SAMUEL E. BARNEY, manager of the American Mutual Life Insurance Company, is justly recognized as one of Elkhart's foremost citizens. A native of Birmingham, Erie Co., Ohio, his birth occurred December 16, 1833, being the youngest of thirteen children, four yet living, born to the marriage of Samuel Barney and Abigail Adsit, appropriate reference to whom is made in the biography of his brother. Hon. George T. Barney, which appears above in this volume. His youth and early manhood were passed in the county of his birth, during which time he was enabled to secure the rudiments of a fair practical education from the common schools, and in working at the various callings which seemed most remunerative, chiefly at farming, in a woolen mill and at cabinet making. When about eighteen years old he began teaching school and continued this interruptedly five terms, when he became a clerk at Defiance, Ohio, and later bookkeeper for a merchant at Napoleon. In older to better equip himself for business he took a course of instruction at a commercial college in Cincinnati, and then, with the expectation of learning telegraphy, started for St. Louis. While en route on an Ohio River steamer he met and formed the acquaintance of Maj. Gen. Rawlings, of Mound City, Ill., and one of the well-known men of the State. Imagining that Mound City was a place of considerable importance, through the representation of Gen. Rawlings, he was induced to abandon his St. Louis expedition in order to identify himself in business at this place; but instead of a city, or even a thrifty village, he found one large store owned by Gen. Rawlings and but little else. The prospect for a town was so good that young Barney determined to give it a trial as a home, especially as he was offered a position of clerk and private secretary for Gen. Rawlings, who, although a man of much natural ability and doing an immense business, was possessed of but little or no education. The place grew rapidly in importance, and besides filling his position with satisfaction, Mr. Barney was elected city clerk, superintendent of a branch railway and was appointed assistant postmaster. After remaining with Gen. Rawlings over two years, he associated himself as a partner in the dry goods trade upon his own responsibility, but after three years' residence in Mound City sold his interest and in the winter of 1858 embarked in mercantile pursuits at Green Springs, Ohio. Three years later he moved to Ligonier, Ind., where he was engaged in merchandising five years. In January, 1867, he came to Elkhart, which has ever since been his home. He was one of the organizers and is the present treasurer and manager of the American Mutual Life Insurance Company of Elkhart, which under his wise management has assumed a prominence in insurance circles that reflects much credit on Mr. Barney and upon the city. In his diversified business career there is one important item worthy of mention and of which the public is not aware. During the earlier years of Mr. Barney's manhood the country was flooded with "wildcat" and counterfeit money and proved a source of great annoyance and loss to merchants. Just as the poet or singer inherits the gift of their calling, and without being able to explain the reason why, just so Mr. Barney inherited the gift of detecting spurious currency, no matter how perfect the counterfeit, at sight. This gift was turned by him to practical use on more than one occasion, and he justly became authority on good and bad money. Although a Democrat in politics, Mr. Barney has never aspired to political preferment. He is slow to decide upon questions presented to him, but when once his position is taken it requires proof of the most positive character to change his views. So stanch is he that many have unjustly attributed to him the term of "crank," when the exact reverse is the truth. While a believer in the principles of the Democratic party, he votes for men regardless of party affiliations in local affairs. Mr. Barney is a Mason and one of the city's prosperous business men. On the last day of December, 1863, Agnes E., eldest daughter of Rev. Joseph Adderly, of Mishawaka, became his wife and to this union these children have been born: Ernest Addedy, who died when seventeen months old; Richard Carlyle; Wade Hampton; Hugh Comyn (the original manner of spelling the family name of Cummings) and Terrence LeRoy.

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ROBERT OWEN, born at Newton, Montgomeryshire, England, in 1771, married a Miss Dale, daughter of David Dale, in 1801, and died at the place of his birth November 19, 1858. Although receiving but a limited education he was a great reader, became a deep thinker and obtained renown as the great social reformer of the day. His early career was passed in commercial pursuits, and at eighteen was a stock owner in a manufacturing establishment; later he became owner of a large cotton factory at New Lanark, Scotland, where he introduced a system of reform which was not only successful at the time but became highly popular. Becoming an author of considerable note on his favorite topic, he published, in 1812, his "New Views of Society; or, Essays Upon the Formation of Human Character," and later a work entitled "Book of the New Moral World." Throughout these writings he advocated modified communism, absolute equality in all rights and duties and the abolition of all superiority, even that of capital and intelligence. His immense wealth and peculiar doctrines attracted numerous followers. In 1823, at his own expense, he purchased from the society of Harmonists, in Posey county, Ind., their possessions for $150,000, and peopling the district with his followers endeavored to make practical the views he held. The effort was an absolute failure. In 1827 he returned to Europe and at different places in Great Britain again attempted the establishment of communistic societies, with a similar result as that attained in the United States. In 1828, upon invitation from the Mexican Government, he resumed his efforts upon Mexican soil, but the result was failure as previously. He branched off into journalism and as a lecturer, at both of which be attained distinction because of the earnestness and intelligence with which he advocated his remarkable views. During his last years he became a believer in spiritualism and was a firm advocate of the precepts of that belief.

