and at the age of twenty he entered the retail shoe business on January 1, 1880. He was a shoe merchant for nearly ten years.
On March 19, 1889, Mr. Shrader forged a partnership with Hugh Nealy to engage in the retail lumber business at Fifteenth and Elm streets. The firm was Nealy & Shrader until June 6, 1899, a short time before the death of Mr. Nealy. After that the business was continued under the name of Louis I. Shrader & Company until March1, 1930,when it was incorporated as the Louis I. Shrader Lumber Company, Incorporated. This is one of the largest concerts or its kind in Southern Indiana, and for many years has handled goods both wholesale and retail.
Mr. Shrader is a veteran and honored member of the New Albany Chamber of Commerce and of the Indiana Retail Lumber Dealers Association. He has always been liberal of his time and effort in matters of the common welfare. During the World war he was identified with the patriotic program of Floyd County, assisting in the sales of Government war bonds and in the work of the Red Cross and other organizations. In March, 1884, Mr. Shrader joined the Third Presbyterian Church, during the pastorate of the Rev. Charles Hutchinson. He served as a member of the board of elders and for a number of years was a director of the church choir and also director of music in the Sunday school.
Mr. Shrader married, April 9, 1884, at Salem, Indiana, Miss Harriet Reid. She was born at Salem in Washington County, where her father, Dr. Samuel Reid, was for many years a hard working physician and surgeon. The Reids were a pioneer Indiana family. Mr. and Mrs. Shrader have had two daughters, Olive and Ruth. Miss Olive, who 1ives with her parents at New Albany, has been a popular figure in social, cultural and musical circles. She completed her musical education under the direction of leading teachers at home and elsewhere.
Ruth E. Kirk, who inherited the musical talents of her father and grandfather, became an accomplished musician, and was regarded as one of the finest violinists in the Falls Cities. She studied with one of the best teachers in New York. She also possessed a beautiful soprano voice, was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and a valuable worker in the church choir. She was a member of the New Albany stringed quartette and of several musical organizations in Louisville. She possessed not only great talent but a charming personality and a lovable disposition, and to know her was to love her. She died at the age of thirty-seven. Ruth E. Shrader was married June 14, 1918, to J. T. Kirk. She is survived by her husband and their one child, Ruth Elizabeth. Capt. J. T. Kirk, who is an active member of the L. I. Shrader Lumber Company, Incorporated, was captain of an artillery company during the World war. He was with his company in France at the time of the armistice.
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INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
HON. HARRY BEAKES TUTHILL, mayor of Michigan City, former Superior Court judge, has received many of the distinguishing marks of an able lawyer and public leader during the fifty odd years since his admission to the bar.
Judge Tuthill is a happy example of the aspiring American youth who grew up on a Michigan farm, followed as a barefoot boy a plow in the furrow, and at an early age realized that the goal to success would be the reward of a great deal of earnest effort. He was born at Dowagiac, Cass County, Michigan, August 2, 1858. The Tuthill family were early New Englanders, coming from England prior to 1636. Judge Tuthill had one ancestor, Col. John Tuthill, an officer of the French and Indian war, and three of his ancestors were in the Revolution. His mother's people, the Beakes family, were Quakers and while not soldiers they otherwise furnished help and comfort to the Colonial cause in the struggle for liberty. Judge Tuthill's parents were Cyrus and Frances (Beakes) Tuthill. They were born and reared in Orange County, New York, and were married at Middletown in that state. From Orange County came a great many of the great pioneers into Cass County, Michigan. The Tuthill family settled there in 1852. Cyrus Tuthill as a young man had taught school in Tompkins and Orange counties, New York. At Dowagiac he became a merchant, but about 1862 moved his family to a farm. His farm home from 1865 to 1879 was about a mile from Dowagiac. Cyrus Tuthill about 1874 was elected secretary and manager of the Cass County Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company. The company was then insolvent, as a result of an epidemic of fire losses sustained during several previous years in Western Michigan. He was secretary of the company until 1898. During these fifteen years he built the company up to be one of the strongest in the state. Mrs. Cyrus Tuthill died in 1879 and he passed away in 1903. They are buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Dowagiac. From about 1854 both were earnest members and active leaders in the Congregational Church at Dowagiac, and Cyrus Tuthill was church clerk for many years. The family consisted of five children. The daughter Annie J., who died in 1928, was the wife of John Canright, also deceased, and for many years their home was at Portland, Oregon. Harry B. was the second child. William died when one year old. Victor M. is a manufacturer at Grand Rapids, Michigan, married Carrie Berridge and has two children, Marguerite and Howard B.
Harry B. Tuthill spent most of his early years on the farm. He graduated from the Dowagiac High School in 1878. For two years he studied law in the office of Spafford Tryon at Dowagiac. On December 2, 1879, he was admitted to the bar after an examination of three hours in open court, before a committee comprising Marshall Howell, afterwards a prominent attorney of South Bend, Lester A. Tabor, of Paw Paw, Michigan, and Harsen D. Smith, of Casopolis.
On December 15, 1879, Judge Tuthill began the private practice of law at Michigan City. For eight months his partner was William H. Breece, and after that he practiced alone. For eighteen months, from September, 1894 to May, 1896, he acted as city attorney. In that position he represented the city in nine very important law suits and succeeded in obtaining eight judgments while one case was drawn. In the meantime he was busy with a growing general law practice. In November, 1896, he was elected judge of the Superior Court for the district comprising Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. In August, 1907, Lake County was constituted a separate Superior Court district, and after that Judge Tuthill was Superior Court judge for LaPorte and Porter counties until January 1, 1915. He was on the bench continuously for eighteen years and this service is one of the enduring monuments to his ability. Judge Tuthill in 1918 was elected a member of the Indiana General Assembly, serving one term.