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GEORGE M. BIRD is a dealer in coal, wood, lime, cement, salt, seeds and feed at the corner of Pigeon and Main streets, Elkhart, Ind., is conducting a business that has commended itself to the approval of the public for a number of years past. He is full of business life and energy and is trustworthy to a fault. He is a product of Clayton, Lenaway Co., Mich., where he first saw the light on the 2nd of December, 1850, being one of four children born to the marriage of Reuben E. Bird and Caroline Canniff, the former a native of the Green Mountain State and the latter of New York. The father was a farmer and merchant by occupation, and in an early day emigrated to Michigan and was the founder of the town of Clayton, where he died. His widow now resides in the only house now standing in the town that was built when Mr. Bird first settled here. The surviving members of the family are: Chauncey N., George M., Lydia E. and John E. Three children are deceased. In the town of Clayton the boyhood days of George M. Bird were spent and there his education was obtained. When a mere youth he began traveling as a salesman and for a period of twenty years he was on the road, during which time he saw a great deal of the country and gained a wide and thoroughly practical experience in the business affairs of life. At various times during his career he was in the employ of the following houses: C. K. Hawley, of Cleveland, Ohio; M. L. Hull, of Cleveland; Selling Bros., of Detroit. Mich.; May Bros., of Rock Island, Ill., with whom he remained nine years and for five years was with Burley & Terrill, of Chicago. After leaving the road he came to Elkhart and engaged in his present business, in which he has been remarkably successful, owing to the fact that he is prompt in filling orders, strictly honorable in every transaction and a genial and decidedly agreeable companion. His business increased so rapidly that he had to extend his premises, which kept him very busy in supplying the wants of his numerous patrons. He gives constant employment to a large force of men and has a number of teams that are kept constantly busy in delivering his goods to all parts of the city. Mr. Bird is well known in the business circles of the place, is rated high commercially and is esteemed as a public-spirited citizen. He is a Knight Templar in the A. F. and A. M. and is recorder of his lodge. In 1882 Miss Mollie Lyon, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became his wife and their union has resulted in the birth of the following named children: Reuben A., aged eight years; Onlee M., aged three years, and Harrold C., aged one year.

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WILLIAM D. MIDDLETON, proprietor of the Elkhart Business College and Shorthand and Typewriting Institute, has been very successful in his chosen field of labor, for he has administrative capacity of a high order, is full of expedients and his mind is always on his work and his heart in it. The school over which he presides is never allowed to stagnate or to become disorderly, and as he possesses a genial and kindly disposition there are few among either pupils or associates who do not esteem him as a friend. He was born in St. Joseph county, Ind., near South Bend, December 23, 1843, a son of William and Rebecca (Gillam) Middleton, who emigrated from Ohio and located in St. Joseph county, Ind., during the early history of that section, being among its pioneers. The father was a farmer and carpenter, but he and the mother have for a number of years been deceased. William D. Middleton was the fifth of the seven children born to them, and obtained his education in the schools of Warren and Marion counties, Iowa, and in Bryant & Stratton's Business College of Indianapolis, Ind. On the 20th of June, 1862, he enlisted in Company G, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, but owing to a severe spell of typhoid fever he was unfitted for further duty and was discharged from the service February 28, 1863. After his recovery he joined Company K of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, enlisting April 1, 1863, with which regiment he served until the war closed. In the siege of Atlanta he was captured and taken to Andersonville prison, in which and other prisons he was confined for a period of seven months. He remained in captivity until the war closed and suffered all the privations and hardships which were the lot of those confined in that foul pen. He was in twenty-six pitched battles, but fortunately was never wounded. He returned home with the rank of first sergeant and at once began learning the mason's trade, at which calling he worked during the summer and devoted his attention to teaching school during the winter months for several years. Owing to failing health he was compelled to abandon manual labor and turned his attention solely to teaching, for which calling he had always had a liking and natural aptitude. The professor has called Elkhart his home for forty-three years and during this time he has been one of its most substantial and enterprising citizens. In 1887 he established his present school, and public education in Indiana has no more earnest advocate and co-operator than he. No one more thoroughly understands its needs and interests, and perhaps no one is better qualified, through long experience and loving labor in its behalf, to bring it to that high state of perfection which its present rapid advancement assures. His school is carried on throughout the entire year and is recognized as one of the leading business colleges in the country, for he has many pupils from Chicago and Indianapolis, as well as from all parts of the country. He is a member of the G. A. R. and Knights of Pythias. On the 25th of March, 1866, he was married to Mrs. Isabella Morgan, of Branch county, Mich., by whom he has had three sons and five daughters.

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DR. J. F. HARRIS is a skillful and well-known veterinary surgeon of Elkhart, Ind., who has attained to much skill in his calling and has won a reputation that is by no means undeserved. By years of patient study he has become thoroughly posted in all the branches of his profession and has found it not only profitable but also pleasing. He was born in Huron county, Ohio, August 26, 1836, to Andrew R. and Elizabeth (Laughlin) Harris, natives of York State and Pennsylvania respectively. The family came from the New England States, having originally come from Old England and were early settlers of this country. The paternal grandfather, Zurile W. Harris, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, in which struggle the maternal grandfather, William Laughlin, also took part, and in the war of 1812 became an officer. In the history of the United States mention will be found of this colonel, his great uncle, William B. Matherson, who was colonel in the Mexican war. The Harris family were among the pioneer settlers of Ohio and in the county of Huron Zurile W. Harris carried on farming and the cooperage business quite extensively. He died in Seneca county, Ohio. The maternal grandfather settled in Pennsylvania and also tilled the soil, but subsequently removed to Richland county, Ohio, where he died. Andrew R. Harris was a cooper and farmer, which occupations he followed in Porter county, Ind., near Valparaiso, in the vicinity of which place he resided until his death. He and his wife became the parents of six sons and four daughters, of which family five members are now living: Dr. Joseph F.; Washington R., who served in the Ninety-ninth Indiana Infantry, and was wounded in battle; VanBuren, who died in the late war, having held the rank of orderly sergeant; LaFayette (deceased) served one year in the civil war; Mary, Eliza J., Ella (deceased), Josephine, William (deceased), and Jackson (deceased). Dr. Joseph F. Harris, the subject of this biography, was principally reared in Richland and Wyandotte counties, Ohio, and received his education in both public and private schools. His spare moments were spent in wielding the hoe and following the plow on his father's farm, and while so doing he not only learned what hard work meant, but he also learned lessons of industry, honesty and perseverance which have since been of material benefit to him in his walk through life. From his youth he has been a lover of horses, and after deciding to devote his time and attention to curing the ills horseflesh is heir to, he began working at the profession under Dr. Levi A. Cass, of Porter county, at Horse Prairie, nine miles southwest of Valparaiso. He also studied medicine for three years, but never practiced only in his own family. He has studied the horse patiently and perseveringly, and in his treatment of that noble animal has been universally successful. In 1886 he came to Elkhart, Ind., of which city he has since been a resident, where he has built up a practice, although large, is constantly on the increase. In 1859 he was married in St. Joseph county, Ind., to Miss Rachel H. Paddock, by whom he has ten children: Albert A., Franklin, Sarah E., wife of William Riley, of Valparaiso; John, DeWain, Emery, James, Mary, Rebecca H. and Edward. The Doctor has never had a physician in his house except on two occasions, when one of his sons had a leg broken and the other received a gun-shot wound through the stomach. The family are hale and hearty. Dr. Harris has two uncles (doctors) by the name of Cornelius and Milo Blachley. Blachley's Mill, Wayne Co., Ohio, is named after the doctors, also Blachley Corners, of Porter Co., Ind., where they lived fifty years and practiced medicine. Both are deceased. Dr. Cornelius carried on farming and owned a carding-mill, grist-mill and saw-mill on Salt Creek in Porter county, Ind., at the time of his death. He raised eight children, four sons and four daughters. One son, Napoleon B. Blachley, was shot in the Union army. Col. Dewitt Hodgton, his brother-in-law, was shot dead on the battlefield in the Union army. Three of the Blachleys married three sisters of the subject's mother-two doctors and one farmer and carding-mill owner by trade.

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ANDREW STEPHENS, funeral director and undertaker, Elkhart, Ind. The business in which this well-known gentleman is engaged is a very important one to society, and among its essential requirements it is important that its representatives shall be sympathetic, experienced and reliable. The business has been in successful operation since 1854 and the establishment is well equipped with all articles pertaining to this line of business, and everything for the plainest or most imposing funerals can be readily furnished. Mr. Stephens is prompt in meeting his engagements, performs his duties with accuracy and propriety and he can always be depended on in matters pertaining to the last rites of burial. Mr. Stephens was born in Dauphin county, Penn., May 29, 1832, a son of Andrew and Mary (Braden) Stephens, also natives of the Keystone State, and of English and Irish lineage. The father died in January, 1832, having been a farmer throughout life and a soldier in the war of 1812. He had four sons and one daughter, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest. He remained in his native county until twenty years of age and, like a dutiful son, assisted his mother on the home farm and also at the trade of carpenter and joiner. In 1852 he moved with his mother westward and for three months was a resident of Steuben county, Ind., at the end of which time he came on to Elkhart county, and here Mr. Stephens began working at his trade, which he followed for two or three years, embarking in his present business in the spring of 1854. The firm was at first known as B. F. & A. Stephens, and continued such for about twenty-two years; then for three years was simply A. Stephens, and is now Stephens & Son. Mr. Stephens is one of the oldest business men of the city and during his long connection with mercantile interest has been honorable and upright in every respect and has made many friends by his straightforward course through life. At the time of his settlement the town was but a small hamlet of three or four hundred population, and almost the entire growth of the town and county has been witnessed by Mr. Stephens. He is a member of the Indiana State Undertakers' Association and Chosen Friends. In the early days of Elkhart he was a town trustee. He was married in 1860 to Miss Frances E. Hall, by whom he has four children: Lillie, Luella, Henry E. and Charlie A. He and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a member.