He was elected mayor in November, 1929. However, the incumbent of the office refused to vacate until a series of law suits brought a decision from the Indiana Supreme Court in May, 1930, in favor of Mayor Tuthill. However, the mayor elect had actually administered the affairs of his office from, January 1, 1930, and after the court decision was formally installed on May 25.
Judge Tuthill about 1922 organized the law firm of Tuthill & Williams. In the fall of 1927 Mr. William's son Nevelle also became a member of the firm, the title of which now is Tuthill, Williams & Williams. Judge Tuthill is a member of the Michigan City Bar Association and for over thirty years has been a member of the Indiana State and American Bar Associations. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Judge Tuthill is a former grand master of the Grand Lodge of Masons of Indiana. His local affiliations are with Acme Lodge No. 83,A. F. & A. M., of which he is a past master, Michigan City Chapter No. 25, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is a past high priest, Michigan City Council No. 56, R. and S. M., of which he is a past illustrious master, Michigan City Commandery No. 30, Knights Templar, of which he is a past commander, and is a thirty-third degree Scottish Rite Mason. He also belongs to Orak Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Hammond, is a member of the Rotary Club, Michigan City Golf Club, Michigan City Country Club. For a number of years he was a member of the State Republican Committee. For twenty years Judge Tuthill was a member and much of the time chairman of the official board of the Congregational Church.
He married at Dowagiac, Michigan, November 28, 1878, Miss Alice M. Wells, daughter of Henry B. and Phebe (Carr) Wells. Mrs. Tuthill is also of old New England ancestry. One of her ancestors lived at Wyoming, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary war and was captured by the Tories and Indians when they descended on the inhabitants of that locality. Later he effected his escape from the region around the Five Finger Lake in Western New York, and returned to his old home in Connecticut. Henry B. Wells, father of Mrs. Tuthill, was a prominent figure in the country around Dowagiac. He was both a farmer and merchant, served as county supervisor, and during the Civil war gave much time to soldier relief work and the care of the war widows and orphans. He and his wife are buried at Dowagiac. He died in January, 1916, and his wife in 1907. Mrs. Tuthill attended public school at Dowagiac. She is an active member of the Congregational Church and the Woman's Club, and for several years was president of the Woman's Study Club of Michigan City. Judge and Mrs. Tuthill had four children. The oldest, Fannie, born in 1879, died in August, 1880. The second daughter, Lotta Grace, born in 1880, is the wife of Mr. Ralph A. Vail and has a son, Harry T. Vail. Ralph A. Vail for many years was general manager for the Dodge Automobile Company of Detroit, and his career shows that he has been an unusual executive as well as an engineer. He is still engaged in experimental engineering in connection with automobiles at Detroit. The only living son of Judge Tuthill is Ralph W., born in 1885, a successful contractor and builder at Michigan City. He married Winifred Maxwell, and they have three children, Elizabeth (Betty), Richard and John. The other son, Clarence A. Tuthill, born March 25, 1887, died when one year old.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
HERMAN WIRT WORDEN has been an honored and successful member of the LaPorte bar for thirty years. Much of his professional work has been vested with public interests.
Mr. Worden was born in LaPorte County, January 15, 1874, son of Herman B. and Rachael (Stinchcomb) Worden. His father was born and reared near Somerset Center, Michigan, attended public school there and served as a soldier with a Michigan regiment in the Union army during the Civil war. After the war he came to LaPorte County, Indiana. Here he followed his trade as carpenter and millwright until he reached the age of retirement. He died in 1918 and both he and his wife are buried in the cemetery at Rolling Prairie. His wife was born and reared in LaPorte County. She was an active member of the Christian Church. Her death occurred in 1930. Of their eight children two died in infancy. The living children are: Charles A., of South Bend; Kitty A., wife of William A. Odell, of South Bend; Lizzie, widow of Louis A. Walton, of Rolling Prairie; Herman W.; Elsie, wife of William A. Baird, an attorney at Bessemer, Michigan; and Miss Hester, of Rolling Prairie, Indiana.
Herman W. Warden attended public school at Rolling Prairie, graduating from high school there. He completed a course in a business college at Valparaiso, and in 1901 was graduated in the law department of Valparaiso University. In the fall of the same year, after his admission to the bar, he moved to LaPorte. A few months later he formed a partnership with Lemuel Darrow and they were associated in practice for about four years. Three years later he made up a partnership with Elsworth E. Weir, and they were together for several years. Since then Mr. Worden has practiced alone, his offices being in the First National Bank Building. He is a member of the LaPorte County and Indiana State Bar Associations and was president of the County Bar Association in 1930-31. He has always had a valuable private practice and has also served as deputy prosecuting attorney of LaPorte County, as city attorney, and is now attorney for the LaPorte School Board. Mr. Worden is a member of the LaPorte Chamber of Commerce, is a Knight Templar Mason and Shriner, member of the B. P. O. Elks, Knights of Pythias,. the Maccabees and the Loyal Order of Moose.
He has never married. He has given much of his time to the worthy civic enterprises and during the World war made speeches in all the patriotic drives. He is a Democrat in politics, a member of the Kiwanis Club, the LaPorte Country Club and the Christian Church. His recreations are fishing, hunting and golf.
INDIANA ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OF AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT Vol. 3
By Charles Roll, A.M.
The Lewis Publishing Company, 1931