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PERRY L. TURNER. Of the younger element of our prominent, energetic and influential citizens, none are better known than Mr. Perry L. Turner, one of the distinguished attorneys of Elkhart. During the years be bas practiced his profession here he has shown himself to be endowed with superior ability, and his comprehensive knowledge of the law, together with the soundness of his judgment, secured him almost immediate recognition at the bar. Since that time to the present he has so identified himself with the affairs of the place that its history can not be recorded without according him a conspicuous and honorable part. Mr. Turner is now acting as United States Commissioner, by appointment from the Hon. William A. Woods; is at present the efficient and popular attorney of the city of Elkhart and a member of the law firm of Chamberlain & Turner, both men of high moral character who are universally respected and esteemed. Mr. Turner is a native of the city of Elkhart, born in Osolo township, October 27, 1860, and is a son of Lyman and Tamar (Wilkinson) Turner, both of whom came to this country as early as 1849 and were here married. They became the parents of five chi1dren, one only, besides our subject, now living Dr. Porter Turner. The father died October 19, 1888; the mother is still living. Our subject passed his youthful days in assisting his father on the farm, and supplemented a common-school education by graduating from the high schools of Elkhart. Following this he took a select literary course at the University of Chicago and Valparaiso College. On the 20th of May, 1882, he began the study of law with Capt. O. T. Chamberlain and was admitted to the bar in 1884, forming a partnership with his present associate in 1886. He was elected city attorney in 1884 and has held the office continuously ever since. During the eight years he has held this office, he has so well acquainted himself with every branch and question of municipal law that he was well able to perform the duties of his office. In that capacity he has performed honorable and efficient services, and so satisfactorily has he discharged his duties that high esteem has been placed upon his efforts. He has already attained a high standing in the legal fraternity and his reputation and record are first class for integrity and trustworthiness in all matters entrusted to him. In him the community has a faithful and unswerving friend, ever alert to serve its best interest and generous in his contributions toward every movement tending to the general advancement. If he should so desire, the future holds for him political honors, and no one would bear them with more becoming grace or better reflect their lustre. He was married on the 7th of January, 1886, to Miss Mamie E. Wright, daughter of Henry C. Wright, a prominent citizen of Elkhart and ex-mayor of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Turner are members of the Episcopal Church and are universally respected. Although one of the youngest attorneys at the bar of Elkhart, Mr. Turner stands at the head of his profession, and in whatever positions of trust he has been placed he has performed honorable and efficient service, and is entitled, with others, to feel a pride and satisfaction over the result of efforts and labors that have culminated in the glorious Elkhart of today. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, I. O. O. F. and K. of P.

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JAMES H. STATE, of the law firm of State & Chamberlin, Elkhart, Ind., was born at Lorin, Lewis county, N. Y., May 4, 1855. His parents, John and Theresa (Riley) State, natives of Ireland, came to the United States and settled in that territory, now known as Adirondack county. In 1870 the family removed to Elkhart county from Madison, Ohio, where they located about 1861, the father dying in Elkhart, June 23, 1892. James H. and his sister Lizzie, their two children, were educated at Madison. On coming to Elkhart, the former entered the office of the Review, holding a position there unti11875, when he began the study of law in the office of Hon. M. F. Shuey. Later he studied in the office of Judge Van Fleet for one year and was admitted to the bar in 1877. Beginning practice immediately, the young lawyer enjoyed more than the ordinary success of young men in the profession. In 1879 the partnership with Mr. Chamberlin was formed, and this partnership is to-day the oldest in the city. Fourteen years of practice in a larger city than Elkhart will always influence the public mind, and in the case of this firm such influence has been a most beneficent character. On May 4, 1876, Mr. State was elected city clerk. He was twenty-two years old that day, and this was the manner in which a majority of the citizens observed his birthday. In 1878 he was re-elected and served for eight years as prosecuting attorney for the city.

His marriage with Miss Kate Snyder of Elkhart was celebrated in 1877. They are the parents of one child, Margie. Mr. State is a Master Mason, a member of the National Union of the Royal Arcanum, and of other benevolent associations. He is the attorney for the Elkhart Water Company, and a member of that corporation. It is said that he is the most brilliant of the young lawyers of Elkhart county; while in addition to his shrewdness and ability as a lawyer he possesses the gift of oratory in a marked degree.

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GEN. W. W. DUDLEY, a man gifted with more than the average degree of intelligence and shrewdness, and as gallant a soldier as ever wore shoulder straps, is a native of the Green Mountain State, his birth occurring August 27, 1842, in Windsor county. He completed his education with a course at Russell's Collegiate and Commercial Institute, at New Haven, Conn., which also gave him an excellent military training. Coming to Indiana in 1860, he embarked in milling, but early in 1861 enlisted for the war and was elected captain of a company in the Nineteenth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted, from time to time, to the colonelcy of his regiment, and for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Gettysburg was breveted brigadier general. Having previously participated in some of the most hotly contested engagements of the war, his military career ended at Gettysburg, where his regiment lost nearly three-fourths of its number on the first day, and where Col. Dudley was so severely wounded in the right leg as to necessitate amputation. From the effects of this wound he remained unfit for any active work for nearly a year, and from the effects of which he is yet a sufferer. In 1866 and again in 1870 he was elected clerk of the Circuit Court of Wayne county, was cashier of the Richmond Savings Bank for a time, and from which he resigned to accept the appointment of United States Marshal for the district of Indiana. Col. Dudley is one of the most prominent Republicans in the State of Indiana, and through his superior management the State was kept Republican and cast its electoral vote for President Harrison in 1888. Col. Dudley is an Odd Fellow, a Free Mason, a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and by his marriage with Miss Theresa Fiske is the father of seven children.

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BENJAMIN F. STEPHENS, attorney at law, real estate dealer and insurance agent of Elkhart, Ind., has his office at 317 1/2 Main street, and in every branch of his business is meeting with marked success. He has a decided veneration for the law, and this, combined with the accuracy of his legal knowledge, lucidity of statement and felicity of illustration has given him the confidence of all his patrons. He was born in Dauphin county, Pa., Jan. 17, 1831, to Andrew and Mary (Braden) Stephens, who were natives of the State of Pennsylvania and of Scotch-Irish descent. The father was an active participant in the war of 1812, and died in Dauphin county, Pa., in 1832, having been a farmer throughout life. He left a widow and six children to mourn their loss, and in the spring of 1852 they turned their footsteps westward and eventually settled in Elkhart, Ind., where the mother was called from this life in the spring of 1855. B. F. Stephens was only one year old at the death of his father, and owing to this fact his childhood and early manhood was one long struggle with poverty. He lived on a farm until seventeen years of age, attending school during the winter months; then went to Harrisburg, Pa., and began serving an apprenticeship at the cabinetmaker's trade, which he completed and then came west with his mother and brothers and sister, and for a few months worked at his trade in Elkhart. In the fall of 1852 he and his brother opened a furniture and undertaker's establishment of their own, subsequently added hardware to their stock, and carried on their business with marked success until 1877, when he sold out to his brother Andrew, who still conducts an undertaking business. Succeeding this, Mr. Stephens engaged in general office business, settling decedents' estates, etc., and reading law, which always possessed considerable charm for him, and in January, 1892, he was admitted to the bar of Elkhart county. He makes a specialty of loaning money, drawing up deeds, mortgages, etc., and is doing a thriving business, and one which is congenial to his tastes. He has served as township trustee two years, four years president of the board of town trustees before it was incorporated as a city, and for six years was a member of the school board, of which he was treasurer and secretary. He is a member of the Scotch-Irish Society of America, is a member of and an earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, having united with the church March, 1853, and for a number of years was superintendent of the Sabbath-school, and held various other church offices. He is a member of the board of directors and president of the R. R. Y. M. C. A., and there is no organized movement in the city for the alleviation of suffering, for help and succor to earth's unfortunates, which does not receive his warm, strong sympathy and efficient aid. He has been a delegate of the Y. M. C. A. to the international conventions held at Milwaukee, Atlanta, Ga., San Francisco, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and to the Secretary's conference at Chattanooga, Tenn., Harrisburg, Pa., and Oakland, Cal. His son, H. E. Stephens, is connected with him in business, and the firm is known as Stephens & Stephens. They are prosperous, wide-awake and intelligent men of affairs, as the success which has attended their efforts would indicate. On the 4th day of March, 1858, Mr. Stephens was married to Miss Euphemia Martin, a native of New York State, and of two children born to them only one is now living - Herrick E. Although Mr. Stephens' early life was marked by many hardships, his early self denials taught him to be self-reliant, prudent and economical, and these attributes have since been of great benefit to him. His friends believe in "honor to whom honor is due," and at all times pay him unbounded respect, the outcome of his correct mode of living.

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1893
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DR. WILLIAM A. NEAL is a medical practitioner of more than local renown, which fact may be in a measure attributed to his love for his profession, and to him the arduous duties of his calling is a "labor of love." Whatever the social or financial condition of the patient who seeks his service, no effort is spared in the treatment of his case, for be believes it the highest duty of the physician to cure the ills to which mankind is heir if it lies within his power to do so. He devotes himself to his work with conscientious zeal, and gives little regard to the rewards or emoluments that are to follow. He believes in a progressive system of medicine, and notes with eager interest every progressive step taken by his profession. He was born in the city of Elkhart, Ind., January 29, 1836, to Henry and Rebecca (Kiblinger) Neal, who were born in Maryland and Ohio, and were of Welsh and French-German descent, respectively. The paternal grandfather came from Wales and settled near Hagerstown, Md., where he was engaged in farming. About 1858 he located with his family in Elkhart county, Ind., and here his declining years were spent. Henry Neal became a resident of the town of Elkhart in 1835, at which time the population did not exceed 200, and here be opened a harness shop, the first one in the town, which he successfully conducted until his health became so impaired that he gave it up and retired to private life. He died in 1883, in his seventy-sixth year, his wife having been called from life in 1841. They were the parents of two children: Dr. William A. Neal and Mrs. Russ Davis, of Elkhart. Dr. Neal resided in Elkhart until about eighteen years of age, during which time he attended the public schools and obtained a good practical education. He then went to La Fayette, Ind., to pursue his medical studies with Dr. Jewett, with whom he remained some time, after which he entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, which well-known institution he attended in 1856 and 1857. His first work as a practitioner of the healing art was done at New London, Iowa, in the spring of 1857, and there he continued to remain until October, 1861, when the strained relations between the North and South culminated in war, and Dr. Neal enlisted as assistant surgeon in the First Missouri Engineers, and served as such until the close of the war in 1865. He held the rank of captain, and was on field duty the most of his service, being post surgeon at Johnsonville, Tenn., in the spring and summer of 1864. He was with Gen. Sherman on his famous march to the sea, and was mustered out at St. Louis, Mo., July 28, 1865, after which he located for the practice of medicine at Dayton, Mich., which place continued to be his home until November, 1879, since which date Elkhart, Ind., has been his home and the scene of his labors. He is the author of the "Illustrated History of the Missouri Engineer and the Twenty-fifth Infantry Regiments," which was published in 1889; and is a finely illustrated and authentic work of 320 pages. Dr. Neal is secretary of the Elkhart City Medical Society, secretary of the Elkhart County Medical Society, a member of the Indiana State Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association. In the practice of his profession he has been skillful and successful, and his face is a familiar one in many homes in Elkhart county. He is sympathetic and kindly in disposition, and as a natural consequence many trusts are committed to his care. Socially he is a member of the Royal Arch Masons, the G. A. R. and the Loyal Legion. He is a Republican politically, and always adheres strictly to the principles of his party. In May, 1857, he was married to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. E. H. Lamb, and their union has resulted in the birth of four children: Eva (Mrs. Sawyer of Michigan); Harry, and two sons who are deceased. Mrs. Neal is a member of the Congregational Church. Faithful and just in the conduct of his business, Dr. Neal is also skillful and efficient in the practice of medicine, and is without reproach in any of the affairs of life. As a citizen, he has interested himself in the upbuilding of the community, and has given generously of his time, labor and means to promote its advancement, and support and build up its institutions.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


HON. WILLIAM H. ENGLISH, nominee of the Democratic party for vice-president of the United States in 1880, and the founder and for nearly a score of years president of the First National Bank of Indianapolis, was born in the village of Lexington, Scott county, Ind., August 27, 1822, being the son of Maj. Elisha G. and Mahala (Eastin) English, and grandson of Elisha and Sarah (Wharton) English. His education was such as the common schools of the neighborhood afforded, and a course of three years at South Hanover College. He chose law as his calling, and after a course of reading was admitted to practice in the circuit court at eighteen years of age; was later admitted to practice in the State supreme court, and in his twenty-third year was licensed to prosecute his profession in the supreme court of the United States. He practiced his profession for a time, but drifted into politics, and after filling several local positions of trust was chosen principal clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives in 1843 over numerous worthy competitors. In 1850, after having served as clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington, he was selected clerk of the Claims Committee in the United States Senate, and after the session resigned and returned to his home in Indiana. In 1851 he was elected to represent his native county in the State legislature, and at this session, owing to the resignation of Mr. Davis, who was the presiding officer of the House, Mr. English was elected speaker to fill the vacancy. In 1852 he was nominated and elected to Congress from his district, re-elected in 1854, was again elected in 1856 against his earnest protests, and again re-elected in 1858. During his Congressional career he was the author of some of the most notable bills of the day and acquired a national reputation as a debater and statesman. During the war he was offered the command of a regiment by Gov. Morton, but declined, and in person took no active part during that struggle. In 1863 he founded the First National Bank at Indianapolis, and for years turned his attention to banking, in which pursuit he displayed marked ability. He also acquired considerable interest in the city railroads of Indianapolis, and other stocks, but the prodigious energy he displayed undermined his health so that in 1877 he resigned the presidency of the bank and announced his intention of retiring from active business pursuits. His unanimous nomination for the vice-presidency in 1880 and the defeat of his party are matters of national history. Mr. English was always a Democrat in politics, and many say he was better than his party. For his life's helpmate, Miss Emma M. Jackson, of Virginia, became his wife November 17, 1847, who died November 14, 1876, after bearing one son and one daughter.

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“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


EDWIN FINN is the general manager of the S. D. Kimbark manufacturing establishment at Elkhart, Ind., and in connection with his duties has perfected inventions that are destined to not only make his name famous as an inventor, but rank him among the labor-saving mechanics of the age. A native of Milwaukee, Wis., his birth occurred September 19, 1849, being a son of William and Margaret (Page) Finn. The former was a botanist and a farmer and an unusually well posted and esteemed man. He died March 7, 1892, in Green county, Wis., at which place his widow yet lives. Edwin Finn is the eldest of a family of six children and his early youth was passed in acquiring a practical education. When yet a boy he became an employee in a manufacturing establishment at Milton Junction, Wis., and since that time, with but little exception, he has followed mechanical pursuits. He attracted considerable attention by purchasing a saw and planing-mill at Quincy, Mich., and from an almost worthless plant succeeded in building it up to one of the best and most productive or its kind in the southern part of the State. He was induced in 1886 to become connected with S. D. Kimbark, of Chicago, Ill., assuming full charge of his establishment at Quincy, Mich.; but in August, 1890, came to Elkhart, Ind., and began the erection of their present establishment. This consists of a main building, two stories high, brick material, 80x400 feet, with a detached but contiguous building one story high 40x212 feet. This is one of the largest and most perfectly equipped manufacturing establishments in the world, is protected by automatic water-works, and is a credit to the skill and ability of Mr. Finn. They manufacture fine carriage bodies, seats, carriage parts, hickory and oak spokes, carriage and wagon wood-work; employ about one hundred men and transact fully $100,000 worth of business yearly. Mr. Finn is a practical machinist of a high order and a genius for invention. Perhaps the most remarkable product of his fertile brain is a multiple automatic screw driver, the screws set automatically, which has thirty-two drivers and is operated by two men. This machine readily performs work on 200 bodies daily and while not yet completed is already invaluable. A scarcely less serviceable invention of Mr. Finn's is his multiple automatic boring machine, operating sixteen bits, accomplishes work as well as though done by hand and is practically unlimited as to capacity. A mitre saw for making the joint on body panels, after the panels have been securely glued to the frame, is another valuable addition wrought by Mr. Finn, and its value is most important because it avoids splitting and insures perfect joints. Besides these he has improvements invented as attachments to other machinery, which, taken all together, is sufficient to insure him as one of the principal inventors of the age. Mr. Finn is a Republican and a Knight Templar Mason. To his marriage with Miss Franc A. Cummins, one son has been born - Willie I.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


JUDGE JOSEPH D. ARNOLD, attorney at law of Elkhart, was born in York township, Elkhart county, Ind., February 14, 1836, a son of A. B. and A. D. (Davis) Arnold, who were natives respectively of New York and Vermont. The Arnold family were early settlers of New England, the paternal grandfather, Joseph Arnold, having come from North Adams, Mass . In an early day he became a resident of the State of New York, where the remainder of his days were passed. His son, A. B. Arnold, was reared to a knowledge of farm life, but in 1835 left the State of New York to remove to Indiana, coming thither in wagons and crossing the Dominion of Canada. They settled in what is now York township, which at that time was very sparsely settled. He entered eighty acres of Government land which was heavily timbered, upon which he erected a rude log cabin, and in this rude dwelling he continued to live until he could make better improvements. After a few years he removed to Wisconsin, where his life ended in 1885. He became quite prominent in Elkhart county and held the positions of justice of the peace, township trustee and held various other township offices. He and his wife became the parents of five sons, all of whom are living, four being residents of Wisconsin. On his father's farm the subject of this sketch was brought up to a knowledge of agriculture, and like the majority of farmers' boys received his initiatory training in the old time subscription and public schools. Later he attended school at Ontario, Indiana and Cleveland, Ohio. He remained under the shelter of the parental roof until he was twenty-four years of age, during which time he assisted in the duties of the farm, but at that time was made deputy county clerk and held the position from 1860 to 1862. He then began reading law with John H. Baker and after a satisfactory and highly commendable examination he was admitted to the bar in 1863, soon after which he entered upon the practice of his profession in Goshen and Elkhart, continuing until 1871, when he removed to Lake Geneva, Wis., where he engaged in farming until 1879, since which time he has resided at Elkhart. He was prosecuting attorney for the district comprising the counties of Elkhart, St. Joseph, Laporte and Marshall, from 1868 to 1870. In the month of May, 1892, he was elected city judge, is prominent in official circles and is a true and tried Republican. He was married in 1865 to Miss Louise J., daughter of N. F. Brodrick, Esq., by whom he has two children: Glenn B., principal of the high school at Clintonville, Wis., and Halton C., clerk in a drug store at Lake Geneva, Wis. The judge is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


NEHEMIAH F. BRODRICK (deceased). All people of true sensibility and a just regard for the memory of those who have departed this life cherish the details of the history of those whose careers have been marked by uprightness and truth and whose lives have been filled up with acts of usefulness. Mr. Brodrick was a pioneer of Elkhart county and was a member of a family that traced their origin to the isle of Erin, although they came to America during the early history of this country, the grandfather of Nehemiah, Anthony Brodrick, having been a patriot in the American Revolution, holding the rank of colonel, and was in the battle of Ticonderoga. After living many years in New Jersey, he accompanied his son Robert, the father of Nehemiah, on his journey westward, but died on the way, in Fayette county, Penn., in the year 1807. The family continued their journey to Ohio and settled in Montgomery county, Ohio, near Dayton and two years afterward removed to Butler county, in the vicinity of Hamilton.

Nehemiah F. Brodrick was born in Sussex county, N. J., April 30, 1805, near the site of the present town of La Fayette, and his early schooling, which was of a very limited character, was obtained in the public schools near Hamilton, Ohio, which he attended until he reached the age of eleven years, when he went to Piqua, Ohio, and entered the store of William Johnson. His stay here was brief, for he soon accompanied his father to Allen county (now Auglaize), Ohio, locating at Wapakoneta, where his father entered the employ of Col. Johnson, Indian agent, as blacksmith for the Shawnee Indians, which position he retained for twelve years, and 50 endeared himself to the Wolf tribe that with great pomp and ceremony he was made a member of the tribe and was christened No-sau tuck-au, or the “guardian.” In 1817 Nehemiah F. returned to Piqua, Ohio, where he clerked in the store of Nicholas Greenham until he attained the age of eighteen years, when he returned to Wapakoneta and commenced the traffic of goods on his own account, the majority of his patrons being the numerous Indians that roamed the country. Mr. Brodrick became thoroughly familiar with the Shawnee language and was able to speak it fluently. In 1829 he was selected by the Indians, and confirmed by the Government, as one of the appraisers of their improvements, and to him was intrusted the proceeds, amounting to about $13,000, to distribute among the tribe. He remained in that locality for some twelve years, at the end of which time he removed to Shelby county of the same State, where he sold goods until 1835 at Hardin, near Sidney, filling also the position of surveyor of that county for five years. He was married in 1831 to Margaret Henry, sister of the late Dr. John H. Henry, by whom he had five children: John H., Charles B., Justus L., Melissa (deceased), and Louise J., wife of Judge Joseph D. Arnold, of Elkhart. In September, 1835, Mr. Brodrick came to Elkhart, which was then a village of about two hundred inhabitants and found employment in the store of Elijah Beardsley, the only merchant and postmaster of the place. The winter of 1835-6 he taught a three months' term of school, but in 1840, in connection with Dr. J. H. Henry, he opened a mercantile establishment, and continued, sometimes with a partner and sometimes without, for nine years, after which he devoted his time and attention to the duties of justice of the peace and for over twenty-one years adjusted his neighbor's difficulties in a very praiseworthy and impartial manner. He occasionally acted as a surveyor, and surveyed several additions to the town of Elkhart, his duties in this respect being quite arduous. His work was always noted for the care bestowed upon it, as well as for its absolute accuracy. Throughout a long and well-spent life the breath of calumny never found on him a resting place, and all who knew him entertained for him the highest feeling of friendship and respect. In politics he was an earnest Republican and in the struggle of the Government to put down the late Rebellion he gave his earnest support to the Union and sent two sons to the war. He was called from life on the 13th of May, 1879, his death resulting from heart disease.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


JOHN H. BRODRICK has successfully followed various occupations throughout life and is now one of the wealthy capitalists of Elkhart, with the interests of which city he has been identified from the commencement of his career, for here he first saw the light of day on November 9, 1835, his father being Nehemiah F. Brodrick, whose sketch appears above. John H. was educated in the public schools of Elkhart and being ambitious, he, at an early age, opened a furniture establishment which he conducted until the spring of 1860, when he sold out and removed to Shelby county, Ohio, where, for two years, he was engaged in farming in the vicinity of Sidney. In that year he returned to Elkhart and purchased property, and in the fall he joined Company D, One Hundredth Indiana Infantry, with which he served until the war closed, acting in the capacity of commissary sergeant, with headquarters at Louisville, Ky., during the last winter of the war being on detached hospital duty with the Army of Tennessee. He witnessed many fiercely contested battles, among which were Missionary Ridge, Kenesaw Mountain and the engagements of the Atlanta campaign, being on those bloody battlefields issuing rations to the soldiers. He was mustered out of the service in 1865 and returned to his home to once more take up the peaceful pursuits of a civilian's life, and until 1878 was a successful merchant and manufacturer. He then decided to follow the advice of Horace Greeley and "go west," and in 1878 he found himself in Kansas, where he followed milling and was quite extensively engaged in dealing in real estate in Mitchell and Osborne counties. He built the largest hotel in the Northwest at Osborne, Kan., and named the house "Key West," but it is now known as the Lipton House. In January, 1881, he returned to Elkhart, which city has since been his home. He helped to build the starch works at Elkhart, has been a valuable citizen of the city in numerous ways, and has expended large sums of money in building up and improving the place. For one year he did business in Goshen, but Elkhart has been the principal scene of his operations. He was married in January, 1860, to Miss Eleanora S. Maxwell, a native of Sidney, Ohio, by whom he has five children: Laura E., wife of C. W. Baldwin, of Osborne, Kan.; Alberta M., wife of S. E. Ruede; Carl J.; Harry M., and Ralph E. Mr. Brodrick is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Shiloh Post, of which he is an honored member. His experience in life has been a varied one, but at the same time one that reflects great credit upon him, and the reputation he has acquired as a shrewd man of business and a public spirited citizen has been gained through his own individual efforts and at the expense of hard, practical experience.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


HON. RICHARD W. THOMPSON was a native of Culpeper county, Va., born in June, 1809, and was descended from one of "the first families of Virginia." When twenty-two years old he emigrated to Indiana, taught a private school at Bedford and later opened the Lawrence County Seminary. Subsequently he read law, was admitted to the bar in 1834 and the same year was elected to the State legislature, and reelected in 1838. In 1839 he was elected to the State Senate and during his career as a State legislator not only displayed great ability and foresight, but was instrumental in effecting very important legislation. Upon the resignation of Lieut.-Gov. Wallace, Mr. Thompson was president of the Senate pro tempore, and held the office of acting governor during the administration of Hon. Noah Noble. As a Whig he was nominated and elected to Congress in 1841 from the Second district, and declining a renomination moved to Terre Haute in 1843, where for nearly half a century he was engaged in the practice of the law. In 1847 he was again nominated for Congress by the Whig party, and, accepting the nomination, was reelected and became a national character because of his prominence in legislative matters. Although tendered the Austrian mission by President Taylor in 1849, he declined the appointment, preferring to remain in his native country. During the war of the Rebellion he rendered the union active and valuable services, was commandant of Camp Dick Thompson, near Terre Haute, and also served as provost marshal of the district. In 1867 he was elected judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District, but declined the candidature of a second term. For a number of years he lived in retirement, steadily refusing political preferment, and turning his attention to literary and educational pursuits, his large and valuable library affording him an ample field for study. In March, 1877, President Hayes appointed him to his cabinet as Secretary of the Navy, and so ably did he fill the duties of that position that he brought order out of chaos, simplified the duties of his subordinates, dismissed unnecessary employes, established his department on a sound basis and saved several million dollars to the Government that had previously been frittered away. Mr. Thompson is one of the men whose name bears an imperishable imprint on the page of Indiana history. He is now in his eighty-fifth year, hale and hearty; he has been a participant in sixteen presidential campaigns and on September 3, 1893, made one of the ablest political speeches of his life, comprising six columns of newspaper print.

“Pictorial and Biographical Memoirs of Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana
Together with Biographies of Many Prominent Men of Northern Indiana and the Whole State, Both Living and Dead”
Goodspeed Brothers Publishers, Chicago
1893
John Morris Co. Printers and Binders


Deb Murray